PMID- 26475809
TI  - Change in endothelial vascular reactivity and acute brain dysfunction during
      critical illness.

PMID- 26475810
TI  - Randomized controlled pilot study: does intraoperative clonidine reduce the
      incidence of post-hospitalization negative behaviour changes in children who are
      distressed during induction of general anaesthesia?

PMID- 26475811
TI  - Preoperative ward.

PMID- 26475812
TI  - Long-term outcome in kidney recipients from donors treated with
      hydroxyethylstarch 130/0.4 and hydroxyethylstarch 200/0.6.

PMID- 26475813
TI  - The Totaltrack: an initial evaluation.

PMID- 26475814
TI  - Memory and consciousness intertwingled.

PMID- 26475815
TI  - Enhanced recovery from surgery in the U.K.: an audit of the enhanced recovery
      partnership programme 2009-2012.

PMID- 26475816
TI  - Recommendations for perioperative oxygenation.

PMID- 26475817
TI  - A lowest oxygen level acceptable (LOLA) standard should apply to all ages.

PMID- 26475818
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25498579.

PMID- 26475825
TI  - Effects of Ethacrynic Acid Addition to Diet on Fitness and Development in the
      Psocid Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel.
AB  - Fertility life table provides a comprehensive description of arthropod population
      dynamics by the estimation of parameters about arthropod population growth
      potential. It can also clarify the sublethal effects of chemicals on insects.
      Ethacrynic acid (EA), an inhibitor of glutathione S-transferases, is a diuretic
      compound that has been confirmed to modulate drug resistance in organisms. In
      this study, the effects of EA on growth and development of Liposcelis
      bostrychophila Badonnel were investigated in the laboratory to explore the
      potential possibilities of EA as an active agent to manage insecticide-resistant
      psocids. The treatment of psocids was obtained by feeding on the routine diet
      containing 3% EA for three successive generations, and psocids on routine diet
      served as control. The results indicated that EA possessed some negative effects
      on the life-table parameters of the psocid in F1 and F2 generations. The addition
      of EA to diet stunted psocids growth by lengthening development time and
      increasing mortality with a greater effect in the F2 generation. In the third
      generation of psocids on EA diet, it seemed there was a return to normal. Psocid
      fitness was influenced by addition of EA to standard diet. Using rm values, the
      fitness for EA diet in F1, F2, and F3 compared with the counterpart of routine
      diet was calculated as 0.80, 0.74, and 0.87, respectively. 

PMID- 26475826
TI  - Alightment of Spotted Wing Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) on Odorless Disks
      Varying in Color.
AB  - Methods for trapping spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsmura)
      (Diptera: Drosophilidae), have not yet been optimized for detecting this
      devastating pest of soft-skinned fruits. Here, we report outcomes of choice and
      no-choice laboratory bioassays quantifying the rates of spotted wing drosophila
      alightment on 5-cm-diameter sticky disks of various colors, but no fruit odors.
      Red, purple, and black disks captured the most spotted wing drosophila when
      presented against a white background. Male and female spotted wing drosophila
      responded identically in these tests. Significantly more D. suzukii were captured
      on the red and yellow disks than those presenting the corresponding grayscale for
      that color, proving that D. suzukii perceives colors and not just the level of
      target brightness. Fluorescent red is the best candidate for trap color, while
      clear and white are the least desirable. However, when the background was
      switched to black, all nonfluorescent colors were equally acceptable to spotted
      wing drosophila, suggesting that background must be specified when reporting
      spotted wing drosophila color preference. Additional spotted wing drosophila
      research is justified on the effects of target color against natural backgrounds.

PMID- 26475828
TI  - Health survey of 167 pet rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Finland.
AB  - Only a limited amount of information is available about health status of pet
      rabbits. The aim of this study was to obtain data about the health status of pet
      rabbits considered healthy by the owners in Finland. Physical examination and
      lateral abdominal and lateral skull radiography were performed on 167 pet rabbits
      of which 118 (70.7 per cent) had abnormal findings in at least one examination.
      The most common findings were acquired dental disease (n=67, 40.1 per cent),
      vertebral column deformities and degenerative lesions (n=52, 31.1 per cent), skin
      disorders (n=28, 16.8 per cent) and eye disorders (n=12, 7.2 per cent). Vertebral
      column angulating deformities were significantly more common in dwarf lop rabbits
      (P<=0.001). The prevalence of health disorders was significantly higher in
      rabbits over three years of age of which 51 (82.3 per cent) had findings in at
      least one examination (P<0.05). Rabbits as prey animals hide their illness, which
      cause difficulties to owners to recognise health problems. Because of the high
      prevalence of clinical and radiological findings in apparently healthy pet
      rabbits, regular physical examinations are advised, especially for animals over
      three years old. 

PMID- 26475829
TI  - A time-varying effect model for studying gender differences in health behavior.
AB  - This study proposes a time-varying effect model that can be used to characterize
      gender-specific trajectories of health behaviors and conduct hypothesis testing
      for gender differences. The motivating examples demonstrate that the proposed
      model is applicable to not only multi-wave longitudinal studies but also short
      term studies that involve intensive data collection. The simulation study shows
      that the accuracy of estimation of trajectory functions improves as the sample
      size and the number of time points increase. In terms of the performance of the
      hypothesis testing, the type I error rates are close to their corresponding
      significance levels under all combinations of sample size and number of time
      points. Furthermore, the power increases as the alternative hypothesis deviates
      more from the null hypothesis, and the rate of this increasing trend is higher
      when the sample size and the number of time points are larger.

PMID- 26475830
TI  - Fast clustering using adaptive density peak detection.
AB  - Common limitations of clustering methods include the slow algorithm convergence,
      the instability of the pre-specification on a number of intrinsic parameters, and
      the lack of robustness to outliers. A recent clustering approach proposed a fast
      search algorithm of cluster centers based on their local densities. However, the
      selection of the key intrinsic parameters in the algorithm was not systematically
      investigated. It is relatively difficult to estimate the "optimal" parameters
      since the original definition of the local density in the algorithm is based on a
      truncated counting measure. In this paper, we propose a clustering procedure with
      adaptive density peak detection, where the local density is estimated through the
      nonparametric multivariate kernel estimation. The model parameter is then able to
      be calculated from the equations with statistical theoretical justification. We
      also develop an automatic cluster centroid selection method through maximizing an
      average silhouette index. The advantage and flexibility of the proposed method
      are demonstrated through simulation studies and the analysis of a few benchmark
      gene expression data sets. The method only needs to perform in one single step
      without any iteration and thus is fast and has a great potential to apply on big
      data analysis. A user-friendly R package ADPclust is developed for public use.

PMID- 26475831
TI  - Activities of the peptidyl transferase center of ribosomes lacking protein L27.
AB  - The ribosome is the molecular machine responsible for protein synthesis in all
      living organisms. Its catalytic core, the peptidyl transferase center (PTC), is
      built of rRNA, although several proteins reach close to the inner rRNA shell. In
      the Escherichia coli ribosome, the flexible N-terminal tail of the ribosomal
      protein L27 contacts the A- and P-site tRNA. Based on computer simulations of the
      PTC and on previous biochemical evidence, the N-terminal alpha-amino group of L27
      was suggested to take part in the peptidyl-transfer reaction. However, the
      contribution of this group to catalysis has not been tested experimentally. Here
      we investigate the role of L27 in peptide-bond formation using fast kinetics
      approaches. We show that the rate of peptide-bond formation at physiological pH,
      both with aminoacyl-tRNA or with the substrate analog puromycin, is independent
      of the presence of L27; furthermore, translation of natural mRNAs is only
      marginally affected in the absence of L27. The pH dependence of the puromycin
      reaction is unaltered in the absence of L27, indicating that the N-terminal alpha
      amine is not the ionizing group taking part in catalysis. Likewise, L27 is not
      required for the peptidyl-tRNA hydrolysis during termination. Thus, apart from
      the known effect on subunit association, which most likely explains the phenotype
      of the deletion strains, L27 does not appear to be a key player in the core
      mechanism of peptide-bond formation on the ribosome. 

PMID- 26475833
TI  - Improving vessel healing with fully bioresorbable drug-eluting stents: more than
      a pipe dream?

PMID- 26475834
TI  - Family or SNPs: what counts for hereditary risk of coronary artery disease?

PMID- 26475835
TI  - Open-Source Approach May Speed Drug Discovery.
AB  - In an effort to speed early-stage drug discovery, a Toronto, Canada-based
      research group has developed and made freely available a new drug prototype that
      shows promise in targeting a protein involved in breast cancer and leukemia. 

PMID- 26475837
TI  - Online Corrigendum.

PMID- 26475836
TI  - Dr. Dr. h.c. Chris Galanos.

PMID- 26475838
TI  - Diagnosis of Pediatric Foreign Body Ingestion: Clinical Presentation, Physical
      Examination, and Radiologic Findings.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: (1) To describe clinical and radiologic findings in patients with
      esophageal foreign bodies. (2) To examine the sensitivity and specificity of
      history, physical examination, and radiologic studies in children with suspected
      foreign body ingestion. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed
      evaluating all children who underwent esophagoscopy for suspected foreign body
      ingestion at our institution from 2006 to 2013. RESULTS: Five hundred forty-three
      patients were included (54% male). Average age was 4.7 years (SD = 4.1 years).
      Foreign bodies were identified on esophagoscopy in 497 cases (92%). Ingestion was
      witnessed in 23% of cases. Most common presenting symptoms were choking/gagging
      (49%), vomiting (47%), and dysphagia/odynophagia (42%). Most patients with
      foreign bodies had a normal exam (76%). Most foreign bodies were radiopaque
      (83%). In 59% of patients with normal chest radiographs, a foreign body was
      present. Sensitivity and specificity of 1 or more findings on history, physical
      examination, and imaging were 99% and 0%, 21% and 76%, and 83% and 100%,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with esophageal foreign bodies are
      symptomatic. Although many patients will have a normal physical examination, an
      abnormal exam should increase suspicion for a foreign body. Most esophageal
      foreign bodies are radiopaque, but a normal chest radiograph cannot rule out a
      foreign body.

PMID- 26475839
TI  - Do the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and Autism Spectrum Quotient Short Form (AQ
      S) Primarily Reflect General ASD Traits or Specific ASD Traits? A Bi-Factor
      Analysis.
AB  - In the current study, we fit confirmatory bi-factor models to the items of the
      Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and Autism Spectrum Quotient Short Form (AQ-S) in
      order to assess the extents to which the items of each reflect general versus
      specific factors. The models were fit in a combined sample of individuals with
      and without a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. Results indicated
      that, with the exception of the Attention to Details factor in the AQ and the
      Numbers/Patterns factors in the AQ-S, items primarily reflected a general factor.
      This suggests that when attempting to estimate an association between a specific
      symptom measured by the AQ or AQ-S and some criterion, associations will be
      confounded by the general factor. To resolve this, we recommend using a bi-factor
      measurement model or factor scores from a bi-factor measurement whenever
      hypotheses about specific symptoms are being assessed.

PMID- 26475840
TI  - Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Increases Leukocyte Recruitment in the Mouse
      Parietal Peritoneum Microcirculation and Causes Fibrosis.
AB  - ? BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to examine the effects of a
      conventional dialysis solution and peritoneal catheter on leukocyte-endothelial
      cell interactions in the microcirculation of the parietal peritoneum in a
      subacute peritoneal dialysis (PD) mouse model. ? METHODS: An intraperitoneal (IP)
      catheter with a subcutaneous injection port was implanted into mice and, after a
      2-week healing period, the animals were injected daily for 6 weeks with a 2.5%
      dextrose solution. Intravital microscopy (IVM) of the parietal peritoneum
      microcirculation was performed 4 hours after the last injection of the dialysis
      solution. Leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions were quantified and compared
      with catheterized controls without dialysis treatment and naive mice. ? RESULTS:
      The number of rolling and extravascular leukocytes along with peritoneal fibrosis
      and neovascularization were significantly increased in the catheterized animals
      compared with naive mice but did not significantly differ between the 2 groups of
      catheterized animals with sham injections or dialysis solution treatment. ?
      CONCLUSION: The peritoneal catheter implant increased leukocyte rolling and
      extravasation, peritoneal fibrosis and vascularization in the parietal peritoneum
      independently from the dialysis solution treatment.

PMID- 26475841
TI  - Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)-A New Cardiovascular Risk Factor in
      Peritoneal Dialysis Patients.
AB  - ? BACKGROUND: Recent investigations indicated that nonalcoholic fatty liver
      disease (NAFLD), a hepatic component of metabolic syndrome (MS), is associated
      with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Accordingly, we were
      interested in exploring the frequency of NAFLD in peritoneal dialysis (PD)
      patients and analyzing factors in PD patients associated with NAFLD occurrence.
      In addition, we were interested in investigating whether NAFLD is associated with
      higher CVD risk in our PD patients. ? METHODS: In the present cross-sectional
      study, we analyzed 58 PD patients. The controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) was
      used to detect and quantify liver steatosis with the help of transient
      elastography (TE) (FibroScan, Echosense SA, Paris, France). A carotid ultrasound
      was performed in all patients to measure carotid intimae media thickness (IMT)
      and plaque as surrogate measures of increased CVD risk, and we investigated their
      association with NAFLD. ? RESULTS: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease was present
      in 74.1% of PD patients. Peritoneal dialysis/nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
      patients had statistically greater daily (136.5 +/- 62.6 vs 93.6 +/- 36.1; p =
      0.02) and monthly (4,095.3 +/- 1,877.7 vs 2,806.6 +/- 1,083.2; p = 0.02) glucose
      load in comparison to the non-NAFLD/PD patients. In the next step, we were
      interested in analyzing what demographic and clinical characteristics in our PD
      patients are associated with a higher NAFLD occurrence. Presence of diabetes
      mellitus (DM), arterial hypertension (AH), dyslipidemia, body mass index > 25
      kg/m(2), and daily glucose load > 100 g were associated with NAFLD occurrence.
      Peritoneal dialysis patients with NAFLD showed more carotid atherosclerosis than
      PD patients without NAFLD. In addition, CAP values (as indicator of liver
      steatosis) showed strong positive association with IMT (r = 0.801; p < 0.0001).
      Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease was a strong predictor of carotid
      atherosclerosis in PD patients. ? CONCLUSION: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is
      highly prevalent in PD patients. Peritoneal dialysis patients with NAFLD are at
      high risk of atherosclerosis. Assessment of NAFLD in PD patients may be helpful
      for CVD risk stratification.

PMID- 26475842
TI  - Analysis of Hospitalization after Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Implantation.
AB  - ? BACKGROUND: Implantation of the peritoneal dialysis catheter (PDC), usually an
      elective procedure, may necessitate unexpected hospitalization and even transfer
      to intensive care due to the multiple comorbidities and inherent instability of
      the end-stage renal disease patient. Information on hospitalization after PDC
      implantation is limited and details about the reason for hospitalization are
      lacking. ? METHODS: We performed a cohort study in consecutive patients who
      underwent PDC implantation at a single institution from September 2007 to
      September 2013. Clinical characteristics of enrolled patients, technique of the
      implantation procedure, and all-cause unexpected hospitalization and morbidity
      within 14 days after implantation were analyzed. ? RESULTS: Excluding the
      patients with pre-arranged admission, a total of 246 patients receiving 252 PDC
      implantations during the 6 years were studied. After 39 procedures (15.5%),
      patients had an unexpected hospital stay or re-admission due to operative
      complications (33.3%), worsening of disease (35.9%), or a single-night hospital
      stay for observation (30.8%). Compared with discharged patients, the patients
      with unexpected hospitalization were older (p = 0.001), experienced higher rates
      of previous episodes of heart failure (p = 0.006) and heart disease (p < 0.001),
      had more use of general anesthesia (GA) (p = 0.046), underwent more added
      procedures during the implantation (p = 0.02), and had more episodes of flow
      obstruction and peritonitis after implantation (p = 0.012 and p < 0.001,
      respectively). Using a multivariable logistic regression, we showed that age,
      cardiac morbidity, use of general anesthesia, PDC flow problems and peritonitis
      after implantation were independent predictors of all-cause unexpected
      hospitalization. ? CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, our study analyzed the
      predictors of unplanned hospitalization after PDC implantation and identified the
      salient risk factors. Increased focus to identify patients at greatest risk for
      hospitalization, evaluation of processes of care, and implementation of
      preventive strategies may be helpful to reduce unplanned hospitalization after
      catheter insertion.

PMID- 26475843
TI  - Spatial Analysis of Case-Mix and Dialysis Modality Associations.
AB  - ? BACKGROUND: Health-care systems must attempt to provide appropriate, high
      quality, and economically sustainable care that meets the needs and choices of
      patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). France offers 9 different
      modalities of dialysis, each characterized by dialysis technique, the extent of
      professional assistance, and the treatment site. The aim of this study was 1) to
      describe the various dialysis modalities in France and the patient
      characteristics associated with each of them, and 2) to analyze their regional
      patterns to identify possible unexpected associations between case-mixes and
      dialysis modalities. ? METHODS: The clinical characteristics of the 37,421 adult
      patients treated by dialysis were described according to their treatment
      modality. Agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis was used to aggregate the
      regions into clusters according to their use of these modalities and the
      characteristics of their patients. ? RESULT: The gradient of patient
      characteristics was similar from home hemodialyis (HD) to in-center HD and from
      non-assisted automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) to assisted continuous
      ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Analyzing their spatial distribution, we
      found differences in the patient case-mix on dialysis across regions but also
      differences in the health-care provided for them. The classification of the
      regions into 6 different clusters allowed us to detect some unexpected
      associations between case-mixes and treatment modalities. ? CONCLUSIONS: The 9
      modalities of treatment available make it theoretically possible to adapt
      treatment to patients' clinical characteristics and abilities. However, although
      we found an overall appropriate association of dialysis modalities to the case
      mix, major inter-region heterogeneity and the low rate of peritoneal dialysis
      (PD) and home HD suggest that factors besides patients' clinical conditions
      impact the choice of dialysis modality. The French organization should now be
      evaluated in terms of patients' quality of life, satisfaction, survival, and
      global efficiency.

PMID- 26475844
TI  - Effects of Ginger on Serum Lipids and Lipoproteins in Peritoneal Dialysis
      Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - ? BACKGROUND: In peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, one of the major risk factors
      for cardiovascular disease is lipid abnormalities. This study was designed to
      investigate the effects of ginger supplementation on serum lipids and
      lipoproteins in PD patients. ? METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo
      controlled trial, 36 PD patients were randomly assigned to either the ginger or
      the placebo group. The patients in the ginger group received 1,000 mg ginger
      daily for 10 weeks, while the placebo group received corresponding placebos. At
      baseline and at the end of week 10, 7 mL of blood were obtained from each patient
      after a 12- to 14-hour fast, and serum concentrations of triglyceride, total
      cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high density
      lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and lipoprotein (a) [Lp (a)] were measured. ?
      RESULTS: Serum triglyceride concentration decreased significantly up to 15% in
      the ginger group at the end of week 10 compared with baseline (p < 0.01), and the
      reduction was significant in comparison with the placebo group (p < 0.05). There
      were no significant differences between the 2 groups in mean changes of serum
      total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, and Lp (a). ? CONCLUSION: This study indicates
      that daily administration of 1,000 mg ginger reduces serum triglyceride
      concentration, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, in PD patients.

PMID- 26475845
TI  - Hydration Status of Patients Dialyzed with Biocompatible Peritoneal Dialysis
      Fluids.
AB  - ? BACKGROUND: Biocompatible fluids for peritoneal dialysis (PD) have been
      introduced to improve dialysis and patient outcome in end-stage renal disease.
      However, their impact on hydration status (HS), residual renal function (RRF),
      and dialysis adequacy has been a matter of debate. The aim of the study was to
      evaluate the influence of a biocompatible dialysis fluid on the HS of prevalent
      PD patients. ? METHODS: The study population consisted of 18 prevalent PD
      subjects, treated with standard dialysis fluids. At baseline, 9 patients were
      switched to a biocompatible solution, low in glucose degradation products (GDPs)
      (Balance; Fresenius Medical Care, Bad Homburg, Germany). Hydration status was
      assessed through clinical evaluation, laboratory parameters, echocardiography,
      and bioimpedance spectroscopy over a 24-month observation period. ? RESULTS:
      During the study period, urine volume decreased similarly in both groups. At the
      end of the evaluation, there were also no differences in clinical (body weight,
      edema, blood pressure), laboratory (N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide,
      NTproBNP), or echocardiography determinants of HS. However, dialysis
      ultrafiltration decreased in the low-GDP group and, at the end of the study,
      equaled 929 +/- 404 mL, compared with 1,317 +/- 363 mL in the standard-fluid
      subjects (p = 0.06). Hydration status assessed by bioimpedance spectroscopy was
      +3.64 +/- 2.08 L in the low-GDP patients and +1.47 +/- 1.61 L in the controls (p
      = 0.03). ? CONCLUSIONS: The use of a low-GDP biocompatible dialysis fluid was
      associated with a tendency to overhydration, probably due to diminished
      ultrafiltration in prevalent PD patients.

PMID- 26475846
TI  - The Association of Individual and Regional Socioeconomic Status on Initial
      Peritonitis and Outcomes in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients: A Propensity Score
      Matched Cohort Study.
AB  - ? BACKGROUND: Research indicates that the socioeconomic status (SES) of
      individuals and the area where they live are related to initial peritonitis and
      outcomes in peritoneal dialysis (PD). We conducted a retrospective, multi-center
      cohort study in China to examine these associations. ? METHODS: Data on 2,171 PD
      patients were collected from 7 centers, including baseline demographic,
      socioeconomic, and laboratory data. We explored the potential risk factors for
      initial peritonitis and outcomes using univariate Cox regression and unadjusted
      binary logistic regression. Then, we used propensity score matching to balance
      statistically significant risk factors for initial peritonitis and outcomes, and
      Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to compare differences in peritonitis-free rates
      between different groups of participants after matching. ? RESULTS: A total of
      563 (25.9%) initial episodes of peritonitis occurred during the study period. The
      Kaplan-Meier peritonitis-free rate curve showed high-income patients had a
      significantly lower risk than low-income patients (p = 0.007) after matching for
      age, hemoglobin, albumin, and regional SES and PD center. The risk of treatment
      failure was significantly lower in the high-income than the low-income group
      after matching for the organism causing peritonitis and PD center: odds ratio
      (OR) = 0.27 (0.09 - 0.80, p = 0.018). Regional SES and education were not
      associated with initial peritonitis and outcomes. ? CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      demonstrates low individual income is a risk factor for the initial onset of
      peritonitis and treatment failure after initial peritonitis.

PMID- 26475847
TI  - Association of Body Mass Index With Mortality in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - ? BACKGROUND: Although higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with better
      outcomes in hemodialysis patients, the relationship in peritoneal dialysis (PD)
      patients is less clear. We aimed to synthesize the results from all large and
      high-quality studies to examine whether underweight, overweight, or obesity is
      associated with any significantly different risk of death in peritoneal dialysis
      patients. ? METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, and
      Cochrane CENTRAL, and screened 7,123 retrieved studies for inclusion. Two
      investigators independently selected the studies using predefined criteria and
      assessed each study's quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment
      Scale. We meta-analyzed the results of the largest studies with no overlap in
      their data sources. ? RESULTS: We included 9 studies (n = 156,562) in the
      systematic review and 4 studies in the meta-analyses. When examined without
      stratifying studies by follow-up duration, the results of the studies were
      inconsistent. Hence, we pooled the study results stratified based upon their
      follow-up durations, as suggested by a large study, and observed that being
      underweight was associated with higher 1-year mortality but had no significant
      association with 2- and 3- to 5-year mortalities. In contrast, being overweight
      or obese was associated with lower 1-year mortality but it had no significant
      association with 2-, and 3- to 5-year mortalities. ? CONCLUSION: Over the short
      term, being underweight was associated with higher mortality and being overweight
      or obese was associated with lower mortality. The associations of body mass with
      mortality were not significant over the long-term.

PMID- 26475848
TI  - Biocompatible Dialysis Solutions Preserve Peritoneal Mesothelial Cell and Vessel
      Wall Integrity. A Case-Control Study on Human Biopsies.
AB  - ? INTRODUCTION: Chronic exposure to conventional peritoneal dialysis (PD)
      solutions has been related to peritoneal function alterations in PD patients, and
      associated with mesothelial cell loss, submesothelial fibrosis, vasculopathy, and
      angiogenesis. In vitro and ex vivo analyses, as well as studies with animal
      models, have demonstrated that biocompatible PD solutions attenuate these
      morphological alterations. Our aim was to confirm the morphological benefits of
      biocompatible solutions in PD patients. ? METHODS: We analyzed biopsies from 23
      patients treated with biocompatible solutions (study group, SG), and compared
      them with a control group (n = 23) treated with conventional solutions (CG),
      matched for time on PD. ? RESULTS: A total of 56.5% of SG patients showed total
      or partial preservation of mesothelial cells monolayer, in contrast with 26.1% of
      patients in CG (p = 0.036). Peritoneal fibrosis was not significantly less
      frequent in SG patients (47.8% SG vs 69.6% CG; p = 0.13). In patients without
      previous peritonitis, a significantly lower prevalence of fibrosis was present in
      SG patients (41.7% SG vs 77.8% CG; p = 0.04). Hyalinizing vasculopathy (HV) was
      significantly lower in SG (4.3% SG vs 30.4% CG; p = 0.02). Cytokeratin-positive
      fibroblast-like cells were detected in 10 patients (22%), but the prevalence was
      not significantly lower in SG. In the univariate regression analysis, the use of
      biocompatible solutions was associated with mesothelial monolayer integrity (p =
      0.04) and an absence of vasculopathy (p = 0.04). ? CONCLUSION: The present study
      demonstrates in vivo in human biopsies that biocompatible solutions are better
      tolerated by the peritoneum in the medium and long term than conventional
      solutions.

PMID- 26475849
TI  - Can Free Water Transport Be Used as a Clinical Parameter for Peritoneal Fibrosis
      in Long-Term PD Patients?
AB  - Sodium sieving in peritoneal dialysis (PD) occurs in a situation with high
      osmotically-driven ultrafiltration rates. This dilutional phenomenon is caused by
      free water transport through the water channel aquaporin-1. It has recently been
      described that encapsulating peritoneal fibrosis is associated with impaired free
      water transport, despite normal expression of aquaporin-1. In this review, it
      will be argued that free water transport can be used for assessment of fibrotic
      peritoneal alterations, due to the water-binding capacity of collagen. Finally,
      the consequences for clinical practice will be discussed. 

PMID- 26475850
TI  - Comparative evaluation of in vivo biocompatibility and biodegradability of
      regenerated silk scaffolds reinforced with/without natural silk fibers.
AB  - Nowadays, exceptional advantages of silk fibroin over synthetic and natural
      polymers have impelled the scientists to application of this biomaterial for
      tissue engineering purposes. Recently, we showed that embedding natural degummed
      silk fibers in regenerated Bombyx mori silk-based scaffold significantly
      increases the mechanical stiffness, while the porosity of the scaffolds remains
      the same. In the present study, we evaluated degradation rate, biocompatibility
      and regenerative properties of the regenerated 2% and 4% wt silk-based composite
      scaffolds with or without embedded natural degummed silk fibers within 90 days in
      both athymic nude and wild-type C57BL/6 mice through subcutaneous implantation.
      In all scaffolds, a suitable interconnected porous structure for cell penetration
      was seen under scanning electron microscopy. Compressive tests revealed a
      functional relationship between fiber reinforcement and compressive modulus. In
      addition, the fiber/fibroin composite scaffolds support cell attachment and
      proliferation. On days 30 to 90 after subcutaneous implantation, the retrieved
      tissues were examined via gross morphology, histopathology, immunofluorescence
      staining and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction as shown in Figure
      1. Results showed that embedding the silk fibers within the matrix enhances the
      biodegradability of the matrix resulting in replacement of the composite
      scaffolds with the fresh connective tissue. Fortification of the composites with
      degummed fibers not only regulates the degradation profile but also increases the
      mechanical performance of the scaffolds. This report also confirmed that pore
      size and structure play an important role in the degradation rate. In conclusion,
      the findings of the present study narrate key role of additional surface area in
      improving in vitro and in vivo biological properties of the scaffolds and suggest
      the potential ability of these fabricated composite scaffolds for connective
      tissue regeneration. spjba;30/6/793/FIG10885328215601925F1fig1
      0885328215601925Figure 1.Illustrative summary of the main methods and
      findings.RS: regenerated silk; RSF: regenerated fibroin/ silk fiber composite
      scaffolds; H&E: Hematoxylin and eosin; COX-1: Cyclooxygenase. 

PMID- 26475851
TI  - Biotin-conjugated fusogenic liposomes for high-quality cell purification.
AB  - Purification of defined cell populations from mixed primary cell sources is
      essential for many biomedical and biotechnological applications but often very
      difficult to accomplish due to missing specific surface markers. In this study,
      we developed a new approach for efficient cell population separation based on the
      specific membrane fusion characteristics of distinct cell types upon treatment
      with fusogenic liposomes. When such liposomes are conjugated with biotin,
      specific cell populations can be efficiently surface functionalized by biotin
      after liposomal treatment while other populations remain unlabeled. Due to the
      high affinity of biotin for avidin-like proteins, biotin functionalized cells are
      ideal targets for conjugation of e.g. avidin tagged magnetic beads, fluorophores
      or antibodies with bioanalytical relevance. Here, based on the differential
      biotinylation of distinct cell populations high quality separation of cardiac
      fibroblasts from myocytes, and cerebromicrovascular endothelial cells from
      fibroblasts was successfully established. 

PMID- 26475852
TI  - Potential in two types of collagen scaffolds for urological tissue engineering
      applications - Are there differences in growth behaviour of juvenile and adult
      vesical cells?
AB  - The aging society has a deep impact on patient care in urology. The number of
      patients in need of partial or whole bladder wall replacement is increasing
      simultaneously with the number of cancer incidents. Therefore, urological
      research requires a model of bladder wall replacement in adult and elderly
      people. Two types of porcine collagen I/III scaffolds were used in vitro for
      comparison of cell growth of two different pig breeds at different growth stages.
      Scaffolds were characterised with scanning electron and laser scanning
      microscopy. Urothelial and detrusor smooth muscle cells were isolated from 15
      adult Gottingen minipigs and 15 juvenile German Landrace pigs. Growth behaviour
      was examined in cell culture and seeded onto the collagen scaffolds via
      immunohistochemistry, two-photon laser scanning microscopy and a viability assay.
      The collagen scaffolds showed different structured surfaces which are appropriate
      for seeding of the two different cell types. Moisturisation of the scaffolds
      resulted in a change of the structure. Cell growth of German Landrace urothelial
      cells and smooth muscle cells was significantly higher than cell growth of the
      Gottingen minipig cells. Seeding of scaffolds with both cell types from both pig
      races was possible which could be shown by immunohistochemistry and two-photon
      laser scanning microscopy. Growth behaviour on the scaffolds was significantly
      increased for the German Landrace compared to Gottingen minipig. Nevertheless,
      seeding with the adult Gottingen minipig cells resulted in a closed layer on the
      surface and urothelial cells and smooth muscle cells showed increasing growth
      until day 14. The results show that these collagen scaffolds are adequate for the
      seeding with vesical cells. Moreover, they seem appropriate for the use as an in
      vitro model for the adult or elderly as the cells of the adult Gottingen minipig
      too, show good growth behaviour. 

PMID- 26475854
TI  - Insights into Ubiquitination from the Unique Clamp-like Binding of the RING E3
      AO7 to the E2 UbcH5B.
AB  - RING proteins constitute the largest class of E3 ubiquitin ligases. Unlike most
      RINGs, AO7 (RNF25) binds the E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, UbcH5B (UBE2D2),
      with strikingly high affinity. We have defined, by co-crystallization, the
      distinctive means by which AO7 binds UbcH5B. AO7 contains a structurally unique
      UbcH5B binding region (U5BR) that is connected by an 11-amino acid linker to its
      RING domain, forming a clamp surrounding the E2. The U5BR interacts extensively
      with a region of UbcH5B that is distinct from both the active site and the RING
      interacting region, referred to as the backside of the E2. An apparent paradox is
      that the high-affinity binding of the AO7 clamp to UbcH5B, which is dependent on
      the U5BR, decreases the rate of ubiquitination. We establish that this is a
      consequence of blocking the stimulatory, non-covalent, binding of ubiquitin to
      the backside of UbcH5B. Interestingly, when non-covalent backside ubiquitin
      binding cannot occur, the AO7 clamp now enhances the rate of ubiquitination. The
      high-affinity binding of the AO7 clamp to UbcH5B has also allowed for the co
      crystallization of previously described and functionally important RING mutants
      at the RING-E2 interface. We show that mutations having marked effects on
      function only minimally affect the intermolecular interactions between the AO7
      RING and UbcH5B, establishing a high degree of complexity in activation through
      the RING-E2 interface. 

PMID- 26475855
TI  - Direct Melanoma Cell Contact Induces Stromal Cell Autocrine Prostaglandin E2-EP4
      Receptor Signaling That Drives Tumor Growth, Angiogenesis, and Metastasis.
AB  - The stromal cells associated with tumors such as melanoma are significant
      determinants of tumor growth and metastasis. Using membrane-bound prostaglandin E
      synthase 1 (mPges1(-/-)) mice, we show that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production by
      host tissues is critical for B16 melanoma growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis to
      both bone and soft tissues. Concomitant studies in vitro showed that PGE2
      production by fibroblasts is regulated by direct interaction with B16 cells.
      Autocrine activity of PGE2 further regulates the production of angiogenic factors
      by fibroblasts, which are key to the vascularization of both primary and
      metastatic tumor growth. Similarly, cell-cell interactions between B16 cells and
      host osteoblasts modulate mPGES-1 activity and PGE2 production by the
      osteoblasts. PGE2, in turn, acts to stimulate receptor activator of NF-kappaB
      ligand expression, leading to osteoclast differentiation and bone erosion. Using
      eicosanoid receptor antagonists, we show that PGE2 acts on osteoblasts and
      fibroblasts in the tumor microenvironment through the EP4 receptor. Metastatic
      tumor growth and vascularization in soft tissues was abrogated by an EP4 receptor
      antagonist. EP4-null Ptger4(-/-) mice do not support B16 melanoma growth. In
      vitro, an EP4 receptor antagonist modulated PGE2 effects on fibroblast production
      of angiogenic factors. Our data show that B16 melanoma cells directly influence
      host stromal cells to generate PGE2 signals governing neoangiogenesis and
      metastatic growth in bone via osteoclast erosive activity as well as angiogenesis
      in soft tissue tumors. 

PMID- 26475856
TI  - The N-terminal Region of the Ubiquitin Regulatory X (UBX) Domain-containing
      Protein 1 (UBXD1) Modulates Interdomain Communication within the Valosin
      containing Protein p97.
AB  - Valosin-containing protein/p97 is an ATP-driven protein segregase that cooperates
      with distinct protein cofactors to control various aspects of cellular
      homeostasis. Mutations at the interface between the regulatory N-domain and the
      first of two ATPase domains (D1 and D2) deregulate the ATPase activity and cause
      a multisystem degenerative disorder, inclusion body myopathy associated with
      Paget disease of bone and frontotemporal dementia/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
      Intriguingly, the mutations affect only a subset of p97-mediated pathways
      correlating with unbalanced cofactor interactions and most prominently
      compromised binding of the ubiquitin regulatory X domain-containing protein 1
      (UBXD1) cofactor during endolysosomal sorting of caveolin-1. However, how the
      mutations impinge on the p97-cofactor interplay is unclear so far. In cell-based
      endosomal localization studies, we identified a critical role of the N-terminal
      region of UBXD1 (UBXD1-N). Biophysical studies using NMR and CD spectroscopy
      revealed that UBXD1-N can be classified as intrinsically disordered. NMR
      titration experiments confirmed a valosin-containing protein/p97 interaction
      motif and identified a second binding site at helices 1 and 2 of UBXD1-N as
      binding interfaces for p97. In reverse titration experiments, we identified two
      distant epitopes on the p97 N-domain that include disease-associated residues and
      an additional interaction between UBXD1-N and the D1D2 barrel of p97 that was
      confirmed by fluorescence anisotropy. Functionally, binding of UBXD1-N to p97 led
      to a reduction of ATPase activity and partial protection from proteolysis. These
      findings indicate that UBXD1-N intercalates into the p97-ND1 interface, thereby
      modulating interdomain communication of p97 domains and its activity with
      relevance for disease pathogenesis. We propose that the polyvalent binding mode
      characterized for UBXD1-N is a more general principle that defines a subset of
      p97 cofactors. 

PMID- 26475857
TI  - P2Y1 Receptor Activation of the TRPV4 Ion Channel Enhances Purinergic Signaling
      in Satellite Glial Cells.
AB  - Transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels of peripheral sensory pathways
      are important mediators of pain, itch, and neurogenic inflammation. They are
      expressed by primary sensory neurons and by glial cells in the central nervous
      system, but their expression and function in satellite glial cells (SGCs) of
      sensory ganglia have not been explored. SGCs tightly ensheath neurons of sensory
      ganglia and can regulate neuronal excitability in pain and inflammatory states.
      Using a modified dissociation protocol, we isolated neurons with attached SGCs
      from dorsal root ganglia of mice. SGCs, which were identified by expression of
      immunoreactive Kir4.1 and glutamine synthetase, were closely associated with
      neurons, identified using the pan-neuronal marker NeuN. A subpopulation of SGCs
      expressed immunoreactive TRP vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) and responded to the TRPV4
      selective agonist GSK1016790A by an influx of Ca(2+) ions. SGCs did not express
      functional TRPV1, TRPV3, or TRP ankyrin 1 channels. Responses to GSK1016790A were
      abolished by the TRPV4 antagonist HC067047 and were absent in SGCs from Trpv4(-/
      ) mice. The P2Y1-selective agonist 2-methylthio-ADP increased [Ca(2+)]i in SGCs,
      and responses were prevented by the P2Y1-selective antagonist MRS2500. P2Y1
      receptor-mediated responses were enhanced in TRPV4-expressing SGCs and HEK293
      cells, suggesting that P2Y1 couples to and activates TRPV4. PKC inhibitors
      prevented P2Y1 receptor activation of TRPV4. Our results provide the first
      evidence for expression of TRPV4 in SGCs and demonstrate that TRPV4 is a
      purinergic receptor-operated channel in SGCs of sensory ganglia. 

PMID- 26475858
TI  - Genetic Screen Reveals Link between the Maternal Effect Sterile Gene mes-1 and
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced Neurodegeneration in Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - Increasing evidence indicates that immune responses to microbial infections may
      contribute to neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we show that Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa infection of Caenorhabditis elegans causes a number of neural changes
      that are hallmarks of neurodegeneration. Using an unbiased genetic screen to
      identify genes involved in the control of P. aeruginosa-induced
      neurodegeneration, we identified mes-1, which encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase
      like protein that is required for unequal cell divisions in the early embryonic
      germ line. We showed that sterile but not fertile mes-1 animals were resistant to
      neurodegeneration induced by P. aeruginosa infection. Similar results were
      observed using animals carrying a mutation in the maternal effect gene pgl-1,
      which is required for postembryonic germ line development, and the germ line
      deficient strains glp-1 and glp-4. Additional studies indicated that the FOXO
      transcription factor DAF-16 is required for resistance to P. aeruginosa-induced
      neurodegeneration in germ line-deficient strains. Thus, our results demonstrate
      that P. aeruginosa infection results in neurodegeneration phenotypes in C.
      elegans that are controlled by the germ line in a cell-nonautonomous manner. 

PMID- 26475859
TI  - Molecular Determinants of Substrate Specificity in Sodium-coupled Glutamate
      Transporters.
AB  - Crystal structures of the archaeal homologue GltPh have provided important
      insights into the molecular mechanism of transport of the excitatory
      neurotransmitter glutamate. Whereas mammalian glutamate transporters can
      translocate both glutamate and aspartate, GltPh is only one capable of aspartate
      transport. Most of the amino acid residues that surround the aspartate substrate
      in the binding pocket of GltPh are highly conserved. However, in the brain
      transporters, Thr-352 and Met-362 of the reentrant hairpin loop 2 are replaced by
      the smaller Ala and Thr, respectively. Therefore, we have studied the effects of
      T352A and M362T on binding and transport of aspartate and glutamate by GltPh.
      Substrate-dependent intrinsic fluorescence changes were monitored in transporter
      constructs containing the L130W mutation. GltPh-L130W/T352A exhibited an ~15-fold
      higher apparent affinity for l-glutamate than the wild type transporter, and the
      M362T mutation resulted in an increased affinity of ~40-fold. An even larger
      increase of the apparent affinity for l-glutamate, around 130-fold higher than
      that of wild type, was observed with the T352A/M362T double mutant. Radioactive
      uptake experiments show that GltPh-T352A not only transports aspartate but also l
      glutamate. Remarkably, GltPh-M362T exhibited l-aspartate but not l-glutamate
      transport. The double mutant retained the ability to transport l-glutamate, but
      its kinetic parameters were very similar to those of GltPh-T352A alone. The
      differential impact of mutation on binding and transport of glutamate suggests
      that hairpin loop 2 not only plays a role in the selection of the substrate but
      also in its translocation.

PMID- 26475860
TI  - The Catalytic Efficiency of Lipin 1beta Increases by Physically Interacting with
      the Proto-oncoprotein c-Fos.
AB  - Phosphatidic acid (PA) is a central precursor for membrane phospholipid
      biosynthesis. The lipin family is a magnesium-dependent type I PA phosphatase
      involved in de novo synthesis of neutral lipids and phospholipids. The regulation
      of lipin activity may govern the pathways by which these lipids are synthesized
      and control the cellular levels of important signaling lipids. Moreover, the
      proto-oncoprotein c-Fos has an emerging role in glycerolipid synthesis
      regulation; by interacting with key synthesizing enzymes it is able to increase
      overall phospho- and glycolipid synthesis. We studied the lipin 1beta enzyme
      activity in a cell-free system using PA/Triton X-100 mixed micelles as substrate,
      analyzing it in the presence/absence of c-Fos. We found that lipin 1beta kcat
      value increases around 40% in the presence of c-Fos, with no change in the lipin
      1beta affinity for the PA/Triton X-100 mixed micelles. We also probed a physical
      interaction between both proteins. Although the c-Fos domain involved in lipin
      activation is its basic domain, the interaction domain is mapped to the N
      terminal c-Fos. In conclusion, we provide evidence for a novel positive regulator
      of lipin 1beta PA phosphatase activity that is not achieved via altering its
      subcellular localization or affinity for membranes but rather through directly
      increasing its catalytic efficiency. 

PMID- 26475861
TI  - Early Growth Response 1 (Egr-1) Regulates N-Methyl-d-aspartate Receptor (NMDAR)
      dependent Transcription of PSD-95 and alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole
      Propionic Acid Receptor (AMPAR) Trafficking in Hippocampal Primary Neurons.
AB  - The N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) controls synaptic plasticity and memory
      function and is one of the major inducers of transcription factor Egr-1 in the
      hippocampus. However, how Egr-1 mediates the NMDAR signal in neurons has remained
      unclear. Here, we show that the hippocampus of mice lacking Egr-1 displays
      electrophysiology properties and ultrastructure that are similar to mice
      overexpressing PSD-95, a major scaffolding protein of postsynaptic density
      involved in synapse formation, synaptic plasticity, and synaptic targeting of
      AMPA receptors (AMPARs), which mediate the vast majority of excitatory
      transmission in the CNS. We demonstrate that Egr-1 is a transcription repressor
      of the PSD-95 gene and is recruited to the PSD-95 promoter in response to NMDAR
      activation. Knockdown of Egr-1 in rat hippocampal primary neurons blocks NMDAR
      induced PSD-95 down-regulation and AMPAR endocytosis. Likewise, overexpression of
      Egr-1 in rat hippocampal primary neurons causes reduction in PSD-95 protein level
      and promotes AMPAR endocytosis. Our data indicate that Egr-1 is involved in NMDAR
      mediated PSD-95 down-regulation and AMPAR endocytosis, a process important in the
      expression of long term depression. 

PMID- 26475862
TI  - Tumor Suppressor Lzap Suppresses Wnt/beta-Catenin Signaling to Promote Zebrafish
      Embryonic Ventral Cell Fates via the Suppression of Inhibitory Phosphorylation of
      Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3.
AB  - Wnt/beta-catenin signaling controls various cell fates in metazoan development,
      and its dysregulation is often associated with cancer formation. However,
      regulations of this signaling pathway are not completely understood. Here, we
      report that Lzap, a tumor suppressor, controls nuclear translocation of beta
      catenin. In zebrafish embryos disruption of lzap increases the expression of
      chordin (chd), which encodes a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonist that
      is localized in prospective dorsal cells and promotes dorsal fates. Consistently,
      lzap-deficient embryos with attenuated BMP signaling are dorsalized, which can be
      rescued by overexpression of zebrafish lzap or bmp2b or human LZAP. The expansion
      of chd expression in embryos lacking lzap is due to the accumulation of nuclear
      beta-catenin in ventral cells, in which beta-catenin is usually degraded.
      Furthermore, the activity of GSK3, a master regulator of beta-catenin
      degradation, is suppressed in lzap-deficient embryos via inhibitory
      phosphorylation. Finally, we also report that a similar regulatory axis is also
      likely to be present in a human tongue carcinoma cell line, SAS. Our results
      reveal that Lzap is a novel regulator of GSK3 for the maintenance of ventral cell
      properties and may prevent carcinogenesis via the regulation of beta-catenin
      degradation. 

PMID- 26475863
TI  - Assembly and Molecular Architecture of the Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase p85alpha
      Homodimer.
AB  - Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are a family of lipid kinases that are
      activated by growth factor and G-protein-coupled receptors and propagate
      intracellular signals for growth, survival, proliferation, and metabolism.
      p85alpha, a modular protein consisting of five domains, binds and inhibits the
      enzymatic activity of class IA PI3K catalytic subunits. Here, we describe the
      structural states of the p85alpha dimer, based on data from in vivo and in vitro
      solution characterization. Our in vitro assembly and structural analyses have
      been enabled by the creation of cysteine-free p85alpha that is functionally
      equivalent to native p85alpha. Analytical ultracentrifugation studies showed that
      p85alpha undergoes rapidly reversible monomer-dimer assembly that is highly
      exothermic in nature. In addition to the documented SH3-PR1 dimerization
      interaction, we identified a second intermolecular interaction mediated by cSH2
      domains at the C-terminal end of the polypeptide. We have demonstrated in vivo
      concentration-dependent dimerization of p85alpha using fluorescence fluctuation
      spectroscopy. Finally, we have defined solution conditions under which the
      protein is predominantly monomeric or dimeric, providing the basis for small
      angle x-ray scattering and chemical cross-linking structural analysis of the
      discrete dimer. These experimental data have been used for the integrative
      structure determination of the p85alpha dimer. Our study provides new insight
      into the structure and assembly of the p85alpha homodimer and suggests that this
      protein is a highly dynamic molecule whose conformational flexibility allows it
      to transiently associate with multiple binding proteins. 

PMID- 26475864
TI  - Matrix Metalloproteinase 10 Degradomics in Keratinocytes and Epidermal Tissue
      Identifies Bioactive Substrates With Pleiotropic Functions.
AB  - Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important players in skin homeostasis, wound
      repair, and in the pathogenesis of skin cancer. It is now well established that
      most of their functions are related to processing of bioactive proteins rather
      than components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). MMP10 is highly expressed in
      keratinocytes at the wound edge and at the invasive front of tumors, but hardly
      any non-ECM substrates have been identified and its function in tissue repair and
      carcinogenesis is unclear. To better understand the role of MMP10 in the
      epidermis, we employed multiplexed iTRAQ-based Terminal Amine Isotopic Labeling
      of Substrates (TAILS) and monitored MMP10-dependent proteolysis over time in
      secretomes from keratinocytes. Time-resolved abundance clustering of neo-N
      termini classified MMP10-dependent cleavage events by efficiency and refined the
      MMP10 cleavage site specificity by revealing a so far unknown preference for
      glutamate in the P1 position. Moreover, we identified and validated the integrin
      alpha 6 subunit, cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 and dermokine as novel
      direct MMP10 substrates and provide evidence for MMP10-dependent but indirect
      processing of phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1. Finally, we sampled the
      epidermal proteome and degradome in unprecedented depth and confirmed MMP10
      dependent processing of dermokine in vivo by TAILS analysis of epidermis from
      transgenic mice that overexpress a constitutively active mutant of MMP10 in basal
      keratinocytes. The newly identified substrates are involved in cell adhesion,
      migration, proliferation, and/or differentiation, indicating a contribution of
      MMP10 to local modulation of these processes during wound healing and cancer
      development. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002474. 

PMID- 26475865
TI  - CYP76C1 (Cytochrome P450)-Mediated Linalool Metabolism and the Formation of
      Volatile and Soluble Linalool Oxides in Arabidopsis Flowers: A Strategy for
      Defense against Floral Antagonists.
AB  - The acyclic monoterpene alcohol linalool is one of the most frequently
      encountered volatile compounds in floral scents. Various linalool oxides are
      usually emitted along with linalool, some of which are cyclic, such as the
      furanoid lilac compounds. Recent work has revealed the coexistence of two flower
      expressed linalool synthases that produce the (S)- or (R)-linalool enantiomers
      and the involvement of two P450 enzymes in the linalool oxidation in the flowers
      of Arabidopsis thaliana. Partially redundant enzymes may also contribute to
      floral linalool metabolism. Here, we provide evidence that CYP76C1 is a
      multifunctional enzyme that catalyzes a cascade of oxidation reactions and is the
      major linalool metabolizing oxygenase in Arabidopsis flowers. Based on the
      activity of the recombinant enzyme and mutant analyses, we demonstrate its
      prominent role in the formation of most of the linalool oxides identified in
      vivo, both as volatiles and soluble conjugated compounds, including 8-hydroxy, 8
      oxo, and 8-COOH-linalool, as well as lilac aldehydes and alcohols. Analysis of
      insect behavior on CYP76C1 mutants and in response to linalool and its oxygenated
      derivatives demonstrates that CYP76C1-dependent modulation of linalool emission
      and production of linalool oxides contribute to reduced floral attraction and
      favor protection against visitors and pests. 

PMID- 26475866
TI  - Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Regulation of Diurnal Transcription in Chlamydomonas.
AB  - We analyzed global transcriptome changes during synchronized cell division in the
      green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The Chlamydomonas cell cycle consists of a
      long G1 phase, followed by an S/M phase with multiple rapid, alternating rounds
      of DNA replication and segregation. We found that the S/M period is associated
      with strong induction of ~2300 genes, many with conserved roles in DNA
      replication or cell division. Other genes, including many involved in
      photosynthesis, are reciprocally downregulated in S/M, suggesting a gene
      expression split correlating with the temporal separation between G1 and S/M. The
      Chlamydomonas cell cycle is synchronized by light-dark cycles, so in principle,
      these transcriptional changes could be directly responsive to light or to
      metabolic cues. Alternatively, cell-cycle-periodic transcription may be directly
      regulated by cyclin-dependent kinases. To distinguish between these
      possibilities, we analyzed transcriptional profiles of mutants in the kinases
      CDKA and CDKB, as well as other mutants with distinct cell cycle blocks. Initial
      cell-cycle-periodic expression changes are largely CDK independent, but later
      regulation (induction and repression) is under differential control by CDKA and
      CDKB. Deviation from the wild-type transcriptional program in diverse cell cycle
      mutants will be an informative phenotype for further characterization of the
      Chlamydomonas cell cycle. 

PMID- 26475867
TI  - Phytol from Degradation of Chlorophyll Feeds Biosynthesis of Tocopherols.

PMID- 26475868
TI  - Encephalitis in Australian children: contemporary trends in hospitalisation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The clinical epidemiology of childhood encephalitis in Australia is
      inadequately understood. We aimed to describe recent trends in childhood
      encephalitis-related hospitalisation. STUDY DESIGN: We identified encephalitis
      related hospital admissions (2000-2012) in national datasets among children <=14
      years using ICD encephalitis codes. We calculated hospitalisation rates and
      analysed trends by year, age, gender, location, indigenous status and aetiology.
      RESULTS: Rates of childhood encephalitis hospitalisations significantly declined
      over an 11-year period (2000-2012; average hospitalisation rate 3.2/100 000).
      Varicella encephalitis hospitalisations decreased significantly, associated with
      high levels of varicella vaccine coverage since 2006. Acute disseminated
      encephalomyelitis (ADEM) was the most common 'specified' cause of encephalitis
      hospitalisation (15%-17%), and its rate has significantly increased. The highest
      hospitalisation rates occurred in the <1 year age group (5.8/100 000) and varied
      by location (highest in Northern Territory). The majority (58.9%) of hospitalised
      encephalitis had no cause identified; this proportion was highest in the <1 year
      age group (77%). The most common specified infectious causes included: herpes
      simplex virus, enterovirus, bacterial meningoencephalitis and varicella. When
      aggregated, the proportion of childhood encephalitis coded as viral was 21.2%.
      CONCLUSION: Hospitalisation of childhood encephalitis has slightly decreased in
      Australia. High rates of childhood immunisation have been associated with a
      reduction of varicella-associated encephalitis in Australian children. ADEM, an
      immune-mediated encephalitis, is the most common recognised cause of encephalitis
      in children. Young children (<1 year) have the highest admission rates. The high
      proportion of 'unspecified' encephalitis deaths and hospitalisations is an
      ongoing challenge.

PMID- 26475869
TI  - Plasticity beyond cancer cells and the "immunosuppressive switch".
AB  - Tumor initiation, growth, and metastatic progression are complex processes that,
      in order to be successful, require extraordinary cellular plasticity.
      Accordingly, tumor cell plasticity and how it affects disease progression have
      been studied extensively. However, as our understanding of the tumor
      microenvironment deepens, we are confronted with the notion that functional
      plasticity in the context of cancer is not limited to tumor cells alone but is
      also commonly seen in normal stromal cells of the microenvironment, and
      specifically in immune cells. Here, we review the functional plasticity these
      cells exhibit in the context of cancer, highlighting the role of circulating and
      tumor-associated neutrophils. We further discuss how this plasticity supports or
      limits tumor progression, inducing an "immunosuppressive switch" to promote
      further tumor growth and development.

PMID- 26475870
TI  - Tetracycline antibiotics impair mitochondrial function and its experimental use
      confounds research.
AB  - Tetracyclines, a class of antibiotics that target bacterial translation, are
      commonly used in research for inducible gene expression using Tet-ON/Tet-OFF
      systems. However, such tetracycline-inducible systems carry a risk. Given that
      mitochondria have a "bacterial" ancestry, these antibiotics also target
      mitochondrial translation and impair mitochondrial function. Indeed, treatment
      with doxycycline-a tetracycline derivative-disturbs mitochondrial proteostasis
      and metabolic activity, and induces widespread gene-expression changes. Together,
      this affects physiology in well-established model systems ranging from cultured
      cells to simple organisms and to mice and plants. These changes are observed with
      doxycycline doses that are widely used to regulate gene expression. In light of
      these findings, and bearing in mind the conserved role of mitochondria in
      metabolism and whole organism homeostasis, we caution against the use of
      tetracyclines in experimental approaches. The use of newly developed tetracycline
      based systems that are more sensitive could be an alternative; however, even if
      no overt mitochondrial toxicity is detected, widespread changes in gene
      expression may sensitize cells to the intended tetracycline-controlled loss or
      gain of function, thereby introducing a "two-hit model." This is highly relevant
      for cancer research, as mitochondrial metabolism holds a central position in the
      reallocation of nutrients for biomass production known as the Warburg effect.

PMID- 26475871
TI  - Pituitary apoplexy presenting with bilateral oculomotor nerve palsy.

PMID- 26475873
TI  - Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia causing massive breast enlargement.
AB  - Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia (PASH) of the breast is a benign
      mesenchymal proliferative process, initially described by Vuitch et al. We report
      an unusual case of a 46-year-old woman who presented with a 6-week history of
      bilateral massive, asymmetrical, painful enlargement of her breasts, without a
      history of trauma. On clinical examination, both breasts were markedly enlarged
      and oedematous, but there were no discrete palpable masses. Preoperative image
      guided core biopsies and surgery showed PASH. PASH is increasingly recognised as
      an incidental finding on image-guided core biopsy performed for screen detected
      lesions. There are a few reported cases of PASH presenting as rapid breast
      enlargement. In our case, the patient presented with painful, asymmetrical,
      massive breast enlargement. Awareness needs to be raised of this entity as a
      differential diagnosis in massive, painful breast enlargement. 

PMID- 26475872
TI  - Differential serotonergic innervation of the amygdala in bonobos and chimpanzees.
AB  - Humans' closest living relatives are bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (Pan
      troglodytes), yet these great ape species differ considerably from each other in
      terms of social behavior. Bonobos are more tolerant of conspecifics in
      competitive contexts and often use sexual behavior to mediate social
      interactions. Chimpanzees more frequently employ aggression during conflicts and
      actively patrol territories between communities. Regulation of emotional
      responses is facilitated by the amygdala, which also modulates social decision
      making, memory and attention. Amygdala responsiveness is further regulated by the
      neurotransmitter serotonin. We hypothesized that the amygdala of bonobos and
      chimpanzees would differ in its neuroanatomical organization and serotonergic
      innervation. We measured volumes of regions and the length density of serotonin
      transporter-containing axons in the whole amygdala and its lateral, basal,
      accessory basal and central nuclei. Results showed that accessory basal nucleus
      volume was larger in chimpanzees than in bonobos. Of particular note, the
      amygdala of bonobos had more than twice the density of serotonergic axons than
      chimpanzees, with the most pronounced differences in the basal and central
      nuclei. These findings suggest that variation in serotonergic innervation of the
      amygdala may contribute to mediating the remarkable differences in social
      behavior exhibited by bonobos and chimpanzees. 

PMID- 26475874
TI  - Acute bilateral useless hand syndrome: a rare presenting manifestation of vitamin
      B12 deficiency.
AB  - We report a case of bilateral useless hand syndrome, a rare presenting
      manifestation of vitamin B12 deficiency. A 38-year-old man, a strict vegetarian
      and a teacher by occupation, presented with acute onset clumsiness of both hands
      while performing fine movements. Detailed history-taking, examination of the
      patient and relevant investigations (complete blood count, serum vitamin B12 and
      MRI of the cervical spinal cord) were carried out. Laboratory analysis was
      suggestive of vitamin B12 deficiency and MRI demonstrated a lesion involving the
      posterior columns of the cervical cord. The patient was diagnosed as a case of
      non-compressive cervical myelopathy predominantly involving the posterior column
      due to vitamin B12 deficiency. Acute bilateral useless hand syndrome can be a
      rare presenting feature of vitamin B12 deficiency. 

PMID- 26475875
TI  - Type B aortic dissection triggered by heart transplantation in a patient with
      Marfan syndrome.
AB  - Heart transplantation in patients with Marfan syndrome is challenging and raises
      concerns with regards to the haemodynamic and immunosuppressive-induced effects
      on the inherently fragile aorta. Most aortic events following transplantation
      reported so far in the literature occurred in patients with pre-existent distal
      aortic dissection. We report a case of successful orthotopic heart
      transplantation in a patient with Marfan syndrome that was complicated by late
      onset type B dissection in pre-existing mild and stable distal aortic dilation.
      Serial aortic imaging revealed progressive growth at the level of the descending
      thoracic aorta. An open thoracoabdominal aortic repair procedure was successfully
      performed 6 months after the transplantation.

PMID- 26475876
TI  - Geographical tongue induced by axitinib.

PMID- 26475877
TI  - Candida albicans osteomyelitis as a cause of chest pain and visual loss.
AB  - Candida albicans osteomyelitis is a rare disease that occurs in immunocompromised
      individuals, sometimes with a late diagnosis related to the mismatch between
      symptoms and candidemia. This case refers to a 36-year-old male patient with a
      history of oesophageal surgery for achalasia with multiple subsequent surgeries
      and hospitalisation in the intensive care unit for oesophageal fistula
      complication. Four months after discharge, the patient was admitted to the
      infectious diseases department with pain in the 10th-12th left ribs, swelling of
      the 4th-6th costal cartilage and decreased visual acuity. An MRI study showed
      thickening and diffuse enhancement, with no defined borders in the cartilage and
      ribs, compatible with infection. After performing a CT-guided bone biopsy,
      isolated C. albicans sensitive to antifungal agents was detected. The patient
      started therapy with liposomal amphotericin B and maintenance fluconazole for 6
      months and showed clinical and radiological improvement within this time.

PMID- 26475878
TI  - Deep brain stimulation complicated by bilateral large cystic cavitation around
      the leads in a patient with Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an approved and effective therapy for patients
      suffering from advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Several clinical trials have
      indicated significant motor function improvement in patients undergoing
      subthalamic nucleus stimulation. This therapy is, rarely, associated with
      complications, mostly related to infections, seizures or stimulation-induced side
      effects. We report a case of a 71-year-old man with a 10-year history of PD who
      underwent bilateral placement of subthalamic nucleus DBS. As a complication, the
      patient showed subjective postoperative cognitive decline, and subsequent MRI
      showed peri-lead oedema, which progressed to large cystic cavitation around the
      leads without indication of infection. The patient received steroid therapy and
      the cavitations regressed without surgical intervention. 

PMID- 26475879
TI  - Pause-dependent paroxysmal phase-4 atrioventricular block.

PMID- 26475880
TI  - A paradoxical decline: intracranial lesions in two HIV-positive patients
      recovering from cryptococcal meningitis.
AB  - Cryptococcal immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (C-IRIS) is an
      increasingly important manifestation among patients with HIV/AIDS, especially as
      the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is expanding worldwide. Cryptococcus and
      associated C-IRIS are common causes of meningitis. While intracranial lesions are
      common in HIV/AIDS, they are rarely due to cryptococcosis or C-IRIS. We describe
      two cases of paradoxical C-IRIS associated with the development of intracranial
      cryptococcomas in HIV/AIDS. Both patients had an initial episode of cryptococcal
      meningitis treated with antifungal therapy. At the time, they had initiated or
      modified ART with subsequent evidence of immune reconstitution. Two months later,
      they developed aseptic meningitis with intracranial lesions. After exhaustive
      work ups, both patients were diagnosed with paradoxical C-IRIS and biopsy
      confirmed intracranial cryptococcomas. We review the important clinical,
      diagnostic and therapeutic features of cryptococcomas associated with C-IRIS in
      HIV/AIDS. 

PMID- 26475881
TI  - Sinus venosus atrial septal defect presenting with brain abscesses in a 77-year
      old immunocompetent patient.
AB  - We present a case of 77-year-old immunocompetent patient who initially presented
      with vertigo, nausea and vomiting, with symptoms later progressing to headaches
      and increased lethargy. Brain MRI revealed ring-enhancing lesions typical of
      abscesses in the right cerebellum. Transoesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) was
      performed to look for the source of his abscesses, and uncovered a sinus venosus
      type atrial septal defect. Cardiac CT was carried out; the patient was found to
      have a sinus venosus atrial septal defect with partial anomalous pulmonary venous
      return. Moreover, dental examination showed multiple dental caries with poor oral
      hygiene. The patient was started on intravenous empiric antibiotics and steroids.
      Subsequent brain imaging showed almost complete resolution of the abscesses. The
      patient's symptoms started to improve, and he was eventually sent to an intensive
      rehabilitation centre with future plans to surgically correct his congenital
      heart disease to prevent further complications. 

PMID- 26475882
TI  - A well known and important adverse effect of phenytoin in a neurosurgical
      patient.
AB  - Gum hypertrophy is a well-known and important adverse effect of phenytoin therapy
      in a neurosurgical patient. We present an interesting case of a 21-year-old man
      who, following head injury after a road traffic accident, developed status
      epilepticus diagnosed with gum hypertrophy in the jaws, with ongoing
      antiepileptics. He was managed conservatively as per hospital protocol. 

PMID- 26475883
TI  - Late quadriceps tendon rupture at the donor site following cruciate ligament
      reconstruction using central quadriceps tendon graft.
AB  - Central quadriceps tendon (CQT) graft has been successfully used as a viable
      autograft option in cruciate ligament reconstruction of the knee. The prime
      emphasis in the majority of the literature is given to surgical details of
      quadriceps graft harvesting and outcome of cruciate ligament reconstruction.
      There is less discussion about donor site morbidity in CQT graft, and it is less
      frequent as compared to that in bone patellar tendon bone graft. We report an
      extremely unusual case of late quadriceps tendon rupture at the donor site
      following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using CQT graft. 

PMID- 26475884
TI  - The ointment is mightier than the scalpel.

PMID- 26475885
TI  - Obstruction and perforation of the small bowel caused by inadvertent ingestion of
      a blister pill pack in an elderly patient.
AB  - Perforation of the small bowel due to foreign body ingestion is a rare instance
      that occurs in less than 1% of all ingestions. Although rare, ingestion of
      blister pill packaging is becoming more recognised as a causative agent for
      intestinal perforation, but is very rarely reported to cause intestinal
      obstruction. This is a report of a 66-year-old woman who presented with
      intestinal obstruction and underwent laparotomy, revealing small bowel
      perforation by a piece of blister pill pack foil. The patient was incognisant of
      the ingestion. 

PMID- 26475887
TI  - Students' aptitude rewarded.

PMID- 26475886
TI  - Insurer to go ahead with preferred referral network.

PMID- 26475888
TI  - BVA supports veterinary charities.

PMID- 26475889
TI  - New TB rules for non-bovine animals in Scotland.

PMID- 26475890
TI  - Defra seeks a dialogue on animal import controls.

PMID- 26475891
TI  - Annual charity challenge 'the best so far'.

PMID- 26475892
TI  - Cooperating on animal disease and zoonosis research.

PMID- 26475893
TI  - Tackling illegal pet imports.
AB  - Nigel Gibbens, the UK's Chief Veterinary Officer, outlines what Defra is doing to
      address abuse of the EU pet travel scheme. 

PMID- 26475894
TI  - Enterprise awards presented.

PMID- 26475895
TI  - Pine marten project gets underway.

PMID- 26475896
TI  - Sheep - and sun - in Scotland.
AB  - Sue Tongue reports from the Sheep Veterinary Society's autumn meeting, held on
      the Island of Mull from September 28 to 30. 

PMID- 26475898
TI  - Clostridium perfringens infections - a diagnostic challenge.

PMID- 26475899
TI  - Benazepril in dogs with asymptomatic mitral valve disease.
AB  - BestBETs for Vets are generated by the Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary
      Medicine at the University of Nottingham to help answer specific questions and
      assist in clinical decision making. Although evidence is often limited, they aim
      to find, present and draw conclusions from the best available evidence, using a
      standardised framework. A more detailed description of how BestBETs for Vets are
      produced was published in Veterinary Record earlier this year (VR, April 4, 2015,
      vol 176, pp 354-356). 

PMID- 26475900
TI  - Plasma derived colostrum and life expectancy in calves.
AB  - BestBETs for Vets are generated by the Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary
      Medicine at the University of Nottingham to help answer specific questions and
      assist in clinical decision making. Although evidence is often limited, they aim
      to find, present and draw conclusions from the best available evidence, using a
      standardised framework. A more detailed description of how BestBETs for Vets are
      produced was published in Veterinary Record earlier this year (VR, April 4, 2015,
      vol 176, pp 354-356). 

PMID- 26475901
TI  - Shortage of experienced vets.

PMID- 26475902
TI  - Shortage of experienced vets.

PMID- 26475903
TI  - What is cure?

PMID- 26475904
TI  - What is cure?

PMID- 26475905
TI  - Developing the RCVS fellowship.

PMID- 26475906
TI  - Evidence-based veterinary medicine.

PMID- 26475907
TI  - Ear gel to treat otitis externa in dogs.

PMID- 26475908
TI  - Liver supplement for dogs and cats.

PMID- 26475909
TI  - Injectable anaesthetic back in stock.

PMID- 26475911
TI  - Diagnosing swine influenza.

PMID- 26475912
TI  - Screening for thyroid disorders.

PMID- 26475913
TI  - PCV-2 vaccine licensed for pregnant and lactating sows.

PMID- 26475914
TI  - Treating bacterial infections.

PMID- 26475915
TI  - Giving your heart to pathology.
AB  - Jim KIaassen recently joined Axiom Veterinary Laboratories as a clinical
      pathologist. During his career, Dr Klaassen has worked in small animal practice,
      lectured in clinical pathology, undertaken preclinical research and held senior
      roles in commercial veterinary laboratories in the USA, including as chief
      medical officer of Antech Diagnostics. 

PMID- 26475916
TI  - Diary of a (new) parliamentary intern.
AB  - Anthony Ridge is the new parliamentary intern to Lord Trees. Here, he reflects on
      his new job and discovering his place in the veterinary profession. Anthony will
      be sharing his experiences with Vet Record Careers. 

PMID- 26475917
TI  - Photo Quiz: Thigh Abscess in a Morbidly Obese Diabetic Patient.

PMID- 26475920
TI  - The impact of childhood residential mobility on mental health outcomes in
      adolescence and early adulthood: a record linkage study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding the causes of poor mental health in early childhood and
      adolescence is important as this can be a significant determinant of mental well
      being in later years. One potential and relatively unexplored factor is
      residential mobility in formative years. Previous studies have been relatively
      small and potentially limited due to methodological issues. The main aim of this
      study was to investigate the relationship between early residential instability
      and poor mental health among adolescents and young adults in Northern Ireland.
      METHODS: A Census-based record linkage study of 28% of children aged 0-8 years in
      2001 in Northern Ireland (n=49,762) was conducted, with six monthly address
      change assessments from health registration data and self-reported mental health
      status from the 2011 Census. Logistic regression models were built adjusting for
      socioeconomic status (SES), household composition and marital dissolution.
      RESULTS: There was a graded relationship between the number of address changes
      and mental ill-health (adjusted OR 3.67, 95% CIs 2.11 to 6.39 for 5 or more
      moves). This relationship was not modified by SES or household composition.
      Marital dissolution was associated with poor mental health but did not modify the
      relationship between address change and mental health (p=0.206). There was some
      indication that movement after the age of five was associated with an increased
      likelihood of poor mental health. CONCLUSIONS: This large study clearly confirms
      the close relationship between address change in early years and later poor
      mental health. Residential mobility may be a useful marker for children at risk
      of poorer mental health in adolescence and early adulthood.

PMID- 26475921
TI  - How stakeholder participation can contribute to systematic reviews of complex
      interventions.
AB  - Although patient and public involvement in research is a requirement for research
      funding in many countries, the knowledge base for how to effectively involve
      people-and evidence of the effectiveness of involvement-is weak. This article
      describes how methods used in participatory health research were used to involve
      patients, clients, providers and community health workers across all stages of a
      realist review. Sustained involvement enabled better identification of the
      components of the complex intervention of community-based peer support. It also
      challenged assumptions of how peer support is constructed, leading the review
      team to question whether the process of designing and implementing interventions
      has more influence on effectiveness than previously recognised in empirical
      studies. We conclude with a discussion on when sustained involvement should be
      used, and the challenges of incorporating it into the traditional researcher-led
      approach to systematic reviews. 

PMID- 26475922
TI  - Cotton Square Morphology Offers New Insights into Host Plant Resistance to Cotton
      Fleahopper (Hemiptera: Miridae) in Upland Cotton.
AB  - Cotton fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae), is a
      piercing-sucking pest of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) that feeds preferentially
      on developing flower buds, called squares. Heavy infestations cause yield
      reductions that result from abscission of squares damaged by the cotton
      fleahopper feeding. Antixenosis, or nonpreference, has been reported as a
      mechanism of host plant resistance in cotton to cotton fleahopper. Square
      structure, particularly the placement of the reproductive tissues, and stylet
      penetration were investigated as factors that influence resistance to cotton
      fleahopper in cotton lines derived from crosses with Pilose, a cultigen of upland
      cotton resistant to cotton fleahopper, and backcrossed with high-yielding,
      susceptible lines. Ovary depth varied among the lines tested and was found to be
      a heritable trait that affected the ability of a fleahopper's feeding stylets to
      penetrate the reproductive tissues in the square and might influence preference.
      Behavioral assays suggested antixenosis as a mechanism of host plant resistance,
      and the trait conferring antixenosis was found to be heritable. Results suggest
      ovary depth plays a role in conferring resistance to cotton fleahopper and is an
      exploitable trait in resistance breeding. 

PMID- 26475923
TI  - An update on cell surface proteins containing extensin-motifs.
AB  - In recent years it has become clear that there are several molecular links that
      interconnect the plant cell surface continuum, which is highly important in many
      biological processes such as plant growth, development, and interaction with the
      environment. The plant cell surface continuum can be defined as the space that
      contains and interlinks the cell wall, plasma membrane and cytoskeleton
      compartments. In this review, we provide an updated view of cell surface proteins
      that include modular domains with an extensin (EXT)-motif followed by a
      cytoplasmic kinase-like domain, known as PERKs (for proline-rich extensin-like
      receptor kinases); with an EXT-motif and an actin binding domain, known as
      formins; and with extracellular hybrid-EXTs. We focus our attention on the EXT
      motifs with the short sequence Ser-Pro(3-5), which is found in several different
      protein contexts within the same extracellular space, highlighting a putative
      conserved structural and functional role. A closer understanding of the dynamic
      regulation of plant cell surface continuum and its relationship with the
      downstream signalling cascade is a crucial forthcoming challenge. 

PMID- 26475924
TI  - A Central Role for HLA-DR3 in Anti-Smith Antibody Responses and
      Glomerulonephritis in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Spontaneous Lupus.
AB  - MHC, especially HLA-DR3 and HLA-DR2, is one of the most important genetic
      susceptibility regions for systemic lupus erythematosus. Human studies to
      understand the role of specific HLA alleles in disease pathogenesis have been
      hampered by the presence of strong linkage disequilibrium in this region. To
      overcome this, we produced transgenic mice expressing HLA-DR3 (DRbeta1*0301) and
      devoid of endogenous class II (both I-A and I-E genes, AE(0)) on a lupus-prone
      NZM2328 background (NZM2328.DR3(+)AE(0)). Both NZM2328 and NZM2328.DR3(+)AE(0)
      mice developed anti-dsDNA and glomerulonephritis, but anti-dsDNA titers were
      higher in the latter. Although kidney histological scores were similar in NZM2328
      and NZM2328.DR3(+)AE(0) mice (7.2 +/- 4.3 and 8.6 +/- 5.7, respectively, p =
      0.48), the onset of severe proteinuria occurred earlier in NZM2328.DR3(+)AE(0)
      mice compared with NZM2328 mice (median, 5 and 9 mo respectively, p < 0.001).
      Periarterial lymphoid aggregates, classic wire loop lesions, and occasional
      crescents were seen only in kidneys from NZM2328.DR3(+)AE(0) mice. Interestingly,
      NZM2328.DR3(+)AE(0) mice, but not NZM2328 mice, spontaneously developed anti
      Smith (Sm) Abs. The anti-Sm Abs were seen in NZM2328.DR3(+)AE(0) mice that were
      completely devoid of endogenous class II (AE(-/) (-)) but not in mice homozygous
      (AE(+/+)) or heterozygous (AE(+/-)) for endogenous MHC class II. It appears that
      only HLA-DR3 molecules can preferentially select SmD-reactive CD4(+) T cells for
      generation of the spontaneous anti-Sm immune response. Thus, our mouse model
      unravels a critical role for HLA-DR3 in generating an autoimmune response to SmD
      and lupus nephritis in the NZM2328 background. 

PMID- 26475925
TI  - Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress of Neutrophils Is Required for Ischemia/Reperfusion
      Induced Acute Lung Injury.
AB  - Diverse clinical factors, including intestinal ischemia, contribute to acute lung
      injury (ALI), which has up to a 40% mortality rate. During the development of
      lung injury an immune response is elicited that exacerbates the lung insult.
      Neutrophils have been well studied in mediating the pulmonary insults through an
      assortment of mechanisms, such as release of granule contents and production of
      proinflammatory cytokines due to the overactivation of complement and cytokines.
      In this study, we found that enhanced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was
      observed in infiltrated neutrophils in the early stage of an ALI mice model. In
      neutrophils, complement 5a (C5a) inspires strong ER stress through inositol
      requiring kinase 1a and, to a less extent, the protein kinase R-like ER kinase
      signaling pathway. The granule release induced by C5a was ER stress mediated.
      Knowkdown of X-box-binding protein 1, a downstream signaling molecule of inositol
      requiring kinase 1a, impaired granule release, based on myeloperoxidase
      production. Further analysis revealed that C5a induced ER stress by binding to
      C5a receptor in neutrophils. Using xbp(f/f) MRP8-cre mice in which X-box-binding
      protein 1 is deficient specifically in neutrophils and ER stress is deprived, we
      confirmed that ER stress in neutrophils was required for granule release in vivo
      and led to ALI, whereas dampening ER stress in neutrophils substantially
      alleviated ALI. Taken together, our results demonstrated that C5a receptor
      mediated ER stress induced granule release in neutrophils, contributing to the
      development of ALI. This novel mechanism suggests a new potential therapeutic
      target in autophagy regulation for ALI.

PMID- 26475926
TI  - TNFR2 Deficiency Acts in Concert with Gut Microbiota To Precipitate Spontaneous
      Sex-Biased Central Nervous System Demyelinating Autoimmune Disease.
AB  - TNF-alpha antagonists provide benefit to patients with inflammatory autoimmune
      disorders such as Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing
      spondylitis. However, TNF antagonism unexplainably exacerbates CNS autoimmunity,
      including multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica. The underlying mechanisms
      remain enigmatic. We demonstrate that TNFR2 deficiency results in female-biased
      spontaneous autoimmune CNS demyelination in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein
      specific 2D2 TCR transgenic mice. Disease in TNFR2(-/-) 2D2 mice was associated
      with CNS infiltration of T and B cells as well as increased production of myelin
      oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-specific IL-17, IFN-gamma, and IgG2b. Attenuated
      disease in TNF(-/-) 2D2 mice relative to TNFR2(-/-) 2D2 mice identified
      distinctive roles for TNFR1 and TNFR2. Oral antibiotic treatment eliminated
      spontaneous autoimmunity in TNFR2(-/-) 2D2 mice to suggest role for gut
      microbiota. Illumina sequencing of fecal 16S rRNA identified a distinct
      microbiota profile in male TNFR2(-/-) 2D2 that was associated with disease
      protection. Akkermansia muciniphila, Sutterella sp., Oscillospira sp.,
      Bacteroides acidifaciens, and Anaeroplasma sp. were selectively more abundant in
      male TNFR2(-/-) 2D2 mice. In contrast, Bacteroides sp., Bacteroides uniformis,
      and Parabacteroides sp. were more abundant in affected female TNFR2(-/-) 2D2
      mice, suggesting a role in disease causation. Overall, TNFR2 blockade appears to
      disrupt commensal bacteria-host immune symbiosis to reveal autoimmune
      demyelination in genetically susceptible mice. Under this paradigm, microbes
      likely contribute to an individual's response to anti-TNF therapy. This model
      provides a foundation for host immune-microbiota-directed measures for the
      prevention and treatment of CNS-demyelinating autoimmune disorders. 

PMID- 26475927
TI  - A Complement-Optimized EGFR Antibody Improves Cytotoxic Functions of
      Polymorphonuclear Cells against Tumor Cells.
AB  - Complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) has been suggested to be an important
      mechanism of action of tumor-targeting Abs. However, single unmodified epidermal
      growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeting IgG1 Abs fail to trigger efficient CDC.
      For the current study, we generated a CDC-optimized variant of the EGFR Ab
      matuzumab (H425 wt) by introducing amino acid substitutions K326A/E333A (H425
      mt). This Ab was then used to elucidate the impact of complement activation on
      the capacity of effector cells such as mononuclear cells (MNC) and
      polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) to exert Ab-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity
      (ADCC). H425 mt, but not H425 wt, significantly induced complement deposition,
      release of anaphylatoxins, and CDC against distinct tumor cell lines, whereas no
      differences in ADCC by MNC or PMN were detected. Notably, stronger cytotoxicity
      was induced by H425 mt than by H425 wt in whole blood assays and in experiments
      in which MNC or PMN were combined with serum. Although MNC-ADCC was not affected
      by C5 cleavage, the cytotoxic activity of PMN in the presence of serum strongly
      depended on C5 cleavage, pointing to a direct interaction between complement and
      PMN. Strong cell surface expression of C5a receptors was detected on PMN, whereas
      NK cells completely lacked expression. Stimulation of PMN with C5a led to
      upregulation of activated complement receptor 3, resulting in enhanced complement
      receptor 3-dependent PMN-ADCC against tumor cells. In conclusion, complement
      optimized EGFR Abs may constitute a promising strategy to improve tumor cell
      killing by enhancing the interaction between humoral and cellular effector
      functions in Ab-based tumor therapy. 

PMID- 26475928
TI  - Responsiveness of Developing T Cells to IL-7 Signals Is Sustained by miR-17~92.
AB  - miRNAs regulate a large variety of developmental processes including development
      of the immune system. T cell development is tightly controlled through the
      interplay of transcriptional programs and cytokine-mediated signals. However, the
      role of individual miRNAs in this process remains largely elusive. In this study,
      we demonstrated that hematopoietic cell-specific loss of miR-17~92, a cluster of
      six miRNAs implicated in B and T lineage leukemogenesis, resulted in profound
      defects in T cell development both at the level of prethymic T cell progenitors
      as well as intrathymically. We identified reduced surface expression of IL-7R and
      concomitant limited responsiveness to IL-7 signals as a common mechanism
      resulting in reduced cell survival of common lymphoid progenitors and thymocytes
      at the double-negative to double-positive transition. In conclusion, we
      identified miR-17~92 as a critical modulator of multiple stages of T cell
      development. 

PMID- 26475929
TI  - Sensor Function for Butyrophilin 3A1 in Prenyl Pyrophosphate Stimulation of Human
      Vgamma2Vdelta2 T Cells.
AB  - Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells play important roles in human immunity to pathogens and in
      cancer immunotherapy by responding to isoprenoid metabolites, such as (E)-4
      hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate and isopentenyl pyrophosphate. The Ig
      superfamily protein butyrophilin (BTN)3A1 was shown to be required for prenyl
      pyrophosphate stimulation. We proposed that the intracellular B30.2 domain of
      BTN3A1 binds prenyl pyrophosphates, resulting in a change in the extracellular
      BTN3A1 dimer that is detected by Vgamma2Vdelta2 TCRs. Such B30.2 binding was
      demonstrated recently. However, other investigators reported that the
      extracellular BTN3A1 IgV domain binds prenyl pyrophosphates, leading to the
      proposal that the Vgamma2Vdelta2 TCR recognizes the complex. To distinguish
      between these mechanisms, we mutagenized residues in the two binding sites and
      tested the mutant BTN3A1 proteins for their ability to mediate prenyl
      pyrophosphate stimulation of Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells to proliferate and secrete
      TNF-alpha. Mutagenesis of residues in the IgV site had no effect on
      Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cell proliferation or secretion of TNF-alpha. In contrast,
      mutagenesis of residues within the basic pocket and surrounding V regions of the
      B30.2 domain abrogated prenyl pyrophosphate-induced proliferation. Mutations of
      residues making hydrogen bonds to the pyrophosphate moiety also abrogated TNF
      alpha secretion, as did mutation of aromatic residues making contact with the
      alkenyl chain. Some mutations further from the B30.2 binding site also diminished
      stimulation, suggesting that the B30.2 domain may interact with a second protein.
      These findings support intracellular sensing of prenyl pyrophosphates by BTN3A1
      rather than extracellular presentation.

PMID- 26475930
TI  - Vaccination With Heterologous HIV-1 Envelope Sequences and Heterologous
      Adenovirus Vectors Increases T-Cell Responses to Conserved Regions: HVTN 083.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing the breadth of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)
      vaccine-elicited immune responses or targeting conserved regions may improve
      coverage of circulating strains. HIV Vaccine Trials Network 083 tested whether
      cellular immune responses with these features are induced by prime-boost
      strategies, using heterologous vectors, heterologous inserts, or a combination of
      both. METHODS: A total of 180 participants were randomly assigned to receive
      combinations of adenovirus vectors (Ad5 or Ad35) and HIV-1 envelope (Env) gene
      inserts (clade A or B) in a prime-boost regimen. RESULTS: T-cell responses to
      heterologous and homologous insert regimens targeted a similar number of epitopes
      (ratio of means, 1.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], .6-1.6; P = .91), but
      heterologous insert regimens induced significantly more epitopes that were shared
      between EnvA and EnvB than homologous insert regimens (ratio of means, 2.7; 95%
      CI, 1.2-5.7; P = .01). Participants in the heterologous versus homologous insert
      groups had T-cell responses that targeted epitopes with greater evolutionary
      conservation (mean entropy [+/-SD], 0.32 +/- 0.1 bits; P = .003), and epitopes
      recognized by responders provided higher coverage (49%; P = .035). Heterologous
      vector regimens had higher numbers of total, EnvA, and EnvB epitopes than
      homologous vector regimens (P = .02, .044, and .045, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:
      These data demonstrate that vaccination with heterologous insert prime boosting
      increased T-cell responses to shared epitopes, while heterologous vector prime
      boosting increased the number of T-cell epitopes recognized. CLINICAL TRIALS
      REGISTRATION: NCT01095224.

PMID- 26475932
TI  - HCV-infected cells and differentiation increase monocyte immunoregulatory
      galectin-9 production.
AB  - The lectin galectin-9 may help establish and maintain chronic hepatitis C virus
      infection. Galectin-9 is elevated in the liver and sera of hepatitis C virus
      patients, induces apoptosis of hepatitis C virus-specific T cells, and increases
      inhibitory regulatory T cells. Kupffer cells stain strongly for galectin-9
      protein in hepatitis C virus patients. In the current study, we determined
      stimuli that induce galectin-9 production by monocytes and macrophages in
      hepatitis C virus infection. With the use of real-time PCR and flow cytometry, we
      analyzed galectin-9 mRNA and protein from human monocytes cocultured with
      hepatitis C virus-infected cells or noninfectious hepatitis C virus subgenomic
      replicon cells. We focused on finding the stimuli for galectin-9 production.
      Additionally, we measured galectin-9 during monocyte-to-macrophage maturation.
      Finally, we examined galectin-9 in peripheral monocytes from hepatitis C virus
      patients using flow cytometry. Galectin-9 mRNA increased 8-fold when primary
      monocytes were exposed to hepatitis C virus--infected cells. Maximum induction
      required proximity or contact and did not require IFN-gamma or hepatitis C virus
      virions. Coculture of monocytes with subgenomic replicon cells increased galectin
      9 5-fold, and purified exosomes from infected cells stimulated galectin-9
      production. Stimulation of monocyte TLR3, -7, and -8 increased galectin-9
      production. Differentiation of monocytes to macrophages increased galectin-9, and
      nonclassic monocytes from hepatitis C virus patients had the highest levels of
      galectin-9. Hepatitis C virus-infected cells stimulated monocytes to produce
      galectin-9 in close proximity, possibly, in part, as a result of exosomes and
      endosomal TLRs. Differentiation of monocytes to macrophages increased galectin-9.
      Nonclassic monocytes from hepatitis C virus patients express the highest galectin
      9 levels, suggesting they may contribute to elevated galectin-9 and adaptive
      immune inhibition in hepatitis C virus infection. 

PMID- 26475931
TI  - Herpes Simplex Virus Type-2 Cervicovaginal Shedding Among Women Living With HIV-1
      and Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy in Burkina Faso: An 8-Year Longitudinal
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on herpes simplex virus
      type-2 (HSV-2) replication is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess
      factors associated with cervicovaginal HSV-2 DNA shedding and genital ulcer
      disease (GUD) in a cohort of women living with human immunodeficiency virus type
      1 (HIV-1) in Burkina Faso. METHODS: Participants were screened for cervicovaginal
      HSV-2 DNA, GUD, cervicovaginal and systemic HIV-1 RNA, and reproductive tract
      infections every 3-6 months over 8 years. Associations with HSV-2 shedding and
      quantity were examined using random-effects logistic and linear regression,
      respectively. RESULTS: Of the 236 women with data on HSV-2 shedding, 151 took ART
      during the study period. Cervicovaginal HSV-2 DNA was detected in 42% of women
      (99 of 236) in 8.2% of visits (151 of 1848). ART was associated with a reduction
      in the odds of HSV-2 shedding, which declined for each year of ART use (odds
      ratio [OR], 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], .59-.92). In the multivariable
      model, the impact of ART was primarily associated with suppression of systemic
      HIV-1 RNA (adjusted OR, 0.32; 95% CI, .15-.67). A reduction in the odds of GUD
      was also observed during ART, mainly in those with HIV-1 suppression (adjusted
      OR, 0.53; 95% CI, .25-1.11). CONCLUSIONS: ART is strongly associated with a
      decrease in cervicovaginal HSV-2 shedding, and the impact was sustained over
      several years.

PMID- 26475933
TI  - Prevalence of Myofascial Trigger Points in Spinal Disorders: A Systematic Review
      and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To retrieve, appraise, and synthesize the results of studies on the
      prevalence of active and latent myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) in subjects
      with spinal pain disorders. DATA SOURCES: The databases PubMed, Embase, and
      CINAHL were searched, with no date or language restrictions. Search terms
      included controlled and free-text terms for spinal disorders and MTrPs. Further
      searches were conducted in Google Scholar and by contacting 3 experts in the
      field. Citation tracking of eligible studies was performed. STUDY SELECTION: Two
      reviewers independently selected observational studies assessing the prevalence
      of active and/or latent MTrPs in at least 1 group of adults with a spinal
      disorder. Twelve studies met the eligibility criteria. DATA EXTRACTION:
      Methodologic quality was assessed by 2 reviewers independently using a modified
      version of the Downs and Black checklist. Two reviewers also used a customized
      form to extract studies and subjects' characteristics and the proportions of
      subjects with active and/or latent MTrPs in each muscle assessed. DATA SYNTHESIS:
      A meta-analysis was performed when there was sufficient clinical homogeneity in
      at least 2 studies for the same spinal disorder. The Grading of Recommendations
      Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was used to rate the body of
      evidence in each meta-analysis. A qualitative description of the results of
      single studies was provided. Low-quality evidence underpinned pooled estimates of
      MTrPs in the upper-body muscles of subjects with chronic neck pain. The point
      prevalence of MTrPs in different muscles of other disorders (eg, whiplash
      associated disorders, nonspecific low back pain) was extracted from single
      studies with low methodologic quality and small samples. Active MTrPs were found
      to be present in all assessed muscles of subjects diagnosed with different spinal
      pain disorders. Latent MTrPs were not consistently more prevalent in subjects
      with a spinal disorder than in healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: The MTrPs point
      prevalence estimates in this review should be viewed with caution because future
      studies with large samples and high methodologic quality are likely to change
      them substantially.

PMID- 26475934
TI  - Rhizosphere microbiome metagenomics of gray mangroves (Avicennia marina) in the
      Red Sea.
AB  - Mangroves are unique, and endangered, coastal ecosystems that play a vital role
      in the tropical and subtropical environments. A comprehensive description of the
      microbial communities in these ecosystems is currently lacking, and additional
      studies are required to have a complete understanding of the functioning and
      resilience of mangroves worldwide. In this work, we carried out a metagenomic
      study by comparing the microbial community of mangrove sediment with the
      rhizosphere microbiome of Avicennia marina, in northern Red Sea mangroves, along
      the coast of Saudi Arabia. Our results revealed that rhizosphere samples
      presented similar profiles at the taxonomic and functional levels and
      differentiated from the microbiome of bulk soil controls. Overall, samples showed
      predominance by Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, with high abundance
      of sulfate reducers and methanogens, although specific groups were selectively
      enriched in the rhizosphere. Functional analysis showed significant enrichment in
      'metabolism of aromatic compounds', 'mobile genetic elements', 'potassium
      metabolism' and 'pathways that utilize osmolytes' in the rhizosphere microbiomes.
      To our knowledge, this is the first metagenomic study on the microbiome of
      mangroves in the Red Sea, and the first application of unbiased 454
      pyrosequencing to study the rhizosphere microbiome associated with A. marina. Our
      results provide the first insights into the range of functions and microbial
      diversity in the rhizosphere and soil sediments of gray mangrove (A. marina) in
      the Red Sea. 

PMID- 26475935
TI  - V-GAP: Viral genome assembly pipeline.
AB  - Next-generation sequencing technologies have allowed the rapid determination of
      the complete genomes of many organisms. Although shotgun sequences from large
      genome organisms are still difficult to reconstruct perfect contigs each of which
      represents a full chromosome, those from small genomes have been assembled
      successfully into a very small number of contigs. In this study, we show that
      shotgun reads from phage genomes can be reconstructed into a single contig by
      controlling the number of read sequences used in de novo assembly. We have
      developed a pipeline to assemble small viral genomes with good reliability using
      a resampling method from shotgun data. This pipeline, named V-GAP (Viral Genome
      Assembly Pipeline), will contribute to the rapid genome typing of viruses, which
      are highly divergent, and thus will meet the increasing need for viral genome
      comparisons in metagenomic studies. 

PMID- 26475936
TI  - Bacterial community structures of deep-sea water investigated by molecular
      biological techniques.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the bacterial community
      structures of deep-sea water (DSW) and surface seawater (SSW) samples in Japan by
      molecular biological techniques. DGGE analyses and pyrosequencing analysis
      revealed that bacterial community structures of DSW were diverse and differed
      from those of SSW. This is the first report on the horizontal variation of
      bacterial community structures of DSW throughout Japan. In addition,
      pyrosequencing analysis revealed that the number of phyla in DSW was larger than
      that in SSW, and specific phyla, such as Firmicutes and Planctomycetes, were
      characterized by a higher proportion of the bacterial community structure in DSW
      than in SSW. Taken together, these results indicate that a variety of bacteria
      that are specifically adapted to the DSW environments can be expected to be found
      in DSW, and DSW would thus be a potential resource for novel or unique
      microorganisms and compounds.

PMID- 26475937
TI  - Influences of diurnal sampling bias on fixed-point monitoring of plankton
      biodiversity determined using a massively parallel sequencing-based technique.
AB  - In this study, we investigated the influence of diurnal sampling bias on the
      community structure of plankton by comparing the biodiversity among seawater
      samples (n=9) obtained every 3h for 24h by using massively parallel sequencing
      (MPS)-based plankton monitoring at a fixed point conducted at Himedo seaport in
      Yatsushiro Sea, Japan. The number of raw operational taxonomy units (OTUs) and
      OTUs after re-sampling was 507-658 (558 +/- 104, mean +/- standard deviation) and
      448-544 (467 +/- 81), respectively, indicating high plankton biodiversity at the
      sampling location. The relative abundance of the top 20 OTUs in the samples from
      Himedo seaport was 48.8-67.7% (58.0 +/- 5.8%), and the highest-ranked OTU was
      Pseudo-nitzschia species (Bacillariophyta) with a relative abundance of 17.3
      39.2%, followed by Oithona sp. 1 and Oithona sp. 2 (Arthropoda). During seawater
      sampling, the semidiurnal tidal current having an amplitude of 0.3ms(-1) was
      dominant, and the westward residual current driven by the northeasterly wind was
      continuously observed during the 24-h monitoring. Therefore, the relative
      abundance of plankton species apparently fluctuated among the samples, but no
      significant difference was noted according to G-test (p>0.05). Significant
      differences were observed between the samples obtained from a different locality
      (Kusuura in Yatsushiro Sea) and at different dates, suggesting that the influence
      of diurnal sampling bias on plankton diversity, determined using the MPS-based
      survey, was not significant and acceptable.

PMID- 26475938
TI  - Characterization of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli isolated in eastern China.
AB  - In order to investigate the biological characteristics of avian pathogenic
      Escherichia coli (APEC) isolated in eastern China, a total of 243 isolates were
      isolated from diseased poultry on different farms during the period from 2007 to
      2014. These isolates were characterized for serogroups (polymerase chain reaction
      and agglutination), the presence of virulence-associated genes (fimC, iss, ompA,
      fyuA, stx2f, iroC, iucD, hlyE, tsh, cvaC, irp2, and papC) and class I integrons
      (polymerase chain reaction), drug susceptibilities (disk diffusion method) and
      the biofilm-forming abilities (semi-quantitative method). The results showed that
      the most predominant serogroups were O78 (87 isolates, 35.8%) and O2 (35
      isolates, 14.4%). Gene profiling found that fimC and ompA were frequently
      distributed among the isolates and that 77.4% of the isolates were positive for
      class 1 integrons. Overall, isolates displayed resistance to tetracycline
      (97.5%), nalidixic acid (82.3%), ampicillin (81.1%), sulphafurazole (80.7%),
      streptomycin (79.0%), trimethoprim (78.2%) and cotrimoxazole (78.2%). Multiple
      drug resistance was exhibited in 80.3% of the isolates, and the presence of class
      1 integrons is associated with multidrug resistance. Finally, 151 isolates had
      the ability to form biofilms in vitro, and drug resistance seemed relative to
      biofilm-forming abilities. 

PMID- 26475939
TI  - Speciation of two gobioid species, Pterogobius elapoides and Pterogobius
      zonoleucus revealed by multi-locus nuclear and mitochondrial DNA analyses.
AB  - To understand how geographical differentiation of gobioid fish species led to
      speciation, two populations of the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan for each of
      the two gobioid species, Pterogobius elapoides and Pterogobius zonoleucus, were
      studied in both morphological and molecular features. Analyzing mitochondrial
      genes, Akihito et al. (2008) suggested that P. zonoleucus does not form a
      monophyletic clade relative to P. elapoides, indicating that "Sea of Japan P.
      zonoleucus" and P. elapoides form a clade excluding "Pacific P. zonoleucus" as an
      outgroup. Because morphological classification clearly distinguish these two
      species and a gene tree may differ from a population tree, we examined three
      nuclear genes, S7RP, RAG1, and TBR1, in this work, in order to determine whether
      nuclear and mitochondrial trees are concordant, thus shedding light on the
      evolutionary history of this group of fishes. Importantly, nuclear trees were
      based on exactly the same individuals that were used for the previously published
      mtDNA trees. The tree based on RAG1 exon sequences suggested a closer
      relationship of P. elapoides with "Sea of Japan P. zonoleucus", which was in
      agreement with the mitochondrial tree. In contrast, S7RP and TBR1 introns
      recovered a monophyletic P. zonoleucus. If the mitochondrial tree represents the
      population tree in which P. elapoides evolved from "Sea of Japan P. zonoleucus",
      the population size of P. elapoides is expected to be smaller than that of "Sea
      of Japan P. zonoleucus". This is because a smaller population of the new species
      is usually differentiated from a larger population of the ancestral species when
      the speciation occurred. However, we found no evidence of such a small population
      size during the evolution of P. elapoides. Therefore, we conclude that the
      monophyletic P. zonoleucus as suggested by S7RP and TBR1 most likely represents
      the population tree, which is consistent with the morphological classification.
      In this case, it is possible that the incongruent mitochondrial and RAG1 trees
      are either due to incomplete lineage sorting of ancestral polymorphisms or to
      introgression by hybridization. Because of a smaller effective population size of
      mitochondria compared with nuclear genes, the introgression might be a more
      likely scenario in explaining the incongruent mitochondrial tree than the
      incomplete lineage sorting. Because of smaller effective population size of "Sea
      of Japan P. zonoleucus" than that of P. elapoides, the direction of the
      introgression was likely to be from the latter to the former. This evolutionary
      work of the two gobioid species highlights the need of analyzing multiple gene
      trees for both nuclear and mitochondrial genes as well as scrutinization of
      morphological characteristics to obtain a population tree representing the
      organismal evolutionary history.

PMID- 26475940
TI  - Modern Guidelines for Bowel Preparation and Antimicrobial Prophylaxis for Open
      and Laparoscopic Urologic Surgery.
AB  - Mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) and antibiotics (oral and/or intravenous) have
      historically been used to decrease infectious complications in surgeries that
      involve manipulation of bowel or potential risk of injury. The use of MBP has
      recently been challenged in the colorectal surgery literature, thus inspiring
      similar critical evaluation of our practices in urology. This review gives a
      brief overview of the history of mechanical and oral antibiotic bowel
      preparation, as well as the evolution of the practice trends in colorectal
      surgery and urology. We also examine contemporary guidelines in skin preparation
      as well as antimicrobial prophylaxis before surgery. 

PMID- 26475941
TI  - Update on Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Genitourinary Procedures in Patients with
      Artificial Joint Replacement and Artificial Heart Valves.
AB  - Infection of artificial joint replacements and heart valves is an uncommon but
      serious complication encountered anytime after the implantation of these
      prostheses. It is known that bacteremia can lead to infection of a prosthetic
      device. However, there is no strong evidence to correlate urologic procedures
      with the development of periprosthetic joint infection or prosthetic valve
      endocarditis. Therefore, antibiotic prophylaxis for the prevention of
      endocarditis is not recommended in patients undergoing urologic procedures.
      However, guidelines regarding prophylaxis to prevent infection of an artificial
      joint in the setting of a genitourinary procedure are more varied. 

PMID- 26475942
TI  - Preprostate Biopsy Rectal Culture and Postbiopsy Sepsis.
AB  - Transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy of the prostate (TRUSP) remains the primary
      procedure for the accurate histologic diagnosis of prostate cancer.
      Fluoroquinolones (FQs) are still recommended as the agents of choice for
      antimicrobial prophylaxis for TRUSP despite the alarming increasing incidence of
      FQ-resistant organisms among men undergoing TRUSP. This article reviews the
      current TRUSP antimicrobial prophylaxis guidelines, antimicrobial resistance and
      its implications for these guidelines, the incidence of post-TRUSP infectious
      complications including urosepsis, the seminal data supporting pre-TRUSP rectal
      swab (RS), RS technique and protocol, and the current available literature
      surrounding the efficacy of RS in reducing post-TRUSP infectious complications.

PMID- 26475943
TI  - Treatment of the Infected Stone.
AB  - Infected kidney stones refer to stones that form because of urinary tract
      infections with urease-producing bacteria, secondarily infected stones of any
      composition, or stones obstructing the urinary tract leading to pyelonephritis.
      The mainstay of treatment of infection stones is complete stone removal. Kidney
      stones that obstruct the urinary tract and cause obstructive pyelonephritis are
      also frequently referred to as infected stones. Obstructive pyelonephritis is a
      urologic emergency as it can result in sepsis and even death. Infection stones
      and obstructive stones causing pyelonephritis are different disease processes,
      and their workup and management are described separately. 

PMID- 26475944
TI  - Treatment of Fungal Urinary Tract Infection.
AB  - Funguria, and particularly candiduria, is an increasingly common problem
      encountered by the practicing urologist and is associated with high-acuity care,
      indwelling catheters, diabetes mellitus, antibiotic and steroid use, and urinary
      tract disease. In most cases, candiduria is asymptomatic and follows a benign
      clinical course with antifungal therapy only required in symptomatic or high-risk
      cases, because spontaneous resolution is common in patients with asymptomatic
      colonization. Rarely, invasive infections can occur (such as fungus balls or
      renal abscesses) and may require percutaneous and endoscopic interventions. This
      article highlights the workup and treatment of funguria and its related urologic
      manifestations.

PMID- 26475945
TI  - Current Concepts in Infections Associated with Penile Prostheses and Artificial
      Sphincters.
AB  - Implantation of penile prostheses and artificial urinary sphincters have gained
      widespread acceptance for the treatment of refractory erectile dysfunction and
      incontinence, respectively. In the past 3 decades, improved device design and an
      increased understanding of the pathophysiology of device infections have
      contributed to a decrease in infection rates. However, understanding the concepts
      related to infection prevention and management remains critical. In this article,
      the authors review and discuss these concepts and provide outlines for the
      practicing urologists for both infection prevention and treatment. 

PMID- 26475946
TI  - Epidemiology and Management of Emerging Drug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria:
      Extended-Spectrum beta-Lactamases and Beyond.
AB  - Worldwide prevalence of antimicrobial resistance is rapidly increasing, primarily
      a result of antibiotic misuse in the medical community. Resistant infections
      involving the urinary tract are typically caused by gram-negative bacteria. When
      treating these infections, clinicians have few effective antimicrobials to choose
      from and many are associated with significant adverse effects. There are now
      situations when clinicians are tasked with managing infections from pan-resistant
      organisms; thus, it is of paramount importance that spread of resistance be
      controlled. This review discusses common gram-negative resistance classes,
      highlighting the mechanisms of resistance, risk factors, type of infections,
      treatment, and outcomes associated with each class.

PMID- 26475947
TI  - Sexually Transmitted Infections.
AB  - Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain a significant burden on public
      health in the United States. Primary prevention counseling with early diagnosis
      and treatment remain the best methods to decrease the incidence of STIs. Through
      significant public heath interventions, the incidence of gonorrhea, Chlamydia,
      and trichomoniasis is decreasing; however, the incidence of primary and secondary
      syphilis is increasing. Human papilloma virus remains the most common STI, but
      new vaccinations have the possibility of having a significant impact on this
      virus's disease potential. This review discusses the most common STIs in the
      United States, focusing on clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment. 

PMID- 26475948
TI  - Work-up of Pediatric Urinary Tract Infection.
AB  - Pediatric urinary tract infection (UTI) costs the health care system more than
      $180 million annually, and accounts for more than 1.5 million clinician visits
      per year. Accurate and timely diagnosis of these infections is important for
      determining appropriate treatment and preventing long-term complications such as
      renal scarring, hypertension, and end-stage renal disease. After the first 12
      months, girls are more likely to be diagnosed with a UTI. About half of boys with
      UTI are diagnosed within the first 12 months of life. Diagnosis of UTI is made
      based on history and examination findings and confirmed by urine testing.

PMID- 26475949
TI  - Urinary Tract Infection and Neurogenic Bladder.
AB  - Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are frequent, recurrent, and lifelong for
      patients with neurogenic bladder and present challenges in diagnosis and
      treatment. Patients often present without classic symptoms of UTI but with
      abdominal or back pain, increased spasticity, and urinary incontinence. Failure
      to recognize and treat infections can quickly lead to life-threatening autonomic
      dysreflexia or sepsis, whereas overtreatment contributes to antibiotic
      resistance, thus limiting future treatment options. Multiple prevention methods
      are used but evidence-based practices are few. Prevention and treatment of
      symptomatic UTI requires a multimodal approach that focuses on bladder management
      as well as accurate diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic treatment. 

PMID- 26475950
TI  - Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Noncatheterized Adults.
AB  - Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is a common finding and frequently detected in
      premenopausal nonpregnant women, institutionalized patients, patients with
      diabetes mellitus, and the ambulatory elderly population. Despite clear
      recommendations regarding diagnosis and management of ASB in these populations
      from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), there remains an alarming
      rate of antimicrobial overuse. This article reviews definitions of ASB,
      epidemiology of ASB, literature surrounding ASB in diabetic patients, risk
      factors of ASB, microbiologic data regarding bacterial virulence, use of ASB
      strains for treatment of symptomatic urinary tract infection, and approaches to
      addressing translational barriers to implementing IDSA recommendations regarding
      diagnosis and management of ASB. 

PMID- 26475951
TI  - Urinary Tract Infection and Bacteriuria in Pregnancy.
AB  - Bacteriuria during pregnancy may be classified as asymptomatic bacteriuria,
      infections of the lower urinary tract (cystitis), or infections of the upper
      urinary tract (pyelonephritis). Lower tract bacteriuria is associated with an
      increased risk of developing pyelonephritis in pregnancy, which is itself
      associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Pregnant women should be
      screened for the presence of bacteriuria early in pregnancy. All bacteriuria in
      pregnancy should be treated, and antimicrobial choice in pregnancy should reflect
      safety for both the mother and the fetus. After treatment of bacteriuria,
      patients should be followed closely due to risk of recurrent bacteriuria. 

PMID- 26475952
TI  - Bacteruria and Urinary Tract Infections in the Elderly.
AB  - Both urinary tract infection (UTI) and asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) are common
      problems among elderly adults and represent a significant health care burden.
      Despite their frequency, differentiating between ASB and true UTI remains
      controversial among health care providers. Several challenges exist in the
      evaluation of urinary symptoms in the elderly patient. Symptoms of UTI are
      variable; problems are encountered in the collection, testing, and interpretation
      of urine specimens; and results of urinalysis are often misinterpreted and
      mishandled. Multiple studies have shown no morbidity or mortality benefit to
      antibiotic therapy in either community or long-term care facility residents with
      ASB. 

PMID- 26475953
TI  - Contemporary Antibiotic Management for Urologic Procedures and Infections.

PMID- 26475954
TI  - Contemporary Antibiotic Management for Urologic Procedures and Infections.

PMID- 26475955
TI  - Watching what's coming near increases tactile sensitivity: An experimental
      investigation.
AB  - During medical examinations, doctors regularly investigate a patient's
      somatosensory system by approaching the patient with a medical device (e.g. Von
      Frey hairs, algometer) or with their hands. It is assumed that the obtained
      results reflect the true capacities of the somatosensory system. However,
      evidence from crossmodal spatial research suggests that sensory experiences in
      one modality (e.g. touch) can be influenced by concurrent information from other
      modalities (e.g. vision), especially near the body (i.e. in peripersonal space).
      Hence, we hypothesized that seeing someone approaching your body could alter
      tactile sensitivity in that body-part. In the In Vivo Approaching Object (IVAO)
      paradigm, participants detected and localized threshold-level vibrotactile
      stimuli administered on the left of right hand (=tactile targets). In Experiment
      1, this was always preceded by the experimenter approaching the same (congruent
      trials) or the other (incongruent trials) hand with a pen (=visual cue). In
      Experiment 2, a condition was added in which a point further away from the hands
      (also left vs. right) was approached. Response Accuracy was calculated for
      congruent and incongruent trials (Experiment 1 & 2) and compared between the
      close and far condition (Experiment 2). As expected, Response Accuracy was higher
      in congruent trials compared to incongruent trials, but only near the body. As a
      result, evidence was found for a crossmodal interaction effect between visual and
      tactile information in peripersonal space. These results suggest that
      somatosensory evaluations-both medical or research-based-may be biased by viewing
      an object approaching the body. 

PMID- 26475956
TI  - Immune reactivity in rats selected for the enhancement or elimination of
      aggressiveness towards humans.
AB  - This study analyzes immune reactivity in two lines of rats selected for the
      enhancement or elimination of aggressiveness toward humans. Compared to
      nonaggressive line, aggressive rats showed increased blood ratio of CD4(+) and
      CD8(+)T lymphocytes, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 level both before
      and after immunization with sheep red blood cells (SRBC), enhanced IgM-immune
      response, as well as decreased level of interleukin (IL)-1alpha before
      immunization. However, antigen administration produced IL-1alpha increase in
      aggressive rats and its decrease in nonaggressive rats compared to non-immunized
      rats of the same lines. In addition, line-dependent alterations of T lymphocyte
      distribution in response to immune activation have been found only in the spleen.
      It is suggested that genetic differences in aggressive behavior may contribute to
      differences in immune function. 

PMID- 26475957
TI  - Optimize Your Electronic Medical Record to Increase Value: Reducing Laboratory
      Overutilization.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to decrease overutilization of laboratory
      testing by eliminating a feature of the electronic ordering system that allowed
      providers to order laboratory tests to occur daily without review. METHODS: We
      collected rates of utilization of a group of commonly ordered laboratory tests
      (number of tests per patient per day) throughout the entire hospital from June
      10, 2013 through June 10, 2015. Our intervention, which eliminated the ability to
      order daily recurring tests, was implemented on June 11, 2014. We compared pre-
      and postintervention rates in order to assess the impact and surveyed providers
      about their experience with the intervention. RESULTS: We examined 1,296,742
      laboratory tests performed on 92,799 unique patients over 434,059 patient days.
      Before the intervention, the target tests were ordered using this daily recurring
      mechanism 33% of the time. After the intervention we observed an 8.5% (P <.001)
      to 20.9% (P <.001) reduction in tests per patient per day. The reduction in rate
      for some of the target tests persisted during the study period, but not for the 2
      most commonly ordered tests. We estimated an approximate reduction in hospital
      costs of $300,000 due to the intervention. CONCLUSION: A simple modification to
      the order entry system significantly and immediately altered provider practices
      throughout a large tertiary care academic center. This strategy is replicable by
      the many hospitals that use the same electronic health record system, and
      possibly, by users of other systems. Future areas of study include evaluating the
      additive effects of education and real-time decision support.

PMID- 26475958
TI  - Your Kidneys May Outlive You.

PMID- 26475959
TI  - Germline BRCA1/2 testing practices in ovarian cancer: Current state and
      opportunities for new directions.
AB  - PURPOSE: Given the implications for clinical care and prevention in identifying a
      BRCA1/2 mutation, the objective of this study was to determine current BRCA1/2
      testing practices in ovarian cancer and to identify future directions. METHODS:
      Two parallel complementary web-based surveys were sent by email to
      representatives of Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG) and to referral centers
      in countries with and without GCIG membership. Questions posed addressed
      indications of BRCA1/2 testing for ovarian cancer; the implication of genetic
      counseling; and prevention strategies employed. RESULTS: Among the GCIG, 22
      collaborative groups from 19 countries answered the survey. For the complementary
      survey, 22 referral centers replied. Findings show criteria to offer germline
      BRCA1/2 testing are mixed; 55% of GCIG members based testing decisions on
      histology and, among all respondents the main testing criterion remains family
      history. Typically, genetic counseling is scheduled prior to the genetic testing;
      however, if negative, results may not be communicated by the genetic counselor.
      Time between testing and communicating results varies widely between the groups.
      Lastly, recommendations to relatives regarding risk reduction surgery are
      inconsistent. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights the need for collaborative efforts
      to devise international guidelines around BRCA1/2 testing in ovarian cancer to
      ensure consistent BRCA1/2 screening practices are adopted. Clinical practice is
      evolving rapidly and as BRCA1/2 testing is expected to become more widespread,
      new approaches are required. Coordinating BRCA1/2 testing practices is crucial in
      terms of care for the patient diagnosed with ovarian cancer but also towards
      cancer prevention for affected family members.

PMID- 26475960
TI  - The performance of Dynamic Spectral Imaging colposcopy depends on indication for
      referrals.
AB  - OBJECTIVE. A previous study has shown that Dynamic Spectral Imaging (DSI)
      colposcopy increases the sensitivity of the colposcopic examination in women
      referred with abnormal cytology. In this study we have reanalyzed the performance
      of DSI and conventional colposcopy for new referral conditions and for low-grade
      cytology referrals versus high-grade cytology referrals. METHOD. Data from a
      previous validation trial was used to assess the performance of DSI in different
      cytology groups:Women referred with BMD (borderline and mild dyskaryosis)
      cytology and women referred with NBMD cytology either hrHPV positive or negative
      were separately analyzed. Furthermore, we tried to assess the clinical
      performance by appropriate filtering of patients to replicate two different
      referral strategies. RESULTS. The sensitivity of DSI and conventional colposcopy
      to detect CIN2+ lesions in women referred with BMD cytology is 82% and 44%
      respectively (p= 0.001) and in the NBMD group 77% and 64% respectively (p= 0.24).
      If the two techniques are combined the sensitivity is 85%.When the conditions of
      new screening strategies are applied DSI colposcopy has a higher sensitivity to
      detect CIN2+ than conventional colposcopy. Findings are similar when CIN3+ is
      used as a threshold. CONCLUSION. We found that in most cases DSI colposcopy has a
      higher sensitivity than conventional colposcopy, even when referral criteria are
      changed. Unlike conventional colposcopy, the sensitivity of colposcopy with DSI
      in low-grade cytology referrals was found similar to the sensitivity in high
      grade cytology referrals. This suggests that a baseline colposcopy sensitivity
      may be possible with the adjunctive use of the DSI map, irrespective of referral
      cytology.

PMID- 26475961
TI  - Secondary debulking surgery for isolated para-aortic nodal recurrence in
      endometrial cancer requiring partial resection of the inferior vena cava.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We report the details of a surgical technique for the cytoreduction of
      metastatic para-aortic lymph nodes with involvement of the inferior vena cava
      (IVC) requiring partial resection and repair of the IVC. METHODS: A 52-year-old
      woman presented with endometrial cancer and isolated nodal recurrence involving
      the IVC. A vascular clamp was applied to the segment of the IVC that the
      metastatic lymph nodes had involved, and an en bloc resection of the para-aortic
      lymph nodes with the involved segment of the IVC was performed. RESULTS AND
      CONCLUSION: In this case, a partial resection of the IVC was performed to enable
      a complete cytoreduction without encroaching on the tumor planes. No
      intraoperative or postoperative complications, including vascular complications,
      occurred. This surgical procedure can be adopted for the management of metastatic
      para-aortic lymph nodes in selected patients.

PMID- 26475962
TI  - Expanding roles of superoxide dismutases in cell regulation and cancer.
AB  - Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have important roles in normal physiology and
      diseases, particularly cancer. Under normal physiological conditions, they
      participate in redox reactions and serve as second messengers for regulatory
      functions. Owing to aberrant metabolism, cancer cells accumulate excessive ROS,
      thus requiring a robustly active antioxidant system to prevent cellular damage.
      Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are enzymes that catalyze the removal of superoxide
      free radicals. There are three distinct members of this metalloenzyme family in
      mammals: SOD1 (Cu/ZnSOD), SOD2 (MnSOD) and SOD3 (ecSOD). SODs are increasingly
      recognized for their regulatory functions in growth, metabolism and oxidative
      stress responses, which are also crucial for cancer development and survival.
      Growing evidence shows that SODs are also potentially useful anticancer drug
      targets. This review will focus on recent research of SODs in cellular
      regulation, with emphasis on their roles in cancer biology and therapy. 

PMID- 26475963
TI  - Detecting and quantifying parasite-induced host mortality from intensity data:
      method comparisons and limitations.
AB  - Parasites can significantly impact animal populations by changing host behaviour,
      reproduction and survival. Detecting and quantifying these impacts is critical
      for understanding disease dynamics and managing wild animal populations. However,
      for wild hosts infected with macroparasites, it is notoriously difficult to
      quantify the fatal parasite load and number of animals that have died due to
      disease. When ethical or logistical constraints prohibit experimental
      determination of these values, examination of parasite intensity and distribution
      data may offer an alternative solution. In this study we introduce a novel method
      for using intensity data to detect and quantify parasite-induced mortality in
      wildlife populations. We use simulations to show that this method is more
      reliable than previously proposed methods while providing quantitative estimates
      of parasite-induced mortality from empirical data that are consistent with
      previously published qualitative estimates. However this method, and all
      techniques that estimate parasite-induced mortality from intensity data alone,
      have several important assumptions that must be scrutinised before applying those
      to real-world data. Given that these assumptions are met, our method is a new
      exploratory tool that can help inform more rigorous studies of parasite-induced
      host mortality. 

PMID- 26475964
TI  - Enhanced cytotoxicity of prenylated chalcone against tumour cells via disruption
      of the p53-MDM2 interaction.
AB  - AIM: Chalcones are naturally occurring compounds with recognized anticancer
      activity. It was recently shown that the O-prenyl derivative (2) of 2'-hydroxy
      3,4,4',5,6'-pentamethoxychalcone (1) had a remarkably increased cytotoxicity
      against human tumour cells compared to its precursor. With this study, we aimed
      to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the improved tumour
      cytotoxicity of prenylchalcone 2. MAIN METHODS: The impact of chalcones 1 and 2
      on p53-MDM2 interaction was investigated using yeast growth-inhibitory and p53
      transactivation assays. Their tumour growth-inhibitory effects were assessed on
      human colon adenocarcinoma HCT116 cell lines with wild-type p53 and its p53-null
      derivative, followed by analysis of cell cycle and apoptosis. In tumour cells,
      the activation of a mitochondrial pathway was checked by analysis of reactive
      oxygen species generation, Bax mitochondrial translocation and cytochrome c
      release. Additionally, the up-regulation of p53 transcriptional activity was
      investigated through Western blot analysis of p53 target expression levels, and
      the disruption of the p53-MDM2 interaction was confirmed by co
      immunoprecipitation. KEY FINDINGS: The potent cell tumour growth-inhibitory
      activity of prenylchalcone 2 was associated with the activation of a p53 pathway
      involving cell cycle arrest and a mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. Furthermore,
      a correlation between the distinct cytotoxicity of chalcones 1 and 2 and their
      ability to disrupt the p53-MDM2 interaction was established. SIGNIFICANCE: This
      work shows that prenylation is a determinant factor for the enhancement of
      chalcones tumour cytotoxicity by improving their ability to disrupt the p53-MDM2
      interaction. Prenylchalcone 2 represents a starting basis for the design of new
      p53-MDM2 interaction inhibitors with improved antitumor properties.

PMID- 26475965
TI  - Propofol-enhanced autophagy increases motility and angiogenic capacity of
      cultured human umbilical vascular endothelial cells.
AB  - AIMS: Propofol (PPF), an intravenous anesthetic agent, is previously reported to
      attenuate oxidative stress- and inflammation-induced endothelial cell
      dysfunction. This study investigated its effect on endothelial cell biology. MAIN
      METHODS: Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated
      with PPF and subject to measurements for nitric oxide (NO) production, autophagy
      flux, signal transduction, migration, and in vitro angiogenesis. KEY FINDINGS:
      Non-cytotoxic PPF treatment was found to significantly upregulate inducible
      nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) but downregulate constitutive NOS3 expression. It
      also potentiated LPS-induced ICAM-1 overexpression and NO overproduction.
      Mechanistically, the PPF-activated signal transduction in PI3K/Akt, ERK1/2, p38
      MAPK, and JNK pathways were involved in the PPF-driven NO overproduction. PPF
      exhibited a stimulatory effect on autophagy flux by increasing expression of
      autophagy markers including mTOR, Beclin-1, Atg5, and LC3I/II, as well as a late
      endosomal indicator, Rab7. However, PPF appeared to antagonize the Rab7
      upregulation by LPS. Functionally, PPF enhanced in vitro migratory and angiogenic
      capacities of HUVECs, but this enhancement was drastically abrogated by the
      presence of autophagy inhibitors, indicating a pro-angiogenic contribution of PPF
      enhanced autophagy in cultured HUVECs. SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings support the
      notion that PPF enhances motility and angiogenic capacity of cultured HUVECs
      through an autophagy-involved regulatory mechanism.

PMID- 26475966
TI  - Gallic acid reduces the effect of LPS on apoptosis and inhibits the formation of
      neutrophil extracellular traps.
AB  - Apoptosis and NETosis of neutrophils are two major mechanisms of programmed cell
      death that differ in their morphological characteristics and effects on the
      immune system. Apoptosis can be delayed by the presence of pathogens or chemical
      components such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Neutrophils have other antimicrobial
      strategy, called neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which contributes to the
      elimination and control of the pathogen. NETosis is induced by infection,
      inflammation or trauma and represents an innate immune activation mechanism. The
      objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of gallic acid (GA) in the
      modulation of apoptosis and NETs release. The results show that GA decreased the
      anti-apoptotic effect of LPS, blocked the induction of NETs and prevented the
      formation of free radicals induced by LPS. These findings demonstrate that the GA
      is a novel therapeutic agent for decreasing the exacerbated response of the body
      against an infectious agent. 

PMID- 26475967
TI  - Neochamaejasmin B increases the bioavailability of chamaechromone coexisting in
      Stellera chamaejasme L. via inhibition of MRP2 and BCRP.
AB  - Chamaechromone and neochamaejasmin B (NCB) are the most abundant components in
      the dried roots of the toxic perennial herb Stellera chamaejasme L. and have
      pharmacological activities. The objective of this study was to investigate the
      transport mechanism of these two components in vivo and in vitro. The transport
      and cellular accumulation studies in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells
      overexpressing human multidrug resistance protein 2 (MRP2) or P-gp and LLC-PK1
      cells overexpressing human breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) were
      performed. The results showed that chamaechromone was a good substrate of MRP2
      and BCRP but not a substrate of P-gp. NCB was found to be a MRP2 inhibitor in
      transfected cells and significantly enhanced the cellular accumulation of
      chamaechromone in MDCK cells overexpressing MRP2. Similar results were obtained
      in LLC-PK1-BCRP cells. In addition, the influence of NCB on the bioavailability
      of chamaechromone following their co-administration was also determined in rats.
      The results showed that the area under the plasma concentration-time curve and
      maximal plasma concentration of chamaechromone in rats were increased by 48.9%
      and 81.9%, respectively. The mechanism of improving the oral bioavailability of
      chamaechromone was attributable to the inhibition of the BCRP and MRP2-mediated
      efflux of chamaechromone by NCB.

PMID- 26475968
TI  - Rethinking the paradigm for the development of inhaled drugs.
AB  - Nebulized treatment is an important delivery option for the young, elderly, and
      those with severe chronic respiratory disease, but there is a lack of new
      nebulized drug products being produced for these patients, leading to the
      potential for under-treatment. This communication describes a new drug
      development paradigm as a timely solution to this issue. Often, drug development
      is initiated with nebulizers in the early stages, to provide cheaper and faster
      drug development, and then switched to inhaler devices in later clinical trials
      to address the majority of patients. However, the waste of resource on parallel
      development of the inhaler can be large due to the high early attrition rate of
      new drug development. The new paradigm uses the nebulizer to continue drug
      development through to market, and initiates inhaler development after completion
      of the riskier early phase studies. New drug safety and efficacy can be assessed
      faster and more efficiently by using a nebulized formulation rather than
      developing an inhaler. The results of calculations of expected net present value
      showed that the new paradigm produced higher expected net present values than the
      conventional model over a range of economic scenarios. This new paradigm could
      therefore provide improved returns on investments, as well as more modern drugs
      in nebulized form for those patients unable to use inhalers.

PMID- 26475969
TI  - Improvement of mechanical properties of pellet containing tablets by thermal
      treatment.
AB  - Batches of partially spray-dried lactose tablets with three different initial
      tensile strength (~20N, ~35N, ~50N) were made. Changes along a 24h long thermal
      treatment at 100 degrees C in tensile strength, friability, individual mass,
      water content, disintegration time, average free volume and wetting properties
      were evaluated. Caffeine containing gastroresistant pellets were gained by drug
      layering and filmcoating of inert microcrystalline cellulose pellet cores in
      fluid bed equipment. Shape, size, mechanical properties, drug content and
      dissolution profile of the coated pellets were determined. Batches of pellet
      containing tablets with three different pellet-filler ratios were compressed
      where partially spray-dried lactose was used as a filler-binder
      material.Characteristics of pellet containing tablets were evaluated before and
      after a 24h long thermal treatment at 100 degrees C. Results shown that the poor
      initial mechanical properties (friability, tensile strength) were improved by
      thermal exposure while there were no remarkable alterations in drug release
      profiles.

PMID- 26475970
TI  - Design and evaluation of surface and adjuvant modified PLGA microspheres for
      uptake by dendritic cells to improve vaccine responses.
AB  - Designing strategies for targeting antigens to dendritic cells is a major goal in
      vaccinology. Here, PLGA (poly lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres and with
      several surface modifications that affect to their uptake by human blood primary
      dendritic cells and monocytes have been evaluated. Higher uptake was found by all
      the cell types when cationic microspheres (PLGA modified with polyethylene imine)
      were used. These cationic particles were in vivo evaluated in mice. In addition,
      MPLA(1) or poly(I:C)(2) and alpha-GalCer(3) were also encapsulated to address
      their adjuvant effect. All the microspheres were able to produce humoral immune
      responses, albeit they were higher for cationic microspheres. Moreover, surface
      charge seemed to have a role on biasing the immune response; cationic
      microspheres induced higher IFN-gamma levels, indicative of Th1 activation, while
      unmodified ones mainly triggered IL4 and IL17A release, showing Th2 activation.
      Thus, we have shown here the potential and versatility of these MS, which may be
      tailored to needs.

PMID- 26475971
TI  - Absorption of ipratropium and l-carnitine into the pulmonary circulation of the
      ex-vivo rat lung is driven by passive processes rather than active uptake by
      OCT/OCTN transporters.
AB  - The organic cation transporters OCT and OCTN have been reported to play a
      significant role in the cellular uptake of substrates within in vitro lung cells.
      However, no studies to date have investigated the effect of these transporters
      upon transepithelial absorption of substrates into the pulmonary circulation. We
      investigated the contribution of OCT and OCTN transporters to total pulmonary
      absorption of l-carnitine and the anti-muscarinic drug, ipratropium, across an
      intact isolated perfused rat lung (IPRL). The results obtained from the IPRL were
      contrasted with active transport in vitro using three human pulmonary cell lines
      and primary rat alveolar epithelial cells. Ex-vivo studies showed that OCT/OCTN
      transporters do not play a role in the overall pulmonary absorption of l
      carnitine or ipratropium, as evidenced by the effect of chemical inhibition of
      these transporters upon pulmonary absorption. In contrast, in vitro studies
      showed that OCT/OCTN transporters play a significant role in cellular
      accumulation of substrates with preferential uptake of ipratropium by OCTs, and
      of l-carnitine uptake by OCTNs. The results show that in vitro uptake studies
      cannot be predictive of airway to blood absorption in vivo. Nevertheless,
      localised submucosal pulmonary concentrations of inhaled drugs and their
      pulmonary pharmacodynamic profiles may be influenced by OCT/OCTN transport
      activity.

PMID- 26475972
TI  - Inaugural Survey on Practice Patterns of Orbital Floor Fractures for American
      Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
AB  - PURPOSE: In recent years, several studies have reported on practitioners'
      preferences for the treatment of orbital floor fractures, showing widely varying
      practice patterns. The purpose of the present study was to identify the practice
      patterns among oral and maxillofacial surgeons involved in the management of
      orbital floor fractures in the United States and compare them with the available
      published data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An anonymous survey was created and
      electronically mailed to surgeons. We also reviewed the published data on orbital
      floor fractures using a PubMed and MEDLINE search. The responses to the survey
      were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The factors that had the
      greatest influence on the surgeon's decision to operate were a defect size > 2
      cm2, enophthalmos, entrapment, and persistent diplopia. The most common surgical
      approach reported was a preseptal transconjunctival approach (32.0%), followed by
      the subciliary (27.9%) and postseptal transconjunctival (26.2%) approaches. The
      most commonly reported implant for orbital reconstruction was titanium (65.4%),
      followed by Medpor (43.7%) and composite Medpor and titanium (26.4%). The review
      of the published data showed a consensus among many of the operative indications
      mentioned, including a large defect size, enophthalmos, clinical entrapment, and
      persistent diplopia. CONCLUSIONS: Oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the United
      States have a wide range of practice habits in the management of orbital floor
      fractures. Although the quality of the available evidence is poor, it supports a
      consistent approach to the management of orbital floor fractures in terms of the
      indications and surgical approach. The choice of reconstructive material and
      timing of repair remain more controversial. A clear need exists for improvement
      in the available data to help guide and set standards of care for the specialties
      managing orbital floor fractures.

PMID- 26475973
TI  - Orbital Exenteration to Manage Infiltrative Sinonasal, Orbital Adnexal, and
      Cutaneous Malignancies Provides Acceptable Survival Outcomes: An Institutional
      Review, Literature Review, and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Orbital exenteration (OE) is an aggressive operative undertaking that
      results in a disfiguring and dysfunctional outcome for patients. The purpose of
      our study was to determine the survival outcome for patients who underwent OE for
      malignant disease that had invaded the orbit. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted
      an ambispective cohort study based on a review of the records of 31 consecutive
      patients who had undergone OE within John Hunter Hospital. The study period was
      2006 to 2013. The predictor variables were the demographic, tumor site, and
      clinicopathologic characteristics that might influence survival. The secondary
      outcome variable was survival. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the
      categorical and continuous variables. Kaplan-Meier estimates of the survival
      distribution were plotted. We also performed a review of published studies and a
      meta-analysis to investigate the nature of OE performed by various surgical
      disciplines. RESULTS: Of the 31 patients included in the present study, 24 were
      men and 7 were women. The mean age was 65 years. Of the 31 cases, 15 were
      squamous cell carcinoma, 8 were basal cell carcinoma, and 8 were a mixture of
      other pathologic types. The time to median (50%) survival for all patients was
      78.4 months. The 1-year survival rate was 93.4% and the 5-year survival rate was
      54.1%. Although not statistically significant, notable differences were found in
      the interval to death with respect to the identification of perineural invasion,
      lymphovascular invasion, and histopathologic features. The review of published
      studies suggested a difference in the histologic features and location of the
      disorder treated, the extent of OE undertaken, and the method of reconstruction
      between the ophthalmology and nonophthalmology surgical disciplines. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although OE results in significant disfigurement and dysfunction, it does provide
      good survival outcomes, given the extent of disease at presentation, evident in
      our group of patients. Continuation of the study, with greater numbers of
      patients, will serve to increase the statistical power of our observations.

PMID- 26475974
TI  - Narrowing the critical region for overgrowth within 13q14.2-q14.3 microdeletions.
AB  - Large chromosomal deletions from 13q13.3 to 13q21.3 have previously been
      associated with overgrowth. We present two patients with deletions at
      13q14.2q14.3 who have macrocephaly, tall stature relative to their parents,
      cardiac phenotypes, and intellectual disability. This report narrows the critical
      region for tall stature, macrocephaly, and possibly cardiac disease. 

PMID- 26475976
TI  - Learning context modulates the processing of expectancy violations.
AB  - The detection of unexpected or unfavorable events is crucial for successful
      behavioral adaptation. There is a family of ERP components, the so-called error
      negativities, that has been associated with these detection processes. In the
      current study, we explored the functional characteristics of one of these
      components, the N2b which reflects the detection of unexpected events in a stream
      of stimuli in our environment, in more detail. In a sequence learning task, we
      found that the same type of deviant event elicited an N2b only when it conveyed
      information about the to-be-learned sequence, but not when it was rendered
      learning-irrelevant by means of task instruction. This supports the view that
      deviant events generate an error negativity in a similar way as committed errors
      and negative feedback. It also demonstrates that error monitoring processes are
      very flexible and can be tailored to the specific demands of the task at hand,
      i.e., expectancy violations only activate the error system when the detected
      mismatch is classified as relevant for the specific goals in the current learning
      context. Additionally, a P3 to all deviant types was found reflecting a higher
      order form of performance monitoring associated with evaluation of task-relevant
      events and updating of working memory contents. 

PMID- 26475975
TI  - New approaches for direct conversion of patient fibroblasts into neural cells.
AB  - Recent landmark studies have demonstrated the production of disease-relevant
      human cell types by two different methods; differentiation of stem cells using
      external morphogens or lineage conversion using genetic factors. Directed
      differentiation changes embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or induced pluripotent stem
      cells (iPSCs) into a desired cell type by providing developmental cues in an in
      vitro environment. Direct reprogramming is achieved by the introduction of
      exogenous lineage specific transcription factors to convert any somatic cell type
      into another, thereby bypassing an intermediate pluripotent stage. A variety of
      somatic cell types such as blood, keratinocytes and fibroblasts can be used to
      derive iPSC cells. However, the process is time consuming,laborious, expensive
      and gives rise to cells with reported epigenetic heterogeneity even amongst
      different iPSC lines from same patient which could propagate phenotypic
      variability. A major concern with the use of pluripotent cells as starting
      material for cell replacement therapy is their incomplete differentiation and
      their propensity to form tumors following transplantation. In comparison,
      transcription factor mediated reprogramming offers a direct route to target cell
      types. This could allow for rapid comparison of large cohorts of patient and
      control samples at a given time for disease modeling. Additionally, transcription
      factors that drive maturation may yield more functionally mature cells than
      directed differentiation. Several studies have demonstrated the feasibility of
      generating of cell types such as cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes, and neurons from
      fibroblasts. Here, we will discuss recent advances and key challenges regarding
      direct reprogramming of somatic cell types into diverse neural cells. This
      article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Exploiting human neurons.

PMID- 26475977
TI  - Epigenetic modifications in human fragile X pluripotent stem cells; Implications
      in fragile X syndrome modeling.
AB  - Patients with fragile X syndrome (FXS) exhibit moderate to severe intellectual
      disabilities. In addition, one-third of FXS patients show characteristics of
      autism spectrum disorder. FXS is caused by a trinucleotide repeat expansion,
      which leads to silencing of the fragile X mental retardation (FMR1) gene. The
      absence of the FMR1 gene product, FMRP, is the reason for the disease symptoms.
      It has been suggested that repeat instability and transcription of the FMR1 gene
      occur during early embryonic development, while after cell differentiation
      repeats become stable and the FMR1 gene is silent. Epigenetic marks, such as DNA
      methylation, are associated with gene silencing and repeat stability at the FMR1
      locus. However, the mechanisms leading to gene silencing and repeat expansion are
      still ambiguous, because studies at the human genomic locus were limited until
      now. The FXS pluripotent stem cells, recently derived from FXS adult cells and
      FXS blastocysts, are new useful tools to examine these mechanisms at the human
      endogenous FMR1 locus. This review summarizes the epigenetic features and
      experimental studies of FXS human embryonic and FXS induced pluripotent stem
      cells, generated so far. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI:
      Exploiting human neurons.

PMID- 26475978
TI  - Fisetin alleviates early brain injury following experimental subarachnoid
      hemorrhage in rats possibly by suppressing TLR 4/NF-kappaB signaling pathway.
AB  - Early brain injury (EBI) determines the unfavorable outcomes after subarachnoid
      hemorrhage (SAH). Fisetin, a natural flavonoid, has anti-inflammatory and
      neuroprotection properties in several brain injury models, but the role of
      fisetin on EBI following SAH remains unknown. Our study aimed to explore the
      effects of fisetin on EBI after SAH in rats. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were
      randomly divided into the sham and SAH groups, fisetin (25mg/kg or 50mg/kg) or
      equal volume of vehicle was given at 30min after SAH. Neurological scores and
      brain edema were assayed. The protein expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR 4),
      p65, ZO-1 and bcl-2 was examined by Western blot. TLR 4 and p65 were also
      assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
      was performed to detect the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Terminal
      deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated uridine 5'-triphosphate-biotin nick end
      labeling (TUNEL) was perform to assess neural cell apoptosis. High-dose (50mg/kg)
      fisetin significantly improved neurological function and reduced brain edema at
      both 24h and 72h after SAH. Remarkable reductions of TLR 4 expression and nuclear
      factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) translocation to nucleus were detected after fisetin
      treatment. In addition, fisetin significantly reduced the productions of pro
      inflammatory cytokines, decreased neural cell apoptosis and increased the protein
      expression of ZO-1 and bcl-2. Our data provides the evidence for the first time
      that fisetin plays a protective role in EBI following SAH possibly by suppressing
      TLR 4/NF-kappaB mediated inflammatory pathway. 

PMID- 26475979
TI  - Berberine protects against light-induced photoreceptor degeneration in the mouse
      retina.
AB  - Oxidative stress and inflammation play key roles in the light damage (LD) model
      of photoreceptor degeneration, as well as in age-related macular degeneration
      (AMD). We sought to investigate whether Berberine (BBR), an antioxidant herb
      extract, would protect the retina against light-induced degeneration. To
      accomplish this, Balb/c mice were treated with BBR or PBS via gavage for 7 days,
      and then were placed in constant cool white light-emitting diode (LED) light
      (10,000 lux) for 4 h. Retinal function and degeneration were evaluated by
      histology, electroretinography (ERG) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) at 7d
      after LD. Additionally, mRNA levels of cell-type specific, antioxidant, and
      inflammatory genes were compared 7d after LD. Photoreceptor DNA fragmentation was
      assessed via the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end-labeling
      (TUNEL) assay. LD resulted in substantial photoreceptor-specific cell death.
      Histological analysis using plastic sections showed dosing with BBR preserved
      photoreceptors. The ERG analysis demonstrated functional protection by BBR in rod
      b, -a, and cone-b waves. In OCT images, mice receiving PBS showed severe thinning
      and disorganization of the photoreceptor layer 7 days after LD, whereas mice
      treated with BBR had significantly less thinning and disorganization. Consistent
      with OCT results, the mRNA levels of Rho in the NSR, and Rpe65 and Mct3 in the
      RPE, were significantly higher in mice treated with BBR. The numbers of TUNEL
      positive photoreceptors were significantly decreased in BBR-treated mice. The
      retinal mRNA levels of oxidative stress genes, the number of
      microglia/macrophages, and the malondialdehyde (MDA) immunolabeling were
      significantly lower in BBR-treated mice compared to controls 48 h after LD, which
      indicates oxidative stress was reduced by BBR in light-damaged eyes. In
      conclusion, systemic BBR is protective against light-induced retinal degeneration
      associated with diminished oxidative stress in the retina. These results suggest
      that BBR may be protective against retinal diseases involving oxidative stress.

PMID- 26475980
TI  - Cigarette smoking and risk of pancreatic cancer: a clinic-based case-control
      study in the San Francisco Bay Area.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cigarette smoking is an established risk factor for pancreatic cancer
      (PC). We examined the association between cigarette smoking and PC in a San
      Francisco Bay Area clinic-based, case-control study. METHODS: A total of 536
      cases and sex and age frequency-matched controls (n = 869) were recruited
      predominately from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) medical
      clinics between 2006 and 2011. Participants were interviewed in-person using
      structured questionnaires. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were computed. RESULTS:
      Forty-eight percent of cases and controls reported never having smoked
      cigarettes; 39% of cases and 40% of controls were former smokers; 13% of cases
      and 12% of controls were current smokers. No association was found for either
      former (OR = 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.66-1.1) or current cigarette
      smoking (men: OR = 1.0, 95% CI = 0.60-1.7; women: OR = 1.2, 95% CI = 0.73-2.1).
      No dose-response relationships were detected with number of cigarettes/day,
      smoking intensity, duration, or years since last smoked. Comparisons with a 1995
      1999 population-based UCSF study demonstrated a significantly increased
      proportion of never smokers in this study (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      revealed no significant associations between cigarette smoking and PC in the San
      Francisco Bay Area during 2006-2011. Data suggest a reduction in the duration of
      smoking within the referral population.

PMID- 26475981
TI  - Statins and hip fracture risk in men: a population-based case-control study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To estimate the association between hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA inhibitor
      (statin) use and hip fracture. METHODS: We conducted a population-based case
      control study. Cases were 6774 male enrollees in a large managed care
      organization, aged 45 or more years, with an incident hip fracture from 1997 to
      2006. Controls without fracture (n = 6774) were matched to cases on age, race,
      and medical center. Electronic information on pharmaceutical use was used to
      identify the dispensing of statins from 1991 forward. RESULTS: Overall, 1884
      (27.8%) cases and 2150 controls (31.7%) used a statin before index date (matched
      odds ratio [mOR] = 0.81, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.74-0.87). Adjustment
      for comorbidity burden strengthened the magnitude of the overall association (mOR
      = 0.68, CI = 0.62-0.74). The adjusted association was similar across age groups
      but was strongest among men aged 80 years or more (mOR = 0.62, CI = 0.54-0.71)
      and was most pronounced in African Americans (mOR = 0.43, CI = 0.28-0.64).
      Greater duration of statin use did not alter the odds ratios. CONCLUSIONS: These
      data add to the growing evidence of a potential protective effect of statin use
      on bone health. However, these results need to be replicated in a prospective
      study that can account for confounding by indication which may explain these
      findings.

PMID- 26475982
TI  - Reproductive and lifestyle risk factors and mammographic density in Mexican
      women.
AB  - PURPOSE: Several breast cancer risk factors have been consistently associated
      with mammographic density (MD); however, data are limited for Hispanic women.
      METHODS: We examined data from 1007 premenopausal and 600 postmenopausal women in
      the Mexican Teachers' Cohort. Multivariable linear regression was used to
      estimate associations between risk factors and MD. RESULTS: Among premenopausal
      women, age, current body mass index (BMI), BMI at age 18 years, and weight change
      since age 18 years were inversely associated with percent MD, whereas benign
      breast disease, alcohol intake, and breastfeeding 12 months or more were
      associated with higher percent MD. Among postmenopausal women, age, current BMI,
      BMI at age 18 years, weight change since age 18 years, and speaking or having
      parents who speak an indigenous language were inversely associated with percent
      MD, whereas benign breast disease and greater age at natural menopause were
      positively associated with percent MD. Other breast cancer risk factors, such as
      age at menarche, parity, and age at first pregnancy, were not significantly
      associated with density in either premenopausal or postmenopausal women.
      CONCLUSIONS: Results from the Mexican Teachers' Cohort are generally consistent
      with predictors of mammographic density observed in primarily non-Hispanic white
      populations; however, certain risk factors (e.g., parity) were not significantly
      associated with MD.

PMID- 26475983
TI  - Role of infant sex in the association between air pollution and preterm birth.

PMID- 26475984
TI  - Diterpenoids from the twigs and leaves of Croton caudatus var. tomentosus.
AB  - One new 9,10-seco-abietane derivative, crotontomentosin A (1), four new abietane
      type diterpenoids, crotontomentosins B-E (2-5), one new ent-halimane-type
      diterpenoid, crotontomentosin F (6), along with five known diterpenoids (7-11)
      and one known sesquiterpenoid (12) were obtained from the twigs and leaves of
      Croton caudatus Geisel. var. tomentosus Hook. The structures of the compounds
      were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic data. Compounds 1-4 and
      11 exhibited moderate to weak inhibitory activity against the proliferation of
      the Hela, Hep G2, MDA-MB-231, or A549 cell lines selectively.

PMID- 26475985
TI  - Establishment of proprotein convertase, furinA knocked-out lines in medaka,
      Oryzias latipes, and unique form of medaka furin-like prorprotein convertase
      (mflPC).
AB  - Furin is a member of the subtilisin-like proprotein convertase family. Medaka
      furin-like proprotein convertase (mflPC), a unique form of medaka FurinA
      (mFurinA) (GenBank accession no. AB092685.1) was cloned from the ovary cDNA
      library. Compared to human furin (GenBank accession no. NM_002569.3) and mFurinA
      in the structural motif of mflPC, only the catalytic domain and the N-terminal
      region of the P domain are highly conserved, but more C-terminal domains are
      truncated. Based on our research, there three forms of furin, mFurinA, mflPC and
      mFurinB that exist in medaka. These three genes are expressed in the developing
      embryos and ubiquitously in adult tissues. To investigate the function of mFurinA
      and mflPC, as a first step, mFurinA KO lines were established. The mFurinA KO
      larvae with abnormal phenotypes exhibit edema, abnormal body fluid accumulation
      in the pericardial and yolk sacs, enlarged hearts, clogged blood vessels,
      structurally weak eyes, and a very short life. The data suggests that abnormal
      processing of TGF-beta may be one of the causes of these disorders. FurinA KO
      medaka is a good model for the study of human diseases such as Fraser Syndrome
      and Marfan syndrome. The creation of human genomic disorder models using recently
      advanced genome editing procedures informs us of the function of key molecules
      and their role in causing equivalent human disorders and will be useful as a tool
      to identify the mechanisms involved. 

PMID- 26475986
TI  - Gene expression in highly sensitized dialysis patients waiting for a kidney
      transplant: A real-time PCR analysis.

PMID- 26475987
TI  - Differential T-cell subset representation in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma
      arising in immunosuppressed versus immunocompetent individuals.

PMID- 26475988
TI  - Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) exposure and its impact on slow cortical
      potentials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic
      fields (RF-EMF) in the mobile communication frequency range may induce
      physiological modifications of both spontaneous as well as event-related human
      electroencephalogram. So far, there are very few peer-reviewed studies on effects
      of Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), which is a digital radio communication
      standard used by security authorities and organizations in several European
      countries, on the central nervous system. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the impact of
      simulated TETRA handset signals at 385 MHz on slow cortical potentials (SCPs).
      METHODS: 30 young healthy males (25.2+/-2.7 years) were exposed in a double
      blind, counterbalanced, cross-over design to one of three exposure levels (TETRA
      with 10 g averaged peak spatial SAR: 1.5 W/kg, 6.0 W/kg and sham). Exposure was
      conducted with a body worn antenna (especially designed for this study),
      positioned at the left side of the head. Subjects had 9 test sessions (three per
      exposure condition) in which three SCPs were assessed: SCP related to a clock
      monitoring task (CMT), Contingent negative variation (CNV) and
      Bereitschaftspotential (BP). RESULTS: Neither behavioral measures nor the
      electrophysiological activity was significantly affected by exposure in the three
      investigated SCP paradigms. Independent of exposure, significant amplitude
      differences between scalp regions could be observed for the CMT-related SCP and
      for the CNV. CONCLUSIONS: The present results reveal no evidence of RF-EMF
      exposure-dependent brain activity modifications investigated at the behavioral
      and the physiological level.

PMID- 26475990
TI  - Interplay between self-assembled structure of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP
      2) and osteoblast functions in three-dimensional titanium alloy scaffolds:
      Stimulation of osteogenic activity.
AB  - Three-dimensional cellular scaffolds are receiving significant attention in bone
      tissue engineering to treat segmental bone defects. However, there are
      indications of lack of significant osteoinductive ability of three-dimensional
      cellular scaffolds. In this regard, the objective of the study is to elucidate
      the interplay between bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2) and osteoblast functions
      on 3D mesh structures with different porosities and pore size that were
      fabricated by electron beam melting. Self-assembled dendritic microstructure with
      interconnected cellular-type morphology of BMP-2 on 3D scaffolds stimulated
      osteoblast functions including adhesion, proliferation, and mineralization, with
      prominent effect on 2-mm mesh. Furthermore, immunofluorescence studies
      demonstrated higher density and viability of osteoblasts on lower porosity mesh
      structure (2 mm) as compared to 3- and 4-mm mesh structures. Enhanced filopodia
      cellular extensions with extensive cell spreading was observed on BMP-2 treated
      mesh structures, a behavior that is attributed to the unique self-assembled
      structure of BMP-2 that effectively communicates with the cells. The study
      underscores the potential of BMP-2 in imparting osteoinductive capability to the
      3D printed scaffolds.

PMID- 26475989
TI  - Eosinophil localization to the basement membrane zone is autoantibody- and
      complement-dependent in a human cryosection model of bullous pemphigoid.
AB  - Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering disease characterized by
      antibodies (IgG and IgE) targeting cell-substrate adhesion proteins. A variety of
      BP models suggest that autoantibody-dependent neutrophil degranulation is
      essential for blister formation. However, lesional biopsies reveal a predominance
      of eosinophils and few neutrophils. Our goal was to evaluate the role of
      antibodies and complement in eosinophil localization, degranulation and split
      formation at the dermo-epidermal junction (DEJ) utilizing a human skin
      cryosection model of BP paired with a human eosinophilic cell line, 15HL-60.
      Expression of receptors for IgG (FcgammaRII), IgE (FcepsilonRI) and complement
      (CR1 and CR3) was confirmed on 15HL-60 cells using flow cytometry. 15HL-60
      expression of granule protein [eosinophil derived neurotoxin (EDN) and eosinophil
      peroxidase (EPO)] mRNA and their degranulation in vitro was confirmed using RT
      PCR and ELISA, respectively. For cryosection experiments, BP or control sera or
      IgG and IgE antibodies purified from BP sera were utilized in combination with
      15HL-60 cells +/- fresh complement. Both BP serum and fresh complement were
      required for localization of 15-HL60 cells to the DEJ. Interestingly, eosinophil
      localization to the DEJ was dependent on IgG, but not IgE, and complement.
      However, no subepidermal split was observed. Additionally, the 15HL-60 cells did
      not degranulate under any experimental conditions and direct application of cell
      lysate to cryosections did not result in a split. Our observation that eosinophil
      localization to the DEJ is dependent on IgG mediated complement fixation provides
      additional insight into the sequence of events during the development of BP
      lesions. 

PMID- 26475991
TI  - Community structure influences species' abundance along environmental gradients.
AB  - Species' response to abiotic environmental variation can be influenced by local
      community structure and interspecific interactions, particularly in restricted
      habitats such as islands and lakes. In temperate lakes, future increase in water
      temperature and run-off of terrestrial (allochthonous) dissolved organic carbon
      (DOC) are predicted to alter community composition and the overall ecosystem
      productivity. However, little is known about how the present community structure
      and abiotic environmental variation interact to affect the abundance of native
      fish populations. We used a space-for-time approach to study how local community
      structure interact with lake morphometric and climatic characteristics (i.e.
      temperature and catchment productivity) to affect brown trout (Salmo trutta L.)
      yield in 283 Norwegian lakes located in different biogeographical regions. Brown
      trout yield (based on data from standardized survey gill net fishing; g 100 m(-2)
      gill net night(-1)) was generally lower in lakes where other fish species were
      present than in lakes with brown trout only. The yield showed an overall negative
      relationship with increasing temperature and a positive relationship with lake
      shoreline complexity. Brown trout yield was also negatively correlated with DOC
      load (measured using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index as a proxy) and lake
      size and depth (measured using terrain slope as a proxy), but only in lakes where
      other fish species were present. The observed negative response of brown trout
      yield to increasing DOC load and proportion of the pelagic open-water area is
      likely due to restricted (littoral) niche availability and competitive dominance
      of more pelagic fishes such as Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus (L.)). Our study
      highlights that, through competitive interactions, the local community structure
      can influence the response of a species' abundance to variation in abiotic
      conditions. Changes in biomass and niche use of top predators (such as the brown
      trout), associated with predicted changes in direct and indirect climatic
      factors, may have further influences on the structure and function of temperate
      lake ecosystems.

PMID- 26475992
TI  - Metabolic and functional MR biomarkers of antiepileptic drug effectiveness: A
      review.
AB  - As a large number of patients with epilepsy do not respond favorably to
      antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), a better understanding of treatment failure and the
      cause of adverse side effects is required. The working mechanisms of AEDs also
      alter neurotransmitter concentrations and brain activity, which can be measured
      using MR spectroscopy and functional MR imaging, respectively. This review
      presents an overview of clinical research of MR spectroscopy and functional MR
      imaging studies to the effects of AEDs on the brain. Despite the scarcity of
      studies associating MR findings to the effectiveness of AEDs, the current
      research shows clear potential regarding this matter. Several GABAergic AEDs have
      been shown to increase the GABA concentration, which was related to seizure
      reductions, while language problems due to topiramate have been associated with
      altered activation patterns measured with functional MR imaging. MR spectroscopy
      and functional MR imaging provide biomarkers that may predict individual
      treatment outcomes, and enable the assessment of mechanisms of treatment failure
      and cognitive side effects. 

PMID- 26475993
TI  - Prader-Willi syndrome: From genetics to behaviour, with special focus on appetite
      treatments.
AB  - Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder resulting from a
      deletion in the expression of the paternally derived alleles in the region of
      15q11-q13. PWS has a prevalence rate of 1:10,000-1:30,000 and is characterized by
      marked endocrine abnormalities including growth hormone deficiency and raised
      ghrelin levels. The hyperphagic phenotype in PWS is established over a number of
      phases and is exacerbated by impaired satiety, low energy expenditure and
      intellectual difficulties including obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or autistic
      behaviours. Clinical management in PWS typically includes familial/carer
      restriction and close supervision of food intake. If the supervision of food is
      left unmanaged, morbid obesity eventuates, central to the risk of
      cardiorespiratory disorder. None of the current appetite management/intervention
      strategies for PWS include pharmacological treatment, though recent research
      shows some promise. We review the established aberrant genetics and the endocrine
      and neuronal attributes which may determine disturbed regulatory processes in
      PWS. Focusing on clinical trials for appetite behaviours in PWS, we define the
      effectiveness of pharmacological treatments with a view to initiating and
      focusing research towards possible targets for modulating appetite in PWS. 

PMID- 26475994
TI  - Electrophysiological correlates of problematic Internet use: Critical review and
      perspectives for future research.
AB  - Problematic behaviors have emerged with the exponential development of the
      Internet access, with some individuals failing to constrain their Internet use
      despite its negative impact on their daily lives. Recent neuropsychological and
      neuroscience studies have suggested that problematic Internet use is notably
      associated with increased cue-reactivity and reduced inhibitory control. This
      review of the electroencephalography (EEG) literature shows that most studies
      have found that impaired self-control abilities (i.e., inhibition and error
      monitoring) are associated with underactivated frontal regions in problematic
      Internet users (PIUs). However, some EEG studies in the domain have also
      demonstrated alterations in the processing of Internet-related cues and emotional
      stimuli. As a whole, these data therefore suggest that both reflective (top-down)
      and automatic/affective (bottom-up) systems, postulated by dual-process models as
      being determinants in decision making, are impaired among PIUs. On this basis,
      new research avenues are proposed to better understand the development and
      maintenance of problematic Internet use, according to six main directions
      respectively related to (1) the identification of vulnerability biomarkers, (2)
      the investigation of possible lower level cognitive impairments, (3) the
      exploration of core reflective and automatic/affective symptoms, (4) the
      evaluation of Internet use heterogeneity and comorbidities, (5) the development
      of new neuroscience strategies and (6) the elaboration of behavioral and
      cognitive interventions. 

PMID- 26475995
TI  - Defeat stress in rodents: From behavior to molecules.
AB  - Mood and anxiety disorders are prevalent conditions affecting one out of four
      people during lifetime. The development of high validity animal models to study
      these disorders has been a major challenge in the past. When considering
      experimental approaches for studying affective disorders, the social defeat
      paradigm has been shown to have etiological, predictive and face validity. Here,
      we explain the general principle of social defeat stress paradigms, with a strong
      focus on the resident-intruder model and compare different experimental settings
      as published to date. We discuss behavioral changes described in defeated animals
      as well as changes in the animal's physiological parameters. In addition, we
      provide an overview of the molecular adaptations that are found in animals
      subjected to defeat stress, with special attention to neural circuits and
      neuroendocrine signaling. Defeat produces specific behaviors resembling the signs
      and symptoms of humans with affective disorders, such as anhedonia, social
      avoidance, despair and anxiety. These can be linked to a wide range of
      physiological changes-ranging from cardiovascular changes to alterations in the
      immune system- or by disturbances in specific neurotransmitter systems, in
      particular serotonin and dopamine. The defeat stress model thus impacts on
      several functional domains of behavior and may mimic cardinal features of a
      multitude of psychiatric disorders including depression, post-traumatic stress
      disorder and schizophrenia. This manuscript critically reviews the core findings,
      strengths and limitations of the range of animal studies in this field and
      provides future perspectives. 

PMID- 26475996
TI  - Immune suppressive activity of the influenza fusion peptide.
AB  - Immune suppressive domains have been identified in retro and filoviral fusion
      proteins. Such domains constitute small peptide motifs that are evolutionarily
      very well preserved within each group. We here test the hypothesis that such
      preservation reflects a dual selection pressure for both immune suppression and
      membrane fusion activity in influenza viruses for which no immune suppressive
      peptide motifs have been identified. We identified a conserved motif in the
      fusion peptide of influenza hemagglutinin as a candidate for an immune
      suppressive domain using comparative and phylogenetic analysis. This peptide was
      indeed found to exhibit immune suppressive activity in several in vitro assays.
      Similar to the previously reported peptides from retro and filoviruses the
      influenza peptide had immune suppressive activity when presented as a dimer but
      not as a monomer. 

PMID- 26475997
TI  - Critical role of the lipid rafts in caprine herpesvirus type 1 infection in
      vitro.
AB  - The fusion machinery for herpesvirus entry in the host cells involves the
      interactions of viral glycoproteins with cellular receptors, although additional
      viral and cellular domains are required. Extensive areas of the plasma membrane
      surface consist of lipid rafts organized into cholesterol-rich microdomains
      involved in signal transduction, protein sorting, membrane transport and in many
      processes of viruses infection. Because of the extraction of cholesterol leads to
      disorganization of lipid microdomains and to dissociation of proteins bound to
      the lipid rafts, we investigated the effect of cholesterol depletion by methyl
      beta-cyclodextrin (MbetaCD) on caprine herpesvirus 1 (CpHV.1) in three important
      phases of virus infection such as binding, entry and post-entry. MbetaCD
      treatment did not prejudice virus binding to cells, while a dose-dependent
      reduction of the virus yield was observed at the virus entry stage, and 30 mM
      MbetaCD reduced infectivity evidently. Treatment of MDBK after virus entry
      revealed a moderate inhibitory effect suggesting that cholesterol is mainly
      required during virus entry rather than during the post-entry stage. Alteration
      of the envelope lipid composition affected virus entry and a noticeable reduction
      in virus infectivity was detected in the presence of 15 mM MbetaCD. Considering
      that the recognition of a host cell receptor is a crucial step in the start-up
      phase of infection, these data are essential for the study of CpHV.1
      pathogenesis. To date virus receptors for CpHV.1 have not yet been identified and
      further investigations are required to state that MbetaCD treatment affects the
      expression of the viral receptors.

PMID- 26475998
TI  - Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans serotypes and DGGE subtypes in Thai adults
      with chronic periodontitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution of Aggregatibacter
      actinomycetemcomitans serotypes and DGGE subtypes among isolates from Thai
      chronic periodontitis patients. DESIGN: Forty-four adult Thai periodontitis
      patients were assessed by a full mouth recording for CAL, PPD, and BOP. Seventy
      nine strains of A. actinomycetemcomitans were isolated from deep pockets on
      selective TSBV agar and 17 strains were isolated from shallow pockets. The
      strains were serotyped using PCR and subtyped using DGGE. RESULTS: The prevalence
      of A. actinomycetemcomitans was 84.1%. Non-serotypeable A. actinomycetemcomitans
      strains occurred equally frequent as serotypeable (54.5%); serotype a 18.2%,
      serotype c 15.9%, serotype e 9.1%, and serotype f 11.4%. Serotype b and d were
      not detected. A JP2 like strain but serotyped as c was isolated from two
      patients, and another two strains showed an 886bp insertion on the ltx promoter
      of their A. actinomycetemcomitans isolates. DGGE typing disclosed 16 different
      subtypes among the non-serotypeable strains. Two of them (NS1 and NS2) were more
      common (12.7 and 10.1%) among the strains than the other 14 subtypes (?5.1%).
      Most patients showed only one subtype (32.4%) but 29.7% had 2 and 3 different
      subtypes while 8.1% revealed 4 subtypes in one and the same deep pocket.
      CONCLUSION: This study showed a greater subtype diversity of A.
      actinomycetemcomitans predominated by non-serotypeable strains than previously
      reported in an adult Thai population. It was also revealed for the first time
      that isolates with a 530bp deletion or 886bp insertion of the ltx promoter were
      serotyped as serotype c.

PMID- 26475999
TI  - Interaction between peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma and smoking
      on cardiovascular disease.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the association between peroxisome
      proliferator-activator receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) genotype and additional gene
      smoking interaction on cardiovascular disease (CVD) based on a Chinese
      population. A total of 1248 subjects (613 men, 635 women), with a mean age of
      55.5+/-11.8 years old, were selected, including 620 CVD patients and 628 normal
      controls. Logistic regression was performed to investigate association between
      single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and CVD. Generalized MDR (GMDR) was used to
      analysis the gene-environment interaction, cross-validation consistency, the
      testing balanced accuracy, and the sign test, to assess each selected interaction
      were calculated. The carriers of homozygous mutant of two SNP revealed increased
      CVD risk than those with wild-type homozygotes, OR (95% CI) were 1.31 (1.16-1.95)
      and 1.68 (1.29-2.06), respectively. GMDR analysis for one- to three-locus models
      indicated that there was a significant two-locus model (p=0.0107) involving
      rs1805192 and smoking, indicating a potential gene-gene interaction between
      rs1805192 and smoking. Overall, the two- locus models had a cross-validation
      consistency of 10 of 10, and had the testing accuracy of 62.17%. We found that
      smokers with Pro/Ala or Ala/Ala genotype have highest CVD risk, compared to non
      smokers with Pro/Pro genotype, OR (95% CI) was 3.46 (1.31-3.42), after covariates
      adjustment. We found a significant association between genotypes of variants in
      rs10865710 and rs1805192 with increased CVD risk and a potential gene-gene
      interaction between rs1805192 and smoking.

PMID- 26476000
TI  - Daytime cold exposure and salt intake based on nocturnal urinary sodium
      excretion: A cross-sectional analysis of the HEIJO-KYO study.
AB  - Increased cardiovascular incidence in winter is partly explained by higher blood
      pressure due to cold exposure. Although higher salt intake induced by cold
      exposure has been reported in mice, the association remains unclear in humans. To
      investigate the association between salt intake and cold exposure in winter, a
      cross-sectional study was conducted among 860 elderly subjects (mean +/- standard
      deviation: 72.0 +/- 7.1 years). We determined ambient temperature at every 10 min
      according to indoor temperature measured in the subjects' home, outdoor
      temperature, and self-administered diary logging time spent outdoors. Salt intake
      was estimated by nocturnal sodium excretion rate of overnight urine collection. A
      1 degrees C lower daytime ambient temperature was significantly associated with a
      higher urinary sodium excretion rate by 0.07 mmol/h in the subsequent night
      independent of age, sex, body weight, alcohol intake, calcium channel blocker
      use, diabetes, household income, estimated glomerular filtration rate, daytime
      physical activity (p=0.02). After further adjustment for outdoor temperature and
      day length, the lowest tertile groups of ambient daytime temperature (10.1 +/-
      2.3 degrees C) showed the nocturnal urinary sodium excretion rate was higher by
      14.2% (7.62 vs. 6.54 mmol/h) compared with the highest tertile group (19.3 +/-
      1.8 degrees C). Higher sodium excretion rate was associated with higher nighttime
      ambulatory blood pressure (p<0.01) and its lower nocturnal dipping (p<0.01).
      Significant association between higher salt intake and daytime cold exposure
      partly explain the mechanism of higher blood pressure in winter, and suggest that
      a reduction of cold exposure might be effective to decrease salt intake.

PMID- 26476001
TI  - Quercetin-6-C-beta-D-glucopyranoside, natural analog of quercetin exhibits anti
      prostate cancer activity by inhibiting Akt-mTOR pathway via aryl hydrocarbon
      receptor.
AB  - Pre-clinical studies suggest mitigating effect of dietary flavonoid quercetin
      against cancer and other diseases. However, quercetin suffers from poor metabolic
      stability, which appears to offset its pharmacological efficacy. Recently, we
      isolated quercetin-6-C-beta-D-glucopyranoside (QCG) from Ulmus wallichiana
      planchon that has greater stability profile over quercetin. In the present study,
      the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of QCG on prostate cancer cells were
      assessed. QCG inhibited prostate cancer cell proliferation by arresting cells at
      G0/G1 phase of cell cycle and induces apoptosis as evident from cytochrome c
      release, cleavage of caspase 3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. Mechanistic
      studies revealed that QCG inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and
      Akt/mTOR cell survival pathways. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) was a critical
      mediator of QCG action as knockdown of AhR attenuated QCG-induced cell cycle
      arrest, apoptosis and inhibition of Akt/mTOR pathway in prostate cancer cells.
      Taken together, our results suggest that QCG exhibits anti-cancer activity
      against prostate cancer cells via AhR-mediated down regulation of Akt/mTOR
      pathway in PC-3 cells.

PMID- 26476003
TI  - Ecological diversification associated with the pharyngeal jaw diversity of
      Neotropical cichlid fishes.
AB  - Innovations can facilitate bursts of diversification by increasing access to
      novel resources and the attainment of novel functional designs. Pharyngognathy,
      exhibited by highly diverse groups such as wrasses and cichlid fishes, is
      hypothesized to increase foraging capacity and efficiency. Here, I test the
      hypothesis that pharyngeal jaw shape and tooth morphology are adaptive in an
      ecologically diverse radiation of Neotropical cichlid fishes that spans North,
      Central and South America. I partitioned species into generalized trophic guilds
      using published stomach content analyses and quantified shape variation of the
      lower pharyngeal jaw (LPJ) using geometric morphometrics. Additionally, I tested
      for convergence in LPJ shape and trophic guild by mapping the phylogeny onto the
      principal components and testing for shifts towards similar evolutionary regimes.
      Major LPJ shape variation included the length and orientation (i.e. narrow or
      wide) of the lateral processes and length of the medial process, which varied
      based on the proportion of fishes and plants consumed. Pharyngeal tooth number,
      diversity and the frequency of tooth types were not evenly distributed among
      trophic guilds. There were seven distinct evolutionary regimes that converged
      upon four optima. Pharyngeal jaw diversification is associated with the
      exploitation of novel resources among Neotropical cichlids such that pharyngeal
      specialization has increased access to otherwise poorly accessible resources,
      such as resources that are difficult to crush (e.g. hard-shelled organisms) and
      assimilate (e.g. algae). 

PMID- 26476002
TI  - Nutrient sensing and utilization: Getting to the heart of metabolic flexibility.
AB  - A central feature of obesity-related cardiometabolic diseases is the impaired
      ability to transition between fatty acid and glucose metabolism. This impairment,
      referred to as "metabolic inflexibility", occurs in a number of tissues,
      including the heart. Although the heart normally prefers to metabolize fatty
      acids over glucose, the inability to upregulate glucose metabolism under
      energetically demanding conditions contributes to a pathological state involving
      energy imbalance, impaired contractility, and post-translational protein
      modifications. This review discusses pathophysiologic processes that contribute
      to cardiac metabolic inflexibility and speculates on the potential physiologic
      origins that lead to the current state of cardiometabolic disease in an
      obesogenic environment. 

PMID- 26476004
TI  - Heterogeneity of alcohol, tobacco, and other substance use behaviors in U.S.
      college students: A latent class analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify subgroups of college students with distinct profiles of
      traditional and alternative types of tobacco, alcohol, and other substance use
      and to examine how demographic characteristics and academic and social activities
      are associated with subgroup membership. METHODS: We used latent class analysis
      to characterize subgroups of individuals in their fourth-year of college based on
      their patterns of seven substance use behaviors: extreme heavy episodic drinking
      (HED), cigarette use, cigar/cigarillo/little cigar use, smokeless tobacco use,
      hookah use, marijuana use, and non-medical prescription drug use. Demographic
      characteristics and academic and social activities were then incorporated as
      predictors of these latent classes. RESULTS: We identified five classes defined
      by unique behavior patterns: (1) Non/Low Users, (2) Non-Hookah Tobacco Users, (3)
      Extreme HED & Marijuana Users, (4) Hookah and Marijuana Users, and (5) Poly
      Substance Users. Being male, older, and involved in sports were associated with
      greater odds of being in the Poly-Substance User class compared to the Low/No
      User class, and participating in an honors society and reporting more positive
      peer relationships were associated with being in the Hookah and Marijuana User
      class compared to the Low/No User class. CONCLUSION: Our findings of unique
      characteristics in the subgroups identified suggest that college substance users
      are a heterogeneous population requiring different targeted interventions. Of
      particular concern are subgroups with high rates of alternative tobacco products,
      as perceived risks of use may be inaccurate and this is not currently a focus of
      college substance use prevention interventions.

PMID- 26476005
TI  - Social isolation, drunkenness, and cigarette use among adolescents.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study compares isolated to sociable youth to investigate the
      relations between different network types of social isolation and alcohol and
      cigarette use. METHODS: Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of
      Adolescent to Adult Health we developed a network measure that includes various
      types of social isolation. Types of social isolation were operationalized as
      socially avoidant, actively isolated, and socially disinterested, with sociable
      youth as the reference category. Random effects ordinal logit models were fit to
      estimate the association between different types of social isolation and
      drunkenness and cigarette use. RESULTS: Different types of social isolation had
      varying effects on drunkenness and cigarette use. On the one hand, socially
      disinterested youth were at an increased risk for drunkenness and cigarette use.
      On the other hand, socially avoidant youth had lower odds of drunkenness and no
      significant differences in cigarette use when compared to sociable youth.
      Actively isolated youth showed no differences in drunkenness and cigarette use.
      CONCLUSIONS: The role played by marginalized social positions in youth substance
      use is an important yet overlooked problem. This study can contribute to better
      targeted and more effective health behavior prevention efforts for vulnerable
      adolescents.

PMID- 26476006
TI  - Nonmedical use of prescription stimulants in college students: Attitudes,
      intentions, and vested interest.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Research on vested interest theory (VIT) indicates that the
      importance and hedonic relevance of attitudes moderates the link between
      attitudes and attitude-congruent behavior. Though largely untested in prevention
      research, this relationship may prove crucial in determining the success or
      failure of prevention efforts. The current study was designed to determine if
      subjectively perceived vested interest maximized the association between
      attitudes and intentions regarding the nonmedical use of prescription stimulants
      (NUPS). METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with college student
      respondents (N=162) using Amazon's MTurk. Participant age ranged from 19 to
      49years old. A subsample analysis (n=129) was also conducted with younger
      respondents, as the typical college student is usually under the age of 30.
      RESULTS: Four-step hierarchical regression analysis indicated that both attitudes
      and perceived vested interest were significantly associated with NUPS behavioral
      intentions (p<.001). Further, vested interest moderated the relationship between
      stimulant-related attitudes and usage intentions (p<.001). Attitudes were
      significantly associated with intentions of moderately and highly vested
      respondents (p<.001), but not those of participants expressing low levels of
      perceived vested interest. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the proposition that
      vested interest may be a useful target for attenuating NUPS. Rather than
      attempting to weaken positive attitudes toward NUPS, campaigns may prove more
      successful if designed to convince receivers that NUPS is not in their best
      interest.

PMID- 26476007
TI  - Nonmedical prescription opioid use among victimized women on probation and
      parole.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nonmedical prescription opioid use (NPOU) is a major public health
      concern and few studies have described this phenomenon among victimized women
      involved in the criminal justice system. OBJECTIVE: This study will describe the
      relationship between victimization, psychological distress, health status and
      NPOU among the vulnerable population of victimized women on probation and parole.
      METHODS: A sample of 406 women on probation and parole responded to items
      assessing victimization history, self-reported health status, physical pain,
      psychological distress, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Multiple logistic
      regression analysis was utilized to differentiate NPOUs versus nonusers. RESULTS:
      Overall, 169 (41.6%) women reported lifetime NPOU, and 20% reported use in the
      past year. Compared to women who did not report NPOU, NPOUs were more likely to
      be White, have poorer general health, and more severe psychological distress
      across nine symptom domains. In multiple logistic regression models, each year of
      age reduced the odds of NPOU by 4%; White women were twice as likely as women of
      other races to report NPOU; each unit increase in the measure for physical pain
      was associated with a 30% increase in the odds of NPOU; and participants who met
      diagnostic criteria for PTSD were 60% more likely to report NPOU compared to
      individuals who did not. CONCLUSION: Victimized women on probation and parole
      report high rates of NPOU and comorbid mental and physical health problems. The
      criminal justice system should routinely screen for NPOU, as well as untreated or
      poorly managed physical pain and psychological distress, which may increase risk
      of NPOU.

PMID- 26476008
TI  - Symptoms with betel nut and betel nut with tobacco among Micronesian youth.
AB  - Betel nut has been stated to be addictive, but evidence is lacking. This study
      describes dependence symptoms among adolescents using betel alone or with
      tobacco. In the first study, participants were 151 9th graders in Saipan. In the
      second study, participants were 269 9th graders in Pohnpei and Yap. Participants
      completed a confidential questionnaire adapted from the U.S. National Survey of
      Drug Use and Health, which measured dependence symptoms. The 15 items were summed
      to form a scale, with a range of 0-15, where higher scores indicated greater
      endorsement of dependence symptoms. In the first study, 39.1% had used betel.
      More than two-thirds of all users (69.5%) used betel in the previous month: 87.8%
      also used tobacco with the betel. The mean (SD) dependence symptoms scale score
      among tobacco users was 8.2+/-4.0 versus 3.4+/-2.9 among those who used betel
      alone [t(7)=3.3, p=0.015]. In the second study, 38% from Pohnpei and 85% from Yap
      had used betel and most of the current users used it in the previous month (67%
      from Pohnpei, 91% from Yap). Among those who had used betel in the previous
      month, 90% from Pohnpei and 64% from Yap were using betel with tobacco. The
      dependence score was positively associated with frequency of tobacco use (e.g.,
      mean (SD)=11.3 (+/-2.4) among most frequent users versus a mean (SD)=4.8 (+/-3.5)
      among the never users [F(3109)=28.8, p<0.001]). Betel nut users who also use
      tobacco may benefit from tobacco cessation strategies. 

PMID- 26476010
TI  - Glutathione, glutathione disulfide, and S-glutathionylated proteins in cell
      cultures.
AB  - The analysis of the global thiol-disulfide redox status in tissues and cells is a
      challenging task since thiols and disulfides can undergo artificial oxido
      reductions during sample manipulation. Because of this, the measured values, in
      particular for disulfides, can have a significant bias. Whereas this
      methodological problem has already been addressed in samples of red blood cells
      and solid tissues, a reliable method to measure thiols and disulfides in cell
      cultures has not been previously reported. Here, we demonstrate that the major
      artifact occurring during thiol and disulfide analysis in cultured cells is
      represented by glutathione disulfide (GSSG) and S-glutathionylated proteins
      (PSSG) overestimation, due to artificial oxidation of glutathione (GSH) during
      sample manipulation, and that this methodological problem can be solved by the
      addition of N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) immediately after culture medium removal.
      Basal levels of GSSG and PSSG in different lines of cultured cells were 3-5 and
      10-20 folds higher, respectively, when the cells were processed without NEM. NEM
      pre-treatment also prevented the artificial reduction of disulfides that occurs
      during the pre-analytical phase when cells are exposed to an oxidant stimulus. In
      fact, in the absence of NEM, after medium removal, GSH, GSSG and PSSG levels
      restored their initial values within 15-30 min, due to the activity of reductases
      and the lack of the oxidant. The newly developed protocol was used to measure the
      thiol-disulfide redox status in 16 different line cells routinely used for
      biomedical research both under basal conditions and after treatment with
      disulfiram, a thiol-specific oxidant (0-200 MUM concentration range). Our data
      indicate that, in most cell lines, treatment with disulfiram affected the levels
      of GSH and GSSG only at the highest concentration. On the other hand, PSSG levels
      increased significantly also at the lower concentrations of the drug, and the
      rise was remarkable (from 100 to 1000 folds at 200 MUM concentration) and dose
      dependent for almost all the cell lines. These data support the suitability of
      the analysis of PSSG in cultured cells as a biomarker of oxidative stress.

PMID- 26476009
TI  - Pharmacological depletion of serotonin in the basolateral amygdala complex
      reduces anxiety and disrupts fear conditioning.
AB  - The basolateral and lateral amygdala nuclei complex (BLC) is implicated in a
      number of emotional responses including conditioned fear and social anxiety.
      Based on previous studies demonstrating that enhanced serotonin release in the
      BLC leads to increased anxiety and fear responses, we hypothesized that
      pharmacologically depleting serotonin in the BLC using 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine
      (5,7-DHT) injections would lead to diminished anxiety and disrupted fear
      conditioning. To test this hypothesis, 5,7-DHT(a serotonin-depleting agent) was
      bilaterally injected into the BLC. Desipramine (a norepinephrine reuptake
      inhibitor) was systemically administered to prevent non-selective effects on
      norepinephrine. After 5days, 5-7-DHT-treated rats showed increases in the
      duration of social interaction (SI) time, suggestive of reduced anxiety-like
      behavior. We then used a cue-induced fear conditioning protocol with shock as the
      unconditioned stimulus and tone as the conditioned stimulus for rats pretreated
      with bilateral 5,7-DHT, or vehicle, injections into the BLC. Compared to vehicle
      treated rats, 5,7-DHT rats had reduced acquisition of fear during conditioning
      (measured by freezing time during tone), also had reduced fear retrieval/recall
      on subsequent testing days. Ex vivo analyses revealed that 5,7-DHT reduced local
      5-HT concentrations in the BLC by ~40% without altering local norepinephrine or
      dopamine concentrations. These data provide additional support for 5-HT playing a
      critical role in modulating anxiety-like behavior and fear-associated memories
      through its actions within the BLC. 

PMID- 26476011
TI  - Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract for the treatment of fistula-in
      ano: experience of a tertiary care centre in South India.
AB  - AIM: Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) is a new sphincter
      sparing surgical technique increasingly used to treat fistulae-in-ano yielding
      good results. The aim of this study was to evaluate its effectiveness in the
      treatment of complex fistulae-in-ano and to determine factors associated with
      recurrence and its subsequent management. METHOD: A prospective observational
      study was performed of 167 patients with complex fistula-in-ano treated by LIFT
      from June 2013 to January 2014. In all patients a LIFT with partial core-out of
      the fistula tract was performed. RESULTS: There were 167 patients of mean age
      43.6 +/- 12.8 years. Thirty-three fistulae were recurrent. 150 were trans
      sphincteric, 16 were intersphincteric and one was a suprasphincteric fistula. The
      median postoperative stay was 2 (range: 1-14) days (mean = 2.4 days). At follow
      up there was no change in continence. The median healing time was 4 (range: 1-8)
      weeks. Two patients developed an intersphincteric abscess needing surgical
      drainage healing uneventfully. The mean follow up was 12.8 [median = 12 (range: 4
      22)] months. The healing rate was 94.1%. Ten (5.9%) patients developed a
      recurrent fistula that was managed by a second LIFT procedure in seven, a sinus
      tract excision with curettage in two and seton placement in one. Recurrence was
      significantly associated with diabetes mellitus and perianal collections and
      showed an increased incidence with tract abscesses and multiple tracts.
      CONCLUSION: LIFT has a high success rate in complex fistulae-in-ano. Recurrence
      is related to diabetes mellitus, perianal collections, tract abscesses and
      multiple tracts and a second LIFT procedure may be feasible and efficient.

PMID- 26476012
TI  - Guanine-rich DNA-based peroxidase mimetics for colorimetric assays of alkaline
      phosphatase.
AB  - DNA-based peroxidase mimetics are facilely constructed through Cu(II)
      coordination with different oligonucleotides involving G20, C20, A20 and T20,
      respectively, with high peroxidase mimicking activity as well as high stability
      against proteins. Peroxidase-like activities of DNA-Cu(II) complexes are greatly
      associated with the sequence composition of DNA templates, which decrease in the
      following order: G20>C20>A20>T20. G20-Cu(II) complex ([Cu(2+)]/[base]=0.05)
      possesses the Km value of 0.257 mM toward 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine and
      102.3mM toward hydrogen peroxide at 25  degrees C. G20-Cu(II) complexes are
      employed to develop a colorimetric turn-on assay of alkaline phosphatase with
      high sensitivity and selectivity, on the basis of pyrophosphate-induced
      inhibition of their intrinsic peroxidase-like activities. The limit of detection
      is achieved as 0.84 U/L with the linear response region of 20-200 U/L. Such
      colorimetric assay system is probably applicable for the quantitative
      determination of ALP in biological fluids.

PMID- 26476013
TI  - CdS/MoS2 heterojunction-based photoelectrochemical DNA biosensor via enhanced
      chemiluminescence excitation.
AB  - This work developed a CdS/MoS2 heterojunction-based photoelectrochemical
      biosensor for sensitive detection of DNA under the enhanced chemiluminescence
      excitation of luminol catalyzed by hemin-DNA complex. The CdS/MoS2 photocathode
      was prepared by the stepwise assembly of MoS2 and CdS quantum dots (QDs) on
      indium tin oxide (ITO), and achieved about 280% increasing of photocurrent
      compared to pure CdS QDs electrode due to the formation of heterostructure. High
      photoconversion efficiency in the photoelectrochemical system was identified to
      be the rapid spatial charge separation of electron-hole pairs by the extension of
      electron transport time and electron lifetime. In the presence of target DNA, the
      catalytic hairpin assembly was triggered, and simultaneously the dual hemin
      labeled DNA probe was introduced to capture DNA/CdS/MoS2 modified ITO electrode.
      Thus the chemiluminescence emission of luminol was enhanced via hemin-induced
      mimetic catalysis, leading to the physical light-free photoelectrochemical
      strategy. Under optimized conditions, the resulting photoelectrode was
      proportional to the logarithm of target DNA concentration in the range from 1 fM
      to 100 pM with a detection limit of 0.39 fM. Moreover, the cascade amplification
      biosensor demonstrated high selectivity, desirable stability and good
      reproducibility, showing great prospect in molecular diagnosis and bioanalysis.

PMID- 26476014
TI  - Potentiometric chemosensor for neopterin, a cancer biomarker, using an
      electrochemically synthesized molecularly imprinted polymer as the recognition
      unit.
AB  - With an established procedure of molecular imprinting, a synthetic polymer
      receptor for the neopterin cancer biomarker was devised and used as a recognition
      unit of a potentiometric chemosensor. For that, bis-bithiophene derivatized with
      cytosine and bithiophene derivatized with boronic acid were used as functional
      monomers. The open-circuit potential (OCP) based transduction under flow
      injection analysis conditions (FIA) determined neopterin in the concentration
      range of 0.15-2.5mM with the 22 uM limit of detection (LOD) and 7.01(+/-0.15)
      mVmM(-1) sensitivity indicating its potential suitability in clinical analysis
      applications. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) film showed an appreciable
      apparent imprinting factor of ~6. The chemosensor successfully discriminated the
      interferences including the 6-biopterin and pterin structural analogs of
      neopterin as well as glucose and creatinine. Moreover, it determined neopterin in
      synthetic serum samples.

PMID- 26476015
TI  - A novel sensitive cell-based Love Wave biosensor for marine toxin detection.
AB  - A novel HepG2 cell-based biosensor using Love Wave sensor was developed to
      implement the real-time and sensitive detection of a diarrheic shellfish
      poisoning (DSP) toxin, Okadaic acid (OA). Detachable Love Wave sensor unit and
      miniaturized 8-channel recording instrument were designed for the convenient
      experimental preparation and sensor response signal measurement. The Love Wave
      sensor, whose synchronous frequency is around 160 MHz, was fabricated with ST-cut
      quartz substrate. To establish a cell-based biosensor, HepG2 cells as sensing
      elements were cultured onto the Love Wave sensor surface, and the cell attachment
      process was recorded by this biosensor. Results showed this sensor could monitor
      the cell attachment process in real time and response signals were related to the
      initial cell seeding densities. Furthermore, cell-based Love Wave sensor was
      treated with OA toxin. This biosensor presented a good performance to various OA
      concentrations, with a wide linear detection range (10-100 MUg/L). Based on the
      ultrasensitive acoustic wave platform, this cell-based biosensor will be a
      promising tool for real-time and convenient OA screening.

PMID- 26476016
TI  - Self-clearance mechanism of mitochondrial E3 ligase MARCH5 contributes to
      mitochondria quality control.
AB  - MARCH5, a mitochondrial E3 ubiquitin ligase, controls mitochondrial dynamics
      proteins and misfolded proteins, and has been proposed to play a role in
      mitochondria quality control. However, it remains unclear how mutant MARCH5 found
      in cancer tissues is removed from cells. Here, we show that mutation in the
      MARCH5 ligase domain increased its half-life fourfold, resulting in a drastic
      increase in its protein level. Abnormal accumulation of the E3 ligase-defective
      MARCH5 mutants MARCH5(H43W) and MARCH5(C65/68S) was diminished by overexpression
      of active MARCH5(WT) ; the mutant proteins were degraded through the ubiquitin
      proteasome pathway. Coimmunoprecipitation revealed that MARCH5 forms homodimers,
      and that substitution of Gly to Leu at the first putative GxxxG dimerization
      motif, but not the second, resulted in a loss of dimeric interaction. Moreover,
      overexpression of the dimerization-defective mutant MARCH5(4GL) could not
      decrease the level of accumulated MARCH5(H43W) , suggesting that dimerization of
      MARCH5 is necessary for self-clearance. Abnormal accumulation of MARCH5(H43W) and
      mitochondrial hyperfusion led to NF-KB activation, which was suppressed by
      overexpression of MARCH5(WT) . Together, the data reveal a self-protective
      mechanism involving MARCH5, which can target its own dysfunctional mutant for
      degradation in order to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis.

PMID- 26476017
TI  - Rice ASR1 and ASR5 are complementary transcription factors regulating aluminium
      responsive genes.
AB  - Rice is the most tolerant staple crop to aluminium (Al) toxicity, which is a
      limiting stress for grain production worldwide. This Al tolerance is the result
      of combined mechanisms that are triggered in part by the transcription factor
      ASR5. ASRs are dual target proteins that participate as chaperones in the
      cytoplasm and as transcription factors in the nucleus. Moreover, these proteins
      respond to biotic and abiotic stresses, including salt, drought and Al. Rice
      plants with silenced ASR genes are highly sensitive to Al. ASR5, a well
      characterized protein, binds to specific cis elements in Al responsive genes and
      regulates their expression. Because the Al sensitive phenotype found in silenced
      rice plants could be due to the mutual silencing of ASR1 and ASR5, we
      investigated the effect of the specific silencing of ASR5. Plants with artificial
      microRNA silencing of ASR5 present a non-transformed phenotype in response to Al
      because of the induction of ASR1. ASR1 has the same subcellular localization as
      ASR5, binds to ASR5 cis-regulatory elements, regulates ASR5 regulated genes in a
      non-preferential manner and might replace ASR5 under certain conditions. Our
      results indicate that ASR1 and ASR5 act in concert and complementarily to
      regulate gene expression in response to Al. 

PMID- 26476018
TI  - On the validity of the Cerenkov limit as a criterion for precise band gap
      measurements by VEELS.
AB  - The generation of Cerenkov photons, contributions from retardation and surface
      effects, and the excitation of guided light modes can complicate the analysis of
      valence electron energy-loss spectroscopy (VEELS) data. In recent works it was
      argued that working below the so-called Cerenkov limit unwanted spectral
      contributions can be avoided, simplifying the reliable measurement of band gap
      energies and the extraction of the dielectric function by the Kramers-Kronig
      analysis. Here, relativistic simulations of valence electron energy-loss spectra
      of GaAs are employed in order to identify different spectral contributions. It is
      found that for electron energies below the Cerenkov limit the spectra can still
      be affected by the excitation of guided light modes and retardation effects.
      These spectral contributions can influence the position of the apparent band gap
      signal and can be problematic for the Kramers-Kronig analysis when working below
      or above the Cerenkov limit. 

PMID- 26476019
TI  - Light propagation and interaction observed with electrons.
AB  - We discuss possibilities for a microscopic optical characterization of thin films
      and surfaces based on photoemission electron microscopy. We show that propagating
      light with wavelengths across the visible range can readily be visualized, and
      linear and non-linear materials properties can be evaluated non-invasively with
      nanometer spatial resolution. While femtosecond temporal resolution can be
      achieved in pump-probe-type experiments, the interferometric approach presented
      here has typical image frame times of ~200 fs.

PMID- 26476020
TI  - Increasing compliance with alcohol service laws in a developing country:
      intervention trial in the Kingdom of Bhutan.
AB  - AIM: Bhutan is a low-middle income country that, like many others, experiences
      significant alcohol-related harm and low compliance with laws restricting
      availability and promotion. This study assessed changes in compliance of alcohol
      outlets with sales restrictions following a multi-sector programme aimed at
      improving this. DESIGN: Pre-post design with covert observation of service
      practices. SETTING: Thimphu, Bhutan, June-November 2013. Alcohol is not permitted
      for sale except from 1 to 10 p.m. Wednesday-Monday. Serving minors (< 18 years
      old) or intoxicated patrons is illegal. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-one outlets
      selected randomly from all 209 on-premises outlets in downtown Thimphu.
      INTERVENTION: Multi-sector programme involving visits to outlets, education of
      owners and staff, a toolkit and implementation checks. MEASUREMENTS: Ten mystery
      shopper visits were made to each outlet both before and after the intervention.
      We assessed compliance in five purchasing scenarios: (1) before 1 p.m., (2) after
      10 p.m., (3) on Tuesdays and (4) shoppers who appeared to be underage or (5)
      intoxicated. Changes in compliance rates were assessed using multi-variable
      logistic regression models. FINDINGS: Overall compliance increased from 20 to 34%
      [difference: 14%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 7-22%]. Improvement was found in
      refusals of service before 1 p.m.: 10-34% (difference(adj) = 24%; 95% CI = 12
      37%) and on Tuesdays: 43-58% (difference(adj) = 14%; 95% CI = 1-28%). Differences
      in refusal to serve alcohol: after 10 p.m. (difference(adj) = 15%; 95% CI = -8 to
      37%); to underage patrons (difference(adj) = -5%; 95% CI = 14 to 4%); and to
      intoxicated patrons (difference(adj) = 7%; 95% CI = -7-20%) were not
      statistically significant. Younger servers, stand-alone bars and outlets
      permitting indoor smoking were each less likely to comply with the alcohol
      service laws. CONCLUSION: A multi-sector programme to improve compliance with
      legal restrictions on serving alcohol in Bhutan appeared to have a modest effect
      but even after the programme, in two-thirds of the occasions tested, the laws
      were broken.

PMID- 26476021
TI  - Effects of nitrite exposure on haematological parameters, oxidative stress and
      apoptosis in juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus).
AB  - Nitrite (NO2(-)) is commonly present as contaminant in aquatic environment and
      toxic to aquatic organisms. In the present study, we investigated the effects of
      nitrite exposure on haematological parameters, oxidative stress and apoptosis in
      juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus). Fish were exposed to various
      concentrations of nitrite (0, 0.02, 0.08, 0.4 and 0.8mM) for 96 h. Fish blood and
      gills were collected to assay haematological parameters, oxidative stress and
      expression of genes after 0, 24, 48 and 96 h of exposure. In blood, the data
      showed that the levels of methemoglobin (MetHb), triglyceride (TG), potassium
      (K(+)), cortisol, heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and glucose significantly
      increased in treatments with higher concentrations of nitrite (0.4 and/or 0.8mM)
      after 48 and 96 h, while the levels of haemoglobin (Hb) and sodium (Na(+))
      significantly decreased in these treatments. In gills, nitrite (0.4 and/or 0.8mM)
      apparently reduced the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione
      peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH), increased the formation
      of malondialdehyde (MDA), up-regulated the mRNA levels of c-jun amino-terminal
      kinase (JUK1), p53, caspase-3, caspase-7 and caspase-9 after 48 and 96 h of
      exposure. The results suggested caspase-dependent and JUK signaling pathways
      played important roles in nitrite-induced apoptosis in fish. Further, this study
      provides new insights into how nitrite affects the physiological responses and
      apoptosis in a marine fish.

PMID- 26476024
TI  - HDAC inhibition: A novel therapeutic approach for atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26476022
TI  - Ischemic core and hypoperfusion volumes predict infarct size in SWIFT PRIME.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Within the context of a prospective randomized trial (SWIFT PRIME), we
      assessed whether early imaging of stroke patients, primarily with computed
      tomography (CT) perfusion, can estimate the size of the irreversibly injured
      ischemic core and the volume of critically hypoperfused tissue. We also evaluated
      the accuracy of ischemic core and hypoperfusion volumes for predicting infarct
      volume in patients with the target mismatch profile. METHODS: Baseline ischemic
      core and hypoperfusion volumes were assessed prior to randomized treatment with
      intravenous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) alone versus IV tPA +
      endovascular therapy (Solitaire stent-retriever) using RAPID automated
      postprocessing software. Reperfusion was assessed with angiographic Thrombolysis
      in Cerebral Infarction scores at the end of the procedure (endovascular group)
      and Tmax > 6-second volumes at 27 hours (both groups). Infarct volume was
      assessed at 27 hours on noncontrast CT or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
      RESULTS: A total of 151 patients with baseline imaging with CT perfusion (79%) or
      multimodal MRI (21%) were included. The median baseline ischemic core volume was
      6 ml (interquartile range= 0-16). Ischemic core volumes correlated with 27-hour
      infarct volumes in patients who achieved reperfusion (r = 0.58, p < 0.0001). In
      patients who did not reperfuse (<10% reperfusion), baseline Tmax > 6-second
      lesion volumes correlated with 27-hour infarct volume (r = 0.78, p = 0.005). In
      target mismatch patients, the union of baseline core and early follow-up Tmax > 6
      second volume (ie, predicted infarct volume) correlated with the 27-hour infarct
      volume (r = 0.73, p < 0.0001); the median absolute difference between the
      observed and predicted volume was 13 ml. INTERPRETATION: Ischemic core and
      hypoperfusion volumes, obtained primarily from CT perfusion scans, predict 27
      hour infarct volume in acute stroke patients who were treated with reperfusion
      therapies.

PMID- 26476025
TI  - Could brain magnetic resonance imaging be of value in patients with Takotsubo
      syndrome without apparent brain lesions?

PMID- 26476026
TI  - Involvement of long noncoding RNA MALAT1 in the pathogenesis of diabetic
      cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26476027
TI  - Endothelial microparticles after antihypertensive and lipid-lowering therapy
      inhibit the adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells.

PMID- 26476028
TI  - Hemodynamic and echocardiographic effects of aortic regurgitation on femoro
      femoral veno-arterial ECMO.

PMID- 26476029
TI  - The role of echocardiography in the management of coronary anomaly.

PMID- 26476030
TI  - Atrioventricular septal defect: From embryonic development to long-term follow
      up.
AB  - Atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) covers a spectrum of heart anomalies with a
      common atrioventricular connection and has an incidence of 4-5.3 per 10.000 live
      births. About half of the AVSDs occur in patient with Down syndrome. This review
      provides a bench to bedside overview of AVSD. Developmental aspects,
      nomenclature, anatomy, and classification of AVSD are discussed. Furthermore an
      overview of genetic and maternal risk factors for AVSD is provided, and available
      literature on (fetal) diagnosis, surgical techniques and follow-up is presented.
      Special attention is given to differences in developmental, anatomical and
      prognostic factors of AVSD between non-syndromic and Down syndrome patients. 

PMID- 26476031
TI  - Seeking outcomes in database analyses: The good, the bad and the ugly.

PMID- 26476032
TI  - DPP-4 inhibitors: A potential promising therapeutic target in prevention of
      atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26476033
TI  - Response to: Relation of circumferential and longitudinal strain to other
      independent prognostic imaging markers in first time ST-elevation myocardial
      infarction.

PMID- 26476034
TI  - Prognostic value of abnormal P wave morphology and PR-segment displacement for
      mortality in ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

PMID- 26476036
TI  - Medical factors that predict quality of life for young adults with congenital
      heart disease: What matters most?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identify demographic and medical status indicators that account for
      variability in physical and emotional health-related quality of life (QoL) among
      young adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) as compared to traditional
      lesion severity categories. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 218 young adult
      survivors of CHD (mean=25.7, SD=7.1 years). Participants were recruited from
      pediatric and adult CHD clinics at a pediatric and an adult hospital. Stepwise
      linear regression examined the unique contribution of demographic (age; sex;
      estimated income) and medical status indicators (comorbid conditions; treatment
      modality; ventricular function/functional capacity) on QoL compared to
      traditional lesion severity categories (simple; moderate; complex). RESULTS:
      Lesion severity category accounted for a small portion of the variance in
      physical QoL (3%), but was not associated with emotional QoL. Lesion severity did
      not significantly contribute to the variability in physical QoL once other
      variables were entered. Having an estimated income of <=$30,000, taking more than
      one cardiac-related medication, and having a New York Heart Association (NYHA)
      functional class designation>I was associated with poorer physical QoL and
      explained 23% of the variability. NYHA class was the only variable that explained
      a unique proportion of variance (7%) in emotional QoL, and having a NYHA class
      designation>I was associated with greater risk for poorer emotional functioning.
      CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggested that several indicators readily available to
      treatment teams may provide important information about the risk for poor patient
      reported outcomes of physical and emotional QoL among CHD survivors.

PMID- 26476035
TI  - Predictive ability of the new 2014 ESC prognostic model in acute pulmonary
      embolism.

PMID- 26476037
TI  - A novel inducible cholesterol efflux peptide, FAMP, protects against myocardial
      ischemia reperfusion injury through a nitric oxide pathway.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated whether a novel inducible cholesterol efflux (iCE)
      peptide [Fukuoka University Apolipoprotein A-I Mimetic Peptide (FAMP)] protects
      against myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) through a nitric oxide (NO)
      pathway by an improvement of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) functionality.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Male C57BL6/J mice were intraperitoneally injected with
      phosphate buffer as a control, low-dose (10 mg/kg) or high-dose (50 mg/kg) of
      FAMP before 18 h of IRI (n=6-12 in each group). After 30 min of ischemia followed
      by 6h of reperfusion, blood pressure, and infarct size were measured and cardiac
      function was evaluated by a Millar catheter. FAMP significantly improved stroke
      volume, cardiac output, left ventricular ejection fraction, and infarct size.
      FAMP significantly preserved cytochrome C in the mitochondrial fraction and
      inhibited its release into the cytosolic fraction in the heart, but did not
      significantly reduce mRNA levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 or
      interluekin-6. In a TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, FAMP
      significantly suppressed the appearance of TUNEL-positive nuclear. We also
      performed same experiments with endothelial nitric oxide synthase-knockout (eNOS
      KO) mice and FAMP-induced improvements of cardiac function were not observed in
      eNOS-KO mice. CONCLUSIONS: FAMP activated HDL-functionality and improved cardiac
      function in a model of myocardial IRI. It may have anti-apoptotic effects by
      protecting mitochondria through a NO pathway as a pleiotropic effect.

PMID- 26476038
TI  - Cisplatin-induced bradycardia: Cardiac toxicity or cardiac hypersensitivity and
      Kounis syndrome?

PMID- 26476039
TI  - C/EBPbeta is required in pregnancy-induced cardiac hypertrophy.
AB  - AIM: Pregnancy is a physiological model of adaptive and reversible heart
      enlargement, but the molecular mechanisms determining this kind of physiologic
      cardiac hypertrophy are poorly known. Here, we analyzed the role of the
      transcription factor C/EBPbeta in the development of pregnancy-induced cardiac
      hypertrophy. RESULTS: C/EBPbeta+/- mice at day 18 of gestation were used as
      happloinsufficiency model of late pregnancy. We found that C/EBPbeta expression
      was specifically increased in hearts from Wt pregnant mice whereas expression of
      other C/EBP subtypes (alpha and delta) was not affected by gestation. Pregnancy
      induced changes in systemic metabolic and hormonal profiles were not essentially
      different in Wt versus C/EBPbeta+/- mice. However, C/EBPbeta+/- mice developed
      pregnancy-induced heart hypertrophy to a lower extent relative to Wt mice.
      Furthermore, hearts from C/EBPbeta+/- mice have alterations in fatty acid
      oxidation genes and reductions in the expression levels of glucose transporters
      that may compromise metabolic cardiac function during pregnancy. Among marker
      genes of inflammation, interleukin-6 (Il-6) showed a marked differential behavior
      in C/EBPbeta+/- pregnant mice: pregnancy strongly induced cardiac Il-6 expression
      in wt, a phenomenon that did not occur in C/EBPbeta+/- mice. Moreover, marker
      genes for M2 macrophages were decreased in C/EBPbeta+/- pregnant mice and in
      C/EBPbeta-/- mice subjected to LPS stimulus. CONCLUSIONS: Here we found that
      normal levels of C/EBPbeta are required for hypertrophy development during
      pregnancy. Events such as the increase in IL-6 in the heart of pregnant mice are
      prevented in C/EBPbeta+/- animals. Moreover, C/EBPbeta controls M2-macrophage
      gene expression in the heart. Thus, C/EBPbeta appears as a transcription factor
      required for cardiac hypertrophy response to gestation.

PMID- 26476040
TI  - Low-dose oral pimobendan emancipates patients with severe ischemic pump failure
      from intravenous catecholamine infusion for cardiogenic shock.

PMID- 26476041
TI  - Targeting histamine-2 receptor for prevention of cardiac remodelling in chronic
      pressure overload.

PMID- 26476042
TI  - Epicardial or transvenous leads: Controversial for the placement in implantation
      of cardiac resynchronization therapy.

PMID- 26476043
TI  - Cardiac remodeling in Galphaq and Galpha11 knockout mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although both Galphaq- and Galpha11-protein signaling are believed to
      be involved in the regulation of cardiac hypertrophy, their detailed contribution
      to myocardial function remains elusive. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied
      remodeling processes in healthy transgenic mice with genetically altered
      Galphaq/Galpha11-expression, in particular a global Galpha11-knockout and a novel
      inducible cardiac specific Galphaq-knockout, as well as a combined double
      knockout (dKO) mouse line. Echocardiography and telemetric ECG recordings
      revealed that compared with wild type mice, hearts of dKO mice showed an
      increased ejection fraction and a decreased heart rate, irrespective of age
      resulting in a maintained cardiac output. We attributed these findings to the
      lack of Galpha11, which the absence was associated with a decreased afterload.
      Histological analysis of the extracellular matrix in the heart depicted a
      diminished presence of collagen in aging hearts of dKO mice compared to wild-type
      mice. The results of a transcriptome analysis on isolated ventricular cardiac
      myocytes revealed alterations of the activity of genes involved in the
      Galphaq/Galpha11-dependent regulation of the extracellular matrix, such as the
      matricellular protein Cyr61. CONCLUSIONS: From our data we conclude that
      Galphaq/Galpha11 signaling pathways play a pivotal role in maintaining gene
      activity patterns. For the heart we revealed their importance in modulating the
      properties of the extracellular matrix, a mechanism that might be an important
      contributor and mechanistic basis for the development of pressure-overload
      induced cardiac hypertrophy.

PMID- 26476044
TI  - Acute coronary syndrome in the Asia-Pacific region.
AB  - More than 4.2 billion inhabitants populate the Asia-Pacific region. Acute
      coronary syndrome (ACS) is now a major cause of death and disability in this
      region with in-hospital mortality typically exceeding 5%. Yet, the region still
      lacks consensus on the best approach to overcoming its specific challenges in
      reducing mortality from ACS. The Asia-Pacific Real world evIdenCe on Outcome and
      Treatment of ACS (APRICOT) project reviewed current published and unpublished
      registry data, unmet needs in ACS management and possible approaches towards
      improving ACS-related mortality in the region. There was striking heterogeneity
      in the use of invasive procedures, pharmacologic practice (hospitalization/post
      discharge), and in short- and long-term clinical outcomes across healthcare
      systems; this heterogeneity was perceived to be far greater than in Western
      Europe or the United States. 'Benchmark' short-term clinical outcomes are
      preferred over long-term outcomes due to difficulties in follow-up, recording and
      maintenance of medication adherence in a geographically large and culturally
      diverse region. Key 'barriers' towards improving outcomes include patient
      education (pain awareness, consequences of missing medication and secondary
      prevention), geographical landscape (urban vs. metropolitan), limited long-term
      adherence to guideline-based management and widespread adoption of cost-based
      rather than value-based healthcare systems. Initiatives to overcome these
      barriers should include implementation of pre-hospital management strategies,
      toolkits to aid in-hospital treatment, greater community outreach with online
      patient/physician education and telemedicine, sustainable economic models to
      improve accessibility to effective pharmacotherapies and the acquisition of high
      quality 'real-world' regional data to tailor secondary prevention initiatives
      that meet the unique needs of countries in this region. 

PMID- 26476045
TI  - Morphine in the treatment of acute pulmonary oedema--Why?
AB  - Morphine has for a long time, been used in patients with acute pulmonary oedema
      due to its anticipated anxiolytic and vasodilatory properties, however a
      discussion about the benefits and risks has been raised recently. A literature
      search in Medline and Embase using the keywords "pulmonary oedema" OR "lung
      oedema" OR "acute heart failure" AND "morphine" was performed. A certain
      vasodilation has been described after morphine administration, but the evidence
      for this mechanism is relatively poor and morphine-induced anxiolysis may
      possibly be the most important factor of morphine in pulmonary oedema and
      therefore some authors have suggested benzodiazepines as an alternative
      treatment. Respiratory depression seems to be a less relevant clinical problem
      according to the literature, whereas vomiting is common, which may cause
      aspiration. In the largest outcome study, based on the ADHERE registry, morphine
      given in acute decompensated heart failure was an independent predictor of
      increased hospital mortality, with an odds ratio of 4.8 (95% CI: 4.52-5.18,
      p<0.001). Other, smaller studies have shown a significant association between
      morphine administration and mortality, which was lost after adjusting for
      confounding factors. Morphine is still used for pulmonary oedema in spite of poor
      scientific background data. A randomised, controlled study is necessary in order
      to determine the effect--and especially the risk--when using morphine for
      pulmonary oedema. Since the positive effects are not sufficiently documented, and
      since the risk for increased mortality cannot be ruled out, one can advocate that
      the use should be avoided.

PMID- 26476046
TI  - A multimodality approach of a cardiac echinococcus cyst in an asymptomatic woman.

PMID- 26476047
TI  - Determination of Dechlorane Plus and related compounds (dechlorane 602, 603 and
      604) in fish and vegetable oils.
AB  - Dechlorane Plus (DP) is a flame retardant used as a substitute of Mirex since
      1970s, but it was not detected in the environment until 2006. Since then, this
      compound and its main relatives, Dechlorane 602, 603 and 604, have been mainly
      studied in environmental matrices for monitoring purposes, but the dietary
      exposure to them has been hardly investigated so far. In the present study, we
      determined this family of compounds in fish and vegetable oil samples from
      Catalonia (Spain), most of them used as health supplements. Determination was
      carried out by gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS),
      after a clean up in a multilayer silica column and preparative high performance
      liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a pyrenyl(ethyl) column.
      Concentrations of Dechlorane compounds were between below the limit of detection
      and 384.2 pg g(-1). Although there are only few studies about the presence of
      these pollutants in food or feed, concentrations obtained indicated that these
      compounds are in the same order in fish and vegetable oil health supplements as
      the few other food and feed studies.

PMID- 26476048
TI  - Adsorption of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans on activated carbon
      from hexane.
AB  - Activated carbon is widely used to abate dioxins and dioxin-like compounds from
      flue gas. Comparing commercial samples regarding their potential to adsorb
      dioxins may proceed by using test columns, yet it takes many measurements to
      characterise the retention and breakthrough of dioxins. In this study, commercial
      activated carbon samples are evaluated during tests to remove trace amounts of
      dioxins dissolved in n-hexane. The solution was prepared from fly ash collected
      from a municipal solid waste incinerator. The key variables selected were the
      concentration of dioxins in n-hexane and the dosage of activated carbon. Both
      polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans
      (PCDFs) showed very high removal efficiencies (94.7%-98.0% for PCDDs and 99.7%
      99.8% for PCDFs). The presence of a large excess of n-hexane solvent had little
      effect on the removal efficiency of PCDD/Fs. The adsorbed PCDD/Fs showed a linear
      correlation (R(2) > 0.98) with the initial concentrations. Comparative analysis
      of adsorption isotherms showed that a linear Henry isotherm fitted better the
      experimental data (R(2) = 0.99 both for PCDDs and PCDFs) than the more usual
      Freundlich isotherm (R(2) = 0.88 for PCDDs and 0.77 for PCDFs). Finally, the
      results of fingerprint analysis indicated that dioxin fingerprint (weight
      proportion of different congeners) on activated carbon after adsorption did not
      change from that in hexane.

PMID- 26476049
TI  - Fate and transport with material response characterization of green sorption
      media for copper removal via adsorption process.
AB  - Green adsorption media with the inclusion of renewable and recycled materials can
      be applied as a stormwater best management practice for copper removal. A green
      adsorption media mixture composed of recycled tire chunk, expanded clay
      aggregate, and coconut coir was physicochemically evaluated for its potential use
      in an upflow media filter. A suite of tests were conducted on the media mixture
      and the individual media components including studies of particle size
      distribution, isotherms, column adsorption and reaction kinetics. Isotherm test
      results revealed that the coconut coir had the highest affinity for copper
      (q(max) = 71.1 mg g(-1)), and that adsorption was maximized at a pH of 7.0. The
      coconut coir also performed the best under dynamic conditions, having an
      equilibrium uptake of 1.63 mg g(-1). FE-SEM imaging found a strong correlation
      between the porosity of the micro pore structure and the adsorptive capacity. The
      use of the green adsorption media mixture in isolation or the coconut coir with
      an expanded clay filtration chamber could be an effective and reliable stormwater
      best management practice for copper removal.

PMID- 26476050
TI  - Hydrous iron oxide modified diatomite as an active filtration medium for
      phosphate capture.
AB  - A simple method to functionalize diatomite with hydrous iron oxide was attempted
      and its performance as a new active filtration material to remove and recover
      phosphate from water was investigated under varying solution conditions. The
      Langmuir phosphate adsorption capacity increased from 0.6 mgP/g for raw diatomite
      to 4.89, 14.71, 25.02 mgP/g for hydrous iron oxide modified diatomite (HIOMD),
      depending on the amount of iron loaded. Loading of hydrous iron oxide caused the
      increase in true and bulk density and a decline in filtration rate, but to a
      lesser extent. It was shown that the HIOMD product with suitable iron content
      could retain a good filtration performance with a greatly increased adsorption
      capacity for phosphate. The phosphate adsorption increased by decreasing pH and
      by increasing ionic strength at high pH levels. The adsorption process was
      interpreted by ligand exchange. Coexisting oxyanions of sulfate, nitrate,
      citrate, carbonate, silicate and humic acid showed different effects on phosphate
      fixation but it was presumed that their influence at their concentrations and pH
      levels commonly encountered in effluent or natural waters was limited, i.e.,
      HIOMD had a reasonably good selectivity. Results in repeated adsorption,
      desorption and regeneration experiment showed that the adsorbed phosphate could
      be recovered and the material could be reused after regeneration. The column test
      showed that HIOMD could be potentially utilized as an adsorption filtration
      medium for phosphate removal and recovery from water.

PMID- 26476051
TI  - Influences of graphene on microbial community and antibiotic resistance genes in
      mouse gut as determined by high-throughput sequencing.
AB  - Graphene is a promising candidate as an antibacterial material owning to its
      bacterial toxicity. However, little information on influence of graphene on gut
      microbiota is available. In this study, mice were exposed to graphene for 4
      weeks, and high-throughput sequencing was applied to characterize the changes in
      microbial community and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in mouse gut. The
      results showed that graphene exposure increased biodiversity of gut microbiota,
      and changed their community. The 1 MUg/d graphene exposure had higher influences
      on the gut microbiota than 10 MUg/d and 100 MUg/d graphene exposures, which might
      be due to higher aggregation of high-level graphene. The influence of graphene on
      gut microbiota might attribute to that graphene could induce oxidative stress and
      damage of cell membrane integrity. The results were verified by the increase of
      ratio of Gram-negative bacteria. Outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria could
      reduce the membrane damage induced by graphene and make them more tolerance to
      graphene. Further, we found that graphene exposure significantly increased the
      abundance and types of ARGs, indicating a potential health risk of graphene. This
      study firstly provides new insight to the health effects of graphene on gut
      microbiota.

PMID- 26476052
TI  - Post-hepatectomy liver failure: Should we consider venous outflow?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is one of the most serious
      complications of liver resection and is associated with high morbidity and
      mortality rates. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report a case of PHLF involving
      clinical presentation of posthepatectomy-related 'small-for-size' syndrome (SFSS)
      secondary to obstructed venous outflow in the liver remnant, following extended
      right hepatectomy. DISCUSSION: PHLF is similar to SFSS in liver transplantation
      (LT) in terms of pathogenesis, clinical presentation and outcomes. Although
      inflow hypertension is clearly implicated in the pathogenesis of SFSS some
      authors have suggested that outflow obstruction is a potential pathogenic factor.
      CONCLUSION: The present case support the hypothesis that outflow obstruction
      could lead symptoms similar to SFSS.

PMID- 26476053
TI  - Successful treatment for patients with chronic orchialgia following inguinal
      hernia repair by means of meshoma removal, orchiectomy and triple-neurectomy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Orchialgia following inguinal hernia repair is rare complication
      and still challenging since there has been no established surgical treatment
      because of complexity of nerve innervation to the testicular area. Herein we
      report a case of postoperative orchialgia following Lichtenstein repair, which
      was successfully treated by mesh removal, orchiectomy and triple neurectomy. CASE
      PRESENTATION: A 65-year-old man was referred to our department because of chronic
      right orchialgia following Lichtenstein hernia repair. He walked with a limp and
      was unable to walk a long distance. Physical examination revealed the presence of
      meshoma in the groin area and hypoesthesia in the anterior skin of the right
      scrotum. His right testis was completely atrophic and located not in the scrotum
      but in the subcutaneous regions of right groin. He was diagnosed as both
      neuropathic and nociceptive orchialgia and underwent meshoma removal, triple
      neurectomy, and orchiectomy to address these issues. Pathological examination
      revealed that meshoma was integrated with the structures of the spermatic cord,
      leading to foreign-body reaction and fibrosis around the genital branch of
      genitofemoral nerve. The resected right testis was completely-scarred without
      ischemic changes. Orchialgia disappeared immediately after operation and he was
      able to walk without a limp. DISCUSSIONS: It is important to distinguish between
      nociceptive and neuropathic orchialgia. Neuroanatomic understanding is essential
      to guide treatment options. Orchiectomy is an option but should be reserved for
      refractory cases with evidence of nociceptive pain accompanied by anatomical
      changes. CONCLUSIONS: Triple neurectomy should be considered in patients with
      neuropathic orchialgia.

PMID- 26476054
TI  - One-stage laparoscopy-assisted endorectal pull-through for late presented
      Hirschsprung's disease-Case series.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Children with late-presenting Hirschsprung's disease (HD) are
      classically treated by a staged operation with enterostomy. An alternative may be
      one-stage laparoscopy-assisted endorectal pull-through, which has cosmetic
      advantages. This case-series report describes the outcomes of children with late
      presenting HD who underwent this procedure. PRESENTATION OF CASES: Eight older
      (>3 years) children (five males, three females) underwent one-stage laparoscopy
      assisted endorectal pull-through in 2010-2012. A retrospective review revealed
      their median age was 9.9 (range, 3.4-14) years. The transitional zone was
      rectosigmoid junction in 4 patients, and was rectum in 4 patients. For bowel
      preparation, five patients required rectal irrigation under general anesthesia.
      The median operating time was 263min. There were no intraoperative or early post
      operative complications. Patients started a diet a median of 5 days after the
      operation and were discharged a median of 11.5 days. During the median follow-up
      period of 37 months, seven (87.5%) had acquired voluntary bowel movements and
      12.5% had grade 1 soiling. However, five (62.5%) of the patients still had
      constipation. The constipation was manageable with diet or laxatives in four
      patients but one patient continued to require regular enemas. DISCUSSION: One
      stage laparoscopy-assisted endorectal pull-through in late-presenting HD was
      feasible, even in patients with large fecaloma with obstruction. Rectal
      irrigation under general anesthesia and the use of laparoscopy and a bipolar
      coagulator help to overcome the technical difficulties of this procedure.
      CONCLUSION: One-stage laparoscopy-assisted endorectal pull-through in children
      with late-presenting short segment HD is feasible and safe.

PMID- 26476055
TI  - Protective effects of 3-alkyl luteolin derivatives are mediated by Nrf2
      transcriptional activity and decreased oxidative stress in Huntington's disease
      mouse striatal cells.
AB  - Huntington's disease (HD) is a polyglutamine-expansion neurodegenerative disorder
      caused by increased number of CAG repeats in the HTT gene, encoding for the
      huntingtin protein. The mutation is linked to several intracellular mechanisms,
      including oxidative stress. Flavones are compounds with a protective role in
      neurodegenerative pathologies. In the present study we analyzed the protective
      effect of luteolin (Lut, 3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) and four luteolin
      derivatives bearing 3-alkyl chains of 1, 4, 6 and 10 carbons (Lut-C1, Lut-C4, Lut
      C6, Lut-C10) in striatal cells derived from HD knock-in mice expressing mutant
      Htt (STHdh(Q111/Q111)) versus wild-type striatal cells (STHdh(Q7/Q7)). HD cells
      showed increased caspase-3-like activity and intracellular reactive oxygen
      species (ROS), which were significantly decreased following treatment with Lut-C4
      and Lut-C6 under concentrations that enhanced cell viability. Interestingly, Lut
      C4 and Lut-C6 rose the nuclear levels of phospho(Ser40)-nuclear factor (erythroid
      derived-2)-like 2 (Nrf2) and Nrf2/ARE transcriptional activity. Concordantly with
      increased Nrf2/ARE transcription, Lut-C6 enhanced superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1)
      mRNA and SOD activity and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLc) mRNA
      and protein levels, while Lut-C4 induced mRNA levels of GCLc only in mutant
      striatal cells. Data suggest that Lut-C6 luteolin derivative (in particular)
      might be relevant for the development of antioxidant strategies in HD.

PMID- 26476056
TI  - Evolution of lung breathing from a lungless primitive vertebrate.
AB  - Air breathing was critical to the terrestrial radiation and evolution of
      tetrapods and arose in fish. The vertebrate lung originated from a progenitor
      structure present in primitive boney fish. The origin of the neural substrates,
      which are sensitive to metabolically produced CO2 and which rhythmically activate
      respiratory muscles to match lung ventilation to metabolic demand, is enigmatic.
      We have found that a distinct periodic centrally generated rhythm, described as
      "cough" and occurring in lamprey in vivo and in vitro, is modulated by central
      sensitivity to CO2. This suggests that elements critical for the evolution of
      breathing in tetrapods, were present in the most basal vertebrate ancestors prior
      to the evolution of the lung. We propose that the evolution of breathing in all
      vertebrates occurred through exaptations derived from these critical basal
      elements. 

PMID- 26476057
TI  - The role of P2Y1 receptor signaling in central respiratory control.
AB  - The profile of P2 receptor signaling in respiratory control has increased
      substantially since the first suggestions more than 15 years ago of roles in
      central chemoreception and modulating inspiratory motor outflow. Part of this
      reflects the paradigm shift that glia participate in information processing and
      that ATP is a major gliotransmitter. P2 receptors are a diverse family. Here, we
      review ATP signaling in respiratory control, highlighting G-protein coupled P2Y1
      receptors that have been a focus of recent work. Despite strong evidence of a
      role for glia and P2 receptor signaling in the central chemosensitivity mediated
      by the retotrapezoid nucleus, P2Y1 receptors do not appear to be directly
      involved. Evidence that central P2 receptors and glia contribute to the hypoxic
      ventilatory response is compelling and P2Y1 receptors are the strongest
      candidate. However, functional significance in vivo, details of the signaling
      pathways and involvement of other receptor subtypes remain important questions.

PMID- 26476058
TI  - Linking climate change mitigation and coastal eutrophication management through
      biogas technology: Evidence from a new Danish bioenergy concept.
AB  - The interest in sustainable bioenergy solutions has gained great importance in
      Europe due to the need to reduce GHG emissions and to meet environmental policy
      targets, not least for the protection of groundwater and surface water quality.
      In the Municipality of Solrod in Denmark, a novel bioenergy concept for anaerobic
      co-digestion of food industry residues, manure and beach-cast seaweed has been
      developed and tested in order to quantify the potential for synergies between
      climate change mitigation and coastal eutrophication management in the Koge Bay
      catchment. The biogas plant, currently under construction, was designed to handle
      an annual input of up to 200,000 t of biomass based on four main fractions:
      pectin wastes, carrageenan wastes, manure and beach-cast seaweed. This paper
      describes how this bioenergy concept can contribute to strengthening the linkages
      between climate change mitigation strategies and Water Framework Directive (WFD)
      action planning. Our assessments of the projected biogas plant indicate an annual
      reduction of GHG emissions of approx. 40,000 t CO2 equivalents, corresponding to
      approx. 1/3 of current total GHG emissions in the Municipality of Solrod. In
      addition, nitrogen and phosphorous loads to Koge Bay are estimated to be reduced
      by approx. 63 t yr.(-1) and 9 tyr.(-1), respectively, contributing to the
      achievement of more than 70% of the nutrient reduction target set for Koge Bay in
      the first WFD river basin management plan. This study shows that anaerobic co
      digestion of the specific food industry residues, pig manure and beach-cast
      seaweed is feasible and that there is a very significant, cost-effective GHG and
      nutrient loading mitigation potential for this bioenergy concept. Our research
      demonstrates how an integrated planning process where considerations about the
      total environment are integrated into the design and decision processes can
      support the development of this kind of holistic bioenergy solutions.

PMID- 26476059
TI  - Comparison of physicochemical properties between fine (PM2.5) and coarse airborne
      particles at cold season in Korea.
AB  - Although it has been well-known that atmospheric aerosols affect negatively the
      local air quality, human health, and climate changes, the chemical and physical
      properties of atmospheric aerosols are not fully understood yet. This study
      experimentally measured the physiochemical characteristics of fine and coarse
      aerosol particles at the suburban area to evaluate relative contribution to
      environmental pollution in consecutive seasons of autumn and winter, 2014-2015,
      using XRD, SEM-EDX, XNI, ICP-MS, and TOF-SIMS. For these experimental works, the
      fine and coarse aerosols were collected by the high volume air sampler for 7 days
      each season. The fine particles contain approximately 10 MUg m(-3) of
      carbonaceous aerosols consisting of 90% organic and 10% elemental carbon. The
      spherical-shape carbonaceous particles were observed for the coarse samples as
      well. Interestingly, the coarse particles in winter showed the increased
      frequency of carbon-rich particles with high contents of heavy metals. These
      results suggest that, for the cold season, the coarse particles could contribute
      relatively more to the conveyance of toxic contaminants compared to the fine
      particles in the study area. However, the fine particles showed acidic properties
      so that their deposition to surface may cause facilitate the increase of mobility
      for toxic heavy metals in soil and groundwater environments. The fine and coarse
      particulate matters, therefore, should be monitored separately with temporal
      variation to evaluate the impact of atmospheric aerosols to environmental
      pollution and human health.

PMID- 26476060
TI  - Role of an organic carbon-rich soil and Fe(III) reduction in reducing the
      toxicity and environmental mobility of chromium(VI) at a COPR disposal site.
AB  - Cr(VI) is an important contaminant found at sites where chromium ore processing
      residue (COPR) is deposited. No low cost treatment exists for Cr(VI) leaching
      from such sites. This study investigated the mechanism of interaction of alkaline
      Cr(VI)-containing leachate with an Fe(II)-containing organic matter rich soil
      beneath the waste. The soil currently contains 0.8% Cr, shown to be present as
      Cr(III)(OH)3 in EXAFS analysis. Lab tests confirmed that the reaction of Cr(VI)
      in site leachate with Fe(II) present in the soil was stoichiometrically correct
      for a reductive mechanism of Cr accumulation. However, the amount of Fe(II)
      present in the soil was insufficient to maintain long term Cr(VI) reduction at
      historic infiltration rates. The soil contains a population of bacteria dominated
      by a Mangroviflexus-like species, that is closely related to known fermentative
      bacteria, and a community capable of sustaining Fe(III) reduction in alkaline
      culture. It is therefore likely that in situ fermentative metabolism supported by
      organic matter in the soil produces more labile organic substrates (lactate was
      detected) that support microbial Fe(III) reduction. It is therefore suggested
      that addition of solid phase organic matter to soils adjacent to COPR may reduce
      the long term spread of Cr(VI) in the environment. 

PMID- 26476061
TI  - Variability in AIRS CO2 during active and break phases of Indian summer monsoon.
AB  - Due to human activities, the atmospheric concentration of Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
      has been rising extensively since the Industrial Revolution. Indian summer
      monsoon (ISM) has a dominant westerly component from ocean to land with a strong
      tendency to ascend and hence may have role in CO2 distribution in lower and
      middle troposphere over Indian sub-continent. A substantial component of ISM
      variability arises from the fluctuations on the intra-seasonal scale between
      active and break phases which correspond to strong and weak monsoon circulation.
      In view of the above, an attempt is made in this study to examine the AIRS/AQUA
      satellite retrieved CO2 distribution in response to atmospheric circulation with
      focus on active and break phase. Correlation analysis indicates the increase in
      AIRS CO2 linked with strong monsoon circulation. Study also reveals that
      anomalous circulation pattern during active and break phase show resemblance with
      high and low values of AIRS CO2. Homogeneous monsoon regions of India show
      substantial increase in CO2 levels during active phase. Hilly regions of India
      show strong contrast in CO2 and vertical velocity during active and break phases.

PMID- 26476062
TI  - Modeling the downward transport of (210)Pb in Peatlands: Initial Penetration
      Constant Rate of Supply (IP-CRS) model.
AB  - The vertical distribution of (210)Pb is commonly used to date peat deposits
      accumulated over the last 100-150 years. However, several studies have questioned
      this method because of an apparent post-depositional mobility of (210)Pb within
      some peat profiles. In this study, we introduce the Initial Penetration-Constant
      Rate of Supply (IP-CRS) model for calculating ages derived from 210Pb profiles
      that are altered by an initial migration of the radionuclide. This new, two
      phased, model describes the distribution of atmospheric-derived (210)Pb
      ((210)Pbxs) in peat taking into account both incorporation of (210)Pb into the
      accumulating peat matrix as well as an initial flushing of (210)Pb through the
      uppermost peat layers. The validity of the IP-CRS model is tested in four
      anomalous (210)Pb peat records that showed some deviations from the typical
      exponential decay profile not explained by variations in peat accumulation rates.
      Unlike the most commonly used (210)Pb-dating model (Constant Rate of Supply
      (CRS)), the IP-CRS model estimates peat accumulation rates consistent with
      typical growth rates for peatlands from the same areas. Confidence in the IP-CRS
      chronology is also provided by the good agreement with independent chronological
      markers (i.e. (241)Am and (137)Cs). Our results showed that the IP-CRS can
      provide chronologies from peat records where (210)Pb mobility is evident, being a
      valuable tool for studies reconstructing past environmental changes using peat
      archives during the Anthropocene.

PMID- 26476063
TI  - Concentrations and patterns of organochlorines (OCs) in various fish species from
      the Indus River, Pakistan: A human health risk assessment.
AB  - The present study was conducted to reveal the concentrations and patterns of
      organochlorines [i.e., organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated
      biphenyls (PCBs)] in freshwater fish species collected from four ecologically
      important sites of the Indus River i.e., Taunsa (TAU), Rahim Yar Khan (RYK),
      Guddu (GUD) and Sukkur (SUK). In the fish muscle tissues, concentrations of 15
      OCPs (?15OCPs) and 29 PCBs (?29PCBs) varied between 1.93-61.9 and 0.81-44.2 ng/g
      wet weight (ww), respectively. Overall, the rank order of OCs was
      DDTs>PCBs>hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs)>chlordanes (CHLs). The patterns of PCBs
      showed maximum contribution of tri-CBs (59%). Ratios of individual HCH and DDT
      analytes contributing to the summed values indicated both recent and past use of
      these chemicals in the region, depending upon fish species. To assess the
      associated health risks, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were calculated
      through hazard ratios (HRs). For carcinogenic risk, HR was >1 at both 50th and
      95th percentile concentrations, suggesting that the daily exposure to OCPs and
      PCBs yields a lifetime cancer risk of 1 in a million. HR for non-cancerous risk
      was <1 at both the percentiles, signifying no adverse effect by OCs exposure in
      native population.

PMID- 26476064
TI  - Association of environmental benzo[a]pyrene exposure and DNA methylation
      alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma: A Chinese case-control study.
AB  - Epidemiological studies implicate environmental risk factors and epigenetic
      alterations in the multistage process of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
      development. However, associations between environmental factors and DNA
      methylation of tumour suppressor genes (TSGs) in HCC development remain
      ambiguous. Understanding how possible interactions influence risk may provide
      insights into the complexity of hepato-carcinogenesis. For this study, blood
      samples were collected from HCC patients (n=90) and healthy volunteers (n=99)
      from Xiamen (China) and data for selected environmental risk factors [e.g.,
      benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), hepatitis B or C virus (HBV or HCV) infection, smoking
      and alcohol consumption] were recorded; factors identified as significantly
      higher (P<0.05) amongst case subjects compared to controls were identified. In
      order to assess associations for epigenetic alterations and HCC risk factors,
      serum DNA methylation of TSGs was quantified using high-resolution melting (HRM)
      analysis. Our results clearly indicate elevated methylation patterns for
      detoxification gene [glutathione-S-transferase Pi (GSTP)] promoter regions in
      cases compared to control subjects. Additionally, GSTP promoter hypermethylation
      and B[a]P diol epoxide-albumin (BPDE-Alb) were positively correlated with HCC
      incidence. Our epidemiological and in vitro cell model studies indicated that
      GSTP promoter DNA methylation regulates this gene's expression. Moreover, GSTP
      also plays an important role in B[a]P detoxification and potential protective
      role against B[a]P-induced liver cell toxicity and hepato-carcinogenesis. 

PMID- 26476065
TI  - Occurrence and origin of methane in groundwater in Alberta (Canada): Gas
      geochemical and isotopic approaches.
AB  - To assess potential future impacts on shallow aquifers by leakage of natural gas
      from unconventional energy resource development it is essential to establish a
      reliable baseline. Occurrence of methane in shallow groundwater in Alberta
      between 2006 and 2014 was assessed and was ubiquitous in 186 sampled monitoring
      wells. Free and dissolved gas sampling and measurement approaches yielded
      comparable results with low methane concentrations in shallow groundwater, but in
      28 samples from 21 wells methane exceeded 10mg/L in dissolved gas and 300,000
      ppmv in free gas. Methane concentrations in free and dissolved gas samples were
      found to increase with well depth and were especially elevated in groundwater
      obtained from aquifers containing coal seams and shale units. Carbon isotope
      ratios of methane averaged -69.7 +/- 11.10/00 (n=63) in free gas and -65.6 +/-
      8.90/00 (n=26) in dissolved gas. delta(13)C values were not found to vary with
      well depth or lithology indicating that methane in Alberta groundwater was
      derived from a similar source. The low delta(13)C values in concert with average
      delta(2)HCH4 values of -289 +/- 440/00 (n=45) suggest that most methane was of
      biogenic origin predominantly generated via CO2 reduction. This interpretation is
      confirmed by dryness parameters typically >500 due to only small amounts of
      ethane and a lack of propane in most samples. Comparison with mud gas profile
      carbon isotope data revealed that methane in the investigated shallow groundwater
      in Alberta is isotopically similar to hydrocarbon gases found in 100-250 meter
      depths in the WCSB and is currently not sourced from thermogenic hydrocarbon
      occurrences in deeper portions of the basin. The chemical and isotopic data for
      methane gas samples obtained from Alberta groundwater provide an excellent
      baseline against which potential future impact of deeper stray gases on shallow
      aquifers can be assessed.

PMID- 26476066
TI  - Comparative test of ecological assessment methods of lowland streams based on
      long-term monitoring data of macrophytes.
AB  - Ecological assessment of water courses is required by the European Water
      Framework Directive (WFD). Assessment by means of macrophytes is impeded by
      insufficient knowledge on the relations between assessment scores and the
      dynamics of environmental parameters. Data from a long-term observation of
      macrophyte dynamics over 21 years in two lowland rivers were used for testing the
      performance of six widely used assessment methods. Six sample sites situated in
      two lowland streams were selected. Four sites were classified as of moderate
      habitat quality and two sites as of poor habitat quality in the context of WFD.
      Assessment methods generally showed a poor performance in recognizing the
      ecological status of the annual observations. Status was more often over- than
      underestimated. Performance of methods differed among individual rivers and among
      river zones. Assessment scores mostly showed a steady decline, even though all
      sites obviously remained in the same habitat quality class throughout the
      observation period. Variation of most environmental factors was largely unrelated
      to assessment scores. Fluctuations of assessment scores were partly related to
      single natural disturbance events such as high discharge. Increased shading by
      marginal trees was reflected negatively by most assessment scores. Assessment
      scores were highly correlated with species richness and total abundance. The best
      overall performance was shown by the North-Rhine Westphalian (NRW) method. In
      contrast to single metric methods it can be adapted to individual properties of a
      reach in a flexible way. Macrophyte assessment based on the pressure-impact
      framework did not lead to a satisfying result in our case study. Improvement of
      species assessment scores and inclusion of functional properties such as growth
      form may help to overcome the present difficulties.

PMID- 26476067
TI  - Dissolved inorganic carbon speciation in aquatic environments and its application
      to monitor algal carbon uptake.
AB  - Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) speciation is an important parameter that
      enables chemical and ecological changes in aquatic environments, such as the
      aquatic environmental impact of increasing atmospheric CO2 levels, to be
      monitored. We have examined and developed a sensitive and cost-effective 'back
      titration' method to determine the DIC species and abundance in aqueous
      environments that is more accurate and reproducible than existing methods and is
      applicable in a range of fresh, brackish and sea waters. We propose the use of
      pHHCO3 (bicarbonate-dominant pH) and pH3.5 as the titration end points in the
      back-titration technique to accurately determine carbonate alkalinity. The
      proposed method has a higher accuracy and precision than other modified Gran's
      methods that are currently in use. The detection limit was found to be ~5 MUmol
      kg(-1) with an accuracy within 1% and a precision (CV) within 0.2% and 0.5% at
      high and low level of carbonates, respectively. This method was successfully
      applied to monitor DIC in the aqueous medium of Nannochlopsis salina cultivation
      separately carried out with NaHCO3 and CO2 as the respective inorganic carbon
      source. The cells were able to grow in the NaHCO3 medium with a similar growth
      curve to cells with 0.039% CO2 (air). Increases in CO2 level stimulated lipid
      accumulation by diverting the fixed carbon from protein to lipids. The increased
      concentration of gaseous CO2 and the accompanying lower pH appears to
      significantly inhibit the growth of algae despite the presence of HCO3(-) when
      20% CO2 was employed.

PMID- 26476068
TI  - Influence of relief on permanent preservation areas.
AB  - Many countries have environmental legislation to protecting natural resources on
      private property. In Brazil, the Brazilian Forestry Code determines specific
      areas to maintain with natural vegetation cover, known as areas of permanent
      preservation (APP). Currently, there are few studies that relate topographic
      variables on APP. In this context, we sought to evaluate the influence of relief
      on the conservation of areas of permanent preservation (APP) in the areas
      surrounding Caparao National Park, Brazil. By using the chi-squared statistical
      test, we verified that the presence of forest cover is closely associated with
      altitude. The classes of APP in better conservation status are slopes in addition
      to hilltops and mountains, whereas APP streams and springs are among the areas
      most affected by human activities. The most deforested areas are located at
      altitudes below 1100.00 m and on slopes less than 45 degrees . All orientations
      of the sides were significant for APP conservation status, with the southern,
      southeastern, and southwestern sides showing the lower degrees of impact. The
      methodology can be adjusted to environmental legislation to other countries.

PMID- 26476069
TI  - Use of physicochemical signatures to assess the sources of metals in urban road
      dust.
AB  - Road deposited dust is a complex mixture of pollutants derived from a wide range
      of sources. Accurate identification of these sources is seminal for effective
      source-oriented control measures. A range of techniques such as enrichment factor
      analysis (EF), principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster
      analysis (HCA) are available for identifying sources of complex mixtures.
      However, they have multiple deficiencies when applied individually. This study
      presents an approach for the effective utilisation of EF, PCA and HCA for source
      identification, so that their specific deficiencies on an individual basis are
      eliminated. EF analysis confirmed the non-soil origin of metals such as Na, Cu,
      Cd, Zn, Sn, K, Ca, Sb, Ba, Ti, Ni and Mo providing guidance in the identification
      of anthropogenic sources. PCA and HCA identified four sources, with soil and
      asphalt wear in combination being the most prominent sources. Other sources were
      tyre wear, brake wear and sea salt. 

PMID- 26476070
TI  - Calculations of 21 Lambda-S and 42 Omega states of BC molecule: Potential energy
      curves, spectroscopic parameters and spin-orbit coupling effect.
AB  - The potential energy curves (PECs) were calculated for the 42 Omega states
      generated from the 21 Lambda-S states (X(4)Sigma(-), A(4)Pi, B(4)Sigma(-),
      a(2)Pi, b(2)Sigma(-), c(2)Delta, d(2)Sigma(+), e(2)Pi, 3(2)Pi, 4(2)Pi, 5(2)Pi,
      2(2)Sigma(-), 3(2)Sigma(-), 2(2)Sigma(+), 3(2)Sigma(+), 2(2)Delta, 3(2)Delta,
      1(4)Sigma(+), 2(4)Pi, 1(4)Delta and 1(2)Phi), which originated from the lowest
      two dissociation channels, B((2)Pu)+C((3)Pg) and B((2)Pu)+C((1)Dg), of the BC
      molecule. The PECs were calculated for internuclear separations from 0.08 to 1.10
      nm using the CASSCF method, which was followed by the icMRCI approach with the
      aug-cc-pV6Z basis set. Of these 21 Lambda-S states, the e(2)Pi, 2(2)Delta,
      2(2)Sigma(-), 4(2)Pi, 1(2)Phi and 3(2)Delta possess the double wells. The A(4)Pi,
      a(2)Pi, c(2)Delta, 2(4)Pi, 4(2)Pi, 5(2)Pi, 1(4)Delta and 1(2)Phi states are
      inverted with the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) effect taken into account. The first
      well of e(2)Pi state and the second well of 4(2)Pi and 2(2)Delta states do not
      have any vibrational states whether with or without the SOC effect included. All
      the Lambda-S and Omega states involved in this paper are bound states. Scalar
      relativistic correction was included by the third-order Douglas-Kroll Hamiltonian
      approximation at the level of an aug-cc-pV5Z basis set. Core-valence correlation
      correction was included at the level of an aug-cc-pCV5Z basis set. The SOC effect
      was accounted for by the state interaction method with the Breit-Pauli
      Hamiltonian and the all-electron cc-pCV5Z basis set. The PECs of all the states
      were extrapolated to the complete basis set limit. The spectroscopic parameters
      were obtained. The vibrational properties of several Lambda-S and Omega states
      with the relatively shallow wells were evaluated. The SOC effect on the
      spectroscopic parameters is not obvious for almost all the states. The
      spectroscopic properties reported in this paper can be expected to be reliably
      predicted ones.

PMID- 26476071
TI  - Growth and characterization of novel organic 3-Hydroxy Benzaldehyde-N-methyl 4
      Stilbazolium Tosylate crystals for NLO applications.
AB  - The 3-Hydroxy Benzaldehyde-N-methyl 4-Stilbazolium Tosylate (3- HBST) is a new
      organic NLO crystal and it is a new derivative in stilbazolium tosylate family.
      In this work we have synthesized 3-HBST and the single crystal was grown by
      conventional slow cooling method. The structure and lattice parameters of the
      grown crystal were determined by the single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD)
      technique and it is exhibiting good crystalline nature which is observed from the
      powder XRD. In order to check the crystalline quality the rocking curve was
      recorded using multi crystal X-ray diffractometer. The functional groups were
      identified from both FTIR and NMR spectral analyses. The pi-pi* and n-pi* optical
      transition energy levels were estimated from the absorption peaks. The NLO
      property was confirmed by measuring relative SHG efficiency by Kurtz powder test;
      it shows 24 times higher SHG efficiency than that of urea. In order to test the
      mechanical stability the Vickers and Knoop micro hardness measurement were
      carried out and found that the micro hardness number decreases with increasing
      load. The melting point was determined from Differential Scanning Colorimetry
      (DSC). 

PMID- 26476072
TI  - Terahertz absorption spectra and potential energy distribution of liquid
      crystals.
AB  - In this work, the terahertz (THz) absorption spectra of a set of nematic liquid
      crystals were studied using the density functional theories (DFT). An accurate
      assignment of the vibrational modes corresponding to absorption frequencies were
      performed using potential energy distribution (PED) in a frequency range of 0-3
      THz. The impacts of different core structures on THz absorption spectra were
      discussed. The results indicate that scope of application must be considered in
      the LC-based THz device designing. This proposed work may give a useful
      suggestion on the design of novel liquid crystal material in THz wave.

PMID- 26476073
TI  - Pericarditis Associated With Human Herpesvirus-6 Reactivation in a Patient After
      Unrelated Cord Blood Transplant.
AB  - A 53-year-old woman with myelodysplastic syndrome received a cord blood
      transplant because she had frequent episodes of febrile neutropenia. As a
      conditioning regimen for transplant, she received 12 Gy total body irradiation,
      intravenous cytosine arabinoside 3 g/m2 every 12 hours on days -5 and -4, and
      cyclophosphamide 60 mg/kg/day on days -3 and -2. She received tacrolimus and
      short-term methotrexate treatment as prophylaxis for graft-versus-host disease.
      Her cardiac function was normal before transplant. She developed acute heart
      failure with a mild pericardial effusion 11 days after transplant, but her
      failure improved with a diuretic, vasodilator, and inotropic agent. She
      complained of dyspnea, and chest auscultation revealed pericardial friction rubs
      on day 28. Massive pericardial effusion was detected by echocardiography and
      pericarditis was diagnosed. The pericardial space was drained by
      pericardiocentesis. The pericardial fluid was exudative, but no bacteria or fungi
      were cultured. On viral polymerase chain reaction examination, human herpesvirus
      6 was detected at a level of 3 * 104 copies/mL in the pericardial effusion, but
      not in the peripheral blood. With conservative treatment alone, that did not
      include antiviral therapy, her symptoms disappeared on day 56. We conclude that
      human herpesvirus-6 reactivation may have been associated with her pericarditis.

PMID- 26476074
TI  - Orthodontic bonding with and without primer: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence of failure of brackets bonded with and
      without primer. DESIGN: A single-operator, cross-mouth, randomized controlled
      trial (RCT). SETTING: The Orthodontic Department at the Postgraduate Dental
      Education Centre, Orebro, Sweden. ETHICAL APPROVAL: Ethical approval was granted
      by the Regional Ethical Review Board, Uppsala, Sweden. PROTOCOL: The protocol was
      not published before trial commencement. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fifty consecutive
      patients requiring bimaxillary orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances and
      with an equal number of teeth on each side of the dental arch, were included in
      this RCT. A cross-mouth methodology was applied. In each patient, two diagonal
      quadrants (i.e. upper right and lower left, or vice versa) were randomly assigned
      to the primer group (control group) and the contralateral diagonal quadrants to
      the non-primer group (experimental group). The randomization process was as
      follows: A computer-manufactured block-randomization list was acquired and stored
      with a research secretary at the Postgraduate Dental Education Centre. Each time
      a patient gave consent, the secretary was contacted by e-mail, and information
      about which quadrants were to be bonded with and without primer was obtained. All
      incidents of bracket failure and debonding noted in patient records during the
      2012-14 observation period were compiled by the other co-author, whom was blinded
      to the study and did not perform any orthodontic treatment on the study patients.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of bracket failures over 18 months. RESULTS:
      Failure rate without primer was 5.5 per cent and with primer 3.1 per cent; P =
      0.063, odds ratio (OR) 1.89 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.97-3.68] in the
      adjusted model. Younger ages (10-13 years), boys, and mandible were significantly
      associated with higher failure rates. Interaction tests indicated that younger
      patients had significantly higher failure rates without (12.1 per cent) than with
      primer (4.1 per cent), P < 0.001, OR 3.51 (95% CI 1.93-6.38) in the adjusted
      model. No failure rate differences between study settings were found for older
      patients (14-18 years). LIMITATIONS: The difference between two groups was
      powered at 5 per cent. Some clinicians may consider a difference less than 5 per
      cent clinically significant. CONCLUSION: Bonding Victory SeriesTM brackets with
      TransbondTM XT with or without TransbondTM MIP primer seems overall to work
      equally well in a clinical setting, except in younger children where lower
      failure rate was found in the primer setting.

PMID- 26476075
TI  - Increasing the Therapeutic Ratio of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy by
      Individualized Isotoxic Dose Prescription.
AB  - To obtain a favorable tradeoff between treatment benefits and morbidity
      ("therapeutic ratio"), radiotherapy (RT) dose is prescribed according to the
      tumor volume, with the goal of controlling the disease while respecting normal
      tissue tolerance levels. We propose a new paradigm for tumor dose prescription in
      stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) based on organ-at-risk (OAR) tolerance
      levels called isotoxic dose prescription (IDP), which is derived from experiences
      and limitations of conventionally fractionated radiotherapy. With IDP, the
      radiation dose is prescribed based on the predefined level of normal tissue
      complication probability of a nearby dose-limiting OAR at a prespecified dose
      volume constraint. Simultaneously, the prescribed total tumor dose (TTD) is
      maximized to the technically highest achievable level in order to increase the
      local tumor control probability (TCP). IDP is especially relevant for tumors
      located at eloquent locations or for large tumors in which severe toxicity has
      been described. IDP will result in a lower RT dose or a treatment scheduled with
      more fractions if the OAR tolerance level is exceeded, and potential dose
      escalation occurs when the OAR tolerance level allows it and when it is expected
      to be beneficial (if TCP < 90%). For patients with small tumors at noneloquent
      sites, the current SABR dose prescription already results in high rates of local
      control at low toxicity rates. In this review, the concept of IDP is described in
      the context of SABR. 

PMID- 26476076
TI  - Pharmacological Targeting SHP-1-STAT3 Signaling Is a Promising Therapeutic
      Approach for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - STAT3 activation is associated with poor prognosis in human colorectal cancer
      (CRC). Our previous data demonstrated that regorafenib (Stivarga) is a
      pharmacological agonist of SH2 domain-containing phosphatase 1 (SHP-1) that
      enhances SHP-1 activity and induces apoptosis by targeting STAT3 signals in CRC.
      This study aimed to find a therapeutic drug that is more effective than
      regorafenib for CRC treatment. Here, we showed that SC-43 was more effective than
      regorafenib at inducing apoptosis in vitro and suppressing tumorigenesis in vivo.
      SC-43 significantly increased SHP-1 activity, downregulated p-STAT3(Tyr705)
      level, and induced apoptosis in CRC cells. An SHP-1 inhibitor or knockdown of SHP
      1 by siRNA both significantly rescued the SC-43-induced apoptosis and decreased p
      STAT3(Tyr705) level. Conversely, SHP-1 overexpression increased the effects of SC
      43 on apoptosis and p-STAT3(Tyr705) level. These data suggest that SC-43-induced
      apoptosis mediated through the loss of p-STAT3(Tyr705) was dependent on SHP-1
      function. Importantly, SC-43-enhanced SHP-1 activity was because of the docking
      potential of SC-43, which relieved the autoinhibited N-SH2 domain of SHP-1 and
      inhibited p-STAT3(Tyr705) signals. Importantly, we observed that a significant
      negative correlation existed between SHP-1 and p-STAT3(Tyr705)expression in CRC
      patients (P = .038). Patients with strong SHP-1 and weak p-STAT3(Tyr705)
      expression had significantly higher overall survival compared with patients with
      weak SHP-1 and strong p-STAT3(Tyr705) expression (P = .029). In conclusion, SHP-1
      is suitable to be a useful prognostic marker and a pharmacological target for CRC
      treatment. Targeting SHP-1-STAT3 signaling by SC-43 may serve as a promising
      pharmacotherapy for CRC.

PMID- 26476077
TI  - Inducing Oncoprotein Degradation to Improve Targeted Cancer Therapy.
AB  - Over the past decade, inhibition of the kinase activities of oncogenic proteins
      using small molecules and antibodies has been a mainstay of our anticancer drug
      development effort, resulting in several Food and Drug Administration-approved
      cancer therapies. The clinical effectiveness of kinase-targeted agents has been
      inconsistent, mostly because of the development of resistance. The expression and
      function of oncoproteins and tumor suppressors are regulated by numerous
      posttranslational protein modifications including phosphorylation,
      ubiquitination, and acetylation; hence, targeting specific posttranslational
      protein modifications provides for an attractive strategy for anticancer drug
      development. The present review discusses the hypothesis that targeted
      degradation of an oncoprotein may overcome many of the shortcomings seen with
      kinase inhibitors and that the approach would enable targeted inhibition of
      oncogenic proteins previously thought to be undruggable.

PMID- 26476078
TI  - Identification of a Selective G1-Phase Benzimidazolone Inhibitor by a Senescence
      Targeted Virtual Screen Using Artificial Neural Networks.
AB  - Cellular senescence is a barrier to tumorigenesis in normal cells, and tumor
      cells undergo senescence responses to genotoxic stimuli, which is a potential
      target phenotype for cancer therapy. However, in this setting, mixed-mode
      responses are common with apoptosis the dominant effect. Hence, more selective
      senescence inducers are required. Here we report a machine learning-based in
      silico screen to identify potential senescence agonists. We built profiles of
      differentially affected biological process networks from expression data obtained
      under induced telomere dysfunction conditions in colorectal cancer cells and
      matched these to a panel of 17 protein targets with confirmatory screening data
      in PubChem. We trained a neural network using 3517 compounds identified as active
      or inactive against these targets. The resulting classification model was used to
      screen a virtual library of ~2M lead-like compounds. One hundred and forty-seven
      virtual hits were acquired for validation in growth inhibition and senescence
      associated beta-galactosidase assays. Among the found hits, a benzimidazolone
      compound, CB-20903630, had low micromolar IC50 for growth inhibition of HCT116
      cells and selectively induced senescence-associated beta-galactosidase activity
      in the entire treated cell population without cytotoxicity or apoptosis
      induction. Growth suppression was mediated by G1 blockade involving increased p21
      expression and suppressed cyclin B1, CDK1, and CDC25C. In addition, the compound
      inhibited growth of multicellular spheroids and caused severe retardation of
      population kinetics in long-term treatments. Preliminary structure-activity and
      structure clustering analyses are reported, and expression analysis of CB
      20903630 against other cell cycle suppressor compounds suggested a PI3K/AKT
      inhibitor-like profile in normal cells, with different pathways affected in
      cancer cells.

PMID- 26476079
TI  - Confirmatory Trials in the Evaluation of Anticancer Medicinal Products in Man-
      PFS2: A Measure of Therapeutic Action-At-A-Distance.
AB  - Overall survival (OS) has emerged as the definitive regulatory "be-all, end-all"
      for the demonstration of benefit in cancer clinical trials. The reason and the
      rationale for why this is so are easily appreciated: literally a "test of time,"
      OS is a seemingly unambiguous, agenda-free end point, independent of bias-prone
      variables such as the frequency and methods of assessment, clinical evaluation,
      and the definition of progression. However, by general consensus, OS is an
      imperfect end point for several reasons: First, it may often be impractical
      because of the length, cost, and the size of clinical trials. Second, OS captures
      the impact of subsequent therapies, both beneficial (i.e., active) and
      detrimental, on survival but it does not take into account the contribution of
      subsequent therapies by treatment arm; the postprogression period is treated as
      an unknown black box (no information about the potential influence of next-line
      therapies on the outcome) under the implicit assumption that the clinical trial
      treatment is the only clinical variable that matters: what OS explicitly measures
      is the destination, that is, the elapsed time between the date of randomization
      (or intention to treat) and the date of death, not the journey, that is, what
      transpires in-between. In long-term maintenance strategies, patients receive
      treatment in temporally separated but mutually interdependent and causally linked
      sequences that exert a "field of influence" akin to action-at-a-distance forces
      like gravity, electricity, and magnetism on both the tumor and each other. Hence,
      in this setting, a new end point, PFS2, is required to measure this field of
      influence. This article reviews the definition and use in clinical trials of PFS2
      and makes the case for its potential applicability as a preferred end point to
      measure the mutual influence of individual regimens in long-term maintenance
      strategies with resensitizing agents in particular.

PMID- 26476080
TI  - Lysophosphatidic Acid Up-Regulates Hexokinase II and Glycolysis to Promote
      Proliferation of Ovarian Cancer Cells.
AB  - Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a blood-borne lipid mediator, is present in elevated
      concentrations in ascites of ovarian cancer patients and other malignant
      effusions. LPA is a potent mitogen in cancer cells. The mechanism linking LPA
      signal to cancer cell proliferation is not well understood. Little is known about
      whether LPA affects glucose metabolism to accommodate rapid proliferation of
      cancer cells. Here we describe that in ovarian cancer cells, LPA enhances
      glycolytic rate and lactate efflux. A real time PCR-based miniarray showed that
      hexokinase II (HK2) was the most dramatically induced glycolytic gene to promote
      glycolysis in LPA-treated cells. Analysis of the human HK2 gene promoter
      identified the sterol regulatory element-binding protein as the primary mediator
      of LPA-induced HK2 transcription. The effects of LPA on HK2 and glycolysis rely
      on LPA2, an LPA receptor subtype overexpressed in ovarian cancer and many other
      malignancies. We further examined the general role of growth factor-induced
      glycolysis in cell proliferation. Like LPA, epidermal growth factor (EGF)
      elicited robust glycolytic and proliferative responses in ovarian cancer cells.
      Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and insulin, however, potently stimulated
      cell proliferation but only modestly induced glycolysis. Consistent with their
      differential effects on glycolysis, LPA and EGF-dependent cell proliferation was
      highly sensitive to glycolytic inhibition while the growth-promoting effect of
      IGF-1 or insulin was more resistant. These results indicate that LPA- and EGF
      induced cell proliferation selectively involves up-regulation of HK2 and
      glycolytic metabolism. The work is the first to implicate LPA signaling in
      promotion of glucose metabolism in cancer cells.

PMID- 26476081
TI  - Patient-Derived Tumor Xenografts Are Susceptible to Formation of Human
      Lymphocytic Tumors.
AB  - Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumor models have emerged as a new approach to
      evaluate the effects of cancer drugs on patients' personalized tumor grafts
      enabling to select the best treatment for the cancer patient and providing a new
      tool for oncology drug developers. Here, we report that human tumors engrafted in
      immunodeficient mice are susceptible to formation of B-and T-cell PDX tumors. We
      xenografted human primary and metastatic tumor samples into immunodeficient mice
      and found that a fraction of PDX tumors generated from patients' samples of
      breast, colon, pancreatic, bladder and renal cancer were histologically similar
      to lymphocytic neoplasms. Moreover, we found that the first passage of breast and
      pancreatic cancer PDX tumors after initial transplantation of the tumor pieces
      from the same human tumor graft could grow as a lymphocytic tumor in one mouse
      and as an adenocarcinoma in another mouse. Whereas subcutaneous PDX tumors
      resembling human adenocarcinoma histology were slow growing and non-metastatic,
      we found that subcutaneous PDX lymphocytic tumors were fast growing and formed
      large metastatic lesions in mouse lymph nodes, liver, lungs, and spleen. PDX
      lymphocytic tumors were comprised of B-cells which were Epstein-Barr virus
      positive and expressed CD45 and CD20. Because B-cells are typically present in
      malignant solid tumors, formation of B-cell tumor may evolve in a wide range of
      PDX tumor models. Although PDX tumor models show great promise in the development
      of personalized therapy for cancer patients, our results suggest that confidence
      in any given PDX tumor model requires careful screening of lymphocytic markers.

PMID- 26476083
TI  - Increased Levels of sENG and sVCAM-1 and Decreased Levels of VEGF in Severe
      Preeclampsia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia (PE) is characterized by hypertension and proteinuria
      after the 20th week in pregnant women who have had no previous symptoms.
      Clinically, it is important to diagnose the severe form of the disease, in which
      blood pressure is much higher. Imbalance between angiogenic and antiangiogenic
      factors, as well as changes in adhesion molecules seem to contribute to the
      endothelial dysfunction and PE clinical manifestations. The aim of this study was
      to assess plasma levels of the angiogenic factors (free vascular endothelial
      growth factor (VEGF) and soluble endoglin (sEng)) and adhesion molecules (soluble
      forms of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and soluble forms of
      vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1)) in severe PE (sPE), in order to
      clarify the circulating profile of these factors. METHODS: Sixty women with sPE
      (34 with early sPE and 26 with late sPE), and 60 normotensive pregnant were
      enrolled in this study. Free VEGF, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, and sEng plasma levels were
      determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Increased sEng and sVCAM-1 and decreased free VEGF
      plasma levels were found in women with sPE, compared with normotensive pregnant
      group. However, no significant difference was observed comparing early and late
      sPE. CONCLUSION: Our data confirm the imbalance in changes in angiogenic and
      antiangiogenic factors, as well changes in adhesion molecule (sVCAM-1) in PE.
      These findings give support to the hypothesis that circulating angiogenic
      proteins and endothelial dysfunction may have an important biologic role in PE.
      Data from prospective, longitudinal studies producing serial determinations of
      these molecules throughout pregnancy are needed to better understanding the
      relevance of these markers in PE diagnosis and prognosis.

PMID- 26476082
TI  - SUMOylation Confers Posttranslational Stability on NPM-ALK Oncogenic Protein.
AB  - Nucleophosmin-anaplastic lymphoma kinase-expressing (NPM-ALK+) T-cell lymphoma is
      an aggressive form of cancer that commonly affects children and adolescents. The
      expression of NPM-ALK chimeric oncogene results from the chromosomal
      translocation t(2;5)(p23;q35) that causes the fusion of the ALK and NPM genes.
      This translocation generates the NPM-ALK protein tyrosine kinase that forms the
      constitutively activated NPM-ALK/NPM-ALK homodimers. In addition, NPM-ALK is
      structurally associated with wild-type NPM to form NPM/NPM-ALK heterodimers,
      which can translocate to the nucleus. The mechanisms that sustain the stability
      of NPM-ALK are not fully understood. SUMOylation is a posttranslational
      modification that is characterized by the reversible conjugation of small
      ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMOs) with target proteins. SUMO competes with
      ubiquitin for substrate binding and therefore, SUMOylation is believed to protect
      target proteins from proteasomal degradation. Moreover, SUMOylation contributes
      to the subcellular distribution of target proteins. Herein, we found that the
      SUMOylation pathway is deregulated in NPM-ALK+ T-cell lymphoma cell lines and
      primary lymphoma tumors from patients. We also identified Lys24 and Lys32 within
      the NPM domain as the sites where NPM-ALK conjugates with SUMO-1 and SUMO-3.
      Importantly, antagonizing SUMOylation by the SENP1 protease decreased the
      accumulation of NPM-ALK and suppressed lymphoma cell viability, proliferation,
      and anchorage-independent colony formation. One possible mechanism for the SENP1
      mediated decrease in NPM-ALK levels was the increase in NPM-ALK association with
      ubiquitin, which facilitates its degradation. Our findings propose a model in
      which aberrancies in SUMOylation contribute to the pathogenesis of NPM-ALK+ T
      cell lymphoma. Unraveling such pathogenic mechanisms may lead to devising novel
      strategies to eliminate this aggressive neoplasm.

PMID- 26476084
TI  - The Diurnal Profile of Central Hemodynamics in a General Uruguayan Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: No previous population study assessed the diurnal profile of central
      arterial properties. METHODS: In 167 participants (mean age, 56.1 years; 63.5%
      women), randomly recruited in Montevideo, Uruguay, we used the oscillometric
      Mobil-O-Graph 24-h PWA monitor to measure peripheral and central systolic (SBP),
      diastolic (DBP), and pulse (PP) pressures and central hemodynamics standardized
      to a heart rate of 75 bpm, including aortic pulse wave velocity, systolic
      augmentation (first/second peak * 100), and pressure amplification (peripheral
      PP/central PP). RESULTS: Over 24 hours, day and night, peripheral minus central
      differences in SBP/DBP and in PP averaged 12.2/-1.1, 14.0/-0.7, and 9.7/0.2mm Hg
      and 12.6, 14.7, and 9.5mm Hg, respectively (P < 0.001 except for nighttime DBP (P
      = 0.38)). The central-to-peripheral ratios of SBP, DBP, and PP were 0.89, 1.00,
      and 0.70 unadjusted, but after accounting for anthropometric characteristics
      decreased to 0.74, 0.97, and 0.63, respectively, with strong influence of height
      for SBP and DBP and of sex for PP. From day (10-20h) to nighttime (0-6h),
      peripheral (-10.4/-10.5 mm Hg) and central (-6.0/-11.3mm Hg) SBP/DBP, pulse wave
      velocity (-0.7 m/s) and pressure amplification (-0.05) decreased (P < 0.001),
      whereas central PP (+5.3mm Hg) and systolic augmentation (+2.3%) increased (P <
      0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The diurnal rhythm of central pressure runs in parallel with
      that of peripheral pressure, but the nocturnal fall in SBP is smaller centrally
      than peripherally. pulse wave velocity, systolic augmentation, and pressure
      amplification loop through the day with high pulse wave velocity and pressure
      amplification but low systolic augmentation in the evening and opposite trends in
      the morning.

PMID- 26476085
TI  - Association Analysis of FOXO3 Longevity Variants With Blood Pressure and
      Essential Hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The minor alleles of 3 FOXO3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)-
      rs2802292 , rs2253310 , and rs2802288 -are associated with human longevity. The
      aim of the present study was to test these SNPs for association with blood
      pressure (BP) and essential hypertension (EHT). METHODS: In a primary study
      involving Americans of Japanese ancestry drawn from the Family Blood Pressure
      Program II we genotyped 411 female and 432 male subjects aged 40-79 years and
      tested for statistical association by contingency table analysis and generalized
      linear models that included logistic regression adjusting for sibling correlation
      in the data set. Replication of rs2802292 with EHT was attempted in Japanese
      SONIC study subjects and of each SNP in a meta-analysis of genome-wide
      association studies of BP in individuals of European ancestry. RESULTS: In
      Americans of Japanese ancestry, women homozygous for the longevity-associated
      (minor) allele of each FOXO3 SNP had 6mm Hg lower systolic BP and 3mm Hg lower
      diastolic BP compared with major allele homozygotes (Bonferroni corrected P <
      0.05 and >0.05, respectively). Frequencies of minor allele homozygotes were 3.3
      3.9% in women with EHT compared with 9.5-9.6% in normotensive women ( P = 0.03
      0.04; haplotype analysis P = 0.0002). No association with BP or EHT was evident
      in males. An association with EHT was seen for the minor allele of rs2802292 in
      the Japanese SONIC cohort ( P = 0.03), while in European subjects the minor
      allele of each SNP was associated with higher systolic and diastolic BP.
      CONCLUSION: Longevity-associated FOXO3 variants may be associated with lower BP
      and EHT in Japanese women.

PMID- 26476086
TI  - Effect of Intensive Blood Pressure Lowering on Incident Atrial Fibrillation and P
      Wave Indices in the ACCORD Blood Pressure Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are no proven strategies to prevent atrial fibrillation (AF) in
      patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). We compared standard blood pressure (BP)
      lowering vs. intensive BP lowering in reducing incidence of AF or P-wave indices
      (PWI-ECG markers of left atrial abnormality that are considered intermediate
      phenotypes of AF) in patients with T2DM. METHODS: We analyzed data from the
      ACCORD BP trial-a randomized controlled nonblinded trial (2001-2009) which
      randomized patients with T2DM and systolic BP (SBP) 130-180mm Hg on <=3
      antihypertensive medications aged 40-79 years with cardiovascular disease (CVD)
      or aged 55-79 years with subclinical CVD or >=2 CVD risk factors to standard BP
      lowering (SBP <140mm Hg) vs. intensive BP lowering (SBP <120mm Hg). The primary
      outcome was a composite of incident AF and PWI. RESULTS: Data from 3,087
      participants (mean age, 62.2 years; women, 48.2%; non-White, 39.2%) were
      analyzed. During a mean follow-up of 4.4 years, the primary outcome occurred in
      1,063 participants (incidence rate, 84.5 per 1,000 person-years in the standard
      therapy group vs. 73.9 per 1,000 person-years in the intensive-therapy group).
      The adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of intensive-therapy group
      for the primary outcome and for incident PWI alone were 0.87 (0.77-0.98), P =
      0.02 and 0.87 (0.76-0.98), P = 0.02, respectively. The effect of intensive
      therapy on the incidence of AF alone did not reach statistical significance.
      CONCLUSIONS: In patients with T2DM, intensive BP lowering reduces the incidence
      of the composite outcome of AF and PWI, suggesting a potential benefit from
      stringent BP control in patients with T2DM. clinical trials registration Trial
      Number NCT00000620.

PMID- 26476087
TI  - Presence of pathogenicity islands and virulence genes of extraintestinal
      pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) in isolates from avian organic fertilizer.
AB  - Poultry litter is commonly used as fertilizer in agriculture. However, this
      poultry litter must be processed prior to use, since poultry have a large number
      of pathogenic microorganisms. The aims of this study were to isolate and
      genotypically and phenotypically characterize Escherichia coli from avian organic
      fertilizer. Sixty-four E. coli isolates were identified from avian organic
      fertilizer and characterized for ExPEC virulence factors, pathogenicity islands,
      phylogenetic groups, antimicrobial resistance, biofilm formation, and adhesion to
      HEp-2 cells. Sixty-three isolates (98.4%) showed at least one virulence gene
      (fimH, ecpA, sitA, traT, iutA, iroN, hlyF, ompT and iss). The predominant
      phylogenetic groups were groups A (59.3%) and B1 (34.3%). The pathogenicity
      island CFT073II (51.5%) was the most prevalent among the isolates tested. Thirty
      two isolates (50%) were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent.
      Approximately 90% of isolates adhered to HEp-2 cells, and the predominant pattern
      was aggregative adherence (74.1%). In the biofilm assay, it was observed that 75%
      of isolates did not produce biofilm. These results lead us to conclude that some
      E. coli isolates from avian organic fertilizer could be pathogenic for humans. 

PMID- 26476088
TI  - Association between ACTA1 candidate gene and performance, organs and carcass
      traits in broilers.
AB  - This study investigates the genetic association of the SNP present in the ACTA1
      gene with performance traits, organs and carcass of broilers to help marker
      assisted selection of a paternal broiler line (TT) from EMBRAPA Swine and
      Poultry, Brazil. Genetic and phenotypic data of 1,400 broilers for 68 traits
      related to body performance, organ weights, weight of carcass parts, and yields
      as a percentage of organs and carcass parts were used. The maximum likelihood
      method, considering 4 analytical models, was used to analyze the genetic
      association between the SNP and these important economic traits. The association
      analysis was performed using a mixed animal model including the random effect of
      the animal (polygenic), and the fixed effects of sex (2 levels), hatch (5 levels)
      and SNP (3 levels), besides the random error. The traits significantly associated
      (P<0.05) with the SNP were analyzed, along with body weight at 42 days of age
      (BW42), by the restricted maximum likelihood method using the multi-trait animal
      model to estimate genetic parameters. The analysis included the residual and
      additive genetic random effects and the sex-hatch fixed effect. The additive
      effects of the SNP were associated with breast meat (BMY), liver yield (LIVY),
      body weight at 35 days of age (BW35); drumstick skin (DSW), drumstick (DW) and
      breast (BW) weights. The heritability estimates for these traits, in addition to
      BW42, ranged from 0.24+/-0.06 to 0.45+/-0.08 for LIVY and BW35, respectively. The
      genetic correlation ranged from 0.02+/-0.18 for LIVY and BMY to 0.97+/-0.01 for
      BW35 and BW42. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that ACTA1
      gene is associated with performance traits BW35, LIV and BMY, DW, BW and DW
      adjusted for body weight at 42 days of age. Therefore, the ACTA1 gene is an
      important molecular marker that could be used together with others already
      described to increase the economically important traits in broilers.

PMID- 26476089
TI  - Age and adaptation to Ca and P deficiencies: 2. Impacts on amino acid
      digestibility and phytase efficacy in broilers.
AB  - A total of 1,152 straight-run hatchling Heritage 56M*fast feathering Cobb 500F
      broiler birds were used to determine Ca, age, and adaptation effects on apparent
      ileal digestibility of crude protein (AID of CP), amino acids (AID of AA) and
      phytase efficacy. Twelve treatments with 8 replicates, each were fed from 7 to 9
      d (6 birds per replicate), 7 to 21 d (6 birds per replicate) and 19 to 21 d (3
      birds per replicate) d of age. Diets were prepared with 3 Ca (0.65, 0.80, and
      0.95%) and 2 non-phytate P, (0.20 and 0.40%) concentrations. A 6-phytase was
      added at 500 or 1,000 FTU/kg to the 0.20% nPP diet at each Ca concentration. The
      age and adaptation effects were determined by comparing the responses between
      birds fed from 7 to 9 and 19 to 21 d of age, 19 to 21, and 7 to 21 d of age,
      respectively. An age effect was observed regardless of Ca, nPP, or phytase
      concentration, with older birds (19 to 21 d) having greater apparent ileal
      digestibility (AID) of amino acids (AA) and CP than younger birds (7 to 9 d;
      P<0.05). Response to adaptation varied depending on Ca, nPP, and phytase
      concentrations. Constant lower AID of CP and AA was seen in adapted birds (7 to
      21 d) compared to unadapted bird (19 to 21 d) when 0.20% nPP diets were fed at
      0.95% Ca concentrations (P<0.05). At 0.40% nPP, there was no effect of adaptation
      on AID of CP and AA at any Ca concentration. Phytase efficacy was significantly
      lower in younger (7 to 9 d) compared to older birds (19 to 21 d; P<0.05), except
      at 0.65% Ca. Phytase inclusion increased AID of CP and AA regardless of Ca
      (P<0.05). In conclusion, the AID of CP and AA can be affected by diet, age, and
      adaptation.

PMID- 26476090
TI  - Outbreak of Listeria Monocytogenes in Pheasants.
AB  - Listeria monocytogenes is capable of infecting almost all animals. However,
      outbreaks of listeriosis are infrequent in birds. This report describes an
      outbreak of listeriosis in a small pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) breeder farm
      with more than 2,000 pheasants from Hubei province of the People's Republic of
      China. The affected flock consisted of adult and young birds. Approximately 300
      young birds and a few adult birds were found dead within a few days of the onset
      of clinical signs. Twenty-five dead birds were collected for further examination.
      Histopathological lesions in the visceral organs were characterized by monocyte
      infiltration and proliferation. Localized encephalitis and meningitis were
      detected in the brains of dead birds. Gram-positive organisms were observed in
      heart blood smear, liver, and brain impression smears. The organisms were
      isolated from fresh liver and were identified as L. monocytogenes serotype 4b
      based on multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and hlyA gene sequence
      analysis. This is the first report describing outbreak of listeriosis in pheasant
      flock. 

PMID- 26476091
TI  - The genetic basis of pectoralis major myopathies in modern broiler chicken lines.
AB  - This is the first report providing estimates of the genetic basis of breast
      muscle myopathies (BMM) and their relationship with growth and yield in broiler
      chickens. In addition, this paper addresses the hypothesis that genetic selection
      for increase breast yield has contributed to the onset of BMM. Data were analyzed
      from ongoing recording of BMM within the Aviagen breeding program. This study
      focused on three BMM: deep pectoral myopathy (DPM; binary trait), white striping
      (WS; 4 categories) and wooden breast (WB; 3 categories). Data from two purebred
      commercial broiler lines (A and B) were utilized providing greater than 40,000
      meat quality records per line. The difference in selection history between these
      two lines has resulted in contrasting breast yield (BY): 29% for Line A and 21%
      for Line B. Data were analyzed to estimate genetic parameters using a
      multivariate animal model including six traits: body weight (BW), processing body
      weight (PW), BY, DPM, WB, and WS, in addition to the appropriate fixed effects
      and permanent environmental effect of the dam. Results indicate similar patterns
      of heritability and genetic correlations for the two lines. Heritabilities (h2)
      of BW, PW and BY ranged from 0.271-0.418; for DPM and WB h2<0.1; and for WS
      h2<=0.338. Genetic correlations between the BMM and BW, PW, or BY were <=0.132 in
      Line A and <=0.248 in Line B. This paper demonstrates the polygenic nature of
      these traits and the low genetic relationships with BW, PW, and BY, which
      facilitates genetic improvement across all traits in a balanced breeding program.
      It also highlights the importance of understanding the environmental and/or
      management factors that contribute greater than 65% of the variance in the
      incidence of white striping of breast muscle and more than 90% of the variance of
      the incidence of wooden breast and deep pectoral myopathy in broiler chickens.

PMID- 26476092
TI  - Temperature-associated habitat selection in a cold-water marine fish.
AB  - Habitat selection is a complex process, which involves behavioural decisions
      guided by the multiple needs and constraints faced by individuals. Climate
      induced changes in environmental conditions may alter those trade-offs and
      resulting habitat use patterns. In this study, we investigated the effect of sea
      temperature on habitat selection and habitat use of acoustically tagged Atlantic
      cod (Gadus morhua) at the Norwegian Skagerrak coast. Significant relationships
      between ocean temperature and habitat selection and use were found. Under
      favourable sea temperature thresholds (<16  degrees C), cod selected vegetated
      habitats, such as eelgrass and macroalgae beds, available in shallow areas.
      Selection for those habitats was especially high at night, when cod tended to
      ascend to shallower areas, presumably to feed. Selection and use of those
      habitats decreased significantly as temperature rose. Under increased sea surface
      temperature conditions, cod were absent from vegetated shallow habitats, both
      during the day and night, and selected instead non-vegetated rocky bottoms and
      sand habitats, available in deeper, colder areas. This study shows the dynamic
      nature of habitat selection and strongly suggests that cod in this region have to
      trade off food availability against favourable temperature conditions. Future
      increases in ocean temperature are expected to further influence the spatial
      behaviour of marine fish, potentially affecting individual fitness and population
      dynamics.

PMID- 26476093
TI  - Experimental white piedra: a robust approach to ultrastructural analysis,
      scanning electron microscopy and etiological discoveries.
AB  - White piedra is a fungal infection characterized by nodules comprised of
      Trichosporon species and restricted to the extrafollicular portion of the hair
      shaft. The diagnosis is based on clinical and mycological characteristics, and
      must be confirmed with a precise identification of the etiological agent. This
      research aimed to develop an in vitro infection model of white piedra and analyze
      its morphological and ultra-structural aspects. In the process, hair infection
      was induced using eight isolates of the genus Trichosporon maintained in the
      Culture Collection Micoteca URM. The ITS and IGS1 regions were sequenced for
      taxonomic confirmation. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was performed at the
      Strategic Center for Northeast Technologies (CETENE). The scanning electron
      microscope was equipped with an Energy Dispersion Spectrometer (EDS). The
      Trichosporon isolates were identified as Trichosporon asahii (6) and Trichosporon
      montevideense (2) by internal transcript spacer (ITS) region and intergenic
      spacer 1 region (IGS1) sequencing. All eight strains were used to induce the in
      vitro hair infection, and nodules formed after the incubation period. Temperature
      variations and high humidity were not observed to be related to the development
      of this hair disease. The main chemical constituents detected in the nodules were
      carbon, nitrogen and oxygen, as well as a low level of sulfur. The absence of
      calcium, combined with the low level of sulfur, might explain the soft nature of
      the white piedra nodules. This study demonstrated that several Trichosporon
      species may be responsible for causing white piedra. 

PMID- 26476094
TI  - Implications of an aging liver transplant waiting list: Survival benefit should
      be based upon "mile-age" and performance.

PMID- 26476095
TI  - Top predators and habitat complexity alter an intraguild predation module in pond
      communities.
AB  - Predator diversity and habitat complexity frequently influence species
      interactions at lower trophic levels, yet their joint investigation has been
      performed infrequently despite the demonstrated importance of each individual
      factor. We investigated how different top predators and varying habitat
      complexity influence the function of an intraguild predation module consisting of
      two larval salamanders, intraguild predator Ambystoma annulatum and intraguild
      prey A. maculatum. We manipulated predator food webs and habitat complexity in
      outdoor mesocosms. Top predators significantly influenced body condition and
      survival of A. annulatum, but habitat complexity had minimal effects on either
      response. A three-way interaction among the covariates top predator identity,
      habitat complexity and A. annulatum survival influenced body condition and
      survival of A. maculatum via a density-mediated indirect effect. Different top
      predator combinations had variable effects in different habitat complexity
      treatments on intraguild predator (A. annulatum) survival that subsequently
      influenced intraguild prey (A. maculatum) body condition and survival. Future
      work should consider how different top predators influence other food web
      components, which should vary due to predator attributes and the physical
      environments in which they co-occur.

PMID- 26476096
TI  - Sebocytes differentially express and secrete adipokines.
AB  - In addition to producing sebum, sebocytes link lipid metabolism with inflammation
      at a cellular level and hence, greatly resemble adipocytes. However, so far no
      analysis was performed to identify and characterize the adipocyte-associated
      inflammatory proteins, the members of the adipokine family in sebocytes.
      Therefore, we determined the expression profile of adipokines [adiponectin,
      interleukin (IL) 6, resistin, leptin, serpin E1, visfatin, apelin, chemerin,
      retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1)]
      in sebaceous glands of healthy and various disease-affected (acne, rosacea,
      melanoma and psoriasis) skin samples. Sebaceous glands in all examined samples
      expressed adiponectin, IL6, resistin, leptin, serpin E1 and visfatin, but not
      apelin, chemerin, RBP4 and MCP1. Confirming the presence of the detected
      adipokines in the human SZ95 sebaceous gland cell line we further characterized
      their expression and secretion patterns under different stimuli mimicking
      bacterial invasion [by using Toll-like receptor (TLR)2 and 4 activators], or by
      13-cis retinoic acid (13CRA; also known as isotretinoin), a key anti-acne agent.
      With the exception of resistin, the expression of all of the detected adipokines
      (adiponectin, IL6, leptin, serpin E1 and visfatin) could be further regulated at
      the level of gene expression, showing a close correlation with the secreted
      protein levels. Besides providing further evidence on similarities between
      adipocytes and sebocytes, our results strongly suggest that sebocytes are not
      simply targets of inflammation but may exhibit initiatory and modulatory roles in
      the inflammatory processes of the skin through the expression and secretion of
      adipokines. 

PMID- 26476097
TI  - Pre-adapting parasitic phages to a pathogen leads to increased pathogen clearance
      and lowered resistance evolution with Pseudomonas aeruginosa cystic fibrosis
      bacterial isolates.
AB  - Recent years have seen renewed interest in phage therapy--the use of viruses to
      specifically kill disease-causing bacteria--because of the alarming rise in
      antibiotic resistance. However, a major limitation of phage therapy is the ease
      at with bacteria can evolve resistance to phages. Here, we determined whether in
      vitro experimental coevolution can increase the efficiency of phage therapy by
      limiting the resistance evolution of intermittent and chronic cystic fibrosis
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung isolates to four different phages. We first pre
      adapted all phage strains against all bacterial strains and then compared the
      efficacy of pre-adapted and nonadapted phages against ancestral bacterial
      strains. We found that evolved phages were more efficient in reducing bacterial
      densities than ancestral phages. This was primarily because only 50% of bacterial
      strains were able to evolve resistance to evolved phages, whereas all bacteria
      were able to evolve some level of resistance to ancestral phages. Although the
      rate of resistance evolution did not differ between intermittent and chronic
      isolates, it incurred a relatively higher growth cost for chronic isolates when
      measured in the absence of phages. This is likely to explain why evolved phages
      were more effective in reducing the densities of chronic isolates. Our data show
      that pathogen genotypes respond differently to phage pre-adaptation, and as a
      result, phage therapies might need to be individually adjusted for different
      patients.

PMID- 26476098
TI  - In vitro mineralization of MC3T3-E1 osteoblast-like cells on collagen/nano
      hydroxyapatite scaffolds coated carbon/carbon composites.
AB  - Collagen/nano-hydroxyapatite (collagen/nHA) scaffolds were successfully prepared
      on carbon/carbon composites as bioactive films using the layer-by-layer coating
      method. Surface characterizations of collagen/nHA scaffolds were detected by
      scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier
      transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Compressive strengths of the scaffolds
      were evaluated by a universal test machine. In vitro biological performances were
      determined using scaffolds seeded with MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts-like cells and
      cultured in mineralization medium for up to 21 days. In addition, cellular
      morphologies and several related gene expressions of MC3T3-E1 cells in the
      scaffolds were also evaluated. Chemical and morphological analysis showed that
      the scaffolds had uniform pore sizes and unified phase composition. Mechanical
      testing indicated that the collagen/nHA scaffolds had the highest compressive
      strength in 50% of strain condition when the proportion of collagen and nano
      hydroxyapatite was 1:3. Cellular morphology observations and cytology tests
      indicated that MC3T3-E1 cells were adhered on these scaffolds and proliferated.
      SEM photographs and gene expressions showed that mineralized MC3T3-E1 cells and
      newly formed extra cellular matrix (ECM) filled up the pores of the scaffolds
      after the 3-week mineralization inducement. Nano-sized apatite particles were
      secreted from MC3T3-E1 cells and combined with the reconstructed ECM.
      Collectively, collagen/nHA scaffolds provided C/C composites with a biomimetic
      surface for cell adhesion, proliferation and mineralized extra cellular matrices
      formation.

PMID- 26476099
TI  - Structures of the double-ring AAA ATPase Pex1-Pex6 involved in peroxisome
      biogenesis.
AB  - The Pex1 and Pex6 proteins are members of the AAA family of ATPases and are
      involved in peroxisome biogenesis. Recently, cryo-electron microscopy structures
      of the Pex1-Pex6 complex in different nucleotide states have been determined.
      This Structural Snapshot describes the structural features of the complex and
      their implications for its function, as well as questions that still await
      answers. 

PMID- 26476100
TI  - Partial unfolding and refolding for structure refinement: A unified approach of
      geometric simulations and molecular dynamics.
AB  - The most successful protein structure prediction methods to date have been
      template-based modeling (TBM) or homology modeling, which predicts protein
      structure based on experimental structures. These high accuracy predictions
      sometimes retain structural errors due to incorrect templates or a lack of
      accurate templates in the case of low sequence similarity, making these
      structures inadequate in drug-design studies or molecular dynamics simulations.
      We have developed a new physics based approach to the protein refinement problem
      by mimicking the mechanism of chaperons that rehabilitate misfolded proteins. The
      template structure is unfolded by selectively (targeted) pulling on different
      portions of the protein using the geometric based technique FRODA, and then
      refolded using hierarchically restrained replica exchange molecular dynamics
      simulations (hr-REMD). FRODA unfolding is used to create a diverse set of
      topologies for surveying near native-like structures from a template and to
      provide a set of persistent contacts to be employed during re-folding. We have
      tested our approach on 13 previous CASP targets and observed that this method of
      folding an ensemble of partially unfolded structures, through the hierarchical
      addition of contact restraints (that is, first local and then nonlocal
      interactions), leads to a refolding of the structure along with refinement in
      most cases (12/13). Although this approach yields refined models through
      advancement in sampling, the task of blind selection of the best refined models
      still needs to be solved. Overall, the method can be useful for improved sampling
      for low resolution models where certain of the portions of the structure are
      incorrectly modeled.

PMID- 26476101
TI  - Photosynthetic response to globally increasing CO2 of co-occurring temperate
      seagrass species.
AB  - Photosynthesis of most seagrass species seems to be limited by present
      concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). Therefore, the ongoing
      increase in atmospheric CO2 could enhance seagrass photosynthesis and internal O2
      supply, and potentially change species competition through differential responses
      to increasing CO2 availability among species. We used short-term photosynthetic
      responses of nine seagrass species from the south-west of Australia to test
      species-specific responses to enhanced CO2 and changes in HCO3 (-) . Net
      photosynthesis of all species except Zostera polychlamys were limited at pre
      industrial compared to saturating CO2 levels at light saturation, suggesting that
      enhanced CO2 availability will enhance seagrass performance. Seven out of the
      nine species were efficient HCO3 (-) users through acidification of diffusive
      boundary layers, production of extracellular carbonic anhydrase, or uptake and
      internal conversion of HCO3 (-) . Species responded differently to near
      saturating CO2 implying that increasing atmospheric CO2 may change competition
      among seagrass species if co-occurring in mixed beds. Increasing CO2 availability
      also enhanced internal aeration in the one species assessed. We expect that
      future increases in atmospheric CO2 will have the strongest impact on seagrass
      recruits and sparsely vegetated beds, because densely vegetated seagrass beds are
      most often limited by light and not by inorganic carbon.

PMID- 26476102
TI  - Endothelial Cell Viability of Donor Corneas Preserved in Eusol-C Corneal Storage
      Medium.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of Eusol-C as a corneal storage medium on
      the survival of donor endothelium. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven corneas
      not suitable for transplant were included in this study. All donor corneas were
      stored in Eusol-C at 4 degrees C. Daily donor corneal endothelial cell counting
      was performed with an eye bank specular microscope. All corneas were discarded
      after the study process. RESULTS: Mean donor age was 51.3 +/- 18.8 years (range,
      25-94 y). The mean duration between death and corneal excision was 9.5 +/- 6.7
      hours (range, 3-23 h). Mean endothelial cell density was 2195 +/- 383 cells/mm2
      at the beginning of the preservation (range, 1361-2899 cells/mm2). Donor
      endothelial cell density was between 1500 to 2000 cells/mm2 in 9 corneas, 2000 to
      2500 in 11 corneas, 2500 to 3000 in 5, and higher than 3000 in 2 corneas at
      baseline. Mean endothelial cell density was found 1658 cells/mm2 on the eighth
      day of storage, with a mean endothelial cell loss rate of 24.5%. Corneas stored 9
      to 24 days in Eusol-C had a rate of endothelial cell damage of 3.1% per day.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although our results revealed a higher endothelial cell loss than
      previous reports, overall performance of Eusol-C in preserving the donor
      endothelium may be satisfactory for clinical use.

PMID- 26476103
TI  - Influences of sampling effort on detected patterns and structuring processes of a
      Neotropical plant-hummingbird network.
AB  - Virtually all empirical ecological interaction networks to some extent suffer
      from undersampling. However, how limitations imposed by sampling incompleteness
      affect our understanding of ecological networks is still poorly explored, which
      may hinder further advances in the field. Here, we use a plant-hummingbird
      network with unprecedented sampling effort (2716 h of focal observations) from
      the Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil, to investigate how sampling effort affects the
      description of network structure (i.e. widely used network metrics) and the
      relative importance of distinct processes (i.e. species abundances vs. traits) in
      determining the frequency of pairwise interactions. By dividing the network into
      time slices representing a gradient of sampling effort, we show that quantitative
      metrics, such as interaction evenness, specialization (H2 '), weighted nestedness
      (wNODF) and modularity (Q; QuanBiMo algorithm) were less biased by sampling
      incompleteness than binary metrics. Furthermore, the significance of some network
      metrics changed along the sampling effort gradient. Nevertheless, the higher
      importance of traits in structuring the network was apparent even with small
      sampling effort. Our results (i) warn against using very poorly sampled networks
      as this may bias our understanding of networks, both their patterns and
      structuring processes, (ii) encourage the use of quantitative metrics little
      influenced by sampling when performing spatio-temporal comparisons and (iii)
      indicate that in networks strongly constrained by species traits, such as plant
      hummingbird networks, even small sampling is sufficient to detect their relative
      importance for the frequencies of interactions. Finally, we argue that similar
      effects of sampling are expected for other highly specialized subnetworks. 

PMID- 26476104
TI  - Feasibility of deep sedation with a combination of propofol and dexmedetomidine
      hydrochloride for esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and
      safety of sedation with a combination of propofol (PF) and dexmedetomidine (DEX)
      compared with sedation with benzodiazepines in esophageal endoscopic submucosal
      dissection (ESD). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinical data for 40
      consecutive patients who had undergone esophageal ESD at the Yokohama City
      University Hospital between July 2012 and August 2014. Of these patients, 20 were
      sedated with benzodiazepines (conventional group) and another 20 patients were
      sedated with a combination of PF and DEX (combination group). Parameters for
      efficacy and safety of sedation were evaluated by comparisons between the two
      groups. RESULTS: Median procedural times in the combination group were shorter
      than those in the conventional group (61 min vs. 89 min, P = 0.03), and the
      percentage of patients who showed restlessness in the combination group was
      significantly lower than that in the conventional group (25% vs. 65%, P = 0.025).
      Incidences of hypotension and bradycardia in the combination group were higher
      than those in the conventional group (60% vs. 15%, P = 0.008, and 60% vs. 15%, P
      = 0.008, respectively). CONCLUSION: This retrospective study suggests that a
      combination of PF and DEX may provide stable deep sedation with less body
      movement than benzodiazepines during esophageal ESD.

PMID- 26476106
TI  - Molecular view of the interaction of S-methyl methanethiosulfonate with DPPC
      bilayer.
AB  - We present molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies of the interaction of a
      chemo preventive and protective agent, S-methyl methanethiosulfonate (MMTS), with
      a model bilayer of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC). We
      analyzed and compared its diffusion mechanisms with the related molecule dimethyl
      sulfoxide (DMSO). We obtained spatially resolved free energy profiles of MMTS
      partition into a DPPC bilayer in the liquid-crystalline phase through potential
      of mean force (PMF) calculations using an umbrella sampling technique. These
      profiles showed a minimum for MMTS close to the carbonyl region of DPPC. The
      location of MMTS molecules in the DPPC bilayer observed in the MD was confirmed
      by previous SERS studies. We decomposed PMF profiles into entropic and enthalpic
      contributions. These results showed that the driving force for the partitioning
      of MMTS into the upper region of DPPC is driven by a favorable entropy change
      while partitioning into the acyl chains is driven by enthalpy. On the other hand,
      the partition of DMSO into the membrane is not favored, and is driven by entropy
      instead of enthalpy. Free diffusion MD simulations using all atom and coarse
      grained (CG) models of DPPC in presence of MMTS were used to analyze the effect
      of DPPC-MMTS interaction. Density profiles showed that MMTS locates
      preferentially in the carbonyl region, as expected according to the PMF profile
      and the experimental evidence. MMTS presented two differential effects over the
      packing of DPPC hydrocarbonate chains at low or at high molar ratios. An ordering
      effect was observed when a CG MMTS model was used. Finally, free diffusion MD and
      PMF decomposition for DMSO were used for comparison.

PMID- 26476105
TI  - n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids suppress CD4(+) T cell proliferation by altering
      phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] organization.
AB  - The mechanisms by which n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), abundant in
      fish oil, exert their anti-inflammatory effects have not been rigorously defined.
      We have previously demonstrated that n-3 PUFA decrease the amount of
      phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate, [PI(4,5)P2], in CD4(+) T cells, leading
      to suppressed actin remodeling upon activation. Since discrete pools of PI(4,5)P2
      exist in the plasma membrane, we determined whether n-3 PUFA modulate spatial
      organization of PI(4,5)P2 relative to raft and non-raft domains. We used Forster
      resonance energy transfer (FRET) to demonstrate that lipid raft mesodomains in
      the plasma membrane of CD4(+) T cells enriched in n-3 PUFA display increased co
      clustering of Lck(N10) and LAT(DeltaCP), markers of lipid rafts. CD4(+) T cells
      enriched in n-3 PUFA also exhibited a depleted plasma membrane non-raft PI(4,5)P2
      pool as detected by decreased co-clustering of Src(N15), a non-raft marker, and
      PH(PLC-delta), a PI(4,5)P2 reporter. Incubation with exogenous PI(4,5)P2 rescued
      the effects on the non-raft PI(4,5)P2 pool, and reversed the suppression of T
      cell proliferation in CD4(+) T cells enriched with n-3 PUFA. Furthermore, CD4(+)
      T cells isolated from mice fed a 4% docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-enriched diet
      exhibited a decrease in the non-raft pool of PI(4,5)P2, and exogenous PI(4,5)P2
      reversed the suppression of T cell proliferation. Finally, these effects were not
      due to changes to post-translational lipidation, since n-3 PUFA did not alter the
      palmitoylation status of signaling proteins. These data demonstrate that n-3 PUFA
      suppress T cell proliferation by altering plasma membrane topography and the
      spatial organization of PI(4,5)P2. 

PMID- 26476107
TI  - Alterations to the maternal circulating proteome after preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The long-term maternal cardiovascular and metabolic implications
      associated with preeclampsia (PE) include risk of hypertension, heart disease,
      and metabolic syndrome. The objective of this study was to investigate if a
      recent history of PE was associated with detectable alterations in the
      circulating maternal proteome. STUDY DESIGN: Six-month postpartum plasma from
      women with a history of PE (n = 12) and women with uncomplicated obstetrical
      history (n = 12) were used for analysis. Depleted maternal plasma was analyzed by
      label-free liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry assay. Identified peptides
      were searched against the International Protein Index human database version
      3.87. Exponentially modified protein abundance indices were used for comparison.
      Results were analyzed using pathway analysis software. RESULTS: A total of 126
      eligible peptides were identified for analysis; 3 peptides were differentially
      expressed in the PE proteome, and an additional 5 peptides were unique to control
      subjects and 7 to PE subjects. PE peptide profiles were more strongly associated
      with markers of coagulation and complement activation compared to controls and
      mapped more significantly to cardiovascular disease (CVD) functions.
      Stratification of subjects by low (<39%) and high (>=39%) lifetime risk of CVD
      rather than by diagnosis produced similar findings. Comparison of controls (n =
      6) to PE subjects (n = 6) without traditional cardiovascular risk factors found
      that while similar for body mass indices, blood pressure, and fasting lipid
      profiles at 6 months postpartum, PE peptide profiles continued to display
      stronger associations for coagulation and CVD functions. Global network analysis
      found that unique peptides to low-risk PE subjects were associated with cardiac
      infarction, CVD, and organismal injury and abnormalities. CONCLUSION: Markers of
      CVD risk and progression are evident in the maternal circulating proteome 6
      months postpartum after PE. Augmentations in circulating peptide profiles occur
      in patients with previous PE who otherwise do not have clinically measurable
      cardiovascular risk factors. Our data highlight the need for the implementation
      of postpartum prevention programs in the PE population and identifies molecules
      that may be targeted for screening or therapeutic benefit.

PMID- 26476108
TI  - Efficacy of chitosan oligosaccharide as aquatic adjuvant administrated with a
      formalin-inactivated Vibrio anguillarum vaccine.
AB  - Vaccine is one of the efficient candidates to prevent fish disease through
      activating host immune response in aquaculture. Actually, several vaccines are
      often administered with adjuvants to increase immunostimulation, especially for
      some water-based formalin-killed vaccines. However, side effects are inevitable
      after vaccination of some adjuvants. Therefore, exploration for effective and
      harmless aquatic adjuvants is urgently needed. In this study, immunoprotection of
      a formalin-inactivated Vibrio anguillarum vaccine applied with chitosan
      oligosaccharide (COS) was analyzed. High levels of protection were achieved in
      zebrafish and turbot vaccinated with inactivated vaccine and COS (RPS of 89.0 +/-
      4.5% and 80.0 +/- 6.9%) compared with fish vaccinated with inactivated vaccine
      alone (RPS of 47.8 +/- 6.6% and 64.7 +/- 5.8%) at 4 week post vaccination.
      Moreover, high antibody reaction and cross-protection against Vibrio
      alginolyticus and Vibrio harveyi were observed of turbot vaccinated with
      inactivated vaccine and COS. In conclusion, COS can enhance immunoprotection of a
      formalin-inactivated V. anguillarum vaccine, significantly activate humoral
      immune response of host, and be benefit for inhibition against pathogens.
      Therefore, COS would be a potential adjuvant for aquatic vaccine design in the
      future.

PMID- 26476109
TI  - Function analysis of fish Tollip gene in response to virus infection.
AB  - Toll-interacting protein (Tollip) is one of the important regulatory proteins of
      Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathways. In previous studies, a Tollip
      sequence of grouper (Epinephelus coioides) was identified and the signal
      transduction functions of Tollip were studied. However, the response of Tollip to
      virus infection has not been characterized from grouper. In the present paper,
      the Tollip homolog (EtTollip) from grouper (Epinephelus tauvina) was cloned and
      its immune response to Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) was investigated.
      EtTollip shares significant similarities to other mammalian Tollips, which
      contain a centrally localized protein kinase C conserved region 2 (C2) domain and
      a C-terminal CUE domain. After challenging with SGIV, the expression levels of
      EtTollip were altered in the spleen and head kidney of grouper. EtTollip mainly
      aggregated in the cytoplasm in a condensed state and was also distributed on the
      membranes of GS cells. EtTollip significantly inhibited the activities of NF
      kappaB and IFN-beta luciferase reporter when transfected into grouper spleen (GS)
      cells. SGIV can increase the activities of NF-kappaB and IFN-beta luciferase
      reporter, especially to IFN-beta. When transfected EtTollip with EcMyd88, the
      activity of NF-kappaB was increased, while transfected EtTollip with EcIRF3, the
      activity of IFN-beta was significantly increased. Over-expressed EtTollip
      inhibited the transcription of SGIV genes significantly in GS cells, and
      silencing of EtTollip with siRNA led to increase of SGIV genes loads. Taken
      together, the results provide new insights in to the importance of Tollip as
      evolutionarily conserved molecule for grouper innate immunity against virus
      infection.

PMID- 26476110
TI  - Nonsurgical Treatment of Urinary Incontinence in Elderly Women.
AB  - Urinary incontinence is a prevalent condition in elderly women with significant
      associated morbidity. Incontinence can by grouped into several types: stress
      incontinence, urgency incontinence, overflow incontinence, functional
      incontinence, and mixed urinary incontinence. Careful evaluation, including
      history and physical examination, is critical to making the correct diagnosis and
      guiding therapy. A variety of nonsurgical treatments, including behavioral
      therapies, pelvic floor muscle exercise, medications, and other treatments, are
      available; can be successful for many older women; and may preclude the need for
      surgery. Working closely with the patient, understanding her goals of care, and
      targeting treatments accordingly are essential for success. 

PMID- 26476112
TI  - Evaluation and Management of Pelvic Organ Prolapse in Elderly Women.
AB  - Pelvic organ prolapse is a common disease in elderly patients. The most important
      symptom is vaginal bulge (bulge sensation or the sensation of something coming
      down through the vaginal introitus). This symptom is not different than in the
      general population. Diagnosis can be confirmed using just vaginal examinations to
      identify the presence of protrusion beyond the hymen, and is not different than
      in the general population. Different treatment options are available, including
      observation, nonsurgical, and surgical techniques. Pessaries and colpocleisis are
      the treatment options used more often in elderly patients than in the general
      population. 

PMID- 26476111
TI  - Outcomes of Surgery for Stress Urinary Incontinence in the Older Woman.
AB  - As population demographics continue to evolve, specifics on age-related outcomes
      of stress urinary incontinence interventions will be critical to patient
      counseling and management planning. Understanding medical factors unique to older
      women and their lower urinary tract conditions will allow caregivers to optimize
      surgical outcomes, both physical and functional, and minimize complications
      within this population. 

PMID- 26476113
TI  - Underactive Bladder in Older Adults.
AB  - Overactive bladder is one of the most common bladder problems, but an estimated
      20 million Americans have underactive bladder (UAB), which makes going to the
      bathroom difficult, increases the risk of urinary tract infections, and even
      leads to institutionalization. This article provides an overview of UAB in older
      adults, and discusses the prevalence, predisposing factors, cause, clinical
      investigations, and treatments. At present, there is no effective therapy for
      UAB. A great deal of work still needs to be done on understanding the
      pathogenesis and the development of effective therapies. 

PMID- 26476115
TI  - Functional Brain Imaging and the Neural Basis for Voiding Dysfunction in Older
      Adults.
AB  - Brain abnormalities may contribute to the increased prevalence of urinary
      dysfunction such as overactive bladder and urge incontinence in older
      individuals. Functional brain imaging suggests that 3 independent neural circuits
      (frontal, midcingulate, and subcortical) control voiding by suppressing the
      voiding reflex in the brainstem periaqueductal gray. Damage to the connecting
      pathways subserving these circuits (white matter hyperintensities) increases with
      age and is associated both with severity of urge incontinence and changes in
      brain function. Multicomponent therapies targeting structural and functional
      neural abnormalities may be more effective than any single treatment focused on
      the bladder. 

PMID- 26476116
TI  - The Role of Urodynamics in Elderly Patients.
AB  - Urodynamic testing is the study of the function of the bladder and its outlet.
      Geriatric patients are at greater risk for lower urinary tract dysfunction owing
      to age or neurologic disease, such as Parkinson disease or stroke. Although
      urodynamic testing may best diagnose an individual patient's bladder storage and
      emptying function, the tests should be tailored to answer the question being
      asked and the test should only be done when the outcome of the test is going to
      impact decision making regarding management or treatment. 

PMID- 26476117
TI  - Associations Between Urinary Symptoms and Sexual Health in Older Adults.
AB  - Fifty percent of sexually active older men and women complain of 1 or more sexual
      problems. Sexual dysfunction involves a complex interplay of partner factors,
      relationship factors, individual factors, concomitant mental health disorders,
      life stressors, medical comorbidity, and medication intake. Although lower
      urinary tract symptoms are associated with decreased sexual activity, it is
      unclear whether the relationship is causal or influenced by shared risk factors,
      or the presence of overall poor health and function. Taking a complete sexual
      history in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms is the first step toward
      detection and possible treatment. 

PMID- 26476114
TI  - Translational Research and Functional Changes in Voiding Function in Older
      Adults.
AB  - Age-related LUT dysfunctions result from complex processes controlled by multiple
      genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors and account for high costs of
      health care. This article discusses risk factors that may play a role in age
      related LUT dysfunction and presents available data comparing structural and
      functional changes that occur with aging in the bladder of humans and animal
      models. A better understanding of factors and mechanisms underlying LUT symptoms
      in the older population may lead to therapeutic interventions to reduce these
      dysfunctions. 

PMID- 26476118
TI  - Surgical Risk and Comorbidity in Older Urologic Patients.
AB  - Almost two-thirds of urology operations are performed in patients 65 years and
      older. Older adults are at higher risk for complications and mortality compared
      with their younger counterparts. There are 2 primary methods to quantify surgical
      risk in these patients, frailty measurement and organ/comorbidity-based surgical
      risk calculators. A frailty assessment can be used to independently forecast the
      risk of postoperative complications. A paradigm shift in the preoperative
      assessment of the geriatric patient has occurred, which emphasizes the evaluation
      of frailty over more traditional surgical risk assessment, which uses
      comorbidities and single end-organ dysfunction to define risk.

PMID- 26476119
TI  - Management of Small Renal Masses in the Older Adult.
AB  - Small renal masses in older adults are common and usually found incidentally.
      Although many small renal masses are benign, most are malignant. In older
      patients, the small renal mass poses a challenge because the treatment paradigm
      has to strike the balance between competing comorbidities and a lethal cancer.
      Partial nephrectomy, mainly via robot-assisted technique, has gained favor over
      radical nephrectomy as the intervention of choice. Cryoablation and
      radiofrequency ablation are also viable treatment options and have a role to play
      in patients who desire treatment but either are not suitable surgical candidates
      or prefer not to have a surgical intervention. 

PMID- 26476120
TI  - Prostate Cancer in Elderly Men: Screening, Active Surveillance, and Definitive
      Therapy.
AB  - Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common medical condition in the United States, with an
      estimated 16% of men receiving a diagnosis during their lifetime. Although it is
      the second leading cause of cancer-specific deaths among men, PCa will not be the
      cause of death for most men who are diagnosed with it. Although there are notable
      improvements recently, the relative dearth of high-quality data concerning PCa
      screening and treatment in older men calls for a thoughtful approach to
      evaluating such men for screening, diagnosis, and treatment options. This article
      offers guidance to an approach here. 

PMID- 26476121
TI  - Late-Onset Hypogonadism and Testosterone Replacement in Older Men.
AB  - Late-onset hypogonadism is an underdiagnosed and easily treated condition defined
      by low serum testosterone levels in men older than 65 years. When treated, a
      significant improvement in quality of life may be reached in this rapidly rising
      sector of the population. During the evaluation, laboratory tests and a full
      medication review should be performed to exclude other illnesses or adverse
      effects from medications. The major goal of treatment in this population is
      treating the symptoms related to hypogonadism. There has not been clear evidence
      supporting universally giving older men with low serum testosterone levels and
      hypogonadal symptoms testosterone replacement therapy. 

PMID- 26476122
TI  - Contemporary Systemic Therapy for Urologic Malignancies in Geriatric Patients.
AB  - Current data on systemic therapy in geriatric populations with genitourinary
      malignancies are largely derived from retrospective analyses of prospectively
      conducted trials or retrospective reviews. Although extrapolation of these data
      to real-world patients should be cautious, patients aged 65 years or older with
      good functional status and minimal comorbidities seem to enjoy similar survival
      benefit from therapy as their younger counterparts. Chronologic age alone should
      generally not be used to guide management decisions. Comprehensive geriatric
      assessment tools and prospective studies in older adults integrating
      comprehensive geriatric assessment can shed light on the optimal management of
      urologic malignancies in this population. 

PMID- 26476123
TI  - Palliative Care of Urologic Patients at End of Life.
AB  - This article focuses on the issues facing patients with advanced and terminal
      urologic illness, from the framework of care planning based on defining patient
      specific and family-specific goals of care, to palliative management strategies
      for common symptoms and syndromes that these patients and their families
      experience. This article also focuses on the management of common urologic issues
      that may arise in the course of care for all patients at the end of life, as well
      as the impact of these conditions on caregivers. 

PMID- 26476124
TI  - Urologic Issues in Geriatric Health Care.

PMID- 26476125
TI  - Volatile organic compounds in asthma diagnosis: a systematic review and meta
      analysis.
AB  - We aimed to assess the value and classification rate of exhaled volatile organic
      compounds (VOCs) in asthma diagnosis. A PRISMA-oriented systematic search for
      published studies regarding exhaled VOCs in asthma diagnosis was conducted based
      on predefined criteria. Studies presenting sensitivity and specificity values for
      the test were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled diagnosis odds ratios (DOR),
      area under the curve (AUC) and positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR) for
      exhaled VOC profiles were calculated; and publication bias, threshold effect and
      heterogeneity were estimated. Eighteen studies were selected for the qualitative
      analysis and six met the criteria for inclusion in the quantitative analysis.
      Mean (95% CI) pooled DOR, positive and negative LR were 49.3 (15.9-153.3), 5.86
      (3.07-11.21) and 0.16 (0.10-0.26), respectively. The AUC value was 0.94. Only
      three of the 18 reviewed studies performed an external validation of the model
      using a different data set. The results from the revised studies suggest that
      exhaled VOCs are promising biomarkers for asthma diagnosis and that several
      compounds, mainly alkanes, may be significantly associated with asthma
      inflammation. However, there are still various constraints associated with
      standardization and externally validated studies are needed to introduce exhaled
      VOC profiling in a clinical scenario.

PMID- 26476126
TI  - Women's imaging: From symptom to diagnosis.

PMID- 26476127
TI  - In silico drug re-purposing against African sleeping sickness using GlcNAc-PI de
      N-acetylase as an experimental target.
AB  - Trypanosoma brucei is a protozoan that causes African sleeping sickness in
      humans. Many glycoconjugate compounds are present on the entire cell surface of
      Trypanosoma brucei to control the infectivity and survival of this pathogen.
      These gycoconjugates are anchored to the plasma membrane with the help of
      glycosyl phosphatidyl inositol (GPI) anchors. This type of anchor is much more
      common in protozoans than in other eukaryotes. The second step of glycosyl
      phosphatidyl inositol (GPI) anchor biosynthesis is catalyzed by an enzyme, which
      is GlcNAc-PI de-N-acetylase. GlcNAc-PI de-N-acetylase has a conserved GPI domain,
      which is responsible for the functionality of this enzyme. In this study, the
      three-dimensional structure of the target is modelled by I-TASSER and the ligand
      is modelled by PRODRG server. It is found that the predicted active site residues
      of the GPI domain are ultra-conserved for the Trypanosomatidae family. The
      predicted active site residues are His41, Pro42, Asp43, Asp44, Met47, Phe48,
      Ser74, Arg80, His103, Val144, Ser145, His147 and His150. Two hydrogen bond
      acceptors and four hydrogen bond donors are found in the modelled pharmacophore.
      All compounds of the Drugbank database and twenty three known inhibitors have
      been considered for structure based virtual screening. This work is focused on
      approved drugs because they are already tested for safety and effectiveness in
      humans. After the structure-based virtual screening, seventeen approved drugs and
      two inhibitors are found, which interact with the ligand on the basis of the
      designed pharmacophore. The docking has been performed for the resultant
      seventeen approved drugs and two known inhibitors. Two approved drugs have
      negative binding energy and their pKa values are similar to the selected known
      inhibitors. The result of this study suggests that the approved drugs Ethambutol
      (DB00330) and Metaraminol (DB00610) may prove useful in the treatment of African
      sleeping sickness. 

PMID- 26476128
TI  - Computational exploration of microRNAs from expressed sequence tags of Humulus
      lupulus, target predictions and expression analysis.
AB  - Among computationally predicted and experimentally validated plant miRNAs,
      several are conserved across species boundaries in the plant kingdom. In this
      study, a combined experimental-in silico computational based approach was adopted
      for the identification and characterization of miRNAs in Humulus lupulus (hop),
      which is widely cultivated for use by the brewing industry and apart from, used
      as a medicinal herb. A total of 22 miRNAs belonging to 17 miRNA families were
      identified in hop following comparative computational approach and EST-based
      homology search according to a series of filtering criteria. Selected miRNAs were
      validated by end-point PCR and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase
      chain reaction (qRT-PCR), confirmed the existence of conserved miRNAs in hop.
      Based on the characteristic that miRNAs exhibit perfect or nearly perfect
      complementarity with their targeted mRNA sequences, a total of 47 potential miRNA
      targets were identified in hop. Strikingly, the majority of predicted targets
      were belong to transcriptional factors which could regulate hop growth and
      development, including leaf, root and even cone development. Moreover, the
      identified miRNAs may also be involved in other cellular and metabolic processes,
      such as stress response, signal transduction, and other physiological processes.
      The cis-regulatory elements relevant to biotic and abiotic stress, plant hormone
      response, flavonoid biosynthesis were identified in the promoter regions of those
      miRNA genes. Overall, findings from this study will accelerate the way for
      further researches of miRNAs, their functions in hop and shows a path for the
      prediction and analysis of miRNAs to those species whose genomes are not
      available. 

PMID- 26476129
TI  - Collision of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the lung: a
      case report.
AB  - We report a rare case of collision of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) and
      adenocarcinoma (AC) in the lung. A 59-year-old woman had a history of fever and
      cough. A mass was found by X-ray in the left upper lung. Magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) shows a dumbbell-like mass in the fore and tongue segment of the
      left upper lung with irregular spiculate margin. Positron emission
      tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) (18F-FDG) shows strong concentration of
      radioactivity (SUVmax 6.9-12.3 cm) in the lung mass only. The patient
      subsequently underwent resection of left upper lung and associated hilar lymph
      nodes. Histological examination revealed it was a collision carcinoma comprising
      LELC and AC. The hilar lymph nodes were tumuor free. The immunoreactions, Epstein
      Barr early RNA in situ hybridization and molecular analyses, such as EGFR
      mutation, c-Met, anaplastic lymphoma kinase were different in both tumuor
      components, indicating they derived from different cell origin. This rare case
      was discussed.

PMID- 26476130
TI  - Phagocyte interactions with Mycobacterium tuberculosis--Simultaneous analysis of
      phagocytosis, phagosome maturation and intracellular replication by imaging flow
      cytometry.
AB  - Utilization of compounds that enhance the innate immune response against
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an attractive strategy for combating tuberculosis
      in the post-antibiotic era. Thus, it is crucial to develop methods that can be
      used to screen for such compounds and to investigate their mechanisms of action.
      Here, we used imaging flow cytometry (ImageStreamX Mk II),which enables rapid
      quantification of microscopic images in flow, to study the interaction between
      phagocytes and M. tuberculosis. Macrophage-differentiated THP-1 cells were
      infected with GFP-expressing M. tuberculosis H37Ra, and methods for rapidly
      assessing phagocytosis, phagosome maturation, and bacterial replication inside
      the cells were developed and evaluated. These aspects of innate immunity are
      essential in determining the outcome of mycobacterial infection of phagocytes.
      The technique was found effective for monitoring phagocytosis of mycobacteria,
      phagosomal acidification and phagolysosomal fusion, as well as for measuring
      mycobacterial replication inside the cells. Several of these aspects could be
      analyzed simultaneously in the same sample, providing a great deal of information
      about the phagocyte-mycobacterial interaction at once. Thus, this method has
      great potential to be useful both for basic research questions and for evaluating
      compounds that enhance the innate immune response against M. tuberculosis.

PMID- 26476131
TI  - Keratoacanthoma: a distinct entity?
AB  - Keratoacanthoma (KA) are common but exceptional benign tumors, often appearing on
      sun-exposed areas of light skinned people and showing spontaneous resolution. The
      goal of this study was to review existing literature, to point out the
      etiological complexity of KA biology and to answer the controversial debate if or
      not KA is a distinct entity or a variant of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
      Relying on recent results, we highlight that KA is an individual lesion with a
      unique molecular signature caused by alterations in the TGFbeta signalling
      pathway. These recent findings will help to understand the nature of KA and to
      develop new reliable diagnostic tools, simplifying the discrimination of the
      histologically similar KA and SCC. 

PMID- 26476132
TI  - DL0410 can reverse cognitive impairment, synaptic loss and reduce plaque load in
      APP/PS1 transgenic mice.
AB  - Cholinesterase inhibitors are first-line therapy for Alzheimer's disease (AD).
      DL0410 is an AChE/BuChE dual inhibitor with a novel new structural scaffold. It
      has been demonstrated that DL0410 could improve memory deficits in both Abeta1-42
      induced and scopolamine-induced amnesia in mice. In the present study, the
      therapeutic effect of DL0410 and its action mechanism were investigated in
      APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Six-month old APP/PS1 transgenic mice were orally
      administered with DL0410 (3, 10, 30 mg/kg/day). After 60 days, several
      behavioural tests, including the Morris water maze and step-down tests, were used
      to investigate the effects of DL0410 on mice behaviours. All the behavioural
      experimental results showed that DL0410 significantly ameliorated memory
      deficits. Meanwhile, DL0410 attenuated neural cell damage and reduced senile
      plaques significantly in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 transgenic mice. In addition,
      DL0410 significantly decreased Abeta plaques, while increasing the number of
      synapses and the thickness of PSD in the hippocampus. We also found DL0410
      decreased the expression of APP, NMDAR1B and the phosphorylation level of
      NMDAR2B, and increased the phosphorylation level of CAMKII and the expression of
      PSD-95. In this study, the results of behavioural tests demonstrated for the
      first time that DL0410 could improve learning and memory dysfunction in APP/PS1
      transgenic mice. The mechanism of its beneficial effects might be related to
      cholinesterase inhibition, Abeta plaques inhibition, improvement of synapse loss
      by regulating of expression of proteins related to synapses. As a result, DL0410
      could be considered as a candidate drug for the therapy of AD.

PMID- 26476133
TI  - Intrathecal morphine-3-glucuronide-induced nociceptive behavior via Delta-2
      opioid receptors in the spinal cord.
AB  - Intrathecal (i.t.) injection of morphine-3-glucuronide (M3G), a major metabolite
      of morphine without analgesic actions, produces severe hindlimb scratching
      followed by biting and licking in mice. The M3G-induced behavioral response was
      inhibited dose-dependently by pretreatment with an antisera against dynorphin.
      However, the selective kappa-opioid receptor antagonist, nor-BNI did not prevent
      the M3G-induced behavioral response. Dynorphin is rapidly degraded by a dynorphin
      converting enzyme (cystein protease), to leucine-enkephalin (Leu-ENK). The M3G
      induced behavioral response was inhibited dose-dependently by pretreatment with
      the antisera against Leu-ENK. We also showed that M3G co-administered with Leu
      ENK-converting enzyme inhibitors, phosphoramidon and bestatin produced much
      stronger behavioral responses than M3G alone. Furthermore, the M3G-induced
      behavioral responses were inhibited dose-dependently by i.t. co-administration of
      the non-selective delta-opioid receptor antagonist, naltrindole or the selective
      delta2-opioid receptor antagonist, naltriben, whereas the selective delta1-opioid
      receptor antagonist, BNTX had no effect. An i.t. injection of M3G also produced a
      definite activation of ERK in the lumbar dorsal spinal cord. Western blotting
      analysis revealed that antisera against dynorphin, antisera against Leu-ENK,
      naltrindole or naltriben resulted in a significant blockade of ERK activation
      induced by M3G in the spinal cord. Taken together, these results suggest that M3G
      induced nociceptive responses and ERK activation may be triggered via delta2
      opioid receptors activated by Leu-ENK, which is formed from dynorphin in the
      spinal cord. 

PMID- 26476134
TI  - Hypothetical protein Rv3423.1 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a histone
      acetyltransferase.
AB  - We isolated an 8 kDa mycobacterial hypothetical protein, Rv3423.1, from the
      chromatin of human macrophages infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv.
      Bioinformatics predictions followed by in vitro biochemical assays with purified
      recombinant protein showed that Rv3423.1 is a novel histone acetyltransferase
      that acetylates histone H3 at the K9/K14 positions. Transient transfection of
      macrophages containing GFP-tagged histone H1 with RFP-tagged Rv3423.1 revealed
      that the protein co-localizes with the chromatin in the nucleus. Co
      immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that the Rv3423.1-histone interaction is
      specific. Rv3423.1 protein was detected in the culture filtrate of virulent but
      not avirulent M. tuberculosis. Infection of macrophages with recombinant
      Mycobacterium smegmatis constitutively expressing Rv3423.1 resulted in a
      significant increase in the number of intracellular bacteria. However, the
      protein did not seem to offer any growth advantage to free-living recombinant M.
      smegmatis. It is highly likely that, by binding to the host chromatin, this
      histone acetyltransferase from M. tuberculosis may manipulate the expression of
      host genes involved in anti-inflammatory responses to evade clearance and to
      survive in the intracellular environment. 

PMID- 26476135
TI  - On the link between conformational changes, ligand binding and heat capacity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Conformational changes coupled to ligand binding constitute the
      structural and energetics basis underlying cooperativity, allostery and, in
      general, protein regulation. These conformational rearrangements are associated
      with heat capacity changes. ITC is a unique technique for studying binding
      interactions because of the simultaneous determination of the binding affinity
      and enthalpy, and for providing the best estimates of binding heat capacity
      changes. SCOPE OF REVIEW: Still controversial issues in ligand binding are the
      discrimination between the "conformational selection model" and the "induced fit
      model", and whether or not conformational changes lead to temperature dependent
      apparent binding heat capacities. The assessment of conformational changes
      associated with ligand binding by ITC is discussed. In addition, the
      "conformational selection" and "induced fit" models are reconciled, and discussed
      within the context of intrinsically (partially) unstructured proteins. MAJOR
      CONCLUSIONS: Conformational equilibrium is a major contribution to binding heat
      capacity changes. A simple model may explain both conformational selection and
      induced fit scenarios. A temperature-independent binding heat capacity does not
      necessarily indicate absence of conformational changes upon ligand binding. ITC
      provides information on the energetics of conformational changes associated with
      ligand binding (and other possible additional coupled equilibria). GENERAL
      SIGNIFICANCE: Preferential ligand binding to certain protein states leads to an
      equilibrium shift that is reflected in the coupling between ligand binding and
      additional equilibria. This represents the structural/energetic basis of the
      widespread dependence of ligand binding parameters on temperature, as well as pH,
      ionic strength and the concentration of other chemical species.

PMID- 26476136
TI  - Long-term results following an anatomically based surgical technique for
      resection of colon cancer: a comparison with results from complete mesocolic
      excision.
AB  - AIM: Complete mesocolic excision (CME) has been advocated as likely to improve
      the long-term oncological outcome of colon cancer resection, although there is a
      paucity of long-term results in the literature. The aim of this study was to
      supplement our previously published results on colon cancer resection based on a
      standardized technique of precise dissection along anatomical planes with high
      vascular ligation and to compare our long-term results with those of recent
      European studies of CME. METHOD: Data were drawn from a prospective hospital
      registry of consecutive resections for colon cancer between 1996 and 2007,
      including follow-up to the end of 2012. The principal outcomes from potentially
      curative resections were 5-year Kaplan-Meier rates of local recurrence, systemic
      recurrence, overall survival and cancer-specific survival. Secondary outcomes for
      all resections were postoperative complications, number of lymph nodes retrieved
      and R0 status. RESULTS: For 779 potentially curative resections the local
      recurrence rate was 2.1% (95% CI 1.3-3.4), the systemic recurrence rate was 10.2%
      (95% CI 8.1-12.7), the 5-year overall survival rate was 76.2% (95% CI 73.0-79.0)
      and the cancer-specific survival rate was 89.8% (95% CI 87.3-91.9). For all 905
      resections, rates of 14 surgical complications were low and not dissimilar to
      those in a comparable study. The median lymph node count was 15 (range 0-113). R0
      status was confirmed in 883/905 patients (97.6%; 95% CI 96.4-98.5). CONCLUSION:
      For colon cancer, meticulous dissection along anatomical planes together with
      high vascular ligation results in few complications, a high R0 rate, low
      recurrence and high survival.

PMID- 26476137
TI  - Serological diagnosis of bovine brucellosis using B. melitensis strain B115.
AB  - Bovine brucellosis is diagnosed by official tests, such as Rose Bengal plate test
      (RBPT) and Complement Fixation test (CFT). Both tests detect antibodies directed
      against the lipolysaccharide (LPS) of Brucella cell wall. Despite their good
      sensitivity, those tests do not discriminate between true positive and false
      positive serological reactions (FPSR), the latter being generated by animals
      infected with other Gram negative microorganisms that share components of
      Brucella LPS. In this study, an antigenic extract from whole Brucella melitensis
      B115 strain was used to set up an ELISA assay for the serological diagnosis of
      bovine brucellosis. A total of 148 serum samples from five different groups of
      animals were tested: Group A: 28 samples from two calves experimentally infected
      with Yersinia enterocolitica O:9; Group B: 30 samples from bovines infected with
      Brucella abortus; Group C: 50 samples from brucellosis-free herds; Group D: 20
      samples RBPT positive and CFT negative; Group E: 20 samples both RBPT and CFT
      positive. Group D and Group E serum samples were from brucellosis-free herds.
      Positive reactions were detected only by RBPT and CFT in calves immunized with Y.
      enterocolitica O:9. Sera from Group B animals tested positive also in the ELISA
      assay, whereas sera from the remaining groups were all negative. The results
      obtained encourage the use of the ELISA assay to implement the serological
      diagnosis of brucellosis. 

PMID- 26476138
TI  - Microbial ecology-based methods to characterize the bacterial communities of non
      model insects.
AB  - Among the animals of the Kingdom Animalia, insects are unparalleled for their
      widespread diffusion, diversity and number of occupied ecological niches. In
      recent years they have raised researcher interest not only because of their
      importance as human and agricultural pests, disease vectors and as useful
      breeding species (e.g. honeybee and silkworm), but also because of their
      suitability as animal models. It is now fully recognized that microorganisms form
      symbiotic relationships with insects, influencing their survival, fitness,
      development, mating habits and the immune system and other aspects of the biology
      and ecology of the insect host. Thus, any research aimed at deepening the
      knowledge of any given insect species (perhaps species of applied interest or
      species emerging as novel pests or vectors) must consider the characterization of
      the associated microbiome. The present review critically examines the
      microbiology and molecular ecology techniques that can be applied to the
      taxonomical and functional analysis of the microbiome of non-model insects. Our
      goal is to provide an overview of current approaches and methods addressing the
      ecology and functions of microorganisms and microbiomes associated with insects.
      Our focus is on operational details, aiming to provide a concise guide to
      currently available advanced techniques, in an effort to extend insect microbiome
      research beyond simple descriptions of microbial communities. 

PMID- 26476139
TI  - Bench to bedside: NK cells and control of metastasis.
AB  - Natural killer (NK) cells play a critical role in host immune responses against
      tumor growth and metastasis. The numerous mechanisms used by NK cells to regulate
      and control cancer metastasis include interactions with tumor cells via specific
      receptors and ligands as well as direct cytotoxicity and cytokine-induced
      effector mechanisms. NK cells also play a role in tumor immunosurveillance and
      inhibition of metastases formation by recognition and killing of tumor cells. In
      this review, we provide an overview of the molecular mechanisms of NK cell
      responses against tumor metastases and discuss multiple strategies by which
      tumors evade NK cell-mediated surveillance. With an increasing understanding of
      the molecular mechanisms driving NK cell activity, there is a growing potential
      for the development of new cancer immunotherapies. Here we provide a historical
      background on NK cell-based therapies and discuss the implications of recent and
      ongoing clinical trials using novel NK cell-based immunotherapy.

PMID- 26476140
TI  - Acute psychological stress induces short-term variable immune response.
AB  - In spite of advances in understanding the cross-talk between the peripheral
      immune system and the brain, the molecular mechanisms underlying the rapid
      adaptation of the immune system to an acute psychological stressor remain largely
      unknown. Conventional approaches to classify molecular factors mediating these
      responses have targeted relatively few biological measurements or explored cross
      sectional study designs, and therefore have restricted characterization of stress
      immune interactions. This exploratory study analyzed transcriptional profiles and
      flow cytometric data of peripheral blood leukocytes with physiological
      (endocrine, autonomic) measurements collected throughout the sequence of events
      leading up to, during, and after short-term exposure to physical danger in
      humans. Immediate immunomodulation to acute psychological stress was defined as a
      short-term selective up-regulation of natural killer (NK) cell-associated
      cytotoxic and IL-12 mediated signaling genes that correlated with increased
      cortisol, catecholamines and NK cells into the periphery. In parallel, we
      observed down-regulation of innate immune toll-like receptor genes and genes of
      the MyD88-dependent signaling pathway. Correcting gene expression for an influx
      of NK cells revealed a molecular signature specific to the adrenal cortex.
      Subsequently, focusing analyses on discrete groups of coordinately expressed
      genes (modules) throughout the time-series revealed immune stress responses in
      modules associated to immune/defense response, response to wounding, cytokine
      production, TCR signaling and NK cell cytotoxicity which differed between males
      and females. These results offer a spring-board for future research towards
      improved treatment of stress-related disease including the impact of stress on
      cardiovascular and autoimmune disorders, and identifies an immune mechanism by
      which vulnerabilities to these diseases may be gender-specific. 

PMID- 26476143
TI  - Bifurcation structure of two coupled FHN neurons with delay.
AB  - This paper presents an investigation of the dynamics of two coupled non-identical
      FitzHugh-Nagumo neurons with delayed synaptic connection. We consider coupling
      strength and time delay as bifurcation parameters, and try to classify all
      possible dynamics which is fairly rich. The neural system exhibits a unique rest
      point or three ones for the different values of coupling strength by employing
      the pitchfork bifurcation of non-trivial rest point. The asymptotic stability and
      possible Hopf bifurcations of the trivial rest point are studied by analyzing the
      corresponding characteristic equation. Homoclinic, fold, and pitchfork
      bifurcations of limit cycles are found. The delay-dependent stability regions are
      illustrated in the parameter plane, through which the double-Hopf bifurcation
      points can be obtained from the intersection points of two branches of Hopf
      bifurcation. The dynamical behavior of the system may exhibit one, two, or three
      different periodic solutions due to pitchfork cycle and torus bifurcations
      (Neimark-Sacker bifurcation in the Poincare map of a limit cycle), of which
      detection was impossible without exact and systematic dynamical study. In
      addition, Hopf, double-Hopf, and torus bifurcations of the non trivial rest
      points are found. Bifurcation diagrams are obtained numerically or analytically
      from the mathematical model and the parameter regions of different behaviors are
      clarified. 

PMID- 26476141
TI  - Prebiotic administration normalizes lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced anxiety and
      cortical 5-HT2A receptor and IL1-beta levels in male mice.
AB  - The manipulation of the enteric microbiota with specific prebiotics and
      probiotics, has been shown to reduce the host's inflammatory response, alter
      brain chemistry, and modulate anxiety behaviour in both rodents and humans.
      However, the neuro-immune and behavioural effects of prebiotics on sickness
      behaviour have not been explored. Here, adult male CD1 mice were fed with a
      specific mix of non-digestible galacto-oligosaccharides (Bimuno(r), BGOS) for 3
      weeks, before receiving a single injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which
      induces sickness behaviour and anxiety. Locomotor and marble burying activities
      were assessed 4h after LPS injection, and after 24h, anxiety in the light-dark
      box was assessed. Cytokine expression, and key components of the serotonergic (5
      Hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) and glutamatergic system were evaluated in the frontal
      cortex to determine the impact of BGOS administration at a molecular level. BGOS
      fed mice were less anxious in the light-dark box compared to controls 24h after
      the LPS injection. Elevated cortical IL-1beta concentrations in control mice 28 h
      after LPS were not observed in BGOS-fed animals. This significant BGOS*LPS
      interaction was also observed for 5HT2A receptors, but not for 5HT1A receptors,
      5HT, 5HIAA, NMDA receptor subunits, or other cytokines. The intake of BGOS did
      not influence LPS-mediated reductions in marble burying behaviour, and its effect
      on locomotor activity was equivocal. Together, our data show that the prebiotic
      BGOS has an anxiolytic effect, which may be related to the modulation of cortical
      IL-1beta and 5-HT2A receptor expression. Our data suggest a potential role for
      prebiotics in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders where anxiety and
      neuroinflammation are prominent clinical features.

PMID- 26476142
TI  - Knock-down of pantothenate kinase 2 severely affects the development of the
      nervous and vascular system in zebrafish, providing new insights into PKAN
      disease.
AB  - Pantothenate Kinase Associated Neurodegeneration (PKAN) is an autosomal recessive
      disorder with mutations in the pantothenate kinase 2 gene (PANK2), encoding an
      essential enzyme for Coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis. The molecular connection
      between defects in this enzyme and the neurodegenerative phenotype observed in
      PKAN patients is still poorly understood. We exploited the zebrafish model to
      study the role played by the pank2 gene during embryonic development and get new
      insight into PKAN pathogenesis. The zebrafish orthologue of hPANK2 lies on
      chromosome 13, is a maternal gene expressed in all development stages and, in
      adult animals, is highly abundant in CNS, dorsal aorta and caudal vein. The
      injection of a splice-inhibiting morpholino induced a clear phenotype with
      perturbed brain morphology and hydrocephalus; edema was present in the heart
      region and caudal plexus, where hemorrhages with reduction of blood circulation
      velocity were detected. We characterized the CNS phenotype by studying the
      expression pattern of wnt1 and neurog1 neural markers and by use of the
      Tg(neurod:EGFP/sox10:dsRed) transgenic line. The results evidenced that
      downregulation of pank2 severely impairs neuronal development, particularly in
      the anterior part of CNS (telencephalon). Whole-mount in situ hybridization
      analysis of the endothelial markers cadherin-5 and fli1a, and use of
      Tg(fli1a:EGFP/gata1a:dsRed) transgenic line, confirmed the essential role of
      pank2 in the formation of the vascular system. The specificity of the morpholino
      induced phenotype was proved by the restoration of a normal development in a high
      percentage of embryos co-injected with pank2 mRNA. Also, addition of pantethine
      or CoA, but not of vitamin B5, to pank2 morpholino-injected embryos rescued the
      phenotype with high efficiency. The zebrafish model indicates the relevance of
      pank2 activity and CoA homeostasis for normal neuronal development and
      functioning and provides evidence of an unsuspected role for this enzyme and its
      product in vascular development. 

PMID- 26476144
TI  - Modeling Ca(2+) currents and buffered diffusion of Ca(2+) in human beta-cells
      during voltage clamp experiments.
AB  - Macroscopic Ca(2+) currents of the human beta-cells were characterized using the
      Hodgkin-Huxley formalism. Expressions describing the Ca(2+)-dependent
      inactivation process of the L-type Ca(2+) channels in terms of the concentration
      of Ca(2+) were obtained. By coupling the modeled Ca(2+) currents to a three
      dimensional model of buffered diffusion of Ca(2+), we simulated the Ca(2+)
      transients formed in the immediate vicinity of the cell membrane during voltage
      clamp experiments performed in high buffering conditions. Our modeling approach
      allowed us to consider the distribution of the Ca(2+) sources over the cell
      membrane. The effect of exogenous (EGTA) and endogenous Ca(2+) buffers on the
      temporal course of the Ca(2+) transients was evaluated. We show that despite the
      high Ca(2+) buffering capacity, nanodomains are formed in the submembrane space,
      where a peak Ca(2+) concentration between ~76 and 143 uM was estimated from our
      simulations. In addition, the contribution of each Ca(2+) current to the
      formation of the Ca(2+) nanodomains was also addressed. Here we provide a general
      framework to incorporate the spatial aspects to the models of the pancreatic beta
      cell, such as a more detailed and realistic description of Ca(2+) dynamics in
      response to electrical activity in physiological conditions can be provided by
      future models. 

PMID- 26476145
TI  - Proteomic characterization of pleural effusion, a specific host niche of
      Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides from cattle with contagious bovine
      pleuropneumonia (CBPP).
AB  - Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides (Mmm) is the causative agent of contagious
      bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), a severe pleuropneumonia in cattle. The abnormal
      accumulation of pleural fluid, called pleural effusion (PE), is one of the
      characteristics of this disease. We performed a proteomic analysis of seven PE
      samples from experimentally infected cattle and characterized their composition
      with respect to bovine and Mmm proteins. We detected a total of 963 different
      bovine proteins. Further analysis indicated a strong enrichment of proteins
      involved in antigen processing, platelet activation and degranulation and
      apoptosis and an increased abundance of acute phase proteins.With regard to the
      pathogen, up to 108 viable mycoplasma cells per ml were detected in the PE
      supernatant. The proteomic analysis revealed 350 mycoplasma proteins, including
      proteins involved in virulence-associated processes like hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
      production and capsule synthesis. The bovine proteins detected will aid to
      characterize the inflammasome during an acute pleuropneumonia in cattle and the
      identified mycoplasma proteins will serve as baseline data to be compared with in
      vitro studies to improve our understanding of pathogenicity mechanisms. Based on
      our results, we named the pleural effusion an "in vivo niche" of Mmm during the
      acute phase of CBPP. Biological significance: This is the first study on bovine
      pleural effusions derived from an infectious disease and the first approach to
      characterize the proteome of Mycoplasma mycoides in vivo. This study revealed a
      high number of viable Mmm cells in the pleural effusion. The bovine pleural
      effusion proteome during Mmm infection is qualitatively similar to plasma, but
      differs with respect to high abundance of acute phase proteins. On the other
      hand,Mmm in its natural host produces proteins involved in capsule synthesis,
      H2O2 production and induction of inflammatory response, supporting previous
      knowledge on mechanisms underlying the survival and virulence of this pathogen
      while inside the natural host. This knowledge forms a profound basis for testing
      the identified protein candidates for diagnostics or vaccines.

PMID- 26476146
TI  - Proteomics of reproductive systems: Towards a molecular understanding of
      postmating, prezygotic reproductive barriers.
AB  - Following mating and insemination, fertility is dependent on the successful
      execution of a complex array of morphological, physiological and molecular
      interactions between male and female proteins, cells and tissues. Many of these
      interacting components bear hallmarks of co-evolving systems and are suspected to
      contribute to postmating, prezygotic (PMPZ) reproductive barriers involved in the
      formation of new species. Although PMPZ reproductive isolation has historically
      been more difficult to study than precopulatory and postzygotic barriers, recent
      research has highlighted its potential role in speciation and revealed the impact
      of molecular investigation utilizing proteomic approaches. Proteomics, in
      conjunction with transcriptomic and evolutionary genomic studies, has been widely
      used to identify rapidly evolving male and female reproductive proteins.
      Increased access to high-throughput and quantitative proteomic techniques, as
      well as the ease of generating genomic and transcriptomic resources necessary for
      protein identification, can facilitate the extension of proteomics from
      traditional model species to systems of relevance to PMPZ phenotypes and hence
      greatly expand our understanding of how rapidly diverging molecular systems may
      contribute to PMPZ barriers. Here we review the influence proteomic analyses can
      have on our understanding of the function and evolution of the complex cellular
      and molecular processes governing postcopulatory male-female interactions and the
      study of PMPZ reproductive isolation, with the goal of expanding our
      understanding of the contribution of PMPZ processes to speciation. 

PMID- 26476147
TI  - The imprinted Phlda2 gene modulates a major endocrine compartment of the placenta
      to regulate placental demands for maternal resources.
AB  - Imprinted genes, which are expressed from a single parental allele in response to
      epigenetic marks first established in the germline, function in a myriad of
      processes to regulate mammalian development. Recent work suggests that imprinted
      genes may regulate the signalling function of the placenta by modulating the size
      of the endocrine compartment. Here we provide in vivo evidence that this
      hypothesis is well founded. Elevated expression of the imprinted Pleckstrin
      homology-like domain, family a, member 2 (Phlda2) gene drives a reduction of the
      spongiotrophoblast endocrine compartment, diminished placental glycogen and
      asymmetric foetal growth restriction. Using both loss-of-function and gain-in
      expression mouse models, here we further show that Phlda2 exclusively modulates
      the spongiotrophoblast compartment of the placenta without significantly altering
      the composition of the trophoblast giant cell endocrine lineages that share a
      common progenitor with this lineage. Additionally, we show that Phlda2 loss-of
      function placentae contain nearly three times more placental glycogen than non
      transgenic placentae. Remarkably, relative to a fully wild type scenario, wild
      type placentae also accumulate excessive glycogen. While loss-of-function of
      Phlda2 increased both placental weight and placental glycogen, the weight of both
      mutant and non-transgenic fetuses was lower than that found in a fully wild type
      scenario indicating that excessive glycogen accumulation comes at the cost of
      foetal growth. This work firstly highlights a novel signalling function for the
      spongiotrophoblast in stimulating the global accumulation of placental glycogen.
      Furthermore, this work suggests that Phlda2 manipulates the placenta's demands
      for maternal resources, a process that must be tightly regulated by epigenetic
      marks to ensure optimal foetal growth. 

PMID- 26476148
TI  - Efficacy of the Ketogenic Diet for the Treatment of Refractory Childhood
      Epilepsy: Cerebrospinal Fluid Neurotransmitters and Amino Acid Levels.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The mechanisms of the ketogenic diet remain unclear, but several
      predictors of response have been proposed. We aimed is to study the relationship
      between the etiology of epilepsy, cerebrospinal fluid neurotransmitters, pterins,
      and amino acids, and response to a ketogenic diet. METHODS: We studied 60
      patients who began classic ketogenic diet treatment for refractory epilepsy. In
      24 of 60 individuals, we analyzed cerebrospinal fluid neurotransmitters, pterins,
      and amino acids in baseline conditions. Mean age at epilepsy onset was 24 months,
      83.3% were focal epilepsies, and in 51.7% the etiology of the epilepsy was
      unknown. RESULTS: Six months after initiating the ketogenic diet, it was
      effective (greater than a 50% reduction in seizure frequency) in 31.6% of
      patients. We did not find a link between rate of efficacy for the ketogenic diet
      and etiologies of epilepsy, nor did we find a link between the rate of efficacy
      for the ketogenic diet and cerebrospinal fluid pterins and biogenic amines
      concentrations. However, we found statistically significant differences for
      lysine and arginine values in the cerebrospinal fluid between ketogenic diet
      responders and nonresponders, but not for the other amino acids analyzed.
      SIGNIFICANCE: The values of some amino acids were significantly different in
      relationship with the ketogenic diet efficacy; however, the epilepsy etiology and
      the cerebrospinal fluid biogenic amine and pterin values were not.

PMID- 26476149
TI  - The Neurological Outcome of Isolated PVL and Severe IVH in Preterm Infants: Is It
      Fair to Compare?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We compared the neurological outcome of isolated periventricular
      leukomalacia and severe intraventricular hemorrhage in a cohort of very low birth
      weight infants born and managed at single tertiary-care center in Saudi Arabia.
      METHODS: We undertook a descriptive retrospective chart review of the
      neurological status of very low birth weight infants who were born and managed
      over a 5-year period at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh. The neurological
      outcome of neonates with isolated periventricular leukomalacia and severe
      intraventricular hemorrhage (grades III and IV) was studied and compared in
      relation to developmental delay and cerebral palsy. RESULTS: A total of 20
      patients with isolated periventricular leukomalacia and 26 with severe
      intraventricular hemorrhage (grades III and IV) were identified for this study.
      Of 20 patients with isolated periventricular leukomalacia, 9 (45%) had good
      developmental outcome and 11 (55%) had bad developmental outcome. Of 26 patients
      of severe intraventricular hemorrhage, 14 (54%) had good developmental outcome
      and 12 (46%) had bad developmental outcome (P = 0.55). Significant motor
      neurological deficit affecting function is distributed as follows: 11/20 (55%) in
      the isolated periventricular leukomalacia group and 7/26 (27%) in the severe
      intraventricular hemorrhage group (P = 0.05). Cerebral palsy was diplegic in 7/11
      (64%) and quadriplegic in 4/11 (36%) in the isolated periventricular leukomalacia
      group, and hemiplegic 3/7 (43%), diplegic in 1/7 (14%), and quadriplegic in 3/7
      (43%) in the severe intraventricular hemorrhage group (P = 0.03). Distribution of
      the neurological outcome according to periventricular leukomalacia grade was as
      follows: for periventricular leukomalacia grade I (n = 8), 6/8 (75%) had good
      neurological outcome and 2/8 (25%) had bad neurological outcome. In
      periventricular leukomalacia grade II (n = 4), good neurological outcome was seen
      in three patients (75%) and bad neurological outcome was seen in one patient
      (25%). All patients (n = 8) with periventricular leukomalacia grade III had bad
      outcome (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: About half of patients with isolated
      periventricular leukomalacia and severe intraventricular hemorrhage had a poor
      developmental outcome. However, the severity of cerebral palsy was greater in the
      isolated periventricular leukomalacia patients and correlates highly with
      periventricular leukomalacia grade. Symmetrical diplegic cerebral palsy is the
      most common motor deficit associated with isolated periventricular leukomalacia,
      whereas asymmetrical hemiplegic cerebral palsy is seen exclusively with severe
      intraventricular hemorrhage.

PMID- 26476150
TI  - Unmasking right atrial fibrillation: A new indication of adenosine triphosphate
      test?

PMID- 26476151
TI  - Cervical HPV natural history among young Western Cape, South African women: The
      randomized control EVRI Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this analysis was to assess human papillomavirus
      (HPV) infection persistence and incidence 7-months post-enrollment by HPV vaccine
      study arm (vaccine or placebo). METHODS: HIV-negative, sexually active women aged
      16-24 years in the Western Cape, South Africa, were enrolled in the EVRI Trial
      and were randomized to receive 4-valent HPV vaccine or placebo. Cervical
      specimens were collected at enrollment and at the 7-month visit and were
      genotyped for HPV. HPV prevalence, persistence, and incidence were calculated.
      Prevalence ratios and odds ratios were calculated to assess factors associated
      with a prevalent and incident HPV infection. RESULTS: HPV incidence rates were
      marginally higher for the placebo group (n = 163) compared to the vaccine group
      (n = 169). A large proportion of the prevalent high-risk (HR-HPV) HPV types (49%)
      persisted over the 7-month period in both arms. Prevalent HR-HPV infection was
      significantly associated with a prevalent gonorrhea infection and detection of
      Herpes simplex type 2 antibodies. Incident HR-HPV infection was significantly
      associated with abnormal cervical cytology at enrollment and younger age.
      CONCLUSIONS: Women living in geographic areas, such as southern Africa, at high
      risk for HPV need to receive HPV vaccination at a very young age to maximally
      prevent infection and subsequent disease.

PMID- 26476152
TI  - Characteristics of herpes zoster-associated hospitalizations in Madrid (SPAIN)
      before vaccine availability.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to estimate the frequency of hospitalizations due to
      herpes zoster (HZ) and to describe their clinical characteristics by sex and age
      group. METHODS: Descriptive population-based cross-sectional study of hospital
      admissions due to HZ from 2003 to 2013 among residents in the Autonomous
      Community of Madrid. Sex, age, comorbidities, length of stay and outcomes were
      collected and described. Crude and age-adjusted cumulative incidence rates, and
      stratified by sex and age, were estimated. Robust Poisson regression analysis was
      used to calculate the incidence rate ratios by age group. RESULTS: 2039
      hospitalizations were identified (51.0% in women). Complicated HZ caused 48.7% of
      them (50.9% in women). The hospitalization rate was 2.98/100,000 person-years and
      7.19/1000 cases of HZ in primary care. Both rates were significantly higher in
      men, except in the extreme age groups. An immunosuppression-associated
      comorbidity was identified in 32.8% of the cases and was less common in patients
      >=75 years of age. The median length of stay was 6 days, and in-hospital
      mortality was 1.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalization rates due to HZ were higher in
      men and increased with age. In two out of every three cases, a comorbidity that
      potentially caused immunosuppression could not be identified. These cases could
      benefit from vaccination.

PMID- 26476153
TI  - Using photographs to study animal social cognition and behaviour: Do capuchins'
      responses to photos reflect reality?
AB  - Behavioural responses to photos are often used to infer what animals understand
      about their social environment, but are rarely validated against the same stimuli
      in real life. If subjects' responses to photos do not reflect responses to the
      same live stimuli, it is difficult to conclude what happens in reality based on
      photo responses alone. We compared capuchins' responses to photos versus live
      stimuli in an identical scenario within research cubicles. Subjects had the
      opportunity to approach food placed in front of an alpha group member and, in a
      separate condition, photos depicting the same individual. Subjects' latencies to
      approach food when placed in front of the real alpha negatively correlated with
      time subjects spent in close proximity to the alpha in their main enclosure. We
      therefore predicted subjects' latencies to approach food in the presence of
      photos would positively correlate with their latencies to approach food in the
      presence of the real alpha inside the cubicles, but negatively correlate with
      time they spent in proximity to the alpha in their enclosure. Neither prediction
      was supported. While not necessarily surprising, we explain why these results
      should be an important reminder that care is needed when interpreting results
      from photo studies. 

PMID- 26476154
TI  - Molecular mechanisms of rosmarinic acid from Salvia miltiorrhiza in acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia cells.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Rosmarinic acid (RA), a major hydrosoluble
      bioactive compound found in the Chinese medicinal herb, Salvia miltiorrhiza
      Bunge, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat various
      diseases, including cancer. However, the mechanisms have not been fully
      elucidated. AIM OF THE STUDY: Guided by microarray hybridization and Ingenuity
      Pathway Analysis, we identified modes of action of rosmarinic acid (RA) isolated
      from S. miltiorrhiza on acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Microarray data were verified by independent methods: Real-time RT-PCR
      (mRNA expression), resazurin assay (cytotoxicity of RA towards parental CCRF-CEM,
      multidrug-resistant CEM/ADR5000 cells and normal lymphocytes), flow cytometry
      (cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, necroptosis, generation of reactive oxygen species
      (ROS), disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP)), single cell gel
      electrophoresis (DNA damage), molecular docking and gene promoter binding motif
      analysis (NFkappaB), Western blotting (nuclear NFkappaB translocation, PARP
      cleavage, caspase 3/7/9 expression), and fibronectin-based cell adhesion assay.
      RESULTS: RA dose-dependently inhibited CCRF-CEM and CEM/ADR5000 cells, but caused
      less cytotoxicity towards normal lymphocytes. RA simultaneously induced apoptosis
      and necrosis, as shown by cell morphology and annexin V-PI assay. DNA damage was
      dose-dependently induced without ROS generation, which subsequently led to cell
      cycle arrest. RA-stimulated MMP dysfunction activated PARP-cleavage and caspase
      independent apoptosis. In accordance with molecular docking and gene promoter
      binding motif analyses, p65 translocation from the cytosol to the nucleus was
      blocked by RA, indicating a mechanistic role of the NFkappaB pathway to explain
      RA's action. RA affected cellular movement as evaluated by ameliorating cell
      adhesion to fibronectin. CONCLUSIONS: RA induced apoptosis and necrosis in a ROS
      independent DNA damage and caspase-independent manner. These results may
      contribute to the rationale use of S. miltiorrhiza and RA in traditional medicine
      of leukemia.

PMID- 26476155
TI  - Risk factors for suicide in bipolar I disorder in two prospectively studied
      cohorts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: These analyses were undertaken to determine whether similar risk
      factors for suicide emerged across two prospectively studied cohorts of
      individuals with bipolar I disorder. METHODS: The NIMH Collaborative Study of
      Depression (CDS) recruited 288 patients with bipolar I disorder from 1978-1981 as
      they sought treatment. Subjects were followed semiannually and then annually for
      up to 30 years. The Bipolar Genomics studies identified individuals through
      clinical referrals and advertisement. Clinical follow-up did not occur but
      personal identifiers of 1748 were matched with National Death Index (NDI)
      records. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses tested ten potential risk factors.
      RESULTS: The CDS and Genomic follow-ups encompassed 12,667 and 4529 person-years,
      respectively. Suicides/100 person-years were 0.26 and 0.055. The demographic or
      clinical variables that predicted suicide differed considerably in the two
      cohorts. The odds ratio for suicide for those with any history of suicide attempt
      was 2.3 and 2.8, respectively, and was the third highest odds ratio of the tested
      risk factors in both studies. LIMITATIONS:  CONCLUSIONS: Differences in the
      sources of participants in studies of suicide risk may result in marked
      differences across studies in both rates of suicide and in risk factors. A
      history of suicide attempt is a relatively robust risk factor across samples.

PMID- 26476156
TI  - Physiological evidence for a human-induced landscape of fear in brown bears
      (Ursus arctos).
AB  - Human persecution is a major cause of mortality for large carnivores.
      Consequently, large carnivores avoid humans, but may use human-dominated
      landscapes by being nocturnal and elusive. Behavioral studies indicate that
      certain ecological systems are "landscapes of fear", driven by antipredator
      behavior. Because behavior and physiology are closely interrelated, physiological
      assessments may provide insight into the behavioral response of large carnivores
      to human activity. To elucidate changes in brown bears' (Ursus arctos) behavior
      associated with human activity, we evaluated stress as changes in heart rate (HR)
      and heart rate variability (HRV) in 12 GPS-collared, free-ranging bears, 7 males
      and 5 females, 3-11 years old, using cardiac-monitoring devices. We applied
      generalized linear regression models with HR and HRV as response variables and
      chest activity, time of day, season, distance traveled, and distance to human
      settlements from GPS positions recorded every 30 min as potential explanatory
      variables. Bears exhibited lower HRV, an indication of stress, when they were
      close to human settlements and especially during the berry season, when humans
      were more often in the forest, picking berries and hunting. Our findings provide
      evidence of a human-induced landscape of fear in this hunted population of brown
      bears.

PMID- 26476157
TI  - Anaerobic microbial fuel cell treating combined industrial wastewater:
      Correlation of electricity generation with pollutants.
AB  - Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a new technology that not only generates energy but
      treats wastewater as well. A dual chamber MFC was operated under laboratory
      conditions. Wastewater samples from vegetable oil industries, metal works, glass
      and marble industries, chemical industries and combined industrial effluents were
      collected and each was treated for 98h in MFC. The treatment efficiency for COD
      in MFC was in range of 85-90% at hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 96h and had
      significant impact on wastewater treatment as well. The maximum voltage of 890mV
      was generated when vegetable oil industries discharge was treated with columbic
      efficiency of 5184.7C. The minimum voltage was produced by Glass House wastewater
      which was 520mV. There was positive significant co-relation between COD
      concentration and generated voltage. Further research should be focused on the
      organic contents of wastewater and various ionic species affecting voltage
      generation in MFC. 

PMID- 26476158
TI  - The comparison of obtaining fermentable sugars from cellulose by enzymatic
      hydrolysis and fast pyrolysis.
AB  - Sugars are one of intermediates in the biological and chemical conversion of
      biomass. The objective of this study was to make comparison of obtaining
      fermentable sugars by enzymatic hydrolysis and fast pyrolysis of ball milling
      pretreated cellulose. After ball milling pretreatment for 0-18h, with the
      accumulation of alkali and alkali earth metals (from 50.8 to 276.4ppm) and
      decrease of the crystalline structure (from 89.8% to 10.1%), the hydrolysis
      yields increased from 23.6% to 56.0% in enzymatic saccharification, while the
      yields of levoglucosan diminished from 61.5% to 45.6% gradually in fast
      pyrolysis. Both enzymatic saccharification and fast pyrolysis had unique
      attractive features and unfavorable limitations. The present research provided a
      concept for considering choices among the technologies and feedstocks currently
      available. 

PMID- 26476159
TI  - Investigation on the structural effect of lignin during the hydrogenolysis
      process.
AB  - Structure has a significant effect on the lignin degradation, so the
      investigation of structural effect on the lignin depolymerization is important
      and imperative. In this study, hydrogenolysis of three typical lignins with
      different structures, dealkaline lignin, sodium lignosulfonate and organosolv
      lignin, was intensively compared over the synergistic catalyst of CrCl3 and Pd/C.
      The effects of reaction temperature, time, hydrogen pressure and catalyst dosage
      on the catalytic performance of lignin species were investigated. The structure
      evolution of lignins during the hydrogenolysis process was also compared. The
      results showed that organosolv lignin was more sensitive for hydrogenolysis than
      others due to its high unsaturation degree and low molecular weight. Further
      analysis indicated that the hydrogenolysis, hydrodeoxygenation and
      repolymerization reactions took place and competed intensely. Wherein, the
      depolymerization products with unsaturated carbonyl groups were prone to
      repolymerize. And the methylation was helpful to stabilize the depolymerization
      products and suppress the further repolymerization. 

PMID- 26476160
TI  - Integration of mild acid hydrolysis in gamma-valerolactone/water system for
      enhancement of enzymatic saccharification from cotton stalk.
AB  - In this study, mild acid hydrolysis using gamma-valerolactone (GVL)/water system
      integrated with enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out for the enhancement of
      enzymatic saccharification efficiency. The quantitative analysis of soluble
      carbohydrates and structural characterizations of solid residues were conducted.
      Results showed that the soluble carbohydrates in the water-phase were mainly
      composed of monomers and oligomers from xylose and glucose, while the contents of
      which were depended on the ratio of GVL to water. Moreover, the inhibitors were
      hardly detected due to the moderate pretreatment severity. Compared with the
      untreated feedstock, the yields of enzymatic hydrolysis from pretreated samples
      increased by two-fold with the mixture of 80/20 GVL/H2O. Combined with the amount
      of glucose (14.6%) dissolved in the water-phase, over 92.6% of glucose in cotton
      stalk was released and recovered. Based on the comprehensive analysis, treatment
      with GVL/H2O system provided us a more effective approach for sugar production
      from biomass. 

PMID- 26476161
TI  - Global transcriptional responses of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans Wenelen under
      different sulfide minerals.
AB  - In order to provide new information about the adaptation of Acidithiobacillus
      ferrooxidans during the bioleaching process, the current analysis presents the
      first report of the global transcriptional response of the native copper mine
      strain Wenelen (DSM 16786) oxidized under different sulfide minerals. Microarrays
      were used to measure the response of At. ferrooxidans Wenelen to shifts from iron
      supplemented liquid cultures (reference state) to the addition of solid
      substrates enriched in pyrite or chalcopyrite. Genes encoding for energy
      metabolism showed a similar transcriptional profile for the two sulfide minerals.
      Interestingly, four operons related to sulfur metabolism were over-expressed
      during growth on a reduced sulfur source. Genes associated with metal tolerance
      (RND and ATPases type P) were up-regulated in the presence of pyrite or
      chalcopyrite. These results suggest that At. ferrooxidans Wenelen presents an
      efficient transcriptional system developed to respond to environmental
      conditions, namely the ability to withstand high copper concentrations. 

PMID- 26476162
TI  - Insights into the global regulation of anaerobic metabolism for improved
      biohydrogen production.
AB  - To improve the biohydrogen yield in bacterial dark fermentation, a new approach
      of global anaerobic regulation was introduced. Two cellular global regulators FNR
      and NarP were overexpressed in two model organisms: facultatively anaerobic
      Enterobacter aerogenes (Ea) and strictly anaerobic Clostridium paraputrificum
      (Cp). The overexpression of FNR and NarP greatly altered anaerobic metabolism and
      increased the hydrogen yield by 40%. Metabolic analysis showed that the global
      regulation caused more reducing environment inside the cell. To get a thorough
      understanding of the global metabolic regulation, more genes (fdhF, fhlA, ppk, Cb
      fdh1, and Sc-fdh1) were overexpressed in different Ea and Cp mutants. For the
      first time, it demonstrated that there were approximately linear relationships
      between the relative change of hydrogen yield and the relative change of NADH
      yield or ATP yield. It implied that cellular reducing power and energy level
      played vital roles in the biohydrogen production. 

PMID- 26476163
TI  - Application of artificial neural networks to co-combustion of hazelnut husk
      lignite coal blends.
AB  - The artificial neural network (ANN) theory is applied to thermal data obtained by
      non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) from room temperature to 1000
      degrees C at different heating rates in air to study co-combustion of hazelnut
      husk (HH)-lignite coal (LC) blends of various composition. The heating rate,
      blend ratio and temperature were used in the ANN analysis to predict the TG
      curves of the blends as parameters that affect the thermal behavior during
      combustion. The ANN model provides a good prediction of the TG curves for co
      combustion with a coefficient of determination for the developed model of 0.9995.
      The agreement between the experimental data and the predicted values
      substantiated the accuracy of the ANN calculation. 

PMID- 26476164
TI  - Enhancing enzymatic hydrolysis of xylan by adding sodium lignosulfonate and long
      chain fatty alcohols.
AB  - Sodium lignosulfonate (SXSL) and long-chain fatty alcohols (LFAs) could enhance
      the enzymatic hydrolysis of xylan, and the compound of SXSL and LFAs have
      synergies on the enzymatic hydrolysis. SXSL shows a strong enhancement in buffer
      pH range from 4.0 to 6.0. The enhancement increased with the SXSL dosage and the
      xylanase loading. The cellulose and lignin in corncob substrate could not only
      adsorb xylanase nonproductively, but also seriously reduce the accessibility of
      xylanase on xylan to impede the enzymatic hydrolysis of xylan. Cellulase could
      break the plant cell wall structure of corncob and make additives work better.
      The xylose yield of corncob at 72h increased from 59.4% to 73.7% by adding the
      compound of 5g/L SXSL and 0.01% (v/v) n-decanol, which was higher than that
      without cellulase and additives by 30.7%. Meanwhile, the glucose yield at 72h of
      corncob increased from 45.8% to 62.3%. 

PMID- 26476165
TI  - Malbranchea cinnamomea: A thermophilic fungal source of catalytically efficient
      lignocellulolytic glycosyl hydrolases and metal dependent enzymes.
AB  - This study reports thermophilic fungus Malbranchea cinnamomea as an important
      source of lignocellulolytic enzymes. The secretome analysis using LC-MS/MS
      orbitrap showed that fungus produced a spectrum of glycosyl hydrolases
      (cellulase/hemicellulase), polysaccharide lyases (PL) and carbohydrate esterases
      (CE) in addition to cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) indicating the presence of
      functional classical and oxidative cellulolytic mechanisms. The protein fractions
      in the secretome resolved by ion exchange chromatography were analyzed for
      ability to hydrolyze alkali treated carrot grass (ATCG) in the presence of
      Mn(2+)/Cu(2+). This strategy in tandem with peptide mass fingerprinting led to
      identification of metal dependent protein hydrolases with no apparent hydrolytic
      activity, however, showed 5.7 folds higher saccharification in presence of
      Mn(2+). Furthermore, adding different protein fractions to commercial cellulase
      (Novozymes: Cellic CTec2) resulted in enhanced hydrolysis of ATCG ranging between
      1.57 and 3.43 folds indicating the enzymes from M. cinnamomea as catalytically
      efficient. 

PMID- 26476166
TI  - Application of biomass pyrolytic polygeneration technology using retort reactors.
AB  - To introduce application status and illustrate the good utilisation potential of
      biomass pyrolytic polygeneration using retort reactors, the properties of major
      products and the economic viability of commercial factories were investigated.
      The capacity of one factory was about 3000t of biomass per year, which was
      converted into 1000t of charcoal, 950,000Nm(3) of biogas, 270t of woody tar, and
      950t of woody vinegar. Charcoal and fuel gas had LHV of 31MJ/kg and 12MJ/m(3),
      respectively, indicating their potential for use as commercial fuels. The woody
      tar was rich in phenols, while woody vinegar contained large quantities of water
      and acetic acid. The economic analysis showed that the factory using this
      technology could be profitable, and the initial investment could be recouped over
      the factory lifetime. This technology offered a promising means of converting
      abundant agricultural biomass into high-value products. 

PMID- 26476167
TI  - Replacement of sugars to hydrogen production by Rhodobacter capsulatus using dark
      fermentation effluent as substrate.
AB  - Hydrogen is a promising alternative for the increased global energy demand since
      it has high energy density and is a clean fuel. The aim of this work was to
      evaluate the photo-fermentation by Rhodobacter capsulatus, using the dark
      fermentation effluent as substrate. Different systems were tested by changing the
      type of sugar in the dark fermentation, investigating the influence of
      supplementing DFE with sugar and adding alternate and periodically lactose and
      glucose throughout the process. The supplementation of the DFE with sugar
      resulted in higher H2 productivity and the replacement of the sugars repeatedly
      during the photo-fermentation process was important to maintain the cell culture
      active. By controlling the residual amount of sugar, bacteria inhibition was
      avoided; lactic acid, that was toxic to the biomass, was consumed and the
      metabolic route of butyric acid production was predominant. Under optimum
      conditions, the H2 productivity reached 208.40mmolH2/Ld in 52h. 

PMID- 26476168
TI  - Towards high potential magnetic biocatalysts for on-demand elimination of
      pharmaceuticals.
AB  - The present study investigated the applicability of a laccase based bioprocess
      for the treatment of a mixture containing 13 selected pharmaceuticals. To do so,
      laccase was immobilized as cross-linked enzyme aggregates (MAC-CLEAs) on amine
      functionalized magnetic nanoparticles using chitosan/1-ethyl-3-(3
      dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDAC) as the cross-linking
      system. The activity recovery of laccase reached 61.4% under the optimal
      conditions of MAC-CLEAs formation. The latter exhibited enhanced storage
      stability over one year at 4 degrees C and showed better temperature resistance
      compared to its soluble counterpart. The biocatalysts were properly recycled and
      the catalytic activity recovery was good even after a hundred and fifty batch
      reactions. Complete removal of pharmaceuticals like acetaminophen, diclofenac,
      mefenamic acid, atenolol and epoxy carbamazepine and partial removal of
      fenofibrate, diazepam, trimethoprim, and ketoprofen by laccase was achieved
      within 12h of incubation, whereas efficient removal of indometacin required the
      presence of mediator. 

PMID- 26476169
TI  - Modeling of biomass fractionation in a lab-scale biorefinery: Solubilization of
      hemicellulose and cellulose from holm oak wood using subcritical water.
AB  - Lignocellulose fractionation is a key biorefinery process that need to be
      understood. In this work, a comprehensive study on hydrothermal-fractionation of
      holm oak in a semi-continuous system was conducted. The aim was to develop a
      physicochemical model in order to reproduce the role of temperature and water
      flow over the products composition. The experiments involved two sets: at
      constant flow (6mL/min) and two different ranges of temperature (140-180 and 240
      280 degrees C) and at a constant temperature range (180-260 degrees C) and
      different flows: 11.0, 15.0 and 27.9mL/min. From the results, temperature has
      main influence and flow effect was observed only if soluble compounds were
      produced. The kinetic model was validated against experimental data, reproducing
      the total organic carbon profile (e.g. deviation of 33%) and the physicochemical
      phenomena observed in the process. In the model, it was also considered the
      variations of molecular weight of each biopolymer, successfully reproducing the
      biomass cleaving. 

PMID- 26476170
TI  - The pollutants removal and bacterial community dynamics relationship within a
      full-scale British Gas/Lurgi coal gasification wastewater treatment using a novel
      system.
AB  - The novel system of EBA (based on external circulation anaerobic (EC) process
      biological enhanced (BE) process-anoxic/oxic (A/O) process) was applied to treat
      the British Gas/Lurgi coal gasification wastewater in Erdos, China. After a long
      time of commissioning, the EBA system represented a stable and highly efficient
      performance, particularly, the concentrations of COD, NH4(+)-N, total organic
      carbon, total nitrogen and volatile phenols in the final effluent reached 53,
      0.3, 18, 106mg/L and not detected, respectively. Both the GC-MS and fluorescence
      excitation-emission matrix analyses revealed significant variations of organic
      compositions in the effluent of different process. The results of high-throughput
      sequencing represented the EBA system composed 34 main bacteria which were
      affiliated to 7 phyla. In addition, the canonical correspondence analysis
      indicated high coherence among community composition, wastewater characteristics
      and environmental variables, in which the pH, mixed liquid suspended solids and
      total phenols loading were the most three significant variables. 

PMID- 26476171
TI  - Enhancing acetone biosynthesis and acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation
      performance by co-culturing Clostridium acetobutylicum/Saccharomyces cerevisiae
      integrated with exogenous acetate addition.
AB  - Acetone is the major by-product in ABE fermentations, most researches focused on
      increasing butanol/acetone ratio by decreasing acetone biosynthesis. However,
      economics of ABE fermentation industry strongly relies on evaluating acetone as a
      valuable platform chemical. Therefore, a novel ABE fermentation strategy focusing
      on bio-acetone production by co-culturing Clostridium
      acetobutylicum/Saccharomyces cerevisiae with exogenous acetate addition was
      proposed. Experimental and theoretical analysis revealed the strategy could,
      enhance C. acetobutylicum survival oriented amino acids assimilation in the
      cells; control NADH regeneration rate at moderately lower level to enhance
      acetone synthesis but without sacrificing butanol production; enhance the
      utilization ability of C. acetobutylicum on glucose and direct most of extra
      consumed glucose into acetone/butanol synthesis routes. By implementing the
      strategy using synthetic or acetate fermentative supernatant, acetone
      concentrations increased to 8.27-8.55g/L from 5.86g/L of the control, while
      butanol concentrations also elevated to the higher levels of 13.91-14.23g/L from
      11.63g/L simultaneously. 

PMID- 26476172
TI  - Sequential Fenton oxidation and hydrothermal treatment to improve the effect of
      pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis on mixed hardwood.
AB  - Sequential Fenton oxidation (FO) and hydrothermal treatment were performed to
      improve the effect of pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of mixed hardwood.
      The molar ratio of the Fenton reagent (FeSO4.7H2O and H2O2) was 1:25, and the
      reaction time was 96h. During the reaction, little or no weight loss of biomass
      was observed. The concentration of Fe(2+) was determined and was found to
      increase continuously during FO. Hydrothermal treatment at 190-210 degrees C for
      10-80min was performed following FO. Sequential FO and hydrothermal treatment
      showed positive effects on pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. Xylose
      concentration in the hydrolysate was as high as 14.16g/L when FO-treated biomass
      was treated at 190 degrees C, while its concentration in the raw material was
      3.72g/L. After 96h of enzymatic hydrolysis, cellulose conversion in the biomass
      obtained following sequential treatment was 69.58-79.54%. In contrast, the
      conversion in the raw material (without FO) was 64.41-67.92%. 

PMID- 26476173
TI  - Advanced therapeutic approach for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma
      via the intrapleural administration of liposomal pemetrexed.
AB  - Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive cancer that proliferates in
      the pleural cavity. Pemetrexed (PMX) in combination with cisplatin is currently
      the approved standard care for MPM, but a dismal response rate persists.
      Recently, we prepared various liposomal PMX formulations using different lipid
      compositions and evaluated their in vitro cytotoxicity against human mesothelioma
      cells (MSTO-211H). In the present study, we investigated the in vivo therapeutic
      effect of our liposomal PMX formulations using an orthotopic MPM tumor mouse
      model. PMX encapsulated within either cholesterol-containing (PMX/Chol CL) or
      cholesterol-free (PMX/Non-Chol CL) cationic liposome was intrapleurally injected
      into tumor-bearing mice. PMX encapsulated in cholesterol-free liposomes (PMX/Non
      Chol CL) drastically inhibited the tumor growth in the pleural cavity, while free
      PMX and PMX encapsulated in cholesterol-containing liposomes (PMX/Chol CL) barely
      inhibited the tumor growth. The enhanced in vivo anti-tumor efficacy of PMX/Non
      Chol CL was credited, on the one hand, for prolonging the retention of cationic
      liposomes in the pleural cavity via their electrostatic interaction with the
      negatively charged membranes of tumor cells, but on the other hand, it was
      charged with contributing to a higher drug release from the "fluid" liposomal
      membrane following intrapleural administration. This therapeutic strategy of
      direct intrapleural administration of liposomal PMX, along with the great
      advances in CL-guided therapeutics, might be a promising therapeutic approach to
      conquering the poor prognosis for MPM. 

PMID- 26476174
TI  - Intragastric pH and pressure profiles after intake of the high-caloric, high-fat
      meal as used for food effect studies.
AB  - The intraluminal conditions of the fed stomach are critical for drug release from
      solid oral dosage forms and thus, often associated with the occurrence of food
      effects on oral bioavailability. In this study, intragastric pH and pressure
      profiles present after the ingestion of the high-caloric, high-fat (964 kcal) FDA
      standard breakfast were investigated in 19 healthy human subjects by using the
      telemetric SmartPill(r) capsule system (26 * 13 mm). Since the gastric emptying
      of such large non-digestible objects is typically accomplished by the migrating
      motor complex phase III activity, the time required for recurrence of fasted
      state motility determined the gastric emptying time (GET). Following the diet
      recommendations of the FDA guidance on food effect studies, the mean GET of the
      telemetric motility capsule was 15.3 +/- 4.7 h. Thus, the high caloric value of
      the standard breakfast impeded gastric emptying before lunch in 18 out of 19
      subjects. During its gastric transit, the capsule was exposed to highly dynamic
      conditions in terms of pH and pressure, which were mainly dependent on further
      meal and liquid intake, as well as the intragastric capsule deposition behavior.
      Maximum pH values in the stomach were measured immediately after capsule intake.
      The median pH value of the 5 min period after capsule ingestion ranged between pH
      3.3 and 5.3. Subsequently, the pH decreased relatively constantly and reached
      minimum values of pH 0-1 after approximately 4 h. The maximum pressure within the
      stomach amounted to 293 +/- 109 mbar and was clearly higher than the maximum
      pressure measured at the ileocaecal junction (60 +/- 35 mbar). The physiological
      data on the intraluminal conditions within the fed stomach generated in this
      study will hopefully contribute to a better understanding of food effects on oral
      drug product performance.

PMID- 26476175
TI  - Stability of ethyl glucuronide in hair reference materials after accelerated
      aging.
AB  - Two different hair reference materials, one produced from authentic hair
      displaying an ethyl glucuronide (EtG) content of about 25 pg/mg and one obtained
      by fortification of blank hair to an EtG level of 85 pg/mg were submitted to
      accelerated aging between 4  degrees C and 60  degrees C for periods between one
      and 24 months. Subsequently, the EtG content was determined in the aged samples
      and untreated reference samples stored at -22  degrees C under repeatability
      conditions following the so-called isochronous approach. The EtG content remained
      stable even at 40  degrees C for 24 months and at 60  degrees C over six months.
      This is in contrast to many organic analytes contained in trace concentrations in
      diverse matrices. A slight but significant increase of the recovered EtG in case
      of authentic hair samples having been exposed for 24 months between 4  degrees C
      and 60  degrees C may be due to a temperature-driven process that allows
      increased recoveries of the physiologically embedded EtG.

PMID- 26476176
TI  - Daily interactions in the parent-adult child tie: Links between children's
      problems and parents' diurnal cortisol rhythms.
AB  - Studies have established that grown children's problems affect parental well
      being, but a dearth of research has addressed daily interactions and biological
      systems that may underlie these associations. This study examined whether parents
      have different types of daily interactions with adult children who have problems
      and whether those interactions are associated with variations in parents' diurnal
      cortisol rhythms. Middle-aged parents (n=197) reported their interactions with
      adult children for seven consecutive days and provided saliva, analyzed for
      cortisol, three times a day (wake, 30 min after wake, bedtime) for four of those
      days. Parents were more likely to report negative encounters but not less likely
      to report positive interactions or contact with adult children who suffered from
      problems. Interactions with adult children who had physical-emotional problems
      had more immediate same day associations with cortisol whereas interactions with
      adult children who had lifestyle-behavioral problems had more delayed, or next
      day associations with cortisol. Daily interactions and their associations with
      the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis may be important mechanisms by which
      adult children with problems negatively affect parental well-being.

PMID- 26476178
TI  - Cortical electroconvulsive stimulation alleviates breeding-induced prepulse
      inhibition deficit in rats.
AB  - In patients with medical-refractory schizophrenia electroconvulsive therapy
      (ECT), i.e., the induction of therapeutic seizures via cortical surface
      electrodes, is effectively used. Electroconvulsive stimulation (ECS) in rodents
      simulates ECT in humans and is applied to investigate the mechanisms underlying
      this treatment. Experimentally-induced reduced prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the
      acoustic startle response (ASR), i.e., the reduction of the startle response to
      an intense acoustic stimulus when this stimulus is shortly preceded by a weaker
      not-startling stimulus, serves as an endophenotype for neuropsychiatric disorders
      that are accompanied by disturbed sensorimotor gating, such as schizophrenia.
      Here we used rats selectively bred for high and low PPI to evaluate whether
      bifrontal cortical ECS would affect PPI. For this purpose, cortical screw
      electrodes were stereotactically implanted above the frontal cortex. After
      recovery ECS was applied for five consecutive days with stimuli of 1 ms pulse
      width, 100 pulses/s, 1 s duration, ranging from 5.5 mA to 10 mA. PPI of ASR was
      measured one day before ECS, and on days 1, 7, and 14 after the last ECS. In rats
      with breeding-induced low PPI ECS increased PPI one week after stimulation. In
      contrast, ECS decreased PPI in rats with high PPI on the first day after
      stimulation. The reaction to the startle impulse was reduced by ECS without
      difference between groups. This work provides evidence that rats with breeding
      induced high or low PPI could be used to further investigate the underlying
      mechanisms of ECT in neuropsychiatric disorders with disturbed sensorimotor
      gating like schizophrenia.

PMID- 26476180
TI  - Determination of endocrine disruptors and endogenic androgens and estrogens in
      rat serum by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - To simultaneously measure some targeted endocrine disruptors and several forms of
      sex hormones in rat serum, an accurate analytical procedure was developed. First,
      a comparison between a polymeric-based solid-phase extraction (SPE) and a micro
      extraction by packed sorbent was performed to choose the optimal method to
      extract and concentrate the analytes: bisphenol A, atrazine, vinclozolin
      metabolite, testosterone, androstenedione, estrone, estradiol, estrone-sulfate
      and glucuronide and estradiol-sulfate and glucuronide. The analyses were then
      performed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with electrospray ionisation in positive and negative
      modes. The protocol based on SPE was validated using the ICH/2005 guidelines. The
      validation demonstrated good performance in terms of linearity (R(2)>0.99),
      recovery (71-90%) and repeatability (relative standard deviation: 1-18%). The
      method was sensitive with LOQ comprised between 0.1 and 0.4 ng/ml for androgens
      and between 0.098 and 10.2 ng/ml for estrogens. The results obtained on the serum
      of rats exposed to the targeted endocrine disruptors showed the suitability of
      this analytical strategy.

PMID- 26476179
TI  - Thidoredxin-2 overexpression fails to rescue chronic high calorie diet induced
      hippocampal dysfunction.
AB  - A high calorie diet (HCD) can impair hippocampal synaptic plasticity and
      cognitive function in animal models. Mitochondrial thioredoxin 2 (TRX-2) is
      critical for maintaining intracellular redox status, but whether it can protect
      against HCD-induced impairment of synaptic plasticity is unknown. We found that
      levels of TRX-2 are reduced in the hippocampus of wild type mice maintained for 8
      months on a HCD, and that the mice on the HCD exhibit impaired hippocampal
      synaptic plasticity (long-term potentiation at CA1 synapses) and cognitive
      function (novel object recognition). Transgenic mice overexpressing human TRX-2
      (hTRX-2) exhibit increased resistance to diquat-induced oxidative stress in
      peripheral tissues. However, neither the HCD nor hTRX-2 overexpression affected
      levels of lipid peroxidation products (F2 isoprostanes) in the hippocampus, and
      hTRX-2 transgenic mice were not protected against the adverse effects of the HCD
      on hippocampal synaptic plasticity and cognitive function. Our findings indicate
      that TRX-2 overexpression does not mitigate adverse effects of a HCD on synaptic
      plasticity, and also suggest that oxidative stress may not be a pivotal factor in
      the impairment of synaptic plasticity and cognitive function caused by HCDs.

PMID- 26476177
TI  - Technologies for controlled, local delivery of siRNA.
AB  - The discovery of RNAi in the late 1990s unlocked a new realm of therapeutic
      possibilities by enabling potent and specific silencing of theoretically any
      desired genetic target. Better elucidation of the mechanism of action, the impact
      of chemical modifications that stabilize and reduce nonspecific effects of siRNA
      molecules, and the key design considerations for effective delivery systems has
      spurred progress toward developing clinically-successful siRNA therapies. A
      logical aim for initial siRNA translation is local therapies, as delivering siRNA
      directly to its site of action helps to ensure that a sufficient dose reaches the
      target tissue, lessens the potential for off-target side effects, and circumvents
      the substantial systemic delivery barriers. While locally injected or topically
      applied siRNA has progressed into numerous clinical trials, an enormous
      opportunity exists to develop sustained-release, local delivery systems that
      enable both spatial and temporal control of gene silencing. This review focuses
      on material platforms that establish both localized and controlled gene
      silencing, with emphasis on the systems that show most promise for clinical
      translation. 

PMID- 26476181
TI  - Effects of repeated administration of rifampicin and isoniazid on vitamin D
      metabolism in mice.
AB  - Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in tuberculosis (TB) patients and the anti-TB
      drugs, especially rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH), are associated with
      altered endocrine actions of vitamin D. Although it is well-known that these two
      drugs can affect a variety of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) activity, their influence
      on the CYP450 enzymes involved in vitamin D metabolism remains largely unknown.
      To fill this critical gap, serum vitamin D status and the expression of hepatic
      CYP2R1 and CYP27A1 and renal CYP27B1 and CYP24A1 were assessed in mice following
      3-week exposure to 100 mg/kg/day RIF or (and) 50 mg/kg/day INH. Unexpectedly, we
      found either RIF or co-treatment the two drugs increased the concentrations of 25
      hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (24,25(OH)2D3),
      without affecting 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) status. In parallel,
      enhanced hepatic expressions of 25-hydroxylase enzymes, CYP2R1 and (or) CYP27A1,
      were found in RIF and RIF+INH groups. However, co-administration of RIF and INH
      inhibited the expression of CYP27B1, while inducing CYP24A1 expression.
      Collectively, our data firstly showed that RIF and co-treatment of RIF and INH
      can both enhance 25-hydroxylation and 24-hydroxylation of vitamin D, providing
      novel evidence for the involvement of anti-TB drugs in the metabolism of vitamin
      D.

PMID- 26476182
TI  - Synthesis of A-ring halogenated 13alpha-estrone derivatives as potential 17beta
      HSD1 inhibitors.
AB  - 13alpha-Estrone and its 3-methyl or benzyl ether were halogenated in ring A with
      N-bromo- or N-iodosuccinimide or 1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin as
      electrophile triggers. The chemo- and regioselectivities of the reactions
      depended greatly on the nature of the substituent on C-3. Bromination of the
      ethers led to 2- and 4-regioisomers. Bis-halogenation occurred only in the case
      of the phenolic derivative. Iodination and bromination resulted in similar
      products, except that the 3-benzyl ether could not be iodinated under the applied
      conditions. The potential inhibitory action of the new halogenated 13alpha
      estrones on human 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 activity was investigated
      via in vitro radiosubstrate incubation. Some compounds proved to be effective
      inhibitors, with IC50 values in the submicromolar range. 

PMID- 26476183
TI  - Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 transmits estrogens' effects in endothelial
      cells.
AB  - We have previously reported that the steroid hormone estrogens stimulate
      activation of sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)
      receptors in breast cancer cells. Both estrogens and S1P are potent biological
      modulators of endothelial function in vasculature able to activate multiple
      effectors, including endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). In this study we
      report that treatment of endothelial cells (ECs) with 17beta-estradiol (E2)
      resulted in a rapid, transient, and dose-dependent increase in SphK activity and
      increased S1P production. The effect was not reproduced by the inactive E2
      analogue 17alpha-E2. Expression of the dominant-negative mutant SphK1(G82D) or
      transfection of SphK1-targeted siRNA in ECs caused not only a defect in SphK
      activation by E2, but also a significant inhibition of E2-induced activation of
      Akt/eNOS. Furthermore, E2 treatment induced internalization of plasma membrane
      S1P1 receptor, accompanied with an increase in the amount of cytosolic S1P1. By
      down-regulating S1P1 receptor expression, the S1P1-specific antisense
      oligonucleotides significantly inhibited E2-induced activation of Akt/eNOS in
      ECs. E2-induced EC migration and tube formation were also inhibited by S1P1 down
      regulation. Thus, the findings indicate an important role of the SphK1/S1P1
      pathway in mediating estrogen signaling and its actions in vasculature. 

PMID- 26476184
TI  - Polyoxygenated steroids from the gorgonian Menella woodin with capabilities to
      modulate ROS levels in macrophages at response to LPS.
AB  - Four new polyoxygenated sterol derivatives (1-4) along with the compounds (5-7)
      previously known from other biological sources were isolated from the gorgonian
      Menella woodin, collected from the Vietnamese waters. Structures of 1-4 were
      elucidated by the detailed NMR spectroscopic and mass-spectrometric analyses as
      well as comparison with those reported in literature data. Compounds 1, 4, and 6
      decrease the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the murine
      macrophages of RAW 264.7 line at induction by endotoxic lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
      from Escherichia coli. 

PMID- 26476185
TI  - Solid-state NMR investigation of effect of fluorination and methylation on
      prednisolone conformation.
AB  - Prednisolone (Prd) is a polymorphous synthetic corticosteroid that has three
      crystalline forms mediated by different solvents. In this study, we have
      demonstrated that solid-state {(1)H}(13)C cross-polarization/magic angle spinning
      (CP/MAS) NMR spectroscopy is able to resolve the effects of methylation and
      fluorination on the conformation of the steroidal rings in Prd. Two compounds
      were chosen for the study, 6-alpha-methylprednisolone (Prd-6M) and 6-alpha
      fluoroprednisolone (Prd-6F). The (13)C signals of Prd-6F showed primarily doublet
      patterns, with splittings of 40-380 Hz, indicating multiple ring conformations,
      whereas the (13)C signals of Prd and Prd-6M exhibited a singlet pattern,
      indicating a unique conformation. Using evidence from chemical shift deviation
      and anisotropy analysis, we have demonstrated by solid-state NMR that Prd-6F
      adopts two different steroidal ring conformations that are different from that of
      Prd-6M, and less similar to that of unsubstituted Prd.

PMID- 26476186
TI  - Synthetic studies towards 1alpha-hydroxysolasodine from diosgenin and the
      unexpected tetrahydrofuran ring opening in the Birch reduction process.
AB  - The synthesis of 1alpha-hydroxysolasodine from diosgenin was attempted. The Pd/C
      catalyst mediated dehydrogenation of diosgenin generated the 1,4,6-trien-3-one
      (3), which was reacted with Ac2O in pyridine in the presence of a catalytic
      amount of POCl3 followed by hydrolysis to give the 22-hydroxyfurostan (4) in 65%
      yield. Conversion of the primary 26-OH group into the azide and simultaneously 22
      OH dehydration were achieved in one step by Mitsunobu reaction. Treatment of the
      (25R)-26-azidofurosta-1,4,6,20(22)-tetraen-3-one (5) with chlorotrimethylsilane
      (TMSCl)/NaI/MeCN and cyclisation in situ provided the (22R,25R)-spirosola-1,4,6
      trien-3-one (6) in good yield. Stereoselective and regioselective epoxidation of
      trienone (6) with 30% H2O2 and 5% NaOH in methanol gave the 1alpha,2alpha-epoxy
      (22R,25R)-spirosola-4,6-dien-3-one (7). Birch reduction of the epoxide (7) with
      Li/NH3 in THF followed by the treatment with NH4Cl, however, failed to generate
      the expected 1alpha-hydroxysolasodine, but provided a tetrahydrofuran ring
      opening product, (22S,25R)-1alpha,16beta-dihydroxy-22,26-epiminocholest-4-en-3
      one (8). Compounds 3 and 5-8 as well as solasodine were evaluated for their cell
      growth inhibitory activities against human prostate cancer PC3, human cervical
      carcinoma Hela, and human hepatoma HepG2 cells. At the concentration of 10 MUM,
      only epoxide 7 displayed moderate inhibitory rates towards these cells (40-54%).

PMID- 26476187
TI  - Total (1)H NMR assignment of 3beta-acetoxypregna-5,16-dien-20-one.
AB  - This work describes the total and unambiguous assignment of the 750 MHz (1)H NMR
      spectrum of 3beta-acetoxypregna-5,16-dien-20-one or 16-DPA (1), the well-known
      intermediate utilized in the synthesis of biological important commercial
      steroids. The task was accomplished by extracting the coupling constant values in
      the overlapped spectrum region by HSQC, and using these values in the (1)H
      iterative full spin analysis integrated in the PERCH NMR software. Comparison of
      the experimental vicinal coupling constants of 1 with the values calculated using
      Altona provides an excellent correlation. The same procedure, when applied to the
      published data of progesterone (2) and testosterone (3), afforded an acceptable
      correlation for 2 and a poor correlation for 3. In the last case, this suggested
      the reassignment of all four vicinal coupling constants for the methylene signals
      at the C-15 and C-16 positions, demonstrating the utility of this methodology.

PMID- 26476188
TI  - Predicted structures of new Vitamin D Receptor agonists based on available X-ray
      structures.
AB  - Current efforts in the field of vitamin D are to develop 1,25(OH)2D3 analogs that
      exhibit equal or even increased anti-proliferative activity while possessing a
      reduced tendency to cause hypercalcemia. The study proposes a new, rational
      design of vitamin D analogs based on data available in the Protein Data Bank.
      Undertaken approach was to minimize the electrostatic interaction energies
      available after the reconstruction of charge density with the aid of the
      pseudoatom databank, namely the University at Buffalo Pseudoatom Databank (UBDB).
      Analysis of 24 vitamin D analogs, bearing similar molecular structures complexed
      with Vitamin D Receptor enabled the design of new agonists forming all
      advantageous interaction to the receptor, coded TB1, TB2, TB3 and TB4. 

PMID- 26476189
TI  - The phosphate transporters LjPT4 and MtPT4 mediate early root responses to
      phosphate status in non mycorrhizal roots.
AB  - Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis improves host plant phosphorous (P) status
      and elicits the expression of AM-inducible phosphate transporters (PTs) in
      arbuscule-containing cells, where they control arbuscule morphogenesis and P
      release. We confirmed such functions for LjPT4 in mycorrhizal Lotus japonicus.
      Promoter-GUS experiments showed LjPT4 transcription not only in arbusculated
      cells but also in root tips, in the absence of the fungus: here LjPT4
      transcription profile depended on the phosphate level. In addition, quantitative
      RT-PCR confirmed the expression of Lotus and Medicago truncatula PT4 in the tips
      of non-mycorrhizal roots. Starting from these observations, we hypothesized that
      AM-inducible PTs may have a regulatory role in plant development, irrespective of
      the fungal presence. Firstly, we focused on root development responses to
      different phosphate treatments in both plants demonstrating that phosphate
      starvation induced a higher number of lateral roots. By contrast, Lotus PT4i
      plants and Medicago mtpt4 mutants did not show any differential response to
      phosphate levels, suggesting that PT4 genes affect early root branching.
      Phosphate starvation-induced genes and a key auxin receptor, MtTIR1, showed an
      impaired expression in mtpt4 plants. We suggest PT4 genes as novel components of
      the P-sensing machinery at the root tip level, independently of AM fungi. 

PMID- 26476190
TI  - Influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and treated wastewater on water
      relations and leaf structure alterations of Viburnum tinus L. plants during both
      saline and recovery periods.
AB  - Nowadays, irrigation with low quality water is becoming an alternative to satisfy
      the needs of crops. However, some plant species have to deal with high salinity
      of reclaimed water, by adapting their physiological behaviour during both saline
      and recovery periods and developing morphological changes in their leaves. The
      application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) could also be a suitable option
      to mitigate the negative effects of this kind of water, although the
      effectiveness of plant-AMF association is influenced by many factors. In this
      work, during forty weeks, the combined effect of Glomus iranicum var.
      tenuihypharum and two types of water: control, C, EC<0.9 dS m(-1) and reclaimed
      water, RW (with EC: 4 dS m(-1) during a first saline period and EC: 6 dS m(-1)
      during a second saline period) was evaluated for laurustinus plants (Viburnum
      tinus L.) transplanted in soil. This was followed by a recovery period of eight
      weeks, when all the plants were irrigated in the control irrigation conditions.
      Seasonal and daily changes in stem water potential (Psistem), stomatal
      conductance (gs), photosynthesis (Pn) and leaf internal CO2 concentration (Ci) of
      laurustinus plants were evaluated. Leaf structure alterations, nutrient
      imbalance, height and leaf hydraulic conductivity (Kleaf) were also determined.
      Due to the high difficulty of absorbing water from the soil, RW plants showed a
      high volumetric water content (thetav) in soil. The stem water potential and the
      stomatal conductance (gs) values were reduced in RW plants throughout the second
      saline period. These decreases were also found during the day. Leaf Ca(2+)/Na(+)
      and K(+)/Na(+) ratios diminished in RW plants respect to the C plants due to the
      Na(+) accumulation, although height and chlorophyll content values did not show
      statistical differences. Leaves from RW plants showed a significantly thicker
      mesophyll than Control leaves as a consequence of high EC. The area of palisade
      parenchyma (PP) increased while the area of spongy parenchyma (SP) decreased in
      RW leaves with respect to the C leaves. These structural changes could be
      considered as a strategy to maximize photosynthesis potential in saline
      conditions. Mycorrhizal inoculation improved the water status of both C and RW
      plants by increasing their Psistem and gs values. As regards leaf structure, AMF
      showed an opposite effect to salinity for PP and SP. At the end of the recovery
      period, hardly any statistical differences of physiological parameters were found
      between treatments, although a tendency to improve them was observed in
      inoculated plants. In any case, the leaf structural changes and the great
      reduction in Kleaf observed at Psileaf below -1.5 MPa would constitute an
      important mechanism for laurustinus plants to reduce the water loses produced by
      salinity.

PMID- 26476191
TI  - The MERMAID study: indoor and outdoor average pollutant concentrations in 10 low
      energy school buildings in France.
AB  - Indoor air quality was characterized in 10 recently built energy-efficient French
      schools during two periods of 4.5 days. Carbon dioxide time-resolved measurements
      during occupancy clearly highlight the key role of the ventilation rate
      (scheduled or occupancy indexed), especially in this type of building, which was
      tightly sealed and equipped with a dual-flow ventilation system to provide air
      refreshment. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and inorganic gases (ozone and NO2
      ) were measured indoors and outdoors by passive techniques during the occupied
      and the unoccupied periods. Over 150 VOC species were identified. Among them, 27
      species were selected for quantification, based on their occurrence. High
      concentrations were found for acetone, 2-butanone, formaldehyde, toluene, and
      hexaldehyde. However, these concentrations are lower than those previously
      observed in conventional school buildings. The indoor/outdoor and
      unoccupied/occupied ratios are informative regarding emission sources. Except for
      benzene, ozone, and NO2 , all the pollutants in these buildings have an indoor
      source. Occupancy is associated with increased levels of acetone, 2-butanone,
      pentanal, butyl acetate, and alkanes.

PMID- 26476192
TI  - Exploring the application of latent class cluster analysis for investigating
      pedestrian crash injury severities in Switzerland.
AB  - One of the major challenges in traffic safety analyses is the heterogeneous
      nature of safety data, due to the sundry factors involved in it. This
      heterogeneity often leads to difficulties in interpreting results and conclusions
      due to unrevealed relationships. Understanding the underlying relationship
      between injury severities and influential factors is critical for the selection
      of appropriate safety countermeasures. A method commonly employed to address
      systematic heterogeneity is to focus on any subgroup of data based on the
      research purpose. However, this need not ensure homogeneity in the data. In this
      paper, latent class cluster analysis is applied to identify homogenous subgroups
      for a specific crash type-pedestrian crashes. The manuscript employs data from
      police reported pedestrian (2009-2012) crashes in Switzerland. The analyses
      demonstrate that dividing pedestrian severity data into seven clusters helps in
      reducing the systematic heterogeneity of the data and to understand the hidden
      relationships between crash severity levels and socio-demographic, environmental,
      vehicle, temporal, traffic factors, and main reason for the crash. The pedestrian
      crash injury severity models were developed for the whole data and individual
      clusters, and were compared using receiver operating characteristics curve, for
      which results favored clustering. Overall, the study suggests that latent class
      clustered regression approach is suitable for reducing heterogeneity and
      revealing important hidden relationships in traffic safety analyses. 

PMID- 26476193
TI  - Towards an explanation of age-related difficulties in crossing a two-way street.
AB  - Crossing a two-way street is a complex task that involves visual, cognitive and
      motor abilities, all of which are known to decline with ageing. In particular,
      older pedestrians may experience difficulties when crossing two-way streets
      because of incorrect gap acceptance choices and impossible or unperceived evasive
      actions. To understand the overrepresentation of older pedestrians in crash
      statistics, several experimental studies have sought to identify traffic-related
      factors as well as those related to the abilities of the individuals themselves.
      However, none of these studies has required participants to actually walk across
      an experimental two-way street with curbs, which is a particularly challenging
      situation for older pedestrians. To fill this research gap, a quasi-experiment
      was conducted in a simulator including a total of 58 healthy aged participants
      (25 younger-old [age 60-72] and 33 older-old [age 72-92]) and 25 young adults
      (aged 18-25 years). Participants carried out a street-crossing task in a
      simulated two-way traffic environment; curbs were present on both sides of the
      experimental street. Participants also undertook a battery of tests to assess
      their visual and cognitive abilities. In addition, during the experiment, the
      participants' gait parameters were recorded. In line with earlier findings, the
      older-old group of participants made a higher number of decisions that led to
      collisions with approaching cars compared with the other groups. The two groups
      of older participants experienced specific difficulties when vehicles were in the
      far lane or when they approached rapidly. A regression analysis identified visual
      acuity, speed of processing (assessed using the UFOV((r)) test), and step length
      as significant predictors of collisions. Our results have implications for
      understanding the difficulties experienced by older pedestrians and allow to draw
      up several recommendations for improving their safety. 

PMID- 26476194
TI  - Speeding in urban environments: Are the time savings worth the risk?
AB  - Perceived time savings by travelling faster is often cited as a motivation for
      drivers' speeding behaviour. These time savings, however, come at a cost of
      significant road injuries and fatalities. While it is known that drivers tend to
      overestimate the time savings attributable to speeding there is little empirical
      evidence on how much time drivers genuinely save during day-to-day urban driving
      and how this relates to speeding-related crashes. The current paper reports on a
      study to address the lack of empirical evidence on this issue using naturalistic
      driving data collected from 106 drivers over a period of five weeks. The results
      show that the average driver saves 26s/day or 2min/week by speeding. More
      importantly, the cost of these time savings is one fatality for every 24,450h
      saved by the population on 100km/h roads in dry conditions and one injury for
      every 2458h saved on the same roads. Full speed compliance - and consequently a
      dramatic reduction in the road toll - could be achieved through almost
      imperceptible increases in travel time by each driver. 

PMID- 26476195
TI  - Expanding the test set: Chemicals with potential to disrupt mammalian brain
      development.
AB  - High-throughput test methods including molecular, cellular, and alternative
      species-based assays that examine critical events of normal brain development are
      being developed for detection of developmental neurotoxicants. As new assays are
      developed, a "training set" of chemicals is used to evaluate the relevance of
      individual assays for specific endpoints. Different training sets are necessary
      for each assay that would comprise a developmental neurotoxicity test battery. In
      contrast, evaluation of the predictive ability of a comprehensive test battery
      requires a set of chemicals that have been shown to alter brain development after
      in vivo exposure ("test set"). Because only a small number of substances have
      been well documented to alter human neurodevelopment, we have proposed an
      expanded test set that includes chemicals demonstrated to adversely affect
      neurodevelopment in animals. To compile a list of potential developmental
      neurotoxicants, a literature review of compounds that have been examined for
      effects on the developing nervous system was conducted. The search was limited to
      mammalian studies published in the peer-reviewed literature and regulatory
      studies submitted to the U.S. EPA. The definition of developmental neurotoxicity
      encompassed changes in behavior, brain morphology, and neurochemistry after
      gestational or lactational exposure. Reports that indicated developmental
      neurotoxicity was observed only at doses that resulted in significant maternal
      toxicity or were lethal to the fetus or offspring were not considered. As a basic
      indication of reproducibility, we only included a chemical if data on its
      developmental neurotoxicity were available from more than one laboratory (defined
      as studies originating from laboratories with a different senior investigator).
      Evidence from human studies was included when available. Approximately 100
      developmental neurotoxicity test set chemicals were identified, with 22% having
      evidence in humans. 

PMID- 26476196
TI  - Proteomic analysis of naturally-sourced biological scaffolds.
AB  - A key challenge to the clinical implementation of decellularized scaffold-based
      tissue engineering lies in understanding the process of removing cells and
      immunogenic material from a donor tissue/organ while maintaining the biochemical
      and biophysical properties of the scaffold that will promote growth of newly
      seeded cells. Current criteria for evaluating whole organ decellularization are
      primarily based on nucleic acids, as they are easy to quantify and have been
      directly correlated to adverse host responses. However, numerous proteins cause
      immunogenic responses and thus should be measured directly to further understand
      and quantify the efficacy of decellularization. In addition, there has been
      increasing appreciation for the role of the various protein components of the
      extracellular matrix (ECM) in directing cell growth and regulating organ
      function. We performed in-depth proteomic analysis on four types of biological
      scaffolds and identified a large number of both remnant cellular and ECM
      proteins. Measurements of individual protein abundances during the
      decellularization process revealed significant removal of numerous cellular
      proteins, but preservation of most structural matrix proteins. The observation
      that decellularized scaffolds still contain many cellular proteins, although at
      decreased abundance, indicates that elimination of DNA does not assure adequate
      removal of all cellular material. Thus, proteomic analysis provides crucial
      characterization of the decellularization process to create biological scaffolds
      for future tissue/organ replacement therapies. 

PMID- 26476197
TI  - Billing diagnoses do not accurately identify out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
      patients: An analysis of a regional healthcare system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: International Classification of Diseases 9th Edition's Clinical
      Modification (ICD-9CM) codes are frequently used in health services research. We
      tested the operating characteristics of ICD-9CM codes for identifying out-of
      hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) subjects. METHODS: We used ICD-9CM codes to
      generate an "administrative cohort" of subjects treated after possible OHCA at
      one of six emergency departments (EDs) between January 2010 and April 2014. We
      performed a structured chart review to determine proportion of this
      administrative cohort with actual OHCA (true positive rate for the ICD-9CM-based
      search method). The largest study site maintains a prospective registry of
      consecutive OHCA subjects, which we used to construct a "registry cohort". We
      used this cohort to calculate the sensitivity of the ICD-9CM-based search
      strategy at this site, and compared in-hospital mortality and discharge
      dispositions between the two cohorts using Chi-square tests. RESULTS: ICD-9CM
      codes identified 2461 subjects that comprised the administrative cohort. Of
      these, the true positive rate for actual OHCA on chart review was 40%. ICD9-CM
      code sensitivity was 100% for subjects coded as dead on arrival and 19% for
      subjects coded as surviving to ED disposition. There were 609 OHCA subjects in
      the registry cohort and 268 subjects in the administrative cohort who presented
      to registry site. Only 26 subjects appeared in both cohorts. In-hospital
      mortality was significantly higher in the administrative cohort than the registry
      cohort (91% vs. 61%, p<0.001), and hospital discharge disposition of survivors
      was less favorable (p<0.001). Neither difference persisted after excluding
      subjects surviving <6h. CONCLUSION: Compared to a prospective registry, ICD-9CM
      codes are an insensitive method to identify OHCA subjects. Moreover, ICD-9CM
      codes identify a biased sample of the OHCA population with higher mortality.

PMID- 26476198
TI  - Treatment and outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in outpatient health care
      facilities.
AB  - AIM: We evaluated the frequency and effectiveness of basic and advanced life
      support (ALS) interventions by medical professionals when out-of-hospital cardiac
      arrest (OHCA) occurred in ambulatory healthcare clinics before emergency medical
      services (EMS) arrival. METHODS: Non-traumatic OHCAs in adults were
      systematically characterized over a 15 year period by their occurrence in
      clinics, at home, or in non-medical public locations, and outcomes compared
      between matched cohorts from each group. RESULTS: Among 7784 patients, 6098 OHCA
      occurred at home, 1612 in non-medical public locations and 74 in clinics.
      Compared to non-medical public locations, clinic patients with OHCA were older,
      more often women and more frequently shocked; clinic arrests were more often
      witnessed, less likely to be of cardiac cause and to occur before EMS arrival.
      Compared to home, more clinic arrests were witnessed, occurred after EMS arrival,
      had bystander CPR, shockable rhythms and were defibrillated. When OHCA occurred
      before EMS arrival, 51 of 56 clinic patients (91%) received CPR, a defibrillator
      applied to 23 (41%), 17 (30%) were shocked, 4 (7%) intubated, and 7 (13%)
      received intravenous medications from facility personnel. Of these, only pre-EMS
      defibrillator use was associated with improved outcome. Among matched patients,
      OHCA survival was higher in clinics than at home (42% vs 26%, p=0.029), but
      comparable to other public locations. CONCLUSIONS: Survival from OHCA in clinics
      was comparable to non-medical public locations, and higher than at home.
      Alongside CPR, use of defibrillators was associated with improved survival and
      worth prioritizing over other interventions before EMS arrival regardless of OHCA
      location.

PMID- 26476199
TI  - Liver Transplant in Young Adults with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus: An Argument for
      Hepatitis C Treatment in Childhood.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess the characteristics of hepatitis C virus-positive
      young adults who received a liver transplant and to evaluate posttransplant
      outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: United Network for Organ Sharing database was
      conducted from 1989 to 2012, and retrospective analysis was performed on all
      hepatitis C virus-positive young adult patients (aged, 8-35 y) who underwent a
      liver transplant in the United States. RESULTS: A total of 506 hepatitis C virus
      subjects were included. Average age at time of transplant was 30.1 +/- 4.8 years.
      Median follow-up after first liver transplant was 46.1 months (13, 89.3 mo).
      During this time, 217 patients (42.8%) died at a mean age at the time of death of
      34 +/- 6.7 years including 176/ 506 (34.8%) after the first liver transplant,
      34/71 (48.6%) after the second liver transplant, and 7/8 (87.5%) after the third
      liver transplant. The majority (65.7%) of retransplants were performed for
      hepatitis C virus recurrence. A mean of 1.15 liver transplants were performed per
      patient. Overall, 262 subjects were transplanted in the pre-Model for End-stage
      Liver Disease era, and 244 were transplanted post-MELD. Younger age, higher
      bilirubin, higher creatinine, hepatitis C carcinoma, shorter wait time, shorter
      cold ischemia time, nonwhite donor race, and the use of mycophenolate mofetil
      were significantly more common in the post-Model for End-stage Liver Disease era
      (all with P < .05). Importantly, 5-year patient and graft survival were not
      different between the pre- and post-Model for End-stage Liver Disease era.
      CONCLUSIONS: Liver transplant in young adults for hepatitis C virus acquired
      during childhood has poor outcomes that did not improve in the post-Model for End
      stage Liver Disease era. These findings should prompt more aggressive evaluation
      and treatment for hepatitis C virus in children.

PMID- 26476200
TI  - Hematite nanoplates: Controllable synthesis, gas sensing, photocatalytic and
      magnetic properties.
AB  - Uniform hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) nanoplates exposing {001} plane as basal planes
      have been prepared by a facile solvothermal method under the assistance of sodium
      acetate. The morphological evolution of the nanoplates was studied by adjusting
      the reaction parameters including the solvent and the amount of sodium acetate.
      The results indicated that both the adequate nucleation/growth rate and selective
      adsorption of alcohol molecules and acetate anions contribute to the formation of
      the plate-like morphology. In addition, the size of the nanoplates can be
      adjusted from ca. 180nm to 740nm by changing the reaction parameters. Three
      nanoplate samples with different size were selected to investigate the gas
      sensing performance, photocatalytic and magnetic properties. As gas sensing
      materials, all the alpha-Fe2O3 nanoplates exhibited high gas sensitivity and
      stability toward n-butanol. When applied as photocatalyst, the alpha-Fe2O3
      nanoplates show high photodegradation efficiency towards RhB. Both the gas
      sensing performance and the photocatalytic property of the products exhibit
      obvious size-dependent effect. Magnetic measurements reveal that the plate-like
      alpha-Fe2O3 particles possess good room temperature magnetic properties. 

PMID- 26476201
TI  - Ion-ion correlation, solvent excluded volume and pH effects on physicochemical
      properties of spherical oxide nanoparticles.
AB  - One major source of complexity in the implementation of nanoparticles in aqueous
      electrolytes arises from the strong influence that biological environments has on
      their physicochemical properties. A key parameter for understanding the molecular
      mechanisms governing the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles is the
      formation of the surface charge density. In this article, we present an efficient
      and accurate approach that combines a recently introduced classical solvation
      density functional theory for spherical electrical double layers with a surface
      complexation model to account for ion-ion correlation and excluded volume effects
      on the surface titration of spherical nanoparticles. We apply the proposed
      computational approach to account for the charge-regulated mechanisms on the
      surface chemistry of spherical silica (SiO2) nanoparticles. We analyze the
      effects of the nanoparticle size, as well as pH level and electrolyte
      concentration of the aqueous solution on the nanoparticle's surface charge
      density and Zeta potential. We validate our predictions for 580A and 200A
      nanoparticles immersed in acid, neutral and alkaline mono-valent aqueous
      electrolyte solutions against experimental data. Our results on mono-valent
      electrolyte show that the excluded volume and ion-ion correlations contribute
      significantly to the surface charge density and Zeta potential of the
      nanoparticle at high electrolyte concentration and pH levels, where the solvent
      crowding effects and electrostatic screening have shown a profound influence on
      the protonation/deprotonation reactions at the liquid/solute interface. The
      success of this approach in describing physicochemical properties of silica
      nanoparticles supports its broader application to study other spherical metal
      oxide nanoparticles. 

PMID- 26476202
TI  - Nano interfaced biosensor for detection of choline in triple negative breast
      cancer cells.
AB  - Choline, a type of Vitamin B, is an important nutrient in the human body and is
      involved in key metabolic pathways. Abnormal levels of choline leads to diseased
      conditions. The levels of choline and its associated compounds are found to be
      elevated in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients. The choline level
      ranges from 0.4 to 4.9mmol/kg in TNBC. Thus the detection of choline levels in
      cells can aid in diagnosing breast cancer. The present work aims to develop a
      nano-interfaced electrochemical biosensor for the rapid detection of choline in
      cancer cells. For electrochemical detection, glassy carbon electrode coated with
      a zinc oxide nano-interface was used as the working electrode. Zinc oxide
      synthesized by hydrothermal method was characterized using SEM and XRD. The
      choline oxidase (ChOx) enzyme was immobilized on the nano-interface by drop
      casting. Choline oxidase (ChOx) converts choline to betaine and H2O2 in the
      presence of oxygen. The H2O2 produced was determined amperometrically. The amount
      of H2O2 produced is directly proportional to concentration of choline present.
      The sensitivity, selectivity, stability and concentration studies were carried
      out and quantification of choline in TNBC was also carried out. The results
      demonstrate that this biosensor has the potential to be developed as a clinical
      tool for breast cancer detection. 

PMID- 26476203
TI  - Gold nanostars: Benzyldimethylammonium chloride-assisted synthesis, plasmon
      tuning, SERS and catalytic activity.
AB  - Fabrication of Au nanostars (AuNSs) can expand the application range of Au
      nanoparticles because of their high electron density and localized surface
      plasmon resonance (LSPR) on branches. Exploiting this potential requires further
      refinement of length of the branches and radius of their tips. To this end, we
      successfully synthesized AuNSs with uniform and sharply-pointed branches by
      combining benzyldimethylammonium chloride (BDAC) and cetyltrimethylammonium
      bromide (CTAB) at low BDAC/CTAB ratios. Once mixed with CTAB, BDAC lowers the
      critical micelle concentration (CMC) for quick formation of the micelles, which
      provides favorable growth templates for AuNSs formation. Besides, BDAC increases
      the concentration of Cl(-), which favors Ag(+) in adsorbing on Au facets. This
      feature is crucial for the yield boosting and synergic shape control of AuNSs
      regardless of types of Au seeds used. Use of less amounts of seeds as the center
      of nucleation benefited sharper and longer growth of the branches. AuNSs
      exhibited excellent enhancement of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)
      intensities as the result of high electron density localized at the tips;
      however, the enhancement degree varied in accordance with the size of branches.
      In addition, AuNSs showed high catalytic performance toward the reduction of 4
      nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP). Efficient catalysis over AuNSs
      originates from their corners, stepped surfaces and high electron density at the
      tips. 

PMID- 26476204
TI  - KIR2DS4 and Its Variant KIR1D Are Associated with Acute Graft-versus-Host
      Disease, Cytomegalovirus, and Overall Survival after Sibling-Related HLA-Matched
      Transplantation in Patients with Donors with KIR Gene Haplotype A.
AB  - Outcomes for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in various donor and
      recipient killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genotypes have been studied
      extensively. The associations between KIR2DS4 and its variant KIR1D with outcomes
      of HSCT from a sibling-related HLA-matched donor with KIR haplotype A have not
      been explored, however. To study this, we genotyped donor-recipient pairs and
      divided 165 recipients of HSCT from a KIR gene haplotype A donor into 3 groups:
      2DS4+/2DS4+ (2 intact KIR2DS4 alleles), 2DS4+/1D+ (heterozygous), and 1D+/1D+
      (homozygous for the deletion variant KIR1D). No difference in the recovery of
      neutrophils and platelets among the 3 groups was observed. The cumulative
      incidence of grade III-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) within day +100
      was 28.94% in the 2DS4+/2DS4+ group, 14.11% in the 2DS4+/1D+ group, and 44.44% in
      the 1D+/1D+ group (P = .0159). Multivariate analysis identified 1D+/1D+ as an
      independent risk factor for aGVHD (hazard ratio [HR], 4.221; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], 1.470 to 12.124; P = .007). In contrast, the cumulative incidences
      of chronic GVHD, 3-year cumulative relapse, and treatment-related mortality did
      not differ significantly among the 3 groups. The rate of cytomegalovirus (CMV)
      reactivation was 46.96% in the 2DS4+/2DS4+ group, 20.16% in the 2DS4+/1D+ group,
      and 53.25% in the 1D+/1D+ group (P = .0017). Multivariate analysis identified
      2DS4+/1D+ as an independent protective factor for CMV reactivation (HR, 0.268;
      95% CI, 0.125 to 0.574; P = .001). Although overall survival (OS) did not differ
      among the groups in the first year, the 2DS4(+)/2DS4(+) group had significantly
      better OS than the other groups after 1 year (P = .0361). In patients with
      advanced-stage disease, the 3-year probability of disease-free survival was
      51.06% in the 2DS4+/2DS4+ group, 34.01% in the 2DS4+/1D+ group, and 0% in the
      1D+/1D+ group (P = .0314). Collectively, our data suggest that the KIR 2DS4/1D
      allelic variance is associated with the outcome of sibling-related HLA-matched
      HSCT, and that donor subclassification of KIR 2DS4/1D alleles should be
      considered in this setting. 

PMID- 26476205
TI  - Comparison of Outcomes of 8/8 and 7/8 Allele-Matched Unrelated Bone Marrow
      Transplantation and Single-Unit Cord Blood Transplantation in Adults with Acute
      Leukemia.
AB  - To investigate an up-to-date alternative donor selection strategy, we compared
      the transplantation outcomes of 8/8 and 7/8 allele-matched unrelated bone marrow
      transplantation (UBMT) with those of umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT)
      and redefined the role of UCBT with extended analysis. Using Cox and competing
      risk regression analyses, we analyzed the transplantation outcomes in adult
      patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia
      (AML). A total of 2472 first myeloablative transplantations between 2000 and 2010
      were included (8/8 UBMT, 1001; 7/8 UBMT, 656; UCBT, 815). For acute and chronic
      graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and nonrelapse mortality (NRM), we applied the
      combined analyses including both AML and ALL data. In the multivariate analyses,
      severe acute GVHD and NRM after UCBT were comparable with 8/8 UBMT, whereas those
      after 7/8 UBMT were significantly higher. The incidence of extensive chronic GVHD
      was significantly lower with UCBT compared with after 8/8 and 7/8 UBMT. With
      adjusted analyses for AML, UCBT and 8/8 UBMT showed similar overall survival
      (OS), whereas 7/8 UBMT showed inferior OS. For ALL, we found no significant
      difference in OS among the 3 groups. Cord blood may be the first choice
      alternative to 8/8 UBMT for both AML and ALL. 

PMID- 26476206
TI  - Quantitative and Functional Phosphoproteomic Analysis Reveals that Ethylene
      Regulates Water Transport via the C-Terminal Phosphorylation of Aquaporin PIP2;1
      in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Ethylene participates in the regulation of numerous cellular events and
      biological processes, including water loss, during leaf and flower petal wilting.
      The diverse ethylene responses may be regulated via dynamic interplays between
      protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation and ubiquitin/26S proteasome-mediated
      protein degradation and protease cleavage. To address how ethylene alters protein
      phosphorylation through multi-furcated signaling pathways, we performed a (15)N
      stable isotope labelling-based, differential, and quantitative phosphoproteomics
      study on air- and ethylene-treated ethylene-insensitive Arabidopsis double loss
      of-function mutant ein3-1/eil1-1. Among 535 non-redundant phosphopeptides
      identified, two and four phosphopeptides were up- and downregulated by ethylene,
      respectively. Ethylene-regulated phosphorylation of aquaporin PIP2;1 is
      positively correlated with the water flux rate and water loss in leaf. Genetic
      studies in combination with quantitative proteomics, immunoblot analysis,
      protoplast swelling/shrinking experiments, and leaf water loss assays on the
      transgenic plants expressing both the wild-type and S280A/S283A-mutated PIP2;1 in
      the both Col-0 and ein3eil1 genetic backgrounds suggest that ethylene increases
      water transport rate in Arabidopsis cells by enhancing S280/S283 phosphorylation
      at the C terminus of PIP2;1. Unknown kinase and/or phosphatase activities may
      participate in the initial up-regulation independent of the cellular functions of
      EIN3/EIL1. This finding contributes to our understanding of ethylene-regulated
      leaf wilting that is commonly observed during post-harvest storage of plant
      organs. 

PMID- 26476207
TI  - ABO incompatible renal transplants and decreased likelihood for developing immune
      responses to HLA and kidney self-antigens.
AB  - Immune responses to HLA and tissue-restricted self-antigens (SAgs) have been
      proposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of renal allograft (KTx) rejection.
      However, ABO incompatible (ABOi) KTx recipients (KTxR) following depletion of
      antibodies (Abs) to blood group antigens had fewer rejections. To determine the
      mechanisms, pre- and post-transplant sera from ABOi (n=18) and ABO-compatible
      (ABOc) (n=45) KTxR were analyzed for Abs against HLA class I and II by LABScreen
      single antigen assay. The development of Abs to SAgs was measured by ELISA.
      Immunity to Collagen IV (Col-IV) and cytokines induced were measured by ELISPOT.
      While 8/45 (18%) ABOc KTxR developed new donor specific antibodies to HLA (DSA)
      following transplantation, 0/18 ABOi KTxR developed DSA. ABOi KTxR failed to
      develop Abs to kidney SAgs (Col-IV and fibronectin (FN)). In contrast, 7 ABOc
      KTxR developed Abs to both Col-IV and FN. Col-IV stimulation of lymphocytes from
      ABOc KTxR demonstrated increased IFNgamma, IL-17 and decreased IL-10. In contrast
      ABOi recipients following stimulation with antigens resulted in more IL10 and
      reduced IFN-gamma and IL17 production. At one year, the GFR in ABOi KTxR were
      significantly better (p<0.04) than ABOc KTxR. De novo DSA and immune responses to
      SAgs are reduced or absent in ABOi KTxR which we propose leads to less acute
      rejection and better long term function following ABOi KTx. 

PMID- 26476209
TI  - Resource type influences the effects of reserves and connectivity on ecological
      functions.
AB  - Connectivity is a pivotal feature of landscapes that affects the structure of
      populations and the functioning of ecosystems. It is also a key consideration in
      conservation planning. But the potential functional effects of landscape
      connectivity are rarely evaluated in a conservation context. The removal of algae
      by herbivorous fish is a key ecological function on coral reefs that promotes
      coral growth and recruitment. Many reef herbivores are harvested and some use
      other habitats (like mangroves) as nurseries or feeding areas. Thus, the effects
      of habitat connectivity and marine reserves can jointly promote herbivore
      populations on coral reefs, thereby influencing reef health. We used a coral reef
      seascape in eastern Australia to test whether seascape connectivity and reserves
      influence herbivory. We measured herbivore abundance and rates of herbivory (on
      turf algae and macroalgae) on reefs that differed in both their level of
      connectivity to adjacent mangrove habitats and their level of protection from
      fishing. Reserves enhanced the biomass of herbivorous fish on coral reefs in all
      seascape settings and promoted consumption of turf algae. Consumption of turf
      algae was correlated with the biomass of surgeonfish that are exploited outside
      reserves. By contrast, both reserve status and connectivity influenced herbivory
      on macroalgae. Consumption of macroalgae was greatest on fished reefs that were
      far from mangroves and was not strongly correlated with any fish species. Our
      findings demonstrate that landscape connectivity and reserve status can jointly
      affect the functioning of ecosystems. Moreover, we show that reserve and
      connectivity effects can differ markedly depending on resource type (in this case
      turf algae vs. macroalgae). The effectiveness of conservation initiatives will
      therefore depend on our ability to understand how these multiple interactive
      effects structure the distribution of ecological functions. These findings have
      wider implications for the spatial conservation of heterogeneous environments and
      strengthen the case that the impact of conservation on ecosystem functioning is
      contingent on how reserves are positioned in landscapes. 

PMID- 26476208
TI  - Protective effect of HLA-DQB1 alleles against alloimmunization in patients with
      sickle cell disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alloimmunization or the development of alloantibodies to Red Blood
      Cell (RBC) antigens is considered one of the major complications after RBC
      transfusions in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and can lead to both
      acute and delayed hemolytic reactions. It has been suggested that polymorphisms
      in HLA genes, may play a role in alloimmunization. We conducted a retrospective
      study analyzing the influence of HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 genetic diversity on RBC
      alloimmunization. STUDY DESIGN: Two-hundred four multi-transfused SCD patients
      with and without RBC-alloimmunization were typed at low/medium resolution by PCR
      SSO, using IMGT-HLA Database. HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 allele frequencies were analyzed
      using logistic regression models, and global p-value was calculated using
      multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: While only trends towards associations
      between HLA-DR diversity and alloimmunization were observed, analysis of HLA-DQ
      showed that HLA-DQ2 (p=0.02), -DQ3 (p=0.02) and -DQ5 (p=0.01) alleles were
      significantly higher in non-alloimmunized patients, likely behaving as protective
      alleles. In addition, multiple logistic regression analysis showed both HLA-DQ2/6
      (p=0.01) and HLA-DQ5/5 (p=0.03) combinations constitute additional predictor of
      protective status. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that particular HLA-DQ alleles
      influence the clinical course of RBC transfusion in patients with SCD, which
      could pave the way towards predictive strategies.

PMID- 26476210
TI  - Clinical risk factors for death after release from prison in Washington State: a
      nested case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: While mortality rates after prison release are high, little
      is known about clinical risk factors for death. We sought to identify risk and
      protective factors for all-cause and accidental poisoning (overdose) death.
      DESIGN: Nested case-control study of people released from prison. SETTING:
      Washington State Department of Corrections, Washington, USA. PARTICIPANTS: Cases
      (699 all-cause deaths, of which 88 were among women, and 196 additional overdose
      deaths, of which 76 were among women) between 1999 and 2009 matched 1 : 1 to
      controls on sex, age and year of release using risk set sampling. MEASUREMENTS:
      Prison medical charts were abstracted for clinical information. Independent
      associations between clinical characteristics and all-cause and overdose
      mortality were assessed using conditional logistic regression. FINDINGS: Key
      independent risk factors for all-cause mortality included homelessness [odds
      ratio (OR) = 1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.06, 2.23], injection drug use
      (OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.16, 2.06), tobacco use (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.07, 2.13),
      cirrhosis (OR = 4.42, 95% CI = 1.63, 11.98) and psychiatric medications before
      release (OR = 2.38, 95% CI = 1.71, 3.30). Independent risk factors for overdose
      mortality included substance use disorder (OR = 2.33, 95% CI = 1.32, 4.11),
      injection drug use (OR = 2.43, 95% CI = 1.53, 3.86), panic disorder (OR = 3.87,
      95% CI = 1.62, 9.21), psychiatric prescriptions before release (OR = 2.44, 95% CI
      = 1.55, 3.85) and problems with opiates/sedatives (OR = 2.81, 95% CI = 1.40,
      5.63). Substance use disorder treatment during the index incarceration was
      protective for all-cause (OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.49, 0.91) and overdose (OR =
      0.57, 95% CI = 0.36, 0.90) mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Injection drug use and
      substance use disorders are risk factors for death after release from prison. In
      prison substance use disorder treatment services may reduce the risk.

PMID- 26476211
TI  - Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Retinal Vein Occlusion: Evaluation of
      Superficial and Deep Capillary Plexa.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT
      angiography) appearance of the superficial and deep capillary plexa in eyes with
      retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and to compare these findings with those of
      fluorescein angiography (FA) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD
      OCT). DESIGN: Retrospective observational case series. METHODS: Patients
      presenting with RVO to Creteil University Eye Clinic were retrospectively
      evaluated. All patients had undergone a comprehensive ophthalmic examination
      including FA, SD OCT, and OCT angiography. RESULTS: There were 54 (31 male, 57%)
      RVO patients with a mean age of 70 years. The perifoveal capillary arcade was
      visible in 52 of 54 eyes (96%) on OCT angiography and in 45 eyes (83%) on FA;
      this arcade was disrupted in 48 eyes (92%) and 39 eyes (72%) on OCT angiography
      and FA, respectively (P = .002). Perifoveal capillary arcade disruption was
      correlated with peripheral retinal ischemia (P = .025). Intraretinal cystoid
      spaces were observed in 34 eyes (68%) using FA, in 40 eyes (76%) using SD OCT,
      and in 49 eyes (90%) using OCT angiography (P = .008 for OCT angiography vs SD
      OCT and P = .001 for OCT angiography vs FA). Retinal capillary network
      abnormalities were observed in all patients in both superficial capillary plexus
      and deep capillary plexus on OCT angiography. Nonperfusion grayish areas were
      more frequent in the deep capillary plexus (43 eyes, 84%) than in the superficial
      capillary plexus (30 eyes, 59%, P < .001). CONCLUSION: OCT angiography can
      simultaneously evaluate both macular perfusion and edema. For the first time, an
      imaging technique enables the evaluation of the deep capillary plexus, which
      appears to be more severely affected than the superficial capillary plexus in
      RVO.

PMID- 26476212
TI  - Evaluation of Objective Vitritis Grading Method Using Optical Coherence
      Tomography: Influence of Phakic Status and Previous Vitrectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate a proposed method for objective measurement of vitreous
      inflammation using a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT) device
      in a large cohort of uveitis eyes, including pseudophakic eyes and vitrectomized
      eyes. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational cohort study. METHODS: One hundred
      five uveitis eyes (105 patients) with different vitreous haze score grades
      according to standardized protocols and corresponding SD OCT images (Cirrus HD
      OCT; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, California, USA) were included. Clinical data
      recorded included phakic status, previous vitreoretinal surgery, and anterior
      chamber (AC) cells and flare. SD OCT images were analyzed using custom software
      that provided absolute measurements of vitreous (VIT) and retinal pigment
      epithelium (RPE) signal intensities, which were compared to generate a relative
      optical density ratio with arbitrary units (VIT/RPE-relative intensity) and
      compared to VHS. RESULTS: VIT/RPE-relative intensity showed a significant
      positive correlation with vitreous haze score (r = 0.535, P < .001) that remained
      significant after adjusting for factors governing media clarity, such as AC
      cells, AC flare, and phakic status (R(2)-adjusted = 0.424, P < .001). Significant
      differences were also observed between the different vitreous haze score groups
      (P < .001). Preliminary observation did not observe differences in VIT/RPE
      relative intensity values between phakic and pseudophakic eyes (0.3522 vs 0.3577,
      P = .48) and between nonvitrectomized and vitrectomized eyes (0.3540 vs 0.3580, P
      = .52), overall and respectively for each vitreous haze score subgroup.
      CONCLUSIONS: VIT/RPE-relative intensity values provide objective measurements of
      vitreous inflammation employing an SD OCT device. Phakic status and previous
      vitrectomy surgery do not appear to influence these values, although these
      preliminary findings need validation in future studies.

PMID- 26476213
TI  - Clinical Clues to Predict the Presence of Parafoveal Scotoma on Humphrey 10-2
      Visual Field Using a Humphrey 24-2 Visual Field.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate characteristics related to the presence of parafoveal
      scotoma on Humphrey 10-2 visual field (VF) in early glaucoma patients. DESIGN:
      Prospective, cross-sectional study. METHODS: participants: Ninety-one eyes from
      91 patients with glaucomatous optic neuropathy were prospectively tested with a
      10-2 VF test. OBSERVATION PROCEDURES: Glaucoma patients were classified into eyes
      with or without parafoveal scotoma on 10-2 VF based on pattern deviation plot.
      The central 10 degree region of Humphrey 24-2 VF test comprised 12 points and any
      abnormal VF points depressed <5%, <2%, <1%, or <0.5% from the normal database on
      pattern deviation plot were analyzed. Various factors related to the presence of
      parafoveal scotoma on 10-2 VF were analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Abnormal 24-2
      VF points, macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness. RESULTS: The
      presence of abnormal 24-2 VF points <0.5% was significantly different between
      eyes with and without parafoveal scotoma on 10-2 VF (P < .01). The minimum
      macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness (P = .04), any central 12
      points depressed <0.5% on 24-2 VF (P < .01), and any central 12 points depressed
      <5% on 24-2 VF that spatially corresponds to macular ganglion cell-inner
      plexiform layer thinning (P < 0.01) were related factors to the presence of
      parafoveal scotoma on 10-2 VF. CONCLUSIONS: Glaucomatous eyes with any abnormal
      24-2 VF points on the central 10 degree region that are depressed <0.5% or <5%
      that correlates to macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thinning should
      receive attention and be further evaluated with a 10-2 VF test.

PMID- 26476214
TI  - Microchidia protein 2, MORC2, downregulates the cytoskeleton adapter protein,
      ArgBP2, via histone methylation in gastric cancer cells.
AB  - ArgBP2 is an adapter protein that plays an important role in actin-dependent
      processes such as cell adhesion and migration. However, its function and
      regulation mechanisms in gastric cancer have not yet been investigated. Here, we
      showed the low expression of ArgBP2 mRNA level in gastric tumor samples and its
      repressive function in the proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric
      cancer cells. Then, we cloned and identified ArgBP2 promoter and verified that
      MORC2 bound to the promoter. Moreover, we demonstrated that MORC2 enhanced the
      recruitment of EZH2, which promoted the tri-methylation of H3K27, leading to the
      transcriptional repression of ArgBP2. Our results might thus contribute to
      understanding the molecular mechanisms of ArgBP2 regulation and suggesting ArgBP2
      as a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer. 

PMID- 26476215
TI  - HspA1A, a 70-kDa heat shock protein, differentially interacts with anionic
      lipids.
AB  - HspA1A, a 70-kDa heat shock protein, binds to specific lipids. This interaction
      allows HspA1A to associate with the plasma and other cellular membranes, where it
      regulates many vital functions like immunity, membrane stabilization, autophagy,
      and apoptosis. However, the molecular mechanism of the HspA1A-lipid interactions
      has yet to be fully characterized. Therefore, in this study, we characterized the
      interaction of HspA1A with three lipids, bis-(monoacylglycero)-phosphate,
      cardiolipin, and sulfatide. Our results revealed that, first, HspA1A embeds in
      membranes when bound to liposomes composed of cardiolipin and sulfatide. Second,
      the binding of HspA1A to lipids is complex and although important, electrostatic
      interactions alone cannot fully explain the observed binding. Third, the two
      HspA1A domains, the nucleotide-binding domain and the substrate-binding domain,
      differentially bind to lipids in a lipid-specific manner. Fourth, HspA1A lipid
      binding is reduced by the presence of nucleotides, but it is unaffected by the
      presence of a peptide-substrate. These observations suggest that HspA1A binds to
      lipids via a multi-step mechanism and this interaction depends on the specific
      physicochemical properties of the lipid. We speculate that the association of
      HspA1A with lipids like the mitochondrial cardiolipin, which is an organelle
      marker, may facilitate the translocation and localized function of the molecular
      chaperone to particular sub-cellular compartments. 

PMID- 26476216
TI  - Transcriptional factors p300 and MRTF-A synergistically enhance the expression of
      migration-related genes in MCF-7 breast cancer cells.
AB  - The transcriptional coactivator p300 is highly expressed in breast cancer
      tissues. MRTF-A is a transcription factor governed by the Rho-GTPase-actin
      signaling pathway. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of p300 in
      breast cancer metastasis. Here we showed that the motility of breast cancer cells
      was enhanced by the overexpression of p300, meanwhile, the transcription of
      migration-related genes was upregulated. Depletion of p300 downregulated the
      migration-related genes and slowed down the migration of breast cancer cells.
      p300 worked synergistically with MRTF-A to activate the transcription of MYH9,
      MYL9 and CYR61. As identified by co-IP, p300 interacted with the C-terminal TAD
      domain of MRTF-A. And together with MRTF-A, p300 was associated with the target
      gene promoters. Furthermore, MRTF-A was found to be acetylated in MCF-7 breast
      cancer cells. These results demonstrated the involvement of p300 in the MRTF-A
      mediated gene regulation and breast cancer cell migration. 

PMID- 26476217
TI  - Evaluation of water content around airway in obstructive sleep apnea patients
      using peripharyngeal mucosal T2 magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common sleep disorder
      characterized by repetitive episodes of airway closure which usually occurs in
      the retropalatal region of the oropharynx. It has been known that upper airway
      mucosa in OSA patients is described as edematous, but not fully clarified.
      OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate and establish magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) parameter to estimate tissue water content at retropalatal level
      and its relationship with sleep parameters in OSA patients. METHODS: Forty-eight
      subjects with OSA underwent overnight polysomnography and cervical MRI with 1.5
      tesla [mean (SD) age 55 (14) years and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) 45.2 (26.1)
      events/hour, 79.2% male]. On the axial T2-weighted images from epipharynx to
      oropharynx, the signal intensities of masseter muscle and peripharyngeal mucosa
      [T2 mucous-to-masseter intensity ratio (T2MMIR)], was used as water content
      estimation in the retropalatal region. Partial correlation analysis was performed
      to examine the correlation between T2MMIR and polysomnography parameters.
      RESULTS: We found that there were strong and positive correlations between the
      T2MMIR and AHI (r = 0.545, P < 0.05), supine AHI (r = 0.553, P < 0.05) and REM
      AHI (r = 0.640, P < 0.01) by partial correlation analysis. Besides, in patients
      with less efficient sleep who had more stage 1 sleep, significantly higher T2MMIR
      was noted (r = 0.357, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that
      peripharyngeal T2MMIR can be a simple parameter representing peripharyngeal
      tissue water contents related to severe OSA.

PMID- 26476219
TI  - Clinical Features and Diagnostic Considerations in Psoriatic Arthritis.
AB  - Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory musculoskeletal disease affecting almost a
      third of patients with psoriasis. Clinical presentations are complex and varied
      and include peripheral arthritis, axial disease, dactylitis, and enthesitis, as
      well as skin and nail manifestations. We lack diagnostic biomarkers, but specific
      clinical and imaging features distinguish psoriatic arthritis from other forms of
      arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis, and other forms of
      spondyloarthritis. 

PMID- 26476220
TI  - Natural History, Prognosis, and Socioeconomic Aspects of Psoriatic Arthritis.
AB  - Although early reports suggested psoriatic arthritis was, with the exception of
      arthritis mutilans, a relatively mild arthritis, later studies have challenged
      this view. The burden of skin disease adds to disability and impaired quality of
      life. Patients in secondary care manifest increased morbidity and mortality,
      mainly owing to cardiovascular disease. A subset of patients, primarily men with
      oligoarticular disease, demonstrates low levels of joint involvement without
      disability. The socioeconomic impact of the disease is significant. We require
      more information on the impact of early diagnosis and treatment on outcome,
      according to phenotype, to guide policy. 

PMID- 26476221
TI  - Imaging in Psoriatic Arthritis.
AB  - Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory joint disease characterized by
      arthritis and often enthesitis in patients with psoriasis, presenting a wide
      range of manifestations in various patterns. Imaging procedures are primarily
      conventional radiography, ultrasonography (US), and magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI); other modalities such as computed tomography are not used routinely.
      Imaging is an integral part of management of PsA. In this article, we provide an
      overview of the status, virtues, and limitations of imaging modalities in PsA,
      focusing on radiography, US, and MRI. 

PMID- 26476222
TI  - Early Psoriatic Arthritis.
AB  - Skin psoriasis is a major risk factor for the development of psoriatic arthritis.
      Recent studies have shown that delayed diagnosis is associated with long-term
      adverse outcomes. Screening questionnaires have revealed a potential burden of
      undiagnosed disease. Lifestyle factors and genetic and soluble biomarkers have
      come under scrutiny as risk factors. Imaging modalities may have an important
      role in detecting early change. With more effective treatments, it may be
      possible to prevent significant joint damage and associated disability. However,
      the precise nature of accurate and cost-effective screening strategies remains to
      be determined. 

PMID- 26476218
TI  - The Epidemiology of Psoriatic Arthritis.
AB  - Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder
      characterized by joint and entheseal inflammation with a prevalence of 0.05% to
      0.25% of the population and 6% to 41% of patients with psoriasis. PsA is a highly
      heterogeneous inflammatory arthritis. In this review, current knowledge is
      discussed regarding the epidemiology of PsA, including disease manifestations,
      classification criteria for adult and juvenile PsA, methods for recognizing early
      PsA, including use of screening tools and knowledge of risk factors for PsA, and
      medical comorbidities associated with PsA. 

PMID- 26476223
TI  - Genetic, Epigenetic and Pharmacogenetic Aspects of Psoriasis and Psoriatic
      Arthritis.
AB  - There is a strong familial component to psoriatic disease as well as a complex
      array of genetic, immunologic, and environmental factors. The dominant genetic
      effect is located on chromosome 6p21.3 within the major histocompatibility
      complex region, accounting for one-third of genetic contribution. Genome-wide
      association studies (GWAS) identified additional genes, including skin barrier
      function, innate immune response, and adaptive immune response genes. To better
      understand disease susceptibility and progression requires replication in larger
      cohorts, fine-mapping efforts, new technologies, and functional studies of
      genetic variants, gene-gene interactions and gene-environmental interactions. New
      technologies available include next-generation sequencing, copy number variation
      analysis, and epigenetics. 

PMID- 26476224
TI  - Etiology and Pathogenesis of Psoriatic Arthritis.
AB  - The current model of psoriatic arthritis implicates both the IL-23/IL-17 axis and
      the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) pathways in disease pathogenesis. Although
      specific major histocompatibility complex class I molecules are associated with
      the psoriatic disease phenotype, no specific antigen or autoantibody has been
      identified. Instead, an array of genes may code for an autoinflammatory loop,
      potentially activated by mechanical stress and dysbiosis in the skin or gut.
      Danger signals released by innate immune cells activate a Th1 and Th17 response
      that leads to synovitis, enthesitis, axial inflammation, and altered bone
      homeostasis characterized by pathologic bone resorption and new bone formation. 

PMID- 26476225
TI  - Etiology and Pathogenesis of Psoriasis.
AB  - Psoriasis is a common, chronic inflammatory skin disease most often appearing in
      the form of well-demarcated, scaly plaques. These lesions highlight the
      fundamental processes underlying its pathogenesis, namely, inflammation and
      epidermal hyperproliferation. Both phenomena are considered consequences of an
      intimate interplay between the innate and the adaptive immune system. This
      concept is supported by results of genetic studies, pointing toward the signaling
      pathways of nuclear factor-kappaB, interferon-gamma, and interleukin (IL)-23 as
      well as antigen presentation as central axes of the psoriatic inflammation.
      Efficacy of biologics targeting tumor necrosis factor-alpha, IL-23, or IL-17
      provides further evidence in favor of this model. 

PMID- 26476226
TI  - Comorbidities in Psoriatic Arthritis.
AB  - Epidemiologic studies have shown that, in patients with psoriatic arthritis
      (PsA), associated comorbidities may occur more frequently than expected. This
      article discusses related comorbidities in patients with PsA. Identifying these
      comorbidities may affect the management and treatment decisions for these
      patients to ensure an optimal clinical outcome. All health care providers caring
      for patients with PsA should be aware of the relevant comorbidities and should
      have an understanding of how these comorbidities affect management. The common
      comorbidities include cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, obesity,
      diabetes, fatty liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, ophthalmic disease,
      kidney disease, osteoporosis, depression, and anxiety. 

PMID- 26476227
TI  - Outcome Measures in Psoriatic Arthritis.
AB  - In the last decade, there have been significant advances in outcome measure
      research in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). In this article, the outcome measures for
      disease activity in individual key domains of PsA are reviewed, followed by the
      key patient-reported outcome measures of function, quality of life, fatigue, and
      a new measure for disease impact, the psoriatic arthritis impact of disease. New
      research into composite measures of psoriatic disease is summarized, including
      response measures and proposed cutoff points for disease activity. Finally, the
      key future issues in outcome measurement in PsA are addressed. 

PMID- 26476228
TI  - Management of Psoriatic Arthritis: Traditional Disease-Modifying Rheumatic Agents
      and Targeted Small Molecules.
AB  - Traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) remain the first-line
      treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), despite lack of randomized controlled
      trials, and with evidence based on observational studies. Anti-tumor necrosis
      factor agents remain a top choice for biologic treatment, complemented with new
      biologics with different targets (IL12-23 and IL17). Unmet needs have been
      identified for patients who do not respond to treatment. Among targeted small
      molecules Apremilast is approved for the treatment of PsA and Tofactitinib is
      under investigation. The drugs discussed herein have the potential to address
      unmet needs; however, additional research is required to identify more effective
      therapies for PsA.

PMID- 26476229
TI  - Biologic Therapy for Psoriatic Arthritis.
AB  - Biologic medications, therapeutic proteins that inhibit or modulate
      proinflammatory immune cells and cytokines, have significantly altered
      clinicians' ability to effectively treat psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The first
      widely used biologics have been those targeting tumor necrosis factor alpha. Five
      agents (etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab, and certolizumab) have
      shown significant benefit in all clinical domains of PsA as well as inhibiting
      progressive joint destruction. Treatment strategies such as treating PsA early in
      the disease course, treating to target and tight control, use of background
      methotrexate to reduce immunogenicity, and various cost-saving strategies are all
      being tested with biologic medicines for PsA. 

PMID- 26476230
TI  - Novel Treatment Concepts in Psoriatic Arthritis.
AB  - The introduction of highly effective therapies and clearly defined targets has
      altered the treatment paradigm in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Validated
      classification criteria and outcome measures specific to PsA have helped
      standardize a therapeutic approach to this heterogeneous disease that affects
      multiple clinical domains. This article discusses the importance of early
      intervention using a treat-to-target strategy; emerging evidence for tight
      control based on minimal disease activity criteria; disease considerations
      specific to PsA (prognostic markers, biomarkers, subclinical disease,
      comorbidities); and new treatment strategies to deal with refractory disease (eg,
      tumor necrosis factor inhibitor switching and use of novel disease-modifying
      therapies) and controlled disease (eg, tapering or discontinuing biologic
      therapy). 

PMID- 26476231
TI  - Psoriatic Arthritis.

PMID- 26476232
TI  - Psoriatic Arthritis.

PMID- 26476233
TI  - The chloroplast NADPH thioredoxin reductase C, NTRC, controls non-photochemical
      quenching of light energy and photosynthetic electron transport in Arabidopsis.
AB  - High irradiances may lead to photooxidative stress in plants, and non
      photochemical quenching (NPQ) contributes to protection against excess
      excitation. One of the NPQ mechanisms, qE, involves thermal dissipation of the
      light energy captured. Importantly, plants need to tune down qE under light
      limiting conditions for efficient utilization of the available quanta.
      Considering the possible redox control of responses to excess light implying
      enzymes, such as thioredoxins, we have studied the role of the NADPH thioredoxin
      reductase C (NTRC). Whereas Arabidopsis thaliana plants lacking NTRC tolerate
      high light intensities, these plants display drastically elevated qE, have larger
      trans-thylakoid DeltapH and have 10-fold higher zeaxanthin levels under low and
      medium light intensities, leading to extremely low linear electron transport
      rates. To test the impact of the high qE on plant growth, we generated an ntrc
      psbs double-knockout mutant, which is devoid of qE. This double mutant grows
      faster than the ntrc mutant and has a higher chlorophyll content. The photosystem
      II activity is partially restored in the ntrc-psbs mutant, and linear electron
      transport rates under low and medium light intensities are twice as high as
      compared with plants lacking ntrc alone. These data uncover a new role for NTRC
      in the control of photosynthetic yield. 

PMID- 26476235
TI  - Epigenetic modifications in mouse cerebellar Purkinje cells: effects of aging,
      caloric restriction, and overexpression of superoxide dismutase 1 on 5
      methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to assess alterations in DNA methylation and
      hydroxymethylation during aging in cerebellar Purkinje cells and to determine the
      effects of putatively preventative measures to such age-related changes. Using
      immunohistochemical techniques, 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) and 5
      hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) immunoreactivity in cerebellar Purkinje cells of 12
      month- and 24-month-old mice was interrogated. Additionally, the modulatory
      effects of caloric restriction (CR) and normal human Cu/Zn super oxide dismutase
      1 overexpression on these changes were assessed. We show that aging is associated
      with an increase of 5-mC and 5-hmC immunoreactivity in mouse cerebellar Purkinje
      cells. These age-related increases were mitigated by CR but not super oxide
      dismutase 1 overexpression. Additionally, the ratio between 5-mC and 5-hmC
      decreased with age and CR treatment, suggesting that CR has a stronger effect on
      DNA methylation than DNA hydroxymethylation. These findings enforce the notion
      that aging is closely connected to marked epigenetic changes, affecting multiple
      brain regions, and that CR is an effective means to prevent or counteract
      deleterious age-related epigenetic alterations.

PMID- 26476234
TI  - Mapping 3-year changes in gray matter and metabolism in Abeta-positive
      nondemented subjects.
AB  - Gray matter (GM) atrophy and brain glucose hypometabolism are already detected in
      the predementia stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the regional and
      longitudinal associations between the two are not well understood. Here, we
      analyzed the patterns of longitudinal atrophy (magnetic resonance imaging [MRI])
      and (18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography ([18F]FDG-PET)
      metabolism decline in 40 cognitively healthy control (HC) and 52 mildly impaired
      (mild cognitive impairment [MCI]) subjects during 3 years. Based on cerebrospinal
      fluid and brain amyloid-PET, the subjects were divided into amyloid-beta (Abeta)-
      and Abeta+ subgroups. In voxel-based and region of interest analyses, we compared
      the 3-year rates of change in GM and glucose metabolism between Abeta-subgroups,
      within each diagnostic group. In joint-independent component analyses, we
      assessed the patterns of covariation between longitudinal change in GM volume and
      glucose metabolism. MCI-Abeta+ showed faster atrophy than MCI-Abeta- within the
      temporal, medial temporal, and medial parietal lobes. HC-Abeta+ showed faster
      atrophy within the precuneus than HC-Abeta-. For FDG-PET metabolism, MCI-Abeta+
      exhibited faster decline than MCI-Abeta- in temporoparietal regions, whereas no
      differences between HC subgroups were observed. Joint-independent component
      analysis showed that accelerated atrophy and metabolism decline correlated across
      distant brain regions for MCI-Abeta+. In conclusion, abnormally increased levels
      of Abeta in nondemented subjects were associated with accelerated decline in both
      GM and glucose metabolism, where both types of neurodegeneration progress in
      spatially divergent patterns. 

PMID- 26476236
TI  - TBK1 mutation frequencies in French frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic
      lateral sclerosis cohorts.
AB  - TANK1-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) has been recently identified as a new amyotrophic
      lateral sclerosis (ALS) gene. Loss-of-function (LoF) mutations in TBK1 could be
      responsible for 0.4%-4% of ALS. Considering the strong genetic overlap existing
      between frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and ALS, we have evaluated the frequencies
      of TBK1 mutations in a cohort of French FTD and of ALS patients. We identified 5
      LoF mutations, in 4 FTD-ALS and 1 ALS patients. We also identified 5 heterozygous
      missense variants, predicted to be deleterious, in 1 isolated FTD, 1 FTD-ALS, and
      3 ALS cases. Our results demonstrate that TBK1 loss-of-function mutations are
      more frequent in patients with FTD-ALS (10.8%) than in isolated ALS. TBK1 should
      thus also be sequenced, after exclusion of C9orf72 mutation, in patients
      presenting FTD, particularly in cases secondarily associated with ALS. 

PMID- 26476237
TI  - Lessons learned from multi-scale modeling of the failing heart.
AB  - Heart failure constitutes a major public health problem worldwide. Affected
      patients experience a number of changes in the electrical function of the heart
      that predispose to potentially lethal cardiac arrhythmias. Due to the multitude
      of electrophysiological changes that may occur during heart failure, the
      scientific literature is complex and sometimes ambiguous, perhaps because these
      findings are highly dependent on the etiology, the stage of heart failure, and
      the experimental model used to study these changes. Nevertheless, a number of
      common features of failing hearts have been documented. Prolongation of the
      action potential (AP) involving ion channel remodeling and alterations in calcium
      handling have been established as the hallmark characteristics of myocytes
      isolated from failing hearts. Intercellular uncoupling and fibrosis are
      identified as major arrhythmogenic factors. Multi-scale computational simulations
      are a powerful tool that complements experimental and clinical research. The
      development of biophysically detailed computer models of single myocytes and
      cardiac tissues has contributed greatly to our understanding of processes
      underlying excitation and repolarization in the heart. The electrical,
      structural, and metabolic remodeling that arises in cardiac tissues during heart
      failure has been addressed from different computational perspectives to further
      understand the arrhythmogenic substrate. This review summarizes the contributions
      from computational modeling and simulation to predict the underlying mechanisms
      of heart failure phenotypes and their implications for arrhythmogenesis, ranging
      from the cellular level to whole-heart simulations. The main aspects of heart
      failure are presented in several related sections. An overview of the main
      electrophysiological and structural changes that have been observed
      experimentally in failing hearts is followed by the description and discussion of
      the simulation work in this field at the cellular level, and then in 2D and 3D
      cardiac structures. The implications for arrhythmogenesis in heart failure are
      also discussed including therapeutic measures, such as drug effects and cardiac
      resynchronization therapy. Finally, the future challenges in heart failure
      modeling and simulation will be discussed. 

PMID- 26476238
TI  - Phosphoinositide dependent protein kinase 1 is required for exercise-induced
      cardiac hypertrophy but not the associated mitochondrial adaptations.
AB  - Phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDPK1) is an important mediator of
      phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling. We previously reported that PI3K
      but not Akt signaling mediates the increase in mitochondrial oxidative capacity
      following physiological cardiac hypertrophy. To determine if PDPK1 regulates
      these metabolic adaptations we examined mice with cardiomyocyte-specific
      heterozygous knockout of PDPK1 (cPDPK1(+/-)) after 5 wk. exercise swim training.
      Akt phosphorylation at Thr308 increased by 43% in wildtype (WT) mice but not in
      cPDPK1(+/-) mice following exercise training. Ventricular contractile function
      was not different between WT and cPDPK1(+/-) mice at baseline. In addition,
      exercise did not influence ventricular function in WT or cPDPK1(+/-) mice. Heart
      weight normalized to tibia length ratios increased by 13.8% in WT mice (6.2+/-0.2
      vs. 7.1+/-0.2, P=0.001), but not in cPDPK1(+/-) (6.2+/-0.3 vs. 6.5+/-0.2, P=0.20)
      mice after swim training. Diastolic LV dimension increased in WT mice (3.7+/-0.1
      vs. 4.0+/-0.1 mm, P=0.01) but not in cPDPK1(+/-) (3.8+/-0.1 vs. 3.7+/-0.1 mm,
      P=0.56) following swim training. Maximal mitochondrial oxygen consumption (VADP,
      nmol/min/mg) using palmitoyl carnitine as a substrate was significantly increased
      in mice of all genotypes following swim training (WT: 13.6+/-0.6 vs.16.1+/-0.9,
      P=0.04; cPDPK1(+/-): 12.4+/-0.6 vs.15.9+/-1.2, P=0.04). These findings suggest
      that PDPK1 is required for exercise-induced cardiac hypertrophy but does not
      contribute to exercise-induced increases in mitochondrial function.

PMID- 26476239
TI  - Salinomycin encapsulated nanoparticles as a targeting vehicle for glioblastoma
      cells.
AB  - Salinomycin has been introduced as a novel alternative to traditional anti-cancer
      drugs. The aim of this study was to test a strategy designed to deliver
      salinomycin to glioblastoma cells in vitro. Salinomycin-encapsulated polysorbate
      80-coated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (P80-SAL-PLGA) were
      prepared and characterized with respect to particle size, morphology, thermal
      properties, drug encapsulation efficiency and controlled salinomycin-release
      behaviour. The in vitro cellular uptake of P80-SAL-PLGA (5 and 10 uM) or uncoated
      nanoparticles was assessed in T98G human glioblastoma cells, and the cell
      viability was investigated with respect to anti-growth activities. SAL, which was
      successfully transported to T98G glioblastoma cells via P80 coated nanoparticles
      (~14% within 60 min), greatly decreased (p < 0.01) the cellular viability of T98G
      cells. Substantial morphological changes were observed in the T98G cells with
      damaged actin cytoskeleton. Thus, P80-SAL-PLGA nanoparticles induced cell death,
      suggesting a potential therapeutic role for this salinomycin delivery system in
      the treatment of human glioblastoma.

PMID- 26476240
TI  - Tick saliva: paving the way for the stowaway Borrelia.

PMID- 26476241
TI  - Preparation of nanoscale Bacillus thuringiensis chitinases using silica
      nanoparticles for nematicide delivery.
AB  - A series of amino, carboxylic, and aldehydic surface-grafted silica nanoparticles
      (SNPs) was prepared based on SiO2 NYSi40 nanoparticles to develop an efficient,
      biocompatible, and cost-effective biopesticide delivery system. Bacillus
      thuringiensis chitinase (Chi9602) was immobilized onto SNP surface to prepare
      nanoscale chitinases (SNPCs) through electrostatic adsorption and covalent
      binding. The specimens were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, scanning
      electron microscopy, and zeta-potential analyses. The delivery capacity of the
      SNPs in Caenorhabditis elegans N2 was observed by immunofluorescence. Results
      demonstrated that amino-grafted SiO2 nanoparticles with Chi9602 electrostatically
      adsorbed onto their surface (SNPC2) exhibited a relatively high enzyme
      immobilization rate (80.2%) and the highest (94.1%) residual enzyme activity
      among all SNPCs. SNPC2 also showed wider pH tolerance and relatively higher
      thermostability and ultraviolet radiation resistance capacity than Chi9602.
      Bioassays further showed that SNPC2 synergistically enhanced the nematicidal
      effect of B. thuringiensis YBT-020 preparation against C. elegans, with a reduced
      LC50 of 8.35mg/mL and a shortened LT50 of 12.04h. Immunofluorescence assays
      showed that SNPC2 had considerable delivery capacity to carry a large protein
      into C. elegans. Therefore, SNP2 can serve as an efficient nanocarrier for the
      delivery of macromolecular proteic biopesticides or drugs, indicating potential
      agricultural or biotechnological applications.

PMID- 26476242
TI  - Acrosin inhibitor detection along the boar epididymis.
AB  - Epididymal sperm maturation represents a key step in the reproduction process.
      Spermatozoa are exposed to epididymal fluid components representing the natural
      environment essential for their post-testicular maturation. Changes in sperm
      membrane proteins are influenced by proteolytic, glycosylation and
      deglycosylation enzymes present in the epididymal fluid. Accordingly, the
      occurrence of inhibitors of these enzymes in the epididymis is very important for
      the regulation of sperm membrane protein processing. In the present study, we
      monitored acrosin inhibitor distribution in boar epididymal fluid and in
      spermatozoa from different segments of the organ. Using specific polyclonal
      antibody we registered increasing signal of the acrosin inhibitor (AI) from caput
      to cauda epididymis. Mass spectroscopy examination of the immunoprecipitated
      acrosin inhibitor (12 kDa) unequivocally identified sperm-associated acrosin
      inhibitor (SAAI) in the epididymal tissue. Lectin staining showed N-glycosylation
      in AI from boar epididymis. Protein detection of AI was supported by the results
      of semi-quantitative RT-PCR showing the presence of mRNA specifically coding for
      SAAI and similarly increasing throughout the epididymal duct, from its proximal
      to distal part. Additionally, the immunofluorescence technique showed the AI
      localization in the secretory tissue of caput, corpus and cauda epididymis, and
      in the acrosome region and midpiece of the sperm.

PMID- 26476243
TI  - CBLB502, an agonist of Toll-like receptor 5, has antioxidant and scavenging free
      radicals activities in vitro.
AB  - The bacterial protein flagellin is the known agonist of Toll-like receptor 5
      (TLR5). It has been reported that CBLB502, a novel agonist of TLR5 derived from
      Salmonella flagellin, could reduce radiation toxicity in mouse and primate
      models, protect mice from dermatitis and oral mucositis caused by radiation,
      inhibit acute renal ischemic failure, and inhibit the growth of A549 lung cancer
      cell. The property of CBLB502 is able to bind to TLR5 and activates NF-kappaB
      signaling. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant potential and free
      radicals scavenging properties of CBLB502 in vitro. Interestingly, we found that
      CBLB502 has a direct and distinct antioxidant capacity and can efficiently
      scavenge a variety of free radicals, including superoxide anion, hydroxyl
      radical, and ABTS cation (ABTS(+)). Through wave scanning and kinetic evaluation
      of scavenging ABTS(+), we found that the ABTS(+) scavenging process of CBLB502 is
      relatively slow, and the ABTS(+) scavenging activity of CBLB502 has a
      consistently kinetics characteristics. In conclusion, our results suggested that
      CBLB502 has antioxidant and scavenging free radicals activities in vitro. It is
      implied that CBLB502 might partially promote the beneficial protective effect
      through its scavenging free radicals.

PMID- 26476244
TI  - Structure elucidation and antioxidant activity of a novel polysaccharide from
      Polyporus umbellatus sclerotia.
AB  - A novel water-soluble polysaccharide PUP60S2, with a molecular weight of
      1.44*10(4)Da, was obtained from the sclerotia of Polyporus umbellatus by hot
      water extraction, ethanol precipitation, anion-exchange and size-exclusion
      chromatography. PUP60S2 was a polysaccharide comprised of about 22.3% glucuronic
      acid. Monosaccharide composition analysis showed that PUP60S2 was only comprised
      of glucose and glucuronic acid. Reduction of carboxyl groups, sugar analysis,
      methylation analysis, together with one and two dimension NMR spectra disclosed
      that the backbone of PUP60S2 consisted of (1->6)-beta-d-glucopyranosyl, every
      second of which was substituted at O-3 by side chains consisting of terminal beta
      d-Glcp, (1->3)-beta-d-Glcp, (1->3)-beta-d-GlcpA, (1->4)-beta-d-Glcp and (1->4)
      beta-d-GlcpA units. The antioxidant activity assay in vitro showed that PUP60S2
      exerted a significant scavenging effect on DPPH, hydroxyl radical and superoxide
      radical in a dose-dependent manner.

PMID- 26476245
TI  - Degradation of konjac glucomannan by Thermobifida fusca thermostable beta
      mannanase from yeast transformant.
AB  - Native konjac glucomannan was used as the substrate for thermophilic
      actinomycetes, Thermobifida fusca BCRC19214, to produce beta-mannanase. The beta
      mannanase was purified and five internal amino acid sequences were determined by
      LC-MS/MS. These sequences had high homology with the beta-mannanase from T. fusca
      YX. The tfm gene which encoded the beta-mannanase was cloned, sequenced and
      heterologous expressed in Yarrowia lipolytica P01 g expression system.
      Recombinant heterologous expression resulted in extracellular beta-mannanase
      production at levels as high as 3.16 U/ml in the culture broth within 48 h
      cultivation. The recombinant beta-mannanase from Y. lipolytica transformant had
      superior thermal property. The optimal temperature of the recombinant beta
      mannanase from Y. lipolytica transformant (pYLSC1-tfm) was 80 degrees C. When
      native konjac glucomannan was incubated with the recombinant beta-mannanase from
      Y. lipolytica transformant (pYLSC1-tfm) at 50 degrees C, there was a fast
      decrease of viscosity happen during the initial phase of reaction. This viscosity
      reduction was accompanied by an increase of reducing sugars. The surface of
      konjac glucomannan film became smooth. After 24h of treatment, the DPw of native
      konjac glucomannan decreased from 6,435,139 to 3089.

PMID- 26476246
TI  - Topical Therapy Primer for Nondermatologists.
AB  - A representative assortment of topical therapies is discussed here with the goal
      of emphasizing the most commonly encountered diagnoses and treatments for
      nondermatologists. When using topical therapies, carefully consider the proper
      active ingredient, potency, vehicle, and quantity of medication. If topical
      therapy is ineffective, question whether the medication is being used properly,
      whether the diagnosis is correct, and whether the topical may be contributing to
      the problem. Examples of the topical contributing to the problem include tinea
      incognito exacerbated by topical steroid use and allergic contact dermatitis to
      topical steroid excipients. For some patients, even maximum topical therapy is
      insufficient and systemic treatment is required. At this point, consultation with
      a dermatologist may be helpful.

PMID- 26476247
TI  - The Role of Biologic Therapies in Dermatology.
AB  - Biologic therapy has dramatically changed the way medicine, and specifically
      dermatology, is practiced today. The use of biologic agents in dermatology is
      evolving, with psoriasis being the most common indication for which biologics are
      used currently. However, several other dermatologic diseases seem to be
      responsive to biologic therapy, and continuing research and development efforts
      are elucidating the benefit-risk profiles of various biologic medications in
      these dermatologic conditions. Although biologic agents have revolutionized the
      management of dermatologic conditions, cost must also be considered when
      evaluating management options, especially compared with traditional agents. For
      example, the cost of 1 year of induction and maintenance treatment of psoriasis
      in 2014 was estimated to be $53,909 for ustekinumab, $46,395 for etanercept, and
      $39,041 for adalimumab. Nonetheless, because of their efficacy, the cost of a
      biologic may be offset by significant reductions in the number of hospital stays,
      reduction in use of other systemic therapies, and increased satisfaction by
      patients.32 Thus, understanding their mechanisms of action, labeled and off-label
      uses in dermatology, and common adverse effects helps to inform clinical decision
      making and improve patient outcomes.

PMID- 26476248
TI  - Selected Disorders of Skin Appendages--Acne, Alopecia, Hyperhidrosis.
AB  - This article reviewed some of the more common diseases of the skin appendages
      that are encountered in medicine: hyperhidrosis, acne, AA, FPHL, AGA, and TE. The
      pathophysiology behind the conditions and their treatments were discussed so that
      the clinician can make logical therapeutic choices for their affected patients.

PMID- 26476249
TI  - Nail Disease for the Primary Care Provider.
AB  - Nail disorders are a common presenting complaint for both the primary care
      physician and the dermatologist. Nail diagnoses are broad in scope and include
      infectious, inflammatory, and neoplastic conditions. Onychomycosis is an
      especially common nail condition, and treatment should always be preceded by
      appropriate fungal studies for confirmation of diagnosis. Inflammatory conditions
      of the nail unit can mimic onychomycosis, and a dermatologist can assist with
      diagnosis and treatment recommendations. Likewise, subungual tumors often require
      biopsy, and should be evaluated by a dermatologist who is experienced in nail
      evaluation and treatment.

PMID- 26476250
TI  - Psoriasis and Cardiovascular Disease.
AB  - Psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory disease that confers significant risk of
      metabolic derangements and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Early detection and
      treatment of modifiable risk factors and modulation of the systemic inflammatory
      response are important treatment goals. Studies have shown that there is a
      significant lack of awareness of the relationship between psoriasis and
      cardiovascular disease, so future considerations should focus on education of and
      collaboration with health care providers, especially those in primary care, and
      development of updated, rigorous screening guidelines. In addition, targeted
      biologic therapies such as TNF-a inhibitors have shown immense promise in
      targeting the systemic inflammation associated with psoriatic disease, but
      whether they will impact long-term cardiovascular outcomes remains to be seen.

PMID- 26476251
TI  - Clinical Approach to Diffuse Blisters.
AB  - Some blistering eruptions are self-limited, but others are life threatening, and
      prompt diagnosis and management are critical. The clinical presentation of
      vesicles and bullae suggests a broad differential and this article (1) highlights
      some common diagnoses that may be encountered by primary care physicians and
      subspecialists; (2) provides a possible systematic diagnostic approach to such
      patients, including history, physical examination, and relevant work-up. 

PMID- 26476252
TI  - Atopic Dermatitis: A Common Pediatric Condition and Its Evolution in Adulthood.
AB  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and pruritic inflammatory skin disorder that
      has a relapsing course and can affect any age group. Patients with AD have higher
      rates of other allergic disorders, mental health disorders, and skin infections.
      An important feature of AD for practitioners to recognize is that the clinical
      presentation varies by age from infancy into adulthood. The goals of treatment
      and management of AD focuses on restoring and maintaining the skin barrier
      function, minimizing inflammation, breaking the itch-scratch cycle, and treating
      possible external triggers and secondary infections that may propagate AD. 

PMID- 26476253
TI  - Rheumatologic Skin Disease.
AB  - In common rheumatologic diseases skin findings are an important diagnostic clue
      for astute clinicians. Skin manifestations can help identify systemic disease or
      may require therapy uniquely targeted at the cutaneous problem. This article
      discusses 3 common rheumatologic conditions seen in adults by dermatologists:
      cutaneous lupus, dermatomyositis, and morphea. The focus is on the cutaneous
      findings and clinical presentation. Some approaches to treatment are explored.
      Clues to help identify systemic disease are also highlighted. 

PMID- 26476254
TI  - Common Dermatologic Procedures.
AB  - Dermatologists perform a wide variety of procedures on a daily basis. The skin
      biopsy is a fundamental technique that can be performed by all physicians who
      manage cutaneous conditions. Specimens should always be sent for pathologic
      evaluation, regardless of whether the sampled lesion appears benign.
      Postoperative care and education are critical for minimizing complications.

PMID- 26476255
TI  - Skin Cancer Epidemiology, Detection, and Management.
AB  - Although the signs and symptoms of the 3 most common skin malignancies are well
      known to physicians, any new or changing lesions should be monitored and worked
      up to rule out varying forms of cutaneous malignancy. Classic presenting features
      of each condition exist, but patients may present with overlapping or atypical
      features, and a biopsy is almost always required to definitively determine the
      true nature of each disorder. Given the intense psychosocial ramifications of
      skin cancer diagnosis and treatment, early detection remains the hallmark in
      producing favorable outcomes.

PMID- 26476256
TI  - Approach to the Patient with a Suspected Cutaneous Adverse Drug Reaction.
AB  - CADRs are common and generally have a mild, self-resolving course with minimal
      associated morbidity and mortality. However, subsets of CARDs are more severe,
      require intervention, and have significant risk of associated morbidity and
      mortality. For this reason, it is crucial that the clinician recognize signs and
      symptoms worrisome for a more severe CARD so that appropriate triage, work-up,
      and treatment are initiated. In all CADRs the most important first step is
      identification and withdrawal of the culprit medications.

PMID- 26476257
TI  - Inpatient Consultative Dermatology.
AB  - Dermatology consultation can improve diagnostic accuracy in the hospitalized
      patient with cutaneous disease. Dermatology consultation can streamline and
      improve treatment plans, and potentially lead to cost savings. Dermatology
      consultants can be a valuable resource for education for trainees, patients, and
      families. Inpatient consultative dermatology spans a breadth of conditions,
      including inflammatory dermatoses,infectious processes, adverse medication
      reactions, and neoplastic disorders, many of which can be diagnosed based on
      dermatologic examination alone, but when necessary, bedside skin biopsies can
      contribute important diagnostic information.

PMID- 26476258
TI  - Teledermatology.
AB  - This article provides an overview of teledermatology with an emphasis on the
      evidence most relevant to referring clinicians, who are often primary care
      clinicians. Discussion includes the different modalities used for teledermatology
      and their diagnostic reliability, diagnostic accuracy, impact on in-person
      dermatology visits, clinical outcomes, and user satisfaction. 

PMID- 26476259
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 26476260
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 26476261
TI  - The alpha4 isoform of the Na+,K+-ATPase is tuned for changing extracellular
      environments.
AB  - In their journey from the male to the female reproductive tract, spermatozoa are
      confronted with a constantly changing environment. To cope with the associated
      challenges, spermatozoa express a distinct set of transporters, channels and
      pumps. One of the membrane proteins unique to spermatozoa is the alpha4 isoform
      of the Na(+) ,K(+) -ATPase. In addition to alpha4, spermatozoa express the
      ubiquous alpha1 variant. To get a detailed understanding of how alpha1 and alpha4
      differ, and why spermatozoa need an additional Na(+) ,K(+) -ATPase, we have
      conducted an electrophysiological comparison of the rodent isoforms (rat alpha4
      versus mouse alpha1-3) using the Xenopus oocyte expression system. We demonstrate
      isoform-specific differences in the voltage sensitivity of steady-state turnover,
      with alpha2 being the more sensitive, and alpha1 and alpha2 having faster Na(+)
      release kinetics than alpha3 and alpha4. Our data further show that the alpha1
      and alpha2 turnover rates are fast compared with those of alpha3 and alpha4.
      Finally, alpha4 is less influenced by changes in extracellular Na(+) and
      temperature than alpha1. Based on these findings, we discuss the possibility that
      evolution has selected robust activity rather than rapid turnover for alpha4.

PMID- 26476262
TI  - Proliferating cells in the adolescent rat amygdala: Characterization and response
      to stress.
AB  - The amygdala is a heterogeneous group of nuclei that plays a role in emotional
      and social learning. As such, there has been increased interest in its
      development in adolescent animals, a period in which emotional/social learning
      increases dramatically. While many mechanisms of amygdala development have been
      studied, the role of cell proliferation during adolescence has received less
      attention. Using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) injections in adolescent and adult
      rats, we previously found an almost fivefold increase in BrdU-positive cells in
      the amygdala of adolescents compared to adults. Approximately one third of BrdU
      labeled cells in the amygdala contained the putative neural marker doublecortin
      (DCX), suggesting a potential for neurogenesis. To further investigate this
      possibility in adolescents, we examined the proliferative dynamics of DCX/BrdU
      labeled cells. Surprisingly, DCX/BrdU-positive cells were found to comprise a
      stable subpopulation of BrdU-containing cells across survivals up to 56 days, and
      there was no evidence of neural maturation by 28 days after BrdU injection.
      Additionally, we found that approximately 50% of BrdU+ cells within the
      adolescent amygdala contain neural-glial antigen (NG2) and are therefore
      presumptive oligodendrocyte precursors (OPCs). We next characterized the response
      to a short-lived stressor (3-day repeated variable stress, RVS). The total BrdU
      labeled cell number decreased by ~30% by 13 days following RVS (10 days post-BrdU
      injection) as assessed by stereologic counting methods, but the DCX/BrdU-labeled
      subpopulation was relatively resistant to RVS effects. In contrast, NG2/BrdU
      labeled cells were strongly influenced by RVS. We conclude that typical
      neurogenesis is not a feature of the adolescent amygdala. These findings point to
      several possibilities, including the possibility that DCX/BrdU cells are late
      developing neural precursors, or a unique subtype of NG2 cell that is relatively
      resistant to stress. In contrast, many proliferating OPCs are significantly
      impacted by a short-lived stressor, suggesting consequences for myelination in
      the developing amygdala.

PMID- 26476263
TI  - Recurrence of rectal prolapse following rectopexy: a pooled analysis of 532
      patients.
AB  - AIM: The study was designed to address the unanswered question of the influence
      of the extent of rectal mobilization, the type of rectal fixation and the
      surgical access (open vs laparoscopic) on recurrence rates following abdominal
      surgery for full-thickness rectal prolapse (FTRP). METHOD: Individual patient
      data were pooled and data merging was performed following comparison of variable
      definitions to ensure similarity in definitions. Recurrence after rectopexy was
      defined as the presence of FTRP on physical examination. The impact of
      categorical factors on recurrence was assessed using Fisher's exact and the chi
      squared tests. Recurrence-free survival curves were generated for patients and
      differences in time to recurrence were compared using the log rank test. Factors
      passing univariate screening with a P value < 0.1 were included in a multivariate
      model. RESULTS: After data matching and merging, 532 patients were included. The
      duration of follow-up ranged from 12 to 235 months. There were 46 (8.6%)
      recurrences at a median follow-up of 60 months. Mean age was 53.6 +/- 17 years,
      359 (67.5%) were female, the mean length of external prolapse was 6.3 +/- 4 cm,
      and previous abdominal surgery had taken place in 33.7%. Four variables were
      identified on initial univariate screening as being related to recurrence. They
      included a history of incontinence (P = 0.09), constipation (P = 0.018), the
      extent of rectal mobilization (P = 0.004) and the role of sigmoid resection (P =
      0.057). Using multivariate analysis, only the degree of mobilization was
      independently associated with recurrence (P = 0.026). CONCLUSION: Circumferential
      rectal mobilization during rectopexy was associated with a decreased long-term
      recurrence rate. The type of rectal fixation and the type of surgical access did
      not influence recurrence.

PMID- 26476264
TI  - The Impact of Opioid Risk Reduction Initiatives on High-Dose Opioid Prescribing
      for Patients on Chronic Opioid Therapy.
AB  - Avoiding high opioid doses may reduce chronic opioid therapy (COT) risks, but the
      feasibility of reducing opioid doses in community practice is unknown. Washington
      State and a health plan's group practice implemented initiatives to reduce high
      dose COT prescribing. The group practice physicians were exposed to both
      initiatives, whereas contracted physicians were exposed only to statewide
      changes. Using interrupted time series analyses, we assessed whether these
      initiatives reduced opioid doses among COT patients in group practice (n =
      16,653) and contracted care settings (n = 5,552). From 2006 to June 2014, the
      percentage of COT patients receiving >=120 mg morphine equivalent dose declined
      from 16.8% to 6.3% in the group practice versus 20.6 to 13.6% among COT patients
      of contracted physicians. The proportion receiving excess opioid days supplied
      declined from 24.0 to 10.4% among group practice COT patients and from 20.1 to
      14.7% among COT patients of contracted physicians. Reductions in prescribing of
      high opioid dose and excess opioid days supplied followed state and health plan
      initiatives to change opioid prescribing. Reductions were substantially greater
      in the group practice setting that implemented additional initiatives to alter
      shared physician expectations regarding appropriate COT prescribing, compared
      with the contracted physicians' patients. PERSPECTIVE: Washington State and a
      health plan's group practice implemented initiatives to reduce high-dose COT
      prescribing. Group practice physicians were exposed to both initiatives, whereas
      the health plan's contracted physicians were exposed to only the statewide
      changes. Reductions in prescribing of high opioid dose, average daily dose, and
      excess opioid days supplied followed state and health plan initiatives to change
      opioid prescribing. Reductions were substantially greater in the group practice
      setting that implemented additional initiatives to alter shared physician
      expectations regarding appropriate COT prescribing, compared with the contracted
      physicians' patients.

PMID- 26476265
TI  - Chronic Back Pain Is Associated With Decreased Prefrontal and Anterior Insular
      Gray Matter: Results From a Population-Based Cohort Study.
AB  - Chronic back pain (CBP) is associated with circumscribed atrophy in gray matter
      (GM) predominantly localized in areas of the so-called pain matrix and the
      prefrontal cortex (PFC). Previous studies applying voxel-based morphometry (VBM)
      for identifying structural brain alterations related to CBP have reported
      inconsistent results, were limited to small sample sizes, and often did not
      control for medication. We therefore used VBM for high-resolution magnetic
      resonance images to investigate the association of CBP and regional GM volume in
      111 individuals with CBP and 432 pain-free controls derived from the
      representative Study of Health in Pomerania, controlling for effects of
      medication. CBP was associated with decreased regional GM in the ventrolateral
      PFC and dorsolateral PFC, both the ventral and dorsal medial PFC, and the
      anterior insula. Pain intensity showed a weak negative correlation with GM volume
      in the left dorsolateral PFC, ventrolateral PFC, and anterior cingulate cortex.
      The CBP sample showed alterations in regions commonly associated with pain
      processing and emotional demands. To our knowledge, this is the first VBM study
      reporting decreased regional GM volume in the medial PFC in a CBP sample. We were
      unable to confirm alterations in regions other than the dorsolateral PFC and the
      insula. PERSPECTIVE: Previous studies reported inconsistent results for brain
      areas altered in chronic pain conditions, which may be in part attributable to
      small sample sizes, medication use, or emotional comorbidities. This study in a
      large and representative cohort helps to clarify these issues.

PMID- 26476266
TI  - Effect of Alexithymia and Emotional Repression on Postsurgical Pain in Women With
      Breast Cancer: A Prospective Longitudinal 12-Month Study.
AB  - Alexithymia, the inability to identify and express emotions, and emotional
      repression, a defensive mechanism used to avoid unpleasant emotional experience,
      have been associated with chronic pain and medical illness including breast
      cancer, but whether these constructs might predict pain after breast cancer
      surgery has not been assessed. The present study was conducted to assess the
      predictive value of alexithymia and emotional repression in postoperative pain.
      Anxiety, depression, catastrophizing, and psychological adjustment were also
      assessed. Data were collected before surgery, and then at 2 days and 2, 3, 6, and
      12 months after surgery. We included 100 pain-free women, 96% of whom were
      followed for up to 12 months. Separate multivariate analyses identified anxiety
      as a significant predictor of postsurgical pain at 3 months, alexithymia at 3, 6,
      and 12 months, and body image and catastrophizing predicted acute or subacute
      pain at 2 months. In contrast, emotional repression was not predictive of pain.
      The generalized estimating equation approach was used and identified alexithymia
      as the only significant predictor of pain during the 12-month period after
      surgery. Alexithymia, but not emotional repression, predicted the development of
      persistent pain after breast surgery independently of anxiety and depression.
      Thus, alexithymia might be involved in mechanisms of pain chronicity.
      PERSPECTIVE: This prospective study, conducted in women with breast cancer
      surgery, showed that alexithymia but not emotional repression predicted
      postsurgical pain. These results highlight the role of dysfunction in emotional
      processing in the development of postsurgical pain.

PMID- 26476268
TI  - Abnormal N-glycosylation pattern for brain nucleotide pyrophosphatase-5 (NPP-5)
      in Mecp2-mutant murine models of Rett syndrome.
AB  - Neurological disorders can be associated with protein glycosylation
      abnormalities. Rett syndrome is a devastating genetic brain disorder, mainly
      caused by de novo loss-of-function mutations in the methyl-CpG binding protein 2
      (MECP2) gene. Although its pathogenesis appears to be closely associated with a
      redox imbalance, no information on glycosylation is available. Glycoprotein
      detection strategies (i.e., lectin-blotting) were applied to identify target
      glycosylation changes in the whole brain of Mecp2 mutant murine models of the
      disease. Remarkable glycosylation pattern changes for a peculiar 50kDa protein,
      i.e., the N-linked brain nucleotide pyrophosphatase-5 were evidenced, with
      decreased N-glycosylation in the presymptomatic and symptomatic mutant mice.
      Glycosylation changes were rescued by selected brain Mecp2 reactivation. Our
      findings indicate that there is a causal link between the amount of Mecp2 and the
      N-glycosylation of NPP-5. 

PMID- 26476267
TI  - Cognitive-Behavioral-Based Physical Therapy for Patients With Chronic Pain
      Undergoing Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral
      based physical therapy (CBPT) program for improving outcomes in patients after
      lumbar spine surgery. A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 86 adults
      undergoing a laminectomy with or without arthrodesis for a lumbar degenerative
      condition. Patients were screened preoperatively for high fear of movement using
      the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia. Randomization to either CBPT or an education
      program occurred at 6 weeks after surgery. Assessments were completed
      pretreatment, posttreatment and at 3-month follow-up. The primary outcomes were
      pain and disability measured by the Brief Pain Inventory and Oswestry Disability
      Index. Secondary outcomes included general health (SF-12) and performance-based
      tests (5-Chair Stand, Timed Up and Go, 10-Meter Walk). Multivariable linear
      regression analyses found that CBPT participants had significantly greater
      decreases in pain and disability and increases in general health and physical
      performance compared with the education group at the 3-month follow-up. Results
      suggest a targeted CBPT program may result in significant and clinically
      meaningful improvement in postoperative outcomes. CBPT has the potential to be an
      evidence-based program that clinicians can recommend for patients at risk for
      poor recovery after spine surgery. PERSPECTIVE: This study investigated a
      targeted cognitive-behavioral-based physical therapy program for patients after
      lumbar spine surgery. Findings lend support to the hypothesis that incorporating
      cognitive-behavioral strategies into postoperative physical therapy may address
      psychosocial risk factors and improve pain, disability, general health, and
      physical performance outcomes.

PMID- 26476269
TI  - Safety and Effectiveness of Adjunctive Intra-Arterial Abciximab in the Management
      of Acute Limb Ischemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Contemporary endovascular management of acute limb ischemia (ALI)
      generally consists of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) based catheter-directed
      thrombolysis (CDT) with or without pharmacomechanical thrombectomy (PMT).
      Although abciximab (Reopro), a GPIIb/IIIa receptor antagonist, is widely used in
      coronary revascularization, its safety and effectiveness in the treatment of ALI
      are unknown. Here, we review our contemporary experience with the endovascular
      management of ALI and assess the safety and effectiveness of abciximab. METHODS:
      A total of 49 consecutive patients with Rutherford class II (RII) ALI undergoing
      CDT for ALI from 2011 to 2014 was identified. Demographics, procedural details,
      and outcomes were assessed and are reported. RESULTS: A total of 44 patients with
      RII ALI underwent tPA-based CDT in 49 discrete interventions. In 11 patients
      adjunctive abciximab infusion was also used. The majority (82%) of patients
      treated with tPA +/- PMT required overnight infusion and at least one subsequent
      procedure. Single-stage (on-table) thrombolysis was achieved in 91% of cases with
      adjunctive abciximab use versus 18% with tPA alone (P < 0.001). There was
      significantly less need for intensive care unit (ICU) monitoring, and there were
      no bleeding complications associated with adjunctive abciximab use. Overall
      length of stay and total operating room (OR) time favored the abciximab group but
      did not reach statistical significance. Overall primary patency, secondary
      patency, and amputation-free survival were 46 +/- 9.9%, 79 +/- 6.6%, and 78 +/-
      9.2% at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Early results suggest adjunctive abciximab may
      safely facilitate on-table thrombolysis for RII ALI. This approach appears to be
      associated with reduced resource utilization including fewer procedures, shorter
      OR time, and less ICU admissions. One-year outcomes compare favorably to a
      similar cohort of ALI patients treated with tPA-based therapy alone.

PMID- 26476270
TI  - Axillary-Femoral Bypass May Provide Inadequate Distal Perfusion Compared with In
      Line Large Diameter Aortic Reconstruction.
AB  - Axillary-femoral bypass is sometimes performed for complex aortoiliac occlusive
      disease in patients unfit for aortic surgery or in those with aortic infection.
      Typically, older patients with medical comorbidities that commonly accompany
      atherosclerotic or aneurysmal disease are involved and can tolerate the theoretic
      risk of limited flow volume associated with long, small diameter, axillary
      femoral grafts. However, a subset of younger, healthier, more vigorous patients
      outside the typical atherosclerotic or aneurysmal demographic occasionally come
      to axillary-femoral bypass and may experience symptoms of distal hypoperfusion if
      flow volumes cannot meet demand. We present a series of patients with primary
      aortic infection treated with aortic ligation and axillary-femoral bypass, who
      then progressed to symptoms of visceral, spinal, or extremity ischemia from
      inadequate distal perfusion. 

PMID- 26476271
TI  - Applicability of the Society for Vascular Surgery's Objective Performance Goals
      for Critical Limb Ischemia to Current Practice of Lower-Extremity Bypass.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2009, the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) established objective
      performance goals (OPGs) for critical limb ischemia (CLI) based on data from
      previous, randomized, controlled trials of lower-extremity bypass (LEB). These
      OPG sought to establish a benchmark of outcomes to which one could compare future
      endovascular therapy. However, the cohort used to develop the OPG excluded all
      patients who required prosthetic conduit and those with end-stage renal disease
      (ESRD), possibly limiting the generalizability of these results and the
      subsequent guidelines. The goal of this study was to determine if the SVS OPG are
      applicable to the current population of patients undergoing LEB. METHODS: All
      patients who underwent infrainguinal LEB for CLI from January 2010 to December
      2013 were identified in a prospectively maintained database. Patients were
      stratified into OPG eligible and ineligible (non-OPG) groups based on their
      demographic and operative characteristics. OPG eligible patients were further
      stratified into high risk and average risk. Outcomes included 30-day major
      adverse limb events (MALEs), 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), 1
      year survival, and 1-year freedom from amputation. RESULTS: A total of 89
      individual patients were identified. Only 43 (48%) patients met OPG inclusion
      criteria and 46 (52%) were not OPG eligible (non-OPG). The 30-day MALE was 8.7%
      (13.0% non-OPG vs. 7.0% OPG, P = 0.34). The 30-day MACE was 11.2% (13.0% non-OPG
      vs. 9.3% OPG, P = 0.58). One-year survival was 80.3% +/- 4.5% (71.2% non-OPG vs.
      90.0% OPG, P = 0.21). One-year freedom from amputation was 71.7% +/- 5.5% (58.8%
      non-OPG vs. 84.0% OPG, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The SVS OPG for LEB are likely not
      generalizable to current practice as 51% of patients would have been excluded
      from the SVS cohort because of ESRD and prosthetic conduit. Most SVS OPG (30-day
      MALE, 1-year survival, and 1-year limb salvage) were attainable in patients who
      met SVS OPG inclusion criteria; but for the patients who are not OPG eligible,
      new benchmarks are needed.

PMID- 26476272
TI  - The serrated neoplasia pathway of colorectal tumors: Identification of MUC5AC
      hypomethylation as an early marker of polyps with malignant potential.
AB  - The serrated neoplasia pathway accounts for 20-30% of colorectal cancers (CRC),
      which are characterized by extensive methylation (CpG island methylation
      phenotype, CIMP), frequent BRAF mutation and high microsatellite instability
      (MSI). We recently identified MUC5AC mucin gene hypomethylation as a specific
      marker of MSI CRC. The early identification of preneoplastic lesions among
      serrated polyps is currently challenging. Here, we performed a detailed
      pathological and molecular analysis of a large series of colorectal serrated
      polyps and evaluated the usefulness of mucin genes MUC2 and MUC5AC to
      differentiate serrated polyps and to identify lesions with malignant potential. A
      series of 330 colorectal polyps including 218 serrated polyps [42 goblet cell
      rich hyperplastic polyps (GCHP), 68 microvesicular hyperplastic polyps (MVHP),
      100 sessile serrated adenoma (SSA) and eight traditional serrated adenoma (TSA)]
      and 112 conventional adenomas was analyzed for BRAF/KRAS mutations, MSI, CIMP,
      MLH1 and MGMT methylation, and MUC2 and MUC5AC expression and methylation. We
      show that MUC5AC hypomethylation is an early event in the serrated neoplasia
      pathway, and specifically detects MVHP and SSA, arguing for a filiation between
      MVHP, SSA and CIMP-H/MSI CRC, whereas GCHP and TSA arise from a distinct pathway.
      Moreover, MUC5AC hypomethylation specifically identified serrated lesions with
      BRAF mutation, CIMP-H or MSI, suggesting that it may be useful to identify
      serrated neoplasia pathway-related precursor lesions. Our data suggest that MVHP
      should be recognized among HP and require particular attention. 

PMID- 26476273
TI  - Gamma-secretase-independent role for cadherin-11 in neurotrophin receptor p75
      (p75(NTR)) mediated glioblastoma cell migration.
AB  - The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR)) undergoes gamma-secretase-mediated
      regulated intramembrane proteolysis and is involved in glioblastoma cell
      migration and invasion. Consistent with previous reports, in this study we show
      that p75NTR increases U87-MG glioblastoma cell migration, which is reversed by
      inhibition of gamma-secretase activity. However, we show that expression or
      stabilization of the gamma-secretase-generated p75(NTR) intracellular domain
      (ICD) is not sufficient to induce U87-MG glioblastoma cell migration, and that
      exogenous expression of p75(NTR) ICD inhibits p75(NTR)-mediated glioblastoma cell
      (U87-MG and U373-MG) migration. To identify pathways and to determine how
      p75(NTR) mediates glioblastoma migration we utilized a microarray approach to
      assess differential gene expression profiles between parental U87-MG and cells
      stably expressing wild-type p75(NTR), a gamma-secretase cleavage-resistant
      chimeric p75(NTR) mutant (p75FasTM) and the gamma-secretase-generated p75(NTR)
      ICD, which mimics constitutively cleaved p75(NTR) receptor. In our microarray
      data analysis we identified a subset of genes that were constitutively up
      regulated in wild-type p75(NTR) cells, which were also repressed in p75(NTR) ICD
      expressing cells. Furthermore, our data revealed among the many differentially
      expressed genes, cadherin-11 (Cdh-11), matrix metalloproteinase 12 and
      relaxin/insulin-like family peptide receptor 2 as constitutively up-regulated in
      wild-type p75(NTR) cells, independent of gamma-secretase activity. Consistent
      with a role in glioblastoma migration, we found that U87-p75(NTR) cells express
      higher levels of Cdh-11 protein and that siRNA-mediated knockdown of Cdh-11
      resulted in a significant decrease in p75(NTR)-mediated glioblastoma cell
      migration. Therefore, we hypothesize that p75(NTR) can impact U87-MG glioblastoma
      cell migration in a gamma-secretase-independent manner through modulation of
      specific genes, including Cdh-11, and that both gamma-secretase-independent and 
      dependent mechanisms are involved in p75(NTR)-mediated U87-MG glioblastoma cell
      migration. 

PMID- 26476275
TI  - Genetic diversity, virulence potential and antimicrobial susceptibility of
      Listeria monocytogenes recovered from different sources in India.
AB  - Listeria monocytogenes isolates (n = 36) recovered from human and animal clinical
      cases and foods from different geographical regions of India were characterized
      using multiplex PCR-based serotyping, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), in
      vitro and in vivo pathogenicity tests and antibiogram profiling. Multiplex PCR
      based serotyping distributed L. monocytogenes isolates into 3 serogroups, of
      which 91.67% belonged to 4b, 4d, 4e serogroup, followed by 5.56% to 1/2a, 3a and
      2.78% to 1/2b, 3b serogroups. PFGE analysis using ApaI and AscI restriction
      enzymes revealed 17 pulsotypes among 36 L. monocytogenes isolates with 6 major
      clusters having similar fingerprint profile within their cluster and 11 unique
      fingerprint profiles. Interestingly, PFGE analysis inferred that foods of animal
      origin could be a significant source of infection for spread of listeriosis among
      human populations. Furthermore, on comparison of in vitro and in vivo
      pathogenicity tests, an overall good correlation was observed between hemolytic
      titer assay and chick embryo inoculation test as most of the isolates with a
      hemolytic titer of >= 16 were found to be lethal to chick embryo. All the
      isolates were found to be susceptible to tested antimicrobials except for one
      animal isolate which showed resistance towards co-trimoxazole.

PMID- 26476274
TI  - Calcium channel genes associated with bipolar disorder modulate lithium's
      amplification of circadian rhythms.
AB  - Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with mood episodes and low amplitude
      circadian rhythms. Previously, we demonstrated that fibroblasts grown from BD
      patients show weaker amplification of circadian rhythms by lithium compared to
      control cells. Since calcium signals impact upon the circadian clock, and L-type
      calcium channels (LTCC) have emerged as genetic risk factors for BD, we examined
      whether loss of function in LTCCs accounts for the attenuated response to lithium
      in BD cells. We used fluorescent dyes to measure Ca(2+) changes in BD and control
      fibroblasts after lithium treatment, and bioluminescent reporters to measure
      Per2::luc rhythms in fibroblasts from BD patients, human controls, and mice while
      pharmacologically or genetically manipulating calcium channels. Longitudinal
      expression of LTCC genes (CACNA1C, CACNA1D and CACNB3) was then measured over 12
      24 h in BD and control cells. Our results indicate that independently of LTCCs,
      lithium stimulated intracellular Ca(2+) less effectively in BD vs. control
      fibroblasts. In longitudinal studies, pharmacological inhibition of LTCCs or
      knockdown of CACNA1A, CACNA1C, CACNA1D and CACNB3 altered circadian rhythm
      amplitude. Diltiazem and knockdown of CACNA1C or CACNA1D eliminated lithium's
      ability to amplify rhythms. Knockdown of CACNA1A or CACNB3 altered baseline
      rhythms, but did not affect rhythm amplification by lithium. In human
      fibroblasts, CACNA1C genotype predicted the amplitude response to lithium, and
      the expression profiles of CACNA1C, CACNA1D and CACNB3 were altered in BD vs.
      CONTROLS: We conclude that in cells from BD patients, calcium signaling is
      abnormal, and that LTCCs underlie the failure of lithium to amplify circadian
      rhythms.

PMID- 26476276
TI  - On-Plant Larval Movement and Feeding Behavior of Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera:
      Noctuidae) on Reproductive Corn Stages.
AB  - Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith (fall armyworm) is considered one of the most
      destructive pests of corn throughout the Americas. Although this pest has been
      extensively studied, little is known about its larval movement and feeding
      behavior on reproductive compared to vegetative corn stages. Thus, we conducted
      studies with two corn stages (R1 and R3) and four corn plant zones (tassel, above
      ear, ear zone, and below ear) in the field at Concord, NE (USA), and in the field
      and greenhouse at Botucatu, SP (Brazil), to investigate on-plant larval movement.
      The effects of different corn tissues (opened tassel, closed tassel, silk,
      kernel, and leaf), two feeding sequence scenarios (closed tassel-leaf-silk-kernel
      and leaf-silk-kernel), and artificial diet (positive control) on larval survival
      and development were also evaluated in the laboratory. Ear zone has a strong
      effect on feeding choice and survival of fall armyworm larvae regardless of
      reproductive corn stage. Feeding site choice is made by first-instar. Corn leaves
      of reproductive plants were not suitable for early instar development, but silk
      and kernel tissues had a positive effect on survival and development of fall
      armyworm larvae on reproductive stage corn. 

PMID- 26476277
TI  - Evaluation of tedizolid against Staphylococcus aureus and enterococci with
      reduced susceptibility to vancomycin, daptomycin or linezolid.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Tedizolid displays potent activity against Gram-positive pathogens.
      In vitro studies against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and
      enterococci demonstrated improved tedizolid activity over linezolid. However,
      this is not well-characterized against a large collection of resistant isolates,
      including vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA), heterogeneous VISA (hVISA),
      daptomycin-non-susceptible (DNS) S. aureus, linezolid-resistant (LR) S. aureus
      and VRE. Therefore, our objective was to determine tedizolid activity versus
      other agents, against MRSA and VRE with various resistance phenotypes. METHODS:
      In total, 302 MRSA (75 DNS, 100 VISA, 120 hVISA and 7 LR) and 220 VRE [100
      Enterococcus faecalis (all susceptible to daptomycin and linezolid) and 120 E.
      faecium (25 DNS and 10 LR)] were evaluated. LR isolates were analysed for the cfr
      gene. MICs of tedizolid, linezolid, ampicillin, clindamycin, daptomycin,
      gentamicin, levofloxacin, oxacillin, tigecycline, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole
      and vancomycin were determined in accordance with CLSI guidelines. RESULTS:
      Tedizolid MIC90 values for hVISA, VISA and DNS were 0.5 mg/L (versus 4, 4 and 2
      mg/L, respectively, for linezolid). The tedizolid MIC range for LR MRSA was 0.063
      1 mg/L. Two LR MRSA possessed the cfr gene with tedizolid MICs of 0.125 and 0.25
      mg/L (linezolid MICs of 16 and 8 mg/L). The tedizolid MIC90 for vancomycin
      resistant E. faecalis and E. faecium was 0.25 and 1 mg/L, respectively; three
      dilutions lower for E. faecalis and two dilutions lower for E. faecium compared
      with linezolid. CONCLUSIONS: Tedizolid MICs demonstrate activity against isolates
      with decreased susceptibility to alternative agents, including linezolid.
      Tedizolid may be a viable treatment option in clinical situations with MDR Gram
      positive pathogens.

PMID- 26476278
TI  - A Blinded, Case-Control Trial Assessing the Value of Steady State Free Precession
      Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Diagnosis of Trigeminal Neuralgia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be a useful and
      readily available adjunct in identifying trigeminal neuralgia secondary to
      vascular contact (TNVC). This study evaluated the reliability and predictive
      ability of 1.5-tesla steady state free precession (SSFP) MRI sequences for the
      diagnosis of symptomatic vascular contact and response to operative intervention
      in patients with TNVC. METHODS: We performed a blinded, case-matched control
      trial evaluating SSFP MRI sequences in consecutive patients with unilateral TNVC
      with operatively proven vascular contact of the trigeminal nerve compared with
      healthy control subjects matched on age, sex, and laterality of the pathologic
      neurovascular complex. Interrater reliability was compared between 2 blinded,
      expert reviewers. Predictive ability of MRI was assessed in regard to accuracy,
      discrimination, and clinical utility. RESULTS: Inclusion criteria were met by 44
      patients (22 consecutive patients with TNVC and 22 matched control subjects).
      Interrater reliability ranged from fair to excellent for vessel contact (kappa =
      0.40), location (kappa = 0.81), type (kappa = 0.72), and multiplicity (kappa =
      0.31). Vascular contact on MRI sequences did not differ significantly between
      cases and controls (75% vs. 82%, P = 0.30). MRI demonstrates accurate (Brier
      0.15) and good discriminatory ability for clinical response after microvascular
      decompression (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.81, 95%
      confidence interval = 0.6-1.0). Decision-curve analysis demonstrated that MRI
      could result in a net reduction of 5 cases likely to be unsuccessful per 100
      patients treated. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest the utility of SSFP MRI lies
      not in the diagnosis of TNVC, but rather in stratifying the likelihood of
      response to microvascular decompression in patients with characteristic symptoms.

PMID- 26476279
TI  - Delayed Deterioration in Isolated Traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Isolated traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in association with
      mild traumatic brain injury is considered to be a less severe finding that is not
      likely to require surgical intervention. No previous reports have described cases
      warranting craniotomy for isolated traumatic SAH by itself. CASE DESCRIPTION: We
      report 2 cases of minor head trauma with isolated traumatic SAH that showed
      delayed clinical deterioration requiring immediate surgical intervention. Initial
      computed tomography showed isolated traumatic SAH in the basal cistern and
      Sylvian fissure in both cases. Angiography showed no aneurysmal source. Within 24
      hours of each accident, both disturbance of consciousness and hemiparesis
      deteriorated. Follow-up computed tomography showed formation of intracerebral
      hematoma adjacent to the Sylvian fissure. Intraoperative findings showed
      abruption injury of a perforating branch arising from the middle cerebral artery
      (MCA) as the cause of bleeding. Impact at the time of injury could have caused
      traction on the MCA in the Sylvian fissure, resulting in abruption of the
      perforator. CONCLUSIONS: Isolated traumatic SAH seen in the basal cistern and
      Sylvian fissure carries a risk of late deterioration. A possible cause of
      hematoma expansion is abruption of a perforating branch arising from the MCA at
      the time of head injury. When hematoma expansion is identified, surgical
      evacuation of the hematoma is indicated. Surgical evacuation should be safely
      performed with the knowledge of the point of bleeding in such patients.

PMID- 26476280
TI  - In vivo and in vitro evaluation of novel MU-opioid receptor agonist compounds.
AB  - Opioids are the most effective and widely used drugs for pain treatment. Morphine
      is an archetypal opioid and is an opioid receptor agonist. Unfortunately, the
      clinical usefulness of morphine is limited by adverse effects such as analgesic
      tolerance and addiction. Therefore, it is important to study the development of
      novel opioid agonists as part of pain control. The analgesic effects of opioids
      are mediated by three opioid receptors, namely opioid MU-, delta-, and kappa
      receptors. They belong to the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily and are
      coupled to Gi proteins. In the present study, we developed a ligand screening
      system to identify novel opioid MU-receptor agonists that measures
      [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding to cell membrane fractions prepared from the fat body of
      transgenic silkworms expressing MU-receptor-Gi1alpha fusion protein. We screened
      the RIKEN Natural Products Depository (NPDepo) chemical library, which contains
      5848 compounds, and analogs of hit compounds. We successfully identified a novel,
      structurally unique compound, that we named GUM1, with agonist activity for the
      opioid MU-receptor (EC50 of 1.2 uM). The Plantar Test (Hargreaves' Method)
      demonstrated that subcutaneous injection of 3mg/kg of GUM1 into wild-type rats
      significantly extended latency time. This extension was also observed in a rat
      model of morphine tolerance and was inhibited by pre-treatment of naloxone. The
      unique molecular skeleton of GUM1 makes it an attractive molecule for further
      ligand-opioid receptor binding studies.

PMID- 26476281
TI  - Systematic Review: Audiovisual Interventions for Reducing Preoperative Anxiety in
      Children Undergoing Elective Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of Audiovisual (AV) interventions at
      reducing preoperative anxiety and its associated outcomes in children undergoing
      elective surgery. METHODS: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials
      (RCTs) and nonrandomized studies where the primary outcome was children's
      preoperative anxiety was conducted. Secondary outcomes included postoperative
      pain, behavioral changes, recovery, induction compliance, satisfaction, and cost
      effectiveness. The risk of bias of each study was assessed. RESULTS: In all, 18
      studies were identified. A meta-analytic approach and narrative synthesis of
      findings were used to summarize the results of the studies. CONCLUSIONS: This
      systematic review suggests that AV interventions can be effective in reducing
      children's preoperative anxiety. Videos, multi-faceted programs, and interactive
      games appear to be most effective, whereas music therapy and Internet programs
      are less effective. While AV interventions appear potentially useful, adequately
      powered RCTs are required to conclusively pinpoint the components and mechanisms
      of the most effective AV interventions and guide practice.

PMID- 26476282
TI  - Profiles of Dispositional Expectancies and Affectivity Predict Later Psychosocial
      Functioning in Children and Adolescents With Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Examined how individual differences in disposition among pediatric
      cancer patients predict their later psychosocial functioning. METHODS: Patients
      aged 8-17 years (N = 223) reported on their disposition at baseline. One and
      three years later, self-reports and parent reports of patient psychosocial
      functioning were obtained. Latent profile analysis was used to identify subgroups
      that differed on baseline disposition and to compare them on later outcomes.
      ESULTS: Three groups were identified: The "Positive" group (59%) had high
      optimism and positive affectivity and low pessimism and negative affectivity; the
      "Moderate" group (39%) had a similar profile, with less exaggerated scores; a
      small, "Negative" group (2%) had the opposite profile (low optimism/positive
      affectivity; high pessimism/negative affectivity). These groups differed in
      psychosocial functioning at follow-up, generally in expected directions.
      CONCLUSIONS: Most patients have a disposition that may be protective. A small
      minority at high risk for maladjustment is distinguished by their disposition.

PMID- 26476284
TI  - An aid to generating figures for the American Journal of Epidemiology using
      SAS/GRAPH.
AB  - Data visualization is an important tool that epidemiologists use to communicate
      with others in the field. The American Journal of Epidemiology recently
      acknowledged the importance of data visualization by inaugurating an award for
      the "Figure of the Year." Yet, creating figures that adhere to the standards of
      the Journal is a challenge. The purpose of the present article was to provide
      helpful hints for creating figures in SAS/GRAPH that meet the requirements of the
      Journal. It stresses 3 techniques: properly sizing figures overall, sizing text
      within a figure, and creating acceptable file formats. This information will
      prove useful to authors who create data-driven figures intended to be published
      in the Journal. 

PMID- 26476283
TI  - Who suffers during recessions? Economic downturns, job loss, and cardiovascular
      disease in older Americans.
AB  - Job loss in the years before retirement has been found to increase risk of
      cardiovascular disease (CVD), but some studies suggest that CVD mortality among
      older workers declines during recessions. We hypothesized that recessionary labor
      market conditions were associated with reduced CVD risk among persons who did not
      experience job loss and increased CVD risk among persons who lost their jobs. In
      our analyses, we used longitudinal, nationally representative data from Americans
      50 years of age or older who were enrolled in the Health and Retirement Study and
      surveyed every 2 years from 1992 to 2010 about their employment status and
      whether they had experienced a stroke or myocardial infarction. To measure local
      labor market conditions, Health and Retirement Study data were linked to county
      unemployment rates. Among workers who experienced job loss, recessionary labor
      market conditions at the time of job loss were associated with a significantly
      higher CVD risk (hazard ratio = 2.54, 95% confidence interval: 1.39, 4.65). In
      contrast, among workers who did not experience job loss, recessionary labor
      market conditions were associated with a lower CVD risk (hazard ratio = 0.50, 95%
      confidence interval: 0.31, 0.78). These results suggest that recessions might be
      protective in the absence of job loss but hazardous in the presence of job loss. 

PMID- 26476285
TI  - All-in-one dry-reagent time-resolved immunofluorometric assay for the rapid
      detection of HIV-1 and -2 infections.
AB  - An all-in-one (AIO) dry-reagent time-resolved fluorometric immunoassay that
      requires minimal liquid handling was developed for the detection of anti-HIV-1
      and -2 antibodies. To prepare the AIO wells, in vivo biotinylated capture
      antigens (r-Bio-HIV-1env and r-Bio-HIV-2env) were immobilized on streptavidin
      coated microtitration wells and Eu(III) chelate labelled non-biotinylated tracer
      antigens [r-HIV-1env-Eu(III) and r-HIV-2env-Eu(III)] were dried in stable form in
      the same wells. The HIV AIO assay was evaluated with serum/plasma samples (n=148)
      from in-house and commercial panels at two different incubation times of 15 min
      and 1h. The overall sensitivity of the AIO assay was 98.6% and specificity was
      100% for both the incubation times. The AIO assay can accept whole blood matrix.
      This assay is envisioned to fill the gap between the rapid point-of-care assays
      and traditional enzyme immunoassays (EIA) in terms of complexity and turnaround
      time, without compromising the performance.

PMID- 26476287
TI  - The T7 ejection nanomachine components gp15-gp16 form a spiral ring complex that
      binds DNA and a lipid membrane.
AB  - Bacteriophage T7 initiates infection by ejecting several internal capsid proteins
      into the host cell; these proteins then assemble into a nanomachine that
      translocates the viral genome from the phage head into the cytoplasm. The ejected
      proteins are thought to partially unfold as they pass through the lumen of the
      portal and the short stubby T7 tail during their entry into the cell. In vivo,
      the internal proteins gp15 and gp16 assemble into a tubular structure that spans
      the periplasm and cytoplasmic membrane. We show here that purified gp15 and gp16
      can refold from a partially denatured state in vitro, and that gp15 interacts
      with gp16 to form a spiral ring structure. Purified gp15 binds to DNA, whereas
      gp16 binds protein-free liposomes; the gp15-gp16 complex binds both DNA and
      liposomes. Limited proteolysis of the liposome-bound gp16 reveals that its C
      terminal region is protected, suggesting a partial membrane insertion of the
      protein. 

PMID- 26476286
TI  - Passing the baton: Community-based ethnography to design a randomized clinical
      trial on the effectiveness of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention
      among Black men who have sex with men.
AB  - Although HIV interventions and clinical trials increasingly report the use of
      mixed methods, studies have not reported on the process through which
      ethnographic or qualitative findings are incorporated into RCT designs. We
      conducted a community-based ethnography on social and structural factors that may
      affect the acceptance of and adherence to oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
      among Black men who have sex with men (BMSM). We then devised the treatment arm
      of an adherence clinical trial drawing on findings from the community-based
      ethnography. This article describes how ethnographic findings informed the RCT
      and identifies distilled themes and findings that could be included as part of an
      RCT. The enhanced intervention includes in-person support groups, online support
      groups, peer navigation, and text message reminders. By describing key process
      related facilitators and barriers to conducting meaningful mixed methods
      research, we provide important insights for the practice of designing clinical
      trials for 'real-world' community settings. 

PMID- 26476288
TI  - Prevalence of Panton-Valentine leucocidin and phenotypic and genotypic
      characterization of biofilm formation among Staphylococcus aureus strains
      isolated from children with adenoid hypertrophy.
AB  - Adenoids as a first line of host defense against respiratory microbes play an
      important role in majority of upper airway infectious and noninfectious
      illnesses. Bacterial pathogen can colonize on the adenoid tissue and probably act
      as a reservoir for them. To determine phenotypic and genotypic characterization
      of biofilm forming capacity of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from children with
      adenoid hypertrophy and prevalence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene we
      collected 17 consecutive, clinically significant S. aureus isolates from children
      with adenoid hypertrophy undergoing adenoidectomy with one or more of the upper
      airway obstruction symptoms, nasal obstruction, mouth breathing, snoring, or
      sleep apnea. Biofilm formation was evaluated by colorimetric microtiter plate's
      assay. Gene encoding PVL and adhesion- or biofilm formation-encoding genes were
      targeted by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. According to the results, all
      strains produced biofilm. Seven (41.2%) isolates produced strong biofilm whereas
      7 (41.2%) isolates produced week and 3 (17.6%) isolates produced medium biofilm.
      Regarding the adhesion- or biofilm formation-encoding genes, 16 (94.1%) isolates
      were positive for the gene eno, 13(76.4%) for icaA, 13 (76.4%) for icaD, 10
      (58.8%) for fib, 10 (58.8%) for fnbB, 4(23.5%) for can, and 1(5.8%) for fnbA. The
      high prevalence of genes encoding biofilms and adhesins and phenotypic ability to
      form a biofilm by S. aureus strains emphasizes the pathogenic character of
      strains isolated from children with adenoid hypertrophy.

PMID- 26476289
TI  - Inactivation of fatty acid synthase impairs hepatocarcinogenesis driven by AKT in
      mice and humans.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Cumulating evidence underlines the crucial role of aberrant
      lipogenesis in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we investigated the
      oncogenic potential of fatty acid synthase (FASN), the master regulator of de
      novo lipogenesis, in the mouse liver. METHODS: FASN was overexpressed in the
      mouse liver, either alone or in combination with activated N-Ras, c-Met, or SCD1,
      via hydrodynamic injection. Activated AKT was overexpressed via hydrodynamic
      injection in livers of conditional FASN or Rictor knockout mice. FASN was
      suppressed in human hepatoma cell lines via specific small interfering RNA.
      RESULTS: Overexpression of FASN, either alone or in combination with other genes
      associated with hepatocarcinogenesis, did not induce histological liver
      alterations. In contrast, genetic ablation of FASN resulted in the complete
      inhibition of hepatocarcinogenesis in AKT-overexpressing mice. In human HCC cell
      lines, FASN inactivation led to a decline in cell proliferation and a rise in
      apoptosis, which were paralleled by a decrease in the levels of
      phosphorylated/activated AKT, an event controlled by the mammalian target of
      rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2). Downregulation of AKT phosphorylation/activation
      following FASN inactivation was associated with a strong inhibition of rapamycin
      insensitive companion of mTOR (Rictor), the major component of mTORC2, at post
      transcriptional level. Finally, genetic ablation of Rictor impaired AKT-driven
      hepatocarcinogenesis in mice. CONCLUSIONS: FASN is not oncogenic per se in the
      mouse liver, but is necessary for AKT-driven hepatocarcinogenesis.
      Pharmacological blockade of FASN might be highly useful in the treatment of human
      HCC characterized by activation of the AKT pathway.

PMID- 26476290
TI  - Sustained virologic response of 100% in HCV genotype 1b patients with cirrhosis
      receiving ombitasvir/paritaprevir/r and dasabuvir for 12weeks.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and
      cirrhosis have a higher risk for liver-related complications and have
      historically been more difficult to cure than patients without cirrhosis. We
      evaluated the safety and efficacy of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir and
      dasabuvir, without ribavirin, for 12weeks in patients with HCV genotype 1b
      infection and compensated cirrhosis. METHODS: Treatment-naive and
      peginterferon/ribavirin treatment-experienced patients received 12weeks of
      ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir (25/150/100mg once daily) and dasabuvir
      (250mgtwicedaily). Key inclusion criteria were hemoglobin ?10g/dl, albumin
      ?2.8g/dl, platelet count ?25*10(9)/L, creatinine clearance ?30ml/min, and Child
      Pugh score ?6. Efficacy was assessed by the percentage of patients achieving SVR
      (HCV RNA <25IU/ml) 12weeks post-treatment (SVR12). Efficacy and safety were
      assessed in all patients receiving study drug. RESULTS: Sixty patients with HCV
      genotype 1b infection and cirrhosis received treatment. The study population
      comprised 62% male, 55% treatment-experienced, 83% with IL28B non-CC genotype,
      22% with platelet count <90*10(9)/L, and 17% with albumin <3.5g/dl. All 60
      patients completed treatment, and SVR12 was achieved in 100% (95% CI, 94.0-100%)
      of patients. The most common adverse events were fatigue (22%), diarrhea (20%),
      and headache (18%). Only one patient (1.7%) experienced a serious adverse event.
      Laboratory abnormalities were infrequently observed and not clinically
      significant. CONCLUSIONS: The HCV regimen of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir
      and dasabuvir without ribavirin for 12weeks achieved 100% SVR12 and was well
      tolerated in HCV genotype 1b-infected patients with cirrhosis, suggesting that
      this 12-week ribavirin-free regimen is sufficient in this population.

PMID- 26476292
TI  - Different gene expression profiles between normal and thermally selected strains
      of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, as revealed by comprehensive transcriptome
      analysis.
AB  - A high-temperature selected (HT) strain of rainbow trout was established from the
      Donaldson (DS) strain by traditional selective breeding in Japan. The aim of this
      study is to investigate genes related to upper temperature tolerance in this
      strain utilizing next generation sequencer (NGS), and to establish comprehensive
      and comparable datasets in brain, liver, muscle, heart and gill tissues between
      the HT and DS strains. After assembling, clustering and filtering, 242,530
      contigs were obtained. Among them, 7624 transcripts had at least 10 counts in
      expression analysis in all tissues and used as references. BLASTX homology search
      showed that 7329 transcripts matched with known genes. Compared to the DS strain,
      the HT strain expressed 90, 775, 349, 188 and 194 genes 2 folds or more in brain,
      liver, muscle, heart, and gill, respectively in the case of fish before heat
      exposure treatment. Meanwhile, the HT strain expressed 292, 363, 433, 322 and 211
      genes 2 folds or more in brain, liver, muscle, heart, and gill, respectively in
      case of fish after heat-exposure treatment. Many of heat shock protein family
      genes and transcription factor AP-1 related genes were highly expressed in all
      tissues of the HT strain compared with the DS strain. These results suggest that
      these genes play key roles in upper temperature tolerance. These comprehensive
      and comparable datasets will offer broad visions for upper temperature tolerance
      in fish species. 

PMID- 26476291
TI  - Association of the microRNA-Single Nucleotide Polymorphism rs2910164 in miR146a
      with sporadic breast cancer susceptibility: A case control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is primarily considered a genetic disorder with a
      complex interplay of factors including age, gender, ethnicity, family history,
      personal history and lifestyle with associated hormonal and non-hormonal risk
      factors. The SNP rs2910164 in miR146a (a G to C polymorphism) was previously
      associated with increased risk of BC in cases with at least a single copy of the
      C allele in breast cancer, though results in other cancers and populations have
      shown significant variation. METHODS: In this study, we examined this SNP in an
      Australian sporadic breast cancer population of 160 cases and matched controls,
      with a replicate population of 403 breast cancer cases using High Resolution
      Melting. RESULTS: Our analysis indicated that the rs2910164 polymorphism is
      associated with breast cancer risk in both primary and replicate populations
      (p=0.03 and 0.0013, respectively). In contrast to the results of familial breast
      cancer studies, however, we found that the presence of the G allele of rs2910164
      is associated with increased cancer risk, with an OR of 1.77 (95% CI 1.40-2.23).
      CONCLUSIONS: The microRNA miR146a has a potential role in the development of
      breast cancer and the effects of its SNPs require further inquiry to determine
      the nature of their influence on breast tissue and cancer.

PMID- 26476293
TI  - Massively parallel sequencing-based survey of eukaryotic community structures in
      Hiroshima Bay and Ishigaki Island.
AB  - In this study, we compared the eukaryote biodiversity between Hiroshima Bay and
      Ishigaki Island in Japanese coastal waters by using the massively parallel
      sequencing (MPS)-based technique to collect preliminary data. The relative
      abundance of Alveolata was highest in both localities, and the second highest
      groups were Stramenopiles, Opisthokonta, or Hacrobia, which varied depending on
      the samples considered. For microalgal phyla, the relative abundance of
      operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and the number of MPS were highest for
      Dinophyceae in both localities, followed by Bacillariophyceae in Hiroshima Bay,
      and by Bacillariophyceae or Chlorophyceae in Ishigaki Island. The number of
      detected OTUs in Hiroshima Bay and Ishigaki Island was 645 and 791, respectively,
      and 15.3% and 12.5% of the OTUs were common between the two localities. In the
      non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis, the samples from the two localities
      were plotted in different positions. In the dendrogram developed using similarity
      indices, the samples were clustered into different nodes based on localities with
      high multiscale bootstrap values, reflecting geographic differences in
      biodiversity. Thus, we succeeded in demonstrating biodiversity differences
      between the two localities, although the read numbers of the MPSs were not high
      enough. The corresponding analysis showed a clear seasonal change in the
      biodiversity of Hiroshima Bay but it was not clear in Ishigaki Island. Thus, the
      MPS-based technique shows a great advantage of high performance by detecting
      several hundreds of OTUs from a single sample, strongly suggesting the
      effectiveness to apply this technique to routine monitoring programs.

PMID- 26476294
TI  - A longer finger-subdomain of family A DNA polymerases found by metagenomic
      analysis strengthens DNA binding and primer extension abilities.
AB  - The family A DNA polymerases from thermophilic bacteria are useful for PCR. The
      DNA polymerase from Thermus aquaticus (Taq polymerase) was the original enzyme
      used when practical PCR was developed, and it has remained the standard enzyme
      for PCR to date. Knowledge gained from structure-function relationship studies of
      Taq polymerase is applicable to create PCR enzymes with enhanced performance. We
      collected the deduced amino acid sequences of the regions from motif A to motif C
      in the family A DNA polymerases from metagenomic sequence data, obtained by
      sequencing DNAs from microorganisms isolated from various hot spring areas in
      Japan. The corresponding regions of the polA gene for Taq polymerase were
      substituted with the metagenomic DNA gene fragments, and various chimeric DNA
      polymerases were prepared. Based on the properties of these chimeric enzymes and
      their sequences, we found an insertion sequence that affects the primer extension
      ability of the family A DNA polymerases. The insertion sequence is located in the
      finger subdomain, and it may enhance the affinity of the enzyme to DNA. Mutant
      Taq polymerases with the corresponding 9 amino acid insertion displayed enhanced
      PCR performance. 

PMID- 26476295
TI  - Phytochemical screening of Artemisia arborescens L. by means of advanced
      chromatographic techniques for identification of health-promoting compounds.
AB  - Artemisia arborescens, also known as tree wormwood, is a typical species of the
      Mediterranean flora. It has been used in folk medicine for its antispasmodic,
      anti-pyretic, anti-inflammatory, and abortifacient properties. In the current
      study, the application of multidimensional comprehensive gas chromatography
      (GC*GC), allowed to obtain a detailed fingerprint of the essential oil from A.
      arborescens aerial parts, highlighting an abundant presence of chamazulene
      followed by camphor, beta-thujone, myrcene, and alpha-pinene. Moreover,
      flavonoids in the dichloromethane extract were analyzed by means of liquid
      chromatography with photodiode array and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization
      mass spectrometry detections (HPLC-PDA and HPLC-APCI-MS). Six polymethoxyflavones
      were identified and three of them, including chrysosplenetin, eupatin, and
      cirsilineol, were described in this species for the first time. The anti
      angiogenic activity was investigated in the dichloromethane extract by two in
      vivo models, chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and zebrafish embryos. Results
      showed that this extract produced a strong reduction on vessel formation, both on
      zebrafish (57% of inhibition, 0.1 mg/mL) and chick chorioallantoic membrane (58%
      of inhibition, 0.8 mg/mL). The high separation power and sensitivity of the
      analytical methodology applied confirmed the safety of A. arborescens essential
      oil for human consumption, due to the very low level of the psychotrope alpha
      thujone determined. Moreover, the knowledge of the flavonoidic profile holds a
      great significance for the use of A. arborescens as a valuable source of anti
      angiogenic compounds that might contribute to the valorization of the
      phytotherapeutic potential of this plant.

PMID- 26476296
TI  - Selective ion monitoring of quinochalcone C-glycoside markers for the
      simultaneous identification of Carthamus tinctorius L. in eleven Chinese patent
      medicines by UHPLC/QTOF MS.
AB  - Current China Pharmacopoeia standards for the Chinese patent medicines (CPMs)
      that contain one or several the same drug(s) employ case-dependent TLC or HPLC
      approaches to achieve qualitative identification. A qualitative "monomethod
      heterotrait matrix" (MHM) strategy is thus proposed, by selective monitoring of
      multi-biomarkers, to achieve the identification of different CPMs. Carthamus
      tinctorius L. (safflower) is a reputable gynecological herbal medicine containing
      characteristic quinochalcone C-glycosides (QCGs) as the major bioactive
      components. Qualitative identification of safflower in diverse CPMs by selective
      monitoring of QCG markers was performed by use of the MHM strategy. Initially, 27
      QCG analogs (involving 16 potentially new ones) were selectively characterized by
      product ion filtering (m/z 119.05) and integrated analysis of the negative mode
      MS(E) and Fast DDA data obtained on a UHPLC/QTOF mass spectrometer. Subsequently,
      by fingerprint analysis of 20 batches of safflower samples followed by a
      thermostable test, six QCGs (hydroxysafflor yellow A and its two isomers,
      anhydrosafflor yellow B, safflomin C, and isosafflomin C) were selected as the
      biomarkers for safflower. Then, a highly specific selective ion monitoring (SIM)
      method by recording centroided data was developed and applied to selectively
      profile six QCG biomarkers from 28 batches of CPM samples collected from
      versatile vendors. By reference to a standard SIM spectrum established using a
      home-made safflower reference extract, simultaneous identification of safflower
      in eleven different CPMs was accomplished with the unified sample preparation and
      a single UHPLC/QTOF-SIM method. The qualitative MHM strategy represents the novel
      methodology that facilitates the quality control of CPMs more efficiently. 

PMID- 26476297
TI  - Multivariate data analysis and metabolic profiling of artemisinin and related
      compounds in high yielding varieties of Artemisia annua field-grown in
      Madagascar.
AB  - An improved liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) protocol
      for rapid analysis of co-metabolites of A. annua in raw extracts was developed
      and extensively characterized. The new method was used to analyse metabolic
      profiles of 13 varieties of A. annua from an in-field growth programme in
      Madagascar. Several multivariate data analysis techniques consistently show the
      association of artemisinin with dihydroartemisinic acid. These data support the
      hypothesis of dihydroartemisinic acid being the late stage precursor to
      artemisinin in its biosynthetic pathway. 

PMID- 26476299
TI  - Iron absorption in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and dysmetabolic iron overload
      syndrome.

PMID- 26476298
TI  - Regulation of the plasma membrane proton pump (H(+)-ATPase) by phosphorylation.
AB  - In plants and fungi, energetics at the plasma membrane is provided by a large
      protonmotive force (PMF) generated by the family of P-type ATPases specialized
      for proton transport (commonly called PM H(+)-ATPases or, in Arabidopsis, AHAs
      for Arabidopsis H(+)-ATPases). Studies have demonstrated that this 100-kDa
      protein is essential for plant growth and development. Posttranslational
      modifications of the H(+)-ATPase play crucial roles in its regulation.
      Phosphorylation of several Thr and Ser residues within the carboxy terminal
      regulatory domain composed of ~100 amino acids change in response to
      environmental stimuli, endogenous hormones, and nutrient conditions. Recently
      developed mass spectrometric technologies provide a means to carefully quantify
      these changes in H(+)-ATPase phosphorylation at the different sites. These
      chemical modifications can then be genetically tested in planta by complementing
      the loss-of-function aha mutants with phosphomimetic mutations. Interestingly,
      recent data suggest that phosphatase-mediated changes in PM H(+)-ATPase
      phosphorylation are important in mediating auxin-regulated growth. Thus, as with
      another hormone (abscisic acid), dephosphorylation by phosphatases, rather than
      kinase mediated phosphorylation, may be an important focal point for regulation
      during plant signal transduction. Although interactions with other proteins have
      also been implicated in ATPase regulation, the very hydrophobic nature and high
      concentration of this polytopic protein presents special challenges in evaluating
      the biological significance of these interactions. Only by combining biochemical
      and genetic experiments can we attempt to meet these challenges to understand the
      essential molecular details by which this protein functions in planta. 

PMID- 26476301
TI  - MicroRNA as biomarkers of mitochondrial toxicity.
AB  - Mitochondrial toxicity can be difficult to detect as most cells can tolerate
      reduced activity as long as minimal capacity for function is maintained. However,
      once minimal capacity is lost, apoptosis or necrosis occurs quickly.
      Identification of more sensitive, early markers of mitochondrial toxicity was the
      objective of this work. Rotenone, a mitochondrial complex I inhibitor, and 3
      nitropropionic acid (3-NP), a mitochondrial complex II inhibitor, were
      administered daily to male Sprague-Dawley rats at subcutaneous doses of 0.1 or
      0.3mg/kg/day and intraperitoneal doses of 5 or 10mg/kg/day, respectively, for
      1week. Samples of kidney, skeletal muscle (quadriceps femoris), and serum were
      collected for analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number and microRNA
      (miRNA) expression patterns. MtDNA was significantly decreased with
      administration of rotenone at 0.3mg/kg/day and 3-NP at 5 and 10mg/kg/day in the
      quadriceps femoris and with 3-NP at 10mg/kg/day in the kidney. Additionally,
      rotenone and 3-NP treatment produced changes to miRNA expression that were
      similar in direction (i.e. upregulation, downregulation) to those previously
      linked to mitochondrial functions, such as mitochondrial damage and biogenesis
      (miR-122, miR-202-3p); regulation of ATP synthesis, abolished oxidative
      phosphorylation, and loss of membrane potential due to increased reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) production (miR-338-5p, miR-546, miR-34c); and mitochondrial DNA
      damage and depletion (miR-546). These results suggest that miRNAs may be
      sensitive biomarkers for early detection of mitochondrial toxicity.

PMID- 26476300
TI  - Antioxidant role of glutathione S-transferases: 4-Hydroxynonenal, a key molecule
      in stress-mediated signaling.
AB  - 4-Hydroxy-2-trans-nonenal (4HNE), one of the major end products of lipid
      peroxidation (LPO), has been shown to induce apoptosis in a variety of cell
      lines. It appears to modulate signaling processes in more than one way because it
      has been suggested to have a role in signaling for differentiation and
      proliferation. It has been known that glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) can
      reduce lipid hydroperoxides through their Se-independent glutathione-peroxidase
      activity and that these enzymes can also detoxify LPO end-products such as 4HNE.
      Available evidence from earlier studies together with results of recent studies
      in our laboratories strongly suggests that LPO products, particularly
      hydroperoxides and 4HNE, are involved in the mechanisms of stress-mediated
      signaling and that it can be modulated by the alpha-class GSTs through the
      regulation of the intracellular concentrations of 4HNE. We demonstrate that 4HNE
      induced apoptosis in various cell lines is accompanied with c-Jun-N-terminal
      kinase (JNK) and caspase-3 activation. Cells exposed to mild, transient heat or
      oxidative stress acquire the capacity to exclude intracellular 4HNE at a faster
      rate by inducing GSTA4-4 which conjugates 4HNE to glutathione (GSH), and RLIP76
      which mediates the ATP-dependent transport of the GSH-conjugate of 4HNE (GS-HNE).
      The balance between formation and exclusion promotes different cellular processes
      - higher concentrations of 4HNE promote apoptosis; whereas, lower concentrations
      promote proliferation. In this article, we provide a brief summary of the
      cellular effects of 4HNE, followed by a review of its GST-catalyzed
      detoxification, with an emphasis on the structural attributes that play an
      important role in the interactions with alpha-class GSTA4-4. Taken together, 4HNE
      is a key signaling molecule and that GSTs being determinants of its intracellular
      concentrations, can regulate stress-mediated signaling, are reviewed in this
      article. 

PMID- 26476303
TI  - Arsenic adsorption by iron-aluminium hydroxide coated onto macroporous supports:
      Insights from X-ray absorption spectroscopy and comparison with granular ferric
      hydroxides.
AB  - This paper evaluates the arsenic adsorption characteristics of a macroporous
      polymer coated with coprecipitated iron-aluminium hydroxides (MHCMP). The MHCMP
      adsorbent-composite fits best with a pseudo-second order model for As(III) and a
      pseudo-first order kinetic model for As(V). The MHCMP shows a maximum adsorption
      capacity of 82.3 and 49.6 mg As/g adsorbent for As(III) and As(V) ions
      respectively, and adsorption followed the Langmuir model. Extended X-ray
      absorption fine structure showed that binding of As(III) ions were confirmed to
      take place on the iron hydroxides coated on the MHCMP, whereas for As(V) ions the
      binding specificity could not be attributed to one particular metal hydroxide.
      As(III) formed a bidentate mononuclear complex with Fe sites, whereas As(V)
      indicated on a bidentate binuclear complex with Al sites or monodentate with Fe
      sites on the adsorbent. The column experiments were run in a well water spiked
      with a low concentration of As(III) (100 MUg/L) and a commercially available
      adsorbent (GEH((r))102) based on granular iron-hydroxide was used for comparison.
      It was found that the MHCMP was able to treat 7 times more volume of well water
      as compared to GEH((r))102, maintaining the threshold concentration of less than
      10 MUg As/L, indicating that the MHCMP is a superior adsorbent.

PMID- 26476302
TI  - Chronic exposure to biomass fuel smoke and markers of endothelial inflammation.
AB  - Indoor smoke exposure may affect cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk via lung
      mediated inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial inflammation. We sought
      to explore the association between indoor smoke exposure from burning biomass
      fuels and a selected group of markers for endothelial inflammation. We compared
      serum concentrations of amyloid A protein, E-selectin, soluble intercellular
      adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and VCAM-1, von Willebrand factor (vWF), and high
      sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in 228 biomass-exposed vs. 228 non
      exposed participants living in Puno, Peru. Average age was 56 years (s.d. = 13),
      average BMI was 26.5 kg/m(2) (s.d. = 4.4), 48% were male, 59.4% completed high
      school, and 2% reported a physician diagnosis of CVD. In unadjusted analysis,
      serum levels of soluble ICAM-1 (330 vs. 302 ng/ml; P < 0.001), soluble VCAM-1
      (403 vs. 362 ng/ml; P < 0.001), and E-selectin (54.2 vs. 52.7 ng/ml; P = 0.05)
      were increased in biomass-exposed vs. non-exposed participants, respectively,
      whereas serum levels of vWF (1148 vs. 1311 mU/ml; P < 0.001) and hs-CRP (2.56 vs.
      3.12 mg/l; P < 0.001) were decreased, respectively. In adjusted analyses, chronic
      exposure to biomass fuels remained positively associated with serum levels of
      soluble ICAM-1 (P = 0.03) and VCAM-1 (P = 0.05) and E-selectin (P = 0.05), and
      remained negatively associated with serum levels of vWF (P = 0.02) and hs-CRP (P
      < 0.001). Daily exposure to biomass fuel smoke was associated with important
      differences in specific biomarkers of endothelial inflammation and may help
      explain accelerated atherosclerosis among those who are chronically exposed.

PMID- 26476304
TI  - Biotransformation of pharmaceuticals in surface water and during waste water
      treatment: Identification and occurrence of transformation products.
AB  - Venlafaxine, gemfibrozil, ibuprofen, irbesartan and ofloxacin are highly-consumed
      pharmaceuticals that show considerable removal efficiencies (between 40 and 98%)
      in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Consequently, they are expected to
      generate transformation products (TPs) during wastewater treatment and in surface
      water (SW) receiving WWTP effluent. In this work, degradation experiments for
      these five pharmaceuticals have been carried out with SW and WWTP activated
      sludge under laboratory-controlled aerobic conditions to identify their
      transformation products by liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry (LC-QTOF MS). Initially, 22 pharmaceutical TPs were tentatively
      identified. A retrospective analysis was performed in effluent wastewater (EWW)
      and SW samples. All parent compounds as well as several TPs were found in some of
      the selected EWW and SW samples. Additionally, valsartan and 3 TPs were also
      detected by searching for common fragments in these waters. It is important to
      highlight that some TPs, such as O-desmethyl-venlafaxine and an oxidized
      gemfibrozil TP, were more frequently found than their corresponding parent
      compounds. On the basis of these results, it would be recommendable to include
      these TPs (at least those found in EWW and SW samples analyzed) in monitoring
      programs in order to gain a more realistic understanding of the impact of
      pharmaceuticals on water quality. 

PMID- 26476305
TI  - Preparation of graphene oxide-wrapped carbon sphere@silver spheres for high
      performance chlorinated phenols sensor.
AB  - A template-activated strategy was developed to construct core/shell structured
      carbon sphere@silver composite based on one-pot hydrothermal treatment. The CS@Ag
      possessed a uniform three-dimensional interconnected microstructure with an
      enlarged surface area and catalytic activity, which was further mechanically
      protected by graphene oxide (GO) nanolayers to fabricate intriguing
      configuration, which was beneficial for efficiently preventing the aggregation
      and oxidation of AgNPs and improving the electrical conductivity through intimate
      contact. By immobilizing this special material on electrode surface, the CS@Ag@GO
      was further used for sensitive determination of chlorinated phenols including 2
      chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. The
      tailored structure, fast electron transfer ability and facile preparation of
      CS@Ag@GO made it a promising electrode material for practical applications in
      phenols sensing. 

PMID- 26476306
TI  - Emissions of air pollutants from indoor charcoal barbecue.
AB  - Ten types of commercial charcoal commonly used in Taiwan were investigated to
      study the potential health effects of air pollutants generated during charcoal
      combustion in barbecue restaurants. The charcoal samples were combusted in a
      tubular high-temperature furnace to simulate the high-temperature charcoal
      combustion in barbecue restaurants. The results indicated that traditional
      charcoal has higher heating value than green synthetic charcoal. The amount of
      PM10 and PM2.5 emitted during the smoldering stage increased when the burning
      temperature was raised. The EF for CO and CO2 fell within the range of 68-300 and
      644-1225 g/kg, respectively. Among the charcoals, the lowest EF for PM2.5 and
      PM10 were found in Binchotan (B1). Sawdust briquette charcoal (I1S) emitted the
      smallest amount of carbonyl compounds. Charcoal briquettes (C2S) emitted the
      largest amount of air pollutants during burning, with the EF for HC, PM2.5, PM10,
      formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde being the highest among the charcoals studied. The
      emission of PM2.5, PM10, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde were 5-10 times those of
      the second highest charcoal. The results suggest that the adverse effects of the
      large amounts of air pollutants generated during indoor charcoal combustion on
      health and indoor air quality must not be ignored.

PMID- 26476307
TI  - Using risk elasticity to prioritize risk reduction strategies for geographical
      areas and industry sectors.
AB  - The total quantity of chemical emissions does not take into account their
      chemical toxicity, and fails to be an accurate indicator of the potential impact
      on human health. The sources of released contaminants, and therefore, the
      potential risk, also differ based on geography. Because of the complexity of the
      risk, there is no integrated method to evaluate the effectiveness of risk
      reduction. Therefore, this study developed a method to incorporate the spatial
      variability of emissions into human health risk assessment to evaluate how to
      effectively reduce risk using risk elasticity analysis. Risk elasticity analysis,
      the percentage change in risk in response to the percentage change in emissions,
      was adopted in this study to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of risk
      reduction. The results show that the main industry sectors are different in each
      area, and that high emission in an area does not correspond to high risk.
      Decreasing the high emissions of certain sectors in an area does not result in
      efficient risk reduction in this area. This method can provide more holistic
      information for risk management, prevent the development of increased risk, and
      prioritize the risk reduction strategies. 

PMID- 26476308
TI  - Inhibition of marine Vibrio sp. by pyoverdine from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA1.
AB  - Siderophores are low-molecular-weight chemicals that are secreted by many
      microorganisms to chelate iron from the external environment in order to
      facilitate their growth and diverse metabolisms. In this study, a fluorescent
      siderophore, pyoverdine, secreted by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA1 was purified by
      affinity chromatography using Cu-sepharose. Pyoverdine was determined to have a
      molecular mass of 1333.54 Da, as determined by MALDI-TOF/TOF, and belong to type
      I pyoverdine, as determined by PCR analysis of its corresponding outer membrane
      ferri-pyoverdine receptor. Pyoverdine showed different degrees of inhibitory
      effects on the growth of marine Vibrio sp. strains. It was also shown that the
      biofilm developed by Vibrio parahaemolyticus WzW1 and Wz2121 and Vibrio
      cyclitrophicus HS12 was significantly reduced, alone with the repressed growth in
      the presence of pyoverdine. Siderophore production was determined in the strains
      of Vibrio sp. in response to the pyoverdine-induced iron-limited conditions. The
      siderophore production of most Vibrio sp. was up-regulated, with the exception of
      the bacteria that produced little siderophore. Furthermore, Apostichopus
      japonicus cultured in pyoverdine pretreated seawater showed a relative percent of
      survival of 89% when they were challenged by Vibrio splendidus. Our results
      demonstrated that pyoverdine may be a promising agent that could be potentially
      applied to treat vibriosis.

PMID- 26476309
TI  - Improved WO3 photocatalytic efficiency using ZrO2 and Ru for the degradation of
      carbofuran and ampicillin.
AB  - The photocatalytic degradation of carbofuran (pesticide) and ampicillin
      (pharmaceutical) using synthesized WO3/ZrO2 nanoparticles under simulated solar
      light was investigated. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction
      (XRD), and Raman spectra analyses were used to characterize the prepared
      catalysts. The optimum ratio of WO3 to ZrO2 was determined to be 1:1 for the
      degradation of both contaminants. The degradation of carbofuran and ampicillin by
      WO3/ZrO2 after 240 min of irradiation was 100% and 96%, respectively. Ruthenium
      (Ru) was employed as an additive to WO3/ZrO2 to enhance the photocatalytic
      degradation rate. Ru/WO3/ZrO2 exhibited faster degradation rates than WO3/ZrO2.
      Furthermore, 100% and 97% degradation of carbofuran and ampicillin, respectively,
      was achieved using Ru/WO3/ZrO2 after 180 min of irradiation. The durability of
      the catalyst was investigated by reusing the same suspended catalyst, which
      achieved 92% of its initial efficiency. The photocatalytic degradation of
      ampicillin and carbofuran followed pseudo-first order kinetics according to the
      Langmuir-Hinshelwood model.

PMID- 26476310
TI  - A newly isolated Pseudomonas putida S-1 strain for batch-mode-propanethiol
      degradation and continuous treatment of propanethiol-containing waste gas.
AB  - Pseudomonas putida S-1 was isolated from activated sludge. This novel strain was
      capable of degrading malodorous 1-propanethiol (PT). PT degradation commenced
      with no lag phase by cells pre-grown in nutrition-rich media, such as Luria
      Bertani (LB), and PT-contained mineral medium at specific growth rates of 0.10
      0.19 h(-1); this phenomenon indicated the operability of a large-scale cell
      culture. A possible PT degradation pathway was proposed on the basis of the
      detected metabolites, including dipropyl disulfide, 3-hexanone, 2-hexanone, 3
      hexanol, 2-hexanol, S(0), SO4(2-), and CO2. P. putida S-1 could degrade mixed
      pollutants containing PT, diethyl disulfide, isopropyl alcohol, and acetaldehyde,
      and LB-pre-cultured cells underwent diauxic growth. Waste gas contaminated with
      200-400 mg/m(3) PT was continuously treated by P. putida S-1 pre-cultured in LB
      medium in a completely stirred tank reactor. The removal efficiencies exceeded
      88% when PT stream was mixed with 200 mg/m(3) isopropanol; by contrast, the
      removal efficiencies decreased to 60% as the empty bed residence time was
      shortened from 40 s to 20 s.

PMID- 26476311
TI  - Experimental study on cesium immobilization in struvite structures.
AB  - Ceramicrete, a chemically bonded phosphate ceramic, was developed for nuclear
      waste immobilization and nuclear radiation shielding. Ceramicrete products are
      fabricated by an acid-base reaction between magnesium oxide and mono potassium
      phosphate that has a struvite-K mineral structure. In this study, we demonstrate
      that this crystalline structure is ideal for incorporating radioactive Cs into a
      Ceramicrete matrix. This is accomplished by partially replacing K by Cs in the
      struvite-K structure, thus forming struvite-(K, Cs) mineral. X-ray diffraction
      and thermo-gravimetric analyses are used to confirm such a replacement. The
      resulting product is non-leachable and stable at high temperatures, and hence it
      is an ideal matrix for immobilizing Cs found in high-activity nuclear waste
      streams. The product can also be used for immobilizing secondary waste streams
      generated during glass vitrification of spent fuel, or the method described in
      this article can be used as a pretreatment method during glass vitrification of
      high level radioactive waste streams. Furthermore, it suggests a method of
      producing safe commercial radioactive Cs sources. 

PMID- 26476312
TI  - Efficient remediation of PAH-metal co-contaminated soil using microbial-plant
      combination: A greenhouse study.
AB  - A 2-year greenhouse study was conducted to remediate an actual wastewater
      irrigated soil co-contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and
      heavy metals (Cd and Zn). The remediation methods included microbial remediation,
      phytoremediation, and microbe-assisted phytoremediation. The maximum PAH removal
      (96.4%), PAH mineralization, and metal phytoextraction (36.1% Cd and 12.7% Zn)
      were obtained by interplanting ryegrass with Seduce alfredii with regular re
      inoculation with Microbacterium sp. KL5 and Candida tropicalis C10 in the co
      contaminated soil. The plants shoots were harvested at a 4-month interval. After
      2 years, the concentrations of 16 individual PAHs were reduced to below the limit
      of Chinese soil quality standard for agricultural use (grade II, pH 6.5-7.5), and
      the metal concentrations in ryegrass shoots were below the Chinese national limit
      for animal feeds (GB13078-2001). The exogenous microbes gradually disappeared
      with time, and thus a 2-month re-inoculation interval was applied for a purpose
      to maintain high cell density and activity of the inoculants. KL5 introduction
      increased soil enzyme activity, plant growth, PAH removal and metal
      phytoextraction, while C10 promoted soil enzyme activity and removal of high
      molecular-weight PAHs. Interplanting with S. alfredii reduced metal
      concentrations in ryegrass tissues. Ryegrass showed stronger rhizosphere effects
      than S. alfredii did. 

PMID- 26476313
TI  - Kinetics and thermodynamics of interaction between sulfonamide antibiotics and
      humic acids: Surface plasmon resonance and isothermal titration microcalorimetry
      analysis.
AB  - The presence of sulfonamide antibiotics in the environments has been recognized
      as a crucial issue. Their migration and transformation in the environment is
      determined by natural organic matters that widely exist in natural water and
      soil. In this study, the kinetics and thermodynamics of interactions between
      humic acids (HA) and sulfamethazine (SMZ) were investigated by employing surface
      plasmon resonance (SPR) combined with isothermal titration microcalorimetry (ITC)
      technologies. Results show that SMZ could be effectively bound with HA. The
      binding strength could be enhanced by increasing ionic strength and decreasing
      temperature. High pH was not favorable for the interaction. Hydrogen bond and
      electrostatic interaction may play important roles in driving the binding
      process, with auxiliary contribution from hydrophobic interaction. The results
      implied that HA existed in the environment may have a significant influence on
      the migration and transformation of organic pollutants through the binding
      process. 

PMID- 26476314
TI  - Effects of digestate on soil chemical and microbiological properties: A
      comparative study with compost and vermicompost.
AB  - Anaerobic digestion has become increasingly popular as an alternative for
      recycling wastes from different origins. Consequently, biogas residues, most of
      them with unknown chemical and biological composition, accrue in large quantities
      and their application into soil has become a widespread agricultural practise.
      The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of digestate application on the
      chemical and microbiological properties of an arable soil in comparison with
      untreated manure, compost and vermicompost. Once in the soil matrix either the
      addition of compost or digestate led to an increased nitrification rate, relative
      to unamended and manure-treated soil, after 15 and 60 days of incubation. Faecal
      coliform and E. coli colony forming units (CFUs) were not detected in any of the
      amended soils after 60 days. The highest number of Clostridium perfringens CFUs
      was recorded in manure-amended soil at the beginning of the experiment and after
      15 days; whilst after 60 days the lowest CFU number was registered in digestate
      treated soil. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis patterns also showed that
      besides the treatment the date of sampling could have contributed to
      modifications in the soil ammonia-oxidising bacteria community, thereby
      indicating that the soil itself may influence the community diversity more
      strongly than the treatments. 

PMID- 26476315
TI  - Engineering metal-binding sites of bacterial CusF to enhance Zn/Cd accumulation
      and resistance by subcellular targeting.
AB  - The periplasmic protein CusF acts as a metallochaperone to mediate Cu resistance
      in Escherichia coli. CusF does not contain cysteine residues and barely binds to
      divalent cations. Here, we addressed effects of cysteine-substitution mutant
      (named as mCusF) of CusF on zinc/cadmium (Zn/Cd) accumulation and resistance. We
      targeted mCusF to different subcellular compartments in Arabidopsis. We found
      that plants expressing vacuole-targeted mCusF were more resistant to excess Zn
      than WT and plants with cell wall-targeted or cytoplasmic mCusF. Under long-term
      exposure to excess Zn, all transgenic lines accumulated more Zn (up to 2.3-fold)
      in shoots than the untransformed plants. Importantly, plants with cytoplasmic
      mCusF showed higher efficiency of Zn translocation from root to shoot than plants
      with secretory pathway-targeted-mCusF. Furthermore, the transgenic lines
      exhibited enhanced resistance to Cd and significant increase in root-to-shoot Cd
      translocation. We also found all transgenic plants greatly improved manganese
      (Mn) and iron (Fe) homeostasis under Cd exposure. Our results demonstrate
      heterologous expression of mCusF could be used to engineer a new phytoremediation
      strategy for Zn/Cd and our finding also deepen our insights into mechanistic
      basis for relieving Cd toxicity in plants through proper root/shoot partitioning
      mechanism and homeostatic accumulation of Mn and Fe. 

PMID- 26476316
TI  - Genomic and molecular mechanisms for efficient biodegradation of aromatic dye.
AB  - Understanding the molecular mechanisms for aromatic compound degradation is
      crucial for the development of effective bioremediation strategies. We report the
      discovery of a novel phenomenon for improved degradation of Direct Red 5B azo dye
      by Irpex lacteus CD2 with lignin as a co-substrate. Transcriptomics analysis was
      performed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of aromatic degradation in white
      rot fungus by comparing dye, lignin, and dye/lignin combined treatments. A full
      spectrum of lignin degradation peroxidases, oxidases, radical producing enzymes,
      and other relevant components were up-regulated under DR5B and lignin treatments.
      Lignin induced genes complemented the DR5B induced genes to provide essential
      enzymes and redox conditions for aromatic compound degradation. The
      transcriptomics analysis was further verified by manganese peroxidase (MnP)
      protein over-expression, as revealed by proteomics, dye decolorization assay by
      purified MnP and increased hydroxyl radical levels, as indicated by an iron
      reducing activity assay. Overall, the molecular and genomic mechanisms indicated
      that effective aromatic polymer degradation requires synergistic enzymes and
      radical-mediated oxidative reactions to form an effective network of chemical
      processes. This study will help to guide the development of effective
      bioremediation and biomass degradation strategies. 

PMID- 26476317
TI  - In vivo DNA mismatch repair measurement in zebrafish embryos and its use in
      screening of environmental carcinogens.
AB  - Impairment of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) function leads to the development and
      progression of certain cancers. Many environmental contaminants can target DNA
      MMR system. Currently, measurement of MMR activity is limited to in vitro or in
      vivo methods at the cell line level, and reports on measurement of MMR activity
      at the live organism level are lacking. Here, we report an efficient method to
      measure DNA MMR activity in zebrafish embryos. A G-T mismatch was introduced into
      enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene. Repair of the G-T mismatch to G-C
      in the heteroduplex plasmid generates a functional EGFP expression. The
      heteroduplex plasmid and a similarly constructed homoduplex plasmid were injected
      in parallel into the same batch of embryos at 1-cell stage and EGFP expression in
      EGFP positive embryos was quantified at 24 h after injection. MMR efficiency was
      calculated as the total fluorescence intensity of embryos injected with the
      heteroduplex construct divided by that of embryos injected with the homoduplex
      construct. Our results showed 73% reduction of MMR activity in embryos derived
      from MMR-deficient mlh1 mutant fish (positive control) when compared with embryos
      from MMR-competent wild type AB line fish, indicating feasibility of in vivo MMR
      activity measurement in zebrafish embryos. We further applied this novel assay
      for measurement of MMR efficiency in embryos exposed to environmental chemicals
      such as cadmium chloride (CdCl2), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), and
      perfluorooctanesulphonic acid (PFOS) from 6 hpf to 24 hpf. We observed
      significant reductions of MMR efficiency in embryos exposed to 0.1 MUM CdCl2
      (52%) and 0.5 MUM BaP (34%), but no effect in embryos exposed to PFOS. Our study
      for the first time provides a model system for in vivo measurement of DNA MMR
      activity at the organism level, which has important implications in risk
      assessment of various environmental carcinogens.

PMID- 26476318
TI  - Hexabromocyclododecane exposure induces cardiac hypertrophy and arrhythmia by
      inhibiting miR-1 expression via up-regulation of the homeobox gene Nkx2.5.
AB  - Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is one of the most widely used brominated flame
      retardants. Although studies have reported that HBCD can cause a wide range of
      toxic effects on animals including humans, limited information can be found about
      its cardiac toxicity. In the present study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to
      HBCD at low concentrations of 0, 2, 20 and 200 nM. The results showed that HBCD
      exposure could induce cardiac hypertrophy and increased deposition of collagen.
      In addition, disordered calcium (Ca(2+)) handling was observed in H9C2 rat
      cardiomyocyte cells exposed to HBCD. Using small RNA sequencing and real-time
      quantitative PCR, HBCD exposure was shown to induce significant changes in the
      miRNA expression profile associated with the cardiovascular system. Further
      findings indicated that miR-1, which was depressed by Nkx2.5, might play a
      fundamental role in mediating cardiac hypertrophy and arrhythmia via its target
      genes Mef2a and Irx5 after HBCD treatment. HBCD exposure induced an
      arrhythmogenic disorder, which was triggered by the imbalance of Ryr2, Serca2a
      and Ncx1 expression, inducing Ca(2+) overload in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and
      high Ca(2+)-ATPase activities in the H9C2 cells.

PMID- 26476320
TI  - Individual and competitive removal of heavy metals using capacitive deionization.
AB  - This study presents the viability and preference of capacitive deionization (CDI)
      for removing different heavy metal ions in various conditions. The removal
      performance and mechanisms of three ions, cadmium (Cd(2+)), lead (Pb(2+)) and
      chromium (Cr(3+)) were investigated individually and as a mixture under different
      applied voltages and ion concentrations. It was found that CDI could effectively
      remove these metals, and the performance was positively correlated with the
      applied voltage. When 1.2 V was applied into solution containing 0.5mM individual
      ions, the Cd(2+), Pb(2+), and Cr(3+) removal was 32%, 43%, and 52%, respectively,
      and the electrosorption played a bigger role in Cd(2+) removal than for the other
      two ions. Interestingly, while the removal of Pb(2+) and Cr(3+) remained at a
      similar level of 46% in the mixture of three ions, the Cd(2+) removal
      significantly decreased to 14%. Similar patterns were observed when 0.05 mM was
      used to simulate natural contaminated water condition, but the removal
      efficiencies were much higher, with the removal of Pb(2+), Cr(3+), and Cd(2+)
      increased to 81%, 78%, and 42%, respectively. The low valence charge and lack of
      physical sorption of Cd(2+) were believed to be the reason for the removal
      behavior, and advanced microscopic analysis showed clear deposits of metal ions
      on the cathode surface after operation.

PMID- 26476319
TI  - Characterization of the biosorption and biodegradation properties of Ensifer
      adhaerens: A potential agent to remove polychlorinated biphenyls from
      contaminated water.
AB  - Ensifer adhaerens is a soil bacterium known for its potential to remove
      pollutants from the environment. We investigated the contributions of biosorption
      and biodegradation to the process of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) removal from
      water by living or heat-killed E. adhaerens with different incubation times. We
      examined the physicochemical properties of E. adhaerens, including its membrane
      surface moieties, extracellular polymeric substances, and defense-related enzyme
      activities. In addition, we measured the biosorption and biodegradation of
      different PCB congeners. We found that removal of PCBs by heat-killed E.
      adhaerens was attributed to biosorption only, while both biosorption and
      biodegradation were responsible for the dissipation of PCBs by live E. adhaerens.
      Biosorption initially plays a major role in PCB removal, but biodegradation
      becomes increasingly important with increased incubation time. The results of
      infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that bacterial lipids, proteins, and
      polysaccharides, which offer abundant binding sites, are responsible for the
      biosorption of PCBs. Biodegradation was correlated with loosely bound
      polysaccharides and defense-related enzyme activities that could increase the
      pollutant's solubility and facilitate further degradation. The PCB congeners
      exhibited different biosorption and biodegradation patterns, and the patterns
      were correlated with the octanol-water partition coefficients (Kow) of the
      congeners. The more hydrophobic organic compounds tended to have higher
      biosorption, but lower biodegradation capacities. These results indicate that E.
      adhaerens-mediated biosorption and biodegradation of PCBs are dependent on the
      status of the strain, the incubation time, and the PCB congener present, and
      suggest guidelines for PCB removal from water. 

PMID- 26476321
TI  - High resolution mass spectrometry to investigate omeprazole and venlafaxine
      metabolites in wastewater.
AB  - This study reports an investigation of omeprazole and venlafaxine parent
      substances and metabolites in Italian municipal influent wastewaters (IWWs).
      These pharmaceuticals were selected because they are widely consumed in Italy,
      but are poorly detected in waste and surface water. The aim of the study was to
      identify the most relevant pharmaceuticals metabolites in wastewater in order to
      improve the prioritization step and choose priority pollutants for environmental
      monitoring campaigns. This was done by investigating omeprazole, venlafaxine and
      their main metabolites in 30 IWWs from ten Italian cities and by comparing
      results with information from pharmacokinetic studies. Analysis was performed by
      solid phase extraction (SPE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
      coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). We searched for 23
      omeprazole and four venlafaxine metabolites using data-dependent and MS/MS
      methods. Parent omeprazole was never present in the samples. Six omeprazole
      metabolites were found in IWWs. Venlafaxine and two metabolites were present in
      all the samples. The metabolic profiles in Italian IWW agreed with results in IWW
      from Spain and with urinary excretion profiles from pharmacokinetic studies.
      Comparing results from different sources was useful to improve the identification
      of pharmaceuticals metabolites in environmental samples and to focus the
      attention of future studies on the most relevant compounds. 

PMID- 26476322
TI  - Ce-Fe-modified zeolite-rich tuff to remove Ba(2+)-like (226)Ra(2+) in presence of
      As(V) and F(-) from aqueous media as pollutants of drinking water.
AB  - The sorption behavior of the Ba(2+)-like (226)Ra(2+) in the presence of H2AsO4(
      )/HAsO4(2-) and F(-) from aqueous media using Ce-Fe-modified zeolite-rich tuff
      was investigated in this work. The Na-modified zeolite-rich tuff was also
      considered for comparison purposes. The zeolite-rich tuff collected from Wyoming
      (US) was in contact with NaCl and CeCl3-FeCl3 solutions to obtain the Na- and Ce
      Fe-modified zeolite-rich tuffs (ZUSNa and ZUSCeFe). These zeolites were
      characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The BET
      specific surface and the points of zero charge were determined as well as the
      content of Na, Ce and Fe by neutron activation analysis. The textural
      characteristics and the point of zero charge were changed by the presence of Ce
      and Fe species in the zeolitic network. A linear model described the Ba(2+)-like
      (226)Ra(2+) sorption isotherms and the distribution coefficients (Kd) varied with
      respect to the metallic species present in the zeolitic material. The As(V)
      oxianionic chemical species and F(-) affected this parameter when the Ba(2+)-like
      (226)Ra(2+)-As(V)-F(-) solutions were in contact with ZUSCeFe. The H2AsO4(
      )/HAsO4(2-) and F(-) were adsorbed by ZUSCeFe in the same amount, independent of
      the concentration of Ba(2+)-like (226)Ra(2+) in the initial solution. 

PMID- 26476323
TI  - Possible ecological risk of two pharmaceuticals diclofenac and paracetamol
      demonstrated on a model plant Lemna minor.
AB  - Lemna minor is often used in environmental risk assessment and it can be supposed
      that usually evaluated parameters will be reliable even for assessing the risk of
      pharmaceuticals. Subtle changes in duckweed plant number, biomass production, and
      leaf area size induced by 10-day-exposure to diclofenac (DCF) and paracetamol
      (PCT) (0.1, 10, and 100 MUg/L), excepting 100 MUg/L DCF, are in contrast with
      considerable changes on biochemical and histochemical level. Both drugs caused a
      decrease in content of photosynthetic pigments (by up to 50%), an increase in non
      photochemical quenching (by 65%) and decrease in relative chlorophyll
      fluorescence decay values (by up to 90% with DCF). Both DCF and especially PCT
      increased amount of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species in roots. DCF-induced
      effects included mainly increased lipid peroxidation (by 78%), disturbation in
      membrane integrity and lowering both oxidoreductase and dehydrogenase activities
      (by 30%). PCT increased the content of soluble proteins and phenolics. Higher
      concentrations of both DCF and PCT increased the levels of oxidised ascorbate (by
      30%) and oxidised thiols (by up to 84% with DCF). Glutathion-reductase activity
      was elevated by both pharmaceuticals (nearly by 90%), glutathion-S-transferase
      activity increased mainly with PCT (by 22%). The early and sensitive indicators
      of DCF and PCT phytotoxicity stress in duckweed are mainly the changes in
      biochemical processes, connected with activation of defense mechanisms against
      oxidative stress.

PMID- 26476324
TI  - An inverting beta-1,2-mannosidase belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 130
      from Dyadobacter fermentans.
AB  - The glycoside hydrolase family (GH) 130 is composed of inverting phosphorylases
      that catalyze reversible phosphorolysis of beta-D-mannosides. Here we report a
      glycoside hydrolase as a new member of GH130. Dfer_3176 from Dyadobacter
      fermentans showed no synthetic activity using alpha-D-mannose 1-phosphate but it
      released alpha-D-mannose from beta-1,2-mannooligosaccharides with an inversion of
      the anomeric configuration, indicating that Dfer_3176 is a beta-1,2-mannosidase.
      Mutational analysis indicated that two glutamic acid residues are critical for
      the hydrolysis of beta-1,2-mannotriose. The two residues are not conserved among
      GH130 phosphorylases and are predicted to assist the nucleophilic attack of a
      water molecule in the hydrolysis of the beta-D-mannosidic bond.

PMID- 26476325
TI  - Quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen combined with hepatitis B e antigen as
      sustained virological response predictors during extended therapy with
      Peginterferon alfa-2a for hepatitis B e antigen-positive chronic hepatitis B.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The best strategy for chronic hepatitis B patients with poor response
      to 48 weeks of Peginterferon-based therapy has been controversial and the
      predictive value of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B e antigen
      (HBeAg) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels for determining the sustained
      virological response (SVR) of these patients is uncertain. OBJECTIVES: To
      optimize management of these patients and evaluate the use of these
      serobiomarkers to predict SVR. STUDY DESIGN: Eighty-one patients with an
      unsatisfactory response after 48 weeks of Peginterferon-based therapy were
      treated with extended Peginterferon therapy with or without nucleo(s) tide
      analogues (NAs), for a total of 96 weeks of Peginterferon treatment. HBsAg, HBeAg
      and HBV DNA levels were measured serially during the treatment and follow-up.
      RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-six of 81 patients (32.1%) attained SVR during
      the 72-week follow-up. The SVR rate was not statistically different between
      groups receiving 1-year prolongation of Peginterferon with or without NAs. The
      serum HBsAg cut-off of 1800IU/mL at week 48 had area under curve (AUC) of 0.727,
      and the serum HBsAg cut-off of 1500IU/mL, combined with HBeAg loss at week 72,
      had AUC of 0.753 to predict SVR during the follow-up. In conclusion, extended
      treatment with Peginterferon with or without NAs for patients with unsatisfactory
      response after 48 weeks of Peginterferon-based therapy is a promising strategy to
      achieve SVR, and quantitative serum HBsAg at week 48 and HBsAg level combined
      with HBeAg loss at week 72 of therapy can predict SVR to prolongation therapy
      with Peginterferon.

PMID- 26476326
TI  - Genotype distribution of norovirus around the emergence of Sydney_2012 and the
      antigenic drift of contemporary GII.4 epidemic strains.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The pattern of epochal evolution of NoV is ongoing, while novel GII.4
      variants emerge and cause new pandemics. Since, the emergence in March 2012,
      Sydney_2012 had replaced GII.4-2009 as the primary NoV strain in most countries
      in the northern hemisphere by November 2012. OBJECTIVES: To determine the
      genotype distribution around the emergence of Sydney_2012 and to investigate the
      underlying evolution mechanisms of the contemporary GII.4 strains. STUDY DESIGN:
      From January 2012 to December 2013, molecular epidemiology of norovirus in 846
      adults (>=16 years) in Shanghai were conducted. The VP1 proteins of the
      contemporary GII.4 strains (Den_Haag_2006b, New_Orleans_2009 and Sydney_2012)
      were expressed in vitro and purified. Receptor binding patterns of these three
      epidemic strains were determined through histo-blood group antigen (HBGA) binding
      assays. Convalescent serum from patients infected with GII.4 epidemic strains
      were employed to investigate the role of antigenic drift in the persistence of
      GII.4 epidemic strains through receptor-binding blockade assays. RESULTS:
      Epidemiological studies revealed that Sydeny_2012 has completely replaced
      Den_Haag_2006b and New_Orleans_2009 and has been the dominant circulating strain
      in Shanghai since its emergence in October 2012. Interestingly, Den_Haag_2006b
      and New_Orleans_2009 have been co-circulating in Shanghai before the emergence of
      Sydeny_2012. The contemporary GII.4 epidemic norovirus strains displayed commonly
      high tropism to the histo-blood group antigen receptors, whereas Sydeny_2012 was
      antigenically different from Den_Haag_2006b and New_Orleans_2009. CONCLUSIONS:
      Antigenic drift, rather than receptor switch, played a key role in the emergence
      and spreading of Sydney_2012. The contemporary GII.4 strains were evolving via
      epochal evolution without altered ligand binding profiles.

PMID- 26476327
TI  - Antibacterial activity of papain and bromelain on Alicyclobacillus spp.
AB  - Alicyclobacillus spp. are spore forming bacteria that are often related to the
      deterioration of acidic products such as beverages and citrus juices. After the
      process of industrial pasteurization, the spore produced by the bacteria can
      germinate and the microorganism can grow, causing sensory abnormalities in the
      product. Alternative biopreservatives, such as the antimicrobial compounds, are
      of considerable importance to the food industry. Papain and bromelain are
      proteolytic enzymes derived frompapaya and pineapple, respectively. These enzymes
      are widely used in medicine and in the pharmaceutical and food industries, but
      while some studies have described their antibacterial action, no studies of the
      Alicyclobacillus spp. exist. The aimof this studywas to analyze the antibacterial
      effect of papain and bromelain on Alicyclobacillus spp. through 1) determining
      minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentration (MIC and MBC); 2) determining
      the death time curve of the micro-organism in the presence and absence of
      enzymes; and 3) investigating the enzymatic mechanism on the microorganism. The
      antibacterial activity of enzymes in combination with nisin was also evaluated.
      The results showed that for the Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris strain, the MIC
      of papain was 0.98 MUg/mL and the MBC was 3.91 MUg/mL, while theMIC of bromelain
      was 62.5 MUg/mL and the MBCwas 250 MUg/mL. The concentration of 4 *MIC for both
      the enzymes was sufficient to eliminate 4 logs of the micro-organism after 24 h
      of incubation. Through the use of enzyme inhibitors specific for cysteine
      proteases, it was found that the antibacterial activity of papain and bromelain
      is not related to its proteolytic activity, butmay be related to other
      activities, such as amidse and esterase. The synergistic activity of the enzymes
      revealed a fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) level of 0.16. Combination
      with nisin revealed an FIC of 0.25 for papain and 0.19 for bromelain, indicating
      synergism between both compounds. The application of enzymes in reconstituted
      orange juice contaminated with A. acidoterrestris was found to be effective, as
      after 48 h of incubation, at three different temperatures, the initial microbial
      population was eliminated. This study showed that the enzymes papain and
      bromelain have an antibacterial effect on A. acidoterrestris.

PMID- 26476328
TI  - Uptake and translocation of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) in two ornamental plants and
      dissipation in soil.
AB  - Pot experiments were conducted to evaluate the phytoremediation of B[a]P
      contaminated soil using two ornamental plants (Tagetes patula and Mirabilis
      jalapa). The results showed that the dry biomass of two plants was increased at
      low B[a]P contaminated soil and then inhibited with increasing B[a]P
      concentrations. It exhibited a significantly positive linear relationship between
      B[a]P absorption in roots, stems, leaves and shoots of the tested plants and the
      concentration of B[a]P in soils (P<0.01). Meanwhile, the contents of B[a]P in
      different tissues of the plants increased with growing time. After planting T.
      patula and M. jalapa, plant-promoted biodegradation of B[a]P was account for 79.5
      99.8% and 71.1-99.9%, respectively, whereas the amount of B[a]P dissipation
      enhancement was only 0.2-20.5% and 0.1-28.9%, respectively. Moreover, low
      bioaccumulation factor (BF) and translocation factor (TF) values indicated that
      T. patula and M. jalapa took up B[a]P from contaminated soil and transferred them
      to the aerial parts with low efficiency. The B[a]P removal rates in rhizosphere
      soils at different growing stages of T. patula and M. jalapa were 2.7-26.8% and
      0.4%-33.9%, respectively, higher than those of non-rhizopshere soils. Therefore,
      the presence of T. patula and M. jalapa roots was effective in promoting the
      phytoremediation of B[a]P contaminated soils. 

PMID- 26476329
TI  - Effects of waterborne exposure to 17beta-estradiol and 4-tert-octylphenol on
      early life stages of the South American cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus.
AB  - Estrogenic chemicals are often detected in the aquatic environment and can
      negatively affect animal development and reproduction. In teleost fishes, the
      hormonal regulation during a critical period of larval development has a strong
      influence on gonadal sex differentiation; thus this process may be affected by
      the exposure to environmental estrogens. In this study, we first assessed the
      lethal acute toxicity of the natural estrogen 17beta-estradiol (E2) and the
      weaker estrogen mimics 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) and 4-nonylphenol (NP) on larval
      stages of the South American cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus. In a further
      experiment, we analyzed the effects of chronic waterborne exposure to E2 and OP
      on gonad development and sex differentiation. Exposure to high concentrations of
      E2 had a pronounced feminizing effect directing sex differentiation towards
      ovarian development, while testis development was inhibited at a lower,
      environmentally relevant concentration. Among OP-exposed fish, 15-38.5% of the
      males exhibited testicular oocytes (TOs), a commonly reported biomarker of
      estrogenic exposure. However, since TOs were also recorded in control males and
      the proportion of males with TOs was not significantly higher in OP treatments,
      their occurrence could not be attributed to OP exposure. In addition, TOs did not
      seem to impair male gonad development and functionality since normal
      spermatogenesis was observed in testes of OP-treated fish. These results indicate
      that E2 occurring in the South American aquatic environment may affect male
      reproductive development and pose a risk for wild C. dimerus, especially under
      prolonged exposure, while the effects of weaker xenoestrogens such as OP would be
      negligible for gonad development in this species. As illustrated by this study,
      the natural occurrence of TOs indicates that conclusions concerning the causes of
      this phenomenon must be drawn with care. 

PMID- 26476330
TI  - Microarray analysis of di-n-butyl phthalate and 17alpha ethinyl-oestradiol
      responses in three-spined stickleback testes reveals novel candidate genes for
      endocrine disruption.
AB  - Phthalate esters are plasticizers frequently found in wastewater effluents.
      Previous studies on phthalates have reported anti-androgenic activity in mammals,
      causing concerns of their potential effects on the reproduction of aquatic
      organisms. Another group of environmental endocrine disrupters, steroidal
      estrogens, are known to inhibit steroid biosynthesis in the gonads, but the
      effects related to spermatogenesis are not well understood in fish. In this
      study, three-spined sticklebacks were exposed to di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and
      17alpha ethinyl-oestradiol (EE2) at nominal concentrations 35MUg/L and 40ng/L,
      respectively, for four days. The aim of the study was to obtain insight into the
      acute transcriptional responses putatively associated with endocrine disruption.
      RNA samples from eight individual male fish per treatment (including controls)
      were used in microarray analysis, covering the expression of approximately 21,000
      genes. In the EE2 treatment the results show transcriptional downregulation of
      genes associated with steroid biosynthesis pathway and up-regulation of genes
      involved in pathways related to epidermal growth factor signaling and xenobiotic
      metabolism. The transcriptional response to DBP was in general weaker than to
      EE2, but based on enrichment analysis, we suggest adverse effects on retinoid
      metabolism, creatine kinase activity and cell adhesion. Among the genes showing
      highest fold changes after DBP treatment compared to control was the teleost fish
      -specific cytochrome P450 17A2. Overall, this study promotes our understanding on
      molecular responses to anti-androgens and estrogens in fish testes. 

PMID- 26476331
TI  - Phenotypic, metabolic, and molecular genetic characterization of six patients
      with congenital adrenal hyperplasia caused by novel mutations in the CYP11B1
      gene.
AB  - Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder
      of steroidogenesis. Steroid 11beta-hydroxylase deficiency (11beta-OHD) due to
      mutations in the CYP11B1 gene is the second most common form of CAH. In this
      study, 6 patients suffering from CAH were diagnosed with 11beta-OHD using urinary
      GC-MS steroid metabolomics analysis. The molecular basis of the disorder was
      investigated by molecular genetic analysis of the CYP11B1 gene, functional
      characterization of splicing and missense mutations, and analysis of the missense
      mutations in a computer model of CYP11B1. All patients presented with abnormal
      clinical signs of hyperandrogenism. Their urinary steroid metabolomes were
      characterized by excessive excretion rates of metabolites of 11-deoxycortisol as
      well as metabolites of 11-deoxycorticosterone, and allowed definite diagnosis.
      Patient 1 carries compound heterozygous mutations consisting of a novel nonsense
      mutation p.Q102X (c.304C>T) in exon 2 and the known missense mutation p.T318R
      (c.953C>G) in exon 5. Two siblings (patient 2 and 3) were compound heterozygous
      carriers of a known splicing mutation c.1200+1G>A in intron 7 and a known
      missense mutation p.R448H (c.1343G>A) in exon 8. Minigene experiments
      demonstrated that the c.1200+1G>A mutation caused abnormal pre-mRNA splicing
      (intron retention). Two further siblings (patient 4 and 5) were compound
      heterozygous carriers of a novel missense mutation p.R332G (c.994C>G) in exon 6
      and the known missense mutation p.R448H (c.1343G>A) in exon 8. A CYP11B1 activity
      study in COS-1 cells showed that only 11% of the enzyme activity remained in the
      variant p.R332G. Patient 6 carried a so far not described homozygous deletion
      g.2470_5320del of 2850 bp corresponding to a loss of the CYP11B1 exons 3-8. The
      breakpoints of the deletion are embedded into two typical 6 base pair repeats
      (GCTTCT) upstream and downstream of the gene. Experiments analyzing the influence
      of mutations on splicing and on enzyme function were applied as complementary
      procedures to genotyping and provided a rational basis for understanding the
      clinical phenotype of CAH.

PMID- 26476332
TI  - Psychophysiological effects of an iTBS modulated virtual reality challenge
      including participants with spider phobia.
AB  - Preliminary evidence suggests beneficial effects of transcranial magnetic
      stimulation (TMS) on anxiety. The objective of this study was to investigate the
      effects of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) as a form of TMS on acute
      anxiety provoked by a virtual reality (VR) scenario. Participants with spider
      phobia (n=41) and healthy controls (n=42) were exposed to a spider scenario in VR
      after one session of iTBS over the prefrontal cortex or sham treatment.
      Participants with spider phobia reacted with more anxiety compared to healthy
      controls. Their heart rate and skin conductance increased compared to baseline.
      Contrary to expectations, iTBS did not influence these reactions, but modulated
      heart rate variability (HRV). Sympathetic influence on HRV showed an increase in
      the active iTBS group only. This study does not support the idea of beneficial
      effects of a single session of iTBS on anxiety, although other protocols or
      repeated sessions might be effective. 

PMID- 26476333
TI  - Letter to the editor: Do coagulase-negative staphylococci have no effect on the
      milk composition of infected mammary gland? A comment on Tomazi et al. (2015).

PMID- 26476334
TI  - Letter to the editor: A response to the comments of Silanikove et al. (2015).

PMID- 26476335
TI  - Localized hypoxia within the subgranular zone determines the early survival of
      newborn hippocampal granule cells.
AB  - The majority of adult hippocampal newborn cells die during early differentiation
      from intermediate progenitors (IPCs) to immature neurons. Neural stem cells in
      vivo are located in a relative hypoxic environment, and hypoxia enhances their
      survival, proliferation and stemness in vitro. Thus, we hypothesized that
      migration of IPCs away from hypoxic zones within the SGZ might result in
      oxidative damage, thus triggering cell death. Hypoxic niches were observed along
      the SGZ, composed of adult NSCs and early IPCs, and oxidative byproducts were
      present in adjacent late IPCs and neuroblasts. Stabilizing hypoxia inducible
      factor-1alpha with dimethyloxallyl glycine increased early survival, but not
      proliferation or differentiation, in neurospheres in vitro and in newly born SGZ
      cells in vivo. Rescue experiments in Bax(fl/fl) mutants supported these results.
      We propose that localized hypoxia within the SGZ contributes to the neurogenic
      microenvironment and determines the early, activity-independent survival of adult
      hippocampal newborn cells. 

PMID- 26476337
TI  - Effects of nanocrystalline PbSe on hematopoietic system and bone marrow
      micronucleus rate of rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of lead selenide nanocrystals on
      hematopoietic system and bone marrow micronucleus rate of rats. METHOD: Specific
      pathogen free SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (8 rats in each group),
      and injected with of 0 (control group), 10 (low dose group), 20 (middle dose
      group), 30 mg/kg (high dose group) nanocrystalline PbSe, respectively. Seven
      weeks after injection, the blood was taken from rats for routine index detection;
      the number of micronucleus cells per 1000 polychromatic erythrocyte from bone
      marrow was counted. RESULTS: White blood cell (WBC), lymphocyte (LYM) count in
      low dose group rats, and WBC, LYM, granulocyte (GRN), monocytes (MOD) counts in
      high dose group significantly increased compared to those of control group. LYM%
      ratio decreased while GRN% ratio increased along with the increase of exposure
      dosage. Compared with those of the control group, levels of erythrocyte mean
      corpuscular volume (MCV) in low dose group, hemoglobin (HGB), red blood cell
      specific volume (HCT), MCV in middle dose group and red blood cell (RBC), HGB,
      HCT, MCV in high dose group, were markedly decreased. Red blood cell distribution
      width (RDW), blood platelet (PLT) levels in three exposure groups of were higher
      than those in control group. Marrow micronucleus test results showed that, the
      micronucleus rate rise in mid dose and high dose group compared with the control
      group, suggesting that nanocrystalline PbSe has genetic toxicity on rats.
      CONCLUSIONS: Nano PbSe can lead to changes in blood routine index and bone marrow
      micronucleus rate, and its toxicity was positively related to the dosage.

PMID- 26476336
TI  - ANGPTL4 mediates shuttling of lipid fuel to brown adipose tissue during sustained
      cold exposure.
AB  - Brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation via cold exposure is increasingly
      scrutinized as a potential approach to ameliorate cardio-metabolic risk.
      Transition to cold temperatures requires changes in the partitioning of energy
      substrates, re-routing fatty acids to BAT to fuel non-shivering thermogenesis.
      However, the mechanisms behind the redistribution of energy substrates to BAT
      remain largely unknown. Angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4), a protein that inhibits
      lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity, is highly expressed in BAT. Here, we
      demonstrate that ANGPTL4 is part of a shuttling mechanism that directs fatty
      acids derived from circulating triglyceride-rich lipoproteins to BAT during cold.
      Specifically, we show that cold markedly down-regulates ANGPTL4 in BAT, likely
      via activation of AMPK, enhancing LPL activity and uptake of plasma triglyceride
      derived fatty acids. In contrast, cold up-regulates ANGPTL4 in WAT, abolishing a
      cold-induced increase in LPL activity. Together, our data indicate that ANGPTL4
      is an important regulator of plasma lipid partitioning during sustained cold. 

PMID- 26476338
TI  - In vivo kinetic analysis of the penicillin biosynthesis pathway using PAA
      stimulus response experiments.
AB  - In this study we combined experimentation with mathematical modeling to unravel
      the in vivo kinetic properties of the enzymes and transporters of the penicillin
      biosynthesis pathway in a high yielding Penicillium chrysogenum strain. The
      experiment consisted of a step response experiment with the side chain precursor
      phenyl acetic acid (PAA) in a glucose-limited chemostat. The metabolite data
      showed that in the absence of PAA all penicillin pathway enzymes were expressed,
      leading to the production of a significant amount of 6-aminopenicillanic acid
      (6APA) as end product. After the stepwise perturbation with PAA, the pathway
      produced PenG within seconds. From the extra- and intracellular metabolite
      measurements, hypotheses for the secretion mechanisms of penicillin pathway
      metabolites were derived. A dynamic model of the penicillin biosynthesis pathway
      was then constructed that included the formation and transport over the
      cytoplasmic membrane of pathway intermediates, PAA and the product penicillin-G
      (PenG). The model parameters and changes in the enzyme levels of the penicillin
      biosynthesis pathway under in vivo conditions were simultaneously estimated using
      experimental data obtained at three different timescales (seconds, minutes,
      hours). The model was applied to determine changes in the penicillin pathway
      enzymes in time, calculate fluxes and analyze the flux control of the pathway.
      This led to a reassessment of the in vivo behavior of the pathway enzymes and in
      particular Acyl-CoA:Isopenicillin N Acyltransferase (AT). 

PMID- 26476339
TI  - Altered resting-state functional connectivity of the amygdala in Chinese
      earthquake survivors.
AB  - Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to abnormal amygdala activities.
      This study measured amygdala functional connectivity using DSM-5 criteria. There
      were 33 participants in the PTSD group and 33 participants in a trauma-exposed
      control (TEC) group, who did not have PTSD according to the PTSD checklist of the
      DSM-5 (PCL-5). Our findings are as follows: (1) In the PTSD group, the amygdala
      had increased positive connectivity with the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and
      hippocampus, and decreased positive connectivity with the inferior mPFC and
      insula. The amygdala had increased negative connectivity with the orbital
      prefrontal cortex and decreased negative connectivity with the insula in
      comparison with TEC group. (2) PCL of all participants was correlated with the
      connectivity between the amygdala and the mPFC, hippocampus, and insula. These
      regions overlapped with those identified in the between-group comparisons.
      However, there was no association between PCL of the PTSD group and connectivity
      in these regions. Abnormal functional connectivity between the amygdala and mPFC
      subdivisions, hippocampus, and insula reveals their importance in PTSD
      pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26476340
TI  - Preferential tumor accumulation and desirable interstitial penetration of
      poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles with dual coating of chitosan
      oligosaccharide and polyethylene glycol-poly(D,L-lactic acid).
AB  - Despite advances in polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) as effective delivery systems
      for anticancer drugs, rapid clearance from blood and poor penetration capacity in
      heterogeneous tumors still remain to be addressed. Here, a dual coating of poly
      (ethylene glycol)-poly (d,l-lactic acid) (PEG-PDLLA) and water-soluble chitosan
      oligosaccharide (CO) was used to develop PLGA-based NPs (PCPNPs) with colloidal
      stability for delivery of paclitaxel (PTX). The PCPNPs were prepared by a
      modified nanoprecipitation process and exhibited homogeneous size of 165.5nm, and
      slight positive charge (+3.54mV). The single PEG-PDLLA-coated PLGA NPs (PPNPs)
      with negative charge (-13.42mV) were prepared as control. Human breast cancer MDA
      MB-231 cell and mice MDA-MB-231 xenograft model were used for in vitro and in
      vivo evaluation. Compared to Taxol(r), both PCPNPs and PPNPs increased the
      intracellular uptake and exerted stronger inhibitory effect on tumor cells in
      vitro, especially for PCPNPs. Particularly, due to the near neutral surface
      charge and shielding by the dual coating, the blank cationic NP presented low
      cytotoxicity. With the synergistic action of PEG-PDLLA and CO, PCPNPs not only
      strongly inhibited macrophage uptake and extended the blood circulation time, but
      also improved the selective accumulation and interstitial penetration capacity
      to/in tumor site. Consequently, a significantly enhanced antitumor efficacy was
      observed for the cationic PCPNPs. Our findings suggest that, the dual PEG
      PDLLA/CO coating can effective improve the tumor accumulation and interstitial
      penetration of NPs and, therefore may have great potential for tumor treatment.
      STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Rapid clearance from blood and poor penetration
      capacity in heterogeneous tumors represent great challenge for polymeric
      nanoparticles (NPs) as effective delivery systems for anticancer drugs. This
      study provides a promising cationic nanoparticle (PCPNPs) with dual coating of
      chitosan oligosaccharide (CO) and PEG-PDLLA to address the above problem. The
      PCPNPs prepared with 165.5nm and slight positive charge (+3.54mV) showed an
      improved accumulation and interstitial penetration capacity to/in tumor site, and
      thus led to an enhanced antitumor efficacy. This is the first time to report the
      cooperative effect of PEG-PDLLA and CO on PLGA NPs in this field. This work can
      arouse broad interests among researchers in the fields of nanomedicine,
      nanotechnology, and drug delivery system.

PMID- 26476341
TI  - From crystalline to amorphous calcium pyrophosphates: A solid state Nuclear
      Magnetic Resonance perspective.
AB  - Hydrated calcium pyrophosphates (CPP, Ca2P2O7.nH2O) are a fundamental family of
      materials among osteoarticular pathologic calcifications. In this contribution, a
      comprehensive multinuclear NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) study of four
      crystalline and two amorphous phases of this family is presented. (1)H, (31)P and
      (43)Ca MAS (Magic Angle Spinning) NMR spectra were recorded, leading to
      informative fingerprints characterizing each compound. In particular, different
      (1)H and (43)Ca solid state NMR signatures were observed for the amorphous
      phases, depending on the synthetic procedure used. The NMR parameters of the
      crystalline phases were determined using the GIPAW (Gauge Including Projected
      Augmented Wave) DFT approach, based on first-principles calculations. In some
      cases, relaxed structures were found to improve the agreement between
      experimental and calculated values, demonstrating the importance of proton
      positions and pyrophosphate local geometry in this particular NMR crystallography
      approach. Such calculations serve as a basis for the future ab initio modeling of
      the amorphous CPP phases. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The general concept of NMR
      crystallography is applied to the detailed study of calcium pyrophosphates (CPP),
      whether hydrated or not, and whether crystalline or amorphous. CPP are a
      fundamental family of materials among osteoarticular pathologic calcifications.
      Their prevalence increases with age, impacting on 17.5% of the population after
      the age of 80. They are frequently involved or associated with acute articular
      arthritis such as pseudogout. Current treatments are mainly directed at relieving
      the symptoms of joint inflammation but not at inhibiting CPP formation nor at
      dissolving these crystals. The combination of advanced NMR techniques, modeling
      and DFT based calculation of NMR parameters allows new original insights in the
      detailed structural description of this important class of biomaterials.

PMID- 26476342
TI  - Strong poly(ethylene oxide) based gel adhesives via oxime cross-linking.
AB  - There is a demand for materials to replace or augment the use of sutures and
      staples in surgical procedures. Currently available commercial surgical adhesives
      provide either high bond strength with biological toxicity or polymer and protein
      based products that are biologically acceptable (though with potential
      sensitizing potential) but have much reduced bond strength. It is desirable to
      provide novel biocompatible and biodegradable surgical adhesives/sealants capable
      of high strength with minimal immune or inflammatory response. In this work, we
      report the end group derivatization of 8-arm star PEOs with aldehyde and amine
      end groups. Gels were prepared employing the Schiff-base chemistry between the
      aldehydes and the amines. Gel setting times, swelling behavior and rheological
      characterization were carried out for these gels. The mechanical-viscoelastic
      properties were found to be directly proportional to the crosslinking density of
      the gels, the 10K PEO gel was stiffer in comparison to the 20K PEO gel. The
      adhesive properties of these gels were tested using porcine skin and showed
      excellent adhesion properties. Cytotoxicity studies were carried out for the
      individual gel components using two different methods: (a) Crystal Violet
      Staining assay (CVS assay) and (b) impedance and cell index measurement by the
      xCELLigence system at concentrations >5%. Gels prepared by mixing 20% w/w
      solutions were also tested for cytotoxicity. The results revealed that the
      individual gel components as well as the prepared gels and their leachables were
      non-cytotoxic at these concentrations. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: This work
      presents a new type of glue that is aimed at surgery applications using a water
      soluble star shaped polymer. It show excellent adhesion to skin and is tough and
      easy to use. We show that it is very biocompatible based on tests on live human
      cells, and could therefore in principle be used for internal surgery. Comparison
      with other reported and commercial glues shows that it is stronger than most, and
      does not swell in water to the same degree as many other water based
      bioadhesives.

PMID- 26476343
TI  - Homophilic interaction and deformation of E-cadherin and cadherin 7 probed by
      single molecule force spectroscopy.
AB  - Cadherin-mediated adhesion plays a crucial role in multicellular organisms.
      Dysfunction within this adhesion system has major consequences in many
      pathologies, including cancer invasion and metastasis. However, mechanisms
      controlling cadherin recognition and adhesive strengthening are only partially
      understood. Here, we investigated the homophilic interactions and mechanical
      stability of the extracellular (EC) domains of E-cadherin and cadherin 7 using
      atomic force microscopy and magnetic tweezers. Besides exhibiting stronger
      interactions, E-cadherin also showed more efficient force-induced self
      strengthening of interactions than cadherin 7. In addition, the distributions of
      the unbinding forces for both cadherins partially overlap with those of the
      unfolding forces, indicating that partial unfolding/deformation of the cadherin
      EC domains may take place during their homophilic interactions. These
      conformational changes may be involved in cadherins physiology function and
      contribute to the significant differences in adhesive strength mediated by type I
      and type II cadherins. 

PMID- 26476344
TI  - Blood, urine and faecal metabolite profiles in the study of adult renal disease.
AB  - Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health burden and to date
      traditional biomarkers of renal function (such as serum creatinine and cystatin
      C) are unable to identify at-risk individuals before the disease process is well
      under way. To help preventive strategies and maximize the potential for effective
      interventions, it is important to characterise the molecular changes that take
      place in the development of renal damage. Metabolomics is a promising tool to
      identify markers of renal disease since the kidneys are involved in the handling
      of major biochemical classes of metabolites. These metabolite levels capture a
      snap-shot of the metabolic profile of the individual, allowing for the potential
      identification of early biomarkers, and the monitoring of real-time kidney
      function. In this review, we describe the current status of the identification of
      blood/urine/faecal metabolic biomarkers in different entities of kidney diseases
      including: acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, renal transplant,
      diabetic nephropathy and other disorders. 

PMID- 26476348
TI  - TrkB Signaling in Retinal Glia Stimulates Neuroprotection after Optic Nerve
      Injury.
AB  - Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates neural cell survival mainly by
      activating TrkB receptors. Several lines of evidence support a key role for BDNF
      TrkB signaling in survival of adult retinal ganglion cells in animal models of
      optic nerve injury (ONI), but the neuroprotective effect of exogenous BDNF is
      transient. Glial cells have recently attracted considerable attention as
      mediators of neural cell survival, and TrkB expression in retinal glia suggests
      its role in neuroprotection. To elucidate this point directly, we examined the
      effect of ONI on TrkB(flox/flox):glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-Cre+
      (TrkB(GFAP)) knockout (KO) mice, in which TrkB is deleted in retinal glial cells.
      ONI markedly increased mRNA expression levels of basic fibroblast growth factor
      (bFGF) in wild-type (WT) mice but not in TrkB(GFAP) KO mice. Immunohistochemical
      analysis at 7 days after ONI (d7) revealed bFGF up-regulation mainly occurred in
      Muller glia. ONI-induced retinal ganglion cell loss in WT mice was consistently
      mild compared with TrkB(GFAP) KO mice at d7. On the other hand, ONI severely
      decreased TrkB expression in both WT and TrkB(GFAP) KO mice after d7, and the
      severity of retinal degeneration was comparable with TrkB(GFAP) KO mice at d14.
      Our data provide direct evidence that glial TrkB signaling plays an important
      role in the early stage of neural protection after traumatic injury.

PMID- 26476347
TI  - Valproic Acid Limits Pancreatic Recovery after Pancreatitis by Inhibiting Histone
      Deacetylases and Preventing Acinar Redifferentiation Programs.
AB  - The mechanisms by which drugs induce pancreatitis are unknown. A definite cause
      of pancreatitis is due to the antiepileptic drug valproic acid (VPA). On the
      basis of three crucial observations-that VPA inhibits histone deacetylases
      (HDACs), HDACs mediate pancreas development, and aspects of pancreas development
      are recapitulated during recovery of the pancreas after injury-we hypothesized
      that VPA does not cause injury on its own, but it predisposes patients to
      pancreatitis by inhibiting HDACs and provoking an imbalance in pancreatic
      recovery. In an experimental model of pancreatic injury, we found that VPA
      delayed recovery of the pancreas and reduced acinar cell proliferation. In
      addition, pancreatic expression of class I HDACs (which are the primary VPA
      targets) increased in the midphase of pancreatic recovery. VPA administration
      inhibited pancreatic HDAC activity and led to the persistence of acinar-to-ductal
      metaplastic complexes, with prolonged Sox9 expression and sustained beta-catenin
      nuclear activation, findings that characterize a delay in regenerative
      reprogramming. These effects were not observed with valpromide, an analog of VPA
      that lacks HDAC inhibition. This is the first report, to our knowledge, that VPA
      shifts the balance toward pancreatic injury and pancreatitis through HDAC
      inhibition. The work also identifies a new paradigm for therapies that could
      exploit epigenetic reprogramming to enhance pancreatic recovery and disorders of
      pancreatic injury. 

PMID- 26476349
TI  - Molecular Profiling in Lung Biopsies of Human Pulmonary Allografts to Predict
      Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction.
AB  - Chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) is the main reason for poor long-term
      outcome of lung transplantation, with bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) representing
      the predominant pathological feature. BO is defined as a progressive fibrous
      obliteration of the small airways, thought to be triggered by a combination of
      nonimmune bronchial injury and alloimmune and autoimmune mechanisms. Because
      biopsy samples are too insensitive to reliably detect BO and a decline in lung
      function test results, which is clinically used to define CLAD, does not detect
      early stages, there is need for alternative biomarkers for early diagnosis.
      Herein, we analyzed the cellular composition and differential expression of 45
      tissue remodeling-associated genes in transbronchial lung biopsy specimens from
      two cohorts with 18 patients each: patients who did not develop CLAD within 3
      years after transplantation (48 biopsy specimens) and patients rapidly developing
      CLAD within the first 3 postoperative years (57 biopsy specimens). Integrating
      the mRNA expression levels of the five most significantly dysregulated genes from
      the transforming growth factor-beta axis (BMP4, IL6, MMP1, SMAD1, and THBS1) into
      a score, patient groups could be confidently separated and the outcome predicted
      (P < 0.001). We conclude that overexpression of fibrosis-associated genes may be
      valuable as a tissue-based molecular biomarker to more accurately diagnose or
      predict the development of CLAD.

PMID- 26476350
TI  - Rap1 GTPase Inhibits Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha-Induced Choroidal Endothelial
      Migration via NADPH Oxidase- and NF-kappaB-Dependent Activation of Rac1.
AB  - Macrophage-derived tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha has been found in choroidal
      neovascularization (CNV) surgically removed from patients with age-related
      macular degeneration. However, the role of TNF-alpha in CNV development remains
      unclear. In a murine laser-induced CNV model, compared with un-lasered controls,
      TNF-alpha mRNA was increased in retinal pigment epithelial and choroidal tissue,
      and TNF-alpha colocalized with lectin-stained migrating choroidal endothelial
      cells (CECs). Inhibition of TNF-alpha with a neutralizing antibody reduced CNV
      volume and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level around CNV. In CECs, pretreatment
      with the antioxidant apocynin or knockdown of p22phox, a subunit of NADPH
      oxidase, inhibited TNF-alpha-induced ROS generation. Apocynin reduced TNF-alpha
      induced NF-kappaB and Rac1 activation, and inhibited TNF-alpha-induced CEC
      migration. TNF-alpha-induced Rac1 activation and CEC migration were inhibited by
      NF-kappaB inhibitor Bay11-7082. Overexpression of Rap1a prevented TNF-alpha
      induced ROS generation and reduced NF-kappaB and Rac1 activation. Activation of
      Rap1 by 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)adenosine-2'-O-Me-cAMP prevented TNF-alpha-induced
      CEC migration and reduced laser-induced CNV volume, ROS generation, and
      activation of NF-kappaB and Rac1. These findings provide evidence that active
      Rap1a inhibits TNF-alpha-induced CEC migration by inhibiting NADPH oxidase
      dependent NF-kappaB and Rac1 activation and suggests that Rap1a de-escalates CNV
      development by interfering with ROS-dependent signaling in several steps of the
      pathogenic process. 

PMID- 26476351
TI  - Antioxidants as potential medical countermeasures for chemical warfare agents and
      toxic industrial chemicals.
AB  - The continuing horrors of military conflicts and terrorism often involve the use
      of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and toxic industrial chemicals (TICs). Many CWA
      and TIC exposures are difficult to treat due to the danger they pose to first
      responders and their rapid onset that can produce death shortly after exposure.
      While the specific mechanism(s) of toxicity of these agents are diverse, many are
      associated either directly or indirectly with increased oxidative stress in
      affected tissues. This has led to the exploration of various antioxidants as
      potential medical countermeasures for CWA/TIC exposures. Studies have been
      performed across a wide array of agents, model organisms, exposure systems, and
      antioxidants, looking at an almost equally diverse set of endpoints. Attempts at
      treating CWAs/TICs with antioxidants have met with mixed results, ranging from no
      effect to nearly complete protection. The aim of this commentary is to summarize
      the literature in each category for evidence of oxidative stress and antioxidant
      efficacy against CWAs and TICs. While there is great disparity in the data
      concerning methods, models, and remedies, the outlook on antioxidants as medical
      countermeasures for CWA/TIC management appears promising. 

PMID- 26476352
TI  - Animal models of tumorigenic herpesviruses--an update.
AB  - Any one model system, be it culture or animal, only recapitulates one aspect of
      the viral life cycle in the human host. By providing recent examples of animal
      models for Epstein-Barr virus and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, we would
      argue that multiple animal models are needed to gain a comprehensive
      understanding of the pathogenesis associated with human oncogenic herpesviruses.
      Transgenic mice, homologous animal herpesviruses, and tumorgraft and humanized
      mouse models all complement each other in the study of viral pathogenesis. The
      use of animal model systems facilitates the exploration of novel anti-viral and
      anti-cancer treatment modalities for diseases associated with oncogenic
      herpesviruses. 

PMID- 26476353
TI  - Restoration of Penile Function and Patient Satisfaction with Intralesional
      Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum Injection for Peyronie's Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: Collagenase clostridium histolyticum is approved for the treatment of
      Peyronie's disease. To date, no post-release study to our knowledge has evaluated
      patient perceived outcomes and satisfaction. Therefore, we evaluated patient
      perceived experience with collagenase clostridium histolyticum injection for
      Peyronie's disease in a clinical practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2014
      to July 2015, 69 patients underwent 1 to 4 series of collagenase clostridium
      histolyticum injections for Peyronie's disease at our institution. Objective
      changes in penile curvature as well as patient reported functional outcomes and
      patient perceived curvature improvements were evaluated. RESULTS: By the time of
      analysis 31 patients (45%) had completed 4 trials, 47 (68%) completed 3 trials
      and 59 (86%) completed 2 trials. Patient reported improvements (percentage) in
      curvature increased with each series (trial 1-14%, trial 2-28%, trial 3-30% and
      trial 4-37%, p <0.05). Among those completing therapy 57% reported that
      collagenase clostridium histolyticum injections negated a need for surgery and
      52% reported restoration of penetration. Overall 81% of men perceived collagenase
      clostridium histolyticum treatment as meaningful and 88% reported subjective
      improvements after 4 series of injections. Objective measures demonstrated a mean
      23-degree curvature improvement (38%, p <0.0001). Seven patients (10%)
      experienced penile hematomas and no patients experienced tunical rupture.
      CONCLUSIONS: Collagenase clostridium histolyticum reduced the need for surgery
      and restored penetration in the majority of patients completing 4 series of
      injections. It also significantly reduced the degree of objectively measured
      penile curvature. Subjective improvements in curvature increased with each series
      of collagenase clostridium histolyticum injections as well and the majority of
      patients considered the therapy worthwhile.

PMID- 26476354
TI  - Prospective Outcomes of Ultra Mini Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: A Consecutive
      Cohort Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Ultra mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy is a less invasive technique of
      percutaneous nephrolithotomy to treat small to medium sized calculi. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We prospectively evaluated the outcomes of ultra mini percutaneous
      nephrolithotomy in a single surgeon, consecutive cohort study. Data on 94
      patients who underwent ultra mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy were collected.
      RESULTS: Mean +/- SD calculus size was 15.9 +/- 4.5 mm and mean density was 1,106
      +/- 167 HU. Access was achieved via the upper pole in 8 cases, interpolar in 33
      and lower pole in 54. Mean operative time was 54 minutes (range 28 to 120). Mean
      hemoglobin loss was 0.81 gm/dl and the mean creatinine increase was 0.05 mg/dl.
      There were no transfusions or kidney injuries. Grade I and IIIb complications
      were observed in 4 and 1 patients, respectively. The most serious complication
      was a perinephric collection. Postoperatively oral analgesia was sufficient in 86
      patients (91%). Mean length of stay was 38.2 +/- 15.9 hours. Nephrostomy drainage
      was used in 13 patients while 7 (7%) required a stent for 1 week.
      Intraoperatively 99% of renal units were stone free (absence of detectable
      calculi) on fluoroscopy, and 74% and 81% were stone free on day 1 postoperative
      ultrasound and 1-month computerized tomography, respectively. The 10 to 20 mm
      stones showed less bleeding, shorter operative time and a significantly lower
      requirement for nephrostomy or a Double-J((r)) stent. CONCLUSIONS: Ultra mini
      percutaneous nephrolithotomy appears to be effective and safe with a short length
      of stay. It may be a valuable addition to the armamentarium to treat 10 to 20 mm
      calculi in patients who wish to avoid routine nephrostomy or stents. Randomized,
      controlled trials are required.

PMID- 26476355
TI  - Construction of pDYN6902, a new Streptomyces integrative expression vector
      designed for cloning sequences interfering with Escherichia coli viability.

PMID- 26476356
TI  - Investigating brain functional evolution and plasticity using microelectrode
      array technology.
AB  - The aim of this work was to investigate long and short-term plasticity
      responsible for memory formation in dissociated neuronal networks. In order to
      address this issue, a set of experiments was designed and implemented in which
      the microelectrode array electrode grid was divided into four quadrants, two of
      which were chronically stimulated, every two days for one hour with a stimulation
      paradigm that varied over time. Overall network and quadrant responses were then
      analyzed to quantify what level of plasticity took place in the network and how
      this was due to the stimulation interruption. The results demonstrate that there
      were no spatial differences in the stimulus-evoked activity within quadrants.
      Furthermore, the implemented stimulation protocol induced depression effects in
      the neuronal networks as demonstrated by the consistently lower network activity
      following stimulation sessions. Finally, the analysis demonstrated that the
      inhibitory effects of the stimulation decreased over time, thus suggesting a
      habituation phenomenon. These findings are sufficient to conclude that electrical
      stimulation is an important tool to interact with dissociated neuronal cultures,
      but localized stimuli are not enough to drive spatial synaptic potentiation or
      depression. On the contrary, the ability to modulate synaptic temporal plasticity
      was a feasible task to achieve by chronic network stimulation.

PMID- 26476357
TI  - Spinal venous hypertension secondary to pelvic extra-spinal arteriovenous fistula
      a previously unreported cause of congestive myelopathy.

PMID- 26476358
TI  - A simple plasmid-based transient gene expression method using High Five cells.
AB  - The High Five (H5) cell line, derived from the lepidopteran Trichoplusia ni, is
      one of the major insect cell hosts for the production of recombinant proteins
      using the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS). Here, we describe a simple
      polyethylenimine (PEI)-based transient gene expression (TGE) process for the
      rapid production of recombinant proteins from suspension-adapted H5 cells. The
      method was optimized using two model proteins, enhanced green fluorescent protein
      (EGFP) and human tumor necrosis factor receptor-Fc fusion protein (TNFR-Fc).
      After screening several promoter and enhancer combinations for high levels of
      TNFR:Fc production, an expression vector containing the Autographa californica
      multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus immediate early 1 (ie1) promoter and homologous
      region 5 (hr5) enhancer was selected. Cells were transfected at a density of
      2*10(6) cells/mL by direct addition of DNA and PEI. Under optimized conditions, a
      90% transfection efficiency (percentage of EGFP-positive cells) was obtained. In
      addition, we observed volumetric TNFR-Fc yields over 150MUg/mL within 4 days of
      transfection. The method was found to be reproducible and scalable to 300mL. This
      plasmid-based transient transfection process is a simple and efficient
      alternative to the BEVS for recombinant protein production in H5 cells. 

PMID- 26476359
TI  - Simvastatin decreases steroid production in the H295R cell line and decreases
      steroids and FSH in female rats.
AB  - Endocrine modulating effects of Simvastatin (SV) and its metabolite, Simvastatin
      beta-hydroxy acid (SVA), were investigated in H295R cells and in female Sprague
      Dawley (SPRD) rats. H295R cells were exposed to SV and SVA concentrations from 0
      to 10MUM for 48h. Four groups of SPRD rats received 0 (CT), 1.3 (L), 5.0 (M), and
      20.0 (H)mg SV/kg bw/day for 14 days. 10 Steroids were investigated in H295R
      growth media, and in tissues and plasma from rats using GC-MS/MS. Plasma LH and
      FSH were quantified by ELISA. In the H295R assay, SV and SVA particularly
      decreased progestagens with IC50-values from 0.10-0.13MUM for SV and from 0.019
      0.055MUM for SVA. In rats, SV decreased progestagens in ovaries, brain and
      plasma, and plasma FSH in the M (72.4% decrease) and H group (76.6% decrease).
      Because progestagens and gonadotropins are major players in fertility,
      administration of SV might exert negative effects on female reproduction. 

PMID- 26476360
TI  - Tretinoin-loaded lipid-core nanocapsules decrease reactive oxygen species levels
      and improve bovine embryonic development during in vitro oocyte maturation.
AB  - In vitro oocyte maturation (IVM) protocols can be improved by adding chemical
      supplements to the culture media. Tretinoin is considered an important retinoid
      in embryonic development and its association with lipid-core nanocapsules (TTN
      LNC) represents an innovative way of improving its solubility, and chemical
      stability, and reducing its toxicity. The effects of supplementing IVM medium
      with TTN-LNC was evaluated by analyzing production of reactive oxygen species
      (ROS), S36-phosphorilated-p66Shc levels and caspase activity in early embryonic
      development, and expression of apoptosis and pluripotency genes in blastocysts.
      The lowest concentration tested (0.25MUM) of TTN-LNC generated higher blastocyst
      rate, lower ROS production and S36-p66Shc amount. Additionally, expression of BAX
      and SHC1 were lower in both non-encapsulated tretinoin (TTN) and TTN-LNC-treated
      groups. Nanoencapsulation allowed the use of smaller concentrations of tretinoin
      to supplement IVM medium thus reducing toxic effects related with its use,
      decreasing ROS levels and apoptose frequency, and improving the blastocyst rates.

PMID- 26476361
TI  - Vaccine approaches to malaria control and elimination: Insights from mathematical
      models.
AB  - A licensed malaria vaccine would provide a valuable new tool for malaria control
      and elimination efforts. Several candidate vaccines targeting different stages of
      the malaria parasite's lifecycle are currently under development, with one
      candidate, RTS,S/AS01 for the prevention of Plasmodium falciparum infection,
      having recently completed Phase III trials. Predicting the public health impact
      of a candidate malaria vaccine requires using clinical trial data to estimate the
      vaccine's efficacy profile--the initial efficacy following vaccination and the
      pattern of waning of efficacy over time. With an estimated vaccine efficacy
      profile, the effects of vaccination on malaria transmission can be simulated with
      the aid of mathematical models. Here, we provide an overview of methods for
      estimating the vaccine efficacy profiles of pre-erythrocytic vaccines and
      transmission-blocking vaccines from clinical trial data. In the case of
      RTS,S/AS01, model estimates from Phase II clinical trial data indicate a bi
      phasic exponential profile of efficacy against infection, with efficacy waning
      rapidly in the first 6 months after vaccination followed by a slower rate of
      waning over the next 4 years. Transmission-blocking vaccines have yet to be
      tested in large-scale Phase II or Phase III clinical trials so we review ongoing
      work investigating how a clinical trial might be designed to ensure that vaccine
      efficacy can be estimated with sufficient statistical power. Finally, we
      demonstrate how parameters estimated from clinical trials can be used to predict
      the impact of vaccination campaigns on malaria using a mathematical model of
      malaria transmission.

PMID- 26476362
TI  - Post-marketing surveillance of adverse events following immunization with
      inactivated quadrivalent and trivalent influenza vaccine in health care providers
      in Western Australia.
AB  - In 2015, inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV) was first introduced
      into the Australian market. A routine vaccine safety surveillance system in
      Western Australia was used to conduct post-licensure surveillance of adverse
      events following immunization with inactivated QIV and trivalent influenza
      vaccines (TIV) in a sample of 1685 healthcare providers (HCPs). A similar
      percentage of HCPs who received QIV reported having any reaction seven days post
      vaccination as HCPs who received TIV (13.6 vs. 12.8%, respectively; p=0.66).
      However, a slightly higher percentage of HCPs who received QIV reported pain or
      swelling at the injection site as compared to HCPs who received TIV (6.9% vs.
      4.2%, respectively; p=0.02). No serious vaccine-associated adverse events were
      detected during follow-up of either vaccine. Acknowledging the study limitations,
      the results of this post-marketing surveillance support the safety of QIV,
      suggesting there is little difference in the reactogenicity of QIV as compared to
      TIV. 

PMID- 26476363
TI  - The effect of immunization on measles incidence in the Democratic Republic of
      Congo: Results from a model of surveillance data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Measles continues to be a leading cause of vaccine-preventable
      disease mortality among children under five despite a safe and efficacious
      vaccine being readily available. While global vaccination coverage has improved
      tremendously, measles outbreaks persist throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Since
      2010, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has seen a resurgence of measles
      outbreaks affecting all 11 provinces. These outbreaks are mainly attributed to
      gaps in routine immunization (RI) coverage compounded with missed supplementary
      immunization activities (SIAs). We utilized national passive surveillance data
      from DRC's Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system to estimate
      the effect of immunization on measles incidence in DRC. METHODS: We investigated
      the decline in measles incidence post-immunization with one dose of measles
      containing vaccine (MCV1) with and without the addition of supplementary
      immunization activities (SIAs) and outbreak response immunization (ORI)
      campaigns. Measles case counts by health zone were obtained from the IDSR system
      between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2013. The impact of measles immunization
      was modeled using a random effects multi-level model for count data with RI
      coverage levels and mass campaign activities from one year prior. RESULTS: The
      presence of an SIA (aIRR [95% CI] 0.86 [0.60-1.25]) and ORI (0.28 [0.20-0.39]) in
      the year prior were both associated with a decrease in measles incidence. When
      interaction terms were included, our results suggested that the high levels of
      MCV1 reported in the year prior and the presence of either mass campaign was
      associated with a decrease in measles incidence. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      highlight the importance of a two-dose measles vaccine schedule and the need for
      a strong routine immunization program coupled with frequent SIAs. Repeated
      occurrences of large-scale outbreaks in DRC suggest that vaccination coverage
      rates are grossly overestimated and signify the importance of the evaluation and
      modification of measles prevention and control strategies.

PMID- 26476364
TI  - Decreasing immunity to hepatitis A virus infection among US adults: Findings from
      the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The clinical course of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is more
      severe with increased age. In the United States, surveillance data reported to
      CDC since 2011 indicate increases in both the absolute number of cases and the
      mean age of cases. Total antibody to HAV (anti-HAV) is a marker of immunity.
      METHODS: We analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
      data for anti-HAV from respondents aged >= 2 years collected from 2007 to 2012
      and compared with data collected 10 years earlier (1999-2006). For US-born adults
      aged >= 20 years, we estimated age-adjusted anti-HAV prevalence by demographic
      and other characteristics, evaluated factors associated with anti-HAV positivity
      and examined anti-HAV prevalence by decade of birth. RESULTS: The prevalence of
      anti-HAV among adults aged >= 20 years was 24.2% (95% CI 22.5-25.9) during 2007
      2012, a significant decline from 29.5% (95% CI 28.0-31.1) during 1999-2006.
      Prevalence of anti-HAV was consistently lower in 2007-2012 compared to 1999-2006
      by all characteristics examined. In 2007-2012, the lowest age-specific prevalence
      was among adults aged 30-49 years (16.1-17.6%). Factors significantly associated
      with anti-HAV positivity among adults were older age, Mexican American ethnicity,
      living below poverty, less education, and not having insurance. By decade of
      birth, the prevalence of anti-HAV was slightly lower in 2009-2012 than in 1999
      2002, except among persons born from 1980 to 1989. CONCLUSIONS: NHANES data
      document very low prevalence of hepatitis A immunity among U.S. adults aged 30-49
      years; waning of anti-HAV over time may be minimal. Improving vaccination
      coverage among susceptible adults should be considered.

PMID- 26476365
TI  - Invasive disease potential of pneumococci before and after the 13-valent
      pneumococcal conjugate vaccine implementation in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Changes in serotype distribution have been induced after pneumococcal
      conjugate vaccines (PCV) implementation, and non-vaccine serotypes are now
      circulating. Among these latter serotypes, we aimed to distinguish those with
      high invasive disease potential before (2008-2009) and after PCV13 implementation
      (2012-2013). METHODS: Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) serotypes isolated from
      children 6 to 24 months were compared with nasopharyngeal-colonizing serotypes in
      healthy children. To assess the invasive potential of a given serotype, odds
      ratios (ORs) were calculated. For each serotype, OR >1 indicated increased
      probability of association with IPD and OR <1 decreased probability. RESULTS: In
      2008/2009 and 2012/2013, 355 pneumococci were isolated from 1212 healthy children
      and from 569 IPD, including 166 meningitis, 114 pneumonia, and 289 other IPDs. In
      period 1, serotypes 7F, 3, 1, 24F, and 19A showed highly significant invasive
      disease potential whereas in period 2, only serotype 24F was associated with a
      significant high OR (6.6 [95% CI 2.6; 16.2]). Of note, for serotype 12F, OR could
      not be calculated because of no carrier recorded, however, if there had been a
      single 12F carrier, the OR would be among the highest, in period 2, 15.7 [95%
      3.4; 73.0]). Only two serotypes appeared negatively associated with IPD, 11A and
      23B in the period 2 as compared with nine in period 1. In the second period,
      pneumococcal penicillin non-susceptible isolates were mostly represented by
      serotypes 19A, 15A, 19F, 35B and 24F both in carriers and IPD. Only one strain
      was resistant to penicillin with MIC=4 MUg/ml (serotype 19A) during the first
      period. CONCLUSION: In children <2 years old, compared to the previous period,
      the number of serotypes having a high disease potential decreased after PCV13
      implementation, only two non-vaccine serotypes, 24F and 12F, had high invasive
      disease potential.

PMID- 26476367
TI  - Early priming with inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) and intradermal
      fractional dose IPV administered by a microneedle device: A randomized controlled
      trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) introduction and phased oral
      poliovirus vaccine (OPV) cessation are essential for eradication of polio.
      METHODS: Healthy 6-week old infants in Bangladesh were randomized to one of five
      study arms: receipt of trivalent OPV (tOPV) or bivalent OPV (bOPV) at ages 6, 10
      and 14 weeks, intramuscular IPV or intradermal one-fifth fractional dose IPV (f
      IPV) at ages 6 and 14 weeks, or f-IPV at ages 6 and 14 weeks with bOPV at age 10
      weeks (f-IPV/bOPV). All participants received tOPV at age 18 weeks. RESULTS: Of
      975 infants randomized, 95% (922) completed follow-up. Type 1 seroconversion
      after 3 doses at 6, 10 and 14 weeks was higher with bOPV compared with tOPV (99%
      vs 94%, p=0.019). Seroconversions to types 1 and 3 after 2 IPV doses at ages 6
      and 14 weeks were no different than after 3 doses of tOPV or bOPV at ages 6, 10
      and 14 weeks. A priming response, seroconversion 1 week after IPV at 14 weeks
      among those who did not seroconvert after IPV at 6 weeks, was observed against
      poliovirus types 1, 2 and 3 in 91%, 84% and 97%, respectively. Compared with IPV,
      f-IPV failed non-inferiority tests for seroconversion with 1 or 2 doses and
      priming after 1 dose. DISCUSSION: The findings demonstrate considerable priming
      with IPV at age 6 weeks, comparable immunogenicity of tOPV and bOPV, and inferior
      immunogenicity of one-fifth f-IPV compared with IPV. If IPV induced priming at
      age 6 weeks is similar to that at age 14 weeks, IPV could be administered at a
      younger age and possibly with a higher coverage.

PMID- 26476366
TI  - Progress with viral vectored malaria vaccines: A multi-stage approach involving
      "unnatural immunity".
AB  - Viral vectors used in heterologous prime-boost regimens are one of very few
      vaccination approaches that have yielded significant protection against
      controlled human malaria infections. Recently, protection induced by chimpanzee
      adenovirus priming and modified vaccinia Ankara boosting using the ME-TRAP insert
      has been correlated with the induction of potent CD8(+) T cell responses. This
      regimen has progressed to field studies where efficacy against infection has now
      been reported. The same vectors have been used pre-clinically to identify
      preferred protective antigens for use in vaccines against the pre-erythrocytic,
      blood-stage and mosquito stages of malaria and this work is reviewed here for the
      first time. Such antigen screening has led to the prioritization of the PfRH5
      blood-stage antigen, which showed efficacy against heterologous strain challenge
      in non-human primates, and vectors encoding this antigen are in clinical trials.
      This, along with the high transmission-blocking activity of some sexual-stage
      antigens, illustrates well the capacity of such vectors to induce high titre
      protective antibodies in addition to potent T cell responses. All of the
      protective responses induced by these vectors exceed the levels of the same
      immune responses induced by natural exposure supporting the view that, for
      subunit vaccines to achieve even partial efficacy in humans, "unnatural immunity"
      comprising immune responses of very high magnitude will need to be induced. 

PMID- 26476368
TI  - Metadata management for high content screening in OMERO.
AB  - High content screening (HCS) experiments create a classic data management
      challenge-multiple, large sets of heterogeneous structured and unstructured data,
      that must be integrated and linked to produce a set of "final" results. These
      different data include images, reagents, protocols, analytic output, and
      phenotypes, all of which must be stored, linked and made accessible for users,
      scientists, collaborators and where appropriate the wider community. The OME
      Consortium has built several open source tools for managing, linking and sharing
      these different types of data. The OME Data Model is a metadata specification
      that supports the image data and metadata recorded in HCS experiments. Bio
      Formats is a Java library that reads recorded image data and metadata and
      includes support for several HCS screening systems. OMERO is an enterprise data
      management application that integrates image data, experimental and analytic
      metadata and makes them accessible for visualization, mining, sharing and
      downstream analysis. We discuss how Bio-Formats and OMERO handle these different
      data types, and how they can be used to integrate, link and share HCS experiments
      in facilities and public data repositories. OME specifications and software are
      open source and are available at https://www.openmicroscopy.org. 

PMID- 26476369
TI  - A metric and workflow for quality control in the analysis of heterogeneity in
      phenotypic profiles and screens.
AB  - Heterogeneity is well recognized as a common property of cellular systems that
      impacts biomedical research and the development of therapeutics and diagnostics.
      Several studies have shown that analysis of heterogeneity: gives insight into
      mechanisms of action of perturbagens; can be used to predict optimal combination
      therapies; and can be applied to tumors where heterogeneity is believed to be
      associated with adaptation and resistance. Cytometry methods including high
      content screening (HCS), high throughput microscopy, flow cytometry, mass spec
      imaging and digital pathology capture cell level data for populations of cells.
      However it is often assumed that the population response is normally distributed
      and therefore that the average adequately describes the results. A deeper
      understanding of the results of the measurements and more effective comparison of
      perturbagen effects requires analysis that takes into account the distribution of
      the measurements, i.e. the heterogeneity. However, the reproducibility of
      heterogeneous data collected on different days, and in different plates/slides
      has not previously been evaluated. Here we show that conventional assay quality
      metrics alone are not adequate for quality control of the heterogeneity in the
      data. To address this need, we demonstrate the use of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov
      statistic as a metric for monitoring the reproducibility of heterogeneity in an
      SAR screen, describe a workflow for quality control in heterogeneity analysis.
      One major challenge in high throughput biology is the evaluation and
      interpretation of heterogeneity in thousands of samples, such as compounds in a
      cell-based screen. In this study we also demonstrate that three heterogeneity
      indices previously reported, capture the shapes of the distributions and provide
      a means to filter and browse big data sets of cellular distributions in order to
      compare and identify distributions of interest. These metrics and methods are
      presented as a workflow for analysis of heterogeneity in large scale biology
      projects. 

PMID- 26476370
TI  - Tracking lexical consolidation with ERPs: Lexical and semantic-priming effects on
      N400 and LPC responses to newly-learned words.
AB  - Novel words can be recalled immediately and after little exposure, but require a
      post-learning consolidation period to show word-like behaviour such as lexical
      competition. This pattern is thought to reflect a qualitative shift from episodic
      to lexical representations. However, several studies have reported immediate
      effects of meaningful novel words on semantic processing, suggesting that
      integration of novel word meanings may not require consolidation. The current
      study synthesises and extends these findings by showing a dissociation between
      lexical and semantic effects on the electrophysiological (N400, LPC) response to
      novel words. The difference in N400 amplitude between novel and existing words (a
      lexical effect) decreased significantly after a 24-h consolidation period,
      providing novel support for the hypothesis that offline consolidation aids
      lexicalisation. In contrast, novel words preceded by semantically related primes
      elicited a more positive LPC response (a semantic-priming effect) both before and
      after consolidation, indicating that certain semantic effects can be observed
      even when words have not been fully lexicalised. We propose that novel meanings
      immediately start to contribute to semantic processing, but that the underlying
      neural processes may shift from strategic to more automatic with consolidation. 

PMID- 26476371
TI  - Early electrophysiological markers of atypical language processing in prematurely
      born infants.
AB  - Because nervous system development may be affected by prematurity, many
      prematurely born children present language or cognitive disorders at school age.
      The goal of this study is to investigate whether these impairments can be
      identified early in life using electrophysiological auditory event-related
      potentials (AERPs) and mismatch negativity (MMN). Brain responses to speech and
      non-speech stimuli were assessed in prematurely born children to identify early
      electrophysiological markers of language and cognitive impairments. Participants
      were 74 children (41 full-term, 33 preterm) aged 3, 12, and 36 months. Pre
      attentional auditory responses (MMN and AERPs) were assessed using an oddball
      paradigm, with speech and non-speech stimuli presented in counterbalanced order
      between participants. Language and cognitive development were assessed using the
      Bayley Scale of Infant Development, Third Edition (BSID-III). Results show that
      preterms as young as 3 months old had delayed MMN response to speech stimuli
      compared to full-terms. A significant negative correlation was also found between
      MMN latency to speech sounds and the BSID-III expressive language subscale.
      However, no significant differences between full-terms and preterms were found
      for the MMN to non-speech stimuli, suggesting preserved pre-attentional auditory
      discrimination abilities in these children. Identification of early
      electrophysiological markers for delayed language development could facilitate
      timely interventions. 

PMID- 26476372
TI  - Concerted actions of ameliorated colitis, aberrant crypt foci inhibition and 15
      hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase induction by sonic hedgehog inhibitor led to
      prevention of colitis-associated cancer.
AB  - The sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling has been known to contribute to carcinogenesis
      in organ, where hedgehog exerted organogenesis and in cancers, which are
      developed based on mutagenic inflammation. Therefore, colitis-associated cancer
      (CAC) can be a good model to prove whether Shh inhibitors can be applied to
      prevent, as the efforts to discover potent anti-inflammatory agent are active to
      prevent CAC. Here, under the hypothesis that Shh inhibitors can prevent CAC,
      mouse model was generated to develop CAC by azoxymethane (AOM)-initiated, dextran
      sodium sulfate-promoted carcinogenesis. Shh inhibitors, cerulenin and
      itraconazole were treated by oral gavage and the mice were sacrificed at early
      phase of 3 weeks and late phase of 16 weeks. Compared to control group, the
      number of aberrant crypt foci at 3 weeks and tumor incidence at 16 weeks were all
      significantly decreased with Shh inhibitor. Significant attenuations of
      macrophage infiltration accompanied with significant decreases of IL-6, COX-2,
      STAT3 and NF-kappaB as well as significant ameliorations of beta-catenin nuclear
      translocation, cyclin D1 and CDK4 were imposed with Shh inhibitors. Especially,
      CAC was accompanied with significant cancellation of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin
      dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), but their levels were significantly preserved with Shh
      inhibitors. Among inflammatory mediators, significantly decreased levels of IL-6
      and TNF-alpha, regulated with repressed NF-kappab and STAT3, were prominent with
      Shh inhibitor, whereas significant inductions of apoptosis were noted with Shh
      inhibitors. In conclusion, Shh inhibitors significantly prevented CAC covering
      either ameliorating oncogenic inflammation or suppressing tumor proliferation,
      especially supported with significant inhibition of IL-6 and STAT3 signaling, 15
      PGDH preservation and apoptosis induction. 

PMID- 26476373
TI  - FGF23-regulated production of Fetuin-A (AHSG) in osteocytes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: AHSG, a serum glycoprotein with recognized anti-calcification
      activity, has also been suggested to modulate both bone formation and resorption.
      Though the bulk of AHSG is mostly synthesized in the liver, it has been claimed
      that also bone cells might produce it. However, the extent of the bone AHSG
      production and the potential controlling factors remain to be definitively
      proven. A relevant number of studies support the notion that FGF23, a bone
      derived hormone, not only regulates the most important mineral metabolism (MM)
      related factors (phosphate, parathyroid hormone, vitamin D, etc.), but might be
      also involved in cardiovascular (CV) outcome, both in chronic kidney disease
      (CKD) patients and in the general population. Furthermore, in addition to some
      direct autocrine and paracrine effects in bone, FGF23 has been suggested to
      interact with AHSG. In this study we investigated if AHSG is really produced by
      bone cells, and if its bone production is related and/or controlled by FGF23,
      using cultured bone cells, according to a new method recently published by our
      group. RESULTS: Our data show that AHSG is consistently produced in osteocytes
      and to a far lesser extent in osteoblasts. Both FGF23 addition to the culture
      medium and its over-expression in osteocytes were associated with a consistent
      increase of both AHSG mRNA and protein, while FGF23 silencing was followed by
      opposite effects. Though most of these results were largely affected by the
      blockage of FGF23 receptors, the role of these receptors in the different
      experimental sets is still not completely clarified. In addition, we found that
      FGF23 and AHSG proteins co-localized both in cytoplasm and nucleus, which
      suggests a possible reciprocal interactivity. CONCLUSIONS: Our data not only
      confirm that AHSG is produced in bone, mainly in osteocytes, but show for the
      first time that its production is modulated by FGF23. Since both proteins play
      important roles in the bone and cardiovascular pathology, these results add new
      pieces to the puzzling relationship between bone and vascular pathology, in
      particular in CKD patients, prompting future investigations in this field.

PMID- 26476374
TI  - Quercetin reverses experimental pulmonary arterial hypertension by modulating the
      TrkA pathway.
AB  - Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by excessive
      proliferation, resistance to apoptosis, and increased migration of pulmonary
      artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). We hypothesized that quercetin exerts
      protective effects against this disease; thus, a chronic hypoxia model of PAH was
      generated using male Sprague-Dawley rats, which were treated with quercetin. In
      this model, quercetin prevented the development of PAH, right ventricular
      hypertrophy, and vascular remodeling after exposure to hypoxia. Quercetin
      inhibited PASMC proliferation and increased the apoptosis of PASMCs in vivo. In
      vitro, quercetin significantly inhibited hypoxia-induced PASMC proliferation,
      arrested cells in G1/G0 and inhibited cell migration in a dose-dependent manner.
      Moreover, our results showed that quercetin increased cyclin D1 protein levels
      and decreased the protein expression of cyclin B1 and Cdc2. Additionally,
      quercetin altered the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and reduced MMP2, MMP9, CXCR4, integrin
      beta1, and integrin alpha5 expression. Using genome-wide microarray analysis, we
      found that factors regulating proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, and migration
      were related to the tyrosine receptor kinase A (TrkA) pathway. In addition,
      activation of the TrkA/AKT signaling cascade during hypoxia was inhibited by
      quercetin in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, quercetin alone inhibited the
      TrkA/AKT signaling pathway, resulting in decreased PASMC migration, cell cycle
      arrest and the induction of apoptosis. Our data suggest that quercetin is a
      potential candidate for the treatment of hypoxia-induced PAH. 

PMID- 26476375
TI  - Targeting hepatitis B virus cccDNA using CRISPR/Cas9.
AB  - Despite the existence of an excellent prophylactic vaccine and the development of
      highly effective inhibitors of the viral polymerase, chronic hepatitis B virus
      (HBV) infection remains a major source of morbidity and mortality, especially in
      Africa and Asia. A significant problem is that, while polymerase inhibitors can
      effectively prevent the production of viral genomic DNA from pre-genomic RNA
      transcripts, they do not prevent the transcription and translation of viral mRNAs
      from the covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) templates present in the nuclei
      of infected cells. Moreover, because these cccDNAs are highly stable, chronic HBV
      infections are only very rarely cured by the use of polymerase inhibitors and
      these drugs clearly cannot entirely prevent the subsequent development of HBV
      related morbidities such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. As a result,
      there has been considerable interest in the possibility of developing treatment
      approaches that directly target cccDNA for elimination. Here, we discuss recent
      publications that analyze the ability of the bacterial CRISPR/Cas DNA editing
      machinery to be repurposed as a tool for the specific cleavage and destruction of
      HBV cccDNAs in the nuclei of infected cells and consider which steps will be
      necessary to make CRISPR/Cas targeting of HBV DNA a clinically feasible approach
      to the treatment of chronic infections in humans. This article 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- 26476376
TI  - Current status of immunomodulatory therapy in chronic hepatitis B, fifty years
      after discovery of the virus: Search for the "magic bullet" to kill cccDNA.
AB  - Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is currently treated with IFN-alpha and nucleos(t)ide
      analogues, which have many clinical benefits, but there is no ultimate cure. The
      major problem consists in the persistence of cccDNA in infected hepatocytes.
      Because no antiviral drug has been evaluated which significantly reduces copies
      of cccDNA, cytolytic and noncytolytic approaches are needed. Effective virus
      specific T- and B-cell responses remain crucial in eliminating cccDNA-carrying
      hepatocytes and for the long-term control of HBV infection. Reduction of viremia
      by antiviral drugs provides a window for reconstitution of an HBV-specific immune
      response. Preclinical studies in mice and woodchucks have shown that
      immunostimulatory strategies, such as prime-boost vaccination and PD-1 blockade,
      can boost a weak virus-specific T cell response and lead to effective control of
      HBV infection. Based on data obtained in our preclinical studies, the combination
      of antiviral drugs and immunomodulators may control HBV viremia during a
      patient's drug-off period. In this article, we review current immune-modulatory
      approaches for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and the elimination of cccDNA
      in preclinical models. This article 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". 

PMID- 26476377
TI  - Current Trends in Sinonasal Imaging.
AB  - As endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) has evolved since its introduction to the
      United States, so has technology for imaging the sinonasal cavities. Although
      imaging is most frequently performed for evaluating chronic sinusitis refractory
      to medical therapy, its uses have expanded beyond inflammatory sinus disease.
      Multidetector Computed Tomography is the current workhorse for both diagnosis and
      preoperative planning in prospective ESS patients, while MR imaging remains a
      complementary tool for evaluating suspected tumors or intracranial and orbital
      complications of rhinosinusitis. In this article, the authors review current
      trends and potential future directions in the use of these modalities for sinus
      imaging. 

PMID- 26476378
TI  - Normal Anatomy and Anatomic Variants of the Paranasal Sinuses on Computed
      Tomography.
AB  - It is imperative for all imaging specialists to be familiar with detailed
      multiplanar CT anatomy of the paranasal sinuses and adjacent structures. This
      article reviews the radiologically relevant embryology of this complex region and
      discusses the region-specific CT anatomy of the paranasal sinuses and surrounding
      structures. Radiologists also need to know the clinical implications of
      identifying preoperatively the numerous anatomic variations encountered in this
      region and prepare a structured report according to the expectations of the
      referring clinician. 

PMID- 26476379
TI  - Imaging in Sinonasal Inflammatory Disease.
AB  - While most patients with inflammatory rhinosinusitis are successfully diagnosed
      clinically, imaging is indicated in patients with recurrent or chronic sinusitis,
      atypical symptoms and complicated acute sinusitis. Non-enhanced high resolution,
      thin section computed tomography (CT) is the reference standard in evaluating
      such patients. It provides superb anatomical details and enables a fairly
      accurate diagnosis and delineation of the disease, addressing all concerns of the
      endoscopic surgeon prior to intervention. Contrast MR imaging is preferred for
      assessing intraorbital or intracranial complications. The radiologist must have a
      systematic approach to sinonasal CT and generate a clinically relevant report
      that impacts patient management. 

PMID- 26476380
TI  - Fungal Sinusitis.
AB  - Fungal sinusitis is characterized into invasive and noninvasive forms. The
      invasive variety is further classified into acute, chronic and granulomatous
      forms; and the noninvasive variety into fungus ball and allergic fungal
      sinusitis. Each of these different forms has a unique radiologic appearance. The
      clinicopathologic and corresponding radiologic spectrum and differences in
      treatment strategies of fungal sinusitis make it an important diagnosis for
      clinicians and radiologists to always consider. This is particularly true of
      invasive fungal sinusitis, which typically affects immuno compromised patients
      and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis
      allows initiation of appropriate treatment strategies resulting in favorable
      outcome. 

PMID- 26476381
TI  - Imaging Approach to Sinonasal Neoplasms.
AB  - The neoplastic lesions that can be found in the sinonasal space are numerous and
      varied. This article describes a general approach to narrowing down the
      differential diagnosis and provides the treating physician sufficient information
      to choose and deliver the best treatment modality. Computed tomography and MR
      imaging together provide complete radiologic assessment of sinonasal neoplasms. 

PMID- 26476382
TI  - Sinonasal Tumors: Computed Tomography and MR Imaging Features.
AB  - This article describes the computed tomography and MR imaging features of the
      neoplasms of the sinonasal space. Although a pathologic diagnosis may not always
      be possible, knowledge of the features may help in narrowing down the
      differentials and establishing a malignant pathology. 

PMID- 26476383
TI  - The Skull Base in the Evaluation of Sinonasal Disease: Role of Computed
      Tomography and MR Imaging.
AB  - The median anterior and central skull base forms an interface between the
      sinonasal and intracranial compartments. Due to the proximity of the intracranial
      structures, skull base involvement is a key assessment when evaluating the spread
      of sinonasal disease. This review describes the pertinent anatomy and the role of
      computed tomography and MR imaging in evaluating the median anterior and central
      skull base. The imaging appearances of pathologic processes that involve and
      traverse the skull base between the sinonasal and intracranial compartments are
      discussed and illustrated. 

PMID- 26476384
TI  - Posttreatment Imaging of the Paranasal Sinuses Following Endoscopic Sinus
      Surgery.
AB  - Endoscopic sinus surgery is a minimally invasive option for the treatment of
      several nonneoplastic indications, particularly for medically refractory
      sinusitis and polyposis. Numerous interventions can be performed through
      endoscopic sinus surgery, many of which may be performed together during the same
      procedure. There are also a variety of complications that can result from
      endoscopic sinus surgery. Radiological imaging plays an important role in the
      evaluation of patients after endoscopic sinus surgery. Thus, it is important to
      be familiar with the expected and complicated imaging findings associated with
      endoscopic sinus surgery, which are reviewed in this article. 

PMID- 26476386
TI  - Imaging of Paranasal Sinuses.

PMID- 26476387
TI  - Paranasal Sinuses-Decongested!

PMID- 26476385
TI  - Post-treatment Evaluation of Paranasal Sinuses After Treatment of Sinonasal
      Neoplasms.
AB  - The aim of imaging in the follow-up of asymptomatic patients treated for
      sinonasal neoplasms is to detect submucosal relapsing lesions. The challenge is
      to discriminate recurrent tissue within the changes resulting from unpredictable
      healing of tissue after surgery and radiotherapy. Scar, inflammation, and
      recurrence can be better separated with a multisequence MR imaging approach. The
      choice of the field of view should take into account the risk of in-field
      intracranial recurrences, craniofacial bone metastases, and perineural spread.
      Fluorodeoxyglucose-PET has a role in assessing distant metastasis. Its usefulness
      in local and regional surveillance has yet to be established. 

PMID- 26476388
TI  - Laparoscopic Indocyanine Green Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping in Pregnant Cervical
      Cancer Patients.
AB  - We present cases of 2 pregnant patients with early-stage cervical cancer who have
      undergone indocyanine green (ICG) sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping followed by
      laparoscopic SLN biopsy, pelvic lymphadenectomy, and cervical conization. Eight
      milliliters of ICG were injected in the 4 quadrants of the cervix after having
      obtained an adequate pneumoperitoneum and having inspected the abdominal cavity.
      SLNs were identified in both hemipelvises in both patients. In the final
      pathologic analysis, both SLNs and non-SLNs were negative for metastatic disease.
      No adverse events from ICG injection were recorded. ICG SLN mapping seems to be
      feasible in pregnant cervical cancer patients.

PMID- 26476389
TI  - The effects of merit-based financial aid on drinking in college.
AB  - We study the effect of state-level merit aid programs (such as Georgia's HOPE
      scholarship) on alcohol consumption among college students. Such programs have
      the potential to affect drinking through a combination of channels--such as
      raising students' disposable income and increasing the incentive to maintain a
      high GPA--that could theoretically raise or lower alcohol use. We find that the
      presence of a merit-aid program in one's state generally leads to an overall
      increase in (heavy) drinking. This effect is concentrated among men, students
      with lower parental education, older students, and students with high college
      GPA's. Our findings are robust to several alternative empirical specifications
      including event-study analyses by year of program adoption. Furthermore, no
      difference in high-school drinking is observed for students attending college in
      states with merit-aid programs.

PMID- 26476390
TI  - Synthesis, evaluation and molecular docking studies of amino acid derived N
      glycoconjugates as antibacterial agents.
AB  - Six amino acid derived N-glycoconjugates of d-glucose were synthesized,
      characterized and tested for antibacterial activity against G(+)ve (Bacillus
      cereus) as well as G(-)ve (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae) bacterial
      strains. All the tested compounds exhibited moderate to good antibacterial
      activity against these bacterial strains. The results were compared with the
      antibacterial activity of standard drug Chloramphenicol, where results of A5
      (Tryptophan derived glycoconjugates) against E. coli and A4 (Isoleucine derived
      glycoconjugates) against K. pneumoniae bacterial strains are comparable with the
      standard drug molecule. In silico docking studies were also performed in order to
      understand the mode of action and binding interactions of these molecules. The
      docking studies revealed that, occupation of compound A5 at the ATP binding site
      of subunit GyrB (DNA gyrase, PDB ID: 3TTZ) via hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding
      interactions may be the reason for its significant in vitro antibacterial
      activity.

PMID- 26476392
TI  - Unexpected Death on an Acute Palliative Care Unit.

PMID- 26476391
TI  - Initial Validation of the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale in Chinese Immigrants
      With Cancer Pain.
AB  - CONTEXT: Evaluating religious/spiritual influences in the growing Chinese
      American population may inform the development of culturally relevant palliative
      care interventions. OBJECTIVES: We assessed the psychometric properties and
      acceptability of the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale-Chinese (DSES-C) in
      Chinese Americans with cancer-related pain. METHODS: The translated 16-item DSES
      C was administered as part of a symptom intervention for Chinese-American cancer
      patients. Patients were recruited from four New York community oncology
      practices. RESULTS: Of 321 patients, 78.7% were born in Mainland China, 79.1%
      spoke Cantonese, and 70.2% endorsed a religious affiliation (Ancestor worship,
      31.7%; Chinese God worship, 29.8%; Buddhism, 17.1%; Christianity, 14.0%). In
      total, 82.6% completed the DSES-C (mean age = 57.7 years; 60.8% women) and 17.4%
      declined (mean age = 59.3 years; 52.0% women). Reasons for declining included low
      religiosity or perceived relevance of the scale items and difficulties separating
      spirituality from religiosity terms. Individuals having a religious affiliation
      were more likely to complete the DSES-C, whereas those not engaging in individual
      spiritual/religious practices or frequent group spiritual/religious practices
      tended to decline (all P < 0.05). The DSES-C (mean total score = 43.6, SD = 19.3)
      demonstrated high reliability (alpha = 0.94). Exploratory factor analysis
      suggested a one-factor solution, with significant loadings (>0.40) across items
      except Item 14 ("Accept others"). Construct validity was suggested by a positive
      association between DSES-C scores and having a religious affiliation (P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: In Chinese Americans with cancer pain, the DSES-C demonstrated
      acceptable psychometrics. Some participants experienced linguistic or cultural
      barriers preventing completion. Future investigations should provide additional
      validation in different Asian subgroups and those with varied medical conditions.

PMID- 26476393
TI  - A meta-analysis of the efficacy of albendazole compared with tinidazole as
      treatments for Giardia infections in children.
AB  - Metronidazole is frequently used against Giardia infection; however, it has been
      associated with significant failure rates in clearing parasites from the gut;
      additionally, as it should be taken for 5 to 10 days, it is associated with poor
      compliance, probably due to side effects. Other drugs, including tinidazole (TNZ)
      and albendazole (ABZ) have been included in the antigiardial armamentarium. Our
      aim was to assess the efficacy of ABZ compared with TNZ in Giardia infections in
      children. A systematic review and a meta-analysis were carried out. PubMed,
      Medline, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and LILACS were searched electronically until February
      2015. Also relevant journals and references of studies included therein were hand
      searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The meta-analysis was limited
      to RCTs evaluating the use of ABZ compared with TNZ in children with Giardia
      infection. The assessed outcome was parasitological efficacy. Prediction
      intervals (PI) were computed to better express uncertainties in the effect
      estimates. Five RCTs including 403 children were included. Overall, TNZ
      significantly outperformed ABZ without differences between subgroups defined by
      ABZ dosages [relative risk, (RR) 1.61 (95% CI): (1.40-1.85); P<0.0001]. The 95%
      prediction interval range is 1.28-2.02. There was no significant heterogeneity
      (I(2)=0%; Q-test of heterogeneity P=0.4507. The number-needed-to-treat, the
      average number of patients who need to be treated with TNZ to gain one additional
      good outcome as compared with ABZ was 4, 95% CI: 3-5. Our results show that TNZ
      outperforms ABZ in the treatment of Giardia infections in children from
      developing countries. 

PMID- 26476394
TI  - Breeding habitat preference of preimaginal black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) in
      Peninsular Malaysia.
AB  - To investigate the breeding habitat preference of black flies, a comprehensive
      black fly survey was conducted for the first time in Peninsular Malaysia.
      Preimaginal black flies (pupae and larvae) were collected manually from 180
      stream points encompassing northern, southern, central and east coast of the
      Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 47 black fly species were recorded in this study.
      The predominant species were Simulium trangense (36.7%) and Simulium angulistylum
      (33.3%). Relatively common species were Simulium cheongi (29.4%), Simulium tani
      (25.6%), Simulium nobile (16.2%), Simulium sheilae (14.5%) and Simulium bishopi
      (10.6%). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of all stream variables revealed four
      PCs that accounted for 69.3% of the total intersite variance. Regression analysis
      revealed that high species richness is associated with larger, deeper, faster and
      higher discharge streams with larger streambed particles, more riparian
      vegetation and low pH (F=22.7, d.f.=1, 173; P<0.001). Relationship between
      species occurrence of seven common species (present in >10% of the sampling
      sites) was assessed. Forward logistic regression analysis indicated that four
      species were significantly related to the stream variables. S. nobile and S. tani
      prefer large, fast flowing streams with higher pH, large streambed particles and
      riparian trees. S. bishopi was commonly found at high elevation with cooler
      stream, low conductivity, higher conductivity and more riparian trees. In
      contrast, S. sheilae was negatively correlated with PC-2, thus, this species
      commonly found at low elevation, warmer stream with low conductivity and less
      riparian trees. The results of this study are consistent with previous studies
      from other geographic regions, which indicated that both physical and chemical
      stream conditions are the key factors for black fly ecology. 

PMID- 26476395
TI  - Between sexual and apomictic: unexpectedly variable sporogenesis and production
      of viable polyhaploids in the pentaploid fern of the Dryopteris affinis agg.
      (Dryopteridaceae).
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In ferns, apomixis is an important mode of asexual
      reproduction. Although the mechanisms of fern reproduction have been studied
      thoroughly, most previous work has focused on cases in which ferns reproduce
      either exclusively sexually or exclusively asexually. Reproduction of ferns with
      potentially mixed systems and inheritance of apomixis remains largely unknown.
      This study addresses reproduction of the pentaploid Dryopteris * critica, a
      hybrid of triploid apomictic D. borreri and tetraploid sexual D. filix-mas.
      METHODS: Spore size, abortion percentage and number of spores per sporangium were
      examined in pentaploid plants of D. * critica grown in an experimental garden.
      The sporangial content of leaf segments was cultivated on an agar medium, and DNA
      ploidy levels were estimated by DAPI flow cytometry in 259 gametophytes or
      sporophytes arising from the F2 generation of the pentaploid hybrid. KEY RESULTS:
      The hybrid is partly fertile (89-94% of aborted spores) and shows unstable
      sporogenesis with sexual and apomictic reproduction combined. The number of
      spores per sporangium varied from approx. 31 to 64. Within a single sporangium it
      was possible to detect formation of either only aborted spores or various
      mixtures of aborted and well-developed reduced spores and unreduced diplospores.
      The spores germinated in viable gametophytes with two ploidy levels: pentaploid
      (5x, from unreduced spores) and half of that (approx. 2.5x, from reduced spores).
      Moreover, 2-15% of gametophytes (both 2.5x and 5x) formed a viable sporophyte of
      the same ploidy level due to apogamy. CONCLUSIONS: This study documents the mixed
      reproductive mode of a hybrid between apomictic and sexual ferns. Both sexual
      reduced and apomictic unreduced spores can be produced by a single individual,
      and even within a single sporangium. Both types of spores give rise to viable F2
      generation gametophytes and sporophytes.

PMID- 26476396
TI  - Functional characterization of a transition metal ion transporter, OsZIP6 from
      rice (Oryza sativa L.).
AB  - Micronutrients are important for the growth and development of plants, which
      deploy families of transporters for their uptake and distribution. We have
      functionally characterized a novel transition metal ion transporter from rice,
      OsZIP6 (Oryza sativa zinc regulated transporter, iron regulated transporter-like
      protein 6). The transporter was found to be transcriptionally activated in shoot
      and root tissues in response to deficiency in Fe(2+), Zn(2+) and Mn(2+). OsZIP6
      was expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, where currents were observed on addition
      of Co(2+), Fe(2+) and Cd(2+) but not Zn(2+), Mn(2+) and Ni(2+). This substrate
      range for OsZIP6, identified using two-electrode voltage clamp electrophysiology
      was confirmed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Ion transport by OsZIP6 was
      found to be pH dependent and enhanced transport was observed at acidic pH.
      Radioisotope uptake suggested that Co(2+) competitively inhibits Fe(2+) uptake by
      OsZIP6. Identification and characterization of ZIP family members from crop
      plants will contribute to an understanding of nutrient mineral homeostasis in
      these plants. 

PMID- 26476397
TI  - Eating like there's no tomorrow: Public awareness of the environmental impact of
      food and reluctance to eat less meat as part of a sustainable diet.
AB  - Reducing meat consumption is central to many of the scientific debates on
      healthy, sustainable diets because of the high environmental impact of meat
      production. Missing from these debates are the public perspectives about eating
      less meat and consideration of cultural and social values associated with meat.
      The aim of this study was to explore public awareness of the environmental impact
      of food and their willingness to reduce meat consumption. Twelve focus groups and
      four individual interviews were conducted with adults from a range of socio
      economic groups living in both rural and urban settings in Scotland. Public
      understanding of the link between food, environment and climate change was
      explored, with a focus on meat and attitudes towards reducing meat consumption.
      Data were transcribed and analysed thematically. Three dominant themes emerged: a
      lack of awareness of the association between meat consumption and climate change,
      perceptions of personal meat consumption playing a minimal role in the global
      context of climate change, and resistance to the idea of reducing personal meat
      consumption. People associated eating meat with pleasure, and described social,
      personal and cultural values around eating meat. Some people felt they did not
      need to eat less meat because they had already reduced their consumption or that
      they only ate small quantities. Scepticism of scientific evidence linking meat
      and climate change was common. Changing non-food related behaviours was viewed as
      more acceptable and a greater priority for climate change mitigation. The study
      highlights the role meat plays in the diet for many people, beyond nutritional
      needs. If healthy, sustainable dietary habits are to be achieved, cultural,
      social and personal values around eating meat must be integrated into the
      development of future dietary recommendations. 

PMID- 26476398
TI  - Incremental value of quantitative CMR including parametric mapping for the
      diagnosis of acute myocarditis.
AB  - AIM: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) can visualize inflammatory tissue changes
      in acute myocarditis. Several quantitative image-derived parameters have been
      described to enhance the diagnostic value of CMR, but no direct comparison of
      these techniques is available. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 34 patients with
      suspected acute myocarditis and 50 control subjects underwent CMR. CMR protocol
      included quantitative assessment of T1 relaxation times using modified Look
      Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) and shortened MOLLI (ShMOLLI) acquisition
      schemes, extracellular volume fraction (ECV), T2 relaxation times, and
      longitudinal strain. Established Lake-Louise criteria (LLC) consisting of T2
      weighted signal intensity ratio (T2-ratio), early gadolinium enhancement ratio
      (EGEr), and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) were assessed. Receiver operating
      characteristics analysis was performed to compare diagnostic performance. Areas
      under the curve of native T1 (MOLLI: 0.95; ShMOLLI: 0.92) and T2 relaxation times
      (0.92) were higher compared with those of the other CMR parameters (T2-ratio:
      0.71, EGEr: 0.71, LGE: 0.87, LLC: 0.90, ECV MOLLI: 0.77, ECV ShMOLLI: 0.80,
      longitudinal strain: 0.83). Combined with LGE, each native mapping technique
      outperformed the diagnostic performance of LLC (P < 0.01, respectively). A
      combination of native parameters (T1, T2, and longitudinal strain) significantly
      increased the diagnostic performance of CMR compared with LLC without need of
      contrast media application (0.99 vs. 0.90; P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: In patients
      suspected of having acute myocarditis, diagnostic performance of CMR can be
      improved by implementation of quantitative CMR parameters. Especially, native
      mapping techniques have the potential to replace current LLC. CLINICALTRIALS. GOV
      NUMBER: NCT02299856.

PMID- 26476399
TI  - Impact of exercise-induced mitral regurgitation on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
      outcomes.
AB  - AIMS: Rest echocardiography plays a role in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
      diagnosis and risk stratification because left atrial enlargement, severe left
      ventricle (LV) hypertrophy, and rest LV outflow tract (LVOT) gradients >=50 mmHg
      are sudden cardiac death risk factors that have been highlighted in recent
      guidelines. Conversely, the lack of evidence makes that exercise-echocardiography
      findings play a limited role. In clinical practice, LVOT gradient, but also
      mitral regurgitation (MR) or pulmonary pressure, seems relevant parameters to
      look for, during the exercise. Therefore, we sought to determine whether exercise
      induced changes in myocardial and valvular functions could improve HCM risk
      stratification. METHODS AND RESULTS: Consecutive primitive HCM patients with a
      preserved LV ejection fraction underwent standardized exercise echocardiography
      (including the assessment of myocardial function, dynamic left intraventricular
      gradient, and valvular regurgitations) at baseline and were clinically followed
      for a median of 29.3 months. The primary endpoint was a composite criterion that
      included death from any cause, cardiorespiratory arrest, and hospitalization for
      a cardiovascular event. A total of 126 patients were included. Eighteen patients
      reached the primary endpoint. According to univariate Cox regression analysis,
      exercise LVOT gradient >=50 mmHg [hazard ratio (HR) = 3.31, P = 0.01] and
      significant (>=2/4) exercise MR (HR = 3.64, P < 0.01) were associated with the
      primary endpoint. Patients with significant MR had significantly higher rest and
      exercise LVOT gradients (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001) and larger left atria volumes
      (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Significant exercise-induced MR appears to significantly
      impact the prognoses of HCM patients, and it is also associated with higher LVOT
      rest and exercise gradients.

PMID- 26476400
TI  - The role of gamma-aminobutyric acid/glycinergic synaptic transmission in
      mediating bilirubin-induced hyperexcitation in developing auditory neurons.
AB  - Hyperbilirubinemia is a common clinical phenomenon observed in human newborns. A
      high level of bilirubin can result in severe jaundice and bilirubin
      encephalopathy. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying bilirubin
      excitotoxicity are unclear. Our previous studies showed the action of gamma
      aminobutyric acid (GABA)/glycine switches from excitatory to inhibitory during
      development in the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN), one of the most sensitive
      auditory nuclei to bilirubin toxicity. In the present study, we investigated the
      roles of GABAA/glycine receptors in the induction of bilirubin hyperexcitation in
      early developing neurons. Using the patch clamp technique, GABAA/glycine receptor
      mediated spontaneous inhibitory synaptic currents (sIPSCs) were recorded from
      bushy and stellate cells in acute brainstem slices from young mice (postnatal day
      2-6). Bilirubin significantly increased the frequency of sIPSCs, and this effect
      was prevented by pretreatments of slices with either fast or slow Ca(2+)
      chelators BAPTA-AM and EGTA-AM suggesting that bilirubin can increase the release
      of GABA/glycine via Ca(2+)-dependent mechanisms. Using cell-attached recording
      configuration, we found that antagonists of GABAA and glycine receptors strongly
      attenuated spontaneous spiking firings in P2-6 neurons but produced opposite
      effect in P15-19 neurons. Furthermore, these antagonists reversed bilirubin
      evoked hyperexcitability in P2-6 neurons, indicating that excitatory action of
      GABA/glycinergic transmission specifically contribute to bilirubin-induced
      hyperexcitability in the early stage of development. Our results suggest that
      bilirubin-induced enhancement of presynaptic release GABA/Glycine via Ca(2+)
      dependent mechanisms may play a critical role in mediating neuronal
      hyperexcitation associated with jaundice, implicating potential new strategies
      for predicting, preventing, and treating bilirubin neurotoxicity. 

PMID- 26476401
TI  - Biochemical and toxicological evaluation of nano-heparins in cell functional
      properties, proteasome activation and expression of key matrix molecules.
AB  - The glycosaminoglycan heparin and its derivatives act strongly on blood
      coagulation, controlling the activity of serine protease inhibitors in plasma.
      Nonetheless, there is accumulating evidence highlighting different anticancer
      activities of these molecules in numerous types of cancer. Nano-heparins may have
      great biological significance since they can inhibit cell proliferation and
      invasion as well as inhibiting proteasome activation. Moreover, they can cause
      alterations in the expression of major modulators of the tumor microenvironment,
      regulating cancer cell behavior. In the present study, we evaluated the effects
      of two nano-heparin formulations: one isolated from porcine intestine and the
      other from the sea squirt Styela plicata, on a breast cancer cell model. We
      determined whether these nano-heparins are able to affect cell proliferation,
      apoptosis and invasion, as well as proteasome activity and the expression of
      extracellular matrix molecules. Specifically, we observed that nano-Styela
      compared to nano-Mammalian analogue has higher inhibitory role on cell
      proliferation, invasion and proteasome activity. Moreover, nano-Styela regulates
      cell apoptosis, expression of inflammatory molecules, such as IL-6 and IL-8 and
      reduces the expression levels of extracellular matrix macromolecules, such as the
      proteolytic enzymes MT1-MMP, uPA and the cell surface proteoglycans syndecan-1
      and -2, but not on syndecan-4. The observations reported in the present article
      indicate that nano-heparins and especially ascidian heparin are effective agents
      for heparin-induced effects in critical cancer cell functions, providing an
      important possibility in pharmacological targeting. 

PMID- 26476403
TI  - Evaluating the initial impact of the Riyadh Epilepsy Awareness Campaign.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We determine the impact of an educational awareness campaign on the
      level of knowledge and the attitude of the Saudi population in Riyadh, Saudi
      Arabia in an attempt to improve the awareness and reduce the social stigma
      associated with epilepsy. METHODS: The Saudi Epilepsy Society organized a
      citywide awareness campaign in 2013. A survey consisting of 11 questions
      pertaining to epilepsy awareness was distributed to Saudi citizens living in
      Riyadh, aged 15 years and above, in malls, health clubs, mosques, universities,
      and schools during that campaign. The same questionnaire was administered before
      and after the awareness campaign to the same individuals on the same day to
      assess the impact of the campaign (n=2118). RESULTS: The epilepsy awareness
      campaign significantly raised the general knowledge about epilepsy: 1519 before
      vs. 1944 after (P<0.001) would allow their children to interact with an
      individual who had epilepsy; 1567 before vs. 688 after (P<0.001) would not want
      their children to marry an individual with epilepsy. Eight hundred twenty six
      before vs. 47 after (P<0.001) thought that epilepsy is untreatable. Regarding the
      causes of epilepsy, 1663 before vs. 896 after (P<0.001) believed that epilepsy is
      caused by supernatural powers, and 1224 before vs. 1874 after (P<0.001) chose
      brain disease as a cause of epilepsy. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that
      epilepsy awareness campaigns can close knowledge gaps. A long-term reevaluation
      may be needed to assess awareness sustainability.

PMID- 26476402
TI  - Visual search in Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Visual search is an aspect of visual cognition that may be more impaired in
      Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) than Alzheimer's disease (AD). To assess this
      possibility, the present study compared patients with DLB (n = 17), AD (n = 30),
      or Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD; n = 10) to non-demented patients with
      PD (n = 18) and normal control (NC) participants (n = 13) on single-feature and
      feature-conjunction visual search tasks. In the single-feature task participants
      had to determine if a target stimulus (i.e., a black dot) was present among 3, 6,
      or 12 distractor stimuli (i.e., white dots) that differed in one salient feature.
      In the feature-conjunction task participants had to determine if a target
      stimulus (i.e., a black circle) was present among 3, 6, or 12 distractor stimuli
      (i.e., white dots and black squares) that shared either of the target's salient
      features. Results showed that target detection time in the single-feature task
      was not influenced by the number of distractors (i.e., "pop-out" effect) for any
      of the groups. In contrast, target detection time increased as the number of
      distractors increased in the feature-conjunction task for all groups, but more so
      for patients with AD or DLB than for any of the other groups. These results
      suggest that the single-feature search "pop-out" effect is preserved in DLB and
      AD patients, whereas ability to perform the feature-conjunction search is
      impaired. This pattern of preserved single-feature search with impaired feature
      conjunction search is consistent with a deficit in feature binding that may be
      mediated by abnormalities in networks involving the dorsal occipito-parietal
      cortex.

PMID- 26476404
TI  - High intensity interval exercise decreases IL-8 and enhances the immunomodulatory
      cytokine interleukin-10 in lean and overweight-obese individuals.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the effects of two interval exercises with different
      intensities on acute inflammatory response in lean and overweight-obese subjects.
      METHODS: Ten lean (BMI<24.9kg/m(2)) and 12 overweight-obese (BMI 25 to
      <34.9kg/m(2)) males performed two conditions in randomly assigned: (1) high
      intensity interval exercise (HIIE) 10*60s (85-90%PMax)/75s (50%PMax); (2)
      moderate intensity interval exercise (MIIE) 10*60s (70-75%PMax)/60s (50%PMax),
      with blood collections at pre, immediately and 30min post each exercise bouts to
      evaluate total and differential leukocyte counts, serum creatine kinase (CK),
      lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and systemic levels of IL-1ra, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL
      17a and CCL2. RESULTS: In lean group, HIIE induced a significant increase in
      total leukocytes and monocyte, while MIIE session did not change the number of
      leukocytes. Overweight-obese group presented similar increase in leukocytes,
      monocytes and lymphocytes in both HIIE and MIIE sessions. At baseline, overweight
      obese group showed high levels of CK, IL-8, IL-6 and CCL2 and lower
      concentrations of IL-10 compared to lean group. The MIIE did not alter the
      cytokine concentrations in both groups, independently of the time analysis. The
      HIIE induced significant decrease in IL-8 levels 30min post session in both the
      groups, and a progressive elevation in IL-10 levels immediately and 30min post in
      lean and overweight-obese. Regarding IL-6, overweight-obese subjects presented
      progressive increase either immediately and 30min after HIIE, while lean
      individuals presented significant increase only 30min after exercise.
      CONCLUSIONS: The acute inflammatory response to interval exercise is intensity
      dependent. Although obesity influences the basal concentrations of several
      cytokines, only HIIE induced important alterations in IL-8 and IL-10 levels,
      which may have important implications in the control of chronic low-grade
      inflammation in obesity.

PMID- 26476405
TI  - Long-term Impact of Androgen-deprivation Therapy on Cardiovascular Morbidity
      After Radiotherapy for Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize the impact of androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) on
      the incidence of cardiovascular events (CE) in prostate cancer patients treated
      with radiotherapy (RT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: There were 2211 patients with
      localized prostate cancer treated with RT from 1988 to 2008 at our institution.
      There were 991 patients (44.8%) who received ADT at the time of RT for a median
      of 6.1 months. Salvage ADT was initiated prior to CE in 365 men (16.5%) at a
      median of 5.5 years (range: 0.6 to 18.4 years) after RT and continued for a
      median of 4.3 years. A nomogram was constructed to predict the 10-year risk of CE
      "post-RT" (i.e., after RT). RESULTS: Patients receiving ADT at the time of RT
      exhibited significantly higher 10-year incidence of CE (19.6%, 95% CI 17.0%
      22.6%) than those not receiving ADT (14.3%, 95% CI 12.2%-16.7%, P = .005). On
      multivariate analysis, both ADT at the time of RT (P = .007) and the time of
      salvage (P = .0004) were associated with increased CE risk, as were advanced age
      (P  =  .02), smoking (P  =  .0007), history of diabetes (P  =  .0007), and
      history of CE before RT (P  <  .0001). A nomogram using patient age, smoking
      status, history of pre-RT CE, history of diabetes, and ADT use at the time of RT
      predicted the rate of 10-year CE with a C-index of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.72-0.88).
      CONCLUSION: While ADT is often an essential part of prostate cancer treatment,
      patients should be counseled regarding increased risks of CE and prophylactic
      efforts should be considered to mitigate that risk.

PMID- 26476406
TI  - An insoluble frontotemporal lobar degeneration-associated TDP-43 C-terminal
      fragment causes neurodegeneration and hippocampus pathology in transgenic mice.
AB  - Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) causes progressive personality, behavior and/or
      language disturbances and represents the second most common form of dementia
      under the age of 65. Over half of all FTD cases are classified pathologically as
      frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) with TAR DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa
      (TDP-43) pathology (FTLD-TDP). In FTLD-TDP brains, TDP-43 is phosphorylated, C
      terminally cleaved, lost from the nucleus and accumulates in the cytoplasm and
      processes of neurons and glia. However, the contribution of TDP-43 C-terminal
      fragments (CTFs) to pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Here, we developed
      transgenic (Tg) mice with forebrain Camk2a-controlled doxycycline-suppressible
      expression of a TDP-43 CTF (amino acids 208-414, designated 208 TDP-43 CTF),
      previously identified in FTLD-TDP brains. In these 208 TDP-43 Tg mice, detergent
      insoluble 208 TDP-43 CTF was present in a diffuse punctate pattern in neuronal
      cytoplasm and dendrites without forming large cytoplasmic inclusions. Remarkably,
      the hippocampus showed progressive neuron loss and astrogliosis in the dentate
      gyrus (DG). This was accompanied by phosphorylated TDP-43 in the CA1 subfield,
      and ubiquitin and mitochondria accumulations in the stratum lacunosum moleculare
      (SLM) layer, without loss of endogenous nuclear TDP-43. Importantly, 208 TDP-43
      CTF and phosphorylated TDP-43 were rapidly cleared when CTF expression was
      suppressed in aged Tg mice, which ameliorated neuron loss in the DG despite
      persistence of ubiquitin accumulation in the SLM. Our results demonstrate that
      Camk2a-directed 208 TDP-43 CTF overexpression is sufficient to cause hippocampal
      pathology and neurodegeneration in vivo, suggesting an active role for TDP-43
      CTFs in the pathogenesis of FTLD-TDP and related TDP-43 proteinopathies. 

PMID- 26476408
TI  - An essential role for UBE2A/HR6A in learning and memory and mGLUR-dependent long
      term depression.
AB  - UBE2A deficiency syndrome (also known as X-linked intellectual disability type
      Nascimento) is an intellectual disability syndrome characterized by prominent
      dysmorphic features, impaired speech and often epilepsy. The syndrome is caused
      by Xq24 deletions encompassing the UBE2A (HR6A) gene or by intragenic UBE2A
      mutations. UBE2A encodes an E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme involved in DNA
      repair and female fertility. A recent study in Drosophila showed that dUBE2A
      binds to the E3 ligase Parkin, which is required for mitochondrial function and
      responsible for juvenile Parkinson's disease. In addition, these studies showed
      impairments in synaptic transmission in dUBE2A mutant flies. However, a causal
      role of UBE2A in of cognitive deficits has not yet been established. Here, we
      show that Ube2a knockout mice have a major deficit in spatial learning tasks,
      whereas other tested phenotypes, including epilepsy and motor coordination, were
      normal. Results from electrophysiological measurements in the hippocampus showed
      no deficits in synaptic transmission nor in the ability to induce long-term
      synaptic potentiation. However, a small but significant deficit was observed in
      mGLUR-dependent long-term depression, a pathway previously implied in several
      other mouse models for neurodevelopmental disorders. Our results indicate a
      causal role of UBE2A in learning and mGLUR-dependent long-term depression, and
      further indicate that the Ube2a knockout mouse is a good model to study the
      molecular mechanisms underlying UBE2A deficiency syndrome. 

PMID- 26476407
TI  - DCLRE1C (ARTEMIS) mutations causing phenotypes ranging from atypical severe
      combined immunodeficiency to mere antibody deficiency.
AB  - Null mutations in genes involved in V(D)J recombination cause a block in B- and T
      cell development, clinically presenting as severe combined immunodeficiency
      (SCID). Hypomorphic mutations in the non-homologous end-joining gene DCLRE1C
      (encoding ARTEMIS) have been described to cause atypical SCID, Omenn syndrome,
      Hyper IgM syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease-all with severely impaired T
      cell immunity. By whole-exome sequencing, we investigated the molecular defect in
      a consanguineous family with three children clinically diagnosed with antibody
      deficiency. We identified perfectly segregating homozygous variants in DCLRE1C in
      three index patients with recurrent respiratory tract infections, very low B-cell
      numbers and serum IgA levels. In patients, decreased colony survival after
      irradiation, impaired proliferative response and reduced counts of naive T cells
      were observed in addition to a restricted T-cell receptor repertoire, increased
      palindromic nucleotides in the complementarity determining regions 3 and long
      stretches of microhomology at switch junctions. Defective V(D)J recombination was
      complemented by wild-type ARTEMIS protein in vitro. Subsequently, homozygous or
      compound heterozygous DCLRE1C mutations were identified in nine patients from the
      same geographic region. We demonstrate that DCLRE1C mutations can cause a
      phenotype presenting as only antibody deficiency. This novel association broadens
      the clinical spectrum associated with ARTEMIS mutations. Clinicians should
      consider the possibility that an immunodeficiency with a clinically mild initial
      presentation could be a combined immunodeficiency, so as to provide appropriate
      care for affected patients. 

PMID- 26476410
TI  - Distribution and source of (129)I, (239)(,240)Pu, (137)Cs in the environment of
      Lithuania.
AB  - Fifty five soil samples collected in the Lithuania teritory in 2011 and 2012 were
      analyzed for (129)I, (137)Cs and Pu isotopes in order to investigate the level
      and distribution of artificial radioactivity in Lithuania. The activity and
      atomic ratio of (238)Pu/((239,24)0)Pu, (129)I/(127)I and (131)I/(137)Cs were used
      to identify the origin of these radionuclides. The (238)Pu/(239+240)Pu and
      (240)Pu/(239)Pu ratios in the soil samples analyzed varied in the range of 0.02
      0.18 and 0.18-0.24, respectively, suggesting the global fallout as the major
      source of Pu in Lithuania. The values of 10(-9) to 10(-6) for (129)I/(127)I
      atomic ratio revealed that the source of (129)I in Lithuania is global fallout in
      most cases though several sampling sites shows a possible impact of reprocessing
      releases. Estimated (129)I/(131)I ratio in soil samples from the southern part of
      Lithuania shows negligible input of the Chernobyl fallout. No correlation of the
      (137)Cs and Pu isotopes with (129)I was observed, indicating their different
      sources terms. Results demonstrate uneven distribution of these radionuclides in
      the Lithuanian territory and several sources of contamination i.e. Chernobyl
      accident, reprocessing releases and global fallout. 

PMID- 26476409
TI  - Developmental effects of vasotocin and nonapeptide receptors on early social
      attachment and affiliative behavior in the zebra finch.
AB  - Zebra finches demonstrate selective affiliation between juvenile offspring and
      parents, which, like affiliation between pair partners, is characterized by
      proximity, vocal communication and contact behaviors. This experiment tested the
      hypothesis that the nonapeptide arginine vasotocin (AVT, avian homologue of
      vasopressin) and nonapeptide receptors play a role prior to fledging in the
      development of affiliative behavior. Zebra finch hatchlings of both sexes
      received daily intracranial injections (post-hatch days 2-8) of either AVT,
      Manning Compound (MC, a potent V1a receptor antagonist) or saline (vehicle
      control). The social development of both sexes was assessed by measuring
      responsiveness to isolation from the family and subsequent reunion with the male
      parent after fledging. In addition, we assessed the changes in affiliation with
      the parents, unfamiliar males, and unfamiliar females each week throughout
      juvenile development. Compared to controls, MC subjects showed decreased
      attachment to the parents and MC males did not show the normal increase in
      affiliative interest in opposite sex individuals as they reached reproductive
      maturity. In contrast, AVT subjects showed a sustained affiliative interest in
      parents throughout development, and males showed increased interest in opposite
      sex conspecifics as they matured. These results provide the first evidence
      suggesting that AVT and nonapeptide receptors play organizational roles in social
      development in a bird. 

PMID- 26476411
TI  - Origin of radon concentration of Csaloka Spring in the Sopron Mountains (West
      Hungary).
AB  - We examined the Csaloka Spring, which has the highest radon concentration in the
      Sopron Mountains (West Hungary) (, yearly average of 227 +/- 10 Bq L(-1)). The
      main rock types here are gneiss and micaschist, formed from metamorphism of
      former granitic and clastic sedimentary rocks respectively. The aim of the study
      was to find a likely source of the high radon concentration in water. During two
      periods (2007-2008 and 2012-2013) water samples were taken from the Csaloka
      Spring to measure its radon concentration (from 153 +/- 9 Bq L(-1) to 291 +/- 15
      Bq L(-1)). Soil and rock samples were taken within a 10-m radius of the spring
      from debrish and from a deformed gneiss outcrop 500 m away from the spring. The
      radium activity concentration of the samples (between 24.3 +/- 2.9 Bq kg(-1) and
      145 +/- 6.0 Bq kg(-1)) was measured by gamma-spectroscopy, and the specific radon
      exhalation was determined using radon-chamber measurements (between 1.32 +/- 0.5
      Bq kg(-1) and 37.1 +/- 2.2 Bq kg(-1)). Based on these results a model calculation
      was used to determine the maximum potential radon concentration, which the soil
      or the rock may provide into the water. We showed that the maximum potential
      radon concentration of these mylonitic gneissic rocks (cpot = 2020 Bq L(-1)) is
      about eight times higher than the measured radon concentration in the water.
      However the maximum potential radon concentration for soils are significantly
      lower (41.3 Bq L(-1)) Based on measurements of radon exhalation and porosity of
      rock and soil samples we concluded that the source material can be the gneiss
      rock around the spring rather than the soil there. We determined the average
      radon concentration and the time dependence of the radon concentration over these
      years in the spring water. We obtained a strong negative correlation (-0.94 in
      period of 2007-2008 and -0.91 in 2012-2013) between precipitation and radon
      concentration. 

PMID- 26476412
TI  - Diurnal variation of apoplastic ascorbate in winter wheat leaves in relation to
      ozone detoxification.
AB  - Besides stomatal closure, biological detoxification is an important protection
      mechanism for plants against ozone (O3). This study investigated the diurnal
      changes of ascorbate (a major detoxification agent) in the apoplast and leaf
      tissues of winter wheat grown under ambient air field conditions. Results showed
      the reduced ascorbate in the apoplast (ASCapo) exhibited a peak in late morning
      or midday, mismatching with either the maximum external O3 concentrations in mid
      afternoon or the maximum stomatal O3 uptake between late morning and mid
      afternoon. In contrast, the ASC in leaf tissues remained stable throughout the
      day. The investigations conducted in a Free-Air Concentration Elevation of O3
      system confirmed that the diurnal variations of the ASCapo were induced more by
      the daily variations of O3 concentrations rather than the cumulative O3 effects.
      In conclusion, the O3-stress detoxification should be a dynamic variable rather
      than a fixed threshold as assumed in the stomatal flux-based O3 dose metrics. 

PMID- 26476414
TI  - Prediction of recombinant protein overexpression in Escherichia coli using a
      machine learning based model (RPOLP).
AB  - Recombinant protein overexpression, an important biotechnological process, is
      ruled by complex biological rules which are mostly unknown, is in need of an
      intelligent algorithm so as to avoid resource-intensive lab-based trial and error
      experiments in order to determine the expression level of the recombinant
      protein. The purpose of this study is to propose a predictive model to estimate
      the level of recombinant protein overexpression for the first time in the
      literature using a machine learning approach based on the sequence, expression
      vector, and expression host. The expression host was confined to Escherichia coli
      which is the most popular bacterial host to overexpress recombinant proteins. To
      provide a handle to the problem, the overexpression level was categorized as low,
      medium and high. A set of features which were likely to affect the overexpression
      level was generated based on the known facts (e.g. gene length) and knowledge
      gathered from related literature. Then, a representative sub-set of features
      generated in the previous objective was determined using feature selection
      techniques. Finally a predictive model was developed using random forest
      classifier which was able to adequately classify the multi-class imbalanced small
      dataset constructed. The result showed that the predictive model provided a
      promising accuracy of 80% on average, in estimating the overexpression level of a
      recombinant protein. 

PMID- 26476413
TI  - Probing the chemical mechanism and critical regulatory amino acid residues of
      Drosophila melanogaster arylalkylamine N-acyltransferase like 2.
AB  - Arylalkylamine N-acyltransferase like 2 (AANATL2) catalyzes the formation of N
      acylarylalkylamides from the corresponding acyl-CoA and arylalkylamine. The N
      acylation of biogenic amines in Drosophila melanogaster is a critical step for
      the inactivation of neurotransmitters, cuticle sclerotization, and melatonin
      biosynthesis. In addition, D. melanogaster has been used as a model system to
      evaluate the biosynthesis of fatty acid amides: a family of potent cell signaling
      lipids. We have previously showed that AANATL2 catalyzes the formation of N
      acylarylakylamides, including long-chain N-acylserotonins and N-acyldopamines.
      Herein, we define the kinetic mechanism for AANATL2 as an ordered sequential
      mechanism with acetyl-CoA binding first followed by tyramine to generate the
      ternary complex prior to catalysis. Bell shaped kcat,app - acetyl-CoA and
      (kcat/Km)app - acetyl-CoA pH-rate profiles identified two apparent pKa,app values
      of ~7.4 and ~8.9 that are critical to catalysis, suggesting the AANATL2-catalyzed
      formation of N-acetyltyramine occurs through an acid/base chemical mechanism.
      Site-directed mutagenesis of a conserved glutamate that corresponds to the
      catalytic base for other D. melanogaster AANATL enzymes did not produce a
      substantial depression in the kcat,app value nor did it abolish the pKa,app value
      attributed to the general base in catalysis (pKa ~7.4). These data suggest that
      AANATL2 catalyzes the formation of N-acylarylalkylamides using either different
      catalytic residues or a different chemical mechanism relative to other D.
      melanogaster AANATL enzymes. In addition, we constructed other site-directed
      mutants of AANATL2 to help define the role of targeted amino acids in substrate
      binding and/or enzyme catalysis. 

PMID- 26476415
TI  - Cytoprotective role of autophagy against BH3 mimetic gossypol in ATG5 knockout
      cells generated by CRISPR-Cas9 endonuclease.
AB  - Previously, we demonstrated the association between autophagy and gossypol
      induced growth inhibition of mutant BRAF melanoma cells. Here, we investigate the
      role of autophagy in ATG5 knockout cell lines generated by the Clustered
      Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas-mediated genome
      editing. The MTT assay revealed that the inhibitory effect of gossypol was weaker
      on ATG5 knockout cells than that on the wild type (WT) cells. The conversion of
      non-autophagic LC3-I to autophagic LC3-II and RT-PCR confirmed the functional
      gene knockout. However, Cyto-ID autophagy assay revealed that gossypol induced
      ATG5- and LC3-independent autophagy in ATG5 knockout cells. Moreover, gossypol
      acts as an autophagy inducer in ATG5 knockout cells while blocking the later
      stages of the autophagy process in WT cells, which was determined by measuring
      autophagic flux after co-treatment of gossypol with chloroquine (late-stage
      autophagy inhibitor). On the other hand, inhibition of autophagy with 3-MA or
      Beclin-1 siRNA caused a partial increase in the sensitivity to gossypol in ATG5
      knockout cells, but not in the WT cells. Together, our findings suggest that the
      resistance to gossypol in ATG5 knockout cells is associated with increased
      cytoprotective autophagy, independent of ATG5. 

PMID- 26476417
TI  - Understanding surgeon decision making in the use of radiotherapy as neoadjuvant
      treatment in rectal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Strong evidence supports the use of neoadjuvant radiotherapy in
      rectal cancer to improve local control. This randomised controlled trial aimed to
      determine the effect of clinical and non-clinical factors on decision making by
      colorectal surgeons in patients with rectal cancer. METHODS: Two surveys
      comprising vignettes of alternating short (4) and long (12) cues identified
      previously as important in rectal cancer, were randomly assigned to all members
      of the CSSANZ. Respondents chose from three possible treatments: long course
      chemoradiotherapy (LC), short course radiotherapy (SC) or surgery alone to
      investigate the effects on surgeon decision and confidence in decisions. Choice
      data were analysed using multinomial logistic regression models. RESULTS: 106 of
      165 (64%) surgeons responded. LC was the preferred treatment choice in 73% of
      vignettes. Surgeons were more likely to recommend LC over SC (OR 1.79) or surgery
      alone (OR 1.99) when presented with the shorter, four-cue scenarios. There was no
      significant difference in confidence in decisions made when surgeons were
      presented with long cue vignettes (P = 0.57). Significant effects on the choice
      between LC, SC and surgery alone were tumour stage (P < 0.001), nodal status (P <
      0.001), tumour position in the rectum (P < 0.001) and the circumferential
      location of the tumour (P < 0.001). A T4 tumour was the factor most likely
      associated with a recommendation against surgery alone (OR 335.96) or SC (OR
      61.73). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that clinical factors exert the greatest
      influence on surgeon decision making, which follows a "fast and frugal" heuristic
      decision making model.

PMID- 26476416
TI  - Susceptibility of restorations and adjacent enamel/dentine to erosion under
      different salivary flow conditions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of erosion on
      direct tooth-coloured restorations and adjacent enamel/dentine under low and
      normal simulated salivary flow rates. METHODS: Bovine enamel and dentine
      specimens were prepared (n=16) and restored with the following materials: resin
      composite (FiltekZ250), resin-modified glass ionomer cement (Fuji II LC), high
      viscosity glass ionomer cement (Fuji IX), and conventional glass ionomer cement
      (Fuji II). They were submitted to in vitro erosion-remineralisation cycling
      simulating normal (0.5 ml/min) and low (0.05 ml/min) salivary flow rates, for 5
      days. The restorative material, enamel and dentine substrates were assessed with
      optical profilometry for surface loss. Mixed-model ANOVAs were used for
      statistical comparisons (alpha=0.05). RESULTS: Low-salivary flow significantly
      increased surface loss for all tested substrates (p<0.05), except FiltekZ250.
      Surface loss (mean+/-SD, in micrometres) under low-salivary flow was
      significantly higher in enamel (19.75+/-4.27) and dentine (23.08+/-3.48) adjacent
      to FiltekZ250 compared to Fuji II LC (16.33+/-2.30 and 20.47+/-2.58,
      respectively) and Fuji IX (15.79+/-2.41 and 20.63+/-2.34, respectively).
      Restoration surface degradation was significantly lower for Fuji II LC (2.17+/
      0.73) than for both Fuji II (13.03+/-6.79), and Fuji IX (16.74+/-7.72) under low
      salivary flow condition; whereas FiltekZ250 exhibited no meaningful surface loss
      (-0.35+/-0.19). CONCLUSION: Limited to these in vitro conditions, low-salivary
      flow promoted higher erosive conditions for teeth and restorations. Some fluoride
      containing restorative materials may reduce erosive wear on adjacent enamel and
      dentine. FiltekZ250 resisted erosive surface loss. Fuji II LC showed both reduced
      acid degradation and protection of adjacent dental surfaces to erosion. CLINICAL
      SIGNIFICANCE: Patients at risk for erosion and in need of restorations may
      benefit from fluoride-containing restorative materials that resist erosive
      degradation. The data of this study suggest that resin-modified glass ionomer may
      be a suitable restoration for patients at higher risk of erosion with low
      exposure to fluoride.

PMID- 26476418
TI  - Extent of lymph node dissection and overall survival in patients with uterine
      carcinosarcoma, papillary serous and endometrioid adenocarcinoma: A retrospective
      cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the interaction between extent of lymph node dissection
      (LND) and overall survival (OS) in patients with various histologic types of
      uterine cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively identified 834 patients who had
      primary surgery in our institution for uterine carcinosarcoma (CS), papillary
      serous (UPSC) and endometrioid adenocarcinoma between 1984 and 2009. Stage,
      grade, total lymph node count (LNC), positive LNC, adjuvant therapy, age, race
      and OS were collected. OS was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.
      Predictive factors were compared with the log rank test and Cox regression
      analysis. RESULTS: Our cohort included 158 patients with CS, 115 patients with
      UPSC and 561 patients with endometrioid adenocarcinoma. Of the cohort, 38% of the
      patients had Stage III or IV disease. LND was performed in 73% of patients with
      CS, 68% of patients with UPSC and 79% of patients with endometrioid
      adenocarcinoma. LND was performed in 82% of Stage I-II and in 68% of Stage III-IV
      cases. The median total LNC was 13 (range 1-75) and there was no significant
      difference in the total LNC between the different histologies. Median OS was 21
      months for CS, 18 months for UPSC and 200 months for patients with endometrioid
      adenocarcinoma. A positive association between the total and positive LNC was
      present in all three histologic types (Spearman coefficient, p < 0.001). The
      cohort was divided in quartiles based on the total LNC and a Kaplan-Meier
      survival analysis was performed. A continuum of improved OS was noted in
      correlation with increased LNC. OS was 27 months for the group with 0 nodes, 112
      months for the group with 1-8 nodes, 117 months for the group with 9-16 nodes and
      196 months for the group with >17 nodes. Doubling the total LNC was associated
      with 28% risk of death reduction (HR 0.724, CI 0.66-0.794, p < 0.001) for the
      first year and 14% risk reduction (HR 0.858, CI 0.761-0.967, p = 0.012) for the
      second year. CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort, the performance of LND is associated
      with improved OS. This effect appears to be uniform across pathology types. The
      extent of the LND is inversely correlated with the risk of death for the first 2
      years.

PMID- 26476420
TI  - Association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and depressive
      symptoms in an older Korean population: A cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aims to examine associations between serum 25
      hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations and depressive symptoms in an older
      Korean population. METHODS: The study used data from the Korean Urban Rural
      Elderly study, which enrolled 2942 participants aged 65 years or older from urban
      and rural communities. After excluding those treated with antidepressants, we
      conducted cross-sectional analysis of 2853 participants (962 men and 1891 women).
      Serum 25(OH)D was analyzed as both a continuous and categorized variable.
      Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Korean version of the Geriatric
      Depression Scale - Short Form. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were
      conducted to examine relationships between serum 25(OH)D and depressive symptoms
      for men and women separately. RESULTS: In men, ORs (95% CIs) for depressive
      symptoms were 1.74 (0.85, 3.58), 2.50 (1.20, 5.18), and 2.81 (1.15, 6.83) for
      those with a 25(OH)D concentration of 20.0-29.9, 10.0-19.9, and <10.0ng/mL,
      respectively (P-trend=0.013), compared with those with a 25(OH)D concentration of
      >=30.0ng/mL, after adjustment for study year, month of assay, age, parathyroid
      hormone, body mass index, number of comorbidities, smoking status, alcohol
      intake, exercise, sleep duration, income, education, cohabitation status, and
      residential area. In women, the associations between 25(OH)D and depressive
      symptoms were significant neither before nor after adjustment. LIMITATIONS: Due
      to the cross-sectional study design, causal association is uncertain. Intake of
      vitamin D supplements and outdoor activity were not examined. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      findings suggest that lower concentrations of vitamin D are independently
      associated with depressive symptoms in older Korean adults.

PMID- 26476419
TI  - Non-fatal suicidal behaviours in French Polynesia: Results of the WHO/START study
      and its implications for prevention.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This is the first research article examining non-fatal suicidal
      behaviours (NFSB) in French Polynesia. The study was conducted in the frames of
      the WHO/START Study in 2008-2010. The main objective of the investigation was to
      obtain reliable data in order to develop evidence-based suicide prevention
      strategies. METHOD: Interviews with people presenting with NFSB at the Emergency
      Department (ED) of the French Polynesia Hospital (CHPF) were conducted by
      emergency and psychiatry departments' staff examining socio-demographic and
      clinical information and motives triggering suicidal behaviour. Odds ratios and
      rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. RESULTS: There were
      556 presentations of NFSB by 515 persons at the ED of CHPF (ratio 1.08) with the
      average rate of 75 per 100,000 for those treated in the hospital. An estimate of
      cases occurring in remote islands might bring the rate for the whole French
      Polynesia around 94 per 100,000. NFSB was more prevalent in females; rates for
      both genders were highest in the age group 25-35 years and 15-24 years. The main
      suicide method was drug poisoning by psychotropic drugs. The most frequent
      psychiatric disorder was mood disorder (45.3%); however, 26% of subjects had no
      'major' psychiatric disorders, with 14.5% without a psychiatric diagnosis or only
      reactive disorders (F43-11.7%). There was a high prevalence of previous NFSB
      (52.1%). LIMITATIONS: Study includes only NFSB seeking medical help from the
      biggest hospital in the country. CONCLUSION: Suicide prevention activities
      specific to the findings and the socio-cultural context of French Polynesia
      should be considered.

PMID- 26476421
TI  - Construct validity of a proposed new diagnostic entity: Acute Suicidal Affective
      Disturbance (ASAD).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current study presents initial support for the construct validity
      of Acute Suicidal Affective Disturbance (ASAD), a clinical entity consisting of
      acute suicide risk and several related features. METHODS: Participants (N=195)
      were university students who were recruited for a history of suicide attempt(s),
      history of suicidal ideation, or no history of suicide attempts or suicidal
      ideation. Participants completed study measures online. RESULTS: Factor analytic
      results indicated a one factor solution for a lifetime measure of ASAD symptoms.
      The measure demonstrated strong convergent and divergent validity with common
      correlates of suicide-related outcomes and incremental predictive validity, as
      lifetime occurrence of ASAD symptoms predicted number of past suicide attempts
      above and beyond a host of suicide risk factors. Lifetime ASAD symptoms differed
      between those with multiple suicide attempts, those with a single attempt, and
      participants without a history of attempts, as well as between participants with
      a history of both suicidal ideation and attempts and those with a history of
      suicidal ideation but not suicide attempts. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional
      research design limits the ability to infer causation between ASAD symptoms and
      suicidal behavior. Only past ASAD symptoms (not current symptoms) were measured.
      CONCLUSIONS: ASAD appears to be a unified clinical entity that characterizes
      acute suicide risk which may assist clinicians in determining a client's
      potential for death by suicide.

PMID- 26476422
TI  - Does collaborative care improve social functioning in adults with depression? The
      application of the WHO ICF framework and meta-analysis of outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Collaborative care has proven efficacy in improving symptoms of
      depression, yet patients value improvements in their social function also. We
      used the World Health Organisation's International classification of functioning,
      disability, and health (WHO ICF) to robustly identify measures of social function
      and explored whether collaborative care interventions improve social functioning
      using meta-analysis. METHODS: We performed a secondary data analysis on studies
      identified from our previous Cochrane review of collaborative care interventions
      for depression and search update (December 2013). The WHO ICF framework was
      applied to identify studies that included self-report measures of social
      functioning. Outcomes were extracted at short-term (6 months) and medium-term
      (>=7 months) and analysed using random-effects meta-analysis. The relationship
      between improvements in depression outcomes and improvements in social
      functioning was also explored using bivarable meta-regression. RESULTS: Eighteen
      trials were identified that measured social functioning and met our remaining
      inclusion criteria. Collaborative care was associated with small improvements in
      social functioning in the short (Standardised Mean Difference, SMD=0.23, 95%
      confidence interval 0.12 to 0.34) and medium term (SMD=0.19, 95% confidence
      interval 0.09 to 0.29). Improvements in depressive symptoms were associated with
      moderate improvements in social function (beta=-0.55, 95% confidence interval 
      0.82 to -0.28) but cross-sectionally only. LIMITATIONS: The small number of
      studies (N=18) prevented more complex analyses to explore moderators of social
      functioning outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Collaborative care improves social functioning
      but the mechanisms through which this occurs are unknown. Future depression
      interventions need to consider a person's degree of social function equally
      alongside their depressive symptoms.

PMID- 26476431
TI  - Multi-scale perturbations of protein interactomes reveal their mechanisms of
      regulation, robustness and insights into genotype-phenotype maps.
AB  - Cellular architectures and signaling machineries are organized through protein
      protein interactions (PPIs). High-throughput methods to study PPIs in yeast have
      opened a new perspective on the organization of the cell by allowing the study of
      whole protein interactomes. Recent investigations have moved from the description
      of this organization to the analysis of its dynamics by experimenting how protein
      interaction networks (PINs) are rewired in response to perturbations. Here we
      review studies that have used the budding yeast as an experimental system to
      explore these altered networks. Given the large space of possible PPIs and the
      diversity of potential genetic and environmental perturbations, high-throughput
      methods are an essential requirement to survey PIN perturbations on a large
      scale. Network perturbations are typically conceptualized as the removal of
      entire proteins (nodes), the modification of single PPIs (edges) or changes in
      growth conditions. These studies have revealed mechanisms of PPI regulation, PIN
      architectural organization, robustness and sensitivity to perturbations. Despite
      these major advances, there are still inherent limits to current technologies
      that lead to a trade-off between the number of perturbations and the number of
      PPIs that can be considered simultaneously. Nevertheless, as we exemplify here,
      targeted approaches combined with the existing resources remain extremely
      powerful to explore the inner organization of cells and their responses to
      perturbations. 

PMID- 26476429
TI  - Comparative effectiveness of exercise and drug interventions on mortality
      outcomes: metaepidemiological study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the comparative effectiveness of exercise versus drug
      interventions on mortality outcomes. DESIGN: Metaepidemiological study.
      ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials with
      mortality outcomes comparing the effectiveness of exercise and drug interventions
      with each other or with control (placebo or usual care). DATA SOURCES: Medline
      and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, May 2013. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:
      Mortality. DATA SYNTHESIS: We combined study level death outcomes from exercise
      and drug trials using random effects network meta-analysis. RESULTS: We included
      16 (four exercise and 12 drug) meta-analyses. Incorporating an additional three
      recent exercise trials, our review collectively included 305 randomised
      controlled trials with 339,274 participants. Across all four conditions with
      evidence on the effectiveness of exercise on mortality outcomes (secondary
      prevention of coronary heart disease, rehabilitation of stroke, treatment of
      heart failure, prevention of diabetes), 14,716 participants were randomised to
      physical activity interventions in 57 trials. No statistically detectable
      differences were evident between exercise and drug interventions in the secondary
      prevention of coronary heart disease and prediabetes. Physical activity
      interventions were more effective than drug treatment among patients with stroke
      (odds ratios, exercise vanticoagulants 0.09, 95% credible intervals 0.01 to 0.70
      and exercise v antiplatelets 0.10, 0.01 to 0.62). Diuretics were more effective
      than exercise in heart failure (exercise v diuretics 4.11,1.17 to 24.76).
      Inconsistency between direct and indirect comparisons was not significant.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although limited in quantity, existing randomised trial evidence on
      exercise interventions suggests that exercise and many drug interventions are
      often potentially similar in terms of their mortality benefits in the secondary
      prevention of coronary heart disease, rehabilitation after stroke, treatment of
      heart failure, and prevention of diabetes.

PMID- 26476432
TI  - Suppression of TGFbeta and Angiogenesis by Type VII Collagen in Cutaneous SCC.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individuals with severe generalized recessive dystrophic
      epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), an inherited blistering disorder caused by
      mutations in the COL7A1 gene, develop unexplained aggressive squamous cell
      carcinomas (SCC). Here we report that loss of type VII collagen (Col7) in SCC
      results in increased TGFbeta signaling and angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo.
      METHODS: Stable knockdown (KD) of Col7 was established using shRNA, and cells
      were used in a mouse xenograft model. Angiogenesis was assessed by
      immunohistochemistry, endothelial tube-forming assays, and proteome arrays. Mouse
      and zebrafish models were used to examine the effect of recombinant Col7 on
      angiogenesis. Findings were confirmed in anonymized, archival human tissue: RDEB
      SCC tumors, non-EB SCC tumors, RDEB skin, normal skin; and two human RDEB SCC
      cell lines. The TGFbeta pathway was examined using immunoblotting,
      immunohistochemistry, biochemical inhibition, and siRNA. All statistical tests
      were two-sided. RESULTS: Increased numbers of cross-cut blood vessels were
      observed in Col7 KD compared with control xenografts (n = 4 to 7 per group) and
      in RDEB tumors (n = 21) compared with sporadic SCC (n = 24, P < .001).
      Recombinant human Col7 reversed the increased SCC angiogenesis in Col7 KD
      xenografts in vivo (n = 7 per group, P = .04). Blocking the interaction between
      alpha2beta1 integrin and Col7 increased TGFB1 mRNA expression 1.8-fold and p
      Smad2 levels two-fold. Increased TGFbeta signaling and VEGF expression were
      observed in Col7 KD xenografts (n = 4) compared with control (n = 4) and RDEB
      tumors (TGFbeta markers, n = 6; VEGF, n = 17) compared with sporadic SCC (TGFbeta
      markers, n = 6; VEGF, n = 21). Inhibition of TGFbeta receptor signaling using
      siRNA resulted in decreased endothelial cell tube formation (n = 9 per group,
      mean tubes per well siC = 63.6, SD = 17.1; mean tubes per well siTbetaRII = 29.7,
      SD = 6.1, P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Type VII collagen suppresses TGFbeta signaling
      and angiogenesis in cutaneous SCC. Patients with RDEB SCC may benefit from anti
      angiogenic therapy.

PMID- 26476430
TI  - An overview of bioinformatics methods for modeling biological pathways in yeast.
AB  - The advent of high-throughput genomics techniques, along with the completion of
      genome sequencing projects, identification of protein-protein interactions and
      reconstruction of genome-scale pathways, has accelerated the development of
      systems biology research in the yeast organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae In
      particular, discovery of biological pathways in yeast has become an important
      forefront in systems biology, which aims to understand the interactions among
      molecules within a cell leading to certain cellular processes in response to a
      specific environment. While the existing theoretical and experimental approaches
      enable the investigation of well-known pathways involved in metabolism, gene
      regulation and signal transduction, bioinformatics methods offer new insights
      into computational modeling of biological pathways. A wide range of computational
      approaches has been proposed in the past for reconstructing biological pathways
      from high-throughput datasets. Here we review selected bioinformatics approaches
      for modeling biological pathways inS. cerevisiae, including metabolic pathways,
      gene-regulatory pathways and signaling pathways. We start with reviewing the
      research on biological pathways followed by discussing key biological databases.
      In addition, several representative computational approaches for modeling
      biological pathways in yeast are discussed.

PMID- 26476433
TI  - The Temporal Risk of Heart Failure Associated With Adjuvant Trastuzumab in Breast
      Cancer Patients: A Population Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The late cardiac effect of adjuvant trastuzumab and its potential
      interaction with anthracycline have not been well-studied on a population level.
      METHODS: In this retrospective population-based cohort study, female breast
      cancer patients in Ontario, diagnosed between 2003 and 2009, were identified by
      the Ontario Cancer Registry and linked to administrative databases to ascertain
      demographics, cardiac risk factors, comorbidities, and use of adjuvant
      trastuzumab and other chemotherapy. Patients with pre-existing heart failure (HF)
      were excluded. The main endpoint was new diagnosis of HF. Analyses included
      Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival analysis, multivariable piecewise Cox regression, and
      competing risk and propensity score analyses. All statistical tests were two
      sided. RESULTS: Nineteen thousand seventy-four women with breast cancer treated
      with adjuvant chemotherapy were identified, of whom 3371 (17.7%) also received
      adjuvant trastuzumab. Anthracycline use was 84.9% overall. After a median follow
      up of 5.9 years, patients treated with trastuzumab and chemotherapy were more
      likely to develop HF than patients on chemotherapy alone (5-year cumulative
      incidences of 5.2% vs 2.5%; log-rank P < .001). After adjusting for confounders,
      adjuvant trastuzumab remained independently associated with incident HF in the
      first 1.5 years (HR = 5.77, 95% CI = 4.38 to 7.62, P < .001), but not thereafter
      (HR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.57 to 1.33, P = .53). Anthracycline use did not increase
      the risk of HF with trastuzumab synergistically, neither within (P interaction =
      .92) nor beyond 1.5 years (P interaction = .23). CONCLUSION: Adjuvant trastuzumab
      was associated with increased risk of new incidence of HF in breast cancer
      survivors during the period of adjuvant treatment but not thereafter. Routine
      intensive monitoring may not be necessary after completing adjuvant therapy.

PMID- 26476434
TI  - RE: Detecting Overall Survival Benefit Derived From Survival Postprogression
      Rather Than Progression-Free Survival.

PMID- 26476435
TI  - RE: A Proposal to Standardize Reporting Units for Fecal Immunochemical Tests for
      Hemoglobin.

PMID- 26476436
TI  - Exposure to 915 MHz radiation induces micronuclei in Vicia faba root tips.
AB  - The increasing use of mobile phones and wireless networks raised a great debate
      about the real carcinogenic potential of radiofrequency-electromagnetic field (RF
      EMF) exposure associated with these devices. Conflicting results are reported by
      the great majority of in vivo and in vitro studies on the capability of RF-EMF
      exposure to induce DNA damage and mutations in mammalian systems. Aimed at
      understanding whether less ambiguous responses to RF-EMF exposure might be
      evidenced in plant systems with respect to mammalian ones, in the present work
      the mutagenic effect of RF-EMF has been studied through the micronucleus (MN)
      test in secondary roots of Vicia faba seedlings exposed to mobile phone
      transmission in controlled conditions, inside a transverse electro magnetic (TEM)
      cell. Exposure of roots was carried out for 72h using a continuous wave (CW) of
      915 MHz radiation at three values of equivalent plane wave power densities (23,
      35 and 46W/m(2)). The specific absorption rate (SAR) was measured with a
      calorimetric method and the corresponding values were found to fall in the range
      of 0.4-1.5W/kg. Results of three independent experiments show the induction of a
      significant increase of MN frequency after exposure, ranging from a 2.3-fold
      increase above the sham value, at the lowest SAR level, up to a 7-fold increase
      at the highest SAR. These findings are in agreement with the limited number of
      data on cytogenetic effects detected in other plant systems exposed to mobile
      phone RF-EMF frequencies and clearly show the capability of radiofrequency
      exposure to induce DNA damage in this eukaryotic cell system.

PMID- 26476437
TI  - Effects of the Synthetic Neurosteroid: 3beta-Methoxypregnenolone (MAP4343) on
      Behavioral and Physiological Alterations Provoked by Chronic Psychosocial Stress
      in Tree Shrews.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most currently available active antidepressant drugs are selective
      serotonin/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors. However, as their clinical efficacy
      is not immediate, long-term administration is often accompanied by substantial
      side effects, and numerous patients remain non- or partial responders. We have
      recently found that the synthetic neurosteroid derivative 3beta
      methoxypregnenolone, which binds to the microtubule-associated protein-2, can
      provide a novel therapeutic approach in experimental model of depressive
      disorders in rats. To further validate the antidepressant-like efficacy of 3beta
      methoxypregnenolone, we investigated effects of a longer treatment (4-week oral
      administration; 50mg/kg/d) in a nonrodent species, the tree shrew, exposed to
      psychosocial stress that elicits close-to-human alterations observed in patients
      with depressive disorders. METHODS: During the experimental period, physiological
      parameters were registered, including core body temperature and
      electroencephalogram, while animals were videotaped to analyze their avoidance
      behavior. Morning urine samples were collected for measurements of cortisol and
      noradrenaline levels. RESULTS: We found that treatment with 3beta
      methoxypregnenolone abolished stress-triggered avoidance behavior and prevented
      hormone hypersecretion, hypothermia, and sleep disturbances, further suggesting
      its antidepressant-like efficacy. Comparative treatment with fluoxetine also
      prevented some of the physiological alterations, while the hypersecretion of
      cortisol and sleep disturbances were not or partially restored by fluoxetine,
      suggesting a better efficacy of 3beta-methoxypregnenolone. Alpha-tubulin isoforms
      were measured in hippocampi: we found that 3beta-methoxypregnenolone reversed the
      specific decrease in acetylation of alpha-tubulin induced by psychosocial stress,
      while it did not modify the psychosocial stress-elicited reduction of tyrosinated
      alpha-tubulin. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these data strongly suggest a potent
      antidepressant-like effect of 3beta-methoxypregnenolone on translational
      parameters.

PMID- 26476439
TI  - Notice of Retraction.

PMID- 26476438
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA copy number in colorectal cancer: between tissue comparisons,
      clinicopathological characteristics and survival.
AB  - Low mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in tumors has been associated with
      worse prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC). This study further deciphers the role
      of mtDNA copy number in CRC by comparing mtDNA copy number between healthy,
      adenoma and carcinoma tissue, by investigating its association according to
      several clinicopathological characteristics in CRC, and by relating it to CRC
      specific survival in CRC patients. A hospital-based series of samples including
      cancer, adenoma and adjacent histologically normal tissue from primary CRC
      patients (n = 56) and recurrent CRC (n = 16) was studied as well as colon mucosa
      samples from healthy subjects (n = 76). Furthermore, mtDNA copy number was
      assessed in carcinomas of 693 CRC cases identified from the population-based
      Netherlands Cohort Study (NLCS). MtDNA copy number was significantly lower in
      carcinoma tissue (P = 0.011) and adjacent tissue (P < 0.001) compared to earlier
      resected adenoma tissue and in primary CRC tissue compared to recurrent CRC
      tissue (P = 0.011). Within both study populations, mtDNA copy number was
      significantly lower in mutated BRAF (P = 0.027 and P = 0.006) and in
      microsatellite unstable (MSI) tumors (P = 0.033 and P < 0.001) and higher in KRAS
      mutated tumors (P = 0.004). Furthermore, the association between mtDNA and
      survival seemed to follow an inverse U-shape with the highest HR observed in the
      second quintile of mtDNA copy number (HR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.18, 2.44) compared to
      the first quintile. These results might reflect an association of mtDNA copy
      number with various malignant processes in cancer cells and warrants further
      research on tumor energy metabolism in CRC prognosis. 

PMID- 26476440
TI  - Promoting lifestyle behaviour change and well-being in hospital patients: a pilot
      study of an evidence-based psychological intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lifestyle risk behaviours show an inverse social gradient, clustering
      in vulnerable groups. We designed and piloted an intervention to address barriers
      to lifestyle behaviour change among hospital patients. METHODS: We designed our
      intervention using effective components of behaviour change interventions
      informed by psychological theory. Delivered by a health psychologist based at the
      Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, the 4-week intervention included detailed
      baseline assessment, personalized goal setting, psychological skills development,
      motivation support and referral to community services. Primary outcomes were
      feasibility and patient acceptability. We also evaluated changes to health and
      well-being. RESULTS: From 1 July 2013 to 31 September 2014, 686 patients were
      referred, 338 (49.3%) attended a first appointment and 172 (25.1%) completed
      follow-up. Furthermore, 72.1% of attenders were female with the median age 55
      years and poor self-reported baseline health. After 4 weeks, self-efficacy,
      health and well-being scores significantly improved: 63% of lifestyle goals and
      89% of health management goals were fully achieved; 58% of referrals to community
      lifestyle behaviour change services and 79% of referrals to other services (e.g.
      Citizen's Advice Bureau) were accepted; 99% were satisfied/very satisfied with
      the service. CONCLUSIONS: Our hospital-based intervention was feasible,
      acceptable and showed preliminary health and well-being gains.

PMID- 26476441
TI  - Dose-Response Functions for the Olfactory, Nasal Trigeminal, and Ocular
      Trigeminal Detectability of Airborne Chemicals by Humans.
AB  - We gathered from the literature 47 odor and 37 trigeminal (nasal and ocular)
      chemesthetic psychometric (i.e., detectability or dose-response) functions from a
      group of 41 chemicals. Vapors delivered were quantified by analytical methods.
      All functions were very well fitted by the sigmoid (logistic) equation: y = 1 /
      (1 + e({-(x-C)/D})), where parameter C quantifies the detection threshold
      concentration and parameter D the steepness of the function. Odor and
      chemesthetic functions showed no concentration overlap: olfactory functions grew
      along the parts per billion (ppb by volume) range or lower, whereas trigeminal
      functions grew along the part per million (ppm by volume) range. Although, on
      average, odor detectability rose from chance detection to perfect detection
      within 2 orders of magnitude in concentration, chemesthetic detectability did it
      within one. For 16 compounds having at least 1 odor and 1 chemesthetic function,
      the average gap between the 2 functions was 4.6 orders of magnitude in
      concentration. A quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) using 5
      chemical descriptors that had previously described stand-alone odor and
      chemesthetic threshold values, also holds promise to describe, and eventually
      predict, olfactory and chemesthetic detectability functions, albeit functions
      from additional compounds are needed to strengthen the QSAR. 

PMID- 26476442
TI  - The structure of Erb1-Ytm1 complex reveals the functional importance of a high
      affinity binding between two beta-propellers during the assembly of large
      ribosomal subunits in eukaryotes.
AB  - Ribosome biogenesis is one of the most essential pathways in eukaryotes although
      it is still not fully characterized. Given the importance of this process in
      proliferating cells, it is obvious that understanding the macromolecular details
      of the interactions that take place between the assembly factors, ribosomal
      proteins and nascent pre-rRNAs is essentially required for the development of new
      non-genotoxic treatments for cancer. Herein, we have studied the association
      between the WD40-repeat domains of Erb1 and Ytm1 proteins. These are essential
      factors for the biogenesis of 60S ribosomal subunits in eukaryotes that form a
      heterotrimeric complex together with the also essential Nop7 protein. We provide
      the crystal structure of a dimer formed by the C-terminal part of Erb1 and Ytm1
      from Chaetomium thermophilum at 2.1 A resolution. Using a multidisciplinary
      approach we show that the beta-propeller domains of these proteins interact in a
      novel manner that leads to a high-affinity binding. We prove that a point
      mutation within the interface of the complex impairs the interaction between the
      two proteins and negatively affects growth and ribosome production in yeast. Our
      study suggests insights into the association of the Erb1-Ytm1 dimer with pre
      ribosomal particles. 

PMID- 26476443
TI  - CauloBrowser: A systems biology resource for Caulobacter crescentus.
AB  - Caulobacter crescentus is a premier model organism for studying the molecular
      basis of cellular asymmetry. The Caulobacter community has generated a wealth of
      high-throughput spatiotemporal databases including data from gene expression
      profiling experiments (microarrays, RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, ribosome profiling, LC-ms
      proteomics), gene essentiality studies (Tn-seq), genome wide protein localization
      studies, and global chromosome methylation analyses (SMRT sequencing). A major
      challenge involves the integration of these diverse data sets into one
      comprehensive community resource. To address this need, we have generated
      CauloBrowser (www.caulobrowser.org), an online resource for Caulobacter studies.
      This site provides a user-friendly interface for quickly searching genes of
      interest and downloading genome-wide results. Search results about individual
      genes are displayed as tables, graphs of time resolved expression profiles, and
      schematics of protein localization throughout the cell cycle. In addition, the
      site provides a genome viewer that enables customizable visualization of all
      published high-throughput genomic data. The depth and diversity of data sets
      collected by the Caulobacter community makes CauloBrowser a unique and valuable
      systems biology resource. 

PMID- 26476444
TI  - PDBe: improved accessibility of macromolecular structure data from PDB and EMDB.
AB  - The Protein Data Bank in Europe (http://pdbe.org) accepts and annotates
      depositions of macromolecular structure data in the PDB and EMDB archives and
      enriches, integrates and disseminates structural information in a variety of
      ways. The PDBe website has been redesigned based on an analysis of user
      requirements, and now offers intuitive access to improved and value-added
      macromolecular structure information. Unique value-added information includes
      lists of reviews and research articles that cite or mention PDB entries as well
      as access to figures and legends from full-text open-access publications that
      describe PDB entries. A powerful new query system not only shows all the PDB
      entries that match a given query, but also shows the 'best structures' for a
      given macromolecule, ligand complex or sequence family using data-quality
      information from the wwPDB validation reports. A PDBe RESTful API has been
      developed to provide unified access to macromolecular structure data available in
      the PDB and EMDB archives as well as value-added annotations, e.g. regarding
      structure quality and up-to-date cross-reference information from the SIFTS
      resource. Taken together, these new developments facilitate unified access to
      macromolecular structure data in an intuitive way for non-expert users and
      support expert users in analysing macromolecular structure data. 

PMID- 26476445
TI  - Directly lighting up RNA G-quadruplexes from test tubes to living human cells.
AB  - RNA G-quadruplexes (G4s) are one of the key components of the transcriptome that
      act as efficient post-transcriptional regulatory elements in living cells. To
      conduct further studies of the unique biological functions of RNA G4s, techniques
      need to be developed that can efficiently recognize RNA G4 structures under
      various conditions, in fixed cells and living cells, as well as in vitro. This
      paper presents the development of such a method, a new technique using a cyanine
      dye called CyT, which can detect both canonical and non-canonical RNA G4
      structures from test tubes to living human cells. The ability of CyT to
      distinguish between G4 and nonG4 RNA offers a promising tool for future RNA G4
      based biomarker discovery and potential diagnostic applications. 

PMID- 26476446
TI  - Full-length RNA structure prediction of the HIV-1 genome reveals a conserved core
      domain.
AB  - A distance constrained secondary structural model of the ~10 kb RNA genome of the
      HIV-1 has been predicted but higher-order structures, involving long distance
      interactions, are currently unknown. We present the first global RNA secondary
      structure model for the HIV-1 genome, which integrates both comparative structure
      analysis and information from experimental data in a full-length prediction
      without distance constraints. Besides recovering known structural elements, we
      predict several novel structural elements that are conserved in HIV-1 evolution.
      Our results also indicate that the structure of the HIV-1 genome is highly
      variable in most regions, with a limited number of stable and conserved RNA
      secondary structures. Most interesting, a set of long distance interactions form
      a core organizing structure (COS) that organize the genome into three major
      structural domains. Despite overlapping protein-coding regions the COS is
      supported by a particular high frequency of compensatory base changes, suggesting
      functional importance for this element. This new structural element potentially
      organizes the whole genome into three major domains protruding from a conserved
      core structure with potential roles in replication and evolution for the virus. 

PMID- 26476447
TI  - FLOR-ID: an interactive database of flowering-time gene networks in Arabidopsis
      thaliana.
AB  - Flowering is a hot topic in Plant Biology and important progress has been made in
      Arabidopsis thaliana toward unraveling the genetic networks involved. The
      increasing complexity and the explosion of literature however require development
      of new tools for information management and update. We therefore created an
      evolutive and interactive database of flowering time genes, named FLOR-ID
      (Flowering-Interactive Database), which is freely accessible at http://www.flor
      id.org. The hand-curated database contains information on 306 genes and links to
      1595 publications gathering the work of >4500 authors. Gene/protein functions and
      interactions within the flowering pathways were inferred from the analysis of
      related publications, included in the database and translated into interactive
      manually drawn snapshots. 

PMID- 26476448
TI  - Selection of 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoroarabinonucleotide (FANA) aptamers that bind HIV-1
      reverse transcriptase with picomolar affinity.
AB  - Using a Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX)
      protocol capable of selecting xeno-nucleic acid (XNA) aptamers, a 2'-deoxy-2'
      fluoroarabinonucleotide (FANA) aptamer (referred to as FA1) to HIV-1 reverse
      transcriptase (HIV-1 RT) was selected. FA1 bound HIV-1 RT with KD,app values in
      the low pM range under different ionic conditions. Comparisons to published HIV-1
      RT RNA and DNA aptamers indicated that FA1 bound at least as well as these
      aptamers. FA1 contained a 20 nucleotide 5' DNA sequence followed by a 57
      nucleotide region of FANA nucleotides. Removal of the fourteen 5' DNA nucleotides
      did not affect binding. FA1's predicted structure was composed of four stems and
      four loops. All stem nucleotides could be modified to G-C base pairs (14 total
      changes) with a small effect on binding. Eliminating or altering most loop
      sequences reduced or abolished tight binding. Overall, results suggested that the
      structure and the sequence of FA1 were important for binding. FA1 showed strong
      inhibition of HIV-1 RT in extension assays while no specific binding to avian
      myeloblastosis or Moloney murine leukemia RTs was detected. A complete DNA
      version of FA1 showed low binding to HIV-1 RT, emphasizing the unique properties
      of FANA in HIV-1 RT binding. 

PMID- 26476449
TI  - PhytoPath: an integrative resource for plant pathogen genomics.
AB  - PhytoPath (www.phytopathdb.org) is a resource for genomic and phenotypic data
      from plant pathogen species, that integrates phenotypic data for genes from PHI
      base, an expertly curated catalog of genes with experimentally verified
      pathogenicity, with the Ensembl tools for data visualization and analysis. The
      resource is focused on fungi, protists (oomycetes) and bacterial plant pathogens
      that have genomes that have been sequenced and annotated. Genes with associated
      PHI-base data can be easily identified across all plant pathogen species using a
      BioMart-based query tool and visualized in their genomic context on the Ensembl
      genome browser. The PhytoPath resource contains data for 135 genomic sequences
      from 87 plant pathogen species, and 1364 genes curated for their role in
      pathogenicity and as targets for chemical intervention. Support for community
      annotation of gene models is provided using the WebApollo online gene editor, and
      we are working with interested communities to improve reference annotation for
      selected species. 

PMID- 26476450
TI  - PlantPAN 2.0: an update of plant promoter analysis navigator for reconstructing
      transcriptional regulatory networks in plants.
AB  - Transcription factors (TFs) are sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins acting as
      critical regulators of gene expression. The Plant Promoter Analysis Navigator
      (PlantPAN; http://PlantPAN2.itps.ncku.edu.tw) provides an informative resource
      for detecting transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs), corresponding TFs, and
      other important regulatory elements (CpG islands and tandem repeats) in a
      promoter or a set of plant promoters. Additionally, TFBSs, CpG islands, and
      tandem repeats in the conserve regions between similar gene promoters are also
      identified. The current PlantPAN release (version 2.0) contains 16 960 TFs and
      1143 TF binding site matrices among 76 plant species. In addition to updating of
      the annotation information, adding experimentally verified TF matrices, and
      making improvements in the visualization of transcriptional regulatory networks,
      several new features and functions are incorporated. These features include: (i)
      comprehensive curation of TF information (response conditions, target genes, and
      sequence logos of binding motifs, etc.), (ii) co-expression profiles of TFs and
      their target genes under various conditions, (iii) protein-protein interactions
      among TFs and their co-factors, (iv) TF-target networks, and (v) downstream
      promoter elements. Furthermore, a dynamic transcriptional regulatory network
      under various conditions is provided in PlantPAN 2.0. The PlantPAN 2.0 is a
      systematic platform for plant promoter analysis and reconstructing
      transcriptional regulatory networks. 

PMID- 26476451
TI  - Epigenetic program and transcription factor circuitry of dendritic cell
      development.
AB  - Dendritic cells (DC) are professional antigen presenting cells that develop from
      hematopoietic stem cells through successive steps of lineage commitment and
      differentiation. Multipotent progenitors (MPP) are committed to DC restricted
      common DC progenitors (CDP), which differentiate into specific DC subsets,
      classical DC (cDC) and plasmacytoid DC (pDC). To determine epigenetic states and
      regulatory circuitries during DC differentiation, we measured consecutive changes
      of genome-wide gene expression, histone modification and transcription factor
      occupancy during the sequel MPP-CDP-cDC/pDC. Specific histone marks in CDP reveal
      a DC-primed epigenetic signature, which is maintained and reinforced during DC
      differentiation. Epigenetic marks and transcription factor PU.1 occupancy
      increasingly coincide upon DC differentiation. By integrating PU.1 occupancy and
      gene expression we devised a transcription factor regulatory circuitry for DC
      commitment and subset specification. The circuitry provides the transcription
      factor hierarchy that drives the sequel MPP-CDP-cDC/pDC, including Irf4, Irf8,
      Tcf4, Spib and Stat factors. The circuitry also includes feedback loops inferred
      for individual or multiple factors, which stabilize distinct stages of DC
      development and DC subsets. In summary, here we describe the basic regulatory
      circuitry of transcription factors that drives DC development. 

PMID- 26476452
TI  - The ubiquitin ligase HERC3 attenuates NF-kappaB-dependent transcription
      independently of its enzymatic activity by delivering the RelA subunit for
      degradation.
AB  - Activation of NF-kappaB-dependent transcription represents an important hallmark
      of inflammation. While the acute inflammatory response is per se beneficial, it
      can become deleterious if its spatial and temporal profile is not tightly
      controlled. Classically, NF-kappaB activity is limited by cytoplasmic retention
      of the NF-kappaB dimer through binding to inhibitory IkappaB proteins. However,
      increasing evidence suggests that NF-kappaB activity can also be efficiently
      contained by direct ubiquitination of NF-kappaB subunits. Here, we identify the
      HECT-domain ubiquitin ligase HERC3 as novel negative regulator of NF-kappaB
      activity. We find that HERC3 restricts NF-kappaB nuclear import and DNA binding
      without affecting IkappaBalpha degradation. Instead HERC3 indirectly binds to the
      NF-kappaB RelA subunit after liberation from IkappaBalpha inhibitor leading to
      its ubiquitination and protein destabilization. Remarkably, the regulation of
      RelA activity by HERC3 is independent of its inherent ubiquitin ligase activity.
      Rather, we show that HERC3 and RelA are part of a multi-protein complex
      containing the proteasome as well as the ubiquitin-like protein ubiquilin-1
      (UBQLN1). We present evidence that HERC3 and UBQLN1 provide a link between NF
      kappaB RelA and the 26S proteasome, thereby facilitating RelA protein
      degradation. Our findings establish HERC3 as novel candidate regulating the
      inflammatory response initiated by NF-kappaB. 

PMID- 26476453
TI  - Inner nuclear envelope protein SUN1 plays a prominent role in mammalian mRNA
      export.
AB  - Nuclear export of messenger ribonucleoproteins (mRNPs) through the nuclear pore
      complex (NPC) can be roughly classified into two forms: bulk and specific export,
      involving an nuclear RNA export factor 1 (NXF1)-dependent pathway and chromosome
      region maintenance 1 (CRM1)-dependent pathway, respectively. SUN proteins
      constitute the inner nuclear envelope component of the l I: nker of N:
      ucleoskeleton and C: ytoskeleton (LINC) complex. Here, we show that mammalian
      cells require SUN1 for efficient nuclear mRNP export. The results indicate that
      both SUN1 and SUN2 interact with heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP)
      F/H and hnRNP K/J. SUN1 depletion inhibits the mRNP export, with accumulations of
      both hnRNPs and poly(A)+RNA in the nucleus. Leptomycin B treatment indicates that
      SUN1 functions in mammalian mRNA export involving the NXF1-dependent pathway.
      SUN1 mediates mRNA export through its association with mRNP complexes via a
      direct interaction with NXF1. Additionally, SUN1 associates with the NPC through
      a direct interaction with Nup153, a nuclear pore component involved in mRNA
      export. Taken together, our results reveal that the inner nuclear envelope
      protein SUN1 has additional functions aside from being a central component of the
      LINC complex and that it is an integral component of the mammalian mRNA export
      pathway suggesting a model whereby SUN1 recruits NXF1-containing mRNP onto the
      nuclear envelope and hands it over to Nup153. 

PMID- 26476454
TI  - KEGG as a reference resource for gene and protein annotation.
AB  - KEGG (http://www.kegg.jp/ or http://www.genome.jp/kegg/) is an integrated
      database resource for biological interpretation of genome sequences and other
      high-throughput data. Molecular functions of genes and proteins are associated
      with ortholog groups and stored in the KEGG Orthology (KO) database. The KEGG
      pathway maps, BRITE hierarchies and KEGG modules are developed as networks of KO
      nodes, representing high-level functions of the cell and the organism. Currently,
      more than 4000 complete genomes are annotated with KOs in the KEGG GENES
      database, which can be used as a reference data set for KO assignment and
      subsequent reconstruction of KEGG pathways and other molecular networks. As an
      annotation resource, the following improvements have been made. First, each KO
      record is re-examined and associated with protein sequence data used in
      experiments of functional characterization. Second, the GENES database now
      includes viruses, plasmids, and the addendum category for functionally
      characterized proteins that are not represented in complete genomes. Third, new
      automatic annotation servers, BlastKOALA and GhostKOALA, are made available
      utilizing the non-redundant pangenome data set generated from the GENES database.
      As a resource for translational bioinformatics, various data sets are created for
      antimicrobial resistance and drug interaction networks. 

PMID- 26476455
TI  - H3K23me2 is a new heterochromatic mark in Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - Genome-wide analyses in Caenorhabditis elegans show that post-translational
      modifications (PTMs) of histones are evolutionary conserved and distributed along
      functionally distinct genomic domains. However, a global profile of PTMs and
      their co-occurrence on the same histone tail has not been described in this
      organism. We used mass spectrometry based middle-down proteomics to analyze
      histone H3 N-terminal tails from C. elegans embryos for the presence, the
      relative abundance and the potential cross-talk of co-existing PTMs. This
      analysis highlighted that the lysine 23 of histone H3 (H3K23) is extensively
      modified by methylation and that tri-methylated H3K9 (H3K9me3) is exclusively
      detected on histone tails with di-methylated H3K23 (H3K23me2). Chromatin
      immunoprecipitation approaches revealed a positive correlation between H3K23me2
      and repressive marks. By immunofluorescence analyses, H3K23me2 appears
      differentially regulated in germ and somatic cells, in part by the action of the
      histone demethylase JMJD-1.2. H3K23me2 is enriched in heterochromatic regions,
      localizing in H3K9me3 and heterochromatin protein like-1 (HPL-1)-positive foci.
      Biochemical analyses indicated that HPL-1 binds to H3K23me2 and interacts with a
      conserved CoREST repressive complex. Thus, our study suggests that H3K23me2
      defines repressive domains and contributes to organizing the genome in distinct
      heterochromatic regions during embryogenesis. 

PMID- 26476456
TI  - BiGG Models: A platform for integrating, standardizing and sharing genome-scale
      models.
AB  - Genome-scale metabolic models are mathematically-structured knowledge bases that
      can be used to predict metabolic pathway usage and growth phenotypes.
      Furthermore, they can generate and test hypotheses when integrated with
      experimental data. To maximize the value of these models, centralized
      repositories of high-quality models must be established, models must adhere to
      established standards and model components must be linked to relevant databases.
      Tools for model visualization further enhance their utility. To meet these needs,
      we present BiGG Models (http://bigg.ucsd.edu), a completely redesigned
      Biochemical, Genetic and Genomic knowledge base. BiGG Models contains more than
      75 high-quality, manually-curated genome-scale metabolic models. On the website,
      users can browse, search and visualize models. BiGG Models connects genome-scale
      models to genome annotations and external databases. Reaction and metabolite
      identifiers have been standardized across models to conform to community
      standards and enable rapid comparison across models. Furthermore, BiGG Models
      provides a comprehensive application programming interface for accessing BiGG
      Models with modeling and analysis tools. As a resource for highly curated,
      standardized and accessible models of metabolism, BiGG Models will facilitate
      diverse systems biology studies and support knowledge-based analysis of diverse
      experimental data. 

PMID- 26476457
TI  - Universal digital high-resolution melt: a novel approach to broad-based profiling
      of heterogeneous biological samples.

PMID- 26476458
TI  - GlyTouCan 1.0--The international glycan structure repository.
AB  - Glycans are known as the third major class of biopolymers, next to DNA and
      proteins. They cover the surfaces of many cells, serving as the 'face' of cells,
      whereby other biomolecules and viruses interact. The structure of glycans,
      however, differs greatly from DNA and proteins in that they are branched, as
      opposed to linear sequences of amino acids or nucleotides. Therefore, the storage
      of glycan information in databases, let alone their curation, has been a
      difficult problem. This has caused many duplicated efforts when integration is
      attempted between different databases, making an international repository for
      glycan structures, where unique accession numbers are assigned to every
      identified glycan structure, necessary. As such, an international team of
      developers and glycobiologists have collaborated to develop this repository,
      called GlyTouCan and is available at http://glytoucan.org/, to provide a
      centralized resource for depositing glycan structures, compositions and
      topologies, and to retrieve accession numbers for each of these registered
      entries. This will thus enable researchers to reference glycan structures simply
      by accession number, as opposed to by chemical structure, which has been a burden
      to integrate glycomics databases in the past. 

PMID- 26476460
TI  - Mealtime interruptions, assistance and nutritional intake in subacute care.
AB  - Protected mealtimes is an initiative to support increased nutritional intake for
      all hospitalised patients, particularly those who are malnourished. The increased
      focus on maximising independence of patients in the subacute setting may provide
      a supportive environment for implementing these strategies. The aim of the
      present study was to gain insight into subacute ward practices at mealtimes under
      usual conditions (i.e. at baseline) where no protected mealtimes policy was
      implemented. Participants were patients aged >=65 years recruited from subacute
      care facilities at a large healthcare network in Victoria, Australia.
      Participants were observed at mealtimes and mid meals (i.e. morning tea,
      afternoon tea and supper) to determine daily energy and protein intake, provision
      of mealtime assistance and mealtime interruptions. Almost all participants
      received assistance when it was needed, with positive and negative interruptions
      experienced by 56.2% and 76.2% of participants, respectively. There was an energy
      deficit of approximately 2 MJ per day between average intake and estimated
      requirements. In conclusion, mealtime practices were suboptimal, with
      particularly high rates of negative interruptions. Protected mealtimes is one
      strategy that may improve the mealtime environment to support patients' dietary
      intake. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate its implementation and
      effects.

PMID- 26476459
TI  - Zonisamide Reduces Withdrawal Symptoms But Does Not Enhance Varenicline-Induced
      Smoking Cessation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Varenicline (Chantix) is a first-line treatment for smoking
      cessation but does not produce cessation in many individuals. It may be possible
      to improve abstinence by co-administering varenicline with other medications.
      Zonisamide (Zonegran) has a similar pharmacologic profile to topiramate, which
      has been shown to reduce smoking, but is better tolerated. This study evaluated
      whether combined zonisamide and varenicline reduced tobacco withdrawal and
      increased abstinence among smokers trying to quit, relative to varenicline and
      placebo. METHODS: This was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot
      trial of zonisamide + varenicline versus placebo + varenicline for smoking
      cessation. Smokers received brief counseling and study medications, and completed
      weekly assessments for 10 consecutive weeks. The primary outcome was continuous
      abstinence rates (biochemically verified) during the final 4 weeks of treatment.
      RESULTS: Results are presented as intent-to-treat and completer analyses. Seventy
      four individuals were enrolled; 45 completed the study. Overall, 14.9% (intent-to
      treat) and 25.0% (completer) of participants maintained sustained abstinence
      during the final 4 weeks of treatment. There were no differences between groups
      for biochemically-verified smoking, but zonisamide + varenicline reduced self
      reported smoking, nicotine withdrawal, and craving compared to placebo +
      varenicline. CONCLUSIONS: Zonisamide decreased nicotine withdrawal and craving,
      though not of sufficient magnitude to modify smoking behavior. The sample size
      was small and low rates of abstinence across groups suggest the study population
      was difficult to treat. Additional evaluation of zonisamide or other medications
      that increase GABA or decrease glutamate in larger or more diverse populations
      may yield positive clinical benefit for nicotine/tobacco cessation. IMPLICATIONS:
      This study provides support for layering novel medications with varenicline for
      smoking cessation, for investigating medications that target the GABA and
      glutamate system, and for assessing the contribution that reductions in nicotine
      withdrawal have on ultimate cessation outcomes.

PMID- 26476461
TI  - Restless leg syndrome in patients with spinal cord injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The presence of restless leg syndrome (RLS) in patients with spinal
      cord injury (SCI) is not well established. We studied the frequency and severity
      of RLS in a population of patients with SCI and the effect of treatment with
      dopaminergic drugs when clinically indicated. METHODS: Consecutive patients with
      SCI admitted to an out-patient clinic of a neurorehabilitation hospital (n:195)
      were evaluated for the presence of RLS between February 2013 and May 2014. A
      diagnosis of RLS was made according to the criteria of the International RLS
      Study Group, and severity was assessed by the RLS rating scale. Information on
      gender, age, time since SCI, level and severity of SCI, was obtained. RESULT: The
      mean age was 54.7 +/- 15.6 years (range: 22-81 year); with time since SCI: 16.9
      +/- 11.4 years (range: 1-50 years). Thirty-five of 195 patients (17.9%) presented
      RLS. Twenty-two out of 154 (14.3%) patients with cervicothoracic SCI and 13 out
      of 41 (31.7%) patients with lumbosacral SCI presented RLS. Restless leg symptoms
      were mild in 2 patients, moderate in 10 patients, severe in 12 patients and very
      severe in 11. Ten patients received dopaminergic agonist treatment with a
      significant reduction in RLS severity scale from 29.1 +/- 5.9 to 10.2 +/- 7.9.
      DISCUSSION: RLS occurs frequently in SCI patients and responds to dopaminergic
      treatment. Physicians have to be aware of this diagnosis to avoid unnecessary
      suffering in this patient population.

PMID- 26476462
TI  - On the relationship between side of onset and cognition in Parkinson disease:
      Response from the authors.

PMID- 26476463
TI  - Measuring online interpretations and attributions of social situations: Links
      with adolescent social anxiety.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the utility of a novel, picture-based tool to measure how
      adolescents interpret and attribute cause to social exchanges and whether biases
      in these processes relate to social anxiety. Briefly presented ambiguous visual
      social scenes, each containing a photograph of the adolescent as the protagonist,
      were followed by three possible interpretations (positive, negative,
      neutral/unrelated) and two possible causal attributions (internal, external) to
      which participants responded. METHOD: Ninety-five adolescents aged 14 to 17
      recruited from mainstream schools, with varying levels of social anxiety rated
      the likelihood of positive, negative and unrelated interpretations before
      selecting the single interpretation they deemed as most likely. This was followed
      by a question prompting them to decide between an internal or external causal
      attribution for the interpreted event. RESULTS: Across scenarios, adolescents
      with higher levels of social anxiety rated negative interpretations as more
      likely and positive interpretations as less likely compared to lower socially
      anxious adolescents. Higher socially anxious adolescents were also more likely to
      select internal attributions to negative and less likely to select internal
      attributions for positive events than adolescents with lower levels of social
      anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with higher social anxiety display cognitive
      biases in interpretation and attribution. This tool is suitable for measuring
      cognitive biases of complex visual-social cues in youth populations with social
      anxiety and simulates the demands of daily social experiences more closely.
      LIMITATIONS: As we did not measure depressive symptoms, we cannot be sure that
      biases linked to social anxiety are not due to concurrent low mood.

PMID- 26476464
TI  - Evaluation of focused ultrasound algorithms: Issues for reducing pre-focal
      heating and treatment time.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Due to the heating in the pre-focal field the delay between
      successive movements in high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) are sometimes as
      long as 60s, resulting to treatment time in the order of 2-3h. Because there is
      generally a requirement to reduce treatment time, we were motivated to explore
      alternative transducer motion algorithms in order to reduce pre-focal heating and
      treatment time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 1 MHz single element transducer with 4
      cm diameter and 10 cm focal length was used. A simulation model was developed
      that estimates the temperature, thermal dose and lesion development in the pre
      focal field. The simulated temperature history that was combined with the motion
      algorithms produced thermal maps in the pre-focal region. Polyacrylimde gel
      phantom was used to evaluate the induced pre-focal heating for each motion
      algorithm used, and also was used to assess the accuracy of the simulation model.
      RESULTS: Three out of the six algorithms having successive steps close to each
      other, exhibited severe heating in the pre-focal field. Minimal heating was
      produced with the algorithms having successive steps apart from each other
      (square, square spiral and random). The last three algorithms were improved
      further (with small cost in time), thus eliminating completely the pre-focal
      heating and reducing substantially the treatment time as compared to traditional
      algorithms. CONCLUSIONS: Out of the six algorithms, 3 were successful in
      eliminating the pre-focal heating completely. Because these 3 algorithms required
      no delay between successive movements (except in the last part of the motion),
      the treatment time was reduced by 93%. Therefore, it will be possible in the
      future, to achieve treatment time of focused ultrasound therapies shorter than 30
      min. The rate of ablated volume achieved with one of the proposed algorithms was
      71 cm(3)/h. The intention of this pilot study was to demonstrate that the
      navigation algorithms play the most important role in reducing pre-focal heating.
      By evaluating in the future, all commercially available geometries, it will be
      possible to reduce the treatment time, for thermal ablation protocols intended
      for oncological targets.

PMID- 26476465
TI  - Numerical comparison of acoustic wedge models, with application to ultrasonic
      telemetry.
AB  - Ultrasonic telemetry imaging systems are used to monitor such immersed structures
      as main vessels of nuclear reactors. The interaction between acoustic beams and
      targets involves scattering phenomena, mainly specular reflection and tip
      diffraction. In order to assist in the design of imaging systems, a simulation
      tool is required for the accurate modeling of such phenomena. Relevant high
      frequency scattering models have been developed in electromagnetic applications,
      in particular, the geometrical optics (GO), Geometrical Theory of Diffraction
      (GTD) and its uniform corrections (UAT and UTD), Kirchhoff approximation (KA) and
      Physical Theory of Diffraction (PTD). Before adopting any of them for simulation
      of scattering of acoustic waves by edged immersed rigid bodies, it is important
      to realize that in acoustics the characteristic dimension to the wave length
      ratio is usually considerably smaller than in electromagnetics and a further
      study is required to identify models' advantages, disadvantages and regions of
      applicability. In this paper their numerical comparison is carried out. As the
      result, the most suitable algorithm is identified for simulating ultrasonic
      telemetry of immersed rigid structures. 

PMID- 26476466
TI  - Impact of a primary care based intervention on breast cancer knowledge, risk
      perception and concern: A randomized, controlled trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: To estimate the effects of a tablet-based, breast cancer risk education
      intervention for use in primary care settings (BreastCARE) on patients' breast
      cancer knowledge, risk perception and concern. METHODS: From June 2011-August
      2012, we enrolled women from two clinics, aged 40-74 years with no personal
      breast cancer history, and randomized them to the BreastCARE intervention group
      or to the control group. All patients completed a baseline telephone survey and
      risk assessment (via telephone for controls, via tablet computer in clinic
      waiting room prior to visit for intervention). All women were categorized as high
      or average risk based on the Referral Screening Tool, the Gail model or the
      Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium model. Intervention patients and their
      physicians received an individualized risk report to discuss during the visit.
      All women completed a follow-up telephone survey 1-2 weeks after risk assessment.
      Post-test comparisons estimated differences at follow-up in breast cancer
      knowledge, risk perception and concern. RESULTS: 580 intervention and 655 control
      women completed follow-up interviews. Mean age was 56 years (SD = 9). At follow
      up, 73% of controls and 71% of intervention women correctly perceived their
      breast cancer risk and 22% of controls and 24% of intervention women were very
      concerned about breast cancer. Intervention patients had greater knowledge (>=75%
      correct answers) of breast cancer risk factors at follow-up (24% vs. 16%; p =
      0.002). In multivariable analysis, there were no differences in correct risk
      perception or concern, but intervention patients had greater knowledge ([OR] =
      1.62; 95% [CI] = 1.19-2.23). CONCLUSIONS: A simple, practical intervention
      involving physicians at the point of care can improve knowledge of breast cancer
      without increasing concern. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier
      NCT01830933.

PMID- 26476468
TI  - Endovascular Treatment of Femoropopliteal Lesions: So Many Options, Little
      Consensus.

PMID- 26476467
TI  - Durability of Treatment Effect Using a Drug-Coated Balloon for Femoropopliteal
      Lesions: 24-Month Results of IN.PACT SFA.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence from large, randomized, controlled peripheral artery disease
      trials reporting long-term outcomes using drug-coated balloons (DCBs) is limited.
      Previously, the DCB showed favorable 1-year outcomes compared with conventional
      percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), yet durability of the treatment
      effect with DCBs remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to investigate
      the longer-term outcomes of a paclitaxel-eluting DCB compared to PTA for
      femoropopliteal lesions. METHODS: We enrolled 331 patients with symptomatic
      (Rutherford 2 to 4) femoropopliteal lesions up to 18 cm in length. Patients were
      randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to treatment with DCB or PTA. The 24-month
      assessments included primary patency, freedom from clinically driven target
      lesion revascularization (CD-TLR), major adverse events, and quality of life and
      functional outcomes as assessed by the EuroQOL-5D quality-of-life questionnaire,
      walking impairment questionnaire, and 6-min walk test. RESULTS: At 24 months,
      patients treated with DCB showed significantly higher primary patency when
      compared with PTA (78.9% vs. 50.1%; p < 0.001). The rates of CD-TLR were 9.1% and
      28.3% (p < 0.001) for the DCB and PTA groups, respectively. The overall mortality
      rate in the DCB group was 8.1% versus 0.9% in the PTA group (p = 0.008). There
      were no device- or procedure-related deaths and no major amputations in either
      group through 24-month follow-up. The rate of vessel thrombosis was low (1.5% DCB
      vs. 3.8% PTA; p = 0.243), with no new events reported between 1 and 2 years. Both
      groups showed similar functional improvement at 2 years, although DCB patients
      achieved this level of function with 58% fewer reinterventions. CONCLUSIONS: The
      24-month outcomes from the trial demonstrate a durable and superior treatment
      effect of DCB versus PTA with significantly higher primary patency, lower CD-TLR,
      and similar functional status improvement with fewer repeat interventions.
      (Randomized Trial of IN.PACT Admiral Drug Eluting Balloon vs Standard PTA for the
      Treatment of SFA and Proximal Popliteal Arterial Disease [INPACT SFA I];
      NCT01175850; and IN.PACT Admiral Drug-Coated Balloon vs. Standard Balloon
      Angioplasty for the Treatment of Superficial Femoral Artery [SFA] and Proximal
      Popliteal Artery [PPA] [INPACT SFA II]; NCT01566461).

PMID- 26476470
TI  - In Reply.

PMID- 26476469
TI  - Effect of Posterior Tibial Slope on Flexion and Anterior-Posterior Tibial
      Translation in Posterior Cruciate-Retaining Total Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - Reduced posterior tibial slope (PTS) and posterior tibiofemoral translation
      (PTFT) in posterior cruciate-retaining (PCR) total knee arthroplasty (TKA) may
      result in suboptimal flexion. We evaluated the relationship between PTS, PTFT,
      and total knee flexion after PCR TKA in a cadaveric model. We performed a
      balanced PCR TKA using 9 transfemoral cadaver specimens and changed postoperative
      PTS in 1 degrees  increments. We measured maximal flexion and relative PTFT at
      maximal flexion. We determined significant changes in flexion and PTFT as a
      function of PTS. Findings showed an average increase in flexion of 2.3 degrees 
      and average PTFT increase of 1mm per degree of PTS increase when increasing PTS
      from 1 degrees  to 4 degrees  (P<.05). Small initial increases in PTS appear to
      significantly increase knee flexion and PTFT. 

PMID- 26476471
TI  - Shorter Hospital Stay and Lower 30-Day Readmission After Unicondylar Knee
      Arthroplasty Compared to Total Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reducing hospital stay and unplanned hospital readmission of
      arthroplasty patients has been a topic of recent interest. The aim of the present
      study was to query the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database to
      compare the length of hospital stay (LOS) and the subsequent 30-day hospital
      readmission rates in patients undergoing primary unicondylar knee arthroplasty
      (UKA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: We identified 1340 UKAs and
      36,274 TKAs over a 2-year period (2011-2012). Patient demographics,
      comorbidities, LOS, 30-day postoperative complications, and readmission rates
      were compared between the groups. Multivariate regression analysis was used to
      determine the effect of procedure type on LOS and readmission rates. RESULTS:
      Unicondylar knee arthroplasty patients had a median LOS of 2 days compared to 3
      days for TKAs (P < .001). The readmission rate in the TKA group was nearly double
      that of the UKA group (4.1% vs 2.2%) (P < .0001). Multivariate regression
      analysis identified that undergoing a UKA was predictive for a shorter LOS
      (coefficient -1 day) and was protective for 30-day readmission (odds ratio, 0.60;
      95% confidence interval, 0.41-0.88). CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing UKA had a
      shorter LOS and a lower 30-day readmission rate compared to TKA patients. After
      adjusting for selected cofounders, we demonstrated that undergoing a UKA is a
      protective factor for 30-day readmission.

PMID- 26476472
TI  - Meralgia paresthetica with lumbar neurinoma: Case report.

PMID- 26476473
TI  - Epidemiology of urinary tract infections in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: An
      analysis based on a large sample of 456,586 German T2DM patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This analysis was conducted to investigate urinary tract infection
      (UTI) incidence among Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in Germany in a
      real-world setting and to identify risk factors associated with UTI
      incidence/recurrence. METHODS: Our cohort study was conducted based on an
      anonymized dataset from a regional German sickness fund (2010-2012). A UTI event
      was mainly identified through observed outpatient/inpatient UTI diagnoses. We
      reported the number of UTI events per 1000 patient-years. Furthermore, the
      proportion of patients affected by >=1 and >=2 UTI events in the observational
      period was separately reported. Finally, three multivariate Cox regression
      analyses were conducted to identify factors that may be associated with UTI event
      risk or recurrent UTI event risk. RESULTS: A total of 456,586 T2DM-prevalent
      patients were identified (mean age 72.8years, 56.1% female, mean Charlson
      Comorbidity Index (CCI) of 7.3). Overall, the UTI event rate was 87.3 events per
      1000 patient-years (111.8/55.8 per 1000 patient-years for women/men (p<0.001)).
      The highest UTI event rates were observed for those aged >89years. After 730days
      after first observed T2DM diagnosis, the proportion of women/men still UTI-event
      free was 80.9%/90.2% (p<0.001). Most important factors associated with UTI risk
      in our three models were older age (Hazard Ratio (HR)=1.56-1.70 for >79years),
      female gender (HR=1.38-1.57), UTIs in the previous two years (HR=2.77-5.94),
      number of comorbidities as measured by the CCI (HR=1.32-1.52 for CCI>6) and at
      least one cystoscopy in the previous year (HR=2.06-5.48). Furthermore, high HbA1c
      values in the previous year (HR=1.29-1.4 referring to HbA1c>9.5%) and a poor
      kidney function (HR=1.11-1.211 referring to glomerular filtration rate
      (GFR)<60ml/min) increased the UTI event risk. DISCUSSION: Our study confirms that
      UTI event risk is high in T2DM patients. Older female patients having experienced
      previous UTIs face an above-average UTI risk, especially if these risk factors
      are associated with poor glycemic control and poor kidney function.

PMID- 26476475
TI  - Lycopene protects against atrazine-induced hepatic ionic homeostasis disturbance
      by modulating ion-transporting ATPases.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible chemoprotective role of
      lycopene (LYC) against atrazine (ATR)-induced ionic disorder and hepatotoxicity
      in mice. Male kunming mice were treated with LYC (5mg/kg) and/or ATR (50mg/kg or
      200mg/kg) by lavage administration for 21days. Ionic disorder was assessed by
      determining the Na(+), K(+) and Ca(2+) content and the alteration in ATP enzymes
      (ATPases) including Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, Ca(2+)-ATPase, Mg(2+)-ATPase and Ca(2+)
      Mg(2+)-ATPase and the mRNA levels of ATPase's subunits in liver. ATR caused the
      increases of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities
      and histological changes. LYC pretreatment significantly protected liver against
      ATR-caused alternation. The significant effect of ATR and LYC on the K(+) and
      Mg(2+) content in liver was not observed, but ATR increased hepatic Na(+)-K(+)
      ATPase activity and decreased Mg(2+)-ATPase and Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-ATPase activity.
      The mRNA expressions of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase subunits were regulated significantly
      by ATR. A significant increase of Ca(2+) content and seven down-regulated mRNA
      expressions of Ca(2+)-ATPase subunits and a decrease of Ca(2+)-ATPase activity
      were observed in the ATR-treated mice. Notably, LYC modulated these ATR-induced
      alterations of ATPase activity and mRNA expression of their subunits. These
      results suggest that ATR presents hepatotoxicity via regulating hepatic ATPase's
      activities and their subunit transcriptions and inducing ionic disorder. LYC
      protects liver against ATR-induced hepatotoxicity, significantly. LYC modulated
      hepatic ionic homeostasis disturbance via regulation of ATPase activities and
      their subunits' (1a1, 1b3, 1b4 and 2b4) transcriptions. In summary, these effects
      play a critical role of LYC-mediated chemoprevention against ATR-induced
      hepatotoxicity. 

PMID- 26476474
TI  - Associations between anxiety and depression symptoms and cognitive testing and
      neuroimaging in type 2 diabetes.
AB  - AIMS: Anxiety, depression, accelerated cognitive decline, and increased risk of
      dementia are observed in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Anxiety and depression
      may contribute to lower performance on cognitive tests and differences in
      neuroimaging observed in individuals with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: These
      relationships were assessed in 655 European Americans with type 2 diabetes from
      504 Diabetes Heart Study families. Participants completed cognitive testing,
      brain magnetic resonance imaging, the Brief Symptom Inventory Anxiety subscale,
      and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression-10. RESULTS: In analyses
      adjusted for age, sex, educational attainment, and use of psychotropic
      medications, individuals with comorbid anxiety and depression symptoms had lower
      performance on all cognitive testing measures assessed (p<=0.005). Those with
      both anxiety and depression also had increased white matter lesion volume
      (p=0.015), decreased gray matter cerebral blood flow (p=4.43*10(-6)), decreased
      gray matter volume (p=0.002), increased white and gray matter mean diffusivity
      (p<=0.001), and decreased white matter fractional anisotropy (p=7.79*10(-4)).
      These associations were somewhat attenuated upon further adjustment for health
      status related covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Comorbid anxiety and depression symptoms
      were associated with cognitive performance and brain structure in a European
      American cohort with type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 26476476
TI  - Gastric cancer incidence in the Romagna Region of Italy: A spatial and temporal
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The worldwide decrease in gastric cancer incidence is due to a birth
      cohort-dependent decrease in exposure to major risk factors. METHODS: In an area
      of northern Italy with a historically strong internal geographical gradient in
      gastric cancer incidence, variations in rates by municipality and age group
      between 1987 and 2008 were evaluated. The study period was divided into three
      nonadjacent periods. End points included: age- and sex-standardised incidence
      rates; incidence rate ratio between age- and sex-standardised incidence rates;
      smoothed relative risks of gastric cancer incidence, and posterior probabilities
      of the relative risk being >1. RESULTS: In 1987-1990, the estimate of posterior
      probabilities of relative risk being >1 showed a higher incidence in
      hilly/mountainous areas. Between 1987-1990 and 2005-2008, a uniform decrease of
      more than 50% was observed (incidence rate ratio: plain, 0.45 (95% confidence
      interval 0.40-0.51); hill, 0.44 (0.34-0.58); mountain, 0.48 (0.22-1.02)). The
      decrease in the mountainous area was weak in the middle time period, with an
      incidence rate ratio of 0.92 (0.46-1.84), and intensified afterwards. The
      decrease occurred earlier and was more pronounced among younger people. In 2005
      2008, gastric cancer risk was uniform across ages and municipalities.
      CONCLUSIONS: The observed changes in gastric cancer incidence is the epilogue of
      a birth-cohort-dependent decrease in exposure to major risk factors.

PMID- 26476477
TI  - A novel method for estimating the track-soil parameters based on Kalman and
      improved strong tracking filters.
AB  - A tracked vehicle has been widely used in exploring unknown environments and
      military fields. In current methods for suiting soil conditions, soil parameters
      need to be given and the traction performance cannot always be satisfied on soft
      soil. To solve the problem, it is essential to estimate track-soil parameters in
      real-time. Therefore, a detailed mathematical model is proposed for the first
      time. Furthermore, a novel algorithm which is composed of Kalman filter (KF) and
      improved strong tracking filter (STF) is developed for online track-soil
      estimation and named as KF-ISTF. By this method, the KF is used to estimate slip
      parameters, and the ISTF is used to estimate motion states. Then the key soil
      parameters can be estimated by using a suitable soil model. The experimental
      results show that equipped with the estimation algorithm, the proposed model can
      be used to estimate the track-soil parameters, and make the traction performance
      satisfied with soil conditions. 

PMID- 26476478
TI  - Caregiver's functional status during a young child's asthma exacerbation: A
      validated instrument.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few instruments exist to measure caregivers' functional status during
      a young child's asthma exacerbation. OBJECTIVE: We sought to develop and validate
      a measure of caregivers' functional status during a preschooler's asthma
      exacerbation. METHODS: The psychometric properties of the 21-item questionnaire
      Effects of a Young Child's Asthma Flare-up on the Parents (ECAP) were tested in a
      randomized placebo-controlled trial of pre-emptive high-dose fluticasone in
      preschoolers with virus-induced asthma. Caregivers completed the ECAP
      questionnaire on the last day their child exhibited symptoms of an upper
      respiratory tract infection or asthma exacerbation (episode). The mean of each
      item, scored on a scale of 1 (best) to 7 (worst), provided the ECAP score.
      RESULTS: Ninety-three preschoolers (2.5 +/- 1.0 years old; 62.4% male)
      experienced 878 episodes. Feasibility (80% questionnaire return rate; 90%
      completion) and internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.97) were high. Of 628
      episodes with a completed ECAP questionnaire, 621 (98.9%) had data on
      exacerbations, and 609 (97.0%) had data on health care use. The ECAP score was
      significantly higher for children experiencing an asthma exacerbation versus
      those who were not (mean difference, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.6-1.0) and for episodes
      resulting versus not resulting in an emergency visit (mean difference, 1.2; 95%
      CI, 1.0-1.4), systemic corticosteroid use (mean difference, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1
      1.7), or hospitalization (mean difference, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.4-2.5). The ECAP score
      was significantly lower in children treated with fluticasone versus those treated
      with placebo (mean difference, -0.7; 95% CI, -1.1 to -0.3). CONCLUSIONS: The 21
      item ECAP questionnaire, showing high feasibility, internal consistency,
      discriminative validity, and responsiveness, has the psychometric properties to
      serve as a validated outcome to measure the burden of preschoolers' asthma
      exacerbations on their caregivers' functional status.

PMID- 26476479
TI  - Cutaneous manifestations in patients with mastocytosis: Consensus report of the
      European Competence Network on Mastocytosis; the American Academy of Allergy,
      Asthma & Immunology; and the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical
      Immunology.
AB  - Cutaneous lesions in patients with mastocytosis are highly heterogeneous and
      encompass localized and disseminated forms. Although a classification and
      criteria for cutaneous mastocytosis (CM) have been proposed, there remains a need
      to better define subforms of cutaneous manifestations in patients with
      mastocytosis. To address this unmet need, an international task force involving
      experts from different organizations (including the European Competence Network
      on Mastocytosis; the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; and the
      European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology) met several times
      between 2010 and 2014 to discuss the classification and criteria for diagnosis of
      cutaneous manifestations in patients with mastocytosis. This article provides the
      major outcomes of these meetings and a proposal for a revised definition and
      criteria. In particular, we recommend that the typical maculopapular cutaneous
      lesions (urticaria pigmentosa) should be subdivided into 2 variants, namely a
      monomorphic variant with small maculopapular lesions, which is typically seen in
      adult patients, and a polymorphic variant with larger lesions of variable size
      and shape, which is typically seen in pediatric patients. Clinical observations
      suggest that the monomorphic variant, if it develops in children, often persists
      into adulthood, whereas the polymorphic variant may resolve around puberty. This
      delineation might have important prognostic implications, and its implementation
      in diagnostic algorithms and future mastocytosis classifications is recommended.
      Refinements are also suggested for the diagnostic criteria of CM, removal of
      telangiectasia macularis eruptiva perstans from the current classification of CM,
      and removal of the adjunct solitary from the term solitary mastocytoma. 

PMID- 26476481
TI  - An Internet-Based Intervention (Mamma Mia) for Postpartum Depression: Mapping the
      Development from Theory to Practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As much as 10-15% of new mothers experience depression postpartum. An
      Internet-based intervention (Mamma Mia) was developed with the primary aims of
      preventing depressive symptoms and enhancing subjective well-being among pregnant
      and postpartum women. A secondary aim of Mamma Mia was to ease the transition of
      becoming a mother by providing knowledge, techniques, and support during
      pregnancy and after birth. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the paper is to provide a
      systematic and comprehensive description of the intervention rationale and the
      development of Mamma Mia. METHODS: For this purpose, we used the intervention
      mapping (IM) protocol as descriptive tool, which consists of the following 6
      steps: (1) a needs assessment, (2) definition of change objectives, (3) selection
      of theoretical methods and practical strategies, (4) development of program
      components, (5) planning adoption and implementation, and (6) planning
      evaluation. RESULTS: Mamma Mia is a fully automated Internet intervention
      available for computers, tablets, and smartphones, intended for individual use by
      the mother. It starts in gestational week 18-24 and lasts up to when the baby
      becomes 6 months old. This intervention applies a tunneled design to guide the
      woman through the program in a step-by-step fashion in accordance with the
      psychological preparations of becoming a mother. The intervention is delivered by
      email and interactive websites, combining text, pictures, prerecorded audio
      files, and user input. It targets risk and protective factors for postpartum
      depression such as prepartum and postpartum attachment, couple satisfaction,
      social support, and subjective well-being, as identified in the needs assessment.
      The plan is to implement Mamma Mia directly to users and as part of ordinary
      services at well-baby clinics, and to evaluate the effectiveness of Mamma Mia in
      a randomized controlled trial and assess users' experiences with the program.
      CONCLUSIONS: The IM of Mamma Mia has made clear the rationale for the
      intervention, and linked theories and empirical evidence to the contents and
      materials of the program. This meets the recent calls for intervention
      descriptions and may inform future studies, development of interventions, and
      systematic reviews.

PMID- 26476482
TI  - [Assessment of exercise capacity in congenital heart disease].
AB  - For many years, the treatment of congenital heart diseases has been a field in
      which, based on the seriousness of these conditions, treatment options were
      viewed with the greatest deference. This has conditioned, in many cases, the
      interventions to be undertaken in each. In this sense, exercise was thought to
      have a negative impact and thus the practise of almost any physical activity was
      limited. Although there has recently been a change in the paradigm with respect
      to exercise, this idea continues to hold sway. For many cardiopathies, the
      information obtained through a stress test is essential in order to implement and
      supervise an exercise program. The aim of this study is to analyze the parameters
      within the stress test which allow for an adequate stratification of the risk to
      subjects with congenital heart diseases who undertake exercise, as well as their
      values in accordance with the type of pathology, the gravity of such, and the age
      of the patients. Furthermore, these parameters will be analyzed for both their
      survival markers and the protocols that can best be adjusted for patients with
      these characteristic. 

PMID- 26476480
TI  - Recurrent viral infections associated with a homozygous CORO1A mutation that
      disrupts oligomerization and cytoskeletal association.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Coronin-1A (CORO1A) is a regulator of actin dynamics important for T
      cell homeostasis. CORO1A deficiency causes T(-)B(+) natural killer-positive
      severe combined immunodeficiency or T-cell lymphopenia with severe viral
      infections. However, because all known human mutations in CORO1A abrogate protein
      expression, the role of the protein's functional domains in host immunity is
      unknown. OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify the cause of the primary
      immunodeficiency in 2 young adult siblings with a history of disseminated
      varicella, cutaneous warts, and CD4(+) T-cell lymphopenia. METHODS: We performed
      immunologic, genetic, and biochemical studies in the patients, family members,
      and healthy control subjects. RESULTS: Both patients had CD4(+) T-cell
      lymphopenia and decreased lymphocyte proliferation to mitogens. IgG, IgM, IgA,
      and specific antibody responses were normal. Whole-genome sequencing identified a
      homozygous frameshift mutation in CORO1A disrupting the last 2 C-terminal domains
      by replacing 61 amino acids with a novel 91-amino-acid sequence. The
      CORO1A(S401fs) mutant was expressed in the patients' lymphocytes at a level
      comparable with that of wild-type CORO1A in normal lymphocytes but did not
      oligomerize and had impaired cytoskeletal association. CORO1A(S401fs) was
      associated with increased filamentous actin accumulation in T cells, severely
      defective thymic output, and impaired T-cell survival but normal calcium flux and
      cytotoxicity, demonstrating the importance of CORO1A oligomerization and
      subcellular localization in T-cell homeostasis. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a
      truncating mutation in CORO1A that permits protein expression and survival into
      young adulthood. Our studies demonstrate the importance of intact CORO1A C
      terminal domains in thymic egress and T-cell survival, as well as in defense
      against viral pathogens.

PMID- 26476483
TI  - [Primary angioplasty in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with acute myocardial
      infarction: Predictors of mortality].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Diabetes mellitus is one of the major risk factors for
      coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate in-hospital
      mortality and during follow-up of diabetic patients with acute myocardial
      infarction treated with primary angioplasty and to determine its predictors.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight hundred and sixty six patients were retrospectively
      enrolled from January 1993 to December 2013. A hundred patients with a diagnosis
      of diabetes were evaluated. The median follow-up was 121 months in 90% of the
      population. RESULTS: Of the 100 diabetic patients included (11.56%) 86% were male
      and 50% older than 70 years. Overall, 76% presented with a Killip-Kimball grade
      of 1 at admission and 16% presented with a Killip-Kimball 4. The most frequent
      location of myocardial infarction was anterior and 65% had 2 or more coronary
      vessel disease. In-hospital mortality was 15%. The only independent variable
      significantly associated was the Killip-Kimball at admission. Mortality during
      follow up was 35% and its independent predictors were: age, Killip-Kimball at
      admission and use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors Interestingly, in
      the non-diabetic group, Killip-kimball at admission failed to predict long-term
      mortality CONCLUSION: This group of diabetic patients was older, and with a
      higher prevalence of 2 or more vessel disease. Cardiogenic shock on admission was
      the only independent predictor of in-hospital death and along with age and
      angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use, an independent predictor of
      mortality during long term follow-up.

PMID- 26476484
TI  - Measuring happiness in individuals with profound multiple disabilities.
AB  - This quantitative study assessed whether presentation of preferred items and
      activities during multiple periods of the day (and over multiple days) increased
      indices of happiness (over time/sustained) in individuals with PMD. A multiple
      baseline design across participants was utilized to measure changes in indices of
      happiness of the participants. Participants were recruited from an adult day
      activity program specializing in providing assistance to individuals with
      disabilities. For Mary, baseline indices of happiness were 26.67% of intervals,
      increasing 6.76% during intervention to 33.43%. For Caleb, baseline indices of
      happiness were 20.84% of intervals, increasing 6.34% during intervention to
      27.18%. For Mark, baseline indices of happiness were 40.00% of intervals,
      increasing 12.75% during intervention to 52.75%. Overall interobserver agreement
      was 82.8%, with interobserver agreement observations occurring during 63.04% of
      the observations. The results of the investigation demonstrated that presenting
      preferred items and activities increased the indices of happiness compared to
      baseline rates of indices of happiness. Results may have been more robust if the
      participants were assessed for overall responsiveness patterns prior to the
      initiation of measurement of indices of happiness. 

PMID- 26476485
TI  - Systematic review of sensory integration therapy for individuals with
      disabilities: Single case design studies.
AB  - Sensory integration therapy (SIT) is a controversial intervention that is widely
      used for people with disabilities. Systematic analysis was conducted on the
      outcomes of 17 single case design studies on sensory integration therapy for
      people with, or at-risk of, a developmental or learning disability, disorder or
      delay. An assessment of the quality of methodology of the studies found most used
      weak designs and poor methodology, with a tendency for higher quality studies to
      produce negative results. Based on limited comparative evidence, functional
      analysis-based interventions for challenging behavior were more effective that
      SIT. Overall the studies do not provide convincing evidence for the efficacy of
      sensory integration therapy. Given the findings of the present review and other
      recent analyses it is advised that the use of SIT be limited to experimental
      contexts. Issues with the studies and possible improvements for future research
      are discussed including the need to employ designs that allow for adequate
      demonstration of experimental control. 

PMID- 26476486
TI  - Metabolic effects of supplementation with vitamin D in type 2 diabetic patients
      with vitamin D deficiency.
AB  - AIM: Epidemiological studies suggest that vitamin D status influences type 2
      diabetes mellitus. We investigate the metabolic effects of vitamin D. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: We studied consecutive type 2 diabetic patients without insulin
      therapy with vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) lower than
      20ng/ml). They were treated with 16,000IU of calcifediol orally once a week for a
      minimum of 8 weeks. RESULTS: Twenty eight patients were treated for a mean time
      of 84.1 days (range 56 to 120 days). All patients achieved serum levels of
      25(OH)D higher than 20ng/ml. There was a significant reduction in fasting glucose
      (145.6+/-35.5 vs. 131.7+/-30.4mg/dl, p<0.001). There were small non-significant
      reductions in HbA1c, fasting insulin and Homeostasis Model Assesment (HOMA)
      insulin resistance (IR). There were small non-significant increases in HOMA
      insulin sensitivity (S) and HOMA-beta cell function (B) and a small significant
      increase in Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI). CONCLUSIONS:
      Correction of vitamin D deficiency in type 2 diabetic patients decreases fasting
      glucose. Our results do not rule out improvements in metabolic control, insulin
      resistance and function of the beta cell.

PMID- 26476487
TI  - The relationship of the apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism in Turkish Type 2
      Diabetic Patients with and without diabetic foot ulcers.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between
      Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene polymorphism in the development of diabetic foot
      ulcers in Type 2 diabetes Turkish patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ApoE
      genotypes were determined retrospectively in 50 patients with diabetic foot and
      50 without diabetic foot and a control group of 50 healthy individuals. RESULTS:
      The genotype ApoE distribution did differ between the control group (E2E3 44%,
      E3E3 38%, E3E4 18%) and Type 2 Diabetic Patients (E2E3 6%, E3E3 81%, E3E4 16%)
      (p<0.001). The genotype ApoE distribution did not differ between Type 2 Diabetic
      Patients group (E2E3 4%, E3E3 86%, E3E4 4%) and diabetic foot ulcers (E2E3 8%,
      E3E3 76%, E3E4 16%) (p>0.05). The frequency of the E2,E3,E4 allele in between the
      control group and Type 2 Diabetic Patients were no similar for the groups (E2
      22%, E3 69%, E4 9% and E2 3%, E3 90.5%, E4 6.5%, respectively) (p<0.001). The
      frequency of the E2-E4 allele in between the Type 2 Diabetic Patients and
      diabetic foot ulcers were similar for the groups (E2 2%, E3 93%, E4 5% and E2 4%,
      E3 88%, E4 8%, respectively) (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The gene polymorphism of ApoE
      and E3 allele are a risk factor for diabetes, but gene polymorphism of ApoE is
      not an independent risk factor for diabetic foot. Lack of association between
      ApoE gene polymorphism and Type 2 diabetic foot ulcers might be due to ethnic
      differences.

PMID- 26476488
TI  - Evaluation of prevalence and risk factors of gestational diabetes in a tertiary
      care hospital in Kerala.
AB  - AIMS: The prospective study was conducted with the aim to evaluate the prevalence
      and risk factors of gestational diabetes mellitus in a tertiary care referral
      hospital in Kerala. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective observational study was
      conducted with the aim to study the prevalence, risk factors, complications,
      treatment pattern and cost analysis of GDM. The study was carried out in the
      Obstetrics & Gynecology dDepartment of Al Shifa hHospital located in northern
      Kerala. RESULTS: Over an eight-month period, 201 patients who met the inclusion
      criteria were enrolled for study from which prevalence of GDM was estimated at
      15.9%. The study revealed higher prevalence of risk factors and complications
      such as age >25 years, BMI >26kg/m(2), family history of DM, past history GDM,
      history of big baby, gestational hypertension, vaginal candidiasis, premature
      rupture of membranes and hyperbilirubinemia in GDM group as compared to non-GDM
      group. The study also demonstrated that modern life-style was a major influencing
      factor for development of diabetes in the study population. CONCLUSION: The study
      reveals the necessity of proper screening diagnosis and management of GDM in
      pregnant women by the clinicians so as to prevent the future burden of type 2
      diabetes.

PMID- 26476489
TI  - A clinical measure of suicidal ideation, suicidal behavior, and associated
      symptoms in bipolar disorder: Psychometric properties of the Concise Health Risk
      Tracking Self-Report (CHRT-SR).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: People with bipolar disorder are at high risk of suicide, but no
      clinically useful scale has been validated in this population. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the psychometric properties in bipolar disorder of the 7-
      and 12-item versions of the Concise Health Risk Tracking Self-Report (CHRT-SR), a
      scale measuring suicidal ideation, suicidal behavior, and associated symptoms.
      METHODS: The CHRT was administered to 283 symptomatic outpatients with bipolar I
      or II disorder who were randomized to receive lithium plus optimized personalized
      treatment (OPT), or OPT without lithium in a six month longitudinal comparative
      effectiveness trial. Participants were assessed using structured diagnostic
      interviews, clinician-rated assessments, and self-report questionnaires. RESULTS:
      The internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) was 0.80 for the 7-item CHRT-SR and
      0.90 for the 12-item CHRT-SR with a consistent factor structure, and three
      independent factors (current suicidal thoughts and plans, hopelessness, and
      perceived lack of social support) for the 7-item version. CHRT-SR scores are
      correlated with measures of depression, functioning, and quality of life, but not
      with mania scores. CONCLUSIONS: The 7- and 12-item CHRT-SR both had excellent
      psychometric properties in a sample of symptomatic subjects with bipolar
      disorder. The scale is highly correlated with depression, functioning, and
      quality of life, but not with mania. Future research is needed to determine
      whether the CHRT-SR will be able to predict suicide attempts in clinical
      practice.

PMID- 26476490
TI  - Neopterin as a potential cytoprotective brain molecule.
AB  - Neopterin, a byproduct of the tetrahydrobiopterin de novo pathway, is found in
      increased levels in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma and significantly increases
      upon damage, infection or during immune system activation. The production of this
      compound seems almost restricted to the monocyte/macrophage linage cells, in
      response to interferon-gamma stimulation. However, it is unclear whether and
      which nervous cells are able to synthesize neopterin, respond to any stressor
      applied extracellularly, or even the role of the compound in the central nervous
      system. Here we propose a potential cytoprotective role of neopterin in the
      brain, and show evidence that cultured rat astrocytes are responsive to the
      molecule; the pterin elicited increased hemeoxygenase-1 cellular content and
      decreased oxidative stress induced by mitochondrial dysfunction. Further studies
      are needed to clarify neopterin's cytoprotective effects in the central nervous
      system, and its potential role in different neuroinflammatory diseases. 

PMID- 26476491
TI  - Conversion from gastric bypass to sleeve gastrectomy for complications of gastric
      bypass.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Complications after gastric bypass (RYGB) are well documented.
      Reversal of RYGB is indicated in select cases but can lead to weight gain.
      Conversion from RYGB to sleeve gastrectomy (SG) has been proposed for correction
      of complications of RYGB without associated weight gain. However, little is known
      about outcomes after this procedure. OBJECTIVES: To examine outcomes after
      conversion from RYGB to SG. SETTING: University hospital. METHODS: A
      retrospective study of patients who underwent RYGB to SG conversion was
      undertaken. RESULTS: Twelve patients underwent RYGB to SG conversion for
      refractory marginal ulceration, stricture, dumping, gastrogastric fistula,
      hypoglycemia, and failed weight loss. No deaths occurred. Four patients
      experienced 7 major complications, including portal vein thrombosis, bleeding,
      pancreatic leak, pulmonary embolus, seroma, anastomotic leak, and stricture. Two
      required reoperation, and 6 were readmitted within 30 days. Four required
      nasoenteric feeding postoperatively because of prolonged nausea. The complication
      of RYGB resolved in 11 of 12 patients. At 14.7 months, change in body mass index
      for all patients was a decrease of 2.2 kg/m(2). In 5 patients with morbid obesity
      at conversion, the change in body mass index was a decrease of 6.4 kg/m(2) at 19
      months. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic conversion from RYGB to SG is successful in
      resolving certain complications of RYGB and does not result in short-term weight
      gain. However, conversion has a high rate of major complications as well as a
      high rate of readmission and need for supplemental nutrition. Although conversion
      to SG may be appropriate in carefully-selected patients, other options for
      patients with severe chronic complications after RYGB should be considered.

PMID- 26476492
TI  - Relationships between type 2 diabetes remission after gastric bypass and
      different weight loss metrics: arguments against excess weight loss in metabolic
      surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Percentage excess weight loss (%EWL) outcome of bariatric surgery is
      distorted by deviations in baseline body mass index (BMI). It has been reported
      that this can lead to false conclusions, most likely because bariatric weight
      loss in fact is baseline-BMI independent. OBJECTIVES: If the metabolic effect of
      bariatric surgery is baseline-BMI independent as well, could %EWL also lead to
      false conclusions on metabolic surgery? SETTING: Bariatric Center of Excellence,
      general hospital, Netherlands. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 1-year outcome
      of all consecutive primary gastric bypass patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).
      Metabolic outcome (glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c], T2DM medication) was compared
      with bariatric outcome (weight loss) using 3 different metrics: %EWL, the most
      popular weight loss metric among bariatric surgeons; percentage (total) weight
      loss (%WL), most commonly used by nonsurgical professionals; and percentage
      alterable weight loss (%AWL), the only metric rendering weight loss outcome
      independent of baseline BMI. Metabolic success (HbA1c<=6.0%, T2DM remission) was
      compared with different definitions of bariatric success (>=50 %EWL, BMI<35
      kg/m(2), %AWL percentiles; Mann-Whitney test; P< .05). RESULTS: Until May 2014,
      2001 patients underwent primary laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB), of
      whom 449 had T2DM with baseline BMI 43.3 kg/m(2), mean 1.6 number of T2DM
      medication and HbA1c 7.5%. At 1 year 95% follow-up, with BMI 30.5 kg/m(2), 52.1%
      T2DM remission, 86.9% HbA1c<7.0%, and 63.6% without T2DM medication. No
      significant differences in T2DM outcome and weight loss were found with different
      baseline BMI, except for %EWL (P<.001). Weight loss was significantly better with
      better T2DM outcome, but for %EWL contradictory relationships were found in
      baseline-BMI subgroups. T2DM outcome was not less successful for patients with<50
      %EWL. CONCLUSION: In T2DM patients, weight loss after gastric bypass does not
      depend on BMI, HbA1c, or T2DM medication at baseline. The popular %EWL metric and
      the 50 %EWL success criterion are problematic in comparing bariatric and
      metabolic outcome of gastric bypass surgery. They should be abandoned. The %WL
      metric is the best and most commonly used alternative, whereas %AWL is ideal for
      selected logistics in bariatric research. Weight loss percentiles are best suited
      for defining bariatric success in metabolic surgery.

PMID- 26476493
TI  - American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery estimation of bariatric
      surgery procedures in the United States, 2011-2014.

PMID- 26476494
TI  - Successful adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation using liver
      allograft after the resection of hemangioma: A suggestive case for a further
      expansion of living donor pool.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hepatic hemangioma is one of the most common benign liver tumors.
      There are few published reports regarding liver transplantation using liver
      allografts with hemangioma. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 45-year-old man was evaluated
      as a living donor for 19-year-old son with cirrhosis due to hepatic fibrosis.
      Preoperative investigations revealed 20 and 7mm hemangiomas, at segment 2 (S2)
      and 4 (S4) respectively. Considering the anatomical relation of S2 hemangioma and
      Glisson 2, liver graft was designed as left lobe excluded S2 hemangioma by
      partial resection. Estimated graft recipient weight ratio (GRWR) even after
      partial resection of hemangioma was reasonable. During the donor operation, a
      partial hepatic resection of S2 hemangioma was performed. Intraoperative
      pathologic findings revealed a cavernous hemangioma, and then, the left hepatic
      graft with the caudate lobe was harvested. Actual GRWR was 0.90%. Donor's
      postoperative course was uneventful. Recipient's post-operative course was almost
      uneventful. Postoperative computed tomography of the recipient showed the graft
      regeneration without increase or recurrence of hemangioma. DISCUSSION: Organ
      shortage is a major concern in the field of liver transplantation. A novel donor
      source with a further option is extremely crucial for a guarantee of liver
      transplantation. We experienced the first case of adult-to-adult living donor
      liver transplantation using liver allograft after the resection of hemangioma.
      CONCLUSION: We advocate that the use of liver allograft with hemangiomas in adult
      to-adult LDLT settings can be remarkable strategy to reduce the problem of organ
      shortage without any unfavorable consequences in both living donor and recipient.

PMID- 26476495
TI  - Improving operating room cleaning results with microfiber and steam technology.
AB  - Microfiber and steam technology is a novel cleaning method that has advantages
      for clinical applications. We describe its use in the operating room. The
      benefits include improved cleaning for every patient regardless of known or
      perceived risk, occupational health and safety advantages, and reduced cost of
      cleaning, allowing for expansion of cleaning activity without the need for
      additional human resources. Continuous surgical site infection surveillance
      demonstrated that infections remained at previously low levels. 

PMID- 26476496
TI  - Physiologic and fit factor profiles of N95 and P100 filtering facepiece
      respirators for use in hot, humid environments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To determine if hot, humid ambient conditions impact filtering
      facepiece respirators' (FFRs') fit, and to evaluate differences in physiologic
      and subjective responses between N95 FFRs and P100 FFRs. METHODS: Twelve subjects
      had physiologic monitoring and subjective perceptions monitored over 1 hour of
      treadmill exercise (5.6 km/h) in an environmental chamber (35 degrees C, relative
      humidity 50%) wearing an N95 FFR, P100 FFR, or no respirator. Respirator
      quantitative fit testing was done before and after exercise. RESULTS: There was
      no significant difference in pass rates for both FFRs on initial fit testing, but
      subjects who passed were more likely to fail the postexercise test with N95 FFRs
      (P = .01). Wearing FFRs increased the temperature of facial skin covered by the
      FFR (P = .009) and breathing discomfort (P = .002). No significant differences
      were noted in other measured variables (heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen
      saturation, transcutaneous carbon dioxide level, rectal temperature, global skin
      temperature, core temperature, and subjective perceptions) between controls and
      FFRs and between FFR models. CONCLUSION: After 1 hour of exercise in hot, humid
      ambient conditions, P100 FFRs retained better fit than N95 FFRs, without
      additional physiologic or subjective impact. Wearing FFRs under these conditions
      does not add to the body's thermophysiologic or perceptual burdens.

PMID- 26476497
TI  - Consequences for overcrowding in the emergency room of a change in bed management
      policy on available in-hospital beds.
AB  - Objective Emergency rooms play an important role by providing continuous access
      to healthcare 24 h a day, 7 days a week, but the lack of available hospital beds
      has become a major difficulty. Changing bed management policy could improve
      patient flow. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the consequences of a
      change in patient prioritisation on available beds. Methods The study consisted
      of a computerised bed management simulation based on day-by-day data collected
      from 1 to 31 January 2013 in a teaching hospital. Real hospital data were used to
      power the computer simulation. The scenarios tested were: (1) priority for
      emergency and surgery; (2) priority for emergency and medicine; (3) priority for
      planned admissions and surgery; and (4) priority for planned admissions and
      medicine. The results of these scenarios were compared with each other and to
      actual data. Results This study included 2347 patients. The scenario that proved
      to be the least efficient was the one that gave priority to emergency patients
      presenting with a medical condition. The scenario that exhibited the best
      efficiency was the one that gave priority to planned admissions and surgery.
      Conclusions Changing policies for hospital bed management is worth exploring to
      improve hospital patient flow and length of stay. What is known about the topic?
      The lack of available hospital beds is a major difficulty in managing patient
      flow in emergency rooms (ERs). The ER patient flow competes against a flow of
      planned hospital admissions for the same beds and the lack of a clearly defined
      policy on either prioritising ER patient flow over planned admissions or vice
      versa contributes to a disordered system. What does this paper add? We compared
      several simulated scenarios corresponding to different bed management policies.
      The scenario that gave priority to planned admissions and surgery gave the most
      suitable results. What are the implications for practitioners? Postponing
      scheduled surgical patients was not an efficient procedure to solve hospital
      overcrowding.

PMID- 26476498
TI  - Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome: Prevalence and Risk Factors in Japanese Seniors.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Motoric cognitive syndrome (MCR), a newly described predementia
      syndrome characterized by cognitive complaints and slow gait, is associated with
      increased risk of developing dementia. Due to the potential differences in
      health, behavioral, and lifestyle factors between races that can influence
      dementia risk, it is important to examine risk factors for MCR in different
      countries. This study aimed to report the prevalence as well as modifiable
      factors associated with MCR in Japanese community-dwelling older adults. DESIGN:
      A cross-sectional design. SETTING: General community. PARTICIPANTS: A total of
      9683 older adults (52% women, mean age: 73.6 years) participating in the National
      Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology Study of Geriatric Syndromes. MEASUREMENTS:
      Participants were screened for presence of MCR at baseline. The association of
      selected modifiable risk factors (medical illness, depressive symptoms, and
      falls) and lifestyle variables (obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, and
      alcohol consumption) with MCR was examined using multivariate logistic regression
      analysis. RESULTS: At cross-section, 619 participants met criteria for MCR, with
      an overall prevalence 6.4% (95% CI 5.9-6.9). A higher prevalence of MCR was seen
      with advancing age (P < .001), but there were no sex differences. Diabetes
      (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.47, P = .001), depressive symptoms (OR 3.57, P <
      .001), and falls (OR 1.45, P < .001) were associated with increased risk of MCR.
      Among the lifestyle factors, obesity (OR 1.26, P = .018) and physical inactivity
      (OR 1.57, P < .001) were associated with increased risk of MCR. CONCLUSION: MCR
      is common in the elderly Japanese population. The potentially modifiable risk and
      lifestyle factors identified for MCR should be further studied to develop
      interventions.

PMID- 26476499
TI  - Natriuretic peptides for perioperative management of cardiac surgery.
AB  - Atrial natriuretic peptide (carperitide) is used to treat heart failure in Japan,
      while brain natriuretic peptide (nesiritide) is employed in Europe/USA. Patients
      undergoing cardiac surgery have a complex underlying pathologic state that
      features increased levels of neurohumoral factors due to activation of the renin
      angiotensin-aldosterone system and/or increased sympathetic activity. We
      considered that perioperative administration of carperitide could be beneficial
      for cardiac surgery patients, and we have conducted clinical investigations of
      its use. This article reviews the effects of natriuretic peptides in cardiac
      surgery patients based on our experience and on previous reports about
      perioperative management with carperitide or nesiritide. 

PMID- 26476500
TI  - Sutureless aortic valve replacement may improve early mortality compared with
      transcatheter aortic valve implantation: A meta-analysis of comparative studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine which improves clinical outcomes more, sutureless
      (including rapid-deployment) aortic valve replacement (AVR) or transcatheter
      aortic valve implantation (TAVI), we performed a meta-analysis of comparative
      studies. METHODS: MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched through June 2015 using Web
      based search engines (PubMed and OVID). Studies considered for inclusion met the
      following criteria: the design was a comparative study; the study population
      included patients with severe aortic valve stenosis, patients were assigned to
      sutureless AVR versus TAVI; and main outcomes included at least early (in
      hospital or 30-day) all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Of 87 potentially relevant
      articles screened initially, no randomized controlled trials and 7 observational
      comparative studies of sutureless AVR versus TAVI (enrolling a total of 945
      patients) were identified and included. The first pooled analysis demonstrated a
      statistically significant reduction in mortality with sutureless AVR over TAVI
      [2.5% versus 7.3%; odds ratio (OR), 0.33; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.16 to
      0.69; p=0.003; risk difference (RD), -5.23%; 95% CI, -8.12% to -2.33%; p=0.0004].
      The second pooled analyses demonstrated no statistically significant difference
      in bleeding complications, acute kidney injury, and conduction disturbance
      between sutureless AVR and TAVI. The third pooled analysis demonstrated a
      statistically significant reduction in paravalvular aortic regurgitation (AR)
      with sutureless AVR over TAVI (3.5% versus 33.2%; OR, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.16,
      p<0.00001; MD, -22.56%; 95% CI, -36.59% to -8.53%; p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS:
      Compared with TAVI, sutureless AVR may be associated with a reduction in early
      mortality and postoperative paravalvular AR.

PMID- 26476501
TI  - Noninvasive Follow-Up of Patients With Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection
      With CT Angiography.

PMID- 26476502
TI  - 3D Intracardiac Echocardiography During TAVR Without Endotracheal Intubation.

PMID- 26476503
TI  - Echocardiographic Algorithm for Post-Myocardial Infarction LV Thrombus: A
      Gatekeeper for Thrombus Evaluation by Delayed Enhancement CMR.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of post
      myocardial infarction (MI) left ventricular (LV) thrombus in the current era and
      to develop an effective algorithm (predicated on echocardiography [echo]) to
      discern patients warranting further testing for thrombus via delayed enhancement
      (DE) cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). BACKGROUND: LV thrombus affects post-MI
      management. DE-CMR provides thrombus tissue characterization and is a well
      validated but an impractical screening modality for all patients after an MI.
      METHODS: A same-day echo and CMR were performed according to a tailored protocol,
      which entailed uniform echo contrast (irrespective of image quality) and
      dedicated DE-CMR for thrombus tissue characterization. RESULTS: A total of 201
      patients were studied; 8% had thrombus according to DE-CMR. All thrombi were
      apically located; 94% of thrombi occurred in the context of a left anterior
      descending (LAD) infarct-related artery. Although patients with thrombus had more
      prolonged chest pain and larger MI (p <= 0.01), only 18% had aneurysm on echo
      (cine-CMR 24%). Noncontrast (35%) and contrast (64%) echo yielded limited
      sensitivity for thrombus on DE-CMR. Thrombus was associated with stepwise
      increments in basal -> apical contractile dysfunction on echo and quantitative
      cine-CMR; the echo-measured apical wall motion score was higher among patients
      with thrombus (p < 0.001) and paralleled cine-CMR decrements in apical ejection
      fraction and peak ejection rates (both p < 0.005). Thrombus-associated decrements
      in apical contractile dysfunction were significant even among patients with LAD
      infarction (p < 0.05). The echo-based apical wall motion score improved overall
      performance (area under the curve 0.89 +/- 0.44) for thrombus compared with
      ejection fraction (area under the curve 0.80 +/- 0.61; p = 0.01). Apical wall
      motion partitions would have enabled all patients with LV thrombus to be
      appropriately referred for DE-CMR testing (100% sensitivity and negative
      predictive value), while avoiding further testing in more than one-half (56% to
      63%) of patients. CONCLUSIONS: LV thrombus remains common, especially after LAD
      MI, and can occur even in the absence of aneurysm. Although DE-CMR yielded
      improved overall thrombus detection, apical wall motion on a noncontrast
      echocardiogram can be an effective stratification tool to identify patients in
      whom DE-CMR thrombus assessment is most warranted. (Diagnostic Utility of
      Contrast Echocardiography for Detection of LV Thrombi Post ST Elevation
      Myocardial Infarction; NCT00539045).

PMID- 26476504
TI  - Coronary Artery Calcium Improves Risk Classification in Younger Populations.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the effect of coronary artery calcium
      (CAC) on coronary heart disease (CHD) risk prediction in a younger population.
      BACKGROUND: CAC measured by computed tomography improves CHD risk classification
      in older adults, but the effectiveness of CAC in younger populations has not been
      fully assessed. METHODS: In the DHS (Dallas Heart Study), a multiethnic
      probability-based population sample, traditional CHD risk factors and CAC were
      measured in participants without baseline cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
      Incident CHD-defined as CHD death, myocardial infarction, or coronary
      revascularization-was assessed over a median follow-up of 9.2 years. Predicted
      CHD risk was assessed with a Weibull model inclusive of traditional risk factors
      before and after the addition of CAC as ln(CAC + 1). Participants were divided
      into 3 10-year risk categories, <6%, 6% to <20%, and >=20%, and the net
      reclassification improvement (NRI) was calculated. We also performed a random
      effects meta-analysis of NRI from previous studies inclusive of older
      individuals. RESULTS: The analysis comprised 2,084 participants; mean age was
      44.4 +/- 9.0 years. CAC was independently associated with incident CHD (hazard
      ratio per SD: 1.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.51 to 2.38; p < 0.001). The
      addition of CAC to the traditional risk factor model resulted in significant
      improvement in the C-statistic (delta = 0.03; p = 0.003). Among participants with
      CHD events, the addition of CAC resulted in net correct upward reclassification
      of 21%, and among those without CHD, a net correct downward reclassification of
      0.5% (NRI: 0.216, p = 0.012). Results remained significant when the outcome was
      restricted to CHD death and myocardial infarction and when individuals with
      diabetes were included. The NRI observed in this study was similar to the pooled
      estimate from previous studies (0.200, 95% CI: 0.140 to 0.258) and the addition
      of our study to the meta-analysis did not result in significant heterogeneity
      (I(2) = 0%). CONCLUSIONS: CAC scoring also improves CHD risk classification in
      younger adults.

PMID- 26476505
TI  - Precursors of Hypertensive Heart Phenotype Develop in Healthy Adults: A High
      Resolution 3D MRI Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study used high-resolution 3-dimensional cardiac magnetic
      resonance to define the anatomical and functional left ventricular (LV)
      properties associated with increasing systolic blood pressure (SBP) in a drug
      naive cohort. BACKGROUND: LV hypertrophy and remodeling occur in response to
      hemodynamic stress but little is known about how these phenotypic changes are
      initiated in the general population. METHODS: In this study, 1,258 volunteers
      (54% women, mean age 40.6 +/- 12.8 years) without self-reported cardiovascular
      disease underwent 3-dimensional cardiac magnetic resonance combined with
      computational modeling. The relationship between SBP and wall thickness (WT),
      relative WT, end-systolic wall stress (WS), and fractional wall thickening were
      analyzed using 3-dimensional regression models adjusted for body surface area,
      sex, race, age, and multiple testing. Significantly associated points in the LV
      model (p < 0.05) were identified and the relationship with SBP reported as mean
      beta coefficients. RESULTS: There was a continuous relationship between SBP and
      asymmetric concentric hypertrophic adaptation of the septum and anterior wall
      that was associated with normalization of wall stress. In the lateral wall an
      increase in wall stress with rising SBP was not balanced by a commensurate
      hypertrophic relationship. In normotensives, SBP was positively associated with
      WT (beta = 0.09) and relative WT (beta = 0.07) in the septal and anterior walls,
      and this regional hypertrophic relationship was progressively stronger among pre
      hypertensives (beta = 0.10) and hypertensives (beta = 0.30). CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings show that the precursors of the hypertensive heart phenotype can be
      traced to healthy normotensive adults and that an independent and continuous
      relationship exists between adverse LV remodeling and SBP in a low-risk
      population. These adaptations show distinct regional variations with concentric
      hypertrophy of the septum and eccentric hypertrophy of the lateral wall, which
      challenge conventional classifications of LV remodeling.

PMID- 26476507
TI  - Use of alginate beads as carriers for lactic acid bacteria in a structured system
      and preliminary validation in a meat product.
AB  - This paper proposes the microencapsulation into alginate beads of 4 isolates of
      lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus spp.), previously isolated from pork meat.
      First, the beads were studied in relation to the encapsulation yield (EY),
      kinetic of cell release in a structured system, and survival throughout bead
      storage at 4  degrees C. EY was 93-96% and the survival of the encapsulated
      microorganisms was variable, with two isolates showing a bacterial population of
      6.1-6.9 log cfu/g after 35 days under refrigerated conditions. Thereafter, the
      paper addressed a preliminary validation in a meat model system, containing salt,
      nitrites and nitrates, lactose, pepper, and then in a commercial preparation of
      pork meat. For the validation in pork meat, free cells were used as controls.
      Cell released from beads were able to achieve a significant acidification; in
      particular, after 7 days they showed the same results of free cells.

PMID- 26476506
TI  - hs-Troponin I Followed by CT Angiography Improves Acute Coronary Syndrome Risk
      Stratification Accuracy and Work-Up in Acute Chest Pain Patients: Results From
      ROMICAT II Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study compared diagnostic accuracy of conventional
      troponin/traditional coronary artery disease (CAD) assessment and highly
      sensitive troponin (hsTn) I/advanced CAD assessment for acute coronary syndrome
      (ACS) during the index hospitalization. BACKGROUND: hsTnI and advanced assessment
      of CAD using coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) are promising
      candidates to improve the accuracy of emergency department evaluation of patients
      with suspected ACS. METHODS: We performed an observational cohort study in
      patients with suspected ACS enrolled in the ROMICAT II (Rule Out Myocardial
      Infarction/Ischemia using Computer Assisted Tomography) trial and randomized to
      coronary CTA who also had hsTnI measurement at the time of the emergency
      department presentation. We assessed coronary CTA for traditional (no CAD,
      nonobstructive CAD, >=50% stenosis) and advanced features of CAD (>=50% stenosis,
      high-risk plaque features: positive remodeling, low <30-Hounsfield units plaque,
      napkin-ring sign, spotty calcium). RESULTS: Of 160 patients (mean age: 53 +/- 8
      years, 40% women) 10.6% were diagnosed with ACS. The ACS rate in patients with
      hsTnI below the limit of detection (n = 9, 5.6%), intermediate (n = 139, 86.9%),
      and above the 99th percentile (n = 12, 7.5%) was 0%, 8.6%, and 58.3%,
      respectively. Absence of >=50% stenosis and high-risk plaque ruled out ACS in
      patients with intermediate hsTnI (n = 87, 54.4%; ACS rate 0%), whereas patients
      with both >=50% stenosis and high-risk plaque were at high risk (n = 13, 8.1%;
      ACS rate 69.2%) and patients with either >=50% stenosis or high-risk plaque were
      at intermediate risk for ACS (n = 39, 24.4%; ACS rate 7.7%). hsTnI/advanced
      coronary CTA assessment significantly improved the diagnostic accuracy for ACS as
      compared to conventional troponin/traditional coronary CTA (area under the curve
      0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.80 to .88 vs. 0.74, 95% CI: 0.70 to 0.78; p
      < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: hsTnI at the time of presentation followed by early
      advanced coronary CTA assessment improves the risk stratification and diagnostic
      accuracy for ACS as compared to conventional troponin and traditional coronary
      CTA assessment. (Multicenter Study to Rule Out Myocardial Infarction/Ischemia by
      Cardiac Computed Tomography [ROMICAT-II]; NCT01084239).

PMID- 26476509
TI  - Milia en plaque on the posterior surface of both auricules following radiation
      therapy.

PMID- 26476508
TI  - First-time whole blood donation: A critical step for donor safety and retention
      on first three donations.
AB  - AIM OF THE STUDY: Whole blood donation is generally safe although vasovagal
      reactions can occur (approximately 1%). Risk factors are well known and
      prevention measures are shown as efficient. This study evaluates the impact of
      the donor's retention in relation to the occurrence of vasovagal reaction for the
      first three blood donations. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Our study of data collected
      over three years evaluated the impact of classical risk factors and provided a
      model including the best combination of covariates predicting VVR. The impact of
      a reaction at first donation on return rate and complication until the third
      donation was evaluated. RESULTS: Our data (523,471 donations) confirmed the
      classical risk factors (gender, age, donor status and relative blood volume).
      After stepwise variable selection, donor status, relative blood volume and their
      interaction were the only remaining covariates in the model. Of 33,279 first-time
      donors monitored over a period of at least 15 months, the first three donations
      were followed. Data emphasised the impact of complication at first donation. The
      return rate for a second donation was reduced and the risk of vasovagal reaction
      was increased at least until the third donation. CONCLUSION: First-time donation
      is a crucial step in the donors' career. Donors who experienced a reaction at
      their first donation have a lower return rate for a second donation and a higher
      risk of vasovagal reaction at least until the third donation. Prevention measures
      have to be processed to improve donor retention and provide blood banks with
      adequate blood supply.

PMID- 26476510
TI  - Psychosocial factors and excessive gestational weight gain: The effect of parity
      in an Australian cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: psychosocial variables can be protective or risk factors for
      excessive gestational weight gain (GWG). Parity has also been associated with
      GWG; however, its effect on psychosocial risk factors for GWG is yet to be
      determined. The aim of this study was to investigate if, and how, psychosocial
      factors vary in their impact on the GWG of primiparous and multiparous women.
      DESIGN/PARTICIPANTS: pregnant women were recruited in 2011 via study
      advertisements placed in hospitals, online, in parenting magazines, and at baby
      and children's markets, resulting in a sample of 256 women (113 primiparous, 143
      multiparous). Participants completed questionnaires at 16-18 weeks' gestation and
      their pregravid BMI was recorded. Final weight before delivery was measured and
      used to calculate GWG. FINDINGS: the findings revealed that primiparous women had
      significantly higher feelings of attractiveness (a facet of body attitude;
      p=0.01) than multiparous women. Hierarchical regressions revealed that in the
      overall sample, increased GWG was associated significantly with lower pre
      pregnancy BMI (standardised coefficient beta=-0.39, p<0.001), higher anxiety
      symptoms (beta=0.25, p=0.004), and reduced self-efficacy to eat a healthy diet
      (beta=-0.20, p=0.02). Although higher GWG was predicted significantly by
      decreased feelings of strength and fitness for primiparous women (beta=-0.25,
      p=0.04) and higher anxiety was related significantly to greater GWG for
      multiparous women (beta=0.43, p<0.001), statistical comparison of the model
      across the two groups suggested the magnitude of these effects did not differ
      across groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: the findings
      suggest that psychosocial screening and interventions by healthcare professionals
      may help to identify women who are at risk of excessive GWG, and there may be
      specific psychosocial factors that are more relevant for each parity group.

PMID- 26476512
TI  - [Importance of diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging at differentiation
      of cholesteatoma and granulation tissue in patients with chronic suppurative
      otitis media].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to report the significance of echo-planar diffusion
      weighted imaging (EP-DWI) in preoperative magnetic resonance imaging of patients
      with surgically corrected cholesteatoma and granulation tissue according to DWI
      and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-one
      patients (52 males, 39 females; mean age 40.7+/-15.8 years; range 3 to 77 years)
      who admitted to radiology clinic of our hospital between December 2009 and May
      2011 with a pre-diagnosis of chronic otitis media with primary acquired
      cholesteatoma and assessed preoperatively in our clinic by ear magnetic resonance
      imaging and DWI were included in the study. Diffusion-weighted imaging results
      were compared with operative findings and pathology results. Patients were
      retrospectively evaluated using picture archiving and communication system.
      Diffusion-weighted imaging and ADC images were examined qualitatively and
      quantitatively. RESULTS: Ninety-one patients suspected of cholesteatoma were
      operated. According to the results of operations, 50 patients had cholesteatoma
      and 41 patients had granulation tissue. The mean DWI values of patients with
      cholesteatoma were significantly higher than patients with granulation tissue
      (p<0.05). The mean ADC values of patients with cholesteatoma were significantly
      lower than patients with granulation tissue (p<0.05). The sensitivity and
      specificity of EP-DWI in detection of cholesteatoma were 97.6% and 92.0%,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: Echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging by using ADC and
      DWI is a valuable tool with high sensitivity and specificity rates in detecting
      cholesteatoma particularly bigger than 5 mm and in differentiating them from
      other pathologies.

PMID- 26476511
TI  - A critical review of nitrogen mineralization in biosolids-amended soil, the
      associated fertilizer value for crop production and potential for emissions to
      the environment.
AB  - International controls for biosolids application to agricultural land ensure the
      protection of human health and the environment, that it is performed in
      accordance with good agricultural practice and that nitrogen (N) inputs do not
      exceed crop requirements. Data from the scientific literature on the total,
      mineral and mineralizable N contents of biosolids applied to agricultural land
      under a wide range of climatic and experimental conditions were collated. The
      mean concentrations of total N (TN) in the dry solids (DS) of different biosolids
      types ranged from 1.5% (air-dried lime-treated (LT) biosolids) to 7.5% (liquid
      mesophilic anaerobic digestion (LMAD) biosolids). The overall mean values of
      mineralizable N, as a proportion of the organic N content, were 47% for aerobic
      digestion (AeD) biosolids, 40% for thermally dried (TD) biosolids, 34% for LT
      biosolids, 30% for mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD) biosolids, and 7% for
      composted (Com) biosolids. Biosolids air-dried or stored for extended periods had
      smaller total and mineralizable N values compared to mechanically dewatered
      types. For example, for biosolids treated by MAD, the mean TN (% DS) and
      mineralizable N (% organic N) contents of air-dried materials were 3% and 20%,
      respectively, compared to 5% and 30% with mechanical dewatering. Thus,
      mineralizable N declined with the extent of biological stabilization during
      sewage sludge treatment; nevertheless, overall plant available N (PAN=readily
      available inorganic N plus mineralizable N) was broadly consistent across several
      major biosolids categories within climatic regions. However, mineralizable N
      often varied significantly between climatic regions for similar biosolids types,
      influencing the overall PAN. This may be partly attributed to the increased rate,
      and also the greater extent of soil microbial mineralization of more stable,
      residual organic N fractions in biosolids applied to soil in warmer climatic
      zones, which also raised the overall PAN, compared to cooler temperate areas. It
      is also probably influenced by differences in upstream wastewater treatment
      processes that affect the balance of primary and secondary, biological sludges in
      the final combined sludge output from wastewater treatment, as well as the
      relative effectiveness of sludge stabilization treatments at specific sites.
      Better characterization of biosolids used in N release and mineralization
      investigations is therefore necessary to improve comparison of system conditions.
      Furthermore, the review suggested that some international fertilizer
      recommendations may underestimate mineralizable N in biosolids, and the N
      fertilizer value. Consequently, greater inputs of supplementary mineral
      fertilizer N may be supplied than are required for crop production, potentially
      increasing the risk of fertilizer N emissions to the environment. Thus greater
      economic and environmental savings in mineral N fertilizer application are
      potentially possible than are currently realized from biosolids recycling
      programmes. 

PMID- 26476513
TI  - Influence of nasal pack removal on patients' anxiety after septoplasty.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the effects of the removal of Merocel
      nasal packs on patients' anxiety after septoplasty. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty
      patients (26 males, 24 females; mean age 30 years; range 18 to 56 years) who
      underwent septoplasty in the Department of Ear Nose and Throat of our hospital
      between January 2013 and January 2015 were enrolled in this prospective study.
      Patients' anxiety was measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Anxiety
      levels were measured 24 hours preoperatively, 48 hours postoperatively before
      nasal pack removal, and 60 minutes after nasal pack removal. RESULTS: The State
      Trait Anxiety Inventory scores were 44.2+/-7.4 preoperatively, 45.1+/-7.1
      postoperatively before pack removal, and 37.4+/-6.7 after pack removal. There was
      no statistically significant difference between pre- and postoperative
      evaluations. However, patients' anxiety decreased statistically significantly in
      the evaluation 60 minutes after pack removal (p=0.0). CONCLUSION: We recommend
      administering soluble packs or sewing techniques without nasal packs after
      septoplasty due to concerns related to quality of life after surgery.

PMID- 26476514
TI  - Establishment and reliability test of a "Vertigo Council Diagnosis Questionnaire"
      for patients with chronic vestibular dysfunction: preliminary study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to establish a "Vertigo Council Diagnosis
      Questionnaire" for patients with chronic vestibular dysfunction and show the
      reliability of this questionnaire. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A "Vertigo Council
      Diagnosis Questionnaire" consisting of 10 questions was prepared by 15 specialist
      physicians and analyzed for reliability using the "translation-back-translation"
      method. RESULTS: When all the items of our questionnaire were evaluated, the
      content validity ratio ranged from 0.6 to 0.87, and the content validity index
      was 0.676. The conformity ratio between the real diagnosis and the diagnosis
      based on the questionnaire was 63.19%, and the kappa was 0.441 (moderate). No
      significant difference was found between the first and second responses to any of
      the questions (p>0.05). There was no significant difference between question
      conformity (conformity between the first and second responses) and diagnostic
      conformity (conformity between the real diagnosis and the diagnosis based on the
      questionnaire) (p>0.05) in any of the questions. No relationship was found
      between diagnostic conformity and sociodemographic data (age, sex, education,
      occupation) (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study results suggest that, in Turkish
      patients, diagnosis of vertigo should be based on face-to-face interviews, and
      clinical and laboratory evaluations rather than a questionnaire.

PMID- 26476515
TI  - Pack free septoplasty: functional outcomes and complications.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the functional outcomes and complications
      of pack free septoplasty in adults. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-nine consecutive
      patients (35 males, 14 females; mean age 37.7 years; range 18 to 63 years) who
      underwent septoplasty in our clinic between January 2011 and June 2013 were
      prospectively included in the study. Preoperative nasal obstruction was scored
      using the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE). Nasal obstruction was
      reevaluated in the first and the third postoperative months. Postoperative
      complications were recorded. Pre- and postoperative NOSE scores were compared.
      RESULTS: Recovery rate was 81.63%. There was a statistically significant
      difference between preoperative NOSE scores and postoperative first and third
      month NOSE scores (p<0.05). We observed minor hemorrhage in 17 patients (34.7%),
      nasal synechiae in three patients (6.1%), and flap overposition in two patients
      (4.1%). CONCLUSION: Pack free septoplasty performed with transseptal suture
      technique is effective in the treatment of septum deviation and may be performed
      confidently in septum surgery.

PMID- 26476516
TI  - Prevalence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo among motocross racers: a case
      control study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of benign paroxysmal
      positional vertigo (BPPV) among motocross racers after cross-country up and
      downhill activities. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This case-control study included 40
      motocross racers (39 males, 1 female; mean age 26 years; range 21 to 43 years)
      and 40 healthy controls (30 males, 10 females; mean age 28 years; range 22 to 43
      years) who had no hearing or balance problems. The Dix-Hallpike maneuver was
      applied to confirm the diagnosis of BPPV. Patients with BPPV were administered
      the Epley maneuver every week for one month and followed-up for treatment
      response assessment. RESULTS: Motocross and control groups were similar in terms
      of demographic and laboratory parameters. While BPPV was detected in four
      motocross racers (10%) according to Dix-Hallpike maneuver outcome and clinical
      findings, there was no BPPV in the control group. Of the motocross racers with
      BPPV, three had unilateral, one had bilateral disease. Of these patients, Epley
      maneuver was applied two times in two patients and three times in the other two
      patients. There was no vertigo or nystagmus in any of the patients with BPPV in
      one month. CONCLUSION: Intensive motocross activity is a cause of post-traumatic
      BPPV developing without head trauma. Large-scale, randomized controlled studies
      are needed to establish the post-traumatic etiology of BPPV in motocross racers.

PMID- 26476517
TI  - [Impact of markedly nasal septal deviation on 24-hour rhythm Holter findings].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate any impact of nasal septal deviations
      on cardiac arrhythmias and heart rates by performing 24-hour rhythm Holter
      analysis before and after septoplasty accompanied by Nasal Obstruction Symptom
      Evaluation (NOSE) scale. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 21 male
      patients (mean age 33 years; range 18 to 55 years) who underwent septoplasty
      between September 2013 and August 2014. Patients were performed 24-hour rhythm
      Holter electrocardiography analysis preoperatively and at postoperative third
      month. Supraventricular and ventricular extrasystoles were recorded pre- and
      postoperatively. Operation efficiency was measured with NOSE scale. RESULTS: Of
      the 21 patients, ventricular and supraventricular extrasystoles were observed in
      seven patients (33%) in the preoperative period. Mean age of patients with
      arrhythmia (mean age 51 years; range 18 to 55 years) was statistically
      significant higher compared to patients without arrhythmia (mean age 30 years;
      range 23 to 55 years) (p=0.012). Extrasystoles decreased in seven patients in the
      postoperative period. Average, minimum, and maximum heart rates did not change
      statistically significant in the postoperative period. CONCLUSION: The fact that
      septoplasty decreased arrhythmias indicates that nasal septum deviations may be
      associated with cardiac arrhythmias. Septoplasty had no effect on heart rates.
      Performing septoplasty in the early period may prevent future cardiac
      complications in indicated patients.

PMID- 26476518
TI  - [The relationship between platelet count and mean platelet volume with
      obstructive sleep apnea syndrome].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the relationship between platelet
      count and mean platelet volume (MPV) with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
      (OSAS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 417 OSAS patients
      (284 males, 133 females; mean age 47.9+/-10.0; range 23 to 75 years) who were
      performed polisomnography (PSG) in our clinic between January 2013 and December
      2014. Patients were divided into two groups according to apnea-hipopnea index
      (AHI). Apnea-hipopnea index <5 was assumed as normal, while AHI >=5 was assumed
      as OSAS. Platelet count and MPV values of group with normal AHI and group with
      OSAS were statistically compared. Apnea-hipopnea index, REM AHI, non-REM AHI,
      minimum oxygen saturation, and duration of oxygen saturation remaining below 90%
      were statistically compared with platelet count and MPV. RESULTS: The mean of
      platelet count in non-OSAS and OSAS groups were 262.31+/-65.78 and 252.77+/
      61.86, respectively, with no statistically significant difference between the
      groups. Mean platelet volume in non-OSAS and OSAS groups were 9.56+/-1.88 and
      9.71+/-1.57, respectively; however, the difference was not statistically
      significant. Platelet count increased statistically significantly as AHI, REM
      AHI, non-REM AHI, and minimum oxygen saturation parameters got impaired.
      CONCLUSION: As PSG parameters get impaired, platelet count increases in OSAS
      patients.

PMID- 26476520
TI  - Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the accessory parotid gland.
AB  - Accessory parotid gland is a small salivary gland tissue separated from main part
      of parotid gland. It is located on the masseter muscle anterior to the Stensen's
      duct. Tumors of accessory parotid gland are rare. In this article, we report an
      unusual case of adenoid cystic carcinoma involving accessory parotid gland. The
      patient presented with a progressively growing mass in the middle portion of her
      cheek. She underwent a partial parotidectomy including both the superficial and
      accessory lobes. The histopathologic diagnosis was adenoid cystic carcinoma of
      cribriform type. 

PMID- 26476519
TI  - [Rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis: two case reports in the light of the
      literature].
AB  - Rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis is an acute onset and often fatal disease.
      Risk factors include uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, hematological malignancies,
      and long-term corticosteroid use. Early diagnosis and treatment are important.
      The underlying causes should be treated, surgical debridement should be performed
      and appropriate antifungal drugs should be given. In this article, we report two
      diabetic ketoacidosis patients who developed rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis
      and were treated with surgical debridement and amphotericin B therapy. 

PMID- 26476521
TI  - A rare, incidental submandibular hydatid cyst.
AB  - Hydatid cyst disease is a parasitic infestation caused by Echinococcus
      granulosus. It is transmitted via oral ingestion of eggs excreted by dog's stool.
      Liver and lungs are the most commonly involved organs. Primary involvement of
      submandibular region by hydatid cyst is extremely rare. In this article, we
      report a case of a lesion excised from submandibular region with an initial
      diagnosis of branchial cleft cyst, but shown to be a hydatid cyst in
      histopathological evaluation. 

PMID- 26476522
TI  - Hyoid osteoradionecrosis accompanied by candida infection.
AB  - Osteoradionecrosis of the hyoid bone is a rare complication of therapeutic
      irradiation performed for head and neck cancer. In this article, we present a 52
      year-old male patient who admitted with severe odynophagia following chemo
      radiotherapy administration for tonsil carcinoma. Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxy-glucose
      positron emission tomography-computed tomography revealed a metabolic activity in
      hyoid bone. The pathological findings were consistent with fungal infection and
      hyoid bone necrosis. Hyoid osteoradionecrosis should be kept in mind in patients
      with intractable dysphagia following irradiation for head and neck tumors. 

PMID- 26476523
TI  - [Submucosal lingual schwannoma].
AB  - Schwannoma or neurilemmoma is a slow growing, solitary, and encapsulated benign
      tumor originating from Schwann cells of the peripheral nerves. Lingual
      schwannomas are rare. A 46-year-old male patient admitted with a complaint of
      swelling on the right half of the tongue for one year. An approximately 1x1 cm
      submucosal mass was detected on the right side of the tongue. The submucosal mass
      was totally excised under local anesthesia. Pathological examination was
      consistent with schwannoma. Lingual schwannomas should be considered in the
      differential diagnosis of tongue masses. 

PMID- 26476524
TI  - Assessment of adaptability of zebu cattle (Bos indicus) breeds in two different
      climatic conditions: using cytogenetic techniques on genome integrity.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the genome integrity so as to assess the
      adaptability of three breeds of indigenous cattle reared under arid and semi-arid
      regions of Rajasthan (Bikaner) and Haryana (Karnal) India. The cattle were of
      homogenous group (same age and sex) of indigenous breeds viz. Sahiwal, Tharparkar
      and Kankrej. A total of 100 animals were selected for this study from both
      climatic conditions. The sister chromatid exchanges (SCE's), chromosomal gaps and
      chromatid breaks were observed in metaphase plates of chromosome preparations
      obtained from in vitro culture of peripheral blood lymphocytes. The mean number
      of breaks and gaps in Sahiwal and Tharparkar of semi-arid zone were 8.56 +/-
      3.16, 6.4 +/- 3.39 and 8.72 +/- 2.04, 3.52 +/- 6.29, respectively. Similarly, the
      mean number of breaks and gaps in Tharparkar and Kankrej cattle of arid zone were
      5.26 +/- 1.76, 2.74 +/- 1.76 and 5.24 +/- 1.84, 2.5 +/- 1.26, respectively. The
      frequency of SCEs in chromosomes was found significantly higher (P < 0.05) in
      Tharparkar of semi-arid region (4.72 +/- 1.55) compared to arid region (2.83 +/-
      1.01). Similarly, the frequency of SCEs was found to be 4.0 +/- 1.41 in the
      Sahiwal of semi-arid region and 2.69 +/- 1.12 in Kankrej of arid zone.
      Statistical analysis revealed significant differences (P < 0.05) amongst the
      different zones, i.e. arid and semi-arid, whereas no significant difference (P >
      0.05) was observed in the same zone. The analysis of frequency of CAs and SCEs
      revealed significant effects of environmental conditions on the genome integrity
      of animals, thereby indicating an association with their adaptability. 

PMID- 26476525
TI  - Filobacterium rodentium gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of Filobacteriaceae fam.
      nov. within the phylum Bacteroidetes; includes a microaerobic filamentous
      bacterium isolated from specimens from diseased rodent respiratory tracts.
AB  - Strain SMR-CT, which was originally isolated from rats as the SMR strain, had
      been named 'cilia-associated respiratory bacillus' ('CAR bacillus'). 'CAR
      bacillus' was a Gram-stain-negative, filamentous argentophilic bacterium without
      flagella. SMR-CT grew at 37  degrees C under microaerobic conditions, showed
      gliding activity, hydrolysed urea and induced chronic respiratory diseases in
      rodents. The dominant cellular fatty acids detected were iso-C15 : 0 and anteiso
      C15 : 0. The DNA G+C content was 47.7 mol%. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis
      revealed SMR-CT and other strains of 'CAR bacillus' isolated from rodents all
      belonged to the phylum Bacteroidetes. The nearest known type strain, with 86 %
      16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, was Chitinophaga pinensis DSM 2588T in the
      family Chitinophagaceae. Strain SMR-CT and closely related strains of 'CAR
      bacillus' rodent-isolates formed a novel family-level clade in the phylum
      Bacteroidetes with high bootstrap support (98-100 %). Based on these results, we
      propose a novel family, Filobacteriaceae fam. nov., in the order
      Sphingobacteriales as well as a novel genus and species, Filobacterium rodentium
      gen. nov., sp. nov., for strain SMR-CT. The type strain is SMR-CT ( = JCM 19453T
      = DSM 100392T). 

PMID- 26476526
TI  - Warmer temperatures reduce the costs of inducible defences in the marine toad,
      Rhinella marinus.
AB  - Many of the far-reaching impacts of climate change on ecosystem function will be
      due to alterations in species interactions. However, our understanding of the
      effects of temperature on the dynamics of interactions between species is largely
      inadequate. Inducible defences persist in prey populations because defensive
      traits increase survival in the presence of predators but are costly when they
      are absent. Large-scale changes in the thermal climate are likely to alter the
      costs or benefits of these defences for ectotherms, whose physiological processes
      are driven by environmental temperature. A shift in costs of defensive traits
      would affect not only predator-prey interactions, but also the strength of
      selection for inducible defences in natural populations. We investigate the
      effect of temperature on the costs of behavioural defences in larvae of the
      marine toad, Rhinella marinus. Larvae were reared in the presence or absence of
      predator cues at both 25 and 30  degrees C. When exposed to predation cues,
      larvae reduced activity and spent less time feeding. Exposure to predation cues
      also reduced metabolic rate, presumably as a by-product of reducing activity
      levels. Larvae exposed to predation cues also grew more slowly, were smaller at
      metamorphosis and were poorer jumpers after metamorphosis--three traits
      associated with fitness in post-metamorphic anurans. We found that the costs of
      behavioural defences, in terms of larval growth, post-metamorphic size and
      jumping performance, were exacerbated at cooler temperatures. The thermal
      sensitivity of costs associated with defensive traits may explain geographic
      variation in plasticity of defensive traits in other species and suggests that
      changes in environmental temperature associated with climate change may affect
      predator-prey interactions in subtle ways not previously considered.

PMID- 26476527
TI  - Engineering the intracellular metabolism of Escherichia coli to produce gamma
      aminobutyric acid by co-localization of GABA shunt enzymes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To direct the carbon flux from Krebs cycle into the gamma
      aminobutyric acid (GABA) shunt pathway for the production of GABA by protein
      scaffold introduction in Escherichia coli. RESULTS: Escherichia coli was
      engineered to produce GABA from glucose by the co-localization of enzymes
      succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase (GadD), GABA aminotransferase (PuuE) and
      GABA transporter (GadC) by protein scaffold. 0.7 g GABA l(-1) was produced from
      10 g glucose l(-1) while no GABA was produced in wild type E. coli. pH 6 and 30 
      degrees C were optimum for GABA production, and GABA concentration increased to
      1.12 g GABA l(-1) when 20 g glucose l(-1) was used. When competing metabolic
      networks were inactivated, GABA increased by 24 % (0.87 g GABA l(-1)).
      CONCLUSIONS: The novel GABA production system was constructed by co-localization
      of GABA shunt enzymes.

PMID- 26476528
TI  - PLA nanovectors with encapsulated betulin: plant leaf extract-synthesized
      nanovectors are more efficacious than PVA-synthesized nanovectors.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Betulin (BT) is an abundant triterpene found predominantly in the
      bark of Himalayan birch. It is difficult to deliver it in vivo because of its low
      aqueous solubility. We have therefore developed novel formulations of BT for
      improving its solubility, bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy. RESULTS: Poly
      D,L-lactide nanovectors (PLA NVs) were synthesized using poly(vinyl alcohol) and
      Lonicera japonica leaf extract (LE) as a stabiliser and named as PLA-1 NVs and
      PLA-2 NVs. PLA-1 NVs and PLA-2 NVs were used for the encapsulation of betulin
      (BT) and named as BT-En-1 and BT-En-2 NVs. The encapsulation efficiency of BT-En
      1 and BT-En-2 NVs were 99.3 and 100 % respectively. Prepared nanoformulations
      were physically stable. An in vitro study revealed 45 % BT was released over 24
      h. BT had a prolonged release from BT-En-2 NVs as compared to BT-En-1 NVs. BT-En
      2 NVs had better anticancerous activity against SiHa cells than BT-En-1 NVs.
      CONCLUSIONS: Developed BT-EN-2 NVs had better biocompatibility, excellent
      stability and enhanced release characteristics than BT-En-1 NVs.

PMID- 26476529
TI  - Enhancement of medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates biosynthesis from
      glucose by metabolic engineering in Pseudomonas mendocina.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To enhance the biosynthesis of medium-chain-length
      polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAMCL) from glucose in Pseudomonas mendocina NK-01,
      metabolic engineering strategies were used to block or enhance related pathways.
      RESULTS: Pseudomonas mendocina NK-01 produces PHAMCL from glucose. Besides the
      alginate oligosaccharide biosynthetic pathway proved by our previous study, UDP-D
      glucose and dTDP-L-rhamnose biosynthetic pathways were identified. These might
      compete for glucose with the PHAMCL biosynthesis. First, the alg operon, galU and
      rmlC gene were deleted one by one, resulting in NK-U-1(?alg), NK-U-2 (?alg?galU),
      NK-U-3(alg?galU?rmlC). After fermentation for 36 h, the cell dry weight (CDW) and
      PHAMCL production of these strains were determined. Compared with NK-U: 1) NK-U-1
      produced elevated CDW (from 3.19 +/- 0.16 to 3.5 +/- 0.11 g/l) and equal PHAMCL
      (from 0.78 +/- 0.06 to 0.79 +/- 0.07 g/l); 2) NK-U-2 produced more CDW (from 3.19
      +/- 0.16 to 3.55 +/- 0.23 g/l) and PHAMCL (from 0.78 +/- 0.06 to 1.05 +/- 0.07
      g/l); 3) CDW and PHAMCL dramatically decreased in NK-U-3 (1.53 +/- 0.21 and 0.41
      +/- 0.09 g/l, respectively). Additionally, the phaG gene was overexpressed in
      strain NK-U-2. Although CDW of NK-U-2/phaG decreased to 1.29 +/- 0.2 g/l, PHA
      titer (%CDW) significantly increased from 24.5 % up to 51.2 %. CONCLUSION: The
      PHAMCL biosynthetic pathway was enhanced by blocking branched metabolic pathways
      in combination with overexpressing phaG gene.

PMID- 26476530
TI  - SSR markers: a tool for species identification in Psidium   (Myrtaceae).
AB  - Molecular DNA markers are used for detection of polymorphisms in individuals. As
      they are independent of developmental stage of the plant and environmental
      influences, they can be useful tools in taxonomy. The alleles of simple sequence
      repeat (SSR) markers (or microsatellites) are traditionally used to identify
      taxonomic units. This application demands the laborious and costly delimitation
      of exclusive alleles in order to avoid homoplasy. Here, we propose a method for
      identification of species based on the amplification profile of groups of SSR
      markers obtained by a transferability study. The approach considers that the SSR
      are conserved among related species. In this context, using Psidium as a model,
      141 SSR markers developed for Psidium guajava were transferred to 13 indigenous
      species of Psidium from the Atlantic Rainforest. Transferability of the markers
      was high and 28 SSR were conserved in all species. Four SSR groups were defined
      and they can help in the identification of all 13 Psidium species studied. A
      group of 31 SSR was genotyped, with one to six alleles each. The H0 varied from
      0.0 to 0.46, and PIC from 0.0 to 0.74. Cluster analysis revealed shared alleles
      among species. The high percentage of SSR transferability found in Psidium
      evidences the narrow phylogenetic relationship existing among these species since
      transferability occurs by the preservation of the microsatellites and anchoring
      regions. The proposed method was useful for distinguishing the species of
      Psidium, being useful in taxonomic studies.

PMID- 26476531
TI  - Looking for a Symphony: A Sort of Essay with a Perspective on Activity Theories
      and the Ontology of Psychology: Learning from Danish and Russian Experiences by
      Jens Mammen & Irina Mironenko.
AB  - As a perspective on Mammen and Miroenkos the article is reflecting on the
      possibility of Activity Theory being a foundation on which Psychology could be
      integrated. Mammen and Miroenkos point that directed activity not only is towards
      objects "defined as a sum of qualities, but by individual reference" is a
      starting point. As a specific example the phenomenon Love, as "significant object
      relations", is related to the concept "choice categories". It is stated that
      relations of affection and love can't be understood independent of history of
      common activity, and that this makes the concept "choice categories" central in a
      psychological understanding of what love is. 

PMID- 26476532
TI  - Modulation of protease-activated receptor expression by Porphyromonas gingivalis
      in human gingival epithelial cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Protease-activated receptors (PARs) are G-protein-coupled receptors
      with an active role in mediating inflammation, pain and other functions. The oral
      pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) secretes proteases that
      activate PARs. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of PARs in the
      pathogenesis of chronic periodontitis by expression analysis of PARs in human
      gingival epithelial cells (GECs) before and after P. gingivalis supernatants
      treatment. METHODS: GECs were isolated from healthy human gingival tissue
      samples. The expression of PARs in GECs was determined by reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and flow cytometry. The effect of P.
      gingivalis proteases was investigated by quantitative real-time reverse
      transcription polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) and flow cytometry. RESULTS:
      PAR-1, PAR-2, and PAR-3 were expressed in GECs. PAR-4 was not found by both RT
      PCR and flow cytometry. Analysis of gene expression using QRT-PCR showed an up
      regulation of PAR-2 mRNA in comparison to the untreated control cells (P < 0.05).
      In contrast, the mRNA expressions of PAR-1 and PAR-3 were significantly down
      regulated (P > 0.05) in response to P. gingivalis supernatant compared to that in
      unstimulated control cells. This effect was abrogated by the protease inhibitor
      TLCK (P < 0.05). The results of flow cytometry indicated PARs protein levels
      consistent with mRNA levels in the results of QRT-PCR. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      shows that PAR-1, PAR-2 and PAR-3 are expressed in GECs. P. gingivalis proteases
      play a role in the regulation of innate immune responses in GECs. GECs use PARs
      to recognize P. gingivalis and mediate cell responses involved in innate
      immunity.

PMID- 26476533
TI  - Naringin suppresses the metabolism of A375 cells by inhibiting the
      phosphorylation of c-Src.
AB  - Elevation of glycolysis, increase in lactic acid production, and enhancement of
      mitochondrial biogenesis are all the changes of energy metabolism of melanoma
      cells. Melanoma cells' metabolism and energy production networks play an
      important role in cancer proliferation, survival, motility, invasiveness,
      metastasis, and angiogenesis. Since the Warburg theory was put forward in the
      1930s, more researchers focus on finding new ways for effectively eliminating
      cancer cells by targeting their energy metabolism. In this study, we found
      naringin has the inhibitory effects on the glucose metabolism of A375 cells, a
      melanoma cell line, in a concentration-dependent manner. We also found that
      naringin could significantly reduce the phosphorylation of c-Src. In summary, we
      demonstrated that naringin inhibits the malignant phenotype of A375 cells by
      suppressing c-Src and its downstream signaling pathway. More importantly, we
      provide the novel mechanism that, as a natural inhibitor of c-Src, naringin could
      be an effective candidate for the treatment of melanoma. 

PMID- 26476534
TI  - TAB3 overexpression promotes cell proliferation in non-small cell lung cancer and
      mediates chemoresistance to CDDP in A549 cells via the NF-kappaB pathway.
AB  - Transforming growth factor-activated kinase 1 (TAK1)-binding protein 3 (TAB3) is
      essential for the activation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) pathway
      and has important roles in cell survival. However, the contribution of TAB3 to
      non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains elusive. In the present study, Western
      blotting and immunohistochemistry assays demonstrated that TAB3 expression was
      frequently increased in NSCLC tissues and cells. In addition, chi-square test and
      Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that upregulation of TAB3 expression correlated
      with a more invasive tumor phenotype and poor prognosis. In addition, a series of
      experiments, including serum starvation-refeeding experiment and TAB3-siRNA
      transfection assay, showed that TAB3 expression promoted NSCLC cell
      proliferation. Furthermore, the effect of TAB3 expression on the sensitivity to
      cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (CDDP) and possible signaling transduction pathways
      was investigated. When the expression of TAB3 was inhibited by siRNA
      transfection, the sensitivity to CDDP was enhanced. Moreover, it showed that
      downregulation of TAB3 enhanced CDDP-induced A549 cell apoptosis through the
      inhibition of the NF-kappaB pathway. These results suggest that TAB3 plays a
      critical role in NSCLC progression and chemoresistance and that TAB3 depletion
      may be a promising approach to lung cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26476535
TI  - Interaction between p53 codon 72 and MDM2 309T>G polymorphisms and the risk of
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - The p53 tumor suppressor and its negative regulator, murine double minute 2
      (MDM2), play critical roles in carcinogenesis. P53 codon 72 and MDM2 309T>G
      polymorphisms could influence p53 and MDM2 function, respectively, and might
      affect cancer susceptibility. We therefore investigated the association between
      these two SNPs, alone or in combination, and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC) in Chinese. In this case-control study, we genotyped p53 codon 72 and MDM2
      309T>G polymorphisms in 985 HCC cases and 992 cancer-free age- and sex-matched
      controls and evaluated their associations with the risk of HCC. Although no
      significant main effects were found for these two SNPs in the single-locus
      analysis and stratified analysis by age, sex, smoking, drinking, and hepatitis B
      virus (HBV) infection, we found that individuals carrying at least one G allele
      of the MDM2 309T>G polymorphism had statistically significant increased risk of
      HCC among those with the p53 Pro/Pro genotype (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 2.23,
      95 % confidence interval (95%CI) = 1.20-4.14 for TG genotype; adjusted OR = 2.67,
      95%CI = 1.32-5.42 for GG genotype), and the interaction between p53 codon 72 and
      MDM2 309T>G was significant (P interaction = 0.017). Our findings suggest that
      the interaction of p53 codon 72 and MDM2 309T>G may play an important role in the
      etiology of HCC. More studies with well-designed and large sample sizes are
      required to validate these observations. 

PMID- 26476536
TI  - Comparison of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT findings with vascular endothelial
      growth factors and receptors in colorectal cancer.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of (18)F
      fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET/CT findings with the vascular endothelial growth
      factor (VEGF) family and its receptor (VEGFR) levels in metastatic and
      nonmetastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). Fluorine-18 FDG-PET/CT scans were
      performed for initial staging and restaging of patients with CRC. FDG-PET/CT
      findings of tumor (such as the presence of a primary tumor, the lymphatic or
      distance metastases, and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the
      primary tumor), serum VEGF A-C-D-E levels, and serum VEGF receptor 1-2-3 levels
      were analyzed. A total of 63 patients were included into the study (35 males,
      mean age 61.3 +/- 11.9 years). Patients were divided into two groups, based on
      positive and negative PET/CT findings. Patients were also categorized according
      to the presence of metastasis. All evaluated parameters were significantly higher
      in the PET/CT-positive group than the PET/CT-negative group (p < 0.001). All
      those parameters were also positively correlated with each other. The highest
      correlation for SUVmax of primary tumor was found with VEGFR-3 (p < 0.001, r =
      0.665). Patients with metastases had high levels of VEGF-D, VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF
      E, and VEGFR-3 than those without metastases. These parameters had better
      specificity and sensitivity values than the SUVmax of the primary tumor for
      detection of metastases. However, VEGF-D was the best indicator of metastasis in
      all of those parameters (VEGF-D vs SUVmax; sensitivity 100 vs 100 %; specificity
      76 vs 76 %; AUC 0.903 vs 0.835; p < 0.001, respectively). Vascular endothelial
      growth factor family and its receptors were significantly higher in metastatic
      CRC patients. VEGF-D was the best indicator of metastasis than all VEGF family,
      VEGFR-3, and primary tumor SUVmax. VEGF family (A-C-D-E) and VEGFR-3 may help to
      determine the prognosis and management of CRC. 

PMID- 26476537
TI  - P50-associated COX-2 extragenic RNA (PACER) overexpression promotes proliferation
      and metastasis of osteosarcoma cells by activating COX-2 gene.
AB  - P50-associated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) extragenic RNA (PACER) is a novel long
      noncoding RNA that has been found to activate the COX-2 gene, which may function
      as an oncogene in osteosarcoma. However, the role of PACER and the relationship
      between PACER and COX-2 in osteosarcoma progression have been unknown until now.
      Here, we examined the expression levels of PACER in clinical tumor samples and
      human osteosarcoma cell lines, assessed the functions of PACER in osteosarcoma
      cell proliferation and invasion, and then explored the mechanism of PACER
      dysregulation in osteosarcoma. The results showed that PACER was overexpressed in
      osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines compared with normal tissues and osteoblasts,
      respectively. PACER knockdown inhibited the proliferation and invasion of human
      osteosarcoma cells. Downregulation of PACER significantly suppressed the
      expression of COX-2, and the effects of PACER on cell proliferation and invasion
      were rescued by COX-2 overexpression. Furthermore, COX-2 activation by PACER was
      NF-kappaB-dependent. The regulation of PACER by CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) was
      associated with DNA methylation status. Taken together, these findings suggest
      that PACER promotes proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma cells by
      activating the COX-2 gene and its own expression was influenced by DNA
      methylation. 

PMID- 26476538
TI  - Overexpression of Hexokinase 1 as a poor prognosticator in human colorectal
      cancer.
AB  - It has been suggested that hexokinase 1 (HK1) is involved in tumorigenesis.
      However, the expression dynamics of HK1 and its prognostic significance in human
      colorectal cancer (CRC) still remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to
      investigate the expression of HK1 and its prognostic significance in CRC. In this
      study, immunohistochemical analysis was used to examine the expression dynamics
      of HK1 in CRC tissues from two independent cohorts. Receiver operating
      characteristic curve analysis, Kaplan-Meier curves, and Cox regression analysis
      were utilized to investigate the prognostic significance. Results showed that a
      high expression of HK1 was observed in 106 of 393 (27.0 %) and 69 of 229 (30.1 %)
      of CRC in the training cohort and validation cohort, respectively. Further
      correlation analyses indicated that the increased HK1 expression was strongly
      correlated with the pN classification and TNM stage. Both cohorts showed a close
      association between the overexpression of HK1 and poorer overall survival.
      Importantly, multivariate analysis identified HK1 expression in CRC as an
      independent prognostic factor. Overexpression of HK1 may act as a significant
      biomarker of poor prognosis for patients with CRC. 

PMID- 26476539
TI  - Apoptotic effects of salinomycin on human ovarian cancer cell line (OVCAR-3).
AB  - In this study, we studied the apoptotic and cytotoxic effects of salinomycin on
      human ovarian cancer cell line (OVCAR-3) as salinomycin is known as a selectively
      cancer stem cell killer agent. We used immortal human ovarian epithelial cell
      line (IHOEC) as control group. Ovarian cancer cells and ovarian epithelial cells
      were treated by different concentrations of salinomycin such as 0.1, 1, and 40
      MUM and incubated for 24, 48, and 72 h. Dimethylthiazol (MTT) cell viability
      assay was performed to determine cell viability and toxicity. On the other hand,
      the expression levels of some of the apoptosis-related genes, namely anti
      apoptotic Bcl-2, apoptotic Bax, and Caspase-3 were determined by quantitative
      real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Additionally, Caspase-3 protein
      level was also determined. As a result, we concluded that incubation of human
      OVCAR-3 by 0.1 MUM concentration of salinomycin for 24 h killed 40 % of the
      cancer cells by activating apoptosis but had no effect on normal cells. The
      apoptotic Bax gene expression was upregulated but anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 gene
      expression was downregulated. Active Caspase-3 protein level was increased
      significantly (p < 0.05). 

PMID- 26476540
TI  - T cells in tumor microenvironment.
AB  - Tumors progress in a specific area, which supports its development, spreading or
      shrinking in time with the presence of different factors that effect the fate of
      the cancer cells. This specialized site is called "tumor microenvironment" and
      has a composition of heterogenous materials. The immune cells are also residents
      of this stromal, cancerous, and inflammatory environment, and their types,
      densities, or functional differences are one of the key factors that mediate the
      fate of a tumor. T cells as a vital part of the immune system also are a
      component of tumor microenvironment, and their roles have been elucidated in many
      studies. In this review, we focused on the immune system components by focusing
      on T cells and detailed T helper cell subsets in tumor microenvironment and how
      their behaviors affect either the tumor or the patient's outcome. 

PMID- 26476541
TI  - Low pretreatment serum globulin may predict favorable prognosis for gastric
      cancer patients.
AB  - An elevated serum albumin (ALB) and albumin/globulin ratio (AGR) have been
      reported to be associated with a favorable prognosis for several types of cancer.
      However, little is known about prognostic significance of globulin (GLB) in
      gastric cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether GLB,
      ALB, and AGR analysis could predict the prognosis of patients with gastric
      cancer. A retrospective cohort of 186 patients with gastric cancer followed by
      radical surgery was recruited between January 2007 and December 2010. Levels for
      preoperative GLB and ALB were obtained and used to calculate the AGR. Survival
      analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of GLB, ALB, and AGR. X-tile
      program determined 37.6, 33.4, and 1.33 as the optimal cutoff value for ALB, GLB,
      and AGR in terms of survival. Univariate analysis revealed that low GLB levels
      were significantly associated with favorable survival (P = 0.045). Conversely,
      low ALB levels were associated with a significantly worse survival (P = 0.000).
      In conclusion, low preoperative GLB level may serve as a valuable marker to
      predict the prognosis of gastric cancer patients. 

PMID- 26476542
TI  - Epidemiology of Patients with Ovarian Cancer with and Without a BRCA1/2 Mutation.
AB  - Ovarian cancer survival rates have improved only slightly in recent decades;
      however, treatment of this disease is expected to undergo rapid change as
      strategies incorporating molecular-targeted therapies enter clinical practice.
      Carriers of deleterious mutations (defined as a harmful mutation) in either the
      BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene (BRCAm) have a significantly increased risk of developing
      ovarian cancer. Epidemiology data in large (>500 patients) unselected ovarian
      cancer populations suggest that the expected incidence rate for BRCAm in this
      population is 12-14 %. Patients with a BRCAm are typically diagnosed at a younger
      age than those without a BRCAm. Associations with BRCAm vary according to
      ethnicity, with women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent being 10 times more likely to
      have a BRCAm than the general population. In terms of survival, patients with
      invasive epithelial ovarian cancer who have a BRCAm may have improved overall
      survival compared with patients who do not carry a BRCAm. Although genetic
      testing for BRCAm remains relatively uncommon in ovarian cancer patients, testing
      is becoming cheaper and increasingly accessible; however, this approach is not
      without numerous social, ethical and policy issues. Current guidelines recommend
      BRCAm testing in specific ovarian cancer patients only; however, with the
      emergence of treatments that are targeted at patients with a BRCAm, genetic
      testing of all patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer may lead to
      improved patient outcomes in this patient population. Knowledge of BRCAm status
      could, therefore, help to inform treatment decisions and identify relatives at
      increased risk of developing cancer. 

PMID- 26476543
TI  - Clinical Evaluation of a Novel Nine-Gene Panel for Ion Torrent  PGM Sequencing of
      Myeloid Malignancies.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In the last decade, a number of genes have been
      reported to be recurrently associated with myeloid malignancies. While some
      mutations are easily detectable by conventional molecular genetics methods, other
      mutations are more difficult to screen because of lower frequency and being
      scattered along large genomic ranges. However, newly developed approaches for
      next-generation sequencing provide an affordable solution for targeted multiplex
      resequencing of up to several hundreds of amplicons. Here, we aimed to develop
      and validate a novel custom panel for targeted resequencing of myeloid malignancy
      samples using the Ion PGM(TM) System (Ion Torrent, Paisley, UK). METHODS: We
      designed a pool of 424 primers for the amplification of 212 amplicons covering
      99.46 % of the exonic regions of nine human genes as follows: ASXL1, EZH2, CALR,
      RUNX1, SETBP1, SF3B1, SRSF2, TET2, and U2AF1. Initial testing of the panel
      performance was performed on an Ion PGM(TM) machine using PGM(TM) 316 v2 chips on
      16 DNA samples from patients with myeloid malignancies. Sequence alignment,
      variant calling, and annotation were performed using Ion Reporter software.
      RESULTS: We identified a total of 14 nonsynonymous somatic coding variants in
      seven samples affecting six of the genes in the panel (ASXL1, CALR, RUNX1, SRSF2,
      TET2, and U2AF1). Notably, three of the identified mutations were not present in
      the Cosmic v.67 release. CONCLUSION: This proof-of-concept study confirms the
      feasibility of Ion Torrent systems for resequencing of clinically relevant
      mutations in myeloid malignancies. It can be particularly useful in cases without
      the most frequent clonal markers.

PMID- 26476545
TI  - Determination of the maximum rate of eccrine sweat glands' ion  reabsorption
      using the galvanic skin conductance to local sweat  rate relationship.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to develop and describe a simple
      method to evaluate the rate of ion reabsorption of eccrine sweat glands in human
      using the measurement of galvanic skin conductance (GSC) and local sweating rate
      (SR). This purpose was investigated by comparing the SR threshold for increasing
      GSC with following two criteria of sweat ion reabsorption in earlier studies such
      as (1) the SR threshold for increasing sweat ion was at approximately 0.2-0.5
      mg/cm2/min and (2) exercise heat acclimation improved the sweat ion reabsorption
      ability and would increase the criteria 1. METHODS: Seven healthy non-heat
      acclimated male subjects received passive heat treatment both before and after 7
      days of cycling in hot conditions (50% maximum oxygen uptake, 60 min/day, ambient
      temperature 32  degrees C, and 50% relative humidity). RESULTS: Subjects became
      partially heat-acclimated, as evidenced by the decreased end-exercise heart rate
      (p < 0.01), rate of perceived exhaustion (p < 0.01), and oesophageal temperature
      (p = 0.07), without alterations in whole body sweat loss, from the first to the
      last day of training. As hypothesized, we confirmed that the SR threshold for
      increasing GSC was near the predicted SR during passive heating before exercise
      heat acclimation, and increased significantly after training (0.19 +/- 0.09-0.32
      +/- 0.10 mg/cm2/min, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The reproducibility of sweat ion
      reabsorption by the eccrine glands in the present study suggests that the
      relationship between GSC and SR can serve as a new index for assessing the
      maximum rate of sweat ion reabsorption of eccrine sweat glands in humans.

PMID- 26476544
TI  - Association of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGFA)  and its Receptor
      (VEGFR2) Gene Polymorphisms with Risk  of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and Influence
      on Clinical Outcome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and its kinase insert
      domain receptor (VEGFR2/KDR) were reported to be upregulated in chronic myeloid
      leukemia (CML); however, the influence of polymorphisms in VEGFA and VEGFR2 in
      CML pathogenesis and therapeutic response, have not yet been elucidated. METHODS:
      We aimed to analyze these polymorphisms in 212 CML patients and 212 healthy
      controls by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) approach. RESULTS: The VEGFA+936C>T polymorphism did not
      differ significantly between the CML patients and controls. The frequency of CT
      genotype was higher in CML patients than in controls (25 vs. 18%), higher in
      males than in females (29 vs. 18%), was more prevalent in the patients with
      splenomegaly (p = 0.03), and was negatively associated with lactate dehydrogenase
      (LDH) levels (p = 0.01). The frequency of VEGFR2 mutant T-allele was higher in
      CML patients than controls (p < 0.0001). In the dominant model, patients having
      the combined AT and TT genotypes were associated with 2.6-fold higher risk of CML
      [odds ratio (OR) = 2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.71-3.97, p < 0.0001].
      VEGFR2 AT genotype was significantly associated with high blast count (p =
      0.006), minor hematological response (p = 0.03) and poor cytogenetic response (p
      = 0.003), indicating its role in therapeutic resistance. In contrast, poor
      molecular response was observed in patients with TT genotype (p = 0.02).
      VEGFA+936C>T polymorphism was found to have synergistic interaction with
      VEGFR2+1416A>T in inflating the risk for CML further (P(interaction) = 0.0002).
      CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that VEGFR2+1416A>T polymorphism may be a useful
      marker in assessing the disease progression in CML patients. In addition,
      VEGFA+936C>T was observed to have additive effect in inflating the risk further.

PMID- 26476546
TI  - Gender differences in power production, energetic capacity   and efficiency of
      elite cross-country skiers during whole-body,   upper-body, and arm poling.
AB  - PURPOSE: To characterize gender differences in power output, energetic capacity
      and exercise efficiency during whole-body (WP), upper-body (UP), and arm poling
      (AP). METHODS: Ten male and ten female elite cross-country skiers, matched for
      international performance level, completed three incremental submaximal tests and
      a 3-min self-paced performance test on a Concept2 SkiErg. Power output,
      cardiorespiratory and kinematic variables were monitored. Body composition was
      determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: The men demonstrated 87,
      97 and 103% higher power output, and 51, 65 and 71% higher VO2peak (L min(-1))
      than the women during WP, UP and AP, respectively, while utilizing ~10% more of
      their running VO2max in all modes (all P < 0.001). The men had 35, 38 and 59%
      more lean mass in the whole body, upper body and arms (all P < 0.001). The men
      exhibited greater shoulder and elbow extension at the start of poling and greater
      trunk flexion at the end of poling (all P < 0.05). The relationship between VO2
      and power output did not differ between the men and women. CONCLUSIONS: Gender
      differences in power production and peak aerobic capacity increased sequentially
      from WP to UP to AP, coinciding with a greater portion of the muscle mass in the
      arms of the men. Although the men and women employed each poling technique
      differently, the estimated efficiency of double poling was independent of gender.

PMID- 26476547
TI  - Effect of APAP and heated humidification with a heated breathing tube on
      adherence, quality of life, and nasopharyngeal complaints.

PMID- 26476548
TI  - Response to "Effect of APAP and heated humidification with a heated breathing
      tube on adherence, quality of life, and nasopharyngeal complaints".

PMID- 26476549
TI  - Severe community-acquired pneumonia and positive urinary antigen test for S.
      pneumoniae: amoxicillin is associated with a favourable outcome.
AB  - Positive urinary antigen tests (UAT) for pneumococcal infection in community
      acquired pneumonia (CAP) may lead to targeted antibiotic therapy. We report an
      audit aimed at defining the link between mortality and targeted therapy. We
      conducted a retrospective multicentre audit of patients with severe CAP for whom
      a UAT was positive for S. pneumoniae. Patients admitted from January 2010 to
      December 2013 to 8 medical centres (from A to H) were included. Co-morbidities
      were defined by the specific treatment administered before hospital care, or if
      the diagnosis was newly established during the hospital stay. We used the
      Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) to assess disease severity. Only patients with PSI
      > 90 were included. Antibiotic treatments and the PSI were extracted from
      patients' charts. Amoxicillin had to be prescribed as a targeted antibiotic
      treatment or at the time of antibiotic reassessment. A total of 389 patients were
      included. The mean (+/-STD) PSI score was 128 +/- 29; 38.9% of the patients had a
      class 5 PSI score. Intensive care was required for 36.6% of the patients.
      Amoxicillin was initially prescribed in 47 cases (12.1%) and in 34 cases after
      reassessment (8.7%). In logistic regression analysis, we found three parameters
      associated with mortality: being hospitalised in institution D, class 5 PSI
      score, and metastatic cancer. In contrast, three antibiotic regimens were
      protective factors, including targeted therapy: OR = 0.09, p < 0.001. In the
      context of severe CAP with positive UAT for S. pneumoniae, targeted therapy was
      associated with a reduction in mortality.

PMID- 26476551
TI  - Amplicon-Based Pyrosequencing Reveals High Diversity of Protistan Parasites in
      Ships' Ballast Water: Implications for Biogeography and Infectious Diseases.
AB  - Ships' ballast water (BW) commonly moves macroorganisms and microorganisms across
      the world's oceans and along coasts; however, the majority of these microbial
      transfers have gone undetected. We applied high-throughput sequencing methods to
      identify microbial eukaryotes, specifically emphasizing the protistan parasites,
      in ships' BW collected from vessels calling to the Chesapeake Bay (Virginia and
      Maryland, USA) from European and Eastern Canadian ports. We utilized tagged
      amplicon 454 pyrosequencing with two general primer sets, amplifying either the
      V4 or V9 domain of the small subunit (SSU) of the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene
      complex, from total DNA extracted from water samples collected from the ballast
      tanks of bulk cargo vessels. We detected a diverse group of protistan taxa, with
      some known to contain important parasites in marine systems, including
      Apicomplexa (unidentified apicomplexans, unidentified gregarines, Cryptosporidium
      spp.), Dinophyta (Blastodinium spp., Euduboscquella sp., unidentified syndinids,
      Karlodinium spp., Syndinium spp.), Perkinsea (Parvilucifera sp.), Opisthokonta
      (Ichthyosporea sp., Pseudoperkinsidae, unidentified ichthyosporeans), and
      Stramenopiles (Labyrinthulomycetes). Further characterization of groups with
      parasitic taxa, consisting of phylogenetic analyses for four taxa
      (Cryptosporidium spp., Parvilucifera spp., Labyrinthulomycetes, and
      Ichthyosporea), revealed that sequences were obtained from both known and novel
      lineages. This study demonstrates that high-throughput sequencing is a viable and
      sensitive method for detecting parasitic protists when present and transported in
      the ballast water of ships. These data also underscore the potential importance
      of human-aided dispersal in the biogeography of these microbes and emerging
      diseases in the world's oceans.

PMID- 26476550
TI  - Recommendations for the diagnosis of pediatric tuberculosis.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) is still the world's second most frequent cause of death due to
      infectious diseases after HIV infection, and this has aroused greater interest in
      identifying and managing exposed subjects, whether they are simply infected or
      have developed one of the clinical variants of the disease. Unfortunately, not
      even the latest laboratory techniques are always successful in identifying
      affected children because they are more likely to have negative cultures and
      tuberculin skin test results, equivocal chest X-ray findings, and atypical
      clinical manifestations than adults. Furthermore, they are at greater risk of
      progressing from infection to active disease, particularly if they are very
      young. Consequently, pediatricians have to use different diagnostic strategies
      that specifically address the needs of children. This document describes the
      recommendations of a group of scientific societies concerning the signs and
      symptoms suggesting pediatric TB, and the diagnostic approach towards children
      with suspected disease.

PMID- 26476552
TI  - Quantifying landscape pattern and assessing the land cover changes in Piatra
      Craiului National Park and Bucegi Natural Park, Romania, using satellite imagery
      and landscape metrics.
AB  - Protected areas of Romania have enjoyed particular importance after 1989, but, at
      the same time, they were subject to different anthropogenic and natural pressures
      which resulted in the occurrence of land cover changes. These changes have
      generally led to landscape degradation inside and at the borders of the protected
      areas. In this article, 12 landscape metrics were used in order to quantify
      landscape pattern and assess land cover changes in two protected areas, Piatra
      Craiului National Park (PCNP) and Bucegi Natural Park (BNP). The landscape
      metrics were obtained from land cover maps derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper
      (TM) and Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images from 1987, 1993,
      2000, 2009 and 2010. Three land cover classes were analysed in PCNP and five land
      cover map classes in BNP. The results show a landscape fragmentation trend for
      both parks, affecting different types of land covers. Between 1987 and 2010, in
      PCNP fragmentation was, in principle, the result not only of anthropogenic
      activities such as forest cuttings and illegal logging but also of natural
      causes. In BNP, between 1987 and 2009, the fragmentation affected the pasture
      which resulted in the occurrence of bare land and rocky areas because of the
      erosion on the Bucegi Plateau. 

PMID- 26476553
TI  - Our red-green world.

PMID- 26476554
TI  - Evaluation of the Synergistic Effect Between Ethyl  Formate and Phospine for
      Control of Aphis gossypii  (Homoptera: Aphididae).
AB  - Cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, is known as a quarantine pest that is hard
      to control with short periods of fumigation with phosphine (PH(3)) or low
      concentrations of ethyl formate. Moreover, low-temperature fumigation with ethyl
      formate can lead to phototoxic damage of some perishable commodities. Therefore,
      a laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the synergistic effect of mixing
      ethyl formate and PH(3) for the treatment of adults and nymphs of A. gossypii.
      Combined toxicity was observed and compared with a single dose of eitherrethyl
      formate or PH(3). When insects were exposed to 0.5 g/m(3) of PH(3) combined with
      different levels of ethyl formate from 1.6 to 16.3 g/m(3) at 5 and 20C for 2 h,
      L(Ct)(50) and L(Ct)(99) values were greatly reduced in comparison with a single
      dose of either ethyl formate or PH(3). The synergistic ratio (SR) is described as
      L(Ct) of ethyl formate alone/L(Ct) of ethyl formate + PH(3). The SR values of
      L(Ct)(50) and L(Ct)(99) for adult A. gossypii at 5C were 4.55 and 2.33,
      respectively. However, at 20C the SR levels of L(Ct)(50) and L(Ct)(99) were 2.22
      and 1.45, respectively, but still showed significant synergism (significant
      difference, P<0.5). This new technology could meet quarantine and preshipment
      requirements for shorter exposure times and less damage of perishable
      commodities, and could also be extended for controlling other quarantine pests
      and thereby be a useful alternative to methyl bromide for fruit and vegetable
      applications.

PMID- 26476555
TI  - Comparative Growth and Survival of Hylurgus ligniperda (Coleoptera: Scolytinae)
      and Arhopalus ferus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) Reared on Artificial or Natural
      Diet at 15 or 25 degrees C.
AB  - Two saproxylic forest insects, Hylurgus ligniperda (F.) (Coleoptera: Scolytinae)
      and Arhopalus ferus (Mulsant)(Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), were reared on
      artificial or natural diet at 15 or 25 degrees C to compare larval growth rates
      and survival. A significant diet by temperature interaction was observed in the
      growth of H. ligniperda larvae,which developed faster when reared on natural diet
      at 15 degrees C, but grew faster and pupated significantly earlier when reared on
      artificial diet at 25 degrees C. However, H. ligniperda survival by the end of
      the experiment was low on both diets when reared at 25 degrees C (10.1%, 95% CI:
      5.2-15.1%), which suggests that rearing at lower temperatures may be required. A.
      ferus larvae gained significantly larger body size when reared on artificial diet
      than on natural diet at both temperatures. Survival of A. ferus reared on
      artificial diet was significantly lower than larvae reared on natural diet at 25
      degrees C. The significant differences between A. ferus larval development rates
      when reared on artificial and natural diets preclude the use of artificial diet
      to collect meaningful data to construct temperature development models for
      ecological comparisons. Artificial diet provided a suitable medium for mass
      production of individuals for research purposes, e.g., test mortality in response
      to treatments. However, additional rearing studies are needed to determine
      whether the larger artificially reared larvae result in adults that are
      healthier, more productive, and live longer.

PMID- 26476556
TI  - Pollen Contaminated With Field-Relevant Levels of Cyhalothrin Affects Honey Bee
      Survival, Nutritional Physiology, and Pollen Consumption Behavior.
AB  - Honey bees are exposed to a variety of environmental factors that impact their
      health, including nutritional stress, pathogens, and pesticides. In particular,
      there has been increasing evidence that sublethal exposure to pesticides can
      cause subtle, yet important effects on honey bee health and behavior. Here, we
      add to this body of knowledge by presenting data on bee-collected pollen
      containing sublethal levels of cyhalothrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, which, when
      fed to young honey bees, resulted in significant changes in lifespan, nutritional
      physiology,and behavior. For the first time, we show that when young, nest-aged
      bees are presented with pollen containing field-relevant levels of cyhalothrin,
      they reduce their consumption of contaminated pollen. This indicates that, at
      least for some chemicals, young bees are able to detect contamination in pollen
      and change their behavioral response, even if the contamination levels do not
      prevent foraging honey bees from collecting the contaminated pollen.

PMID- 26476557
TI  - The Effect of an Interspersed Refuge on Aphis glycines  (Hemiptera: Aphididae),
      Their Natural Enemies, and  Biological Control.
AB  - Soybean production in the north central United States has relied heavily on the
      use of foliar and seed applied insecticides to manage Aphis glycines (Hemiptera:
      Aphididae). An additional management strategy is the use soybean cultivars
      containing A. glycines resistance genes (Rag). Previous research has demonstrated
      that Rag cultivars are capable of preventing yield loss equivalent to the use of
      foliar and seed-applied insecticides.However, the presence of virulent biotypes
      in North America has raised concern for the durability of Rag genes. A resistance
      management program that includes a refuge for avirulent biotypes could limit the
      frequency at which virulent biotypes increase within North America. To what
      extent such a refuge reduces the effectiveness of aphid-resistant soybean is not
      clear. We conducted an experiment to determine whether a susceptible refuge mixed
      into resistant soybean (i.e., interspersed refuge or refuge-in-a-bag) affects the
      seasonal exposure of aphids, their natural enemies, biological control, and yield
      protection provided by aphid resistance. We compared three ratios of interspersed
      refuges (resistant: susceptible; 95:5, 90:10, 75:25) to plots grown with
      100%susceptible or resistant soybean. We determined that an interspersed refuge
      of at least 25% susceptible seed would be necessary to effectively produce
      avirulent individuals. Interspersed refuges had negligible effects onyield and
      the natural enemy community. However, there was evidence that they increased the
      amount of biological control that occurred within a plot. We discuss the
      compatibility of interspersed refuges for A. glycines management and whether
      resistance management can prolong the durability of Rag genes.

PMID- 26476558
TI  - Insecticide Efficacy and Timing for Control of  Western Bean Cutworm
      (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in  Dry and Snap Beans.
AB  - The western bean cutworm, Striacosta albicosta (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae),
      is a recent pest of corn, dry,and snap beans, in the Great Lakes region, and best
      practices for its management in beans need to be established.Insecticide efficacy
      and application timing field studies, conducted in 2011-2013, determined that
      lambda-cyhalothrin and chlorantraniliprole were capable of reducing western bean
      cutworm feeding damage in dry beans from 2.3 to 0.4% in preharvest samples, and
      in snap beans from 4.8 to 0.1% of marketable pods, respectively. The best
      application timing in dry beans was determined to be 4-18 d after 50% egg hatch.
      No economic benefit was found when products were applied to dry beans, and
      despite high artificial inoculation rates, damage to marketable yield was
      relatively low. Thiamethoxam, methoxyfenozide, and spinetoram were also found to
      be effective at reducing western bean cutworm damage in dry bean to as low as
      0.3% compared to an untreated control with 2.5% damaged pods. In snap beans,
      increased return on investment between CAD$400 and CAD$600 was seen with multiple
      applications of lambda-cyhalothrin, and with chlorantraniliprole applied 4 d
      after egg mass infestation.

PMID- 26476559
TI  - Dry Dog Food Integrity and Mite Strain Influence the  Density-Dependent Growth of
      the Stored-Product Mite  Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acari: Acaridida).
AB  - The infestation of foodstuffs by mites is connected to health risks and economic
      losses. The cosmopolitan stored-product mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank,
      1781) is an emerging and predominant pest of dry dog food. In this study, the
      influences on mite population growth of 1) the different dry dog food kernels
      present in the package; 2) the integrity of the dry dog food kernel, whether
      intact or crushed; 3) the initial population density of 10 or 100 specimens; and
      4) the four mite strains used were investigated under laboratory conditions. The
      population growth tests were performed for 28 d at 85% relative humidity and 25
      degrees C. The intrinsic growth rates of the mites were compared. The population
      growth was higher on the brown and green kernels than on the red and white
      kernels. The kernel integrity affected the population growth, and the integrity
      effect was highly influenced by the initial mite population density. The mites
      showed density-dependent growth in three of the four mite strains tested. The
      initial population density changed the population growth ranking among the mite
      strains, thereby indicating strain-specific density-dependent growth. The results
      of this study have important implications for predictive models of stored-product
      mite populations in dry dog food. One practical recommendation is that the growth
      of mites should be considered with regard to the mite strains and according to
      the strain-specific density dependent growth. Next, the integrity of the kernels
      should be maintained because disrupted or crushed kernels promote increases in
      mite populations.

PMID- 26476560
TI  - Urinary symptoms following external beam radiotherapy of the prostate: Dose
      symptom correlates with multiple-event and event-count models.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare urinary dose-symptom
      correlates after external beam radiotherapy of the prostate using commonly
      utilised peak-symptom models to multiple-event and event-count models which
      account for repeated events. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Urinary symptoms (dysuria,
      haematuria, incontinence and frequency) from 754 participants from TROG 03.04
      RADAR trial were analysed. Relative (R1-R75 Gy) and absolute (A60-A75Gy) bladder
      dose-surface area receiving more than a threshold dose and equivalent uniform
      dose using exponent a (range: a ?[1 ... 100]) were derived. The dose-symptom
      correlates were analysed using; peak-symptom (logistic), multiple-event
      (generalised estimating equation) and event-count (negative binomial regression)
      models. RESULTS: Stronger dose-symptom correlates were found for incontinence and
      frequency using multiple-event and/or event-count models. For dysuria and
      haematuria, similar or better relationships were found using peak-symptom models.
      Dysuria, haematuria and high grade (? 2) incontinence were associated to high
      dose (R61-R71 Gy). Frequency and low grade (? 1) incontinence were associated to
      low and intermediate dose-surface parameters (R13-R41Gy). Frequency showed a
      parallel behaviour (a=1) while dysuria, haematuria and incontinence showed a more
      serial behaviour (a=4 to a ? 100). Relative dose-surface showed stronger dose
      symptom associations. CONCLUSIONS: For certain endpoints, the multiple-event and
      event-count models provide stronger correlates over peak-symptom models.
      Accounting for multiple events may be advantageous for a more complete
      understanding of urinary dose-symptom relationships.

PMID- 26476561
TI  - Impact of tumour invasion on seminal vesicles mobility in radiotherapy of
      prostate cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Mobility of the seminal vesicles relative to the prostate challenges
      adequate dose coverage. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of tumour
      invasion on SV mobility. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Three groups of 30 prostate
      cancer patients with (1) no invasion on MR, (2) minimal invasion (<5mm), and (3)
      extensive invasion (>5mm) were studied. Translations and rotations of the SV were
      measured with CBCT and compared between the three groups. RESULTS: In the
      extensive group the random SV translations were significantly lower in comparison
      with the no invasion group in the LR: 0.15 vs 0.16 cm (p=0.015), CC: 0.17 vs 0.23
      cm (p=0.004) and AP direction: 0.19 vs 0.26 cm (p=0.002). Also the random SV
      rotation on the LR axis was significantly lower: 5.2 vs 6.3 degrees  (p=0.035).
      In comparison with the minimal invasion group the random SV translations were
      significantly lower in the extensive group in the CC: 0.17 vs 0.24 cm (p=0.001)
      and AP direction 0.19 vs 0.31 cm (p=0.007) and for the rotation on the LR axis:
      5.2 vs 6.5 degrees  (p=0.043). CONCLUSION: Increasing tumour invasion in the SV
      reduces the mobility of the SV, however the mobility remains considerable.

PMID- 26476562
TI  - Dynamics of the HPA axis and inflammatory cytokines: Insights from mathematical
      modeling.
AB  - In the work presented here, a novel mathematical model was developed to explore
      the bi-directional communication between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)
      axis and inflammatory cytokines in acute inflammation. The dynamic model consists
      of five delay differential equations 5D for two main pro-inflammatory cytokines
      (TNF-alpha and IL-6) and two hormones of the HPA axis (ACTH and cortisol) and LPS
      endotoxin. The model is an attempt to increase the understanding of the role of
      primary hormones and cytokines in this complex relationship by demonstrating the
      influence of different organs and hormones in the regulation of the inflammatory
      response. The model captures the main qualitative features of cytokine and
      hormone dynamics when a toxic challenge is introduced. Moreover, in this work a
      new simple delayed model of the HPA axis is introduced which supports the
      understanding of the ultradian rhythm of HPA hormones both in normal and
      infection conditions. Through simulations using the model, the role of key
      inflammatory cytokines and cortisol in transition from acute to persistent
      inflammation through stability analysis is investigated. Also, by employing a
      Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, parameter uncertainty and the effects of
      parameter variations on each other are analyzed. This model confirms the
      important role of the HPA axis in acute and prolonged inflammation and can be a
      useful tool in further investigation of the role of stress on the immune response
      to infectious diseases. 

PMID- 26476563
TI  - Live poultry market workers are susceptible to both avian and swine influenza
      viruses, Guangdong Province, China.
AB  - Guangdong Province is recognized for dense populations of humans, pigs, poultry
      and pets. In order to evaluate the threat of viral infection faced by those
      working with animals, a cross-sectional, sero-epidemiological study was conducted
      in Guangdong between December 2013 and January 2014. Individuals working with
      swine, at poultry farms, or live poultry markets (LPM), and veterinarians, and
      controls not exposed to animals were enrolled in this study and 11 (4 human, 3
      swine, 3 avian, and 1 canine) influenza A viruses were used in hemagglutination
      inhibition (HI) assays (7 strains) and the cross-reactivity test (9 strains) in
      which 5 strains were used in both tests. Univariate analysis was performed to
      identify which variables were significantly associated with seropositivity. Odds
      ratios (OR) revealed that swine workers had a significantly higher risk of
      elevated antibodies against A/swine/Guangdong/L6/2009(H1N1), a classical swine
      virus, and A/swine/Guangdong/SS1/2012(H1N1), a Eurasian avian-like swine virus
      than non-exposed controls. Poultry farm workers were at a higher risk of
      infection with avian influenza H7N9 and H9N2. LPM workers were at a higher risk
      of infection with 3 subtypes of avian influenza, H5N1, H7N9, and H9N2.
      Interestingly, the OR also indicated that LPM workers were at risk of H1N1 swine
      influenza virus infection, perhaps due to the presence of pigs in the LPM. While
      partial confounding by cross-reactive antibodies against human viruses or
      vaccines cannot be ruled out, our data suggests that animal exposed people as are
      more likely to have antibodies against animal influenza viruses. 

PMID- 26476564
TI  - Effect of age and inoculation route on the infection of duck Tembusu virus in
      Goslings.
AB  - Duck Tembusu virus (TMUV) is an emerging flavivirus that has caused variable
      levels of outbreaks in poultry in recent years. In order to study the effect of
      age and inoculation routes on the TMUV infection, one hundred healthy domestic 5
      day-old and 20-day-old goslings were equally divided into five groups and four
      experimental groups of goslings were infected with the TMUV-SDSG strain by
      intravenous and intranasal routes, respectively. Severe clinical signs were
      observed in goslings infected at 5 days of age, including listlessness, growth
      retardation, severe neurological dysfunction and even death. However, goslings
      infected at 20 days of age showed mild symptoms and no mortality. The severity of
      gross lesions gradually reduced as goslings matured. The severe histopathological
      changes were observed in 5-day-old infected goslings, including cerebral edema,
      viral encephalitis, myocardial necrosis, hepatic steatosis, spleen lymphoid cell
      depletion, pancreatic epithelial cell shedding and interstitial hemorrhage.
      However, 20-day-old infected goslings showed mild histopathological changes.
      Viral loads in different tissues were detected by the SYBR Green I real-time PCR
      assay. The level of viral loads in most of tissues 5-day-old infected goslings
      was higher than that of 20-day-old infected goslings, correlating with the
      severity of clinical symptoms and lesions in these tissues. 20-day-old infected
      goslings developed significantly higher serum neutralizing antibody titers than 5
      day-old infected goslings. Furthermore, goslings infected with TMUV intravenously
      demonstrated more severe clinical signs, lesions and higher viral loads in
      tissues than those of goslings infected with TMUV intranasally. Therefore, age
      and inoculation routes can affect the pathogenicity of TMUV in geese and younger
      geese are more susceptible to the virus. Age and inoculation route factors should
      be considered in study of the pathogenicity, pathogenesis, folumation of
      prevention and therapy strategies of TMUV infection in geese. 

PMID- 26476568
TI  - Tumor budding in colorectal cancer--ready for diagnostic practice?
AB  - Tumor budding is an important additional prognostic factor for patients with
      colorectal cancer (CRC). Defined as the presence of single tumor cells or small
      clusters of up to 5 cells in the tumor stroma, tumor budding has been likened to
      an epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Based on well-designed retrospective
      studies, tumor budding is linked to adverse outcome of CRC patients in 3 clinical
      scenarios: (1) in malignant polyps, detection of tumor buds is a risk factor for
      lymph node metastasis indicating the need for colorectal surgery; (2) tumor
      budding in stage II CRC is a highly adverse prognostic indicator and may aid
      patient selection for adjuvant therapy; (3) in the preoperative setting, presence
      of tumor budding in biopsy material may help to identify high-risk rectal cancer
      patients for neoadjuvant therapy. However, lack of consensus guidelines for
      standardized assessment still limits reporting in daily diagnostic practice. This
      article provides a practical and comprehensive overview on tumor budding aimed at
      the practicing pathologist. First, we review the prognostic value of tumor
      budding for the management of colon and rectal cancer patients. Second, we
      outline a practical, evidence-based proposal for the assessment of tumor budding
      in the daily sign-out. Last, we summarize the current knowledge of the molecular
      characteristics of high-grade budding tumors in the context of personalized
      treatment approaches and biomarker discovery. 

PMID- 26476567
TI  - Renal carcinoma associated with a novel succinate dehydrogenase A mutation: a
      case report and review of literature of a rare subtype of renal carcinoma.
AB  - Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) linked to germline mutation of succinate dehydrogenase
      subunits A, B, C, and D (SDHA, SDHB, SDHC, and SDHD, respectively) has been
      recently included as a provisional entity in the 2013 International Society of
      Urological Pathology Vancouver classification. Most SDH-deficient tumors show
      SDHB mutation, with only a small number of RCC with SDHC or SDHD having been
      reported to date. Only one case of SDH-deficient renal carcinoma known to be SDHA
      mutated has been previously reported. Here we report an additional RCC harboring
      an SDHA mutation occurring in a 62-year-old man with right flank pain and nodal
      metastasis. The tumor was characterized by an infiltrative pattern with solid,
      acinar, and papillary components. Loss of SDHA and SDHB protein by
      immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis. Hybrid capture-based comprehensive
      genomic profiling identified 3 genomic alterations in tumor tissue: (i) a novel
      single-nucleotide splice site deletion in SDHA gene, (ii) single-nucleotide
      deletion in NF2 gene, and (iii) EGFR gene amplification of 19 copies. This is the
      second report of SDHA-mutated RCC. With increased awareness, this rare tumor can
      be recognized on the basis of distinctive morphology and confirmation by
      immunohistochemistry and genomic profiling. 

PMID- 26476570
TI  - Development of an affordable typing method for Meyerozyma guilliermondii using
      microsatellite markers.
AB  - Despite previously published methods, there is still a lack of rapid and
      affordable methods for genotyping the Meyerozyma guilliermondii yeast species.
      The development of microsatellite markers is a useful genotyping method in
      several yeast species. Using the Tandem Repeat Finder Software, a total of 19
      microsatellite motifs (di-, tri-, and tetra- repetition) were found in silico in
      seven of the nine scaffolds published so far. Primer pairs were designed for all
      of them, although only four were used in this work. All microsatellite
      amplifications showed size polymorphism, and the results were identical when
      repeated. The combination of three microsatellite markers (sc15F/R, sc32 F/R and
      sc72 F/R) produced a different pattern for each of the Type Culture Collection
      strains of M. guilliermondii used to optimize the method. The three primer pairs
      can be used in the same PCR reaction, which reduces costs, in tandem with the
      fluorescent labeling of only the forward primer in each primer pair.
      Microsatellite typing was applied on 40 more M. guilliermondii strains. The
      results showed that no pattern is repeated between the different environmental
      niches. Four M. guilliermondii strains were only amplified with primer pair sc32
      F/R, and subsequently identified as Meyerozyma caribbica by Taq I-RFLP of the
      5.8S ITS rDNA. Most out-group species gave negative results even for
      physiologically similarly species such as Debaryomyces hansenii. The
      microsatellite markers used in this work were stable over time, which enables
      their use as a traceability tool.

PMID- 26476571
TI  - Efficacy of two Staphylococcus aureus phage cocktails in cheese production.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most prevalent pathogenic bacteria
      contaminating dairy products. In an effort to reduce food safety risks, virulent
      phages are investigated as antibacterial agents to control foodborne pathogens.
      The aim of this study was to compare sets of virulent phages, design phage
      cocktails, and use them in a cocktail to control pathogenic staphylococci in
      cheese. Six selected phages belonging to the three Caudovirales families
      (Myoviridae, Siphoviridae, Podoviridae) were strictly lytic, had a broad host
      range, and did not carry genes coding for virulence traits in their genomes.
      However, they were sensitive to pasteurization. At MOI levels of 15, 45, and 150,
      two anti-S. aureus phage cocktails, each containing three phages, one from each
      of the three phage families, eradicated a 10(6)CFU/g S. aureus population after
      14 days of Cheddar cheese curd ripening at 4 degrees C. The use of these phages
      did not trigger over-production of S. aureus enterotoxin C. The use of phage
      cocktails and their rotation may prevent the emergence of phage resistant
      bacterial strains.

PMID- 26476566
TI  - Application of classification based cognitive functional therapy for a patient
      with lumbar spinal stenosis: A case report.
AB  - This report describes the case of a 52 year old male administrative assistant
      presenting with symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Despite patho
      anatomical considerations, the patient's pain related functional behaviour, mal
      adapted presentation, motor control strategies, incorrect belief system, and
      faulty cognition of associating disc healing with a lordotic posture adversely
      contributed to his presentation. With limited specific guidelines in the
      literature for this specific lumbar spine condition, the patient response during
      the assessment guided the intervention. Treatment that incorporated a cognitive
      functional therapy resulted in a successful outcome. The patient attended for
      twelve treatment sessions in three months and demonstrated improvement in overall
      function. By week 12, the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) reduced from 68% to 19%
      and further reduced to 15% at three months following discharge. The patient's
      self-reported tolerance for standing improved from 10 min to 60 min and his self
      reported tolerance of walking improved from 200 m to three kilometres. The
      effects were maintained three months post discharge. This case report supports
      the clinical utility of a patient-centred multidimensional classification system
      that utilised cognitive functional therapy in a patient with LSS. 

PMID- 26476569
TI  - Synchronous pituitary adenoma and pituicytoma.
AB  - Pituicytoma is a rare benign neoplasm arising in the sellar region, usually found
      in the posterior lobe and/or pituitary stalk. Here, we report the case of a 67
      year-old woman who presented with bitemporal hemianopsia and visual impairment
      accompanied by mildly elevated prolactin. Pathologic and molecular examination of
      the tissue removed transsphenoidally revealed 2 distinct tumors: pituitary
      adenoma and pituicytoma. To the best of our knowledge, histologically proven
      pituicytoma and pituitary adenoma have never been reported together. 

PMID- 26476572
TI  - Virus recovering from strawberries: Evaluation of a skimmed milk organic
      flocculation method for assessment of microbiological contamination.
AB  - Skimmed milk organic flocculation method was adapted, optimized and compared with
      polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation and filtration methods for recovering
      viruses from a strawberry matrix. Spiking experiments with norovirus genogroup II
      genotype 4 (NoV GII.4) and murine norovirus 1 (MNV-1) demonstrated that the
      organic flocculation method associated with a glycine elution buffer, filter bag
      and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) showed a recovery percentage of 2.5 and
      32 times higher than PEG precipitation and filtration methodologies for NoV
      recovering. Furthermore, this method was used for investigating NoV and human
      adenoviruses (HAdVs) in 90 samples of fresh strawberries commercialized in Rio de
      Janeiro markets. NoV GI and GII were not detected in those samples and MNV-1,
      used as internal process control (IPC), was recovered in 95.5% (86) of them.
      HAdVs were detected in 18 (20.0%) samples and characterized by nucleotide
      sequencing as Human Mastadenovirus specie F and as type specie HAdV-2. Bacterial
      analysis did not detect Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes, however, 3.3%
      of fecal coliforms were detected in those samples. These results indicate the
      organic flocculation method as an alternative for recovering enteric viruses from
      strawberries, emphasizing a need for virus surveillance in food matrices.

PMID- 26476574
TI  - Increased radiosensitivity of HPV-positive head and neck cancers: Molecular basis
      and therapeutic perspectives.
AB  - Human papillomavirus driven head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC),
      particularly oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), are characterized by
      a significant survival advantage over their HPV-negative counterparts. Although
      the reasons behind this are still not fully elucidated, it is widely accepted
      that these tumors have a higher response to ionizing radiation that might explain
      their favorable outcomes. Potential underlying intrinsic mechanisms include
      impaired DNA repair abilities, differences in activated repopulation-signaling
      pathways and cell cycle control mechanisms. The role of the microenvironment is
      increasingly highlighted, particularly tumor oxygenation and the immune response.
      Recent studies have shown a distinct pattern of intratumoral immune cell
      infiltrates, according to HPV status, and have suggested that an increased
      cytotoxic T-cell based antitumor immune response is involved in improved
      prognosis of patients with HPV-positive OPSCC. These significant milestones, in
      the understanding of HPV-induced HNSCC, pave the way to new therapeutic
      opportunities. This article reviews the current evidence on the biological basis
      of increased radiosensitivity in HPV-positive HNSCC and discusses potential
      therapeutic implications. 

PMID- 26476573
TI  - Inhibition of bacterial growth in sweet cheese whey by carbon dioxide as
      determined by culture-independent community profiling.
AB  - Whey is a valuable co-product from cheese making that serves as a raw material
      for a wide range of products. Its rich nutritional content lends itself to rapid
      spoilage, thus it typically needs to be pasteurised and refrigerated promptly.
      Despite the extensive literature on milk spoilage bacteria, little is known about
      the spoilage bacteria of whey. The utility of carbon dioxide (CO2) to extend the
      shelf-life of raw milk and cottage cheese has been well established, but its
      application in whey preservation has not yet been explored. This study aims to
      characterise the microbial populations of fresh and spoiled sweet whey by culture
      independent community profiling using 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene
      amplicons and to determine whether carbonation is effective in inhibiting
      bacterial growth in sweet whey. The microbiota of raw Cheddar and Mozzarella whey
      was dominated by cheese starter bacteria. After pasteurisation, two out of the
      three samples studied became dominated by diverse environmental bacteria from
      various phyla, with Proteobacteria being the most dominant. Diverse microbial
      profiles were maintained until spoilage occurred, when the entire population was
      dominated by just one or two genera. Whey spoilage bacteria were found to be
      similar to those of milk. Pasteurised Cheddar and Mozzarella whey was spoiled by
      Bacillus sp. or Pseudomonas sp., and raw Mozzarella whey was spoiled by
      Pseudomonas sp., Serratia sp., and other members of the Enterobacteriaceae
      family. CO2 was effective in inhibiting bacterial growth of pasteurised Cheddar
      and Mozzarella whey stored at 15 degrees C and raw Mozzarella whey stored at 4
      degrees C. The spoilage bacteria of the carbonated samples were similar to those
      of the non-carbonated controls.

PMID- 26476575
TI  - Working in tandem: The contribution of remedial programs and roadside licence
      suspensions to drinking and driving deterrence in Ontario.
AB  - In 1998, Ontario implemented a remedial program called "Back On Track" (BOT) for
      individuals convicted of alcohol-impaired driving. Drivers convicted before
      October 2000 were exposed to a single-component program ("Edu BOT"); those
      convicted after participated in a multi-component program ("Full BOT"). We
      evaluated the impact of BOT, and the preceding 90-day roadside licence
      suspension, on drinking and driving recidivism, an outcome yet to be examined,
      using population-wide driver records. A Chi Square Test was used to compare the
      three-year cumulative incidence of recidivism between three historically-defined
      cohorts: No BOT, Edu BOT, and Full BOT. Stratified analyses by completion status
      and by age were also conducted. Analyses of the roadside suspension were
      conducted using an interrupted time series approach based on segmented
      Poisson/negative binomial regression. The roadside suspension was associated with
      a 65.2% reduction in drinking driving recidivism. In combination with indefinite
      suspensions for non-completion, the BOT program was also associated with a 21%
      decrease in drinking and driving recidivism in the three years following a CCC
      driving prohibition, from 8.5% to 6.7%. This reduction cannot be explained by pre
      existing trends in recidivism. Conversion of the BOT program from the single
      component version to the multi-component program further reduced the three-year
      cumulative incidence of recidivism to 5.5% (a total reduction of 35% from pre
      BOT). Results provide strong converging evidence that remedial alcohol
      education/treatment programs in combination with other sanctions can produce
      substantial increases in road safety. 

PMID- 26476576
TI  - Flipping a Lipid-Linked Oligosaccharide? You Must Whip It!
AB  - The mechanism for flipping large lipid-linked oligosaccharides across membranes
      has remained a paradox. Perez et al. now report the structure of the PglK protein
      of C. jejuni, a flippase for a bacterial lipid-linked oligosaccharide, and reveal
      an unexpected whip-like mechanism. 

PMID- 26476577
TI  - Radial pseudoaneurysm after a puncture for blood gas analysis.
AB  - Radial pseudoaneurysm (PA) is a rare complication of the transradial approach for
      the arterial catheterization.

PMID- 26476578
TI  - Who is prescribing controlled medications to patients who die of prescription
      drug abuse?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prescription drug-related fatalities remain a significant issue in
      the United States, yet there is a relative lack of knowledge on the specialty
      specific prescription patterns for drug-related deaths. METHODS: We designed a
      study that investigated medical examiner reports of prescription drug-related
      deaths that occurred in San Diego County during 2013. A Prescription Drug
      Monitoring Program search was performed on each of these cases to ascertain which
      physician specialties had prescribed controlled substances to these patients. The
      data were analyzed for each specialty, including pills per prescription, type of
      prescription, doctor shoppers (4 physicians + 4 pharmacies over 1 year), and
      chronic users (>=3 consecutive months of medications). MAIN FINDINGS: In 2013,
      4.5% of all providers in San Diego County wrote a prescription for a patient who
      died a prescription-related death. There were a total of 713 providers who
      prescribed 4366 medications totaling 328928 pills. Overall, emergency physicians
      gave the lowest number of prescriptions per provider (1.6), whereas pain
      management provided the highest amount per provider (12.9). Most prescriptions
      went to doctor shoppers (>50%) and chronic users (95.8%). Hydrocodone was the
      most frequently prescribed medication to those patients whose deaths were related
      to prescription drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency physicians appear to provide fewer
      prescriptions to those patients who die due to prescription drugs. Emergency
      physicians do, however, account for a significant proportion of total providers
      in this study. These results highlight the need to use Prescription Drug
      Monitoring Program data to closely monitor prescription patterns and to intervene
      when necessary.

PMID- 26476579
TI  - Progressive increase in D-dimer levels during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
      can predict membrane oxygenator failure in children given hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation?

PMID- 26476580
TI  - Multipronged strategy to reduce routine-priority blood testing in intensive care
      unit patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to reduce unnecessary ordering of routine
      priority blood tests. METHODS: In this before-after study, we studied all
      patients admitted to a 15-bed tertiary intensive care unit (ICU) from July 1,
      2011, to June 27, 2013. Based on input from intensivists, acceptable indications
      for ordering routine-priority complete blood counts (CBCs) and electrolyte/renal
      panels were developed. Sequential interventions were (1) education sessions for
      ICU housestaff about the lack of evidence for routine-priority blood tests; (2)
      an item on the ICU rounds checklist to ask if routine-priority blood tests were
      indicated; (3) a rubber stamp, "routine bloodwork NOT indicated for tomorrow,"
      was used in the chart; (4) a prompt in the electronic ordering system to allow
      only accepted indications; and (5) a second educational session for ICU
      housestaff. We measured numbers of tests done before and after these
      interventions. RESULTS: After introduction of interventions, there were 0.14
      fewer routine-priority CBCs and 0.13 fewer routine-priority electrolyte/renal
      panels done per patient-day. Nonroutine CBCs and nonroutine electrolyte/renal
      panels increased by 0.03 and 0.02 tests per patient-day, respectively. This
      overall reduction in tests equates to an adjusted savings of $11,200.24 over 1
      year in 1 ICU. There were no differences in demographics, severity of illness,
      length of stay, or number of red cell transfusions between the 2 periods.
      CONCLUSION: Sequential interventions to discourage the ordering of routine
      priority blood tests in an ICU were associated with a significant decrease in the
      number of tests ordered.

PMID- 26476581
TI  - Evaluation of parturient perception and aversion before and after primary
      cesarean delivery in a low-resource country.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the perception of and aversion to cesarean delivery (CD)
      and their determinants before and after primary CD. METHODS: A prospective cross
      sectional survey of pregnant women undergoing primary CD (elective or emergency)
      was conducted in six health facilities in Ilorin, Nigeria. All participants
      completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire before the operation and 3
      4days thereafter. The statistical analysis included the calculation of odds
      ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and a logistic regression.
      RESULTS: Of the 254 participants, 182 (71.7%) and 53 (20.9%) had an aversion to
      CD before and after the procedure, respectively. A woman's personal decision was
      the overriding factor influencing acceptance of the operation. Preoperative
      predictors of aversion were prenatal admission (OR 2.86 [95% CI,1.07-7.66];
      P=0.030) and a history of previous surgery (OR 0.42 [95% CI, 0.24-0.75];
      P=0.003), whereas postoperatively a low number of prenatal clinic visits (less
      than four; OR 3.05 [95% CI,1.63-5.69]; P=0.001) and a history of previous surgery
      (OR 0.51 [95% CI, 0.27-0.96]; P=0.034) were significant. Postprocedure, 164
      (64.6%) women said they would accept a repeat CD. CONCLUSION: Patient education,
      prenatal care, and previous surgical experiences were important in determining
      women's perception of and aversion to CD.

PMID- 26476582
TI  - Maternal age and outcome of preterm infants at discharge from the neonatal
      intensive care unit.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of maternal age on preterm neonates' survival
      free from major morbidity at discharge from two neonatal intensive care units in
      Jerusalem, Israel. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of two hospitals from
      2009-2010 was performed. Eligible neonates were born at less than 35 weeks of
      gestation and survived to discharge. Major morbidity included at least one of the
      following: chronic lung disease, at least grade 3 intraventricular hemorrhage,
      periventricular leukomalacia, at least stage 3 retinopathy of prematurity, at
      least stage 2 necrotizing enterocolitis, or sepsis. RESULTS: The analysis was
      performed on 380 neonates of 294 mothers. Mean maternal age was 30.5 years
      (range, 17-52), mean gestational age was 31.5 weeks (range, 24-34), and mean
      birth weight was 1705.5 g (range, 460-3150). Of the neonates, 90 (23.7%) had
      major morbidity, which was associated with lower mean gestational age (29.5 weeks
      vs 32.3 weeks, P<0.001), birth weight (1326.5g vs 1822.2g, P<0.001), and the need
      for resuscitation at birth (P<0.001) in comparison with neonates without major
      morbidity. A comparison of maternal age between the two outcome groups yielded a
      nonsignificant result. A logistic regression model revealed that maternal age
      does not contribute significantly to poor neonatal outcomes. CONCLUSION: Advanced
      maternal age was not associated with major morbidity of preterm neonates at
      discharge from the neonatal intensive care units.

PMID- 26476583
TI  - Cardiac Regeneration Therapies - Targeting Neuregulin 1 Signalling.

PMID- 26476584
TI  - Effect of the Inhibition of Hydrogen Sulfide Synthesis on Ischemic Injury and
      Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in a Transient Model of Focal Cerebral Ischemia in
      Rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays multiple roles in the function of the
      central nervous system in physiological and pathological conditions, such as
      cerebral ischemia. Recent studies have reported controversial results about the
      role of H2S in cerebral ischemia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      effects of amino-oxyacetic acid (AOAA), an inhibitor of H2S synthesis, on
      ischemic injury in an experimental model of stroke. METHODS: Using laser Doppler
      monitoring, cerebral ischemia was induced by transient middle cerebral artery
      occlusion (MCAO) for 1 hour in rats. AOAA (.025, .05, .1, and .5 mmol/kg
      intraperitoneally [i.p.]) was injected at the beginning of MCAO. Infarct volume,
      cerebral edema, and activity of antioxidant enzymes were measured using the
      standard methods 24 hours after ischemia. RESULTS: The administration of AOAA at
      doses .025, .05, and .1 mmol/kg significantly reduced the infarct volume (P <
      .001). Furthermore, .025 and .05 mmol/kg of AOAA significantly reduced brain
      edema and improved the neurological outcome (P < .001). The administration of
      AOAA did not significantly change the malondialdehyde content, activities of
      superoxide dismutase, or glutathione peroxidase antioxidant enzymes in the brain
      tissue (P > .05). CONCLUSION: The results showed that AOAA administered at a low
      dose has protective effects; however, at higher doses it did not exert any
      protective effect against cerebral ischemia and even worsened the ischemic
      injury. This finding suggests that H2S might be both beneficial and harmful in
      cerebral ischemic injury depending on its concentration in transient model of
      focal cerebral ischemia.

PMID- 26476585
TI  - Short-Term Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms in Stroke Survivors and Their
      Family Caregivers.
AB  - GOAL: We utilize group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) to delineate depressive
      symptom trajectories among stroke survivor-caregiver dyads, to identify
      predictors of the delineated trajectories, and to assess the influence of time
      varying covariates (stroke survivor depressive symptoms and functional
      disability, caregiver depressive symptoms, and foreign domestic worker [FDW]
      assistance) on the level of the depressive symptom trajectories. METHODS: Data on
      172 stroke survivor-caregiver dyads in Singapore, for whom depressive symptoms
      were assessed thrice (baseline/3 months/6 months), were utilized. GBTM was
      applied to delineate depressive symptom trajectories, and to identify their
      predictors and time-varying covariates. FINDINGS: Three stroke survivor
      depressive symptom trajectories (low and decreasing [47.6%], low and increasing
      [43.1%], and high and increasing [9.3%]) and 2 caregiver depressive symptom
      trajectories (low and stable [71.5%] and high and decreasing [28.5%]) were
      delineated. Caregivers with chronic diseases were more likely (odds ratio [95%
      confidence interval]: 8.09[2.04-32.07]) and those caring for older stroke
      survivors (0.94[0.90-0.98]) were less likely to follow the high and decreasing
      than the low and stable depressive symptom trajectory. An increase in stroke
      survivor functional disability and caregiver depressive symptoms led to a rise
      (~worsening) in stroke survivor depressive symptom trajectories. Whereas an
      increase in stroke survivor depressive symptoms led to a rise in caregiver
      depressive symptom trajectories, FDW assistance led to a decline (~improvement).
      CONCLUSION: Care professionals should be mindful of heterogeneity in depressive
      symptom patterns over time among stroke survivor-caregiver dyads. Reciprocal
      association of depressive symptoms in the stroke survivor-caregiver dyad suggests
      that addressing mood problems in 1 member may benefit the other member, and calls
      for dyadic mental health interventions.

PMID- 26476586
TI  - Diffuse Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery Hyperintensity in Subarachnoid Space
      Following Cerebral Angiography and Intravenous Thrombolysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Transient cortical blindness (TCB) is a relatively rare but well
      recognized complication following cardiovascular and cerebral angiography.
      METHODS: A 68-year-old male developed TCB following cerebral angiography along
      with punctate diffusion lesion evident on emergent magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI). The patient received intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA) for
      suspected stroke. RESULTS: Follow-up MRI revealed diffuse hyperintensities in
      subarachnoid space in fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence mostly
      in bilateral occipital lobes. CONCLUSION: The finding on the FLAIR as described
      in this case is an indication of diffuse disruption of the blood-brain barrier
      perhaps secondary to cerebral angiography, high blood pressure, and IV-tPA. To
      the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of TCB with diffuse
      postcontrast FLAIR changes.

PMID- 26476587
TI  - A Simple Geometric Assessment of Perfusion Lesion Volume at Hyperacute Stage of
      Ischemic Stroke in Patients with Symptomatic Steno-Occlusion of Major Cerebral
      Arteries and Risk of Subsequent Cerebral Ischemic Events.
AB  - Our objective is to elucidate the association of baseline perfusion lesion volume
      on perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (PWI) obtained at hyperacute
      stage of ischemic stroke with subsequent cerebral ischemic events (SIEs) in
      patients with symptomatic steno-occlusion of major cerebral arteries. Using a
      prospective stroke registry database, patients arriving within 24 hours of onset
      with symptomatic steno-occlusion of major supratentorial cerebral arteries were
      identified. On baseline PWI, time-to-peak lesion volume (TTP-LV) was determined
      by a simple geometric method and dichotomized into the highest tertile (large)
      and the other tertiles (small to medium) according to the vascular territory of
      occluded arteries. Primary outcome was a time to SIE up to 1 year after stroke
      onset. A total of 385 patients (a median time delay from onset to arrival, 2.2
      hours) were enrolled. During the first year of stroke, the SIE rate of the large
      TTP-LV group was twice that of the small-to-medium TTP-LV group (35.7% versus
      17.4%; P < .001). Large TTP-LV independently raised the hazard of SIE (hazard
      ratio, 2.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.45-3.44). This study demonstrates that
      TTP-LV on PWI measured through a simple geometric method at an emergency setting
      can be used to predict progression or recurrence of ischemic stroke in patients
      with symptomatic steno-occlusion of major cerebral arteries.

PMID- 26476588
TI  - Atrial Cardiopathy and Cryptogenic Stroke: A Cross-sectional Pilot Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that left atrial dysfunction or
      cardiopathy is associated with ischemic stroke risk independently of atrial
      fibrillation. We aimed to determine the prevalence of atrial cardiopathy
      biomarkers in patients with cryptogenic stroke. METHODS: We included consecutive
      patients with ischemic stroke enrolled in the New York Columbia Collaborative
      Specialized Program of Translational Research in Acute Stroke registry between
      December 1, 2008, and April 30, 2012. Medical records were reviewed and patients
      with a diagnosis of cryptogenic stroke were identified. Atrial cardiopathy was
      defined as at least one of the following: serum N-terminal probrain natriuretic
      peptide (NT-proBNP) level greater than 250 pg/mL, P-wave terminal force velocity
      in lead V1 (PTFV1) on electrocardiogram (ECG) greater than 5000 uV?ms, or severe
      left atrial enlargement (LAE) on echocardiogram. We compared clinical,
      echocardiographic, and radiological characteristics between patients with and
      without atrial cardiopathy. RESULTS: Among 40 patients with cryptogenic stroke,
      63% had at least one of the biomarkers of atrial cardiopathy; 49% had elevated NT
      proBNP levels, 20% had evidence of increased PTFV1 on ECG, and 5% had severe LAE.
      Patients with atrial cardiopathy were more likely to be older (76 versus 62
      years, P = .012); have hypertension (96% versus 33%, P < .001), hyperlipidemia
      (60% versus 27%, P = .05), or coronary heart disease (28% versus 0%, P = .033);
      and less likely to have a patent foramen ovale (4% versus 40%, P = .007).
      CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of biomarkers indicative of atrial
      cardiopathy in patients with cryptogenic stroke. Clinical trials are needed to
      determine whether these patients may benefit from anticoagulation to prevent
      stroke.

PMID- 26476589
TI  - A Phase II Study of AT-101 to Overcome Bcl-2--Mediated Resistance to Androgen
      Deprivation Therapy in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Castration-Sensitive
      Metastatic Prostate Cancer.
AB  - In a phase II multicenter study, men with castration sensitive metastatic
      prostate cancer were treated with AT-101, a small molecule Bcl-2 inhibitor, and
      androgen deprivation therapy. At the end of 7 cycles of therapy in 55 patients,
      an undetectable PSA was achieved in 31%. However, the combination did not meet
      the pre-specified level of activity for further development. BACKGROUND: We
      conducted a phase II study in men with castration-sensitive metastatic prostate
      cancer to test the hypothesis that AT-101, a small molecule Bcl-2 inhibitor, has
      clinical activity in patients initiating androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for
      metastatic prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with metastatic
      prostate cancer scheduled to start, or who had recently (within 6 weeks)
      initiated, ADT were enrolled. ADT with a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone
      agonist and bicalutamide was started 6 weeks before initiation of oral AT-101, 20
      mg/day for 21 days of a 28-day cycle. The primary endpoint of the study was the
      percentage of patients with an undetectable prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level
      (<= 0.2 ng/mL) after 7.5 months (1.5 months of ADT alone plus 6 months of
      combined ADT and AT-101). To assess for an association between chromodomain
      helicase DNA binding protein 1 (CHD1) and drug sensitivity, fluorescence in situ
      hybridization with confocal microscopy was assessed in a subgroup of patients.
      RESULTS: A total of 55 patients were enrolled, with median age of 61 years and a
      median PSA level of 27.6 ng/dL. Of the 55 patients, 72% had a Gleason score >= 8.
      Three patients had visceral metastases, and the remaining patients had bone or
      nodal metastasis. An undetectable PSA level was achieved in 31% of the patients.
      Of the 31 patients, 12 experienced serious adverse events, 7 of which were
      considered related to study therapy. Most of the related adverse events were
      gastrointestinal and nervous system disorders. CHD1 assessment was feasible, with
      a nonsignificant association with therapeutic sensitivity in a small number of
      patients. CONCLUSION: The combination of ADT and AT-101 did not meet the
      prespecified level of activity for further development of this combination.

PMID- 26476590
TI  - Psychological consequences and quality of life among medical rescuers who
      responded to the 2010 Yushu earthquake: A neglected problem.
AB  - A comprehensive study was conducted 8 months after the 2010 Yushu earthquake to
      assess the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among medical
      rescuers and the rescuers' quality of life. Additionally, the study examines
      differences between local and supporting forces, as well as the relationship
      between PTSD and lower quality of life (QoL), and the risk factors for both. A
      total of 338 rescuers (including 123 local rescuers and 215 supporting ones) were
      randomly selected from Yushu County (the epicenter) and Xining City using
      multistage systematic sampling. Two standardized instruments, the PTSD Checklist
      Civilian Version (PCL-C) and the Chinese version of the WHOQOL-BREF, were used to
      evaluate the prevalence of PTSD and obtain the rescuers' QoL. Being between 40
      and 50 years old, a nurse, Tibetan, having been in serious danger or having
      received mental health training before this earthquake were significantly and
      independently associated with PTSD symptoms. Compared with supporting rescuers,
      local rescuers were more likely to develop PTSD and to report a lower QoL.
      Additional mental health services and training should be available to at-risk
      medical rescuers and groups to ensure they are adequately prepared for relief
      efforts and to maintain their mental health after assistance in disaster relief.

PMID- 26476591
TI  - Effects of antidepressant treatment on total antioxidant capacity and free
      radical levels in patients with major depressive disorder.
AB  - In this prospective study, we investigated the effects of antidepressant therapy
      on total antioxidant capacity and free radical levels in patients with major
      depressive disorder (MDD). We recruited thirty-five first-episode patients who
      met the criteria of the Fourth Edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
      Mental Disorders of MDD and 35 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Superoxide
      and hydroxyl radicals were measured to investigate oxidative status and the total
      radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP) assay was performed to evaluate
      antioxidant capacity in healthy controls and in patients before and after
      receiving a 12-week regimen of sertraline. The severity of depression was
      evaluated using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Before
      treatment, the mean HDRS score in patients with MDD was 26.11+/-4.93. Of the 35
      patients with MDD, 19 (54.29%) completed the 12-week treatment regimen and all
      achieved remission. Patients with MDD had significantly lower TRAP baseline
      values than healthy controls. After adjusting for age, sex, occupation, education
      and marital status, we found that HDRS score was negatively correlated with TRAP
      value and level of superoxide radicals. After treatment, the MDD group
      demonstrated significantly higher TRAP values and significantly lower levels of
      superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. In conclusion, MDD patients are accompanied by
      lowered antioxidant capacity than healthy individuals. Antidepressant treatment
      for 12 weeks results in increased antioxidant capacity and a decrease in
      circulating free radicals.

PMID- 26476592
TI  - Effect of ash content on the combustion process of simulated MSW in the fixed
      bed.
AB  - This paper experimentally and numerically investigates the effects of ash content
      on the combustion process of simulated Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). A fixed-bed
      experimental reactor was utilized to reveal the combustion characteristics.
      Temperature distributions, ignition front velocity, and the characteristics of
      gas species' release were measured and simulated during the combustion process.
      In the present work, the two-dimensional unsteady mathematical heterogeneous
      model was developed to simulate the combustion process in the bed, including the
      process rate model as well as NOx production model. The simulation results in the
      bed are accordant with the experimental results. The results show that as ash
      content increases, the lower burning rate of fuel results in char particles
      leaving the grate without being fully burned, causing a loss of combustible
      material in the MSW in a fixed bed and therefore reducing the combustion
      efficiency and increasing the burning time of the MSW. 

PMID- 26476593
TI  - Age-Dependent Pleiotropy Between General Cognitive Function and Major Psychiatric
      Disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: General cognitive function predicts psychiatric illness across the
      life course. This study examines the role of pleiotropy in explaining the link
      between cognitive function and psychiatric disorder. METHODS: We used two large
      genome-wide association study data sets on cognitive function-one from older age,
      n = 53,949, and one from childhood, n = 12,441. We also used genome-wide
      association study data on educational attainment, n = 95,427, to examine the
      validity of its use as a proxy phenotype for cognitive function. Using a new
      method, linkage disequilibrium regression, we derived genetic correlations, free
      from the confounding of clinical state between psychiatric illness and cognitive
      function. RESULTS: We found a genetic correlation of .711 (p = 2.26e-12) across
      the life course for general cognitive function. We also showed a positive genetic
      correlation between autism spectrum disorder and cognitive function in childhood
      (rg = .360, p = .0009) and for educational attainment (rg = .322, p = 1.37e-5)
      but not in older age. In schizophrenia, we found a negative genetic correlation
      between older age cognitive function (rg = -.231, p = 3.81e-12) but not in
      childhood or for educational attainment. For Alzheimer's disease, we found
      negative genetic correlations with childhood cognitive function (rg = -.341, p =
      .001), educational attainment (rg = -.324, p = 1.15e-5), and with older age
      cognitive function (rg = -.324, p = 1.78e-5). CONCLUSIONS: The pleiotropy
      exhibited between cognitive function and psychiatric disorders changed across the
      life course. These age-dependent associations might explain why negative
      selection has not removed variants causally associated with autism spectrum
      disorder or schizophrenia.

PMID- 26476594
TI  - ROCK inhibitor Y27632 promotes proliferation and diminishes apoptosis of marmoset
      induced pluripotent stem cells by suppressing expression and activity of caspase
      3.
AB  - Previous studies reported that Rho-associated kinase inhibitor Y27632 markedly
      diminishes human embryonic stem cell and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)
      dissociation-induced apoptosis and increases cloning efficiency in a feeder-free
      culture system. However, the mechanisms by which Y27632 protects pluripotent stem
      cells from apoptosis remain unknown. In the present study, we tested the effects
      of Y27632 on single dissociated marmoset iPSCs in a feeder-free culture. The
      results showed that Y27632 promoted the number of cells proliferating after
      passage by single-cell dissociation in a dose-dependent manner. The Rho
      associated kinase inhibitor Y27632 markedly increased the cloning efficiency of
      marmoset iPSCs without affecting their karyotype and the expression of
      pluripotency markers. Meanwhile, Y27632 markedly diminished apoptosis of the
      marmoset iPSCs under even more severe conditions by suppressing the expression
      and activity of caspase 3. Taken together, the present results suggest that this
      reagent is effective in improving the cultural system of primate iPSCs. 

PMID- 26476595
TI  - Expression of angiogenic factors and luteinizing hormone receptors in the corpus
      luteum of mares induced to ovulate with deslorelin acetate.
AB  - The effects of deslorelin acetate use in inducing ovulation need to be clarified
      to improve the results of equine embryo transfer. The mRNA abundance for
      angiogenic factors and LH receptor (LHR) in corpus luteum (CL) was studied in
      mares with natural (control group [CG]) and induced ovulation with deslorelin
      acetate (treatment group [TG]; follicles: >= 35 mm). Transrectal ultrasonography
      was used to verify the ovulation day, and on Days 4, 8, and 12 after ovulation
      (Day 0), CL samples were obtained through ultrasound-guided biopsy. The messenger
      RNA expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast
      growth factor (bFGF), and LHR genes were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain
      reaction. A positive correlation was observed between VEGF and LHR (P < 0.00001,
      r = 0.78), and it was possible to detect higher LHR expression in the TG than in
      the CG on Day 4 (P < 0.05). Moreover, this expression was higher on Days 4 and 8
      than on Day 12 in the TG. Basic fibroblast growth factor was also expressed in
      luteal tissue on all days for both groups; however, these differences were not
      significant. In conclusion, deslorelin acetate was effective for the induction of
      ovulation in mares, resulting in higher expression of LHR, especially on the
      fourth day after ovulation. In addition, VEGF expression was influenced by
      induced ovulation, with a lower level on Day 12, which is expected in nonpregnant
      mares.

PMID- 26476596
TI  - Safety impacts of platform tram stops on pedestrians in mixed traffic operation:
      A comparison group before-after crash study.
AB  - Tram stops in mixed traffic environments present a variety of safety,
      accessibility and transport efficiency challenges. In Melbourne, Australia the
      hundred year-old electric tram system is progressively being modernized to
      improve passenger accessibility. Platform stops, incorporating raised platforms
      for level entry into low floor trams, are being retro-fitted system-wide to
      replace older design stops. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety
      impacts of platform stops over older design stops (i.e. Melbourne safety zone
      tram stops) on pedestrians in the context of mixed traffic tram operation in
      Melbourne, using an advanced before-after crash analysis approach, the comparison
      group (CG) method. The CG method evaluates safety impacts by taking into account
      the general trends in safety and the unobserved factors at treatment and
      comparison sites that can alter the outcomes of a simple before-after analysis.
      The results showed that pedestrian-involved all injury crashes reduced by 43%
      after platform stop installation. This paper also explores a concern that the
      conventional CG method might underestimate safety impacts as a result of large
      differences in passenger stop use between treatment and comparison sites,
      suggesting differences in crash risk exposure. To adjust for this, a modified
      analysis explored crash rates (crash counts per 10,000 stop passengers) for each
      site. The adjusted results suggested greater reductions in pedestrian-involved
      crashes after platform stop installation: an 81% reduction in pedestrian-involved
      all injury crashes and 86% reduction in pedestrian-involved FSI crashes, both are
      significant at the 95% level. Overall, the results suggest that platform stops
      have considerable safety benefits for pedestrians. Implications for policy and
      areas for future research are explored. 

PMID- 26476598
TI  - Gold-coated carbon nanotube electrode arrays: Immunosensors for impedimetric
      detection of bone biomarkers.
AB  - C-terminal telopeptide (cTx), a fragment generated during collagen degradation,
      is a key biomarker of bone resorption during the bone remodeling process. The
      presence of varying levels of cTx in the bloodstream can hence be indicative of
      abnormal bone metabolism. This study focuses on the development of an
      immunosensor utilizing carbon nanotube (CNT) electrodes coated with gold
      nanoparticles for the detection of cTx, which could ultimately lead to the
      development of an inexpensive and rapid point-of-care (POC) tool for bone
      metabolism detection and prognostics. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
      (EIS) was implemented to monitor and detect the antigen-antibody binding events
      occurring on the surface of the gold-deposited CNT electrode. Type I cTx was used
      as the model protein to test the developed sensor. The sensor was accordingly
      characterized at various stages of development for evaluation of the optimal
      sensor performance. The biosensor could detect cTx levels as low as 0.05 ng/mL.
      The feasibility of the sensor for point-of-care (POC) applications was further
      demonstrated by determining the single frequency showing maximum changes in
      impedance, which was determined to be 18.75 Hz.

PMID- 26476597
TI  - Can NMR solve some significant challenges in metabolomics?
AB  - The field of metabolomics continues to witness rapid growth driven by fundamental
      studies, methods development, and applications in a number of disciplines that
      include biomedical science, plant and nutrition sciences, drug development,
      energy and environmental sciences, toxicology, etc. NMR spectroscopy is one of
      the two most widely used analytical platforms in the metabolomics field, along
      with mass spectrometry (MS). NMR's excellent reproducibility and quantitative
      accuracy, its ability to identify structures of unknown metabolites, its capacity
      to generate metabolite profiles using intact bio-specimens with no need for
      separation, and its capabilities for tracing metabolic pathways using isotope
      labeled substrates offer unique strengths for metabolomics applications. However,
      NMR's limited sensitivity and resolution continue to pose a major challenge and
      have restricted both the number and the quantitative accuracy of metabolites
      analyzed by NMR. Further, the analysis of highly complex biological samples has
      increased the demand for new methods with improved detection, better unknown
      identification, and more accurate quantitation of larger numbers of metabolites.
      Recent efforts have contributed significant improvements in these areas, and have
      thereby enhanced the pool of routinely quantifiable metabolites. Additionally,
      efforts focused on combining NMR and MS promise opportunities to exploit the
      combined strength of the two analytical platforms for direct comparison of the
      metabolite data, unknown identification and reliable biomarker discovery that
      continue to challenge the metabolomics field. This article presents our
      perspectives on the emerging trends in NMR-based metabolomics and NMR's
      continuing role in the field with an emphasis on recent and ongoing research from
      our laboratory. 

PMID- 26476599
TI  - Diamond encapsulated photovoltaics for transdermal power delivery.
AB  - A safe, compact and robust means of wireless energy transfer across the skin
      barrier is a key requirement for implantable electronic devices. One possible
      approach is photovoltaic (PV) energy delivery using optical illumination at near
      infrared (NIR) wavelengths, to which the skin is highly transparent. In the work
      presented here, a subcutaneously implantable silicon PV cell, operated in
      conjunction with an external NIR laser diode, is developed as a power delivery
      system. The biocompatibility and long-term biostability of the implantable PV is
      ensured through the use of an hermetic container, comprising a transparent
      diamond capsule and platinum wire feedthroughs. A wavelength of 980 nm is
      identified as the optimum operating point based on the PV cell's external quantum
      efficiency, the skin's transmission spectrum, and the wavelength dependent safe
      exposure limit of the skin. In bench-top experiments using an external
      illumination intensity of 0.7 W/cm(2), a peak output power of 2.7 mW is delivered
      to the implant with an active PV cell dimension of 1.5 * 1.5 * 0.06 mm(3). This
      corresponds to a volumetric power output density of ~20 mW/mm(3), significantly
      higher than power densities achievable using inductively coupled coil-based
      approaches used in other medical implant systems. This approach paves the way for
      further ministration of bionic implants.

PMID- 26476601
TI  - Changes to transtibial amputee gait with a weighted backpack on multiple
      surfaces.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Modern prosthetic technology and rehabilitation practices have
      enabled people with lower extremity amputations to participate in almost all
      occupations and physical activities. Carrying backpack loads can be an essential
      component for many of these jobs and activities; however, amputee gait with
      backpack loads is poorly understood. This knowledge gap must be addressed in
      order to further improve an individual's quality of living through changes in
      rehabilitation programs and prosthesis development. METHODS: Ten male,
      unilateral, K4-level (ability or potential for prosthetic ambulation that exceeds
      basic ambulation skills, exhibiting high impact, stress, or energy levels),
      transtibial amputees completed ten walking trials at a self-selected pace on
      simulated uneven ground, ramp ascent, and ramp descent. Five trials were with a
      24.5 kg backpack load and five trials without. Temporal-spatial parameters and
      kinematic peak values for the ankle, knee, hip, pelvis, and trunk were collected
      and analyzed for differences between backpack conditions. FINDINGS: Each surface
      had novel findings not found on the other surfaces. However differences in
      temporal-spatial parameters were congruent with the literature on able bodied
      individuals. Pelvis and trunk angular velocities decreased with the backpack. Hip
      flexion on both limbs increased during weight acceptance while wearing the
      backpack, a common adaptation seen in able-bodied individuals on level ground.
      INTERPRETATION: A 24.5 kg backpack load can be accommodated by transtibial
      amputees at the K4 functional level. Future studies on load carriage and gait
      training programs should include incline and descent due to the increased
      difficulty. Rehabilitation programs should verify hip and knee flexor strength
      and work to reduce intact limb reliance.

PMID- 26476600
TI  - Physiological fluctuations in white matter are increased in Alzheimer's disease
      and correlate with neuroimaging and cognitive biomarkers.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine whether physiological fluctuations
      in white matter (PFWM) on resting-state functional magnetic resonance images
      could be used as an index of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease (AD).
      Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance image data from participants in
      the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, PFWM was compared across
      cohorts: cognitively healthy, mild cognitive impairment, or probable AD.
      Secondary regression analyses were conducted between PFWM and neuroimaging,
      cognitive, and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers. There was an effect of cohort on
      PFWM (t = 5.08, degree of freedom [df] = 424, p < 5.7 * 10(-7)), after accounting
      for nuisance effects from head displacement and global signal (t > 6.16). From
      the neuroimaging data, PFWM was associated with glucose metabolism (t = -2.93, df
      = 96, p = 0.004) but not ventricular volume (p < 0.49) or hippocampal volume (p >
      0.44). From the cognitive data, PFWM was associated with composite memory (t = 
      3.24, df = 149, p = 0.0015) but not executive function (p > 0.21). PFWM was not
      associated with cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers. In one final omnibus model to
      explain PFWM (n = 124), glucose metabolism (p = 0.04) and cohort (p = 0.008)
      remained significant, as were global and head motion root-mean-square terms,
      whereas memory was not (p = 0.64). PFWM likely reflects end-arteriole
      intracranial pulsatility effects that may provide additional diagnostic potential
      in the context of AD neurodegeneration.

PMID- 26476602
TI  - Obesity is associated with higher absolute tibiofemoral contact and muscle forces
      during gait with and without knee osteoarthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is an important risk factor for knee osteoarthritis
      initiation and progression. However, it is unclear how obesity may directly
      affect the mechanical loading environment of the knee joint, initiating or
      progressing joint degeneration. The objective of this study was to investigate
      the interacting role of obesity and moderate knee osteoarthritis presence on
      tibiofemoral contact forces and muscle forces within the knee joint during
      walking gait. METHODS: Three-dimensional gait analysis was performed on 80
      asymptomatic participants and 115 individuals diagnosed with moderate knee
      osteoarthritis. Each group was divided into three body mass index categories:
      healthy weight (body mass index<25), overweight (25<=body mass index<=30), and
      obese (body mass index>30). Tibiofemoral anterior-posterior shear and compressive
      forces, as well as quadriceps, hamstrings and gastrocnemius muscle forces, were
      estimated based on a sagittal plane contact force model. Peak contact and muscle
      forces during gait were compared between groups, as well as the interaction
      between disease presence and body mass index category, using a two-factor
      analysis of variance. FINDINGS: There were significant osteoarthritis effects in
      peak shear, gastrocnemius and quadriceps forces only when they were normalized to
      body mass, and there were significant BMI effects in peak shear, compression,
      gastrocnemius and hamstrings forces only in absolute, non-normalized forces.
      There was a significant interaction effect in peak quadriceps muscle forces, with
      higher forces in overweight and obese groups compared to asymptomatic healthy
      weight participants. INTERPRETATION: Body mass index was associated with higher
      absolute tibiofemoral compression and shear forces as well as posterior muscle
      forces during gait, regardless of moderate osteoarthritis presence or absence.
      The differences found may contribute to accelerated joint damage with obesity,
      but with the osteoarthritic knees less able to accommodate the high loads.

PMID- 26476604
TI  - Anomalous Origin of the "Nonculprit" Right Coronary Artery From the Left Anterior
      Descending Artery in a Patient With Anterolateral ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial
      Infarction.

PMID- 26476605
TI  - Severe Neointimal Hyperplasia of Neoplastic Carina Following Bioresorbable
      Scaffold Implantation Using T-Stenting and Small Protrusion Technique: Insights
      From Optical Frequency Domain Imaging.

PMID- 26476606
TI  - Thrombus in the Aorta: Late Complication After Percutaneous Closure of Ruptured
      Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm.

PMID- 26476603
TI  - Genetics and biology of primary ciliary dyskinesia.
AB  - Ciliopathies are a growing class of disorders caused by abnormal ciliary axonemal
      structure and function. Our understanding of the complex genetic and functional
      phenotypes of these conditions has rapidly progressed. Primary ciliary dyskinesia
      (PCD) remains the sole genetic disorder of motile cilia dysfunction. However,
      unlike many Mendelian genetic disorders, PCD is not caused by mutations in a
      single gene or locus, but rather, autosomal recessive mutation in one of many
      genes that lead to a similar phenotype. The first reported PCD mutations, more
      than a decade ago, identified genes encoding known structural components of the
      ciliary axoneme. In recent years, mutations in genes encoding novel cytoplasmic
      and regulatory proteins have been discovered. These findings have provided new
      insights into the functions of the motile cilia, and a better understanding of
      motile cilia disease. Advances in genetic tools will soon allow more precise
      genetic testing, mandating that clinicians must understand the genetic basis of
      PCD. Here, we review genetic mutations, their biological impact on cilia
      structure and function, and the implication of emerging genetic diagnostic tools.

PMID- 26476607
TI  - Anterior Mitral Leaflet Perforation During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
      in a Patient With Mitral Annular Calcification.

PMID- 26476608
TI  - Transcatheter Aortic and Mitral Valve-in-Valve Implantation for Failed Surgical
      Bioprosthetic Valves: An 8-Year Single-Center Experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We report our 8-year experience in transcatheter aortic and mitral
      valve-in-valve (VinV) implantation. BACKGROUND: Feasibility and good early
      outcomes associated with transcatheter aortic and mitral VinV implantation into
      failed surgical bioprostheses have been confirmed, but the mid-term and long-term
      outcomes of transcatheter aortic and mitral VinV is unknown. METHODS: A total of
      73 patients with aortic (n = 42) and mitral (n = 31) bioprosthetic valve
      dysfunction underwent transcatheter VinV implantation between April 2007 and
      December 2013. Edwards balloon-expandable transcatheter valves (Edwards
      Lifesciences Inc., Irvine, California) were used. Median follow-up was 2.52 years
      with a maximum of 8 years. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients (mean age 79.7 +/- 9.4
      years, 32 women) underwent successful VinV implantation (success rate 98.6%). At
      30 days, all-cause mortality was 1.4%, disabling stroke 1.4%, life-threatening
      bleeding 4.1%, acute kidney injury requiring hemodialysis 2.7%, and coronary
      artery obstruction requiring intervention 1.4%. No patient had greater than mild
      paravalvular leak. Estimated survival rates were 88.9%, 79.5%, 69.8%, 61.9%, and
      40.5% at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years, respectively. The small surgical valve size (19
      and 21 mm) was an independent risk factor for reduced survival in aortic VinV
      patients. At 2-year follow-up, 82.8% of aortic and 100% of mitral VinV patients
      were in New York Heart Association functional class I or II. CONCLUSIONS:
      Transcatheter VinV for failed surgical bioprostheses can be performed safely with
      a high success rate and minimal early mortality and morbidity. Transcatheter VinV
      provides encouraging mid-term clinical outcomes in this high-risk elderly cohort
      of patients. Transcatheter VinV is an acceptable alternative therapy for failed
      aortic or mitral bioprostheses in selected high-risk patients.

PMID- 26476611
TI  - Safety and Efficacy of Stent Retrievers for the Management of Acute Ischemic
      Stroke: Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of stent
      retriever for the management of acute ischemic stroke. BACKGROUND: Stroke is the
      third leading cause of death and the most common cause of disability in the
      United States. Early reperfusion has been associated with favorable outcomes.
      Stent retrievers are novel endovascular devices that provide vessel
      recanalization via thrombus retrieval mechanical thrombectomy. METHODS: The
      authors performed a literature search using PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central
      Register of Controlled Trials from May 2005 to May 2015. Randomized controlled
      trails (RCTs) comparing endovascular therapy (ET) with the use of retrievable
      stents against standard therapy (ST) for the management of acute stroke were
      included. RESULTS: Five RCTs (the MR CLEAN, ESCAPE, EXTEND-IA, SWIFT-PRIME, and
      REVASCAT studies) with 634 patients in the ET group and 653 patients in the ST
      group met inclusion criteria. The frequency of a low 90-day modified Rankin Score
      (0 to 2) in the intervention group was 42.6% compared with 26.1% in the control
      group (odds ratio: 2.43; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.9 to 3.09; p < 0.0001).
      The frequency of intracranial bleeding was 4.2% in the ET group compared with
      4.3% in the ST group (risk ratio: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.64 to 1.82; p = 0.78). 90-day
      mortality was 15.1% in the ET group compared with 18.7% in the ST group (risk
      ratio: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.58 to 1.12; p = 0.19). There was no evidence of
      significant heterogeneity or publication bias for any of the endpoints.
      CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of the results of this meta-analysis of RCTs, ET with
      stent retrievers appears as a safe and effective therapeutic option for acute
      ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion.

PMID- 26476609
TI  - Long-Term Outcomes After Treatment With a Paclitaxel-Coated Balloon Versus
      Balloon Angioplasty: Insights From the PEPCAD-DES Study (Treatment of Drug
      eluting Stent [DES] In-Stent Restenosis With SeQuent Please Paclitaxel-Coated
      Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty [PTCA] Catheter).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The intention this PEPCAD-DES (Treatment of Drug-eluting Stent [DES]
      In-Stent Restenosis With SeQuent Please Paclitaxel Eluting Percutaneous
      Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty [PTCA] Catheter) study update was to
      demonstrate the safety and efficacy of paclitaxel-coated balloon (PCB)
      angioplasty in patients with DES-ISR at 3 years. BACKGROUND: In the PEPCAD-DES
      trial late lumen loss and the need for repeat target lesion revascularization
      (TLR) was significantly reduced with PCB angioplasty compared with plain old
      balloon angioplasty (POBA) in patients with drug-eluting stent in-stent
      restenosis (DES-ISR) at 6 months. We evaluated whether the clinical benefit of
      reduced TLR and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) was maintained up to 3 years.
      METHODS: A total of 110 patients with DES-ISR in native coronary arteries with
      reference diameters ranging from 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm and lesion lengths <=22 mm were
      randomized to treatment with either PCB or POBA in a multicenter, randomized,
      single-blind clinical study. With a 2:1 randomization, 72 patients were
      randomized to the PCB group and 38 patients to the POBA group. At baseline, there
      were lesions with at least 2 stent layers in PCB (52.8%, 38 of 72) and POBA
      (55.3%, 21 of 38) patients. RESULTS: At 36 months, the TLR rates were
      significantly lower in the PCB group compared with the POBA control group (19.4%
      vs. 36.8%; p = 0.046). Multiple TLRs in individual patients were more frequent in
      the POBA group compared with the PCB group (more than 1 TLR: POBA, 13.2%; PCB,
      1.4%; p = 0.021). The 36-month MACE rate was significantly reduced in the PCB
      group compared with the POBA group (20.8% vs. 52.6%, log-rank p = 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: PCB angioplasty was superior to POBA for the treatment of DES-ISR
      patients in terms of MACE and TLR for up to 36 months. There was no late catch-up
      phenomenon. (Treatment of Drug-eluting Stent [DES] In-Stent Restenosis With
      SeQuent(r) Please Paclitaxel Eluting Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary
      Angioplasty [PTCA] Catheter [PEPCAD-DES]; NCT00998439).

PMID- 26476610
TI  - Incidence, Causes, and Predictors of Early (<=30 Days) and Late Unplanned
      Hospital Readmissions After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, causes, and
      predictors of unplanned hospital readmissions after transcatheter aortic valve
      replacement (TAVR). BACKGROUND: Data regarding unplanned hospital readmissions
      after TAVR in a real-world all-comers population are scarce. METHODS: A total of
      720 consecutive patients undergoing TAVR at 2 centers who survived the procedure,
      were included. Median follow-up was 23 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 12 to
      39 months), available in 99.9% of the initial population. The occurrence, timing,
      and causes of hospital readmission within the first year post-TAVR were obtained
      in all cases. Early and late readmissions were defined as those occurring <=30
      days and >30 days to 1 year post-TAVR, respectively. RESULTS: There were 506
      unplanned readmissions in 316 patients (43.9%) within the first year post-TAVR
      (median time: 63 days; IQR: 19 to 158 days post-discharge). Of these, early
      readmission occurred in 105 patients (14.6%), and 118 patients (16.4%) had
      multiple (>=2) readmissions. Readmissions were due to noncardiac and cardiac
      causes in 59% and 41% of cases, respectively. Noncardiac readmissions included,
      in order of decreasing frequency, respiratory, infection, and bleeding events as
      the main causes, whereas heart failure and arrhythmias accounted for most cardiac
      readmissions. The predictors of early readmission were periprocedural major
      bleeding complications (p = 0.001), anemia (p = 0.019), lower left ventricular
      ejection fraction (p = 0.042), and the combined presence of antiplatelet and
      anticoagulation therapy at hospital discharge (p = 0.014). The predictors of late
      readmission were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p = 0.001), peripheral
      vascular disease (p = 0.023), chronic renal failure (p = 0.013), and atrial
      fibrillation (p = 0.012). Early readmission was an independent predictor of
      mortality during the follow-up period (hazard ratio: 1.56, 95% confidence
      interval: 1.02 to 2.39, p = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: The readmission burden after
      TAVR in an all-comers population was high. Nearly one-fifth of the patients were
      readmitted early after hospital discharge, increasing the risk of mortality at
      follow-up. Reasons for readmission were split between noncardiac and cardiac
      causes, with respiratory causes and heart failure as the main diagnoses in each
      group, respectively. Whereas early readmissions were mainly related to
      periprocedural bleeding events, most late readmissions were secondary to baseline
      patient comorbidities. These results underscore the importance of and provide the
      basis for implementing specific preventive measures to reduce readmission rates
      after TAVR.

PMID- 26476612
TI  - A Strategy of Underexpansion and Ad Hoc Post-Dilation of Balloon-Expandable
      Transcatheter Aortic Valves in Patients at Risk of Annular Injury: Favorable Mid
      Term Outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate a strategy of intentional
      underexpansion of excessively oversized balloon-expandable transcatheter heart
      valves (THVs) in terms of clinical outcomes, valve function, and frame durability
      at 1 year. BACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement requires the
      selection of an optimally sized THV to ensure paravalvular sealing and fixation
      without risking annular injury. However, some patients have "borderline" annular
      dimensions that require choosing between a THV that may be too small or another
      that may be too large. METHODS: We evaluated 47 patients at risk of annular
      injury who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with an
      oversized, but deliberately underexpanded, THV followed by post-dilation if
      required. Clinical evaluation, echocardiography, and cardiac computed tomography
      were performed pre-TAVR, post-TAVR, and at 1 year. RESULTS: Deployment of
      oversized THVs with modest underfilling of the deployment balloon (<10% by
      volume) was not associated with significant annular injury. Paravalvular
      regurgitation was mild or less in 95.7% of patients, with post-dilation required
      in 10.7%. THV hemodynamic function was excellent and remained stable at 1 year.
      Computed tomography documented stent frame circularity in 87.5%. Underexpansion
      was greatest within the intra-annular THV inflow (stent frame area 85.8% of
      nominal). There was no evidence of stent frame recoil, deformation, or fracture
      at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: In carefully selected patients with borderline annulus
      dimensions and in whom excessive oversizing of a balloon-expandable SAPIEN XT
      valve (Edwards Lifesciences, Inc., Irvine, California) is a concern, a strategy
      of deliberate underexpansion, with ad hoc post-dilation, if necessary, may reduce
      the risk of annular injury without compromising valve performance.

PMID- 26476613
TI  - Very Late Scaffold Thrombosis Due to Insufficient Strut Apposition.

PMID- 26476614
TI  - Investigating biofilm structure developing on carriers from lab-scale moving bed
      biofilm reactors based on light microscopy and optical coherence tomography.
AB  - This study focused on characterizing the structure of biofilms developed on
      carriers used in lab-scale moving bed biofilm reactors. Both light microscopy
      (2D) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were employed to track the biofilm
      development on carriers of different geometry and under different aeration rates.
      Biofilm structure was further characterized with respect to average biofilm
      thickness, biofilm growth velocity, biomass volume, compartment filling degree,
      surface area, etc. The results showed that carriers with a smaller compartment
      size stimulated a quick establishment of biofilms. Low aeration rates favored
      fast development of biofilms. Comparison between the results derived from 2D and
      3D images revealed comparable results with respect to average biofilm thickness
      and compartment filling degree before the carrier compartments were fully willed
      with biomass. However, 3D imaging with OCT was capable of visualizing and
      quantifying the heterogeneous structure of biofilms, which cannot be achieved
      using 2D imaging. 

PMID- 26476615
TI  - Optimization of sugarcane bagasse autohydrolysis for methane production from
      hemicellulose hydrolyzates in a biorefinery concept.
AB  - This study aimed to optimize through design of experiments, the process variables
      (temperature - T, time - t and solid-to-liquid ratio - SLR) for sugarcane bagasse
      (SB) autohydrolysis (AH) to obtain hemicellulose hydrolyzates (HH) prone to
      anaerobic digestion (AD) and biochemical methane production (BMP). The results
      indicated that severe AH conditions, which lead to maximum hemicelluloses
      dissolution and sugar content in the HH, were not the best for BMP, probably due
      to the accumulation of toxic/recalcitrant compounds (furans and lignin). Mild AH
      conditions (170 degrees C, 35min and SLR=0.33) led to the highest BMP
      (0.79Nm(3)kg TOC(-1)), which was confirmed by the desirability tool. HH produced
      by AH carried out at the desired condition DC2 (178.6 degrees C, 43.6min and
      SLR=0.24) showed the lowest accumulation of inhibitory compounds and volatile
      fatty acids (VFA) and highest BMP (1.56Nm(3)kg TOC(-1)). The modified Gompertz
      model best fit the experimental data and led to a maximum methane production rate
      (R) of 2.6mmol CH4d(-1) in the best condition. 

PMID- 26476616
TI  - Haematococcus pluvialis soluble proteins: Extraction, characterization,
      concentration/fractionation and emulsifying properties.
AB  - A water-soluble matrix was extracted from green vegetative Haematococcus
      pluvialis through high-pressure cell disruption either at native pH (5.7) or with
      pH shifting to neutral (7). The resulting supernatant is mainly composed of
      carbohydrates and proteins, with the highest yield of proteins obtained at
      neutral pH (73+/-2% of total biomass proteins). The key emulsification properties
      of the proteins isolated in neutral supernatant (emulsification capacity (EC):
      534+/-41mLoilg(-1) protein, emulsification stability (ES): 94+/-3% and
      emulsification activity index (EAI): 80+/-1m(2)g(-1)) were comparable to the
      native supernatant values (EC: 589+/-21mLoilg(-1) protein, ES: 84+/-3% and EAI:
      75+/-1m(2)g(-1)). Confronted to sodium caseinate (EC: 664+/-30mLoilg(-1) protein,
      ES: 63+/-4%, and EAI: 56+/-4m(2)g(-1)) these results highlighted the strong
      potential of proteins isolated from H. pluvialis as emulsifier agent. Moreover,
      experiments have shown that the stability of emulsions obtained from supernatants
      is due to the proteins rather than the carbohydrates. 

PMID- 26476617
TI  - Histone H3 phosphorylation is upregulated in PBMCs of schizophrenia patients in
      comparison to healthy controls.

PMID- 26476618
TI  - Neurophysiological evidence for a processing bias towards schizophrenia
      associated communication abnormalities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current study aimed to examine the effects of diagnostic and
      symptomatic information on auditory linguistic event-related potentials (ERPs) in
      the listener, in response to speech containing schizophrenia-associated
      communication abnormalities. METHODS: 73 participants listened to conversation
      segments while continuous EEG was recorded. Participants were told that the
      responder in the conversation was either a university student, had symptoms from
      a stroke, had symptoms from schizophrenia, or had recovered from schizophrenia.
      The final word of the response was randomly presented as a typical ending, word
      approximation, neologism, or filler ending. RESULTS: A significant N400 was
      observed over centro-parietal electrode sites in response to word approximations
      and neologisms in the university student condition only. There were no
      differences between conditions in the N100 ERP, and EEG measures were not related
      to either subjective or objective measures of stigmatizing attitudes.
      CONCLUSIONS: The N400 effect may represent disengagement, at a semantic level,
      from what an individual is saying based on symptomatic or diagnostic information
      about schizophrenia.

PMID- 26476619
TI  - Ramadan and diabetes: What we see, learn and understand from continuous glucose
      monitoring.
AB  - Abstinence from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset characterizes the holy
      month of Ramadan. For the 50 million Muslims worldwide with diabetes who adhere
      to this religious fast, the practice results in marked changes in glucose
      homoeostasis. The sunset meal (Iftar) that breaks the fasting state is followed
      by exaggerated surges in blood glucose and sustained overnight hyperglycaemia in
      cases of nocturnal overfeeding. The predawn meal (Suhoor) frequently results in
      prolonged glucose decay over the daylight hours. These glycaemic disturbances are
      particularly marked in insulin-treated patients, in those with unsatisfactory
      diabetes control during the pre-Ramadan period and in patients who are poorly
      compliant with lifestyle recommendations. Whether such patients should be exempt
      from the Islamic fast remains an open debate, which might be partially resolved
      by long-term controlled studies using the technology of continuous glucose
      monitoring in large populations of patients with diabetes. 

PMID- 26476620
TI  - Pyruvatibacter mobilis gen. nov., sp. nov., a marine bacterium from the culture
      broth of Picochlorum sp. 122.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic bacterium, designated strain GYP-11T, was isolated
      from the culture broth of a marine microalga, Picochloruma sp. 122. Cells were
      dimorphic rods; free living cells were motile by means of a single polar
      flagellum, and star-shaped-aggregate-forming cells were attached with stalks and
      non-motile. Sodium pyruvate or Tween 20 was required for growth on marine agar
      2216.16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that this isolate shared 94.07 %
      similarity with its closest type strain, Parvibaculum hydrocarboniclasticum
      EPR92T. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that strain GYP-11T represents a distinct
      lineage in a robust clade consisting of strain GYP-11T, alphaproteobacterium
      GMD21A06 and Candidatus Phaeomarinobacter ectocarpi Ec32. This clade was close to
      the genera Parvibaculum and Tepidicaulis in the order Rhizobiales. Chemotaxonomic
      and physiological characteristics, including cellular fatty acids and carbon
      source profiles, also readily distinguished strain GYP-11T from all established
      genera and species. Thus, it is concluded that strain GYP-11T represents a novel
      species of a new genus in the order Rhizobiales, for which the name
      Pyruvatibacter mobilis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of
      Pyruvatibacter mobilis is GYP-11T ( = CGMCC 1.15125T = KCTC 42509T). 

PMID- 26476621
TI  - Frequent condom use with casual partners varies by sexual position among younger
      gay and bisexual men in New Zealand: national behavioural surveillance 2006-2011.
AB  - Background Condom promotion remains a cornerstone of HIV/STI control, but must be
      informed by evidence of uptake and address disparities in use. This study sought
      to determine the prevalence of, and demographic, behavioural and relational
      factors associated with, condom use during insertive and receptive anal
      intercourse with casual partners among younger gay, bisexual and other men who
      have sex with men (YMSM) in New Zealand. METHODS: The 2006-2011 national HIV
      behavioural surveillance data for YMSM aged 16-29 years was pooled. Separately
      for each sexual position, frequent (always/almost always) versus infrequent
      condom use was regressed onto explanatory variables using manual backward
      stepwise multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Three-quarters of
      YMSM reported frequent condom use during insertive (76.0%) and receptive (73.8%)
      anal intercourse. YMSM who were exclusively insertive were more likely to report
      frequent condom use than versatile YMSM. Factors positively associated with
      frequent condom use, irrespective of sexual position were: in-person versus web
      based recruitment, testing HIV negative versus never testing or testing HIV
      positive, having no recent sex with women, reporting two to five versus one male
      sexual partner in the past 6 months, reporting no current regular partner, but if
      in a regular relationship, reporting a boyfriend-type versus fuckbuddy-type
      partner, and frequent versus infrequent regular partner condom use. Pacific
      ethnicity and less formal education were negatively associated with frequent
      condom use only during receptive anal intercourse. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from
      this study demonstrate that condom norms can be actively established and
      maintained among YMSM. Condom promotion efforts must increase YMSM's capacity,
      agency and skills to negotiate condom use, especially for the receptive partner.

PMID- 26476622
TI  - 3D Bridged Carbon Nanoring/Graphene Hybrid Paper as a High-Performance Lateral
      Heat Spreader.
AB  - Graphene paper (GP) has attracted great attention as a heat dissipation material
      due to its unique thermal transfer property exceeding the limit of graphite.
      However, the relatively poor thermal transfer properties in the normal direction
      of GP restricts its wider applications in thermal management. In this work, a 3D
      bridged carbon nanoring (CNR)/graphene hybrid paper is constructed by the
      intercalation of polymer carbon source and metal catalyst particles, and the
      subsequent in situ growth of CNRs in the confined intergallery spaces between
      graphene sheets through thermal annealing. Further investigation demonstrates
      that the CNRs are covalently bonded to the graphene sheets and highly improve the
      thermal transport in the normal direction of the CNR/graphene hybrid paper. This
      full-carbon architecture shows excellent heat dissipation ability and is much
      more efficient in removing hot spots than the reduced GP without CNR bridges.
      This highly thermally conductive CNR/graphene hybrid paper can be easily
      integrated into next generation commercial high-power electronics and
      stretchable/foldable devices as high-performance lateral heat spreader materials.
      This full-carbon architecture also has a great potential in acting as electrodes
      in supercapacitors or hydrogen storage devices due to the high surface area. 

PMID- 26476623
TI  - Multiple suburethral and subvesical abscesses.

PMID- 26476624
TI  - Do Plants Eavesdrop on Floral Scent Signals?
AB  - Plants emit a diverse array of volatile organic compounds that can function as
      cues to other plants. Plants can use volatiles emitted by neighbors to gain
      information about their environment, and respond by adjusting their phenotype.
      Less is known about whether the many different volatile signals that plants emit
      are all equally likely to function as cues to other plants. We review evidence
      for the function of floral volatile signals and conclude that plants are as
      likely to perceive and respond to floral volatiles as to other, better-studied
      volatiles. We propose that eavesdropping on floral volatile cues is particularly
      likely to be adaptive because plants can respond to these cues by adjusting
      traits that directly affect pollination and mating. 

PMID- 26476625
TI  - Defining the efficacy of neurokinin-1 receptor antagonists in controlling
      chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in different emetogenic settings-a meta
      analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the efficacy of neurokinin
      1 receptor antagonists (NK1RAs) for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea
      and vomiting (CINV) across different categories of chemotherapeutic
      emetogenicity. METHODS: A systematic review of MEDLINE (via PubMed) and OVID
      databases, plus major oncology conferences, identified randomized, controlled
      trials evaluating NK1RAs in combination with a 5-HT3 RA plus a glucocorticoid for
      management of CINV. Efficacy end points were no emesis, no nausea, and complete
      response (CR) rates. Data were analyzed using a random effects model. RESULTS:
      Twenty-three trials (N = 11,814) were identified. Based on absolute differences
      (AD) for no emesis (21 %), no nausea (8 %), CR (16 %), and odd ratios (OR) of
      2.62, 1.43, and 2.16, respectively, NK1RA regimens provided better CINV
      protection versus control groups (all p < 0.00001) in patients receiving
      cisplatin-based highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC). In patients receiving
      anthracycline/cyclophosphamide (AC)-based HEC, respective ADs and ORs were 14, 4,
      and 11 % and 1.97 (p < 0.0001), 1.17 (p = 0.04), and 1.62 (p < 0.00001). In
      patients receiving moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (3 trials), no
      statistically significant benefit of NK1RAs was found; however, positive trends
      were detected for CR and no emesis. NK1RAs were effective for CINV prevention in
      a small number of studies using high-dose chemotherapy as conditioning prior to
      stem cell transplant and cisplatin-based multiple-day chemotherapy (MDC).
      CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis demonstrated the efficacy of NK1RA in preventing
      vomiting in patients receiving HEC (including AC), with smaller effects on
      prevention of nausea. Efficacy is also seen with high-dose chemotherapy and
      cisplatin-based MDC.

PMID- 26476626
TI  - Hope, emotion regulation, and psychosocial well-being in patients newly diagnosed
      with cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Patients newly diagnosed with cancer are often confronted with feelings
      of uncertainty and life threat. A significant proportion may report impairments
      in psychosocial well-being. Previous studies examining protective psychological
      factors such as hope and emotion regulation (ER) have yet to investigate these
      processes concurrently within a common self-regulation framework and/or focus on
      newly diagnosed patients. The present study aimed to examine how hope and ER may
      relate to psychosocial outcomes of patients newly diagnosed with cancer. METHODS:
      The present study used a cross-sectional design with self-report questionnaires.
      Participants were newly diagnosed patients (N = 101) recruited from three cancer
      therapy clinics in a hospital. Patients completed measures of hope, ER (cognitive
      reappraisal and expressive suppression), and psychosocial well-being (life
      satisfaction and negative affectivity). RESULTS: Findings showed that (1) hope
      and reappraisal, but not suppression, were associated with well-being and (2) the
      interaction between hope and reappraisal was associated with well-being;
      reappraisal was not associated with well-being in high hope patients, while high
      reappraisal was associated with better well-being in low hope patients.
      CONCLUSION: Individual differences in hope and reappraisal appeared to be
      associated with psychosocial outcomes in newly diagnosed cancer patients. Hopeful
      thinking appeared to benefit patients' psychosocial well-being. In addition, an
      interaction effect between hope and reappraisal suggested that reappraisal as an
      ER strategy may be particularly adaptive for patients with low hope.

PMID- 26476627
TI  - "Undressing" distress among cancer patients living in urban, regional, and remote
      locations in Western Australia.
AB  - PURPOSE: People diagnosed with cancer from rural and remote locations may
      experience heightened distress because of distance from cancer treatment and
      support services. We examined whether remoteness and other factors are associated
      with psychosocial distress and explored commonly reported problems among cancer
      patients in Western Australia (WA). METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, cancer
      patients newly referred to a Cancer Council WA Cancer Support Coordinator (CSC)
      were screened and assessed using the Distress Thermometer (DT) and Problem List
      (PL) and a standardized form, respectively. The index of remoteness was the
      Australian Standard Geographical Classification. The association between
      remoteness, demographic variables, and the frequency of problems endorsed on the
      PL was analyzed using bivariate analyses and a generalized linear mixed model
      (GLMM) regression. RESULTS: Of 1032 patients referred to a CSC, 466 were screened
      (45.2 %) with complete data available for 441 patients. Patients from remote
      areas reported fewer problems than patients from urban and regional locations.
      Increasing remoteness was not associated with higher distress (r = -0.04, p =
      0.43). Concerns reported differed by remoteness category and included worry,
      sadness, fears, finances, transportation, and physical symptoms. More emotional
      problems were independently associated with higher distress (beta = 0.47, p <
      0.001), explaining 17.31 % of the variance. CONCLUSIONS: There is no evidence
      that increasing remoteness is associated with higher distress. Emotional concerns
      and physical problems appear to be prevalent among cancer patients irrespective
      of urban or rural location. Specific concerns detected by distress screening,
      particularly emotional concerns, may warrant further assessment and targeted
      referrals.

PMID- 26476628
TI  - Informal caregivers of advanced-stage cancer patients: Every second is at risk
      for psychiatric morbidity.
AB  - PURPOSE: Informal caregivers of advanced cancer patients are known to suffer from
      high distress due to their caregiving responsibilities. Nevertheless, a
      comprehensive evaluation of psychiatric morbidity is often missing in clinical
      practice due to time resources, and mental health problems may be unnoticed in
      this population. A feasible approach is needed to identify caregivers at risk for
      psychiatric disorders to offer targeted interventions and enhance their well
      being. METHODS: This cross-sectional, multi-institutional study screened 345
      caregivers of advanced cancer patients for psychiatric disorders (i.e.,
      depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and alcohol abuse/dependence)
      and assessed factors potentially associated with mental health diagnoses
      (including socio-demographic factors, burden, hope, caring-related quality of
      life, and coping preferences). RESULTS: Overall, almost 52 % of participants had
      one or more suspected psychiatric disorders, with anxiety being the most
      prevalent. Perceived hope, higher burden, and more emotion-oriented coping were
      associated with psychiatric morbidity in this sample. Spouses and parents showed
      significantly more symptoms of psychiatric disorders than other relatives.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the high risk of informal caregivers of advanced
      cancer patients to develop psychiatric disorders and suggests a practically
      feasible approach to identify at risk caregivers to offer support.

PMID- 26476629
TI  - Study design and population pharmacokinetic analysis of a phase II dose-ranging
      study of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist.
AB  - Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, a naturally-occurring antagonist to the pro
      inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-1, is already in clinical use. In experimental
      models of stroke, Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist in cerebrospinal fluid has
      been associated with cerebral neuroprotection and in a phase I clinical trial in
      patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage it crosses the blood-cerebrospinal fluid
      barrier. The aims of the current work were to design a dose-ranging clinical
      study in patients and to analyse the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid data obtained
      using a population pharmacokinetic modelling approach. The study was designed
      using prior information: a published population pharmacokinetic model and
      associated parameter estimates. Simulations were carried out to identify
      combinations of intravenous bolus and 4 h infusion doses that could achieve a
      concentration of 100 ng/ml in cerebrospinal fluid within approximately 30 min.
      The most informative time points for plasma and cerebrospinal fluid were obtained
      prospectively; optimisation identified five sampling time points that were
      included in the 15 time points in the present study design. All plasma and
      cerebrospinal fluid concentration data from previous and current studies were
      combined for updated analysis. The result of the simulations showed that a dosage
      regimen of 500 mg intravenous bolus and 10 mg/kg/h could achieve the target
      concentration, however four other regimens that represent a stepwise increase in
      maximum concentration were also selected. Analysis of the updated data showed
      improvement in parameter accuracy and predictive performance of the model; the
      percentage relative standard errors for fixed and random-effects parameters were
      <15 and 35% respectively. A dose-ranging study was successfully designed using
      modelling and simulation.

PMID- 26476630
TI  - Totally laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer after endoscopic submucosal
      dissection: a propensity score matching analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: A recently developed endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) procedure,
      endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), makes en bloc resection possible for
      mucosal cancer regardless of lesion size. ESD involves deeper and wider
      dissection of the gastric wall and may therefore increase the difficulty of
      subsequent totally laparoscopic gastrectomy (TLG) and the risk of complications.
      However, the influence of ESD on subsequent TLG has yet to be demonstrated. The
      purpose of the present study was to clarify the influence of ESD on subsequent
      TLG. METHODS: Between March 2006 and December 2013, we retrospectively collected
      data of 38 patients undergoing TLG with ESD (ESD group) and propensity score
      matched 38 patients undergone TLG without ESD (non-ESD group) for treatment of
      gastric cancer at Tonan Hospital and Hokkaido University Hospital. The covariates
      for propensity score matching were as follows: age, sex, American Society of
      Anesthesiologists score, body mass index, and type of surgery. Clinicopathologic
      characteristics and surgical outcomes were compared between the two groups.
      RESULTS: Operative times for TLG in ESD group and non-ESD group were 228.2 +/-
      53.9 and 228.1 +/- 52.7 min (P = 0.989), and blood loss was 45.7 +/- 83.0 and
      71.3 +/- 74.5 g, respectively (P = 0.161). There were no significant differences
      between the groups of ESD and non-ESD in postoperative recovery and postoperative
      complications. In totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (TLDG), the patients
      with ESD-resected specimens of more than 50 mm in diameter had significantly
      longer operative times (P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, TLG is a feasible
      procedure treatment of gastric cancer regardless of ESD. However, TLDG is more
      difficult in cases where the ESD-resected specimen is more than 50 mm in
      diameter.

PMID- 26476631
TI  - A possible link between hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction   and diet-induced
      insulin resistance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mitochondria are the main cellular sites devoted to ATP production
      and lipid oxidation. Therefore, the mitochondrial dysfunction could be an
      important determinant of cellular fate of circulating lipids, that accumulate in
      the cytoplasm, if they are not oxidized. The ectopic fat accumulation is
      associated with the development of insulin resistance, and a link between
      mitochondrial dysfunction and insulin resistance has been proposed. METHODS:
      Recent data on the possible link existing between mitochondrial dysfunction in
      the liver and diet induced obesity will be summarized, focusing on the three
      factors that affect the mitochondrial oxidation of metabolic fuels, i.e.
      organelle number, organelle activity, and energetic efficiency of the
      mitochondrial machinery in synthesizing ATP. Search in PubMed relevant articles
      from 2003 to 2014 was conducted, by using query "liver mitochondria and obesity"
      "hepatic mitochondria and obesity" "liver mitochondria and high fat diet" and
      "hepatic mitochondria and high fat diet" and including related articles by the
      same groups. RESULTS: Several works, by using different physiological approaches,
      have dealt with alteration in mitochondrial function in obesity and diabetes.
      Most results show that hepatic mitochondrial function is impaired in models of
      obesity and insulin resistance induced by high-fat or highfructose feeding.
      CONCLUSIONS: Since mitochondria are the main producers of both cellular energy
      and free radicals, dysfunctional mitochondria could play an important role in the
      development of insulin resistance and ectopic fat storage in the liver, thus
      supporting the emerging idea that mitochondrial dysfunction is closely related to
      the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and non-alcoholic
      steatohepatitis.

PMID- 26476632
TI  - Food supplementation with rice bran enzymatic extract prevents vascular apoptosis
      and atherogenesis in ApoE-/- mice.
AB  - PURPOSE: Atherosclerosis is associated with reduced mononuclear cell (MNC)
      telomere length, and senescent cells have been detected in atherosclerotic
      plaques. Rice bran is a source of gamma-oryzanol, phytosterols and tocols with
      potential lipid-lowering, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Here, we
      tested the hypothesis that rice bran enzymatic extract (RBEE) impacts on
      apoptosis, telomere length and atherogenesis in mice. METHODS: Seven-week-old
      male ApoE-/- mice were fed high-fat diet (HFD) or isocaloric HFD supplemented
      with 5 % (w/w) RBEE for 23 weeks. Wild-type mice of the same age were kept under
      standard diet as controls. RESULTS: RBEE treatment reduced total cholesterol
      (19.24 +/- 1.63 vs 24.49 +/- 1.71 mmol/L) and triglycerides (1.13 +/- 0.18 vs
      1.75 +/- 0.22 mmol/L) and augmented HDL-cholesterol (1.86 +/- 0.20 vs 1.07 +/-
      0.20 mmol/L). RBEE attenuated macrophage infiltration by 56.69 +/- 4.65 % and
      plaque development (7737 +/- 836 vs 12,040 +/- 1001 MUm2) in the aortic sinus. In
      the aorta, RBEE treatment reduced expression of the apoptosis pathway components
      p16, p53 and bax/bcl-2 ratio. RBEE prevented apoptosis of aortic endothelial
      cells (2.81 +/- 0.71-1.14 +/- 0.35 apoptotic nuclei/ring for ApoE-/- HFD and ApoE
      /- HFD 5 % RBEE, respectively). In contrast, MNC of RBEE-fed mice exhibited
      enhanced apoptosis marker expression with increased p53 and bax/bcl-2 protein
      levels. Compared to WT, ApoE-/- mice on HFD were characterized by significant
      telomere shortening in aorta (11 +/- 2 %) and MNC (73 +/- 7 %), which was reduced
      by supplementation with RBEE (aorta: 40 +/- 7 %; MNC: 105 +/- 10 %). Expression
      of telomere repeat-binding factor 2 was increased in RBEE-fed mice. CONCLUSION:
      Long-term food supplementation with RBEE lowers cholesterol and prevents
      atherosclerotic plaque development in ApoE-/- mice. Differential regulation of
      vascular and MNC apoptosis and senescence were identified as potential
      mechanisms.

PMID- 26476634
TI  - Vinegar decreases blood pressure by down-regulating AT1R expression via the
      AMPK/PGC-1alpha/PPARgamma pathway in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: Vinegar has been reported to lower blood pressure, but its mechanism is
      unclear. This study explored whether vinegar plays antihypertensive effect by
      activating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway. METHODS: Male
      spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were assigned to vinegar, acetic acid,
      nifedipine, nifedipine + vinegar, or distilled water by oral gavage for 8 weeks.
      Blood and aortas were analyzed for biochemical indices and protein expression
      levels. Sv40-transformed aortic rat endothelia cell line (SVAREC) cells were
      treated with acetate at different doses for 24 h; protein expression levels were
      assessed. RESULTS: Vinegar and acetic acid decreased blood pressure in SHRs on
      weeks 6 and 8, and nifedipine + vinegar had a better effect on blood pressure
      control than vinegar or nifedipine alone. Vinegar and acetic acid could decrease
      serum renin and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activities, angiotensin II
      and aldosterone concentrations in SHRs. Vinegar and acetic acid also increased
      AMP/ATP ratios and expression levels of pAMPK, PPARgamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC
      1alpha), and PPARgamma while inhibited angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R)
      expression in SHRs. The changes in these protein expressions were also found in
      SVAREC cells treated with 200 or 400 MUmol/L acetate. In the presence of AMPK
      inhibitor or PGC-1alpha small interfering RNA, the effects of acetate on their
      downstream protein expression in SVAREC cells were abolished, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: Vinegar activates AMPK by increasing AMP/ATP ratios, thereby
      increases PGC-1alpha and PPARgamma expressions, and inhibits AT1R expression in
      SHRs. Acetic acid is responsible for the antihypertensive effects of vinegar.
      There is a joint effect between vinegar and nifedipine in blood pressure control.

PMID- 26476633
TI  - Inhibition of pancreatic cancer cell migration by plasma anthocyanins isolated
      from healthy volunteers receiving an anthocyanin-rich berry juice.
AB  - PURPOSE: Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive cancer type, of which the most
      important characteristics are migration and metastasis. Anthocyanins (ACN) are
      discussed to be protective phytochemicals; however, up to now only scarce data
      are available regarding their effects on cancer prevention. In this study, we
      aimed to determine whether ACN and their metabolites from plasma (PAM), isolated
      from blood of healthy volunteers after ingestion of an ACN-rich juice, are
      effective in modulating cancer cell migration in vitro. METHODS: PAM were
      isolated from blood of healthy volunteers (n = 10) after consumption of an ACN
      rich berry juice. Before ingestion (PAM0min) and after 60 min (PAM60min), blood
      was taken and PAM were isolated from plasma by solid-phase extraction. Migration
      of pancreatic cancer cells PANC-1 and AsPC-1 was assayed in a Boyden chamber. The
      influence of PAM on cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) or mitochondria
      specific ROS was measured fluorimetrically. mRNA expression levels of matrix
      metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) and NF-kappaB mRNA were determined by real
      time PCR. RESULTS: After application of PAM60min to PANC-1, we observed a reduced
      cell migration, which was associated with reduced levels of endogenously
      generated ROS concomitant with reduced NF-kappaB as well as MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA
      expression levels. In AsPC-1 cells, however, migration was not affected by
      PAM60min. CONCLUSION: It can be assumed that physiologically relevant ACN and
      their metabolites were able to inhibit pancreatic cancer cell migration in
      dependency of the phenotype of cells and may thus deserve further attention as
      potential bioactive phytochemicals in cancer prevention.

PMID- 26476635
TI  - Enhanced Early Posterior Negativity to Fearful Faces in Patients with Anxiety
      Disorder.
AB  - Patients with anxiety disorders (AnDs) have distinct patterns of threat-related
      emotional processing compared to healthy controls (HCs). The current study
      investigated the temporal course of emotional processing in AnDs by examining
      Event-related potential (ERP) components. Twenty-three AnDs and twenty-four age-
      and gender-matched HCs viewed emotional (fearful, happy) and neutral faces while
      their electroencephalograms were recorded. Early (P100, N170), middle (early
      posterior negativity; EPN), and late ERP components late positive potential were
      analyzed. To localize ERP source activity, standardized low-resolution brain
      electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) was used. AnDs displayed significantly
      enhanced mean amplitude of the EPN compared to HCs when fearful faces were
      presented. In addition, the EPN's mean amplitude elicited by fearful faces was
      more pronounced than for happy and neutral faces in AnDs, whereas in HCs the EPN
      elicited by fearful faces was only augmented compared to neutral faces. Finally,
      sLORETA analysis revealed that the source activity of the EPN (fearful minus
      happy face condition) was increased in the cuneus and precuneus in AnDs compared
      to HCs. Our results indicate that the EPN is a distinct ERP component modulated
      by facial emotional processing in AnDs. Furthermore, the results show that
      anxiety symptoms enhance selective attention for fearful faces. Finally, it
      revealed that the cuneus and precuneus are involved in fearful face processing in
      AnDs. 

PMID- 26476636
TI  - Comparison of anterograde versus retrograde percutaneous screw fixation of
      anterior column acetabular fractures.
AB  - PURPOSE: Percutaneous screw fixation is an effective technique in addressing
      minimally displaced anterior column acetabular fractures. The aim of this study
      is to evaluate the ease of percutaneous screw insertion for acetabular anterior
      column fracture, as it pertains to anterograde versus retrograde insertion
      techniques. METHOD: From 2009 to 2013, CT imaging from 30 adult volunteers (15
      males, 15 females) without history of pelvic disruption and/or morphologic
      abnormalities were evaluated. From these images, virtual 3D pelvic models were
      generated. The differences area of screw starting points, limitation position of
      anterior column screws, and range of screw directions were analyzed. CONCLUSION:
      We found in our analysis that anterograde and retrograde had not only variations
      in their starting points, but differences in areas of insertion. Typically,
      anterograde portals have a larger area for insertion. Additionally, given the
      limitations we noted in screw position and the severity of the acetabular
      fractures, this will allow the treating surgeon to determine the most optimal
      technique for percutaneous anterior column screw fixation. RESULTS: In our
      analysis, we found two areas for effective percutaneous anterograde insertion and
      one area for effective retrograde insertion. They both possess geometries with
      different shapes. Additionally, the area of anterograde insertion is larger than
      the retrograde area of insertion. The limitations in screw positions were shown
      in the AP, inlet, outlet, iliac oblique, obturator oblique, and lateral views.
      The direction range between superior and inferior and between medial and lateral
      were measured and recorded. In area of anterograde, the angle between the
      superior and inferior limits was 29.2 degrees  +/- 2.7 degrees , while the angle
      limit between medial and lateral was 18.5 degrees  +/- 1.8 degrees . In area of
      retrograde, the angle between the superior and inferior limits was 8.32 degrees 
      +/- 1.3 degrees , while the angle limit between medial and lateral was 7.5
      degrees  +/- 0.8 degrees 

PMID- 26476638
TI  - Optimal classification for the diagnosis of duchenne muscular dystrophy images
      using support vector machines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the optimal support vector machines
      (SVM)-based classifier of duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) images. METHODS: T1-weighted (T1W) and T2-weighted (T2W) images of
      the 15 boys with DMD and 15 normal controls were obtained. Textural features of
      the images were extracted and wavelet decomposed, and then, principal features
      were selected. Scale transform was then performed for MRI images. Afterward, SVM
      based classifiers of MRI images were analyzed based on the radical basis function
      and decomposition levels. The cost (C) parameter and kernel parameter [Formula:
      see text] were used for classification. Then, the optimal SVM-based classifier,
      expressed as [Formula: see text]), was identified by performance evaluation
      (sensitivity, specificity and accuracy). RESULTS: Eight of 12 textural features
      were selected as principal features (eigenvalues [Formula: see text]). The 16 SVM
      based classifiers were obtained using combination of (C, [Formula: see text]),
      and those with lower C and [Formula: see text] values showed higher performances,
      especially classifier of [Formula: see text]). The SVM-based classifiers of T1W
      images showed higher performance than T1W images at the same decomposition level.
      The T1W images in classifier of [Formula: see text]) at level 2 decomposition
      showed the highest performance of all, and its overall correct sensitivity,
      specificity, and accuracy reached 96.9, 97.3, and 97.1 %, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: The T1W images in SVM-based classifier [Formula: see text] at level 2
      decomposition showed the highest performance of all, demonstrating that it was
      the optimal classification for the diagnosis of DMD.

PMID- 26476639
TI  - Tendon-driven continuum robot for neuroendoscopy: validation of extended
      kinematic mapping for hysteresis operation.
AB  - PURPOSE: The hysteresis operation is an outstanding issue in tendon-driven
      actuation--which is used in robot-assisted surgery--as it is incompatible with
      kinematic mapping for control and trajectory planning. Here, a new tendon-driven
      continuum robot, designed to fit existing neuroendoscopes, is presented with
      kinematic mapping for hysteresis operation. METHODS: With attention to tension in
      tendons as a salient factor of the hysteresis operation, extended forward
      kinematic mapping (FKM) has been developed. In the experiment, the significance
      of every component in the robot for the hysteresis operation has been
      investigated. Moreover, the prediction accuracy of postures by the extended FKM
      has been determined experimentally and compared with piecewise constant curvature
      assumption. RESULTS: The tendons were the most predominant factor affecting the
      hysteresis operation of the robot. The extended FKM including friction in tendons
      predicted the postures in the hysteresis operation with improved accuracy (2.89
      and 3.87 mm for the single and the antagonistic-tendons layouts, respectively).
      The measured accuracy was within the target value of 5 mm for planning of
      neuroendoscopic resection of intraventricle tumors. CONCLUSION: The friction in
      tendons was the most predominant factor for the hysteresis operation in the
      robot. The extended FKM including this factor can improve prediction accuracy of
      the postures in the hysteresis operation. The trajectory of the new robot can be
      planned within target value for the neuroendoscopic procedure by using the
      extended FKM.

PMID- 26476637
TI  - Clinical evaluation of a model-updated image-guidance approach to brain shift
      compensation: experience in 16 cases.
AB  - PURPOSE: Brain shift during neurosurgical procedures must be corrected for in
      order to reestablish accurate alignment for successful image-guided tumor
      resection. Sparse-data-driven biomechanical models that predict physiological
      brain shift by accounting for typical deformation-inducing events such as
      cerebrospinal fluid drainage, hyperosmotic drugs, swelling, retraction,
      resection, and tumor cavity collapse are an inexpensive solution. This study
      evaluated the robustness and accuracy of a biomechanical model-based brain shift
      correction system to assist with tumor resection surgery in 16 clinical cases.
      METHODS: Preoperative computation involved the generation of a patient-specific
      finite element model of the brain and creation of an atlas of brain deformation
      solutions calculated using a distribution of boundary and deformation-inducing
      forcing conditions (e.g., sag, tissue contraction, and tissue swelling). The
      optimum brain shift solution was determined using an inverse problem approach
      which linearly combines solutions from the atlas to match the cortical surface
      deformation data collected intraoperatively. The computed deformations were then
      used to update the preoperative images for all 16 patients. RESULTS: The mean
      brain shift measured ranged on average from 2.5 to 21.3 mm, and the biomechanical
      model-based correction system managed to account for the bulk of the brain shift,
      producing a mean corrected error ranging on average from 0.7 to 4.0 mm.
      CONCLUSIONS: Biomechanical models are an inexpensive means to assist intervention
      via correction for brain deformations that can compromise surgical navigation
      systems. To our knowledge, this study represents the most comprehensive clinical
      evaluation of a deformation correction pipeline for image-guided neurosurgery.

PMID- 26476640
TI  - A clinically applicable laser-based image-guided system for laparoscopic liver
      procedures.
AB  - PURPOSE: Laser range scanners (LRS) allow performing a surface scan without
      physical contact with the organ, yielding higher registration accuracy for image
      guided surgery (IGS) systems. However, the use of LRS-based registration in
      laparoscopic liver surgery is still limited because current solutions are
      composed of expensive and bulky equipment which can hardly be integrated in a
      surgical scenario. METHODS: In this work, we present a novel LRS-based IGS system
      for laparoscopic liver procedures. A triangulation process is formulated to
      compute the 3D coordinates of laser points by using the existing IGS system
      tracking devices. This allows the use of a compact and cost-effective LRS and
      therefore facilitates the integration into the laparoscopic setup. The 3D laser
      points are then reconstructed into a surface to register to the preoperative
      liver model using a multi-level registration process. RESULTS: Experimental
      results show that the proposed system provides submillimeter scanning precision
      and accuracy comparable to those reported in the literature. Further quantitative
      analysis shows that the proposed system is able to achieve a patient-to-image
      registration accuracy, described as target registration error, of [Formula: see
      text]. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that the presented approach will lead to a faster
      integration of LRS-based registration techniques in the surgical environment.
      Further studies will focus on optimizing scanning time and on the respiratory
      motion compensation.

PMID- 26476642
TI  - Polysialic acid biosynthesis and production in Escherichia coli: current state
      and perspectives.
AB  - Polysialic acid (PSA) is a unique polysaccharide that plays critical roles in
      many bioprocesses, which makes it useful in a wide range of biomedical
      applications. The increased demand for PSA has led to considerable efforts to
      improve its production using bacteria, such as Escherichia coli. Bioprocess
      optimization and metabolic engineering have allowed the efficient production of
      PSA. This review aims to summarize the metabolism of PSA with an emphasis on the
      importance of the key pathway components. In addition, this review provides an
      update on state of the art PSA production using E. coli with a special emphasis
      on strategies of strain engineering and process development for the enhanced
      production of PSA.

PMID- 26476641
TI  - Predicting children's behaviour during dental treatment under oral sedation.
AB  - AIMS: The primary aim of this study was to assess whether parents' own anxiety
      and their perception of their child's dental fear and child's general fear can
      predict preoperatively their child's behaviour during dental treatment under oral
      sedation. The secondary aim was to assess whether the child's age, gender and ASA
      classification grade are associated with a child's behaviour under oral sedation.
      STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional prospective study. METHODS: The Corah's Dental
      Anxiety Scale (DAS), Children's Fear Survey Schedule Dental-Subscale (CFSS-DS)
      and Children's Fear Survey Schedule Short-Form (CFSS-SF) questionnaires were
      completed by parents of children undergoing dental treatment with oral midazolam.
      Behaviour was rated by a single clinician using the overall behaviour section of
      the Houpt-Scale and scores dichotomised into acceptable or unacceptable
      behaviour. Data were analysed using chi (2), t test and logistic regression
      analysis. RESULTS: In total 404 children (215 girls, 53 %) were included, with
      the mean age of 4.57 years, SD = 1.9. Behaviour was scored as acceptable in 336
      (83 %) and unacceptable in 68 (17 %) children. STATISTICS: The level of a child's
      dental fear, as perceived by their parent, was significantly associated with the
      behaviour outcome (p = 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that if the
      parentally perceived child's dental fear (CFSS-DS) rating was high, the odds of
      the child exhibiting unacceptable behaviour under oral sedation was two times
      greater than if their parents scored them a low dental fear rating (OR 2.27, 95 %
      CI 1.33-3.88, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: CFSS-DS may be used preoperatively to help
      predict behaviour outcome when children are treated under oral sedation and
      facilitate treatment planning.

PMID- 26476643
TI  - The blue-light receptor CmWC-1 mediates fruit body development and secondary
      metabolism in Cordyceps militaris.
AB  - Light is an essential factor for pigment formation and fruit body development in
      Cordyceps militaris, a well-known edible and medicinal fungus. Cmwc-1, a homolog
      of the blue-light receptor gene white collar-1 (wc-1) in Neurospora crassa, was
      cloned from the C. militaris genome in our previous study. Here, Cmwc-1 gene
      inactivation results in thicker aerial hyphae, disordered fruit body development,
      a significant reduction in conidial formation, and carotenoid and cordycepin
      production. These characteristics were restored when the DeltaCmwc-1 strains were
      hybridized with wild-type strains of the opposite mating type. A genome-wide
      expression analysis revealed that there were 1042 light-responsive genes in the
      wild-type strain and only 458 in the DeltaCmwc-1 strain. Among five putative
      photoreceptors identified, Vivid, cryptochrome-1, and cyclobutane pyrimidine
      dimer photolyase are strongly induced by light in a Cmwc-1-dependent manner,
      while phytochrome and cryptochrome-2 were not induced. The transcription factors
      involved in the fungal light reaction were mainly of the Zn2Cys6 type. CmWC-1
      regulates adenylosuccinate synthase, an important enzyme for adenosine de novo
      synthesis, which could explain the reduction in cordycepin production. Some G
      protein-coupled receptors that control fungal fruit body formation and the sexual
      cycle were regulated by CmWC-1, and the cAMP pathway involved in light signal
      transduction in N. crassa was not critical for the photoreaction in the fungus
      here. A transcriptional analysis indicated that steroid biosynthesis was more
      active in the DeltaCmwc-1 strain, suggesting that CmWC-1 might switch the
      vegetative growth state to primordia differentiation by suppressing the
      expression of related genes.

PMID- 26476644
TI  - Improving alkane synthesis in Escherichia coli via metabolic engineering.
AB  - Concerns about energy security and global petroleum supply have made the
      production of renewable biofuels an industrial imperative. The ideal biofuels are
      n-alkanes in that they are chemically and structurally identical to the fossil
      fuels and can "drop in" to the transportation infrastructure. In this work, an
      Escherichia coli strain that produces n-alkanes was constructed by heterologous
      expression of acyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) reductase (AAR) and aldehyde
      deformylating oxygenase (ADO) from Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942. The
      accumulation of alkanes ranged from 3.1 to 24.0 mg/L using different expressing
      strategies. Deletion of yqhD, an inherent aldehyde reductase in E. coli, or
      overexpression of fadR, an activator for fatty acid biosynthesis, exhibited a
      nearly twofold increase in alkane titers, respectively. Combining yqhD deletion
      and fadR overexpression resulted in a production titer of 255.6 mg/L in E. coli,
      and heptadecene was the most abundant product.

PMID- 26476645
TI  - Ferulic acid transformation into the main vanilla aroma  compounds by
      Amycolatopsis sp. ATCC 39116.
AB  - The wild strain Amycolatopsis sp. ATCC 39116 was explored in ferulic acid-based
      media to produce naturally the aroma components of the cured vanilla pod, namely
      vanillin,vanillic acid, and vanillyl alcohol. Other phenolic compounds(4-vinyl
      guaiacol, guaiacol, and protocatechuic acid) were also evaluated. The influence
      of medium composition,fermentation technology (batch or fed-batch),
      supplementation with vanillic acid, and inoculum concentration on ferulic acid
      biotransformation were evaluated. The results postulate the initial concentration
      of cell mass as the variable with the strongest impact on ferulic acid
      metabolization under the studied conditions. The highest amounts of vanillin and
      vanillic acid were achieved at intermediate values of cell mass.Vanillyl alcohol
      and protocatechuic acid were more closely linked to high cell mass
      concentrations. Conversely, 4-vinyl guaiacol reached its highest amount at the
      lowest amount of cell mass. Guaiacol was not detected in any case. Therefore,the
      initial cell concentration must be considered a critical parameter when using
      Amycolaptosis sp. ATCC 39116 for the production of vanillin and related
      compounds.

PMID- 26476646
TI  - Enhanced production of leech hyaluronidase by optimizing secretion and
      cultivation in Pichia pastoris.
AB  - Leech hyaluronidase (LHAase) was recently cloned and successfully expressed in
      Pichia pastoris. To increase its secretory expression level, four signal peptides
      (nsB, YTP1, SCS3, and HKR1) and six amphipathic peptides (APs) were comparatively
      investigated. After substitution with nsB and fusion with AP2, the production of
      LHAase was significantly increased, from 8.42 * 10(5) to 1.24 * 10(6) U/ml.
      Compared with the parental LHAase, the variant AP2-LHAase showed a lower optimum
      pH (5.0), higher optimum temperature (50  degrees C), and a broader range of
      thermal stability (20-60  degrees C). To further promote fermentative production
      of the variant AP2-LHAase, the cultivation temperature was systematically
      optimized according to cell viability and alcohol oxidase activity. Eventually,
      through a combination of N-terminal engineering and optimization of cultivation,
      the production of LHAase was improved to 1.68 * 10(6) U/ml, with a high
      productivity of 1.87 * 10(4) U/ml/h.

PMID- 26476647
TI  - AA9 and AA10: from enigmatic to essential enzymes.
AB  - The lignocellulosic biomass, comprised mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose, and
      lignin, is a strong competitor for petroleum to obtain fuels and other products
      because of its renewable nature, low cost, and non-competitiveness with food
      production when obtained from agricultural waste. Due to its recalcitrance,
      lignocellulosic material requires an arsenal of enzymes for its deconstruction
      and the consequent release of fermentable sugars. In this context, enzymes
      currently classified as auxiliary activity 9 (AA9/formerly GH61) and 10
      (AA10/formerly CBM 33) or lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMO) have emerged
      as cellulase boosting enzymes. AA9 and AA10 are the new paradigm for
      deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass by enhancing the activity and
      decreasing the loading of classical enzymes to the reaction and, consequently,
      reducing costs of the hydrolysis step in the second-generation ethanol production
      chain. In view of that disclosed above, the goal of this work is to review
      experimental data that supports the relevance of AA9 and AA10 for the biomass
      deconstruction field.

PMID- 26476648
TI  - Mycoremediation with mycotoxin producers: a critical perspective.
AB  - Filamentous fungi that produce mycotoxins also demonstrate the ability to degrade
      a wide variety of naturally occurring and anthropogenically generated hazardous
      wastes. Hence, these are emerging as excellent candidates for bioremediation.
      Their mycelia exhibit the robustness of adapting to highly restrictive
      environmental conditions often experienced in the presence of persistent
      pollutants, which makes them more useful compared to other microbes. However, it
      now appears that several regulatory factors that govern mycotoxin synthesis in
      these toxigenic strains also regulate their bioremediation abilities. To this
      end, mycoremediation and mycotoxin synthesis have been thoroughly but
      independently investigated; hence, much less is understood about the overlaps
      between the two processes. This review aims to shed light on this critical
      knowledge gap and provide some useful insights into the future research that
      might overcome the challenges associated with these shared regulatory modules.
      This will enable the harnessing of the full potential of mycoremediation by
      minimizing mycotoxin contamination.

PMID- 26476649
TI  - Reactor performances and microbial communities of biogas reactors: effects of
      inoculum sources.
AB  - Anaerobic digestion is a very complex process that is mediated by various
      microorganisms, and the understanding of the microbial community assembly and its
      corresponding function is critical in order to better control the anaerobic
      process. The present study investigated the effect of different inocula on the
      microbial community assembly in biogas reactors treating cellulose with various
      inocula, and three parallel biogas reactors with the same inoculum were also
      operated in order to reveal the reproducibility of both microbial communities and
      functions of the biogas reactors. The results showed that the biogas production,
      volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations, and pH were different for the biogas
      reactors with different inocula, and different steady-state microbial community
      patterns were also obtained in different biogas reactors as reflected by Bray
      Curtis similarity matrices and taxonomic classification. It indicated that
      inoculum played an important role in shaping the microbial communities of biogas
      reactor in the present study, and the microbial community assembly in biogas
      reactor did not follow the niche-based ecology theory. Furthermore, it was found
      that the microbial communities and reactor performances of parallel biogas
      reactors with the same inoculum were different, which could be explained by the
      neutral-based ecology theory and stochastic factors should played important roles
      in the microbial community assembly in the biogas reactors. The Bray-Curtis
      similarity matrices analysis suggested that inoculum affected more on the
      microbial community assembly compared to stochastic factors, since the samples
      with different inocula had lower similarity (10-20 %) compared to the samples
      from the parallel biogas reactors (30 %).

PMID- 26476650
TI  - Transposon sequencing: methods and expanding applications.
AB  - A comprehensive understanding of genotype-phenotype links in bacteria is the
      primary theme of bacterial functional genomics. Transposon sequencing (Tn-seq) or
      its equivalent methods that combine random transposon mutagenesis and next
      generation sequencing (NGS) represent a powerful approach to understand gene
      functions in bacteria on a genome-wide scale. This approach has been utilized in
      a variety of bacterial species to provide comprehensive information on gene
      functions related to various phenotypes or biological processes of significance.
      With further improvements in the molecular protocol for specific amplification of
      transposon junction sequences and increasing capacity of next generation
      sequencing technologies, the applications of Tn-seq have been expanding to tackle
      questions that are important yet difficult to address in the past. In this
      review, we will discuss the technical aspects of different Tn-seq methods along
      with their pros and cons to provide a helpful guidance for those who want to
      implement or improve Tn-seq for their own research projects. In addition, we also
      provide a comprehensive summary of recent published studies based on Tn-seq
      methods to give an updated perspective on the current and emerging applications
      of Tn-seq.

PMID- 26476651
TI  - Dihydroxylation of four- and five-ring aromatic hydrocarbons by the naphthalene
      dioxygenase from Sphingomonas CHY-1.
AB  - The naphthalene dioxygenase from Sphingomonas CHY-1 exhibits extremely broad
      substrate specificity toward polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In a
      previous study, the catalytic rates of oxidation of nine PAHs were determined
      using the purified dioxygenase, but the oxidation products formed from four- to
      five-ring hydrocarbons were incompletely characterized. Here, we reexamined PAH
      oxygenation reactions using Escherichia coli recombinant cells overproducing
      strain CHY-1 dioxygenase. Hydroxylated products generated by the dioxygenase were
      purified and characterized by means of GC-MS, UV absorbance as well as 1H- and
      13C-NMR spectroscopy. Fluoranthene was converted to three dihydrodiols, the most
      abundant of which was identified as cis-7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydrofluoranthene.
      This diol turned out to be highly unstable, converting to 8-hydroxyfluoranthene
      by spontaneous dehydration. The dioxygenase also catalyzed dihydroxylations on
      the C2-C3 and presumably the C1-C2 positions, although at much lower rates.
      Benz[a]anthracene was converted into three dihydrodiols, hydroxylated in
      positions C1-C2, C8-C9, and C10-C11, and one bis-cis-dihydrodiol. The latter
      compound was identified as cis,cis-1,2,10,11-tetrahydroxy-1,2,10,11
      tetrahydrobenz[a]anthracene, which resulted from the subsequent dioxygenation of
      the 1,2- or 10,11-dihydrodiols. Chrysene dioxygenation yielded a single diol
      identified as cis-3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydrochrysene, which underwent further
      oxidation to give cis,cis-3,4,9,10 chrysene tetraol. Pyrene was a poor substrate
      for the CHY-1 dioxygenase and gave a single dihydrodiol hydroxylated on C4 and
      C5, whereas benzo[a}pyrene was converted to two dihydrodiols, one of which was
      identified as cis-9,10-dihydrodiol. The selectivity of the dioxygenase is
      discussed in the light of the known 3D structure of its catalytic component and
      compared to that of the few enzymes able to attack four- and five-ring PAHs.

PMID- 26476652
TI  - Three-step biocatalytic reaction using whole cells for efficient  production of
      tyramine from keratin acid hydrolysis wastewater.
AB  - Tyramine has been paid more attention in recent years as a significant metabolite
      of tyrosine and catecholamine drug and an intermediate of medicinal material and
      some drugs. In this study, an effective, green, and three-step biocatalytic
      synthesis method for production of tyramine starting from serine in keratin acid
      hydrolysis wastewater was developed and investigated. Serine deaminase from
      Escherichia coli was first combined with tyrosine phenol-lyase from Citrobacter
      koseri, to convert L-serine to L-tyrosine. L-Tyrosine can then be decarboxylated
      to tyramine by tyrosinede carboxylase from Lactobacillus brevis. All these
      enzymes originated from recombinant whole cells. Serine deaminaseand tyrosine
      phenol-lyase could efficiently convert L-serine in wastewater to L-tyrosine at pH
      8.0, 37  degrees C, and Triton X-100 of 0.04% when tyrosine phenol-lyase and its
      corresponding substrates were sequentially added. Tyrosine conversion rate
      reached 98 % by L-tyrosine decarboxylase. In scale-up study, the conversion yield
      of L-serine in wastewater to tyrosine was up to 89 %. L-Tyrosine was
      decarboxylated to tyramine with a high yield 94 %. Tyramine hydrochloride was
      obtained with a total yield 84 %. This study has provided an efficient way of
      recycling keratin acid hydrolysis wastewater to produce tyramine.

PMID- 26476653
TI  - Mutations improving production and secretion of extracellular lipase by
      Burkholderia glumae PG1.
AB  - Burkholderia glumae is a Gram-negative phytopathogenic bacterium known as the
      causative agent of rice panicle blight. Strain B. glumae PG1 is used for the
      production of a biotechnologically relevant lipase, which is secreted into the
      culture supernatant via a type II secretion pathway. We have comparatively
      analyzed the genome sequences of B. glumae PG1 wild type and a lipase
      overproducing strain obtained by classical strain mutagenesis. Among a total
      number of 72 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified in the genome of
      the production strain, two were localized in front of the lipAB operon and were
      analyzed in detail. Both mutations contribute to a 100-fold overproduction of
      extracellular lipase in B. glumae PG1 by affecting transcription of the lipAB
      operon and efficiency of lipase secretion. We analyzed each of the two SNPs
      separately and observed a stronger influence of the promoter mutation than of the
      signal peptide modification but also a cumulative effect of both mutations.
      Furthermore, fusion of the mutated LipA signal peptide resulted in a 2-fold
      increase in secretion of the heterologous reporter alkaline phosphatase from
      Escherichia coli.

PMID- 26476654
TI  - Identification of novel anti-inflammatory probiotic strains isolated from pulque.
AB  - Probiotics are live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts,
      confer health benefits on the host. Their use is more and more widespread for
      both prevention and treatment of diseases, including traveler's diarrhea and
      inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). In this work, we isolated and characterized
      novel candidate probiotic strains from pulque (xaxtle), a traditional Mexican
      alcoholic fermented beverage. A total of 14 strains were obtained from xaxtle
      samples isolated from three different Mexican regions. Species identification was
      performed by biochemical methods and 16S rRNA gene targeted PCR. The isolates
      belonged to the Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus
      brevis, and Lactobacillus composti phylogenetic groups, with L. brevis being the
      most dominant group. Bacteria were tested for lysozyme, low pH, and bile acid
      resistance. Moreover, the strains were tested for adherence to human intestinal
      epithelial cells and screened for their immunomodulatory properties using a
      cellular model. Selected bacterial strains with anti-inflammatory properties were
      then tested in vivo in a dinitro-benzene sulfonic acid (DNBS)-induced chronic
      colitis mouse model, and weight loss, gut permeability, and cytokine profiles
      were measured as readouts of inflammation. One of the selected strains,
      Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis LBH1068, improved mice health as observed by a
      reduction of weight loss, significant decreases in gut permeability, and cytokine
      modulation. Altogether, our results highlighted the potential of lactobacilli
      isolated from pulque and in particular the strain L. sanfranciscensis LBH1068 as
      a novel probiotic to treat IBD.

PMID- 26476655
TI  - Phaeohyphomycosis Due to Exophiala jeanselmei: An Emerging Pathogen in India-
      Case Report and Review.
AB  - We present a rare case of a 30-year-old woman who presented with a swelling on
      the lateral aspect of her left forearm, present since 6 months, adjacent to a 16
      year-old burn scar. X-ray of elbow joint and forearm revealed the subcutaneous
      nature of the swelling. Giemsa and periodic acid-Schiff-stained smears and
      potassium hydroxide mount of fine-needle aspirate of the swelling revealed
      dematiaceous, branching, and septate fungal hyphae. Fungal culture of the
      aspirated pus showed growth of Exophiala jeanselmei. Histopathological
      examination revealed brown-coloured hyphae with foreign body giant cell reaction
      and palisading granulomas in the surrounding tissue. The patient was successfully
      treated with surgical excision of the swelling. All the cases of
      phaeohyphomycosis due to Exophiala spp. in India are also reviewed.

PMID- 26476657
TI  - Sinus pericranii and myoclonic epilepsy: novel features of 3q29 microdeletion
      syndrome.

PMID- 26476656
TI  - Sister Mary Joseph's nodule: a very useful indicator of significant internal
      pathology.

PMID- 26476658
TI  - Bilateral anterior fornix infarction: the "amnestic syndrome of the subcallosal
      artery".

PMID- 26476659
TI  - Novel approach to treat fecal incontinence with muscle  stem cell-based therapy.

PMID- 26476660
TI  - Glutathione and its related enzymes in the gonad of Nile  Tilapia (Oreochromis
      niloticus).
AB  - Glutathione (GSH) concentration, the activity of its metabolizing enzymes,
      glutathione transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione
      reductase (GR), and the antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT) in O. niloticus ovary
      and testis were examined. GSH concentration of O. niloticus testis exhibited high
      concentration (129 +/- 21 nmol/g tissue) compared with GSH concentration (49.2 +/
      8.3 nmol/g tissue) in the ovary. GST, GPx, GR, and CAT activities of O.
      niloticus testis exhibited high values compared with their corresponding values
      in ovary homogenates. However, protein concentration in ovary homogenates
      exhibited higher values (175 +/- 40.6 mg) compared with testis homogenates (27.1
      +/- 3.7 mg). O. niloticus ovary was less effective in excretion of xenobiotices
      compared with the testis, where its function is mainly in increasing the protein
      content of the eggs; however, in O. niloticus testis, the glutathione cycle
      operated in accelerated way in the direction of reduced GSH production in order
      to protect the maturation stages in a save way. A simple reproducible procedure
      for the purification of GST from O. niloticus ovary was established. The enzymes
      proved to be homogenous as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel
      electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and its molecular weight was calculated to be 25.1
      kDa. GST of O. niloticus ovary exhibited maximum activity at pH 7.5. The
      Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)) of the purified ovary GST for GSH and CDNB was
      0.076 mM and 1.0 mM, respectively. Cibacron blue was the most potent inhibitor of
      ovary GST activity (IC50 value, concentration of inhibitor that will give 50%
      inhibition, equal 0.002 MUM). The specific activity of GST toward different
      electrophilic substrates was determined. GST activity toward benzyl
      isothiocyanate was the highest compared with phenethyl isothiocyanate and allyl
      isothiocyanate.

PMID- 26476662
TI  - New insights into phosphorus management in agriculture--A crop rotation approach.
AB  - This manuscript presents research results examining phosphorus (P) management in
      a soil-plant system for three variables: i) internal resources of soil available
      phosphorus, ii) cropping sequence, and iii) external input of phosphorus (manure,
      fertilizers). The research was conducted in long-term cropping sequences with
      oilseed rape (10 rotations) and maize (six rotations) over three consecutive
      growing seasons (2004/2005, 2005/2006, and 2006/2007) in a production farm on
      soils originated from Albic Luvisols in Poland. The soil available phosphorus
      pool, measured as calcium chloride extractable P (CCE-P), constituted 28% to 67%
      of the total phosphorus input (PTI) to the soil-plant system in the spring.
      Oilseed rape and maize dominant cropping sequences showed a significant potential
      to utilize the CCE-P pool within the soil profile. Cropping sequences containing
      oilseed rape significantly affected the CCE-P pool, and in turn contributed to
      the P(TI). The P(TI) uptake use efficiency was 50% on average. Therefore, the CCE
      P pool should be taken into account as an important component of a sound and
      reliable phosphorus balance. The instability of the yield prediction, based on
      the P(TI), was mainly due to an imbalanced management of both farmyard manure and
      phosphorus fertilizer. Oilseed rape plants provide a significant positive impact
      on the CCE-P pool after harvest, improving the productive stability of the entire
      cropping sequence. This phenomenon was documented by the P(TI) increase during
      wheat cultivation following oilseed rape. The Unit Phosphorus Uptake index also
      showed a higher stability in oilseed rape cropping systems compared to rotations
      based on maize. Cropping sequences are a primary factor impacting phosphorus
      management. Judicious implementation of crop rotations can improve soil P
      resources, efficiency of crop P use, and crop yield and yield stability. Use of
      cropping sequences can reduce the need for external P sources such as farmyard
      manure and chemical fertilizers.

PMID- 26476661
TI  - Quercetin protects HCT116 cells from Dichlorvos-induced   oxidative stress and
      apoptosis.
AB  - The present study was designed to assess the possible protective effects of
      Quercetin (QUER), a flavonoid with well-known pharmacological effects, against
      Dichlorvos (DDVP)-induced toxicity in vitro using HCT116 cells. The cytotoxicity
      was monitored by cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, anti
      oxidant enzyme activities, malondialdehyde (MDA) production, and DNA
      fragmentation. The apoptosis was assessed through the measurement of the
      mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DeltaPsim) and caspase activation. The
      results indicated that pretreatment of HCT116 cells with QUER, 2 h prior to DDVP
      exposure, significantly decreased the DDVP-induced cell death, inhibited the ROS
      generation, modulated the activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase
      (SOD), and reduced the MDA level. The reductions in mitochondrial membrane
      potential, DNA fragmentation, and caspase activation were also attenuated by
      QUER. These findings suggest that dietary QUER can protect HCT116 cells against
      DDVP-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis.

PMID- 26476663
TI  - Significant increase in prostatectomy and decrease in radiation for clinical T3
      prostate cancer from 1998 to 2012.
AB  - PURPOSE: We aimed to describe changes in treatment patterns for clinical T3
      prostate cancer (PCa) from 1998 to 2012, specifically investigating what factors
      influence receipt of prostatectomy or radiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the
      Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, we studied 11,604 men with
      clinical T3N0M0 PCa from 1998 to 2012, with treatment categorized as radiation,
      radical prostatectomy (RP), or no curative therapy. We calculated rate of
      treatment type by year of diagnosis to investigate trends in treatment patterns,
      further stratifying by clinical T3a, defined as unilateral and bilateral
      extracapsular extension (n = 3,842), vs. T3b (defined as extension to seminal
      vesicles (n = 3,665). Finally, a multivariable logistic regression analysis
      measured association of demographic and clinical variables with type of treatment
      received for years 2010 to 2011. RESULTS: Rates of prostatectomy increased
      significantly from 1998 to 2012 (12.5% vs. 44.4%), radiation decreased
      significantly (55.8% vs. 38.4%), and receipt of no treatment also decreased
      (31.7% vs. 17.2%, all P<0.001). These trends were similar for clinical T3a and
      T3b. Rates of prostatectomy surpassed radiation by 2008 in clinical T3a, reaching
      49.8% vs. 37.1%, respectively, in 2012 (P = 0.002), and were statistically
      similar to radiation in 2012 for clinical T3b, reaching 41.6% vs. 42.1% (P =
      0.92). Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated that patients were
      less likely to receive prostatectomy than radiation if biopsy Gleason scores of 8
      to 10 (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.41, 0.32-0.53), higher initial prostate
      specific antigen (AOR = 0.97, 0.97-0.98), and older age (AOR = 0.92, 0.90-0.03,
      all P<0.01). The likelihood of RP was similar among cT3b vs. cT3a (AOR = 0.95,
      0.71-1.26, P = 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Since 1998, there has been a significant
      increase in the use of RP for clinical T3 PCa and a significant decrease in the
      use of radiation such that in 2012, the use of prostatectomy exceeded the use of
      radiation.

PMID- 26476664
TI  - Electrophysiological studies in Internet addiction: A review within the dual
      process framework.

PMID- 26476665
TI  - The isolation and synthesis of a novel benzofuran compound from Tephrosia
      purpurea, and the synthesis of several related derivatives, which suppress
      histamine H1 receptor gene expression.
AB  - A novel naturally occurring compound with a benzofuran skeleton was isolated from
      a plant, Tephrosia purpurea collected in Bangladesh. The chemical synthesis of
      this compound confirmed its structure, and preliminary biological results showed
      its suppressive activity towards histamine H1 gene expression. One isomer and
      four derivatives were also synthesized, and their suppression activity was
      investigated. Although only small quantities of this compound can be isolated
      from its natural source, a 10 g scale synthesis was demonstrated by the newly
      developed method.

PMID- 26476666
TI  - Synthesis and biological activity of amino acid derivatives of avarone and its
      model compound.
AB  - A series of eighteen derivatives of marine sesquiterpene quinone avarone and its
      model system tert-butylquinone with amino acids has been synthesized by
      nucleophilic addition of amino acids to the quinones. In vitro cytotoxic activity
      toward human cancer cell lines (HeLa, A549, Fem-X, K562, MDA-MB-453) and normal
      MRC-5 cell line was determined. Several compounds showed very strong inhibitory
      activity with IC50 values less than 10 MUM. Avarone derivatives were more active
      than the corresponding tert-butylquinone derivatives. The results of the
      cytofluorimetric analysis of cell cycle of HeLa cells showed that apoptosis might
      be one of possible mechanism of action of these compounds in cancer cells. In
      order to examine the influence of caspases on cell death, the apoptotic
      mechanisms induced by the tested compounds were determined using specific
      caspases 3, 8 and 9 inhibitors. For all compounds antibacterial activities
      against six strains of Gram-positive and four strains of Gram-negative bacteria
      were determined, as well as antifungal activity against three fungal species.

PMID- 26476667
TI  - 1,2,3-Triazole-based analogue of benznidazole displays remarkable activity
      against Trypanosoma cruzi.
AB  - The current treatment of Chagas disease is based on the use of two drugs,
      nifurtimox and benznidazole, which present limited efficacy in the chronic stage
      of the disease and toxic side effects. Although some progress has been made in
      the development of new drugs to treat this disease, the discovery of novel
      compounds is urgently required. In this work we report the synthesis and
      biological evaluation of 1,2,3-triazole-based analogues of benznidazole. A small
      series of 27 compounds was successfully synthesized via microwave-assisted
      copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) and ruthenium-catalyzed
      azide-alkyne cycloaddition (RuAAC) from N-benzyl-2-azidoacetamide (1) and a set
      of commercial terminal alkynes. Analogues 24 (IC50 40 MUM) and 28 (IC50 50 MUM)
      showed comparable activities to benznidazole (IC50 34 MUM) against trypomastigote
      form and analogue 15 (IC50 7 MUM) was found to be the most active. Regarding the
      cytotoxicity assessment of the series, most compounds were not cytotoxic. This
      work shows that the designed strategy is efficiently capable of generating novel
      benzindazole analogues and reveals one analogue is more active than benznidazole.

PMID- 26476668
TI  - Poly(amidoamine) dendrimers show carbonic anhydrase inhibitory activity against
      alpha-, beta-, gamma- and eta-class enzymes.
AB  - Four generations of poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers incorporating
      benzenesulfonamide moieties were investigated as inhibitors of carbonic
      anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1) belonging to the alpha-, beta-, gamma- and eta
      classes which are present in pathogenic bacteria, fungi or protozoa. The
      following bacterial, fungal and protozoan organisms were included in the study:
      Vibrio cholerae, Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania donovani chagasi, Porphyromonas
      gingivalis, Cryptococcus neoformans, Candida glabrata, and Plasmodium falciparum.
      The eight pathozymes present in these organisms were efficiently inhibited by the
      four generations PAMAM-sulfonamide dendrimers, but multivalency effects were
      highly variable among the different enzyme classes. The Vibrio enzyme VchCA was
      best inhibited by the G3 dendrimer incorporating 32 sulfamoyl moieties. The
      Trypanosoma enzyme TcCA on the other hand was best inhibited by the first
      generation dendrimer G0 (with 4 sulfamoyl groups), whereas for other enzymes the
      optimal inhibitory power was observed for the G1 or G2 dendrimers, with 8 and 16
      sulfonamide functionalities. This study thus proves that the multivalency may be
      highly relevant for enzyme inhibition for some but not all CAs from pathogenic
      organisms. On the other hand, some dendrimers investigated here showed a better
      inhibitory power compared to acetazolamide for enzymes from widespread pathogens,
      such as the eta-CA from Plasmodium falciparum. Overall, the main conclusion is
      that this class of molecules may lead to important developments in the field of
      anti-infective CA inhibitors. 

PMID- 26476669
TI  - Influence of stereoscopic vision on task performance with an operating
      microscope.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the extent to which stereoscopic depth perception
      influences the performance of tasks executed under an operating microscope.
      SETTING: Laboratory of Experimental Ophthalmology, University Medical Center
      Groningen, the Netherlands. DESIGN: Experimental study. METHODS: Medical students
      were assigned (on the basis of their stereoacuity) to a stereo-sufficient group
      (depth perception <=240 seconds of arc [arcsec]) or stereo-deficient group (>=480
      arcsec). They performed a bead-stringing task (a mockup surgical test) under an
      operating microscope or a task on a cataract surgery simulator. The stereo
      sufficient subjects also performed the bead-stringing task under artificial
      stereo-deficient conditions (binocular and monocular viewing). RESULTS: The study
      comprised 77 medical students. The stereo-sufficient subjects performed both
      tasks faster than the stereo-deficient subjects and artificially stereo-deficient
      subjects (P <= .024). In addition, a within-group analysis established that the
      stereo-sufficient subjects were faster at the bead-stringing task with
      stereoscopic viewing than under artificial stereo-deficient conditions with
      binocular viewing (P <= .011). CONCLUSIONS: Having stereovision resulted in
      better initial performance on certain tasks involving the use of an operating
      microscope or cataract surgery simulator. However, this study did not show that
      stereo deficiency necessarily results in an inability to perform such tasks
      properly. Hence, it was not evident that for admission to an ophthalmology
      residency program, stereovision should be judged more stringently than other
      traits. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a financial or proprietary interest
      in any material or method mentioned.

PMID- 26476670
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26476671
TI  - The PROTAGORAS study to evaluate the performance of the Endurant stent graft for
      patients with pararenal pathologic processes treated by the chimney/snorkel
      endovascular technique.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The chimney/snorkel endovascular aortic repair (ch-EVAR) is gaining
      ever-greater acceptance in the treatment of pararenal pathologic processes.
      However, the published experience includes mainly short-term clinical results
      with combinations of several abdominal devices and types of chimney grafts. The
      aim of this study was the midterm evaluation of the Endurant stent graft
      (Medtronic, Santa Rosa, Calif) as a standard abdominal device for ch-EVAR.
      METHODS: Between January 2009 and January 2013, prospectively collected data of
      high-risk patients with pararenal pathologic processes who underwent ch-EVAR with
      placement of the Endurant abdominal device were analyzed. The chimney graft
      intended for use was a balloon-expandable covered stent. Main outcome measures
      were aneurysm sac regression and chimney graft patency. RESULTS: A total of 187
      snorkel/chimney grafts were successfully placed in 128 patients (mean age, 76.6
      years). The technical success was 100%. The mean preoperative proximal neck
      length and aneurysm size were 4.7 mm and 64.8 mm (range, 48-135 mm),
      respectively. The postoperative new neck length after use of chimney grafts was
      18.7 +/- 6.3 mm. The mean aneurysm sac decreased significantly (60.8 mm; 95%
      confidence interval, 2.036-7.084; P = .001) after a mean radiologic follow up of
      24.6 +/- 17.4 months. Thirty-day mortality and midterm mortality were 0.8% and
      17.2%, respectively. Two patients (1.6%) with single chimneys presented with late
      new onset of type Ia endoleak and underwent additional tube and multiple chimney
      placement. Primary chimney graft patency was 95.7%. Freedom from chimney graft
      related reinterventions was 93.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Standard use of the Endurant
      abdominal device for ch-EVAR in >120 patients is associated with high technical
      success, significant aneurysm sac regression, and low incidence of secondary
      procedures after 2-year radiologic follow-up. These results will give significant
      impetus to device selection, facilitating the standardization of technique.

PMID- 26476673
TI  - Circular stapling for Roux-en-Y esophagojejunal anastomosis using a transorally
      inserted anvil.

PMID- 26476674
TI  - Prognostic value of sarcopenia in liver surgery.
AB  - Current knowledge indicates that malnutrition increases the rate of post
      operative complications, particularly respiratory and infectious, after major
      surgery. Almost all liver surgery is performed in patients with cancer, a factor
      that increases the risk of malnutrition. The primary risk factors for post
      operative complications are pre-operative hypo-albuminemia and a body mass index
      less than 20 kg/m(2). To improve the prediction of complications in these
      patients, some teams have suggested measurement of muscle thickness by computed
      tomography. Muscular mass can thus be quantified by measuring the total surface
      of the psoas muscle or the total surface of all muscles (i.e. external and
      internal oblique, transverse, psoas and paravertebral muscles) seen on an axial
      CT slice at L3. As well, data exist suggesting that sarcopenia is an independent
      predictive factor of post-operative morbidity and poor long-term survival after
      resection for cancer. Nonetheless, the literature on the subject is limited,
      there are no standardized definitions for sarcopenia, and the need of special
      software to calculate the surfaces limits its usefulness. Lastly, there are
      little if any data concerning the nutritional or pharmacologic means to treat
      sarcopenia. This update, based on a literature review, deals with the value and
      the prognostic impact of sarcopenia in surgery for liver tumors. The current
      definition of sarcopenia, validated internationally, the methods of measurement,
      and the consequences of sarcopenia on the outcome of liver resections are
      detailed in this review.

PMID- 26476672
TI  - Wnt signaling in age-related macular degeneration: human macular tissue and mouse
      model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The wingless-type MMTV integration site (Wnt) signaling is a group of
      signal transduction pathways. In canonical Wnt pathway, Wnt ligands bind to low
      density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 or 6 (LRP5 or LRP6), resulting in
      phosphorylation and activation of the receptor. We hypothesize that canonical Wnt
      pathway plays a role in the retinal lesion of age-related macular degeneration
      (AMD), a leading cause of irreversible central visual loss in elderly. METHODS:
      We examined LRP6 phosphorylation and Wnt signaling cascade in human retinal
      sections and plasma kallistatin, an endogenous inhibitor of the Wnt pathway in
      AMD patients and non-AMD subjects. We also used the Ccl2 (-/-) /Cx3cr1 (-/-) /rd8
      and Ccl2 (-/-) /Cx3cr1 (gfp/gfp) mouse models with AMD-like retinal degeneration
      to further explore the involvement of Wnt signaling activation in the retinal
      lesions in those models and to preclinically evaluate the role of Wnt signaling
      suppression as a potential therapeutic option for AMD. RESULTS: We found higher
      levels of LRP6 (a key Wnt signaling receptor) protein phosphorylation and
      transcripts of the Wnt pathway-targeted genes, as well as higher beta-catenin
      protein in AMD macula compared to controls. Kallistatin was decreased in the
      plasma of AMD patients. Retinal non-phosphorylated-beta-catenin and
      phosphorylated-LRP6 were higher in Ccl2 (-/-) /Cx3cr1 (-/-) /rd8 mice than that
      in wild type. Intravitreal administration of an anti-LRP6 antibody slowed the
      progression of retinal lesions in Ccl2 (-/-) /Cx3cr1 (-/-) /rd8 and Ccl2 (-/-)
      /Cx3cr1 (gfp/gfp) mice. Electroretinography of treated eyes exhibited larger
      amplitudes compared to controls in both mouse models. A2E, a retinoid byproduct
      associated with AMD was lower in the treated eyes of Ccl2 (-/-) /Cx3cr1 (-/-)
      /rd8 mice. Anti-LRP6 also suppressed the expression of Tnf-alpha and Icam-1 in
      Ccl2 (-/-) /Cx3cr1 (-/-) /rd8 retinas. CONCLUSIONS: Wnt signaling may be
      disturbed in AMD patients, which could contribute to the retinal inflammation and
      increased A2E levels found in AMD. Aberrant activation of canonical Wnt signaling
      might also contribute to the focal retinal degenerative lesions of mouse models
      with Ccl2 and Cx3cr1 deficiency, and intravitreal administration of anti-LRP6
      antibody could be beneficial by deactivating the canonical Wnt pathway.

PMID- 26476675
TI  - Glisson capsulectomy for extensive superficial liver involvement in peritoneal
      carcinomatosis (with video).

PMID- 26476676
TI  - Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy: How I do it? (with video).

PMID- 26476677
TI  - Institutional research and biomedical journals: Poor quality articles and honest
      researchers!

PMID- 26476678
TI  - Isolated pancreatic injuries: An analysis of 49 consecutive patients treated at a
      Level 1 Trauma Centre.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study interrogated a large prospectively documented
      institutional database to determine morbidity and mortality after an isolated
      pancreatic injury (IPI). METHOD: Complications were graded according to the
      Clavien-Dindo classification and the International Study Group of Pancreatic
      Surgery (ISGPS) definitions. The degree of the pancreatic duct injury was graded
      using a modified Takishima duct injury classification. Primary endpoints were
      general and pancreas-specific morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: Four hundred and
      forty-eight consecutive patients were treated between 1990 and 2014 for
      pancreatic injuries of whom 49 (median age: 30, range: 13-68 years, 41 men, blunt
      injuries: n=43) had an IPI. Thirty-four (70%) patients underwent urgent surgery,
      20 of whom had a distal pancreatectomy and 14 had external drainage of the
      pancreatic injury. Fifteen (30%) patients presented with a non-resolving
      pancreatic pseudocyst or fistula; five had grade 4A or 4B ductal injuries and
      underwent surgery, 10 with 3A and 3B ductal injuries were successfully managed
      endoscopically. Fifty-five percent had postoperative morbidity. Two patients (4%)
      died of non-pancreatic-related causes. CONCLUSION: While overall mortality is low
      after an IPI, morbidity is high. Two thirds of patients required operative
      intervention and one third were treated endoscopically. The degree of pancreatic
      ductal injury determined whether endoscopic intervention was effective.

PMID- 26476679
TI  - Evaluation of a sequencing batch reactor sewage treatment rig for investigating
      the fate of radioactively labelled pharmaceuticals: Case study of propranolol.
AB  - Pharmaceuticals are frequently detected in the aquatic environment, and have
      potentially damaging effects. Effluents from sewage treatment plants (STPs) are
      major sources of these substances. The use of sequencing batch reactor (SBR)
      STPs, involving cycling between aerobic and anoxic conditions to promote
      nitrification and denitrification, is increasing but these have yet to be
      understood in terms of removal of pharmaceutical residues. This study reports on
      the development of a laboratory rig to simulate a SBR. The rig was used to
      investigate the fate of radiolabelled propranolol. This is a commonly prescribed
      beta blocker, but with unresolved fate in STPs. The SBR rig (4.5 L) was operated
      on an 8 h batch cycle with settled sewage. Effective treatment was demonstrated,
      with clearly distinct treatment phases and evidence of nitrogen removal.
      Radiolabelled (14)C-propranolol was dosed into both single (closed) and
      continuous (flow-through) simulations over 13 SBR cycles. Radioactivity in CO2
      off-gas, biomass and liquid was monitored, along with the characteristics of the
      sewage. This allowed apparent rate constants and coefficients for biodegradation
      and solid:water partitioning to be determined. Extrapolation from off-gas
      radioactivity measurements in the single dose 4-d study suggested that
      propranolol fell outside the definitions of being readily biodegradable (DegT50 =
      9.1 d; 60% biodegradation at 12.0 d). During continuous dosing, 63-72% of
      propranolol was removed in the rig, but less than 4% of dose recovered as
      (14)CO2, suggesting that biodegradation was a minor process (Kbiol(M) L kg d(-1)
      = 22-49) and that adsorption onto solids dominated, giving rise to accumulations
      within biomass during the 17 d solid retention time in the SBR. Estimations of
      adsorption isotherm coefficients were different depending on which of three
      generally accepted denominators representing sorption sites was used (mixed
      liquor suspended solids, reactor COD or mass of waste activated sludge). With
      further development and evaluation, the rig developed for simulating SBR
      processes has potential to be used for informing better environmental risk
      assessments for those pharmaceuticals showing ambiguous results in field fate
      studies. 

PMID- 26476680
TI  - Migration and distribution of water and organic matter for activated sludge
      during coupling magnetic conditioning-horizontal electro-dewatering (CM-HED).
AB  - Magnetic micro-particles (MMPs) and magnetic field (MF) were utilized as a
      coupling conditioning unit before dewatering activated sludge (AS) under a
      horizontal electric field. The removal and migration of free and bound water in
      AS during coupling magnetic conditioning-horizontal electro-dewatering (CM-HED)
      were determined. The organic matter migration between the solid and liquid phases
      of AS biosolids was also analyzed. Results show that MMPs dosage and MF intensity
      were determined as 0.15 g/g dry solids and 0.065 T for the best dewaterability,
      respectively. The optimum dewatering conditions for CM-HED with the final water
      content of 89.98% were 40 V and 120 min as determined using the response surface
      methodology. MMPs conditioning could induce a slight coagulation among AS flocs,
      increase the particle size from 85.9 MUm to 92.3 MUm and decrease mass fractal
      dimension from 2.18 to 2.07. The MMPs-conditioned AS also showed a network-like
      structure, banded cells with shrunk surfaces. CM-HED process effectively reduced
      the free water content (FWC) and bound water content (BWC) but increased the
      portion of BWC in AS. The corresponding removal ratios of bound water and free
      water were 52.89% and 95.86% at the anode side and 46.28% and 92.75% at the
      cathode side, respectively. The coupling magnetic conditioning led to the largest
      BWC reduction of 23.14% in CM-HED process, and most of this reduction approaching
      92.83% occurred during magnetic micro-particle conditioning stage. Gravity field
      caused the largest sludge reduction of 87.45%. During HED stage, the removal
      ratio of free water in AS was 63.73% at the anode side and 36.54% at the cathode
      side, while it was 21.9% and 10.96% for bound water, respectively. Along with
      water removed by CM-HED process, the organic matter in supernatant/filtrate
      increased, and a sharp rise occurred during HED stage. Meanwhile, the
      extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) contents initially decreased at MMPs-MF
      conditioning stage and then increased at the HED stage. Lower EPS contents in AS
      indicated better dewaterability. The largest reduction in the EPS content of AS
      at MMPs-MF conditioning stage corresponded to the largest decline in BWC.
      Furthermore, the protein-like substances in the supernatant/filtrate increased
      from 30% to 50%, whereas the fulvic acid-like and humic acid-like substances
      decreased from 54% to 27% at the HED stage. MMPs significantly reduced the
      polysaccharide and protein contents in the slime-EPS by 90.26% and 99.25%,
      respectively. Approximately 92.35% of humic acid-like materials in tightly bound
      EPS were reduced by MMPs. Thus, coupling magnetic conditioning should be selected
      as pretreatment prior to HED. 

PMID- 26476681
TI  - Steady-state analysis of activated sludge processes with a settler model
      including sludge compression.
AB  - A reduced model of a completely stirred-tank bioreactor coupled to a settling
      tank with recycle is analyzed in its steady states. In the reactor, the
      concentrations of one dominant particulate biomass and one soluble substrate
      component are modelled. While the biomass decay rate is assumed to be constant,
      growth kinetics can depend on both substrate and biomass concentrations, and
      optionally model substrate inhibition. Compressive and hindered settling
      phenomena are included using the Burger-Diehl settler model, which consists of a
      partial differential equation. Steady-state solutions of this partial
      differential equation are obtained from an ordinary differential equation, making
      steady-state analysis of the entire plant difficult. A key result showing that
      the ordinary differential equation can be replaced with an approximate algebraic
      equation simplifies model analysis. This algebraic equation takes the location of
      the sludge-blanket during normal operation into account, allowing for the
      limiting flux capacity caused by compressive settling to easily be included in
      the steady-state mass balance equations for the entire plant system. This novel
      approach grants the possibility of more realistic solutions than other previously
      published reduced models, comprised of yet simpler settler assumptions. The
      steady-state concentrations, solids residence time, and the wastage flow ratio
      are functions of the recycle ratio. Solutions are shown for various growth
      kinetics; with different values of biomass decay rate, influent volumetric flow,
      and substrate concentration. 

PMID- 26476682
TI  - Nanoparticle scattering characterization and mechanistic modelling of UV-TiO2
      photocatalytic reactors using computational fluid dynamics.
AB  - A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model was developed to describe the process
      performance of a semi-batch annular TiO2-UV photoreactor in an Eulerian
      framework. The model accounted for the optical behaviour of titanium dioxide
      (TiO2) suspensions, the flow distribution and the oxalic acid degradation in the
      reactor. The scattering component of the optical model, explicitly included in
      the CFD simulations using a TiO2-specific scattering phase function integrated in
      the radiative transfer equation, was calibrated using an optical goniometer by
      comparing simulated scattering light profiles against irradiance measurements
      collected for various TiO2 concentrations and UV wavelengths and subsequently
      solved by the discrete ordinate (DO) radiation model. Several scattering phase
      functions were tested against the goniometric measurements confirming that the
      Henyey-Greenstein (HG) equation was the most appropriate angular distribution
      function at 254 and 355 nm, irrespective of the TiO2 concentration. Using the
      calibrated HG function, a new approach for quantifying the absolute values of
      absorption and scattering coefficients in TiO2 suspensions was proposed. It
      consists of iteratively solving, using the DO model, the radiative transfer
      equation for various combinations of absorption and scattering coefficients until
      the error between observed and predicted angular irradiance measurements is
      minimized. The accuracy of the optical parameters was verified with independent
      CFD simulations carried out for an annular photoreactor and already available in
      the literature. Predicted and simulated irradiance and oxalic acid degradation
      data were found to be in excellent agreement, confirming the considerable
      potential of the integrated modelling approach presented in this paper for the
      design, optimization and scale-up of photocatalytic technologies for water and
      wastewater treatment applications. 

PMID- 26476683
TI  - "Why are the Saturations Dropping?" The Blalock-Taussig Shunt Revisited.

PMID- 26476684
TI  - Interleukin 19 reduces inflammation in chemically induced experimental colitis.
AB  - Inflammatory bowel disease results from chronic dysregulation of the mucosal
      immune system and aberrant activation of both the innate and adaptive immune
      responses. Interleukin (IL)-19, a member of the IL-10 family, functions as an
      anti-inflammatory cytokine. Here, we investigated the contribution of IL-19 to
      intestinal inflammation in a model of T cell-mediated colitis in mice.
      Inflammatory responses in IL-19-deficient mice were assessed using the 2,4,6
      trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) model of acute colitis. IL-19 deficiency
      aggravated TNBS-induced colitis and compromised intestinal recovery in mice.
      Additionally, the exacerbation of TNBS-induced colonic inflammation following
      genetic ablation of IL-19 was accompanied by increased production of interferon
      gamma, IL-12 (p40), IL-17, IL-22, and IL-33, and decreased production of IL-4.
      Moreover, the exacerbation of colitis following IL-19 knockout was also
      accompanied by increased production of CXCL1, G-CSF and CCL5. Using this model of
      induced colitis, our results revealed the immunopathological relevance of IL-19
      as an anti-inflammatory cytokine in intestinal inflammation in mice. 

PMID- 26476685
TI  - Wire assisted sigmoid intubation: An alternative approach to overcome technically
      difficult colonic angulations.
AB  - Complete colonoscopy can sometimes prove technically challenging. Sharp colonic
      angulation can be one of the contributing factors. With the advancement in
      technology, various modalities have been employed to overcome technical
      difficulties. Here we describe a guidewire assisted sigmoid intubation to
      overcome this hurdle with limited resources. 

PMID- 26476686
TI  - Microtubules and cellulose biosynthesis: the emergence of new players.
AB  - Microtubules determine the orientation of newly formed cellulose microfibrils in
      expanding cells. There are many hypotheses regarding how the information is
      transduced across the plasma membrane from microtubules to cellulose
      microfibrils. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the co-alignment
      between microtubules and cellulose microfibrils were not revealed until the
      recent discovery of cellulose synthase interacting (CSI) proteins.
      Characterization of CSIs and additional cellulose synthase-associated proteins
      will greatly advance the knowledge of how cellulose microfibrils are organized. 

PMID- 26476687
TI  - Novel links in the plant TOR kinase signaling network.
AB  - Nutrient and energy sensing and signaling mechanisms constitute the most ancient
      and fundamental regulatory networks to control growth and development in all life
      forms. The target of rapamycin (TOR) protein kinase is modulated by diverse
      nutrient, energy, hormone and stress inputs and plays a central role in
      regulating cell proliferation, growth, metabolism and stress responses from
      yeasts to plants and animals. Recent chemical, genetic, genomic and metabolomic
      analyses have enabled significant progress toward molecular understanding of the
      TOR signaling network in multicellular plants. This review discusses the
      applications of new chemical tools to probe plant TOR functions and highlights
      recent findings and predictions on TOR-mediate biological processes. Special
      focus is placed on novel and evolutionarily conserved TOR kinase effectors as
      positive and negative signaling regulators that control transcription,
      translation and metabolism to support cell proliferation, growth and maintenance
      from embryogenesis to senescence in the plant system. 

PMID- 26476688
TI  - Is physical exercise harmful to liver transplantation recipients? Review of
      literature.
AB  - Liver transplantation is a treatment that significantly improves the patients'
      quality of life. However, we should be more ambitious and seek an improvement in
      their fitness through training protocols allowing them to fully return to daily
      activities. English and Spanish-language articles on PubMed and the Cochrane
      Library were searched untill 2014. Articles were reviewed by 2 of the authors to
      determine if they were suitable for inclusion. It is shown a compilation of
      studies that included patients who have participated in aerobic, strength, or
      both combined training programs, without implying a risk for the graft function.
      There is a lack of studies with high scientific evidence that stablish a proper
      exercise program methodology, supervised by specialists in physical activity and
      sports. 

PMID- 26476689
TI  - Identification of two isoforms of CYP4 in Marsupenaeus japonicus and their mRNA
      expression profile response to benzo[a]pyrene.
AB  - CYP4 enzymes are essential components of cellular detoxification systems and play
      important roles in monitoring persistent organic pollutants in marine
      environments. However, there are few studies on CYP4 in shrimp. In this study,
      two CYP4 isoforms, CYP4V28 and CYP4V29, were cloned from Marsupenaeus japonicus
      for the first time, and the tissue distributions and mRNA expression profile in
      response to benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR
      (QRT-PCR). The full lengths of CYP4V28 and CYP4V29 were 1771 bp and 1647 bp
      respectively, with deduced amino acid sequences of 511 and 515 amino acids. The
      two CYP4s were predominantly expressed in the hepatopancreas and weakly expressed
      in other six tested tissues. As demonstrated by QRT-PCR, the mRNA levels of the
      two CYP4s show both a time- and dose-dependent response to B[a]P. The mRNA
      expression levels of CYP4V28 and CYP4V29 peaked at 12 h and 6 h respectively, and
      the peak level exhibited a tendency of positive correlation with the
      concentration of B[a]P. This study provides clues for further elucidating the
      function and regulation mechanisms of the two CYP4s in M. japonicas and
      evaluating of the biomarker potential of the two CYP4 isoforms.

PMID- 26476690
TI  - Complete genome sequence of a giant Vibrio bacteriophage VH7D.
AB  - A Vibrio sp. lytic phage VH7D was isolated from seawater of an abalone farm in
      Xiamen, China. The phage was capable of lysing Vibrio rotiferianus DSM 17186(T)
      and Vibrio harveyi DSM 19623(T). The complete genome of this phage consists of
      246,964 nucleotides with a GC content of 41.31%, which characterized it as a
      giant vibriophage. Here we report the complete genome sequence and major findings
      from the genomic annotation. 

PMID- 26476691
TI  - Delimitation of the Earliness per se D1 (Eps-D1) flowering gene to a subtelomeric
      chromosomal deletion in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum).
AB  - Earliness per se (Eps) genes account for the variation in flowering time when
      vernalization and photoperiod requirements are satisfied. Genomics and
      bioinformatics approaches were used to describe allelic variation for 40 Triticum
      aestivum genes predicted, by synteny with Brachypodium distachyon, to be in the
      1DL Eps region. Re-sequencing 1DL genes revealed that varieties carrying early
      heading alleles at this locus, Spark and Cadenza, carry a subtelomeric deletion
      including several genes. The equivalent region in Rialto and Avalon is intact. A
      bimodal distribution in the segregating Spark X Rialto single seed descent (SSD)
      populations enabled the 1DL QTL to be defined as a discrete Mendelian factor,
      which we named Eps-D1. Near isogenic lines (NILs) and NIL derived key
      recombinants between markers flanking Eps-D1 suggest that the 1DL deletion
      contains the gene(s) underlying Eps-D1. The deletion spans the equivalent of the
      Triticum monoccocum Eps-A (m) 1 locus, and hence includes MODIFIER OF
      TRANSCRIPTION 1 (MOT1) and FTSH PROTEASE 4 (FTSH4), the candidates for Eps-A (m)
      1. The deletion also contains T. aestivum EARLY FLOWERING 3-D1 (TaELF3-D1) a
      homologue of the Arabidopsis thaliana circadian clock gene EARLY FLOWERING 3. Eps
      D1 is possibly a homologue of Eps-B1 on chromosome 1BL. NILs carrying the Eps-D1
      deletion have significantly reduced total TaELF3 expression and altered
      TaGIGANTEA (TaGI) expression compared with wild type. Altered TaGI expression is
      consistent with an ELF3 mutant, hence we propose TaELF3-D1 as the more likely
      candidate for Eps-D1. This is the first direct fine mapping of Eps effect in
      bread wheat. 

PMID- 26476692
TI  - Histone modifications controlling native and induced neural stem cell identity.
AB  - During development, neural progenitor cells (NPCs) that are capable of self
      renewing maintain a proliferative cellular pool while generating all
      differentiated neural cell components. Although the genetic network of
      transcription factors (TFs) required for neural specification has been well
      characterized, the unique set of histone modifications that accompanies this
      process has only recently started to be investigated. In vitro neural
      differentiation of pluripotent stem cells is emerging as a powerful system to
      examine epigenetic programs. Deciphering the histone code and how it shapes the
      chromatin environment will reveal the intimate link between epigenetic changes
      and mechanisms for neural fate determination in the developing nervous system.
      Furthermore, it will offer a molecular framework for a stringent comparison
      between native and induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) generated by direct neural
      cell conversion. 

PMID- 26476693
TI  - Long-term exposure to traffic pollution and hospital admissions in London.
AB  - Evidence on the effects of long-term exposure to traffic pollution on health is
      inconsistent. In Greater London we examined associations between traffic
      pollution and emergency hospital admissions for cardio-respiratory diseases by
      applying linear and piecewise linear Poisson regression models in a small-area
      analysis. For both models the results for children and adults were close to
      unity. In the elderly, linear models found negative associations whereas
      piecewise models found non-linear associations characterized by positive risks in
      the lowest and negative risks in the highest exposure category. An increased risk
      was observed among those living in areas with the highest socioeconomic
      deprivation. Estimates were not affected by adjustment for traffic noise. The
      lack of convincing positive linear associations between primary traffic pollution
      and hospital admissions agrees with a number of other reports, but may reflect
      residual confounding. The relatively greater vulnerability of the most deprived
      populations has important implications for public health. 

PMID- 26476694
TI  - Cognitive disorders in children associated with urban vehicular emissions.
AB  - This review introduces recent advances in an emerging research area that is
      focussed on studying the effect of exposure to vehicular emissions on cognition,
      with specific attention to children from urban environments. Today, air pollution
      is a global environmental issue, especially in urban environments, emitting
      particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile
      organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into the
      surroundings. The association of exposure to urban air pollution and cognitive
      disorders in children is a major cause of concern. We review recent findings
      associated with exposure to air pollutants and explained the potential mechanisms
      driving oxidative stress in living systems. An attempt has been made to
      investigate the cognitive effects of air pollutants leading to neurodegeneration,
      neurodysfunction, attention deficit/hypersensitivity deficiencies and autism in
      children. Accumulating evidence suggests that urban air pollution may have
      significant impact on central nervous system (CNS) of the developing brain. 

PMID- 26476695
TI  - Evidence for differential effects of reduced and oxidised nitrogen deposition on
      vegetation independent of nitrogen load.
AB  - Nitrogen (N) deposition impacts natural and semi-natural ecosystems globally. The
      responses of vegetation to N deposition may, however, differ strongly between
      habitats and may be mediated by the form of N. Although much attention has been
      focused on the impact of total N deposition, the effects of reduced and oxidised
      N, independent of the total N deposition, have received less attention. In this
      paper, we present new analyses of national monitoring data in the UK to provide
      an extensive evaluation of whether there are differences in the effects of
      reduced and oxidised N deposition across eight habitat types (acid, calcareous
      and mesotrophic grasslands, upland and lowland heaths, bogs and mires, base-rich
      mires, woodlands). We analysed data from 6860 plots in the British Countryside
      Survey 2007 for effects of total N deposition and N form on species richness,
      Ellenberg N values and grass:forb ratio. Our results provide clear evidence that
      N deposition affects species richness in all habitats except base-rich mires,
      after factoring out correlated explanatory variables (climate and sulphur
      deposition). In addition, the form of N in deposition appears important for the
      biodiversity of grasslands and woodlands but not mires and heaths. Ellenberg N
      increased more in relation to NHx deposition than NOy deposition in all but one
      habitat type. Relationships between species richness and N form were habitat
      specific: acid and mesotrophic grasslands appear more sensitive to NHx deposition
      while calcareous grasslands and woodlands appeared more responsive to NOy
      deposition. These relationships are likely driven by the preferences of the
      component plant species for oxidised or reduced forms of N, rather than by soil
      acidification. 

PMID- 26476696
TI  - Efficacy of TachoSil((r)) in preventing hemorrhage after loop electrosurgical
      excision procedure.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the utility of TachoSil for achieving hemostasis after
      loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP). DESIGN: Case-control study
      (Canadian Task Force Classification II-2). SETTING: University hospital.
      PATIENTS: One hundred seventy-three patients who underwent LEEP. INTERVENTIONS:
      Patients were managed by LEEP with application of TachoSil (TachoSil group, n=75)
      or without application of TachoSil (control group, n=94). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
      RESULTS: Patient characteristics (age, specimen depth, resection margin, LEEP
      histopathology, or use of TachoSil) except for parity were similar between the
      two study groups. Severe bleeding requiring any intervention developed in 14% of
      patients (24 of 169 patients), without any statistically significant difference
      between the two groups (11% in the TachoSil group vs. 17% in the control group;
      P=0.274). On the logistic regression analysis, other potential clinico-pathologic
      parameters, including age, parity, specimen depth, involvement of the resection
      margin, and LEEP histopathology, were not correlated with severe bleeding after
      LEEP. CONCLUSION: The use of TachoSil may not reduce the incidence of severe
      bleeding after LEEP.

PMID- 26476697
TI  - Design and evaluation of a bioreactor with application to forensic burial
      environments.
AB  - Existing forensic taphonomic methods lack specificity in estimating the
      postmortem interval (PMI) in the period following active decomposition. New
      methods, such as the use of citrate concentration in bone, are currently being
      considered; however, determining the applicability of these methods in differing
      environmental contexts is challenging. This research aims to design a forensic
      bioreactor that can account for environmental factors known to impact
      decomposition, specifically temperature, moisture, physical damage from animals,
      burial depth, soil pH, and organic matter content. These forensically relevant
      environmental variables were characterized in a soil science context. The
      resulting metrics were soil temperature regime, soil moisture regime, slope,
      texture, soil horizon, cation exchange capacity, soil pH, and organic matter
      content. Bioreactor chambers were constructed using sterilized thin-walled
      polystyrene boxes housed in calibrated temperature units. Gravesoil was
      represented using mineral soil (Ultisols), and organic soil proxy for Histosols,
      horticulture mix. Gravesoil depth was determined using mineral soil horizons A
      and Bt2 to simulate surface scatter and shallow grave burial respectively. A
      total of fourteen different environmental conditions were created and controlled
      successfully over a 90-day experiment. These results demonstrate successful
      implementation and control of forensic bioreactor simulating precise environments
      in a single research location, rather than site-specific testing occurring in
      different geographic regions. Bone sections were grossly assessed for weathering
      characteristics, which revealed notable differences related to exposure to
      different temperature regimes and soil types. Over the short 90-day duration of
      this experiment, changes in weathering characteristics were more evident across
      the different temperature regimes rather than the soil types. Using this
      methodology, bioreactor systems can be created to replicate many different
      clandestine burial contexts, which will allow for the more rapid understanding of
      environmental effects on skeletal remains. 

PMID- 26476698
TI  - Lipid deposition in liver cells: The influence of short form augmenter of liver
      regeneration.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The short form augmenter of liver regeneration (sfALR)
      is a novel human hepatotrophic growth factor. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the potential role of sfALR in NAFLD. METHODS: The free fatty acids
      (FFA) induced lipid accumulation in mouse liver parenchymal cells was examined by
      Oil Red O staining and triglyceride level determination. The cell cycle was
      determined by flow cytometry and the proliferation was assessed by CCK8. The
      expression levels of gfer, miR-122, srebp-1c, fas, dgat2, acc1 and Lrp1B were
      assessed by quantitative real-time PCR. Furthermore, the MAPK pathway was
      detected by western blot. RESULTS: The results showed that sfALR could alleviate
      the lipid accumulation in mice both in vivo and in vitro. sfALR relieved the
      proliferation inhibition and G2 arrest of mouse liver parenchymal cells induced
      by FFAs. Free fatty acids affected gfer expression in a time-and dose-dependent
      way. And sfALR suppressed JNK activation, increased miR-122 level and reduced
      fatty acid synthesis-related gene expression. CONCLUSION: These findings
      suggested that sfALR could alleviate the severity of fatty liver in mice.

PMID- 26476699
TI  - Surgical management of ventrally based lower cervical (subaxial) meningiomas
      through the lateral approach: Report on 16 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Spinal meningiomas are benign and relatively rare tumors. These
      tumors present about only 25% of primary spinal tumors. Although spinal
      meningiomas are considered as slowly growing benign tumors, yet they may cause
      devastating neurological deficits rendering patients crippled. This study
      describes performing a posterolateral approach to surgically treat anterior based
      cervical meningioma. We hereby report on 16 cases operated upon using this
      approach, and we present our results and display some of our cases with special
      emphasis on achieving total resection, rate of recurrence and the neurological
      outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study reports on 16 patients who underwent
      surgery for anterior based cervical meningioma. Data regarding age, sex, duration
      and type of symptoms, levels, topographical locations, surgical results, and
      histological features are presented. RESULTS: The age ranged between 19 and 78
      years old with a mean age of 48.3 years. The initial symptom among most patients
      (13 patients) was neck pain, numbness and radicular pain were found in 9, and
      clumsiness of the upper extremity in 7 patients. Total excision with dural
      coagulation was done in 11 cases, and spilt dura technique was feasible in 4
      cases where the tumor together with the inner dura layer was resected. We
      encountered one case of atypical meningioma with Pia and arachnoid invasion which
      rendered total excision too risky and only subtotal resection was achieved. There
      were no major surgical or permanent neurological complications. Lateral mass
      fixation was used in 2 patients with a strictly midline anterior tumor in which a
      total facetectomy was done. All patients were followed up for an average of 3.6
      years. Tumor recurrence was seen in 3 patients. CONCLUSIONS: The lateral approach
      allows for safe and total removal of ventral cervical meningioma. This approach
      gives a direct avenue to the tumor without risk of destabilizing the vertebral
      column. The rate of recurrence is the same when using the anterior approach but
      is less invasive with less blood loss.

PMID- 26476700
TI  - Pre-operative image-based segmentation of the cranial nerves and blood vessels in
      microvascular decompression: Can we prevent unnecessary explorations?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to validate the accuracy of image-based pre
      operative segmentation using the gold standard endoscopic and microscopic
      findings for localization and pre-operative diagnosis of the offensive vessel.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fourteen TN and 6 HS cases were randomly selected. All
      patients had 3T MRI, which included thin-sectioned 3D space T2, 3D Time of Flight
      and MPRAGE Sequences. Imaging sequences were loaded in BrainLab iPlanNet and
      fused. Individual segmentation of the affected cranial nerves and the compressing
      vascular structure was performed by a neurosurgeon, and the results were compared
      with the microscopic and endoscopic findings by two blinded neurosurgeons. For
      each case, at least three neurovascular landmarks were targeted. Each segmented
      neurovascular element was validated by manual placement of the navigation probe
      over each target, and errors of localization were measured in mm. RESULTS: All
      patients underwent retro-sigmoid craniotomy and MVD using both microscope and
      endoscope. Based on image segmentation, the compressing vessel was identified in
      all cases except one, which was also negative intraoperatively. Perfect
      correspondence was found between image-based segmentation and endoscopic and
      microscopic images and videos (Dice coefficient of 1). Measurement accuracy was
      0.45 +/- 0.21 mm (mean +/- SD). CONCLUSION: Image-based segmentation is a
      promising method for pre-operative identification and localization of offending
      blood vessels causing HFS and TN. Using this method may prevent some unnecessary
      explorations on especially atypical cases with no vascular contacts. However,
      negative pre-operative image segmentation may not preclude one from exploration
      in classic cases of TN or HFS. A multicenter study with larger number of cases is
      recommended.

PMID- 26476702
TI  - [Positron emission tomography and stereotactic body radiation therapy for lung
      cancer: From treatment planning to response evaluation].
AB  - Stereotactic body radiation therapy is the standard treatment for inoperable
      patients with early-stage lung cancer. Local control rates range from 80 to 90 %
      2 years after treatment. The role of positron emission tomography in patient
      selection is well known, but its use for target definition or therapeutic
      response evaluation is less clear. We reviewed the literature in order to assess
      the current state of knowledge in this area.

PMID- 26476701
TI  - Insights into the physiological responses of the facultative halophyte Aeluropus
      littoralis to the combined effects of salinity and phosphorus availability.
AB  - In this work, we investigate the physiological responses to P deficiency (5MUM
      KH2PO4=D), salt stress (400mM NaCl=C+S), and their combination (D+S) on the
      facultative halophyte Aeluropus littoralis to understand how plants adapt to
      these combined stresses. When individually applied, both P deficiency and
      salinity significantly restricted whole plant growth, with a more marked effect
      of the latter stress. However, the effects of the two stresses were not additive
      in plant biomass production since the response of plants to combined salinity and
      P deficiency was similar to that of plants grown under salt stress alone. In
      addition the observed features under salinity alone are kept when plants are
      simultaneously subjected to the combined effects of salinity and P deficiency
      such as biomass partitioning; the synthesis of proline and the K(+)/Na(+)
      selectivity ratio. Thus, increasing P availability under saline conditions has no
      significant effect on salt tolerance in this species. Plants cultivated under the
      combined effects of salinity and P deficiency exhibited the lowest leaf water
      potential. This trend was associated with a high accumulation of Na(+), Cl(-) and
      proline in shoots of salt treated plants suggesting the involvement of these
      solutes in osmotic adjustment. Proline could be involved in other physiological
      processes such as free radical scavenging. Furthermore, salinity has no
      significant effect on phosphorus acquisition when combined with a low P supply
      and it significantly decreased this parameter when combined with a sufficient P
      supply. This fact was probably due to salt's effect on P transporters. In
      addition, shoot soluble sugars accumulation under both P deficiency treatments
      with and without salt likely play an important role in the adaptation of A.
      littoralis plants to P shortage applied alone or combined with salinity.
      Moreover, there was a strong correlation between shoot and root intracellular
      acid phosphatase activity and phosphorus use efficiency which strengthens the
      assumption that intracellular acid phosphatase enzymes are involved in P
      remobilization in this species. Finally, our results showed that P availability
      has no significant effect on salt excretion in A. littorlais which suggests that
      independently of the P status in the plant, excretion remains priority over other
      functions requiring energy such as growth. This result could also indicate that
      salt excretion is not energy-dependent in this species. 

PMID- 26476703
TI  - Pharmacotherapy of dementia in Germany: Results from a nationwide claims
      database.
AB  - In 2011, about 1.1-1.4 million patients with dementia were living in Germany, a
      number expected to rise to three million by 2050. Dementia poses a major
      challenge to the healthcare system and neuropharmacological service provision.
      The aim of this study was to determine prescription rates for anti-dementia drugs
      as well as for neuroleptics, sedative-hypnotics and antidepressants in dementia
      using the complete nationwide outpatient claims data pertaining to the services
      of statutory health insurance. We controlled for gender, age, dementia diagnosis,
      physician specialty (general practitioner GP versus neuropsychiatry specialist
      physician NPSP), and rural and urban living area. In about one million prevalent
      dementia patients (N=1,014,710) in 2011, the prescription prevalence rate of anti
      dementia drugs was 24.6%; it varied with gender, age, and diagnosis (highest in
      Alzheimer's disease; 42%), and was higher in patients treated by NPSPs (48% vs.
      25% in GPs). At the same time, we found an alarmingly high rate of treatment with
      neuroleptics in dementia patients (35%), with an only slightly decreased risk in
      patients treated exclusively by NPSPs (OR=0.86). We found marginal differences
      between rural and urban areas. Our results show that the majority of anti
      dementia drug prescriptions appear guideline-oriented, yet prescription rates are
      overall comparatively low. On the other hand, neuroleptic drugs, which are
      associated with excess morbidity and mortality in dementia, were prescribed very
      frequently, suggesting excess use given current guidelines. We therefore suggest
      that guideline implementation measures and increasing quality control procedures
      are needed with respect to the pharmacotherapy of this vulnerable population. 

PMID- 26476704
TI  - Increased expression of NDEL1 and MBP genes in the peripheral blood of
      antipsychotic-naive patients with first-episode psychosis.
AB  - Schizophrenia is a multifactorial neurodevelopmental disorder with high
      heritability. First-episode psychosis (FEP) is a critical period for determining
      the disease prognosis and is especially helpful for identifying potential
      biomarkers associated with the onset and progression of the disorder. We
      investigated the mRNA expression of 12 schizophrenia-related genes in the blood
      of antipsychotic-naive FEP patients (N=73) and healthy controls (N=73). To
      evaluate the influences of antipsychotic treatment and progression of the
      disorder, we compared the gene expression within patients before and after two
      months of treatment with risperidone (N=64). We observed a significantly
      increased myelin basic protein (MBP) and nuclear distribution protein nudE-like 1
      (NDEL1) mRNA levels in FEP patients compared with controls. Comparing FEP before
      and after risperidone treatment, no significant differences were identified;
      however; a trend of relatively low NDEL1 expression was observed after
      risperidone treatment. Animals chronically treated with saline or risperidone
      exhibited no significant change in Ndel1 expression levels in the blood or the
      prefrontal cortex (PFC), suggesting that the trend of low NDEL1 expression
      observed in FEP patients after treatment is likely due to factors other than
      risperidone treatment (i.e., disease progression). In addition to the recognized
      association with schizophrenia, MBP and NDEL1 gene products also play an
      essential role in the functions that are deregulated in schizophrenia, such as
      neurodevelopment. Our data strengthen the importance of these biological
      processes in psychotic disorders, indicating that these changes can be detected
      peripherally and potentially represent putative novel blood biomarkers of
      susceptibility and disorder progression. 

PMID- 26476705
TI  - Effects of haloperidol and aripiprazole on the human mesolimbic motivational
      system: A pharmacological fMRI study.
AB  - The atypical antipsychotic drug aripiprazole is a partial dopamine (DA) D2
      receptor agonist, which differentiates it from most other antipsychotics. This
      study compares the brain activation characteristic produced by aripiprazole with
      that of haloperidol, a typical D2 receptor antagonist. Healthy participants
      received an acute oral dose of haloperidol, aripiprazole or placebo, and then
      performed an active aversive conditioning task with aversive and neutral events
      presented as sounds, while blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) functional
      magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was carried out. The fMRI task, targeting the
      mesolimbic motivational system that is thought to be disturbed in psychosis, was
      based on the conditioned avoidance response (CAR) animal model - a widely used
      test of therapeutic potential of antipsychotic drugs. In line with the CAR animal
      model, the present results show that subjects given haloperidol were not able to
      avoid more aversive than neutral task trials, even though the response times were
      shorter during aversive events. In the aripiprazole and placebo groups more
      aversive than neutral events were avoided. Accordingly, the task-related BOLD
      fMRI response in the mesolimbic motivational system was diminished in the
      haloperidol group compared to the placebo group, particularly in the ventral
      striatum, whereas the aripiprazole group showed task-related activations
      intermediate of the placebo and haloperidol groups. The current results show
      differential effects on brain function by aripiprazole and haloperidol, probably
      related to altered DA transmission. This supports the use of pharmacological fMRI
      to study antipsychotic properties in humans. 

PMID- 26476706
TI  - Anterior cingulate Glutamate-Glutamine cycle metabolites are altered in euthymic
      bipolar I disorder.
AB  - Bipolar disorder (BD) has been consistently associated with abnormalities in the
      Glutamate/GABA-Glutamine cycle. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies
      have reported increased brain Glutamate (Glu) and Glx (Glu+Glutamine) in subjects
      with BD. However, data on separate measures of GABA and Glutamine (Gln) in BD are
      sparse due to overlapping resonant signals. The development of new sequence
      methods in the quantification of these metabolites has allowed a better
      understanding of the Glu/GABA-Gln cycle but data on this field of research
      remains sparse in BD. Eighty-eight subjects (50 euthymic BD and 38 HC) underwent
      3T proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) in the anterior cingulate
      cortex (ACC; 2*2*4.5cm(3)) using a two-dimensional JPRESS sequence. GABA,
      Glutamine (Gln) and Glutamate (Glu) were quantified with the ProFit program.
      Using image segmentation and known creatine (Cre) concentrations for white and
      grey matter, metabolite concentrations were calculated for the excited MRS voxel.
      GABA levels did not differ between groups. Gln level was higher in euthymic BD
      patients than in healthy controls. The Glu level and Glu/Gln ratio were lower in
      BD patients than in controls. The use of anticonvulsants was associated with Gln
      increase but did not affect Glu or Glu/Gln. Neither lithium nor antipsychotic use
      influenced metabolite levels. The ACC MRS findings indicate that the
      glutamatergic function in euthymic medicated BD patients is altered relative to
      controls. Whether this feature is a metabolic signature of euthymic BD subjects
      should be the focus of future studies. 

PMID- 26476707
TI  - Pseudorhodobacter collinsensis sp. nov., isolated from a till sample of an icecap
      front.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, aerobic and non-motile strain, designated 4-T
      34T, was isolated from a till sample of Collins icecap front, Antarctica, and its
      taxonomic position was investigated by genotypic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic
      analysis. The isolate grew at 4-30  degrees C (optimum 20-25  degrees C), at pH
      6.0-10.0 and with 0-1.0 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA
      gene sequences indicated that strain 4-T-34T belonged to the genus
      Pseudorhodobacter, with the closest relatives being Pseudorhodobacter wandonensis
      WT-MW11T (96.9 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), Pseudorhodobacter
      antarcticus ZS3-33T (96.8 %), Pseudorhodobacter ferrugineus IAM 12616T (96.5 %)
      and Pseudorhodobacter aquimaris HDW-19T (95.4 %). Strain 4-T-34T contained Q-10
      as the only ubiquinone and C18 : 1omega7c as the major fatty acid. The major
      polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine,
      phosphatidylcholine, two unidentified aminophospholipids and two unidentified
      phospholipids. The DNA G+C content of strain 4-T-34T was 61 mol%. On the basis of
      phylogenetic, physiological and chemotaxonomic data, strain 4-T-34T is considered
      to represent a novel species of the genus Pseudorhodobacter, for which the name
      Pseudorhodobacter collinsensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 4-T-34T (
      = CCTCC AB 2014005T = LMG 28256T). 

PMID- 26476708
TI  - A verbal invitation and specimen collection on the spot are crucial to maximise
      sexually transmissible infection testing uptake in non-traditional settings.
AB  - Non-traditional settings offer an opportunity to increase access to sexually
      transmissible infection testing for at-risk populations, but they have not yet
      proven to be an efficient option and current models are unlikely to be effective
      if scaled up. 

PMID- 26476709
TI  - High-Performance Organic Solar Cells Based on a Small Molecule with Alkylthio
      Thienyl-Conjugated Side Chains without Extra Treatments.
AB  - A new 2D-conjugated small molecule with alkylthio-thienyl-conjugated side chains
      (BDTT-S-TR) is synthesized for application as a donor material in organic solar
      cells (OSCs). The OSCs based on BDTT-S-TR/PC70 BM demonstrate a power conversion
      efficiency (PCE) of 9.20% without extra treatment. Moreover, an encouraging PCE
      of 6.68% is achieved from the device with active area of 144 mm(2).

PMID- 26476710
TI  - Monolayer Silane-Coated, Water-Soluble Quantum Dots.
AB  - A one-step method to produce ~12 nm hydrodynamic diameter water-soluble CdSe/ZnS
      quantum dots (QDs), as well as CdS/ZnS, ZnSe/ZnMnS/ZnS, AgInS2 /ZnS, and CuInS2
      /ZnS QDs, by ligand exchange with a near-monolayer of organosilane caps is
      reported. The method cross-links the surface-bound silane ligands such that the
      samples are stable on the order of months under ambient conditions. Furthermore,
      the samples may retain a high quantum yield (60%) over this time. Several methods
      to functionalize aqueous QD dispersions with proteins and fluorescent dyes have
      been developed with reaction yields as high as 97%. 

PMID- 26476711
TI  - Prognostic Value of VEGF in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Treated with
      Sorafenib: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by rich
      vascularization in the tumor, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays
      important roles in vascularization. The results of the roles of VEGF in
      predicting efficacy of sorafenib in HCC are conflicting. In this meta-analysis,
      we aimed to investigate the prognostic and predictive value of VEGF in HCC
      patients receiving sorafenib. MATERIAL AND METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane
      library electronic databases were systematically searched for eligible studies.
      The baseline characteristics were recorded and overall qualities of the eligible
      studies were assessed by 2 reviewers independently. VEGF levels and data relevant
      to efficacy of sorafenib were extracted and used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: The
      comprehensive search yielded 9 studies that evaluated the relationship between
      VEGF level and clinical outcome in advanced HCC patients treated with sorafenib.
      Pooled estimates suggested that high level of VEGF was associated with poor
      overall survival (HR=1.85; 95% CI: 1.24-2.77; P=0.003) and poor progression-free
      survival (HR=2.09; 95% CI: 1.43-3.05; P<0.01) in HCC. Mutation of VEGF had a
      favorable effect on hand-foot skin reaction in HCC patients treated with
      sorafenib (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: High level of VEGF is associated with poor
      outcomes in HCC patients treated with sorafenib, indicating that VEGF could be
      used as an indicator of clinical efficacy in patients with HCC. However, more
      well-designed studies are needed to strengthen our findings.

PMID- 26476712
TI  - Salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma in Denmark 1990-2005: Outcome and independent
      prognostic factors including the benefit of radiotherapy. Results of the Danish
      Head and Neck Cancer Group (DAHANCA).
AB  - AIM: To describe outcome and prognostic factors, including the effect of
      radiotherapy, in a consecutive national series of salivary gland adenoid cystic
      carcinomas. METHODS: From the national Danish salivary gland carcinoma database
      in the structure of DAHANCA, 201 patients diagnosed with adenoid cystic
      carcinoma, and treated with a curative intent, were identified in the period
      between 1990 and 2005. Variables necessary for statistical analyses were
      extracted from the database. RESULTS: The 10-year crude survival and disease
      specific survival rates were 58% and 75%, respectively. The 10-year locoregional
      control rate was 70%, and 36% of patients experienced a recurrence during follow
      up (median 7.5 years); 18% developed distant metastases (most commonly to the
      lungs). In multivariate analysis, stage and margin status were both important
      factors with regards to survival and locoregional control. Radiotherapy did not
      improve survival, but it did improve the locoregional control rate. CONCLUSIONS:
      The treatment of choice is surgery with as wide margins as possible including
      elective, selective neck dissection. Adjuvant radiotherapy should be considered
      in patients with incomplete tumor resection, high disease stages, and tumors with
      a solid growth pattern.

PMID- 26476713
TI  - The performance of a novel amino acid multivariate index for detecting lung
      cancer: A case control study in Korea.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have shown that plasma free amino acid (PFAA)
      profiles are altered in cancer patients compared with healthy controls. A
      multivariate index based on PFAAs was generated from a Japanese dataset and has
      been previously demonstrated to be clinically valuable for discriminating
      patients in the early stages of lung cancer. However, it remains unclear whether
      similar PFAA profile changes occur in cancer patients from other populations.
      Therefore, this study aimed to validate the performance of this index in
      discriminating lung cancer patients from controls in the Korean population.
      METHODS: Samples were collected from a total of 142 Korean subjects (72 lung
      cancer/70 controls) for this study. PFAAs were quantified by high-performance
      liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry, and the clinical
      performance characteristics of the amino acid multivariate index were evaluated
      across cancer stages and histological types. RESULTS: The concentrations of
      several PFAAs were significantly decreased in the Korean lung cancer patients
      compared with the controls. Significant decreases in threonine, citrulline,
      histidine and tryptophan and increases in proline, isoleucine, phenylalanine and
      ornithine were observed, which are similar to the PFAA changes reported by a
      previous Japanese study. The area under the receiver-operator characteristic
      curve (AUC of the ROC) for the index was 0.80, and similar performances were
      demonstrated for the different histological types. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      suggest that the amino acid multivariate index previously developed from a
      Japanese dataset has the potential to aid in the early detection of lung cancers
      of different histological types in Korean patients.

PMID- 26476714
TI  - Reproductive factors and lung cancer risk among women in the Singapore Breast
      Cancer Screening Project.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A growing body of literature suggests that female hormones play a
      role in lung cancer risk. Our study aims to examine the relationship between
      reproductive factors and lung cancer incidence in a large prospectively enrolled
      cohort in Singapore. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multivariate Cox proportional hazard
      regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CIs) of lung cancer for each exposure, adjusting for
      smoking, age at entry, ethnicity and body mass index. RESULTS: Among 28,222 women
      aged 50-64 years enrolled in the Singapore Breast Cancer Screening Project from
      October 1994 to February 1997, we identified 311 incident lung cancer cases (253
      in non-smokers) over an average of 15.8 years of follow-up to 31 December 2011.
      Higher parity was associated with decreased lung cancer risk. Compared with
      nulliparous women, those with 1-2, 3-4, and >=5 deliveries had a hazard ratio
      (HR) of 0.56, 0.55 and 0.45, respectively (P(trend)<0.01). This association was
      observed in both smokers and non-smokers, and in both adenocarcinomas and non
      adenocarcinomas. Reproductive period, breastfeeding, oral contraceptive and
      hormone replacement therapy use did not seem to influence the risk of getting
      lung cancer. CONCLUSION: Our findings add to the existing evidence that parous
      women have a lower lung cancer risk than nulliparous women.

PMID- 26476715
TI  - Reply to Gianluca Giannarini, Alessandro Crestani, Andrea Porzionato, Veronica
      Macchi, and Vincenzo Ficarra's Letter to the Editor re: Massimiliano Spaliviero,
      Bing Ying Poon, Christoph A. Karlo, et al. An Arterial Based Complexity (ABC)
      Scoring System to Assess the Morbidity Profile of Partial Nephrectomy. Eur Urol
      2016;69:72-9.

PMID- 26476716
TI  - Facial soft tissue thickness among various vertical facial patterns in adult
      Pakistani subjects.
AB  - Facial reconstruction techniques are used to obtain an approximation of an
      individual's appearance thus helping identification of unidentified decedents
      from their dried skeletal remains. Many of these techniques rely on the sets of
      average facial soft tissue thickness (FST) values at different anatomical
      landmarks provided by the previous studies. FST is influenced by the age, sex,
      ethnicity and the body mass index of the individual. Recent literature has shown
      that the anthropological variations of the skull may also affect FST at certain
      points. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of such variations in
      vertical skull morphology on FST as around one third of different population
      groups have either a long or short facial pattern as compared to the average
      facial pattern. Moreover, this study also provides a FST database for the adult
      Pakistani subjects that may have potential implications in the facial
      reconstruction of the local subjects. A retrospective analysis of 276 lateral
      cephalograms of adult subjects having normal sagittal facial pattern was
      performed. Subjects were categorized into three vertical facial patterns (long
      face=95, average face=102, short face=79) according to the vertical dimensions of
      the skull and the FST was measured at 11 midline points. To compare the FST
      between males and females Mann-Whitney U test was used. Kruskal-Wallis test was
      applied to compare FST among three vertical facial patterns. The results of our
      study revealed significant differences in FST at nine landmarks between males and
      females. These sex-based differences were more pronounced in the long and short
      facial patterns as compared to the average facial pattern. FST at stomion,
      pogonion, gnathion and menton was significantly greater in the short facial
      pattern as compared to the long facial pattern in both the sexes. The results of
      the present study highlight the importance of anthropological analysis of the
      skull and taking the vertical skeletal dimension into consideration while
      performing facial reconstruction. 

PMID- 26476717
TI  - Evaluation of forward head posture in sitting and standing positions.
AB  - PURPOSE: Head postural assessment is part of the orthopaedic physical examination
      process and could help to identify faulty head postures. One of the most common
      faulty postures of the craniocervical region is the forward head posture (FHP).
      There are several methods to evaluate FHP but it is not clear which method is
      more precise. The aim of this study was to compare the craniovertebral angle
      (CVA) between a FHP and a healthy group in sitting and standing positions.
      METHODS: Twenty-five subjects with FHP (22.9 +/- 2 years) and 25 normal subjects
      (21.9 +/- 5 years) participated in this case-control study. Photography of the
      sagittal view was done in standing and relaxed sitting postures to determine the
      amount of the FHP. RESULTS: The results of independent t test showed a
      significant difference in the CVA between the FHP and healthy groups (P < 0.001).
      The result of paired t test showed a significant difference between CVA in
      standing and sitting postures for both groups (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the BMI
      had a significant negative correlation with CVA in standing position (P < 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that the CVA was increased in the sitting
      posture compared to the standing posture and introduced the standing posture as a
      more sensitive posture to evaluate the FHP.

PMID- 26476718
TI  - Identification of putative homologs of Larix decidua to BABYBOOM (BBM), LEAFY
      COTYLEDON1 (LEC1), WUSCHEL-related HOMEOBOX2 (WOX2) and SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS
      RECEPTOR-like KINASE (SERK) during somatic embryogenesis.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: Embryogenesis-related genes ( LdBBM, LdLEC1, LdWOX2 and LdSERK )
      were confirmed in sequence and expression abundance for Larix decidua -these
      findings are valid for somatic as well as for zygotic embryo development.S omatic
      embryogenesis is a reliable source of high-quality genotypes as it presents an
      advantageous alternative for conifers in forestry, independent from seed
      production. Although this propagation method is already being applied, molecular
      factors initiating and controlling the process remain to be understood. The
      embryogenesis-associated genes BABYBOOM (BBM), LEAFY COTYLEDON1 (LEC1), WUSCHEL
      related HOMEOBOX2 (WOX2) and SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR-like KINASE (SERK)
      were identified and analyzed in somatic embryos of the European larch, L. decidua
      Mill. Subsequent comparisons with annotated sequences displayed similarities with
      angiosperm homologs. Transcript accumulation of the identified genes during
      embryogenesis has been analyzed. LdLEC1 and LdWOX2 are mainly expressed during
      early embryogenesis, whereas LdBBM and LdSERK reveal increased expression during
      later development. Temporal and spatial expression studies revealed a specific
      LdLEC1 signal in the outer cell layer of young embryo heads, whereas mature
      embryos showed a homogeneous expression. The overexpression of LdLEC1 in
      Arabidopsis influences germination and cotyledon formation, thus indicating the
      interspecific importance of LEC1 for proper embryo and specifically cotyledon
      development. Our data support a conserved role of principal regulators during
      plant embryogenesis that may be used as molecular markers for embryogenicity and
      to further determine initiating processes of somatic embryogenesis.

PMID- 26476719
TI  - Effect of preemptive intra-articular morphine and ketamine on pain after
      arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: a prospective, double-blind, randomized
      controlled study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rotator cuff tear is a leading etiology of shoulder pain and
      disability. Surgical treatment is indicated in patients with persistent pain who
      fail a trial of non-surgical treatment. Pain reduction following rotator cuff
      repair, particularly within the first 24-48 h, is a major concern to both doctors
      and patients. This study aimed to compare the postoperative antinociceptive
      additive effects of pre-incisional intra-articular (IA) ketamine when combined
      with morphine with two times the dose of morphine or saline. METHODS: In this
      prospective, randomized, double blind, controlled trial patients undergoing
      arthroscopic rotator cuff tear repair (ARCR) under general anesthesia were
      enrolled. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the three intervention
      groups. Twenty minutes prior to incision, morphine (20 mg/10 ml), ketamine (50 mg
      + morphine 10 mg/10 ml), or saline (0.9 % 10 ml) (n = 15/group), were
      administered to all patients. First 24 h postoperative analgesia consisted of
      intravenous patient controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) morphine and oral rescue
      paracetamol 1000 mg or oxycodone 5 mg. 24-h, 2-week and 3-month patient rated
      pain numeric rating scale (NRS) and analgesics consumption were documented.
      RESULTS: Patients' demographic and perioperative data were similar among all
      groups. The 24-h and the 2-week NRSs were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in both
      treatment groups compared to placebo, but were not significantly different
      between the two intervention groups. PCA-morphine and oral analgesics were
      consumed similarly among the groups throughout the study phases. CONCLUSIONS: Pre
      incisional intra-articular morphine reduced pain in the first 2 weeks after
      arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Further research is warranted to elucidate the
      optimal timing and dosing of IA ketamine and morphine for postoperative analgesic
      effects.

PMID- 26476720
TI  - Prognostic factors and therapeutic options for treatment of frozen shoulder: a
      systematic review.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the current status of scientific research on the natural
      history of frozen shoulder as published in the literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This systematic review was carried out on PubMed data and was guided by PRISMA
      (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). Articles
      had to meet inclusion criteria. The quality of the papers was assessed using a
      newly developed tool, AMQPP (Assessing the Methodological Quality of Published
      Papers). The AMQPP score was correlated with the level of evidence rating
      according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Suitable papers were
      divided into groups according to the shoulder condition on which they reported.
      This article focuses on the frozen shoulder. RESULTS: Seven articles on frozen
      shoulder met the inclusion criteria. One article was considered to have level 1
      of evidence. Three articles had level 3 and the remaining 3 had level 4. Three
      papers assessed the natural history and the natural course of different forms of
      stiff shoulder. The others indirectly assessed the natural history by evaluating
      therapy trends. None of the articles clearly referred to the role of regression
      to the mean of frozen shoulder specifically. CONCLUSION: Spontaneous recovery to
      normal levels of function is possible and standardised non-operative treatment
      programmes are an effective alternative to surgery in most cases. However,
      patients with high risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, and those who suffer
      chronic symptoms or bilaterally affected, would benefit from early surgery. We
      also concluded that AMQPP score is simple and straight forward. It works as a
      quick quality-checking tool which helps researchers to identify the key points in
      each paper and reach a decision regarding the eligibility of the paper more
      easily. The AMQPP score is still open for further development.

PMID- 26476721
TI  - Fast and easy preoperative estimation of cancellous bone mineral density in
      patients with proximal femur fractures.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Postoperative complications after hip fractures in osteoporotic
      bone such as implant cutout can be reduced by the use of specially designed
      implants or additional cement augmentation. It is not yet clear at which degree
      of osteoporosis, patients will profit from implant augmentation or specially
      designed implants for geriatric patients. As the surgeon ideally should obtain
      information on local bone quality at the site of implant anchorage already
      preoperatively, the aim of the study was to develop an easily applicable
      radiographic method to estimate bone quality in those patients. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: 75 patients with unilateral hip fracture were included. Preoperatively,
      a CT scan with a calibration device was conducted. Postoperatively, DXA scans
      were performed. The proposed method measures local cancellous bone mineral
      density in the contralateral and uninjured femoral head. As a control, 15 young
      and healthy non-osteoporotic subjects were included. Inter- and intraobserver
      reliability was investigated for a subgroup of 20 patients. RESULTS: Study group
      patients had a mean BMD measured by CT scans of 194.2 mg/cm(3) (SD 40.4). There
      was a statistically significant correlation with data from DXA scans (r = 0.706,
      p < 0.001). The control group was significantly younger and showed a
      significantly higher BMD when compared to the study group (p < 0.001).
      Reliability evaluation showed no statistically significant difference in inter-
      and intraobserver measurements. Interclass correlation proved to be very high.
      CONCLUSION: The proposed method is an easily applicable, reliable and useful tool
      to estimate bone quality preoperatively using the contralateral hip as a
      reference. Obtained data may facilitate the decision-making towards the use of
      further therapeutic measures to improve implant anchorage in osteoporotic bone
      such as bone cement augmentation. Thus, our method allows for a more
      individualized surgical treatment of hip fracture patients adapted to the
      estimated cancellous bone quality of the patient.

PMID- 26476722
TI  - Osteochondral allograft reconstruction of talar body fracture with a large bone
      defect.
AB  - Talar body fractures are rare and associated with a high rate of morbidity due to
      poor vascularity and the frequent occurrence of posttraumatic osteoarthritis. If
      talar body fractures are combined with a large bone defect, the situation becomes
      even more challenging due to difficult joint reconstruction. Only few reports
      have described the use of whole-bone fresh-frozen allografts for the treatment of
      foot trauma. Osteochondral bulk allografts can be used as an alternative to
      tibiotalar arthrodesis for the treatment of talar body fractures with large bone
      defects, especially in young patients. Here, we report a case of a talar body
      fracture associated with a large talar bone defect involving the posterior
      process that was treated by fresh-frozen osteochondral allograft for tibiotalar
      reconstruction in foot injuries.

PMID- 26476723
TI  - A circulating miRNA signature as a diagnostic biomarker for non-invasive early
      detection of breast cancer.
AB  - Novel, non-invasive biomarkers to diagnose breast cancer with high sensitivity
      and specificity are greatly desired. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) show
      potential for breast cancer detection, but the existing results appear to be
      mixed. Using microscale serum, we established a novel serum-direct multiplex
      detection assay based on RT-PCR (SdM-RT-PCR). Ninety-three miRNAs dysregulated or
      with functions in breast cancer were selected as candidates, and additional 3
      miRNAs were chosen as endogenous controls. We first conducted miRNA profiling of
      these 96 miRNAs by SdM-RT-PCR using the sera of 25 breast cancer patients at
      diagnosis prior to treatment and 20 age-matched healthy controls. miRNAs showing
      significantly different expression levels between patients and controls were
      further analyzed using a logistic regression model. A miRNA signature was
      validated in an independent set of 128 serum samples composed of 76 breast cancer
      patients and 52 healthy controls. In the discovery stage, we identified 23 miRNAs
      as significantly dysregulated in breast cancer patients compared with healthy
      controls. Of these, 10 miRNAs were previously identified as dysregulated in
      breast cancer; 14 miRNAs remained significant after P-values were adjusted by
      both correction methods. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering
      of these miRNAs separated patients from controls. Furthermore, the 3-miRNA
      signature (miR-199a, miR-29c, and miR-424) with the highest diagnostic accuracy
      for distinguishing breast cancer patients from controls by ROC curve analysis
      (AUC = 0.888) was successfully confirmed in the validation set (AUC = 0.901). Our
      data demonstrate that the SdM-RT-PCR assay is an effective breast cancer
      profiling method that utilizes very small volumes and is compatible with Biobank.
      Furthermore, the identified 3-miRNA signature is a promising circulating
      biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis. 

PMID- 26476724
TI  - DCIS does not need treatment... really?

PMID- 26476725
TI  - Risk of breast cancer among patients with bioprosthetic or mechanical valve
      replacement: a population-based study in Sweden.
AB  - The association between breast cancer and warfarin is inconclusive as most
      previous studies examined their association using patients with thromboembolism,
      whereas thromboembolism itself is a risk factor for cancer. We explored this
      issue using patients received mechanical heart valves replacement as a proxy for
      warfarin exposure as these patients need a lifelong warfarin treatment, and
      compared them with patients received bioprosthesis valves replacement (short-term
      warfarin treatment) in Sweden between 1987 and 2010. Patients who were operated
      on for valve replacement were identified from the Swedish Hospital Discharge
      Registry and linked to the Swedish Cancer Registry to examine the hazard ratios
      of subsequent breast cancer. A total of 12,242 women were operated on for valve
      replacement (5481 with mechanical valve and 6401 with bioprosthetic valve). For
      the entire cohort, the HR of breast cancer was 1.49 (95 % CI 1.09-2.02) among
      patients with mechanical valve replacement compared to those with bioprosthetic
      valve replacement. After controlling for a number of confounding factors using
      propensity score weighting, the HR was 1.69 (95 % CI 1.15-2.47). Our study found
      that patients with mechanical valve replacement have an increased risk of breast
      cancer compared to those with bioprosthetic valve replacement. If confirmed, this
      increased risk should be considered when recommending breast cancer screening for
      women with mechanical valve replacement. Long-term use of warfarin may explain
      the observed increase. If so, patients who have used warfarin long-term for other
      reasons should be studied for a possible increased risk of breast cancer. 

PMID- 26476726
TI  - Development of triple-negative breast cancer radiosensitive gene signature and
      validation based on transcriptome analysis.
AB  - Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous disease with highest loco
      regional recurrence among breast cancer subtypes. Radiotherapy is indispensable
      for TNBC loco-regional control. However, intrinsic radiosensitivity differences
      exist in TNBC patients and RT is still prescribed mainly based on conventional
      clinicopathologic features of patients without considering the differences. The
      purpose of the present study is to develop and validate a TNBC radiosensitive
      gene signature (RSGS) and to guide therapeutic decisions. In this study, we
      compared transcriptome profiles of 12 locally recurrent TNBCs to 20 non-locally
      recurrent TNBCs treated with surgery radio-chemotherapy and developed a seven
      gene RSGS and a simplified three-gene RSGS by using pathway analysis, univariate
      Cox proportional hazards regression model and rank-based linear algorithm. They
      were validated by using transcriptome profiles of 166 TNBC patients. Two gene
      signatures specifically identified a radiosensitive population that had an
      improved recurrence-free survival in patients treated with surgery radio
      chemotherapy (Radiosensitive patients vs radioresistant patients, for seven-gene
      RSGS: P = 0.024, HR = 0.35, 95 %CI 0.14-0.87 and for three-gene RSGS: P = 0.035,
      HR = 0.38, 95 %CI 0.15-0.94). In contrast, there was no significant difference in
      outcome between predicted radiosensitive and radioresistant patients that treated
      with other treatment modality. RSGSs provide a useful tool for identification of
      radiosensitive/radioresistant TNBC patients and they could lead to a better
      selection of patients for RT protocols.

PMID- 26476727
TI  - The impact of vitamin D levels on glycemic control and bone  mineral density in
      postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Whether glycemic control contributes to a decreased number of
      fractures or favorably impacts bone density in patients with type 2 diabetes
      mellitus (T2DM)has not been well established. Vitamin D (25 (OH) D3) deficiency
      appears to be related to glycemic control in patients with T2DM. The aim of this
      study was to determine the relationship between 25 (OH) D3 levels, glycemic
      control, bone mineral density (BMD), and the development of osteoporotic
      fractures (OPF) in postmenopausal women with T2DM. METHODS: We reviewed the
      charts of 110 postmenopausal women diagnosed with T2DM. Glycosylated hemoglobin
      A1c (HbA1c) values over the previous 5 years were recorded and an average was
      obtained. Based on these values,the patients were divided into three groups:
      optimal,suboptimal, and poor control. Bone mineral density and 25(OH) D3 levels
      were also recorded. RESULTS: In the group of patients with poorly controlled
      T2DM, 25 (OH) D3 levels were not significantly lower in comparison with the
      optimal control group 19.29 +/- 7.70 vs 17.26 +/- 6.93 (p = 0.53). No
      statistically significant linear relationship between HbA1c and 25 (OH) D3
      levels( r(s) = -0.17, p = 0.06) was established. The frequency of osteoporosis
      and osteopenia was not significantly different between groups. The group with
      optimal glycemic control had an increased number of OPF events (p = 0.04).
      CONCLUSIONS: We do not appreciate a significant relationship between 25 (OH) D3
      levels and glucose control or OPF. Therefore, more studies are needed to identify
      the specific effect of 25 (OH) D3 in T2DM physiopathology.

PMID- 26476728
TI  - Vertebral lesion distribution in multiple myeloma--assessed by reduced-dose whole
      body MDCT.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the distribution and potential distribution patterns of
      osteolytic and sclerotic vertebral involvement in a representative collective of
      multiple myeloma patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 66 consecutive
      patients with a diagnosis of multiple myeloma at initial diagnosis or during
      follow-up were examined by multidetector reduced-dose computed tomography to
      evaluate the distribution of bone lesions along the spine with focus on size,
      location, and lesion character. Confirmation of diagnosis was performed by
      comparison to follow-up computed tomography or magnetic resonance tomography. If
      >50% of all detected malignant lesions occurred in one spinal segment, the
      distribution pattern was called cervical, thoracic, lumbar, or sacral, otherwise
      a "mixed" pattern was classified. RESULTS: Of a total number of 933 osseous spine
      lesions, 632 (67.7%) were classified as malignant (98.9% of them osteolytic) and
      293 (31.5%) as benign. The distribution pattern analysis yielded two patients
      (3.8%) with a cervical, 26 (50%) with a thoracic, 4 (7.7%) with a lumbar, one
      (1.9%) with a sacral pattern, and 19 cases (36.6%) showed a mixed distribution
      pattern. Segment-wise, the mean lesion size was 6.52 +/- 2.76 mm (cervical), 8.97
      +/- 5.43 mm (thoracic), 11.97 +/- 7.11 mm (lumbar), and 17.5 +/- 16.465 (sacral),
      whilst, related to the vertebra size, the lesion/vertebra size ratio is
      decreasing through the whole spine beginning from the top. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple
      myeloma bone lesions occur preferably and are larger in the thoracic and lumbar
      spine. Moreover, a specific distribution pattern is present in about 60%.

PMID- 26476729
TI  - A phase II study of bevacizumab and erlotinib after radiation  and temozolomide
      in MGMT unmethylated GBM patients.
AB  - Survival for glioblastoma (GBM) patients with an unmethyated MGMT promoter in
      their tumor is generally worse than methylated MGMT tumors, as temozolomide (TMZ)
      response is limited. How to better treat patients with unmethylated MGMT is
      unknown. We performed a trial combining erlotinib and bevacizumab in unmethylated
      GBM patients after completion of radiation (RT) and TMZ. GBM patients with an
      unmethylated MGMT promoter were trial eligible. Patient received standard RT (60
      Gy) and TMZ (75 mg/m2 * 6 weeks) after surgical resection of their tumor. After
      completion of RT they started erlotinib 150 mg daily and bevacizumab 10 mg/kg
      every 2 weeks until progression. Imaging evaluations occurred every 8 weeks. The
      primary endpoint was overall survival. Of the 48 unmethylated patients enrolled,
      46 were evaluable (29 men and 17 women); median age was 55.5 years (29-75) and
      median KPS was 90 (70-100). All patients completed RT with TMZ. The median number
      of cycles (1 cycle was 4 weeks) was 8 (2-47). Forty-one patients either
      progressed or died with a median progression free survival of 9.2 months. At a
      follow up of 33 months the median overall survival was 13.2 months. There were no
      unexpected toxicities and most observed toxicities were categorized as CTC grade
      1 or 2. The combination of erlotinib and bevacizumab is tolerable but did not
      meet our primary endpoint of increasing survival. Importantly, more trials are
      needed to find better therapies for GBM patients with an unmethylated MGMT
      promoter.

PMID- 26476730
TI  - TRIM28 as an independent prognostic marker plays critical roles  in glioma
      progression.
AB  - Tripartite motif (TRIM) proteins are involved in tumorigenesis. Here, we examined
      the expression, biological function, and clinical significance of tripartite
      motif containing 28 (TRIM28) in glioma, a locally aggressive brain tumor. First,
      TRIM28 expression was significantly higher in glioma (n = 138) than in non-glioma
      controls (n = 6). TRIM28 expression was positively correlated with tumor
      malignancy, and associated with poor overall survival (OS) and progression-free
      survival (PFS). Notably, TRIM28 expression was negatively correlated with p21
      expression in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). A multivariate
      analysis that included relevant measures indicated that high TRIM28 expression is
      an independent prognostic factor for poor OS and PFS in GBM patients. In
      experiments with cultured glioma cells, down-regulating TRIM28 with shRNA
      increased p21 expression, and induced cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase. In a
      xenograft model, down-regulating TRIM28 suppressed tumor growth. These results
      indicate that over-expression of TRIM28 is associated with poor outcome in glioma
      patients.

PMID- 26476731
TI  - Cripto-1 modulates macrophage cytokine secretion and phagocytic activity via NF
      kappaB signaling.
AB  - Cripto-1 is an oncogenic protein belonging to the epidermal growth factor-Cripto
      1/FRL-1/Cryptic family. It has important roles in tumor formation and metastasis,
      but its effects on the immune system are unclear. In the present study, we
      investigated the effects of Cripto-1 overexpression on macrophage activities and
      examined the underlying mechanisms. A cell line stably overexpressing Cripto-1
      was developed. The culture supernatant from this cell line was collected and used
      to condition macrophages (RAW264.7, THP-1, and primary mouse macrophages) for
      various times. Exposure to this supernatant significantly increased the mRNA and
      protein expression levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10
      and of three pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, IL-6, and
      IL-1beta), but did not affect the expression of transforming growth factor-beta,
      another anti-inflammatory cytokine. Exposure to this supernatant also enhanced
      macrophage phagocytosis of chicken erythrocytes and yeast cells. Similar effects
      were observed in macrophages stimulated with purified Cripto-1 protein.
      Mechanistic experiments revealed that Cripto-1 activated nuclear factor (NF)
      kappaB signaling by inducing IkappaB kinase phosphorylation and p65 nuclear
      translocation. Pretreatment with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, a specific
      NF-kappaB inhibitor, inhibited Cripto-1-induced cytokine secretion and
      phagocytosis of macrophages. Taken together, our present findings suggest that
      Cripto-1 enhances macrophage phagocytic activity and upregulates the production
      of anti- and pro-inflammatory cytokines via the NF-kappaB signaling pathway.

PMID- 26476733
TI  - Clinical, immunologic, and genetic characteristics of RAG mutations in 15 Chinese
      patients with SCID and Omenn syndrome.
AB  - Mutations in Recombination Activating Genes (RAG1 and RAG2) are common genetic
      causes of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and Omenn syndrome (OS). The
      clinical, immunologic, and genetic characteristics of RAG mutations in Chinese
      patients with SCID or OS have not been studied in detail. In this research, 22
      RAG mutations were identified in 15 Chinese patients, including 10 novel
      mutations in RAG1 (R108X, M630T, E510X, S666P, E669K, C730Y, A857V, K847E,
      L922PfsX7, and L1025FfsX39) and 4 in RAG2 (R73C, I427GfsX12, P432L, and 311insL).
      L1025FfsX39 is a potential RAG1 hot-spot mutation in the Chinese population. The
      distribution of RAG1 mutations rather than mutation type seemed to differ between
      SCID and OS patients. The thymic output of T lymphocytes, TCR rearrangement, and
      T cell proliferation were severely impaired in RAG mutant patients. These
      findings will contribute to the early diagnosis and treatment of SCID and OS to a
      certain extent. 

PMID- 26476732
TI  - Obesity shifts house dust mite-induced airway cellular infiltration from
      eosinophils to macrophages: effects of glucocorticoid treatment.
AB  - Although classically characterized by chronic airway inflammation with eosinophil
      infiltration, asthma is a complex and multifactorial condition with numerous
      clinical phenotypes. Epidemiological studies strongly support the link between
      obesity and asthma and suggest that obesity precedes and promotes asthma
      development, increases asthma severity, and reduces steroid responsivity. Using a
      house dust mite (HDM) model of airway hyperresponsiveness in C57BL/6 mice, we
      examined the effects of diet-induced obesity on allergic airway inflammation and
      its treatment with dexamethasone. When compared to lean mice treated with HDM,
      obese-HDM mice had reduced plasma adiponectin, an anti-inflammatory adipokine,
      lower eosinophil and higher macrophage infiltration into the lungs and
      bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, increased expression of total, M1, and M2
      macrophage markers in the lungs, and enhanced Th2 and non-Th2 cytokine expression
      in the lungs. While Th2-associated responses in obese-HDM mice were suppressed by
      systemic dexamethasone, several Th2-independent responses, including total and M1
      macrophage markers in the lungs, and lung CXC-motif ligand 1 (CXCL1) levels, were
      not improved following dexamethasone treatment. Thus, HDM combined with obesity
      promotes mixed localized inflammatory responses (e.g., M1, M2, Th1, and Th2) and
      shifts the cellular infiltration from eosinophils to macrophages, which are less
      sensitive to dexamethasone regulation. Because obese asthmatics exhibit more
      severe symptoms, lack a predominance of Th2 biomarkers, and are predicted to
      experience more steroid resistance when compared to lean asthmatics, this model
      could be used to study blunted steroid responses in obese-HDM mice and to define
      the macrophages found in the lungs. 

PMID- 26476734
TI  - Formal Professional Relationships Between General Practitioners and Specialists
      in Shared Care: Possible Associations with Patient Health and Pharmacy Costs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Shared care in chronic disease management aims at improving service
      delivery and patient outcomes, and reducing healthcare costs. The introduction of
      shared-care models is coupled with mixed evidence in relation to both patient
      health status and cost of care. Professional interactions among health providers
      are critical to a successful and efficient shared-care model. OBJECTIVE: This
      article investigates whether the strength of formal professional relationships
      between general practitioners (GPs) and specialists (SPs) in shared care affects
      either the health status of patients or their pharmacy costs. In strong GP-SP
      relationships, the patient health status is expected to be high, due to efficient
      care coordination, and the pharmacy costs low, due to effective use of resources.
      METHODS: This article measures the strength of formal professional relationships
      between GPs and SPs through the number of shared patients and proxies the patient
      health status by the number of comorbidities diagnosed and treated. To test the
      hypotheses and compare the characteristics of the strongest GP-SP connections
      with those of the weakest, this article concentrates on diabetes-a chronic
      condition where patient care coordination is likely important. Diabetes generates
      the largest shared patient cohort in Hungary, with the highest frequency of
      specialist medication prescriptions. RESULTS: This article finds that stronger
      ties result in lower pharmacy costs, but not in higher patient health status.
      CONCLUSION: Overall drug expenditure may be reduced by lowering patient care
      fragmentation through channelling a GP's patients to a small number of SPs.

PMID- 26476735
TI  - A viscoplastic model for the active component in cardiac muscle.
AB  - The HMK model (Hunter et al. in Prog Biophys Mol Biol 69:289-331, 1998) proposes
      mechanobiological equations for the influence of intracellular calcium
      concentration [Formula: see text] on the evolution of bound calcium concentration
      [Formula: see text] and the tropomyosin kinetics parameter z, which model
      processes in the active component of the tension in cardiac muscle. The inelastic
      response due to actin-myosin crossbridge kinetics is modeled in the HMK model
      with a function Q that depends on the history of the rate of total stretch of the
      muscle fiber. Here, an alternative model is proposed which models the active
      component of the muscle fiber as a viscoplastic material. In particular, an
      evolution equation is proposed for the elastic stretch [Formula: see text] in the
      active component. Specific forms of the constitutive equations are proposed and
      used to match experimental data. The proposed viscoplastic formulation allows for
      separate modeling of three processes: the high rate deactivation of crossbridges
      causing rapid reduction in active tension; the high but lower rate reactivation
      of crossbridges causing recovery of active tension; and the low rate relaxation
      effects characterizing the Hill model of muscles.

PMID- 26476736
TI  - Computational prediction of strain-dependent diffusion of transcription factors
      through the cell nucleus.
AB  - Nuclear spreading plays a crucial role in stem cell fate determination. In
      previous works, we reported evidence of multipotency maintenance for mesenchymal
      stromal cells cultured on three-dimensional engineered niche substrates,
      fabricated via two-photon laser polymerization. We correlated maintenance of
      multipotency to a more roundish morphology of these cells with respect to those
      cultured on conventional flat substrates. To interpret these findings, here we
      present a multiphysics model coupling nuclear strains induced by cell adhesion to
      passive diffusion across the cell nucleus. Fully three-dimensional
      reconstructions of cultured cells were developed on the basis of confocal images:
      in particular, the level of nuclear spreading resulted significantly dependent on
      the cell localization within the niche architecture. We assumed that the cell
      diffusivity varies as a function of the local volumetric strain. The model
      predictions indicate that the higher the level of spreading of the cell, the
      higher the flux across the nucleus of small solutes such as transcription
      factors. Our results point toward nuclear spreading as a primary mechanism by
      which the stem cell translates its shape into a fate decision, i.e., by
      amplifying the diffusive flow of transcriptional activators into the nucleus.

PMID- 26476737
TI  - Siblings of Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Theoretical  Perspectives on
      Sibling Relationships and Individual Adjustment.
AB  - A burgeoning research literature investigates the sibling relationships of youth
      with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their implications for individual
      adjustment. Focusing on four relationship domains-behaviors,emotions, cognitions
      and involvement-and toward advancing this generally a theoretical literature,
      were view and apply tenets from a range of theoretical perspectives in an effort
      to illuminate the mechanisms underlying sibling relationship experiences and
      their adjustment implications. Our review suggests new directions for research to
      test theoretically-grounded hypotheses about how sibling relationships develop
      and are linked to individual adjustment. In addition, we consider how identifying
      underlying bio-psycho-social processes can aid in the development of
      interventions to promote warm and involved sibling relationships and positive
      youth development.

PMID- 26476738
TI  - Language Differences at 12 Months in Infants Who Develop Autism Spectrum
      Disorder.
AB  - Little is known about early language development in infants who later develop
      autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We analyzed prospective data from 346 infants,
      some of whom were at high risk for developing ASD, to determine if language
      differences could be detected at 12 months of age in the infants who later were
      diagnosed with ASD. Analyses revealed lower receptive and expressive language
      scores in infants who later were diagnosed with ASD. Controlling for overall
      ability to understand and produce single words, a Rasch analysis indicated that
      infants who later developed ASD had a higher degree of statistically unexpected
      word understanding and production. At 12 months of age, quantitative and
      qualitative language patterns distinguished infants who later developed ASD from
      those who did not.

PMID- 26476739
TI  - Brief Report: Two Day-Date Processing Methods in an Autistic Savant Calendar
      Calculator.
AB  - Special ability in computing the day of week for given dates was observed in a 24
      year-old male (FB) diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. FB performed almost
      flawlessly (98.2%) both with past and future dates, over a span of 40 years.
      Response latency was slower as temporal remoteness of future dates increased.
      Within the future timespan, FB's performance was consistent with the active use
      of calendar regularities. On the contrary, within the past timespan (for which no
      remoteness effect was seen), his performance was mainly linked to memory
      retrieval of personal events. The case presented here complements the existent
      literature on calendar calculators, as, for first time, two distinct day-date
      processing styles are described in the same individual.

PMID- 26476740
TI  - Preserved Self-other Distinction During Empathy in Autism  is Linked to Network
      Integrity of Right Supramarginal Gyrus.
AB  - Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) shows deficits in self-other distinction during
      theory of mind (ToM). Here we investigated whether ASD patients also show
      difficulties in self-other distinction during empathy and if potential deficits
      are linked to dysfunctional resting-state connectivity patterns. In a first
      study, ASD patients and controls performed an emotional egocentricity paradigm
      and a ToMtask. In the second study, resting-state connectivity of right temporo
      parietal junction and right supramarginal gyrus(rSMG) were analysed using a large
      scale fMRI data set. ASD patients exhibited deficient ToM but normal emotional
      egocentricity, which was paralleled by reduced connectivity of regions of the ToM
      network and unimpaired rSMG network connectivity. These results suggest spared
      self-other distinction during empathy and an intact rSMG network in ASD.

PMID- 26476742
TI  - A health systems approach to risk stratification.

PMID- 26476741
TI  - A new cytofluorimetric approach to evaluate the circulating microparticles in
      subjects with antiphospholipid antibodies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Growing evidence supports the idea that microparticles (MPs) could
      contribute to the pathogenesis of the thrombotic phenomena associated with
      antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS), inducing a hypercoagulable state. But,
      to date, different approaches to evaluate circulating MPs and conflicting results
      have been reported. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have characterized the different
      circulating subpopulations of MPs in APS patients, and in asymptomatic aPL
      positive subjects (carriers) by examining the correlation between the amount and
      phenotype of MPs and the clinical parameters. Forty-eight subjects were enrolled:
      16 with primary APS, 16 aPL-positive, but without clinical criteria for APS
      (carriers), and 16 healthy subjects. The levels of MPs were evaluated using a new
      cytofluorimetric approach based on BD Horizon Violet Proliferation dye (VPD) 450.
      RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Using a new detection cytofluorimetric approach, we
      demonstrated that the AnnV-negative MPs, underestimated/or excluded in the
      previous studies, are a large subset of circulating MPs. Also, the levels of MPs
      in the plasma of aPL positive subjects indicate a state of cellular activation,
      which is much more pronounced in patients with APS compared to aPL carriers.
      Moreover, the preliminary data of our pilot study suggest that the evaluation of
      circulating MPs, in particular PMPs and EMPs, could be used as a surrogate
      biomarker for platelet and vascular damage monitoring and, if confirmed in a more
      numerous cohort of patients, it could be used as a prognostic factor to identify
      aPL positive subjects at higher risk of developing thrombosis.

PMID- 26476743
TI  - Extracellular histones induce tissue factor expression in vascular endothelial
      cells via TLR and activation of NF-kappaB and AP-1.
AB  - Extracellular histones have been recognized recently as proinflammatory
      mediators; they are released from dying cells in response to inflammatory
      challenge, contributing to endothelial cell dysfunction, thrombin formation,
      organ failure, and death during sepsis. Clinical studies suggest that the plasma
      concentration of the histone-DNA complex is correlated with the severity of DIC
      and is a poor independent prognostic marker in sepsis. In addition, platelet
      activation stimulates thrombus formation. Whether histones contribute to
      procoagulant activity in other ways remains elusive. In this study, we confirmed
      that histones induce tissue factor (TF) expression in a concentration- and time
      dependent manner in vascular endothelial cells (ECs) and macrophages. However,
      histones did not affect TF pathway inhibitor expression. Moreover, blocking the
      cell surface receptors TLR4 and TLR2 with specific neutralizing antibodies
      significantly reduced histone-induced TF expression. Furthermore, histones
      enhanced the nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB (c-Rel/p65) and AP-1 expression
      in a time-dependent manner in ECs. Mutating NF-kappaB and AP-1 significantly
      reduced histone-induced TF expression. Altogether, our experiments suggest that
      histone induces TF expression in ECs via cell surface receptors TLR4 and TLR2,
      simultaneously depending on the activation of the transcription factors NF-kappaB
      and AP-1. 

PMID- 26476744
TI  - Dissimilarity between sporadic, non-BRCA1/2 families and hereditary breast
      cancer, linked to BRCA genes, in the Tunisian population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most breast cancers (90 %) are sporadic. Only 5-10 % of all cancer
      cases can be attributed to genetic defects. BRCA genes are strongly incriminated
      in the hereditary predisposition to the disease. The purpose of our study was to
      provide more efficient approach to identify pathogenic BRCA mutation carriers and
      to determine subgroups within the non-BRCA tumor class. METHODS: Different
      clinicopathological features, reproductive factors, as well as psychosocial ones
      were compared in women carrying mutations in the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes (12 cases)
      with non-BRCA1/2 family tumors (36 cases) and age-matched sporadic cases,
      unselected for family history (44 cases). RESULTS: A BRCA-related class was
      yielded based on age at diagnosis (age <= 35 years; p = 0.1), molecular
      subtypes(the triple-negative subtype was predominant: 43 % of cases; p = 0.025)
      and age at menarche (p = 0.04). Furthermore, a "probably sporadic" class was
      distinguished using hormonal contraceptive use (through 30-40 years of age; p =
      0.039), the number of full-term pregnancies (age >=40 years; p = 0.01), age at
      menopause(age > 50 years; p = 0.04) and psychosocial factors (age >= 40 years; p
      = 0.01). However, analysis of non-BRCA1/2 family tumors indicated that they
      constitute a heterogeneous class, showing few perceptible differences with
      sporadic group, but distinct from BRCA1/2 tumors. CONCLUSIONS: In Tunisian
      population, breast cancer can be classified with a high level of accuracy as
      sporadic or related to BRCA germline mutations by combining different
      clinicopathological features and reproductive factors. This can be clinically
      useful in genetic counseling and decision making for BRCA genetic test.

PMID- 26476745
TI  - APOBEC3B high expression status is associated with aggressive phenotype in
      Japanese breast cancers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The members of AID/APOBEC protein family possess cytidine deaminase
      activity that converts cytidine residue to uridine on DNA and RNA. Recent studies
      have shown the possible influence of APOBEC3B (A3B) as DNA mutators of breast
      cancer genome. However, the clinical significance of A3B expression in Japanese
      breast cancer has not been studied in detail. METHODS: Ninety-three primary
      breast cancer tissues (74 estrogen-receptor (ER) positive, 3 ER and HER2
      positive, 6 HER2 positive, and 10 triple negative) including 37 tumor-normal
      pairs were assessed for A3B mRNA expression using quantitative real-time RT-PCR.
      We analyzed the relation between A3B expression, mutation analysis of TP53 and
      PIK3CA by direct sequencing, polymorphic A3B deletion allele and human
      papillomavirus (HPV) infection in tumors. RESULTS: A3B mRNA was overexpressed in
      tumors compared with normal tissue. Patients with high A3B expression were
      associated with subtype and progression of lymph node metastasis and pathological
      nuclear grade. However, the expression was not related to any other
      clinicopathological factors, including mutation of TP53 and PIK3CA, polymorphic
      A3B deletion allele, HPV infection and survival time. CONCLUSION: The expression
      of A3B in breast cancer was higher than in non-cancerous tissues and was related
      to the lymph node metastasis and nuclear grade, which are reliable aggressive
      phenotype markers in breast cancer. Evaluation of A3B expression in tumor may be
      a marker for breast cancer with malignant potential.

PMID- 26476746
TI  - Hippocampus-dependent spatial memory impairment due to molar tooth loss is
      ameliorated by an enriched environment.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Teeth are crucial, not only for mastication, but for
      overall nutrition and general health, including cognitive function. Aged mice
      with chronic stress due to tooth loss exhibit impaired hippocampus-dependent
      learning and memory. Exposure to an enriched environment restores the reduced
      hippocampal function. Here, we explored the effects of an enriched environment on
      learning deficits and hippocampal morphologic changes in aged senescence
      accelerated mouse strain P8 (SAMP8) mice with tooth loss. DESIGN: Eight-month-old
      male aged SAMP8 mice with molar intact or with molars removed were housed in
      either a standard environment or enriched environment for 3 weeks. The Morris
      water maze was performed for spatial memory test. The newborn cell proliferation,
      survival, and differentiation in the hippocampus were analyzed using 5
      Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) immunohistochemical method. The hippocampal brain
      derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were also measured. RESULTS: Mice with
      upper molars removed (molarless) exhibited a significant decline in the
      proliferation and survival of newborn cells in the dentate gyrus (DG) as well as
      in hippocampal BDNF levels. In addition, neuronal differentiation of newly
      generated cells was suppressed and hippocampus-dependent spatial memory was
      impaired. Exposure of molarless mice to an enriched environment attenuated the
      reductions in the hippocampal BDNF levels and neuronal differentiation, and
      partially improved the proliferation and survival of newborn cells, as well as
      the spatial memory ability. CONCLUSION: These findings indicated that an enriched
      environment could ameliorate the hippocampus-dependent spatial memory impairment
      induced by molar tooth loss.

PMID- 26476747
TI  - Expression of adhesion proteins (E-cadherin and beta-catenin) and cell
      proliferation (Ki-67) at the invasive tumor front in conventional oral squamous
      cell and basaloid squamous cell carcinomas.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Investigate, on a comparative basis, the expression of the adhesion
      molecules E-cadherin (E-cad), beta-catenin (beta-cat) and the proliferation index
      (Ki-67) at the invasive tumor front (ITF) in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and
      basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-five SCC
      and 16 BSCC cases were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Clinicopathological and
      survival data were also evaluated and compared. RESULTS: There was a low
      expression of E-cad in the cytoplasmic membrane (p=0.50) as well as in the
      nucleus (p=0.31) for both SCC and BSCC. A high expression of E-cad was seen in
      the cytoplasm for the SCC group (80%) when compared to the BSCC group (25%)
      (p<0.01). The expression of beta-cat was low in the cytoplasmic membrane and high
      in the cytoplasm in both SCC and BSCC groups. Both types of carcinoma presented
      low expressions of beta-cat in the nucleus (p=0.03). The Ki-67 expression was low
      irrespective of tumor variant. The high expression of E-cad in the cytoplasm was
      associated with T3/T4 tumors (p=0.04) in the SCC group and there was no
      significant association of E-cad, beta-cat, Ki-67 with the other clinical
      variables. In terms of disease-free survival and overall survival, there were no
      significant differences between SCC and BSCC. CONCLUSION: The E-cad-beta-cat
      system was found to be dysregulated in both oral SCC and oral BSCC. The Ki-67
      cell proliferation index was extremely low in the cases investigated and
      consequently had no prognostic value.

PMID- 26476748
TI  - Tongue cancer during pregnancy: Surgery and more, a multidisciplinary challenge.
AB  - No international guidelines are available for the treatment of oral tongue cancer
      during pregnancy. Six patients with tongue cancer during pregnancy were
      identified by a retrospective chart review. In three of the cases we did not
      follow the standard treatment, the women had disease progression, and two of them
      died after a short time. A multidisciplinary discussion and literature review
      suggest that following the standard surgical procedure could be the optimal
      treatment to ensure mother and baby health in tongue cancer. Nonetheless choosing
      between maternal advantage and potential fetal damage should not be an individual
      medical decision. Treatment "customization" is a possibility. Patients and their
      families should be provided with comprehensive information and appropriate
      support in order to fully participate in the decision-making process. The
      patient's care may be improved if carried out in a specialized maternity center
      where the surgical oncologic treatment is managed together with the obstetric
      aspects. 

PMID- 26476749
TI  - Novel tetracyclic benzo[b]carbazolones as highly potent and orally bioavailable
      ALK inhibitors: design, synthesis, and structure-activity relationship study.
AB  - Four series of tetracyclic benzo[b]carbazolone compounds possessing more
      rotatable bonds and higher molecular flexibility were designed by either
      inserting a linker within the C8-side chain or by opening the middle ketone ring
      on the basis of compound 5 (Alectinib, CH5424802). Compound 15b was identified
      showing nearly identical high potency against both wild-type and the gatekeeper
      mutant ALK kinase (3.4 vs 3.9 nM). This compound has favorable PK profile with an
      oral bioavailability of 67.1% in rats. Moreover, compound 15b showed significant
      growth inhibition against ALK driven cancer cells and KARPAS-299 xenograft model.

PMID- 26476750
TI  - Hederagenin as a triterpene template for the development of new antitumor
      compounds.
AB  - In this study, a series of novel C-28 esters and amides derivatives of
      hederagenin (He) were designed and synthesized in attempt to develop potent
      antitumor agents. Their structures were confirmed by MS, IR, (1)H NMR and (13)C
      NMR spectroscopic analyses and their cytotoxic activities were screened in SRB
      assays using a panel of six human cancer cell lines. Although most of the
      compounds displayed moderate to high levels of cytotoxic activity they were all
      more potent than the natural product He. The most active compounds had either an
      ethylpyrimidinyl (27) or an ethylpyrrolidinyl (28) substituent, with EC50 in the
      range of 1.1-6.5 MUM for six human cancer cell lines. Notably, this corresponds
      to an approximately 30-fold times greater potency than He. 

PMID- 26476751
TI  - [Secondary syphilis].

PMID- 26476752
TI  - [Tuberculous ulceration of the penis].

PMID- 26476753
TI  - [Epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, natural history and screening of
      cluster headache].
AB  - This review is focused on the essential data about epidemiology, clinical
      presentation, diagnosis, natural history and screening for cluster headache. 

PMID- 26476755
TI  - [Living Lab MACVIA. Chronic diseases].

PMID- 26476756
TI  - [Living Lab MACVIA-LR. Frailty].

PMID- 26476758
TI  - Cancer incidence in indigenous people in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the
      USA: a comparative population-based study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Indigenous people have disproportionally worse health and lower
      life expectancy than their non-indigenous counterparts in high-income countries.
      Cancer data for indigenous people are scarce and incidence has not previously
      been collectively reported in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA. We
      aimed to investigate and compare, for the first time, the cancer burden in
      indigenous populations in these countries. METHODS: We derived incidence data
      from population-based cancer registries in three states of Australia (Queensland,
      Western Australia, and the Northern Territory), New Zealand, the province of
      Alberta in Canada, and the Contract Health Service Delivery Areas of the USA.
      Summary rates for First Nations and Inuit in Alberta, Canada, were provided
      directly by Alberta Health Services. We compared age-standardised rates by
      registry, sex, cancer site, and ethnicity for all incident cancer cases,
      excluding non-melanoma skin cancers, diagnosed between 2002 and 2006.
      Standardised rate ratios (SRRs) and 95% CIs were computed to compare the
      indigenous and non-indigenous populations of each jurisdiction, except for the
      Alaska Native population, which was compared with the white population from the
      USA. FINDINGS: We included 24 815 cases of cancer in indigenous people and 5 685
      264 in non-indigenous people from all jurisdictions, not including Alberta,
      Canada. The overall cancer burden in indigenous populations was substantially
      lower in the USA except in Alaska, similar or slightly lower in Australia and
      Canada, and higher in New Zealand compared with their non-indigenous
      counterparts. Among the most commonly occurring cancers in indigenous men were
      lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer. In most jurisdictions, breast cancer was
      the most common cancer in women followed by lung and colorectal cancer. The
      incidence of lung cancer was higher in indigenous men in all Australian regions,
      in Alberta, and in US Alaska Natives than in their non-indigenous counterparts.
      For breast cancer, rates in women were lower in all indigenous populations except
      in New Zealand (SRR 1.23, CI 95% 1.16-1.32) and Alaska (1.14, 1.01-1.30).
      Incidence of cervical cancer was higher in indigenous women than in non
      indigenous women in most jurisdictions, although the difference was not always
      statistically significant. INTERPRETATION: There are clear differences in the
      scale and profile of cancer in indigenous and non-indigenous populations in
      Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA. Our findings highlight the need for
      much-improved, targeted programmes of screening, vaccination, and smoking
      cessation, among other prevention strategies. Governments and researchers need to
      work in partnership with indigenous communities to improve cancer surveillance in
      all jurisdictions and facilitate access to cancer data. FUNDING: International
      Agency for Research on Cancer-Australia Fellowship.

PMID- 26476759
TI  - Equitable cancer control: better data needed for indigenous people.

PMID- 26476754
TI  - [Introduction].

PMID- 26476760
TI  - The compressive stiffness of human pediatric heads.
AB  - Head injury is a persistent and costly problem for both children and adults.
      Globally, approximately 10 million people are hospitalized each year for head
      injuries. Knowing the structural properties of the head is important for modeling
      the response of the head in impact, and for providing insights into mechanisms of
      head injury. Hence, the goal of this study was to measure the sub-injurious
      structural stiffness of whole pediatric heads. 12 cadaveric pediatric (20-week
      gestation to 16 years old) heads were tested in a battery of viscoelastic
      compression tests. The heads were compressed in both the lateral and anterior
      posterior directions to 5% of gauge length at normalized deformation rates of
      0.0005/s, 0.01/s, 0.1/s, and 0.3/s. Because of the non-linear nature of the
      response, linear regression models were used to calculate toe region (<2.5%) and
      elastic region (>2.5%) stiffness separately so that meaningful comparisons could
      be made across rate, age, and direction. The results showed that age was the
      dominant factor in predicting the structural stiffness of the human head. A large
      and statistically significant increase in the stiffness of both the toe region
      and the elastic region was observed with increasing age (p<0.0001), but no
      significant difference was seen across direction or normalized deformation rate.
      The stiffness of the elastic region increased from as low as 5 N/mm in the
      neonate to >4500 N/mm in the 16 year old. The changes in stiffness with age may
      be attributed to the disappearance of soft sutures and the thickening of skull
      bones with age.

PMID- 26476761
TI  - Dynamic intermittent strain can rapidly impair ventral hernia repair.
AB  - Ventral hernia repair fails frequently despite advanced mesh inserting surgery. A
      model for dynamic intermittent straining (DIS) of ventral hernia repairs was
      developed. The influence of phospholipids, position, overlap, fixation and tissue
      quality of various meshes on the durability of hernia repair was studied. DIS
      comprises the repetition of submaximal impacts delivered via a hydraulically
      driven plastic containment. Pig tissues simulate a ventral hernia with a
      standardized 5cm defect. Commercially available meshes strengthened with tacks,
      glue and sutures were used to bridge this defect in an underlay (IPOM) or sublay
      (retromuscular) position starting with a 5cm overlap in all directions. We tested
      35 different ways of ventral hernia repair with up to 425 submaximal intermittent
      dynamic impacts until mesh dislocation occurred 10 times or a maximum of 4000
      impacts each were withstood. The likelihood of a failing repair was related to
      the mesh, the lubricants, the position, the overlap, the fixation and the tissue
      quality. Most meshes dislocated easily and required fixation. One of the meshes
      tested was stable without fixation with a 5cm overlap and failed after reducing
      the overlap. Phospholipids exerted a strong influence on the biomaterial tested.
      The sublay position was about 10% more durable in comparison to the IPOM
      position. DIS revealed distinct degrees of stability with primarily stable,
      intermediate and primarily unstable repairs. Based on the DIS results available,
      the currently used ventral hernia repair options can be classified. In the
      future, DIS investigations can improve the durability of hernia repair. 

PMID- 26476762
TI  - Estimation of material parameters from slow and fast shear waves in an
      incompressible, transversely isotropic material.
AB  - This paper describes a method to estimate mechanical properties of soft,
      anisotropic materials from measurements of shear waves with specific polarization
      and propagation directions. This method is applicable to data from magnetic
      resonance elastography (MRE), which is a method for measuring shear waves in live
      subjects or in vitro samples. Here, we simulate MRE data using finite element
      analysis. A nearly incompressible, transversely isotropic (ITI) material model
      with three parameters (shear modulus, shear anisotropy, and tensile anisotropy)
      is used, which is appropriate for many fibrous, biological tissues. Both slow and
      fast shear waves travel concurrently through such a material with speeds that
      depend on the propagation direction relative to fiber orientation. A three
      parameter estimation approach based on directional filtering and isolation of
      slow and fast shear wave components (directional filter inversion, or DFI) is
      introduced. Wave speeds of each isolated shear wave component are estimated using
      local frequency estimation (LFE), and material properties are calculated using
      weighted least squares. Data from multiple finite element simulations are used to
      assess the accuracy and reliability of DFI for estimation of anisotropic material
      parameters. 

PMID- 26476763
TI  - Exploring the relationship between local and global dynamic trunk stabilities
      during repetitive lifting tasks.
AB  - Lifting is a major risk factor for low back injury. Lifters experience small
      continual perturbations, because moving a load provides a disturbance to the
      lifter's equilibrium. The goal of the present study was to examine the
      relationship between local and global trunk/spine stabilities during external
      perturbations introduced at the foot-floor interface. 12 healthy males were
      recruited to participate in this study. Participants completed a freestyle
      lifting protocol on a perturbation treadmill, under three randomized load
      conditions: ~0, 4, and 8 kg. Participants performed a total of 40 lifts under
      each load condition; no perturbations occurred during the first 20 lifts. During
      the last 20 lift cycles (in blocks of 5) the participants were randomly
      perturbed. Local dynamic trunk stability was quantified using the local
      divergence exponent (lambdamax) of the first 20 lifts. In addition, the distance
      traveled from the unperturbed lifting pattern (B), the time to max distance
      (Tau), the relaxation distance (A), and the rate of return toward the normal
      lifting pattern (Beta) were analyzed following each external perturbation. An
      increase in lifted load lead to significantly increased local trunk stability
      (p=0.046). Higher load also lead to decreased distance (B) traveled away from the
      unperturbed trajectory (p=0.023). Results agree with previous research that
      increasing load lifted significantly improves local trunk/spine stability during
      lifting. Here we have shown that altered local stability also translates into a
      greater ability to resist external global perturbations, which may reduce injury
      risk and should be explored in the future.

PMID- 26476765
TI  - Layer- and region-specific material characterization of ascending thoracic aortic
      aneurysms by microstructure-based models.
AB  - Material characterization of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms is indispensable
      for the determination of stress distributions across wall thickness and the
      different aneurysm regions that may be responsible for their catastrophic rupture
      or dissection, but only few studies have addressed this issue hitherto. In this
      article, we are presenting our findings of implementing microstructure-based
      formulations for characterizing layer- and region-specific variations in wall
      properties, which is a reasonable consensus today. Together, we performed image
      based analysis to derive collagen-fiber orientation angles that may serve as
      validation of the preferred candidate for a fiber-reinforced constitutive
      descriptor. We considered a four-fiber model with dispersions of fiber angles
      about the main directions, based on our histological observations, demonstrating
      a wide distribution of fiber orientations spanning circumferential to
      longitudinal directions, and its successful implementation to our biomechanical
      data from tensile testing. However, an in-depth parametric analysis showed that a
      condensed model without longitudinal-fiber family described the data just as well
      and did not omit essential histological organization of collagen fibers, while
      reserving a smaller number of parameters, which makes it advantageous for
      computational applications. A major aberration from almost all existing models in
      the literature is the hypothesis made that fibers can support compressive
      stresses. Such a hypothesis needs further examination but it has the benefits of
      allowing improved fits to the vanishing transverse stresses under uniaxial test
      conditions and of properly reflecting the exponential nature of the compressive
      stress-strain response of aortic tissue, being consistent with observations of
      collagen being under compression in the unloaded wall. 

PMID- 26476764
TI  - Differential responses of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes to
      anisotropic strain depends on disease status.
AB  - Primary dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a non-ischemic heart disease with
      impaired pumping function of the heart. In this study, we used human induced
      pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) from a healthy volunteer
      and a primary DCM patient to investigate the impact of DCM on iPSC-CMs' responses
      to different types of anisotropic strain. A bioreactor system was established
      that generates cardiac-mimetic forces of 150 kPa at 5% anisotropic cyclic strain
      and 1 Hz frequency. After confirming cardiac induction of the iPSCs, it was
      determined that fibronectin was favorable to other extracellular matrix protein
      coatings (gelatin, laminin, vitronectin) in terms of viable cell area and
      density, and was therefore selected as the coating for further study. When iPSC
      CMs were exposed to three strain conditions (no strain, 5% static strain, and 5%
      cyclic strain), the static strain elicited significant induction of sarcomere
      components in comparison to other strain conditions. However, this induction
      occurred only in iPSC-CMs from a healthy volunteer ("control iPSC-CMs"), not in
      iPSC-CMs from the DCM patient ("DCM iPSC-CMs"). The donor type also significantly
      influenced gene expressions of cell-cell and cell-matrix interaction markers in
      response to the strain conditions. Gene expression of connexin-43 (cell-cell
      interaction) had a higher fold change in healthy versus diseased iPSC-CMs under
      static and cyclic strain, as opposed to integrins alpha-5 and alpha-10 (cell
      matrix interaction). In summary, our iPSC-CM-based study to model the effects of
      different strain conditions suggests that intrinsic, genetic-based differences in
      the cardiomyocyte responses to strain may influence disease manifestation in
      vivo.

PMID- 26476766
TI  - Quantifying foot placement variability and dynamic stability of movement to
      assess control mechanisms during forward and lateral running.
AB  - Research has indicated that human walking is more unstable in the secondary,
      rather than primary plane of progression. However, the mechanisms of controlling
      dynamic stability in different planes of progression during running remain
      unknown. The aim of this study was to compare variability (standard deviation and
      coefficient of variation) and dynamic stability (sample entropy and local
      divergence exponent) in anterior-posterior and medio-lateral directions in
      forward and lateral running patterns. For this purpose, fifteen healthy, male
      participants ran in a forward and lateral direction on a treadmill at their
      preferred running speeds. Coordinate data of passive reflective markers attached
      to body segments were recorded using a motion capture system. Results indicated
      that: (1) there is lower dynamic stability in the primary plane of progression
      during both forward and lateral running suggesting that, unlike walking, greater
      control might be required to regulate dynamic stability in the primary plane of
      progression during running, (2) as in walking, the control of stability in
      anterior-posterior and medio-lateral directions of running is dependent on the
      direction of progression, and (3), quantifying magnitude of variability might not
      be sufficient to understand control mechanisms in human movement and directly
      measuring dynamic stability could be an appropriate alternative. 

PMID- 26476767
TI  - Continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices and usefulness of a standardized
      strategy to reduce drive-line infections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Drive-line infection (DLI) is a common complication of left
      ventricular assist device (LVAD) support, leading to significant morbidity that
      jeopardizes the benefits of these devices. It has been reported that DLI
      incidence is related to drive-line dressing strategies. The aim of this study was
      to determine whether implementation of a standardized drive-line care kit would
      reduce the incidence of DLIs. METHODS: DLI data were collected prospectively on
      all LVAD patients implanted between 2009 and 2013 at Columbia University Medical
      Center. Drive-line care was altered on June 1, 2011, from a dry sterile dressing
      without a standard anchoring device to a standardized kit, which included silver
      gauze dressing and a standard anchoring device. The silver dressing was used
      until the wound incorporated, with a minimum of 1 month. RESULTS: During the
      study period, 107 patients were implanted with LVADs before implementation of a
      standardized kit (Group A) and 159 thereafter (Group B). Median follow-up time
      (censoring at June 2011) for Group A was 8.73 (IQR 3.51 to 17.47) months and
      11.65 (IQR 6.66 to 35.20) months for Group B (p = 0.17). DLI event rate improved
      from 0.18 to 0.07 event per patient-year, corresponding to a relative risk
      reduction of 62.5%. In addition, the 1-year freedom from infection was
      significantly increased in Group B (92.46%) compared with Group A (81.94%) (log
      rank = 0.036). CONCLUSION: The use of a standardized kit, including silver
      dressing and a standard anchoring device, leads to decrease in DLI with an
      absolute risk reduction of 11%. Routine use of these dressing techniques is
      warranted based on our findings, and may lead to reduction of complications
      related to infections.

PMID- 26476768
TI  - Echocardiographic evidence of right ventricular functional improvement after
      balloon pulmonary angioplasty in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) induces right
      ventricular (RV) adaptive changes but often results in RV failure and death.
      Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) is a treatment option in patients in whom
      pulmonary endarterectomy is contraindicated and in patients with residual
      pulmonary hypertension after pulmonary endarterectomy. We hypothesized that RV
      reverse remodeling and improved RV function would occur after BPA in patients
      with CTEPH. METHODS: In 26 patients with CTEPH (59 +/- 12 years old; 11 men),
      echocardiography, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, blood samples, and right
      sided cardiac catheterization were performed before and after 4 +/- 2 BPA
      procedures. Echocardiography images were analyzed off-line with particular focus
      on RV function according to current recommendations. Differences from baseline to
      follow-up were analyzed by paired samples t tests. RESULTS: Significant
      improvements in hemodynamics, peak oxygen consumption, and levels of N-terminal
      pro-B-type natriuretic peptide were detected after BPA. All measures of RV
      function improved considerably, including fractional area change (+6%; p =
      0.003), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (+3 mm; p < 0.001), and RV
      free wall peak strain (-4.4; p = 0.002). RV end-diastolic diameter, area, and
      free wall thickness decreased significantly, whereas left ventricular diameter
      and stroke volume increased. CONCLUSIONS: After BPA, a significant improvement in
      RV functional parameters could be observed by echocardiography, adding
      credibility to this form of treatment in patients with CTEPH.

PMID- 26476769
TI  - Remediation of arsenic contaminated soil by coupling oxalate washing with
      subsequent ZVI/Air treatment.
AB  - The application of a novel coupled process with oxalate washing and subsequent
      zero-valent iron (ZVI)/Air treatment for remediation of arsenic contaminated soil
      was investigated in the present study. Oxalate is biodegradable and widely
      present in the environment. With addition of 0.1 mol L(-1) oxalate under
      circumneutral condition, 83.7% and 52.6% of arsenic could be removed from a
      spiked kaolin and an actual contaminated soil respectively. Much more oxalate
      adsorption on the actual soil was attributed to the higher soil organic matter
      and clay content. Interestingly, oxalate retained in the washing effluent could
      act as an organic ligand to promote the oxidation efficiency of ZVI/Air at near
      neutral pH. Compared with the absence of oxalate, much more As(III) was oxidized.
      Arsenic was effectively adsorbed on iron (hydr)oxides as the consumption of
      oxalate and the increase of pH value. For the actual soil washing effluent, about
      94.9% of total arsenic was removed after 120 min's treatment without pH
      adjustment. It has been demonstrated that As(V) was the dominant arsenic
      speciation adsorbed on iron (hydr)oxides. This study provides a promising
      alternative for remediation of arsenic contaminated soil in view of its low cost
      and environmental benign.

PMID- 26476770
TI  - Assessing the distribution and human health risk of organochlorine pesticide
      residues in sediments from selected rivers.
AB  - Sediment samples from major agricultural producing areas in Edo state Nigeria
      were analysed for alpha-HCH, gamma-HCH, beta-HCH and ?DDT with the aim of
      elucidating contamination profiles, distribution characteristics, carcinogenic
      and non-carcinogenic risk of these compounds in these regions. Analysis was done
      using a gas chromatography (GC) equipped with electron capture detector (ECD),
      while health risk assessment was carried out using the Incremental Lifetime
      Cancer Risk (ILCR) and the chronic daily intake (CDI). Results showed varying
      concentrations of alpha-HCH, gamma-HCH, beta-HCH and ?DDT pesticides in sediment
      samples with hexachlorocyclohexane (?HCHs) (4.6 ug/g/dw) being the dominant
      contaminants as it was widely detected in all samples and stations. Source
      identification revealed that the current levels of HCHs and DDT in sediments were
      attributed to both historical use and fresh usage of these pesticides. Risk
      estimates using ILCR and CDI showed that the risk of cancer and non-cancer
      effects was highest when exposure route was through ingestion. Furthermore, model
      projections highlights children as high risk population groups for non-dietary
      exposure to OCPs. These findings suggests the need for increased monitoring
      programmes, with a wider scope for both currently used pesticides and
      legacy/banned pesticides.

PMID- 26476771
TI  - Pathological repeat variation at the SCA17/TBP gene in south Indian patients.
AB  - Despite the intense debate around the repeat instability reported on the large
      group of neurological disorders caused by trinucleotide repeat expansions, little
      is known about the mutation process underlying alleles in the normal range,
      diseases range, large normal alleles (LNAs). In this study, we assessed the CAG
      repeats at SCA17 in 188 clinical SCA patients and 100 individuals without any
      neurological signs. This highly polymorphic population displayed high variability
      in the CAG repeats and ranged from 19-38 CAG repeats in patients with mode of 20
      and 19-32 CAG repeats in controls with mode of 24. The triplet repeat expansion
      was not detected in any of the 188 patients, as per the reference pathogenic
      range (>43 repeats); however, 2.7% of the patients had >33 CAG repeats with a
      clinical phenotype close to what is expected of SCA 17 patients. The findings of
      this study implicate a more sophisticated interpretation of SCA17 gene and raise
      the question about the diagnostic thresh hold between normal and expanded repeats
      in our population. 

PMID- 26476772
TI  - Hereditary diffuse leukoencephalopathy with spheroids (HDLS) with a novel CSF1R
      mutation and spinal cord involvement.

PMID- 26476773
TI  - A tale of the unexpected: Amyloidoma associated with intracerebral
      lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma.
AB  - Amyloidoma is a rare cause for intracranial space-occupying lesions diagnosed on
      brain imaging. Histology of excised tissue usually reveals the presence of a
      discrete, lambda-light chain secreting plasmacytoma adjacent to an amyloid mass
      comprising aggregated monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains. We described a
      patient with intracerebral amyloidoma associated with a localised
      lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and no systemic paraproteinaemia, tumour or amyloid
      deposits. 

PMID- 26476775
TI  - Increased albumin CSF/serum ratio in dementia with Lewy bodies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alterations in the CSF/serum albumin ratio (Qalb) is currently
      recognized as one of the most reliable markers of blood-brain barrier impairment
      and blood-CSF barrier permeability, but its potential role as a biomarker in the
      differential diagnosis of neurological diseases has been poorly analysed.
      METHODS: We evaluated Qalb and core CSF biomarkers (Tau, p-Tau and Abeta42) in a
      large patient population of neurological and neurodegenerative cases. Diagnostic
      test evaluation was assessed by ROC-AUC analysis. RESULTS: In the differential
      diagnostic analysis, increased Qalb was found in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)
      patients compared to other diseases, either individually or stratified in non
      dementia and dementia groups. When clinical groups were analysed individually and
      compared to controls, Qalb was also increased in stroke and Parkinson's disease
      dementia (PDD) cases, but not in Parkinson's disease (PD). Qalb in DLB cases
      correlate with CSF Abeta42 levels but not with Tau and p-Tau levels. Due to the
      lower CSF Abeta42 levels in DLB compared to PD and PDD, the potential clinical
      applicability of Qalb with respect to the DLB diagnosis is increased in
      combination with CSF Abeta42 analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The present study
      demonstrates increased Qalb in synucleinopathies associated with dementia
      revealing a potential new clinical approach for the differential diagnosis of
      DLB.

PMID- 26476774
TI  - Clinical impact of leukoaraiosis burden and chronological age on neurological
      deficit recovery and 90-day outcome after minor ischemic stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Ischemic stroke remains a leading cause of disability,
      particularly among the elderly, but this association has not been consistently
      noted among patients with minor stroke. We sought to determine the association of
      chronological age and leukoaraiosis, which is considered a marker of biological
      age, with the degree of neurological deficit recovery and 90-day disability after
      minor ischemic stroke. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 185 patients with a
      minor ischemic stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score
      <= 5). Leukoaraiosis severity was graded according to the van Swieten scale.
      NIHSS was assessed at baseline, discharge, and 90-days. Multivariable linear and
      ordinal logistic regression analyses were constructed to identify independent
      predictors of the degree of NIHSS-improvement (DeltaNIHSS) and 90-day outcome as
      assessed by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). RESULTS: Patients with severe
      leukoaraiosis had attenuated DeltaNIHSS at 90 days as compared to patients with
      none-to-mild leukoaraiosis (p=0.028). After adjustment, leukoaraiosis severity
      (p<0.001) but not chronological age (p=0.771) was independently associated with
      the DeltaNIHSS by day 90. Severe leukoaraiosis (p=0.003, OR 3.1, 95%-CI 1.5-6.4),
      older age (p=0.001, OR 1.0 95%-CI 1.0-1.1), and admission NIHSS (p<0.001, OR 1.5,
      95%-CI 1.2-1.8) were independent predictors of the 90-day mRS. CONCLUSION:
      Leukoaraiosis is a more sensitive predictor for neurological deficit recovery
      after ischemic stroke than chronological age. Further study is required to
      establish the specific contribution of leukoaraiosis to functional outcome after
      minor ischemic stroke beyond its impact on recovery mechanisms.

PMID- 26476777
TI  - The epidemiology of poor outcomes after pulmonary exacerbations.

PMID- 26476776
TI  - Absence of association between major vault protein (MVP) gene polymorphisms and
      drug resistance in Chinese Han patients with partial epilepsy.
AB  - Drug resistance in epilepsy is common despite many antiepileptic drugs (AEDs)
      available for treatment. The development of drug resistant epilepsy may be a
      result of multiple factors. Several previous studies reported that the major
      vault protein (MVP) was significantly increased in epileptogenic brain tissues
      resected from patients with partial-onset seizures, indicating the possible
      involvement of MVP in drug resistance. In this article, we aimed to identify the
      association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of MVP gene and drug
      resistance of partial epilepsy in a Chinese Han population. A total of 510
      patients with partial-onset seizures and 206 healthy controls were recruited.
      Among the patients, 222 were drug resistant and 288 were responsive. The
      selection of tagging SNPs was based on the Hapmap database and Haploview software
      and the genotyping was conducted on the Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX platform. For
      the selected loci rs12149746, rs9938630 and rs4788186 in the MVP gene, there was
      no significant difference in allele or genotype distribution between the drug
      resistant and responsive groups, or between all of the patients and healthy
      controls. Linkage disequilibrium between any two loci was detected but there was
      no significant difference in haplotype frequency between the drug resistant and
      responsive groups. Our results suggest that MVP genetic polymorphisms and
      haplotypes may not be associated with drug resistance of partial epilepsy in the
      Chinese Han population. 

PMID- 26476778
TI  - How prepared are young, rural women in India to address their sexual and
      reproductive health needs? a cross-sectional assessment of youth in Jharkhand.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Young, rural Indian women lack sexual and reproductive health (SRH)
      information and agency and are at risk of negative sexual and reproductive health
      outcomes. Youth-focused interventions have been shown to improve agency and self
      efficacy of young women to make decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive
      health. The objectives of this study were to assess young women's sexual and
      reproductive health knowledge; describe their health-seeking behaviors; describe
      young women's experiences with sexual and reproductive health issues, including
      unwanted pregnancy and abortion; and identify sources of information, including
      media sources. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey with a representative sample of
      1381 married and unmarried women young women (15-24 years) from three rural
      community development blocks in Jharkhand, India was conducted in 2012.
      Participants were asked a series of questions related to their SRH knowledge and
      behavior, as well as questions related to their agency in several domains related
      to self-efficacy and decision-making. Linear regression was used to assess
      factors associated with greater or less individual agency and to determine
      differences in SRH knowledge and behavior between married and unmarried women.
      RESULTS: Despite national policies, participants married young (mean 15.7 years)
      and bore children early (53 % with first birth by 17 years). Women achieved low
      composite scores on knowledge around sex and pregnancy, contraception, and
      abortion knowledge. Around 3 % of married young women reported experiencing
      induced abortion; 92 % of these women used private or illegal providers. Married
      and unmarried women also had limited agency in decision-making, freedom of
      mobility, self-efficacy, and financial resources. Most of the women in the sample
      received SRH information by word of mouth. CONCLUSIONS: Lack of knowledge about
      sexual and reproductive health in this context indicates that young rural Indian
      women would benefit from a youth-friendly SRH intervention to improve the women's
      self-efficacy and decision-making capacity regarding their own health. A
      communication intervention using outreach workers may be a successful method for
      delivering this intervention.

PMID- 26476779
TI  - GERV: a statistical method for generative evaluation of regulatory variants for
      transcription factor binding.
AB  - MOTIVATION: The majority of disease-associated variants identified in genome-wide
      association studies reside in noncoding regions of the genome with regulatory
      roles. Thus being able to interpret the functional consequence of a variant is
      essential for identifying causal variants in the analysis of genome-wide
      association studies. RESULTS: We present GERV (generative evaluation of
      regulatory variants), a novel computational method for predicting regulatory
      variants that affect transcription factor binding. GERV learns a k-mer-based
      generative model of transcription factor binding from ChIP-seq and DNase-seq
      data, and scores variants by computing the change of predicted ChIP-seq reads
      between the reference and alternate allele. The k-mers learned by GERV capture
      more sequence determinants of transcription factor binding than a motif-based
      approach alone, including both a transcription factor's canonical motif and
      associated co-factor motifs. We show that GERV outperforms existing methods in
      predicting single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with allele-specific
      binding. GERV correctly predicts a validated causal variant among linked single
      nucleotide polymorphisms and prioritizes the variants previously reported to
      modulate the binding of FOXA1 in breast cancer cell lines. Thus, GERV provides a
      powerful approach for functionally annotating and prioritizing causal variants
      for experimental follow-up analysis. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The
      implementation of GERV and related data are available at
      http://gerv.csail.mit.edu/.

PMID- 26476780
TI  - Scalable clustering algorithms for continuous environmental flow cytometry.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Recent technological innovations in flow cytometry now allow
      oceanographers to collect high-frequency flow cytometry data from particles in
      aquatic environments on a scale far surpassing conventional flow cytometers. The
      SeaFlow cytometer continuously profiles microbial phytoplankton populations
      across thousands of kilometers of the surface ocean. The data streams produced by
      instruments such as SeaFlow challenge the traditional sample-by-sample approach
      in cytometric analysis and highlight the need for scalable clustering algorithms
      to extract population information from these large-scale, high-frequency flow
      cytometers. RESULTS: We explore how available algorithms commonly used for
      medical applications perform at classification of such a large-scale,
      environmental flow cytometry data. We apply large-scale Gaussian mixture models
      to massive datasets using Hadoop. This approach outperforms current state-of-the
      art cytometry classification algorithms in accuracy and can be coupled with
      manual or automatic partitioning of data into homogeneous sections for further
      classification gains. We propose the Gaussian mixture model with partitioning
      approach for classification of large-scale, high-frequency flow cytometry data.
      AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Source code available for download at
      https://github.com/jhyrkas/seaflow_cluster, implemented in Java for use with
      Hadoop. CONTACT: hyrkas@cs.washington.edu SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
      Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID- 26476781
TI  - A-DaGO-Fun: an adaptable Gene Ontology semantic similarity-based functional
      analysis tool.
AB  - SUMMARY: Gene Ontology (GO) semantic similarity measures are being used for
      biological knowledge discovery based on GO annotations by integrating biological
      information contained in the GO structure into data analyses. To empower users to
      quickly compute, manipulate and explore these measures, we introduce A-DaGO-Fun
      (ADaptable Gene Ontology semantic similarity-based Functional analysis). It is a
      portable software package integrating all known GO information content-based
      semantic similarity measures and relevant biological applications associated with
      these measures. A-DaGO-Fun has the advantage not only of handling datasets from
      the current high-throughput genome-wide applications, but also allowing users to
      choose the most relevant semantic similarity approach for their biological
      applications and to adapt a given module to their needs. AVAILABILITY AND
      IMPLEMENTATION: A-DaGO-Fun is freely available to the research community at
      http://web.cbio.uct.ac.za/ITGOM/adagofun. It is implemented in Linux using Python
      under free software (GNU General Public Licence). CONTACT:
      gmazandu@cbio.uct.ac.za or Nicola.Mulder@uct.ac.za SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
      Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID- 26476782
TI  - iEnhancer-2L: a two-layer predictor for identifying enhancers and their strength
      by pseudo k-tuple nucleotide composition.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Enhancers are of short regulatory DNA elements. They can be bound
      with proteins (activators) to activate transcription of a gene, and hence play a
      critical role in promoting gene transcription in eukaryotes. With the avalanche
      of DNA sequences generated in the post-genomic age, it is a challenging task to
      develop computational methods for timely identifying enhancers from extremely
      complicated DNA sequences. Although some efforts have been made in this regard,
      they were limited at only identifying whether a query DNA element being of an
      enhancer or not. According to the distinct levels of biological activities and
      regulatory effects on target genes, however, enhancers should be further
      classified into strong and weak ones in strength. RESULTS: In view of this, a two
      layer predictor called ' IENHANCER-2L: ' was proposed by formulating DNA elements
      with the 'pseudo k-tuple nucleotide composition', into which the six DNA local
      parameters were incorporated. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first
      computational predictor ever established for identifying not only enhancers, but
      also their strength. Rigorous cross-validation tests have indicated that
      IENHANCER-2L: holds very high potential to become a useful tool for genome
      analysis. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: For the convenience of most
      experimental scientists, a web server for the two-layer predictor was established
      at http://bioinformatics.hitsz.edu.cn/iEnhancer-2L/, by which users can easily
      get their desired results without the need to go through the mathematical
      details. CONTACT: bliu@gordonlifescience.org, bliu@insun.hit.edu.cn,
      xlan@stanford.edu, kcchou@gordonlifescience.org SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
      Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID- 26476784
TI  - Recurrence patterns of cervical infections in children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: (1) Elucidate the recurrence rate of pediatric cervical cellulitis
      and abscess (2) Evaluate the impact of pre-procedural imaging, length of stay,
      culture results, age and gender on readmission rate. METHODS: A retrospective
      review of all admissions to a tertiary pediatric hospital for cellulitis and
      abscess of the neck (ICD-9 682.1) from 2007 to 2013 including all readmissions
      within 91 days. RESULTS: There were a total of 178 admissions (171 patients) with
      the diagnosis of cellulitis and abscess of the neck between 2007 and 2013. The
      rate of surgical intervention was 74% (n=128). The overall readmission rate
      within 91 days was 3.5% (n=6). All patients requiring readmission had undergone a
      procedure during the initial admission and a second procedure during readmission.
      The readmission rate for patient who initially required a procedural intervention
      was 4.6%. There was no statistically significant effect of pre-procedural
      imaging, length of stay, culture results, age or gender on readmission rate.
      Patients with abscess >20mm in diameter had a significantly longer LOS than
      patient with smaller abscesses (4.265 days vs 3.667 days, p<0.001). Furthermore,
      in patients 3 years old or greater, the patients with a larger diameter (>20mm)
      and larger total size were more likely to need surgical drainage. CONCLUSIONS:
      This retrospective review of patients admitted with neck cellulitis and abscess
      at a tertiary care pediatric hospital shows an overall readmission rate of 3.5%.
      All readmissions required a surgical procedure. Older children with larger
      abscess are more likely to require surgical drainage.

PMID- 26476783
TI  - Sexual behavior of migrant workers in Shanghai, China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rapid urbanization of China has resulted in significant domestic
      migration. The purpose of the present study was to survey the sexual behavior of
      migrant workers in Shanghai and determine the risk factors for unprotected sex.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional study of the sexual behavior of 5996 migrant workers
      was conducted in 7 administrative regions of Shanghai in 2012 from August to
      October. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. RESULTS:
      Five thousand seven hundred seventy two out of the 5996 migrants enrolled into
      the present study were primarily young adults aged 34.3 +/- 10.6 years. Of them,
      73.5 % were married, 51.1 % graduated from junior high school, 46.0 % earned 1500
      2500 yuan (RMB) monthly. The majority (82.3 %) of the migrants engaged in sexual
      behavior, and 58.0 % did not use condoms in sexual intercourse. Some of the
      participants (15.2 %) had casual extramarital partners within the previous 12
      months; among them, 76.2 % never or only occasionally used condoms. The results
      of the multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that condom use was
      associated with age, occupation, monthly income, education, and housing
      conditions. Having temporary sexual partners was significantly associated with
      several factors such as unmarried (OR: 0.47, 95 % CI: 0.38-0.57), working at
      domestic (OR: 1.65,95 % CI: 1.17-2.34), working at wholesale/retail(OR: 1.65, 95
      % CI: 1.13-2.13), and male migrants (OR: 2.37, 95 % CI: 1.96-2.85), but not with
      other factors such as age, monthly income, or education. Having casual
      extramarital partners was significantly associated with female migrants working
      at domestic (OR: 1.89, 95 % CI: 1.09-3.28), unmarried male migrants (OR: 0.51, 95
      % CI: 0.36-0.74). CONCLUSION: Closer attention should be paid to sexual health
      education among migrant workers, especially women and those working in domestic
      and wholesale/retail occupations. The use of condoms should be promoted for older
      (>35 y), low-income, and less-educated individuals.

PMID- 26476785
TI  - Editorial overview: Cell reprogramming, regeneration and repair: Reprogramming:
      the eternal circle.

PMID- 26476786
TI  - Elucidating the role of genomics in neonatal sepsis.
AB  - Sepsis is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality, especially in
      vulnerable preterm populations. Immature immune defenses, and environmental and
      maternal factors contribute to this risk, with as many as a third of very preterm
      infants experiencing sepsis during their stay in the neonatal intensive care unit
      (NICU). Epidemiologic and twin studies have suggested that there is a genetic
      contribution to sepsis predilection. Several investigators have conducted
      candidate gene association studies on variants of specific interest and potential
      functional significance in neonatal sepsis. In this review, we describe details
      of studies that have evaluated genetic susceptibility in neonatal sepsis, and
      summarize findings from a review of candidate gene association studies. 

PMID- 26476788
TI  - One-hand maneuver to facilitate flexible fiber-optic bronchoscope-guided
      nasotracheal intubation in sedated patients.

PMID- 26476787
TI  - Renal function is associated with indicators of arsenic methylation capacity in
      Bangladeshi adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arsenic (As) methylation capacity in epidemiologic studies is
      typically indicated by the proportions of inorganic As (%InAs), monomethylarsonic
      acid (%MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (%DMA) in urine as a fraction of total
      urinary As. The relationship between renal function and indicators of As
      methylation capacity has not been thoroughly investigated. OBJECTIVES: Our two
      aims were to examine (1) associations between estimated glomerular filtration
      rate (eGFR) and %As metabolites in blood and urine, and (2) whether renal
      function modifies the relationship of blood %As metabolites with respective
      urinary %As metabolites. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study of 375 As-exposed
      Bangladeshi adults, we measured blood and urinary As metabolites, and calculated
      eGFR from plasma cystatin C. RESULTS: In covariate-adjusted linear models, a 1
      ml/min/1.73 m(2) increase in eGFR was associated with a 0.39% increase in urinary
      %InAs (p<0.0001) and a mean decrease in urinary %DMA of 0.07 (p=0.0005). In the
      292 participants with measurable blood As metabolites, the associations of eGFR
      with increased blood %InAs and decreased blood %DMA did not reach statistical
      significance. eGFR was not associated with urinary or blood %MMA in covariate
      adjusted models. For a given increase in blood %InAs, the increase in urinary
      %InAs was smaller in those with reduced eGFR, compared to those with normal eGFR
      (p=0.06); this effect modification was not observed for %MMA or %DMA.
      CONCLUSIONS: Urinary excretion of InAs may be impaired in individuals with
      reduced renal function. Alternatively, increased As methylation capacity (as
      indicated by decreased urinary %InAs) may be detrimental to renal function.

PMID- 26476790
TI  - Depressive symptoms, anxiety and academic motivation in youth: Do schools and
      families make a difference?
AB  - This longitudinal study aimed to examine the association between depressive and
      anxiety symptoms and academic motivation by gender, and whether positive school
      and family factors would be associated with academic motivation, in spite of the
      presence of such symptoms. Study participants were predominantly economically
      disadvantaged youths aged 13-15 years in a Northeastern US urban public school
      system. The Social and Health Assessment (SAHA) served as the basis for a survey
      undertaken in 2003 and 2004 with information being used from students who
      participated at both time points (N = 643). Multiple linear regression analyses
      showed that depressive symptoms were negatively associated with academic
      motivation, while anxiety was positively related to academic motivation in both
      genders. Teacher support, school attachment and parental control were positively
      related to academic motivation even in the presence of internalizing problems.
      The negative association of depressive symptoms with academic motivation may be
      potentially decreased by attachment to school. 

PMID- 26476789
TI  - Set-up errors and planning margins in planar and CBCT image-guided radiotherapy
      using three different imaging systems: A clinical study for prostate and head-and
      neck cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this work is to compare the positioning accuracy achieved
      by three different imaging techniques and planar vs. CBCT imaging for two common
      IGRT indications. METHODS: A collective of prostate cancer and head-and-neck
      cancer patients treated at our institution during the year 2013 was
      retrospectively analyzed. For all treatment fractions (3078 in total), the kind
      of acquired set-up image and the performed couch shift before treatment were
      assessed. The distribution of couch corrections was compared for three different
      imaging systems available at our institution: the treatment beam line operating
      at 6 MV, a dedicated imaging beam line of nominally 1 MV, and the kVision system
      at 70-121 kV. Shifts were analyzed for planar and cone-beam CT images. Based on
      the set-up corrections, CTV to PTV expansion margins were calculated. RESULTS:
      The difference in set-up corrections performed for the three energies and both
      techniques (planar vs. CBCT) was not significant for head-and-neck cancer
      patients. For prostate cancer all shifts had equal variance. Averages ranged from
      -0.7 to +0.7 mm. The set-up margins calculated on the basis of the observed
      shifts are 4.0 mm (AP) and 3.8 mm (SI, LR) for the head-and-neck PTV and 6.6 mm
      (SI), 6.7 mm (AP) and 7.9 mm (LR) for the prostate cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS:
      For three different linac-based imaging energies and planar/CBCT imaging, no
      relevant differences in set-up shifts were observed. The suggested set-up margins
      for these indications are of the order of 4 mm for head-and-neck and 6-8 mm for
      prostate treatment.

PMID- 26476791
TI  - The functions of a cucumber phospholipase D alpha gene (CsPLDalpha) in growth and
      tolerance to hyperosmotic stress.
AB  - Plant phospholipase D (PLD), which can hydrolyze membrane phospholipids to
      produce phosphatidic acid (PA), a secondary signaling molecule, has been proposed
      to function in diverse plant stress responses. In this research, a qRT-PCR
      analysis indicated that the expression of a cucumber phospholipase D alpha gene
      (CsPLDalpha) was induced by salt and drought stresses in the roots and leaves. To
      further study the roles of CsPLDalpha in regulating plant tolerance to salt,
      polyethylene glycol (PEG) and abscisic acid (ABA) stresses, transgenic tobacco
      plants constitutively overexpressing CsPLDalpha were produced. A qRT-PCR analysis
      showed that the CsPLDalpha transcript levels were high in transgenic tobacco
      lines, whereas no expression was found in wild type (WT) tobacco, indicating that
      CsPLDalpha was successfully transferred into the tobacco genome and
      overexpressed. Under normal conditions for 30 d, seeds of transgenic lines
      germinated neatly, and the seedlings were robust and bigger than WT plants. When
      treated with different concentrations of NaCl, PEG and ABA, germination rates and
      seedling sizes of the transgenic lines were significantly greater than WT. In
      addition, the germination times for transgenic lines were also remarkably
      shorter. Further studies indicated that transgenic lines had longer primary roots
      and more biomass accumulation than WT plants. The water loss in transgenic lines
      was also much lower than in WT. These findings suggest that the CsPLDalpha
      overexpression positively regulates plant tolerance to hyperosmotic stresses, and
      that CsPLDalpha is involved in the ABA regulation of stomatal closure and the
      alleviation of ABA inhibition on seed germination and seedling growth. 

PMID- 26476792
TI  - Wheat TaSP gene improves salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - A novel salt-induced gene with unknown functions was cloned through analysis of
      gene expression profile of a salt-tolerant wheat mutant RH8706-49 under salt
      stress. The gene was named Triticum aestivum salt-related protein (TaSP) and
      deposited in GenBank (Accession No. KF307326). Quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction (qPCR) results showed that TaSP expression was induced under salt,
      abscisic acid (ABA), and polyethylene glycol (PEG) stresses. Subcellular
      localization revealed that TaSP was mainly localized in cell membrane.
      Overexpression of TaSP in Arabidopsis could improve salt tolerance of 35S::TaSP
      transgenic Arabidopsis. 35S::TaSP transgenic Arabidopsis lines after salt stress
      presented better physiological indexes than the control group. In the non
      invasive micro-test (NMT), an evident Na(+) excretion was observed at the root
      tip of salt-stressed 35S::TaSP transgenic Arabidopsis. TaSP promoter was cloned,
      and its beta-glucuronidase (GUS) activities before and after ABA, salt, cold,
      heat, and salicylic acid (SA) stresses were determined. Full-length TaSP promoter
      contained ABA and salt response elements. 

PMID- 26476793
TI  - Differential tolerance of 3 self-rooted Citrus limon cultivars to NaCl stress.
AB  - One-year-old self-rooted cuttings of three Citrus limon cultivars (Nouvel Athos,
      Lisbon, Maglini) were grown in 1 L black plastic bags, containing a mixture of
      sand: perlite (1:1), in order to investigate: i) if genotypic differences to salt
      stress existed, ii) if KNO3 can alleviate salinity stress, iii) the role of
      carbohydrates (such as the sugars fructose, glucose and sucrose) and proline as
      possible osmoregulators in C. limon osmoprotection, and iv) if genotypic
      differences to salt stress tolerance exist among the 3 studied cultivars. The
      experiment included 3 treatments: i) control (C), i.e. 25% modified Hoagland
      (No2) solution (MHS)-NaCl, ii) T1, 25% MHS+80 mM NaCl, iii) T2, 25% MHS+80 mM
      NaCl+5 mM KNO3. Plant growth was negatively affected by high NaCl (T1); the
      highest Cl and Na quantities have been absorbed by Lisbon, while the lowest ones
      by Maglini. Salt stress reduced macronutrient and Zn concentrations, as well as
      the total carbohydrate concentration, and increased peroxidase (POD) activity and
      chlorophyll fluorescence in the leaves of the 3 C. limon cultivars studied; five
      mM KNO3 application alleviated the harmful effect of salt stress on leaf total
      carbohydrate concentration and leaf N and K concentrations. Sucrose was
      dramatically reduced in all the three genotypes studied, while leaf fructose
      concentration was significantly increased in Nouvel Nouvel Nouvel Athos and
      Maglini under salt stress. Leaf proline concentration of Maglini was
      significantly decreased by the high NaCl concentration, while Nouvel Athos and
      Lisbon had high proline concentration in their leaves. In conclusion, from the
      significantly decreased levels of proline for Maglini, together with the greatest
      reduction of the ratio Fv/Fm and the least enhancement of POD activity-compared
      to the other two cultivars-it can be concluded that Maglini was more susceptible
      to salinity, and should not be preferred for cultivation under NaCl stress.
      Finally, rich KNO3 application alleviated the harmful effect of NaCl stress, thus
      it is highly recommended for use by the growers in areas with salt problems. 

PMID- 26476794
TI  - IgA nephropathy associated with acute interstitial nephritis after administering
      iodinated contrast media.

PMID- 26476795
TI  - Neurocognitive Dysfunction in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults With CKD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neurocognitive dysfunction is a known complication in children with
      chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, less is known about putative mechanisms or
      modifiable risk factors. The objective of this study was to characterize and
      determine risk factors for cognitive dysfunction in children, adolescents, and
      young adults with CKD compared with controls. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional
      study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: The Neurocognitive Assessment and Magnetic
      Resonance Imaging Analysis of Children and Young Adults With Chronic Kidney
      Disease (NiCK) Study included 90 individuals aged 8 to 25 years with CKD compared
      with 70 controls. PREDICTORS: CKD versus control, estimated glomerular filtration
      rate (eGFR), ambulatory blood pressure. OUTCOMES: Performance on neurocognitive
      assessment with relevant tests grouped into 11 domains defined a priori by expert
      opinion. Results of tests were converted to age-normalized z scores.
      MEASUREMENTS: Each neurocognitive domain was analyzed through linear regression,
      adjusting for eGFR and demographic and clinical variables. For domains defined by
      multiple tests, the median z score of tests in that domain was used. RESULTS: We
      found significantly poorer performance in multiple areas of neurocognitive
      function among individuals with CKD compared with controls. Particular deficits
      were seen in domains related to attention, memory, and inhibitory control.
      Adjusted for demographic and clinical factors, we found lower performance in
      multiple domains with decreasing eGFRs (attention: beta=0.053, P=0.02; visual
      spatial: beta=0.062, P=0.02; and visual working memory: beta=0.069, P=0.04).
      Increased diastolic load and decreased diastolic nocturnal dipping on ambulatory
      blood pressure monitoring were independently associated with impairments in
      neurocognitive performance. LIMITATIONS: Unable to assess changes in
      neurocognitive function over time, and neurocognitive tests were grouped into
      predetermined neurocognitive domains. CONCLUSIONS: Lower eGFR in children,
      adolescents, and young adults is associated with poorer neurocognitive
      performance, particularly in areas of attention, memory, and inhibitory control.
      Hypertension identified on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring may be an
      important risk factor, illustrating that neurocognitive function is an area of
      target-organ damage in CKD.

PMID- 26476796
TI  - Nicorandil vs nifedipine for the treatment of preterm labour: a randomized
      clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of the potassium channel opener
      nicorandil with the calcium channel blocker nifedipine for tocolysis in preterm
      labour. METHODS: A randomized clinical trial of 200 pregnant women in preterm
      labour was conducted at Menoufia University Hospital, Egypt. Eligible women were
      assigned at random into two groups: 100 women received nicorandil and 100 women
      received nifedipine. Prolongation of pregnancy for 48h was the primary outcome
      measure. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were also assessed. RESULTS: Nicorandil
      was comparable to nifedipine for prolongation of pregnancy for 48h, 7 days and up
      to 37 weeks of gestation (p>0.05). Women treated with nicorandil were
      significantly more likely to experience nausea and vomiting, maternal tachycardia
      and fetal tachycardia (60%, 55% and 30% of cases, respectively) compared with
      women treated with nifedipine (p<0.001). Women treated with nifedipine were
      significantly more likely to experience palpitations (65%, p<0.05) and headaches
      (70%, p<0.001) than women treated with nicorandil. No differences in neonatal
      outcome were observed between the two groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Nicorandil is
      as effective as nifedipine for tocolysis in preterm labour, but is more likely to
      cause maternal and fetal tachycardia which may be of concern. Larger studies are
      needed to assess the safety of nicorandil as a novel oral tocolytic agent.
      CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Pan African Clinical Trials Registry
      (http://www.pactr.org). PACTR201405000757313.

PMID- 26476798
TI  - Best practice in management of paediatric and adolescent hydrosalpinges: a
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hydrosalpinx is a rare cause of abdominal pain in paediatric
      patients, though cases are documented in the literature. Its aetiology differs
      considerably from traditional hydrosalpinx due to ascending sexually transmitted
      infection. Hydrosalpinx can present mimicking an acute abdomen or can be
      asymptomatic. Management of paediatric hydrosalpinx varies, but often involves
      surgical removal of the affected tube. METHODS: In June 2015, a literature search
      using relevant keywords was completed on MEDLINE and EMBASE databases to
      determine best management of paediatric hydrosalpinx. RESULTS: We found 66 cases
      from 38 articles. Surgical intervention took place in 74% of cases (n=49). The
      most common surgical intervention was salpingectomy. In 3% of cases (n=2),
      nonsurgical medical management with hormonal therapy was utilized, with post
      operative improvement in symptomology. In 23% of cases (n=15), conservative
      management was utilized: 2 of these cases torted, 4 cases persisted and 9 cases
      resolved. CONCLUSION: Overall, the results of this review demonstrate that there
      are comparable outcomes between surgical, medical and conservative management.
      However, medical and conservative management was not often offered, and more
      research is needed on the subject.

PMID- 26476797
TI  - The expression of thyroid hormone receptors (THR) is regulated by the
      progesterone receptor system in first trimester placental tissue and in BeWo
      cells in vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thyroid hormones are essential for the maintenance of pregnancy and a
      deficiency in maternal thyroid hormones has been associated with early pregnancy
      losses. The aim of this study was a systematic investigation of the influence of
      mifepristone (RU 486) on the expression of the thyroid hormone receptor (THR)
      isoforms THRalpha1, THRalpha2, THRbeta1 and THRbeta2 on protein and mRNA-level.
      METHODS: Samples of placental tissue were obtained from patients with
      mifepristone induced termination of pregnancy (n=13) or mechanical induced
      termination of normal pregnancy (n=20), each from the 4th to 13th week of
      pregnancy. Expression of THRalpha1, THRalpha2, THRbeta1 and THRbeta2 was analysed
      on protein level by immunohistochemistry and on mRNA level by real time RT-PCR
      (TaqMan). The influence of progesterone on THR gene expression was analysed in
      the trophoblast tumour cell line BeWo by real time RT-PCR (TaqMan). RESULTS:
      Nuclear expression of THRalpha1, THRalpha2 and THRbeta1 is downregulated on
      protein level in mifepristone (RU 486) treated villous trophoblast tissue. In
      decidual tissue, we found a significant downregulation only for THRalpha1 in
      mifepristone treated tissue. On mRNA level, we also found a significantly reduced
      expression of THRA but no significant downregulation for THRB in placental
      tissue. The gene THRA encodes the isoform THRalpha and the gene THRB encodes the
      isoform THRbeta. The majority of cells expressing the thyroid hormone receptors
      in the decidua are decidual stromal cells. In addition, in vitro experiments with
      trophoblast tumour cells showed that progesterone significantly induced THRA but
      not THRB expression. CONCLUSIONS: Termination of pregnancy with mifepristone (RU
      486) leads to a downregulation of THRalpha1, THRalpha2 and THRbeta1 in villous
      trophoblasts and in addition to a decreased expression of THRA in placental
      tissue. Decreased expression of THRalpha1 induced by RU486 could also be found in
      the decidua. Therefore inhibition of the progesterone receptor may be responsible
      for this downregulation. This assumption is supported by the finding, that
      stimulation of the progesterone receptor by progesterone itself up-regulated THRA
      in trophoblast cells in vitro.

PMID- 26476799
TI  - Does fertility treatment increase the risk of uterine cancer? A meta-analysis.
AB  - An ongoing debate over the last two decades has focused on whether fertility
      treatment in women may lead to an increased risk of developing uterine cancer
      over a period of time. Uterine cancer (including mainly endometrial carcinoma and
      the less common uterine sarcoma) is the commonest reproductive tract cancer and
      the fourth commonest cancer in women in the UK. Our objective was to assess the
      association between fertility drugs used in the treatment of female infertility
      (both as an independent therapy and during in vitro fertilization cycles) and the
      development of uterine cancer. A literature search was performed using Medline,
      Embase, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar databases for comparative studies
      until December 2014 to investigate a clinical significance of fertility treatment
      on the incidence of developing uterine cancer. General and MESH search headings,
      as well as the 'related articles' function were applied. All comparative studies
      of 'fertility treatment' versus 'non-fertility treatment' reporting the incidence
      of uterine cancer as an outcome were included. Uterine cancer incorporated the
      following terms: uterine cancer, uterine body tumours, uterine sarcomas and
      endometrial cancers. The primary outcome of interest was the uterine cancer
      incidence in all 'fertility treatment' versus 'non-fertility treatment' patient
      groups. Secondary outcomes of interest were: (a) uterine cancer incidence in
      'IVF' versus 'non-IVF' patient groups; and (b) uterine cancer incidence according
      to type of fertility drug used. Odds ratio was the summary statistic. Random
      effects modelling, graphical exploration and sensitivity analysis were used to
      evaluate the consistency of the calculated treatment effect. We included six
      studies in our final analysis, which comprised 776,224 patients in total. Of
      these, 103,758 had undergone fertility treatment and 672,466 had not. There was
      100% agreement between the two reviewers regarding the data extraction. All the
      studies contained groups that were comparable in age, although the criteria of
      reporting age varied. Taking all studies into account, the incidence of uterine
      cancer was 0.14% (150 of 103,758) in the fertility treatment group and 2.22%
      (14,918 of 672,466) in the non-fertility treatment group. Using the random-effect
      model to analyze uterine cancer incidence, this difference was not found to be of
      statistical significance: OR 0.78 (95% CI, 0.39-1.57). The degree of
      heterogeneity was high (I(2)=68%). The risk for the development of uterine and in
      particular endometrial cancer posed by infertility and an unopposed oestrogen
      state is widely recognized. The present analysis aimed to perceive whether
      standard fertility drugs were also a risk to future uterine cancer development.
      The treatment does increase the concentrations of unopposed oestrogen for a short
      periods of time but if successful leads to fertility. This meta-analysis points
      to a non-deleterious effect of fertility drugs towards the development of uterine
      cancer, a conclusion strongly supported by our sub-group analysis. 

PMID- 26476800
TI  - Fertility-sparing management of low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma: analysis
      of an institutional series and review of the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LG-ESS) is a rare malignancy,
      often occurring before menopause. There is no consensus regarding its optimal
      management. Total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy precludes
      future fertility and may thus be undesirable by women wishing to maintain their
      reproductive potential. However, experience of fertility-sparing management in LG
      ESS is very limited. In this paper, the disease outcome is presented in six young
      women with LG-ESS conservatively treated by combined hysteroscopic resection and
      hormonal therapy. STUDY DESIGN: From October 2009 to February 2013, at the
      Gynecologic Oncology Department of the National Cancer Institute of Naples, six
      women, with early-stage LG-ESS aged 18-40 years who desired childbearing and/or
      retaining their fertility, were enrolled into a pilot study of fertility-sparing
      management. Diagnosis of LG-ESS was made on specimens from hysteroscopic
      resection performed on a presumed benign lesion. All patients were planned to be
      treated with adjuvant megestrol acetate for two years. Hormonal therapy was
      started within 6 weeks from the hysteroscopic resection, with orally megestrol
      acetate at 40mg daily, increasing gradually according to patient's tolerance to
      the recommended total dose of 160mg daily. RESULTS: All patients were submitted
      to hysteroscopic resection in a one-step procedure. Five patients started
      megestrol acetate within 6 weeks from the hysteroscopic resection (one patient
      did not start hormonal therapy because of early pregnancy after the hysteroscopic
      resection). Hormonal therapy was well tolerated; one patient stopped megestrol
      acetate after 12 months because of self-supporting strong desire to conceive; the
      other four patients regularly completed the hormonal therapy. To date, all
      patients show no evidence of disease. CONCLUSIONS: Although fertility-sparing
      management is not the current standard of care for young women with early-stage
      LG-ESS, our preliminary data are promising. Larger series with a longer follow-up
      are needed to further assess safety and efficacy of combined hysteroscopic
      resection and hormonal therapy.

PMID- 26476801
TI  - Addressing preservation of elastic contrast in energy-filtered transmission
      electron microscopy.
AB  - Energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) images with resolutions
      of the order of an Angstrom can be obtained using modern microscopes corrected
      for chromatic aberration. However, the delocalized nature of the transition
      potentials for atomic ionization often confounds direct interpretation of EFTEM
      images, leading to what is known as "preservation of elastic contrast". In this
      paper we demonstrate how more interpretable images might be obtained by scanning
      with a focused coherent probe and incoherently averaging the energy-filtered
      images over probe position. We dub this new imaging technique energy-filtered
      imaging scanning transmission electron microscopy (EFISTEM). We develop a
      theoretical framework for EFISTEM and show that it is in fact equivalent to
      precession EFTEM, where the plane wave illumination is precessed through a range
      of tilts spanning the same range of angles as the probe forming aperture in
      EFISTEM. It is demonstrated that EFISTEM delivers similar results to scanning
      transmission electron microscopy with an electron energy-loss spectrometer but
      has the advantage that it is immune to coherent aberrations and spatial
      incoherence of the probe and is also more resilient to scan distortions. 

PMID- 26476802
TI  - Differential phase-contrast dark-field electron holography for strain mapping.
AB  - Strain mapping is an active area of research in transmission electron microscopy.
      Here we introduce a dark-field electron holographic technique that shares several
      aspects in common with both off-axis and in-line holography. Two incident and
      convergent plane waves are produced in front of the specimen thanks to an
      electrostatic biprism in the condenser system of a transmission electron
      microscope. The interference of electron beams diffracted by the illuminated
      crystal is then recorded in a defocused plane. The differential phase recovered
      from the hologram is directly proportional to the strain in the sample. The
      strain can be quantified if the separation of the images due to the defocus is
      precisely determined. The present technique has the advantage that the derivative
      of the phase is measured directly which allows us to avoid numerical
      differentiation. The distribution of the noise in the reconstructed strain maps
      is isotropic and more homogeneous. This technique was used to investigate
      different samples: a Si/SiGe superlattice, transistors with SiGe source/drain and
      epitaxial PZT thin films. 

PMID- 26476803
TI  - Diesel cars and health: the Volkswagen emissions scandal.

PMID- 26476804
TI  - Cross-regulation of Pseudomonas motility systems: the intimate relationship
      between flagella, pili and virulence.
AB  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa navigates using two distinct forms of motility, swimming
      and twitching. A polar flagellum and Type 4 pili power these movements,
      respectively, allowing P. aeruginosa to attach to and colonize surfaces. Single
      cell imaging and particle tracking algorithms have revealed a wide range of
      bacterial surface behaviors which are regulated by second messengers cyclic-di
      GMP and cAMP; the production of these signals is, in turn, responsive to the
      engagement of motility organelles with a surface. Innate immune defense systems,
      long known to recognize structural components of flagella, appear to respond to
      motility itself. The association of motility with both upregulation of virulence
      and induction of host defense mechanisms underlies the complex contributions of
      flagella and pili to P. aeruginosa pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26476805
TI  - Interplay between flagellation and cell cycle control in Caulobacter.
AB  - The assembly of the flagellum, a sophisticated nanomachine powering bacterial
      locomotion in liquids and across surfaces, is highly regulated. In the
      synchronizable alpha-Proteobacterium Caulobacter crescentus, the flagellum is
      built at a pre-selected cell pole and flagellar transcript abundance oscillates
      during the cell cycle. Conserved regulators not only dictate when the transcripts
      encoding flagellar structural proteins peak, but also those encoding polarization
      factors. Additionally, post-transcriptional cell cycle cues facilitate flagellar
      (dis-)assembly at the new cell pole. Because of this regulatory complexity and
      the power of bacterial genetics, motility is a suitable and simple proxy for
      dissecting how bacteria implement cell cycle progression and polarity, while also
      providing clues on how bacteria might decide when and where to display other
      surface structures. 

PMID- 26476807
TI  - Comparative study of carbon nanotubes and granular activated carbon:
      Physicochemical properties and adsorption capacities.
AB  - The overall goal was to determine an optimum pre-treatment condition for carbon
      nanotubes (CNTs) to facilitate air pollutant adsorption. Various combinations of
      heat and chemical pre-treatment were explored, and toluene was tested as an
      example hazardous air pollutant adsorbate. Specific objectives were (1) to
      characterize raw and pre-treated single-wall (SW) and multi-wall (MW) CNTs and
      compare their physical/chemical properties to commercially available granular
      activated carbon (GAC), (2) to determine the adsorption capacities for toluene
      onto pre-treated CNTs vs. GAC. CNTs were purified via heat-treatment at 400 
      degrees C in steam, followed by nitric acid treatment (3N, 5N, 11N, 16N) for 3-12
      h to create openings to facilitate adsorption onto interior CNT sites. For SWNT,
      Raman spectroscopy showed that acid treatment removed impurities up to a point,
      but amorphous carbon reformed with 10h-6N acid treatment. Surface area of SWNTs
      with 3 h-3N acid treatment (1347 m(2)/g) was higher than the raw sample (1136
      m(2)/g), and their toluene maximum adsorption capacity was comparable to GAC.
      When bed effluent reached 10% of inlet concentration (breakthrough indicating
      time for bed cleaning), SWNTs had adsorbed 240 mg/g of toluene, compared to 150
      mg/g for GAC. Physical/chemical analyses showed no substantial difference for pre
      treated vs. raw MWNTs.

PMID- 26476806
TI  - Towards a model for Flavobacterium gliding.
AB  - Cells of Flavobacterium johnsoniae, a rod-shaped bacterium about 6 MUm long, do
      not have flagella or pili, yet they move over surfaces at speeds of about 2
      MUm/s. This motion is called gliding. Recent advances in F. johnsoniae research
      include the discovery of mobile cell-surface adhesins and rotary motors. The
      puzzle is how rotary motion leads to linear motion. We suggest a possible
      mechanism, inspired by the snowmobile.

PMID- 26476808
TI  - Surgical Treatment of Primary Cardiac Sarcomas: Review of a Single-Institution
      Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary cardiac sarcomas are rare, aggressive, and usually lethal.
      Surgical management protocols are not defined because of the lack of extensive
      experience in treating these patients. In this study, we reviewed our outcomes
      with primary cardiac sarcoma, and we make recommendations regarding management.
      METHODS: Review of the Houston Methodist Hospital cardiac tumor database from
      1990 to 2015 (25 years) yielded 131 primary cardiac evaluations of possible
      cardiac sarcoma. From these we identified 95 patients who underwent surgical
      excision. A computer search of cardiac sarcomas yielded 131 tumors that were
      coded as primary cardiac sarcoma or possible primary cardiac sarcoma.
      Retrospective data collection and clinical outcomes were evaluated for all 95
      patients. Medical records and follow-up material were requested for all patients
      through clinic visits and contacting the physician of the patient, the hospital
      record department, and the cardiac tumor board after previous approval. The
      procedures were performed using an institutional review board-approved cardiac
      tumor protocol, and the patients gave full consent. RESULTS: All 95 patients were
      diagnosed as having primary cardiac sarcoma by histologic appearance. Age ranged
      from 15 to 84 years at the time of presentation (mean, 44 years). Male patients
      made up 57% of the sample. The most common site for the cardiac sarcoma was the
      right atrium (37 patients) followed by the left atrium (31 patients).
      Postoperative 1-year mortality was 35% (33 patients). The most common tumor
      histologic type was angiosarcoma (40%) followed by spindle cell sarcoma (11%).
      CONCLUSIONS: Primary cardiac sarcoma is a rare but lethal disease. Surgical
      intervention is associated with acceptable surgical mortality in this high-risk
      group of patients.

PMID- 26476809
TI  - Binding assessment of two arachidonic-based synthetic derivatives of adrenalin
      with beta-lactoglobulin: Molecular modeling and chemometrics approach.
AB  - A computational approach to predict the main binding modes of two adrenalin
      derivatives, arachidonoyl adrenalin (AA-AD) and arachidonoyl noradrenalin (AA
      NOR) with the beta-lactoglubuline (BLG) as a nano-milk protein carrier is
      presented and assessed by comparison to the UV-Vis absorption spectroscopic data
      using chemometric analysis. Analysis of the spectral data matrices by using the
      multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) algorithm led
      to the pure concentration calculation and spectral profiles resolution of the
      chemical constituents and the apparent equilibrium constants computation. The
      negative values of entropy and enthalpy changes for both compound indicated the
      essential role of hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions as main driving
      forces in stabilizing protein-ligand complex. Computational studies predicted
      that both derivatives are situated in the calyx pose and remained in that pose
      during the whole time of simulation with no any significant protein structural
      changes which pointed that the BLG could be considered as a suitable carrier for
      these catecholamine compounds. 

PMID- 26476810
TI  - Evolution of CPMAS under fast magic-angle-spinning at 100 kHz and beyond.
AB  - This article describes recent trends of high-field solid-state NMR (SSNMR)
      experiments for small organic molecules and biomolecules using (13)C and (15)N
      CPMAS under ultra-fast MAS at a spinning speed (nuR) of 80-100kHz. First, we
      illustrate major differences between a modern low-power RF scheme using UFMAS in
      an ultra-high field and a traditional CPMAS scheme using a moderate sample
      spinning in a lower field. Features and sensitivity advantage of a low-power RF
      scheme using UFMAS and a small sample coil are summarized for CPMAS-based
      experiments. Our 1D (13)C CPMAS experiments for uniformly (13)C- and (15)N
      labeled alanine demonstrated that the sensitivity per given sample amount
      obtained at nuR of 100kHz and a (1)H NMR frequency (nuH) of 750.1MHz is ~10 fold
      higher than that of a traditional CPMAS experiment obtained at nuR of 20kHz and
      nuH of 400.2MHz. A comparison of different (1)H-decoupling schemes in CPMAS at
      nuR of 100kHz for the same sample demonstrated that low-power WALTZ-16 decoupling
      unexpectedly displayed superior performance over traditional low-power schemes
      designed for SSNMR such as TPPM and XiX in a range of decoupling field strengths
      of 5-20kHz. Excellent (1)H decoupling performance of WALTZ-16 was confirmed on a
      protein microcrystal sample of GB1 at nuR of 80kHz. We also discuss the
      feasibility of a SSNMR microanalysis of a GB1 protein sample in a scale of 1nmol
      to 80nmol by (1)H-detected 2D (15)N/(1)H SSNMR by a synergetic use of a high
      field, a low-power RF scheme, a paramagnetic-assisted condensed data collection
      (PACC), and UFMAS. 

PMID- 26476811
TI  - Solid-state (13)C NMR and synchrotron SAXS/WAXS studies of uniaxially-oriented
      polyethylene.
AB  - We report solid-state (13)C NMR and synchrotron wide-and small-angle X-ray
      scattering experiments (WAXS, SAXS) on metallocene linear low density
      polyethylene films (e.g., ExceedTM 1018 mLLDPE; nominally 1MI, 0.918 density
      ethylene-hexene metallocene copolymer) as a function of uniaxial draw ratio,
      lambda. Combined, these experiments provide an unambiguous, quantitative
      molecular view of the orientation of both the crystalline and amorphous phases in
      the samples as a function of draw. Together with previously reported differential
      scanning calorimetry (DSC), gas transport measurements, transmission electron
      microscopy (TEM), optical birefringence, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) as
      well as other characterization techniques, this study of the state of orientation
      in both phases provides insight concerning the development of unusually high
      barrier properties of the most oriented samples (lambda=10). In this work, static
      (non-spinning) solid-state NMR measurements indicate that in the drawn Exceed(TM)
      films both the crystalline and amorphous regions are highly oriented. In
      particular, chemical shift data show the amorphous phase is comprised
      increasingly of so-called "taut tie chains" (or tie chains under any state of
      tautness) in the mLLDPE with increasing draw ratio - the resonance lines
      associated with the amorphous phase shift to where the crystalline peaks are
      observed. In the sample with highest total draw (lambda=10), virtually all of the
      chains in the non-crystalline region have responded and aligned in the machine
      (draw) direction. Both monoclinic and orthorhombic crystalline peaks are observed
      in high-resolution, solid-state magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR measurements of
      the oriented PE films. The orientation is comparable to that obtained for ultra
      high molecular weight HDPE fibers described as "ultra-oriented" in the
      literature. Furthermore, the presence of a monoclinic peak in cold-drawn samples
      suggests that there is an appreciable internal stress associated with the LLDPE.
      The results are confirmed and independently quantified by Herman's Orientation
      Function values derived from the WAXS measurements. The degree of orientation
      approaches theoretically perfect alignment of chains along the draw direction. We
      deduce from this observation that a high fraction of the non-crystalline chains
      are either tie chains that directly connect adjacent lamellae or are interlocking
      loops from adjacent lamellae. In either case, the chains are load-bearing and are
      consistent with the idea of "taut tie chains". We note that transmission electron
      micrographs recorded for the ultra-oriented Exceed showed the lamellae are often
      appreciably thinner and shorter than they are for cast or blown Exceed 1018.
      Combined with higher crystallinity, the thinner lamellae statistically favor more
      tie chains. Finally, the remarkably large decrease in permeability of the
      lambda=10 film is primarily attributed to the high degree of orientation (and
      loss of entropy) of the amorphous phase. 

PMID- 26476812
TI  - Alicyclobacillus fodiniaquatilis sp. nov., isolated  from acid mine water.
AB  - Two novel, Gram-stain-variable, moderately thermophilic, acidophilic, rod-shaped,
      endospore-forming bacteria, G45-16T and G45-17, were isolated from acid mine
      water of Zijin copper mine in Fujian Province, China. Phylogenetic analysis of
      16S rRNA gene sequences showed that they were closely related to Alicyclobacillus
      acidoterrestris ATCC 49025T with sequence similarities of 96.8 %. Cells grew
      aerobically at 20-45  degrees C (optimum, 40  degrees C), at pH 2.5-5.5(optimum,
      pH 3.5) and in the presence of 0-4.0 % (w/v) NaCl. Strains contained MK-7 as the
      major menaquinone and the major cellular fatty acids were omega-cyclohexane C19 :
      0 and omega-cyclohexane C17 : 0. The DNA G+C content was 51.3 and 49.8 mol% (Tm)
      for G45-16T and G45-17, respectively. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic
      and phylogenetic comparisons with their relatives and DNA-DNA relatedness values,
      it is concluded that strains G45-16T and G45-17 represent a novel species within
      the genus Alicyclobacillus, for which the name Alicyclobacillus fodiniaquatilis
      sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is G45-16T(=CGMCC 1.15049T=NBRC 111483T).

PMID- 26476813
TI  - Towards future archives and historiographies of 'big biology'.

PMID- 26476814
TI  - Plant Thermoregulation: Energetics, Trait-Environment Interactions, and Carbon
      Economics.
AB  - Building a more predictive trait-based ecology requires mechanistic theory based
      on first principles. We present a general theoretical approach to link traits and
      climate. We use plant leaves to show how energy budgets (i) provide a foundation
      for understanding thermoregulation, (ii) explain mechanisms driving trait
      variation across environmental gradients, and (iii) guide selection on functional
      traits via carbon economics. Although plants are often considered to be
      poikilotherms, the data suggest that they are instead limited homeotherms. Leaf
      functional traits that promote limited homeothermy are adaptive because
      homeothermy maximizes instantaneous and lifetime carbon gain. This theory
      provides a process-based foundation for trait-climate analyses and shows that
      future studies should consider plant (not only air) temperatures. 

PMID- 26476815
TI  - Rapid Anthropocene Speciation Reveals Pull of the Recent: A Response to Thomas.

PMID- 26476816
TI  - Controlling the Behavior of Single Live Cells with High Density Arrays of
      Microscopic OLEDs.

PMID- 26476817
TI  - Jack Rodney Robertson (1917-2015): IUGA loses its second  founding father.

PMID- 26476818
TI  - A survey of prolapse practice in UK women's health physiotherapists: what has
      changed in the last decade?
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Prolapse is a common female problem, and
      conservative treatments such as pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) are important
      options for women. Evidence supporting the effectiveness of PFMT for prolapse has
      grown over the last decade, and it was hypothesised that practice and practice
      guidelines would have developed in line with the evidence. To assess this, up-to
      date information about the practice of physiotherapists working in women's health
      regarding their treatment of prolapse was required. METHODS: An online survey
      sent to members of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Women's
      Health and the Chartered Physiotherapists Promoting Continence. Results were
      compared with those of an earlier survey undertaken in 2002. RESULTS: A 49 %
      response rate was achieved. The majority of respondents were senior
      physiotherapists (55 %) and had worked in women's health for more than 10 years.
      Respondents were treating significantly more women with prolapse than a decade
      before: 36 % vs 14 % treated more than 50 women per year in 2002 and 2013
      respectively (p < 0.001). Individualised PFMT (93 %), lifestyle advice (92 %) and
      biofeedback-assisted PFMT (83 %) were the most common treatment elements, with
      four being the average number of appointments. Forty-eight percent had changed
      their practice as a result of recent research; however, scepticism amongst
      medics, the referral of women directly for surgery, and constraints on resources
      were thought to be barriers to wider implementation of the evidence of PFMT for
      prolapse. CONCLUSIONS: There has been uptake of evidence-based prolapse practice
      by UK specialist physiotherapists in the last decade. Further research targeting
      the implementation of this evidence would be valuable in addressing potential
      barriers, and in supporting the need for physiotherapy in the treatment of
      prolapse.

PMID- 26476819
TI  - Uterus-preserving laparoscopic lateral suspension with mesh for pelvic organ
      prolapse: a patient-centred outcome report and video of a continuous series of
      245 patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Changes in the psychological value of reproductive
      organs have led to a growing interest in uterine-preserving surgery for pelvic
      organ prolapse (POP). Sacral hysteropexy is considered as gold standard, although
      dissection of the promontory may be challenging. We show a video and present a
      report on a series of patients operated by laparoscopic lateral suspension with
      mesh as an alternative. METHODS: Clinical evaluation was performed using the
      simplified Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification System (POP-Q). Primary outcomes
      were subjective and objective cure; secondary outcomes were rates for reoperation
      and complications. We assessed patient's satisfaction in a telephone interview
      using a visual analogue scale and the Patient Global Impression of Improvement
      Scale (PGI-I) scale. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-four patients were treated
      between 2004 and 2011 with a median follow-up of 7.5 years. At 1 year 82.7 % of
      patients were asymptomatic, and anatomic success rates were 88.2 % for the
      anterior, 86.1 % for the apical and 80.8 % for the posterior compartment; 1.2 %
      had mesh exposure, and the reoperation rate was 7.4 %. More than 80 % of patients
      were highly satisfied with the outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Uterine-preserving
      laparoscopic lateral suspension with mesh is a safe technique with promising
      results and low complication rates. It may be an alternative to sacral
      hysteropexy for high-morbidity patients.

PMID- 26476820
TI  - Surface electromyography and ultrasound evaluation of pelvic floor muscles in
      hyperandrogenic women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: High levels of androgens increase muscle mass. Due to the
      characteristics of hyperandrogenism in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), it is
      plausible that women with PCOS may have increased pelvic floor muscle (PFM)
      thickness and neuromuscular activity levels compared with controls. The aim of
      this study was to assess PFM thickness and neuromuscular activity among
      hyperandrogenic women with PCOS and controls. METHODS: This was an observational,
      cross-sectional, case-control study evaluating PFM by ultrasound (US) and surface
      electromyography (sEMG) in nonobese women with and without PCOS. Seventy-two
      women were divided into two groups: PCOS (n = 33) and controls (n = 39). PFM
      thickness during contraction was assessed by US (Vingmed CFM 800). Pelvic floor
      muscle activity was assessed by sEMG (MyoTrac Infinit) during contractions at
      different time lengths: quick, and 8 and 60 s. Descriptive analysis, analysis of
      variance (ANOVA), and Student's t test were used for statistical analyses.
      RESULTS: There were no significant differences in PFM sEMG activity between PCOS
      and controls in any of the contractions: quick contraction (73.23 mV/ 71.56 mV; p
      = 0.62), 8 s (55.77 mV/ 54.17 mV; p = 0.74), and 60 s (49.26 mV/ 47.32 mV; p =
      0.68), respectively. There was no difference in PFM thickness during contractions
      evaluated by US between PCOS and controls (12.78 mm/ 13.43 mm; p =  .48).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study did not find statistically significant differences in
      pelvic floor muscle thickness or in muscle activity between PCOS women and
      controls.

PMID- 26476821
TI  - Prepubic abscess related to retropubic sling sutures placed 18 years earlier.

PMID- 26476822
TI  - Presentation and management of rectovaginal fistulas after delivery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Obstetric trauma leading to rectovaginal fistula (RVF) formation
      results from perineal laceration and/or from prolonged ischemia and necrosis
      following obstructed labor. Due to modern obstetric care fistulas are rare in
      industrialized countries. METHODS: Patients undergoing surgery for a RVF between
      January 2005 and December 2014 at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
      Tuebingen, Germany, were identified and their records were reviewed
      retrospectively. RESULTS: Of 48 patients, 13 developed RVF of obstetric etiology.
      Parity ranged from 2 to 4. RVF repair was performed in all patients using a
      transvaginal approach: fistula excision and multilayer closure (7 of 13) with
      Martius flap interposition (1 of 7) and sphincteroplasty (5 of 13). One RVF
      closed spontaneously. Due to significant destruction of the anal canal, large RVF
      and RVF recurrence, 4 of the 13 patients needed a temporary protective ileostomy.
      Fistula closure was achieved in 12 of 13 patients. CONCLUSION: The choice of RVF
      repair should be tailored to the underlying pathology and type of repair done
      previously and the patient's wishes.

PMID- 26476823
TI  - Shoulder dystocia and associated manoeuvres as risk factors for perineal trauma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Shoulder dystocia (SD) is an obstetric emergency
      that can be associated with serious neonatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of
      this study was to identify the incidence and risk factors for obstetric anal
      sphincter injuries (OASIS) in women who sustained SD at birth. METHODS: This was
      a retrospective observational study over a 5-year period whereby 403 cases of SD
      were identified. The primary outcome measure was to identify the incidence of
      OASIS in women with SD. We also evaluated the role of the manoeuvres used for the
      management of SD and aimed to identify possible correlations between specific
      manoeuvres and OASIS by univariate and multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS:
      Shoulder dystocia was associated with a three-fold increase in the risk of OASIS
      in our population. The use of internal manoeuvres (OR 2.182: 95 % CI 1.173
      4.059), an increased number of manoeuvres >= 4 (OR 4.667: 95 % CI 1.846-11.795),
      Woods' screw manoeuvre (OR 3.096: 95 % CI 1.554-6.169), reverse Woods' screw
      manoeuvre (OR 4.848: 95 % CI 1.647-14.277) and removal of the posterior arm (OR
      2.222: 95 % CI 1.117-4.421) were all associated with a significant increase in
      the likelihood of OASIS. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, instrumental deliveries, the
      use of internal manoeuvres (Woods' screw and reverse Woods' screw) and four or
      more manoeuvres for the management of SD were independently associated with a
      higher incidence of OASIS. To effectively manage shoulder dystocia with lower
      risks of perineal trauma, these factors could be considered when designing
      further prospective studies and developing management protocols.

PMID- 26476824
TI  - Calcifications and tungsten deposits after breast-conserving surgery and
      intraoperative radiotherapy for breast cancer.
AB  - AIM: To describe the presence of atypical calcifications on post-operative
      mammography after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and intraoperative radiotherapy
      (IORT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively include all patients followed
      after BCS and IORT for breast cancer (n=271). All follow-up mammograms at 6
      months after surgery were retrospectively evaluated by two board-certified
      radiologists. The radiologists had to notify the presence or the absence of
      atypical calcifications. RESULTS: Five patients had on follow-up mammography the
      presence of atypical calcifications. Two patients had a stereotactic breast
      biopsy. The pathologic examination showed the presence of small tungsten
      particles located in the breast parenchyma. CONCLUSION: The presence of atypical
      calcifications after BCS and IORT, presenting as multiple, scattered, round
      calcifications, should be rated as BIRADS 2 and do not require biopsy. They
      corresponded on tungsten deposits.

PMID- 26476825
TI  - Vascular uterine abnormalities: Comparison of imaging findings and clinical
      outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively compare the imaging findings and the outcomes for
      patients with vascular uterine abnormalities (VUA) and to identify prognostic
      factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between 2007 and 2012, 38 patients with vaginal
      bleeding and abnormal ultrasonographic (US) findings consistent with acquired VUA
      were consecutively included (mean age 31.6 years, range 19-62). Follow-up was 32
      months in mean (1-78 months). Seventeen women (44.7%) started bleeding
      immediately after curettage, spontaneous miscarriage, trophoblastic disease, or
      section scars, with the remainder starting bleeding after 8 days to 2 years. All
      US, CT (n=2), MR (n=5) and angiographic (n=26) images were reviewed and compared
      to medical reports in order to identify severe VUA requiring treatment, and
      predictive factors. RESULTS: No information about severity was provided by US,
      MRI or CT. Twelve patients were successfully managed conservatively. Angiography
      identified 6 non-severe VUA, corresponding to an isolated uterine hyperemia, and
      20 severe VUA, corresponding to an association of a nidus and early venous
      drainage. Recurrences were more often observed for severe VUA (p=0.001). The
      hemoglobin level was significantly lower (below 11 g/L) in these cases (p=0.004).
      Recurrences were significantly more frequently observed for patients with history
      of dilatation and curettage (p=0.02). Hysterectomy was performed for three
      patients only (8%). Among the women who wished to have children, 14 (77.8%) were
      pregnant after 9 months in mean (range 2-23). CONCLUSIONS: Recurrence happens
      more frequently after curettage and in case of anemia or severe VUA findings on
      angiography, justifying adequate embolization for these patients.

PMID- 26476826
TI  - Minimal impact of calcimimetics on the management of hyperparathyroidism in
      chronic dialysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The calcimimetic drug cinacalcet has changed the prescription
      patterns in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism, despite the lack of
      randomized studies that compare cinacalcet with conventional treatment, including
      parathyroidectomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate current management of
      patients on chronic dialysis with incidental and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels
      >= 500 ng/L. METHODS: Prospective pharmacoepidemiologic study of chronic dialysis
      patients with PTH level >= 500 ng/L. RESULTS: We studied 269 patients. Among the
      186 patients who had 2-year follow-up, 125 (67%) were managed using cinacalcet.
      At 2 years, when comparing the cinacalet with the noncinacalet groups, we found
      that mean PTH values were 400 +/- 318 versus 388 +/- 251 ng/L (P = ns) and the
      percentage of patients following 2009 PTH Kidney Disease Improving Global
      Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines were 79 versus 85% (P = ns). Eight patients (4%)
      underwent parathyroidectomy. On multivariate analysis, the use of cinacalcet was
      not a predictor for PTH within KDIGO guidelines at 2-year follow-up. CONCLUSION:
      Cinacalcet was used in the majority (67%) of patients on chronic dialysis with
      secondary hyperparathyroidism, but the use of cinacalcet did not affect mean PTH
      values nor the proportion of patients following KDIGO guidelines compared with
      patients not using calcimimetics.

PMID- 26476827
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26476828
TI  - Clinical characteristics and follow-up of intracranial metastases from thyroid
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intracranial metastasis from thyroid cancer is extremely rare.
      However, less is known about the risk factors for intracranial metastasis and its
      treatment from few retrospective studies. The aim of this study was to contribute
      to the understanding of this disease by analyzing patients with intracranial
      metastases from thyroid cancer. METHODS: Between 2001 and 2014, the database of
      the National Cancer Center of Korea was searched for thyroid cancer patients. The
      clinical characteristics and site of distant metastasis according to the
      histological type were evaluated in the thyroid cancer cohort. Among the patients
      with intracranial metastases, the characteristics, histological type of primary
      cancer and metastatic brain tumor, additional synchronous or previous distant
      metastasis, treatment modalities, locations and characteristics on radiologic
      findings, time interval between the first diagnosis of the primary thyroid cancer
      and brain metastasis, thyroglobulin level at the first detection of intracranial
      metastasis and survival were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 10 (0.032 %) out of
      3,090 thyroid cancer patients in the National Cancer Center database were
      identified as having intracranial metastases. The histological types of the
      primary thyroid cancers were papillary for six patients, follicular for three,
      and poorly differentiated carcinoma for one. Six of these ten patients underwent
      surgical resection for intracranial lesions. Whole-brain radiotherapy or tyrosine
      kinase inhibitors were applied to the patients as postoperative adjuvant
      treatment, and stereotactic radiosurgery was considered for recurrent or
      surgically inoperable lesions. The overall median survival time was 33 months
      (range, 0.5-78 months) after diagnosis of intracranial metastasis. CONCLUSIONS:
      Surgical resection and adjuvant treatments in the contemporary era seem to result
      in improved survival after intracranial metastases compared with what has been
      reported in past studies. Considering the grave course of intracranial
      metastasis, the early detection and aggressive treatment of patients with a good
      performance status are crucial.

PMID- 26476829
TI  - Repeated bouts of fast velocity eccentric contractions induce atrophy of
      gastrocnemius muscle in rats.
AB  - One bout of exercise consisting of fast velocity eccentric contractions has been
      shown to increase muscle protein degradation in rats. The present study tested
      the hypothesis that muscle atrophy would be induced after four bouts of fast
      velocity eccentric contractions, but not after four bouts of slow velocity
      eccentric contractions. Male Wistar rats were randomly placed into 3 groups; fast
      (180 degrees /s) velocity (180EC, n = 7), slow (30 degrees /s) velocity eccentric
      exercise (30EC, n = 7), or sham-treatment group (control, n = 7). The 180EC and
      30EC groups received 4 sessions of 4 sets of 5 eccentric contractions of triceps
      surae muscles by extending the ankle joint during evoked electrical stimulation
      of the muscles, and the control group had torque measures, every 2 days, and all
      rats were sacrificed 1 day after the fourth session. Medial and lateral
      gastrocnemius wet mass were 4-6 % smaller, cross-sectional area of medial
      gastrocnemius was 6-7% smaller, and isometric tetanic torque of triceps surae
      muscles was 36 % smaller (p < 0.05) for 180EC than control at 1 day after the
      fourth session, but no such differences were evident between 30EC and control.
      The expressions of atrophy-related molecules such as FoxO1, FoxO3 and myostatin
      were upregulated (78-229 %) only for 180EC, but an increase in phosphorylated
      p70s6k (227%) was found only for 30EC at 1 day after the fourth session (p <
      0.05). The level of Bax, a pro-apoptotic protein, was greater (p < 0.05) for
      180EC than control. These results support the hypothesis that muscles are
      atrophied by repeated bouts of fast but not slow velocity eccentric contractions.

PMID- 26476830
TI  - Differential growth and responsiveness to cancer therapy of tumor cells in
      different environments.
AB  - Tumor metastasis often confers poor prognosis for cancer patients due to lack of
      comprehensive strategy in dealing with cells growing in different environment.
      Current anticancer therapies have incomplete effectiveness because they were
      designed assuming metastatic tumors behave similarly in different organs. We
      hypothesize that tumors growing in different sites are biologically heterogeneous
      in growth potential, as well as in tumor response to anti-cancer therapies. To
      test this hypothesis, we have developed a multi-organ tumor growth model using
      the hydrodynamic cell delivery method to establish simultaneous and quantifiable
      tumor growth in the liver, lungs and kidneys of mice. We demonstrated that growth
      rate of melanoma tumor in the liver is higher than that of the lungs and kidneys.
      Tumors in the lungs and kidneys grew minimally at the early stage and
      aggressively thereafter. Tumors in different organs were also heterogeneous in
      response to chemotherapy and immune gene therapy using dacarbazine and interferon
      beta gene, respectively. Lung tumors responded to chemotherapy better than tumors
      in the liver, but showed minimal response to interferon beta gene therapy,
      compared to tumors in the liver and kidneys. We also confirmed differential tumor
      growth of the metastatic colon cancer in mice. Our results point out the
      importance of a better understanding of the differences in tumor growing in
      diverse environments. The biological heterogeneity of metastatic tumors
      demonstrated in this study necessitates establishing new drug screening
      strategies that take into account the environmental difference at the sites of
      tumor growth. 

PMID- 26476831
TI  - Pregnancy outcomes among women with beta-thalassemia trait.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the obstetric outcomes between pregnant women affected by
      beta-thalassemia trait and normal controls. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study
      was conducted on singleton pregnant women complicated by beta-thalassemia trait
      and normal controls, randomly selected with the controls-to-case ratio of 2:1.
      All were low-risk pregnancies without underlying medical diseases and fetal
      anomalies. The pregnancies undergoing invasive prenatal diagnosis were excluded.
      RESULTS: A total of 597 pregnant women with beta-thalassemia trait and 1194
      controls were recruited. Baseline characteristics and maternal outcomes in the
      two groups were similar, except that hemoglobin levels were slightly lower in the
      study group. The prevalence of small for gestational age and preterm birth tended
      to be higher in the study group but not reached the significant levels but the
      rate of low birth weight was significantly higher in the study group (relative
      risk 1.25; 95 % CI 1.00-1.57). Additionally, abortion rate was also significantly
      higher in the study group (relative risk 3.25; 95 % CI 1.35-7.80). CONCLUSION:
      Beta-thalassemia trait could minimally, but significantly, increase risk of low
      birth weight but did not increase rates of maternal adverse outcomes.

PMID- 26476833
TI  - The anterolateral ligament of the knee: a radiologic and histotopographic study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Recent anatomic investigations of the lateral structures of the knee
      have rediscovered a ligament, called the antero-lateral ligament (ALL). METHODS:
      Ten specimens of ALL (6 M, 4 F, mean age 82.3) were sampled from bodies of the
      Body Donation program of the University of Padova for histological and immuno
      histochemical studies. Moreover, a retrospective magnetic resonance (MR) study
      was carried out in 50 patients (30 M, 20 F, mean age 37.5). MR exams with a
      normal anatomo-radiological report were selected. RESULTS: From the microscopic
      point of view the ALL corresponds to a dense connective tissue (mean thickness
      893 +/- 423 um), and is composed by collagen I (90 %), collagen III (5 %) and
      collagen VI (3 %) and scarce elastic fibers (<1 %). On MR exams, ALL appears as a
      thin linear structure, originating at the lateral epicondyle, running obliquely
      downwards and forwards, and inserting in the middle third (46 %) or inferior
      third (14 %) of lateral meniscus and in the lateral aspect of the proximal tibia.
      It was observed in 47 cases (93 %), with a mean length of 32 +/- 4.6 mm and mean
      thickness of 1.1 +/- 0.4 mm. The ALL showed low signal intensity on both T1- and
      T2-weighted sequences. CONCLUSION: The ALL shows the typical structure of a
      fibrous ligament. From the anatomo-radiological point of view the ALL is almost
      constantly depicted by routine 1.5-T MR scan.

PMID- 26476834
TI  - Wernicke Encephalopathy: a Future Problem Even After Sleeve Gastrectomy? A
      Systematic Literature Review.
AB  - Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) is a serious complication of bariatric surgery with
      significant morbidity and mortality. A few cases have been reported in the
      literature, mainly in patients after a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Since sleeve
      gastrectomy (SG) has become a more established and popular bariatric procedure,
      WE is expected to appear more frequently after SG. We performed a literature
      review on WE after SG, and 13 cases have been found to be sufficiently
      documented. The risk of WE needs to be considered in patients with a prolonged
      vomiting episode and any type of neurological symptoms, independent of the
      presence of any surgical complications.

PMID- 26476835
TI  - Monitoring of Diabetic Retinopathy in relation to Bariatric Surgery: a
      Prospective Observational Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate the need for closer perioperative monitoring of
      diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing bariatric
      surgery. METHODS: Prospective observational clinical study of 56 patients with
      type 2 diabetes undergoing bariatric surgery. The patients were examined with 7
      field fundus images and optical coherence tomography scans 2 weeks before and 1,
      3, 6 and 12 months after bariatric surgery. Worsening was defined as a two-step
      change in the Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy scale or
      appearance or worsening of macular edema. Postoperative changes were analyzed in
      a mixed model. RESULTS: Six patients (11 %) had any worsening at any visit, and
      three (5 %) persisted at 1 year. Of the 24 patients with preoperative
      retinopathy, 4-13 % worsened and 9-22 % improved, with significant overall
      improvement at 6 months (p = 0.01). Only one (3%) of the 32 patients without
      preoperative diabetic retinopathy had a transient worsening at 6 months. No
      patients developed macular edema, but the whole cohort had a minor increase in
      center point foveal thickness that peaked 6 months postoperatively. The patients
      were required to have good glucose control preoperatively where HbA1c was 6.4 +/-
      1.9 %. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic retinopathy was clinically stable after bariatric
      surgery, and none of the observed changes would have resulted in a changed
      screening interval at our center. This supports adherence to regular diabetic
      retinopathy screening guidelines following bariatric surgery in well-controlled
      patients. A clinically negligible but statistically significant foveal thickening
      6 months postoperatively warrants further study.

PMID- 26476836
TI  - Symptom clusters in women with breast cancer: an analysis of data from social
      media and a research study.
AB  - PURPOSE: User-generated content on social media sites, such as health-related
      online forums, offers researchers a tantalizing amount of information, but
      concerns regarding scientific application of such data remain. This paper
      compares and contrasts symptom cluster patterns derived from messages on a breast
      cancer forum with those from a symptom checklist completed by breast cancer
      survivors participating in a research study. METHODS: Over 50,000 messages
      generated by 12,991 users of the breast cancer forum on MedHelp.org were
      transformed into a standard form and examined for the co-occurrence of 25
      symptoms. The k-medoid clustering method was used to determine appropriate
      placement of symptoms within clusters. Findings were compared with a similar
      analysis of a symptom checklist administered to 653 breast cancer survivors
      participating in a research study. RESULTS: The following clusters were
      identified using forum data: menopausal/psychological, pain/fatigue,
      gastrointestinal, and miscellaneous. Study data generated the clusters:
      menopausal, pain, fatigue/sleep/gastrointestinal, psychological, and increased
      weight/appetite. Although the clusters are somewhat different, many symptoms that
      clustered together in the social media analysis remained together in the analysis
      of the study participants. Density of connections between symptoms, as reflected
      by rates of co-occurrence and similarity, was higher in the study data.
      CONCLUSIONS: The copious amount of data generated by social media outlets can
      augment findings from traditional data sources. When different sources of
      information are combined, areas of overlap and discrepancy can be detected,
      perhaps giving researchers a more accurate picture of reality. However, data
      derived from social media must be used carefully and with understanding of its
      limitations.

PMID- 26476837
TI  - Religion as problem, religion as solution: religious buffers of the links between
      religious/spiritual struggles and well-being/mental health.
AB  - PURPOSE: Previous studies have established robust links between
      religious/spiritual struggles (r/s struggles) and poorer well-being and
      psychological distress. A critical issue involves identifying the religious
      factors that buffer this relationship. This is the first study to empirically
      address this question. Specifically, it examines four religious factors (i.e.,
      religious commitment, life sanctification, religious support, religious hope) as
      potential buffers of the links between r/s struggle and one indicator of
      subjective well-being (i.e., happiness) and one indicator of psychological
      distress (i.e., depressive symptoms). METHOD: We utilized a cross-sectional
      design and a nationally representative sample of American adults (N = 2140)
      dealing with a wide range of major life stressors. RESULTS: We found that the
      interactions between r/s struggle and all potential moderators were significant
      in predicting happiness and/or depression. The linkage between r/s struggle and
      lower levels of happiness was moderated by higher levels of each of the four
      proposed religious buffers. Religious commitment and life sanctification
      moderated the ties between r/s struggles and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS:
      The findings underscore the multifaceted character of religion: Paradoxically,
      religion may be a source of solutions to problems that may be an inherent part of
      religious life.

PMID- 26476838
TI  - Anesthetic Ketamine-Induced DNA Damage in Different Cell Types In Vivo.
AB  - The use of a combination of ketamine and xylazine is broadly used either for
      anesthesia or euthanasia in rodent animal models in research. However, the
      genotoxicity and mutagenic effects of these drugs are unknown. Therefore, the aim
      of this study was to evaluate these effects to help the understanding of elevated
      values in negative controls in genotoxic/mutagenic assays. Sixty CF-1 mice were
      divided into ten groups of six mice per group: negative control (saline),
      positive control (doxorubicin, 40 mg/kg), ketamine at 80 mg/kg and xylazine at 10
      mg/kg, ketamine at 100 mg/kg and xylazine at 10 mg/kg, ketamine at 140 mg/kg and
      xylazine at 8 mg/kg, ketamine at 80 mg/kg, ketamine at 100 mg/kg, ketamine at 140
      mg/kg, xylazine at 8 mg/kg, and xylazine at 10 mg/kg. After drug induction, the
      blood cells were analyzed at 1, 12, and 24 h by the comet assay, while the brain
      cortex, liver, and kidney cells were verified just at 24 h by the comet assay and
      bone marrow was tested at 24 h by micronucleus test. The positive control was
      significantly different in relation to the negative control in all times and
      tissue analyzed. The dose of ketamine at 140 mg/kg plus xylazine at 8 mg/kg and
      only ketamine at 140 mg/kg exhibited a genotoxic effect in blood and brain cells
      at all the times analyzed. The doses of ketamine at 80 and 100 mg/kg in
      association or not with xylazine showed increased DNA damage at 1 and 12 h, but
      this effect was reversed after 24 h of drug administration. The liver, kidney,
      and bone marrow cells of animals treated with ketamine or xylazine isolated or
      combined did not differ when compared with the negative control. Then, our
      findings emphasize the necessity of more studies that prove safety of the
      ketamine use, since that anesthetic can be able to induce false-negative results
      in genotoxic experimental studies.

PMID- 26476839
TI  - Acute Carnosine Administration Increases Respiratory Chain Complexes and Citric
      Acid Cycle Enzyme Activities in Cerebral Cortex of Young Rats.
AB  - Carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) is an imidazole dipeptide synthesized in
      excitable tissues of many animals, whose biochemical properties include carbonyl
      scavenger, anti-oxidant, bivalent metal ion chelator, proton buffer, and
      immunomodulating agent, although its precise physiological role(s) in skeletal
      muscle and brain tissues in vivo remain unclear. The aim of the present study was
      to investigate the in vivo effects of acute carnosine administration on various
      aspects of brain bioenergetics of young Wistar rats. The activity of
      mitochondrial enzymes in cerebral cortex was assessed using a spectrophotometer,
      and it was found that there was an increase in the activities of complexes I-III
      and II-III and succinate dehydrogenase in carnosine-treated rats, as compared to
      vehicle-treated animals. However, quantitative real-time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) data on
      mRNA levels of mitochondrial biogenesis-related proteins (nuclear respiratory
      factor 1 (Nrf1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1
      alpha (Ppargc1alpha), and mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam)) were not
      altered significantly and therefore suggest that short-term carnosine
      administration does not affect mitochondrial biogenesis. It was in agreement with
      the finding that immunocontent of respiratory chain complexes was not altered in
      animals receiving carnosine. These observations indicate that acute carnosine
      administration increases the respiratory chain and citric acid cycle enzyme
      activities in cerebral cortex of young rats, substantiating, at least in part, a
      neuroprotector effect assigned to carnosine against oxidative-driven disorders.

PMID- 26476840
TI  - Selective Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Modulator 3,3'-Diindolylmethane Impairs AhR
      and ARNT Signaling and Protects Mouse Neuronal Cells Against Hypoxia.
AB  - The neuroprotective potential of 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM), which is a
      selective aryl hydrocarbon receptor modulator, has recently been shown in
      cellular and animal models of Parkinson's disease and lipopolysaccharide-induced
      inflammation. However, there are no data concerning the protective capacity and
      mechanisms of DIM action in neuronal cells exposed to hypoxia. The aim of the
      present study was to investigate the neuroprotective potential of DIM against the
      hypoxia-induced damage in mouse hippocampal cells in primary cultures, with a
      particular focus on DIM interactions with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR),
      its nuclear translocator ARNT, and estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta). In the
      present study, 18 h of hypoxia induced apoptotic processes, in terms of the
      mitochondrial membrane potential, activation of caspase-3, and fragmentation of
      cell nuclei. These effects were accompanied by substantial lactate dehydrogenase
      release and neuronal cell death. The results of the present study demonstrated
      strong neuroprotective and anti-apoptotic actions of DIM in hippocampal cells
      exposed to hypoxia. In addition, DIM decreased the Ahr and Arnt mRNA expression
      and stimulated Erbeta mRNA expression level. DIM-induced mRNA alterations were
      mirrored by changes in protein levels, except for ERbeta, as detected by ELISA,
      Western blotting, and immunofluorescence labeling. We also demonstrated that DIM
      decreased the expression of AhR-regulated CYP1A1. Using specific siRNAs, we
      provided evidence that impairment of AhR and ARNT, but not ERbeta plays a key
      role in the neuroprotective action of DIM against hypoxia-induced cell damage.
      This study may have implication for identifying new agents that could protect
      neurons against hypoxia by targeting AhR/ARNT signaling.

PMID- 26476841
TI  - BDNF in Lower Brain Parts Modifies Auditory Fiber Activity to Gain Fidelity but
      Increases the Risk for Generation of Central Noise After Injury.
AB  - For all sensory organs, the establishment of spatial and temporal cortical
      resolution is assumed to be initiated by the first sensory experience and a BDNF
      dependent increase in intracortical inhibition. To address the potential of
      cortical BDNF for sound processing, we used mice with a conditional deletion of
      BDNF in which Cre expression was under the control of the Pax2 or TrkC promoter.
      BDNF deletion profiles between these mice differ in the organ of Corti (BDNF
      (Pax2) -KO) versus the auditory cortex and hippocampus (BDNF (TrkC) -KO). We
      demonstrate that BDNF (Pax2) -KO but not BDNF (TrkC) -KO mice exhibit reduced
      sound-evoked suprathreshold ABR waves at the level of the auditory nerve (wave I)
      and inferior colliculus (IC) (wave IV), indicating that BDNF in lower brain
      regions but not in the auditory cortex improves sound sensitivity during hearing
      onset. Extracellular recording of IC neurons of BDNF (Pax2) mutant mice revealed
      that the reduced sensitivity of auditory fibers in these mice went hand in hand
      with elevated thresholds, reduced dynamic range, prolonged latency, and increased
      inhibitory strength in IC neurons. Reduced parvalbumin-positive contacts were
      found in the ascending auditory circuit, including the auditory cortex and
      hippocampus of BDNF (Pax2) -KO, but not of BDNF (TrkC) -KO mice. Also, BDNF
      (Pax2) -WT but not BDNF (Pax2) -KO mice did lose basal inhibitory strength in IC
      neurons after acoustic trauma. These findings suggest that BDNF in the lower
      parts of the auditory system drives auditory fidelity along the entire ascending
      pathway up to the cortex by increasing inhibitory strength in behaviorally
      relevant frequency regions. Fidelity and inhibitory strength can be lost
      following auditory nerve injury leading to diminished sensory outcome and
      increased central noise.

PMID- 26476842
TI  - Cell and Context-Dependent Effects of the Heat Shock Protein DNAJB6 on Neuronal
      Survival.
AB  - Previous studies performed in cell lines have shown that the heat shock protein,
      DNAJB6, protects against the proteotoxic effects of mutant huntingtin (mut-Htt)
      via direct interaction with mut-Htt. However, these studies were performed
      primarily using in vitro models and cell lines. We report that when expressed in
      primary neurons, DNAJB6 induces cell death. Neurotoxicity is observed with both
      the DNAJB6a isoform, which is strictly nuclear, and the DNAJB6b isoform, which is
      predominantly cytoplasmic, suggesting that neurotoxicity is mediated in the
      nucleus. However, when co-expressed in primary neurons with mut-Htt, DNAJB6
      protects against mut-Htt neurotoxicity. This suggests that the contrasting effect
      of DNAJB6 on neuronal viability depends on the presence or absence of proteotoxic
      stress. Neurotoxicity of DNAJB6 cannot be prevented by inhibition of glycogen
      synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3beta) or c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) but is
      prevented by pharmacological inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs).
      Expression of dominant-negative forms of CDK2 or CDK4, or of p21(CIP1), the
      physiological inhibitor of CDKs, also inhibits DNAJB6 neurotoxicity. DNAJB6
      neurotoxicity can also be inhibited by histone deacetylase-4 (HDAC4), which
      interacts with DNAJB6 and which has previously been described to inhibit cell
      cycle progression. These results conclude that neurotoxicity resulting from
      elevated DNAJB6 is cell cycle dependent.

PMID- 26476845
TI  - Building a Radiology Service Line: Key Elements and Necessary Actions.
AB  - Building a radiology service line is a challenge. Beyond the science of imaging
      and pathophysiology of disease, there are a number of key elements and necessary
      actions--related to personnel, communication, and resources--that must be taken
      to make the service line successful and sustainable. Although there is no single
      best way to build an imaging-based service line, there are a number of essential
      components. The purpose of this article is to delineate these components and
      describe how ambitious radiologists may successfully build and sustain a
      radiology service line.

PMID- 26476844
TI  - Prevalence of Drug Combinations Increasing Bleeding Risk Among Warfarin Users
      With and Without Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyse the prevalence and predictors of
      drug combinations increasing bleeding risk among warfarin users with and without
      Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: This retrospective observational study
      utilised data from the Finnish MEDALZ-2005 cohort. The MEDALZ-2005 study included
      all community-dwelling persons with a clinically verified diagnosis of AD at the
      end of 2005, and one comparison person without AD for each case. Data on drug use
      was collected from the Prescription Register. We included persons who were
      warfarin users during the study period 2006-2009. Drug combinations increasing
      bleeding risk with warfarin included selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
      (SSRIs), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs), other antithrombotic
      drugs and tramadol. Factors associated with combination use were investigated
      with logistic regression. RESULTS: During the follow-up, 3385 persons with AD and
      4830 persons without AD used warfarin. Drug combinations increasing bleeding risk
      were more common in warfarin users with AD than without AD [35.9 and 30.5%,
      respectively (p < 0.0001)]. The most common combination was SSRIs and warfarin,
      which was more common among persons with AD (23.8%) than among persons without AD
      (10.9%). NSAIDs and warfarin combination was more common among persons without
      AD. Combination use was associated with AD, female gender, younger age, diabetes
      mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis and asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      (COPD). CONCLUSIONS: Use of drug combinations increasing bleeding risk was more
      common among warfarin users with AD. Special attention should be paid to minimise
      the duration of concomitant use and to find safer alternatives without increased
      bleeding risk.

PMID- 26476843
TI  - Myelodysplastic Syndromes in the Elderly: Treatment Options and Personalized
      Management.
AB  - Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are typical diseases of the elderly, with a
      median age of 68-75 years at initial diagnosis. Demographic changes producing an
      increased proportion of elderly in our societies mean the incidence of MDS will
      rise dramatically. Considering the increasing number of treatment options,
      ranging from best supportive care to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
      (HSCT), decision making is rather complex in this cohort of patients. Moreover,
      aspects of the aging process also have to be considered in therapy planning.
      Treatment of elderly MDS patients is dependent on the patient's individual risk
      and prognosis. Comorbidities play an essential role as predictors of survival and
      therapy tolerance. Age-adjusted models and the use of geriatric assessment scores
      are described as a basis for individualized treatment algorithms. Specific
      treatment recommendations for the different groups of patients are given.
      Currently available therapeutic agents, including supportive care, erythropoiesis
      stimulating agents (ESAs), immune-modulating agents, hypomethylating agents, and
      HSCT are described in detail and discussed with a special focus on elderly MDS
      patients. The inclusion of elderly patients in clinical trials is of utmost
      importance to obtain data on efficacy and safety in this particular group of
      patients. Endpoints relevant for the elderly should be integrated, including
      maintenance of quality of life and functional activities as well as evaluation of
      use of healthcare resources. 

PMID- 26476846
TI  - Epidemiology of Search and Rescue in Baxter State Park: Dangers of Descent and
      Fatigue.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the epidemiology of injury
      in Baxter State Park, Maine, and to better tailor search and rescue (SAR)
      resources, personnel, and training to acute needs in the park. METHODS: We
      conducted a retrospective review of all SAR incident reports in Baxter State Park
      from July 1992 through June 2014. For each event, demographics, location, time,
      activity before the incident, incident details, and evacuation means were
      recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: In all, 754 incidents of SAR or medical need were
      identified. Mean age was 38.9 years; mean age for subjects with fatigue as the
      primary complaint was 48.7 years. A majority (60.5%) of victims were male.
      Nineteen fatalities occurred during the study. Traumatic injuries precipitated
      51% of SAR incidents, and an additional 30% were initiated for late or lost
      parties. Slips or falls while hiking were the most common causes of injury (67%),
      with the lower extremity being the most common injury site (31%). When
      applicable, 84.4% of acute need occurred while descending, as opposed to
      ascending, a mountain. Fatigue was the most commonly reported medical emergency,
      causative in 66% of medical SAR events. CONCLUSIONS: Fatigue is a major factor in
      SAR events, both as a discreet cause and as a contributor to other injuries.
      Search and rescue need is more likely to occur during mountain descent, and lower
      extremity injuries are the most common etiology. Efforts should be focused on
      training rescuers in lower extremity and fatigue treatment, and more rescuers
      should be available when many are descending.

PMID- 26476848
TI  - Vibratory Dynamics of Four Types of Excised Larynx Phonations.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There are four types of signals that are typical representations of
      vocal fold vibratory patterns. Type 1 signals are nearly periodic, type 2 signals
      contain subharmonic properties, type 3 signals are chaotic, and type 4 signals
      are characterized as white noise. High-speed imaging allows detailed observation
      of these vocal fold vibratory patterns. Therefore, high-speed imaging can explore
      the vibratory mechanism behind each of the four types of signals. METHODS: The
      glottal area time series of the four types of vocal fold vibrations were
      calculated from high-speed images of 10 excised canine larynges. Nonlinear
      dynamic parameters of correlation dimension (D2) and Kolmogorov entropy (K2) were
      used to quantify the characteristics of the glottal areas and acoustical signals
      for each voice signal type. RESULTS: The correlation dimension and Kolmogorov
      entropy of the glottal areas and acoustical signals for type 1, 2, and 3 voice
      signals were consistent with the results of previous studies. Interestingly,
      there was a difference between the glottal area and acoustical signals of type 4
      voice signals (P < 0.001). Both the correlation dimension and Kolmogorov entropy
      of the type 4 glottal area were close to 0. In contrast, the type 4 acoustical
      signals had an infinite correlation dimension and a Kolmogorov entropy that was
      close to 1. CONCLUSIONS: Turbulence in the vocal tract creates high-frequency
      breathiness, causing noise in the acoustical signal of type 4 voice, proving that
      the acoustical signal does not represent the motion mechanism behind type 4
      voice. The results of this study demonstrate that high-speed imaging can provide
      a more accurate representation of the type 4 vocal fold vibratory pattern, and a
      more effective method to explore the mechanism of type 4 signals.

PMID- 26476847
TI  - Statistical analysis of EGFR structures' performance in virtual screening.
AB  - In this work the ability of EGFR structures to distinguish true inhibitors from
      decoys in docking and MM-PBSA is assessed by statistical procedures. The docking
      performance depends critically on the receptor conformation and bound state. The
      enrichment of known inhibitors is well correlated with the difference between
      EGFR structures rather than the bound-ligand property. The optimal structures for
      virtual screening can be selected based purely on the complex information. And
      the mixed combination of distinct EGFR conformations is recommended for ensemble
      docking. In MM-PBSA, a variety of EGFR structures have identically good
      performance in the scoring and ranking of known inhibitors, indicating that the
      choice of the receptor structure has little effect on the screening. 

PMID- 26476849
TI  - Stress, diabetes, and infection: Syndemic suffering at an urban Kenyan hospital.
AB  - The complexity of sickness among Kenya's urban poor cannot be dissociated from
      how social and health problems become syndemic. Increasingly diabetes and other
      non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are emerging among low-income populations that
      also are most afflicted by social stress and infection. This article examines how
      social stress, psychological distress, and physical illness among patients in a
      public hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, produce syndemic suffering, defined by lived
      experiences of syndemic clustering such as diabetes with depression and
      infection. We recruited 100 urban public hospital patients, of which half were
      women, and half had type 2 diabetes from June to August 2014. We administered
      written informed consent and collected anthropometrics and blood samples before
      we conducted lengthy mixed qualitative and survey interviews. We analyzed social
      stress in narrative interviews using content analysis and evaluated social and
      physical contributors to mental distress with frequency tables and logistic
      regression. We found that people experienced diabetes through a complex social
      and medical framework, where social problems were cause and consequence to
      psychological and physical suffering. Women's narratives revealed more social
      suffering as well as more mental distress and somatic symptoms, including multi
      morbidities, than men's. People with diabetes reported not only concurrent
      anxiety and depression but also common infections, including malaria,
      tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. Narratives reveal how NCDs concurrent with
      infections, and HIV in particular, produce financial challenges for patients,
      especially when HIV treatment is free and patients must pay out-of-pocket for
      diabetes care. Future studies should investigate syndemic clustering of
      infections and NCDs among low-income populations at the population-level. 

PMID- 26476850
TI  - Evidence-Based Anticoagulation Decision Making for Atrial Fibrillation--How We
      Are Doing? (Maybe Not So Well?).

PMID- 26476851
TI  - The Risk Stratification and Stroke Prevention Therapy Care Gap in Canadian Atrial
      Fibrillation Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Canadian atrial fibrillation (AF) guidelines recommend that all AF
      patients be risk stratified with respect to stroke and bleeding, and that most
      should receive antithrombotic therapy. METHODS: As part of the Canadian
      Facilitating Review and Education to Optimize Stroke Prevention in Atrial
      Fibrillation (FREEDOM AF) chart audit, data were collected on 4670 patients >= 18
      years old without significant valvular heart disease from the primary care
      practices of 474 physicians (February to September, 2011). RESULTS: Physicians
      did not provide an estimate of stroke and bleeding risk in 15% and 25% of
      patients, respectively. When risks were provided, they were on the basis of a
      predictive stroke and bleeding risk index in only 50% and 26% of patients,
      respectively. There were over- and underestimation of stroke and bleeding risk in
      a large proportion of patients. Antithrombotic therapy included warfarin (90%);
      24% of patients had a time in the therapeutic range (TTR) < 50%, 9% between 50%
      and 60%, 11% between 60% and 70%, and 56% had a TTR >= 70%. CONCLUSIONS: In a
      large Canadian AF population, primary care physicians did not provide a stroke or
      bleeding risk in a substantial proportion of their AF patients. When estimates
      were provided, they were on the basis of a predictive stroke and bleeding risk
      index in less than half of the patients. Furthermore, there was under- and
      overestimation of stroke and bleeding risk in a substantial proportion of
      patients. As many as 1 in 3 patients receiving warfarin have their TTR < 60%.
      These findings suggest an opportunity to enhance knowledge translation to primary
      care physicians.

PMID- 26476852
TI  - Multi-Modal Optical Imaging of the Cerebellum in Animals.
AB  - Thanks to their flexibility, optical techniques could be the key to explore
      anatomy, plasticity, and functionality of the cerebellum. As an example, an in
      vivo analysis of the dynamic remodeling of cerebellar axons by nonlinear
      microscopy can provide fundamental insights of the mechanism that promotes
      neuronal regeneration. Several studies showed that damaged climbing fibers are
      capable of regrowing also in adult animals. The investigation of the time-lapse
      dynamics of degeneration and regeneration of these axons within their complex
      environment can be performed by time-lapse two-photon fluorescence (TPF) imaging
      in vivo. Here, we show that single axonal branches can be dissected by laser
      axotomy, thus avoiding collateral damage to the adjacent dendrite and the
      formation of a persistent glial scar. Despite the very small denervated area, the
      injured axons consistently reshaped the connectivity with surrounding neurons and
      sprouted new branches through the intact surroundings. Correlative light and
      electron microscopy revealed that the sprouted branch contains large numbers of
      vesicles, with varicosities in the close vicinity of Purkinje dendrites. By using
      an RNA interference approach, we found that downregulating GAP-43 causes a
      significant increase in the turnover of presynaptic boutons and hampers the
      generation of reactive sprouts. Further, we report how nonlinear microscopy in
      combination with novel voltage sensitive dyes or transgenic mice allow optical
      registrations of action potential across a population of neurons opening
      promising prospective in understanding brain functionality. Finally, we describe
      novel implementations of light-sheet microscopy to resolve neuronal anatomy in
      whole cerebellum with cellular resolution. The understanding gained from these
      complementary optical methods may provide a deeper comprehension of the
      cerebellum.

PMID- 26476853
TI  - Using the column wall itself as resistive heater for fast temperature gradients
      in liquid chromatography.
AB  - A new system is proposed for applying fast temperature gradients in liquid
      chromatography. It consists of a 0.7 mm * 150 mm fused-silica column coated with
      a 50 MUm Nickel-layer, which is connecting with a power source and a temperature
      control system to perform fast and reproducible temperature gradients using the
      column wall itself as a resistive heater. Applying a current of 4A and passive
      cooling results in a maximal heating and cooling rate of, respectively, 71 and 
      21  degrees C/min. Multi-segment temperature gradients were superimposed on
      mobile phase gradients to enhance the selectivity for three sets of mixtures
      (pharmaceutical compounds, a highly complex mixture and an insecticide sample).
      This resulted in a higher peak count or better selectivities for the various
      mixtures.

PMID- 26476854
TI  - Insight into the composition and evolution of compost-derived dissolved organic
      matter using high-performance liquid chromatography combined with Fourier
      transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra.
AB  - Size exclusion chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid
      chromatography (RP-HPLC) were combined with Fourier transform infrared spectra
      (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based on two dimensional (2D) hetero
      spectral correlation spectra techniques to fractionate compost-derived dissolved
      organic matter (DOM) and determine how size- and hydrophobicity-distinguished
      fractions differ in the composition and evolution. The results showed that the
      compost-derived DOM was comprised of protein- and humic-like species. The low
      apparent molecule weight (AMW) protein-like components were enriched in C-C=H3
      and N-C=O, and showed more bioreactivity compared with the high AMW counterpart.
      The hydrophobic and hydrophilic protein-like components both consisted of CCH3
      and N-C=O. However, the relatively hydrophilic protein-like components were more
      easily consumed. As to the humic-like species, the relatively hydrophilic
      components were slightly larger than the relatively hydrophobic ones. The high
      AMW and relatively hydrophilic humic-like components were high in C-H, OCH3, N
      C=O, N-H, COO, O-H and aromatic C. The low AMW and relatively hydrophobic humic
      like components were enriched in CCH3 and N-C=O, and were easily biodegraded
      during composting. 2D hetero-spectral correlation spectra techniques enhance the
      characterization of DOM and provide a promising way to elucidate the
      environmental behaviors of DOM.

PMID- 26476855
TI  - Predictors of Sustained Prescription Opioid Use After Admission for Trauma in
      Adolescents.
AB  - PURPOSE: The study objectives are to describe the longitudinal trajectory of
      prescription opioid use among adolescents requiring a trauma admission and then
      identify predictors of sustained opioid use. METHODS: Randomly sampled
      adolescents (12-18 years) admitted to a Level I trauma center were surveyed.
      Follow-up assessments were obtained at 2, 5, and 12 months. Self-reported
      prescription opioid use, defined as "taking an opioid prescribed by a physician,"
      was obtained at baseline and every follow-up time point. At the baseline
      interview, validated mental health measures and pain scales were obtained as well
      as preinjury substance use. A fixed-effects mixed Poisson regression analysis was
      performed to predict prescription opioid use over time. RESULTS: A total of 120
      adolescents (mean age 15.5 years [1.9 standard deviation], 75% male) completed
      the baseline interview with 98% follow-up at 12 months. At baseline, 7% of
      adolescents reported prescription opioid use before their trauma, with rates of
      prescription opioid use of 52% at 2 months, 13.3% at 5 months, and 12.5% at 12
      months after discharge. After adjusting for demographic characteristics and
      injury severity score, those with sustained prescription opioid use were more
      likely to report preinjury marijuana use and higher baseline pain scores.
      CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one in eight adolescents (12.5%) was using
      prescription opioids 12 months after injury hospitalization. Readily identifiable
      risk factors predicted sustained prescription opioid use, including preinjury
      marijuana use and baseline pain score. Screening for substance use including
      marijuana at the time of injury could help identify patients at risk for both
      substance use problems and sustained prescription opioid use.

PMID- 26476856
TI  - Structural Determinants of Youth Bullying and Fighting in 79 Countries.
AB  - PURSPOSE: The prevention of youth violence is a public health priority in many
      countries. We examined the prevalence of bullying victimization and physical
      fighting in youths in 79 high- and low-income countries and the relations between
      structural determinants of adolescent health (country wealth, income inequality,
      and government spending on education) and international differences in youth
      violence. METHODS: Cross-sectional surveys were administered in schools between
      2003 and 2011. These surveys provided national prevalence rates of bullying
      victimization (n = 334,736) and four or more episodes of physical fighting in the
      past year (n = 342,312) in eligible and consenting 11-16 year olds. Contextual
      measures included per capita income, income inequality, and government
      expenditures on education. We used meta-regression to examine relations between
      country characteristics and youth violence. RESULTS: Approximately 30% of
      adolescents reported bullying victimization and 10.7% of males and 2.7% of
      females were involved in frequent physical fighting. More youth were exposed to
      violence in African and Eastern Mediterranean countries than in Europe and Asia.
      Violence directly related to country wealth; a 1 standard deviation increase in
      per capita income corresponded to less bullying (-3.9% in males and -4.2% in
      females) and less fighting (-2.9% in males and -1.0% in females). Income
      inequality and education spending modified the relation between country wealth
      and fighting; where inequality was high, country wealth related more closely to
      fighting if education spending was also high. CONCLUSIONS: Country wealth is a
      robust determinant of youth violence. Fighting in affluent but economically
      unequal countries might be reduced through increased government spending on
      education.

PMID- 26476857
TI  - The Therapeutic Promise of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Liver Restoration.
AB  - Hepatocyte transplantation aims to provide a functional substitution of liver
      tissue lost due to trauma or toxins. Chronic liver diseases are associated with
      inflammation, deterioration of tissue homeostasis, and deprivation of metabolic
      capacity. Recent advances in liver biology have focused on the pro-regenerative
      features of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). We argue that MSCs represent an
      attractive therapeutic option to treat liver disease. Indeed, their pleiotropic
      actions include the modulation of immune reactions, the stimulation of cell
      proliferation, and the attenuation of cell death responses. These characteristics
      are highly warranted add-ons to their capacity for hepatocyte differentiation.
      Undoubtedly, the elucidation of the regenerative mechanisms of MSCs in different
      liver diseases will promote their versatile and disease-specific therapeutic use.

PMID- 26476858
TI  - Mapping the spatial dimensions of participatory practice: A discussion of context
      in evaluation.
AB  - In participatory or collaborative evaluation practice, context is considered a
      complex, relational and social phenomenon that frames the parameters of the
      inquiry process in profound ways. To help us expand upon our understanding of
      context, we borrow the concept of "space" from the critical geographers, as it
      provides a bridge between the social and geographic complexities of context,
      enabling us to more fully capture the social and relational dynamic that
      fundamentally defines participatory evaluation. Our focus is on understanding
      context and relationships as two interconnected, dynamic and constituent parts of
      evaluation practices that feature participatory spaces. We then turn to a
      comparative analysis of participatory practice across two published reviews of
      distinct sets of empirical studies as a way to extend our understanding of
      participatory evaluation in relation to its practical, and frequently complex,
      contextual expressions in the field. This comparative analysis enables us to
      develop a set of five dimensions (epistemic, temporal/historical, cultural,
      economic/organizational, political) that we believe captures the spatial and
      contextual characteristics and contours of participatory practice. 

PMID- 26476859
TI  - Utilization of internal evaluation results by community mental health
      organizations: Credibility in different forms.
AB  - Internal evaluations are numerous but the literature is largely focused on
      external evaluations. There have been few explorations of the factors affecting
      the use of findings from internal evaluations that are carried out by program
      staff in community organizations. This study examined the instrumental use of
      internal evaluation findings within 19 community mental health organizations in
      Ontario, Canada. All but one respondent reported instrumental use in their
      organization, using the evaluation findings to make program-related decisions.
      For these non-controversial programs, qualities such as the ability of internal
      evaluators to identify relevant information, their role/expertise within the
      organization and the consistency of evaluation findings with current
      understanding appeared to influence use more strongly than evaluator objectivity.

PMID- 26476861
TI  - Characterization of spatial and temporal variability in hydrochemistry of Johor
      Straits, Malaysia.
AB  - Characterization of hydrochemistry changes in Johor Straits within 5 years of
      monitoring works was successfully carried out. Water quality data sets (27
      stations and 19 parameters) collected in this area were interpreted subject to
      multivariate statistical analysis. Cluster analysis grouped all the stations into
      four clusters ((Dlink/Dmax) * 100<90) and two clusters ((Dlink/Dmax) * 100<80)
      for site and period similarities. Principal component analysis rendered six
      significant components (eigenvalue>1) that explained 82.6% of the total variance
      of the data set. Classification matrix of discriminant analysis assigned 88.9
      92.6% and 83.3-100% correctness in spatial and temporal variability,
      respectively. Times series analysis then confirmed that only four parameters were
      not significant over time change. Therefore, it is imperative that the
      environmental impact of reclamation and dredging works, municipal or industrial
      discharge, marine aquaculture and shipping activities in this area be effectively
      controlled and managed.

PMID- 26476862
TI  - Evaluation of the status and distributions of heavy metal pollution in surface
      sediments of the Langat River Basin in Selangor Malaysia.
AB  - The concentration of four metals: Cd, Ni, Cr, and Sn, in the surface sediment
      samples from the Langat River were evaluated. Multivariate techniques were used
      to apportion the sources of the metals. The results showed that the highest
      concentration of metals in the Langat River were found at Jenjarom station, with
      the concentration of these metals decreasing in the order of Sn>Cr>Ni>Cd (114.27,
      21.03, 7.84, 0.59 MUg g(-1) dry weight). The level of pollution in the sediment
      was assessed using contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), geo
      accumulation index (Igeo), and enrichment factor (EF). The results of the
      pollution assessment showed that the Langat River sediments have severe
      enrichment of Sn and moderate to severe enrichment of Cd. The results of the PLI
      for the Langat River suggest that the sampling stations are not polluted with the
      exception of the Jugra, Jenjarom, and Jalan Hulu Langat stations.

PMID- 26476860
TI  - The power of a collaborative relationship between technical assistance providers
      and community prevention teams: A correlational and longitudinal study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Historically, effectiveness of community collaborative prevention
      efforts has been mixed. Consequently, research has been undertaken to better
      understand the factors that support their effectiveness; theory and some related
      empirical research suggests that the provision of technical assistance is one
      important supporting factor. The current study examines one aspect of technical
      assistance that may be important in supporting coalition effectiveness, the
      collaborative relationship between the technical assistance provider and site
      lead implementer. METHODS: Four and one-half years of data were collected from
      technical assistance providers and prevention team members from the 14 community
      prevention teams involved in the PROSPER project. RESULTS: Spearman correlation
      analyses with longitudinal data show that the levels of the collaborative
      relationship during one phase of collaborative team functioning associated with
      characteristics of internal team functioning in future phases. CONCLUSIONS:
      Results suggest that community collaborative prevention work should consider the
      collaborative nature of the technical assistance provider - prevention community
      team relationship when designing and conducting technical assistance activities,
      and it may be important to continually assess these dynamics to support high
      quality implementation.

PMID- 26476863
TI  - Plastic pollution in five urban estuaries of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
AB  - Monitoring plastic concentrations in estuaries is vital in assessing the
      magnitude of terrestrial inputs to oceanic environments. Data on plastics <= 5 mm
      in estuaries are scant. This study determined microplastic levels within five
      estuaries along the Durban coastline and on intervening beaches. Plastics were
      isolated from estuarine sediment, beach sediment and the surface water of each
      estuary and characterised. Sediment at the Bayhead area of Durban harbour had the
      highest average plastic concentrations (745.4 +/- 129.7 particles per 500 ml) and
      an attenuating concentration trend away from the city centre was found.
      Prevailing south to north longshore drift was hypothesised to result in plastic
      accumulation on the northern shores of beaches with estuarine effluents, however,
      this was not found. Fragments composed the largest percent of plastics (59%)
      found in Bayhead, whereas fibres dominated other estuaries with proportions
      ranging from 38% of total plastics in the uMgeni estuary to 66% in the Mdloti.

PMID- 26476864
TI  - Current status of coral reefs in the United Arab Emirates: Distribution, extent,
      and community structure with implications for management.
AB  - Coral reefs of the United Arab Emirates were once extensive, but have declined
      dramatically in recent decades. Marine management and policy have been hampered
      by outdated and inaccurate habitat maps and habitat quality information. We
      combined existing recent datasets with our newly mapped coral habitats to provide
      a current assessment of nation-wide extent, and performed quantitative surveys of
      communities at 23 sites to assess coral cover and composition. Over 132 km(2) of
      coral habitat was mapped, averaging 28.6 +/- 3.8% live coral cover at surveyed
      sites. In the Arabian Gulf low cover, low richness Porites dominated communities
      characterized western Abu Dhabi, while reefs northeast of Abu Dhabi city
      generally contained higher richness and cover, and were dominated by merulinids
      (formerly faviids). Distinct communities occur in the Sea of Oman, where cover
      and richness were low. We provide management recommendations to enhance
      conservation of vulnerable coral reefs in the UAE.

PMID- 26476865
TI  - Lessons Learned from a Cross-Model Validation between a Discrete Event Simulation
      Model and a Cohort State-Transition Model for Personalized Breast Cancer
      Treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women in developed
      countries. We developed a model (the Oncotyrol breast cancer outcomes model) to
      evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a 21-gene assay when used in combination with
      Adjuvant! Online to support personalized decisions about the use of adjuvant
      chemotherapy. The goal of this study was to perform a cross-model validation.
      METHODS: The Oncotyrol model evaluates the 21-gene assay by simulating a
      hypothetical cohort of 50-year-old women over a lifetime horizon using discrete
      event simulation. Primary model outcomes were life-years, quality-adjusted life
      years (QALYs), costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). We
      followed the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research
      Society for Medical Decision Making (ISPOR-SMDM) best practice recommendations
      for validation and compared modeling results of the Oncotyrol model with the
      state-transition model developed by the Toronto Health Economics and Technology
      Assessment (THETA) Collaborative. Both models were populated with Canadian THETA
      model parameters, and outputs were compared. RESULTS: The differences between the
      models varied among the different validation end points. The smallest relative
      differences were in costs, and the greatest were in QALYs. All relative
      differences were less than 1.2%. The cost-effectiveness plane showed that small
      differences in the model structure can lead to different sets of nondominated
      test-treatment strategies with different efficiency frontiers. We faced several
      challenges: distinguishing between differences in outcomes due to different
      modeling techniques and initial coding errors, defining meaningful differences,
      and selecting measures and statistics for comparison (means, distributions,
      multivariate outcomes). CONCLUSIONS: Cross-model validation was crucial to
      identify and correct coding errors and to explain differences in model outcomes.
      In our comparison, small differences in either QALYs or costs led to changes in
      ICERs because of changes in the set of dominated and nondominated strategies.

PMID- 26476866
TI  - Molecular insight in the purification of immunoglobulin by pseudobiospecific
      ligand l-histidine and histidyl moieties in histidine ligand affinity
      chromatography (HLAC) by molecular docking.
AB  - Pseudobiospecific ligand l-histidine is an inexpensive, highly stable, non-toxic
      ligand explored successfully over the last twenty years for the purification of
      immunoglobulins in immobilised histidine ligand affinity chromatography. It is of
      great interest to know the molecular recognition sites of IgG to immobilized l
      histidine. Here, we have used an in silico approach to explore the molecular
      recognition of l-histidine by IgG. We have assessed the feasible binding modes of
      histidine and its moieties at different sites of IgG and considered only those
      binding conformations which are exhibited via the imidazole ring NH group or any
      other OH donating group apart from the ones which are terminally conjugated with
      the support matrix. We categorised binding site into two categories; category I:
      inner binding groove and category II: surface binding groove and observed that
      the hinge region of IgG has most favourable binding pocket for l-histidine and
      histidyl moieties. Ser and Tyr residues on the hinge region make several
      significant interactions with l-histidine and histidyl moieties. In case of Fc
      region of IgG, l-histidine and histidyl moieties closely resemble the binding
      modes of Protein A, biomimetic ligand 22/8 and B domain of SpA to IgG. In
      addition to these we have also observed a significant binding site for l
      histidine and histidyl moieties at Fab region of IgG. 

PMID- 26476867
TI  - Disease related knowledge, medication adherence and glycaemic control among
      patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Pakistan.
AB  - AIMS: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of diabetes
      related knowledge and treatment adherence with glycaemic control among patients
      with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Pakistan. METHODS: The study was designed
      as a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional analysis. T2DM patients attending a
      public outpatient clinic in Sargodha, Pakistan, were targeted for the study. In
      addition to the demographic information, the Urdu version of Michigan Diabetes
      Knowledge Test and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale was used for data
      collection. Patients' medical records were reviewed for glycated haemoglobin
      levels (HbA1c). Descriptive statistics were used to elaborate sociodemographic
      characteristics. The Spearman's Rho correlation was used to measure association
      of disease-related knowledge and treatment adherence with glycaemic control. SPSS
      V 20.0 was used for data analysis and p<0.05 was taken as significant. RESULT: In
      total, 392 T2DM patients were included in the study. The mean age (SD) of these
      patients was 50.77+/-9.671 years, 56.6% were males and 90% (n=353) of respondents
      were married. The mean (SD) duration of disease was 5.58 (4.09) years with median
      HbA1c of 9.00 (IQR=8.20-10.40). The median knowledge score was 8.0 (IQR=6.0
      10.0), while the median adherence score was 4.7 (IQR=3.0-6.0). HbA1c had non
      significant and weak negative association with diabetes-related knowledge (r=
      0.036, p=0.404) and treatment adherence (r=-0.071, p=0.238). CONCLUSION: There
      was negative association reported between HbA1c, treatment adherence and diabetes
      related knowledge. Greater efforts are clearly required to investigate other
      factors affecting glycaemic control among T2DM patients in Pakistan.

PMID- 26476868
TI  - Measurement of ageing effects on muscle tone and mechanical properties of rectus
      femoris and biceps brachii in healthy males and females using a novel hand-held
      myometric device.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Age and gender effects on muscle tone and mechanical properties have
      not been studied using hand-held myometric technology. Monitoring changes in
      muscle properties with ageing in community settings may provide a valuable
      assessment tool for detecting those at risk of premature decline and sarcopenia.
      OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to provide objective data on the effects of ageing
      and gender on muscle tone and mechanical properties of quadriceps (rectus
      femoris) and biceps brachii muscles. METHODS: In a comparative study of 123
      healthy males and females (aged 18-90 years; n=61 aged 18-35; n=62 aged 65-90)
      muscle tone, elasticity and stiffness were measured using the MyotonPRO device.
      RESULTS: Stiffness was greater and elasticity lower in older adults for BB and RF
      (p<0.001). Tone was significantly greater in older adults for BB but not for RF
      when data for males and females were combined (p=0.28). There were no gender
      differences for BB in either age group. In RF, males had greater stiffness (young
      males 292 vs females 233 N/m; older males 328 vs females 311 N/m) and tone (young
      16.4 vs 13.6 Hz; older 16.7 vs 14.9 Hz). Elasticity in RF was lower in young
      males than females but did not differ between the older groups (both males and
      females log decrement 1.6). CONCLUSIONS: Stiffness and tone increased with ageing
      and elasticity decreased. These findings have implications for detecting frailty
      using a novel biomarker. Age and gender differences are important to consider
      when assessing effects of pathological conditions on muscle properties in older
      people.

PMID- 26476869
TI  - Using a brain-machine interface to control a hybrid upper limb exoskeleton during
      rehabilitation of patients with neurological conditions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As a consequence of the increase of cerebro-vascular accidents, the
      number of people suffering from motor disabilities is raising. Exoskeletons,
      Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) devices and Brain-Machine Interfaces
      (BMIs) could be combined for rehabilitation purposes in order to improve therapy
      outcomes. METHODS: In this work, a system based on a hybrid upper limb
      exoskeleton is used for neurological rehabilitation. Reaching movements are
      supported by the passive exoskeleton ArmeoSpring and FES. The movement execution
      is triggered by an EEG-based BMI. The BMI uses two different methods to interact
      with the exoskeleton from the user's brain activity. The first method relies on
      motor imagery tasks classification, whilst the second one is based on movement
      intention detection. RESULTS: Three healthy users and five patients with
      neurological conditions participated in the experiments to verify the usability
      of the system. Using the BMI based on motor imagery, healthy volunteers obtained
      an average accuracy of 82.9 +/- 14.5 %, and patients obtained an accuracy of 65.3
      +/- 9.0 %, with a low False Positives rate (FP) (19.2 +/- 10.4 % and 15.0 +/- 8.4
      %, respectively). On the other hand, by using the BMI based on detecting the arm
      movement intention, the average accuracy was 76.7 +/- 13.2 % for healthy users
      and 71.6 +/- 15.8 % for patients, with 28.7 +/- 19.9 % and 21.2 +/- 13.3 % of FP
      rate (healthy users and patients, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of the
      results shows that the combined use of a hybrid upper limb exoskeleton and a BMI
      could be used for rehabilitation therapies. The advantage of this system is that
      the user is an active part of the rehabilitation procedure. The next step will be
      to verify what are the clinical benefits for the patients using this new
      rehabilitation procedure.

PMID- 26476870
TI  - Recent advances in alcohol and organic acid fractionation of lignocellulosic
      biomass.
AB  - Organosolv fractionation is a promising process to separate lignocellulosic
      biomass for the preparation of multiply products including biofuels, chemicals,
      and materials. This review presents the state of art of different processes
      applying alcohols and organic acids to treat lignocellulosic biomass for the
      production of ethanol, lignin, xylose, etc. The major organosolv technologies
      using ethanol, formic acid, and acetic acid, are intensively introduced and
      discussed in depth. In addition, the structural modifications of the major
      components of lignocelluloses, the technical processes, and the applications of
      the products were also summarized. The object of the review is to provide recent
      information in the field of organosolv process for the integrated biorefinery.
      The perspectives of the challenge and opportunity related to this topic are also
      presented. 

PMID- 26476871
TI  - Fabrication of porosity-enhanced MgO/biochar for removal of phosphate from
      aqueous solution: Application of a novel combined electrochemical modification
      method.
AB  - A novel combined electrochemical modification (CEM) method, using a graphite
      electrode-based electric field and MgCl2 as electrolyte, was newly developed to
      prepare porosity-enhanced biochar containing periclase (MgO) nanocomposites (PE
      MgO/biochar). During the CEM method, the dried marine macroalgae was immersed in
      the MgCl2 solution, and a voltage of 20V was then applied for 10min prior to
      pyrolysis. Morphological and chemical analyses results showed that nano-sized MgO
      particles with a highly crystalline structure were dispersed and enriched on the
      surface of the PE-MgO/biochar, which enabled higher phosphate adsorption
      capability. In an adsorption equilibrium test, among various biochars, PE
      MgO/biochar exhibited the highest phosphate adsorption capacity from aqueous
      solution with a Langmuir-Freundlich maximum adsorption capacity as high as 620mg
      Pg(-1). It can be concluded that the newly introduced CEM method is a potent
      additional technique to effectively prepare modified-biochar in terms of a simple
      and time-saving modification method. 

PMID- 26476873
TI  - Effects of halide ions on the acceptor phase in spontaneous chemical oscillations
      in donor/membrane/acceptor systems.
AB  - The effects of halide ions on the acceptor phase in the chemical oscillation in
      donor/membrane/acceptor systems were examined. The transfer of
      cetyltrimethylammonium (CTA(+)) ions from the donor phase and their adsorption
      and desorption at the membrane/acceptor interface led to spontaneous, nonlinear
      oscillations of the electric potential. Chloride ions stabilized the adsorption
      of CTA(+) ions and gave rise to a large-amplitude, long-interval, and a long
      relaxation-time constant. On the contrary, iodide ions, which are more
      hydrophobic than chloride ions, demonstrated opposite results. This mechanism was
      proposed based on the simultaneous time-resolved measurements of the interfacial
      tensions at both the donor/membrane and membrane/acceptor interfaces and
      observation of the convective flow due to Marangoni instability. 

PMID- 26476872
TI  - Epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus-1 and hepatitis B virus co-infection
      and risk factors for acquiring these infections in the Fako division of Southwest
      Cameroon.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Past studies have demonstrated that a large population of
      Cameroonians are afflicted with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and/or
      hepatitis B virus (HBV) demonstrating a need for better prevention programs. We
      aim to describe the prevalence of HIV, HBV and HIV/HBV co-infection; examine the
      association between HIV and HBV; and determine risk correlates associated with
      HIV and HBV transmission in Southwest Cameroon. METHODS: A cross-sectional,
      community-based surveillance study was conducted among adults in five hospitals ,
      one in each of the five health districts of the Fako division of the Southwest
      region of Cameroon. Participants underwent pre- and post-test counselling, a 30
      question survey and blood draw for HIV and HBV serologic testing. To construct a
      final model, chi-squared tests and logistic regression were used to investigate
      associations. RESULTS: Among 761 participants, 40.32 % were male, mean age was
      35.21 +/- 12.42 years, and the prevalence of HIV, HBV and HIV/HBV co-infection
      was 10.69 % , 9.86 % , and 1.16 % , respectively. There was no association
      between HIV and HBV infection. However, there was a statistically significant
      crude associated (p-value < 0.05) between HIV and three high-risk sexual
      behaviour variables: condom use, number of lifetime sexual partners, and age at
      first sexual intercourse. After adjustment, HIV status continued to be associated
      with number of lifetime sexual partners (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.26; 95 %
      confidence interval (CI) =1.22-4.17) and age at first sexual intercourse (AOR =
      2.63; 95 % CI =1.44-4.81). In contrast, none of the high-risk sexual behaviours
      was associated with HBV. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of HIV and HBV was
      relatively high in the Southwest region of Cameroon, emphasizing the importance
      of intervention and treatment programs in this country. Additionally, the results
      from this study suggest that unlike HIV, HBV is not associated with sexual risk
      factors and may provide evidence that HBV is acquired through routes other than
      sexual transmission, warranting further investigation in this region.

PMID- 26476874
TI  - Angiogenic Factors in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

PMID- 26476875
TI  - [Failure mode effect analysis applied to preparation of intravenous cytostatics].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To proactively identify risks in the preparation of intravenous
      cytostatic drugs, and to prioritise and establish measures to improve safety
      procedures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Failure Mode Effect Analysis methodology was
      used. A multidisciplinary team identified potential failure modes of the
      procedure through a brainstorming session. The impact associated with each
      failure mode was assessed with the Risk Priority Number (RPN), which involves
      three variables: occurrence, severity, and detectability. Improvement measures
      were established for all identified failure modes, with those with RPN>100
      considered critical. The final RPN (theoretical) that would result from the
      proposed measures was also calculated and the process was redesigned. RESULTS: A
      total of 34 failure modes were identified. The initial accumulated RPN was 3022
      (range: 3-252), and after recommended actions the final RPN was 1292 (range: 3
      189). RPN scores >100 were obtained in 13 failure modes; only the dispensing sub
      process was free of critical points (RPN>100). A final reduction of RPN>50% was
      achieved in 9 failure modes. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective risk analysis
      methodology allows the weaknesses of the procedure to be prioritised, optimize
      use of resources, and a substantial improvement in the safety of the preparation
      of cytostatic drugs through the introduction of double checking and intermediate
      product labelling.

PMID- 26476876
TI  - [Evaluation of adherence to treatment with calcium and vitamin D in the elderly
      in a basic health area].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The vitamin D deficiency is high in the elderly
      population. Calcium and vitamin D supplements is a frequently used measure in
      individuals at risk for falls and/or fractures. However, this practice has
      achieved a low level of compliance. The aim is to assess the adherence to
      treatment with calcium and vitamin D in elders with hypovitaminosis D in an urban
      area of Madrid. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Intervention study performed on 438
      individuals >=65years from the 'Penagrande Cohort' with hypovitaminosis D that
      were treated with calcium and vitamin D. Adherence at 3 and 12 months was
      assessed using the Morisky-Green and counting of prescriptions written. RESULTS:
      A total of 413 of the 438 individuals with hypovitaminosis D were analysed (18
      patients were not treated because of contraindications, and 7 were considered
      lost). At 3 and 12 months, 63.9% and 47.2%, respectively, were adherents. After a
      brief educational intervention, 19.3% of individuals without adherence at 3
      months became good compliers when measured at one year. Comorbidity was
      associated with lower rates of adherence to treatment after one year (46.3%
      versus 35.2%, P=.027). The main cause of non-adherence to calcium was digestive
      intolerance, and due to oversights for vitamin D. Concordance between adherence
      assessed by the Morisky test and counting of prescriptions written was high
      (Kappa index=69.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Non-adherence to chronic treatment with calcium
      and vitamin D is a relevant problem in elderly. It is important to assess
      adherence and implement health education strategies in clinical practice.

PMID- 26476877
TI  - Quantitatively assessing the health risk of exposure to PAHs from intake of
      smoked meats.
AB  - Smoked meat and meat products represent a significant part of the daily diet in
      south-west China and many other parts of the world. In this study, we evaluated
      the health risks of long-term exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
      in a daily low dose exposures (from intake of PAH-containing smoked meats) in
      south-west China for eight groups of people based on a Monte Carlo simulation.
      Total concentrations of PAHs in smoked meats from south-west China ranged from
      14.4 to 56.3MUgkg(-1). The 95th percentile carcinogenic risk (CR) values of eight
      groups in four cities and provinces were lower than the acceptable value (1.00E
      5), indicating no significant risk. The 95th percentile Hazard Index (HI) values
      were below 1, suggesting no obvious non-carcinogenic effects developed. This
      study was the first attempt to provide information on the potential health risk
      for daily intake of PAH-containing smoked meat. 

PMID- 26476878
TI  - Exposure to low pH induces molecular level changes in the marine worm,
      Platynereis dumerilii.
AB  - Fossil fuel emissions and changes in net land use lead to an increase in
      atmospheric CO2 concentration and a subsequent decrease of ocean pH. Noticeable
      effects on organisms' calcification rate, shell structure and energy metabolism
      have been reported in the literature. To date, little is known about the
      molecular mechanisms altered under low pH exposure, especially in non-calcifying
      organisms. We used a suppression subtractive hybridisation (SSH) approach to
      characterise differentially expressed genes isolated from Platynereis dumerilii,
      a non-calcifying marine polychaeta species, kept at normal and low pH conditions.
      Several gene sequences have been identified as differentially regulated. These
      are involved in processes previously considered as indicators of environment
      change, such as energy metabolism (NADH dehydrogenase, 2-oxoglutarate
      dehydrogenase, cytochrome c oxidase and ATP synthase subunit F), while others are
      involved in cytoskeleton function (paramyosin and calponin) and immune defence
      (fucolectin-1 and paneth cell-specific alpha-defensin) processes. This is the
      first study of differential gene expression in a non-calcifying, marine
      polychaete exposed to low pH seawater conditions and suggests that mechanisms of
      impact may include additional pathways not previously identified as impacted by
      low pH in other species. 

PMID- 26476880
TI  - Association Between Prenatal Exposure to Maternal Infection and Offspring Mood
      Disorders: A Review of the Literature.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to provide a systematic review of studies that
      have examined the association between prenatal exposure to maternal infection and
      development of mood disorders across the life course. Drawing from both human-
      and animal-based studies, we give an overview of hypothesized biological
      mechanisms by which exposure to maternal infection during critical periods of
      gestation may contribute to fetal programming of mood disorders in offspring. We
      discuss studies examining the association between prenatal exposure to maternal
      infection with pathogens including influenza as well as other respiratory
      viruses, herpesviruses, hepatitis viruses, and Toxoplasma gondii and mood
      disorders in human populations. Moreover, we outline strengths and limitations of
      the current body of evidence and make recommendations for future research. We
      also discuss findings in the context of well-documented gender and socioeconomic
      disparities in the prevalence and severity of mood disorders, particularly major
      depression, and the role that early exposure to infection may play in explaining
      the perpetuation of such disparities across generations. Overall, this review of
      the current knowledge on this topic has important implications for determining
      future research directions, designing interventions as well as prenatal care
      guidelines targeted at prevention or treatment of infection during pregnancy, and
      clinical practice for the identification of individuals that may be at increased
      risk for mood disorders beginning early in life. Importantly, such efforts may
      not only lower the overall burden of mood disorders but also serve to address
      social disparities in these adverse mental health conditions in the U.S. 

PMID- 26476879
TI  - Oral application of freeze-dried yeast particles expressing the PCV2b Cap protein
      on their surface induce protection to subsequent PCV2b challenge in vivo.
AB  - Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is now endemic in every major pig producing
      country, causing PCV-associated disease (PCVAD), linked with large scale economic
      losses. Current vaccination strategies are based on the capsid protein of the
      virus and are reasonably successful in preventing PCVAD but fail to induce
      sterile immunity. Additionally, vaccinating whole herds is expensive and time
      consuming. In the present study a "proof of concept" vaccine trial was employed
      to test the effectiveness of powdered freeze-dried recombinant Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae yeast stably expressing the capsid protein of PCV2b on its surface as
      an orally applied vaccine. PCV2-free pigs were given 3 doses of vaccine or left
      un-vaccinated before challenge with a defined PCV2b strain. Rectal temperatures
      were measured and serum and faeces samples were collected weekly. At the end of
      the study, pigs were euthanized, tissue samples taken and tested for PCV2b load
      by qPCR and immunohistochemistry. The peak of viraemia in sera and faeces of
      unvaccinated pigs was higher than that of vaccinated pigs. Additionally more sIgA
      was found in faeces of vaccinated pigs than unvaccinated. Vaccination was
      associated with lower serum concentrations of TNFalpha and IL-1beta but higher
      concentrations of IFNalpha and IFNgamma in comparison to the unvaccinated
      animals. At the end of the trial, a higher viral load was found in several
      lymphatic tissues and the ileum of unvaccinated pigs in comparison to vaccinated
      pigs. The difference between groups was especially apparent in the ileum. The
      results presented here demonstrate a possible use for recombinant S. cerevisiae
      expressing viral proteins as an oral vaccine against PCV2. A powdered freeze
      dried recombinant S. cerevisiae used as an oral vaccine could be mixed with feed
      and may offer a cheap and less labour intensive alternative to inoculation with
      the additional advantage that no cooling chain would be required for vaccine
      transport and storage. 

PMID- 26476881
TI  - Development of a validated LC-APCI-MS/MS method to study the plasma and tumor
      distribution of CHO-PTX intravenous lipid emulsion.
AB  - Conjugation of a cholesterol moiety to active compounds for cancer treatment or
      diagnosis is an attractive approach for increasing lipophilicity and improving
      loading into lipid carriers. We developed a highly sensitive and specific liquid
      chromatography atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry
      (LC-APCI-MS/MS) analytical method to investigate the in vivo plasma and tumor
      distribution characteristic of a cholesterol-paclitaxel conjugate (CHO-PTX) in
      nude mice with MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer xenografts. The samples were
      analyzed in positive ion, multiple reaction monitoring mode. The plasma and tumor
      tissue samples were processed by liquid-liquid extraction with methyl tert-butyl
      ether (MTBE). Docetaxel was used as the internal standard (IS) for sample
      processing and analysis. MS/MS detection was carried out by monitoring the
      transitions of m/z 1266.7->369.4 and 330.3 for CHO-PTX, and m/z 808.7->226.4 and
      509.1 for IS. The calibration curves were linear over 100-25,000 ng/mL in mouse
      plasma and tumor homogenate samples. The limit of quantitation of CHO-PTX was 100
      ng/mL in both matrices. The intra-day and inter-day precisions were less than
      15%, and the accuracy was between -8.0% and 8.6% for both matrices. The developed
      method was successfully applied to measure CHO-PTX levels in plasma and tumor
      tissues in nude mice. The mean tumor concentrations in mice tumor tissues after
      intravenous administration of CHO-PTX emulsion at a dose equivalent to 20 mg/kg
      paclitaxel were 2022+/-630 ng/mL ng/mL, 2516+/-982 ng/mL, 3056+/-1438 ng/mL, and
      2367+/-1029 ng/mL at 0.25, 3, 24, and 120 h, respectively. The accumulation of
      CHO-PTX in the tumor suggests that cholesteryl drug conjugates are a promising
      approach for medical treatment of various human cancers.

PMID- 26476882
TI  - Application of (1)H NMR-based serum metabolomic studies for monitoring female
      patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune-based inflammatory disease that
      leads to progressive joint degeneration, disability, and an increased risk of
      cardiovascular complications, which is the main cause of mortality in this
      population of patients. Although several biomarkers are routinely used in the
      management of rheumatoid arthritis, there is a high demand for novel biomarkers
      to further improve the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, stratification of
      patients, and the prediction of a better response to a specific therapy. In this
      study, the metabolomics approach was used to provide relevant biomarkers to
      improve diagnostic accuracy, define prognosis and predict and monitor treatment
      efficacy. The results indicated that twelve metabolites were important for the
      discrimination of healthy control and rheumatoid arthritis. Notably, valine,
      isoleucine, lactate, alanine, creatinine, GPC  APC and histidine relative levels
      were lower in rheumatoid arthritis, whereas 3-hydroxyisobutyrate, acetate, NAC,
      acetoacetate and acetone relative levels were higher. Simultaneously, the
      analysis of the concentration of metabolites in rheumatoid arthritis and 3 months
      after induction treatment revealed that L1, 3-hydroxyisobutyrate, lysine, L5,
      acetoacetate, creatine, GPC+APC, histidine and phenylalanine were elevated in RA,
      whereas leucine, acetate, betaine and formate were lower. Additionally,
      metabolomics tools were employed to discriminate between patients with different
      IL-17A genotypes. Metabolomics may provide relevant biomarkers to improve
      diagnostic accuracy, define prognosis and predict and monitor treatment efficacy
      in rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 26476884
TI  - Getting to the heart of the matter in type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 26476885
TI  - Arsenic and human health effects: A review.
AB  - Arsenic (As) is ubiquitous in nature and humans being exposed to arsenic via
      atmospheric air, ground water and food sources are certain. Major sources of
      arsenic contamination could be either through geological or via anthropogenic
      activities. In physiological individuals, organ system is described as group of
      organs that transact collectively and associate with other systems for
      conventional body functions. Arsenic has been associated with persuading a
      variety of complications in body organ systems: integumentary, nervous,
      respiratory, cardiovascular, hematopoietic, immune, endocrine, hepatic, renal,
      reproductive system and development. In this review, we outline the effects of
      arsenic on the human body with a main focus on assorted organ systems with
      respective disease conditions. Additionally, underlying mechanisms of disease
      development in each organ system due to arsenic have also been explored.
      Strikingly, arsenic has been able to induce epigenetic changes (in utero) and
      genetic mutations (a leading cause of cancer) in the body. Occurrence of various
      arsenic induced health effects involving emerging areas such as epigenetics and
      cancer along with their respective mechanisms are also briefly discussed. 

PMID- 26476886
TI  - Ampelopsin induces apoptosis in HepG2 human hepatoma cell line through extrinsic
      and intrinsic pathways: Involvement of P38 and ERK.
AB  - Our results showed that ampelopsin significantly inhibited cell viability of
      hepatoma HepG2 cells using MTT assay. We further investigated the mechanism of
      anticancer activity by ampelopsin, it showed that ampelopsin induced apoptosis of
      HepG2 cells using DAPI assay and flow cytometry, which was confirmed by
      activation of PARP. Next, activation of the caspase cascades were demonstrated,
      including caspase-8, -9 and -3. We also found that ampelopsin increased the
      levels of death receptor 4 (DR4), death receptor 5 (DR5) and decreased the
      expression of Bcl-2 protein, which led to an increase of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio.
      Meanwhile, the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria was observed. Ampelopsin
      decreased the levels of iNOS and COX-2 but had no impact on the level of reactive
      oxygen species (ROS). In addition, ampelopsin activated ERK1/2 and P38, but
      little JNK1/2 activation was detected. Further investigation showed that
      suppression of P38 activation by SB203580 increased the cell viability and also
      prevented cleavage of caspase-3 and PARP, inhibition of ERK1/2 with U0126 had the
      opposite action. In conclusion, our results indicated that ampelopsin mainly
      elicited apoptosis through extrinsic and intrinsic pathway and that ERK1/2 and
      P38 had opponent effects on the apoptosis. 

PMID- 26476887
TI  - The in vitro effect of Lambda-cyhalothrin on quality and antioxidant responses of
      rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss spermatozoa.
AB  - There is little information in the scientific literature about effect of in vitro
      exposure of fish spermatozoa to pesticides. In vitro effect of Lambda-cyhalothrin
      (LCT) on sperm quality and oxidative stress has not been fully explored yet. The
      effects of LCT, which is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide, on quality and
      oxidative stress of spermatozoa were investigated in vitro due to extensively use
      to control a wide range of insect pests in agriculture, public health, and homes
      and gardens. To explore the potential in vitro toxicity of LCT, fish spermatozoa
      were incubated with different concentrations of LCT (0.6, 1.2 and 2.4 MUg/L) for
      2h. Reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT)
      and malondialdehyde (MDA) in spermatozoa were analyzed for determination of
      oxidant and antioxidant balance. Our results indicated that the percentage and
      duration of sperm motility significantly decreased with exposure to LCT. Activity
      of GSH-Px and MDA (P<0.05) and GSH levels (P<0.05) increased in a concentration
      dependent manner while CAT activity decreased (P<0.05). In conclusion, the
      oxidant and antioxidant status and sperm quality were affected by increasing
      concentrations of LCT.

PMID- 26476888
TI  - Blocking TGF-beta expression inhibits silica particle-induced epithelial
      mesenchymal transition in human lung epithelial cells.
AB  - The main characteristic of silicosis is irreversible fibrosis. Certain studies
      have shown that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulated by transforming
      growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is involved in fibrosis. Thus, we suggest that TGF
      beta regulated EMT may play an important role in silicosis. In this study, we
      determined the expression of TGF-beta-Smad2/3, EMT- and ECM-related markers in
      lung epithelial cells treated with silica particle by RT-PCR, western-blot and
      ELISA. In order to explore the role of TGF-beta, we used TGF-beta inhibitor in
      the cell model. We found that the cells lost the expression of epithelial
      phenotypic markers and acquired increased expression of mesenchymal cells markers
      with ECM deposition after treatment with silica particle. Moreover, the changes
      of EMT-related event was restricted in response to TGF-beta inhibitor. These
      findings suggest that EMT is essentially involved in the pathogenesis of fibrosis
      induced by silica particles and down-regulating the TGF-beta expression can
      inhibit the process of EMT. 

PMID- 26476889
TI  - [Fertility preservation and endometriosis: When medical borders on social].

PMID- 26476890
TI  - [Should a systematic fertility preservation be proposed to healthy women carrying
      a BRCA1/2 mutation?].
AB  - Should all women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes mutations be considered at risk of
      prematurely impaired fertility, and thus should a fertility preservation
      systematically be proposed? Women carrying mutations of BRCA1 or BRCA2 are at
      high risk for breast and tubo-ovarian cancer. The treatment of a breast cancer at
      a young age, unrare in this population, is associated with a risk of infertility,
      due to the ovarian toxicity of chemotherapy, to the recommended duration of
      hormonotherapy when indicated, and to the time advised before starting a
      pregnancy. Furthermore, some data in the literature suggest a higher risk of
      premature ovarian failure among women with BRCA1/2 mutation: advance of the age
      at menopause and poorer response to ovarian stimulation have been observed.
      Several pathophysiological hypotheses support this finding, as the involvement of
      the BRCA genes in maintaining telomere length, the DNA repair anomalies promoting
      oocyte apoptosis, differences in FMR1 genotype. Current fertility preservation
      techniques have limitations, some of them being specific to BRCA1/2 women:
      absence of oncological risk due to stimulation in BRCA1/2 women not clearly
      demonstrated, oocyte vitrification techniques limited rentability, graft of
      ovarian cortex not suitable in these women at high risk. Thus, data on the
      increased risk of premature ovarian failure remaining weak, such a systematic
      proposal seems questionable. 

PMID- 26476891
TI  - [Oxidative stress and preeclampsia: A review].
AB  - Preeclampsia is a leading cause of pregnancy complications and affects 3-7% of
      pregnant women. Pathophysiology of preeclampsia is still unclear. According to
      the two-stage model of preeclampsia, the abnormal and hypoperfused placenta
      (stage 1) releases factors to the bloodstream, which are responsible for the
      maternal symptoms (stage 2), characterised by a systemic inflammation and
      endothelial dysfunction. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the
      pathophysiology of the preeclampsia and could be the common denominator between
      the two. This review summarizes the current knowledge of a new potential etiology
      of the disease, with a special focus on oxidative stress. We also review the
      different factors that have been proposed to cause endothelial cell dysfunction
      in preeclampsia, and trials investigating the role of antioxidant supplementation
      in preeclampsia. 

PMID- 26476892
TI  - [A simple self-assessment tool for the first-trimester ultrasound images].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to establish a minimum subset of
      simple criteria for the self-assessment of the quality of first-trimester
      ultrasound images of nuchal translucency (NT) and crown-rump length (CRL).
      METHODS: We designed 162 simplified image-scoring methods (ISM) based on 1, 2, 3
      or 4 binary criteria derived from the 8 criteria of the original image scoring
      method of the French College of Fetal Ultrasound (CFEF). These ISM were assessed
      on 68,250 consecutive scans of the French national audit conducted by the CFEF on
      NT and CRL images. The ISM associated with the best precision to identify
      excellent/reasonable quality scans were selected. RESULTS: Simplified ISM based
      on 1, 2, 3 and 4 criteria showed maximum positive predictive values of 95.3%
      (95.11-95.50) 98.0% (97.87-98.14), 99.3% (99.17-99.35) and 99.7% (99.68-99.79),
      respectively, to identify excellent/reasonable quality scans. The proportion of
      excellent/reasonable scans was 2.8 to 16.7% when three criteria among the 8 were
      insufficient, and 0.17 to 3.95% when four criteria were insufficient.
      CONCLUSIONS: The best performing ISM was based on the following four quality
      criteria: (i) sagittal plane of the NT, (ii) calipers placement for measuring the
      NT, (iii) image magnification of NT images and (iv) CRL measurement. This score
      might be the most relevant in clinical practice in the first-trimester screening.

PMID- 26476893
TI  - Thoracic and lumbar posture behaviour in sitting tasks and standing: Progressing
      the biomechanics from observations to measurements.
AB  - Few studies quantify spinal posture behaviour at both the thoracolumbar and
      lumbar spinal regions. This study compared spontaneous spinal posture in 50
      asymptomatic participants (21 males) during three conditions: 10-min computer
      task in sitting (participants naive to the measure), during their perceived
      'correct' sitting posture, and standing. Three-dimensional optical tracking
      quantified surface spinal angles at the thoracolumbar and lumbar regions, and
      spinal orientation with respect to the vertical. Despite popular belief that
      lordotic lumbar angles are 'correct' for sitting, this was rarely adopted for 10
      min sitting. In 10-min sitting, spinal angles flexed 24(7-9)deg at lumbar and
      12(6-8)deg at thoracolumbar regions relative to standing (P < 0.001). When
      participants 'corrected' their sitting posture, their thoracolumbar angle 
      2(7)deg was similar to the angle in standing -1(6)deg (P = 1.00). Males were
      flexed at the lumbar angle relative to females for 10-min sitting, 'correct'
      sitting and standing, but showed no difference at the thoracolumbar region.

PMID- 26476894
TI  - Application of Opuntia ficus-indica in bioremediation of wastewaters. A critical
      review.
AB  - Heavy metal ion, pesticide and dye wastewaters cause severe ecological
      contamination with conventional treatment methods proving inadequate,
      unsuccessful or expensive to apply. Several biomaterials have recently been
      explored for the biosorption and biocoagulation-flocculation of pollutants from
      wastewaters. In the past 10 years, there has been an extensive research output on
      the use of biological materials such as agricultural wastes, chitosan, Moringa
      Oleifera, Eichhornia crassipes, bacteria, algae, Cactus plants etc. in
      environmental remediation. The present paper reviews the scattered information
      about the green technology involving Opuntia ficus-indica derived biomaterials in
      wastewater decontamination. Its characterization, physicochemical compositions,
      its application in biosorption and flocculation of dyes, pesticides and metallic
      species focussing on equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamic properties are
      reviewed. The main results obtained in the depollution of a variety of
      contaminated wastewaters using cladodes, fruit pulp and peels mucilage and
      electrolytes show very high and promising pollutant maximum sorption capacities
      and removal percentages in the range -125.4-1000 mg/g and 0.31-2251.56 mg/g for
      the biosorption of dyes and metallic species respectively and removal % ranges of
      50-98.7%, 11-93.62% and 17-100% for turbidity, chemical oxygen demand and heavy
      metals respectively by coagulation-flocculation process. The biomaterials proved
      to be efficient in pollutant removal that there is need to explore the scaling up
      of the study from the laboratory scale to community pilot plants and eventually
      to industrial levels. 

PMID- 26476895
TI  - Brachybacterium horti sp. nov., isolated from garden soil.
AB  - A bacterial strain, THG-S15-4T, was isolated from garden soil taken from the Guro
      gu district of Seoul, Republic of Korea. Strain THG-S15-4T was Gram-stain
      positive, facultatively anaerobic, coccus-shaped and non-motile, forming white
      colonies. The strain grew optimally at 25-37  degrees C, at pH 7.0 and in the
      presence of 0-2.0 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis, based on 16S rRNA gene
      sequences, showed that strain THG-S15-4T was affiliated to species of the genus
      Brachybacterium, and the most closely related species were Brachybacterium
      rhamnosum KCTC 9917 T (98.5 % sequence similarity) and Brachybacterium squillarum
      KCTC 19899T (96.9 % sequence similarity). The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain
      THG-S15-4T and B. rhamnosum KCTC 9917 T was found to be below 20.0 %. The DNA G+C
      content was determined to be 69.5 mol%. The major isoprenoid quinone detected was
      MK-7. Strain THG-S15-4T was characterized chemotaxonomically as having meso
      diaminopimelic acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. The polar lipid profile
      consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, unidentified
      glycolipids and an unidentified polar lipid. The major fatty acids were found to
      be iso-C16 : 0 and anteiso-C15 : 0. The results of physiological and biochemical
      tests enabled strain THG-S15-4T to be differentiated phenotypically from species
      of the genus Brachybacterium with validly published names. Therefore, it is
      suggested that this newly isolated organism represents a novel species, for which
      the name Brachybacterium horti sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is THG-S15
      4T ( = KCTC 39563T = CCTCC AB 2015116T). 

PMID- 26476896
TI  - Using Arden Syntax Medical Logic Modules to reduce overutilization of laboratory
      tests for detection of bacterial infections-Success or failure?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Bacterial infections frequently cause prolonged intensive care unit
      (ICU) stays. Repeated measurements of the procalcitonin (PCT) biomarker are
      typically used for early detection and follow up of bacterial infections and
      sepsis, but those PCT measurements are costly. To avoid overutilization, we
      developed and evaluated a clinical decision support system (CDSS) in Arden Syntax
      which computes necessary and preventable PCT orders. METHODS: The CDSS implements
      a rule set based on the latest PCT value, the time period since this measurement,
      and the PCT trend scenario. We assessed the CDSS effects on the daily rate of
      ordered PCT tests within a prospective study having two ON and two OFF phases in
      a surgical ICU. In addition, we performed interviews with the participating
      physicians to investigate their experience with the CDSS advice. RESULTS: Prior
      to the deployment of the CDSS, 22% of the performed PCT tests were potentially
      preventable according to the rule set. During the first ON phase the daily rate
      of ordered PCT tests per patient decreased significantly from 0.807 to 0.662. In
      subsequent OFF, ON and OFF phases, however, PCT utilization reached again daily
      rates of 0.733, 0.803, and 0.792, respectively. The interviews demonstrated that
      the physicians were aware of the problem of PCT overutilization, which they
      primarily attributed to acute time constraints. The responders assumed that the
      majority of preventable measurements are indiscriminately ordered for patients
      during longer ICU stays. CONCLUSION: We observed an 18% reduction of PCT tests
      within the first four weeks of CDSS support in the investigated ICU. This
      reduction may have been influenced by raised awareness of the overutilization
      problem; the extent of this influence cannot be determined in our study design.
      No reduction of PCT tests could be observed during the second ON phase. The
      physician interviews indicated that time critical ICU situations can prevent
      extensive reflection about the necessity of individual tests. In order to achieve
      an enduring effect on PCT utilization, we will have to proceed to electronic
      order entry.

PMID- 26476897
TI  - Immobilized sialyltransferase fused to a fungal biotin-binding protein:
      Production, properties, and applications.
AB  - A beta-galactoside alpha2,6-sialyltransferase (ST) from the marine bacterium
      Photobacterium sp. JT-ISH-224 with a broad acceptor substrate specificity was
      fused to a fungal biotin-binding protein tamavidin 2 (TM2) to produce immobilized
      enzyme. Specifically, a gene for the fusion protein, in which ST from
      Photobacterium sp. JT-ISH-224 and TM2 were connected via a peptide linker (ST-L
      TM2) was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli. The ST-L-TM2 was produced
      in the soluble form with a yield of approximately 15,000 unit/300 ml of the E.
      coli culture. The ST-L-TM2 was partially purified and part of it was immobilized
      onto biotin-bearing magnetic microbeads. The immobilized ST-L-TM2 onto microbeads
      could be used at least seven consecutive reaction cycles with no observed
      decrease in enzymatic activity. In addition, the optimum pH and temperature of
      the immobilized enzyme were changed compared to those of a free form of the ST.
      Considering these results, it was strongly expected that the immobilized ST-L-TM2
      was a promising tool for the production of various kind of sialoligosaccharides.

PMID- 26476899
TI  - Crude Coal Tar and Ultraviolet (UV) A radiation (Modified Goeckerman Technique)
      in Treatment of Psoriasis.
AB  - Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis that has a substantial impact on
      the quality of life. Goeckerman's technique (GT) has been implemented for the
      treatment of psoriasis with high clearance rates and long periods of remission.
      The objective of this article was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of modified
      GT (crude coal tar 2.5% plus UVA) as an alternative therapeutic modality for
      psoriatic patients with skin types III-V. Twenty two patients with moderate,
      severe, and erythrodermic psoriasis were included in this study. All patients
      received modified GT (crude coal tar 2.5% plus UVA) six days per week for a
      period of 3 months. Assessment of the rate of reduction of psoriasis area
      severity index (PASI) was performed, as well as photographic documentation of
      each patient at baseline and after completion of therapy. There was a significant
      reduction in PASI scores after therapy in all patients (P=0.001). The rate of
      PASI reduction after therapy was >50% in 63.6% of patients; 27.3% of patients
      achieved >75% reduction and 9.1% of patients achieved 26-50% reduction. No
      serious side effects were reported in any of the patients. Modified GT is a safe
      and effective therapeutic option for patients with moderate and severe psoriasis.

PMID- 26476898
TI  - Leonine facies (LF) and mycosis fungoides (MF): A single-center study and
      systematic review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leonine facies (LF) is defined as displaying facial features similar
      to that of a lion with prominent convexities and furrowed creases. LF develops in
      a very small population of patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. OBJECTIVE: We
      aimed to study the clinicopathologic features and overall prognosis associated
      with LF in patients with mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome. METHODS: We
      conducted a single-center retrospective study, reviewing 1338 patients with
      mycosis fungoides seen from 1987 to 2015 at a tertiary referral center for
      cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, and a systematic review of 14 patients in the
      literature. RESULTS: We identified 10 patients with mycosis fungoides who
      developed LF. Folliculotropism was seen in all patients with LF who had facial
      biopsy specimens. Radiation was a beneficial therapy. Complete remission was
      achieved in 1 patient and overall 5-year survival was 26%. Systematic review of
      10 additional patients showed that all patients with LF, including ours, had
      stage-IV disease and some degree of blood involvement, but not all met criteria
      for Sezary syndrome. LIMITATIONS: This was a retrospective study with a small
      sample size. CONCLUSION: LF is associated with stage-IV cutaneous T-cell
      lymphoma, is often accompanied by folliculotropism and blood involvement, and can
      be treated with local electron beam therapy.

PMID- 26476901
TI  - Health-related Quality of Life in Children with Moderate to Severe Atopic
      Dermatitis.
AB  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common, chronic skin disease in children that may
      affect their quality of life (QoL). The aim of this study was to assess QoL in
      children in Montenegro with moderate to severe AD. A cross-sectional study was
      conducted at the Clinic of Dermatology and Venereology, Clinical Center of
      Montenegro, Podgorica, between January and December 2014. The study group
      included 200 children (97 boys and 103 girls) with the diagnosis of AD. The
      Infants' Dermatitis Quality of Life Index (IDQOL) and the Children's Dermatology
      Life Quality Index (CDLQI) were used to determine QoL for 90 infants (<4 years
      old) and 110 children (4-16 years old), respectively. Severity of disease was
      measured by the three-item severity (TIS) score. The mean scores were 14.38+/
      5.57 for IDQOL and 18.43+/-4.88 for CDLQI. A positive correlation was observed
      between AD clinical severity (TIS) and all the items of IDQOL with Spearman's
      correlation coefficient (rho) ranging from 0.31 to 0.74, and between AD clinical
      severity and all domains of CDLQI (rho=0.31-0.69). The impact of AD on health
      related quality of life (HRQoL) was more severe for younger girls, but only in
      some domains (IDQOL), and for older boys (CDLQI). The linguistically validated
      Serbian versions of both IDQOL and CDLQI questionnaires showed good internal
      consistency with Cronbach's alpha values of 0.88 and 0.73, respectively. In
      conclusion, our results demonstrate that AD has a great impact on QoL. A positive
      correlation between clinical severity and quality of life was seen.

PMID- 26476900
TI  - Relationship Between Serum Fetuin-A Levels and Carotid Intima-media Thickness in
      Turkish Patients with Mild to Moderate Psoriasis. A Case-control Study.
AB  - Previous studies have associated severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis with an
      increased risk of atherosclerosis. However, the association between patients with
      mild-to-moderate plaque-type psoriasis and atherosclerosis has yet to be studied
      in depth. This study investigates a) possible correlations between carotid intima
      media thickness (CIMT) and serum fetuin-A levels in patients with mild-to
      moderate psoriasis and b) correlations between psoriasis severity index (PASI)
      and fetuin-A levels. The latter correlation was recently reported to be important
      for wound healing and vascular calcification. In this prospective study, a total
      of 70 patients with mild-to-moderate psoriasis and 66 control participants were
      included. PASI, CIMT, and serum fetuin-A levels were examined in all patients.
      Although the difference in fetuin-A values was not statistically significant
      between patients with mild-to-moderate plaque-type psoriasis and control groups
      (P=0.401), the CIMT levels in the psoriasis group were significantly higher than
      the control group (P=0.002). There were no correlations among fetuin-A levels,
      CIMT, and PASI. This study establishes an association between mild to moderate
      psoriasis and atherosclerosis. This study also concludes that, similarly to
      patients with severe psoriasis, CIMT levels are a better indicator of
      cardiovascular risk than serum fetuin-A levels in patients diagnosed with mild-to
      moderate plaque-type psoriasis. 

PMID- 26476902
TI  - Clinical Features, Dermoscopic Patterns, and Histological Diagnostic Model for
      Melanocytic Tumors of Uncertain Malignant Potential (MELTUMP).
AB  - Cutaneous melanocytic lesions with atypical histological features can be
      difficult to categorize as benign or malignant. In the diagnosis of melanocytic
      lesions, the melanocytic tumor of uncertain malignant potential (MELTUMP)
      category has been widely used. Although one may favor a benign or malignant
      interpretation, a definitive diagnosis is not always possible, and long term
      clinical follow-up remains the only true evidence of biological behavior. We
      report 14 cases of MELTUMP with expert second opinion. Clinical pictures were
      available in 8 cases; dermoscopy was available in 5 cases. Accurate guidelines
      are delineated in the formulation of the diagnosis. We think that the
      histological diagnosis should be accompanied by a note in which the pathologist
      describes the histological pattern that has generated diagnostic uncertainty.
      Since the MELTUMP term does not exclude the malignant nature of the lesion, all
      microstaging attributes for melanoma should be added. Moreover, superficial
      atypical melanocytic proliferation of uncertain significance (SAMPUS) and MELTUMP
      categories should be included in the WHO classification of melanocytic tumors of
      the skin. The role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in MELTUMP has not yet been
      established. Recent studies have looked at concurrent tumor deposits in lymph
      nodes of MELTUMP, mostly of atypical Spitzoid lesions, and shown that these
      lesions rarely progress to overt malignancy. In our study, sentinel node
      metastasis was found in only one case. The follow-up period of this case and of
      the others has shown that the clinical outcome of MELTUMP tends to be favorable. 

PMID- 26476903
TI  - Scabies in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Adalimumab - A Case
      Report.
AB  - Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease characterized by
      synovitis, erosions, and destruction of affected joints. If untreated, it leads
      to severe disability and premature mortality. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF
      alpha) inhibitors are biological drugs used in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
      Possible side effects include skin allergic reactions, which, if generalized, are
      the reason for discontinuation of the drug. We report the case of a 46-year-old
      female patient with rheumatoid arthritis who presented with pruritus and
      erythematous papular exanthema after administration of the second dose of
      adalimumab. At first, we suspected a drug hypersensitivity reaction. As the signs
      and symptoms persisted for 2 months after discontinuation of adalimumab and
      despite continuous administration of antihistamines and glucocorticoids, further
      work-up was performed, and scabies was diagnosed. The patient was treated with
      topical 10% crotamiton. The symptoms were persistent and additional applications
      of the preparation were needed. After clinical remission of scabies, treatment of
      active rheumatoid arthritis with adalimumab was restarted without any
      complications. 

PMID- 26476904
TI  - Tinea Incognita in a Patient with Crest Syndrome: Case Report.
AB  - Tinea incognita is a dermatophytic infection that is difficult to diagnose,
      usually modified by inappropriate topical or systemic corticosteroid therapy. We
      report an extensive case of tinea incognita caused by the zoophilic dermatophyte
      Trichophyton mentagrophytes (var. granulosa) in a 49-year-old female patient with
      CREST (Calcinosis; Raynaud phenomenon; Esophageal involvement; Sclerodactyly;
      Teleangiectasia) syndrome. Immunocompromised patients, as well as patients with
      keratinization disorders, seem to be especially susceptible to dermatophytic
      infections with atypical clinical presentation that is sometimes bizarre and
      difficult to recognize. Therefore, close monitoring and mycological skin
      examination is recommended in order to avoid misdiagnosis and to give the patient
      the best chance of recovery. 

PMID- 26476905
TI  - Nodular Prurigo Associated with Mycosis Fungoides - Case Report.
AB  - Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common type of cutaneous lymphoma and accounts
      for approximately 50% of all lymphomas arising primarily in the skin. The three
      types of MF lesions are patches, plaques, and tumors, according to which the
      disease is traditionally divided into three clinical stages. The clinical course
      can be protracted and take years or decades. In the final stage, MF evolves to a
      systemic form of the disease. Nodular prurigo (NP) is still a condition of
      unknown etiology characterized by papulonodular eruption and intense pruritus.
      Multiple diseases, including dermatological, systemic, and psychiatric diseases,
      have been assumed to cause NP. Pruritic skin lesions have been known to precede
      clinically evident B and T cell lymphomas for years. In the literature, pruritus
      and NP have been reported in patients affected by systemic Hodgkin and non
      Hodgkin lymphomas. Only two cases of cutaneous lymphoma as underlying disease in
      patients with PN have been reported in the literature. We report a rare case of a
      patient with concomitant non-Hodgkin skin lymphoma - MF and NP. Our female
      patient with a 10-year history of MF stage IIb during the last three years had
      been presenting for regular check-up with itchy, newly formed, rarely
      disseminated nodules 5-8 mm in diameter on the forearms and lower legs. Sharply
      limited erythematosquamous, slightly infiltrated foci (as part of MF as the
      underlying disease) were visible on the trunk and extremities. Extracutaneous
      involvement of MF was excluded. We performed a biopsy on a nodule from the lower
      leg to rule out tumor stage MF; the biopsy confirmed NP. We conclude that prurigo
      nodules should not be confused with tumor stage MF. NP is a therapeutic challenge
      for any dermatologist. Any underlying diseases should be treated first. 

PMID- 26476906
TI  - Advanced Pyoderma Gangrenosum Previously Treated as Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare, neutrophilic ulcerative skin disease of unknown
      etiology often associated with an underlying systemic disease. We present a case
      of a pyoderma gangrenosum that was initially misdiagnosed and treated as squamous
      cell carcinoma in another hospital. Multiple surgical treatments triggered
      postoperative exacerbations and further rapid progression of the lesions. History
      of pathergy, clinical findings, and histopathological features examined at our
      Department indicated pyoderma gangrenosum. The diagnosis was confirmed by
      excluding other diseases that could cause similar-appearing cutaneous lesions. No
      associated underlying disease was determined. After the diagnosis was confirmed,
      corticosteroid therapy was initiated until complete remission of ulcerations. 

PMID- 26476907
TI  - Successful Management of a Chronic Refractory Leg Ulcer in an Adolescent with
      Sickle Cell Anemia.
AB  - Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited hemoglobinopathy characterized by a
      wide range of clinical manifestations. Chronic leg ulcers are a disabling
      complication with repercussions on the quality of life. We report the case of a
      14-year-old girl with a diagnosis of SCD who developed a chronic leg ulcer that
      was successfully treated with a multi-disciplinary approach, including local and
      systemic therapies. The role of different treatments, in particular low molecular
      weight heparin, in the refractory chronic leg ulcer healing process will be
      discussed. 

PMID- 26476908
TI  - Darier's Disease with Esophageal Involvement.

PMID- 26476909
TI  - A Case of Iatrogenic Cutaneous Lipomatosis.

PMID- 26476910
TI  - Enoxaparin-induced Skin Necrosis.

PMID- 26476911
TI  - Atypical Spitz Tumor of Uncertain Biologic Potential with Inopportune
      Localization in a 7-year-old Boy.

PMID- 26476912
TI  - Familial Case of White Sponge Nevus - Diagnosis and Therapeutical Challenges.

PMID- 26476913
TI  - Recipient Site Necrosis After Tumescent Infiltration with Adrenaline in Hair
      Transplantation.

PMID- 26476914
TI  - IN MEMORIAM OF PROFESSOR MLADEN RUPEC.

PMID- 26476915
TI  - Lungworms in Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) in the eastern Alps, Italy: An ecological
      approach.
AB  - Host-parasite relationships have been frequently investigated in mountain
      dwelling ungulates, though mostly focusing on gastrointestinal nematodes. On the
      contrary, very few studies were conducted on broncopulmonary nematodes, which may
      result in severe parenchymal lesions and act as predisposing factor for
      multifactorial pneumonia. The epidemiological and ecological features of
      lungworms infecting an Alpine ibex population in the Eastern Alps, Italy, were
      non-invasively investigated by means of a modified Baermann technique with an
      original quantitative methodology. Out of a total of 269 samples collected
      monthly from July to November 2013 and from July to October 2014, 212 (78.8%)
      were positive for Muellerius and 26 (9.7%) for Protostrongylus, whereas
      Neostrongylus and Cystocaulus were less prevalent (4.1% and 0.7%, respectively).
      None of the investigated samples tested positive for dictyocaulids. The genus
      Muellerius showed the highest larval output intensity (134.2 L1/g), followed by
      Protostrongylus with 33.8 L1/g. A contrasting age-related pattern of Muellerius
      and Protostrongylus was revealed, with the former significantly more prevalent
      and abundant in adult animals, while the latter in kids. Due to the limited
      accessibility of the study area during winter and spring, it was difficult to
      describe clear seasonal trends in larval output, although Muellerius showed a
      minimum in the late summer and a rise in the autumn. The newly developed
      diagnostic method showed a fair repeatability, thus representing an interesting
      tool to investigate the ecology of lungworms in protected species, such as the A.
      ibex. Based on results, ibex in the Marmolada massif seem to have an ecologically
      stable relationship with their lungworm community.

PMID- 26476916
TI  - DNA sequence analyses reveal co-occurrence of novel haplotypes of Fasciola
      gigantica with F. hepatica in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
AB  - The aim of this study was to identify and determine the genetic diversity of
      Fasciola species in cattle from Zimbabwe, the KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga
      provinces of South Africa and selected wildlife hosts from Zimbabwe. This was
      based on analysis of DNA sequences of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed
      spacer (ITS1 and 2) and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (CO1) regions. The
      sample of 120 flukes was collected from livers of 57 cattle at 4 abattoirs in
      Zimbabwe and 47 cattle at 6 abattoirs in South Africa; it also included three
      alcohol-preserved duiker, antelope and eland samples from Zimbabwe. Aligned
      sequences (ITS 506 base pairs and CO1 381 base pairs) were analyzed by neighbour
      joining, maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference methods. Phylogenetic trees
      revealed the presence of Fasciola gigantica in cattle from Zimbabwe and F.
      gigantica and Fasciola hepatica in the samples from South Africa. F. hepatica was
      more prevalent (64%) in South Africa than F. gigantica. In Zimbabwe, F. gigantica
      was present in 99% of the samples; F. hepatica was found in only one cattle
      sample, an antelope (Hippotragus niger) and a duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia). This
      is the first molecular confirmation of the identity Fasciola species in Zimbabwe
      and South Africa. Knowledge on the identity and distribution of these liver
      flukes at molecular level will allow disease surveillance and control in the
      studied areas. 

PMID- 26476917
TI  - Modular Integration of Upconverting Nanocrystal-Dendrimer Composites for Folate
      Receptor-Specific NIR Imaging and Light-Triggered Drug Release.
AB  - Upconversion nanocrystals (UCNs) display near-infrared (NIR)-responsive
      photoluminescent properties for NIR imaging and drug delivery. The development of
      effective strategies for UCN integration with other complementary nanostructures
      for targeting and drug conjugation is highly desirable. This study reports on a
      core/shell-based theranostic system designed by UCN integration with a folate
      (FA)-conjugated dendrimer for tumor targeting and with photocaged doxorubicin as
      a cytotoxic agent. Two types of UCNs (NaYF4:Yb/Er (or Yb/Tm); diameter = ~50 to
      54 nm) are described, each displaying distinct emission properties upon NIR (980
      nm) excitation. The UCNs are surface modified through covalent attachment of
      photocaged doxorubicin (ONB-Dox) and a multivalent FA-conjugated polyamidoamine
      (PAMAM) dendrimer G5(FA)6 to prepare UCN@(ONB-Dox)(G5FA). Surface plasmon
      resonance experiments performed with G5(FA)6 dendrimer alone show nanomolar
      binding avidity (KD = 5.9 * 10(-9) M) to the folate binding protein. This
      dendrimer binding corresponds with selective binding and uptake of UCN@(ONB
      Dox)(G5FA) by FAR-positive KB carcinoma cells in vitro. Furthermore, UCN@(ONB
      Dox)(G5FA) treatment of FAR(+) KB cells inhibits cell growth in a light dependent
      manner. These results validate the utility of modularly integrated UCN-dendrimer
      nanocomposites for cell type specific NIR imaging and light-controlled drug
      release, thus serving as a new theranostic system.

PMID- 26476919
TI  - Development of a label-free gold nanoparticle-based colorimetric aptasensor for
      detection of human estrogen receptor alpha.
AB  - The increasing demand for easily available and low-cost diagnostics has fuelled
      the development of aptasensors as platforms for rapid, sensitive, and point-of
      care testing of target analytes. Recently, gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-based
      aptasensors have attracted wide recognition owing to their color transition
      properties which allow real-time rapid sensing of targets. In this study, we
      utilized the color transition property of aptamer-functionalized AuNPs to detect
      and quantify estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha), a key biomarker protein in breast
      cancer. We found that the coating of AuNPs with unmodified ERalpha-RNA aptamer
      (GGGGUCAAGGUGACCCC) makes them resistant to salt-induced aggregation. However,
      addition of ERalpha to the aptamer-protected AuNPs results in their spontaneous
      aggregation as evident from a color transition from wine red to deep blue. On the
      basis of this, we developed an ERalpha aptasensor, with limits of detection and
      quantification of 0.64 and 2.16 ng/mL, respectively; the aptasensor can
      efficiently detect and quantify ERalpha in a working range of 10 ng/mL-5MUg/mL
      protein. Validation of the aptasensor on cellular extracts of ERalpha-positive
      MCF-7 and ERalpha-deficient MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells showed a target
      selective response in ERalpha-positive samples but not in cellular extracts of
      ERalpha-deficient breast cancer cells. Further, the small size and simple
      fabrication chemistry of aptamers provide an additional benefit to make the
      ERalpha aptasensor a potentially useful and cost-effective tool in point-of-care
      analyses of ERalpha.

PMID- 26476920
TI  - In situ ionic liquid dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and direct
      microvial insert thermal desorption for gas chromatographic determination of
      bisphenol compounds.
AB  - A new procedure based on direct insert microvial thermal desorption injection
      allows the direct analysis of ionic liquid extracts by gas chromatography and
      mass spectrometry (GC-MS). For this purpose, an in situ ionic liquid dispersive
      liquid-liquid microextraction (in situ IL DLLME) has been developed for the
      quantification of bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol Z (BPZ) and bisphenol F (BPF).
      Different parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of the microextraction
      technique and the thermal desorption step were studied. The optimized procedure,
      determining the analytes as acetyl derivatives, provided detection limits of 26,
      18 and 19 ng L(-1) for BPA, BPZ and BPF, respectively. The release of the three
      analytes from plastic containers was monitored using this newly developed
      analytical method. Analysis of the migration test solutions for 15 different
      plastic containers in daily use identified the presence of the analytes at
      concentrations ranging between 0.07 and 37 MUg L(-1) in six of the samples
      studied, BPA being the most commonly found and at higher concentrations than the
      other analytes.

PMID- 26476918
TI  - Susceptibility to quantum dot induced lung inflammation differs widely among the
      Collaborative Cross founder mouse strains.
AB  - Quantum dots (QDs) are engineered semiconductor nanoparticles with unique
      physicochemical properties that make them potentially useful in clinical,
      research and industrial settings. However, a growing body of evidence indicates
      that like other engineered nanomaterials, QDs have the potential to be
      respiratory hazards, especially in the context of the manufacture of QDs and
      products containing them, as well as exposures to consumers using these products.
      The overall goal of this study was to investigate the role of mouse strain in
      determining susceptibility to QD-induced pulmonary inflammation and toxicity.
      Male mice from 8 genetically diverse inbred strains (the Collaborative Cross
      founder strains) were exposed to CdSe-ZnS core-shell QDs stabilized with an
      amphiphilic polymer. QD treatment resulted in significant increases in the
      percentage of neutrophils and levels of cytokines present in bronchoalveolar
      lavage fluid (BALF) obtained from NOD/ShiLtJ and NZO/HlLtJ mice relative to their
      saline (Sal) treated controls. Cadmium measurements in lung tissue indicated
      strain-dependent differences in disposition of QDs in the lung. Total glutathione
      levels in lung tissue were significantly correlated with percent neutrophils in
      BALF as well as with lung tissue Cd levels. Our findings indicate that QD-induced
      acute lung inflammation is mouse strain dependent, that it is heritable, and that
      the choice of mouse strain is an important consideration in planning QD toxicity
      studies. These data also suggest that formal genetic analyses using additional
      strains or recombinant inbred strains from these mice could be useful for
      discovering potential QD-induced inflammation susceptibility loci. 

PMID- 26476921
TI  - Analytical strategy to investigate 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV)
      metabolites in consumers' urine by high-resolution mass spectrometry.
AB  - The potential of high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) for the investigation
      of human in vivo metabolism of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) using urine
      collected from a consumer (this is, in non-controlled experiments) has been
      investigated. As a control sample was not available, the common approach based on
      the comparison of a control/blank sample and samples collected after drug intake
      could not be used. Alternatively, an investigation based on common fragmentation
      pathways was applied, assuming that most metabolites share some fragments with
      the parent drug. An extension of this approach was also applied based on the
      fragmentation pathway of those metabolites identified in urine samples in the
      first step. The use of MS(E) experiments (sequential acquisition of mass spectra
      at low and high collision energy) has been crucial to this aim as it allowed
      promoting fragmentation in the collision cell without any previous precursor ion
      selection. MDPV belongs to the group of new psychoactive substances (NPS), being
      known as the "cannibal drug". This substance is being abused more and more and is
      associated with dangerous side effects. The human metabolites (both phase I and
      phase II) were detected and tentatively identified by accurate mass full-spectrum
      measurements using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid
      quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF MS). Following this
      strategy, up to 10 phase I metabolites, together with some glucuronides and
      sulphates, were detected and tentative structures were proposed. Several
      compounds identified in this work have not been previously reported in the
      literature.

PMID- 26476922
TI  - Quantification and characterization of alkaloids from roots of Rauwolfia
      serpentina using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-photo diode array
      mass spectrometry.
AB  - A new UHPLC-UV method has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of seven
      alkaloids [ajmaline (1), yohimbine (2), corynanthine (3), ajmalicine (4),
      serpentine (5), serpentinine (6), and reserpine (7)] from the root samples of
      Rauwolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz. The chromatographic separation was
      achieved using a reversed phase C18 column with a mobile phase of water and
      acetonitrile, both containing 0.05% formic acid. The seven compounds were
      completely separated within 8 min at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min with a 2-MUL
      injection volume. The method is validated for linearity, accuracy, repeatability,
      limits of detection (LOD), and limits of quantification (LOQ). Seven plant
      samples and 21 dietary supplements claiming to contain Rauwolfia roots were
      analyzed and content of total alkaloids (1-7) varied, namely, 1.57-12.1 mg/g dry
      plant material and 0.0-4.5 mg/day, respectively. The results indicated that
      commercial products are of variable quality. The developed analytical method is
      simple, economic, fast, and suitable for quality control analysis of Rauwolfia
      samples and commercial products. The UHPLC-QToF-mass spectrometry with
      electrospray ionization (ESI) interface method is described for the confirmation
      and characterization of alkaloids from plant samples. This method involved the
      detection of [M + H](+) or M(+) ions in the positive mode.

PMID- 26476923
TI  - Atomic force microscopy based investigations of anti-inflammatory effects in
      lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages.
AB  - A new method based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) was developed to investigate
      the anti-inflammatory effects of drugs on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated
      RAW264.7 macrophages. The LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cell line is a
      widely used in vitro cell model for the screening of anti-inflammatory drugs or
      the study of anti-inflammatory mechanisms. In this work, the inhibitory effects
      of dexamethasone and quercetin on LPS-CD14 receptor binding in RAW264.7
      macrophages was probed by LPS-functionalized tips for the first time. Both
      dexamethasone and quercetin were found to inhibit LPS-induced NO production, iNOS
      expression, IkappaBalpha phosphorylation, and IKKalpha/beta phosphorylation in
      RAW264.7 macrophages. The morphology and ultrastructure of RAW264.7 macrophages
      were determined by AFM, which indicated that dexamethasone and quercetin could
      inhibit LPS-induced cell surface particle size and roughness increase in RAW264.7
      macrophages. The binding of LPS and its receptor in RAW264.7 macrophages was
      determined by LPS-functionalized AFM tips, which demonstrated that the binding
      force and binding probability between LPS and CD14 receptor on the surface of
      RAW264.7 macrophages were also inhibited by dexamethasone or quercetin treatment.
      The obtained results imply that AFM, which is very useful for the investigation
      of potential targets for anti-inflammatory drugs on native macrophages and the
      enhancement of our understanding of the anti-inflammatory effects of drugs, is
      expected to be developed into a promising tool for the study of anti-inflammatory
      drugs. 

PMID- 26476924
TI  - Leucine-induced anabolic-catabolism: two sides of the same coin.
AB  - Leucine is an essential nutrient with potent abilities to stimulate both muscle
      protein synthesis as well as increased oxidative metabolism supported by
      mitochondrial biogenesis. Few studies have simultaneously investigated anabolic
      and catabolic responses following leucine treatment with the exception of master
      regulator of cellular energetics, AMPK. The unique ability of leucine to
      stimulate both favorable anabolic and catabolic processes in highly metabolically
      active tissues suggests leucine consumption/supplementation may provide benefits
      beyond hypertrophic gains. This review highlights original investigations
      reporting leucine's ability to stimulate both anabolic and catabolic processes in
      muscle. Additionally, this report discusses potential explanations for the
      simultaneous activation of two seemingly opposing processes, as well as the
      interplay between them. The role of cellular energetics is of undeniable
      importance in sustaining increased protein synthesis following leucine
      administration; however, the dependence of leucine-induced mitochondrial
      biogenesis on heightened energy expenditure from elevated protein synthesis
      remains to be defined experimentally.

PMID- 26476925
TI  - Id1 modulates endothelial progenitor cells function through relieving the E2-2
      mediated repression of FGFR1 and VEGFR2 in vitro.
AB  - The migration and proliferation of EPCs are crucial for re-endothelialization in
      vascular repair and development. Id1 has a regulatory role in the regulation of
      EPCs migration and proliferation. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that
      Id1 plays a regulatory role in modulating the migration and proliferation of EPCs
      by interaction with other factors. Herein, we report that the Id1 protein and E
      box protein E2-2 regulate EPCs function with completely opposite effects. Id1
      plays a positive role in the regulation of EPC proliferation and migration, while
      endogenous E2-2 appears to be a negative regulator. Immunoprecipitation and
      immunofluorescence assay revealed that the Id1 protein interacts and co-localizes
      with the E2-2 protein in EPCs. Further, endogenous E2-2 protein was found to
      block EPCs function via the inhibition of FGFR1 and VEGFR2 expression. The
      overexpression and silencing of Id1 have no direct regulatory role on VEGFR2 and
      FGFR1 expression. On the other hand, Id1 relieves the E2-2-mediated repression of
      FGFR1 and VEGFR2 expression to modulate EPCs proliferation, migration, and tube
      formation in vitro. In summary, we demonstrated that Id1 and E2-2 are critical
      regulators of EPCs function in vitro. Id1 interacts with E2-2 and relieves the E2
      2-mediated repression of FGFR1 and VEGFR2 expression to modulate EPCs functions.
      Id1 and E2-2 may represent novel therapeutic targets for re-endothelialization in
      vascular damage and repair. 

PMID- 26476926
TI  - Macular function measured by binocular mfERG and compared with macular structure
      in healthy children.
AB  - PURPOSE: To create normative data in children from binocular multifocal ERG
      (mfERG) recordings and compare results with the macular thickness. METHODS: Forty
      nine 5- to 15-year-old healthy, full-term children were examined with Espion
      Multifocal System, using DTL electrodes. The stimulus matrix consisted of 37
      hexagonal elements. Amplitudes, implicit times and response densities (presented
      in three rings) of the first-order component P1 were analyzed. Measurements of
      macular thickness were performed with spectral-domain Cirrus OCT. RESULTS: There
      were no significant differences between right and left eyes regarding mfERG
      recordings. Median P1 implicit times of Rings 1-3 of the 46 right eyes were 30.0,
      30.0 and 30.8 ms and response densities 20.5, 10.9 and 7.6 nV/deg(2),
      respectively. Implicit time was longer in boys than in girls (p = 0.009, 0.039,
      0.005 in Rings 1-3) and was correlated with age (r s = 0.417, 0.316, 0.274 in
      Rings 1-3). Implicit time in Ring 1 correlated significantly with the inner
      circle of the OCT measurements (p = 0.014). CONCLUSION: Binocular mfERG with DTL
      electrodes is a reliable test of the central macular function in children and
      correlates with macular structure. As previously not shown, there was a
      significant difference in implicit time between boys and girls.

PMID- 26476927
TI  - Clinical evaluation of the xDP output compression strategy for cochlear implants.
AB  - Technological advances in the domain of digital signal processing adapted to
      cochlear implants (CI) are partially responsible for the ever-improving outcomes
      observed with this neural prosthesis. The goal of the present study was to
      evaluate audiometric outcomes with a new signal processing strategy implemented
      in Oticon Medical-Neurelec cochlear implant systems, the xDP strategy. The core
      of this approach is a preset-based back-end output compression system, modulating
      a multi-channel transfer function depending on the intensity and information
      content of input sounds. Twenty adult CI patients, matched for age and CI
      experience, were included in this study. Pure-tone thresholds and vocal
      audiometry scores were measured with their former signal processing strategy and
      with xDP. Speech perception was assessed using dissyllabic words presented in
      quiet, at different intensity levels: 40, 55, 70, and 85 dB SPL, and in a
      cocktail party noise at a signal-to-noise ratio of +10 dB. Results with the xDP
      strategy showed, as awaited, no major modification of pure-tone thresholds. A
      global increase of speech perception scores was observed after a 1-month
      habituation period, with significant improvements for speech perception in quiet
      for moderate (55 dB SPL), loud speech sounds (85 dB SPL), and speech-in-noise
      comprehension. Subjective signal quality assessment showed a preference for
      Crystalis(xDP) over the former strategy. These results allow the quantification
      of improvements provided by the xDP signal processing strategy. 

PMID- 26476928
TI  - Graph-guided joint prediction of class label and clinical scores for the
      Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and its prodromal stage, i.e., mild
      cognitive impairment, is very important for early treatment. Over the last
      decade, various machine learning methods have been proposed to predict disease
      status and clinical scores from brain images. It is worth noting that many
      features extracted from brain images are correlated significantly. In this case,
      feature selection combined with the additional correlation information among
      features can effectively improve classification/regression performance.
      Typically, the correlation information among features can be modeled by the
      connectivity of an undirected graph, where each node represents one feature and
      each edge indicates that the two involved features are correlated significantly.
      In this paper, we propose a new graph-guided multi-task learning method
      incorporating this undirected graph information to predict multiple response
      variables (i.e., class label and clinical scores) jointly. Specifically, based on
      the sparse undirected feature graph, we utilize a new latent group Lasso penalty
      to encourage the correlated features to be selected together. Furthermore, this
      new penalty also encourages the intrinsic correlated tasks to share a common
      feature subset. To validate our method, we have performed many numerical studies
      using simulated datasets and the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
      dataset. Compared with the other methods, our proposed method has very promising
      performance.

PMID- 26476930
TI  - The biochemistry, enzymology and pharmacology of non-vitamin  K anticoagulant
      drug reversal agents and antidotes.

PMID- 26476929
TI  - Developmental changes in the morphology of mouse hypoglossal motor neurons.
AB  - Hypoglossal motor neurons (XII MNs) innervate tongue muscles important in
      breathing, suckling and vocalization. Morphological properties of 103 XII MNs
      were studied using NeurobiotinTM filling in transverse brainstem slices from
      C57/Bl6 mice (n = 34) from embryonic day (E) 17 to postnatal day (P) 28. XII MNs
      from areas thought to innervate different tongue muscles showed similar
      morphology in most, but not all, features. Morphological properties of XII MNs
      were established prior to birth, not differing between E17-18 and P0. MN somatic
      volume gradually increased for the first 2 weeks post-birth. The complexity of
      dendritic branching and dendrite length of XII MNs increased throughout
      development (E17-P28). MNs in the ventromedial XII motor nucleus, likely to
      innervate the genioglossus, frequently (42 %) had dendrites crossing to the
      contralateral side at all ages, but their number declined with postnatal
      development. Unexpectedly, putative dendritic spines were found in all XII MNs at
      all ages, and were primarily localized to XII MN somata and primary dendrites at
      E18-P4, increased in distal dendrites by P5-P8, and were later predominantly
      found in distal dendrites. Dye-coupling between XII MNs was common from E18 to
      P7, but declined strongly with maturation after P7. Axon collaterals were found
      in 20 % (6 of 28) of XII MNs with filled axons; collaterals terminated widely
      outside and, in one case, within the XII motor nucleus. These results reveal new
      morphological features of mouse XII MNs, and suggest that dendritic projection
      patterns, spine density and distribution, and dye-coupling patterns show specific
      developmental changes in mice.

PMID- 26476932
TI  - PKCs in thrombus formation.
AB  - The protein kinase C (PKC) family has been implicated in several physiological
      processes regulating platelet activation. Each isoform of PKC expressed on
      platelets, may have a positive and/or negative role depending on the nature and
      concentration of the agonist. Mice lacking PKCalpha show much reduced thrombus
      formation in vivo, while PKCtheta(-/-) showed inhibition of aggregation in
      response to PAR4. On the other hand, PKCdelta by associating with Fyn, inhibits
      platelet aggregation. In addition, PKCbeta by interacting with its receptor RACK1
      has been implicated in the primary phases of signaling via the alphaIIbbeta3 and
      finally PKCE appears to be involved in platelet function downstream GPVI. The
      present review discusses the latest observations relevant to the role of
      individual PKC isoforms in platelet activation and thrombus formation. 

PMID- 26476933
TI  - Improving Immunization Rates at an Urban Charter School.
AB  - A midwestern children's hospital operates a school-based clinic in an urban
      charter school. The clinic provides the expertise and knowledge of an advanced
      practice registered nurse (APRN) and offers a structure permitting care
      coordination and continuity. The APRN created a systematic process for
      immunization record maintenance. This process identifies students needing
      recommended vaccines for their age group and provides opportunities for students
      to update their record or receive immunizations. This initiative demonstrated
      that improved vaccination compliance can be sustained through systematic methods
      to identify immunization gaps and support the administration of necessary
      vaccines. 

PMID- 26476931
TI  - Double Bond Position Plays an Important Role in Delta-9 Desaturation and
      Lipogenic Properties of Trans 18:1 Isomers in Mouse Adipocytes.
AB  - The objective of this research was to study the delta-9 desaturation of
      individual trans (t) fatty acids that can be found in ruminant fat or partially
      hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVO) and determine their effects on lipogenic gene
      expression in adipocytes. It was hypothesized that delta-9 desaturation and
      lipogenic properties of t-18:1 isomers depend on the position of double bond.
      Differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes were treated with 200 uM of t6-18:1, t9-18:1,
      t11-18:1, t13-18:1 or t16-18:1, cis (c)-9 18:1 or bovine serum albumin (BSA)
      vehicle control for 48 h. Cells were then harvested for fatty acid and gene
      expression analyses using gas chromatography and quantitative PCR respectively.
      Among t-18:1 isomers, t13-18:1 and t11-8:1 had the greatest percent delta-9
      desaturation (44 and 41 % respectively) followed by t16-18:1 and t6-18:1 (32 and
      17 % respectively), while c9-18:1 and t9-18:1 did not undergo delta-9
      desaturation. Trans9-18:1 up-regulated (P < 0.05) the expression of lipogenic
      genes including fatty acid synthase and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (P < 0.05),
      whereas the expression of these genes were not affected with other t-18:1 isomers
      (P > 0.05). Consistent with gene expression results, t9-18:1 increased the de
      novo lipogenic index (16:0/18:2n-6) compared with control cells and increased
      delta-9 desaturation index (c9-16:1/18:0) compared to other t-18:1 isomers (P <
      0.05). The current study provides further evidence that the predominant trans
      fatty acid in PHVO (t9-18:1) has isomer specific lipogenic properties.

PMID- 26476934
TI  - The Persian version of satisfaction assessment module of Orthotics and
      Prosthetics Users' Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Orthotics and Prosthetics User's Survey (OPUS) was developed to
      measure patient satisfaction in Prosthetic and Orthotic (P&O) field. OBJECTIVE:
      To translate the satisfaction assessment module of OPUS (OPUS-SM) into Persian
      language (Persian OPUS-SM) and investigate its psychometric properties. METHODS:
      For cross-cultural adaptation of the OPUS-SM, the guideline suggested by the
      World Health Organization was recruited. A sample of 116 Persian-speaking people
      who received P&O devices and services, participated in this study. During the
      first session, participants filled out the Persian OPUS-SM and the Visual Analog
      Scale (VAS) regarding their satisfaction from delivered devices and services.
      Drawing from the above sample of 116 participants, 41 participants retook the
      Persian OPUS-SM 5-7 days after their first time. The results of the first and
      second administration sessions were analyzed to assess internal consistency, test
      retest reliability, item-subscale correlation, minimal detectable change, floor
      and ceiling effects, criterion validity, and dimensionality of the Persian OPUS
      SM. RESULTS: The Cronbach's alphas of the Persian OPUS-SM were 0.71 and 0.89 for
      device and service satisfaction subscales, respectively. The intraclass
      correlation coefficients were 0.76 and 0.90 for device and service satisfaction
      subscales, respectively. The SEM and MDC for device satisfaction were 6.21 and +/
      17.21, respectively. The SEM and MDC for service satisfaction were 2.25 and +/
      6.22, respectively. There was a strong correlation between VAS and satisfaction
      subscales of the Persian OPUS-SM. Dimensionality assessment revealed that Persian
      OPUS-SM is a unidimensional measure. CONCLUSIONS: The adapted and translated
      Persian OPUS-SM is a reliable and validated measure.

PMID- 26476935
TI  - Men with disabilities - A cross sectional survey of health promotion, social
      inclusion and participation at community Men's Sheds.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The intersections between chronicity, disability and social
      inequality are well understood. Novel ways to counter the social determinants of
      health and disability are needed. Men's Sheds are a community space where men can
      participate in a range of shared activities and potentially experience a health
      and social benefits. OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional survey was conducted to
      inform future research by determining who attended Men's Sheds and the range of
      health, social, community, and educational activities undertaken there. This
      paper explores the membership of people with disabilities (PWD) at Men's Sheds
      and the factors that predict their membership. METHODS: An online survey link was
      sent to all known Men's Sheds internationally in 2012. Data were analyzed using
      descriptive and inferential (univariate and multivariate) statistics. RESULTS:
      32.2% of international sheds and 29% of Australian sheds specifically targeted
      the inclusion of PWD. 80% of these sheds have significantly more members with
      disabilities than sheds who do no target PWD. Factors associated with greater
      membership of PWD included the provision of transport, social outings and
      promoting occupational skills. CONCLUSIONS: PWD are being encouraged to join and
      are joining Men's Sheds. This is significant as the value of participation and
      inclusion toward better health and wellbeing is well known. Men's Sheds offer a
      community space where the social determinants of chronicity and disability can
      potentially be countered.

PMID- 26476936
TI  - Smart sampling and incremental function learning for very large high dimensional
      data.
AB  - Very large high dimensional data are common nowadays and they impose new
      challenges to data-driven and data-intensive algorithms. Computational
      Intelligence techniques have the potential to provide powerful tools for
      addressing these challenges, but the current literature focuses mainly on
      handling scalability issues related to data volume in terms of sample size for
      classification tasks. This work presents a systematic and comprehensive approach
      for optimally handling regression tasks with very large high dimensional data.
      The proposed approach is based on smart sampling techniques for minimizing the
      number of samples to be generated by using an iterative approach that creates new
      sample sets until the input and output space of the function to be approximated
      are optimally covered. Incremental function learning takes place in each sampling
      iteration, the new samples are used to fine tune the regression results of the
      function learning algorithm. The accuracy and confidence levels of the resulting
      approximation function are assessed using the probably approximately correct
      computation framework. The smart sampling and incremental function learning
      techniques can be easily used in practical applications and scale well in the
      case of extremely large data. The feasibility and good results of the proposed
      techniques are demonstrated using benchmark functions as well as functions from
      real-world problems. 

PMID- 26476937
TI  - Antimicrobial activity and partial characterization of bacteriocin-like
      inhibitory substances produced by Lactobacillus spp. isolated from artisanal
      Mexican cheese.
AB  - Lactobacillus spp. from Mexican Cocido cheese were shown to produce bacteriocin
      like substances (BLS) active against Staphylococcus aureus,Listeria
      innocua,Escherichia coli, andSalmonella typhimurium by using the disk diffusion
      method. Crude extracts of Lactobacillus fermentum showed strong inhibitory
      activity against Staph. aureus, L. innocua, E. coli, and Salmonella cholerae.
      Complete inactivation of antimicrobial activity was observed after treatment of
      crude extracts with proteinase K, pronase, papain, trypsin, and lysozyme,
      confirming their proteinaceous nature. However, antimicrobial activity was partly
      lost for some of the crude extracts when treated with alpha-amylase, indicating
      that carbohydrate moieties were involved. The antimicrobial activity of the crude
      extracts was stable at 65 degrees C for 30min over a wide pH range (2-8), and
      addition of potassium chloride, sodium citrate, ethanol, and butanol did not
      affect antibacterial activity. However, antimicrobial activity was lost after
      heating at 121 degrees C for 15min, addition of methanol or Tween 80. Fourteen
      out of 18 Lactobacillus spp. showed antimicrobial activity against different test
      microorganisms, and 12 presented bacteriocin-like substances. Generation time and
      growth rate parameters indicated that the antimicrobial activity of crude
      extracts from 3 different strains was effective against the 4 indicator
      microorganisms. One of the crude extracts showed inhibition not only against gram
      positive but also against gram-negative bacteria. Bacteriocin-like substances
      produced by this specific Lactobacillus strain showed potential for application
      as a food biopreservative. 

PMID- 26476938
TI  - MicroRNA-24 can control triacylglycerol synthesis in goat mammary epithelial
      cells by targeting the fatty acid synthase gene.
AB  - In nonruminants it has been demonstrated that microRNA-24 (miR-24) is involved in
      preadipocyte differentiation, hepatic lipid, and plasma triacylglycerol
      synthesis. However, its role in ruminant mammary gland remains unclear. In this
      study we measured miR-24 expression in goat mammary gland tissue at 4 different
      stages of lactation and observed that it had highest expression at peak lactation
      when compared with the dry period. Overexpression or downregulation of miR-24 in
      goat mammary epithelial cells (GMEC) strongly affected fatty acid profiles; in
      particular, miR-24 enhanced unsaturated fatty acid concentration. Additional
      effects of miR-24 included changes in triacylglycerol content and the expression
      of fatty acid synthase, sterol regulatory element binding transcription protein
      1, stearoyl-CoA desaturase, glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase mitochondrial,
      and acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed that fatty acid
      synthase is a target of miR-24. Taken together, these results not only highlight
      the physiological importance of miR-24 in fatty acid metabolism in GMEC, but also
      laid the foundation for further research on regulatory mechanisms among miR-24
      and other microRNA expressed in GMEC. 

PMID- 26476939
TI  - Occurrence of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and enterotoxigenic
      Staphylococcus in goat milk from small and medium-sized farms located in Minas
      Gerais State, Brazil.
AB  - Consumption of goat milk has been increasing due to its nutritional
      characteristics and health benefits. Therefore, assessment of the presence of
      foodborne pathogens in this product is critical to ensure its safety to
      consumers. The present study aimed to identify common foodborne pathogens in raw
      goat milk. Fifty-three samples of raw goat milk from 11 farms were collected and
      cultured for the presence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes, as well
      as for enumeration and isolation of coagulase-positive and coagulase-negative
      Staphylococcus (CPS and CNS, respectively). All samples tested negative for
      Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes. The CPS counts in raw goat milk samples
      were predominantly less than 2 log cfu/mL (n=39), and CNS counts were
      predominantly higher than 3 log cfu/mL (n=42). Based on Staphylococcus counts, 51
      isolates were selected (CPS=26; CNS=25) and tested by PCR for the presence of
      classic enterotoxin-encoding genes (sea, seb, sec, sed, and see). Only 3 isolates
      (CPS=2, CNS=1) were negative for all enterotoxin-encoding genes tested, and the
      genotype sec and see was the most frequent (n=16), followed by sea, sec, and see
      (n=13) and sec (n=13); sed was not detected in any isolate. The frequencies of
      enterotoxin-encoding genes for CPS and CNS were similar, demonstrating the
      equivalence of both groups in harboring these virulent markers. These results
      suggest that Salmonella and L. monocytogenes are not frequent contaminants of raw
      goat milk, but that Staphylococcus spp. that are capable of producing
      enterotoxins are prevalent; therefore, consumers of raw goat milk and products
      made from raw milk are at risk. 

PMID- 26476940
TI  - Prevalence, seasonality, and growth of enterococci in raw and pasteurized milk in
      Victoria, Australia.
AB  - This study investigated the prevalence, seasonality, and species variety of
      enterococci present in raw milk factory silos and pasteurized milk in 3 dairying
      regions in Victoria, Australia, over a 1-yr period. Additionally, the growth
      ability of thermoduric enterococci isolated in this study (Enterococcus faecalis,
      E. faecium, E. hirae, and E. durans) was determined in milk at temperatures
      likely to occur during storage, transport, and distribution, and before domestic
      consumption (4 and 7 degrees C). Enterococci were detected in 96% of 211 raw milk
      samples, with an average count of 2.48 log10 cfu/mL. Counts were significantly
      lower in winter than summer (average 1.84 log10 cfu/mL) and were different
      between factories but not regions. Enterococcus faecalis was the most prevalent
      species isolated from raw milk in every factory, comprising between 61.5 and
      83.5% of enterococcal species across each season. Enterococci were detected in
      lower numbers in pasteurized milk than in raw milk and were below the limit of
      detection on spread plates (<10 cfu/mL) after factory pasteurization. Residual
      viable cells were only detected following enrichment using 100-mL samples of
      milk, with 20.8% of the samples testing positive; this equated to a decrease in
      the average raw milk enterococci count of >4 log10 cfu/mL following
      pasteurization. Although E. faecalis predominated in raw milk and E. durans was
      found in only 2.9% of raw milk samples, E. durans was the most prevalent species
      detected in pasteurized milk. The detection of enterococci in the pasteurized
      milk did not correlate with higher enterococci counts in the raw milk. This
      suggested that the main enterococci populations in raw milk were heat-sensitive
      and that thermoduric enterococci survived pasteurization in a small numbers of
      instances. All of the thermoduric enterococci that were assessed for growth at
      likely refrigeration temperatures were able to grow at both 4 and 7 degrees C in
      sterile milk, with generation times of 35 to 41h and 16 to 22h, respectively.
      Thermoduric enterococci were detected in pasteurized milk stored at 4 degrees C
      for 2 wk (typically 1 to 9 cells/100mL, up to 2.82 log10 cfu/mL), demonstrating
      the potential of enterococci to survive pasteurization and contribute to milk
      spoilage at refrigeration temperatures. This is particularly relevant for milk
      that is aseptically packaged to exclude gram-negative psychrotrophic bacteria and
      kept above the recommended storage temperature of <=5 degrees C. 

PMID- 26476942
TI  - Identification and quantification of triacylglycerols containing n-3 long-chain
      polyunsaturated fatty acids in bovine milk.
AB  - The n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) are low-abundance
      components in milk fat, but have great potential in promoting human health. A
      comprehensive survey on triacylglycerol (TAG) molecular species in milk that
      contain at least one type of n-3 LC-PUFA, namely eicosapentaenoic acid,
      docosahexaenoic acid, and docosapentaenoic acid, was conducted in this work using
      HPLC-linear trap quadrupole-Orbitrap and HPLC-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry
      techniques. A total of 51 TAG species that contain n-3 LC-PUFA have been
      identified in bovine milk and their structures assigned. The TAG species
      containing docosahexaenoic acid were found in much smaller number and at much
      lower abundance compared with the other 2 types of TAG. An HPLC-triple quadrupole
      mass spectrometry-based method was developed, which provides relative
      quantification of all these TAG species in a run of 36 min. Application of this
      method to the quantification of n-3 LC-PUFA-incorporated TAG in 32 individual
      animal milk samples allowed us to determine variation between animals, identify
      strong metabolic relationships between TAG species, and reveal negative effect of
      a grape marc supplement on the accumulation of eicosapentaenoic acid in milk. 

PMID- 26476941
TI  - Evolution of phagocytic function in monocytes and neutrophils blood cells of
      healthy calves.
AB  - The immune system of newborn calves is immature and must mature gradually.
      Understanding how this immunity is established may define different profiles.
      Twelve healthy calves were monitored during 8 time periods to assess the innate
      immune system during the first 90d. Blood samples were collected, and the blood
      phagocytes, identified by the expression of CD14 and CH138 surface molecules,
      were evaluated for phagocytic functionality (Staphylococcus aureus and
      Escherichia coli stained with propidium iodide) and the intracellular production
      of reactive oxygen species (2,7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate oxidation).
      Functional changes in the CD14+ and CH138+ cells occurred at 40d of age, with
      sporadic increases in phagocytosis intensity and reactive oxygen species
      production, and decreased phagocytosis occurred at 60d of age. Therefore, fewer
      phagocytes were active from 40d of age, although those that were active performed
      their roles with greater efficacy. That change presumably occurred because the
      calf phagocytes began to support the immune response without the influence of
      passive immunity. The animals failed to reach the stability needed to complete
      the maturation of the innate immune response by 90d of age. These data are
      applicable for healthy calves only. 

PMID- 26476943
TI  - Effects of human visitation on calf growth and performance of calves fed
      different milk replacer feeding levels.
AB  - Twenty-eight newborn Holstein heifer calves from the university herd and 8
      newborn Holstein heifer calves from a commercial herd were blocked by birth and
      herd into 1 of 4 treatments: conventional [20% crude protein (CP), 20% fat] milk
      replacer (MR; treatment C) with (1) or without (0) human visitation, or a higher
      plane of MR nutrition (28% CP, 20% fat) regimen (treatment A) with (1) or (0)
      without human visitation. Calves on C MR treatments received 454g of MR from d 2
      to 41. Calves on A MR received 916g of MR from d 2 to 8 and 1134g of MR from d 9
      to 41. Visitation with calves occurred at 1030 and 1430h daily from d 1 to 56 and
      comprised verbal stimulation and stirring of starter grain. An opaque curtain
      divided the calf nursery, with calves in the front half assigned to visitation
      treatments and those in the rear half not assigned to visitation treatments.
      Calves were fed their MR treatment until d 43 (preweaning), after which all
      calves received half of their allotment of MR until d 49 (weaning). Calves were
      tracked for the next week until d 56 (postweaning). Starter grain and MR intakes
      were measured daily along with weekly body weight and skeletal measurements. One
      half of the calves on each treatment had blood samples taken via jugular
      venipuncture on d 41 (preweaning), 43, 45, 47, 49, and 51 (postweaning) to
      evaluate blood glucose, urea, nonesterified fatty acids, and cortisol
      concentrations. During the preweaning and weaning phases, calves on A0 and A1
      treatments consumed more MR, less starter, and weighed more than the C0 and C1
      calves. Calves on A0 and A1 had greater average daily gain (ADG), hip and withers
      gain, were taller at the hip, and had larger girths during the preweaning phase.
      Overall, body weight, withers and hip heights, and heart girths were greater in
      A0 andA1 calves during the weaning week. Efficiency of utilization of estimated
      metabolizable energy (ME) intake (ADG/ME) were similar. Glucose and nonesterified
      fatty acids concentrations were greater in visited calves preweaning. An
      interaction for glucose was observed during weaning, with A1 calves having the
      highest concentration and A0 calves having the lowest concentrations during
      weaning. Cortisol tended to be higher in visited calves during weaning.
      Postweaning, calves formerly fed A0 and A1 treatments had lower blood glucose and
      tended to have higher urea and cortisol concentrations than C0 and C1 treatments.
      The higher plane of nutrition fed calves tended to have higher cortisol
      concentrations indicating that they experienced more stress due to the removal of
      MR more than calves fed conventionally. Calves fed the higher plane of MR
      nutrition consumed more dry matter, ME, and water weighed more, had a greater
      ADG, and were taller than calves fed the conventional MR. These calves were more
      efficient (ADG/dry matter intake) when expressed on a dry matter basis, but had
      similar efficiency when expressed on an ME basis (ADG/ME). Visiting calves did
      little to reduce the stress of weaning when calves are fed the higher plane of
      nutrition MR feeding regimen. 

PMID- 26476944
TI  - Sensitivity of solid culture, broth culture, and real-time PCR assays for milk
      and colostrum samples from Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis-infectious
      dairy cows.
AB  - Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) can be shed in feces, milk, and
      colostrum. The goal of this study was to assess assays that detect MAP in these
      sample types, including effects of lactation stage or season. Understanding the
      performance of these assays could improve how they are used, limiting the risk of
      infection to calves. Forty-six previously confirmed MAP-positive cows from 7
      Atlantic Canadian dairy farms were identified for colostrum sampling and monthly
      sampling of milk and feces over a 12-mo period. Samples were assayed for MAP
      using solid culture, broth culture, and direct real-time PCR (qPCR). Across assay
      types, test sensitivity when applied to milk samples averaged 25% of that when
      applied to fecal samples. For colostrum samples, sensitivity depended on assay
      type, with sensitivity of qPCR being approximately 46% of that in feces. Across
      sample types, sensitivity of qPCR was higher than that of the other assays.
      Sensitivity of qPCR, when applied to milk samples, was significantly higher in
      summer than in other seasons. Summer was also the season with highest agreement
      between milk and fecal samples collected within the same month. Our results
      suggest that qPCR would detect more cows shedding MAP in their milk and colostrum
      than solid or broth culture assays, particularly during the summer, thus
      providing better management information to limit exposure of calves to this
      infectious organism. 

PMID- 26476945
TI  - Evaluation of bacterial contamination in raw milk, ultra-high temperature milk
      and infant formula using single molecule, real-time sequencing technology.
AB  - The Pacific Biosciences (Menlo Park, CA) single molecule, real-time sequencing
      technology (SMRT) was reported to have some advantages in analyzing the bacterial
      profile of environmental samples. In this study, the presence of bacterial
      contaminants in raw milk, UHT milk, and infant formula was determined by SMRT
      sequencing of the full length 16S rRNA gene. The bacterial profiles obtained at
      different taxonomic levels revealed clear differences in bacterial community
      structure across the 16 analyzed dairy samples. No indicative pathogenic bacteria
      were found in any of these tested samples. However, some of the detected
      bacterial species (e.g., Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus casseliflavus, and
      Enterococcus gallinarum) might potentially relate with product quality defects
      and bacterial antibiotic gene transfer. Although only a limited number of dairy
      samples were analyzed here, our data have demonstrated for the first time the
      feasibility of using the SMRT sequencing platform in detecting bacterial
      contamination. Our paper also provides interesting reference information for
      future development of new precautionary strategies for controlling the dairy
      safety in large-scale industrialized production lines. 

PMID- 26476946
TI  - Short communication: Changes in fluorescence intensity induced by soybean soluble
      polysaccharide-milk protein interactions during acidification.
AB  - Interactions between stabilizer and milk protein are believed to influence the
      stabilizing behavior of the milk system. We investigated changes in fluorescence
      intensity induced by interactions of soybean soluble polysaccharide (SSPS) and
      milk protein (Mp) during acidification. The fluorescence intensity (If) of Mp
      increased as pH decreased from 6.8 to 5.2. Compared with Mp alone, If of SSPS-Mp
      mixtures increased as the pH decreased from 6.8 to 5.2. We found that the If of
      the SSPS-Mp mixture decreased in a pH range from 5.2 to 3.6, which indicated a
      change in the polarity microenvironment around the Trp residues. We also found
      that the maximum emission wavelength (lambdamax) shifted from 337 to 330nm as pH
      decreased from 6.8 to 3.6, in further support of SSPS interacting with the polar
      portion of Mp during acidification. Furthermore, an excited monomeric molecule
      (pyrene exciplex) was found as a ground-state pyrene formed and a broad band was
      shown at about 450nm. The intensity ratio of the first peak to the third peak
      (I1:I3) of Mp increased slightly, and the ratio of intensity of pyrene exciplex
      to monomer (Ie:Im) decreased because pyrene molecules were located in a less
      hydrophobic microenvironment during acidification. However, the ratio of I1:I3
      decreased clearly at pH below 5.6 and the ratio of Ie:Im showed the opposite
      trend in the SSPS-Mp mixture. Changes in intrinsic and exogenous fluorescence
      intensity confirmed that interactions of SSPS and Mp could change the polarity of
      the microenvironment and that SSPS probably interacted with the polar portion of
      Mp. These results could give insight into the behavior of stabilizers in acid
      milk products. 

PMID- 26476947
TI  - Dairy farm cost efficiency in leading milk-producing regions in Poland.
AB  - This paper examines the cost efficiency of dairy farms in 2 important regions of
      commercial milk production in Poland (i.e., Wielkopolskie and Podlaskie). Both
      regions gained importance following the market-driven resource allocation
      mechanism adopted after Poland's transition to the market economy in 1989 and
      accession to the European Union (EU) in 2004. The elimination of the dairy quota
      system in the EU in 2015 offers new expansion opportunities. The analysis of
      trends in cow numbers, milk production, and yield per cow shows different
      patterns of expansion of the dairy sector in the 2 regions. We selected dairy
      farm data from the Farm Accounts Data Network database for both regions and
      applied the cost frontier estimation model to calculate the relative cost
      efficiency index for the period 2004 to 2009. The indexes compare each farm in
      the sample to the most efficient dairy farm in each region separately.
      Additionally, the top 5% of dairy farms with the highest relative cost efficiency
      index from each region were compared in terms of production costs with published
      results from a study using the representative farm approach. The comparison of
      results from 2 different studies permits a conclusion that Wielkopolskie and
      Podlaskie dairy farms are able to compete with farms from the 4 largest milk
      producing countries in the EU. Although both regions can improve yields per cow,
      especially Podlaskie, both regions are likely to take advantage of the expansion
      opportunities offered by the 2015 termination of the milk quota system. 

PMID- 26476948
TI  - Water-lactose behavior as a function of concentration and presence of lactic acid
      in lactose model systems.
AB  - The presence of high amounts of lactic acid in acid whey restricts its ability to
      be further processed because lactose appears to remain in its amorphous form. A
      systematic study is lacking in this regard especially during the concentration
      step. Hence, the main aim of the study was to establish the structure and
      behavior of water molecules surrounding lactose in the presence of 1% (wt/wt)
      lactic acid at a concentration up to 50% (wt/wt). Furthermore, the
      crystallization nature of freeze-dried lactose with or without lactic acid was
      established using differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy. Two mechanisms were proposed to describe the behavior of
      water molecules around lactose molecules during the concentration of pure lactose
      and lactose solutions with lactic acid. Pure lactose solution exhibited a water
      evaporation enthalpy of ~679 J.g(-1), whereas lactose+ lactic acid solution
      resulted in ~965 J.g(-1) at a 50% (wt/wt) concentration. This indicates a greater
      energy requirement for water removal around lactose in the presence of lactic
      acid. Higher crystallization temperatures were observed with the presence of
      lactic acid, indicating a delay in crystallization. Furthermore, less crystalline
      lactose (~12%) was obtained in the presence of lactic acid, indicating high
      amorphous nature compared with pure lactose where ~50% crystallinity was
      obtained. The Fourier transform infrared spectra revealed that the strong
      hydration layer consisting lactic acid and H3O(+) ions surrounded lactose
      molecules via strong H bonds, which restricted water mobility, induced a change
      in structure of lactose, or both, creating unfavorable conditions for lactose
      crystallization. Thus, partial or complete removal of lactic acid from acid whey
      may be the first step toward improving the ability of acid whey to be processed. 

PMID- 26476949
TI  - Corn silage from corn treated with foliar fungicide and performance of Holstein
      cows.
AB  - Foliar fungicide application to corn plants is used in corn aimed for corn silage
      in the dairy industry, but questions regarding frequency of application and its
      effect on corn silage quality and feed conversion when fed to dairy cows remain
      prevalent. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various
      foliar fungicide applications to corn on dry matter intake (DMI), milk
      production, and milk composition when fed to dairy cows. Sixty-four Holstein cows
      with parity 2.5+/-1.5, 653+/-80kg of body weight, and 161+/-51d in milk were
      blocked and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 corn silage treatments (total mixed
      ration with 35% of the dry matter as corn silage). Treatments were as follows:
      control (CON), corn silage with no applications of foliar fungicide; treatment 1
      (1X), corn silage from corn that received 1 application of pyraclostrobin (PYR)
      foliar fungicide (Headline; BASF Corp.) at corn vegetative stage 5; treatment 2
      (2X), corn silage from corn that received the same application as 1X plus another
      application of a mixture of PYR and metconazole (Headline AMP; BASF Corp.) at
      corn reproductive stage 1 ("silking"); and treatment 3 (3X), corn silage from
      corn that received the same applications as 2X as well as a third application of
      PYR and metconazole at reproductive stage 3 ("milky kernel"). Corn was harvested
      at about 32% dry matter and 3/4 milk line stage of kernel development and ensiled
      for 200d. Treatments were fed to cows for 5wk, with the last week being used for
      statistical inferences. Week -1 was used as a covariate in the statistical
      analysis. Dry matter intake tended to be lower for cows fed corn silage treated
      with fungicide than CON (23.8, 23.0, 19.5, and 21.3kg for CON, 1X, 2X, and 3X,
      respectively). A linear treatment effect for DMI was observed, with DMI
      decreasing as foliar fungicide applications increased. Treatments CON, 1X, 2X,
      and 3X did not differ for milk yield (34.5, 34.5, 34.2, and 34.4kg/d,
      respectively); however, a trend for increased feed conversion represented by fat
      corrected milk/DMI (1.65 vs. 1.47) and energy-corrected milk/DMI (1.60 vs. 1.43)
      was noted for cows fed corn silage with fungicide compared with CON. In
      conclusion, cows receiving corn silage treated with foliar fungicide had better
      conversion of feed dry matter to milk than those receiving CON silage. 

PMID- 26476950
TI  - Proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry: A high-throughput and
      innovative method to study the influence of dairy system and cow characteristics
      on the volatile compound fingerprint of cheeses.
AB  - The aim of this work was to study the effect of dairy system and individual cow
      related factors on the volatile fingerprint of a large number of individual model
      cheeses analyzed by proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry
      (PTR-ToF-MS). A total of 1,075 model cheeses were produced using milk samples
      collected from individual Brown Swiss cows reared in 72 herds located in
      mountainous areas of Trento province (Italy). The herds belonged to 5 main dairy
      systems ranging from traditional to modern and the cows presented different daily
      milk yields (24.6+/-7.9kg * d(-1)), stages of lactation (199+/-138 d in milk),
      and parities (2.7+/-1.8). The PTR-ToF-MS revealed 619 peaks, of which the 240
      most intense were analyzed, and 61 of these were tentatively attributed to
      relevant volatile organic compounds on the basis of their fragmentation patterns
      and data from the literature. Principal component analysis was used to convert
      the multiple responses characterizing the PTR-ToF-MS spectra into 5 synthetic
      variables representing 62% of the total information. These principal components
      were related to groups of volatile compounds tentatively attributed to different
      peaks and used to investigate the relationship of the volatile compound profile
      obtained by PTR-ToF-MS to animal and farm characteristics. Lactation stage is
      related to 4 principal components which brought together 52.9% of the total
      variance and 57.9% of the area of analyzed peaks. In particular, 2 principal
      components were positively related to peaks tentatively attributed to aldehydes
      and ketones and negatively related to alcohols, esters, and acids, which
      displayed a linear increase during lactation. The second principal component was
      affected by dairy system; it was higher in the modern system in which cows
      received total mixed rations. The third principal component was positively
      related to daily milk production. In summary, we report the first application of
      this innovative, high-throughput technique to study the effects of dairy system
      and individual animal factors on volatile organic compounds of model cheeses.
      Individual cheesemaking procedures together with this spectrometric technique
      open new avenues for genetic selection of dairy species with respect to both milk
      and cheese quality. 

PMID- 26476951
TI  - A decision-making tool to determine economic feasibility and break-even prices
      for artisan cheese operations.
AB  - Artisan cheese makers lack access to valid economic data to help them evaluate
      business opportunities and make important business decisions such as determining
      cheese pricing structure. The objective of this study was to utilize an economic
      model to evaluate the net present value (NPV), internal rate of return, and
      payback period for artisan cheese production at different annual production
      volumes. The model was also used to determine the minimum retail price necessary
      to ensure positive NPV for 5 different cheese types produced at 4 different
      production volumes. Milk type, cheese yield, and aging time all affected variable
      costs. However, aged cheeses required additional investment for aging space
      (which needs to be larger for longer aging times), as did lower yield cheeses (by
      requiring larger-volume equipment for pasteurization and milk handling). As the
      volume of milk required increased, switching from vat pasteurization to high
      temperature, short-time pasteurization was necessary for low-yield cheeses before
      being required for high-yield cheeses, which causes an additional increase in
      investment costs. Because of these differences, high-moisture, fresh cow milk
      cheeses can be sold for about half the price of hard, aged goat milk cheeses at
      the largest production volume or for about two-thirds the price at the lowest
      production volume examined. For example, for the given model assumptions, at an
      annual production of 13,608kg of cheese (30,000 lb), a fresh cow milk mozzarella
      should be sold at a minimum retail price of $27.29/kg ($12.38/lb), whereas a goat
      milk Gouda needs a minimum retail price of $49.54/kg ($22.47/lb). Artisan cheese
      makers should carefully evaluate annual production volumes. Although larger
      production volumes decrease average fixed cost and improve production efficiency,
      production can reach volumes where it becomes necessary to sell through
      distributors. Because distributors might pay as little as 35% of retail price,
      the retail price needs to be higher to compensate. An artisan cheese company that
      has not achieved the recognition needed to achieve a premium price may not find
      distribution through distributors profitable. 

PMID- 26476952
TI  - Spore populations among bulk tank raw milk and dairy powders are significantly
      different.
AB  - To accommodate stringent spore limits mandated for the export of dairy powders, a
      more thorough understanding of the spore species present will be necessary to
      develop prospective strategies to identify and reduce sources (i.e., raw
      materials or in-plant) of contamination. We characterized 1,523 spore isolates
      obtained from bulk tank raw milk (n=33 farms) and samples collected from 4
      different dairy powder-processing plants producing acid whey, nonfat dry milk,
      sweet whey, or whey protein concentrate 80. The spores isolated comprised 12
      genera, at least 44 species, and 216 rpoB allelic types. Bacillus and Geobacillus
      represented the most commonly isolated spore genera (approximately 68.9 and
      12.1%, respectively, of all spore isolates). Whereas Bacillus licheniformis was
      isolated from samples collected from all plants and farms, Geobacillus spp. were
      isolated from samples from 3 out of 4 plants and just 1 out of 33 farms. We found
      significant differences between the spore population isolated from bulk tank raw
      milk and those isolated from dairy powder plant samples, except samples from the
      plant producing acid whey. A comparison of spore species isolated from raw
      materials and finished powders showed that although certain species, such as B.
      licheniformis, were found in both raw and finished product samples, other
      species, such as Geobacillus spp. and Anoxybacillus spp., were more frequently
      isolated from finished powders. Importantly, we found that 8 out of 12 genera
      were isolated from at least 2 different spore count methods, suggesting that some
      spore count methods may provide redundant information if used in parallel.
      Together, our results suggest that (1) Bacillus and Geobacillus are the
      predominant spore contaminants in a variety of dairy powders, implying that
      future research efforts targeted at elucidating approaches to reduce levels of
      spores in dairy powders should focus on controlling levels of spore isolates from
      these genera; and (2) the spore populations isolated from bulk tank raw milk and
      some dairy powder products are significantly different, suggesting that targeting
      in-plant sources of contamination may be important for achieving low spore counts
      in the finished product. These data provide important insight regarding the
      diversity of spore populations isolated from dairy powders and bulk tank raw
      milk, and demonstrate that several spore genera are detected by multiple spore
      count methods. 

PMID- 26476953
TI  - Detrimental effect of selection for milk yield on genetic tolerance to heat
      stress in purebred Zebu cattle: Genetic parameters and trends.
AB  - In an attempt to determine the possible detrimental effects of continuous
      selection for milk yield on the genetic tolerance of Zebu cattle to heat stress,
      genetic parameters and trends of the response to heat stress for 86,950 test-day
      (TD) milk yield records from 14,670 first lactations of purebred dairy Gir cows
      were estimated. A random regression model with regression on days in milk (DIM)
      and temperature-humidity index (THI) values was applied to the data. The most
      detrimental effect of THI on milk yield was observed in the stage of lactation
      with higher milk production, DIM 61 to 120 (-0.099kg/d per THI). Although modest
      variations were observed for the THI scale, a reduction in additive genetic
      variance as well as in permanent environmental and residual variance was observed
      with increasing THI values. The heritability estimates showed a slight increase
      with increasing THI values for any DIM. The correlations between additive genetic
      effects across the THI scale showed that, for most of the THI values, genotype by
      environment interactions due to heat stress were less important for the ranking
      of bulls. However, for extreme THI values, this type of genotype by environment
      interaction may lead to an important error in selection. As a result of the
      selection for milk yield practiced in the dairy Gir population for 3 decades, the
      genetic trend of cumulative milk yield was significantly positive for production
      in both high (51.81kg/yr) and low THI values (78.48kg/yr). However, the
      difference between the breeding values of animals at high and low THI may be
      considered alarming (355kg in 2011). The genetic trends observed for the
      regression coefficients related to general production level (intercept of the
      reaction norm) and specific ability to respond to heat stress (slope of the
      reaction norm) indicate that the dairy Gir population is heading toward a higher
      production level at the expense of lower tolerance to heat stress. These trends
      reflect the genetic antagonism between production and tolerance to heat stress
      demonstrated by the negative genetic correlation between these components (
      0.23). Monitoring trends of the genetic component of heat stress would be a
      reasonable measure to avoid deterioration in one of the main traits of Zebu
      cattle (i.e., high tolerance to heat stress). On the basis of current genetic
      trends, the need for future genetic evaluation of dairy Zebu animals for
      tolerance to heat stress cannot be ruled out. 

PMID- 26476954
TI  - From cold to hot: Climatic effects and productivity in Wisconsin dairy farms.
AB  - This study examined the effects of climatic conditions on dairy farm productivity
      using panel data for the state of Wisconsin along with alternative stochastic
      frontier models. A noteworthy feature of this analysis is that Wisconsin is a
      major dairy-producing area where winters are typically very cold and snowy and
      summers are hot and humid. Thus, it is an ideal geographical region for examining
      the effects of a range of climatic factors on dairy production. We identified the
      effects of temperature and precipitation, both jointly and separately, on milk
      output. The analysis showed that increasing temperature in summer or in autumn is
      harmful for dairy production, whereas warmer winters and warmer springs are
      beneficial. In contrast, more precipitation had a consistent adverse effect on
      dairy productivity. Overall, the analysis showed that over the past 17 yr,
      changes in climatic conditions have had a negative effect on Wisconsin dairy
      farms. Alternative scenarios predict that climate change would lead to a 5 to 11%
      reduction in dairy production per year between 2020 and 2039 after controlling
      for other factors. 

PMID- 26476955
TI  - Endogenous C1-inhibitor production and expression in the heart after acute
      myocardial infarction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Complement activation contributes significantly to inflammation
      related damage in the heart after acute myocardial infarction. Knowledge on
      factors that regulate postinfraction complement activation is incomplete however.
      In this study, we investigated whether endogenous C1-inhibitor, a well-known
      inhibitor of complement activation, is expressed in the heart after acute
      myocardial infarction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: C1-inhibitor and complement
      activation products C3d and C4d were analyzed immunohistochemically in the hearts
      of patients who died at different time intervals after acute myocardial
      infarction (n=28) and of control patients (n=8). To determine putative local C1
      inhibitor production, cardiac transcript levels of the C1-inhibitor-encoding gene
      serping1 were determined in rats after induction of acute myocardial infarction
      (microarray). Additionally, C1-inhibitor expression was analyzed (fluorescence
      microscopy) in human endothelial cells and rat cardiomyoblasts in vitro. RESULTS:
      C1-inhibitor was found predominantly in and on jeopardized cardiomyocytes in
      necrotic infarct cores between 12h and 5days old. C1-inhibitor protein expression
      coincided in time and colocalized with C3d and C4d. In the rat heart, serping1
      transcript levels were increased from 2h up until 7days after acute myocardial
      infarction. Both endothelial cells and cardiomyoblasts showed increased
      intracellular expression of C1-inhibitor in response to ischemia in vitro (n=4).
      CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest that endogenous C1-inhibitor is likely
      involved in the regulation of complement activity in the myocardium following
      acute myocardial infarction. Observations in rat and in vitro suggest that C1
      inhibitor is produced locally in the heart after acute myocardial infarction.

PMID- 26476957
TI  - Infant twins' social interactions with caregivers and same-age siblings.
AB  - The study of twin behavior offers the opportunity to study differential patterns
      of social and communicative interactions in a context where the adult partner and
      same-age peer are equally familiar. We investigated the development of social
      engagement, communicative gestures, and imitation in 7- to 25-month-old twins.
      Twin dyads (N=20 pairs) participated in 10-min, semi-structured play sessions,
      with the mother seated in a chair completing paperwork for half the session, and
      on the floor with her children for the other half. Overall, twins engaged more
      with their mothers than with their siblings: they showed objects and imitated
      speech and object use more frequently when interacting with their mothers than
      with their siblings. When the mother was otherwise engaged, the twins played with
      toys separately, observed each other's toy play, or were unengaged. These results
      demonstrate that adult scaffolding of social interactions supports increased
      communicative bids even in a context where both familiar peers and adults are
      available as communicative partners. 

PMID- 26476958
TI  - Extracting protein dynamics information from overlapped NMR signals using
      relaxation dispersion difference NMR spectroscopy.
AB  - Protein dynamics plays important roles in many biological events, such as ligand
      binding and enzyme reactions. NMR is mostly used for investigating such protein
      dynamics in a site-specific manner. Recently, NMR has been actively applied to
      large proteins and intrinsically disordered proteins, which are attractive
      research targets. However, signal overlap, which is often observed for such
      proteins, hampers accurate analysis of NMR data. In this study, we have developed
      a new methodology called relaxation dispersion difference that can extract
      conformational exchange parameters from overlapped NMR signals measured using
      relaxation dispersion spectroscopy. In relaxation dispersion measurements, the
      signal intensities of fluctuating residues vary according to the Carr-Purcell
      Meiboon-Gill pulsing interval, whereas those of non-fluctuating residues are
      constant. Therefore, subtraction of each relaxation dispersion spectrum from that
      with the highest signal intensities, measured at the shortest pulsing interval,
      leaves only the signals of the fluctuating residues. This is the principle of the
      relaxation dispersion difference method. This new method enabled us to extract
      exchange parameters from overlapped signals of heme oxygenase-1, which is a
      relatively large protein. The results indicate that the structural flexibility of
      a kink in the heme-binding site is important for efficient heme binding.
      Relaxation dispersion difference requires neither selectively labeled samples nor
      modification of pulse programs; thus it will have wide applications in protein
      dynamics analysis. 

PMID- 26476960
TI  - Developing Guidance on Ethics for Patient Groups Collecting  and Reporting
      Patient Information for Health Technology  Assessments.

PMID- 26476959
TI  - A case-control study: Association between serum neuregulin 4 level and non
      alcoholic fatty liver disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a great health burden.
      Neuregulin 4 (Nrg4) is a recently identified secret factor that may be associated
      with NAFLD. AIM: To investigate the association between serum Nrg4 level and
      NAFLD by conducting a case-control study. METHOD: A total of 174 subjects were
      included. 87 NAFLD subjects and 87 age- and sex-matched non-NAFLD controls were
      identified by hepatic ultrasound examination. Anthropometric and biochemical data
      were measured and recorded. Serum Nrg4 level was evaluated by using enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. SPSS software was used for statistical analyses. RESULTS:
      Compared to the controls, subjects with NAFLD presented with reduced level of
      serum Nrg4 (0.40 (0.27, 0.55) vs. 0.50 (0.30, 0.81)ng/mL (median (interquartile
      range)), P=0.029). By multivariate logistic regression analysis, reduced serum
      levels of Nrg4 were associated with higher NAFLD odds (OR=0.251, 95% confidence
      interval=0.081-0.779, P=0.017). By dividing the distribution of serum Nrg4 level
      into quartiles, there was borderline statistical difference of NAFLD prevalence
      among the four groups (P=0.058). There was no significant difference of serum
      Nrg4 levels in subjects according to the grades of fatty liver by ultrasound
      (P=0.080). No statistical difference of serum Nrg4 level was observed between
      obese and non-obese subjects (P=0.932). CONCLUSION: Decreased serum Nrg4 level is
      prevalent in NAFLD subjects compared to non-NAFLD controls, and is an independent
      risk factor associated with NAFLD, indicating that Nrg4 might have a protective
      role in the development of NAFLD.

PMID- 26476961
TI  - The Impact of Chronic Urticaria from the Patient's Perspective: A Survey in Five
      European Countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is associated with considerable
      burden, but data from European patients are limited. METHODS: This study is a
      retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of National Health and Wellness Survey
      data from the five largest EU countries (5EU: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and
      the UK) collected between 2010 and 2013. Burden of disease for patients with CSU
      was estimated by comparing individuals currently treated for chronic urticaria
      (proxy CSU cases) with controls selected from respondents without chronic
      urticaria. Matching and regression models were used to quantify the impact of
      chronic urticaria on health-related quality of life, self-reported psychological
      complaints, work and activity impairment, and healthcare use. RESULTS: The sample
      included 175,923 respondents. Prevalence of diagnosed chronic urticaria was 0.5
      and 0.2% were treating the condition with a prescription. Cases (N = 369) had
      substantially lower (worse) regression-adjusted mean Mental Component Summary
      (40.2 vs. 45.4), Physical Component Summary (44.6 vs. 49.9), and SF-6D health
      utility scores (0.63 vs. 0.71; all p < 0.001) relative to controls (N = 1476),
      differences that exceed accepted minimally important differences for these
      measures. Depression, anxiety, and sleep difficulties were approximately twice as
      prevalent among those currently receiving treatment for chronic urticaria (all p
      < 0.001). Cases also had elevated presenteeism (31 vs. 17%), overall work
      impairment (37 vs. 20%), and impairment in non-work activities (42 vs. 26%; all p
      < 0.01) relative to controls. Physician visits (9.1 vs. 4.9), emergency room
      visits (0.8 vs. 0.3), and hospitalizations (0.3 vs. 0.2) were more frequent than
      in controls (all p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This research adds to the existing
      evidence showing significant burden of CSU.

PMID- 26476962
TI  - Adenocarcinoma of the cervical esophagus arising from ectopic   gastric mucosa:
      report of two cases and review of the literature.
AB  - Esophageal adenocarcinoma arising from ectopic gastric mucosa (EGM) is extremely
      rare. We describe here two Japanese patients with adenocarcinoma of the cervical
      esophagus arising from EGM. Case 1 is a 62-year-old man who had slightly red EGM
      in the cervical esophagus on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE). Because the
      biopsy showed atypical glands that were suspicious for adenocarcinoma, endoscopic
      submucosal dissection was performed. Histopathological examination revealed that
      the lesion was a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma (pT1a MM). Lymphovascular
      invasion was absent, and the margins were free from carcinoma. Case 2 is a 57
      year-old man who had an elevated lesion with a bleeding tendency in an area of
      EGM in the cervical esophagus on UGE. Adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in the biopsy.
      Because of the presence of enlarged lymph nodes (#106recL), preoperative
      chemoradiotherapy was performed to reduce the size of the adenocarcinoma and
      lymph nodes prior to resection of the cervical esophagus and reconstruction with
      free jejunal grafts. Histopathological examination revealed moderately
      differentiated adenocarcinoma (0-I, pT2N1M0, pStage II). In both cases,
      adenocarcinoma was surrounded by EGM, which led to the diagnosis of EGM-derived
      esophageal adenocarcinoma. Here, we report its immunohistochemical
      characteristics in the present cases and discuss the histogenesis.

PMID- 26476963
TI  - Differences in quality standards when prescribing nutritional support:
      Differences between specialist and non-specialist physicians.
AB  - Adequate nutritional support includes many different aspects, but poor
      understanding of clinical nutrition by health care professionales often results
      in an inadequate prescription. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A study was conducted to
      compare enteral and parenteral nutritional support plans prescribed by specialist
      and non-specialist physicians. RESULTS: Non-specialist physicians recorded
      anthropometric data from only 13.3% of patients, and none of them performed
      nutritional assessments. Protein amounts provided by non-specialist physicians
      were lower than estimated based on ESPEN (10.29g of nitrogen vs 14.62; P<.001).
      Differences were not statistically significant in the specialist group (14.88g of
      nitrogen; P=.072). Calorie and glutamine provision and laboratory controls
      prescribed by specialists were significantly closer to those recommended by
      clinical guidelines. CONCLUSION: Nutritional support prescribed by specialists in
      endocrinology and nutrition at San Pedro de Alcantara Hospital was closer to
      clinical practice guideline standards and of higher quality as compared to that
      prescribed by non-specialists.

PMID- 26476964
TI  - Simpson's method of discs in Salukis and Whippets: Echocardiographic reference
      intervals for end-diastolic and end-systolic left ventricular volumes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sighthound breeds are known to have different cardiac sizes and
      dimensions from other breeds; therefore, breed-specific references are required
      to avoid misinterpretation of echocardiographic findings. End-diastolic volume
      (EDV) and end-systolic volume (ESV) reference intervals derived from Simpson's
      method of discs (SMOD) do not exist for Salukis or Whippets. OBJECTIVES: To
      establish EDV and ESV reference intervals for SMOD in Salukis and Whippets.
      ANIMALS: 110 Salukis and 119 Whippets. METHODS: Reference intervals for SMOD with
      and without normalization to body surface area (BSA) were established using the
      right parasternal and left apical views in 93 healthy Salukis and 82 healthy
      Whippets. Volumes were compared between both echocardiographic views, genders,
      and racing and show pedigree dogs. The 90% reference intervals were calculated
      using the robust method. RESULTS: Agreement between right-sided and left-sided
      echocardiographic views was good. Reference intervals indexed to body surface
      area (BSA) for Whippets were 59-109 mL/m2 for end-diastolic volume index and 18
      53 mL/m2 for end-systolic volume index. Corresponding values for Salukis were 68
      126 mL/m2 for end-diastolic volume index and 27-64 mL/m2 for end-systolic volume
      index. There were no indexed volume differences between male and female or racing
      and show pedigree dogs in both breeds. The non-normalized volumes significantly
      differed between genders. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Whippets and
      Salukis had larger systolic and diastolic left ventricular volumes compared with
      other breeds. This study provided echocardiographic reference intervals for SMOD
      derived left ventricular volumes for these athletic breeds.

PMID- 26476965
TI  - Control of the micromovements of a composite-material nail design: A finite
      element analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intramedullary nail fixation is the most accepted modality for
      stabilizing long bone midshaft fractures. The commercially used nails are
      fabricated from Stainless Steel or Titanium. Composite-materials (CM) mainly
      carbon-fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) have been gaining more interest and
      popularity due to their properties, such as modulus of elasticity close to that
      of bone, increased fatigue strength, and radio-opacity to irradiation that
      permits a better visualization of the healing process. The use of CFRP instead of
      metals allows better control of different directional movements along a fracture
      site. The purpose of this analysis was to design a CM intramedullary nail to
      enable micromovements as depicted on a finite element analysis method. METHODS:
      We designed a three-dimentional femoral nail model. Three CFRP with different
      laminates arrangements, were included in the analysis. The finite element
      analysis involved applying vertical and horizontal loads on each of the designed
      and tested nails. RESULTS: The nails permitted a transverse micromovement of
      0.75mm for the 45 degrees  lay-up and 1.5mm for the 90 degrees  lay-up for the
      CM, 1.38mm for the Titanium and 0.74mm for the Stainless Steel nails. The
      recorded axial movements were 0.53mm for the 45 degrees  lay-up, 0.87mm for the
      90 degrees  lay-up, 0.46mm for the unsymmetrical lay-up CM, 0.046 for the
      Titanium and 0.02 for the Stainless Steel nails. Overall, the simulations showed
      that nail transverse micromovements can be reduced by using 45 degrees  carbon
      fiber orientations. Similar results were observed with each metal nails.
      INTERPRETATION: We found that nail micromovements can be controlled by changing
      the directional stiffness using different lay-up orientations. These results can
      be useful for predicting nail micromovements under specified loading conditions
      which are crucial for stimulating callus formation in the early stages of
      healing.

PMID- 26476966
TI  - Characterizing liver capsule microstructure via in situ bulge test coupled with
      multiphoton imaging.
AB  - The characterization of biological tissue at the microscopic scale is the
      starting point of many applications in tissue engineering and especially in the
      development of structurally based constitutive models. In the present study,
      focus is made on the liver capsule, the membrane encompassing hepatic parenchyma,
      which takes a huge part in liver mechanical properties. An in situ bulge test
      experiment under a multiphoton microscope has been developed to assess the
      microstructure changes that arise with biaxial loading. Multiphoton microscopy
      allows to observe the elastin and collagen fiber networks simultaneously. Thus a
      description of the microstructure organization of the capsule is given,
      characterizing the shapes, geometry and arrangement of fibers. The orientation of
      fibers is calculated and orientation distribution evolution with loading is
      given, in the case of an equibiaxial and two non equibiaxial loadings, thanks to
      a circular and elliptic set up of the bulge test. The local strain fields have
      also been computed, by the mean of a photobleaching grid, to get an idea of what
      the liver capsule might experience when subjected to internal pressure. Results
      show that strain fields present some heterogeneity due to anisotropy.
      Reorientation occurs in non equibiaxial loadings and involves fibers layers from
      the inner to the outer surface as expected. Although there is a fiber network
      rearrangement to accommodate with loading in the case of equibiaxial loading,
      there is no significant reorientation of the main fibers direction of the
      different layers. 

PMID- 26476967
TI  - On intrinsic stress fiber contractile forces in semilunar heart valve
      interstitial cells using a continuum mixture model.
AB  - Heart valve interstitial cells (VICs) play a critical role in the maintenance and
      pathophysiology of heart valve tissues. Normally quiescent in the adult, VICs can
      become activated in periods of growth and disease. When activated, VICs exhibit
      increased levels of cytokines and extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis, and
      upregulated expression and strong contraction of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha
      SMA) fibers. However, it remains unknown how expression and contraction of the
      alpha-SMA fibers, which vary among different VIC types, contribute to the overall
      VIC mechanical responses, including the nucleus and cytoskeleton contributions.
      In the present study, we developed a novel solid-mixture model for VIC
      biomechanical behavior that incorporated 1) the underlying cytoskeletal network,
      2) the oriented alpha-SMA stress fibers with passive elastic and active
      contractile responses, 3) a finite deformable elastic nucleus. We implemented the
      model in a full 3D finite element simulation of a VIC based on known geometry.
      Moreover, we examined the respective mechanical responses of aortic and pulmonary
      VICs (AVICs and PVICs, respectively), which are known to have different levels of
      alpha-SMA expression levels and contractile behaviors. To calibrate the model, we
      simulated the combined mechanical responses of VICs in both micropipette
      aspiration (MA) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments. These two states
      were chosen as the VICs were under significantly different mechanical loading
      conditions and activation states, with the alpha-SMA fibers inactivated in the MA
      studies while fully activated in the AFM studies. We also used the AFM to study
      the mechanical property of the nucleus. Our model predicted that the substantial
      differences found in stiffening of the AVIC compared to the PVICs was due to a 9
      to 16 times stronger intrinsic AVIC alpha-SMA stress fiber contractile force.
      Model validation was done by simulating a traction force microscopy experiment to
      estimate the forces the VICs exert on the underlying substrate, and found good
      agreement with reported traction force microscopy results. Further, estimated
      nuclear stiffness for both AVICs and PVICs were similar and comparable to the
      literature, and were both unaffected by VIC activation level. These results
      suggest substantial functional differences between AVICs and PVICs at the
      subcellular level. Moreover, this first VIC computational biomechanical model is
      but a first step in developing a comprehensive, integrated view of the VIC
      pathophysiology and interactions with the valve ECM micro-environment based on
      simulation technologies. 

PMID- 26476968
TI  - Application of UVA-riboflavin crosslinking to enhance the mechanical properties
      of extracellular matrix derived hydrogels.
AB  - Hydrogels derived from extracellular matrix (ECM) have become increasing popular
      in recent years, particularly for use in tissue engineering. One limitation with
      ECM hydrogels is that they tend to have poor mechanical properties compared to
      native tissues they are trying to replicate. To address this problem, a UVA
      (ultraviolet-A) riboflavin crosslinking technique was applied to ECM hydrogels to
      determine if it could be used to improve their elastic modulus. Hydrogels
      fabricated from corneal, cardiac and liver ECM were used in this study. The
      mechanical properties of the hydrogels were characterized using a spherical
      indentation technique. The microstructure of the hydrogels and the cytotoxic
      effect of crosslinking on cell seeded hydrogels were also evaluated. The
      combination of UVA light and riboflavin solution led to a significant increase in
      elastic modulus from 6.8kPa to 24.7kPa, 1.4kPa to 6.9kPa and 0.9kPa to 1.6kPa for
      corneal, cardiac and liver ECM hydrogels respectively. The extent of this
      increase was dependent on a number of factors including the UVA exposure time and
      the initial hydrogel concentration. There were also a high percentage of viable
      cells within the cell seeded hydrogels with 94% of cells remaining viable after
      90min exposure to UVA light. These results suggest that UVA-riboflavin
      crosslinking is an effective approach for improving the mechanical properties of
      ECM hydrogels without resulting in a significant reduction of cell viability. 

PMID- 26476969
TI  - Possible causes of the gradient decrease in the right ventricular outflow tract
      in biventricular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26476970
TI  - Synthesis, antimycobacterial and antibacterial activity of l-[(1R,2S)-2
      fluorocyclopropyl]naphthyridone derivatives containing an oxime-functionalized
      pyrrolidine moiety.
AB  - A series of novel 1-[(1R,2S)-2-fluorocyclopropyl]naphthyridone derivatives 21-24
      containing an oxime-functionalized pyrrolidine moiety were designed, synthesized
      and evaluated for their biological activity. Our results reveal that compounds
      21a, 21e and 21j show considerable activity against MTB H37Rv ATCC 27294 (MICs:
      <0.25 MUg/mL) and MDR-MTB 6133 (MICs: 0.03-0.054 MUg/mL). The target compounds 21
      24 are generally poor against the Gram-negative strains, but 21a-j and 22a-c have
      potent potency (MICs: <0.008-32 MUg/mL) against all of the tested Gram-positive
      strains including MRSA and MRSE with a few exceptions, and the most active
      compounds 21d, 21e and 22a-c (MICs: <0.008-32 MUg/mL) were found to be comparable
      to or better than moxifloxacin, and 2->250 times more potent than ciprofloxacin
      and levofloxacin.

PMID- 26476971
TI  - Lead optimization of the VU0486321 series of mGlu1 PAMs. Part 1: SAR of
      modifications to the central aryl core.
AB  - This Letter describes the lead optimization of the VU0486321 series of mGlu1
      positive allosteric modulators (PAMs). While first generation PAMs from Roche
      were reported in the late 1990s, little effort has focused on the development of
      mGlu1 PAMs since. New genetic data linking loss-of-function mutant mGlu1
      receptors to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other neuropsychiatric disorders
      has rekindled interest in the target, but the ideal in vivo probe, for example,
      with good PK, brain penetration and low plasma protein binding, for robust target
      validation has been lacking. Here we describe the first modifications to the
      central aryl core of the VU0486321 series, where robust SAR was noted. Moreover,
      structural variants were identified that imparted selectivity (up to >793-fold)
      versus mGlu4. 

PMID- 26476972
TI  - Compared fixation and survival of 280 lateralised vs 527 standard cementless
      stems after two years (1-7).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Restoring the native hip anatomy increases hip prosthesis survival,
      whereas increased femoral lateralisation creates high torque stresses that may
      alter prosthesis fixation. After finding lucent lines around cementless
      lateralised stems (CorailTM, DePuy Synthes, St Priest, France) in several
      patients, we evaluated the effects of lateralisation in a large case-series. The
      objective of our study was to compare lateralised vs standard stems of identical
      design in terms of radiological osteo-integration and survival. HYPOTHESIS:
      Lateralised stems, despite being used only when indicated by the anatomical
      parameters, carry a higher risk of impaired osteo-integration. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in 807 primary total hip
      arthroplasties (THAs) performed between 2006 and 2010 in 798 patients with a mean
      age of 65 +/- 14.2 years. Lateralised stems were used in 280 cases (Corail High
      Offset KHO, n = 169; and Corail coxa vara KLA, n = 111 cases) and standard stems
      in 527 cases (Corail KA). Mean follow-up was 2.3 years (range, 1-7 years). The
      clinical evaluation included determination of the Postel-Merle d'Aubigne (PMA)
      score. Bone fixation and stability of the implants were assessed by determining
      the Engh and Massin score and the ARA score on the radiographs at last follow-up.
      Femoral, acetabular and global offset values were determined before and after
      THA. Nobles's Canal Flare Index was computed. Survival was estimated using the
      Kaplan-Meier method with surgical revision for aseptic loosening as the end
      point. RESULTS: The PMA score improved from 12 (10-15) pre-operatively to 17.7
      (14-18) (P < 0.05). After THA, in the lateralised stem group, femoral offset was
      restored in 217 (77%) hips and the mean change vs the pre-operative offset value
      was -2 mm; in the standard stem group, femoral offset was restored in 440 (83.5%)
      hips and the mean change was +1 mm. The Engh and Massin score values were similar
      in the standard stem and lateralised stem groups (24.4 +/- 2.2 and 22.6 +/- 2.4,
      respectively, NS). Revision for aseptic loosening was required in 5 patients with
      lateralised stems (3 KHO and 2 KLA) versus none of the patients with standard
      stems. There were no cases of excessive femoral offset and the mean change in
      offset was -2.3mm (-5.3 to -1.1). Noble's index was increased (4.27 +/- 0.5 for
      the loosened lateralised stems, 3.65 +/- 0.8 for the well-fixed lateralised stems
      and 3.82 +/- 0.6 for the standard stems), with no significant difference across
      groups. Overall survival after 3.5 years of follow-up was 94.6% (95% confidence
      interval, 88.4-100%) with lateralised stems and 100% with standard stems (P <
      0.05). DISCUSSION: The risk of aseptic loosening was significantly higher with
      the lateralised stem (5/280, 1.8%) than with the standard stem (n = 0). Our
      findings indicate a need for careful preparation to obtain primary fixation of
      lateralised stems. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III, retrospective case-control study.

PMID- 26476973
TI  - Did I say dog or cat? A study of semantic error detection and correction in
      children.
AB  - Although naturalistic studies of spontaneous speech suggest that young children
      can monitor their speech, the mechanisms for detection and correction of speech
      errors in children are not well understood. In particular, there is little
      research on monitoring semantic errors in this population. This study provides a
      systematic investigation of detection and correction of semantic errors in
      children between the ages of 5 and 8years as they produced sentences to describe
      simple visual events involving nine highly familiar animals (the moving animals
      task). Results showed that older children made fewer errors and corrected a
      larger proportion of the errors that they made than younger children. We then
      tested the prediction of a production-based account of error monitoring that the
      strength of the language production system, and specifically its semantic-lexical
      component, should be correlated with the ability to detect and repair semantic
      errors. Strength of semantic-lexical mapping, as well as lexical-phonological
      mapping, was estimated individually for children by fitting their error patterns,
      obtained from an independent picture-naming task, to a computational model of
      language production. Children's picture-naming performance was predictive of
      their ability to monitor their semantic errors above and beyond age. This
      relationship was specific to the strength of the semantic-lexical part of the
      system, as predicted by the production-based monitor. 

PMID- 26476974
TI  - [The actions of the Editorial Committee].

PMID- 26476975
TI  - [Eight years of experience with HIFU for prostate cancer: Oncological and
      functional results].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the oncologic and functional results of HIFU as a first-line
      treatment for localized prostate cancer. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Enrolment of
      patients between 2006 and 2011 for the first treatment against localized prostate
      cancer with HIFU (Integrated Imaging((r)), EDAP-TMS, Vaulx-en-Velin, France). The
      biochemical recurrence-free survival was calculated by using the Phoenix
      criterion (PSA>nadir+2 ng/mL). The functional complications were assessed
      clinically and through standardised questionnaires. RESULTS: The condition of 191
      patients was assessed at a mean follow-up of 55.5 +/- 22.7 months. In 10,1% of
      the treatments, an incident during the medical procedure was observed with the
      volume of the prostate (P=0.026) as risk factor. The overall survival, the
      survival and the metastatic free survival rate were respectively 89.5%, 98.4% and
      97.4%. The biochemical free survival rate for 5 years was 87.5%, 69% and 39%
      respectively for the low, medium and high-risk groups of d'Amico classification.
      Eighty-six percent of the patients with a PSA nadir <= 0.3 ng/mL were relapse
      free at 5 years. Whereas only 48% of the patients with a nadir>0.3 ng/mL did not.
      Only 17.8% of the patients had a rescue treatment with an average delay of 31.1
      months. The urinary and sexual impairment was significant but 78.1% of the
      patients were dry at the end of the study. The most common complication found in
      18.3% of the patients was the prostatic obstruction. CONCLUSION: The oncologic
      and functional results of the HIFU seem similar to the other first-line
      treatments results and reveal that the HIFU is a therapeutic option for the
      treatment of prostate cancer in men over 70 years. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5.

PMID- 26476976
TI  - [Does laparoscopic nephrectomy with vaginal extraction affect the sexual quality
      of life of patients?].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the consequences of laparoscopic nephrectomy with vaginal
      extraction on sexual quality of life. METHODS: Sixteen patients (mean age: 53.8
      years) who underwent laparoscopic nephrectomy with vaginal extraction between
      September 2010 and February 2014 were included in this monocentric prospective
      study. All patients underwent a preoperative gynecological examination to
      evaluate the feasibility of vaginal extraction. The sexual function of the
      patients was evaluated using the French version of the Female Sexual Function
      Index (FSFI). The patients completed an initial FSFI preoperatively then another
      postoperatively after the resumption of sexual activities. RESULTS: The mean
      hospital stay was 2.2 days (0-5 days). No postoperative complications were
      observed except for one case of bleeding at the vaginal incision 4 days after
      surgery, resolved with a single suture under local anesthesia. Fifteen patients
      (94%) completed both the pre- and postoperative FSFIs. Three patients were
      sexually inactive and one was a virgin. The pre- and postoperative mean FSFI
      overall scores were 24.2 and 24.3 respectively (p=0.39). Scores were comparable
      in all six of the domains assessed by the questionnaire. Particularly, the pre-
      and postoperative scores for satisfaction were 4.5 and 4.4 respectively. No
      increase in dyspareunia was observed after surgery, nor was it more difficult for
      our patients to reach orgasm after the intervention. No statistically significant
      differences were observed between the pre- and postoperative FSFI scores.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although preliminary, our results suggest that laparoscopic
      nephrectomy with vaginal extraction has no effect on the sexual quality of life
      of patients.

PMID- 26476977
TI  - [Comparison Bricker's and Wallace's anastomoses in ileal conduit: Retrospective,
      multicenter study].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare Bricker and Wallace anastomosis in ileal conduit and
      search other risk factors of hydronephrosis. METHODS: Retrospective study in two
      French Hospitals with two different surgical practices. Hydronephrosis are
      separated in two groups: complicated hydronephrosis requiring reoperation and no
      complicated hydronephrosis. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty patients were included
      in the study and 317 renal units were explored (141 in Bricker's group and 176 in
      Wallace's group). The rate of complicated and non-complicated hydronephrosis are
      respectively 9.9 and 20.6% in Bricker's group against 10.8 and 13.6% in Wallace's
      group, without significant difference (P=0.8 and 0.1). In the other risk factors,
      only body mass index over 25 kg/m(2) was found as significant for complicated
      hydronephrosis. The left side and preoperative hydronephrosis are only associated
      to a risk of no complicated hydronephrosis (P=0.006 and 0.026). CONCLUSION: We
      found no difference between the two most common types of ureteroenteric
      anastomotic techniques. However, a high body mass index increases the rate of
      reoperation for hydronephrosis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5.

PMID- 26476978
TI  - Peptide motif analysis predicts alphaviruses as triggers for rheumatoid
      arthritis.
AB  - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) develops in response to both genetic and environmental
      factors. The strongest genetic determinant is HLA-DR, where polymorphisms within
      the P4 and P6 binding pockets confer elevated risk. However, low disease
      concordance across monozygotic twin pairs underscores the importance of an
      environmental factor, probably infectious. The goal of this investigation was to
      predict the microorganism most likely to interact with HLA-DR to trigger RA under
      the molecular mimicry hypothesis. A set of 185 structural proteins from viruses
      or intracellular bacteria was scanned for regions of sequence homology with a
      collagen peptide that binds preferentially to DR4; candidates were then evaluated
      against a motif required for T cell cross-reactivity. The plausibility of the
      predicted agent was evaluated by comparison of microbial prevalence patterns to
      epidemiological characteristics of RA. Peptides from alphavirus capsid proteins
      provided the closest fit. Variations in the P6 position suggest that the HLA
      binding preference may vary by species, with Ross River virus, Chikungunya virus,
      and Mayaro virus peptides binding preferentially to DR4, and peptides from
      Sindbis/Ockelbo virus showing stronger affinity to DR1. The predicted HLA
      preference is supported by epidemiological studies of post-infection chronic
      arthralgia. Parallels between the cytokine profiles of RA and chronic alphavirus
      infection are discussed. 

PMID- 26476979
TI  - Risk factors for kidney injury during vancomycin and piperacillin/tazobactam
      administration, including increased odds of injury with combination therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs frequently in hospitalized patients
      and has been associated with the administration of certain medications. Concerns
      have been raised in recent reports that the antibiotic combination of vancomycin
      and piperacillin/tazobactam (combV/P) may be more associated with AKI than
      monotherapy with either drug. METHODS: To compare the incidence of and risk
      factors for AKI in patients receiving combV/P versus monotherapy with either
      drug, a retrospective study was conducted in non-critically ill inpatients at a
      large urban teaching hospital. AKI was defined as either: (1) Increase in serum
      creatinine >=0.5 mg/dl OR (2) >=1.5-fold creatinine increase from admission
      baseline. In addition to standard multivariable regression adjustment, propensity
      score weighting was used as a robust approach to reduce the effects of covariate
      confounding when estimating the adjusted odds of AKI. RESULTS: A total of 228
      patients were evaluated. The overall incidence of AKI was 11.8 % (27 of 228
      patients). AKI occurred in 4 of 101 patients in the vanc group (4.0 %), 4 of 26
      patients in the piptazo group (15.4 %), and 19 of 101 patients in the combV/P
      group (18.8 %). The univariable odds of AKI was significantly lower in the vanc
      group compared to both the combV/P group (OR 0.178, 95 % CI 0.058-0.544, p =
      0.003) and piptazo (OR 0.227, 95 % CI 0.053-0.978, p = 0.047) group. A
      multivariable model accounting for baseline characteristics again showed that
      vanc monotherapy was associated with lower odds of AKI than combV/P (OR 0.14, 95
      % CI 0.04-0.52, p = 0.004). Male sex was also associated with lower odds of AKI
      (OR 0.28, 95 % CI 0.10-0.79, p = 0.02) in the multivariable model. In the
      propensity score analysis using inverse probability of treatment weighting
      (IPTW), vanc monotherapy and male sex were again associated with lower odds of
      AKI (OR 0.17; 95 % CI 0.04-0.62, p = 0.008 and OR 0.28, 95 % CI 0.09-0.89, p =
      0.03, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study substantiates recent reports that
      combV/P may be more associated with AKI than vanc monotherapy in hospital
      inpatients. AKI also appears to be more likely in females during therapy with
      these antimicrobials. While severity of illness is difficult to account for,
      these findings are further justification for narrowing antibiotic coverage when
      possible after this combination has been initiated in hospitalized patients.

PMID- 26476980
TI  - A gloomy picture: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials reveals
      disappointing effectiveness of programs aiming at preventing child maltreatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Consistent findings about the effectiveness of parent programs to
      prevent or reduce child maltreatment are lacking. METHODS: In the present meta
      analysis we synthesized findings from 27 independent samples from randomized
      controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness of 20 different intervention
      programs aimed at (i) preventing the occurrence of child maltreatment in the
      general population or with at-risk but non-maltreating families, or (ii) reducing
      the incidence of child maltreatment in maltreating families. RESULTS: A
      significant combined effect on maltreatment (d = 0.13; N = 4883) disappeared
      after the trim-and-fill approach that takes into account publication bias against
      smaller studies without significant outcomes. However, moderator analyses showed
      that larger effect sizes were found for more recent studies, studies with smaller
      samples, programs that provide parent training instead of only support, programs
      that target maltreating instead of at-risk families, and programs with a moderate
      length (6-12 months) or a moderate number of sessions (16-30). CONCLUSIONS: More
      RCTs are needed to further unravel which factors are associated with program
      effectiveness. Because currently existing programs appeared to only reduce and
      not prevent child maltreatment, efforts in the field of preventive intervention
      should also focus on the development and testing of preventive programs for
      families at risk for child maltreatment.

PMID- 26476981
TI  - Renal failure induces atrial arrhythmogenesis from discrepant
      electrophysiological remodeling and calcium regulation in pulmonary veins,
      sinoatrial node, and atria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Renal failure (RF) increases the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF),
      but arrhythmogenic mechanism is unclear. The present study investigated the
      electrophysiological effects of RF on AF trigger (pulmonary veins, PVs) and
      substrate (atria) and evaluated potential underlying mechanisms. METHODS:
      Electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, and biochemical studies were conducted
      in rabbits with and without antibiotic-induced mild (creatinine=1.5-6.0 mg/dl)
      and advanced (creatinine>6.0 mg/dl) RF. Conventional microelectrode techniques,
      western blotting, and histological examinations were performed using the isolated
      rabbit PV, left atrium (LA), right atrium (RA) and sinoatrial node (SAN).
      RESULTS: Advanced RF rabbits (n=18) had a higher incidence (33.3% vs. 11.1% and
      0%, p<0.05) of atrial arrhythmia than mild RF (n=18) and control (n=18) rabbits.
      Advanced RF rabbits exhibited faster PV spontaneous activities, longer action
      potential duration (APD) in the LA, higher fibrosis in the LA, and slower SAN
      beating rates than control rabbits, but had a similar APD and fibrosis in the RA.
      Caffeine (1 mM) increased advanced RF PV arrhythmogenesis, which is blocked by
      flecainide (10 MUM), or KB-R7943 (10 MUM). Moreover, advanced RF rabbits had a
      higher expression of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, protein kinase A, phosphorylated
      ryanodine receptor (Serine 2808), and phosphorylated phospholamban (Serine 16) in
      PVs, and a higher expression of Cav 1.2 in the LA, and a lower expression of
      hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated potassium channel 4 in the
      SAN. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced RF increases atrial arrhythmia by modulating the
      distinctive electrophysiological characteristics of the PV, LA, and SAN.

PMID- 26476982
TI  - Takotsubo cardiomyopathy triggered by ischemic injury: When lateralmyocardial
      infarction precipitate apical ballooning syndrome.

PMID- 26476983
TI  - Arrhythmia ablation using the Amigo Robotic Remote Catheter System versus manual
      ablation: One year follow-up results.

PMID- 26476984
TI  - Focal form of left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy with congestive form
      of heart failure.

PMID- 26476985
TI  - The effect of transesophageal echocardiography on the incidence of
      thromboembolism after electrical cardioversion in atrial fibrillation: A
      multicenter analysis.

PMID- 26476986
TI  - Statin use and incident erectile dysfunction--A nationwide propensity-matched
      cohort study in Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Statins are commonly prescribed for cardiovascular diseases which
      have been reported to share many contributory underlying mechanisms with erectile
      dysfunction (ED). However, the correlation between statin use and incident ED is
      uncertain. METHODS: We conducted a population-based propensity-matched cohort
      study by identifying new statin users among male patients 40-79 years of age in
      the period 2000 to 2010. A statin nonuser control cohort matched for age,
      propensity score, and index year at a 3:1 ratio was selected for comparison.
      Cohorts were tracked for the occurrence of any type of incident ED according to
      the registry of ED diagnosis in the database. The association between statin use
      and the risk of ED was evaluated by Cox proportional hazard model and adjusted by
      age, PS, socioeconomic status, comorbidities, and medications. RESULTS: Compared
      with nonusers, statin users had a significantly lower risk of incident ED (HR,
      0.75; 95% CI, 0.63-0.90, p=0.002). Further analysis demonstrated that statin
      users in the group of middle-aged (40-49 years old) or high-potency statin
      treated (i.e., rosuvastatin, atorvastatin, and simvastatin) had lower HR for
      incident ED. Analysis in the patterns of cumulative statin exposure also showed
      that high-potency statins could decrease the HR for incident ED in dose- and
      duration-dependent manners. CONCLUSIONS: Statin use was associated with a reduced
      risk of incident ED in the middle-aged men in Taiwan. The potency and the
      cumulative exposure of statin utilized played critical roles.

PMID- 26476987
TI  - Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy may lead to permanent changes in left ventricular
      geometry: Potential implications in the setting of pre-existing myocardial
      disease?

PMID- 26476988
TI  - Incidence and distribution of thin-high signals detected by coronary optical
      coherence tomography in patients treated with paclitaxel-coated balloon
      angioplasty for in-stent restenosis.

PMID- 26476989
TI  - Experience from a randomized controlled trial with Impella 2.5 versus IABP in
      STEMI patients with cardiogenic pre-shock. Lessons learned from the IMPRESS in
      STEMI trial.

PMID- 26476990
TI  - Difficulty in closing eyelid after local upper dental infiltration anaesthesia
      with articaine: case report.

PMID- 26476991
TI  - Featherstone gag: WHO checklist is not enough.

PMID- 26477005
TI  - A method for quantitative analysis of clump thickness in cervical cytology
      slides.
AB  - Knowledge of the spatial distribution and thickness of cytology specimens is
      critical to the development of digital slide acquisition techniques that minimise
      both scan times and image file size. In this paper, we evaluate a novel method to
      achieve this goal utilising an exhaustive high-resolution scan, an over-complete
      wavelet transform across multi-focal planes and a clump segmentation of all
      cellular materials on the slide. The method is demonstrated with a quantitative
      analysis of ten normal, but difficult to scan Pap stained, Thin-prep, cervical
      cytology slides. We show that with this method the top and bottom of the specimen
      can be estimated to an accuracy of 1 MUm in 88% and 97% of the fields of view
      respectively. Overall, cellular material can be over 30 MUm thick and the
      distribution of cells is skewed towards the cover-slip (top of the slide).
      However, the median clump thickness is 10 MUm and only 31% of clumps contain more
      than three nuclei. Therefore, by finding a focal map of the specimen the number
      of 1 MUm spaced focal planes that are required to be scanned to acquire 95% of
      the in-focus material can be reduced from 25.4 to 21.4 on average. In addition,
      we show that by considering the thickness of the specimen, an improved focal map
      can be produced which further reduces the required number of 1 MUm spaced focal
      planes to 18.6. This has the potential to reduce scan times and raw image data by
      over 25%.

PMID- 26477006
TI  - Tuning the sphere-to-rod transition in the self-assembly of thermoresponsive
      polymer hybrids.
AB  - Nano-scale drug delivery systems have undergone extensive development, and
      control of size and structure is critical for regulation of their biological
      responses and therapeutic efficacy. Amphiphilic polymers that form self-assembled
      structures in aqueous media have been investigated and used for the diagnosis and
      therapy of various diseases, including cancer. Here, we report the design and
      fabrication of thermoresponsive polymeric micelles from alginate conjugated with
      poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm). Alginate-PNIPAAm hybrids formed self
      aggregated structures in response to temperature changes near body temperature. A
      structural transition from micellar spheres to rods of alginate-PNIPAAm hybrids
      was observed depending on the molecular weight of PNIPAAm and the polymer
      concentration. Additionally, hydrogels with nanofibrous structures were formed by
      simply increasing the polymer concentration. This approach to controlling the
      structure of polymer micelles from nanoparticles to fibrous hydrogels may be
      useful in applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26477007
TI  - Thymine-functionalized amphiphilic biodegradable copolymers for high-efficiency
      loading and controlled release of methotrexate.
AB  - In this study, a novel thymine-functionalized six-membered cyclic carbonate
      monomer (TAC) was synthesized by the Michael-addition reaction between thymine
      and acryloyl carbonate (AC). The corresponding functional amphiphilic block
      copolymer mPEG-b-PTAC was further successfully synthesized by ring-opening
      polymerization using immobilized porcine pancreas lipase (IPPL) as the catalyst
      and mPEG as the macroinitiator. Meanwhile, mPEG-b-P(TAC-co-DTC) and mPEG-b-PDTC
      were also synthesized by the same enzymatic methods for comparison on different
      TAC contents. The structures of monomer and copolymers were characterized by (1)H
      NMR, (13)C-NMR and FTIR. All the amphiphilic block copolymers could self-assemble
      to form nano-sized micelles in aqueous solution. Transmission electron microscopy
      (TEM) observation showed that the micelles dispersed in spherical shape with nano
      size before and after MTX loading. (1)H-NMR and FTIR results confirmed the
      successful formation of multiple hydrogen-bonding interactions between exposed
      thymine groups of hydrophobic PTAC segments and 2,6-diaminopyridine (DAP) groups
      of MTX molecules, which resulting in the higher drug loading capacity and the pH
      sensitive drug release behavior. MTT assays also indicated lower toxicity of
      copolymer but higher potent cytotoxic activity of MTX-loaded copolymer against
      HeLa cells. 

PMID- 26477008
TI  - Magneto-thermally responsive hydrogels for bladder cancer treatment: Therapeutic
      efficacy and in vivo biodistribution.
AB  - Bladder cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer in modern medicine which
      despite recent progress has remained incurable and challenging for researchers.
      There is unmet need to address this endemic as the number of patients are growing
      by about 10,000 every year world-wide. Here, we report a minimally invasive
      magnetic chemotherapy method to address this problem where polyethylene glycol
      (PEG) functionalized Fe3O4 magnetic nanostructures (MNS) are homogeneously
      embedded in thermally responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide, NIPAAm) hydrogels
      (HG). The system (HG-MNS) loaded with anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (DOX)
      incubated with cancer cell lines subjected to external radiofrequency (RF) field
      can remotely stimulate the release of drug smartly at the site. The in vitro
      efficacy investigated on bladder cancer (T-24) cell lines showed the potential of
      the system in dealing with the disease successfully. Further, the materials
      preferential accumulation via systemic delivery was studied using swiss mice
      model. Vital tissue organs like liver, lung and heart were analysed by magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI). A detail accounts of the materials optimization,
      cytotoxicity and anti-proliferation activity tests with apoptosis analysis by
      flow cytometry after RF exposure (250 kHz) to the cells and in vivo
      biodistribution data are discussed in the paper.

PMID- 26477009
TI  - Is identification of smoking, risky alcohol consumption and overweight and
      obesity by General Practitioners improving? A comparison over time.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Detection of lifestyle risk factors by GPs is the first step required
      for intervention. Despite significant investment in preventive health care in
      general practice, little is known about whether GP detection of lifestyle risk
      factors have improved over time. OBJECTIVES: To examine whether sensitivity and
      specificity of GP detection of smoking, risky alcohol consumption and overweight
      and obesity has increased in patients presenting to see their GP, by comparing
      results from four Australian studies conducted between 1982 and 2011. METHODS:
      Demographic characteristics of patient and GP samples and the prevalence,
      sensitivity and specificity of detection of each risk factor were extracted from
      published studies. Differences between GP and patient sample characteristics were
      examined. To identify trends over time in prevalence of risk factors, sensitivity
      and specificity of detection across studies and the Cochran-Armitage test for
      trend were calculated for each risk factor for the overall sample and by male and
      female subgroups. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant changes in the
      sensitivity of GP detection of smoking or overweight or obesity over time.
      Specificity of detection of smoking increased from 64.7% to 98% (P < 0.0001) and
      decreased for overweight or obesity from 92% to 89% (P = 0.01). There was a small
      decrease in the sensitivity of detection of alcohol consumption (P = 0.02) and an
      increase in specificity (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Despite significant investment
      to increase GP detection and intervention for lifestyle risk factors, accurate
      detection of smoking, risky alcohol consumption and overweight and obesity occurs
      for less than two-thirds of all patients.

PMID- 26477010
TI  - Overweight can be used as a tool to guide case-finding for cardiovascular risk
      assessment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In general practice, it is too time-consuming to invite all patients
      for cardiovascular risk assessment. OBJECTIVE: To examine how many patients with
      an indication for treatment with cardiovascular medication can be identified by
      ad hoc case-finding when all patients with overweight/obesity are invited for
      risk assessment. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of the baseline measurements
      of the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study, a population-based prospective
      cohort study in 6673 persons aged 45-65 years. We calculated the proportion of
      participants with a treatment indication using the risk prediction Systematic
      COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE-NL 2011), for lean, overweight and obese
      participants. Participants with a history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes
      mellitus or rheumatoid arthritis or using cardiovascular medication were not
      eligible for ad hoc case-finding because they were already identified as being at
      risk and/or had been treated. RESULTS: Of the study population, 30% had already
      been identified and/or treated with cardiovascular medication and were therefore
      not eligible for ad hoc case-finding. Of the eligible participants, 47% were
      lean, 41% overweight and 12% obese. Of the participants with overweight, 12% had
      a treatment indication and of the participants with obesity, 19% had a treatment
      indication. Of all participants with a treatment indication 24% were not yet
      treated. Of all participants with a new treatment indication, 70% had overweight
      or obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Of the participants with a treatment indication, 24%
      were not yet treated. Inviting patients with overweight/obesity for
      cardiovascular risk assessment may help to detect 70% of these residual patients
      with a treatment indication.

PMID- 26477011
TI  - Interferon-gamma promotes phagocytosis of Cryptococcus neoformans but not
      Cryptococcus gattii by murine macrophages.
AB  - Among invasive fungal infections, cryptococcosis caused by inhalation of
      Cryptococcus neoformans or Cryptococcus gattii is particularly dangerous because
      it can disseminate to the central nervous system and cause life-threatening
      meningitis or meningoencephalitis. Previous reports described significant
      differences in the histopathological features of C. neoformans and C. gattii
      infection, such as greater pathogen proliferation and a limited macrophage
      response in mouse lung infected by C. gattii. To elucidate the difference in
      pathogenicity of these two Cryptococcus species, we investigated the interaction
      of C. neoformans and C. gattii with murine macrophages, the first line of host
      defense, by confocal laser microscopy. Only thin-capsulated, and not thick
      capsulated C. neoformans and C. gattii were phagocytosed by macrophages.
      Preactivation with interferon-gamma increased the phagocytic rate of thin
      capsulated C. neoformans up to two-fold, but did not promote phagocytosis of thin
      capsulated C. gattii. Lipopolysaccharide preactivation or Aspergillus fumigatus
      conidia co-incubation had no effect on internalization of thin-capsulated C.
      neoformans or C. gattii by macrophages. Phagocytosis of live thin-capsulated C.
      neoformans, but not that of live thin-capsulated C. gattii, induced interleukin
      12 release from macrophages. However, phagocytosis of heat-killed or
      paraformaldehyde-fixed thin-capsulated C. neoformans did not increase IL-12
      release, showing that the internalization of live yeast is important for
      initiating the immune response during C. neoformans-macrophage interactions. Our
      data suggest that macrophage response to C. gattii is limited compared with that
      to C. neoformans and that these results may partially explain the limited immune
      response and the greater pathogenicity of C. gattii.

PMID- 26477012
TI  - Substance use in incarcerated male offenders: Predictive validity of a
      personality typology of substance misusers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Substance use and misuse is highly prevalent in offenders, and a
      significant proportion of convicted offenders continue to use controlled
      substances during incarceration. Few studies have focused on the identification
      of variables, especially personality characteristics, that may be predictive of
      institutional substance use. The purpose of this study is to assess the validity
      of the Substance Use Risk Profile (SURP) personality typology in a sample of male
      offenders and to determine whether it may have utility in identifying offenders
      at risk for substance use during incarceration. METHODS: A total of 118 offenders
      across all provincial and federal institutions in New Brunswick, Canada completed
      questionnaires assessing personality, mental health symptoms, substance use
      motives, and substance use. RESULTS: Latent class cluster analysis revealed the
      presence of three distinct clusters of offenders based on severity of substance
      use, personality, and mental health symptoms. Survival analysis indicated a
      significant effect of levels of sensation seeking, a trend of cluster membership,
      and anxiety sensitivity on days until first institutional substance use.
      CONCLUSION: High levels of sensation seeking and low anxiety sensitivity appear
      to indicate increased risk for substance misuse in this population.

PMID- 26477013
TI  - Trajectories of perceived discrimination from adolescence to emerging adulthood
      and substance use among Hispanic youth in Los Angeles.
AB  - Previous studies have documented associations between perceptions of
      racial/ethnic discrimination and adverse health outcomes among Hispanics and
      other minority groups. However, these studies have not examined change in
      perceived discrimination over the lifecourse and whether trajectories of
      perceived discrimination affect outcomes differently. This study of 2722 Hispanic
      students identified trajectories of perceived discrimination from 9th grade
      through emerging adulthood (approximately ages 14-23), and compared these
      trajectory groups on substance use outcomes. Four distinct trajectory groups were
      identified: (1) low and stable discrimination, (2) increasing discrimination, (3)
      initially high but decreasing discrimination, and (4) high and stable
      discrimination. Compared with the low and stable discrimination group, the groups
      that experienced higher levels of discrimination were at higher risk of
      cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, and hard drug use. Specifically, the group with
      increasing discrimination (group 2) had a higher risk of alcohol, marijuana, and
      hard drug use; the group with initially high but decreasing discrimination (group
      3) had a higher risk of cigarette smoking and alcohol use; and the group with
      high and stable discrimination (group 4) had a higher risk of alcohol, marijuana,
      and hard drug use. Results indicate that experiencing discrimination during
      adolescence, emerging adulthood, or both, regardless of whether the
      discrimination increases or decreases, could place Hispanic youth at risk for
      substance use. Health education programs are needed to help Hispanic youth learn
      effective skills to cope with discrimination without resorting to substance use. 

PMID- 26477014
TI  - I like people who drink like me: Perceived appeal as a function of drinking
      status.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Individuals rate opposite sex faces as more attractive after
      consuming or being primed with alcohol. However, other traits such as
      intelligence and likeability have not been examined and might vary as a function
      of information about one's drinking habits. We expected social drinkers to be
      rated more positively than heavy drinkers, abstainers, or recovering alcoholics.
      We further hypothesized that faces with similar drinking habits to participants
      would be rated as more appealing. METHODS: Five hundred ninety-four
      undergraduates viewed 25 opposite sex faces randomly paired with drinking
      information, and rated each face on perceived appeal. RESULTS: Hierarchical
      linear models revealed that social drinkers were rated as most appealing, as
      expected. Unexpectedly, recovering alcoholics were rated as the next most
      appealing, followed by abstainers, then heavy drinkers. The interaction between
      drinker type and participants' own drinking predicting ratings indicated that the
      heavier the participant drinks, the more favorably they rated heavy drinkers
      compared to other types of drinkers. Thus, as expected, ratings varied as a
      function of participants' own drinking; however, ratings did not vary as a
      function of participants' alcohol-related problems. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support
      hypotheses in that social drinkers were generally perceived as appealing compared
      to other drinker types, and ratings tended to be influenced by participants' own
      drinking. Individuals' prototypes and norms regarding drinking may influence how
      they perceive others when others' drinking habits are known. This might be
      especially important to consider with heavy drinkers who may seek out others who
      drink similarly, which could reinforce problematic drinking.

PMID- 26477015
TI  - Social deprivation and hospital admission rates, length of stay and readmissions
      in emergency medical admissions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients from deprived backgrounds have a higher in-patient mortality
      following an emergency medical admission. How deprivation relates to the
      admission or readmission incidence rates, episode length of stay (LOS) and
      ancillary resource utilization is less clear. METHODS: All emergency medical
      admissions (66,861 episodes in 36,214 patients) between 2002 and 2013,
      categorized by quintile of Irish National Deprivation Index were assessed against
      admission or readmission incidence rates (/1000 local population by electoral
      division), LOS and utilization of five ancillary services. Univariate and multi
      variable risk estimates (odds ratios (OR) or incidence rate ratios (IRR)) were
      calculated, using truncated Poisson regression. RESULTS: The deprivation index
      quintile was strongly correlated with the emergency medical admission rate with
      IRR (as compared with quintile 1) as follows: Q2 1.99 (95% CI: 1.96, 2.01), Q3
      3.45 (95% CI: 3.41, 3.49), Q4 3.27 (95% CI: 3.23, 3.31) and Q5 4.29 (95% CI:
      4.23, 4.35). LOS was not influenced by deprivation status; although increasing
      deprivation resulted in increased utilization of social services (OR 1.04: 95%
      CI: 1.03, 1.06), with a lower requirement for occupational therapy (OR 0.94: 95%
      CI: 0.93, 0.96) and speech/language services (OR 0.83: 95% CI: 0.80, 0.86). There
      was a rather decreased use of ancillary services with increasing deprivation;
      however, the readmission rate was strongly predicted by deprivation status.
      CONCLUSION: Deprivation status strongly influenced the admission and readmission
      rates for medical patients admitted as emergencies; however, ancillary resource
      utilization was not increased. Deprivation index will increase demand on hospital
      resources due to the aggregate effect on both admission and readmission incidence
      rates.

PMID- 26477016
TI  - Acute and chronic diseases as part of multimorbidity in acutely hospitalized
      older patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To describe the prevalence of multimorbidity and to study the
      association between acute and chronic diseases in acutely hospitalized older
      patients METHODS: Prospective cohort study conducted between 2006 and 2008 in
      three teaching hospitals in the Netherlands. 639 patients aged 65 years and
      older, hospitalized for >48 h were included. Two physicians scored diseases,
      using ICD-9 codes. Chronic multimorbidity was defined as the presence of >=2
      chronic diseases, and acute multimorbidity as >=1 acute diseases upon pre
      existent chronic diseases. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyse
      cluster associations between a chronic index disease and the concurrent chronic
      or acute disease, corrected for age and sex. RESULTS: The mean age of patients
      was 78 years, over 50% had ADL impairments. Prevalence of chronic multimorbidity
      was 69%, and acute multimorbidity was present in 88%. Hypertension (OR 1.16; 95%
      CI 1.08-1.24), diabetes (type I or type 2) (OR 1.12; 95% CI 1.04-1.21), heart
      failure (OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.14-1.38) and COPD (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.05-1.34) were
      associated with acute renal failure. Hypertension (OR 1.10; 95% CI 1.04-1.17) and
      atrial fibrillation (OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.08-1.27) were associated with an adverse
      drug event. Gastro-intestinal bleeding was clustered with atrial fibrillation (OR
      1.11; 95% CI 1.04-1.19) and gastric ulcer (OR 1.16; 95% CI 1.07-1.25).
      CONCLUSION: Both acute and chronic multimorbidity was frequently present in
      hospitalized older patients. We identified specific associations between acute
      and chronic diseases. There is a need for strategies addressing multimorbidity
      during the exacerbation of chronic diseases.

PMID- 26477017
TI  - Patient satisfaction with a hospital-based neuropsychology service.
AB  - Objective The aim of the present study was to develop and pilot a measure of
      patient satisfaction that encompasses themes, activities, settings and
      interactions specific to the neuropsychological assessment process. Methods A
      focus group of out-patients (n=15) was surveyed to identify the factors commonly
      associated with a satisfactory neuropsychological experience. Responses informed
      a purposely designed 14-item patient satisfaction scale (alpha=0.88) that was
      completed by 66 hospital out-patients with mild to moderate cognitive impairment.
      Results Satisfaction with the neuropsychological assessment process was generally
      reported, with the testing phase (85%) rated significantly more favourably than
      the pre-assessment (79%) and feedback (70%) phases. Commentaries provided by 32
      respondents identified interpersonal facilitators to a satisfactory
      neuropsychological assessment experience, but also dissatisfaction with physical
      aspects of the testing environment in addition to service availability.
      Conclusions The patient satisfaction scale can be used as a quality assurance
      tool to evaluate neuropsychological service delivery. Large-scale research is
      needed to confirm the scale's psychometric properties. Further research may also
      include a broader perspective on the consumers' experience of neuropsychological
      services.

PMID- 26477018
TI  - Caring for parents: a consequentialist approach.
AB  - In this paper, I explain the demands of filial obligations from act and rule
      consequentialism. More specifically, I defend a rule-consequentialist explanation
      of filial obligations, and identify a few factors in relation to the
      determination of filial demands; they include the costs of internalization of
      filial obligations, and the proportions of the young and the old generations in a
      population pyramid. I believe that in a society with an aging population, we may
      accept a strong view of filial obligation. Towards the end of the paper, I
      explain that rule-consequentialism is compatible with certain special views of
      filial obligations, such as the gratitude theory and the special goods theory;
      these theories represent ways in which adult children and their parents may
      obtain special goods from engaging in the relationship.

PMID- 26477019
TI  - A question of origin: dioxin-like PCBs and their relevance in stock management of
      European eels.
AB  - The stock of European Eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) has reached an all-time low in
      2011. Spawner quality of mature eels in terms of health status and fitness is
      considered one of the key elements for successful migration and reproduction.
      Dioxin-like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (dl-PCBs) are known persistent organic
      pollutants potentially affecting the reproductive capability and health status of
      eels throughout their entire lifetime. In this study, muscle tissue samples of
      192 European eels of all continental life stages from 6 different water bodies
      and 13 sampling sites were analyzed for contamination with lipophilic dl-PCBs to
      investigate the potential relevance of the respective habitat in light of eel
      stock management. Results of this study reveal habitat-dependent and life history
      stage-related accumulation of targeted PCBs. Sum concentrations of targeted PCBs
      differed significantly between life stages and inter-habitat variability in dl
      PCB levels and -profiles was observed. Among all investigated life stages,
      migrant silver eels were found to be the most suitable life history stage to
      represent their particular water system due to habitat dwell-time and their
      terminal contamination status. With reference to a possible negative impact of dl
      PCBs on health and the reproductive capability of eels, it was hypothesized that
      those growing up in less polluted habitats have a better chance to produce
      healthy offspring than those growing up in highly polluted habitats. We suggest
      that the contamination status of water systems is fundamental for the life cycle
      of eels and needs to be considered in stock management and restocking programs.

PMID- 26477020
TI  - Alemtuzumab use in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders:  a brief case series.
AB  - Alemtuzumab is an anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody recently licensed for use in
      relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Here, we report our experience of its use
      in neuromyelitis optica (NMO) spectrum disorders. A retrospective case review of
      patients treated with alemtuzumab in Cambridge, UK, was conducted to identify
      those who fulfil the criteria for NMO spectrum disorder. Three cases were
      identified. Case 1, 9-year-old female, presented with transverse myelitis and
      bilateral optic neuritis,with one lower medullary and several longitudinally
      extensive cord lesions. Despite immunosuppression including two courses of
      alemtuzumab, she continued to relapse, was wheelchair bound and registered blind
      by age 12, and died at age 18. Case 2, 41-year-old female, presented with
      bilateral optic neuritis and transverse myelitis with longitudinally extensive
      cervical cord lesions. Despite three courses of alemtuzumab, she had five
      relapses with visual impairment and new cord lesions. She later developed
      tumefactive white matter lesions and died aged 51.Case 3, 31-year-old female,
      presented with transverse myelitis with longitudinally extensive cervical cord
      lesions and positive aquaporin-4 antibody. After one course of alemtuzumab, she
      relapsed with 4 episodes of myelitis with new enhancing lesions and accumulating
      disability. She became relapse free after rituximab and mycophenolate mofetil.
      From this case series, we conclude that alemtuzumab failed to prevent disabling
      relapses and poor outcome in NMO. We hypothesise that rituximab is more
      effective, as in case 3, because it causes much more prolonged B lymphocyte
      depletion than alemtuzumab. We therefore caution against the use of alemtuzumab
      in NMO.

PMID- 26477021
TI  - "Orbiting around" the orbital myositis: clinical features, differential diagnosis
      and therapy.
AB  - Orbital myositis (OM) is a rare disease whose clinical heterogeneity and
      different treatment options represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. We
      aim to review the state of knowledge on OM, also describing a cohort of patients
      diagnosed in our centre, to highlight some remarkable clinical features. A
      literature review was conducted in PubMed and Medline databases. The herein
      described cohort is composed of seven OM patients, diagnosed according to
      clinical, laboratory and neuroradiological features, whose clinical data were
      retrospectively analysed. OM is a non-infectious, inflammatory process primarily
      involving extraocular eye-muscles. It typically presents as an acute to sub
      acute, painful ophthalmoplegia with signs of ocular inflammation, but atypical
      cases without pain or with a chronic progression have been described. The wide
      range of OM mimicking diseases make a prompt diagnosis challenging but orbit MRI
      provides valuable clues for differential diagnosis. Timely treatment is greatly
      important as OM promptly responds to steroids; nevertheless, partial recovery or
      relapses often occur. In refractory, recurrent or steroid-intolerant cases other
      therapeutic options (radiotherapy, immunosuppressants, immunoglobulins) can be
      adopted, but the most effective therapeutic management is yet to be established.
      In this review, we provide a detailed clinical description of OM, considering the
      main differential diagnoses and suggesting the most useful investigations. In
      light of the currently available data on therapy efficacy, we propose a
      therapeutic algorithm that may guide neurologists in OM patients' management. 

PMID- 26477022
TI  - Spectrum of cerebral spinal fluid findings in patients  with posterior reversible
      encephalopathy syndrome.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to characterize the spectrum of cerebrospinal fluid
      (CSF) findings in patients with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
      (PRES)and determine its associations with severity of edema. In this
      retrospective cross-sectional study electronic medical reports were screened for
      patients with PRES. Clinical and laboratory data closest to onset of clinical
      symptoms were collected. Neuroimaging reports from all patients were categorized
      according to the presence of vasogenic edema,cytotoxic edema and contrast
      enhancement. From Jan 1999to Feb 2015, 87 patients with PRES and CSF findings
      were included. Mean total protein levels were 793 +/- 929 mg/l. Median cell
      counts were 2/MUl (IQR 1-4). Eight patients had cell counts[6/MUl with a maximum
      of 41/MUl. In 31 patients with extended CSF analysis, mean CSF/serum
      albuminquotient (QAlb) was 10.1 (IQR 6-17.3). An elevated QAlb (age-adjusted) was
      found in 74 % of these 31 patients. PRES patients with severe edema had higher
      mean total protein levels in CSF (mean difference = 407 mg/l; 95 %CI 187-628).
      Significant correlations were found for edema severity with levels of CSF protein
      (r = 0.48, p<0.001) as well with QAlb (r = 0.44, p = 0.013). This study shows
      that total protein in CSF and QAlb are elevated and correlate with severity of
      edema in PRES patients, whereas pleocytosis was rare in our cohort. This supports
      the theory that PRES is caused by a dysfunctional blood brain barrier.

PMID- 26477023
TI  - A pilot study of cognitive behavioural therapy and relaxation for migraine
      headache: a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - Headache is being viewed more commonly in a biopsychosocial framework, which
      introduces the possible utilisation of psychological treatment options, such as
      cognitive behavioural therapy and relaxation. No such treatments have been
      trialled in the UK. We conducted a randomised controlled pilot trial, comparing a
      brief guided self-help CBT and relaxation treatment with standard medical care
      (SMC), in a UK NHS setting. Participants were recruited from specialist headache
      clinics across London. Participants were randomised to receive either treatment
      or standard medical care. Our objective was to provide design information
      necessary for a future definitive trial of the SHE treatment, including,
      recruitment/retention rates, acceptability of randomisation, treatment fidelity
      and estimations of mean and variances of outcome measures. From the initial 275
      patients identified, 73 were randomised. There was no difference in drop-out
      rates between SMC and treatment groups. Of the 36 participants randomised to
      receive treatment, 72% attended all sessions. Findings show that a future
      definitive trial of the SHE treatment is feasible, with small modifications of
      protocol, within a UK NHS context.

PMID- 26477025
TI  - Nerve ultrasound in the differentiation of multifocal motor  neuropathy (MMN) and
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis  with predominant lower motor neuron disease
      (ALS/LMND).
AB  - The objective of the study was to investigate nerve ultrasound (US) in comparison
      to nerve conduction studies (NCS) for differential diagnosis of amyotrophic
      lateral sclerosis with predominant lower motoneuron disease(ALS/LMND) and
      multifocal motor neuropathy(MMN). A single-center, prospective, examiner-blinded
      cross-sectional diagnostic study in two cohorts was carried out. Cohort I:
      convenience sample of subjects diagnosed with ALS/LMND or MMN (minimal diagnostic
      criteria:possible ALS (revised EL-Escorial criteria), possible MMN (European
      Federation of Neurosciences guidelines).Cohort II: consecutive subjects with
      suspected diagnosis of either ALS/LMND or MMN. Diagnostic US and NCS models were
      developed based on ROC analysis of 28 different US and 32 different NCS values
      measured in cohort I. Main outcome criterion was sensitivity/specificity of these
      models between ALS/LMND and MMN in cohort II.Cohort I consisted of 16 patients
      with ALS/LMND and 8 patients with MMN. For cohort II, 30 patients were recruited,
      8 with ALS/LMND, 5 with MMN, and 17 with other diseases. In cohort I, the three
      best US measures showed higher mean +/- SD areas under the curve than the
      respective NCS measures (0.99 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.79 +/- 0.03, p<0.001; two-sided t
      test). The US model with highest measurement efficacy (8 values) and diagnostic
      quality reached 100 % sensitivity and 92 % specificity for MMN in cohort II,
      while the respective NCS model (6 values, including presence of conduction
      blocks) reached 100 and 52 %. Nerve US is of high diagnostic accuracy for
      differential diagnosis of ALS/LMND and MMN. It might be superior to NCS in the
      diagnosis of MMN in hospital-admitted patients with this differential diagnosis.

PMID- 26477024
TI  - Strategies to target drugs to gliomas and CNS metastases of solid tumors.
AB  - The treatment for central nervous system metastases of solid tumors and gliomas
      is limited as the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is an obstacle to systemic therapy.
      Here, we review the physiochemical properties of the BBB and both current and new
      drug strategies to penetrate brain tumors. We focus on targeting receptor- or
      carrier-mediated transport mechanisms over the BBB used by drug conjugates,
      nanoparticles, polymer-based nanocarriers, siRNA, and antibodies. 

PMID- 26477026
TI  - Risk factors for the recurrence of post-semicircular canal benign  paroxysmal
      positional vertigo after canalith repositioning.
AB  - This retrospective study was conducted to determine the relationship between
      variable factors and the recurrence rate of post-semicircular canal benign
      paroxysmal positional vertigo (PSC-BPPV) after canalith repositioning procedure
      (CRP). Patients with PSC-BPPV were diagnosed by history and the presence of a
      positive Dix-Hallpike maneuver between 2008 and 2010. In total, 243 patients (47
      males and 196 females, average age = 57.5 -years) treated with Epley's maneuver
      or canalith repositioning procedure (CRP) were included in the study. The
      demographic factors studied were age, sex, sleep disorders, inner ear diseases,
      head trauma history, and cardiovascular diseases. Multivariate statistics using
      SPSS version 15, Pearson's Chi-squared test (chi2), Kaplan-Meier analysis, log
      rank test, and Cox proportional hazards regression model were used for the
      analysis. The success rate of vertigo control after the initial CRP was 83.1 %.
      Pearson's chi2 test results showed that females and participants with sleep
      disorders exhibited a significant difference in the recurrence of vertigo after
      the initial CRP. In addition, the Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test
      survival analysis revealed that the recurrence was associated with females and
      participants with sleep disorders and inner ear diseases.However, Cox
      proportional hazards regression showed no differences in recurrences associated
      with old age, sex, sleep disorders, inner ear diseases, head trauma, and
      cardiovascular diseases. Epley's maneuver or CRP is an effective, safe, and
      simple treatment for BPPV. Females and participants with sleep disorders and
      inner ear diseases are likely associated with the recurrence of BPPV after CRP.

PMID- 26477027
TI  - Strictly monitored exercise programs reduce motor deterioration in ALS:
      preliminary results of a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - The objective of our study was to perform a randomized controlled trial (RCT)
      aimed to evaluate the effects of three strictly monitored exercise programs(SMEP)
      compared to "usual care" (UCP) in a cohort of ALS patients. We included patients
      with definite and probable ALS and disease duration <=24 months. Patients were
      randomized to receive a SMEPs or a UCP. SMEPs included three subgroups of
      treatment: active exercises associated with cycloergometer activity (1A), only
      active (1B) and passive (1C) exercises, respectively. Moreover, SMEP patients and
      their caregivers were trained to a daily home-based passive exercise program. The
      UCP group was treated with passive and stretching exercises twice weekly. The
      treatment period for both groups was 6 months (T180), and patients were assessed
      by revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R), % Forced Vital Capacity (FVC
      %), and McGill Quality of Life (MGQoL) questionnaire. ALSFRS-R score was also
      evaluated at 6 months after the treatment period (T360). Sixty ALS patients were
      randomly assigned to one of two arms: SMEP Group included 30 patients, ten
      subjects for each subgroup (1A, 1B, and 1C); 30 patients were included in the UCP
      Group.At T180 and T360, SMEPs group had significantly higher ALSFRS-R score
      compared to the UCP group (32.8 +/- 6.5 vs 28.7 +/- 7.5, p = 0.0298; 27.5 +/- 7.6
      vs 23.3 +/- 7.6, p = 0.0338, respectively). No effects of SMEPs on survival,
      respiratory decline and MGQol were found. In conclusion, although no effect on
      survival was demonstrated,our data suggest that a strictly monitored exercise
      program may significantly reduce motor deterioration in ALS patients.

PMID- 26477028
TI  - Characteristic diffusion tensor tractography in multiple system  atrophy with
      predominant cerebellar ataxia and cortical  cerebellar atrophy.
AB  - The objective of this study is to determine whether diffusion tensor imaging
      (DTI) tractography analysis is a potential method for differentiating cerebellar
      ataxia patients with multiple system atrophy with predominant cerebellar ataxia
      (MSA-C) and cortical cerebellar atrophy (CCA). Forty-one MSA-C patients (62.7 +/-
      8.1 years old, mean +/- SD) and age- and gender-matched 15 CCA patients (63.0 +/-
      8.6 years old) were examined.Tractography was performed using the DTI track
      module provided in the MedINRIA version 1.9.4, and regions of interest were drawn
      manually to reconstruct an efferent fiber tract and two afferent fiber tracts via
      the cerebellum. Compared with CCA, MSA-C patients showed significant declines of
      fractional anisotropy (FA) values of afferent 1 and 2 (p<0.01, respectively) and
      a significant increase of the radial diffusivity (RD) value in afferent 1
      (p<0.05). Receiver-operator characteristic curve analysis showed 85.7 %
      sensitivity and 75.0 % specificity of FA values in afferent 1 (cutoff value
      0.476). Linear regressions showed strong correlations between FA value and
      disease duration in CCA patients (efferent 1, r = -0.466; afferent 2, r = -0.543;
      both p<0.05), and between the FA value and the ratio of the standardized scale
      for the assessment and rating of ataxia (SARA)/disease duration in MSA-C patients
      (afferent 1, r = -0.407; p<0.01). The present DTI tractography newly showed that
      the FA values of two afferent fiber tracts showed significant declines in MSA-C
      patients, and afferent 1 showed good diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. When
      combining the FA values of efferent 1 with disease duration, the present DTI
      tractography analysis could be useful for differentiating MSA-C and CCA patients.

PMID- 26477030
TI  - Reproductive seasonality in creole hair sheep in the tropic.
AB  - The objective of the present study was to evaluate the annual ovulatory activity
      of hair sheep at 15 degrees  N. Nineteen Creole ewes with body weight of 40.8 +/-
      0.3 kg were used. The ovulatory activity was monitored for a year by quantifying
      progesterone concentrations in blood samples obtained from all the ewes every 7
      days. The differences in monthly proportions of ewes with ovulatory activity were
      analyzed by the chi-square test. Ovulatory activity decreased from May to July
      and in September, and 42% of ewes ovulated year round. It is concluded that at 15
      degrees  N, a high proportion of ewes is capable of ovulating throughout the year
      in the tropical southeastern region of Mexico.

PMID- 26477029
TI  - Clinical utility of 18F-FDG-PET/MR for preoperative breast cancer staging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron
      emission tomography magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MR) for preoperative breast
      cancer staging. METHODS: Preoperative PET/MR exams of 58 consecutive women with
      breast cancer were retrospectively reviewed. Histology and mean follow-up of 26
      months served as gold standard. Four experienced readers evaluated primary
      lesions, lymph nodes and distant metastases with contrast-enhanced MRI,
      qualitative/quantitative PET, and combined PET/MR. ROC curves were calculated for
      all modalities and their combinations. RESULTS: The study included 101 breast
      lesions (83 malignant, 18 benign) and 198 lymph node groups, (34 malignant, 164
      benign). Two patients had distant metastases. Areas under the curve (AUC) for
      breast cancer were 0.9558, 0.8347 and 0.8855 with MRI, and with qualitative and
      quantitative PET/MR, respectively (p = 0.066). Sensitivity for primary cancers
      with MRI and quantitative PET/MR was 100 % and 77 % (p = 0.004), and for lymph
      nodes 88 % and 79 % (p = 0.25), respectively. Specificity for MRI and PET/MR for
      primary cancers was 67 % and 100 % (p = 0.03) and for lymph nodes 98 % and 100 %
      (p = 0.25). CONCLUSIONS: In breast cancer patients, MRI alone has the highest
      sensitivity for primary tumours. For nodal metastases, both MRI and PET/MR are
      highly specific. KEY POINTS: * MRI alone and PET/MR have a similar overall
      diagnostic performance. * MRI alone has a higher sensitivity than PET/MR for
      local tumour assessment. * Both MRI and PET/MR have a limited sensitivity for
      nodal metastases. * Positive lymph nodes on MRI or PET/MR do not require
      presurgical biopsy.

PMID- 26477031
TI  - Body weight and reproductive parameters in fast and weak  growing Awassi ram
      lambs during different age stages.
AB  - This study was carried out on 30 Syrian Awassi ram lambs around 3 months of age.
      Lambs were divided equally in 2 groups as fast growing (FG) and weak growing (WG)
      lambs to identify body weight and reproductive parameters in each group during
      different age stages. Blood samples were collected to determine testosterone and
      leptin concentrations using radioimmunoassay. At puberty, average body weight and
      age of FG and WG lambs was 52.4 and 43.1 kg, and 225.9 and 248.0 days,
      respectively, with a significant (P < 0.05) difference between them in both
      parameters. Testosterone concentration was very low at 3 months of age (below 1.0
      nmol L(-1)) and increased with advancing age with a sharp increase occurring at 7
      months of age and at puberty, averages were 12.58 and 11.86 nmol L(-1) for FG and
      WG groups, respectively, with no significant (P > 0.05) differences. At puberty,
      average leptin concentration was 3.16 and 2.98 ng mL(-1) for FG and WG groups,
      respectively, with no significant (P > 0.05) difference.

PMID- 26477032
TI  - Investigation of major cattle production constraints in Kembata  Tambaro zone of
      Southern Ethiopia using participatory  epidemiology methods.
AB  - Ethiopia has enormous livestock resources from which rural households derive
      their livelihoods. A cross-sectional study based on participatory appraisal
      methods was conducted in Kembata Tambaro zone to assess major constraints to
      livestock production and major diseases of cattle and their treatment options.
      Four districts were selected purposively for this study, and 18 peasant
      associations were randomly sampled from the selected districts. Focus group
      discussion, semistructured interviews, simple ranking and scoring, proportional
      piling, pairwise ranking, and matrix scoring were the participatory
      epidemiological tools used in the study. Feed and free grazing land shortages and
      diseases were found to be the major constraints to cattle production in the area.
      Mastitis was ranked as the most serious disease of cattle. Modern veterinary
      treatments are used alongside traditional herbal remedies. Matrix scoring showed
      strong agreement between focus groups in identifying the major diseases using
      their indicators (clinical signs). Hence, it was concluded that indigenous
      knowledge complemented with participatory methods and approaches allow community
      and field researchers to jointly study specific livestock problems and help
      identify appropriate solutions.

PMID- 26477033
TI  - 2014 Conway review lecture, Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland: "S6, drugs and
      RCK and Bowl".
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Conway Review Lecture is held annually by the Royal Academy of
      Medicine in Ireland Biomedical Sciences Section, to remember the life and
      scientific work of a world class Irish scientist, Professor Edward J Conway.
      AIMS: This years lecture will focus on large conductance Ca2+ activated K+ (BK)
      channels and aims to describe how a combination of techniques can be used to
      unravel drug effects on ion channels at a molecular level. METHODS: Experiments
      were performed using a range of techniques including patch clamp
      electrophysiology, mutagenesis, structural biology and mathematical modeling.
      RESULTS: Our data suggest that the novel BK channel opener GoSlo-SR-5-6 mediates
      its effects via an interaction with 2 residues on S6 (S317 and I326) and a
      residue on the S4/S5 linker (L227). CONCLUSIONS: We hypothesize that this novel
      opener activates BK channels by altering an interaction between the S4/S5 linker
      and the pore-forming S6 transmembrane helix.

PMID- 26477034
TI  - Hybrid Intercalated Duct Lesion of the Parotid: Diagnostic Challenges of a
      Recently Described Entity with Fine Needle Aspiration Findings.
AB  - Intercalated duct lesions (IDL) of the salivary glands are recently described,
      and encompass both hyperplasia and benign neoplasms that remain incompletely
      understood. IDLs have been linked to various benign and low-grade malignant
      salivary gland neoplasms. We herein present a case of a 77 year old woman with an
      IDL of the parotid composed of both a hyperplastic and an adenomatous component
      and report, for the first time, the fine needle aspiration findings of such a
      lesion. This case illustrates the morphologic spectrum of an IDL, as well as
      challenges in rendering an accurate cytological and histologic diagnosis. The
      potential diagnostic pitfalls presented by the hybrid pattern of this lesion are
      also discussed.

PMID- 26477035
TI  - Simultaneous Triple Primary Head and Neck Malignancies: A Rare Case Report.
AB  - The occurrences of multiple primary malignant tumours in the head and neck region
      are reported as simultaneous, synchronous, or metachronous based on their
      chronology of presentation. Lymphoid malignancies presenting in association with
      squamous cell carcinoma in the head and neck region are extremely rare. We report
      a case of a 71 year old male patient with simultaneous triple primary
      malignancies of different histologic origin, involving larynx (squamous cell
      carcinoma), thyroid (papillary thyroid carcinoma) and lymph nodes (non-Hodgkin's
      lymphoma).

PMID- 26477036
TI  - Low intraoperative heart rate volatility is associated with early postoperative
      mortality in general surgical patients: a retrospective case-control study.
AB  - Heart rate volatility (HRVO) is hypothesized to be a physiological measure of
      sympathetic activity and is defined by the standard deviation (SD) of the heart
      rate (HR) in beats per minutes (BPM) over fixed time intervals. To investigate
      the relationship between low HRVO (SD < 0.5 BPM) during surgical procedures and
      mortality within 48 h post-procedure. We retrospectively reviewed all adult
      general surgical procedures performed at our center from January 1, 2003 through
      July 1, 2013 to identify patients who died within 48 h post-procedure.
      Demographic, heart rate, and mortality data were extracted from the electronic
      anesthesia record. Propensity score analysis was used to find matching controls
      based on age, gender, ASA score, anesthesia type, Charlson index, procedure type,
      emergency status, year, use of preoperative beta blocker, hypertension, diabetes,
      atrial fibrillation and heart failure. HRVO was calculated for each 5 min
      interval as the SD of all HR's within that interval. Negative binomial regression
      was then used to model the count of intervals with HRVO < 0.5 BPM for the
      duration of the surgery. During the 10 year study period, 283 patients died
      within 48 h of procedure finish. These patients were matched to 566 patients who
      did not die within 48 h after procedure. Patients who died had a 39 % increase in
      frequency of low HRVO episodes compared to patients who survived (RR 1.39, 95 %
      CI 1.13-1.72; p = 0.003). Low HRVO during surgical procedure is associated with
      increased mortality risk within 48 h after procedure. Strategies to identify HRVO
      early and modify it may lead to improvement in outcomes.

PMID- 26477037
TI  - Phenology and structure of a phytoseiid community  in an insecticide-free apple
      orchard.
AB  - Commercial orchards have acarine communities that are reduced in biological
      diversity compared to their undisturbed counterparts. Examining the phenology of
      an unsprayed orchard allows for the examination of non-pesticide factors that
      drive changes in populations. This study examined the mite community in a largely
      unsprayed research orchard in 2013-2014. The phytoseiids Galendromus flumenis
      (Chant), Amblydromella caudiglans (Schuster), Kampimodromus corylosus Kolodochka,
      and Galendromus occidentalis (Nesbitt) were found, in addition to Zetzellia mali
      (Ewing) and Aculus schlechtendali (Nalepa). Although G. occidentalis is typically
      the dominant phytoseiid in commercial orchards, G. flumenis was much more
      abundant in this unsprayed block. Aculus schlechtendali appeared to be the main
      source of prey for all predator species. The availability of this prey item and
      the lack of pesticides are likely the factors that allowed for G. flumenis to
      reach high abundances. Tetranychids were scarce, emphasizing the role of these
      mites as induced pests; without the application of disruptive sprays, the
      predatory mite community was able to maintain biological control. This study
      demonstrates that the species complex of generalist phytoseiids that is present
      in orchard systems undisturbed by pesticides is sufficient to maintain spider
      mite populations below damaging levels throughout the season.

PMID- 26477038
TI  - The natural infection of birds and ticks feeding on birds  with Rickettsia spp.
      and Coxiella burnetii in Slovakia.
AB  - Ixodid ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are known as primary vectors of many pathogens
      causing diseases in humans and animals. Ixodes ricinus is a common ectoparasite
      in Europe and birds are often hosts of subadult stages of the tick. From 2012 to
      2013, 347 birds belonging to 43 species were caught and examined for ticks in
      three sites of Slovakia. Ticks and blood samples from birds were analysed
      individually for the presence of Rickettsia spp. and Coxiella burnetii by PCR
      based methods. Only I. ricinus was found to infest birds. In total 594 specimens
      of bird-attached ticks were collected (451 larvae, 142 nymphs, 1 female).
      Altogether 37.2% (16/43) of bird species were infested by ticks and some birds
      carried more than one tick. The great tit, Parus major (83.8%, 31/37) was the
      most infested species. In total, 6.6 and 2.7% of bird-attached ticks were
      infected with Rickettsia spp. and C. burnetii, respectively. Rickettsia helvetica
      predominated (5.9%), whereas R. monacensis (0.5%) was only sporadically detected.
      Coxiella burnetii was detected in 0.9%, Rickettsia spp. in 8.9% and R. helvetica
      in 4.2% of bird blood samples. The great tit was the bird species most infested
      with I. ricinus, carried R. helvetica and C. burnetti positive tick larvae and
      nymphs and was found to be rickettsaemic in its blood. Further studies are
      necessary to define the role of birds in the circulation of rickettsiae and C.
      burnetii in natural foci.

PMID- 26477040
TI  - Vedolizumab for the Treatment of Adults with Moderate-to-Severe Active Ulcerative
      Colitis: An Evidence Review Group Perspective of a NICE Single Technology
      Appraisal.
AB  - As part of its single technology appraisal (STA) process, the National Institute
      for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) invited the manufacturer of vedolizumab
      (Takeda UK) to submit evidence of the clinical effectiveness and cost
      effectiveness of vedolizumab for the treatment of patients with moderate-to
      severe active ulcerative colitis (UC). The Evidence Review Group (ERG) produced a
      critical review of the evidence for the clinical effectiveness and cost
      effectiveness of the technology, based upon the company's submission to NICE. The
      evidence was derived mainly from GEMINI 1, a Phase 3, multicentre, randomised,
      double-blinded, placebo-controlled study of the induction and maintenance of
      clinical response and remission by vedolizumab (MLN0002) in patients with
      moderate-to-severe active UC with an inadequate response to, loss of response to
      or intolerance of conventional therapy or anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF)
      alpha. The clinical evidence showed that vedolizumab performed significantly
      better than placebo in both the induction and maintenance phases. In the post hoc
      subgroup analyses in patients with or without prior anti-TNF-alpha therapy,
      vedolizumab performed better then placebo (p value not reported). In addition, a
      greater improvement in health-related quality of life was observed in patients
      treated with vedolizumab, and the frequency and types of adverse events were
      similar in the vedolizumab and placebo groups, but the evidence was limited to
      short-term follow-up. There were a number of limitations and uncertainties in the
      clinical evidence base, which warrants caution in its interpretation--in
      particular, the post hoc subgroup analyses and high dropout rates in the
      maintenance phase of GEMINI 1. The company also presented a network meta-analysis
      of vedolizumab versus other biologic therapies indicated for moderate-to-severe
      UC. However, the ERG considered that the results presented may have
      underestimated the uncertainty in treatment effects, since fixed-effects models
      were used, despite clear evidence of heterogeneity among the trials included in
      the network. Results from the company's economic evaluation (which included price
      reductions to reflect the proposed patient access scheme for vedolizumab)
      suggested that vedolizumab is the most effective option compared with surgery and
      conventional therapy in the following three populations: (1) a mixed intention-to
      treat population, including patients who have previously received anti-TNF-alpha
      therapy and those who are anti-TNF-alpha naive; (2) patients who are anti-TNF
      alpha naive only; and (3) patients who have previously failed anti-TNF-alpha
      therapy only. The ERG concluded that the results of the company's economic
      evaluation could not be considered robust, because of errors in model
      implementation, omission of relevant comparators, deviations from the NICE
      reference case and questionable model assumptions. The ERG amended the company's
      model and demonstrated that vedolizumab is expected to be dominated by surgery in
      all three populations.

PMID- 26477039
TI  - Methods for Health Economic Evaluation of Vaccines and Immunization Decision
      Frameworks: A Consensus Framework from a European Vaccine Economics Community.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Incremental cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses [health
      economic evaluations (HEEs)] of vaccines are routinely considered in decision
      making on immunization in various industrialized countries. While guidelines
      advocating more standardization of such HEEs (mainly for curative drugs) exist,
      several immunization-specific aspects (e.g. indirect effects or discounting
      approach) are still a subject of debate within the scientific community.
      OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to develop a consensus framework for
      HEEs of vaccines to support the development of national guidelines in Europe.
      METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify prevailing
      issues related to HEEs of vaccines. Furthermore, European experts in the field of
      health economics and immunization decision making were nominated and asked to
      select relevant aspects for discussion. Based on this, a workshop was held with
      these experts. Aspects on 'mathematical modelling', 'health economics' and
      'decision making' were debated in group-work sessions (GWS) to formulate
      recommendations and/or--if applicable--to state 'pros' and 'contras'. RESULTS: A
      total of 13 different aspects were identified for modelling and HEE: model
      selection, time horizon of models, natural disease history, measures of vaccine
      induced protection, duration of vaccine-induced protection, indirect effects
      apart from herd protection, target population, model calibration and validation,
      handling uncertainty, discounting, health-related quality of life, cost
      components, and perspectives. For decision making, there were four aspects
      regarding the purpose and the integration of HEEs of vaccines in decision making
      as well as the variation of parameters within uncertainty analyses and the
      reporting of results from HEEs. For each aspect, background information and an
      expert consensus were formulated. CONCLUSIONS: There was consensus that when HEEs
      are used to prioritize healthcare funding, this should be done in a consistent
      way across all interventions, including vaccines. However, proper evaluation of
      vaccines implies using tools that are not commonly used for therapeutic drugs.
      Due to the complexity of and uncertainties around vaccination, transparency in
      the documentation of HEEs and during subsequent decision making is essential.

PMID- 26477041
TI  - Occupational sunscreen use among US Hispanic outdoor workers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Occupational ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure is a risk factor
      for skin cancer, and Hispanic individuals are over-represented in a number of
      outdoor occupations (e.g., farming, landscaping). This study examined predictors
      of occupational sunscreen use in a group of US Hispanic adults who work outdoors.
      RESULTS: A population-based sample of outdoor workers (n = 149, 85 % male)
      completed survey measures regarding their demographics, melanoma risk, perceived
      skin cancer risk, skin cancer knowledge, and their occupational sunscreen use.
      Sixty-nine percent of the sample reported never or rarely wearing sunscreen while
      working outdoors. Being female (p = .02), having a higher level of education (p =
      .03), and residing at a higher latitude (p = .04) were associated with more
      frequent sunscreen use. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the importance of
      interventions to promote sun protection behaviors among US Hispanic outdoor
      workers, and identifies potential intervention targets.

PMID- 26477042
TI  - Iodine Nutritional Status among Adolescent Girls in Uttarakhand, India.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Uttarakhand (UK) state is a known endemic region for Iodine
      deficiency. OBJECTIVE: To assess iodine nutritional status among adolescent girls
      in districts: Udham Singh Nagar (USN), Nainital (N) and Pauri (P) of UK state.
      METHODS: In each district, 30 clusters (schools) were identified by using
      population proportionate to size cluster sampling. In each school, 60 girls (12
      18 years) attending the schools were included. Total of 5430 girls from USN
      (1823), N (1811) and P (1796) were studied. Clinical examination of thyroid of
      each girl was conducted. From each cluster, spot urine and salt samples were
      collected. RESULTS: Total goiter rate was found to be 6.8% (USN), 8.2% (N) and
      5.6% (P). Median urinary iodine concentration levels were 250 MUg/l (USN), 200
      MUg/l (N) and 183 MUg/l (P). CONCLUSION: Findings of the study documented that
      adolescent girls had adequate iodine nutritional status in the three districts of
      UK.

PMID- 26477043
TI  - Angina Severity, Depression, and Response to Percutaneous Revascularization in
      Patients With Chronic Total Occlusion of Coronary Arteries.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to quantify depression rates in patients referred
      for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO),
      assess its relationship to baseline angina symptoms, and compare angina
      improvement after CTO-PCI between depressed and non-depressed patients.
      BACKGROUND: Depression is common among patients with chronic angina, and portends
      poor prognosis. CTOs are a common cause of angina. The relationships between
      angina, depression, and CTO intervention are unknown. METHODS: We collected
      baseline and 30-day post-PCI data on angina (Seattle Angina Questionnaire
      [SAQ7]), dyspnea (Rose Dyspnea Scale [RDS]), and depression status (Patient
      Health Questionnaire [PHQ-2]) on 45 consecutive patients referred for CTO-PCI
      between October 2013 and October 2014. RESULTS: Depression (PHQ-2 score >=3) was
      present in 18/45 patients (40%) at baseline. Baseline SAQ7 Summary and SAQ7
      Angina Frequency scores for depressed patients were 35.4 (range, 28.4-42.4) and
      54.4 (range, 43.0-65.8), compared with 67.3 (range, 57.5-77.1) and 77.8 (range,
      68.5-87.1) for non-depressed patients (P<.001 and P=.01, respectively). Following
      CTO-PCI, the mean improvement in SAQ7 Summary and SAQ7 Angina Frequency scores
      was 48.5 (range, 35.4-61.5) and 32.8 (range, 21.0-44.5) for patients with
      depression, compared with 16.5 (range, 5.87-27.2) and 12.6 (range, 3.0-22.2) for
      patients without depression (P<.001 and P=.01, respectively). Following PCI, the
      presence of depression was reduced (72% relative reduction vs. baseline; P=.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Depression identifies patients more limited by angina and more
      likely to respond to CTO-PCI compared with non-depressed patients. Depression
      screening may be indicated for patients with CTO, as 67% of CTO patients were not
      receiving treatment for depression.

PMID- 26477044
TI  - Feasibility of Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Without Preprocedural
      Transesophageal Echocardiography or CT Scanning.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the success rate and safety outcomes of left atrial
      appendage occlusion (LAAO) procedures in a cohort of patients who had not
      undergone preprocedural imaging. BACKGROUND: LAAO patients usually undergo
      imaging with either transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) or computed tomography
      (CT) prior to the procedure itself. This preprocedural imaging may not be
      necessary. METHODS: The procedural success and major complication rates were
      assessed in a cohort of 52 patients who underwent LAAO without preprocedural
      imaging. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 75 +/- 8 years. Median CHA2DS2-VASc score
      was 4 and median HASBLED score was 3. The LAAO procedure was successful in 51/52
      cases (98.1%). In 1 case, the LAAO procedure did not proceed because the LAA was
      too large for the available occlusion devices. No patient had left atrial
      appendage thrombus, despite the fact that only 4 patients were taking oral
      anticoagulation therapy at the time. Major complications occurred in 2/52 cases
      (3.8%), both due to vascular injuries causing pseudoaneurysm formation.
      CONCLUSION: LAAO in this series was not adversely affected by lack of
      preprocedural imaging. Omitting preprocedural imaging reduces risk attributable
      to the modality, reduces patient inconvenience and discomfort, reduces cost, and
      does not appear to significantly reduce the proportion of patients who can
      undergo a successful procedure. Further larger studies are warranted.

PMID- 26477045
TI  - Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Closure: How Easy Can it Get?

PMID- 26477046
TI  - The Long (and Sometimes Endless) Road to Murine Lupus Genes.

PMID- 26477047
TI  - Pillars Article: Polygenic Control of Susceptibility to Murine Systemic Lupus
      Erythematosus. Immunity. 1994. 1: 219-229.

PMID- 26477050
TI  - The Influence of Ambient Temperature on the Susceptibility of Aedes aegypti
      (Diptera: Culicidae) to the Pyrethroid Insecticide Permethrin.
AB  - Insecticides are the most common strategy used for the management of mosquitoes.
      Changes in ambient temperature can alter the toxicity of insecticides to
      ectothermic organisms. Studies show organophosphate insecticides exhibit a
      positive correlation between ambient temperature and mortality for many insect
      species, and carbamate insecticides exhibit a slightly negative correlation
      between ambient temperature and mortality. Pyrethroid insecticides exhibit a
      distinctly negative correlation between increasing ambient temperature and
      mortality for insects. However, this relationship has not been systematically
      studied for adult mosquitoes. Therefore, we examined the influence of temperature
      on the susceptibility of adult Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae) when exposed
      to permethrin. The median lethal concentration, LC50, was estimated for adult Ae.
      aegypti when exposed to eight concentrations of permethrin (ranging from 0.06
      0.58 ng/cm2) at each of the following temperatures-16, 23, 26, 30, 32, and 34C
      for 24 h in bottle assays. The estimated LC50 for each temperature was 0.26,
      0.36, 0.36, 0.45, 0.27, and 0.31 ng/cm2, respectively. Results indicated a
      negative correlation between temperature and mortality from 16 to 30C, a positive
      correlation between temperature and mortality from 30 to 32C, and a negative
      correlation between temperature and mortality from 32 to 34C. If mosquito
      populations are expanding in space and time because of increased ambient
      temperatures and cannot be managed as effectively with pyrethroids, the spread of
      mosquito-borne diseases may pose considerable additional risk to public health.

PMID- 26477048
TI  - Cohabitation in the Intestine: Interactions among Helminth Parasites, Bacterial
      Microbiota, and Host Immunity.
AB  - Both intestinal helminth parasites and certain bacterial microbiota species have
      been credited with strong immunomodulatory effects. Recent studies reported that
      the presence of helminth infection alters the composition of the bacterial
      intestinal microbiota and, conversely, that the presence and composition of the
      bacterial microbiota affect helminth colonization and persistence within
      mammalian hosts. This article reviews recent findings on these reciprocal
      relationships, in both human populations and mouse models, at the level of
      potential mechanistic pathways and the implications these bear for
      immunomodulatory effects on allergic and autoimmune disorders. Understanding the
      multidirectional complex interactions among intestinal microbes, helminth
      parasites, and the host immune system allows for a more holistic approach when
      using probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, antibiotics, and anthelmintics, as well
      as when designing treatments for autoimmune and allergic conditions. 

PMID- 26477049
TI  - How do Nutritional Stress and La Crosse Virus Infection Interact? Tests for
      Effects on Willingness to Blood Feed and Fecundity in Aedes albopictus (Diptera:
      Culicidae).
AB  - Evolutionary theory predicts that vector-borne pathogens should have low
      virulence for their vector because of selection against pathogens that harm the
      vector sufficiently to reduce transmission. Environmental factors such as
      nutritional stress can alter vector-pathogen associations by making the vectors
      more susceptible to pathogens (condition-dependent competence) and vulnerable to
      the harm caused by pathogen replication (condition-dependent virulence). We
      tested the hypotheses of condition-dependent competence and condition-dependent
      virulence by examining the interactive effects of short-term sugar deprivation
      and exposure to La Crosse virus (LACV) in female Aedes albopictus (Skuse). We
      predicted that infection status interacts with sugar deprivation to alter
      willingness to blood feed and fecundity in the second gonotrophic cycle
      (condition-dependent virulence). Sugar deprivation had no effect on body
      infection or disseminated infection rates. Infection status, sugar treatment, and
      their interaction had no effect on fecundity. Mosquitoes that had intermittent
      access to sugar were significantly more willing to take a second bloodmeal
      compared with those that had continuous access to sugar. Infection status and the
      interaction with sugar treatment had no effect on blood-feeding behavior. Thus,
      we found no evidence of short-term sugar deprivation leading to condition
      dependent competence for, or condition-dependent virulence of, LACV in Ae.
      albopictus. 

PMID- 26477052
TI  - ERRATA.

PMID- 26477051
TI  - Long-Term Ecological Study of Host-Seeking Adults of Hyalomma lusitanicum (Acari:
      Ixodidae) in a Meso-Mediterranean Climate.
AB  - From January 2007 to December 2014, three representative meso-Mediterranean
      bioclimatic environment types were sampled monthly using blanket-dragging
      techniques to determine the tick abundance rate. Hyalomma lusitanicum Koch, 1844
      was the most prevalent species (96.58%) followed by Dermacentor marginatus
      Sulzer, 1776; Rhipicephalus pusillus Gil Collado, 1936; and Rhipicephalus bursa
      Canestrini and Fanzago, 1878. H. lusitanicum adults begin questing activity
      around March, numbers rising quickly reaching their peak in May-June and then
      diminishing until the end of the year, with a small increase in September
      October. This pattern was clear and constant throughout the years, irrespective
      of the microclimate or biotope tested.

PMID- 26477055
TI  - Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Practice in Complementary and Alternative
      Medicine in Saudi Arabia.

PMID- 26477057
TI  - Oral Cancer: You Be the Judge.

PMID- 26477056
TI  - GRS Nubes Supra Lunam, a New Lunula Shape.

PMID- 26477058
TI  - Narrow-Diameter Overdenture Implants: A Sensible Option for Growing a Practice.

PMID- 26477060
TI  - Chikungunya disease: gaps and opportunities in public health and research in the
      Americas.

PMID- 26477059
TI  - Antigenic and genetic characteristics of zoonotic influenza viruses and
      development of candidate vaccine viruses for pandemic preparedness.

PMID- 26477061
TI  - More Than Just Bond Strength: Clinical Success Is a Multifaceted Endeavor.

PMID- 26477062
TI  - The (Technical) Revolution Is On.

PMID- 26477063
TI  - 2015 Edition Health Information Technology (Health IT)   Certification Criteria,
      2015 Edition Base Electronic Health Record   (EHR) Definition, and ONC Health IT
      Certification Program Modifications. Final rule.
AB  - This final rule finalizes a new edition of certification criteria (the 2015
      Edition health IT certification criteria or "2015 Edition'') and a new 2015
      Edition Base Electronic Health Record (EHR) definition, while also modifying the
      ONC Health IT Certification Program to make it open and accessible to more types
      of health IT and health IT that supports various care and practice settings. The
      2015 Edition establishes the capabilities and specifies the related standards and
      implementation specifications that Certified Electronic Health Record Technology
      (CEHRT) would need to include to, at a minimum, support the achievement of
      meaningful use by eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical
      access hospitals (CAHs) under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs
      (EHR Incentive Programs) when such edition is required for use under these
      programs.

PMID- 26476565
TI  - Asymmetric somatic hybridization induces point mutations and indels in wheat.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Allopolyploid genome needs wide structural variation to deal with
      genomic shock. The introgression line, generated via asymmetric somatic
      hybridization, is introgressed with a minimum of exogenous chromatin, which also
      leads to genomic shock to induce genetic variation. However, the extent of its
      genomic variation and its difference from allopolyploidies remains unknown.
      METHODS: Here, we explored this issue using the bread wheat cultivar SR3, a
      derivative of an asymmetric somatic hybrid between the cultivar JN177 and an
      accession of tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum elongatum). The ESTs (expressed sequence
      taqs) were large-scale sequenced using the cDNA library constructed in each of
      SR3 and JN177. Point mutations and indels (insertions and deletions) of SR3 were
      calculated, and their difference from the genetic variation of bread wheat and
      its ancestors were compared, with aim to analyze the extent and pattern of
      sequence variation induced by somatic hybridization. RESULTS: Both point
      mutations and indels (insertions and deletions) were frequently induced by
      somatic hybridization in the coding sequences. While the genomic shock caused by
      allopolyploidization tends to favor deletion over insertion, there was no
      evidence for such a preference following asymmetric somatic hybridization. The GC
      content of sequence adjacent to indel sites was also distinct from what has been
      observed in allopolyploids. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that asymmetric
      somatic hybridization induces high frequency of genetic variation in a manner
      partially different from allopolipoidization. Asymmetric somatic hybridization
      provides appropriate material to comprehensively explore the nature of the
      genetic variation induced by genomic shock.

PMID- 26477064
TI  - Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record   Incentive Program-
      Stage 3 and Modifications to Meaningful Use in 2015 Through 2017. Final rules
      with comment period.
AB  - This final rule with comment period specifies the requirements that eligible
      professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs)
      must meet in order to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record
      (EHR) incentive payments and avoid downward payment adjustments under the
      Medicare EHR Incentive Program. In addition, it changes the Medicare and Medicaid
      EHR Incentive Programs reporting period in 2015 to a 90-day period aligned with
      the calendar year. This final rule with comment period also removes reporting
      requirements on measures that have become redundant, duplicative, or topped out
      from the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. In addition, this final
      rule with comment period establishes the requirements for Stage 3 of the program
      as optional in 2017 and required for all participants beginning in 2018. The
      final rule with comment period continues to encourage the electronic submission
      of clinical quality measure (CQM) data, establishes requirements to transition
      the program to a single stage, and aligns reporting for providers in the Medicare
      and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.

PMID- 26477065
TI  - [Age-related Strabismus].

PMID- 26477067
TI  - [Long-Term Follow-up of Age-related Strabismus Patients 50 Years-old and Over].
AB  - PURPOSE: To characterize age-related strabismus by long term observation.
      METHODS: Clinical Characteristics were collected at two institutions from
      patients 50 years-old and over with age-related strabismus, who complained of
      diplopia and were followed up longer than 2 years without surgical intervention.
      RESULTS: The cohort consisted of one case of near exotropia (convergence
      insufficiency, exotropia angle at near was 11.3 degrees), eight cases of distance
      esotropia (divergence insufficiency, average esotropia angle at distance was 5.8
      degrees), and 15 cases of hypertropia (average hypertropia angle at distance was
      3.6 degrees). In 14 patients more than one year passed from the onset of diplopia
      to date of visiting one of the two clinics. The strabismus angle slowly increased
      (0.3 per year in average; Wicoxon signed-rank test, p < 0.01). 17 patients
      successfully used prism incorporated glasses. Diplopia was intermittent at first
      and became more frequent in most cases. Hypertropic patients often showed
      extorsion of the lower eye. CONCLUSION: Age-related strabismus eyes slowly
      develop diplopia and very slowly get worse in deviation angle. Prism incorporated
      glasses are useful in this condition.

PMID- 26477070
TI  - The Saints Among Us.

PMID- 26477069
TI  - [Bilateral Endogenous Fungal Subretinal Abscesses due to Scedosporium
      prolificans: a Case Report].
AB  - BACKGROUND: We report a case with bilateral endogenous fungal subretinal
      abscesses. To our knowledge, this is the first report from Japan in which
      Scedosporium prolificans (S. prolificans) was cultured from intraocular tissue.
      CASE: A 74-year-old man, receiving chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia,
      complained of visual loss in both eyes. Best-corrected visual acuity was hand
      motion in the right and 2/200 in the left eye. His right eye showed exophthalmos,
      inflammation in the anterior chamber and iris neovascularization. Funduscopy
      revealed no details as there was vitreous opacity in the right eye, and irregular
      round yellowish-white subretinal lesions involving the macula in the left eye.
      Blood culture was negative, and C-reactive protein (CRP) and beta-D glucan titers
      were high. An antifungal drug and broad-spectrum antibiotics were initiated. Two
      days after the initial visit, right visual acuity had deteriorated to light
      perception. Enucleation of the right eye was performed for diagnosis and
      treatment. Fungi were cultured from the subretinal lesion, confirming a diagnosis
      of S. prolificans infection. After systemic administration and intravitreal
      injections of antifungal agents, the subretinal abscess in the left eye gradually
      diminished. At present, six months after the first visit, left visual acuity is
      20/200. CONCLUSION: Although S. prolificans endophthalmitis can be intractable,
      this case suggests that repeated intravitreal antifungal agent injections can be
      effective.

PMID- 26477066
TI  - [Clinical Results of Diffractive Multifocal Intraocular Lens Implantation after
      Laser In Situ Keratomileusis].
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the visual performance in eyes with diffractive intraocular
      lenses (IOLs) after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). METHODS: This single
      center retrospective study evaluated eyes that had diffractive multifocal IOL
      implantation after previous LASIK or not treated with LASIK (controls). The
      outcomes' measures were the visual acuities (VAs) at distance and near, spherical
      equivalent (SE) and contrast sensitivity at one month postoperatively. RESULTS:
      The study evaluated 40 eyes of 33 patients. The mean uncorrected logMAR VAs were 
      0.05 +/- 0.13/0.00 +/- 0.14 (LASIK group/control group) at distance and 0.10 +/-
      0.13/0.16 +/- 0.18 at near. There was no statistically significant difference
      between the 2 groups at the VAs. The SE of the LASIK group was -0.06 +/- 0.39 D,
      significantly lower than the control group (0.22 +/- 0.45 D) (p < 0.05). The
      contrast sensitivity of the LASIK group at high spatial frequency was lower than
      the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: After LASIK, the diffractive multifocal
      IOL provided good uncorrected distance and near VAs. However, decrease in
      contrast sensitivity should be considered.

PMID- 26477071
TI  - A Discerning Heart: Saint Paul's Dr. Vacharee Peterson.

PMID- 26477072
TI  - Minnesota Dental Association 2015 Guest of Honor Stephen F. Litton.

PMID- 26477068
TI  - [Factors Affecting Outcomes of Repeated Penetrating Keratoplasty].
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate prognosis for repeated penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) and
      factors that affect the outcome. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated graft
      survival rates, 1-year postoperative best-corrected visual acuity and
      irreversible rejection rates in 108 eyes of 106 patients that had repeated PKP.
      Factors that might affect the outcome were, age, number of previous PKP, original
      diseases, history of glaucoma and rejection and the use of postoperative
      immunosuppressant were also studied. RESULTS: Individual-factor analysis showed
      that history of rejection and postoperative immunosuppressant significantly
      increased the risk of postoperative rejection. Multi-factor analysis showed that
      graft survival rate was significantly lower among cases that had systemic
      immunosuppressants (steroids and cyclosporine). One year postoperative best
      corrected visual acuity was significantly worse in cases that had history of
      glaucoma. In cases with history of rejection, systemic administration of
      postoperative immunosuppressants was significantly associated with postoperative
      irreversible rejection. CONCLUSION: History of rejection and glaucoma tend to
      have poor outcome, and the outcome might not improve by postoperative
      immunosuppressants.

PMID- 26477073
TI  - Modern Trends in Indirect Restorations.

PMID- 26477074
TI  - The Generational Rainbow in Organized Dentistry.

PMID- 26477075
TI  - Can We Run Out of Compassion?

PMID- 26477076
TI  - Understanding Compassion Fatigue.

PMID- 26477077
TI  - A Place at the Table: The 2015 MDA President's Interview.

PMID- 26477078
TI  - The Incidence of Furcation Region Patency in Molars Before and After Simulated
      Periodontal Therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine if there is increased bacterial communication through the
      furcation region in molar teeth after simulated periodontal therapy. METHODS:
      Sixty-five extracted first and second molars were accessed and the roots were
      sectioned 4 mm apical to the furcation. The canals and external suface of the
      root were sealed except the furcation region. In Phase I, the teeth were
      sterilized and then suspended in Rogosa SL broth. A broth containing
      Lactobacillus casei was placed in the pulp chamber. The Rogosa SL broth in the
      bottom chamber was monitored daily for 30 days for turbidity, and once turbidly
      was noted, the broth was plated to confirm the presence of L. casei. In Phase II,
      the furcation regions were scaled and cementum removed, the teeth were
      sterilized, and the microbial leakage was repeated. RESULTS: The Phase I and
      Phase II median times to turbidity were 9.5 days and 4 days, respectively, and
      the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.0035). Phase I turbidity rate
      was 86.5%, and Phase II was 92.3%, which was not statistically significant (p =
      0.25). CONCLUSIONS: The root canal system communicated with the furcation region
      an average of 86.5% and 92.5% after scaling and root planing during the 30 days
      of the experiment. The time of leakage between the two groups decreased from 9.5
      to 4 days (p = 0.0035). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Periodontal instrumentation of the
      furcation region in molar teeth can increase the risk of bacterial contamination
      by 39% while shortening the time for bacterial penetration in teeth with exposed
      dentin or furcation canals. accessory canals, scaling, and root planing.

PMID- 26477079
TI  - Recent Update on Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Prosthetic Joints for Dental
      Patients.

PMID- 26477080
TI  - FDA's Investigation into Patients Being Injected with Simulated IV Fluids
      Continues.

PMID- 26477081
TI  - Nursing Cultural Competencies: Improving Patient Care Quality and Satisfaction.

PMID- 26477082
TI  - Down But Not Out--The United States Healthcare System Ranks Last ... Again.

PMID- 26477083
TI  - The Future of Medicaid Expansion in Ohio.

PMID- 26477084
TI  - Where Are the Nurses in Nursing Homes?

PMID- 26477085
TI  - [Prospcts of application of implantable microkelectromechanical systems for
      monitoring and analysis of parameters of blood circulation system].

PMID- 26477086
TI  - [Application of a low-inertia medicl hammer to traumatologic and orthopedic
      surgery].

PMID- 26477087
TI  - [Use of duplex scanning in estimation of liver fibrosis].

PMID- 26477088
TI  - [Adaptive stress-testing system SAKR-VELO].

PMID- 26477089
TI  - [Remote measurement of respiratory rate labratory mice in studies of mdx model of
      Duchenne muscular dystrophy].

PMID- 26477090
TI  - [Effect of pulsatile flow and back washing on the plasma flow rate in
      plasmapheresis. Part 2. Experiment].

PMID- 26477091
TI  - [Screening diagnostics of stomach cancer on the basis of fuzzy models of blood
      structure and composition and patients anamnesis].

PMID- 26477092
TI  - [Prospcts of application of the radio-frequency idrffmon tedmologY with passive
      tags in invasive biosensor systems].

PMID- 26477093
TI  - [A driver support system based on analysis of pulse and vehicle motion
      parameters].

PMID- 26477094
TI  - [Comparison of characteristics of trapezoidal, rectilinear and Gurwich-Venin
      bipolar defibrillation pulses].

PMID- 26477095
TI  - [Modeling of atrial defibrillation sources on a triangulated sphere].

PMID- 26477096
TI  - [Equipment for thermal treatment and storage of blood prearations and
      components].

PMID- 26477097
TI  - [Evaluation of the condition of ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices in
      hospitals and dinics of the Moscow Health Care Department].

PMID- 26477098
TI  - Prevention: It's Up to Us to Educate Our Patients.

PMID- 26477099
TI  - Do I Have to Provide Staff Time Off for Religious Holidays?

PMID- 26477100
TI  - Bad-Mouthed on Facebook--What's a Practice to Do?

PMID- 26477101
TI  - 3.8 Million Americans Will Face Cognitive Disabilities; Plan Ahead.

PMID- 26477102
TI  - How Race and Ethnicity Affect Your Patients' Heart Disease Risk.

PMID- 26477103
TI  - The MDA Health Plan: Find Out If It's the Right Plan for You. Created by dentists
      ... for dentists.

PMID- 26477104
TI  - Fractured Endodontic Instrument: A Clinical Dilemma Retrieve, Bypass or Entomb?
AB  - A common clinical complication of root canal treatment is fracture of an
      endodontic file. The risk of treatment failure because of incomplete cleaning and
      shaping encourages the dentist to retrieve the fractured part. Several techniques
      have been offered to remove the fractured file, yet those techniques sacrifice
      sound dentin, which may lead to increased risk for perforations and root
      fractures. The aim of this article is to describe a clinical approach to
      accessing fractured files, depending on their location in the canal and stage of
      cleaning and shaping. This prudent approach may decrease complications from
      unnecessary dentin removal, while respecting the biological aspects of cleaning
      the canals.

PMID- 26477105
TI  - UDM School of Dentistry: A Year in Reflection. The Legacy of Clinical Excellence
      Continues.

PMID- 26477106
TI  - U-M School of Dentistry: A Commitment to Core Values.

PMID- 26477107
TI  - [PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS TREATMENT OUTCOME AMONG FOREIGN NATIONALS RESIDING IN
      OSAKA CITY].
AB  - Abstract PURPOSE: In this study, we analyzed pulmonary tuberculosis treatment
      outcomes among foreign nationals of different backgrounds. METHODS: The research
      was conducted between January 2006 and December 2011. One hundred fifty nine
      foreign nationals residing in Osaka city had pulmonary tuberculosis during this
      period. Patients were grouped according to treatment outcomes. We conducted three
      different types of comparisons. First, we compared backgrounds of patients with
      treatment success or default. Second, backgrounds of patients who continued
      treatment in Japan or who moved overseas (transfer out) were compared. Third,
      treatment outcomes of foreign nationals between 20 and 39 years of age were
      compared with those of age-matched Japanese patients registered between 2010 and
      2011. RESULTS: (1) The treatment outcomes were as follows: cured, 53 cases
      (33.3%); treatment completed, 55 cases (34.6 %); treatment failure, 0 cases
      (0.0%); treatment default, 14 cases (8.8%); moved overseas, 17 cases (10.7%);
      moved to another location inside Japan, 13 cases (8.2%); died, 6 cases (3.8%);
      and under treatment, 1 case (0.6%). (2) Comparison of treatment success and
      default among foreign nationals with pulmonary tuberculosis revealed a default
      rate among smear-negative cases of 14.5%, significantly higher than in smear
      positive cases (2.1%; P < 0.05). (3) We compared backgrounds between foreign
      nationals with pulmonary tuberculosis who continued taking treatment in Japan and
      those who moved abroad (transfer out). The rate of overseas transfer out (44.4%)
      was higher among patients not covered by health insurance. This was significantly
      higher than among patients covered by public insurance or assistance (9.0%; P <
      0.01). (4) Comparison of foreign and Japanese nationals between 20 and 39 years
      of age revealed a default rate in foreign nationals with pulmonary tuberculosis
      of 13.6%. This was significantly higher than that of Japanese patients (4.0%; P <
      0.01). The rate of transfer out among foreign nationals with pulmonary
      tuberculosis was 19.1%, also significantly higher than that of Japanese patients
      (5.3%; P < 0.001). DISCUSSION: The rates of treatment default and transfer out
      among patients between 20 to 39 years of age were significantly higher among
      foreign nationals than in Japanese patients. Lack of knowledge about treatment
      and language problems may contribute to this finding. This suggests that adequate
      support and definitive directly observed treatment short-course programs are
      needed for foreign nationals. Patients who moved abroad (overseas transfer out)
      may also be ultimately categorized as treatment default. However, it is difficult
      to determine final treatment outcomes of patients who moved abroad. Further
      measures are needed to ensure that foreign nationals continue to receive
      treatment when they transfer overseas.

PMID- 26477108
TI  - [RISK GROUPS FOR TUBERCULOSIS IN JAPAN: ANALYSIS OF RELATIVE RISK AND POPULATION
      ATTRIBUTABLE FRACTION].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Despite the decreasing trend in tuberculosis (TB) cases reported
      within the general population, TB incidence remains high in certain high-risk
      groups in Japan. Many of the previous discussions and studies have concentrated
      mainly on the elderly and those with clinical risks; however, no comprehensive
      evaluation has been conducted to date. Our study thus sought to estimate the
      relative risk (RR) and the population attributable fraction (PAF) of selected
      risk groups in Japan and discuss their relevance to programming future research
      needs and policies. METHOD: PAF and RR were calculated for patients with human
      immunodeficiency virus infection, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, those on
      dialysis, the elderly, health care workers, the homeless, people receiving public
      assistance, foreigners, prisoners, smokers, and those with alcohol problems, and
      were grouped into "high PAF" (PAF >= 5%), "middle PAF" (5% > PAF >= 1%), and "low
      PAF" (PAF < 1%) groups. RESULTS: The elderly and patients with diabetes showed
      the highest PAF and RR and should thus be prioritized for policies.

PMID- 26477109
TI  - [DRUG-INDUCED LIVER INJURY AND PYRAZINAMIDE USE].
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the 1950s, high doses (40-70 mg/kg/day) of pyrazinamide were
      reported to cause drug-induced liver injury (DILI). It remains unclear whether
      adding pyrazinamide (Z) at the currently accepted low dose (20-25 mg/kg/day) to a
      regimen of isoniazid (H), rifampicin (R), and ethambutol (E) increases the risk
      of DILI. METHOD: We reviewed adult patients admitted for smear-positive
      tuberculosis who were treated with a daily HRE or HRZE regimen. A Cox model was
      used to analyze the impact of pyrazinamide on the occurrence of DILI. RESULTS: We
      reviewed 195 patients (123 men [63%], 72 women [37%], average age 65 +/- 19
      years, 65 HRE patients [33%], 130 HRZE patients [67%]). The incidence of DILI in
      the first two months was 15% (29/195). The HRZE regimen was not associated with
      DILI (hazard ratio 0.55, P = 0.263). CONCLUSION: Addition of low-dose (20-25
      mg/kg/day) pyrazinamide to the HRE regimen does not appeared to be associated
      with increased DILI incidence during the first two months of treatment.

PMID- 26477110
TI  - [A STUDY OF SURGICAL TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS WITH MYCOBACTERIUM ABSCESSUS
      PULMONARY DISEASE AND A COMPARATIVE EXAMINATION OF MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM COMPLEX
      DISEASE].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This is a retrospective study on six surgical cases of Mycobacterium
      abscessus pulmonary disease, including a comparison with M. avium complex (MAC)
      disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We performed surgery for six cases of M. abscessus
      pulmonary disease between July 2012 and June 2014. In all the cases, video
      assisted thoracic surgery alone was performed. Age, sex, bacillus identification
      method, disease type, preoperative anti-glycopeptidolipid core immunoglobulin A
      antibody value, preoperative chemotherapy, preoperative chemotherapy period,
      adaptation of the operation, surgical method, result of the bacillus culture of
      an organization that was extracted at operation, postoperative hospitalization
      period, surgical complications, and postoperative relapse were examined for the
      six cases of M. abscessus pulmonary disease. In addition, the cases were compared
      with 36 cases of MAC disease for which operation was performed during the same
      period. RESULT: None of the patients had major surgical complications or in
      hospital death. Although three patients survived for more than 1 postoperative
      year and completed chemotherapy, relapses are not accepted in all cases at
      present. In the comparison with MAC disease, the mean preoperative chemotherapy
      period for M. abscessus pulmonary disease was 5.5 months, which was 18.9 months
      shorter than that for MAC disease, with a statistically significant difference.
      CONCLUSION AND CONSIDERATION: Surgery for M. abscessus pulmonary disease may be
      considered a safe and effective therapeutic procedure. Moreover, some physicians
      believe that surgical treatment is required at an earlier stage of M. abscessus
      pulmonary disease compared with MAC disease.

PMID- 26477111
TI  - [HISTOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF BONE DESTRUCTION IN SPINAL TUBERCULOSIS].
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the mechanism of bone destruction in spinal tuberculosis
      (TB) by immunohistochemical analysis of the pathway that includes receptor
      activator of NF-kappaB (RANK), receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL),
      osteoprotegerin (OPG), and osteocalcin (OCN) in affected tissues. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: TB bone specimens were obtained from 30 surgically treated spinal TB
      patients (13 males and 17 females; average age, 67 years). Normal bone specimens
      were also obtained from 30 osteoarthritis patients (12 males and 18 females;
      average age, 70 years) who had undergone knee arthroplasty, wherein a piece of
      the non-weight-bearing part of the femur was obtained as a part of the resected
      bone for surgery. The two groups of specimens were examined for the expression of
      RANK, RANKL, OPG, and OCN by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Spinal TB specimens
      were significantly infiltrated by inflammatory cells, and bone resorption by
      multinucleated osteoclasts was observed. RANKL was predominantly expressed in
      lymphocytes and osteoblasts, whereas RANK was expressed in mononucleated
      osteoclast precursors among the inflammatory cells. In contrast, there was no
      infiltration of the inflammatory cells, and the expression of RANKL/RANK was poor
      in the control specimens. OCN, a bone formation marker, was expressed in the
      osteoblasts and in part of the bone matrix in normal tissues; however, it was
      poorly expressed in the tissues of the spinal TB patients. OPG, a neutralizer of
      the RANK-RANKL pathway, was expressed in the osteoblasts and stromal cells, and
      there was no significant difference in the expression between the two groups.
      DISCUSSION: In the tissues from spinal TB patients, the RANK-RANKL pathway was
      strongly activated, whereas the expression of its neutralizer OPG was not
      sufficiently induced. In addition, the bone formation marker OCN was poorly
      expressed, indicating a paucity of reactive bone formation. These findings are
      consistent with bone-resorption-predominant destruction, which is commonly
      observed in osteoarticular TB. Activation of the RANK-RANKL pathway has been
      considered to be caused by cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha and
      interleukin-6, which also play important roles in the immune response against TB.
      In severe pulmonary TB, an intense and prolonged immune reaction sometimes leads
      to tissue destruction and the formation of cavity lesions. Therefore, such an
      immune reaction against spinal TB may also cause activation of the RANK-RANKL
      pathway, thereby leading to bone destruction.

PMID- 26477112
TI  - [INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF INFANTS WITH KOCH PHENOMENON AFTER BCG VACCINATION].
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the trends in the number of infants diagnosed with Koch
      phenomenon after BCG vaccination following the change in the timing of the
      vaccination. METHOD: We extracted and analyzed data from infants aged <= 1 year
      diagnosed with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) or active tuberculosis,
      registered in the Japanese tuberculosis surveillance system, from May 2012 to the
      end of the year, and from May 2013 to the end of the year. RESULT: There was no
      increase in active tuberculosis cases between the two periods (5 patients each).
      However, the number of infants with LTBI doubled (45 to 90), presumably because
      Koch phenomenon developed after BCG vaccination. CONCLUSION: After changing the
      timing of vaccination, the number of infants experiencing Koch phenomenon appears
      to have increased. However, more in-depth analysis of this finding is required.

PMID- 26477113
TI  - [DISSEMINATED MYCOBACTERIUM INTRACELLULARE INFECTION IN A PATIENT WITH
      MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROME].
AB  - A 71-year-old man with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) was admitted to our
      hospital because of recurrent high-grade fever. He was examined for bacterial and
      fungal infections and treated with antibiotics and antifungal agents. However, he
      did not achieve a definitive diagnosis and had no apparent improvement for more
      than a month. Bone marrow aspiration revealed transformation of MDS to acute
      myeloid leukemia and hemophagocytosis. In addition, Mycobacterium intracellulare
      was isolated from both a bone marrow specimen and a blood sample. Therefore, he
      was diagnosed with disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection with
      hemophagocytosis. An antibody test was negative for human immunodeficiency virus
      (HIV). His general condition improved with anti-mycobacterial drug and steroid
      treatments. Clinicians should suspect disseminated nontuberculous mycobacterial
      infections in unexplained febrile patients with hematological disorders.

PMID- 26477114
TI  - [RATES OF COMPLETION AND TREATMENT OUTCOMES FOR TYPE OF COMMUNITY DOTS].
AB  - AIM: To investigate the relationship between completion rates for community
      directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) and treatment outcomes, according
      to implementation tactics, to improve the treatment outcomes. METHODS AND
      SUBJECTS: We evaluated 529 newly registered patients with smear-positive
      pulmonary tuberculosis who underwent community DOTS (checking medication at least
      once per week) during 2010 and 2011 in Osaka City. DOTS completion was defined as
      checking medication 3 times or more per month, with checking medication missed
      less than 3 consecutive times. DOTS was implemented using the following 4
      tactics: healthcare staff visited the patients' home or workplace (visiting
      type), the patients visited a health and welfare center (HWC type), the patients
      visited a pharmacy (P type), or the patients visited an outpatient department at
      a medical center (MC type). Regarding treatment outcomes, resolution of the
      tuberculosis or treatment completion was defined as "successful treatment", and
      treatment failure or default was defined as "unsuccessful treatment". We then
      analyzed the DOTS completion rate for each DOTS implementation tactic. RESULTS:
      DOTS was completed in 417 (78.8%) of the 529 patients. The completion rates were
      79.7%, 75.4%, 75.9%, and 81.3% for patients who underwent visiting (n= 394), HWC
      (n = 61), P (n = 58), and MC (n = 16) DOTS, respectively; no significant
      difference was observed. The mean ages for each group were 62.8 years, 53.6
      years, 45.0 years, and 56.6 years for patients who underwent visiting, HWC, P,
      and MC DOTS, respectively; patients who underwent P DOTS were significantly
      younger (P < 0.001). Among the 4 groups, the visiting DOTS group had the lowest
      percentage of full-time employees (16.2%) and the highest percentage of
      unemployed individuals (67.3%). In contrast, the percentage of full-time
      employees was 63.8% and 50.0% in the P and MC DOTS groups, respectively. The P
      DOTS group had the lowest unemployment percentage (19.0%) among the 4 groups.
      Thus, a significant correlation existed between the DOTS implementation tactics
      and the presence/ absence of the patients' occupations (P < 0.001). Among the 417
      patients who completed DOTS, 99.8% achieved successful treatment. Among the 112
      patients who did not complete DOTS, 89.3% achieved successful treatment, and this
      success rate was significantly lower than that for the group who completed DOTS
      (P < 0.00 1). Among the visiting, HWC, and P DOTS groups, the completion of DOTS
      resulted in a high treatment success rate. DISCUSSION: Patients who completed
      DOTS achieved better treatment outcomes; therefore, it is important to provide
      patients with medication support until their tuberculosis is resolved. The P DOTS
      group contained a higher percentage of full-time employees and had a
      significantly lower mean age; this was likely because pharmacies are accessible
      at night and during the weekend. There was no significant difference in the DOTS
      completion rates according to implementation tactic, which suggests that it is
      important to assist patients with their medication according to their needs.

PMID- 26477116
TI  - [Nursing knowledge and theory: where is the economic value].

PMID- 26477115
TI  - [TUBERCULOSIS ANNUAL REPORT 2013--(1) Summary of Tuberculosis Notification
      Statistics and Foreign-born Tuberculosis Patients].
AB  - This is the first in a 4-series report based on the Tuberculosis Annual Report
      2013. It summarizes general tuberculosis (TB) statistics and gives an overview of
      foreign-born TB patients notified and registered in Japan in 2013. TB
      notification has continued to decline since 2000, and a total of 20,495 patients
      with all forms of TB were notified in 2013, with a rate per 100,000 population of
      16.1. The age of TB patients has increased, with 57.4% of all TB patients in 2013
      more than 70 years old. The number of patients with latent TB infection
      drastically increased from 4,930 in 2010 to 10,046 in 2011, but has been
      declining since. The number of foreign-born TB patients increased from 739 in
      1998 to 1,064 in 2013; similarly, the proportion of foreign-born patients among
      all TB patients increased from 2.1% in 1998 to 5.4% in 2013. Foreign-born TB
      patients aged 20-29 years accounted for 42.7% of all new TB patients in the same
      age group in 2013. Among foreign-born TB patients, more than half were from China
      (27.4%) and the Philippines (24.1%). Younger patients were more likely to have
      entered Japan within the previous 5 years (61.5% and 61.3% of foreign-born
      patients in their teens and twenties, respectively). The largest occupational
      category was "regular employees" (25%), which excluded service workers, health
      care workers, and teachers, followed by students (24%) and unemployed people (21
      %). With the government relaxing restrictions on entry of foreign workers to cope
      with labor shortage in the construction industry ahead of the 2020 Tokyo
      Olympics, both the number and proportion of foreign-born TB patients is also
      expected to rise. Comprehensive programs are urgently required to ensure early
      diagnosis and treatment completion among one of the vulnerable populations in
      Japan.

PMID- 26477117
TI  - Nurse-Managed Clinics: Barriers and Benefits Toward Financial Sustainability when
      Integrating Primay Care and Mental Health.
AB  - Nurse-managed, integrated clinics offer access, affordability, and quality to the
      health care environment. The integration of mental health and primary care is a
      holistic, comprehensive model that addresses the complicated needs of those with
      mental illness. As nurses increase their education in leadership, financial
      management, and business, there is a correlating increase in the number of nurse
      managed clinics. More research is needed to determine the financial structures
      that benefit sustainability of nurse-managed, integrated clinics. However, in an
      integrated review of the literature between 2000 and 2012, the data indicate
      nurse-managed health centers receive less federal financial support than the
      medically modeled federally qualified health center.

PMID- 26477118
TI  - The Effect of Hardiness Education on Hardiness and Burnout on Registered Nurses.
AB  - Nurse leaders need to be aware of the costly implications of staff retention,
      unit finances, and patient satisfaction caused by unmanaged stress and burnout as
      well as staff disengagement. It is vital to the organizational behavior of the
      health care facility for nurse managers to promote, educate, and screen for
      hardiness in their staff. Hardiness education can lessen the effects of stress
      and burnout. Nurse managers and executives can give their staff valuable tools
      and resources to enhance hardiness and coping abilities through hardiness
      education.

PMID- 26477119
TI  - A Cost-Effective Mindfulness Stress Reduction Program: A Randomized Control Trial
      for Breast Cancer Survivors.
AB  - Many breast cancer survivors continue to experience residual symptoms including
      anxiety, cognitive impairment, depression, fatigue, and pain. In this study, the
      cost-effectiveness of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction intervention for
      breast cancer survivors was examined. The cost of the program was assessed from
      the societal perspective, accounting for both direct medical and patient
      opportunity costs. The cost per quality-adjusted life year was relatively low
      compared to the cost-utility findings of other published breast cancer
      interventions. The program appears to provide for significantly improved health
      related quality of life at a comparativelv low cost.

PMID- 26477120
TI  - Documentation of Preventive Nursing Measures in the Elderly Trauma Patient:
      Potential financial Impact and the Health Record.
AB  - Hospital-acquired complications in older adults are significantly higher than in
      younger patients. Nursing measures to prevent hospital-acquired complications are
      generally mandated by nursing policy and are required documentation in hospital
      record systems. In this study, gaps in the nursing documentation of measures
      intended to prevent hospital-acquired complications in elderly trauma patients
      may be related to the documentation of these measures not being required entries
      in the system used by the facility. These findings highlight the importance of
      the relationship between nursing documentation requirements and the system used
      for the expedient documentation of nursing care.

PMID- 26477121
TI  - The Impact of Prolonged Economic Downturns and Economic Crises on the Nursing
      Profession.
AB  - Prolonged economic downturns and economic crises are affecting nations around the
      world, including developed countries such as Portugal, Spain, and Greece. In the
      United States, recovery from the latest economic crisis has been accompanied by a
      persistently high rate of unemployment. To a large extent, the impacts on the
      nursing profession may depend on the severity of economic downturns and their
      duration in the country of employment of nurses. Nurses in certain areas of
      patient care (such as mental health) may also be more strongly affected because
      of the impact of economic crises and high unemployment on morbidity patterns.
      Emigration of nurses may also increase as a result of prolonged economic crisis.

PMID- 26477122
TI  - The Importance of the Partner: Supporting Nurse Leaders' Journey to Executive
      Roles.
AB  - Having a fully committed partner is an asset some nurse executives celebrate. The
      life partner can play a critical role in the nurse executive's career from a
      personal perspective. The importance of being flexible and balancing "who does
      what" and how to manage through life's challenges is reported through three nurse
      executives' stories and one spouse. Having a partner enriches the life journey,
      according to these leaders.

PMID- 26477124
TI  - Increasing survival, enhancing citizen resilience.

PMID- 26477123
TI  - The World Health Organization's Sixty-Eighth World Health Assembly: Updates and
      Opportunities.
AB  - The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the decision-making body of the World Health
      Organization. Delegates attending the Sixty-Eighth WHA, May 2015, covered a wide
      range of global challenges and agreed on several key resolutions of importance to
      nurse leaders. Some of the resolutions adopted relevant for nurse leaders and
      nursing care such as air pollution, strategies to strengthen epilepsy care,
      antimicrobial drug resistance, and strategies to strengthen surgical care, are
      highlighted. Nurse leaders should consider attending the World Health Assembly,
      as the topics discussed are critical for the future directions of strengthening
      human resources for health worldwide and, in particular, nursing and midwifery
      services.

PMID- 26477125
TI  - Letter from the Vice-President. Equipping citizens with the skills to respond to
      mass casualty incidents.

PMID- 26477126
TI  - Presidential Policy Directive: National preparedness.

PMID- 26477127
TI  - A systematic response to mass trauma: The public, organized first responders, and
      the American College of Surgeons.

PMID- 26477128
TI  - Strategies to enhance survival in active shooter and intentional mass casualty
      events.

PMID- 26477129
TI  - Physicians roundtable--February 10, 2015. Bystanders: Our nation's immediate
      responders.

PMID- 26477130
TI  - The military experience and integration with the civilian sector.

PMID- 26477131
TI  - The Department of Homeland Security's role in enhancing and implementing the
      response to active shooter and intentional mass casualty events.

PMID- 26477132
TI  - Initial management of mass-casualty incidents due to firearms: Improving
      survival.

PMID- 26477133
TI  - Improving Survival from Active Shooter Events: The Hartford Consensus.

PMID- 26477134
TI  - Active Shooter and International Mass-Casualty Events: The Hartford Consensus II.

PMID- 26477135
TI  - The Hartford Consensus III: Implementation of Bleeding Control: If you see
      something do something.

PMID- 26477136
TI  - The continuing threat of intentional mass casualty events in the U.S.:
      Observations of federal law enforcement.

PMID- 26477137
TI  - Public health education: The use of unique strategies to educate the public in
      the principles of the Hartford Consensus.

PMID- 26477138
TI  - The continuing threat of active shooter and intentional mass casualty events:
      Local law enforcement and hemorrhage control.

PMID- 26477139
TI  - Military history of increasing survival: The U.S. military experience with
      tourniquets and hemostatic dressings in the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.

PMID- 26477140
TI  - Hemorrhage control devices: Tourniquets and hemostatic dressings.

PMID- 26477141
TI  - Intentional mass casualty events: Implications for prehospital emergency medical
      services systems.

PMID- 26477142
TI  - Role of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma in the care of the
      injured.

PMID- 26477143
TI  - Integrated education of all responders.

PMID- 26477144
TI  - Implementation of the Hartford Consensus initiative to increase survival from
      active shooter and intentional mass casualty events and to enhance the resilience
      of citizens.

PMID- 26477145
TI  - The Presidential Directive. Strengthening U.S. citizen resilience in mass
      casualty incidents.

PMID- 26477146
TI  - [SCREW-BASED INTERMAXILLARY TRACTION COMBINED WITH OCCLUSAL SPLINT FOR TREATMENT
      OF PEDIATRIC MANDIBULAR CONDYLAR FRACTURE].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of the screw-based intermaxillary
      traction combined with occlusal splint in the treatment of pediatric mandibular
      condylar fracture. METHODS: Between June 2005 and December 2013, 35 pediatric
      patients with 49 mandibular condylar fractures were treated, and the clinical
      data were retrospectively reviewed. There were 25 boys and 10 girls, aged 3-13
      years (mean, 7.3 years). The injury causes included falling (18 cases), traffic
      accident (14 cases), and violence (3 cases). The time between injury and
      treatment was 2-30 days (mean, 6.8 days). Restricted mouth opening was observed,
      and the maximal mouth opening was (22.74 +/- 7.22) mm except 3 patients who were
      too young to measure. Condylar fractures were located at the left (12 cases), at
      the right (9 cases), at bilateral (14 cases) based on the sites; and fractures
      were classified as intracapsular (35 fractures), neck (10 fractures), and
      subcondylar (4 fractures) based on the fracture line. Four self-drilling titanium
      screws were inserted into the alveolar bone of both maxilla and mandible. After
      screw inserting, an occlusal splint with a fulcrum was used on the affected side
      and elastic band was put to perform anterior intermaxillary traction. After 1
      month, the screws and splint were removed. Follow-up examinations were carried
      out on schedule. RESULTS: All the patients were followed up from 6 months to 8
      years and 10 months (median, 71 months). No screw-related complication occurred
      in the others except one case of screw loosening. The postoperative maximal mouth
      opening was (38.82 +/- 2.02) nim. Mild joint noise was found in 4 cases and
      opening deviation occurred in 6 cases. Radiographic results demonstrated complete
      condyle remodeling was achieved in 24 cases (32 fractures), and moderate
      remodeling in 11 cases (17 fractures) at last follow-up. CONCLUSION: The screw
      based intermaxillary traction combined with occlusal splint might be an effective
      method for pediatric mandibular condylar fracture. The screw-related
      complications may be avoided by careful preoperative investigations.

PMID- 26477147
TI  - [EFFECTIVENESS OF DIGITAL CUSTOMIZED STEEL PLATE IN TREATMENT OF COMPLEX
      FRACTURES OF LIMBS].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effectiveness of digital customized plate in the
      treatment of complex limb fracture. METHODS: Between January 2012 and May 2013,
      CT raw data of complex limb fracture were used to establish the fracture three
      dimensional simulation model after reduction, and a customized personalized
      anatomic plate was designed and used for internal fixation after open reduction
      in 42 cases. There were 22 males and 20 females, aged 16-53 years (average, 37.4
      years). The causes of injury were traffic accident in 21 cases, falling from
      height in 18 cases, crush by heavy objects in 3 cases, including 26 cases of
      fresh closed fracture and 16 cases of open fracture (9 cases of type I and 7
      cases of type II according to Gustilo classification). According to AO
      classification, there were 15 cases of humerus comminuted fracture, 4 cases of
      radial comminuted fracture, 8 cases of femoral comminuted fracture, and 15 cases
      of tibia comminuted fracture. The interval of injury and operation was 6-28 days
      (mean, 10 days). RESULTS: Reduction and internal fixation of fracture were
      successfully performed on 42 patients. The length and position of digital
      customized plate, direction and length of screw implant, number of screw were
      basically identical with preoperative design. The operation time was 35-120
      minutes (mean, 70 minutes); the blood loss volume was 30-500 mL (mean, 180 mL);
      and X ray fluoroscopy frequency was 2-6 times (mean, 3 times). Superficial
      infection occurred in 2 cases, and was cured after dressing change; primary
      healing of incision was obtained in the other patients. Forty-two cases were
      followed up 6-24 months with an average of 11.5 months. The fracture healing time
      was 8-19 weeks (mean, 14 weeks) in 41 cases; delayed union occurred in 1 case at
      44 weeks after operation. The fracture anatomical reduction was achieved in 19
      cases, malunion in 3 cases, and functional reduction in the other patients. At
      last follow-up, no plate and screw loosening and breakage was observed.
      CONCLUSION: Digital customized plate in treatment of complex fractures of limbs,
      especially for the multiple comminuted fracture of long bones of the limbs has
      the advantages of convenient operation, less trauma, fewer complications, and
      good effectiveness.

PMID- 26477148
TI  - [TREATING SACROILIAC JOINT TUBERCULOSIS WITH RIFAMPICIN-LOADED OsteoSet].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety, feasibility, and effectiveness of medical
      calcium sulfate (OsteoSet) mixed with powder for injection of rifampicin after
      radical debridement in the treatment of sacroiliac joint tuberculosis. METHODS: A
      retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data from 27 patients with
      sacroiliac joint tuberculosis who underwent debridement surgery and local bone
      graft of OsteoSet artificial bone impregnated with powder for injection of
      rifampicin between August 2006 and August 2010. There were 10 males and 17
      females with an average age of 35.2 years (range, 16-64 years). The mean disease
      duration was 7.5 months (range, 1.5-16 months). The left sacroiliac joint was
      involved in 16 cases, the right side in 10 cases, and both sides in 1 case; Of
      them, 18 cases had iliac fossa abscess and 6 cases of buttocks abscess. According
      to the classification system by Kim, there were 9 cases of type III and 18 cases
      of type IV. The preoperative Majeed score was 61.23?6.49, including good in 4
      patients, general in 19 patients, and poor in 4 patients. RESULTS: All patients
      achieved wound healing by first intention; no complications of pelvic infection,
      peripheral nerve injury, and lower extremity deep vein thrombosis occurred.
      Twenty-six patients were followed up 16 months on average (range, 12-24 months).
      All the patients had normal sense and movement of both lower limbs; no perineum
      sensory disturbance was found. One case of multi-drug resistant had local
      recurrence at 3 months after operation, which was cured after adjusting anti
      tuberculosis drugs, nutritional support, enhancing immunity with thymopentin, and
      second operation. Bone union was observed at 10.5 months on average (range, 9-12
      months) in 25 patients, and clinical symptoms disappeared with no recurrence or
      complication, and they returned to previous work. The Majeed score at last follow
      up was 92.31 +/- 3.36, showing significant difference when compared with
      preoperative score (t = -32.76, P=0.00). The results were excellent in 22
      patients, good in 4 patients, and the excellent and good rate was 100%, showing
      signi.ficant difference compared with the preoperative one (chi2=31.93, P=0.00).
      CONCLUSION: Bone graft interbody fusion surgery with rifampicin loaded OsteoSet
      is one of the effective methods to treat sacroiliac joint tuberculosis.

PMID- 26477149
TI  - [PROCEDURE OF RECONSTRUCTING TRANSVERSE ARCH OF THE FOREFOOT BY TRANSFERING
      TENDONS FOR CORRECTING HALLUX VALGUS].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effectiveness of the procedure of reconstructing the
      transverse arch of the forefoot by anastomosing adductor hallucis and abductor
      hallucis tendons in correcting hallux valgus. METHODS: A retrospective analysis
      was made on the clinical data from 28 patients (40 feet) with hallux valgus
      treated with the procedure of reconstructing the transverse arch of the forefoot
      by anastomosing adductor hallucis and abductor hallucis tendons between January
      2010 and January 2014. There were 3 males (6 feet) and 25 females (34 feet), with
      an average age of 51.7 years (range, 20-71 years). The unilateral foot was
      involved in 16 cases and bilateral feet in 12 cases. The mean disease duration
      was 8.9 years (range, 1-30 years). All the cases had pain of the first
      metacarpophalangeal joint; 22 feet had collapsed transverse arch of the forefoot
      combined with plantar callus, and 8 feet had collapsed transverse arch of the
      forefoot combined with hammer toe deformity. American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle
      Society (AOFAS) score was 59.07 +/- 8.49. Preoperative X-ray showed that the
      hallux valgus angle (HVA) was (33.68 +/- 8.10) degrees, and the intermetatarsal
      angle (IMA) was (15.60 +/- 4.07) degrees. According to classification of the
      hallux valgus by Mann, 9 feet were rated as mild, 23 feet as moderate, and 8 feet
      as severe. RESULTS: Superficial infection of incision occurred in 1 case (1 foot)
      after surgery, and healing by first intention was obtained in the others. Two
      cases (3 feet) had numbness in the toes. All of 28 cases were followed up from 6
      months to 4 years (1.8 years on average). Based on the AOFAS score, the results
      were excellent in 24 feet, good in 9 feet, fair in 4 feet, and poor in 3 feet,
      and the excellent and good rate was 82.5%. At last follow-up, the HVA, IMA, and
      AOFAS score were (15.10 +/- 5.28), (9.05 +/- 2.42) degrees, and 86.03 +/- 7.45
      respectively, showing significant differences compared with preoperative ones
      (P=0.00). The collapsed transverse arch of the forefoot was recovered to some
      extent, plantar callus disappeared (14 feet), or decreased (8 feet). Recurrence
      of hallux valgus deformity was observed in 2 cases (3 feet) at 2 and 3 months
      after surgery respectively, and no hallux varus was found. CONCLUSION: This
      procedure not only can effectively reduce the increased hallux valgus angle, and
      narrow the angle between the 1st and 2nd metatarsal, but also can relocate the
      sesamoid system, reconstruct the transverse arch of the forefoot, and effectively
      restore the physiological anatomy structure and biological function of the
      forefoot.

PMID- 26477150
TI  - [EFFECTIVENESS OF SURGERY IN TREATMENT OF ANKLE FRACTURES ASSOCIATED WITH DELTOID
      LIGAMENT INJURY].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of repairing the deltoid ligament with
      ankle fracture. METHODS: Between January 2010 and January 2013, 11 patients with
      ankle fractures associated with deltoid ligament injury were treated. There were
      7 males and 4 females, with an average age of 38.2 years (range, 18-72 years).
      The interval between injury and operation was 6 hours to 7 days (mean, 4 days).
      According to Lauge-Hansen classification, ankle fracture was rated as pronation
      external rotation type in 5 cases, as supination-external rotation type in 4
      cases, and as pronation-abduction type in 2 cases. The MRI and color Doppler
      ultrasound showed deltoid ligament rupture. The results of valgus stress test,
      talus valgus tilt test, and anterior drawer test after anesthesia were all
      positive. Fracture was treated by open reduction and internal fixation, and
      deltoid injury was repaired. RESULTS: All incisions healed primarily. All
      patients were followed up 12-18 months (mean, 13.3 months). The X-ray films
      showed anatomical reduction, good position of internal fixation and stable distal
      tibiofibular syndesmosis. The mean fracture union time was 7.6 weeks (range, 6-8
      weeks). MRI at 3 months after operation showed normal shape of the deltoid
      ligament. According to American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score,
      the results were excellent in 6 cases, good in 3 cases, fair in 1 case, and poor
      in 1 case, with an excellent and good rate of 81.8%. CONCLUSION: It is an
      effective method to treat ankle fracture with deltoid ligament injury by open
      reduction and internal fixation of ankle fracture and repair of the deltoid
      ligament injury, which can effectively rebuild medial instability and has
      satisfactory effectiveness.

PMID- 26477151
TI  - [ANTIBIOTIC-IMPREGNATED ARTICULAR CEMENT SPACER FOR TREATMENT OF PERIPROSTHETIC
      JOINT INFECTION].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current problems and corresponding solutions
      regarding the use of antibiotic-impregnated cement spacer for the treatment of
      periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was made
      on the clinical data of 27 patients with PJI who underwent two-stage revision
      with antibiotic-impregnated cement spacer between January 2001 and January 2013.
      There were 12 males and 15 females, with an average age of 62.7 years (range, 25
      81 years). All arthroplasties were unilateral, including 19 hip PJI and 8 knee
      PJI. The mean duration from primary arthroplasty to PJI was 25 months (range, 3
      252 months). After infection was controlled with the antibiotic-impregnated
      cement spacer combined with systematic antibiotics treatment, two-stage revision
      was performed. The effectiveness was evaluated. Results One patient died of
      myocardial infarction at 2 days after surgery. Infection was controlled, and two
      stage revision was successfully performed in 19 patients; deep venous thrombosis
      occurred in 1 of 3 patients who experienced hip spacer fractures, which was cured
      after conservative management. The spacers were removed and bacteria-sensitive
      antibiotics was used because of recurrent infections after the first-stage
      surgery in 7 patients; 3 patients gave up treatment because infection was not
      controlled, 4 patients received revision after infection was controlled. Twenty
      three patients were followed up 1-5 years (mean, 2.3 years). The average Harris
      hip score and KSS score at 1 years after revision were significantly improved
      when compared with preoperative ones (P<0.05). In the 8 patients with gram
      negative or fungus infection, 7 were found to have recurrent infection after the
      first-stage surgery; in the 12 patients with gram-positive infection, no
      recurrent infection was found. Failed treatment was observed in 1 patient with
      gram-positive and gram-negative infections and 2 with fungus infection,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: Antibiotic- impregnated cement spacer has a
      satisfactory effectiveness for PJI. However, complication of spacer fracture
      should be noted, especially hip spacers. If the pathogen is gram-negative
      bacteria or fungus, the implanted spacer may increase the possibility of
      recurrent infection.

PMID- 26477152
TI  - [RESEARCH OF ACETABULAR ORIENTATION DETERMINATION AND ACCURACY IN TOTAL HIP
      ARTHROPLASTY FOR BONY ANKYLOSED HIP].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the method of acetabular orientation determination in total
      hip arthroplasty (THA) for bony ankylosed hip and the accuracy of the
      postoperative evaluation. METHODS: Between January 2009 and March 2013, 33
      consecutive patients (49 hips) underwent THA. There were 25 males and 8 females
      with a mean age of 35.8 years (range, 18-69 years). The left hip was involved in
      10 cases, the right hip in 7 cases, and bilateral hips in 16 cases. The causes
      were ankylosing spondylitis in 18 patients, tuberculosis in 6 patients, traumatic
      arthritis in 6 patients, osteoarthritis in 2 patients, and suppurative infection
      in 1 patient. The disease duration was 7-15 years with an average of 10.8 years.
      The acetabular orientation was determined with periacetabular bone marks (the
      upper margin of the obturator foramen, acetabular notch etc.) and soft tissue
      signs (acetabulum transverse ligament etc.). The hip or pelvic radiograph was
      taken to measure the acetabular prosthesis anteversion and abduction angle, and
      upward or downward, inward or outward acetabular migration degree. The acetabular
      anteversion angle of 15 degrees, the abduction angle of 45 degrees, and upward or
      downward, inward or outward acetabular migration degree of 0 served as a
      reference value to evaluate the accuracy of acetabular position. RESULTS: There
      was no complications of neurovascular injury, fracture, joint dislocation, and
      infection. All of patients were followed up 13-63 months (mean, 30.3 months). The
      anteversion angle and abduction angle were (13.904 +/- 4.034) degrees and (42.898
      +/- 7.474) degrees at last follow-up, showing no significant difference when
      compared with reference value (t=1.386, P=0.178; t=1.969, P=0.055). The inward or
      outward and upward or downward acetabulum migration degree were (2.530 +/- 2.261)
      mm and (3.886 +/- 3.334) mm respectively, showing significant differences when
      compared with reference value (t=7.830, P=0.000; t=8.159, P=0.000); it was less
      than 5 mm in 29 hips, 5-10 mm in 18 hips, and more than 10 mm in 2 hips; the
      acetabulum center coincidence rate was 59.2%. CONCLUSION: For bony ankylosed hip
      having loss of normal anatomy structure, intraoperative residues and permanent
      anatomical structure should be used for acetabular positioning.

PMID- 26477153
TI  - [EFFECTIVENESS OF ANATOMIC FEMORAL COMPONENT PROSTHESIS FOR SEVERE DEVELOPMENTAL
      DYSPLASIA OF THE HIP IN TOTAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of anatomic femoral component prosthesis
      for severe development dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in total hip arthroplasty
      (THA). METHODS: Between September 2009 and September 2013, 48 patients (51 hips)
      with severe DDH underwent THA with cementless anatomic femoral component
      prosthesis. There were 5 males (5 hips) and 43 females (46 hips) with an average
      age of 51 years (range, 28-67 years). The left hip was involved in 25 cases, the
      right hip in 20 cases, and bilateral hips in 3 cases. There were 39 cases (44
      hips) of Crowe type III and 9 cases (7 hips) of Crowe type IV. The visual
      analogue scale (VAS) score was 5.72 +/- 1.84, and Harris score was 41.66 +/- 4.87
      at preoperation. All patients had leg discrepancy with a length difference of
      (4.31 +/- 0.84) cm. RESULTS: The duration of surgery was 59-110 minutes (mean,
      78.6 minutes), and the hospitalization days were 6-20 days (mean, 12.3 days). All
      patients obtained primary healing of incision without wound related complications
      of swelling, effusion, and infection. Two patients were found to have
      intramuscular venous thrombosis. All patients were followed up 10-54 months
      (mean, 29 months). Limp was observed at the early stage after operation in 9
      patients and disappeared after 1 year, the other patients had normal gait. The
      VAS score 1.46?0.47, Harris score 88.66 +/- 3.48, and the leg length difference
      (1.15 +/- 0.33) cm at last follow-up all showed significant differences when
      compared with the preoperative values (P<0.05). No prosthesis loosening or
      subsidence, heterotopic ossification, dislocation, and infection occurred.
      CONCLUSION: Anatomic femoral component prosthesis for severe DDH in THA can
      relieve pain, and improve the hip joint function and limb discrepancy. Short-term
      effectiveness was satisfactory, but the long-term effectiveness should still be
      observed in future.

PMID- 26477154
TI  - [CLINGING LESSER TROCHANTER OSTEOTOMY WITH WAGNER CONE IN TREATMENT OF CROWE TYPE
      IV DEVELOPMENTAL DYSPLASIA OF THE HIP IN ADULT].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectivness of the clinging lesser trochanter
      osteotomy with the Wagner cone in total hip arthroplasty (THA) for Crowe type IV
      developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in adult. METHODS: Between November 2009
      and September 2012, 7 female patients (9 hips) with Crowe type IV DDH were
      treated by THA procedures of clinging lesser trochanter osteotomy with Wagner
      cone, aged 24-62 years (mean, 42 years). All patients experienced severe pain and
      claudication. The left hip was involved in 2 cases, the right hip in 3 cases, and
      bilateral hips in 2 cases. The Harris score of involved hip was 50.00?7.04. The
      both limps were discrepancy with an average length difference of 3.4 cm (range, 3
      4 cm). The results of Trendelenburg sign were positive. X-ray films showed high
      complete dislocation of the involved hips. RESULTS: The incisions healed by first
      intention. There was no complication such as infection, dislocation, prosthesis
      loosening, neurovascular injury. The average follow-up was 36.4 months (range, 25
      48 months). Pain and claudication were improved and all patients could restore to
      work. The Harris score was improved to 83.42 +/- 6.47, showing significant
      difference when compared with preoperative score (t=8.90, P=0.00). The results of
      Trendelenburg sign were negative. X-ray films showed that all patients got a bony
      union at osteotomy site of greater trochanter at 3-6 months after operation. And
      the interface between prosthesis and bone was stable. There was no prosthesis
      loosening or sinking during the follow-up. CONCLUSION: Clinging lesser trochanter
      osteotomy with Wagner cone could be an option to shorten the femur in THA for
      patients with Crowe type IV DDH. It is effective in decreasing the risk of
      neurovascular injury.

PMID- 26477155
TI  - [A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON TWO OSTEOTOMIES IN TOTAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY FOR CROWE TYPE
      IV DEVELOPMENTAL DYSPLASIA OF THE HIP].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of two osteotomy methods in total hip
      arthroplasty (THA) for treating Crowe type IV adult developmental dysplasia of
      the hip (DDH), trochanteric osteotomy and subtrochanteric osteotomy. METHODS: A
      retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 36 patients (43 hips)
      with Crowe type IV DDH undergoing THA between June 2007 and December 2013. In
      THA, 19 patients (23 hips) underwent trochanteric osteotomy (group A) and 17
      patients (20 hips) underwent subtrochanteric osteotomy (group B). There was no
      significant difference in age, gender, body mass index, side, preoperative Harris
      score, and limb length difference between 2 groups (P>0.05). The operation
      duration, bleeding volume, hospitalization duration, intraoperative and
      postoperative complications were compared between 2 groups. RESULTS: There was no
      significant difference in operation duration, bleeding volume, and
      hospitalization days between 2 groups (P>0.05). The rate of intraoperative
      complication was 21.7% (5/23) in group A and 5.0% (1/20) in group B, showing no
      significant difference between 2 groups (P>0.05). The rate of postoperative
      complications was 10.5% (2/19) in group A and 22.2% (4/18) in group B, showing no
      significant difference between 2 groups (P>0.05). Thirty-one patients (37 hips)
      were followed up 1-7 years (mean, 3 years), including 16 cases (19 hips) in group
      A and 15 cases (18 hips) in group B. X-ray films showed good position of the
      prostheses. The Harris score at last follow-up was significantly increased when
      compared with preoperative score in 2 groups (P<0.05), but there was no
      significant difference between 2 groups (P>0.05). The postoperative discrepancy
      of bilateral lower limbs had no significant difference (t = -1.343, P=0.188).
      CONCLUSION: THA with trochanteric osteotomy or subtrochanteric osteotomy both can
      effectively treat Crowe type IV DDH. THA with subtrochanteric osteotomy has an
      advantage in correcting lower limb discrepancy.

PMID- 26477157
TI  - [MINIMALLY INVASIVE PROCEDURE FOR CORRECTION OF PECTUS CARINATUM].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the method and experience in correction of pectus carinatum
      with minimally invasive procedure. METHODS: Between June 2010 and January 2014,
      30 patients with pectus carinatum were corrected by minimally invasive procedure.
      There were 21 boys and 9 girls whose average age was 13 years and 2 months
      (range, from 8 years and 10 months to 18 years and 9 months), including 24 cases
      of first operation, 2 recurrence after traditional pectus carinatum correction,
      and 4 cases secondary to median thoracotomy. Thirty patients had symmetric and
      asymmetric mild pectus carinatum. RESULTS: The operation was performed
      successfully in all patients, and no severe complication occurred. The operation
      time was 42-95 minutes (mean, 70 minutes). The bleeding volume during operation
      was 4-30 mL (mean, 10 mL). The time from operation to discharge was 6-10 days
      (mean, 7 days). The average time of follow-up was 25 months (range, 9-54 months).
      All surgical wound healed primarily with no infection. The X-ray films showed
      slight pneumothorax in 7 cases, and it was absorbed after 1 month without
      treatment. Loosening of internal fixation was found in 1 patient because of
      trauma at 6 months, and operation was performed again. The bar was removed at 2
      years in 21 patients. The patients had good thoracic contour and normal activity.
      CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive procedure for correction of pectus carinatum is
      safe and will get satisfactory effect in maintaining thoracic contour. It has
      also less trauma and shorter operation time.

PMID- 26477156
TI  - [RESEARCH PROGRESS OF OSTEOTOMY IN TOTAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY TO TREAT CROWE TYPE IV
      DEVELOPMENTAL DYSPLASIA OF THE HIP].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To summarize the methods and complications of osteotomy in total hip
      arthroplasty (THA) to treat Crowe type IV developmental dysplasia of the hip
      (DDH) so as to provide the reference for selection of surgical procedures.
      METHODS: The literature concerning THA for DDH was reviewed, and the
      effectiveness and complications were summarized in different methods. RESULTS: At
      present, four osteotomies are commonly used in DDH, including transtrochanteric
      osteotomy, subtrochanteric osteotomy, lesser trochanteric osteotomy, and distal
      femoral osteotomy. Transtrochanteric osteotomy and subtrochanteric osteotomy can
      effectively adjust leg length, correct femoral anteversion and avoid nerve
      injury, but transtrochanteric osteotomy may cause bone fracture and abductor
      injury. Lesser trochanteric osteotomy is scarcely used because of its poor
      effectiveness. Distal femoral osteotomy is usually used in patients with knee
      deformity. CONCLUSION: For patients with Crowe type IV DDH complicated by severe
      femoral dislocation and soft tissue spasm, subtrochanteric osteotomy should be
      selected, whereas it needs an associated standard focusing on how to select the
      osteotomy shape and length in subtrochanteric ostetomy, which needs an advanced
      research.

PMID- 26477158
TI  - [EVALUATION OF TWO-DIMENSION COMPUTER-AIDED SURGERY NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR LUMBAR
      PEDICLE SCREW FIXATION ON RECOMBINANT CT SECTION AFTER OPERATION].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the accuracy of the two-dimension computer-aided
      surgery navigation system in the lumbar pedicle screw fixation on recombinant CT
      section after operation. METHODS: Between February 2011 and April 2013, 218
      patients undergoing lumbar spinal pedicle screw fixation were divided into 2
      groups: two-dimension computer-aided surgery navigation system was used in 95
      cases (the navigation group) and X-ray fluoroscopy assistant technology in 123
      cases (the fluoroscopy assistant group). There was no significant difference in
      age, gender, and type of disease between 2 groups (P>0.05). The mean operating
      time, blood loss volume, and fluoroscopy times, and the one-time success rate of
      pedicle screw implant were observed. The sagittal screw angle (SSA), the
      relationship between the pedicle cortex and screw, the accuracy rate of pedicle
      screw, and the sagittal angle on both sides (SBA) were observed. RESULTS: A total
      of 504 screws were inserted in navigation group, 432 (85.7%) were inserted
      successfully at first time and 472 (85.7%) were inserted successfully at end
      time. A total of 656 screws were inserted in fluoroscopy assistant group, 474
      (72.3%) were successfully inserted at first time, and 563 (85.8%) were inserted
      successfully at end time. There were significant differences in the one-time
      success rate and final success rate of pedicle screw implant between 2 groups
      (chi2=30.19, P=0.00; chi2=18.16, P=0.00). There was no significant difference in
      the mean operating time and the blood loss volume of pedicle screw implant
      between 2 groups (t=0.88, P=0.38; t=1.47, P=0.14); but the fluoroscopy times of
      pedicle screw implant in navigation group 0.7?0.3 were significantly less than
      that in fluoroscopy assistant group 1.5 +/- 1.0 (t = -8.09, P = 0.00). The SSA
      and SBA in navigation group [(3.7 +/- 0.9)0 and (1.7 +/- 0.8)] were significantly
      less than those in fluoroscopy assistant group [ (6.0 +/- 1.7) degrees and (3.5
      +/- 1.6) degrees] (t = -26.92, P = 0.00; t = -22.49, P=0.00). CONCLUSION: The
      sagittal screw angle and accuracy of pedicle screw implant can be significantly
      improved using the two-dimension computer-aided surgery navigation system in
      lumbar posterior fixation.

PMID- 26477159
TI  - [APPLICATION OF WRIST CREASE ISLAND FLAP BASED ON THE SUPERFICIAL PALMAR BRANCH
      OF THE RADIAL ARTERY FOR THUMB RECONSTRUCTION].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of the island flaps based on the
      superficial palmar branch of the radial artery (SPBRA) to repair the thumb wound.
      METHODS: Between February 2012 and November 2013, 8 cases of thumb defects and
      bilateral artery defect were treated. There were 5 males and 3 females with an
      average age of 30.5 years (range, 19-51 years). The injury was caused by crush (4
      cases), avulsion (3 cases), and twist (1 case). The injury located at the
      metacarpophalangeal joints in 3 cases, at the proximal palmar side in 2 cases,
      and at the interphalangeal joints in 3 cases. The defect size ranged from 3.5 cm
      x 1.5 cm to 6.5 cm x 2.0 cm. The digital artery defect was 2.5-8.5 cm (mean, 5.3
      cm). The disease duration was 2.0-4.5 hours (mean, 3.2 hours). The reversed
      island flaps based on the SPBRA were designed, which size was 4.0 cm x 2.0 cm to
      7.5 cm x 3.0 cm. The donor sites were closed directly. RESULTS: The operation was
      successfully completed in 7 patients except 1 patient having vascular variation.
      All flaps survived completely. Wound and incision at the donor site healed by
      first intention. All patients were followed up 6-18 months (mean, 13 months). The
      flaps had similar color and texture to adjacent skin. Linear scar was seen at the
      donor site in 1 patient, with no functional limitation. According to the
      functional assessment criteria of upper limb by the Hand Surgery Branch of
      Chinese Medical Association, the results were excellent in 6 cases, good in 1
      case, and fair in 1 case, with an excellent and good rate of 87.5%. CONCLUSION:
      The reversed island flap based on the SPBRA is an ideal flap for the thumb
      reconstruction because the advantages of reliable blood supply, easy dissection,
      less injury at donor site, and good repair results.

PMID- 26477160
TI  - [SEQUENTIAL THERAPY OF VACUUM SEALING DRAINAGE AND PEDICLED FLAP TRANSPLANTATION
      FOR CHILDREN WITH MOTORCYCLE SPOKE HEEL INJURY].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics of motorcycle spoke heel
      injury and the effectiveness of sequential therapy of vacuum sealing drainage
      (VSD) and pedicled flap transplantation for treating motorcycle spoke heel injury
      in children. METHODS: Between January 2010 and January 2014, 15 children (aged
      from 3 to 8 years, 5.7 years on average) with motorcycle spoke heel injury
      received sequential therapy of VSD and pedicled flap transplantation. The
      interval from injury to admission was 3-7 days, with an average of 4.9 days. The
      locations were the heel in 8 cases, the heel and lateral malleolus in 2 cases,
      and the medial malleolus and medial heel in 4 cases, and the medial and lateral
      malleolus and heel in 1 case. The patients had different degrees of defects of
      the skin, tendon, and bone. The skin defect size ranged from 3 cm x 3 cm to 13 cm
      x 6 cm. VSD was applied for twice in 13 cases and three times in 2 cases.
      Reversed flow sural flap was applied in 8 cases, lateral supramalleolar flap in 2
      cases, medial supramalleolar perforator-based flaps in 4 cases, and posterior
      tibial artery flap in 1 case. Eight pedicled flaps with neuroanastomosis were
      selected according to the wound characteristics. The flap size ranged from 4 cm x
      4 cm to 14 cm x 7 cm. RESULTS: Of 15 cases, 13 flaps survived well except that
      two had partial skin necrosis at the distal site. Primary healing was obtained,
      and skin graft at donor site survived. The patients were followed up 9-21 months
      (mean, 13 months). Mild and moderate bulky flaps were observed in 9 cases and 6
      cases respectively. Of 15 cases, 13 could walk with weight loading, and 2 had
      slight limping. Superficial sensation recovered to S3 in 8 patients undergoing
      neuroanastomosis, and recovered to S2 in 7 patients not undergoing
      neuroanastomosis at 6 months after operation. According to AOFAS evaluation
      system for Ankle-Hindfoot, the results were excellent in 13 cases and good in 2
      cases, with an excellent and good rate of 100% at 8 months after operation.
      CONCLUSION: The main characteristic of motorcycle spoke heel injury lies in a
      combination of high energy damage and thermal damage. Sequential therapy of VSD
      and pedicled flap transplantation can be regarded as a reliable option to obtain
      good outcome of wound healing and satisfactory functional recovery for the
      management of motorcycle spoke heel injury.

PMID- 26477161
TI  - [REACTION OF HUMAN FIBROBLASTS FROM DIFFERENT SITES TO THE MECHANICAL STRESS].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the reaction of normal skin fibroblasts from different
      sites of human body to cyclic stretch. METHODS: The normal skin tissues from
      scapular upper back and medial side of upper arm of 3 patients were cultured in
      vitro. Fibroblasts of experimental group were loaded by cyclic stretch with 10%
      amplitude for 24, 36, and 48 hours respectively. Fibroblasts of control group
      were cultured without cyclic stretch. The morphologic changes were observed using
      inverted microscope. CCK-8 method was used to detect the proliferation of the
      fibroblasts. The expressions of integrin beta1 mRNA, p130Crk-associated substance
      (P130Cas) mRNA, transform growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) mRNA, and collagen type
      I alpha1 chain (COL1A1) mRNA were detected by real-time quantitative PCR. The
      protein levels of collagen type I and TGF-beta1 were detected by ELISA. RESULTS:
      The cultured cells showed a significantly increased cell proliferation ability,
      and apparent orientation after the applied strain. The proliferation activity,
      mRNA expression levels of integrin beta1, P130Cas, and TGF-beta1, protein levels
      of TGF-beta1 in back skin were significantly higher than those in arm skin
      (P<0.05) when the fibroblasts were loaded for 36 and 48 hours, but no significant
      difference between back skin and arm skin at 24 hours (P>0.05). There was no
      significant difference in mRNA expression level of COL1A1 and protein level of
      collagen type I between back skin and arm skin at 24, 36, and 48 hours (P>0.05).
      There was no significant difference in all above indexes between back skin and
      arm skin in control group (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Fibroblasts from scapular upper
      back and medial side of upper arm display different reactions to cyclic stretch,
      which indicates that there exists site difference in the reactions of fibroblasts
      to cyclic stretch. It might be related with the incidence of hypertrophic scar in
      different sites of the body.

PMID- 26477162
TI  - [EFFECT OF RECOMBINANT ADENOVIRUS-BONE MORPHOGENETIC PROTEIN 12 TRANSFECTION ON
      DIFFERENTIATION OF PERIPHERAL BLOOD MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS INTO TENDON/LIGAMENT
      CELLS].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To research the effect of recombinant adenovirus-bone morphogenetic
      protein 12 (Ad-BMP-12) transfection on the differentiation of peripheral blood
      mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into tendon/ligament cells. METHODS: Peripheral
      blood MSCs were isolated from New Zealand rabbits (3-4 months old) and cultured
      in vitro until passage 3. The recombinant adenoviral vector system was prepared
      using AdEasy system, then transfected into MSCs at passage 3 (transfected group);
      untransfected MSCs served as control (untransfected group). The morphological
      characteristics and growth of transfected cells were observed under inverted
      phase contrast microscope. The transfection efficiency and green fluorescent
      protein (GFP) expression were detected by flow cytometry (FCM) and fluorescence
      microscopy. After cultured for 14 days in vitro, the expressions of
      tendon/ligament-specific markers were determined by immunohistochemistry and real
      time fluorescent quantitative PCR. RESULTS: GFP expression could be observed in
      peripheral blood MSCs at 8 hours after transfection. At 24 hours after
      transfection, the cells had clear morphology and grew slowly under inverted phase
      contrast microscope and almost all expressed GFP at the same field under
      fluorescence microscopy. FCM analysis showed that the transfection efficiency of
      the transfected group was 99.57%, while it was 2.46% in the untransfected group.
      The immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of collagen type I gradually
      increased with culture time in vitro. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR
      results showed that the mRNA expressions of the tendon/ligament-specific genes
      (Tenomodulin, Tenascin-C, and Decorin) in the transfected group were
      significantly higher than those in untransfected group (0.061+/- 0.013 vs. 0.004
      +/- 0.002, t = -7.700, P=0.031; 0.029 +/- 0.008 vs. 0.003 +/- 0.001, t = -5.741,
      P=0.020; 0.679 +/- 0.067 vs. 0.142 +/- 0.024, t = -12.998, P=0.000). CONCLUSION:
      Ad-BMP-12 can significantly promote differentiation of peripheral blood MSCs into
      tendon/ligament fibroblasts and enhance the expressions of tendon/ligament
      specific phenotypic differentiation, which would provide the evidence for
      peripheral blood MSCs applied for tendon/ligament regeneration.

PMID- 26477163
TI  - [INDUCTING DIFFERENTIATION EFFECT OF SCIATIC NERVE EXTRACTS ON RABBIT ADIPOSE
      DERIVED STEM CELLS IN VITRO].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the inducting differentiation effect of the sciatic nerve
      extracts on rabbit adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) in vitro. METHODS: The
      ADSCs were isolated from 2 healthy 4-month-old New Zealand rabbits (weighing, 2.0
      2.5 kg) and cultured to passage 3, which were pretreated with 10 ng/mL basic
      fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) for 24 hours before induction. Then the induction
      media containing the extracts of normal sciatic nerve (group B) and injured
      sciatic nerve at 3, 7, and 14 days (group C, group D, and group E) were used, and
      D-Hank was used in group A as blank control group. The morphological changes of
      the cells were observed. At 7 days of induction, the gene expressions of neuron
      specific enolase (NSE), nestin (NES), and S-100 were detected by real-time
      fluorescent quantitative PCR. The S-100 protein expression was tested by
      immunocytochemical staining. RESULTS: At 4 days after induction, some ADSCs of
      groups C, D, and E showed the morphology of Schwann-like cells or neuron-like
      cells, the change of group D was more obvious; and the ADSCs of group A and B had
      no obvious change, which were still spindle. The S-100 immunocytochemical
      staining showed positive expression in groups C, D, and E (more obvious in group
      D) and negative expression in groups A and B. The gene expression of S-100
      displayed time-dependent increases in groups C and D, which was significantly
      higher than that of groups A, B, and E (P<0.05), but no significant difference
      was found between groups C and D (P>0.05). The gene expression of NSE showed the
      same tendency to S-100, which reached the peak in group D; the gene expression of
      NSE in groups D and E was significantly higher than that of groups A, B, and C
      (P<0.05), and groups D and E showed significant difference (P<0.05). However, the
      gene expression of Nestin showed no significant difference among different groups
      (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The ADSCs can be induced to differentiate into Schwann-like
      cells or neuron-like cells with sciatic nerve extracts; and the early stage (3-7
      days) after injury is the best time for stem cell transplantation.

PMID- 26477164
TI  - [ISOLATION, CULTURE AND IDENTIFICATION OF CARTILAGE DERIVED STEM CELLS FROM THREE
      SUBTYPES OF CARTILAGES].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To isolate and culture cartilage derived stem cells from different
      subtypes of cartilages, and to identify their characteristics. METHODS: Cartilage
      derived stem cells were isolated from different subtypes of cartilages (auricle
      cartilage, articular cartilage, and intervertebral cartilage) by using adhesive
      method of fibronectin. The expressions of positive surface markers (CD29 and
      CD90) and negative surface markers (CD34 and CD45) in cartilage derived stem
      cells were detected via flow cytometry. The single cell colony-forming efficiency
      of cartilage derived stem cells was determined by clonal formation unit test; the
      multipotent differentiation capacity was identified by chondrogensis,
      osteogenesis, and adipogenesis induction. RT-PCR was used to test the expression
      of osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic genes; and bone marrow mesenchymal
      stem cells (BMSCs) served as control. RESULTS: Three cell populations were
      successfully isolated from different subtypes of cartilages, which could express
      CD29 and CD 90 highly, but did not express CD34 and CD45. After 2 weeks of
      culture, single cartilage derived stem cell could form single cell colony. In
      addition, cartilage derived stem cells had high chondrogenesis, osteogenesis, and
      adipogenesis potentials. After osteogenic induction, the expressions of collagen
      type I and collagen type X in articular and intervertebral cartilage stem cells
      were significantly higher than those in BMSCs (P<0.05), while there was no
      significant difference between auricular cartilage stem cells and BMSCs (P>0.05).
      The expressions of Aggrecan and collagen type II in cartilage derived stem cells
      after chondrogenic induction were significantly higher than those in BMSCs
      (P<0.05). While the ability of adipogenic differentiation was lower than that in
      BMSCs, but no significant difference was found (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Cartilage
      derived stem cells in different subtypes of cartilages possess typical
      characteristics of stem cells.

PMID- 26477165
TI  - [EFFECT OF VITAMIN C ON APOPTOSIS OF NUCLEUS PULPOSUS CELLS INDUCED BY TUMOR
      NECROSIS FACTOR a AND SERUM DEPRIVATION].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of Vitamin C (Vit C) on the apoptosis of human
      nucleus pulposus (NP) cells induced by tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-alpha) and
      serum deprivation. METHODS: The NP cells were isolated from patients undergoing
      spine corrective operation by collagenase trypsin. The experiment was divided
      into 3 groups: Vit C group (group A), TNF-alpha group (group B), and serum
      deprivation group (group C). Group A was reassigned to Al subgroup (basic
      medium), A2 subgroup (100 pg/mL Vit C), and A3 subgroup (200 pg/mL Vit C). Group
      B was reassigned to B0 subgroup (control group), Bi subgroup (100 ng/mL TNF
      alpha), B2 subgroup (100 microg/mL Vit C+100 ng/mL TNF-alpha), and B3 subgroup
      (200 microg/mL Vit C+100 ng/mL TNF-alpha). Group C was reassigned to C0 subgroup
      (Control group), C1 subgroup (2% FBS), C2 subgroup (2% FBS+100 microg/mL Vit C),
      and C3 subgroup (2% FBS+200 microg/mL Vit C). After application of 100 pg/mL or
      200 microg/mL Vit C for 24 hours, NP cells were stimulated by TNF-alpha and serum
      deprivation, then the apoptosis rate of NP cells was detected by a flow
      cytometry, and the gene expressions of the extracellular matrix of NP cells
      (collagen type I, collagen type II, aggrecan, and Sox9) and apoptosis related
      genes (p53, FAS, and Caspase 3) were detected by real-time fluoroscent
      quantitative PCR. Results Group A: Vit C could significantly reduce the apoptosis
      rate and gene expressions of p53, FAS, and Caspase 3 of NP cells in A2 and A3
      subgroups when compared with Al subgroup (P<0.05), but there was no significant
      difference between A2 subgroup and A3 subgroup (P>0.05); Vit C could promote the
      expressions of the extracellular matrix (collagen type I, collagen type II,
      aggrecan, and Sox9) of NP cells in a concentration dependent manner (P<0.05).
      Group B: TNF-alpha significantly increased the apoptosis rate and the gene
      expressions of p53, FAS, and Caspase 3 in B1 subgroup when compared with B0
      subgroup (P<0.05); however, Vit C significantly increased the apoptosis rate and
      the gene expressions in B2 subgroup, and significantly decreased them in B3
      subgroup when compared with B1 subgroup (P<0.05). Group C: 2% FBS significantly
      increased the apoptosis rate of NP cells and significantly reduced the gene
      expressions of p53, FAS, and Caspase 3 in C1 subgroup when compared with C0
      subgroup (P<0.05); Vit C could significantly reduce the apoptosis rate and gene
      expressions of p53, FAS, and Caspase 3 in C3 subgroup, but it could significantly
      increase them in C2 subgroup when compared with C1 subgroup (P<0.05). CONCLUSION:
      Vit C can promote the synthesis and secretion of extracellular matrix of NP
      cells. 200 microg/mL Vit C may delay the apoptosis induced by TNF-alpha and serum
      deprivation, indicating the potential therapeutic effect of Vit C on
      intervertebral disc degeneration.

PMID- 26477166
TI  - [DEVELOPMENT AND CHALLENGES OF ANNULUS FIBROSUS TISSUE ENGINEERING].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the biomaterial and clinical prospects of annulus tibrosus
      tissue engineering. METHODS: The recent literature concerning annulus fibrosus
      tissue engineering, including cell source, bioactive molecules, and biomaterial
      was extensively reviewed and summarized. RESULTS: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)
      is an ideal seed cells. When annulus fibrosus cells and MSCs in the ratio of 2:1
      are cultured, it shows the closest mRNA expression levels of annulus fibrosus
      related markers. Bioactive molecules can be divided into 4 types: growth factors,
      morphogens, catabolic enzyme inhibitors, and intracellular regulators. They play
      an active role in promoting the synthesis of extracellular matrix, and
      maintaining intervertebral disc homeostasis and a balance between anabolic- and
      catabolic process in the disc. Based on the source, biological materials can be
      divided into natural materials, synthetic materials, and composite materials. The
      mechanical properties of the annulus fibrosus is an important basis for material
      design. Up to now, none of these scaffold materials is accepted as the most
      suitable one. The selection of scaffold materials is still to be further studied.
      The development of novel composite biomaterials is a trend. CONCLUSION: The
      annulus fibrosus tissue engineering for the anulus fibrosus regeneration and
      repair will bring very broad prospects for clinical application in future.

PMID- 26477167
TI  - [ROLE OF STEM CELL NICHES IN MAINTAINING CARDIAC STEM CELLS HOMEOSTASIS].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the role of stem cell niches in maintaining cardiac stem
      cells homeostasis, and to foresee its prospects. METHODS: The literature on
      cardiac stem cells niches was extensively reviewed. The roles of stem cell niches
      components, extracellular matrix, and secretory factors in maintaining cardiac
      stem cell homeostasis were analysed and reviewed. RESULTS: Lots of experiments
      reveal that stem cell niches are able to delay the aging of cardiac stem cells,
      protect from external damage, keep stem properties, and improve the purity and
      quantity. However, the mechanism is not fully understood. CONCLUSION: The stem
      cell niches have a very bright application prospect in homeostasis, purification,
      and amplification for the cardiac stem cells, and it needs further study.

PMID- 26477168
TI  - [PROGRESS OF ALGINATE DERIVATIVES BASED ON BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To summarize the current research status of alginate derivatives based
      on biomedical materials, and analyze several key points as novel clinical
      products. METHODS: The general preparation and application methods of alginate
      derivatives based on biomedical materials at home and abroad were reviewed. The
      present status and problems were analyzed. RESULTS: The derivation methods to
      prepare alginate derivatives include crosslink, sulfation, biological factors
      derivatization, hydrophobic modification, and graft copolymerization. With
      excellent bionic performance of structure and properties, many alginate
      derivatives are available for tissue engineering scaffolds, artificial organs,
      and drug delivery systems etc. However, more systematic applied basic research
      data should be collected and statistically analyzed for risk managements.
      CONCLUSION: Alginate derivatives have good feasibility as novel medical products,
      meanwhile, systematic evaluation and verification should be executed for their
      safety, effectiveness, and suitability.

PMID- 26477169
TI  - [RESEARCH PROGRESS OF DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF HANGMAN FRACTURE].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the research progress of the diagnosis and treatment of
      Hangman fracture. METHODS: The original articles about the diagnosis and
      treatment of Hangman fracture were extensively reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS:
      Not only X-ray, but also MRI and CT scans are necessory for the diagnosis and
      assessment of Hangman fractures. The treatment of unstable Hangman fracture
      included posterior C2, C3 fixation, anterior C2, C3 fixation, and anterior C2, C3
      fixation combined with posterior C2 pedicle screw fixation. The anterior surgical
      fixation is used by the anterior retropharyngeal approach or subaxial anterior
      approach, and it has the advantages of directly resecting the injured C2, C3
      discs, getting a satisfactory cervical spine alignment, and avoiding the
      postoperative axial pain. However, posterior surgical fixation using C2 pedicle
      screw has the risks of neurovascular injuries. CONCLUSION: The surgical technique
      of Hangman fracture should be determined based on the patient's injury and
      surgeon's experience. Randomized control trials of different surgical techniques
      should be performed.

PMID- 26477170
TI  - "Training more nurses is only answer to crisis".

PMID- 26477171
TI  - Trusts lose their overseas recruits.

PMID- 26477172
TI  - Ex-CNO calls for commitment on staff levels.

PMID- 26477173
TI  - NHS faces wave of criticism over spiralling agency staff bill.

PMID- 26477174
TI  - Trust warned about nurse shortage.

PMID- 26477175
TI  - Midlands trust pilots dementia patient booklet.

PMID- 26477176
TI  - Government pushes ahead with plans that may see NMC fee rise.

PMID- 26477177
TI  - Talking to nurse during surgery calms patients.

PMID- 26477179
TI  - "Consider the excellence of daily care to be inspirational".

PMID- 26477178
TI  - "Well intended, but five year view omits majority of nurses".

PMID- 26477180
TI  - Leadership philosophy of care home managers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Care home managers have a significant influence on staff morale and
      care delivery. Training methods underpinned by transformational leadership theory
      (TLT) have been used successfully to develop leaders in healthcare services. AIM:
      The aim of this preliminary study was to establish which aspects of TLT were
      apparent in care home managers' philosophies of leadership. METHOD: A qualitative
      research design was used and 25 care home managers in the north-east of England
      took part. Participants were asked to provide their philosophies of leadership by
      completing a questionnaire; a thematic analysis of the responses was then
      conducted. RESULTS: Development of philosophy, enablement and interpersonal
      impact emerged as key themes. DISCUSSION: The findings suggested that elements of
      TLT were apparent in the participants' philosophies of leadership. However, the
      importance of gaining the support of senior management when attempting to apply a
      philosophy of eadership in practice was lacking. CONCLUSION: Aspects of TLT, such
      as supporting frontline employees to engage in education and establishing trust,
      were embedded in care home managers' philosophies. To develop leadership skills,
      managers may benefit from training programmes that involve both structured
      teaching and guided learning through experience.

PMID- 26477181
TI  - Managing and treating chronic kidney disease.
AB  - Chronic kidney disease is a long-term condition that commonly exists with other
      conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and heart failure. The majority of
      people with CKD are managed in the community by a GP and community nursing team
      rather than a nephrologist. This article provides an overview of its stages,
      management and treatment.

PMID- 26477182
TI  - A strategy for maintaining student wellbeing.
AB  - Pre-registration nursing programmes place many challenges on students and these
      can affect their health and wellbeing. The wellness recovery action plan (WRAP)
      is a strengths-focused technique to reduce stress and improve health and
      wellbeing that was initially used in mental health care. This article discusses
      the potential for using WRAPs to support student nurses, as well as those
      studying other health professions. They can be used to enhance students'
      educational and clinical self-awareness, reduce anxiety and vulnerability, and
      enhance resilience, enabling them to cope more effectively with educational and
      personal challenges.

PMID- 26477183
TI  - Adherence to CPAP in obstructive sleep apnoea.

PMID- 26477184
TI  - 60 seconds with Angela Reed-Fox.

PMID- 26477185
TI  - Big change from small ideas.

PMID- 26477186
TI  - CMS building its own Superbowl.

PMID- 26477187
TI  - And in the 15th year....

PMID- 26477188
TI  - Collaboration, focus drive transplant success rate at Northwest Kidney Centers.
AB  - The first step toward creating a successful transplant culture like we have in
      Seattle is having leaders who understand that transplant truly is the best option
      for certain patients. A dialysis organization must create infrastructure that
      addresses patients' needs before, during and after transplant. Patient education
      and IDT involvement are essential. And working in collaboration with local
      transplant programs, other health care providers and community partners can
      propel such an initiative to success.

PMID- 26477189
TI  - Survival comparison of daily home hemodialysis vs. conventional in the nursing
      home setting.
AB  - Nursing home patients on dialysis are higher-acuity compared to the broader end
      stage renal disease population, and historically have poor outcomes. The
      objective of this epidemiological study was to compare outcomes in ESRD patients
      in the nursing home setting treated with daily home hemodialysis versus
      conventional three-day-a-week hemodialysis. Health status was evaluated for 3,919
      patients (n=3391 conventional, n=528 daily home dialysis; April 2007 to June 2013
      for conventional; April 2011 to June 2013 for daily home hemodialysis). Analyses
      included monthly mortality rates, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and laboratory
      values. Results showed monthly mortality rates were consistently lower in the
      daily home hemodialysis population over the same time period vs. conventional
      dialysis care. In the incident three months of treatment, annualized monthly
      mortality rates were 70%, 72%, and 64% in the conventional dialysis population
      vs. 50%, 24%, and 17% in the daily home population. Patients treated with daily
      home dialysis had generally similar or higher albumin and hemoglobin values and
      lower ferritin values over the same time period. Patients treated with daily home
      hemodialysis had lower monthly mortality rates and generally improved health
      status compared to patients treated with conventional dialysis. The results of
      this study are provocative and should be evaluated in a prospective study.

PMID- 26477190
TI  - CMOs look at need for blood cultures before prescribing antibiotics.

PMID- 26477191
TI  - Five easy steps to ensure patients are prepared for emergencies.

PMID- 26477194
TI  - The elephant in the room: Violence in the workplace.

PMID- 26477195
TI  - Technologies of stage magic: Simulation and dissimulation.
AB  - The craft of stage magic is presented in this article as a site to study the
      interplay of people and technology. The focus is on conjuring in the 19th and
      early 20th centuries, a time when magicians eagerly appropriated new optical,
      mechanical and electrical technologies into their acts. Also at this time, a
      modern style of conjuring emerged, characterized by minimal apparatus and a
      natural manner of performance. Applying Lucy Suchman's perspective of human
      machine reconfigurations, conjuring in this modern style is interpreted as an
      early form of simulation, coupled with techniques of dissimulation. Magicians
      simulated the presence of supernational agency for public audiences, while
      dissimulating the underlying methods and mechanisms. Dissimulation implies that
      the secret inner workings of apparatus were not simply concealed but were
      rendered absent. This, in turn, obscured the production of supernatural effects
      in the translation of agencies within an assembly of performers, assistants,
      apparatus, apparatus-builders, and so on. How this was achieved is investigated
      through an analysis of key instructional texts written by and for magicians
      working in the modern style. Techniques of dissimulation are identified in the
      design of apparatus for three stage illusions, and in the new naturalness of the
      performer's manner. To explore the significance of this picture of stage magic,
      and its reliance on techniques of dissimulation, a parallel is drawn between
      conjuring and recent performances of computerized life forms, especially those of
      social robotics. The paper concludes by considering what is revealed about the
      production of agency in stage magic's peculiar human-machine assemblies.

PMID- 26477196
TI  - Trading twitter: Amateur recorders and economies of scientific exchange at the
      Cornell Library of Natural Sounds.
AB  - Scientists have long engaged in collaborations with field collectors, but how are
      such collaborations established and maintained? This article examines structures
      of collaborative data collection between professional scientists and various
      field recorders around the Cornell Library of Natural Sounds. The Library
      collects animal sound recordings for use in education, preservation, and
      entertainment, but primarily in the scientific field of bio-acoustics. Since
      1945, the Library has enlisted academic researchers, commercial recorders and
      broadcasters (such as the British Broadcasting Corporation), and amateur sound
      hunters in its expansion. I argue that the Cornell Library of Natural Sounds
      managed to craft and sustain a crucial network of contributors through creative
      and strategic brokering with its collection of recordings/data. Drawing on
      notions from exchange theory, I show that sound recordings were valued not just
      as scientific data, but also as copyrighted commodities that could be bought,
      sold, traded, and converted in a range of economic, social, and symbolic capitals
      within collaborators' respective social fields. Thus, aligning collaborators'
      interests, these exchange relations enabled the Cornell Library of Natural Sounds
      to negotiate amateur recorders' reliability, willingness to share work, and
      commitment to scientific standards, as well as the bonds that solidified their
      collaboration with the Cornell Library of Natural Sounds. Attending to the micro
      economics of data exchange, this article thus brings into perspective the multi
      dimensional processes through which data-flows are managed.

PMID- 26477197
TI  - Crafting the group: Care in research management.
AB  - This article reports findings from an interview study with group leaders and
      principal investigators in Denmark, the United Kingdom and the United States.
      Taking as our starting point current interest in the need to enhance 'responsible
      research and innovation', we suggest that these debates can be developed through
      attention to the talk and practices of scientists. Specifically, we chart the
      ways in which interview talk represented research management and leadership as
      processes of caring craftwork. Interviewees framed the group as the primary focus
      of their attention (and responsibilities), and as something to be tended and
      crafted; further, this process required a set of affective skills deployed
      flexibly in response to the needs of individuals. Through exploring the presence
      of notions of care in the talk of principal investigators and group leaders, we
      discuss the relation between care and craft, reflect on the potential
      implications of the promotion of a culture of care and suggest how mundane
      scientific understandings of responsibility might relate to a wider discussion of
      responsible research and innovation.

PMID- 26477198
TI  - The little death: Rigoni-Stern and the problem of sex and cancer in 20th-century
      biomedical research.
AB  - Approaches to the organization and conduct of cancer research changed
      dramatically throughout the 20th century. Despite marked differences between the
      epidemiological approaches of the first half of the century and molecular
      techniques that gained dominance in the 1980s, prominent 20th-century researchers
      investigating the link between sexual activity and anogenital cancers
      continuously invoked the same 1842 treatise by Italian surgeon Domenico Rigoni
      Stern, who is said to originate the problem of establishing a causal link between
      sex and cancer. In this article, I investigate 20th-century references to Rigoni
      Stern as a case of a broader phenomenon: scientists situating their work through
      narratives of venerated ancestors, or originators. By explaining shifting
      versions of originator narratives in light of their authors' cultural context and
      research practices, we can reimagine as meaningful cultural symbols the
      references that previous scholars have treated as specious rhetorical maneuvers.
      In this case, references to Rigoni-Stern provide an interpretive anchor for
      American scientists to construct continuity between their work and a diverse
      historical legacy of cancer research.

PMID- 26477199
TI  - Formalization and separation: A systematic basis for interpreting approaches to
      summarizing science for climate policy.
AB  - In studies of environmental issues, the question of how to establish a productive
      interplay between science and policy is widely debated, especially in relation to
      climate change. The aim of this article is to advance this discussion and
      contribute to a better understanding of how science is summarized for policy
      purposes by bringing together two academic discussions that usually take place in
      parallel: the question of how to deal with formalization (structuring the
      procedures for assessing and summarizing research, e.g. by protocols) and
      separation (maintaining a boundary between science and policy in processes of
      synthesizing science for policy). Combining the two dimensions, we draw a diagram
      onto which different initiatives can be mapped. A high degree of formalization
      and separation are key components of the canonical image of scientific practice.
      Influential Science and Technology Studies analysts, however, are well known for
      their critiques of attempts at separation and formalization. Three examples that
      summarize research for policy purposes are presented and mapped onto the diagram:
      the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the European Union's Science for
      Environment Policy initiative, and the UK Committee on Climate Change. These
      examples bring out salient differences concerning how formalization and
      separation are dealt with. Discussing the space opened up by the diagram, as well
      as the limitations of the attraction to its endpoints, we argue that policy
      analyses, including much Science and Technology Studies work, are in need of a
      more nuanced understanding of the two crucial dimensions of formalization and
      separation. Accordingly, two analytical claims are presented, concerning
      trajectories, how organizations represented in the diagram move over time, and
      mismatches, how organizations fail to handle the two dimensions well in practice.

PMID- 26477200
TI  - Ontological turns, turnoffs and roundabouts.
AB  - There has been much talk of an 'ontological turn' in Science and Technology
      Studies. This commentary explores some recent work on multiple and historical
      ontologies, especially articles published in this journal, against a background
      of constructivism. It can be tempting to read an ontological turn as based and
      promoting a version of perspectivism, but that is inadequate to the scholarly
      work and opens multiple ontologies to serious criticisms. Instead, we should read
      our ontological turn or turns as being about multiplicities of practices and the
      ways in which these practices shape the material world. Ontologies arise out of
      practices through which people engage with things; the practices are fundamental
      and the ontologies derivative. The purchase in this move comes from the
      elucidating power of the verbs that scholars use to analyze relations of
      practices and objects--which turn out to be specific cases of constructivist
      verbs. The difference between this ontological turn and constructivist work in
      Science and Technology Studies appears to be a matter of emphases found useful
      for different purposes.

PMID- 26477201
TI  - Performing ontology.
AB  - Ontology, and in particular, the so-called ontological turn, is the topic of a
      recent themed issue of Social Studies of Science (Volume 43, Issue 3, 2013).
      Ontology, or metaphysics, is in philosophy concerned with what there is, how it
      is, and forms of being. But to what is the science and technology studies
      researcher turning when he or she talks of ontology? It is argued that it is
      unclear what is gained by arguing that ontology also refers to constructed
      elements. The 'ontological turn' comes with the risk of creating a pseudo-debate
      or pseudo-activity, in which energy is used for no end, at the expense of
      empirical studies. This text rebuts the idea of an ontological turn as
      foreshadowed in the texts of the themed issue. It argues that there is no
      fundamental qualitative difference between the ontological turn and what we know
      as constructivism.

PMID- 26477202
TI  - Stuck with/in a 'turn': Can we metaphorize better in Science and Technology
      Studies?
AB  - This contribution encourages loosening the cast-iron mould of the 'turn' metaphor
      that the practices of general and ontology-related turn-talking/making in Science
      and Technology Studies forge and fortify. Could framing novel themes and thinking
      in terms of 'turn' be as good as fettering? Not specific to the 'ontological
      turn' or 'turn to ontology', but haunting Science and Technology Studies across
      the board to signify supposed tidal change, the metaphor warrants dissection.
      Thus, this commentary expounds four distinct yet not unrelated versions of 'turn'
      -rotation, change of course/direction, change in general and occasion/opportunity
      to act--together with the worlds they beget. Then, the operation of these 'turns'
      in the debates on the 'ontological turn' is pursued. Enactments of the first
      three modes/moulds of 'turn', all entailing and tainted by the inexorable
      directedness of change the coupled 'turn to' framing imparts, either debunk or
      qualify the extent of the professed 'turn', with the effect of betraying its
      conceptual and methodological offerings. The fourth version, less substitutable
      with 'turn to' and thus less infected by intransigent directedness, escapes the
      rigidity that diminishes the value of ontology-minded studies. Clear of either a
      resolution to the debate or an alternative trope to cure the maladies of 'turn',
      the conclusion wishes to open space for pondering how to metaphorize more
      consciously and judiciously evolution and innovation in Science and Technology
      Studies.

PMID- 26477203
TI  - Missing the (question) mark? What is a turn to ontology?
AB  - Our introductory essay in this journal's 2013 Special Issue on the 'turn to
      ontology' examined the shift from epistemology to ontology in science and
      technology studies and explored the implications of the notion of enactment.
      Three responses to that Special Issue argue that (I) there is no fundamental
      qualitative difference between the ontological turn and social constructivism,
      (2) we need to be wary of overly generic use of the term 'ontology' and (3) the
      language of 'turns' imposes constraints on the richness and diversity of science
      and technology studies. In this brief reply, we show how each of those critiques
      varies in its commitment to circumspection about making objective determinations
      of reality and to resisting reification. We illustrate our point by considering
      overlapping discussions in anthropology. This brings out the crucial difference
      between the science and technology studies slogan 'it could be otherwise' and the
      multinaturalist motto 'it actually is otherwise'.

PMID- 26477204
TI  - Prospecting for dinosaurs on the mining frontier: The value of information in
      America's Gilded Age.
AB  - How much is a dinosaur worth? This essay offers an account of the way vertebrate
      fossils were priced in late 19th-century America to explore the process by which
      monetary values are established in science. Examining a long and drawn-out
      negotiation over the sale of an unusually rich dinosaur quarry in Wyoming, I
      argue that, on their own, abstract market principles did not suffice to mediate
      between supply and demand. Rather, people haggling over the price of dinosaur
      bones looked to social norms from the mineral industry for cues on how to value
      these rare and unusual objects, adopting a set of negotiation tactics that
      exploited asymmetries in the distribution of scarce information to secure the
      better end of the deal. On the mining frontier in America's Gilded Age, dinosaurs
      were thus valued in much the same way as any other scarce natural resource one
      could dig out of the ground, including gold, silver, and coal.

PMID- 26477205
TI  - 'For men arousal is orientation': Bodily truthing, technosexual scripts, and the
      materialization of sexualities through the phallometric test.
AB  - We trace the history of the phallometric test--which measures erections of men
      exposed to visual erotic stimuli to characterize sexualities--in order to account
      for its functioning as a 'truthing technology'. On the basis of a content
      analysis of 410 key scientific journal article abstracts, we argue that since its
      invention in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s, phallometry has been employed within
      three distinct assemblages: as a test of predominance of sexual desire, as a test
      for therapeutic efficacy, and as a threshold test of sexual risk. Drawing on
      works of theorists of materialization and proponents of script theory, we argue
      that within each assemblage phallometric testing materializes male desire and
      renders it measurable via a 'technosexual script'. We consider the performative
      effects of phallometry in establishing scientific conceptions of normal and
      abnormal sexualities. At the same time, through attention to debates among
      practitioners and broader controversies surrounding the employment of
      phallometry, we examine the limits of researchers' abilities to establish the
      broader credibility of the test and capture the phenomenon of sexual desire. This
      analysis contributes to the study of truthing technologies (or 'truth machines')
      as a class, while also helping to build bridges between science and technology
      studies and sexuality studies.

PMID- 26477206
TI  - Organizing for ontological change: The kernel of an AIDS research infrastructure.
AB  - Is it possible to prepare and plan for emergent and changing objects of research?
      Members of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study have been investigating AIDS for
      over 30 years, and in that time, the disease has been repeatedly transformed.
      Over the years and across many changes, members have continued to study HIV
      disease while in the process regenerating an adaptable research organization. The
      key to sustaining this technoscientific flexibility has been what we call the
      kernel of a research infrastructure: ongoing efforts to maintain the availability
      of resources and services that may be brought to bear in the investigation of new
      objects. In the case of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, these resources are as
      follows: specimens and data, calibrated instruments, heterogeneous experts, and
      participating cohorts of gay and bisexual men. We track three ontological
      transformations, examining how members prepared for and responded to changes: the
      discovery of a novel retroviral agent (HIV), the ability to test for that agent,
      and the transition of the disease from fatal to chronic through pharmaceutical
      intervention. Respectively, we call the work, 'technologies', and techniques of
      adapting to these changes, 'repurposing', 'elaborating', and 'extending the
      kernel'.

PMID- 26477207
TI  - Thinking science with thinking machines: The multiple realities of basic and
      applied knowledge in a research border zone.
AB  - Some scholars dismiss the distinction between basic and applied science as passe,
      yet substantive assumptions about this boundary remain obdurate in research
      policy, popular rhetoric, the sociology and philosophy of science, and, indeed,
      at the level of bench practice. In this article, I draw on a multiple ontology
      framework to provide a more stable affirmation of a constructivist position in
      science and technology studies that cannot be reduced to a matter of competing
      perspectives on a single reality. The analysis is grounded in ethnographic
      research in the border zone of Artificial Intelligence science. I translate in
      situ moments in which members of neighboring but differently situated labs engage
      in three distinct repertoires that render the reality of basic and applied
      science: partitioning, flipping, and collapsing. While the essences of scientific
      objects are nowhere to be found, the boundary between basic and applied is
      neither illusion nor mere propaganda. Instead, distinctions among scientific
      knowledge are made real as a matter of course.

PMID- 26477208
TI  - Understanding policy research in liminal spaces: Think tank responses to
      diverging principles of legitimacy.
AB  - Research on scientific, social scientific, and technical knowledge is
      increasingly focused on changes in institutionalized fields, such as the
      commercialization of university-based knowledge. Much less is known about how
      organizations produce and promote knowledge in the 'thick boundaries' between
      fields. In this article, I draw on 53 semi-structured interviews with Canadian
      think-tank executives, researchers, research fellows, and communication officers
      to understand how think-tank knowledge work is linked to the liminal spaces
      between institutionalized fields. First, although think-tank knowledge work has a
      broadly utilitarian epistemic culture, there are important differences between
      organizations that see intellectual simplicity and political consistency as the
      most important marker of credibility, versus those that emphasize inconsistency.
      A second major difference is between think tanks that argue for the separation of
      research and communication strategies and those that conflate them from beginning
      to end, arguably subordinating research to demands from more powerful fields.
      Finally, think tanks display different degrees of instrumentalism toward the
      public sphere, with some seeking publicity as an end in itself and others using
      it as a means to influence elite or public opinion. Together, we can see these
      differences as responses to diverging principles of legitimacy.

PMID- 26477209
TI  - Tensions in agnotology: Normativity in the studies of commercially driven
      ignorance.
AB  - As scientific research moves increasingly to the private sector, the social
      organization of science undergoes important transformations. Focusing on the
      production of ignorance, agnotology has been a fruitful approach to understanding
      the social and epistemic consequences of the recent commercialization of
      scientific research. Despite their important contributions, scholars working on
      agnotology seem to hold implicit normative commitments that are in tension with
      their descriptive accounts of ignorance-constructive practices. The main aim of
      this article is to uncover these commitments and to expose the emerging tensions.
      Thus, this article begins an exploration into normative aspects of the studies of
      ignorance. In particular, it shows that agnotology still needs the support of a
      well-articulated normative approach capable of identifying and evaluating the
      epistemic and social concerns raised by the private funding and performance of
      science.

PMID- 26477210
TI  - Survey marks 25 years with rise in volume and open positions.

PMID- 26477211
TI  - Learn from hybrid OR experts at annual conference Town Hall.

PMID- 26477212
TI  - Hiding in plain sight: Surgical smoke threatens health of OR staff.

PMID- 26477213
TI  - New AAMI standard for endoscope reprocessing.

PMID- 26477214
TI  - Quality reports to determine pay rise or fall.

PMID- 26477215
TI  - Staffing at most ASCs stays stable despite recruitment challenges.

PMID- 26477216
TI  - Successful recruitment and retention of engaged employees--Part 1.

PMID- 26477217
TI  - Financial Incentives, Workplace Wellness Program Participation, and Utilization
      of Health Care Services and Spending.
AB  - This paper analyzes data from a large employer that enhanced financial incentives
      to encourage participation in its workplace wellness programs. It examines,
      first, the effect of financial incentives on wellness program participation, and
      second, it estimates the impact of wellness program participation on utilization
      of health care services and spending. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care
      Act of 2010 (PPACA) allows employers to provide financial incentives of as much
      as 30 percent of the total cost of coverage when tied to participation in a
      wellness program. Participation in health risk assessments (HRAs) increased by 50
      percentage points among members of unions that bargained in the incentive, and
      increased 22 percentage points among non-union employees. Participation in the
      biometric screening program increased 55 percentage points when financial
      incentives were provided. Biometric screenings led to an average increase of 0.31
      annual prescription drug fills, with related spending higher by $56 per member
      per year. Otherwise, no significant effects of participation in HRAs or biometric
      screenings on utilization of health care services and spending were found. The
      largest increase in medication utilization as a result of biometric screening was
      for statins, which are widely used to treat high cholesterol. This therapeutic
      class accounted for one-sixth of the overall increase in prescription drug
      utilization. Second were antidepressants, followed by ACE inhibitors (for
      hypertension), and thyroid hormones (for hypothyroidism). Biometric screening
      also led to significantly higher utilization of biologic response modifiers and
      immunosuppressants. These specialty medications are used to treat autoimmune
      diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, and are relatively
      expensive compared with non-specialty medications. The added spending associated
      with the combined increase in fills of 0.02 was $27 per member per year--about
      one-half of the overall increase in prescription drug spending from those who
      participated in biometric screenings.

PMID- 26477218
TI  - "I'll take competency over compassion.

PMID- 26477219
TI  - Student funding at centre of row.

PMID- 26477220
TI  - Workforce plan to train 23,000 new nurses in England by 2019.

PMID- 26477221
TI  - Care homes in staffing crisis as nurses leave to work in NHS.

PMID- 26477222
TI  - Key government target for new health visitors missed.

PMID- 26477224
TI  - Risks of urethral sling surgery methods differ.

PMID- 26477223
TI  - Mental health safe staffing guide 'lacks rigour and independence'.

PMID- 26477225
TI  - Red armbands show patients who's in charge of the ward.

PMID- 26477226
TI  - Reusable sharps bins linked to higher C Diff rate.

PMID- 26477227
TI  - Nurse-led general practice gains top rating from CQC inspectors.

PMID- 26477228
TI  - "Care practitioner role would reverse nursing staff shortage".

PMID- 26477229
TI  - "Frontline leadership model is the way forward to boost care".

PMID- 26477230
TI  - The nurse's role in patient nutrition and hydration.
AB  - Abstract Evans L, Best C (2015) Meeting patients' nutrition and hydration needs.
      The Nursing and Midwifery Council's new code was introduced in March 2015. For
      the first time, nutrition and hydration are mentioned specifically within the
      code. This article explores why this has become necessary and how nursing
      responsibility for the nutritional care of the patient has changed over the past
      150 years. It also looks in more depth at how the nutritional care can meet the
      standards of the code.

PMID- 26477231
TI  - Caring from a distance: the role of telehealth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Telehealth is used to help people manage their heath and maintain
      independence, but has proved difficult to integrate into routine practice. AIM:
      To explore the barriers to telehealth and find out what helps to improve its
      adoption among nursing staff. METHOD: Case studies were compiled from four
      community health services in the Yorkshire and Humber region that were using
      telehealth to monitor patients. The case studies used interviews with 84
      community nursing, technical and support staff, and 21 managers. Some 40
      telehealth users and 12 carers were also interviewed. RESULTS: Factors serving as
      barriers to the use of telehealth, including lack of planning, insufficient
      training, lack of time and technological problems. Factors encouraging uptake
      included giving nurses time to experiment with the technology, a clear service
      pathway, establishing telehealth champions to troubleshoot and disseminate
      information, and successful care using telehealth. DISCUSSION: Factors improving
      the adoption of telehealth in community nursing include: better planning of how
      the service operates and installing appropriate technology, good communication
      with nurses and service users, establishing telehealth champions and providing
      ongoing training and support. CONCLUSION: Many of the barriers in using
      telehealth can be avoided with better planning and collaboration.

PMID- 26477233
TI  - Patients' expectations of treatments and tests.

PMID- 26477232
TI  - Reducing the risk of baby falls in maternity units.
AB  - During a 12-month period there were 17 baby falls on the maternity wards at
      Nottingham University Hospitals Trust; two of the babies who fell were injured.
      By collecting information about the baby falls and how they happened, we were
      able to compile a guideline for both preventing and managing baby falls. This
      formed part of the trust's patient safety programme. We then piloted and
      implemented risk-prevention strategies for baby falls. These involved a risk
      assessment to identify women needing closer observation and the installation of
      bedside cots. These strategies brought about a marked reduction of baby falls and
      are now being established across all the maternity units across the trust.

PMID- 26477234
TI  - 60 second with Nick Birchall..

PMID- 26477235
TI  - Prime promotor of talent.

PMID- 26477236
TI  - Supporting the crucial role of carers.

PMID- 26477237
TI  - The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medical Care in a Psychiatric Nursing
      Practice.

PMID- 26477238
TI  - Telling Stories: A Powerful Grassroots Tool.

PMID- 26477239
TI  - Nursing Health Policy.

PMID- 26477240
TI  - Consider Assisted Suicide.

PMID- 26477241
TI  - YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program.

PMID- 26477242
TI  - Effect of age, family history of diabetes, and antipsychotic drug treatment on
      risk of diabetes in people with psychosis: a population-based cross-sectional
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychosis is associated with an increased risk of diabetes mellitus.
      A positive synergy between antipsychotic drug effects and a pre-existing
      liability to diabetes mellitus might explain the especially high relative risk of
      diabetes mellitus in young adults with psychosis. We aimed to assess the
      individual and joint effect of age, family history of diabetes mellitus, and
      currently prescribed antipsychotic drug treatment on risk for diabetes mellitus.
      METHODS: In this study, we used data from the 2010 Australian National Survey of
      Psychosis-an observational study done at seven sites in five Australian states.
      We included data from 1155 people with psychosis aged 18-64 years who were in
      contact with psychiatric services and who gave a fasting blood sample to test for
      current diabetes mellitus. Using logistic regression, we modelled the association
      of diabetes mellitus with age, family history of diabetes mellitus, and current
      antipsychotic drug treatment. We compared model fit with and without two-way and
      three-way interaction terms and used likelihood ratio tests to establish which
      terms to include in the final model. FINDINGS: After adjustment for older age,
      which was an independent risk factor, compared with not taking antipsychotic
      drugs, antipsychotic drug treatment was associated with diabetes mellitus only in
      those without a family history of diabetes mellitus (clozapine adjusted odds
      ratio [OR] 7.22, 95% CI 1.62-32.20, p=0.01; quetiapine 5.91, 1.33-26.30, p=0.02;
      aripiprazole 5.06, 0.86-29.64, p=0.07; risperidone 4.17, 0.90-19.24, p=0.07; and
      olanzapine 2.23, 0.45-11.06, p=0.32). Antipsychotic drug treatment was not
      associated with additional risk of diabetes mellitus in those with a family
      history (clozapine adjusted OR 1.51, 95% CI 0.64-3.54, p=0.34; quetiapine 1.09,
      0.49-2.43, p=0.82; aripiprazole 0.43, 0.12-1.49, p=0.18; risperidone 1.12, 0.48
      2.63, p=0.79; and olanzapine 0.67, 0.26-1.71, p=0.39). INTERPRETATION: People
      with psychosis are at increased risk of diabetes mellitus if they have a family
      history of diabetes mellitus or if they have no family history of diabetes
      mellitus but are taking antipsychotic drugs. Increasing age increases risk but
      independently of family history or antipsychotic drug treatment. Clinicians
      should not think the absence of a family history of diabetes mellitus protects
      their patients from the diabetic side-effects of antipsychotics. FUNDING:
      Australian Federal Government and Orygen.

PMID- 26477243
TI  - Genetic vulnerability in antipsychotic drug-induced diabetes.

PMID- 26477244
TI  - The impact of childhood sexual abuse on the mental and physical health, and
      healthcare utilization of older adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to examine the long-term association between
      childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and mental and physical health, especially with
      conditions related to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction such as
      mood disorders, cardiovascular disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, pain
      disorders, and measures of frailty and functional mobility. In addition, we
      examined the impact of CSA on self-reported health and healthcare utilization.
      METHODS: Data from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing were employed (N =
      8,178). The effects of CSA on mental health, physical health, and healthcare
      utilization in old age population were estimated by ordinal least square,
      logistic regression, and Poisson regression, controlling for demographic factors,
      childhood adversities, and behavioral health. RESULTS: Six percent of respondents
      reported CSA with little variation by gender. A significant association was found
      between CSA and mental health. Those who reported CSA were more likely to have
      depression, anxiety, worry, loneliness, and low quality of life. Poor self
      reported health, lung disease, arthritis, peptic ulcer, chronic pain as well as
      high levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein were associated with
      CSA. Further, those who reported CSA were more likely to report doctor and
      hospital visits than those without a history of CSA. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from
      the present study show that CSA has significant long-term mental and physical
      consequences, whereby early life events are linked to later life health outcomes.

PMID- 26477245
TI  - Identification of Fatty Acid Glucose Esters as Os9BGlu31 Transglucosidase
      Substrates in Rice Flag Leaves.
AB  - Rice Os9BGlu31 transglucosidase transfers glucosyl moieties between various
      carboxylic acids and alcohols, including phenolic acids and flavonoids, in vitro.
      The role of Os9BGlu31 transglucosidase in rice plant metabolism has only been
      suggested to date. Methanolic extracts of rice bran and leaves were found to
      contain oleic acid and linoleic acid to which Os9BGlu31 could transfer glucose
      from the 4-nitrophenyl beta-D-glucoside (4NPGlc) donor to form 1-O-acyl glucose
      esters. Os9BGlu31 showed higher activity with oleic acid (18:1) and linoleic acid
      (18:2) than with stearic acid (18:0) and had both a higher kcat and a higher Km
      for linoleic than oleic acid in the presence of 8 mM 4NPGlc donor. Os9BGlu31
      knockout mutant rice lines were found to have significantly larger amounts of
      fatty acid glucose esters than wild-type control lines. Because the
      transglucosylation reaction is reversible, these data suggest that fatty acid
      glucose esters act as glucosyl donor substrates for Os9BGlu31 transglucosidase in
      rice.

PMID- 26477246
TI  - Saturation Recovery EPR and Nitroxide Spin Labeling for Exploring Structure and
      Dynamics in Proteins.
AB  - Experimental techniques capable of determining the structure and dynamics of
      proteins are continuously being developed in order to understand protein
      function. Among existing methods, site-directed spin labeling in combination with
      saturation recovery (SR) electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy contributes
      uniquely to the determination of secondary and tertiary protein structure under
      physiological conditions, independent of molecular weight and complexity. In
      addition, SR of spin labeled proteins was recently demonstrated to be sensitive
      to conformational exchange events with characteristic lifetimes on the order of
      MUs, a time domain that presents a significant challenge to other spectroscopic
      techniques. In this chapter, we present the theoretical background necessary to
      understand the capabilities of SR as applied to spin labeled proteins, the
      instrumental requirements, and practical experimental considerations necessary to
      obtain interpretable data, and the use of SR to obtain information on protein:
      (1) secondary structure via solvent accessibility measurements, (2) tertiary
      structure using interspin distance measurements, and (3) conformational exchange.

PMID- 26477247
TI  - High-Pressure EPR and Site-Directed Spin Labeling for Mapping Molecular
      Flexibility in Proteins.
AB  - High hydrostatic pressure is a powerful probe of protein conformational
      flexibility. Pressurization reveals regions of elevated compressibility, and thus
      flexibility, within individual conformational states, but also shifts
      conformational equilibria such that "invisible" excited states become accessible
      for spectroscopic characterization. The central aim of this chapter is to
      describe recently developed instrumentation and methodologies that enable high
      pressure site-directed spin labeling electron paramagnetic resonance (SDSL-EPR)
      experiments on proteins and to demonstrate the information content of these
      experiments by highlighting specific recent applications. A brief introduction to
      the thermodynamics of proteins under pressure is presented first, followed by a
      discussion of the principles underlying SDSL-EPR detection of pressure effects in
      proteins, and the suitability of SDSL-EPR for this purpose in terms of timescale
      and ability to characterize conformational heterogeneity. Instrumentation and
      practical considerations for variable-pressure continuous wave EPR and pressure
      resolved double electron-electron resonance (PR DEER) experiments are reviewed,
      and finally illustrations of data analysis using recent applications are
      presented. Although high-pressure SDSL-EPR is in its infancy, the recent
      applications presented highlight the considerable potential of the method to (1)
      identify compressible (flexible) regions in a folded protein; (2) determine
      thermodynamic parameters that relate conformational states in equilibrium; (3)
      populate and characterize excited states of proteins undetected at atmospheric
      pressure; (4) reveal the structural heterogeneity of conformational ensembles and
      provide distance constraints on the global structure of pressure-populated states
      with PR DEER. 

PMID- 26477248
TI  - Exploring Structure, Dynamics, and Topology of Nitroxide Spin-Labeled Proteins
      Using Continuous-Wave Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.
AB  - Structural and dynamical characterization of proteins is of central importance in
      understanding the mechanisms underlying their biological functions. Site-directed
      spin labeling (SDSL) combined with continuous-wave electron paramagnetic
      resonance (CW EPR) spectroscopy has shown the capability of providing this
      information with site-specific resolution under physiological conditions for
      proteins of any degree of complexity, including those associated with membranes.
      This chapter introduces methods commonly employed for SDSL and describes selected
      CW EPR-based methods that can be applied to (1) map secondary and tertiary
      protein structure, (2) determine membrane protein topology, (3) measure protein
      backbone flexibility, and (4) reveal the existence of conformational exchange at
      equilibrium. 

PMID- 26477249
TI  - Bifunctional Spin Labeling of Muscle Proteins: Accurate Rotational Dynamics,
      Orientation, and Distance by EPR.
AB  - While EPR allows for the characterization of protein structure and function due
      to its exquisite sensitivity to spin label dynamics, orientation, and distance,
      these measurements are often limited in sensitivity due to the use of labels that
      are attached via flexible monofunctional bonds, incurring additional disorder and
      nanosecond dynamics. In this chapter, we present methods for using a bifunctional
      spin label (BSL) to measure muscle protein structure and dynamics. We demonstrate
      that bifunctional attachment eliminates nanosecond internal rotation of the spin
      label, thereby allowing the accurate measurement of protein backbone rotational
      dynamics, including microsecond-to-millisecond motions by saturation transfer
      EPR. BSL also allows for accurate determination of helix orientation and disorder
      in mechanically and magnetically aligned systems, due to the label's
      stereospecific attachment. Similarly, labeling with a pair of BSL greatly
      enhances the resolution and accuracy of distance measurements measured by double
      electron-electron resonance (DEER). Finally, when BSL is applied to a protein
      with high helical content in an assembly with high orientational order (e.g.,
      muscle fiber or membrane), two-probe DEER experiments can be combined with single
      probe EPR experiments on an oriented sample in a process we call BEER, which has
      the potential for ab initio high-resolution structure determination. 

PMID- 26477250
TI  - EPR Distance Measurements in Deuterated Proteins.
AB  - Pulsed electron double resonance technique, also known as double electron
      electron resonance, jointly with site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) have been
      used extensively for studying structures and structural change. During the last
      decades, significant enhancements have been made by optimization of the
      experimental protocols, introducing new techniques for artifact suppression, and
      developing data analysis programs for extracting more reliable distance
      distributions. However, the distance determination by pulsed electron
      paramagnetic resonance is still facing some limitations, especially when studying
      spin-labeled proteins, due mainly to the fast relaxation time that imposes severe
      limitations on the maximum distances measurable and upon the sensitivity of such
      experiments. In the present work, we demonstrate the impact of the deuteration of
      the underlying protein, in addition to the solvent, on relaxation times,
      sensitivity, and on distance measurements. 

PMID- 26477251
TI  - Spin labeling and Double Electron-Electron Resonance (DEER) to Deconstruct
      Conformational Ensembles of HIV Protease.
AB  - An understanding of macromolecular conformational equilibrium in biological
      systems is oftentimes essential to understand function, dysfunction, and disease.
      For the past few years, our lab has been utilizing site-directed spin labeling
      (SDSL), coupled with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, to
      characterize the conformational ensemble and ligand-induced conformational shifts
      of HIV-1 protease (HIV-1PR). The biomedical importance of characterizing the
      fractional occupancy of states within the conformational ensemble critically
      impacts our hypothesis of a conformational selection mechanism of drug-resistance
      evolution in HIV-1PR. The purpose of the following chapter is to give a timeline
      perspective of our SDSL EPR approach to characterizing conformational sampling of
      HIV-1PR. We provide detailed instructions for the procedure utilized in analyzing
      distance profiles for HIV-1PR obtained from pulsed electron-electron double
      resonance (PELDOR). Specifically, we employ a version of PELDOR known as double
      electron-electron resonance (DEER). Data are processed with the software package
      "DeerAnalysis" (http://www.epr.ethz.ch/software), which implements Tikhonov
      regularization (TKR), to generate a distance profile from electron spin-echo
      amplitude modulations. We assign meaning to resultant distance profiles based
      upon a conformational sampling model, which is described herein. The TKR distance
      profiles are reconstructed with a linear combination of Gaussian functions, which
      is then statistically analyzed. In general, DEER has proven powerful for
      observing structural ensembles in proteins and, more recently, nucleic acids. Our
      goal is to present our advances in order to aid readers in similar applications. 

PMID- 26477252
TI  - Ionizable Nitroxides for Studying Local Electrostatic Properties of Lipid
      Bilayers and Protein Systems by EPR.
AB  - Electrostatic interactions are known to play a major role in the myriad of
      biochemical and biophysical processes. Here, we describe biophysical methods to
      probe local electrostatic potentials of proteins and lipid bilayer systems that
      are based on an observation of reversible protonation of nitroxides by electron
      paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Two types of probes are described: (1)
      methanethiosulfonate derivatives of protonatable nitroxides for highly specific
      covalent modification of the cysteine's sulfhydryl groups and (2) spin-labeled
      phospholipids with a protonatable nitroxide tethered to the polar head group. The
      probes of both types report on their ionization state through changes in magnetic
      parameters and degree of rotational averaging, thus, allowing the electrostatic
      contribution to the interfacial pKa of the nitroxide, and, therefore, the local
      electrostatic potential to be determined. Due to their small molecular volume,
      these probes cause a minimal perturbation to the protein or lipid system.
      Covalent attachment secures the position of the reporter nitroxides. Experimental
      procedures to characterize and calibrate these probes by EPR, and also the
      methods to analyze the EPR spectra by simulations are outlined. The ionizable
      nitroxide labels and the nitroxide-labeled phospholipids described so far cover
      an exceptionally wide range of ca. 2.5-7.0 pH units, making them suitable to
      study a broad range of biophysical phenomena, especially at the negatively
      charged lipid bilayer surfaces. The rationale for selecting proper
      electrostatically neutral interface for probe calibration, and examples of lipid
      bilayer surface potential studies, are also described.

PMID- 26477253
TI  - Peptide-Membrane Interactions by Spin-Labeling EPR.
AB  - Site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) in combination with electron paramagnetic
      resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is a well-established method that has recently grown
      in popularity as an experimental technique, with multiple applications in protein
      and peptide science. The growth is driven by development of labeling strategies,
      as well as by considerable technical advances in the field, that are paralleled
      by an increased availability of EPR instrumentation. While the method requires an
      introduction of a paramagnetic probe at a well-defined position in a peptide
      sequence, it has been shown to be minimally destructive to the peptide structure
      and energetics of the peptide-membrane interactions. In this chapter, we describe
      basic approaches for using SDSL EPR spectroscopy to study interactions between
      small peptides and biological membranes or membrane mimetic systems. We focus on
      experimental approaches to quantify peptide-membrane binding, topology of bound
      peptides, and characterize peptide aggregation. Sample preparation protocols
      including spin-labeling methods and preparation of membrane mimetic systems are
      also described. 

PMID- 26477254
TI  - Structural Characterization of Membrane-Curving Proteins: Site-Directed Spin
      Labeling, EPR, and Computational Refinement.
AB  - Endocytosis and other membrane remodeling processes require the coordinated
      generation of different membrane shapes. Proteins capable of manipulating lipid
      bilayers mediate these events using mechanisms that are not fully understood.
      Progress is limited by the small number of structures solved for proteins bound
      to different membrane shapes and tools capable of resolving such information.
      However, recent studies have shown site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) in
      combination with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to be capable of obtaining
      high-resolution structural information for proteins bound to different membrane
      shapes. This technique can be applied to proteins with no known structure or
      proteins with structures known in solution. By refining the data obtained by EPR
      with computational modeling, 3D structures or structural models of membrane-bound
      proteins can be generated. In this chapter, we highlight the basic considerations
      and steps required to investigate the structures of membrane-bound proteins using
      SDSL, EPR, and computational refinement. 

PMID- 26477255
TI  - Determining the Secondary Structure of Membrane Proteins and Peptides Via
      Electron Spin Echo Envelope Modulation (ESEEM) Spectroscopy.
AB  - Revealing detailed structural and dynamic information of membrane embedded or
      associated proteins is challenging due to their hydrophobic nature which makes
      NMR and X-ray crystallographic studies challenging or impossible. Electron
      paramagnetic resonance (EPR) has emerged as a powerful technique to provide
      essential structural and dynamic information for membrane proteins with no size
      limitations in membrane systems which mimic their natural lipid bilayer
      environment. Therefore, tremendous efforts have been devoted toward the
      development and application of EPR spectroscopic techniques to study the
      structure of biological systems such as membrane proteins and peptides. This
      chapter introduces a novel approach established and developed in the Lorigan lab
      to investigate membrane protein and peptide local secondary structures utilizing
      the pulsed EPR technique electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM)
      spectroscopy. Detailed sample preparation strategies in model membrane protein
      systems and the experimental setup are described. Also, the ability of this
      approach to identify local secondary structure of membrane proteins and peptides
      with unprecedented efficiency is demonstrated in model systems. Finally,
      applications and further developments of this ESEEM approach for probing larger
      size membrane proteins produced by overexpression systems are discussed. 

PMID- 26477256
TI  - Spin Labeling Studies of Transmembrane Signaling and Transport: Applications to
      Phototaxis, ABC Transporters and Symporters.
AB  - Membrane proteins still represent a major challenge for structural biologists.
      This chapter will focus on the application of continuous wave and pulsed EPR
      spectroscopy on spin-labeled membrane proteins. Site-directed spin labeling EPR
      spectroscopy has evolved as a powerful tool to study the structure and dynamics
      of proteins, especially membrane proteins, as this method works largely
      independently of the size and complexity of the biological system under
      investigation. This chapter describes applications of this technique to three
      different systems: the archaeal photoreceptor/-transducer complex SRII/HtrII as
      an example for transmembrane signaling and two transport systems, the histidine
      ATP-binding cassette transporter HisQMP, and the sodium-proline symporter PutP. 

PMID- 26477258
TI  - Spin Labeling of Potassium Channels.
AB  - Potassium channels are the ion channels most extensively studied by structural
      techniques. Whereas high-resolution crystal structures have provided key insights
      into the molecular architecture of these channels, spin labeling studies have
      helped to unveil the dynamic structural aspects underlying their function. From a
      practical standpoint, the popularity of spin labeling studies of potassium
      channels lies in their small size and relative ease of overexpression. The
      inherent fourfold symmetry of most potassium channels has also greatly
      facilitated spin labeling studies. This chapter focuses on the overexpression,
      purification, spin labeling, and subsequent reconstitution of modified potassium
      channels. It will discuss the general methods used to produce a suitable spin
      labeled potassium channel sample and highlight some of the common pitfalls that
      can occur along the way. At the end of the chapter, we provide detailed methods
      to produce spin-labeled samples of KcsA and KvAP, the two most commonly studied
      potassium channels. 

PMID- 26477257
TI  - Navigating Membrane Protein Structure, Dynamics, and Energy Landscapes Using Spin
      Labeling and EPR Spectroscopy.
AB  - A detailed understanding of the functional mechanism of a protein entails the
      characterization of its energy landscape. Achieving this ambitious goal requires
      the integration of multiple approaches including determination of high-resolution
      crystal structures, uncovering conformational sampling under distinct biochemical
      conditions, characterizing the kinetics and thermodynamics of transitions between
      functional intermediates using spectroscopic techniques, and interpreting and
      harmonizing the data into novel computational models. With increasing
      sophistication in solution-based and ensemble-oriented biophysical approaches
      such as electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, atomic resolution
      structural information can be directly linked to conformational sampling in
      solution. Here, we detail how recent methodological and technological advances in
      EPR spectroscopy have contributed to the elucidation of membrane protein
      mechanisms. Furthermore, we aim to assist investigators interested in pursuing
      EPR studies by providing an introduction to the technique, a primer on
      experimental design, and a description of the practical considerations of the
      method toward generating high quality data. 

PMID- 26477259
TI  - Advanced EPR Methods for Studying Conformational Dynamics of Nucleic Acids.
AB  - Pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy has become an important
      tool for structural characterization of biomolecules allowing measurement of the
      distances between two paramagnetic spin labels attached to a biomolecule in the 2
      8 nm range. In this chapter, we will focus on applications of this approach to
      investigate tertiary structure elements as well as conformational dynamics of
      nucleic acid molecules. Both aspects take advantage of using specific spin labels
      that are rigidly attached to the nucleobases, as they allow obtaining not only
      the distance but also the relative orientation between both nitroxide moieties
      with high accuracy. Thus, not only the distance but additionally the three Euler
      angles between both the nitroxide axis systems and the two polar angles of the
      interconnecting vector with respect to the nitroxide axis systems can be
      extracted from a single pair of spin labels. To extract all these parameters
      independently and unambiguously, a set of multifrequency/multifield pulsed EPR
      experiments have to be performed. We will describe the experimental procedure as
      well as newly developed spin labels, which are helpful to disentangle all these
      parameters, and tools which we have developed to analyze such data sets. The
      procedures and analyses will be illustrated by examples from our laboratory.

PMID- 26477261
TI  - Overhauser Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Studies on Local Water Dynamics.
AB  - Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP) is an emerging technique for
      quantifying translational water dynamics in the vicinity (<1 nm) of stable
      radicals that can be chemically attached to macromolecules of interest. This has
      led to many in-depth and enlightening studies of hydration water of biomolecules,
      revolving around the role of solvent dynamics in the structure and function of
      proteins, nucleic acids, and lipid bilayer membranes. Still to date, a complete
      and fully automated ODNP instrument is not commercialized. The purpose of this
      chapter is to share the technical know-how of the hardware, theory, measurement,
      and data analysis method needed to successfully utilize and disseminate the ODNP
      technique.

PMID- 26477260
TI  - An Integrated Spin-Labeling/Computational-Modeling Approach for Mapping Global
      Structures of Nucleic Acids.
AB  - The technique of site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) provides unique information
      on biomolecules by monitoring the behavior of a stable radical tag (i.e., spin
      label) using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. In this chapter,
      we describe an approach in which SDSL is integrated with computational modeling
      to map conformations of nucleic acids. This approach builds upon a SDSL tool kit
      previously developed and validated, which includes three components: (i) a
      nucleotide-independent nitroxide probe, designated as R5, which can be
      efficiently attached at defined sites within arbitrary nucleic acid sequences;
      (ii) inter-R5 distances in the nanometer range, measured via pulsed EPR; and
      (iii) an efficient program, called NASNOX, that computes inter-R5 distances on
      given nucleic acid structures. Following a general framework of data mining, our
      approach uses multiple sets of measured inter-R5 distances to retrieve "correct"
      all-atom models from a large ensemble of models. The pool of models can be
      generated independently without relying on the inter-R5 distances, thus allowing
      a large degree of flexibility in integrating the SDSL-measured distances with a
      modeling approach best suited for the specific system under investigation. As
      such, the integrative experimental/computational approach described here
      represents a hybrid method for determining all-atom models based on
      experimentally-derived distance measurements. 

PMID- 26477262
TI  - Practical Aspects of Paramagnetic Relaxation Enhancement in Biological
      Macromolecules.
AB  - In this brief review, we summarize various aspects of NMR paramagnetic relaxation
      enhancement (PRE). We discuss the types of spin labels used in NMR studies,
      describe the relevant theory used to accurately calculate PREs from coordinates,
      including how to take into account the fact that paramagnetic labels tend to be
      highly mobile and sample a wide range of conformational space, and outline
      methods to refine structures or ensembles of structures directly against PRE data
      using simulated annealing. Finally, we show how the PRE can be used to detect,
      characterize, and visualize sparsely populated states of proteins and their
      complexes that are invisible to all other biophysical techniques. 

PMID- 26477263
TI  - In Vivo pO2 Imaging of Tumors: Oxymetry with Very Low-Frequency Electron
      Paramagnetic Resonance.
AB  - For over a century, it has been known that tumor hypoxia, regions of a tumor with
      low levels of oxygenation, are important contributors to tumor resistance to
      radiation therapy and failure of radiation treatment of cancer. Recently, using
      novel pulse electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) oxygen imaging, near absolute
      images of the partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) in tumors of living animals have
      been obtained. We discuss here the means by which EPR signals can be obtained in
      living tissues and tumors. We review development of EPR methods to image the pO2
      in tumors and the potential for the pO2 image acquisition in human subjects. 

PMID- 26477264
TI  - Direct and Repeated Measurement of Heart and Brain Oxygenation Using In Vivo EPR
      Oximetry.
AB  - Low level of oxygen (hypoxia) is a critical factor that defines the pathological
      consequence of several pathophysiologies, particularly ischemia, that usually
      occur following the blockage of a blood vessel in vital organs, such as brain and
      heart, or abnormalities in the microvasculature, such as peripheral vascular
      disease. Therefore, methods that can directly and repeatedly quantify oxygen
      levels in the brain and heart will significantly improve our understanding of
      ischemic pathologies. Importantly, such oximetry capability will facilitate the
      development of strategies to counteract low levels of oxygen and thereby improve
      outcome following stroke or myocardial infarction. In vivo electron paramagnetic
      resonance (EPR) oximetry has the capability to monitor tissue oxygen levels in
      real time. The method has largely been tested and used in experimental animals,
      although some clinical measurements have been performed. In this chapter, a brief
      overview of the methodology to repeatedly quantify oxygen levels in the brain and
      heart of experimental animal models, ranging from mice to swine, is presented.
      EPR oximetry requires a one-time placement of an oxygen-sensitive probe in the
      tissue of interest, while the rest of the procedure for reliable, accurate, and
      repeated measurements of pO2 (partial pressure of oxygen) is noninvasive and can
      be repeated as often as desired. A multisite oximetry approach can be used to
      monitor pO2 at many sites simultaneously. Building on significant advances in the
      application of EPR oximetry in experimental animal models, spectrometers have
      been developed for use in human subjects. Initial feasibility of pO2 measurement
      in solid tumors of patients has been successfully demonstrated. 

PMID- 26477265
TI  - Free Radical Imaging Using In Vivo Dynamic Nuclear Polarization-MRI.
AB  - Redox reactions that generate free radical intermediates are essential to
      metabolic processes, and their intermediates can produce reactive oxygen species,
      which may promote diseases related to oxidative stress. The development of an in
      vivo electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometer and its imaging enables us
      noninvasive and direct measurement of in vivo free radical reactions in living
      organisms. The dynamic nuclear polarization magnetic resonance imaging (DNP-MRI),
      also called PEDRI or OMRI, is also a new imaging method for observing free
      radical species in vivo. The spatiotemporal resolution of free radical imaging
      with DNP-MRI is comparable with that in MRI, and each of the radical species can
      be distinguished in the spectroscopic images by changing the frequency or
      magnetic field of ESR irradiation. Several kinds of stable nitroxyl radicals were
      used as spin probes to detect in vivo redox reactions. The signal decay of
      nitroxyl probes, which is determined with in vivo DNP-MRI, reflects the redox
      status under oxidative stress, and the signal decay is suppressed by prior
      administration of antioxidants. In addition, DNP-MRI can also visualize various
      intermediate free radicals from the intrinsic redox molecules. This noninvasive
      method, in vivo DNP-MRI, could become a useful tool for investigating the
      mechanism of oxidative injuries in animal disease models and the in vivo effects
      of antioxidant drugs. 

PMID- 26477266
TI  - Preface.

PMID- 26477267
TI  - Theranostic, pH-Responsive, Doxorubicin-Loaded Nanoparticles Inducing Active
      Targeting and Apoptosis for Advanced Gastric Cancer.
AB  - This study developed a kind of magnetic-polymer nanocarrier with folate receptor
      targeting and pH-sensitive multifunctionalities to carry doxorubicin (DOX) for
      treatment of advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Folate-conjugated, pH-sensitive,
      amphiphilic poly(beta-aminoester) self-assembled with hydrophobic oleic acid
      modified iron oxide nanoparticles, and the resulting hydrophobic interaction area
      is a reservoir for lipophilic DOX (F-P-DOX). Confocal microscopy illustrated that
      F-P-DOX treatment could keep higher DOX accumulation in cells than P-DOX (without
      folate conjugation), and therefore get a higher efficiency of DOX internalization
      at pH 6.5 than at pH 7.4. Electron microscope characterization and real-time
      polymerase chain reaction revealed cell apoptosis promoted by F-P-DOX. The better
      efficacy of F-P-DOX on GC than free DOX and P-DOX was determined by MTT assay and
      xenograft model. Moreover, the accumulation of F-P-DOX in the tumor site was
      detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All those observations suggest F-P
      DOX could be a promising theranostic candidate for AGC treatment. 

PMID- 26477269
TI  - Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and risk of cardiovascular disease.
AB  - Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the leading cause of chronic
      liver diseases worldwide, causing considerable liver-related mortality and
      morbidity. During the past decade, it has also become increasingly evident that
      NAFLD is a multisystem disease that affects many extra-hepatic organ systems,
      including the heart and the vascular system. In this updated clinical review, we
      discuss the rapidly expanding body of clinical and epidemiological evidence that
      supports a strong association of NAFLD with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and
      other functional and structural myocardial abnormalities. We also discuss some
      recently published data that correlate NAFLD due to specific genetic
      polymorphisms with the risk of CVDs. Finally, we briefly examine the assessment
      tools for estimating the global CVD risk in patients with NAFLD as well as the
      conventional and the more innovative pharmacological approaches for the treatment
      of CVD risk in this group of patients. 

PMID- 26477268
TI  - Oxygen- and Nitrogen-Enriched 3D Porous Carbon for Supercapacitors of High
      Volumetric Capacity.
AB  - Efficient utilization and broader commercialization of alternative energies
      (e.g., solar, wind, and geothermal) hinges on the performance and cost of energy
      storage and conversion systems. For now and in the foreseeable future, the
      combination of rechargeable batteries and electrochemical capacitors remains the
      most promising option for many energy storage applications. Porous carbonaceous
      materials have been widely used as an electrode for batteries and
      supercapacitors. To date, however, the highest specific capacitance of an
      electrochemical double layer capacitor is only ~200 F/g, although a wide variety
      of synthetic approaches have been explored in creating optimized porous
      structures. Here, we report our findings in the synthesis of porous carbon
      through a simple, one-step process: direct carbonization of kelp in an NH3
      atmosphere at 700  degrees C. The resulting oxygen- and nitrogen-enriched carbon
      has a three-dimensional structure with specific surface area greater than 1000
      m(2)/g. When evaluated as an electrode for electrochemical double layer
      capacitors, the porous carbon structure demonstrated excellent volumetric
      capacitance (>360 F/cm(3)) with excellent cycling stability. This simple approach
      to low-cost carbonaceous materials with unique architecture and functionality
      could be a promising alternative to fabrication of porous carbon structures for
      many practical applications, including batteries and fuel cells.

PMID- 26477270
TI  - Cord blood copeptin concentrations in fetal macrosomia.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Excessive fetal growth is associated with increased adiposity and
      reduced insulin sensitivity at birth. Copeptin, a surrogate marker of arginine
      vasopressin (AVP) secretion, is upregulated in states of hyperinsulinemia and is
      considered one of the mediators of insulin resistance. We aimed to investigate
      cord blood concentrations of copeptin (C-terminal fragment of AVP pro-hormone) in
      healthy large-for-gestational-age (LGA) infants at term. METHODS: This
      prospective study was conducted on 30 LGA (n=30) and 20 appropriate-for
      gestational-age (AGA, n=20) singleton full-term healthy infants. Cord blood
      copeptin and insulin concentrations were determined by ELISA and IRMA,
      respectively. Infants were classified as LGA or AGA, based on customized birth
      weight standards adjusted for significant determinants of fetal growth. RESULTS:
      Cord blood copeptin concentrations were similar in LGA cases, compared to AGA
      controls, after adjusting for delivery mode. However, in the LGA group, cord
      blood copeptin concentrations positively correlated with birth-weight (r=0.422,
      p=0.020). In the AGA group, cord blood copeptin concentrations were elevated in
      cases of vaginal delivery vs elective cesarean section (p=0.003). Cord blood
      insulin concentrations were higher in LGA cases, compared to AGA controls
      (p=0.036). No association was recorded between cord blood copeptin concentrations
      and maternal age, parity, gestational age or fetal gender in both groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: Cord blood copeptin concentrations may not be up-regulated in non
      distressed LGA infants. However, the positive correlation between cord blood
      copeptin concentrations and birth-weight in the LGA group may point to the
      documented association between AVP release and increased fat deposition. Vaginal
      delivery vs elective cesarean section is accompanied by a marked stress-related
      increase of cord blood copeptin concentrations.

PMID- 26477271
TI  - Enhancer repertoires are reshaped independently of early priming and
      heterochromatin dynamics during B cell differentiation.
AB  - A widely accepted model posits that activation of enhancers during
      differentiation goes through a priming step prior to lineage commitment. To
      investigate the chronology of enhancer repertoire establishment during
      hematopoiesis, we monitored epigenome dynamics during three developmental stages
      representing hematopoietic stem cells, B-cell progenitors and mature B-cells. We
      find that only a minority of enhancers primed in stem cells or progenitors become
      active at later stages. Furthermore, most enhancers active in differentiated
      cells were not primed in earlier stages. Thus, the enhancer repertoire is
      reshaped dynamically during B-cell differentiation and enhancer priming in early
      stages does not appear to be an obligate step for enhancer activation.
      Furthermore, our data reveal that heterochromatin and Polycomb-mediated silencing
      have only a minor contribution in shaping enhancer repertoires during cell
      differentiation. Together, our data revisit the prevalent model about epigenetic
      reprogramming during hematopoiesis and give insights into the formation of gene
      regulatory networks. 

PMID- 26477273
TI  - Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Urate-Induced Enhancement of Kv1.5 Channel
      Expression in HL-1 Atrial Myocytes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyperuricemia induces endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and
      inflammation, increasing cardiovascular morbidities. It also raises the incidence
      of atrial fibrillation; however, underlying mechanisms are unknown. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: The effects of urate on expression of Kv1.5 in cultured mouse atrial
      myocytes (HL-1 cells) using reverse transcriptase-PCR, immunoblots, flow
      cytometry and patch-clamp experiments were studied. Treatment with urate at 7
      mg/dl for 24 h increased the Kv1.5 protein level, enhanced ultra-rapid delayed
      rectifier K(+)channel currents and shortened action potential duration in HL-1
      cells. HL-1 cells expressed the influx uric acid transporter (UAT), URATv1, and
      the efflux UATs, ABCG2 and MRP4. An inhibitor against URATv1, benzbromarone,
      abolished the urate effects, whereas an inhibitor against ABCG2, KO143, augmented
      them. Flow cytometry showed that urate induced an increase in reactive oxygen
      species, which was abolished by the antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and the
      NADPH-oxidase inhibitor, apocynin. Both NAC and apocynin abolished the enhancing
      effects of urate on Kv1.5 expression. A urate-induced increase in the Kv1.5
      proteins was accompanied by phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated
      kinase (ERK), and was abolished by an ERK inhibitor, PD98059. NAC abolished
      phosphorylation of ERK by urate. CONCLUSIONS: Intracellular urate taken up by
      UATs enhanced Kv1.5 protein expression and function in HL-1 atrial myocytes,
      which could be attributable to ERK phosphorylation and oxidative stress derived
      from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-oxidase.

PMID- 26477272
TI  - Exercise Performance Is a Prognostic Indicator in Elderly Patients With Chronic
      Heart Failure--Application of Metabolic Exercise Cardiac Kidney Indexes Score.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients with chronic heart failure (HF) the Metabolic Exercise
      Cardiac Kidney Indexes (MECKI) score, is a predictor of cardiovascular death and
      urgent heart transplantation. We investigated the relationship between age,
      exercise tolerance and the prognostic value of the MECKI score. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: We analyzed data from 3,794 patients with chronic systolic HF. The
      primary endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular death and urgent heart
      transplantation. Older patients had higher prevalence of comorbidities and lower
      exercise performance compared with younger subjects (peak VO2, 925 vs. 1,351
      L/min; P<0.0001; VE/VCO2slope, 33.2 vs. 28.3; P>0.0001). The rate of the primary
      endpoint was 19% in the highest age quartile and 14% in the lowest quartile. At
      multivariable analysis, the independent predictors of the primary endpoint were
      left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), eGFR, peak VO2, serum Na(+)and the use
      of beta-blockers in patients aged >=70 years, and LVEF, eGFR and peak VO2in
      younger subjects. The MECKI risk score increased across age subgroups, but on
      receiver operating characteristic curve analysis its prognostic power was similar
      in both patients aged >=70 and <70 years. CONCLUSIONS: Older patients with HF are
      a high-risk population with lower exercise performance. The MECKI score increased
      according to age and maintained its prognostic value also in older patients.

PMID- 26477274
TI  - Quantitative Assessment of Fluid Accumulation Using Bioelectrical Impedance
      Analysis in Patients With Acute Decompensated Heart Failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is generally considered to
      be a problem of fluid volume overload, therefore accurately quantifying the
      degree of fluid accumulation is of critical importance in assessing whether
      adequate decongestion has been achieved. The aim of this study was to develop and
      validate a method to quantify the degree of fluid accumulation in patients with
      ADHF. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis
      (BIA), we measured extracellular water (ECW) volume in 130 ADHF patients on
      admission and at discharge. We also predicted optimal ECW volume using original
      equations based on data from 60 control subjects without the signs of HF.
      Measured/predicted (M/P) ratio of ECW in ADHF patients was observed to decrease
      from 1.26+/-0.25 to 1.04+/-0.17 during hospitalization (P<0.001). The amount of
      ECW volume reduction was significantly correlated with reduction in body weight
      (r=0.766, P<0.001). On multivariate analysis, higher M/P ratio of ECW at
      discharge was associated with increased risk of ADHF readmission or cardiac death
      within 6 months after discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Multi-frequency BIA-measured ECW
      was found to offer valuable information for analyzing the pathophysiology of
      ADHF, and may be a useful guide in the management of this disease.

PMID- 26477275
TI  - [Supportive care for malignant ascites in palliative phase: Place of paracentesis
      and diuretics].
AB  - Malignant ascites, occurring in advanced stages of cancer, is linked with poor
      prognosis and can cause invalidating symptoms. Physiopathological mechanisms of
      ascites formation are complex and have yet to be fully elucidated. In most cases,
      ascites is due to peritoneal carcinomatosis in which vascular permeability is
      enhanced by VEGF production while lymphatic drainage decreases. Ascites can also
      be secondary to portal hypertension, for example in case of multiple liver
      metastases, or due to lymphatic obstruction. While paracentesis and diuretics are
      commonly used, their efficiency has never been compared in a randomized
      controlled study. Paracentesis brings immediate but temporary relief in over 90%
      of cases, and implies multiple hospitalizations. Literature reports ascites
      control by aldosterone alone or in association with furosemide. But, available
      data is controversial, and there is no predictive factor to identify patients
      that respond to diuretic treatment. The indication of diuretic treatment is left
      to the appreciation of physicians. Existing recommendations are old, and
      practices influenced by results obtained in non-neoplastic ascites. Additional
      evidences are required before guidelines can be established for the palliative
      management of malignant ascites.

PMID- 26477276
TI  - Derivatization methods for LC-MS analysis of endogenous compounds.
AB  - Sensitive and reliable analysis of endogenous compounds is critically important
      for many physiological and pathological studies. Methods based on LC-MS have
      progressed to become the method of choice for analyzing endogenous compounds.
      However, the analysis can be challenging due to various factors, including
      inherent low concentrations in biological samples, low ionization efficiency,
      undesirable chromatographic behavior and interferences of complex biological. The
      integration of chemical derivatization with LC-MS could enhance its capabilities
      in sensitivity and selectivity, and extend its application to a wider range of
      analytes. In this article, we will review the derivatization strategies in the LC
      MS analysis of various endogenous compounds, and provide applications
      highlighting the impact of these important techniques in the evaluation of
      pathological events. 

PMID- 26477277
TI  - Transient dual-energy lasing in a semiconductor microcavity.
AB  - We demonstrate sequential lasing at two well-separated energies in a highly
      photoexcited planar microcavity at room temperature. Two spatially overlapped
      lasing states with distinct polarization properties appear at energies more than
      5 meV apart. Under a circularly polarized nonresonant 2 ps pulse excitation, a
      sub-10-ps transient circularly polarized high-energy (HE) state emerges within 10
      ps after the pulse excitation. This HE state is followed by a pulsed state that
      lasts for 20-50 ps at a low energy (LE) state. The HE state is highly circularly
      polarized as a result of a spin-preserving stimulated process, while the LE state
      shows a significantly reduced circular polarization because of a diminishing spin
      imbalance. 

PMID- 26477278
TI  - Comparison of the larvicidal efficacies of moxidectin or a five-day regimen of
      fenbendazole in horses harboring cyathostomin populations resistant to the
      adulticidal dosage of fenbendazole.
AB  - Despite widespread acknowledgement of cyathostomin resistance to adult icidal
      dosages of benzimidazole (BZD) anthelmintics, many strongyle control programs
      continue to feature regularly scheduled larvicidal treatment with fenbendazole
      (FBZ). However, no studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of
      larvicidal regimens against encysted cyathostomins in a BZD-resistant (BZD-R)
      population. A masked, randomized, controlled clinical study was conducted with 18
      juvenile horses harboring populations of cyathostomins that were considered BZD-R
      on the basis of fecal egg count reduction (FECR). Horses were blocked by prior
      history, ranked by egg counts, and allocated randomly to one of three treatment
      groups: 1--control, 2--FBZ >10mg/kg once daily for five consecutive days, or 3-
      moxidectin (MOX) >0.4 mg/kg once. Fecal samples were collected prior to treatment
      and seven and 14 days after the final dose of anthelmintic. On Days 18-20,
      complete replicates of horses were euthanatized and necropsied, and 1% aliquots
      of large intestinal contents were recovered for determination of complete worm
      counts. The cecum and ventral colon were weighed, and measured proportions of the
      respective organ walls were processed for quantitation and characterization of
      encysted cyathostomin populations. The five-day regimen of FBZ achieved 44.6%
      fecal egg count reduction, had 56.4% activity against luminal adults and larvae,
      and was 38.6% and 71.2% effective against encysted early third stage (EL3) and
      late third stage/ fourth stage (LL3/L4) cyathostomin larvae, respectively. In
      contrast, MOX provided 99.9% FECR, removed 99.8% of luminal stages, and exhibited
      63.6% and 85.2% efficacy against EL3 and LL3/L4 mucosal cyathostomins,
      respectively. Although BZD-R was the most feasible explanation for the lower
      larvicidal efficacies of FBZ, mean larval counts of moxidectin-treated horses
      were not significantly different from controls or those treated with FBZ. The
      lack of significant differences between larvicidal treatments was partially
      attributed to a small sample size and high variability among worm burdens.
      Historical differences in the time intervals between treatment and necropsy were
      identified as a confounding factor for accurate estimation of larvicidal
      efficacy. Determining appropriate post-treatment intervals for measuring
      larvicidal efficacy remains a critical regulatory and scientific challenge for
      this therapeutic area.

PMID- 26477279
TI  - Elucidation of Leucaena leucocephala anthelmintic-like phytochemicals and the
      ultrastructural damage generated to eggs of Cooperia spp.
AB  - Leucaena leucocephala is a tropical forage legume suggested as an alternative
      method to control gastrointestinal parasitism in ruminants. This study: (1)
      performed a bio-guided fractionation of an aqueous extract of L. leucocephala
      using the egg hatch assay (EHA) to identify the anthelmintic (AH)-like
      phytochemicals present in fresh leaves, and (2) assessed the ultrastructural
      damage to eggs of Cooperia spp. after incubation with the final fraction.
      Phytochemicals were isolated using silica gel columns and identified using high
      performance liquid chromatography and standards for comparison. The final
      fraction was evaluated using EHA at 0.06, 0.125, 0.250, 0.500 and 1.1 mg ml(-1).
      The lethal concentration to inhibit 50% of Cooperia spp. egg hatching (LC50) was
      calculated using a Probit analysis. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy
      revealed the ultrastructural changes present in Cooperia spp. eggs. Bio-guided
      isolation procedures led to the recognition of an active fraction (LlC1F3) mainly
      composed of quercetin (82.21%) and caffeic acid (13.42%) which inhibited 90.49 +/
      2.8% of Cooperia spp. egg hatching (P<0.05), and an LC50 of 0.06 +/- 0.14 mg ml(
      1). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed eggs exposed to the active fraction
      had an irregular external layer with small projections and ruptures of lateral
      eggshell walls. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed changes to Cooperia
      spp. eggs in electro-density, including the thickness of the eggshell layers and
      fractures after incubation with the final fraction (LlC1F3). Changes in
      bioactivity after purification suggest synergistic interactions between quercetin
      and caffeic acid.

PMID- 26477280
TI  - Tuberculosis case burden and treatment outcomes in children, adults and older
      adults, Vanuatu, 2007-2011.
AB  - SETTING: All five DOTS centres in Vanuatu. OBJECTIVES: To determine across the
      age spectrum the tuberculosis (TB) case burden, disease pattern and treatment
      outcomes in patients registered between 2007 and 2011. DESIGN: Retrospective
      cohort study involving reviews of TB registers and treatment cards. RESULTS: Of
      588 TB patients, 142 (24%) were children (aged 0-14 years), 327 (56%) adults
      (aged 15-54 years) and 119 (20%) were older adults (aged ?55 years; subdivided
      into 55-64 and ?65 years); 568 were new patients, 13 had been treated previously
      and 7 had unknown status. Compared with adults, children with new TB had a higher
      prevalence of extra-pulmonary TB (75% vs. 34%, OR 5.7, 95%CI 3.6-9.0) and a lower
      prevalence of smear-positive pulmonary TB (11% vs. 45%, OR 0.15, 95%CI 0.1-0.3),
      while older adults with new TB had a higher prevalence of smear-negative
      pulmonary TB (38% vs. 21%, OR 2.4, 95%CI 1.5-3.8). Overall TB treatment success
      was 83%, but in the second category of older adults (?65 years) treatment success
      was 67% and case fatality was 18%. CONCLUSION: Children and older adults
      constitute 45% of the TB burden in Vanuatu. Differences in disease patterns and
      poorer treatment outcomes in older adults have implications for policy and
      practice.

PMID- 26477281
TI  - Profile of tuberculosis patients with delayed sputum smear conversion in the
      Pacific island of Vanuatu.
AB  - SETTING: National tuberculosis control programme, Vanuatu. OBJECTIVE: To assess
      tuberculosis (TB) trends, characterise sputum smear-positive patients with non
      conversion at 2 months and assess their treatment outcomes. DESIGN: Evaluation of
      programme data over a 9-year period (2004-2012), comparing 2-month sputum non
      converters (delayed converters) with sputum smear converters diagnosed in 2011
      and 2012. RESULTS: Annual TB case numbers were similar over the study period,
      with an average TB notification rate of 58 per 100 000 population. Of 417 sputum
      smear-positive cases, 74 (18%) were delayed converters. Delayed converters were
      more likely than converters (88% vs. 79%) to have had high pre-treatment sputum
      smear grades (OR 2.5, 95%CI 0.97-6.45). Among delayed converters, treatment
      adherence was high (99% good adherence), outcomes were generally good (90%
      treatment success, 85% cure, 4% treatment failure) and no drug resistance was
      detected. Deaths were unexpectedly common among converters (11/80, 14%), with
      significantly more deaths in Tafea than in Shefa Province (7/58 vs. 2/80, OR
      5.35, 95%CI 1.07-26.79). Tafea Province also had the greatest number of delayed
      converters (30/74, 40.5%) and the highest TB incidence rate. CONCLUSION: Delayed
      sputum conversion was relatively uncommon, and was not associated with adverse
      outcomes or drug resistance. Regional differences require further investigation
      to better understand local factors that may compromise patient management.

PMID- 26477282
TI  - Building operational research capacity in the Pacific.
AB  - Operational research (OR) in public health aims to investigate strategies,
      interventions, tools or knowledge that can enhance the quality, coverage,
      effectiveness or performance of health systems. Attention has recently been drawn
      to the lack of OR capacity in public health programmes throughout the Pacific
      Islands, despite considerable investment in implementation. This lack of ongoing
      and critical reflection may prevent health programme staff from understanding why
      programme objectives are not being fully achieved, and hinder long-term gains in
      public health. The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The
      Union) has been collaborating with Pacific agencies to conduct OR courses based
      on the training model developed by The Union and Medecins Sans Frontieres
      Brussels-Luxembourg in 2009. The first of these commenced in 2011 in
      collaboration with the Fiji National University, the Fiji Ministry of Health, the
      World Health Organization and other partners. The Union and the Secretariat of
      the Pacific Community organised a second course for participants from other
      Pacific Island countries and territories in 2012, and an additional course for
      Fijian participants commenced in 2013. Twelve participants enrolled in each of
      the three courses. Of the two courses completed by end 2013, 18 of 24
      participants completed their OR and submitted papers by the course deadline, and
      17 papers have been published to date. This article describes the context,
      process and outputs of the Pacific courses, as well as innovations, adaptations
      and challenges. 

PMID- 26477283
TI  - Tuberculosis notifications, characteristics and treatment outcomes: urban vs.
      rural Solomon Islands, 2000-2011.
AB  - SETTING: All provincial tuberculosis (TB) management units in the Solomon
      Islands. OBJECTIVE: To compare TB notifications, characteristics and treatment
      outcomes in urban vs. rural areas. DESIGN: A retrospective descriptive cohort
      study involving record review and data extraction from provincial TB and
      laboratory registers and treatment charts from 2000 to 2011. RESULTS: Of 4137 TB
      cases notified, 1364 (33%) were from urban and 3227 (67%) from rural areas.
      Notification rates per year of study were consistently higher in urban areas (104
      150 per 100 000 population) than in rural areas (49-70/100 000). Cases in rural
      areas were more likely to have smear-negative pulmonary TB and less likely to
      have extra-pulmonary TB (P < 0.001). TB cases in rural areas were more likely to
      die from TB than those from urban areas (3.2% vs. 5.9%). In contrast, TB cases in
      rural areas were less likely to default (2.8% vs. 1.8%). CONCLUSION: TB
      notification rates were much higher in urban than in rural areas in the Solomon
      Islands. Rural patients are more likely to die from the disease but are slightly
      less likely to default. Further research is required to explore the possibility
      of under-reporting in rural areas and to improve treatment outcomes.

PMID- 26477284
TI  - Sputum smear microscopy referral rates and turnaround time in the Tonga Islands.
AB  - SETTING: The National Tuberculosis Programme and the National Reference
      Laboratory, located on the main island of Tonga, Tongatapu, and three district
      hospital laboratories located on the outer islands. OBJECTIVES: To compare
      Tongatapu with Tonga's outer islands with respect to sputum referral rates,
      numbers of samples per patient, sample quality, test results and time from
      sending sample to obtaining results and from obtaining results to treatment
      initiation. DESIGN: Retrospective study involving record review of laboratory and
      TB treatment registers in Tonga's four hospitals from 2003 to 2012. RESULTS: Of
      3078 sputum samples submitted, 71.7% were of good quality. Sputum referral rates
      on Tongatupu were nearly twice as high as those on the outer islands (353 vs. 180
      per 100 000 population). The mean smear turnaround times on Tongatapu and the
      outer islands were respectively 4.02 and 4.11 days. Of 83 positive cases, 91.2%
      were treated within a day in Tongatapu compared with 80% in the outer islands.
      CONCLUSIONS: Referral rates for sputum smear testing differed in the main and the
      outer islands in Tonga, but turnaround times did not. Records of sputum quality
      and dates had limitations, necessitating interventions with TB-specific
      laboratory guidelines and registers. Further research is required to understand
      the differences in referral rates.

PMID- 26477285
TI  - Characteristics of government workers and association with diabetes and
      hypertension in the Cook Islands.
AB  - SETTING: Twenty government departments in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. OBJECTIVE: To
      determine the characteristics, presence of selected non-communicable disease
      (NCD) risk factors and prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension
      among government workers who participated in 'wellness checks' in 2012. DESIGN:
      Cross-sectional study involving analysis of survey data. RESULTS: Of 598
      employees, 70% were aged 25-54 years and 55% were female. Two thirds were obese
      (body mass index ?30 kg/m(2)), and 76% had low levels of fruit and vegetable
      consumption. Of 50 (8.4%) participants diagnosed with DM (random blood glucose
      ?11 mmol/l, fasting ?7 mmol/l), 30 were self-reported and 20 were based on blood
      glucose. Of the 206 (34.4%) diagnosed with hypertension (systolic ?140 and/or
      diastolic ?90), 71 were self-reported and 135 were based on blood pressure
      measurements. Obesity was associated with hypertension (OR 2.79, 95%CI 1.4-5.4),
      but not with DM. No relationship was observed between fruit and vegetable
      consumption and presence or absence of DM or hypertension. CONCLUSION: This study
      identified a high prevalence of obesity and hypertension among government
      employees in the Cook Islands, risk factors that are associated with NCDs such as
      DM and cardiovascular disease. 'Wellness checks' pave the way for interventions
      in workplace settings to prevent and better manage these diseases through early
      diagnosis, risk management, treatment and supportive public health policies.

PMID- 26477286
TI  - Describing the burden of non-communicable disease risk factors among adults with
      diabetes in Wallis and Futuna.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The South Pacific Territory of Wallis and Futuna has a high burden of
      non-communicable diseases (NCD): 18% of adults have diabetes mellitus (DM) and
      87% are classified as overweight or obese. OBJECTIVE: To characterise the burden
      of additional World Health Organization (WHO) recognised NCD risk factors, such
      as smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, eating less than five fruit or
      vegetable servings per day and a sedentary lifestyle, among adults with DM.
      DESIGN: Re-analysis of cross-sectional data from a 2009 national survey. Odds
      ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. RESULTS: Of 487
      adults sampled, 87 (18%) had DM. Nearly 99% of individuals with DM had at least
      one additional NCD risk factor, and 62% had three or more concurrent NCD risk
      factors. Individuals with DM were more likely to be obese (OR 1.66, 95%CI 1.01
      2.74) and had a much higher prevalence of high blood pressure (OR 3.02, 95%CI
      1.87-4.86). CONCLUSION: DM is rarely identified in the absence of other NCD risk
      factors. We recommend an integrated approach to the management of DM and other
      NCD risk factors in routine care rather than a disease-specific approach.

PMID- 26477287
TI  - Burden and spectrum of disease in people with diabetes in Tonga.
AB  - SETTING: National Diabetes Centre, Tonga. OBJECTIVE: To describe the diabetes
      patient profile and disease spectrum, assess the impact of diabetic care and
      evaluate diabetes-attributable adverse outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective
      descriptive study of patients registered in the National Diabetes Registry from
      its inception in May 2004 to 2012, and review of the National Deaths Registry
      (2011-2012). RESULTS: Of 4653 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) identified,
      95.8% had type 2 DM, 0.2% type 1, 1.2% gestational DM and 2.9% pre-DM. Of the
      4409 patients with type 2 DM, 64.7% were female, 82.7% were aged ?40 years, 25.3%
      had hypertension and 53.3% were obese. Among those in care for >2 years, no
      positive impact on body mass index or glycosylated haemoglobin could be
      demonstrated, but there was significant improvement in hypertension control.
      Morbidity included lower limb amputations in 272 (6.1%) patients. DM was listed
      as a contributory cause of death due to sepsis (15/30, 50.0%), kidney failure
      (16/28, 57.1%), stroke (7/16, 43.8%) and ischaemic heart disease (20/59, 33.9%).
      CONCLUSION: DM was associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality. DM
      care improved hypertension control, but had little impact on other comorbid
      conditions. Enhanced monitoring and greater patient involvement should improve
      care; creative strategies are required to prevent and reduce obesity.

PMID- 26477288
TI  - Screening adult tuberculosis patients for diabetes mellitus in Ebeye, Republic of
      the Marshall Islands.
AB  - A retrospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the screening of adult TB
      patients for diabetes (DM) using glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C) in Ebeye, Republic
      of the Marshall Islands. Of 62 patients registered between July 2010 and December
      2012, 28 (45%) had DM. The only significant difference in baseline
      characteristics between those with and those without DM was higher age in those
      with DM. Two-month sputum smears and cultures were also not different between the
      two groups. Despite the limited sample size, this study shows that screening TB
      patients for DM in Ebeye is feasible and worthwhile and that it should be
      continued. 

PMID- 26477289
TI  - Screening for tuberculosis and LTBI in diabetes patients, Pohnpei, Federated
      States of Micronesia.
AB  - A retrospective cohort study was performed in Pohnpei, a small Pacific Island, to
      evaluate the feasibility and results of screening adult diabetes (DM) patients
      for tuberculosis (TB) and latent tuberculous infection (LTBI) using a symptom
      screen, tuberculin skin testing and chest radiography. Of 79 patients, 65 (82%)
      completed screening. Two (3%) patients with active TB and 16 (25%) with LTBI were
      referred for anti-tuberculosis treatment and isoniazid preventive therapy,
      respectively. It is feasible and worthwhile to screen diabetes patients for TB,
      but a number of changes are needed to improve both the screening process and the
      diagnostic yield. 

PMID- 26477290
TI  - Mentorship for operational research capacity building: hands-on or hands-off?
AB  - Mentorship is a key feature of operational research training courses run by the
      International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and Medecins Sans
      Frontieres. During the recent South Pacific paper writing module, the faculty
      discussed 'hands-on' mentorship (direct technical assistance) vs. 'hands-off'
      mentorship (technical advice). This article explores the advantages and
      disadvantages of each approach. Our collective experience indicates that 'hands
      on' mentorship is a valuable learning experience for the participant and a
      rewarding experience for the mentor. This approach increases the likelihood of
      successful course completion, including publishing a well written paper. However,
      mentors must allow participants to lead and take ownership of the paper, in
      keeping with a first author position. 

PMID- 26477291
TI  - beta-CD-dextran polymer for efficient sequestration of cholesterol from
      phospholipid bilayers: Mechanistic and safe-toxicity investigations.
AB  - The aim of this work was to investigate the suitability of beta-cyclodextrin
      dextran (BCD-dextran) polymer as cholesterol sequestering agent in vitro. For
      this purpose, BCD-dextran-cholesterol complexation was studied by phase
      solubility studies as well as with a specifically designed in vitro model based
      on giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) to evaluate the ability of this polymer to
      sequestrate cholesterol from phospholipid bilayers. Cholesterol-sequestering
      ability of BCD-dextran was also investigated on different cell lines relevant for
      the hematopoietic system and results were correlated to cells toxicity. BCD
      dextran polymer was capable of extracting significant amount of cholesterol from
      phospholipid bilayers and to a higher extent in comparison to available beta
      cyclodextrins (BCDs). The ability of BCD-dextran in sequestering cholesterol
      resulted also very high on cell lines relevant for the hematopoietic system.
      Moreover, BCD-dextran resulted less toxic on cell cultures due to higher
      selectivity in sequestering cholesterol in comparison to MBCD (that sequestrated
      also significant amounts of cholesteryl esters). In conclusion, BCD-dextran
      resulted an extremely efficient cholesterol-sequestering agent and BCD-dextran
      resulted more selective to cholesterol extraction in comparison to other BCDs
      (therefore of lower cytotoxicity). This phenomenon might play a key role to
      develop an efficient treatment for hypercholesterolemia based on cholesterol
      segregation.

PMID- 26477292
TI  - Cilostazol blocks pregnancy in naturally cycling swine: An animal model.
AB  - AIMS: Cilostazol (CLZ) is an FDA approved therapeutic that is indicated for
      patients with intermittent claudication disease. CLZ is a selective inhibitor for
      phosphodiesterase 3A (PDE3A); an enzyme that controls oocyte maturation in many
      mammals including humans. Recently, CLZ has been reported to block pregnancy and
      oocyte maturation in mice. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the
      potential non-steroidal contraceptive capacity of CLZ using a more advanced
      translational model for humans. MAIN METHODS: Three groups of naturally cycling
      sows were treated orally with 0, 100, or 200mg CLZ, twice a day (bid), for 6days
      before estrus and continued for three days after estrus. Each sow was mated by
      one of two proven fertile boars on alternate days during estrus. KEY FINDINGS:
      CLZ dose of 100mg, bid, completely blocked pregnancy in sows when compared to
      control sows (P<0.01). However, the 200mg dose of CLZ, bid, failed to
      significantly block pregnancy in pigs. No significant differences were observed
      in heart rates of treated and control animals. Re-mating of the previously
      treated sows exhibited normal pregnancies and litter sizes. SIGNIFICANCE: This
      study shows that CLZ is capable of producing a reversible non-steroidal
      contraceptive effect without adverse effects on the heart rate in pigs. The
      observed contraceptive effect of CLZ was at doses similar to those indicated to
      humans. This FDA approved agent, for treatment of patients with intermittent
      claudication, may have an additional therapeutic effect as a non-steroidal
      contraceptive agent. Cilostazol merits further evaluation in women and might be
      useful for controlling the population of homeless animals.

PMID- 26477293
TI  - Short-term hyperprolactinemia decreases allergic inflammatory response of the
      lungs.
AB  - AIMS: Prolactin is a major immunomodulator. The present study evaluated the
      effects of short-term hyperprolactinemia induced by domperidone before ovalbumin
      antigenic challenge on the lung's allergic inflammatory response. MAIN METHODS:
      To induce hyperprolactinemia, domperidone was injected in rats at a dose of
      5.1mg.kg(-1) per day, i.p., for 5days from 10th to 14th day after OVA
      immunization. Total and differential leukocyte counts from bronchoalveolar lavage
      (BAL), femoral marrow lavage (FML), and blood were analyzed. The percentages of
      mucus and collagen production were evaluated. Levels of corticosterone and
      prolactin in serum, interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor
      alpha (TNF-alpha) in lung explants supernatants were measured and interferon
      gamma (IFN-gamma) in bronchiolar lavage cells suspensions (BAL) was measured. KEY
      FINDINGS: The rats that were subjected to short-term hyperprolactinemia exhibited
      a decrease in leukocyte counts in bronchoalveolar lavage, cellularity decrease in
      femoral marrow lavage fluid, a lower percentage of mucus, and an increase in lung
      IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma expression. SIGNIFICANCE:
      Hyperprolactinemia induced before antigenic challenge decreased allergic lung
      inflammation. These data suggest that prolactin may play a role in the
      pathophysiology of asthma. The present study demonstrates a prospective
      beneficial side effect of domperidone for asthmatic patients.

PMID- 26477294
TI  - A computational chemistry perspective on the current status and future direction
      of hepatitis B antiviral drug discovery.
AB  - Computational chemical biology, applied to research on hepatitis B virus (HBV),
      has two major branches: bioinformatics (statistical models) and first-principle
      methods (molecular physics). While bioinformatics focuses on statistical tools
      and biological databases, molecular physics uses mathematics and chemical theory
      to study the interactions of biomolecules. Three computational techniques most
      commonly used in HBV research are homology modeling, molecular docking, and
      molecular dynamics. Homology modeling is a computational simulation to predict
      protein structure and has been used to construct conformers of the viral
      polymerase (reverse transcriptase domain and RNase H domain) and the HBV X
      protein. Molecular docking is used to predict the most likely orientation of a
      ligand when it is bound to a protein, as well as determining an energy score of
      the docked conformation. Molecular dynamics is a simulation that analyzes
      biomolecule motions and determines conformation and stability patterns. All of
      these modeling techniques have aided in the understanding of resistance mutations
      on HBV non-nucleos(t)ide reverse-transcriptase inhibitor binding. Finally,
      bioinformatics can be used to study the DNA and RNA protein sequences of viruses
      to both analyze drug resistance and to genotype the viral genomes. Overall, with
      these techniques, and others, computational chemical biology is becoming more and
      more necessary in hepatitis B research. This article 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- 26477295
TI  - Experimental and theoretical optical properties of methylammonium lead halide
      perovskites.
AB  - The optical constants of methylammonium lead halide single crystals CH3NH3PbX3 (X
      = I, Br, Cl) are interpreted with high level ab initio calculations using the
      relativistic quasiparticle self-consistent GW approximation (QSGW). Good
      agreement between the optical constants derived from QSGW and those obtained from
      spectroscopic ellipsometry enables the assignment of the spectral features to
      their respective inter-band transitions. We show that the transition from the
      highest valence band (VB) to the lowest conduction band (CB) is responsible for
      almost all the optical response of MAPbI3 between 1.2 and 5.5 eV (with minor
      contributions from the second highest VB and the second lowest CB). The
      calculations indicate that the orientation of [CH3NH3](+) cations has a
      significant influence on the position of the bandgap suggesting that collective
      orientation of the organic moieties could result in significant local variations
      of the optical properties. The optical constants and energy band diagram of
      CH3NH3PbI3 are then used to simulate the contributions from different optical
      transitions to a typical transient absorption spectrum (TAS). 

PMID- 26477296
TI  - Target discrimination delays attentional benefit for grouped contexts: An ERP
      study.
AB  - Searching a target was shown to be facilitated when embedded in a homogeneous
      compared to a heterogeneous context. This study investigated extended attention
      deployment after visual search for a target that observers had to discriminate in
      contexts of varying heterogeneity. Results showed more efficient attention
      deployment towards targets in homogeneous contexts as evident in higher accuracy
      and larger N2pc amplitudes than in random contexts. RTs to subsequently presented
      probes were shorter and a larger posterior positivity was observed in the ERP
      when probes were presented at the target location compared to other locations.
      This on-target advantage was larger for homogeneous contexts at ISIs of 90ms, but
      not for shorter (30ms) or longer (150ms) ISIs. These results show that visual
      search tasks induce an accelerated attention deployment after homogeneous
      contexts, however with a delay after target discrimination compared to less
      demanding target detection. 

PMID- 26477297
TI  - What haplodiploids can teach us about hybridization and speciation.
AB  - Most evolutionary theory focuses on species that reproduce through sexual
      reproduction where both sexes have a diploid chromosome count. Yet a substantial
      proportion of multicellular species display complex life cycles, with both
      haploid and diploid life stages. A classic example is haplodiploidy, where
      females develop from fertilized eggs and are diploid, while males develop from
      unfertilized eggs and are haploid. Although haplodiploids make up about 15% of
      all animals (de la Filia et al. ), this type of reproduction is rarely considered
      in evolutionary theory. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Patten et al. ()
      develop a theoretical model to compare the rate of nuclear and mitochondrial
      introgression in haplodiploid and diploid species. They show that when two
      haplodiploid species hybridize, nuclear genes are much less likely to cross the
      species barrier than if both species were to be diploids. The reason for this is
      that only half of the offspring resulting from matings between haplodiploid
      species are true hybrids: sons from such mating only inherit their mother genes
      and therefore only contain genes of the maternal species. Truly, hybrid males can
      only occur through backcrossing of a hybrid female to a male of one of the
      parental species. While this twist of haplodiploid transmission genetics limits
      nuclear introgression, mitochondrial genes, which are maternally inherited, are
      unaffected by the scarcity of hybrid males. In other words, the rate of
      mitochondrial introgression is the same for haplodiploid and diploid species. As
      a result, haplodiploid species on average show a bias of mitochondrial compared
      to nuclear introgression. 

PMID- 26477298
TI  - Open-Source, Platform-Independent Library and Online Scripting Environment for
      Accessing Thermo Scientific RAW Files.
AB  - Mass spectrometers typically output data in proprietary binary formats. While
      converter suites and standardized XML formats have been developed in response,
      these conversion steps come with non-negligible computational time and storage
      space overhead. As a result, simple, everyday data inspection tasks are often
      beyond the skills of the mass spectrometrist, who is unable to freely access the
      acquired data. We therefore here describe the unthermo library for convenient,
      platform-independent access to Thermo Scientific RAW files and the associated
      online playground to transform small and easily understandable scriptlets into
      executable programs for end-users. By fostering the provision of code examples
      and snippet exchange, the interested mass spectrometrist or researcher can use
      this playground to quickly assemble custom scripts for their particular purpose.
      In this way, the data in these RAW files can be mined much more readily and
      directly by the user, and fast, automated raw data extraction or analysis can
      finally become part of the daily routine of the mass spectrometrist. 

PMID- 26477299
TI  - Hypomyelinating disorders: An MRI approach.
AB  - In recent years, the concept of hypomyelinating disorders has been proposed as a
      group of disorders with varying systemic manifestations that are identified by MR
      findings of absence or near absence of the T2 hypointensity that develops in
      white matter as a result of myelination. Initially proposed as a separate group
      because they were the largest single category of undiagnosed leukodystrophies,
      their separation as a distinct group that can be recognized by looking for a
      specific MRI feature has resulted in a marked increase in their diagnosis and a
      better understanding of the different causes of hypomyelination. This review will
      discuss the clinical presentations, imaging findings on standard MRI, and new MRI
      related techniques that allow a better understanding of these disorders and
      proposed methods for quantifying the myelination as a potential means of
      assessing disease course and the effects of proposed treatments. Disorders with
      hypomyelination of white matter, or hypomyelinating disorders (HMDs), represent
      the single largest category among undiagnosed genetic leukoencephalopathies
      (Schiffmann and van der Knaap, 2009; Steenweg et al., 2010). This group of inborn
      errors of metabolism is characterized by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      appearance of reduced or absent myelin development: delay in the development of
      T2 hypointensity and, often, T1 hyperintensity in the white matter of the brain.
      The concept of hypomyelination was first conceptualized by (Schiffmann and van
      der Knaap, 2009; Steenweg et al., 2010; Schiffmann et al., 1994) in a series of
      papers that showed that these MRI characteristics were easily recognized, were
      different from the MRI characteristics of dysmyelinating and demyelinating
      disorders, and that the combination of these imaging findings with specific other
      clinical and imaging features could be used to make diagnoses with some
      confidence. In this manuscript, we will discuss the physiologic and genetic bases
      of hypomyelinating disorders, as well as their classification, clinical
      manifestations and imaging characteristics. 

PMID- 26477302
TI  - Sequence-selective DNA recognition and enhanced cellular up-take by peptide
      steroid conjugates.
AB  - Several GCN4 bZIP TF models have previously been designed and synthesized.
      However, the synthetic routes towards these constructs are typically tedious and
      difficult. We here describe the substitution of the Leucine zipper domain of the
      protein by a deoxycholic acid derivative appending the two GCN4 binding region
      peptides through an optimized double azide-alkyne cycloaddition click reaction.
      In addition to achieving sequence specific dsDNA binding, we have investigated
      the potential of these compounds to enter cells. Confocal microscopy and flow
      cytometry show the beneficial influence of the steroid on cell uptake. This
      unique synthetic model of the bZIP TF thus combines sequence specific dsDNA
      binding properties with enhanced cell-uptake. Given the unique properties of
      deoxycholic acid and the convergent nature of the synthesis, we believe this work
      represents a key achievement in the field of TF mimicry. 

PMID- 26477301
TI  - Mini-review: Retarding aging in murine genetic models of neurodegeneration.
AB  - Retardation of aging processes is a plausible approach to delaying the onset or
      slowing the progression of common neurodegenerative disorders. We review the
      results of experiments using murine genetic models of Alzheimer disease and
      Huntington disease to evaluate the effects of retarding aging. While positive
      results are reported in several of these experiments, there are several
      discrepancies in behavioral and pathologic outcomes both within and between
      different experiments. Similarly, different experiments yield varying assessments
      of potential proximate mechanisms of action of retarding aging. The anti-aging
      interventions used for some experiments include some that show only modest
      effects on lifespan, and others that have proven hard to reproduce. Several
      experiments used aggressive transgenic neurodegenerative disease models that may
      be less relevant in the context of age-related diseases. The experience with
      these models and interventions may be useful in designing future experiments
      assessing anti-aging interventions for disease-modifying treatment of
      neurodegenerative diseases. 

PMID- 26477300
TI  - Controversies in preterm brain injury.
AB  - In this review, we highlight critical unresolved questions in the etiology and
      mechanisms causing preterm brain injury. Involvement of neurons, glia, endogenous
      factors and exogenous exposures is considered. The structural and functional
      correlates of interrupted development and injury in the premature brain are under
      active investigation, with the hope that the cellular and molecular mechanisms
      underlying developmental abnormalities in the human preterm brain can be
      understood, prevented or repaired.

PMID- 26477303
TI  - Steam explosion pretreatment of triticale (* Triticosecale Wittmack) straw for
      sugar production.
AB  - Triticale, a non-food based, low-cost and well-adapted crop in marginal lands has
      been considered as a potential 1G and 2G feedstock for bio-ethanol production. In
      this work, triticale straw was evaluated as a source of fermentable sugars by
      combination of uncatalyzed steam explosion and enzymatic hydrolysis. Pretreatment
      conditions with severities from 3.05 to 4.12 were compared in order to identify
      conditions that favour the recovery of hemicellulose-derived sugars, cellulose
      digestibility or the combined sugars yield (CSY) from the pretreatment-enzymatic
      hydrolysis. Xylose oligosaccharide was the major sugar in hydrolysates from all
      pretreatment conditions. Maximum hemicellulose-sugars recovery (52% of the
      feedstock content) was obtained at 200  degrees C and 5 min. The highest
      cellulose digestibility (95%) was found at 200  degrees C - 15 min, although
      glucose recovery from hydrolysis was maximised at 200  degrees C - 10 min
      (digestibility >92%) due to higher mass yield of pretreated solids. The maximum
      CSY (nearly 77% of theoretical content) was obtained at 200  degrees C - 5 min.
      Sugar loss after pretreatment was observed to higher extent at harsher
      severities. However, the concentrations of sugar degradation products and acetic
      acid were at levels below tolerance limits of the downstream biological
      conversions. Steam explosion pretreatment without acid impregnation is a good
      technology for production of fermentable sugars from triticale straw. This work
      provides foundation for future autohydrolysis steam explosion optimization
      studies to enhanced sugars recovery and digestibility of triticale straw.

PMID- 26477304
TI  - The changing model of big pharma: impact of key trends.
AB  - Recent years have seen exciting breakthroughs in biomedical sciences that are
      producing truly novel therapeutics for unmet patient needs. However, the
      pharmaceutical industry is also facing significant barriers in the form of
      pricing and reimbursement, continued patent expirations and challenging market
      dynamics. In this article, we have analyzed data from the 1995-2015 period, on
      key aspects such as revenue distribution, research units, portfolio mix and
      emerging markets to identify four key trends that help to understand the change
      in strategic focus, realignment of R&D footprint, the shift from primary care
      toward specialty drugs and biologics and the growth of emerging markets as major
      revenue drivers for big pharma. 

PMID- 26477305
TI  - Free-standing ultrathin CoMn2O4 nanosheets anchored on reduced graphene oxide for
      high-performance supercapacitors.
AB  - Ultrathin CoMn2O4 nanosheets supported on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) are
      successfully synthesized through a simple co-precipitation method with a post
      annealing treatment. With the assistance of citrate, the free-standing CoMn2O4
      ultrathin nanosheets can form porous overlays on both sides of the rGO sheets.
      Such a novel hybrid nanostructure can effectively promote charge transport and
      accommodate volume variation upon prolonged charge/discharge cycling. When
      evaluated as a promising electrode for supercapacitors in a 6 M KOH solution
      electrolyte, the hybrid nanocomposites demonstrate highly enhanced capacitance
      and excellent cycling stability. 

PMID- 26477306
TI  - Differential association of STK11 and TP53 with KRAS mutation-associated gene
      expression, proliferation and immune surveillance in lung adenocarcinoma.
AB  - While mutations in the KRAS oncogene are among the most prevalent in human
      cancer, there are few successful treatments to target these tumors. It is also
      likely that heterogeneity in KRAS-mutant tumor biology significantly contributes
      to the response to therapy. We hypothesized that the presence of commonly co
      occurring mutations in STK11 and TP53 tumor suppressors may represent a
      significant source of heterogeneity in KRAS-mutant tumors. To address this, we
      utilized a large cohort of resected tumors from 442 lung adenocarcinoma patients
      with data including annotation of prevalent driver mutations (KRAS and EGFR) and
      tumor suppressor mutations (STK11 and TP53), microarray-based gene expression and
      clinical covariates, including overall survival (OS). Specifically, we determined
      impact of STK11 and TP53 mutations on a new KRAS mutation-associated gene
      expression signature as well as previously defined signatures of tumor cell
      proliferation and immune surveillance responses. Interestingly, STK11, but not
      TP53 mutations, were associated with highly elevated expression of KRAS mutation
      associated genes. Mutations in TP53 and STK11 also impacted tumor biology
      regardless of KRAS status, with TP53 strongly associated with enhanced
      proliferation and STK11 with suppression of immune surveillance. These findings
      illustrate the remarkably distinct ways through which tumor suppressor mutations
      may contribute to heterogeneity in KRAS-mutant tumor biology. In addition, these
      studies point to novel associations between gene mutations and immune
      surveillance that could impact the response to immunotherapy.

PMID- 26477307
TI  - Positive regulation of beta-catenin-PROX1 signaling axis by DBC1 in colon cancer
      progression.
AB  - Aberrant activation of Wnt/beta-catenin pathway contributes to colorectal cancer
      (CRC) progression. However, little is known about regulatory mechanisms of the
      beta-catenin activity in cancer progression. Here we investigated the role of
      DBC1, which was recently reported as a negative regulator of SIRT1 and a
      transcriptional coactivator, in the regulation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. We
      identified the genome-wide targets of DBC1 and found that loss of DBC1 inhibits
      the expression of beta-catenin target genes including PROX1, a transcription
      factor linked to CRC progression. Mechanistically, DBC1 stabilizes LEF1-beta
      catenin interaction by inhibiting SIRT1-mediated beta-catenin deacetylation,
      thereby enhancing LEF1-beta-catenin complex formation and long-range chromatin
      looping at the PROX1 locus. Furthermore, DBC1 is also required for the
      transcriptional activity of PROX1, suggesting that DBC1 has a dual function in
      regulating beta-catenin-PROX1 signaling axis: as a coactivator for both beta
      catenin and PROX1. Importantly, loss of DBC1 inhibited growth and tumorigenic
      potential of colon cancer cells, and DBC1 expression correlated with shorter
      relapse-free survival in patients with advanced CRC. Our results firmly establish
      DBC1 as a critical positive regulator of beta-catenin-PROX1 signaling axis and a
      key factor in beta-catenin-PROX1-mediated CRC progression.

PMID- 26477308
TI  - TGF-beta signaling links E-cadherin loss to suppression of nucleotide excision
      repair.
AB  - E-cadherin is a cell adhesion molecule best known for its function in suppressing
      tumor progression and metastasis. Here we show that E-cadherin promotes
      nucleotide excision repair through positively regulating the expression of
      xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C (XPC) and DNA damage-binding
      protein 1 (DDB1). Loss of E-cadherin activates the E2F4 and p130/107
      transcription repressor complexes to suppress the transcription of both XPC and
      DDB1 through activating the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) pathway.
      Adding XPC or DDB1, or inhibiting the TGF-beta pathway, increases the repair of
      ultraviolet (UV)-induced DNA damage in E-cadherin-inhibited cells. In the mouse
      skin and skin tumors, UVB radiation downregulates E-cadherin. In sun-associated
      premalignant and malignant skin neoplasia, E-cadherin is downregulated in
      association with reduced XPC and DDB1 levels. These findings demonstrate a
      crucial role of E-cadherin in efficient DNA repair of UV-induced DNA damage,
      identify a new link between epithelial adhesion and DNA repair and suggest a
      mechanistic link of early E-cadherin loss in tumor initiation.

PMID- 26477309
TI  - Sp100A is a tumor suppressor that activates p53-dependent transcription and
      counteracts E1A/E1B-55K-mediated transformation.
AB  - Human adenoviruses (HAdV) are used as a model system to investigate tumorigenic
      processes in mammalian cells where the viral oncoproteins E1A and E1B-55K are
      absolutely required for oncogenic transformation, because they simultaneously
      accelerate cell cycle progression and inhibit tumor suppressor proteins such as
      p53, although the underlying mechanism is still not understood in detail. In our
      present study, we provide evidence that E1B-55K binding to the PML-NB component
      Sp100A apparently has an essential role in regulating adenovirus-mediated
      transformation processes. Specifically, when this E1B-55K/Sp100A complex recruits
      p53, Sp100A-induced activation of p53 transcriptional activity is effectively
      abolished. Hence, Sp100A exhibits tumor-suppressive activity, not only by
      stabilizing p53 transactivation but also by depressing E1A/E1B-55K-mediated
      transformation. E1B-55K counteracts this suppressive activity, inducing Sp100A
      SUMOylation and sequestering the modified cellular factor into the insoluble
      matrix of the nucleus or into cytoplasmic inclusions. These observations provide
      novel insights into how E1B-55K modulates cellular determinants to maintain
      growth-promoting activity during oncogenic processes and lytic infection.

PMID- 26477311
TI  - Targeting tumor-stroma crosstalk: the example of the NT157 inhibitor.
AB  - Recent clinical research has provided evidence that cancer progression and
      therapy resistance is driven not only by tumor's genetic profile but also by
      complex paracrine interactions within the tumor microenvironment (TME). The role
      of TME in modulating tumor drug sensitivity is increasingly recognized and
      targeting TME has been the focus of novel therapeutic approaches. Two recent
      reports show that a new anti-cancer drug, the inhibitor NT157 has the potential
      to inhibit IGF-1R and STAT3 signaling pathways in cancer cells and stroma cells
      of TME leading to a decrease in cancer cell survival.

PMID- 26477310
TI  - Systematic integration of molecular profiles identifies miR-22 as a regulator of
      lipid and folate metabolism in breast cancer cells.
AB  - Dysregulated microRNA (miRNA) mediate malignant phenotypes, including metabolic
      reprogramming. By performing an integrative analysis of miRNA and metabolome data
      for the NCI-60 cell line panel, we identified an miRNA cluster strongly
      associated with both c-Myc expression and global metabolic variation. Within this
      cluster the cancer-associated and cardioprotective miR-22 was shown to repress
      fatty acid synthesis and elongation in tumour cells by targeting ATP citrate
      lyase and fatty acid elongase 6, as well as impairing mitochondrial one-carbon
      metabolism by suppression of methylene tetrahydrofolate
      dehydrogenase/cyclohydrolase. Across several data sets, expression of these
      target genes were associated with poorer outcomes in breast cancer patients.
      Importantly, a beneficial effect of miR-22 on clinical outcomes in breast cancer
      was shown to depend on the expression levels of the identified target genes,
      demonstrating the relevance of miRNA/mRNA interactions to disease progression in
      vivo. Our systematic analysis establishes miR-22 as a novel regulator of tumour
      cell metabolism, a function that could contribute to the role of this miRNA in
      cellular differentiation and cancer development. Moreover, we provide a
      paradigmatic example of effect modification in outcome analysis as a consequence
      of miRNA-directed gene targeting, a phenomenon that could be exploited to improve
      patient prognosis and treatment.

PMID- 26477312
TI  - NFATc1 promotes prostate tumorigenesis and overcomes PTEN loss-induced
      senescence.
AB  - Despite recent insights into prostate cancer (PCa)-associated genetic changes,
      full understanding of prostate tumorigenesis remains elusive owing to complexity
      of interactions among various cell types and soluble factors present in prostate
      tissue. We found the upregulation of nuclear factor of activated T cells c1
      (NFATc1) in human PCa and cultured PCa cells, but not in normal prostates and non
      tumorigenic prostate cells. To understand the role of NFATc1 in prostate
      tumorigenesis in situ, we temporally and spatially controlled the activation of
      NFATc1 in mouse prostate and showed that such activation resulted in prostatic
      adenocarcinoma with features similar to those seen in human PCa. Our results
      indicate that the activation of a single transcription factor, NFATc1 in
      prostatic luminal epithelium to PCa can affect expression of diverse factors in
      both cells harboring the genetic changes and in neighboring cells through
      microenvironmental alterations. In addition to the activation of oncogenes c-MYC
      and STAT3 in tumor cells, a number of cytokines and growth factors, such as
      IL1beta, IL6 and SPP1 (osteopontin, a key biomarker for PCa), were upregulated in
      NFATc1-induced PCa, establishing a tumorigenic microenvironment involving both
      NFATc1 positive and negative cells for prostate tumorigenesis. To further
      characterize interactions between genes involved in prostate tumorigenesis, we
      generated mice with both NFATc1 activation and Pten inactivation in prostate. We
      showed that NFATc1 activation led to acceleration of Pten null-driven prostate
      tumorigenesis by overcoming the PTEN loss-induced cellular senescence through
      inhibition of p21 activation. This study provides direct in vivo evidence of an
      oncogenic role of NFATc1 in prostate tumorigenesis and reveals multiple functions
      of NFATc1 in activating oncogenes, in inducing proinflammatory cytokines, in
      oncogene addiction, and in overcoming cellular senescence, which suggests
      calcineurin-NFAT signaling as a potential target in preventing PCa.

PMID- 26477313
TI  - TSH overcomes Braf(V600E)-induced senescence to promote tumor progression via
      downregulation of p53 expression in papillary thyroid cancer.
AB  - The BRAF(V600E) mutation is found in approximately 40% of papillary thyroid
      cancers (PTC). Mice with thyroid-specific expression of Braf(V600E) (TPO
      Braf(V600E)) develop PTC rapidly with high levels of serum thyroid-stimulating
      hormone (TSH). It is unclear to what extent the elevated TSH contributes to tumor
      progression. To investigate the progression of Braf(V600E)-induced PTC (BVE-PTC)
      under normal TSH, we transplanted BVE-PTC tumors subcutaneously into nude and TPO
      Braf(WT) mice. Regression of the transplanted tumors was observed in both nude
      and TPO-Braf(WT) mice. They were surrounded by heavy lymphocyte infiltration and
      oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) was demonstrated by strong beta-gal staining
      and absence of Ki-67 expression. In contrast, BVE-PTC transplants continued to
      grow when transplanted into TPO-Braf(V600E) mice. The expression of Trp53 was
      increased in tumor transplants undergoing OIS. Trp53 inactivation reversed OIS
      and enabled tumor transplants to grow in nude mice with characteristic cell
      morphology of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC). PTC-to-ATC transformation was also
      observed in primary BVE-PTC tumors. ATC cells derived from Trp53 knockout tumors
      had increased PI3K/AKT signaling and became resistant to Braf(V600E) inhibitor
      PLX4720, which could be overcome by combined treatment of PI3K inhibitor LY294002
      and PLX4720. In conclusion, BVE-PTC progression could be contained via p53
      dependent OIS and TSH is a major disruptor of this balance. Simultaneous
      targeting of both MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways offer a better therapeutic outcome
      against ATC. The current study reinforces the importance of rigorous control of
      serum TSH in PTC patients. 

PMID- 26477314
TI  - A novel protein isoform of the RON tyrosine kinase receptor transforms human
      pancreatic duct epithelial cells.
AB  - The MST1R gene is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer producing elevated levels of
      the RON tyrosine kinase receptor protein. While mutations in MST1R are rare,
      alternative splice variants have been previously reported in epithelial cancers.
      We report the discovery of a novel RON isoform discovered in human pancreatic
      cancer. Partial splicing of exons 5 and 6 (P5P6) produces a RON isoform that
      lacks the first extracellular immunoglobulin-plexin-transcription domain. The
      splice variant is detected in 73% of xenografts derived from pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma patients and 71% of pancreatic cancer cell lines. Peptides
      specific to RON P5P6 detected in human pancreatic cancer specimens by mass
      spectrometry confirm translation of the protein isoform. The P5P6 isoform is
      found to be constitutively phosphorylated, present in the cytoplasm, and it
      traffics to the plasma membrane. Expression of P5P6 in immortalized human
      pancreatic duct epithelial (HPDE) cells activates downstream AKT, and in human
      pancreatic epithelial nestin-expressing cells, activates both the AKT and MAPK
      pathways. Inhibiting RON P5P6 in HPDE cells using a small molecule inhibitor BMS
      777607 blocked constitutive activation and decreased AKT signaling. P5P6
      transforms NIH3T3 cells and induces tumorigenicity in HPDE cells. Resultant HPDE
      P5P6 tumors develop a dense stromal compartment similar to that seen in
      pancreatic cancer. In summary, we have identified a novel and constitutively
      active isoform of the RON tyrosine kinase receptor that has transforming activity
      and is expressed in human pancreatic cancer. These findings provide additional
      insight into the biology of the RON receptor in pancreatic cancer and are
      clinically relevant to the study of RON as a potential therapeutic target.

PMID- 26477315
TI  - Murine melanomas accelerated by a single UVR exposure carry photoproduct
      footprints but lack UV signature C>T mutations in critical genes.
AB  - Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure increases malignant melanoma (MM) risk, but
      in the context of acute, not cumulative exposure. C>T and CC>TT changes make up
      the overwhelming majority of single base substitutions (SBS) in MM DNA, as both
      precursor melanocytes and melanocytic lesions have incurred incidental exposures
      to sunlight. To study the mutagenic mechanisms by which acute sunburn accelerates
      MM, we sequenced the exomes of spontaneous and neonatal UVB-induced Cdk4
      R24C::Tyr-NRASQ61K mouse MMs. UVR-induced MMs carried more SBSs than spontaneous
      MMs, but the levels of genomic instability, reflected by translocations and copy
      number changes, were not different. C>T/G>A was the most common SBS in
      spontaneous and UVR-induced MMs, only modestly increased in the latter. However,
      they tended to occur at the motif A/GpCpG (reflecting C>T transition due to
      spontaneous deamination of cytosine at CpG) in spontaneous MMs, and T/CpCpC/T
      (reflecting the effects of pyrimidine dimers on either side of the mutated C) in
      UVR-induced MMs. Unlike MMs associated with repetitive exposures, we observed no
      CC>TT changes. In addition, we also found UVR 'footprints' at T>A/A>Ts (at NpTpT)
      and T>C/A>G (at CpTpC). These footprints are also present in MMs from a chronic
      UVR mouse model, and in some human MMs, suggesting that they may be minor UVR
      signature changes. We found few significantly somatically mutated genes (~6 per
      spontaneous and 15 per UVR-induced melanoma) in addition to the Cdk4 and NRAS
      mutations already present. Trp53 was the most convincing recurrently mutated
      gene; however, in the UVR-induced MMs no Trp53 mutations were at C>T/G>A,
      suggesting that it was probably mutated during tumour progression, not directly
      induced by UVR photoproducts. The very low load of recurrent mutations
      convincingly induced by classical UVB-induced dimer photoproducts may support a
      role for cell extrinsic mechanisms, such as photoimmunosuppression and
      inflammation in driving MM after acute UVB exposure.

PMID- 26477316
TI  - Expression and therapeutic targeting of dopamine receptor-1 (D1R) in breast
      cancer.
AB  - Patients with advanced breast cancer often fail to respond to treatment, creating
      a need to develop novel biomarkers and effective therapeutics. Dopamine (DA) is a
      catecholamine that binds to five G protein-coupled receptors. We discovered
      expression of DA type-1 receptors (D1Rs) in breast cancer, thereby identifying
      these receptors as novel therapeutic targets in this disease. Strong to moderate
      immunoreactive D1R expression was found in 30% of 751 primary breast carcinomas,
      and was associated with larger tumors, higher tumor grades, node metastasis and
      shorter patient survival. DA and D1R agonists, signaling through the cGMP/protein
      kinase G (PKG) pathway, suppressed cell viability, inhibited invasion and induced
      apoptosis in multiple breast cancer cell lines. Fenoldopam, a peripheral D1R
      agonist that does not penetrate the brain, dramatically suppressed tumor growth
      in two mouse models with D1R-expressing xenografts by increasing both necrosis
      and apoptosis. D1R-expressing primary tumors and metastases in mice were detected
      by fluorescence imaging. In conclusion, D1R overexpression is associated with
      advanced breast cancer and poor prognosis. Activation of the D1R/cGMP/PKG pathway
      induces apoptosis in vitro and causes tumor shrinkage in vivo. Fenoldopam, which
      is FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved to treat renal hypertension, could
      be repurposed as a novel therapeutic agent for patients with D1R-expressing
      tumors.

PMID- 26477318
TI  - N-cadherin functions as a growth suppressor in a model of K-ras-induced PanIN.
AB  - Cadherin subtype switching from E-cadherin to N-cadherin is associated with the
      epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process required for invasion and
      dissemination of carcinoma cells. We found that N-cadherin is expressed in human
      and mouse pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN), suggesting that N
      cadherin may also have a role in early-stage pancreatic cancer. To investigate
      the role of N-cadherin in mouse PanIN (mPanIN), we simultaneously activated
      oncogenic K-ras(G12D) and deleted the N-cadherin (Cdh2) gene in the murine
      pancreas. Genetic ablation of N-cadherin (N-cad KO) caused hyperproliferation,
      accelerated mPanIN progression, and early tumor development in K-ras(G12D) mice.
      Decreased E-cadherin and redistribution of beta-catenin accompanied the loss of N
      cadherin in pancreatic ductal epithelial cells (PDEC). Nuclear accumulation of
      beta-catenin and its transcription co-activator Tcf4 led to activation of
      Wnt/beta-catenin target genes. Unexpectedly, loss of N-cadherin in the K
      ras(G12D) model resulted in increased mPanIN progression and tumor incidence.
      These in vivo results demonstrate for the first time that N-cadherin functions as
      a growth suppressor in the context of oncogenic K-ras.

PMID- 26477317
TI  - The p53 tetramer shows an induced-fit interaction of the C-terminal domain with
      the DNA-binding domain.
AB  - The Trp53 gene is the most frequently mutated gene in all human cancers. Its
      protein product p53 is a very powerful transcription factor that can activate
      different biochemical pathways and affect the regulation of metabolism,
      senescence, DNA damage response, cell cycle and cell death. The understanding of
      its function at the molecular level could be of pivotal relevance for therapy.
      Investigation of long-range intra- and interdomain communications in the p53
      tetramer-DNA complex was performed by means of an atomistic model that included
      the tetramerization helices in the C-terminal domain, the DNA-binding domains and
      a consensus DNA-binding site of 18 base pairs. Nonsymmetric dynamics are
      illustrated in the four DNA-binding domains, with loop L1 switching from inward
      to outward conformations with respect to the DNA major groove. Direct intra- and
      intermonomeric long-range communications between the tetramerization and DNA
      binding domains are noted. These long-distance conformational changes link the C
      terminus with the DNA-binding domain and provide a biophysical rationale for the
      reported functional regulation of the p53 C-terminal region. A fine
      characterization of the DNA deformation caused by p53 binding is obtained, with
      'static' deformations always present and measured by the slide parameter in the
      central thymine-adenine base pairs; we also detect 'dynamic' deformations
      switched on and off by particular p53 tetrameric conformations and measured by
      the roll and twist parameters in the same base pairs. These different
      conformations can indeed modulate the electrostatic potential isosurfaces of the
      whole p53-DNA complex. These results provide a molecular/biophysical
      understanding of the evident role of the C terminus in post-translational
      modification that regulates the transcriptional function of p53. Furthermore, the
      unstructured C terminus is able to facilitate contacts between the core DNA
      binding domains of the tetramer.

PMID- 26477319
TI  - Radiation promotes colorectal cancer initiation and progression by inducing
      senescence-associated inflammatory responses.
AB  - Proton radiotherapy is becoming more common as protons induce more precise DNA
      damage at the tumor site with reduced side effects to adjacent normal tissues.
      However, the long-term biological effects of proton irradiation in cancer
      initiation compared with conventional photon irradiation are poorly
      characterized. In this study, using a human familial adenomatous polyposis
      syndrome susceptible mouse model, we show that whole-body irradiation with
      protons are more effective in inducing senescence-associated inflammatory
      responses (SIRs), which are involved in colon cancer initiation and progression.
      After proton irradiation, a subset of SIR genes (Troy, Sox17, Opg, Faim2, Lpo,
      Tlr2 and Ptges) and a gene known to be involved in invasiveness (Plat), along
      with the senescence-associated gene (P19Arf), are markedly increased. Following
      these changes, loss of Casein kinase Ialpha and induction of chronic DNA damage
      and TP53 mutations are increased compared with X-ray irradiation. Proton
      irradiation also increases the number of colonic polyps, carcinomas and invasive
      adenocarcinomas. Pretreatment with the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, 2
      cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oic acid-ethyl amide (CDDO-EA), reduces
      proton irradiation-associated SIR and tumorigenesis. Thus exposure to proton
      irradiation elicits significant changes in colorectal cancer initiation and
      progression that can be mitigated using CDDO-EA.

PMID- 26477320
TI  - Identifying the Minimal Enzymes Required for Biosynthesis of Epoxyketone
      Proteasome Inhibitors.
AB  - Epoxyketone proteasome inhibitors have attracted much interest due to their
      potential as anticancer drugs. Although the biosynthetic gene clusters for
      several peptidyl epoxyketone natural products have recently been identified, the
      enzymatic logic involved in the formation of the terminal epoxyketone
      pharmacophore has been relatively unexplored. Here, we report the identification
      of the minimal set of enzymes from the eponemycin gene cluster necessary for the
      biosynthesis of novel metabolites containing a terminal epoxyketone pharmacophore
      in Escherichia coli, a versatile and fast-growing heterologous host. This set of
      enzymes includes a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS), a polyketide synthase
      (PKS), and an acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (ACAD) homologue. In addition to the in vivo
      functional reconstitution of these enzymes in E. coli, in vitro studies of the
      eponemycin NRPS and (13) C-labeled precursor feeding experiments were performed
      to advance the mechanistic understanding of terminal epoxyketone formation. 

PMID- 26477321
TI  - Combination of six enzymes of a marine Novosphingobium converts the stereoisomers
      of beta-O-4 lignin model dimers into the respective monomers.
AB  - Lignin, an aromatic polymer of phenylpropane units joined predominantly by beta-O
      4 linkages, is the second most abundant biomass component on Earth. Despite the
      continuous discharge of terrestrially produced lignin into marine environments,
      few studies have examined lignin degradation by marine microorganisms. Here, we
      screened marine isolates for beta-O-4 cleavage activity and determined the genes
      responsible for this enzymatic activity in one positive isolate. Novosphingobium
      sp. strain MBES04 converted all four stereoisomers of guaiacylglycerol-beta
      guaiacyl ether (GGGE), a structural mimic of lignin, to guaiacylhydroxypropanone
      as an end metabolite in three steps involving six enzymes, including a newly
      identified Nu-class glutathione-S-transferase (GST). In silico searches of the
      strain MBES04 genome revealed that four GGGE-metabolizing GST genes were arranged
      in a cluster. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the lignin model compounds
      GGGE and (2-methoxyphenoxy)hydroxypropiovanillone (MPHPV) enhanced the expression
      of genes in involved in energy metabolism, including aromatic-monomer
      assimilation, and evoked defense responses typically expressed upon exposure to
      toxic compounds. The findings from this study provide insight into previously
      unidentified bacterial enzymatic systems and the physiological acclimation of
      microbes associated with the biological transformation of lignin-containing
      materials in marine environments. 

PMID- 26477322
TI  - Nanoscale surface modification by anodic oxidation increased bone ingrowth and
      reduced fibrous tissue in the porous coating of titanium-alloy femoral hip
      arthroplasty implants.
AB  - Hip arthroplasty femoral stems coated with Ti6Al4V beads were treated by anodic
      oxidation in H3 PO4 for enhanced bioactivity and were studied in a 6-month canine
      model to determine the effects of the treated surface on the ingrowth of bone and
      soft tissues. The area fractions of bone, marrow, and fibrous tissue in the
      porous coating of seven treated and seven untreated control implants were
      determined using histomorphological techniques. The area fraction of bone within
      the porous coating was greater for anodic oxide treated (23.6 +/- 8.3%) compared
      to control implants (l2.7 +/- 4.7%) (p = 0.013), and there was less fibrous
      tissue in the treated implants (18.0 +/- 9.5%) compared to the controls (33.1 +/-
      7.9%) (p = 0.006). XPS, XRD, TEM, and SEM analyses of the treated implants
      revealed a 400 nm-thick titanium oxide layer of low crystallinity with an
      undulating surface, populated with more than 25 nm-size pores per square
      micrometer. There was no detectable increase in serum titanium or in generation
      of particulates locally compared to the control implants. Micro and nanoscale
      surface modification by anodic oxidation increased bone ingrowth and reduced
      fibrous tissue, which may extend the longevity of fixation, limiting pathways for
      particle migration, and impeding the progression of osteolysis and aseptic
      loosening of arthroplasty components. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed
      Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 283-290, 2017.

PMID- 26477323
TI  - Therapeutic outcomes in patients undergoing surgery after diagnosis of Cushing's
      disease: A single-center study.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate early and late outcomes of patients who underwent
      neurosurgical procedures for the preoperative diagnosis of Cushing's disease
      (CD). Clinical, endocrine, imaging, and histologic data from 252 patients
      undergoing pituitary surgery at Toranomon Hospital through the end of 2012 were
      entered into a database and statistically analyzed. In 22 of these patients
      (8.7%; positive venous sampling in 15 and negative venous sampling in 7
      patients), tumors were invisible on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 42.9% of
      them achieved remission. In the remaining 230 patients, 93.5% of those with
      microadenomas (n=154) and 71.1% of those with macroadenomas (n=76) achieved early
      postoperative remission, with recurrence rates of 2.7% and 14.8%, respectively,
      during a 72.5-month median follow-up. In multivariate analyses, cavernous sinus
      invasion (CSI; odds ratio [OR], 13.0), type of surgery (OR, 4.0), and tumor size
      (OR, 2.7) were significant preoperative factors affecting early postoperative
      results, whereas peak cortisol levels >=9.4 MUg/dL in response to corticotropin
      releasing hormone (CRH) and CSI were significant factors predicting recurrence.
      Tumor recurrence was more common in patients with non-densely granulated adenomas
      than in patients with densely granulated adenomas. We propose that the higher
      remission and lower recurrence rates in this series are due to our surgical
      strategies, including extracapsular tumor removal, aggressive resection of tumors
      with CSI, extended transsphenoidal surgery (TSS), or a combined approach for
      large/giant adenomas. Appropriate multimodal treatments, including radiotherapy,
      medication, and repeated surgery in patients with persistent or recurrent CD,
      could result in better overall outcomes than previously achieved. 

PMID- 26477324
TI  - A 1-year safety study of dulaglutide in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes on
      a single oral hypoglycemic agent: an open-label, nonrandomized, phase 3 trial.
AB  - The goal of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of 0.75 mg of
      dulaglutide, a once weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, in Japanese
      patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) on a single oral hypoglycemic agent (OHA). In
      this phase 3, nonrandomized, open-label, parallel-group, 52-week study, safety
      and efficacy of once weekly dulaglutide 0.75 mg were assessed in Japanese
      patients with T2D on a single OHA (sulfonylureas [SU], biguanides [BG], alpha
      glucosidase inhibitors [AGI], thiazolidinedione [TZD], or glinides [GLN]). A
      total of 394 patients were treated with study drug, and 92.9% completed the 52
      week treatment period. The most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events were
      nasopharyngitis and gastrointestinal disorders, including constipation, diarrhea,
      and nausea. Incidences of hypoglycemia varied across the combination therapy
      groups: incidence was greater in patients receiving SU compared with other
      combinations. No severe hypoglycemic episodes occurred during the study.
      Increases from baseline in pancreatic and total amylase, lipase, and pulse rate
      were observed in all 5 combination therapy groups. Significant reductions from
      baseline in HbA1c were observed in all 5 combination therapy groups (-1.57% to 
      1.69%, p < 0.001 for all). Mean body weight changes from baseline varied across
      the combination therapy groups: a significant increase was observed in
      combination with TZD, there were no significant changes in combination with SU or
      GLN, and significant reductions were observed in combination with BG or AGI. Once
      weekly dulaglutide 0.75 mg in combination with a single OHA was overall well
      tolerated and improved glycemic control in Japanese patients with T2D. 

PMID- 26477325
TI  - De novo KCNB1 mutations in infantile epilepsy inhibit repetitive neuronal firing.
AB  - The voltage-gated Kv2.1 potassium channel encoded by KCNB1 produces the major
      delayed rectifier potassium current in pyramidal neurons. Recently, de novo
      heterozygous missense KCNB1 mutations have been identified in three patients with
      epileptic encephalopathy and a patient with neurodevelopmental disorder. However,
      the frequency of KCNB1 mutations in infantile epileptic patients and their
      effects on neuronal activity are yet unknown. We searched whole exome sequencing
      data of a total of 437 patients with infantile epilepsy, and found novel de novo
      heterozygous missense KCNB1 mutations in two patients showing psychomotor
      developmental delay and severe infantile generalized seizures with high-amplitude
      spike-and-wave electroencephalogram discharges. The mutation located in the
      channel voltage sensor (p.R306C) disrupted sensitivity and cooperativity of the
      sensor, while the mutation in the channel pore domain (p.G401R) selectively
      abolished endogenous Kv2 currents in transfected pyramidal neurons, indicating a
      dominant-negative effect. Both mutants inhibited repetitive neuronal firing
      through preventing production of deep interspike voltages. Thus KCNB1 mutations
      can be a rare genetic cause of infantile epilepsy, and insufficient firing of
      pyramidal neurons would disturb both development and stability of neuronal
      circuits, leading to the disease phenotypes. 

PMID- 26477326
TI  - Pityriasis Alba--Common Disease, Enigmatic Entity: Up-to-Date Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - Pityriasis alba (PA) is a skin disorder that affects children and adolescents.
      Although it is common worldwide, its incidence is markedly higher in darker skin
      phototypes. Its characteristic features include an extended, multistage course
      and spontaneous remissions and recurrences. Preceded by erythematous changes,
      patches of hypopigmented skin of up to a few centimeters in diameter appear on
      the upper body. Pruritus may accompany it. Even though its etiology is unknown,
      possible reported triggering factors include sunlight, beauty treatments, and
      microorganisms, among others. Calcineurin inhibitors play the most crucial role
      in PA pharmacotherapy. PA often coexists with atopic dermatitis and is considered
      one of its milder forms. 

PMID- 26477327
TI  - Moving ahead: what will a renewed Countdown to 2030 for Women and Children look
      like?

PMID- 26477329
TI  - Hierarchy concepts: classification and preparation strategies for zeolite
      containing materials with hierarchical porosity.
AB  - 'Hierarchy' is a property which can be attributed to a manifold of different
      immaterial systems, such as ideas, items and organisations or material ones like
      biological systems within living organisms or artificial, man-made constructions.
      The property 'hierarchy' is mainly characterised by a certain ordering of
      individual elements relative to each other, often in combination with a certain
      degree of branching. Especially mass-flow related systems in the natural
      environment feature special hierarchically branched patterns. This review is a
      survey into the world of hierarchical systems with special focus on
      hierarchically porous zeolite materials. A classification of hierarchical
      porosity is proposed based on the flow distribution pattern within the respective
      pore systems. In addition, this review might serve as a toolbox providing several
      synthetic and post-synthetic strategies to prepare zeolitic or zeolite containing
      material with tailored hierarchical porosity. Very often, such strategies with
      their underlying principles were developed for improving the performance of the
      final materials in different technical applications like adsorptive or catalytic
      processes. In the present review, besides on the hierarchically porous all
      zeolite material, special focus is laid on the preparation of zeolitic composite
      materials with hierarchical porosity capable to face the demands of industrial
      application. 

PMID- 26477328
TI  - Countdown to 2015: a decade of tracking progress for maternal, newborn, and child
      survival.
AB  - Conceived in 2003 and born in 2005 with the launch of its first report and
      country profiles, the Countdown to 2015 for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Survival
      has reached its originally proposed lifespan. Major reductions in the deaths of
      mothers and children have occurred since Countdown's inception, even though most
      of the 75 priority countries failed to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and
      5. The coverage of life-saving interventions tracked in Countdown increased
      steadily over time, but wide inequalities persist between and within countries.
      Key drivers of coverage such as financing, human resources, commodities, and
      conducive health policies also showed important, yet insufficient increases. As a
      multistakeholder initiative of more than 40 academic, international, bilateral,
      and civil society institutions, Countdown was successful in monitoring progress
      and raising the visibility of the health of mothers, newborns, and children.
      Lessons learned from this initiative have direct bearing on monitoring progress
      during the Sustainable Development Goals era. 

PMID- 26477330
TI  - Addressing governance challenges in the provision of animal health services: A
      review of the literature and empirical application transaction cost theory.
AB  - Providing adequate animal health services to smallholder farmers in developing
      countries has remained a challenge, in spite of various reform efforts during the
      past decades. The focuses of the past reforms were on market failures to decide
      what the public sector, the private sector, and the "third sector" (the community
      based sector) should do with regard to providing animal health services. However,
      such frameworks have paid limited attention to the governance challenges inherent
      in the provision of animal health services. This paper presents a framework for
      analyzing institutional arrangements for providing animal health services that
      focus not only on market failures, but also on governance challenges, such as
      elite capture, and absenteeism of staff. As an analytical basis, Williamson's
      discriminating alignment hypothesis is applied to assess the cost-effectiveness
      of different institutional arrangements for animal health services in view of
      both market failures and governance challenges. This framework is used to
      generate testable hypotheses on the appropriateness of different institutional
      arrangements for providing animal health services, depending on context-specific
      circumstances. Data from Uganda and Kenya on clinical veterinary services is used
      to provide an empirical test of these hypotheses and to demonstrate application
      of Williamson's transaction cost theory to veterinary service delivery. The paper
      concludes that strong public sector involvement, especially in building and
      strengthening a synergistic relation-based referral arrangement between
      paraprofessionals and veterinarians is imperative in improving animal health
      service delivery in developing countries. 

PMID- 26477331
TI  - On the structure and bonding in the B4O4(+) cluster: a boron oxide analogue of
      the 3,5-dehydrophenyl cation with pi and sigma double aromaticity.
AB  - Boron oxide clusters offer intriguing molecular models for the electron-deficient
      system, in which the boronyl (BO) group plays a key role and the interplay
      between the localized BO triple bond and the multicenter electron delocalization
      dominates the chemical bonding. Here we report the structural, electronic, and
      bonding properties of the B4O4(+) cationic cluster on the basis of unbiased
      Coalescence Kick global-minimum searches and first-principles electronic
      structural calculations at the B3LYP and single-point CCSD(T) levels. The B4O4(+)
      cluster is shown to possess a Cs (1, (2)A') global minimum. It represents the
      smallest boron oxide species with a hexagonal boroxol (B3O3) ring as the core,
      terminated by a boronyl group. Chemical bonding analyses reveal double (pi and
      sigma) aromaticity in Cs B4O4(+), which closely mimics that in the 3,5
      dehydrophenyl cation C6H3(+) (D3h, (1)A1'), a prototypical molecule with double
      aromaticity. Alternative D2h (2, (2)B3g) and C2v (3, (2)A1) isomeric structures
      of B4O4(+) are also analyzed, which are relevant to the global minima of B4O4
      neutral and B4O4(-) anion, respectively. These three structural motifs vary
      drastically in terms of energetics upon changing the charge state, demonstrating
      an interesting case in which every electron counts. The calculated ionization
      potentials and electron affinities of the three corresponding neutral isomers are
      highly uneven, which underlie the conformational changes in the B4O4(+/0/-)
      series. The current work presents the smallest boron oxide species with a boroxol
      ring, establishes an analogy between boron oxides and the 3,5-dehydrophenyl
      cation, and enriches the chemistry of boron oxides and boronyls. 

PMID- 26477332
TI  - Synthesis of stable C-linked ferrocenyl amino acids and their use in solution
      phase peptide synthesis.
AB  - Incorporation of ferrocenyl group to peptides is an efficient method to alter
      their hydrophobicity. Ferrocenyl group can also act as an electrochemical probe
      when incorporated onto functional peptides. Most often, ferrocene is incorporated
      onto peptides post-synthesis via amide, ester or triazole linkages. Stable amino
      acids containing ferrocene as a C-linked side chain are potentially useful
      building units for the synthesis of ferrocene-containing peptides. We report here
      an efficient route to synthesize ferrocene-containing amino acids that are stable
      and can be used in peptide synthesis. Coupling of 2-ferrocenyl-1,3-dithiane and
      iodides derived from aspartic acid or glutamic acid using n-butyllithium leads to
      the incorporation of a ferrocenyl unit to the delta-position or epsilon-position
      of an alpha-amino acid. The reduction or hydrolysis of the dithiane group yields
      an alkyl or an oxo derivative. The usability of the synthesized amino acids is
      demonstrated by incorporating one of the amino acids in both C-terminus and N
      terminus of tripeptides in solution phase.

PMID- 26477333
TI  - Factors affecting burnout in female nurses who have preschool-age children.
AB  - AIM: This prospective cohort study aims to clarify the factors affecting burnout
      in female nurses who have preschool-age children. METHODS: The subjects were 2151
      female nurses who have preschool-age children and work at 70 city hospitals
      across Japan. The questionnaires were completed by 1644 female nurses with
      preschool-age children in October 2010, and they were divided into a cohort to
      observe the incidence of burnout, which was investigated in October 2011.
      RESULTS: At the baseline, the authors obtained responses from 1802 subjects
      (83.8%) who had agreed to join the study. The subjects the authors were able to
      investigate totaled 523, of whom 117 (22.4%) had experienced burnout. Multiple
      logistic regression analysis showed that influencing or predictive factors in
      burnout were years at the present workplace, will to continue work,
      assertiveness, overtime work, and spanking children. CONCLUSION: Female nurses
      who have preschool-age children tend to burnout easily if they have been at their
      present workplace for less than 3 years, wish to quit working, respond to a
      child's misbehavior with spanking, are "very low" in assertiveness, or work 4-6 h
      of overtime per week.

PMID- 26477334
TI  - Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points System for a Bull Semen Production
      Centre.
AB  - Bull semen production centres (SPC) generally present satisfactory quality
      control for sperm processing, but non-standardized hygiene procedures. This study
      describes a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system developed
      for bull SPC and subsequently implemented in a commercial SPC. After the
      identification of hazards at each step of semen processing and the determination
      of their risk and severity, monitoring and corrective procedures were designed to
      assess the system's efficiency. The HACCP system identified six microbiological
      hazards, 10 physical hazards, four chemical hazards and three critical control
      points. After the establishment of Good Processing Practices, Standard Operating
      Procedures and Standard Sanitizing Operating Procedures, the system was validated
      through an audit, to identify eventual failures and to define measures to correct
      them. 

PMID- 26477337
TI  - Effect of Treatment on Body Fluid in Patients with Unilateral Aldosterone
      Producing Adenoma: Adrenalectomy versus Spironolactone.
AB  - Aldosterone affects fluid retention in the body by affecting how much salt and
      water that the kidney retains or excretes. There is limited information about the
      effect of prolonged aldosterone excess and treatment on body fluid in primary
      aldosteronism (PA) patients. In this study, body composition changes of 41 PA
      patients with unilateral aldosterone producing adenoma (APA) were assessed by a
      bio-impedance spectroscopy device. Patients with APA receiving adrenalectomy, as
      compared with those treated with spironolactone, had significantly lower relative
      overhydration (OH) and urine albumin excretion, and significantly higher urine
      sodium excretion four weeks after treatment. These differences dissipated 12
      weeks after the initial treatment. Independent factors to predict decreased
      relative OH four weeks after treatment were male patients and patients who
      experienced adrenalectomy. Patients who underwent adrenaelctomy had significantly
      decreased TNF-alpha and increased serum potassium level when compared to patients
      treated with spironolactone 4 and 12 weeks after treatment. In this pilot study,
      we found that adrenalectomy leads to an earlier increase in renal sodium
      excretion and decreases in body fluid content, TNF-alpha, and urine albumin
      excretion. Adrenalectomy yields a therapeutic effect more rapidly, which has been
      shown to ameliorate overhydration in PA patients. 

PMID- 26477338
TI  - Functional and association studies of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein
      (CETP) gene in a Wannan Black pig model.
AB  - Some polymorphisms of the human CETP gene are causally and significantly
      associated with serum lipids levels; however, the information regarding this gene
      in pigs is sparse. To evaluate the effects of CETP on blood lipid traits and fat
      deposition in pig, porcine CETP tissue expression patterns were observed by
      quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) first. High expression
      was detected in liver, spleen, gluteus medius (GM) muscle and backfat. A de novo
      polymorphism (AF333037:g.795C>T) in the intron 1 region of porcine CETP was
      identified. This polymorphism was further genotyped by direct sequencing of the
      PCR products of 390 Wannan Black pigs, a Chinese native breed population.
      Association analyses at 45 and 300 days of age revealed highly significant
      associations between CETP genotypes and serum lipid traits. Furthermore, this
      polymorphism was proved to be associated with differences in liver CETP mRNA
      levels: pigs at 300 days of age with the TT genotype had higher levels than did
      those with other genotypes (P = 0.021). Additionally, analysis at 300 days of age
      showed that GM CETP mRNA expression correlated positively with serum lipids
      levels as well as with carcass backfat thickness and intramuscular fat content in
      GM. These results indicate that CETP is involved in serum, adipose and muscle
      lipid metabolism in pigs. The mechanisms underlying such relationships and their
      functional implications are worthy of further research. 

PMID- 26477339
TI  - Does the legacy of historical biogeography shape current invasiveness in pines?
AB  - Why are some introduced species more successful at establishing and spreading
      than others? Until now, characteristics of extant species have been intensively
      investigated to answer this question. We propose to gain new insights on species
      invasiveness by exploring the long-term biogeographic and evolutionary history of
      lineages. We exemplify our approach using one of the best-studied invasive plant
      genera, Pinus. We notably estimated the historical biogeography of pines and the
      rates of trait evolution in pines. These estimates were analysed with regard to
      species invasiveness status. The results revealed that currently invasive species
      belong to lineages that were particularly successful at colonizing new regions in
      the past. We also showed that highly mobile lineages had faster rates of niche
      evolution, but that these rates are poor proxies for species adaptive potential
      in invaded regions (estimated by niche shift among native and invaded regions).
      In summary, working at the interface of ecology, historical biogeography and
      evolutionary history offers stimulating perspectives to improve our understanding
      of the drivers of invasion success. 

PMID- 26477340
TI  - Effect of electrolytes on the microstructure and yielding of aqueous dispersions
      of colloidal clay.
AB  - Na-montmorillonite is a natural clay mineral and is available in abundance in
      nature. The aqueous dispersions of charged and anisotropic platelets of this
      mineral exhibit non-ergodic kinetically arrested states ranging from soft glassy
      phases dominated by interparticle repulsions to colloidal gels stabilized by salt
      induced attractive interactions. When the salt concentration in the dispersing
      medium is varied systematically, viscoelasticity and yield stress of the
      dispersion show non-monotonic behavior at a critical salt concentration, thus
      signifying a morphological change in the dispersion microstructures. We directly
      visualize the microscopic structures of these kinetically arrested phases using
      cryogenic scanning electron microscopy. We observe the existence of honeycomb
      like network morphologies for a wide range of salt concentrations. The transition
      of the gel morphology, dominated by overlapping coin (OC) and house of cards
      (HoC) associations of clay particles at low salt concentrations to a new network
      structure dominated by face-face coagulation of platelets, is observed across the
      critical salt concentration. We further assess the stability of these gels under
      gravity using electroacoustics. This study, performed for concentrated clay
      dispersions for a wide concentration range of externally added salt, is useful in
      our understanding of many geophysical phenomena that involve the salt induced
      aggregation of natural clay minerals. 

PMID- 26477341
TI  - Classroom Enters the Courtroom: Stereochemistry of SN1 and SN2 Reactions in
      Enantiomer Patent Litigations of the Antidepressant Escitalopram.
AB  - The role of elementary stereochemistry is illustrated in the patent litigations
      of the blockbuster antidepressant drug escitalopram oxalate. An undergraduate
      student of organic chemistry would recognize the stereochemical courses of the
      intramolecular SN 2 and SN 1 reactions of the single-enantiomer (S)-diol
      intermediate in the synthesis of the blockbuster antidepressant drug escitalopram
      oxalate: retention of configuration of the chiral carbon atom under basic
      conditions and racemization under acidic conditions, respectively. He/she, in
      searching for a stereoselective ring-closure reaction of the enantiomeric diol,
      will think of an SN 2 reaction in a basic medium. From these points of view, the
      process claim in the enantiomer patents of escitalopram is obvious/lacks an
      inventive step. An organic chemistry examination problem based on this scenario
      is offered.

PMID- 26477342
TI  - Pre-operative Waterlow score: Predicts risk of post-operative infection in
      patients with neck of femur fractures.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nursing staff prospectively collect Waterlow scores (Ws) on all
      inpatients across most NHS hospitals, identifying patients at risk of pressure
      ulcers. This bedside score has not been applied in predicting other negative
      outcomes in patients with neck of femur (NOF) fractures. OBJECTIVES: To
      investigate the relationship between increasing Waterlow score and 30-day post
      operative infection in patients with NOF fracture. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Pre
      operative Ws and 30-day clinical outcome data were collected on 97 consecutive
      operatively treated NOF fracture patients at our institution (level one trauma
      centre). RESULTS: 30-day infection rate was 36%, which manifested as hospital
      acquired pneumonia (66%) and urinary tract infection (34%). For every one point
      increase in Ws, the odds of having an infection increased by 1.68 times (95% CI
      1.37-2.08). The relationship between Ws and 30-day infection was similar when
      adjusted for potential confounders: patient demographics (age and gender), number
      of medical comorbidities, ASA grade, and days to surgery. For our data, the Ws
      predictive of infection was >=17. This has a sensitivity of 84.9% (95% CI 68.1
      94.9%) and a specificity of 84.1% (95% CI 74.7-92.1%). The area under the curve
      was 0.89 (95% CI 0.82-0.96). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates a strong
      relationship between increasing Ws and post-operative infection risk. This raises
      the interesting yet controversial question of using Ws to identify patients at
      high-risk of developing post-operative infections and the potential benefit of an
      extended period of antibiotic prophylaxis.

PMID- 26477343
TI  - The use of gentamicin-coated nails in complex open tibia fracture and revision
      cases: A retrospective analysis of a single centre case series and review of the
      literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Despite modern advances in fracture care, deep (implant-related)
      infection remains a problem in the treatment of tibia fractures. There is some
      evidence that antibiotic-coated implants are beneficial in the prevention of this
      sometimes devastating complication. In the following study we describe our
      results using a gentamicin-coated intramedullary tibia nail (Expert Tibia Nail
      (ETN) PROtectTM) for the surgical treatment of complex open tibia fracture and
      revision cases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We describe the outcome of patients
      treated between January 2012 and September 2013, using a gentamicin-coated
      intramedullary tibia nail. Treatment indications included acute, Gustilo grade II
      III, open tibia fractures or closed tibia fractures with long-term external
      fixation prior to intramedullary nailing and complex tibia fracture revision
      cases with a mean of three prior surgical interventions. Outcome parameters in
      this study were deep infection and nonunion. RESULTS: In total, 16 consecutive
      patients with 16 tibia fractures were treated with a gentamicin-coated
      intramedullary nail. The overall patient population was subdivided into two
      groups. The first group consisted of 11 patients (68.8%) with acute fractures who
      were treated with a gentamicin-coated intramedullary nail. The second group
      consisted of 5 complex revision cases (31.2%). In our patient population no deep
      infections could be noted after the treatment with a gentamicin-coated tibia
      nail. Nonunion was diagnosed in 4 patients (25.0%), 1 of these was a revision
      case. CONCLUSIONS: Musculoskeletal complications place a cost burden on total
      healthcare expenditure. Better understanding of the epidemiology and pathogenesis
      is essential because this can lead to prevention rather than treatment
      strategies. The purpose of the study was to evaluate a gentamicin-coated tibia
      nail in the prevention of deep (implant-related) infection. In our patient
      population no deep infections occurred after placement of the gentamicin-coated
      nail. Following this study and literature data, antibiotic-coated implants seem a
      potential option for prevention of deep infection in trauma patients. In the
      future this statement needs to be confirmed by large randomised clinical trials.

PMID- 26477344
TI  - High revision rate but good healing capacity of atypical femoral fractures. A
      comparison with common shaft fractures.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Healing of complete, atypical femoral fractures is thought to be
      impaired, but the evidence is weak and appears to be based on the delayed healing
      observed in patients with incomplete atypical fractures. Time until fracture
      healing is difficult to assess, therefore we compared the reoperation rates
      between women with complete atypical femoral fractures and common femoral shaft
      fractures. METHODS: We searched the orthopaedic surgical registry in Ostergotland
      County for patients with subtrochanteric and femoral shaft fractures (ICD-10
      diagnosis codes S72.2, S72.3 and M84.3F) between January 1st 2007 and December
      31st 2013. Out of 895 patients with surgically treated femoral shaft fractures,
      511 were women 50 years of age or older. Among these we identified 24 women with
      atypical femoral shaft fractures, and 71 with common shaft fractures. RESULTS:
      Reoperations were performed in 6 and 5 patients, respectively, odds ratio 4.4
      (95% CI 1.2 to 16.1). However, 5 reoperations in the atypical fracture group
      could not be ascribed to poor healing. In 3 patients the reoperation was due to a
      new fracture proximal to a standard intramedullary nail. In 2 patients the distal
      locking screws were removed due to callus formation that was deemed incomplete 5
      months post-operatively. The one patient with poor healing showed faint callus
      formation at 5 months when the fracture was dynamised and callus remained sparse
      at 11 months. Among patients with common shaft fractures, 2 reoperations were
      performed to remove loose screws, 2 because of peri-implant fractures and 1
      reoperation due to infection. DISCUSSION: Reoperation rates in patients with
      complete atypical femoral fractures are higher than in patients with common shaft
      fractures. The main reason for failure was peri-implant fragility fractures which
      might be prevented with the use of cephalomedullary nails at the index surgery.
      Fracture healing however, seems generally good. A watchful waiting approach is
      advocated in patients with fractures that appear to heal slowly.

PMID- 26477345
TI  - Improving early identification of the high-risk elderly trauma patient by
      emergency medical services.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: We sought to (1) define the high-risk elderly trauma patient
      based on prognostic differences associated with different injury patterns and (2)
      derive alternative field trauma triage guidelines that mesh with national field
      triage guidelines to improve identification of high-risk elderly patients.
      METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of injured adults >=65 years
      transported by 94 EMS agencies to 122 hospitals in 7 regions from 1/1/2006
      through 12/31/2008. We tracked current field triage practices by EMS, patient
      demographics, out-of-hospital physiology, procedures and mechanism of injury.
      Outcomes included Injury Severity Score>=16 and specific anatomic patterns of
      serious injury using abbreviated injury scale score >=3 and surgical
      interventions. In-hospital mortality was used as a measure of prognosis for
      different injury patterns. RESULTS: 33,298 injured elderly patients were
      transported by EMS, including 4.5% with ISS>=16, 4.8% with serious brain injury,
      3.4% with serious chest injury, 1.6% with serious abdominal-pelvic injury and
      29.2% with serious extremity injury. In-hospital mortality ranged from 18.7% (95%
      CI 16.7-20.7) for ISS>=16 to 2.9% (95% CI 2.6-3.3) for serious extremity injury.
      The alternative triage guidelines (any positive criterion from the current
      guidelines, GCS<=14 or abnormal vital signs) outperformed current field triage
      practices for identifying patients with ISS>=16: sensitivity (92.1% [95% CI 89.6
      94.1%] vs. 75.9% [95% CI 72.3-79.2%]), specificity (41.5% [95% CI 40.6-42.4%] vs.
      77.8% [95% CI 77.1-78.5%]). Sensitivity decreased for individual injury patterns,
      but was higher than current triage practices. CONCLUSIONS: High-risk elderly
      trauma patients can be defined by ISS>=16 or specific non-extremity injury
      patterns. The field triage guidelines could be improved to better identify high
      risk elderly trauma patients by EMS, with a reduction in triage specificity.

PMID- 26477346
TI  - Necessity for fibular fixation associated with distal tibia fractures.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intramedullary (IM) nailing is a well-accepted treatment for distal
      third tibia fractures in combination with injury to the fibula. However, the
      indications for operative stabilisation of the fibula remain controversial.
      METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective review on a consecutive series of
      patients who underwent intramedullary nailing of a non-comminuted distal third
      tibia fracture with or without fibular fixation at a Level I urban trauma centre.
      A review of surgical records identified 120 patients who initially were included
      in this study, while a total of 98 patients who met the inclusion criteria were
      included in the final analysis. RESULTS: Our results found no difference in the
      mean value of coronal and sagittal plane alignment in both the immediate post
      operative and follow-up time periods. We also saw no statistically significant
      difference when comparing malalignment between patients treated with or without
      fibula fixation. There were no deep infections between the two groups. No
      significant differences were seen between the fibular fixation group and the non
      fixation group. Distal screw removal due to prominence or pain was the most
      common reason for future surgery in both groups. CONCLUSION: These findings
      suggest that the addition of fibular fixation does not affect whether or not
      alignment is maintained in either the immediate post-operative or short-term
      follow-up period.

PMID- 26477347
TI  - Silver-polysaccharide antimicrobial nanocomposite coating for methacrylic
      surfaces reduces Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation in vitro.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the in vitro microbiological
      performances of a lactose-modified chitosan (Chitlac) coating inside which silver
      nanoparticles were embedded (Chitlac-nAg) for BisGMA/TEGDMA methacrylic
      specimens. METHODS: Different concentrations of nAg inside Chitlac coating were
      tested (1 mM, 2 mM, 5 mM). Specimen surface was analyzed by means of field
      emission scanning electron microscopy (FEISEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray
      spectroscopy (EDS). A 48 h monospecific Streptococcus mutans biofilm was
      developed over the specimen surfaces using a modified drip-flow bioreactor;
      adherent viable biomass was assessed by MTT test and biofilm was imaged by
      confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM). RESULTS: The presence of finely
      dispersed nanoparticles inside the Chitlac coating was confirmed by FEISEM and
      EDS analysis. All nanoparticles were embedded in the Chitlac coating layer.
      Chitlac-nAg coatings were able to significantly decrease biofilm formation
      depending on the nAg concentration, reaching a -80% viable biomass decrease when
      the 5 mM nAg-Chitlac group was confronted to non-coated control specimens. CLSM
      analysis did not provide evidence of a contact-killing activity, however the
      antibacterial Chitlac-nAg coating was able to alter biofilm morphology preventing
      the development of mature biofilm structures. CONCLUSIONS: The microbiological
      model applied in this study helped in assessing the antibacterial properties of a
      coating designed for methacrylate surfaces. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: A
      microbiological model based on a bioreactor-grown biofilm is useful for
      preliminary in vitro tests of dental materials. In translational terms, an
      antibacterial nanocomposite coating based on Chitlac-nAg and designed to be
      applied to methacrylic surfaces may be a promising way to obtain dental materials
      able to actively prevent secondary caries.

PMID- 26477348
TI  - Global aerial flyways allow efficient travelling.
AB  - Birds migrate over vast distances at substantial costs. The highly dynamic nature
      of the air makes the selection of the best travel route difficult. We
      investigated to what extent migratory birds may optimise migratory route choice
      with respect to wind, and if route choice can be subject to natural selection.
      Following the optimal route, calculated using 21 years of empirical global wind
      data, reduced median travel time by 26.5% compared to the spatially shortest
      route. When we used a time-dependent survival model to quantify the adaptive
      benefit of choosing a fixed wind-optimised route, 84.8% of pairs of locations
      yielded a route with a higher survival than the shortest route. This suggests
      that birds, even if incapable of predicting wind individually, could adjust their
      migratory routes at a population level. As a consequence, this may result in the
      emergence of low-cost flyways representing a global network of aerial migratory
      pathways. 

PMID- 26477349
TI  - Factors associated with suicide completion: A comparison between suicide
      attempters and completers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to compare the sociodemographic and
      clinical variables of suicide attempters and completers and to identify risk and
      protective factors for suicide completion. METHODS: Subjects (n = 320) visiting
      to the emergency room were classified into two groups: suicide attempters (n =
      222) and suicide completers (n = 98). Univariate analyses and logistic regression
      models were used to explore the differences between suicide attempters and
      completers and to identify risk factors for suicide completion. RESULTS: The
      results showed that compared with suicide attempters, suicide completers were
      older, male, having alcohol use disorders, having comorbid health problems,
      having severe suicide ideation, and using severe suicide methods such as hanging
      and jumping from a height. Using multiple logistic regression model, risk factors
      predicting suicide completion were comorbid medical illness, and intense suicide
      ideation. Factor that served as protective factors against suicide completion was
      female. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrated that suicide completers have more
      severe clinical profile than suicide attempters. Decreasing intensity of suicide
      ideation and treating comorbid medical illness of suicide attempters might be
      important in preventing them from suicide completion. It is important that the
      implementation of suicide preventive programs focused on alcoholism is useful in
      decreasing suicide rates further. Moreover, suicide completers used highly lethal
      methods, our results indicate that our country should make greater efforts to
      decrease hanging and jumping from a height.

PMID- 26477350
TI  - MRI Customized Play Therapy in Children Reduces the Need for Sedation--A
      Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of an MRI-specific play therapy
      intervention on the need for sedation in young children. METHODS: All children in
      the age group of 4-10 y, who were advised an MRI scan over a period of one year
      were randomized. Exclusion criteria included children with neurodevelopmental
      disorders impairing cognition and children who had previously undergone
      diagnostic MRI. A total of 79 children were randomized to a control or an
      intervention condition. The intervention involved familiarizing the child with
      the MRI model machine, listing the steps involved in the scan to the child in
      vivid detail, training the child to stand still for 5 min, and conducting several
      dry runs with a doll or a favorite toy. The study was approved by the Institute
      ethical committee. RESULTS: The need for sedation was 41 % (n = 16) in the
      control group and this declined to 20 % (n = 8) in the intervention group (chi(2)
      = 4.13; P = 0.04). The relative risk of sedation decreased by 49 % in the
      intervention group as compared to the control group (RR 0.49; 95 % CI: 0.24-1.01)
      and this difference was statistically significant (P = 0.04). The absolute risk
      difference in sedation use between intervention and control group was 21 % (95 %
      CI 1.3 %-40.8 %). Even on adjusting for age, relative risk of sedation remained
      significantly lower in children undergoing play therapy as compared to the
      control (RR 0.57, 95 % CI: 0.32-0.98) with P value of 0.04. CONCLUSIONS: The use
      of an MRI customized play therapy with pediatric patients undergoing diagnostic
      MRI resulted in significant reduction of the use of sedation.

PMID- 26477351
TI  - Network Pharmacology of Ayurveda Formulation Triphala with Special Reference to
      Anti-Cancer Property.
AB  - Network pharmacology is an emerging technique, which integrates systems biology
      and computational biology to study multi-component and multi-targeted
      formulations. Ayurveda, the traditional system of Indian medicine, uses
      intelligent formulations; however, their scientific rationale and mechanisms
      remain largely unexplored. This paper presents the potential of network
      pharmacology to understand the rationale of a commonly used Ayurveda formulation
      known as Triphala. We have developed pharmacology networks of Triphala based on
      the information gathered from different databases and using the software
      Cytoscape. The networks depict the interaction of bioactives with molecular
      targets and their relation with diseases, especially cancer. The network
      pharmacology analysis of Triphala has offered new relationships among bioactives,
      targets and putative applications of cancer etiology. This pioneering effort
      might open new possibilities to know pharmacodynamics of Ayurvedic drugs like
      Triphala and also help in the discovery of new leads and targets for various
      diseases.

PMID- 26477352
TI  - Establishment of a Primary Screening Assay for the DHX9 Helicase.
AB  - The RNA helicase DHX9 is an ATP-dependent DExH box helicase that can unwind DNA
      and RNA. Much evidence has implicated DHX9 at multiple levels of gene expression
      regulation ranging from genome stability and replication, to transcriptional
      control and translation regulation. Its association with the EWS-FLI1 fusion
      product, as well as the finding that its suppression can be synthetic lethal with
      the BCL-2 family inhibitor ABT-737 indicates a potential role in tumor
      maintenance. Hence, to identify small molecules that could interfere with its
      activity, we developed a homogenous RNA-dependent ATPase assay. We show that
      aurintricarboxylic acid, a promiscuous protein-nucleic acid inhibitor prevents
      DHX9-mediated hydrolysis demonstrating that the assay is also capable of
      detecting compounds that impinge on DHX9:RNA association.

PMID- 26477353
TI  - Unravelling the Impact of Reaction Paths on Mechanical Degradation of
      Intercalation Cathodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.
AB  - The intercalation compounds are generally considered as ideal electrode materials
      for lithium-ion batteries thanks to their minimum volume expansion and fast
      lithium ion diffusion. However, cracking still occurs in those compounds and has
      been identified as one of the critical issues responsible for their capacity
      decay and short cycle life, although the diffusion-induced stress and volume
      expansion are much smaller than those in alloying-type electrodes. Here, we
      designed a thin-film model system that enables us to tailor the cation ordering
      in LiNi(0.5)Mn(1.5)O4 spinels and correlate the stress patterns, phase evolution,
      and cycle performances. Surprisingly, we found that distinct reaction paths cause
      negligible difference in the overall stress patterns but significantly different
      cracking behaviors and cycling performances: 95% capacity retention for
      disordered LiNi(0.5)Mn(1.5)O4 and 48% capacity retention for ordered
      LiNi(0.5)Mn(1.5)O4 after 2000 cycles. We were able to pinpoint that the extended
      solid-solution region with suppressed phase transformation attributed to the
      superior electrochemical performance of disordered spinel. This work envisions a
      strategy for rationally designing stable cathodes for lithium-ion batteries
      through engineering the atomic structure that extends the solid-solution region
      and suppresses phase transformation.

PMID- 26477354
TI  - Systematic Engineering of Escherichia coli for d-Lactate Production from Crude
      Glycerol.
AB  - Crude glycerol resulting from biodiesel production is an abundant and renewable
      resource. However, the impurities in crude glycerol usually make microbial
      fermentation problematic. This issue was addressed by systematic engineering of
      Escherichia coli for the production of d-lactate from crude glycerol. First, mgsA
      and the synthetic pathways of undesired products were eliminated in E. coli,
      rendering the strain capable of homofermentative production of optically pure d
      lactate. To direct carbon flux toward d-lactate, the resulting strain was endowed
      with an enhanced expression of glpD-glpK in the glycerol catabolism and of a
      heterologous gene encoding d-lactate dehydrogenase. Moreover, the strain was
      evolved to improve its utilization of cruder glycerol and subsequently equipped
      with the FocA channel to export intracellular d-lactate. Finally, the fed-batch
      fermentation with two-phase culturing was carried out with a bioreactor. As a
      result, the engineered strain enabled production of 105 g/L d-lactate (99.9%
      optical purity) from 121 g/L crude glycerol at 40 h. The result indicates the
      feasibility of our approach to engineering E. coli for the crude glycerol-based
      fermentation. 

PMID- 26477355
TI  - Nocturia in Patients With Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Cardiovascular Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sleep apnea is a common condition and a cardiovascular risk factor.
      Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) reduces cardiovascular events and
      sleep apnea-related symptoms, especially in patients with obstructive sleep apnea
      (OSA), who occasionally experience nocturia, a common problem in individuals of
      advanced age. METHODS AND RESULTS: The present study was a prospective,
      observational study including 1,429 consecutive patients with cardiovascular
      disease (CVD). A questionnaire on nocturia was administered and nocturnal pulse
      oximetry was performed. Patients with moderate-to-severe sleep-disordered
      breathing (SDB) underwent polysomnography, and patients with OSA received CPAP
      therapy. Nocturia was observed in 561 of 666 patients included in the analysis. A
      multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that nocturia was associated with
      oxygen desaturation defined as a 3% decrease (P=0.0335) independent of age
      (P<0.0001), male sex (P=0.0078), hypertension (P=0.0139), and B-type natriuretic
      peptide (BNP) level (P=0.0185). Nocturia was reduced in patients who continued
      CPAP treatment and they also showed a decrease in the apnea-hypopnea index
      (45.3+/-13.6 vs. 2.5+/-3.7 events/h, P<0.0001), systolic blood pressure (121.6+/
      11.9 vs. 113.4+/-8.8 mmHg, P=0.0002), and BNP level (57.7 [15.0-144.4] vs. 27.4
      [8.5-111.7] pg/ml, P=0.0006). CONCLUSIONS: CPAP has the potential to reduce
      nocturia and risk factors for SDB such as increased blood pressure and BNP level,
      which may be beneficial in older men with CVD and OSA.

PMID- 26477356
TI  - Diagnosis and Detection of Myocardial Injury in Active Cardiac Sarcoidosis-
      Significance of Myocardial Fatty Acid Metabolism and Myocardial Perfusion
      Mismatch.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myocardial injury can be detected more sensitively using (123)I
      radioiodinated 15-(p-iodophenyl)-3(R,S)-methylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) than
      thallium-201 (TL). The present study investigated whether (18)F
      fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) uptake as an index of
      active inflammation in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is associated with
      BMIPP and TL findings, and whether dual single-photon emission computed
      tomography (SPECT) can facilitate diagnosis of CS. METHODS AND RESULTS: We
      retrospectively enrolled 52 consecutive patients with suspected CS who were
      assessed on FDG-PET/computed tomography (CT) and BMIPP/TL dual SPECT. The SPECT
      images were divided into 17 segments and then BMIPP and TL total defect scores
      (BMDS, TLDS) as well as mismatch scores (BMDS-TLDS: sumMS) were calculated.
      Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in the entire myocardium was obtained
      from FDG-PET/CT. SUVmax was much higher in patients with, than without CS
      (P<0.0001). BMDS was higher and sumMS much higher in CS (P<0.05 and P<0.0001,
      respectively). The sensitivity and specificity of sumMS to detect CS were 74% and
      80%, respectively. SUVmax was not associated with either BMDS or sumMS in the
      patients with CS. On multivariate analysis, the combination of sumMS and SUVmax
      had greater prognostic significance compared with each parameter on its own.
      CONCLUSIONS: BMIPP and TL dual-tracer mismatch is a useful finding to diagnose
      CS, and adds greater diagnostic value to SUVmax on FDG-PET/CT.

PMID- 26477357
TI  - Lead-Free alpha-La2WO6 Ferroelectric Thin Films.
AB  - (001)-Epitaxial La2WO6 (LWO) thin films are grown by pulsed laser deposition on
      (001)-oriented SrTiO3 (STO) substrates. The alpha-phase (high-temperature phase
      in bulk) is successfully stabilized with an orthorhombic structure (a = 16.585(1)
      A, b = 5.717(2) A, c = 8.865(5) A). X-ray-diffraction pole-figure measurements
      suggest that crystallographic relationships between the film and substrate are
      [100]LWO ? [110]STO, [010]LWO ? [110]STO and [001]LWO ? [001]STO. From optical
      properties, investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry, we extract a refractive
      index value around 2 (at 500 nm) along with the presence of two absorption bands
      situated, respectively at 3.07 and 6.32 eV. Ferroelectricity is evidenced as well
      on macroscale (standard polarization measurements) as on nanoscale, calling for
      experiments based on piezo-response force-microscopy, and confirmed with in situ
      scanning-and-tunneling measurements performed with a transmission electron
      microscope. This work highlights the ferroelectric behavior, at room temperature,
      in high-temperature LWO phase when stabilized in thin film and opens the way to
      new functional oxide thin films dedicated to advanced electronic devices. 

PMID- 26477358
TI  - Effect of Polyelectrolyte Film Stiffness on Endothelial Cells During Endothelial
      to-Mesenchymal Transition.
AB  - Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT), during which endothelial cells
      (ECs) transdifferentiate into mesenchymal phenotype, plays a key role in the
      development of vascular implant complications such as endothelium dysfunction and
      in-stent restenosis. Substrate stiffness has been confirmed as a key factor to
      influence EC behaviors; however, so far, the relationship between substrate
      stiffness and EndMT has been rarely studied. Here, ECs were cultured on the
      (poly(L-lysine)/hyaluronate acid) (PLL/HA) multilayer films with controlled
      stiffness for 2 weeks, and their EndMT behaviors were studied. We demonstrated
      that ECs lost their markers (vWf and CD31) in a stiffness-dependent manner even
      without supplement of growth factors, and the softer film favored the maintaining
      of EC phenotype. Further, induced by transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF
      beta1), ECs underwent EndMT, as characterized by losing their typical cobblestone
      morphology and markers and gaining smooth muscle cell markers (alpha-smooth
      muscle actin and calponin). Interestingly, stronger EndMT was observed when ECs
      were cultured on the stiffer film. Collectively, our findings suggest that
      substrate stiffness has significant effects on EndMT, and a softer substrate is
      beneficial to ECs by keeping their phenotype and inhibiting EndMT, which presents
      a new strategy for surface design of vascular implant materials.

PMID- 26477359
TI  - White Matter Changes in Tinnitus: Is It All Age and Hearing Loss?
AB  - Tinnitus is a condition characterized by the perception of auditory phantom
      sounds. It is known as the result of complex interactions between auditory and
      nonauditory regions. However, previous structural imaging studies on tinnitus
      patients showed evidence of significant white matter changes caused by hearing
      loss that are positively correlated with aging. Current study focused on which
      aspects of tinnitus pathologies affect the white matter integrity the most. We
      used the diffusion tensor imaging technique to acquire images that have higher
      contrast in brain white matter to analyze how white matter is influenced by
      tinnitus-related factors using voxel-based methods, region of interest analysis,
      and deterministic tractography. As a result, white matter integrity in chronic
      tinnitus patients was both directly affected by age and also mediated by the
      hearing loss. The most important changes in white matter regions were found
      bilaterally in the anterior corona radiata, anterior corpus callosum, and
      bilateral sagittal strata. In the tractography analysis, the white matter
      integrity values in tracts of right parahippocampus were correlated with the
      subjective tinnitus loudness. 

PMID- 26477360
TI  - The Two-Brains Hypothesis: Towards a guide for brain-brain and brain-machine
      interfaces.
AB  - Great advances have been made in signaling information on brain activity in
      individuals, or passing between an individual and a computer or robot. These
      include recording of natural activity using implants under the scalp or by
      external means or the reverse feeding of such data into the brain. In one recent
      example, noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) allowed feeding of
      digitalized information into the central nervous system (CNS). Thus, noninvasive
      electroencephalography (EEG) recordings of motor signals at the scalp,
      representing specific motor intention of hand moving in individual humans, were
      fed as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) at a maximum intensity
      of 2.0[Formula: see text]T through a circular magnetic coil placed flush on each
      of the heads of subjects present at a different location. The TMS was said to
      induce an electric current influencing axons of the motor cortex causing the
      intended hand movement: the first example of the transfer of motor intention and
      its expression, between the brains of two remote humans. However, to date the
      mechanisms involved, not least that relating to the participation of magnetic
      induction, remain unclear. In general, in animal biology, magnetic fields are
      usually the poor relation of neuronal current: generally "unseen" and if
      apparent, disregarded or just given a nod. Niels Bohr searched for a biological
      parallel to complementary phenomena of physics. Pertinently, the two-brains
      hypothesis (TBH) proposed recently that advanced animals, especially man, have
      two brains i.e., the animal CNS evolved as two fundamentally different though
      interdependent, complementary organs: one electro-ionic (tangible, known and
      accessible), and the other, electromagnetic (intangible and difficult to access) 
      a stable, structured and functional 3D compendium of variously induced
      interacting electro-magnetic (EM) fields. Research on the CNS in health and
      disease progresses including that on brain-brain, brain-computer and brain-robot
      engineering. As they grow even closer, these disciplines involve their own unique
      complexities, including direction by the laws of inductive physics. So the novel
      TBH hypothesis has wide fundamental implications, including those related to TMS.
      These require rethinking and renewed research engaging the fully complementary
      equivalence of mutual magnetic and electric field induction in the CNS and,
      within this context, a new mathematics of the brain to decipher higher cognitive
      operations not possible with current brain-brain and brain-machine interfaces.
      Bohr may now rest. 

PMID- 26477362
TI  - Simultaneous detection of multiple mycotoxins in broiler feeds using a liquid
      chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry.
AB  - Mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites that are typically present in grain
      and feed ingredients used for animal feeds. An analytical method using LC-ESI
      MS/MS was developed to quantify nine mycotoxins, consisting of aflatoxin B1
      (AFB1), AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, T-2 toxin, deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV),
      zearalenone (ZEA) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in broiler feeds. In total, 100 samples
      of broiler feeds were collected from poultry farms in Central Thailand. The
      survey found that AFB1 and ZEA were the most prevalent mycotoxins in the feed
      samples at percentages of 93% and 63%, respectively. The limit of detections
      (LODs) of investigated mycotoxins was 0.20-0.78 ng/g. AFB2, DON, AFG1, NIV and T
      2 toxin were also detectable at low contamination levels with percentages of 20%,
      9%, 7%, 5% and 1%, respectively, whereas OTA and AFG2 were not detected in any of
      the feed samples. These results suggest that there is a very low level of risk of
      the exposure to mycotoxins in feeds obtained from broiler farms in Central
      Thailand. 

PMID- 26477361
TI  - Biofunctionalization of Large Gold Nanorods Realizes Ultrahigh-Sensitivity
      Optical Imaging Agents.
AB  - Gold nanorods (GNRs, ~ 50 * 15 nm) have been used ubiquitously in biomedicine for
      their optical properties, and many methods of GNR biofunctionalization have been
      described. Recently, the synthesis of larger-than-usual GNRs (LGNRs, ~ 100 * 30
      nm) has been demonstrated. However, LGNRs have not been biofunctionalized and
      therefore remain absent from biomedical literature to date. Here we report the
      successful biofunctionalization of LGNRs, which produces highly stable particles
      that exhibit a narrow spectral peak (FWHM ~100 nm). We further demonstrated that
      functionalized LGNRs can be used as highly sensitive scattering contrast agents
      by detecting individual LGNRs in clear liquids. Owing to their increased optical
      cross sections, we found that LGNRs exhibited up to 32-fold greater
      backscattering than conventional GNRs. We leveraged these enhanced optical
      properties to detect LGNRs in the vasculature of live tumor-bearing mice. With
      LGNR contrast enhancement, we were able to visualize tumor blood vessels at
      depths that were otherwise undetectable. We expect that the particles reported
      herein will enable immediate sensitivity improvements in a wide array of
      biomedical imaging and sensing techniques that rely on conventional GNRs. 

PMID- 26477363
TI  - Current use and perspective of indocyanine green clearance in liver diseases.
AB  - Indocyanine green (ICG) is a water-soluble anionic compound that binds to plasma
      proteins after intravenous administration. It is selectively taken up at the
      first pass by hepatocytes and excreted unchanged into the bile. With the
      development of ICG elimination measurement by spectrophotometry, the ICG
      retention test has become a safe, rapid, reproducible, inexpensive and
      noninvasive tool for the assessment of liver function. Clinical evidence suggests
      that the ICG retention test can enable the establishment of tailored management
      strategies by providing prognostic information. In particular, this method has
      been evaluated as a prognostic marker in patients with advanced cirrhosis or
      awaiting liver transplantation. In addition, it is used as a marker of portal
      hypertension in cirrhotic patients, as a prognostic factor in intensive care
      units and for the assessment of liver function in patients undergoing liver
      surgery. Since recent technology enables ICG-PDR to be measured noninvasively at
      the bedside, this parameter is an attractive addition to liver function and
      regional haemodynamic monitoring. However, the current state-of-the-art as
      concerns this technology remains at a low level of evidence and thorough
      assessment is required. 

PMID- 26477364
TI  - Regulation and Evolution of the RAG Recombinase.
AB  - The modular, noncontiguous architecture of the antigen receptor genes
      necessitates their assembly through V(D)J recombination. This program of DNA
      breakage and rejoining occurs during early lymphocyte development, and depends on
      the RAG1 and RAG2 proteins, whose collaborative endonuclease activity targets
      specific DNA motifs enriched in the antigen receptor loci. This essential gene
      shuffling reaction requires lymphocytes to traverse several developmental stages
      wherein DNA breakage is tolerated, while minimizing the expense to overall genome
      integrity. Thus, RAG activity is subject to stringent temporal and spatial
      regulation. The RAG proteins themselves also contribute autoregulatory properties
      that coordinate their DNA cleavage activity with target chromatin structure, cell
      cycle status, and DNA repair pathways. Even so, lapses in regulatory restriction
      of RAG activity are apparent in the aberrant V(D)J recombination events that
      underlie many lymphomas. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of
      the RAG endonuclease, its widespread binding in the lymphocyte genome, its
      noncleavage activities that restrain its enzymatic potential, and the growing
      evidence of its evolution from an ancient transposase. 

PMID- 26477365
TI  - Chromatin Interactions in the Control of Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain Gene
      Assembly.
AB  - Expression of antibody heavy chain occurs via precisely timed developmental
      activation of the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene locus during B cell
      development. IgH locus activation permits coordinated gene rearrangements that
      assemble variable (VH), diversity (DH), and joining (JH) gene segments into
      functional genes. Chromosomal conformation changes and epigenetic mechanisms play
      critical roles in ensuring rearrangement fidelity while minimizing hazardous
      consequences of broken DNA ends generated during recombination. In this review,
      we summarize the current status of regulatory mechanisms that underpin effective
      IgH gene assembly. For this, the germline locus is divided into two parts: a
      2.4Mb 5' part that contains all VH gene segments and a 300kb 3' domain that
      contains DH and JH gene segments, as well as exons that encode IgH isotypes.
      Structural features of each part are discussed individually, followed by
      consideration of how the two parts come together to complete IgH recombination.
      Throughout we emphasize current insights, propose plausible mechanisms, and
      highlight key questions for future studies. 

PMID- 26477366
TI  - Spatial Regulation of V-(D)J Recombination at Antigen Receptor Loci.
AB  - Lymphocytes express a diverse repertoire of antigen receptors, which are able to
      recognize a large variety of foreign pathogens. Functional antigen receptor genes
      are assembled by V(D)J recombination in immature B cells (Igh and Igk) and T
      cells (Tcr b and Tcra/d). V(D)J recombination takes place in the 3' proximal
      domain containing the D, J, and C gene segments, whereas 31 (Tcrb) to 200 (Igh) V
      genes are spread over a large region of 0.67 (Tcrb) to 3 (Igk) megabase pairs.
      The spatial regulation of V(D)J recombination has been best studied for the Igh
      locus, which undergoes reversible contraction by long-range looping in pro-B
      cells. This large-scale contraction brings distantly located VH genes into close
      proximity of the DJH-rearranged gene segment, which facilitates VH-DJH
      recombination. The B-cell-specific Pax5, ubiquitous YY1, and architectural
      CTCF/cohesin proteins regulate Igh locus contraction in pro-B cells by binding to
      multiple sites in the VH gene cluster. These regulators also control the pro-B
      cell-specific activity of the distally located PAIR elements, which may be
      involved in the regulation of VH-DJH recombination by promoting locus
      contraction. Moreover, the large VH gene cluster of the Igh locus undergoes
      flexible long-range looping, which guarantees similar participation of all VH
      genes in VH-DJH recombination to generate a diverse antibody repertoire.
      Importantly, long-range looping is a more general regulatory principle, as other
      antigen receptor loci also undergo reversible contraction at the developmental
      stage, where they engage in V-(D)J recombination. 

PMID- 26477368
TI  - Dynamic Control of Long-Range Genomic Interactions at the Immunoglobulin kappa
      Light-Chain Locus.
AB  - The Igkappa locus, which is spread over 3Mb of genomic DNA and contains >100
      variable (V) genes, serves as an important model system to study long-range
      chromatin interactions. Here, we will discuss how in developing B cells in the
      bone marrow the accessibility of individual Vkappa segments is controlled by many
      lineage-specific and ubiquitously expressed transcription factors that act on
      various cis-regulatory elements, including promoters, enhancers, and insulators.
      This dynamic control furthermore involves changes in subnuclear localization,
      histone modification, DNA demethylation, and three-dimensional locus compaction.
      In pro-B cells, the Igkappa locus adopts a poised conformation as full
      contraction has been achieved and many key transcription factors already occupy
      the locus. Subsequently, the combined activation of pre-B cell antigen receptor
      signaling pathways and attenuation of IL-7R signaling in small resting pre-B
      cells dramatically modifies the transcription factor landscape, supporting the
      induction of monoallelic Igkappa gene rearrangements. Hereby, the intronic and 3'
      Igkappa enhancer elements coordinately focus their activities in the Vkappa
      region toward frequently used Vkappa genes. Recent work has drawn attention to
      the intriguing role of the CTCF-associated regulatory elements Cer and Sis, which
      are located in the Vkappa-Jkappa intervening region and control Igkappa locus
      contraction and Vkappa repertoire diversity. This involves CTCF-mediated locus
      insulation, restricting enhancer activity to the Vkappa region and suppressing
      the preferential recombination to proximal Vkappa genes. A picture emerges in
      which the dynamic control of long-range genomic interactions ensures correct
      timing of Igkappa locus recombination and provides appropriate opportunities for
      individual Vkappa gene segments to engage in Vkappa-Jkappa rearrangement. 

PMID- 26477369
TI  - Regulation of Tcrb Gene Assembly by Genetic, Epigenetic, and Topological
      Mechanisms.
AB  - The adaptive immune system endows mammals with an ability to recognize nearly any
      foreign invader through antigen receptors that are expressed on the surface of
      all lymphocytes. This defense network is generated by V(D)J recombination, a set
      of sequentially controlled DNA cleavage and repair events that assemble antigen
      receptor genes from physically separated variable (V), joining (J), and sometimes
      diversity (D) gene segments. The recombination process itself must be stringently
      regulated to minimize oncogenic translocations involving chromosomes that harbor
      immunoglobulin and T cell receptor loci. Indeed, V(D)J recombination is
      controlled at several levels, including tissue-, developmental stage-, allele-,
      and gene segment-specificity. These levels of control are imposed by a collection
      of architectural and regulatory elements that are distributed throughout each
      antigen receptor locus. Together, the genetic elements regulate developmental
      changes in chromatin, transcription, and locus topology that promote or disfavor
      long-range recombination. This chapter focuses on the cross talk between these
      mechanisms at the T cell receptor beta (Tcrb) locus, and how they sculpt a
      diverse TCRbeta repertoire while maintaining monospecificity of this antigen
      receptor on each mature T lymphocyte. We also discuss how insights obtained from
      studies of Tcrb are more generally relevant to our understanding of gene
      regulation strategies employed by mammals. 

PMID- 26477370
TI  - Chromatin Dynamics and the Development of the TCRalpha and TCRdelta Repertoires.
AB  - The adaptive immune system allows vertebrates to orchestrate highly specific
      responses to a virtually unlimited milieu of antigens. Effective adaptive immune
      responses depend on the capacity of T and B lymphocytes to generate diverse
      repertoires of antigen receptors through the recombination of variable (V),
      diversity (D), and joining (J) gene segments at antigen receptor loci. V(D)J
      recombination must be carefully regulated during the early stages of T and B
      lymphocyte development to ensure the proper development of lymphocyte subsets and
      to maximize antigen receptor combinatorial diversity. Among all T cell receptor
      (TCR) and immunoglobulin loci, the TCRalpha/delta (Tcra/Tcrd) locus is unique in
      its complexity since it undergoes recombination at two distinct stages of T cell
      development to create distinct TCR proteins that are used by different lineages
      of T cells. Here, we review the mechanisms that regulate V(D)J recombination at
      the Tcra/Tcrd locus, with a focus on the dynamic chromatin environment and how it
      instructs the assembly of the Tcra and Tcrd repertoires. We discuss the dynamics
      of Tcra and Tcrd repertoire formation in the context of T cell development, and
      we consider how the recombination program is directed by localized changes in
      chromatin structure that regulate the accessibility of Tcra and Tcrd gene
      segments to the V(D)J recombinase. We then move beyond local to address spatial
      relationships in the nucleus, emphasizing the three-dimensional organization of
      the Tcra/Tcrd locus as a critical player in understanding long-distance
      interactions between chromatin regulatory elements as well as long-distance
      interactions between recombination substrates. 

PMID- 26477367
TI  - Long-Range Regulation of V(D)J Recombination.
AB  - Given their essential role in adaptive immunity, antigen receptor loci have been
      the focus of analysis for many years and are among a handful of the most well
      studied genes in the genome. Their investigation led initially to a detailed
      knowledge of linear structure and characterization of regulatory elements that
      confer control of their rearrangement and expression. However, advances in DNA
      FISH and imaging combined with new molecular approaches that interrogate
      chromosome conformation have led to a growing appreciation that linear structure
      is only one aspect of gene regulation and in more recent years, the focus has
      switched to analyzing the impact of locus conformation and nuclear organization
      on control of recombination. Despite decades of work and intense effort from
      numerous labs, we are still left with an incomplete picture of how the assembly
      of antigen receptor loci is regulated. This chapter summarizes our advances to
      date and points to areas that need further investigation. 

PMID- 26477371
TI  - Long-Range Control of V(D)J Recombination & Allelic Exclusion: Modeling Views.
AB  - Allelic exclusion of immunoglobulin (Ig) and T-cell receptor (TCR) genes ensures
      the development of B and T lymphocytes operating under the mode of clonal
      selection. This phenomenon associates asynchronous V(D)J recombination events at
      Ig or TCR alleles and inhibitory feedback control. Despite years of intense
      research, however, the mechanisms that sustain asymmetric choice in random Ig/TCR
      dual allele usage and the production of Ig/TCR monoallelic expressing B and T
      lymphocytes remain unclear and open for debate. In this chapter, we first
      recapitulate the biological evidence that almost from the start appeared to link
      V(D)J recombination and allelic exclusion. We review the theoretical models
      previously proposed to explain this connection. Finally, we introduce our own
      mathematical modeling views based on how the developmental dynamics of individual
      lymphoid cells combine to sustain allelic exclusion. 

PMID- 26477372
TI  - Preface.

PMID- 26477373
TI  - Cholesterol-lowering effects and potential mechanisms of different polar extracts
      from Cyclocarya paliurus leave in hyperlipidemic mice.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cyclocarya paliurus Batal., native only to China,
      is widely consumed as a Chinese traditional folk medicine for the prevention and
      treatment of hyperlipidemia, obesity, and diabetes. The aim of the study is to
      investigate the cholesterol-lowering effect and potential mechanisms of different
      polar extracts from Cyclocarya paliurus leaves in mice fed with high-fat-diet.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cyclocarya paliurus leaves extracts were orally
      administered to diet-induced hyperlipidemic mice for 4 weeks. Simvastatin was
      used as a positive control. Body weight, food intake, histopathology of liver and
      adipose tissues, hepatic and renal function indices, lipid profiles in the serum
      and liver were evaluated. Total bile acid concentrations of the liver and feces
      were also measured. Furthermore, the activities and mRNA expression of
      cholesterol metabolism-related enzymes including 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl
      coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) and acyl
      CoA cholesterol acyltransferase 2 (ACAT2) in the livers of the mice were
      analyzed. LC-MS detection was performed to identify the components in the active
      fraction of Cyclocarya paliurus extracts. RESULTS: Different Cyclocarya paliurus
      polar extracts, especially ChE reduced the levels of serum total cholesterol
      (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and hepatic
      TC and TG, enhanced the level of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL
      C), restored hepatic and renal function indices and histomorphology. HMG-CoA
      reductase activity and mRNA expression were decreased, while CYP7A1 activity and
      mRNA expression as well as the level of fecal and hepatic bile acid were
      increased by ChE. LC-MS analysis of ChE revealed the presence of six main
      triterpenoids, which might be responsible for its antihyperlipidemic bioactivity.
      CONCLUSIONS: Evidently ChE possesses the best antihyperlipidemic activity, and
      the cholesterol-lowering effect is at least partly attributed to its role in
      promoting the conversion of cholesterol into bile acids by upgrading the activity
      and mRNA expression of CYP7A1 and inhibiting those of HMG-CoA reductase to lower
      the cholesterol biosynthesis.

PMID- 26477374
TI  - Inhibition of alpha-glucosidase by new prenylated flavonoids from euphorbia hirta
      L. herb.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Euphorbia hirta L. (Euphorbiaceae) is a
      pantropical medicinal rhizomatous herb, traditionally used in the treatment of
      diabetes, respiratory and gastro-intestinal disorders. AIM OF THE STUDY: To
      isolate and characterize the constituents of Euphorbia hirta and evaluate their
      in-vitro alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The study is also aimed at
      describing structural activity relationship, type of alpha-glucosidase inhibition
      and in-vivo potential to regulate post prandial hyperglycemia in Wistar rats.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Methanolic extract of whole plant was suspended in water,
      and sequentially fractionated with n-hexane and ethyl acetate. Further ethyl
      acetate fraction was subjected to medium pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC) to
      isolate the active molecules under the following experimental conditions,
      pressure (up to 5 kg/cm(2)) and flow rate (2 in./min). The structural elucidation
      of isolated compounds was done on the basis of detailed spectral analysis. The
      alpha-glucosidase inhibitory potential of isolated compounds was evaluated and
      compared with standard drug acarbose. In addition, type of inhibition was dwelled
      by Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis. Further, sucrose tolerance test was performed
      in Wistar rats pre-treated with the isolated compounds and acarbose (0.015 mM)
      followed by a sucrose load (2g/kg, p.o.) and blood glucose level was measured up
      to 120 min by the glucose oxidase method. RESULTS: The ethyl acetate fraction
      afforded quercetrin (1), dimethoxy quercetrin (2), along with two new prenylated
      flavonosides designated as hirtacoumaroflavonoside (3) and hirtaflavonoside-B (4)
      characterized as 7-O-(p-coumaroyl)-5,7,4'-trihydroxy-6-(3,3-dimethyl allyl)
      flavonol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(2" -> 1"')-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside and 5,
      7, 3', 4'-trihydroxy-6-(3, 3-dimethyl allyl)-8-(iso-butenyl)-flavonol-3-C-beta-d
      glucopyranoside, respectively. All the isolated compounds showed dose dependent
      inhibition of alpha-glucosidase which was found to be comparable to acarbose.
      Maximum alpha-glucosidase inhibition was achieved with compound 3 (IC50 0.022 mM)
      followed by 4 (IC50 0.071 mM) in comparison to acarbose (IC50 0.092 mM). The
      results revealed that 5,7,4'- trihydroxyflavone structure is imperative for the
      inhibitory activity. The prenylation in the flavonoids increase the potency and p
      coumaroyl substitution at C-7 further enriched the alpha-glucosidase inhibition.
      Compound 3 exhibited non-competitive inhibition while compounds 1, 2 and 4 showed
      mixed non-competitive inhibitory pattern. The results of sucrose tolerance test
      corresponded well with the in vitro studies. CONCLUSION: alpha-Glucosidase
      inhibitory activity and sucrose tolerance test demonstrated by the prenylated
      flavonoids present in E. hirta provide credence to the ethnomedicinal use of the
      plant in the management of diabetes in folk medicine.

PMID- 26477375
TI  - [Choledochal cyst during pregnancy. Report of 3 cases and a literature review].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Choledochal cysts are rare. They usually present during childhood in
      women, but it can also be seen during pregnancy. Clinical signs and symptoms are
      obscured during this time, thus it can complicate the diagnosis and represent a
      life threatening complication for both the mother and the child. OBJECTIVE: To
      communicate the case of 3 pregnant patients with choledochal cyst. CLINICAL
      CASES: Three pregnant women in which choledochal cyst were diagnosed. Two
      developed signs of cholangitis. The first one underwent a hepatic-jejunostomy,
      but had an abortion and died on postoperative day 10. The second one had a
      preterm caesarean operation due to foetal distress and underwent a hepatic
      jejunostomy 4 weeks later; during her recovery she had a gastric perforation and
      died of septic complications. The third one did not develop cholangitis or
      jaundice. She had an uneventful pregnancy and had a hepatic-jejunostomy 4 weeks
      later with good results. CONCLUSIONS: Management of choledochal cysts during
      pregnancy is related to the presence of cholangitis. When they do not respond to
      medical treatment, decompression of the biliary tree is indicated. Definitive
      treatment should be performed after resolution of the pregnancy.

PMID- 26477377
TI  - N270 sensitivity to conflict strength and working memory: A combined ERP and
      sLORETA study.
AB  - The event-related potential N270 component is known to be an electrophysiological
      marker of the supramodal conflict processing. However little is know about the
      factors that may modulate its amplitude. In particular, among all studies that
      have investigated the N270, little or no control of the conflict strength and of
      the load in working memory have been done leaving a lack in the understanding of
      this component. We designed a spatial audiovisual conflict task with simultaneous
      target and cross-modal distractor to evaluate the N270 sensitivity to the
      conflict strength (i.e., visual target with auditory distractor or auditory
      target with visual distractor) and the load in working memory (goal task
      maintenance with frequent change in the target modality). In a first session,
      participants had to focus on one modality for the target position to be
      considered (left-hand or right-hand) while the distractor could be at the same
      side (compatible) or at opposite side (incompatible). In a second session, we
      used the same set of stimuli as in the first session with an additional distinct
      auditory signal that clued the participants to frequently switch between the
      auditory and the visual targets. We found that (1) reaction times and N270
      amplitudes for conflicting situations were larger within the auditory target
      condition compared to the visual one, (2) the increase in target maintenance
      effort led to equivalent increase of both reaction times and N270 amplitudes
      within all conditions and (3) the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex current
      density was higher for both conflicting and active maintenance of the target
      situations. These results provide new evidence that the N270 component is an
      electrophysiological marker of the supramodal conflict processing that is
      sensitive to the conflict strength and that conflict processing and active
      maintenance of the task goal are two functions of a common executive attention
      system. 

PMID- 26477379
TI  - The influence of assumptions on generation time distributions in epidemic models.
AB  - A simple class of stochastic models for epidemic spread in finite, but large,
      populations is studied. The purpose is to investigate how assumptions about the
      times between primary and secondary infections influences the outcome of the
      epidemic. Of particular interest is how assumptions of individual variability in
      infectiousness relates to variability of the epidemic curve. The main concern is
      the final size of the epidemic and the time scale at which it evolves. The
      theoretical results are illustrated by simulations. 

PMID- 26477378
TI  - The neural substrates for the rewarding and dopamine-releasing effects of medial
      forebrain bundle stimulation have partially discrepant frequency responses.
AB  - Midbrain dopamine neurons have long been implicated in the rewarding effect
      produced by electrical brain stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB).
      These neurons are excited trans-synaptically, but their precise role in
      intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) has yet to be determined. This study
      assessed the hypothesis that midbrain dopamine neurons are in series with the
      directly stimulated substrate for self-stimulation of the MFB and either perform
      spatio-temporal integration of synaptic input from directly activated MFB fibers
      or relay the results of such integration to efferent stages of the reward
      circuitry. Psychometric current-frequency trade-off functions were derived from
      ICSS performance, and chemometric trade-off functions were derived from
      stimulation-induced dopamine transients in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell,
      measured by means of fast-scan cyclic voltammetry. Whereas the psychometric
      functions decline monotonically over a broad range of pulse frequencies and level
      off only at high frequencies, the chemometric functions obtained with the same
      rats and electrodes are either U-shaped or level off at lower pulse frequencies.
      This discrepancy was observed when the dopamine transients were recorded in
      either anesthetized or awake subjects. The lack of correspondence between the
      psychometric and chemometric functions is inconsistent with the hypothesis that
      dopamine neurons projecting to the NAc shell constitute an entire series stage of
      the neural circuit subserving self-stimulation of the MFB. 

PMID- 26477376
TI  - Cross-activation and detraining effects of tongue exercise in aged rats.
AB  - Voice and swallowing deficits can occur with aging. Tongue exercise paired with a
      swallow may be used to treat swallowing disorders, but may also benefit vocal
      function due to cross-system activation effects. It is unknown how exercise-based
      neuroplasticity contributes to behavior and maintenance following treatment.
      Eighty rats were used to examine behavioral parameters and changes in
      neurotrophins after tongue exercise paired with a swallow. Tongue forces and
      ultrasonic vocalizations were recorded before and after training/detraining in
      young and old rats. Tissue was analyzed for neurotrophin content. Results showed
      tongue exercise paired with a swallow was associated with increased tongue forces
      at all ages. Gains diminished after detraining in old rats. Age-related changes
      in vocalizations, neurotrophin 4 (NT4), and brain derived neurotrophic factor
      (BDNF) were found. Minimal cross-system activation effects were observed.
      Neuroplastic benefits were demonstrated with exercise in old rats through
      behavioral improvements and up-regulation of BDNF in the hypoglossal nucleus.
      Tongue exercise paired with a swallow should be developed, studied, and optimized
      in human clinical research to treat swallowing and voice disorders in elderly
      people. 

PMID- 26477380
TI  - Malony-CoA inhibits the S113L variant of carnitine-palmitoyltransferase II.
AB  - Carnitine palmitoyltransferases (CPT), located both in the outer (CPT I) and
      inner membrane (CPT II) of mitochondria, are the key players for an efficient
      transport of long chain fatty acids into this cell compartment. The metabolite
      malonyl-CoA is known to inhibit CPT I, but not CPT II. His6-N-hCPT2 (wild type)
      and His6-N-hCPT2/ S113L (variant) were produced recombinantly in prokaryotic
      host, purified and characterized according to their functional and regulatory
      properties. The wild type and the variant showed the same enzymatic activity and
      were both inhibited by malonyl-CoA and malonate in a time-dependent manner. The
      inhibition was, however, significantly more pronounced in the mutated enzyme. The
      residual activities were 40% and 5% at temperatures of 4  degrees C and 30 
      degrees C, respectively. The inhibitory effect proceeded irreversibly with no
      recovery after postincubation of palmitoyl-CoA (Pal-CoA) as native substrate. A
      model of malonyl-CoA and malonate binding to human CPT II was suggested by
      docking studies to explain the action of the inhibitors regarding to the effect
      of the mutation on the protein conformation. Results indicated that not only CPT
      I, but also CPT II can be inhibited by malonyl-CoA. Thus, the complete inhibition
      of total CPT (i.e. CPT I and CPT II) in muscle homogenates by an established
      assay is not due to a lack of enzymatically active CPT II, but rather due to an
      abnormal regulation of the enzyme.

PMID- 26477381
TI  - N-3PUFA differentially modulate palmitate-induced lipotoxicity through
      alterations of its metabolism in C2C12 muscle cells.
AB  - Excessive energy intake leads to fat overload and the formation of lipotoxic
      compounds mainly derived from the saturated fatty acid palmitate (PAL), thus
      promoting insulin resistance (IR) in skeletal muscle. N-3 polyunsaturated fatty
      acids (n-3PUFA) may prevent lipotoxicity and IR. The purpose of this study was to
      examine the differential effects of n-3PUFA on fatty acid metabolism and insulin
      sensitivity in muscle cells. C2C12 myotubes were treated with 500 MUM of PAL
      without or with 50 MUM of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
      or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for 16 h. PAL decreased insulin-dependent AKT
      activation and glucose uptake and increased the synthesis of ceramides and
      diglycerides (DG) derivatives, leading to protein kinase Ctheta activation. EPA
      and DHA, but not ALA, prevented PAL-decreased AKT activation but glucose uptake
      was restored to control values by all n-3PUFA vs. PAL. Total DG and ceramide
      contents were decreased by all n-3PUFA, but only EPA and DHA increased PAL beta
      oxidation, decreased PAL incorporation into DG and reduced protein kinase Ctheta
      activation. EPA and DHA emerge as better candidates than ALA to improve fatty
      acid metabolism in skeletal muscle cells, notably via their ability to increase
      mitochondrial beta-oxidation.

PMID- 26477382
TI  - Ceramide signaling targets the PP2A-like protein phosphatase Sit4p to impair
      vacuolar function, vesicular trafficking and autophagy in Isc1p deficient cells.
AB  - The vacuoles play important roles in cellular homeostasis and their functions
      include the digestion of cytoplasmic material and organelles derived from
      autophagy. Conserved nutrient signaling pathways regulate vacuolar function and
      autophagy, ensuring normal cell and organismal development and aging. Recent
      evidence implicates sphingolipids in the modulation of these processes, but the
      impact of ceramide signaling on vacuolar dynamics and autophagy remains largely
      unknown. Here, we show that yeast cells lacking Isc1p, an orthologue of mammalian
      neutral sphingomyelinase type 2, exhibit vacuolar fragmentation and dysfunctions,
      namely decreased Pep4p-mediated proteolysis and V-ATPase activity, which impairs
      vacuolar acidification. Moreover, these phenotypes are suppressed by
      downregulation of the ceramide-activated protein phosphatase Sit4p. The isc1Delta
      cells also exhibit defective Cvt and vesicular trafficking in a Sit4p-dependent
      manner, ultimately contributing to a reduced autophagic flux. Importantly, these
      phenotypes are also suppressed by downregulation of the nutrient signaling kinase
      TORC1, which is known to inhibit Sit4p and autophagy, or Sch9p. These results
      support a model in which Sit4p functions downstream of Isc1p in a TORC1
      independent, ceramide-dependent signaling branch that impairs vacuolar function
      and vesicular trafficking, leading to autophagic defects in yeast. 

PMID- 26477384
TI  - Long term effect of telmisartan in HIV-positive male patients with high blood
      pressure.

PMID- 26477385
TI  - Impaired bone mineral accrual in prepubertal HIV-infected children: a cohort
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate bone mass accrual and determine the influence of clinical,
      anthropometric, dietary and biochemical parameters on bone mass. METHODS: A
      cohort study including 35 prepubertal HIV-infected children, between 7 and 12
      years, attended at a referral center. At time 1 (T1) and time 2 (T2), patients
      were assessed according to clinical, anthropometric, dietary, biochemical
      parameters and bone mineral density (BMD). At T2, patients were divided into
      prepubertal and pubertal. RESULTS: Despite the increase in bone mass absolute
      values, there was no improvement in lumbar spine BMD (LSBMD) Z-score (p=0.512)
      and worsening in total body BMD (TBMD) Z-score (p=0.040). Pubertal patients
      (n=19) showed higher bone mineral content (BMC) (p=0.001), TBMD (p=0.006) and
      LSBMD (p=0.002) compared to prepubertal patients. After multivariate linear
      regression analysis, the predictors of bone mass in T1 were age, BMI and HA Z
      scores for BMC; BMI Z-score, adequate serum magnesium concentration and dietary
      calcium intake for TBMD; adequate serum concentration of magnesium, BMI and HA Z
      scores for LSBMD. In T2, age, total body fat and lean body mass (kg) for BMC; BMI
      Z-score and puberty for TBMD; dietary fat intake, BMI Z-score for BMD and puberty
      for LSBMD. CONCLUSION: HIV-infected children have compromised bone mass and the
      presence of puberty seems to provide suitability of these parameters. Adequate
      intake of calcium and fat appears to be protective for proper bone mass
      accumulation factor, as well as monitoring nutritional status and serum magnesium
      concentration.

PMID- 26477383
TI  - Development of HepG2-derived cells expressing cytochrome P450s for assessing
      metabolism-associated drug-induced liver toxicity.
AB  - The generation of reactive metabolites from therapeutic agents is one of the
      major mechanisms of drug-induced liver injury (DILI). In order to evaluate
      metabolism-related toxicity and improve drug efficacy and safety, we generated a
      battery of HepG2-derived cell lines that express 14 cytochrome P450s (CYPs) (1A1,
      1A2, 1B1, 2A6, 2B6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C18, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1, 3A4, 3A5 and 3A7)
      individually using a lentiviral expression system. The expression/production of a
      specific CYP in each cell line was confirmed by an increased abundance of the CYP
      at both mRNA and protein levels. Moreover, the enzymatic activities of
      representative CYPs in the corresponding cell lines were also measured. Using our
      CYP-expressed HepG2 cells, the toxicity of three drugs that could induce DILI
      (amiodarone, chlorpromazine and primaquine) was assessed, and all of them showed
      altered (increased or decreased) toxicity compared to the toxicity in drug
      treated wild-type HepG2 cells. CYP-mediated drug toxicity examined in our cell
      system is consistent with previous reports, demonstrating the potential of these
      cells for assessing metabolism-related drug toxicity. This cell system provides a
      practical in vitro approach for drug metabolism screening and for early detection
      of drug toxicity. It is also a surrogate enzyme source for the enzymatic
      characterization of a particular CYP that contributes to drug-induced liver
      toxicity. 

PMID- 26477387
TI  - Cyanidin 3-glucoside improves diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats.
AB  - Increased consumption of dark-coloured fruits and vegetables may mitigate
      metabolic syndrome. This study has determined the changes in metabolic
      parameters, and in cardiovascular and liver structure and function, following
      chronic administration of either cyanidin 3-glucoside (CG) or Queen Garnet plum
      juice (QG) containing cyanidin glycosides to rats fed either a corn starch (C) or
      a high-carbohydrate, high-fat (H) diet. Eight to nine-week-old male Wistar rats
      were randomly divided into six groups for 16-week feeding with C, C with CG or
      QG, H or H with CG or QG. C or H were supplemented with CG or QG at a dose of ~ 8
      mg/kg/day cyanidin glycosides from week 8 to 16. H rats developed signs of
      metabolic syndrome including visceral adiposity, impaired glucose tolerance,
      hypertension, cardiovascular remodelling, increased collagen deposition in left
      ventricle, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, increased plasma liver enzymes and
      increased inflammatory cell infiltration in the heart and liver. Both CG and QG
      reversed these cardiovascular, liver and metabolic signs. However, no intact
      anthocyanins or common methylated/conjugated metabolites could be detected in the
      plasma samples and plasma hippuric acid concentrations were unchanged. Our
      results suggest CG is the most likely mediator of the responses to QG but that
      further investigation of the pharmacokinetics of oral CG in rats is required.

PMID- 26477388
TI  - A novel proteomics sample preparation method for secretome analysis of Hypocrea
      jecorina growing on insoluble substrates.
AB  - Analysis of the secretomes of filamentous fungi growing on insoluble
      lignocellulosic substrates is of major current interest because of the industrial
      potential of secreted fungal enzymes. Importantly, such studies can help
      identifying key enzymes from a large arsenal of bioinformatically detected
      candidates in fungal genomes. We describe a simple, plate-based method to analyze
      the secretome of Hypocrea jecorina growing on insoluble substrates that allows
      harsh sample preparation methods promoting desorption, and subsequent
      identification, of substrate-bound proteins, while minimizing contamination with
      non-secreted proteins from leaking or lysed cells. The validity of the method was
      demonstrated by comparative secretome analysis of wild-type H.jecorina strain
      QM6a growing on bagasse, birch wood, spruce wood or pure cellulose, using label
      fee quantification. The proteomic data thus obtained were consistent with
      existing data from transcriptomics and proteomics studies and revealed clear
      differences in the responses to complex lignocellulosic substrates and the
      response to pure cellulose. This easy method is likely to be generally applicable
      to filamentous fungi and to other microorganisms growing on insoluble substrates.

PMID- 26477389
TI  - Comparative proteome analysis of rubber latex serum from pathogenic fungi
      tolerant and susceptible rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis).
AB  - Many cultivated rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis) are invaded by various
      Phytophthora species fungi, especially in tropical regions which result in crop
      yield losses. Comparative proteome analysis coupled with liquid chromatography
      electrospray/ionization (LC-ESI) mass spectrometry identification was employed to
      investigate the relative abundance of defense related proteins in Phytophthora
      sp. susceptible (RRIM600) and tolerant (BPM24) clones of rubber tree. Proteome
      maps of non-rubber constituent of these two model clones show similar protein
      counts, although some proteins show significant alterations in their abundance.
      Most of the differentially abundant proteins found in the serum of BPM24
      illustrate the accumulation of defense related proteins that participate in plant
      defense mechanisms such as beta-1,3-glucanase, chitinase, and lectin. SDS-PAGE
      and 2-D Western blot analysis showed greater level of accumulation of beta-1,3
      glucanase and chitinase in latex serum of BPM24 when compared to RRIM600. A
      functional study of these two enzymes showed that BPM24 serum had greater beta
      1,3-glucanase and chitinase activities than that of RRIM600. These up-regulated
      proteins are constitutively expressed and would serve to protect the rubber tree
      BPM24 from any fungal invader. The information obtained from this work is
      valuable for understanding of defense mechanisms and plantation improvement of H.
      brasiliensis. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Non-rubber constituents (latex serum) have
      almost no value and are treated as waste in the rubber agricultural industry.
      However, the serum of natural rubber latex contains biochemical substances. The
      comparative proteomics analysis of latex serum between tolerant and susceptible
      clones reveals that the tolerant BPM24 clone contained a high abundance of
      several classes of fungal pathogen-responsive proteins, such as glucanase and
      chitinase. Moreover, other proteins identified highlighted the accumulation of
      defensive-associated proteins participating in plant fungal immunity. The
      isolation of beta-1,3-glucanase, chitinase, and lectin from latex serum should be
      further investigated and may provide a therapeutic application. This
      investigation will lead to possible use of latex serum as a great
      biotechnological resource due to the large quantity of serum produced and the
      biochemicals contained therein.

PMID- 26477390
TI  - Purely organic electroluminescent material realizing 100% conversion from
      electricity to light.
AB  - Efficient organic light-emitting diodes have been developed using emitters
      containing rare metals, such as platinum and iridium complexes. However, there is
      an urgent need to develop emitters composed of more abundant materials. Here we
      show a thermally activated delayed fluorescence material for organic light
      emitting diodes, which realizes both approximately 100% photoluminescence quantum
      yield and approximately 100% up-conversion of the triplet to singlet excited
      state. The material contains electron-donating diphenylaminocarbazole and
      electron-accepting triphenyltriazine moieties. The typical trade-off between
      effective emission and triplet-to-singlet up-conversion is overcome by fine
      tuning the highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular
      orbital distributions. The nearly zero singlet-triplet energy gap, smaller than
      the thermal energy at room temperature, results in an organic light-emitting
      diode with external quantum efficiency of 29.6%. An external quantum efficiency
      of 41.5% is obtained when using an out-coupling sheet. The external quantum
      efficiency is 30.7% even at a high luminance of 3,000 cd m(-2). 

PMID- 26477391
TI  - A new method for achieving enhanced dielectric response over a wide temperature
      range.
AB  - We report a novel approach for achieving high dielectric response over a wide
      temperature range. In this approach, multilayer ceramic heterostructures with
      constituent compositions having strategically tuned Curie points (T(C)) were
      designed and integrated with varying electrical connectivity. Interestingly,
      these multilayer structures exhibited different dielectric behavior in series and
      parallel configuration due to variations in electrical boundary conditions
      resulting in the differences in the strength of the electrostatic coupling. The
      results are explained using nonlinear thermodynamic model taking into account
      electrostatic interlayer interaction. We believe that present work will have huge
      significance in design of high performance ceramic capacitors.

PMID- 26477392
TI  - The Impact of Environmental Fluctuations on Evolutionary Fitness Functions.
AB  - The concept of fitness as a measure for a species' success in natural selection
      is central to the theory of evolution. We here investigate how reproduction rates
      which are not constant but vary in response to environmental fluctuations,
      influence a species' prosperity and thereby its fitness. Interestingly, we find
      that not only larger growth rates but also reduced sensitivities to environmental
      changes substantially increase the fitness. Thereby, depending on the noise level
      of the environment, it might be an evolutionary successful strategy to minimize
      this sensitivity rather than to optimize the reproduction speed. Also for neutral
      evolution, where species with exactly the same properties compete, variability in
      the growth rates plays a crucial role. The time for one species to fixate is
      strongly reduced in the presence of environmental noise. Hence, environmental
      fluctuations constitute a possible explanation for effective population sizes
      inferred from genetic data that often are much smaller than the census population
      size. 

PMID- 26477394
TI  - Domain control of carrier density at a semiconductor-ferroelectric interface.
AB  - Control of charge carrier distribution in a gated channel via a dielectric layer
      is currently the state of the art in the design of integrated circuits such as
      field effect transistors. Replacing linear dielectrics with ferroelectrics would
      ultimately lead to more energy efficient devices as well as the added advantage
      of the memory function of the gate. Here, we report that the channel-off/channel
      on states in a metal/ferroelectric/semiconductor stack are actually transitions
      from a multi domain state to a single domain state of the ferroelectric under
      bias. In our approach, there is no a priori assumption on the single or multi
      domain nature of the ferroelectric layer that is often neglected in works
      discussing the ferroelectric-gate effect on channel conductivity interfacing a
      ferroelectric. We also predict that semiconductor/ferroelectric/semiconductor
      stacks can function at even lower gate voltages than
      metal/ferroelectric/semiconductor stacks when an n-type semiconductor is placed
      between the ferroelectric and the gate metal. Our results suggest the ultimate
      stability of the multidomain state whenever it interfaces a semiconductor
      electrode and that a switchable single domain state may not be necessary to
      achieve effective control of conductivity in a p-type channel. Finally, we
      discuss some experimental results in the literature in light of our findings. 

PMID- 26477393
TI  - Impact Of Environmental Variation On Host Performance Differs With Pathogen
      Identity: Implications For Host-Pathogen Interactions In A Changing Climate.
AB  - Specialist and generalist pathogens may exert different costs on their hosts;
      thereby altering the way hosts cope with environmental variation. We examined how
      pathogen-challenge alters the environmental conditions that maximize host
      performance by simultaneously varying temperature and nutrition (protein to
      carbohydrate ratio; P:C) after exposure to two baculoviruses; one that is
      specific to the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (TnSNPV) and another that has a
      broad host range (AcMNPV). Virus-challenged larvae performed better on more
      protein-biased diets, primarily due to higher survival, whereas unchallenged
      larvae performed best on a balanced diet. The environmental conditions that
      maximized host performance differed with virus identity because TnSNPV-challenge
      inflicted fitness costs (reduced pupal weight and prolonged development) whereas
      AcMNPV-challenge did not. The performance of TnSNPV-challenged larvae rose with
      increasing P:C across all temperatures, whereas temperature modulated the optimal
      P:C in AcMNPV-challenged larvae (slightly protein-biased at 16  degrees C to
      increasingly higher P:C as temperature increased). Increasing temperature reduced
      pupal size, but only at more balanced P:C ratios, indicating that nutrition
      moderates the temperature-size rule. Our findings highlight the complex
      environmental interactions that can alter host performance after exposure to
      pathogens, which could impact the role of entomopathogens as regulators of insect
      populations in a changing climate. 

PMID- 26477395
TI  - Effectiveness of an (18)F-FDG-PET based strategy to optimize the diagnostic
      trajectory of suspected recurrent laryngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy: The
      RELAPS multicenter randomized trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of (18)F-FDG-PET
      as first-line diagnostic investigation, prior to performing a direct laryngoscopy
      with biopsy under general anesthesia, in patients suspected of recurrent
      laryngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 150 patients
      suspected of recurrent T2-4 laryngeal carcinoma at least two months after prior
      (chemo)radiotherapy with curative intent for resectable disease were randomized
      to direct laryngoscopy (CWU: conventional workup strategy) or to (18)F-FDG-PET
      only followed by direct laryngoscopy if PET was assessed 'positive' or
      'equivocal' (PWU: PET based workup strategy), to compare the effectiveness of
      these strategies. Primary endpoint was the number of indications for direct
      laryngoscopies classified as unnecessary based on absence of recurrence, both on
      direct laryngoscopy and on six month follow up. Safety endpoints comprised
      resectability of recurrent lesions and completeness of surgical margins following
      salvage laryngectomy. RESULTS: Intention-to-treat analyses were performed on all
      randomized patients (CWU: n=74, PWU: n=76). Tumor recurrence was similar in both
      groups: 45 patients (30%; 21 CWU, 24 PWU) within six months. In 53 patients in
      the CWU arm (72%, 95% CI: 60-81) unnecessary direct laryngoscopies were performed
      compared to 22 in the PWU arm (29%, 95% CI: 19-40) (p<0.0001). The percentage of
      salvage laryngectomies (resectability) and positive surgical margins were similar
      between CWU and PWU (81%, 63% respectively, p=0.17, and 29%, 7%, respectively,
      p=0.20). The prevalence of the combination of local unresectability and positive
      margins is in the CWU group 24% and in the PWU group 8%. No difference (p=0.32)
      in disease specific survival between both groups was found. CONCLUSION: In
      patients with suspected laryngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy, PET as the first
      diagnostic procedure can reduce the need for direct laryngoscopy by more than 50%
      without jeopardizing quality of treatment.

PMID- 26477396
TI  - Validation of the total dysphagia risk score (TDRS) in head and neck cancer
      patients in a conventional and a partially accelerated radiotherapy scheme.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A risk model, the total dysphagia risk score (TDRS), was
      developed to predict which patients are most at risk to develop grade ?2
      dysphagia at 6 months following radiotherapy (RT) for head and neck cancer. The
      purpose of this study was to validate this model at 6 months and to investigate
      the power at earlier and later time-points. A second aim was to see if this model
      can be used in a partially accelerated RT regimen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 164
      patients from 3 different centres treated with RT between 2008 and 2014 were
      included in the current study. Both physician-scored dysphagia and QoL data were
      prospectively obtained. The TDRS of all patients was correlated with the
      physician-scored dysphagia and the QoL data. To validate this prediction model,
      we tested the validity in terms of calibration and discrimination. RESULTS:
      Partial acceleration had no influence on the TDRS. Regarding physician-scored
      dysphagia, there was a significant correlation with dysphagia grade ?2 at 1, 3, 6
      and 9 months. The area-under-the-curve at 1 month was 0.85; at 3 months 0.80; at
      6 months 0.85; at 9 months 0.86 and 0.79 at 12 months. Regarding QoL, TDRS
      correlates with PEG-tube usage at 6 and 12 months. CONCLUSION: We found
      significant correlations between TDRS and dysphagia grade ?2 and PEG-tube usage.

PMID- 26477398
TI  - Theoretical description of efficiency enhancement in DSSCs sensitized by newly
      synthesized heteroleptic Ru complexes.
AB  - Recently, some new series of heteroleptic ruthenium-based dyes, the so-called RD
      dyes, were designed and synthesized showing better performances compared to the
      well-known homoleptic N719. In this work, using the density-functional theory and
      its time-dependent extension, we have investigated the electronic structure and
      absorption spectra of these newly synthesized dyes, and compared the results to
      those of N3 dye to describe the variations of the properties due to the molecular
      engineering of the ancillary ligand. We have shown that the calculation results
      of the absorption spectra for these dyes using the PBE0 for the exchange
      correlation functional are in better agreement with the experiment than using
      B3LYP or range-separated CAM-B3LYP. We have also derived a formula based on the
      DFT and used it to visually describe the level shifts in a solvent. The higher
      Jsc observed in these new dyes is explained by the fact that here, in contrast to
      N3, the excitation charge was effectively transferred to the anchoring ligand.
      Furthermore, we have shown that the difference dipole moment vectors of the
      ground and excited states can be used to determine the charge-transfer direction
      in an excitation process. Finally, different electron lifetimes observed in these
      dyes are explained by investigating the adsorption geometries and the relative
      orientations of iodine molecules in different "dyeI2" complexes. 

PMID- 26477397
TI  - Impaired climbing and flight behaviour in Drosophila melanogaster following
      carbon dioxide anaesthesia.
AB  - Laboratories that study Drosophila melanogaster or other insects commonly use
      carbon dioxide (CO2) anaesthesia for sorting or other work. Unfortunately, the
      use of CO2 has potential unwanted physiological effects, including altered
      respiratory and muscle physiology, which impact motor function behaviours. The
      effects of CO2 at different levels and exposure times were examined on the
      subsequent recovery of motor function as assessed by climbing and flight assays.
      With as little as a five minute exposure to 100% CO2, D. melanogaster exhibited
      climbing deficits up to 24 hours after exposure. Any exposure length over five
      minutes produced climbing deficits that lasted for days. Flight behaviour was
      also impaired following CO2 exposure. Overall, there was a positive correlation
      between CO2 exposure length and recovery time for both behaviours. Furthermore,
      exposure to as little as 65% CO2 affected the motor capability of D.
      melanogaster. These negative effects are due to both a CO2-specific mechanism and
      an anoxic effect. These results indicate a heretofore unconsidered impact of CO2
      anaesthesia on subsequent behavioural tests revealing the importance of
      monitoring and accounting for CO2 exposure when performing physiological or
      behavioural studies in insects. 

PMID- 26477399
TI  - Iridium-catalyzed enantioselective allylation of silyl enol ethers derived from
      ketones and alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones.
AB  - The unified Ir-catalyzed enantioselective allylic substitution reactions of silyl
      enol ethers derived from ketones and alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones with
      branched, racemic allylic alcohols are described. This transformation is
      catalyzed by the Carreira system and proceeds without fluoride, and with high ee
      and b : l ratio. The synthetic utility of this method was illustrated by the
      concise enantioselective total synthesis of marine natural products calyxolane A,
      B and by the assignment of the absolute configuration of calyxolane A.

PMID- 26477400
TI  - Advances in nanoscale alloys and intermetallics: low temperature solution
      chemistry synthesis and application in catalysis.
AB  - Based on the bottom-up chemistry techniques, the size, shape, and composition
      controlled synthesis of nanoparticles can now be achieved uniformly, which is of
      great importance to the nanoscience community as well as in modern catalysis
      research. The low-temperature solution-phase synthesis approach represents one of
      the most attractive strategies and has been utilized to synthesize nanoscale
      metals, alloys and intermetallics, including a number of new metastable phases.
      This perspective will highlight the solution-based nanoparticle synthesis
      techniques, a low-temperature platform, for the synthesis of size and shape
      tunable nanoscale transition metals, alloys, and intermetallics from the
      literature, keeping a focus on the utility of these nanomaterials in
      understanding the catalysis. For each solution-based nanoparticle synthesis
      technique, a comprehensive overview has been given for the reported nanoscale
      metals, alloys, and intermetallics, followed by critical comments. Finally, their
      enhanced catalytic activity and durability as novel catalysts have been discussed
      towards several hydrogenation/dehydrogenation reactions and also for different
      inorganic to organic reactions. Hence, the captivating advantages of this
      controllable low-temperature solution chemistry approach have several important
      implications and together with them this approach provides a promising route to
      the development of next-generation nanostructured metals, alloys, and
      intermetallics since they possess fascinating properties as well as outstanding
      catalytic activity. 

PMID- 26477401
TI  - Theoretical prediction of silicene as a new candidate for the anode of lithium
      ion batteries.
AB  - Using density functional theory calculations, we determine the band structure and
      DOS of graphene and silicene supercell models. We also study the adsorption
      mechanism of Li metal atoms and Li-ions onto free-standing silicene (buckled,
      theta = 101.7 degrees ) and compare the results with those of graphene. In
      contrast to graphene, interactions between Li metal atoms and Li-ions with the
      silicene surface are quite strong due to its highly reactive buckled hexagonal
      structure. As a consequence of structural properties the adsorption height, the
      most stable adsorption site and energy barrier against Li diffusion are also
      discussed here to outline the prospects of using silicene in electronic devices
      such as Li ion batteries (LiBs), hydrogen storage and molecular machines.
      However, in most LiBs, graphene layers are used as anode electrodes. Here, it is
      shown that graphene has very limited Li storage capacity and low surface area
      than silicene. As our models are in good agreement with previous predictions,
      this finding presents a possible avenue for creating better anode materials that
      can replace graphene for higher capacity and better cycling performance of LiBs. 

PMID- 26477402
TI  - Radionuclide (131)I-labeled multifunctional dendrimers for targeted SPECT imaging
      and radiotherapy of tumors.
AB  - We report the synthesis, characterization, and utilization of radioactive (131)I
      labeled multifunctional dendrimers for targeted single-photon emission computed
      tomography (SPECT) imaging and radiotherapy of tumors. In this study, amine
      terminated poly(amidoamine) dendrimers of generation 5 (G5.NH2) were sequentially
      modified with 3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid-OSu (HPAO) and folic acid (FA)
      linked with polyethylene glycol (PEG), followed by acetylation modification of
      the dendrimer remaining surface amines and labeling of radioactive iodine-131
      ((131)I). The generated multifunctional (131)I-G5.NHAc-HPAO-PEG-FA dendrimers
      were characterized via different methods. We show that prior to (131)I labeling,
      the G5.NHAc-HPAO-PEG-FA dendrimers conjugated with approximately 9.4 HPAO
      moieties per dendrimer are noncytotoxic at a concentration up to 20 MUM and are
      able to target cancer cells overexpressing FA receptors (FAR), thanks to the
      modified FA ligands. In the presence of a phenol group, radioactive (131)I is
      able to be efficiently labeled onto the dendrimer platform with good stability
      and high radiochemical purity, and render the platform with an ability for
      targeted SPECT imaging and radiotherapy of an FAR-overexpressing xenografted
      tumor model in vivo. The designed strategy to use the facile dendrimer
      nanotechnology may be extended to develop various radioactive theranostic
      nanoplatforms for targeted SPECT imaging and radiotherapy of different types of
      cancer. 

PMID- 26477403
TI  - Viscoelastic polymer flows and elastic turbulence in three-dimensional porous
      structures.
AB  - Viscoelastic polymer solutions flowing through reservoir rocks have been found to
      improve oil displacement efficiency when the aqueous-phase shear-rate exceeds a
      critical value. A possible mechanism for this enhanced recovery is elastic
      turbulence that causes breakup and mobilization of trapped oil ganglia. Here, we
      apply nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) pulsed field gradient (PFG) diffusion
      measurements in a novel way to detect increased motion of disconnected oil
      ganglia. The data are acquired directly from a three-dimensional (3D) opaque
      porous structure (sandstone) when viscoelastic fluctuations are expected to be
      present in the continuous phase. The measured increase in motion of trapped
      ganglia provides unequivocal evidence of fluctuations in the flowing phase in a
      fully complex 3D system. This work provides direct evidence of elastic turbulence
      in a realistic reservoir rock - a measurement that cannot be readily achieved by
      conventional laboratory methods. We support the NMR data with optical microscopy
      studies of fluctuating ganglia in simple two-dimensional (2D) microfluidic
      networks, with consistent apparent rheological behaviour of the aqueous phase, to
      provide conclusive evidence of elastic turbulence in the 3D structure and hence
      validate the proposed flow-fluctuation mechanism for enhanced oil recovery. 

PMID- 26477405
TI  - Mechanical testing of internal fixation devices: A theoretical and practical
      examination of current methods.
AB  - Successful healing of long bone fractures is dependent on the mechanical
      environment created within the fracture, which in turn is dependent on the
      fixation strategy. Recent literature reports have suggested that locked plating
      devices are too stiff to reliably promote healing. However, in vitro testing of
      these devices has been inconsistent in both method of constraint and reported
      outcomes, making comparisons between studies and the assessment of construct
      stiffness problematic. Each of the methods previously used in the literature were
      assessed for their effect on the bending of the sample and concordant stiffness.
      The choice of outcome measures used in in vitro fracture studies was also
      assessed. Mechanical testing was conducted on seven hole locked plated constructs
      in each method for comparison. Based on the assessment of each method the use of
      spherical bearings, ball joints or similar is suggested at both ends of the
      sample. The use of near and far cortex movement was found to be more
      comprehensive and more accurate than traditional centrally calculated
      interfragmentary movement values; stiffness was found to be highly susceptible to
      the accuracy of deformation measurements and constraint method, and should only
      be used as a within study comparison method. The reported stiffness values of
      locked plate constructs from in vitro mechanical testing is highly susceptible to
      testing constraints and output measures, with many standard techniques
      overestimating the stiffness of the construct. This raises the need for further
      investigation into the actual mechanical behaviour within the fracture gap of
      these devices. 

PMID- 26477404
TI  - Microvesicles released from tumor cells disrupt epithelial cell morphology and
      contractility.
AB  - During tumor progression, cancer cells interact and communicate with non
      malignant cells within their local microenvironment. Microvesicles (MV) derived
      from human cancer cells play an important role in mediating this communication.
      Another critical aspect of cancer progression involves widespread ECM remodeling,
      which occur both at the primary and metastatic sites. ECM remodeling and
      reorganization within the tumor microenvironment is generally attributed to
      fibroblasts. Here, using MCF10a cells, a well-characterized breast epithelial
      cell line that exhibits a non-malignant epithelial phenotype, and MVs shed by
      aggressive MDA-MB-231 carcinoma cells, we show that non-malignant epithelial
      cells can participate in ECM reorganization of 3D collagen matrices following
      their treatment with cancer cell-derived MVs. In addition, MVs trigger several
      changes in epithelial cells under 3D culture conditions. Furthermore, we show
      that this ECM reorganization is associated with an increase in cellular traction
      force following MV treatment, higher acto-myosin contractility, and higher FAK
      activity. Overall, our findings suggest that MVs derived from tumor cells can
      contribute to ECM reorganization occurring within the tumor microenvironment by
      enhancing the contractility of non-malignant epithelial cells.

PMID- 26477406
TI  - Estimation of local anisotropy of plexiform bone: Comparison between depth
      sensing micro-indentation and Reference Point Indentation.
AB  - The recently developed Reference Point Indentation (RPI) allows the measurements
      of bone properties at the tissue level in vivo. The goal of this study was to
      compare the local anisotropic behaviour of bovine plexiform bone measured with
      depth sensing micro-indentation tests and with RPI. Fifteen plexiform bone
      specimens were extracted from a bovine femur and polished down to 0.05um alumina
      paste for indentations along the axial, radial and circumferential directions
      (N=5 per group). Twenty-four micro-indentations (2.5um in depth, 10% of them were
      excluded for testing problems) and four RPI-indentations (~50um in depth) were
      performed on each sample. The local indentation modulus Eind was found to be
      highest for the axial direction (24.3+/-2.5GPa) compared to the one for the
      circumferential indentations (19% less stiff) and for the radial direction (30%
      less stiff). RPI measurements were also found to be dependent on indentation
      direction (p<0.001) with the exception of the Indentation Distance Increase (IDI)
      (p=0.173). In particular, the unloading slope US1 followed similar trends
      compared to the Eind: 0.47+/-0.03N/um for axial, 11% lower for circumferential
      and 17% lower for radial. Significant correlations were found between US1 and
      Eind (p=0.001; R(2)=0.58), while no significant relationship was found between
      IDI and any of the micro-indentation measurements (p>0.157). In conclusion some
      of the RPI measurements can provide information about local anisotropy but IDI
      cannot. Moreover, there is a linear relationship between most local mechanical
      properties measured with RPI and with micro-indentations, but IDI does not
      correlate with any micro-indentation measurements. 

PMID- 26477407
TI  - Effects of lower-limb muscular fatigue on stair gait.
AB  - The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of lower-limb
      muscular fatigue on stair gait. Twelve healthy young male adults between 20 and
      30 years old participated in the experiment. There were two experimental sessions
      corresponding to a no fatigue condition and a lower-limb muscular fatigue
      condition, respectively. Lower-limb muscular fatigue was induced using repetitive
      lower-limb pushing exertions. Both ascent and descent were studied. Stair gait
      was assessed by lower-limb joints and trunk kinematics, and postural stability
      measures. It was found that lower-limb muscular fatigue compromised stair gait
      during descent, but did not make any difference during ascent. These findings
      highlighted the importance of minimizing exposures to lower-limb muscular fatigue
      during descent in stair accident prevention. 

PMID- 26477408
TI  - Microfluidic deformability analysis of the red cell storage lesion.
AB  - A key challenge in transfusion medicine research and clinical hematology is to
      develop a simple and non-destructive method to measure the quality of each blood
      unit prior to use. RBC deformability has long been proposed as an indicator of
      blood quality. We measured RBC deformability using the pressure required for
      single cells to transit through a micrometer scale constriction to examine
      longitudinal changes in RBC deformability, as well as the variability in blood
      quality and storage capacity across donors. We used a microfluidic device to
      monitor deformability changes in RBCs stored in plastic tubes and in blood bags
      over 14 and 56 days respectively. We found consistent storage based degradation
      of RBC deformability with statistically significant variability in both the
      initial RBC deformability and storage capacity among donors. Furthermore, all
      samples exhibited a transient recovery phenomenon. Deformability profiling of
      stored RBCs using transiting pressure showed significant donor variability in
      initial quality and storage capacity. This measurement approach shows promise as
      a rapid method to individually assess the quality of stored RBC units. 

PMID- 26477409
TI  - Effects of external helmet accessories on biomechanical measures of head injury
      risk: An ATD study using the HYBRIDIII headform.
AB  - Competitive cycling is a popular activity in North America for which injuries to
      the head account for the majority of hospitalizations and fatalities. In cycling,
      use of helmet accessories (e.g. cameras) has become widespread. As a consequence,
      standards organizations and the popular media are discussing the role these
      accessories could play in altering helmet efficacy and head injury risk. We
      conducted impacts to a helmeted anthropomorphic headform, with and without camera
      accessories, at speeds of 4m/s and 6m/s, and measured head accelerations, forces
      on the head-form skull, and used the Simulated Injury Monitor to estimate brain
      tissue strain. The presence of the camera reduced peak linear head acceleration
      (51% - 4m/s impacts, 61% - 6m/s, p<0.05). Skull fracture risk based on kinematics
      was always less than 1%. For 4m/s impacts, peak angular accelerations were lower
      (47%, p<0.05), as were peak angular velocities (14%) with the velocity effect
      approaching significance (p=0.06), with the camera accessory. For 6m/s impacts,
      accelerations were on average higher (5%, p>0.05) as were velocities (77%,
      p<0.05). Skull forces were never greater than 443.2N, well below forces
      associated with fracture. Brain tissue strain, the cumulative strain damage
      measure at 25% (CSDM-25), was lower (56%, p<0.05) in 4m/s but higher (125%,
      p>0.05) in 6m/s impacts with the camera accessory. Based on CSDM-25 for 4m/s
      tests, the risk of severe concussion was reduced (p<0.05) from 25% (no camera) to
      7% (camera). For 6m/s tests, risks were on average increased (p>0.05) from 18%
      (no camera) to 58% (camera). 

PMID- 26477414
TI  - European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015: Section 6.
      Paediatric life support.

PMID- 26477410
TI  - European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015: Section 1.
      Executive summary.

PMID- 26477412
TI  - European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015: Section 4.
      Cardiac arrest in special circumstances.

PMID- 26477415
TI  - European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015: Section 7.
      Resuscitation and support of transition of babies at birth.

PMID- 26477416
TI  - European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015 Section 8.
      Initial management of acute coronary syndromes.

PMID- 26477417
TI  - European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015 Section 9. First
      aid.

PMID- 26477418
TI  - European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015: Section 10.
      Education and implementation of resuscitation.

PMID- 26477419
TI  - European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015: Section 11. The
      ethics of resuscitation and end-of-life decisions.

PMID- 26477420
TI  - European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015: Section 2.
      Adult basic life support and automated external defibrillation.

PMID- 26477423
TI  - Part 6: Pediatric basic life support and pediatric advanced life support: 2015
      International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency
      Cardiovascular Care Science with Treatment Recommendations.

PMID- 26477424
TI  - Part 7: Neonatal resuscitation: 2015 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary
      Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science with Treatment
      Recommendations.

PMID- 26477426
TI  - Part 9: First aid: 2015 International Consensus on First Aid Science with
      Treatment Recommendations.

PMID- 26477427
TI  - Part 2: Evidence evaluation and management of conflicts of interest: 2015
      International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency
      Cardiovascular Care Science with Treatment Recommendations.

PMID- 26477428
TI  - Part 3: Adult basic life support and automated external defibrillation: 2015
      International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency
      Cardiovascular Care Science with Treatment Recommendations.

PMID- 26477430
TI  - Error in the editorial entitled "Frequency and number of resuscitation related
      rib and sternum fractures are higher than generally considered".

PMID- 26477429
TI  - Part 4: Advanced life support: 2015 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary
      Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science with Treatment
      Recommendations.

PMID- 26477432
TI  - Efficient Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation at Neutral and High pH by Adventitious
      Nickel at Nanomolar Concentrations.
AB  - Electrolytic water oxidation using earth-abundant elements is a key challenge in
      the quest to develop cheap, large surface area arrays for solar-to-hydrogen
      conversion. There have been numerous studies in this area in recent years, but
      there remains an imperative to demonstrate that the current densities reported
      are indeed due to the species under consideration and not due to the presence of
      adventitious (yet possibly highly active) contaminants at low levels. Herein, we
      show that adventitious nickel at concentrations as low as 17 nM can act as a
      water oxidation catalyst in mildly basic aqueous solutions, achieving stable
      (tens of hours) current densities of 1 mA cm(-2) at overpotentials as low as 540
      mV at pH 9.2 and 400 mV at pH 13. This nickel was not added to the electrolysis
      baths deliberately, but it was found to be present in the electrolytes as an
      impurity by ICP-MS. The presence of nickel on anodes from extended-time bulk
      electrolysis experiments was confirmed by XPS. In showing that such low levels of
      nickel can perform water oxidation at overpotentials comparable to many recently
      reported water oxidation catalysts, this work serves to raise the burden of proof
      required of new materials in this field: contamination by adventitious metal ions
      at trace loadings must be excluded as a possible cause of any observed water
      oxidation activity. 

PMID- 26477433
TI  - Protein/polysaccharide interactions and their impact on haze formation in white
      wines.
AB  - Proteins in white wines may aggregate and form hazes at room temperature. This
      was previously shown to be related to pH-induced conformational changes and to
      occur for pH <3.5. The aim of the present work was to study the impact of wine
      polysaccharides on pH-induced haze formation by proteins but also the
      consequences of their interactions with these proteins on the colloidal stability
      of white wines. To this end, model systems and purified global pools of wine
      proteins and polysaccharides were used first. Kinetics of aggregation, proteins
      involved, and turbidities related to final hazes were monitored. To further
      identify the impact of each polysaccharide, fractions purified to homogeneity
      were used in a second phase. These included two neutral (mannoprotein and
      arabinogalactan) and two negatively charged (rhamnogalacturonan II dimer (RG-II)
      and arabinogalactan) polysaccharides. The impact of major wine polysaccharides on
      wine protein aggregation at room temperature was clearly less marked than those
      of the pH and the ionic strength. Polysaccharides modulated the aggregation
      kinetics and final haziness, indicating that they interfere with the aggregation
      process, but could not prevent it. 

PMID- 26477434
TI  - Studying Policy Changes in Disaster Management in India: A Tale of Two Cyclones.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The mainstay of India's disaster management policy until the early
      2000s had been relief and rescue operations. The Odisha Super Cyclone (1999) with
      10,000 deaths and US $3 billion economic damage provided a rude awakening.
      Recognizing the importance of preemptive preparedness, the government initiated
      systematic steps to implement a national framework interlinking economic,
      environmental, and overall developmental issues for efficient response to and
      mitigation of disasters. METHODS: We attempted a critical analysis of this
      paradigm shift in India's disaster management policy through the prism of 2
      cyclones, 14 years apart in time. RESULTS: With improved preparedness and
      response measures, the death toll in 2013 Cyclone Phailin was 0.5% and the
      economic loss was about one-third of that during 1999. Concomitant improvements
      in the technological expertise of the early warning system, an integrated
      approach at all levels of administration including joint planning with major
      nongovernmental organizations, and improved community participation were
      identified as game-changers. An unbelievable 1 million people were evacuated to
      safety. CONCLUSIONS: Our essay aims to highlight key steps in this success and
      calls for futuristic approaches like insurance programs and gender-sensitive
      recovery plans. With thorough scrutiny, India's model may well stand to be
      replicated in resource-restricted settings.

PMID- 26477438
TI  - Evidence for the introduction of the Asian red alga Neosiphonia japonica and its
      introgression with Neosiphonia harveyi (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta) in the Northwest
      Atlantic.
AB  - There is currently conflict in the literature on the taxonomic status of the
      reportedly cosmopolitan species Neosiphonia harveyi, a common red alga along the
      coast of Atlantic Canada and New England, USA. Neosiphonia harveyi sensu lato was
      assessed using three molecular markers: COI-5P, ITS and rbcL. All three markers
      clearly delimited three genetic species groups within N. harveyi sensu lato in
      this region, which we identified as N. harveyi, N. japonica and Polysiphonia
      akkeshiensis (here resurrected from synonymy with N. japonica). Although
      Neosiphonia harveyi is considered by some authors to be introduced to the
      Atlantic from the western Pacific, it was only confirmed from the North Atlantic
      suggesting it is native to this area. In contrast, Neosiphonia japonica was
      collected from only two sites in Rhode Island, USA, as well as from its reported
      native range in Asia (South Korea), which when combined with data in GenBank
      indicates that this species was introduced to the Northwest Atlantic. The GenBank
      data further indicate that N. japonica was also introduced to North Carolina,
      Spain, Australia and New Zealand. Despite the fact that all three markers clearly
      delimited N. harveyi and N. japonica as distinct genetic species groups, the ITS
      sequences for some N. harveyi individuals displayed mixed patterns and additivity
      indicating introgression of nuclear DNA from N. japonica into N. harveyi in the
      Northwest Atlantic. Introgression of DNA from an introduced species to a native
      species (i.e. 'genetic pollution') is one of the possible consequences of species
      introductions, and we believe this is the first documented evidence for this
      phenomenon in red algae.

PMID- 26477441
TI  - An Approach to Preparing Ni-P with Different Phases for Use as Supercapacitor
      Electrode Materials.
AB  - Herein, we describe a simple two-step approach to prepare nickel phosphide with
      different phases, such as Ni2 P and Ni5 P4 , to explain the influence of material
      microstructure and electrical conductivity on electrochemical performance. In
      this approach, we first prepared a Ni-P precursor through a ball milling process,
      then controlled the synthesis of either Ni2 P or Ni5 P4 by the annealing method.
      The as-prepared Ni2 P and Ni5 P4 are investigated as supercapacitor electrode
      materials for potential energy storage applications. The Ni2 P exhibits a high
      specific capacitance of 843.25 F g(-1) , whereas the specific capacitance of Ni5
      P4 is 801.5 F g(-1) . Ni2 P possesses better cycle stability and rate capability
      than Ni5 P4 . In addition, the Fe2 O3 //Ni2 P supercapacitor displays a high
      energy density of 35.5 Wh kg(-1) at a power density of 400 W kg(-1) and long
      cycle stability with a specific capacitance retention rate of 96 % after 1000
      cycles, whereas the Fe2 O3 //Ni5 P4 supercapacitor exhibits a high energy density
      of 29.8 Wh kg(-1) at a power density of 400 W kg(-1) and a specific capacitance
      retention rate of 86 % after 1000 cycles. 

PMID- 26477440
TI  - Novel emergency department registration kiosk for HIV screening is cost
      effective.
AB  - High operating costs challenge sustainability of successful US emergency
      department (ED) HIV screening programs. Free-standing registration kiosks could
      potentially reduce the marginal costs of ED HIV screening. We investigated
      incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (CER) per new HIV diagnosis for a kiosk
      based approach for offering screening at ED registration versus a testing staff
      based approach to offer testing at the bedside. A rapid oral-fluid HIV screening
      program, instituted in a US ED since 2005, had a rate of new HIV diagnosis 0.16%
      in 2012. A two-phase quasi experimental design, including a testing staff-based
      approach to offer testing at the bedside (Phase I, August and September 2011) and
      a kiosk-based approach to offer testing at ED registration (Phase II, December
      2011 and January 2012), was performed. CER per new HIV diagnosis was defined as
      total cost of the screening program divided by number of newly diagnosed cases.
      Costs included screening program personnel (study coordinator, testing staff, and
      kiosk helpers), diagnostic assays (rapid and confirmatory tests), and kiosks (2
      kiosks, software, and IT consulting fees). Sensitivity analyses were performed.
      Data from our dedicated testing staff (DTS) program (Phase I) resulted in an
      estimated 5434 patients tested in one year and 9 newly diagnosed HIV-infected
      patients (95% CI: 3, 18). Data from the kiosk program (Phase II), resulted in a
      projected 4571 ED patients tested in one year and 21 newly diagnosed HIV-infected
      patients (95% CI: 4, 70). The overall cost was $ 201,433 for the DTS program,
      versus $292,008 for the kiosk program. Incremental CER per new HIV diagnosis for
      kiosk-based approach was $7523 (range: $1780-90,025 by sensitivity analysis). Our
      pilot data demonstrated that the use of kiosks for HIV screening was potentially
      more cost-effective than a testing staff-based bedside approach. 

PMID- 26477443
TI  - NICE guidelines must reflect consensus and be up-to-date.

PMID- 26477442
TI  - Helicobacter Species Identified in Captive Sooty Mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) with
      Metastatic Gastric Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Of all human cancers, gastric carcinoma is the one of the leading
      causes of death. Helicobacter pylori is considered a major etiologic agent of
      this disease. Spontaneously occurring gastric carcinoma is a rare diagnosis in
      nonhuman primates. A 2011 case report documented a high incidence of gastric
      adenocarcinoma in a closed colony of captive sooty mangabeys (Cercebus atys).
      However, H. pylori infection was not detected in these animals. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: In this study, using archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded stomach
      sections of these animals alternative methodologies were used to identify H.
      pylori and other non-H. pylori Helicobacter species. In addition, two additional
      cases of sooty mangabeys with metastatic gastric carcinoma are characterized.
      RESULTS: Using fluorescent in situ hybridization, we identified gastric H. suis
      in 75% of archived and new gastric carcinoma cases. In the two newly reported
      cases, H. suis and a novel Helicobacter species were detected via PCR and
      sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. H. pylori was not identified in any of
      the gastric carcinoma cases via FISH and/or PCR and sequence analysis of
      Helicobacter spp. in DNA from of available tissues. CONCLUSIONS: This report is
      the first to characterize Helicobacter species infection in spontaneous gastric
      carcinoma with metastatic potential in nonhuman primates.

PMID- 26477444
TI  - Evaluating a tablet application and differential reinforcement to increase eye
      contact in children with autism.
AB  - We tested the effectiveness of a tablet application and differential
      reinforcement to increase eye contact in 3 children with autism. The application
      required the child to look at a picture of a person's face and identify the
      number displayed in the person's eyes. Eye contact was assessed immediately after
      training, 1 hr after training, and in a playroom. The tablet application was not
      effective; however, differential reinforcement was effective for all
      participants. 

PMID- 26477445
TI  - Editorial Comment on "A Comparison of Sexual Health History and Practices among
      Monogamous and Consensually Nonmonogamous Sexual Partners"-Moving Ahead:
      Accepting (and Funding) Research That Critically Examines Monogamy.

PMID- 26477446
TI  - Does chronic raise of metal ion levels induce oxidative DNA damage and hypoxia
      like response in patients with metal-on-metal hip resurfacing?
AB  - Metal-on-metal hip resurfacing (MOM-HR) represents a viable alternative to
      traditional arthroplasty. Nevertheless, in MOM coupling both metal nanoparticles
      and ions are released, whose toxicity remains a matter of concern. We
      investigated whether 'endogenous' chronic exposure to cobalt and chromium induced
      a state of oxidative stress, DNA damage and a hypoxia-like response in patients
      with well-functioning MOM-HR. Twenty-two patients with unilateral MOM-HR were
      recruited at long-term. Twenty-one osteoarthritic subjects were enrolled for
      comparison. Serum ion levels were measured and correlated with 8
      hydroxydeoxyguanosine and circulating-free-DNA, as markers of oxidative DNA
      damage. Moreover, the hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha, marker of hypoxic state,
      was evaluated. Ion concentrations were found to be 5-to-15 times higher in MOM-HR
      patients than in presurgery subjects (p < 0.001); circulating-free-DNA, 8
      hydroxydeoxyguanosine, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha levels were not
      significantly different between groups and did not correlate with ion levels.
      Analyzing the results according to gender, MOM-HR males had higher 8
      hydroxydeoxyguanosine levels (p = 0.01) compared with MOM-HR females. Similarly,
      circulating-free-DNA values were higher in males than females, even if this
      difference did not reach statistical significance. This research is the first
      that attempted to investigate the long-term effects of ion dissemination in
      subjects with well-fixed MOM implants. A significant correlation between
      biomarkers increase and ion levels was not demonstrated. Nevertheless, both
      circulating-free-DNA and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine showed a tendency to increase in
      MOM-HR males. Further studies with a larger sample size should be performed to
      detect the clinical relevance of biomarkers increase especially in younger
      subjects, where a chronic moderately elevated exposure has to be faced. (c) 2015
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 460-466,
      2017.

PMID- 26477447
TI  - Utility of texture analysis for quantifying hepatic fibrosis on proton density
      MRI.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the potential utility of texture analysis of proton density
      maps for quantifying hepatic fibrosis in a murine model of hepatic fibrosis.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
      (IACUC) approval, a dietary model of hepatic fibrosis was used and 15 ex vivo
      murine liver tissues were examined. All images were acquired using a 30 mm bore
      11.7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner with a multiecho spin-echo
      sequence. A texture analysis was employed extracting multiple texture features
      including histogram-based, gray-level co-occurrence matrix-based (GLCM), gray
      level run-length-based features (GLRL), gray level gradient matrix (GLGM), and
      Laws' features. Texture features were correlated with histopathologic and digital
      image analysis of hepatic fibrosis. RESULTS: Histogram features demonstrated very
      weak to moderate correlations (r = -0.29 to 0.51) with hepatic fibrosis. GLCM
      features correlation and contrast demonstrated moderate-to-strong correlations (r
      = -0.71 and 0.59, respectively) with hepatic fibrosis. Moderate correlations were
      seen between hepatic fibrosis and the GLRL feature short run low gray-level
      emphasis (SRLGE) (r = -0. 51). GLGM features demonstrate very weak to weak
      correlations with hepatic fibrosis (r = -0.27 to 0.09). Moderate correlations
      were seen between hepatic fibrosis and Laws' features L6 and L7 (r = 0.58).
      CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the utility of texture analysis applied to
      proton density MRI in a murine liver fibrosis model and validates the potential
      utility of texture-based features for the noninvasive, quantitative assessment of
      hepatic fibrosis.

PMID- 26477449
TI  - Developmental fluoxetine and prenatal stress effects on serotonin, dopamine, and
      synaptophysin density in the PFC and hippocampus of offspring at weaning.
AB  - Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medication exposure during the perinatal
      period can have a long term impact in adult offspring on neuroplasticity and the
      serotonergic system, but the impact of these medications during early development
      is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of
      developmental exposure to the SSRI, fluoxetine, on the serotonergic system,
      dopaminergic system, and synaptophysin density in the prefrontal cortex and
      hippocampus, as well as number of immature neurons in the dentate gyrus, in
      juvenile rat offspring at weaning. To model aspects of maternal depression,
      prenatal restraint stress was used. Sprague-Dawley rat offspring were exposed to
      either prenatal stress and/or fluoxetine. Main findings show that developmental
      fluoxetine exposure to prenatally stressed offspring decreased 5-HT and 5-HIAA
      levels and altered the dopaminergic system in the hippocampus. Prenatal stress,
      regardless of fluoxetine, increased synaptophysin density in the PFC. This work
      indicates that early exposure to maternal stress and SSRI medication can alter
      brain monoamine levels and synaptophysin density in offspring at weaning.

PMID- 26477450
TI  - Copper-Intercalated Birnessite as a Water Oxidation Catalyst.
AB  - We report a synthetic method to increase the catalytic activity of birnessite
      toward water oxidation by intercalating copper in the interlayer region of the
      layered manganese oxide. Intercalation of copper, verified by XRD, XPS, ICP, and
      Raman spectroscopy, was accomplished by exposing a suspension of birnessite to a
      Cu(+)-bearing precursor molecule that underwent disproportionation in solution to
      yield Cu(0) and Cu(2+). Electrocatalytic studies showed that the Cu-modified
      birnessite exhibited an overpotential for water oxidation of ~490 mV (at 10
      mA/cm(2)) and a Tafel slope of 126 mV/decade compared to ~700 mV (at 10 mA/cm(2))
      and 240 mV/decade, respectively, for birnessite without copper. Impedance
      spectroscopy results suggested that the charge transfer resistivity of the Cu
      modified sample was significantly lower than Cu-free birnessite, suggesting that
      Cu in the interlayer increased the conductivity of birnessite leading to an
      enhancement of water oxidation kinetics. Density functional theory calculations
      show that the intercalation of Cu(0) into a layered MnO2 model structure led to a
      change of the electronic properties of the material from a semiconductor to a
      metallic-like structure. This conclusion from computation is in general agreement
      with the aforementioned impedance spectroscopy results. X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy (XPS) showed that Cu(0) coexisted with Cu(2+) in the prepared Cu
      modified birnessite. Control experiments using birnessite that was decorated with
      only Cu(2+) showed a reduction in water oxidation kinetics, further emphasizing
      the importance of Cu(0) for the increased activity of birnessite. The
      introduction of Cu(0) into the birnessite structure also increased the stability
      of the electrocatalyst. At a working current of 2 mA, the Cu-modified birnessite
      took ~3 times longer for the overpotential for water oxdiation to increase by 100
      mV compared to when Cu was not present in the birnessite. 

PMID- 26477451
TI  - Language changes in bilingual individuals with Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) in those who are bilingual is becoming
      increasingly prevalent in modern society, yet little is known about the impact of
      AD on the bilingual's two languages. AIMS: To gather information from the
      available literature on AD and bilingual individuals. METHODS & PROCEDURES: The
      first author searched three electronic databases for relevant articles and
      retrieved 186 articles. Nine articles met the inclusion criteria and were
      selected for this review. Various research methods employed in assessing language
      changes in bilingual individuals with AD were captured. MAIN CONTRIBUTION:
      Preliminary findings suggest that both controls and bilingual individuals with
      Alzheimer's disease (BIAD) were more able on language-related tasks in their
      dominant language compared with their non-dominant language. The current
      literature would suggest that both languages in bilingual individuals are equally
      affected by AD; however, there is room to explore preliminary data on the fact
      that the non-dominant language, and indeed the dominant language, is more
      sensitive to AD. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: More robust, clinically relevant
      research designs that test current theoretical frameworks are needed to inform
      the development of appropriate assessments, diagnosis and person-centred care for
      bilingual individuals with AD.

PMID- 26477454
TI  - Bottom-up regulation of malaria population dynamics in mice co-infected with lung
      migratory nematodes.
AB  - When and how populations are regulated by bottom up vs. top down processes, and
      how those processes are affected by co-occurring species, are poorly
      characterised across much of ecology. We are especially interested in the
      community ecology of parasites that must share a host. Here, we quantify how
      resources and immunity affect parasite propagation in experiments in near
      replicate 'mesocosms'' - i.e. mice infected with malaria (Plasmodium chabaudi)
      and nematodes (Nippostrongylus brasiliensis). Nematodes suppressed immune
      responses against malaria, and yet malaria populations were smaller in co
      infected hosts. Further analyses of within-host epidemiology revealed that
      nematode co-infection altered malaria propagation by suppressing target cell
      availability. This is the first demonstration that bottom-up resource regulation
      may have earlier and stronger effects than top-down immune mechanisms on within
      host community dynamics. Our findings demonstrate the potential power of
      experimental ecology to disentangle mechanisms of population regulation in
      complex communities. 

PMID- 26477455
TI  - Knowledge, attitude and practices for design for safety: A study on civil &
      structural engineers.
AB  - Design for safety (DfS) (also known as prevention through design, safe design and
      Construction (Design and Management)) promotes early consideration of safety and
      health hazards during the design phase of a construction project. With early
      intervention, hazards can be more effectively eliminated or controlled leading to
      safer worksites and construction processes. DfS is practiced in many countries,
      including Australia, the UK, and Singapore. In Singapore, the Manpower Ministry
      enacted the DfS Regulations in July 2015, which will be enforced from August 2016
      onwards. Due to the critical role of civil and structural (C&S) engineers during
      design and construction, the DfS knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of C&S
      engineers have significant impact on the successful implementation of DfS. Thus,
      this study aims to explore the DfS KAP of C&S engineers so as to guide further
      research in measuring and improving DfS KAP of designers. During the study, it
      was found that there is a lack of KAP studies in construction management.
      Therefore, this study also aims to provide useful lessons for future applications
      of the KAP framework in construction management research. A questionnaire was
      developed to assess the DfS KAP of C&S engineers. The responses provided by 43
      C&S engineers were analyzed. In addition, interviews with experienced
      construction professionals were carried out to further understand perceptions of
      DfS and related issues. The results suggest that C&S engineers are supportive of
      DfS, but the level of DfS knowledge and practices need to be improved. More DfS
      guidelines and training should be made available to the engineers. To ensure that
      DfS can be implemented successfully, there is a need to study the contractual
      arrangements between clients and designers and the effectiveness of different
      implementation approaches for the DfS process. The questionnaire and findings in
      this study provided the foundation for a baseline survey with larger sample size,
      which is currently being planned. In contrast to earlier studies, the study
      showed that the responding C&S engineers were supportive of the DfS. The study
      showed that the key to improving the DfS KAP of C&S engineers is by improving
      clients' motivation for DfS. 

PMID- 26477456
TI  - Serological Evidence of Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus Infections in Greek Swine.
AB  - The introduction of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) influenza virus in pigs
      changed the epidemiology of influenza A viruses (IAVs) in swine in Europe and the
      rest of the world. Previously, three IAV subtypes were found in the European pig
      population: an avian-like H1N1 and two reassortant H1N2 and H3N2 viruses with
      human-origin haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase proteins and internal genes of
      avian decent. These viruses pose antigenically distinct HAs, which allow the
      retrospective diagnosis of infection in serological investigations. However,
      cross-reactions between the HA of pH1N1 and the HAs of the other circulating H1
      IAVs complicate serological diagnosis. The prevalence of IAVs in Greek swine has
      been poorly investigated. In this study, we examined and compared
      haemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titres against previously established
      IAVs and pH1N1 in 908 swine sera from 88 herds, collected before and after the
      2009 pandemic. While we confirmed the historic presence of the three IAVs
      established in European swine, we also found that 4% of the pig sera examined
      after 2009 had HI antibodies only against the pH1N1 virus. Our results indicate
      that pH1N1 is circulating in Greek pigs and stress out the importance of a
      vigorous virological surveillance programme.

PMID- 26477458
TI  - Emerging Targets For Prostate Adenocarcinoma Therapy: How Molecular Biology May
      Drive Towards a More Tailored Approach.
AB  - Prostate adenocarcinoma is the most diagnosed male cancer in the Western world
      and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Albeit most of the
      patients with prostate adenocarcinoma are currently treated by surgery and/or
      radiation therapy, more than 30-40% of affected subjects will eventually progress
      and develop advanced disease. To date, management decisions depend on the
      clinical stage of the patient and the histological diagnosis which unfortunately
      often lack to predict the real prognosis. Current therapies have shown to be
      insufficient, mainly in the metastatic disease. For clear-cut diagnosis and
      follow-up, we promptly need molecular markers also useful in predicting patient's
      outcome. Advances in cancer genomics have led to a plethora of biomarkers, which
      must now to be rigorously validated in the clinical setting. Recent insights on
      prostate adenocarcinoma biology which unveiled some of the biological mechanisms
      leading to this tumour, have managed in devising novel strategies for therapy.
      Immunotherapeutic agents, selective adrenal inhibitors, anti-angiogenic
      molecules, newly engineered androgen receptor inhibitors, compounds targeting the
      bone microenvironment are demonstrated to limit cancer growth by blocking
      specific signaling pathways. Such strategies can be complemented to existing
      therapeutic paradigm in improving beneficial outcome. Moreover, other emerging
      pharmacological compounds have shown encouraging results and several clinical
      trials are ongoing. This review summarizes the developing targeted therapies for
      prostate adenocarcinoma and discuss their potential benefit mainly in the
      castration- resistant forms. 

PMID- 26477457
TI  - Cell Death and microRNAs in Cholestatic Liver Diseases: Update on Potential
      Therapeutic Applications.
AB  - Cholestasis is the main pathogenic event in a wide range of genetic or acquired
      disorders of bile acid synthesis or bile flow, resulting in intrahepatic and
      systemic accumulation of bile acids. In turn, augmented levels of bile acids lead
      to hepatocellular injury and progressive liver damage, eventually culminating in
      fibrosis and end-stage liver disease. In the injured cholestatic liver, apoptosis
      has long been recognized as a direct consequence of bile acid-mediated injury. It
      is now apparent that inflammation and necrosis play an equal or even more
      prevalent role. Ursodeoxycholic acid is the mainstream treatment for several
      cholestatic syndromes, but has limited efficacy in certain circumstances. With
      the notion that miRNAs play key roles in basic biological processes and that
      their deregulation is common in human liver disease, prospective use of miRNAs as
      either therapeutic targets or disease biomarkers is now being increasingly
      documented. Deciphering the exact contribution of each player is crucial for
      directing efforts toward finding much needed novel therapeutic strategies for
      cholestasis.

PMID- 26477459
TI  - Targeting Transient Receptor Potential Channels in Cardiometabolic Diseases and
      Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is still the most frequent cause of death in
      both developed and developing countries while metabolic syndrome and myocardial
      ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury are the common risk factors responsible for the
      impaired cardiac function. Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are non
      selective cation channels, that sense a broad range of stimuli from physical
      conditions such as stretch, to chemicals including capsaicin. OBJECTIVE: The
      diverse studies have revealed multifunctional roles of TRP channels in the
      physiological conditions and various diseases while some members of TRP channel
      superfamily are demonstrated to participate in the pathophysiology of
      cardiometabolic diseases and myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury. Here we
      discuss the roles of TRP channels in myocardial ischemia reperfusion and
      cardiometabolic diseases and their potential use in treating these diseases.
      RESULTS: Regulation of TRP channels facilitates the control of metabolic syndrome
      such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and atherosclerosis. This
      review presents an overview of our current knowledge regarding the physiological
      functions of TRP channels in the metabolic and cardiovascular systems and their
      contributions to cardiometabolic diseases and I/R injury. CONCLUSION: On the
      basis of these discoveries, the therapeutic potential of targeting novel TRP
      channels can be proposed for the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases and I/R
      injury.

PMID- 26477460
TI  - Mechanism of Action: How Nano-Antimicrobials Act?
AB  - Escalating resistance to almost every class of antibiotics is reducing the
      utility of currently available antimicrobial drugs. A part of this menace is
      attributed to poor pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the drug. Improvement
      in drug delivery is the most challenging task encountered by the pharmaceutical
      industries; however nanotechnology can bring a revolution in drug delivery
      design. Nano-antimicrobials (NAMs) have their own intrinsic antimicrobial
      activity (nanoparticles) or augment overall efficacy of enclosed antibiotics
      (nano-carriers), thus contribute in mitigating or reversing the resistance
      phenomenon. Nano-particles (NPs) having their own intrinsic antimicrobial
      activity kill microbes by mimicking natural course of killing by phagocytic cells
      i.e., by producing large quantity of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Reactive
      Nitrogen Species (RNS). It is believed that NPs kill microbes by simultaneously
      acting on many essential life processes or metabolic routes of microbes; that as
      many genetic mutations to develop resistance against them seems to be impossible.
      Nano carriers improve the pharmacokinetics of the enclosed drug. Moreover, one of
      the major techniques by which NAMs can overcome resistance is targeted drug
      delivery to the site of disease. In this review, a comprehensive detail about the
      mechanism of action of NAMs are presented in context to multi drug resistance
      phenomenon.

PMID- 26477461
TI  - Substance P and its Inhibition in Ocular Inflammation.
AB  - Neuropeptides, and specifically Substance P (SP), can crucially contribute to the
      ocular inflammatory response. SP is an undecapeptide that is secreted from
      sensory nerve endings and from various immune cells during inflammation. SP
      modulates ocular inflammation through its binding with the high-affinity
      neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R). This receptor is expressed on nerves, immune
      cells, and epithelial cells. SP is a key mediator of neurogenic inflammation as
      it induces increased microvascular permeability, vasodilatation, plasma
      extravasation, and subsequent tissue edema. In addition, macrophages can release
      inflammatory mediators such as interleukins, chemokines, and growth factors in
      response to SP stimulation. Inhibition of SP activity, either through blockade of
      the neuropeptide release or the use of SP receptor antagonists, ameliorates
      ocular inflammation, it restores immune privilege and improves a number of
      clinical endpoints associated with inflammation, such as corneal opacity, ocular
      perforation, and angiogenesis. This review of the literature will summarize the
      role of SP in the ocular inflammatory response (with an emphasis on the ocular
      surface). In addition, it will review the therapeutic effects of SP blockade to
      control ocular inflammation (i) in animal models and (ii) in highly prevalent
      human diseases.

PMID- 26477462
TI  - The Application of Chitosan and Its Derivatives as Nanosized Carriers for the
      Delivery of Chemical Drugs and Genes or Proteins.
AB  - The carrier technology provides an intelligent approach for drug delivery by
      entrapping the drug into a carrier, such as nanoparticles, microspheres,
      hydrogels, and so on, which can increase the bioavailability of drug, enhance
      targeting, reduce toxicity and side effects of drug. The polysaccharides, e.g.,
      chitosan and its derivatives, as carriers for delivery of chemical drugs and
      genes or proteins were summed up herein. 

PMID- 26477463
TI  - Sirtuins: Possible Clinical Implications in Cardio and Cerebrovascular Diseases.
AB  - Mammalian sirtuins (SIRT1-7) are NAD+-dependent deacetylases, which play an
      important role in aging and in a wide range of cellular functions. SIRT1, the
      best-characterized member of the family, acts as a sensor of the redox state and
      triggers in the cell the appropriate defense response. A large body of evidence
      has showed that SIRT1 induces both cellular and systemic protective effects in
      the cardiovascular system by preventing stress-induced apoptosis and senescence,
      and mitigating endothelial dysfunction. Hence, SIRT1 is now foreseen as a
      potential therapeutic target for a growing number of cardiovascular diseases.
      Recently, it has been suggested that SIRT1 activation could also be considered as
      a neuroprotective strategy. Indeed, SIRT1 protects against ischemia/reperfusion
      injury both in vitro and in vivo and avoids severe ischemic damage by preserving
      cerebral blood flow. In the last years it was suggested that others sirtuins, in
      particular SIRT3 and SIRT6, could exert beneficial effects in vascular syndromes.
      The aim of this review was to describe and discuss recent experimental evidence
      on the effects of SIRT1 and other sirtuins on the pathophysiology of cardio- and
      cerebrovascular diseases, underlying a potential therapeutic effect of these
      enzymes in the treatment and/or prevention of such conditions.

PMID- 26477464
TI  - Topical and Transdermal Delivery of Drug-Loaded Nano/ Microsystems with
      Application of Physical Enhancement Techniques.
AB  - Topical and transdermal delivery has been studied over last decades and it
      presents advantages for the treatment of several disorders, macromolecules
      delivery and vaccination. The greatest challenge is to overcome the stratum
      corneum (SC) barrier. Compared to traditional topical formulation strategies,
      nano /microsystems offer advantages such as increased stability, increased
      loading dose, coverage of undesired colors, reduced toxicity and prolonged
      release of active agents. However, there are no conclusive studies demonstrating
      the ability of such systems to penetrate the skin in relevant therapeutic
      amounts. The use of physical methods holds great promise for enhancing skin
      permeation through the SC and for targeting hair follicles. This review discusses
      the characteristics and feasibility of using a dual approach employing the
      application of physical methods of permeation enhancement to enable the topical
      or transdermal delivery of drug-loaded nano/microsystems.

PMID- 26477465
TI  - Morphological and Functional Characteristic of Senescent Cancer Cells.
AB  - Cellular senescence is the state of permanent proliferation cessation. There are
      two types of cell senescence. One is replicative senescence, which relies on
      telomere length-dependent limit of cell divisions. The second is stress-induced
      premature senescence (SIPS) which is telomere- independent. Cell senescence is a
      barrier to cancer. Paradoxically senescent cells, which are metabolically active
      secrete factors which can be procancerogenic. The main culprit of cell senescence
      is DNA damage and DNA damage response. Although cancer cells frequently possess
      mutations in two main signalling pathways involved in cell senescence, namely
      p53/p21 and p16/Rb, they still preserve the ability to undergo DNA damage-induced
      senescence. Cancer cell senescence is a new promising target for anticancer
      therapy. It was shown that many types of cancer cells can undergo SIPS. Senescent
      cancer cells have generally the same features as normal cells, such as enlarged
      size, accumulation of DNA damage foci and increased activity of Senescence
      Associated beta- galactosidase. Moreover senescent cancer cells are frequently
      polyploid and it was shown that polyploidy might be connected with abnormal cell
      division, which leads to the appearance of small descendants. In this review we
      will focus on morphological hallmarks of senescent cancer cells as well as their
      functional capabilities, such as secretion, polyploidization, and stemness. We
      will also discuss links with autophagy, mitotic catastrophe and the propensity of
      senescent cells to regain proliferative activities. We would like to show the
      complexity of cancer cell phenotype arising after anticancer treatment and
      difficulties in interpretation of the experimental data.

PMID- 26477466
TI  - Dynamic Behavior of Clobazam on High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Chiral
      Stationary Phases.
AB  - Clobazam, a 1,5-benzodiazepin-2,4-dione, is a chiral molecule because its ground
      state conformation features a nonplanar seven-membered ring lacking reflection
      symmetry elements. The two conformational enantiomers of clobazam interconvert at
      room temperature by a simple ring-flipping process. Variable temperature HPLC on
      the Pirkle type (R)-N-(3,5-dinitronenzoyl)phenylglycine and (R,R)-Whelk-O1 chiral
      stationary phases (CSPs) allowed us to separate for the first time the
      conformational enantiomers of clobazam and to observe peak coalescence
      decoalescence phenomena due to concomitant separation and interconversion
      processes occurring on the same time scale. Clobazam showed temperature dependent
      dynamic high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) profiles with
      interconversion plateaus on the two CSPs indicative of on-column enantiomer
      interconversion. (enantiomerization) in the column temperature range between Tcol
      = 10 degrees C and Tcol = 30 degrees C, whereas on-column interconversion was
      absent at temperature close to or lower than Tcol = 5 degrees C. Computer
      simulation of exchange-deformed HPLC profiles using a program based on the
      stochastic model yielded the apparent rate constants for the on-column
      enantiomerization and the corresponding free energy activation barriers. At Tcol
      = 20 degrees C the averaged enantiomerization barriers, DeltaG(?), for clobazam
      were found in the range 21.08-21.53 kcal mol(-1) on the two CSPs. The
      experimental dynamic chromatograms and the corresponding interconversion barriers
      reported in this article are consistent with the literature data measured by DNMR
      at higher temperatures and in different solvents.

PMID- 26477467
TI  - Sexual polymorphisms of vomeronasal 1 receptor family gene expression in bulls,
      steers, and estrous and early luteal-phase heifers.
AB  - Vomeronasal 1 receptors (V1R) are a family of receptors for intraspecies
      chemosignals, including pheromones, and are expressed in the olfactory epithelium
      (OE) and vomeronasal organ (VO). Even in the well-studied rodents, it is unclear
      which members of the V1R family cause sexual polymorphisms, as there are numerous
      genes and it is difficult to quantify their expressions individually. Bovine
      species carry only 34 V1R homologs, and the OE and VOs are large enough to
      sample. Here, V1R expression was quantified in the OE and VOs of individual
      bovines. Based on the 34 gene sequences, we obtained a molecular dendrogram
      consisting of four clusters and six independent branches. Semi-quantitative RT
      PCR was used to obtain gene expression profiles in the VOs and OE of 5 Japanese
      Black bulls, 5 steers, 7 estrous heifers and 6 early luteal-phase heifers. Ten
      genes showed significant between-group differences, and 22 showed high expression
      in VOs than in OE. The bulls showed higher expression of one gene more in OE and
      another in VOs (both P<0.05) than did steers; both genes belonged to the first
      cluster. No genes were expressed more abundantly in steers than in bulls. The
      estrous heifers showed higher expression of a gene of the second cluster in OE,
      and a gene of the third cluster in VOs (both P<0.05) than did early luteal-phase
      heifers. These results suggest V1R expression exhibits sexual polymorphisms in
      cattle. 

PMID- 26477468
TI  - Alzheimer's disease: a report from the 7th Kuopio Alzheimer symposium.
AB  - The 7th Kuopio Alzheimer symposium was held on 11-13 June, 2015, in Kuopio,
      Finland and attracted ~250 attendees from 14 different countries around the
      world. The theme for the symposium in its seventh year was 'From mechanisms to
      prevention and intervention of Alzheimer's disease'. The 3-day international
      scientific symposium composed of seven oral sessions and a poster session. The
      program, spanning from molecular mechanisms to prevention, prediction, diagnosis
      and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, provided a forum for the attendees to share
      their research, network and to obtain a comprehensive overview of the current
      status and future directions of research into Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26477469
TI  - Advances in Immuno-Oncology: Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Non-Small Cell Lung
      Cancer-Introduction.

PMID- 26477470
TI  - Current Perspectives in Immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the first immune checkpoint inhibitor to
      be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration was nivolumab, based on a
      survival advantage over docetaxel in recurrent squamous NSCLC, a difficult-to
      treat histology. In addition, several other immune checkpoint inhibitors are also
      in late-stage development. Most of these agents inhibit the programmed cell death
      protein 1 (PD-1) pathway, targeting either the PD-1 receptor or its ligand,
      programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1). In addition to nivolumab, pembrolizumab
      is a PD-1 inhibitor under investigation in NSCLC, and atezolizumab (MPDL3280A),
      durvalumab (MEDI4736), and avelumab (MSB0010718C) are PD-L1 inhibitors under
      investigation. The cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) immune
      checkpoint inhibitors ipilimumab and tremelimumab are also under investigation in
      NSCLC, largely as part of combination approaches rather than as monotherapy. PD
      L1 expression as a potential biomarker to select patients most likely to respond
      to inhibitors of the PD-1 pathway has been widely studied. 

PMID- 26477471
TI  - Incorporating Immunotherapy Into the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer:
      Practical Guidance for the Clinic.
AB  - Immunotherapy provides unique challenges in the clinic, as nivolumab is a first
      in-class agent for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Unlike other NSCLC
      therapies, immunotherapy cannot currently be selected based on a patient's
      clinical characteristics or a tumor's molecular characteristics, although some
      evidence suggests that programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) may be useful as a
      molecular biomarker in the future. Histology is currently important to the use of
      nivolumab because it is only approved in squamous cell NSCLC. However, recent
      evidence shows a similar survival benefit of nivolumab in nonsquamous disease, so
      histology will likely not be a distinguishing factor in the future. It has been
      discovered that immunotherapy often has delayed response kinetics, leading to the
      development of immune-related response criteria (irRC) in 2009. The irRC have
      distinguishing characteristics from traditional Response Evaluation Criteria in
      Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria that prevent physicians from prematurely
      discontinuing immunotherapy. In addition to these differences in response
      criteria, the safety profiles of immunotherapeutic agents are distinct from other
      NSCLC therapies. The toxicities frequently associated with immunotherapies are
      unlike common chemotherapy toxicities because they are autoimmune in nature.
      Thus, physicians are presented with the challenge of appropriately identifying
      and managing these unfamiliar immune-related adverse events. 

PMID- 26477472
TI  - Understanding the Rationale for Immunotherapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - Although immunotherapy has been used for decades in immunogenic tumor types, such
      as melanoma and renal cell carcinoma, historically immunotherapeutic approaches
      in other tumor types, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), have met with
      failure. Nonetheless, evidence exists supporting the role of the immune system in
      tumor suppression, even in tumor types believed to be non-immunogenic. In NSCLC,
      immune checkpoint molecules have recently proven to be successful targets, with
      nivolumab, the first immune checkpoint inhibitor indicated for NSCLC, approved by
      the US Food and Drug Administration in March 2015. Several other immune
      checkpoint inhibitors are currently in phase III development in NSCLC. 

PMID- 26477473
TI  - Superior Catalytic Activity of Electrochemically Reduced Graphene Oxide Supported
      Iron Phthalocyanines toward Oxygen Reduction Reaction.
AB  - Structure and surface properties of supporting materials are of great importance
      for the catalytic performance of the catalysts. Herein, we prepared the iron
      phthalocyanine (FePc) functionalized electrochemically reduced graphene oxide
      (ERGO) by the electrochemical reduction of FePc/GO. The resultant FePc/ERGO
      exhibits higher catalytic activity toward ORR than that of FePc/graphene. More
      importantly, the onset potential for ORR at FePc/ERGO positively shifts by 45 mV
      compared with commercial Pt/C in alkaline media. Besides, FePc/ERGO displays
      enhanced durability and selectivity toward ORR. The superior catalytic
      performance of FePc/ERGO for ORR are ascribed to the self-supported structure of
      ERGO, uniformly morphology and size of FePc nanoparticles. 

PMID- 26477474
TI  - Outcome of salvage surgery for colorectal cancer initially treated by upfront
      endoscopic therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent advances in endoscopic therapy, including conventional
      endoscopic resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), have led to a
      large number of patients with early colorectal cancer (CRC) being cured; however,
      when resected specimens obtained by these procedures manifest risk factors for
      lymph node metastasis, additional treatments need to be considered. The aim of
      our study was to evaluate the outcomes of salvage surgery in CRC patients treated
      initially by advanced therapeutic endoscopy. METHODS: We investigated 145
      patients who underwent salvage surgery in our department after endoscopic therapy
      for CRC between April 2006 and March 2015. Demographic and pathological data,
      endoscopic procedures, reasons for surgery, and operative outcomes, including
      perioperative details and recurrence-free and disease-specific survival after
      surgery, were analyzed. These data were further compared with those of 59
      patients with submucosal invasive CRC treated by conventional endoscopic
      resection/ESD alone and 133 patients treated by surgery alone. RESULTS: Overall
      lymph node metastases were observed in 14% of patients who underwent salvage
      surgery after therapeutic endoscopy and 16% of those who received abdominal
      surgery alone. In analyses of surgical cases, patients with lymph node metastases
      more frequently included cases with lymphatic infiltration (63%) and ESD-treated
      cases (45%) than those without metastases (21%, P < .0001 and 22%, P = .02;
      respectively). A logistic regression analysis identified lymphatic infiltration
      as an independent predictive factor for lymph node metastases (odds ratio: 8.77,
      95% confidence interval: 2.90-33.31, P < .0001). Long-term outcomes were
      favorable in both lymphatic infiltration-negative and positive cases. Moreover,
      survivals were comparable among the different treatment groups. CONCLUSION:
      Because of the high rate of nodal involvement, adequate lymphadenectomy need to
      be performed in salvage surgery after upfront endoscopic therapy.

PMID- 26477475
TI  - Clinical predictors of prolonged postresection hypotension after laparoscopic
      adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the perioperative management of patients with
      pheochromocytoma has been improving recently, severe hypotensive episodes can
      occur that require postoperative catecholamine support and are challenging to
      manage. Our aim was to identify the clinical factors that predict prolonged
      postresection hypotension in patients after laparoscopic adrenalectomy for
      pheochromocytoma. METHODS: The records of 73 Japanese patients who underwent
      unilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma were surveyed
      retrospectively. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to whether
      catecholamine support was needed after postoperatively. Clinical and biochemical
      data were evaluated at baseline and after operation. RESULTS: Thirty-four of 73
      patients (47%) required continuous infusion of catecholamine to maintain systolic
      blood pressure >90 mm Hg at the end of the operation. The median duration of
      postoperative catecholamine support was 17 hours (range, 3-130) in these 34
      patients. On multivariate analysis, tumor size >60 mm, urinary epinephrine levels
      >200 MUg/day, and urinary norepinephrine levels >600 MUg/day were independent
      predictors of prolonged hypotension requiring postoperative catecholamine
      support. Tumor size and urinary norepinephrine levels were significantly
      correlated with the duration of postoperative catecholamine support. CONCLUSION:
      Larger tumor size and greater values of urinary epinephrine and norepinephrine
      levels were significant predictors of prolonged hypotension requiring
      postoperative catecholamine support. Moreover, tumor size and urinary
      norepinephrine levels were positively correlated with the duration of
      postoperative catecholamine support. Clinicians can identify and manage patients
      more effectively with a greater risk of prolonged hypotension after tumor
      resection using these preoperative clinical variables.

PMID- 26477476
TI  - Survival benefit of repeat resection of successive recurrences after the initial
      hepatic resection for colorectal liver metastases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Relapse is common after the resection of colorectal liver metastases
      (CLM); however, the optimal treatment for such recurrent disease remains
      uncertain. We investigated whether repeat resections for successive recurrences
      of CLM provide survival benefit on the postrecurrence survival. METHODS: We
      reviewed patients who underwent upfront, curative resection for CLM at our center
      during a 15-year period. Of these, 263 patients who had not received any other
      perioperative treatment for the metastases were eligible for our analysis. The
      recurrence-free survival (RFS0) after the initial hepatic resection and after the
      first (n = 108), second (n = 43), and third (n = 15) repeat resections for
      recurrent disease were assessed (RFS1-3). The overall survival after the initial
      hepatic resection and the postrecurrence survival (n = 198) also was assessed.
      RESULTS: The median RFS0 was 0.8 years, and RFS1, RFS2, and RFS3 were 1.3, 1.1,
      and 2.0 years, respectively. The hazard ratio for RFS for the first, second, and
      third resections versus the initial hepatic resection was 0.9 (95% confidence
      interval [95% CI] 0.7-1.1; P = .34), 1.00 (95% CI 0.7-1.4; P = .97), and 0.7 (95%
      CI 0.4-1.3; P = .29). The 5-year and 10-year OS rates were 54.6% and 42.2%, and
      the 5-year and 10-year postrecurrence survival was 34.3% and 28.6%, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: Repeat resection in patients with recurrent disease after CLM
      resection is beneficial, offering the potential for cure in a small proportion of
      patients with recurrent disease.

PMID- 26477477
TI  - Patient cost-sharing and insurance arrangements are associated with hospital
      readmissions after abdominal surgery: Implications for access and quality health
      care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Readmission rates after operative procedures are used increasingly as
      a measure of hospital care quality. Patient access to care may influence
      readmission rates. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship
      between patient cost-sharing, insurance arrangements, and the risk of
      postoperative readmissions. METHODS: Using the MarketScan Research Database (n =
      121,002), we examined privately insured, nonelderly patients who underwent
      abdominal surgery in 2010. The main outcome measures were risk-adjusted unplanned
      readmissions within 7 days and 30 days of discharge. Odds of readmissions were
      compared with multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS: In adjusted
      models, $1,284 increase in patient out-of-pocket payments during index admission
      (a difference of one standard deviation) was associated with 19% decrease in the
      odds of 7-day readmission (odds ratio [OR] 0.81, 95% confidence interval [CI]
      0.78-0.85) and 17% decrease in the odds of 30-day readmission (OR 0.83, 95% CI
      0.81-0.86). Patients in the noncapitated point-of-service plans (OR 1.19, 95% CI
      1.07-1.33), preferred provider organization plans (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.03-1.19),
      and high-deductible plans (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.00-1.26) were more likely to be
      readmitted within 30 days compared with patients in the capitated health
      maintenance organization and point-of-service plans. CONCLUSION: Among privately
      insured, nonelderly patients, increased patient cost-sharing was associated with
      lower odds of 7-day and 30-day readmission after abdominal surgery. Insurance
      arrangements also were significantly associated with postoperative readmissions.
      Patient cost sharing and insurance arrangements need consideration in the
      provision of equitable access for quality care.

PMID- 26477478
TI  - Breast Cancer Survivor Advocacy at a University Hospital: Development of a Peer
      Support Program with Evaluation by Patients, Advocates, and Clinicians.
AB  - Peer-to-peer support programs provide unique psychosocial and educational support
      for breast cancer patients. A Patient Survivor Advocacy (PSA) program was
      developed by the University of Wisconsin Breast Center (UWBC) to provide support
      for newly diagnosed patients from peers who had completed primary treatment. In
      this study, we evaluated patient, advocate, and clinician experience with the PSA
      program. A program matching volunteer peer advocates at least 1 year removed from
      primary treatment with newly diagnosed patients was developed. Peer advocates
      were recruited from the practices of UWBC clinicians and received in-person
      training on six dimensions of peer advocacy. Trained advocates were then paired
      based on demographic and medical history with new patients referred to the
      program. Survey assessment tools were distributed to assess peer advocate and
      patient satisfaction, as well as clinician experience. Forty patients have been
      matched with seven advocates, with contact largely by email (53 %) or phone (36
      %). Patients and peer advocates reported satisfaction with the program. The
      majority of patients (92.9 %) reported that the program was "helpful" and that
      they would recommend the PSA program to another woman with breast cancer. All
      peer advocates (100 %) responded with a sense of achievement in their advocate
      roles. Clinicians noted challenges in referral to the program. Peer advocates can
      provide key emotional and psychosocial support to newly diagnosed breast cancer
      patients. The peer advocate, patient, and clinician feedback collected in this
      study will inform the future development of this program at our and peer
      institutions.

PMID- 26477479
TI  - A novel mutation and a known mutation in the CLCN7 gene associated with
      relatively stable infantile malignant osteopetrosis in a Chinese patient.
AB  - Osteopetrosis is a group of heterogeneous disorders caused by the dysfunction of
      osteoclasts. The CLCN7 and TCIRG1 genes are the major obligate genes responsible
      for infantile malignant osteopetrosis (IMO). IMO patients usually die in infancy
      or before three years of age. In this study, we report a patient who was
      diagnosed with IMO at seven months of age. The patient presented with classical
      radiological features of IMO. She also exhibited erythropenia, thrombocytopenia,
      hepatosplenomegaly and neurodegeneration. The parents discontinued any medical
      treatment for the patient. Surprisingly, the patient's condition did not
      deteriorate when she was admitted a second time at the age of four years and nine
      months, despite not receiving any medical support during the untreated period. We
      sequenced the CLCN7 and TCIRG1 genes of the patient and her parents and
      identified a novel c.285+1G>A (IVS3+1G>A) mutation and the known c.896C>T
      (p.Ala299Val) mutation. The novel c.285+1G>A mutation occurred on the splice
      donor of the third intron of CLCN7. This mutation was predicted to interfere with
      normal splicing between exons 3 and 4, thereby truncating 711 amino acids from
      the C terminus and resulting in the loss of all of the functional domains of the
      encoded protein. The c.896C>T (p.Ala299Val) mutation was a previously known
      pathogenic mutation. We did not find any pathogenic mutations in the TCIRG1 gene.
      CLCN7-related osteopetrosis is known to have a high phenotype heterogeneity. Our
      study demonstrates a wide heterogeneity in the progression of the phenotypes and
      expanded the mutational spectrum for the CLCN7 gene. 

PMID- 26477480
TI  - A functional genomics tool for the Pacific bluefin tuna: Development of a 44K
      oligonucleotide microarray from whole-genome sequencing data for global
      transcriptome analysis.
AB  - Bluefin tunas are one of the most important fishery resources worldwide. Because
      of high market values, bluefin tuna farming has been rapidly growing during
      recent years. At present, the most common form of the tuna farming is based on
      the stocking of wild-caught fish. Therefore, concerns have been raised about the
      negative impact of the tuna farming on wild stocks. Recently, the Pacific bluefin
      tuna (PBT), Thunnus orientalis, has succeeded in completing the reproduction
      cycle under aquaculture conditions, but production bottlenecks remain to be
      solved because of very little biological information on bluefin tunas. Functional
      genomics approaches promise to rapidly increase our knowledge on biological
      processes in the bluefin tuna. Here, we describe the development of the first 44K
      PBT oligonucleotide microarray (oligo-array), based on whole-genome shotgun (WGS)
      sequencing and large-scale expressed sequence tags (ESTs) data. In addition, we
      also introduce an initial 44K PBT oligo-array experiment using in vitro grown
      peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) stimulated with immunostimulants such as
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS: a cell wall component of Gram-negative bacteria) or
      polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C: a synthetic mimic of viral infection).
      This pilot 44K PBT oligo-array analysis successfully addressed distinct immune
      processes between LPS- and poly I:C- stimulated PBLs. Thus, we expect that this
      oligo-array will provide an excellent opportunity to analyze global gene
      expression profiles for a better understanding of diseases and stress, as well as
      for reproduction, development and influence of nutrition on tuna aquaculture
      production.

PMID- 26477481
TI  - Risk assessment for neonatal RDS/TTN using gestational age and the amniotic
      lamellar body count in twin pregnancies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The amniotic lamellar body count (LBC) is useful for predicting
      respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN)
      in twin pregnancies. However, the risk of neonatal respiratory complications
      varies with gestational age (GA). We herein created a model to predict the risk
      for RDS and TTN using GA and the LBC in twin pregnancies. METHODS: Six hundred
      thirty-two amniotic fluid samples, comprising 169 dichorionic twin (DCT) and 147
      monochorionic twin (MCT) gestations, were obtained at Cesarean section. The
      samples were analyzed immediately without centrifugation. A logistic regression
      model including the LBC and GA was used to develop the prediction model for
      RDS/TTN. RESULTS: There were 101 neonates (16.0%) with RDS/TTN. The GA and LBC
      were significant independent factors affecting RDS/TTN. According to the logistic
      regression model, we determined the probability of RDS/TTN given the values of GA
      and the LBC. The overall diagnostic accuracy for predicting neonatal RDS/TTN
      using GA and the LBC was higher than the use of the LBC alone. CONCLUSIONS: GA
      specific LBC cutoffs for the risk assessment of neonatal RDS/TTN have been
      considered to be more accurate in twin pregnancies. Our findings provide
      valuable, new information for the management of twin pregnancies.

PMID- 26477482
TI  - Is glycated albumin useful for differential diagnosis between fulminant type 1
      diabetes mellitus and acute-onset autoimmune type 1 diabetes mellitus?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Markedly elevated plasma glucose and relatively low HbA1c compared to
      plasma glucose is one diagnostic criterion for fulminant type 1 diabetes mellitus
      (FT1DM). Glycated albumin (GA) is a glycemic control marker that reflects
      glycemic control in shorter period than HbA1c. This study investigated whether GA
      is useful for differential diagnosis between FT1DM and acute-onset autoimmune
      type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1ADM) or not. METHODS: This study included 38 FT1DM
      patients and 31 T1ADM patients in whom both HbA1c and GA were measured at the
      time of diagnosis. RESULTS: In FT1DM patients, as compared to T1ADM patients,
      both HbA1c and GA were significantly lower (HbA1c; 6.6+/-0.9% vs. 11.7+/-2.6%,
      P<0.0001, GA; 22.9+/-4.8% vs. 44.3+/-8.3%, P<0.0001). For differential diagnosis
      between FT1DM and T1ADM, ROC analysis showed that the optimum cut-off value for
      GA was 33.5% with sensitivity and specificity of 97.4% and 96.8%, respectively,
      while the optimum cut-off value for HbA1c was 8.7% with sensitivity and
      specificity of 100% and 83.9%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: GA also may be useful
      for the differential diagnosis between FT1DM and T1ADM when the cut-off value can
      be set at 33.5%.

PMID- 26477483
TI  - Role of CHI3L1 in neuroinflammation.

PMID- 26477484
TI  - Natural killer cells from psoriasis vulgaris patients have reduced levels of
      cytotoxicity associated degranulation and cytokine production.
AB  - Psoriasis vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin with a strong
      genetic component and immune system involvement. Although some evidence suggests
      that Natural Killer (NK) cells may play a part in psoriasis, their role is
      relatively unstudied and results are controversial. In this current study, NK
      cells from psoriasis patients exhibited reduced degranulation and produced lower
      levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha. Further
      investigation found that NK cells from psoriasis patients and healthy controls
      expressed similar levels of activation markers, NK cell receptors and apoptosis
      inducing molecules. In addition, comparable levels of several cytokines important
      in NK cell biology were found in the serum of psoriasis patients and healthy
      controls. Genotyping analysis revealed that HLA-C2, which provides a ligand for
      killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) expressed by NK cells, was
      strongly associated with psoriasis susceptibility. However, no link between the
      KIR genes themselves and disease was found.

PMID- 26477485
TI  - Response to "Breaking-up sedentary time is associated with impairment in
      activities of daily living".

PMID- 26477486
TI  - Molecular genomics resource for the parasitic nematode Spirocerca lupi:
      Identification of 149 microsatellite loci using FIASCO and next generation
      sequencing.
AB  - Understanding genetic diversity and movement patterns in parasitic organisms is
      paramount to establish control and management strategies. In this study we
      developed a microsatellite resource as well as a diagnostic multiplex for the
      cosmopolitan parasitic nematode Spirocerca lupi, known to cause spirocercosis in
      canids. A combination of microsatellite enrichment and 454 sequencing was used to
      identify 149 unique microsatellite loci in S. lupi. Twenty loci were
      characterized further in two sampling sites in South Africa, with 10 loci
      identified as polymorphic (allele ranges from 4 to 17). These loci were designed
      into a single diagnostic multiplex suitable for species identification and
      population genetics studies. The markers were also successful in cross-species
      amplification in Cylicospirura felineus, Philonema oncorhynchi and Gongylonema
      pulchrum. Our resource provides a large set of candidate loci for a number of
      nematode studies as well as loci suitable for diversity and population genetics
      studies of S. lupi within the South African context as well as globally. 

PMID- 26477487
TI  - Cavity-less on-chip optomechanics using excitonic transitions in semiconductor
      heterostructures.
AB  - The hybridization of semiconductor optoelectronic devices and nanomechanical
      resonators provides a new class of optomechanical systems in which mechanical
      motion can be coupled to light without any optical cavities. Such cavity-less
      optomechanical systems interconnect photons, phonons and electrons (holes) in a
      highly integrable platform, opening up the development of functional integrated
      nanomechanical devices. Here we report on a semiconductor modulation-doped
      heterostructure-cantilever hybrid system, which realizes efficient cavity-less
      optomechanical transduction through excitons. The opto-piezoelectric backaction
      from the bound electron-hole pairs enables us to probe excitonic transition
      simply with a sub-nanowatt power of light, realizing high-sensitivity
      optomechanical spectroscopy. Detuning the photon energy from the exciton
      resonance results in self-feedback cooling and amplification of the
      thermomechanical motion. This cavity-less on-chip coupling enables highly tunable
      and addressable control of nanomechanical resonators, allowing high-speed
      programmable manipulation of nanomechanical devices and sensor arrays. 

PMID- 26477488
TI  - The mucin MUC4 is a transcriptional and post-transcriptional target of K-ras
      oncogene in pancreatic cancer. Implication of MAPK/AP-1, NF-kappaB and RalB
      signaling pathways.
AB  - The membrane-bound mucinMUC4 is a high molecularweight glycoprotein frequently
      deregulated in cancer. In pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly cancers in
      occidental countries, MUC4 is neo-expressed in the preneoplastic stages and
      thereafter is involved in cancer cell properties leading to cancer progression
      and chemoresistance. K-ras oncogene is a small GTPase of the RAS superfamily,
      highly implicated in cancer. K-ras mutations are considered as an initiating
      event of pancreatic carcinogenesis and K-ras oncogenic activities are necessary
      components of cancer progression. However, K-ras remains clinically undruggable.
      Targeting early downstream K-ras signaling in cancer may thus appear as an
      interesting strategy and MUC4 regulation by K-ras in pancreatic carcinogenesis
      remains unknown. Using the Pdx1-Cre; LStopL-K-rasG12D mouse model of pancreatic
      carcinogenesis, we show that the in vivo early neo-expression of the mucin Muc4
      in pancreatic intraepithelial neoplastic lesions (PanINs) induced by mutated K
      ras is correlated with the activation of ERK, JNK and NF-kappaB signaling
      pathways. In vitro, transfection of constitutively activated K-rasG12V in
      pancreatic cancer cells led to the transcriptional upregulation of MUC4. This
      activation was found to be mediated at the transcriptional level by AP-1 and NF
      kappaB transcription factors via MAPK, JNK and NF-kappaB pathways and at the
      posttranscriptional level by a mechanism involving the RalB GTPase. Altogether,
      these results identify MUC4 as a transcriptional and post-transcriptional target
      of K-ras in pancreatic cancer. This opens avenues in developing new approaches to
      target the early steps of this deadly cancer.

PMID- 26477489
TI  - H1-nucleosome interactions and their functional implications.
AB  - Linker histones are three domain proteins and consist of a structured (globular)
      domain, flanked by two likely non-structured NH2- and COOH-termini. The binding
      of the linker histones to the nucleosome was characterized by different methods
      in solution. Apparently, the globular domain interacts with the linker DNA and
      the nucleosome dyad, while the binding of the large and rich in lysines COOH
      terminus results in "closing" the linker DNA of the nucleosome and the formation
      of the "stem" structure. What is the mode of binding of the linker histones
      within the chromatin fiber remains still elusive. Nonetheless, it is clear that
      linker histones are essential for both the assembly and maintenance of the
      condensed chromatin fiber. Interestingly, linker histones are post
      translationally modified and how this affects both their binding to chromatin and
      functions is now beginning to emerge. In addition, linker histones are highly
      mobile in vivo, but not in vitro. No explanation of this finding is reported for
      the moment. The higher mobility of the linker histones should, however, have
      strong impact on their function. Linker histones plays an important role in gene
      expression regulation and other chromatin related process and their function is
      predominantly regulated by their posttranslational modifications. However, the
      detailed mechanism how the linker histones do function remains still not well
      understood despite numerous efforts. Here we will summarize and analyze the data
      on the linker histone binding to the nucleosome and the chromatin fiber and will
      discuss its functional consequences.

PMID- 26477490
TI  - Specificities and genomic distribution of somatic mammalian histone H1 subtypes.
AB  - Histone H1 is a structural component of chromatin that may have a role in the
      regulation of chromatin dynamics. Unlike core histones, the linker histone H1
      family is evolutionarily diverse and many organisms have multiple H1 variants or
      subtypes, distinguishable between germ-line and somatic cells. In mammals, the H1
      family includes seven somatic H1 variants with a prevalence that varies between
      cell types and over the course of differentiation, H1.1 to H1.5 being expressed
      in a replication-dependent manner, whereas H1.0 and H1X are replication
      independent. Until recently, it has not been known whether the different variants
      had specific roles in the regulation of nuclear processes or were differentially
      distributed across the genome. To address this, an increasing effort has been
      made to investigate divergent features among H1 variants, regarding their
      structure, expression patterns, chromatin dynamics, post-translational
      modifications and genome-wide distribution. Although H1 subtypes seem to have
      redundant functions, several reports point to the idea that they are also
      differently involved in specific cellular processes. Initial studies
      investigating the genomic distribution of H1 variants have started to suggest
      that despite a wide overlap, different variants may be enriched or preferentially
      located at different chromatin types, but this may depend on the cell type, the
      relative abundance of the variants, the differentiation state of the cell, or
      whether cells are derived from a neoplastic process. Understanding the
      heterogeneity of the histone H1 family is crucial to elucidate their role in
      chromatin organization, gene expression regulation and other cellular processes.

PMID- 26477491
TI  - Identification of GATA-4 as a novel transcriptional regulatory component of
      regenerating islet-derived family members.
AB  - Intestinal epithelial cells are exposed to luminal bacterial threat and require
      adequate defense mechanisms to ensure host protection and epithelium regeneration
      against possible deleterious damage. Differentiated intestinal epithelial cells
      produce antimicrobial and regenerative components that protect against such
      challenges. Few intestinal specific transcription factors have been identified to
      control the switching from repression to activation of this class of gene.
      Herein, we show that gene transcription of some regenerating islet-derived (REG)
      family members is dependent on the transcription factor GATA-4. Silencing of GATA
      4 expression in cultured intestinal epithelial cells identified Reg3beta as a
      target gene using an unbiased approach of gene expression profiling. Co
      transfection and RNA interference assays identified complex GATA-4-interactive
      transcriptional components required for the activation or repression of Reg3beta
      gene activity. Conditional deletion of Gata4 in the mouse intestinal epithelium
      supported its regulatory role for Reg1, Reg3alpha, Reg3beta and Reg3gamma genes.
      Reg1 dramatic down-modulation of expression in Gata4 conditional null mice was
      associated with a significant decrease in intestinal epithelial cell migration.
      Altogether, these results identify a novel and complex role for GATA-4 in the
      regulation of REG family members gene expression. 

PMID- 26477492
TI  - Discovery and functional analysis of lncRNAs: Methodologies to investigate an
      uncharacterized transcriptome.
AB  - It is known that more than 70% of mammalian genomes are transcribed, yet the vast
      majority of transcripts do not code for proteins. Are these noncoding transcripts
      merely transcriptional noise, or do they serve a biological purpose? Recent
      developments in genomic analysis technologies, especially sequencing methods,
      have allowed researchers to create a large atlas of transcriptomes, study
      subcellular localization, and investigate potential interactions with proteins
      for a growing number of transcripts. Here, we review the current methodologies
      available for discovering and investigating functions of long noncoding RNAs
      (lncRNAs), which require a wide variety of applications to study their potential
      biological roles. 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- 26477493
TI  - Genomics in the neonatal nursery: Focus on ROP.
AB  - Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a complex disease that is influenced by both
      genetic and environmental factors. Several small studies have found genetic
      variants in EPAS1, VEGF, SOD, and members of the WNT family in association with
      ROP. Design in genetic studies is challenging because of changing recommendations
      for the management of prematurity and ROP, the fact ROP is rare, and that
      availability of resources for managing premature infants can vary throughout the
      world. In addition, there is a shortage of ophthalmologists with the ability to
      diagnose and characterize severe ROP. Careful determination of the degree of
      prematurity is important when evaluating genetic studies. Controlling for
      significant epidemiologic factors and multiple comparisons is also important to
      consider when evaluating genetic studies. One large candidate gene study
      controlled for degree of prematurity, significant epidemiologic factors, and
      multiple comparisons and found variants within the intron of BDNF associated with
      severe ROP. Future studies using unbiased techniques to assess genetic risk are
      important as are in-depth study of BDNF through deep sequencing and associated
      mechanistic studies using appropriate experimental models. 

PMID- 26477494
TI  - Cytoplasmic sphingosine-1-phosphate pathway modulates neuronal autophagy.
AB  - Autophagy is an important homeostatic mechanism that eliminates long-lived
      proteins, protein aggregates and damaged organelles. Its dysregulation is
      involved in many neurodegenerative disorders. Autophagy is therefore a promising
      target for blunting neurodegeneration. We searched for novel autophagic pathways
      in primary neurons and identified the cytosolic sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)
      pathway as a regulator of neuronal autophagy. S1P, a bioactive lipid generated by
      sphingosine kinase 1 (SK1) in the cytoplasm, is implicated in cell survival. We
      found that SK1 enhances flux through autophagy and that S1P-metabolizing enzymes
      decrease this flux. When autophagy is stimulated, SK1 relocalizes to
      endosomes/autophagosomes in neurons. Expression of a dominant-negative form of
      SK1 inhibits autophagosome synthesis. In a neuron model of Huntington's disease,
      pharmacologically inhibiting S1P-lyase protected neurons from mutant huntingtin
      induced neurotoxicity. These results identify the S1P pathway as a novel
      regulator of neuronal autophagy and provide a new target for developing therapies
      for neurodegenerative disorders. 

PMID- 26477496
TI  - Long-term medical management of uterine fibroids with ulipristal acetate.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of repeated 12-week courses of
      5 or 10 mg daily ulipristal acetate for intermittent treatment of symptomatic
      uterine fibroids. DESIGN: Double-blind, randomized administration of four 12-week
      courses of ulipristal acetate. SETTING: Gynecology centers. PATIENT(S): Four
      hundred fifty-one subjects with symptomatic uterine fibroid(s) and heavy
      menstrual bleeding. INTERVENTION(S): Four repeated 12-week treatment courses of
      daily 5 or 10 mg ulipristal acetate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Endometrial safety
      and general safety, laboratory parameters, amenorrhea, controlled bleeding,
      fibroid volume, quality of life (QoL), and pain. RESULT(S): Efficacy results,
      such as bleeding control and fibroid volume reduction, were in line with
      previously published data. Pain and QoL showed marked improvements from
      screening, even during the off-treatment intervals. The safety profile of
      ulipristal acetate was confirmed, and repeated treatment courses did not increase
      the occurrence of adverse reactions. There were no significant changes in
      laboratory parameters during the study. The percentage of subjects with
      endometrial thickness >= 16 mm was 7.4% (all subjects) after the first treatment
      course and returned to below screening levels (4.9%) in subsequent treatment
      courses. As in previous studies, ulipristal acetate did not increase the
      occurrence of endometrial features of concern. The frequency of nonphysiological
      changes did not increase with repeated treatment. They were observed in 17.8% and
      13.3% of biopsies after treatment courses 2 and 4, respectively, and were
      reversible after treatment cessation. CONCLUSION(S): The results of this study
      demonstrate the efficacy and further support the safety profile of repeated
      intermittent treatment of symptomatic fibroids with ulipristal acetate. CLINICAL
      TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01629563.

PMID- 26477497
TI  - Levels of antimullerian hormone in serum during the normal menstrual cycle.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether levels of antimullerian hormone (AMH) in serum
      vary during the normal menstrual cycle, using the most recently developed
      immunoassay method. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Local community.
      PATIENT(S): Women with normal menstrual cycles and between the ages of 18 and 45
      years were recruited (n = 45). Blood samples were collected on 5 days within each
      cycle: two in the follicular phase and three after confirmed ovulation. Exclusion
      criteria were anovulatory cycles, incomplete sample collection, insufficient
      blood volume, or non-Caucasian ethnicity. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURE(S): Serum samples were tested for levels of AMH using a new immunoassay
      method (Ansh Labs). The effects of body mass index (BMI) and smoking on serum AMH
      levels were considered. RESULT(S): Serum AMH levels varied significantly during
      the menstrual cycle, with the highest levels in the follicular phase. When the
      analysis was stratified by age, AMH variation during the menstrual cycle was
      significant only for women older than 30 years. Serum AMH levels were not
      significantly altered by BMI or smoking. CONCLUSION(S): The new AMH immunoassay
      revealed a follicular phase rise in serum levels, particularly in women over the
      age of 30 years. This is consistent with other reports finding an interaction of
      menstrual cycle variation in AMH and chronological age. Nonetheless, the extent
      of variation is small, and sampling on any day of the menstrual cycle is expected
      to adequately reflect ovarian reserve. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:
      NCT01337999.

PMID- 26477495
TI  - Synchronized age-related gene expression changes across multiple tissues in human
      and the link to complex diseases.
AB  - Aging is one of the most important biological processes and is a known risk
      factor for many age-related diseases in human. Studying age-related
      transcriptomic changes in tissues across the whole body can provide valuable
      information for a holistic understanding of this fundamental process. In this
      work, we catalogue age-related gene expression changes in nine tissues from
      nearly two hundred individuals collected by the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx)
      project. In general, we find the aging gene expression signatures are very tissue
      specific. However, enrichment for some well-known aging components such as
      mitochondria biology is observed in many tissues. Different levels of cross
      tissue synchronization of age-related gene expression changes are observed, and
      some essential tissues (e.g., heart and lung) show much stronger "co-aging" than
      other tissues based on a principal component analysis. The aging gene signatures
      and complex disease genes show a complex overlapping pattern and only in some
      cases, we see that they are significantly overlapped in the tissues affected by
      the corresponding diseases. In summary, our analyses provide novel insights to
      the co-regulation of age-related gene expression in multiple tissues; it also
      presents a tissue-specific view of the link between aging and age-related
      diseases. 

PMID- 26477499
TI  - Psychological stress and testicular function: a cross-sectional study of 1,215
      Danish men.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the associations between self-reported psychological stress,
      semen quality, and serum reproductive hormones among young Danish men. DESIGN:
      Cross-sectional study. SETTING: University hospital-based research center.
      PARTICIPANT(S): Danish men (median age 19 years) from the general population were
      investigated from 2008 to 2012. INTERVENTION(S): Participants completed a
      questionnaire on health and lifestyle, including a four-item questionnaire about
      self-rated stress, had a physical examination performed, delivered a semen
      sample, and had a blood sample drawn. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Semen parameters
      (semen volume, sperm concentration, and percentages of motile and morphologically
      normal spermatozoa) and serum levels of reproductive hormones (LH, FSH, T,
      calculated free T, sex hormone-binding globulin, and inhibin B). RESULT(S):
      Poorer semen quality was detected among men with self-reported stress scores
      above an intermediate stress level, in a dose-response manner. For example, men
      with the highest stress levels had 38% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3%; 61%)
      lower sperm concentration, 34% (95% CI 59%; 106%) lower total sperm count, and
      15% (95% CI 1%; 27%) lower semen volume than men with intermediate stress levels.
      No significant associations between self-reported stress and levels of
      reproductive hormones were detected. CONCLUSION(S): A negative association
      between self-reported stress and semen quality was detected. If causal, stress
      may be a contributing factor for suboptimal semen quality among otherwise healthy
      men.

PMID- 26477500
TI  - Solubility of the catalytic domains of Botulinum neurotoxin serotype E subtypes.
AB  - The Clostridium botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the most potent protein toxins
      known to humans. There are seven serotypes of the BoNTs (A-G), among which
      serotypes A, B, E and F are known to cause natural human intoxication. To date,
      eleven subtypes of LC/E, termed E1~E11, have been identified. The LCs of BoNT/E
      were insoluble, prohibiting studies towards understanding the mechanisms of toxin
      action and substrate recognition. In this work, the molecular basis of
      insolubility of the recombinant LCs of two representative subtypes of BoNT/E,
      E1(Beluga) and E3 (Alaska), was determined. Hydrophobicity profile and structural
      modeling predicted a C-terminal candidate region responsible for the insolubility
      of LC/Es. Deletion of C-terminal 19 residues of LC/E(1-400) resulted in enhanced
      solubility, from 2 to ~50% for LC/EAlaska and from 16 to ~95% for LC/EBeluga. In
      addition, resides 230-236 were found to contribute to a different solubility
      level of LC/EAlaska when compared to LC/EBeluga. Substituting residues
      (230)TCI(232) in LC/EAlaska to the corresponding residues of (230)KYT(232) in
      LC/EBeluga enhanced the solubility of LC/EAlaska to a level approaching that of
      LC/EBeluga. Among these LC/Es and their derivatives, LC/EBeluga 1-400 was the
      most soluble and stable protein. Each LC/E derivative possessed similar catalytic
      activity, suggesting that the C-terminal region of LC/Es contributed to protein
      solubility, but not catalytic activity. In conclusion, this study generated a
      soluble and stable recombinant LC/E and provided insight into the structural
      components that govern the solubility and stability of the LCs of other BoNT
      serotypes and Tetanus toxin. 

PMID- 26477501
TI  - Functional characterization of p7 viroporin from hepatitis C virus produced in a
      cell-free expression system.
AB  - Using a cell-free expression system we produced the p7 viroporin embedded into a
      lipid bilayer in a single-step manner. The protein quality was assessed using
      different methods. We examined the channel forming activity of p7 and verified
      its inhibition by 5-(N,N-Hexamethylene) amiloride (HMA). Fourier transformed
      infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) experiments further showed that when p7 was inserted
      into synthetic liposomes, the protein displayed a native-like conformation
      similar to p7 obtained from other sources. Photoactivable amino acid analogs used
      for p7 protein synthesis enabled oligomerization state analysis in liposomes by
      cross-linking. Therefore, these findings emphasize the quality of the cell-free
      produced p7 proteoliposomes which can benefit the field of the hepatitis C virus
      (HCV) protein production and characterization and also provide tools for the
      development of new inhibitors to reinforce our therapeutic arsenal against HCV. 

PMID- 26477502
TI  - Extended endoscopic endonasal transclival clipping of posterior circulation
      aneurysms--an alternative to the transcranial approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transcranial clipping of most posterior circulation aneurysms is one
      of the most difficult procedures, with high morbidity, and endovascular coiling
      is an alternative with less risk, but is not devoid of complications and not
      suitable for all aneurysms. Here we describe four cases of posterior circulation
      aneurysms clipped via the extended endoscopic endonasal transclival route. To the
      best of our knowledge, this is the first report of basilar top and posterior
      cerebral artery aneurysms being clipped endonasally. METHODS AND RESULTS: Four
      patients with posterior circulation aneurysms underwent extended endoscopic
      endonasal transclival clipping of the aneurysm. The age range was 35-70 years.
      There were two males and two females. Three of the four patients presented after
      the rupture of aneurysms, and the other patient presented with sudden-onset left
      hemiparesis probably due to thromboembolism from a large unruptured left
      posterior cerebral artery (PCA) aneurysm. On evaluation with four-vessel digital
      subtraction angiography (DSA), two patients had a basilar apex aneurysm, one had
      a basilar trunk aneurysm, and the other had a PCA (P1) aneurysm. Postoperatively,
      two patients had good recovery. One patient with a PCA aneurysm and another with
      a basilar apex aneurysm had fresh postoperative deficits. One patient developed
      postoperative CSF rhinorrhea. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic extended transnasal surgery
      is an expanding field in neurosurgery with a steep learning curve. With
      improvement in techniques and instrumentation the use of this approach for
      clipping posterior circulation aneurysms can become an effective alternative in
      the treatment of aneurysms.

PMID- 26477503
TI  - How I do it: shoelace watertight dural closure in extended transsphenoidal
      surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Skull base reconstruction after extended transsphenoidal surgery is
      essential to prevent postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage. METHODS: A novel
      and simple technique for skull base reconstruction termed "shoelace dural
      closure" was devised. The dura mater was closed with a fat graft using a
      continuous running suture with both ends of a double-armed suture. CONCLUSIONS:
      The shoelace dural closure is an effective method for achieving watertight
      closure of the anterior skull base without the use of lumbar drains, fascia lata
      grafts, or nasoseptal flaps.

PMID- 26477504
TI  - Superoxide dismutase 1 and glutathione peroxidase 1 are involved in the
      protective effect of sulodexide on vascular endothelial cells exposed to oxygen
      glucose deprivation.
AB  - Sulodexide (SDX) is widely used in the treatment of both arterial and venous
      thrombotic disorders. In addition to its recognized antithrombotic action, SDX
      has endothelial protective potential, which is independent of the
      coagulation/fibrinolysis system. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms of
      the endothelioprotective action of the drug are still unresolved. The aim of the
      present study was to determine whether treatment with SDX at concentrations of
      0.125-0.5 lipase releasing unit (LRU)/ml have on the expression and activity of
      antioxidant enzymes in ischemic endothelial cells and how these effects might be
      related to the antiapoptotic properties of SDX. In the present study, human
      umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were subjected to ischemia-simulating
      conditions (combined oxygen and glucose deprivation, OGD) for 6h to determine the
      protective effects of SDX. SDX (0.25 and 0.5LRU/ml) in OGD significantly
      increased the cell viability and prevented mitochondrial depolarization in the
      HUVECs. Moreover, SDX protected the HUVECs against OGD-induced apoptosis. At
      concentrations of 0.25 and 0.5LRU/ml, the drug increased both superoxide
      dismutase 1 (SOD1) and glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1) mRNA/protein expression
      together with a significant attenuation of oxidative stress in ischemic HUVECs.
      Our findings also demonstrate that an increase in both SOD and GPx activity is
      involved in the protective effect of SDX on ischemic endothelial cells.
      Altogether, these results suggest that SDX has a positive effect on ischemia
      induced endothelial damage because of its antioxidant and antiapoptotic
      properties. 

PMID- 26477498
TI  - Evidence of a genetic link between endometriosis and ovarian cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether endometriosis-associated genetic variation affects
      risk of ovarian cancer. DESIGN: Pooled genetic analysis. SETTING: University
      hospital. PATIENT(S): Genetic data from 46,176 participants (15,361 ovarian
      cancer cases and 30,815 controls) from 41 ovarian cancer studies.
      INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Endometriosis-associated genetic
      variation and ovarian cancer. RESULT(S): There was significant evidence of an
      association between endometriosis-related genetic variation and ovarian cancer
      risk, especially for the high-grade serous and clear cell histotypes. Overall we
      observed 15 significant burden statistics, which was three times more than
      expected. CONCLUSION(S): By focusing on candidate regions from a phenotype
      associated with ovarian cancer, we have shown a clear genetic link between
      endometriosis and ovarian cancer that warrants further follow-up. The functional
      significance of the identified regions and SNPs is presently uncertain, though
      future fine mapping and histotype-specific functional analyses may shed light on
      the etiologies of both gynecologic conditions.

PMID- 26477505
TI  - Heat shock protein 60 stimulates the migration of vascular smooth muscle cells
      via Toll-like receptor 4 and ERK MAPK activation.
AB  - Accumulating evidence indicates that heat shock protein (HSP) 60 is strongly
      associated with the pathology of atherosclerosis (AS). However, the precise
      mechanisms by which HSP60 promotes atherosclerosis remain unclear. In the present
      study, we found that HSP60 mRNA and protein expression levels in the thoracic
      aorta are enhanced not only in a mouse model of AS but also in high-fat diet
      (HFD) mice. HSP60 expression and secretion was activated by platelet-derived
      growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) and interleukin (IL)-8 in both human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells (HUVECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). HSP60 was
      found to induce VSMC migration, and exposure to HSP60 activated ERK MAPK
      signaling. U0126, an inhibitor of ERK, reduced VSMC migration. The HSP60
      stimulated VSMCs were found to express TLR4 mRNA but not TLR2 mRNA. Knockdown of
      TLR4 by siRNA reduced HSP60-induced VSMC migration and HSP60-induced ERK
      activation. Finally, HSP60 induced IL-8 secretion in VSMCs. Together these
      results suggest that HSP60 is involved in the stimulation of VSMC migration, via
      TLR4 and ERK MAPK activation. Meanwhile, activation of HSP60 is one of the most
      powerful methods of sending a 'danger signal' to the immune system to generate IL
      8, which assists in the management of an infection or disease. 

PMID- 26477506
TI  - Coarse-grained treatment of the self-assembly of colloids suspended in a nematic
      host phase.
AB  - The complex interplay of molecular scale effects, nonlinearities in the
      orientational field and long-range elastic forces makes liquid-crystal physics
      very challenging. A consistent way to extract information from the microscopic,
      molecular scale up to the meso- and macroscopic scale is still missing. Here, we
      develop a hybrid procedure that bridges this gap by combining extensive Monte
      Carlo (MC) simulations, a local Landau-de Gennes theory, classical density
      functional theory, and finite-size scaling theory. As a test case to demonstrate
      the power and validity of our novel approach we study the effective interaction
      among colloids with Boojum defect topology immersed in a nematic liquid crystal.
      In particular, at sufficiently small separations colloids attract each other if
      the angle between their center-of-mass distance vector and the far-field nematic
      director is about 30 degrees . Using the effective potential in coarse-grained
      two-dimensional MC simulations we show that self-assembled structures formed by
      the colloids are in excellent agreement with experimental data. 

PMID- 26477508
TI  - South Pacific Environmental Radioactivity Association (SPERA): 2014 conference.

PMID- 26477509
TI  - Complexes of (eta(6)-benzene)ruthenium(II) with 1,4-bis(phenylthio/seleno-methyl)
      1,2,3-triazoles: synthesis, structure and applications in catalytic activation of
      oxidation and transfer hydrogenation.
AB  - 1,4-Bis(phenylthio/seleno methyl)-1,2,3-triazoles (L1-L4) synthesized by a
      'Click' reaction react with [{(eta(6)-C6H6)RuCl(MU-Cl)}]2 and NH4PF6 resulting in
      complexes [(eta(6)-C6H6)RuClL]PF6 (1-4 for L = L1-L4) in which the ligands
      coordinate in a bidentate mode through S/Se and N of triazole. The CH2EPh (E = S
      or Se) attached to nitrogen of triazole remains pendent. Ligands and complexes
      have been authenticated with multinuclei NMR, IR and HR-MS. Single crystal
      structures of complexes 1-4 have been solved. The Ru-S and Ru-Se bond lengths (A)
      are respectively 2.388(2)/2.3902(19) and 2.5007(4)/2.5262(19). The disposition of
      benzene ring, N, S/Se and Cl around Ru is of a piano stool type. For catalytic
      oxidation of alcohols [Oppenauer-type and with N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMO)]
      and transfer hydrogenation (TH) of carbonyl compounds [with 2-propanol and
      glycerol] all the four complexes have been found efficient. The optimum catalyst
      loadings (in mol%) are: 0.01 (NMO), 0.1 (Oppenauer), 0.01 (TH with 2-propanol)
      and 0.5 (TH with glycerol). Interestingly, time profiles (under optimum
      conditions) of two catalytic oxidations and TH's are almost similar, suggesting
      that they are competitive on appropriate catalyst loading. DFT calculations are
      consistent with somewhat low reactivity of 1 in comparison to those of 2-4. 

PMID- 26477507
TI  - Pharmacologically targeted NMDA receptor antagonism by NitroMemantine for
      cerebrovascular disease.
AB  - Stroke and vascular dementia are leading causes of morbidity and mortality.
      Neuroprotective therapies have been proposed but none have proven clinically
      tolerated and effective. While overstimulation of N-methyl-d-aspartate-type
      glutamate receptors (NMDARs) is thought to contribute to cerebrovascular insults,
      the importance of NMDARs in physiological function has made this target, at least
      in the view of many in 'Big Pharma,' 'undruggable' for this indication. Here, we
      describe novel NitroMemantine drugs, comprising an adamantane moiety that binds
      in the NMDAR-associated ion channel that is used to target a nitro group to redox
      mediated regulatory sites on the receptor. The NitroMemantines are both well
      tolerated and effective against cerebral infarction in rodent models via a dual
      allosteric mechanism of open-channel block and NO/redox modulation of the
      receptor. Targeted S-nitrosylation of NMDARs by NitroMemantine is potentiated by
      hypoxia and thereby directed at ischemic neurons. Allosteric approaches to tune
      NMDAR activity may hold therapeutic potential for cerebrovascular disorders. 

PMID- 26477510
TI  - A rapid and facile preparation of novel macroporous silicone-based cryogels via
      photo-induced thiol-ene click chemistry.
AB  - Novel poly(dimethylsiloxane) based macroporous gels (cryogels) were prepared via
      a simple and rapid photo-induced thiol-ene click reaction at low temperatures.
      The cryogels formed were able to float on a water surface and selectively remove
      oils or organic solvents with excellent recyclability.

PMID- 26477512
TI  - Multicomponent kinetic analysis and theoretical studies on the phenolic
      intermediates in the oxidation of eugenol and isoeugenol catalyzed by laccase.
AB  - Laccase catalyzes the oxidation of natural phenols and thereby is believed to
      initialize reactions in lignification and delignification. Numerous phenolic
      mediators have also been applied in laccase-mediator systems. However, reaction
      details after the primary O-H rupture of phenols remain obscure. In this work two
      types of isomeric phenols, EUG (eugenol) and ISO (trans-/cis-isoeugenol), were
      used as chemical probes to explore the enzymatic reaction pathways, with the
      combined methods of time-resolved UV-Vis absorption spectra, MCR-ALS, HPLC-MS,
      and quantum mechanical (QM) calculations. It has been found that the EUG
      consuming rate is linear to its concentration, while the ISO not. Besides, an o
      methoxy quinone methide intermediate, (E/Z)-4-allylidene-2-methoxycyclohexa-2,5
      dienone, was evidenced in the case of EUG with the UV-Vis measurement, mass
      spectra and TD-DFT calculations; in contrast, an ISO-generating phenoxyl radical,
      a (E/Z)-2-methoxy-4-(prop-1-en-1-yl) phenoxyl radical, was identified in the case
      of ISO. Furthermore, QM calculations indicated that the EUG-generating phenoxyl
      radical (an O-centered radical) can easily transform into an allylic radical (a C
      centered radical) by hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) with a calculated activation
      enthalpy of 5.3 kcal mol(-1) and then be fast oxidized to the observed eugenol
      quinone methide, rather than an O-radical alkene addition with barriers above
      12.8 kcal mol(-1). In contrast, the ISO-generating phenoxyl radical directly
      undergoes a radical coupling (RC) process, with a barrier of 4.8 kcal mol(-1),
      while the HAT isomerization between O- and C-centered radicals has a higher
      reaction barrier of 8.0 kcal mol(-1). The electronic conjugation of the benzyl
      type radical and the aromatic allylic radical leads to differentiation of the two
      pathways. These results imply that competitive reaction pathways exist for the
      nascent reactive intermediates generated in the laccase-catalyzed oxidation of
      natural phenols, which is important for understanding the lignin polymerization
      and may shed some light on the development of efficient laccase-mediator systems.

PMID- 26477513
TI  - A comparative first principles study on trivalent ion incorporated SSZ-13
      zeolites.
AB  - The dispersion-corrected density functional theory has been used to study the
      trivalent ions B, Al, Ga, and Fe incorporated SSZ-13-type zeolites. The
      associated structure and Bronsted/Lewis acidity change caused by the
      incorporation ions were comparatively studied. It was found that the smaller the
      radius differences of the incorporation ions are, the smaller the changes in the
      structure will be and the less acidity will be enhanced for the Bronsted sites.
      The trivalent Al is found to be the most favorable trivalent incorporation ion
      and Na is found to be the most favorable charge balanced ion for the synthesis of
      SSZ-13-type zeolites due to size comparability, which are in line with the
      experimental observation. The substitution energies which show the relative
      synthesis difficulty level were also applied for B, Al, Ga, and Fe incorporated
      zeolites and found that the difficulty decreases with order of Fe > B > Ga ? Al,
      also in good agreement with the experimental observations. Adsorption studies for
      the NH3 and pyridine molecules indicate that adsorption on the Bronsted acid
      sites is more stable than on the Lewis acid sites. The Bronsted acidity was found
      to follow the order of HAl-SSZ-13 > HGa-SSZ-13 ~ HFe-SSZ-13 > HB-SSZ-13 where the
      Lewis acidity was found to follow the order of HGa-SSZ-13 ~ HFe-SSZ-13 > HAl-SSZ
      13 > HB-SSZ-13. Our results provide new insights for the synthesis of the SSZ-13
      type zeolites and fundamental information for the zeolitic catalyst designation
      to enhance the catalytic performance. 

PMID- 26477511
TI  - Lifespan and Stress Resistance in Drosophila with Overexpressed DNA Repair Genes.
AB  - DNA repair declines with age and correlates with longevity in many animal
      species. In this study, we investigated the effects of GAL4-induced
      overexpression of genes implicated in DNA repair on lifespan and resistance to
      stress factors in Drosophila melanogaster. Stress factors included hyperthermia,
      oxidative stress, and starvation. Overexpression was either constitutive or
      conditional and either ubiquitous or tissue-specific (nervous system).
      Overexpressed genes included those involved in recognition of DNA damage
      (homologs of HUS1, CHK2), nucleotide and base excision repair (homologs of XPF,
      XPC and AP-endonuclease-1), and repair of double-stranded DNA breaks (homologs of
      BRCA2, XRCC3, KU80 and WRNexo). The overexpression of different DNA repair genes
      led to both positive and negative effects on lifespan and stress resistance.
      Effects were dependent on GAL4 driver, stage of induction, sex, and role of the
      gene in the DNA repair process. While the constitutive/neuron-specific and
      conditional/ubiquitous overexpression of DNA repair genes negatively impacted
      lifespan and stress resistance, the constitutive/ubiquitous and
      conditional/neuron-specific overexpression of Hus1, mnk, mei-9, mus210, and
      WRNexo had beneficial effects. This study demonstrates for the first time the
      effects of overexpression of these DNA repair genes on both lifespan and stress
      resistance in D. melanogaster. 

PMID- 26477514
TI  - Cross-linked Polymer-Blend Gate Dielectrics through Thermal Click Chemistry.
AB  - New cross-linking reagents were synthesized and mixed with polystyrene (PS) in
      solution to form a blend. Thin-films were spin-coated from the blend and then
      cross-linked by thermal activation at relatively low temperature (100  degrees C)
      to form cross-linked gate dielectrics. This new method is compatible with plastic
      substrates in flexible electronics. The azide and alkyne cross-linking reagents
      are kinetically stable at room temperature, so any premature cross-linking is
      avoided during processing. This method also significantly improved the dielectric
      performances of PS thin films. Solution-processed top-gate organic field-effect
      transistor devices with indacenodithiophene-benzothiadiazole copolymer as
      semiconductor layer and the cross-linked PS blend as dielectric layer showed
      improved performances with lower gate leakages and higher operation stabilities
      than devices with neat PS film as dielectric layer. 

PMID- 26477515
TI  - Discovery of Novel Inhibitor Scaffolds against the Metallo-beta-lactamase VIM-2
      by Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) Based Fragment Screening.
AB  - Metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) inhibitors can restore the function of carbapenem
      antibiotics and therefore help to treat infections of antibiotic resistant
      bacteria. In this study, we report novel fragments inhibiting the clinically
      relevant MBL Verona integron-encoded metallo-beta-lactamase (VIM-2). The
      fragments were identified from a library of 490 fragments using an orthogonal
      screening approach based on a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based assay
      combined with an enzyme inhibition assay. The identified fragments showed IC50
      values between 14 and 1500 MUM and ligand efficiencies (LE) between 0.48 and 0.23
      kcal/mol per heavy atom. For two of the identified fragments, crystal structures
      in complex with VIM-2 were obtained. The identified fragments represent novel
      inhibitor scaffolds and are good starting points for the design of potent MBL
      inhibitors. Furthermore, the established SPR based assay and the screening
      approach can be adapted to other MBLs and in this way improve the drug discovery
      process for this important class of drug targets. 

PMID- 26477516
TI  - Simulation of the dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus loads in different land uses
      in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region--based on the improved export coefficient
      model.
AB  - Nonpoint source pollution is one of the primary causes of eutrophication of water
      bodies. The concentrations and loads of dissolved pollutants have a direct
      bearing on the environmental quality of receiving water bodies. Based on the
      Johnes export coefficient model, a pollutant production coefficient was
      established by introducing the topographical index and measurements of annual
      rainfall. A pollutant interception coefficient was constructed by considering the
      width and slope of present vegetation. These two coefficients were then used as
      the weighting factors to modify the existing export coefficients of various land
      uses. A modified export coefficient model was created to estimate the dissolved
      nitrogen and phosphorus loads in different land uses in the Three Gorges
      Reservoir Region (TGRR) in 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010. The results show
      that the new land use export coefficient was established by the modification of
      the production pollution coefficient and interception pollution coefficient. This
      modification changed the single numerical structure of the original land use
      export coefficient and takes into consideration temporal and spatial
      differentiation features. The modified export coefficient retained the change
      structure of the original single land use export coefficient, and also
      demonstrated that the land use export coefficient was not only impacted by the
      change of land use itself, but was also influenced by other objective conditions,
      such as the characteristics of the underlying surface, amount of rainfall, and
      the overall presence of vegetation. In the five analyzed years, the simulation
      values of the dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus loads in paddy fields increased
      after applying the modification in calculation. The dissolved nitrogen and
      phosphorus loads in dry land comprised the largest proportions of the TGRR's
      totals. After modification, the dry land values showed an initial increase and
      then a decrease over time, but the increments were much smaller than those of the
      paddy field. The dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus loads in the woodland and
      meadow decreased after modification. The dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus loads
      in the building lot were the lowest but showed an increase with the progression
      of time. These results demonstrate that the modified export coefficient model
      significantly improves the accuracy of dissolved pollutant load simulation for
      different land uses in the TGRR, especially the accuracy of dissolved nitrogen
      load simulation. 

PMID- 26477517
TI  - Helix Sense-Selective Supramolecular Polymerization Seeded by a One-Handed
      Helical Polymeric Assembly.
AB  - Helix sense-selective supramolecular polymerization was achieved using a one
      handed helical nanotubular polymeric assembly as a seed. First, bipyridine (BPY)
      appended achiral hexabenzocoronene ((BPY)HBC) was copolymerized noncovalently
      with chiral (BPY)HBC(S) (or (BPY)HBC(R)) at a molar ratio of 9:1, which, via the
      sergeants-and-soldiers effect, afforded a P-helical (or M-helical) nanotube,
      which was then treated with Cu(2+) to transform into structurally robust
      ((BPY)Cu)NT(P) (or ((BPY)Cu)NT(M)) with a Cu(2+)/BPY coordination polymer shell.
      Helical seeds ((BPY)Cu)NT(P) and ((BPY)Cu)NT(M) brought about the controlled
      assembly of fluorinated chiral FHBC(S) and FHBC(R) as well as achiral FHBC to
      yield one-handed helical nanotubular supramolecular block copolymers, in which
      the helical senses of the newly formed block segments were solely determined by
      those of the helical seeds employed. Noteworthy, FHBC(S) and FHBC(R) alone
      without the helical seeds form ill-defined agglomerates. Attempted supramolecular
      polymerization of a racemic mixture of FHBC(S) and FHBC(R) from ((BPY)Cu)NT(P)
      (or ((BPY)Cu)NT(M)) resulted in its chiral separation, affording P-helical (or M
      helical) diastereomeric block segments composed of FHBC(S)and FHBC(R) with
      different thermodynamic properties.

PMID- 26477518
TI  - A microsimulation cost-utility analysis of alcohol screening and brief
      intervention to reduce heavy alcohol consumption in Canada.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Screening and brief intervention (SBI) is a public health
      intervention that has been shown to be effective in reducing heavy alcohol
      consumption. The aim of this study is to estimate the cost-effectiveness of
      implementing universal alcohol SBI in primary care in Canada. DESIGN: We
      developed a microsimulation model of alcohol consumption and its effects on 18
      alcohol-related causes of death. SETTING: The model simulates a Canadian
      population. PARTICIPANTS: The model simulates individuals and their alcohol
      consumption on a continuous scale starting from age 17 years to death.
      INTERVENTIONS: The reference case assumes no SBI in Canada. The base case assumes
      screening was conducted using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
      (AUDIT) at a threshold score of 8. Additional analyses included evaluating SBI
      using the AUDIT at threshold scores between 4 and 8 or the Derived Alcohol Use
      Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) at threshold scores between 3 and 7.
      MEASUREMENTS: The model estimates the direct health-care costs, life years gained
      and quality-adjusted life years (QALY) gained, which are then used to estimate
      the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of SBI versus no SBI. FINDINGS:
      SBI with AUDIT (at a threshold score of 8) had an ICER of $8729/QALY. Our results
      suggest that using AUDIT thresholds between 8 and 4, inclusive, would be cost
      effective for the whole population, as well as for men and women individually.
      Our results suggest that the AUDIT-C would be cost-effective at thresholds of 7
      to 3, inclusive, for men, women and the whole population. CONCLUSIONS: In Canada,
      screening and brief intervention via Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
      (AUDIT) and Derived Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) to reduce
      heavy alcohol consumption appears to be cost-effective for men and women at
      Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) thresholds of 8 and lower and
      at Derived Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) thresholds of 7
      and lower.

PMID- 26477519
TI  - Rapid screening of edible oils for phthalates using phase-transfer catalyst
      assisted hydrolysis and liquid phase microextraction coupled to high performance
      liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - Edible oil is easily contaminated with phthalic acid esters (PAEs). Conventional
      procedures to analyze individual PAEs require very rigorous experimental
      conditions that are extremely labor-intensive due to significant procedural
      contaminations generated by the ubiquitous presence of PAEs in the laboratory
      environment. In this study, a rapid screening method for PAEs in edible oil was
      successfully developed. Using a phase-transfer catalyst (terabutylammonium
      bromide) during oil/water biphasic base hydrolysis of PAEs, the hydrolysis time
      was decreased from a previously reported time of 20 h to 10 min (80  degrees C).
      The resulting phthalic acid in the acidified hydrolysate was extracted with 600
      MUL of tributyl phosphate and then analyzed by high performance liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in 6 min. Parameters affecting the
      hydrolysis of PAEs and the extraction of phthalic acid were optimized, and the
      analytical method was validated. No obvious matrix effect existed in the edible
      oils whether an external or internal standard method was used. The detection
      limit was 1.0 MUmol kg(-1), and the quantification limit was 1.3 MUmol kg(-1).
      The recovery rates varied from 86 to 107% with relative standard deviations equal
      to or lower than 9.9% in all of the tested conditions. Twenty-six samples were
      analyzed, and the background corrected total PAE content was found to be in the
      range of <LOD-52.1 MUmol kg(-1). This fast and reliable method was not only a
      practical way to screen oil samples but can also be used as an indicator of false
      positive or overestimated results in conventional analysis of PAEs. In addition,
      it presents a new and promising methodology to deal with oil matrices.

PMID- 26477520
TI  - A strategy for screening antioxidants in Ginkgo biloba extract by comprehensive
      two-dimensional ultra high performance liquid chromatography.
AB  - Recently, screening of bioactive compounds by on-line ultra-high performance
      liquid chromatography (UHPLC) draws increasing attentions for the advantages of
      rapidity and intuition. Nevertheless, most on-line methods were limited to the
      shortcoming like low resolution and peak capacity, which could interfere the
      active ingredient identification. Comprehensive two-dimensional UHPLC (LC*LC) has
      revealed to be a powerful tool to separate complex mixtures. Herein, a strategy
      based on LC*LC analysis coupled with pre-column 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl
      (DPPH) assay was proposed to screen the antioxidants from the extract of Ginkgo
      biloba (EGB). A total of 61 compounds were identified in EGB, and 25 of them
      showed appreciable radical scavenging capacity. This work may offer
      pharmacodynamics base for further research about EGB, also the strategy is
      likelihood to be applied in screening antioxidant in other herbal medicine. 

PMID- 26477521
TI  - Double-sided magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer modified graphene oxide for
      highly efficient enrichment and fast detection of trace-level microcystins from
      large-volume water samples combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - Microcystins (MCs), a group of cyclic heptapeptide heaptoxins and tumor
      promoters, are generated by cyanobacteria occurring in surface waters, such as
      eutrophic lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. In this present study, a novel double
      sided magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer modified graphene oxide (DS-MMIP@GO)
      based magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) method was developed for fast,
      effective and selective enrichment, and recognition of trace MCs in environmental
      water samples combined with high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The synthesized novel DS-MMIP@GO was used as the
      adsorbents in this work and was carefully characterized by scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectra. The adsorption and desorption
      conditions of DS-MMIP@GO toward MCs were optimized in detail to obtain the
      highest binding capacity, selectivity, and release efficiency. Under the optimum
      conditions, the enrichment factors of the method for eight target MCs were found
      to be 2000. The limits of quantitation (LOQs) of the method for eight MCs were in
      range of 0.1-2.0ngL(-1). The double-sided MMIP modified structure provided DS
      MMIP@GO with abundant adsorption sites and permitted it to exhibit excellent
      enrichment and selectivity toward trace-level MCs. The proposed method was
      successfully applied for the analysis of environmental water samples with
      recoveries ranging from 84.1 to 98.2%. Compared to conventional methods for MCs
      detection reported in literatures, the one developed in this work based on DS
      MMIP@GO and LC-MS/MS showed much faster, more sensitive, and more convenient. 

PMID- 26477522
TI  - Application of hollow fiber membrane mediated with titanium dioxide
      nanowire/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite in preconcentration of clotrimazole
      and tylosin.
AB  - In this paper, TiO2 nanowires and TiO2 nanoparticles have been successfully
      anchored on graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets by a facile one-step hydrothermal
      method. The synthesized TiO2 NWs/RGO and TiO2 NPs/RGO nanocomposites were
      characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning
      electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. After
      comparatively studying of the as-made nanocomposites, TiO2 NWs/RGO nanocomposite
      showed the best adsorbing performance and applied as an attractive efficient
      sorbent reinforced with microporous hollow fiber membrane through the sol-gel
      technology. In the following, the selected nanocomposite was utilized for
      simultaneous preconcentration and determination of clotrimazole and tylosin using
      high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-UV detection, respectively. In
      order to optimize the extraction conditions through affecting parameters (pH,
      stirring rate, salt addition, extraction time and volume of donor phase),
      response surface methodology (RSM) was employed as a powerful statistical
      technique. Under the optimal conditions, the limit of detection (S/N=3) of
      proposed HFSPME method, was 0.67 MUg L(-1) for clotrimazole and 0.91 MUg L(-1)
      for tylosin with good linear ranges of 1.7-8000.0 MUg L(-1) and 4.0-6000.0 MUg L(
      1). The inter-day and intra-day relative standard deviations (RSD%) at 100 MUg L(
      1) concentration level were in the ranges of 2.10-3.58% for clotrimazole and 3.45
      7.80% for tylosin (n=5), respectively. The proposed microextraction device was
      extended for determination of ultra trace amounts of target analytes in milk and
      urine samples with satisfactory results.

PMID- 26477523
TI  - Qualitative and quantitative analysis of N-acetyllactosamine and lacto-N-biose,
      the two major building blocks of human milk oligosaccharides in human milk
      samples by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using
      a porous graphitic carbon column.
AB  - This study presents a validated, porous graphitic carbon stationary phase-based
      LC-MS/MS method for the identification and quantification of lacto-N-biose (LNB)
      and N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAc). These compounds are the major building blocks
      of human milk oligosaccharides, however the presence of their unbound form in
      human milk has not been examined so far. The separation of these highly related
      structures in their alditol form was accomplished by a gradient LC method and
      multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) analysis after appropriate sample preparation
      including size-exclusion chromatography and solid-phase extraction. Baseline
      separation of the components provides the selectivity for the method. Validation
      was performed according to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Guidelines and the
      method was found to be precise and accurate. Using our developed and validated
      method we were able to identify and quantify both saccharides in human milk for
      the first time. Based on our results the LacNAc concentration is in the range of
      6.7-31MUg/mL while LNB concentration decreased from 26MUg/mL below the detection
      limit during the first week of lactation. The presence of LNB and LacNAc in human
      milk also implies new biological functions which can lead us closer to the
      understanding of the various functions of this complex biofluid. 

PMID- 26477524
TI  - Individual, interpersonal, and community predictors of consistent condom use
      among Taiwanese university students.
AB  - This study examines the predictive value of individual, interpersonal, and
      community factors for consistent condom use among university students in Taiwan.
      The analytic sample for this cross-sectional study comprised 105 sexually active
      students, a subgroup of the respondents in a survey on university students in mid
      Taiwan, with a mean age of 21, and 51.4% being female. The outcome variable was
      assessed as the proportion of times a condom was used in sex with steady sex
      partners. Risky sex appeared less related to having multiple sex partners (8.57%)
      than with inconsistent condom use (71.4%). Hierarchical regression analysis
      showed that 47.4% of variance in the outcome variable could be explained by AIDS
      knowledge, class adjustment, perception of good friends' condom use, and
      discussion of condom use with good friends. This study found that predictors
      across different levels may work in combination to influence students' condom
      use. Enhancing HIV/AIDS knowledge, improving class adjustment, facilitating peer
      norm of condom use may work in combination to increase students' condom use. 

PMID- 26477525
TI  - Implications for practice: Resurgence and differential reinforcement of
      alternative responding.
AB  - During the maintenance stages of differential reinforcement of alternative
      responding (DRA), failure to reinforce alternative responses could result in a
      resurgence of problem behavior. However, translational work done with arbitrary
      human responses suggests that teaching individuals to emit multiple alternative
      responses in sequential order may facilitate the resurgence of appropriate,
      rather than problem, behavior. This paper discusses the practical implications of
      serial DRA training on problem and appropriate behavior resurgence, as presented
      in the preceding article, "Serial Alternative Response Training As Intervention
      for Target Response Resurgence." Clinical scenarios as well as implications for
      self-advocacy and acceptability of behavioral interventions are considered. 

PMID- 26477526
TI  - GSK3beta inhibition activates the CDX/HOX pathway and promotes hemogenic
      endothelial progenitor differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells.
AB  - WNT/beta-CATENIN signaling promotes the hematopoietic/endothelial differentiation
      of human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs).
      The transient addition of a GSK3beta inhibitor (GSKi) has been found to
      facilitate in vitro endothelial cell differentiation from hESCs/hiPSCs. Because
      hematopoietic and endothelial cells are derived from common progenitors
      (hemogenic endothelial progenitors [HEPs]), we examined the effect of transient
      GSKi treatment on hematopoietic cell differentiation from hiPSCs. We found that
      transient GSKi treatment at the start of hiPSC differentiation induction altered
      the gene expression profile of the cells. Multiple CDX/HOX genes, which are
      expressed in the posterior mesoderm of developing embryos, were significantly
      upregulated by GSKi treatment. Further, inclusion of the GSKi in a serum- and
      stroma-free culture with chemically defined medium efficiently induced HEPs, and
      the HEPs gave rise to various lineages of hematopoietic and endothelial cells.
      Therefore, transient WNT/beta-CATENIN signaling triggers activation of the
      CDX/HOX pathway, which in turn confers hemogenic posterior mesoderm identity to
      differentiating hiPSCs. These data enhance our understanding of human embryonic
      hematopoietic/endothelial cell development and provide a novel in vitro system
      for inducing the differentiation of hematopoietic cells from hiPSCs.

PMID- 26477527
TI  - Human hematopoietic CD34+ progenitor cells induce natural killer cell
      alloresponses via NKG2D activation.
AB  - Human CD34+ cells cross-interact with allogeneic T lymphocytes. In this study we
      addressed the interaction between CD34+ cells and allogeneic natural killer (NK)
      cells. Purified NK cells were cultured with allogeneic KIR-permissive CD34+ or
      CD14+ blood cells, obtained from HLA group C homozygous donors, or with high-dose
      interleukin-2. A cytotoxicity assay was used to test the ability of NK cells to
      lyse NK-sensitive K562 or NK-resistant Daudi cells. Cytofluorometric assays were
      employed to assess cell phenotype and cytokine release. CD34+ cells induced
      greater lysis of K562 (p = 0.02) and Daudi cells (p = 0.01) than monocytes. CD34
      cell stimulation resulted in upregulation of CD69 and CD25 on NK cells and in the
      production of interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha. NK activation by
      CD34+ cells was inhibited by an anti-NKG2D antibody. However, NKG2D ligands such
      as MIC (MHC class I chain)-A/B and ULBP (UL16 binding protein)-1/3 were not
      detected on CD34+ cells. Cross-talk between NK and CD34+ cells also induced the
      upregulation of CD40 and CD86 co-stimulatory molecules on CD34+ cells. Our study
      indicates a direct NKG2D-dependent stimulatory effect of human CD34+ cells on
      allogeneic NK cells. These findings may be relevant to the NK-mediated rejection
      effect in HLA-mismatched hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

PMID- 26477528
TI  - The effect of feeding on CO2 production and energy expenditure in ponies measured
      by indirect calorimetry and the 13C-bicarbonate technique.
AB  - Energy expenditure (EE) can be estimated based on respiratory gas exchange
      measurements, traditionally done in respiration chambers by indirect calorimetry
      (IC). However, the (13)C-bicarbonate technique ((13)C-BT) might be an alternative
      minimal invasive method for estimation of CO(2) production and EE in the field.
      In this study, four Shetland ponies were used to explore the effect of feeding on
      CO(2) production and EE measured simultaneously by IC and (13)C-BT. The ponies
      were individually housed in respiration chambers and received either a single
      oral or intravenous (IV) bolus dose of (13)C-labelled sodium bicarbonate
      (NaH(13)CO(3)). The ponies were fed haylage 3 h before (T(-3)), simultaneously
      with (T(0)) or 3 h after (T(+3)) administration of (13)C-bicarbonate. The CO(2)
      produced and O(2) consumed by the ponies were measured for 6 h with both
      administration routes of (13)C-bicarbonate at the three different feeding times.
      Feeding time affected the CO(2) production (P<0.001) and O(2) consumption
      (P<0.001), but not the respiratory quotient (RQ) measured by IC. The recovery
      factor (RF) of (13)C in breath CO(2) was affected by feeding time (P<0.01) and
      three different RF were used in the calculation of CO(2) production measured by
      13C-BT. An average RQ was used for the calculations of EE. There was no
      difference between IC and (13)C-BT for estimation of CO(2) production. An effect
      of feeding time (P<0.001) on the estimated EE was found, with higher EE when feed
      was offered (T(0) and T(+3)) compared with when no feed was available (T -3)
      during measurements. In conclusion, this study showed that feeding time affects
      the RF and measurements of CO(2) production and EE. This should be considered
      when the (13)C-BT is used in the field. IV administration of (13)C-bicarbonate is
      recommended in future studies with horses to avoid complex (13)C enrichment-time
      curves with maxima and shoulders as observed in several experiments with oral
      administration of (13)C-bicarbonate.

PMID- 26477529
TI  - Among farm variation in heifer BW gains.
AB  - BW of replacement heifers is rarely measured on commercial farms, making it
      difficult to evaluate the success of management practices related to calf growth.
      Our aims were to describe variability among commercial farms in Holstein heifer
      BW, determine how BW differences varied with management and propose a method of
      estimating calf growth based upon single measurement. Heart girth circumference
      was used to estimate BW of 576 heifers 48 to 70 weeks of age on 33 different
      farms (on average 11 +/- 6 heifers/farm) in British Columbia, Canada. Regression
      analysis showed a linear relationship of BW with age (BW (kg)=116+5 * age
      (weeks)). Residuals from this regression were averaged across heifers within each
      farm to identify farms where heifers were heavier or lighter than would be
      predicted on the basis of their age; farm average residuals ranged from -54 to 72
      kg. Farms with heifers showing the highest residual BW also had the highest rates
      of gain for pre-weaned calves. These results indicate that farms able to rear
      faster growing calves before weaning were also rearing faster growing heifers at
      breeding, and suggest that management of milk-fed calves is a particularly
      important component of replacement heifer management.

PMID- 26477530
TI  - Non-Ideal Behaviour and Solution Interactions in Binary DMSO Solutions.
AB  - The structure and dynamics of hydrogen-bonded structures are of significant
      importance in understanding many binary mixtures. Since self-diffusion is very
      sensitive to changes in the molecular weight and shape of the diffusing species,
      hydrogen-bonded associated structures in dimethylsulfoxide-methanol (DMSO-MeOH)
      and DMSO-ethanol (DMSO-EtOH) mixtures are investigated using nuclear magnetic
      resonance (NMR) diffusion experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations
      over the entire composition range at 298 K. The self-diffusion coefficients of
      DMSO-MeOH and DMSO-EtOH mixtures decrease by up to 15% and 10%, respectively,
      with DMSO concentration, indicating weaker association as compared to DMSO-water
      mixtures. The calculated heat of mixing and radial distribution functions reveal
      that the intermolecular structures of DMSO-MeOH and DMSO-EtOH mixtures do not
      change on mixing. DMSO-alcohol hydrogen-bonded dimers are the dominant species in
      mixtures. Direct comparison of the simulated and experimental data afford greater
      insights into the structural properties of binary mixtures. 

PMID- 26477531
TI  - The Impact of Pollution Prevention on Toxic Environmental Releases from U.S.
      Manufacturing Facilities.
AB  - Between 1991 and 2012, the facilities that reported to the U.S. Environmental
      Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Program conducted 370,000
      source reduction projects. We use this data set to conduct the first quasi
      experimental retrospective evaluation of how implementing a source reduction
      (pollution prevention) project affects the quantity of toxic chemicals released
      to the environment by an average industrial facility. We use a differences-in
      differences methodology, which measures how implementing a source reduction
      project affects a facility's releases of targeted chemicals, relative to releases
      of (a) other untargeted chemicals from the same facility, or (b) the same
      chemical from other facilities in the same industry. We find that the average
      source reduction project causes a 9-16% decrease in releases of targeted
      chemicals in the year of implementation. Source reduction techniques vary in
      effectiveness: for example, raw material modification causes a large decrease in
      releases, while inventory control has no detectable effect. Our analysis suggests
      that in aggregate, the source reduction projects carried out in the U.S. since
      1991 have prevented between 5 and 14 billion pounds of toxic releases.

PMID- 26477533
TI  - Comparison of full-mouth disinfection and quadrant-wise scaling in the treatment
      of adult chronic periodontitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Scaling and root planing are widely considered as effective methods for treating
      chronic periodontitis. A meta-analysis published in 2008 showed no statistically
      significant differences between full-mouth disinfection (FMD) or full-mouth
      scaling and root planing (FMS) and quadrant scaling and root planing (Q-SRP). The
      FMD approach only resulted in modest additional improvements in several indices.
      Whether differences exist between these two approaches requires further
      validation. Accordingly, a study was conducted to further validate whether FMD
      with antiseptics or FMS without the use of antiseptics within 24 h provides
      greater clinical improvement than Q-SRP in patients with chronic periodontitis.
      Medline (via OVID), EMBASE (via OVID), PubMed and CENTRAL databases were searched
      up to 27 January 2015. Randomized controlled trials comparing FMD or FMS with Q
      SRP after at least 3 mo were included. Meta-analysis was performed to obtain the
      weighted mean difference (WMD), together with the corresponding 95% confidence
      intervals. Thirteen articles were included in the meta-analysis. The WMD of
      probing pocket depth reduction was 0.25 mm (p < 0.05) for FMD vs. Q-SRP in single
      rooted teeth with moderate pockets, and clinical attachment level gain in single-
      and multirooted teeth with moderate pockets was 0.33 mm (p < 0.05) for FMD vs. Q
      SRP. Except for those, no statistically significant differences were found in the
      other subanalyses of FMD vs. Q-SRP, FMS vs. Q-SRP and FMD vs. FMS. Therefore, the
      meta-analysis results showed that FMD was better than Q-SRP for achieving probing
      pocket depth reduction and clinical attachment level gain in moderate pockets.
      Additionally, regardless of the treatment, no serious complications were
      observed. FMD, FMS and Q-SRP are all effective for the treatment of adult chronic
      periodontitis, and they do not lead to any obvious discomfort among patients.
      Moreover, FMD had modest additional clinical benefits over Q-SRP, so we prefer to
      recommend FMD as the first choice for the treatment of adult chronic
      periodontitis. 

PMID- 26477532
TI  - A COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION OF WHITE MATTER TRACTS AND CONNECTOMETRY IN MAJOR
      DEPRESSIVE DISORDER.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating disorder
      characterized by widespread brain abnormalities. The literature is mixed as to
      whether or not white matter abnormalities are associated with MDD. This study
      sought to examine fractional anisotropy (FA) in white matter tracts in
      individuals with MDD using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). METHODS: 139
      participants with MDD and 39 healthy controls (HC) in a multisite study were
      included. DTI scans were acquired in 64 directions and FA was determined in the
      brain using four methods: region of interest (ROI), tract-based spatial
      statistics (TBSS), and diffusion tractography. Diffusion connectometry was used
      to identify white matter pathways associated with MDD. RESULTS: There were no
      significant differences when comparing FA in MDD and HC groups using any method.
      In the MDD group, there was a significant relationship between depression
      severity and FA in the right medial orbitofrontal cortex, and between age of
      onset of MDD and FA in the right caudal anterior cingulate cortex using the ROI
      method. There was a significant relationship between age of onset and
      connectivity in the thalamocortical radiation, inferior longitudinal fasciculus,
      and cerebellar tracts using diffusion connectometry. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of
      group differences in FA and connectometry analysis may result from the clinically
      heterogenous nature of MDD. However, the relationship between FA and depression
      severity may suggest a state biomarker of depression that should be investigated
      as a potential indicator of response. Age of onset may also be a significant
      clinical feature to pursue when studying white matter tracts.

PMID- 26477534
TI  - Availability of antiepileptic drugs across Europe.
AB  - Europe consists of 53 countries with widely different economic conditions and
      different political, educational, and health care systems. This study was aimed
      at determining the availability of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) across Europe. An
      electronic questionnaire was submitted to all 43 European chapters of the
      International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). Outcome measures were availability
      of older, newer, and newest AEDs, generic products, indications, reimbursement
      rules, and reasons for lack of availability of AEDs. Countries were divided
      according to economic status as defined by the World Bank. Thirty-four chapters
      (79%) provided data. There were large differences in AED availability across
      countries, especially between high-income countries and the other countries. The
      newest AEDs were not available in any of the 12 non-high-income countries.
      Availability was higher in countries with public reimbursement systems.
      Reimbursement policies ranged from full reimbursement for all AEDs to complete
      lack of reimbursement. Main hurdles for poor access to AEDs included lack of
      regulatory approval, high prices and reimbursement restrictions. The availability
      of AEDs differs across European countries, with many hurdles hampering access to
      epilepsy medicines, particularly to new medications. These findings raise major
      concerns on the quality of epilepsy care in many countries. 

PMID- 26477536
TI  - Prevalence estimation of halitosis and its association with oral health-related
      parameters in an adult population of a city in North Italy.
AB  - AIM: No epidemiological data on halitosis are available from Italy. Thus, the aim
      of this population-based cross-sectional study was to estimate the prevalence of
      halitosis in an urban adult population from North Italy and to explore related
      oral risk indicators. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The survey used a two-stage
      probability sampling method to collect a representative sample of inhabitants,
      aged between 20 and 75 years, in the city of Turin. Seven hundred and forty-four
      adults were clinically examined (47% of sampled subjects) for oral malodor and
      periodontal conditions. Using a standardized questionnaire social, health and
      halitosis-related parameters were collected. Logistic models with interaction
      terms between tongue coating scores (TCS) and periodontal status were used to
      explore halitosis risk indicators. RESULTS: The prevalence estimate of halitosis
      according to the organoleptic assessment was 53.51% (95% CI: 48.55-58.50). A
      statistically significant correlation was found between organoleptic and gas
      chromatography measurements (p < 0.0001). Stronger associations between halitosis
      and periodontitis were observed in people having higher TCS: adjusted odds ratio
      considering low and high TCS in individuals with severe periodontitis were 2.95
      and 20.77 (p <= 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Due to the high prevalence of halitosis in
      the Turin population, its diagnosis and management should be incorporated in
      comprehensive dental care.

PMID- 26477535
TI  - Lipidomic and transcriptomic analyses of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii under heat
      stress unveil a direct route for the conversion of membrane lipids into storage
      lipids.
AB  - Studying how photosynthetic cells modify membrane lipids in response to heat
      stress is important to understand how plants and microalgae adapt to daily
      fluctuations in temperature and to investigate new lipid pathways. Here, we
      investigate changes occurring in lipid molecular species and lipid metabolism
      genes during early response to heat stress in the model photosynthetic
      microorganism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Lipid molecular species analyses
      revealed that, after 60 min at 42  degrees C, a strong decrease in specific
      polyunsaturated membrane lipids was observed together with an increase in
      polyunsaturated triacylglycerols (TAGs) and diacylglycerols (DAGs). The fact that
      decrease in the major chloroplastic monogalactosyldiacylglycerol sn1-18:3/sn2
      16:4 was mirrored by an accumulation of DAG sn1-18:3/sn2-16:4 and TAG sn1
      18:3/sn2-16:4/sn3-18:3 indicated that newly accumulated TAGs were formed via
      direct conversion of monogalactosyldiacylglycerols to DAGs then TAGs. Lipidomic
      analyses showed that the third fatty acid of a TAG likely originated from a
      phosphatidylethanolamine or a diacylglyceryl-O-4'-(N,N,N,-trimethyl)-homoserine
      betaine lipid species. Candidate genes for this TAG synthesis pathway were
      provided through comparative transcriptomic analysis and included a phospholipase
      A2 homolog and the DAG acyltransferase DGTT1. This study gives insights into the
      molecular events underlying changes in membrane lipids during heat stress and
      reveals an alternative route for TAG synthesis. 

PMID- 26477539
TI  - Inverse density dependence of parity rates in the onchocerciasis vector Simulium
      damnosum s.l.
AB  - A correlation between parity rates and an index of adult numbers of Simulium
      damnosum s.l. (Diptera: Simuliidae) indicates an association, but does not prove
      causality or show the direction of any causal relationship. The question of
      whether adult numbers affect parity rates or vice versa is reminiscent of the age
      old query of which of the chicken and the egg came first. A method for resolving
      such issues based on analyses of pairs of time series was proposed by Granger in
      1969. When Granger's method was applied to monthly numbers of adult female S.
      damnosum s.l. caught attempting to bite humans at Asubende, Ghana, and their
      parity rates, a significant relationship (P = 0.005) emerged, clearly showing
      that parity rates were dependent on adult numbers. Implications of this inverse
      density dependence and the results of analyses of other similar time series are
      presented and discussed. 

PMID- 26477540
TI  - Initial validation of equilibrium contrast imaging for extracellular volume
      quantification using a three-dimensional engineered tissue model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To test the principles underpinning equilibrium contrast imaging
      estimation of tissue extracellular volume (ECV) fraction, using a three
      dimensional (3D) engineered tissue model with known cellular and extracellular
      volumes. METHODS: Six 3D tissue models (tumoroids) consisting of cell cultures
      within a collagen containing hydrogel were constructed after culture
      centrifugation and direct measurement of the cell component volume. Measured
      tumoroid ECV ranged from 0.89 to 1. ECV was calculated after measuring the T1
      relaxation time at 3 Tesla using inversion recovery relaxometry (TI 100-1500 ms)
      within the tumoroids and surrounding medium before and 375 min after spiking the
      medium with Gadolinium (to achieve a concentration of 1.4 mM/L). Linear
      regression model prediction of directly measured ECV (ECVm ) by EQ-MRI measured
      ECV (ECVeq ); and Bland-Altman agreement between measures was assessed. RESULTS:
      The fractional cellular volume measured by EQ-MRI (ECVeq ) within the tumoroids
      ranged from 0.821 to 0.963. ECVeq was a good predictor of ECVm (R2 = 0.77, P =
      0.02). The regression line Y-axis intercept (when X = 0) was 0.045 +/- 0.019 with
      a slope of 1.28 +/- 0.35. Bland-Altman comparison demonstrated 95% limits of
      agreement between -0.002 and 0.114 with a bias (SD) of 0.056 (0.03). CONCLUSION:
      This study supports the principles of ECV estimation using equilibrium contrast
      MRI, but future development of this model may allow validation over a wider, more
      physiological ECV range and a greater understanding of the effect of tissue
      extracellular protein burden on ECV.

PMID- 26477541
TI  - Cloning of the short-tailed Gyeongju Donggyeong dog via SCNT: conserving
      phenotypic inheritance.
AB  - Somatic cell nuclear transfer is a useful tool to maintain genetic information of
      animals. The Gyeongju Donggyeong dog is a breed registered as natural monument in
      Korea. The unique feature of the Donggyeong dog is its tail, as the Donggyeong
      dog can be classified as either short tailed or tailless. The aim of this study
      was to preserve the Donggyeong dog's unique feature by cloning. Fibroblasts were
      obtained from a short-tailed Donggyeong dog. In vivo matured oocytes were
      enucleated, microinjected with a donor cell and fused electrically. Reconstructed
      embryos were transferred to six recipient dogs. One surrogate became pregnant,
      and one short-tailed Donggyeong dog was delivered. This study demonstrated that
      the phenotype of the Donggyeong dog could be conserved by somatic cell nuclear
      transfer. 

PMID- 26477542
TI  - Low Quality of Life and Depressive Symptoms as an Independent Risk Factor for
      Erectile Dysfunction in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Accumulating evidence indicates that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
      is associated with a high prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED), but the
      factors that predict the risk of ED in OSA patients have yet to be defined
      clearly. AIMS: The aims of the present study were to investigate the clinical
      characteristics of OSA patients with ED and to identify plausible predictors of
      ED. METHODS: The present cross-sectional analysis included 713 male patients who
      visited Seoul National University Hospital for snoring and/or daytime sleepiness
      from 2006 to 2014. An in-laboratory polysomnography procedure was conducted to
      obtain objective recordings of OSA and other sleep parameters. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: The demographic data of all patients were obtained, and each patient
      completed all requirements of the following questionnaires: the Calgary Sleep
      Apnea Quality of Life Index (SAQLI), the Korean version of the International
      Index of Erectile Function (KIIEF-5), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and
      the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). ED and OSA were defined as a KIIEF-5 < 21 and
      a respiratory disturbance index (RDI) >= 5, respectively. Depressive symptoms
      were defined as a BDI >= 10. RESULTS: The frequency of ED did not differ
      significantly according to OSA severity. In Spearman's correlation analysis, the
      BDI and the ESS were inversely correlated with the KIIEF-5, whereas the SAQLI was
      positively correlated with the KIIEF-5. The RDI and the lowest oxygen saturation
      (SaO2 ) did not exhibit significant correlations with the KIIEF-5. A multivariate
      logistic regression analysis adjusted for possible confounding factors showed
      that ED was independently associated with the SAQLI and depressive symptoms, but
      there was no significant association of ED with either the RDI or the lowest SaO2
      . CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated that depressive symptoms and a low
      quality of life specific to sleep apnea are independent risk factors for ED in
      OSA patients.

PMID- 26477544
TI  - Vaginal epithelial cells regulate membrane adhesiveness to co-ordinate bacterial
      adhesion.
AB  - Vaginal epithelium is colonized by different bacterial strains and species. The
      bacterial composition of vaginal biofilms controls the balance between health and
      disease. Little is known about the relative contribution of the epithelial and
      bacterial cell surfaces to bacterial adhesion and whether and how adhesion is
      regulated over cell membrane regions. Here, we show that bacterial adhesion
      forces with cell membrane regions not located above the nucleus are stronger than
      with regions above the nucleus both for vaginal pathogens and different commensal
      and probiotic lactobacillus strains involved in health. Importantly, adhesion
      force ratios over membrane regions away from and above the nucleus coincided with
      the ratios between numbers of adhering bacteria over both regions. Bacterial
      adhesion forces were dramatically decreased by depleting the epithelial cell
      membrane of cholesterol or sub-membrane cortical actin. Thus, epithelial cells
      can regulate membrane regions to which bacterial adhesion is discouraged,
      possibly to protect the nucleus. 

PMID- 26477543
TI  - High-throughput microanalysis of large lignocellulosic sample sets by pyrolysis
      gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.
AB  - High-throughput analytical techniques to assess the chemistry of lignocellulosic
      plant material are crucial to plant cell-wall research. We have established an
      analytical platform for this purpose and demonstrated its usefulness with two
      applications. The system is based on analytical pyrolysis, coupled to gas
      chromatography/mass spectrometry - a technique particularly suited for analysis
      of lignocellulose. Automated multivariate-based data-processing methods are used
      to obtain results within a few hours after analysis, with an experimental batch
      of 500 analyzed samples. The usefulness of multivariate sample discrimination
      methods and hierarchical clustering of samples is demonstrated. We have analyzed
      an Arabidopsis mutant collection consisting of 300 samples representing 31
      genotypes. The mutant collection is presented through cluster analysis, based on
      chemotypic difference, with respect to wild type. Further, we have analyzed 500
      thin sections from five biological replicate trees to create a spatial highly
      resolved profile of the proportions of syringyl-, guaiacyl- and p-hydroxyphenyl
      lignin across phloem, developing and mature wood in aspen. The combination of
      biologically easy to interpret information, the low demand of sample amount and
      the flexibility in sample types amenable to analysis makes this technique a
      valuable extension to the range of established high-throughput biomaterial
      analytical platforms.

PMID- 26477545
TI  - The ABC's of dopamine receptor partial agonists - aripiprazole, brexpiprazole and
      cariprazine: the 15-min challenge to sort these agents out.

PMID- 26477547
TI  - Electrospun Ultrafine Fiber Composites Containing Fumed Silica: From Solution
      Rheology to Materials with Tunable Wetting.
AB  - Fumed silica (FS) particles with hydrophobic (R805) or hydrophilic (A150) surface
      functionalities are incorporated in polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers by
      electrospinning to produce mats with controlled wettability. Rheological
      measurements are conducted to elucidate the particle-polymer interactions and
      characterize the system while microscopic and analytic tools are used to examine
      FS location within both fibers and films to aid in the fundamental understanding
      of wetting behavior. Unlike traditional polymers, we find these systems to be gel
      like, yet electrospinnable; the fumed silica networks break down into smaller
      aggregates during the electrospinning process and disperse both within and on the
      surface of the fibers. Composite nanofiber mats containing R805 FS exhibit an
      apparent contact angle over 130 degrees  and remain hydrophobic over 30 min,
      while similar mats with A150 display rapid surface-wetting with a static contact
      angle of ~30 degrees . Wicking experiments reveal that the water absorption
      properties can be further manipulated, with R805 FS-impregnated mats taking up
      only 8% water relative to mat weight in 15 min. In contrast, PAN fibers
      containing A150 FS absorb 425% of water in the same period, even more than the
      pure PAN fiber (371%). The vastly different responses to water demonstrate the
      versatility of FS in surface modification, especially for submicron fibrous mats.
      The role of fumed silica in controlling wettability is discussed in terms of
      their surface functionality, placement on nanofibers and induced surface
      roughness. 

PMID- 26477548
TI  - Ultraviolet radiation, vitamin D and multiple sclerosis.
AB  - There is compelling epidemiological evidence that the risk of developing multiple
      sclerosis is increased in association with low levels of sun exposure, possibly
      because this is associated with low vitamin D status. Recent work highlights both
      vitamin D and non-vitamin D effects on cellular immunity that suggests that
      higher levels of sun exposure and/or vitamin D status are beneficial for both MS
      risk and in ameliorating disease progression. Here we review this recent
      evidence, focusing on regulatory cells, dendritic cells, and chemokines and
      cytokines released from the skin following exposure to ultraviolet radiation. 

PMID- 26477546
TI  - Joubert Syndrome in French Canadians and Identification of Mutations in CEP104.
AB  - Joubert syndrome (JBTS) is a primarily autosomal-recessive disorder characterized
      by a distinctive mid-hindbrain and cerebellar malformation, oculomotor apraxia,
      irregular breathing, developmental delay, and ataxia. JBTS is a genetically
      heterogeneous ciliopathy. We sought to characterize the genetic landscape
      associated with JBTS in the French Canadian (FC) population. We studied 43 FC
      JBTS subjects from 35 families by combining targeted and exome sequencing. We
      identified pathogenic (n = 32 families) or possibly pathogenic (n = 2 families)
      variants in genes previously associated with JBTS in all of these subjects,
      except for one. In the latter case, we found a homozygous splice-site mutation
      (c.735+2T>C) in CEP104. Interestingly, we identified two additional non-FC JBTS
      subjects with mutations in CEP104; one of these subjects harbors a maternally
      inherited nonsense mutation (c.496C>T [p.Arg166*]) and a de novo splice-site
      mutation (c.2572-2A>G), whereas the other bears a homozygous frameshift mutation
      (c.1328_1329insT [p.Tyr444fs*3]) in CEP104. Previous studies have shown that
      CEP104 moves from the mother centriole to the tip of the primary cilium during
      ciliogenesis. Knockdown of CEP104 in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE1) cells
      resulted in severe defects in ciliogenesis. These observations suggest that
      CEP104 acts early during cilia formation by regulating the conversion of the
      mother centriole into the cilia basal body. We conclude that disruption of CEP104
      causes JBTS. Our study also reveals that the cause of JBTS has been elucidated in
      the great majority of our FC subjects (33/35 [94%] families), even though JBTS
      shows substantial locus and allelic heterogeneity in this population.

PMID- 26477549
TI  - Self-emulsifying drug delivery systems in oral (poly)peptide drug delivery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oral administration of most therapeutic peptides and proteins is
      mainly restricted due to the enzymatic and absorption membrane barrier of the GI
      tract. In order to overcome these barriers, various technologies have been
      explored. Among them, self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) received
      considerable attention as potential carriers to facilitate oral peptide and
      protein delivery in recent years. AREAS COVERED: This review article intends to
      summarize physiological barriers which limit the bioavailability of orally
      administrated peptide and protein drugs. Furthermore, the potential of SEDDS to
      protect incorporated peptides and proteins towards peptidases and proteases and
      to penetrate the mucus layer is reviewed. Their permeation-enhancing properties
      and their ability to release the drug in a controlled way are described.
      Moreover, this review covers the results of in vivo studies providing evidence
      for this promising approach. EXPERT OPINION: As SEDDS can: i) provide a
      protective effect towards a presystemic metabolism; ii) efficiently permeate the
      intestinal mucus gel layer in order to reach the absorption membrane; and iii) be
      produced in a very simple and cost-effective manner, they are a promising tool
      for oral peptide and protein drug delivery.

PMID- 26477550
TI  - Contrast Media Extravasation of Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance
      Imaging: Management Guidelines for the Radiologist.
AB  - Intravenous contrast administration has been of great importance in diagnostic
      radiology, but it is not without risks either due to the local, systemic allergic
      reactions or due to subcutaneous extravasation of contrast media. Subcutaneous
      contrast medium extravasationis an infrequent, yet a well-recognized
      complication. However, most incidents are minor and can be managed
      conservatively, but there are a few cases that require immediate surgical
      intervention. This article discusses the risks factors, clinical manifestations,
      and conservative and surgical approaches of subcutaneous contrast media
      extravasation for both computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. 

PMID- 26477551
TI  - A new identity for asthma.

PMID- 26477552
TI  - Reframing the varenicline question: have anecdotes and emotional filters clouded
      our decision making?

PMID- 26477553
TI  - Decision making in long-term ventilation for children.

PMID- 26477554
TI  - Life in a bubble.

PMID- 26477555
TI  - A systems approach to burnout.

PMID- 26477556
TI  - Structure, Optical Absorption, and Performance of Organic Solar Cells Improved by
      Gold Nanoparticles in Buffer Layers.
AB  - 11-Mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA)-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) embedded
      in copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) were used as a buffer layer between a poly(3
      hexyl-thiophene) (P3HT)/[6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) bulk
      heterojunction and anodic indium-tin oxide (ITO) substrate. As systematic
      synchrotron-based grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) experiments
      demonstrated that the AuNPs present in the buffer layer can improve the
      microstructure of the active layer with a better lamella packing of P3HT from the
      surface to the interior, UV-visible absorption spectrum measurements revealed
      enhanced optical absorption due to the localized surface plasma resonance (LSPR)
      generated by the AuNPs. The device of ITO/poly(3,4
      ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate/CuPc:MUA-stabilized
      AuNPs/P3HT:PCBM/LiF/Al was found with over 24% enhancement of power conversion
      efficiency (PCE) in comparison with reference devices without AuNPs. This
      remarkable improvement in PCE should be partially attributed to LSPR generated by
      the AuNPs and partially to improved crystallization as well as preferred
      orientation order of P3HT due to the presence of the AuNPs, which would promote
      more applications of metal NPs in the organic photovoltaic devices and other
      organic multilayer devices.

PMID- 26477557
TI  - Omovertebral bone associated with Sprengel deformity presented with chronic
      cervical pain.

PMID- 26477558
TI  - Patterning mechanisms of the sub-intestinal venous plexus in zebrafish.
AB  - Despite considerable interest in angiogenesis, organ-specific angiogenesis
      remains less well characterized. The vessels that absorb nutrients from the yolk
      and later provide blood supply to the developing digestive system are primarily
      venous in origin. In zebrafish, these are the vessels of the Sub-intestinal
      venous plexus (SIVP) and they represent a new candidate model to gain an insight
      into the mechanisms of venous angiogenesis. Unlike other vessel beds in
      zebrafish, the SIVP is not stereotypically patterned and lacks obvious sources of
      patterning information. However, by examining the area of vessel coverage, number
      of compartments, proliferation and migration speed we have identified common
      developmental steps in SIVP formation. We applied our analysis of SIVP
      development to obd mutants that have a mutation in the guidance receptor
      PlexinD1. obd mutants show dysregulation of nearly all parameters of SIVP
      formation. We show that the SIVP responds to a unique combination of pathways
      that control both arterial and venous growth in other systems. Blocking Shh,
      Notch and Pdgf signaling has no effect on SIVP growth. However Vegf promotes
      sprouting of the predominantly venous plexus and Bmp promotes outgrowth of the
      structure. We propose that the SIVP is a unique model to understand novel
      mechanisms utilized in organ-specific angiogenesis. 

PMID- 26477560
TI  - Selective chromatid segregation mechanism proposed for the human split hand/foot
      malformation development by chromosome 2 translocations: A perspective.
AB  - Three unrelated chromosome 2q14.1-14.2 region translocations caused the split
      hand/foot limb malformation development in humans by an unknown mechanism. Their
      etiology was described by the autosomal dominant inheritance with incomplete
      penetrance genetic model although authors stated, "the understanding of the
      genotype-to-phenotype relationship has been most challenging". The conundrums are
      that no mutation was found in known genes located at or near the translocation
      breakpoints, some limbs were malformed while others were not in the same patient
      and surprisingly breakpoints lie at relatively large distance of more than 2.5
      million bases to have caused disorder-causing gene mutations in a single gene. To
      help understand translocations etiology for limb development, we invoke the
      selective DNA strand/chromatid-specific epigenetic imprinting and segregation
      mechanism employed by the two highly diverged fission yeasts to produce daughter
      cells of different cell types by mitosis. By this mechanism, an anterior- and
      posterior-limb-tissues-generating pair of daughter cells is produced by a single
      deterministic cell dividing in the anlagen of the limb bud. Accordingly,
      malformation develops simply because translocations hinder the proper
      distribution of chromatid-specific epialleles of a limb developmental gene during
      the deterministic cell's mitosis. It is tempting to speculate that such a
      mechanism might involve the HOXD-cluster genes situated centromere-distal to the
      translocation breakpoints many million bases away at the 2q31.1 region. Further
      genetic tests of the hypothesis are proposed for the human and mouse limb
      development. In sum, genetic analysis of translocations suggests that the
      sequence asymmetry of strands in the double-helical DNA structure of a
      developmental gene forms the physical basis of daughter cells' developmental
      asymmetry, thus opposing the morphogen-gradient research paradigm of limb
      development. 

PMID- 26477559
TI  - Dynamic membrane depolarization is an early regulator of ependymoglial cell
      response to spinal cord injury in axolotl.
AB  - Salamanders, such as the Mexican axolotl, are some of the few vertebrates
      fortunate in their ability to regenerate diverse structures after injury. Unlike
      mammals they are able to regenerate a fully functional spinal cord after injury.
      However, the molecular circuitry required to initiate a pro-regenerative response
      after spinal cord injury is not well understood. To address this question we
      developed a spinal cord injury model in axolotls and used in vivo imaging of
      labeled ependymoglial cells to characterize the response of these cells to
      injury. Using in vivo imaging of ion sensitive dyes we identified that spinal
      cord injury induces a rapid and dynamic change in the resting membrane potential
      of ependymoglial cells. Prolonged depolarization of ependymoglial cells after
      injury inhibits ependymoglial cell proliferation and subsequent axon
      regeneration. Using transcriptional profiling we identified c-Fos as a key
      voltage sensitive early response gene that is expressed specifically in the
      ependymoglial cells after injury. This data establishes that dynamic changes in
      the membrane potential after injury are essential for regulating the specific
      spatiotemporal expression of c-Fos that is critical for promoting faithful spinal
      cord regeneration in axolotl. 

PMID- 26477561
TI  - Ribbon regulates morphogenesis of the Drosophila embryonic salivary gland through
      transcriptional activation and repression.
AB  - Transcription factors affect spatiotemporal patterns of gene expression often
      regulating multiple aspects of tissue morphogenesis, including cell-type
      specification, cell proliferation, cell death, cell polarity, cell shape, cell
      arrangement and cell migration. In this work, we describe a distinct role for
      Ribbon (Rib) in controlling cell shape/volume increases during elongation of the
      Drosophila salivary gland (SG). Notably, the morphogenetic changes in rib mutants
      occurred without effects on general SG cell attributes such as specification,
      proliferation and apoptosis. Moreover, the changes in cell shape/volume in rib
      mutants occurred without compromising epithelial-specific morphological
      attributes such as apicobasal polarity and junctional integrity. To identify the
      genes regulated by Rib, we performed ChIP-seq analysis in embryos driving
      expression of GFP-tagged Rib specifically in the SGs. To learn if the Rib binding
      sites identified in the ChIP-seq analysis were linked to changes in gene
      expression, we performed microarray analysis comparing RNA samples from age
      matched wild-type and rib null embryos. From the superposed ChIP-seq and
      microarray gene expression data, we identified 60 genomic sites bound by Rib
      likely to regulate SG-specific gene expression. We confirmed several of the
      identified Rib targets by qRT-pCR and/or in situ hybridization. Our results
      indicate that Rib regulates cell growth and tissue shape in the Drosophila
      salivary gland via a diverse array of targets through both transcriptional
      activation and repression. Furthermore, our results suggest that autoregulation
      of rib expression may be a key component of the SG morphogenetic gene network. 

PMID- 26477562
TI  - Visualizing functional pathways in the human brain using correlation tensors and
      magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - Functional magnetic resonance imaging usually detects changes in blood
      oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signals from T2*-sensitive acquisitions, and
      is most effective in detecting activity in brain cortex which is irrigated by
      rich vasculature to meet high metabolic demands. We recently demonstrated that
      MRI signals from T2*-sensitive acquisitions in a resting state exhibit structure
      specific temporal correlations along white matter tracts. In this report we
      validate our preliminary findings and introduce spatio-temporal functional
      correlation tensors to characterize the directional preferences of temporal
      correlations in MRI signals acquired at rest. The results bear a remarkable
      similarity to data obtained by diffusion tensor imaging but without any diffusion
      encoding gradients. Just as in gray matter, temporal correlations in resting
      state signals may reflect intrinsic synchronizations of neural activity in white
      matter. Here we demonstrate that functional correlation tensors are able to
      visualize long range white matter tracts as well as short range sub-cortical
      fibers imaged at rest, and that evoked functional activities alter these
      structures and enhance the visualization of relevant neural circuitry.
      Furthermore, we explore the biophysical mechanisms underlying these phenomena by
      comparing pulse sequences, which suggest that white matter signal variations are
      consistent with hemodynamic (BOLD) changes associated with neural activity. These
      results suggest new ways to evaluate MRI signal changes within white matter. 

PMID- 26477565
TI  - Evolution and structural organization of the mitochondrial contact site (MICOS)
      complex and the mitochondrial intermembrane space bridging (MIB) complex.
AB  - We have analyzed the distribution of mitochondrial contact site and cristae
      organizing system (MICOS) complex proteins and mitochondrial intermembrane space
      bridging complex (MIB) proteins over (sub)complexes and over species. The MICOS
      proteins are associated with the formation and maintenance of mitochondrial
      cristae. Indeed, the presence of MICOS genes in genomes correlates well with the
      presence of cristae: all cristae containing species have at least one MICOS gene
      and cristae-less species have none. Mic10 is the most widespread MICOS gene,
      while Mic60 appears be the oldest one, as it originates in the ancestors of
      mitochondria, the proteobacteria. In proteobacteria the gene occurs in clusters
      with genes involved in heme synthesis while the protein has been observed in
      intracellular membranes of the alphaproteobacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides. In
      contrast, Mic23 and Mic27 appear to be the youngest MICOS proteins, as they only
      occur in opisthokonts. The remaining MICOS proteins, Mic10, Mic19, Mic25 and
      Mic12, the latter we show to be orthologous to human C19orf70/QIL1, trace back to
      the root of the eukaryotes. Of the remaining MIB proteins, also DNAJC11 shows a
      high correlation with the presence of cristae. In mitochondrial protein
      complexome profiles, the MIB complex occurs as a defined complex and as separate
      subcomplexes, potentially reflecting various assembly stages. We find three main
      forms of the complex: A) The MICOS complex, containing all the MICOS proteins, B)
      a membrane bridging subcomplex, containing in addition SAMM50, MTX2 and the
      previously uncharacterized MTX3, and C) the complete MIB complex containing in
      addition DNAJC11 and MTX1. 

PMID- 26477563
TI  - An Xist-activating antisense RNA required for X-chromosome inactivation.
AB  - The transcriptional imbalance due to the difference in the number of X
      chromosomes between male and female mammals is remedied through X-chromosome
      inactivation, the epigenetic transcriptional silencing of one of the two X
      chromosomes in females. The X-linked Xist long non-coding RNA functions as an X
      inactivation master regulator; Xist is selectively upregulated from the
      prospective inactive X chromosome and is required in cis for X inactivation. Here
      we discover an Xist antisense long non-coding RNA, XistAR (Xist Activating RNA),
      which is encoded within exon 1 of the mouse Xist gene and is transcribed only
      from the inactive X chromosome. Selective truncation of XistAR, while sparing the
      overlapping Xist RNA, leads to a deficiency in Xist RNA expression in cis during
      the initiation of X inactivation. Thus, the Xist gene carries within its coding
      sequence an antisense RNA that drives Xist expression. 

PMID- 26477566
TI  - Agonist-induced changes in RalA activities allows the prediction of the
      endocytosis of G protein-coupled receptors.
AB  - GTP binding proteins are classified into two families: heterotrimeric large G
      proteins which are composed of three subunits, and one subunit of small G
      proteins. Roles of small G proteins in the intracellular trafficking of G protein
      coupled receptors (GPCRs) were studied. Among various small G proteins tested,
      GTP-bound form (G23V) of RalA inhibited the internalization of dopamine D2
      receptor independently of the previously reported downstream effectors of RalA,
      such as Ral-binding protein 1 and PLD. With high affinity for GRK2, active RalA
      inhibited the GPCR endocytosis by sequestering the GRK2 from receptors. When it
      was tested for several GPCRs including an endogenous GPCR, lysophosphatidic acid
      receptor 1, agonist-induced conversion of GTP-bound to GDP-bound RalA, which
      presumably releases the sequestered GRK2, was observed selectively with the GPCRs
      which have tendency to undergo endocytosis. Conversion of RalA from active to
      inactive state occurred by translocation of RGL, a guanine nucleotide exchange
      factor, from the plasma membrane to cytosol as a complex with Gbetagamma. These
      results suggest that agonist-induced Gbetagamma-mediated conversion of RalA from
      the GTP-bound form to the GDP-bound form could be a mechanism to facilitate
      agonist-induced internalization of GPCRs. 

PMID- 26477568
TI  - Targeting autocrine HB-EGF signaling with specific ADAM12 inhibition using
      recombinant ADAM12 prodomain.
AB  - Dysregulation of ErbB-family signaling underlies numerous pathologies and has
      been therapeutically targeted through inhibiting ErbB-receptors themselves or
      their cognate ligands. For the latter, "decoy" antibodies have been developed to
      sequester ligands including heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF);
      however, demonstrating sufficient efficacy has been difficult. Here, we
      hypothesized that this strategy depends on properties such as ligand-receptor
      binding affinity, which varies widely across the known ErbB-family ligands.
      Guided by computational modeling, we found that high-affinity ligands such as HB
      EGF are more difficult to target with decoy antibodies compared to low-affinity
      ligands such as amphiregulin (AREG). To address this issue, we developed an
      alternative method for inhibiting HB-EGF activity by targeting its cleavage from
      the cell surface. In a model of the invasive disease endometriosis, we identified
      A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase 12 (ADAM12) as a protease implicated in HB
      EGF shedding. We designed a specific inhibitor of ADAM12 based on its recombinant
      prodomain (PA12), which selectively inhibits ADAM12 but not ADAM10 or ADAM17. In
      endometriotic cells, PA12 significantly reduced HB-EGF shedding and resultant
      cellular migration. Overall, specific inhibition of ligand shedding represents a
      possible alternative to decoy antibodies, especially for ligands such as HB-EGF
      that exhibit high binding affinity and localized signaling. 

PMID- 26477570
TI  - Dissociation in control of physiological and behavioral responses to emotional
      stress by cholinergic neurotransmission in the bed nucleus of the stria
      terminalis in rats.
AB  - The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a forebrain structure
      implicated in physiological and behavioral responses to emotional stress.
      However, the local neurochemical mechanisms mediating the BNST control of stress
      responses are not fully known. Here, we investigated the involvement of BNST
      cholinergic neurotransmission, acting via muscarinic receptors, in cardiovascular
      (increase in blood pressure and heart rate and fall in tail skin temperature) and
      neuroendocrine (increase in plasma corticosterone) responses and behavioral
      consequences (anxiogenic-like effect in the elevated plus-maze) evoked by acute
      restraint stress in rats. Bilateral microinjection into the BNST of either the
      choline uptake inhibitor hemicholinium-3 (3 nmol/100 nl) or the muscarinic
      receptor antagonist methylatropine (3 nmol/100 nl) enhanced the heart rate
      increase and inhibited the anxiogenic-like effect observed in the elevated plus
      maze evoked by restraint. However, neither hemicholinium-3 nor methylatropine
      affected the increase in blood pressure and plasma corticosterone levels and the
      fall in tail skin temperature. Facilitation of local cholinergic signaling by
      microinjection of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor neostigmine (0.1 nmol/100
      nl) into the BNST reduced restraint-evoked pressor and tachycardiac responses and
      the fall in tail cutaneous temperature, without affecting the increase in plasma
      corticosterone. All effects of neostigmine were completely abolished by local
      BNST pretreatment with methylatropine. These findings indicate an opposite role
      of BNST cholinergic neurotransmission, acting via local muscarinic receptor, in
      control of cardiovascular responses (inhibitory influence) and emotional
      consequences (facilitatory influence) evoked by restraint stress. Furthermore,
      present findings provide evidence that BNST control of neuroendocrine responses
      to stress is mediated by mechanisms others than local cholinergic signaling.

PMID- 26477571
TI  - The serotonergic hallucinogen 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine disrupts cortical
      activity in a regionally-selective manner via 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(2A) receptors.
AB  - 5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a natural hallucinogen, acting as
      a non-selective serotonin 5-HT(1A)/5-HT(2A)-R agonist. Psychotomimetic agents
      such as the non-competitive NMDA-R antagonist phencyclidine and serotonergic
      hallucinogens (DOI and 5-MeO-DMT) disrupt cortical synchrony in the low frequency
      range (<4 Hz) in rat prefrontal cortex (PFC), an effect reversed by antipsychotic
      drugs. Here we extend these observations by examining the effect of 5-MeO-DMT on
      low frequency cortical oscillations (LFCO, <4 Hz) in PFC, visual (V1),
      somatosensory (S1) and auditory (Au1) cortices, as well as the dependence of
      these effects on 5-HT(1A)-R and 5-HT(2A)-R, using wild type (WT) and 5-HT(2A)-R
      knockout (KO2A) anesthetized mice. 5-MeO-DMT reduced LFCO in the PFC of WT and
      KO2A mice. The effect in KO2A mice was fully prevented by the 5-HT(1A)-R
      antagonist WAY-100635. Systemic and local 5-MeO-DMT reduced 5-HT release in PFC
      mainly via 5-HT(1A)-R. Moreover, 5-MeO-DMT reduced LFCO in S1, Au1 and V1 of WT
      mice and only in V1 of KO2A mice, suggesting the involvement of 5-HT(1A)-R
      activation in the 5-MeO-DMT-induced disruption of V1 activity. In addition,
      antipsychotic drugs reversed 5-MeO-DMT effects in WT mice. The present results
      suggest that the hallucinogen action of 5-MeO-DMT is mediated by simultaneous
      alterations of the activity of sensory (S1, Au1, V1) and associative (PFC)
      cortical areas, also supporting a role of 5-HT(1A)-R stimulation in V1 and PFC,
      in addition to the well-known action on 5-HT(2A)-R. Moreover, the reversal by
      antipsychotic drugs of 5-MeO-DMT effects adds to previous literature supporting
      the usefulness of the present model in antipsychotic drug development.

PMID- 26477567
TI  - Phosphorylation and isoform use in p120-catenin during development and
      tumorigenesis.
AB  - P120-catenin is essential to vertebrate development, modulating cadherin and
      small-GTPase functions, and growing evidence points also to roles in the nucleus.
      A complexity in addressing p120-catenin's functions is its many isoforms,
      including optional splicing events, alternative points of translational
      initiation, and secondary modifications. In this review, we focus upon how
      choices in the initiation of protein translation, or the earlier splicing of the
      RNA transcript, relates to primary sequences that harbor established or putative
      regulatory phosphorylation sites. While certain p120 phosphorylation events arise
      via known kinases/phosphatases and have defined outcomes, in most cases the
      functional consequences are still to be established. In this review, we provide
      examples of p120-isoforms as they relate to phosphorylation events, and thereby
      to isoform dependent protein-protein associations and downstream functions. We
      also provide a view of upstream pathways that determine p120's phosphorylation
      state, and that have an impact upon development and disease. Because other
      members of the p120 subfamily undergo similar processing and phosphorylation, as
      well as related catenins of the plakophilin subfamily, what is learned regarding
      p120 will by extension have wide relevance in vertebrates. 

PMID- 26477569
TI  - Estrogen accelerates the resolution of inflammation in macrophagic cells.
AB  - Although 17beta-estradiol (E2) anti-inflammatory activity has been well
      described, very little is known about the effects of this hormone on the
      resolution phase of the inflammatory process. Here, we identified a previously
      unreported ERalpha-mediated effect of E2 on the inflammatory machinery. The study
      showed that the activation of the intracellular estrogen receptor shortens the
      LPS-induced pro-inflammatory phase and, by influencing the intrinsic and
      extrinsic programs, triggers the resolution of inflammation in RAW 264.7 cells.
      Through the regulation of the SOCS3 and STAT3 signaling pathways, E2 facilitates
      the progression of the inflammatory process toward the IL10-dependent "acquired
      deactivation" phenotype, which is responsible for tissue remodeling and the
      restoration of homeostatic conditions. The present study may provide an
      explanation for increased susceptibility to chronic inflammatory diseases in
      women after menopause, and it suggests novel anti-inflammatory treatments for
      such disorders. 

PMID- 26477574
TI  - Development of a new integrative toxicity index based on an improvement of the
      sea urchin embryo toxicity test.
AB  - The sea urchin embryo toxicity test is classically used to assess the noxious
      effects of contaminated marine waters and sediments. In Italian guidelines on
      quality of dredged sediments, the standard toxicity criteria used for this assay
      are based on a single endpoint at 48 hours of development, corresponding to the
      pluteus stage. Different typologies of abnormalities, including those which occur
      at earlier stages, are not categorized, thus preventing the evaluation of the
      actual teratogenic hazards. A new integrative toxicity index has been developed
      in this study based on the analysis of two developmental stages, at 24 and 48h
      post-fertilization, and the differentiation between development delays and germ
      layers impairments: the new toxicity index is calculated by integrating the
      frequency of abnormal embryos with the severity of such abnormalities. When
      tested on dredged sediments, the evaluation of increasing levels of toxicity
      affecting embryonic outcomes enhanced the capability to discriminate different
      samples, appearing particularly relevant to validate the sea urchin embryo
      toxicity assay, and supporting its utility in practical applications such as the
      sediments classification in harbor areas. 

PMID- 26477573
TI  - Neurobehavioral Anomalies in the Pitx3/ak Murine Model of Parkinson's Disease and
      MPTP.
AB  - Pitx3/ak null mutants are characterized by basal ganglia pathology in a manner
      resembling Parkinson's disease (PD), with decline in substantia nigra cell
      numbers as well as striatal tyrosine hydroxylase expression. Although young adult
      Pitx3/ak mutants were deficient in motor coordination tests, they were more
      active than non-transgenic controls in the open-field, unlike PD-related
      bradykinesia. On the SHIRPA primary screen, the mutants displayed body tremor,
      hyperactivity in the viewing jar, anomalies in eye morphology as well as a higher
      degree of hindlimb clasping and myoclonic jumping. Increased hindlimb clasping
      time and rotorod deficits seen in mutants were also exhibited by mice injected
      with MPTP, indicating an influence of dopamine on these behaviors.

PMID- 26477572
TI  - Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Behavioral Stability and Change in
      Children 6-36 months of Age Using Louisville Twin Study Data.
AB  - The Infant Behavior Record (IBR) from the Bayley Scales of Infant Development has
      been used to study behavioral development since the 1960s. Matheny (1983)
      examined behavioral development at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months from the Louisville
      Twin Study (LTS). The extracted temperament scales included Task Orientation,
      Affect-Extraversion, and Activity. He concluded that monozygotic twins were more
      similar than same-sex dizygotic twins on these dimensions. Since this seminal
      work was published, a larger LTS sample and more advanced analytical methods are
      available. In the current analyses, Choleksy decomposition was applied to
      behavioral data (n = 1231) from twins 6-36 months. Different patterns of genetic
      continuity vs genetic innovations were identified for each IBR scale. Single
      common genetic and shared environmental factors explained cross-age twin
      similarity in the Activity scale. Multiple shared environmental factors and a
      single genetic factor coming on line at age 18 months contributed to Affect
      Extraversion. A single shared environmental factor and multiple genetic factors
      explained cross-age twin similarity in Task Orientation. 

PMID- 26477575
TI  - The first mollusk spatzle homolog gene in the clam, Paphia undulate.
AB  - Spatzle, is the only identified endogenous Toll receptor ligand, plays a critical
      role in initiatinge innate immune responses and controlling dorsal-ventral axis
      formation in Drosophila. Here we identified the first spatzle gene homolog, Pu
      Spz, in the marine mollusk Paphia undulate. The full-length of Pu-Spz cDNA is
      1248 bp, including an open reading frame (ORF) of 702 bp, a 5'-untranslated
      region (UTR) of 26 bp and a 3'-UTR of 203 bp. The ORF encodes a 233-amino-acid
      protein with conserved domains; it includes a putative signal peptide and a C
      terminal cystine-knot. Sequence alignment revealed that the cystine-knot domain
      of Pu-Spz contains six highly conserved Cys residues, which maintain a molecular
      conformation suitable for Toll receptor binding. Unlike Spatzle, Pu-Spz lacks a
      seventh Cys residue, which is essential for forming intermolecular disulfide
      bridge. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Pu-Spz is closer to the homologs
      found in crustaceans than to those in the insect branch. Transcript abundance of
      Pu-Spz was increased after challenging P. undulate with either heat-killed
      Listeria monocytogenes or heat-killed Vibrio alginolyticus, suggesting Spatzle is
      involved in P. undulate host defense. Our results demonstrate convergent
      evolution of the spatzle-Toll system between the mollusk and arthropod lineages.

PMID- 26477576
TI  - Molecular structure and functional characterization of the gamma-interferon
      inducible lysosomal thiol reductase (GILT) gene in largemouth bass (Microptenus
      salmoides).
AB  - The enzyme gamma-interferon-inducible lysosomal thiol reductase (GILT) plays a
      role in facilitating the processing and presentation of major histocompatibility
      complex (MHC) class II-restricted antigens and is also involved in MHC I
      restricted antigens in adaptive immunity catalyzing disulfide bond reduction in
      mammals. In this study, we cloned a GILT gene homolog from largemouth bass
      (designated 'lbGILT'), a freshwater fish belonging to Perciformes and known for
      its nutritive value. We obtained the full-length cDNA of lbGILT by reverse
      transcription PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends. This cDNA is comprised of
      a 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of 87 bp, a 3'-UTR of 189 bp, and an open reading
      frame of 771 bp. It encodes a protein of 256 amino acids with a deduced molecular
      weight of 28.548 kDa and a predicted isoelectric point of 5.62. The deduced
      protein possesses the typical structural features of known GILTs, including an
      active site motif, two potential N-linked glycosylation sites, a GILT signature
      sequence, and six conserved cysteines. Tissue-specific expression of lbGILT was
      shown by real-time quantitative PCR. The expression of lbGILT mRNA was obviously
      up regulated in spleen and kidney after induction with lipopolysaccharide.
      Recombinant lbGILT was produced as an inclusion body with a His6 tag in
      ArcticExpress (DE3), and the protein was then washed, solubilized, and refolded.
      The refolded lbGILT showed reduction activity against an IgG substrate. These
      results suggest that lbGILT plays a role in innate immunity.

PMID- 26477578
TI  - Multi-phase functionalization of titanium for enhanced photon absorption in the
      vis-NIR region.
AB  - Inadequate absorption of Near Infrared (NIR) photons by conventional silicon
      solar cells has been a major stumbling block towards the attainment of a high
      efficiency "full spectrum" solar cell. An effective enhancement in the absorption
      of such photons is desired as they account for a considerable portion of the
      tappable solar energy. In this work, we report a remarkable gain observed in the
      absorption of photons in the near infrared and visible region (400 nm-1000 nm) by
      a novel multi-phased oxide of titanium. Synthesised via a single step ultra-fast
      laser pulse interaction with pure titanium, characterisation studies have
      identified this oxide of titanium to be multi-phased and composed of Ti3O,
      (TiO.716)3.76 and TiO2 (rutile). Computed to have an average band gap value of
      2.39 eV, this ultrafast laser induced multi-phased titanium oxide has especially
      exhibited steady absorption capability in the NIR range of 750-1000 nm, which to
      the best of our knowledge, was never reported before. The unique NIR absorption
      properties of the laser functionalised titanium coupled with the simplicity and
      versatility of the ultrafast laser interaction process involved thereby provides
      tremendous potential towards the photon sensitization of titanium and thereafter
      for the inception of a "full spectrum" solar device.

PMID- 26477577
TI  - Eltrombopag enhances platelet adhesion by upregulating the expression of
      glycoprotein VI in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura.
AB  - Eltrombopag, a thrombopoietin receptor agonist, has been approved for the
      treatment of patients with immune thrombocytopenia because of its abilities to
      enhance platelet production and reduce hemorrhage. Both platelet count and
      platelet adhesion are crucial to stop bleeding. Although eltrombopag is known to
      improve platelet counts, its effects on platelet adhesion are not yet known. This
      study aimed to assess the efficacy of eltrombopag on platelet production and
      platelet adhesive affinity. To evaluate the efficacy of low-dose eltrombopag (25
      mg) for patients with chronic refractory immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
      and to determine the ex vivo platelet adhesion ability before and after treatment
      with eltrombopag, we conducted an open-label, multicenter study in which 25
      Taiwanese patients with chronic ITP were enrolled. During the 6-month evaluation,
      the starting and maximum doses of eltrombopag were 25 and 50 mg, respectively, to
      maintain the platelet count of >=50,000 per MUL. Flow-based adhesion assay was
      used to detect the percentage of platelets adhering to immobilized von Willebrand
      factor-collagen on microslides. Of the enrolled patients, 48% achieved a platelet
      count of >=50,000 per MUL. Interestingly, 83% of all responders required 25 mg of
      eltrombopag daily to achieve the target platelet count. In addition, the
      percentage of bleeding patients was significantly reduced in both responders and
      nonresponders by 50% from the baseline level throughout the treatment period. The
      ex vivo platelet adhesion capacity was elevated after the 6-month eltrombopag
      treatment in both responders and nonresponders. Furthermore, glycoprotein VI
      (GPVI) expression was significantly upregulated after treatment with eltrombopag.
      Low-to-intermediate dose of eltrombopag showed good efficacy to expedite platelet
      production and augment platelet adhesion. These 2 factors might explain the
      efficacy of eltrombopag in ameliorating hemorrhage in patients with ITP.

PMID- 26477579
TI  - Microwave axial dielectric properties of carbon fiber.
AB  - Randomly distributed carbon fibers (CFs) reinforced epoxy resin composites are
      prepared by the pouring method, the dielectric properties of CF composites with
      different fiber content and length have been performed in the frequency range
      from 8.2 to 12.4 GHz. The complex permittivity of the composite increases with
      the fiber length, which is attributed to the decrease of depolarization field,
      and increases with the volume fraction, which is attributed to the increase of
      polarization. A formula, based on the theory of Reynolds-Hugh, is proposed to
      calculate the effective permittivity of CF composites, and validated by the
      experiments. The proposed formula is further applied to derive the axial
      permittivity of CF and analyze the effect of fiber length on the axial
      permittivity. 

PMID- 26477580
TI  - Multi-step control over self-assembled hydrogels of peptide-derived building
      blocks and a polymeric cross-linker.
AB  - We present a detailed study of self-assembled hydrogels of bundled and cross
      linked networks consisting of positively charged amyloid-like nanofibers and a
      triblock copolymer with negatively charged end blocks as a cross-linker. In a
      first step small oligopeptides self-assemble into macrocycles which are held
      together by reversible disulfide bonds. Interactions between the peptides cause
      the macrocycles to assemble into nanofibers, which form a reversible hydrogel.
      The physical properties of the hydrogel are tuned using various methods such as
      control over the fibre length, addition of a cross-linking copolymer, and
      addition of salt. We establish a relationship between the bulk mechanical
      properties, the properties of the individual fibers and the hydrogel morphology
      using characterization techniques operating at different length scales such as
      rheology, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and cryo transmission electron microscopy
      (Cryo-TEM). This allows for a precise control of the elastic behaviour of these
      networks. 

PMID- 26477582
TI  - Dipyrrolyphenol as a precursor of pi-electronic anion that forms ion pairs with
      cations.
AB  - A nitro-substituted dipyrrolylphenol was synthesized as a precursor of a pi
      electronic anion, whose phenolate (phenoxide) moiety upon deprotonation was
      stabilized by the hydrogen-bond-donating pyrrole NH, thus forming solid-state ion
      pairs with various cationic species. 

PMID- 26477581
TI  - Bioaccessibility of Ba, Cu, Pb, and Zn in urban garden and orchard soils.
AB  - Exposure of young children to toxic metals in urban environments is largely due
      to soil and dust ingestion. Soil particle size distribution and concentrations of
      toxic metals in different particle sizes are important risk factors in addition
      to bioaccessibility of these metals in the particles. Analysis of particle size
      distribution and metals concentrations for 13 soils, 12 sampled from urban
      gardens and 1 from orchard found that fine particles (<105 MUm) comprised from 22
      to 66% by weight of the tested soils, with Ba, Cu, Pb and Zn generally at higher
      concentrations in the finer particles. However, metal bioaccessibility was
      generally lower in finer particles, a trend most pronounced for Ba and Pb.
      Gastric was higher than gastrointestinal bioaccessibility for all metals except
      Cu. The lower bioaccessibility of Pb in urban garden soils compared to orchard
      soil is attributable to the higher organic matter content of the garden soils. 

PMID- 26477584
TI  - Ionogel based on biopolymer-silica interpenetrated networks: dynamics of confined
      ionic liquid with lithium salt.
AB  - Obtaining solid-state electrolytes with good electrochemical performances remains
      challenging. Ionogels, i.e. solid host networks confining an ionic liquid, are
      promising as they keep the macroscopic properties of the liquid. However,
      confinement of an ionic liquid can imply important changes in its molecular
      dynamics, depending on the route of synthesis and on the confining network. We
      studied this effect on an imidazolium based ionic liquid with its lithium salt
      confined in a hybrid biopolymer-silica matrix. Dynamics of bulk and confined
      solution was probed by quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) which revealed a
      weakly slowed dynamics of imidazolium-based ionic liquid inside the polymer
      silica host network. 

PMID- 26477585
TI  - Multifunctional pure and Eu(3+) doped beta-Ag2MoO4: photoluminescence, energy
      transfer dynamics and defect induced properties.
AB  - Pure and Eu(3+) doped beta-Ag2MoO4 were synthesized using a co-precipitation
      method at room temperature. The as prepared compounds were characterized
      systematically using X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL)
      spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and positron annihilation lifetime
      spectroscopy (PALS). It is observed that pure beta-Ag2MoO4 gives blue (445 nm)
      and green (550 nm) emission when irradiated with UV light. The origin of the
      green band was qualitatively explained from density functional theory (DFT)
      calculations using a suitable distortion model. It was observed that on doping
      europium ions, efficient energy transfer from molybdate to europium takes place.
      The excitation spectrum depicting f-f transitions (particularly 395 nm and 465 nm
      peaks) is much more intense than the CTB showing that Eu(3+) ions can be
      effectively excited by near UV-light. Based on DFT calculations it is proposed
      that due to the occurrence of Eu(3+) d-states in the conduction band (CB) as well
      as the strong contribution of Eu(3+) d-states to the impurity level present in
      the vicinity of the Fermi level, the host (beta-Ag2MoO4) to dopant (Eu(3+))
      energy transfer is preferable. beta-Ag2MoO4 is also explored as a potential
      candidate for electrocatalysis of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). It was
      observed that the doping of europium ions in beta-Ag2MoO4 enhances the
      electrocatalytic activity toward the ORR. The presence of a large concentration
      of cation vacancies and large surface defects as suggested by positron
      annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) seem to be aiding the ORR. 

PMID- 26477583
TI  - Bv8/prokineticin 2 is involved in Abeta-induced neurotoxicity.
AB  - Bv8/Prokineticin 2 (PROK2) is a bioactive peptide initially discovered as a
      regulator of gastrointestinal motility. Among multiple biological roles
      demonstrated for PROK2, it was recently established that PROK2 is an insult
      inducible endangering mediator for cerebral damage. Aim of the present study was
      to evaluate the PROK2 and its receptors' potential involvement in amyloid beta
      (Abeta) neurotoxicity, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and various forms
      of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Analyzing primary cortical cultures (CNs) and
      cortex and hippocampus from Abeta treated rats, we found that PROK2 and its
      receptors PKR1 and PKR2 mRNA are up-regulated by Abeta, suggesting their
      potential involvement in AD. Hence we evaluated if impairing the prokineticin
      system activation might have protective effect against neuronal death induced by
      Abeta. We found that a PKR antagonist concentration-dependently protects CNs
      against Abeta(1-42)-induced neurotoxicity, by reducing the Abeta-induced PROK2
      neuronal up-regulation. Moreover, the antagonist completely rescued LTP
      impairment in hippocampal slices from 6 month-old Tg2576 AD mice without
      affecting basal synaptic transmission and paired pulse-facilitation paradigms.
      These results indicate that PROK2 plays a role in cerebral amyloidosis and that
      PROK2 antagonists may represent a new approach for ameliorating the defining
      pathology of AD.

PMID- 26477586
TI  - Ordered growth of vanadyl phthalocyanine (VOPc) on an iron phthalocyanine (FePc)
      monolayer.
AB  - The growth and characterisation of a non-planar phthalocyanine (vanadyl
      phthalocyanine, VOPc) on a complete monolayer (ML) of a planar phthalocyanine
      (Iron(II) phthalocyanine, FePc) on an Au(111) surface, has been investigated
      using ultra-high vacuum (UHV) scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and low energy
      electron diffraction (LEED). The surface mesh of the initial FePc monolayer has
      been determined and shown to correspond to an incommensurate overlayer, not
      commensurate as previously reported. Ordered islands of VOPc, with (1 * 1)
      epitaxy, grow on the FePc layer at submonolayer coverages. The individual VOPc
      molecules occupy sites directly atop the underlying FePc molecules, indicating
      that significant intermolecular bonding must occur. It is proposed that this
      interaction implies that the V[double bond, length as m-dash]O points down into
      the surface, allowing a Fe-O bond to form. The detailed appearance of the STM
      images of the VOPc molecules is consistent with previous studies in other VOPc
      growth studies in which this molecular orientation has been proposed.

PMID- 26477587
TI  - Synthesis and photophysics of selective functionalized pi-conjugated, blue light
      emitting, highly fluorescent C7-imidazo indolizine derivatives.
AB  - A new family of novel highly fluorescent pi-conjugated, C7-imidazole based
      indolizine derivatives has been prepared in good to excellent yields, catalysed
      by l-proline in acetonitrile. These are pi-conjugated, C7-imidazole based
      indolizine derivatives covering the emission wavelength range 423-449 nm in
      acetonitrile with high quantum yields at 25  degrees C. A thorough photophysical
      study of all the compounds has been carried out to understand the pi-conjugated
      electronic effect of the imidazole moiety fused at the C7 position on the
      indolizine motif. In addition, a comparative photophysical study of three
      selective fluorophores was also carried out in a wide variety of solvents at 25 
      degrees C. Finally, the molecular orbitals of the two representative compounds
      were investigated through DFT calculations to illustrate the pi-conjugate effect.

PMID- 26477588
TI  - Comprehensive Cytomorphologic Analysis of Pulmonary Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma:
      Comparison to Small Cell Carcinoma and Non-pulmonary Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cytologic diagnosis of pulmonary adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) is
      frequently challenging and differential diagnosis with small cell carcinoma is
      often difficult. METHODS: Eleven cytologically diagnosed cases of pulmonary AdCC
      were collected and reviewed according to fifteen cytomorphologic characteristics:
      small cell size, cellular uniformity, coarse chromatin, hyperchromasia, distinct
      nucleolus, frequent nuclear molding, granular cytoplasm, organoid cluster, sheet
      formation, irregular border of cluster, hyaline globule, hyaline basement
      membrane material, individual cell necrosis or apoptotic body, and necrotic
      background. Twenty cases of small cell carcinoma and fifteen cases of non
      pulmonary AdCC were also reviewed for the comparison. RESULTS: Statistically
      significant differences were identified between pulmonary AdCC and small cell
      carcinoma in fourteen of the fifteen cytomorphologic criteria (differences in
      sheet formation were not statistically significant). Cellular uniformity,
      distinct nucleolus, granular cytoplasm, distinct cell border, organoid cluster,
      hyaline globule, and hyaline basement membrane material were characteristic
      features of AdCC. Frequent nuclear molding, individual cell necrosis, and
      necrotic background were almost exclusively identified in small cell carcinoma.
      Although coarse chromatin and irregular cluster border were observed in both,
      they favored the diagnosis of small cell carcinoma. Hyaline globules were more
      frequently seen in non-pulmonary AdCC cases. CONCLUSIONS: Using the fifteen
      cytomorphologic criteria described by this study, pulmonary AdCC could be
      successfully distinguished from small cell carcinoma. Such a comprehensive
      approach to an individual case is recommended for the cytologic diagnosis of
      pulmonary AdCC.

PMID- 26477589
TI  - Combination of Optimization and Metalated-Ligand Exchange: An Effective Approach
      to Functionalize UiO-66(Zr) MOFs for CO2 Separation.
AB  - The strategy to functionalize water-stable metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in
      order to improve their CO2 uptake capacities for efficient CO2 separation remains
      limited and challenging. We herein present an effective approach to functionalize
      a prominent water-stable MOF, UiO-66(Zr), by a combination of optimization and
      metalated-ligand exchange. In particular, by systematic optimization, we have
      successfully obtained UiO-66(Zr) of the highest BET surface area reported so far
      (1730 m(2)  g(-1) ). Moreover, it shows a hybrid Type I/IV N2 isotherm at 77 K
      and a mesopore size of 3.9 nm for the first time. The UiO-66 MOF underwent a
      metalated-ligand-exchange (MLE) process to yield a series of new UiO-66-type
      MOFs, among which UiO-66-(COONa)2 -EX and UiO-66-(COOLi)4 -EX MOFs have both
      enhanced CO2 working capacity and IAST CO2 /N2 selectivity. Our approach has thus
      suggested an alternative design to achieve water-stable MOFs with high
      crystallinity and gas uptake for efficient CO2 separation. 

PMID- 26477590
TI  - Microfluidic cell-phoresis enabling high-throughput analysis of red blood cell
      deformability and biophysical screening of antimalarial drugs.
AB  - Changes in red blood cell (RBC) deformability are associated with the pathology
      of many diseases and could potentially be used to evaluate disease status and
      treatment efficacy. We developed a simple, sensitive, and multiplexed RBC
      deformability assay based on the spatial dispersion of single cells in structured
      microchannels. This mechanism is analogous to gel electrophoresis, but instead of
      transporting molecules through nano-structured material to measure their length,
      RBCs are transported through micro-structured material to measure their
      deformability. After transport, the spatial distribution of cells provides a
      readout similar to intensity bands in gel electrophoresis, enabling simultaneous
      measurement on multiple samples. We used this approach to study the biophysical
      signatures of falciparum malaria, for which we demonstrate label-free and
      calibration-free detection of ring-stage infection, as well as in vitro
      assessment of antimalarial drug efficacy. We show that clinical antimalarial
      drugs universally reduce the deformability of RBCs infected by Plasmodium
      falciparum and that recently discovered PfATP4 inhibitors, known to induce host
      mediated parasite clearance, display a distinct biophysical signature. Our
      process captures key advantages from gel electrophoresis, including image-based
      readout and multiplexing, to provide a functional screen for new antimalarials
      and adjunctive agents. 

PMID- 26477591
TI  - Batch and Flow Synthesis of Pyrrolo[1,2-a]-quinolines via an Allene-Based
      Reaction Cascade.
AB  - An efficient reaction cascade delivering a series of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinolines
      bearing phosphonate or phosphine oxide moieties is presented. This sequence
      exploits the in situ transformation of propargylic alcohols into transient
      allenes by means of a strategic [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement followed by
      trapping of the resulting allenes by an adjacent pyrrole ring. Furthermore, the
      initial small scale batch process was successfully translated into a continuous
      flow process allowing efficient preparation of selected pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinolines
      on multigram scale without any safety concerns due to the reaction's inherent
      exothermic profile. 

PMID- 26477592
TI  - The contribution of education, social class and economic activity to the income
      mortality association in alcohol-related and other mortality in Finland in 1988
      2012.
AB  - AIMS: First, to quantify trends in the contribution of alcohol-related mortality
      to mortality disparity in Finland by income quintiles. Secondly, to estimate the
      degree to which education, social class and economic activity explain the income
      mortality association in alcohol-related and other mortality in four periods
      within 1988-2012. DESIGN: Register-based longitudinal study using an 11% random
      sample of Finnish residents linked to socio-economic and mortality data in 1988
      2012 augmented with an 80% sample of all deaths during 1988-2007. Mortality rates
      and discrete time survival regression models were used to assess the income
      mortality association following adjustment for covariates in 6-year periods after
      baseline years of 1988, 1994, 2001, and 2007. SETTING: Finland. PARTICIPANTS:
      Individuals aged 35-64 years at baselines. For the four study periods for
      men/women, the final data set comprised, respectively, 26,360/12,825,
      22,561/11,423, 20,342/11,319 and 2651/1514 deaths attributable to other causes
      and 7517/1217, 8199/1450, 9807/2116, 1431/318 deaths attributable to alcohol
      related causes. MEASUREMENTS: Alcohol-related deaths were analysed with household
      income, education, social class and economic activity as covariates. FINDINGS:
      The income disparity in mortality originated increasingly from alcohol-related
      causes of death, in the lowest quintile the contribution increasing from 28 to
      49% among men and from 11 to 28% among women between periods 1988-93 and 2007-12.
      Among men, socio-economic characteristics attenuated the excess mortality during
      each study period in the lowest income quintile by 51-62% in alcohol-related and
      other causes. Among women, in the lowest quintile the attenuation was 47-76% in
      other causes, but there was a decreasing tendency in the proportion explained by
      the covariates in alcohol-related mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The income disparity in
      mortality among working-age Finns originates increasingly from alcohol-related
      causes of death. Roughly half the excess mortality in the lowest income quintile
      during 2007-12 is explained by the covariates of household income, education,
      social class and economic activity.

PMID- 26477594
TI  - The changing face of atherosclerotic plaque inflammation.

PMID- 26477595
TI  - Genetics of coronary heart disease: towards causal mechanisms, novel drug targets
      and more personalized prevention.
AB  - Coronary heart disease (CHD) is an archetypical multifactorial disorder that is
      influenced by genetic susceptibility as well as both modifiable and nonmodifiable
      risk factors, and their interactions. Advances during recent years in the field
      of multifactorial genetics, in particular genomewide association studies (GWASs)
      and their meta-analyses, have provided the statistical power to identify and
      replicate genetic variants in more than 50 risk loci for CHD and in several
      hundreds of loci for cardiometabolic risk factors for CHD such as blood lipids
      and lipoproteins. Although for a great majority of these loci both the causal
      variants and mechanisms remain unknown, progress in identifying the causal
      variants and underlying mechanisms has already been made for several genetic
      loci. Furthermore, identification of rare loss-of-function variants in genes such
      as PCSK9, NPC1L1, APOC3 and APOA5, which cause a markedly decreased risk of CHD
      and no adverse side effects, illustrates the power of translating genetic
      findings into novel mechanistic information and provides some optimism for the
      future of developing novel drugs, given the many genes associated with CHD in
      GWASs. Finally, Mendelian randomization can be used to reveal or exclude causal
      relationships between heritable biomarkers and CHD, and such approaches have
      already provided evidence of causal relationships between CHD and LDL
      cholesterol, triglycerides/remnant particles and lipoprotein(a), and indicated a
      lack of causality for HDL cholesterol, C-reactive protein and lipoprotein
      associated phospholipase A2. Together, these genetic findings are beginning to
      lead to promising new drug targets and novel interventional strategies and thus
      have great potential to improve prevention, prediction and therapy of CHD. 

PMID- 26477597
TI  - Impact of attention biases to threat and effortful control on individual
      variations in negative affect and social withdrawal in very young children.
AB  - Early temperamental sensitivity may form the basis for the later development of
      socioemotional maladjustment. In particular, temperamental negative affect places
      children at risk for the development of anxiety. However, not all children who
      show negative affect go on to develop anxiety or extreme social withdrawal.
      Recent research indicates that reactive control, in the form of attention to
      threat, may serve as a bridge between early temperament and the development of
      later social difficulties. In addition, variation in effortful control may also
      modulate this trajectory. Children (mean age=5.57 years) were assessed for
      attention bias to threatening and pleasant faces using a dot-probe paradigm.
      Attention bias to threatening (but not happy) faces moderated the direct positive
      relation between negative affect and social withdrawal. Children with threat
      biases showed a significant link between negative affect and social withdrawal,
      whereas children who avoided threat did not. In contrast, effortful control did
      not moderate the relation between negative affect and social withdrawal. Rather,
      there was a direct negative relation between effortful control and social
      withdrawal. The findings from this short report indicate that the relations among
      temperament, attention bias, and social withdrawal appears early in life and
      point to early emerging specificity in reactive and regulatory functioning. 

PMID- 26477598
TI  - Language complexity modulates 8- and 10-year-olds' success at using their theory
      of mind abilities in a communication task.
AB  - Basic competence in theory of mind is acquired during early childhood.
      Nonetheless, evidence suggests that the ability to take others' perspectives in
      communication improves continuously from middle childhood to the late teenage
      years. This indicates that theory of mind performance undergoes protracted
      developmental changes after the acquisition of basic competence. Currently,
      little is known about the factors that constrain children's performance or that
      contribute to age-related improvement. A sample of 39 8-year-olds and 56 10-year
      olds were tested on a communication task in which a speaker's limited perspective
      needed to be taken into account and the complexity of the speaker's utterance
      varied. Our findings showed that 10-year-olds were generally less egocentric than
      8-year-olds. Children of both ages committed more egocentric errors when a
      speaker uttered complex sentences compared with simple sentences. Both 8- and 10
      year-olds were affected by the demand to integrate complex sentences with the
      speaker's limited perspective and to a similar degree. These results suggest that
      long after children's development of simple visual perspective-taking, their use
      of this ability to assist communication is substantially constrained by the
      complexity of the language involved.

PMID- 26477599
TI  - CAUTI Surveillance: Opportunity or Opportunity Cost?

PMID- 26477596
TI  - The small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycans in tissue repair and atherosclerosis.
AB  - Proteoglycans consist of a protein core with one or more covalently attached
      glycosaminoglycan (GAG) side chains and have multiple roles in the initiation and
      progression of atherosclerosis. Here we discuss the potential and known functions
      of a group of small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycans (SLRPs) in atherosclerosis.
      We focus on five SLRPs, decorin, biglycan, lumican, fibromodulin and PRELP,
      because these have been detected in atherosclerotic plaques or demonstrated to
      have a role in animal models of atherosclerosis. Decorin and biglycan are
      modified post-translationally by substitution with chondroitin/dermatan sulphate
      GAGs, whereas lumican, fibromodulin and PRELP have keratan sulphate side chains,
      and the core proteins have leucine-rich repeat (LRR) motifs that are
      characteristic of the LRR superfamily. The chondroitin/dermatan sulphate GAG side
      chains have been implicated in lipid retention in atherosclerosis. The core
      proteins are discussed here in the context of (i) interactions with collagens and
      their implications in tissue integrity, fibrosis and wound repair and (ii)
      interactions with growth factors, cytokines, pathogen-associated molecular
      patterns and cell surface receptors that impact normal physiology and disease
      processes such as inflammation, innate immune responses and wound healing (i.e.
      processes that are all important in plaque development and progression). Thus,
      studies of these SLRPs in the context of wound healing are providing clues about
      their functions in early stages of atherosclerosis to plaque vulnerability and
      cardiovascular disease at later stages. Understanding of signal transduction
      pathways regulated by the core protein interactions is leading to novel roles and
      therapeutic potential for these proteins in wound repair and atherosclerosis. 

PMID- 26477600
TI  - Reply to Roady.

PMID- 26477601
TI  - Global redox cycle of biospheric carbon: Interaction of photosynthesis and earth
      crust processes.
AB  - A model of the natural global redox cycle of biospheric carbon is introduced.
      According to this model, carbon transfer between biosphere and geospheres is
      accompanied by a conversion of the oxidative forms, presented by CO2, bicarbonate
      and carbonate ions, into the reduced forms, produced in photosynthesis. The
      mechanism of carbon transfer is associated with two phases of movement of
      lithospheric plates. In the short-term orogenic phase, CO2 from the subduction
      (plates' collisions) zones fills the "atmosphere-hydrosphere" system, resulting
      in climate warming. In the long-term quiet (geosynclynal) phase, weathering and
      photosynthesis become dominant depleting the oxidative forms of carbon. The above
      asymmetric periodicity exerts an impact on climate, biodiversity, distribution of
      organic matter in sedimentary deposits, etc. Along with photosynthesis expansion,
      the redox carbon cycle undergoes its development until it reaches the ecological
      compensation point, at which CO2 is depleted to the level critical to support the
      growth and reproduction of plants. This occurred in the Permo-Carboniferous time
      and in the Neogene. Shorter-term perturbations of the global carbon cycle in the
      form of glacial-interglacial oscillations appear near the ecological compensation
      point. 

PMID- 26477603
TI  - Medical Cost Impact of Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy for Severe Spasticity.

PMID- 26477602
TI  - "Just take your medicine and everything will be fine": Responsibilisation
      narratives in accounts of transitioning young people with HIV into adult care
      services in Australia.
AB  - Young people who have grown up with perinatally acquired HIV in wealthy nations
      are increasingly transitioning into adult care settings which expect more
      independence and self-regulation than paediatric care. Drawing on the first
      qualitative study on growing up with HIV in Australia, this paper examines
      "responsibilisation" narratives in semi-structured interviews conducted with
      young people with HIV and their paediatric and adult care providers. Three
      dominant narratives were identified: responsibilisation as imperative, practice
      and contest. This suggests that while young people growing up with HIV in an
      advanced liberal setting such as Australia may value the independence of adult
      care, and appreciate the need to take responsibility for their health, the
      practices involved in becoming a responsible health citizen are shaped by
      individual histories and circumstances, and in some cases, can lead to serious
      contestation and conflict with care providers. Placing a stronger emphasis on
      what young people can gain from taking an active role in managing their health
      may more successfully foster responsibilisation, rather than focusing on what
      they will lose. Clinicians could benefit from greater support regarding how to
      engage young people with the elements of responsibilisation likely to resonate
      more meaningfully at different points in their lives. 

PMID- 26477604
TI  - Effect of Iron(II) on Arsenic Sequestration by delta-MnO2: Desorption Studies
      Using Stirred-Flow Experiments and X-Ray Absorption Fine-Structure Spectroscopy.
AB  - Arsenic (As) mobility in the environment is greatly affected by its oxidation
      state and the degree to which it is sorbed on metal oxide surfaces. Manganese
      (Mn) and iron (Fe) oxides are ubiquitous solids in terrestrial systems and have
      high sorptive capacities for many trace metals, including As. Although numerous
      studies have studied the effects of As adsorption and desorption onto Fe and Mn
      oxides individually, the fate of As within mixed systems representative of
      natural environments has not been resolved. In this research, As(III) was
      initially reacted with a poorly crystalline phyllomanganate (delta-MnO2) in the
      presence of Fe(II) prior to desorption. This initial reaction resulted in the
      sorption of both As(III) and As(V) on mixed Fe/Mn-oxides surfaces. A desorption
      study was carried out using two environmentally significant ions, phosphate
      (PO4(3-)) and calcium (Ca(2+)). Both a stirred-flow technique and X-ray
      absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (XAFS) analysis were used to investigate
      As desorption behavior. Results showed that when As(III)/Fe(II) = 1:1 in the
      initial reaction, only As(V) was desorbed, agreeing with a previous study showing
      that As(III) is not associated with the Fe/Mn-oxides. When As(III)/Fe(II) = 1:10
      in the initial reaction, both As(III) and As(V) can be desorbed from the Fe/Mn
      oxide surface, and more As(III) is desorbed than As(V). Neither of the desorbents
      used in this study completely removed As(III) or As(V) from the Fe/Mn-oxides
      surface. However, the As desorption fraction decreases with increasing Fe(II)
      concentration in the initial reactions. 

PMID- 26477605
TI  - Spin Noise Detection of Nuclear Hyperpolarization at 1.2 K.
AB  - We report proton spin noise spectra of a hyperpolarized solid sample of commonly
      used "DNP (dynamic nuclear polarization) juice" containing TEMPOL (4-hydroxy
      2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine N-oxide) and irradiated by a microwave field at a
      temperature of 1.2 K in a magnetic field of 6.7 T. The line shapes of the spin
      noise power spectra are sensitive to the variation of the microwave irradiation
      frequency and change from dip to bump, when the electron Larmor frequency is
      crossed, which is shown to be in good accordance with theory by simulations.
      Small but significant deviations from these predictions are observed, which can
      be related to spin noise and radiation damping phenomena that have been reported
      in thermally polarized systems. The non-linear dependence of the spin noise
      integral on nuclear polarization provides a means to monitor hyperpolarization
      semi-quantitatively without any perturbation of the spin system by radio
      frequency irradiation. 

PMID- 26477606
TI  - Exogenous isoprene modulates gene expression in unstressed Arabidopsis thaliana
      plants.
AB  - Isoprene is a well-studied volatile hemiterpene that protects plants from abiotic
      stress through mechanisms that are not fully understood. The antioxidant and
      membrane stabilizing potential of isoprene are the two most commonly invoked
      mechanisms. However, isoprene also affects phenylpropanoid metabolism, suggesting
      an additional role as a signalling molecule. In this study, microarray-based gene
      expression profiling reveals transcriptional reprogramming of Arabidopsis
      thaliana plants fumigated for 24 h with a physiologically relevant concentration
      of isoprene. Functional enrichment analysis of fumigated plants revealed enhanced
      heat- and light-stress-responsive processes in response to isoprene. Isoprene
      induced a network enriched in ERF and WRKY transcription factors, which may play
      a role in stress tolerance. The isoprene-induced up-regulation of phenylpropanoid
      biosynthetic genes was specifically confirmed using quantitative reverse
      transcription polymerase chain reaction. These results support a role for
      isoprene as a signalling molecule, in addition to its possible roles as an
      antioxidant and membrane thermoprotectant.

PMID- 26477607
TI  - PTH Promotes Bone Anabolism by Stimulating Aerobic Glycolysis via IGF Signaling.

PMID- 26477610
TI  - Noise robust spatially regularized myelin water fraction mapping with the
      intrinsic B1-error correction based on the linearized version of the extended
      phase graph model.
AB  - PURPOSE: To improve the quantification accuracy of transverse relaxometry by
      accounting for B1 -error, after minimizing slice profile imperfections. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The slice profile of refocusing pulses was optimized by setting
      refocusing slice thicknesses three times that of the excitation pulse. The first
      step of data processing combined the L-curve approach with the linearized version
      of the extended phase graph model to jointly estimate the temporal regularization
      constant map and the flip angle error (FAE)-map. The second step improved the
      noise robustness of the reconstruction by imposing a spatial smoothness
      constraint on T2 -distributions. The proposed method (spatial-regularization-with
      FAE-correction) was evaluated against methods without FAE-correction
      (conventional-regularization-without-FAE-correction, spatial-regularization
      without-FAE-correction) and conventional-regularization-with-FAE-correction using
      relevant statistics (simulated data: mean square myelin reconstruction error
      [MSMRE] and averaged-symmetric-Kullbeck-Leibler score [SKL] between returned
      distributions and ground truths; experimental data: median of mean square error
      [MMSE] of fitting across entire data-set and coefficient of variation [COV] in
      white-matter [WM] regions of interest [ROIs]). RESULTS: In simulation, our method
      resulted in reduced MSMRE (at signal-to-noise ratio [SNR] = 200: MSMRESpatial
      regularization-without-FAEC  = 0.057; MSMRESpatial-regularization-with-FAEC  =
      0.0107) and reduced SKL scores (at SNR = 200: SKLSpatial-regularization-without
      FAEC  = 0.061; SKLSpatial-regularization-with-FAEC  = 0.0143). In human
      volunteers, our method yielded a reduced MSE of fitting (MMSESpatial
      regularization-without-FAEC  = (2.26 +/- 0.60) * 10(-3) ; MMSESpatial
      regularization-with-FAEC  = (1.57 +/- 0.44) * 10(-4) )and also resulted in
      reduced COV (COVSpatial-regularization-without-FAEC  = 0.08-0.19; COVSpatial
      regularization-with-FAEC  = 0.09-0.12). In a water-phantom, a good correlation
      between the absolute value of measured B1 -map and FAE-map was found (regression
      analysis: slope = 1.04; R(2)  = 0.66). CONCLUSION: The proposed method resulted
      in more accurate and noise robust myelin water fraction maps with improved
      depiction of subcortical WM structures.

PMID- 26477611
TI  - Monitoring Serum Levels of Sorafenib and Its N-Oxide Is Essential for Long-Term
      Sorafenib Treatment of Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - Sorafenib, an oral multi-kinase inhibitor, is the final therapy prior to
      palliative care for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, due to its
      adverse effects, 20% of patients must discontinue sorafenib within 1 month after
      first administration. To identify ways to predict the adverse effects and
      administer the drug for longer periods, we explored the relationship between the
      duration of sorafenib treatment and the pharmacokinetics of sorafenib and its
      major metabolite, sorafenib N-oxide. Twenty-five subjects enrolled in the study
      were divided into two groups: patients with dosage reduced or withdrawn due to
      adverse effects (n = 8), and patients with dosage maintained for 1 month after
      initial administration (n = 17). We evaluated early sorafenib accumulation as the
      area under the curve of sorafenib and sorafenib N-oxide concentrations during
      days 1-7 (AUC(sorafenib) and AUC(N-oxide), respectively). Inter-group comparison
      revealed that AUC(N-oxide) and AUC ratio (AUC(N-oxide)/AUC(sorafenib)) were
      significantly higher in the dosage reduction/withdrawal group (P = 0.031 and P =
      0.0022, respectively). Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that
      AUC(N-oxide) and AUC ratio were reliable predictors of adverse effects. When
      patients were classified by cut-off points (AUC(N-oxide:) 2.0 MUg ? day/mL, AUC
      ratio: 0.13), progression-free survival was significantly longer in patients with
      AUC(N-oxide) <= 2.0 MUg ? day/mL (P = 0.0048, log-rank test). In conclusion, we
      recommend to simultaneously monitor serum levels of sorafenib and its N-oxide
      during the early stage after the first administration, which enables us to
      provide safe and long-term therapy for each HCC patient with sorafenib.

PMID- 26477609
TI  - Multidisciplinary intervention of early, lethal metastatic prostate cancer:
      Report from the 2015 Coffey-Holden Prostate Cancer Academy Meeting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 2015 Coffey-Holden Prostate Cancer Academy Meeting, themed:
      "Multidisciplinary Intervention of Early, Lethal Metastatic Prostate Cancer," was
      held in La Jolla, California from June 25 to 28, 2015. METHODS: The Prostate
      Cancer Foundation (PCF) sponsors an annual, invitation-only, action-tank
      structured meeting on a critical topic concerning lethal prostate cancer. The
      2015 meeting was attended by 71 basic, translational, and clinical investigators
      who discussed the current state of the field, major unmet needs, and ideas for
      addressing earlier diagnosis and treatment of men with lethal prostate cancer for
      the purpose of extending lives and making progress toward a cure. RESULTS: The
      questions addressed at the meeting included: cellular and molecular mechanisms of
      tumorigenesis, evaluating, and targeting the microenvironment in the primary
      tumor, advancing biomarkers for clinical integration, new molecular imaging
      technologies, clinical trials, and clinical trial design in localized high-risk
      and oligometastatic settings, targeting the primary tumor in advanced disease,
      and instituting multi-modal care of high risk and oligometastatic patients.
      DISCUSSION: This article highlights the current status, greatest unmet needs, and
      anticipated field changes that were discussed at the meeting toward the goal of
      optimizing earlier interventions to potentiate cures in high-risk and
      oligometastatic prostate cancer patients.

PMID- 26477612
TI  - Beneficial role of spermidine in chlorophyll metabolism and D1 protein content in
      tomato seedlings under salinity-alkalinity stress.
AB  - Polyamines are important in protecting plants against various environmental
      stresses, including protection against photodamage to the photosynthetic
      apparatus. The molecular mechanism of this latter effect is not completely
      understood. Here, we have investigated the effects of salinity-alkalinity stress
      and spermidine (Spd) on tomato seedlings at both physiological and
      transcriptional levels. Salinity-alkalinity stress decreased leaf area, net
      photosynthetic rate, maximum net photosynthetic rate, light saturation point,
      apparent quantum efficiency, total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll
      a:chlorophyll b relative to the control. The amount of D1 protein, an important
      component of photosystem II, was reduced compared with the control, as was the
      expression of psbA, which codes for D1. Expression of the chlorophyll
      biosynthesis gene porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD) was reduced following salinity
      alkalinity stress, whereas the expression of Chlase, which codes for
      chlorophyllase, was increased. These negative physiological effects of salinity
      alkalinity stress were alleviated by exogenous Spd. Expression of PBGD and psbA
      were enhanced, whereas the expression of Chlase was reduced, when exogenous Spd
      was included in the stress treatment compared with when it was not. The
      protective effect of Spd on chlorophyll and D1 protein content during stress may
      maintain the photosynthetic apparatus, permitting continued photosynthesis and
      growth of tomato seedlings (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Jinpengchaoguan) under
      salinity-alkalinity stress. 

PMID- 26477613
TI  - Digestive enzymatic activity during ontogenetic development in zebrafish (Danio
      rerio).
AB  - Despite the growing importance of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an experimental
      model in biomedical research, some aspect of physiological and related
      morphological age dependent changes in digestive system during larval development
      are still unknown. In this paper, a biochemical and morphological study of the
      digestive tract of zebrafish was undertaken to record the functional changes
      occurring in this species during its ontogenetic development, particularly from
      24 hr to 47 days post fertilization (dpf). Endo- and exo-proteases, as well as
      alpha-amylase enzymes, were quantified in zebrafish larvae before first feeding
      (7 dpf). The most morphologically significant events during the ontogenesis of
      the gut occurred between 3 dpf (mouth opening) and 7 dpf (end of exocrine
      pancreas differentiation). The presence of a wide range of digestive enzymes,
      already active at earlier zebrafish larval stages, closely related with the
      omnivorous diet of this species. Increasing enzyme activities were found with
      increasing age, probably in relation with intestinal mucosa folding and
      consequent absorption surface increase. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 324B: 699
      706, 2015. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26477614
TI  - Expression profiling of heat shock genes in a scuttle fly Megaselia scalaris
      (Diptera, Phoridae).
AB  - The Phoridae are a family of small, hump-backed flies, dominating in post-fire
      areas. Some of these flies are probably able to survive a fire as an egg, larva,
      or pupa, and may be adapted to the fire-altered environment at the genomic level.
      In this study, we describe the influence of short-term temperature treatment on
      the expression of seven heat shock protein genes in the third-instar larvae and
      imagoes of a scuttle fly Megaselia scalaris-one of the cosmopolitan and
      polyphagous phorids. In terms of the response to temperature treatment, these
      genes tested against tubulin as a reference split into three classes. The first
      class consists of hsp22 (larvae), hsp23 (larvae), and hsp26 (both larvae and
      imagoes), and is upregulated at the lowest temperature (33 degrees C). The second
      class consists of hsp22 (imagoes), hsp23 (imagoes), hsp40 (larvae and imagoes),
      and hsp70 (larvae and imagoes), and is upregulated or induced at 37 degrees C.
      Expression of genes of the third class (hsp27 and hsp83-larvae and imagoes)
      increased after treatment at 41 degrees C temperature. Expression of the first
      two classes of genes occurred at a temperature lower than the LT50 of larvae and
      imagoes. The fact that there is a gap between the temperature upregulating hsp
      genes and the temperature leading to the loss of viability suggests that not only
      the level of hsp gene expression but also the temperature at which gene
      expression increased is important in an adaptation of M. scalaris to harsh
      environment. J. Exp. Zool. 323A: 704-713, 2015. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26477615
TI  - [Recent echocardiographic examination of the left ventricle - from M-mode to 3D
      speckle-tracking imaging].
AB  - The left ventricle has a vital role in maintaining circulation of the body,
      therefore, its non-invasive assessment is essential. The aim of the present
      review is to demonstrate clinical relevance of different echocardiographic
      methods in the evaluation of left ventricle emphasizing the importance of the
      most recent three-dimensional (and) speckle-tracking methodologies.

PMID- 26477616
TI  - [Lactose intolerance: past and present. Part II].
AB  - The author summarises the interrelations between lactose intolerance, calcium and
      vitamin D metabolism and osteoporosis. Lactose intolerance enhances the risk of
      forearm and hip fractures in some patients. Lactase gene genotype and fracture
      risk are related in some populations. Calcium and vitamin D supplementation
      increase bone mineral content and they are justified in children, during
      pregnancy and lactation, and in postmenopausal women. The intake of milk and milk
      products could increase the risk of ovarian carcinoma. CC genotype of the lactase
      gene increased the risk of colorectal carcinoma in Finns; no such effect was
      observed in British, Spanish and Italian patients. Even small quantities of
      lactose in drugs (10-750 mg) could elicit intolerance symptoms due to individual
      susceptibility. In spite of public knowledge and advertising, controlled studies
      did not prove the beneficial effect of either a lactose-free diet, enzyme
      supplementation or probiotics in an evidence-based manner. While accepted
      guidelines are lacking, a personalised therapy is mandatory. In spite of
      increasing public interest in lactose intolerance, many unknown factors must
      still be studied.

PMID- 26477617
TI  - [Associations between concurrent use of tobacco and alcohol and symptoms of
      attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder among ninth grader students].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a risk factor of
      smoking and alcohol drinking in adolescence. Since attention-deficit
      hyperactivity disorder and smoking and alcohol drinking in adolescence are
      predictors for the development of substance use disorders in adulthood, it is
      important to understand the nature of these associations. AIM: The aim of the
      authors was to investigate associations between attention-deficit hyperactivity
      disorder symptoms and the joint use of alcohol and nicotine among 9th graders.
      METHOD: A representative sample of 944 pupils attending state-run secondary
      schools in Budapest were recruited. Generalized Linear Mixed Model and logistic
      regression analyses have been conducted. RESULTS: The prevalence was 29.6% and
      41.4% for current smoking and current alcohol drinking, respectively. The
      prevalence of their concurrent-use was 21.7%. Alcohol drinking and smoking showed
      a significant positive association with the total scores of Attention-Deficit
      Hyperactivity Disorder Scale and with the Attention Deficit and
      Hyperactivity/Impulsivity subscales. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the
      potential importance of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in the
      development of the joint use of these substances.

PMID- 26477618
TI  - [Excessive energy drink consumption caused marked QT prolongation. Case report].
AB  - The authors report a case of a 22-year-old man with atypical chest pain after
      consumption of six energy drinks (1.5 liter containing 470 mg coffein) with
      vodka. On admission ECG showed marked QT/QTc prolongation (QT/QTc, 520/580 msec).
      Next day the QT/QTc returned to fully normal (QT/QTc, 360/430 msec). It was
      assumed that the patient had a silent long QT syndrome and that high dose of
      highly caffeinated energy drink triggered the (paradoxical) prolonged QT/QTc. The
      authors conclude that excessive energy drink intake with alcohol or during
      physical exercise should be avoided.

PMID- 26477619
TI  - Complete mitochondrial genome of Ochetobius elongatus (Cyprinidae, Leuciscinae).
AB  - In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Ochetobius elongatus was
      first sequenced and annotated. The entire mitogenome is 16 613 bp in length and
      has a typical vertebrate mitochondrial genetic trait, consisting of 13 protein
      coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and a control region.
      The overall nucleotide composition of O. elongatus mt genome is A: 30.96%, T:
      25.38%, G: 16.26% and C: 27.40%, with the A + T content of 56.34%, showing an
      obvious anti-G bias. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that Leuciscinae formed a
      clade first and then clustered with Cultrinae. The complete mitochondrial genome
      of O. elongatus will benefit to a better understanding of population genetics,
      molecular systematics and stock evaluation, further serving the germplasm
      resources conservation and management of O. elongatus.

PMID- 26477620
TI  - Advancing cerebrospinal fluid biomarker discovery by mass spectrometry.

PMID- 26477621
TI  - Advances in Stem Cell Therapy for Leukemia.
AB  - Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is the most
      effective post remission treatment for leukemia, resulting in lower relapse rates
      than alternative therapies. However, it is limited by the lack of suitable human
      leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched donors and high rates of transplant-related
      morbidity and mortality. Cord blood transplantation (CBT) and haploidentical SCT
      (haplo-SCT) expand the potential donor pool but are also associated with major
      complications. Co-infusion of third-party donor stem cells with a CBT/haplo-SCT,
      which is called "dual transplantation," has been reported to improve the outcome
      of HSCT by accelerating hematopoietic reconstitution and reducing the incidence
      of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). In addition, infusion of HLA-mismatched
      donor granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-mobilized donor peripheral blood stem
      cells after chemotherapy, the so called "microtransplantation", has been shown to
      promote the graft-versus-leukemia effect and hasten hematopoietic recovery
      without amplifying GVHD. Herein, we review recent advances in stem cell therapy
      for leukemia with a specific focus on dual transplantation and
      microtransplantation. 

PMID- 26477622
TI  - Current and Future Chemotherapy for Chagas Disease.
AB  - Human American trypanosomiasis, commonly called Chagas disease, is one of the
      most neglected illnesses in the world and remains one of the most prevalent
      chronic infectious diseases of Latin America with thousands of new cases every
      year. The only treatments available have been introduced five decades ago. They
      have serious, undesirable side effects and disputed benefits in the chronic stage
      of the disease - a characteristic and debilitating cardiomyopathy and/or
      megavisceras. Several laboratories have therefore focused their efforts in
      finding better drugs. Although recent years have brought new clinical trials,
      these are few and lack diversity in terms of drug mechanism of action, thus
      resulting in a weak drug discovery pipeline. This fragility has been recently
      exposed by the failure of two candidates; posaconazole and E1224, to sterilely
      cure patients in phase 2 clinical trials. Such setbacks highlight the need for
      continuous, novel and high quality drug discovery and development efforts to
      discover better and safer treatments. In this article we will review past and
      current findings on drug discovery for Trypanosoma cruzi made by academic
      research groups, industry and other research organizations over the last half
      century. We also analyze the current research landscape that is now better placed
      than ever to deliver alternative treatments for Chagas disease in the near
      future. 

PMID- 26477623
TI  - Osteoclasts and Remodeling Based Bone Formation.
AB  - Osteoclasts are multinuclear cells of the monocyte macrophage lineage. They are
      responsible for bone remodeling by first resorbing packets of bone, which are
      subsequently replaced by new bone produced by osteoblasts. Osteoblasts are
      derived from mesenchymal stem cells, and thus osteogenesis can also be induced in
      various tissues at extra skeletal sites. Fifty years ago it was discovered that
      demineralized bone matrix is able to induce ectopic bone formation. Since that
      time the differentiation of bone cells has been studied intensively. The aim was
      to produce bone for the repair of bone defects. The molecular basis of bone
      remodeling has been established in great detail and the mechanism of how bone
      resorption and bone formation are coupled in bone remodeling sites has been
      delineated. Osteoclasts resorb bone, but they also secrete anabolic signals that
      induce mesenchymal stem cells and osteoblasts to initiate osteogenesis in
      resorption lacuna (remodeling) or another nonresorbed site (modeling). It is this
      osteoclast derived influence on mesenchymal stem cells and osteoblasts that could
      be utilized in tissue engineering. So far investigators have tried to find ways
      to induce bone formation by activating mesenchymal stem cells, but a better
      understanding of the remodeling paradigm of bone, the intrinsic regulation of
      bone formation through osteoclastic resorption, could be utilized for tissue
      engineering. Scaffold materials like decellularized natural tissue extracellular
      matrices or bone type resorbable mineral matrices induce resorption and
      simultaneously induce bone formation.

PMID- 26477627
TI  - [Evaluation of the interest of procalcitonin in the diagnosis of chorioamnionitis
      in preterm premature rupture of membranes. An observational and prospective
      study].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diagnosis of chorioamnionitis (CA) is difficult because all
      clinical and biological signs are rarely concordant. According to recent
      literature, PCT could act as a specific marker of bacterial infection. Our main
      objective was to assess whether PCT could improve our management of patients with
      preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM), allowing earlier and more
      specific diagnosis for CA. METHODS: Patients with pPROM from 24 and 34weeks of
      amenorrhea were included, from November 2013 to October 2014. PCT was collected
      twice a week, from pPROM until delivery. Obstetricians were blinded from PCT
      results, in order not to influence the management of the patients. PCT values
      were then compared to clinical and other biological diagnostic markers (CRP and
      white blood cells count [WBC]). RESULTS: Thirty patients were included, with 11
      cases of histological CA and 5 early-onset neonatal sepsis. With a cut-off value
      of 0.05ng/mL, the sensitivity of PCT to detect histological CA was 54%, the
      specificity was 79% and the positive and negative predictive value were
      respectively 60% and 75%. The positive likelihood ratio was 2.57 and the negative
      likelihood ratio was 0.58. Using PCT values, our medical decision of foetal
      extraction would have change in 5 cases (in a wrong way in 3 of them).
      CONCLUSION: PCT in the diagnostic of CA is not useful in the management of
      patients.

PMID- 26477631
TI  - Atomic Layer Deposition of Pd Nanoparticles on TiO2 Nanotubes for Ethanol
      Electrooxidation: Synthesis and Electrochemical Properties.
AB  - Palladium nanoparticles are grown on TiO2 nanotubes by atomic layer deposition
      (ALD), and the resulting three-dimensional nanostructured catalysts are studied
      for ethanol electrooxidation in alkaline media. The morphology, the crystal
      structure, and the chemical composition of the Pd particles are fully
      characterized using scanning and transmission electron microscopies, X-ray
      diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The characterization revealed
      that the deposition proceeds onto the entire surface of the TiO2 nanotubes
      leading to the formation of well-defined and highly dispersed Pd nanoparticles.
      The electrooxidation of ethanol on Pd clusters deposited on TiO2 nanotubes shows
      not only a direct correlation between the catalytic activity and the particle
      size but also a steep increase of the response due to the enhancement of the
      metal-support interaction when the crystal structure of the TiO2 nanotubes is
      modified by annealing at 450  degrees C in air. 

PMID- 26477632
TI  - Interventions for varicose veins and leg oedema in pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is presumed to be a major contributory factor in the
      increased incidence of varicose veins in women, which can in turn lead to venous
      insufficiency and leg oedema. The most common symptom of varicose veins and
      oedema is the substantial pain experienced, as well as night cramps, numbness,
      tingling, the legs may feel heavy, achy, and possibly be unsightly. Treatments
      for varicose veins are usually divided into three main groups: surgery,
      pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. Treatments of leg oedema
      comprise mostly symptom reduction rather than cure and use of pharmacological and
      non-pharmacological approaches. OBJECTIVES: To assess any form of intervention
      used to relieve the symptoms associated with varicose veins and leg oedema in
      pregnancy. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth
      Group's Trials Register (31 May 2015) and reference lists of retrieved studies.
      SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised trials of treatments for varicose veins or leg
      oedema, or both, in pregnancy. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors
      independently assessed trials for inclusion and risk of bias, extracted data and
      checked them for accuracy. MAIN RESULTS: We included seven trials (involving 326
      women). The trials were largely unclear for selection bias and high risk for
      performance and detection bias.Two studies were placebo-controlled trials. The
      first one compared a phlebotonic (rutoside) with placebo for the reduction in
      symptoms of varicose veins; the second study evaluated the efficacy of troxerutin
      in comparison to placebo among 30 pregnant women in their second trimester with
      symptomatic vulvar varicosities and venous insufficiency in their lower
      extremities. Data from this study were not in useable format, so were not
      included in the analysis. Two trials compared either compression stockings with
      resting in left lateral position or reflexology with rest for 15 minutes for the
      reduction of leg oedema. One trial compared standing water immersion for 20
      minutes with sitting upright in a chair with legs elevated for 20 minutes. Women
      standing in water were allowed to stand or walk in place. One trial compared 20
      minutes of daily foot massage for five consecutive days and usual prenatal care
      versus usual prenatal care. The final trial compared three treatment groups for
      treating leg oedema in pregnancy. The first group was assigned to lateral supine
      bed rest at room temperature, women in the second group were asked to sit in a
      bathtub of waist-deep water at 32 +/- 0.5 C with their legs horizontal and the
      third group included the women who were randomised to sitting immersed in
      shoulder-deep water at 32 +/- 0.5 C with legs extended downward. We did not
      include this study in the analysis as outcomes reported in the paper were not pre
      specified outcomes of this review.We planned to use GRADE methods to assess
      outcomes for two different comparisons and assign a quality rating. However, only
      two out of three outcomes for one comparison were reported and could be assessed.
      Evidence from one trial (rutoside versus placebo) for the outcomes of reduction
      in symptoms and incidence of complications associated with varicose veins and
      oedema was assessed as of moderate quality. Rutoside versus placeboOne trial
      involving 69 women, reported that rutoside significantly reduced the symptoms
      associated with varicose veins (risk ratio (RR) 1.89, 95% confidence interval
      (CI) 1.11 to 3.22; moderate quality evidence). The incidence of complications
      (deep vein thrombosis) did not differ significantly between the two groups (risk
      ratio (RR) 0.17, 95% CI 0.01 to 3.49; moderate quality evidence). There were no
      significant differences in side-effects (RR 1.30, 95% CI 0.23 to 7.28). Women's
      perception of pain was not reported in this trial. External pneumatic
      intermittent compression versus restOne trial, involving 35 women, reported no
      significant difference in lower leg volume when compression stockings were
      compared against rest (mean difference (MD) -258.80, 95% CI -566.91 to 49.31).
      Reflexology versus restingAnother trial, involving 55 women, compared reflexology
      with rest. Reflexology significantly reduced the symptoms associated with oedema
      (reduction in symptoms: RR 9.09, 95% CI 1.41 to 58.54). The same study showed a
      trend towards satisfaction and acceptability with the intervention (RR 6.00, 95%
      CI 0.92 to 39.11). Water immersion versus leg elevationThere was evidence from
      one trial, involving 32 women, to suggest that water immersion for 20 minutes in
      a swimming pool reduces leg volume (RR 0.43, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.83). Foot massage
      versus routine careOne trial, involving 80 women reported no significant
      difference in lower leg circumference when foot massage was compared against
      routine care (MD -0.11, 95% CI -1.02 to 0.80).No other primary or secondary
      outcomes were reported in the trials. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is moderate
      quality evidence to suggest that rutosides appear to help relieve the symptoms of
      varicose veins in late pregnancy. However, this finding is based on one study (69
      women) and there are not enough data presented in the study to assess its safety
      in pregnancy. Reflexology or water immersion appears to help improve symptoms for
      women with leg oedema, but again this is based on two small studies (43 and 32
      women, respectively).

PMID- 26477633
TI  - Combining Fourier and lagged k-nearest neighbor imputation for biomedical time
      series data.
AB  - Most clinical and biomedical data contain missing values. A patient's record may
      be split across multiple institutions, devices may fail, and sensors may not be
      worn at all times. While these missing values are often ignored, this can lead to
      bias and error when the data are mined. Further, the data are not simply missing
      at random. Instead the measurement of a variable such as blood glucose may depend
      on its prior values as well as that of other variables. These dependencies exist
      across time as well, but current methods have yet to incorporate these temporal
      relationships as well as multiple types of missingness. To address this, we
      propose an imputation method (FLk-NN) that incorporates time lagged correlations
      both within and across variables by combining two imputation methods, based on an
      extension to k-NN and the Fourier transform. This enables imputation of missing
      values even when all data at a time point is missing and when there are different
      types of missingness both within and across variables. In comparison to other
      approaches on three biological datasets (simulated and actual Type 1 diabetes
      datasets, and multi-modality neurological ICU monitoring) the proposed method has
      the highest imputation accuracy. This was true for up to half the data being
      missing and when consecutive missing values are a significant fraction of the
      overall time series length.

PMID- 26477634
TI  - Initial Surgical Versus Conservative Strategies in Patients With Asymptomatic
      Severe Aortic Stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current guidelines generally recommend watchful waiting until
      symptoms emerge for aortic valve replacement (AVR) in asymptomatic patients with
      severe aortic stenosis (AS). OBJECTIVES: The study sought to compare the long
      term outcomes of initial AVR versus conservative strategies following the
      diagnosis of asymptomatic severe AS. METHODS: We used data from a large
      multicenter registry enrolling 3,815 consecutive patients with severe AS (peak
      aortic jet velocity >4.0 m/s, or mean aortic pressure gradient >40 mm Hg, or
      aortic valve area <1.0 cm(2)) between January 2003 and December 2011. Among 1,808
      asymptomatic patients, the initial AVR and conservative strategies were chosen in
      291 patients, and 1,517 patients, respectively. Median follow-up was 1,361 days
      with 90% follow-up rate at 2 years. The propensity score-matched cohort of 582
      patients (n = 291 in each group) was developed as the main analysis set for the
      current report. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics of the propensity score-matched
      cohort were largely comparable, except for the slightly younger age and the
      greater AS severity in the initial AVR group. In the conservative group, AVR was
      performed in 41% of patients during follow-up. The cumulative 5-year incidences
      of all-cause death and heart failure hospitalization were significantly lower in
      the initial AVR group than in the conservative group (15.4% vs. 26.4%, p = 0.009;
      3.8% vs. 19.9%, p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The long-term outcome of
      asymptomatic patients with severe AS was dismal when managed conservatively in
      this real-world analysis and might be substantially improved by an initial AVR
      strategy. (Contemporary Outcomes After Surgery and Medical Treatment in Patients
      With Severe Aortic Stenosis Registry; UMIN000012140).

PMID- 26477636
TI  - The Multidimensionality of Cardiovascular Procedures.

PMID- 26477635
TI  - Bivalirudin Versus Heparin Anticoagulation in Transcatheter Aortic Valve
      Replacement: The Randomized BRAVO-3 Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anticoagulation is required during transcatheter aortic valve
      replacement (TAVR) procedures. Although an optimal regimen has not been
      determined, heparin is mainly used. Direct thrombin inhibition with bivalirudin
      may be an effective alternative to heparin as the procedural anticoagulant agent
      in this setting. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to determine whether
      bivalirudin offers an alternative to heparin as the procedural anticoagulant
      agent in patients undergoing TAVR. METHODS: A total of 802 patients with aortic
      stenosis were randomized to undergo transfemoral TAVR with bivalirudin versus
      unfractionated heparin during the procedure. The 2 primary endpoints were major
      bleeding within 48 h or before hospital discharge (whichever occurred first) and
      30-day net adverse clinical events, defined as the combination of major adverse
      cardiovascular events (all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, or stroke) and
      major bleeding. RESULTS: Anticoagulation with bivalirudin versus heparin did not
      meet superiority because it did not result in significantly lower rates of major
      bleeding at 48 h (6.9% vs. 9.0%; relative risk: 0.77; 95% confidence interval
      [CI]: 0.48 to 1.23; p = 0.27) or net adverse cardiovascular events at 30 days
      (14.4% vs. 16.1%; relative risk: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.64 to 1.24; risk difference: 
      1.72; 95% CI: -6.70 to 3.25; p = 0.50); regarding the latter, the prespecified
      noninferiority hypothesis was met (pnoninferiority < 0.01). Rates of major
      adverse cardiovascular events at 48 h were not significantly different (3.5% vs.
      4.8%; relative risk: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.37 to 1.43; p = 0.35). At 48 h, the
      bivalirudin group had significantly fewer myocardial infarctions but more acute
      kidney injury events than the heparin group; at 30 days, these differences were
      no longer significant. CONCLUSIONS: In this randomized trial of TAVR procedural
      pharmacotherapy, bivalirudin did not reduce rates of major bleeding at 48 h or
      net adverse cardiovascular events within 30 days compared with heparin. Although
      superiority was not shown, the noninferiority hypothesis was met with respect to
      the latter factor. Given the lower cost, heparin should remain the standard of
      care, and bivalirudin can be an alternative anticoagulant option in patients
      unable to receive heparin in TAVR. (International, Multi-center, Open-label,
      Randomized Controlled Trial in Patients Undergoing TAVR to Determine the
      Treatment Effect [Both Safety and Efficacy] of Using Bivalirudin Instead of UFH
      [BRAVO-2/3]; NCT01651780).

PMID- 26477637
TI  - NDP-alpha-MSH attenuates heart and liver responses to myocardial reperfusion via
      the vagus nerve and JAK/ERK/STAT signaling.
AB  - Melanocortin peptides afford cardioprotection during myocardial
      ischemia/reperfusion via janus kinases (JAK), extracellular signal-regulated
      kinases (ERK) and signal transducers/activators of transcription (STAT) pathways.
      Here we investigated whether melanocortin-induced modulation of the JAK/ERK/STAT
      signaling occurs via the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, focusing our
      study on cardiac and hepatic responses to prolonged myocardial
      ischemia/reperfusion. Ischemia was produced in rats by ligature of the left
      anterior descending coronary artery for 30min; effects of ischemia/reperfusion
      were evaluated using Western blot of heart and liver proteins. Intravenous
      treatment, during coronary artery occlusion, with the melanocortin analog
      (Nle(4), D-Phe(7))alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (NDP-alpha-MSH) induced a
      left ventricle up-regulation of the cardioprotective transcription factors pJAK2,
      pERK1/2 and pTyr-STAT3 (JAK-dependent), and a reduction in the levels of the
      inflammatory mediators tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and pJNK (a
      transcription factor also involved in apoptosis), as assessed at the end of the 2
      h reperfusion period. Further, these beneficial effects of NDP-alpha-MSH were
      associated with heart over-expression of the pro-survival proteins heme oxygenase
      1 (HO-1) and Bcl-XL, and decrease of ventricular arrhythmias and infarct size. In
      the liver NDP-alpha-MSH induced a decrease in the pJAK2 and pTyr-STAT3 levels,
      and strongly reduced pERK1/2 expression. In the liver of ischemic rats NDP-alpha
      MSH also blunted pJNK activity and TNF-alpha expression, and up-regulated Bcl-XL.
      Bilateral cervical vagotomy prevented all effects of NDP-alpha-MSH, both in the
      heart and liver. These results indicate that melanocortins inhibit heart and
      liver damage triggered by prolonged myocardial ischemia/reperfusion likely, as
      main mechanism, via the vagus nerve-mediated modulation of the JAK/STAT/ERK
      signaling pathways. 

PMID- 26477638
TI  - Protective effects of 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-beta-D-glucoside in the
      MPTP-induced mouse model of Parkinson's disease: Involvement of reactive oxygen
      species-mediated JNK, P38 and mitochondrial pathways.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the selective death of dopaminergic
      neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Oxidative stress-induced neuron
      loss is thought to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of PD. Previous work
      from our group suggests that 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-beta-D-glucoside
      (TSG), an active component extracted from a traditional Chinese herb, Polygonum
      multiflorum thunb, can attenuate 1-methyl-4-phenyl pyridium-induced apoptosis in
      the neuronal cell line PC12, by inhibiting reactive oxygen species generation and
      modulating c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) activation. Here, we investigated the
      protective effects of TSG against 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropypridine
      (MPTP)-induced loss of tyrosine hydroxylase positive cells in mice and the
      underlying mechanisms. The results showed that MPTP-induced loss of tyrosine
      hydroxylase positive cells and reactive oxygen species generation were prevented
      by TSG in a dose-dependent manner. The reactive oxygen species scavenger N
      acetylcysteine could also mitigate reactive oxygen species generation. Moreover,
      JNK and P38 were activated by MPTP, but extracellular signal-regulated protein
      kinases phosphorylation did not change after MPTP treatment. TSG at different
      doses blocked the activation of JNK and P38. The protective effect of TSG was
      also associated with downregulation of the bax/bcl-2 ratio, reversed the release
      of cytochrome c and smac, and inhibited the activation of caspase-3, -6, and -9
      induced by MPTP. In conclusion, our studies demonstrated that the protective
      effects of TSG in the MPTP-induced mouse model of PD are involved, at least in
      part, in controlling reactive oxygen species-mediated JNK, P38, and mitochondrial
      pathways.

PMID- 26477641
TI  - Haemophilus influenzae isolates survive for up to 20 years at -70  degrees C in
      skim milk tryptone glucose glycerol broth (STGGB) if thawing is avoided during re
      culture.
AB  - Haemophilus influenzae remains a major cause of disease worldwide requiring
      continued study. Recently, isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella
      catarrhalis, but not H. influenzae, were reported to survive long-term ultra
      freeze storage in STGGB. We show that nontypeable H. influenzae isolates survive
      for up to 20 years when thawing is avoided.

PMID- 26477639
TI  - Observation of a phononic Mollow triplet in a multimode hybrid spin
      nanomechanical system.
AB  - Reminiscent of the bound character of a qubit's dynamics confined on the Bloch
      sphere, the observation of a Mollow triplet in the resonantly driven qubit
      fluorescence spectrum represents one of the founding signatures of quantum
      electrodynamics. Here we report on its observation in a hybrid spin
      nanomechanical system, where a nitrogen-vacancy spin qubit is magnetically
      coupled to the vibrations of a silicon carbide nanowire. A resonant microwave
      field turns the originally parametric hybrid interaction into a resonant process,
      where acoustic phonons are now able to induce transitions between the dressed
      qubit states, leading to synchronized spin-oscillator dynamics. We further
      explore the vectorial character of the hybrid coupling to the bidimensional
      deformations of the nanowire. The demonstrated microwave assisted synchronization
      of the spin-oscillator dynamics opens novel perspectives for the exploration of
      spin-dependent forces, the key ingredient for quantum state transfer. 

PMID- 26477642
TI  - Incidence and predictors of unplanned non-target lesion revascularisation up to
      three years after drug-eluting stent implantation: insights from a pooled
      analysis of the RESOLUTE Global Clinical Trial Program.
AB  - AIMS: To compare the incidence and predictors of target lesion revascularisation
      (TLR) and non-TLR after percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting
      stents (DES). METHODS AND RESULTS: We pooled patient-level data on 6,137 patients
      (Resolute zotarolimus-eluting stent: 5,016, XIENCE everolimus-eluting stent:
      1,121) in the RESOLUTE Global Program. At three years, clinically driven TLR,
      unplanned non-TLR, and no revascularisation occurred in 186, 618, and 5,333
      patients, respectively. On multivariate analysis, predictors of both TLR and non
      TLR were pre-procedure diameter stenosis (%) (odds ratio [OR] 1.01, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] [1.01-1.02], and OR 0.99 [0.99-1.00]), diabetes (OR 1.46
      [1.07-1.99], and OR 1.37 [1.15-1.64]), and prior PCI (OR 1.42 [1.01-2.00], and OR
      1.41 [1.18-1.68]). Baseline characteristics associated with TLR only were prior
      coronary artery bypass graft surgery (OR 2.85 [1.91-4.27]), in-stent restenosis
      (OR 2.35 [1.43-3.83]), age (OR 0.98 per year [0.97-1.00]), hypertension (OR 1.64
      [1.10-2.44]), and pre-procedure reference vessel diameter (OR 0.74 per mm [0.55
      0.99]). Baseline characteristics associated with non-TLR only were lesion
      location (left anterior descending vs. all others) (OR 0.70 [0.59-0.83]), and
      hyperlipidaemia (OR 1.42 [1.15-1.75]). CONCLUSIONS: The cumulative incidence of
      non-TLR at three years in patients treated with current-generation DES was almost
      three times higher than TLR.

PMID- 26477643
TI  - Implantable atrial flow regulator for severe, irreversible pulmonary arterial
      hypertension.
AB  - Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe, progressive and fatal disease.
      The creation of an interatrial right-to-left shunt in patients with PAH may
      enhance systemic ventricular output at the expense of desaturation. However,
      creating sustainable restricted interatrial communication is challenging. We
      describe the successful use of an atrial flow regulator, a novel implantable
      atrial communication device, in a 54-year-old female with severe irreversible
      PAH. 

PMID- 26477644
TI  - Percutaneous Melody valve implantation for tricuspid valve regurgitation with
      very large annulus: the diabolo-shaped bridge for valve-in-stent technique.

PMID- 26477645
TI  - A novel IgY-Aptamer hybrid system for cost-effective detection of SEB and its
      evaluation on food and clinical samples.
AB  - In the present study, we introduce a novel hybrid sandwich-ALISA employing
      chicken IgY and ssDNA aptamers for the detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin B
      (SEB). Cloning, expression and purification of the full length recombinant SEB
      was carried out. Anti-SEB IgY antibodies generated by immunizing white leg-horn
      chickens with purified recombinant SEB protein and were purified from the
      immunized egg yolk. Simultaneously, ssDNA aptamers specific to the toxin were
      prepared by SELEX method on microtiter well plates. The sensitivity levels of
      both probe molecules i.e., IgY and ssDNA aptamers were evaluated. We observed
      that the aptamer at 250 ngmL(-1) concentration could detect the target antigen at
      50 ngmL(-1) and the IgY antibodies at 250 ngmL(-1), could able to detect 100
      ngmL(-1) antigen. We further combined both the probes to prepare a hybrid
      sandwich aptamer linked immune sorbent assay (ALISA) wherein the IgY as capturing
      molecule and biotinylated aptamer as revealing probe. Limit of detection (LOD)
      for the developed method was determined as 50 ngmL(-1). Further, developed method
      was evaluated with artificially SEB spiked milk and natural samples and obtained
      results were validated with PCR. In conclusion, developed ALISA method may
      provide cost-effective and robust detection of SEB from food and environmental
      samples. 

PMID- 26477646
TI  - Affibody-mediated PET imaging of HER3 expression in malignant tumours.
AB  - Human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) is involved in the progression of
      various cancers and in resistance to therapies targeting the HER family. In vivo
      imaging of HER3 expression would enable patient stratification for anti-HER3
      immunotherapy. Key challenges with HER3-targeting are the relatively low
      expression in HER3-positive tumours and HER3 expression in normal tissues. The
      use of positron-emission tomography (PET) provides advantages of high resolution,
      sensitivity and quantification accuracy compared to SPECT. Affibody molecules,
      imaging probes based on a non-immunoglobulin scaffold, provide high imaging
      contrast shortly after injection. The aim of this study was to evaluate
      feasibility of PET imaging of HER3 expression using (68)Ga-labeled affibody
      molecules. The anti-HER3 affibody molecule HEHEHE-Z08698-NOTA was successfully
      labelled with (68)Ga with high yield, purity and stability. The agent bound
      specifically to HER3-expressing cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. At 3 h pi,
      uptake of (68)Ga-HEHEHE-Z08698-NOTA was significantly higher in xenografts with
      high HER3 expression (BT474, BxPC-3) than in xenografts with low HER3 expression
      (A431). In xenografts with high expression, tumour-to-blood ratios were >20,
      tumour-to-muscle >15, and tumour-to-bone >7. HER3-positive xenografts were
      visualised using microPET 3 h pi. In conclusion, PET imaging of HER3 expression
      is feasible using (68)Ga-HEHEHE-Z08698-NOTA shortly after administration. 

PMID- 26477648
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of Apixaban Compared With Edoxaban for Stroke Prevention in
      Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this analysis was to assess the cost-effectiveness of
      apixaban 5 mg BID versus high- and low-dose edoxaban (60 mg and 30 mg once daily)
      as intended starting dose strategies for stroke prevention in patients from a UK
      National Health Service perspective. METHODS: A previously developed and
      validated Markov model was adapted to evaluate the lifetime clinical and economic
      impact of apixaban 5 mg BID versus edoxaban (high and low dose) in patients with
      nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. A pairwise indirect treatment comparison was
      conducted for clinical end points, and price parity was assumed between apixaban
      and edoxaban. Costs in 2012 British pounds, life-years, and quality-adjusted life
      years (QALYs) gained, discounted at 3.5% per annum, were estimated. FINDINGS:
      Apixaban was predicted to increase life expectancy and QALYs versus low- and high
      dose edoxaban. These gains were achieved at cost-savings versus low-dose
      edoxaban, thus being dominant and nominal increases in costs versus high-dose
      edoxaban. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of apixaban versus high-dose
      edoxaban was L6763 per QALY gained. IMPLICATIONS: Apixaban was deemed to be
      dominant (less costly and more effective) versus low-dose edoxaban and a cost
      effective alternative to high-dose edoxaban.

PMID- 26477647
TI  - Amygdala responses to salient social cues vary with oxytocin receptor genotype in
      youth.
AB  - Depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder are linked to altered
      limbic morphology, dysregulated neuroendocrine function, and heightened amygdala
      responses to salient social cues. Oxytocin appears to be a potent modulator of
      amygdala reactivity and neuroendocrine responses to psychosocial stress. Given
      these stress regulatory effects, there is increasing interest in understanding
      the role of oxytocin in vulnerability to stress-related clinical disorders. The
      present study examines the impact of a common functional variant within the
      oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene (rs2254298) on structure and function of the
      amygdala in a high-risk sample of urban, low-income, minority youth with a high
      incidence of early life stress (ELS). Compared to G/G homozygotes, youth carrying
      the OXTR A-allele showed increased amygdala volume, reduced behavioral
      performance, and heightened amygdala response during two functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (fMRI) tasks that involved viewing socially-relevant face
      stimuli. Higher amygdala response was related to ELS in A-allele carriers but not
      G/G homozygotes. These findings underscore a series of relations among a common
      oxytocin system gene variant, ELS exposure, and structure and function of the
      amygdala in early life. Heightened amygdala response to salient social cues in
      OXTR A-allele carriers may elevate risk for emotional psychopathology by
      increasing amygdala involvement in disambiguating environmental cues,
      particularly for individuals with ELS. 

PMID- 26477649
TI  - A perspective on the future role of brain pet imaging in exercise science.
AB  - Positron Emission Tomography (PET) bears a unique potential for examining the
      effects of physical exercise (acute or chronic) within the central nervous system
      in vivo, including cerebral metabolism, neuroreceptor occupancy, and
      neurotransmission. However, application of Neuro-PET in human exercise science is
      as yet surprisingly sparse. To date the field has been dominated by non-invasive
      neuroelectrical techniques (EEG, MEG) and structural/functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (sMRI/fMRI). Despite PET having certain inherent disadvantages,
      in particular radiation exposure and high costs limiting applicability at large
      scale, certain research questions in human exercise science can exclusively be
      addressed with PET: The "metabolic trapping" properties of (18)F-FDG PET as the
      most commonly used PET-tracer allow examining the neuronal mechanisms underlying
      various forms of acute exercise in a rather unconstrained manner, i.e. under
      realistic training scenarios outside the scanner environment. Beyond acute
      effects, (18)F-FDG PET measurements under resting conditions have a strong
      prospective for unraveling the influence of regular physical activity on neuronal
      integrity and potentially neuroprotective mechanisms in vivo, which is of special
      interest for aging and dementia research. Quantification of cerebral glucose
      metabolism may allow determining the metabolic effects of exercise interventions
      in the entire human brain and relating the regional cerebral rate of glucose
      metabolism (rCMRglc) with behavioral, neuropsychological, and physiological
      measures. Apart from FDG-PET, particularly interesting applications comprise PET
      ligand studies that focus on dopaminergic and opioidergic neurotransmission, both
      key transmitter systems for exercise-related psychophysiological effects,
      including mood changes, reward processing, antinociception, and in its most
      extreme form 'exercise dependence'. PET ligand displacement approaches even allow
      quantifying specific endogenous neurotransmitter release under acute exercise
      interventions, to which modern PET/MR hybrid technology will be additionally
      fruitful. Experimental studies exploiting the unprecedented multimodal imaging
      capacities of PET/MR in human exercise sciences are as yet pending.

PMID- 26477651
TI  - Previous exposure to intact speech increases intelligibility of its digitally
      degraded counterpart as a function of stimulus complexity.
AB  - Recent studies have shown that acoustically distorted sentences can be perceived
      as either unintelligible or intelligible depending on whether one has previously
      been exposed to the undistorted, intelligible versions of the sentences. This
      allows studying processes specifically related to speech intelligibility since
      any change between the responses to the distorted stimuli before and after the
      presentation of their undistorted counterparts cannot be attributed to acoustic
      variability but, rather, to the successful mapping of sensory information onto
      memory representations. To estimate how the complexity of the message is
      reflected in speech comprehension, we applied this rapid change in perception to
      behavioral and magnetoencephalography (MEG) experiments using vowels, words and
      sentences. In the experiments, stimuli were initially presented to the subject in
      a distorted form, after which undistorted versions of the stimuli were presented.
      Finally, the original distorted stimuli were presented once more. The resulting
      increase in intelligibility observed for the second presentation of the distorted
      stimuli depended on the complexity of the stimulus: vowels remained
      unintelligible (behaviorally measured intelligibility 27%) whereas the
      intelligibility of the words increased from 19% to 45% and that of the sentences
      from 31% to 65%. This increase in the intelligibility of the degraded stimuli was
      reflected as an enhancement of activity in the auditory cortex and surrounding
      areas at early latencies of 130-160ms. In the same regions, increasing stimulus
      complexity attenuated mean currents at latencies of 130-160ms whereas at
      latencies of 200-270ms the mean currents increased. These modulations in cortical
      activity may reflect feedback from top-down mechanisms enhancing the extraction
      of information from speech. The behavioral results suggest that memory-driven
      expectancies can have a significant effect on speech comprehension, especially in
      acoustically adverse conditions where the bottom-up information is decreased.

PMID- 26477650
TI  - Automatic segmentation of the striatum and globus pallidus using MIST: Multimodal
      Image Segmentation Tool.
AB  - Accurate segmentation of the subcortical structures is frequently required in
      neuroimaging studies. Most existing methods use only a T1-weighted MRI volume to
      segment all supported structures and usually rely on a database of training data.
      We propose a new method that can use multiple image modalities simultaneously and
      a single reference segmentation for initialisation, without the need for a
      manually labelled training set. The method models intensity profiles in multiple
      images around the boundaries of the structure after nonlinear registration. It is
      trained using a set of unlabelled training data, which may be the same images
      that are to be segmented, and it can automatically infer the location of the
      physical boundary using user-specified priors. We show that the method produces
      high-quality segmentations of the striatum, which is clearly visible on T1
      weighted scans, and the globus pallidus, which has poor contrast on such scans.
      The method compares favourably to existing methods, showing greater overlap with
      manual segmentations and better consistency.

PMID- 26477652
TI  - Mapping multidimensional pain experience onto electrophysiological responses to
      noxious laser heat stimuli.
AB  - The origin of the conscious experience of pain in the brain is a continuing
      enigma in neuroscience. To shed light on the brain representation of a
      multifaceted pain experience in humans, we combined multivariate analysis of
      subjective aspects of pain sensations with detailed, single-trial analysis of
      electrophysiological brain responses. Participants were asked to fully focus on
      any painful or non-painful sensations occurring in their left hand during an
      interval surrounding the onset of noxious laser heat stimuli, and to rate their
      sensations using a set of visual analogue scales. Statistical parametric mapping
      was used to compute a multivariate regression analysis of subjective responses
      and single-trial laser evoked potentials (LEPs) at subject and group levels.
      Standardized Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography method was used to
      reconstruct sources of LEPs. Factor analysis of subjective responses yielded five
      factors. Factor 1, representing pain, mapped firstly as a negative potential at
      the vertex and a positive potential at the fronto-temporal region during the 208
      260ms interval, and secondly as a strong negative potential in the right lateral
      frontal and prefrontal scalp regions during the 1292-1340ms interval. Three other
      factors, labelled "anticipated pain", "stimulus onset time", and "body
      sensations", represented non-specific aspects of the pain experience, and
      explained portions of LEPs in the latency range from 200ms to 700ms. The
      subjective space of pain during noxious laser stimulation is represented by one
      large factor featuring pain intensity, and by other factors accounting for non
      specific parts of the sensory experience. Pain is encoded in two separate latency
      components with different scalp and brain representations.

PMID- 26477653
TI  - Tracer kinetic modelling for DCE-MRI quantification of subtle blood-brain barrier
      permeability.
AB  - There is evidence that subtle breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a
      pathophysiological component of several diseases, including cerebral small vessel
      disease and some dementias. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) combined with
      tracer kinetic modelling is widely used for assessing permeability and perfusion
      in brain tumours and body tissues where contrast agents readily accumulate in the
      extracellular space. However, in diseases where leakage is subtle, the optimal
      approach for measuring BBB integrity is likely to differ since the magnitude and
      rate of enhancement caused by leakage are extremely low; several methods have
      been reported in the literature, yielding a wide range of parameters even in
      healthy subjects. We hypothesised that the Patlak model is a suitable approach
      for measuring low-level BBB permeability with low temporal resolution and high
      spatial resolution and brain coverage, and that normal levels of scanner
      instability would influence permeability measurements. DCE-MRI was performed in a
      cohort of mild stroke patients (n=201) with a range of cerebral small vessel
      disease severity. We fitted these data to a set of nested tracer kinetic models,
      ranking their performance according to the Akaike information criterion. To
      assess the influence of scanner drift, we scanned 15 healthy volunteers that
      underwent a "sham" DCE-MRI procedure without administration of contrast agent.
      Numerical simulations were performed to investigate model validity and the effect
      of scanner drift. The Patlak model was found to be most appropriate for fitting
      low-permeability data, and the simulations showed vp and K(Trans) estimates to be
      reasonably robust to the model assumptions. However, signal drift (measured at
      approximately 0.1% per minute and comparable to literature reports in other
      settings) led to systematic errors in calculated tracer kinetic parameters,
      particularly at low permeabilities. Our findings justify the growing use of the
      Patlak model in low-permeability states, which has the potential to provide
      valuable information regarding BBB integrity in a range of diseases. However,
      absolute values of the resulting tracer kinetic parameters should be interpreted
      with extreme caution, and the size and influence of signal drift should be
      measured where possible.

PMID- 26477654
TI  - Laminar microvascular transit time distribution in the mouse somatosensory cortex
      revealed by Dynamic Contrast Optical Coherence Tomography.
AB  - The transit time distribution of blood through the cerebral microvasculature both
      constrains oxygen delivery and governs the kinetics of neuroimaging signals such
      as blood-oxygen-level-dependent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (BOLD
      fMRI). However, in spite of its importance, capillary transit time distribution
      has been challenging to quantify comprehensively and efficiently at the
      microscopic level. Here, we introduce a method, called Dynamic Contrast Optical
      Coherence Tomography (DyC-OCT), based on dynamic cross-sectional OCT imaging of
      an intravascular tracer as it passes through the field-of-view. Quantitative
      transit time metrics are derived from temporal analysis of the dynamic scattering
      signal, closely related to tracer concentration. Since DyC-OCT does not require
      calibration of the optical focus, quantitative accuracy is achieved even deep in
      highly scattering brain tissue where the focal spot degrades. After direct
      validation of DyC-OCT against dilution curves measured using a fluorescent plasma
      label in surface pial vessels, we used DyC-OCT to investigate the transit time
      distribution in microvasculature across the entire depth of the mouse
      somatosensory cortex. Laminar trends were identified, with earlier transit times
      and less heterogeneity in the middle cortical layers. The early transit times in
      the middle cortical layers may explain, at least in part, the early BOLD fMRI
      onset times observed in these layers. The layer-dependencies in heterogeneity may
      help explain how a single vascular supply manages to deliver oxygen to individual
      cortical layers with diverse metabolic needs.

PMID- 26477655
TI  - Fast ventral stream neural activity enables rapid visual categorization.
AB  - Primates can recognize objects embedded in complex natural scenes in a glimpse.
      Rapid categorization paradigms have been extensively used to study our core
      perceptual abilities when the visual system is forced to operate under strong
      time constraints. However, the neural underpinning of rapid categorization
      remains to be understood, and the incredible speed of sight has yet to be
      reconciled with modern ventral stream cortical theories of object recognition.
      Here we recorded multichannel subdural electrocorticogram (ECoG) signals from
      intermediate areas (V4/PIT) of the ventral stream of the visual cortex while
      monkeys were actively engaged in a rapid animal/non-animal categorization task. A
      traditional event-related potential (ERP) analysis revealed short visual
      latencies (<50-70ms) followed by a rapidly developing visual selectivity (within
      ~20-30ms) for most electrodes. A multi-variate pattern analysis (MVPA) technique
      further confirmed that reliable animal/non-animal category information was
      possible from this initial ventral stream neural activity (within ~90-100ms).
      Furthermore, this early category-selective neural activity was (a) unaffected by
      the presentation of a backward (pattern) mask, (b) generalized to novel
      (unfamiliar) stimuli and (c) co-varied with behavioral responses (both accuracy
      and reaction times). Despite the strong prevalence of task-related information on
      the neural signal, task-irrelevant visual information could still be decoded
      independently of monkey behavior. Monkey behavioral responses were also found to
      correlate significantly with human behavioral responses for the same set of
      stimuli. Together, the present study establishes that rapid ventral stream neural
      activity induces a visually selective signal subsequently used to drive rapid
      visual categorization and that this visual strategy may be shared between human
      and non-human primates.

PMID- 26477656
TI  - A systematic review of MRI studies examining the relationship between physical
      fitness and activity and the white matter of the ageing brain.
AB  - Higher levels of physical fitness or activity (PFA) have been shown to have
      beneficial effects on cognitive function and grey matter volumes in older adults.
      However, the relationship between PFA and the brain's white matter (WM) is not
      yet well established. Here, we aim to provide a comprehensive and systematic
      review of magnetic resonance imaging studies examining the effects of PFA on the
      WM of the ageing brain. Twenty-nine studies were included in the review: eleven
      examined WM volume, fourteen WM lesions, and nine WM microstructure. While many
      studies found that higher levels of PFA were associated with greater WM volumes,
      reduced volume or severity of WM lesions, or improved measures of WM
      microstructure, a number of negative findings have also been published. Meta
      analyses of global measures of WM volume and WM lesion volume yielded
      significant, but small, effect sizes. Overall, we found evidence for cautious
      support of links between PFA and WM structure, and highlighted key areas for
      future research including the extent to which the relationship between PFA and WM
      structure is anatomically specific, the influence of possible confounding
      factors, and the relationship between PFA, WM and cognition.

PMID- 26477657
TI  - The absolute CBF response to activation is preserved during elevated perfusion:
      Implications for neurovascular coupling measures.
AB  - Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques in which the blood
      oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) response to a
      neural stimulus are measured, can be used to estimate the fractional increase in
      the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption (CMRO2) that accompanies evoked
      neural activity. A measure of neurovascular coupling is obtained from the ratio
      of fractional CBF and CMRO2 responses, defined as n, with the implicit assumption
      that relative rather than absolute changes in CBF and CMRO2 adequately
      characterise the flow-metabolism response to neural activity. The coupling
      parameter n is important in terms of its effect on the BOLD response, and as
      potential insight into the flow-metabolism relationship in both normal and
      pathological brain function. In 10 healthy human subjects, BOLD and CBF responses
      were measured to test the effect of baseline perfusion (modulated by a
      hypercapnia challenge) on the coupling parameter n during graded visual
      stimulation. A dual-echo pulsed arterial spin labelling (PASL) sequence provided
      absolute quantification of CBF in baseline and active states as well as relative
      BOLD signal changes, which were used to estimate CMRO2 responses to the graded
      visual stimulus. The absolute CBF response to the visual stimuli were constant
      across different baseline CBF levels, meaning the fractional CBF responses were
      reduced at the hyperperfused baseline state. For the graded visual stimuli,
      values of n were significantly reduced during hypercapnia induced hyperperfusion.
      Assuming the evoked neural responses to the visual stimuli are the same for both
      baseline CBF states, this result has implications for fMRI studies that aim to
      measure neurovascular coupling using relative changes in CBF. The coupling
      parameter n is sensitive to baseline CBF, which would confound its interpretation
      in fMRI studies where there may be significant differences in baseline perfusion
      between groups. The absolute change in CBF, as opposed to the change relative to
      baseline, may more closely match the underlying increase in neural activity in
      response to a stimulus.

PMID- 26477658
TI  - White matter tract covariance patterns predict age-declining cognitive abilities.
AB  - Previous studies investigating the relationship of white matter (WM) integrity to
      cognitive abilities and aging have either focused on a global measure or a few
      selected WM tracts. Ideally, contribution from all of the WM tracts should be
      evaluated at the same time. However, the high collinearity among WM tracts
      precludes systematic examination of WM tracts simultaneously without sacrificing
      statistical power due to stringent multiple-comparison corrections. Multivariate
      covariance techniques enable comprehensive simultaneous examination of all WM
      tracts without being penalized for high collinearity among observations. METHOD:
      In this study, Scaled Subprofile Modeling (SSM) was applied to the mean integrity
      of 18 major WM tracts to extract covariance patterns that optimally predicted
      four cognitive abilities (perceptual speed, episodic memory, fluid reasoning, and
      vocabulary) in 346 participants across ages 20 to 79years old. Using expression
      of the covariance patterns, age-independent effects of white matter integrity on
      cognition and the indirect effect of WM integrity on age-related differences in
      cognition were tested separately, but inferences from the indirect analyses were
      cautiously made given that cross-sectional data set was used in the analysis.
      RESULTS: A separate covariance pattern was identified that significantly
      predicted each cognitive ability after controlling for age except for vocabulary,
      but the age by WM covariance pattern interaction was not significant for any of
      the three abilities. Furthermore, each of the patterns mediated the effect of age
      on the respective cognitive ability. A distinct set of WM tracts was most
      influential in each of the three patterns. The WM covariance pattern accounting
      for fluid reasoning showed the most number of influential WM tracts whereas the
      episodic memory pattern showed the least number. CONCLUSION: Specific patterns of
      WM tracts make significant contributions to the age-related differences in
      perceptual speed, episodic memory, and fluid reasoning but not vocabulary. Other
      measures of brain health will need to be explored to reveal the major influences
      on the vocabulary ability.

PMID- 26477659
TI  - Behavioral correlates of changes in hippocampal gray matter structure during
      acquisition of foreign vocabulary.
AB  - Experience can affect human gray matter volume. The behavioral correlates of
      individual differences in such brain changes are not well understood. In a group
      of Swedish individuals studying Italian as a foreign language, we investigated
      associations among time spent studying, acquired vocabulary, baseline performance
      on memory tasks, and gray matter changes. As a way of studying episodic memory
      training, the language learning focused on acquiring foreign vocabulary and
      lasted for 10weeks. T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging and
      cognitive testing were performed before and after the studies. Learning behavior
      was monitored via participants' use of a smartphone application dedicated to the
      study of vocabulary. A whole-brain analysis showed larger changes in gray matter
      structure of the right hippocampus in the experimental group (N=33) compared to
      an active control group (N=23). A first path analyses revealed that time spent
      studying rather than acquired knowledge significantly predicted change in gray
      matter structure. However, this association was not significant when adding
      performance on baseline memory measures into the model, instead only the
      participants' performance on a short-term memory task with highly similar
      distractors predicted the change. This measure may tap similar individual
      difference factors as those involved in gray matter plasticity of the
      hippocampus.

PMID- 26477660
TI  - Structural and functional neuroplasticity in human learning of spatial routes.
AB  - Recent findings with both animals and humans suggest that decreases in
      microscopic movements of water in the hippocampus reflect short-term
      neuroplasticity resulting from learning. Here we examine whether such
      neuroplastic structural changes concurrently alter the functional connectivity
      between hippocampus and other regions involved in learning. We collected both
      diffusion-weighted images and fMRI data before and after humans performed a 45min
      spatial route-learning task. Relative to a control group with equal practice
      time, there was decreased diffusivity in the posterior-dorsal dentate gyrus of
      the left hippocampus in the route-learning group accompanied by increased
      synchronization of fMRI-measured BOLD signal between this region and cortical
      areas, and by changes in behavioral performance. These concurrent changes
      characterize the multidimensionality of neuroplasticity as it enables human
      spatial learning.

PMID- 26477662
TI  - Tunable optical limiting optofluidic device filled with graphene oxide dispersion
      in ethanol.
AB  - An optofluidic device with tunable optical limiting property is proposed and
      demonstrated. The optofluidic device is designed for adjusting the concentration
      of graphene oxide (GO) in the ethanol solution and fabricated by photolithography
      technique. By controlling the flow rate ratio of the injection, the concentration
      of GO can be precisely adjusted so that the optical nonlinearity can be changed.
      The nonlinear optical properties and dynamic excitation relaxation of the
      GO/ethanol solution are investigated by using Z-scan and pump-probe measurements
      in the femtosecond regime within the 1.5 MUm telecom band. The GO/ethanol
      solution presents ultrafast recovery time. Besides, the optical limiting property
      is in proportion to the concentration of the solution. Thus, the threshold power
      and the saturated power of the optical limiting property can be simply and
      efficiently manipulated by controlling the flow rate ratio of the injection.
      Furthermore, the amplitude regeneration is demonstrated by employing the proposed
      optofluidic device. The signal quality of intensity-impaired femtosecond pulse is
      significantly improved. The optofluidic device is compact and has long
      interaction length of optical field and nonlinear material. Heat can be
      dissipated in the solution and nonlinear material is isolated from other optical
      components, efficiently avoiding thermal damage and mechanical damage. 

PMID- 26477664
TI  - Anisotropic reversible piezoresistivity in magnetic-metallic/polymer structured
      elastomeric composites: modelling and experiments.
AB  - Structured elastomeric composites (SECs) with electrically conductive fillers
      display anisotropic piezoresistivity. The fillers do not form string-of-particle
      structures but pseudo-chains formed by grouping micro-sized clusters containing
      nanomagnetic particles surrounded by noble metals (e.g. silver, Ag). The pseudo
      chains are formed when curing or preparing the composite in the presence of a
      uniform magnetic field, thus pseudo-chains are aligned in the direction of the
      field. The electrical conduction through pseudo-chains is analyzed and a
      constitutive model for the anisotropic reversible piezoresistivity in SECs is
      proposed. Several effects and characteristics, such as electron tunnelling,
      conduction inside the pseudo-chains, and chain-contact resistivity, are included
      in the model. Experimental results of electrical resistance, R, as a function of
      the normal stress applied in the direction of the pseudo-chains, P, are very well
      fitted by the model in the case of Fe3O4[Ag] microparticles magnetically aligned
      while curing in polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS. The cross sensitivity of different
      parameters (like the potential barrier and the effective distance for electron
      tunnelling) is evaluated. The model predicts the presence of several gaps for
      electron tunnelling inside the pseudo-chains. Estimates of those parameters for
      the mentioned experimental system under strains up to 20% are presented.
      Simulations of the expected response for other systems are performed showing the
      influence of Young's modulus and other parameters on the predicted
      piezoresistivity. 

PMID- 26477661
TI  - From Protecting the Heart to Improving Athletic Performance - the Benefits of
      Local and Remote Ischaemic Preconditioning.
AB  - Remote Ischemic Preconditioning (RIPC) is a non-invasive cardioprotective
      intervention that involves brief cycles of limb ischemia and reperfusion. This is
      typically delivered by inflating and deflating a blood pressure cuff on one or
      more limb(s) for several cycles, each inflation-deflation being 3-5 min in
      duration. RIPC has shown potential for protecting the heart and other organs from
      injury due to lethal ischemia and reperfusion injury, in a variety of clinical
      settings. The mechanisms underlying RIPC are under intense investigation but are
      just beginning to be deciphered. Emerging evidence suggests that RIPC has the
      potential to improve exercise performance, via both local and remote mechanisms.
      This review discusses the clinical studies that have investigated the role of
      RIPC in cardioprotection as well as those studying its applicability in improving
      athletic performance, while examining the potential mechanisms involved.

PMID- 26477663
TI  - Glycolipid dynamics in generation and differentiation of induced pluripotent stem
      cells.
AB  - Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are glycoconjugates that function as mediators of cell
      adhesion and modulators of signal transduction. Some well-defined markers of
      undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent
      stem cells (hiPSCs) are glycoconjugates, such as SSEA-3, SSEA-4, TRA-1-60 and TRA
      1-81. However, Comprehensive GSL profiles of hiPSCs have not yet been elucidated.
      The global images of GSLs from the parental cells, hiPSCs, and differentiated
      cells revealed that there are parental cell-independent specific glycolipids,
      including Globo H (fucosyl-Gb5Cer) and H type1 antigen (fucosyl-Lc4Cer) that are
      novel markers for undifferentiated hiPSCs. Interestingly, undifferentiated hiPSCs
      expressed H type 1 antigen, specific for blood type O, regardless of the cells'
      genotypes. Thus, in this study, we defined the dynamics of GSL remodeling during
      reprogramming from parental cell sets to iPSC sets and thence to iPSC-neural
      cells. 

PMID- 26477665
TI  - Metabolic Acidosis of CKD: An Update.
AB  - The kidney has the principal role in the maintenance of acid-base balance.
      Therefore, a decrease in renal ammonium excretion and a positive acid balance
      often leading to a reduction in serum bicarbonate concentration are observed in
      the course of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The decrease in serum bicarbonate
      concentration is usually absent until glomerular filtration rate decreases to <20
      to 25mL/min/1.73 m(2), although it can develop with lesser degrees of decreased
      kidney function. Non-anion gap acidosis, high-anion gap acidosis, or both can be
      found at all stages of CKD. The acidosis can be associated with muscle wasting,
      bone disease, hypoalbuminemia, inflammation, progression of CKD, and increased
      mortality. Administration of base may decrease muscle wasting, improve bone
      disease, and slow the progression of CKD. Base is suggested when serum
      bicarbonate concentration is <22 mEq/L, but the target serum bicarbonate
      concentration is unclear. Evidence that increments in serum bicarbonate
      concentration > 24 mEq/L might be associated with worsening of cardiovascular
      disease adds complexity to treatment decisions. Further study of the mechanisms
      through which metabolic acidosis contributes to the progression of CKD, as well
      as the pathways involved in mediating the benefits and complications of base
      therapy, is warranted. 

PMID- 26477666
TI  - The relationship between educational attainment and waiting time among the
      elderly in Norway.
AB  - We investigate whether educational attainment affects waiting time of elderly
      patients in somatic hospitals. We consider three distinct pathways; that patients
      with different educational attainment have different disease patterns, that
      patients with different levels of education receive treatments at different
      hospitals, and that patient choice and supply of local health services within
      hospital catchment areas explain unequal waiting time of different educational
      groups. We find evidence of an educational gradient in waiting time for male
      patients, but not for female patients. Conditional on age, male patients with
      tertiary education wait 45% shorter than male patients with secondary or primary
      education. The first pathway is not quantitatively important as controlling for
      disease patters has little effect on relative waiting times. The second pathway
      is important. Relative to patients with primary education, variation in waiting
      time and education level across local hospitals contributes to higher waiting
      time for male patients with secondary education and female patients with
      secondary or tertiary education and lower waiting time for male patients with
      tertiary education. These effects are in the order of 15-20%. The third pathway
      is also quantitatively important. The educational gradients within catchment
      areas disappear when we control for travel distance and supply of private
      specialists. 

PMID- 26477667
TI  - Patients' perceptions of generic drugs in Greece.
AB  - The use of generic drugs is growing increasingly around the world and in Greece,
      in particular, in order to reduce pharmaceutical expenditure. However, patients'
      perceptions and attitudes about generics have only partially been studied so far
      in Greece. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the factors that influence the
      attitude of patients and consumers regarding generic drugs. METHODS: A
      questionnaire survey of 364 patients visiting a pharmacy was conducted. The
      questionnaire consisted of 29 questions, including questions regarding their
      knowledge about generics, the reasons for using them, their previous experience,
      their willingness for generic substitution, and the factors behind these choices.
      RESULTS: Nearly half of the participants in the survey know the term 'generic'
      and that it has a lower price compared to the brand name drug. Their views on
      safety and efficacy vary significantly and the main source of information on
      generics is the media and the internet. The lack of knowledge is the main barrier
      for attitudes of doctors. Health professionals play the most influential role for
      the substitution of a branded drug by a generic, followed by the cost of the
      generic. CONCLUSIONS: Almost half of the patients know about generic drugs, with
      their lower price being the most popular feature which most patients are familiar
      with. It seems that primarily the doctor and, subsequently the pharmacist play
      the most important role in a patient's decision to replace his/her medicine with
      a generic.

PMID- 26477668
TI  - Stereospecific S(N)2@P reactions: novel access to bulky P-stereogenic ligands.
AB  - The stereospecific hydrolysis of bulky aminophosphine boranes is reported for the
      first time. The resulting phosphinous acid boranes, upon activation, undergo
      stereospecific nucleophilic substitution reaction at the phosphorous center with
      amine nucleophiles. The combination of these two processes provides a novel
      access to bulky P*-ligands. 

PMID- 26477669
TI  - Route to Topological Superconductivity via Magnetic Field Rotation.
AB  - The verification of topological superconductivity has become a major experimental
      challenge. Apart from the very few spin-triplet superconductors with p-wave
      pairing symmetry, another candidate system is a conventional, two-dimensional
      (2D) s-wave superconductor in a magnetic field with a sufficiently strong Rashba
      spin-orbit coupling. Typically, the required magnetic field to convert the
      superconductor into a topologically non-trivial state is however by far larger
      than the upper critical field H(c2), which excludes its realization. In this
      article, we argue that this problem can be overcome by rotating the magnetic
      field into the superconducting plane. We explore the character of the
      superconducting state upon changing the strength and the orientation of the
      magnetic field and show that a topological state, established for a sufficiently
      strong out-of-plane magnetic field, indeed extends to an in-plane field
      orientation. We present a three-band model applicable to the superconducting
      interface between LaAlO3 and SrTiO3, which should fulfil the necessary conditions
      to realize a topological superconductor.

PMID- 26477670
TI  - Nonlinear optical chromophores based on Dewar's rules: enhancement of electro
      optic activity by introducing heteroatoms into the donor or bridge.
AB  - In this work, we investigated the enhancement of the electro-optic response by
      introducing electron-rich heteroatoms as additional donors into the donor or
      bridge of a conventional second-order nonlinear optical chromophore. A series of
      chromophores C2-C4 based on the same tricyanofuran acceptor (TCF) but with
      different heteroatoms in the alkylamino phenyl donor (C2 or C3) or thiophene
      bridge (C4) have been synthesized and systematically investigated. Density
      functional theory calculations suggested that chromophores C2-C4 had a smaller
      energy gap and larger first-order hyperpolarizability (beta) than traditional
      chromophore C1 due to the additional heteroatoms. Single crystal structure
      analyses and optimized configurations indicate that the rationally introduced
      heteroatom group would bring larger beta and weaker intermolecular interactions
      which were beneficial for translating molecular beta into macro-electro-optic
      activity in electric field poled films. The electro-optic coefficient of poled
      films containing 25 wt% of these new chromophores doped in amorphous poly
      carbonate afforded values of 83 and 91 pm V(-1) at 1310 nm for chromophores C3
      and C4, respectively, which are two times higher than that of the traditional
      chromophore C1 (39 pm V(-1)). High r33 values indicated that introducing
      heteroatoms to the donor and bridge of a conventional molecular structure can
      efficiently improve the electron-donating ability, which improves the beta. The
      long-chain on the donor or bridge part, acting as the isolation group, may reduce
      inter-molecular electrostatic interactions, thus enhancing the macroscopic EO
      activity. These results, together with good solubility and compatibility with the
      polymer, show the new chromophore's potential application in electro-optic
      devices. 

PMID- 26477671
TI  - Functional metal-bipyridinium frameworks: self-assembly and applications.
AB  - Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as newly emerged materials have experienced rapid
      development in the last few years. The modular synthesis procedure allows
      integrating functional groups in their frameworks with varied applications. Due
      to the easy modification of the backbone and highly charged characteristics with
      interesting electron-active properties, the use of bipyridinium derivatives as
      synthons for the fabrication of functional metal-bipyridinium frameworks (MBPFs)
      has attracted increased interest over the past few years. Various bipyridinium
      bearing ligands have been designed for the construction of functional MBPFs, and
      some of them present intriguing properties for potential applications including
      photochromism and photoswitching, sensing, molecule adsorption and separation.
      This perspective aims to highlight the recent progress in this area, and seeks to
      uncover promising ideas that will underscore future advancements at both the
      fundamental and applied levels. 

PMID- 26477672
TI  - Nature of flocculation and tactoid formation in montmorillonite: the role of pH.
AB  - The dissolution and swelling properties of montmorillonite at different pH have
      been studied, using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), imaging and osmotic
      stress methods combined with Monte Carlo simulations. The acidity of
      montmorillonite dispersions has been varied as well as the counterions to the net
      negatively charged platelets. At low pH, Na montmorillonite dissolves and among
      other species Al(3+) is released, hydrated, polymerized and then it replaces the
      counterions in the clay. This dramatically changes the microstructure of Na
      montmorillonite, which instead of having fully exfoliated platelets, turns into a
      structure of aggregated platelets, so-called tactoids. Montmorillonite dispersion
      still has a significant extra-lamellar swelling among the tactoids due to the
      presence of very small nanoplatelets. 

PMID- 26477673
TI  - An efficient one-pot two catalyst system in the construction of 2-substituted
      benzimidazoles: synthesis of benzimidazo[1,2-c]quinazolines.
AB  - The benzimidazole core is a common moiety in a large number of natural products
      and pharmacologically active small molecules. The synthesis of novel
      benzimidazole derivatives remains a main focus in medicinal research. In
      continuation of the efforts towards Ce(III) catalysts for organic
      transformations, we observed for the first time the activity of the iodide ion
      and copper cation in activating CeCl3.7H2O in the selective formation of
      prototypical 2-substituted benzimidazoles. The one-pot CeCl3.7H2O-CuI catalytic
      system procedure includes the cyclo-dehydrogenation of aniline Schiff's bases,
      generated in situ from the condensation of 1,2-phenylenediamine and aldehydes,
      followed by the oxidation with iodine, which works as a hydrogen sponge. Mild
      reaction conditions, good to excellent yields, and clean reactions make the
      procedure a useful contribution to the synthesis of biologically active fused
      heterocycles containing benzimidazoquinazolines.

PMID- 26477674
TI  - Attitudes Concerning Postmortem Organ Donation: A Multicenter Survey in Various
      German Cohorts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to characterize postmortem organ donation
      attitudes in various German cohorts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Employees of 2 German
      cities and 2 German university hospitals, employees of a German automobile
      enterprise, and members of a German Medical Society were administered a
      questionnaire about postmortem organ and tissue donation attitudes. Demographic
      data and general attitudes were questioned and focused on: I) willingness to
      donate organs, II) holding a donor card, and III) having discussed the topic with
      the family. RESULTS: Of 5291 participants, 65.2% reported favoring postmortem
      organ donation. Missing negative experiences, the idea that donation is helpful,
      a non-medical professional environment, excellent general health, gender,
      agreement with the brain-death paradigm, and age significantly influenced the
      participants' attitudes. Participants were more likely to possess donor cards and
      had discussed more often with family members if they agreed with the brain-death
      paradigm and considered donation to be helpful. Males and older participants were
      the most likely to neglect donor cards, and Catholics, Protestants, and
      participants with poor health were the least likely to donate organs. Interest in
      receiving more information was expressed by 38.1% and 50.6% of participants
      refusing donation of all or of specific organs, respectively, and suggested the
      internet (60.0%) and family doctors (35.0%) as preferred sources of information.
      CONCLUSIONS: Public campaigns in Germany should focus on males and older people
      as regards donor cards, and females, younger, and religiously affiliated persons
      as regards the general willingness to donate organs postmortem.

PMID- 26477675
TI  - Fibril Film Formation of Pseudoenantiomeric Oxymethylenehelicene Oligomers at the
      Liquid-Solid Interface: Structural Changes, Aggregation, and Discontinuous
      Heterogeneous Nucleation.
AB  - Oxymethylenehelicene (P)- and (M)-oligomers up to a nonamer were synthesized by a
      building block method. The oligomers formed dimeric homoaggregates in
      trifluoromethylbenzene. A mixture of the pseudoenantiomeric (P)-pentamer and (M)
      hexamer formed a heteroaggregate, which self-assembled into one-dimensional
      fibril films at the liquid-solid interface. Discontinuous heterogeneous
      nucleation occurred, which involved the formation of particles that were 50 nm in
      diameter and subsequent fibril growth from these particles. The fibril film was
      formed on the solid surface and the molecules remained dissociated in solution.
      The fibril film formation was affected by seeding and the solid surface
      materials. 

PMID- 26477676
TI  - Two-ply channels for faster wicking in paper-based microfluidic devices.
AB  - This article describes the development of porous two-ply channels for paper-based
      microfluidic devices that wick fluids significantly faster than conventional,
      porous, single-ply channels. The two-ply channels were made by stacking two
      single-ply channels on top of each other and were fabricated entirely out of
      paper, wax and toner using two commercially available printers, a convection oven
      and a thermal laminator. The wicking in paper-based channels was studied and
      modeled using a modified Lucas-Washburn equation to account for the effect of
      evaporation, and a paper-based titration device incorporating two-ply channels
      was demonstrated. 

PMID- 26477677
TI  - Solving Kinetic Equations for the Laser Flash Photolysis Experiment on Nitric
      Oxide Synthases: Effect of Conformational Dynamics on the Interdomain Electron
      Transfer.
AB  - The production of nitric oxide by the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) enzyme depends
      on the interdomain electron transfer (IET) between the flavin mononucleotide
      (FMN) and heme domains. Although the rate of this IET has been measured by laser
      flash photolysis (LFP) for various NOS proteins, no rigorous analysis of the
      relevant kinetic equations was performed so far. In this work, we provide an
      analytical solution of the kinetic equations underlying the LFP approach. The
      derived expressions reveal that the bulk IET rate is significantly affected by
      the conformational dynamics that determines the formation and dissociation rates
      of the docking complex between the FMN and heme domains. We show that in order to
      informatively study the electron transfer across the NOS enzyme, LFP should be
      used in combination with other spectroscopic methods that could directly probe
      the docking equilibrium and the conformational change rate constants. The
      implications of the obtained analytical expressions for the interpretation of the
      LFP results from various native and modified NOS proteins are discussed. The
      mathematical formulas derived in this work should also be applicable for
      interpreting the IET kinetics in other modular redox enzymes. 

PMID- 26477678
TI  - False-positive findings, multiple comparisons and the strength of hypotheses.

PMID- 26477679
TI  - Processing of Facial Emotion in Bipolar Depression and Euthymia.
AB  - Previous studies of facial emotion processing in bipolar disorder (BD) have
      reported conflicting findings. In independently conducted studies, we investigate
      facial emotion labeling in euthymic and depressed BD patients using tasks with
      static and dynamically morphed images of different emotions displayed at
      different intensities. Study 1 included 38 euthymic BD patients and 28 controls.
      Participants completed two tasks: labeling of static images of basic facial
      emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happy, sad) shown at different expression
      intensities; the Eyes Test (Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Hill, Raste, & Plumb,
      2001), which involves recognition of complex emotions using only the eye region
      of the face. Study 2 included 53 depressed BD patients and 47 controls.
      Participants completed two tasks: labeling of "dynamic" facial expressions of the
      same five basic emotions; the Emotional Hexagon test (Young, Perret, Calder,
      Sprengelmeyer, & Ekman, 2002). There were no significant group differences on any
      measures of emotion perception/labeling, compared to controls. A significant
      group by intensity interaction was observed in both emotion labeling tasks
      (euthymia and depression), although this effect did not survive the addition of
      measures of executive function/psychomotor speed as covariates. Only 2.6-15.8% of
      euthymic patients and 7.8-13.7% of depressed patients scored below the 10th
      percentile of the controls for total emotion recognition accuracy. There was no
      evidence of specific deficits in facial emotion labeling in euthymic or depressed
      BD patients. Methodological variations-including mood state, sample size, and the
      cognitive demands of the tasks-may contribute significantly to the variability in
      findings between studies.

PMID- 26477680
TI  - Do Subjective Memory Complaints Lead or Follow Objective Cognitive Change? A Five
      Year Population Study of Temporal Influence.
AB  - The relationship between subjective memory complaints (SM) and objective memory
      (OM) performance in aging has been variably characterized in a substantial
      literature, to date. In particular, cross-sectional studies often observe weak or
      no associations. We investigated whether subjective memory complaints and
      objectively measured cognition influence each other over time, and if so, which
      is the stronger pathway of change-objective to subjective, or subjective to
      objective-or whether they are both important. Using bivariate latent change score
      modeling in data from a population study (N=1980) over 5 annual assessment
      cycles, we tested four corresponding hypotheses: (1) no coupling between SM and
      OM over time; (2) SM as leading indicator of change in OM; (3) OM as leading
      indicator of change in SM; (4) dual coupling over time, with both SM and OM
      leading subsequent change in the other. We also extended objective cognition to
      two other domains, language and executive functions. The dual-coupling models
      best fit the data for all three objective cognitive domains. The SM-OM temporal
      dynamics differ qualitatively compared to other domains, potentially reflecting
      changes in insight and self-awareness specific to memory impairment. Subjective
      memory and objective cognition reciprocally influence each other over time. The
      temporal dynamics between subjective and objective cognition in aging are
      nuanced, and must be carefully disentangled to shed light on the underlying
      processes.

PMID- 26477684
TI  - Pain-related anxiety in relation to anxiety and depression among persons living
      with HIV/AIDS.
AB  - Persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) experience clinically significant pain as a
      result of HIV and such pain is often related to increased levels of
      anxiety/depression. Pain-related anxiety has been identified as a mechanism in
      the onset and progression of pain experience and associated affective distress.
      However, there has not been empirical study of pain-related anxiety in relation
      to affective processes among PLHA. To address this gap, hierarchical multiple
      regressions were conducted using SPSS v.21 to examine pain-related anxiety (as
      measured using the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale) in relation to anxiety and
      depressive symptoms (as measured using the Mood and Anxiety Symptoms
      Questionnaire) among 93 PLHA (10.8% female; Mean age = 49.63, SD = 8.89). Pain
      related anxiety was significantly related to anxious arousal symptoms (beta =
      .43) and anhedonic depressive symptoms (beta = .25); effects were evident beyond
      the variance accounted for by CD4 count, race, sex, income level, and current
      level of bodily pain. The present results suggest that pain-related anxiety may
      play a role in the experience of anxiety and depressive symptoms among PLHA. 

PMID- 26477683
TI  - Immunotherapy and tumor microenvironment.
AB  - Recent exciting progress in cancer immunotherapy has ushered in a new era of
      cancer treatment. Immunotherapy can elicit unprecedented durable responses in
      advanced cancer patients that are much greater than conventional chemotherapy.
      However, such responses only occur in a relatively small fraction of patients. A
      positive response to immunotherapy usually relies on dynamic interactions between
      tumor cells and immunomodulators inside the tumor microenvironment (TME).
      Depending on the context of these interactions, the TME may play important roles
      to either dampen or enhance immune responses. Understanding the interactions
      between immunotherapy and the TME is not only critical to dissect the mechanisms
      of action but also important to provide new approaches in improving the
      efficiency of current immunotherapies. In this review, we will highlight recent
      work on how the TME can influence the efficacy of immunotherapy as well as how
      manipulating the TME can improve current immunotherapy regimens in some cases. 

PMID- 26477685
TI  - Trialing and Maintenance Dosing Using a Low-Dose Intrathecal Opioid Method for
      Chronic Nonmalignant Pain: A Prospective 36-Month Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate low-dose intrathecal opioid trialing and maintenance with
      regard to analgesia and psychometric functional capacity. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Prospective cohort of subjects offered, trialed and maintained using low-dose
      opioid therapy via an intrathecal drug delivery system. Analgesia, measured by
      visual analog scale and the Global Pain Scale, and function, measured by
      Multidimensional Pain Inventory and Global Pain Scale, are evaluated. Population
      analysis by age, gender, oral opioid dose, diagnosis, and pain type is reported.
      RESULTS: Fifty-eight subjects enrolled in the 36-month evaluation period with
      mean opioid intrathecal opioid dose less than 350 MUg per day of morphine
      equivalent utilized. Primary nociceptive pain type were associated with lower
      intrathecal opioid doses and improved visual analog scale pain rating and
      improved pain severity and interference on the Multidimensional Pain Inventory.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to the growing body of literature suggesting that
      low-dose intrathecal analgesia without oral opioid supplementation can be
      efficacious. It appears that this approach may achieve analgesia with lower doses
      in those with primary nociceptive pain type.

PMID- 26477686
TI  - Substrate-Deposited Sea Spray Aerosol Particles: Influence of Analytical Method,
      Substrate, and Storage Conditions on Particle Size, Phase, and Morphology.
AB  - Atmospheric aerosols are often collected on substrates and analyzed weeks or
      months after the initial collection. We investigated how the selection of
      substrate and microscopy method influence the measured size, phase, and
      morphology of sea spray aerosol (SSA) particles and how sample storage conditions
      affect individual particles using three common microscopy techniques: optical
      microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Micro
      Raman spectroscopy was used to determine changes in the water content of stored
      particles. The results show that microscopy techniques operating under ambient
      conditions provide the most relevant and robust measurement of particle size.
      Samples stored in a desiccator and at ambient conditions leads to similar sizes
      and morphologies, while storage that involves freezing and thawing leads to
      irreversible changes due to phase changes and water condensation. Typically, SSA
      particles are deposited wet and, if possible, samples used for single-particle
      analysis should be stored at or near conditions at which they were collected in
      order to avoid dehydration. However, if samples need to be dry, as is often the
      case, then this study found that storing SSA particles at ambient laboratory
      conditions (17-23% RH and 19-21  degrees C) was effective at preserving them and
      reducing changes that would alter samples and subsequent data interpretation. 

PMID- 26477687
TI  - Diagnosis and management of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) in
      Australia: findings from the first 5 years of the Australian TTP/thrombotic
      microangiopathy registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare, life-threatening
      thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). In 2009, the Australian TTP/TMA registry was
      established to collect data on patients presenting with TTP/TMA throughout
      Australia. AIM: To summarise information on the diagnosis and management of
      patients with TTP collected in the first 5 years (2009-2014) of the Australian
      TTP registry. METHODS: Registry data from June 2009 to October 2014 were
      reviewed. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients were identified with TTP (defined as
      ADAMTS13 activity <10%), accounting for 72 clinical episodes. ADAMTS13 inhibitor
      testing was performed in nine out of 57 patients (16%), reflecting the limited
      availability of accredited testing facilities. Sixty-seven out of 72 episodes
      were treated with therapeutic plasma exchange (PEx) using cryodepleted plasma
      (40% of episodes), fresh frozen plasma (36%) or a mixture (22%). Median exposure
      to plasma products was 55.9 L. PEx was commenced >=2 days from stated diagnosis
      in 15% of episodes. Adverse reactions to PEx were common with documented allergic
      reactions (including life threatening) in 21% of episodes. Adjunctive
      immunosuppression was documented in 76% of episodes (corticosteroid 71% and
      rituximab 39%). Platelet transfusion was administered in 15% of episodes.
      CONCLUSIONS: Data from the Australian TTP/TMA registry suggest a heterogenous
      approach to the diagnosis and management of TTP in Australia over the assessed
      period. These observations highlight areas for improvement and standardisation of
      practice, including comprehensive diagnostic testing, more immediate access to
      PEx and a more uniform approach to adjunctive immunosuppression and supportive
      care.

PMID- 26477688
TI  - The key regulator of submergence tolerance, SUB1A, promotes photosynthetic and
      metabolic recovery from submergence damage in rice leaves.
AB  - The submergence-tolerance regulator, SUBMERGENCE1A (SUB1A), of rice (Oryza sativa
      L.) modulates gene regulation, metabolism and elongation growth during
      submergence. Its benefits continue during desubmergence through protection from
      reactive oxygen species and dehydration, but there is limited understanding of
      SUB1A's role in physiological recovery from the stress. Here, we investigated the
      contribution of SUB1A to desubmergence recovery using the two near-isogenic
      lines, submergence-sensitive M202 and tolerant M202(Sub1). No visible damage was
      detected in the two genotypes after 3 d of submergence, but the sublethal stress
      differentially altered photosynthetic parameters and accumulation of energy
      reserves. Submergence inhibited photosystem II photochemistry and stimulated
      breakdown of protein and accumulation of several amino acids in both genotypes at
      similar levels. Upon desubmergence, however, more rapid return to homeostasis of
      these factors was observed in M202(Sub1). Submergence considerably restrained non
      photochemical quenching (NPQ) in M202, whereas the value was unaltered in
      M202(Sub1) during the stress. Upon reaeration, submerged plants encounter sudden
      exposure to higher light. A greater capability for NPQ-mediated photoprotection
      can benefit the rapid recovery of photosynthetic performance and energy reserve
      metabolism in M202(Sub1). Our findings illuminate the significant role of SUB1A
      in active physiological recovery upon desubmergence, a component of enhanced
      tolerance to submergence. 

PMID- 26477689
TI  - Efficient Fludarabine-Activating PNP From Archaea as a Guidance for Redesign the
      Active Site of E. Coli PNP.
AB  - The combination of the gene of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) from
      Escherichia coli and fludarabine represents one of the most promising systems in
      the gene therapy of solid tumors. The use of fludarabine in gene therapy is
      limited by the lack of an enzyme that is able to efficiently activate this
      prodrug which, consequently, has to be administered in high doses that cause
      serious side effects. In an attempt to identify enzymes with a better catalytic
      efficiency than E. coli PNP towards fludarabine to be used as a guidance on how
      to improve the activity of the bacterial enzyme, we have selected 5'-deoxy-5'
      methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (SsMTAP) and 5'-deoxy-5'-methylthioadenosine
      phosphorylase II (SsMTAPII), two PNPs isolated from the hyperthermophilic
      archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus. Substrate specificity and catalytic efficiency
      of SsMTAP and SsMTAPII for fludarabine were analyzed by kinetic studies and
      compared with E. coli PNP. SsMTAP and SsMTAPII share with E. coli PNP a
      comparable low affinity for the arabinonucleoside but are better catalysts of
      fludarabine cleavage with k(cat)/K(m) values that are 12.8-fold and 6-fold
      higher, respectively, than those reported for the bacterial enzyme. A
      computational analysis of the interactions of fludarabine in the active sites of
      E. coli PNP, SsMTAP, and SsMTAPII allowed to identify the crucial residues
      involved in the binding with this substrate, and provided structural information
      to improve the catalytic efficiency of E. coli PNP by enzyme redesign.

PMID- 26477690
TI  - Reply: Mutations in TUBB4A and spastic paraplegia.

PMID- 26477691
TI  - Age-related changes in aortic 3D blood flow velocities and wall shear stress:
      Implications for the identification of altered hemodynamics in patients with
      aortic valve disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate age-related changes in peak systolic aortic 3D velocity
      and wall shear stress (WSS) in healthy controls and to investigate the importance
      of age-matching for 3D mapping of abnormal aortic hemodynamics in bicuspid aortic
      valve disease (BAV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 4D flow MRI (fields strengths = 1.5
      3T; resolution = 2.2-3.9 * 1.7-2.6 * 2.2-4.0 mm(3) ; Venc = 150-250 cm/s;
      TE/TR/FA = 2.3-2.8/4.7-5.4msec/7-15 degrees ) was performed in 56 controls (age
      range: 19-78 years) and in two BAV patient groups each consisting of 10 subjects
      (group 1: 20-29 years, group 2: 52-57 years). Heat maps showing abnormal 3D
      velocity and WSS were created for the BAV patients by comparison with an age
      matched and with an unmatched control group. The fraction of the aorta exposed to
      abnormal velocity/WSS was calculated relative to the total aortic volume/surface.
      RESULTS: Significant inverse relationships between age and healthy velocity/WSS
      were found (R(2)  = 0.32/0.39, P < 0.001). For BAV group 1, abnormally elevated
      velocity/WSS was overestimated when compared with older controls (51-60 years)
      than when correctly age-matched (~25 +/- 14% vs. ~8 +/- 5%). For BAV group 2,
      abnormally decreased velocity/WSS was overestimated when compared with younger
      controls (21-30 years) than when correctly age-matched (~9 +/- 7% vs. 1 +/- 1%).
      CONCLUSION: Significant correlations exist between age and peak systolic velocity
      and WSS. Therefore, robust age-matching is important when creating abnormal 3D
      aortic velocity and WSS maps for patients with BAV.

PMID- 26477692
TI  - Blueberry Improves the Therapeutic Effect of Etanercept on Patients with Juvenile
      Idiopathic Arthritis: Phase III Study.
AB  - Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common arthritis in the
      adolescents under the age of 16. Etanercept, an inhibitor of tumor necrosis
      factor, is often used to treat JIA despite its significant side effects.
      Homeopathic remedies, such as blueberries, have anti-inflammatory properties with
      fewer unwanted effects and should be considered as a primary treatment. We aimed
      to explore the efficacy and safety of combination therapy of blueberry and
      etanercept for JIA. Two hundred and one JIA patients were selected, and randomly
      and evenly assigned to three groups: ETA (50 mg of etanercept twice weekly),
      ETABJ (matched etanercept and 50 ml blueberry juice daily) and ETAPJ (matched
      etanercept and placebo juice). The severity of JIA was measured using American
      College of Rheumatology scales (ACR) 20, 50 and 70. The levels of pro
      inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-1 (IL1) alpha and IL1 beta, and interleukin-1
      receptor antagonist (IL1RA) were measured by qRT-PCR and ELISA. After a 6-month
      follow-up, the ACR20, ACR50 and ACR70 in an ETABJ group were higher than those in
      other two groups (P < 0.05), suggesting clinically meaningful improvement in JIA.
      Meanwhile, the symptoms and side effects were reduced significantly or absent in
      an ETABJ group, including mental diseases, retrobulbar optic neuritis, gaining
      weight, infection, cutaneous vasculitis, diarrhea, uveitis and pancytopenia.
      Blueberries reduced the levels of IL1 alpha and beta, and increased the level of
      IL1RA. Thus, a combination therapy of blueberry and etanercept can reduce the
      severity of JIA and should be developed as a new method for JIA therapy. 

PMID- 26477693
TI  - RNA interference targeting PSCA suppresses primary tumor growth and metastasis
      formation of human prostate cancer xenografts in SCID mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) is a cell surface,
      glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored glycoprotein. Its overexpression has
      been detected in both local and metastatic prostate cancer (PCa), making it a
      potential therapeutic target. We previously reported that silencing PSCA by small
      interfering RNA targeting human PSCA (siRNA-PSCA) inhibited biological activity
      of PSCA-positive PCa cells leading to reduced proliferation, motility and
      invasion in vitro. In this study, we extended this in vitro findings to in vivo
      settings in order to investigate the effects of this specific siRNA on the tumor
      growth and metastasis development of PCa in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      siRNA-PSCA and ectopically overexpressed-PSCA vector were constructed and
      transfected into human PCa PC-3M and LNCaP cells, respectively, and were
      subcutaneously inoculated into the male SCID mice. Tumor growth was measured with
      a caliper, and formation of metastasis in mice bearing xenograft tumors was
      studied by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and autopsy analysis. Western blot
      and immunohistochemistry were used to assess the expression levels of PSCA
      protein in tumor tissues from xenograft and distant metastases. RESULTS:
      Consistent with our previous in vitro findings, the subcutaneous xenografts of PC
      3M-siPSCA exhibited the almost completely inhibited expression of PSCA protein in
      their tumors tissues (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively), and consequently
      had a significant reduction in tumor growth volumes (P < 0.05 for all), and
      metastasis onset and sites (P < 0.001 for all) compared to those of PC-3M and PC
      3M-siScrm. Conversely, LNCaP-PSCA showed significantly enhanced primary tumor
      growth and metastasis formation of xenografts compared to LNCaP-vehicle and LNCaP
      cells (P < 0.001 for all). Moreover, the up-regulated expression of PSCA protein
      was detected in the distant metastases of xenograft tumors from all groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these observations suggest that PSCA has a promoting
      role in the growth and metastasis of PCa and siRNA-PSCA may be a potential
      therapeutic strategy for PSCA-positive PCa.

PMID- 26477694
TI  - Pigmented naevi and sun protection behaviour among primary and secondary school
      students in an Eastern Hungarian city.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The most important risk factors for malignant melanoma are skin type
      I or II, large number of atypical naevi and a history of sunburn in childhood and
      adolescence. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed to assess skin type,
      number of pigmented lesions and sun protection behaviour in 1157 12- to 19-year
      old Hungarian students at 20 primary and secondary schools in Debrecen, Hungary.
      After receiving dermatological training, 18 school doctors examined the students'
      skin. A questionnaire was completed by the students with the assistance of their
      parents about sun protection, sunburns and the use of sunbed. Data from 612
      questionnaires were evaluated. RESULTS: Based on the doctors' evaluation, most of
      the pupils were classified as having skin type II and majority of them had 5-20
      naevi, particularly on the trunk. Based on the student's response, 5.2% purposely
      sunbathed daily, 10.1% did not use any form of sun protection, 32.2% wore sun
      protective clothing and 65.7% applied sunscreen generally. 6.9% used sunbed, and
      74.0% previously experienced serious sunburn at least once. Indoor tanning
      statistically correlated with the number of melanocytic naevi. CONCLUSION: A high
      prevalence of sunburn was reported by the students and some of them did not apply
      any sun protection methods but used sunbed at a critical age for developing
      melanoma at a later time. These data highlight the importance of educating
      children and parents about appropriate sun protection.

PMID- 26477695
TI  - Pro-permeability Factors After Dexamethasone Implant in Retinal Vein Occlusion;
      The Ozurdex for Retinal Vein Occlusion (ORVO) Study.

PMID- 26477696
TI  - Cysteamine in renal transplantation: A report of two patients with nephropathic
      cystinosis and the successful re-initiation of cysteamine therapy during the
      immediate post-transplant period.
AB  - Nephropathic cystinosis is a rare disorder causing the accumulation of
      intracellular cystine crystals in tissues. The damage to the proximal tubules of
      the kidneys results in Fanconi syndrome, and patients with cystinosis experience
      the progression of chronic kidney disease, resulting in the need for kidney
      transplantation. Treatment of cystinosis with cysteamine has proven to be
      effective; however, it has many gastrointestinal side effects that are concerning
      for transplant specialists during the immediate post-transplant period.
      Transplant specialists routinely discontinue cysteamine therapy for up to six
      weeks to ensure proper immunosuppressant absorption. This practice is worrisome
      because it communicates the acceptability of lapses of cysteamine treatment to
      patients. It may be better to re-initiate cysteamine therapy shortly after
      transplantation while the patient is followed more closely by the transplant
      team. This report presents two pediatric patients with nephropathic cystinosis
      who successfully restarted cysteamine therapy in the immediate post-transplant
      period without issue in regard to immunosuppression absorption or
      gastrointestinal side effects. These cases challenge current practice of
      discontinuing cysteamine therapy during kidney transplantation, and immediate re
      initiation of cysteamine therapy in cystinosis patients post-transplant should be
      considered. 

PMID- 26477697
TI  - In Situ Visualization of Block Copolymer Self-Assembly in Organic Media by Super
      Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy.
AB  - Analytical methods that enable visualization of nanomaterials derived from
      solution self-assembly processes in organic solvents are highly desirable.
      Herein, we demonstrate the use of stimulated emission depletion microscopy (STED)
      and single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) to map living crystallization
      driven block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly in organic media at the sub
      diffraction scale. Four different dyes were successfully used for single-colour
      super-resolution imaging of the BCP nanostructures allowing micelle length
      distributions to be determined in situ. Dual-colour SMLM imaging was used to
      measure and compare the rate of addition of red fluorescent BCP to the termini of
      green fluorescent seed micelles to generate block comicelles. Although well
      established for aqueous systems, the results highlight the potential of super
      resolution microscopy techniques for the interrogation of self-assembly processes
      in organic media. 

PMID- 26477699
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the Madagascar ground gecko Paroedura picta
      (Squamata: Gekkonidae).
AB  - We sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of the Madagascar ground gecko
      Paroedura picta (Squamata: Gekkonidae). The mitogenome is 17 220 base pairs long
      and conforms to the typical vertebrate gene composition and arrangement, i.e. 13
      protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and 1919 bp long
      control region. We reconstructed phylogenetic relationships of P. picta and
      representatives of nine other genera from the family Gekkonidae and calculated
      mean p-distances for all 13 protein-coding mitochondrial genes. The lowest mean p
      distances were found in cytochrome oxidase subunit I and III genes (COI and
      COIII) indicating their usefulness for elucidating deeper phylogenetic
      relationships.

PMID- 26477698
TI  - Effects of 96 Weeks of Rosuvastatin on Bone, Muscle, and Fat in HIV-Infected
      Adults on Effective Antiretroviral Therapy.
AB  - Heightened inflammation and immune activation are associated with lower bone
      mineral density (BMD) and lean body mass (LBM) among HIV-infected persons. We
      hypothesized that a reduction in inflammation with rosuvastatin would be
      associated with improvements in BMD and LBM. HIV-infected participants on stable
      antiretroviral therapy without statin indication and with heightened immune
      activation (>=19% CD8(+)CD38(+)HLA-DR(+) T cells) or inflammation (hsCRP >=2
      mg/liter) were randomized to rosuvastatin 10 mg daily or placebo for 96 weeks.
      Among 72 participants randomized to rosuvastatin and 75 to placebo, there were no
      significant differences in the relative changes in BMD (p > 0.29) or in fat (p >=
      0.19). A trend toward increased LBM (p = 0.059) was seen in the rosuvastatin arm
      without differences in creatinine kinase or self-reported physical activity (p >=
      0.10). In a multivariable regression model, rosuvastatin was associated with a
      significant positive effect on LBM after adjusting for age, sex, race, smoking
      status, and detectable HIV-1 viral load. Higher baseline sCD163 correlated with
      increases in LBM from weeks 0 to 96 (p = 0.023); greater changes in total and leg
      lean mass were seen among statin users with higher compared to lower baseline IP
      10 levels (LBM 1.8 vs. -0.3%; p = 0.028 and leg lean mass 2.9 vs. -1.7%; p =
      0.012). Rosuvastatin is associated with an absence of toxicity on BMD and a
      potential benefit on LBM over 96 weeks of therapy. The preservation of LBM in the
      rosuvastatin arm over the 2 years of the study is of major clinical relevance in
      delaying loss of muscle mass with aging.

PMID- 26477700
TI  - Restoring calcium homeostasis to treat Alzheimer's disease: a future perspective.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that primarily
      compromises memory formation and storage. Several hypotheses regarding the
      pathogenesis of AD have been proposed; however, no cure is available to date.
      Here we describe the calcium hypothesis of AD, which is gaining popularity. We
      present data supporting this hypothesis and focus on a recently discovered
      calcium-signaling pathway that is dysregulated in AD and propose targets for the
      development of disease-modifying therapies. 

PMID- 26477701
TI  - European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015: Section 3.
      Adult advanced life support.

PMID- 26477702
TI  - European Resuscitation Council and European Society of Intensive Care Medicine
      Guidelines for Post-resuscitation Care 2015: Section 5 of the European
      Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015.

PMID- 26477703
TI  - Part 1: Executive summary: 2015 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary
      Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science with Treatment
      Recommendations.

PMID- 26477704
TI  - Part 5: Acute coronary syndromes: 2015 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary
      Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science with Treatment
      Recommendations.

PMID- 26477705
TI  - Part 8: Education, implementation, and teams: 2015 International Consensus on
      Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science with
      Treatment Recommendations.

PMID- 26477707
TI  - Growth Factors and Astrocytes Metabolism: Possible Roles for Platelet Derived
      Growth Factor.
AB  - Astrocytes exert multiple functions in the brain such as the development of blood
      brain barrier characteristics, the promotion of neurovascular coupling,
      attraction of cells through the release of chemokines, clearance of toxic
      substances and generation of antioxidant molecules and growth factors. In this
      aspect, astrocytes secrete several growth factors (BDNF, GDNF, NGF, and others)
      that are fundamental for cell viability, oxidant protection, genetic expression
      and modulation of metabolic functions. The platelet derived growth factor (PDGF),
      which is expressed by many SNC cells, including astrocytes, is an important
      molecule that has shown neuroprotective potential, improvement of wound healing,
      regulation of calcium metabolism and mitochondrial function. Here we explore some
      of these astrocyte-driven functions of growth factors and their possible
      therapeutic uses in the context of neurodegeneration. 

PMID- 26477708
TI  - Construction of Training Sets for Valid Calibration of in Vivo Cyclic
      Voltammetric Data by Principal Component Analysis.
AB  - Principal component regression, a multivariate calibration technique, is an
      invaluable tool for the analysis of voltammetric data collected in vivo with
      acutely implanted microelectrodes. This method utilizes training sets to separate
      cyclic voltammograms into contributions from multiple electroactive species. The
      introduction of chronically implanted microelectrodes permits longitudinal
      measurements at the same electrode and brain location over multiple recordings.
      The reliability of these measurements depends on a consistent calibration
      methodology. One published approach has been the use of training sets built with
      data from separate electrodes and animals to evaluate neurochemical signals in
      multiple subjects. Alternatively, responses to unpredicted rewards have been used
      to generate calibration data. This study addresses these approaches using
      voltammetric data from three different experiments in freely moving rats obtained
      with acutely implanted microelectrodes. The findings demonstrate critical issues
      arising from the misuse of principal component regression that result in
      significant underestimates of concentrations and improper statistical model
      validation that, in turn, can lead to inaccurate data interpretation. Therefore,
      the calibration methodology for chronically implanted microelectrodes needs to be
      revisited and improved before measurements can be considered reliable. 

PMID- 26477709
TI  - Epstein-Barr virus-associated inflammatory pseudotumor presenting as a colonic
      mass.
AB  - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT) commonly
      involves spleen and liver and has only rarely been reported in the
      gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The spindle cells may express myofibroblastic or
      follicular dendritic cell markers. We report a challenging case of EBV-positive
      IPT arising in the ascending colon. The lesion was composed of spindle cells
      positive for smooth muscle actin but negative for all follicular dendritic cell
      markers tested and was associated with an exuberant lymphoid proliferation
      containing reactive follicles, abundant plasma cells, and small lymphocytes. We
      further discuss pitfalls for possible misdiagnosis as ALK-positive inflammatory
      myofibroblastic tumor, IgG4-related disease, and peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Our
      case represents the first EBV-positive inflammatory pseudotumor of the GI tract
      in the Western literature. Awareness of this rare entity in GI tract is essential
      for correct diagnosis and appropriate patient management. 

PMID- 26477711
TI  - Spinal cord injury is associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation: A
      population-based cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury (SCI) can result in substantial sensorimotor and
      autonomic dysfunctions and an adverse prognosis. Cardiovascular disease is the
      leading cause of death in patients with chronic SCI. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a
      retrospective cohort study to investigate the association between atrial
      fibrillation (AF) and SCI. METHODS: Using the National Health Insurance Research
      Database, we identified 41,691 patients without a history of AF who were newly
      hospitalized for SCI between 2000 and 2011. The comparison group included 166,724
      patients without AF or SCI who were matched to the SCI group according to age,
      sex, and index year at a ratio of 4:1. Both cohorts were followed up until the
      end of 2011, and the cumulative incidence of AF was calculated. Univariate and
      multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models and Kaplan-Meier curve
      analysis were used to compare differences in the cumulative incidence of AF
      between the 2 groups. RESULTS: During the mean follow-up periods of 5.69 years
      for the SCI group and 6.17 years for the non-SCI group, the overall incidence
      rates were 2.70 and 1.99 cases per 1000 person-years, respectively (crude hazard
      ratio 1.36; 95% confidence interval 1.24-1.48). After adjusting for age, sex, and
      all comorbidities, the risk of AF remained significantly higher in the SCI group
      than in the non-SCI group (adjusted hazard ratio 1.28; 95% confidence interval
      1.17-1.40). CONCLUSION: SCI is associated with an increased risk of AF in a long
      term follow-up period.

PMID- 26477710
TI  - Ventricular antitachycardia pacing therapy in patients with heart failure
      implanted with a cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator device:
      Efficacy, safety, and impact on mortality.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator can terminate
      ventricular tachycardia (VT) and fast VT (FVT) via antitachycardia pacing (ATP).
      OBJECTIVES: We evaluated efficacy and safety of ATP, whether ATP induces
      ventricular arrhythmias after inappropriate ATP or atrial fibrillation (AF) after
      appropriate ATP, and whether ATP is associated with mortality. METHODS: A total
      of 1404 patients with a cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator were
      followed in a prospective multicenter observational research. All-cause mortality
      rates were estimated in patient subgroups in order to uncouple the trigger
      (VT/FVT or other rhythms causing inappropriate detections) from ATP therapy.
      RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 31 months, 2938 VT/FVT episodes were treated
      with ATP in 360 patients. The adjusted ATP success rate was 63% (95% confidence
      interval [CI] 57%-69%) on FVTs and 68% (95% CI 62%-74%) on VTs. Acceleration
      occurred in 55 (1.87%) and syncope in 4 (0.14%) of all ATP-treated episodes. In
      14 true VT/FVT episodes in 5 patients, AF followed ATP therapy. In 4 episodes in
      2 patients, VT followed ATP inappropriately applied during AF. Death rate per 100
      patient-years was 5.6 (95% CI 4.3-7.5) in patients with appropriate ATP and 1.5
      (95% CI 0.4-6.1) in patients with inappropriate ATP (P = .045). CONCLUSION: ATP
      was effective in terminating VT/FVT episodes and displayed a good safety profile.
      ATP therapies by themselves did not increase death risk; prognosis was indeed
      better in patients without arrhythmic episodes, even if they received
      inappropriate ATP, than in patients with ATP on VT/FVT episodes. Adverse outcomes
      observed in patients receiving implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapies
      are probably related to the arrhythmia itself, a marker of disease progression,
      rather than to adverse effects of ATP.

PMID- 26477713
TI  - PCR-sequencing is a complementary method to amplification refractory mutation
      system for EGFR gene mutation analysis in FFPE samples.
AB  - Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS) is the most popular technology
      for EGFR gene mutation analysis in China. Cutoff Ct or DeltaCt values were used
      to differentiate low mutation abundance cases from no mutation cases. In this
      study, all of 359 NSCLC samples were tested by ARMS. Seventeen samples with
      larger Ct or DeltaCt than cutoff values were retested by PCR-sequencing. TKI
      treatment responses were monitored on the cases with ARMS negative and PCR
      sequencing positive results. One exon 18 G719X case, 67 exon 19 deletion cases, 2
      exon 20 insertion cases, 1 exon 20 T790M case, 60 exon 21 L858R cases, 5 exon 21
      L861Q cases and 201 wild type cases were identified by ARMS. Another 22 cases
      were evaluated as wild type but had later amplification fluorescent curves.
      Seventeen out of these 22 cases were retested by PCR-sequencing. It turns out
      that 3 out of 3 cases with exon 19 deletion later amplifications, 2 out of 2
      cases with L858R later amplifications and 4 out of 12 cases with T790M later
      amplifications were identified as mutation positive. Two cases with exon 19
      deletion and L858R respectively were treated by TKI and got responses. Our study
      indicated that PCR-sequencing might be a complementary way to confirm ARMS
      results with later amplifications. 

PMID- 26477712
TI  - Prevalence and distribution of focal triggers in persistent and long-standing
      persistent atrial fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relevance of focal triggers in persistent atrial fibrillation
      (PerAF) and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (LSPAF) has not been
      previously investigated. OBJECTIVE: We prospectively evaluated the prevalence and
      distribution of AF triggers in patients referred for catheter ablation of PerAF
      and LSPAF. METHODS: We analyzed consecutive patients undergoing first time AF
      ablation who underwent a standardized trigger protocol including cardioversion of
      induced or spontaneous AF and infusion of up to 20 MUg of isoproterenol for 15-20
      minutes either before or after pulmonary vein (PV) isolation accomplished.
      Triggers were defined as AF/sustained atrial tachyarrhythmia or repetitive atrial
      premature depolarizations. RESULTS: A total of 2168 patients were included (mean
      age 57 +/- 11 years; 1636 [75%] men), with 1531 patients having paroxysmal AF
      (PAF) (71%), 496 having PerAF (23%), and 141 having LSPAF (7%). PV triggers were
      found in 1398 patients with PAF (91%), 449 patients with PerAF (91%), and 129
      patients with LSPAF (91%) (P = .856 for comparison across groups). Non-PV
      triggers were elicited in a total of 234 patients (11%), and the prevalence was
      similar across the different types of AF (PAF, 165 [11%]; PerAF, 54 [11%]; LSPAF,
      15 [11%]; P = .996 for comparison across groups). CONCLUSION: PVs are the main AF
      trigger site in patients with PerAF and LSPAF, with an overall prevalence similar
      to that found in patients with PAF. These results support the current
      recommendations for PV isolation as the cornerstone of catheter ablation to
      eliminate AF triggers in PerAF and LSPAF.

PMID- 26477714
TI  - Candida glabrata induced infection of rat tracheal epithelial cells is mediated
      by TLR-2 induced activation of NF-kappaB.
AB  - An increasing number of reports identified Candida glabrata (C. glabrata) as the
      important causative agent of invasive pulmonary fungal infection. However, little
      is known about immune responses to C. glabrata in rat tracheal epithelial cell
      (RTEC). Here, the effect of C. glabrata on RTEC and the role of TLR-2 and NF
      kappaB in the immune response were investigated by treatment with TLR-2 siRNA and
      NF-kappaB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), respectively. Our results
      showed that the knockdown of TLR-2 and pretreatment of PDTC led to inhibition of
      cell proliferation by C. glabrata, further enhanced cells in G0/G1 phases, and
      promoted C. glabrata -induced apoptosis. C. glabrata infection induced the
      expression or secretion of TLR-2, NF-kappaB, TNF-alpha, and IL-6, and its effect
      was inhibited by knockdown of TLR-2. Pretreatment with PDTC inhibited the C.
      glabrata -induced expression of TLR2, and also inhibited the expression of p65
      subunit of NF-kappaB in the first 4 h. Although the expression of p65 subunit at
      6 h was elevated compared to baseline, the C. glabrata -induced expression of TNF
      alpha and IL-6 remained attenuated by PDTC pretreatment. Therefore, C. glabrata
      recognized the TLR-2 in rat tracheal epithelial cell (RTEC), and then activated
      the transcription factor NF-kappaB and further promoted the secretion of TNF
      alpha and IL-6 to contribute to the immune response and inflammation.

PMID- 26477715
TI  - Directly measuring mean and variance of infinite-spectrum observables such as the
      photon orbital angular momentum.
AB  - The standard method for experimentally determining the probability distribution
      of an observable in quantum mechanics is the measurement of the observable
      spectrum. However, for infinite-dimensional degrees of freedom, this approach
      would require ideally infinite or, more realistically, a very large number of
      measurements. Here we consider an alternative method which can yield the mean and
      variance of an observable of an infinite-dimensional system by measuring only a
      two-dimensional pointer weakly coupled with the system. In our demonstrative
      implementation, we determine both the mean and the variance of the orbital
      angular momentum of a light beam without acquiring the entire spectrum, but
      measuring the Stokes parameters of the optical polarization (acting as pointer),
      after the beam has suffered a suitable spin-orbit weak interaction. This example
      can provide a paradigm for a new class of useful weak quantum measurements. 

PMID- 26477716
TI  - An event-related potential investigation of sentence processing in adults who
      stutter.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristics of the semantic
      processing of sentences' final verbs in stutterers using event-related potential
      (ERP). ERPs elicited from semantically violating and non-violating verbs in
      Japanese sentences were compared between 13 adults who stutter (AWS) and 13
      adults who do not stutter (AWNS). The stimulus sentences elicited the N400 and
      the late positive component (LPC) in both groups. The amplitude of the N400,
      however, was attenuated in AWS. Regarding the LPC, the LPC in the 450-700ms time
      window (the early LPC) was evident in both groups, but the LPC in the 700-850
      time window (the late LPC) was only apparent in AWS. Because AWS judged sentence
      congruency as accurately as AWNS did, it is assumed that AWS depended more on the
      LPC for semantic processing, resulting in the enhancement of the late LPC. We
      speculate that semantic processing of sentences for AWS is more time consuming
      than that for AWNS. 

PMID- 26477717
TI  - Characteristics of fast-spiking neurons in the striatum of behaving monkeys.
AB  - Inhibitory interneurons are the fundamental constituents of neural circuits that
      organize network outputs. The striatum as part of the basal ganglia is involved
      in reward-directed behaviors. However, the role of the inhibitory interneurons in
      this process remains unclear, especially in behaving monkeys. We recorded the
      striatal single neuron activity while monkeys performed reward-directed hand or
      eye movements. Presumed parvalbumin-containing GABAergic interneurons (fast
      spiking neurons, FSNs) were identified based on narrow spike shapes in three
      independent experiments, though they were a small population (4.2%, 42/997). We
      found that FSNs are characterized by high-frequency and less-bursty discharges,
      which are distinct from the basic firing properties of the presumed projection
      neurons (phasically active neurons, PANs). Besides, the encoded information
      regarding actions and outcomes was similar between FSNs and PANs in terms of
      proportion of neurons, but the discharge selectivity was higher in PANs than that
      of FSNs. The coding of actions and outcomes in FSNs and PANs was consistently
      observed under various behavioral contexts in distinct parts of the striatum
      (caudate nucleus, putamen, and anterior striatum). Our results suggest that FSNs
      may enhance the discharge selectivity of postsynaptic output neurons (PANs) in
      encoding crucial variables for a reward-directed behavior. 

PMID- 26477719
TI  - Highlights form ESC 2015.

PMID- 26477718
TI  - g-force induced giant efficiency of nanoparticles internalization into living
      cells.
AB  - Nanotechnology plays an increasingly important role in the biomedical arena. Iron
      oxide nanoparticles (IONPs)-labelled cells is one of the most promising
      approaches for a fast and reliable evaluation of grafted cells in both
      preclinical studies and clinical trials. Current procedures to label living cells
      with IONPs are based on direct incubation or physical approaches based on
      magnetic or electrical fields, which always display very low cellular uptake
      efficiencies. Here we show that centrifugation-mediated internalization (CMI)
      promotes a high uptake of IONPs in glioblastoma tumour cells, just in a few
      minutes, and via clathrin-independent endocytosis pathway. CMI results in
      controllable cellular uptake efficiencies at least three orders of magnitude
      larger than current procedures. Similar trends are found in human mesenchymal
      stem cells, thereby demonstrating the general feasibility of the methodology,
      which is easily transferable to any laboratory with great potential for the
      development of improved biomedical applications. 

PMID- 26477720
TI  - Arterial stiffness in assessment of impaired left atrial function.

PMID- 26477721
TI  - Surgical and transcatheter management alternatives in refractory pulmonary
      hypertension: Potts shunt.
AB  - Despite advances in the medical treatment of children with pulmonary arterial
      hypertension that have resulted in improved health quality and life expectancy,
      the progression of the disease is still the main problem for some patients.
      Because of this undesirable condition, the search for new treatment strategies
      continues for pediatric cardiologists. At this point, the Eisenmenger physiology
      is the main target because of the long-life expectancy and more stable
      hemodynamics of patients with Eisenmenger syndrome. Therefore, some invasive
      procedures may be used for conversion to Eisenmenger physiology with the aim of
      decompressing the right ventricle. 

PMID- 26477722
TI  - Multifaceted impact of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) in experimental
      myocardial injuries.

PMID- 26477723
TI  - Prognostic marker of nonfatal pulmonary thromboembolism: decreased glomerular
      filtration rate or increased age?

PMID- 26477724
TI  - Analysis of heart rate variability seems to be one step ahead of cardiac reflex
      tests for investigating cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy.

PMID- 26477725
TI  - Predictors of successful percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy using the
      Bonhoeffer Multi-Track system in patients with moderate to severe mitral
      stenosis: Can we see beyond the Wilkins score?

PMID- 26477726
TI  - Should we consider serum potassium level as a mortality predictor in ST-elevation
      myocardial infarction?

PMID- 26477727
TI  - Mean platelet volume: When the size does matter.

PMID- 26477728
TI  - Is atrial septal defect alone able to affect the cardiac autonomic function or
      are there different factors that influence this function?

PMID- 26477729
TI  - Potential benefits of oral pentoxifylline before coronary artery bypass surgery.

PMID- 26477730
TI  - Atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery.

PMID- 26477731
TI  - Cardiac problem and MERS.

PMID- 26477734
TI  - The rewarding properties of methamphetamine in an invertebrate model of drug
      addiction.
AB  - The rewarding properties of drugs in the mammalian system depend on their ability
      to activate appetitive motivational states. The associated underlying mechanism
      is strongly conserved in evolution and invertebrates have recently emerged as a
      powerful new model in addiction research. The natural reward system in crayfish
      has surprisingly proven sensitive to human drugs of abuse, providing a new model
      for research into the basic biological mechanisms of drug addiction. In this
      study, we examined the presence of natural reward systems in crayfish, and then
      characterized its sensitivity to 2.5 MUg/g, 5.0 MUg/g and 10.0 MUg/g doses of
      methamphetamine (METH). Using the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm, we
      demonstrated that irrespective of the number of doses of METH injected into the
      pericardial system, crayfish seek out a particular tactile environment that had
      previously been paired with the METH. This study demonstrates that crayfish offer
      a comparative and complementary approach in addiction research. It contributes an
      evolutionary context to our understanding of a key component in learning and of
      natural reward as an important life-sustaining process.

PMID- 26477733
TI  - A transcriptional reference map of defence hormone responses in potato.
AB  - Phytohormones are involved in diverse aspects of plant life including the
      regulation of plant growth, development and reproduction, as well as governing
      biotic and abiotic stress responses. We have generated a comprehensive
      transcriptional reference map of the early potato responses to exogenous
      application of the defence hormones abscisic acid, brassinolides (applied as
      epibrassinolide), ethylene (applied as the ethylene precursor
      aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid), salicylic acid and jasmonic acid (applied as
      methyl jasmonate). Of the 39000 predicted genes on the microarray, a total of
      2677 and 2473 genes were significantly differentially expressed at 1 h and 6 h
      after hormone treatment, respectively. Specific marker genes newly identified for
      the early hormone responses in potato include: a homeodomain 20 transcription
      factor (DMG400000248) for abscisic acid; a SAUR gene (DMG400016561) induced in
      epibrassinolide treated plants; an osmotin gene (DMG400003057) specifically
      enhanced by aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid; a gene weakly similar to AtWRKY40
      (DMG402007388) that was induced by salicylic acid; and a jasmonate ZIM-domain
      protein 1 (DMG400002930) which was specifically activated by methyl jasmonate. An
      online database has been set up to query the expression patterns of potato genes
      represented on the microarray that can also incorporate future microarray or
      RNAseq-based expression studies. 

PMID- 26477735
TI  - Dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (DHCA) modulates the differentiation of Th17 and Th1
      cells and suppresses experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
AB  - Dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (DHCA), originally isolated from the stems of
      Cucurbita moschata, has previously been shown to exhibit anti-adipogenic and anti
      lipogenic effects in 3T3-L1 cells and primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs)
      (Lee et al., 2012). Here, we investigated whether synthetic DHCA could suppress
      the CD4 T helper 17 (Th17)-mediated production of the interleukin (IL)-17
      protein. The results from RT-qPCR suggest that DHCA-mediated down-regulation of
      IL-17 occurred at the transcriptional level by suppressing the expression of RAR
      related orphan receptor (ROR)gammat, the master transcription factor involved in
      the differentiation of Th17 cells. Furthermore, such inhibition was mediated by
      the suppression of NF-kappaB activity. DHCA also inhibited the Th1-mediated
      production of interferon (IFN) gamma by controlling the expression of a key
      transcription factor known to regulate the production of this cytokine, T-bet. In
      the mouse experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model, DHCA showed
      significant therapeutic effects by inhibiting the infiltration of immune cells
      into the spinal cords, decreasing the differentiation of pathogenic Th17 and Th1
      cells, suppressing the expression of various pro-inflammatory cytokines, and
      eventually ameliorating the clinical symptoms of EAE mice. Taken together, our
      data indicate that DHCA may be a potential candidate as an agent for the control
      of Th17 and Th1-mediated inflammatory diseases. 

PMID- 26477736
TI  - A novel antimicrobial peptide derived from fish goose type lysozyme disrupts the
      membrane of Salmonella enterica.
AB  - In aquaculture, accumulation of antibiotics resulted in development of resistance
      among bacterial pathogens. Consequently, it became mandatory to find alternative
      to synthetic antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) which are described as
      evolutionary ancient weapons have been considered as promising alternates in
      recent years. In this study, a novel antimicrobial peptide had been derived from
      goose type lysozyme (LyzG) which was identified from the cDNA library of
      freshwater fish Channa striatus (Cs). The identified lysozyme cDNA contains 585
      nucleotides which encodes a protein of 194 amino acids. CsLyzG was closely
      related to Siniperca chuatsi with 92.8% homology. The depicted protein sequence
      contained a GEWL domain with conserved GLMQ motif, 7 active residues and 2
      catalytic residues. Gene expression analysis revealed that CsLyzG was distributed
      in major immune organs with highest expression in head kidney. Results of
      temporal expression analysis after bacterial (Aeromonas hydrophila) and fungal
      (Aphanomyces invadans) challenges indicated a stimulant-dependent expression
      pattern of CsLyzG. Two antimicrobial peptides IK12 and TS10 were identified from
      CsLyzG and synthesized. Antibiogram showed that IK12 was active against
      Salmonella enterica, a major multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogen which
      produces beta lactamase. The IK12 induced loss of cell viability in the bacterial
      pathogen. Flow cytometry assay revealed that IK12 disrupt the membrane of S.
      enterica which is confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis that
      reveals blebs around the bacterial cell membrane. Conclusively, CsLyzG is a
      potential innate immune component and the identified antimicrobial peptide has
      great caliber to be used as an ecofriendly antibacterial substance in
      aquaculture. 

PMID- 26477737
TI  - Phylogenetic analysis reveals an evolutionary transition from internal to
      external brooding in Epiactis Verrill (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Actiniaria) and
      rejects the validity of the genus Cnidopus Carlgren.
AB  - Reproductive behaviors in the sea anemone genus Epiactis provide an opportunity
      for investigating the evolution of reproductive phenomena such as brooding and
      sex allocation (hermaphroditic vs. gonochoric) in a group of closely related and
      easily accessible species. However, given its broad geographic distribution, the
      striking diversity in reproductive behaviors, and the lack of synapomorphy for
      the genus, the monophyly of Epiactis is questionable. Here we perform
      phylogenetic analyses to test the monophyly of Epiactis and the validity of
      Cnidopus, which consists entirely of species once assigned to Epiactis. We use
      the large number of brooding species in Epiactis to investigate evolutionary
      patterns in brooding modes and characteristics associated with them. We find a
      monophyletic group of North Pacific Epiactis species: this group includes the
      type species of the genus and species that brood internally or externally, and
      that are hermaphroditic or gonochoric. Based on the results, we reject the genus
      Cnidopus because its circumscription renders Epiactis sensu stricto paraphyletic.
      Ancestral character state reconstruction indicates that in the North Pacific,
      externally brooding species evolved from internally brooding ancestors and that
      sex allocation is highly labile. Species relationships in Epiactis and Aulactinia
      appear to conform to geographic patterns more strongly than to taxonomic
      hypotheses. Contrary to expectations based on other invertebrates, we fail to
      find a strong correlation between brooding and hermaphroditism. 

PMID- 26477738
TI  - Phylogeny of the island archipelago frog genus Sanguirana: Another endemic
      Philippine radiation that diversified 'Out-of-Palawan'.
AB  - Recent higher-level frog phylogenetic analyses have included a few members of the
      endemic Philippine frog genus Sanguirana. Although the monophyly of the group has
      never been disputed, the recent phylogenetically-supported inclusion of the
      Palawan Wood Frog (Sanguirana sanguinea) in this clade was highly unexpected. In
      addition, species boundaries and relationships remain unclear and new species
      continue to be discovered. We estimate the phylogeny for this endemic Philippine
      genus using two mitochondrial gene regions and six nuclear loci and complete
      sampling for all known species. We use a time-calibrated Bayesian estimate of
      phylogeny and model-testing approach to biogeographic inference to infer
      ancestral areas and probable means of diversification. These analyses identify
      Sanguirana as an additional clade for which the 'Out-of-Palawan' biogeographic
      scenario is unambiguously preferred. This study lends additional support to
      recent work suggesting that a substantial portion of Philippine vertebrate
      megadiversity originated via colonization of the archipelago from the Palawan
      microcontinent, with subsequent invasion of oceanic islands (e.g., range
      expansion over Huxley's Modification of Wallace's Line), numerous instances of
      overwater dispersal, and geographic radiation across the archipelago. 

PMID- 26477739
TI  - The Effects and Stigma of Mental Illness in Turkey.
AB  - This study was planned to determine internalized stigma of patients who were
      monitored in the psychiatry clinics due to mental problems. It was determined
      that there was significant difference between the patients' mean internalized
      stigma total scores between subscale scores and their gender, job, the place that
      the patient was raised in, educational status, working status, income level, the
      period spent after the diagnosis, hospitalization status, the hospital monitoring
      the patient and the diagnosis. It is suggested that counseling services should be
      planned in order to identify negative impact of the factors that influence coping
      with internalized stigma. 

PMID- 26477740
TI  - Ultra-wideband microwave absorber by connecting multiple absorption bands of two
      different-sized hyperbolic metamaterial waveguide arrays.
AB  - Microwave absorbers have important applications in various areas including
      stealth, camouflage, and antenna. Here, we have designed an ultra-broadband light
      absorber by integrating two different-sized tapered hyperbolic metamaterial (HMM)
      waveguides, each of which has wide but different absorption bands due to
      broadband slow-light response, into a unit cell. Both the numerical and
      experimental results demonstrate that in such a design strategy, the low
      absorption bands between high absorption bands with a single-sized tapered HMM
      waveguide array can be effectively eliminated, resulting in a largely expanded
      absorption bandwidth ranging from 2.3 to 40 GHz. The presented ultra-broadband
      light absorber is also insensitive to polarization and robust against incident
      angle. Our results offer a further step in developing practical artificial
      electromagnetic absorbers, which will impact a broad range of applications at
      microwave frequencies. 

PMID- 26477741
TI  - Optimizing Field Emission Properties of the Hybrid Structures of Graphene
      Stretched on Patterned and Size-controllable SiNWs.
AB  - Graphene is one of the ideal nanomaterials to be paired with silicon, and their
      complementary properties can be exploited in field emission (FE) devices. We
      reported an efficient way to produce and adjust the dimension of uniform
      protrusions within graphene. First, a multistep template replication process was
      utilized to fabricate highly periodic and well-aligned silicon nanowires (SiNWs)
      of different diameters (400, 500 and 600 nm). Then, large-scale and uniform
      graphene, fabricated by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), was transferred onto
      these size-controlled SiNWs to obtain the nanoscale and uniform undulations. As
      compared to the nanowires alone, the hybrid structures lead to higher FE
      performance due to electron conductivity enhancement, high-density emmison
      protrusions and band bending. These hybrid SiNWs/graphene structures could
      provide a promising class of field emission cathodes.

PMID- 26477742
TI  - Hydrodynamic fluctuation-induced forces in confined fluids.
AB  - We study thermal, fluctuation-induced hydrodynamic interaction forces in a
      classical, compressible, viscous fluid confined between two rigid, planar walls
      with no-slip boundary conditions. We calculate hydrodynamic fluctuations using
      the linearized, stochastic Navier-Stokes formalism of Landau and Lifshitz. The
      mean fluctuation-induced force acting on the fluid boundaries vanishes in this
      system, so we evaluate the two-point, time-dependent force correlations. The
      equal-time correlation function of the forces acting on a single wall gives the
      force variance, which we show to be finite and independent of the plate
      separation at large inter-plate distances. The equal-time, cross-plate force
      correlation, on the other hand, decays with the inverse inter-plate distance and
      is independent of the fluid viscosity at large distances; it turns out to be
      negative over the whole range of plate separations, indicating that the two
      bounding plates are subjected to counter-phase correlations. We show that the
      time-dependent force correlations exhibit damped temporal oscillations for small
      plate separations and a more irregular oscillatory behavior at large separations.
      The long-range hydrodynamic correlations reported here represent a "secondary
      Casimir effect", because the mean fluctuation-induced force, which represents the
      primary Casimir effect, is absent. 

PMID- 26477744
TI  - Highly Crystalline CVD-grown Multilayer MoSe2 Thin Film Transistor for Fast
      Photodetector.
AB  - Hexagonal molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2) multilayers were grown by chemical vapor
      deposition (CVD). A relatively high pressure (>760 Torr) was used during the CVD
      growth to achieve multilayers by creating multiple nuclei based on the two
      dimensional crystal growth model. Our CVD-grown multilayer MoSe2 thin-film
      transistors (TFTs) show p-type-dominant ambipolar behaviors, which are attributed
      to the formation of Se vacancies generated at the decomposition temperature (650 
      degrees C) after the CVD growth for 10 min. Our MoSe2 TFT with a reasonably high
      field-effect mobility (10 cm(2)/V . s) exhibits a high photoresponsivity (93.7
      A/W) and a fast photoresponse time (tau(rise) ~ 0.4 s) under the illumination of
      light, which demonstrates the practical feasibility of multilayer MoSe2 TFTs for
      photodetector applications.

PMID- 26477745
TI  - A KISS (keep it simple, sensor) array for glycosaminoglycans.
AB  - Herein, we demonstrate that it is possible to design a sensor array with one
      multivalent cationic receptor (a dendrigraft of lysine) and one fluorescent
      anionic indicator (a fluorescein-labeled peptide). Depending on the loading of
      the indicator on the receptor, negatively charged glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)
      induce a positive or negative variation of the fluorescent signal as they
      displace the indicators from the receptor or they compact the indicators on the
      receptor's surface, respectively. This unique strategy allows not only the blind
      identification of pure GAGs with a level of accuracy of 100%, but also the
      differentiation of mixtures. 

PMID- 26477743
TI  - Drosophila Chemoreceptors: A Molecular Interface Between the Chemical World and
      the Brain.
AB  - Chemoreception is essential for survival. Feeding, mating, and avoidance of
      predators depend on detection of sensory cues. Drosophila contains diverse
      families of chemoreceptors that detect odors, tastants, pheromones, and noxious
      stimuli, including receptors of the odor receptor (Or), gustatory receptor (Gr),
      ionotropic receptor (IR), Pickpocket (Ppk), and Trp families. We consider recent
      progress in understanding chemoreception in the fly, including the identification
      of new receptors, the discovery of novel biological functions for receptors, and
      the localization of receptors in unexpected places. We discuss major unsolved
      problems and suggest areas that may be particularly ripe for future discoveries,
      including the roles of these receptors in driving the circuits and behaviors that
      are essential to the survival and reproduction of the animal. 

PMID- 26477746
TI  - Remarkable enhancement in the Kapitza resistance and electron potential barrier
      of chemically modified In2O3(ZnO)9 natural superlattice interfaces.
AB  - Superlattice interfaces can efficiently scatter phonons and filter low-energy
      electrons, thereby reducing the thermal conductivity to the "alloy limit" of
      crystalline solids and increasing the Seebeck coefficient substantially. In this
      paper, we report a two-fold reduction in the thermal conductivity and an
      improvement of about 170% in the Seebeck coefficient of an existing In2O3(ZnO)9
      superlattice by chemically modifying the interface with small additions of
      aluminum. Using a classical model for the interface transport, we attribute such
      significant changes to the increase in both the Kapitza (thermal) resistance and
      the electron potential barrier height of the InO2(-) superlattice interfaces that
      are modified by Al(3+). The present work opens a new avenue of research showing
      that the superlattice interfaces can be chemically tuned for specific properties,
      which can be investigated in both experimental and computational ways, and also
      suggests a new route for material design for applications in areas like
      thermoelectrics. 

PMID- 26477747
TI  - Compositional dependence of anomalous thermal expansion in perovskite-like ABX3
      formates.
AB  - The compositional dependence of thermal expansion behaviour in 19 different
      perovskite-like metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) of composition
      [A(I)][M(II)(HCOO)3] (A = alkylammonium cation; M = octahedrally-coordinated
      divalent metal) is studied using variable-temperature X-ray powder diffraction
      measurements. While all systems show essentially the same type of
      thermomechanical response-irrespective of their particular structural details-the
      magnitude of this response is shown to be a function of A(I) and M(II) cation
      radii, as well as the molecular anisotropy of A(I). Flexibility is maximised for
      large M(II) and small A(I), while the shape of A(I) has implications for the
      direction of framework hingeing. 

PMID- 26477748
TI  - Reproducible, stable and fast electrochemical activity from easy to make graphene
      on copper electrodes.
AB  - The electrochemical activity of graphene is of fundamental importance to
      applications from energy storage to sensing, but has proved difficult to
      unambiguously determine due to the challenges innate to fabricating well defined
      graphene electrodes free from contamination. Here, we report the electrochemical
      activity of chemical vapour deposition (CVD) graphene grown on copper foil
      without further treatment, through appropriate choice of electrolyte. Fast
      electron transfer kinetics are observed for both inner and outer sphere redox
      couples with fully covered graphene on copper electrodes (k degrees  = 0.014 +/-
      0.001 cm s(-1) or k degrees  = 0.012 +/- 0.001 cm s(-1) for potassium
      ferrocyanide(II) and hexaamineruthenium(III) chloride, respectively). Unlike
      highly oriented pyrolytic graphite electrodes, the electrochemical response of
      the graphene on copper electrodes is stable, with no apparent electrode fouling
      even with inner sphere redox couples, and reproducible independent of the time
      between growth and measurement. Comparison between fully covered electrodes, and
      partial coverage of graphene with varying graphene grain sizes (from roughly 50
      MUm to <10 MUm) shows that in this instance the basal plane of graphene is
      electrochemically active. These CVD grown graphene on copper electrodes are
      quick, cheap and reproducible to make and hence provide a convenient platform for
      further investigation of graphene electrochemistry and the effect of covalent and
      non-covalent modification. 

PMID- 26477749
TI  - NIS-catalyzed oxidative cyclization of alcohols with amidines: a simple and
      efficient transition-metal free method for the synthesis of 1,3,5-triazines.
AB  - An efficient method for the synthesis of 1,3,5-triazines by NIS-catalyzed
      oxidative cyclization of alcohols with amidines has been developed. The reaction
      works smoothly under transition-metal free and phosphine-free conditions to
      afford a wide range of 1,3,5-triazine derivatives in moderate to good yields. The
      synthetic methodology was achieved via in situ oxidation of alcohols to
      aldehydes. 

PMID- 26477750
TI  - Chromobacterium Violaceum Sepsis: Rethinking Conventional Therapy to Improve
      Outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chromobacterium violaceum (C. violaceum) is a facultative anaerobic
      gram-negative bacterium found in soil and water, especially in tropical and
      subtropical areas. Although infection in humans is rare, it is associated with
      significant morbidity. The bacterium is known for its resistance to multiple
      antimicrobials, and the possibility of relapse and reinfection. Presence of
      bacteremia, disseminated infection, and ineffective antimicrobial agents are
      predictors of mortality. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a previously healthy
      11-year-old male with C. violaceum sepsis who was exposed to stagnant water. He
      presented with severe septic shock and developed multi-organ system failure.
      Initial presumptive diagnosis was staphylococcal infection secondary to presence
      of skin abscesses resulting in antibiotic coverage with vancomycin, clindamycin,
      nafcillin and ceftriaxone. He also had multiple lung and liver abscesses. Once C.
      violaceum was identified, he received meropenem and ciprofloxacin, and was later
      discharged on ertapenem and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) to complete a
      total of six months of antibiotics. He was diagnosed with chronic granulomatous
      disease (CGD) and is currently on prophylactic TMP-SMX and itraconazole. He has
      not had any relapses since his initial presentation. CONCLUSIONS: This case
      highlights the importance of considering C. violaceum as a relevant human
      pathogen, and considering it early in temperate regions, particularly in cases of
      fulminant sepsis associated with multi-organ abscesses. Once C. violaceum is
      identified, appropriate antimicrobial therapy should be started promptly, and
      sufficient duration of treatment is necessary for successful therapy.

PMID- 26477751
TI  - Quantitative imaging of platinum based on laser ablation-inductively coupled
      plasma-mass spectrometry to investigate toxic side effects of cisplatin.
AB  - This work presents a quantitative bioimaging method for platinum based on laser
      ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and its application for a
      biomedical study concerning toxic side effects of cisplatin. To trace the
      histopathology back to cisplatin, platinum was localized and quantified in major
      functional units of testicle, cochlea, kidney, nerve and brain sections from
      cisplatin treated mice. The direct consideration of the histology enables precise
      interpretation of the Pt images and the novel quantitative evaluation approach
      allows significantly more precise investigations than the pure image. For the
      first time, platinum was detected and quantified in all major injured structures
      including organ of Corti of cochlea and seminiferous tubule of testicle. In this
      way, proximal tubule in kidney, Leydig cells in testicle, stria vascularis and
      organ of Corti in cochlea and nerve fibers in sciatic nerves are confirmed as
      targets of cisplatin in these organs. However, the accumulation of platinum in
      almost all investigated structures also raises questions about more complex
      pathogenesis including direct and indirect interruption of several biological
      processes. 

PMID- 26477752
TI  - Understanding the Thermodynamics of Hydrogen Bonding in Alcohol-Containing
      Mixtures: Self Association.
AB  - The perturbed chain form of the polar statistical associating fluid theory (Polar
      PC-SAFT) was used to model lower 1-alcohol + n-alkane mixtures. The ability of
      the equation of state to predict accurate activity coefficients at infinite
      dilution was demonstrated as a function of temperature. Investigations show that
      the association term in SAFT plays an important role in capturing the right
      composition dependence of the activity coefficients in comparison with
      nonassociating models (UNIQUAC). Results also show that considering long-range
      polar interactions can significantly improve the fractions of free monomers
      predicted by PC-SAFT in comparison with spectroscopic data and molecular dynamic
      (MD) simulations carried out in this work. Furthermore, evidence of hydrogen
      bonding cooperativity in 1-alcohol + n-alkane systems is discussed using
      spectroscopy, simulation, and theory. In general, results demonstrate the
      theory's predictive power, limitations of first-order perturbation theories, as
      well as the importance of considering long-range polar interactions for better
      hydrogen-bonding thermodynamics. 

PMID- 26477754
TI  - Alcohol and the heart.

PMID- 26477753
TI  - Variation in Carotenoid Content of Kale and Other Vegetables: A Review of Pre-
      and Post-harvest Effects.
AB  - Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids that are selectively taken up into the
      macula of the eye, where they are thought to protect against the development of
      age-related macular degeneration. They are obtained from dietary sources, with
      the highest concentrations found in dark green leafy vegetables, such as kale and
      spinach. In this Review, compositional variations due to variety/cultivar, stage
      of maturity, climate or season, farming practice, storage, and processing effects
      are highlighted. Only data from studies which report on lutein and zeaxanthin
      content in foods are reported. The main focus is kale; however, other
      predominantly xanthophyll containing vegetables such as spinach and broccoli are
      included. A small amount of data about exotic fruits is also referenced for
      comparison. The qualitative and quantitative composition of carotenoids in fruits
      and vegetables is known to vary with multiple factors. In kale, lutein and
      zeaxanthin levels are affected by pre-harvest effects such as maturity, climate,
      and farming practice. Further research is needed to determine the post-harvest
      processing and storage effects of lutein and zeaxanthin in kale; this will enable
      precise suggestions for increasing retinal levels of these nutrients. 

PMID- 26477755
TI  - A new 2-step risk-stratification clinical score for suspected appendicitis in
      children.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to develop a new Children's Appendicitis Score
      (CAS) by combining 3 inflammatory markers and a set of predictors for suspected
      appendicitis in children. METHODS: 374 children aged 4-16years with suspicion of
      appendicitis were prospectively enrolled for the derivation cohort. Demographic
      characteristics, clinical features, laboratory, and histology data were
      collected. The outcome measure was the histological presence or absence of
      appendicitis. Backward logistic regression was employed to select predictors for
      construction of a score. Diagnostic performance of CAS was compared with the
      Pediatric Appendicitis Score (PAS) on a separate validation cohort. RESULTS: The
      combination of normal white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil percentage, and C
      reactive protein (CRP) had a 100% negative predictive value for appendicitis. We
      assigned 'coefficient A' as 'zero' when all triple markers were negative and
      'one' when any one markers was positive. A second component of 6 predictors was
      identified for construction of the 'raw score': Localized right-lower-quadrant
      pain, generalized guarding, constant characteristic of pain, pain on percussion
      or coughing, WBC>=14000/L and CRP>=24g/L. CAS was generated by multiplying
      'coefficient A' by 'raw score'. CONCLUSION: CAS is superior to PAS in ruling out
      appendicitis. Risk stratification of equivocal patients could guide the need for
      further diagnostic imaging examination.

PMID- 26477756
TI  - [The guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small
      lymphocytic lymphoma in China (2015 edition)].

PMID- 26477757
TI  - [A multicenter study on the revalidation of validated conversion factor for the
      conversion of BCRABL(P210)transcript levels to the international scale in chronic
      myeloid leukemia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To revalidate the conversion factor(CF)for the conversion of BCR-ABL
      (P210)transcript levels to the international scale(BCR- ABLIS)in chronic myeloid
      leukemia(CML) which validated before. METHODS: Peking University People's
      Hospital(PKUPH)prepared the exchange samples for revalidation of CFs of 15
      laboratories which validated nine or eighteen months ago. The fresh BCR
      ABL(P210)(+)bone morrow or peripheral blood nucleated cells were diluted with BCR
      ABL (P210)(-)cells to achieve different BCR- ABL levels, totally 16 sets and 24
      samples per set were prepared. TRIzol reagent was added in each tube. Each
      laboratory tested BCR-ABL transcript levels of one set of samples. Agreement
      between BCR-ABLIS of each laboratory and PKUPH was assessed by the Bland- Altman
      method. For laboratories which did not meet the criteria of revalidation, linear
      regression equation was derived after the samples with maximum BCR-ABL deviation
      were removed until R2>0.98, then new CF was calculated. RESULTS: 10 laboratories
      met the revalidation criteria with both bias within +/-1.4 fold and 95% limits of
      agreement within +/-6 folds, and their CFs still could be used for accurately
      conversion of BCR-ABLIS. New CFs were recalculated as of 1.8-6.3 folds of their
      previous CFs in 5 laboratories not met the criteria. CONCLUSION: Revalidation of
      CF by sample exchange among laboratories was necessary for accurate and
      continuous application of BCR-ABLIS, which not only tested the validity of CF
      acquired before but also calculated new available CFs for those with invalid CFs.

PMID- 26477758
TI  - [Clinical and cytogenetic study of chromosome 1 abnormality in myelodysplastic
      syndrome].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the incidence of chromosome 1 abnormality in
      myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS)to couple its association with clinical presentation
      and prognosis. METHODS: R- band karyotype analyses were performed in 672 cases of
      MDS between 2010 and 2013. Clinical data of those with abnormal chromosome l were
      collected and then analyzed factors affecting the prognosis. RESULTS: Of 672
      cases of patients with MDS, chromosome 1 aberration[der(1), dup(1), -1 were most
      frequent] were found in 41(6.1%)cases. 1q trisomy was found in 18/41(43.9%)cases,
      and the most common patterns were duplication of the long arm as well as
      unbalanced translocation with other chromosomes. Of 41 patients with chromosomal
      1 abnormality, 32 cases were accompanied with other chromosomal aberration,
      usually involving 3 or more abnormal chromosomal karyotypes, e.g., chromosome 8,
      7 abnormalities. According to IPSS-R scoring system, 19 patients were diagnosed
      with very high risk, 10 patients high risk, 10 patients intermediate risk and 2
      patients low risk MDS. 9 patients transformed into acute leukemia with median
      transforming time of 7.18(0.56-54.28)months. Median survival of 36 cases after
      2010 was 17.48(95% CI 14.38-20.58)months. There were significant differences on
      median survival between RAEB and non-RAEB groups(chi2=10.398, P=0.001), and
      between with more than 3 chromosome abnormalities and with less than 3
      groups(chi2=3.939, P=0.047). RAEB was identified as an independent risk factor
      for the prognosis of MDS with chromosome 1 abnormality. CONCLUSION: Chromosome 1
      aberration was not rare in MDS. 1q trisomy was the most common abnormal karyotype
      in China, which often accompanied with other chromosomal abnormalities. The
      prognosis of MDS patients with chromosome 1 abnormality was poor, especially
      worse in those diagnosed with RAEB-1, RAEB-2 and with more than 3 chromosome
      abnormality. For patients whose percentage of bone marrow blasts less than 5%,
      the prognosis of patients with 1q trisomy was better than those without 1q
      trisomy. RAEB was identified as an independent risk factor for the prognosis of
      MDS with chromosome 1 abnormality.

PMID- 26477759
TI  - [The prognosis value of early and interim 18F-FDG-PET/CT scans in patients with
      diffuse large B-cell lymphoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognosis value of early and interim 18F-FDG-PET/CT
      scan in patients with diffuse large B- cell lymphoma (DLBCL) to establish the
      suitable criteria for evaluating posttherapeutic lesions in scans. METHODS: Fifty
      six newly diagnosed DLBCL patients were enrolled in the study, and underwent
      baseline, early and interim 18F- FDG PET/CT scans. Five- point and % DeltaSUVmax
      criteria were used separately to interpret 18F- FDG PET/CT images. Interobserver
      reproducibility was assessed with the kappa test(kappa), and thresholds of
      %DeltaSUVmax were calculated via receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC).
      Survival curves were obtained using Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test. Cox
      regression analysis was used for multi-factor analysis. RESULTS: Median follow-up
      was 24 months(6 to 42 months). The kappa value of the five- point scale was above
      0.600 with the reference background set in the liver(Score>=4). The optimal
      threshold of %DeltaSUVmax was 81% for early PET/CT and 74% for interim PET/CT.
      Survival analysis showed both early and interim PET/CT scans could predict the
      outcome of 56 patients with DLBCL, and 3-year PFS and OS of PET-negative patients
      were significantly higher than those of PET-positive ones(P<0.05). Five-score
      criteria were more accurate in evaluating 3- year PFS of DLBCL patients in the
      interim PET/CT scan(76.79%). %DeltaSUVmax criteria were better for interpreting 3
      year OS(76.79% and 83.93%). Multi-factor analysis demonstrated that early and
      interim PET/CT were solid predicting factors for DLBCL patients. CONCLUSION:
      Early and interim PET/CT scans could predict the outcome of patients with DLBCL,
      treated with R-CHOP/CHOP. Three-year OS was more accurate in early and interim
      PET/CT using 66 %DeltaSUVmax criteria as an interpretation, while 3-year PFS was
      more accurate in interim PET/CT by five scores criteria.

PMID- 26477760
TI  - [Therapeutic effect of CY-fTBI and BMM conditioning regimen in the process of
      allo-HSCT treating III,IV non-Hodgkin lymphoma: 15 years analysis of single
      center].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation(allo-HSCT)in the treatment of patients with III,IV non-Hodgkin
      lymphoma(NHL), and compared the efficacy between Cy- fractionated to talbody
      irradiation(fTBI)based conditioning regimen and Maryland, horse flange and
      mitoxantrone(BMM). METHODS: The clinical data of 47 patients with III, IV NHL
      after allo- HSCT from November 1998 to May 2014 were collected and
      retrospectively analyzed. To observe the hematopoietic reconstruction recovery
      after transplantation, cumulative incidence of acute graft- versus- host- disease
      (aGVHD) and chronic graft- versus- host- disease (cGVHD), transplantation related
      mortality (TRM), recurrence rate (RR), disease- free survival (DFS), overall
      survival(OS). Compare the efficacy of fTBI and BMM conditioning regimen at the
      same time. RESULTS: Neutrophils achieving 0.5*109/L and platelets achieving
      50*109/L on day 17 (range, 10- 72) post transplantation. Acute GVHD occurred in
      53.19%, among them, grade I-II occurred in 42.55%, grade III-IV occurred in
      10.65%, and cGVHD occurred in 21.28%. 21 patients were alive with a median follow
      up of 9.7 months(0.2-149.1 months). Overall survival(OS)was 73.5%, 49.3%, 40.1%
      respectively in the first, third and fifth year in Cy-fTBI group; in BMM group it
      was 67.8%, 32.9% and 31.4% respectively, and disease-free survival(DFS)was 65.3%,
      45.6%, 30.2% respectively in the first, third and fifth year. In Cy-fTBI group,
      the recurrence rate(RR)and transplantation related mortality(TRM)in the first
      year were 18.9%, 23.0% respectively, the third year were 19.5%, 38.3% and the
      fifth year were 35.2%, 39.2%. In BMM group, RR and TRM in the first year were
      27.4%, 24.5% respectively, the third year were 38.9%, 46.4% and the fifth year
      were 39.2%, 48.2%. However, there was no significant difference in the indicator
      of OS, DFS, RR, TRM in the two groups. CONCLUSION: Allo-HSCT could make some
      III,IV NHL patients achieve long-term disease- free survival, but the TRM was
      still high relatively. Moreover, compared with the program of BMM conditioning
      regimen, Cy-fTBI might reduce the TRM and RR, meanwhile, increase the DFS and OS.
      However, due to the small number cases of two groups, there was no statistical
      significant difference.

PMID- 26477761
TI  - [Control study of melphalan instead of cyclophosphamide as a myeloablative
      conditioning regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for
      treatment of myeloid malignancies].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate melphalan instead of cyclophosphamide in modified
      busulfancyclophosphamide regimen as a new myeloablative conditioning regimen for
      the treatment of myeloid malignancies patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic
      stem cell transplantation (HSCT). METHODS: The clinic data of 94 myeloid
      malignancies patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT were analyzed, of which 48
      patients received Bu+Cy+Flu+Ara-C, 46 cases Bu+Mel+Flu+Ara-C regimens. Rregimen
      related toxicity, engraftment, graft- versus-host disease(GVHD), infection
      condition, non- relapse mortality, and overall survival were compared between the
      two groups. RESULTS: All patients achieved neutrophil engraftment. The incidence
      of grade III-IV oral mucositis and diarrhea in BMFA group was higher than in BCFA
      group(P<0.05). The incidence of acute GVHD in BMFA group was also higher than in
      BCFA group but without statistically significant difference(36.5% over 56.5%,
      P=0.100). With a median follow up of 42 months, the incidence of no relapse
      mortality in BCFA group was 12.5% and 19.6% in BMFA group(P=0.400). The relapse
      rate in BMFA group(4.3%)was significantly lower than in BCFA group (25.0%,
      P=0.009). The overall survival rates were(71.8+/-6.7)% and(76.1+/-6.3)%(P=0.852),
      and diseasefree survival rates were(67.8+/-8.9)% and(76.1+/-6.3)%(P=0.567)were
      comparable between BCFA group and BMFA group. CONCLUSION: Melphalan instead of
      cyclophosphamide as a new myeloablative conditioning regimen had lower relapse
      and satisfied disease-free survival rates, but the risk of regimenrelated
      toxicity and GVHD should be taken into consideration.

PMID- 26477762
TI  - [Clinical features and prognosis in MLL-AF10 positive acute leukemia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical features and prognosis of acute leukemia
      patients with the mixed lineage leukemia(MLL)gene rearrangements AF10 positive.
      METHODS: 6 cases with MLL-AF10 positive were analyzed retrospectively, related
      literatures were reviewed to clarify MLL-AF10 patients'clinical features and
      prognosis. RESULTS: The median age of 6 cases was 19.5 years old, 5 patients with
      fever onset, the onset white blood cells of 4 patients were less than 10*109/L. 5
      cases were as M5 and 1 case M4 according to FAB classification, the level of
      fusion gene(RQ-PCR)was 0.23%-22.60% when diagnosed, 4 cases had concomitant WT1
      gene mutation, flow cytometry disclosed myeloid phenotype. Of 5 evaluated
      patients achieved the first complete remission after conventional chemotherapy, 2
      cases of complex karyotype died, one case died of sepsis in induction, another
      died from failing of transplantation. 4 out of 5 transplant recipients gained
      long term survival. CONCLUSION: The MLL-AF10 positive patients were mostly young
      men, the majority FAB classification was M5 or M4, often onset with fever, low
      white blood cells and low level of fusion gene, usually associated with WT1
      mutation. Conventional chemotherapy produced a high response rate, but easy to
      relapse, while the complex karyotype had a poor prognosis, allo-HSCT may have the
      potential to improve the prognosis of MLL-AF10 positive patients.

PMID- 26477763
TI  - [Identification of genetic defects in a Chinese pedigree with factor XIII
      deficiency: case report and literature review].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To perform phenotypic diagnosis, genetic diagnosis and prenatal
      diagnosis of inherited coagulation factor XIII (FXIII)deficiency in a Chinese
      family also provide a review of inherited coagulation F XIII deficiency. METHODS:
      The activity levels of F XIII (F XIII:C) of proband and family members were
      measured by clot solubility test and REA-chrom F XIII kit. The antigen levels of
      F XIII(FXIII:Ag) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
      Thrombelastography (TEG) test was used to make a comprehensive evaluation of
      coagulation status in the proband. All 15 exons and exon-intron boundaries of the
      F13A1 gene were amplified by PCR, and DNA sequencing was performed then. The
      mutation identified in the proband was screened in the family members.
      Furthermore, the related literatures were reviewed to provide a profile of
      clinical manifestation, gene mutations, the relationship between the mutations
      and phenotype, and treatments of inherited coagulation F XIII deficient cases.
      RESULTS: The clot solubility test was positive in the proband. The FXIII:Ag level
      of the proband was less than 1% and the FXIII:C level was below the lower limit
      of detection (<3%). Two compound heterozygous missense mutations (p.Arg662* and
      p.Trp665*) were identified in the proband. Family study showed that the two
      mutations were both inherited from the parents. The fetus also carried two
      compound heterozygous mutations, the same as the proband, and was diagnosed with
      severe F XIII deficiency. As reported in the literatures, most mutations were
      missense mutations and nonsense mutations, and no hot spot was found. The
      clinical pattern of F XIII deficiency varied among patients, with potentially
      fatal consequences from severe bleeding complications. CONCLUSION: Better
      understanding of F XIII biochemical properties and function and developing of
      FXIII laboratory assays and genetic detection could prevent missed diagnosis, and
      patients moght benefit from better care.

PMID- 26477764
TI  - [Clinical characteristics and outcome of patients with primary central nervous
      system lymphoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics, treatment and outcome of patients
      with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). METHODS: A total of 37
      patients with PCNSL treated in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from June
      1999 to June 2012 were enrolled into this retrospective study. The clinical
      characteristics, results of treatment and prognostic factors were analyzed.
      RESULTS: The median age of 37 patients with PCNSL at diagnosis was 57 years(range
      17 to 78 years) with a male to female ratio of 2.7:1. The symptoms or signs of
      elevated intracranial pressure and cognitive dysfunction were the most common
      initial manifestations. The median time period between onset of symptoms and
      diagnosis was 1.5 months. The majority of lesions were located in the cerebral
      hemisphere. At a median follow-up of 50 months, the median overall survival for
      all treated patients was 36.0 months (95% CI 21.7-50.3 months), with a
      progression-free survival of 18.0 months(95% CI 9.1-26.9 months). The 3-year
      cumulative survival rate was 46.9%. Compared to chemotherapy alone, combined
      modality regimens which did not improve outcome were associated with a greater
      risk of neurotoxicity. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of PCNSL was still poor, and the
      optimal treatment strategy for these patients should be explored in the future
      clinical trials.

PMID- 26477765
TI  - [Primary breast diffuse large B-cell lymphoma-report of 21 cases from China with
      literatures review].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluateclinical features, treatment and outcomes of patients
      diagnosed with primary breast diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL). METHODS:
      Clinical data were analyzed for all patients diagnosed with primary breast
      DLBCL(n=21). Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate 5- year overall
      survival(OS)rate, and the difference was compared by Log- rank test. RESULTS: The
      21 cases of patients with primary breast DLBCL were all female with median age at
      diagnosis as 48 years (range 21-64 years). 13 patients had International
      Prognostic Index(IPI)of 0, 6 IPI 1, and 2 IPI 2. The 5- year OS rates of CHOP/R-
      CHOP and R+/-DICE after R+/-EPOCH groups were 40.0% and 72.2% ,
      respectively(P=0.035). The central nervous system relapse rate of CHOP/R-CHOP and
      R+/-DICE after R+/- EPOCH groups were 16.7% and 6.7%(P=0.500), respectively. The
      5- year OS rates of patients with primary breast DLBCL staging II E-III E and I E
      were 21.4% and 83.3% , respectively(P=0.025). CONCLUSION: Primary breast DLBCL
      was rare. The patients of primary breast DLBCL with chemotherapy regimen of R+/
      DICE after R+/-EPOCH might have a better prognosis and lower relapse rate of
      central nervous system; the primary breast DLBCL patients staging IIE-IIIE might
      have a poor prognosis.

PMID- 26477766
TI  - [Influence of RNA interference on MSI-2 gene in THP-1 cell and expression of
      NUMB].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of small interfering RNA(siRNA)for MSI-2 on
      the growth, apoptosis and NUMB expression of THP-1 cells. METHODS: Three siRNA
      for MSI-2 gene was designed and transfected into THP- 1 cells. The cell
      inhibition, colony formation and apoptosis were determined. The protein
      expression of NUMB, caspase- 3 and PARP were detected by Western blotting.
      RESULTS: After MSI- 2 expression of THP- 1 cells was down- regulated for 24
      hours, cell inhibition of siRNA MSI-2 group was(47.89+/-7.64)%, obviously higher
      than that of negative control group(P=0.005). After 9 days, cell colony count of
      siRNA MSI-2 group was 7.50+/-1.53, also lower than that of negative control
      group(35.75+/-7.46, P<0.001). In addition, apoptotic rates of siRNA MSI- 2 group
      at 24 hours [(15.22+/-1.52)%]and 48 hours[(33.83+/-3.96)%]were significantly
      higher than those of negative control group(P=0.008 and P=0.001, respectively).
      Accordingly, activations of caspase-3 and PARP and increased NUMB were observed
      in siRNA MSI- 2 group. CONCLUSION: siRNA for MSI- 2 gene could increase the
      expressions of NUMB to inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of THP-1
      cells.

PMID- 26477767
TI  - [Primary cardiac plasmablastic lymphoma: report of a case and literature review].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report a case of primary cardiac plasmablastic lymphoma to
      investigate its clinical feature, diagnosis, therapy and prognosis. METHODS: A
      case of primary cardiac plasmablastic lymphoma was studied. The imaging
      examination, conventional histopathological and immunohistochemical staining of
      this case were detected. The clinical feature, pathogenesis, diagnosis, therapy
      and prognosis of primary cardiac plasmablastic lymphoma were further investigated
      through literatures review. RESULTS: The tumor was located in the right atrium.
      Microscopic examination showed diffuse proliferation of large lymphoid cells. The
      neoplastic cells were positive for CD38 and CD79a. The patient was treated with
      chemotherapy combined with autologous stem cell transplantation. CONCLUSION:
      Primary cardiac plasmablastic lymphoma was extremely rare. Its pathogenesis
      remained to be unclear. With non- specific clinical manifestations, the diagnosis
      was mainly confirmed by histopathological and immunohistochemical staining
      method. Without standard treatment, more patients were treated with chemithreapy
      regimens similar to the treatment used in aggressine lymphoma. Patients usually
      had a poor prognosis.

PMID- 26477768
TI  - [Treatment of adult acute lymphoblastie leukemia with eosinophilia and
      abnormality of PDGFRA by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and
      imatinib: one case report and literatures review].

PMID- 26477769
TI  - [Expression of IL- 32 in serum with acute leukemia and its clinical
      significance].

PMID- 26477770
TI  - [Laboratory diagnosis and ultrastructure in a case with Niemann-Pick disease].

PMID- 26477771
TI  - [Clinical significance of NF-kappaB/p65 expression in patients with diffuse large
      B-cell lymphoma].

PMID- 26477772
TI  - [Combination of thrombosis and coagulation disorder as first manifestation of
      bromadiolone toxicity: a case report and literature review].

PMID- 26477773
TI  - [Heterogeneity of hematopoietic stem cell].

PMID- 26477774
TI  - [The function and clinical value of Von Willebrand factor propeptide].

PMID- 26477775
TI  - [De novo CD5- positive diffuse large B- cell lymphoma in leukemic phase with
      highly chromosome complex aberrations and splenic infarction: a case report and
      literatures review].

PMID- 26477776
TI  - [Advances in leukemia inhibitors targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway].

PMID- 26477777
TI  - [Advances in microRNA and graft-versus-host disease].

PMID- 26477778
TI  - Persistent neuropathic pain increases synaptic GluA1 subunit levels in core and
      shell subregions of the nucleus accumbens.
AB  - The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key component of the brain reward system, and it
      is composed of core and shell subregions. Glutamate transmission through AMPA
      type receptors in both core and shell of the NAc has been shown to regulate
      reward- and aversion-type behaviors. Previous studies have additionally
      demonstrated a role for AMPA receptor signaling in the NAc in chronic pain
      states. Here, we show that persistent neuropathic pain, modeled by spared nerve
      injury (SNI), selectively increases the numbers of GluA1 subunits of AMPA
      receptors at the synapse of both core and shell subregions. Such increases are
      not observed, however, for the GluA2 subunits. Furthermore, we find that
      phosphorylation at Ser845-GluA1 is increased by SNI at both core and shell
      subregions. These results demonstrate that persistent neuropathic pain increases
      AMPA receptor delivery to the synapse in both NAc core and shell, implying a role
      for AMPA receptor signaling in these regions in pain states. 

PMID- 26477780
TI  - Decrease in CA3 inhibitory network activity during Theiler's virus encephalitis.
AB  - Viral infections of the central nervous system are often associated with
      seizures, and while patients usually recover from the infection and the seizures
      cease, there is an increased lifetime incidence of epilepsy. These viral
      infections can result in mesial temporal sclerosis, and, subsequently, a type of
      epilepsy that is difficult to treat. In previous work, we have shown that
      Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) infections in C57B/6 mice, an
      animal model of virus-induced epilepsy, results in changes in excitatory currents
      of CA3 neurons both during the acute infection and two months later, at a time
      when seizure thresholds are reduced and when spontaneous seizures can occur. The
      changes in the excitatory system differ at these two time points, suggesting
      different mechanisms for seizure generation. In the present paper, we examine
      GABAergic mediated inhibition in CA3 pyramidal cells at these two time points
      following TMEV infection. We found that amplitudes of sIPSCs and mIPSCs were
      reduced during the acute infection, but recovered at the two-month time point.
      These observations are consistent with previous measurements of excitatory
      currents suggesting different mechanisms of seizure generation during the acute
      infection and during chronic epilepsy. 

PMID- 26477781
TI  - Factors associated with sex work among at-risk female youth in Cambodia: a cross
      sectional study.
AB  - In Cambodia, despite great achievements in reducing the prevalence of HIV in the
      general population, reducing new HIV infections among young at-risk women remains
      a challenge. This study was designed to examine the prevalence of risky behaviors
      of sexually active female youth in Cambodia and to explore risk factors
      associated with engagement in transactional sex. We surveyed sexually active
      female youth aged 10-24 enrolled at risk "hotspots" in eight provinces in
      Cambodia. We collected data on demographic factors, sexual behavior, and factors
      hypothesized to be associated with transactional sex. Multivariable logistic
      regression was used to identify associations between demographic and sexual
      behavior and transactional sex. Of the 280 respondents, the mean age was 21.2,
      and 48.1% had been paid for sex in the past year. After adjustment, at-risk
      females who were never have been married (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 3.40, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) = 1.65-6.97), have completed less than 6 years of school
      (AOR 3.26, 95% CI = 1.60-6.66), have 1 or more parents who had died (AOR 4.34,
      95% CI = 2.00-9.38), be a heavy alcohol drinker (AOR 3.58, 95% CI = 1.78-7.18),
      have used a condom with their boyfriend during last sexual encounter (AOR 3.50,
      95% CI = 1.68-7.32), and have ever had an HIV test (AOR 3.51, 95% CI = 1.68-7.32)
      were more likely to engage in sex work. Our findings suggest that prevention
      strategies for female youth at risk of engagement in sex work should include
      upstream structural interventions that aim to encourage girls' education and
      empowerment. In addition, tailored sex education and behavior change messaging
      about the risks of heavy drinking, condom use with romantic partners, and the
      importance of frequent HIV testing for at-risk youth and sex workers should be
      designed and delivered to youth currently engaging in sex work. 

PMID- 26477779
TI  - Caspase-dependent degradation of MDMx/MDM4 cell cycle regulatory protein in
      amyloid beta-induced neuronal damage.
AB  - MDMx/MDM4 is a negative regulator of the p53 tumor suppressor protein and is
      necessary for survival in dividing cells. MDMx is also expressed in postmitotic
      neurons, with prosurvival roles that are independent of its extensively described
      roles in carcinogenesis. We and others have shown a role for MDMx loss in
      neuronal death in vitro and in vivo in several neurodegenerative diseases.
      Further, we have recently shown that MDMx is targeted for proteolytic degradation
      by calcium-dependent proteases, calpains, in neurons in vitro, and that MDMx
      overexpression provided partial neuroprotection in a model of HIV-associated
      neurodegeneration. Here, we assessed whether amyloid beta (Abeta)-induced MDMx
      degradation occurred in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) models. Our data shows an age
      dependent reduction in MDMx levels in cholinergic neurons within the cortex of
      adult mice expressing the swedish mutant of the amyloid precursor protein, APP in
      the Tg2576 murine model of AD. In vitro, Abeta treatment of primary cortical
      neurons led to the caspase-dependent MDMx degradation. Our findings suggest that
      MDMx degradation associated with neuronal death occurs via caspase activation in
      neurons, and that the progressive loss of MDMx protein represents a potential
      mechanism of Abeta-induced neuronal death during disease progression in AD. 

PMID- 26477782
TI  - Architectonic mapping of somatosensory areas involved in skilled forelimb
      movements and tool use.
AB  - Cebus monkeys stand out from other New World monkeys by their ability to perform
      fine hand movements, and by their spontaneous use of tools in the wild. Those
      behaviors rely on the integration of somatosensory information, which occurs in
      different areas of the parietal cortex. Although a few studies have examined and
      parceled the somatosensory areas of the cebus monkey, mainly using
      electrophysiological criteria, very little is known about its anatomical
      organization. In this study we used SMI-32 immunohistochemistry, myelin, and
      Nissl stains to characterize the architecture of the parietal cortical areas of
      cebus monkeys. Seven cortical areas were identified between the precentral gyrus
      and the anterior bank of the intraparietal sulcus. Except for areas 3a and 3b,
      distinction between different somatosensory areas was more evident in myelin
      stained sections and SMI-32 immunohistochemistry than in Nissl stain, especially
      for area 2 and subdivisions of area 5. Our results show that cebus monkeys have a
      relatively complex somatosensory cortex, similar to that of macaques and humans.
      This suggests that, during primate evolution, the emergence of new somatosensory
      areas underpinned complex manual behaviors in most Old World simians and in the
      New World cebus monkey. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:1399-1423, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26477783
TI  - Differential neutrophil activation in viral infections: Enhanced TLR-7/8-mediated
      CXCL8 release in asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Respiratory viral infections are a major cause of
      asthma exacerbations. Neutrophils accumulate in the airways and the mechanisms
      that link neutrophilic inflammation, viral infections and exacerbations are
      unclear. This study aims to investigate anti-viral responses in neutrophils from
      patients with and without asthma and to investigate if neutrophils can be
      directly activated by respiratory viruses. METHODS: Neutrophils from peripheral
      blood from asthmatic and non-asthmatic individuals were isolated and stimulated
      with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (1 MUg/mL), f-met-leu-phe (fMLP) (100 nM),
      imiquimod (3 MUg/mL), R848 (1.5 MUg/mL), poly I:C (10 MUg/mL), RV16 (multiplicity
      of infection (MOI)1), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (MOI1) or influenza virus
      (MOI1). Cell-free supernatants were collected after 1 h of neutrophil elastase
      (NE) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 release, or after 24 h for CXCL8
      release. RESULTS: LPS, fMLP, imiquimod and R848 stimulated the release of CXCL8,
      NE and MMP-9 whereas poly I:C selectively induced CXCL8 release only. R848
      induced CXCL8 release was enhanced in neutrophils from asthmatics compared with
      non-asthmatic cells (P < 0.01). RSV triggered the release of CXCL8 and NE from
      neutrophils, whereas RV16 or influenza had no effect. CONCLUSION: Neutrophils
      release CXCL8, NE and MMP-9 in response to viral surrogates with R848-induced
      CXCL8 release being specifically enhanced in asthmatic neutrophils. Toll-like
      receptor (TLR7/8) dysregulation may play a role in neutrophilic inflammation in
      viral-induced exacerbations.

PMID- 26477784
TI  - The association between chronic hepatitis C infection and cardiovascular risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vascular disease is a common cause of death in patients with chronic
      hepatitis C (CHC) infection; however, the association between CHC and
      atherosclerosis is unclear. AIMS: To determine whether patients with CHC have
      increased subclinical vascular disease and whether genotype or antiviral
      treatment modifies this risk. METHODS: Fifty CHC patients and 22 age-matched and
      sex-matched healthy controls underwent clinical and biochemical assessment for
      vascular risk factors. In addition, vascular risk was assessed by measuring
      arterial stiffness (aortic augmentation index and carotid-femoral pulse wave
      velocity (PWV)), endothelial dysfunction (brachial artery flow-mediated
      dilatation (FMD) and dilatation post-glycerol trinitrate administration) and
      carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). Assessment was repeated in subset of CHC
      patients (n = 12) undergoing antiviral treatment 18 months after initiation of
      treatment. RESULTS: Baseline vascular risk factors and measures of arterial
      stiffness, endothelial dysfunction and CIMT were not different between cases and
      controls (P > 0.2 for all). Genotype 1 CHC patients had greater endothelial
      dysfunction with lower FMD (8.2 +/- 3.5% vs 10.9 +/- 5.2%, P = 0.03) and higher
      right CIMT (0.6 +/- 0.1 mm vs 0.5 +/- 0.07 mm, P = 0.04) compared with non
      genotype 1. Patients who achieved sustained virological response (7/12) showed
      significant improvement in insulin resistance (homeostasis model of assessment of
      insulin resistance 2.3 +/- 1.2 vs 1.8 +/- 0.8, P = 0.02) and arterial stiffness
      (PWV 7.4 +/- 1.1 m/s vs 6.5 +/- 0.6 m/s, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Subclinical
      vascular disease is not greater in CHC subjects compared with controls. However,
      among CHC subjects, genotype 1 infection is associated with greater endothelial
      dysfunction and increased carotid-intima medial thickness compared with non
      genotype 1 infection. Successful viral eradication may improve insulin resistance
      and arterial stiffness.

PMID- 26477785
TI  - Continuous Seasonal River Ebullition Measurements Linked to Sediment Methane
      Formation.
AB  - Laboratory sediment incubations and continuous ebullition monitoring over an
      annual cycle in the temperate Saar River, Germany confirm that impounded river
      zones can produce and emit methane at high rates (7 to 30 (g CH4 m(-3) d(-1)) at
      25  degrees C and 270 to 700 (g CH4 m(-2) yr(-1)), respectively). Summer methane
      ebullition (ME) peaks were a factor of 4 to 10 times the winter minima, and
      sediment methane formation was dominated by the upper sediment (depths of 0.14 to
      0.2 m). The key driver of the seasonal ME dynamics was temperature. An empirical
      model relating methane formation to temperature and sediment depth, derived from
      the laboratory incubations, reproduced the measured daily ebullition from winter
      to midsummer, although late summer and autumn simulated ME exceeded the observed
      ME. A possible explanation for this was substrate limitation. We recommend
      measurements of methanogenically available carbon sources to identify substrate
      limitation and help characterize variation in methane formation with depth and
      from site to site. 

PMID- 26477786
TI  - Mutations in TUBB4A and spastic paraplegia.

PMID- 26477787
TI  - Metabolic profiling of a novel antithrombotic compound, S002-333 and enantiomers:
      metabolic stability, species comparison and in vitro-in vivo extrapolation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research work was to characterize the metabolism of
      S002-333, (2-(4'-methoxy-benzenesulfonyl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido (3,4-b)
      indole-3-carboxylic acid amide) and its enantiomers, S004-1032 (R-form) and S007
      1558 (S-form) in pooled human liver microsomes (PHLM) and pooled liver microsomes
      (LM) of rat (RLM), rabbit (RABLM), dog (DLM) and monkey (MLM). Another objective
      of this study was to identify suitable surrogate species to humans for further
      development of lead candidates. METHOD: In vitro metabolic stability and
      metabolite identification of S002-333 and enantiomers were carried out in PHLM
      and LM of various species. The prediction of surrogate species and in vitro in
      vivo extrapolation were performed based upon the calculated in vitro intrinsic
      clearance (CLint ). RESULTS/CONCLUSION: The in vitro CLint values for S002-333,
      S004-1032 and S007-1558 were 0.027 +/- 0.005, 0.025 +/- 0.004 and 0.036 +/- 0.005
      ml/min/mg, respectively, in PHLM, indicating that S007-1558 was the most
      metabolically unstable of the three. The LM of other species showed similar
      results. A common surrogate species to humans for S002-333 and enantiomers was
      predicted as rabbit where the extrapolated hepatic clearance (CLH ) did not show
      a significant difference to the in vivo CLH values. However, none of the species
      closely mimic humans with respect to the proportion of major metabolites (M-1-M
      4) formed in vitro. Likewise, the CLH values were also predicted in humans for
      S002-333 and enantiomers using various mathematical models. During analysis,
      there was no chiral inversion evident among the individual isomers throughout in
      vitro and in vivo experiments. In conclusion, the in vitro results indicate a
      prominent role of phase I metabolism in the degradation of S002-333 and
      enantiomers and predict rabbit as an alternative species to conduct further
      safety and efficacy studies. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26477788
TI  - Gender differences in caregiver burden and its determinants in family members of
      terminally ill cancer patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Female family caregivers consistently report higher levels of stress
      and burden compared to male caregivers. Explanations for the apparently higher
      psychological vulnerability of female caregivers are largely missing to date.
      This study assesses the correlates and determinants of caregiver burden in family
      caregivers of advanced cancer patients with a specific focus on gender
      differences. METHODS: Three hundred and eight self-identified main informal
      caregivers of advanced cancer patients were cross-sectionally assessed using
      structured questionnaires for caregiver burden and hypothesised determinants of
      burden, including sociodemographic characteristics, caring arrangements, support
      needs, hope and coping style. Gender differences and predictors of burden were
      assessed using t-tests, chi-squared tests and univariate linear regression.
      Significant univariate predictors were entered in an analysis of covariance
      separately for men and women. RESULTS: Burden was significantly higher in women.
      Hope was the most significant protective factor against burden in both genders,
      together with perceived fulfilment of support needs. Only in women emotion
      oriented coping and being in employment while caring were significantly
      predictive of higher burden in the multivariate analysis. The model explained 36%
      of the variance in burden in men and 29% in women. CONCLUSION: Psychological
      support interventions for family caregivers should take gender-specific risk
      factors into account. Interventions focusing on keeping up hope while caring for
      a terminally ill family member may be a valuable addition to palliative services
      to improve support for family carers. Women may benefit from interventions that
      address adaptive coping and strategies to deal with the dual demands of
      employment and caring. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright (c)
      2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26477789
TI  - The relationship between perineural invasion, tumor grade, reactive stroma and
      prostate cancer-specific mortality: A clinicopathologic study on a population
      based cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that nerves, tumor
      epithelium, and stroma interact and promote prostate cancer (PC) progression.
      Perineural invasion (PNI) is established amidst these interactions and may
      therefore indicate an aggressive PC phenotype. The purpose of the present study
      was to determine the relationship between PNI, tumor grade, reactive stroma, and
      PC-specific mortality. METHODS: A population-based study on 318 patients,
      encompassing all cases of PC diagnosed by needle biopsies and without evidence of
      systemic metastasis at the time of diagnosis in Aust-Agder County in the period
      of 1991-1999. Patients were identified by cross-referencing the Cancer Registry
      of Norway. Clinical data were obtained by review of medical charts. Diagnostic
      prostate needle biopsies were reviewed with respect to presence of PNI,
      percentage of biopsy cores with PNI, Gleason score (GS), and reactive stromal
      grade (RSG). The endpoint was PC-specific mortality. RESULTS: The presence of PNI
      was significantly associated with high tumor grade and abundant reactive stroma.
      The 10-year PC-specific survival for patients with and without PNI was 72% and
      91%, respectively (P = 0.001, log rank). PNI predicted PC-specific mortality
      independently of clinical factors, though the effect of PNI was attenuated when
      adjusting for GS and RSG. However, a percentage of biopsy cores with PNI >50% was
      found to predict PC-specific mortality independently of other clinicopathologic
      parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The present population-based study shows that PNI on
      diagnostic prostate needle biopsy is associated with increased risk of PC
      specific mortality. Our findings demonstrate that the prognostic effect of PNI is
      dependent on an association with high grade carcinoma and reactive stroma.
      However; the impact of PNI on clinical outcome becomes stronger and independent
      of other clinicopathologic factors upon increased percentage of PNI positive
      biopsy cores. Thus, our study highlights the importance of PNI and
      microenvironmental interactions for the long-term outcome of PC.

PMID- 26477790
TI  - Cellular Response of Sinorhizobium sp. Strain A2 during Arsenite Oxidation.
AB  - Arsenic (As) is a widely distributed toxic element in the environment and
      microorganisms have developed resistance mechanisms in order to tolerate it. The
      cellular response of the chemoorganotrophic arsenite (As[III])-oxidizing alpha
      Proteobacteria, Sinorhizobium sp. strain A2, to arsenic was examined in the
      present study. Several proteins associated with arsenite oxidase and As
      resistance were shown to be accumulated in the presence of As(III). A shift in
      central carbon metabolism from the tricarboxylic acid pathway to glyoxylate
      pathway was also observed in response to oxidative stress. Our results revealed
      the strategy of the As(III)-oxidizing Sinorhizobium strain to mitigate arsenic
      toxicity and oxidative damage by multiple metabolic adaptations. 

PMID- 26477791
TI  - Prolonged auditory brainstem responses in infants with autism.
AB  - Numerous studies have attempted to identify early physiological abnormalities in
      infants and toddlers who later develop autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One
      potential measure of early neurophysiology is the auditory brainstem response
      (ABR), which has been reported to exhibit prolonged latencies in children with
      ASD. We examined whether prolonged ABR latencies appear in infancy, before the
      onset of ASD symptoms, and irrespective of hearing thresholds. To determine how
      early in development these differences appear, we retrospectively examined
      clinical ABR recordings of infants who were later diagnosed with ASD. Of the 118
      children in the participant pool, 48 were excluded due to elevated ABR
      thresholds, genetic aberrations, or old testing age, leaving a sample of 70
      children: 30 of which were tested at 0-3 months, and 40 were tested at
      toddlerhood (1.5-3.5 years). In the infant group, the ABR wave-V was
      significantly prolonged in those who later developed ASD as compared with case
      matched controls (n = 30). Classification of infants who later developed ASD and
      case-matched controls using this measure enabled accurate identification of ASD
      infants with 80% specificity and 70% sensitivity. In the group of toddlers with
      ASD, absolute and interpeak latencies were prolonged compared to clinical norms.
      Findings indicate that ABR latencies are significantly prolonged in infants who
      are later diagnosed with ASD irrespective of their hearing thresholds; suggesting
      that abnormal responses might be detected soon after birth. Further research is
      needed to determine if ABR might be a valid marker for ASD risk. Autism Res 2016,
      9: 689-695. (c) 2015 The Authors Autism Research published by Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc. on behalf of International Society for Autism Research.

PMID- 26477792
TI  - Trauma-associated pneumonia: time to redefine ventilator-associated pneumonia in
      trauma patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The high prevalence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in
      trauma patients has been reported in the literature, but the reasons for this
      observation remain unclear. We hypothesize that trauma factors play critical
      roles in VAP etiology. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 1,044 ventilated
      trauma patients were identified from December 2010 to December 2013. Patient
      level trauma factors were used to predict pneumonia as study endpoint. RESULTS:
      Ninety-five of the 1,044 ventilated trauma patients developed pneumonia. Rib
      fractures, pulmonary contusion, and failed prehospital intubation were
      significant predictors of pneumonia in a multivariate model. CONCLUSIONS: It is
      time to redefine VAP in trauma patients based on the effect of rib fractures,
      pulmonary contusions, and failed prehospital intubations. The Centers for Disease
      Control and Prevention definition of VAP needs to be modified to reflect the
      effect of trauma factors in the etiology of trauma-associated pneumonia.

PMID- 26477794
TI  - Antrodia cinnamomea Extract Inhibits Th17 Cell Differentiation and Ameliorates
      Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasiform Skin Inflammation.
AB  - Antrodia cinnamomea (A. cinnamomea) is a Chinese medicinal herb that possesses a
      broad range of bioactivities, including anti-inflammation. Given that the
      proinflammatory cytokine IL-17 plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of
      autoimmune diseases, we investigated whether A. cinnamomea could inhibit the
      development of Th17 cells, the main producer of IL-17, and exhibit therapeutic
      effects on an animal model of psoriasis. We found that A. cinnamomea extract (AC)
      inhibited the differentiation of Th17 cells as well as the production of IL-17A,
      IL-21, and IL-22 from these cells. This effect was associated with the inhibition
      of STAT3 phosphorylation and RORgammat expression. Notably, the oral
      administration of AC reduced psoriasis-like inflammation in imiquimod-mediated
      dermal damage, repressed the expression of IL-17A, IL-22, and TNF-alpha in skin
      lesions, and decreased the infiltration of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and
      neutrophils into the dermis. Finally, serum levels of IL-17A were decreased in AC
      treated mice with psoriasis-like skin inflammation. Taken together, these
      findings indicate that AC inhibits Th17 cell differentiation, suggesting a role
      for A. cinnamomea in the treatment of psoriasis and other Th17 cell-mediated
      inflammatory diseases.

PMID- 26477795
TI  - Cancer Chemoprevention Effects of Ginger and its Active Constituents: Potential
      for New Drug Discovery.
AB  - Ginger is a commonly used spice and herbal medicine worldwide. Besides its
      extensive use as a condiment, ginger has been used in traditional Chinese
      medicine for the management of various medical conditions. In recent years,
      ginger has received wide attention due to its observed antiemetic and anticancer
      activities. This paper reviews the potential role of ginger and its active
      constituents in cancer chemoprevention. The phytochemistry, bioactivity, and
      molecular targets of ginger constituents, especially 6-shogaol, are discussed.
      The content of 6-shogaol is very low in fresh ginger, but significantly higher
      after steaming. With reported anti-cancer activities, 6-shogaol can be served as
      a lead compound for new drug discovery. The lead compound derivative synthesis,
      bioactivity evaluation, and computational docking provide a promising opportunity
      to identify novel anticancer compounds originating from ginger. 

PMID- 26477793
TI  - Decreased brain PME/PDE ratio in bipolar disorder: a preliminary (31) P magnetic
      resonance spectroscopy study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to measure brain phosphorus-31
      magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((31) P MRS) metabolite levels and the creatine
      kinase reaction forward rate constant (kf ) in subjects with bipolar disorder
      (BD). METHODS: Subjects with bipolar euthymia (n = 14) or depression (n = 11)
      were recruited. Healthy comparison subjects (HC) (n = 23) were recruited and
      matched to subjects with BD on age, gender, and educational level. All studies
      were performed on a 3-Tesla clinical magnetic resonance imaging system using a
      (31) P/(1) H double-tuned volume head coil. (31) P spectra were acquired without
      (1) H-decoupling using magnetization-transfer image-selected in vivo
      spectroscopy. Metabolite ratios from a brain region that includes the frontal
      lobe, corpus callosum, thalamus, and occipital lobe are expressed as a percentage
      of the total phosphorus (TP) signal. Brain pH was also investigated. RESULTS:
      Beta-nucleoside-triphosphate (beta-NTP/TP) in subjects with bipolar depression
      was positively correlated with kf (p = 0.039, r(2) = 0.39); similar correlations
      were not observed in bipolar euthymia or HC. In addition, no differences in kf
      and brain pH were observed among the three diagnostic groups. A decrease in the
      ratio of phosphomonoesters to phosphodiesters (PME/PDE) was observed in subjects
      with bipolar depression relative to HC (p = 0.032). We also observed a trend
      toward an inverse correlation in bipolar depression characterized by decreased
      phosphocreatine and increased depression severity. CONCLUSIONS: In our sample, kf
      was not altered in the euthymic or depressed mood state in BD. However, decreased
      PME/PDE in subjects with bipolar depression was consistent with differences in
      membrane turnover. These data provide preliminary support for alterations in
      phospholipid metabolism and mitochondrial function in bipolar depression.

PMID- 26477796
TI  - Cudraxanthone H Induces Growth Inhibition and Apoptosis in Oral Cancer Cells via
      NF-kappaB and PIN1 Pathways.
AB  - Cudraxanthone H (CH) is a natural compound isolated from a methanol extract of
      the root bark of Cudrania tricuspidata, a herbal plant also known as Moraceae.
      However, the effect of CH on human cancer cells has not been reported previously.
      The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer effects and mechanism of
      action of CH on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. CH exerted significant
      antiproliferative effects on OSCC cells in dose- and time-dependent manners. CH
      also induced apoptosis in OSCC cells, as evidenced by an increased percentage of
      cells in the sub-G1 phase of the cell cycle, annexin V-positive/propidium iodide
      negative cells, and nuclear morphology. This antiproliferative effect of CH was
      associated with a marked reduction in the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin E,
      with a concomitant induction of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKI)
      expression (p21 and p27). CH inhibited the phosphorylation and degradation of
      IkappaB-alpha and the nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB p65. Furthermore, CH
      treatment down-regulated PIN1 mRNA and protein expression in a dose-dependent
      manner. PIN1 overexpression by infection with adenovirus-PIN1 (Ad-PIN1)
      attenuated the CH-induced growth-inhibiting and apoptosis-inducing effects,
      blocked CH-enhanced CDKI expression and restored cyclin levels. In contrast,
      inhibiting PIN1 expression via juglone exerted the opposite effects. The present
      study is the first to demonstrate antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing
      effects of CH, which exerts its effects by inhibiting NF-kappaB and PIN1. These
      data suggest that it might be a novel alternative chemotherapeutic agent for use
      in the treatment of oral cancer.

PMID- 26477797
TI  - Chloroform Extract of Solanum lyratum Induced G0/G1 Arrest via p21/p16 and
      Induced Apoptosis via Reactive Oxygen Species, Caspases and Mitochondrial
      Pathways in Human Oral Cancer Cell Lines.
AB  - Solanum lyratum (SLEC) Thunberg (Solanaceae) has been used as a traditional
      herbal medicine in China for centuries. Numerous studies have shown that SLEC
      Thunberg (Solanaceae) extract inhibited cancer cell growth in vitro. Herein, we
      investigated cell death-induced by EcoAc, water, chloroform, butanol extract of
      SLEC in human oral cancer cell lines (HSC-3, SAS, and CAL-27) in vitro. Different
      SLEC extract induced cytotoxic effects in human oral cancer cells were examined
      by contrast phase microscopy. We selected the chloroform extract of SLEC to
      examine the cytotoxic effects by using DAPI staining, comet assays, flow
      cytometric assay, Western blotting and examination of confocal laser microscopy.
      SLEC decreased the percentage of viable cells, induced G0/G1 arrest and
      apoptosis. These effects were concentration- and time-dependent manners. SLEC
      increased protein levels of p21, p16, CDK2, and cyclin D1 in HSC-3, SAS, and CAL
      27 cells. Also, SLEC increased CDK6 in HSC-3 and CAL-27 cells, but inhibited CDK6
      in SAS cells. Cyclin E in HSC-3 and SAS cells was increased by SLEC, but it was
      inhibited in CAL-27 cells. SLEC suppressed the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and
      Bcl-xl, but increased the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bad in HSC-3, SAS, and
      CAL-27 cells. SLEC promoted the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and
      Ca2+, decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential (Deltapsim) and stimulated
      NO production in HSC-3, SAS, and CAL-27 cells. Specific caspase inhibitors
      (caspase-8 inhibitor: Z-IETD-FMK; caspase-9 inhibitor: Z-LEHD-FMK and caspase-3
      inhibitor: Z-DEVD-FMK) for caspase-8, -9, and -3 blocked SLE-activated caspase-8,
      -9, and -3 activities which were associated with an increase in the percentage of
      viable cells. Taken together, SLE induced G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis via
      extrinsic- and intrinsic-dependent pathways in HSC-3, SAS, and CAL-27 cells.

PMID- 26477798
TI  - Therapeutic Potential of Young Green Barley Leaves in Prevention and Treatment of
      Chronic Diseases: An Overview.
AB  - Medicinal plants have played a major role as a functional food and
      pharmacological source of active substances. Barley grass (BG) is young green
      barley leaves. It is the young grass of the common barley plant Hordeum vulgare
      L. of the family Poeaceae (Graminae). It is a type of green grasses, and the only
      vegetation on the earth that can supply sole nutritional support from birth to
      old age. It contains a wide spectrum of vitamins, minerals, as well as eight
      essential amino acids that we must get from our diets. BG possesses several
      pharmacological activities as anticancer activity, anti-oxidant activity and anti
      inflammatory activity. It has been argued that BG helps blood flow, digestion and
      general detoxification of the body. The major pharmacologic interest of BG is its
      use in the treatment of chronic diseases. The beneficial effects observed in
      chronic disease may be related to bioactive compounds contained in BG such as
      superoxide dismutase (SOD) and bioflavonoids (lutonarin and saponarin). Thus,
      this paper is focused on the various studies that emphasize the therapeutic
      potential of BG in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. 

PMID- 26477799
TI  - Effects of the Combination of the Main Active Components of Astragalus and Panax
      notoginseng on Inflammation and Apoptosis of Nerve Cell after Cerebral Ischemia
      Reperfusion.
AB  - Astragalus and Panax notoginseng are commonly used to treat cardio
      cerebrovascular diseases in China and are often combined together to promote
      curative effect. We speculate that the enhancement of the combination on
      anticerebral ischemia injury may come from the main active components. The
      purpose of this work was to probe the effects and mechanisms of Astragaloside IV
      (the active component of Astragalus) combined with Ginsenoside Rg1, Ginsenoside
      Rb1, and Notoginsenoside R1 (the active components of P. notoginseng) to
      antagonize ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury via inflammation and apoptosis.
      C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into sham, model, Astragaloside IV,
      Ginsenoside Rg1, Ginsenoside Rb1, Notoginsenoside R1, four active components
      combination, and Edaravone groups. After administration for 3 days, bilateral
      common carotid arteries (CCA) were occluded with artery clip for 20[Formula: see
      text]min followed by reperfusion for 24[Formula: see text]h. Our results showed
      that the survival rate of nerve cell in hippocampal CA1 decreased while the
      apoptotic rate increased, and the level of caspase-3 protein in brain tissues was
      elevated, the expressions of TNF-a, IL-1, and ICAM-1 mRNA as well as
      phosphorylated nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) inhibitor protein alpha (p
      IkappaBa) in brain tissues were up-regulated, and the nuclear translocation rate
      of NF-kappaB was raised. Additionally, the protein expressions of phosphorylated
      tyrosine kinase 1 (p-JAK1), phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of
      transcription-1 (p-STAT1), glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78), caspase-12, and
      phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinases 1/2 (p-JNK1/2) in brain tissues were also
      significantly strengthened after I/R for 24 h. All drugs could increase neurocyte
      survival rate in hippocampal CA1, decrease the apoptotic rate, and inhibit
      caspase-3 protein expression, in contrast, the effects of four active components
      combination were better than those of active components alone. In addition,
      Astragaloside IV and Ginsenoside Rg1 could down-regulate the level of TNF-alpha,
      and ICAM-1 mRNA, respectively, Notoginsenoside R1 reduced both TNF-alpha and ICAM
      1 mRNA, and the combination of the 4 effective components had inhibitory effects
      on the expressions of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and ICAM-1 mRNA. Astragaloside IV,
      Ginsenoside Rg1, Notoginsenoside R1, and 4 effective components combination were
      able to restrain the phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha, and relieve the nuclear
      translocation rate of NF-kappaB. Moreover, the effects of the combination are
      greater than those of active components alone. All drugs could suppress the
      phosphorylation of JAK1 induced by I/R; meanwhile the expression of p-STAT1
      exhibited a decrease in Ginsenoside Rg1 and four active components combination
      groups. The decreases of p-JAK1 and p-STAT1 in the four active components
      combination group were more obvious than those in active components alone groups.
      Astragaloside IV, Ginsenoside Rg1, and Notoginsenoside R1 further augmented GRP78
      expression caused by I/R, Notoginsenoside R1 attenuated caspase-12 protein
      expression, Astragaloside IV and Ginsenoside Rg1 lessened the phosphorylation of
      JNK1/2, and the four active components combination was capable of up-regulating
      GRP78 protein while down-regulating the expressions of caspase-12 and p-JNK1/2.
      Similarly, the effects of the four active components combination were greater
      than those of effective components alone. These suggested that the combination of
      the main active components of Astragalus and Panax notoginseng could strengthen
      protective effects on cerebral ischemia injury via anti-apoptosis and anti
      inflammation, and the mechanisms might be associated with restraining the
      activation of NF-kappaB and JAK1/STAT1 signal pathways and regulating endoplasmic
      reticulum stress (ERS) after cerebral ischemia.

PMID- 26477800
TI  - The Progress of Metabolomics Study in Traditional Chinese Medicine Research.
AB  - Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has played important roles in health
      protection and disease treatment for thousands of years in China and has gained
      the gradual acceptance of the international community. However, many intricate
      issues, which cannot be explained by traditional methods, still remain, thus, new
      ideas and technologies are needed. As an emerging system biology technology, the
      holistic view adopted by metabolomics is similar to that of TCM, which allows us
      to investigate TCM with complicated conditions and multiple factors in depth. In
      this paper, we tried to give a timely and comprehensive update about the
      methodology progression of metabolomics, as well as its applications, in
      different fields of TCM studies including quality control, processing, safety and
      efficacy evaluation. The herbs investigated by metabolomics were selected for
      detailed examination, including Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge, Atractylodes
      macrocephala Kidd, Pinellia ternate, etc.; furthermore, some valuable results
      have been obtained and summarized. In conclusion, although the study of
      metabolomics is at the early phase and requires further scrutiny and validation,
      it still provides bright prospects to dissect the synergistic action of multiple
      components from TCM. Overall, with the further development of analytical
      techniques, especially multi-analysis techniques, we expect that metabolomics
      will greatly promote TCM research and the establishment of international
      standards, which is beneficial to TCM modernization. 

PMID- 26477801
TI  - Chinese Herbal Products for Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - Traditional Chinese herbal products (CHPs) have been described in ancient
      medicine systems as treatments for various stroke-associated ailments. This study
      is aimed to investigate the prescription patterns and combinations of CHPs for
      ischemic stroke in Taiwan. Prescriptions of CHPs for ischemic stroke were
      obtained from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan.
      Every prescription with a leading diagnosis of ischemic stroke made during 2000
      2010 was analyzed. Descriptive statistics were applied to the pattern of co
      prescriptions. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess
      demographic and risk factors that are correlated with CHP use. The dataset of
      inpatient claims data contained information on 15,896 subjects who experienced
      ischemic stroke from 2000 to 2010. There was an average of 5.82 CHPs in a single
      prescription for subjects with ischemic stroke. Bu-yang-huan-wu-tang (BYHWT)
      (40.32%) was by far the most frequently prescribed formula CHP for ischemic
      stroke, and the most commonly used combination of two-formula-CHP was BYHWT with
      Shu-jin-huo-xue-tang (SJHXT) (4.40%). Dan Shen (16.50%) was the most commonly
      used single CHP for ischemic stroke, and the most commonly used combination of
      two single CHPs was Shi Chang Pua with Yuan Zhi (4.79%). We found that BYHWT and
      Dan Shen were the most frequently prescribed formula and single CHP for ischemic
      stroke, respectively. These results provide information about individualized
      therapy and may contribute to further pharmacologic experiments and clinical
      trials. 

PMID- 26477802
TI  - Mitochondrial genome diversity among six laboratory zebrafish (Danio rerio)
      strains.
AB  - The mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) is distinct from the nuclear genome and is known
      to play a significant role in several disease phenotypes, such as longevity and
      fertility. Here we characterize the complete mitochondrial genomes (~16 590 bp),
      and the extent of within and between strain variation for 27 adult zebrafish,
      representing five commonly used laboratory strains (AB, TL, HL, WIK, and SJD) and
      one line acquired from a local pet shop. These data were subsequently analyzed to
      determine the phylogenetic relationships between strains and ascertain if
      positive selection might be operating on any mtDNA genes. Relationships between
      strains are not entirely consistent with those observed previously using nuclear
      DNA. Further there is a substantial body of variation within current zebrafish
      lines, with 172 variants described across lines. Of these, 27 changes are non
      synonymous and there is nominal evidence for positive selection in the mtDNA
      sequences at some of these sites. We further identify novel frameshift mutations
      in eight genes, which are all predicted to have functional consequences. Our
      study provides the first information on mtDNA diversity in zebrafish, identifies
      multiple non-synonymous substitutions and other mutations expected to have
      functional effects, and represents an important first step in establishing
      zebrafish as a model for investigating the phenotypic effects of mtDNA mutations.

PMID- 26477803
TI  - Does the gut drive amyotrophic lateral sclerosis progress?

PMID- 26477804
TI  - Economics of Team-based Care in Controlling Blood Pressure: A Community Guide
      Systematic Review.
AB  - CONTEXT: High blood pressure is an important risk factor for cardiovascular
      disease and stroke, the leading cause of death in the U.S., and a substantial
      national burden through lost productivity and medical care. A recent Community
      Guide systematic review found strong evidence of effectiveness of team-based care
      in improving blood pressure control. The objective of the present review is to
      determine from the economic literature whether team-based care for blood pressure
      control is cost beneficial or cost effective. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Electronic
      databases of papers published January 1980-May 2012 were searched to find
      economic evaluations of team-based care interventions to improve blood pressure
      outcomes, yielding 31 studies for inclusion. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: In analyses
      conducted in 2012, intervention cost, healthcare cost averted, benefit-to-cost
      ratios, and cost effectiveness were abstracted from the studies. The quality of
      estimates for intervention and healthcare cost from each study were assessed
      using three elements: intervention focus on blood pressure control, incremental
      estimates in the intervention group relative to a control group, and inclusion of
      major cost-driving elements in estimates. Intervention cost per unit reduction in
      systolic blood pressure was converted to lifetime intervention cost per quality
      adjusted life-year (QALY) saved using algorithms from published trials.
      CONCLUSIONS: Team-based care to improve blood pressure control is cost effective
      based on evidence that 26 of 28 estimates of $/QALY gained from ten studies were
      below a conservative threshold of $50,000. This finding is salient to recent U.S.
      healthcare reforms and coordinated patient-centered care through formation of
      Accountable Care Organizations.

PMID- 26477806
TI  - Clinical Decision Support Systems Recommended to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease.

PMID- 26477805
TI  - Clinical Decision Support Systems and Prevention: A Community Guide
      Cardiovascular Disease Systematic Review.
AB  - CONTEXT: Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) can help clinicians assess
      cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and manage CVD risk factors by providing
      tailored assessments and treatment recommendations based on individual patient
      data. The goal of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of
      CDSSs in improving screening for CVD risk factors, practices for CVD-related
      preventive care services such as clinical tests and prescribed treatments, and
      management of CVD risk factors. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: An existing systematic
      review (search period, January 1975-January 2011) of CDSSs for any condition was
      initially identified. Studies of CDSSs that focused on CVD prevention in that
      review were combined with studies identified through an updated search (January
      2011-October 2012). Data analysis was conducted in 2013. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: A
      total of 45 studies qualified for inclusion in the review. Improvements were seen
      for recommended screening and other preventive care services completed by
      clinicians, recommended clinical tests completed by clinicians, and recommended
      treatments prescribed by clinicians (median increases of 3.8, 4.0, and 2.0
      percentage points, respectively). Results were inconsistent for changes in CVD
      risk factors such as systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total and low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol, and hemoglobin A1C levels. CONCLUSIONS: CDSSs are
      effective in improving clinician practices related to screening and other
      preventive care services, clinical tests, and treatments. However, more evidence
      is needed from implementation of CDSSs within the broad context of comprehensive
      service delivery aimed at reducing CVD risk and CVD-related morbidity and
      mortality.

PMID- 26477807
TI  - 2010 National and State Costs of Excessive Alcohol Consumption.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Excessive alcohol use cost the U.S. $223.5 billion in 2006. Given
      economic shifts in the U.S. since 2006, more-current estimates are needed to help
      inform the planning of prevention strategies. METHODS: From March 2012 to March
      2014, the 26 cost components used to assess the cost of excessive drinking in
      2006 were projected to 2010 based on incidence (e.g., change in number of alcohol
      attributable deaths) and price (e.g., inflation rate in cost of medical care).
      The total cost, cost to government, and costs for binge drinking, underage
      drinking, and drinking while pregnant were estimated for the U.S. for 2010 and
      allocated to states. RESULTS: Excessive drinking cost the U.S. $249.0 billion in
      2010, or about $2.05 per drink. Government paid for $100.7 billion (40.4%) of
      these costs. Binge drinking accounted for $191.1 billion (76.7%) of costs;
      underage drinking $24.3 billion (9.7%) of costs; and drinking while pregnant $5.5
      billion (2.2%) of costs. The median cost per state was $3.5 billion. Binge
      drinking was responsible for >70% of these costs in all states, and >40% of the
      binge drinking-related costs were paid by government. CONCLUSIONS: Excessive
      drinking cost the nation almost $250 billion in 2010. Two of every $5 of the
      total cost was paid by government, and three quarters of the costs were due to
      binge drinking. Several evidence-based strategies can help reduce excessive
      drinking and related costs, including increasing alcohol excise taxes, limiting
      alcohol outlet density, and commercial host liability.

PMID- 26477808
TI  - The Role of Clinical Decision Support Systems in Preventing Cardiovascular
      Disease.

PMID- 26477809
TI  - Letter Regarding Indoor Ultraviolet Radiation Tanning and Skin Cancer.

PMID- 26477810
TI  - Response to Letter Regarding Indoor Ultraviolet Radiation Tanning and Skin
      Cancer.

PMID- 26477818
TI  - The Role of Mast Cells in Bacterial Infection.
AB  - Mast cells (MCs) are particularly abundant at host-environment interfaces, such
      as skin and intestinal mucosa. Because of their location, it has been
      hypothesized that MCs can act as sentinel cells that sense microbial attacks and
      initiate a protective immune response. Several studies have suggested that
      animals deficient in MCs exhibit a worsened pathology in various experimental
      models of bacterial infection. However, other studies have indicated that MCs
      under certain circumstances may have a detrimental impact on bacterial disease,
      and there are also recent studies indicating that MCs are dispensable for the
      clearance of bacterial pathogens. Herein, we review the current knowledge of the
      role of MCs in bacterial infection. 

PMID- 26477819
TI  - Gas-Phase Chemical Separation of Phosphatidylcholine and Phosphatidylethanolamine
      Cations via Charge Inversion Ion/Ion Chemistry.
AB  - The [M + H](+) cations formed upon electrospray ionization of the
      glycerophospholipids phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)
      show distinct reactivities upon gas-phase reactions with doubly deprotonated 1,4
      phenylenedipropionic acid (PDPA). PC cations undergo charge inversion via adduct
      formation with subsequent methyl cation and proton transfer to the acid to yield
      [PC - CH3](-) anions. These demethylated PC anions fragment upon ion trap
      collision-induced dissociation (CID) to yield products that reveal fatty acid
      chain lengths and degrees of unsaturation. PE cations, on the other hand, undergo
      charge inversion via double proton transfer to the two carboxylate moieties in
      doubly deprotonated PDPA to yield [PE - H](-) anions. These anions also fragment
      upon ion trap CID to yield product ions indicative of chain lengths and degrees
      of unsaturation in the fatty acyl moieties. Advantage is taken of this distinct
      reactivity to separate isomeric and isobaric PC and PE cations present in mass
      spectra of lipid mixtures. A cation precursor ion population containing a mixture
      of PE and PC cations is mass-selected and subjected to ion/ion charge inversion
      reactions that result in separation of PC and PE anions into different mass-to
      charge ratios. Mass selection and subsequent ion trap CID of the lipid anions
      allows for the characterization of the isomeric lipids within each subclass. The
      charge inversion approach described here is demonstrated to provide increased
      signal-to-noise ratios for detection of PCs and PEs relative to the standard
      negative ionization approach as well as improved mixture analysis performance. 

PMID- 26477820
TI  - Associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms in the FAS pathway and acute
      kidney injury.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To determine whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FAS
      and related genes are associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with
      acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). METHODS: We studied 401 (Caucasian N
      = 310 and African-American N = 91) patients aged >= 13 years with ALI who
      enrolled in the Fluid and Catheter Treatment Trial (FACTT) between 2000 and 2005
      from 20 North American centers. We genotyped 367 SNPs in 45 genes of the Fas/Fas
      ligand pathway to identify associations between SNPs in Fas pathway genes and the
      development of AKI by day 2 after enrollment in FACTT, adapting Acute Kidney
      Injury Network (AKIN) criteria. Written informed consent was obtained from
      participants or legally authorized surrogates in the original FACTT study and
      available to use for secondary analysis. RESULTS: In Caucasian patients, we
      identified associations between two SNPs and the incidence of AKI (stage 1 and
      above): rs1050851 and rs2233417; both are found within the gene for nuclear
      factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor, alpha
      (NFKBIA). For rs1050851 and rs2233417, the odds ratios (ORs) were 2.34 (95 %
      confidence interval (CI) = 1.58-3.46, p = 1.06 * 10(-5), FDR = 0.003) and 2.46
      (CI = 1.61-3.76, p = 1.81 * 10(-5), FDR = 0.003) for each minor allele,
      respectively. The associations were stronger still for AKIN stage 2-3 with
      respective ORs 4.00 (CI = 2.10-7.62, p = 1.05 * 10(-5), FDR = 0.003) and 4.03 (CI
      = 2.09-7.77, p = 1.88 * 10(-5), FDR = 0.003) for each minor allele homozygote. We
      observed no significant association between these SNPs and AKI in the smaller
      subset of African Americans. CONCLUSION: In Caucasian patients with ALI, the
      presence of minor alleles in two SNPs in NFKBIA was strongly associated with the
      development of AKI. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT00281268 . Registered 20/01/2006.

PMID- 26477821
TI  - Thrombophilia testing patterns amongst patients with acute venous
      thromboembolism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thrombophilia testing has limited value in determining the selection
      and duration of anticoagulation therapy for venous thromboembolism (VTE), yet is
      commonly performed. This study describes the patterns and appropriateness of
      thrombophilia testing in a large cohort of patients with acute VTE. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This was a retrospective study of a random sample of patients with a
      validated diagnosis of acute VTE diagnosed between January 1, 2004 and December
      31, 2010. Events were identified from administrative data and verified via manual
      review. Patients were grouped by thrombophilia testing status and compared on
      patient characteristics and thrombophilia testing results and appropriateness.
      RESULTS: Of 1314 patients with validated VTE, 315 (24%) underwent thrombophilia
      testing, 62 (20%) of whom had >= 1 positive test. Tested patients were younger
      and more likely to have had a family history of VTE. Factor V Leiden (17%) and
      prothrombin G20210A mutation (4%) were the most commonly detected thrombophilias.
      Only 31 (10%) of tested patients met eligibility criteria for thrombophilia
      testing (i.e., at least one strong thrombophilic risk factor present) and were
      tested at least 90 days following unprovoked index VTE. CONCLUSIONS:
      Thrombophilia is commonly evaluated in patients without a clear indication for
      testing and during times where results may be unreliable. Future studies are
      needed to assess interventions aimed at reducing inappropriate thrombophilia
      testing without adversely affecting patient outcomes.

PMID- 26477822
TI  - Pelvic Pain Associated With Essure Perforation.

PMID- 26477823
TI  - Plant stilbenes induce endoplasmic reticulum stress and their anti-cancer
      activity can be enhanced by inhibitors of autophagy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Environmental conditions or chemical agents can interfere with the
      function of the endoplasmic reticulum, and the resulting endoplasmic reticulum
      (ER) stress can be toxic to the cell if it is not relieved. The classical
      compensatory response to ER stress is the unfolded protein response (UPR) that
      reduces protein load in the ER. However, autophagy may also compensate by
      removing large insoluble protein aggregates. Agents that stress the ER can have
      anti-cancer activity, and novel applications of ER stress inducing agents are
      being investigated. Plant stilbenes are a class of stress responsive molecules
      that includes resveratrol, which are being investigated as potential therapeutics
      in humans for conditions such as aging or cancer. RESULTS: We performed a screen
      of 1726 small, drug like molecules to identify those that could activate an ER
      stress responsive luciferase gene. After secondary screening, we determined that
      the plant stilbenes pterostilbene and piceatannol were the most potent inducers
      of ER stress from this group. ER stress can be particularly toxic to cells with
      high ER load, so we examined their effect on cells expressing the Wnt family of
      secreted glycoprotein growth factors. Molecular analysis determined that these ER
      stress-inducing stilbenes could block Wnt processing and also induce autophagy in
      acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells expressing Wnt16. Combining pterostilbene (to
      induce ER stress) with chloroquine (to inhibit autophagy) lead to significant
      cellular toxicity in cells from aggressive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
      CONCLUSIONS: Plant stilbenes are potent inducers of ER stress. However, their
      toxicity is more pronounced in cancer cells expressing Wnt growth factors. The
      toxicity of stilbenes in these ALL cells can be potentiated by the addition of
      autophagy inhibitors, suggesting a possible therapeutic application.

PMID- 26477824
TI  - miR-92a regulates angiogenic activity of adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal
      cells.
AB  - Mesenchymal stromal cells including those from adipose tissue (MSCs) regulate
      angiogenesis in adult tissues. MicroRNAs (miRs), small noncoding RNAs that
      control gene expression by binding to target mRNAs, reducing their stability
      and/or inhibiting translation, appear to be important regulators of blood vessel
      growth. In this study, we examined the impact of angio-miRs on paracrine
      activities of MSCs. Using Illumina microarrays we found that miR-92a is one of
      the most abundant angio-miRs in human MSCs. We transfected MSC with pre-miR-92a
      or anti-miR-92a which led to the coordinated changes of known miR-92a target mRNA
      levels. Then we tested the ability of conditioned medium from transfected cells
      to stimulate tube formation by HUVECs. MSC overexpressing miR-92a completely lost
      the ability to stimulate tubes formation by endothelial cells. However, knocking
      out miR-92a by transfection with anti-miR-92a did not increase the ability of MSC
      to stimulate tube formation. Secretion of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and
      angiopoetin-1 was significantly lower in the medium of miR-92a overexpressing
      MSC, whereas VEGF secretion did not change significantly. The replenishment of
      HGF but not angiopoietin-1 has restored the ability of conditioned medium from
      miR-92a overexpressing MSC to stimulate the tube formation. We conclude that
      overexpression of miR-92a in MSC suppresses angiogenic properties of these cells
      by down-regulation of HGF secretion. 

PMID- 26477825
TI  - Macrophages derived from THP-1 promote the osteogenic differentiation of
      mesenchymal stem cells through the IL-23/IL-23R/beta-catenin pathway.
AB  - Abnormal bone formation is a clinically significant dilemma for many conditions
      in response to injury, inflammation or genetic disease. However, the effects of
      inflammation on the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)
      remain unclear. IL-23 secretion from macrophages might contribute to the
      development of bone formation. Here, we investigated the stimulatory effects of
      THP-1 macrophage conditioned medium (MPhi CM) on the osteogenic differentiation
      of human MSCs and the associated signaling pathways. The osteogenic
      differentiation of MSCs was induced after exposure to osteogenic differentiation
      medium (OM). MPhi CM significantly increased alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity
      and calcium mineralization in MSCs. Osteogenic marker genes, including RUNX2, ALP
      and osteocalcin (OCN), were also up-regulated in MSCs after exposure to MPhi CM.
      Moreover, western blotting revealed that MPhi CM treatment induced STAT3 and beta
      catenin activation in MSCs. Furthermore, blockade of IL-23 in MPhi CM not only
      impaired the osteogenic-promotion effects of macrophage but also decreased the
      expression of osteogenic maker genes. However, IL-23R silencing suppressed MPhi
      CM-induced calcium mineralization and osteogenic maker gene expression in MSCs.
      These data suggest that macrophages derived from THP-1 promote the osteoblastic
      differentiation of MSCs through the IL-23/IL-23R/beta-catenin pathway and
      macrophages might contribute to the development of bone formation in
      inflammation. 

PMID- 26477826
TI  - Aquablation - image-guided robot-assisted waterjet ablation of the prostate:
      initial clinical experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety and feasibility of aquablation in a first-in-man
      study. Aquablation is a novel minimally invasive water ablation therapy combining
      image guidance and robotics (AquaBeam((r)) ) for the targeted and heat-free
      removal of prostatic tissue in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)
      secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A
      prospective, non-randomised, single-centre trial in men aged 50-80 years with
      moderate-to-severe LUTS was conducted. Under real-time image-based ultrasonic
      guidance, AquaBeam technology enables surgical planning and mapping, and leads to
      a controlled heat-free resection of the prostate using a high-velocity saline
      stream. Patients were evaluated at 1, 3, and 6 months after aquablation. RESULTS:
      In all, 15 patients were treated with aquablation under general anaesthesia. The
      mean (range) age was 73 (59-86) years and prostate size was 54 (27-85) mL. A
      substantial median lobe was present in six of the 15 patients. The mean
      International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) was 23 and the maximum urinary flow
      rate (Qmax ) was 8.4 mL/s at baseline. The mean procedural time was 48 min with a
      mean aquablation treatment time of 8 min. All procedures were technically
      successful with no serious or unexpected adverse events (AEs). All but one
      patient had removal of catheter on day 1, and most of the patients were
      discharged on the first postoperative day. No patient required a blood
      transfusion, and postoperative sodium changes were negligible. There were no
      serious 30-day AEs. One patient underwent a second aquablation treatment within
      90 days of the first procedure. The mean IPSS score statistically improved from
      23.1 at baseline to 8.6 at 6 months (P < 0.001) and the Qmax increased from 8.6
      mL/s at baseline to 18.6 mL/s at the 6-month follow-up (P < 0.001). At 6 months,
      the mean detrusor pressure at Qmax decreased to 45 cmH2 0 from 66 cmH2 0 at
      baseline (P < 0.05), and the mean prostate size was reduced to 36 mL, a 31%
      reduction in size vs baseline (P < 0.001). No cases of urinary incontinence or
      erectile dysfunction were reported. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results from
      this initial study show aquablation of the prostate is technically feasible with
      a safety profile comparable to other BPH technologies. The combination of
      surgical mapping by the operating surgeon and the high-velocity saline provides a
      promising technique delivering a conformal, quantifiable, and standardised heat
      free ablation of the prostate. Advantages of this technique include reduction in
      resection time compared with other endoscopic methods, as well as the potential
      to preserve sexual function.

PMID- 26477827
TI  - POST Forms More Than Advance Directives Associated With Out-of-Hospital Death:
      Insights From a State Registry.
AB  - CONTEXT: Patients' end-of-life care outcomes often do not reflect their
      preferences. Ninety-two percent of West Virginians prefer to die outside the
      hospital, yet only 58.8% do. OBJECTIVES: To compare out-of-hospital death (OHD)
      between those with completed advance directive (AD) and Physician Orders for
      Scope of Treatment (POST) forms. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study
      of 2027 West Virginians who submitted AD and/or POST forms to the West Virginia e
      Directive Registry and died between October 1, 2010 and December 31, 2013. A
      multivariable logistic regression model examined the relationship between OHD by
      form type while adjusting for age and enrollment in hospice. RESULTS: Patients
      who completed an AD were significantly less likely to have an OHD (56.9%) than
      those who completed a POST form with comfort measures orders or a POST form with
      limited/full intervention orders (88.4% and 75.9%, respectively, P < 0.001). The
      odds of OHD were significantly higher for patients with POST forms with comfort
      measures orders than for those with ADs (OR 4.239, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A
      prospective study is needed to validate that a statewide POST program and
      registry provide a more effective way than ADs to express, document, and honor
      patients' preferences for an OHD.

PMID- 26477828
TI  - Using Markov Multistate Models to Examine the Progression of Symptom Severity
      Among an Ambulatory Population of Cancer Patients: Are Certain Symptoms Better
      Managed Than Others?
AB  - CONTEXT: Patient-reported assessments of symptom severity can assist providers in
      monitoring and managing symptoms for cancer patients, which is important for
      offering patients optimal cancer care. Understanding which symptoms deteriorate
      at a faster rate over time can help identify areas for improving symptom
      management. OBJECTIVES: This article aimed to longitudinally examine the
      transitions in symptom severity over time and determine which symptoms
      deteriorate most rapidly. METHODS: This was an Ontario-wide cohort study from
      2007 to 2011 of adult outpatients diagnosed with cancer. During every symptom
      assessment at the cancer center, patients reported their level of severity for
      each of nine symptoms. A Markov multistate model under an intermittent
      observation scheme was implemented to examine the progression of symptom severity
      over time among cancer patients. RESULTS: This study included 55,883 patients
      with over 280,000 symptom assessments. The median time between assessments was 29
      days, and the majority of patients had at least three assessments. The symptoms
      deteriorating most rapidly over time were fatigue and well-being, whereas the
      symptom deteriorating least rapidly over time was nausea. CONCLUSION: The
      availability of numerous medications for treating nausea, compared to fatigue and
      well-being, may be a reasonable explanation for our findings. Alternate
      management for these symptoms, such as exercise for reducing fatigue, should be
      investigated to improve patients' quality of life. The use of multistate modeling
      methods is also unique in the study of symptom progression and provides a more in
      depth understanding of the likelihood of symptom deterioration and improvement
      over time.

PMID- 26477829
TI  - A semi-multifunctional sialyltransferase from Bibersteinia trehalosi and its
      comparison to the Pasteurella multocida ST1 mutants.
AB  - Sialic acids are well known for their crucial roles in many physiological and
      pathological processes. Improvement in the efficacy of protein drugs, an increase
      in the anti-inflammatory activity of intravenous immunoglobulin, preparation of
      infant milk and the diagnosis of diseases are examples of why there is a need for
      efficient in vitro sialylation. Sialyltransferases are crucial enzymes for the
      synthesis of sialo-oligosaccharides. Here, we introduce a new alpha2,3
      sialyltransferase from bacteria Bibersteinia trehalosi (BtST1), which is
      homological to sialyltransferase from Pasteurella multocida (PmST1), Pasteurella
      dagmatis (PdST1) and Haemophilus ducreyi (Hd0053). BtST1 is active in a wide pH
      range and shows considerable acceptor flexibility. Very good specific activities
      have been detected with lactose and LacNAc as acceptors, and these activities
      were comparable to those of efficient multifunctional PmST1 and higher than
      PdST1, Hd0053 and also PmST1 M144D which was constructed to decrease the high
      sialidase activity of PmST1. Testing of PmST1 mutant forms revealed that
      mutations that included S143 caused only the restriction of sialyltransferase
      activity, whereas mutations including G142 resulted in the loss of activity with
      lactose. BtST1 possesses only low sialidase and trans-sialidase activities that
      are comparable to mutant PmST1 M144D, which are detected only in the presence of
      CMP. The combination of large acceptor flexibility, high activity for lactose and
      LacNAc and naturally low sialidase activity make BtST1 an attractive enzyme for
      biotechnological applications. 

PMID- 26477830
TI  - Molecular Screen Identifies Cardiac Myosin-Binding Protein-C as a Protein Kinase
      G-Ialpha Substrate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pharmacological activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase G I
      (PKGI) has emerged as a therapeutic strategy for humans with heart failure.
      However, PKG-activating drugs have been limited by hypotension arising from PKG
      induced vasodilation. PKGIalpha antiremodeling substrates specific to the
      myocardium might provide targets to circumvent this limitation, but currently
      remain poorly understood. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a screen for
      myocardial proteins interacting with the PKGIalpha leucine zipper (LZ)-binding
      domain to identify myocardial-specific PKGI antiremodeling substrates. Our screen
      identified cardiac myosin-binding protein-C (cMyBP-C), a cardiac myocyte-specific
      protein, which has been demonstrated to inhibit cardiac remodeling in the
      phosphorylated state, and when mutated leads to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in
      humans. GST pulldowns and precipitations with cGMP-conjugated beads confirmed the
      PKGIalpha-cMyBP-C interaction in myocardial lysates. In vitro studies
      demonstrated that purified PKGIalpha phosphorylates the cMyBP-C M-domain at Ser
      273, Ser-282, and Ser-302. cGMP induced cMyBP-C phosphorylation at these residues
      in COS cells transfected with PKGIalpha, but not in cells transfected with LZ
      mutant PKGIalpha, containing mutations to disrupt LZ substrate binding. In mice
      subjected to left ventricular pressure overload, PKGI activation with sildenafil
      increased cMyBP-C phosphorylation at Ser-273 compared with untreated mice. cGMP
      also induced cMyBP-C phosphorylation in isolated cardiac myocytes. CONCLUSIONS:
      Taken together, these data support that PKGIalpha and cMyBP-C interact in the
      heart and that cMyBP-C is an anti remodeling PKGIalpha kinase substrate. This
      study provides the first identification of a myocardial-specific PKGIalpha LZ
      dependent antiremodeling substrate and supports further exploration of PKGIalpha
      myocardial LZ substrates as potential therapeutic targets for heart failure.

PMID- 26477831
TI  - Differentiation of oral bacteria in in vitro cultures and human saliva by
      secondary electrospray ionization - mass spectrometry.
AB  - The detection of bacterial-specific volatile metabolites may be a valuable tool
      to predict infection. Here we applied a real-time mass spectrometric technique to
      investigate differences in volatile metabolic profiles of oral bacteria that
      cause periodontitis. We coupled a secondary electrospray ionization (SESI) source
      to a commercial high-resolution mass spectrometer to interrogate the headspace
      from bacterial cultures and human saliva. We identified 120 potential markers
      characteristic for periodontal pathogens Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (n
      = 13), Porphyromonas gingivalis (n = 70), Tanerella forsythia (n = 30) and
      Treponema denticola (n = 7) in in vitro cultures. In a second proof-of-principle
      phase, we found 18 (P. gingivalis, T. forsythia and T. denticola) of the 120 in
      vitro compounds in the saliva from a periodontitis patient with confirmed
      infection with P. gingivalis, T. forsythia and T. denticola with enhanced ion
      intensity compared to two healthy controls. In conclusion, this method has the
      ability to identify individual metabolites of microbial pathogens in a complex
      medium such as saliva. 

PMID- 26477832
TI  - Genetic discovery for oil production and quality in sesame.
AB  - Oilseed crops are used to produce vegetable oil. Sesame (Sesamum indicum), an
      oilseed crop grown worldwide, has high oil content and a small diploid genome,
      but the genetic basis of oil production and quality is unclear. Here we sequence
      705 diverse sesame varieties to construct a haplotype map of the sesame genome
      and de novo assemble two representative varieties to identify sequence
      variations. We investigate 56 agronomic traits in four environments and identify
      549 associated loci. Examination of the major loci identifies 46 candidate
      causative genes, including genes related to oil content, fatty acid biosynthesis
      and yield. Several of the candidate genes for oil content encode enzymes involved
      in oil metabolism. Two major genes associated with lignification and black
      pigmentation in the seed coat are also associated with large variation in oil
      content. These findings may inform breeding and improvement strategies for a
      broad range of oilseed crops. 

PMID- 26477833
TI  - Insurance Status and Differences in Treatment and Survival of Testicular Cancer
      Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between insurance status and differences
      in treatment and survival of testicular cancer patients. The Surveillance,
      Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was utilized for this study.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2007 and 2011, 5986 testicular cancer patients
      were included in the SEER database. Patients were classified into nonseminoma and
      seminoma groups. We compared mortality rates, metastasis (M+) at diagnosis, and
      rates of adjuvant treatments between the uninsured (UI) and insured (I)
      populations. RESULTS: Overall, 2.64% of UI vs 1.36% of I died from testicular
      cancer (P = .025) and 16.73% of UI vs 10.52% of I had M+ at diagnosis (P <.0001).
      In the nonseminoma group, 4.19% of UI vs 2.79% of I died from testicular cancer
      (P = .326) and 25.92% of UI vs 18.46% of I had M+ at diagnosis (P = .0007). Also
      17.28% of UI vs 20.88% of I had retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND; P =
      .1). In the seminoma group, 1.06% of UI vs 0.33% of I died from testicular cancer
      (P = .030) and 7.43% of UI vs 4.81% of I had M+ at diagnosis (P = .029). Also
      34.75% of UI vs 48.4% of I received adjuvant radiation (P = .0083). The lack of
      health insurance predicted poor survival after adjusting for tumor stage,
      receiving adjuvant radiation or RPLND. CONCLUSION: UI testicular cancer patients
      present with more advanced cancer stages and have higher mortality rates than I
      patients. UI seminoma patients received less adjuvant radiation. This may be
      related to lack of access to care or more advanced cancer stage at diagnosis.

PMID- 26477834
TI  - Evidence for glycinergic GluN1/GluN3 NMDA receptors in hippocampal
      metaplasticity.
AB  - Hebbian, or associative, forms of synaptic plasticity are considered the
      molecular basis of learning and memory. However, associative synaptic
      modifications, including long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD), can
      form positive feedback loops which must be constrained for neural networks to
      remain stable. One proposed constraint mechanism is metaplasticity, a process
      whereby synaptic changes shift the threshold for subsequent plasticity.
      Metaplasticity has been functionally observed but the molecular basis is not well
      understood. Here, we report that stimulation which induces LTP recruits GluN2B
      lacking GluN1/GluN3 NMDA receptors (NMDARs) to excitatory synapses of hippocampal
      pyramidal neurons. These unconventional receptors may compete against
      conventional GluN1/GluN2 NMDARs to favor synaptic depotentiation in response to
      subsequent "LTP-inducing" stimulation. These results implicate glycinergic
      GluN1/GluN3 NMDAR as molecular brakes on excessive synaptic strengthening,
      suggesting a role for these receptors in the brain that has previously been
      elusive. 

PMID- 26477835
TI  - How to become an expert: A new perspective on the role of sleep in the mastery of
      procedural skills.
AB  - How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, sleep, practice. With enough practice 
      and sleep - we adopt new strategies that eventually become automatic, and
      subsequently require only the refinement of the existing skill to become an
      "expert". It is not known whether sleep is involved in the mastery and refinement
      of new skills that lead to expertise, nor is it known whether this may be
      primarily dependent on rapid eye movement (REM), non-REM stage 2 (NREM2) or slow
      wave sleep (SWS). Here, we employed behavioural and scalp-recorded
      electroencephalography (EEG) techniques to investigate the post-learning changes
      in the architecture (e.g., REM, NREM2 and SWS duration) and the
      electrophysiological features (e.g., rapid eye movements, sleep spindles and slow
      wave activity) that characterize these sleep states as individuals progress from
      night to night, from "Novice" to "Experts" on a cognitive procedural task (e.g.,
      the Tower of Hanoi task). Here, we demonstrate that speed of movements improves
      over the course of training irrespective of whether sleep or wake intervenes
      training sessions, whereas accuracy improves gradually, but only significantly
      over a night of sleep immediately prior to mastery of the task. On the night that
      subjects are first exposed to the task, the density of fast spindles increased
      significantly during both NREM2 and SWS accompanied by increased NREM2 sigma
      power and SWS delta power, whereas, on the night that subjects become experts on
      the task, they show increased REM sleep duration and spindles became larger in
      terms of amplitude and duration during SWS. Re-exposure to the task one-week
      after it had already been mastered resulted in increased NREM sleep duration, and
      again, increased spindle density of fast spindles during SWS and NREM2 and
      increased NREM2 sigma power and SWS delta power. Importantly, increased spindle
      density was correlated with overnight improvement in speed and accuracy. Taken
      together, these results help to elucidate how REM and NREM sleep are uniquely
      involved in memory consolidation over the course of the mastery of a new
      cognitively complex skill, and help to resolve controversies regarding sequential
      nature of memory processing during sleep in humans, for which consistent evidence
      is currently lacking. 

PMID- 26477836
TI  - Physicochemical Investigation of 2,4,5-Trimethoxybenzylidene Propanedinitrile
      (TMPN) Dye as Fluorescence off-on Probe for Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC)
      of SDS and CTAB.
AB  - 2,4,5-trimethoxybenzylidene propanedinitrile (TMPN) was synthesized by
      Knoevenagel condensation. Structure of the TMPN was conformed by the elemental
      analysis and EI-MS, FT-IR, (1)H-NMR, (13)C-NMR spectroscopy. Absorbance and
      emission spectrum of the TMPN was studied in different solvent provide that TMPN
      is good absorbent and emission red shift in absorbance and emission spectra as
      polarity of the solvents increase. Photophysical properties including, oscillator
      strength, extinction coefficient, transition dipole moment, stokes shift and
      fluorescence quantum yield were investigated in order to investigate the
      physicochemical behaviors of TMPN. Dye undergoes solubilization in different
      micelles and may be used as a probe to determine the critical micelle
      concentration (CMC) of SDS and CTAB. 

PMID- 26477837
TI  - Synthesis, and Fluorescence Properties of Coumarin and Benzocoumarin Derivatives
      Conjugated Pyrimidine Scaffolds for Biological Imaging Applications.
AB  - Series of coumarin and 5,6-benzomcomarin substituted pyrimidine derivatives 11-15
      and 22-25 were synthesized, aiming to develop new imaging fluorescent agents.
      Analogously, treatment of 4-chloropyrimidine analog 16 with coumarin 3
      carbohyrazide 5 under MWI condition followed by boiling with NH4OAc in HOAc
      furnished coumarin-1,2,4-triazolo-pyrimidine analog 18. The fluorescence property
      was investigated spectrophotometrically in MeOH with Rhodamine 6G as standard
      dye. All the compounds showed emission in the region between 331 and 495 nm. The
      quantum yield of all the compounds were found to be weak, except methyl
      benzocoumarin 3-carboxylate 22 which showed (PhiF = 0.98) in comparison to
      Rhodamine 6G as standard (PhiF = 0.95).

PMID- 26477838
TI  - Fluorescence Determination of Warfarin Using TGA-capped CdTe Quantum Dots in
      Human Plasma Samples.
AB  - In this study, some effort has been performed to provide low temperature, less
      time consuming and facile routes for the synthesis of CdTe quantum dots using
      ultrasound and water soluble capping agent thioglycolic acid. TGA-capped CdTe
      quantum dots were characterized through x-ray diffraction, transmission electron
      microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet-visible and fluorescence
      spectroscopy. The prepared quantum dots were used for warfarin determination
      based on the quenching of the fluorescence intensity in aqueous solution. Under
      the optimized conditions, the linear range of quantum dots fluorescence intensity
      versus the concentration of warfarin was 0.1-160.0 MUM, with the correlation
      coefficient of 0.9996 and a limit of detection of 77.5 nM. There was no
      interference to coexisting foreign substances. The selectivity of the sensor was
      also tested and the results show that the developed method possesses a high
      selectivity for warfarin. 

PMID- 26477839
TI  - A scanning acoustic microscope discriminates cancer cells in fluid.
AB  - Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) discriminates lesions in sections by assessing
      the speed of sound (SOS) or attenuation of sound (AOS) through tissues within a
      few minutes without staining; however, its clinical use in cytological diagnosis
      is unknown. We applied a thin layer preparation method to observe benign and
      malignant effusions using SAM. Although SAM is inferior in detecting nuclear
      features than light microscopy, it can differentiate malignant from benign cells
      using the higher SOS and AOS values and large irregular cell clusters that are
      typical features of carcinomas. Moreover, each single malignant cell exhibits
      characteristic cytoplasmic features such as a large size, irregular borders and
      secretory or cytoskeletal content. By adjusting the observation range, malignant
      cells are differentiated from benign cells easily using SAM. Subtle changes in
      the functional and structural heterogeneity of tumour cells were pursuable with a
      different digital data of SAM. SAM can be a useful tool for screening malignant
      cells in effusions before light microscopic observation. Higher AOS values in
      malignant cells compared with those of benign cells support the feasibility of a
      novel sonodynamic therapy for malignant effusions. 

PMID- 26477840
TI  - Scheduled versus Pro Re Nata Dosing in the VIEW Trials.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze visual acuity (VA) outcomes before and after preplanned
      treatment regimen change in the VIEW studies at week 52 (W52). DESIGN: Multiple
      post hoc analyses for retrospectively defined subgroups in 2 multicenter,
      multinational, double-masked trials. PARTICIPANTS: Two thousand four hundred
      fifty-seven neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients. METHODS:
      Patients were randomized to treatment with 0.5 mg ranibizumab given monthly, a
      0.5-mg or 2-mg intravitreal aflibercept injection given monthly, or 2 mg
      intravitreal aflibercept given every other month, after 3 initial monthly doses,
      up to W52. From W52 through W96, patients received their original dosing
      assignment using a capped pro re nata (PRN) regimen, with defined retreatment
      criteria based on VA and morphologic signs of disease activity and mandatory
      dosing at least every 12 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Best-corrected VA (BCVA)
      and optical coherence tomography assessments were mandatory at all visits from
      baseline to W96. Outcomes were changes in BCVA and central retinal thickness.
      Outcomes were evaluated in all patients who completed 2 years of the VIEW studies
      using the last observation carried forward method for missing data at interim
      visits. RESULTS: After W52, approximately 20% of patients lost 5 Early Treatment
      Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters or more across all treatment arms with
      PRN treatment. Patients who met the retreatment criterion of loss of 5 ETDRS
      letters or more in the first quarter of the PRN dosing phase did not recover;
      mean final VA loss across the 4 study arms was -4.4 to -5.8 letters. Outcomes of
      these patients up to W52 were indistinguishable from those of the overall
      population. There were no differences between groups in serious ocular adverse
      events or Anti-Platelet Trialists' Collaboration arterial thromboembolic events
      through W96. CONCLUSIONS: These analyses suggest that there are subgroups of
      patients for whom VA outcomes in the second year of the VIEW studies were less
      stable than in the first year and for whom W52 seems to be an important
      inflection point. Although alternate reasons specific to the nature of the
      underlying AMD cannot be fully excluded, the switch in treatment regimen at W52
      is a plausible explanation.

PMID- 26477841
TI  - African Ancestry Is Associated with Higher Intraocular Pressure in Latinos.
AB  - PURPOSE: Intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major risk factor, as well as the only
      modifiable risk factor, for glaucoma. Racial differences have been observed in
      IOP measurements with individuals of African descent experiencing the highest IOP
      when compared with other ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to examine
      the relationship between genetic ancestry and IOP in Latinos. DESIGN: Population
      based genetic association study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 3541 participants
      recruited from the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study. METHODS: Study participants were
      genotyped using the Illumina OmniExpress BeadChip (~730K markers). We used
      STRUCTURE to estimate individual genetic ancestry. Simple and multiple linear
      regression, as well as quantile regression, analyses were performed to
      investigate the relationship between genetic ancestry and IOP. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: The relationship between genetic ancestry and IOP in Latinos. RESULTS:
      African ancestry was significantly associated with higher IOP in Latinos in our
      simple linear regression analysis (P = 0.002). After adjusting for age, gender,
      body mass index, systolic blood pressure, central corneal thickness, and type 2
      diabetes, this association remained significant (P = 0.0005). The main
      association was modified by a significant interaction between African ancestry
      and hypertension (P = 0.037), with hypertensive individuals experiencing a
      greater increase in IOP with increasing African ancestry. CONCLUSIONS: To our
      knowledge, we demonstrate for the first time that African ancestry and its
      interaction with hypertension are associated with higher IOP in Latinos.

PMID- 26477842
TI  - Ranibizumab or Bevacizumab for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration
      According to the Lucentis Compared to Avastin Study Treat-and-Extend Protocol:
      Two-Year Results.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab (Avastin; F. Hoffmann
      La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland) versus ranibizumab (Lucentis; Novartis Pharma
      AG, Basel, Switzerland) for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD)
      after 2 years when using a treat-and-extend protocol. DESIGN: Multicenter,
      randomized, noninferiority trial with a noninferiority limit of 5 letters.
      PARTICIPANTS: Patients 50 years of age or older with previously untreated nAMD in
      1 eye and best-corrected visual acuity 20/25 to 20/320. METHODS: Patients were
      assigned randomly to receive intravitreal injections with either ranibizumab 0.5
      mg or bevacizumab 1.25 mg. Injections were given every 4 weeks until inactive
      disease was achieved. The treatment interval then was extended by 2 weeks at a
      time up to a maximum of 12 weeks. In the event of a recurrence, the treatment
      interval was shortened by 2 weeks at a time. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Mean change in
      visual acuity at 2 years. RESULTS: Of a total of 441 randomized patients, 339
      patients (79%) completed the 2-year visit. According to per-protocol analysis at
      2 years, bevacizumab was equivalent to ranibizumab, with 7.4 and 6.6 letters
      gained, respectively (95% confidence interval [CI] of mean difference, -4.1 to
      2.5; P = 0.634). Intention-to-treat analysis was concordant, with a gain of 7.8
      letters for bevacizumab and 7.5 letters for ranibizumab (95% CI of mean
      difference, -3.2 to 2.7; P = 0.873). The 2-year results did not show any
      significant difference in mean central retinal thickness, with a decrease of -113
      MUm for bevacizumab and -122 MUm for ranibizumab (95% CI of mean difference, -32
      to 15; P = 0.476). There was a statistically significant difference between the
      drugs regarding the number of treatments given, with 18.2 injections for
      bevacizumab and 16.0 injections for ranibizumab (95% CI of mean difference, -3.4
      to -1.0; P <= 0.001). The number of serious adverse events was similar between
      the groups over the course of the study. CONCLUSIONS: At 2 years, bevacizumab and
      ranibizumab had an equivalent effect on visual acuity and reduction of central
      retinal thickness when administered according to a treat-and-extend protocol for
      nAMD. There was no significant difference in the number of serious adverse events
      between the treatment groups.

PMID- 26477843
TI  - Intravitreal Bevacizumab Versus Ranibizumab for Treatment of Neovascular Age
      Related Macular Degeneration: Findings from a Cochrane Systematic Review.
AB  - TOPIC: To summarize the relative effects of bevacizumab (Avastin; Genentech, Inc,
      South San Francisco, CA) and ranibizumab (Lucentis; Genentech, Inc.), using
      findings from a Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group systematic review. CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD) is the most
      common cause of uncorrectable vision loss among the elderly in developed
      countries. Bevacizumab and ranibizumab are the most frequently used anti-vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents injected intravitreally to treat NVAMD.
      METHODS: For this systematic review, we included only randomized controlled
      trials in which the 2 anti-VEGF agents had been compared directly. The primary
      outcome was 1-year gain in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of >=15 letters.
      We followed Cochrane methods for trial selection, data extraction, and data
      analyses. Relative effects of bevacizumab versus ranibizumab are presented as
      estimated risk ratios (RRs) and mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs). RESULTS: We identified 6 eligible randomized controlled trials
      with 2809 participants. The proportion of eyes that gained >=15 letters of BCVA
      by 1 year was similar for the 2 agents when the same regimens were compared (RR,
      0.90; 95% CI, 0.73-1.11). The mean change in BCVA from baseline also was similar
      (MD, -0.5 letter; 95% CI, -1.6 to +0.6). Other BCVA and quality of life outcomes
      were similar for the 2 agents. One-year treatment cost with ranibizumab was 5.1
      and 25.5 times the cost for bevacizumab in the 2 largest trials. Ocular adverse
      events were uncommon (<1%), and rates were similar for the 2 agents. CONCLUSIONS:
      We found no important difference in effectiveness or safety between bevacizumab
      and ranibizumab for NVAMD treatment, but there was a large cost difference.

PMID- 26477844
TI  - Episcleral Venous Fluid Wave Correlates with Trabectome Outcomes: Intraoperative
      Evaluation of the Trabecular Outflow Pathway.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whether the characteristics of an intraoperative episcleral
      venous fluid wave (EVFW), a potential indicator of trabecular outflow patency,
      correlates with Trabectome (NeoMedix Corp, Tustin, CA) outcomes. DESIGN:
      Retrospective, observational study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 68 eyes of 49
      patients with glaucoma who underwent phaco-Trabectome (63 eyes) or Trabectome
      alone (5 eyes). METHODS: The EVFW was evaluated in a masked fashion for wave
      degree (0-4) and clock hours (0-6). A diffuse EVFW (4, 5, 6 clock hours) was a
      near complete blanching of the episcleral vasculature, and a poorly defined wave
      was minimal change in the vasculature. Patients were grouped into wave categories
      to determine whether there was a correlation with postoperative intraocular
      pressure (IOP). Patients requiring further glaucoma surgery were considered
      failures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Degree and extent of EVFW, IOP, and glaucoma
      medications. RESULTS: For all eyes, there was a statistically significant
      correlation between wave clock hours and postoperative IOP at month 1 (P = 0.043)
      and month 3 (P = 0.002), but not a statistically significant correlation at month
      6 (P = 0.12) or 1 year (P = 0.86). A strong correlation was found among IOP,
      medications, and EVFW in eyes with an extensive EVFW when compared with eyes with
      a poorly defined EVFW. At 12 months, the mean IOP in the extensive EVFW group was
      13.3+/-2.7 mmHg on 1.4+/-1.2 medications compared with an IOP of 18.4+/-3.1 mmHg
      on 2.9+/-0.9 medications in the poorly defined group (both P = 0.001). Overall, 5
      of 68 eyes (7%), required further glaucoma surgery. Eyes with a poorly defined
      EVFW had a higher likelihood of further glaucoma surgery (36%). CONCLUSIONS: The
      EVFW is an intraoperative gauge of patency through the trabecular outflow
      pathway. Absence of the EVFW implies obstruction in the collector channel
      intrascleral aqueous outflow pathway, preventing flow to the visible episcleral
      veins. In contrast, eyes with a diffuse EVFW had sufficient flow through their
      collector channels, had a lower IOP, required fewer glaucoma medications, and had
      a lower requirement for further glaucoma surgery. The characteristics of an EFVW
      may be able to predict surgical outcomes after Trabectome surgery.

PMID- 26477845
TI  - Structure and Morphology of Radial Retinal Folds with Familial Exudative
      Vitreoretinopathy.

PMID- 26477846
TI  - Combined Persistent Fetal Vasculature: A Classification Based on High-Resolution
      B-Mode Ultrasound and Color Doppler Imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to classify combined persistent fetal
      vasculature (PFV) on the basis of the ultrasonographic and Doppler
      characteristics. The potential clinical significance for both surgery design and
      prognosis determination was discussed. DESIGN: A cross-sectional case series.
      PARTICIPANTS: The eyes of 54 children diagnosed with unilateral combined PFV were
      evaluated using B-mode ultrasound and color Doppler imaging (CDI). METHODS: Each
      participant's age at first presentation, diagnosis for referral, gender, family
      history, and systemic or other ocular anomalies were recorded. Retinal
      detachment, optic nerve abnormalities, and macular dislocation were also recorded
      in detail according to the RetCam (Clarity Medical Systems, Pleasanton, CA),
      ultrasound, and Doppler findings. The PFV eyes were divided into 4 groups on the
      basis of the ultrasound and CDI findings. Intergroup analysis was performed. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Overall and intergroup analyses of the demographic features of
      the children with PFV were performed. The axial length, depth of the anterior
      chamber, and lens thickness were compared between the affected eyes and the
      fellow healthy eyes among the 4 groups. RESULTS: Some 22.2%, 18.5%, 33.3%, and
      25.9% of the eyes were grouped into type I ("I" shape), II ("Y" shape), III
      (inverted "Y" shape), and IV ("X" shape) combined PFV, respectively. The age at
      first presentation for type I was older than that for the other groups (P =
      0.014). The axial length was reduced (P = 0.012) and the anterior chamber more
      shallow (P = 0.011) than in fellow healthy eyes for type IV eyes, but not for the
      other 3 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound and CDI are informative screening and
      diagnostic tools that show characteristic flow patterns in the 4 types of
      combined PFV. This novel classification system provides new and important
      information for the diagnosis of PFV and, if validated, may play a role in
      guiding treatment recommendations in the future.

PMID- 26477847
TI  - Phenology and host preferences Phlebotomus perniciosus (Diptera: Phlebotominae)
      in a focus of Toscana virus (TOSV) in South of France.
AB  - This paper reports on an entomological survey performed over the period 2009-2011
      in endemic focus of peri-urban TOSV in South of France located from 24km east of
      Marseille. Sand flies were captured using CDC light traps set in sand fly resting
      places overnight, and temperature, relative humidity and wind were recorded to
      establish possible relations between meteorological factors and vector densities.
      The most common species, of 5,432 specimens collected and identified, was
      Phlebotomus perniciosus (74%), followed by Sergentomyia minuta (6%) and
      Phlebotomus ariasi (1%). Male flies were highly predominant for all Larroussius
      species instead of S. minuta which counted (85%) of females. The results shed
      light on the wide population's dynamic of P. perniciosus in France showing a
      diphasic seasonal trend with two abundance peaks at the beginning of July and
      late August, when a mean temperature is from 23.3 to 25.7 degrees C.
      Interestingly, these two peaks are corresponding to the peaks of occurrence of
      human TOSV cases. Among the 1724 females collected, 549 (32%) were blood-fed.
      Based on the results of blood meal analyses, P. perniciosus fed on large animal's
      diversity (man, chicken, rabbit, others mammalians, etc.), including bats that
      are the only species found naturally infected by TOSV. Results indicate that host
      choice was probably related to its availability than specific attractiveness.
      Data presented confirm that sand flies easily adapted to the periurban sites
      like, P. perniciosus may represent a public health concern for pathogen
      transmission in similar Mediterranean environments. 

PMID- 26477848
TI  - Venom from Opisthacanthus elatus scorpion of Colombia, could be more hemolytic
      and less neurotoxic than thought.
AB  - We report the first biochemical, biological, pharmacological and partial
      proteomic characterization studies of the Opisthancanthus elatus venom (Gervais,
      1844) from Colombia. The Reverse Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
      venom profile showed 28 main well-defined peaks, most eluting between 20 and
      45min (18-30% of acetonitrile, respectively). High-resolution mass analysis
      indicates the presence of 106 components ranging from 806.59742Da to
      16849.4139Da. O. elatus venom showed hemolytic activity and hydrolyzed the
      specific substrate BapNa suggesting the presence of proteins with serine-protease
      activity. Collected RP-HPLC fractions eluting at 52.6, 55.5, 55.8, 56.2, and
      63.9min (PLA2 region between 33 and 40% of acetonitrile), showed hemolytic
      activity and hydrolyzed the synthetic substrate 4-nitro-3-octanoyloxy-benzoic
      acid, indicating the presence of compounds with phospholipases A2 activity. These
      RP-HPLC fractions, showed molecular masses values up to 13978.19546Da,
      corroborating the possible presence of the mentioned enzymes. Tryptic digestion
      and MS/MS analysis showed the presence of a phospholipase like fragment, similar
      to on described in other Opisthacanthus genus studies. No coagulant activity was
      observed. No larvicidal or antimicrobial activity was observed at concentrations
      evaluated. Lethal and toxic activity is expected at doses above 100mg/kg, no
      neurotoxic effects were detected at lower doses. In conclusion, O. elatus
      exhibits a venom with a predominant phospholipase A2 activity than thought;
      mammal's neurotoxic activity is expected above the 100mg/kg, which is very high
      compared to the venom from other neurotoxic scorpions. 

PMID- 26477849
TI  - Characterization of asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infection and its risk
      factors in pregnant women from the Republic of Congo.
AB  - Malaria in pregnancy remains a serious public health problem in the Republic of
      Congo despite the implementation of intermittent preventive treatment with
      sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) in 2006. The aim of this cross-sectional
      study was to characterize Plasmodium falciparum infections and determine possible
      risk factors in pregnant Congolese women attending an antenatal clinic in a
      periurban area of southern Brazzaville. This study was conducted from March 2012
      to December 2013 in a site where several years ago, high malaria resistance to SP
      was reported. Pregnant women were enrolled during antenatal visits and the number
      of received IPTp-SP doses was recorded as well as individual sociodemographic
      data. Peripheral blood was collected and P. falciparum infection was checked by
      microscopy and by PCR targeting P. falciparum merozoite surface protein gene
      (msp2). Haemoglobin concentration was measured and P. falciparum positive samples
      were typed for msp2 allelic diversity. A total of 363 pregnant women were
      recruited. The prevalence of asymptomatic P. falciparum infection was 7% and 19%
      by microscopy and by PCR, respectively. More than one half (51.5%) of the
      pregnant women were anaemic. Multivariate analysis indicated that P. falciparum
      infection was associated with anaemia. It was also observed that women who have
      received IPTp-SP have significantly lower prevalence of infection. The
      administration of IPTp-SP did not influence the multiplicity of infection (MOI).
      This first study investigating asymptomatic malaria infection on pregnant women
      of the Republic of Congo shows that P. falciparum infections were clearly
      associated with maternal anaemia, and use of IPTp-SP reduced the risk of carrying
      asymptomatic infections. 

PMID- 26477850
TI  - Novel method for immunofluorescence staining of mammalian eggs using non-contact
      alternating-current electric-field mixing of microdroplets.
AB  - Recently, a new technique was developed for non-catalytically mixing
      microdroplets. In this method, an alternating-current (AC) electric field is used
      to promote the antigen-antibody reaction within the microdroplet. Previously,
      this technique has only been applied to histological examinations of flat
      structures, such as surgical specimens. In this study, we applied this technique
      for the first time to immunofluorescence staining of three-dimensional
      structures, specifically, mammalian eggs. We diluted an antibody against
      microtubules from 1:1,000 to 1:16,000, and compared the chromatic degree and
      extent of fading across dilutions. In addition, we varied the frequency of AC
      electric-field mixing from 5 Hz to 46 Hz and evaluated the effect on microtubule
      staining. Microtubules were more strongly stained after AC electric-field mixing
      for only 5 minutes, even when the concentration of primary antibody was 10 times
      lower than in conventional methods. AC electric-field mixing also alleviated
      microtubule fading. At all frequencies tested, AC electric-field mixing resulted
      in stronger microtubule staining than in controls. There was no clear difference
      in a microtubule staining between frequencies. These results suggest that the
      novel method could reduce antibody consumption and shorten immunofluorescence
      staining time.

PMID- 26477851
TI  - Seasonal Expression of Prolactin Receptor in the Scented Gland of Male Muskrat
      (Ondatra zibethicus).
AB  - Prolactin (PRL) has numerous actions in mammalian biological systems including
      mammary development and biological processes. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the seasonal changes of prolactin receptor (PRLR) expression in the
      scented gland of muskrat during the breeding and nonbreeding seasons.
      Histologically, glandular cells, interstitial cells and excretory tubules were
      identified in the scented glands in both seasons, whereas epithelial cells were
      sparse in the nonbreeding season. PRLR was observed in glandular cells of scented
      glands during the breeding and nonbreeding seasons with stronger immunostaining
      during the breeding season. Consistent with the immunohistochemical results, both
      the mean of protein and mRNA levels of PRLR were higher in the scented glands of
      the breeding season, and relatively lower level in the nonbreeding season. In
      addition, differential seasonal changes were also detected in the expression
      profile of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the scented gland of muskrat. Besides, plasma
      PRL concentration was remarkably higher in the breeding season than that in the
      nonbreeding season. These results suggested that muskrat scented gland was the
      direct target organ of PRL, and stronger expression of PRLR in scented glands
      during the breeding season indicated that PRL may directly regulate scented
      glandular function of the muskrats. 

PMID- 26477852
TI  - Accumulation of small protein molecules in a macroscopic complex coacervate.
AB  - To obtain insight into the accumulation of proteins into macroscopic complex
      coacervate phases, the lysozyme concentration in complex coacervates containing
      the cationic polyelectrolyte poly-(N,N dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) and the
      anionic polyelectrolyte polyacrylic acid was investigated as a function of the
      mixing ratio, protein concentration and ionic strength. Maximal protein
      enrichment of the complex coacervate phase was observed to require the presence
      of all three macromolecules. Under optimized conditions the protein
      concentrations in the complex coacervate were as high as 200 g L(-1). Such high
      concentrations are comparable to the protein concentration in the cytosol,
      suggesting that these interesting liquid phases may serve a suitable model system
      for the phase behavior of the cytosol and genesis and function of membrane-less
      organelles. The high stability of the complexes and the salt dependent uptake of
      protein suggest that complex coacervates may provide a way to store hydrated
      proteins at high concentrations and might therefore be of interest in the
      formulation of high protein foods. 

PMID- 26477853
TI  - Negotiating health and life: Syrian refugees and the politics of access in
      Lebanon.
AB  - In the context of ongoing armed conflicts in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, it is
      vital to foster nuanced understandings of the relationship between health,
      violence, and everyday life in the Middle East and North Africa. In this article,
      we explore how healthcare access interacts with humanitarian bureaucracy and
      refugees' daily experiences of exile. What are the stakes involved with accessing
      clinical services in humanitarian situations? How do local conditions structure
      access to healthcare? Building on the concept of "therapeutic geographies," we
      argue for the integration of local socio-political context and situated knowledge
      into understandings of humanitarian healthcare systems. Using evidence gathered
      from participant observation among Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, we
      demonstrate how procedures developed to facilitate care-such as refugee
      registration and insurance contracting-can interact with other factors to
      simultaneously prevent and/or disincentivize refugees' accessing healthcare
      services and expose them to structural violence. Drawing on two interconnected
      ethnographic encounters in a Palestinian refugee camp and in a Lebanese public
      hospital, we demonstrate how interactions surrounding the clinical encounter
      reveal the social, political, and logistical complexities of healthcare access.
      Moreover, rather than hospital visits representing discrete encounters with the
      Lebanese state, we contend that they reveal important moments in an ongoing
      process of negotiation and navigation within and through the constraints and
      uncertainties that shape refugee life. As a result, we advocate for the
      incorporation of situated forms of knowledge into humanitarian healthcare
      practices and the development of an understanding of healthcare access as nested
      in the larger experience of everyday refugee life. 

PMID- 26477854
TI  - The impact of neighborhood disorganization on neighborhood exposure to violence,
      trauma symptoms, and social relationships among at-risk youth.
AB  - Previous research has demonstrated that exposure to violence (ETV) is a serious
      concern across the north-south socioeconomic divide. While studies have found
      that social support is a protective factor for youth exposed to violence and
      trauma, little is known about the impact of trauma symptoms on forming and
      maintaining social relationships which are key to accessing a vital social
      resource that fosters resilience in youth experiencing trauma symptomatology.
      Building on previous models that examine the impact of neighborhoods on exposure
      to violence and trauma, the current study examines the impact of neighborhood
      disorganization on ETV among youth and ETV's effects on trauma symptoms and
      social relationships. Data were collected on 2242 juvenile justice-involved youth
      with behavioral health issues in 11 urban and rural counties in the Midwestern
      United States. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), our data demonstrated
      that living in highly disorganized neighborhoods was associated with higher
      levels of ETV and that ETV was positively associated with trauma symptoms.
      Mediational analysis showed that trauma symptoms strongly mediated the effect of
      ETV on social relationships. Freely estimating structural paths by gender
      revealed that hypothesized associations between these variables were stronger for
      females than males. Findings here highlight the need to provide trauma-informed
      care to help youth to build and maintain social relationships. Identification and
      treatment of trauma symptoms that is culturally informed is a critical first step
      in ensuring that identified protective factors in local contexts, such as social
      relations and social support, have opportunities to minimize the impact of ETV
      among youth across northern and southern nations. 

PMID- 26477855
TI  - Long-bone fracture detection in digital X-ray images based on digital-geometric
      techniques.
AB  - Automated fracture detection is an essential part of a computer-aided tele
      medicine system. In this paper, we have proposed a unified technique for the
      detection and evaluation of orthopaedic fractures in long-bone digital X-ray
      image. We have also developed a software tool that can be conveniently used by
      paramedics or specialist doctors. The proposed tool first segments the bone
      region of an input digital X-ray image from its surrounding flesh region and then
      generates the bone-contour using an adaptive thresholding approach. Next, it
      performs unsupervised correction of bone-contour discontinuities that might have
      been generated because of segmentation errors, and finally detects the presence
      of fracture in the bone. Moreover, the method can also localize the line-of-break
      for easy visualization of the fracture, identify its orientation, and assess the
      extent of damage in the bone. Several concepts from digital geometry such as
      relaxed straightness and concavity index are utilized to correct contour
      imperfections, and to detect fracture locations and type. Experiments on a
      database of several long-bone digital X-ray images show satisfactory results. 

PMID- 26477856
TI  - Going far beyond the near-field diffraction limit via plasmonic cavity lens with
      high spatial frequency spectrum off-axis illumination.
AB  - For near-field imaging optics, minimum resolvable feature size is highly
      constrained by the near-field diffraction limit associated with the illumination
      light wavelength and the air distance between the imaging devices and objects. In
      this study, a plasmonic cavity lens composed of Ag-photoresist-Ag form
      incorporating high spatial frequency spectrum off-axis illumination (OAI) is
      proposed to realize deep subwavelength imaging far beyond the near-field
      diffraction limit. This approach benefits from the resonance effect of the
      plasmonic cavity lens and the wavevector shifting behavior via OAI, which
      remarkably enhances the object's subwavelength information and damps negative
      imaging contribution from the longitudinal electric field component in imaging
      region. Experimental images of well resolved 60-nm half-pitch patterns under 365
      nm ultra-violet light are demonstrated at air distance of 80 nm between the mask
      patterns and plasmonic cavity lens, approximately four-fold longer than that in
      the conventional near-field lithography and superlens scheme. The ultimate air
      distance for the 60-nm half-pitch object could be theoretically extended to 120
      nm. Moreover, two-dimensional L-shape patterns and deep subwavelength patterns
      are illustrated via simulations and experiments. This study promises the
      significant potential to make plasmonic lithography as a practical, cost
      effective, simple and parallel nano-fabrication approach. 

PMID- 26477857
TI  - The interactions between TiO2 and graphene with surface inhomogeneity determined
      using density functional theory.
AB  - TiO2/graphene composites have shown promise as photocatalysts, leading to
      improved electronic properties. We have modeled using density functional theory
      TiO2/graphene interfaces formed between graphene with various defects/functional
      groups (C vacancy, epoxide, and hydroxyl) and TiO2 clusters of various sizes. We
      considered clusters from 3 to 45 atoms, the latter a nanoparticle of ~1 nm in
      size. Our results show that binding to pristine graphene is dominated by van der
      Waals forces, and that C vacancies or epoxide groups lead to much stronger
      binding between the graphene and TiO2. Such sites may serve to anchor TiO2 to
      graphene. Graphene surfaces with hydroxyls however lead to OH transfer to TiO2
      and weak interactions between the graphene and the hydroxylated TiO2 cluster.
      Charge transfer may occur between TiO2 and graphene in various directions
      (graphene to TiO2 or TiO2 to graphene), depending on the state of the graphene
      surface, based on overlap of the density of states. Our work indicates that
      graphene surface defects or functional groups may have a significant effect on
      the stability, structure, and photoactivity of these materials. 

PMID- 26477858
TI  - Raman/fluorescence dual-sensing and imaging of intracellular pH distribution.
AB  - Herein, a pH-sensitive probe has been designed based on DNA modified gold
      nanoparticles (AuNPs) for Raman/fluorescence dual-imaging of the intracellular pH
      distribution. In the acidic environment of cancer cells, the configuration change
      of DNA on the probe surface could turn "on" Raman/fluorescence signals
      simultaneously. 

PMID- 26477859
TI  - Counter-ligand control of the electronic structure in dinuclear copper
      tetrakisguanidine complexes.
AB  - The redox-active GFA (Guanidino-Functionalized Aromatic compound) 1,4,5,8
      tetrakis(tetramethylguanidino)-naphthalene (6) is used to synthesize new
      dinuclear copper complexes of the formula [6(CuX2)2] with different electronic
      structures. With X = OAc, a dinuclear Cu(II) complex of the neutral GFA is
      obtained (electronic structure [Cu(II)-GFA-Cu(II)], two unpaired electrons), and
      with X = Br a diamagnetic dinuclear Cu(I) complex of the dicationic GFA
      (electronic structure [Cu(I)-GFA(2+)-Cu(I)], closed-shell singlet state). The
      different electronic structures lead to significant differences in the optical,
      structural and magnetic properties of the complexes. Furthermore, the complex
      [6(CuI)2](2+) (electronic structure [Cu(I)-GFA(2+)-Cu(I)], closed-shell singlet
      state) is synthesized by reaction of 6(2+) with two equivalents of CuI. Slow
      decomposition of this complex in solution leads to the fluorescent dye 2,7
      bis(dimethylamino)-1,3,6,8-tetraazapyrene. In an improved synthesis of this
      tetraazapyrene, 6 is reacted with CuBr in the presence of dioxygen. Quantum
      chemical calculations show that the addition of counter-ligands to the trigonal
      planar Cu(I) atoms of [6(CuI)2](2+) favors or disfavors one of the electronic
      structures, depending on the nature of the counter-ligand. 

PMID- 26477860
TI  - Design, synthesis and DNA interactions of a chimera between a platinum complex
      and an IHF mimicking peptide.
AB  - Conjugation of metal complexes with peptide scaffolds possessing high DNA binding
      affinity has shown to modulate their biological activities and to enhance their
      interaction with DNA. In this work, a platinum complex/peptide chimera was
      synthesized based on a model of the Integration Host Factor (IHF), an
      architectural protein possessing sequence specific DNA binding and bending
      abilities through its interaction with a minor groove. The model peptide consists
      of a cyclic unit resembling the minor grove binding subdomain of IHF, a
      positively charged lysine dendrimer for electrostatic interactions with the DNA
      phosphate backbone and a flexible glycine linker tethering the two units. A
      norvaline derived artificial amino acid was designed to contain a
      dimethylethylenediamine as a bidentate platinum chelating unit, and introduced
      into the IHF mimicking peptides. The interaction of the chimeric peptides with
      various DNA sequences was studied by utilizing the following experiments: thermal
      melting studies, agarose gel electrophoresis for plasmid DNA unwinding
      experiments, and native and denaturing gel electrophoresis to visualize non
      covalent and covalent peptide-DNA adducts, respectively. By incorporation of the
      platinum metal center within the model peptide mimicking IHF we have attempted to
      improve its specificity and DNA targeting ability, particularly towards those
      sequences containing adjacent guanine residues. 

PMID- 26477862
TI  - Kinetic and thermodynamic characterization of C-N bond rotation by N
      methylacetohydroxamic acid in aqueous media.
AB  - Hydroxamic acids (HAs) perform tasks in medicine and industry that require
      bidentate metal binding. The two favored conformations of HAs are related by
      rotation around the C(=O)-N bond. The conformations are unequal in stability.
      Recently, we reported that the most stable conformation of a small secondary HA
      in water places the oxygen atoms anti to one another. The barrier to C-N bond
      rotation may therefore modulate metal binding by secondary HAs in aqueous media.
      We have now determined the activation barrier to C-N rotation from major to minor
      conformation of a small secondary HA in D2O to be 67.3 kJ/mol. The HA rotational
      barrier scales with solvent polarity, as is observed in amides, although the HA
      barrier is less than that of a comparable tertiary amide in aqueous solution.
      Successful design of new secondary HAs to perform specific tasks requires solid
      understanding of rules governing HA structural behavior. Results from this work
      provide a more complete foundation for HA design efforts.

PMID- 26477861
TI  - MiR-1271 Inhibits Ovarian Cancer Growth by Targeting Cyclin G1.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignant cancer in
      the female genital system. The dysfunction of miRNA contributes to ovarian cancer
      development. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The miR-1271 level in ovarian cancer tissues
      and cells was assayed by qRT-PCR. The miR-1271 expression in cells was
      overexpressed by miRNA-mimic transfection and reduced by miRNA-antisense
      oligonucleotide (ASO) transfection. Cell proliferation was analyzed by an MTT
      assay. The targeted genes were predicted by a bioinformatics algorithm and
      confirmed by a dual luciferase reporter assay. The protein level was assayed by
      Western blotting. RESULTS: The ovarian cancer tissue and cell lines showed low
      levels of miR-1271. Low levels of miR-1271 in ovarian cancer tissues were
      correlated with a low rate of patient survival, and the overexpression of miR
      1271 inhibited the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells. The 3' UTR of cyclin G1
      (CCNG1) was targeted by miR-1271. CONCLUSIONS: Low levels of miR-1271 in ovarian
      cancer tissues promoted cancer cell growth. MiR-1271 may be a new predictor of
      prognosis in ovarian cancer. MiR-1271 exerted its role by targeting CCNG1.

PMID- 26477863
TI  - Homeowner and homebuyer impressions of visitable features.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Though visitable house features (32+" wide doors; no-step or low
      slope entries; and a usable half- or full bathroom on the main floor) have
      benefits, many developers and builders oppose them because they believe
      homebuyers do not want them. OBJECTIVE: The present study sought to test the
      accuracy of developer and builder perceived barriers to including visitable
      features in new houses. Specifically, we tested the desirability of houses with
      and without such features to homeowners and homebuyers. We hypothesized that
      homeowners and homebuyers would prefer to buy homes with visitable features even
      if they believed such homes would cost more. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study,
      we surveyed 96 homeowners and 107 homebuyers in Ohio. For photos of nine matched
      pairs of visitable and non-visitable features, respondents assessed home would
      sell faster, which they preferred to buy, and which had an older inhabitant. They
      also rated effects of each visitable feature on qualities that might affect the
      marketability of the home, such as good design, aesthetics, appeal to young,
      appeal to old, ease of hosting visitors, and resale value. RESULTS: Both
      homeowners and homebuyers preferred to buy houses with visitable features,
      thought they would sell faster, and rated each visitable feature as having
      favorable effects on the qualities, even though they expected houses with
      visitable feature to cost more and to house an older person or a person with
      difficulty walking. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to developer and builder beliefs,
      homeowners and homebuyers may prefer houses with visitable features.

PMID- 26477864
TI  - Use of food and packaging model matrices to investigate the antioxidant
      properties of biorefinery grass lignins.
AB  - The antioxidant properties of grass lignins recovered from an alkaline industrial
      process and from different ethanol organosolv pretreatment processes were
      compared using two types of tests: (i) classical radical 2,2'-diphenyl-1
      picrylhydrazyl (DPPH(*)) scavenging tests in dioxane/water or ethanol and (ii)
      tests involving multiphasic systems (lipid dispersion in water or cellulose film
      suspended in ethanol). These multiphasic systems were representative of food and
      packaging matrices in view of high-value applications. All lignins, in solution
      or in the film, effectively scavenged radicals. Moreover, they were competitive
      with a food commercial rosemary extract to protect linoleic acid against
      oxidation. Whereas the DPPH(*) test in dioxane was not discriminant, differences
      appeared between lignins when the test was performed in ethanol or with the
      multiphasic systems. Moreover, radical scavenging activity was preserved in the
      film even after its immersion in ethanol. Structural analysis of lignins revealed
      that low-molar-mass phenolics, namely p-hydroxycinnamic acids and lignin
      depolymerization products, governed lignin antioxidant properties in the
      multiphasic systems. 

PMID- 26477865
TI  - Fat is the new normal.

PMID- 26477866
TI  - Cohort Analysis of a Pharmacokinetic-Modeled Methadone Weaning Optimization for
      Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) treatment outcomes
      achieved using an optimized methadone weaning protocol developed using
      pharmacokinetic (PK) modeling compared with standard methadone weaning. STUDY
      DESIGN: This pre-post cohort study evaluated 360 infants who completed
      pharmacologic treatment for NAS with methadone as inpatients at 1 of 6 nurseries
      in southwest Ohio between January 2012 and March 2015. Infants were initially
      treated with a standard methadone weaning protocol (n = 267). Beginning in July
      2014, infants were treated with a revised methadone weaning protocol developed
      using PK modeling (n = 93). Linear mixed models were used to calculate adjusted
      mean primary outcomes, including total duration of methadone treatment, total
      administered methadone dosage, and length of inpatient hospital stay, which were
      compared between weaning protocols. The use of adjunctive therapy for NAS
      treatment was examined as a secondary outcome. RESULTS: Infants who received NAS
      treatment with the revised protocol experienced a shorter duration of methadone
      treatment (13.1 vs 16.4 days; P < .001) and shorter duration of inpatient
      treatment (18.3 vs 21.7 days; P < .001) compared with infants receiving standard
      methadone weaning. No difference was observed in total methadone dosage
      administered (0.52 vs 0.52 mg/kg; P = .97) or in the use of adjunctive therapy
      (22.6% vs 25.5%; P = .68) between groups. CONCLUSION: Refinement of a standard
      methadone weaning protocol using PK modeling was associated with reduced duration
      of opioid weaning and shortened length of stay for pharmacologic treatment of
      NAS.

PMID- 26477868
TI  - A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of a Pilot Neonatal Screening Program for Sickle
      Cell Anemia in the Republic of Angola.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost-effectiveness of a pilot newborn screening (NBS)
      and treatment program for sickle cell anemia (SCA) in Luanda, Angola. STUDY
      DESIGN: In July 2011, a pilot NBS and treatment program was implemented in
      Luanda, Angola. Infants identified with SCA were enrolled in a specialized SCA
      clinic in which they received preventive care and sickle cell education. In this
      analysis, the World Health Organization (WHO) and generalized cost-effectiveness
      analysis methods were used to estimate gross intervention costs of the NBS and
      treatment program. To determine healthy life-years (HLYs) gained by screening and
      treatment, we assumed NBS reduced mortality to that of the Angolan population
      during the first 5 years based upon WHO and Global Burden of Diseases Study 2010
      estimates, but provided no significant survival benefit for children who survive
      through age 5 years. A secondary sensitivity analysis with more conservative
      estimates of mortality benefits also was performed. The costs of downstream
      medical costs, including acute care, were not included. RESULTS: Based upon the
      costs of screening 36,453 infants and treating the 236 infants with SCA followed
      after NBS in the pilot project, NBS and treatment program is projected to result
      in the gain of 452-1105 HLYs, depending upon the discounting rate and survival
      assumptions used. The corresponding estimated cost per HLY gained is $1380-$3565,
      less than the gross domestic product per capita in Angola. CONCLUSIONS: These
      data demonstrate that NBS and treatment for SCA appear to be highly cost
      effective across all scenarios for Angola by the WHO criteria.

PMID- 26477867
TI  - When Participants in Genomic Research Grow Up: Contact and Consent at the Age of
      Majority.

PMID- 26477869
TI  - Primary Care Providers' Initial Evaluation of Children with Global Developmental
      Delay: A Clinical Vignette Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the decisions of pediatric primary care physicians about
      their diagnostic evaluation for a child with suspected global developmental delay
      (GDD). STUDY DESIGN: A survey was mailed to a sample of pediatricians (n = 600)
      and family physicians (n = 600) randomly selected from the American Medical
      Association Physician Masterfile. The survey contained a clinical vignette
      describing a 9-month-old nondysmorphic boy with GDD. Participants were asked
      their initial evaluation steps (test, refer, or both test and refer) and what
      types of referral and/or testing they would pursue. We examined bivariate
      associations between physician/clinical practice characteristics and
      participants' evaluation decision. RESULTS: More pediatricians than family
      physicians completed the survey (response rates: 55% vs 38%). Almost three
      quarters of the respondents (74%) reported that their first step in a diagnostic
      evaluation would be to refer the child without testing, 22% would test only, and
      4% would both test and refer. As their initial step, most physicians referred to
      a developmental pediatrician (58%), and only 5% would refer to a geneticist. The
      most commonly ordered test was general biochemical testing (64%). The most
      commonly ordered genetic test was a karyotype (39%). CONCLUSIONS: When evaluating
      a child with GDD, few primary care physicians would order genetic testing or
      refer to a genetics specialist as a first evaluation step. Future studies should
      examine both barriers to and utilization of a genetic evaluation for children
      with GDD.

PMID- 26477870
TI  - Association between Clinical Outcomes and Hospital Guidelines for Cerebrospinal
      Fluid Testing in Febrile Infants Aged 29-56 Days.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the association between clinical outcomes and clinical
      practice guidelines (CPGs) recommending universal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
      testing in the emergency department for febrile infants aged 29-56 days. STUDY
      DESIGN: Using 2007-2013 administrative data from 32 US children's hospitals, we
      performed a difference-in-differences analysis comparing 7 hospitals with CPGs
      recommending universal CSF testing for older febrile infants aged 29-56 days (CPG
      group) with 25 hospitals without such CPGs (control group). We compared
      differences in clinical outcomes between older febrile infants with the
      corresponding differences among younger febrile infants aged 7-28 days. The
      primary outcome was the occurrence of an adverse event, defined as a delayed
      diagnosis of bacterial meningitis, mechanical ventilation, placement of a central
      venous catheter, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or in-hospital mortality.
      Analyses were adjusted for race/ethnicity, sex, median annual household income by
      zip code, primary insurance source, discharge season, and discharge year.
      RESULTS: The proportion of older febrile infants undergoing CSF testing was
      higher (P < .001) in the CPG group (64.8%) than the control group (47.8%). CPGs
      recommending universal CSF testing for older febrile infants were not associated
      with significant differences in adverse events (difference-in-differences: +0.31
      percentage points, 95% CI -0.18 to 0.85; P = .22). CONCLUSIONS: Hospital CPGs
      recommending universal CSF testing for febrile infants aged 29-56 days were not
      associated with significant differences in clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26477871
TI  - Potential Impact of a Validated Screening Tool for Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To conduct a retrospective, theoretical comparison of actual pediatric
      intensive care unit (PICU) screening for abusive head trauma (AHT) vs AHT
      screening guided by a previously validated 4-variable clinical prediction rule
      (CPR) in datasets used by the Pediatric Brain Injury Research Network to derive
      and validate the CPR. STUDY DESIGN: We calculated CPR-based estimates of abuse
      probability for all 500 patients in the datasets. Next, we demonstrated a
      positive and very strong correlation between these estimates of abuse probability
      and the overall diagnostic yields of our patients' completed skeletal surveys and
      retinal examinations. Having demonstrated this correlation, we applied mean
      estimates of abuse probability to predict additional, positive abuse evaluations
      among patients lacking skeletal survey and/or retinal examination. Finally, we
      used these predictions of additional, positive abuse evaluations to extrapolate
      and compare AHT detection (and 2 other measures of AHT screening accuracy) in
      actual PICU screening for AHT vs AHT screening guided by the CPR. RESULTS: Our
      results suggest that AHT screening guided by the CPR could theoretically increase
      AHT detection in PICU settings from 87%-96% (P < .001), and increase the overall
      diagnostic yield of completed abuse evaluations from 49%-56% (P = .058), while
      targeting slightly fewer, though not significantly less, children for abuse
      evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Applied accurately and consistently, the recently
      validated, 4-variable CPR could theoretically improve the accuracy of AHT
      screening in PICU settings.

PMID- 26477872
TI  - Left Ventricular Myxoma.

PMID- 26477873
TI  - Prospective Surveillance of Extreme Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia in Australia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence, causes, associated factors, and short
      term outcomes of extreme neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in Australia in order to
      identify opportunities for prevention. STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective
      population-based surveillance study in collaboration with the Australian
      Pediatric Surveillance Unit between April 1, 2010, and March 31, 2013. Case
      definition was: infants >34 weeks gestation with a peak total serum bilirubin
      >=450 MUmol/L and or clinical evidence of bilirubin encephalopathy. Clinicians
      completed questionnaires detailing demographic and clinical data including: peak
      serum bilirubin, signs of bilirubin encephalopathy, etiology, associated
      pathology, management, and short-term outcomes. RESULTS: The questionnaire return
      rate was 95%, and 87 infants met the case definition. The Australian incidence of
      extreme neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is estimated to be 9.4/100,000 live births.
      Main etiologies were: idiopathic ABO blood group incompatibility, glucose-6
      phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, and Rhesus isoimmunization. There were no
      significant differences in short-term outcomes between inpatient and outpatient
      cases. Cases with a hemolytic etiology were significantly more likely to have
      extremely high levels of hyperbilirubinemia (P < .002). CONCLUSION: The incidence
      of extreme neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in Australia is comparable with previous
      studies. Robust pre- and post-discharge assessment and management strategies of
      neonatal hyperbilirubinemia are essential to prevent neurodisability. Universal
      glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase screening and serial bilirubin monitoring may
      optimize preventative strategies.

PMID- 26477874
TI  - HIV-related stigma experiences: Understanding gender disparities in Thailand.
AB  - This paper assesses the relationship between gender and HIV-related stigma
      experiences among people living with HIV (PLHIV) - enacted and anticipated stigma
      - and PLHIV caregivers - courtesy stigma - in Northern Thailand, along with the
      underlying reasons for stigmatising attitudes towards PLHIV - instrumental and
      symbolic stigma - expressed in the general population. We used data from the
      Living With Antiretrovirals (LIWA) study conducted on all PLHIV receiving
      antiretroviral treatment in four district hospitals in Northern Thailand (n =
      513) and on a community sample of adults from the general population (n = 500).
      Women living with HIV and female caregivers of PLHIV reported higher rates of HIV
      related stigma experiences than men. Gender interacted with other predictors -
      the period of HIV diagnosis and age - to increase the level of stigma
      experienced. Among the general population, attitudes of contact avoidance were
      infrequent. However, stereotypes depicting PLHIV as blameworthy were highly
      pervasive, with women perceived as the "victims" of their spouse's irresponsible
      sexual behaviours. In this context, women were yet more often subjected to HIV
      related stigma than men, in particular women diagnosed in the pre-antiretroviral
      therapy era and younger female caregivers. The role of gender in shaping
      disparities in HIV-related stigma experiences is discussed.

PMID- 26477875
TI  - Optimizing isothermal titration calorimetry protocols for the study of 1:1
      binding: Keeping it simple.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Successful ITC experiments require conversion of cell reagent
      (titrand M) to product and production or consumption of heat. These conditions
      are quantified for 1:1 binding, M+X <=> MX. METHODS: Nonlinear least squares is
      used in error-propagation mode to predict the precisions with which the key
      quantities - binding constant K, reaction enthalpy DeltaH degrees , and
      stoichiometry number n - can be estimated over a wide range of the dimensionless
      quantity that governs isotherm shape, c=K[M]0. The measurement precision sigmaq
      is estimated from analysis of water-water blanks. RESULTS: When the product
      conversion exceeds 90%, the parameter relative standard errors are proportional
      to sigmaq/qtot, where the total heat qtot ~ DeltaH degrees  [M]0V0. Specifically,
      sigmaK/K*qtot/sigmaq ~ 25 for c=10(-3)-10, ~ 11 c(1/3) for c=10-10(4). For c>1, n
      and DeltaH degrees  are more precise than K; this holds also at smaller c for the
      product n*DeltaH degrees  and for DeltaH degrees  when n can be held fixed. Use
      of as few as 10 titrant injections can outperform the customary 20-40 while also
      improving productivity. CONCLUSION: These principles are illustrated in
      experiment design using the program ITC-PLANNER15. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: Simple
      quantitative guidelines replace the "c rules" that have dominated the literature
      for decades.

PMID- 26477876
TI  - Locard's Principle of Exchange, Dental Examination and Fragments of Skin.
AB  - The transfer of materials between victim and perpetrator was first reported by
      Locard in the nineteenth century. While in recent years DNA testing has been very
      successful in matching biological material from crime scenes to perpetrators, the
      following cases demonstrate that other more time-honored methods remain useful.
      Two cases of lethal assault are reported where the victims had bitten their
      assailants resulting in fragments of the perpetrators' skin being wedged between
      their teeth which were discovered during post mortem oral examinations. As the
      fragments were able to be matched to injuries in the perpetrators, identification
      was established prior to confirmatory DNA testing. In case 1 a criminal
      conviction for manslaughter resulted, and in case 2 the identity of the assailant
      was confirmed. Examination of a properly exposed and illuminated oral cavity may
      provide useful evidence in assault cases. These cases represent an unusual dental
      variant of Locard's principle. 

PMID- 26477877
TI  - The long-term risk of upper-extremity lymphedema is two-fold higher in breast
      cancer patients than in melanoma patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We assessed the cumulative incidence, symptoms, and
      risk factors for upper-extremity lymphedema in breast cancer and melanoma
      patients undergoing sentinel lymph node biopsy or axillary lymph node dissection.
      METHODS: Patients were recruited preoperatively (time 0) and assessed at 6, 12,
      and 18 months postoperatively. Limb volume change (LVC) was measured by
      perometry. Lymphedema was categorized as none, mild (LVC 5-9.9%), or
      moderate/severe (LVC>=10%). Symptoms were assessed with a validated lymphedema
      instrument. Longitudinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify
      risk factors associated with moderate/severe lymphedema. RESULTS: Among 205
      breast cancer and 144 melanoma patients, the cumulative incidence of
      moderate/severe lymphedema at 18 months was 36.5% and 35.0%, respectively.
      However, in adjusted analyses, factors associated with moderate/severe lymphedema
      were breast cancer (OR 2.0, P = 0.03), body mass index >= 30 kg/m(2) (OR 1.6, P =
      0.04), greater number of lymph nodes removed (OR 1.05, P < 0.01), and longer
      interval since surgery (OR 2.33 at 18 months, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Lymphedema
      incidence increased over time in both cohorts. However, the adjusted risk of
      moderate/severe lymphedema was two-fold higher in breast cancer patients. These
      results may be attributed to surgical treatment of the primary tumor in the
      breast and more frequent use of radiation.

PMID- 26477879
TI  - In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Melanoma Effects of Pituranthos tortuosus Essential Oil
      Via Inhibition of FAK and Src Activities.
AB  - A large number of plants used in traditional medicines have been shown to possess
      antitumor activities. The aims of this study were to evaluate any anticancer
      effect of the essential oil (EO) extracted from P. tortuosus against B16F10
      melanoma cancer cells in vitro as well as in vivo. In vitro, EO was shown to
      induce apoptosis and to inhibit migration and invasion processes. Further
      investigation revealed that EO decreased focal adhesion and invadopodia formation
      which was accompanied by a drastic downregulation of FAK, Src, ERK, p130Cas and
      paxillin. Moreover, EO treatment decreased the expression level of p190RhoGAP,
      and Grb2, which impair cell migration and actin assembly. Mice bearing the
      melanoma cells were used to confirm any in vivo effectiveness of the EO as an
      anti-tumor promoting agent. In mice dosed with 100 mg EO/kg/d (for 27 days),
      tumor weight was inhibited by 98% compared to that in mice that did not receive
      the product. In conclusion, these data suggested to us that an EO of P. tortuosus
      could evolve to be a potential medicinal resource for use in the treatment of
      cancers.

PMID- 26477878
TI  - Indirect consequences of extreme weather and climate events and their
      associations with physical health in coastal Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bangladesh is one of the countries in the world which is most prone
      to natural disasters. The overall situation is expected to worsen, since extreme
      weather and climate events (EWCE) are likely to increase in both frequency and
      intensity. Indirect consequences caused in the events' aftermath widen the range
      of possible adverse health outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of
      indirect consequences of EWCE and physical health. DESIGN: We used recent cross
      sectional self-reported data from 16 coastal villages in Bangladesh. A total of
      980 households were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. The outcome of
      physical health was categorized into three groups, reflecting the severity of
      reported diseases by the respective source of treatment as a proxy variable
      (hospital/clinic for severe disease, other source/no treatment for moderate
      disease, and no disease). The final statistical analysis was conducted using
      multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS: Severe diseases were significantly
      associated with drinking water from open sources [odds ratio (OR): 4.26, 95%
      confidence interval (CI): 2.25-8.09] and tube wells (OR: 2.39, 95% CI: 1.43
      4.01), moderate harm by river erosion (OR: 6.24, 95% CI: 2.76-14.11), food
      scarcity (OR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.16-3.40), and the perception of increased
      employment problems (OR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.18-4.07). Moderate diseases were
      significantly associated with moderate harm by river erosion (OR: 2.65, 95% CI:
      1.28-5.48) and fully experienced food scarcity (OR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.16-2.63). For
      both categories, women and the elderly had higher chances for diseases.
      CONCLUSIONS: Indirect consequences of EWCE were found to be associated with
      adverse health outcomes. Basic needs such as drinking water, food production, and
      employment opportunities are particularly likely to become threatened by EWCE
      and, thus, may lead to a higher likelihood of ill-health. Intervention strategies
      should concentrate on protection and provision of basic needs such as safe
      drinking water and food in the aftermath of an event.

PMID- 26477880
TI  - Comparison of outcomes between minimally invasive oesophagectomy and open
      oesophagectomy for oesophageal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A systematic review with meta-analysis was performed to compare
      perioperative outcomes between minimally invasive oesophagectomy (MIE) and open
      oesophagectomy (OE). METHODS: PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched up to
      January 2015 using keywords: esophageal cancer, MIE, OE, hybrid MIE. Randomized
      controlled trials or prospective studies comparing the efficacy of OE with MIE or
      hybrid MIE in oesophageal cancer patients were included. Sensitivity analysis and
      quality assessment were performed. RESULTS: MIE required longer operation time
      (pooled standardized difference in means = 0.565; 95% confidence interval (CI) =
      0.272, 0.858; P < 0.001) than OE, but resulted in less blood loss, shorter
      hospital stays, lower incidence of pneumonia and vocal cord palsy (P values
      <=0.026). There was no difference between MIE and OE regarding lymph node yield
      (pooled standardized difference in means = 0.078; 95% CI = -0.111, 0.267; P =
      0.419). Length of intensive care unit stay, in-hospital mortality and 30-day
      mortality were also similar (P values >=0.419) in both groups. CONCLUSIONS:
      Regarding certain clinical outcomes, MIE may be more beneficial than OE.

PMID- 26477882
TI  - Characterization of a Mixture of CO2 Adsorption Products in Hyperbranched
      Aminosilica Adsorbents by (13)C Solid-State NMR.
AB  - Hyperbranched amine polymers (HAS) grown from the mesoporous silica SBA-15
      (hereafter "SBA-15-HAS") exhibit large capacities for CO2 adsorption. We have
      used static in situ and magic-angle spinning (MAS) ex situ (13)C nuclear magnetic
      resonance (NMR) to examine the adsorption of CO2 by SBA-15-HAS. (13)C NMR
      distinguishes the signal of gas-phase (13)CO2 from that of the chemisorbed
      species. HAS polymers possess primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, leading to
      multiple chemisorption reaction outcomes, including carbamate (RnNCOO(-)),
      carbamic acid (RnNCOOH), and bicarbonate (HCO3(-)) moieties. Carbamates and
      bicarbonate fall within a small (13)C chemical shift range (162-166 ppm), and a
      mixture was observed including carbamic acid and carbamate, the former
      disappearing upon evacuation of the sample. By examining the (13)C-(14)N dipolar
      coupling through low-field (B0 = 3 T) (13)C{(1)H} cross-polarization MAS NMR,
      carbamate is confirmed through splitting of the (13)C resonance. A third species
      that is either bicarbonate or a second carbamate is evident from bimodal T2 decay
      times of the ~163 ppm peak, indicating the presence of two species comprising
      that single resonance. The mixture of products suggests that (1) the presence of
      amines and water leads to bicarbonate being present and/or (2) the multiple types
      of amine sites in HAS permit formation of chemically distinct carbamates. 

PMID- 26477881
TI  - Hepatitis C virus seroprevalence in adults in Africa: a systematic review and
      meta-analysis.
AB  - With the introduction of more efficient treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV),
      improved epidemiological information is required at the country level to allow
      evidence-based policymaking for elaboration of national strategies and HCV
      resources planning. We present a systematic review with meta-analysis of HCV
      seroprevalence data in adults in African countries. We conducted a systematic
      review of all HCV seroprevalence estimates reported in African countries from
      2000 to 2014 in MEDLINE, AJOL and grey literature. We assessed studies performed
      in the general population and among blood donors, pregnant women and HIV-positive
      patients. A meta-regression analysis was used to provide adjusted estimates of
      HCV seroprevalence in the general adult population in each country, accounting
      for the heterogeneity in sample age structure and population types in the
      included studies. We identified 775 national-level estimations, among which 184
      were included. Estimates of HCV seroprevalence were produced for 38 countries, in
      addition to the results from nationwide representative surveys available in Egypt
      and Libya. Next to Egypt, which clearly stands out, the highest levels of
      seroprevalence were found in Middle Africa (e.g. Cameroon, Gabon and Angola) and
      some West African countries (e.g. Burkina Faso, Benin), and the largest absolute
      numbers of infected adults were found in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Democratic
      Republic of Congo. This study exposes the diversity of HCV epidemiology among
      African countries. Egypt and several countries of West and Middle Africa present
      a HCV burden that will require strong governmental commitment to promote
      efficient preventive and curative interventions. 

PMID- 26477883
TI  - Clinical and scientific perspectives on movement disorders: Stanley Fahn's
      contributions.
AB  - Dr. Stanley Fahn, the H. Houston Merritt Professor of Neurology and Director
      Emeritus of the Center for Parkinson's Disease and Other Movement Disorders at
      Columbia University, one of the founders of the field of movement disorders, was
      the first president of the Movement Disorders Society (subsequently renamed as
      the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society). Together with his
      friend and colleague, Professor David Marsden, he also served as the first co
      editor of the journal Movement Disorders. By emphasizing phenomenology as the key
      element in differentiating various hypokinetic and hyperkinetic movement
      disorders, Dr. Fahn drew attention to the clinical history and the power of
      observation in the diagnosis of movement disorders. Dr. Fahn had major influence
      on the development of classifications and assessments of various movement
      disorders and in organizing various research groups such as the Parkinson Study
      Group. As the founder and president of the World Parkinson Coalition and an
      organizer of the initial three World Parkinson Congresses, he has demonstrated
      his long-standing commitment to the cause of including patients as partners. The
      primary goal and objective of this invited review is to highlight some of Dr.
      Fahn's most impactful scientific and clinical contributions to the understanding
      and treatment of Parkinson's disease, dystonia, and other movement disorders.

PMID- 26477884
TI  - Comparison of the effect of MTAD and conventional irrigation agents on apical
      leakage and push-out bond strength of root canal filling.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of MTAD (a mixture of
      tetracycline isomer, an acid, and a detergent) and conventional irrigation agents
      on the apical leakage and push-out bond strength of root canal filling and to
      correlate the apical leakage and push-out bond strength. Root canals of 120
      maxillary central incisors were prepared with a ProTaper file up to F3 and
      distributed to six groups. Saline, 1% NaOCl, 17% EDTA, 17% EDTA/1% NaOCl, and 2%
      chlorhexidine (CHX) solutions were used between each file change, and 5 mL of the
      same irrigating solution was used for the final flush. In the MTAD group, the
      root canals were irrigated with 1.3% NaOCl between each file and 5 mL of MTAD for
      the final flush. All the root canals were filled with AH Plus sealer and gutta
      percha cones. Apical leakage was evaluated using a fluid transport system. After
      the apical leakage test, each tooth was prepared for the push-out assessment. The
      statistical analysis revealed that the irrigation solutions had no effect on the
      apical leakage of the root canal fillings (p = 0.258). The root fillings of the
      groups irrigated with MTAD showed significantly lower push-out bond strength
      values than the other groups (p < 0.001). These commonly used irrigating
      solutions did not affect the apical leakage of the root canal sealer. MTAD
      reduced the bond strength of the root canal sealer to the root canal dentin.

PMID- 26477885
TI  - Prey from the eyes of predators: Color discriminability of aposematic and mimetic
      butterflies from an avian visual perspective.
AB  - Predation exerts strong selection on mimetic butterfly wing color patterns, which
      also serve other functions such as sexual selection. Therefore, specific
      selection pressures may affect the sexes and signal components differentially. We
      tested three predictions about the evolution of mimetic resemblance by comparing
      wing coloration of aposematic butterflies and their Batesian mimics: (a) females
      gain greater mimetic advantage than males and therefore are better mimics, (b)
      due to intersexual genetic correlations, sexually monomorphic mimics are better
      mimics than female-limited mimics, and (c) mimetic resemblance is better on the
      dorsal wing surface that is visible to predators in flight. Using a physiological
      model of avian color vision, we quantified mimetic resemblance from predators'
      perspective, which showed that female butterflies were better mimics than males.
      Mimetic resemblance in female-limited mimics was comparable to that in sexually
      monomorphic mimics, suggesting that intersexual genetic correlations did not
      constrain adaptive response to selection for female-limited mimicry. Mimetic
      resemblance on the ventral wing surface was better than that on the dorsal wing
      surface, implying stronger natural and sexual selection on ventral and dorsal
      surfaces, respectively. These results suggest that mimetic resemblance in
      butterfly mimicry rings has evolved under various selective pressures acting in a
      sex- and wing surface-specific manner. 

PMID- 26477886
TI  - Low Carotid Artery Wall Shear Stress is Associated with Significant Coronary
      Artery Disease in Patients with Chest Pain.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the relationships among carotid wall shear stress (WSS),
      carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and total plaque area (TPA) using
      ultrasound (US) in the common carotid artery (CCA) in patients with suspected
      coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: Carotid artery US was performed in 950
      patients with suspected CAD, and mean IMT, TPA, and hemodynamic parameters of
      CCA, including peak and mean WSS, were measured. We analyzed the carotid
      parameters according to the presence of CAD and the predictive values of WSS and
      TPA for the presence of significant CAD. RESULTS: Compared with patients without
      CAD (n=667), patients with CAD (n=283) demonstrated significantly higher mean IMT
      (0.66 vs. 0.74 mm, p < 0.001), TPA (0.13 vs. 0.20 cm(2), p=0.002), and beta
      stiffness index (5.12 vs. 5.60, p=0.045) and lower mean WSS (2.59 vs. 2.23
      dyne/cm(2), p < 0.001). Mean WSS revealed significant negative correlations with
      the beta stiffness index (r=-0.116, p < 0.001), mean IMT (r=-0.193, p=0.007), and
      TPA (r =-0.296, p < 0.001). Mean WSS, mean IMT and TPA revealed significant
      difference with respect to CAD severity (for all p < 0.001). Age [OR, 1.038 (95%
      CI, 1.010-1.066), p=0.007], diabetes mellitus [1.606 (1.194-1.807), p= 0.011],
      smoking [1.758 (1.564-1.866), p < 0.001], carotid TPA [2.615 (1.320-5.183),
      p=0.006], and mean WSS [0.554 (0.371-0.838), p=0.005] were significant CAD
      predictors. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with chest pain, low local shear stress and
      high plaque burden in the carotid arteries were significant CAD predictors. These
      findings indicate that carotid WSS has a role as an index of atherosclerosis and
      serves as a predictor of significant coronary atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26477887
TI  - The Impact of Population, Contact, and Spatial Heterogeneity on Epidemic Model
      Predictions.
AB  - Our objective was to evaluate the effect that complexity in the form of different
      levels of spatial, population, and contact heterogeneity has in the predictions
      of a mechanistic epidemic model. A model that simulates the spatiotemporal spread
      of infectious diseases between animal populations was developed. Sixteen
      scenarios of foot-and-mouth disease infection in cattle were analyzed, involving
      combinations of the following factors: multiple production-types (PT) with
      heterogeneous contact and population structure versus single PT, random versus
      actual spatial distribution of population units, high versus low infectivity, and
      no vaccination versus preemptive vaccination. The epidemic size and duration was
      larger for scenarios with multiple PT versus single PT. Ignoring the actual unit
      locations did not affect the epidemic size in scenarios with multiple PT/high
      infectivity, but resulted in smaller epidemic sizes in scenarios using multiple
      PT/low infectivity. In conclusion, when modeling fast-spreading epidemics,
      knowing the actual locations of population units may not be as relevant as
      collecting information on population and contact heterogeneity. In contrast, both
      population and spatial heterogeneity might be important to model slower spreading
      epidemic diseases. Our findings can be used to inform data collection and
      modeling efforts to inform health policy and planning.

PMID- 26477889
TI  - Isolation and assessment of gut bacteria from the Formosan subterranean termite,
      Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), for paratransgenesis research
      and application.
AB  - Paratransgenesis targeting the gut protozoa is being developed as an alternative
      method for the control of the Formosan subterranean termite (FST). This method
      involves killing the cellulose-digesting gut protozoa using a previously
      developed antiprotozoal peptide consisting of a target specific ligand coupled to
      an antimicrobial peptide (Hecate). In the future, we intend to genetically
      engineer termite gut bacteria as "Trojan Horses" to express and spread ligand
      Hecate in the termite colony. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness
      of bacteria strains isolated from the gut of FST as "Trojan Horses." We isolated
      135 bacteria from the guts of workers from 3 termite colonies. Sequencing of the
      16S rRNA gene identified 20 species. We tested 5 bacteria species that were
      previously described as part of the termite gut community for their tolerance
      against Hecate and ligand-Hecate. Results showed that the minimum concentration
      required to inhibit bacteria growth was always higher than the concentration
      required to kill the gut protozoa. Out of the 5 bacteria tested, we engineered
      Trabulsiella odontotermitis, a termite specific bacterium, to express green
      fluorescent protein as a proof of concept that the bacteria can be engineered to
      express foreign proteins. Engineered T. odontotermitis was fed to FST to study if
      the bacteria are ingested. This feeding experiment confirmed that engineered T.
      odontotermitis is ingested by termites and can survive in the gut for at least 48
      h. Here we report that T. odontotermitis is a suitable delivery and expression
      system for paratransgenesis in a termite species.

PMID- 26477888
TI  - CO2 -dependent metabolic modulation in red blood cells stored under anaerobic
      conditions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anaerobic red blood cell (RBC) storage reduces oxidative damage,
      maintains adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) levels,
      and has superior 24-hour recovery at 6 weeks compared to standard storage. This
      study will determine if removal of CO2 during O2 depletion by gas exchange may
      affect RBCs during anaerobic storage. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This is a matched
      three-arm study (n = 14): control, O2 and CO2 depleted with Ar (AN), and O2
      depleted with 95%Ar/5%CO2 (AN[CO2 ]). RBCs in additives AS-3 or OFAS-3 were
      evenly divided into three bags, and anaerobic conditions were established by gas
      exchange. Bags were stored at 1 to 6 degrees C in closed chambers under anaerobic
      conditions or ambient air, sampled weekly for up to 9 weeks for a panel of in
      vitro tests. A full metabolomics screening was conducted for the first 4 weeks of
      storage. RESULTS: Purging with Ar (AN) results in alkalization of the RBC and
      increased glucose consumption. The addition of 5% CO2 to the purging gas
      prevented CO2 loss with an equivalent starting and final pH and lactate to
      control bags (p > 0.5, Days 0-21). ATP levels are higher in AN[CO2 ] (p <
      0.0001). DPG was maintained beyond 2 weeks in the AN arm (p < 0.0001).
      Surprisingly, DPG was lost at the same rate in both control and AN[CO2 ] arms (p
      = 0.6). CONCLUSION: Maintenance of ATP in the AN[CO2 ] arm demonstrates that ATP
      production is not solely a function of the pH effect on glycolysis. CO2 in
      anaerobic storage prevented the maintenance of DPG, and DPG production appears to
      be pH dependent. CO2 as well as O2 depletion provides metabolic advantage for
      stored RBCs.

PMID- 26477890
TI  - Adenine supplement delays senescence in cultured human follicle dermal papilla
      cells.

PMID- 26477892
TI  - Work for sustainability: Case studies of Brazilian companies.
AB  - The introduction of strategic corporate sustainability policies is expected to
      result in the improvement of several issues in companies. One of these issues is
      work, which should involve greater well-being for workers. Within the context of
      production engineering, this research connects sustainability and work-related
      issues, the latter seen in light of the discipline of ergonomics. Based on case
      studies conducted at four companies considered sustainability benchmarks, we
      examined how the introduction of the theme of sustainability has influenced work
      related issues. The elements analyzed here were the corporate sustainability
      strategy, organizational practices for deploying the strategy, and the work
      design phase. The last element is the moment in which work is prescribed in the
      organization. The results show that, despite the announcement of the inclusion of
      changes in work, there is not any explicit evidence confirming that such changes
      are considered as a requirement for corporate sustainability projects. 

PMID- 26477891
TI  - Sleep Apnea and the Risk of Incident Gout: A Population-Based, Body Mass Index
      Matched Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Sleep apnea is associated with hyperuricemia owing to hypoxia-induced
      nucleotide turnover. We undertook this study to assess the relationship between
      incident sleep apnea and the risk of incident gout. METHODS: Using data from The
      Health Improvement Network in the UK, we identified individuals with a first-ever
      physician diagnosis of sleep apnea. For each patient with sleep apnea, up to 5
      individuals without sleep apnea were matched by sex, age, birth year, and body
      mass index (within +/-0.5 kg/m(2) ). We estimated the incidence rates of gout and
      examined the relationship between sleep apnea and the risk of incident gout using
      a Cox proportional hazards model, adjusting for potential confounders. In
      addition, we assessed the rate difference in gout due to sleep apnea using an
      additive hazard model. RESULTS: Among 9,865 patients with newly diagnosed sleep
      apnea and 43,598 matched individuals without sleep apnea, we identified 270
      incident cases of gout over 1 year of followup, resulting in incidence rates of
      8.4 per 1,000 person-years and 4.8 per 1,000 person-years, respectively. The
      crude and multivariable rate ratios of incident gout in patients with sleep apnea
      were 1.7 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.3, 2.2) and 1.5 (95% CI 1.1, 2.1),
      respectively. The corresponding rate differences between patients with sleep
      apnea and the comparison cohort were 3.6 (95% CI 1.6, 5.6) and 2.8 (95% CI 0.7,
      4.9) per 1,000 person-years. The effect of sleep apnea persisted across
      subgroups. CONCLUSION: This general population-based study indicates that sleep
      apnea is independently associated with an increased risk of incident gout. Future
      research should examine the potential benefits of correcting sleep apnea-induced
      hypoxia on the risk of hyperuricemia and gout flares.

PMID- 26477894
TI  - Computer modeling with randomized-controlled trial data informs the development
      of person-centered aged care homes.
AB  - AIM: To answer questions on the essential components (services, operations and
      resources) of a person-centered aged care home (iHome) using computer simulation.
      MATERIALS & METHODS: iHome was developed with AnyLogic software using extant
      study data obtained from 60 Australian aged care homes, 900+ clients and 700+
      aged care staff. Bayesian analysis of simulated trial data will determine the
      influence of different iHome characteristics on care service quality and client
      outcomes. Interim results: A person-centered aged care home (socio-cultural
      context) and care/lifestyle services (interactional environment) can produce
      positive outcomes for aged care clients (subjective experiences) in the simulated
      environment. CONCLUSION: Further testing will define essential characteristics of
      a person-centered care home.

PMID- 26477895
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the butterfly Herona marathus (Lepidoptera:
      Nymphalidae).
AB  - The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Herona marathus was sequenced
      and analyzed in the study. The mitogenome is 15 487 bp in size, including 37
      genes and a putative control region. Thirteen protein-coding genes (PCGs) all
      start with a typical ATN codon, expect that COI gene uses CGA as its initial
      codon. Majority of the 13 PCGs have a complete termination codon (TAA or TAG)
      except for COII and ND4 have a single T-- residue. All tRNAs have typical clover
      leaf secondary structure, except for tRNASer(AGN), in which the dihydrouridine
      (DHU) arm is a simple loop. Bayesian analyses support the monophyly of
      butterflies and recover high supports for the following family level
      relationships: (Papilionidae + Hesperioidea + (Pieridae + Lycaenidae + (Danaidae
      + Nymphalidae))).

PMID- 26477896
TI  - Preventive Medicine Training: The Case for Integrating Integrative Medicine.

PMID- 26477897
TI  - Integrative Medicine in Preventive Medicine Education: Competency and Curriculum
      Development for Preventive Medicine and Other Specialty Residency Programs.
AB  - During 2012, the USDHHS's Health Resources and Services Administration funded 12
      accredited preventive medicine residencies to incorporate an evidence-based
      integrative medicine curriculum into their training programs. It also funded a
      national coordinating center at the American College of Preventive Medicine,
      known as the Integrative Medicine in Preventive Medicine Education (IMPriME)
      Center, to provide technical assistance to the 12 grantees. To help with this
      task, the IMPriME Center established a multidisciplinary steering committee,
      versed in integrative medicine, whose primary aim was to develop integrative
      medicine core competencies for incorporation into preventive medicine graduate
      medical education training. The competency development process was informed by
      central integrative medicine definitions and principles, preventive medicine's
      dual role in clinical and population-based prevention, and the burgeoning
      evidence base of integrative medicine. The steering committee considered an
      interdisciplinary integrative medicine contextual framework guided by several
      themes related to workforce development and population health. A list of nine
      competencies, mapped to the six general domains of competence approved by the
      Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education, was operationalized through
      an iterative exercise with the 12 grantees in a process that included mapping
      each site's competency and curriculum products to the core competencies. The
      competencies, along with central curricular components informed by grantees' work
      presented elsewhere in this supplement, are outlined as a roadmap for residency
      programs aiming to incorporate integrative medicine content into their curricula.
      This set of competencies adds to the larger efforts of the IMPriME initiative to
      facilitate and enhance further curriculum development and implementation by not
      only the current grantees but other stakeholders in graduate medical education
      around integrative medicine training. 

PMID- 26477899
TI  - Integrative Medicine in Preventive Medicine Education: Implementation Analysis.
AB  - In September 2012, the Health Resources and Services Administration funded 12
      preventive medicine residency programs to participate in a 2-year project aimed
      at incorporating integrative medicine (IM) into their residency training
      programs. The grantees were asked to incorporate competencies for IM into their
      respective preventive medicine residency curricula and to provide for faculty
      development in IM. The analysis conducted in 2014-2015 used the following
      evidence to assess residency programs' achievements and challenges in
      implementation: progress and performance measures reports, curriculum mapping of
      program activities to IM competencies, records of webinar participation, and post
      project individual semi-structured phone interviews with the 12 grantee project
      leaders. Key findings are: (1) IM activities offered to residents increased by
      50% during the 2 years; (2) Accessing IM resources already in existence at local
      grantee sites was the primary facilitator of moving the integration of IM into
      preventive medicine residencies forward; (3) Among all activities offered
      residents, rotations were perceived by grantees as by far the most valuable
      contributor to acquiring IM competencies; (4) Online training was considered a
      greater contributor to preventive medicine residents' medical knowledge in IM
      than faculty lectures or courses; (5) Faculty were offered a rich variety of
      opportunities for professional development in IM, but some programs lacked a
      system to ensure faculty participation; and (6) Perceived lack of evidence for IM
      was a barrier to full program implementation at some sites. Grantees expect
      implemented programs to continue post-funding, but with decreased intensity owing
      to perceived faculty and curriculum time constraints. 

PMID- 26477900
TI  - Implementation of an Integrative Medicine Curriculum for Preventive Medicine
      Residents.
AB  - The University of Maryland Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
      collaborated with the Center for Integrative Medicine at the same institution to
      develop and implement a unique integrative medicine curriculum within a
      preventive medicine residency program. Between October 2012 and July 2014, Center
      for Integrative Medicine faculty provided preventive medicine residents and
      faculty, and occasionally other Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
      faculty, with comprehensive exposure to the field of integrative medicine,
      including topics such as mind-body medicine, nutrition and nutritional
      supplements, Traditional Chinese Medicine, massage, biofield therapies, manual
      medicine, stress management, creative arts, and the use of integrative medicine
      in the inpatient setting. Preventive medicine residents, under the supervision of
      Department of Epidemiology and Public Health faculty, led integrative medicine
      themed journal clubs. Resident assessments included a case-based knowledge
      evaluation, the Integrative Medicine Attitudes Questionnaire, and a qualitative
      evaluation of the program. Residents received more than 60 hours of integrative
      medicine instruction, including didactic sessions, experiential workshops, and
      wellness retreats in addition to clinical experiences and individual wellness
      mentoring. Residents rated the program positively and recommended that
      integrative medicine be included in preventive medicine residency curricula. The
      inclusion of a wellness-focused didactic, experiential, and skill-based
      integrative medicine program within a preventive medicine residency was feasible
      and well received by all six preventive medicine residents. 

PMID- 26477898
TI  - Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: How Integrative Medicine Fits.
AB  - As a discipline, preventive medicine has traditionally been described to
      encompass primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. The fields of preventive
      medicine and public health share the objectives of promoting general health,
      preventing disease, and applying epidemiologic techniques to these goals. This
      paper discusses a conceptual approach between the overlap and potential synergies
      of integrative medicine principles and practices with preventive medicine in the
      context of these levels of prevention, acknowledging the relative deficiency of
      research on the effectiveness of practice-based integrative care. One goal of
      integrative medicine is to make the widest array of appropriate options available
      to patients, ultimately blurring the boundaries between conventional and
      complementary medicine. Both disciplines should be subject to rigorous scientific
      inquiry so that interventions that are efficacious and effective are
      systematically distinguished from those that are not. Furthermore, principles of
      preventive medicine can be infused into prevalent practices in complementary and
      integrative medicine, promoting public health in the context of more responsible
      practices. The case is made that an integrative preventive approach involves the
      responsible use of science with responsiveness to the needs of patients that
      persist when conclusive data are exhausted, providing a framework to make
      clinical decisions among integrative therapies. 

PMID- 26477901
TI  - Interprofessional Integrative Medicine Training for Preventive Medicine
      Residents.
AB  - Integrative medicine training was incorporated into the Rutgers New Jersey
      Medical School Preventive Medicine residency at the Rutgers Biomedical and Health
      Sciences Newark Campus as a collaboration between the Rutgers New Jersey Medical
      School and the School of Health Related Professions. Beginning in 2012, an
      interdisciplinary faculty team organized an Integrative Medicine program in a
      Preventive Medicine residency that leveraged existing resources across Rutgers
      Biomedical and Health Sciences. The overarching aim of the programs was to
      introduce residents and faculty to the scope and practice of integrative medicine
      in the surrounding Newark community and explore evidence-based research on
      integrative medicine. The faculty team tapped into an interprofessional network
      of healthcare providers to organize rotations for the preventive medicine
      residents that reflected the unique nature of integrative medicine in the greater
      Newark area. Residents provided direct care as part of interdisciplinary teams at
      clinical affiliates and shadowed health professionals from diverse disciplines as
      they filled different roles in providing patient care. The residents also
      participated in research projects. A combination of formal and informal programs
      on integrative medicine topics was offered to residents and faculty. The
      Integrative Medicine program, which ran from 2013 through 2014, was successful in
      exposing residents and faculty to the unique nature of integrative medicine
      across professions in the community served by Rutgers Biomedical and Health
      Sciences. 

PMID- 26477902
TI  - Assimilating Traditional Healing Into Preventive Medicine Residency Curriculum.
AB  - Comprehensive cultural competency includes knowledge and awareness of culturally
      based healing and wellness practices. Healthcare providers should be aware of the
      individual patient's beliefs, culture, and use of culturally based health
      practices because patients may adopt such practices for general wellness or as
      adjunct therapies without the benefit of discussion with their healthcare
      provider. This article describes the culturally based traditional healing
      curriculum that has been implemented in the University of New Mexico Public
      Health and General Preventive Medicine Residency Program in order to fulfill this
      knowledge necessity. Curricular elements were added in a stepwise manner starting
      in 2011, with the full content as described implemented starting in 2013. Data
      were collected annually with evaluation of the full curriculum occurring in 2015.
      New Mexico has a diverse population base that includes predominantly Hispanic and
      Native American cultures, making the inclusion of curriculum regarding
      traditional healing practices very pertinent. Residents at the University of New
      Mexico were educated through several curricular components about topics such as
      Curanderismo, the art of Mexican Folk Healing. An innovative approach was used,
      with a compendium of training methods that included learning directly from
      traditional healers and participation in healing practices. The incorporation of
      this residency curriculum resulted in a means to produce physicians well trained
      in approaching patient care and population health with knowledge of culturally
      based health practices in order to facilitate healthy patients and communities. 

PMID- 26477903
TI  - Public Health and Preventive Medicine Meet Integrative Health: Applications of
      Competency Mapping to Curriculum Education at the University of Michigan.
AB  - The University of Michigan School of Public Health Preventive Medicine Residency
      (UMSPH PMR) Integrative Medicine Program (IMP) was developed to incorporate
      integrative medicine (IM), public health, and preventive medicine principles into
      a comprehensive curriculum for preventive medicine residents and faculty. The
      objectives of this project were to (1) increase the preventive medicine workforce
      skill sets based in complementary and alternative medicine and IM that would
      address individual and population health issues; (2) address the increasing
      demand for evidence-based IM by training physicians to implement cost-effective
      primary and secondary prevention services and programs; and (3) share lessons
      learned, curriculum evaluations, and best practices with the larger cohort of
      funded IM PMR programs. The UMSPH PMR collaborated with University of Michigan IM
      faculty to incorporate existing IM competencies with those already established
      for preventive medicine and public health residency training as the first
      critical step for IMP curriculum integration. Essential teaching strategies
      incorporated didactic and practicum methods, and made use of seasoned IM faculty,
      along with newly minted preventive medicine integrative teaching faculty, and PMR
      resident learners as IM teachers. The major components of the IMP curriculum
      included resident participation in IMP Orientation Sessions, resident leadership
      in epidemiology graduate IM seminars, resident rotations in IM month-long
      clinical practicums, resident participation in interprofessional health system
      wide IM clinical case conferences, and PMR faculty enrollment in the renowned
      Faculty Scholars Program in Integrative Healthcare. This paper describes the
      novel interdisciplinary collaborations and key curriculum components that
      resulted in the IMP, as well as evaluation of strengths, weaknesses, and lessons
      learned. 

PMID- 26477904
TI  - Training on Exercise is Medicine(r) Within an Integrative Medicine Curriculum.
AB  - Physicians are increasingly approached by individuals seeking integrative
      approaches to health care and well-being. Many integrative modalities include a
      physical activity component. Patients seek guidance from primary and specialty
      care providers on the safe and effective incorporation of these modalities into
      their lifestyle. Physicians and other health professionals receive very limited
      training in the clinical applications of exercise science. This paper reports on
      a curriculum designed to teach health professionals key exercise constructs for
      application to clinical practice for prevention and management of lifestyle
      related disease, and incorporating the curriculum into a preventive medicine
      residency training program. The course was developed in 2012-2013, data collected
      in 2013-2015, and analysis was done in 2015. Six modules were developed as part
      of a 24-hour course. Each module included didactic, laboratory, and case
      examples. The modules included energetics, exercise and cardiorespiratory health,
      bone health, obesity and sarcopenia, balance and fall prevention, and behavior
      change and the use of technologies. The delivery was found feasible for all three
      components, delivered in 2-4-hour segments. The incorporation into the residency
      curriculum was feasible, efficacious, well received, and easily incorporated into
      the existing curriculum. This comprehensive curriculum has the potential to close
      the gap in medical school, residency, graduate, nursing, and integrative
      curricula on this important topic. Current practitioners would benefit in primary
      care and geriatric settings. This curriculum would also be useful for cross
      disciplinary researchers, including public health, health behaviors, and
      integrative medicine practitioners. 

PMID- 26477905
TI  - Teaching Integrative Medicine to Residents: A Focus on Populations Rather Than
      Individual Patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Integrative medicine (IM) is by its very definition patient
      centric: "It reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practitioner
      and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and makes use
      of all appropriate therapeutic approaches." Best methods for teaching IM in
      residency have not been well described. METHODS: An IM curriculum for preventive
      medicine (PM) residents was thoughtfully developed and iteratively revised using
      Kern's six-step approach. The centerpiece of this curriculum was to have learners
      work collaboratively within teams on projects that would facilitate IM-focused
      care within primary care practices. Before embarking on specific IM-related
      projects, residents immersed themselves within the practices to understand the
      needs of the community. RESULTS: Forty-eight PM residents have participated in
      the curriculum in the last 3 years, and 27 unique physician preceptors served as
      mentors for the projects. Both residents and preceptors enjoyed working on the
      projects, and both groups considered the work to be a valuable educational
      pursuit. Common IM content areas covered by the projects dealt with
      interprofessional collaboration, health promotion, and population-based
      prevention. Although there were challenges associated with implementation of the
      projects, overcoming these enhanced the PM residents' confidence and ability to
      serve as agents of change. CONCLUSIONS: An IM curriculum was successfully
      incorporated into a PM residency program. The focus on serving the community, or
      a population health approach, may not be the most common approach in IM, but it
      worked effectively to enhance the IM knowledge and skills of PM residents.

PMID- 26477906
TI  - Integrative Medicine in a Preventive Medicine Residency: A Program for the Urban
      Underserved.
AB  - The Preventive Medicine Residency Program collaborated with the Department of
      Family Medicine's Program for Integrative Medicine and Health Disparities at
      Boston Medical Center to create a new rotation for preventive medicine residents
      starting in autumn 2012. Residents participated in integrative medicine group
      visits and consults, completed an online curriculum in dietary supplements, and
      participated in seminars all in the context of an urban safety net hospital. This
      collaboration was made possible by a federal Health Resources and Services
      Administration grant for integrative medicine in preventive medicine residencies
      and helped meet a need of the program to increase residents' exposure to clinical
      preventive medicine and integrative health clinical skills and principles. The
      collaboration has resulted in a required rotation for all residents that
      continues after the grant period and has fostered additional collaborations
      related to integrative medicine across the programs. 

PMID- 26477907
TI  - Project ASPIRE: Incorporating Integrative Medicine Into Residency Training.
AB  - Griffin Hospital, a community hospital affiliated with Yale School of Public
      Health and Yale School of Medicine, received Health Resources and Services
      Administration funding to strengthen and improve its combined internal medicine
      and general preventive medicine residency program by incorporating an integrative
      medicine curriculum. The purpose of project ASPIRE (Advancing Skills of
      Preventive medicine residents through Integrative medicine Education, Research
      and Evaluation) was to create, implement, and evaluate a needs-based, innovative
      training curriculum in integrative medicine. Through this robust new training,
      the authors aimed to produce preventive medicine-trained physicians with
      competencies in integrative medicine to collaboratively work with other
      integrative medicine practitioners in interdisciplinary teams to provide
      holistic, patient-centered care. The multifaceted collaborative curriculum was
      composed of didactics, grand rounds, journal club, objective structured clinical
      examinations, and two new practicum rotations in integrative medicine. The new
      practicum rotations included block rotations at the Integrative Medicine Center
      at Griffin Hospital and the Yale Stress Center. Between 2012 and 2014, three
      cohorts participated in the curriculum; two of these cohorts included three
      advanced preventive medicine residents each and the fourth included four
      residents. Project faculty conducted 14 lectures and journal clubs, and two grand
      rounds. Six of the ten participating residents (60%) completed integrative
      medicine clinical rotations. Residents' attitudes toward integrative medicine
      were evaluated through self-assessment using the Complementary, Alternative, and
      Integrative Medicine Attitudes Questionnaire; data were analyzed in 2015. This
      article describes the results of this prospective observational study based on
      single-institution experience over the course of the 2-year project period. 

PMID- 26477908
TI  - Adaptation to Acute and Regular Exercise: From Reductionist Approaches to
      Integrative Biology.
AB  - This chapter serves as an introduction to the volume focused on the molecular and
      cellular regulation of adaptation to acute and chronic exercise exposure. It
      begins with a definition of the overall content of the "sedens-physical activity
      exercise training-fitness" domain. One conclusion from this brief overview is
      that past and current studies have primarily dealt with very limited subsets of
      the traits and parameters of interest to exercise biologists. Molecular and
      cellular studies have focused more on adaptation to exercise and less on variable
      levels of cardiorespiratory fitness even though the latter is a powerful
      indicator of current and future health status and longevity. In this regard,
      molecular profiling of intrinsic versus acquired cardiorespiratory fitness would
      seem to be an area of research deserving more attention. Although molecular and
      cellular studies are clearly reductionist by nature, they constitute the primary
      material allowing systems biology to draw inferences about pathways, networks,
      and systems. Integrative physiology can be substantially enriched by taking
      advantage of the findings and lessons from molecular studies and systems biology
      approaches. DNA sequence variation within and between populations as well as
      recent advances in the definition of the functional elements in the human and
      other genomes offer unique opportunities to pursue new and more powerful
      molecular studies, and to reconcile reductionist and integrative approaches. 

PMID- 26477910
TI  - Exercise and Regulation of Lipid Metabolism.
AB  - The increased prevalence of hyperlipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia,
      hypercholesterolemia, and fatty liver disease has provided increasingly negative
      connotations toward lipids. However, it is important to remember that lipids are
      essential components supporting life. Lipids are a class of molecules defined by
      their inherent insolubility in water. In biological systems, lipids are either
      hydrophobic (containing only polar groups) or amphipathic (possess polar and
      nonpolar groups). These characteristics lend lipids to be highly diverse with a
      multitude of functions including hormone and membrane synthesis, involvement in
      numerous signaling cascades, as well as serving as a source of metabolic fuel
      supporting energy production. Exercise can induce changes in the lipid
      composition of membranes that effect fluidity and cellular function, as well as
      modify the cellular and circulating environment of lipids that regulate signaling
      cascades. The purpose of this chapter is to focus on lipid utilization as
      metabolic fuel in response to acute and chronic exercise training. Lipids
      utilized as an energy source during exercise include circulating fatty acids
      bound to albumin, triglycerides stored in very-low-density lipoprotein, and
      intramuscular triglyceride stores. Dynamic changes in these lipid pools during
      and after exercise are discussed, as well as key factors that may be responsible
      for regulating changes in fat oxidation in response to varying exercise
      conditions. 

PMID- 26477911
TI  - Exercise and Regulation of Protein Metabolism.
AB  - Skeletal muscles exhibit radical changes in physiology and metabolism in response
      to exercise. While exercise induces highly specific physiological changes, e.g.,
      hypertrophy, associated with weightlifting or oxygen utilization associated with
      aerobic-type exercises, the foundation of these changes is driven by the
      summation of exercise-induced alterations in muscle protein metabolism.
      Practically, any type of exercise stimulates muscle protein turnover, the purpose
      being both to renew, and also modify, the myocellular composition of proteins in
      line with adaptations according to the mechanical and metabolic demands imposed.
      The mechanism(s) by which exercise stimulates protein turnover has been the
      subset of intense study. These studies have been led by the use of stable
      isotopically labeled amino acids. Essentially, use of these heavier variants
      (e.g., (13)C AA vs. (12)C) coupled to mass spectrometry has enabled study of the
      dynamic responses of muscle protein turnover to exercise. Using these techniques,
      it has become patently clear that exercise stimulates muscle protein turnover,
      i.e., muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and breakdown (MPB). Moreover, intake of
      specific nutrients (i.e., dietary proteins) potentiates MPS while attenuating
      MPB, facilitating maintenance of proteostasis and exercise adaptation. The
      mechanisms driving these protein metabolic responses to exercise include the
      coordinated activation of mRNA translation pathways (e.g., mechanistic target of
      rapamycin) and multiple MPB pathways (e.g., autophagy and ubiquitin-proteasome).
      These processes are triggered by exercise-induced hormone, auto/paracrine-acting
      growth factors, mechanical transduction, and intramyocellular second messenger
      pathways. Finally, there remains poor understanding of how distinct exercise
      modes (e.g., resistance vs. endurance) lead to such distinct adaptations from a
      protein metabolic and molecular standpoint. 

PMID- 26477909
TI  - Exercise and Regulation of Carbohydrate Metabolism.
AB  - Carbohydrates are the preferred substrate for contracting skeletal muscles during
      high-intensity exercise and are also readily utilized during moderate intensity
      exercise. This use of carbohydrates during physical activity likely played an
      important role during the survival of early Homo sapiens, and genes and traits
      regulating physical activity, carbohydrate metabolism, and energy storage have
      undoubtedly been selected throughout evolution. In contrast to the life of early
      H. sapiens, modern lifestyles are predominantly sedentary. As a result, intake of
      excessive amounts of carbohydrates due to the easy and continuous accessibility
      to modern high-energy food and drinks has not only become unnecessary but also
      led to metabolic diseases in the face of physical inactivity. A resulting
      metabolic disease is type 2 diabetes, a complex endocrine disorder characterized
      by abnormally high concentrations of circulating glucose. This disease now
      affects millions of people worldwide. Exercise has beneficial effects to help
      control impaired glucose homeostasis with metabolic disease, and is a well
      established tool to prevent and combat type 2 diabetes. This chapter focuses on
      the effects of exercise on carbohydrate metabolism in skeletal muscle and
      systemic glucose homeostasis. We will also focus on the molecular mechanisms that
      mediate the effects of exercise to increase glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. It
      is now well established that there are different proximal signaling pathways that
      mediate the effects of exercise and insulin on glucose uptake, and these distinct
      mechanisms are consistent with the ability of exercise to increase glucose uptake
      in the face of insulin resistance in people with type 2 diabetes. Ongoing
      research in this area is aimed at defining the precise mechanism by which
      exercise increases glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity and the types of
      exercise necessary for these important health benefits. 

PMID- 26477912
TI  - Exercise and the Regulation of Mitochondrial Turnover.
AB  - Exercise is a well-known stimulus for the expansion of the mitochondrial pool
      within skeletal muscle. Mitochondria have a remarkable ability to remodel their
      networks and can respond to an array of signaling stimuli following contractile
      activity to adapt to the metabolic demands of the tissue, synthesizing proteins
      to expand the mitochondrial reticulum. In addition, when they become
      dysfunctional, these organelles can be recycled by a specialized intracellular
      system. The signals regulating this mitochondrial life cycle of synthesis and
      degradation during exercise are still an area of great research interest. As
      mitochondrial turnover has valuable consequences in physical performance, in
      addition to metabolic health, disease, and aging, consideration of the signals
      which control this cycle is vital. This review focuses on the regulation of
      mitochondrial turnover in skeletal muscle and summarizes our current
      understanding of the impact that exercise has in modulating this process. 

PMID- 26477913
TI  - Endurance Exercise and the Regulation of Skeletal Muscle Metabolism.
AB  - Almost a half century ago, regular endurance exercise was shown to improve the
      capacity of skeletal muscle to oxidize substrates to produce ATP for muscle work.
      Since then, adaptations in skeletal muscle mRNA level were shown to happen with a
      single bout of exercise. Protein changes occur within days if daily endurance
      exercise continues. Some of the mRNA and protein changes cause increases in
      mitochondrial concentrations. One mitochondrial adaptation that occurs is an
      increase in fatty acid oxidation at a given absolute, submaximal workload.
      Mechanisms have been described as to how endurance training increases
      mitochondria. Importantly, Pgc-1alpha is a master regulator of mitochondrial
      biogenesis by increasing many mitochondrial proteins. However, not all
      adaptations to endurance training are associated with increased mitochondrial
      concentrations. Recent evidence suggests that the energetic demands of muscle
      contraction are by themselves stronger controllers of body weight and glucose
      control than is muscle mitochondrial content. Endurance exercise has also been
      shown to regulate the processes of mitochondrial fusion and fission. Mitophagy
      removes damaged mitochondria, a process that maintains mitochondrial quality.
      Skeletal muscle fibers are composed of different phenotypes, which are based on
      concentrations of mitochondria and various myosin heavy chain protein isoforms.
      Endurance training at physiological levels increases type IIa fiber type with
      increased mitochondria and type IIa myosin heavy chain. Endurance training also
      improves capacity of skeletal muscle blood flow. Endurance athletes possess
      enlarged arteries, which may also exhibit decreased wall thickness. VEGF is
      required for endurance training-induced increases in capillary-muscle fiber ratio
      and capillary density. 

PMID- 26477914
TI  - Exercise and the Regulation of Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy.
AB  - Skeletal muscle is a critical organ serving as the primary site for postprandial
      glucose disposal and the generation of contractile force. The size of human
      skeletal muscle mass is dependent upon the temporal relationship between changes
      in muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown. The aim of this
      chapter is to review our current understanding of how resistance exercise
      influences protein turnover with a specific emphasis on the molecular factors
      regulating MPS. We also will discuss recent data relating to the prescription of
      resistance exercise to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Finally, we evaluate
      the impact of age and periods of disuse on the loss of muscle mass and the
      controversy surround the etiology of muscle disuse atrophy. 

PMID- 26477915
TI  - Exercise and the Regulation of Adipose Tissue Metabolism.
AB  - Adipose tissue is a major regulator of metabolism in health and disease. The
      prominent roles of adipose tissue are to sequester fatty acids in times of energy
      excess and to release fatty acids via the process of lipolysis during times of
      high-energy demand, such as exercise. The fatty acids released during lipolysis
      are utilized by skeletal muscle to produce adenosine triphosphate to prevent
      fatigue during prolonged exercise. Lipolysis is controlled by a complex interplay
      between neuro-humoral regulators, intracellular signaling networks,
      phosphorylation events involving protein kinase A, translocation of proteins
      within the cell, and protein-protein interactions. Herein, we describe in detail
      the cellular and molecular regulation of lipolysis and how these processes are
      altered by acute exercise. We also explore the processes that underpin adipocyte
      adaptation to endurance exercise training, with particular focus on epigenetic
      modifications, control by microRNAs and mitochondrial adaptations. Finally, we
      examine recent literature describing how exercise might influence the conversion
      of traditional white adipose tissue to high energy-consuming "brown-like"
      adipocytes and the implications that this has on whole-body energy balance. 

PMID- 26477917
TI  - Molecular Mechanisms for Exercise Training-Induced Changes in Vascular Structure
      and Function: Skeletal Muscle, Cardiac Muscle, and the Brain.
AB  - Compared with resting conditions, during incremental exercise, cardiac output in
      humans is elevated from ~5 to 25 L min(-1). In conjunction with this increase,
      the proportion of cardiac output directed toward skeletal muscle increases from
      ~20% to 85%, while blood flow to cardiac muscle increases 500% and blood flow to
      specific brain structures increases nearly 200%. Based on existing evidence,
      researchers believe that blood flow in these tissues is matched to the increases
      in metabolic rate during exercise. This phenomenon, the matching of blood flow to
      metabolic requirement, is often referred to as functional hyperemia. This chapter
      summarizes mechanical and metabolic factors that regulate functional hyperemia as
      well as other exercise-induced signals, which are also potent stimuli for chronic
      adaptations in vascular biology. Repeated exposure to exercise-induced increases
      in shear stress and the induction of angiogenic factors alter vascular cell gene
      expression and mediate changes in vascular volume and blood flow control. The
      magnitude and regulation of this coordinated response appear to be tissue
      specific and coupled to other factors such as hypertrophy and hyperplasia. The
      cumulative effects of these adaptations contribute to increased exercise
      capacity, reduced relative challenge of a given submaximal exercise bout and
      ameliorated vascular outcomes in patient populations with pathological
      conditions. In the subsequent discussion, this chapter explores exercise as a
      regulator of vascular biology and summarizes the molecular mechanisms responsible
      for exercise training-induced changes in vascular structure and function in
      skeletal and cardiac muscle as well as the brain.

PMID- 26477918
TI  - Exercise and Regulation of Bone and Collagen Tissue Biology.
AB  - The musculoskeletal system and its connective tissue include the intramuscular
      connective tissue, the myotendinous junction, the tendon, the joints with their
      cartilage and ligaments, and the bone; they all together play a crucial role in
      maintaining the architecture of the skeletal muscle, ensuring force transmission,
      storing energy, protecting joint surface and stability, and ensuring the transfer
      of muscular forces into resulting limb movement. The musculoskeletal connective
      tissue structure is relatively stable, but mechanical loading and subsequent
      mechanotransduction and molecular anabolic signaling can result in some
      adaptation of the connective tissue, its size, its strength, and its mechanical
      properties, whereby it can improve its capacity by 5-20% with regular physical
      activity. For several of the mechanically loaded connective tissues, only limited
      information regarding molecular and cellular signaling pathways and their
      adaptation to exercise is available. In contrast to tissue responses with
      exercise, lack of mechanical tissue loading through inactivity or immobilization
      of the human body will result in a dramatic loss of connective tissue content,
      structure, and tolerable load within weeks, to a degree (30-40%) that mimics that
      of contractile skeletal musculature. This illustrates the importance of regular
      mechanical load in order to preserve the stabilizing role of the connective
      tissue for the overall function of the musculoskeletal system in both daily
      activity and exercise. 

PMID- 26477916
TI  - Exercise and the Regulation of Hepatic Metabolism.
AB  - The accelerated metabolic demands of the working muscle cannot be met without a
      robust response from the liver. If not for the hepatic response, sustained
      exercise would be impossible. The liver stores, releases, and recycles potential
      energy. Exercise would result in hypoglycemia if it were not for the accelerated
      release of energy as glucose. The energetic demands on the liver are largely met
      by increased oxidation of fatty acids mobilized from adipose tissue. Adaptations
      immediately following exercise facilitate the replenishment of glycogen stores.
      Pancreatic glucagon and insulin responses orchestrate the hepatic response during
      and immediately following exercise. Like skeletal muscle and other physiological
      systems, liver adapts to repeated demands of exercise by increasing its capacity
      to produce energy by oxidizing fat. The ability of regular physical activity to
      increase fat oxidation is protective and can reverse fatty liver disease.
      Engaging in regular physical exercise has broad ranging positive health
      implications including those that improve the metabolic health of the liver. 

PMID- 26477919
TI  - Exercise and the Regulation of Endocrine Hormones.
AB  - The endocrine system has profound regulatory effects within the human body and
      thus the ability to control and maintain appropriate function within many
      physiological systems (i.e., homeostasis). The hormones associated with the
      endocrine system utilize autocrine, paracrine, or endocrine actions on the cells
      of their target tissues within these physiologic systems to adjust homeostasis.
      The introduction of exercise as a stressor to disrupt homeostasis can greatly
      amplify and impact the actions of these hormones. To that end, the endocrine
      response to an acute exercise session occurs in a progression of phases with the
      magnitude of the response being relative to the exercise work intensity or
      volume. Various physiologic mechanisms are considered responsible for these
      responses, although not all are completely understood or elucidated. Chronic
      exercise training does not eliminate the acute exercise response but may
      attenuate the overall effect of the responsiveness as the body adapts in a
      positive fashion to the training stimulus. Regrettably, an excessive intensity
      and/or volume of training may lead to maladaptation and is associated with
      inappropriate endocrine hormonal responses. The mechanisms leading to a
      deleterious maladaptive state are not well understood and require additional
      research for elucidation. 

PMID- 26477920
TI  - Exercise and Regulation of Adipokine and Myokine Production.
AB  - Skeletal muscle and white adipose tissue are the largest organs in the human body
      and both tissues act as endocrine organs capable of secreting many bioactive
      molecules. There has been some confusion about nomenclature and we suggest that
      the name myokine should be restricted to a protein or molecule secreted from
      myocytes, whereas the term adipokine should be used to describe proteins and
      molecules secreted from adipocytes. In fact, many myokines are also produced by
      adipocytes and we propose to name them adipo-myokines. Many adipo-myokines
      produced by skeletal muscle or adipose tissue are influenced by exercise.
      Therefore, it is likely that adipo-myokines may contribute in the mediation of
      the health benefits of exercise and physical inactivity probably leads to an
      altered adipo-myokine profile, which could provide a potential mechanism for the
      association between sedentary behavior and many chronic diseases. Within this
      review, we evaluate the effects of acute and chronic exercise on myokine,
      adipokine, and adipo-myokine production. By using the adipo-myokine concept and
      including both skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, an attempt is made to gain a
      global view on the beneficial effects of different exercise programs and the
      underlying pathways. 

PMID- 26477921
TI  - Exercise and the Regulation of Inflammatory Responses.
AB  - Exercise initiates a cascade of inflammatory events, which ultimately lead to
      long-term effects on human health. During and after acute exercise in skeletal
      muscle, interactions between immune cells, cytokines, and other intracellular
      components, create an inflammatory milieu responsible for the recovery and
      adaption from an exercise bout. In the systemic circulation, cytokines released
      from muscle (myokines) mediate metabolic and inflammatory processes. Moderate
      exercise training results in improvements in systemic inflammation, evident by
      reductions in acute phase proteins. The anti-inflammatory effects of regular
      exercise include actions dependent and independent of changes in adipose tissue
      mass. Future research should encompass approaches, which attempt to integrate
      other, less-recognized physiological processes with acute and long-term
      inflammatory changes. This will include investigation into metabolic, endocrine,
      and immune components of various tissues and organs. 

PMID- 26477922
TI  - Exercise and the Regulation of Immune Functions.
AB  - Exercise has a profound effect on the normal functioning of the immune system. It
      is generally accepted that prolonged periods of intensive exercise training can
      depress immunity, while regular moderate intensity exercise is beneficial. Single
      bouts of exercise evoke a striking leukocytosis and a redistribution of effector
      cells between the blood compartment and the lymphoid and peripheral tissues, a
      response that is mediated by increased hemodynamics and the release of
      catecholamines and glucocorticoids following the activation of the sympathetic
      nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Single bouts of
      prolonged exercise may impair T-cell, NK-cell, and neutrophil function, alter the
      Type I and Type II cytokine balance, and blunt immune responses to primary and
      recall antigens in vivo. Elite athletes frequently report symptoms associated
      with upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) during periods of heavy training
      and competition that may be due to alterations in mucosal immunity, particularly
      reductions in secretory immunoglobulin A. In contrast, single bouts of moderate
      intensity exercise are "immuno-enhancing" and have been used to effectively
      increase vaccine responses in "at-risk" patients. Improvements in immunity due to
      regular exercise of moderate intensity may be due to reductions in inflammation,
      maintenance of thymic mass, alterations in the composition of "older" and
      "younger" immune cells, enhanced immunosurveillance, and/or the amelioration of
      psychological stress. Indeed, exercise is a powerful behavioral intervention that
      has the potential to improve immune and health outcomes in the elderly, the
      obese, and patients living with cancer and chronic viral infections such as HIV. 

PMID- 26477923
TI  - Exercise Regulation of Cognitive Function and Neuroplasticity in the Healthy and
      Diseased Brain.
AB  - Regular exercise broadly enhances physical and mental health throughout the
      lifespan. Animal models have provided us with the tools to gain a better
      understanding of the underlying biochemical, physiological, and morphological
      mechanisms through which exercise exerts its beneficial cognitive effects. One
      brain region in particular, the hippocampus, is especially responsive to
      exercise. It is critically involved in learning and memory and is one of two
      regions in the mammalian brain that continues to generate new neurons throughout
      life. Exercise prevents the decline of the hippocampus from aging and ameliorates
      many neurodegenerative diseases, in part by increasing adult hippocampal
      neurogenesis but also by activating a multitude of molecular mechanisms that
      promote brain health. In this chapter, we first describe some rodent models used
      to study effects of exercise on the brain. Then we review the rodent work
      focusing on the mechanisms behind which exercise improves cognition and brain
      health in both the normal and the diseased brain, with emphasis on the
      hippocampus. 

PMID- 26477924
TI  - Exercise, Autophagy, and Apoptosis.
AB  - Exercise is a form of physiological stress which is known to induce an
      adaptational response. It is proposed that both apoptosis and autophagy are
      processes which are necessary for adaptation to exercise. Apoptosis and autophagy
      are induced during exercise to limit tissue damage, restore tissue integrity,
      terminate inflammatory responses, or induce direct signals for adaptation.
      Apoptosis is induced by specific mediators like reactive oxygen species,
      cytokines, and hormones. Autophagic pathways are activated by altered
      proteins/organelles with the aim to conserve and recycle the cellular resources.
      In this case, the cell is flooded with damaged molecules, the repairing
      mechanisms are overtaxed, and apoptosis is induced. In conclusion, autophagy
      seems to be necessary for adaptation by providing locally the conditions for
      muscle plasticity and apoptosis systemically by mobilizing progenitor cells. 

PMID- 26477925
TI  - Exercise and Stem Cells.
AB  - Stem cells are traditionally studied in the context of embryonic development, yet
      studies confirm that a fraction remains in the adult organism for the purpose of
      daily remodeling and rejuvenation of multiple tissues following injury. Adult
      stem cells (ASCs) are found in close proximity to vessels and respond to tissue
      specific cues in the microenvironment that dictate their fate and function.
      Exercise can dramatically alter strain sensing, extracellular matrix composition,
      and inflammation, and such changes in the niche likely alter ASC quantity and
      function postexercise. The field of stem cell biology is still in its infancy and
      identification and terminology of ASCs continues to evolve; thus, current
      information regarding exercise and stem cells is lacking. This chapter summarizes
      the literature that reports on the ASC response to acute exercise and exercise
      training, with particular emphasis on hematopoietic stem cells, endothelial
      progenitor cells, and mesenchymal stem cells. 

PMID- 26477926
TI  - Exercise and Gene Expression.
AB  - Acute and transient changes in gene transcription following a single exercise
      bout, if reinforced by repeated exercise stimuli, result in the longer lasting
      effects on protein expression and function that form the basis of skeletal muscle
      training adaptations. Changes in skeletal muscle gene expression occur in
      response to multiple stimuli associated with skeletal muscle contraction, various
      signaling kinases that respond to these stimuli, and numerous downstream pathways
      and targets of these kinases. In addition, DNA methylation, histone acetylation
      and phosphorylation, and micro-RNAs can alter gene expression via epigenetic
      mechanisms. Contemporary studies rely upon "big omics data," in combination with
      computational and systems biology, to interrogate, and make sense of, the complex
      interactions underpinning exercise adaptations. The exciting potential is a
      greater understanding of the integrative biology of exercise. 

PMID- 26477927
TI  - Exercise, Skeletal Muscle and Circulating microRNAs.
AB  - Regular exercise stimulates numerous structural, metabolic, and morphological
      adaptations in skeletal muscle. These adaptations are vital to maintain human
      health over the life span. Exercise is therefore seen as a primary intervention
      to reduce the risk of chronic disease. Advances in molecular biology,
      biochemistry, and bioinformatics, combined with exercise physiology, have
      identified many key signaling pathways as well as transcriptional and
      translational processes responsible for exercise-induced adaptations. Noncoding
      RNAs, and specifically microRNAs (miRNAs), constitute a new regulatory component
      that may play a role in these adaptations. The short single-stranded miRNA
      sequences bind to the 3' untranslated region of specific messenger RNAs (mRNAs)
      on the basis of sequence homology. This results in the degradation of the target
      mRNA or the inhibition of protein translation causing repression of the
      corresponding protein. While tissue specificity or enrichment of certain miRNAs
      makes them ideal targets to manipulate and understand tissue development,
      function, health, and disease, other miRNAs are ubiquitously expressed; however,
      it is uncertain whether their mRNA/protein targets are conserved across different
      tissues. miRNAs are stable in plasma and serum and their altered circulating
      expression levels in disease conditions may provide important biomarker
      information. The emerging research into the role that miRNAs play in exercise
      induced adaptations has predominantly focused on the miRNA species that are
      regulated in skeletal muscle or in circulation. This chapter provides an overview
      of these current research findings, highlights the strengths and weaknesses
      identified to date, and suggests where the exercise-miRNA field may move into the
      future. 

PMID- 26477929
TI  - Preface.

PMID- 26477928
TI  - Exercise as a Polypill for Chronic Diseases.
AB  - Exercise may be described as a polypill to prevent and/or treat almost every
      chronic disease, with obvious benefits such as its low cost and practical lack of
      adverse effects. Implementing physical activity interventions in public health is
      therefore a goal at the medical, social, and economic levels. This chapter
      describes the importance of health promotion through physical activity and
      discusses the impacts of exercise on the most prevalent chronic diseases, namely
      metabolic syndrome-related disorders, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and
      Alzheimer's disease. For each of these chronic conditions, we discuss the
      epidemiological evidence supporting a beneficial role of exercise, provide
      guidelines for exercise prescription, and describe the biological mechanisms
      whereby exercise exerts its modulatory effects. 

PMID- 26477930
TI  - Cesium Speciation in Dust from Municipal Solid Waste and Sewage Sludge
      Incineration by Synchrotron Radiation Micro-X-ray Analysis.
AB  - The chemical behavior of Cs in waste incineration processes is important to
      consider when disposing of radionuclide-contaminated waste from the Fukushima
      Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in Japan. To determine the speciation of Cs,
      we attempted the direct speciation of trace amounts of stable Cs in the dust from
      municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) and sewage sludge incineration (SSI) by
      micro-X-ray fluorescence (MU-XRF) and micro-X-ray absorption fine structure (MU
      XAFS) at the SPring-8 facility. The MU-XRF results revealed that locally produced
      Cs was present in MSWI and SSI dust within the cluster size range of 2-10 MUm.
      The MU-XAFS analysis confirmed that the speciation of Cs in MSWI dust was similar
      to that of CsCl, while in SSI dusts it was similar to pollucite. The solubility
      of Cs was considered to be influenced by the exact Cs species present in
      incineration residue. 

PMID- 26477931
TI  - A comparative study on worldwide genetic diversity and population structure
      analysis of Plasmodium vivax thrombospondin-related adhesive protein (PvTRAP) and
      its implications for the vivax vaccine design.
AB  - Plasmodium vivax thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (PvTRAP) is a promising
      malaria vaccine candidate; however, it exhibits sequence heterogeneity.
      Therefore, to design a broadly protective vivax vaccine, it is essential to have
      adequate information on signatures of selection and geospatial genetic diversity
      of global PvTRAP. For this purpose, 50 Iranian pvtrap were sequenced and compared
      with related available global sequences in GenBank. The nucleotide sequence
      analysis of Iranian pvtrap in comparison with the Sal-1 sequence showed the
      occurrence of 15 SNPs, and all sites were dimorphic. In total, 12 amino acid
      substitutions were detected and 2 of which were novel, resulting in 10 haplotypes
      that 8 of them were not reported in any other geographic regions. In comparison
      with global population, haplotype and nucleotide diversities were lowest in South
      Korean populations while higher levels of diversities were observed in Thai and
      Brazilian P. vivax populations. All 12 amino acid replacements in ectodomain of
      Iranian PvTRAP were distributed in predicted either B- or T-cells epitope as well
      as intrinsically unstructured/disordered regions (IURs). The present results
      revealed that observing the relatively low-level diversity in PvTRAP protein
      might actually be selected by immune response. In summary, the present analysis
      in parallel to the limited available published data has shown that genetic
      diversity in the global pvtrap exhibits low-level diversity and geographic
      variation. These results are of practical significance for the strategic
      development and deployment of control measures in particular for development of
      PvTRAP-based malaria vaccine. 

PMID- 26477932
TI  - Rediscovery of Trypanosoma (Pycnomonas) suis, a tsetse-transmitted trypanosome
      closely related to T. brucei.
AB  - The African tsetse-transmitted trypanosomes are considered to be a well-known
      group of parasitic protozoa, but in 2008 a novel and distinctive trypanosome
      related to Trypanosoma brucei was discovered among tsetse isolates from Msubugwe
      in Tanzania. The host range, distribution and potential pathogenicity of this new
      trypanosome remain to be elucidated; such studies would be facilitated by a
      sensitive and specific identification method. Here, we identified two highly
      repetitive elements in the genome of the new trypanosome: a 177 bp repeat, which
      was located predominantly on the highly abundant minichromosomes, and a 138 bp
      repeat, which was widely dispersed in the genome. A PCR test based on each repeat
      was specific for the new trypanosome and sensitive to <0.1 trypanosome
      equivalent. These PCR tests were used to identify trypanosomes in archival pig
      blood smears from the 1950's, confirming the identity of the Msubugwe trypanosome
      as Trypanosoma (Pycnomonas) suis. We also present data on the molecular karyotype
      and spliced leader (SL, miniexon) repeat of the new trypanosome, both of which
      distinguish T. suis from other, better-known African tsetse-transmitted
      trypanosomes. The rediscovery of T. suis opens new lines of research into the
      evolution and biology of the African trypanosomes.

PMID- 26477933
TI  - Deep sequencing reveals the viral adaptation process of environment-derived H10N8
      in mice.
AB  - The H10N8 virus was isolated from the water of Dongting Lake, China. Mice were
      infected while showing no obvious symptoms and replication was restricted to the
      lungs. When the wild-type virus was serially passaged in the lungs of mice, the
      resulting viruses became lethal and capable of replication in many other organs.
      This offered an applicable model for the exploration of viral genome gradual
      mutation during adaptation in mice. The different passage viruses from mice lung
      lavage were named P1, P3, P5, and P7, respectively. We sequenced the four viruses
      using next-generation sequencing (NGS) to analyze the dynamics of the H10N8 viral
      genome, polymorphism, and amino acid mutation of related proteins. We aimed to
      demonstrate how a mutant strain of low pathogenicity could become lethal to mice.
      Using Illumina high-throughput data, we detected the gradual mutations of F277S,
      C278Q, F611S and L653P in the polymerase acidic (PA) protein, and of L207V and
      E627K in the PB2 protein during adaptation. Interestingly, many amino acid sites
      mutated quickly; the others did so more slowly and remained in a heterozygous
      state for several generations. The PA amino acids S277 and Q278 have previously
      been found in clinical wild-type strains, including the human-H10N8 isolate in
      2013. This demonstrates that the wild-type H10N8 virus had mutated to adapt to
      mammalian hosts. These data provide important reference information for influenza
      virus research. 

PMID- 26477934
TI  - Molecular characterization of pig epidemic diarrhoea viruses isolated in Japan
      from 2013 to 2014.
AB  - Since October 2013, approximately 1000 outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhoea
      (PED) have occurred, spanning almost all prefectures of Japan, after a period of
      seven years without a reported case. In order to consider occurrence factor of
      PED outbreaks, we determined the whole-genome sequences of 38 PED virus (PEDV)
      strains from diarrheal samples collected at swine farms in 18 prefectures between
      2013 and 2014 using next-generation sequencing technology. Using these data, we
      investigated genetic variation among the recent Japanese PEDV strains and the
      genetic relationships between these strains and global PEDV strains isolated
      recently from multiple swine-industrial countries. Eleven out of 38 PEDV strains
      were isolated successfully on Vero cells with trypsin treatment and subjected to
      genome sequence analysis. In a comparative genome analysis, we detected two novel
      PEDV variants, TTR-2/JPN/2014 and MYG-1/JPN/2014, with large deletions in the
      spike and ORF3 genes, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis based on the spike
      gene showed that the 38 Japanese PEDV strains were classified into two PEDV
      types: the North American type with high virulence (n=34) and the INDEL type
      (n=4). In addition, the recent Japanese PEDV isolates had a close relationship to
      global PEDV strains isolated in recent years than to the classical PEDV strains
      detected in Japan the past decades ago. Moreover, the phylogenetic dendrogram of
      the complete genomes also indicated that the 38 Japanese PEDV strains, including
      the two novel PEDV variants discovered in this study, are closely related to the
      PEDV strains that were widespread in the United States and Korea in 2013-2014.
      These findings suggest that the re-emergence of PED outbreaks since the last
      reported case in 2006 was caused by the introduction of recent PEDV strains to
      Japan from overseas. 

PMID- 26477935
TI  - Papillary adenoma arising from an extensive biliary low-grade intraepithelial
      neoplasia.

PMID- 26477936
TI  - Pushing the Boundaries of Chemical Protein Synthesis: The Case of Ubiquitin
      Chains and Polyubiquitinated Peptides and Proteins.
AB  - Chemical synthesis offers unique opportunities to prepare proteins with precise
      control of the atomic composition. Thanks to recent breakthroughs in synthetic
      methods, the preparation of large and complex proteins composed of 200-300
      residues has now become possible. With these advances, a unique toolbox has been
      created to enable chemical biologists to investigate proteins that are difficult
      or even impossible to achieve otherwise, such as posttranslationally modified
      proteins and proteins composed of d-amino acids. In this review we describe the
      latest achievements in constructing protein conjugates of record sizes, such as
      those that are involved in the ubiquitin system. 

PMID- 26477937
TI  - Embryological exposure to valproic acid induces social interaction deficits in
      zebrafish (Danio rerio): A developmental behavior analysis.
AB  - Changes in social behavior are associated with brain disorders, including mood
      disorders, stress, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and autism spectrum
      disorders (ASD). Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by
      deficits in social interaction, impaired communication, anxiety, hyperactivity,
      and the presence of restricted interests. Zebrafish is one of the most social
      vertebrates used as a model in biomedical research, contributing to an
      understanding of the mechanisms that underlie social behavior. Valproic acid
      (VPA) is used as an anti-epileptic drug and mood stabilizer; however, prenatal
      VPA exposure in humans has been associated with an increased incidence of autism
      and it can also affect fetal brain development. Therefore, we conducted a
      behavioral screening at different periods of zebrafish development at 6, 30, 70,
      and 120dpf (days postfertilization) after VPA exposure in the early development
      stage to investigate social behavior, locomotion, aggression, and anxiety. VPA
      (48MUM) exposure during the first 48hpf (hours postfertilization) did not promote
      changes on survival, morphology, and hatching rate at 24hpf, 48hpf, and 72hpf.
      The behavioral patterns suggest that VPA exposure induces changes in locomotor
      activity and anxiety at different developmental periods in zebrafish.
      Furthermore, a social interaction deficit is present at 70dpf and 120dpf. VPA
      exposure did not affect aggression in the adult stage at 70dpf and 120dpf. This
      is the first study that demonstrated zebrafish exposed to VPA during the first
      48h of development exhibit deficits in social interaction, anxiety, and
      hyperactivity at different developmental periods. 

PMID- 26477938
TI  - Taxonomy, biogeography and importance of Heterobasidion viruses.
AB  - The genus Heterobasidion consists of several species of necrotrophic and
      saprotrophic fungi, and includes some of the most detrimental organisms in boreal
      conifer forests. These fungi host a widespread and diverse mycovirus community
      composed of more than 16 species of Partitiviridae, a species of Narnaviridae and
      one taxonomically unassigned virus related to the Curvularia thermal tolerance
      virus. These viruses are able to cross species borders, co-infect single host
      strains and cause phenotypic changes in their hosts. The abundance of viruses
      increases over time in Heterobasidion infection centers, and they are targeted by
      fungal RNA interference. Long-term field studies are essential for obtaining a
      comprehensive view of virus effects in the nature.

PMID- 26477939
TI  - Unveiling transient protein-protein interactions that modulate inhibition of
      alpha-synuclein aggregation by beta-synuclein, a pre-synaptic protein that co
      localizes with alpha-synuclein.
AB  - Pathology in Parkinson's disease is linked to self-association of alpha-Synuclein
      (alphaS) into pathogenic oligomeric species and highly ordered amyloid fibrils.
      Developing effective therapeutic strategies against this debilitating disease is
      critical and betaS, a pre-synaptic protein that co-localizes with alphaS, can act
      as an inhibitor of alphaS assembly. Despite the potential importance of betaS as
      an inhibitor of alphaS, the nature, location and specificity of the molecular
      interactions between these two proteins is unknown. Here we use NMR paramagnetic
      relaxation enhancement experiments, to demonstrate that betaS interacts directly
      with alphaS in a transient dimer complex with high specificity and weak affinity.
      Inhibition of alphaS by betaS arises from transient alphaS/betaS heterodimer
      species that exist primarily in head- to- tail configurations while alphaS
      aggregation arises from a more heterogeneous and weaker range of transient
      interactions that include both head-to-head and head-to-tail configurations. Our
      results highlight that intrinsically disordered proteins can interact directly
      with one another at low affinity and that the transient interactions that drive
      inhibition versus aggregation are distinct by virtue of their plasticity and
      specificity. 

PMID- 26477940
TI  - Spectromicroscopic insights for rational design of redox-based memristive
      devices.
AB  - The demand for highly scalable, low-power devices for data storage and logic
      operations is strongly stimulating research into resistive switching as a novel
      concept for future non-volatile memory devices. To meet technological
      requirements, it is imperative to have a set of material design rules based on
      fundamental material physics, but deriving such rules is proving challenging.
      Here, we elucidate both switching mechanism and failure mechanism in the valence
      change model material SrTiO3, and on this basis we derive a design rule for
      failure-resistant devices. Spectromicroscopy reveals that the resistance change
      during device operation and failure is indeed caused by nanoscale oxygen
      migration resulting in localized valence changes between Ti(4+) and Ti(3+). While
      fast reoxidation typically results in retention failure in SrTiO3, local phase
      separation within the switching filament stabilizes the retention. Mimicking this
      phase separation by intentionally introducing retention-stabilization layers with
      slow oxygen transport improves retention times considerably. 

PMID- 26477941
TI  - Fully-sialylated alpha-chain of complement 4-binding protein: Diagnostic utility
      for ovarian clear cell carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: While a certain fraction of endometriomas can develop de novo
      epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) such as clear cell carcinoma (OCCC), there is
      currently no useful biomarker available for early detection of OCCC from
      endometriomas. The aim of this study was to describe the diagnostic utility of a
      novel biomarker for EOC especially for OCCC to distinguish from endometrioma.
      METHODS: More than 100,000 glycan structures of serum glycoproteins obtained from
      134 pretreatment all stage EOC patients (including 45 OCCCs) and 159 non-cancer
      control women (including 36 endometriomas) were explored for a mass spectrum
      approach. Diagnostic accuracy of identified biomarker was compared to the one of
      CA-125 by comparing area under curve (AUC) and positive/negative predictive
      values (PPV and NPV). RESULTS: A2160, a fully-sialylated alpha-chain of
      complement 4-binding protein, was identified as a candidate target marker. A2160
      was significantly elevated in all stages of OCCC compared to with endometriomas.
      Diagnostic accuracy of A2160 (cutoff 1.6U/mL) to distinguish early stage OCCC
      from endometrioma is significantly higher than that of CA-125 (cutoff 35IU/L):
      AUC for A2160 versus CA-125, 0.92 versus 0.67; PPV 95% versus 64%; and NPV 85%
      versus 58%. In addition, fully-sialylated glycans had a higher accuracy for
      diagnosing EOC as compared to partially-sialylated glycans of alpha-chain of
      complement 4-binding protein. CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that A2160 may be a
      useful biomarker to distinguish early-stage OCCC from endometrioma. This new
      biomarker can be potentially applied for the monitoring of endometrioma patients,
      making possible the early diagnosis of OCCC.

PMID- 26477942
TI  - A Qualitative Study of Factors That Influence Contraceptive Choice among
      Adolescent School-Based Health Center Patients.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: Long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods can prevent
      teen pregnancy yet remain underutilized by adolescents in the United States.
      Pediatric providers are well positioned to discuss LARCs with adolescents, but
      little is known about how counseling should occur in pediatric primary care
      settings. We explored adolescent womens' attitudes and experiences with LARCs to
      inform the development of adolescent-centered LARC counseling strategies. DESIGN:
      Qualitative analysis of one-on-one interviews. SETTING: Participants were
      recruited from 2 urban school-based, primary care centers. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty
      adolescent women aged 14-18 years, diverse in race/ethnicity, and sexual
      experience. INTERVENTIONS: Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded
      using inductive and deductive coding. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Major themes were
      identified to integrate LARC-specific adolescent preferences into existing
      counseling approaches. RESULTS: Participants (mean age, 16.2 years; range, 14-18
      years) represented a diverse range of racial and/or ethnic identities. Half
      (15/30) were sexually active and 17% (5/30) reported current or past LARC use.
      Five themes emerged regarding key factors that influence LARC choice, including:
      (1) strong preferences about device-specific characteristics; (2) previous
      exposure to information about LARCs from peers, family members, or health
      counseling sessions; (3) knowledge gaps about LARC methods that affect informed
      decision-making; (4) personal circumstances or experiences that motivate a desire
      for effective and/or long-acting contraception; and (5) environmental constraints
      and supports that might influence adolescent access to LARCs. CONCLUSION: We
      identified 5 factors that influence LARC choice among adolescent women and
      propose a framework for incorporating these factors into contraceptive counseling
      services in pediatric primary care settings.

PMID- 26477943
TI  - Robust orthogonal recombination system for versatile genomic elements
      rearrangement in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - Rearrangement of genomic DNA elements in a dynamic controlled fashion is a
      fundamental challenge. Site-specific DNA recombinases have been tamed as a
      powerful tool in genome editing. Here, we reported a DNA element rearrangement on
      the basis of a pairwise orthogonal recombination system which is comprised of two
      site-specific recombinases of Vika/vox and Cre/loxp in yeast Saccharomyces
      Creevisiae. Taking the advantage of the robust pairwise orthogonality, we showed
      that multi gene elements could be organized in a programmed way, in which
      rationally designed pattern of loxP and vox determined the final genotype after
      expressing corresponding recombinases. Finally, it was demonstrated that the
      pairwise orthogonal recombination system could be utilized to refine synthetic
      chromosome rearrangement and modification by loxP-mediated evolution, SCRaMbLE,
      in yeast cell carrying a completely synthesized chromosome III. 

PMID- 26477944
TI  - Chromium supplementation improved post-stroke brain infarction and hyperglycemia.
AB  - Hyperglycemia is common after acute stroke and is associated with a worse outcome
      of stroke. Thus, a better understanding of stress hyperglycemia is helpful to the
      prevention and therapeutic treatment of stroke. Chromium is an essential nutrient
      required for optimal insulin activity and normal carbohydrate and lipid
      metabolism. Beyond its nutritional effects, dietary supplement of chromium causes
      beneficial outcomes against several diseases, in particular diabetes-associated
      complications. In this study, we investigated whether post-stroke hyperglycemia
      involved chromium dynamic mobilization in a rat model of permanent focal cerebral
      ischemia and whether dietary supplement of chromium improved post-stroke injury
      and alterations. Stroke rats developed brain infarction, hyperglycemia,
      hyperinsulinemia, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance. Post-stroke
      hyperglycemia was accompanied by elevated secretion of counter-regulatory
      hormones including glucagon, corticosterone, and norepinephrine, decreased
      insulin signaling in skeletal muscles, and increased hepatic gluconeogenesis.
      Correlation studies revealed that counter-regulatory hormone secretion showed a
      positive correlation with chromium loss and blood glucose increased together with
      chromium loss. Daily chromium supplementation increased tissue chromium levels,
      attenuated brain infarction, improved hyperglycemia, and decreased plasma levels
      of glucagon and corticosterone in stroke rats. Our findings suggest that stroke
      rats show disturbance of tissue chromium homeostasis with a net loss through
      urinary excretion and chromium mobilization and loss might be an alternative
      mechanism responsible for post-stroke hyperglycemia. 

PMID- 26477945
TI  - Accumulation of reactivity to MBP sensitizes TRAIL mediated oligodendrocyte
      apoptosis in adult sub cortical white matter in a model for human multiple
      sclerosis.
AB  - Reactivity to myelin associated proteins is the hallmark of human multiple
      sclerosis (M.S) and its experimental counterparts. However, the nature of such
      reactivity has not been described fully. Herein, we report that myelin basic
      protein (MBP) reactivity accumulates in a rat model for M.S. over a period of
      time and sensitizes TRAIL mediated progressive oligodendrocyte apoptosis. We used
      active immunization by Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG, 50 MUg) to study
      chronic remitting relapsing encephalomyelitis in rats. A time point analysis of
      the progressive disease revealed cumulative accumulation of anti myelin basic
      protein antibodies during the disease progression with minimal change in the anti
      MOG antibodies. Increased reactivity to MBP was studied to sensitize TNF related
      apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and other proinflammatory cytokines in a
      cumulative fashion leading to the Caspase dependent apoptosis of oligodendrocytes
      and myelin loss. In a rescue experiment, we could limit the demyelination and
      prevent disease progression by neutralizing the effector, TRAIL in an early stage
      of the disease. This is the first study to identify the accumulation of MBP
      antibodies in MOG induced EAE which possibly leads to TRAIL sensitized
      oligodendrocyte apoptosis in the white mater of EAE rats. This finding stresses
      on the need to study MBP antibody titers in M.S. patients and therefore might
      serve as an alternate marker for progressive demyelination.

PMID- 26477947
TI  - Giant electro-optic effect in Ge/SiGe coupled quantum wells.
AB  - Silicon-based photonics is now considered as the photonic platform for the next
      generation of on-chip communications. However, the development of compact and low
      power consumption optical modulators is still challenging. Here we report a giant
      electro-optic effect in Ge/SiGe coupled quantum wells. This promising effect is
      based on an anomalous quantum-confined Stark effect due to the separate
      confinement of electrons and holes in the Ge/SiGe coupled quantum wells. This
      phenomenon can be exploited to strongly enhance optical modulator performance
      with respect to the standard approaches developed so far in silicon photonics. We
      have measured a refractive index variation up to 2.3 * 10(-3) under a bias
      voltage of 1.5 V, with an associated modulation efficiency V(pi)L(pi) of 0.046 V
      cm. This demonstration paves the way for the development of efficient and high
      speed phase modulators based on the Ge/SiGe material system.

PMID- 26477946
TI  - Response to peripheral immune stimulation within the brain: magnetic resonance
      imaging perspective of treatment success.
AB  - Chronic peripheral inflammation in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis leads to
      alterations in central pain processing and consequently to mood disorders
      resulting from sensitization within the central nervous system and enhanced
      vulnerability of the medial pain pathway. Proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF) alpha play an important role herein, and therapies
      targeting their signaling (i.e., anti-TNF therapies) have been proven to achieve
      good results. However, the phenomenon of rapid improvement in the patients'
      subjective feeling after the start of TNFalpha neutralization remained confusing,
      because it was observed long before any detectable signs of inflammation decline.
      Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), enabling visualization of brain
      activity upon peripheral immune stimulation with anti-TNF, has helped to clarify
      this discrepancy. Moreover, fMRI appeared to work as a reliable tool for
      predicting prospective success of anti-TNF therapy, which is valuable considering
      the side effects of the drugs and the high therapy costs. This review, which is
      mainly guided by neuroimaging studies of the brain, summarizes the state-of-the
      art knowledge about communication between the immune system and the brain and its
      impact on subjective well-being, addresses in more detail the outcome of the
      abovementioned anti-TNF fMRI studies (rapid response to TNFalpha blockade within
      the brain pain matrix and differences in brain activation patterns between
      prospective therapy responders and nonresponders), and discusses possible
      mechanisms for the latter phenomena and the predictive power of fMRI. 

PMID- 26477948
TI  - The Masquerading Cyst: Extraparenchymal Neurocysticercosis Presenting as Acute
      Meningitis.

PMID- 26477949
TI  - Radiation Effects on Cognitive Function Among Atomic Bomb Survivors Exposed at or
      After Adolescence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate radiation effects on
      longitudinal pre-dementia cognitive decline among participants who developed
      dementia as well as on those who did not develop dementia during follow-up.
      METHODS: Measuring cognitive function with the Cognitive Abilities Screening
      Instrument approximately every 2 years, we followed 1844 atomic bomb survivors
      participating in the Adult Health Study of the Radiation Effects Research
      Foundation from 1992 to 2011. Participants were adolescents or older when exposed
      to between 0 and 4 Gy. Approximately 15% and 40% of participants were exposed to
      >=1 Gy and <5 mGy, respectively. At study start, participants were dementia-free
      and between 60 and 80 years old. Three-quarters of the participants returned
      after baseline, averaging 8.4 years of follow-up. During follow-up, 313 developed
      dementia. We used cognitive scores before dementia onset for analysis and a mixed
      effects model to estimate radiation effects on longitudinal change of cognition,
      adjusting for dementia occurrence, age, sex, and education. RESULTS: Cognition
      level was significantly associated with age, education, and dementia occurrence
      but not with radiation dose or sex. Cognitive decline accelerated with increasing
      age, especially among participants who developed dementia. Neither radiation nor
      education was significantly associated with the degree of deterioration with age.
      Radiation did not modify the different cognitive decline by dementia occurrence.
      CONCLUSIONS: Radiation did not significantly affect cognition among atomic bomb
      survivors exposed at or after adolescence.

PMID- 26477950
TI  - Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Men with Vascular Erectile Dysfunction: The
      View of the Preventive Cardiologist.
AB  - Vascular erectile dysfunction is a powerful marker of increased cardiovascular
      risk. However, current guidelines lack specific recommendations on the role that
      the evaluation of vascular erectile dysfunction should play in cardiovascular
      risk assessment, as well on the risk stratification strategy that men with
      vascular erectile dysfunction should undergo. In the last 3 years, erectile
      dysfunction experts have made a call for more specific guidance and have proposed
      the selective use of several prognostic tests for further cardiovascular risk
      assessment in these patients. Among them, stress testing has been prioritized,
      whereas other tests are considered second-line tools. In this review, we provide
      additional perspective from the viewpoint of the preventive cardiologist. We
      discuss the limitations of current risk scores and the potential interplay
      between erectile dysfunction assessment and the use of personalized prognostic
      tools, such as the coronary artery calcium score, in the cardiovascular risk
      stratification and management of men with vascular erectile dysfunction. Finally,
      we present an algorithm for primary care physicians, urologists, and
      cardiologists to aid clinical decision-making. 

PMID- 26477951
TI  - Reversal of Fortune: Central Nervous System Blastomycosis.

PMID- 26477952
TI  - Global Landscape of Total Organic Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Lake Water.
AB  - Human activities continue to increase the amount of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and
      phosphorus (P) in lakes, which may cause serious environmental and human health
      problems. Global landscape of total organic C (TOC), N and P in lake water is
      still poorly known. Using a global data set that covers ~8300 lakes from 68
      countries/regions spanning six continents, we estimate that global mean
      concentrations and storage in lake water are 5.578 mg L(-1) and 984.0 Tg for TOC,
      0.526 mg L(-1) and 92.8 Tg for TN, and 0.014 mg L(-1) and 2.5 Tg for TP. These
      lake elements are significantly interrelated and in uneven distribution, being
      associated with morphological characteristics and climate conditions. We proposed
      that global C, N and P cycles should be considered as a whole in biogeochemical
      studies and policy-making related to environmental protection. 

PMID- 26477953
TI  - Theory of mind ability predicts prognosis of outpatients with major depressive
      disorder.
AB  - A theory of mind (ToM) deficit in patients with major depressive episodes is
      associated with difficulty in social adjustment, and thus may indicate a poorer
      prognosis. We investigated the association between ToM deficits and the outcome
      in patients who had recovered from major depressive episodes. We evaluated ToM
      abilities of 100 patients with major depressive disorder during a period of
      remission. The patients were followed up for one year and their outcomes
      observed. After one year, patients who had a ToM deficit according to a second
      order false belief question relapsed significantly more frequently than did
      patients who did not have a deficit (Fisher's exact test P<0.0001; relative risk
      (RR)=8.286; CI 2.608, 26.324). Significant differences between these two groups
      were shown in scores of the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (P<0.0001).
      Our results suggest that a ToM deficit after symptom remission in patients with
      major depressive disorder predicts a higher relapse rate and lower social
      function one year after recovering from a major depressive episode.

PMID- 26477954
TI  - Evidence against mood-congruent attentional bias in Major Depressive Disorder.
AB  - Depression is consistently associated with biased retrieval and interpretation of
      affective stimuli, but evidence for depressive bias in earlier cognitive
      processing, such as attention, is mixed. In five separate experiments,
      individuals with depression (three experiments with clinically diagnosed major
      depression, two experiments with dysphoria measured via the Beck Depression
      Inventory) completed three tasks designed to elicit depressive biases in
      attention, including selective attention, attentional switching, and attentional
      inhibition. Selective attention was measured using a modified emotional Stroop
      task, while attentional switching and inhibition was examined via an emotional
      task-switching paradigm and an emotional counter task. Results across five
      different experiments indicate that individuals with depression perform
      comparably with healthy controls, providing corroboration that depression is not
      characterized by biases in attentional processes.

PMID- 26477956
TI  - Divergent de novo synthesis of all eight stereoisomers of 2,3,6
      trideoxyhexopyranosides and their oligomers.
AB  - All eight possible stereoisomers of 2,3,6-trideoxyhexopyranosides are prepared
      systematically from furan derivatives by a sequence of Achmatowicz rearrangement,
      Pd-catalysed glycosidation, and chiral catalyst-controlled tandem reductions.
      This sequence provides access to all possible stereoisomers of naturally
      occurring rhodinopyranosides, amicetopyranosides, disaccharide narbosine B, and
      other unnatural oligomeric 2,3,6-trideoxyhexopyranosides. It comprises a unique
      and systematic strategy for the de novo synthesis of deoxysugars.

PMID- 26477957
TI  - A supercell approach to the doping effect on the thermoelectric properties of
      SnSe.
AB  - We study the thermoelectric properties of tin selenide (SnSe) by using first
      principles calculations coupled with the Boltzmann transport theory. A recent
      experimental study showed that SnSe gives an unprecedented thermoelectric figure
      of merit ZT of 2.6 +/- 0.3 in the high-temperature (>750 K) phase, while ZT in
      the low-temperature phase (<750 K) is much smaller than that of the high
      temperature phase. Here we explore the possibility of increasing ZT in the low
      temperature regime by carrier doping. For this purpose, we adopt a supercell
      approach to model the doped systems. We first examine the validity of the
      conventional rigid-band approximation (RBA), and then investigate the
      thermoelectric properties of Ag or Bi doped SnSe as p- or n-type doped materials
      using our supercell method. We found that both types of doping improve ZT and/or
      the power factor of the low-temperature phase SnSe, but only after the adjustment
      of the appropriate doping level is achieved. 

PMID- 26477955
TI  - First-episode bipolar disorder is associated with erythrocyte membrane
      docosahexaenoic acid deficits: Dissociation from clinical response to lithium or
      quetiapine.
AB  - Deficits in long-chain omega-3 (LCn-3) fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
      and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may be associated with the pathophysiology of
      bipolar disorder. However, LCn-3 fatty acid status at the initial onset of mania
      and its association with treatment response are not known. Erythrocyte membrane
      fatty acid composition was determined in first-episode bipolar manic or mixed
      (n=40) and healthy (n=40) subjects. Mood symptom ratings were obtained with the
      Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS).
      Erythrocyte fatty acid composition and clinical ratings were also determined
      within a sub-group of bipolar subjects following 8-week (n=19) or 52-week (n=11)
      open-label treatment with lithium or quetiapine. At baseline bipolar subjects
      exhibited significantly lower erythrocyte docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3)
      composition compared with healthy subjects (-23%, p<0.0001). EPA (20:5n-3) and
      docosapentanoic acid (22:5n-3), and LCn-6 fatty acids including arachidonic acid
      were not different. Following 8- or 52-week treatment with lithium or quetiapine,
      YMRS and HDRS total scores decreased significantly whereas erythrocyte fatty
      acids including DHA did not change. These data indicate that selective
      erythrocyte DHA deficits coincide with the initial onset of manic symptoms, and
      reductions in mood symptoms following treatment are not mediated by changes in
      fatty acid status.

PMID- 26477958
TI  - Angiotensin 2 Type 1 Receptor Blockade with Neprilysin Inhibition for Chronic
      Heart Failure: A New Paradigm?

PMID- 26477959
TI  - Electrocardiographic Criteria for Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Asians Differs
      from Criteria Derived from Western Populations--Community-based Data from an
      Asian Population.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Electrocardiographic (ECG) criteria for left ventricular
      hypertrophy (LVH), such as the Cornell and Sokolow-Lyon voltage criteria were
      derived from Western populations. However, their utility and accuracy for
      diagnosing echocardiographic LVH in Asian populations is unclear. The objective
      of this study was to assess the accuracy of ECG criteria for LVH in Asians and to
      determine if alternative gender-specific ECG cut-offs may improve its diagnostic
      accuracy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ECG and echocardiographic assessments were
      performed on 668 community-dwelling Asian adults (50.9% women; 57 +/- 10 years)
      in Singapore. The accuracy of ECG voltage criteria was compared to
      echocardiographic LVH criteria based on the American Society of Echocardiography
      guidelines, and Asian ethnicity and gender-specific partition values. RESULTS:
      Echocardiographic LVH was present in 93 (13.6%) adults. Cornell criteria had low
      sensitivity (5.5%) and high specificity (98.9%) for diagnosing LVH. Modified
      gender specific cut-offs (18 mm in women, 22 mm in men) improved sensitivity
      (8.8% to 17.5%, 0% to 14.7%, respectively) whilst preserving specificity (98.2%
      to 94.2%, 100% to 95.8%). Similarly, Sokolow-Lyon criteria had poor sensitivity
      (7.7%) and high specificity (96.1%) for diagnosing LVH. Lowering the cut-off
      value from 35 mm to 31 mm improved the sensitivity in women from 3.5% to 14%
      while preserving specificity at 94.2%. A cut-off of 36 mm was optimal in men
      (sensitivity of 14.7%, specificity of 95.5%). CONCLUSION: Current ECG criteria
      for LVH derived in Western cohorts have limited sensitivity in Asian populations.
      Our data suggests that ethnicity- and gender-specific ECG criteria may be needed.

PMID- 26477960
TI  - Thyroid Autoimmune Antibodies and Major Depressive Disorder in Women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anti-thyroid antibodies are associated with extra-thyroid diseases
      such as Graves' ophthalmopathy and Hashimoto's encephalopathy. Some evidence
      suggests that anti-thyroid antibodies are also associated with depression.
      Interleukin (IL)-17 appears to play an important role in autoimmune thyroid
      disease. This study investigated whether specific thyroid autoantibodies and IL
      17 distinguished persons with depression from non-depressed controls. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Forty-seven adult females with non-psychotic, current major
      depressive disorder and 80 healthy female controls participated in this study.
      Thyroid peroxidase antibodies, thyroglobulin antibodies, thyroid-stimulating
      hormone (TSH) receptor antibodies, free T3 and T4, TSH and IL-17 were measured
      from the serum. Measurements were repeated to assess test-retest reliability.
      Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to estimate
      discriminatory values of the measurements. Differences between groups and
      associations between the clinical and biochemical assessments were analysed.
      RESULTS: Median TSH receptor antibody concentration was significantly higher in
      the depressed than control group (P <0.001). Area under the ROC curve was 0.80
      (95% CI, 0.73 to 0.88). Higher TSH receptor antibody titres were associated with
      greater depression severity scores (r = 0.33, P <0.05). IL-17 levels were not
      associated with TSH receptor antibody levels or depression severity scores.
      Thyroid function and other thyroid autoantibodies were not associated with
      depression severity. CONCLUSION: TSH receptor antibodies might be a biomarker of
      immune dysfunction in depression.

PMID- 26477961
TI  - Genomics of Hereditary Colorectal Cancer: Lessons Learnt from 25 Years of the
      Singapore Polyposis Registry.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Singapore Polyposis Registry (SPR) was established in 1989 in
      Singapore General Hospital (SGH). The aims were to provide a central registry
      service to facilitate identification, surveillance and management of families and
      individuals at high risk of colorectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a
      review of published literature in the department. RESULTS: The registry currently
      has 253 families with several genetic conditions-93 familial adenomatous
      polyposis (FAP) families, 138 Amsterdam-criteria positive presumed Lynch syndrome
      (LS) families, 12 families with Peutz Jeghers syndrome, 2 families with Cowden's
      syndrome, and 8 families with hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome (HMPS). There
      are also 169 families with a strong family history of colorectal cancer but no
      abnormal genes yet identified. In FAP, a diagnostic tool developed has allowed a
      94% local APC germline detection rate in FAP families. Knowledge obtained
      studying the phenotype of FAP patients has allowed better choice of surgery
      between ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) against an ileal-rectal anastomosis
      (IRA). In LS, our review has noted a highly heterogenous mutational spectrum and
      novel variants made up 46.7% (28/60) of all variants identified in this cohort.
      This may suggest that our Southeast Asian ethnic groups have distinct mutational
      variants from Western populations. Pathogenic mutations were only confined to
      MLH1 and MSH2, and identified in 28.8% of families. CONCLUSION: The impact of
      predictive gene testing for hereditary cancer risk in clinical practice has
      allowed evolution of care. Risk-reducing surgery and aggressive surveillance
      allows reduction in morbidity and mortality of patients. The SPR will continue to
      grow and improve outcomes in hereditary colorectal cancer patients and families.

PMID- 26477962
TI  - Disseminated Bacillus Calmette-Guerin and Susceptibility to Mycobacterial
      Infections-Implications on Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Vaccinations.
AB  - Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is a live vaccine and has the potential to cause
      local disease and systemic dissemination in immunocompromised hosts, including
      infants who are infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through vertical
      transmission, and patients with primary immunodeficiencies (PID) such as severe
      combined immunodeficiency (SCID), chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), hyper-IgM
      syndrome, and defects of the IL12- IFNgamma axis (Mendelian susceptibility to
      mycobacterial diseases, MSMD). Disseminated BCG is extremely difficult to treat.
      The chance of complete eradication is low unless functional immune response is
      restored by haematopoietic stem cell transplant. Prolonged use of anti
      mycobacterial drugs often causes organ toxicities and drug resistance.
      Inflammatory complications which develop upon immunoreconstitution post
      transplant may necessitate immunosuppressive treatment, which adversely affect
      immune recovery and increases risks of opportunistic infections. Multiple BCG
      reactivations can occur in patients with CGD and MSMD, and BCG can remain latent
      until reactivations take place in adulthood and manifest as disease. It is
      important for neonatologists, general practitioners, primary care clinicians and
      nurses working in maternal and child care centres to be aware of BCG-related
      complications, which may be the first sign of an underlying immunodeficiency. As
      neonatal BCG is included in standard vaccination schedule in many countries, it
      is a challenge to identify and avoid administration of BCG to infants who
      potentially have PIDs. Deferring BCG vaccination is recently advocated to protect
      highly vulnerable populations, but the appropriate strategy is yet to be
      determined. Newborn screening for SCID offers a potential to avoid this
      complication, if an integrated system of screening and vaccination can be
      organised. 

PMID- 26477963
TI  - Does Limited Tourniquet Usage in Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty Result in Better
      Functional Outcomes?

PMID- 26477964
TI  - A Tribute to Tham Cheok Fai, "Founding Father" of Singapore Neurosurgery.

PMID- 26477965
TI  - Dr Tan Ngoh Chuan (1931 - 2015).

PMID- 26477966
TI  - Improvement of the electron collection efficiency in porous hematite using a thin
      iron oxide underlayer: towards efficient all-iron based photoelectrodes.
AB  - Different approaches have been explored to increase the water oxidation activity
      of nanostructured hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) photoanodes, including doping with
      various elements, surface functionalization with both oxygen evolving catalysts
      (OEC) and functional overlayers and, more recently, the introduction of ultrathin
      oxide underlayers as tunneling back contacts. Inspired by this latter strategy,
      we present here a photoanode design with a nanometric spin-coated iron oxide
      underlayer coupled with a mesoporous hematite film deposited by electrophoresis.
      The electrodes equipped with the thin underlayer exhibit a four-fold improvement
      in photoactivity over the simple hematite porous film, reaching a stable
      photocurrent density of ca. 1 mA cm(-2) at 0.65 V versus the saturated calomel
      electrode (SCE) at pH 13.3 (NaOH 0.1 M) under air mass (AM) 1.5G illumination. A
      further improvement to 1.5 mA cm(-2) is observed after decoration of the hematite
      surface with a Fe(iii)-OEC. These results demonstrate that by combining different
      iron oxide morphologies, it is possible to improve the selectivity of the
      interfaces towards both electron collection at the back contact and hole transfer
      to the electrolyte, obtaining an efficient all-iron based photoelectrode entirely
      realized with simple wet solution scalable procedures. 

PMID- 26477967
TI  - Endosonography for lung cancer staging: predictors for false-negative outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) guidelines recommend
      endosonography (endobronchial [EBUS] and/or transesophageal ultrasound [EUS]) as
      the initial step for mediastinal tissue staging. Identifying predictors for false
      negative results could help establish which patients should undergo confirmatory
      surgical staging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 775 NSCLC patients staged negative by
      EBUS, EUS or combined EUS/EBUS were retrospectively analyzed. Predictors of false
      negative outcomes were identified by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS AND
      CONCLUSION: Three predictors for false-negative outcomes were identified: central
      location of the lung tumor (OR 3.7/4.5/3.6 for EBUS, EUS and EUS/EBUS
      respectively, p<0.05), nodal enlargement on CT (OR 3.2/2.5/4.9 for EBUS, EUS and
      EUS/EBUS respectively, p<0.05) and FDG-avidity of N2/N3 lymph node stations on
      PET (OR 4.2/4.0/7.5 for EBUS, EUS and EUS/EBUS respectively, p<0.05). One
      subgroup (peripheral lung tumor, nodal enlargement on CT without FDG-avidity for
      N2/N3) had a low predicted probability (7.8%) for false-negative EUS. For
      combined EUS/EBUS, two subgroups were identified: peripheral located tumor with
      nodal enlargement on CT but without FDG-avidity for N2/N3 (predicted probability
      4.7%) and centrally located tumor without affected lymph nodes on CT or PET
      (predicted probability 3.4%). In conclusion, for specific well-defined subsets of
      NSCLC patients the low predicted probability of metastasis after negative
      endosonography might justify omitting confirmatory surgical staging.

PMID- 26477968
TI  - Treatment of isolated mediastinal and hilar recurrence of lung cancer with
      bronchoscopic endobronchial ultrasound guided intratumoral injection of
      chemotherapy with cisplatin.
AB  - PURPOSE: A common pattern of recurrence in lung cancer after receiving full dose
      external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) to targeted sites is isolated mediastinal
      and hilar recurrence (IMHR). Treatment options for these patients are limited to
      palliative radiation, chemotherapy, and/or best supportive care. We describe our
      experience with treating IMHR with bronchoscopic endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)
      guided intratumoral injection of cisplatin (ITC). METHODS: Patients treated
      between Jan 2009-September 2014 with ITC for IMHR were included. Patient
      demographics, tumor histology, size, concurrent therapy, location, number of
      sites treated, treatment sessions, and encounters were abstracted. Responses were
      analyzed on follow-up scans 8-12 weeks after the last treatment session using
      RECIST 1.1 criteria. Locoregional recurrence, progression-free survival (PFS),
      and overall survival were measured. RESULTS: 50 sites were treated in 36 patients
      (19 males, 17 females) with mean age 61.9+/-8.5 years. Eight sites treated on
      subsequent encounters were excluded and one patient had an unevaluable response,
      leaving 35 patients and 41 sites for final analysis. 24/35 (69%) had complete or
      partial response (responders), whereas 11/35 (31%) had stable or progressive
      disease (non-responders). There were no significant differences in response based
      on histology, size, and concurrent therapy. Median survival for the group was 8
      months (95% CI of 6-11 mo). Responders had significantly higher survival and PFS
      than non-responders. Two patients treated with concurrent EBRT, developed broncho
      mediastinal fistula. CONCLUSION: EBUS guided intratumoral cisplatin for IMHR
      appears to be safe and effective, and may represent a new treatment paradigm for
      this patient population.

PMID- 26477969
TI  - Comparing four different ALK antibodies with manual immunohistochemistry (IHC) to
      screen for ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged non-small cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC) screening is essential to its treatment such as crizotinib.
      Different assays have been developed to detect ALK rearrangements, such as
      fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR),
      and immunohistochemistry (IHC). However, ALK detection has not been applied
      widely in all hospitals. Moreover, IHC has been proposed to be a pre-screening
      tool because of its wide application in clinics. Since the low expression of ALK
      protein, the sensitivity and specificity of ALK antibody are the keys to the
      success of IHC screening. Therefore, we compared different antibodies to find the
      best one for IHC detection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated ALK expression by
      four different ALK antibodies: clone D5F3 (Ventana), clone D5F3 (CST), clone
      1A4/1H7 (OriGene Tech.), and clone 5A4 (Abcam) based on manual IHC in a cohort of
      60 NSCLCs. The results were compared with those from automated IHC (clone D5F3,
      Ventana). All cases were evaluated independently by ALK FISH. RESULTS: 32 ALK
      positive and 28 ALK-negative NSCLCs were identified by automated IHC (D5F3,
      Ventana) and FISH analysis. Based on conventional manual IHC, the sensitivity of
      four antibodies-D5F3 (Ventana), D5F3 (CST), 1A4/1H7 (OriGene Tech.), and 5A4
      (Abcam)-was 93.8%, 84.4%, 93.8%, and 56.3%, respectively. Their specificities and
      positive predictive values were 100%. The percentage of strong-moderate staining
      was 65.6%, 62.5%, 68.8%, and 21.9%, respectively. Compared with automated IHC
      (D5F3, Ventana), each staining concordance was 96.7%, 91.7%, 96.7%, and 76.7%,
      respectively, and each presented staining heterogeneity (weak-moderate-strong
      intensity). CONCLUSION: These data indicated that manual IHC with a more reliable
      ALK antibody might provide an effective strategy for screening ALK gene
      rearrangements in all NSCLC patients, followed by confirmatory FISH analysis in
      IHC-positive cases.

PMID- 26477970
TI  - Rhodium(iii)-catalyzed annulation of arenes with alkynes assisted by an internal
      oxidizing N-O bond.
AB  - Rh(iii)-catalyzed C-H activation of 3-aryl-dihydroisoxazoles in the coupling with
      diarylacetylenes has been developed under redox-neutral conditions. This reaction
      occurred under mild conditions with no by-product, and the N-O bond functions as
      an oxidizing directing group, leading to efficient synthesis of isoquinolines
      functionalized with a proximal secondary alcohol. 

PMID- 26477971
TI  - Rhenium complexes of bidentate, bis-bidentate and tridentate N-heterocyclic
      carbene ligands.
AB  - A series of eight Rhenium(I)-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes of the
      general form [ReCl(CO)3(C^C)] (where C^C is a bis(NHC) bidentate ligand),
      [ReCl(CO)3(C^C)]2 (where C^C is a bis-bidentate tetra-NHC ligand) and
      [Re(CO)3(C^N^C)](+)[X](-) (where C^N^C is a bis(NHC)-amine ligand and the counter
      ion X is either the ReO4(-) or PF6(-)) have been synthesised using a Ag2O
      transmetallation protocol. The novel precursor imidazolium salts and Re(I)
      complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, (1)H and (13)C NMR
      spectroscopy and the molecular structures for two imidazolium salt and six Re(I)
      complexes were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. These NHC ligand
      systems are of interest for possible applications in the development of Tc-99m or
      Re-186/188 radiopharmaceuticals and as such the stability of two complexes of the
      form [ReCl(CO)3(C^C)] and [Re(CO)3(C^N^C)][ReO4] were evaluated in ligand
      challenge experiments using the metal binding amino acids L-histidine or L
      cysteine. These studies showed that the former was unstable, with the chloride
      ligand being replaced by either cysteine or histidine, while no evidence for
      transchelation was observed for the latter suggesting that bis(NHC)-amine ligands
      of this type may be suitable for biological applications.

PMID- 26477972
TI  - Enantioselective Guest Effect on the Spin State of a Chiral Coordination
      Framework.
AB  - The diversity of spin crossover (SCO) complexes that, on the one hand, display
      variable temperature, abruptness and hysteresis of the spin transition, and on
      the other hand, are spin-sensitive to the various guest molecules, makes these
      materials unique for the detection of different organic and inorganic compounds.
      We have developed a homochiral SCO coordination polymer with a spin transition
      sensitive to the inclusion of the guest 2-butanol, and these solvates with (R)-
      and (S)-alcohols demonstrate different SCO behaviours depending on the chirality
      of the organic analyte. A stereoselective response to the guest inclusion is
      detected as a shift in the temperature of the transition both from dia- to para-
      and from para- to diamagnetic states in heating and cooling modes respectively.
      Furthermore, the Mossbauer spectroscopy directly visualizes how the metallic
      centres in a chiral coordination framework differently sense the interaction with
      guests of different chiralities. 

PMID- 26477974
TI  - Does the ethanolammonium acetate ionic liquid mix homogeneously with molecular
      solvents?
AB  - In order to study micro-structural heterogeneities in the solutions of ionic
      liquids (ILs), ethanolammonium acetate (EOAA) IL has been synthesized and (1) H
      NMR spectra of its binary solutions, namely EOAA/DMSO and EOAA/n-butanol, have
      been measured at 298.15 K. Then the concentration-dependent chemical shifts delta
      (-CH3 , EOAA), delta (-CH3 , DMSO) and delta (-CH3 , n-butanol) have been
      correlated separately using the local composition (LC) model. The results
      indicated that self-association of EOAA played the leading role within EOAA-rich
      region in mixtures. However with the molecular solvents increasing, the
      interactions between EOAA and solvents gradually predominated. Moreover the
      comparisons between DMSO and n-butanol have demonstrated that DMSO could break
      the network of IL more easily, indicating that the influence of DMSO on the
      properties of EOAA should be more obvious, which was consistent with experimental
      results of viscosity and conductivity. Furthermore the maximum difference between
      the local and the bulk appeared at x(EOAA) ~ 0.5 for both systems, which
      reflected remarkable nonideality of mixtures at this concentration. Copyright (c)
      2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 

PMID- 26477973
TI  - Low doses of neonicotinoid pesticides in food rewards impair short-term olfactory
      memory in foraging-age honeybees.
AB  - Neonicotinoids are often applied as systemic seed treatments to crops and have
      reported negative impact on pollinators when they appear in floral nectar and
      pollen. Recently, we found that bees in a two-choice assay prefer to consume
      solutions containing field-relevant doses of the neonicotinoid pesticides,
      imidacloprid (IMD) and thiamethoxam (TMX), to sucrose alone. This suggests that
      neonicotinoids enhance the rewarding properties of sucrose and that low, acute
      doses could improve learning and memory in bees. To test this, we trained
      foraging-age honeybees to learn to associate floral scent with a reward
      containing nectar-relevant concentrations of IMD and TMX and tested their short
      (STM) and long-term (LTM) olfactory memories. Contrary to our predictions, we
      found that none of the solutions enhanced the rate of olfactory learning and some
      of them impaired it. In particular, the effect of 10 nM IMD was observed by the
      second conditioning trial and persisted 24 h later. In most other groups,
      exposure to IMD and TMX affected STM but not LTM. Our data show that negative
      impacts of low doses of IMD and TMX do not require long-term exposure and suggest
      that impacts of neonicotinoids on olfaction are greater than their effects on
      rewarding memories. 

PMID- 26477975
TI  - Perceptions of Adolescents with Overweight and Obesity for the Development of
      User-Centered Design Self-Management Tools within the Context of the Chronic Care
      Model: A Qualitative Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Chronic Care Model (CCM) is helpful to illustrate multiple levels
      of influence in the management of chronic disease, such as overweight and obesity
      in adolescents. Unfortunately, various constraints create gaps in the management
      process activities performed within the CCM. Consumer health technologies (CHT)
      may serve as a linkage between adolescents with overweight or obesity, their
      parents, and their pediatricians. OBJECTIVE: To conduct formative research to
      qualitatively identify views of adolescents with overweight and obesity on use of
      consumer health technologies to manage weight loss across chronic care management
      settings. DESIGN: As part of a multi-perspective qualitative study, 10 focus
      groups were conducted with adolescents with overweight and obesity.
      PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Forty-eight adolescents (15 male, 33 female) aged 12 to 17
      years who were current participants of an intensive lifestyle change camp in the
      summer of 2012 participated in focus groups. All adolescents were classified as
      overweight (21%) or obese (79%) according to body mass index (BMI) for age charts
      published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ANALYSIS: All focus
      groups were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and checked for accuracy. Predefined
      and open coding were used to analyze transcripts for emerging themes. RESULTS:
      Adolescents perceive CHT, with its functional requirements of assistance with
      restaurant food selection, teaching cooking skills, and providing encouragement
      and motivation, to be helpful with overweight and obesity self-management.
      Desired features to carry out these functional requirements included avatars,
      self-monitoring capabilities, social networking, and rewards. CONCLUSION: Our
      findings largely agree with previously reported parental perceptions of the
      benefit of CHT for adolescent overweight and obesity self-management and
      strengthen support for the design and implementation of CHT within the CCM.

PMID- 26477976
TI  - Seamless lamination of a concave-convex architecture with single-layer graphene.
AB  - Graphene has been used as an electrode and channel material in electronic devices
      because of its superior physical properties. Recently, electronic devices have
      changed from a planar to a complicated three-dimensional (3D) geometry to
      overcome the limitations of planar devices. The evolution of electronic devices
      requires that graphene be adaptable to a 3D substrate. Here, we demonstrate that
      chemical-vapor-deposited single-layer graphene can be transferred onto a silicon
      dioxide substrate with a 3D geometry, such as a concave-convex architecture. A
      variety of silicon dioxide concave-convex architectures were uniformly and
      seamlessly laminated with graphene using a thermal treatment. The planar graphene
      was stretched to cover the concave-convex architecture, and the resulting strain
      on the curved graphene was spatially resolved by confocal Raman spectroscopy;
      molecular dynamic simulations were also conducted and supported the observations.
      Changes in electrical resistivity caused by the spatially varying strain induced
      as the graphene-silicon dioxide laminate varies dimensionally from 2D to 3D were
      measured by using a four-point probe. The resistivity measurements suggest that
      the electrical resistivity can be systematically controlled by the 3D geometry of
      the graphene-silicon dioxide laminate. This 3D graphene-insulator laminate will
      broaden the range of graphene applications beyond planar structures to 3D
      materials. 

PMID- 26477977
TI  - Elimination of murine and human T-cell epitopes in recombinant immunotoxin
      eliminates neutralizing and anti-drug antibodies in vivo.
AB  - Antibodies against the toxin portion of recombinant immunotoxins (RIT) reduce
      their efficacy and pose a potential safety risk. To overcome this problem we
      mutated the very immunogenic immunotoxin SS1P to produce LMB-T20, a de-immunized
      RIT that has the eight human T-cell epitopes in SS1P modified or removed. To
      determine the effect of T-cell epitope removal in vivo we mapped the T-cell
      epitopes in immune-competent BALB/c mice and found that these mice recognize two
      epitopes. One corresponds to the human immunodominant T-cell epitope and the
      other to a human subdominant epitope; both were eliminated in LMB-T20. We found
      that mice immunized with LMB-T20 did not have T-cell activation and did not
      develop anti-drug antibodies (ADA), whereas mice immunized with SS1P, showed T
      cell activation, and developed ADA detected by both ELISA and drug neutralizing
      assays. The ability of the mice treated with LMB-T20 to respond to other antigens
      was not compromised. We conclude that elimination of T-cell epitopes is
      sufficient to prevent formation of antibodies to an immunogenic foreign protein.

PMID- 26477978
TI  - Maslinic Acid Protected PC12 Cells Differentiated by Nerve Growth Factor against
      beta-Amyloid-Induced Apoptosis.
AB  - beta-Amyloid peptide (Abeta) was used to induce apoptosis in PC12 cells
      differentiated by nerve growth factor, and the protective activities of maslinic
      acid (MA) at 2-16 MUM were examined. Abeta treatment lowered Bcl-2 expression,
      raised Bax expression, and decreased cell viability. MA pretreatments decreased
      Bax expression, raised the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, and increased cell viability. MA
      pretreatments retained glutathione content and decreased subsequent Abeta-induced
      release of reactive oxygen species, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)
      1beta, and IL-6. Abeta treatment up-regulated protein expression of p47(phox),
      gp91(phox), mitogen-activated protein kinase, advanced glycation end product
      receptor (RAGE), and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB). MA pretreatments at 2-16
      MUM suppressed the expression of proteins including gp91(phox), p47(phox), p-p38,
      and NF-kappaB p65, at 4-16 MUM down-regulated RAGE and NF-kappaB p50 expression,
      and at 8 and 16 MUM reduced p-ERK1/2 expression. These novel findings suggest
      that maslinic acid is a potent compound against Abeta-induced cytotoxicity. 

PMID- 26477979
TI  - Developing a brief depression screen and identifying associations with comorbid
      physical and psychological illness in Australian Gulf War veterans.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Major depression occurs frequently in veterans, and is associated with
      comorbid psychological and physical disorders and poorer quality of life.
      Depression can be difficult to detect in primary care, while lengthy assessment
      instruments can deter use. Our study aimed to develop a brief depression screen
      that could be used by veterans and caregivers, and then to compare the
      association between the brief screen and comorbidities and quality of life with
      that of a longer instrument. METHODS: Our dataset comprised 1204 male Royal
      Australian Navy veterans of the 1990/91 Gulf War. Depressive symptoms were
      assessed using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), health-related quality
      of life by the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12), major depression and comorbid
      psychiatric diagnoses such as posttraumatic disorder (PTSD) using Diagnostic and
      Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) criteria. Comorbid physical illnesses including
      musculoskeletal disorders, chronic fatigue and diabetes were examined. RESULTS: A
      brief depression screen of three key self-reported symptoms was identified.
      Veterans with major depression present according to the screen were over four
      times more likely to have multisymptom illness or PTSD, and almost twice as
      likely to have musculoskeletal disorders. Having depression according to the
      brief screen and having at least one other physical or psychological condition
      was associated with poorer quality of life. Similar results were obtained for a
      longer screen based on all GHQ-12 items. CONCLUSION: A 3 item depression screen
      performed as well as a 12 item one in identifying major depression, comorbid
      physical and psychological illness and poorer quality of life in veterans.

PMID- 26477980
TI  - Radiation therapy and grade II/III oligodendroglial tumors.
AB  - Radiotherapy has been a longstanding treatment option for low-grade glioma.
      Improvements in tumor control and radiation-related toxicity may be attributed to
      advances in neuroimaging as well as radiotherapy planning and delivery. The
      discovery of various molecular prognostic factors have aided in patient selection
      for radiotherapy. These prognostic and predictive factors may also play a key
      role in determining which patients are likely to benefit most from combined
      systemic therapy and radiation. 

PMID- 26477981
TI  - The Effect of Temperature and Laboratory Rearing Conditions on the Development of
      Dermestes maculatus (Coleoptera: Dermestidae).
AB  - Experiments were conducted to study the life cycle of Dermestes maculatus and to
      establish the total developmental time and the developmental time of immature
      stages, in relation with six different temperatures. We also analyzed the
      variations in size, morphology, and other indicators of temporal variation during
      life cycle of D. maculatus, in relation with temperature. One hundred larvae were
      selected per experiment, reared individually. The remaining larvae were reared to
      evaluate and establish temporal variations among the instars (length, cephalic
      width, and dry weight). In all trials, survivorship was greater than 50% and
      seven larval instars were found. Data of the average developmental time of
      immature stages and of the total cycle, at different temperatures, are provided.
      This is of relevance when estimating particularly, a minimum PMI. No relation
      between morphometric parameters and temperature was found, suggesting that other
      random factors may have been involved. Thus, this indicates that the method of
      isomegalen diagrams could not be used for calculating PMI. 

PMID- 26477982
TI  - The impact of combined administration of paraquat and maneb on motor and non
      motor functions in the rat.
AB  - Paraquat (PQ) and maneb (MB) are potential risk factors for Parkinson's disease.
      However, their impact on non-motor disorders, monoamine neurotransmission and
      basal ganglia function is not clearly determined. Here we investigated the
      effects of combined treatment with PQ/MB on motor behavior, anxiety and
      "depressive-like" disorders, tissue content of monoamines, and subthalamic
      nucleus (STN) neuronal activity. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were intoxicated by PQ
      (10 mg/kg) and MB (30 mg/kg) twice a week. Two weeks later, the majority of
      animals (group 1, 16/26) showed a severe loss of body weight with tremor and
      respiratory distress and others (group 2, 6/26) showed only tremor. Animals of
      group 2 received PQ/MB during four weeks before developing weight loss. A last
      group (group 3, 4/26) was insensitive to PQ/MB after 6 weeks of injections.
      Groups 1 and 2 displayed a failure of motor activity and motor coordination.
      Group 3 showed slight motor deficits only after the last injection of PQ/MB.
      Moreover, PQ/MB induced anxiety and "depressive-like" behaviors in animals of
      groups 2 and 3. Biochemical analysis showed that PQ/MB reduced striatal dopamine
      (DA) tissue content paralleled by changes in the activity of STN neurons without
      changing the content of norepinephrine and serotonin in the cortex. Our data
      provide evidence that individuals are not equally sensitive to PQ/MB and show
      that the motor deficits in vulnerable animals, are not only a result of DA neuron
      degeneration, but may also be a consequence of peripheral disabilities.
      Nevertheless, the parkinsonian-like non-motor impairments may be a direct
      consequence of the bilateral DA depletion.

PMID- 26477983
TI  - Mastication induces long-term increases in blood perfusion of the trigeminal
      principal nucleus.
AB  - Understanding mechanisms for vessel tone regulation within the trigeminal nuclei
      is of great interest because some headache syndromes are due to dysregulation of
      such mechanisms. Previous experiments on animal models suggest that mastication
      may alter neuron metabolism and blood supply in these nuclei. To investigate this
      hypothesis in humans, arterial spin-labeling magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was
      used to measure blood perfusion within the principal trigeminal nucleus (Vp) and
      in the dorsolateral-midbrain (DM, including the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus)
      in healthy volunteers, before and immediately after a mastication exercise
      consisting of chewing a gum on one side of the mouth for 1 h at 1 bite/s. The
      side preference for masticating was evaluated with a chewing test and the volume
      of the masseter muscle was measured on T1-weighted MRI scans. The results
      demonstrated that the mastication exercise caused a perfusion increase within the
      Vp, but not in the DM. This change was correlated to the preference score for the
      side where the exercise took place. Moreover, the basal Vp perfusion was
      correlated to the masseter volume. These results indicate that the local vascular
      tone of the trigeminal nuclei can be constitutively altered by the chewing
      practice and by strong or sustained chewing.

PMID- 26477984
TI  - The effects of facial color and inversion on the N170 event-related potential
      (ERP) component.
AB  - Faces are important for social interaction because much can be perceived from
      facial details, including a person's race, age, and mood. Recent studies have
      shown that both configural (e.g. face shape and inversion) and surface
      information (e.g. surface color and reflectance properties) are important for
      face perception. Therefore, the present study examined the effects of facial
      color and inverted face properties on event-related potential (ERP) responses,
      particularly the N170 component. Stimuli consisted of natural and bluish-colored
      faces. Faces were presented in both upright and upside down orientations. An
      ANOVA was used to analyze N170 amplitudes and verify the effects of the main
      independent variables. Analysis of N170 amplitude revealed the significant
      interactions between stimulus orientation and color. Subsequent analysis
      indicated that N170 was larger for bluish-colored faces than natural-colored
      faces, and N170 to natural-colored faces was larger in response to inverted
      stimulus as compared to upright stimulus. Additionally, a multivariate pattern
      analysis (MVPA) investigated face-processing dynamics without any prior
      assumptions. Results distinguished, above chance, both facial color and
      orientation from single-trial electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. Decoding
      performance for color classification of inverted faces was significantly
      diminished as compared to an upright orientation. This suggests that processing
      orientation is predominant over facial color. Taken together, the present
      findings elucidate the temporal and spatial distribution of orientation and color
      processing during face processing. 

PMID- 26477986
TI  - Event-related brain potentials during the visuomotor mental rotation task: The
      contingent negative variation scales to angle of rotation.
AB  - Perceptual judgments about the angular disparity of a character from its standard
      upright (i.e., mental rotation task) result in a concurrent increase in reaction
      time (RT) and modulation of the amplitude of the P300 event-related brain
      potential (ERP). It has therefore been proposed that the P300 represents the
      neural processes associated with a visual rotation. In turn, the visuomotor
      mental rotation (VMR) task requires reaching to a location that deviates from a
      target by a predetermined angle. Although the VMR task exhibits a linear increase
      in RT with increasing oblique angles of rotation, work has not examined whether
      the task is supported via a visual rotation analogous to its mental rotation task
      counterpart. This represents a notable issue because seminal work involving non
      human primates has ascribed VMR performance to the motor-related rotation of
      directionally tuned neurons in the primary motor cortex. Here we examined the
      concurrent behavioral and ERP characteristics of a standard reaching task and VMR
      tasks of 35 degrees , 70 degrees , and 105 degrees  of rotation. Results showed
      that the P300 amplitude was larger for the standard compared to each VMR task--an
      effect independent of the angle of rotation. In turn, the amplitude of the
      contingent negative variation (CNV)--an ERP related to cognitive and visuomotor
      integration for movement preparation--was systematically modulated with angle of
      rotation. Thus, we propose that the CNV represents an ERP correlate related to
      the cognitive and/or visuomotor transformation demands of increasing the angular
      separation between a stimulus and a movement goal.

PMID- 26477985
TI  - Inhibition of Drp1 by Mdivi-1 attenuates cerebral ischemic injury via inhibition
      of the mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway after cardiac arrest.
AB  - Mitochondrial fission is predominantly controlled by the activity of dynamin
      related protein1 (Drp1), which has been reported to be involved in mitochondria
      apoptosis pathways. However, the role of Drp1 in a rat model of cardiac arrest
      remains unknown. In this study, we found that activation of Drp1 in the
      mitochondria was increased after cardiac arrest and inhibition of Drp1 by 1.2
      mg/kg of mitochondrial division inhibitor-1 (Mdivi-1) administration after the
      restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) significantly protected against
      cerebral ischemic injury, shown by the increased 72-h survival rate and improved
      neurological function. Moreover, the increase of the vital neuron and the
      reduction of cytochrome c (CytC) release, apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF)
      translocation and caspase-3 activation in the brain indicate that this protection
      might result from the suppression of neuron apoptosis. Altogether, these results
      indicated that Drp1 is activated after cardiac arrest and the inhibition of Drp1
      is protective against cerebral ischemic injury in a rat of cardiac arrest model
      via inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.

PMID- 26477987
TI  - Statins Modulate Cyclooxygenase-2 and Microsomal Prostaglandin E Synthase-1 in
      Human Hepatic Myofibroblasts.
AB  - Statins have been shown to exert anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrogenic properties
      in the liver. In the present study, we explored the mechanisms underlying anti
      fibrogenic effects of statins in isolated hepatic myofibroblasts and focused on
      cyclooxyegnase-2, a major anti-proliferative pathway in these cells. We show that
      simvastatin and fluvastatin inhibit thymidine incorporation in hMF in a dose
      dependent manner. Pretreatment of cells with NS398, a COX-2 inhibitor, partially
      blunted this effect. cAMP levels, essential to the inhibition of hMF
      proliferation, were increased by statins and inhibited by non-steroidal anti
      inflammatory drugs. Since statins modify prenylation of some important proteins
      in gene expression, we investigated the targets involved using selective
      inhibitors of prenyltransferases. Inhibition of geranylgeranylation resulted in
      the induction of COX-2 and mPGES-1. Using gel retardation assays, we further
      demonstrated that statins potentially activated the NFkappaB and CRE/E-box
      binding for COX-2 promoter and the binding of GC-rich regions and GATA for mPGES
      1. Together these data demonstrate that statin limit hepatic myofibroblasts
      proliferation via a COX-2 and mPGES-1 dependent pathway. These data suggest that
      statin-dependent increase of prostaglandin in hMF contributes to its anti
      fibrogenic effect.

PMID- 26477988
TI  - Management of adrenocortical carcinoma.

PMID- 26477989
TI  - Fission yeast meets a legend in Kobe: report of the Eighth International Fission
      Yeast Meeting.
AB  - The Eighth International Fission Yeast Meeting, which was held at Ikuta Shrine
      Hall in Kobe, Japan, from 21 to 26 June 2015, was attended by 327 fission yeast
      researchers from 25 countries (190 overseas and 137 domestic participants). At
      this meeting, 124 talks were held and 145 posters were presented. In addition,
      newly developed database tools were introduced to the community during a
      workshop. Researchers shared cutting-edge knowledge across broad fields of study,
      ranging from molecules to evolution, derived from the superior model organism
      commonly used within the fission yeast community. Intensive discussions and
      constructive suggestions generated in this meeting will surely advance the
      understanding of complex biological systems in fission yeast, extending to
      general eukaryotes. 

PMID- 26477990
TI  - Kinetics and Mechanism of the Oxidation of Cyclic Methylsiloxanes by Hydroxyl
      Radical in the Gas Phase: An Experimental and Theoretical Study.
AB  - The ubiquitous presence of cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes (cVMS) in the global
      atmosphere has recently raised environmental concern. In order to assess the
      persistence and long-range transport potential of cVMS, their second-order rate
      constants (k) for reactions with hydroxyl radical ((*)OH) in the gas phase are
      needed. We experimentally and theoretically investigated the kinetics and
      mechanism of (*)OH oxidation of a series of cVMS, hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane
      (D3), octamethycyclotetrasiloxane (D4), and decamethycyclopentasiloxane (D5).
      Experimentally, we measured k values for D3, D4, and D5 with (*)OH in a gas-phase
      reaction chamber. The Arrhenius activation energies for these reactions in the
      temperature range from 313 to 353 K were small (-2.92 to 0.79 kcal.mol(-1)),
      indicating a weak temperature dependence. We also calculated the thermodynamic
      and kinetic behaviors for reactions at the M06-2X/6-311++G**//M06-2X/6-31+G**
      level of theory over a wider temperature range of 238-358 K that encompasses
      temperatures in the troposphere. The calculated Arrhenius activation energies
      range from -2.71 to -1.64 kcal.mol(-1), also exhibiting weak temperature
      dependence. The measured k values were approximately an order of magnitude higher
      than the theoretical values but have the same trend with increasing size of the
      siloxane ring. The calculated energy barriers for H-atom abstraction at different
      positions were similar, which provides theoretical support for extrapolating k
      for other cyclic siloxanes from the number of abstractable hydrogens. 

PMID- 26477991
TI  - Dr. Stanley Fahn's contributions to Movement Disorders.

PMID- 26477993
TI  - Marginal and internal analysis of preheated dental fissure-sealing materials
      using optical coherence tomography.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the influence of pre-photoactivation
      temperature on the marginal and internal integrity (occurrence of voids) of
      fissure-sealing materials on occlusal fissures using optical coherence tomography
      (OCT). METHODS: Occlusal fissures of 40 human third molars were sealed using a
      resin-based fissure sealant (Fluroshield) and a flowable composite (Permaflo)
      photoactivated at 68  degrees C (preheated) or at room temperature (25  degrees
      C) (n=10). After sealing, the teeth were subjected to thermocycling (500 cycles,
      5-55  degrees C) and 14 days of pH cycling (demineralisation for 6 hours/day and
      remineralisation for 18 hours/day). The occlusal surfaces were scanned in a
      buccolingual direction, and 20 tomographic images parallel to the long axis of
      each tooth were obtained. Images presenting marginal gaps and internal voids were
      counted and statistically analysed using analysis of variance and Tukey's test
      (P<0.05). RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences between
      materials and temperatures (P<0.01). The flowable composite had a lower
      percentage of gaps and internal voids than the resin-based sealant. Preheated
      materials had a lower percentage of gaps and internal voids than the materials at
      room temperature. CONCLUSION: Therefore, preheated flowable composite provided
      the best marginal sealing of fissures, and internal homogeneity of the material.

PMID- 26477992
TI  - Declines in violence and police arrest among female sex workers in Karnataka
      state, south India, following a comprehensive HIV prevention programme.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Female sex workers (FSWs) frequently experience violence,
      harassment and arrest by the police or their clients, but there is little
      evidence as to the impact that such factors may have on HIV risk or whether
      community interventions could mitigate this impact. METHODS: As part of the
      evaluation of the Avahan programme in Karnataka, serial integrated behavioural
      and biological assessment (IBBA) surveys (four districts) (2005 to 2011) and
      anonymous polling booth surveys (PBS) (16 districts) (2007 to 2011) were
      conducted with random samples of FSWs. Logistic regression analysis was used to
      assess 1) changes in reported violence and arrests over time and 2) associations
      between violence by non-partners and police arrest and HIV/STI risk and
      prevalence. Mediation analysis was used to identify mediating factors. RESULTS:
      5,792 FSWs participated in the IBBAs and 15,813 participated in the PBS. Over
      time, there were significant reductions in the percentages of FSWs reporting
      being raped in the past year (PBS) (30.0% in 2007, 10.0% in 2011, p<0.001), being
      arrested in the past year [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.57 (0.35, 0.93), p=0.025]
      and being beaten in the past six months by a non-partner (clients, police, pimps,
      strangers, rowdies) [AOR 0.69 (0.49, 0.95), p=0.024)] (IBBA). The proportion
      drinking alcohol (during the past week) also fell significantly (32.5% in 2005,
      24.9% in 2008, 16.8% in 2011; p<0.001). Violence by non-partners (being raped in
      the past year and/or beaten in the past six months) and being arrested in the
      past year were both strongly associated with HIV infection [AOR 1.59 (1.18,
      2.15), p=0.002; AOR 1.91 (1.17, 3.12), p=0.01, respectively]. They were also
      associated with drinking alcohol (during the past week) [AOR 1.98 (1.54, 2.53),
      p<0.001; AOR 2.79 (1.93, 4.04), p<0.001, respectively], reduced condom self
      efficacy with clients [AOR 0.36 (0.27, 0.47), p<0.001; AOR 0.62 (0.39, 0.98),
      p=0.039, respectively], symptomatic STI (during the past year) [AOR 2.62 (2.07,
      3.30), p<0.001; AOR 2.17 (1.51, 3.13), p<0.001, respectively], gonorrhoea
      infection [AOR 2.79 (1.51, 5.15), p=0.001; AOR 2.69 (0.96, 7.56), p=0.060,
      respectively] and syphilis infection [AOR 1.86 (1.04, 3.31), p=0.036; AOR 3.35
      (1.78, 6.28), p<0.001, respectively], but not with exposure to peer education,
      community mobilization or HIV testing uptake. Mediation analysis suggests that
      alcohol use and STIs may partially mediate the association between violence or
      arrests and HIV prevalence. DISCUSSION: Violence by non-partners and arrest are
      both strongly associated with HIV infection among FSWs. Large-scale,
      comprehensive HIV prevention programming can reduce violence, arrests and HIV/STI
      infection among FSWs.

PMID- 26477994
TI  - Salty Food Preference and Intake and Risk of Gastric Cancer: The JACC Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High sodium intake is a potential risk factor of gastric cancer.
      However, limited information is available on the relationship between salty food
      preference or intake and risk of gastric cancer. The aim of the present study was
      to determine the association between these variables among the Japanese
      population. METHODS: Between 1988 and 1990, 15,732 men and 24,997 women aged 40
      79 years old with no history of cancer or cardiovascular disease completed a
      lifestyle questionnaire that included information about food intake. The subjects
      were enrolled in the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study for Evaluation of
      Cancer Risk Sponsored by Monbusho. After a median follow-up of 14.3 years, 787
      incident gastric cancers were documented. We examined the associations between
      salty food preference and intake and gastric cancer incidence using the Cox
      proportional hazard model. RESULTS: The risk of gastric cancer among subjects
      with a strong preference for salty food was approximately 30% higher than among
      those who preferred normal-level salty food (hazard ratio [HR] 1.31; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.67). The risk of gastric cancer in subjects who
      consumed 3 and >= 4 bowls/day of miso soup was approximately 60% higher than in
      those who consumed less miso soup (HR 1.67; 95% CI, 1.16-2.39 and HR 1.64; 95%
      CI, 1.11-2.42, respectively). Sodium intake correlated positively and linearly
      with risk of gastric cancer (P for trend = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The present study
      showed that salty food preference, consumption of large quantities of miso soup,
      and high sodium intake were associated with increased risk of gastric cancer
      among Japanese people.

PMID- 26477995
TI  - Comparison of Prevalence- and Smoking Impact Ratio-Based Methods of Estimating
      Smoking-Attributable Fractions of Deaths.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Smoking is a major modifiable risk factor for premature mortality.
      Estimating the smoking-attributable burden is important for public health policy.
      Typically, prevalence- or smoking impact ratio (SIR)-based methods are used to
      derive estimates, but there is controversy over which method is more appropriate
      for country-specific estimates. We compared smoking-attributable fractions (SAFs)
      of deaths estimated by these two methods. METHODS: To estimate SAFs in 2012, we
      used several different prevalence-based approaches using no lag and 10- and 20
      year lags. For the SIR-based method, we obtained lung cancer mortality rates from
      the Korean Cancer Prevention Study (KCPS) and from the United States-based Cancer
      Prevention Study-II (CPS-II). The relative risks for the diseases associated with
      smoking were also obtained from these cohort studies. RESULTS: For males, SAFs
      obtained using KCPS-derived SIRs were similar to those obtained using prevalence
      based methods. For females, SAFs obtained using KCPS-derived SIRs were markedly
      greater than all prevalence-based SAFs. Differences in prevalence-based SAFs by
      time-lag period were minimal among males, but SAFs obtained using longer-lagged
      prevalence periods were significantly larger among females. SAFs obtained using
      CPS-II-based SIRs were lower than KCPS-based SAFs by >15 percentage points for
      most diseases, with the exceptions of lung cancer and chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease. CONCLUSIONS: SAFs obtained using prevalence- and SIR-based
      methods were similar for males. However, neither prevalence-based nor SIR-based
      methods resulted in precise SAFs among females. The characteristics of the study
      population should be carefully considered when choosing a method to estimate SAF.

PMID- 26477996
TI  - Concurrent Associations of Physical Activity and Screen-Based Sedentary Behavior
      on Obesity Among US Adolescents: A Latent Class Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Independent associations of physical activity (PA) and sedentary
      behavior (SB) with obesity are well documented. However, little is known about
      the combined associations of these behaviors with obesity in adolescents. The
      present study examines the prevalence of concurrent levels of PA and SB, and
      their associations with obesity among US adolescents. METHODS: Data from a total
      of 12 081 adolescents who participated in the Youth Risk Behaviors Survey during
      2012-2013 were analyzed. A latent class analysis was performed to identify latent
      subgroups with varying combined levels of subjectively measured PA and screen
      based SB. Follow-up analysis examined the changes in the likelihood of being
      obese as determined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Growth Chart
      between latent subgroups. RESULTS: Four latent subgroups with varying combined
      levels of PA and SB were identified across gender. The likelihood of being obese
      was significantly greater for the subgroups featuring either or both Low PA or
      High SB when compared with High PA/Low SB across genders (odds ratio [OR] ranges,
      2.1-2.7 for males and 9.6-23.5 for females). Low PA/High SB showed the greater
      likelihood of being obese compared to subgroups featuring either or both High PA
      and Low SB (OR ranges, 2.2-23.5) for female adolescents only. CONCLUSIONS: The
      findings imply that promoting sufficient levels of PA while reducing SB should be
      encouraged in order to reduce obesity risk among adolescents, particularly for
      males. The risk of obesity for female adolescents can be reduced by engaging in
      either high levels of PA or low levels of SB.

PMID- 26477997
TI  - Development of Dose-Response Models to Predict the Relationship for Human
      Toxoplasma gondii Infection Associated with Meat Consumption.
AB  - Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that is responsible for approximately
      24% of deaths attributed to foodborne pathogens in the United States. It is
      thought that a substantial portion of human T. gondii infections is acquired
      through the consumption of meats. The dose-response relationship for human
      exposures to T. gondii-infected meat is unknown because no human data are
      available. The goal of this study was to develop and validate dose-response
      models based on animal studies, and to compute scaling factors so that animal
      derived models can predict T. gondii infection in humans. Relevant studies in
      literature were collected and appropriate studies were selected based on animal
      species, stage, genotype of T. gondii, and route of infection. Data were pooled
      and fitted to four sigmoidal-shaped mathematical models, and model parameters
      were estimated using maximum likelihood estimation. Data from a mouse study were
      selected to develop the dose-response relationship. Exponential and beta-Poisson
      models, which predicted similar responses, were selected as reasonable dose
      response models based on their simplicity, biological plausibility, and goodness
      fit. A confidence interval of the parameter was determined by constructing 10,000
      bootstrap samples. Scaling factors were computed by matching the predicted
      infection cases with the epidemiological data. Mouse-derived models were
      validated against data for the dose-infection relationship in rats. A human dose
      response model was developed as P (d) = 1-exp (-0.0015 * 0.005 * d) or P (d) = 1
      (1 + d * 0.003 / 582.414)(-1.479) . Both models predict the human response after
      consuming T. gondii-infected meats, and provide an enhanced risk characterization
      in a quantitative microbial risk assessment model for this pathogen.

PMID- 26477998
TI  - Transcatheter Treatment of Thrombosis in the Single Ventricle Pathway: An
      Institutional Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Shunt or conduit thrombosis in a single ventricle circuit is a life
      threatening complication that requires prompt treatment to rapidly restore
      shunt/conduit patency. Transcatheter interventions represent an attractive
      alternative to systemic thrombolysis or open surgical procedures. We report our
      center's experience with catheter-based approaches in patients with palliated
      single ventricle who present with shunt/conduit thrombosis. METHODS: A
      retrospective review was performed of all patients with palliated single
      ventricle physiology who were diagnosed over a 5-year period with shunt/conduit
      thrombosis and received catheter-based interventions. Patients were followed up
      to hospital discharge. RESULTS: Thirteen patients were identified that were
      diagnosed with thrombosis of a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (five patients),
      bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt (one patient), and total cavopulmonary pathway
      (seven patients). Shunt/conduit thrombosis occurred both early and late after
      palliation surgery. Catheter-based interventions included balloon angioplasty
      (one patient), stent implantation (12 patients), and mechanical thrombectomy (one
      patient). Thrombophilia was identified in seven patients. Technical and clinical
      success with restoration of normal shunt flow and improvement in clinical status
      was achieved in 12 patients. Reversible procedure-related complications occurred
      in three patients with no significant sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience
      suggests that percutaneous catheter-based interventions are safe and effective in
      managing shunt/conduit thrombosis in infants and children with palliated single
      ventricle circulation.

PMID- 26477999
TI  - Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) expression is increased in acne patients'
      skin.

PMID- 26478000
TI  - Camellia sinensis Mediated Enhancement of Humoral Immunity to Particulate and Non
      particulate Antigens.
AB  - The most common drinking beverage in large portion of the world is Camellia
      sinensis (green tea). In the present study, we evaluated the adjuvant effect of
      green tea and tea polyphenols to particulate and non-particulate antigens. BALB/c
      mice were immunized with particulate and non-particulate antigens. Modulation of
      immunoglobulin-secreting splenocytes, IgG-mediated and IgM-mediated immunity, was
      evaluated by hemolytic plaque assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,
      respectively. Dose-dependent response of tea polyphenols was also assayed.
      Phenolic content was measured in crude preparations of green tea. We observed a
      stimulatory effect of green tea preparations on humoral immune response mediated
      by the increased number of antibody-secreted cells in spleen. A significant
      increase in IgM-mediated and IgG-mediated immune response to non-particulate
      antigen was also observed in green tea-treated animals. A dose-dependent adjuvant
      effect was seen in the case of tea polyphenols for a longer period of time
      compared with crude tea preparations. This study indicates polyphenols as major
      constituents responsible for the enhanced and sustained adjuvant activity of
      green tea. We suggest that tea polyphenols might be considered for real-life
      evaluation during adjuvant-mediated vaccination trial programs.

PMID- 26478001
TI  - Ligand Controlled Regiodivergent C1 Insertion on Arynes for Construction of
      Phenanthridinone and Acridone Alkaloids.
AB  - A palladium-catalyzed regiodivergent C1 insertion multicomponent reaction
      involving aryne, CO, and 2-iodoaniline is established to construct the scaffolds
      of phenanthridinone and acridone alkaloids. Regioselective control is achieved
      under the guidance of selective ligands. The phenanthridinones are solely
      obtained under ligand-free condition. In comparison, application of the electron
      abundant bidentate ligand dppm afforded the acridones with high efficiency. The
      release rate of the aryne from the precursor assists the regioselectivity of
      insertion as well, which was revealed through interval NMR tracking. A plausible
      mechanism was suggested based on the control experiments. Representative natural
      products and two types of natural product analogues were synthesized divergently
      through this tunable method. 

PMID- 26478002
TI  - VEGF: inflammatory paradoxes.

PMID- 26478003
TI  - The mitochondrial genome of Sinibotia robusta of pearl river (Cypriniformes:
      Cobitidae).
AB  - We present the complete mitochondrial genome of Sinibotia robusta in this study.
      The mitochondrial genome is 16 575 bp in length and consists of 13 protein-coding
      genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and a control region. The nucleotide
      compositions of the light strand are 31.9% A, 25.7% T, 26.9% C and 15.5% G.
      Except ND6 and eight tRNA genes, all other mitochondrial genes are encoded on the
      heavy strand. The genus most related to Botia Gray was Leptobotia Bleeker and
      Parabotia Sauvage, as revealed by phylogenetic relationships derived using a
      maximum likelihood tree. This mitogenome will help elucidate the morphological
      systematic complexity and phylogenetic structure of Cobitidae and related
      species.

PMID- 26478004
TI  - Selective Fluorescence Detection of Cysteine over Homocysteine and Glutathione
      Based on a Cysteine-Triggered Dual Michael Addition/Retro-aza-aldol Cascade
      Reaction.
AB  - In this work, a cysteine (Cys)-triggered dual Michael addition/retro-aza-aldol
      cascade reaction has been exploited and utilized to construct a fluorescent probe
      for Cys for the first time. The resulting fluorescent probe 8-alkynylBodipy 1
      contains an activated alkynyl unit as Michael receptor and a Bodipy dye as
      fluorescence reporter and can highly selectively detect Cys over homocysteine
      (Hcy)/glutathione (GSH) as well as other amino acids with a significant
      fluorescence off-on response (~4500-fold) and an ultralow detection limit (0.38
      nM). The high selectivity of 1 for Cys could be attributed to a kinetically
      favored five-membered cyclic intermediate produced by the dual Michael addition
      of Cys with the activated alkynyl unit of 1. The big fluorescence off-on response
      is due to the subsequent retro-aza-aldol reaction of the five-membered cyclic
      intermediate that results in the release of a highly fluorescent 8-methylBodipy
      dye 2. The probe has been successfully used to detect and image Cys in serum and
      cells, respectively. 

PMID- 26478005
TI  - Emerging role of P2X7 receptors in CNS health and disease.
AB  - Purinergic signalling in the brain is becoming an important focus in the study of
      CNS health and disease. Various purinergic receptors are found to be present in
      different brain cells in varying extent, which get activated upon binding of ATP
      or its analogues. Conventionally, ATP was considered only as a major metabolic
      fuel of the cell but its recognition as a neurotransmitter in early 1970s,
      brought meaningful insights in neuron glia crosstalk, participating in various
      physiological functions in the brain. P2X7R, a member of ligand gated purinergic
      receptor (P2X) family, is gaining attention in the field of neuroscience because
      of its emerging role in broad spectrum of ageing and age related neurological
      disorders. The aim of this review is to provide an overview about the structure
      and function of P2X7R highlighting its unique features which distinguish it from
      the other members of its family. This review critically analyzes the literature
      mentioning the details about the agonist and antagonist of the P2X7R. It also
      emphasizes the advancements in understanding the dual role of P2X7R in brain
      development and disorders inviting meaningful insights about its involvement in
      Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Neuropathic pain,
      Spinal Cord Injury and NeuroAIDS. Exploring the roles of P2X7R in detail is
      critical to identify its therapeutic potential in the treatment of acute and
      chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, this review also helps to raise
      more interest in the neurobiology of the purinergic receptors and thus providing
      new avenues for future research.

PMID- 26478007
TI  - Tryptase levels in children presenting with anaphylaxis: Temporal trends and
      associated factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of anaphylaxis currently relies on suggestive clinical
      history after exposure to a potential triggering factor because no reliable
      diagnostic marker is available to confirm the diagnosis. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to
      evaluate tryptase levels in children with anaphylaxis and to examine predictors
      of elevated tryptase level (defined as >=11.4 MUg/L during reaction and for those
      with a baseline level, defined as a reaction level of at least 2 ng/mL + 1.2 *
      [postreaction tryptase level]). METHODS: Children presenting with anaphylaxis to
      the Montreal Children's Hospital were recruited over a 4-year period. Symptoms,
      triggers, and management of anaphylaxis were documented. Levels during the
      reaction and approximately 9 months after the reaction were compared on the basis
      of paired means using the t distribution. Multivariate linear and logistic
      regressions were used to evaluate the association between tryptase levels and
      risk factors. RESULTS: Over a 4-year period, 203 children had serum tryptase
      levels measured. Among these, 39 children (19.2%; 95% CI, 14.1%-25.4%) had
      elevated levels. Only severe reactions were associated with reaction levels of
      11.4 MUg/L or more (odds ratio, 6.5; 95% CI, 2.2-19.0). Milk-induced anaphylaxis
      and severe reactions were more likely associated with increased tryptase levels
      (beta-adjusted, 4.0; 95% CI, 0.95-7.0, and 7.5; 95% CI, 4.8-10.3, respectively).
      Reaction levels exceeding the threshold level of 2 ng/mL + 1.2 * (postreaction
      tryptase level) detected most of the anaphylactic reactions, particularly if
      baseline levels were taken within 2 months of the reaction. CONCLUSIONS: Tryptase
      levels are particularly useful for the diagnosis of severe and/or milk-induced
      anaphylaxis. Assessing the difference between reaction and postreaction tryptase
      levels may improve diagnostic sensitivity.

PMID- 26478006
TI  - Chediak-Higashi syndrome: Lysosomal trafficking regulator domains regulate
      exocytosis of lytic granules but not cytokine secretion by natural killer cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mutations in lysosomal trafficking regulator (LYST) cause Chediak
      Higashi syndrome (CHS), a rare immunodeficiency with impaired cytotoxic
      lymphocyte function, mainly that of natural killer (NK) cells. Our understanding
      of NK cell function deficiency in patients with CHS and how LYST regulates lytic
      granule exocytosis is very limited. OBJECTIVE: We sought to delineate cellular
      defects associated with LYST mutations responsible for the impaired NK cell
      function seen in patients with CHS. METHODS: We analyzed NK cells from patients
      with CHS with missense mutations in the LYST ARM/HEAT (armadillo/huntingtin,
      elongation factor 3, protein phosphatase 2A, and the yeast kinase TOR1) or BEACH
      (beige and Chediak-Higashi) domains. RESULTS: NK cells from patients with CHS
      displayed severely reduced cytotoxicity. Mutations in the ARM/HEAT domain led to
      a reduced number of perforin-containing granules, which were significantly
      increased in size but able to polarize to the immunologic synapse; however, they
      were unable to properly fuse with the plasma membrane. Mutations in the BEACH
      domain resulted in formation of normal or slightly enlarged granules that had
      markedly impaired polarization to the IS but could be exocytosed on reaching the
      immunologic synapse. Perforin-containing granules in NK cells from patients with
      CHS did not acquire certain lysosomal markers (lysosome-associated membrane
      protein 1/2) but were positive for markers of transport vesicles (cation
      independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor), late endosomes (Ras-associated binding
      protein 27a), and, to some extent, early endosomes (early endosome antigen 1),
      indicating a lack of integrity in the endolysosomal compartments. NK cells from
      patients with CHS had normal cytokine compartments and cytokine secretion.
      CONCLUSION: LYST is involved in regulation of multiple aspects of NK cell lytic
      activity, ranging from governance of lytic granule size to control of their
      polarization and exocytosis, as well as regulation of endolysosomal compartment
      identity. LYST functions in the regulated exocytosis but not in the constitutive
      secretion pathway.

PMID- 26478009
TI  - Live and heat-treated probiotics differently modulate IL10 mRNA stabilization and
      microRNA expression.

PMID- 26478008
TI  - CD19 controls Toll-like receptor 9 responses in human B cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: CD19 is a B cell-specific molecule that serves as a major
      costimulatory molecule for amplifying B-cell receptor (BCR) responses. Biallelic
      CD19 gene mutations cause common variable immunodeficiency in human subjects. BCR
      and Toll-like receptor (TLR) 9-induced B-cell responses are impaired in most
      patients with common variable immunodeficiency. OBJECTIVE: We sought to analyze
      whether CD19 is required for TLR9 function in human B cells. METHODS: Expression
      of surface activation markers was assessed after anti-IgM or CpG stimulation by
      using flow cytometry on B cells from patients with 1 or 2 defective CD19 alleles,
      which decrease or abrogate CD19 expression, respectively. The phosphorylation or
      interaction of signaling molecules was analyzed by using phospho flow cytometry,
      immunoblotting, or co-immunoprecipitation in CD19-deficient or control B cells
      and in a B-cell line in which CD19 has been knocked down with lentivirus
      transduced short hairpin RNA. RESULTS: B cells from subjects with 1 or 2
      defective CD19 alleles showed defective upregulation in vitro of CD86,
      transmembrane activator and CAML interactor (TACI), and CD23 activation markers
      after TLR9 stimulation. TLR9 ligands normally induce phosphorylation of CD19
      through myeloid differentiation primary response gene-88 (MYD88)/proline-rich
      tyrosine kinase 2 (PYK2)/LYN complexes, which allows recruitment of
      phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and phosphorylation of Bruton tyrosine kinase
      (BTK) and AKT in human B cells with a different kinetic than that of BCRs. In
      addition, inhibition of PI3K, AKT, or BTK, as well as BTK deficiency, also
      resulted in TLR9 activation defects in B cells similar to those in patients with
      CD19 deficiency. CONCLUSION: CD19 is required for TLR9-induced B-cell activation.
      Hence CD19/PI3K/AKT/BTK is an essential axis integrating BCRs and TLR9 signaling
      in human B cells.

PMID- 26478010
TI  - Abatacept alleviates severe autoimmune symptoms in a patient carrying a de novo
      variant in CTLA-4.

PMID- 26478011
TI  - One size does not fit all: Monitoring faecal glucocorticoid metabolites in
      marsupials.
AB  - Marsupial research, conservation, and management can benefit greatly from
      knowledge about glucocorticoid (GC) secretion patterns because GCs influence
      numerous aspects of physiology and play a crucial role in regulating an animal's
      response to stressors. Faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) offer a non
      invasive tool for tracking changes in GCs over time. To date, there are
      relatively few validated assays for marsupials compared with other taxa, and
      those that have been published generally test only one assay. However, different
      assays can yield very different signals of adrenal activity. The goal of this
      study was to compare the performance of five different enzyme immunoassays (EIAs)
      for monitoring adrenocortical activity via FGM in 13 marsupial species. We
      monitored FGM response to two types of events: biological stressors (e.g.,
      transport, novel environment) and pharmacological stimulation (ACTH injection).
      For each individual animal and assay, FGM peaks were identified using the
      iterative baseline approach. Performance of the EIAs for each species was
      evaluated by determining (1) the percent of individuals with a detectable peak
      0.125-4.5days post-event, and (2) the biological sensitivity of the assay as
      measured by strength of the post-event response relative to baseline variability
      (Z-score). Assays were defined as successful if they detected a peak in at least
      50% of the individuals and the mean species response had a Z?2. By this
      criterion, at least one assay was successful in 10 of the 13 species, but the
      best-performing assay varied among species, even those species that were closely
      related. Furthermore, the ability to confidently assess assay performance was
      influenced by the experimental protocols used. We discuss the implications of our
      findings for biological validation studies.

PMID- 26478012
TI  - Thyroid development in zebrafish lacking Taz.
AB  - Taz is a signal-responsive transcriptional coregulator implicated in several
      biological functions, from chondrogenesis to regulation of organ size. Less well
      studied, however, is its role in thyroid formation. Here, we explored the in vivo
      effects on thyroid development of morpholino (MO)-mediated knockdown of wwtr1,
      the gene encoding zebrafish Taz. The wwtr1 gene is expressed in the thyroid
      primordium and pharyngeal tissue of developing zebrafish. Compared to mammalian
      cells, in which Taz promotes expression of thyroid transcription factors and
      thyroid differentiation genes, wwtr1 MO injection in zebrafish had little or no
      effect on the expression of thyroid transcription factors, and differentially
      altered the expression of thyroid differentiation genes. Analysis of wwtr1
      morphants at later stages of development revealed that the number and the lumen
      of thyroid follicles, and the number of thyroid follicle cells, were
      significantly smaller. In addition, Taz-depleted larvae displayed patterning
      defects in ventral cranial vessels that correlate with lateral displacement of
      thyroid follicles. These findings indicate that the zebrafish Taz protein is
      needed for the normal differentiation of the thyroid and are the first to suggest
      that Taz confers growth advantage to the endocrine gland. 

PMID- 26478014
TI  - siRNA-lipid nanoparticles with long-term storage stability facilitate potent gene
      silencing in vivo.
AB  - Considerable efforts have been directed towards discovering and developing
      delivery vehicles for RNA therapeutics. While most studies emphasize the efficacy
      and safety of these delivery vehicles, few reports conduct a comprehensive
      assessment of their storage stability, a critical property for practical
      applications. Here, we report a potent and safe lipid nanoparticle with long-term
      storage stability. Through chemical synthesis and screening of cationic lipids, a
      formulation has been identified that enables potent knockdown of hepatocyte
      proteins in mice upon intravenous administration (siRNA ED50 ~0.02 mg/kg).
      Toxicity studies revealed that a dose of 2mg/kg was well tolerated in rats, the
      most sensitive rodent model. We identified that a cyclic chemical structure in
      cationic lipids improved particle stability. The nanoparticles showed over 1.5
      year storage stability as a liquid, with over 90% siRNA encapsulation without any
      changes in particle size. This novel delivery material has promising potential as
      a drug product that could bring RNA therapeutics to the treatment of liver
      related disorders.

PMID- 26478013
TI  - Minimizing biases associated with tracking analysis of submicron particles in
      heterogeneous biological fluids.
AB  - Tracking the dynamic motion of individual nanoparticles or viruses offers
      quantitative insights into their real-time behavior and fate in different
      biological environments. Indeed, particle tracking is a powerful tool that has
      facilitated the development of drug carriers with enhanced penetration of mucus,
      brain tissues and other extracellular matrices. Nevertheless, heterogeneity is a
      hallmark of nanoparticle diffusion in such complex environments: identical
      particles can exhibit strongly hindered or unobstructed diffusion within microns
      of each other. The common practice in 2D particle tracking, namely analyzing all
      trackable particle traces with equal weighting, naturally biases towards rapidly
      diffusing sub-populations at shorter time scales. This in turn results in
      misrepresentation of particle behavior and a systematic underestimate of the time
      necessary for a population of nanoparticles to diffuse specific distances. We
      show here via both computational simulation and experimental data that this bias
      can be rigorously corrected by weighing the contribution by each particle trace
      on a 'frame-by-frame' basis. We believe this methodology presents an important
      step towards objective and accurate assessment of the heterogeneous transport
      behavior of submicron drug carriers and pathogens in biological environments. 

PMID- 26478015
TI  - Heparin desulfation modulates VEGF release and angiogenesis in diabetic wounds.
AB  - While vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been shown to be one of the
      key players in wound healing by promoting angiogenesis current clinical
      applications of this growth factor to the wound environment are poorly controlled
      and not sustainable. Hydrogels made of sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAG) allow
      for the sustained release of growth factors since GAGs engage in electrostatic
      complexation of biomolecules. In here, we explore a set of hydrogels formed of
      selectively desulfated heparin derivatives and star-shaped poly(ethylene glycol)
      with respect to VEGF binding and release and anticoagulant activity. As a proof
      of concept, supportive effects on migration and tube formation of human umbilical
      vein endothelial cells were studied in vitro and the promotion of wound healing
      was followed in genetically diabetic (db/db) mice. Our data demonstrate that the
      release of VEGF from the hydrogels is modulated in dependence on the GAG
      sulfation pattern. Hydrogels with low sulfate content (11% of initial heparin)
      were found to be superior in efficacy of VEGF administration, low anticoagulant
      activity and promotion of angiogenesis.

PMID- 26478016
TI  - Drug delivery into microneedle-porated nails from nanoparticle reservoirs.
AB  - This study demonstrates the potential of polymeric nanoparticles as drug
      reservoirs for sustained topical drug delivery into microneedle-treated human
      nail. Laser scanning confocal microscopy was used to image the delivery of a
      fluorescent model compound from nanoparticles into the nail. A label-free imaging
      technique, stimulated Raman scattering microscopy, was applied, in conjunction
      with two-photon fluorescence imaging, to probe the disposition of nanoparticles
      and an associated lipophilic 'active' in a microneedle-porated nail. The results
      provide clear evidence that the nanoparticles function as immobile reservoirs,
      sequestered on the nail surface and in the microneedle-generated pores, from
      which the active payload can be released and diffuse laterally into the nail over
      an extended period of time. 

PMID- 26478017
TI  - Amifostine-conjugated pH-sensitive calcium phosphate-covered magnetic-amphiphilic
      gelatin nanoparticles for controlled intracellular dual drug release for dual
      targeting in HER-2-overexpressing breast cancer.
AB  - We developed a surfactant-free method utilizing amifostine to stably link a
      targeting ligand (Herceptin) to amphiphilic gelatin (AG)-iron oxide@calcium
      phosphate (CaP) nanoparticles with hydrophobic curcumin (CUR) and hydrophilic
      doxorubicin (DOX) encapsulated in the AG core and CaP shell (AGIO@CaP-CD),
      respectively. This multi-functional nanoparticle system has a pH-sensitive CaP
      shell and degradable amphiphilic gelatin (AG) core, which enables controllable
      sequential release of the two drugs. The dual-targeting system of AGIO@CaP-CD
      (HER-AGIO@CaP-CD) with a bioligand and magnetic targeting resulted in
      significantly elevated cellular uptake in HER2-overexpressing SKBr3 cells and
      more efficacious therapy than delivery of targeting ligand alone due to the
      synergistic cell multi-drug resistance/apoptosis-inducing effect of the CUR and
      DOX combination. This nanoparticle combined with Herceptin and iron oxide
      nanoparticles not only provided a dual-targeting functionality, but also
      encapsulated CUR and DOX as a dual-drug delivery system for the combination
      therapy. This study further demonstrated that the therapeutic efficacy of this
      dual-targeting co-delivery system can be improved by modifying the application
      duration of magnetic targeting, which makes this combination therapy system a
      powerful new tool for in vitro/in vivo cancer therapy, especially for HER2
      positive cancers. 

PMID- 26478041
TI  - Re: Should Prophylactic Anti-Incontinence Procedures be Performed at the Time of
      Prolapse Repair? Systematic Review.

PMID- 26478018
TI  - Mucoadhesive microparticles with a nanostructured surface for enhanced
      bioavailability of glaucoma drug.
AB  - Topical drug administration to the eye is limited by low drug bioavailability due
      to its rapid clearance from the preocular surface. Thus, multiple daily
      administrations are often needed, but patient compliance is low, hence a high
      chance of unsatisfactory treatment of ocular diseases. To resolve this, we
      propose mucoadhesive microparticles with a nanostructured surface as potential
      carriers for delivery of brimonidine, an ocular drug for glaucoma treatment. For
      sustained drug delivery, the microparticles were composed mainly of a diffusion
      wall material, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and a mucoadhesive polymer,
      polyethylene glycol, was used as an additive. Due to their nanostructured
      surface, the microparticles with a mucoadhesive material exhibited a 13-fold
      increase in specific surface area and could thus adhere better to the mucous
      layer on the eye, as compared with the conventional spherical microparticles.
      When loaded with brimonidine, the mucoadhesive microparticles with a
      nanostructured surface increased both drug bioavailability and its activity
      period by a factor of more than 2 over Alphagan P, a marketed eye drop of
      brimonidine. 

PMID- 26478089
TI  - Quantum-secure covert communication on bosonic channels.
AB  - Computational encryption, information-theoretic secrecy and quantum cryptography
      offer progressively stronger security against unauthorized decoding of messages
      contained in communication transmissions. However, these approaches do not ensure
      stealth--that the mere presence of message-bearing transmissions be undetectable.
      We characterize the ultimate limit of how much data can be reliably and covertly
      communicated over the lossy thermal-noise bosonic channel (which models various
      practical communication channels). We show that whenever there is some channel
      noise that cannot in principle be controlled by an otherwise arbitrarily powerful
      adversary--for example, thermal noise from blackbody radiation--the number of
      reliably transmissible covert bits is at most proportional to the square root of
      the number of orthogonal modes (the time-bandwidth product) available in the
      transmission interval. We demonstrate this in a proof-of-principle experiment.
      Our result paves the way to realizing communications that are kept covert from an
      all-powerful quantum adversary.

PMID- 26478088
TI  - Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, a high-energy intermediate of glycolysis, attenuates
      experimental arthritis by activating anti-inflammatory adenosinergic pathway.
AB  - Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) is an endogenous intermediate of the glycolytic
      pathway. Exogenous administration of FBP has been shown to exert protective
      effects in a variety of ischemic injury models, which are attributed to its
      ability to sustain glycolysis and increase ATP production. Here, we demonstrated
      that a single treatment with FBP markedly attenuated arthritis, assessed by
      reduction of articular hyperalgesia, joint swelling, neutrophil infiltration and
      production of inflammatory cytokines, TNF and IL-6, while enhancing IL-10
      production in two mouse models of arthritis. Our mechanistic studies showed that
      FBP reduces joint inflammation through the systemic generation of extracellular
      adenosine and subsequent activation of adenosine receptor A2a (A2aR). Moreover,
      we showed that FBP-induced adenosine generation requires hydrolysis of
      extracellular ATP through the activity of the ectonucleosides triphosphate
      diphosphohydrolase-1 (ENTPD1, also known as CD39) and ecto-5'-nucleotidase (E5NT,
      also known as CD73). In accordance, inhibition of CD39 and CD73 abolished anti
      arthritic effects of FBP. Taken together, our findings provide a new insight into
      the molecular mechanism underlying the anti-inflammatory effect of FBP, showing
      that it effectively attenuates experimental arthritis by activating the anti
      inflammatory adenosinergic pathway. Therefore, FBP may represent a new
      therapeutic strategy for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). 

PMID- 26478090
TI  - Folding thermodynamics of c-Myb DNA-binding domain in correlation with its alpha
      helical contents.
AB  - The conformational and thermal stabilities of the minimum functional unit for c
      Myb DNA-binding domain, tandem repeat 2 and 3 (R2R3), were analyzed under
      different pH conditions, ranging from 4.0 to 7.5, using circular dichroism and
      differential scanning calorimetry. Secondary structure analysis showed that the
      solution pH largely affects the conformational stability of the protein domain.
      Of all conditions analyzed, the alpha-helical content was maximal at pH 6.5, and
      the thermal stability was highest at pH 5.0. Thermodynamic parameters for thermal
      unfolding of R2R3 were determined using differential scanning calorimetry, and
      the origin of folding thermodynamics at the different pHs and its correlation
      with the alpha-helical content were further analyzed. It should be noted that the
      alpha-helical content correlates well with the enthalpy change in the pH range
      from 4.5 to 7.5, suggesting that the strength of hydrogen bonds and salt bridges
      needed for maintenance of helical structure is related to enthalpy in the native
      state. Under physiological pH conditions, c-Myb R2R3 exists in the enthalpically
      unstable but entropically stable state. Due to loss of rigid structure and high
      stability, the protein can now obtain structural flexibility, befitting its
      function. 

PMID- 26478091
TI  - Rapana thomasiana hemocyanin modified with ionic liquids with enhanced anti
      breast cancer activity.
AB  - This is the first study on the surface modification of a hemocyanin from marine
      snail Rapana thomasiana (RtH) with series of imidazolium-based amino acid ionic
      liquids [emim][AA]. We monitored the induced by [emim][AA] conformational changes
      in RtH molecule and evaluated the effect of these ionic liquids (ILs) on the
      protein thermal stability. The cytotoxicity of all obtained RtH-[emim][AA]
      complexes was assessed toward breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and murine fibroblasts
      (3T3). As a whole, even small amounts of the tested ILs altered the secondary
      structure of RtH. The thermal denaturation of RtH in presence of [emim][AA]
      displayed multi-component transitions, which were shifted toward lower
      temperatures in comparison to those estimated for the native RtH. The profiles of
      the RtH-IL calorimetric curves show a clear dependence on the structure of the
      added salts. In addition, all RtH-[emim][AA] complexes exhibited an enhanced
      antiprofilerative activity of toward MCF-7 cells in comparison to that of the
      native RtH. The best results are observed for RtH-[emim][Leu], RtH-[emim][Trp] or
      RtH-[emim][Ile], which applied in concentration of 700 MUg/mL inhibited the MCF-7
      cell viability (for 24h) by 66, 63 and 53%, respectively. In addition, these IL
      RtH complexes were less cytotoxic to 3T3 cells, i.e. they exhibited some cell
      specificity.

PMID- 26478092
TI  - Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of polysaccharide alginate derived cationic
      surfactant-metal(II) complexes.
AB  - New natural polysaccharide carbohydrate derivatives of sodium alginate surfactant
      and its cobalt, copper and zinc complexes were synthesized. Structures of the
      synthesized compounds are reported using FTIR, (1)H NMR and UV-vis. The critical
      micelle concentration (CMC) value of the alginate surfactant and its metal
      complexes in aqueous solution was found out from surface tension measurements.
      Surface tension data at different temperatures served for the evaluation of the
      temperature-dependent CMC and the thermodynamics of micellization (DeltaGmic,
      DeltaHmic, DeltaSmic) and adsorption (DeltaGads, DeltaGads, DeltaSads). The
      surface activities of the synthesized polymeric surfactant and its metal
      complexes were influenced by their chemical structures and the type of the
      transition metals. These compounds were evaluated against Gram-positive bacteria
      (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus), Gram-negative bacteria
      (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and fungi (Candida albicans and
      Asperigllus niger). The antibacterial and antifungal screening tests of the
      alginate surfactant metal complexes have shown good results compared to its
      precursor alginate surfactant. 

PMID- 26478093
TI  - Assessment of structure, stability and aggregation of soluble lens proteins and
      alpha-crystallin upon non-enzymatic glycation: The pathomechanisms underlying
      cataract development in diabetic patients.
AB  - Total soluble lens proteins (TSPs) and alpha-crystallin (alpha-Cry) were
      individually subjected to the long-term glycation in the presence of d-glucose.
      The glycated and non-glycated protein counterparts were incubated under different
      stress conditions and compared according to their structure, stability and
      aggregation propensity by various spectroscopic techniques and gel mobility shift
      analyses. Extensive glycation of the lens proteins was accompanied with
      structural alteration, reduction in their surface hydrophobicity and increment of
      their surface tension. Our results suggest that glycation causes lens crystallins
      to partially resist against structural alteration and aggregation/fibrillation
      under both thermal and thermochemical systems. The conformational stability of
      lens crystallins was increased upon glycation, showing the reason behind
      resistance of glycated proteins against stress-induced structural alteration and
      aggregation. Due to the resistance of glycated lens crystallins against
      aggregation, the role of this modification in development of senile cataract can
      be explained with the associated damaging consequences highlighted in this
      article. 

PMID- 26478094
TI  - Identification and characterization of a cytotoxic polysaccharide from the flower
      of Abelmoschus manihot.
AB  - A low molecular weight polysaccharide was identified from the flower of
      Abelmoschus manihot (Linn.) Medicus, a popular herbal medicine also known as Flos
      A. manihot. The polysaccharide, AMPS-a, was obtained from the ethanol-extracted
      debris of Flos A. manihot by successive purification through DEAE-cellulose-52
      and Sephadex G-100 column. AMPS-a has an estimated molecular weight of
      8.8*10(3)Da and is mainly composed of beta-d-glucose, alpha-d-mannose, alpha-d
      galactose and alpha-l-fucose at a molar ratio of 1.00:0.91:2.14:1.09. The
      preliminary structural features were studied by hydrolysis-methylation analysis,
      GC-MS, FT-IR and (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. AMPS-a contains a backbone
      composed of repeating units of ->6)alpha-d-Galp-(1->6)alpha-d-Manp-(1->6)alpha-d
      Galp-(1-> with beta-d-Glcp (1->3)alpha-Fucp-(1-> branching at O-3 of mannose.
      AMPS-a exhibited potent inhibitory effects on the proliferation of hepatic (SMMC
      7721, HepG2) and gastric (MGC-803, MKN-45) cancer cells in vitro, and the sugar
      branches were indispensible for the cytotoxicity. Our work contributes to the
      first report of a novel cytotoxic polysaccharide from Flos A. manihot that may
      provide a potential source of anti-tumor agent.

PMID- 26478095
TI  - Estrogen Secreted by Mesenchymal Stem Cells Necessarily Determines Their
      Feasibility of Therapeutical Application.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells are therapeutically applicable and involved in the
      development of some types of diseases including estrogen (E2)-related ones.
      Little is known about E2 secretion by mesenchymal stem cells and its potential
      influence on their therapeutical applications. Our in vitro experiments showed
      that BMSCs cultured from C57BL/6J mice secreted E2 in a time-dependent manner. In
      vivo study identified a significantly increased E2 level in serum after a single
      administration of BMSCs, and a sustained elevation of E2 level upon a repetitive
      administration. Morris water maze test in the ovariectomised (OVX) mouse model
      revealed BMSCs transplantation ameliorated OVX-induced memory deficits by
      secreted E2. On the contrary, in endometriosis model, BMSCs transplantation
      aggravated endometriotic lesions because of E2 secretion. Mechanistically, the
      aromatase cytochrome P450 appeared to be critical for the biosynthesis and
      exerted effects of estrogen secretion by BMSCs. Our findings suggested that BMSCs
      transplantation is on the one hand an attractive option for the therapeutic
      treatment of diseases associated with E2 deficits in part through E2 secretion,
      on the other hand a detrimental factor for the E2-exasperated diseases largely
      via E2 production. It is important and necessary to monitor serum E2 level before
      and after the initiation of BMSCs therapy. 

PMID- 26478096
TI  - Correspondence Regarding the Consensus Statement from the Worldwide Network for
      Blood and Marrow Transplantation Standing Committee on Donor Issues.

PMID- 26478097
TI  - Liver fibrosis and Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI: A histopathologic correlation.
AB  - Gadolinium ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) is a
      hepatocyte-specific MRI contrast agent. Because the hepatic uptake of Gd-EOB-DTPA
      depends on the integrity of the hepatocyte mass, this uptake can be quantified to
      assess liver function. We report the relationship between the extent of Gd-EOB
      DTPA uptake and the degree of liver fibrosis. T1-weighted volume-interpolated
      breath-hold examination (VIBE) sequences with fat suppression were acquired
      before and 20 minutes after contrast injection. Strong correlations of the uptake
      characteristics of Gd-EOB-DTPA with the relative enhancement (RE) of the liver
      parenchyma and the grade of fibrosis/cirrhosis, classified using the Ishak
      scoring system, were observed. The subdivisions between the grades of liver
      fibrosis based on RE were highly significant for all combinations, and a ROC
      revealed sensitivities >=82% and specificities >=87% for all combinations. MR
      imaging is a satisfactorily sensitive method for the assessment of liver
      fibrosis/cirrhosis. 

PMID- 26478099
TI  - Medical screening in dental settings: a qualitative study of the views of
      authorities and organizations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The practice of identifying individuals with undiagnosed diabetes
      mellitus type II or undiagnosed hypertension by medical screening in dental
      settings has been received positively by both patients and dentistry
      professionals. This identification has also shown to be cost-effective by
      achieving savings and health benefits, but no investigation has been made of the
      attitudes of authorities and organizations. The aim of this study was to describe
      the views of authorities and organizations. RESULTS: Thirteen authorities and
      organizations were interviewed of the sample of 20 requested. Seven approached
      authorities and organizations did not believe it was relevant to participate in
      the study. The manifest analysis resulted in four categories: medical screening
      ought to be established in the society; dentistry must have relevant competence
      to perform medical screening; medical screening requires cooperation between
      dentistry and health care; and dentistry is not the only context where medical
      screening could be performed. The latent analysis resulted in an emerging theme:
      positive to, but uncertain about, the concept of medical screening in dental
      settings. The spokespersons for the approached authorities and organizations had
      a positive view of medical screening but the respondents experienced a lack of
      facts concerning the scientific communities' position, guidelines and procedures
      in the topic. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Approached authorities and
      organizations generally had a positive view of medical screening in dental
      settings but were uncertain about the concept. Further scientific knowledge and
      guidelines concerning the topic are needed before it can be commonly introduced
      and additional research on implementation strategies and long-term follow-up of
      medical screening are needed.

PMID- 26478100
TI  - Maintenance of Certification for Gastroenterologists.

PMID- 26478102
TI  - The economic impact of surgical care for morbidly obese endometrial cancer
      patients: a nationwide study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity significantly impacts the cost of cancer treatment, yet the
      impact of morbid obesity on inpatient hospital charges related to endometrial
      cancer treatment is not well-defined. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was
      to determine the charges that are associated with inpatient surgery,
      hospitalization, and postoperative care of morbidly obese patients with
      endometrial cancer. STUDY DESIGN: Data were obtained from the National Inpatient
      Sample from 2010. Chi-square test, t-test, and linear regression were used for
      statistical analyses. RESULTS: Six thousand five hundred sixty patients who
      underwent hysterectomy for endometrial cancer were identified. Mean age was 62
      years (range, 22-99 years). The majority were white (78%), and the remainder were
      black (10%), Hispanic, (8%), Asian (3%), and Native American (1%). Insurance
      types were private (45%), Medicare (45%), Medicaid (5%), and uninsured (7%). One
      thousand eighty-eight of these patients (17%) were coded as morbidly obese. The
      mean postoperative stay for the morbidly obese was 4.0 days (range, 0-46 days)
      compared with 3.5 days (range, 0-81 days) for the non-morbidly obese patients (P
      < .01). Morbidly obese patients required more intensive care with mechanical
      ventilation (5.5% vs 1.6%; P < .01). The median hospital charges were higher for
      morbidly obese patients compared with their counterparts ($46,654 vs $41,164; P <
      .01). After adjustment for charges that were associated with insurance type,
      hospital type, and the surgery that was performed, the incremental increase in
      hospital charges that were associated with treating the morbidly obese patient
      was $5096 per patient (95% confidence interval, $2593-$7598; P < .01).
      CONCLUSION: In this economic analysis, the health care charges that were
      associated with inpatient endometrial cancer treatment in the morbidly obese
      patient was significantly higher compared the non-morbidly obese patient.
      Resources are needed to support the needs of this population, and programs to
      encourage weight loss and optimize general health should be encouraged.

PMID- 26478103
TI  - Assessing first-stage labor progression and its relationship to complications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: New labor curves have challenged the traditional understanding of the
      general pattern of dilation and descent in labor. They also revealed wide
      variation in the time to advance in dilation. An interval of arrest such as 4
      hours did not fall beyond normal limits until dilation had reached 6 cm. Thus,
      the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists/Society for Maternal
      Fetal Medicine first-stage arrest criteria, based in part on these findings, are
      applicable only in late labor. The wide range of time to dilate is unavoidable
      because cervical dilation has neither a precise nor direct relationship to time.
      Newer statistical techniques (multifactorial models) can improve precision by
      incorporating several factors that are related directly to labor progress. At
      each examination, the calculations adapt to the mother's current labor
      conditions. They produce a quantitative assessment that is expressed in
      percentiles. Low percentiles indicate potentially problematic labor progression.
      OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between first
      stage labor progress- and labor-related complications with the use of 2 different
      assessment methods. The first method was based on arrest of dilation definitions.
      The other method used percentile rankings of dilation or station based on
      adaptive multifactorial models. STUDY DESIGN: We included all 4703 cephalic
      presenting, term, singleton births with electronic fetal monitoring and cord
      gases at 2 academic community referral hospitals in 2012 and 2013. We assessed
      electronic data for route of delivery, all dilation and station examinations,
      newborn infant status, electronic fetal monitoring tracings, and cord blood
      gases. The labor-related complication groups included 272 women with cesarean
      delivery for first-stage arrest, 558 with cesarean delivery for fetal heart rate
      concerns, 178 with obstetric hemorrhage, and 237 with neonatal depression, which
      left 3004 women in the spontaneous vaginal birth group. Receiver operating
      characteristic curves were constructed for each assessment method by measurement
      of the sensitivity for each complication vs the false-positive rate in the normal
      reference group. RESULTS: The duration of arrest at >=6 cm dilation showed poor
      levels of discrimination for the cesarean delivery interventions (area under the
      curve, 0.55-0.65; P < .01) and no significant relationship to hemorrhage or
      neonatal depression. The dilation and station percentiles showed high
      discrimination for the cesarean delivery-related outcomes (area under the curve,
      0.78-0.93; P < .01) and low discrimination for the clinical outcomes of
      hemorrhage and neonatal depression (area under the curve, 0.58-0.61; P < .01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Duration of arrest of dilation at >=6 cm showed little or no
      discrimination for any of the complications. In comparison, percentile rankings
      that were based on the adaptive multifactorial models showed much higher
      discrimination for cesarean delivery interventions and better, but low
      discrimination for hemorrhage. Adaptive multifactorial models present a different
      method to assess labor progress. Rather than "pass/fail" criteria that are
      applicable only to dilation in late labor, they produce percentile rankings,
      assess 2 essential processes for vaginal birth (dilation and descent), and can be
      applied from 3 cm onward. Given the limitations of labor-progress assessment
      based solely on the passage of time and because of the extreme variation in
      decision-making for cesarean delivery for labor disorders, the types of
      mathematic analyses that are described in this article are logical and promising
      steps to help standardize labor assessment.

PMID- 26478101
TI  - Maternal and fetal roles in bacterially induced preterm labor in the mouse.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relative roles of the mother and fetus in signaling for labor
      remain poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: We previously demonstrated using gene
      knockout (KO) mice that Escherichia coli-induced preterm delivery is completely
      dependent on MyD88, a toll-like receptor adaptor protein. Here we leveraged this
      finding to conduct a genetic experiment testing whether the mother, the fetus, or
      both signal for parturition in bacterially induced labor. STUDY DESIGN: Six
      different maternal/fetal genotype combinations for MyD88 were studied: wild-type
      (WT) dams carrying one of the following: (1) WT or (2) MyD88 heterozygous (het)
      fetuses (generated by mating WT females with WT or MyD88-knockout [KO] males,
      respectively); (3) WT dams carrying MyD88-KO fetuses (generated by replacing the
      ovaries of WT females with MyD88-KO ovaries, followed by mating with MyD88-KO
      males); a similar strategy was used to generate MyD88-KO dams carrying (4) MyD88
      KO, (5) MyD88 het, or (6) WT fetuses. On day 14.5 of gestation, mice received
      intrauterine injections of either 1 * 10(9) killed E coli or sterile medium.
      Delivery of >= 1 fetus within 48 hours was considered preterm. A separate group
      of similarly treated pregnant mice was euthanized 5 hours after surgery for gene
      expression and tissue analysis. RESULTS: E coli-induced preterm delivery is
      dependent on maternal and not fetal genotype: > 95% of WT and < 5% of MyD88-KO
      dams deliver prematurely, regardless of fetal genotype (P = .0001). In contrast,
      fetal survival in utero is influenced by fetal genotype: in MyD88-KO dams, in
      which premature birth rarely occurs, only 81% of WT and 86% of MyD88-heterozygous
      fetuses were alive 48 hours after surgery compared with 100% of MyD88-KO fetuses
      (P < .01). Messenger ribonucleic acids for the inflammatory mediators interleukin
      1beta, tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6, and cyclooxygenase-2 were elevated
      in uterine tissues only in WT mothers treated with E coli and were low or
      undetectable in the uteri of KO mothers or in animals treated with saline. Serum
      progesterone levels were lower in KO mothers with WT ovaries than in WT mothers
      with KO ovaries, but bacterial exposure did not have an impact on these levels.
      CONCLUSION: In the murine E coli-induced labor model, preterm delivery and
      uterine expression of inflammatory mediators is determined by the mother and not
      the fetus and is not attributable to a decline in serum progesterone.

PMID- 26478105
TI  - Triggers, bundles, protocols, and checklists--what every maternal care provider
      needs to know.
AB  - The rise in maternal morbidity and mortality has resulted in national and
      international attention at optimally organizing systems and teams for pregnancy
      care. Given that maternal morbidity and mortality can occur unpredictably in any
      obstetric setting, specialists in general obstetrics and gynecology along with
      other primary maternal care providers should be integrally involved in efforts to
      improve the safety of obstetric care delivery. Quality improvement initiatives
      remain vital to meeting this goal. The evidence-based utilization of triggers,
      bundles, protocols, and checklists can aid in timely diagnosis and treatment to
      prevent or limit the severity of morbidity as well as facilitate
      interdisciplinary, patient-centered care. The purpose of this document is to
      summarize the pertinent elements from this forum to assist primary maternal care
      providers in their utilization and implementation of these safety tools. 

PMID- 26478104
TI  - Effectiveness and short-term safety of modified sodium hyaluronic acid
      carboxymethylcellulose at cesarean delivery: a randomized trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rising cesarean birth rate has drawn attention to risks
      associated with repeat cesarean birth. Prevention of adhesions with adhesion
      barriers has been promoted as a way to decrease operative difficulty. However,
      robust data demonstrating effectiveness of such interventions are lacking.
      OBJECTIVE: We report data from a multicenter trial designed to evaluate the short
      term safety and effectiveness of a modified sodium hyaluronic acid (HA)
      carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) absorbable adhesion barrier for reduction of
      adhesions following cesarean delivery. STUDY DESIGN: Patients who underwent
      primary or repeat cesarean delivery were included in this multicenter, single
      blinded (patient), randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomized into
      either HA-CMC (N = 380) or no treatment (N = 373). No other modifications to
      their treatment were part of the protocol. Short-term safety data were collected
      following randomization. The location and density of adhesions (primary outcome)
      were assessed at their subsequent delivery using a validated tool, which can also
      be used to derive an adhesion score that ranges from 0-12. RESULTS: No
      differences in baseline characteristics, postoperative course, or incidence of
      complications between the groups following randomization were noted. Eighty
      patients from the HA-CMC group and 92 controls returned for subsequent
      deliveries. Adhesions in any location were reported in 75.6% of the HA-CMC group
      and 75.9% of the controls (P = .99). There was no significant difference in the
      median adhesion score; 2 (range 0-10) for the HA-CMC group vs 2 (range 0-8) for
      the control group (P = .65). One third of the HA-CMC patients met the definition
      for severe adhesions (adhesion score >4) compared to 15.5% in the control group
      (P = .052). There were no significant differences in the time from incision to
      delivery (P = .56). Uterine dehiscence in the next pregnancy was reported in 2
      patients in HA-CMC group vs 1 in the control group (P = .60). CONCLUSION:
      Although we did not identify any short-term safety concerns, HA-CMC adhesion
      barrier applied at cesarean delivery did not reduce adhesion formation at the
      subsequent cesarean delivery.

PMID- 26478106
TI  - Phase Transformation in Tantalum under Extreme Laser Deformation.
AB  - The structural and mechanical response of metals is intimately connected to phase
      transformations. For instance, the product of a phase transformation (martensite)
      is responsible for the extraordinary range of strength and toughness of steel,
      making it a versatile and important structural material. Although abundant in
      metals and alloys, the discovery of new phase transformations is not currently a
      common event and often requires a mix of experimentation, predictive
      computations, and luck. High-energy pulsed lasers enable the exploration of
      extreme pressures and temperatures, where such discoveries may lie. The formation
      of a hexagonal (omega) phase was observed in recovered monocrystalline body
      centered cubic tantalum of four crystallographic orientations subjected to an
      extreme regime of pressure, temperature, and strain-rate. This was accomplished
      using high-energy pulsed lasers. The omega phase and twinning were identified by
      transmission electron microscopy at 70 GPa (determined by a corresponding VISAR
      experiment). It is proposed that the shear stresses generated by the uniaxial
      strain state of shock compression play an essential role in the transformation.
      Molecular dynamics simulations show the transformation of small nodules from body
      centered cubic to a hexagonal close-packed structure under the same stress state
      (pressure and shear). 

PMID- 26478107
TI  - Salivary botulinum toxin injection may reduce aspiration pneumonia in
      neurologically impaired children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Neurologically impaired children often drool and aspirate saliva
      leading to recurrent aspiration pneumonia and frequent hospitalizations. Salivary
      botulinum toxin injection is known to reduce sialorrhea. This study evaluates
      whether this intervention affects the frequency and duration of respiratory
      infections including aspiration pneumonia and hospitalizations in neurologically
      impaired children. METHODS: Retrospective review of patients treated with
      salivary botulinum toxin at a tertiary care pediatric hospital from January 2009
      to December 2013. Each patient was their own control and 180 day pre-injection
      and post-injection time periods were compared. Outcomes evaluated included:
      number of hospital days, intensive care unit days, days of antibiotic treatment,
      chest X-rays, and infiltrates on chest X-ray. RESULTS: 13 patients accumulated
      539 hospital days. All children were gastrostomy tube dependent. 54% were
      tracheostomy tube dependent. Amongst all patients, the total hospital days
      decreased from 385 to 154 (P=0.02), the mean days treated with antibiotics
      decreased from 214 to 47 (P=0.02), and the number of chest X-ray confirmed
      infiltrates decreased from 20 to 6 (P=0.02) after injection. CONCLUSION: In this
      review, there was a decrease in hospitalized days, antibiotic usage, and chest X
      ray infiltrates after the salivary botulinum toxin injection. A prospective study
      is needed to evaluate whether this treatment can prevent aspiration pneumonia in
      neurologically impaired children.

PMID- 26478108
TI  - Adenoids and clinical symptoms: Epidemiology of a cohort of 795 pediatric
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Adenoid hypertrophy (AH) is very common in children and can cause
      airway obstruction. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the
      relationship between AH and other factors, including age, possible related
      symptoms, and allergies. METHODS: Seven hundred and ninety-five patients (460
      males, 335 females; mean age=5.9 years; range age: 1-14 years) were seen in an
      ENT clinic for nasal symptoms. Nasal endoscopy was performed with a pediatric
      flexible endoscope. One hundred and sixty-nine patients had documented allergy
      sensitization. Patients were divided into two groups according to their age:
      group 1 included children aged 1-7 years, and group 2 included subjects aged 8-14
      years. RESULTS: Adenoid size was related to age (p<0.0001). A logistic regression
      model - performed to evaluate adenoid grade considering, as dependent variables,
      age, sex, and the presence or absence of symptoms - was statistically significant
      (p<0.001). Moreover, AH was more common (p=0.0104) in patients with allergy
      sensitization, in particular in patients aged 8-14 years (p=0.0043). Nasal
      obstruction (OR=3.27) significantly predicted AH, whereas major age was not
      associated with pathological AH (OR=0.81). CONCLUSIONS: The present retrospective
      study described the relationship between AH and other demographic and clinical
      factors. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated a significant association among
      pathological AH, age, and nasal obstruction.

PMID- 26478109
TI  - Day-case adenotonsillectomy for sleep apnoea in children?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Many clinicians are concerned about possible airway or respiratory
      complications following adenotonsillectomy for sleep related breathing disorder
      (SRBD), and routinely admit such patients for overnight monitoring. However,
      published guidelines suggest this is unnecessary in some cases. This study
      firstly aimed to establish current UK practice, and secondly to investigate
      whether children with mild/moderate SRBD experience respiratory problems during
      the first post-operative night. METHODS: To establish current UK practice, we
      carried out a telephone survey asking if the procedure was carried out as a day
      case, and admission criteria. For the second aim, a prospective study of children
      admitted following adenotonsillectomy for mild/moderate SRBD was carried out to
      investigate occurrence of respiratory complications on first post-operative
      night. RESULTS: Forty-two UK ENT doctors responded to the telephone survey, 50%
      routinely admitted patients having adenotonsillectomy for SRBD. Discharge
      criteria included stable observations and eating and drinking (14 hospitals), no
      bleeding (1), stable oxygen saturations (1) and age above 5 years (1); four had
      no specific criteria. Of 51 children admitted following adenotonsillectomy for
      mild/moderate SRBD, 11 (21.6%) experienced oxygen desaturations overnight. Of
      these, nine were under 4 years old, and two older children had asthma.
      Irrespective of comorbidities, 9/27 (33.2%) children under 4 years old
      experienced desaturations. The only children aged more than 4 years that had
      desaturations were ones that had additional comorbidities. CONCLUSION: Half of
      surveyed doctors admit all children following surgery for SRBD. The number of
      admissions could be reduced, because same-day discharge for otherwise-healthy
      children over 4 years old having adenotonsillectomy for mild/moderate SRBD
      appears to be safe.

PMID- 26478116
TI  - Solid state p-type dye-sensitized solar cells: concept, experiment and mechanism.
AB  - Solid state p-type dye-sensitized solar cells (p-ssDSCs) have been proposed and
      fabricated for the first time, using the organic dye P1 as the sensitizer on
      mesoporous NiO and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as the electron
      conductor. The p-ssDSC has shown an impressive open circuit photovoltage of 620
      mV. Femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy has given
      evidence for sub-ps hole injection from the excited P1 to NiO, followed by
      electron transfer from P1(-) to PCBM.

PMID- 26478115
TI  - Dynamic assembly of a zinc-templated bifunctional organocatalyst in the presence
      of water for the asymmetric aldol reaction.
AB  - A bifunctional organocatalytic system consisting of simple pyridine ligands
      containing separate catalytic functionalities was assembled using ZnCl2. This
      novel metal-templated catalyst furnished high yields and stereoselectivities
      towards the aldol reaction. The addition of controlled amounts of water turned
      out to be crucial to dissolve the system and achieve optimal results.

PMID- 26478117
TI  - Discovery of rhenium and masurium (technetium) by Ida Noddack-Tacke and Walter
      Noddack. Forgotten heroes of nuclear medicine.
AB  - The history of the early identification of elements and their designation to the
      Mendeleev Table of the Elements was an important chapter in German science in
      which Ida (1896-1978) and Walter (1893-1960) Noddack played an important role in
      the first identification of rhenium (element 75, 1925) and technetium (element
      43, 1933). In 1934 Ida Noddack was also the first to predict fission of uranium
      into smaller atoms. Although the Noddacks did not for some time later receive the
      recognition for the first identification of technetium-99m, their efforts have
      appropriately more recently been recognized. The discoveries of these early
      pioneers are even more astounding in light of the limited technologies and
      resources which were available during this period. The Noddack discoveries of
      elements 43 and 75 are related to the subsequent use of rhenium-188 (beta/gamma
      emitter) and technetium-99m (gamma emitter) in nuclear medicine. In particular,
      the theranostic relationship between these two generator-derived radioisotopes
      has been demonstrated and offers new opportunities in the current era of
      personalized medicine. 

PMID- 26478118
TI  - The Anthropocene Speciation Hypothesis Remains Valid: Reply to Hulme et al.

PMID- 26478119
TI  - Metal-free methylation of a pyridine N-oxide C-H bond by using peroxides.
AB  - Metal-free methylation of a pyridine N-oxide C-H bond was developed using
      peroxide as a methyl reagent under neat conditions. Pyridine N-oxide derivatives
      with various groups (e.g., Cl, NO2, and OCH3) were all suitable substrates, and
      the desired products were obtained in moderate to excellent yields under standard
      conditions. Moreover, the methylation can be performed with a good yield on the
      gram-scale experiment. Tentative mechanistic studies show that the methylation is
      a classical radical process. 

PMID- 26478120
TI  - De facto methodologies toward the synthesis and scale-up production of UiO-66
      type metal-organic frameworks and membrane materials.
AB  - Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are architected via coordination bonds between
      inorganic metal nodes and organic ligands. They have become emerging advanced
      porous materials and gained ever-increasing attention in the past decade. In
      particular, overwhelming studies have been devoted to those hydrostable MOFs
      which are suggested to be highly promising for industrial applications. UiO-66 is
      such a unique MOF because of its superior thermal/chemical stability and
      structural tunability. However, its repeatable, green, and scale-up synthesis
      remains a challenge for its commercialization and implementation in industrial
      applications. This perspective mainly summarises the recent development in the
      synthesis of UiO-66-type MOFs and their related composites. From a scale-up
      viewpoint, we also present some important advances in the batch and continuous
      reactor synthesis toward their massive production (226 references). 

PMID- 26478121
TI  - Steady-state photoconductivity and multi-particle interactions in high-mobility
      organic semiconductors.
AB  - Fundamental understanding of photocarrier generation, transport and recombination
      under a steady-state photoexcitation has been an important goal of organic
      electronics and photonics, since these processes govern such electronic
      properties of organic semiconductors as, for instance, photoconductivity. Here,
      we discovered that photoconductivity of a highly ordered organic semiconductor
      rubrene exhibits several distinct regimes, in which photocurrent as a function of
      cw (continuous wave) excitation intensity is described by a power law with
      exponents sequentially taking values 1, 1/3 and 1/4. We show that in pristine
      crystals this photocurrent is generated at the very surface of the crystals,
      while the bulk photocurrent is drastically smaller and follows a different
      sequence of exponents, 1 and 1/2. We describe a simple experimental procedure,
      based on an application of "gauge effect" in high vacuum, that allows to
      disentangle the surface and bulk contributions to photoconductivity. A model
      based on singlet exciton fission, triplet fusion and triplet-charge quenching
      that can describe these non-trivial effects in photoconductivity of highly
      ordered organic semiconductors is proposed. Observation of these effects in
      photoconductivity and modeling of the underlying microscopic mechanisms described
      in this work represent a significant step forward in our understanding of
      electronic properties of organic semiconductors. 

PMID- 26478122
TI  - C.S. Greene continues his biased accusations.

PMID- 26478123
TI  - Osteolytic expansile lesion of the mandible in a 60-year-old male.

PMID- 26478124
TI  - Historical: early multi-component FT-PGSE NMR self-diffusion measurements-some
      personal reflections.

PMID- 26478125
TI  - A high energy output nanogenerator based on reduced graphene oxide.
AB  - In this paper, we report a novel graphene-based nanogenerator for high energy
      harvesting. Experimental and theoretical results revealed that the energy output
      mechanism is the joint action of the strain effect (band engineering) and the
      triboelectric effect of reduced graphene oxide. It was found that the current
      could be adjusted by experimental parameters, such as the electrolyte
      concentration and rotation rate. Furthermore, the voltage output could be
      amplified by series connection of the system. Compared with other nanogenerators,
      the present graphene-based nanogenerator provides advantages, such as simple
      assembly, flexibility and high structural stability. It is expected that this
      nanogenerator will be of potential application in active sensors and sustainable
      power sources. 

PMID- 26478126
TI  - Antioxidants Inhibit Formation of 3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol Esters in Model
      Reactions.
AB  - The capacities of six antioxidants to inhibit the formation of 3
      monochloropropane-1,2 diol (3-MCPD) esters were examined in this study.
      Inhibitory capacities of the antioxidants were investigated both in chemical
      models containing the precursors (tripalmitoyl glycerol, 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn
      glycerol, monopalmitoyl glycerol, and sodium chloride) of 3-MCPD esters and in
      oil models (rapeseed oil and sodium chloride). Six antioxidants, butylated
      hydroxytoluene (BHT), butylated hydroxy anisole (BHA), tert-butyl hydroquinone
      (TBHQ), propyl gallate (PG), L-ascorbyl palmitate (AP), and alpha-tocopherol
      (VE), were found to exhibit inhibiting capacities on 3-MCPD ester formation both
      in chemical models and in oil models. TBHQ provided the highest inhibitory
      capacity both in chemical models and in oil models; 44% of 3-MCPD ester formation
      was inhibited in the presence of TBHQ (66 mg/kg of oil) after heating of rapeseed
      oil at 230  degrees C for 30 min, followed by PG and AP. BHT, BHA, and VE
      appeared to have weaker inhibitory abilities in both models. VE exhibited the
      lowest inhibition rate; 22% of 3-MCPD esters were inhibited in the presence of VE
      (172 mg/kg of oil) after heating of rapeseed oil at 230  degrees C for 30 min. In
      addition, the inhibition rates of PG and VE decreased dramatically with an
      increase in temperature or heating time. The results suggested that some
      antioxidants, such as TBHQ, PG, and AP, could be the potential inhibitors of 3
      MCPD esters in practice.

PMID- 26478128
TI  - Are PrP(C)s involved in some human myelin diseases? Relating experimental studies
      to human pathology.
AB  - We have experimentally demonstrated that cobalamin (Cbl) deficiency increases
      normal cellular prion (PrP(C)) levels in rat spinal cord (SC) and cerebrospinal
      fluid (CSF), and decreases PrP(C)-mRNA levels in rat SC. Repeated
      intracerebroventricular administrations of anti-octapeptide repeat-PrP(C)-region
      antibodies to Cbl-deficient (Cbl-D) rats prevent SC myelin lesions, and the
      administrations of PrP(C)s to otherwise normal rats cause SC white matter lesions
      similar to those induced by Cbl deficiency. Cbl positively regulates SC PrP(C)
      synthesis in rat by stimulating the local synthesis of epidermal growth factor
      (EGF), which also induces the local synthesis of PrP(C)-mRNAs, and downregulating
      the local synthesis of tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-alpha, thus preventing local
      PrP(C) overproduction. We have clinically demonstrated that PrP(C) levels are
      increased in the CSF of patients with subacute combined degeneration (SCD),
      unchanged in the CSF of patients with Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis, and decreased in the CSF and SC of patients with multiple sclerosis
      (MS), regardless of its clinical course. We conclude that SCD (human and
      experimental) is a neurological disease due to excess PrP(C) without
      conformational change and aggregation, that the increase in PrP(C) levels in SCD
      and Cbl-D polyneuropathy and their decrease in MS CNS make them antipodian myelin
      diseases in terms of quantitative PrP(C) abnormalities, and that these
      abnormalities are related to myelin damage in the former, and impede myelin
      repair in the latter. 

PMID- 26478127
TI  - Hydrogen peroxide activates store-operated Ca(2+) entry in coronary arteries.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Abnormal Ca(2+) metabolism has been involved in the
      pathogenesis of vascular dysfunction associated with oxidative stress. Here, we
      have investigated the actions of H2 O2 on store-operated Ca(2+) (SOC) entry in
      coronary arteries and assessed whether it is impaired in arteries from a rat
      model of metabolic syndrome. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Simultaneous measurements of
      intracellular Ca(2+) concentration and contractile responses were made in
      coronary arteries from Wistar and obese Zucker rats, mounted in microvascular
      myographs, and the effects of H2 O2 were assessed. KEY RESULTS: H2 O2 raised
      intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations, accompanied by simultaneous vasoconstriction
      that was markedly reduced in a Ca(2+) -free medium. Upon Ca(2+) re-addition, a
      nifedipine-resistant sustained Ca(2+) entry, not coupled to contraction, was
      obtained in endothelium-denuded coronary arteries. The effect of H2 O2 on this
      voltage-independent Ca(2+) influx was concentration-dependent, and high
      micromolar H2 O2 concentrations were inhibitory and reduced SOC entry evoked by
      inhibition of the sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase (SERCA). H2 O2 -induced increases
      in Fura signals were mimicked by Ba(2+) and reduced by heparin, Gd(3+) ions and
      by Pyr6, a selective inhibitor of the Orai1-mediated Ca(2+) entry,. In coronary
      arteries from obese Zucker rats, intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization and SOC entry
      activated by acute exposure to H2 O2 were augmented and associated with local
      oxidative stress. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: H2 O2 exerted dual concentration
      dependent stimulatory/inhibitory effects on store-operated, IP3 receptor-mediated
      and Orai1-mediated Ca(2+) entry, not coupled to vasoconstriction in coronary
      vascular smooth muscle. SOC entry activated by H2 O2 was enhanced and associated
      with vascular oxidative stress in coronary arteries in metabolic syndrome.

PMID- 26478129
TI  - Spatial navigation in elderly healthy subjects, amnestic and non amnestic MCI
      patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered an early stage of
      cognitive impairment. Therefore, it is important to identify early cognitive
      markers of MCI conversion to dementia and topographical disorientation (TD) may
      help differentiate normal aging from MCI and prodromal Alzheimer's disease (AD).
      Our aim was to propose a new instrument in elderly healthy subjects and MCI
      patients of amnestic (aMCI) and non-amnestic (naMCI) type. METHOD: We observed 18
      healthy subjects and 18 MCI patients (9 aMCI and 9 naMCI). All participants were
      submitted to a neuropsychological battery and to a new experimental small-scale
      spatial navigation test reproducing an ideal city. RESULTS: a-MCI patients
      performed worse in learning a new route, in replacing landmarks in the city and
      in drawing a map of the city. Na-MCI patients' performance was not different from
      that observed in healthy subjects, except for a longer time span in Route Forward
      learning. MCI and healthy samples showed different correlations between
      experimental subtests and neuropsychological tests. CONCLUSIONS: Our task seems
      to be sensitive in pointing out differences in spatial abilities of MCI subtypes,
      especially with regard to the following subtests: learning a new route,
      retrieving a landmark's place and building a map of the environment. In
      comparison with more complex tests, these results allow us to consider the new
      tool as useful to evaluate spatial navigation in healthy elderly subjects and MCI
      patients.

PMID- 26478130
TI  - Sleep hygiene and its association with daytime sleepiness, depressive symptoms,
      and quality of life in patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the direct and indirect associations of sleep hygiene
      with daytime sleepiness, depressive symptoms, and quality of life (QoL), in newly
      diagnosed, untreated patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). METHODS:
      Data were collected from adults with mild OSA. The Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI),
      Sleep Problems Index-1 (SPI-1) of the Medical Outcomes Study-Sleep Scale, Epworth
      Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Medical Outcomes
      Study Short-Form Health survey (SF-36) were used to evaluate patients. To
      determine the indirect and direct associations between SHI and disease outcomes,
      the Sobel test and multiple linear regression analyses were used, respectively.
      When we evaluated the direct associations, we excluded 3 items of the original
      SHI which were more reflective of general health rather than sleep-specific
      habits and environments. RESULTS: In total, 260 patients with mild OSA
      participated in this study. The average age, AHI, and SHI scores were 49.1 years
      (SD 12.5), 9.3/h (SD 2.9), and 24.7 (SD 6.0), respectively. Here, >= 10% of
      participants indicated poor sleep hygiene behaviors on 7 of 13 items. Young age
      and men were associated with higher SHI scores (both p<0.01). The 13-item SHI
      scores were indirectly related to ESS, BDI, and SF-36 scores via SPI-1 (all
      p<0.05). The 10-item SHI scores were related to ESS (p=0.049) and SF-36
      (p=0.001), but not to BDI, independently of SPI-1 or other confounding factors in
      mild OSA patients. Age, sex, AHI, and body mass index were not related to ESS,
      BDI, or total SF-36 scores. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep hygiene is indirectly related to
      daytime sleepiness, depressive symptoms, QoL via sleep quality and also related
      to daytime sleepiness and QoL independent of sleep quality in mild OSA patients.

PMID- 26478131
TI  - Usefulness of arterial spin-labeling images in periictal state diagnosis of
      epilepsy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Arterial spin-labeling (ASL) perfusion MRI, a noninvasive method of
      assessing cerebral blood flow, is becoming a diagnostic tool of epilepsy. This
      study was undertaken to evaluate the diagnostic validity of ASL in patients with
      status epilepticus (SE) in a periictal state. METHOD: Twenty cases with SE were
      studied. Patients were imaged at a 3T MRI including ASL and diffusion-weighted
      imaging (DWI), and were also examined using electroencephalography (EEG). The
      abnormal findings of ASL were compared with those obtained from DWI and EEG.
      RESULT: Focal hyperperfusion was found in the cortical territory of 13 cases
      (65%). In 10 of those 13 cases, the ASL hyperperfusion region corresponded to DWI
      high intensity and EEG abnormality. Two cases showed hyperperfusion corresponding
      to EEG abnormalities in ASL despite the absence of high intensity in DWI. The
      remaining single case showed hyperperfusion in ASL despite the absence of high
      intensity in DWI and EEG abnormalities. Hyperperfusion in the subcortical
      territory was observed in the ipsilateral thalamus in three cases and in the
      contralateral cerebellum in one case. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that ASL is
      a useful tool to diagnose status epilepticus and localization of the epilepsy
      focus.

PMID- 26478132
TI  - Amnestic syndrome of the subcallosal artery with additional penetrating vessel
      involvement.

PMID- 26478133
TI  - The role of surgery in grade II/III oligodendroglial tumors.
AB  - Supratentorial gliomas WHO grade II and III with an oligodendroglial phenotype
      are highly infiltrative lesions that preferentially originate in lobar location.
      Open tumor resection represents one of the mainstays of management as beneficial
      decompressive effects for large space-occupying lesions and oncologically
      relevant cytoreductive effects from complete resection can be expected. In
      patients not eligible for safe tumor resection meticulous histological and
      molecular-genetic evaluation can be obtained from advanced stereotactic biopsy
      techniques. In this perspective, important aspects of open tumor surgery and
      stereotactic biopsy are discussed within the context of diagnosis, prognosis and
      treatment of oligodendrogliomas and oligoastrocytomas WHO grade II and III.
      Practical considerations are provided in order to integrate the place of surgery
      into an increasingly personalized management concept. For highly selected
      patients interstitial brachytherapy is introduced as an alternative surgically
      performed treatment option. 

PMID- 26478134
TI  - Cue-reactivity in experienced electronic cigarette users: Novel stimulus videos
      and a pilot fMRI study.
AB  - Some individuals who try electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) continue to use
      long-term. Previous research has investigated the safety of e-cigarettes and
      their potential for use in smoking cessation, but comparatively little research
      has explored chronic or habitual e-cigarette use. In particular, the relationship
      between e-cigarette cues and craving is unknown. We sought to bridge this gap by
      developing a novel set of e-cigarette (salient) and electronic toothbrush
      (neutral) videos for use in cue-reactivity paradigms. Additionally, we
      demonstrate the utility of this approach in a pilot fMRI study of 7 experienced e
      cigarette users. Participants were scanned while viewing the cue videos before
      and after 10min use of their own e-cigarettes (producing an 11.7ng/ml increase in
      plasma nicotine concentration). A significant session (pre- and post-use) by
      video type (salient and neutral) interaction was exhibited in many sensorimotor
      areas commonly activated in other cue-reactivity paradigms. We did not detect
      significant cue-related activity in other brain regions notable in the craving
      literature. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed, including the
      importance of matching cue stimuli to participants' experiences.

PMID- 26478135
TI  - Survival Time of Cross-Match Incompatible Red Blood Cells in Adult Horses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a markedly reduced half-life of transfused RBCs when donor
      and recipient cats or humans are cross-match incompatible. Only 10-20% of horses
      have naturally occurring alloantibodies. Therefore, cross-match testing before
      blood transfusion is not always performed. HYPOTHESIS: Cross-match
      incompatibility predicts shortened RBC survival time as compared to that of
      compatible or autologous blood. ANIMALS: Twenty healthy adult horses. METHODS:
      Prospective trial. Blood type, anti-RBC antibody screen (before and 1 month after
      transfusion) and major and minor cross-match determined 10 donor-recipient pairs.
      Two pairs were cross-match compatible, the remainder incompatible. Donor blood (4
      L) was collected into citrate phosphate dextrose adenine-1, labeled with NHS
      biotin, and transfused into recipients. Samples were collected at 1 hour and 1,
      2, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days after transfusion, and biotinylated RBCs were
      detected by flow cytometry. Horses were monitored for transfusion reaction during
      transfusion and daily for 5 days. RESULTS: Cross-match incompatibility was
      significantly associated with decreased RBC survival time (P < .001). The half
      life of transfused incompatible (cross-match >1+) allogenic equine RBCs was 4.7
      (95% CI, 3.2-6.2) days versus 33.5 (24-43) days for compatible pairings. Cross
      match incompatibility was associated with acute febrile transfusion reaction (P =
      .0083). At day 30, only 1 horse had developed novel anti-RBC antibodies.
      CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Cross-match incompatibility was predictive
      of febrile transfusion reaction and shortened transfused RBC survival, but did
      not result in production of anti-RBC antibodies at 30 days. Cross-match testing
      before transfusion is recommended.

PMID- 26478137
TI  - Ligand Design Virtual Issue.

PMID- 26478136
TI  - Quantification of Osteon Morphology Using Geometric Histomorphometrics.
AB  - Many histological methods in forensic anthropology utilize combinations of
      traditional histomorphometric parameters which may not accurately describe the
      morphology of microstructural features. Here, we report the novel application of
      a geometric morphometric method suitable when considering structures without
      anatomically homologous landmarks for the quantification of complete secondary
      osteon size and morphology. The method is tested for its suitability in the
      measurement of intact secondary osteons using osteons digitized from transverse
      femoral diaphyseal sections prepared from two human individuals. The results of
      methodological testing demonstrate the efficacy of the technique when applied to
      intact secondary osteons. In providing accurate characterization of
      micromorphology within the robust mathematical framework of geometric
      morphometrics, this method may surpass traditional histomorphometric variables
      currently employed in forensic research and practice. A preliminary study of the
      intersectional histomorphometric variation within the femoral diaphysis is made
      using this geometric histomorphometric method to demonstrate its potential. 

PMID- 26478138
TI  - Lithic Technological Approaches to the African Late Pleistocene Later Stone Age.

PMID- 26478139
TI  - How did bonobos come to range south of the congo river? Reconsideration of the
      divergence of Pan paniscus from other Pan populations.
AB  - While investigating the genetic structure in wild bonobos,(1) we realized that
      the widely accepted scenario positing that the Pleistocene appearance of the
      Congo River separated the common ancestor of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and
      bonobos (P. paniscus) into two species is not supported by recent geographical
      knowledge about the formation of the Congo River. We explored the origin of
      bonobos using a broader biogeographical perspective by examining local faunas in
      the central African region. The submarine Congo River sediments and
      paleotopography of central Africa show that the Congo River has functioned as a
      geographical barrier for the last 34 million years. This evidence allows us to
      hypothesize that when the river was first formed, the ancestor of bonobos did not
      inhabit the current range of the species on the left bank of the Congo River but
      that, during rare times when the Congo River discharge decreased during the
      Pleistocene, one or more founder populations of ancestral Pan paniscus crossed
      the river to its left bank. The proposed scenario for formation of the Congo
      River and the corridor hypothesis for an ancestral bonobo population is key to
      understanding the distribution of great apes and their evolution. 

PMID- 26478141
TI  - How to do a jejunal interposition reconstruction in pancreas-sparing segmental
      duodenectomy.

PMID- 26478140
TI  - Early hominin biogeography in Island Southeast Asia.
AB  - Island Southeast Asia covers Eurasia's tropical expanse of continental shelf and
      active subduction zones. Cutting between island landmasses, Wallace's Line
      separates Sunda and the Eastern Island Arc (the Arc) into distinct tectonic and
      faunal provinces. West of the line, on Sunda, Java Island yields many fossils of
      Homo erectus. East of the line, on the Arc, Flores Island provides one skeleton
      and isolated remains of Homo floresiensis. Luzon Island in the Philippines has
      another fossil hominin. Sulawesi preserves early hominin archeology. This insular
      divergence sets up a unique regional context for early hominin dispersal,
      isolation, and extinction. The evidence is reviewed across three Pleistocene
      climate periods. Patterns are discussed in relation to the pulse of global sea
      level shifts, as well as regional geo-tectonics, catastrophes, stegodon
      dispersal, and paleogenomics. Several patterns imply evolutionary processes
      typical of oceanic islands. Early hominins apparently responded to changing
      island conditions for a million-and-a-half years, likely becoming extinct during
      the period in which Homo sapiens colonized the region. 

PMID- 26478142
TI  - Clinical simulation training improves the clinical performance of Chinese medical
      students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Modern medical education promotes medical students' clinical
      operating capacity rather than the mastery of theoretical knowledge. To
      accomplish this objective, clinical skill training using various simulations was
      introduced into medical education to cultivate creativity and develop the
      practical ability of students. However, quantitative analysis of the efficiency
      of clinical skill training with simulations is lacking. METHODS: In the present
      study, we compared the mean scores of medical students (Jinan University) who
      graduated in 2013 and 2014 on 16 stations between traditional training (control)
      and simulative training groups. In addition, in a clinical skill competition, the
      objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) scores of participating medical
      students trained using traditional and simulative training were compared. The
      data were statistically analyzed and qualitatively described. RESULTS: The
      results revealed that simulative training could significantly enhance the
      graduate score of medical students compared with the control. The OSCE scores of
      participating medical students in the clinical skill competition, trained using
      simulations, were dramatically higher than those of students trained through
      traditional methods, and we also observed that the OSCE marks were significantly
      increased for the same participant after simulative training for the clinical
      skill competition. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these data indicate that clinical
      skill training with a variety of simulations could substantially promote the
      clinical performance of medical students and optimize the resources used for
      medical education, although a precise analysis of each specialization is needed
      in the future.

PMID- 26478150
TI  - Abstracts of the 24th Annual Meeting of the German Transplantation Society
      Dresden, Germany, 22-24 October 2015.

PMID- 26478143
TI  - The application of 3D printing in anatomy education.

PMID- 26478152
TI  - Poultry Femoral Head Separation and Necrosis: A Review.
AB  - Femoral head separation (FHS) is a degenerative skeletal problem in fast-growing
      poultry wherein the growth plate of the proximal femur separates from its
      articular cartilage. At its early phase, FHS may remain asymptomatic but lead to
      epiphyseal breakage, infection, and femoral head necrosis (FHN). Healthy femoral
      head is viewed as a positive trait for genetic selection. However, the etiology
      of FHS is poorly understood for use in noninvasive diagnosis and genetic
      selection. Focal cell death and atrophic changes are likely associated with
      separation of tissues and necrotic changes. Fibrotic thickening of the articular
      surface can also impair free movement of the proximal epiphysis in the
      acetabulum, leading to FHS, under strain. The major limitation to understanding
      the pathophysiology of FHN is the lack of suitable experimental models and
      biomarkers to diagnose the problem. In this review, we discuss the possible
      etiologic factors, anatomic features of the chicken femoral head, biomarkers, and
      molecular mechanisms relevant to FHN.

PMID- 26478151
TI  - Ginkgo biloba Extract (EGb 761(r)) Inhibits Glutamate-induced Up-regulation of
      Tissue Plasminogen Activator Through Inhibition of c-Fos Translocation in Rat
      Primary Cortical Neurons.
AB  - EGb 761((r)) , a standardized extract of Ginkgo biloba leaves, has antioxidant
      and antiinflammatory properties in experimental models of neurodegenerative
      disorders such as stroke and Alzheimer's disease. Tissue plasminogen activator
      (tPA) acts a neuromodulator and plays a crucial role in the manifestation of
      neurotoxicity leading to exaggerated neuronal cell death in neurological insult
      conditions. In this study, we investigated the effects of EGb 761 on the basal
      and glutamate-induced activity and expression of tPA in rat primary cortical
      neurons. Under basal condition, EGb 761 inhibited both secreted and cellular tPA
      activities, without altering tPA mRNA level, as modulated by the activation of
      p38. Compared with basal condition, EGb 761 inhibited the glutamate-induced up
      regulation of tPA mRNA resulting in the normalization of overt tPA activity and
      expression. c-Fos is a component of AP-1, which plays a critical role in the
      modulation of tPA expression. Interestingly, EGb 761 inhibited c-Fos nuclear
      translocation without affecting c-Fos expression in glutamate-induced rat primary
      cortical neurons. These results demonstrated that EGb 761 can modulate tPA
      activity under basal and glutamate-stimulated conditions by both translational
      and transcriptional mechanisms. Thus, EGb 761 could be a potential and effective
      therapeutic strategy in tPA-excessive neurotoxic conditions.

PMID- 26478153
TI  - Quantitative Estimation of the Number of Contaminated Hatching Eggs Released from
      an Infected, Undetected Turkey Breeder Hen Flock During a Highly Pathogenic Avian
      Influenza Outbreak.
AB  - The regulatory response to an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza
      (HPAI) in the United States may involve quarantine and stop movement orders that
      have the potential to disrupt continuity of operations in the U.S. turkey
      industry--particularly in the event that an uninfected breeder flock is located
      within an HPAI Control Area. A group of government-academic-industry leaders
      developed an approach to minimize the unintended consequences associated with
      outbreak response, which incorporates HPAI control measures to be implemented
      prior to moving hatching eggs off of the farm. Quantitative simulation models
      were used to evaluate the movement of potentially contaminated hatching eggs from
      a breeder henhouse located in an HPAI Control Area, given that active
      surveillance testing, elevated biosecurity, and a 2-day on-farm holding period
      were employed. The risk analysis included scenarios of HPAI viruses differing in
      characteristics as well as scenarios in which infection resulted from artificial
      insemination. The mean model-predicted number of internally contaminated hatching
      eggs released per movement from an HPAI-infected turkey breeder henhouse ranged
      from 0 to 0.008 under the four scenarios evaluated. The results indicate a 95%
      chance of no internally contaminated eggs being present per movement from an
      infected house before detection. Sensitivity analysis indicates that these
      results are robust to variation in key transmission model parameters within the
      range of their estimates from available literature. Infectious birds at the time
      of egg collection are a potential pathway of external contamination for eggs
      stored and then moved off of the farm; the predicted number of such infectious
      birds was estimated to be low. To date, there has been no evidence of vertical
      transmission of HPAI virus or low pathogenic avian influenza virus to day-old
      poults from hatching eggs originating from infected breeders. The application of
      risk analysis methods was beneficial for evaluating outbreak measures developed
      through emergency response planning initiatives that consider the managed
      movement of hatching eggs from monitored premises in an HPAI Control Area.

PMID- 26478154
TI  - Evaluating Protection Against Infectious Bronchitis Virus by Clinical Signs,
      Ciliostasis, Challenge Virus Detection, and Histopathology.
AB  - In this study, we examined the association among clinical signs, ciliostasis,
      virus detection, and histopathology for evaluating protection of vaccinated
      chickens against homologous and heterologous infectious bronchitis virus (IBV)
      challenge. At 5 days following challenge with IBV, we found a good correlation
      among clinical signs, ciliostasis in the trachea, challenge virus detection, and
      microscopic lesions in the trachea, with all four criteria being negative in
      fully protected birds and positive in fully susceptible birds. In partially
      protected birds we observed clinical signs and detected challenge virus; however,
      the ciliated epithelium was intact. In a second experiment, we challenged fully
      protected, partially protected, and fully susceptible birds with IBV, and then at
      5 days postchallenge we gave the birds an opportunistic bacterium intranasally.
      Twenty Bordetella avium colonies were recovered from one of five fully protected
      birds, and only five colonies were isolated from two of five partially protected
      birds without ciliostasis, whereas in birds with ciliostasis, numerous colonies
      were isolated. Obviously, decreasing IBV infection and replication in the upper
      respiratory tract will decrease transmission and mutations, leading to variant
      viruses, and herein we demonstrate that protection of the cilia will decrease
      secondary bacterial infections, which have been shown to lead to condemnations
      and increased mortality. Thus, it appears that examining both criteria would be
      important when evaluating IBV vaccine efficacy.

PMID- 26478156
TI  - Runting Stunting Syndrome Associated with Transmissible Viral Proventriculitis in
      Broiler Chickens.
AB  - This report describes an outbreak of transmissible viral proventriculitis (TVP)
      associated with runting stunting syndrome (RSS) in 25- and 28-day-old broiler
      chickens, in which chicken proventricular necrosis virus (CNPV) was detected.
      Clinical signs included poor uniformity, very small birds for their age,
      increased mortality, and culling of smaller birds. Almost all birds necropsied
      exhibited moderate to severely enlarged proventriculi with diffusely pale serosa
      and thickened walls. Microscopically the proventriculi had lesions of
      degeneration and necrosis of the epithelium of the proventricular glands,
      accompanied by lymphocytic inflammation and glandular hyperplasia, with
      occasional formation of lymphoid nodules within the glandular parenchyma.
      Immunohistochemistry staining for CPNV was positive. Positive staining was
      generally found in the cytoplasm of glandular epithelial cells in the form of
      finely granular brown pigment. CPNV RNA was detected in the proventriculi by
      reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR). Other findings included mild enteritis in a
      few birds and small bursa of Fabricius. Direct electron microscopy performed on
      the intestinal samples was negative for viral particles. RT-PCR analysis of
      bursae was positive for infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). In conclusion,
      this report associates TVP with RSS by describing an outbreak in which TVP
      attributable to CPNV was the most commonly found lesionin chickens with a
      clinical history compatible with RSS. Therefore, TVP should be considered as a
      possible differential diagnosis in cases compatible with RSS.

PMID- 26478155
TI  - In Ovo Vaccination with Turkey Herpesvirus Hastens Maturation of Chicken Embryo
      Immune Responses in Specific-Pathogen-Free Chickens.
AB  - Administration of Marek's disease (MD) vaccines in ovo has become a common
      practice for the poultry industry. Efficacy of MD vaccines is very high, even
      though they are administered to chicken embryos that are immunologically
      immature. We have recently demonstrated that in ovo vaccination with turkey
      herpesvirus (HVT) results in increased activation of T cells at hatch. Our
      previous results suggested that in ovo vaccination with HVT might have a positive
      impact not only on MD protection but also on the overall maturity of the
      developing immune system of the chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). The objective
      of this study was to evaluate the effect of administration of HVT at 18 days of
      embryonation (ED) on the maturation of the embryo immune system. Four experiments
      were conducted in Specific-Pathogen-Free Avian Supplies (SPAFAS) chickens to
      evaluate the effect of administration of HVT at 18 ED on the splenic cell
      phenotypes at day of age (experiment 1) and on the ability of 1-day-old chickens
      to respond to various antigens compared with older birds (experiments 2 and 3).
      In addition, a fourth experiment was conducted to elucidate whether
      administration of other serotype's MD vaccines (CVI988 and SB-1) at 18 ED had the
      same effect as HVT on the spleen cell phenotypes at day of age. Our results
      demonstrated that 1-day-old chickens that had received HVT in ovo (1-day HVT) had
      higher percentages of CD45+, MHC-I+, CD45+MHC-I+, CD3+, MHC-II+, CD3+MHC-II+,
      CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+CD8+ cells in the spleen than 1-day-old sham-inoculated
      chickens (1-day sham). Moreover, spleens of 1-day HVT chickens had greater
      percentages of CD45+MHC-I+ cells and equal or greater numbers of CD4+CD8- and CD4
      CD8+ cells than older unvaccinated chickens. In addition, administration of HVT
      at 18 ED rendered chicks at hatch more responsive to unrelated antigens such as
      concavalin A, phytohemagglutinin-L, and keyhole limpet hemocyanin. Administration
      of MD vaccines of other serotypes had an effect, although less remarkable than
      HVT, on the spleen cell phenotypes at hatch. Vaccines of all three serotypes
      resulted in an increased percentage of MHC-I+, CD45-MHC-I+, CD4-CD8+, and CD8+
      cells, but only HVT resulted in a higher percentage of CD45+, CD45+MHC-I+,
      CD3+MHC-II+, and CD4+CD8- cells. Results of this study show that it is possible
      to hasten maturation of the chicken embryo immune system by administering HVT in
      ovo and open new avenues to optimize the procedure to improve and strengthen the
      immunocompetency of commercial chickens at hatch.

PMID- 26478157
TI  - Avian Hepatitis E Virus Infection in Organic Layers.
AB  - Between 2012 and 2014, 141 chickens from 10 organic layer flocks with a history
      of severe drop in egg production (up to 40%) and slight increased mortality (up
      to 1% per week) were submitted to the Avian Health and Food Safety Laboratory
      (Puyallup, WA). At necropsy, the most common finding was pinpoint white foci on
      the liver and regressed ova without any other remarkable lesions. Histologically,
      there was multifocal mild-to-severe acute necrotizing hepatitis present. No
      significant bacteria were recovered from liver samples, and tests for mycotoxins
      were negative. Twenty-six serum samples from four affected flocks tested were
      positive for avian hepatitis E virus (HEV) immunoglobulin Y antibodies. Avian HEV
      RNA was detected in 10 livers of chickens from two different affected flocks. The
      avian HEV was characterized by sequencing and determined to belong to genotype 2.
      The diagnosis of a clinical manifest HEV was based solely on the demonstration of
      specific viral RNA and the absence of other causative agents in samples from
      flocks, as the clinical sings and pathologic lesions were atypical.

PMID- 26478158
TI  - Infection of Broilers with Two Virulent Strains of Infectious Laryngotracheitis
      Virus: Criteria for Evaluation of Experimental Infections.
AB  - Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is a highly contagious disease of chickens and
      is responsible for significant economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide;
      it is caused by Gallid herpesvirus-1 (GaHV-1), commonly known as infectious
      laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV). Experimental evaluation of ILTV strains is
      fundamental to identify changes in virulence that can contribute to the severity
      and spread of outbreaks and consequently influence the efficacy of vaccination.
      Several criteria had been utilized to determine the degree of virulence
      associated with ILTV strains. The objectives of this study were to compare the
      levels of virulence of the standard United States Department of Agriculture
      (USDA) challenge strain with a contemporary outbreak-related strain (63140) and
      to evaluate the efficacy of individual criteria to identify changes in virulence.
      Broilers were inoculated with increasing infectious doses of each strain. The
      criteria utilized to evaluate virulence were clinical signs of the disease,
      mortality, microscopic tracheal lesions, trachea genome viral loads, and antibody
      titers. Clinical signs scores were a useful parameter to define the peak of
      clinical disease but did not reveal differences in virulence between strains.
      Similarly, trachea microscopic lesion scores or levels of serum antibody titers
      were parameters that did not reveal obvious differences in virulence between
      strains. However, mortalities and increased viral genome loads in trachea of
      chickens inoculated with lower (log10 1 to 2) infectious doses clearly
      differentiated 63140 as a more-virulent ILTV strain. This study provides the
      framework to compare the virulence level of emerging ILTV isolates to the now
      characterized USDA and 63140 strains.

PMID- 26478159
TI  - Evaluation of Factors Influencing Efficacy of Vaccine Strain CVI988 Against
      Marek's Disease in Meat-Type Chickens.
AB  - Marek's disease (MD) strain CVI988 is the most-protective commercially available
      vaccine against very virulent plus (vv+) Marek's disease virus (MDV). However,
      its use in meat-type chickens has been controversial. While several countries
      have been using CVI988 for more than 40 yr, others do not authorize its use or it
      is restricted mainly to layers. The use of CVI988 in meat-type chickens will be
      necessary in the future in areas where other vaccine protocols fail. The
      objective of this study was to evaluate factors (vaccine dose, vaccine origin,
      chicken genetics, age and route of vaccination, and combination with other MD
      vaccines) influencing the efficacy of CVI988 against MD in meat-type chickens.
      Three animal experiments were conducted in which various vaccine protocols using
      CVI988 were tested for their protection against challenge with vv+ strain 648A by
      contact at day of age. Experiments 1 and 2 were to compare the efficacy of CVI988
      vaccines from three different origins (CVI988-A, CVI988-B, and CVI988-C) and
      evaluate the effect of vaccine dose and chicken genetics. Experiment 3 was to
      evaluate the effect of adding CVI988 vaccine to various vaccine protocols using
      other MD vaccines of serotypes 2 (SB-1) and 3 (rHVT). Our results show that,
      regardless of the origin of the vaccine, protection against early challenge with
      648A was good when vaccines were administered at a high dose (>3000 plaque
      forming units [PFU]). Differences among vaccines, however, were detected even
      when using a high dose in experiment 2 (vaccine CVI988-B conferred higher
      protection than did CVI988-C) but not in Experiment 1 (CVI988-B was compared to
      CVI988-A). The use of a fixed low dose (2000 PFU) of vaccine resulted in
      reduction in protection, and such reduction was more remarkable when using CV1988
      A. No statistically significant differences were found when we compared the
      efficacy of CVI988 in two different genetic lines of broiler chickens (G1 and
      G2). Vaccination protocols that included CVI988 had better protection than
      protocols that only included MD vaccines of serotypes 2 and 3. This was true
      regardless of the vaccine protocol used (CVI988/rHVT+SB-1; CVI988+rHVT+SB-1/None;
      rHVT+SB-1/CVI988; wherein the vaccine before the slash (/) was administered in
      ovo at embryonation day 18 and the vaccine after the slash was administered at
      day of age, subcutaneously). When only vaccines of serotypes 2 and 3 were used,
      protection against early challenge with vv+MDV was higher when vaccines were
      administered in ovo (rHVT+SB-1/None) than if vaccines were administered at hatch
      (None/rHVT+SB-1). Monitoring vaccine DNA load in feather pulp (FP) samples at 1
      wk was used to monitor vaccination, and results showed that differences in
      vaccine replication exist among vaccines but such differences were not
      necessarily related to protection (r = 0.41, P > 0.05). Monitoring load of
      challenge MDV DNA in FP at 21 days was conducted, and results correlated (r =
      0.85, P < 0.05) with the percentage of chickens with MD lesions at the
      termination of the study, confirming that early diagnosis is a very powerful tool
      with which to evaluate protection.

PMID- 26478160
TI  - Histopathologic and Myogenic Gene Expression Changes Associated with Wooden
      Breast in Broiler Breast Muscles.
AB  - The wooden breast condition is a myopathy affecting the pectoralis major (p.
      major) muscle in fast-growing commercial broiler lines. Currently, wooden breast
      affected birds are phenotypically detected by palpation of the breast area, with
      affected birds having a very hard p. major muscle that is of lower value. The
      objective of this study was to compare the wooden breast myopathy in two fast
      growing broiler lines (Lines A and B) with incidence of wooden breast to a slower
      growing broiler Line C with no phenotypically observable wooden breast. One of
      the characteristics of the wooden breast condition is fibrosis of the p. major
      muscle. Morphologic assessment of Lines A and B showed significant fibrosis in
      both lines, but the collagen distribution and arrangement of the collagen fibrils
      was different. In Line A, the collagen fibrils were tightly packed, whereas in
      Line B the collagen fibrils were diffuse. This difference in collagen
      organization may be due to the expression of the extracellular matrix
      proteoglycan decorin. Decorin is a regulator of collagen crosslinking and is
      expressed at significantly higher levels in Line A wooden breast-affected p.
      major muscle, which would lead to tightly packed collagen fibers due to high
      levels of collagen crosslinking. Furthermore, expression of the muscle-specific
      transcriptional regulatory factors for proliferation and differentiation of
      muscle cells leading to the regeneration of muscle in response to muscle damage
      was significantly elevated in Line A, and only the factor for differentiation,
      myogenin, was increased in Line B. The results from this study provide initial
      evidence that the etiology of the wooden breast myopathy may vary between fast
      growing commercial broiler lines.

PMID- 26478161
TI  - Vaccination of 1-Day-Old Turkey Poults with Fowlpox Vaccine by Subcutaneous
      Route.
AB  - In high-challenge areas, 1-day-old chicks are often vaccinated with fowlpox
      vaccine to provide early protection against the disease. However, we were unable
      to find any information in the published literature on the safety and efficacy of
      live fowlpox virus vaccine in 1-day-old turkeys. In this study, we evaluated a
      freeze-dried chicken-embryo-origin live fowlpox virus vaccine for its safety and
      efficacy in 1-day-old turkey poults by administering the vaccine subcutaneously
      in the upper back of the neck. Following vaccination, the turkeys were observed
      for 3 wk for vaccine-associated mortality and adverse reactions. Efficacy was
      evaluated by challenging the turkeys against a standard challenge strain of
      fowlpox virus. The results of this study indicated that the vaccine was safe and
      efficacious for subcutaneous administration in 1-day-old turkeys. None of the
      vaccinated turkeys revealed any adverse reactions or mortality associated with
      the vaccine. The vaccine protected more than 98% of the turkeys against fowlpox
      virus challenge.

PMID- 26478163
TI  - Epidemiology of Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus Genotypes in Iran (2010-2014).
AB  - Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in vaccinated chicken flocks continues to cause
      enormous economic losses to the poultry industry in Iran. A molecular
      surveillance of IBV genotypes involved in outbreaks of disease was performed.
      Specimens of trachea, kidney, and cecal tonsil were collected from 250 suspected
      flocks (more than 2500 samples) and identified between 2010 and 2014. Partial
      spike glycoprotein gene sequences revealed seven distinct genotypes, including
      Mass, 793/B, IS720, Variant 2, QX, IR-I, and IR-II, to be circulating in the
      chicken farms. The majority of flocks (67.6%) experienced infection with an IBV
      variant unrelated to the vaccine strains. These variants displayed homologies
      ranging from 54.1% to 78.5% and from 53% to 86% with H120 and 4/91, respectively.
      These findings reveal the existence of IBV variants genetically different from
      the vaccine strains currently in use and explain the outbreaks of disease
      observed in the field. The current work constitutes the first comprehensive
      survey of IBV in Iran and emphasizes the need for continuous monitoring and
      rethinking of current preventative measures.

PMID- 26478162
TI  - Characterization of Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease Viruses from Poultry in
      Libya.
AB  - On March 2013, the Libyan poultry industry faced severe outbreaks due to mixed
      infections of APMV-1 (Newcastle disease) and low pathogenic avian influenza (AI)
      of the H9N2 subtype which were causing high mortality and great economic losses.
      APMV-1 and H9N2 were isolated and characterized. Genetic sequencing of the APMV
      1/chicken/Libya/13VIR/ 7225-1/2013 isolate revealed the presence of a velogenic
      APMV-1 belonging to lineage 5 (GRRRQKR*F Lin.5) or genotype VII in class II,
      according to the nomenclature in use. Three AI viruses of the H9N2 subtype,
      namely A/avian/Libya/13VIR7225-2/2013, A/avian/Libya/13VIR7225-3/2013, and
      A/avian/Libya/13VIR7225-5/2013, were isolated and found to belong to the G1
      lineage. Analysis of amino acid sequences showed that the analyzed H9N2 viruses
      contained the amino acid Leu at position 226 (H3 numbering) at the receptor
      binding site of the HA, responsible for human virus-like receptor specificity. On
      March 2014, an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus of the
      H5N1 subtype was diagnosed in a backyard poultry farm in an eastern region of
      Libya. The H5N1 isolate (A/chicken/Libya/14VIR2749-16/2014) was detected by real
      time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR). Genetic characterization of the HA gene revealed that the
      identified subtype was highly pathogenic, belonged to the 2.2.1 lineage, and
      clustered with recent Egyptian viruses. This study revealed the presence of a
      velogenic APMV-1 genotype and of two influenza subtypes, namely HPAI H5N1 and
      H9N2, which are of major interest for public and animal health. Considering these
      findings, more investigations must be undertaken to establish and implement
      adequate influenza surveillance programs; this would allow better study of the
      epidemiology of APMV-1 genotype VII in Libya and evaluation of the current
      vaccination strategies.

PMID- 26478164
TI  - Erysipelas Outbreaks in Flocks of Geese in Poland--Biochemical and Genetic
      Analyses of the Isolates.
AB  - Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae causes erysipelas in many vertebrate species. Severe
      disease outbreaks have been noted in many poultry species--chickens, ducks, emus,
      pheasants, pigeons, and geese. This article describes the biochemical and genetic
      analyses of six E. rhusiopathiae strains isolated from geese for meat production.
      The isolates came from birds kept in different poultry houses on one farm, and
      were collected during two erysipelas outbreaks. We analyzed and compared the
      isolates by random amplified polymorphic DNA with the use of NK6 primer and
      pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, with the restriction enzyme SmaI. Biochemical
      examination was performed with API Coryne test. Analyses showed that the three
      strains isolated during the first outbreak differed, whereas the three isolates
      from the second outbreak were identical to one another, but distinct from the
      isolates from the first outbreak. The results of biochemical and genetic analyses
      of E. rhusiopathiae strains isolated from geese suggest different sources of
      infection for the erysipelas outbreaks.

PMID- 26478165
TI  - Co-infection with Multiple Respiratory Pathogens Contributes to Increased
      Mortality Rates in Algerian Poultry Flocks.
AB  - Respiratory infections are a common cause for increased mortality rates in
      poultry worldwide. To improve intervention strategies, circulating pathogens have
      to be identified and further characterized. Because of the lack of diagnostic
      tools, it was not known what pathogens contribute to the high mortality rates in
      association with respiratory disease in Algeria. Our objective was to determine
      if primary pathogens including Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), Mycoplasma synoviae
      (MS), avian influenza virus (AIV), infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), and avian
      metapneumovirus (aMPV), known to be present in neighboring countries, can also be
      detected in Algerian chicken and turkey flocks. Results demonstrate the
      circulation of the investigated pathogens in Algerian poultry flocks as multi
      infections. Phylogenetic characterization of the Algerian IBV strains confirmed
      the circulation of nephropathogenic viruses that are different from the strains
      isolated in neighboring countries. This could suggest the existence of a new IBV
      genotype in North Africa. Additionally, we detected for the first time an aMPV
      subtype B field strain and avian influenza virus. Interestingly, all viral
      pathogens were present in co-infections with MG, which could exacerbate clinical
      disease. Additional pathogens may be present and should be investigated in the
      future. Our results suggest that multiple respiratory infections may be
      responsible for high mortality in Algerian poultry flocks and very probably also
      in other regions of the world, which demonstrates the need for the establishment
      of more comprehensive control strategies.

PMID- 26478166
TI  - Necrotic Enteritis in Chickens Associated with Clostridium sordellii.
AB  - Three outbreaks of necrotic enteritis-like disease associated with Clostridium
      sordelii were diagnosed in commercial broiler chicken flocks with 18,000 to
      31,000 birds between 18 and 26 days old. Clinical signs in the affected flocks
      included high mortality up to 2% a day, depression, and diarrhea. The main gross
      changes included segmental dilation of the small intestine with watery contents,
      gas, mucoid exudate, and roughened and uneven mucosa, occasionally covered with a
      pseudomembrane. Microscopic lesions in the small intestine were characterized by
      extensive areas of coagulative necrosis of the villi, fibrinous exudate in the
      lumen, and high numbers of large, Gram-positive rods, occasionally containing
      subterminal spores, seen in the necrotic tissue and lumen. These rods were
      identified as C. sordellii by immunohistochemistry. Clostridium sordellii was
      isolated in an almost pure culture from the intestine of affected birds. A
      retrospective study of commercial broiler chicken and turkey submissions to the
      California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System revealed that C.
      sordellii had been isolated from intestinal lesions in outbreaks of necrotic
      enteritis-like disease in 8 of 39 cases, 5 times together with Clostridium
      perfringens and 3 times alone. The latter three cases are reported here.

PMID- 26478167
TI  - Aberrant Clinical Appearance and Pathomorphology Noticed During an Outbreak of
      Histomonosis Indicates a Different Pathogenesis of Histomonas meleagridis
      Genotype 2.
AB  - The present case report describes a remarkable feature of Histomonas meleagridis
      characterized by aberrant clinical appearance and pathomorphologic lesions, which
      were mainly confined to the ceca, noticed during a field outbreak of
      histomonosis. In a flock of meat turkey toms, sudden death was noticed at the end
      of week 5 in the absence of specific clinical signs. Instead of the well-known
      sulfur-colored feces, some caseous cores were found in the litter. Mortality up
      to 17% per week was noticed in the first 2 wk of observation, after which it
      declined to approximately 1% per week. In the 10th week of life roughly 31% of
      the birds had died before the remaining birds were killed to preclude further
      economic losses due to insufficient growth or continuing mortality. Necropsy of
      affected birds on the farm and during a more detailed investigation of 15 birds
      prior to the killing of the flock revealed severe lesions in the ceca
      characterized by thickened cecal walls filled with necrotic and caseous material.
      Additionally, some ruptured and necrotic ceca were noticed together with
      localized peritonitis. Despite such severe typhlitis, only one of the sectioned
      birds showed pathomorphologic changes in the liver. Test tube flotation from
      collected fecal samples revealed only sporadic occurrence of coccidial oocysts
      and no nematodes. However, the presence of H. meleagridis was confirmed by PCR
      and/or immunohistochemistry, with specific antibodies against the parasite in a
      majority of the investigated ceca and in four liver samples. Remarkably, genetic
      characterization revealed H. meleagridis genotype 2, about which no detailed
      investigations have been reported so far. Although PCR detected a concurrent
      presence of Tetratrichomonas gallinarum, an involvement in the lesions could be
      excluded based upon histologic investigations. Finally, infection with
      Escherichia coli and Gallibacterium anatis was demonstrated by bacteriologic
      smears of internal organs, most likely a secondary infection. Altogether, the
      results demonstrate an aberrant clinical appearance and pathomorphology in
      turkeys suffering from histomonosis. Pathomorphologic changes were characterized
      by severe inflammation of the ceca with minimal liver involvement, indicating a
      different pathogenesis of H. meleagridis genotype 2.

PMID- 26478168
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26478174
TI  - Recent advances of thermally responsive nanogels for cancer therapy.
AB  - Thermally responsive nanogel drug delivery systems (TRNDDS) have been widely
      investigated as a new strategy for active targeting tumor therapy, as these can
      accumulate on the tumor site and/or release the payload at the desired site by
      structure changes rapidly once stimulated by temperature changes. In this review,
      we discuss the evolution of TRNDDS and future perspectives for antitumor drug and
      gene delivery. With further understanding of the specificity of tumor site at the
      cellular and molecular level, in parallel with the development of nanomaterial
      design and preparation, TRNDDS show great potential for tumor targeting therapy. 

PMID- 26478175
TI  - Phylogenetic relationships of Hemiptera inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear
      genes.
AB  - Here, we reconstructed the Hemiptera phylogeny based on the expanded
      mitochondrial protein-coding genes and the nuclear 18S rRNA gene, separately. The
      differential rates of change across lineages may associate with long-branch
      attraction (LBA) effect and result in conflicting estimates of phylogeny from
      different types of data. To reduce the potential effects of systematic biases on
      inferences of topology, various data coding schemes, site removal method, and
      different algorithms were utilized in phylogenetic reconstruction. We show that
      the outgroups Phthiraptera, Thysanoptera, and the ingroup Sternorrhyncha share
      similar base composition, and exhibit "long branches" relative to other
      hemipterans. Thus, the long-branch attraction between these groups is suspected
      to cause the failure of recovering Hemiptera under the homogeneous model. In
      contrast, a monophyletic Hemiptera is supported when heterogeneous model is
      utilized in the analysis. Although higher level phylogenetic relationships within
      Hemiptera remain to be answered, consensus between analyses is beginning to
      converge on a stable phylogeny.

PMID- 26478177
TI  - Ferrocyanide-Ferricyanide Redox Couple Induced Electrochemiluminescence
      Amplification of Carbon Dots for Ultrasensitive Sensing of Glutathione.
AB  - Here we report a novel solid-state ECL sensor for ultrasensitive sensing of
      glutathione (GSH) based on ferrocyanide-ferricyanide redox couple (Fe(CN)6(3-/4
      )) induced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) amplification of carbon dots (C-dots).
      The electropolymerization of C-dots and (11-pyrrolyl-1-yl-undecyl)
      triethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (A2) enabled immobilization of the hydrophilic
      C-dots on the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) perfectly, while the
      excellent conductivity of polypyrrole was exploited to accelerate electron
      transfer between them. The Fe(CN)6(3-/4-) can expeditiously convert the C-dots
      and S2O8(2-) to C-dot(*-) and SO4(*-), respectively. High yields of the excited
      state C-dots (C-dots*) were obtained, and a ~10-fold ECL amplification was
      realized. The C-dots* obtained through the recombination of electron-injected and
      hole-injected processes may be impeded due to the interference of GSH to K2S2O8.
      Therefore, the constructed sensor for GSH showed a detection limit down to 54.3
      nM (S/N = 3) and a wide linear range from 0.1-1.0 MUM with a correlation
      coefficient of 0.997. 

PMID- 26478178
TI  - Reassessment of chemical control of breathing in undisturbed bullfrogs,
      Lithobates catesbeianus, using measurements of pulmonary ventilation.
AB  - Despite the importance of bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) as models in
      respiratory control, chemical control of breathing in conscious bullfrogs has
      never been assessed with methods that measure the tidal volume (VT). This has
      precluded the calculation of important respiratory variables like minute
      ventilation (V.E) and air convection requirement. To address this, we adapted
      airflow pneumotachography for use in bullfrogs and reassessed chemical control of
      breathing. We show that V.E measured with pneumotachography produces breathing
      pattern and metabolism values consistent with anurans. Second, we confirm that
      bullfrogs have small ventilatory responses to hypercarbia that include increases
      in tidal volume and a post-hypercarbic hyperpnea. We observed that the magnitude
      of the post-hypercarbic hyperpnea does not depend on ventilatory responses during
      hypercarbia. Finally, we showed that increases in breathing frequency and VT
      during hypoxia are differentially regulated with time. These findings comprise
      the first complete assessment of hypercarbic and hypoxic V.E responses in intact
      bullfrogs and emphasize the importance of measuring VT. 

PMID- 26478179
TI  - Global brain dynamics embed the motor command sequence of Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - While isolated motor actions can be correlated with activities of neuronal
      networks, an unresolved problem is how the brain assembles these activities into
      organized behaviors like action sequences. Using brain-wide calcium imaging in
      Caenorhabditis elegans, we show that a large proportion of neurons across the
      brain share information by engaging in coordinated, dynamical network activity.
      This brain state evolves on a cycle, each segment of which recruits the
      activities of different neuronal sub-populations and can be explicitly mapped, on
      a single trial basis, to the animals' major motor commands. This organization
      defines the assembly of motor commands into a string of run-and-turn action
      sequence cycles, including decisions between alternative behaviors. These
      dynamics serve as a robust scaffold for action selection in response to sensory
      input. This study shows that the coordination of neuronal activity patterns into
      global brain dynamics underlies the high-level organization of behavior. 

PMID- 26478180
TI  - Structural and Mechanistic Basis of PAM-Dependent Spacer Acquisition in CRISPR
      Cas Systems.
AB  - Bacteria acquire memory of viral invaders by incorporating invasive DNA sequence
      elements into the host CRISPR locus, generating a new spacer within the CRISPR
      array. We report on the structures of Cas1-Cas2-dual-forked DNA complexes in an
      effort toward understanding how the protospacer is sampled prior to insertion
      into the CRISPR locus. Our study reveals a protospacer DNA comprising a 23-bp
      duplex bracketed by tyrosine residues, together with anchored flanking 3'
      overhang segments. The PAM-complementary sequence in the 3' overhang is
      recognized by the Cas1a catalytic subunits in a base-specific manner, and
      subsequent cleavage at positions 5 nt from the duplex boundary generates a 33-nt
      DNA intermediate that is incorporated into the CRISPR array via a cut-and-paste
      mechanism. Upon protospacer binding, Cas1-Cas2 undergoes a significant
      conformational change, generating a flat surface conducive to proper protospacer
      recognition. Here, our study provides important structure-based mechanistic
      insights into PAM-dependent spacer acquisition. 

PMID- 26478183
TI  - The good and the bad.

PMID- 26478181
TI  - Evolving new protein-protein interaction specificity through promiscuous
      intermediates.
AB  - Interacting proteins typically coevolve, and the identification of coevolving
      amino acids can pinpoint residues required for interaction specificity. This
      approach often assumes that an interface-disrupting mutation in one protein
      drives selection of a compensatory mutation in its partner during evolution.
      However, this model requires a non-functional intermediate state prior to the
      compensatory change. Alternatively, a mutation in one protein could first broaden
      its specificity, allowing changes in its partner, followed by a specificity
      restricting mutation. Using bacterial toxin-antitoxin systems, we demonstrate the
      plausibility of this second, promiscuity-based model. By screening large
      libraries of interface mutants, we show that toxins and antitoxins with high
      specificity are frequently connected in sequence space to more promiscuous
      variants that can serve as intermediates during a reprogramming of interaction
      specificity. We propose that the abundance of promiscuous variants promotes the
      expansion and diversification of toxin-antitoxin systems and other paralogous
      protein families during evolution. 

PMID- 26478182
TI  - Molecular logic of neuronal self-recognition through protocadherin domain
      interactions.
AB  - Self-avoidance, a process preventing interactions of axons and dendrites from the
      same neuron during development, is mediated in vertebrates through the stochastic
      single-neuron expression of clustered protocadherin protein isoforms.
      Extracellular cadherin (EC) domains mediate isoform-specific homophilic binding
      between cells, conferring cell recognition through a poorly understood mechanism.
      Here, we report crystal structures for the EC1-EC3 domain regions from four
      protocadherin isoforms representing the alpha, beta, and gamma subfamilies. All
      are rod shaped and monomeric in solution. Biophysical measurements, cell
      aggregation assays, and computational docking reveal that trans binding between
      cells depends on the EC1-EC4 domains, which interact in an antiparallel
      orientation. We also show that the EC6 domains are required for the formation of
      cis-dimers. Overall, our results are consistent with a model in which
      protocadherin cis-dimers engage in a head-to-tail interaction between EC1-EC4
      domains from apposed cell surfaces, possibly forming a zipper-like protein
      assembly, and thus providing a size-dependent self-recognition mechanism. 

PMID- 26478184
TI  - An optimised perfusion technique for extracting murine gastric leukocytes.
AB  - The stomach is a difficult tissue to analyse by flow cytometry, largely due to
      the difficulty of isolating viable leukocytes. Here we present the re
      optimization of a perfusion technique that compares favourably against two other
      methods of enzymatic digestion for the release of gastric leukocytes. We believe
      that this technique could greatly assist the analysis of immune cells basally
      present in the murine stomach and that infiltrate during infection or disease. 

PMID- 26478186
TI  - Effect of beta-cyclodextrin on the internalization of nanoparticles into
      intestine epithelial cells.
AB  - The influence of beta-cyclodextrin on the interaction and internalization of PLGA
      nanoparticles into intestine epithelial cells was assessed. For this purpose beta
      cyclodextrin was adsorbed on PLGA nanoparticles. Interaction of nanoparticles
      with Caco-2 cells, determined by fluorescence, was expressed as the number of
      particles per cell. Confocal microscopy confirmed the localization of the
      particles in the cell monolayer. The results showed that adsorption of beta
      cyclodextrin on the surface of PLGA nanoparticles reduces interaction with mucin,
      enhancing in this way the internalization into the Caco-2 cells. 

PMID- 26478185
TI  - In vitro release studies of insulin from lipid implants in solution and in a
      hydrogel matrix mimicking the subcutis.
AB  - Widely accepted in vitro methodologies for sustained release parenteral drug
      formulations remain to be established. Hydrogels have been proposed as a release
      matrix more closely resembling the in vivo conditions for formulations intended
      for subcutaneous administration. The perspective of the current work was to
      investigate the feasibility of developing UV imaging-based in vitro methods
      enabling visualization and characterization of drug release and transport of
      protein therapeutics intended for subcutaneous administration. Specifically, the
      objectives were to prepare lipid implants providing sustained release of the
      model protein insulin and investigate the release into 0.5% (w/v) agarose
      hydrogels, pH7.40, using UV imaging- and a gel sampling-based release testing
      method. These results were compared to insulin release into well agitated buffer
      solution. Irrespective of the applied in vitro release method, the insulin
      release from Sterotex implants with a drug load of 20% (w/w) was faster as
      compared to the release from implants with a load of 10% (w/w), most likely due
      to the higher porosity of the implants with increasing drug load. Insulin release
      from 10% (w/w) implants into agitated solution was faster as compared to release
      into agarose hydrogel. This was ascribed to the additional mass transfer
      resistance provided by the agarose hydrogel. Interestingly, the release profiles
      of insulin from implants with an initial drug load of 20% (w/w) obtained by the
      three in vitro methods were relatively similar. The gel-based methods, in
      particular UV imaging, enable monitoring local drug concentrations in the
      vicinity of the implant over time thereby facilitating assessment of, e.g., sink
      conditions. The study highlights that the selection of the in vitro release
      method should take into account various factors including mass transport, drug
      stability, data analysis and simplicity of the methodology. 

PMID- 26478187
TI  - Post-exercise appetite was affected by fructose content but not glycemic index of
      pre-exercise meals.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate whether both glycemic index (GI) and
      breakfast fructose content affect appetite during the postprandial period and
      recovery period after 1 hr of brisk walking. Ten healthy young men (age: 21.7 +/-
      1.5 y, body mass index: 20.9 +/- 1.1 kg?m(-2), VO2max: 53.7 +/- 3.7 mL?kg(
      1)?min(-1)) completed 1 hr of brisk walking at 46% VO2max 2 hr after eating one
      of three isocaloric breakfasts: a low-GI breakfast not including fructose content
      (LGI), a low-GI breakfast including fructose beverage (LGIF) and a high-GI
      breakfast (HGI). All breakfasts provided 1.0 g?kg(-1) body weight carbohydrates,
      and the calculated GI values for the three breakfasts were 41, 39, and 72,
      respectively. In the LGIF and HGI trials, approximately 25% of participants'
      energy was derived from either fructose or glucose beverage. Appetite scores were
      measured every 30 min during the 2-hr postprandial period and 1-hr recovery
      period. During the postprandial period, the incremental areas under the blood
      response curve values of glucose and insulin were higher in the HGI trial,
      compared with those in the LGI and LGIF trials. At 30 and 60 min during the
      recovery period, the appetite scores were lower in the LGIF trial than those in
      the LGI and HGI trials. No differences were observed between the LGI and HGI
      trials. Breakfast fructose content, rather than GI, seems to affect appetite
      during the recovery period after 1 hr of brisk walking. 

PMID- 26478189
TI  - Hybrid Surface Acoustic Wave-Electrohydrodynamic Atomization (SAW-EHDA) For the
      Development of Functional Thin Films.
AB  - Conventional surface acoustic wave - electrostatic deposition (SAW-ED) technology
      is struggling to compete with other thin film fabrication technologies because of
      its limitation in atomizing high density solutions or solutions with strong inter
      particle bonding that requires very high frequency (100 MHz) and power. In this
      study, a hybrid surface acoustic wave - electrohydrodynamic atomization (SAW
      EHDA) system has been introduced to overcome this problem by integrating EHDA
      with SAW to achieve the deposition of different types of conductive inks at lower
      frequency (19.8 MHZ) and power. Three materials, Poly [2-methoxy-5-(2
      ethylhexyloxy)-1, 4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV), Zinc Oxide (ZnO), and Poly(3, 4
      ethylenedioxythiophene):Polystyrene Sulfonate ( PEDOT: PSS) have been
      successfully deposited as thin films through the hybrid SAW-EHDA. The films
      showed good morphological, chemical, electrical, and optical characteristics. To
      further evaluate the characteristics of deposited films, a humidity sensor was
      fabricated with active layer of PEDOT: PSS deposited using the SAW-EHDA system.
      The response of sensor was outstanding and much better when compared to similar
      sensors fabricated using other manufacturing techniques. The results of the
      device and the films' characteristics suggest that the hybrid SAW-EHDA technology
      has high potential to efficiently produce wide variety of thin films and thus
      predict its promising future in certain areas of printed electronics.

PMID- 26478188
TI  - A Designed Angiopoietin-1 Variant, Dimeric CMP-Ang1 Activates Tie2 and Stimulates
      Angiogenesis and Vascular Stabilization in N-glycan Dependent Manner.
AB  - Angiopoietin-1 (Ang1), a potential growth factor for therapeutic angiogenesis and
      vascular stabilization, is known to specifically cluster and activate Tie2 in
      high oligomeric forms, which is a unique and essential process in this ligand
      receptor interaction. However, highly oligomeric native Ang1 and Ang1 variants
      are difficult to produce, purify, and store in a stable and active form. To
      overcome these limitations, we developed a simple and active dimeric CMP-Ang1 by
      replacing the N-terminal of native Ang1 with the coiled-coil domain of cartilage
      matrix protein (CMP) bearing mutations in its cysteine residues. This dimeric CMP
      Ang1 effectively increased the migration, survival, and tube formation of
      endothelial cells via Tie2 activation. Furthermore, dimeric CMP-Ang1 induced
      angiogenesis and suppressed vascular leakage in vivo. Despite its dimeric
      structure, the potencies of such Tie2-activation-induced effects were comparable
      to those of a previously engineered protein, COMP-Ang1. We also revealed that
      these effects of dimeric CMP-Ang1 were affected by specified N-glycosylation in
      its fibrinogen-like domain. Taken together, our results indicate that dimeric CMP
      Ang1 is capable of activating Tie2 and stimulating angiogenesis in N-glycan
      dependent manner. 

PMID- 26478190
TI  - CsTNF1, a teleost tumor necrosis factor that promotes antibacterial and antiviral
      immune defense in a manner that depends on the conserved receptor binding site.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is one of the most important cytokines involved in
      inflammation, apoptosis, cell proliferation, and stimulation of the immune
      system. The TNF gene has been cloned in teleost fish; however, the in vivo
      function of fish TNF is essentially unknown. In this study, we report the
      identification of a TNF homologue, CsTNF1, from tongue sole (Cynoglossus
      semilaevis) and analysis of its expression and biological effect. CsTNF1 is
      composed of 242 amino acid residues and possesses a TNF domain and conserved
      receptor binding sites. Expression of CsTNF1 was detected in a wide range of
      tissues and up-regulated in a time-dependent manner by experimental challenge
      with bacterial and viral pathogens. Bacterial infection of peripheral blood
      leukocytes (PBL) caused extracellular secretion of CsTNF1. Purified recombinant
      CsTNF1 (rCsTNF1) was able to bind to PBL and stimulate the respiratory burst
      activity of PBL. In contrast, rCsTNF1M1 and rCsTNF1M2, the mutant CsTNF1 bearing
      substitutions at the receptor binding site, failed to activate PBL. Fish
      administered with rCsTNF1, but not with rCsTNF1M1 and rCsTNF1M2, exhibited
      enhanced expression of IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-27, TLR9 and G3BP in a time-dependent
      manner and augmented resistance against bacterial and viral infection. These
      results provide the first evidence that the receptor binding sites are essential
      to a fish TNF, and that CsTNF1 is involved in the innate immune defense of fish
      against microbial pathogens. 

PMID- 26478191
TI  - Differential distribution of lipids in epidermis, gastrodermis and hosted
      Symbiodinium in the sea anemone Anemonia viridis.
AB  - Cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis mainly relies on nutrient recycling, thus
      providing both partners with a competitive advantage in nutrient-poor waters.
      Essential processes related to lipid metabolism can be influenced by various
      factors, including hyperthermal stress. This can affect the lipid content and
      distribution in both partners, while contributing to symbiosis disruption and
      bleaching. In order to gain further insight into the role and distribution of
      lipids in the cnidarian metabolism, we investigated the lipid composition of the
      sea anemone Anemonia viridis and its photosynthetic dinoflagellate endosymbionts
      (Symbiodinium). We compared the lipid content and fatty acid profiles of the host
      cellular layers, non-symbiotic epidermal and symbiont-containing gastrodermal
      cells, and those of Symbiodinium, in a mass spectrometry-based assessment. Lipids
      were more concentrated in Symbiodinium cells, and the lipid class distribution
      was dominated by polar lipids in all tissues. The fatty acid distribution between
      host cell layers and Symbiodinium cells suggested potential lipid transfers
      between the partners. The lipid composition and distribution was modified during
      short-term hyperthermal stress, mainly in Symbiodinium cells and gastrodermis.
      Exposure to elevated temperature rapidly caused a decrease in polar lipid C18
      unsaturated fatty acids and a strong and rapid decrease in the abundance of polar
      lipid fatty acids relative to sterols. These lipid indicators could therefore be
      used as sensitive biomarkers to assess the physiology of symbiotic cnidarians,
      especially the effect of thermal stress at the onset of cnidarian bleaching.
      Overall, the findings of this study provide some insight on key lipids that may
      regulate maintenance of the symbiotic interaction. 

PMID- 26478192
TI  - Sexual dimorphism in baseline urinary corticosterone metabolites and their
      association with body-condition indices in a peri-urban population of the common
      Asian toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus).
AB  - Field endocrinology research through the quantification of glucocorticoids or
      stress hormones in free-living wildlife is crucial for assessing their
      physiological responses towards pervasive environmental changes. Urinary
      corticosterone metabolite (UCM) enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) has been validated for
      numerous amphibian species as a non-invasive measure of physiological stress.
      Body-condition indices (BCIs) have also been widely used in amphibians as an
      indirect measure of animal health. Field endocrinology research on amphibian
      species in Asia is limited. In this study, we validated a UCM EIA in a peri-urban
      sub-population of the common Asian toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) in Pune,
      Maharashtra, India. We determined the baseline levels of UCMs in male (n=39) and
      female (n=19) toads. Secondly, we used a standard capture handling protocol to
      quantify changes in UCMs during short-term captivity. We also determined BCIs in
      the male and female toads using Fulton's index (K) and residual condition index
      (RCI). The results showed that mean baseline levels of UCMs were significantly
      higher in male toads than in females. There was no significant change in mean
      levels of UCMs of males and females between capture and captivity (0-12h). This
      highlights plausible habituation of the species to the peri-urban environment.
      Associations between UCMs with BCIs (K and R) were positive in male toads but
      negative in females. In conclusion, our UCMs EIA can be applied with BCIs to
      assess health of the Asian toads. We also suggest that direct fitness parameters
      such as sperm and oocyte quality, reproductive ecology and immunocompetence
      measurements should be applied in combination with these conservation physiology
      tools to quantify the fitness consequences of pervasive environmental changes on
      native amphibians. 

PMID- 26478193
TI  - Metabolic activity and behavior of the invasive amphipod Dikerogammarus villosus
      and two common Central European gammarid species (Gammarus fossarum, Gammarus
      roeselii): Low metabolic rates may favor the invader.
AB  - The Ponto-Caspian amphipod Dikerogammarus villosus is one of the most successful
      invaders in Central European rivers. Contrary to studies on its ecology,
      ecophysiological studies comparing the species' physiological traits are scarce.
      In this context, in particular the metabolic activity of the invasive species has
      rarely been considered and, moreover, the few existing studies on this species
      report strongly deviating results. The purpose of this study was to assess the
      metabolic activity and behavior of D. villosus and other common European amphipod
      species (Gammarus fossarum, Gammarus roeselii) in relation to temperatures
      covering the thermal regime of the invaded habitats. Based on direct calorimetric
      measurements of metabolic heat dissipation at three temperature levels (5 degrees
      C, 15 degrees C and 25 degrees C), we found the routine metabolic rate of D.
      villosus to be significantly lower than that of the other studied gammarid
      species at the medium temperature level. The estimated resting metabolic rate
      indicated a similar trend. At 5 degrees C and 25 degrees C, both routine and
      resting metabolic rate did not differ between species. Compared to G. fossarum
      and G. roeselii, D. villosus exhibited lower locomotor activity at the low and
      medium temperatures (5 degrees C and 15 degrees C). In contrast, its locomotor
      activity increased at the high experimental temperature (25 degrees C). G.
      fossarum and G. roeselii were apparently more active than D. villosus at all
      studied temperatures. We conclude that D. villosus has both physiological and
      behavioral adaptations that lead to a reduction in metabolic energy expenditure,
      which is assumed to be beneficial and might contribute to its invasive success. 

PMID- 26478194
TI  - Observing in space and time the ephemeral nucleation of liquid-to-crystal phase
      transitions.
AB  - The phase transition of crystalline ordering is a general phenomenon, but its
      evolution in space and time requires microscopic probes for visualization. Here
      we report direct imaging of the transformation of amorphous titanium dioxide
      nanofilm, from the liquid state, passing through the nucleation step and finally
      to the ordered crystal phase. Single-pulse transient diffraction profiles at
      different times provide the structural transformation and the specific degree of
      crystallinity (eta) in the evolution process. It is found that the temporal
      behaviour of eta exhibits unique 'two-step' dynamics, with a robust 'plateau'
      that extends over a microsecond; the rate constants vary by two orders of
      magnitude. Such behaviour reflects the presence of intermediate structure(s) that
      are the precursor of the ordered crystal state. Theoretically, we extend the well
      known Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov equation, which describes the isothermal
      process with a stretched-exponential function, but here over the range of times
      covering the melt-to-crystal transformation. 

PMID- 26478195
TI  - Chronobiological Therapy for Mood Disorders.
AB  - Chronobiological therapies for mood disorders include manipulations of the sleep
      wake cycle such as sleep deprivation and sleep phase advance and the controlled
      exposure to light and darkness. Their antidepressant efficacy can overcome drug
      resistance and targets the core depressive symptoms including suicide, thus
      making them treatment options to be tried either alone or as adjunctive
      treatments combined with common psychopharmacological interventions. The specific
      pattern of mood change observed with chronobiological therapies is characterized
      by rapid and sustained effects, when used among themselves or combined with
      drugs. Effects sizes are the same reported for the most effective psychiatric
      treatments, but side effects are usually marginal or absent. New treatment
      protocols are developed to adapt them in different clinical settings. This review
      deals with the general principles of clinical chronobiology and the latest
      findings in this rapidly developing field. 

PMID- 26478196
TI  - Genetic Similarities between Compulsive Overeating and Addiction Phenotypes: A
      Case for "Food Addiction"?
AB  - There exists a continuous spectrum of overeating, where at the extremes there are
      casual overindulgences and at the other a 'pathological' drive to consume
      palatable foods. It has been proposed that pathological eating behaviors may be
      the result of addictive appetitive behavior and loss of ability to regulate the
      consumption of highly processed foods containing refined carbohydrates, fats,
      salt, and caffeine. In this review, we highlight the genetic similarities
      underlying substance addiction phenotypes and overeating compulsions seen in
      individuals with binge eating disorder. We relate these similarities to findings
      from neuroimaging studies on reward processing and clinical diagnostic criteria
      based on addiction phenotypes. The abundance of similarities between compulsive
      overeating and substance addictions puts forth a case for a 'food addiction'
      phenotype as a valid, diagnosable disorder. 

PMID- 26478197
TI  - Sleep, Cognition and Dementia.
AB  - The older patient population is growing rapidly around the world and in the USA.
      Almost half of seniors over age 65 who live at home are dissatisfied with their
      sleep, and nearly two-thirds of those residing in nursing home facilities suffer
      from sleep disorders. Chronic and pervasive sleep complaints and disturbances are
      frequently associated with excessive daytime sleepiness and may result in
      impaired cognition, diminished intellect, poor memory, confusion, and psychomotor
      retardation all of which may be misinterpreted as dementia. The key sleep
      disorders impacting patients with dementia include insomnia, hypersomnolence,
      circadian rhythm misalignment, sleep disordered breathing, motor disturbances of
      sleep such as periodic leg movement disorder of sleep and restless leg syndrome,
      and parasomnias, mostly in the form of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior
      disorder (RBD). RBD is a pre-clinical marker for a class of neurodegenerative
      diseases, the "synucleinopathies", and requires formal polysomnographic
      evaluation. Untreated sleep disorders may exacerbate cognitive and behavioral
      symptoms in patients with dementia and are a source of considerable stress for
      bed partners and family members. When left untreated, sleep disturbances may also
      increase the risk of injury at night, compromise health-related quality of life,
      and precipitate and accelerate social and economic burdens for caregivers. 

PMID- 26478199
TI  - A role for vector control in dengue vaccine programs.
AB  - Development and deployment of a successful dengue virus (DENV) vaccine has
      confounded research and pharmaceutical entities owing to the complex nature of
      DENV immunity and concerns over exacerbating the risk of DENV hemorrhagic fever
      (DHF) as a consequence of vaccination. Thus, consensus is growing that a
      combination of mitigation strategies will be needed for DENV to be successfully
      controlled, likely involving some form of vector control to enhance a vaccine
      program. We present here a deterministic compartmental model to illustrate that
      vector control may enhance vaccination campaigns with imperfect coverage and
      efficacy. Though we recognize the costs and challenges associated with continuous
      control programs, simultaneous application of vector control methods coincident
      with vaccine roll out can have a positive effect by further reducing the number
      of human cases. The success of such an integrative strategy is predicated on
      closing gaps in our understanding of the DENV transmission cycle in hyperedemic
      locations. 

PMID- 26478198
TI  - Improvement of BCG protective efficacy with a novel chimpanzee adenovirus and a
      modified vaccinia Ankara virus both expressing Ag85A.
AB  - A replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus expressing Ag85A (ChAdOx1.85A) was
      assessed, both alone and in combination with modified vaccinia Ankara also
      expressing Ag85A (MVA85A), for its immunogenicity and protective efficacy against
      a Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) challenge in mice. Naive and BCG-primed mice
      were vaccinated or boosted with ChAdOx1.85A and MVA85A in different combinations.
      Although intranasally administered ChAdOx1.85A induced strong immune responses in
      the lungs, it failed to consistently protect against aerosol M.tb challenge. In
      contrast, ChAdOx1.85A followed by MVA85A administered either mucosally or
      systemically, induced strong immune responses and was able to improve the
      protective efficacy of BCG. This vaccination regime has consistently shown
      superior protection over BCG alone and should be evaluated further. 

PMID- 26478200
TI  - Correlates of protection of serotype-specific capsular antibody and invasive
      Group B Streptococcus disease in South African infants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vaccinating pregnant women may prevent invasive Group B Streptococcus
      (GBS) disease in their young infants. In a low-middle income setting, we sought
      to determine an association between natural maternal antibody responses and the
      development of invasive GBS disease. METHODS: We undertook a matched case-control
      study in Johannesburg, South Africa. Maternal and infant antibody concentrations
      were compared between serotype-specific Ia and III GBS cases and well-baby
      controls in which the mother was colonized with the same serotype. RESULTS: The
      median maternal serotype Ia and III antibody concentrations (in MUg/mL) were 0.05
      (IQR: 0.02-0.24; n=27) and 0.14 (IQR: 0.08-0.33; n=29) in cases, and 0.29 (IQR:
      0.06-1.60; n=43) and 0.29 (IQR: 0.13-0.58; n=31) in homotypic controls,
      respectively. A smaller proportion of cases as compared to homotypic controls had
      higher serotype Ia and III maternal antibody concentrations. Using Bayesian
      modeling, we demonstrated that the risk of invasive GBS disease was less than 10%
      with maternal antibody concentrations >= 6 MUg/mL and >= 3 MUg/mL for serotypes
      Ia and III, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal capsular antibody concentrations
      are associated with the risk of invasive GBS disease in infants. In a low-middle
      income setting with a high burden of invasive disease, we have demonstrated a
      sero-correlate of protection for GBS serotypes Ia and III which could facilitate
      vaccine licensure.

PMID- 26478202
TI  - Intention to receive influenza vaccination prior to the summer influenza season
      in adults of Hong Kong, 2015.
AB  - Following a severe winter epidemic of drifted influenza A(H3N2) during January
      March 2015, the Hong Kong government purchased vaccines of southern hemisphere
      formulation for administration prior to the anticipated summer influenza
      epidemic. This is the first time that seasonal influenza vaccines will be
      delivered twice within the same year in Hong Kong. We conducted a household
      telephone survey to investigate the acceptance of Hong Kong adults to pre-summer
      influenza vaccination. We found that the proportion of people reporting intention
      to receive vaccination was 37.8, 24.0, 31.4, and 34.4% in the age groups of 18
      39, 40-59, 60-69, and 70 years or above. Only 31.3% of respondents who claimed
      they were parents or guardians said they would take their children to receive
      vaccination if the new vaccine was available. These findings suggested that
      intention to receive pre-summer vaccination was low even among the priority group
      of older people. 

PMID- 26478203
TI  - Report on the second WHO integrated meeting on development and clinical trials of
      influenza vaccines that induce broadly protective and long-lasting immune
      responses: Geneva, Switzerland, 5-7 May 2014.
AB  - On 5-7 May 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) convened the second
      integrated meeting on "influenza vaccines that induce broadly protective and long
      lasting immune responses". Around 100 invited experts from academia, the vaccine
      industry, research and development funders, and regulatory and public health
      agencies attended the meeting. Areas covered included mechanisms of protection in
      natural influenza-virus infection and vaccine-induced immunity, new approaches to
      influenza-vaccine design and production, and novel routes of vaccine
      administration. A timely focus was on how this knowledge could be applied to both
      seasonal influenza and emerging viruses with pandemic potential such as influenza
      A (H7N9), currently circulating in China. Special attention was given to the
      development of possible universal influenza vaccines, given that the Global
      Vaccine Action Plan calls for at least one licensed universal influenza vaccine
      by 2020. This report highlights some of the topics discussed and provides an
      update on studies published since the report of the previous meeting. 

PMID- 26478201
TI  - Mouse models of dengue virus infection for vaccine testing.
AB  - Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease caused by four serologically and genetically
      related viruses termed DENV-1 to DENV-4. With an annual global burden of
      approximately 390 million infections occurring in the tropics and subtropics
      worldwide, an effective vaccine to combat dengue is urgently needed.
      Historically, a major impediment to dengue research has been development of a
      suitable small animal infection model that mimics the features of human illness
      in the absence of neurologic disease that was the hallmark of earlier mouse
      models. Recent advances in immunocompromised murine infection models have
      resulted in development of lethal DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4 models in AG129 mice
      that are deficient in both the interferon-alpha/beta receptor (IFN-alpha/beta R)
      and the interferon-gamma receptor (IFN-gammaR). These models mimic many hallmark
      features of dengue disease in humans, such as viremia, thrombocytopenia, vascular
      leakage, and cytokine storm. Importantly AG129 mice develop lethal, acute,
      disseminated infection with systemic viral loads, which is characteristic of
      typical dengue illness. Infected AG129 mice generate an antibody response to
      DENV, and antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) models have been established by
      both passive and maternal transfer of DENV-immune sera. Several steps have been
      taken to refine DENV mouse models. Viruses generated by peripheral in vivo
      passages incur substitutions that provide a virulent phenotype using smaller
      inocula. Because IFN signaling has a major role in immunity to DENV, mice that
      generate a cellular immune response are desired, but striking the balance between
      susceptibility to DENV and intact immunity is complicated. Great strides have
      been made using single-deficient IFN-alpha/betaR mice for DENV-2 infection, and
      conditional knockdowns may offer additional approaches to provide a panoramic
      view that includes viral virulence and host immunity. Ultimately, the DENV AG129
      mouse models result in reproducible lethality and offer multiple disease
      parameters to evaluate protection by candidate vaccines. 

PMID- 26478204
TI  - Recessive Mutations in POLR3B Encoding RNA Polymerase III Subunit Causing Diffuse
      Hypomyelination in Patients with 4H Leukodystrophy with Polymicrogyria and
      Cataracts.
AB  - The diagnosis of 4H leukodystrophy (hypomyelination, hypogonadotropic
      hypogonadism, and hypodontia) is based on clinical findings and magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI). Recently, mutations of the genes encoding Pol III (RNA
      polymerase III) subunit A (POLR3A) and subunit B (POL3B) have been identified as
      the genetic causes of hypomyelination. We describe two Polish female siblings
      aged 5 and 10 years with compound heterozygous mutations in POLR3B. They both
      presented with similar clinical symptoms and MRI findings presenting as 4H
      leukodystrophy, and the association of polymicrogyria and cataract. According to
      our observation in young children with the absence of hypogonadotropic
      hypogonadism, brain MRI pattern is very essential in proper early diagnosis of 4H
      leukodystrophy. All clinical and radiological results are of course helpful,
      however genetic conformation is always necessary.

PMID- 26478208
TI  - Single i.v. ketamine augmentation of newly initiated escitalopram for major
      depression: results from a randomized, placebo-controlled 4-week study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While oral antidepressants reach efficacy after weeks, single-dose
      intravenous (i.v.) ketamine has rapid, yet time-limited antidepressant effects.
      We aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of single-dose i.v. ketamine
      augmentation of escitalopram in major depressive disorder (MDD). METHOD: Thirty
      outpatients with severe MDD (17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression total
      score ? 24) were randomized to 4 weeks double-blind treatment with escitalopram
      10 mg/day+single-dose i.v. ketamine (0.5 mg/kg over 40 min) or escitalopram 10
      mg/day + placebo (0.9% i.v. saline). Depressive symptoms were measured using the
      Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Quick Inventory of
      Depressive Symptomatology - Self-Report (QIDS-SR). Suicidal ideation was
      evaluated with the QIDS-SR item 12. Adverse psychopathological effects were
      measured with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS)-positive symptoms, Young
      Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Clinician Administered Dissociative States Scale
      (CADSS). Patients were assessed at baseline, 1, 2, 4, 24 and 72 h and 7, 14, 21
      and 28 days. Time to response (? 50% MADRS score reduction) was the primary
      outcome. RESULTS: By 4 weeks, more escitalopram + ketamine-treated than
      escitalopram + placebo-treated patients responded (92.3% v. 57.1%, p = 0.04) and
      remitted (76.9% v. 14.3%, p = 0.001), with significantly shorter time to response
      [hazard ratio (HR) 0.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.01-0.22, p < 0.001] and
      remission (HR 0.11, 95% CI 0.02-0.63, p = 0.01). Compared to escitalopram +
      placebo, escitalopram + ketamine was associated with significantly lower MADRS
      scores from 2 h to 2 weeks [(peak = 3 days-2 weeks; effect size (ES) = 1.08
      1.18)], QIDS-SR scores from 2 h to 2 weeks (maximum ES = 1.27), and QIDS-SR
      suicidality from 2 to 72 h (maximum ES = 2.24). Only YMRS scores increased
      significantly with ketamine augmentation (1 and 2 h), without significant BPRS or
      CADSS elevation. CONCLUSIONS: Single-dose i.v. ketamine augmentation of
      escitalopram was safe and effective in severe MDD, holding promise for speeding
      up early oral antidepressant efficacy.

PMID- 26478209
TI  - The Scaling of Human Contacts and Epidemic Processes in Metapopulation Networks.
AB  - We study the dynamics of reaction-diffusion processes on heterogeneous
      metapopulation networks where interaction rates scale with subpopulation sizes.
      We first present new empirical evidence, based on the analysis of the
      interactions of 13 million users on Twitter, that supports the scaling of human
      interactions with population size with an exponent gamma ranging between 1.11 and
      1.21, as observed in recent studies based on mobile phone data. We then integrate
      such observations into a reaction- diffusion metapopulation framework. We provide
      an explicit analytical expression for the global invasion threshold which sets a
      critical value of the diffusion rate below which a contagion process is not able
      to spread to a macroscopic fraction of the system. In particular, we consider the
      Susceptible-Infectious-Recovered epidemic model. Interestingly, the scaling of
      human contacts is found to facilitate the spreading dynamics. This behavior is
      enhanced by increasing heterogeneities in the mobility flows coupling the
      subpopulations. Our results show that the scaling properties of human
      interactions can significantly affect dynamical processes mediated by human
      contacts such as the spread of diseases, ideas and behaviors. 

PMID- 26478210
TI  - Resolution Pharmacology: Opportunities for Therapeutic Innovation in
      Inflammation.
AB  - Current medicines for the clinical management of inflammatory diseases act by
      inhibiting specific enzymes or antagonising specific receptors or blocking their
      ligands. In the past decade, a new paradigm in our understanding of the
      inflammatory process has emerged with the appreciation of genetic, molecular, and
      cellular mechanisms that are engaged to actively resolve inflammation. The
      'resolution of acute inflammation' is enabled by counter-regulatory checkpoints
      to terminate the inflammatory reaction, promoting healing and repair. It may be
      possible to harness this knowledge for innovative approaches to the treatment of
      inflammatory pathologies. Here we discuss current translational attempts to
      develop agonists at proresolving targets as a strategy to rectify chronic
      inflammatory status. We reason this new approach will lead to the identification
      of better drugs that will establish a new branch of pharmacology, 'resolution
      pharmacology'. 

PMID- 26478212
TI  - L1-CAM and N-CAM: From Adhesion Proteins to Pharmacological Targets.
AB  - L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1-CAM) and neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM), key
      members of the immunoglobulin-like CAM (Ig-CAM) family, were first recognized to
      play critical roles in surface interactions of neurons, by binding with each
      other and with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Subsequently, adhesion was
      recognized to include signaling due to both activation of beta-integrin, with the
      generation of intracellular cascades, and integration with the surface
      cytoskeleton. The importance of the two Ig-CAMs was revealed by their activation
      of the tyrosine kinase receptors of fibroblast growth factor (FGF), epidermal
      growth factor (EGF), and nerve growth factor (NGF). Based on these complex
      signaling properties, L1-CAM and N-CAM have become of great potential
      pharmacological interest in neurons and cancers. Treatment of neurodegenerative
      disorders and cognitive deficits of neurons is aimed to increase the cell Ig-CAM
      tone, possibly provided by synthetic/mimetic peptides. In cancer cells, where Ig
      CAMs are often overexpressed, the proteins are employed for prognosis. The
      approaches to therapy are based on protein downregulation, antibodies, and
      adoptive immunotherapy. 

PMID- 26478213
TI  - Commentary: To improve melanoma detection, help teach our colleagues.

PMID- 26478214
TI  - Thermodynamic holography.
AB  - The holographic principle states that the information about a volume of a system
      is encoded on the boundary surface of the volume. Holography appears in many
      branches of physics, such as optics, electromagnetism, many-body physics, quantum
      gravity, and string theory. Here we show that holography is also an underlying
      principle in thermodynamics, a most important foundation of physics. The
      thermodynamics of a system is fully determined by its partition function. We
      prove that the partition function of a finite but arbitrarily large system is an
      analytic function on the complex plane of physical parameters, and therefore the
      partition function in a region on the complex plane is uniquely determined by its
      values along the boundary. The thermodynamic holography has applications in
      studying thermodynamics of nano-scale systems (such as molecule engines, nano
      generators and macromolecules) and provides a new approach to many-body physics. 

PMID- 26478211
TI  - Recent Advances and New Strategies in Targeting Plk1 for Anticancer Therapy.
AB  - Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) plays key roles in regulating mitotic processes that
      are crucial for cellular proliferation. Overexpression of Plk1 is tightly
      associated with the development of particular cancers in humans, and a large body
      of evidence suggests that Plk1 is an attractive target for anticancer therapeutic
      development. Drugs targeting Plk1 can potentially be directed at two distinct
      sites: the N-terminal catalytic kinase domain (KD), which phosphorylates
      substrates, and the C-terminal polo-box domain (PBD) which is essential for
      protein-protein interactions. In this review we summarize recent advances and new
      challenges in the development of Plk1 inhibitors targeting these two domains. We
      also discuss novel strategies for designing and developing next-generation
      inhibitors to effectively treat Plk1-associated human disorders. 

PMID- 26478215
TI  - Unimolecular antiparallel G-quadruplex folding topology of 2'-5'-isoTBA sequences
      remains unaltered by loop composition.
AB  - A 2'-5'-linked isoTBA 15 mer sequence with (232) loop composition formed stable
      antiparallel quadruplex structures similar to the SELEX derived 15 mer TBA
      sequence with (232) loop composition. A parallel versus antiparallel topology of
      3'-5'-G-quadruplexes is largely dictated by the loop length, and it is known that
      the truncated loops favour parallel quadruplexes. In contrast to TBA, systematic
      reduction of the loop length in isoTBA from (232) to (222), (131) or even (111)
      did not alter the antiparallel topology of the resulting 14 mer, 13 mer and 11
      mer G-rich modified isoTBA-like sequences. 

PMID- 26478216
TI  - Identifying and avoiding singularity-induced local traps over control landscapes
      of spin chain systems.
AB  - The wide success of quantum optimal control in experiments and simulations is
      attributed to the properties of the control landscape, defined by the objective
      value as a functional of the controls. Prior analysis has shown that on
      satisfaction of some underlying assumptions, the landscapes are free of
      suboptimal traps that could halt the search for a global optimum with gradient
      based algorithms. However, violation of one particular assumption can give rise
      to a so-called singular control, possibly bringing about local traps on the
      corresponding landscapes in some particular situations. This paper theoretically
      and experimentally demonstrates the existence of singular traps on the landscape
      in linear spin-1/2 chains with Ising couplings between nearest neighbors and with
      certain field components set to zero. The results in a two-spin example show how
      a trap influences the search trajectories passing by it, and how to avoid
      encountering such traps in practice by choosing sufficiently strong initial
      control fields. The findings are also discussed in the context of the generally
      observed success of quantum control. 

PMID- 26478218
TI  - Reaction and degradation mechanism in all-solid-state lithium-air batteries.
AB  - The reaction and degradation mechanism in all-solid-state Li-air batteries was
      investigated to improve the cycling performance. It is suggested that Li2O2 is
      first produced by the H2O-mediated electrochemical reactions during discharging
      and Li2CO3 is produced by the following chemical reactions. Disruption of the
      CNTs and residual discharge products, which cause the capacity degradation during
      cycling, were observed. 

PMID- 26478217
TI  - Outcome of Treating Pediatric Uveitis With Dexamethasone Implants.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the outcome in children of eyes with uveitis following
      repeated treatment with dexamethasone (Ozurdex) implants. DESIGN: Retrospective,
      interventional study. METHODS: Twenty-two eyes of 16 pediatric patients with
      uveitis were treated with 35 dexamethasone implants at a tertiary referral
      center. Following implantations, anatomic and functional outcomes, as well as
      ocular complications, were noted. Main outcome measures included best-corrected
      visual acuity, central retinal thickness, number and dosage of systemic
      immunosuppression drugs, vitreous haze score, and presence of raised intraocular
      pressure or cataract. RESULTS: Following the first implantation, average best
      corrected visual acuity improved significantly from 0.55 +/- 0.08 logMAR to 0.37
      +/- 0.08 logMAR (P = .024), central retinal thickness decreased by 219 +/- 55 MUm
      (P = .01), and the percentage of eyes achieving a vitreous haze score of 0
      increased from 41% to 88% (P = .006). The median time to relapse following the
      first injection was 9 months, with a similar response achieved after each repeat
      implantation. Children previously requiring systemic immunosuppression at the
      time of the first implantation were able to stop or significantly reduce the dose
      and number of drugs. In total there were 4 instances of cataract progression that
      were not visually significant and did not require surgical treatment and 6 cases
      of raised IOP, 5 of which were treated pharmacologically with no surgical
      intervention required and 1 that required revision of a previous filtration
      surgery. There were no cases of implant migration into the anterior chamber,
      endophthalmitis, or retinal detachment. CONCLUSIONS: The use of dexamethasone
      implants in children results in improved retinal thickness and reduction in
      ocular inflammation, which can improve vision for several months. Repeat
      implantations result in continued control of the inflammation, allowing for
      reduction of systemic immunosuppression with few ocular complications.

PMID- 26478219
TI  - Genetics and imaging of oligodendroglial tumors.
AB  - Oligodendroglial tumors are chemosensitive with a favorable prognosis compared
      with other histological subtypes. The genetic hallmark of co-deletion of 1p and
      19q determines both treatment response and prognosis. While this test now forms
      part of routine histopathology diagnosis in many laboratories, alternative
      noninvasive imaging biomarkers of tumor genotype remain an attractive
      proposition. This review will focus on imaging biomarkers of molecular genetics
      in oligodendroglial tumors. 

PMID- 26478220
TI  - The content and effectiveness of home-based nursing interventions to promote
      health and well-being in families with small children: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the use of preventive family nursing interventions in the
      home is increased, the literature on the content and effectiveness of these
      interventions remains fragmented. AIM: The aim of this review was to identify and
      describe the content of preventive family nursing interventions in families'
      homes and the effectiveness they had on the families' health and well-being.
      METHODS: A systematic review was conducted using searches on the databases
      CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science (2003-2014). RESULTS: Altogether, 2077
      articles were identified, and 11 were selected based on the inclusion and
      exclusion criteria. The main types of interventions were discussions and
      practical exercises to help parents cope with parenthood and relationships and
      interactions in the family, together with health, well-being, social relations
      and socio-economic situations. The effectiveness of family interventions was
      reported in all the selected studies. CONCLUSIONS: Greater knowledge of
      interventions is needed in the future, to develop program content and to explore
      the validity and reliability of used measurements. In addition, more effort is
      needed to develop quality appraisal tools for preventive interventions in
      families' homes.

PMID- 26478222
TI  - Structure of Zeste-DNA Complex Reveals a New Modality of DNA Recognition by
      Homeodomain-Like Proteins.
AB  - Drosophila Zeste is a DNA binding protein important for chromatin-targeted
      regulation of gene expression. It is best studied in the context of transvection
      a mechanism of interallelic gene regulation involving paired chromosomes-and
      repression of the expression of white by Zeste mutants. Both of these functions
      depend on the DNA binding and self-association properties of Zeste, but the
      underlying structural basis remains unknown. Here we report the crystal structure
      of the DNA binding domain of Zeste in complex with a 19-bp DNA duplex containing
      the consensus recognition sequence motif. The structure reveals a helix-turn
      helix Myb/homeodomain-like fold with the Zeste-specific insertion sequence
      forming a short helix and a long loop. Direct base contacts by the major groove
      binding helix principally account for the sequence-specific recognition, and
      backbone contacts via the Zeste-specific insertion are mainly responsible for the
      length requirement and the orientation of DNA. Our structural and biochemical
      characterizations of the DNA binding property of Zeste uncover an altered DNA
      binding modality of homeodomain-like proteins, and the structural information
      should facilitate the unraveling of the intricate mechanism of Zeste in
      regulation of gene expression. 

PMID- 26478221
TI  - Syringomyelia in a Newborn Male Simmental Calf.

PMID- 26478223
TI  - Predicting Large RNA-Like Topologies by a Knowledge-Based Clustering Approach.
AB  - An analysis and expansion of our resource for classifying, predicting, and
      designing RNA structures, RAG (RNA-As-Graphs), is presented, with the goal of
      understanding features of RNA-like and non-RNA-like motifs and exploiting this
      information for RNA design. RAG was first reported in 2004 for cataloging RNA
      secondary structure motifs using graph representations. In 2011, the RAG resource
      was updated with the increased availability of RNA structures and was improved by
      utilities for analyzing RNA structures, including substructuring and search
      tools. We also classified RNA structures as graphs up to 10 vertices (~200
      nucleotides) into three classes: existing, RNA-like, and non-RNA-like using
      clustering approaches. Here, we focus on the tree graphs and evaluate the newly
      founded RNAs since 2011, which also support our refined predictions of RNA-like
      motifs. We expand the RAG resource for large tree graphs up to 13 vertices (~260
      nucleotides), thereby cataloging more than 10 times as many secondary structures.
      We apply clustering algorithms based on features of RNA secondary structures
      translated from known tertiary structures to suggest which hypothetical large RNA
      motifs can be considered "RNA-like". The results by the PAM (Partitioning Around
      Medoids) approach, in particular, reveal good accuracy, with small error for the
      largest cases. The RAG update here up to 13 vertices offers a useful graph-based
      tool for exploring RNA motifs and suggesting large RNA motifs for design. 

PMID- 26478224
TI  - Vine Nitrogen Status Does Not Have a Direct Impact on 2-Methoxy-3
      isobutylpyrazine in Grape Berries and Wines.
AB  - Methoxypyrazines (MP) constitute a large family of compounds that contribute to
      the vegetative varietal aroma of many grapevine varieties and wines. The berry
      content in 2-methoxy-3-isobutylpyrazine (IBMP), a major MP reminiscent of green
      pepper aroma, can be influenced by environmental factors or cultural practices
      such as water status or mineral nutrition. To date, no study has investigated a
      possible direct effect of nitrogen (N) on IBMP synthesis without possible
      interference from water status and vigor variations. In this study, only vine
      nitrogen status was significantly different among treatments. Water status was
      controlled during the season, and vine vigor was similar among treatments. IBMP
      level was maximal at bunch closure and decreased during the season. There was no
      significant effect of nitrogen nutrition on this metabolite. Moreover, the
      expression profiles of VvOMT3 and VvOMT4, key genes in the IBMP biosynthetic
      pathway, were similar between treatments. This result indicates that when an
      effect of N on IBMP was found in previous studies, it was likely mediated through
      the modification of bunch-zone microclimate, induced by the higher vigor of high
      N-status vines. 

PMID- 26478225
TI  - Renal Phosphate Reabsorption is Correlated with the Increase in Lumbar Bone
      Mineral Density in Patients Receiving Once-Weekly Teriparatide.
AB  - In order to assess the changes in serum calcium and phosphate and the changes in
      renal tubular phosphate reabsorption (TmP/GFR) and to evaluate the association
      between these indices and the increase in bone mineral density (BMD) with once
      weekly intermittent administration of teriparatide (TPTD), the results from the
      teriparatide once-weekly efficacy research (TOWER) trial were re-analyzed. The
      TOWER trial studied postmenopausal women and older men with osteoporosis.
      Patients were randomly assigned to receive TPTD 56.5 MUg or placebo for 72 weeks.
      Of these patients, the present study investigated those whose calcium and
      phosphate levels and lumbar BMD (L-BMD) were measured (TPTD group, n = 153 and
      Placebo group, n = 137). The TPTD group had significantly lower serum phosphate,
      calcium-phosphate product, and TmP/GFR at weeks 4, 24, 48, and 72 and urinary
      fractional calcium excretion (FECa) at weeks 12, 48, and 72 (p < 0.05). In the
      TPTD group, the serum phosphate and TmP/GFR during early treatment (4, and 12
      weeks) showed a significant positive correlation with the percent change in L-BMD
      at weeks 48 and 72. Based on multivariate analysis corrected for age, BMI, and L
      BMD at the start of treatment, serum phosphate and TmP/GFR at week 4 showed a
      significant correlation with the percent change in L-BMD. This study suggests
      that the L-BMD response to once-weekly long-term TPTD treatment is associated
      with circulating phosphate or with the status of its renal reabsorption.
      Preventing decrease in serum phosphate levels may be important in acquiring
      greater L-BMD with once-weekly TPTD.

PMID- 26478226
TI  - Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type I Caused by COL1A1 Deletions.
AB  - Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) type I is usually caused by COL1A1 stop or
      frameshift mutations, leading to COL1A1 haploinsufficiency. Here we report on 12
      individuals from 5 families who had OI type I due to an unusual cause
      heterozygous deletions of the entire COL1A1 gene. The deletions were initially
      detected by semiconductor-based sequencing of genomic DNA and confirmed by
      quantitative PCR. Array comparative genomic hybridization in DNA of the index
      patient in each family showed that deletion size varied from 18.5 kb to 2.23 Mb
      between families, encompassing between 1 and 47 genes (COL1A1 included). The
      skeletal phenotype of the affected individuals was similar to that of patients
      with haploinsufficiency caused by COL1A1 stop or frameshift mutations. However,
      one individual with a deletion that included also DLX3 and DLX4 had tooth
      discoloration and bone fragility. Three individuals from 2 families had deletions
      that included also CACNA1G, and these individuals had learning disabilities.
      These features are not usually observed in COL1A1 haploinsufficiency, but are in
      accordance with previously described individuals in whom deletions included the
      same genes. In summary, we found deletions of COL1A1 in 5 out of 161 families (3
      %) with OI type I that were evaluated. Deletions encompassing not only COL1A1 but
      also neighboring genes can lead to contiguous gene syndromes that may include
      dental involvement and learning disability.

PMID- 26478228
TI  - Mechanical properties of zirconium alloys and zirconium hydrides predicted from
      density functional perturbation theory.
AB  - The elastic properties and mechanical stability of zirconium alloys and zirconium
      hydrides have been investigated within the framework of density functional
      perturbation theory. Results show that the lowest-energy cubic Pn3[combining
      macron]m polymorph of delta-ZrH1.5 does not satisfy all the Born requirements for
      mechanical stability, unlike its nearly degenerate tetragonal P42/mcm polymorph.
      Elastic moduli predicted with the Voigt-Reuss-Hill approximations suggest that
      mechanical stability of alpha-Zr, Zr-alloy and Zr-hydride polycrystalline
      aggregates is limited by the shear modulus. According to both Pugh's and
      Poisson's ratios, alpha-Zr, Zr-alloy and Zr-hydride polycrystalline aggregates
      can be considered ductile. The Debye temperatures predicted for gamma-ZrH, delta
      ZrH1.5 and epsilon-ZrH2 are thetaD = 299.7, 415.6 and 356.9 K, respectively,
      while thetaD = 273.6, 284.2, 264.1 and 257.1 K for the alpha-Zr, Zry-4, ZIRLO and
      M5 matrices, i.e. suggesting that Zry-4 possesses the highest micro-hardness
      among Zr matrices. 

PMID- 26478229
TI  - 29th Annual Meeting of the Austrian Society of Transplantation, Transfusion and
      Genetics - Austrotransplant 2015, Kitzbuehel, Austria, 21-24 October 2015.

PMID- 26478227
TI  - Cell-Free Protein Synthesis: Pros and Cons of Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Systems.
AB  - From its start as a small-scale in vitro system to study fundamental translation
      processes, cell-free protein synthesis quickly rose to become a potent platform
      for the high-yield production of proteins. In contrast to classical in vivo
      protein expression, cell-free systems do not need time-consuming cloning steps,
      and the open nature provides easy manipulation of reaction conditions as well as
      high-throughput potential. Especially for the synthesis of difficult to express
      proteins, such as toxic and transmembrane proteins, cell-free systems are of
      enormous interest. The modification of the genetic code to incorporate non
      canonical amino acids into the target protein in particular provides enormous
      potential in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research and is in the focus of
      many cell-free projects. Many sophisticated cell-free systems for manifold
      applications have been established. This review describes the recent advances in
      cell-free protein synthesis and details the expanding applications in this field.

PMID- 26478231
TI  - Work-life balance: The female cardiothoracic surgeon's perspective.

PMID- 26478230
TI  - Transient unidirectional energy flow and diode-like phenomenon induced by non
      Markovian environments.
AB  - Relying on an exact time evolution scheme, we identify a novel transient energy
      transfer phenomenon in an exactly-solvable quantum microscopic model consisting
      of a three-level system coupled to two non-Markovian zero-temperature bosonic
      baths through two separable quantum channels. The dynamics of this model can be
      solved exactly using the quantum-state-diffusion equation formalism,
      demonstrating finite intervals of unidirectional energy flow across the system,
      typically, from the non-Markovian environment towards the more Markovian bath.
      Furthermore, when introducing a spatial asymmetry into the system, an analogue of
      the rectification effect is realized. In the long time limit, the dynamics
      arrives at a stationary state and the effects recede. Understanding temporal
      characteristics of directional energy flow will aid in designing microscopic
      energy transfer devices. 

PMID- 26478232
TI  - Can patients with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries live
      better electrically?

PMID- 26478233
TI  - How to develop a niche: Focus on adult cardiac surgery.

PMID- 26478234
TI  - Is there any role for positron emission tomography-computed tomography after
      induction therapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer?

PMID- 26478235
TI  - Mechanical versus biologic valves: Clicking engines or quiet electrics or
      hybrids?

PMID- 26478236
TI  - Historical perspectives of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery: William
      Elias Adams, MD (May 1, 1902-November 25, 1973).

PMID- 26478237
TI  - Prometheus' predicament: How to address contemporary left ventricular assist
      devices in patients with liver dysfunction.

PMID- 26478238
TI  - Calpain inhibition improves collateral-dependent perfusion in a
      hypercholesterolemic swine model of chronic myocardial ischemia.
AB  - PURPOSE: Calpain overexpression is implicated in aberrant angiogenesis. We
      hypothesized that calpain inhibition (MDL28170) would improve collateral
      perfusion in a swine model with hypercholesterolemia and chronic myocardial
      ischemia. METHODS: Yorkshire swine fed a high cholesterol diet for 4 weeks
      underwent surgical placement of an ameroid constrictor to their left circumflex
      coronary artery. Three weeks later, animals received no drug, high cholesterol
      control group (n = 8); low-dose calpain inhibition (0.12 mg/kg; n = 9); or high
      dose calpain inhibition (0.25 mg/kg; n = 8). The heart was harvested after 5
      weeks. RESULTS: Myocardial perfusion in ischemic myocardium significantly
      improved with high-dose calpain inhibition at rest and with demand pacing (P =
      .016 and .011). Endothelium-dependent microvessel relaxation was significantly
      improved with low-dose calpain inhibition (P = .001). There was a significant
      increase in capillary density, with low-dose calpain inhibition and high-dose
      calpain inhibition (P = .01 and .01), and arteriolar density with low-dose
      calpain inhibition (P = .001). Calpain inhibition significantly increased several
      proangiogenic proteins, including vascular endothelial growth factor (P = .02),
      vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (P = .003), vascular endothelial
      growth factor receptor 2 (P = .003), and talin, a microvascular structural
      protein (P = .0002). There was a slight increase in proteins implicated in
      endothelial-dependent (nitric oxide mediated) relaxation, including extracellular
      signal-regulated kinase, phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase,
      and inducible nitric oxide synthase with calpain inhibition. CONCLUSIONS: In the
      setting of hypercholesterolemia, calpain inhibition improved perfusion, with a
      trend toward increased collateralization on angiography and increased capillary
      and arteriolar densities in ischemic myocardium. Calpain inhibition also improved
      endothelium-dependent microvessel relaxation and increased expression of proteins
      implicated in angiogenesis and vasodilatation.

PMID- 26478239
TI  - Postoperative atrial fibrillation: Is there a need for prevention?

PMID- 26478240
TI  - It's time to get to the root of things.

PMID- 26478241
TI  - An important first step in the evaluation of venous thromboembolism after
      pulmonary resection.

PMID- 26478242
TI  - Don't miss the plenary sessions.

PMID- 26478243
TI  - Zone 0 hybrid arch exclusion: What for?

PMID- 26478244
TI  - Importance of Glu53 in the C-terminal region of brazzein, a sweet-tasting
      protein.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The sweetness of brazzein, one of the known sweet proteins, is
      dependent on charges and/or structures of its specific amino acid side chains. As
      the residues in the C-terminus of brazzein are known to play a critical role in
      sweetness, the currently unknown function of Glu53 requires further study.
      RESULTS: To identify important residues responsible for the sweetness of the
      protein brazzein, four mutants of the Glu53 residue in the C-terminal region of
      des-pE1M-brazzein, which lacks the N-terminal pyroglutamate, were constructed
      using site-directed mutagenesis. Mutations of Glu53 substitution to Ala or Asp
      significantly decreased the sweetness. On the other hand, a Lys mutation resulted
      in a molecule with sweetness similar to that of des-pE1M-brazzein. Mutation of
      Glu53 to Arg resulted in a molecule significantly sweeter than des-pE1M-brazzein,
      which agrees with previous findings showing that mutation with positively charged
      residues results in a sweeter protein. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the
      residue at position 53 is crucial for the sweetness of brazzein, which may be
      interacting with the sweet-taste receptor. (c) 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 26478245
TI  - Monitoring of physical health in services for young people at ultra-high risk of
      psychosis.
AB  - AIM: People with schizophrenia have poor physical health and high rates of
      premature mortality. Risk factors for later cardiovascular disease are present
      from an early stage, and recording of these factors is recommended in first
      episode services. However, it is unclear whether cardiometabolic risk factors are
      monitored prior to first-episode psychosis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was
      conducted on case notes of individuals accepted into a specialized early
      detection service for young people at ultra-high risk for psychosis. Notes were
      assessed to determine whether the following physical health measures were
      recorded: height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, blood glucose and
      lipids, physical activity levels, smoking status, substance use and alcohol
      intake. RESULTS: Forty individuals were deemed at ultra-high risk for psychosis
      and accepted into the service. The two measures reported most frequently were
      whether a person used substances (82.5%) or alcohol (72.5%), but more specific
      details were not commonly reported. A minority of case files contained
      information on height (2.5%), weight (7.5%), body mass index (5%), blood glucose
      (2.5%), smoking status (15%) and physical activity (7.5%). Six case files had no
      measure of physical health. CONCLUSIONS: Physical health and unhealthy lifestyle
      factors were not assessed routinely in the specialized service. Clear monitoring
      guidelines should be developed to establish routine assessment of common
      metabolic risk factors present in this population.

PMID- 26478246
TI  - (1) H and (13) C NMR spectral assignments of novel naphthalenylphenylpyrazolines.

PMID- 26478247
TI  - Blood Pressure Management After Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Elevated blood pressure (BP), which presents in approximately
      80 % of patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), is associated with
      increased risk of poor outcome. The Second Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction in
      Acute Cerebral Haemorrhage Trial (INTERACT2) study, a multinational, multicenter,
      randomized controlled trial published in 2013, demonstrated better functional
      outcomes with no harm for patients with acute spontaneous ICH within 6 h of onset
      who received target-driven, early intensive BP lowering (systolic BP target <140
      mmHg within 1 h, continued for 7 days) and suggested that greater and faster
      reduction in BP might enhance the treatment effect by limiting hematoma growth.
      The trial resulted in revisions of guidelines for acute management of ICH, in
      which intensive BP lowering in patients with acute ICH is recommended as safe and
      effective treatment for improving functional outcome. BP lowering is also the
      only intervention that is proven to reduce the risk of recurrent ICH. Current
      evidences from several randomized trials, including PROGRESS and SPS3, indicate
      that long-term strict BP control in patients with ICH is safe and could offer
      additional benefits in major reduction in risk of recurrent ICH. The latest
      American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) guidelines
      recommended a target BP of <130/80 mmHg after ICH, but supporting evidence is
      limited. Randomized controlled trials are needed that focus on strict BP control,
      initiated early after onset of the disease and continued long-term, to
      demonstrate effective prevention of recurrent stroke and other major vascular
      events without additional harms in the ICH population.

PMID- 26478250
TI  - Glucocorticoid Cell Priming Enhances Transfection Outcomes in Adult Human
      Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
AB  - Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are one of the most widely researched stem
      cell types with broad applications from basic research to therapeutics, the
      majority of which require introduction of exogenous DNA. However, safety and
      scalability issues hinder viral delivery, while poor efficiency hinders nonviral
      gene delivery, particularly to hMSCs. Here, we present the use of a pharmacologic
      agent (glucocorticoid) to overcome barriers to hMSC DNA transfer to enhance
      transfection using three common nonviral vectors. Glucocorticoid priming
      significantly enhances transfection in hMSCs, demonstrated by a 3-fold increase
      in efficiency, 4-15-fold increase in transgene expression, and prolonged
      transgene expression when compared to transfection without glucocorticoids. These
      effects are dependent on glucocorticoid receptor binding and caused in part by
      maintenance of normal metabolic function and increased cellular (5-fold) and
      nuclear (6-10-fold) DNA uptake over hMSCs transfected without glucocorticoids.
      Results were consistent across five human donors and in cells up to passage five.
      Glucocorticoid cell priming is a simple and effective technique to significantly
      enhance nonviral transfection of hMSCs that should enhance their clinical use,
      accelerate new research, and decrease reliance on early passage cells. 

PMID- 26478251
TI  - Context-dependent third-party intervention in agonistic encounters of male
      Przewalski horses.
AB  - One mechanism to resolve conflict among group members is third party
      intervention, for which several functions, such as kin protection, alliance
      formation, and the promotion of group cohesion have been proposed. Still,
      empirical research on the function of intervention behaviour is rare. We studied
      40 cases of intervention behaviour in a field study on 13 semi-wild bachelor
      horses (Equus ferus przewalskii) in (a) standard social situations, and (b) when
      new horses joined the group (i.e. introductions). Only interventions in agonistic
      encounters were analysed. Eight of 13 animals directed intervention behaviour
      toward threatening animal in agonistic encounters of group members. One stallion
      was particularly active. The stallions did not intervene to support former group
      mates or kin and interventions were not reciprocated. In introduction situations
      and in standard social situations, the interveners supported animals which were
      lower in rank, but targeted, threatening animals of comparable social rank. After
      introductions, stallions received more affiliative behaviour from animals they
      supported and thus appeared to intervene for alliance formation. In standard
      social situations, interveners did not receive more affiliative behaviour from
      animals they supported and may primarily have intervened to promote group
      cohesion and to reduce social disruption within the group. 

PMID- 26478253
TI  - Behavioral effects of fluoxetine on aggression and associative learning in
      Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens).
AB  - Past research has implicated serotonin as an important neurotransmitter in the
      facilitation of aggressive behavior. In Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens),
      the SSRI fluoxetine has been demonstrated to reduce both frequency and duration
      of aggressive displays across a variety of concentration exposure procedures.
      While this multi-method approach has provided strong evidence for fluoxetine's
      impact on aggression, no study has sought to examine the behavioral mechanism by
      which fluoxetine exerts its anti-aggressive effect. To address this question, a
      Go-No Go discrimination task utilizing mirror presentations as a reinforcer was
      designed. Consistent with previous reports, the results indicated that fluoxetine
      may exert a sedative effect upon aggressive behavior via decreased arousal to
      external stimuli. 

PMID- 26478252
TI  - Target-invariant aggressive display in a tephritid fly.
AB  - Fruit flies of the family Tephritidae (Diptera) use specialized wing displays in
      aggressive encounters with conspecifics and predators. These displays, called
      supination displays, have been thought to deter attacks from one of their main
      predators, spiders of the family Salticidae. However, there is no information
      whether the display is qualitatively or quantitatively different when the target
      is a conspecific or a predator. In this study, we sought to determine whether
      flies vary their displays depending on the display target. Using the Mexican
      fruit fly Anastrepha ludens, we compared the characteristics of the display that
      male and female flies use against conspecifics and spiders. Flies did not
      distinguish between spiders and conspecifics in terms of display rates and bout
      duration. In general, flies are more likely to retreat faster from spiders after
      performing a display. We suggest that supination is a generalized aggressive
      behavior that is independent of the target. 

PMID- 26478249
TI  - Development of Novel Adenoviral Vectors to Overcome Challenges Observed With HAdV
      5-based Constructs.
AB  - Recombinant vectors based on human adenovirus serotype 5 (HAdV-5) have been
      extensively studied in preclinical models and clinical trials over the past two
      decades. However, the thorough understanding of the HAdV-5 interaction with human
      subjects has uncovered major concerns about its product applicability. High
      vector-associated toxicity and widespread preexisting immunity have been shown to
      significantly impede the effectiveness of HAdV-5-mediated gene transfer. It is
      therefore that the in-depth knowledge attained working on HAdV-5 is currently
      being used to develop alternative vectors. Here, we provide a comprehensive
      overview of data obtained in recent years disqualifying the HAdV-5 vector for
      systemic gene delivery as well as novel strategies being pursued to overcome the
      limitations observed with particular emphasis on the ongoing vectorization
      efforts to obtain vectors based on alternative serotypes. 

PMID- 26478254
TI  - Chemoreception of hunger levels alters the following behaviour of a freshwater
      snail.
AB  - Chemically-mediated orientation is essential for many animals that must locate
      sites containing resources such as mates or food. One way to find these areas is
      by using publically-available information from other individuals. We tested a
      freshwater snail, Physa gyrina, for chemoreception of conspecific cues and
      predicted they could discriminate between cues based on information regarding
      hunger levels. We placed 'tracker' snails into a 2-arm arena where they could
      either follow or avoid an area previously used by a 'marker' snail. The hunger
      levels of both trackers and markers was manipulated, being either starved or fed.
      Starved and fed trackers did not differ in their following response when markers
      were hungry, but starved trackers were significantly more likely to follow fed
      markers, compared to fed trackers that tended to avoid areas used by fed markers.
      This outcome suggests that P. gyrina uses conspecific chemical cues to find food
      and potentially in some situations to avoid intra-specific food competition. 

PMID- 26478255
TI  - Fluorescent nanoparticles based on AIE fluorogens for bioimaging.
AB  - Fluorescent nanoparticles (FNPs) have recently attracted increasing attention in
      the biomedical field because of their unique optical properties, easy fabrication
      and outstanding performance in imaging. Compared with conventional molecular
      probes including small organic dyes and fluorescent proteins, FNPs based on
      aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorogens have shown significant advantages
      in tunable emission and brightness, good biocompatibility, superb photo- and
      physical stability, potential biodegradability and facile surface
      functionalization. In this review, we summarize the latest advances in the
      development of fluorescent nanoparticles based on AIE fluorogens including
      polymer nanoparticles and silica nanoparticles over the past few years, and the
      various biomedical applications based on these fluorescent nanoparticles are also
      elaborated. 

PMID- 26478256
TI  - Influence of MPEP (a selective mGluR5 antagonist) on the anticonvulsant action of
      novel antiepileptic drugs against maximal electroshock-induced seizures in mice.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the effects of 2-methyl-6
      (phenylethynyl)pyridine (MPEP - a selective antagonist for the glutamate
      metabotropic receptor subtype mGluR5) on the protective action of some novel
      antiepileptic drugs (lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, pregabalin and topiramate)
      against maximal electroshock-induced seizures in mice. Brain concentrations of
      antiepileptic drugs were measured to determine whether MPEP altered
      pharmacokinetics of antiepileptic drugs. Intraperitoneal injection of 1.5 and
      2mg/kg of MPEP significantly elevated the threshold for electroconvulsions in
      mice, whereas MPEP at a dose of 1mg/kg considerably enhanced the anticonvulsant
      activity of pregabalin and topiramate, but not that of lamotrigine or
      oxcarbazepine in the maximal electroshock-induced seizures in mice.
      Pharmacokinetic results revealed that MPEP (1mg/kg) did not alter total brain
      concentrations of pregabalin and topiramate, and the observed effect in the mouse
      maximal electroshock seizure model was pharmacodynamic in nature. Collectively,
      our preclinical data suggest that MPEP may be a safe and beneficial adjunct to
      the therapeutic effects of antiepileptic drugs in human patients. 

PMID- 26478257
TI  - ProTSAV: A protein tertiary structure analysis and validation server.
AB  - Quality assessment of predicted model structures of proteins is as important as
      the protein tertiary structure prediction. A highly efficient quality assessment
      of predicted model structures directs further research on function. Here we
      present a new server ProTSAV, capable of evaluating predicted model structures
      based on some popular online servers and standalone tools. ProTSAV furnishes the
      user with a single quality score in case of individual protein structure along
      with a graphical representation and ranking in case of multiple protein structure
      assessment. The server is validated on ~64,446 protein structures including
      experimental structures from RCSB and predicted model structures for CASP targets
      and from public decoy sets. ProTSAV succeeds in predicting quality of protein
      structures with a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 98% on experimentally
      solved structures and achieves a specificity of 88%and a sensitivity of 91% on
      predicted protein structures of CASP11 targets under 2A.The server overcomes the
      limitations of any single server/method and is seen to be robust in helping in
      quality assessment. ProTSAV is freely available at http://www.scfbio
      iitd.res.in/software/proteomics/protsav.jsp. 

PMID- 26478258
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the Qinghai Plateau yak Bos grunniens
      (Cetartiodactyla: Bovidae).
AB  - The Qinghai Plateau yak Bos grunniens (Cetartiodactyla: Bovidae) is an important
      primitive local breed in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and adjacent regions. In
      this study, its complete mitochondrial genome sequence has been assembled and
      characterized from high-throughput Illumina sequencing data. This genome is 16
      322 bp in length, and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA
      genes, and a non-coding D-loop or control region. The nucleotide composition is
      asymmetric (33.73% A, 25.79% C, 13.19% G, and 27.29% T) with an overall A + T
      content of 61.02%. The gene arrangement and the composition are similar to most
      other vertebrates. These data would contribute to our better understanding its
      population genetics and evolutionary history.

PMID- 26478259
TI  - Long-term outcomes following laparoscopic anterior and Nissen fundoplication.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Limited evidence exists to which operation gives best long-term
      outcomes for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. This study aimed to assess long
      term symptomatic outcome and satisfaction following laparoscopic anterior (LA) or
      Nissen fundoplication in a specialist upper gastrointestinal unit. METHODS:
      Patients who underwent primary LA or Nissen (LN) fundoplication between May 1994
      and June 2010 were identified from a prospectively collected database. DeMeester,
      modified DeMeester, 'Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale' scores and patient
      satisfaction were assessed by questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 387 patients
      underwent surgery and 246 patients (65%) completed questionnaires, with 181 LA
      patients and 65 LN patients. Median follow-up was 83 months for LA and 179 months
      for LN (P < 0.001). A total of 218/245 (89%) reported major improvement in
      symptoms and 27 (11%) reported poor outcomes. There was no differences between LA
      and LN for symptom scores at short (<5 years) or long-term follow-up (>5 years).
      Women reported significantly higher DeMeester scores and lower satisfaction (P =
      0.012). One hundred and eighteen (48%) patients were taking proton pump
      inhibitors (PPI) at follow-up despite high satisfaction rates. CONCLUSION: LA and
      LN have similar long-term results with patients reporting high satisfaction
      levels. Women reported more symptoms and less satisfaction than men. Despite high
      satisfaction rates a high percentage of patients take PPIs.

PMID- 26478260
TI  - Excited state nonadiabatic dynamics of bare and hydrated anionic gold clusters
      Au3(-)[H2O]n (n = 0-2).
AB  - We present a joint theoretical and experimental study of excited state dynamics
      in pure and hydrated anionic gold clusters Au3(-)[H2O]n (n = 0-2). We employ
      mixed quantum-classical dynamics combined with femtosecond time-resolved
      photoelectron spectroscopy in order to investigate the influence of hydration on
      excited state lifetimes and photo-dissociation dynamics. A gradual decrease of
      the excited state lifetime with the number of adsorbed water molecules as well as
      gold cluster fragmentation quenching by two or more water molecules are observed
      both in experiment and in simulations. Non-radiative relaxation and dissociation
      in excited states are found to be responsible for the excited state population
      depletion. Time constants of these two processes strongly depend on the number of
      water molecules leading to the possibility to modulate excited state dynamics and
      fragmentation of the anionic cluster by adsorption of water molecules. 

PMID- 26478262
TI  - Genome-Wide Tuning of Protein Expression Levels to Rapidly Engineer Microbial
      Traits.
AB  - The reliable engineering of biological systems requires quantitative mapping of
      predictable and context-independent expression over a broad range of protein
      expression levels. However, current techniques for modifying expression levels
      are cumbersome and are not amenable to high-throughput approaches. Here we
      present major improvements to current techniques through the design and
      construction of E. coli genome-wide libraries using synthetic DNA cassettes that
      can tune expression over a ~10(4) range. The cassettes also contain molecular
      barcodes that are optimized for next-generation sequencing, enabling rapid and
      quantitative tracking of alleles that have the highest fitness advantage. We show
      these libraries can be used to determine which genes and expression levels confer
      greater fitness to E. coli under different growth conditions. 

PMID- 26478261
TI  - Comparison of acute non-visual bright light responses in patients with optic
      nerve disease, glaucoma and healthy controls.
AB  - This study examined the effect of optic nerve disease, hence retinal ganglion
      cell loss, on non-visual functions related to melanopsin signalling. Test
      subjects were patients with bilateral visual loss and optic atrophy from either
      hereditary optic neuropathy (n = 11) or glaucoma (n = 11). We measured melatonin
      suppression, subjective sleepiness and cognitive functions in response to bright
      light exposure in the evening. We also quantified the post-illumination pupil
      response to a blue light stimulus. All results were compared to age-matched
      controls (n = 22). Both groups of patients showed similar melatonin suppression
      when compared to their controls. Greater melatonin suppression was intra
      individually correlated to larger post-illumination pupil response in patients
      and controls. Only the glaucoma patients demonstrated a relative attenuation of
      their pupil response. In addition, they were sleepier with slower reaction times
      during nocturnal light exposure. In conclusion, glaucomatous, but not hereditary,
      optic neuropathy is associated with reduced acute light effects. At mild to
      moderate stages of disease, this is detected only in the pupil function and not
      in responses conveyed via the retinohypothalamic tract such as melatonin
      suppression. 

PMID- 26478263
TI  - [Blind].

PMID- 26478264
TI  - Homophyly/Kinship Model: Naturally Evolving Networks.
AB  - It has been a challenge to understand the formation and roles of social groups or
      natural communities in the evolution of species, societies and real world
      networks. Here, we propose the hypothesis that homophyly/kinship is the intrinsic
      mechanism of natural communities, introduce the notion of the affinity exponent
      and propose the homophyly/kinship model of networks. We demonstrate that the
      networks of our model satisfy a number of topological, probabilistic and
      combinatorial properties and, in particular, that the robustness and stability of
      natural communities increase as the affinity exponent increases and that the
      reciprocity of the networks in our model decreases as the affinity exponent
      increases. We show that both homophyly/kinship and reciprocity are essential to
      the emergence of cooperation in evolutionary games and that the homophyly/kinship
      and reciprocity determined by the appropriate affinity exponent guarantee the
      emergence of cooperation in evolutionary games, verifying Darwin's proposal that
      kinship and reciprocity are the means of individual fitness. We propose the new
      principle of structure entropy minimisation for detecting natural communities of
      networks and verify the functional module property and characteristic properties
      by a healthy tissue cell network, a citation network, some metabolic networks and
      a protein interaction network. 

PMID- 26478265
TI  - Cloning and functional characterization of Delta6 fatty acid desaturase (FADS2)
      in Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis).
AB  - The Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) is a freshwater carnivorous species of
      high interest to diversify inland aquaculture. However, little is known about its
      ability to bioconvert polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) from plant oils into
      long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs). In this study, special
      attention has been given to the fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2) which is commonly
      described to be a rate-limiting enzyme of the LC-PUFA biosynthesis. This work
      reports on the cloning, tissue expression and functional characterization of the
      Eurasian perch fads2, but also on the cloning of two alternative splicing
      transcripts named fads2-AS1 and fads2-AS2. The fads2 cDNA cloned is composed of
      an open reading frame (ORF) of 1338 nucleotides (nt) and encodes a protein of 445
      amino acids. This deduced amino acid sequence displays the typical structure of
      microsomal FADS2 including two transmembrane domains and an N-terminal cytochrome
      b5 domain with the "HPGG" motif. Quantitative real-time PCR assay of fads2, fads2
      AS1 and fads2-AS2 expressions revealed that the fads2 transcript was mainly
      expressed in the liver and intestine and exhibited a typical gene expression
      pattern of freshwater species while fads2-AS1 and fads2-AS2 genes were highly
      expressed in the brain, followed by the liver and intestine. Functional
      characterization of Eurasian perch FADS2 in transgenic yeast showed a fully
      functional Delta6 desaturation activity toward C18 PUFA substrates, without
      residual Delta5 and Delta8 desaturase activities. 

PMID- 26478266
TI  - Identification of a soluble leptin receptor in crucian carp with different
      binding affinity to leptin-a and leptin-b.
AB  - Soluble leptin receptor (sLepR) is the main leptin-binding protein in plasma and
      contributes to activation of circulating leptin. In this study, we identified a
      sLepR in plasma of crucian carp (Carassius carassius) using a pull-down assay,
      and the interaction of sLepR with its ligand is confirmed by a cross-linking
      study. In addition, we found that leptin-a has higher affinity than leptin-b for
      sLepR. According to our knowledge, this is the first experimental report about
      the main ligand of sLepR in teleost. 

PMID- 26478267
TI  - Magnesium Transporter 5 plays an important role in Mg transport for male
      gametophyte development in Arabidopsis.
AB  - During anther development the male gametophyte develops inside the locule and the
      tapetal cells provide all nutrients for its development. Magnesium Transporter 5
      (MGT5) is a member of the MGT family and has dual functions of Mg export and
      import. Here, we show that male gametophyte mitosis and intine formation are
      defective in a mgt5 mutant. The transient expression of GFP-MGT5 revealed that
      MGT5 is localized in the plasma membrane. These findings suggest that in the male
      gametophyte MGT5 plays a role in importing Mg from the locule and that Mg is
      essential for male gametophyte development. The expression of MGT5 in the
      knockout ABORTED MICROSPORES (AMS) mutant (AMS being an essential regulator of
      tapetum) is tremendously reduced. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and mobility
      shift assay experiments demonstrated that AMS can directly bind the promoter of
      MGT5. An immunoelectron microscopy assay revealed that MGT5-His is localized to
      the plasma membrane of the tapetum. These findings suggest that AMS directly
      regulates MGT5 in the tapetum and thus induces export of Mg into the locule. The
      mgt5 plant exhibits severe male sterility while the expression of MGT5 under the
      tapetum-specific promoter A9 partly rescued mgt5 fertility. mgt5 fertility was
      restored under high-Mg conditions. These findings suggest that the mgt5 tapetum
      still has the ability to export Mg and that a sufficient supply of Mg from the
      tapetum can improve the importation of Mg in the mgt5 male gametophyte.
      Therefore, MGT5 plays an important role in Mg transport from the tapetum to the
      microspore. 

PMID- 26478268
TI  - Unique insight into phase separation in polymer solar cells from their electric
      characteristics.
AB  - A series of polymer solar cells (PSCs) were fabricated with indene-C60 bisadduct
      (ICBA) or [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) as an electron
      acceptor and with PBDT-TS1 as an electron donor. The donor/acceptor (D/A) phase
      separation was adjusted with different solution processing methods, consisting of
      cool (room temperature, 20  degrees C) solution, hot (70  degrees C) solution and
      the solutions with solvent additive 1,8-diiodideoctane (DIO). The champion PCE of
      PSCs with ICBA or PC61BM as an electron acceptor is 4.32% or 5.97% for the active
      layers prepared from hot solution with DIO additive or cool solution with DIO
      additive, respectively. The improved PCEs should be attributed to the optimized
      D/A phase separation in the active layers by adjusting the redistribution of
      PC61BM or the ICBA among the PBDT-TS1 networks. The degree of phase separation of
      the active layers with different acceptors was evaluated according to the current
      density-voltage (J-V) curves of hole-only and electron-only devices. The
      distribution of PC61BM or ICBA molecules in the normal direction can be simply
      judged from the symmetry degree of J-V curves of electron-only devices measured
      under the forward and reverse bias. 

PMID- 26478269
TI  - Transatrial Pericardial Insufflation of Carbon Dioxide to Facilitate Percutaneous
      Pericardial Access for Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardia.

PMID- 26478271
TI  - Derivatization of steroids in biological samples for GC-MS and LC-MS analyses.
AB  - The determination of steroids in biological samples is essential in different
      areas of knowledge. MS combined with either GC or LC is considered the best
      analytical technique for specific and sensitive determinations. However, due to
      the physicochemical properties of some steroids, and the low concentrations found
      in biological samples, the formation of a derivative prior to their analysis is
      required. In GC-MS determinations, derivatization is needed for generating
      volatile and thermally stable compounds. The improvement in terms of stability
      and chromatographic retention are the main reasons for selecting the
      derivatization agent. On the other hand, derivatization is not compulsory in LC
      MS analyses and the derivatization is typically used for improving the ionization
      and therefore the overall sensitivity achieved. 

PMID- 26478270
TI  - Human Mitochondrial DNA-Protein Complexes Attach to a Cholesterol-Rich Membrane
      Structure.
AB  - The helicase Twinkle is indispensable for mtDNA replication in nucleoids.
      Previously, we showed that Twinkle is tightly membrane-associated even in the
      absence of mtDNA, which suggests that Twinkle is part of a membrane-attached
      replication platform. Here we show that this platform is a cholesterol-rich
      membrane structure. We fractionated mitochondrial membrane preparations on
      flotation gradients and show that membrane-associated nucleoids accumulate at the
      top of the gradient. This fraction was shown to be highly enriched in
      cholesterol, a lipid that is otherwise low abundant in mitochondria. In contrast,
      more common mitochondrial lipids, and abundant inner-membrane associated proteins
      concentrated in the bottom-half of these gradients. Gene silencing of ATAD3, a
      protein with proposed functions related to nucleoid and mitochondrial cholesterol
      homeostasis, modified the distribution of cholesterol and nucleoids in the
      gradient in an identical fashion. Both cholesterol and ATAD3 were previously
      shown to be enriched in ER-mitochondrial junctions, and we detect nucleoid
      components in biochemical isolates of these structures. Our data suggest an
      uncommon membrane composition that accommodates platforms for replicating mtDNA,
      and reconcile apparently disparate functions of ATAD3. We suggest that mtDNA
      replication platforms are organized in connection with ER-mitochondrial
      junctions, facilitated by a specialized membrane architecture involving
      mitochondrial cholesterol. 

PMID- 26478272
TI  - Fluorescence polarization measures energy funneling in single light-harvesting
      antennas--LH2 vs conjugated polymers.
AB  - Numerous approaches have been proposed to mimic natural photosynthesis using
      artificial antenna systems, such as conjugated polymers (CPs), dendrimers, and J
      aggregates. As a result, there is a need to characterize and compare the
      excitation energy transfer (EET) properties of various natural and artificial
      antennas. Here we experimentally show that EET in single antennas can be
      characterized by 2D polarization imaging using the single funnel approximation.
      This methodology addresses the ability of an individual antenna to transfer its
      absorbed energy towards a single pool of emissive states, using a single
      parameter called energy funneling efficiency (epsilon). We studied individual
      peripheral antennas of purple bacteria (LH2) and single CP chains of 20 nm
      length. As expected from a perfect antenna, LH2s showed funneling efficiencies
      close to unity. In contrast, CPs showed lower average funneling efficiencies,
      greatly varying from molecule to molecule. Cyclodextrin insulation of the
      conjugated backbone improves EET, increasing the fraction of CPs possessing
      epsilon = 1. Comparison between LH2s and CPs shows the importance of the
      protection systems and the protein scaffold of LH2, which keep the chromophores
      in functional form and at such geometrical arrangement that ensures excellent
      EET. 

PMID- 26478274
TI  - Desymmetrized Vertex Design for the Synthesis of Covalent Organic Frameworks with
      Periodically Heterogeneous Pore Structures.
AB  - Two novel porous 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with periodically
      heterogeneous pore structures were successfully synthesized through desymmetrized
      vertex design strategy. Condensation of C(2v) symmetric 5-(4
      formylphenyl)isophthalaldehyde or 5-((4-formylphenyl)ethylene)isophthalaldehyde
      with linear hydrazine linker under the solvothermal or microwave heating
      conditions yields crystalline 2D COFs, HP-COF-1 and HP-COF-2, with high specific
      surface areas and dual pore structures. PXRD patterns and computer modeling
      study, together with pore size distribution analysis confirm that each of the
      resulting COFs exhibits two distinctively different hexagonal pores. The
      structures were characterized by FT-IR, solid state (13)C NMR, gas adsorption,
      SEM, TEM, and theoretical simulations. Such rational design and synthetic
      strategy provide new possibilities for preparing highly ordered porous polymers
      with heterogeneous pore structures.

PMID- 26478273
TI  - High-performance mussel-inspired adhesives of reduced complexity.
AB  - Despite the recent progress in and demand for wet adhesives, practical underwater
      adhesion remains limited or non-existent for diverse applications. Translation of
      mussel-inspired wet adhesion typically entails catechol functionalization of
      polymers and/or polyelectrolytes, and solution processing of many complex
      components and steps that require optimization and stabilization. Here we reduced
      the complexity of a wet adhesive primer to synthetic low-molecular-weight
      catecholic zwitterionic surfactants that show very strong adhesion (~50 mJ m(-2))
      and retain the ability to coacervate. This catecholic zwitterion adheres to
      diverse surfaces and self-assembles into a molecularly smooth, thin (<4 nm) and
      strong glue layer. The catecholic zwitterion holds particular promise as an
      adhesive for nanofabrication. This study significantly simplifies bio-inspired
      themes for wet adhesion by combining catechol with hydrophobic and electrostatic
      functional groups in a small molecule. 

PMID- 26478275
TI  - Applying a novel electrostatic dry powder coating technology to pellets.
AB  - The present study aimed to apply a novel dry powder technology to coat pellets
      with different coating materials grounded into fine powders. Piroxicam, a non
      steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, was used as the active pharmaceutical
      ingredient (API). Eudragit(r) EPO, Eudragit(r) RS/RL and Acryl EZE were used as
      the coating materials to achieve immediate release, sustained release and delayed
      release, respectively. Three steps including preheating, powder adhesion and
      curing were carried out to form the coating film while liquid plasticizers were
      used to decrease the glass transition temperature of coating powders and also
      served to reduce the electrical resistance of pellets. Results of SEM indicated
      coating film could be better formed by increasing curing temperature or extending
      curing time. Dissolution tests showed that three different drug release profiles,
      including immediate release, sustained release and delayed release, were achieved
      by this coating technology with different coating formulations. And the dry
      powder coated pellets using this developed technology exhibited an excellent
      stability with 1 month at 40  degrees C/75% RH. The coating procedure could be
      shortened to within 120 min and the use of fluidized hot air was minimized, both
      cutting down the overall cost dramatically compared to organic solvent coating
      and aqueous coating. All results demonstrated that the novel electrostatic dry
      powder coating method is a promising technology in the pharmaceutical coating
      industry.

PMID- 26478276
TI  - In vivo efficacy and bioavailability of lumefantrine: Evaluating the application
      of Pheroid technology.
AB  - The oral absorption of compounds with low aqueous solubility, such as
      lumefantrine, is typically limited by the dissolution rate in the gastro
      intestinal tract, resulting in erratic absorption and highly variable
      bioavailability. In previous studies we reported on the ability of Pheroid
      vesicles to improve the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. In the present
      study a Pro-Pheroid formulation, a modification of the previous formulation, was
      applied to improve the solubility of lumefantrine after oral administration and
      compared to lumefantrine in DMSO:water (1:9 v/v) solution (reference solution). A
      bioavailability study of lumefantrine was conducted in a mouse model in fed and
      fasted states. When using the reference solution, the bioavailability of the
      lumefantrine heavily depended on food intake, resulting in a 2.7 times higher
      bioavailability in the fed state when compared to the fasted state. It also
      showed large between-subject variability. When formulated using Pro-Pheroid, the
      bioavailability of lumefantrine was 3.5 times higher as compared to lumefantrine
      in the reference solution and fasting state. Pro-Pheroid also dramatically
      reduced the effects of food intake and the between-subject variability for
      bioavailability observed with the reference. In vivo antimalarial efficacy was
      also evaluated with lumefantrine formulated using Pro-Pheroid technology compared
      to the reference solution. The results indicated that lumefantrine in Pro-Pheroid
      formulation exhibited improved antimalarial activity in vitro by 46.8%, when
      compared to the reference. The results of the Peters' 4-day suppressive test
      indicated no significant difference in the efficacy or mean survival time of the
      mice in the Pro-Pheroid formulation and reference test groups when compared to
      the positive control, chloroquine. These findings suggest that using the Pro
      Pheroid formulation improves the bioavailability of lumefantrine, eliminates the
      food effect associated with lumefantrine as well as significantly reduces the
      between subject variability in bioavailability when compared to the reference
      solution.

PMID- 26478277
TI  - Training of resistance to proactive interference and working memory in older
      adults: a randomized double-blind study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Working memory (WM) performance is often decreased in older adults.
      Despite the growing popularity of WM trainings, underlying mechanisms are still
      poorly understood. Resistance to proactive interference (PI) constitutes a
      candidate process that contributes to WM performance and might influence training
      or transfer effects. Here, we investigated whether PI resistance can be enhanced
      in older adults using a WM training with specifically increased PI-demands.
      Further, we investigated whether potential effects of such a training were stable
      and entailed any transfer on non-trained tasks. METHOD: Healthy old adults (N =
      25, 68.8 +/- 5.5 years) trained with a recent-probes and an n-back task daily for
      two weeks. Two different training regimens (high vs. low PI-amount in the tasks)
      were applied as between-participants manipulation, to which participants were
      randomly assigned. Near transfer tasks included interference tasks; far transfer
      tasks assessed fluid intelligence (gF) or speed. Immediate transfer was assessed
      directly after training; a follow-up measurement was conducted after two months.
      RESULTS: Both groups similarly improved in PI resistance in both training tasks.
      Thus, PI susceptibility was generally reduced in the two training groups and
      there was no difference between WM training with high versus low PI demands.
      Further, there was no differential near or far transfer on non-trained tasks,
      neither immediately after the training nor in the follow-up. CONCLUSION: PI
      demands in WM training tasks do not seem critical for enhancing WM performance or
      PI resistance in older adults. Instead, improved resistance to PI appears to be
      an unspecific side-effect of a WM training.

PMID- 26478278
TI  - Unseeded Inertial Cavitation for Enhancing the Delivery of Chemotherapies: A
      Safety Study.
AB  - Acoustic cavitation can improve local drug delivery in tumors. Without injected
      external nucleation agents, initiating inertial cavitation requires high negative
      pressures, which can lead to biological damage. In the present study, unseeded
      inertial cavitation was obtained in vivo using confocal beams, and the effect of
      these exposure conditions was assessed on drug structure and activity, shallow
      tissues and growth of breast tumors. No change was observed in the structure and
      cytotoxicity of doxorubicin. Experiments were conducted on healthy rats, exposing
      the thigh and abdomen. Histologic analyses at 72 h and 2 weeks post-treatment
      demonstrated a modest impact on tissues. Syngeneic 4 T1 breast tumors in mice
      were sonicated. Immunohistochemical analyses showed that ultrasound did not
      impact vascular density, proliferation and apoptosis of cancer cells. In
      addition, ultrasound did not negatively modify cancer cell spreading to the lungs
      and bone marrow. This provides evidence that these particular parameters can be
      used safely in vivo. 

PMID- 26478279
TI  - Clinical Application of Superior Vena Cava Spectra in Evaluation of Pulmonary
      Hypertension: A Comparative Echocardiography and Catheterization Study.
AB  - This study was designed to assess whether superior vena cava (SVC) Doppler flow
      velocities are associated with invasive measures of pulmonary arterial pressure.
      Eighty patients with unrepaired congenital heart disease who underwent cardiac
      catheterization were included (31 men, 49 women; mean age: 37.3 +/- 14.7 y).
      Compared with the non-pulmonary hypertension group, the moderate and severe
      pulmonary hypertension groups had decreased SVC ventricular reserve flow velocity
      and a significantly increased ratio of atrial reverse flow to systolic flow
      (AR/S). AR/S correlated significantly with invasive pulmonary arterial systolic
      pressure (r = 0.426, p < 0.0001). A cutoff of 0.45 had a sensitivity and
      specificity of 74% and 80%, respectively, for prediction of pulmonary
      hypertension. Good correlation also existed between SVC AR/S and pulmonary
      arterial systolic pressure in cases without tricuspid regurgitation (r = 0.706, p
      = 0.034). These results indicate that SVC AR/S may be an alternative method for
      assessing pulmonary hypertension. 

PMID- 26478280
TI  - Formation of carrageenan-CaCO3 bioactive membranes.
AB  - The high biocompatibility and resorbability of polymeric membranes have
      encouraged their use to manufacture medical devices. Here, we report on the
      preparation of membranes consisting of carrageenan, a naturally occurring
      sulfated polysaccharide that forms helical structures in the presence of calcium
      ions. We incorporated CaCO3 particles into the membranes to enhance their
      bioactivity and mechanical properties. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray
      diffraction data confirmed CaCO3 incorporation into the polymeric matrix. We
      tested the bioactivity of the samples by immersing them in a solution that mimics
      the ionic composition and pH of the human body fluid. The hybrid membranes
      generated hydroxyapatite, as attested by X-ray diffraction data. Scanning
      electron and atomic force microscopies aided investigation of membrane topography
      before and after CaCO3 deposition. The wettability and surface free energy,
      evaluated by contact angle measures, increased in the presence of CaCO3
      particles. These parameters are important for membrane implantation in the body.
      Moreover, membrane stiffness was up to 110% higher in the presence of the
      inorganic particles, as revealed by Young's modulus. 

PMID- 26478281
TI  - The organic interlamellar layer in abalone nacre: Formation and mechanical
      response.
AB  - The interlamellar organic layer plays a key role in establishing the tensile
      mechanical response of nacre, while changing the compressive response in only a
      marginal manner. We conduct observations on the epithelial layer of the abalone
      foot in direct contact with the extrapallial layer where the deposition process
      takes place and identify cilia, microvilli, and secretory cells which determine
      the deposition of chitin to form the interlamellar organic layer. On the basis of
      these observations we propose a mechanism for the deposition of interlamellar
      organic layers. We show that the fraction of pores, as well as their diameter,
      grow rapidly as the interlamellar layer is extended uniaxially or biaxially, and
      compare these calculations with the observed values. In the calculations we
      assume a Poisson's ratio equal to zero in the plane of the lamellae. This
      assumption is justified by the thickness of the organic layer (20-50 nm) being
      equal to twice the diameter of the chitin fibrils; consequently the expansion of
      the membrane occurs at a constant thickness. As an illustration of this effect,
      an externally applied strain of 0.5 increases the initial pore diameter
      (typically equal to 20-50 nm) to a value of ten times (0.2-0.5 MUm). These
      calculations explain the observations of large pores reported in the literature
      and interpret them as the result of externally applied loads.

PMID- 26478282
TI  - Enhanced growth of neural networks on conductive cellulose-derived nanofibrous
      scaffolds.
AB  - The problem of recovery from neurodegeneration needs new effective solutions.
      Tissue engineering is viewed as a prospective approach for solving this problem
      since it can help to develop healthy neural tissue using supportive scaffolds.
      This study presents effective and sustainable tissue engineering methods for
      creating biomaterials from cellulose that can be used either as scaffolds for the
      growth of neural tissue in vitro or as drug screening models. To reach this goal,
      nanofibrous electrospun cellulose mats were made conductive via two different
      procedures: carbonization and addition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The
      resulting scaffolds were much more conductive than untreated cellulose material
      and were used to support growth and differentiation of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma
      cells. The cells were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and confocal
      microscopy methods over a period of 15 days at different time points. The results
      showed that the cellulose-derived conductive scaffolds can provide support for
      good cell attachment, growth and differentiation. The formation of a neural
      network occurred within 10 days of differentiation, which is a promising length
      of time for SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.

PMID- 26478283
TI  - Structure, mechanical characteristics and in vitro degradation, cytotoxicity,
      genotoxicity and mutagenicity of novel biodegradable Zn-Mg alloys.
AB  - Zn-(0-1.6)Mg (in wt.%) alloys were prepared by hot extrusion at 300  degrees C.
      The structure, mechanical properties and in vitro biocompatibility of the alloys
      were investigated. The hot-extruded magnesium-based WE43 alloy was used as a
      control. Mechanical properties were evaluated by hardness, compressive and
      tensile testing. The cytotoxicity, genotoxicity (comet assay) and mutagenicity
      (Ames test) of the alloy extracts and ZnCl2 solutions were evaluated with the use
      of murine fibroblasts L929 and human osteosarcoma cell line U-2 OS. The
      microstructure of the Zn alloys consisted of recrystallized Zn grains of 12 MUm
      in size and fine Mg2Zn11 particles arranged parallel to the hot extrusion
      direction. Mechanical tests revealed that the hardness and strength increased
      with increasing Mg concentration. The Zn-0.8 Mg alloys showed the best
      combination of tensile mechanical properties (tensile yield strength of 203 MPa,
      ultimate tensile strength of 301 MPa and elongation of 15%). At higher Mg
      concentrations the plasticity of Zn-Mg alloys was deteriorated. Cytotoxicity
      tests with alloy extracts and ZnCl2 solutions proved the maximum safe Zn(2+)
      concentrations of 120 MUM and 80 MUM for the U-2 OS and L929 cell lines,
      respectively. Ames test with extracts of alloys indicated that the extracts were
      not mutagenic. The comet assay demonstrated that 1-day extracts of alloys were
      not genotoxic for U-2 OS and L929 cell lines after 1-day incubation.

PMID- 26478285
TI  - Bark extract mediated green synthesis of silver nanoparticles: Evaluation of
      antimicrobial activity and antiproliferative response against osteosarcoma.
AB  - In the current investigation we report the biosynthesis potentials of bark
      extracts of Ficus benghalensis and Azadirachta indica for production of silver
      nanoparticle without use of any external reducing or capping agent. The
      appearance of dark brown color indicated the complete nanoparticle synthesis
      which was further validated by absorbance peak by UV-vis spectroscopy. The
      morphology of the synthesized particles was characterized by Field emission-
      scanning electron microscopy (Fe-SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The X
      ray diffraction (XRD) patterns clearly illustrated the crystalline phase of the
      synthesized nanoparticles. ATR-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy
      was performed to identify the role of various functional groups in the
      nanoparticle synthesis. The synthesized nanoparticles showed promising
      antimicrobial activity against Gram negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa and Vibrio cholerae) and Gram positive (Bacillus subtilis) bacteria.
      The synthesized nano Ag also showed antiproliferative activity against MG-63
      osteosarcoma cell line in a dose dependent manner. Thus, these synthesized Ag
      nanoparticles can be used as a broad spectrum therapeutic agent against
      osteosarcoma and microorganisms. 

PMID- 26478284
TI  - Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Coffea arabica seed extract and its
      antibacterial activity.
AB  - A novel green source was opted to synthesize silver nanoparticles using dried
      roasted Coffea arabica seed extract. Bio-reduction of silver was complete when
      the mixture (AgNO3+extract) changed its color from light to dark brown. UV-vis
      spectroscopy result showed maximum adsorption at 459 nm, which represents the
      characteristic surface plasmon resonance of nanosilver. X-ray crystal analysis
      showed that the silver nanoparticles are highly crystalline and exhibit a cubic,
      face centered lattice with characteristic (111), (200), (220) and (311)
      orientations. Particles exhibit spherical and ellipsoidal shaped structures as
      observed from TEM. Composition analysis obtained from SEM-EDXA confirmed the
      presence of elemental signature of silver. FTIR results recorded a downward shift
      of absorption bands between 800-1500 cm(-1) indicting the formation of silver
      nanoparticles. The mean particle size investigated using DLS was found to be in
      between 20-30 nm respectively. Anti-bacterial activity of silver nanoparticles on
      E. coli and S. aureus demonstrated diminished bacterial growth with the
      development of well-defined inhibition zones.

PMID- 26478286
TI  - Construction of a sensitive and selective sensor for morphine using chitosan
      coated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle as a modifier.
AB  - A simple and sensitive sensor based on carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified by
      chitosan-coated magnetic nanoparticle (CMNP) was developed for the
      electrochemical determination of morphine (MO). The proposed sensor was
      characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical
      impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The electrooxidation of MO was studied on modified
      carbon paste electrode using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and
      differential pulse voltammetry as diagnostic techniques. The oxidation peak
      potential of morphine on the CMNP/CPE appeared at 380 mV which was accompanied
      with smaller overpotential and increase in oxidation peak current compared to
      that obtained on the bare carbon paste electrode (CPE). Under optimum conditions
      the sensor provides two linear DPV responses in the range of 10-2000 nM and 2-720
      MUM for MO with a detection limit of 3 nM. The proposed sensor was successfully
      applied for monitoring of MO in serum and urine samples and satisfactory results
      were obtained.

PMID- 26478288
TI  - Square wave voltammetric determination of paracetamol at chitosan modified carbon
      paste electrode: Application in natural water samples, commercial tablets and
      human urines.
AB  - A novel analytical approach has been developed and evaluated for the quantitative
      analysis of paracetamol (PCT). The anodic peak currents of paracetamol on the CS
      CPE were about 200 fold higher than that of the unmodified electrodes. The
      influence of various parameters on the CS-CPE was investigated. Under the
      optimized working conditions, the oxidation peak current is linear to the
      paracetamol concentration in the ranges of 1.0 * 10(-3)-4.0 * 10(-4)mol L(-1) and
      2.0 * 10(-4)-8.0 * 10(-7)mol L(-1) with a detection limit of 5.08 * 10(-7)mol L(
      1). The repeatability of the method expressed as relative standard deviation
      (RSD) is 1.73% (n=8). Possible interferences were tested and evaluated in 1.0 *
      10(-4)mol L(-1) paracetamol in the presence of inorganic ions, dopamine,
      ibuprofen, ascorbic acid and uric acid. The proposed method was successfully
      applied to PCT determination in natural waters, tablets and urine samples.

PMID- 26478287
TI  - Policaprolactone/polyvinylpyrrolidone/siloxane hybrid materials: Synthesis and in
      vitro delivery of diclofenac and biocompatibility with periodontal ligament
      fibroblasts.
AB  - In this paper, we report the synthesis of polycaprolactone (PCL) based hybrid
      materials containing hydrophilic domains composed of N-vinylpyrrolidone (VP), and
      gamma-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS). The hybrid materials were
      obtained by RAFT copolymerization of N-vinylpyrrolidone and MPS using a pre
      formed dixanthate-end-functionalized PCL as macro-chain transfer agent, followed
      by a post-reaction crosslinking step. The composition of the samples was
      determined by elemental and thermogravimetric analyses. Differential scanning
      calorimetry and X-ray diffraction indicated that the crystallinity of PCL
      decreases in the presence of the hydrophilic domains. Scanning electron
      microscopy images revealed that the samples present an interconnected porous
      structure on the swelling. Compared to PCL, the hybrid materials presented low
      water contact angle values and higher elastic modulus. These materials showed
      controlled release of diclofenac, and biocompatibility with human periodontal
      ligament fibroblasts. 

PMID- 26478289
TI  - Covalent immobilization of lysozyme onto woven and knitted crimped polyethylene
      terephthalate grafts to minimize the adhesion of broad spectrum pathogens.
AB  - Graft-associated infections entirely determine the short-term patency of
      polyethylene terephthalate PET cardiovascular graft. We attempted to
      enzymatically inhibit the initial bacterial adhesion to PET grafts using
      lysozyme. Lysozyme was covalently immobilized onto woven and knitted forms of
      crimped PET grafts by the end-point method. Our figures of merit revealed
      lysozyme immobilization yield of 15.7 MUg/cm(2), as determined by the Bradford
      assay. The activity of immobilized lysozyme on woven and knitted PET manifested
      58.4% and 55.87% using Micrococcus lysodeikticus cells, respectively. Noteworthy,
      the adhesion of vein catheter-isolated Staphylococcus epidermidis decreased by 6-
      to 8-folds and of Staphylococcus aureus by 11- to 12-folds, while the Gram
      negative Escherichia coli showed only a decrease by 3- to 4-folds. The anti
      adhesion efficiency was specific for bacterial cells and no significant effect
      was observed on adhesion and growth of L929 cells. In conclusion, immobilization
      of lysozyme onto PET grafts can inhibit the graft-associated infection.

PMID- 26478290
TI  - Changes in the drug release pattern of fresh and set simvastatin-loaded brushite
      cement.
AB  - Calcium phosphate cements are synthetic bone graft substitutes able to set at
      physiological conditions. They can be applied by minimally invasive surgery and
      can also be used as drug delivery systems. Consequently, the drug release pattern
      from the cement paste (fresh cement) is of high clinical interest. However,
      previous studies have commonly evaluated the drug release using pre-set cements
      only. Therefore, the aim of this work was to determine if the time elapsed from
      cement preparation until immersion in the solution (3 min for fresh cements, and
      1h and 15 h for pre-set cements) had an influence on its physical properties, and
      correlating these to the drug release profile. Simvastatin was selected as a
      model drug, while brushite cement was used as drug carrier. This study quantified
      how the setting of a material reduces the accessibility of the release media to
      the material, thus preventing drug release. A shift in the drug release pattern
      was observed, from a burst-release for fresh cements to a sustained release for
      pre-set cements.

PMID- 26478291
TI  - Direct electrochemistry of hemoglobin and biosensing for hydrogen peroxide using
      a film containing silver nanoparticles and poly(amidoamine) dendrimer.
AB  - A new architecture for a biosensor is proposed using a glassy carbon electrode
      (GCE) modified with hemoglobin (Hb) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) encapsulated
      in poly(amidoamine) dendrimer (PAMAM). The biosensors were characterized using
      ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, zeta-potential and cyclic voltammetry to
      investigate the interactions between Hb, AgNPs and the PAMAM film. The biosensor
      exhibited a well-defined cathodic peak attributed to reduction of the Fe(3+)
      present in the heme group in Hb, as revealed by cyclic voltammetry in the
      presence of O2. An apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate of 4.1s(-1) was
      obtained. The Hb-AgNPs-PAMAM/GCE third generation biosensor was applied in the
      amperometric determination of hydrogen peroxide over the linear range from 6.0 *
      10(-6) to 9.1 * 10(-5)mol L(-1) with a detection limit of 4.9 * 1 0(-6)mol L(-1).
      The proposed method can be extended to immobilize and evaluate the direct
      electron transfer of other redox enzymes.

PMID- 26478292
TI  - Phenylboronic acid functionalized reduced graphene oxide based fluorescence nano
      sensor for glucose sensing.
AB  - Reduced graphene has emerged as promising tools for detection based application
      of biomolecules as it has high surface area with strong fluorescence quenching
      property. We have used the concept of fluorescent quenching property of reduced
      graphene oxide to the fluorescent probes which are close vicinity of its surface.
      In present work, we have synthesized fluorescent based nano-sensor consist of
      phenylboronic acid functionalized reduced graphene oxide (rGO-PBA) and di-ol
      modified fluorescent probe for detection of biologically important glucose
      molecules. This fluorescent graphene based nano-probe has been characterized by
      high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), Atomic force microscope
      (AFM), UV-visible, Photo-luminescence (PL) and Fourier transformed infrared (FT
      IR) spectroscopy. Finally, using this PBA functionalized reduced GO based nano
      sensor, we were able to detect glucose molecule in the range of 2 mg/mL to 75
      mg/mL in aqueous solution of pH7.4.

PMID- 26478293
TI  - Bioactivity response of Ta1-xOx coatings deposited by reactive DC magnetron
      sputtering.
AB  - The use of dental implants is sometimes accompanied by failure due to
      periimplantitis disease and subsequently poor esthetics when soft-hard tissue
      margin recedes. As a consequence, further research is needed for developing new
      bioactive surfaces able to enhance the osseous growth. Tantalum (Ta) is a
      promising material for dental implants since, comparing with titanium (Ti), it is
      bioactive and has an interesting chemistry which promotes the osseointegration.
      Another promising approach for implantology is the development of implants with
      oxidized surfaces since bone progenitor cells interact with the oxide layer
      forming a diffusion zone due to its ability to bind with calcium which promotes a
      stronger bond. In the present report Ta-based coatings were deposited by reactive
      DC magnetron sputtering onto Ti CP substrates in an Ar+O2 atmosphere. In order to
      assess the osteoconductive response of the studied materials, contact angle and
      in vitro tests of the samples immersed in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) were
      performed. Structural results showed that oxide phases where achieved with larger
      amounts of oxygen (70 at.% O). More compact and smooth coatings were deposited by
      increasing the oxygen content. The as-deposited Ta coating presented the most
      hydrophobic character (100 degrees ); with increasing oxygen amount contact
      angles progressively diminished, down to the lowest measured value, 63 degrees .
      The higher wettability is also accompanied by an increase on the surface energy.
      Bioactivity tests demonstrated that highest O-content coating, in good agreement
      with wettability and surface energy values, showed an increased affinity for
      apatite adhesion, with higher Ca/P ratio formation, when compared to the bare Ti
      substrates.

PMID- 26478294
TI  - The outermost surface properties of silk fibroin films reflect ethanol-treatment
      conditions used in biomaterial preparation.
AB  - Silk fibroin has attracted interest as a biomaterial, given its many excellent
      properties. Cell attachment to silk substrates is usually weaker than to standard
      culture dishes, and cells cultured on silk films or hydrogels typically form
      spheroids and micro-aggregates. However, too little is known about the higher
      order structures and behavior of fibroin under different conditions to explain
      the features of silk fibroin as a culture substrate. For instance, different
      biomaterial surfaces, with distinct effects on cell culture, can be achieved by
      varying the conditions of crystallization by alcohol immersion. Here, we show
      that treatment of fibroin film with <80% ethanol results in a jelly-like,
      hydrated hydrogel as the outermost surface layer; fibroblasts preferably
      aggregate, rather than attach individually to such a hydrogel surface, and
      therefore aggregate into spheroids. In contrast, a fibroin film treated with >90%
      ethanol has a harder surface than the <80% ethanol-treated fibroin, to which
      individual cells prefer to attach (and then expand on the surface), rather than
      to aggregate. We discuss the influence of alcohol concentration on the surface
      properties, based on surface analysis of the films. The surface analysis involved
      assessment of static and dynamic contact angles, zeta potential, changes in
      crystallinity and microscopic morphology of electrospun fibers, and texture
      changes of the outermost surface at a nanometer-scale captured by a scanning
      probe microscope. 

PMID- 26478295
TI  - Formation of stacked luminescent complex of 8-hydroxyquinoline molecules on
      hydroxyapatite coating by using cold isostatic pressing.
AB  - Cold isostatic pressing successfully formed a chelate complex of 8
      hydroxyquinoline (8 Hq) molecules on plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite (HAp) coating
      by solid-state reaction. The complex emits a fluorescence peak at approximately
      500 nm by UV irradiation. The red shift of the fluorescence was newly observed in
      the cases of highly compressed complex due to pi - pi stacking of aromatic ring
      in the molecular structure of 8 Hq. The immersed complex coating in Simulated
      Body Fluid (SBF) demonstrated amorphous apatite precipitation and kept its
      fluorescence property.

PMID- 26478296
TI  - Improving blood-compatibility via surface heparin-immobilization based on a
      liquid crystalline matrix.
AB  - Blood compatibility is of considerable importance in developing medical materials
      and devices that are in contact with blood. In this work, we successfully
      developed a novel liquid crystalline heparin-immobilized material (Hep-OPPC) by
      two-step modification for further improvement of hydrophilicity and
      hemocompatibility of the liquid crystalline hydroxypropyl cellulose ester (OPCL).
      The results showed that Hep-immobilization on the OPCL led to dramatic changes in
      the surface morphology and crystallinity, whereas, the Hep-OPPCs also maintained
      the liquid crystalline feature at room temperature after heparinization.
      Furthermore, the hemocompatibility of the Hep-OPPCs was markedly enhanced at low
      levels of hemolysis assay (HR) with unimpaired erythrocytomorphology,
      significantly lower concentrations of C3a in blood plasma and remarkable
      increases in plasma re-calcification time (PRT). This suggests that the
      heparinized surface could restrict the transformation of fibrinogen with less
      activation of the intrinsic coagulation system. Moreover, the activated partial
      thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin time (PT) values of the Hep-OPPCs with
      low heparin density could also be prolonged in this study suggesting that the
      liquid crystal feature of the matrix might be blocking the clotting factors. We
      concluded that the heparin-immobilized liquid crystalline material has the
      potential to be used in blood-contact materials. 

PMID- 26478297
TI  - Role of heat on the development of electrochemical sensors on bare and modified
      Co3O4/CuO composite nanopowder carbon paste electrodes.
AB  - The Co3O4/CuO composite nanopowder (NP) was synthesized by a mechanochemical
      method and characterized by using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier
      transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and
      energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The synthesized Co3O4/CuO NP was used as a
      modified carbon paste electrode (MCPE) and further the bare carbon paste and
      Co3O4/CuO NP modified carbon paste was heated at different temperatures (100,
      150, 200 and 250  degrees C) for 10 min. The Co3O4/CuO NP MCPE was used to study
      the consequences of scan rate and dopamine concentration. Furthermore the
      preheated modified electrodes were used to study the electrochemical response to
      dopamine (DA), ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA).

PMID- 26478298
TI  - Time-dependent rheological behaviour of bacterial cellulose hydrogel.
AB  - This work focuses on time-dependent rheological behaviour of bacterial cellulose
      (BC) hydrogel. Due to its ideal biocompatibility, BC hydrogel could be employed
      in biomedical applications. Considering the complexity of loading conditions in
      human body environment, time-dependent behaviour under relevant conditions should
      be understood. BC specimens are produced by Gluconacetobacter xylinus ATCC 53582
      at static-culture conditions. Time-dependent behaviour of specimens at several
      stress levels is experimentally determined by uniaxial tensile creep tests. We
      use fraction-exponential operators to model the rheological behaviour. Such a
      representation allows combination of good accuracy in analytical description of
      viscoelastic behaviour of real materials and simplicity in solving boundary value
      problems. The obtained material parameters allow us to identify time-dependent
      behaviour of BC hydrogel at high stress level with sufficient accuracy. 

PMID- 26478299
TI  - Electrochemical & osteoblast adhesion study of engineered TiO2 nanotubular
      surfaces on titanium alloys.
AB  - TiO2 nanotubes were grafted on the surface of cpTi, Ti6Al4V and Ti6Al4V-ELI with
      the aim to provide a new podium for human pre-osteoblast cell (MC3T3) adhesion
      and proliferation. The surface morphology and chemistry of these alloys were
      examined with scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray
      spectroscopy. TiO2 nanotubes were further characterized by cyclic potentiodynamic
      polarization tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The vertically
      aligned nanotubes were subjected to pre-osteoblast cell proliferation in order to
      better understand cell-material interaction. The study demonstrated that these
      cells interact differently with nanotubes of different titanium alloys. The
      significant acceleration in the growth rate of pre-osteoblast cell adhesion and
      proliferation is also witnessed. Additionally, the cytotoxicity of the leached
      metal ions was evaluated by using a tetrazolium-based bio-assay, MTS. Each group
      of data was operated for p<0.05, concluded one way ANOVA to investigate the
      significance difference. 

PMID- 26478300
TI  - Sustained release of hydrophilic drug from polyphosphazenes/poly(methyl
      methacrylate) based microspheres and their degradation study.
AB  - Drug delivery system is referred as an approach to deliver the therapeutic agents
      to the target site safely in order to achieve the maximum therapeutic effects. In
      this perspective, synthesis of three new polyphosphazenes and their blend
      fabrication system with poly(methyl methacrylate) is described and characterized
      with (1)H NMR, (31)P NMR, GPC and DSC. Furthermore, these novel blends were used
      to fabricate microspheres and evaluated for sustain release of hydrophilic drug
      (aspirin as model drug). Microspheres of the two blends showed excellent
      encapsulation efficacy (about 93%), controlled burst release (2.3% to 7.93%) and
      exhibited sustain in vitro drug release (13.44% to 32.77%) up to 218 h. At
      physiological conditions, the surface degradation of microspheres and diffusion
      process controlled the drug release sustainability. Furthermore, it was found
      that the degree of porosity was increased with degradation and the resulting
      porous network was responsible for water retention inside the microspheres. The
      percentage water retention was found to be interrelated with degradation time and
      percentage drug release.

PMID- 26478301
TI  - Physicochemical properties and bioactivity of freeze-cast chitosan nanocomposite
      scaffolds reinforced with bioactive glass.
AB  - Chitosan based nanocomposite scaffolds were prepared by freeze casting method
      through blending constant chitosan concentration with different portions of
      synthesized bioactive glass nanoparticles (BGNPs). Transmission Electron
      Microscopy (TEM) image showed that the particles size of bioactive glass
      (64SiO2.28CaO.8P2O5) prepared by sol-gel method was approximately less than 20
      nm. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD)
      analysis showed proper interfacial bonding between BGNPs and chitosan polymers.
      Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images depicted a unidirectional structure
      with homogenous distribution of BGNPs among chitosan matrix associated with the
      absence of pure chitosan scaffold's wall pores after addition of only 10 wt.%
      BGNPs. As the BGNP content increased from 0 to 50 wt.%, the compressive strength
      and compressive module values increased from 0.034 to 0.419 MPa and 0.41 to 10.77
      MPa, respectively. Biodegradation study showed that increase in BGNP content
      leads to growth of weight loss amount. The in vitro biomineralization studies
      confirmed the bioactive nature of all nanocomposites. Amount of 30 wt.% BGNPs
      represented the best concentration for absorption capacity and bioactivity
      behaviors.

PMID- 26478302
TI  - Ferrimagnetic nanocrystal assemblies as versatile magnetic particle hyperthermia
      mediators.
AB  - Colloidal nanocrystal assemblies (nanoclusters), consisting of 13 nm iron oxide
      nanocrystals, were synthesized in various sizes (45-98 nm), and were investigated
      as heating mediators for magnetic particle hyperthermia. The colloidal
      nanocrystal clusters show enhanced heating efficiency in comparison with their
      constituent primary iron oxide nanocrystals due to collective magnetic features.
      The fine tuning of intra-cluster magnetic interactions results to the domination
      of the hysteresis losses mechanism over the relaxation loss heating contributions
      and eventually to a versatile magnetic particle hyperthermia mediator.

PMID- 26478303
TI  - Influence of Cu doping in borosilicate bioactive glass and the properties of its
      derived scaffolds.
AB  - Copper doped borosilicate glasses (BG-Cu) were studied by means of FT-IR, Raman,
      UV-vis and NMR spectroscopies to investigate the changes that appeared in the
      structure of borosilicate glass matrix by doping copper ions. Micro-fil and
      immunohistochemistry analysis were applied to study the angiogenesis of its
      derived scaffolds in vivo. Results indicated that the Cu ions significantly
      increased the B-O bond of BO4 groups at 980 cm(-1), while they decrease that of
      BO2O(-) groups at 1440-1470 cm(-1) as shown by Raman spectra. A negative shift
      was observed from (11)B and (29)Si NMR spectra. The (11)B NMR spectra exhibited a
      clear transformation from BO3 into BO4 groups, caused by the agglutination effect
      of the Cu ions and the charge balance of the agglomerate in the glass network,
      leading to a more stable glass network and lower ions release rate in the
      degradation process. Furthermore, the BG-Cu scaffolds significantly enhanced
      blood vessel formation in rat calvarial defects at 8 weeks post-implantation.
      Generally, it suggested that the introduction of Cu into borosilicate glass
      endowed glass and its derived scaffolds with good properties, and the cooperation
      of Cu with bioactive glass may pave a new way for tissue engineering.

PMID- 26478304
TI  - Functionalization of polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite scaffolds with Usnea
      lethariiformis extract by using supercritical CO2.
AB  - Investigation of an integrated supercritical fluid extraction and supercritical
      solvent impregnation process for fabrication of microporous polycaprolactone
      hydroxyapatite (PCL-HA) scaffolds with antibacterial activity is presented. The
      HA content and particle size as well as the operating conditions of the
      integrated process is optimized regarding the amount of impregnated antibacterial
      agent (Usnea lethariiformis extract) in the PCL-HA matrix, scaffold morphology
      and antibacterial activity against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus
      (MRSA) strains. High pressure differential scanning calorimetry (HP-DSC) assay
      reveals that an increasing amount of HA results in decreasing melting temperature
      as well as crystallinity at an operating pressure of 17 MPa. The PCL-HA
      composites with micrometric sizes of the HA particles are convenient for being
      processed by the integrated process due to the simple preparation, a good
      interaction between the PCL matrix and filler and the advantageous impact on
      sorption. The scaffold obtained from PCL-HA with 20% of the HA shows the highest
      impregnation yield at 17 MPa and 35  degrees C (5.9%) and subsequently also the
      best bactericidal effect on the tested MRSA strains at an initial bacterial
      inoculum of 2 * 10(-4)CFU/mL.

PMID- 26478305
TI  - Tuning anatase and rutile phase ratios and nanoscale surface features by
      anodization processing onto titanium substrate surfaces.
AB  - Both the anatase (A) and rutile (R) phases of titanium oxide have shown enhanced
      antimicrobial and bioactivity levels but the specific A/R phase ratio needed for
      the best results is still unknown. In this study titanium samples were anodized
      to produce specific ratios of anatase and rutile phases within the oxide layers.
      Specific ratios produced included maximum A minimum R, minimum A maximum R, 50% A
      50% R, minimum A minimum R, and a non-anodized titanium control group. Samples
      were characterized for phase distributions within the oxide layers, surface
      porosity, corrosion resistance, and bioactivity. Results indicated the targeted
      phase ratios were reproducibly achieved during the anodization process. Samples
      containing the highest levels of anatase showed the largest individual pore
      sizes, but a lower overall percent porosity value compared to samples containing
      higher rutile levels. EBSD examination of the anodized layer cross-sections
      provided valuable new spatial information on the distribution of anatase and
      rutile phases within the anodized layers. Highly porous oxide layers showed
      significantly higher corrosion rates compared to non-anodized titanium, but no
      significant differences were shown in the icorr values between samples containing
      primarily anatase phase, samples containing primarily rutile phase, and samples
      containing an approximate 50:50 mixture of the two phases. Minimum A minimum R
      samples showed substantially less porosity compared to the other anodization
      groups, a significantly lower oxide thickness, and comparable corrosion rates to
      non-anodized titanium. All samples within the study showed apatite production in
      simulated body fluid within the seven day test period indicating enhanced
      bioactivity. 

PMID- 26478306
TI  - Effect of preparation processes and structural insight into the supermolecular
      system: Bisacodyl and beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complex.
AB  - In this study, beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) and bisacodyl were chosen as model
      host and guest molecule to explore the effect of preparation processes on the
      physicochemical properties of inclusion complexes (ICs) and to gain an insight
      into the structure of ICs. The influence of temperature and pH on complexation
      was studied by multiple temperature-pH phase solubility analysis. The most
      favorable conformation was predicted by molecular modeling using AutoDock. (1)H
      nuclear magnetic resonance and rotating frame nuclear Overhauser effect
      spectroscopy further confirmed the structure. Moreover, bisacodyl . beta-CD ICs
      in solid state were successfully prepared via three different procedures (co
      crystallization, co-evaporation, and co-grinding) and fully characterized by
      several solid-state techniques, namely, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,
      X-ray powder diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning
      calorimetry, solid-state NMR spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. It
      was found that acid solution and low temperature were unfavorable for formation
      of bisacodyl . beta-CD. The pyridine moiety was suggested to be enclosed in the
      hydrophobic cavity of beta-CD. The complexes prepared using co-crystallization
      showed properties similar to those prepared using co-evaporation. Moreover, ICs
      obtained by co-evaporation and co-grinding had higher loading efficiency, water
      solubility, and dissolution rate than ICs obtained by co-crystallization.

PMID- 26478307
TI  - Nanostructured material formulated acrylic bone cements with enhanced drug
      release.
AB  - To improve antibiotic properties, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-based bone
      cements are formulated with antibiotic and nanostructured materials, such as
      hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanorods, carbon nanotubes (CNT) and mesoporous silica
      nanoparticles (MSN) as drug carriers. For nonporous HAP nanorods, the release of
      gentamicin (GTMC) is not obviously improved when the content of HAP is below 10%;
      while the high content of HAP shows detrimental to mechanical properties although
      the release of GTMC can be substantially increased. As a comparison, low content
      of hollow nanostructured CNT and MSN can enhance drug delivery efficiency. The
      presence of 5.3% of CNT in formulation can facilitate the release of more than
      75% of GTMC in 80 days, however, its mechanical strength is seriously impaired.
      Among nanostructured drug carriers, antibiotic/MSN formulation can effectively
      improve drug delivery and exhibit well preserved mechanical properties. The
      hollow nanostructured materials are believed to build up nano-networks for
      antibiotic to diffuse from the bone cement matrix to surface and achieve
      sustained drug release. Based on MSN drug carrier in formulated bone cement, a
      binary delivery system is also investigated to release GTMC together with other
      antibiotics.

PMID- 26478308
TI  - Development and characterization of cefazolin loaded zinc oxide nanoparticles
      composite gelatin nanofiber mats for postoperative surgical wounds.
AB  - Systemic antibiotic therapy in post-operative wound care remain controversial
      leading to escalation in levels of multi-resistant bacteria with unwanted
      morbidity and mortality. Recently zinc (Zn) because of multiple biophysiological
      functions, gain considerable interest for wound care. Based on our current
      understanding, the present study was designed with an intent to produce improve
      therapeutic approaches for post-operative wound management using composite multi
      functional antibiotic carrier. The study involved the fabrication,
      characterization and pre-clinical evaluation of cefazolin nanofiber mats loaded
      with zinc oxide (ZnO) and comparing co-formulated mats with individual component,
      enable a side by side comparison of the benefits of our intervention. Minimum
      inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the drug, ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and drug
      ZnONP mixture against Staphylococcus aureus was determined using micro dilution
      assay. The fabricated nanofibers were then evaluated for in-vitro antimicrobial
      activity and the mechanism of inhibition was predicted by scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM). Further these nanofiber mats were evaluated in-vivo for wound
      healing efficacy in Wistar rats. Study revealed that the average diameter of the
      nanofibers is around 200-900 nm with high entrapment efficiency and display
      sustained drug release behavior. The combination of ZnO and cefazolin in 1:1
      weight ratio showed higher anti-bacterial activity of 1.9 +/- 0.2 MUg/ml.
      Transmission electron microscopy of bacterial cells taken from the zone of
      inhibition revealed the phenomenon of cell lysis in tested combination related to
      cell wall disruption. Further composite medicated nanofiber mats showed an
      accelerated wound healing as compared to plain cefazolin and ZnONP loaded mats.
      Macroscopical and histological evaluations demonstrated that ZnONP hybrid
      cefazolin nanofiber showed enhanced cell adhesion, epithelial migration, leading
      to faster and more efficient collagen synthesis. Hence the fabricated composite
      nanofiber mats have the potential to be used as a postoperative antimicrobial
      wound dressings.

PMID- 26478309
TI  - Osteogenesis of human adipose-derived stem cells on poly(dopamine)-coated
      electrospun poly(lactic acid) fiber mats.
AB  - Electrospinning is a versatile technique to generate large quantities of micro-
      or nano-fibers from a wide variety of shapes and sizes of polymer. The aim of
      this study is to develop functionalized electrospun nano-fibers and use a mussel
      inspired surface coating to regulate adhesion, proliferation and differentiation
      of human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs). We prepared poly(lactic acid) (PLA)
      fibers coated with polydopamine (PDA). The morphology, chemical composition, and
      surface properties of PDA/PLA were characterized by SEM and XPS. PDA/PLA
      modulated hADSCs' responses in several ways. Firstly, adhesion and proliferation
      of hADSCs cultured on PDA/PLA were significantly enhanced relative to those on
      PLA. Increased focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and collagen I levels and enhanced
      cell attachment and cell cycle progression were observed upon an increase in PDA
      content. In addition, the ALP activity and osteocalcin of hADSCs cultured on
      PDA/PLA were significantly higher than seen in those cultured on a pure PLA mat.
      Moreover, hADSCs cultured on PDA/PLA showed up-regulation of the ang-1 and vWF
      proteins associated with angiogenesis differentiation. Our results demonstrate
      that the bio-inspired coating synthetic degradable PLA polymer can be used as a
      simple technique to render the surfaces of synthetic biodegradable fibers, thus
      enabling them to direct the specific responses of hADSCs. 

PMID- 26478310
TI  - Evaluation of cystamine-modified hyaluronic acid/chitosan polyplex as retinal
      gene vector.
AB  - PURPOSE: A successful gene therapy approach can prevent or treat congenital and
      acquired diseases. However, there is still no ideal non-viral vector for gene
      delivery in a safe and timely manner. In this report the anionic polymer
      hyaluronic acid (HA) was investigated as a potential vector for gene therapy. Due
      to its intrinsic characteristics it constitutes an excellent candidate to deliver
      therapeutic genes, pending the modification of its surface charge. METHODS: To
      modify its charge, HA was modified with cystamine. Several formulations were
      prepared using modified HA combined with sodium sulfate, sodium triphosphate, K
      carrageenan and chitosan. Vectors were characterized with respect to size,
      charge, DNA load and its protection, and effect on cell viability. The better
      performing formulations were further evaluated in vitro for their transfection
      efficiency in HEK293T and ARPE-19 cells. RESULTS: Cell viability assays showed
      low cytotoxicity for both polymers. Gene transfer efficiency depended on cell
      line and formulation, but no increased transfection efficiency was observed with
      the modified polymer. CONCLUSIONS: HA has great potential as a gene therapy
      vector, but further optimization, including incorporation of a higher percentage
      of positive groups in HA, is needed before its use as a gene delivery vector.

PMID- 26478311
TI  - Control-release microcapsule of famotidine loaded biomimetic synthesized
      mesoporous silica nanoparticles: Controlled release effect and enhanced stomach
      adhesion in vitro.
AB  - In the present work, control-release microcapsule of famotidine (FMT) loaded
      biomimetic synthesized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (B-MSNs) was developed,
      and controlled release effect and stomach adhesion of this formulation in vitro
      were mainly investigated. B-MSN was previously synthesized and it was amorphous
      mesoporous nanoparticles with helical channels. Cytotoxicity of B-MSN was studied
      using human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and the result indicated that
      cytotoxicity of B-MSN can be neglected. After loading FMT into B-MSN, specific
      surface area, pore volume and pore diameter of B-MSN were obviously reduced. In
      vitro dissolution test showed that B-MSN had the ability to slow down FMT release
      for 15 min. In order to prolong controlled release effect and remained the
      advantage of B-MSN (improve drug stability due to its rigid silica framework),
      the combined application of control-release microcapsule (using cellulose and
      hydroxypropyl methylcellulose K15M as excipients) with B-MSN was designed. It was
      obvious that newly designed formulation significantly controlled FMT release with
      Fickian diffusion mechanism and showed enhanced stomach adhesion in vitro, which
      has significant value in widening the application of B-MSN in formulation design.

PMID- 26478312
TI  - Electrospun PDLLA/PLGA composite membranes for potential application in guided
      tissue regeneration.
AB  - With the aim to explore a membrane system with appropriate degradation rate and
      excellent cell-occlusiveness for guided tissue regeneration (GTR), a series of
      poly(D, L-lactic acid) (PDLLA)/poly(D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) (100/0,
      70/30, 50/50, 30/70, 0/100, w/w) composite membranes were fabricated via
      electrospinning. The fabricated membranes were evaluated by morphological
      characterization, water contact angle measurement and tensile test. In vitro
      degradation was characterized in terms of the weight loss and the morphological
      change. Moreover, in vitro cytologic research revealed that PDLLA/PLGA composite
      membranes could efficiently inhibit the infiltration of 293 T cells. Finally,
      subcutaneous implant test on SD rat in vivo showed that PDLLA/PLGA (70/30, 50/50)
      composite membranes could function well as a physical barrier to prevent cellular
      infiltration within 13 weeks. These results suggested that electrospun PDLLA/PLGA
      (50/50) composite membranes could serve as a promising barrier membrane for
      guided tissue regeneration due to suitable biodegradability, preferable
      mechanical properties and excellent cellular shielding effects.

PMID- 26478313
TI  - A novel cysteine sensor based on modification of carbon paste electrode by Fe(II)
      exchanged zeolite X nanoparticles.
AB  - An electrochemical sensor based on carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified with
      iron(II) doped into a synthesized nano-particles of zeolite X (Fe(II)-NX/ZCME)
      was constructed, which is highly sensitive for detection of cysteine (Cys). The
      modified electrode showed an excellent electro-activity for oxidation of Cys in
      phosphate buffer at pH7.4. It has been found that anodic peak potential of Cys
      oxidation, compared with the unmodified CPE (UCPE), was shifted towards negative
      values at the surface of the modified electrode under the optimum condition. The
      peak current increased linearly with the Cys concentration in the wide range of
      5.0 * 10(-9)-3.0 * 10(-3) mol L(-1). The very low detection limit was obtained to
      be 1.5 * 10(-10) mol L(-1). Finally, the modified electrode was used as a
      selective, simple and precise new electrochemical sensor for the determination of
      Cys in the real samples, such as pharmaceutical and biological fluids.

PMID- 26478314
TI  - Investigating composite systems based on poly L-lactide and poly L
      lactide/triclosan nanoparticles for tissue engineering and medical applications.
AB  - In this study, the encapsulated triclosan with a low molecular weight PLLA
      (LATC30) is dispersed into a PLLA having higher molecular weight via melt
      blending to increase the overall properties and particularly antibacterial
      activity of the system. The proposed method results in a completely homogenous
      composite as 5% LATC30 improved mechanical properties. For instance, the
      elongation at break was increased ca. 3%. The mechanical properties of the
      fabricated composites were also affected by the plasticizing role of LATC30. The
      kinetics of hydrolytic degradation in an accelerated condition was obtained using
      a novel method by the Beer-Lambert equation. It was found that the incorporation
      of LATC30 into the composite increases the rate of hydrolytic degradation. The
      calorimetry showed a reduction in crystallinity upon addition of LATC30.
      Moreover, the degradation of the composites was studied and fully described the
      kinetic analysis by the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) method. From which, it was found
      that the activation energy of the system was decreased. As the LATC30 content of
      the composite was increased, the hydrophilicity of the composite was increased.
      The fabricated scaffolds with 5% LATC30 demonstrated a good osteoblast cell
      attachment and mineralization on the composite scaffolds. This composite is a
      suitable antibacterial candidate for the bone tissue engineering and medical
      applications since the real dosage of triclosan stays at ca. 1.5%. 

PMID- 26478315
TI  - Monoamine oxidase B layer-by-layer film fabrication and characterization toward
      dopamine detection.
AB  - In this work nanostructured film composites of the monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B)
      enzyme, free or encapsulated in liposomes, were fabricated by the layer-by-layer
      (LbL) self-assembly technique, employing polyethylene imine (PEI) as polycation.
      Initially, the MAO-B enzyme was incorporated into liposomes in order to preserve
      its enzymatic structure ensuring their activity and catalytic stability. The LbL
      film growth was monitored by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) by gold resonance
      angle shift analysis after each bilayer deposition. Subsequently, the films were
      applied as amperometric biosensors for dopamine detection using Prussian Blue
      (PB) as the electron mediator. The biosensor fabricated by MAO-B incorporated
      into liposomes composed of DPPG:POPG in the ratio (1:4) (w/w) showed the best
      performance with a sensitivity of 0.86 (MUA cm(-2))/(mmol L(-1)) and a detection
      limit of 0.33 mmol L(-1).

PMID- 26478316
TI  - Polyacrylic acids-bovine serum albumin complexation: Structure and dynamics.
AB  - The study of the mixture of BSA with polyacrylic acids at different masses versus
      pH allowed highlighting the existence of two regimes of weak and strong
      complexation. These complexes were studied in diluted regime concentration, by
      turbidimetry, dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta-potential measurements and
      nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). We have followed the pH effect on the structure
      and properties of the complex. This allowed refining the interpretation of the
      phase diagram and understanding the observed phenomena. The NMR measurements
      allowed probing the dynamics of the constituents versus the pH. The computational
      method was used to precisely determine the electrostatic potential of BSA and how
      the polyelectrolyte binds to it at different pH. 

PMID- 26478317
TI  - In vitro culture and harvest of BMMSCs on the surface of a novel thermosensitive
      glass microcarrier.
AB  - Traditional two-dimensional (2D) static culture environment for stem cells
      followed by enzymatic cell detachment or mechanical treatment is routinely used
      in research laboratories. However, this method is not ideal as stem cells expand
      slowly, with cell damage and partial loss of specific stemness. For this reason,
      a better culture condition is urgently needed to improve stem cell recovery. A
      novel thermosensitive P(NIPAAm-co-HPM)-g-TMSPM-g-microcarrier was prepared here
      as a three-dimensional (3D) culture substitute. This novel microcarrier was
      prepared by grafting NIPAAm and HPM to the surface of glass microcarrier using
      TMSPM through surface free radical copolymerization. The prepared material was
      tested in cell culture and via cooling harvest method. We found that NIPAAm was
      successfully grafted on to the surface of the microcarriers, providing an
      excellent biocompatible environment for BMMSC adhesion and growth. More
      importantly, BMMSCs could be fully removed from the thermosensitive glass
      microcarriers with remained cell viability. 

PMID- 26478318
TI  - Formulation optimization and characterization of transdermal film of simvastatin
      by response surface methodology.
AB  - Matrix type of simvastatin transdermal film (SSTF) was developed with poly(vinyl
      alcohol) (PVA) and eudragit RL100 (EG) using response surface methodology (RSM)
      to investigate combined effect of the selected process variables like SS
      concentration, PVA:EG ratio and the dibutyl phthalate (DBT) concentration at
      different levels on dependent variables such as tensile strength and flux, with
      an aim to optimize a suitable combination of drug, polymer and plasticizer ratio.
      The study reveals that the effect of DBT concentration was highest on tensile
      strength, while SS concentration exhibited pronounced effect on SS flux through
      the abdominal skin of rat. According to Derringer's desirability prediction tool,
      the composition of optimized film was found to be 2% of SS, 2:1 ratio of PVA:EG
      and 40% of DBT. Under these conditions, the SSTF exhibited a predicted value of
      tensile strength and flux of 11.871 MPa and 43.569 MUg/cm(2)/h, respectively. The
      in vivo hypolipidemic study conducted for 14 days in hyperlipidemia induced
      Sprague-Dawley rats reveals that the optimized SSTF exhibited significant
      lowering of blood lipid level. The absence of skin irritation indicates that the
      prepared film was safe and well tolerated as transdermal formulation. Thus, the
      film may serve as an alternative therapy to oral dosage form of SS.

PMID- 26478319
TI  - Coaxial electrospun aligned tussah silk fibroin nanostructured fiber scaffolds
      embedded with hydroxyapatite-tussah silk fibroin nanoparticles for bone tissue
      engineering.
AB  - The bone is a composite of inorganic and organic materials and possesses a
      complex hierarchical architecture consisting of mineralized fibrils formed by
      collagen molecules and coated with oriented hydroxyapatite. To regenerate bone
      tissue, it is necessary to provide a scaffold that mimics the architecture of the
      extracellular matrix in native bone. Here, we describe one such scaffold, a
      nanostructured composite with a core made of a composite of hydroxyapatite and
      tussah silk fibroin. The core is encased in a shell of tussah silk fibroin. The
      composite fibers were fabricated by coaxial electrospinning using green water
      solvent and were characterized using different techniques. In comparison to
      nanofibers of pure tussah silk, composite notably improved mechanical properties,
      with 90-fold and 2-fold higher initial modulus and breaking stress, respectively,
      obtained. Osteoblast-like MG-63 cells were cultivated on the composite to assess
      its suitability as a scaffold for bone tissue engineering. We found that the
      fiber scaffold supported cell adhesion and proliferation and functionally
      promoted alkaline phosphatase and mineral deposition relevant for
      biomineralization. In addition, the composite were more biocompatible than pure
      tussah silk fibroin or cover slip. Thus, the nanostructured composite has
      excellent biomimetic and mechanical properties and is a potential biocompatible
      scaffold for bone tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26478320
TI  - Probing the surface microstructure of layer-by-layer self-assembly
      chitosan/poly(l-glutamic acid) multilayers: A grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray
      scattering study.
AB  - This study characterized the surface structure of layer-by-layer self-assembly
      chitosan/poly(L-glutamic acid) multilayers through grazing-incidence small-angle
      X-ray scattering (GISAXS), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), and atomic force microscopy
      (AFM). A weakly long-period ordered structure along the in-plane direction was
      firstly observed in the polyelectrolyte multilayer by the GISAXS technique. This
      structure can be attributed to the specific domains on the film surface. In the
      domain, nanodroplets that were formed by polyelectrolyte molecules were orderly
      arranged along the free surface of the films. This ordered structure gradually
      disappeared with the increasing bilayer number because of the complex merging
      behavior of nanodroplets into large islands. Furthermore, resonant diffuse
      scattering became evident in the GISAXS patterns as the number of bilayers in the
      polyelectrolyte multilayer was increased. Notably, the lateral cutoff length of
      resonant diffuse scattering for these polyelectrolyte films was comparable with
      the long-period value of the ordered nanodroplets in the polyelectrolyte
      multilayer. Therefore, the nanodroplets could be considered as a basic
      transmission unit for structure propagation from the inner interface to the film
      surface. It suggests that the surface structure with length scale larger than the
      size of nanodroplets was partially complicated from the interface structure near
      the substrate, but surface structure smaller than the cutoff length was mainly
      depended on the conformation of nanodroplets.

PMID- 26478321
TI  - Green synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles using Artemisia
      absinthium aqueous extract--A comprehensive study.
AB  - Unlike chemical synthesis, biological synthesis of nanoparticles is gaining
      tremendous interest, and plant extracts are preferred over other biological
      sources due to their ample availability and wide array of reducing metabolites.
      In this project, we investigated the reducing potential of aqueous extract of
      Artemisia absinthium L. for synthesizing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Optimal
      synthesis of AgNPs with desirable physical and biological properties was
      investigated using ultra violet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), dynamic light
      scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X
      ray analysis (EDX). To determine their appropriate concentrations for AgNP
      synthesis, two-fold dilutions of silver nitrate (20 to 0.62 mM) and aqueous plant
      extract (100 to 0.79 mg ml(-1)) were reacted. The results showed that silver
      nitrate (2mM) and plant extract (10 mg ml(-1)) mixed in different ratios
      significantly affected size, stability and yield of AgNPs. Extract to AgNO3 ratio
      of 6:4v/v resulted in the highest conversion efficiency of AgNO3 to AgNPs, with
      the particles in average size range of less than 100 nm. Furthermore, the direct
      imaging of synthesized AgNPs by TEM revealed polydispersed particles in the size
      range of 5 to 20 nm. Similarly, nanoparticles with the characteristic peak of
      silver were observed with EDX. This study presents a comprehensive investigation
      of the differential behavior of plant extract and AgNO3 to synthesize
      biologically stable AgNPs.

PMID- 26478322
TI  - Self-assembled semi-crystallinity at parallel beta-sheet nanocrystal interfaces
      in clustered MaSp1 (spider silk) proteins.
AB  - In this communication, we use molecular dynamics methods to model the self
      assembly of semi-crystalline domains at beta-sheet nanocrystal interfaces in
      clusters of spider silk (MaSp1) proteins. Our research elucidates that the
      energetics at interfaces between crystalline and amorphous domains control
      effectively, the extent to which semi-crystalline domains can form at interfaces.
      Stability at nanocrystal interfaces is not linearly related to the internal
      (bulk) stability of the beta-sheet nanocrystal. Rather, interfacial stability is
      found to be highly sensitive to the number of alanine repeat units that make up
      each sheet. Intriguingly, the most stable interface for the development of semi
      crystallinity is built up of polyalanine beta-sheets of a length similar to that
      which is spun naturally in spider dragline silk. 

PMID- 26478323
TI  - Degradation of bioabsorbable Mg-based alloys: Assessment of the effects of
      insoluble corrosion products and joint effects of alloying components on
      mammalian cells.
AB  - This work is focused on the processes occurring at the bioabsorbable metallic
      biomaterial/cell interfaces that may lead to toxicity. A critical analysis of the
      results obtained when degradable metal disks (pure Mg and rare earth-containing
      alloys (ZEK100 alloys)) are in direct contact with cell culture and those
      obtained with indirect methods such as the use of metal salts and extracts was
      made. Viability was assessed by Acridine Orange dye, neutral red and clonogenic
      assays. The effects of concentration of corrosion products and possible joint
      effects of the binary and ternary combinations of La, Zn and Mg ions, as
      constituents of ZEK alloys, were evaluated on a mammalian cell culture. In all
      cases more detrimental effects were found for pure Mg than for the alloys.
      Experiments with disks showed that gradual alterations in pH and in the amount of
      corrosion products were better tolerated by cells and resulted in higher
      viability than abrupt changes. In addition, viability was dependent on the
      distance from the source of ions. Experiments with extracts showed that the
      effect of insoluble degradation products was highly detrimental. Indirect tests
      with Zn ions revealed that harmful effects may be found at concentrations >= 150
      MUM and at >= 100 MUM in mixtures with Mg. These mixtures lead to more
      deleterious effects than single ions. Results highlight the need to develop a
      battery of tests to evaluate the biocompatibility of bioabsorbable biomaterials.

PMID- 26478324
TI  - Optimizing thickness of ceramic coatings on plastic components for orthopedic
      applications: A finite element analysis.
AB  - Realizing hard ceramic coatings on the plastic component of a joint prosthesis
      can be strategic for the mechanical preservation of the whole implant and to
      extend its lifetime. Recently, thanks to the Plasma Pulsed Deposition (PPD)
      method, zirconia coatings on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)
      substrates resulted in a feasible outcome. Focusing on both the highly specific
      requirements defined by the biomedical application and the effective
      possibilities given by the deposition method in the perspectives of technological
      transfer, it is mandatory to optimize the coating in terms of load bearing
      capacity. The main goal of this study was to identify through Finite Element
      Analysis (FEA) the optimal coating thickness that would be able to minimize
      UHMWPE strain, possible insurgence of cracks within the coating and stresses at
      coating-substrate interface. Simulations of nanoindentation and microindentation
      tests were specifically carried out. FEA findings demonstrated that, in general,
      thickening the zirconia coating strongly reduced the strains in the UHMWPE
      substrate, although the 1 MUm thickness value was identified as critical for the
      presence of high stresses within the coating and at the interface with the
      substrate. Therefore, the optimal thickness resulted to be highly dependent on
      the specific loading condition and final applications.

PMID- 26478325
TI  - Dental glass ionomer cement reinforced by cellulose microfibers and cellulose
      nanocrystals.
AB  - The aim of this work was to evaluate if the addition of cellulose microfibers
      (CmF) or cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) would improve the mechanical properties of
      a commercial dental glass ionomer cement (GIC). Different amounts of CmF and CNC
      were previously prepared and then added to reinforce the GIC matrix while it was
      being manipulated. Test specimens with various concentrations of CmF or CNC in
      their total masses were fabricated and submitted to mechanical tests (to evaluate
      their compressive and diametral tensile strength,modulus, surface microhardness
      and wear resistance) and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM),
      energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy
      (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The incorporation of
      CmF in the GIC matrix did not greatly improve the mechanical properties of GIC.
      However, the addition of a small amount of CNC in the GIC led to significant
      improvements in all of the mechanical properties evaluated: compressive strength
      (increased up to 110% compared with the control group), elastic modulus increased
      by 161%, diametral tensile strength increased by 53%, and the mass loss decreased
      from 10.95 to 3.87%. Because the composites presented a considerable increase in
      mechanical properties, the modification of the conventional GIC with CNC can
      represent a new and promising dental restorative material.

PMID- 26478326
TI  - New antimony(III) halide complexes with dithiocarbamate ligands derived from
      thiuram degradation: The effect of the molecule's close contacts on in vitro
      cytotoxic activity.
AB  - Antimony(III) halide complexes of the formulae {[SbBr(Me2DTC)2]n} (1),
      {[SbI(Me2DTC)2]n} (2) and {[(Me2DTC)2Sb(MU2-I)Sb(Me2DTC)2](+).I3(-)} (3) (Me2DTC
      = dimethyldithiocarbomate) were synthesized from SbX3, (X = Br or I) and
      tetramethylthiuram monosulfide (Me4tms) or tetramethylthiuram disulfide (Me4tds).
      The complexes were characterized by melting point (m.p.), elemental analysis
      (e.a.), Fourier-transform Infra-Red (FT-IR), Fourier-transform Raman (FT-Raman),
      Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ((1)H,(13)C-NMR) spectroscopy and Thermogravimetric
      Differential Thermal Analysis (TG-DTA). Crystal structures of complexes 1-3 were
      determined with single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Complexes 1 and 2 are
      polymers with distorted square pyramidal (SP) geometry in each monomeric unit,
      whereas complex 3 is ionic, containing an iodonium linkage Sb-I(+)-Sb and an I3(
      ) counter anion; to the best of our knowledge, this is the first ionic
      antimony(III) iodide complex. The in vitro cytotoxic activity of 1-3 against
      human adenocarcinoma cells: breast (MCF-7) and cervix (HeLa) cells and non
      cancerous cells: MRC-5 (normal human fetal lung fibroblast cells) was evaluated
      with trypan blue (TB) and sulforhodamine B (SRB) assays. Among antimony(III)
      compounds with sulfur containing ligand, those of dithiocarbamates exhibit
      significant cytotoxic activity. Hirshfeld surface volumes were analyzed to
      clarify the nature of the intermolecular interactions by the 2D fingerprint plot.
      Molecules with lower H-all atoms inter-molecular interactions exhibit the higher
      activity against MCF-7 cells. The in vivo genotoxicity of 1-3 was evaluated by
      the mean of Allium cepa test. Alterations in the mitotic index values due to the
      chromosomal aberrations were observed in the case of complexes 2 and 3. Since, no
      such alteration is caused by 1, it makes this compound candidate for further
      study as potential drug.

PMID- 26478327
TI  - Biomimetic synthesis of hollow calcium carbonate with the existence of the agar
      matrix and bovine serum albumin.
AB  - Proteins play important roles in the process of biomineralization. Vaterite and
      calcite have been synthesized by the reaction of Na2CO3 and CaCl2 in the bovine
      serum albumin (BSA) and agar system. The samples have been characterized by
      Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The
      shape of CaCO3 crystal has been analyzed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM).
      The results show that calcite is a single product in the absence of BSA, but the
      product is a mixture of calcite and vaterite in the presence of BSA. The spheral
      shell of CaCO3 crystal was obtained when the concentration of BSA increased to
      9.0mg/mL. 

PMID- 26478328
TI  - Full factorial design optimization of anti-inflammatory drug release by PCL-PEG
      PCL microspheres.
AB  - A biodegradable triblock poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)
      poly(epsilon-caprolactone) copolymer was successfully synthesized by ring-opening
      polymerization of epsilon-caprolactone, and was characterized by intrinsic
      viscosimetry, (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray
      diffraction. Copolymer microparticles loaded with ibuprofen were prepared by an
      oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion solvent evaporation process. They were carefully
      weighted and characterized through their zeta potential. In this work, 4 selected
      process parameters (shaking speed X1, time of contact X2, poly(vinyl alcohol)
      concentration X3, and ibuprofen concentration X4) were adjusted at 2 different
      values. For each of the 16 experimental conditions, repeated twice, the drug
      encapsulation efficiency of the microspheres was determined, according to the
      following definition: EE (X1, X2, X3, X4)=mass of encapsulated ibuprofen/total
      weight of ibuprofen. A "full factorial design method" was applied to analyze the
      results statistically according to a polynomial fit and to determine the optimal
      conditions for the microencapsulation of the ibuprofen through an accurate
      statistical protocol. The microparticles obtained exhibit a spherical shape as
      shown by electron microscopy. 

PMID- 26478329
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of Ti-Ta-Nb-Mn foams.
AB  - The unprecedented increase in human life expectancy have produced profound
      changes in the prevailing patterns of disease, like the observed increased in
      degenerative disc diseases, which cause degradation of the bones. Ti-Nb-Ta alloys
      are promising materials to replace the damaged bone due to their excellent
      mechanical and corrosion resistance properties. In general metallic foams are
      widely used for medical application due to their lower elastic moduli compare to
      bulk materials. In this work we studied the synthesis of 34Nb-29Ta-xMn (x: 2, 4
      and 6 wt.% Mn) alloy foams (50% v/v) using ammonium hydrogen carbonate as a space
      holder. Alloys were produced through mechanical alloying in a planetary mill for
      50h. Green compacts were obtained by applying 430 MPa pressure. To remove the
      space holder from the matrix the green compacts were heated to 180  degrees C for
      1.5h and after sintered at 1300  degrees C for 3h. Foams were characterized by x
      ray diffraction, scanning, transmission electron microscopy and optical
      microscopy. The elastic modulus of the foam was measured as ~30 GPa, and the
      values are almost equal to the values predicted using various theoretical models.

PMID- 26478330
TI  - Nanostructured SnO2 encapsulated guar-gum hybrid nanocomposites for
      electrocatalytic determination of hydrazine.
AB  - The present article deals with synthesis of sol-gel derived tin dioxide (SnO2)
      nanoparticles encapsulated in to guar gum (GG) biopolymer as the organic
      inorganic hybrid materials for the determination of hydrazine. The organic
      inorganic hybrid combines the perfunctory strength offered by the inorganic SnO2
      nanoparticles with flexible binding sites provided by the organic biopolymer (GG)
      solution by the ultrasonication. The phase identification, crystalline size,
      surface morphology and optical properties of prepared SnO2 and SnO2-GG
      nanocomposites has been investigated through FT-IR, XRD, SEM, AFM, TEM, UV-Vis,
      and PL techniques. The colloidal solution of SnO2 and GG is electrophoretically
      deposited (EPD) onto the indium tin-oxide (ITO) glass substrate and studied for
      the electrooxidation of hydrazine. Under the optimized experimental conditions,
      the linearity between the current response and the hydrazine concentration has
      been obtained in the range of 2-22 mM, with a low detection limit of 2.76 mM and
      a high sensitivity of 5.72 MUA cm(-2). Based on the linear increase in
      amperometric current, a sensitive hydrazine electrochemical sensor is
      constructed. The proposed SnO2-GG/ITO electrode shows a good response time (35s),
      reproducibility, and long-term stability. The obtained results suggest that SnO2
      GG nanocomposites electrode provides a favorable sensing platform for the
      electrochemical studies. In addition, the cyclic voltammetry (CV) studies are
      used to evaluate the kinetic parameters.

PMID- 26478331
TI  - Modeling capillary formation in calcium and copper alginate gels.
AB  - Alginate solutions in the presence of bivalent ions can form ionic cross-linked
      gels. In particular gelation conditions the gel structure can be characterized by
      great anisotropy with the presence of straight capillaries along a preferential
      direction. These materials can find applications mainly in high-tech sectors,
      like tissue engineering, where the gel characteristics play a crucial role.
      Despite the need of mastering the capillary formation and properties, the process
      remains a poorly known problem, and its development is left to trial and error
      procedures. In this work a quantitative approach to the description of the
      capillary formation process has been developed. The theory proposed by Treml et
      al. (2003) has been implemented and extended to an alginate different from the
      one used in that study and two different ions (calcium and copper). Some of the
      model parameters have been derived through simple measurements; others have been
      scaled using proper scaling equations. Experiments have been performed in
      different gelation conditions, varying alginate and ionic solution
      concentrations, to highlight the effects of these parameters on the anisotropic
      structure and to validate the model. In all the analyses done, the model has
      performed nicely showing a good reliability in the prediction of gel
      characteristics like capillary formation, capillary length and process time. 

PMID- 26478332
TI  - Application of three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide-gold composite modified
      electrode for direct electrochemistry and electrocatalysis of myoglobin.
AB  - In this paper a three-dimensional (3D) reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and gold (Au)
      composite was synthesized by electrodeposition and used for the electrode
      modification with carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) as the substrate
      electrode. Myoglobin (Mb) was further immobilized on the surface of 3D RGO
      Au/CILE to obtain an electrochemical sensing platform. Direct electrochemistry of
      Mb on the modified electrode was investigated with a pair of well-defined redox
      waves appeared on cyclic voltammogram, indicating the realization of direct
      electron transfer of Mb with the modified electrode. The results can be ascribed
      to the presence of highly conductive 3D RGO-Au composite on the electrode surface
      that accelerate the electron transfer rate between the electroactive center of Mb
      and the electrode. The Mb modified electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic
      activity to the reduction of trichloroacetic acid in the concentration range from
      0.2 to 36.0 mmol/L with the detection limit of 0.06 mmol/L (3sigma).

PMID- 26478333
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of the antitubercular phenazine lapazine and
      development of PLGA and PCL nanoparticles for its entrapment.
AB  - The aim of this work was to develop and characterize nanoparticles as carriers of
      lapazine, a phenazine derived from beta-lapachone; its antimycobacterial activity
      is described for the first time as a potential treatment for tuberculosis. The
      lapazine was synthesized, and by using gas chromatography coupled to a flame
      ionization detector, it was possible to evaluate its purity degree of almost
      100%. For better elucidation of the molecular structure, mass spectroscopy and 1H
      NMR were carried out and compared to the literature values. Lapazine was assayed
      in vitro against H37Rv Mycobacterium tuberculosis and a rifampicin-resistant
      strain, with minimum inhibitory concentration values of 3.00 and 1.56 MUg mL(-1),
      respectively. The nanoparticles showed a polydispersity index of 0.16,mean
      diameter of 188.5 +/- 1.7 mm, zeta potential of -15.03 mV, and drug loading of
      54.71 mg g(-1) for poly-epsilon-caprolactone (PCL) nanoparticles and a
      polydispersity index of 0.318,mean diameter of 197.4 +/- 2.7 mm, zeta potential
      of -13.43 mV and drug loading of 137.07 mg g(-1) for poly(DL-lactide-co
      glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles. These results indicate that both polymeric
      formulations have good characteristics as potential lapazine carriers in the
      treatment of tuberculosis.

PMID- 26478334
TI  - Strontium incorporation to optimize the antibacterial and biological
      characteristics of silver-substituted hydroxyapatite coating.
AB  - Infection in primary total joint prostheses is attracting considerable attention.
      In this study, silver (Ag) was incorporated into hydroxyapatite (HA) using a
      hydrothermal method in order to improve its antimicrobial properties. Strontium
      (Sr) was added as a second binary element to improve the biocompatibility. The
      substituted HA samples were fixed on titanium (Ti) substrates by dopamine
      assisted immobilization in order to evaluate their antibacterial and biological
      properties. The results showed that Ag and Sr were successfully incorporated into
      HA without affecting their crystallinity. Further, the antibacterial tests showed
      that all the Ag-substituted samples had good anti-bacterial properties against
      Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Despite their
      good antibacterial ability, the Ag-substituted samples showed evidence of
      cytotoxicity on MG63 cells, characterized by low cell density and poor
      spreadability. The addition of Sr to the Ag-substituted samples considerably
      reduced the cytotoxicity of Ag. Although the viability of the cells grown on the
      surfaces of co-substituted HA was not as high as that of the cells grown on the
      HA surfaces, it is believed that excellent antibacterial properties and good
      biological activity can be achieved by balancing the dosage of Sr and Ag. 

PMID- 26478335
TI  - Preparation and characterization of a novel sodium alginate incorporated self
      assembled Fmoc-FF composite hydrogel.
AB  - Dipeptides and their derivatives have attracted tremendous attention owning to
      their excellent abilities of self-assemble assembling into various structures
      which have great potentials for applications in biology and/or nanotechnology. In
      the present study, we dedicate to fabricate a rigid and structure controllable
      Fmoc-FF/SA composite hydrogel. We found that the modified dipeptide, fluorenyl-9
      methoxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-diphenylalanine (Phe-Phe) can self-assemble into rigid
      hydrogels with structures of nanowires, layered thin films or honeycombs as the
      change of sodium alginate (SA) concentration. Meanwhile, CD-spectroscopy
      demonstrated that SA appeared to control the process, but it did not change the
      arrangement of the Fmoc-FF peptide. Our results demonstrated that the formed
      hydrogel showed physical and chemical stability as well as possessing good
      biocompatibility. Rheological measurements showed that the addition of SA could
      improve the stability of the hydrogel. Cell viability assay revealed that the
      Fmoc-FF and Fmoc-FF/SA hydrogels are both beneficial for cell proliferation in
      vitro. Our results indicated that the fabricated Fmoc-FF/SA composite hydrogels
      could be used in tissue engineering and drug delivery in the future. 

PMID- 26478336
TI  - Effects of a low-shrinkage methacrylate monomer and monoacylphosphine oxide
      photoinitiator on curing efficiency and mechanical properties of experimental
      resin-based composites.
AB  - This study investigated the degree of conversion, depth of cure, Vickers
      hardness, flexural strength, flexural modulus and volumetric shrinkage of
      experimental composite containing a low shrinkage monomer FIT-852 (FIT; Esstech
      Inc.) and photoinitiator 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyldiphenylphosphine oxide (TPO;
      Sigma Aldrich) compared to conventional composite containing Bisphenol A-glycidyl
      methacrylate (BisGMA) and camphorquinone-amine photoinitiator system. The degree
      of conversion was generally higher in FIT-based composites (45-64% range) than in
      BisGMA-based composites (34-58% range). Vickers hardness, flexural strength and
      modulus were higher in BisGMA-based composites. A polywave light-curing unit was
      generally more efficient in terms of conversion and hardness of experimental
      composites than a monowave unit. FIT-based composite containing TPO showed the
      depth of cure below 2mm irrespective of the curing light. The depth of cure of
      FIT-based composite containing CQ and BisGMA-based composites with either
      photoinitiator was in the range of 2.8-3.0mm. Volumetric shrinkage of FIT-based
      composite (0.9-5.7% range) was lower than that of BisGMA-based composite (2.2-12%
      range). FIT may be used as a shrinkage reducing monomer compatible with the
      conventional CQ-amine system as well as the alternative TPO photoinitiator.
      However, the depth of cure of FIT_TPO composite requires boosting to achieve
      clinically recommended thickness of 2mm. 

PMID- 26478337
TI  - Aminolysis of polyethylene terephthalate surface along with in situ synthesis and
      stabilizing ZnO nanoparticles using triethanolamine optimized with response
      surface methodology.
AB  - This research concerned the simultaneous polyester surface modification and
      synthesis of zinc oxide nano-reactors to develop durable photo-bio-active fabric
      with variable hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity under sunlight. For this purpose,
      triethanolamine (TEA) was applied as a stabilizer and pH adjusting chemical for
      the aminolysis of polyester surface and enhancing the surface reactivity along
      with synthesis and deposition of ZnO nanoparticles on the fabric. Therefore, TEA
      played a crucial role in providing the alkaline condition for the preparation of
      zinc oxide nanoparticles and acting as stabilizer controlling the size of the
      prepared nanoparticles. The stain-photodegradability regarded as self-cleaning
      efficiency, wettability and weight change under the process was optimized based
      on zinc acetate and TEA concentrations, using central composite design (CCD).
      Findings also suggested the potential of the prepared fabric in inhibiting
      Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria growth with greater than
      99.99% antibacterial efficiency. Besides, the proposed treatment had no
      detrimental effect on tensile strength and hand feeling of the polyester fabric. 

PMID- 26478338
TI  - Development of a novel carbon paste sensor for determination of micromolar
      amounts of sulfaquinoxaline in pharmaceutical and biological samples.
AB  - A potentiometric carbon paste sensor was fabricated for determination of
      sulfaquinoxaline (SQX) based on the use of ion-association complex of
      sulfaquinoxaline sodium with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride. The proposed
      sensor exhibited Nernstian slope of 58.4 +/- 0.3 mV per decade for
      sulfaquinoxaline over a wide concentration range of 5.0 * 10(-6) to 1.0 * 10(
      2)M, with a low detection limit of 3.0 * 10(-6)M. The sensor manifested
      advantages of fast response time, satisfactory reproducibility, long life time,
      high thermal stability and, most importantly, excellent selectivities for
      sulfaquinoxaline relative to a wide variety of common foreign inorganic cations,
      anions, sugars and amino acids. The sensor was successfully used for
      determination of sulfaquinoxaline in pharmaceutical solution, blood serum, urine
      and milk samples. The isothermal coefficient of the electrode was calculated by
      the investigation of temperature effects on the electrode potential response.

PMID- 26478339
TI  - Modification of carbon paste electrode with Fe(III)-clinoptilolite nano-particles
      for simultaneous voltammetric determination of acetaminophen and ascorbic acid.
AB  - A novel carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified with Fe(III)-exchanged
      clinoptilolite nano-particles (Fe(III)-NClino/CPE) was constructed and used for
      simultaneous voltammetric (CV, SqW and chronoamperometry) determination of
      ascorbic acid and acetaminophen. Raw and modified zeolites were characterized by
      X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The square
      wave peak current was linearly increased in the concentration ranges of 1.0 * 10(
      9)-1.0 * 10(-2) mol L(-1) for ascorbic acid and 1.0 * 10(-10-)1.0 * 10(-2) mol L(
      1) for acetaminophen with detection limits of 1.8 * 10(-9) mol L(-1) and 9.9 *
      10(-10) mol L(-1), respectively. The detection limits of 2.4 * 10(-10) mol L(-1)
      and 2.5 * 10(-11) mol L(-1) were also obtained for AA and AC in
      chronoamperometric measurements, respectively. The diffusion coefficients of 7.5
      * 10(-5) cm(2) s(-1) and 2.4 * 10(-5) cm(2) s(-1) were respectively calculated
      for the oxidation of AC and AA by chronoamperometry. The proposed electrode
      exhibited high sensitivity and good stability, and would be valuable for the
      clinical assay of ascorbic acid and acetaminophen.

PMID- 26478341
TI  - Application of a thin film of poly(solochrome black T) as a redox mediator for
      the electro-catalytic simultaneous determination of dopamine and acetaminophen in
      the pharmaceutical and biological samples.
AB  - Glassy carbon electrode was successfully modified with a thin film of
      poly(solochrome black T) and applied for the sensitive and selective voltammetric
      simultaneous determination of dopamine and acetaminophen. The preparation and
      basic electrochemical behavior of poly(solochrome black T) film on the glassy
      carbon electrode were investigated in details. The modified electrode with
      polymeric thin film exhibits excellent electro-catalytic activity toward the
      oxidation of dopamine and acetaminophen. The anodic peaks of the both species
      were well defined with lowered oxidation potential and enhanced oxidation peak
      currents. The modified electrode was used as a voltammetric sensor for sensitive
      simultaneous determination of dopamine and acetaminophen free from ascorbic acid
      and uric acid interferences. Under the optimum conditions, the detection limits
      were 0.092 and 0.142 MUmol L(-1) for DA and AP, respectively. The proposed sensor
      has been successfully used in analysis of pharmaceutical and biological samples.

PMID- 26478340
TI  - Electrospinning of PLGA/gum tragacanth nanofibers containing tetracycline
      hydrochloride for periodontal regeneration.
AB  - Controlled drug release is a process in which a predetermined amount of drug is
      released for longer period of time, ranging from days to months, in a controlled
      manner. In this study, novel drug delivery devices were fabricated via blend
      electrospinning and coaxial electrospinning using poly lactic glycolic acid
      (PLGA), gum tragacanth (GT) and tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) as a hydrophilic
      model drug in different compositions and their performance as a drug carrier
      scaffold was evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that
      fabricated PLGA, blend PLGA/GT and core shell PLGA/GT nanofibers had a smooth and
      bead-less morphology with the diameter ranging from 180 to 460 nm. Drug release
      studies showed that both the fraction of GT within blend nanofibers and the core
      shell structure can effectively control TCH release rate from the nanofibrous
      membranes. By incorporation of TCH into core-shell nanofibers, drug release was
      sustained for 75 days with only 19% of burst release within the first 2h. The
      prolonged drug release, together with proven biocompatibility, antibacterial and
      mechanical properties of drug loaded core shell nanofibers make them a promising
      candidate to be used as drug delivery system for periodontal diseases.

PMID- 26478342
TI  - Effect of surface roughness on performance of magnetoelastic biosensors for the
      detection of Escherichia coli.
AB  - Escherichia coli are bacteria that must be controlled in the food industry and
      the hospital sector. Magnetoelastic biosensors offer the promise of rapid
      identification of these and other harmful antigens. In this work, strips of
      amorphous Metglas 2826MB3 were cut to size (5 mm * 1 mm) with a microdicing saw
      and were then coated with thin layers of Cr and Au, as verified by Rutherford
      backscattering spectroscopy (RBS). Several sensor surfaces were studied: 1) as
      cast strip, wheel side; 2) as-cast strip, free surface; and 3) thinned and
      polished surface. A layer of cystamine was applied to the Au-covered
      magnetoelastic substrate, forming a self-assembledmonolayer (SAM), followed by
      antibodies, using a modified Hermanson protocol. The cystamine layer growth was
      verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning
      electronmicroscopy (SEM). The biosensors were exposed to solutions of bacteria
      and the resonant frequency of the sensors was measured with an impedance analyzer
      for times up to 100 min. Reductions in the resonant frequency, corresponding to
      bacteria capture, were measured after optimizing the signal amplitude. For times
      up to 40 min, high capture rates were observed and thereafter saturation
      occurred. Saturation values of the frequency shifts were compared with the number
      of bacteria observed on the sensor using fluorescence microscopy. Parameters
      associated with capture kinetics were studied for different sensor surfaces. The
      rough surfaces were found to show a faster response, while the thinned and
      polished sensors showed the largest frequency shift.

PMID- 26478343
TI  - The anion recognition properties of a novel hydrazone based on colorimetric and
      potentiometric studies.
AB  - A novel hydrazone, 1,3-bis (2-formylphenoxy) propane bis (2,4-dinitrophenyl
      hydrazine) (S) has been synthesized and characterized by the NMR, IR, CHNS, UV
      Vis, Raman, TEM and XPS analysis. Upon the addition of monohydrogen phosphate
      (MHP) ion, sudden color change from light yellow to dark violet has occurred. The
      binding constant of S-MHP was determined by Hill plot. Hydrazone also showed
      potential response with MHP ion. A number of polymeric membrane electrodes (PME)
      and coated graphite electrode (CGE) were also fabricated and found that the CGE
      has revealed better results in comparison to PME in terms of the detection limit
      of 7.58 * 10(-9) mol L(-1) and Nernstian response.

PMID- 26478344
TI  - Fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymers based on 1,8-naphthalimide derivatives
      for efficiently recognition of cholic acid.
AB  - Fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have attracted increasing
      attentions in recent years due to their high selectivity and sensitivity for
      target molecules. In this study, two cholic acid imprinted fluorescent polymers,
      i.e., MIP1 and MIP2, were prepared using 4-dimethylamino-N-allylnaphthalimide
      (F1) and 4-piperazinyl-N-allylnaphthalimide (F2) as the fluorescent functional
      monomers, respectively. The fluorescence intensity of MIP1 decreased linearly
      with the increase of the template concentration in the range of 1.50-120.0 MUM,
      while the fluorescence intensity of MIP2 increased linearly with the increase of
      the template concentration in the range of 0.40-110.0 MUM. The detection limits
      of MIP1 and MIP2 for cholic acid were 0.42 and 0.083 MUM, respectively. The
      mechanisms of the fluorescence responsive of the imprinted polymers were
      discussed. The results of fluorescence measurement and binding experiments
      demonstrated that both imprinted polymers have high recognition abilities and
      binding affinities for the template. The imprinted polymers have been
      successfully applied to the determination of cholic acid in human serums. The
      present study indicated that 1,8-naphthalimide can be used as a modular building
      block for design and construction of various fluorogenic molecularly imprinted
      materials for practical sensing and separation.

PMID- 26478345
TI  - Multifunctional nanotube-like Fe3O4/PANI/CDs/Ag hybrids: An efficient SERS
      substrate and nanocatalyst.
AB  - In this paper, the stable and environment-friendly Fe3O4 nanotubes with
      polyaniline (Fe3O4 NTs/PANI hybrids) have been prepared via mesoporous anodic
      alumina oxide (AAO) template, sol-gel method and in-situ polymerization. Then
      multifunctional Fe3O4 NTs/PANI/Ag hybrids have been obtained by decorating Ag
      nanoparticles by glucose reduction on surface of Fe3O4 NTs/PANI hybrids. The
      morphologies and structures of these hybrids were subsequently investigated by
      SEM, XRD, TEM and XPS measurements. The Fe3O4 NTs/PANI/Ag hybrids presented high
      catalytic activity due to the template-assisted presence, preventing Ag
      particulate agglomeration. Importantly, the Fe3O4 NTs/PANI/Ag hybrids achieve
      sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals. Furthermore, the
      introduction of carbon dots (CDs) endows these hybrids good dispersion and stable
      photoluminescence (PL). Therefore, the obtained hybrids may have potential
      applications in waste water treatment, biomedicine, photocatalyst, and
      environmental analysis. 

PMID- 26478346
TI  - Radiation damage on Langmuir monolayers of the anionic 1.2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero
      3-[phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)] (sodium salt)(DPPG) phospholipid at the air-DNA
      solution interface.
AB  - The resilience of cells to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is probably associated
      with the effects induced in biological molecules such as DNA and in the cell
      membrane. In this study, we investigated UV damage to the anionic 1.2-dipalmitoyl
      sn-glycero-3-[phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)] (sodium salt) (DPPG) phospholipid, which
      is an important component of cell membranes. In films cast from DPPG emulsions,
      UV irradiation induced cleavage of C-O, C=O and -PO(2-) bonds, while in Langmuir
      monolayers at the air/water interface representing the cell membrane this
      irradiation caused the monolayer stability to decrease. When DNA was present in
      the subphase, however, the effects from UV irradiation were smaller, since the
      ionic products from degradation of either DPPG or DNA stabilize the intact DPPG
      molecules. This mechanism may explain why UV irradiation does not cause immediate
      cell collapse, thus providing time for the cellular machinery to repair elements
      damaged by UV.

PMID- 26478347
TI  - Construction of polymer-paclitaxel conjugate linked via a disulfide bond.
AB  - Covalently linked amphiphilic polymer-paclitaxel (PTX) could self-assemble into
      micelles to overcome many drawbacks of existing delivery systems of PTX by virtue
      of tunable compositions, variable sizes, high drug loading content and zero burst
      release. Moreover, a reduction-responsive system based on glutathione (GSH) can
      be established by introducing disulfide bonds into the polymeric carriers to
      improve the selectivity for cancer cells. Herein, we reported a disulfide bond
      linked polymer-PTX, P(PEGMEA)-co-P(PDPHEMA)-g-PTX with a high PTX loading content
      of 43.7 wt.%. In vitro cell assay showed that the polymer carrier has almost no
      cytotoxicity. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of the
      polymer-PTX conjugate against HEK-293 cells was about 10 times higher than that
      of HeLa cells after incubation for 72 h. Such a dramatic selectivity for cancer
      and normal cells provides a promising strategy to improve the therapeutic
      efficacy and decrease the side effects of PTX in chemotherapy.

PMID- 26478348
TI  - Efficient protein immobilization on polyethersolfone electrospun nanofibrous
      membrane via covalent binding for biosensing applications.
AB  - In this paper we introduce novel strategy for antibody immobilization using high
      surface area electrospun nanofibrous membrane based on ethyl-3-(3
      dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) coupling
      chemistry. To present the high performance of proposed biosensors, anti
      staphylococcus enterotoxin B (anti-SEB) was used as a model to demonstrate the
      utility of our proposed system. Polymer solution of polyethersolfone was used to
      fabricate fine nanofibrous membrane. Moreover, industrial polyvinylidene fluoride
      membrane and conventional microtiter plate were also used to compare the
      efficiency of antibody immobilization. Scanning electron microscopy images were
      taken to study the morphology of the membranes. The surface activation of
      nanofibrous membrane was done with the help of O2 plasma. PES nanofibrous
      membrane with carboxyl functional groups for covalent attachment of antibodies
      were treated by EDC/NHS coupling agent. The quantity of antibody immobilization
      was measured by enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) method. Attenuated
      total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy
      was performed to confirm the covalent immobilization of antibody on membrane.
      Atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and invert fluorescence
      microscopy were used to analyze the antibody distribution pattern on solid
      surfaces. Results show that oxygen plasma treatment effectively increased the
      amount of antibody immobilization through EDC/NHS coupling chemistry. It was
      found that the use of nanofibrous membrane causes the improved detection signal
      of ELISA based biosensors in comparison to the standard assay carried out in the
      96-well microtiter plate. This method has the potential to improve the ELISA
      based biosensor and we believe that this technique can be used in various
      biosensing methods. 

PMID- 26478349
TI  - Thermally processed polymeric microparticles for year-long delivery of
      dexamethasone.
AB  - Dexamethasone-releasing poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles were
      formulated using a solvent displacement technique with the addition of
      distillation aiming to increase drug delivery lifetime. Two PLGA copolymer ratios
      (50:50 and 75:25) were used to determine the influence of lactic acid and
      glycolic acid ratio on microparticle characteristics. The addition of
      distillation significantly slows the release of dexamethasone compared to
      traditional solvent removal via evaporation while still maintaining a therapeutic
      dosage. Microparticles formulated with PLGA 50:50 controllably release
      dexamethasone up to one year and 75:25 release up to two years in-vitro. The
      ratio of lactic acid to glycolic acid plays a significant role in microparticle
      stability, drug loading efficiency, and thermal properties. In all, this
      formulation technique offers new prospects for inflammation suppression in
      pediatric vascular and airway diseases. 

PMID- 26478350
TI  - Photocurable bioadhesive based on lactic acid.
AB  - Novel photocurable and low molecular weight oligomers based on l-lactic acid with
      proven interest to be used as bioadhesive were successfully manufactured.
      Preparation of lactic acid oligomers with methacrylic end functionalizations was
      carried out in the absence of catalyst or solvents by self-esterification in two
      reaction steps: telechelic lactic acid oligomerization with OH end groups and
      further functionalization with methacrylic anhydride. The final adhesive
      composition was achieved by the addition of a reported biocompatible
      photoinitiator (Irgacure(r) 2959). Preliminary in vitro biodegradability was
      investigated by hydrolytic degradation in PBS (pH=7.4) at 37  degrees C. The
      adhesion performance was evaluated using glued aminated substrates (gelatine
      pieces) subjected to pull-to-break test. Surface energy measured by contact
      angles is lower than the reported values of the skin and blood. The absence of
      cytoxicity was evaluated using human fibroblasts. A notable antimicrobial
      behaviour was observed using two bacterial models (Staphylococcus aureus and
      Escherichia coli). The cured material exhibited a strong thrombogenic character
      when placed in contact with blood, which can be predicted as a haemostatic effect
      for bleeding control. This novel material was subjected to an extensive
      characterization showing great potential for bioadhesive or other biomedical
      applications where biodegradable and biocompatible photocurable materials are
      required.

PMID- 26478351
TI  - Biomimetic composite microspheres of collagen/chitosan/nano-hydroxyapatite: In
      situ synthesis and characterization.
AB  - The collagen/chitosan/hydroxyapatite (COL/CS/HA) composite microspheres with a
      good spherical form and a high dispersity were successfully obtained using an in
      situ synthesis method. The FT-IR and XRD results revealed that the inorganic
      phase in the microspheres was crystalline HA containing carbonate ions. The
      morphology of the composite microspheres was dependent on the HA content, and a
      more desirable morphology was achieved when 20 wt.% HA was contained. The
      composite microspheres exhibited a narrow particle distribution, most of which
      ranged from 5 to 10 MUm. In addition, the needle-like HA nano-particles were
      uniformly distributed in the composite microspheres, and their crystallinity and
      crystal size decreased with the HA content.

PMID- 26478352
TI  - Growth of hydroxyapatite on the cellular membrane of the bacterium Bacillus
      thuringiensis for the preparation of hybrid biomaterials.
AB  - This study aimed to grow hydroxyapatite (HAp) crystals on the cellular wall of
      the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis using a bio-mimetic method.
      Several strains were phenotypically and genotypically characterized using
      multilocus sequence typing (MLST) gene markers to differentiate the strains and
      confirm the identity of the isolated species to guarantee that the selected
      species was not harmful to human health or the environment. Three of the analyzed
      strains were selected because they exhibited the best nucleation and growth of
      HAp on the bacterial surface. This innovative method to grow HAp crystals on a
      cellular membrane helps to elucidate the mechanisms by which osseous tissue is
      formed in nature. The optimum concentration for the simulated physiological fluid
      (SPF) was 1.5*. The hybrid materials were characterized by optical microscopy,
      atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder
      diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). 

PMID- 26478353
TI  - Stimuli-responsive weak polyelectrolyte multilayer films: A thin film platform
      for self triggered multi-drug delivery.
AB  - Polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) thin film composed of weak polyelectrolytes was
      designed by layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH)
      and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMA) for multi-drug delivery applications.
      Environmental stimuli such as pH and ionic strength showed significant influence
      in changing the film morphology from pore-free smooth structure to porous
      structure and favored triggered release of loaded molecules. The film was
      successfully loaded with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and ciprofloxacin
      hydrochloride (CH) by modulating the porous polymeric network of the film.
      Release studies showed that the amount of release could be easily controlled by
      changing the environmental conditions such as pH and ionic strength. Sustained
      release of loaded molecules was observed up to 8h. The fabricated films were
      found to be biocompatible with epithelial cells during in-vitro cell culture
      studies. PEM film reported here not only has the potential to be used as self
      responding thin film platform for transdermal drug delivery, but also has the
      potential for further development in antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory coatings
      on implants and drug-releasing coatings for stents. 

PMID- 26478354
TI  - Delivery system for mefenamic acid based on the nanocarrier layered double
      hydroxide: Physicochemical characterization and evaluation of anti-inflammatory
      and antinociceptive potential.
AB  - PURPOSE: The anionic form of the drug mefenamic acid intercalated into the
      nanocarrier layered double hydroxide (LDH-Mef) was evaluated by anti-inflammatory
      and antinociceptive assays. METHODS: The LDH-Mef material was characterized by a
      set of physicochemical techniques, which was supported by Density Functional
      Theory calculations. The pharmacological effects of LDH-Mef (40 wt% of drug) were
      evaluated by hemolytic, anti-inflammatory activity and antinociceptive assays.
      RESULTS: In vivo assays were conducted for the first time in order to assess the
      LDH-Mef potential. The hemolytic effects decreased for the intercalated Mef as
      demonstrated by the higher tolerated hemolytic concentration (1.83 mM) compared
      to mefenamic acid (MefH), 0.48 mM. Pretreatment of animals with MefH or LDH-Mef
      reduced carrageenan-, dextran sulfate- and PGE2-induced paw edema. MefH or LDH
      Mef also decrease total leucocytes and neutrophil counts of the peritoneal cavity
      after inflammation induction with carrageenan. In the nociception model, oral
      pretreatment with LDH-Mef reduced mechanical hypernociception carrageenan-induced
      after 3-4h and also the number of writhings induced by acetic acid. CONCLUSIONS:
      This work shows the increase of the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive
      potential of the drug confined into the LDH, as well as, its hemolytic effect.

PMID- 26478355
TI  - Structural analysis of xSrO-(50 - x)CaO-50P2O5 glasses with x=0, 5, or 10 mol%
      for potential use in a local delivery system for osteomyelitis treatment.
AB  - The introduction of ions into a local delivery matrix is one method of managing
      degradation and subsequent release of the incorporated therapeutic agents. Of
      interest in this study was whether we could modify the structural nature of
      calcium polyphosphate (CPP) glass and the subsequent therapeutic potential of
      this local delivery matrix with inclusion of strontium (Sr). We found that adding
      10 mol% Sr significantly increased the density and chain length of the glass.
      There was no significant impact of Sr doping on the subsequent loading of
      vancomycin into the matrix, or the matrix porosity. The noted differences in
      structural stability, ion release, and vancomycin release between the un-doped
      CPP matrices and 10 mol% Sr-doped CPP matrices in vitro are likely a result of a
      decrease in glass disorder upon Sr addition to the glass and preferential
      retention of Sr over Ca during matrix degradation. This study has provided
      further evidence that Sr incorporation may serve to both manipulate antibiotic
      release from the amorphous CPP matrix and provide a potential source of
      therapeutic ions for enhanced bone regeneration.

PMID- 26478356
TI  - Cobalt doped proangiogenic hydroxyapatite for bone tissue engineering
      application.
AB  - The present study delineates the synthesis and characterization of cobalt doped
      proangiogenic-osteogenic hydroxyapatite. Hydroxyapatite samples, doped with
      varying concentrations of bivalent cobalt (Co(2+)) were prepared by the
      ammoniacal precipitation method and the extent of doping was measured by ICP-OES.
      The crystalline structure of the doped hydroxyapatite samples was confirmed by
      XRD and FTIR studies. Analysis pertaining to the effect of doped hydroxyapatite
      on cell cycle progression and proliferation of MG-63 cells revealed that the
      doping of cobalt supported the cell viability and proliferation up to a threshold
      limit. Furthermore, such level of doping also induced differentiation of the bone
      cells, which was evident from the higher expression of differentiation markers
      (Runx2 and Osterix) and better nodule formation (SEM study). Western blot
      analysis in conjugation with ELISA study confirmed that the doped HAp samples
      significantly increased the expression of HIF-1alpha and VEGF in MG-63 cells. The
      analysis described here confirms the proangiogenic-osteogenic properties of the
      cobalt doped hydroxyapatite and indicates its potential application in bone
      tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26478357
TI  - Lower cytotoxicity, high stability, and long-term antibacterial activity of a
      poly(methacrylic acid)/isoniazid/rifampin nanogel against multidrug-resistant
      intestinal Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - To overcome the undesirable side effects and reduce the cytotoxicity of isoniazid
      (INH) and rifampin (RMP) in the digestive tract, a poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA)
      nanogel was developed as a carrier of INH and RMP. This PMAA/INH/RMP nanogel was
      prepared as a treatment for intestinal tuberculosis caused by multidrug-resistant
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). The morphology, size, and in vitro release
      properties were evaluated in a simulated gastrointestinal medium, and long-term
      antibacterial performance, cytotoxicity, stability, and activity of this novel
      PMAA/INH/RMP nanogel against multidrug-resistant MTB in the intestine were
      investigated. Our results indicate that the PMAA/INH/RMP nanogel exhibited
      extended antibacterial activity by virtue of its long-term release of INH and RMP
      in the simulated gastrointestinal medium. Further, this PMAA/INH/RMP nanogel
      exhibited lower cytotoxicity than did INH or RMP alone, suggesting that this
      PMAA/INH/RMP nanogel could be a more useful dosage form than separate doses of
      INH and RMP for intestinal MTB. The novel aspects of this study include the
      cytotoxicity study and the three-phase release profile study, which might be
      useful for other researchers in this field. 

PMID- 26478358
TI  - Fabrication of graphene/gold-modified screen-printed electrode for detection of
      carcinoembryonic antigen.
AB  - Immunosensors based on gold nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide (AuNPs/rGO)
      modified screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) were successfully synthesized using an
      electrochemical deposition method. The modified SPEs were characterized using a
      field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and Raman spectroscopy to
      analyze the morphology and composition of AuNPs and rGO. Both the FESEM and Raman
      spectroscopy revealed that the AuNPs were successfully anchored on the thin film
      of rGO deposited on the surface of the SPEs. Characterization with a ferri
      ferrocyanide couple [Fe(CN)6(3-/4-)] showed that the electron transfer kinetic
      between the analyte and electrode was enhanced after the modification with the
      AuNPs/rGO composite on the electrode surface, in addition to increasing the
      effective surface area of the electrode. The modified SPE was immobilized with a
      sandwich type immunosensor to mimic the ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay)
      immunoassay. The modified SPE that was fortified with the sandwich type
      immunosensor exhibited double electrochemical responses in the detection of
      carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), with linear ranges of 0.5-50 ng/mL and 250-2000
      ng/mL and limits of detection of 0.28 ng/mL and 181.5 ng/mL, respectively.

PMID- 26478359
TI  - Synthesis of nano-hydroxyapatite and its rapid mediated surface functionalization
      by silane coupling agent.
AB  - In this work, hydroxyapatite (HA) nanorods were synthesized by simple one step
      wet precipitation method followed by their rapid surface functionalization via
      aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) to give modified (HA-APTS) product.
      Functionalized hydroxyapatite (HA-APTS) holds amino groups on their surface that
      can be further functionalized with other bioactive molecules. The extent of
      functionalization of HA was studied under three different processing conditions;
      at room temperature, at 80  degrees C and under microwave condition (600 W).
      Three different temperatures have been use for the purpose of comparison between
      the functionalized products so that we can judge that whether there is any effect
      of temperature on the final products. In the last we conclude that temperature
      has no effect. So microwave condition is best to carried out the
      functionalization in just 5 min.

PMID- 26478360
TI  - Acute toxicity and in vivo biodistribution of monodispersed mesoporous bioactive
      glass spheres in intravenously exposed mice.
AB  - The use of biomaterials from laboratories to clinics requires exhaustive and
      elaborate studies involving the biodistribution, clearance, and biocompatibility
      of biomaterials for in vivo biomedical applications. This study aimed to evaluate
      the acute toxicity and biodistribution of intravenously administrated sub
      micrometer mesoporous bioactive glass spheres (SMBGs) in mice. The lethal dose 50
      (LD50) of SMBGs was higher than 250 mg/kg. The acute toxicity was evaluated at 14
      days after intravenous injection of SMBGs at 20, 100 and 180 mg/kg in ICR mice.
      The mortality, coefficients of major organs, hematology data and blood
      biochemical indexes revealed the low in vivo toxicity of SMBGs at all doses.
      However, the histological examination showed lymphocytic infiltration and
      granuloma formation in hepatocyte and megakaryocyte hyperplasia in the spleen at
      high dose. The silicon content analysis using ICP-OES and TEM results indicated
      that SMBGs mainly distributed in the resident macrophages of the liver and
      spleen, and could be cleared from the body more than 2 weeks. These findings can
      be important for the toxicity assessment of sub-micrometer particles and the
      development of bioactive glass based drug delivery system for biomedical
      applications.

PMID- 26478361
TI  - Effect of drug precursor in cell uptake and cytotoxicity of redox-responsive
      camptothecin nanomedicines.
AB  - Novel redox-responsive nanomedicines have been synthesized by conjugating
      camptothecin prodrugs ((pyridine-2-yldisulfanil)alkyl carbonate derivatives) to
      hybrid porous silica nanoparticles through disulfide bond. After disulfide
      reduction, camptothecin may be released by an intramolecular cyclization
      mechanism or by carbonate bond hydrolysis. Samples have been characterized by
      physico-chemical techniques, and stability and drug release in PBS and human
      serum have been determined. Moreover, cell uptake was studied by fluorescence
      microscopy and flow cytometry, whilst cytotoxic activity was validated by MTT
      test. Obtained results indicate that prodrug side chain carbon number (n=1,2,3)
      determines material hydrophobic properties and, as a consequence, its stability
      in aqueous medium. When n value increases, the negative surface charge decreases
      dramatically due to a shielding effect provoked by hydrophobic ligands, which
      promotes particle aggregation and favors cell internalization. Furthermore, the n
      value determines the type of products released and, subsequently, the cytotoxic
      activity. Full disulfide bridge reduction takes place in all cases, but quick
      delivery of the free drug by intramolecular cyclization is only possible with the
      shortest linker (n=1), whereas other nanomedicines only present slow discharge of
      camptothecin by carbonate hydrolysis. Overall, the drug precursor incorporated to
      the inorganic nanoplatform modulates both cell uptake rate and cytotoxicity
      according to the different functionalization. 

PMID- 26478362
TI  - Enhanced apatite-forming ability and antibacterial activity of porous anodic
      alumina embedded with CaO-SiO2-Ag2O bioactive materials.
AB  - In this study, to provide porous anodic alumina (PAA) with bioactivity and anti
      bacterial properties, sol-gel derived bioactive CaO-SiO2-Ag2O materials were
      loaded onto and into PAA nano-pores (termed CaO-SiO2-Ag2O/PAA) by a sol-dipping
      method and subsequent calcination of the gel-glasses. The in vitro apatite
      forming ability of the CaO-SiO2-Ag2O/PAA specimens was evaluated by soaking them
      in simulated body fluid (SBF). The surface microstructure and chemical property
      before and after soaking in SBF were characterized. Release of ions into the SBF
      was also measured. In addition, the antibacterial properties of the samples were
      tested against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).
      The results showed that CaO-SiO2-Ag2O bioactive materials were successfully
      decorated onto and into PAA nano-pores. In vitro SBF experiments revealed that
      the CaO-SiO2-Ag2O/PAA specimens dramatically enhanced the apatite-forming ability
      of PAA in SBF and Ca, Si and Ag ions were released from the samples in a
      sustained and slow manner. Importantly, E. coli and S. aureus were both killed on
      the CaO-SiO2-Ag2O/PAA (by 100%) samples compared to PAA controls after 3 days of
      culture. In summary, this study demonstrated that the CaO-SiO2-Ag2O/PAA samples
      possess good apatite-forming ability and high antibacterial activity causing it
      to be a promising bioactive coating candidate for implant materials for
      orthopedic applications.

PMID- 26478363
TI  - Evaluation of the factors influencing the resultant diameter of the electrospun
      gelatin/sodium alginate nanofibers via Box-Behnken design.
AB  - This article presented a study on the effects of solution properties (i.e.,
      gelatin concentration, alginate concentration, content of alginate solution in
      the blend solution, and content of acetic acid in the solvent of gelatin
      solution) on the average diameter of electrospun gelatin/sodium alginate
      nanofibers, as well as its standard deviation. For this purpose, blend solutions
      of two natural polymers (gelatin and sodium alginate) were prepared both in the
      absence and presence of ethanol. Response surface methodology based on a three
      level, four-variable Box-Benkhen design was employed to define quadratic
      relationships between the responses and the solution properties. The individual
      and interactive effects of the solution properties were determined. Moreover, the
      adequacy of the models was verified by the validation experiments. Results showed
      that the average diameters of the resultant nanofibers were 68-166 nm and 90-155
      nm in the absence and presence of ethanol, respectively. The experimental results
      were in good agreement with the predicted response values. Hence, this study
      provides an overview on the fabrication of gelatin/sodium alginate nanofibers
      with targeted diameter, which may have potential to be used in the field of
      tissue engineering.

PMID- 26478364
TI  - Preparation of polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles of chitosan and poly(2
      acry1amido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid) for doxorubicin release.
AB  - A new kind of polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) based on cationic chitosan (CS) and
      anionic poly(2-acry1amido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid) (PAMPS) was prepared
      using a polymer-monomer pair reaction system. Chitosan was mixed with 2
      acry1amido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid) (AMPS) in an aqueous solution, followed
      by polymerization of AMPS. The complex was formed by electrostatic interaction of
      NH3(+) groups of CS and SO3(-) groups of AMPS, leading to a formation of complex
      nanoparticles of CS-PAMPS. A series of nanoparticles were obtained by changing
      the weight ratio of CS to AMPS, the structure and properties of nanoparticles
      were investigated. It was observed that the nanoparticles possessed spherical
      morphologies with average diameters from 255 nm to 390 nm varied with
      compositions of the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were used as drug vehicles
      for doxorubicin, displaying relative high drug loading rate and encapsulation
      rate. The vitro release profiles revealed that the drug release could be
      controlled by adjusting pH of the release media. The nanoparticles demonstrated
      apparent advantages such as simple preparation process, free of organic solvents,
      size controllable, good biodegradability and biocompatibility, and they could be
      potentially used in drug controlled release field.

PMID- 26478365
TI  - Easy synthesis of highly fluorescent carbon dots from albumin and their
      photoluminescent mechanism and biological imaging applications.
AB  - A simple and green approach was developed to synthesize highly fluorescent carbon
      dots (CDs) using albumin as a carbon source in aqueous solution at room
      temperature. The CDs were characterized by excellent monodispersion, superior
      photostability, pH-independent emission, long fluorescence lifetime and high
      quantum yield (QY). The photoluminescent (PL) mechanism of CDs was explored by
      means of time-resolved PL decay, and the results revealed that PL originated from
      the emission of both defect state and intrinsic state. In addition, biological
      imaging with the application of CDs was carried out in human breast cancer Bcap
      37 cell, which demonstrated that CDs were provided with an excellent
      biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity and good transmembrane ability. Besides, CDs
      could be considered as a potential substitute for organic dyes or semiconductor
      quantum dots (SQDs) in biological imaging.

PMID- 26478366
TI  - Surfactant-assisted sol-gel synthesis of forsterite nanoparticles as a novel drug
      delivery system.
AB  - In the present study, forsterite nanoparticles were synthesized via surfactant
      assisted sol-gel method using cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as a
      surfactant. The effects of CTAB contents and heat treatment on the textural
      properties and drug release from nanoparticles were investigated. The synthesized
      powders were studied by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra,
      Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis and transmission electron microscope
      images. Mg2SiO4 materials demonstrated mesoporous characteristics and large
      specific surface area ranging from 159 to 30 m(2)/g. The TEM results showed that
      forsterite nanorods had diameters about 4 nm and lengths ranging from 10 to 60
      nm. It was found that the samples with 6g CTAB show slower drug release rate than
      the other specimens, which is due to smaller pore size. This study revealed that
      the drug delivery of forsterite can be tailored by changing the amount of
      surfactant.

PMID- 26478367
TI  - Flexible fiber-reinforced composites with improved interfacial adhesion by mussel
      inspired polydopamine and poly(methyl methacrylate) coating.
AB  - To obtain a kind of light-curable fiber-reinforced composite for dental
      restoration, an excellent interfacial adhesion between the fiber and the acrylate
      resin matrix is quite essential. Herein, surface modification on glass fibers
      were carried out by coating them with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA),
      polydopamine (PDA), or both. The PMMA or PDA coating was performed by soaking
      fibers in PMMA/acetone solution or dopamine aqueous solution. PDA/PMMA co-coated
      glass fibers were obtained by further soaking PDA-coated fibers in PMMA/acetone
      solution. These modified fibers were impregnated with bisphenol A glycidyl
      methacrylate (Bis-GMA)/triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) (5:5, w/w)
      dental resin at a volume fraction of 75%, using unmodified fibers as reference.
      Light-cured specimens were submitted to evaluations including flexural
      properties, morphological observation, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA)
      and pull-out test. In comparison with unmodified glass fibers, all the modified
      glass fibers showed enhancements in flexural strength and modulus of Bis
      GMA/TEGDMA resin composites. Results of DMTA and pull-out tests confirmed that
      surface modification had significantly improved the interfacial adhesion between
      the glass fiber and the resin matrix. Particularly, the PDA/PMMA co-coated glass
      fibers displayed the most efficient reinforcement and the strongest interfacial
      adhesion due to the synergetic effects of PDA and PMMA. It indicated that co
      coating method was a promising approach in modifying the interfacial
      compatibility between inorganic glass fiber and organic resin matrix. 

PMID- 26478368
TI  - Regenerated collagen fibers with grooved surface texture: Physicochemical
      characterization and cytocompatibility.
AB  - A novel type of protein fibers, regenerated collagen fibers (RC) from cattle
      skin, was prepared through wet-spinning. Due to the combined effect of solvent
      exchange and subsequent drawing process, the fibers were found to have a grooved
      surface texture. The grooves provided not only ordered topographical cues, but
      also increased surface area. Protein content of the RC fibers was confirmed by
      Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ninhydrin color reaction. The
      fibers could be readily fabricated into nonwovens or other textiles, owning to
      their comparable physical properties to other commercialized fibers. Cell growth
      behavior on RC nonwovens suggested both early adhesion and prompt proliferation.
      The high moisture regain, good processability, along with the excellent
      cytocompatibility indicated that the RC fibers and nonwovens developed in this
      study might offer a good candidate for biomedical and healthcare applications. 

PMID- 26478369
TI  - Poly(hydroxybutyrate)/cellulose acetate blend nanofiber scaffolds: Preparation,
      characterization and cytocompatibility.
AB  - Poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/cellulose acetate (CA) blend nanofiber scaffolds were
      fabricated by electrospinning using the blends of chloroform and DMF as solvent.
      The blend nanofiber scaffolds were characterized by SEM, FTIR, XRD, DSC, contact
      angle and tensile test. The blend nanofibers exhibited cylindrical, uniform, bead
      free and random orientation with the diameter ranged from 80-680 nm. The
      scaffolds had very well interconnected porous fibrous network structure and large
      aspect surface areas. It was found that the presence of CA affected the
      crystallization of PHB due to formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds, which
      restricted the preferential orientation of PHB molecules. The DSC result showed
      that the PHB and CA were miscible in the blend nanofiber. An increase in the
      glass transition temperature was observed with increasing CA content.
      Additionally, the mechanical properties of blend nanofiber scaffolds were largely
      influenced by the weight ratio of PHB/CA. The tensile strength, yield strength
      and elongation at break of the blend nanofiber scaffolds increased from 3.3 +/-
      0.35 MPa, 2.8 +/- 0.26 MPa, and 8 +/- 0.77% to 5.05 +/- 0.52 MPa, 4.6 +/- 0.82
      MPa, and 17.6 +/- 1.24% by increasing PHB content from 60% to 90%, respectively.
      The water contact angle of blend nanofiber scaffolds decreased about 50% from 112
      +/- 2.1 degrees  to 60 +/- 0.75 degrees . The biodegradability was evaluated by
      in vitro degradation test and the results revealed that the blend nanofiber
      scaffolds showed much higher degradation rates than the neat PHB. The
      cytocompatibility of the blend nanofiber scaffolds was preliminarily evaluated by
      cell adhesion studies. The cells incubated with PHB/CA blend nanofiber scaffold
      for 48 h were capable of forming cell adhesion and proliferation. It showed much
      better biocompatibility than pure PHB film. Thus, the prepared PHB/CA blend
      nanofiber scaffolds are bioactive and may be more suitable for cell proliferation
      suggesting that these scaffolds can be used for wound dressing or tissue
      engineering scaffolds.

PMID- 26478370
TI  - Influence of the different carbon nanotubes on the development of electrochemical
      sensors for bisphenol A.
AB  - Different methods of functionalisation and the influence of the multi-walled
      carbon nanotube sizes were investigated on the bisphenol A electrochemical
      determination. Samples with diameters of 20 to 170 nmwere functionalized in HNO3
      5.0 mol L(-1) and a concentrated sulphonitric solution. The morphological
      characterisations before and after acid treatment were carried out by scanning
      electron microscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The size and acid treatment affected
      the oxidation of bisphenol A. The multi-walled carbon nanotubes with a 20-40 nm
      diameter improved the method sensitivity and achieved a detection limit for
      determination of bisphenol A at 84.0 nmol L(-1).

PMID- 26478371
TI  - In vivo behaviors of Ca(OH)2 activated nano SiO2 (nCa/nSi=3) cement in rabbit
      model.
AB  - In vivo behaviors of Ca(OH)2 activated nano SiO2 (nCa/nSi=3, TCS) cement were
      investigated in the rabbit femoral defects using the poly(methyl methacrylate)
      (PMMA) as control. The deposited apatite and CaCO3 layers round TCS paste
      surfaces were completely used to construct the new bone tissue. TCS paste could
      stimulate the formation of new bone tissue in marrow tissue. The osteostimulation
      was mainly attributed to the proliferation and differentiation effects of Ca and
      Si ions released from TCS paste on the osteoprogenitor cells. However, Calcium
      Silicate-Hydrate (C-S-H) gel in TCS paste was harder to degradate than Ca(OH)2.
      TCS paste kept the original shape during implantation, and could not provide the
      pores or spaces for further formation of bone tissue. Osteolytic defects induced
      by wear particles from TCS paste surface could not be completely avoided, because
      of the interfacial strain and the extensive micromotion between TCS paste surface
      and new bone tissue. Overall, our results indicated that Ca(OH)2 activated nano
      SiO2 cement was bioactivity and osteostimulation. The further improvements of
      Ca(OH)2 activated nano SiO2 cement should be done by achieving a balance between
      biological properties and mechanical performances. 

PMID- 26478372
TI  - Pulse electrodeposited nickel-indium tin oxide nanocomposite as an
      electrocatalyst for non-enzymatic glucose sensing.
AB  - Nickel and nickel-ITO nanocomposite on mild steel substrate were prepared by
      pulse electrodeposition method from nickel sulphamate electrolyte and were
      examined as electrocatalysts for non-enzymatic glucose sensing. The surface
      morphology, chemical composition, preferred orientation and oxidation states of
      the nickel metal ion in the deposits were characterized by SEM, EDAX, XRD and
      XPS. Electrochemical sensing of glucose was studied by cyclic voltammetry and
      amperometry. The modified Ni-ITO nanocomposite electrode showed higher
      electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of glucose in alkaline medium and
      exhibited a linear range from 0.02 to 3.00 mM with a limit of detection 3.74 MUM
      at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The higher selectivity, longer stability and
      better reproducibility of this electrode compared to nickel in the sensing of
      glucose are pointers for exploitation in practical clinical applications.

PMID- 26478373
TI  - Electrochemical sensing platforms based on the different carbon derivative
      incorporated interface.
AB  - their effects on the properties of these biosensors. Biosensors were prepared by
      Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) immobilization on the composite electrodes composed
      of carbon black, carbon nanofiber (CNF), extended graphite, multiwalled carbon
      nanotube (MWCNT), reduced graphene oxide (REGO) and poly(glycidyl methacrylateco
      vinylferrocene) (P(GMA-co-VFc)) as mediator, covalent linker, and host matrix for
      carbon derivatives. The modified pencil graphite electrode (PGE) was used for the
      detection of hydrogen peroxide and to follow electrochemical behavior of
      different carbon derivatives which were recorded. The electrochemical
      characterization was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical
      impedance spectroscopy methods. Amperometric measurements showed that the REGO
      and MWCNT modified electrodes have excellent performance in comparison with other
      carbon derivatives studied.

PMID- 26478374
TI  - Tailoring the degradation and biological response of a magnesium-strontium alloy
      for potential bone substitute application.
AB  - Bone defects are very challenging in orthopedic practice. There are many
      practical and clinical shortcomings in the repair of the defect by using
      autografts, allografts or xenografts, which continue to motivate the search for
      better alternatives. The ideal bone grafts should provide mechanical support,
      fill osseous voids and enhance the bone healing. Biodegradable magnesium
      strontium (Mg-Sr) alloys demonstrate good biocompatibility and osteoconductive
      properties, which are promising biomaterials for bone substitutes. The aim of
      this study was to evaluate and pair the degradation of Mg-Sr alloys for grafting
      with their clinical demands. The microstructure and performance of Mg-Sr alloys,
      in vitro degradation and biological properties including in vitro
      cytocompatibility and in vivo implantation were investigated. The results showed
      that the as-cast Mg-Sr alloy exhibited a rapid degradation rate compared with the
      as-extruded alloy due to the intergranular distribution of the second phase and
      micro-galvanic corrosion. However, the initial degradation could be tailored by
      the coating protection, which was proved to be cytocompatible and also suitable
      for bone repair observed by in vivo implantation. The integrated fracture
      calluses were formed and bridged the fracture gap without gas bubble
      accumulation, meanwhile the substitutes simultaneously degraded. In conclusion,
      the as-cast Mg-Sr alloy with coating is potential to be used for bone substitute
      alternative. 

PMID- 26478375
TI  - Novel glass-like coatings for cardiovascular implant application: Preparation,
      characterization and cellular interaction.
AB  - Glass coatings are of great interest for biomedical implant application due to
      their excellent properties. Nowadays they are used in different fields including
      drug delivery, for bone tissue regeneration or as implant. Nevertheless they can
      only be applied using high temperatures. Therefore their usage in the field of
      cardiovascular implant application is still restricted. Accordingly new
      developments in this field have been carried out to overcome this problem and to
      coat cardiovascular implants. Here, novel glass-like coatings have been developed
      and applied using sol-gel technique at moderate temperatures. The
      biocompatibility and selectivity have been analyzed using human endothelial
      cells. The obtained results clarify that the developed compositions can either
      promote or suppress endothelial cell growth only by altering the sintering
      atmosphere. A later application as thin layer on cardiovascular implants like
      stents is conceivable.

PMID- 26478376
TI  - Magnesium degradation influenced by buffering salts in concentrations typical of
      in vitro and in vivo models.
AB  - Magnesium and its alloys have considerable potential for orthopedic applications.
      During the degradation process the interface between material and tissue is
      continuously changing. Moreover, too fast or uncontrolled degradation is
      detrimental for the outcome in vivo. Therefore in vitro setups utilizing
      physiological conditions are promising for the material/degradation analysis
      prior to animal experiments. The aim of this study is to elucidate the influence
      of inorganic salts contributing to the blood buffering capacity on degradation.
      Extruded pure magnesium samples were immersed under cell culture conditions for 3
      and 10 days. Hank's balanced salt solution without calcium and magnesium (HBSS)
      plus 10% of fetal bovine serum (FBS) was used as the basic immersion medium.
      Additionally, different inorganic salts were added with respect to concentration
      in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM, in vitro model) and human plasma (in
      vivo model) to form 12 different immersion media. Influences on the surrounding
      environment were observed by measuring pH and osmolality. The degradation
      interface was analyzed by electron-induced X-ray emission (EIXE) spectroscopy,
      including chemical-element mappings and electron microprobe analysis, as well as
      Fourier transform infrared reflection micro-spectroscopy (FTIR).

PMID- 26478377
TI  - Formulation of cyclodextrin inclusion complex-based orally disintegrating tablet
      of eslicarbazepine acetate for improved oral bioavailability.
AB  - The present investigation was aimed towards developing a beta-cyclodextrin (beta
      CD) solid dispersion (SD) based orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) of
      eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL), for improving the dissolution and providing fast
      onset of anti-epileptic action. Optimum ratio of ESL and beta-CD was determined
      by Job's plot. Thereafter, solid dispersions were prepared by solvent evaporation
      method and evaluated for yield, assay, Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC),
      Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and in
      vitro dissolution. Optimized SD was compressed into ODT by direct compression
      using super disintegrants and evaluated for wetting time, drug content, in vitro
      drug release and in vivo studies. The results of DSC, FTIR and XRD analysis
      supported the formation of inclusion complex. An improved dissolution with 99.95
      +/- 2.80% drug release in 60 min was observed in comparison to 24.85 +/- 2.96%
      release from a plain drug suspension. Tablets with crosspovidone as a super
      disintegrant showed the least disintegration time of 24.66 +/- 1.52 s and higher
      in vitro drug release against marketed tablets. In vivo studies indicated that
      the formulated tablets had 2 times higher bioavailability than marketed tablets.
      Thus, the developed beta-CD-ESL SD-ODT could provide faster onset of action and
      higher bioavailability, which would be beneficial in case of epileptic seizures.

PMID- 26478378
TI  - Glassy carbon electrode modified with horse radish peroxidase/organic
      nucleophilic-functionalized carbon nanotube composite for enhanced
      electrocatalytic oxidation and efficient voltammetric sensing of levodopa.
AB  - A novel and selective enzymatic biosensor was designed and constructed for
      voltammetric determination of levodopa (L-Dopa) in aqueous media (phosphate
      buffer solution, pH=7). Biosensor development was on the basis of to physically
      immobilizing of horse radish peroxidase (HRP) as electrochemical catalyst by sol
      gel on glassy carbon electrode modified with organic nucleophilic carbon nanotube
      composite which in this composite p-phenylenediamine (pPDA) as organic
      nucleophile chemically bonded with functionalized MWCNT (MWCNT-COOH). The results
      of this study suggest that prepared bioorganic nucleophilic carbon nanotube
      composite (HRP/MWCNT-pPDA) shows fast electron transfer rate for electro
      oxidation of L-Dopa because of its high electrochemical catalytic activity toward
      the oxidation of L-Dopa, more--NH2 reactive sites and large effective surface
      area. Also in this work we measured L-Dopa in the presence of folic acid and uric
      acid as interferences. The proposed biosensor was characterized by scanning
      electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), FT-IR
      spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The differential pulse voltammetry
      (DPV) was used for determination of L-Dopa from 0.1 MUM to 1.9 MUM with a low
      detection limit of 40 nM (for S/N=3) and sensitivity was about 35.5 MUA/MUM. Also
      this biosensor has several advantages such as rapid response, high stability and
      reproducibility.

PMID- 26478380
TI  - Optimizing the release process and modelling of in vitro release data of cis
      dichlorodiamminoplatinum (II) encapsulated into poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)
      nanocarriers.
AB  - Drug encapsulated nanocarriers are vehicles to transport the drug molecules and
      release them at the immediate vicinity of the diseased sites. The aim of this
      study was to design poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) nanoparticles (PHEMANPs)
      as a swelling and diffusion controlled drug release system for achieving
      sustained release of (cis-dichlorodiamminoplatinum II) CDDP. The study undertakes
      designing and characterization of nanocarriers, optimization of drug
      encapsulation, and investigating release dynamics of the CDDP drug. PHEMANPs were
      prepared by suspension polymerization method followed by post loading of the CDDP
      onto the nanocarriers. The physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties were
      evaluated by FTIR, TEM, FESEM, EDX, DLS, surface charge, water intake studies, in
      vitro cytotoxicity, protein adsorption and percent haemolysis. Chemical stability
      of the drug was assessed and in vitro release experiments were performed to
      optimize formulation by UV spectral analysis. The obtained cumulative release
      data were fitted to zero, first and Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetic models to gain
      insights into release kinetics and prevailing drug transport mechanisms. The
      successful encapsulation of CDDP was achieved in different PHEMANP formulations
      with maximum drug encapsulation efficiency of approx. 60% and the release
      kinetics was found to follow the Korsmeyer-Peppas model having non-Fickian
      mechanism. The results indicated that the CDDP can be formulated with a high
      payload of PHEMANPs which can serve as promising nanomedicine and help in
      achieving sustained delivery of drug for targeting tumour. 

PMID- 26478379
TI  - Coatings of titanium substrates with xCaO . (1 - x)SiO2 sol-gel materials:
      characterization, bioactivity and biocompatibility evaluation.
AB  - The objective of this study has been to develop low temperature sol-gel coatings
      to modify the surface of commercially pure titanium grade 4 (a material generally
      used in dental application) and to evaluate their bioactivity and
      biocompatibility on the substrate. Glasses of composition expressed by the
      following general formula xCaO . (1 - x)SiO2 (0.0<x<0.60) have been prepared by
      means of the sol-gel route starting from tetraethyl orthosilicate and calcium
      nitrate tetrahydrate. Those materials, still in the sol phase, have been used to
      coat titanium substrates by means of the dip-coating technique. Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) allowed the materials to
      be characterized and a microstructural analysis of the coatings obtained was
      performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The potential applications of
      the coatings in the biomedical field were evaluated by bioactivity and
      biocompatibility tests. The coated titanium was immersed in simulated body fluid
      (SBF) for 21 days and the hydroxyapatite deposition on its surface was
      subsequently evaluated via SEM-EDXS analysis, as an index of bone-bonding
      capability. To investigate cell-material interactions, mouse embryonic fibroblast
      cells (3T3) were seeded onto the specimens and the cell viability was evaluated
      by a WST-8 assay.

PMID- 26478381
TI  - Preparation of microcarriers based on zein and their application in cell culture.
AB  - Microcarriers with a large surface area have attracted much attention in the
      field of large-scale cell culture. The preparation of microcarriers is mainly
      based on methods such as emulsification, suspension polymerization, solvent
      evaporation, organic phase separation (cohesion) and spray drying. Many of these
      require the use of organic solvents. In general, organic solvents are considered
      to be toxic and not conducive to environmental protection. In this study, zein
      microcarriers were successfully prepared via a novel method in which only
      glycerol was used as the dispersing medium. The size of these microcarriers was
      controllable, and the preparation process was simple to perform. Vero cells,
      commonly used in the production of vaccines, were cultured on the surface of the
      zein microcarriers to evaluate the microcarriers' performance in cell culture.
      The cells could attach and spread on the surface, without any difference compared
      with cells on the surface of Cytodex 1. The cell density reached its maximum on
      the fourth day, which was approximately 10 times the initial density. This is the
      first report that zein can be used as a microcarrier for the mass production of a
      large-scale suspension cell culture, which shows the potential of zein as a
      replacement for commercial non-degradable materials. 

PMID- 26478382
TI  - Properties of PLA/PCL particles as vehicles for oral delivery of the androgen
      hormone 17alpha-methyltestosterone.
AB  - The aim of this study was to produce PLA (poly(lactic acid)) and PCL
      (polycaprolactone) oral carriers through the precipitation of the polymer
      solutions using supercritical CO2 as an antisolvent for the controlled release of
      the hydrophobic model drug 17alpha-methyltestosterone (MT). Such drug is a
      steroidal hormone used orally to develop and sustain primary and secondary male
      sex characteristics, e.g. for female Nile tilapia sex reversal in aquaculture.
      The influence of hormone, PLA and PCL concentrations on particle formation was
      analyzed, showing that high PCL concentrations produced particles with rougher
      surfaces and greater mean diameters. The incorporation efficiency of MT ranged
      from 20 to 51%, and its addition resulted in increases in particle mean diameter
      from 23 to 54 MUm. Aggregation was observed for particles incorporating or not MT
      and high concentrations of MT led to the formation of more amorphous structures,
      changing the thermal behavior of the particles. The exposure of the PLA/PCL
      particles to pH conditions simulating gastrointestinal fish conditions showed
      that hormone release fraction at acidic pH ranged from 8 to 63% (over 2h), while
      in the basic pH the proportion released varied from 23 to 60% (over 10h),
      reaching levels adequate for the desired in vivo activity.

PMID- 26478383
TI  - Electrophoretic deposition of double-layer HA/Al composite coating on NiTi.
AB  - In order to improve the bioactivity of NiTi alloys, which are being known as the
      suitable materials for biomedical applications, numerous NiTi disks were
      electrophoretically coated by hetero-coagulated hydroxyapatite/aluminum composite
      coatings in three main voltages from suspensions with different Al
      concentrations. In this paper, the amount of Ni ions release and bioactivity of
      prepared samples as well as bonding strength of the coating to substrate were
      investigated. The surface characterization of the coating by XRD, EDX, SEM, and
      FTIR showed that HA particles bonded by Al particles. It caused the formation of
      a free crack coating on NiTi disks. Moreover, the bonding strength of HA/Al
      coatings to NiTi substrate were improved by two times as compared to that of the
      pure HA coatings. Immersing of coated samples in SBF for 1 week showed that
      apatite formation ability was improved on HA/Al composite coating and Ni ions
      release from the surface of composite coating decreased. These results induce the
      appropriate bioactivity and biocompatibility of the deposited HA/Al composite
      coatings on NiTi disks.

PMID- 26478384
TI  - Biomedical potential of chitosan/HA and chitosan/beta-1,3-glucan/HA biomaterials
      as scaffolds for bone regeneration--A comparative study.
AB  - The aim of this work was to compare biomedical potential of
      chitosan/hydroxyapatite (chit/HA) and novel chitosan/beta-1,3
      glucan/hydroxyapatite (chit/glu/HA) materials as scaffolds for bone regeneration
      via characterization of their biocompatibility, porosity, mechanical properties,
      and water uptake behaviour. Biocompatibility of the scaffolds was assessed in
      direct-contact with the materials using normal human foetal osteoblast cell line.
      Cytotoxicity and osteoblast proliferation rate were evaluated. Porosity was
      assessed using computed microtomography analysis and mechanical properties were
      determined by compression testing. Obtained results demonstrated that chit/HA
      scaffold possessed significantly better mechanical properties (compressive
      strength: 1.23 MPa, Young's modulus: 0.46 MPa) than chit/glu/HA material
      (compressive strength: 0.26 MPa, Young's modulus: 0.25 MPa). However, addition of
      bacterial beta-1,3-glucan to the chit/HA scaffold improved its flexibility and
      porosity. Moreover, chit/glu/HA scaffold revealed significantly higher water
      uptake capability (52.6% after 24h of soaking) compared to the chit/HA (30.7%)
      and thus can serve as a very good drug delivery carrier. Chit/glu/HA scaffold was
      also more favourable to osteoblast survival (near 100% viability after 24-h
      culture), proliferation, and spreading compared to the chit/HA (63% viability).
      The chit/glu/HA possesses better biomedical potential than chit/HA scaffold.
      Nevertheless, poor mechanical properties of the chit/glu/HA limit its application
      to non-load bearing implantation area.

PMID- 26478385
TI  - Microstructural, mechanical, corrosion and cytotoxicity characterization of the
      hot forged FeMn30(wt.%) alloy.
AB  - An interest in biodegradable metallic materials has been increasing in the last
      two decades. Besides magnesium based materials, iron-manganese alloys have been
      considered as possible candidates for fabrication of biodegradable stents and
      orthopedic implants. In this study, we prepared a hot forged FeMn30 (wt.%) alloy
      and investigated its microstructural, mechanical and corrosion characteristics as
      well as cytotoxicity towards mouse L 929 fibroblasts. The obtained results were
      compared with those of iron. The FeMn30 alloy was composed of antiferromagnetic
      gamma-austenite and epsilon-martensite phases and possessed better mechanical
      properties than iron and even that of 316 L steel. The potentiodynamic
      measurements in simulated body fluids showed that alloying with manganese lowered
      the free corrosion potential and enhanced the corrosion rate, compared to iron.
      On the other hand, the corrosion rate of FeMn30 obtained by a semi-static
      immersion test was significantly lower than that of iron, most likely due to a
      higher degree of alkalization in sample surrounding. The presence of manganese in
      the alloy slightly enhanced toxicity towards the L 929 cells; however, the
      toxicity did not exceed the allowed limit and FeMn30 alloy fulfilled the
      requirements of the ISO 10993-5 standard.

PMID- 26478386
TI  - An experimental design approach to the preparation of pegylated polylactide-co
      glicolide gentamicin loaded microparticles for local antibiotic delivery.
AB  - The present paper takes into account the DOE application to the preparation
      process of biodegradable microspheres for osteomyelitis local therapy. With this
      goal gentamicin loaded polylactide-co-glycolide-copolyethyleneglycol (PLGA-PEG)
      microspheres were prepared and investigated. Two preparation protocols (o/w and
      w/o/w) with different process conditions, and three PLGA-PEG block copolymers
      with different compositions of lactic and glycolic acids and PEG, were tested. A
      Design Of Experiment (DOE) screening design was applied as an approach to scale
      up manufacturing step. The results of DOE screening design confirmed that w/o/w
      technique, the presence of salt and the 15%w/v polymer concentration positively
      affected the EE% (72.1-97.5%), and span values of particle size distribution
      (1.03-1.23), while salt addition alone negatively affected the yield process.
      Process scale up resulted in a decrease of gentamicin EE% that can be attributed
      to the high volume of water used to remove PVA and NaCl residues. The results of
      in vitro gentamicin release study show prolonged gentamicin release up to three
      months from the microspheres prepared with salt addition in the dispersing phase;
      the behavior being consistent with their highly compact structure highlighted by
      scanning electron microscopy analysis. The prolonged release of gentamicin is
      maintained even after embedding the biodegradable microspheres into a
      thermosetting composite gel made of chitosan and acellular bovine bone matrix
      (Orthoss(r) granules), and the microbiologic evaluation demonstrated the efficacy
      of the gentamicin loaded microspheres on Escherichia coli. The collected results
      confirm the feasibility of the scale up of microsphere manufacturing process and
      the high potential of the microparticulate drug delivery system to be used for
      the local antibiotic delivery to bone.

PMID- 26478387
TI  - Investigating the structure and biocompatibility of niobium and titanium oxides
      as coatings for orthopedic metallic implants.
AB  - Applying sol gel based coatings to orthopedic metallic implant materials can
      significantly improve their properties and lifespan in vivo. For this work,
      niobium (Nb2O5) and titanium (TiO2) oxides were prepared via solution processing
      in order to determine the effect of atomic arrangement (amorphous/crystalline) on
      bioactivity. Thermal evaluation on the synthesized materials identified an
      endotherm for Nb2O5 at 75  degrees C with 40% weight loss below 400  degrees C,
      and minimal weight loss between 400 and 850  degrees C. Regarding TiO2 an
      endotherm was present at 92  degrees C with 25% weight loss below 400  degrees C,
      and 4% between 400 and 850  degrees C. Phase evolution was determined using High
      Temperature X-ray Diffraction (HT-XRD) where amorphous-Nb2O5 (450  degrees C),
      hexagonal-Nb2O5 (525  degrees C), orthorhombic-Nb2O5 (650  degrees C), amorphous
      TiO2 (275  degrees C) and tetragonal TiO2 (500  degrees C) structures were
      produced. Simulated body fluid (SBF) testing was conducted over 1, 7 and 30 days
      and resulted in positive chemical and morphological changes for crystalline Nb2O5
      (525  degrees C) and TiO2 (500  degrees C) after 30 days of incubation. Rod-like
      CaP deposits were observed on the surfaces using Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE
      SEM) and Grazing Incidence-X-ray Diffraction (GI-XRD) shows that the deposits
      were X-ray amorphous. Cell viability was higher with the TiO2 (122%) samples when
      compared to the growing cell population while Nb2O5 samples exhibited a range of
      viability (64-105%), partially dependent on materials atomic structure.

PMID- 26478388
TI  - A stimuli-responsive and bioactive film based on blended polyvinyl alcohol and
      cashew gum polysaccharide.
AB  - In this study, a stimuli-responsive, biodegradable and bioactive film was
      produced by blending cashew gum polysaccharide (CGP) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).
      The film presented malleability and mechanical properties enabling an easy
      handling. Wetting the film changed the optical property from opacity to levels of
      transparency higher than 70% and resulted in up to 2-fold increase in its
      superficial area. Different swelling indexes were obtained varying the pH of
      solvent, which allows classifying the CGP/PVA film as pH sensitive stimuli
      responsive material. The bioactivity was achieved through covalent immobilization
      of papain, which remained active after storage of CGP/PVA-papain film for 24h in
      the presence of buffer or in a dry form. These results evidenced that CGP/PVA
      papain film is a very promising material for biomedical applications. 

PMID- 26478389
TI  - Functional fatigue behavior of superelastic beta Ti-22Nb-6Zr(at%) alloy for load
      bearing biomedical applications.
AB  - Ti-22Nb-6Zr (at.%) alloy with different processing-induced microstructures
      (highly-dislocated partially recovered substructure, polygonized nanosubgrained
      (NSS) dislocation substructure, and recrystallized structure) was subjected to
      strain-controlled tension-tension fatigue testing in the 0.2...1.5% strain range
      (run-out at 10^6 cycles). The NSS alloy obtained after cold-rolling with 0.3 true
      strain and post-deformation annealing at 600  degrees C showed the lowest Young's
      modulus and globally superior fatigue performance due to the involvement of
      reversible stress-induced martensitic transformation in the deformation process.
      This NSS structure appears to be suitable for biomedical applications with an
      extended variation range of loading conditions (orthopedic implants).

PMID- 26478390
TI  - Sol-gel synthesis and characterization of SiO2/PCL hybrid materials containing
      quercetin as new materials for antioxidant implants.
AB  - The development of biomaterials with intrinsic antioxidant properties could
      represent a valuable strategy for preventing peri-implant disease onset. In this
      context quercetin, a naturally occurring flavonoid, has been entrapped, at
      different weight percentages in a silica/poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-based hybrid
      material by a sol-gel route. FT-IR and UV spectroscopic techniques were employed
      in order to characterize the hybrids. FT-IR analysis indicated changes in
      stretching frequencies of the quercetin dienonic moiety, suggesting that a
      flavonol oxidized derivative was formed during the sol-gel process. The
      establishment of hydrogen-bonded interactions between quercetin and silica and
      polymer matrices,was strongly affected by the amount of polymer. Poly(epsilon
      caprolactone) did not interact with quercetin when it was loaded at high doses
      (50 wt.%). The morphology of the synthesized materials was observed by using SEM.
      The obtained images proved that the materials are hybrid nanocomposites. Their
      bioactivity was shown by the formation of a hydroxyapatite layer on samples'
      surface soaked in a fluid simulating the composition of the human plasma. The
      antiradical properties of the investigated systems were evaluated by DPPH and
      ABTS methods and their cytotoxicity by the MTT assay. Data obtained revealed that
      the synthesized materials are biocompatible and that the hybrid system,with 6
      wt.% of PCL and 15 wt.% of quercetin, produced the strongest antiradical
      efficacy.

PMID- 26478391
TI  - Label-free electrochemical immunosensor based on cerium oxide nanowires for
      Vibrio cholerae O1 detection.
AB  - This paper developed a label-free immunosensor based on cerium oxide nanowire for
      Vibrio cholerae O1 detection application. The CeO2 nanowires were synthesized by
      hydrothermal reaction. The immobilization of Anti-V. cholerae O1 onto CeO2
      nanowire-deposited sensor was performed via an amino ester, which was created by
      using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide, and sulfo-N
      hydroxysuccinimide. The electrochemical responses of the immunosensor were
      studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with [Fe (CN) 6] (3-/4-) as
      redox probe. A linear response in electron transfer resistance for cell of V.
      cholerae O1 concentration was found in the range of 1.0 * 10(2)CFU/mL to 1.0 *
      10(4)CFU/mL. The detection limit of the immunosensor was 1.0 * 10(2)CFU/mL. The
      immunosensor sensitivity was 56.82 Omega/CFU . mL(-1). Furthermore, the
      parameters affecting immunosensor response were also investigated, as follows: pH
      value, immunoreaction time, incubation temperature, and anti-V. cholerae O1
      concentration.

PMID- 26478392
TI  - An axial distribution of seeding, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation
      of MC3T3-E1 cells and rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells across a 3D
      Thai silk fibroin/gelatin/hydroxyapatite scaffold in a perfusion bioreactor.
AB  - In cell culture, a perfusion bioreactor provides effective transportation of
      nutrients, oxygen, and waste removal to and from the core of the scaffold. In
      addition, it provides mechanical stimuli for enhancing osteogenic
      differentiation. In this study, we used an axial distribution of cell numbers,
      alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzyme activity, and calcium content across 4 cross
      sections of 10mm thick scaffold, made of Thai silk fibroin (SF)/gelatin
      (G)/hydroxyapatite (HA), as a tool to evaluate the suitable perfusion flow rate.
      These evaluations cover all cellular developmental phases starting from seeding,
      to proliferation, and later osteogenic differentiation. Mouse pre-osteoblastic
      MC3T3-E1 cell lines were used as a cell model during seeding and proliferation.
      The bioreactor seeded scaffold provided more uniform cell distribution across the
      scaffold compared to centrifugal and agitation seeding, while the overall number
      of adhered cells from bioreactor seeding was slightly lower than agitation
      seeding. The dynamic culture using 1 ml/min perfusion flow rate (initial shear
      stress of 0.1 dyn/cm(2)) enabled statistically higher MC3T3-E1 proliferation, ALP
      activity, and calcium deposition than those observed in the static-culturing
      condition. However, the perfusion flow rate of 1 ml/min seemed not to be enough
      for enhancing ALP expression across all sections of the scaffold. Rat bone marrow
      derived stromal cells (rMSC) were used in the detachment test and osteogenic
      differentiation. It was found that perfusion flow rate of 5 ml/min caused
      statistically higher cell detachment than that of 1 and 3 ml/min. The perfusion
      flow rate of 3 ml/min gave the highest rMSC osteogenic differentiation on a
      SF/G/HA scaffold than other flow rates, as observed from the significantly
      highest number of ALP enzyme activity and the calcium content without any
      significant cell growth. In addition, all of these parameters were evenly
      distributed across all scaffold sections.

PMID- 26478393
TI  - Microstructure, physical properties, and bone regeneration effect of the nano
      sized beta-tricalcium phosphate granules.
AB  - The nano-sized beta-tricalcium phosphate granules for the practical application
      of bone graft substitutes could be prepared from the wet chemically precipitated
      beta-TCP powders by the liquid-solid mixture route and by controlling the pH of
      mixture solution to 7.5 within a shorter processing time. The phase purity of
      prepared beta-TCP granules was higher above 99% and their particle sizes ranged
      from 200 to 650 nm. Also, their average compressive strength was higher at 2.22
      MPa. It is considered that the phase purity, particle refinement, and mechanical
      compressive strength of beta-TCP granules could be significantly improved through
      the beta-TCP powders synthesized through the liquid-solid mixture precipitation
      at pH of 7.5. Meanwhile both the porosity and the specific surface area
      positively associated with the osteoconductivity for bone regeneration were
      higher at 75% and 2.50 m(2)/g respectively due to the nano-sized particles of
      porous beta-TCP granules. Furthermore, the histological analysis in beagle
      mandibular defect showed that beta-TCP granules demonstrated remarkable bone
      regeneration effect compared with that of the non-treatment group, indicating the
      increased new formation of bone (except for callus) (48.42 +/- 6.57%) and rapid
      resorption (69.49 +/- 2.40%) without toxicologically significant changes at 12
      weeks after implantation.

PMID- 26478394
TI  - Collagen films with stabilized liquid crystalline phases and concerns on
      osteoblast behaviors.
AB  - To duplicate collagen's in vivo liquid crystalline (LC) phase and investigate the
      relationship between the morphology of LC collagen and osteoblast behavior, a
      self-assembly method was introduced for preparing collagen films with a
      stabilized LC phase. The LC texture and topological structure of the films before
      and after stabilization were observed with polarizing optical microscopy,
      scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The
      relationship between the collagen films and osteoblast behavior was studied with
      the 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo(-z-y1)-3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide method,
      proliferation index detection, alkaline phosphatase measurements, osteocalcin
      assay, inverted microscopy, SEM observation, AFM observation, and cytoskeleton
      fluorescence staining. The results showed that the LC collagen film had
      continuously twisting orientations in the cholesteric phase with a typical series
      of arced patterns. The collagen fibers assembled in a well-organized orientation
      in the LC film. Compared to the non-LC film, the LC collagen film can promote
      cell proliferation, and increase ALP and osteocalcin expression, revealing a
      contact guide effect on osteoblasts.

PMID- 26478395
TI  - Non-leaching antimicrobial biodegradable PBAT films through a facile and novel
      approach.
AB  - The antimicrobial thermoplastic starch (ATPS) containing guanidine-based polymers
      was obtained using a twin-screw extrusion with potato starch and
      polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride (PHGH). Furthermore, the non-leaching
      antimicrobial biodegradable poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) was
      prepared through reactive extrusion with PBAT and ATPS in the presence of the
      coupling agent, 2,2'-(1,3-phenylene)-bis (2-oxazoline) (PBO). Finally, the
      antimicrobial PBAT films were obtained by using a blown film extrusion system.
      The mechanical properties of the antimicrobial PBAT films varied with the
      contents of ATPS and thermoplastic starch (TPS). According to the test results of
      shaking flask method, the prepared antimicrobial PBAT films showed excellent
      antimicrobial activities (antimicrobial rate >99.99%) and rapid pathogen
      deactivation efficiency (antimicrobial rate >99.99% even within 15s of contact
      time). The water washing and ring diffusion tests demonstrated that the
      antimicrobial film was a non-leaching product. Inspiringly, the antimicrobial
      PBAT films with an excellent antimicrobial activity can be obtained even at a
      very low dosage of PHGH (1.0 mg/g PBAT film).

PMID- 26478396
TI  - Effect of the addition CNTs on performance of CaP/chitosan/coating deposited on
      magnesium alloy by electrophoretic deposition.
AB  - CaP/chitosan/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coating on AZ91D magnesium alloy was
      prepared via electrophoretic deposition (EPD) followed by conversion in a
      phosphate buffer solution (PBS). The bonding between the layer and the substrate
      was studied by an automatic scratch instrument. The phase compositions and
      microstructures of the composite coatings were determined by using X-ray
      diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman
      spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The element concentration
      and gentamicin concentration were respectively determined by inductively coupled
      plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) test and ultraviolet
      spectrophotometer (UV). The cell counting kit (CCK) assay was used to evaluate
      the cytotoxicity of samples to SaOS-2 cells. The results showed that a few CNTs
      with their original tubular morphology could be found in the CaP/chitosan coating
      and they were beneficial for the crystal growth of phosphate and improvement of
      the coating bonding when the addition amount of CNTs in 500 ml of electrophoretic
      solution was from 0.05 g to 0.125 g. The loading amount of gentamicin increased
      and the releasing speed of gentamicin decreased after CNTs was added into the
      CaP/chitosan coating for immersion loading and EPD loading. The cell viability of
      Mg based CaP/chitosan/CNTs was higher than that of Mg based CaP/chitosan from 16
      days to 90 days.

PMID- 26478397
TI  - Assembly of AuNRs and eugenol for trace analysis of eugenol using resonance light
      scattering technique.
AB  - A new resonance light scattering (RLS) method for determining eugenol was
      developed using gold nanorods (AuNRs) as probes which were synthesized in our
      lab. The weak RLS intensity of eugenol was obviously enhanced by the use of
      AuNRs. All of the results from the SEM, RLS and UV spectra indicated that eugenol
      induced the assembly of AuNRs; thus, a new complex of AuNRs-eugenol was formed.
      The assembly of this new complex was achieved through a coordination bond between
      eugenol and AuNRs. Under optimum experimental conditions, a direct linear
      relationship was established between the enhancement of RLS intensity and the
      concentration of eugenol in the range of 0.043-10.60 MUg ml(-1) (r=0.9927).
      Moreover, the limit of detection (LOD) was found at a nanogram level (7.28 ng ml(
      1) by 3S0/S). The recovery and RSD (n=5) of three synthetic samples were 99.7
      104.2% and 0.81-1.19%, respectively. The method was successfully employed for the
      analysis of eugenol in curry powder samples.

PMID- 26478398
TI  - Effect of bimodal harmonic structure design on the deformation behaviour and
      mechanical properties of Co-Cr-Mo alloy.
AB  - In the present work, Co-Cr-Mo alloy compacts with a unique bimodal
      microstructural design, harmonic structure design, were successfully prepared via
      a powder metallurgy route consisting of controlled mechanical milling of pre
      alloyed powders followed by spark plasma sintering. The harmonic structured Co-Cr
      Mo alloy with bimodal grain size distribution exhibited relatively higher
      strength together with higher ductility as compared to the coarse-grained
      specimens. The harmonic Co-Cr-Mo alloy exhibited a very complex deformation
      behavior wherein it was found that the higher strength and the high retained
      ductility are derived from fine-grained shell and coarse-grained core regions,
      respectively. Finally, it was observed that the peculiar spatial/topological
      arrangement of stronger fine-grained and ductile coarse-grained regions in the
      harmonic structure promotes uniformity of strain distribution, leading to
      improved mechanical properties by suppressing the localized plastic deformation
      during straining. 

PMID- 26478399
TI  - CdS/ZnS nanocomposites: from mechanochemical synthesis to cytotoxicity issues.
AB  - CdS/ZnS nanocomposites have been prepared by a two-step solid-state
      mechanochemical synthesis. CdS has been prepared from cadmium acetate and sodium
      sulfide precursors in the first step. The obtained cubic CdS (hawleyite, JCPDS 00
      010-0454) was then mixed in the second step with the cubic ZnS (sphalerite, JCPDS
      00-005-0566) synthesized mechanochemically from the analogous precursors. The
      crystallite sizes of the new type CdS/ZnS nanocomposite, calculated based on the
      XRD data, were 3-4 nm for both phases. The synthesized nanoparticles have been
      further characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM)
      and micro-photoluminescence (MUPL) spectroscopy. The PL emission peaks in the PL
      spectra are attributed to the recombination of holes/electrons in the
      nanocomposites occurring in depth associated with Cd, Zn vacancies and S
      interstitials. Their photocatalytic activity was also measured. In the
      photocatalytic activity tests to decolorize Methyl Orange dye aqueous solution,
      the process is faster and its effectivity is higher when using CdS/ZnS
      nanocomposite, compared to single phase CdS. Very low cytotoxic activity (high
      viability) of the cancer cell lines (selected as models of living cells) has been
      evidenced for CdS/ZnS in comparison with CdS alone. This fact is in a close
      relationship with Cd(II) ions dissolution tested in a physiological solution. The
      concentration of cadmium dissolved from CdS/ZnS nanocomposites with variable
      Cd:Zn ratio was 2.5-5.0 MUg.mL(-1), whereas the concentration for pure CdS was
      much higher - 53 MUg.ml(-1). The presence of ZnS in the nanocrystalline composite
      strongly reduced the release of cadmium into the physiological solution, which
      simulated the environment in the human body. The obtained CdS/ZnS quantum dots
      can serve as labeling media and co-agents in future anti-cancer drugs, because of
      their potential in theranostic applications.

PMID- 26478400
TI  - Influence of microstructural modifications induced by ultrasonic impact treatment
      on hardening and corrosion behavior of wrought Co-Cr-Mo biomedical alloy.
AB  - In this work, biomedical Co-28Cr-6Mo alloy is subjected to ultrasonic impact
      treatment (UIT). XRD, TEM and SAED analyses show that the plastic deformation
      induced by the UIT process results in a complex microstructural formation in
      surface layer of Co-28Cr-6Mo alloy. The peculiar feature observed in the alloy
      structure by TEM is the formation of Lomer-Cottrell locks originated by
      simultaneous sliding of Shockley partial dislocations in intersecting planes. At
      the beginning of the UIT process (till the strain extent e ~ 0.2), dislocation
      pile-ups are gathered in front of the Lomer-Cottrell locks stimulating the
      formation of a great number of chaotic stacking faults (SFs) packets
      (incompletely transformed martensite), which are predominant with regard to the
      occurrence of epsilon-martensite and micro-twins. The incompletely transformed
      martensite hinders the shear translation through the twin boundaries and
      suppresses grain subdivision in surface layer of Co-28Cr-6Mo alloy at the UIT
      process used. On-going deformation to e ~ 0.4 leads to further modification of
      microstructure in the micron-scale gamma-grains, which consists of numerous Lomer
      Cottrell locks, chaotic subtraction SFs, intersected nano-twins and fine lathes
      of epsilon-martensite with average size of approx. 50-100 nm. The observed
      structural features (at e ~ 0.4) allow adequately explaining noticeable increase
      in microhardness without any cracks/cleavages in surface layer. Enhanced
      corrosion resistance of Co-28Cr-6Mo alloy, which manifests itself with less
      negative corrosion potential and lower corrosion and passivity currents in
      potentiodynamic curve, is promoted by the UIT induced oxide films and the
      following structural features: the CSL type of gamma/epsilon interfacial
      boundaries, uniformly distributed fine carbides, and high fraction of the grains
      oriented with close packed (111)gamma and (0002)epsilon planes parallel to the
      surface of the UIT-processed specimen.

PMID- 26478401
TI  - Differentiation potential of SHEDs using biomimetic periosteum containing
      dexamethasone.
AB  - Mimicking the architecture of the natural environment in vivo is an effective
      strategy for tissue engineering. The periosteum has an important function in bone
      regeneration. However, the harvesting of autogenous periosteum has the
      disadvantages of donor site morbidity and limited donor sources. This study uses
      an innovative artificial periosteum that forms dexamethasone (DEX)-containing
      polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofiber obtained from skin fibrous scaffold. The aim
      was to evaluate the effect on bone healing of osteogenic differentiation in stems
      originating from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs) in vitro. The
      microstructure of fabricated periosteum was observed through SEM, and results
      showed the apparent homogenous distribution of porous structures. DEX was also
      found to be continuously released into the culture medium from the periosteum for
      28 days. MTT results further revealed that fabricated periosteum was
      cytocompatible and non-toxic to SHEDs. After 21 days of induced culture, the
      expression of alkaline phosphatase activity and calcium mineralization notably
      increased. Osteogenic results showed high early and late osteoblast gene
      expression by RT-PCR analysis, such as collagen type I, Runx2, OPN, and OCN. The
      osteoblastic protein expression of BMP-2 and OCN was clearly observed as well
      under fluorescence microscopy. The results, which could be applied to bone
      regeneration, demonstrated that skin fibrous scaffold provided an osteoinductive
      environment for stem cells to differentiate and that PVA nanofiber was a suitable
      reservoir for osteogenic factors with controlled release profile.

PMID- 26478402
TI  - HLC/pullulan and pullulan hydrogels: their microstructure, engineering process
      and biocompatibility.
AB  - New locally injectable biomaterials that are suitable for use as soft tissue
      fillers are needed to address a significant unmet medical need. In this study, we
      used pullulan and human-like collagen (HLC) based hydrogels with various
      molecular weights (MWs) in combination therapy against tissue defects. Briefly,
      pullulan was crosslinked with NaIO4 to form a pullulan hydrogel and then may
      coupled with HLC using the reaction between the -NH2 end-group of HLC and the 
      CHO group present on the aldehyde pullulan to form the HLC/pullulan hydrogel,
      wherein the NaIO4 acted as the crosslinking and oxidizing agent. The good
      miscibility of pullulan and HLC in the hydrogels was confirmed via Fourier
      transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, compression
      testing, enzyme degradation testing, cell adhesions, live/dead staining and
      subcutaneous filling assays. Here, pullulan hydrogels with various MWs were
      fabricated and physicochemically characterized. Limitations of the pullulan
      hydrogels included inflammation, poor mechanical strength, and degradation. By
      contrast, the properties of the HLC/pullulan hydrogels strongly enhanced. The
      efficacy of these hydrogels was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Our results
      indicate that HLC/pullulan hydrogels may have therapeutic value as efficient soft
      tissue fillers, with reduced inflammation, improved cell adhesion and delayed
      hydrogel degradation. 

PMID- 26478403
TI  - Effect of nanocomposite packaging containing ZnO on growth of Bacillus subtilis
      and Enterobacter aerogenes.
AB  - Recent advances in nanotechnology have opened new windows in active food
      packaging. Nano-sized ZnO is an inexpensive material with potential antimicrobial
      properties. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the antibacterial effect
      of low density Polyethylene (LDPE) containing ZnO nanoparticles on Bacillus
      subtilis and Enterobacter aerogenes. ZnO nanoparticles have been synthesized by
      facil molten salt method and have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD),
      and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Nanocomposite films containing 2 and 4
      wt.% ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by melt mixing in a twin-screw extruder. The
      growth of both microorganisms has decreased in the presence of ZnO containing
      nanocomposites compared with controls. Nanocomposites with 4 wt.% ZnO
      nanoparticles had stronger antibacterial effect against both bacteria in
      comparison with the 2 wt.% ZnO containing nanocomposites. B. subtilis as Gram
      positive bacteria were more sensitive to ZnO containing nanocomposite films
      compared with E. aerogenes as Gram-negative bacteria. There were no significant
      differences between the migration of Zn ions from 2 and 4 wt.% ZnO containing
      nanocomposites and the released Zn ions were not significantly increased in both
      groups after 14 days compared with the first. Regarding the considerable
      antibacterial effects of ZnO nanoparticles, their application in active food
      packaging can be a suitable solution for extending the shelf life of food.

PMID- 26478404
TI  - Enhancement of the antimicrobial properties of orthorhombic molybdenum trioxide
      by thermal induced fracturing of the hydrates.
AB  - The oxides of the transition metal molybdenum exhibit excellent antimicrobial
      properties. We present the preparation of molybdenum trioxide dihydrate (MoO3 *
      2H2O) by an acidification method and demonstrate the thermal phase development
      and morphological evolution during and after calcination from 25  degrees C to
      600  degrees C. The thermal dehydration of the material was found to proceed in
      two steps. Microbiological roll-on tests using Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia
      coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were performed and exceptional antimicrobial
      activities were determined for anhydrous samples with orthorhombic lattice
      symmetry and a large specific surface area. The increase in the specific surface
      area is due to crack formation and to the loss of the hydrate water after
      calcination at 300  degrees C. The results support the proposed antimicrobial
      mechanism for transition metal oxides, which based on a local acidity increase as
      a consequence of the augmented specific surface area.

PMID- 26478405
TI  - Enhancement of chondrogenic differentiation of rabbit mesenchymal stem cells by
      oriented nanofiber yarn-collagen type I/hyaluronate hybrid.
AB  - Cartilage defects cause joint pain and loss of mobility. It is crucial to induce
      the chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) by
      both biological and structural signals in cartilage tissue engineering. Sponge
      like scaffolds fabricated using native cartilage extracellular matrix components
      can induce the BMSC differentiation by biological signals and limited structural
      signals. In this study, an oriented poly(L-lactic acid)-co-poly(epsilon
      caprolactone) P(LLA-CL)/collagen type I (Col-I) nanofiber yarn mesh, fabricated
      by dynamic liquid electrospinning served as a skeleton for a freeze-dried Col
      I/hyaluronate (HA) chondral phase (SPONGE) containing both structural and
      biological signals to guide BMSC chondrogenic differentiation. In vitro results
      show that the Yarn Col-I/HA hybrid scaffold (Yarn-CH) promotes orientation,
      adhesion and proliferation of BMSCs better than SPONGE. Furthermore, BMSCs seeded
      on the Yarn-CH scaffold demonstrated a large increase in the glycosaminoglycan
      content and expression of collagen type II following a 21-day culture. 

PMID- 26478406
TI  - Effect of autoclaving and sintering on the formation of beta-wollastonite.
AB  - beta-wollastonite (beta-CaSiO3) was synthesized from rice husk ash and calcium
      carbonate, and a study of the effects of the autoclaving and sintering steps is
      presented here. Autoclaving and sintering at 8h and 2h yielded the beta
      wollastonite phase in full, with improved crystallinity. Nucleation between rice
      husk ash and calcium oxide occurred around 135  degrees C, pressure 0.24 MPa, and
      growth proved to be more crystalline after the ripening period. For shorter
      processing times, and for both unsintered and unautoclaved samples, cristobalite
      and unstable tricalcium silicate phases were present. Crystallite size was
      increased by longer sintering times but reduced by longer autoclaving times. The
      beta-wollastonite obtained had a random branch-like structure. In conclusion, the
      introduction of the autoclaving step successfully obtained beta-wollastonite from
      a reaction between rice husk ash and calcium oxide.

PMID- 26478407
TI  - Study of the boron levels in serum after implantation of different ratios nano
      hexagonal boron nitride-hydroxy apatite in rat femurs.
AB  - Boron and its derivatives are effective in bone recovery and osteointegration.
      However, increasing the boron levels in body liquids may cause toxicity. The aim
      of our study is to investigate serum boron levels using ICP-MS after implantation
      of different ratios of nano-hBN-HA composites in rat femurs. All rats were
      (n=126) divided into five experimental groups (n=24) and one healthy group (6
      rats); healthy (Group1), femoral defect + %100 HA (Group2), femoral defect + %2.5
      hBN + %97.5 HA (Group3), femoral defect + %5 hBN + %95 HA (Group4), femoral
      defect + %10 hBN + %90 HA (Group5), femoral defect + %100 hBN (Group6). The
      femoral defect was created in the distal femur (3mm drill-bit). Each implant
      group was divided into four different groups (n=24) also 6 rats sacrificed for
      each groups in one week intervals during four weeks. In our results; at 1, 2, 3,
      and 4 weeks after implantation near bone tissue, serum levels of boron were
      evaluated using ICP-MS. We demonstrated that neither short-term nor long-term
      implantation of hBN-HA composite resulted in statistically increased serum boron
      levels in experimental groups compared to healthy group. In conclusion, this
      study investigated the implant material produced form hBN-HA for the first time.
      Our data suggest that hBN is a new promising target for biomaterial and implant
      bioengineers.

PMID- 26478408
TI  - Gold nanorods contained polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan nanofiber matrix for cell
      imaging and drug delivery.
AB  - Gold nanorods (AuNRs) that contained polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan (PVA/CS) hybrid
      nanofibers with dual functions are successfully fabricated by a simple
      electrospinning method. The results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X
      ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy indicate
      that AuNRs are indeed encapsulated into the PVA/CS hybrid nanofibers. FTIR
      spectra results demonstrate that the chemical structures of PVA and CS are not
      affected when the AuNRs are introduced into the fibers. In vitro cytotoxicity
      test reveals that the hybrid fibers involving AuNRs are completely biocompatible.
      The as-prepared fibers can be used as a carrier for anticancer agent doxorubicin
      (DOX), and the drug is delivered into the cell nucleus. The AuNRs and DOX
      incorporated fibers are effective for inhibiting the growth and proliferation of
      ovary cancer cells and they can also be used as the cell imaging agent due to the
      unique optical properties of AuNRs. The nanofiber matrix combining two functions
      of cell imaging and drug delivery may be of great application potential in
      biomedical-related areas. 

PMID- 26478409
TI  - Voltammetric studies of Azathioprine on the surface of graphite electrode
      modified with graphene nanosheets decorated with Ag nanoparticles.
AB  - By using graphene nanosheets decorated with Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs-G) as an
      effective approach for the surface modification of pyrolytic graphite electrode
      (PGE), a sensing platform was fabricated for the sensitive voltammetric
      determination of Azathioprine (Aza). The prepared AgNPs-G nanosheets were
      characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction
      (XRD), UV-vis and Raman spectroscopy techniques. The electrochemical behavior of
      Aza was investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry. Comparing to the bare PGE, a
      remarkable enhancement was observed in the response characteristics of Aza on the
      surface of the modified electrode (AgNPs-G/PGE) as well as a noticeable decrease
      in its reduction overpotential. These results can be attributed to the incredible
      enlargement in the microscopic surface area of the electrode due to the presence
      of graphene nanosheets together with strong adsorption of Aza on its surface. The
      effect of experimental parameters such as accumulation time, the amount of
      modifier suspension and pH of the supporting electrolyte were also optimized
      toward obtaining the maximum sensitivity. Under the optimum conditions, the
      calibration curve studies demonstrated that the peak current increased linearly
      with Aza concentrations in the range of 7 * 10(-7) to 1 * 10(-4)mol L(-1) with
      the detection limit of 68 nM. Further experiments revealed that the modified
      electrode can be successfully applied for the accurate determination of Aza in
      pharmaceutical preparations.

PMID- 26478410
TI  - Biomimetic synthesized bimodal nanoporous silica: Bimodal mesostructure formation
      and application for ibuprofen delivery.
AB  - The present paper innovatively reports bimodal nanoporous silica synthesized
      using biomimetic method (B-BNS) with synthesized polymer (C16-L-serine) as
      template. Formation mechanism of B-BNS was deeply studied and exploration of its
      application as carrier of poorly water-soluble drug ibuprofen (IBU) was
      conducted. The bimodal nanopores and curved mesoscopic channels of B-BNS were
      achieved due to the dynamic self-assembly of C16-L-serine induced by silane
      coupling agent (3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, APTES) and silica source
      (tetraethoxysilane, TEOS). Characterization results confirmed the successful
      synthesis of B-BNS, and particularly, nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurement
      demonstrated that B-BNS was meso-meso porous silica material. In application, B
      BNS loaded IBU with high drug loading content due to its enlarged nanopores.
      After being loaded, IBU presented amorphous phase because nanoporous space and
      curved mesoscopic channels of B-BNS prevented the crystallization of IBU. In
      vitro release result revealed that B-BNS controlled IBU release with two release
      phases based on bimodal nanopores and improved dissolution in simulated gastric
      fluid due to crystalline conversion of IBU. It is convincible that biomimetic
      method provides novel theory and insight for synthesizing bimodal nanoporous
      silica, and unique functionalities of B-BNS as drug carrier can undoubtedly
      promote the application of bimodal nanoporous silica and development of
      pharmaceutical science.

PMID- 26478411
TI  - Study of biomechanical, anatomical, and physiological properties of scorpion
      stingers for developing biomimetic materials.
AB  - Through natural selection, many animal organs have evolved superior mechanical
      properties and elegant hierarchical structures adaptive to their multiple
      biological functions. We combine experiments and theory to investigate the
      composition-structure-property-function relations of scorpion stingers. Their
      hierarchical structures and functionally gradient mechanical properties were
      revealed. Slow motion analysis of the penetration process of a scorpion stinger
      was performed to examine the refined survival skills of scorpions. An experiment
      based mechanics model of the stinger was proposed, the results of which revealed
      an optimized range of penetration angle in an insertion event. Both theoretical
      and numerical results are in good agreement with our experimental measurements.
      The analysis method and physical insights of this work are potentially important
      for investigating a general class of sharp-edge biological materials, e.g.,
      cattle horns, spider fangs, cat claws, and plant thorns. 

PMID- 26478412
TI  - Porous poly(DL-lactic acid) matrix film with antimicrobial activities for wound
      dressing application.
AB  - Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is polymeric biomaterial that has been used for wound
      dressing due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, PLA has some
      limitations including poor toughness, low degradation rate and high
      hydrophobicity. The aim of this study is to develop an antibiotic drug-loaded PLA
      porous film as wound dressing with antibacterial activity. PLA porous film was
      fabricated by temperature change technique using solvent casting method.
      Polyethylene glycol (PEG) 400 was added for improving the pore interconnectivity
      of film. Gentamicin sulfate (GS) or metronidazole (MZ) was incorporated into PLA
      porous films. PLA containing PEG 400 exhibited the more amorphous form than plain
      PLA film and contained 55.31 +/- 2.85% porosity and 20 MUm of the pore size which
      significantly improved the water vapor transmission rate, oxygen transmission
      rate, degradation rate and percentage of drug release, respectively. Drug-loaded
      porous films efficiently inhibited the bacteria growth. GS-loaded film inhibited
      Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, whereas MZ
      loaded film inhibited Bacteroides fragilis and the sustainable antibacterial
      activity was attained for 7 days.

PMID- 26478413
TI  - Development of a novel starch with a three-dimensional ordered macroporous
      structure for improving the dissolution rate of felodipine.
AB  - In this study, silica nanospheres with different particle sizes were used as hard
      template for synthesis of a starch with a novel three-dimensional ordered
      macroporous structure (3DOMTS). As a pharmaceutical adjuvant, 3DOMTS was used to
      improve the dissolution rate and oral relative bioavailability of water-insoluble
      drugs. Felodipine (FDP) was chosen as a model drug and was loaded into the 3DOMTS
      by solvent evaporation. FDP loading into 3DOMTS with different pore sizes was
      characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron
      microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), powder X-ray
      diffractometer (PXRD) and Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR). The results obtained
      showed that FDP was present in the pores in an amorphic or microcrystalline
      state. The in vitro dissolution results showed that 3DOMTS could effectively
      improve the dissolution rate of FDP in comparison with commercial common tablets.
      Pharmacokinetic results indicated that the oral relative bioavailability of self
      made FDP-3DOMTS tablets were 184%, showing that 3DOMTS produced a significantly
      increased oral absorption of FDP. In conclusion, 3DOMTS exhibits the dual
      potential of improving the dissolution rate of poorly water soluble drugs and the
      novel filler produced by direct compression technology confirming that 3DOMTS
      will be useful for many applications in the field of pharmaceutics. 

PMID- 26478415
TI  - One-pot synthesize of dendritic hyperbranched PAMAM and assessment as a broad
      spectrum antimicrobial agent and anti-biofilm.
AB  - Hyperbranched poly(amidoamine) (h-PAMAM) compound was synthesized from diethylene
      triamine and different moles percent of methyl acrylate using simple one-pot and
      commercial synthesis method. The synthesized h-PAMAM was provided with ester and
      amine terminations. Chemical structure of the synthesized h-PAMAM, with different
      terminations, was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. In
      addition, the size and the distribution of the synthesized h-PAMAM were evaluated
      using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) analysis. The molecular weights of the
      synthesized modified hyperbranched polymer, with different terminations, were
      measured using Gel-permeation chromatograph. The ill-structure of the h-PAMAM
      with different molar feed methyl acrylate:diethylene triamine (MA:DETA) ratios
      was designed as h-PAMAM-amine, h-PAMAM-ester and h-PAMAM-amine plus (sharing
      similar chemical and physical properties with well-defined poly(amidoamine)
      (PAMAM) dendrimers in generation 2, 2.5 or 3, respectively). Moreover, the
      synthesized compound expressed broad spectrum antimicrobial and anti-biofilms
      activity. 

PMID- 26478414
TI  - Modified silk fibroin scaffolds with collagen/decellularized pulp for bone tissue
      engineering in cleft palate: Morphological structures and biofunctionalities.
AB  - Cleft palate is a congenital malformation that generates a maxillofacial bone
      defect around the mouth area. The creation of performance scaffolds for bone
      tissue engineering in cleft palate is an issue that was proposed in this
      research. Because of its good biocompatibility, high stability, and non-toxicity,
      silk fibroin was selected as the scaffold of choice in this research. Silk
      fibroin scaffolds were prepared by freeze-drying before immerging in a solution
      of collagen, decellularized pulp, and collagen/decellularized pulp. Then, the
      immersed scaffolds were freeze-dried. Structural organization in solution was
      observed by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). The molecular organization of the
      solutions and crystal structure of the scaffolds were characterized by Fourier
      transform infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The weight
      increase of the modified scaffolds and the pore size were determined. The
      morphology was observed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Mechanical
      properties were tested. Biofunctionalities were considered by seeding osteoblasts
      in silk fibroin scaffolds before analysis of the cell proliferation, viability,
      total protein assay, and histological analysis. The results demonstrated that
      dendrite structure of the fibrils occurred in those solutions. Molecular
      organization of the components in solution arranged themselves into an irregular
      structure. The fibrils were deposited in the pores of the modified silk fibroin
      scaffolds. The modified scaffolds showed a beta-sheet structure. The
      morphological structure affected the mechanical properties of the silk fibroin
      scaffolds with and without modification. Following assessment of the
      biofunctionalities, the modified silk fibroin scaffolds could induce cell
      proliferation, viability, and total protein particularly in modified silk fibroin
      with collagen/decellularized pulp. Furthermore, the histological analysis
      indicated that the cells could adhere in modified silk fibroin scaffolds.
      Finally, it can be deduced that modified silk fibroin scaffolds with
      collagen/decellularized pulp had the performance for bone tissue engineering and
      a promise for cleft palate treatment. 

PMID- 26478416
TI  - Antibacterial nanocarriers of resveratrol with gold and silver nanoparticles.
AB  - This study focused on the preparation of resveratrol nanocarrier systems and the
      evaluation of their in vitro antibacterial activities. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)
      and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for resveratrol nanocarrier systems were
      synthesized using green synthetic routes. During the synthesis steps, resveratrol
      was utilized as a reducing agent to chemically reduce gold and silver ions to
      AuNPs and AgNPs. This system provides green and eco-friendly synthesis routes
      that do not involve additional chemical reducing agents. Resveratrol nanocarriers
      with AuNPs (Res-AuNPs) and AgNPs (Res-AgNPs) were observed to be spherical and to
      exhibit characteristic surface plasmon resonance at 547 nm and at 412-417 nm,
      respectively. The mean size of the nanoparticles ranged from 8.32 to 21.84 nm, as
      determined by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The face-centered
      cubic structure of the Res-AuNPs was confirmed by high-resolution X-ray
      diffraction. Fourier-transform infrared spectra indicated that the hydroxyl
      groups and C=C in the aromatic ring of resveratrol were involved in the reduction
      reaction. Res-AuNPs retained excellent colloidal stability during
      ultracentrifugation and re-dispersion, suggesting that resveratrol also played a
      role as a capping agent. Zeta potentials of Res-AuNPs and Res-AgNPs were in the
      range of -20.58 to -48.54 mV. Generally, against Gram-positive and Gram-negative
      bacteria, the Res-AuNPs and Res-AgNPs exhibited greater antibacterial activity
      compared to that of resveratrol alone. Among the tested strains, the highest
      antibacterial activity of the Res-AuNPs was observed against Streptococcus
      pneumoniae. The addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate during the synthesis of Res
      AgNPs slightly increased their antibacterial activity. These results suggest that
      the newly developed resveratrol nanocarrier systems with metallic nanoparticles
      show potential for application as nano-antibacterial agents with enhanced
      activities.

PMID- 26478417
TI  - In vitro study of bioactivity of homemade tissue-engineered periosteum.
AB  - This study was aimed to evaluate in vitro bioactivity of tissue-engineered
      periosteum (TEP) which was fabricated by coupling either rabbits' MSCs or
      osteodifferentiated MSCs (O-MSCs) with porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS),
      and that produced two kinds of TEPs (M1=MSCs+SIS and M2=Osteoblast+SIS). The cell
      adherence was observed under scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). Cell
      proliferation was measured by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl]-2,5-diphenyl-2 H
      tetrazoliumbromide (MTT) test. In vitro osteogenetic potential of TEPs was
      evaluated kinetically at 0, 5, 10 and 15 d by measuring alkaline phosphatase
      (ALP) activity, and semi-quantitative assay of osteocalcin and collagen type I
      expression with Western blot. SEM indicated that either MSCs or O-MSCs could
      adhere and survive on SIS, but MTT test revealed that SIS was more preferable for
      O-MSCs than MSCs in proliferative aspect. In contrast, ALP activity, osteocalcin
      and collagen type I expression of M2 were higher than M1 in general. Kinetically,
      osteocalcin and collagen type I expression demonstrated a continuous increase,
      while ALP activity of both groups was displayed an early peak around the fifth
      day, followed a decrease trend. In conclusion, TEP, especially M2, has an active
      osteogenesis and is promising for in vivo bone defect reparation via a supposed
      biomimetic procedure of intramembranous ossification.

PMID- 26478418
TI  - Development of porous Ti6Al4V/chitosan sponge composite scaffold for orthopedic
      applications.
AB  - A novel composite scaffold consisting of porous Ti6Al4V part filled with chitosan
      sponge was fabricated using a combination of electron beam melting and freeze
      drying. The mechanical properties of porous Ti6Al4V part were examined via
      compressive test. The ultimate compressive strength was 85.35 +/- 8.68 MPa and
      the compressive modulus was 2.26 +/- 0.42 GPa. The microstructure of composite
      scaffold was characterized using scanning electron microscopy. The chitosan
      sponge filled in Ti6Al4V part exhibited highly porous and well-interconnected
      micro-pore architecture. The osteoblastic cells were seeded on scaffolds to test
      their seeding efficiency and biocompatibility. Significantly higher cell seeding
      efficiency was found on composite scaffold. The biological response of
      osteoblasts on composite scaffolds was superior in terms of improved cell
      attachment, higher proliferation, and well-spread morphology in relation to
      porous Ti6Al4V part. These results suggest that the Ti6Al4V/chitosan composite
      scaffold is potentially useful as a biomedical scaffold for orthopedic
      applications.

PMID- 26478419
TI  - Chitosan nanoparticles enhance the antibacterial activity of chlorhexidine in
      collagen membranes used for periapical guided tissue regeneration.
AB  - Endodontic failure is mainly associated with the persistence of microbial
      infection in the root canal system and/or the periradicular area. Microorganisms
      and their toxins located in the root canal system may trigger apical
      periodontitis and tissue destruction. Tissue regeneration in periapical surgery
      by using membrane barriers has shown an improved healing and bone closure.
      However, bacterial membrane contamination is a main reason of failure. In this in
      vitro study, different brands of chlorhexidine, a combination of chitosan
      nanoparticles containing chlorhexidine were tested against Enterococcus faecalis
      on agar plate's cultures and infected collagen membranes. Our results indicated
      that chitosan nanoparticles acted synergistically with chlorhexidine, inhibiting
      and eliminating significantly a greater amount of colony former units in both BHI
      agar cultures and infected collagen membranes. These results suggested that
      chitosan nanoparticles could be used to improve regenerative procedures in
      periapical surgery. 

PMID- 26478420
TI  - Investigating actinomycin D binding to G-quadruplex, i-motif and double-stranded
      DNA in 27-nt segment of c-MYC gene promoter.
AB  - c-MYC DNA is an attractive target for drug design, especially for cancer
      chemotherapy. Around 90% of c-MYC transcription is controlled by NHE III1, whose
      27-nt purine-rich strand has the ability to form G-quadruplex structure. In this
      investigation, interaction of ActD with 27-nt G-rich strand (G/c-MYC) and its
      equimolar mixture with the complementary sequence, (GC/c-MYC) as well as related
      C-rich oligonucleotide (C/c-MYC) was evaluated. Molecular dynamic simulations
      showed that phenoxazine and lactone rings of ActD come close to the outer G
      tetrad nucleotides indicating that ActD binds through end-stacking to the
      quadruplex DNA. RMSD and RMSF revealed that fluctuation of the quadruplex DNA
      increases upon interaction with the drug. The results of spectrophotometry and
      spectrofluorometry indicated that ActD most probably binds to the c-MYC
      quadruplex and duplex DNA via end-stacking and intercalation, respectively and
      polarity of ActD environment decreases due to the interaction. It was also found
      that binding of ActD to the GC-rich DNA is stronger than the two other forms of
      DNA. Circular dichroism results showed that the type of the three forms of DNA
      structures doesn't change, but their compactness alters due to their interaction
      with ActD. Finally, it can be concluded that ActD binds differently to double
      stranded DNA, quadruplex DNA and i-motif. 

PMID- 26478421
TI  - Neurotypic cell attachment and growth on III-nitride lateral polarity structures.
AB  - III-nitride materials have recently received increasing levels of attention for
      their potential to successfully interface with, and sense biochemical
      interactions in biological systems. Expanding on available sensing schemes
      (including transistor-based devices,) a III-N lateral polarity structure capable
      of introducing quasi-phase matching through a periodic polarity grating presents
      a novel platform for second harmonic generation. This platform constitutes a non
      linear optical phenomenon with exquisite sensitivity to the chemical state of a
      surface or interface. To characterize the response of a biological system to the
      nanostructured lateral polarity structures, we cultured neurotypic PC12 cells on
      AlGaN with varying ratios of Al:Ga - 0, 0.4, 0.6, and 1 - and on surfaces of
      varying pitch to the III-polar vs. N-polar grating - 5, 10, 20 and 50 MUm. While
      some toxicity associated with increasing Al is observed, we documented and
      quantified trends in cell responses to the local material polarity and nanoscale
      roughness. The nitrogen-polar material has a significantly higher nanoscale
      roughness than III-polar regions, and a 80-200 nm step height difference between
      the III-polar and N-polar materials in the lateral polarity configuration
      generates adequate changes in topography to influence cell growth, improves cell
      adhesion and promotes cell migration along the direction of the features. As the
      designed material configuration is further explored for biochemical sensing, the
      lateral polarity scheme may provide a route in assessing the non-specific protein
      adsorption to this varying nano-topography that drives the subsequent cell
      response.

PMID- 26478422
TI  - Photochemically modified diamond-like carbon surfaces for neural interfaces.
AB  - Diamond-like carbon (DLC) was modified using a UV functionalization method to
      introduce surface-bound amine and aldehyde groups. The functionalization process
      rendered the DLC more hydrophilic and significantly increased the viability of
      neurons seeded to the surface. The amine functionalized DLC promoted adhesion of
      neurons and fostered neurite outgrowth to a degree indistinguishable from
      positive control substrates (glass coated with poly-L-lysine). The aldehyde
      functionalized surfaces performed comparably to the amine functionalized surfaces
      and both additionally supported the adhesion and growth of primary rat Schwann
      cells. DLC has many properties that are desirable in biomaterials. With the UV
      functionalization method demonstrated here it may be possible to harness these
      properties for the development of implantable devices to interface with the
      nervous system. 

PMID- 26478423
TI  - Thermogelling chitosan-collagen-bioactive glass nanoparticle hybrids as potential
      injectable systems for tissue engineering.
AB  - Recently, stimuli-responsive nanocomposite-derived hydrogels have gained
      prominence in tissue engineering because they can be applied as injectable
      scaffolds in bone and cartilage repair. Due to the great potential of these
      systems, this study aimed to synthesize and characterize novel thermosensitive
      chitosan-based composites, chemically modified with collagen and reinforced by
      bioactive glass nanoparticles (BG) on the development of injectable nanohybrids
      for regenerative medicine applications. Thus, the composite hydrogels were
      extensively characterized by structural, morphological, rheological, and
      biological testing. The composites showed thermosensitive response with the
      gelation temperature at approximately 37  degrees C, which is compatible with the
      human body temperature. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis
      indicated that the chitosan hydrogels exhibited 3D-porous structures, and the
      incorporation of collagen in the system caused increase on the average pore size.
      Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis indicated the main
      functional groups of each component of the composite system and their chemical
      interactions forming the scaffold. Moreover, rheological measurements were
      employed to assess the viscoelastic behavior of the hydrogels as a function of
      the temperature. The results demonstrated that the addition of collagen and
      bioactive glass increases the mechanical properties after the gelation process.
      The addition of 2 wt.% of BG nanoparticles caused an increase of approximately
      39% on stiffness compared to pure chitosan and the addition of 30 wt.% collagen
      caused a further increase on the stiffness by 95%. The cytotoxicity and cell
      viability of the hydrogels were assessed by MTT and LIVE/DEAD(r) assays, where
      the results demonstrated no toxic effect of the composites on the human
      osteosarcoma cell culture (SAOS) and kidney cells line of human embryo (HEK 293
      T). Hence, it can be stated that innovative composites were successfully designed
      and synthesized in this research with promising potential to be used as
      thermoresponsive biomaterials for bone-tissue bioapplications.

PMID- 26478424
TI  - Bonding and bio-properties of hybrid laser/magnetron Cr-enriched DLC layers.
AB  - Chromium-enriched diamond-like carbon (DLC) layers were prepared by a hybrid
      technology using a combination of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and magnetron
      sputtering. XRD revealed no chromium peaks, indicating that the layers are mostly
      amorphous. Carbon (sp(2) and sp(3) bonds) and chromium bonds were determined by
      XPS from C 1s, O 1s, and Cr 2p photoelectron peaks. Depending on the deposition
      conditions, the concentration of Cr in DLC layers moved from zero to 10 at.% for
      as-received sample surfaces, and to about 31 at.% after mild sputter-cleaning by
      argon ion cluster beam. It should be noted that the most stable Cr(3+) bonding
      state is in Cr2O3 and Cr(OH)3, and that there is the toxic Cr(6+) state in CrO3.
      The surface content of hexavalent chromium in the Cr 2p3/2 spectra is rather low,
      but discernible. The population density of Saos-2 cells was the highest in
      samples containing higher concentrations of chromium 7.7 and 10 at.%. This means
      that higher concentrations of chromium supported the cell adhesion and
      proliferation. In addition, as revealed by a LIVE/DEAD viability/cytotoxicity
      kit, the cells on all Cr-containing samples maintained high viability (96 to 99%)
      on days 1 and 3 after seeding. However, this seemingly positive cell behavior
      could be associated with the risk of dedifferentiation and oncogenic
      transformation of cells.

PMID- 26478425
TI  - Biomimetic synthesis of ribbon-like hydroxyapatite employing poly(l-arginine).
AB  - Binding of a polypeptide on colloidal particles can affect the dissolution of
      mineral, initiate crystal nucleation and change the growth kinetics of the
      precipitated crystal. In this study the synthesis of hydroxyapatite nanocrystals
      was performed in the presence of poly(L-arginine), PA. Aqueous solutions of
      Ca(2+), phosphate, and PA were employed at calcium:PA molar ratios ranging from
      2:1 to 1:2 and the resulting suspensions were hydrothermally treated at 80 
      degrees C for 16 h, or at 130  degrees C for 6h. The resulting nanomaterials were
      characterized by XRD, FTIR, TEM, SEM, and TGA. It was found that the presence of
      PA promotes HAP formation and affects its crystal size and morphology possibly
      through a rather specific interaction between the homopeptide that is positively
      charged and also that adopts a beta-sheet conformation and the negatively charged
      c-plane of the growing HAP crystal. In all cases, hexagonal HAP crystals with
      thin ribbon-like morphology were obtained. Increase of the PA ratio and of the
      hydrothermal temperature leads to more homogeneous and narrower size
      distributions with crystallites having widths ranging between 5 to 50 nm and
      lengths ranging from 50 to 450 nm.

PMID- 26478426
TI  - Biocorrosion behavior of biodegradable nanocomposite fibers coated layer-by-layer
      on AM50 magnesium implant.
AB  - This article demonstrates the use of hybrid nanofibers to improve the
      biodegradation rate and biocompatibility of AM50 magnesium alloy. Biodegradable
      hybrid membrane fiber layers containing nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) particles and
      poly(lactide)(PLA) nanofibers were coated layer-by-layer (LbL) on AM50 coupons
      using a facile single-step air jet spinning (AJS) approach. The corrosion
      performance of coated and uncoated coupon samples was investigated by means of
      electrochemical measurements. The results showed that the AJS 3D membrane fiber
      layers, particularly the hybrid membrane layers containing a small amount of nHA
      (3 wt.%), induce a higher biocorrosion resistance and effectively decrease the
      initial degradation rate compared with the neat AM50 coupon samples. The adhesion
      strength improved highly due to the presence of nHA particles in the AJS layer.
      Furthermore, the long biodegradation rates of AM50 alloy in Hank's balanced salt
      solution (HBSS) were significantly controlled by the AJS-coatings. The results
      showed a higher cytocompatibility for AJS-coatings compared to that for neat Mg
      alloys. The nanostructured nHA embedded hybrid PLA nanofiber coating can
      therefore be a suitable coating material for Mg alloy as a potential material for
      biodegradable metallic orthopedic implants.

PMID- 26478427
TI  - Rapid determination of furosemide in drug and blood plasma of wrestlers by a
      carboxyl-MWCNT sensor.
AB  - A novel method is developed for the quantification of furosemide in biological
      fluids. The method is based on the electro-reduction of Zn(II)-furosemide complex
      at carboxyl-MWCNT modified glassy carbon electrode. It is shown that, in Britton
      Robinson buffer (pH5.7) the reduction peak of Zn(II)-furosemide complex formed at
      -1.0 V (versus, Ag/AgCl). The increment of current signal obtained from the
      reduction peak current of the Zn(II)-furosemide complex was rectilinear with
      furosemide concentration in the range of 0.03 to 140.0 MUg ml(-1), with a
      detection limit of 0.007 MUg ml(-1). The drug recovery ranged between 97.8% and
      100.8% and the mean drug recovery was 98.89%. The accuracies (relative error% and
      RSD%) were less than 15% and are acceptable according to the US FDA guideline for
      bioanalytical method validation. The sensor was used for quantification of
      furosemide in drug and biological fluid samples. The data of drug analysis were
      compared with the standard method.

PMID- 26478429
TI  - Inorganic hemostats: The state-of-the-art and recent advances.
AB  - Hemorrhage is the most common cause of death both in hospitals and on the
      battlefield. The need for an effective hemostatic agent remains, since all
      injuries are not amenable to tourniquet use. There are many topical hemostatic
      agents and dressings available to control severe bleeding. This article reviews
      the most commonly used inorganic hemostats, subcategorized as zeolite and clay
      based hemostats. Their hemostatic functions as well as their structural
      properties that are believed to induce hemostasis are discussed. The most
      important findings from in vitro and in vivo experiments are also covered. 

PMID- 26478428
TI  - Nano-assemblies consisting of Pd/Pt nanodendrites and poly
      (diallyldimethylammonium chloride)-coated reduced graphene oxide on glassy carbon
      electrode for hydrogen peroxide sensors.
AB  - Non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) sensors were fabricated on the basis of
      glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with palladium (Pd) core-platinum (Pt)
      nanodendrites (Pt-NDs) and poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA)-coated
      reduced graphene oxide (rGO). A facile wet-chemical method was developed for
      preparing Pd core-Pt nanodendrites. In this approach, the growth of Pt NDs was
      directed by Pd nanocrystal which could be regarded as seed. The PDDA-coated rGO
      could form uniform film on the surface of GC electrode, which provided a support
      for Pd core- Pt NDs adsorption by self-assembly. The morphologies of the
      nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, energy
      dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (spectrum). Electrocatalytic
      ability of the nanocomposites was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry and
      chronoamperometric methods. The sensor fabricated by Pd core-Pt NDs/PDDA-rGO/GCE
      exhibited high sensitivity (672.753 MUA mM(-1) cm(-2)), low detection limit
      (0.027 MUM), wider linear range (0.005-0.5mM) and rapid response time (within
      5s). Besides, it also exhibited superior reproducibility, excellent anti
      interference performance and long-term stability. The present work could afford a
      viable method and efficient platform for fabricating all kinds of amperometric
      sensors and biosensors.

PMID- 26478430
TI  - Nanoparticles for antimicrobial purposes in Endodontics: A systematic review of
      in vitro studies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Antimicrobial nanoparticles with enhanced physiochemical properties
      have attracted attention as modern antimicrobials, especially in the complicated
      oral cavity environment. The goal of the present article is to review the current
      state of nanoparticles used for antimicrobial purposes in root canal infections.
      METHODS: A review was conducted in electronic databases using MeSH keywords to
      identify relevant published literature in English. The analysis and eligibility
      criteria were documented according to the Preferred Reporting Items for
      Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis (PRISMA-guidelines). No restrictions on
      publication date were imposed. Data regarding root canal disinfections, general
      antimicrobial mechanisms of nanoparticles, type of nanoparticles as antimicrobial
      agent and antimicrobial effect of nanoparticles in endodontics were collected and
      subjected to descriptive data analysis. RESULTS: The literature search in
      electronic databases according to the inclusion criteria provided 83 titles and
      abstracts. Among them 15 papers were related to antimicrobial effect of
      nanoparticles in Endodontics. Silver nanoparticles with sustainable activity were
      the most studied agent for its antimicrobial behavior in root canal infection.
      Aided polymeric nanoparticles with photo or ultrasound, glass bioactive
      nanoparticles as well as Calcium derivative based nanoparticles, with improved
      activity in comparison with the non-nano counterparts, are of importance in
      infection control of dental root canal. Bioactive Non-organic nanoparticles with
      structural capabilities present enhanced antimicrobial activity in root canal
      infections. DISCUSSION: All included studies showed an enhanced or at least equal
      effect of nanoparticulate systems to combat dental root canal infections compared
      to conventional antimicrobial procedures. However, it is crucial to understand
      their shortcomings and their probable cellular effects and toxicity as well as
      environmental effects.

PMID- 26478431
TI  - Fluoride-containing bioactive glasses: Glass design, structure, bioactivity,
      cellular interactions, and recent developments.
AB  - Bioactive glasses (BGs) are known to bond to both hard and soft tissues. Upon
      exposure to an aqueous environment, BG undergoes ion exchange, hydrolysis,
      selective dissolution and precipitation of an apatite layer on their surface,
      which elicits an interfacial biological response resulting in bioactive fixation,
      inhibiting further dissolution of the glass, and preventing complete resorption
      of the material. Fluorine is considered one of the most effective in-vivo bone
      anabolic factors. In low concentrations, fluoride ions (F(-)) increase bone mass
      and mineral density, improve the resistance of the apatite structure to acid
      attack, and have well documented antibacterial properties. F(-) ions may be
      incorporated into the glass in the form of calcium fluoride (CaF2) either by part
      substitution of network modifier oxides, or by maintaining the ratios of the
      other constituents relatively constant. Fluoride-containing bioactive glasses
      (FBGs) enhance and control osteoblast proliferation, differentiation and
      mineralisation. And with their ability to release fluoride locally, FBGs make
      interesting candidates for various clinical applications, dentinal tubule
      occlusion in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity. This paper reviews the
      chemistry of FBGs and the influence of F(-) incorporation on the thermal
      properties, bioactivity, and cytotoxicity; and novel glass compositions for
      improved mechanical properties, processing, and bioactive potential. 

PMID- 26478432
TI  - CTCF negatively regulates HOXA10 expression in breast cancer cells.
AB  - HOX genes not only play important roles in defining body patterning during
      embryonic development, but also control numerous cellular events in adult cells.
      Deregulated HOX gene expression in different cancers including breast cancer is
      now increasingly being reported. Given that human HOXA cluster is marked with
      several CTCF binding sites, we investigated whether the presence of CTCF is
      associated directly with expression of HOXA genes in breast cancer cells. Several
      HOX genes, such as HOXA4, HOXA5 and HOXA10, were deregulated by CTCF
      overexpression and knockdown in MCF-7 cells. Among these genes, HOXA10 is an
      emerging tumor suppressor for its role in activation of p53 and in countering
      tumorigenesis in breast cancer. Here we provided evidences that CTCF functions as
      a negative regulator of HOXA10 in breast cancer cells. The putative promoter
      region of HOXA10 lies between 5.3 and 6.1 kb upstream of its start codon and its
      promoter activity was negatively regulated by CTCF. Together with in-silico
      analysis and in vitro mutation assay we identified a 20 bp CTCF binding motif
      flanking with core promoter element of HOXA10. HOXA10 promoter region was kept
      inactivated by maintaining H3K27me3 inactivation marks in the presence of CTCF.
      Epigenetic silencing of HOXA10 by CTCF in breast cancer cells may contribute
      towards tumorigenesis by decreasing apoptosis and promoting metastasis. 

PMID- 26478433
TI  - Lactoferrin acts as an adjuvant during influenza vaccination of neonatal mice.
AB  - Health policy precludes neonatal vaccination against influenza. Hence, morbidity
      and mortality are high under 6 months of age. Lactoferrin may activate diminished
      numbers of dysfunctional dendritic cells and reverse neonatal vaccine failures.
      Aluminum hydroxide/ALUM recruits neutrophils that secrete lactoferrin at
      deposition sites of antigen. We theorized lactoferrin + influenza antigen
      initiates an equivalent antibody response compared to ALUM. Three-day-old mice
      received subcutaneously 30 MUg of H1N1 hemagglutinin + 200 MUg of bovine
      lactoferrin versus hemagglutinin + ALUM. Controls received hemagglutinin,
      lactoferrin, or ALUM. After 21 days, sera measured anti-H1N1 (ELISA) and
      neutralizing antibody (plaque assays). ELISA detected equal antibody production
      with lactoferrin + hemagglutinin compared to hemagglutinin + ALUM; both sera also
      neutralized H1N1 virus at a 1:20 dilution (p < 0.01). Controls had no anti-H1N1
      antibody. Neonates given lactoferrin had no anaphylaxis when challenged four
      weeks later. Lactoferrin is a safe and effective adjuvant for inducing antibody
      against influenza in neonates. 

PMID- 26478434
TI  - Set1/MLL complex is indispensable for the transcriptional ability of heat shock
      transcription factor 2.
AB  - Heat shock transcription factor 2 (HSF2) is one of four mammalian HSFs, and it is
      essential in neurogenesis and gametogenesis. However, other aspects of this
      transcription factor have not been thoroughly characterized. We recently
      demonstrated that HSF2 suppresses the aggregation caused by polyglutamine (polyQ)
      protein, and that the cell protective ability of HSF2 is mediated through the
      induction of the small HSP alphaB-crystallin (CRYAB). In the present study, we
      investigated the mechanism of HSF2-induced CRYAB expression. We demonstrated that
      HSF2 interacted with the core component of the Set1/MLL H3K4 histone
      methyltransferase complex, WDR5. Indeed, HSF2 up-regulated the H3K4me3, H3K14Ac,
      and H3K27Ac (active histone marks) of the CRYAB promoter. WDR5 bound to the HSF2
      central domain (Domain X) in vitro and in vivo, and Cys278 of HSF2 was
      indispensable for HSF2-WDR5 interaction. HSF2 also interacted with the Set1/MLL
      complex. These results suggest that the interaction with the Set1/MLL complex via
      binding to WDR5 is critical for the transcriptional ability of HSF2. 

PMID- 26478435
TI  - MicroRNA-128b suppresses tumor growth and promotes apoptosis by targeting A2bR in
      gastric cancer.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in the development and progression of human
      cancers, including gastric cancer (GC). The discovery of miRNAs may provide a new
      and powerful tool for studying the mechanism, diagnosis, and treatment of GC. In
      this study, we aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of miR-128b in the
      development and progression of GC. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used
      to measure the expression level of miR-128b in GC tissues and cell lines. We
      found that miR-128b was significantly down-regulated in GC tissues and cell
      lines. In addition, over-expression of miR-128b inhibited GC cell proliferation,
      migration and invasion of GC cells in vitro. Gain-of-function in vitro
      experiments further showed that the miR-128b mimic significantly promoted GC cell
      apoptosis. Subsequent dual-luciferase reporter assay identified one of the proto
      oncogene A2bR as direct target of miR-128b. Therefore, our results indicate that
      miR-128b is a proto-oncogene miRNA that can suppresses GC proliferation and
      migration through down-regulation of the oncogene gene A2bR. Taken together, our
      results indicate that miR-128b could serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker
      and therapeutic option for human GC in the near future. 

PMID- 26478436
TI  - Large Reactional Osteogenesis in Maxillary Sinus Associated with Secondary Root
      Canal Infection Detected Using Cone-beam Computed Tomography.
AB  - Inflammatory injuries in the maxillary sinus may originate from root canal
      infections and lead to bone resorption or regeneration. This report describes the
      radiographic findings of 4 asymptomatic clinical cases of large reactional
      osteogenesis in the maxillary sinus (MS) associated with secondary root canal
      infection detected using cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) imaging. Apical
      periodontitis, a consequence of root canal infection, may lead to a periosteal
      reaction in the MS and osteogenesis seen as a radiopaque structure on imaging
      scans. The use of a map-reading strategy for the longitudinal and sequential
      slices of CBCT images may contribute to the definition of diagnoses and treatment
      plans. Root canal infections may lead to reactional osteogenesis in the MS. High
      resolution CBCT images may reveal changes that go unnoticed when using
      conventional imaging. Findings may help define initial diagnoses and therapeutic
      plans, but only histopathology provides a definitive diagnosis. Surgical
      enucleation of the periapical lesion is recommended if nonsurgical root canal
      treatment fails to control apical periodontitis. 

PMID- 26478437
TI  - Use of Cone-beam Computed Tomography during Retreatment of a 2-rooted Maxillary
      Central Incisor: Case Report of a Complex Diagnosis and Treatment.
AB  - A double-rooted maxillary incisor is an extremely rare anatomic variation. Only a
      few case reports describe this abnormal anatomy. In recent decades, cone-beam
      computed tomographic (CBCT) imaging has become more common for endodontic
      purposes. This case report describes the retreatment of double-rooted maxillary
      central incisors using CBCT imaging. In 2012, a 20-year-old man was referred to
      our department because of asymptomatic periapical lesions in teeth #8, #9, and
      #10. During the evaluation of a periapical radiograph, a rare anatomic variation,
      in the form of an additional root of tooth #9, was detected, and it was
      impossible to decide about the source of the lesion between teeth #9 and #10.
      During retreatment, after gutta-percha removal, CBCT imaging was performed; this
      allowed proper treatment of the additional root and a final diagnosis of normal
      periapical tissue of tooth #10 with no treatment needed. The 18-month follow-up
      revealed a healing lesion in tooth #9 and normal periapical tissue in tooth #10.
      During the treatment of teeth with an anatomic variation, CBCT imaging can serve
      as an auxiliary tool for 3-dimensional evaluation that influences treatment steps
      and techniques. CBCT scanning can be very useful in assessing the actual location
      of a periapical lesion, which influences diagnosis and treatment planning. 

PMID- 26478438
TI  - Comparisons of the Retreatment Efficacy of Calcium Silicate and Epoxy Resin-based
      Sealers and Residual Sealer in Dentinal Tubules.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the retreatment efficacy and
      amount of residual sealer in a single canal filled with either EndoSequence BC
      (Brasseler, Savannah, GA) or AH Plus (Dentsply DeTrey, Konstanz, Germany).
      METHODS: Canal obturation with gutta-percha and sealer was performed in 28 human
      teeth using the continuous wave technique. Group 1 (n = 13) used AH Plus sealer,
      and group 2 (n = 15) used EndoSequence BC sealer. After 7 days, the root fillings
      were removed using Gates Glidden drills and a nickel-titanium rotary system.
      Retreatment time was measured in seconds. Canal cleanliness was examined by
      scanning electron microscopy. The remaining debris in the canal space and
      penetration into dentinal tubules were evaluated by confocal microscopy.
      Retreatment time was compared using the Student t test, and differences in sealer
      penetration and remaining debris between the groups were analyzed using the Mann
      Whitney U test (P < .05). RESULTS: There was no significant difference between
      the 2 groups in the amount of dentin penetration, amount of debris, or
      retreatment time. With respect to penetration depth, the AH Plus group showed a
      slightly higher percentage than the BC group, with a significant difference only
      in the portion 6 mm from the apex (P < .05). Scanning electron microscopic images
      showed significant debris remaining on canal walls in both groups, whereas canal
      patency in retreatment was achieved in every specimen. CONCLUSIONS: The present
      study shows that EndoSequence BC sealer and AH Plus sealer have similar efficacy
      in dentin penetration and retreatment efficacy.

PMID- 26478439
TI  - Influence of Heat Treatment of Nickel-Titanium Rotary Endodontic Instruments on
      Apical Preparation: A Micro-Computed Tomographic Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to make a 3-dimensional comparison of the
      canal transportation and changes in apical geometry using micro-computed
      tomographic imaging after canal preparation with K3 (SybronEndo, Orange, CA) and
      K3XF (SybronEndo) file systems. METHODS: Twenty-eight mandibular molars were
      randomly divided into 2 groups according to the rotary system used in
      instrumentation: K3 or K3XF. The specimens were scanned by micro-computed
      tomographic imaging before and after instrumentation. Images before and after
      instrumentation from each group were compared with regard to canal volume,
      surface area, and structure model index (SMI) (paired t test, P < .05). After
      instrumentation, the canals from each group were compared regarding the changes
      in volume, surface area, SMI, and canal transportation in the last 4 apical mm (t
      test, P < .05). RESULTS: Instrumentation with the 2 rotary systems significantly
      changed the canal volume, surface area, and SMI (P < .05). There were no
      significant differences between instrument types concerning these parameters (P >
      .05). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups with regard to
      canal transportation in the last 4 apical mm (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Both rotary
      systems showed adequate canal preparations with reduced values of canal
      transportation. Heat treatment did not influence changes in root canal geometry
      in the apical region.

PMID- 26478440
TI  - The biosynthesis of allelopathic di-C-glycosylflavones from the roots of
      Desmodium incanum (G. Mey.) DC.
AB  - The allelopathic root exudate of the drought-tolerant subsistence cereal
      intercrop D. incanum, protecting against the parasitic weed Striga hermonthica,
      comprises a number of di-C-glycosylflavones specifically containing C-glucosyl, C
      galactosyl and C-arabinosyl moieties. Here we demonstrate that the biosynthesis
      of all compounds containing a C-glucose involves C-glucosylation of 2
      hydroxynaringenin with subsequent C-galactosylation, C-glucosylation or C
      arabinosylation. In addition, the crude soluble enzyme extract converts two
      fluorinated 2-hydroxyflavanone analogues to corresponding mono- and di-C
      glycosylflavones demonstrating that some differences in C-ring substitution can
      be tolerated by the plant enzymes. Elucidating the biosynthesis of these C
      glycosylflavones (CGFs) has the potential to open up opportunities for
      transferring the enzymic and genetic basis for the S. hermonthica inhibiting
      allelopathic trait to food crop plants. 

PMID- 26478441
TI  - Targeting transcription factor STAT3 for cancer prevention and therapy.
AB  - Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (STATs) comprise an important
      class of transcription factors that have been implicated in a wide variety of
      essential cellular functions related to proliferation, survival, and
      angiogenesis. Among various STAT members, STAT3 is frequently overexpressed in
      tumor cells as well as tissue samples, and regulates the expression of numerous
      oncogenic genes controlling the growth and metastasis of tumor cells. The current
      review briefly discusses the importance of STAT3 as a potential target for cancer
      therapy and also provides novel insights into various classes of existing
      pharmacological inhibitors of this transcription factor that can be potentially
      developed as anti-cancer drugs.

PMID- 26478442
TI  - Allosteric small-molecule kinase inhibitors.
AB  - Small-molecule kinase inhibitors are invaluable targeted therapeutics for the
      treatment of various human diseases, especially cancers. While the majority of
      approved and developed preclinical small-molecule inhibitors are characterized as
      type I or type II inhibitors that target the ATP-binding pocket of kinases, the
      remarkable sequential and structural similarity among ATP pockets renders the
      selective inhibition of kinases a daunting challenge. Therefore, targeting
      allosteric pockets of kinases outside the highly conversed ATP pocket has been
      proposed as a promising alternative to overcome current barriers of kinase
      inhibitors, including poor selectivity and emergence of drug resistance. In spite
      of the small number of identified allosteric inhibitors in comparison with that
      of inhibitors targeting the ATP pocket, encouraging results, such as the FDA
      approval of the first small-molecule allosteric inhibitor trametinib in 2013, the
      progress of more than 10 other allosteric inhibitors in clinical trials, and the
      emergence of a pipeline of highly selective and potent preclinical molecules,
      have been reported in the past decade. In this article, we present the current
      knowledge on allosteric inhibition in terms of conception, classification,
      potential advantages, and summarized debatable topics in the field. Recent
      progress and allosteric inhibitors that were identified in the past three years
      are highlighted in this paper. 

PMID- 26478443
TI  - Novel pharmacotherapy of sarcoidosis.
AB  - Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease of unknown etiology that most
      commonly affects the lungs. Treatment of sarcoidosis can be challenging as it is
      often difficult to measure disease activity and distinguish active inflammation
      from fibrosis. Identifying the inflammatory mediators in sarcoidosis has led to
      the development and use of novel therapeutic agents. The goal of pharmacotherapy
      is to decrease granuloma accumulation, ameliorate symptoms and improve organ
      function. Systemic corticosteroids remain the first line treatment. Other
      immunosuppressive agents may be considered for the patients who respond poorly to
      corticosteroids or who experience significant adverse effects. An overview of
      pharmacotherapy of sarcoidosis is provided here. 

PMID- 26478444
TI  - Seizures in oligodendroglial tumors.
AB  - Epilepsy develops in more than 70-90% of oligodendroglial tumors and represents a
      favorable indicator for long-term survival if present as the first clinical sign.
      Presence of IDH1 mutation is frequently associated with seizures in
      oligodendrogliomas, next to alterations of glutamate and GABA metabolism in the
      origin of glioma-associated epilepsy. Treatment by surgery or radiotherapy
      results in seizure freedom in about two-thirds of patients, and chemotherapy to a
      seizure reduction in about 50%. Symptomatic anticonvulsive therapy with
      levetiracetam and valproic acid as monotherapy are both evidence-based drugs for
      the partial epilepsies, and their effective use in brain tumors is supported by a
      large amount of additional data. Pharmacoresistance against anticonvulsants is
      more prevalent among oligodendrogliomas, occurring in about 40% despite
      polytherapy with two anticonvulsants or more. Toxic signs of anticonvulsants in
      brain tumors involve cognition, bone marrow and skin. Previous neurosurgery,
      radiation therapy or chemotherapy add to the risks of cognitive dysfunction. 

PMID- 26478446
TI  - Evidence of Nonuniformity in Urothelium Barrier Function between the Upper
      Urinary Tract and Bladder.
AB  - PURPOSE: We compared the relative permeability of upper urinary tract and bladder
      urothelium to mitomycin C. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ex vivo porcine bladder,
      ureters and kidneys were dissected out and filled with 1 mg ml(-1) mitomycin C.
      At 60 minutes the organs were emptied and excised tissue samples were sectioned
      parallel to the urothelium. Sectioned tissue was homogenized and extracted
      mitomycin C was quantified. Transurothelial permeation across the different
      urothelia was calculated by normalizing the total amount of drug extracted to the
      surface area of the tissue sample. Average mitomycin C concentrations at
      different tissue depths (concentration-depth profiles) were calculated by
      dividing the total amount of drug recovered by the total weight of tissue.
      RESULTS: Mitomycin C permeation across the ureteral urothelium was significantly
      greater than across the bladder and renal pelvis urothelium (9.07 vs 0.94 and
      3.61 MUg cm(-2), respectively). Concentrations of mitomycin C in the ureter and
      kidney were markedly higher than those achieved in the bladder at all tissue
      depths. Average urothelial mitomycin C concentrations were greater than 6.5-fold
      higher in the ureter and renal pelvis than in the bladder. CONCLUSIONS: To our
      knowledge we report for the first time that the upper urinary tract and bladder
      show differing permeability to a single drug. Ex vivo porcine ureter is
      significantly more permeable to mitomycin C than bladder urothelium and
      consequently higher mitomycin C tissue concentrations can be achieved after
      topical application. Data in this study correlate with the theory that mammalian
      upper tract urothelium represents a different cell lineage than that of the
      bladder and it is innately more permeable to mitomycin C.

PMID- 26478445
TI  - Association of Gallbladder Mucocele Histologic Diagnosis with Selected Drug Use
      in Dogs: A Matched Case-Control Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The cause of gallbladder mucocele (GBM) formation in dogs currently
      is unknown. Many available drugs represent a newer generation of xenobiotics that
      may predispose dogs to GBM formation. OBJECTIVE: To determine if there is an
      association between the histologic diagnosis of GBM in dogs and administration of
      selected drugs. ANIMALS: Eighty-one dogs with a histologic diagnosis of GBM and
      162 breed, age, and admission date-matched control dogs from a single referral
      institution. METHODS: Medical records of dogs with GBM and control dogs from 2001
      to 2011 were reviewed. Owner verification of drug history was sought by a
      standard questionnaire. Reported use of heartworm, flea, and tick preventatives
      as well as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, corticosteroids, or
      medications for treatment of osteoarthritis was recorded. RESULTS: Dogs with GBM
      were 2.2 times as likely to have had reported use of thyroxine (as a proxy for
      the diagnosis of hypothyroidism) as control dogs (95% confidence interval [CI],
      0.949-5.051), 3.6 times as likely to have had reported treatment for Cushing's
      disease (95% CI, 1.228-10.612), and 2.3 times as likely to have had reported use
      of products containing imidacloprid (95% CI, 1.094-4.723). Analysis of a data
      subset containing only Shetland sheepdogs (23 GBM and 46 control) indicated that
      Shetland sheepdogs with GBM formation were 9.3 times as likely to have had
      reported use of imidacloprid as were control Shetland sheepdogs (95% CI, 1.103
      78.239). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: This study provides evidence for an
      association between selected drug use and GBM formation in dogs. A larger
      epidemiologic study of Shetland sheepdogs with GBM formation and exposure to
      imidacloprid is warranted.

PMID- 26478447
TI  - Experience, Expertise and Dedication are Requirements for Successful Outcome in
      Bladder Exstrophy Care.

PMID- 26478448
TI  - Female Urethral Reconstruction.
AB  - PURPOSE: Female urethral reconstruction can be used successfully to treat a
      heterogeneous group of urethral disorders through an expanding number of unique
      approaches. Understanding the diverse etiologies of female urethral stricture and
      loss is essential in evaluating and diagnosing patients. Although there is an
      appreciable body of literature addressing female urethral reconstruction
      individually, there is a paucity of resources that approach this issue
      holistically. We discuss the relevant female urethral anatomy, pathophysiology,
      diagnosis and evaluation of female urethral disorders, and current reconstructive
      techniques, as well as published outcomes data and potential future directions
      for female urethral reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed articles
      published in English and indexed in the PubMed(r), Embase(r) and Google ScholarTM
      databases, and consulted textbooks. Key search terms used were female, urethra,
      urethral reconstruction, urethroplasty, pathology, stricture, vaginal flap,
      bladder flap, graft, dilation, pubovaginal sling, catheterization, imaging,
      tissue engineering and bioscaffold. We created a synopsis of relevant articles,
      including original research studies and reviews. RESULTS: Urethral tissue loss
      and strictures are caused by traumatic injuries, iatrogenic injuries and, rarely,
      infections and malignancies. A comprehensive patient history and physical
      examination are critical for diagnosis. Flexible cystoscopy, voiding
      cystourethrography and endovaginal magnetic resonance imaging can help to
      determine the surgical method of repair. Minimally invasive approaches to female
      urethral reconstruction are associated with poor outcomes. Definitive treatment
      options for repair of female urethral stricture include vaginal flap/wall
      urethroplasty, graft urethroplasty and distal urethrectomy with advancement
      meatoplasty. Repair techniques for urethral loss include primary closure, vaginal
      flap/wall urethroplasty and bladder flap urethroplasty. Vaginal flap approaches
      with well vascularized grafts and buccal mucosal grafts have high success rates.
      Tissue engineered grafts are being investigated as a novel treatment modality.
      CONCLUSIONS: Female urethral reconstruction is complex, and one must carefully
      evaluate patients afflicted with urethral disorders. Urethral stricture and
      urethral loss have different etiologies. Variations of a standard approach might
      best address the condition of an individual patient. Long-term outcomes data are
      not available for contemporary techniques of female urethral reconstruction. The
      highest success rates have been reported with vaginal flap and buccal mucosal
      graft urethroplasty. Further studies focusing on newer reconstruction techniques
      and long-term outcomes are warranted.

PMID- 26478449
TI  - Identification of Oxidation Compounds of 1-Stearoyl-2-linoleoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phosphoethanolamine during Thermal Oxidation.
AB  - Heat-induced oxidative modification of phosphatidylethanolamine molecular species
      as potential functional food components was investigated. 1-Stearoyl-2-linoleoyl
      sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (SLPE) was chosen as a model. The optimal
      temperature for hydroperoxide formation was determined by mass spectrometry. The
      maximal level of formation of this compound was obtained at 125  degrees C. The
      structures of nonvolatile organic compounds (non-VOCs) were identified using
      liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry combined with an
      acid treatment. Kinetics of formation of non-VOCs was monitored over time.
      Results showed that the level of the SLPE precursor rapidly decreased during
      thermal oxidation and oxygenated products, such as hydroxyl, oxo, or epoxy
      groups, were formed. The VOCs formed from oxidized SLPE were determined by
      headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry analysis. The result showed that a saturated methyl ketone (2
      heptanone) was the most predominant VOC of SLPE. Kinetics indicated that the
      formation of VOCs was related not only to the decomposition of hydroperoxides but
      also to the further decomposition of non-VOCs. 

PMID- 26478450
TI  - Electropolymerizable peripherally tetra-{2-[3-(diethylamino)phenoxy]ethoxy}
      substituted as well as axially (4-phenylpiperazin-1-yl)propanoxy-disubstituted
      silicon phthalocyanines and their electrochemistry.
AB  - A novel type of peripherally tetra-substituted as well as axially disubstituted
      silicon(iv) phthalocyanine containing electropolymerizable ligands was designed
      and synthesized for the first time. Axial bis-hydroxy silicon phthalocyanine 2
      was prepared from 2(3),9(10),16(17),23(24)-tetrakis-{2-[3
      (diethylamino)phenoxy]ethoxy}phthalocyanine 1 in dichloromethane by using 1.8
      diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) and trichlorosilane. Peripherally tetra and
      axially di-substituted silicon phthalocyanine 4 was synthesized from
      2(3),9(10),16(17),23(24)-tetrakis-{2-[3
      (diethylamino)phenoxy]ethoxy}silicon(iv)phthalocyanine dihydroxide 2 with 1-(3
      chloropropyl)-4-phenylpiperazine 3 in toluene in the presence of NaH at 120 
      degrees C. These complexes were fully characterized by various spectroscopy
      techniques such as (1)H-NMR, (13)C-NMR, IR, UV-Vis, and MALDI-TOF spectroscopy
      and elemental analysis as well. Electropolymerization properties of silicon(IV)
      phthalocyanine complexes were investigated by cyclic and square wave voltammetry.
      Electrochemical studies reveal that silicon(IV) phthalocyanine complexes were
      electropolymerized on the working electrode during the anodic potential scan.
      This study is the first example of electropolymerization of both peripherally
      tetra and axially di-substituted silicon phthalocyanines on the same molecule.

PMID- 26478451
TI  - Biomimetic Replication of Microscopic Metal-Organic Framework Patterns Using
      Printed Protein Patterns.
AB  - It is demonstrated that metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be replicated in a
      biomimetic fashion from protein patterns. Bendable, fluorescent MOF patterns are
      formed with micrometer resolution under ambient conditions. Furthermore, this
      technique is used to grow MOF patterns from fingerprint residue in 30 s with high
      fidelity. This technique is not only relevant for crime-scene investigation, but
      also for biomedical applications. 

PMID- 26478452
TI  - Optical coherency matrix tomography.
AB  - The coherence of an optical beam having multiple degrees of freedom (DoFs) is
      described by a coherency matrix G spanning these DoFs. This optical coherency
      matrix has not been measured in its entirety to date--even in the simplest case
      of two binary DoFs where G is a 4 * 4 matrix. We establish a methodical yet
      versatile approach--optical coherency matrix tomography--for reconstructing G
      that exploits the analogy between this problem in classical optics and that of
      tomographically reconstructing the density matrix associated with multipartite
      quantum states in quantum information science. Here G is reconstructed from a
      minimal set of linearly independent measurements, each a cascade of projective
      measurements for each DoF. We report the first experimental measurements of the 4
      * 4 coherency matrix G associated with an electromagnetic beam in which
      polarization and a spatial DoF are relevant, ranging from the traditional two
      point Young's double slit to spatial parity and orbital angular momentum modes.

PMID- 26478453
TI  - The implications of recurrent disturbances within the world's hottest coral reef.
AB  - Determining how coral ecosystems are structured within extreme environments may
      provide insights into how coral reefs are impacted by future climate change.
      Benthic community structure was examined within the Persian Gulf, and adjacent
      Musandam and northern Oman regions across a 3-year period (2008-2011) in which
      all regions were exposed to major disturbances. Although there was evidence of
      temporal switching in coral composition within regions, communities predominantly
      reflected local environmental conditions and the disturbance history of each
      region. Gulf reefs showed little change in coral composition, being dominated by
      stress-tolerant Faviidae and Poritidae across the 3 years. In comparison,
      Musandam and Oman coral communities were comprised of stress-sensitive
      Acroporidae and Pocilloporidae; Oman communities showed substantial declines in
      such taxa and increased cover of stress-tolerant communities. Our results suggest
      that coral communities may persist within an increasingly disturbed future
      environment, albeit in a much more structurally simple configuration.

PMID- 26478454
TI  - Screening for contaminant hotspots in the marine environment of Kuwait using
      ecotoxicological and chemical screening techniques.
AB  - Kuwait is a country with low rainfall and highly concentrated industrial and
      domestic effluents entering its coastal waters. These can be both treated and
      untreated. In this study we sampled a series of coastal and open-sea sites and
      used a variety of analyses to identify those sites requiring the most attention.
      We used a high throughput GC-MS screen to look for over 1000 chemicals in the
      samples. Estrogen and androgen screens assessed the potential to disrupt
      endocrine activity. An oyster embryo development screen was used to assess
      biological effect potential. The chemical screen identified sites which had high
      numbers of identified industrial and domestic chemicals. The oyster screen showed
      that these sites had also caused high levels of developmental abnormalities with
      100% of embryos affected at some sites. The yeast screen showed that estrogenic
      chemicals were present in outfalls at 2-3 ng/l E2 equivalent, and detectable even
      in some open water sites.

PMID- 26478455
TI  - Heavy metal contamination and ecological risk in Futian mangrove forest sediment
      in Shenzhen Bay, South China.
AB  - Surface sediments in the Futian mangrove forest (South China) were analyzed for
      heavy metals including cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and
      zinc (Zn). The heavy metal distributions varied greatly in surface sediments,
      reflecting some sediment heterogeneity. The heavy metal concentrations decreased
      in the order of Zn>Cr>Pb>Cu>Cd. According to the mean probable effects level
      quotient, the combination of studied metals had a 21% probability of being toxic.
      The potential ecological risk index and geo-accumulation index also revealed high
      metal contamination. Cd was of primary concern due to its higher assessment
      values and potential for adverse biological effects. Multivariate analysis
      implied that clay and silt played a significant role in raising the levels of Cr,
      Cu and Zn. The percentage of mobile heavy metals was relatively higher, without
      considerable ecological risk to the biota based on the risk assessment code. 

PMID- 26478456
TI  - Mercury and selenium in seston, marine plankton and fish (Sardinella
      brasiliensis) as a tool for understanding a tropical food web.
AB  - Mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) concentrations were evaluated in a planktivorous
      fish and four size classes of organisms (FSCO), collected at an oligotrophic bay
      in the Southeastern Brazilian coast. No significant spatial differences between
      Hg and Se were found in the FSCO within the five sampling points in the bay. Hg
      and Se concentrations increased with successive increases in the size class of
      the analyzed plankton, i.e. approximately 3-and 2-fold, respectively, from
      microplankton to macroplankton. Hg and Se biomagnified throughout the planktonic
      food web. The smallest size class of organism, seston, composed of both biotic
      and abiotic portions, and fish showed the highest Hg concentrations. This
      indicates that Hg is not biomagnifying in the base of the bay food web. Selenium
      concentrations in fish were approximately 5.9 times higher than those in seston.
      Hg and Se concentrations in fish were approximately 3.5 and 14.6 times higher
      than those found in the plankton, respectively. 

PMID- 26478457
TI  - Baseline distribution and sources of linear alkyl benzenes (LABs) in surface
      sediments from Brunei Bay, Brunei.
AB  - Sewage pollution is one of major concerns of coastal and shoreline settlements in
      Southeast Asia, especially Brunei. The distribution and sources of LABs as sewage
      molecular markers were evaluated in surface sediments collected from Brunei Bay.
      The samples were extracted, fractionated and analyzed using gas chromatography-
      mass spectrometry (GC-MS). LABs concentrations ranged from 7.1 to 41.3 ng g(-1)
      dry weight (dw) in surficial sediments from Brunei Bay. The study results showed
      LABs concentrations variably due to the LABs intensity and anthropogenic
      influence along Brunei Bay in recent years. The ratio of Internal to External
      isomers (I/E ratio) of LABs in sediment samples from Brunei Bay ranged from 0.56
      to 2.17 along Brunei Bay stations, indicating that the study areas were receiving
      primary and secondary effluents. This is the first study carried out to assess
      the distribution and sources of LABs in surface sediments from Brunei Bay,
      Brunei.

PMID- 26478458
TI  - Methyl mercury concentrations in edible fish and shellfish from Dunedin, and
      other regions around the South Island, New Zealand.
AB  - Methyl mercury (MeHg) concentrations were determined in edible fish and shellfish
      available in local markets in Dunedin, New Zealand. While most of the fish
      species were sourced in Dunedin, some specimens of fish were also collected from
      waters off Picton, around Stewart Island and also off-shore of the South Island
      in the Puysegur and Subantarctic regions. The concentrations of MeHg were
      analysed in 25 different fish species and shellfish (103 muscle tissue samples).
      Total mercury (HgT) levels were also analysed in a few (n=12) selected fish
      samples. Most of the Hg was in the form of MeHg (>= 96%). Higher MeHg
      concentrations were found in fish at higher trophic levels, particularly in
      predatory fish species such as ling, school shark, spiny dogfish and albacore
      tuna. Concentrations of MeHg in all samples ranged from 0.002 to 2.515 MUg
      MeHg/g.

PMID- 26478459
TI  - Mussel farming in Maliakos Gulf and quality indicators of the marine environment:
      Good benthic below poor pelagic ecological status.
AB  - Biological and geochemical variables in the water column and sediments were
      monitored along a transect of a mussel farm located in a transitional environment
      in Maliakos Gulf, a semi-enclosed gulf in eastern Mediterranean. Analyses of
      water, sediment and macrofauna samples were used to calculate ecological status
      indicators in the context of the European Water Framework Directive. The water
      column ecological status was "Poor" or "Bad" showing little change with distance
      from the farm, but the ecological status of the benthic communities was found to
      be "Good," although there were quantitative changes in macrofaunal indices with
      distance from the farm. 

PMID- 26478460
TI  - Sources and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a an urbanized
      tropical estuary and adjacent shelf, Northeast of Brazil.
AB  - Located in Northeastern Brazil, the Capibaribe Estuarine System is an important
      ecosystem that supplies food and protection for nursery of several species with
      ecological and economic importance. It is located inside an urbanized area,
      receives untreated domestic and industrial effluents, and houses some marinas and
      the Harbor of Recife, which are very important to national and international
      communities. The distribution and sources of PAHs were investigated in sediments
      from CES and adjacent shelf. Total PAH concentrations ranged from non-detectable
      to 497.6 MUg g(-1). Pyrolytic sources predominated in most of sites, but
      petrogenic PAHs were also recorded. The concentration decrease of PAHs toward
      adjacent shelf suggests that the main source of these compounds is in the upper
      portion of estuary, where there is an intense discharge of sewage, but
      atmospheric input also seems to be relevant to the area. The results reinforce
      the important role of an estuary in contaminant retention.

PMID- 26478462
TI  - Comparison of experimental and DFT-calculated NMR chemical shifts of 2-amino and
      2-hydroxyl substituted phenyl benzimidazoles, benzoxazoles and benzothiazoles in
      four solvents using the IEF-PCM solvation model.
AB  - A comparative study of experimental and calculated NMR chemical shifts of six
      compounds comprising 2-amino and 2-hydroxy phenyl
      benzoxazoles/benzothiazoles/benzimidazoles in four solvents is reported. The
      benzimidazoles showed interesting spectral characteristics, which are discussed.
      The proton and carbon chemical shifts were similar for all solvents. The largest
      chemical shift deviations were observed in benzene. The chemical shifts were
      calculated with density functional theory using a suite of four functionals and
      basis set combinations. The calculated chemical shifts revealed a good match to
      the experimentally observed values in most of the solvents. The mean absolute
      error was used as the primary metric. The use of an additional metric is
      suggested, which is based on the order of chemical shifts. The DP4 probability
      measures were also used to compare the experimental and calculated chemical
      shifts for each compound in the four solvents. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley &
      Sons, Ltd. 

PMID- 26478461
TI  - Inhibition of the regulator of G protein signalling RGS4 in the spinal cord
      decreases neuropathic hyperalgesia and restores cannabinoid CB1 receptor
      signalling.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Regulators of G protein signalling (RGS) are major
      determinants of metabotropic receptor activity, reducing the lifespan of the GTP
      bound state of G proteins. Because the reduced potency of analgesic agents in
      neuropathic pain may reflect alterations in RGS, we assessed the effects of CCG
      63802, a specific RGS4 inhibitor, on pain hypersensitivity and signalling through
      cannabinoid receptors, in a model of neuropathic pain. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: The
      partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL) model in male Sprague Dawley rats was used
      to measure paw withdrawal thresholds to mechanical (von Frey hairs) or thermal
      (Hargreaves method) stimuli, during and after intrathecal injection of CCG 63802.
      HEK293 cells expressing CB1 receptors and conditional expression of RGS4 were
      used to correlate cAMP production and ERK phosphorylation with receptor
      activation and RGS4 action. KEY RESULTS: Treatment of PSNL rats with CCG 63802,
      twice daily for 7 days after nerve injury, attenuated thermal hyperalgesia during
      treatment. Spinal levels of anandamide were higher in PSNL animals, irrespective
      of the treatment. Although expression of CB1 receptors was unaffected, HU210
      induced CB1 receptor signalling was inhibited in PSNL rats and restored after
      intrathecal CCG 63802. In transfected HEK cells expressing CB1 receptors and
      RGS4, inhibition of cAMP production, a downstream effect of CB1 receptor
      signalling, was blunted after RGS4 overexpression. RGS4 expression also
      attenuated the CB1 receptor-controlled activation of ERK1/2. CONCLUSIONS AND
      IMPLICATIONS: Inhibition of spinal RGS4 restored endogenous analgesic signalling
      pathways and mitigated neuropathic pain. Signalling through CB1 receptors may be
      involved in this beneficial effect.

PMID- 26478463
TI  - Molecular characterisation of a bio-based active packaging containing Origanum
      vulgare L. essential oil using pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Environmental, economic and safety challenges motivate shift towards
      safer materials for food packaging. New bioactive packaging techniques, i.e.
      addition of essential plant oils (EOs), are gaining attention by creating
      barriers to protect products from spoilage. Analytical pyrolysis gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) was used to fingerprint a bioactive
      polylactic acid (PLA) with polybutylene succinate (PBS) (950 g kg(-1) :50 g kg(
      1) ) film extruded with variable quantities (0, 20, 50 and 100 g kg(-1) ) of
      Origanum vulgare EO. RESULTS: Main PLA:PBS pyrolysis products were lactide
      enantiomers and monomer units from the major PLA fraction and succinic acid
      anhydride from the PBS fraction. Oregano EO pyrolysis released cymene, terpinene
      and thymol/carvacrol peaks as diagnostic peaks for EO. In fact, linear
      correlation coefficients better than 0.950R(2) value (P < 0.001) were found
      between the chromatographic area of the diagnostic peaks and the amount of
      oregano EO in the bioplastic. CONCLUSION: The pyrolytic behaviour of a bio-based
      active package polymer including EO is studied in detail. Identified diagnostic
      compounds provide a tool to monitor the quantity of EO incorporated into the
      PLA:PBS polymeric matrix. Analytical pyrolysis is proposed as a rapid technique
      for the identification and quantification of additives within bio-based plastic
      matrices. (c) 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 26478464
TI  - Cationic cluster formation versus disproportionation of low-valent indium and
      gallium complexes of 2,2'-bipyridine.
AB  - Group 13 M(I) compounds often disproportionate into M(0) and M(III). Here,
      however, we show that the reaction of the M(I) salt of the weakly coordinating
      alkoxyaluminate [Ga(I)(C6H5F)2](+)[Al(OR(F))4](-) (R(F)=C(CF3)3) with 2,2'
      bipyridine (bipy) yields the paramagnetic and distorted octahedral
      [Ga(bipy)3](2+)(*){[Al(OR(F))4](-)}2 complex salt. While the latter appears to be
      a Ga(II) compound, both, EPR and DFT investigations assign a ligand-centred
      [Ga(III){(bipy)3}(*)](2+) radical dication. Surprisingly, the application of the
      heavier homologue [(I)n(I)(C6H5F)2](+)[Al(OR(F))4](-) leads to aggregation and
      formation of the homonuclear cationic triangular and rhombic [In3(bipy)6](3+),
      [In3(bipy)5](3+) and [In4(bipy)6](4+) metal atom clusters. Typically, such
      clusters are formed under strongly reductive conditions. Analysing the unexpected
      redox-neutral cationic cluster formation, DFT studies suggest a stepwise
      formation of the clusters, possibly via their triplet state and further
      investigations attribute the overall driving force of the reactions to the strong
      In-In bonds and the high lattice enthalpies of the resultant ligand stabilized
      [M3](3+){[Al(OR(F))4](-)}3 and [M4](4+){[Al(OR(F))4](-)}4 salts. 

PMID- 26478465
TI  - In vivo evaluation of injectable calcium phosphate cement composed of Zn- and Si
      incorporated beta-tricalcium phosphate and monocalcium phosphate monohydrate for
      a critical sized defect of the rabbit femoral condyle.
AB  - Zinc (Zn) enhances bone formation with mineralization and is an essential element
      of osteoblastic proliferation. Silicon (Si) is important in apatite formation
      coupled with the promotion of osteogenesis. The primary focus of this work was
      the assessment of the bone healing capacity of calcium phosphate cements (CPC)
      composed of Zn- and Si-incorporated beta-tri calcium phosphate (TCP) and mono
      calcium phosphate mono hydrate (MCPM). Zn- and Si-incorporated beta-TCP was
      synthesized through a sol gel process with varying amounts of Zn: (3, 6, or 9%
      w/w) and 15% w/w Si. Fabricated CPC samples were characterized by scanning
      electron microscopy, setting time, injectability, compressive strength and
      initial pH change with time. Compositional analysis and the effects of Zn and Si
      on cellular interaction were evaluated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
      mapping, viability determination and F-actin assay. The data were used to
      optimize the CPC formulation. The efficacy of bone healing was investigated via
      implantation into critical sized rabbit femoral condyle defects for 4 and 8
      weeks. CPC cement with 6% (w/w) Zn content was the best candidate for faster bone
      healing (bone to tibial volume ratio in 8 weeks: 22.78% +/- 0.02). Significantly
      faster degradation was also revealed. Bone healing was significantly delayed when
      CPC cement with 9% (w/w) Zn was used. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed
      Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 260-271, 2017.

PMID- 26478466
TI  - Myosin superfamily: The multi-functional and irreplaceable factors in
      spermatogenesis and testicular tumors.
AB  - Spermatogenesis is a fundamental process in sexual development and reproduction,
      in which the diploid spermatogonia transform into haploid mature spermatozoa.
      This process is under the regulation of multiple factors and pathway. Myosin has
      been implicated in various aspects during spermatogenesis. Myosins constitute a
      diverse superfamily of actin-based molecular motors that translocate along
      microfilament in an ATP-dependent manner, and six kinds of myosins have been
      proved that function during spermatogenesis. In mitosis and meiosis, myosins play
      an important role in spindle assembly and positioning, karyokinesis and
      cytokinesis. During spermiogenesis, myosins participate in acrosomal formation,
      nuclear morphogenesis, mitochondrial translocation and spermatid
      individualization. In this review, we summarize current understanding of the
      functions of myosin in spermatogenesis and some reproductive system diseases such
      as testicular tumors and prostate cancer, and discuss the roles of possible
      upstream molecules which regulate myosin in these processes. 

PMID- 26478467
TI  - Effective de novo assembly of fish genome using haploid larvae.
AB  - Recent improvements in next-generation sequencing technology have made it
      possible to do whole genome sequencing, on even non-model eukaryote species with
      no available reference genomes. However, de novo assembly of diploid genomes is
      still a big challenge because of allelic variation. The aim of this study was to
      determine the feasibility of utilizing the genome of haploid fish larvae for de
      novo assembly of whole-genome sequences. We compared the efficiency of assembly
      using the haploid genome of yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata) with that using
      the diploid genome obtained from the dam. De novo assembly from the haploid and
      the diploid sequence reads (100 million reads per each datasets) generated by the
      Ion Proton sequencer (200 bp) was done under two different assembly algorithms,
      namely overlap-layout-consensus (OLC) and de Bruijn graph (DBG). This revealed
      that the assembly of the haploid genome significantly reduced (approximately 22%
      for OLC, 9% for DBG) the total number of contigs (with longer average and N50
      contig lengths) when compared to the diploid genome assembly. The haploid
      assembly also improved the quality of the scaffolds by reducing the number of
      regions with unassigned nucleotides (Ns) (total length of Ns; 45,331,916 bp for
      haploids and 67,724,360 bp for diploids) in OLC-based assemblies. It appears
      clear that the haploid genome assembly is better because the allelic variation in
      the diploid genome disrupts the extension of contigs during the assembly process.
      Our results indicate that utilizing the genome of haploid larvae leads to a
      significant improvement in the de novo assembly process, thus providing a novel
      strategy for the construction of reference genomes from non-model diploid
      organisms such as fish.

PMID- 26478468
TI  - 2D nanosheet molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) modified electrodes explored towards
      the hydrogen evolution reaction.
AB  - We explore the use of two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 nanosheets as an electrocatalyst
      for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER). Using four commonly employed
      commercially available carbon based electrode support materials, namely edge
      plane pyrolytic graphite (EPPG), glassy carbon (GC), boron-doped diamond (BDD)
      and screen-printed graphite electrodes (SPE), we critically evaluate the reported
      electrocatalytic performance of unmodified and MoS2 modified electrodes towards
      the HER. Surprisingly, current literature focuses almost exclusively on the use
      of GC as an underlying support electrode upon which HER materials are
      immobilised. 2D MoS2 nanosheet modified electrodes are found to exhibit a
      coverage dependant electrocatalytic effect towards the HER. Modification of the
      supporting electrode surface with an optimal mass of 2D MoS2 nanosheets results
      in a lowering of the HER onset potential by ca. 0.33, 0.57, 0.29 and 0.31 V at
      EPPG, GC, SPE and BDD electrodes compared to their unmodified counterparts
      respectively. The lowering of the HER onset potential is associated with each
      supporting electrode's individual electron transfer kinetics/properties and is
      thus distinct. The effect of MoS2 coverage is also explored. We reveal that its
      ability to catalyse the HER is dependent on the mass deposited until a critical
      mass of 2D MoS2 nanosheets is achieved, after which its electrocatalytic benefits
      and/or surface stability curtail. The active surface site density and turn over
      frequency for the 2D MoS2 nanosheets is determined, characterised and found to be
      dependent on both the coverage of 2D MoS2 nanosheets and the
      underlying/supporting substrate. This work is essential for those designing,
      fabricating and consequently electrochemically testing 2D nanosheet materials for
      the HER. 

PMID- 26478469
TI  - Effects of perinatal exposure to lead (Pb) on purine receptor expression in the
      brain and gliosis in rats tolerant to morphine analgesia.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the molecular effects of
      perinatal exposure to lead (Pb) on protein and mRNA expression of purine
      receptors: P2X4, P2X7, adenosine receptor A1; and astrocytes (GFAP mRNA
      expression) and on microglia activation (Iba1 mRNA expression) in several
      structures of the mesolimbic system (striatum, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex) in
      rats expressing tolerance to the antinociceptive effect of morphine. Rat mothers
      were orally treated with 0.1% lead acetate from conception, through gestation,
      and postnatally, as well as to offspring up to day (PND) 28; subsequently
      molecular studies were conducted on adult (PND 60) male rats. Morphine tolerance
      developed more strongly in rats perinatally exposed to Pb. The analysis revealed
      a significant up-regulation of protein and mRNA P2X4 receptor expression in the
      striatum and prefrontal cortex but not in the hippocampus; P2X7 protein and mRNA
      receptor expression in the striatum and hippocampus, but not in the prefrontal
      cortex; A1 protein receptor expression in all investigated structures and A1 mRNA
      expression in the striatum and hippocampus; Iba1 mRNA expression in the striatum
      and hippocampus; and GFAP mRNA expression in the striatum and prefrontal cortex.
      Immunohistochemical analysis has also revealed significant alterations. Strong
      expressions of P2X4, P2X7, A1 receptors, astrocytes and microglia activation were
      observed in the hippocampus in Pb and/or morphine treated rats. The higher
      expression of purine receptors and glial cell activation are important markers of
      neuroinflammatory processes. Therefore, we conclude that Pb-induced
      neuroinflammation may be responsible for the intensification of morphine
      tolerance in the Pb-treated rats. Additionally, the dysregulation of A1 adenosine
      receptors, mainly in the hippocampus, may also be involved in the intensification
      of morphine tolerance in Pb-treated rats. Our study demonstrates the significant
      participation of environmental factors in addictive process; additionally, it
      shows the necessity of modification of addictive disorder with neuroprotective
      agents. 

PMID- 26478470
TI  - Production of ascorbic acid releasing biomaterials for pelvic floor repair.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: An underlying abnormality in collagen turnover is implied in the
      occurrence of complications and recurrences after mesh augmented pelvic floor
      repair surgeries. Ascorbic acid is a potent stimulant of collagen synthesis. The
      aim of this study is to produce ascorbic acid releasing poly-lactic acid (PLA)
      scaffolds and evaluate them for their effects on extracellular matrix production
      and the strength of the materials. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Scaffolds which
      contained either l-ascorbic acid (AA) and Ascorbate-2-Phosphate (A2P) were
      produced with emulsion electrospinning. The release of both drugs was measured by
      UV spectrophotometry. Human dermal fibroblasts were seeded on scaffolds and
      cultured for 2weeks. Cell attachment, viability and total collagen production
      were evaluated as well as mechanical properties. RESULTS: No significant
      differences were observed between AA, A2P, Vehicle and PLA scaffolds in terms of
      fibre diameter and pore size. The encapsulation efficiency and successful release
      of both AA and A2P were demonstrated. Both AA and A2P containing scaffolds were
      significantly more hydrophilic and stronger in both dry and wet states compared
      to PLA scaffolds. Fibroblasts produced more collagen on scaffolds containing
      either AA or A2P compared to cells grown on control scaffolds. CONCLUSION: This
      study is the first to directly compare the two ascorbic acid derivatives in a
      tissue engineered scaffold and shows that both AA and A2P releasing electrospun
      PLA scaffolds increased collagen production of fibroblasts to similar extents but
      AA scaffolds seemed to be more hydrophilic and stronger compared to A2P
      scaffolds. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Mesh augmented surgical repair of the
      pelvic floor currently relies on non-degradable materials which results in severe
      complications in some patients. There is an unmet and urgent need for better
      pelvic floor repair materials. Our current understanding suggests that the ideal
      material should be able to better integrate into sites of implantation both
      biologically and mechanically. The impact of vitamin C on extracellular matrix
      production is well established but we in this study have undertaken a critical
      comparison of two derivatives of vitamin C as they are released from a
      biodegradable scaffold. This strategy proved to be equally useful with both
      derivatives in terms of new tissue production yet we observed significant
      differences in mechanical properties of these biomaterials.

PMID- 26478471
TI  - A combinatorial approach towards achieving an injectable, self-contained,
      phosphate-releasing scaffold for promoting biomineralization in critical size
      bone defects.
AB  - An injectable, guanosine 5'-diphosphate (GDP)-crosslinked chitosan sponge was
      investigated as a drug delivery system (DDS) for accelerating biomineralization
      in critical size bone defects (CSBDs). Two approaches were examined both
      individually, and in combination, in order to achieve this goal. The first
      approach involved the encapsulation and release of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7
      (BMP-7), a powerful mineralization stimulant. Results confirmed that the rapid
      gelation of the chitosan sponge prompted high encapsulation of BMP-7 and provided
      a controlled release over a period of 30 days with no burst release. The second
      approach was aimed at encapsulating pyrophosphatase (PPtase) in the chitosan
      sponge to cleave pyrophosphate (PPi) - a mineralization inhibitor and a
      degradation by-product of the chitosan sponge - into phosphate ions (Pi). PPtase
      was successfully encapsulated in the chitosan sponge and was able to completely
      eliminate PPi from the media by cleaving them to Pi. Chitosan sponges releasing
      Pi into the media were shown to increase overall biomineralization fourfold as
      compared to controls, an amount equivalent to biomineralization caused by direct
      injection of 1MUg of free BMP-7 to the cells. Even though the combined
      encapsulation of 1MUg BMP-7 and PPtase in the sponges did not demonstrate an
      additional increase in biomineralization, encapsulation of low concentrations of
      BMP-7 can promote mesenchymal stem cell migration into the sponge after
      application in vivo. The findings suggest that the sponge-PPtase system likely
      allows excellent bone regeneration with lower concentrations of BMP-7, reducing
      risks and expense of the treatment. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: There are bone
      defects, known as critical size defects, which do not heal on their own and
      require a therapeutic intervention. The current commercially-available therapies
      use large quantities of growth factors, such as Bone Morphogenetic Proteins
      (BMPs), which makes them expensive and a source for a myriad of unwanted side
      effects. In this manuscript we demonstrate, for the first time, the use of an
      injectable chitosan-based sponge that contains no inorganic components, but can
      nonetheless act as a source of phosphate ions to improve bone mineralization. We
      also demonstrate that this sponge can entrap small concentrations of BMP-7 and
      provide controlled release over time. The ability to release phosphate ions and
      low concentrations of BMP-7 makes this therapeutic intervention clinically
      relevant, affordable, and safe.

PMID- 26478472
TI  - Anti-biofilm action of nitric oxide-releasing alkyl-modified poly(amidoamine)
      dendrimers against Streptococcus mutans.
AB  - The effect of nitric oxide (NO)-releasing dendrimer hydrophobicity on
      Streptococcus mutans killing and biofilm disruption was examined at pH 7.4 and
      6.4, the latter relevant to dental caries. Generation 1 (G1) poly(amidoamine)
      (PAMAM) dendrimers were modified with alkyl epoxides to generate propyl-, butyl-,
      hexyl-, octyl-, and dodecyl-functionalized dendrimers. The resulting secondary
      amines were reacted with NO to form N-diazeniumdiolate NO donor-modified
      dendrimer scaffolds (total NO ~1MUmol/mg). The bactericidal action of the NO
      releasing dendrimers against both planktonic and biofilm-based S. mutans proved
      greatest with increasing alkyl chain length and at lower pH. Improved
      bactericidal efficacy at pH 6.4 was attributed to increased scaffold surface
      charge that enhanced dendrimer-bacteria association and ensuing membrane damage.
      For shorter alkyl chain (i.e., propyl and butyl) dendrimer modifications,
      increased antibacterial action at pH 6.4 was due to faster NO-release kinetics
      from proton-labile N-diazeniumdiolate NO donors. Octyl- and dodecyl-modified
      PAMAM dendrimers proved most effective for eradicating S. mutans biofilms with NO
      release mitigating dendrimer scaffold cytotoxicity. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: We
      report the antibacterial and anti-biofilm efficacy of dual-action nitric oxide
      (NO)-releasing dendrimers against S. mutans, an etiological agent in dental
      caries. This work was undertaken to enhance the anti-biofilm action of these
      scaffolds by employing various alkyl chain modifications. Furthermore, we
      evaluated the ability of NO to eradicate cariogenic biofilms. We found that at
      the lower pH associated with dental caries (pH ~6.4), NO has a more pronounced
      antibacterial effect for alkyl modifications less capable of biofilm penetration
      and membrane disruption. Of greatest significance, we introduce dendrimers as a
      new macromolecular antibacterial agent against the cariogenic bacteria S. mutans.

PMID- 26478473
TI  - Evaluation of Trace Elements and Their Relationship with Growth and Development
      of Young Children.
AB  - This study was conducted to assess the levels of trace elements and their
      relationship with growth and development of children in Shanghai, China, to offer
      scientific evidence for supplementing trace elements in children. A stratified,
      clustered, random sampling method was used in the study. Blood samples were taken
      from 2141 Shanghai children from 0 to 6.0 years old, and the concentrations of
      zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and magnesium (Mg) were measured
      using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Nutritional status
      was determined and Z-scores of anthropometric parameters, such as height for age
      (HFA), weight for age (WFA), and body mass index (BMI) were calculated, indicated
      by HAZ, WAZ, and BMIZ, respectively. The overall median blood levels of Zn, Ca,
      Fe, Cu, and Mg were 8.83, 79.02, 9.49, 1.04, and 15.45 mg/L, respectively. Fe,
      Cu, and Mg increased with age and Zn, Fe, and Cu differed by sex. HAZ and WAZ
      were positively correlated with Zn (r (2) = 0.072 and 0.053, respectively; P <
      0.05). Trace elements were significantly related to children's growth and
      development. Dietary supplementation and screening of nutritional states are
      potential solutions to improve children's growth and development. 

PMID- 26478474
TI  - A call for the better utilization of physical activity and exercise training in
      the defense against cardiovascular disease.
AB  - Statins, also known as 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase
      inhibitors, effectively reduce elevated levels of serum LDL-C concentration and
      in turn lower cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Regular exercise and
      physical activity also have significant preventive effects against cardiovascular
      diseases by simultaneously reducing multiple risk factors. However, statins also
      produce a number of adverse events, including muscle pain, which increases
      dramatically in statin users who also exercise, likely limiting the
      cardiovascular benefits. Most importantly, reduced physical activity
      participation due to statin-related side effects can cancel out the benefits of
      the pharmacological treatment. Although exercise training offers more modest
      benefits compared to pharmacological therapy against traditional risk factors,
      considering the total impact of exercise on cardiovascular health, it is now
      evident that this intervention may offer a greater reduction of risks compared to
      statin therapy alone. However, primary recommendations regarding cardiovascular
      therapy still center around pharmacological approaches. Thus a new outlook is
      called for in clinical practice that provides room for physical activity and
      exercise training, thus lipid targets can be reached by a combined intervention
      along with improvements in other cardiovascular parameters, such as endothelial
      function and low-grade inflammation. Databases such as Pubmed and Google Scholar
      as well as the reference list of the relevant articles were searched to collect
      information for this opinion article. 

PMID- 26478475
TI  - Robust H(infinity) positional control of 2-DOF robotic arm driven by electro
      hydraulic servo system.
AB  - In this paper an Hinfinity positional feedback controller is developed to improve
      the robust performance under structural and parametric uncertainty disturbance in
      electro-hydraulic servo system (EHSS). The robust control model is described as
      the linear state-space equation by upper linear fractional transformation.
      According to the solution of Hinfinity sub-optimal control problem, the robust
      controller is designed and simplified to lower order linear model which is easily
      realized in EHSS. The simulation and experimental results can validate the
      robustness of this proposed method. The comparison result with PI control shows
      that the robust controller is suitable for this EHSS under the critical condition
      where the desired system bandwidth is higher and the external load of the
      hydraulic actuator is closed to its limited capability. 

PMID- 26478476
TI  - Choroid Plexus Tumors: Experience of 10 Cases with Special References to Adult
      Cases.
AB  - Choroid plexus tumors (CPTs) are rare intraventricular neoplasms accounting for
      about 0.3-0.6% of all intracranial tumors. This retrospective study on CPTs
      presents clinico-pathological features and management strategies based on a 20
      year single-institutional experience. This series included 10 consecutive
      patients with pathologically proven CPTs; 5 choroid plexus papillomas (CPPs), 3
      atypical CPPs (ACPPs), and 2 choroid plexus carcinomas (CPCs). Their clinical,
      radiological, and histopathological features as well as management including
      follow-up studies were reviewed. The patients included five males and five
      females, aging from 0 years to 61 years with median of 28 years. The affected
      site was lateral ventricle in two adults and fourth ventricle in eight patients;
      four children and four adults. The most common symptoms were gait disturbance and
      memory disturbance. All the patients underwent craniotomy with total, subtotal,
      and partial removals achieved in 50%, 40%, and 10% of the patients, respectively.
      The occurrence of the high grade subtypes was 50% in both the adult and pediatric
      groups. The Ki-67/MIB-1 index increased across the three histological subtypes,
      from CPP to ACPP and then to CPC. Adjuvant therapy was administered in three
      patients. The two patients (one adult and one child) with CPC died of whole
      central nervous system dissemination. At a median of 62-month follow-up, the
      other eight patients were alive, with only one patient having recurrence and
      reoperation. The results demonstrate that gross total resection is usually
      curative for CPP and ACPP, and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy would be required for
      CPC and incompletely resected ACPP. 

PMID- 26478477
TI  - Laparoscopic adjustable gastric band revisional surgery: a single surgeon series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) is a safe and proven
      surgical option for morbid obesity; however, the need for revisional surgery is
      being increasingly reported. This study reports outcomes and incidence for a
      large cohort of patients requiring revisional LAGB surgery for various
      indications. METHODS: A retrospective review of prospectively collected data for
      1524 primary LAGB placed between 2003 and 2013 by a single surgeon at a single
      institution was performed, analysing data for all patients in this cohort
      requiring revisional LAGB surgery. RESULTS: A total of 434 revisions were
      performed on 349 patients. A total of 278 patients had a single revision, with 71
      patients having two or more revisions. Revisions amounting to 213 were band
      repositions, 68 were band removal only and 153 were band removal with conversion
      to another bariatric procedure, mostly Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (n = 143). A
      total of 47 (35.1%) 'band-to-band' revision patients were lost to follow-up.
      Patients undergoing 'band-to-band' revision for a slipped band, patient
      intolerance and mechanical band failure had mean excess weight loss (EWL) at 4
      years of 49.9% (n = 35), 38.6% (n = 10) and 67.4% (n = 6), respectively. Port or
      tubing revisions were not included. Mean follow-up for 'band-to-band' revision
      patients was 33.4 months (standard deviation 26.4 months). 22.9% of patients
      required one or more band revision procedures by 2013, increased from 13% in
      2008. CONCLUSION: Continued EWL is achieved with repositioning or replacement of
      a LAGB. However, a significant and increasing rate of re-operation over time
      exists.

PMID- 26478478
TI  - Direct versus hydrogen-assisted CO dissociation over stepped Ni and Ni3Fe
      surfaces: a computational investigation.
AB  - The adsorption and dissociation of CO over stepped Ni and Ni3Fe surfaces were
      systematically studied using density functional theory slab calculations. Both
      (211)-like surface structure terminations (NiNi step and NiFe step, denoted as
      Ni3Fe(211)-AA and Ni3Fe(211)-AB) are considered for Ni3Fe. Direct scission of the
      C-O bond in CO is identified as the least likely one among the three proposed
      dissociation pathways and CO dissociation via a CHO intermediate appears to be
      most feasible at low CO coverage on pure and alloyed Ni(211) surfaces. The
      priority of H-assisted CO dissociation might originate from the more activated C
      O bond in COH and CHO. Compared to Ni(211), the Ni3Fe(211)-AB surface could
      facilitate CO activation especially for the most possible CHO intermediate
      mechanism, whose rate-limiting step is found to be altered. The d-band center
      theory and Mulliken charge analysis are also employed to explain the activity
      difference between Ni3Fe(211)-AB and Ni3Fe(211)-AA. The significant structural
      sensitivity of CO dissociation highlights the importance of Fe locating in the
      step edge and the high reactivity of Ni3Fe(211)-AB is largely ascribed to the
      synergistic effect between Ni and Fe at the step edge. 

PMID- 26478480
TI  - Fourier Deconvolution Methods for Resolution Enhancement in Continuous-Wave EPR
      Spectroscopy.
AB  - An overview of resolution enhancement of conventional, field-swept, continuous
      wave electron paramagnetic resonance spectra using Fourier transform-based
      deconvolution methods is presented. Basic steps that are involved in resolution
      enhancement of calculated spectra using an implementation based on complex
      discrete Fourier transform algorithms are illustrated. Advantages and limitations
      of the method are discussed. An application to an experimentally obtained
      spectrum is provided to illustrate the power of the method for resolving
      overlapped transitions. 

PMID- 26478479
TI  - Rapid-Scan EPR of Nitroxide Spin Labels and Semiquinones.
AB  - Rapid-scan electron paramagnetic resonance is based on continuous direct
      detection of the spin response as the magnetic field is scanned upfield and
      downfield through resonance thousands of times per second. The method provides
      improved signal-to-noise for a wide range of samples, including rapidly tumbling
      and immobilized radicals. This chapter provides an introduction to the method and
      practical examples of implementation for organic radicals. 

PMID- 26478481
TI  - Multifrequency Pulsed EPR and the Characterization of Molecular Dynamics.
AB  - In fluid solution, motion-dependent processes dominate electron spin-lattice
      relaxation for nitroxides and semiquinones at frequencies between 250 MHz and 34
      GHz. For triarylmethyl radicals, motion-dependent processes dominate spin-lattice
      relaxation at frequencies below about 3 GHz. The frequency dependence of
      relaxation provides invaluable information about dynamic processes occurring with
      characteristic times on the order of the electron Zeeman frequency. Relaxation
      mechanisms, methods of measuring spin-lattice relaxation, and motional processes
      for nitroxide, semiquinone, and triarylmethyl radicals are discussed.

PMID- 26478483
TI  - 230/115 GHz Electron Paramagnetic Resonance/Double Electron-Electron Resonance
      Spectroscopy.
AB  - Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and double electron-electron resonance
      (DEER) spectroscopies are powerful and versatile tools for studying local
      structures and dynamic properties of biological molecules. Similar to nuclear
      magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, EPR/DEER spectroscopies become more
      advantageous at higher frequencies and higher magnetic fields because of better
      spectral resolution as well as higher spin polarization. Here, we describe
      development of a high-frequency (HF) EPR/DEER spectrometer operating in the
      frequency range of 107-120 and 215-240 GHz and in the magnetic field range of 0
      12.1 T, which has unique experimental capabilities such as enabling the complete
      spin polarization and wide-band DEER spectroscopy. Emphasis is given on the
      application of HF EPR/DEER techniques, and specific examples of HF EPR
      spectroscopy to drastically increase spin coherence in nanodiamonds as well as HF
      DEER spectroscopy to extract spin concentration in a diamond crystal are
      presented.

PMID- 26478484
TI  - CW-EPR Spectral Simulations: Solid State.
AB  - This chapter summarizes the core concepts underlying the simulation of EPR
      spectra from biological samples in the solid state, from a user perspective. The
      key choices and decisions that have to be made by a user when simulating an
      experimental EPR spectrum are outlined. These include: the choice of the
      simulation model (the network of spins and the associated spin Hamiltonian), the
      dynamic regime (solid, liquid, slow motion), the level of theory used in the
      simulation (matrix diagonalization, perturbation theory, etc.), the treatment of
      orientational order and disorder (powder, crystal, partial ordering), the
      inclusion of the effects of structural disorder (strains), the effects of other
      line broadening mechanisms (unresolved hyperfine couplings, relaxation), and the
      inclusion of experimental distortions (field modulation, power saturation,
      filtering). Additionally, the salient aspects of utilizing least-squares fitting
      algorithms to aid the analysis of experimental spectra with the help of
      simulations are outlined. Although drawing from the experience gained from
      implementing EasySpin and from interacting with EasySpin's user base, this
      chapter applies to any EPR simulation software. 

PMID- 26478482
TI  - Resolution and Characterization of Chemical Steps in Enzyme Catalytic Sequences
      by Using Low-Temperature and Time-Resolved, Full-Spectrum EPR Spectroscopy in
      Fluid Cryosolvent and Frozen Solution Systems.
AB  - Approaches to the resolution and characterization of individual chemical steps in
      enzyme catalytic sequences, by using temperatures in the cryogenic range of 190
      250 K, and kinetics measured by time-resolved, full-spectrum electron
      paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy in fluid cryosolvent and frozen solution
      systems, are described. The preparation and performance of the adenosylcobalamin
      dependent ethanolamine ammonia-lyase enzyme from Salmonella typhimurium in the
      two systems exemplifies the biochemical and spectroscopic methods. General
      advantages of low-temperature studies are (1) slowing of reaction steps, so that
      measurements can be made by using straightforward T-step kinetic methods and
      commercial instrumentation, (2) resolution of individual reaction steps, so that
      first-order kinetic analysis can be applied, and (3) accumulation of
      intermediates that are not detectable at room temperatures. The broad temperature
      range from room temperature to 190 K encompasses three regimes: (1) temperature
      independent mean free energy surface (corresponding to native behavior); (2) the
      narrow temperature region of a glass-like transition in the protein, over which
      the free energy surface changes, revealing dependence of the native reaction on
      collective protein/solvent motions; and (3) the temperature range below the glass
      transition region, for which persistent reaction corresponds to nonnative,
      alternative reaction pathways, in the vicinity of the native configurational
      envelope. Representative outcomes of low-temperature kinetics studies are
      portrayed on Eyring and free energy surface (landscape) plots, and guidelines for
      interpretations are presented.

PMID- 26478485
TI  - CW-EPR Spectral Simulations: Slow-Motion Regime.
AB  - This chapter reviews the range of methods currently available for calculating the
      electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum of nitroxide spin-labeled
      biomolecules undergoing slow motion. The two major approaches include the
      stochastic Liouville equation (SLE) which represents the spin label motion using
      diffusion operators, and the dynamic trajectory (DT) approach, which enables the
      EPR spectrum to be calculated from molecular dynamics simulations. The basic
      model parameters needed for each approach are described, together with a broad
      outline of the theoretical approaches underlying the methods, sufficient to allow
      their comparison for different applications. Hybrid methods utilizing a
      combination of SLE and DT approaches are briefly discussed. 

PMID- 26478486
TI  - Quantitative Interpretation of Multifrequency Multimode EPR Spectra of Metal
      Containing Proteins, Enzymes, and Biomimetic Complexes.
AB  - Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy has long been a primary method
      for characterization of paramagnetic centers in materials and biological
      complexes. Transition metals in biological complexes have valence d-orbitals that
      largely define the chemistry of the metal centers. EPR spectra are distinctive
      for metal type, oxidation state, protein environment, substrates, and inhibitors.
      The study of many metal centers in proteins, enzymes, and biomimetic complexes
      has led to the development of a systematic methodology for quantitative
      interpretation of EPR spectra from a wide array of metal containing complexes.
      The methodology is now contained in the computer program SpinCount. SpinCount
      allows simulation of EPR spectra from any sample containing multiple species
      composed of one or two metals in any spin state. The simulations are
      quantitative, thus allowing determination of all species concentrations in a
      sample directly from spectra. This chapter will focus on applications to
      transition metals in biological systems using EPR spectra from multiple microwave
      frequencies and modes. 

PMID- 26478487
TI  - Pulse Double-Resonance EPR Techniques for the Study of Metallobiomolecules.
AB  - Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy exploits an intrinsic property
      of matter, namely the electron spin and its related magnetic moment. This can be
      oriented in a magnetic field and thus, in the classical limit, acts like a little
      bar magnet. Its moment will align either parallel or antiparallel to the field,
      giving rise to different energies (termed Zeeman splitting). Transitions between
      these two quantized states can be driven by incident microwave frequency
      radiation, analogous to NMR experiments, where radiofrequency radiation is used.
      However, the electron Zeeman interaction alone provides only limited information.
      Instead, much of the usefulness of EPR is derived from the fact that the electron
      spin also interacts with its local magnetic environment and thus can be used to
      probe structure via detection of nearby spins, e.g., NMR-active magnetic nuclei
      and/or other electron spin(s). The latter is exploited in spin labeling
      techniques, an exciting new area in the development of noncrystallographic
      protein structure determination. Although these interactions are often smaller
      than the linewidth of the EPR experiment, sophisticated pulse EPR methods allow
      their detection. A number of such techniques are well established today and can
      be broadly described as double-resonance methods, in which the electron spin is
      used as a reporter. Below we give a brief description of pulse EPR methods,
      particularly their implementation at higher magnetic fields, and how to best
      exploit them for studying metallobiomolecules. 

PMID- 26478488
TI  - Mapping the Structure of Metalloproteins with RIDME.
AB  - Distance measurements in biological macromolecules represent a very active field
      of application of pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The
      relatively recently introduced pulsed EPR method of relaxation-induced dipolar
      modulation enhancement (RIDME) is conceptually similar to the popular double
      electron-electron resonance (DEER), but is much more suitable for studying the
      structures of metalloproteins while using their native paramagnetic metal centers
      as structural reference points. In particular, RIDME can largely alleviate the
      sensitivity and orientational selectivity problems that limit the application of
      DEER to such systems. In this contribution, the theoretical principles,
      implementation, optimization, and available experimental examples of RIDME are
      described with the purpose of enhancing the familiarity with this technique and
      promoting its application. 

PMID- 26478489
TI  - Structural Characterization of the Catalytic Sites of Mononuclear Nonheme Fe
      Hydroxylases Using 2H-ESEEM.
AB  - Aromatic amino acid hydroxylases are members of a larger group of enzymes that
      use a mononuclear nonheme Fe center to catalyze a variety of thermodynamically
      challenging reactions in which O2 is used in the oxidative transformation of
      substrates. The hydroxylase enzymes are catalytically active in the ferrous
      oxidation state and are high-spin. To render the catalytic site EPR-active, we
      have used nitric oxide (NO) as a surrogate for substrate O2 to form an S=3/2
      paramagnetic center. While the continuous-wave (cw)-EPR spectra of NO-enzyme
      adducts are rather generic, they provide electron spin echo envelope modulation
      (ESEEM) data that are rich with structural information derived from ligand
      hyperfine couplings. This chapter will focus on (2)H-ESEEM spectroscopy, an
      approach that we have taken for assigning these spectra and harvesting the unique
      information on Fe(II) coordination chemistry that they provide. While these
      spectroscopic measurements are routine, an emphasis will be placed on the
      analysis of cw-EPR and (2)H-ESEEM data using an unconstrained nonlinear
      optimization approach. These analysis methods are based on simple custom
      "scripts" that run in the MATLAB environment and that use EasySpin, a public
      domain EPR simulation package, as their calculation engine. The examples provided
      here use a strategy that can be adapted for the treatment of most EPR
      measurements. 

PMID- 26478490
TI  - Pulsed EPR in the Study of Drug Binding in Cytochrome P450 and NOS.
AB  - Pulsed EPR methods for the study of drug binding to heme-thiolate enzymes such as
      cytochrome P450 and nitric oxide synthase are discussed. HYSCORE and ENDOR
      methods to measure (1)H of axial ligands of the heme group are described with
      illustrations of water serving as the axial ligand in the drug-free enzyme and
      ligands coordinating directly to the heme or through one or more bridging water
      molecules. Some practical aspects of measurement and data processing are
      discussed along with prospects for use with other nuclei and at other EPR bands. 

PMID- 26478492
TI  - Development and Application of Spin Traps, Spin Probes, and Spin Labels.
AB  - This chapter focuses on major achievements of the last decade in the synthesis
      and applications of spin traps, spin probes, and spin labels. Our discussion on
      spin trapping is mainly concerned with novel aspects of nitrones used as spin
      traps and with the kinetics caused by bioreductants. The second part of the
      chapter deals with recent developments in site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) for
      studying structure and functions of proteins and nucleic acids. We focus on SDSL
      EPR distance measurements using advanced trityl and nitroxide labels, on new
      approaches for incorporation of spin labels in biomolecules, and finally, on
      recent room/physiological temperature measurements made feasible by these novel
      spin labels. 

PMID- 26478491
TI  - EPR Methods for Biological Cu(II): L-Band CW and NARS.
AB  - Copper has many roles in biology that involve the change of coordination sphere
      and/or oxidation state of the copper ion. Consequently, the study of copper in
      heterogeneous environments is an important area in biophysics. EPR is a primary
      technique for the investigation of paramagnetic copper, which is usually the
      isolated Cu(II) ion, but sometimes as Cu(II) in different oxidation states of
      multitransition ion clusters. The gross geometry of the coordination environment
      of Cu(II) can often be determined from a simple inspection of the EPR spectrum,
      recorded in the traditional X-band frequency range (9-10 GHz). Identification and
      quantitation of the coordinating ligand atoms, however, is not so
      straightforward. In particular, analysis of the superhyperfine structure on the
      EPR spectrum, to determine the number of coordinated nitrogen atoms, is fraught
      with difficulty at X-band, despite the observation that the overwhelming number
      of EPR studies of Cu(II) in the literature have been carried out at X-band.
      Greater reliability has been demonstrated at S-band (3-4 GHz), using the low
      field parallel (gz) features. However, analysis relies on clear identification of
      the outermost superhyperfine line, which has the lowest intensity of all the
      spectral features. Computer simulations have subsequently indicated that the much
      more intense perpendicular region of the spectrum can be reliably interpreted at
      L-band (2 GHz). The present work describes the development of L-band EPR of
      Cu(II) into a routine method that is applicable to biological samples.

PMID- 26478493
TI  - Site-Directed Spin Labeling of RNA by Postsynthetic Modification of 2'-Amino
      Groups.
AB  - To elucidate mechanisms that govern functions of nucleic acids, it is essential
      to understand their structure and dynamics. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)
      spectroscopy is a valuable technique that is routinely used to study those
      aspects of nucleic acids. A prerequisite for most EPR studies of nucleic acids is
      incorporation of spin labels at specific sites, known as site-directed spin
      labeling (SDSL). There are two main strategies for SDSL through formation of
      covalent bonds, i.e., the phosphoramidite approach and postsynthetic spin
      labeling. After describing briefly the advantages and disadvantages of these two
      strategies, postsynthetic labeling of 2'-amino groups in RNA is delineated.
      Postsynthetic labeling of 2'-amino groups in RNA using 4-isocyanato-TEMPO has
      long been established as a useful approach. However, this method has some
      drawbacks, both with regard to the spin-labeling protocol and the flexibility of
      the spin label itself. Recently reported isothiocyanate-substituted aromatic
      isoindoline-derived nitroxides can be used to quantitatively and selectively
      modify 2'-amino groups in RNA and do not have the drawbacks associated with 4
      isocyanato-TEMPO. This chapter provides a detailed description of the
      postsynthetic spin-labeling methods of 2'-amino groups in RNA with a special
      focus on using the aromatic isothiocyanate spin labels. 

PMID- 26478494
TI  - Gd3+ Spin Labeling for Measuring Distances in Biomacromolecules: Why and How?
AB  - Applications of distance measurements by pulse dipolar electron-paramagnetic
      resonance (PD-EPR) spectroscopy to structural biology are based on introducing
      spin labels (SLs) at well-defined locations in the biomacromolecule. The most
      commonly used SLs are nitroxyl radicals, but recently SLs based on high-spin
      Gd(3+) (S=7/2) complexes have been shown to be an attractive alternative for PD
      EPR, particularly double electron-electron resonance (DEER), at spectrometer
      frequencies higher than 30 GHz. In this chapter, we describe the advantage of
      using this new family of SLs in terms of sensitivity, stability, and chemical
      diversity. We present current labeling strategies for proteins, discuss the
      approximations under which DEER data analysis of a pair of Gd(3+) SLs (GdSLs) is
      equivalent to that of a pair of S=1/2 SLs, and discuss the reduction in multispin
      effects in a cluster of GdSLs, as opposed to a cluster of nitroxide labels, which
      can be found in oligomeric systems. In addition, we provide a brief overview of
      the current, rather limited, knowledge of Gd(3+) phase relaxation behavior and
      describe experimental strategies in terms of optimizing sensitivity. The
      possibility of using several types of SLs in a system allows one to isolate
      effects due to the chemical nature of the SL itself; several such examples are
      presented, focusing on comparing nitroxide and GdSLs. Finally, we will discuss
      the initial results on in-cell DEER with GdSLs.

PMID- 26478495
TI  - Cu2+ as an ESR Probe of Protein Structure and Function.
AB  - Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy in combination with site-directed spin
      labeling has been widely used to determine the structure and dynamics of proteins
      and other biomolecules. The most popular spin label is a nitroxide-based radical
      which can be attached to a protein via a site-specific reaction with either
      native cysteines or cysteines engineered into the system via site-directed
      mutagenesis. Paramagnetic transition metals, including Cu(2+), often serve as
      cofactors of metalloproteins, and have already been realized as ESR probes to
      report structural information in these proteins. This chapter summarizes recent
      methodological development from our laboratory in utilizing Cu(2+) as an ESR spin
      probe to determine distance information. We focus on detailed experimental
      procedures, optimized instrumental parameters, and data analysis approaches in
      order to guide one who is new to the field. Theory and applications of metal ESR
      have been reviewed in literature and are not the focus of this chapter. A few
      examples of applications of the methods are listed in the end. 

PMID- 26478496
TI  - Genetically Encoded Spin Labels for In Vitro and In-Cell EPR Studies of Native
      Proteins.
AB  - Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy in combination with site
      directed spin labeling (SDSL) is a powerful approach to study the structure,
      dynamics, and interactions of proteins. The genetic encoding of the noncanonical
      amino acid spin-labeled lysine 1 (SLK-1) eliminates the need for any chemical
      labeling steps in SDSL-EPR studies and enables the investigation of native,
      endogenous proteins with minimal structural perturbation, and without the need to
      create unique reactive sites for chemical labeling. We report detailed
      experimental procedures for the efficient synthesis of SLK-1, the expression and
      purification of SLK-1-containing proteins under conditions that ensure maximal
      integrity of the nitroxide radical moiety, and procedures for intramolecular EPR
      distance measurements in proteins by double electron-electron resonance. 

PMID- 26478497
TI  - Genetic Incorporation of the Unnatural Amino Acid p-Acetyl Phenylalanine into
      Proteins for Site-Directed Spin Labeling.
AB  - Site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) is a powerful tool for the characterization of
      protein structure and dynamics; however, its application in many systems is
      hampered by the reliance on unique and benign cysteine substitutions for the site
      specific attachment of the spin label. An elegant solution to this problem
      involves the use of genetically encoded unnatural amino acids (UAAs) containing
      reactive functional groups that are chemically orthogonal to those of the 20
      amino acids found naturally in proteins. These unique functional groups can then
      be selectively reacted with an appropriately functionalized spin probe. In this
      chapter, we detail the genetic incorporation of the ketone-bearing amino acid p
      acetyl phenylalanine (pAcPhe) into recombinant proteins expressed in E. coli.
      Incorporation of pAcPhe is followed by chemoselective reaction of the ketone side
      chain with a hydroxylamine-functionalized nitroxide to afford the spin-labeled
      side chain "K1," and we present two protocols for successful K1 labeling of
      proteins bearing site-specific pAcPhe. We outline the basic requirements for
      pAcPhe incorporation and labeling, with an emphasis on practical aspects that
      must be considered by the researcher if high yields of UAA incorporation and
      efficient labeling reactions are to be achieved. To this end, we highlight recent
      advances that have led to increased yields of pAcPhe incorporation, and discuss
      the use of aniline-based catalysts allowing for facile conjugation of the
      hydroxylamine spin label under mild reaction conditions. To illustrate the
      utility of K1 labeling in proteins where traditional cysteine-based SDSL methods
      are problematic, we site-specifically K1 label the cellular prion protein at two
      positions in the C-terminal domain and determine the interspin distance using
      double electron-electron resonance EPR. Recent advances in UAA incorporation and
      ketone-based bioconjugation, in combination with the commercial availability of
      all requisite reagents, should make K1 labeling an increasingly viable
      alternative to cysteine-based methods for SDSL in proteins. 

PMID- 26478499
TI  - Computer Modeling of Spin Labels: NASNOX, PRONOX, and ALLNOX.
AB  - Measurement of distances between spin labels using electron paramagnetic
      resonance with the double electron-electron resonance (DEER) technique is an
      important method for evaluation of biomolecular structures. Computation of
      interlabel distances is of value for experimental planning, validation of known
      structures using DEER-measured distances, and determination of theoretical data
      for comparison with experiment. This requires steps of building labels at two
      defined sites on proteins, DNA or RNA; calculation of allowable label conformers
      based on rotation around torsional angles; computation of pairwise interlabel
      distances on a per conformer basis; and calculation of an average distance
      between the two label ensembles. We have described and validated two programs for
      this purpose: NASNOX, which permits computation of distances between R5 labels on
      DNA or RNA; and PRONOX, which similarly computes distances between R1 labels on
      proteins. However, these programs are limited to a specific single label and
      single target types. Therefore, we have developed a program, which we refer to as
      ALLNOX (Addition of Labels and Linkers), which permits addition of any label to
      any site on any target. The main principle in the program is to break the
      molecular system into a "label," a "linker," and a "target." The user can upload
      a "label" with any chemistry, define a "linker" based on a SMILES-like string,
      and then define the "target" site. The flexibility of ALLNOX facilitates
      theoretical evaluation of labels prior to synthesis and accommodates evaluation
      of experimental data in biochemical complexes containing multiple molecular
      types. 

PMID- 26478498
TI  - A Straightforward Approach to the Analysis of Double Electron-Electron Resonance
      Data.
AB  - Double electron-electron resonance (DEER) is now widely utilized to measure
      distance distributions in the 20-70A range. DEER is frequently applied to
      biological systems that have multiple conformational states leading to complex
      distance distributions. These complex distributions raise issues regarding the
      best approach to analyze DEER data. A widely used method utilizes a priori
      background correction followed by Tikhonov regularization. Unfortunately, the
      underlying assumptions of this approach can impact the analysis. In this chapter,
      a method of analyzing DEER data is presented that is ideally suited to obtain
      these complex distance distributions. The approach allows the fitting of raw
      experimental data without a priori background correction as well as the rigorous
      determination of uncertainties for all fitting parameters. This same
      methodological approach can be used for the simultaneous or global analysis of
      multiple DEER data sets using variable ratios of a common set of components, thus
      allowing direct correlation of distance components with functionally relevant
      conformational and biochemical states. Examples are given throughout to highlight
      this robust fitting approach. 

PMID- 26478500
TI  - mtsslSuite: Probing Biomolecular Conformation by Spin-Labeling Studies.
AB  - EPR long-range distance measurements on spin-labeled macromolecules have recently
      become a popular tool in structural biology. The method can be used to obtain
      coarse-grained structures of biomolecules, to track conformational changes and
      dynamics, to dock macromolecular complexes, or to localize spin centers within
      macromolecules using trilateration. Because the conformation of the spin label is
      usually unknown, it is often necessary to construct conformational models of the
      spin label on the macromolecules for data interpretation. For this purpose, so
      called in silico spin-labeling approaches have been developed. In this chapter, a
      comprehensive summary of the mtsslSuite is provided, one of the in silico spin
      labeling software packages. The package currently contains three programs:
      mtsslWizard, mtsslDock, and mtsslTrilaterate. Worked examples for the usage of
      all three programs during the planning- and interpretation stages of the EPR
      experiment are given. 

PMID- 26478501
TI  - Full Atom Simulations of Spin Label Conformations.
AB  - Interpretation of EPR measurables from spin labels in terms of structure and
      dynamics requires knowledge of label behavior. General strategies were developed
      for simulation of labels used in EPR of proteins. The criteria for those
      simulations are (a) exhaustive sampling of rotamer space, (b) consensus of
      results independent of starting points, and (c) inclusion of entropy. These
      criteria are satisfied only when the number of transitions in any dihedral angle
      exceeds 100 and the simulation maintains thermodynamic equilibrium. Methods such
      as conventional MD do not efficiently cross energetic barriers, simulated
      anealing, Monte Carlo or popular Rotamer Library methodologies are potential
      energy based and ignore entropy (in addition to their specific shortcomings:
      environment fluctuations, fixed environment, or electrostatics). The Simulated
      scaling method avoids the above flaws by modulating the force fields between a
      reduced (allowing crossing energy barriers) and full potential (sampling minima).
      Spin label diffuses on this surface while remaining in thermodynamic equilibrium.
      Simulations show that (a) adopting a single conformation is rare, often there are
      two to four populated rotamers and (b) position of the NO varies up to 16 A.
      These results illustrate necessity for caution when interpreting EPR signals in
      terms of molecular structure. For example, the 10-16 A distance change in DEER
      should not be interpreted as a large conformational change, it can well be a flip
      about Calpha-Cbeta bond. Rigorous exploration of possible rotamer structures of a
      spin label is paramount in signal interpretation. We advocate use of bifunctional
      labels, motion of which is restricted 10,000-fold and the NO position is
      restricted to 2-5 A.

PMID- 26478502
TI  - Preface.

PMID- 26478505
TI  - Electronic Structure and Ferromagnetism Modulation in Cu/Cu2O Interface: Impact
      of Interfacial Cu Vacancy and Its Diffusion.
AB  - Cu/Cu2O composite structures have been discovered to show sizable ferromagnetism
      (FM) with the potential applications in spintronic devices. To date, there is no
      consensus on the FM origin in Cu/Cu2O systems. Here, first principles
      calculations are performed on the interface structure to explore the microscopic
      mechanism of the FM. It is found that only the Cu vacancy (V(Cu)) adjacent to the
      outermost Cu2O layer induces a considerable magnetic moment, mostly contributed
      by 2p orbitals of the nearest-neighbor oxygen atom (O(NN)) with two dangling
      bonds and 3d orbitals of the Cu atoms bonding with the O(NN). Meanwhile, the
      charge transfer from Cu to Cu2O creates higher density of states at the Fermi
      level and subsequently leads to the spontaneous FM. Furthermore, the FM could be
      modulated by the amount of interfacial V(Cu), governed by the interfacial Cu
      diffusion with a moderate energy barrier (~1.2 eV). These findings provide
      insights into the FM mechanism and tuning the FM via interfacial cation diffusion
      in the Cu/Cu2O contact.

PMID- 26478506
TI  - Post-earthquake Nepal: the way forward.

PMID- 26478504
TI  - Heme Binding by Corynebacterium diphtheriae HmuT: Function and Heme Environment.
AB  - The heme uptake pathway (hmu) of Corynebacterium diphtheriae utilizes multiple
      proteins to bind and transport heme into the cell. One of these proteins, HmuT,
      delivers heme to the ABC transporter HmuUV. In this study, the axial ligation of
      the heme in ferric HmuT is probed by examination of wild-type (WT) HmuT and a
      series of conserved heme pocket residue mutants, H136A, Y235A, and M292A.
      Characterization by UV-visible, resonance Raman, and magnetic circular dichroism
      spectroscopies indicates that H136 and Y235 are the axial ligands in ferric HmuT.
      Consistent with this assignment of axial ligands, ferric WT and H136A HmuT are
      difficult to reduce while Y235A is reduced readily in the presence of dithionite.
      The FeCO Raman shifts in WT, H136A, and Y235A HmuT-CO complexes provide further
      evidence of the axial ligand assignments. Additionally, these frequencies provide
      insight into the nonbonding environment of the heme pocket. Ferrous Y235A and the
      Y235A-CO complex reveal that the imidazole of H136 exists in two forms, one
      neutral and one with imidazolate character, consistent with a hydrogen bond
      acceptor on the H136 side of the heme. The ferric fluoride complex of Y235A
      reveals the presence of at least one hydrogen bond donor on the Y235 side of the
      heme. Hemoglobin utilization assays showed that the axial Y235 ligand is required
      for heme uptake in HmuT. 

PMID- 26478507
TI  - Does decentralisation of tuberculosis care influence treatment outcomes? The case
      of Oromia Region, Ethiopia.
AB  - SETTING: Oromia Region, Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of
      decentralised care on anti-tuberculosis treatment outcomes and identify factors
      affecting outcome among new smear-positive tuberculosis (TB) patients. DESIGN:
      This was a retrospective cohort study comparing patients treated in the community
      during the continuation phase with those managed throughout treatment in health
      facilities. Data were collected from TB registers and patient cards using a pre
      tested data capture form. RESULTS: Of the 2226 new smear-positive TB patients
      registered from July 2010 to June 2012 who were included in the study, 1599
      (72.6%) received treatment in health facilities, and the rest in the community.
      Overall treatment success was 94.7%. Patients treated in the community had
      comparable treatment success with those managed in health facilities (aOR 1.7,
      95%CI 0.80-3.57). Missing doses (OR 0.22, 95%CI 0.08-0.55), supervision during
      the continuation phase (OR 2.6, 95%CI 1.34-5.05), positive sputum at month 2 (OR
      0.07, 95%CI 0.04-0.13) and human immunodeficiency virus infection (OR 0.25, 95%CI
      0.13-0.46) were independent predictors of treatment success. CONCLUSION: Overall
      treatment success is high in new smear-positive TB patients in Oromia. Patients
      receiving treatment in the community during the continuation phase have treatment
      success comparable with that of patients managed in health facilities.

PMID- 26478508
TI  - Assigning focal persons to notify more tuberculosis patients: lessons learned in
      southern Ethiopia.
AB  - SETTING: Health centres in Southern Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: To determine factors
      contributing to the large variations in the notification of smear-positive
      tuberculosis (TB) cases. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study in selected health
      centres from areas with high and low case notification was conducted and health
      system and health care worker (HCW) related determinants were examined. RESULTS:
      A total of 50 (61.0%) health centres and 172 (65.2%) HCWs from high case
      notification areas, and 32 (39.0%) health centres and 92 (33.8%) HCWs from low
      case notification areas were included in the study. Assignment of a full-time TB
      focal person at the TB clinic (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 5.8, 95%CI 1.5-22.4) and
      availability of TB recording tools (aOR 7.0, 95%CI 1.5-32.5) were independent
      predictors of high case notification rates. HCW knowledge about TB screening,
      diagnosis and treatment was positively associated with case notification (aOR
      2.53, 95%CI 1.42-4.48). CONCLUSION: Increased TB case notification was associated
      with the presence of a full-time focal person, availability of TB recording tools
      and good knowledge about TB among HCWs. Putting in place these measures in all
      health centres could increase TB notification in the region.

PMID- 26478509
TI  - The Ethiopian initiative to build sustainable capacity for operational research:
      overview and lessons learned.
AB  - SETTING: Programme-based operational research is instrumental for the enhancement
      of tuberculosis (TB) control. In 2012, the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health
      launched an initiative for capacity building in operational research (OR).
      OBJECTIVE: To develop sustainable capacity for OR in Ethiopia in a multiyear
      initiative. DESIGN: The initiative was developed in collaboration with regional,
      national and international experts. Teams representing regions in Ethiopia
      conducted OR addressing national and regional priorities. To make use of local
      expertise and increase sustainability, a domestic mentor training programme was
      included. Existing capacity was enhanced through a competitive grant scheme
      providing TB researchers with financial and technical support. The Ethiopian
      Tuberculosis Research Advisory Committee was also supported in its functions.
      Regional ethics review bodies were strengthened or established where they did not
      exist. RESULTS: Fifty-two people were trained and conducted 13 OR projects, of
      which six have been published to date. In addition, eight protocols were
      supported through grants. Ethics review bodies were strengthened in all regions.
      CONCLUSION: The initiative trained participants from all regions and succeeded in
      the completion of all stages of the OR process. The success of the programme can
      be attributed to the team approach, 'learning while doing', integrated mentorship
      programme and strong national ownership.

PMID- 26478510
TI  - Documentation and treatment outcomes of smear-negative and extra-pulmonary
      tuberculosis in Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Smear-negative and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) comprise two
      thirds of TB cases reported in Ethiopia. Neither treatment outcomes nor
      underlying associated factors are routinely reported for these cases. OBJECTIVE:
      To assess treatment outcomes and associated risk factors of smear-negative and
      extra-pulmonary TB in comparison with smear-positive cases. DESIGN: Record review
      of all TB cases registered in 14 randomly selected public and private health
      facilities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, over a 1-year period. RESULTS: Percentages
      of smear-negative and extra-pulmonary TB were independent of human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status, and were not evenly distributed among health
      facilities. Extra-pulmonary TB was overrepresented in the private sector, and
      smear-negative TB was more frequent in health clinics than in hospitals. Outcomes
      reported by clinics were more favourable than those of the hospitals; no
      differences were observed when comparing public and private health facilities.
      Only 54% of the TB registers were complete; missing information correlated with
      unfavourable outcomes. Younger age, but not sex or HIV status, was associated
      with favourable outcomes. CONCLUSION: The uneven distribution of smear-negative
      and extra-pulmonary TB among different health facilities requires further study
      and may provide important insight into diagnosis and care of these patients.
      Incomplete TB register information may be an underappreciated factor contributing
      to unfavourable outcomes.

PMID- 26478511
TI  - Adherence to anti-tuberculosis treatment in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia.
AB  - SETTING: Tuberculosis (TB) patients in Mekelle Zone, Tigray Region, in Ethiopia.
      OBJECTIVE: To investigate adherence to anti-tuberculosis treatment. DESIGN: A
      cross-sectional study in health facilities providing anti-tuberculosis treatment
      was conducted. Adherence was measured in three ways: through self-reported missed
      doses, by visual analogue scale whereby patients rate their own adherence and by
      record review. A patient was considered to be adherent if 90% or more of the
      prescribed medication was taken. RESULT: Of 278 TB patients included, 101 were in
      the intensive and 177 in the continuation phase. Respectively 67 (24.1%), 130
      (46.8%) and 80 (28.8%) patients had smear-positive, smear-negative and extra
      pulmonary TB. Self-report of missed doses and record review indicated adherence
      of respectively 273 (97.3%) and 271 (97.5%) patients. By visual analogue scale,
      250 (91.6%) patients rated themselves as adherent. History of drug side effects
      (aOR 0.25, 95%CI 0.08-0.77) and knowledge about TB prevention (aOR 0.19, 95%CI
      0.05-0.8) were independently associated with being adherent in this setting.
      CONCLUSION: Adherence to anti-tuberculosis treatment was high in our study.
      Adherence support should be given to the poor, the elderly, patients co-infected
      with the human immunodeficiency virus, alcohol abusers and smokers. Health
      education on TB prevention should be given to all TB patients regularly.

PMID- 26478512
TI  - Ambulatory care for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: lessons learned in Addis
      Ababa, Ethiopia.
AB  - SETTING: Ethiopia is one of the high multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB)
      burden countries. Efforts by the National TB Programme to control MDR-TB include
      expanding ambulatory care. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the opportunities and
      challenges faced by treatment follow-up health centres (TFCs) when managing MDR
      TB patients, with greater focus on recording, TB infection control (IC) and
      supervision practices. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was
      conducted by reviewing the records of all MDR-TB cases in all 25 TFCs in Addis
      Ababa, Ethiopia. The TB focal point, pharmacy and laboratory heads were also
      interviewed. RESULT: A total of 221 MDR-TB patients were registered; 157 (71%)
      patients had been referred from one of the two treatment initiating centres.
      While some TFCs oversaw up to 41 patients, others had just one patient. The
      majority of the TFCs (n = 21, 84%) followed standardised TB IC procedures. Poor
      documentation of patient information was observed at all sites; for example,
      human immunodeficiency virus and current treatment status was not indicated for
      respectively 86 (38%) and 41 (18%) patients. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that
      infection prevention practices were largely adhered to. Documentation of patient
      related information was a major challenge, and regular supervision of the TFCs
      should be emphasised. Record keeping is critical.

PMID- 26478514
TI  - Investigating the choriocapillaris and choroidal vasculature with new optical
      coherence tomography technologies.
AB  - The body of knowledge of in vivo investigation of the choroid has been markedly
      enhanced by recent technological advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT).
      New insights elucidating the morphological features of the choriocapillaris and
      choroidal vasculature, in both physiological and pathological conditions,
      indicate that the choroid plays a pivotal role in many posterior segment
      diseases. In this article, a review of the histological characteristics of the
      choroid, which must be considered for the proper interpretation of in vivo
      imaging, is followed by a comprehensive discussion of fundamental principles of
      the current state-of-the-art in OCT, including cross-sectional OCT, en face OCT,
      and OCT angiography using both spectral domain OCT and swept source OCT
      technologies. A detailed review of the tomographic features of the choroid in the
      normal eye is followed by relevant findings in prevalent chorioretinal diseases,
      focusing on major causes of vision loss such as typical early and advanced age
      related macular degeneration, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, central serous
      chorioretinopathy, pachychoroid spectrum disorders, diabetic choroidopathy, and
      myopia.

PMID- 26478513
TI  - Poor symptomatic tuberculosis screening practices in a quarter of health centres
      in Amhara Region, Ethiopia.
AB  - SETTING: In 2011, Ethiopia introduced a strategy of symptomatic tuberculosis (TB)
      screening for patients attending out-patient services to increase identification
      of presumptive TB. OBJECTIVE: To assess implementation and factors affecting
      symptomatic TB screening at out-patient departments in health centres in the
      Amhara Region, Ethiopia. DESIGN: Using a cross-sectional study design, 86
      randomly selected public health centres providing DOTS were included in the
      study. Data were captured by reviewing TB registers and interviewing key
      informants at out-patient services. RESULTS: Of 86 health centres, 24 (28%) had
      poor symptomatic TB screening practices, defined as screening <80% of attending
      out-patients. Having an actively functioning multidisciplinary health centre team
      to assess TB services (aOR 2.29, 95%CI 2.23-30.80) and partner support for TB
      activities (aOR 4.84, 95%CI 1.05-22.40) were associated with higher TB screening
      rates, whereas availability of antiretroviral therapy was negatively associated.
      In all health centres combined, 1.6% of out-patient department attendees were
      identified as having presumptive TB. CONCLUSION: A quarter of health centres had
      poor symptomatic TB screening practices in the out-patient services in this
      study. Strengthening multidisciplinary teams and expanding partner support are
      recommended to improve TB screening practices at out-patient services in
      Ethiopia.

PMID- 26478516
TI  - Interfacial band alignment for photocatalytic charge separation in TiO2 nanotube
      arrays coated with CuPt nanoparticles.
AB  - n-Type anatase-phase one-dimensional TiO2 nanostructure arrays coated with
      nanoparticles of Cu or CuPt have emerged as high performance photocatalysts for
      both photooxidation and photoreduction. The properties of the catalyst-promoter
      interface are recognized to be critical to this high performance but are largely
      unknown. Using X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS/UPS), we
      probed the electronic properties of the CuPt-TiO2 interface in transparent TiO2
      nanotube arrays (TTNTAs) coated with photodeposited CuPt nanoparticles (CuPt
      TTNTA hybrids) as well as those coated with sputtered CuPt (Sput-CuPt-TTNTA
      hybrids). XPS and UPS spectra provided the evidence of a Schottky barrier with a
      band-bending of 0.49-0.67 eV at the CuPt-TiO2 interface in CuPt-TTNTA hybrids due
      to which photoexcited electrons are expected to be retained in the TiO2 while
      photoexcited holes will be collected by the CuPt nanoparticles. For Sput-CuPt
      TTNTA hybrids, no such band-bending was observed. These results point to the
      importance of the metal nanoparticle preparation technique on interfacial band
      alignments and challenge the conventional understanding of the promoting action
      of noble metal nanoparticles on TiO2 photocatalysts as sinks for photoexcited
      electrons. 

PMID- 26478515
TI  - Sam68 regulates cell proliferation and cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance
      (CAM-DR) via the AKT pathway in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Sam68 (Src-associated in mitosis 68 kDa), a substrate for tyrosine
      kinase c-Src during mitosis, is up-regulated in a variety of human cancers and
      acts oncogenically promoting tumour progression. This study has explored
      biological function and clinical significance of Sam68 in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
      (NHL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: To examine Sam68 expression in NHL, clinically,
      eight diffuse large B-cell lymphomas and four reactive lymphoid hyperplasia fresh
      frozen tissues were obtained for western blot and quantitative real-time PCR
      analyses. Using immunohistochemical staining, paraffin wax embedded sections from
      164 cases of NHL patients were used to evaluate prognostic value of Sam68. Cell
      Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and soft agar colony assays were conducted to investigate
      the role of Sam68 in cell viability and cell proliferation respectively.
      Furthermore, effects of Sam68 on cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance (CAM-DR)
      was determined by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometric analysis. RESULTS: Expression
      status of Sam68 inversely correlated with clinical outcomes of patients with NHL,
      and it was also an independent prognostic factor for the outcomes. In addition,
      Sam68 was associated with proliferation of NHL cells. Knock-down of its gene
      inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation by delaying cell cycle
      progression. Furthermore, OCI-Ly8 and Jeko-1 cells adhering to FN and HS-5
      expressed higher Sam68 protein, compared to their suspension counterparts. Sam68
      promoted cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance (CAM-DR) via the AKT pathway.
      CONCLUSIONS: Increased Sam68 expression in NHL resulted in poor prognosis, and it
      promoted CAM-DR in NHL via AKT.

PMID- 26478517
TI  - Chronic Endometritis: Potential Cause of Infertility and Obstetric and Neonatal
      Complications.
AB  - Chronic endometritis (CE) is a local inflammatory disease characterized by
      unusual plasmacyte infiltration in the endometrial stromal areas. CE has been
      neglected in gynecologic practice, as it is a less symptomatic benign disease
      that requires demanding and time-consuming histopathologic examinations for the
      definite diagnosis. Recent studies, however, suggest the association of CE with
      infertility and obstetric and neonatal complications. In this review article, we
      aimed to update the knowledge on epidemiology, etiology, and pathogenesis of CE
      as well as discuss its clinical management from diagnosis to treatment. 

PMID- 26478518
TI  - Prioritization of candidate genes in "QTL-hotspot" region for drought tolerance
      in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).
AB  - A combination of two approaches, namely QTL analysis and gene enrichment analysis
      were used to identify candidate genes in the "QTL-hotspot" region for drought
      tolerance present on the Ca4 pseudomolecule in chickpea. In the first approach, a
      high-density bin map was developed using 53,223 single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) identified in the recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of ICC 4958
      (drought tolerant) and ICC 1882 (drought sensitive) cross. QTL analysis using
      recombination bins as markers along with the phenotyping data for 17 drought
      tolerance related traits obtained over 1-5 seasons and 1-5 locations split the
      "QTL-hotspot" region into two subregions namely "QTL-hotspot_a" (15 genes) and
      "QTL-hotspot_b" (11 genes). In the second approach, gene enrichment analysis
      using significant marker trait associations based on SNPs from the Ca4
      pseudomolecule with the above mentioned phenotyping data, and the candidate genes
      from the refined "QTL-hotspot" region showed enrichment for 23 genes. Twelve
      genes were found common in both approaches. Functional validation using
      quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) indicated four promising candidate genes
      having functional implications on the effect of "QTL-hotspot" for drought
      tolerance in chickpea. 

PMID- 26478519
TI  - Recent development of chemical derivatization in LC-MS for biomedical approaches.
AB  - LC-MS/MS is currently the most powerful system in biomedical analysis. At the
      same time, chemical derivatization is a useful technique to enhance the detection
      sensitivity of nonionizable or poorly ionizable molecules in LC-MS/MS.
      Derivatization improves the ionization efficiency, the chromatographic separation
      and/or the chemical stability. This article presents an overview of the recent
      development of chemical derivatization reagents and reactions for the
      quantitative analysis of xenobiotic and endogenous molecules such as
      pharmaceuticals, amino acids, peptides, proteins, steroids, biomarkers and
      industrial products by LC-MS. 

PMID- 26478520
TI  - Stepwise evolution of pandrug-resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae.
AB  - Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) pose an urgent risk to global human
      health. CRE that are non-susceptible to all commercially available antibiotics
      threaten to return us to the pre-antibiotic era. Using Single Molecule Real Time
      (SMRT) sequencing we determined the complete genome of a pandrug-resistant
      Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate, representing the first complete genome sequence of
      CRE resistant to all commercially available antibiotics. The precise location of
      acquired antibiotic resistance elements, including mobile elements carrying genes
      for the OXA-181 carbapenemase, were defined. Intriguingly, we identified three
      chromosomal copies of an ISEcp1-bla(OXA-181) mobile element, one of which has
      disrupted the mgrB regulatory gene, accounting for resistance to colistin. Our
      findings provide the first description of pandrug-resistant CRE at the genomic
      level, and reveal the critical role of mobile resistance elements in accelerating
      the emergence of resistance to other last resort antibiotics.

PMID- 26478521
TI  - 15,16-dihydrotanshinone I Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits the Proliferation,
      Migration of Human Osteosarcoma Cell Line 143B in vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND: 15,16-dihydrotanshinone I (DHTI), a lipophilic tanshinone extracted
      from Danshen root (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge), has been reported to function as
      an antitumor agent. However, its activity on osteosarcoma (OS), the most common
      primary malignant bone tumor, is unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to
      determine the effects of DHTI treatment on proliferation, apoptosis and migration
      of human OS cell line 143B and investigate the possible underlying molecular
      mechanisms. METHOD: Human cell line 143B was used as a model for investigation of
      the inhibitory effects of DHTI on osteosarcoma. Cell proliferation was evaluated
      by MTT assays, while cell cycle progression, apoptosis and cell migration were
      analyzed by flow cytometer, caspase activity assays and scratch migration assays.
      qRT-PCR and western blot were carried out to detect the expression levels of
      representative genes and proteins during physiological processes examined above.
      RESULTS: DHTI treatment inhibited the proliferation of 143B cells in a dose- and
      time-dependent manner through arresting cells in G1 phase by reducing the
      expression of cyclin D1, cyclin E1, CDK2, CDK4, CDK6, p-Rb, E2F1, SKP2 and
      increasing the expression of P53, P21cip1, P27kip1. In addition, DHTI induced
      apoptosis of 143B cells through caspase pathways to activate caspase-3, caspase
      8, caspase-9, Bax, and PARP cleavage but reduce the expression of Bcl-2.
      Furthermore, DHTI treatment attenuated cell migration by down-regulating adhesion
      molecules VCAM-1 and ICAM-1. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that DHTI could
      be a novel and efficient therapeutic candidate for OS treatment and further
      detailed investigation is warranted.

PMID- 26478522
TI  - Interleukin-17 in atherosclerosis: Still a long road ahead.

PMID- 26478523
TI  - Atrioventricular block associated with ticagrelor therapy may require permanent
      pacemaker.

PMID- 26478524
TI  - Cardiac atrial appendage stem cells therapy: a novel and promising approach for
      myocardial reparation after MI.

PMID- 26478530
TI  - Care participation and burden among informal caregivers of older adults with care
      needs and associations with dementia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies have estimated care burden in large, representative,
      multi-ethnic Asian population-based informal caregivers of older adults with care
      needs. This study describes informal caregivers' care participation for a
      population-based sample of older adults with care needs in Singapore,
      investigates differences by dementia status, and examines correlates of
      caregivers' burden. METHODS: Data collected from 693 pairs of older adults, aged
      60 to 100 years, having any care needs, and their informal caregivers, who were
      aged 21 to 88 years, closely involved in their care and "knew the older resident
      best," and were interviewed during a cross-sectional national survey, were used.
      Clinical characteristics of older adults, including behavioral and psychological
      symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and dementia diagnosis, care needs, and socio
      demographic characteristics of participants were obtained. Care burden was
      assessed with the Zarit Burden Interview. RESULTS: Informal caregivers'
      participation was highest in activities related to communication (35.1%), feeding
      (32%), and bathing (21.1%). Among the older adults with any care need, 356
      (51.4%) had dementia. Care burden was significantly associated with married
      caregivers (odds ratio (OR) 2.4 vs. never married), when their relative belonged
      to a younger cohort (OR 2.5 vs. >84 years), needed care much of the time (OR 2.5
      vs. no care needed), exhibited BPSD (OR 3.5 vs. no BPSD), and had dementia (OR
      2.52 vs. no dementia). CONCLUSIONS: Factors related to older adults--more care
      needs, presence of BPSD, and dementia--were significant contributors to informal
      caregivers' burden, and these should be considered while planning interventions
      to alleviate care burden.

PMID- 26478531
TI  - Conversion to Belatacept based regimen does not change T-cell phenotype and
      function in renal transplantation.
AB  - Belatacept offers a new option for renal allograft recipients who are suffering
      from side effects of calcineurin inhibitors or mTOR inhibitors,which may result
      in renal and extrarenal benefits.We prospectively performed flow cytometric
      immunophenotyping with a T-cell panel. In total we were able to fully investigate
      the immunophenotypic change in 8 patients before and after conversion from
      calcineurin inhibitor (n = 5) or mTOR inhibitor (n=2) to Belatacept or additional
      administration (n=1). Cells were analysed pre conversion, 1 month, 3 months, 6
      months and 12 months after first Belatacept administration. The percentage of
      central memory, naive, effector memory and terminally differentiated effector
      memory CD4+ and CD4- T-cells was determined. CD28, CD25 and CD69 expression on
      CD4+ and CD4- T-cells was measured ex vivo and also after 3 days of mitogen
      stimulation. Intracellular cytokines IFNgamma and IL-2 were measured after
      polyclonal cellular stimulation. The expression of activation markers and
      intracellular cytokines as well as the percentage of T-cell subsets did not
      change significantly during the observation period compared to the time-point pre
      conversion. Therefore the conversion of calcineurin inhibitor or mTOR inhibitor
      to Belatacept seems to have no obvious impact on the immunophenotype of T-cells
      in patients after kidney transplantation.

PMID- 26478532
TI  - Brief report: When does identity lead to negative affective experiences? A
      comparison of Turkish-Bulgarian and Turkish-German adolescents.
AB  - We examine relationships between social identity domains (ethnic, national, and
      religious) and negative affect among Turkish-Bulgarian and Turkish-German youth.
      Path analysis confirmed a multiple social identities (MSI) factor that has
      negative relations to experiencing negative affect for Turkish youth in both
      countries. Beyond this negative relationship, the component of national identity
      showed a positive relationship to negative affect for Turkish-Bulgarians, but not
      for Turkish-Germans. Our findings indicate that beyond the generally adaptive
      effect of MSI on youth development, unique components of social identity may not
      always be an asset: In an assimilative acculturation context (i.e., Bulgaria),
      the endorsement of national identity was not adaptive. Our research therefore
      highlights the need for a contextually differentiated view on "healthy" identity
      formation among immigrants for research and practice. 

PMID- 26478533
TI  - Unravelling intrinsic efficacy and ligand bias at G protein coupled receptors: A
      practical guide to assessing functional data.
AB  - Stephenson's empirical definition of an agonist, as a ligand with binding
      affinity and intrinsic efficacy (the ability to activate the receptor once
      bound), underpins classical receptor pharmacology. Quantifying intrinsic efficacy
      using functional concentration response relationships has always presented an
      experimental challenge. The requirement for realistic determination of efficacy
      is emphasised by recent developments in our understanding of G protein coupled
      receptor (GPCR) agonists, with recognition that some ligands stabilise different
      active conformations of the receptor, leading to pathway-selective, or biased
      agonism. Biased ligands have potential as therapeutics with improved selectivity
      and clinical efficacy, but there are also pitfalls to the identification of
      pathway selective effects. Here we explore the basics of concentration response
      curve analysis, beginning with the need to distinguish ligand bias from other
      influences of the functional system under study. We consider the different
      approaches that have been used to quantify and compare biased ligands, many of
      which are based on the Black and Leff operational model of agonism. Some of the
      practical issues that accompany these analyses are highlighted, with
      opportunities to improve estimates in future, particularly in the separation of
      true agonist intrinsic efficacy from the contributions of system dependent
      coupling efficiency. Such methods are by their nature practical approaches, and
      all rely on Stephenson's separation of affinity and efficacy parameters, which
      are interdependent at the mechanistic level. Nevertheless, operational analysis
      methods can be justified by mechanistic models of GPCR activation, and if used
      wisely are key elements to biased ligand identification. 

PMID- 26478534
TI  - Cooperation is related to dispersal patterns in Sino-Tibetan populations.
AB  - There is growing recognition in both evolutionary biology and anthropology that
      dispersal is key to establishing patterns of cooperation. However, some models
      predict that cooperation is more likely to evolve in low dispersal (viscous)
      populations, while others predict that local competition for resources inhibits
      cooperation. Sex-biased dispersal and extra-pair mating may also have an effect.
      Using economic games in Sino-Tibetan populations with strikingly different
      dispersal patterns, we measure cooperation in 36 villages in southwestern China;
      we test whether social structure is associated with cooperative behaviour toward
      those in the neighbourhood. We find that social organization is associated with
      levels of cooperation in public goods and dictator games and a resource dilemma;
      people are less cooperative towards other villagers in communities where
      dispersal by both sexes is low. This supports the view that dispersal for
      marriage played an important role in the evolution of large-scale cooperation in
      human society. 

PMID- 26478535
TI  - Excision Versus Ablation in Renal Cancer: Optimising Outcome and Minimising Risk.

PMID- 26478536
TI  - Learning to Fly: There's no sensation to compare with this Suspended animation, a
      state of bliss--Pink Floyd.

PMID- 26478537
TI  - Quantification of Fluoroquinolone Uptake through the Outer Membrane Channel OmpF
      of Escherichia coli.
AB  - Decreased drug accumulation is a common cause of antibiotic resistance in
      microorganisms. However, there are few reliable general techniques capable of
      quantifying drug uptake through bacterial membranes. We present a
      semiquantitative optofluidic assay for studying the uptake of autofluorescent
      drug molecules in single liposomes. We studied the effect of the Escherichia coli
      outer membrane channel OmpF on the accumulation of the fluoroquinolone
      antibiotic, norfloxacin, in proteoliposomes. Measurements were performed at pH 5
      and pH 7, corresponding to two different charge states of norfloxacin that
      bacteria are likely to encounter in the human gastrointestinal tract. At both pH
      values, the porins significantly enhance drug permeation across the
      proteoliposome membranes. At pH 5, where norfloxacin permeability across pure
      phospholipid membranes is low, the porins increase drug permeability by 50-fold
      on average. We estimate a flux of about 10 norfloxacin molecules per second per
      OmpF trimer in the presence of a 1 mM concentration gradient of norfloxacin. We
      also performed single channel electrophysiology measurements and found that the
      application of transmembrane voltages causes an electric field driven uptake in
      addition to concentration driven diffusion. We use our results to propose a
      physical mechanism for the pH mediated change in bacterial susceptibility to
      fluoroquinolone antibiotics. 

PMID- 26478538
TI  - Straightforward synthesis and catalytic applications of rigid N,O-type calixarene
      ligands.
AB  - Here, we report a simple one-step access to new rigid N,O-calixarene ligands
      which is based on copper-catalyzed amination at the lower rim. We also present
      the coordination properties of these ligands with some main group and transition
      metals leading to new complexes with superior catalytic activity, in several
      organic transformations, compared with calixarene metal complexes reported in the
      literature. 

PMID- 26478539
TI  - A new method for simultaneous detection and discrimination of Bovine herpesvirus
      types 1 (BoHV-1) and 5 (BoHV-5) using real time PCR with high resolution melting
      (HRM) analysis.
AB  - Bovine herpesvirus types 1 (BoHV-1) and 5 (BoHV-5) are antigenically and
      genetically similar. The aim of this study was to develop a simple and reliable
      one-step real time PCR assay with high resolution melting (HRM) analysis for the
      simultaneous detection and differentiation of BoHV-1 and BoHV-5. Optimization of
      assay conditions was performed with DNA from reference strains. Then, DNA from
      field isolates, clinical samples and tissue samples of experimentally infected
      animals were studied by real time PCR-HRM. An efficient amplification of real
      time PCR products was obtained, and a clear melting curve and appropriate melting
      peaks for both viruses were achieved in the HRM curve analysis for BoHV type
      identification. BoHV was identified in all of the isolates and clinical samples,
      and BoHV types were properly differentiated. Furthermore, viral DNA was detected
      in 12/18 and 7/18 samples from BoHV-1- and BoHV-5-infected calves, respectively.
      Real time PCR-HRM achieved a higher sensitivity compared with virus isolation or
      conventional PCR. In this study, HRM was used as a novel procedure. This method
      provides rapid, sensitive, specific and simultaneous detection of bovine alpha
      herpesviruses DNA. Thus, this technique is an excellent tool for diagnosis,
      research and epidemiological studies of these viruses in cattle. 

PMID- 26478540
TI  - Construction of infectious cDNA clone derived from a classical swine fever virus
      field isolate in BAC vector using in vitro overlap extension PCR and
      recombination.
AB  - To develop reverse genetics system of RNA viruses, cloning of full-length viral
      genome is required which is often challenging due to many steps involved. In this
      study, we report cloning of full-length cDNA from an Indian field isolate
      (CSFV/IVRI/VB-131) of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) using in vitro overlap
      extension PCR and recombination which drastically reduced the number of cloning
      steps. The genome of CSFV was amplified in six overlapping cDNA fragments, linked
      by overlap extension PCR and cloned in a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)
      vector using in vitro recombination method to generate full-length cDNA clone.
      The full-length CSFV cDNA clone was found stable in E. coli Stellar and DH10B
      cells. The full-length RNA was transcribed in vitro using T7 RNA polymerase and
      transfected in PK15 cells using Neon-tip electroporator to rescue infectious
      CSFV. The progeny CSFV was propagated in PK15 cells and found indistinguishable
      from the parent virus. The expression of CSFV proteins were detected in cytoplasm
      of PK15 cells infected with progeny CSFV at 72 h post-infection. We concluded
      that the in vitro overlap extension PCR and recombination method is useful to
      construct stable full-length cDNA clone of RNA virus in BAC vector.

PMID- 26478541
TI  - Immunization of Mice with a Live Transconjugant Shigella Hybrid Strain Induced
      Th1 and Th17 Cell-Mediated Immune Responses and Confirmed Passive Protection
      Against Heterologous Shigellae.
AB  - An avirulent, live transconjugant Shigella hybrid (LTSHDeltastx) strain was
      constructed in our earlier study by introducing a plasmid vector, pPR1347, into a
      Shiga toxin gene deleted Shigella dysenteriae 1. Three successive oral
      administrations of LTSHDeltastx to female adult mice produced comprehensive
      passive heterologous protection in their offspring against challenge with wild
      type shigellae. Production of NO and different cytokines such asIL-12p70, IL
      1beta and IL-23 in peritoneal mice macrophages indicated that LTSHDeltastx
      induced innate and adaptive immunity in mice. Furthermore, production of IFN
      gamma, IL-10 and IL-17 in LTSH-primed splenic CD4+ T cell suggested that
      LTSHDeltastx may induce Th1 and Th17 cell-mediated immune responses. Exponential
      increase of the serum IgG and IgA titre against whole shigellae was observed in
      immunized adult mice during and after the immunization with the highest peak on
      day 35. Antigen-specific sIgA was also determined from intestinal lavage of
      immunized mice. The stomach extracts of neonates from immunized mice, mainly
      containing mother's milk, contained significant levels of anti-LTSHDeltastx
      immunoglobulin. These studies suggest that the LTSHDeltastx could be a new live
      oral vaccine candidate against shigellosis in the near future. 

PMID- 26478543
TI  - A Novel Recombinant Chlorophyllase1 from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii for the
      Production of Chlorophyllide Derivatives.
AB  - Natural chlorophyll metabolites have exhibited physiological activity in vitro.
      In this study, a recombinant chlorophyllase1 gene from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
      (CrCLH1) was isolated and characterized. Recombinant CrCLH1 can perform
      chlorophyll dephytylation and produce chlorophyllide and phytol. In a transient
      assay, the subcellular localization of CrCLH1-green fluorescent protein was
      determined to be outside the chloroplast. Biochemical analyses of the activity of
      recombinant CrCLH1 indicated that its optimal pH value and temperature are 6.0
      and 40  degrees C, respectively. Enzyme kinetic data revealed that the
      recombinant CrCLH1 had a higher catalytic efficiency for chlorophyll a than for
      chlorophyll b and bacteriochlorophyll a. According to high-performance liquid
      chromatography analysis of chlorophyll hydrolysis, recombinant CrCLH1 catalyzed
      the conversion of chlorophyll a to pheophorbide a at pH 5. Therefore, recombinant
      CrCLH1 can be used as a biocatalyst to produce chlorophyllide derivatives. 

PMID- 26478542
TI  - Molecular Genetic Characterization of Thyroid Dyshormonogenesis in a French
      Bulldog.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A case of congenital hypothyroidism with goiter (CHG) in a juvenile
      French bulldog was identified and hypothesized to be caused by dyshormonogenesis
      of genetic etiology. OBJECTIVES: To describe case management, unusual phenotypic
      aspects, and a CHG-causing mutation in a French bulldog. ANIMALS: Thyroid tissue
      and blood from a CHG-affected French bulldog and 4 normal control dogs and buccal
      brush samples of 125 French bulldogs were studied. METHODS: Standard clinical
      assessment and laboratory tests were applied. Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) iodide
      oxidation activity was measured in vitro, and TPO protein was assessed on Western
      blots. Thyroid peroxidase exons and flanking splice sites were amplified from
      genomic DNA and sequenced. Thyroid peroxidase cDNA was amplified from thyroid RNA
      and sequenced. RESULTS: At 9 months of age, the affected dog had signs of
      cretinism, but near-normal skeletal maturation. The enlarged thyroid glands
      exhibited noninflammatory fibrosis and aberrant follicular organization. Thyroid
      peroxidase activity and immunocrossreactive protein were undetectable. There was
      a T>C mutation of the intron 12 splice donor consensus that caused abnormally
      spliced mRNA, consistent with absent TPO function. The mutant allele was not
      observed in 125 clinically normal French bulldogs. CONCLUSIONS: Presumptive CHG
      in a French bulldog with unusual clinical presentation is described. Genetic
      etiology was confirmed by identifying the underlying TPO mutation.

PMID- 26478544
TI  - Direct oral anticoagulants: to switch or not to switch?

PMID- 26478545
TI  - Review of current and emerging treatment options in acromegaly.
AB  - In almost every patient, acromegaly is caused by a growth hormone secreting
      pituitary adenoma. Clinical features are the result of excessive growth hormone
      secretion and the consecutive excess in insulin-like growth factor I levels. This
      results in somatic overgrowth and metabolic disturbances with a higher morbidity
      and mortality than in the general population. With optimal disease management,
      mortality can be reduced to that seen in the general population. The current
      treatment of acromegaly is based on a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and
      medical therapy. This review provides an overview of the current and upcoming
      therapies with a focus on medical therapy. 

PMID- 26478546
TI  - When do patients prefer a direct oral anticoagulant over a vitamin K antagonist?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reasons for patients to change their usual vitamin K antagonist
      (VKA) treatment to a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) are unexplored. METHOD: A
      random sample of 200 patients treated with VKAs for the indication of atrial
      fibrillation from the Thrombosis Service in Amsterdam was selected. A survey,
      using the treatment trade-off technique, was sent to participants. The trade-off
      included four scenarios: 1 (no need for laboratory controls); 2 (less bleeding);
      3 (less interactions); 4 (more effective). RESULTS: Under scenario 1, 57% of the
      patients would have made the switch, with a further increase to 65% with scenario
      2 (trend value, p = 0.006, 95% CI 1.11-1.85). In addition, in each scenario
      patients who were less satisfied with their current treatment were more likely to
      switch to a DOAC compared with satisfied patients. The variables duration of
      treatment, gender, age and educational level did not affect the preference for a
      DOAC. CONCLUSION: Patients considered no requirement for regular laboratory
      control and a lower risk of bleeding the most important arguments to switch to a
      DOAC.

PMID- 26478547
TI  - No accumulation of a prophylactic dose of nadroparin in moderate renal
      insufficiency.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) have been shown to accumulate
      in patients with renal insufficiency, especially in therapeutic dosages. Although
      no appropriate studies have been conducted for prophylactic dosages of
      nadroparin, dose reduction is sometimes recommended, especially for high
      prophylactic dosages. We assessed accumulation of a prophylactic dose of 5700 IU
      subcutaneous nadroparin once daily in patients with renal insufficiency. METHODS:
      We conducted a prospective cohort study and measured peak anti-Xa activity four
      hours after subcutaneous nadroparin injection on day 1, 3, 5 and if possible day
      10 in adults with and without renal insufficiency defined as a glomerular
      filtration rate (GFR) below or above 50 ml/min/1.73 m2. Patients with a GFR below
      10 ml/min/1.73 m2 were excluded. RESULTS: We included 14 patients in each group.
      In the group with renal failure 12 patients had a GFR between 30 and 50
      ml/min/1.73 m2. Peak anti-Xa activity showed a high interindividual variability,
      but was fairly constant within each patient. There was no rise in peak anti-Xa
      activity on day 3 and 5 after consecutive administration. In the group with
      normal renal function, peak anti-Xa activity declined on day 5 compared with day
      1 (p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Prophylactic dosages of nadroparin showed no
      accumulation in patients with a GFR between 30-50 ml/min/1.73 m2. Dose reduction
      in this group could lead to suboptimal thromboprophylaxis. Due to
      underrepresentation of patients with a GFR < 30 ml/min/1.73 m2 (n = 2), we cannot
      give recommendations for this group.

PMID- 26478548
TI  - Acute episode of cyclic vomiting syndrome preceded by arterial hypertension
      &ndash; Case presentation and review.
AB  - Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is a functional disorder with recurrent episodes
      of vomiting. Between these episodes patients recover to well-being. Lack of
      awareness often leads to a delay in making the diagnosis. The diagnosis is based
      on a typical medical history and exclusion of other causes. We present a case
      report of a middle-aged patient who had recurrent episodes of vomiting for 12
      years coinciding with hypertension. After excluding other causes, CVS was
      diagnosed. The episodes of acute vomiting were stopped by administration of
      antiemetic and sedative drugs and urapidil reduced the hypertension. Treatment
      with sedatives stops vomiting caused by the emetic centre of the central nervous
      system. 

PMID- 26478549
TI  - Non-myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation: a new treatment option
      for acquired angioedema?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Acquired angioedema is a rare disorder causing recurrent life
      threatening angioedema, due to decreased activity of C1 esterase inhibitor. CASE
      REPORT: A 57-year-old man presented to our hospital with recurrent swelling of
      the hands, lips, tongue, scrotum and throat. Lab examination showed the presence
      of an IgM kappa monoclonal antibody. Additional analysis showed that in the IgM
      fraction autoantibody activity against C1 esterase inhibitor was present. This
      confirmed the diagnosis of acquired angioedema in the presence of
      lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. Despite standard therapy, there was an increase in
      the episodes of laryngeal oedema. Therefore it was decided to perform a non
      myeloablative allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, with his HLA
      identical brother as donor. The post-transplantation course was without
      complications. Five years following alloSCT he is in complete remission without
      symptoms and with increased C1 esterase inhibitor activity. DISCUSSION: In this
      case all other known treatment options for severe acquired angioedema failed.
      This is the first case describing treatment of severe acquired angioedema, caused
      by lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, with an alloSCT.

PMID- 26478550
TI  - A patient with right-sided deep venous thrombosis and lymphadenopathy on
      ultrasound.

PMID- 26478552
TI  - Hypertension at a young age: beware of the unexpected.

PMID- 26478554
TI  - Chronic diarrhoea and repeated bowel obstruction in an 84-year-old woman.

PMID- 26478556
TI  - Severe abdominal pain three weeks after a hemi-hepatectomy.

PMID- 26478558
TI  - Is hyperhomocysteinaemia a minor risk factor for venous thrombosis or subject to
      publication bias?

PMID- 26478559
TI  - Employing a new 12-connected topological open-framework copper borovanadate as an
      effective heterogeneous catalyst for oxidation of benzyl-alkanes.
AB  - A new 12-connected topological open-framework copper borovanadate with a unique
      B/V ratio (20/12) and a -B3O7(OH)-Na(MU-OH)[B(OH)2]-B3O7(OH)- connection mode has
      been hydrothermally obtained and characterized. It not only features the first 3
      D copper(II) borovanadate which possesses the largest ratio of TM(2+) and
      borovanadate anion, but also displays highly catalytic activities for the
      oxidation of benzyl-alkanes.

PMID- 26478560
TI  - Substrate Hunting for the Myxobacterial CYP260A1 Revealed New 1alpha-Hydroxylated
      Products from C-19 Steroids.
AB  - Cytochromes P450 catalyze a variety of synthetically useful reactions. However,
      it is difficult to determine their physiological or artificial functions when a
      plethora of orphan P450 systems are present in a genome. CYP260A1 from Sorangium
      cellulosum So ce56 is a new member among the 21 available P450s in the strain. To
      identify putative substrates for CYP260A1 we used high-throughput screening of a
      compound library (ca. 17,000 ligands). Structural analogues of the type I hits
      were searched for biotechnologically relevant compounds, and this led us to
      select C-19 steroids as potential substrates. We identified efficient surrogate
      redox partners for CYP260A1, and an Escherichia coli-based whole-cell biocatalyst
      system was developed to convert testosterone, androstenedione, and their
      derivatives methyltestosterone and 11-oxoandrostenedione. A detailed (1) H and
      (13) C NMR characterization of the product(s) from C-19 steroids revealed that
      CYP260A1 is the very first 1alpha-steroid hydroxylase.

PMID- 26478561
TI  - Detection, Localization and Tyrosine Phosphorylation Status of Ser/Thr Protein
      Phosphatase1gamma in Freshly Ejaculated, In Vitro Capacitated and Cryopreserved
      Buffalo Spermatozoa.
AB  - Several recent studies have indicated the important roles of Ser/Thr protein
      phosphatase1gamma (PP1gamma) in regulating the motility and capacitation of
      mammalian spermatozoa. Here, we report the presence and distribution of PP1gamma
      protein in freshly ejaculated, in vitro capacitated and cryopreserved buffalo
      spermatozoa. The presence of PP1gamma and its distribution were assessed by
      Western blotting and indirect immunofluorescence techniques, whereas the isoforms
      of PP1gamma and their tyrosine phosphorylation status were identified by using 2D
      electrophoresis. The number of isoforms and the status of tyrosine
      phosphorylation of PP1gamma were increased in capacitated spermatozoa when
      compared with freshly ejaculated spermatozoa. Differential pattern of expression
      and tyrosine phosphorylation of PP1gamma were observed in cryopreserved
      spermatozoa, wherein some isoforms were degraded and some were tyrosine
      phosphorylated. In addition, immunofluorescence technique revealed that PP1gamma
      was localized to principle, mid-piece, post-acrosomal and equatorial regions of
      buffalo spermatozoa. Differential distribution of tyrosine-phosphorylated
      proteins were observed in fresh, capacitated and cryopreserved spermatozoa. The
      tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins (20, 37, 38, 52, 60, 79 and 100 kDa)
      were increased when sperm cells were incubated with PP1gamma inhibitor, okadaic
      acid. Together, our results suggest that buffalo spermatozoa express different
      isoforms of PP1gamma protein. The protein expression and tyrosine phosphorylation
      of PP1gamma were increased during capacitation. Furthermore, the differential
      pattern of expression and tyrosine phosphorylation of PP1gamma were observed in
      cryopreserved spermatozoa. In addition, the inhibition of PP1gamma protein
      increases protein tyrosine phosphorylation in capacitation.

PMID- 26478562
TI  - Risk factors for major amputation in hospitalised diabetic foot patients.
AB  - Diabetic foot ulcers are the main cause of non-traumatic lower extremity
      amputation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for
      major amputation in diabetic foot patients. Eight hundred and sixty diabetic
      patients were admitted to the diabetic wound centre of the Korea University Guro
      Hospital for foot ulcers between January 2010 and December 2013. Among them, 837
      patients were successfully monitored until complete healing. Ulcers in 809
      patients (96.7%) healed without major amputation and those in 28 patients (3.3%)
      healed with major amputation. Data of 88 potential risk factors including
      demographics, ulcer condition, vascularity, bioburden, neurology and serology
      were collected from patients in the two groups and compared. Among the 88
      potential risk factors, statistically significant differences between the two
      groups were observed in 26 risk factors. In the univariate analysis, which was
      carried out for these 26 risk factors, statistically significant differences were
      observed in 22 risk factors. In a stepwise multiple logistic analysis, six of the
      22 risk factors remained statistically significant. Multivariate-adjusted odds
      ratios were 11.673 for ulcers penetrating into the bone, 8.683 for dialysis,
      6.740 for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, 6.158 for hind foot ulcers, 0.641 for
      haemoglobin levels and 1.007 for fasting blood sugar levels. The risk factors for
      major amputation in diabetic foot patients were bony invasions, dialysis, GI
      disorders, hind foot locations, low levels of haemoglobin and elevated fasting
      blood sugar levels. 

PMID- 26478563
TI  - Improved Slow Light Capacity In Graphene-based Waveguide.
AB  - We have systematically investigated the wideband slow light in two-dimensional
      material graphene, revealing that graphene exhibits much larger slow light
      capability than other materials. The slow light performances including material
      dispersion, bandwidth, dynamic control ability, delay-bandwidth product,
      propagation loss, and group-velocity dispersion are studied, proving graphene
      exhibits significant advantages in these performances. A large delay-bandwidth
      product has been obtained in a simple yet functional grating waveguide with slow
      down factor c/v(g) at 163 and slow light bandwidth Deltaomega at 94.4 nm centered
      at 10.38 MUm, which is several orders of magnitude larger than previous results.
      Physical explanation of the enhanced slow light in graphene is given. Our results
      indicate graphene is an excellent platform for slow light applications, promoting
      various future slow light devices based on graphene.

PMID- 26478564
TI  - Are Pets in the Bedroom a Problem?
AB  - The presence of pets in the bedroom can alter the sleep environment in ways that
      could affect sleep. Data were collected by questionnaire and interview from 150
      consecutive patients seen at the Center for Sleep Medicine, Mayo Clinic in
      Arizona. Seventy-four people (49%) reported having pets, with 31 (41% of pet
      owners) having multiple pets. More than half of pet owners (56%) allowed their
      pets to sleep in the bedroom. Fifteen pet owners (20%) described their pets as
      disruptive, whereas 31 (41%) perceived their pets as unobtrusive or even
      beneficial to sleep. Health care professionals working with patients with sleep
      concerns should inquire about the presence of companion animals in the sleep
      environment to help them find solutions and optimize their sleep. 

PMID- 26478565
TI  - Platelet secretion of CXCL4 is Rac1-dependent and regulates neutrophil
      infiltration and tissue damage in septic lung damage.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Platelets are potent regulators of neutrophil
      accumulation in septic lung damage. We hypothesized that platelet-derived CXCL4
      might support pulmonary neutrophilia in a murine model of abdominal sepsis.
      EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Polymicrobial sepsis was triggered by coecal ligation and
      puncture (CLP) in C57BL/6 mice. Platelet secretion of CXCL4 was studied by using
      confocal microscopy. Plasma and lung levels of CXCL4, CXCL1 and CXCL2 were
      determined by elisa. Flow cytometry was used to examine surface expression of Mac
      1 on neutrophils. KEY RESULTS: CLP increased CXCL4 levels in plasma, and platelet
      depletion reduced plasma levels of CXCL4 in septic animals. Rac1 inhibitor
      NSC23766 decreased the CLP-enhanced CXCL4 in plasma by 77%. NSC23766 also
      abolished PAR4 agonist-induced secretion of CXCL4 from isolated platelets.
      Inhibition of CXCL4 reduced CLP-evoked neutrophil recruitment, oedema formation
      and tissue damage in the lung. However, immunoneutralization of CXCL4 had no
      effect on CLP-induced expression of Mac-1 on neutrophils. Targeting CXCL4
      attenuated plasma and lung levels of CXCL1 and CXCL2 in septic mice. CXCL4 had no
      effect on neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro, indicating it has an indirect effect on
      pulmonary neutrophilia. Intratracheal CXCL4 enhanced infiltration of neutrophils
      and formation of CXCL2 in the lung. CXCR2 antagonist SB225002 markedly reduced
      CXCL4-provoked neutrophil accumulation in the lung. CXCL4 caused secretion of
      CXCL2 from isolated alveolar macrophages. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Rac1
      controls platelet secretion of CXCL4 and CXCL4 is a potent stimulator of
      neutrophil accumulation in septic lungs via generation of CXCL2 in alveolar
      macrophages. Platelet-derived CXCL4 plays an important role in lung inflammation
      and tissue damage in polymicrobial sepsis.

PMID- 26478567
TI  - In reference to A new theory on the pathogenesis of acquired cholesteatoma:
      Mucosal traction.

PMID- 26478569
TI  - Pathogen-nematode interaction: Nitrogen supply of Listeria monocytogenes during
      growth in Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive facultatively intracellular human
      pathogen. Due to its saprophytic lifestyle, L. monocytogenes is assumed to infect
      and proliferate within soil organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans. However,
      little is known about the nutrient usages and metabolite fluxes in this bacterium
      nematode interaction. Here, we established a nematode colonization model for L.
      monocytogenes and a method for the efficient separation of the pathogen from the
      nematodal gut. Following (15)N labelling of C. elegans and gas chromatography
      mass spectrometry-based (15)N isotopologue analysis, we detected a high basal
      metabolic rate of the nematode, and observed a significant metabolic flux from
      nitrogenous compounds of the nematode to listerial proteins during proliferation
      of the pathogen in the worm's intestine. For comparison, we also measured the N
      fluxes from the gut content into listerial proteins using completely (15)N
      labelled Escherichia coli OP50 as food for C. elegans. In both settings, L.
      monocytogenes prefers the direct incorporation of histidine, arginine and lysine
      over their de novo biosynthesis. Our data suggest that colonization of nematodes
      is a strategy of L. monocytogenes to increase its access to N-rich nutrients.

PMID- 26478568
TI  - Biological and mechanical characterization of chitosan-alginate scaffolds for
      growth factor delivery and chondrogenesis.
AB  - Chitosan-alginate (Ch-Al) natural polysaccharide blends have been used for wound
      healing, tissue engineering, and drug delivery due to their ability to form pH
      dependent ionic chain-chain interactions. Yet, the biomechanical properties and
      growth factor (GF) release kinetics of Ch-Al, which are important in controlling
      the microenvironment during tissue regeneration, have not been fully explored.
      This study examines the compressive elastic modulus of many Ch-Al scaffold
      formulations and crosslinking conditions, and also the strain recovery after
      compressive deformation of Ch-Al scaffolds, both of which make Ch-Al an
      attractive composite for reproducing articular cartilage's resistance to and
      resiliency under compression. Cell viability, proliferation, and in vitro
      cartilaginous matrix production (collagen type II, glycosaminoglycans, aggrecan)
      without supplemental GFs are also investigated, demonstrating the polymer blend's
      inherent chondrogenic properties. Additionally, this study explores the ability
      of Ch-Al chain functional groups to control and extend GF delivery and minimize
      GF burst release, using model proteins BSA and histone at high loading dose and
      chondrogenic protein TGF-beta1 at low loading dose in complete media. Expedited
      cartilaginous matrix synthesis on Ch-Al with low dose TGF-beta1 release is
      evaluated, with Ch-Al supporting homogeneous matrix deposition and lacunae
      formation as early as 3 weeks due to Ch-Al's maintenance of GF bioactivity and
      sustained GF delivery. These results illustrate the potential to focus the
      formulational range of Ch-Al to provide enhanced mechanical performance and
      controlled, bioactive GF release to cooperatively promote cartilage regeneration.
      (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B:
      272-282, 2017.

PMID- 26478572
TI  - Fano-resonant aluminum and gold nanostructures created with a tunable, up
      scalable process.
AB  - An up-scalable approach for creating Fano-resonant nanostructures on large
      surfaces at visible wavelengths is demonstrated. The use of processes suitable
      for high throughput fabrication and the choice of aluminum as a cost-efficient
      plasmonic material ensure that the presented insights are valuable even in
      consideration of typical industrial constraints. In particular, wafer-scale
      fabrication and the process compatibility with roll-to-roll embossing are
      demonstrated. It is shown that through adjustment of readily accessible
      evaporation parameters, the shape and position of the optical resonance can be
      tuned within a spectral band of more than 70 nm. The experimental data are
      complemented with rigorous coupled wave analysis and surface integral equation
      simulations. Calculated electric fields as well as surface charges shed light
      onto the physics behind the present resonances. In particular, a surface plasmon
      polariton is found to couple to a localized plasmonic mode with a hexapolar
      charge distribution, leading to a Fano-like resonance. Further understanding of
      the interactions at hand is gained by considering both aluminum and gold
      nanostructures. 

PMID- 26478570
TI  - Inflammatory mechanisms of pulmonary injury induced by mustards.
AB  - Exposure of humans and animals to vesicants, including sulfur mustard (SM) and
      nitrogen mustard (NM), causes severe and debilitating damage to the respiratory
      tract. Both acute and long term pathological consequences are observed in the
      lung following a single exposure to these vesicants. Evidence from our
      laboratories and others suggest that macrophages and the inflammatory mediators
      they release play an important role in mustard-induced lung injury. In this
      paper, the pathogenic effects of SM and NM on the lung are reviewed, along with
      the potential role of inflammatory macrophages and mediators they release in
      mustard-induced pulmonary toxicity. 

PMID- 26478566
TI  - Medical treatments of elderly, French patients with type 2 diabetes: results at
      inclusion in the GERODIAB Cohort.
AB  - Prevalence of diabetes in the elderly increases, and half of the French diabetics
      are over the age of 75 years. The GERODIAB study is the first French multicentre,
      prospective, observational study designed to analyse over 5 years the influence
      of glycaemic control on morbidity-mortality in type 2 diabetics patients 70 years
      old and over. This study analysed the diabetic and geriatric factors associated
      with the treatment modalities, particularly insulin, at inclusion in the cohort.
      The cohort of 987 type 2 diabetics was divided into three groups according to the
      method of treatment. Slightly fewer than one-third of these patients (26.4%) were
      treated with insulin alone, 31% received insulin and oral antidiabetic drugs, and
      42.7% oral antidiabetic drugs alone. The patients that received insulin alone
      were significantly older, had poorer glycaemic control (HbA1c = 7.9 +/- 1.4, 7.8
      +/- 1.0 and 7.1 +/- 1.2%, respectively; P < 0.001) and had greater alterations of
      glomerular filtration rate (GFR). HbA1c was below 6.5% in 15% of patients and
      37.3% of patients had a GFR below 60 mL/min. The patients treated with insulin
      alone had significantly more hypoglycaemic episodes (respectively 53.3, 36.3 and
      19.5%, P < 0.001), retinopathy, cardiovascular involvement and more specific
      geriatric complications, such as cognitive disorders (respectively 34.1, 31.4 and
      23.6%, P = 0.006). In this specific population of elderly type 2 diabetic
      patients, diabetic and geriatric conditions significantly differed between the
      types of drug treatments. Considering low values of HbA1c and GFR, some patients
      seemed overtreated and other patients received inappropriate drugs. 

PMID- 26478571
TI  - Berberine promotes bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells osteogenic
      differentiation via canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway.
AB  - Berberine (BBR) has recently been reported to be extensively used for
      musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoporosis through enhancing osteogenic
      differentiation, inhibiting osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption and repressing
      adipogenesis. Although canonical Wnt signaling plays a crucial role in
      suppressing bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) commitment to the
      chondrogenic and adipogenic lineage and enhancing osteogenic differentiation, no
      previous reports have shown an association between BBR-induced osteogenesis and
      Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. In this study, we aimed to investigate the
      stimulatory effect and the mechanism of BBR on osteogenic differentiation of
      human bone marrow-derived MSCs. MSCs were isolated from bone marrow specimens and
      treated with different concentration of BBR. Cell viability was measured by the
      WST-8 assay. Effects of BBR on osteogenic differentiation of MSCs were assessed
      by von Kossa staining, ALP staining and ALP activity. Osteogenic specific genes,
      chondrogenic and adipogenic related marker genes were determined by quantitative
      real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Western blot and Immunofluorescence
      staining were performed to analyze OCN and OPN, and beta-catenin expression in
      the presence or absence of BBR combined with DKK-1 or beta-catenin siRNA
      transfection. Increasing concentration of BBR (3, 10 and 30 MUM) promoted
      osteogenic differentiation and osteogenic genes expression after incubation for
      various days compared with DMSO group, whereas expression levels of chondrogenic
      and adipogenic related marker genes were dramatically suppressed. After treated
      with 10MUM BBR for 7 days, beta-catenin, OPN and OCN expression were
      significantly induced, which could be effectively suppressed by the addition of
      DKK-1 or beta-catenin siRNA beta-catenin. Interestingly, the expression level of
      Runx2 gene was also decreased by inhibiting the transduction of Wnt/beta-catenin
      signaling. These findings suggest that BBR can stimulate osteogenic
      differentiation of MSCs not only by enhancing Runx2 expression but also by
      activating canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway, and canonical Wnt/beta
      catenin signaling pathway is in part responsible for BBR-induced osteogenic
      differentiation of MSCs in vitro. BBR is a potential pharmaceutical medicine by
      enhancing osteogenic differentiation for bone disorders, such as osteoporosis.

PMID- 26478573
TI  - Identification and characterization of distinct IL-17F expression patterns and
      signaling pathways in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and normal B lymphocytes.
AB  - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by a progressive accumulation
      of B lymphocytes. T cell abnormalities are a common feature of CLL and contribute
      to impaired immune function in these patients. T cells are ineffective in
      eliminating the leukemic clone and may actually promote tumor growth and
      survival. Previous work from our laboratory documented elevated circulating
      levels of IL-17A-producing Th17 cells in CLL patients as compared to healthy age
      matched control subjects. These high circulating Th17 levels associated with
      better prognostic markers and significantly longer overall survival, even among
      patients whose clones used unmutated IGHVs (U-CLL). Recent studies suggest that
      Th17 cells are heterogeneous, expressing different profiles of cytokines, and
      that different subsets of Th17s mediate different biological functions. In the
      present study, we found significantly higher levels of IL-17F-expressing CD4(+) T
      cells in CLL versus healthy peripheral blood mononuclear cells following in vitro
      stimulation in the presence of Th17-promoting cytokines. Furthermore, the
      differentiation of IL-17F-expressing Th17 cells was significantly enhanced when
      purified CD4(+) T cells from CLL patients were cultured in the presence of
      autologous CLL B cells. Lastly, single-cell network profiling revealed that IL
      17F triggers NFkappaB phosphorylation in T and B cells from patients with CLL,
      but not age-matched healthy controls. Taken together, our data suggest that the
      phenotype of Th17 cells in CLL patients is distinct from healthy individuals,
      expressing higher levels of IL-17F, and that B and T cells from CLL patients are
      particularly responsive to IL-17F, as compared to healthy age-matched control
      individuals. 

PMID- 26478574
TI  - Objective assessment of delayed gastric emptying using gastric scintigraphy in
      post pancreaticoduodenectomy patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: No objective assessment of delayed gastric emptying is carried out in
      patients undergoing Whipple's procedure. All definitions and criteria along with
      evaluation of incidence of delayed gastric emptying are based on subjective
      assessment of the patient with clinical overview, so this study was carried out
      for an objective and accurate assessment of delayed gastric emptying in post
      Whipple's patients using gastric scintigraphy. METHODS: Twenty-one patients
      undergoing Whipple's procedure performed by a single surgeon in a tertiary
      referral centre were included in the study. Gastric scintigraphy was performed
      preoperatively and on post-operative 10th and 21st days. Preoperative and post
      operative gastric scintigraphy findings were used for the diagnosis of delayed
      gastric emptying and it was correlated with the incidence of clinical diagnosis
      of delayed gastric emptying. RESULTS: Thirteen out of 21 patients had clinical
      delayed gastric emptying. When compared with clinical delayed gastric emptying,
      the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of post
      operative 10th day gastric scintigraphy were 61.53, 100, 100 and 61.53%,
      respectively (P = 0.004). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative
      predictive values of post-operative 21st day gastric scintigraphy were 38.46,
      100, 100 and 50%, respectively (P = 0.04). Reflux across the gastrojejunal
      anastomosis was noted in 28.5% on dynamic scintigraphy with the severity of
      clinical symptoms related directly with the degree of reflux. No correlation was
      seen between delayed gastric emptying and variables such as diabetes mellitus,
      hypertension and pancreaticojejunal anastomotic leaks. CONCLUSIONS: Gastric
      scintigraphy may be used to diagnose delayed gastric emptying more objectively in
      post Whipple's patients.

PMID- 26478575
TI  - In situ spectroelectrochemical and theoretical study on the oxidation of a 4H
      imidazole-ruthenium dye adsorbed on nanocrystalline TiO2 thin film electrodes.
AB  - Terpyridine 4H-imidazole-ruthenium(II) complexes are considered promising
      candidates for use as sensitizers in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by
      displaying broad absorption in the visible range, where the dominant absorption
      features are due to metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transitions. The
      ruthenium(III) intermediates resulting from photoinduced MLCT transitions are
      essential intermediates in the photoredox-cycle of the DSSC. However, their
      photophysics is much less studied compared to the ruthenium(II) parent systems.
      To this end, the structural alterations accompanying one-electron oxidation of
      the RuIm dye series (including a non-carboxylic RuIm precursor, and, carboxylic
      RuImCOO in solution and anchored to a nanocrystalline TiO2 film) are investigated
      via in situ experimental and theoretical UV-Vis absorption and resonance Raman
      (RR) spectroelectrochemistry. The excellent agreement between the experimental
      and the TDDFT spectra derived in this work allows for an in-depth assignment of
      UV-Vis and RR spectral features of the dyes. A concordant pronounced wavelength
      dependence with respect to the charge transfer character has been observed for
      the model system RuIm, and both RuImCOO in solution and attached on the TiO2
      surface. Excitation at long wavelengths leads to the population of ligand-to
      metal charge transfer states, i.e. photoreduction of the central ruthenium(III)
      ion, while high-energy excitation features an intra-ligand charge transfer state
      localized on the 4H-imidazole moiety. Therefore, these 4H-imidazole ruthenium
      complexes investigated here are potential multi-photoelectron donors. One
      electron is donated from MLCT states, and additionally, the 4H-imidazole ligand
      reveals electron-donating character with a significant contribution to the
      excited states of the ruthenium(III) complexes upon blue-light irradiation.

PMID- 26478576
TI  - Naturally occurring genetic mutations in the 5'-upstream regulatory region of
      bovine FSHB generate a novel cis-regulatory element that affects its expression.
AB  - We previously reported that numerous naturally occurring genetic mutations in the
      5'-upstream regulatory region (5'-URR) of the bovine follicle-stimulating hormone
      beta-subunit gene (FSHB) were associated with reduced serum follicle-stimulating
      hormone (FSH) levels, poor-quality semen and low fertility in bulls. In addition,
      two different FSHB mRNA transcripts resulting from the linked mutations of
      genomic DNA were discovered in mutation-bearing bull pituitaries. Here, using
      electrophoretic mobility shift assay, we identified c.-1539_-1538delGGinsTTAACT
      mutations in the 5'-URR that generated a novel cis-regulatory element in bovine
      FSHB. Moreover, this novel element seemed to play a role in repressing FSHB
      transcription based on a promoter activity analysis in LbetaT2 gonadotrope cells.
      Quantitative assays of FSHB mRNA in the bovine pituitaries suggested that the
      levels of FSHB wild-type transcripts in the mutation-bearing bulls were
      significantly lower (P < 0.05) than in those of bulls without FSHB genetic
      mutations and that the levels of FSHB-mutated transcripts were significantly
      lower (P < 0.05) than that of wild-type transcripts in the mutation-bearing
      bulls. Altogether, our results suggest that decreased serum FSH levels and male
      fertility in bulls with the c.-1539_-1538delGGinsTTAACT mutation likely result
      from the alteration of cis-regulatory elements and induction of FSHB
      transcription. 

PMID- 26478577
TI  - A regular yoga intervention for staff nurse sleep quality and work stress: a
      randomised controlled trial.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Although many studies have assessed the efficacy of yoga in
      older individuals, minimal research has focused on how nurses use yoga to improve
      sleep quality and to reduce work stress after work hours. We used the Pittsburgh
      Sleep Quality Index in Chinese and the Questionnaire on Medical Worker's Stress
      in Chinese to determine the impact of yoga on the quality of sleep and work
      stress of staff nurses employed by a general hospital in China. BACKGROUND:
      Disturbances in the circadian rhythm interrupt an individual's pattern of sleep.
      STUDY DESIGN: Convenient sampling method. METHODS: One hundred and twenty nurses
      were randomised into two groups: a yoga group and a non-yoga group. The yoga
      group performed yoga more than two times every week for 50-60 minutes each time
      after work hours. The NG group did not participate in yoga. After six months,
      self-reported sleep quality and work stress were compared between the two groups,
      and then we used linear regression to confirm the independent factors related to
      sleep quality. RESULTS: Nurses in the yoga group had better sleep quality and
      lower work stress compared with nurses in the non-yoga group. The linear
      regression model indicated that nursing experience, age and yoga intervention
      were significantly related to sleep quality. CONCLUSION: Regular yoga can improve
      sleep quality and reduce work stress in staff nurses. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL
      PRACTICE: This study provides evidence that hospital management should pay
      attention to nurse sleep quality and work stress, thereby taking corresponding
      measures to reduce work pressure and improve health outcomes.

PMID- 26478578
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of CERAD total score in a Colombian cohort with mild
      cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease affected by E280A mutation on
      presenilin-1 gene.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine Consortium to Establish a Registry for
      Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) Neuropsychological Assessment Battery total score
      diagnostic accuracy in the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and
      dementia in familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) with E280A mutation on presenilin
      1 gene (PSEN1). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a cohort of
      PSEN1 E280A carriers and non-carriers assessed between January 1995 and February
      2013. During the first neuropsychological assessment, 76 were having dementia, 46
      had MCI, and 1,576 were asymptomatic. CERAD cut-off points were established for
      MCI and dementia using a Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis, and
      were further analyzed according to education level in two groups: low education
      level (eight years or less), and high education level (over eight years).
      RESULTS: The area under curve-ROC CERAD total score for dementia was 0.994 (95%
      CI = 0.989-0.999), and that for MCI was 0.862 (95% CI = 0.816-0.908). The
      dementia diagnosis cut-off point for the low education group was 54, (98.4%
      sensitivity, 92.6% specificity), and that for the high education group was 67
      (100% sensitivity, 94.1% specificity). The MCI diagnosis cut-off point for the
      low education group was 66 (91.2% sensitivity, 56.4% specificity), and that for
      the high education group was 72 (91.7% sensitivity, 76.3% specificity).
      CONCLUSIONS: The CERAD total score is a useful screening tool for dementia and
      MCI in a population at risk of FAD.

PMID- 26478579
TI  - Family Complexity, the Family Safety Net, and Public Policy.

PMID- 26478580
TI  - Multiplicity of Terms Related to Patient Safety: A Hindrance to Progress.

PMID- 26478581
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26478582
TI  - Utilization of Dabigatran for Atrial Fibrillation at 3 Tertiary Care Centres.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The outpatient management of stroke prevention for patients with
      atrial fibrillation has recently been published and provides insight into the
      benefits and risks of the new direct-acting oral anti-coagulants. However, real
      world use of these agents for hospital inpatients requires additional study.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine prescribing patterns for dabigatran at 3 Canadian
      hospitals, specifically adherence with the hospitals' prescribing restriction
      limiting dabigatran to patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and
      creatinine clearance above 30 mL/min (primary outcome) and assessment of age
      related prescribing, prescribing of medications with defined contraindications or
      potential for interaction when given concurrently with dabigatran, and use of
      risk stratification tools (secondary outcomes). METHODS: A retrospective chart
      review of patients for whom dabigatran was prescribed from August to October 2011
      was performed at 3 hospitals in Toronto, Ontario. Descriptive statistics were
      used for all outcomes assessed. RESULTS: Overall, dabigatran was prescribed for
      69 inpatients, of whom 16 (23%) were new users (dabigatran initiated during
      hospital admission) and 53 (77%) were prior users (dabigatran prescribed before
      admission to hospital). Fifty-eight patients (84%; 14 new users and 44 prior
      users) received dabigatran according to the hospitals' prescribing restriction.
      For the remaining 11 patients, dabigatran therapy did not meet prescribing
      restrictions for use because of valvular disease or presence of prosthetic valve
      (10 patients [14% of the total sample]) and impaired renal function (1 patient
      [1%]). Among those whose dabigatran therapy met the prescribing restrictions for
      use, amiodarone and acetylsalicylic acid were the most common concurrently
      prescribed medications (17 patients [29%] and 14 patients [24%], respectively).
      Stroke and bleeding risk were documented for only 27 patients (47%) and 10
      patients (17%), respectively. CONCLUSION: At the study hospitals, dabigatran was
      appropriately prescribed for the indication of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation in
      patients without renal impairment in most cases. However, greater consideration
      of cardiac history (including valvular disease and presence of prosthetic
      valves), drug interactions, and documentation of risks and benefits is warranted.
      These research findings highlight the importance of and opportunity for
      pharmacist review and involvement in assessment and selection of patients with
      indications for anticoagulant therapy, particularly when agents are new to the
      market.

PMID- 26478583
TI  - Pharmacists' Perceptions of the Influence of Interactions with the Pharmaceutical
      Industry on Clinical Decision-Making.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of literature examining the perceptions of
      Canadian pharmacists toward drug promotion by the pharmaceutical industry and
      pharmacist-industry interactions. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether hospital
      pharmacists perceive their interactions with the pharmaceutical industry as
      influencing their clinical decision-making or that of their colleagues and
      whether hospital pharmacists perceive that interactions with the pharmaceutical
      industry create a conflict of interest. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of the
      complete sample of hospital pharmacists practising in 3 large health authorities
      in a single Canadian province was conducted from February to April 2010. RESULTS:
      A total of 224 responses were received from the approximately 480 pharmacists in
      the target health authorities (response rate approximately 47%). Fifty-eight
      percent of respondents (127/218) did not believe that information received at
      industry-sponsored events influenced their clinical decision-making. Most
      (142/163 [87%]) disagreed that small gifts influenced their clinical decision
      making, whereas responses were divided for large gifts. Respondents were also
      divided on the issue of whether their interactions created conflicts of interest,
      with most of those who had received gifts agreeing that large gifts would create
      a conflict of interest (134/163 [82%]) whereas small gifts would not (100/163
      [61%]). There were positive correlations between respondents' beliefs about their
      own susceptibility to influence from sponsored events or receipt of small or
      large gifts and the susceptibility of others, but 22% of respondents (28/127)
      expressed a different perception about sponsored events, all believing themselves
      to be less influenced than their colleagues. Only 6% (4/64) of those who received
      large gifts and 4% (5/142) of those who received small gifts and felt they were
      not influenced by these gifts reported that it was likely others would be
      influenced by the receipt of such gifts. CONCLUSIONS: Most hospital pharmacists
      who responded to this survey had attended industry-sponsored events, and the
      majority felt that it did not influence their clinical decision-making, despite
      recognition that the information received is unbalanced. Respondents were divided
      on the notion of whether these interactions led to conflicts of interest.
      Respondents generally felt that large and small gifts had different effects on
      influence and conflict of interest.

PMID- 26478584
TI  - Outcomes in Documented Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacteremia Treated with
      Intermittent IV Infusion of Ceftazidime, Meropenem, or Piperacillin-Tazobactam: A
      Retrospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the leading causes of nosocomial gram
      negative bloodstream infections, is particularly difficult to treat because of
      its multiple resistance mechanisms combined with a lack of novel antipseudomonal
      antibiotics. Despite knowledge of time-dependent killing with beta-lactam
      antibiotics, most hospitals in Canada currently administer beta-lactam
      antibiotics by intermittent rather than extended infusions. OBJECTIVES: To
      determine clinical outcomes, microbiological outcomes, total hospital costs, and
      infection-related costs for patients with P. aeruginosa bacteremia who received
      intermittent IV administration of antipseudomonal beta-lactam antibiotics in a
      tertiary care institution. METHODS: For this retrospective descriptive study,
      data were collected for patients who were admitted between March 1, 2005, and
      March 31, 2013, who had P. aeruginosa bacteremia during their admission, and who
      received at least 72 h of treatment with ceftazidime, meropenem, or piperacillin
      tazobactam. Clinical and microbiological outcomes were determined, and total and
      infection-related hospital costs were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 103
      patients were included in the analysis, of whom 79 (77%) experienced clinical
      cure. In addition, bacterial eradication was achieved in 41 (87%) of the 47
      patients with evaluable data for this outcome. Twenty-eight (27%) of the 103
      patients died within 30 days of discontinuation of antipseudomonal beta-lactam
      antibiotic therapy. The median total cost of the hospital stay was $121 718, and
      the median infection-related cost was $29 697. CONCLUSIONS: P. aeruginosa
      bacteremia is a clinically significant nosocomial infection that continues to
      cause considerable mortality and health care costs. To the authors' knowledge, no
      previous studies have calculated total and infection-related hospital costs for
      treatment of P. aeruginosa bacteremia with intermittent infusion of
      antipseudomonal beta-lactam antibiotics, with characterization of cost according
      to site of acquisition of the infection. This study may provide important
      baseline data for assessing the impact of implementing extended-infusion beta
      lactam therapy, antimicrobial stewardship, and infection control strategies
      targeting P. aeruginosa infection in hospitalized patients.

PMID- 26478585
TI  - A Qualitative Analysis of Implementation of Antimicrobial Stewardship at 3
      Academic Hospitals: Understanding the Key Influences on Success.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inappropriate use of antimicrobials is linked to the development and
      spread of drug-resistant pathogens and is associated with increased morbidity,
      mortality, lengths of hospital stay, and health care costs. "Antimicrobial
      stewardship" is the umbrella term for an evidence-based knowledge translation
      strategy involving comprehensive quality improvement activities to optimize the
      use of antimicrobials, improve patient outcomes, reduce the development of
      antimicrobial resistance and hospital-acquired infections such as Clostridium
      difficile, and decrease health care costs. OBJECTIVE: To assess the perceptions
      and experiences of antimicrobial stewardship program leaders in terms of
      clinicians' attitudes toward and behaviours related to antimicrobial prescribing.
      METHODS: In this qualitative study, semistructured interviews were conducted with
      6 antimicrobial stewards (2 physicians and 4 pharmacists) at 3 academic hospitals
      between June and August 2013. RESULTS: The following 3 key themes emerged from
      the interviews: getting the right people on board, building collegial
      relationships, and rapidly establishing a track record. The study results
      elucidated the role and mechanisms that the program leader and other
      antimicrobial stewards used to influence other clinicians to engage in effective
      utilization of antimicrobials. The results also highlighted the methods employed
      by members of the antimicrobial stewardship team to tailor their strategies to
      the local context and to stakeholders of participating units; to gain credibility
      by demonstrating the impact of the antimicrobial stewardship program on clinical
      outcomes and cost; and to engage senior leaders to endorse and invest in the
      antimicrobial stewardship program, thereby adding to the antimicrobial stewards'
      credibility and their ability to influence the uptake of effective antimicrobial
      use. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these results offer insight into processes and
      mechanisms of influence employed by antimicrobial stewards to enhance
      antimicrobial use among clinicians, which can in turn inform future
      implementation of antimicrobial stewardship and strategies for organizational
      change in hospitals.

PMID- 26478586
TI  - Playing in the Sandbox: Considerations When Leading or Participating on a
      Multidisciplinary Research Team.

PMID- 26478588
TI  - Implementation of Radio Frequency Identification for Medication Tray Management.

PMID- 26478587
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26478589
TI  - Widening Our Horizons: Pharmacy Practice from a Global Perspective.

PMID- 26478590
TI  - Pharmacy Practice in Australia.

PMID- 26478591
TI  - Erratum: Outcomes Associated with Conventional Accelerated versus Once-Weekly IV
      Iron Therapy in Outpatients Undergoing Hemodialysis - Correction.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 304 in vol. 68, PMID: 26327704.]. 

PMID- 26478592
TI  - Clozapine-Associated Myocarditis: Case Report and Literature Review.

PMID- 26478593
TI  - Has the Drug of Choice for Treating Critical Illness Delirium Been Established?

PMID- 26478594
TI  - Nourishing the Soul of Pharmacy: Stories of Reflection.

PMID- 26478595
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26478596
TI  - A Change of Seasons-A New Beginning!

PMID- 26478597
TI  - Porous Structures in Stacked, Crumpled and Pillared Graphene-Based 3D Materials.
AB  - Graphene, an atomically thin material with the theoretical surface area of 2600
      m2g-1, has great potential in the fields of catalysis, separation, and gas
      storage if properly assembled into functional 3D materials at large scale. In
      ideal non-interacting ensembles of non-porous multilayer graphene plates, the
      surface area can be adequately estimated using the simple geometric law ~ 2600
      m2g-1/N, where N is the number of graphene sheets per plate. Some processing
      operations, however, lead to secondary plate-plate stacking, folding, crumpling
      or pillaring, which give rise to more complex structures. Here we show that bulk
      samples of multilayer graphene plates stack in an irregular fashion that
      preserves the 2600/N surface area and creates regular slot-like pores with sizes
      that are multiples of the unit plate thickness. In contrast, graphene oxide
      deposits into films with massive area loss (2600 to 40 m2g-1) due to nearly
      perfect alignment and stacking during the drying process. Pillaring graphene
      oxide sheets by co-deposition of colloidal-phase particle-based spacers has the
      potential to partially restore the large monolayer surface. Surface areas as high
      as 1000 m2g-1 are demonstrated here through colloidal-phase deposition of
      graphene oxide with water-dispersible aryl-sulfonated ultrafine carbon black as a
      pillaring agent.

PMID- 26478598
TI  - A Search for the Optimum Lithium Rich Layered Metal Oxide Cathode Material for Li
      Ion Batteries.
AB  - We report the results of a comprehensive study of the relationship between
      electrochemical performance in Li cells and chemical composition of a series of
      Li rich layered metal oxides of the general formula xLi2MnO3 . (1
      x)LiMn0.33Ni0.33Co0.33O2 in which x = 0,1, 0.2, 0,3, 0.5 or 0.7, synthesized
      using the same method. In order to identify the cathode material having the
      optimum Li cell performance we first varied the ratio between Li2MnO3 and LiMO2
      segments of the composite oxides while maintaining the same metal ratio residing
      within their LiMO2 portions. The materials with the overall composition
      0.5Li2MnO3 . 0.5LiMO2 containing 0.5 mole of Li2MnO3 per mole of the composite
      metal oxide were found to be the optimum in terms of electrochemical performance.
      The electrochemical properties of these materials were further tuned by changing
      the relative amounts of Mn, Ni and Co in the LiMO2 segment to produce xLi2MnO3 .
      (1-x)LiMn0.50Ni0.35Co0.15O2 with enhanced capacities and rate capabilities. The
      rate capability of the lithium rich compound in which x = 0.3 was further
      increased by preparing electrodes with about 2 weight-percent multiwall carbon
      nanotube in the electrode. Lithium cells prepared with such electrodes were
      cycled at the 4C rate with little fade in capacity for over one hundred cycles.

PMID- 26478599
TI  - First-Pass Angiography in Mice Using FDG-PET: A Simple Method of Deriving the
      Cardiovascular Transit Time Without the Need of Region-of-Interest Drawing.
AB  - In this study, we developed a simple and robust semi-automatic method to measure
      the right ventricle to left ventricle (RV-to-LV) transit time (TT) in mice using
      2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). The
      accuracy of the method was first evaluated using a 4-D digital dynamic mouse
      phantom. The RV-to-LV TTs of twenty-nine mouse studies were measured using the
      new method and compared to those obtained from the conventional ROI-drawing
      method. The results showed that the new method correctly separated different
      structures (e.g., RV, lung, and LV) in the PET images and generated corresponding
      time activity curve (TAC) of each structure. The RV-to-LV TTs obtained from the
      new method and ROI method were not statistically different (P = 0.20; r = 0.76).
      We expect that this fast and robust method is applicable to the pathophysiology
      of cardiovascular diseases using small animal models such as rats and mice.

PMID- 26478600
TI  - A DOI Detector With Crystal Scatter Identification Capability for High
      Sensitivity and High Spatial Resolution PET Imaging.
AB  - A new phoswich detector is being developed at the Crump Institute, aiming to
      provide improvements in sensitivity, and spatial resolution for PET. The detector
      configuration is comprised of two layers of pixelated scintillator crystal
      arrays, a glass light guide and a light detector. The annihilation photon
      entrance (top) layer is a 48 * 48 array of 1.01 * 1.01 * 7 mm3 LYSO crystals. The
      bottom layer is a 32 * 32 array of 1.55 * 1.55 * 9 mm3 BGO crystals. A tapered,
      multiple-element glass lightguide is used to couple the exit end of the BGO
      crystal array (52 * 52 mm2) to the photosensitive area of the Position Sensitive
      Photomultiplier Tube (46 * 46 mm2), allowing the creation of flat panel detectors
      without gaps between the detector modules. Both simulations and measurements were
      performed to evaluate the characteristics and benefits of the proposed design.
      The GATE Monte Carlo simulation indicated that the total fraction of the cross
      layer crystal scatter (CLCS) events in singles detection mode for this detector
      geometry is 13.2%. The large majority of these CLCS events (10.1% out of 13.2%)
      deposit most of their energy in a scintillator layer other than the layer of
      first interaction. Identification of those CLCS events for rejection or
      correction may lead to improvements in data quality and imaging performance.
      Physical measurements with the prototype detector showed that the LYSO, BGO and
      CLCS events were successfully identified using the delayed charge integration
      (DCI) technique, with more than 95% of the LYSO and BGO crystal elements clearly
      resolved. The measured peak-to-valley ratios (PVR) in the flood histograms were
      3.5 for LYSO and 2.0 for BGO. For LYSO, the energy resolution ranged from 9.7% to
      37.0% full width at half maximum (FWHM), with a mean of 13.4 +/- 4.8%. For BGO
      the energy resolution ranged from 16.0% to 33.9% FWHM, with a mean of 18.6 +/-
      3.2%. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that the proposed detector is
      feasible and can potentially lead to a high spatial resolution, high sensitivity
      and DOI PET system.

PMID- 26478601
TI  - Hybrid approaches for multiple-species stochastic reaction-diffusion models.
AB  - Reaction-diffusion models are used to describe systems in fields as diverse as
      physics, chemistry, ecology and biology. The fundamental quantities in such
      models are individual entities such as atoms and molecules, bacteria, cells or
      animals, which move and/or react in a stochastic manner. If the number of
      entities is large, accounting for each individual is inefficient, and often
      partial differential equation (PDE) models are used in which the stochastic
      behaviour of individuals is replaced by a description of the averaged, or mean
      behaviour of the system. In some situations the number of individuals is large in
      certain regions and small in others. In such cases, a stochastic model may be
      inefficient in one region, and a PDE model inaccurate in another. To overcome
      this problem, we develop a scheme which couples a stochastic reaction-diffusion
      system in one part of the domain with its mean field analogue, i.e. a discretised
      PDE model, in the other part of the domain. The interface in between the two
      domains occupies exactly one lattice site and is chosen such that the mean field
      description is still accurate there. In this way errors due to the flux between
      the domains are small. Our scheme can account for multiple dynamic interfaces
      separating multiple stochastic and deterministic domains, and the coupling
      between the domains conserves the total number of particles. The method preserves
      stochastic features such as extinction not observable in the mean field
      description, and is significantly faster to simulate on a computer than the pure
      stochastic model.

PMID- 26478602
TI  - Immigration and the New Racial Diversity in Rural America.
AB  - This article highlights the new racial and ethnic diversity in rural America,
      which may be the most important but least anticipated population shift in recent
      demographic history. Ethnoracial change is central to virtually every aspect of
      rural America over the foreseeable future: agro-food systems, community life,
      labor force change, economic development, schools and schooling, demographic
      change, intergroup relations, and politics. The goal here is to plainly
      illustrate how America's racial and ethnic transformation has emerged as an
      important dimension of ongoing U.S. urbanization and urbanism, growing cultural
      and economic heterogeneity, and a putative "decline in community" in rural
      America. Rural communities provide a natural laboratory for better understanding
      the implications of uneven settlement and racial diversity, acculturation, and
      economic and political incorporation among Hispanic newcomers. This article
      raises the prospect of a new racial balkanization and outlines key impediments to
      full incorporation of Hispanics into rural and small town community life.
      Immigration and the new ethnoracial diversity will be at the leading edge of
      major changes in rural community life as the nation moves toward becoming a
      majority-minority society by 2042.

PMID- 26478603
TI  - Transition-metal free umpolung carbon-nitrogen vs. carbon-chlorine bond
      formation.
AB  - The formation of carbon-nitrogen (C-N) bonds via an umpolung substitution
      reaction has been achieved at -78  degrees C without the need for catalysts,
      ligands, or additives. The scope is limited to aryl Grignard reagents with N
      chloroamines. The findings in this manuscript serve as a reference point for all
      C-N bond formation involving N-chloroamines and organometallic reagents. Knowing
      the yields of uncatalyzed reactions will be useful when determining the success
      of future catalytic methods.

PMID- 26478605
TI  - Gross national happiness and health: lessons from Bhutan.

PMID- 26478606
TI  - IHR Review Committee to discuss Ebola report.

PMID- 26478607
TI  - Boosting health skills in Ukraine.
AB  - Health workers in conflict-hit eastern Ukraine are gaining new skills that may
      prove invaluable in peacetime too. Andrei Shukshin reports. 

PMID- 26478608
TI  - Space technologies for health.
AB  - Space science and satellite technologies hold untapped potential for public
      health, according to a new expert group that will deliver its proposals to the
      United Nations General Assembly in New York next month. Pascal Michel talks to
      Fiona Fleck. 

PMID- 26478609
TI  - New indicators for delay in initiation of antiretroviral treatment: estimates for
      Cameroon.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To propose two new indicators for monitoring access to antiretroviral
      treatment (ART) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); (i) the time from HIV
      seroconversion to ART initiation, and (ii) the time from ART eligibility to
      initiation, referred to as delay in ART initiation. To estimate values of these
      indicators in Cameroon. METHODS: We used linear regression to model the natural
      decline in CD4+ T-lymphocyte (CD4+ cell) numbers in HIV-infected individuals over
      time. The model was fitted using data from a cohort of 351 people in Cote
      d'Ivoire. We used the model to estimate the time from seroconversion to ART
      initiation and the delay in ART initiation in a representative sample of 4154 HIV
      infected people who started ART in Cameroon between 2007 and 2010. FINDINGS: In
      Cameroon, the median CD4+ cell counts at ART initiation increased from 140
      cells/MUl (interquartile range, IQR: 66 to 210) in 2007-2009 to 163 cells/MUl
      (IQR: 73 to 260) in 2010. The estimated average time from seroconversion to ART
      initiation decreased from 10.4 years (95% confidence interval, CI: 10.3 to 10.5)
      to 9.8 years (95% CI: 9.6 to 10.0). Delay in ART initiation increased from 3.4
      years (95% CI: 3.1 to 3.7) to 5.8 years (95% CI: 5.6 to 6.2). CONCLUSION: The
      estimated time to initiate ART and the delay in ART initiation indicate that
      progress in Cameroon is insufficient. These indicators should help monitor
      whether public health interventions to accelerate ART initiation are successful.

PMID- 26478610
TI  - Monitoring of HIV treatment in seven countries in the WHO Region of the Americas.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of adequate monitoring and the costs of
      measuring CD4+ T-lymphocytes (CD4+ cell) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
      viral load in people receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in seven countries in
      the WHO Region of the Americas. METHODS: We obtained retrospective, longitudinal
      data for 14 476 adults who started a first ART regimen at seven HIV clinics in
      Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico and Peru between 2000 and 2011.
      We estimated the proportion of 180-day periods with adequate monitoring, which we
      defined as at least one CD4+ cell count and one viral load measurement. Factors
      associated with adequate monitoring were analysed using regression methods. The
      costs of the tests were estimated. FINDINGS: The median follow-up time was 50.4
      months; the proportion of 180-day periods with adequate CD4+ cell counts was 69%
      while the proportion with adequate monitoring was 62%. Adequate monitoring was
      more likely in participants who were older, who started ART more recently, whose
      first regimen included a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor or who
      had a CD4+ cell count less than 200 cells/ul at ART initiation. The cost of one
      CD4+ cell count ranged from 7.37 United States dollars (US$) in Argentina to US$
      64.09 in Chile; the cost of one viral load measurement ranged from US$ 20.34 in
      Brazil to US$ 186.28 in Haiti. CONCLUSION: In HIV-infected participants receiving
      ART in the WHO Region of the Americas, CD4+ cell count and viral load monitoring
      was often carried out less frequently than regional guidelines recommend. The
      laboratory costs of monitoring varied greatly.

PMID- 26478612
TI  - Effectiveness of emergency water treatment practices in refugee camps in South
      Sudan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the concentration of residual chlorine in drinking
      water supplies in refugee camps, South Sudan, March-April 2013. METHODS: For each
      of three refugee camps, we measured physical and chemical characteristics of
      water supplies at four points after distribution: (i) directly from tapstands;
      (ii) after collection; (iii) after transport to households; and (iv) after
      several hours of household storage. The following parameters were measured: free
      and total residual chlorine, temperature, turbidity, pH, electrical conductivity
      and oxidation reduction potential. We documented water handling practices with
      spot checks and respondent self-reports. We analysed factors affecting residual
      chlorine concentrations using mathematical and linear regression models.
      FINDINGS: For initial free residual chlorine concentrations in the 0.5-1.5 mg/L
      range, a decay rate of ~5x10(-3) L/mg/min was found across all camps. Regression
      models showed that the decay of residual chlorine was related to initial chlorine
      levels, electrical conductivity and air temperature. Covering water storage
      containers, but not other water handling practices, improved the residual
      chlorine levels. CONCLUSION: The concentrations of residual chlorine that we
      measured in water supplies in refugee camps in South Sudan were too low. We
      tentatively recommend that the free residual chlorine guideline be increased to
      1.0 mg/L in all situations, irrespective of diarrhoeal disease outbreaks and the
      pH or turbidity of water supplies. According to our findings, this would ensure a
      free residual chlorine level of 0.2 mg/L for at least 10 hours after
      distribution. However, it is unknown whether our findings are generalizable to
      other camps and further studies are therefore required.

PMID- 26478611
TI  - Estimating the burden of foodborne diseases in Japan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the burden posed by foodborne diseases in Japan using
      methods developed by the World Health Organization's Foodborne Disease Burden
      Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG). METHODS: Expert consultation and statistics
      on food poisoning during 2011 were used to identify three common causes of
      foodborne disease in Japan: Campylobacter and Salmonella species and
      enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). We conducted systematic reviews of
      English and Japanese literature on the complications caused by these pathogens,
      by searching Embase, the Japan medical society abstract database and Medline. We
      estimated the annual incidence of acute gastroenteritis from reported
      surveillance data, based on estimated probabilities that an affected person would
      visit a physician and have gastroenteritis confirmed. We then calculated
      disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost in 2011, using the incidence
      estimates along with disability weights derived from published studies. FINDINGS:
      In 2011, foodborne disease caused by Campylobacter species, Salmonella species
      and EHEC led to an estimated loss of 6099, 3145 and 463 DALYs in Japan,
      respectively. These estimated burdens are based on the pyramid reconstruction
      method; are largely due to morbidity rather than mortality; and are much higher
      than those indicated by routine surveillance data. CONCLUSION: Routine
      surveillance data may indicate foodborne disease burdens that are much lower than
      the true values. Most of the burden posed by foodborne disease in Japan comes
      from secondary complications. The tools developed by FERG appear useful in
      estimating disease burdens and setting priorities in the field of food safety.

PMID- 26478613
TI  - Climate change, cash transfers and health.
AB  - The forecast consequences of climate change on human health are profound,
      especially in low- and middle-income countries and among the most disadvantaged
      populations. Innovative policy tools are needed to address the adverse health
      effects of climate change. Cash transfers are established policy tools for
      protecting population health before, during and after climate-related disasters.
      For example, the Ethiopian Productive Safety Net Programme provides cash
      transfers to reduce food insecurity resulting from droughts. We propose extending
      cash transfer interventions to more proactive measures to improve health in the
      context of climate change. We identify promising cash transfer schemes that could
      be used to prevent the adverse health consequences of climatic hazards. Cash
      transfers for using emission-free, active modes of transport - e.g. cash for
      cycling to work - could prevent future adverse health consequences by
      contributing to climate change mitigation and, at the same time, improving
      current population health. Another example is cash transfers provided to
      communities that decide to move to areas in which their lives and health are not
      threatened by climatic disasters. More research on such interventions is needed
      to ensure that they are effective, ethical, equitable and cost-effective.

PMID- 26478614
TI  - National health accounts data from 1996 to 2010: a systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To collect, compile and evaluate publicly available national health
      accounts (NHA) reports produced worldwide between 1996 and 2010. METHODS: We
      downloaded country-generated NHA reports from the World Health Organization
      global health expenditure database and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
      and Development (OECD) StatExtract website. We also obtained reports from Abt
      Associates, through contacts in individual countries and through an online
      search. We compiled data in the four main types used in these reports: (i)
      financing source; (ii) financing agent; (iii) health function; and (iv) health
      provider. We combined and adjusted data to conform with OECD's first edition of A
      system of health accounts manual, (2000). FINDINGS: We identified 872 NHA reports
      from 117 countries containing a total of 2936 matrices for the four data types.
      Most countries did not provide complete health expenditure data: only 252 of the
      872 reports contained data in all four types. Thirty-eight countries reported an
      average not-specified-by-kind value greater than 20% for all data types and
      years. Some countries reported substantial year-on-year changes in both the level
      and composition of health expenditure that were probably produced by data
      generation processes. All study data are publicly available at
      http://vizhub.healthdata.org/nha/. CONCLUSION: Data from NHA reports on health
      expenditure are often incomplete and, in some cases, of questionable quality.
      Better data would help finance ministries allocate resources to health systems,
      assist health ministries in allocating capital within the health sector and
      enable researchers to make accurate comparisons between health systems.

PMID- 26478616
TI  - Aggression in mental health settings: a case study in Ghana.

PMID- 26478618
TI  - Maximizing the impact of community-based practitioners in the quest for universal
      health coverage.

PMID- 26478619
TI  - Monitoring inequality: an emerging priority for health post-2015.

PMID- 26478615
TI  - Emergency care in 59 low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review of emergency care in low- and middle
      income countries (LMICs). METHODS: We searched PubMed, CINAHL and World Health
      Organization (WHO) databases for reports describing facility-based emergency care
      and obtained unpublished data from a network of clinicians and researchers. We
      screened articles for inclusion based on their titles and abstracts in English or
      French. We extracted data on patient outcomes and demographics as well as
      facility and provider characteristics. Analyses were restricted to reports
      published from 1990 onwards. FINDINGS: We identified 195 reports concerning 192
      facilities in 59 countries. Most were academically-affiliated hospitals in urban
      areas. The median mortality within emergency departments was 1.8% (interquartile
      range, IQR: 0.2-5.1%). Mortality was relatively high in paediatric facilities
      (median: 4.8%; IQR: 2.3-8.4%) and in sub-Saharan Africa (median: 3.4%; IQR: 0.5
      6.3%). The median number of patients was 30 000 per year (IQR: 10 296-60 000),
      most of whom were young (median age: 35 years; IQR: 6.9-41.0) and male (median:
      55.7%; IQR: 50.0-59.2%). Most facilities were staffed either by physicians-in
      training or by physicians whose level of training was unspecified. Very few of
      these providers had specialist training in emergency care. CONCLUSION: Available
      data on emergency care in LMICs indicate high patient loads and mortality,
      particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where a substantial proportion of all deaths
      may occur in emergency departments. The combination of high volume and the
      urgency of treatment make emergency care an important area of focus for
      interventions aimed at reducing mortality in these settings.

PMID- 26478621
TI  - Prevention is better than treatment.

PMID- 26478622
TI  - Realizing nurses' full potential.

PMID- 26478624
TI  - Transitioning to a national health system in Cyprus: a stakeholder analysis of
      pharmaceutical policy reform.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the pharmaceutical sector in Cyprus in terms of the
      availability and affordability of medicines and to explore pharmaceutical policy
      options for the national health system finance reform expected to be introduced
      in 2016. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews in April 2014 with
      senior representatives from seven key national organizations involved in
      pharmaceutical care. The captured data were coded and analysed using the
      predetermined themes of pricing, reimbursement, prescribing, dispensing and cost
      sharing. We also examined secondary data provided by the Cypriot Ministry of
      Health; these data included the prices and volumes of prescription medicines in
      2013. FINDINGS: We identified several key issues, including high medicine prices,
      underuse of generic medicines and high out-of-pocket drug spending. Most
      stakeholders recommended that the national government review existing pricing
      policies to ensure medicines within the forthcoming national health system are
      affordable and available, introduce a national reimbursement system and
      incentivize the prescribing and dispensing of generic medicines. There were
      disagreements over how to (i) allocate responsibilities to governmental agencies
      in the national health system, (ii) reconcile differences in opinion between
      stakeholders and (iii) raise awareness among patients, physicians and pharmacists
      about the benefits of greater generic drug use. CONCLUSION: In Cyprus, if the
      national health system is going to provide universal health coverage in a
      sustainable fashion, then the national government must address the current issues
      in the pharmaceutical sector. Importantly, the country will need to increase the
      market share of generic medicines to contain drug spending.

PMID- 26478623
TI  - Psychological distress and the perception of radiation risks: the Fukushima
      health management survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess relationships between the perception of radiation risks and
      psychological distress among evacuees from the Fukushima nuclear power plant
      disaster. METHODS: We analysed cross-sectional data from a survey of evacuees
      conducted in 2012. Psychological distress was classified as present or absent
      based on the K6 scale. Respondents recorded their views about the health risks of
      exposure to ionizing radiation, including immediate, delayed and genetic
      (inherited) health effects, on a four-point Likert scale. We examined
      associations between psychological distress and risk perception in logistic
      regression models. Age, gender, educational attainment, history of mental illness
      and the consequences of the disaster for employment and living conditions were
      potential confounders. FINDINGS: Out of the 180,604 people who received the
      questionnaire, we included 59,807 responses in our sample. There were 8717
      respondents reporting psychological distress. Respondents who believed that
      radiation exposure was very likely to cause health effects were significantly
      more likely to be psychologically distressed than other respondents: odds ratio
      (OR) 1.64 (99.9% confidence interval, CI: 1.42-1.89) for immediate effects; OR:
      1.48 (99.9% CI: 1.32-1.67) for delayed effects and OR: 2.17 (99.9% CI: 1.94-2.42)
      for genetic (inherited) effects. Similar results were obtained after controlling
      for individual characteristics and disaster-related stressors. CONCLUSION: Among
      evacuees of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, concern about radiation risks was
      associated with psychological distress.

PMID- 26478625
TI  - Eliminating artificial trans fatty acids in Argentina: estimated effects on the
      burden of coronary heart disease and costs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the impact of Argentine policies to reduce trans fatty
      acids (TFA) on coronary heart disease (CHD), disability-adjusted life years
      (DALYs) and associated health-care costs. METHODS: We estimated the baseline
      intake of TFA before 2004 to be 1.5% of total energy intake. We built a policy
      model including baseline intake of TFA, the oils and fats used to replace
      artificial TFAs, the clinical effect of reducing artificial TFAs and the costs
      and DALYs saved due to averted CHD events. To calculate the percentage of
      reduction of CHD, we calculated CHD risks on a population-based sample before and
      after implementation. The effect of the policies was modelled in three ways,
      based on projected changes: (i) in plasma lipid profiles; (ii) in lipid and
      inflammatory biomarkers; and (iii) the results of prospective cohort studies. We
      also estimated the present economic value of DALYs and associated health-care
      costs of coronary heart disease averted. FINDINGS: We estimated that projected
      changes in lipid profile would avert 301 deaths, 1066 acute CHD events, 5237
      DALYs and 17 million United States dollars (US$) in health-care costs annually.
      Based on the adverse effects of TFA intake reported in prospective cohort
      studies, 1517 deaths, 5373 acute CHD events, 26 394 DALYs and US$ 87 million
      would be averted annually. CONCLUSION: Even under the most conservative scenario,
      reduction of TFA intake had a substantial effect on public health. These findings
      will help inform decision-makers in Argentina and other countries on the
      potential public health and economic impact of this policy.

PMID- 26478626
TI  - Errors generated by a point-of-care CD4+ T-lymphocyte analyser: a retrospective
      observational study in nine countries.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the proportion of invalid results generated by a CD4+ T
      lymphocyte analyser used by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in field projects and
      identify factors associated with invalid results. METHODS: We collated 25,616
      CD4+ T-lymphocyte test results from 39 sites in nine countries for the years 2011
      to 2013. Information about the setting, user, training, sampling technique and
      device repair history were obtained by questionnaire. The analyser performs a
      series of checks to ensure that all steps of the analysis are completed
      successfully; if not, an invalid result is reported. We calculated the proportion
      of invalid results by device and by operator. Regression analyses were used to
      investigate factors associated with invalid results. FINDINGS: There were 3354
      invalid test results (13.1%) across 39 sites, for 58 Alere PimaTM devices and 180
      operators. The median proportion of errors per device and operator was 12.7%
      (interquartile range, IQR: 10.3-19.9) and 12.1% (IQR: 7.1-19.2), respectively.
      The proportion of invalid results varied widely by country, setting, user and
      device. Errors were not associated with settings, user experience or the number
      of users per device. Tests performed on capillary blood samples were
      significantly less likely to generate errors compared to venous whole blood.
      CONCLUSION: The Alere Pima CD4+ analyser generated a high proportion of invalid
      test results, across different countries, settings and users. Most error codes
      could be attributed to the operator, but the exact causes proved difficult to
      identify. Invalid results need to be factored into the implementation and
      operational costs of routine CD4+ T-lymphocyte testing.

PMID- 26478627
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of community-based practitioner programmes in Ethiopia,
      Indonesia and Kenya.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost-effectiveness of community-based practitioner
      programmes in Ethiopia, Indonesia and Kenya. METHODS: Incremental cost
      effectiveness ratios for the three programmes were estimated from a government
      perspective. Cost data were collected for 2012. Life years gained were estimated
      based on coverage of reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health services.
      For Ethiopia and Kenya, estimates of coverage before and after the implementation
      of the programme were obtained from empirical studies. For Indonesia, coverage of
      health service interventions was estimated from routine data. We used the Lives
      Saved Tool to estimate the number of lives saved from changes in reproductive,
      maternal, neonatal and child health-service coverage. Gross domestic product per
      capita was used as the reference willingness-to-pay threshold value. FINDINGS:
      The estimated incremental cost per life year gained was 82 international dollars
      ($)in Kenya, $999 in Ethiopia and $3396 in Indonesia. The results were most
      sensitive to uncertainty in the estimates of life-years gained. Based on the
      results of probabilistic sensitivity analysis, there was greater than 80%
      certainty that each programme was cost-effective. CONCLUSION: Community-based
      approaches are likely to be cost-effective for delivery of some essential health
      interventions where community-based practitioners operate within an integrated
      team supported by the health system. Community-based practitioners may be most
      appropriate in rural poor communities that have limited access to more qualified
      health professionals. Further research is required to understand which
      programmatic design features are critical to effectiveness.

PMID- 26478628
TI  - Road traffic crashes, injury and fatality trends in Sri Lanka: 1938-2013.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyse trends in road traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities
      over 75 years in Sri Lanka. METHODS: Data on road traffic crashes, injuries and
      fatalities between 1938 and 2013 were obtained from the Police Statistics Unit.
      Rates per 100,000 population were calculated and trends were analysed using
      joinpoint regression analysis. FINDINGS: Road traffic crashes and injuries rose
      substantially between 1938 and 2013: annual crashes increased from 61.2 to 183.6
      per 100,000 people; injuries, from 35.1 to 98.6 per 100,000; and fatalities, from
      3.0 to 10.8 per 100,000 people per year. Joinpoint analysis showed large
      fluctuations in crashes and injuries over time but the fatalities rose almost
      continuously. These fluctuations paralleled the country's political and economic
      development. In some years, better traffic law enforcement and improved public
      transportation may have been associated with reduced crashes and injuries,
      whereas rapid growth in vehicle numbers, especially two- and three-wheeled
      vehicles, may have contributed to increased crashes and injuries. In addition,
      insurance policies that did not require a police report to claim may have led to
      underreporting of crashes and allowed drivers to avoid prosecution. CONCLUSION:
      Fluctuations over time in road traffic crashes and injuries in Sri Lanka are
      associated with changes in political, economic and traffic policy. There is
      potential for reducing road traffic crashes and injuries through better traffic
      law enforcement, restrictions on the importation of two- and three-wheeled
      vehicles and policies to improve road safety and prevent underreporting of
      crashes.

PMID- 26478630
TI  - Disclosure of medical errors to patients in China.

PMID- 26478631
TI  - Honouring the value of people in public health: a different kind of p-value.

PMID- 26478632
TI  - Achieving universal health coverage.

PMID- 26478629
TI  - Data collection tools for maternal and child health in humanitarian emergencies:
      a systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe tools used for the assessment of maternal and child health
      issues in humanitarian emergency settings. METHODS: We systematically searched
      MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge and POPLINE databases for studies published between
      January 2000 and June 2014. We also searched the websites of organizations active
      in humanitarian emergencies. We included studies reporting the development or use
      of data collection tools concerning the health of women and children in
      humanitarian emergencies. We used narrative synthesis to summarize the studies.
      FINDINGS: We identified 100 studies: 80 reported on conflict situations and 20
      followed natural disasters. Most studies (76/100) focused on the health status of
      the affected population while 24 focused on the availability and coverage of
      health services. Of 17 different data collection tools identified, 14 focused on
      sexual and reproductive health, nine concerned maternal, newborn and child health
      and four were used to collect information on sexual or gender-based violence.
      Sixty-nine studies were done for monitoring and evaluation purposes, 18 for
      advocacy, seven for operational research and six for needs assessment.
      CONCLUSION: Practical and effective means of data collection are needed to inform
      life-saving actions in humanitarian emergencies. There are a wide variety of
      tools available, not all of which have been used in the field. A simplified,
      standardized tool should be developed for assessment of health issues in the
      early stages of humanitarian emergencies. A cluster approach is recommended, in
      partnership with operational researchers and humanitarian agencies, coordinated
      by the World Health Organization.

PMID- 26478633
TI  - Biological Activity Assessment in Mexican Tropical Soils with Different
      Hydrocarbon Contamination Histories.
AB  - The use of soil health indicators linked to microbial activities, such as key
      enzymes and respirometric profiles, helps assess the natural attenuation
      potential of soils contaminated with hydrocarbons. In this study, the intrinsic
      physicochemical characteristics, biological activity and biodegradation potential
      were recorded for two soils with different contamination histories (>5 years and
      <1 months). The enzymatic activity (lipase and dehydrogenase) as well as
      microbiological and mineralisation profiles were measured in contaminated soil
      samples. Soil suspensions were tested as microbial inocula in biodegradation
      potential assays using contaminated perlite as an inert support. The basal
      respiratory rate of the recently contaminated soil was 15-38 mg C-CO2 kg-1 h-1,
      while the weathered soil presented a greater basal mineralisation capacity of 55
      70 mg C-CO2 kg-1 h-1. The basal levels of lipase and dehydrogenase were
      significantly greater than those recorded in non-contaminated soils (551 +/- 21
      MUg pNP g-1). Regarding the biodegradation potential assessment, the lipase (1000
      3000 MUg pNP g-1 of perlite) and dehydrogenase (~3000 MUg INF g-1 of perlite)
      activities in the inoculum of the recently contaminated soil were greater than
      those recorded in the inoculum of the weathered soil. This was correlated with a
      high mineralisation rate (~30 mg C-CO2 kg-1 h-1) in the recently contaminated
      soil and a reduction in hydrocarbon concentration (~30 %). The combination of an
      inert support and enzymatic and respirometric analyses made it possible to detect
      the different biodegradation capacities of the studied inocula and the natural
      attenuation potential of a recently contaminated soil at high hydrocarbon
      concentrations.

PMID- 26478635
TI  - Soil Dehydrogenases as an Indicator of Contamination of the Environment with
      Petroleum Products.
AB  - The aim of the research was to compare the effects of various petroleum products,
      biodiesel, diesel oil, fuel oil and unleaded petrol on soil dehydrogenases, and
      to evaluate biostimulation with compost and urea in the restoration of
      homeostasis of the soil contaminated with these products. The obtained results
      allowed for defining the weight of dehydrogenases in monitoring of the
      environment subjected to pressure from petroleum hydrocarbons. The studies were
      carried out under laboratory conditions for 180 days, and loamy sand was the soil
      formation used in the experiment. The petroleum products were used in the
      following amounts: 0, 2, 4, 8 and 16 g kg-1 DM of soil. Indices of the influence
      of the petroleum product and the stimulating substance on the activity of
      dehydrogenases were calculated. It was proved that the petroleum products affect
      soil dehydrogenases in various ways. Biodiesel, diesel oil and fuel oil stimulate
      these enzymes, while petrol acts as an inhibitor. Among the substances tested
      regarding biostimulation of soils contaminated with petroleum products, compost
      is definitely more useful than urea, and therefore, the former should be used for
      the remediation of such soils. Stimulation of dehydrogenases by compost, both in
      contaminated and non-contaminated soils, proves that it may accelerate
      microbiological degradation of petroleum-derived contaminants.

PMID- 26478636
TI  - A note on recovering the distributions from exponential moments.
AB  - The problem of recovering a cumulative distribution function of a positive random
      variable via the scaled Laplace transform inversion is studied. The uniform upper
      bound of proposed approximation is derived. The approximation of a compound
      Poisson distribution as well as the estimation of a distribution function of the
      summands given the sample from a compound Poisson distribution are investigated.
      Applying the simulation study, the question of selecting the optimal scaling
      parameter of the proposed Laplace transform inversion is considered. The behavior
      of the approximants are demonstrated via plots and table.

PMID- 26478634
TI  - Over-the-Counter Monocyclic Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Environment
      Sources, Risks, Biodegradation.
AB  - Recently, the increased use of monocyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
      has resulted in their presence in the environment. This may have potential
      negative effects on living organisms. The biotransformation mechanisms of
      monocyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the human body and in other
      mammals occur by hydroxylation and conjugation with glycine or glucuronic acid.
      Biotransformation/biodegradation of monocyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
      drugs in the environment may be caused by fungal or bacterial microorganisms.
      Salicylic acid derivatives are degraded by catechol or gentisate as intermediates
      which are cleaved by dioxygenases. The key intermediate of the paracetamol
      degradation pathways is hydroquinone. Sometimes, after hydrolysis of this drug, 4
      aminophenol is formed, which is a dead-end metabolite. Ibuprofen is metabolized
      by hydroxylation or activation with CoA, resulting in the formation of
      isobutylocatechol. The aim of this work is to attempt to summarize the knowledge
      about environmental risk connected with the presence of over-the-counter anti
      inflammatory drugs, their sources and the biotransformation and/or biodegradation
      pathways of these drugs.

PMID- 26478637
TI  - QUANTIFIERS UNDONE: REVERSING PREDICTABLE SPEECH ERRORS IN COMPREHENSION.
AB  - Speakers predictably make errors during spontaneous speech. Listeners may
      identify such errors and repair the input, or their analysis of the input,
      accordingly. Two written questionnaire studies investigated error compensation
      mechanisms in sentences with doubled quantifiers such as Many students often turn
      in their assignments late. Results show a considerable number of undoubled
      interpretations for all items tested (though fewer for sentences containing
      doubled negation than for sentences containing many-often, every-always or few
      seldom.) This evidence shows that the compositional form-meaning pairing supplied
      by the grammar is not the only systematic mapping between form and meaning.
      Implicit knowledge of the workings of the performance systems provides an
      additional mechanism for pairing sentence form and meaning. Alternate accounts of
      the data based on either a concord interpretation or an emphatic interpretation
      of the doubled quantifier don't explain why listeners fail to apprehend the
      'extra meaning' added by the potentially redundant material only in limited
      circumstances.

PMID- 26478638
TI  - Research: The Power of Collaboration.

PMID- 26478639
TI  - Education: Integrating PTD Into Undergraduate Curricula.

PMID- 26478640
TI  - Do cognitive interventions alter the rate of age-related cognitive change?
AB  - There has recently been a great deal of interest in cognitive interventions,
      particularly when applied in older adults with the goal of slowing or reversing
      age-related cognitive decline. Although seldom directly investigated, one of the
      fundamental questions concerning interventions is whether the intervention alters
      the rate of cognitive change, or affects the level of certain cognitive measures
      with no effect on the trajectory of change. This question was investigated with a
      very simple intervention consisting of the performance of three versions
      (treatment) or one version (control) of the relevant cognitive tests at an
      initial occasion. Participants were retested at intervals ranging from less than
      1 to 12 years, which allowed rates of change to be examined in the control and
      treatment groups. Although the intervention can be considered modest,
      participants in the treatment group had about .25 standard deviations less
      negative cognitive change over an interval of approximately three years than
      those in the control group, which is comparable to effect sizes reported with
      more intensive interventions. However, there were no interactions of the
      intervention with length of the interval between occasions, and thus there was no
      evidence that the intervention affected the course of age-related cognitive
      decline.

PMID- 26478641
TI  - A Statistical Framework for the Analysis of ChIP-Seq Data.
AB  - Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-Seq) has
      revolutionalized experiments for genome-wide profiling of DNA-binding proteins,
      histone modifications, and nucleosome occupancy. As the cost of sequencing is
      decreasing, many researchers are switching from microarray-based technologies
      (ChIP-chip) to ChIP-Seq for genome-wide study of transcriptional regulation.
      Despite its increasing and well-deserved popularity, there is little work that
      investigates and accounts for sources of biases in the ChIP-Seq technology. These
      biases typically arise from both the standard pre-processing protocol and the
      underlying DNA sequence of the generated data. We study data from a naked DNA
      sequencing experiment, which sequences non-cross-linked DNA after deproteinizing
      and shearing, to understand factors affecting background distribution of data
      generated in a ChIP-Seq experiment. We introduce a background model that accounts
      for apparent sources of biases such as mappability and GC content and develop a
      flexible mixture model named MOSAiCS for detecting peaks in both one- and two
      sample analyses of ChIP-Seq data. We illustrate that our model fits observed ChIP
      Seq data well and further demonstrate advantages of MOSAiCS over commonly used
      tools for ChIP-Seq data analysis with several case studies.

PMID- 26478643
TI  - Estimating and interpreting latent variable interactions: A tutorial for applying
      the latent moderated structural equations method.
AB  - Latent variables are common in psychological research. Research questions
      involving the interaction of two variables are likewise quite common. Methods for
      estimating and interpreting interactions between latent variables within a
      structural equation modeling framework have recently become available. The latent
      moderated structural equations (LMS) method is one that is built into Mplus
      software. The potential utility of this method is limited by the fact that the
      models do not produce traditional model fit indices, standardized coefficients,
      or effect sizes for the latent interaction, which renders model fitting and
      interpretation of the latent variable interaction difficult. This article
      compiles state-of-the-science techniques for assessing LMS model fit, obtaining
      standardized coefficients, and determining the size of the latent interaction
      effect in order to create a tutorial for new users of LMS models. The recommended
      sequence of model estimation and interpretation is demonstrated via a substantive
      example and a Monte Carlo simulation. Finally, extensions of this method are
      discussed, such as estimating quadratic effects of latent factors and
      interactions between latent slope and intercept factors, which hold significant
      potential for testing and advancing developmental theories.

PMID- 26478642
TI  - The role of early visual attention in social development.
AB  - Faces convey important information about the social environment, and even very
      young infants are preferentially attentive to face-like over non-face stimuli.
      Eye-tracking studies have allowed researchers to examine which features of faces
      infants find most salient across development, and the present study examined
      scanning of familiar (i.e., mother) and unfamiliar (i.e., stranger) static faces
      at 6-, 9-, and 12-months-of-age. Infants showed a preference for scanning their
      mother's face as compared to a stranger's face, and displayed increased attention
      to the eye region as compared to the mouth region. Infants also showed patterns
      of decreased attention to eyes and increased attention to mouths between 6 and 12
      months. Associations between visual attention at 6, 9, and 12 months and the
      Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales DP (CSBS-DP) at 18 months were also
      examined, and a significant positive relation between attention to eyes at 6
      months and the social subscale of the CSBS-DP at 18 months was found. This effect
      was driven by infants' attention to their mother's eyes. No relations between
      face scanning in 9- and 12-month-olds and social outcome at 18 months were found.
      The potential for using individual differences in early infant face processing to
      predict later social outcome is discussed.

PMID- 26478644
TI  - Analyses of geological and hydrodynamic controls on methane emissions experienced
      in a Lower Kittanning coal mine.
AB  - This paper presents a study assessing potential factors and migration paths of
      methane emissions experienced in a room-and-pillar mine in Lower Kittanning coal,
      Indiana County, Pennsylvania. Methane emissions were not excessive at idle mining
      areas, but significant methane was measured during coal mining and loading.
      Although methane concentrations in the mine did not exceed 1% limit during
      operation due to the presence of adequate dilution airflow, the source of methane
      and its migration into the mine was still a concern. In the course of this study,
      structural and depositional properties of the area were evaluated to assess
      complexity and sealing capacity of roof rocks. Composition, gas content, and
      permeability of Lower Kittanning coal, results of flotation tests, and
      geochemistry of groundwater obtained from observation boreholes were studied to
      understand the properties of coal and potential effects of old abandoned mines
      within the same area. These data were combined with the data obtained from
      exploration boreholes, such as depths, elevations, thicknesses, ash content, and
      heat value of coal. Univariate statistical and principal component analyses
      (PCA), as well as geostatistical simulations and co-simulations, were performed
      on various spatial attributes to reveal interrelationships and to establish area
      wide distributions. These studies helped in analyzing groundwater quality and
      determining gas-in-place (GIP) of the Lower Kittanning seam. Furthermore,
      groundwater level and head on the Lower Kittanning coal were modeled and flow
      gradients within the study area were examined. Modeling results were interpreted
      with the structural geology of the Allegheny Group of formations above the Lower
      Kittanning coal to understand the potential source of gas and its migration
      paths. Analyses suggested that the source of methane was likely the overlying
      seams such as the Middle and Upper Kittanning coals and Freeport seams of the
      Allegheny Group. Simulated ground-water water elevations, gradients of
      groundwater flow, and the presence of recharge and discharge locations at very
      close proximity to the mine indicated that methane likely was carried with
      groundwater towards the mine entries. Existing fractures within the overlying
      strata and their orientation due to the geologic conditions of the area, and
      activation of slickensides between shale and sandstones due to differential
      compaction during mining, were interpreted as the potential flow paths.

PMID- 26478645
TI  - Tobacco Use among Foster Youth: Evidence of Health Disparities.
AB  - Youth aging out of foster care face a challenging road to independence. Following
      exposure to myriad risk factors such as abuse, neglect, parental substance use,
      and severe housing mobility, supportive services decrease upon exit from care,
      often increasing risk for substance use, homelessness, and unemployment. Although
      tobacco use is also highly prevalent, little attention has been paid to
      screening, assessment, and treatment of tobacco use in this vulnerable group. The
      current study (N = 116) reports on tobacco use prevalence, consequences, and co
      occurrence with other substances in a sample of youth (ages 18 to 19) exiting the
      foster care system. In the face of an overall decrease in tobacco use among
      general population adolescents and young adults, results suggest disproportionate
      levels of lifetime, recent, and daily use among foster youth. Prevalence of
      recent tobacco use (46%) is nearly triple national rates, while daily smoking
      (32%) is almost four times that of general population young adults. Tobacco users
      were more likely than non-users to drink (70% vs. 40%) and to smoke marijuana
      (72% vs. 25%). We strongly encourage researchers and practitioners to increase
      attention to this tobacco-related health disparity.

PMID- 26478646
TI  - Implicit versus Explicit Rejection Self-Perceptions and Adolescents'
      Interpersonal Functioning.
AB  - We investigated associations between implicit and explicit self-perceptions of
      rejection with interpersonal functioning in close relationships. Adolescents
      (N=124) reported their explicit rejection self-perceptions on a questionnaire and
      completed the Implicit Association Test to assess their implicit rejection self
      perceptions. After controlling for implicit self-perceptions, adolescents'
      explicit rejection self-perceptions were associated with the adolescents self
      reporting more negative relationship quality with close friends and self
      reporting more negative behaviors with romantic partners. After controlling for
      explicit self-perceptions, adolescents' implicit rejection self-perceptions were
      associated with their romantic partners reporting more negative relationship
      quality with them, and observations of adolescents displaying more negative
      behaviors with romantic partners. Implicit and explicit rejection self
      perceptions uniquely explain individual differences in interpersonal behaviors.

PMID- 26478647
TI  - Contemporary Work and Family Issues Affecting Marriage and Cohabitation Among Low
      Income Single Mothers.
AB  - In this paper, we advance and test an integrative model of the effects of
      employment status, nonstandard work schedules, male employment, and women's
      perceptions of economic instability on union formation among low-income single
      mothers. Based on longitudinal data from 1,299 low-income mothers from the 3-city
      Welfare Study, results indicate that employment status alone is not significantly
      associated with whether women marry or cohabit. We find that nonemployed mothers
      and mothers working nonstandard schedules were less likely to marry compared to
      those working standard schedules. Mothers' perceptions of economic well-being
      were associated with marriage at Wave 2. In contrast, cohabitation outcomes were
      not explained by economic factors, but were related to the perception of child
      care support. The policy implications of these results are discussed, in
      particular, as they relate to welfare reform's work and family goals.

PMID- 26478648
TI  - Parental Incarceration as a Risk Factor for Children in Homeless Families.
AB  - The current study aimed to describe the prevalence of children of incarcerated
      parents (COIP) in a sample of homeless/highly mobile children, examine the
      relationship between parental incarceration and other risk factors, and
      investigate the effect of parental incarceration on child academic and mental
      health outcomes. The authors compared COIP (n = 45) to children whose parents
      were never incarcerated (n = 93) within a sample of 138, 4- to 7-year-old
      ethnically diverse children residing in emergency homeless shelters. Children's
      caregivers provided information about children's history of parental
      incarceration and other family experiences. Children's teachers reported academic
      and mental health outcomes in the subsequent school year. Compared to children
      with no history of parental incarceration, COIP experienced more negative life
      events. Regression models revealed that a history of parental incarceration was a
      significant predictor of teacher-reported internalizing problems. These results
      have implications for the identification and treatment of the highest risk
      homeless/highly mobile children.

PMID- 26478649
TI  - ASSIMILATION CHOICES AMONG IMMIGRANT FAMILIES: DOES SCHOOL CONTEXT MATTER?
AB  - This paper explores the relationship between social context, measured in terms of
      school characteristics, and the assimilation of immigrant adolescents. First, it
      develops a measure of assimilation based on comparing immigrant adolescents to
      native peers within the same school. Second, it investigates whether immigrant
      adolescents' degree of assimilation varies systematically according to school
      SES. Third, it explores the role of parental and adolescent behavior in creating
      such variation. Results show that both Asian and Hispanic immigrant youth are
      less assimilated to native youths' substance use and delinquency patterns in
      lower-SES schools. This association can be explained by parenting behaviors and
      adolescent friendship choices for Asian youth, but not Hispanic youth.

PMID- 26478650
TI  - Genus Ranges of Chord Diagrams.
AB  - A chord diagram consists of a circle, called the backbone, with line segments,
      called chords, whose endpoints are attached to distinct points on the circle. The
      genus of a chord diagram is the genus of the orientable surface obtained by
      thickening the backbone to an annulus and attaching bands to the inner boundary
      circle at the ends of each chord. Variations of this construction are considered
      here, where bands are possibly attached to the outer boundary circle of the
      annulus. The genus range of a chord diagram is the genus values over all such
      variations of surfaces thus obtained from a given chord diagram. Genus ranges of
      chord diagrams for a fixed number of chords are studied. Integer intervals that
      can be, and those that cannot be, realized as genus ranges are investigated.
      Computer calculations are presented, and play a key role in discovering and
      proving the properties of genus ranges.

PMID- 26478651
TI  - Why does Income Relate to Depressive Symptoms? Testing the Income Rank Hypothesis
      Longitudinally.
AB  - This paper reports a test of the relative income rank hypothesis of depression,
      according to which it is the rank position of an individual's income amongst a
      comparison group, rather than the individual's absolute income, that will be
      associated with depressive symptoms. A new methodology is developed to test
      between psychosocial and material explanations of why income relates to well
      being. This method was used to test the income rank hypothesis as applied to
      depressive symptoms. We used data from a cohort of 10,317 individuals living in
      Wisconsin who completed surveys in 1992 and 2003. The utility assumed to arise
      from income was represented with a constant relative risk aversion function to
      overcome limitations of previous work in which inadequate specification of the
      relationship between absolute income and well-being may have inappropriately
      favoured relative income specifications. We compared models in which current and
      future depressive symptoms were predicted from: (a) income utility alone, (b)
      income rank alone, (c) the transformed difference between the individual's income
      and the mean income of a comparison group and (d) income utility, income rank and
      distance from the mean jointly. Model comparison overcomes problems involving
      multi-collinearity amongst the predictors. A rank-only model was consistently
      supported. Similar results were obtained for the association between depressive
      symptoms and wealth and rank of wealth in a cohort of 32,900 British individuals
      who completed surveys in 2002 and 2008. We conclude that it is the rank of a
      person's income or wealth within a social comparison group, rather than income or
      wealth themselves or their deviations from the mean within a reference group,
      that is more strongly associated with depressive symptoms.

PMID- 26478652
TI  - Formal Laurent series in several variables.
AB  - We explain the construction of fields of formal infinite series in several
      variables, generalizing the classical notion of formal Laurent series in one
      variable. Our discussion addresses the field operations for these series
      (addition, multiplication, and division), the composition, and includes an
      implicit function theorem.

PMID- 26478653
TI  - Measurement of Behavioral and Emotional Outcomes of Youth in Foster Care:
      Investigation of the Roles of Age and Placement Type.
AB  - The Behavioral Assessment System for Children-2 (BASC-2) is used to assess
      behavioral and emotional outcomes for youth. Research providing evidence for use
      of the BASC-2 parent-report form historically has included biological parents
      reporting on their children (Reynolds and Kamphaus 2004). For youth residing in
      out-of-home placements through enrollment in foster care, caregivers reporting on
      their functioning may include foster parents or residential staff. Given the
      significant adverse mental health outcomes for youth in foster care and the need
      to adequately assess adjustment in foster care, the purpose of the study was to
      evaluate the measurement properties of caregivers' report on the parent report
      form (PRS) of the BASC-2 in foster care youth. Using 479 respondents, a
      measurement model was fit to the data demonstrating adequate fit across
      Internalizing Problems, Externalizing Problems, and Adaptive Skills. Further, a
      comparison of measurement properties across child and adolescent groups and
      groups of youth residing in residential facilities versus foster homes was
      conducted. Factorial invariance and latent means also were assessed. The BASC-2
      PRS was found to be an adequate assessment of psychological outcomes for youth in
      foster care when completed by foster parents or residential facility staff.

PMID- 26478654
TI  - Identifying Shared Latent Dimensions of Psychological Symptoms: Implications for
      the Psychological Correlates of Smoking.
AB  - Shared latent dimensions may account for the co-occurrence of multiple forms of
      psychological dysfunction. However, this conceptualization has rarely been
      integrated into the smoking literature, despite high levels of psychological
      symptoms in smokers. In this study, we used confirmatory factor analysis to
      compare three models (1-factor, 2-factor [internalizing-externalizing], and 3
      factor [low positive affect-negative affect-disinhibition]) of relations among
      nine measures of affective and behavioral symptoms implicated in smoking spanning
      depression, anxiety, happiness, anhedonia, ADHD, aggression, and alcohol use
      disorder symptoms. We then examined associations of scores from each of the
      manifest scales and the latent factors from the best-fitting model to several
      smoking characteristics (i.e., experimentation, lifetime established smoking
      [>=100 cigarettes lifetime], age of smoking onset, cigarettes/day, nicotine
      dependence, and past nicotine withdrawal). We used two samples: (1) College
      Students (N =288; mean age =20; 75 % female) and (2) Adult Daily Smokers (N=338;
      mean age=44; 32 % female). In both samples, the 3-factor model separating latent
      dimensions of deficient positive affect, negative affect, and disinhibition fit
      best. In the college students, the disinhibition factor and its respective
      indicators significantly associated with lifetime smoking. In the daily smokers,
      low positive and high negative affect factors and their respective indicators
      positively associated with cigarettes/day and nicotine withdrawal symptom
      severity. These findings suggest that shared features of psychological symptoms
      may be parsimonious explanations of how multiple manifestations of psychological
      dysfunction play a role in smoking. Implications for research and treatment of co
      occurring psychological symptoms and smoking are discussed.

PMID- 26478655
TI  - Childhood adversities and adult use of potentially injurious physical discipline
      in Japan.
AB  - Using data derived from the World Mental Health Japan Survey (n = 1,186), this
      study examined the intergenerational continuity of potentially injurious physical
      discipline of children in a community sample from Japan with a special focus on
      the confounding effects of 11 other types of childhood adversities (CAs) and the
      intervening effects of mental disorders and socioeconomic status. Bivariate
      analyses revealed that having experienced physical discipline as children and
      five other CAs was significantly associated with the use of physical discipline
      as parents in the Japanese community examined. However, childhood physical
      discipline was the only CA that remained significant after adjusting for the
      other CAs. The association of childhood physical discipline with adult
      perpetration was independent of the respondents' mental disorders and household
      income. No significant gender differences were found in the associations between
      childhood physical discipline and adult perpetration. The current study on Japan
      provided empirical support consistent with results found in other countries
      regarding the intergenerational transmission of child physical abuse.

PMID- 26478656
TI  - The Comorbid and Individual Impacts of Maternal Depression and Substance
      Dependence on Parenting and Child Behavior Problems.
AB  - Maternal depression, substance dependence, and the comorbidity of these
      conditions are highly prevalent risk factors among families involved with Child
      Protective Services (CPS). Data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent
      Well-Being I (NSCAW I) were analyzed to examine the influence of maternal
      substance dependence, depression, and comorbidity on parenting and child behavior
      over 36-months among children reported to CPS who remained in the home at all
      waves. Although neglect and child behavior problems were highest for mothers with
      comorbidity at baseline, mothers with substance dependence had the poorest self
      reported parenting and child behavior problems over time. Results indicate a need
      for intensive targeted services to address the complex needs of CPS-involved
      mothers with substance dependence and their in-home children.

PMID- 26478657
TI  - Discrepant Alcohol Use, Intimate Partner Violence, and Relationship Adjustment
      among Lesbian Women and their Relationship Partners.
AB  - This study examined the association between relationship adjustment and
      discrepant alcohol use among lesbian women and their same-sex intimate partners
      after controlling for verbal and physical aggression. Lesbian women (N = 819) who
      were members of online marketing research panels completed an online survey in
      which they reported both their own and same-sex intimate partner's alcohol use,
      their relationship adjustment, and their own and their partner's physical
      aggression and psychological aggression (i.e., verbal aggression and
      dominance/isolation). Partners' alcohol use was moderately correlated.
      Discrepancy in alcohol use was associated with poorer relationship adjustment
      after controlling for psychological aggression and physical aggression. Results
      are discussed in terms of the similarity and differences with previous literature
      primarily focused on heterosexual couples.

PMID- 26478658
TI  - Statistical Learning is Related to Early Literacy-Related Skills.
AB  - It has been demonstrated that statistical learning, or the ability to use
      statistical information to learn the structure of one's environment, plays a role
      in young children's acquisition of linguistic knowledge. Although most research
      on statistical learning has focused on language acquisition processes, such as
      the segmentation of words from fluent speech and the learning of syntactic
      structure, some recent studies have explored the extent to which individual
      differences in statistical learning are related to literacy-relevant knowledge
      and skills. The present study extends on this literature by investigating the
      relations between two measures of statistical learning and multiple measures of
      skills that are critical to the development of literacy-oral language, vocabulary
      knowledge, and phonological processing-within a single model. Our sample included
      a total of 553 typically developing children from prekindergarten through second
      grade. Structural equation modeling revealed that statistical learning accounted
      for a unique portion of the variance in these literacy-related skills. Practical
      implications for instruction and assessment are discussed.

PMID- 26478659
TI  - Modern diagnostics for type B aortic dissection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Undifferentiated chest pain is one of the most common complaints in
      the acute care setting. Type B aortic dissection is an important cause of chest
      pain and a complex clinical entity, which carries significant morbidity and
      mortality and requires accurate clinical and radiological evaluation. METHODS:
      Imaging technologies have become an irreplaceable tool to establish the diagnosis
      of aortic dissection and to plan treatment strategies. Computed tomography is an
      important component in this process, replacing catheter-based angiography as the
      most commonly used preoperative and postoperative imaging modality for the
      thoracic aorta. The use of functional imaging methods, such as magnetic resonance
      imaging and echocardiography is evolving. These methods are able to provide the
      clinically relevant anatomical, hemodynamic and biomechanical information that is
      necessary for accurate diagnosis, risk stratification and patient selection for
      treatment. CONCLUSION: Advanced image acquisition equipment and expertise are
      increasingly available in a growing number of institutions and as a consequence,
      existing strategies for the management of type B dissection are rapidly evolving.

PMID- 26478660
TI  - Chimpanzee Cognitive Control.
AB  - Cognitive control processes are a feature of human cognition. Recent comparative
      tests have shown that some nonhuman animals also might share aspects of cognitive
      control with humans. Two of the executive processes that constitute cognitive
      control are metacognition and self-control, and recent experiments with
      chimpanzees are described that demonstrate metacognitive monitoring and control
      when these animals engage in an information-seeking task. Chimpanzees also show
      strategic responding in a self-control task by exhibiting self-distraction as an
      aid to delay of gratification. These demonstrations indicate continuity with
      similar human cognitive capacities, and the performances of chimpanzees in these
      kinds of tests have implications for considering the nature of the intelligence
      of these animals.

PMID- 26478661
TI  - Modification of Bacterial Cellulose with Organosilanes to Improve Attachment and
      Spreading of Human Fibroblasts.
AB  - Bacterial Cellulose (BC) synthesized by Acetobacter xylinum has been a promising
      candidate for medical applications. Modifying BC to possess the properties needed
      for specific applications has been reported. In this study, BCs functionalized by
      organosilanes were hypothesized to improve the attachment and spreading of Normal
      Human Dermal Fibroblast (NHDF). The BC gels obtained from biosynthesis were dried
      by either ambient-air drying or freeze drying. The surfaces of those dried BCs
      were chemically modified by grafting methyl terminated octadecyltrichlorosilane
      (OTS) or amine terminated 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) to expectedly
      increase hydrophobic or electrostatic interactions with NHDF cells, respectively.
      NHDF cells improved their attachment and spreading on the majority of APTES
      modified BCs (~70-80% of area coverage by cells) with more rapid growth (~2.6
      2.8* after incubations from 24 to 48h) than on tissue culture polystyrene (~2*);
      while the inverse results (< 5% of area coverage and stationary growth) were
      observed on the OTS-modified BCs. For organosilane modified BCs, the drying
      method had no effect on in vitro cell attachment/spreading behaviors.

PMID- 26478662
TI  - Advanced pancreatic cancer - how to choose an adequate treatment option.
AB  - The prognosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma is poor, making it one of the leading
      causes of cancer-related death. The 5-year overall survival rate remains below 5%
      and little progress is made during the past decade. Only about 10%-20% of
      patients are eligible for curative-intent surgery and the majority end up having
      recurring disease even after radical surgery and postoperative adjuvant
      chemotherapy. Chemotherapy in metastatic disease is palliative at best, aiming at
      disease and symptom control and prolongation of life. Treatment always causes
      side effects, the degree of which varies from patient to patient, depending on
      the patient's general condition, concomitant morbidities as well as on the chosen
      treatment modality. Why is pancreatic cancer so resistant to treatment? How to
      best help the patient to reach the set treatment goals? 

PMID- 26478663
TI  - Hepatitis B virus infection in Indonesia.
AB  - Approximately 240 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus
      (HBV), 75% of whom reside in Asia. Approximately 600000 of infected patients die
      each year due to HBV-related diseases or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The
      endemicity of hepatitis surface antigen in Indonesia is intermediate to high with
      a geographical difference. The risk of HBV infection is high in hemodialysis (HD)
      patients, men having sex with men, and health care workers. Occult HBV infection
      has been detected in various groups such as blood donors, HD patients, and HIV
      infected individuals and children. The most common HBV subgenotype in Indonesia
      is B3 followed by C1. Various novel subgenotypes of HBV have been identified
      throughout Indonesia, with the novel HBV subgenotypes C6-C16 and D6 being
      successfully isolated. Although a number of HBV subgenotypes have been discovered
      in Indonesia, genotype-related pathogenicity has not yet been elucidated in
      detail. Therefore, genotype-related differences in the prognosis of liver disease
      and their effects on treatments need to be determined. A previous study conducted
      in Indonesia revealed that hepatic steatosis was associated with disease
      progression. Pre-S2 mutations and mutations at C1638T and T1753V in HBV/B3 have
      been associated with advanced liver diseases including HCC. However, drug
      resistance to lamivudine, which is prominent in Indonesia, remains obscure.
      Although the number of studies on HBV in Indonesia has been increasing, adequate
      databases on HBV infection are limited. We herein provided an overview of the
      epidemiology and clinical characteristics of HBV infection in Indonesia.

PMID- 26478664
TI  - Restoring homeostasis of CD4+ T cells in hepatitis-B-virus-related liver
      fibrosis.
AB  - Immune-mediated liver injury is widely seen during hepatitis B virus (HBV)
      infection. Unsuccessful immune clearance of HBV results in chronic hepatitis and
      increases the risk of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV-related
      liver fibrosis (HBVLF), occurring as a result of HBV-induced chronic hepatitis,
      is a reversible, intermediate stage of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and liver
      cirrhosis. Therefore, defining the pathogenesis of HBVLF is of practical
      significance for achieving better clinical outcomes. Recently, the homeostasis of
      CD4(+) T cells was considered to be pivotal in the process of HBVLF. To better
      uncover the underlying mechanisms, in this review, we systematically retrospect
      the impacts of different CD4(+) T-cell subsets on CHB and HBVLF. We emphasize
      CD4(+) T-cell homeostasis and the important balance between regulatory T (Treg)
      and T helper 17 (Th17) cells. We discuss some cytokines associated with Treg and
      Th17 cells such as interleukin (IL)-17, IL-22, IL-21, IL-23, IL-10, IL-35 and IL
      33, as well as surface molecules such as programmed cell death protein 1,
      cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4, T cell immunoglobulin domain and
      mucin domain-containing molecule 3 and cannabinoid receptor 2 that have potential
      therapeutic implications for the homeostasis of CD4(+) T cells in CHB and HBVLF.

PMID- 26478665
TI  - Molecular mechanism of hepatitis B virus X protein function in
      hepatocarcinogenesis.
AB  - Many factors are considered to contribute to hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), including products of HBV, HBV integration and
      mutation, and host susceptibility. HBV X protein (HBx) can interfere with several
      signaling pathways associated with cell proliferation and invasion, and HBx C
      terminal truncation has been suggested to impact the development of HCC. This
      review focuses on the pathological functions of HBx in HBV-induced
      hepatocarcinogenesis. As a transactivator, HBx can affect regulatory non-coding
      RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs and long ncRNAs. HBx is also involved in
      epigenetic modification and DNA repair. HBx interacts with various signal
      transduction pathways, such as the p53, Wnt, and nuclear factor-kappaB pathways.
      We conclude that HBx hastens the development of hepatoma. 

PMID- 26478666
TI  - Immune and non-immune responses to hepatitis C virus infection.
AB  - The host innate and adaptive immune systems are involved in nearly every step of
      hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In patients, the outcome is determined by a
      series of complex host-virus interactions, whether it is a natural infection or
      results from clinical intervention. Strong and persistent CD8(+) and CD4(+) T
      cell responses are critical in HCV clearance, as well as cytokine-induced factors
      that can directly inhibit virus replication. Newly available direct-acting
      antivirals (DAAs) are very effective in viral clearance in patients. DAA
      treatment may further result in the down-regulation of programmed death-1,
      leading to rapid restoration of HCV-specific CD8(+) T cell functions. In this
      review, we focus on recent studies that address the host responses critical for
      viral clearance and disease resolution. Additional discussion is devoted to the
      prophylactic vaccine development as well as to current efforts aimed at
      understanding the host innate responses against HCV infection. Current theories
      on how the ubiquitin system and interferon-stimulated genes may affect HCV
      replication are also discussed. 

PMID- 26478667
TI  - Hepatitis C virus markers in infection by hepatitis C virus: In the era of
      directly acting antivirals.
AB  - About 130-170 million people are infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV)
      worldwide and more than 350000 people die each year of HCV-related liver
      diseases. The combination of pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV)
      was recommended as the treatment of choice for chronic hepatitis C for nearly a
      decade. In 2011 the directly acting antivirals (DAA) HCV NS3/4A protease
      inhibitors, telaprevir and boceprevir, were approved to treat HCV-genotype-1
      infection, each in triple combination with Peg-IFN and RBV. These treatments
      allowed higher rates of SVR than the double Peg-IFN + RBV, but the low
      tolerability and high pill burden of these triple regimes were responsible for
      reduced adherence and early treatment discontinuation. The second and third wave
      DAAs introduced in 2013-2014 enhanced the efficacy and tolerability of anti-HCV
      treatment. Consequently, the traditional indicators for disease management and
      predictors of treatment response should be revised in light of these new
      therapeutic options. This review article will focus on the use of the markers of
      HCV infection and replication, of laboratory and instrumental data to define the
      stage of the disease and of predictors, if any, of response to therapy in the DAA
      era. The article is addressed particularly to physicians who have patients with
      hepatitis C in care in their everyday clinical practice. 

PMID- 26478669
TI  - Modulation of host lipid metabolism by hepatitis C virus: Role of new therapies.
AB  - It is well established that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and replication
      relies on host lipid metabolism. HCV proteins interact and associate with lipid
      droplets to facilitate virion assembly and production. Besides, circulating
      infective particles are associated with very low-density lipoprotein. On the
      other hand, higher serum lipid levels have been associated with sustained viral
      response to pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy in chronic HCV infection,
      suggesting a relevant role in viral clearance for host proteins. Host and viral
      genetic factors play an essential role in chronic infection. Lipid metabolism is
      hijacked by viral infection and could determine the success of viral replication.
      Recently development of direct acting antiviral agents has shown a very high
      efficacy (> 90%) in sustained viral response rates even for cirrhotic patients
      and most of the viral genotypes. HCV RNA clearance induced by Sofosbuvir has been
      associated with an increased concentration and size of the low-density
      lipoprotein particles. In this review, host genetic factors, viral factors and
      the interaction between them will be depicted to clarify the major issues
      involved in viral infection and lipid metabolism. 

PMID- 26478668
TI  - Impact of new treatment options for hepatitis C virus infection in liver
      transplantation.
AB  - Liver transplant candidates and recipients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related
      liver disease greatly benefit from an effective antiviral therapy. The
      achievement of a sustained virological response before transplantation can
      prevent the recurrence of post-transplant HCV disease that occurs universally and
      correlates with enhanced progression to graft cirrhosis. Previous standard-of
      care regimens (e.g., pegylated-interferon plus ribavirin with or without first
      generation protease inhibitors, boceprevir and telaprevir) displayed suboptimal
      results and poor tolerance in liver transplant recipients. A new class of potent
      direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA) characterized by all-oral regimens with
      minimal side effects has been approved and included in the recent guidelines for
      the treatment of liver transplant recipients with recurrent HCV disease.
      Association of sofosbuvir with ribavirin and/or ledipasvir is recommended in
      liver transplant recipients and patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Other
      regimens include simeprevir, daclatasvir, and combination of other DAA. Possible
      interactions should be monitored, especially in coinfected human immunodeficiency
      virus/HCV patients receiving antiretrovirals. 

PMID- 26478670
TI  - What's new in hepatitis C virus infections in children?
AB  - The number of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection cases is relatively low in
      children. This low number may be connected with the lack of screening tests and
      the asymptomatic course of infection. Currently, mother-to-infant transmission is
      the most common cause of HCV infection amongst children in developed countries.
      It is important to introduce routine screening tests for HCV in pregnant women.
      The risk of vertical transmission of HCV is estimated at approximately 5% (3%
      10%). Currently, we do not have HCV transmission prevention methods. Some factors
      could potentially be eliminated by elective caesarean section. Currently, the
      method of prevention of perinatal HCV infection is the early identification and
      effective treatment of infections in young women in the preconception period. We
      describe genetic tests (IL-28B single nucleotide polymorphisms) to identify
      children with an increased chance of spontaneous clearance or sustained virologic
      response achievement and vitamin D level as a potential predictor of treatment
      response in children. It is also important to develop non-invasive tests that can
      predict liver fibrosis. The existence of differences in the mechanisms leading to
      liver injury between children and adults creates new perspectives of action to
      reduce liver disease progression in children in the early years of life. 

PMID- 26478671
TI  - Epidemiology of hepatitis C virus in Iran.
AB  - In Iran, the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is relatively low
      according to the population-based epidemiological studies. However, the
      epidemiology of HCV is changing and the rate of HCV infection is increasing due
      to the growth in the number of injecting drug users in the society. In addition,
      a shift has occurred in the distribution pattern of HCV genotypes among HCV
      infected patients in Iran. Genotype 1a is the most prevalent genotype in Iran,
      but in recent years, an increase in the frequency of 3a and a decrease in 1a and
      1b have been reported. These variations in the epidemiology of HCV reflect
      differences in the routes of transmission, status of public health, lifestyles,
      and risk factors in different groups and geographic regions of Iran. Health
      policy makers should consider these differences to establish better strategies
      for control and prevention of HCV infection. Therefore, this review was conducted
      to present a clear view regarding the current epidemiology of HCV infection in
      Iran. 

PMID- 26478673
TI  - Review of single incision laparoscopic surgery in colorectal surgery.
AB  - As surgical techniques continue to move towards less invasive techniques, single
      incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS), a hybrid between traditional multiport
      laparoscopy and natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery, was introduced
      to further the enhanced outcomes of multiport laparoscopy. The safety and
      feasibility of SILS for both benign and malignant colorectal disease has been
      proven. SILS provides the potential for improved cosmesis, postoperative pain,
      recovery time, and quality of life at the drawback of higher technical skill
      required. In this article, we review the history, describe the available
      technology and techniques, and evaluate the benefits and limitations of SILS for
      colorectal surgery in the published literature. 

PMID- 26478672
TI  - Injecting drug use: A vector for the introduction of new hepatitis C virus
      genotypes.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes' monitoring allows real-time insight into the
      dynamic changes that occur in the global epidemiological picture of HCV
      infection. Intravenous drug use is currently the primary driver for HCV
      transmission in developed and developing countries. The distribution of HCV
      genotypes/subtypes differs significantly between people who inject drugs (PWID)
      and the general population. HCV genotypes that previously exhibited a limited
      geographical distribution (3a, 4) are becoming more prevalent in this high-risk
      group. Immigration from HCV-endemic countries and the evolving networks of HCV
      transmission in PWID influence HCV genotypes distribution in Europe. Social
      vulnerabilities (e.g., unemployment, homelessness, and limited access to social
      and healthcare insurances systems) are important triggers for illicit drug use,
      which increases the associated risks of HCV infection and the frequent emergence
      of less prevalent genotypes. Genotype/subtype determination bears important
      clinical consequences in the progression of liver disease, susceptibility to
      antiviral therapies and the emergence of resistance-associated variants. An
      estimated half of the chronically HCV-infected PWID are unaware of their
      infection, and only one in ten of those diagnosed enter treatment. Nevertheless,
      PWID exhibit high response rates to new antiviral regimens, and the level of HCV
      reinfection is unexpectedly low. The focus of the healthcare system must be on
      the early detection and treatment of infection, to avoid late presentations that
      are associated with high levels of viremia and liver fibrosis, which may diminish
      the therapeutic success rate. 

PMID- 26478674
TI  - Data analyses and perspectives on laparoscopic surgery for esophageal achalasia.
AB  - In general, the treatment methods for esophageal achalasia are largely classified
      into four groups, including drug therapy using nitrite or a calcium channel
      blocker, botulinum toxin injection, endoscopic therapy such as endoscopic balloon
      dilation, and surgery. Various studies have suggested that the most effective
      treatment of esophageal achalasia is surgical therapy. The basic concept of this
      surgical therapy has not changed since Heller proposed esophageal myotomy for the
      purpose of resolution of lower esophageal obstruction for the first time in 1913,
      but the most common approach has changed from open-chest surgery to laparoscopic
      surgery. Currently, the laparoscopic surgery has been the procedure of choice for
      the treatment of esophageal achalasia. During the process of the transition from
      open-chest surgery to laparotomy, to thoracoscopic surgery, and to laparoscopic
      surgery, the necessity of combining antireflux surgery has been recognized. There
      is some debate as to which type of antireflux surgery should be selected. The
      Toupet fundoplication may be the most effective in prevention of postoperative
      antireflux, but many medical institutions have selected the Dor fundoplication
      which covers the mucosal surface exposed by myotomy. Recently, a new endoscopic
      approach, peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), has received attention. Future
      studies should examine the long-term outcomes and whether POEM becomes the gold
      standard for the treatment of esophageal achalasia. 

PMID- 26478675
TI  - Aberrant expression of peroxiredoxin 1 and its clinical implications in liver
      cancer.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the expression characteristics of peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1)
      mRNA and protein in liver cancer cell lines and tissues. METHODS: The RNA
      sequencing data from 374 patients with liver cancer were obtained from The Cancer
      Genome Atlas. The expression and clinical characteristics of PRDX1 mRNA were
      analyzed in this dataset. The Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression survival analysis
      was performed to determine the relationship between PRDX1 levels and patient
      survival. Subcellular fractionation and Western blotting were used to demonstrate
      the expression of PRDX1 protein in six liver cancer cell lines and 29 paired
      fresh tissue specimens. After bioinformatics prediction, a putative post
      translational modification form of PRDX1 was observed using immunofluorescence
      under confocal microscopy and immunoprecipitation analysis in liver cancer cells.
      RESULTS: The mRNA of PRDX1 gene was upregulated about 1.3-fold in tumor tissue
      compared with the adjacent non-tumor control (P = 0.005). Its abundance was
      significantly higher in men than women (P < 0.001). High levels of PRDX1 mRNA
      were associated with a shorter overall survival time (P = 0.04) but not with
      recurrence-free survival. The Cox regression analysis demonstrated that patients
      with high PRDX1 mRNA showed about 1.9-fold increase of risk for death (P = 0.03).
      In liver cancer cells, PRDX1 protein was strongly expressed with multiple
      different bands. PRDX1 in the cytosol fraction existed near the theoretical
      molecular weight, whereas two higher molecular weight bands were present in the
      membrane/organelle and nuclear fractions. Importantly, the theoretical PRDX1 band
      was increased, whereas the high molecular weight form was decreased in tumor
      tissues. Subsequent experiments revealed that the high molecular weight bands of
      PRDX1 might result from the post-translational modification by small ubiquitin
      like modifier-1 (SUMO1). CONCLUSION: PRDX1 was overexpressed in the tumor tissues
      of liver cancer and served as an independent poor prognostic factor for overall
      survival. PRDX1 can be modified by SUMO to play specific roles in
      hepatocarcinogenesis.

PMID- 26478676
TI  - Dimethyl sulfoxide inhibits zymosan-induced intestinal inflammation and barrier
      dysfunction.
AB  - AIM: To investigate whether dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) inhibits gut inflammation
      and barrier dysfunction following zymosan-induced systemic inflammatory response
      syndrome and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats
      were randomly divided into four groups: sham with administration of normal saline
      (SS group); sham with administration of DMSO (SD group); zymosan with
      administration of normal saline (ZS group); and zymosan with administration of
      DMSO (ZD group). Each group contained three subgroups according to 4 h, 8 h, and
      24 h after surgery. At 4 h, 8 h, and 24 h after intraperitoneal injection of
      zymosan (750 mg/kg), the levels of intestinal inflammatory cytokines [tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin (IL)-10] and oxides
      (myeloperoxidase, malonaldehyde, and superoxide dismutase) were examined. The
      levels of diamine oxidase (DAO) in plasma and intestinal mucosal blood flow
      (IMBF) were determined. Intestinal injury was also evaluated using an intestinal
      histological score and apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells was determined by
      deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The intestinal
      epithelial tight junction protein, ZO-1, was observed by immunofluorescence.
      RESULTS: DMSO decreased TNF-alpha and increased IL-10 levels in the intestine
      compared with the ZS group at the corresponding time points. The activity of
      intestinal myeloperoxidase in the ZS group was higher than that in the ZD group
      24 h after zymosan administration (P < 0.05). DMSO decreased the content of
      malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased the activity of superoxide dehydrogenase
      (SOD) 24 h after zymosan administration. The IMBF was lowest at 24 h and was
      49.34% and 58.26% in the ZS group and ZD group, respectively (P < 0.05). DMSO
      alleviated injury in intestinal villi, and the gut injury score was significantly
      lower than the ZS group (3.6 +/- 0.2 vs 4.2 +/- 0.3, P < 0.05). DMSO decreased
      the level of DAO in plasma compared with the ZS group (65.1 +/- 4.7 U/L vs 81.1
      +/- 5.0 U/L, P < 0.05). DMSO significantly preserved ZO-1 protein expression and
      localization 24 h after zymosan administration. The TUNEL analysis indicated that
      the number of apoptotic intestinal cells in the ZS group was much higher than the
      ZD group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: DMSO inhibited intestinal cytokines and
      protected against zymosan-induced gut barrier dysfunction.

PMID- 26478677
TI  - Clinical characteristics of hepatoduodenal lymph node metastasis in gastric
      cancer.
AB  - AIM: To assess the clinical features of hepatoduodenal lymph node (HDLN)
      metastasis and to clarify the optimal indication of HDLN dissection. METHODS: We
      investigated a total of 276 patients who underwent gastrectomy with extended
      lymphadenectomy, including HDLN dissection, for gastric cancer between 1999 and
      2012. Of these, 26 patients (9.4%) had HDLN metastasis. First, we investigated
      the clinicopathological characteristics, their perioperative clinical outcomes,
      such as postoperative complications, and prognostic outcomes between patients
      with and without HDLN metastasis. Second, we detected the prognostic factors,
      particularly in patients with HDLN metastasis. Third, we assessed the therapeutic
      value of HDLN dissection to determine its optimal indication. RESULTS: The five
      year overall survival rate of the patients with HDLN metastasis was 29%.
      Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that the tumour
      location (the middle or lower stomach [P = 0.005, OR = 5.88 (95%CI: 1.61-38.1)]
      and pT category [T3 or T4, P = 0.017, OR = 4.45 (95%CI: 1.28-21.3)] were
      independent risk factors for HDLN metastasis. Cox proportional hazard analysis
      identified pN3 as an independent poor prognostic factor in the patients with HDLN
      metastasis [P = 0.021, HR = 5.17 (95%CI: 1.8-292)]. For patients who underwent
      radical HDLN dissection, HDLN metastasis was a prognostic indicator in pN3
      gastric cancer (P < 0.0001), but not pN1-2 (P = 0.602). Furthermore, the index of
      therapeutic value of HDLN dissection for gastric cancer in the middle or lower
      stomach and the upper stomach was 3.4 and 0.0, respectively. CONCLUSION: We
      suggest that HDLN dissection should be indicated for pN1 or pN2 gastric cancers
      located at the middle or lower stomach.

PMID- 26478678
TI  - Management of entecavir-resistant chronic hepatitis B with adefovir-based
      combination therapies.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the long-term efficacy adefovir (ADV)-based combination
      therapies in entecavir (ETV)-resistant chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.
      METHODS: Fifty CHB patients with genotypic resistance to ETV at 13 medical
      centers in South Korea were included for the analysis. All the patients received
      rescue therapy with the combination of ADV plus ETV (ADV/ETV, n = 23) or ADV plus
      lamivudine (LMV) (ADV/LMV, n = 27) for more than 12 mo. Patients were monitored
      at least every 3-4 mo during ADV-based combination therapy by clinical
      examination as well as biochemical and virological assessments. Hepatitis B virus
      (HBV) DNA levels were measured by real-time PCR and logarithmically transformed
      for analysis. Cumulative rates of virologic response (VR; HBV DNA < 20 IU/mL)
      were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the difference was determined
      by a log-rank test. Multivariate logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards
      models were used to identify independent risk factors significantly associated
      with short-term and long-term VR, respectively. RESULTS: Baseline median HBV DNA
      levels were 5.53 (2.81-7.63) log10 IU/mL. The most commonly observed ETV
      genotypic mutation sites were rt184 and rt202. Patients were treated for a median
      of 27 (12-45) mo. Overall, cumulative VR rates at 6, 12, 24, and 36 mo were 26%,
      36%, 45%, and 68%, respectively. Patients treated with the ADV/ETV combination
      showed higher cumulative VR rates (35%, 43%, 65%, and 76%, respectively) than
      those with the ADV/LAM combination (18%, 30%, 30%, and 62%, respectively; P =
      0.048). In the multivariate analysis, low baseline HBV DNA levels (< 5.2 log10
      IU/mL) and initial virologic response at 3 mo (IVR-3; HBV DNA < 3.3 log10 IU/mL
      after 3 mo) were independent predictive factors for VR. Patients with favorable
      predictors achieved cumulative VR rates up to 90% at 36 mo. During the same
      period, the cumulative incidence of virologic breakthrough was as low as 6% in
      patients with the both favorable predictors. CONCLUSION: If tenofovir is not
      available, ADV/ETV combination could be considered in ETV-resistant patients with
      low HBV DNA titers, and may be continued if IVR-3 is achieved.

PMID- 26478679
TI  - Geographical distribution of the incidence of gastric cancer in Bhutan.
AB  - AIM: To estimate the prevalence of gastric cancer (GC) in a cohort of patients
      diagnosed with GC and to compare it with patients diagnosed with all other types
      of gastro-intestinal (GI) cancer during the same period. METHODS: Between 2008
      and 2013, five-year period, the medical records of all GI cancer patients who
      underwent medical care and confirm diagnosis of cancer were reviewed at the
      National Referral Hospital, Thimphu which is the only hospital in the country
      where surgical and cancer diagnosis can be made. Demographic information, type of
      cancer, and the year of diagnosis were collected. RESULTS: There were a total of
      767 GI related cancer records reviewed during the study period of which 354 (46%)
      patients were diagnosed with GC. There were 413 patients with other GI cancer
      including; esophagus, colon, liver, rectum, pancreas, gall bladder, cholangio
      carcinoma and other GI tract cancers. The GC incidence rate is approximately
      0.9/10000 per year (367 cases/5 years per 800000 people). The geographic
      distribution of GC was the lowest in the south region of Bhutan 0.3/10000 per
      year compared to the central region 1.4/10000 per year, Eastern region 1.2/10000
      per year, and the Western region 1.1/10000 per year. Moreover, GC in the South
      part was significantly lower than the other GI cancer in the same region (8% vs
      15%; OR = 1.8, 95%CI: 1.3-3.1, P = 0.05). Among GC patients, 38% were under the
      age of 60 years, mean age at diagnosis was 62.3 (+/- 12.1) years with male-to
      female ratio 1:0.5. The mean age among patients with all other type GI cancer was
      60 years (+/- 13.2) and male-to-female ratio of 1:0.7. At time of diagnosis of
      GC, 342 (93%) were at stage 3 and 4 of and by the year 2013; 80 (23%) GC patients
      died compared to 31% death among patients with the all other GI cancer (P =
      0.08). CONCLUSION: The incidence rate of GC in Bhutan is twice as high in the
      United States but is likely an underestimate rate because of unreported and
      undiagnosed cases in the villages. The high incidence of GC in Bhutan could be
      attributed to the high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection that we
      previously reported. The lowest incidence of GC in Southern part of the country
      could be due to the difference in the ethnicity as most of its population is of
      Indian and Nepal origin. Our current study emphasizes on the importance for
      developing surveillance and prevention strategies for GC in Bhutan.

PMID- 26478680
TI  - Upper gastrointestinal bleeding in Scotland 2000-2010: Improved outcomes but a
      significant weekend effect.
AB  - AIM: To assess numbers and case fatality of patients with upper gastrointestinal
      bleeding (UGIB), effects of deprivation and whether weekend presentation affected
      outcomes. METHODS: Data was obtained from Information Services Division (ISD)
      Scotland and National Records of Scotland (NRS) death records for a ten year
      period between 2000-2001 and 2009-2010. We obtained data from the ISD Scottish
      Morbidity Records (SMR01) database which holds data on inpatient and day-case
      hospital discharges from non-obstetric and non-psychiatric hospitals in Scotland.
      The mortality data was obtained from NRS and linked with the ISD SMR01 database
      to obtain 30-d case fatality. We used 23 ICD-10 (International Classification of
      diseases) codes which identify UGIB to interrogate database. We analysed these
      data for trends in number of hospital admissions with UGIB, 30-d mortality over
      time and assessed effects of social deprivation. We compared weekend and weekday
      admissions for differences in 30-d mortality and length of hospital stay. We
      determined comorbidities for each admission to establish if comorbidities
      contributed to patient outcome. RESULTS: A total of 60643 Scottish residents were
      admitted with UGIH during January, 2000 and October, 2009. There was no
      significant change in annual number of admissions over time, but there was a
      statistically significant reduction in 30-d case fatality from 10.3% to 8.8% (P <
      0.001) over these 10 years. Number of admissions with UGIB was higher for the
      patients from most deprived category (P < 0.05), although case fatality was
      higher for the patients from the least deprived category (P < 0.05). There was no
      statistically significant change in this trend between 2000/01-2009/10. Patients
      admitted with UGIB at weekends had higher 30-d case fatality compared with those
      admitted on weekdays (P < 0.001). Thirty day mortality remained significantly
      higher for patients admitted with UGIB at weekends after adjusting for
      comorbidities. Length of hospital stay was also higher overall for patients
      admitted at the weekend when compared to weekdays, although only reached
      statistical significance for the last year of study 2009/10 (P < 0.0005).
      CONCLUSION: Despite reduction in mortality for UGIB in Scotland during 2000-2010,
      weekend admissions show a consistently higher mortality and greater lengths of
      stay compared with weekdays.

PMID- 26478681
TI  - Lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio predicts survival of patients with hepatocellular
      carcinoma after curative resection.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the prognostic value of preoperative lymphocyte-to-monocyte
      ratio (LMR) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing curative
      hepatectomy. METHODS: Clinicopathological data of 210 hepatitis B virus (HBV)
      associated HCC patients who were treated by radical hepatic resection between
      2003 and 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. None of the patients received any
      preoperative anticancer therapy or intraoperative radiofrequency ablation. The
      diagnosis was confirmed by pathological examination after surgery. Absolute
      peripheral blood lymphocyte and monocyte counts were derived from serum complete
      blood cell count before surgery, and LMR was calculated by dividing lymphocyte
      count by monocyte count. The best cutoff was determined by receiver operating
      characteristics (ROC) curve analysis. Correlations between LMR levels and
      clinicopathological features were assessed using the chi(2) test. Survival
      outcomes were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log
      rank test. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the
      prognostic impact of LMR and other clinicopathological factors on overall
      survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), using the Cox proportional
      hazards model. RESULTS: The optimal cutoff value of LMR for survival analysis was
      3.23, which resulted in the most appropriate sensitivity of 55.3% and specificity
      of 74.7%, with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.66 (95%CI: 0.593-0.725). All
      patients were dichotomized into either a low (<= 3.23) LMR group (n = 66) or a
      high (> 3.23) LMR group (n = 144). A low preoperative LMR level was significantly
      correlated with the presence of cirrhosis, elevated levels of total bilirubin and
      larger tumor size. Patients with a low LMR level had significantly reduced 5-year
      OS (61.9% vs 83.2%, P < 0.001) and RFS (27.8% vs 47.6%, P = 0.009) compared to
      those with a high LMR level. Multivariate analyses indicated that a lower LMR
      level was a significantly independent predictor of inferior OS (P = 0.003) and
      RFS (P = 0.006). Subgroup analysis indicated that survival outcome was
      significantly more favorable in cirrhotic patients with LMR > 3.23. However,
      there were no differences between low and high LMR groups for OS and RFS in non
      cirrhotic patients. CONCLUSION: Preoperative LMR was demonstrated for the first
      time to serve as an independent prognostic factor in HBV-associated HCC patients
      after curative resection. Prospective studies with larger cohorts for validation
      are warranted.

PMID- 26478682
TI  - Gastroenterologist perceptions of faecal microbiota transplantation.
AB  - AIM: To explore gastroenterologist perceptions towards and experience with faecal
      microbiota transplantation (FMT). METHODS: A questionnaire survey consisting of
      17 questions was created to assess gastroenterologists' attitude towards and
      experience with FMT. This was anonymously distributed in hard copy format amongst
      attendees at gastroenterology meetings in Australia between October 2013 and
      April 2014. Basic descriptive statistical analyses were performed. RESULTS: Fifty
      two clinicians participated. Twenty one percent had previously referred patients
      for FMT, 8% more than once. Ninety percent would refer patients with Clostridium
      difficile infection (CDI) for FMT if easily available, 37% for ulcerative
      colitis, 13% for Crohn's disease and 6% for irritable bowel syndrome. Six percent
      would not refer any indication, including recurrent CDI. Eighty-six percent would
      enroll patients in FMT clinical trials. Thirty-seven percent considered the
      optimal mode of FMT administration transcolonoscopic, 17% nasoduodenal, 13% enema
      and 8% oral capsule. The greatest concerns regarding FMT were: 42% lack of
      evidence, 12% infection risk, 10% non infectious adverse effects/lack of safety
      data, 10% aesthetic, 10% lack of efficacy, 4% disease exacerbation, and 2%
      inappropriate use; 6% had no concerns. Seventy seven percent believed there is a
      lack of accessibility while 52% had an interest in learning how to provide FMT.
      Only 6% offered FMT at their institution. CONCLUSION: Despite general enthusiasm,
      most gastroenterologists have limited experience with, or access to, FMT. The
      greatest concerns were lack of supportive evidence and safety issues. However a
      significant proportion would refer indications other than CDI for FMT despite
      insufficient evidence. These data provide guidance on where education and
      training are required.

PMID- 26478683
TI  - Systematic analysis of the safety and benefits of transvaginal hybrid-NOTES
      cholecystectomy.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate transvaginal hybrid-NOTES cholecystectomy (TVC) during its
      clinical establishment and compare it with the traditional laparoscopic technique
      (LC). METHODS: The specific problems and benefits of TVC were reviewed using a
      registry analysis, a comparative cohort study and a randomized clinical trial. At
      first, feasibility, safety and specific complications of the TVC were analyzed
      based on the first 488 data sets of the German NOTES Registry (GNR). Hereafter,
      we compared the early postoperative results of our first 50 TVC-patients with
      those of 50 female LC-patients matched by age, BMI and ASA classification. The
      same cohort was contacted an average of two years later to evaluate long-term
      results concerning pain and satisfaction with the aesthetic results and the
      overall postoperative results as well as sexual intercourse by means of two
      domains of the German version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI-d).
      Consequently, we performed a randomized clinical trial comparing 20 TVC-patients
      with 20 needlescopic/3-trocar cholecystectomies (NC) also concerning the early
      postoperative results as well as pain, satisfaction and quality of life by means
      of the Eypasch Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) in the later
      course. Finally, we discussed the results in accordance with other published
      studies. RESULTS: The complication (3.5%) and conversion rates (4.1%) for TVC
      were low in the GNR and comparable to those of the LC. Access related
      intraoperative complications included injuries to the bladder (n = 4; 0.8%) and
      bowel (n = 3; 0.6%). The study cohort revealed less postoperative pain after TVC
      comparing to the LC-patients on the day of surgery (NRS, 1.5/10 vs 3.1/10, P =
      0.003), in the morning (NRS, 1.9/10 vs 2.8/10, P = 0.047) and in the evening
      (NRS, 1.1/10 vs 1.8/10, P = 0.025) of postoperative day (POD) one. The randomized
      clinical trial consistently found less cumulative pain until POD 2 (NRS, 8/40 vs
      14/40, P = 0.043), as well as until POD 10 (NRS, 22/190 vs 41/190, P = 0.010).
      Furthermore, the TVC-patients had a better quality of life on POD 10 than did the
      LC-patients (GIQLI, 124/144 vs 107/144, P = 0.028). The complication rates were
      comparable and no specific problems were detected in the long-term follow-up for
      sexual intercourse for either group. The TVC-patients were more satisfied with
      the aesthetic result in the long-term course in the matched cohort analysis (1.00
      vs 1.88, P < 0.001) as well as in the randomized clinical trial (1.00 vs 1.70, P
      < 0.001) when compared with the LC-patients. CONCLUSION: TVC is a feasible
      procedure with a high safety profile and has advantages in regard to
      postoperative pain and aesthetic results when compared with LC or NC.

PMID- 26478684
TI  - Hilar cholangiocarcinoma with intratumoral calcification: A case report.
AB  - This report describes a rare case of hilar cholangiocarcinoma with intratumoral
      calcification that mimicked hepatolithiasis. A 73-year-old man presented to a
      local hospital with a calcified lesion in the hepatic hilum. At first,
      hepatolithiasis was diagnosed, and he underwent endoscopic stone extraction via
      the trans-papillary route. This treatment strategy failed due to biliary
      stricture. He was referred to our hospital, and further examination suggested the
      existence of cholangiocarcinoma. He underwent left hepatectomy with caudate
      lobectomy and extrahepatic bile duct resection. Pathological examination revealed
      hilar cholangiocarcinoma with intratumoral calcification, while no stones were
      found. To the best of our knowledge, only one case of calcified hilar
      cholangiocarcinoma has been previously reported in the literature. Here, we
      report a rare case of calcified hilar cholangiocarcinoma and reveal its
      clinicopathologic features. 

PMID- 26478685
TI  - Statistical coherence of primary schooling in IPUMS-International integrated
      population samples for China, India, Vietnam, and ten other Asia-Pacific
      countries.
AB  - IPUMS-International www.ipums.org/international disseminates harmonized census
      microdata for more than 80 countries at no cost, although access is restricted to
      bona-fide researchers and students who agree to the stringent conditions of use
      license. Currently over 270 samples are available, totalling more than 600
      million person records. Each year 15-20 additional samples are released, as more
      countries cooperate with the IPUMS initiative and the integration of 2010 round
      census samples is completed. With so much microdata so readily available,
      questions of data quality naturally arise. This paper focusses on the concept of
      statistical coherence over time for a single concept, primary schooling
      completed. From an analysis of the percentage completing primary schooling by
      birth year for pairs of samples for thirteen Asia-Pacific countries, we find
      outstanding coherence for four-China, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Indonesia-with mean
      differences of less than 0.5 percentage points, regression coefficient (b)
      ranging from 0.93 to 1.07 and R2 =.99. For the thirteen countries as a group
      there is considerable variation overall with mean absolute difference as high as
      16 percentage points, b ranging from 0.62-1.44 and R2=.65-.99. As a whole,
      statistical coherence of primary schooling is outstanding. Nonetheless, to make
      expert use of the harmonized microdata, researchers are cautioned to carefully
      study the IPUMS integrated metadata as well as the original source documentation.
      National Statistical Offices not currently cooperating or that have not yet
      entrusted 2010 round census microdata are invited to do so.

PMID- 26478686
TI  - A Hybrid Approach for Efficient Modeling of Medium-Frequency Propagation in Coal
      Mines.
AB  - An efficient procedure for modeling medium frequency (MF) communications in coal
      mines is introduced. In particular, a hybrid approach is formulated and
      demonstrated utilizing ideal transmission line equations to model MF propagation
      in combination with full-wave sections used for accurate simulation of local
      antenna-line coupling and other near-field effects. This work confirms that the
      hybrid method accurately models signal propagation from a source to a load for
      various system geometries and material compositions, while significantly reducing
      computation time. With such dramatic improvement to solution times, it becomes
      feasible to perform large-scale optimizations with the primary motivation of
      improving communications in coal mines both for daily operations and emergency
      response. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the hybrid approach is suitable
      for modeling and optimizing large communication networks in coal mines that may
      otherwise be intractable to simulate using traditional full-wave techniques such
      as moment methods or finite-element analysis.

PMID- 26478687
TI  - Sex Work, Heroin Injection, and HIV Risk in Tijuana: A Love Story.
AB  - The relationships between female sex workers and their non-commercial male
      partners are typically viewed as sites of HIV risk rather than meaningful unions.
      This ethnographic case study presents a nuanced portrayal of the relationship
      between Cindy and Beto, a female sex worker who injects drugs and her intimate,
      non-commercial partner who live in Tijuana, Mexico. Based on ethnographic
      research in Tijuana and our long term involvement in a public health study, we
      suggest that emotions play a central role in sex workers' relationships and
      contribute in complex ways to each partner's health. We conceptualize Cindy and
      Beto's relationship as a "dangerous safe haven" in which HIV risk behaviors such
      as unprotected sex and syringe sharing convey notions of love and trust and help
      sustain emotional unity amidst broader uncertainties, but nevertheless carry very
      real health risks. Further attention to how emotions shape vulnerable couples'
      health remains a task for anthropology.

PMID- 26478689
TI  - Parenting Practices Among Biological Mothers of Drug Involved Truant Youth: A
      Latent Profile Analysis.

PMID- 26478688
TI  - A Typology of Violence against Self and Others and Its Associations with Drinking
      and Other Drug Use among High School Students in a U.S. General Population
      Survey.
AB  - This study examined associations between binge drinking and other substance use
      and perpetration of violence against self and others. Data were pooled from the
      2003, 2005, and was constructed to reflect four categories of behaviors: other
      directed violence only, self-directed violence only, combined other- and self
      directed violence, and no violence. Results from multinomial logistic regressions
      show that the frequency of binge drinking and other substance use were
      significant risk factors for each of the violence categories relative to no
      violence. However, the strengths of these associations varied across the violence
      categories.

PMID- 26478690
TI  - Improving parenting and parent-teen communication to delay or prevent the onset
      of alcohol and drug use in young adolescents with emotional/behavioral disorders:
      A pilot trial.

PMID- 26478691
TI  - The Validity of Truant Youths' Marijuana Use and Its Impact on Alcohol Use and
      Sexual Risk Taking.
AB  - Few studies investigating the validity of marijuana use have used samples of
      truant youth. In the current study, self-reports of marijuana use are compared
      with urine test results for marijuana to identify marijuana underreporting among
      adolescents participating in a longitudinal Brief Intervention for drug-involved
      truant youth. It was hypothesized that marijuana underreporting would be
      associated with alcohol underreporting and engaging in sexual risk behaviors. The
      results indicated marijuana underreporting was significantly associated with self
      denial of alcohol use, but not associated with sexual risk behavior. Also, there
      was an age effect in marijuana use underreporting such that younger truant youth
      were more likely to underreport marijuana use, compared to older truant youth.
      Implications for policy and future research are discussed.

PMID- 26478692
TI  - Sectarian and Nonsectarian Violence: Mothers' Appraisals of Political Conflict in
      Northern Ireland.
AB  - Past research on peace and conflict in Northern Ireland has focused on
      politically-motivated violence. However, other types of crime (i.e.,
      nonsectarian) also impact community members. To study the changing nature of
      violence since the signing of the Belfast Agreement in Northern Ireland the
      current study used qualitative methods to distinguish between nonsectarian and
      sectarian antisocial behavior. Analyses were conducted using the Constant
      Comparative Method to illuminate thematic patterns in focus groups with Catholic
      and Protestant mothers from segregated Belfast neighborhoods. Participants
      differentiated between nonsectarian and sectarian violence; the latter was
      further distinguished into two dimensions - overt acts and intergroup threat.
      Although both nonsectarian and sectarian antisocial behavior related to
      insecurity, participants described pulling together and increased ingroup social
      cohesion in response to sectarian threats. The findings have implications for the
      study of violence and insecurity as experienced in the everyday lives of mothers,
      youth, and families in settings of protracted conflict.

PMID- 26478693
TI  - An Automated Mouse Tail Vascular Access System by Vision and Pressure Feedback.
AB  - This paper develops an automated vascular access system (A-VAS) with novel vision
      based vein and needle detection methods and real-time pressure feedback for
      murine drug delivery. Mouse tail vein injection is a routine but critical step
      for preclinical imaging applications. Due to the small vein diameter and external
      disturbances such as tail hair, pigmentation, and scales, identifying vein
      location is difficult and manual injections usually result in poor repeatability.
      To improve the injection accuracy, consistency, safety, and processing time, A
      VAS was developed to overcome difficulties in vein detection noise rejection,
      robustness in needle tracking, and visual servoing integration with the
      mechatronics system.

PMID- 26478694
TI  - Communication Assessment of the Most Frequented Breast Cancer Websites:
      Evaluation of Design and Theoretical Criteria.
AB  - : The internet is a prominent source of health information for the public. This
      research evaluated both basic use and design tenets and the presence of
      theoretical components to motivate healthy breast cancer behavior for users of
      the most frequented breast cancer websites. METHODOLOGY: Each website was
      evaluated with 2 sets of questions. The first attends to the basic use and design
      tenets of the website. The second coding form assessed the websites use of 3
      behavior change theories. RESULTS: The majority of the websites fared well with
      regards to their use of basic tenet and design principles. Theoretical components
      were used sparingly on the majority of websites. DISCUSSION: The most frequented
      breast cancer websites are currently well equipped with basic use and design
      tenets. However, their lack of behavioral change components is likely to impede
      users' motivations to protect themselves against breast cancer.

PMID- 26478695
TI  - Why You Really Should Consider Using Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of
      Silanols and Silanolates.
AB  - The transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling of organometallic nucleophiles
      derived from tin, boron, and zinc with organic electrophiles enjoys a preeminent
      status among modern synthetic methods for the formation of carbon-carbon bonds.
      In recent years, organosilanes have emerged as viable alternatives to the
      conventional reagents, with the added benefits of low cost, low toxicity and high
      chemical stability. However, silicon-based cross-coupling reactions often require
      heating in the presence of a fluoride source, which has significantly hampered
      their widespread acceptance. To address the "fluoride problem", a new paradigm
      for palladium-catalyzed, silicon-based cross-coupling reactions has been
      developed that employs a heretofore underutilized class of silicon reagents, the
      organosilanols. The use of organosilanols, either in the presence of Bronsted
      bases or as their silanolate salts, represents an operationally simple and mild
      alternative to the fluoride-based activation method. Organosilanols are readily
      available by many well-established methods for introducing carbon-silicon bonds
      onto alkenes, alkynes, arenes and heteroarenes. Moreover, several different
      protocols for the generation of alkali metal salts of, vinyl-, alkenyl-, alkynyl
      , aryl-, and heteroarylsilanolates have been developed and the advantages of each
      of these methods have been demonstrated for a number of different coupling
      classes. This review will describe the development and implementation of cross
      coupling reactions of organosilanols and their conjugate bases, silanolates, with
      a wide variety of substrate classes. In addition, application of these
      transformations in the total synthesis of complex natural products will also be
      highlighted. Finally, the unique advantages of organosilicon coupling strategies
      vis a vis organoboron reagents are discussed.

PMID- 26478696
TI  - Sex Rules: Emerging Adults' Perceptions of Gender's Impact on Sexuality.
AB  - Past research often explains gender differences in sexual behavior according to
      differences in social norms for men and women. Yet, individuals' perceptions and
      internalizations of current social norms are not well understood. This study
      aimed to examine emerging adults' perceptions of how being male or female impacts
      their sexuality and how their perceptions would differ if they were another
      gender. Participants (N = 205) were college students, 61% female, and ranged from
      age 18-25 (M = 20.5, SD = 1.7). Participants answered open-ended questions about
      gender and responses were coded for content, positive tone, and negative tone. In
      describing how being female affected their sexual thoughts and feelings, women
      were more likely than men to focus on reputation concerns and describe limits and
      contexts in which sexual behavior was acceptable. In describing how being male
      affected their sexual thoughts and feelings, men were more likely than women to
      focus on issues of desire. Women's perceptions about how their sexual thoughts
      and feelings would differ if they were male were consistent with men's
      perceptions of their own gender's actual impact on sexuality, and vice versa.
      Women's descriptions of their own gender's impact on sexuality were more
      emotionally laden than men's. Finally, being older was associated with less
      negative and more positive emotional tone in men's and women's responses
      respectively.

PMID- 26478697
TI  - Checklist of the helminth parasites of the genus Profundulus Hubbs, 1924
      (Cyprinodontiformes, Profundulidae), an endemic family of freshwater fishes in
      Middle-America.
AB  - From December 2012 to November 2014, 267 fish belonging to the family
      Profundulidae (representing nine of the 11 species of the genus Profundulus) were
      collected in 26 localities of Middle-America, across southern Mexico, Guatemala,
      and Honduras, comprising the distribution range of the genus, and analyzed for
      helminth parasites. Additionally, a database with all ten available published
      accounts of the helminth parasite fauna of this genus (the only genus within the
      family) was assembled. Based on both sources of information, a checklist
      containing all the records was compiled as a tool to address future questions in
      the areas of evolutionary biology, biogeography, ecology and phylogeography of
      this host-parasite association. The helminth parasite fauna of this fish group
      consists of 20 nominal species, classified in 17 genera and 14 families. It
      includes six species of adult digeneans, five metacercariae, two monogeneans, one
      adult cestode, three adult nematodes and three larval nematodes. The profundulid
      fishes are parasitized by a specialized group of helminth species (e.g.
      Paracreptotrema blancoi sensu Salgado-Maldonado et al. (2011b), Paracreptotrema
      profundulusi Salgado-Maldonado, Caspeta-Mandujano & Martinez Ramirez, 2011,
      Phyllodistomum spinopapillatum Perez-Ponce de Leon, Pinacho-Pinacho, Mendoza
      Garfias & Garcia-Varela, 2015, Spinitectus humbertoi Mandujano-Caspeta & Moravec,
      2000, Spinitectus mariaisabelae Caspeta-Mandujano Cabanas-Carranza & Salgado
      Maldonado, 2007 and Rhabdochona salgadoi Mandujano-Caspeta & Moravec, 2000),
      representing the core helminth fauna that are not shared with other Middle
      American fish species. 

PMID- 26478698
TI  - Seven new hypselostomatid species from China, including some of the world's
      smallest land snails (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Orthurethra).
AB  - Seven new species of Hypselostomatidae are described from the Chinese province
      Guangxi: Angustopila dominikae Pall-Gergely & Hunyadi, sp. n., Angustopila
      fabella Pall-Gergely & Hunyadi, sp. n., Angustopila subelevata Pall-Gergely &
      Hunyadi, sp. n., Angustopila szekeresi Pall-Gergely & Hunyadi, sp. n.,
      Hypselostoma socialis Pall-Gergely & Hunyadi, sp. n., Hypselostoma lacrima Pall
      Gergely & Hunyadi, sp. n. and Krobylos sinensis Pall-Gergely & Hunyadi, sp. n.
      The latter species is reported from three localities. All other new species are
      known only from the type locality. Specimens nearly identical to the type
      specimens of Angustopila huoyani Jochum, Slapnik & Pall-Gergely, 2014 were found
      in a cave in northern Guangxi, 500 km from the type locality. Adult individuals
      of Angustopila subelevata sp. n. (shell height = 0.83-0.91 mm, mean = 0.87 mm)
      and Angustopila dominikae sp. n. (shell height of the holotype = 0.86 mm)
      represent the smallest known members of the Hypselostomatidae, and thus are
      amongst the smallest land snails ever reported. We note that Pyramidula laosensis
      Saurin, 1953 might also belong to Krobylos. Paraboysidia neglecta van Benthem
      Jutting, 1961, which was previously included in Angustopila, is classified in
      Hypselostoma. 

PMID- 26478699
TI  - Five new cryptic freshwater gastropod species from New Caledonia
      (Caenogastropoda, Truncatelloidea, Tateidae).
AB  - During the course of a project aiming at the reconstruction of the colonization
      of the South Pacific islands by tateid gastropods based on molecular data we
      discovered five new species on New Caledonia belonging to the genera Hemistomia
      and Leiorhagium, respectively. We describe these species based on morphological,
      anatomical and genetic data. All five species are morphologically cryptic as they
      closely resemble or are even indistinguishable from known species stressing the
      importance of a comprehensive taxonomic approach integrating several methods. As
      a consequence of their small and fragmented geographic ranges and the rapidly
      progressing anthropogenic land cover changes on New Caledonia, all five species
      qualify as critically endangered according to the criteria of the IUCN. 

PMID- 26478700
TI  - On Afromantispa and Mantispa (Insecta, Neuroptera, Mantispidae): elucidating
      generic boundaries.
AB  - The genus Afromantispa Snyman & Ohl, 2012 was recently synonymised with Mantispa
      Illiger, 1798 by Monserrat (2014). Here morphological evidence is presented in
      support of restoring the genus Afromantispa stat. rev. to its previous status as
      a valid and morphologically distinct genus. Twelve new combinations (comb. n.)
      are proposed as species of Afromantispa including three new synonyms. 

PMID- 26478701
TI  - Croatian mayflies (Insecta, Ephemeroptera): species diversity and distribution
      patterns.
AB  - Knowledge of the mayfly biodiversity in the Balkan Peninsula is still far from
      complete. Compared to the neighbouring countries, the mayfly fauna in Croatia is
      very poorly known. Situated at the crossroads of central and Mediterranean Europe
      and the Balkan Peninsula, Croatia is divided into two ecoregions: Dinaric western
      Balkan and Pannonian lowland. Mayflies were sampled between 2003 and 2013 at 171
      sites, and a total of 66 species was recorded. Combined with the literature data,
      the Croatian mayfly fauna reached a total of 79 taxa. Of these, 29 species were
      recorded for the first time in Croatia while 15 species were not previously
      recorded in Dinaric western Balkan ecoregion. Based on the mayfly assemblage,
      sampling sites were first structured by ecoregion and then by habitat type. In
      comparison with the surrounding countries, the Croatian mayfly fauna is the most
      similar to the Hungarian and Bosnian fauna. Some morphologically interesting taxa
      such as Baetis cf. nubecularis Eaton, 1898 and Rhithrogena from the diaphana
      group were recorded. Ephemera cf. parnassiana Demoulin, 1958, the species
      previously recorded only from Greece, was also recorded. 

PMID- 26478702
TI  - Redescription of Temnothorax antigoni (Forel, 1911) and description of its new
      social parasite Temnothorax curtisetosus sp. n. from Turkey (Hymenoptera,
      Formicidae).
AB  - Temnothorax antigoni (Forel, 1911) is redescribed basing on a new material from
      southwestern Turkey (Antalya province), Lesbos and Rhodes (Greece, Aegean and
      Dodecanese islands). The gyne of this species is described for the first time.
      Temnothorax curtisetosus, a new species of social parasite collected in a nest of
      Temnothorax antigoni, is described. Colour photos of both taxa are given. A key
      to the worker caste of the eastern Mediterranean species belonging to both
      Temnothorax recedens and Temnothorax muellerianus groups are provided. 

PMID- 26478703
TI  - The cushion-star Parvulastra exigua in South Africa: one species or more?
AB  - The cushion-star Parvulastra exigua (Lamarck, 1816) is a widely distributed
      member of the temperate intertidal fauna in the southern hemisphere. In South
      Africa, it occurs in sympatry with the endemic Parvulastra dyscrita (Clark,
      1923), the two species being differentiated predominantly by gonopore placement.
      Several recent studies have suggested that there may be additional cryptic
      species within the Parvulastra exigua complex in South Africa, based variously on
      color morphology, genetic evidence and the differential placement of the
      gonopores. This paper attempts to resolve whether one or more species are
      represented within Parvulastra exigua. A total of 346 Parvulastra exigua and 8
      Parvulastra dyscrita were collected from sites on the west and south-west coasts
      of South Africa; morphological, anatomical and genetic analyses were performed to
      determine whether cryptic species and/or Parvulastra exigua specimens with aboral
      gonopores were present. Results show that neither cryptic species nor Parvulastra
      exigua specimens with aboral gonopores occur at these sites. This study thus
      refutes previous claims of the existence of aboral gonopores in South African
      Parvulastra exigua, and suggests that a single species is represented. The
      distinction between Parvulastra exigua and Parvulastra dyscrita is also
      confirmed, and features separating these two species are clarified and
      documented. 

PMID- 26478704
TI  - Taxonomy and distribution of some katydids (OrthopteraTettigoniidae) from
      tropical Africa.
AB  - Results of the study of specimens collected in tropical Africa and preserved in
      different European collections and museums are reported and extensively
      illustrated. The following three new species are described: Horatosphaga
      aethiopica sp. n., Dapanera occulta sp. n. and Cestromoecha laeglae sp. n. In
      addition, new diagnostic characters or distributional data for Ruspolia differens
      (Serville, 1838), Thyridorhoptrum senegalense Krauss, 1877, Horatosphaga leggei
      (Kirby, 1909), Horatosphaga linearis (Rehn, 1910), Preussia lobatipes Karsch,
      1890 and Dapanera eidmanni Ebner, 1943 are reported. Finally, Symmetropleura
      plana (Walker, 1869) is proposed to be transferred to the genus Symmetrokarschia
      Massa, 2015, Conocephalus carbonarius (Redtenbacher, 1891) to the genus
      Thyridorhoptrum Rehn & Hebard, 1915; the genus Gonatoxia Karsch, 1889 is proposed
      to be synonymized with Dapanera Karsch, 1889. 

PMID- 26478705
TI  - A new species of Mollitrichosiphum Suenaga from Taiwan Island (Hemiptera,
      Aphididae), based on morphological characteristics and DNA sequences.
AB  - A new species of Mollitrichosiphum Suenaga, Mollitrichosiphum tumorisiphum Qiao &
      Jiang, sp. n., from Fagus longipetiolata in Taiwan island is described.
      Siphunculi of Mollitrichosiphum tumorisiphum in alatae are distinctly swollen on
      the distal part, unlike those of the other known species in the genus. Updated
      keys to apterous and alate viviparous females of all known Chinese species of
      Mollitrichosiphum are provided. The specimens studied are deposited in the
      National Zoological Museum of China, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of
      Sciences, Beijing, China and the Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom. 

PMID- 26478706
TI  - Immatures of the New World treehopper tribe Amastrini (Hemiptera, Membracidae,
      Smiliinae) with a key to genera.
AB  - The immatures stages of 8 of the 11 genera (Amastris Stal, Bajulata Ball, Erosne
      Stal, Harmonides Kirkaldy, Idioderma Van Duzee, Neotynelia Creao-Duarte &
      Sakakibara, Tynelia Stal, and Vanduzea Goding) of the tribe Amastrini are
      described for the first time along with brief diagnoses of Membracidae and the
      subfamily Smiliinae. A key to genera and notes on biology are provided. Multiple
      species of most genera are illustrated. Based on its distinct nymphal morphology,
      Vanduzea laeta nolina Ball is elevated to specific rank as Vanduzea nolina stat.
      n., and Bajulata, despite the superficial similarity of its adults to those of
      Vanduzea, is confirmed as warranting generic rank based on its unique nymphal
      morphology. Colombia is a new country record for Tynelia. 

PMID- 26478707
TI  - Pseudofornicia gen. n. (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae), a new Indo
      Australian genus and one new species from Vietnam.
AB  - Pseudofornicia gen. n. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) is described
      (type species: Pseudofornicia nigrisoma sp. n. from Vietnam) including three
      Oriental (type species, Pseudofornicia flavoabdominis (He & Chen, 1994), comb. n.
      and Pseudofornicia vanachterbergi Long, (nom. n. for Fornicia achterbergi Long,
      2007; not Fornicia achterbergi Yang & Chen, 2006) and one Australian species
      (Pseudofornicia commoni (Austin & Dangerfield, 1992), comb. n.). Keys to genera
      with similar metasomal carapace and to species of the new genus are provided. The
      new genus shares the curved inner middle tibial spur, the comparatively small
      head, the median carina of the first metasomal tergite and the metasomal carapace
      with Fornicia Brulle, 1846, but has the first tergite movably joined to the
      second tergite and the third tergite 1.1-1.6 * as long as the second tergite
      medially and is flattened in lateral view. One of the included species is a
      primary homonym and is renamed in this paper. 

PMID- 26478708
TI  - A review of Canadian and Alaskan species of the genera Clusiota Casey and Atheta
      Thomson, subgenus Microdota Mulsant & Rey (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae,
      Aleocharinae).
AB  - This paper treats 13 species of the subgenus Microdota Mulsant & Rey of Atheta
      Thomson and 3 species of the genus Clusiota Casey in Canada and Alaska. We report
      here 4 species new to science, and 3 new provincial records. The following
      species are new to science: Atheta (Microdota) curtipenis Klimaszewski & Webster,
      sp. n., Atheta (Microdota) formicaensis Klimaszewski & Webster, sp. n., Atheta
      (Microdota) macesi Klimaszewski & Webster, sp. n., and Clusiota grandipenis
      Klimaszewski & Webster, sp. n. The new provincial records are: Atheta (Microdota)
      pseudosubtilis Klimaszewski & Langor, new to AB, and Atheta (Microdota) subtilis
      (Scriba), an adventive Palaearctic species new to North America, first reported
      in LB and NB. The two Clusiota Casey species are reviewed, and their distribution
      is revised. A female Clusiota impressicollis was discovered in Ontario and is
      illustrated here for the first time. A key to all Canadian species of the
      subgenus Microdota and genus Clusiota are provided. Atheta (Microdota) holmbergi
      Bernhauer and Atheta (Microdota) alesi Klimaszewski & Brunke are transferred here
      to the subgenus Dimetrota Mulsant & Rey. 

PMID- 26478709
TI  - The Register of Antarctic Marine Species (RAMS): a ten-year appraisal.
AB  - The Register of Antarctic Marine Species (RAMS) is a marine species database that
      manages an authoritative taxonomic list of species occurring in the Southern
      Ocean. RAMS links with several other initiatives managing biogeographic or
      genomics information. The current paper aims to briefly present RAMS and provides
      an updated snapshot of its contents, in the form of a DarwinCore checklist
      (available through http://ipt.biodiversity.aq/resource.do?r=rams) and
      illustrative barplots. Moreover, this article presents a ten year appraisal
      (since the creation of RAMS). This appraisal first focuses on RAMS bibliometrics.
      We observed that RAMS was cited (Google Scholar) in 50 distinct publications
      among which 32 were peer-reviewed in 18 different journals. Three journals
      (Antarctic Science, Polar Biology, ZooKeys) represent almost 40% of these peer
      review publications. The second appraisal focuses on the evolution of new RAMS
      records. We observed an important decrease in data additions since 2011. As a
      case study, we focused on an original dataset for a specific group (Asteroidea,
      Echinodermata). It appears that around one hundred species of asteroids are
      lacking in RAMS despite the relatively high availability of these data. This
      suggests that the users' community (or collaborative projects such as AquaRES)
      could be helpful in order to maintain the RAMS database over the long term. 

PMID- 26478710
TI  - The wealth, health and wellbeing of Ireland's older people before and during the
      economic crisis.
AB  - The economic crisis of 2008/9 was felt more acutely in Ireland relative to
      elsewhere and culminated in the international bailout in 2010. Given the economic
      collapse, Ireland provides an ideal case-study of the link between wealth
      collapses and movements in variables such as health and well-being. Using
      nationally-representative samples of older people collected before and during the
      crisis, we show that mean net assets fell by 45 percent between 2006/7 and
      2012/13. In spite of this massive fall in wealth, measures of health and well
      being remained broadly unchanged. However, expectations about future living
      standards became less optimistic. The results tend to support the findings of
      other recent studies that recessions do not have widespread negative effects on
      health and well-being.

PMID- 26478711
TI  - Chess players' fame versus their merit.
AB  - We investigate a pool of international chess title holders born between 1901 and
      1943. Using Elo ratings, we compute for every player his expected score in a game
      with a randomly selected player from the pool. We use this figure as the player's
      merit. We measure players' fame as the number of Google hits. The correlation
      between fame and merit is 0.38. At the same time, the correlation between the
      logarithm of fame and merit is 0.61. This suggests that fame grows exponentially
      with merit.

PMID- 26478712
TI  - In vitro and in vivo toxicity of urban and rural particulate matter from
      California.
AB  - Particulate matter (PM) varies in chemical composition and mass concentration
      based on location, source, and particle size. This study sought to evaluate the
      in vitro and in vivo toxicity of coarse (PM10-2.5) and fine (PM25) PM samples
      collected at 5 diverse sites within California. Coarse and fine PM samples were
      collected simultaneously at 2 rural and 3 urban sites within California during
      the summer. A human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell line (HPMEC-ST1.6R)
      was exposed to PM suspensions (50 MUg/mL) and analyzed for reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) after 5 hours of treatment. In addition, FVB/N mice were exposed by
      oropharyngeal aspiration to 50 MUg PM, and lavage fluid was collected 24 hrs post
      exposure and analyzed for total protein and %PMNs. Correlations between trace
      metal concentrations, endotoxin, and biological endpoints were calculated, and
      the effect of particle size range, locale (urban vs. rural), and location was
      determined. Absolute principal factor analysis was used to identify pollution
      sources of PM from elemental tracers of those sources. Ambient PM elicited an ROS
      and pro-inflammatory-related response in the cell and mouse models, respectively.
      These responses were dependent on particle size, locale, and location. Trace
      elements associated with soil and traffic markers were most strongly linked to
      the adverse effects in vitro and in vivo. Particle size, location, source, and
      composition of PM collected at 5 locations in California affected the ROS
      response in human pulmonary endothelial cells and the inflammatory response in
      mice.

PMID- 26478713
TI  - Anomalous segregation dynamics of self-propelled particles.
AB  - A number of novel experimental and theoretical results have recently been
      obtained on active soft matter, demonstrating the various interesting universal
      and anomalous features of this kind of driven systems. Here we consider the
      adhesion difference-driven segregation of actively moving units, a fundamental
      but still poorly explored aspect of collective motility. In particular, we
      propose a model in which particles have a tendency to adhere through a mechanism
      which makes them both stay in touch and synchronize their direction of motion -
      but the interaction is limited to particles of the same kind. The calculations
      corresponding to the related differential equations can be made in parallel, thus
      a powerful GPU card allows large scale simulations. We find that in a very large
      system of particles, interacting without explicit alignment rule, three basic
      segregation regimes seem to exist as a function of time: i) at the beginning the
      time dependence of the correlation length is analogous to that predicted by the
      Cahn-Hillard theory, ii) next rapid segregation occurs characterized with a
      separation of the different kinds of units being faster than any previously
      suggested speed, finally, iii) the growth of the characteristic sizes in the
      system slows down due to a new regime in which self-confined, rotating, splitting
      and re-joining clusters appear. Our results can explain recent observations of
      segregating tissue cells in vitro.

PMID- 26478714
TI  - Distribution of the Height of Local Maxima of Gaussian Random Fields.
AB  - Let {f(t) : t ? T} be a smooth Gaussian random field over a parameter space T,
      where T may be a subset of Euclidean space or, more generally, a Riemannian
      manifold. We provide a general formula for the distribution of the height of a
      local maximum [Formula: see text] is a local maximum of f(t)} when f is non
      stationary. Moreover, we establish asymptotic approximations for the overshoot
      distribution of a local maximum [Formula: see text] is a local maximum of f(t)
      and f(t0) > v} as v -> infinity. Assuming further that f is isotropic, we apply
      techniques from random matrix theory related to the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble
      to compute such conditional probabilities explicitly when T is Euclidean or a
      sphere of arbitrary dimension. Such calculations are motivated by the statistical
      problem of detecting peaks in the presence of smooth Gaussian noise.

PMID- 26478715
TI  - Location in ASL: Insights from phonetic variation.
AB  - Recent work on location variation led us to investigate whether phonetic effects
      influence the lowering of certain forehead located signs in American Sign
      Language. We found that signing speed and the location of adjacent signs did
      affect these forehead signs in ways that conform to general principals of
      coarticulation. In this paper, we use those results as a basis to illustrate
      additional approaches to the evaluation of the phonetics of location. In
      particular, we suggest that finer grained analyses of location values may provide
      insights into directionality of coarticulatory effects, that changes in body
      posture assist in the achievement of location values, and that kinematic data can
      be used to describe the use of the signing space in a global sense. Previous work
      in sign phonetics has provided a solid foundation and new research is progressing
      well, but there is much work yet to be done.

PMID- 26478716
TI  - Effect of Carbon Nanotubes Upon Emissions From Cutting and Sanding Carbon Fiber
      Epoxy Composites.
AB  - Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are being incorporated into structural composites to
      enhance material strength. During fabrication or repair activities, machining
      nanocomposites may release CNTs into the workplace air. An experimental study was
      conducted to evaluate the emissions generated by cutting and sanding on three
      types of epoxy-composite panels: Panel A containing graphite fibers, Panel B
      containing graphite fibers and carbon-based mat, and Panel C containing graphite
      fibers, carbon-based mat, and multi-walled CNTs. Aerosol sampling was conducted
      with direct-reading instruments, and filter samples were collected for measuring
      elemental carbon (EC) and fiber concentrations. Our study results showed that
      cutting Panel C with a band saw did not generate detectable emissions of fibers
      inspected by transmission electron microscopy but did increase the particle mass,
      number, and EC emission concentrations by 20% to 80% compared to Panels A and B.
      Sanding operation performed on two Panel C resulted in fiber emission rates of
      1.9*108 and 2.8*106 fibers per second (f/s), while no free aerosol fibers were
      detected from sanding Panels A and B containing no CNTs. These free CNT fibers
      may be a health concern. However, the analysis of particle and EC concentrations
      from these same samples cannot clearly indicate the presence of CNTs, because
      extraneous aerosol generation from machining the composite epoxy material
      increased the mass concentrations of the EC.

PMID- 26478717
TI  - Knowledge and skills needed to improve as preceptor: development of a continuous
      professional development course - a qualitative study part I.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preceptors are expected to have the skills to be able to form an
      effective learning environment and facilitate a constructive clinical learning
      experience for students and new employees. Internationally, access to education
      for preceptors varies, with preceptors worldwide requesting more education in
      preceptorship. This article is based on a two-part study focusing on both the
      development and evaluation of a continuous, credit-bearing professional
      development course. The aim of this part of the study was to investigate and
      include preceptors' requests and educational needs when developing a continuous
      professional development course on an advanced level. METHODS: This study used a
      qualitative research approach. In total, 64 preceptors (62 women and two men)
      answered one single written, self-administered global question online. The
      participants were all interested in teaching and had completed an undergraduate
      training in preceptorship. The collected data was analysed by content analysis
      inspired by Burnard's description of the method. RESULTS: The participating
      preceptors illuminated two main themes: 'Tools for effective precepting of
      students and healthcare professionals' and 'in-depth knowledge and understanding
      of preceptorship in an academic setting'. The results suggest that vital
      components for preceptor preparation could be a) teaching and learning
      strategies, b) reflective and critical reasoning, c) communication models, d) the
      role of the preceptor, and e) preceptorship. CONCLUSION: Using the results from
      this study as a guide, a continuous professional development course was designed
      to assist preceptors in deepening their knowledge of preceptorship in regard to
      planning, leading and implementing educational activities directed at students,
      healthcare professionals, patients and their families. The course content focuses
      on skills needed for preceptorship and is based on adult learning principles. A
      continuous, credit-bearing professional development course must include an exam
      by which participants are formally assessed and graded; therefore, a written
      assignment was included as part of the course.

PMID- 26478718
TI  - The pluripotency factor LIN28B is involved in oral carcinogenesis and associates
      with tumor aggressiveness and unfavorable prognosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: LIN28B is a conserved RNA-binding protein critically involved in
      development, cellular metabolism and tumorigenesis. It is frequently
      overexpressed in human cancers and correlates with tumor aggressiveness as well
      as unfavorable prognosis. However, the expression pattern and oncogenic roles of
      LIN28B during oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) development and progression has
      not been well established yet. Here, we sought to determine the expression of
      LIN28B and its clinical significance using chemical-induced OSCC animal model,
      cell lines and primary specimens. METHOD: The OSCC animal model was induced using
      7,12-dimethyl-1,2-bezan-tracene (DMBA) painting in the hamster buccal pouch.
      Buccal lesions from animals were obtained from different time points and
      subjected to routine histological analyses and immunohistochemical staining of
      LIN28B. The mRNA, protein abundance and subcellular localization of LIN28B was
      determined in a panel of OSCC cell lines by real-time RT-PCR, western blot and
      immunofluorescence. The expression levels of LIN28B in human primary OSCC samples
      were further evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, the
      relationship between LIN28B and several clinicopathological parameters as well as
      patients' prognosis were also assessed. RESULTS: Our results revealed that
      negative or low LIN28B expression was commonly observed in normal epithelial,
      whereas more LIN28B abundance was identified in epithelial dysplasia and invasive
      SCC in the DMBA-induced OSCC animal model. Overexpression of LIN28B was
      identified in a major fraction of OSCC samples(39/58) and significantly
      associated with tumor size (P = 0.049) and advanced clinical stages (P = 0.0286).
      Patients with increased LIN28B had markedly reduced overall survival as compared
      to those with low LIN28B. Multivariate survival analyses further indicated that
      LIN28B abundance served as an independent prognostic factor for patients' overall
      survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal that LIN28B is critically involved in
      OSCC initiation and progression and aberrantly overexpressed in human OSCC. It
      might represent a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for oral cancer.

PMID- 26478719
TI  - Effects of Looking Behavior on Listening and Understanding in a Simulated
      Classroom.
AB  - Audiovisual cues can improve speech perception in adverse acoustical environments
      when compared to auditory cues alone. In classrooms, where acoustics often are
      less than ideal, the availability of visual cues has the potential to benefit
      children during learning activities. The current study evaluated the effects of
      looking behavior on speech understanding of children (8-11 years) and adults
      during comprehension and sentence repetition tasks in a simulated classroom
      environment. For the comprehension task, results revealed an effect of looking
      behavior (looking required versus looking not required) for older children and
      adults only. Within the looking-behavior conditions, age effects also were
      evident. There was no effect of looking behavior for the sentence-repetition task
      (looking versus no looking) but an age effect also was found. The current
      findings suggest that looking behavior may impact speech understanding
      differently depending on the task and the age of the listener. In classrooms,
      these potential differences should be taken into account when designing learning
      tasks.

PMID- 26478720
TI  - Contribution of Adolescence to the Life Course: What Matters Most in the Long
      Run?
AB  - Our wish is for more long-term longitudinal studies specifically designed to
      demonstrate the importance of adolescence in the life course. Specifically, we
      wish for our science to document as rigorously as possible the individual and
      contextual characteristics and experiences that matter the most during
      adolescence for long-term adult health and well-being. Recent research has shown
      the early childhood effects on adult outcomes, including effects from
      intervention programs, bringing needed scientific evidence to inform social
      policy about the importance of optimizing early development. In most of these
      efforts, there is little emphasis on adolescence, and thus there is little
      understanding about the effects of adolescence over and above the effects of
      childhood on adult outcomes. Our view is that adolescence matters a great deal
      for long-term health and well-being and we summarize what it will take to make
      our wish come true.

PMID- 26478721
TI  - SOCIO-EMOTIONAL AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: A Theoretical Orientation.
AB  - More and more researchers are studying socio-emotional and character development
      (SECD). The rise and progress in SECD research is encouraging, but there is a
      critical issue with such a multidisciplinary and fast-developing field: SECD
      research and evaluation can be more consistent to prevent heterogeneity in
      definitions and disparate theoretical, measurement, and program models. After
      summarizing SECD-related literature, I recommend the theory of triadic influence
      (TTI) as a force to generate consistency and a resource to assist in guiding the
      design and evaluation of SECD-related programs. The theory fills a gulf in the
      literature that seeks an ecological theory aligned with SECD-related programs and
      etiology. The recommendation of the TTI stems from 3 main advantages: (1) The TTI
      integrates a full range of risk and protective factors in a detailed mediation
      and moderation framework; (2) it takes a comprehensive view of all the
      stakeholders in the educational system (i.e., youth, schools, families, and
      communities); (3) and its utility has been substantiated by empirical evidence
      from a variety of fields. I discuss applications of the TTI in SECD-related work
      and suggest improvements for etiology research and the design and evaluation of
      SECD programs.

PMID- 26478723
TI  - Metabolic responses induced by DNA damage and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)
      inhibition in MCF-7 cells.
AB  - Genomic instability is one of the hallmarks of cancer. Several chemotherapeutic
      drugs and radiotherapy induce DNA damage to prevent cancer cell replication.
      Cells in turn activate different DNA damage response (DDR) pathways to either
      repair the damage or induce cell death. These DDR pathways also elicit metabolic
      alterations which can play a significant role in the proper functioning of the
      cells. The understanding of these metabolic effects resulting from different
      types of DNA damage and repair mechanisms is currently lacking. In this study, we
      used NMR metabolomics to identify metabolic pathways which are altered in
      response to different DNA damaging agents. By comparing the metabolic responses
      in MCF-7 cells, we identified the activation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase
      (PARP) in methyl methanesulfonate (MMS)-induced DNA damage. PARP activation led
      to a significant depletion of NAD+. PARP inhibition using veliparib (ABT-888) was
      able to successfully restore the NAD+ levels in MMS-treated cells. In addition,
      double strand break induction by MMS and veliparib exhibited similar metabolic
      responses as zeocin, suggesting an application of metabolomics to classify the
      types of DNA damage responses. This prediction was validated by studying the
      metabolic responses elicited by radiation. Our findings indicate that cancer cell
      metabolic responses depend on the type of DNA damage responses and can also be
      used to classify the type of DNA damage.

PMID- 26478724
TI  - Detecting Sudden Gains during Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: Cautions
      from a Monte Carlo Analysis.
AB  - Sudden gains are relatively large, quick, stable drops in symptom scores during
      treatment of depression that may (or may not) signal important therapeutic
      events. We review what is known and unknown currently about the prevalence,
      causes, and outcomes of sudden gains. We argue that valid identification of
      sudden gains (vs. random fluctuations in symptoms and gradual gains) is
      prerequisite to their understanding. In Monte Carlo simulations, three popular
      criterion sets showed inadequate power to detect sudden gains and many false
      positives due to (a) testing multiple intervals for sudden gains, (b) finite
      retest reliability of symptom measures, and (c) failure to account for gradual
      gains. Sudden gains in published clinical datasets appear similar in form and
      frequency to false positives in the simulations. We discuss the need to develop
      psychometrically sound methods to detect sudden gains and to differentiate sudden
      from random and gradual gains.

PMID- 26478722
TI  - Energy Minimization on Manifolds for Docking Flexible Molecules.
AB  - In this paper, we extend a recently introduced rigid body minimization algorithm,
      defined on manifolds, to the problem of minimizing the energy of interacting
      flexible molecules. The goal is to integrate moving the ligand in six dimensional
      rotational/translational space with internal rotations around rotatable bonds
      within the two molecules. We show that adding rotational degrees of freedom to
      the rigid moves of the ligand results in an overall optimization search space
      that is a manifold to which our manifold optimization approach can be extended.
      The effectiveness of the method is shown for three different docking problems of
      increasing complexity. First, we minimize the energy of fragment-size ligands
      with a single rotatable bond as part of a protein mapping method developed for
      the identification of binding hot spots. Second, we consider energy minimization
      for docking a flexible ligand to a rigid protein receptor, an approach frequently
      used in existing methods. In the third problem, we account for flexibility in
      both the ligand and the receptor. Results show that minimization using the
      manifold optimization algorithm is substantially more efficient than minimization
      using a traditional all-atom optimization algorithm while producing solutions of
      comparable quality. In addition to the specific problems considered, the method
      is general enough to be used in a large class of applications such as docking
      multidomain proteins with flexible hinges. The code is available under open
      source license (at http://cluspro.bu.edu/Code/Code_Rigtree.tar) and with minimal
      effort can be incorporated into any molecular modeling package.

PMID- 26478726
TI  - Hereditary xanthinuria and urolithiasis in a domestic shorthair cat.
AB  - A 2-year-old domestic shorthair cat was presented with a history of hematuria,
      stranguria and intermittent urethral obstruction. Urine sediment showed
      hematuria, pyuria, and yellow-brown, amorphous and spherical crystals. Upon
      surgical correction of the obstructed urethra by perineal urethrostomy, many dark
      yellow to grey, irregular, gravel-like to millet grain-sized uroliths, consisting
      of 100% xanthine by crystallography were found. The urinary xanthine
      concentration was high. The cat subsequently developed bilateral nephroliths,
      recurrent urinary tract infection, and chronic kidney failure. Dietary management
      with a low-purine diet failed in part due to poor compliance, and the cat was
      euthanized at 6 years of age. Xanthinuria is rare inborn error of metabolism in
      cats and other species but should be considered as a differential diagnosis in
      cases of feline urolithiasis. No associated molecular genetic defect has been
      elucidated, and management of these cases is difficult. In the absence of calculi
      for analysis, measuring urinary xanthine concentration can help in diagnosing
      this metabolic defect.

PMID- 26478727
TI  - Influence of Human Pressure on Forest Resources and Productivity at Stand and
      Tree Scales: The Case Study of Yunnan Pine in SW China.
AB  - This paper examines human impact on stands and individual trees of Pinus
      yunnanensis growing near the small mountain villages of Pianshui and Yangjuan in
      southwestern Sichuan Province, China. In an effort to assess whether use of these
      forests was sustainable, we examined the effects of human use in two ways. First,
      we directly measured the effect of cutting branches, for fuel and fodder, on tree
      growth. We hypothesized that branch cutting would negatively impact tree growth.
      We established 12 plots on four hills and compared 14 pairs of trees, one tree in
      each pair with an apparently full crown and the other with a considerable portion
      of the crown removed. Second, we assessed stand and tree properties over a 500 m
      elevation gradient above the villages where we hypothesized that as elevation
      increases, stand and tree properties should show fewer human impacts. Although
      extensive branch cutting reduced the live crown, tree height and diameter,
      compensatory processes likely enabled trees to recover and to add basal area
      increments (BAIs) similar to those added by trees with full crowns. Trees and
      stands close to villages showed less growth and lower basal areas, respectively,
      than stands and trees at intermediate or distant elevations from villages. Areas
      relatively close to the villages showed considerable effects of human-related
      disturbances such as branch cutting, grazing, tree and shrub removal, losses of
      litter, and human and animal trails. Such areas had increased soil erosion and
      often loss of the 'A' horizon. Stands close to villages had younger trees, lower
      stand basal areas, smaller basal area increments, and more stumps. Our results
      suggest an increasingly vulnerable interface between occupants of these two
      villages and their surrounding forests.

PMID- 26478725
TI  - Treatment of Insomnia, Insomnia Symptoms, and Obstructive Sleep Apnea During and
      After Menopause: Therapeutic Approaches.
AB  - Understanding sleep complaints among menopausal women is an emerging area of
      clinical and research interest. Several recent reviews have focused on mechanisms
      of menopausal insomnia and symptoms. In this review, we present a discussion on
      the most relevant and recent publications on the treatment of sleep disorders for
      menopausal women, with a focus on menopause-related insomnia, insomnia symptoms,
      and obstructive sleep apnea. We discuss both nonpharmacological and
      pharmacological treatments, including cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia
      (CBT-I), complementary and alternative medicine, hormone replacement therapy,
      sedative hypnotics, antidepressants, and continuous positive airway pressure. In
      addition, we briefly discuss methods and considerations of assessment of sleep
      disorders in menopausal women.

PMID- 26478728
TI  - The effects of occupational noise on blood pressure and heart rate of workers in
      an automotive parts industry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the most important impacts of industrial noise is
      physiological and psychological effects. The increases in workers' blood pressure
      and heart rate were detected during and after exposure to high levels of noise.
      The objectives of this research were to determine whether the noise exposures
      have any effects on blood pressure and heart rate of workers in the automotive
      parts industry. METHODS: This case study was done in 2011 at different units of
      an automotive parts manufacturing in Tehran. Sound pressure level was measured at
      different units of the factory with a calibrated instrument. Demographic features
      of workers were gathered with an appropriate questionnaire. Heart rate and blood
      pressure were measured twice in a day in the start time of work day (before
      exposure to noise) and middle shift hours (during exposure to noise) in the
      occupational physician office. For analyzing data, chi-square, independent sample
      t-test, paired t-test, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used. P < 0.050
      was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The average age of workers in
      the case and control groups was 35.71 +/- 8.10 and 33.40 +/- 10.41 years,
      respectively. There was no difference between the average age of case and control
      groups (P = 0.436). The results of ANCOVA revealed the significant differences
      between the mean changes of heart rate F (1, 37) = 26.68, P < 0.001, systolic
      blood pressure F (1, 37) = 21.70, P < 0.001, and diastolic blood pressure F (1,
      37) = 26.20, P < 0.001 of workers in the case and control groups. CONCLUSION:
      Exposure to industrial noise may increase the heart rate of workers. Although
      rises in heart rate, systolic, and diastolic blood pressure of workers in the
      case group were observed after exposure to noise, the values of heart rate,
      systolic, and diastolic blood pressure were in the normal range. Further
      experimental investigations are needed to determine the relationships between
      these variables.

PMID- 26478729
TI  - Development and validation of cardiac patient competence questionnaire, Iranian
      version.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim was to translate and develop a patient competence (PC)
      questionnaire in the context of cardiology and test its validity and reliability.
      METHODS: In total, 148 cardiac patients who have inclusion criteria of the study
      were completed cardiac PC (CPC) questionnaire. Hospital Anxiety and Depression
      Scale and self-administered instrument European quality of life 5-dimensions were
      used to further validate the CPC questionnaire. The CPC was translated according
      to the recommended methodology for translating questionnaires, and psychometric
      properties including internal consistency, factor analysis, discriminant
      validity, construct validity, and concurrent criterion validity were tested.
      RESULTS: Five domains in problem-focused task including search for information,
      self-regulation, being assertive, independent decision-making, and looking for
      social services, and three domains in emotion-focused task including stress
      management, confronting the threat, and avoidance were obtained by factor
      analysis. The standardized Cronbach's alpha of all domains were statistically
      significant (P < 0.001) and internal consistency for all domains was acceptable.
      Significant intercorrelations of CPC domains also indicated good criterion
      validity. As there were no cross-loadings, the domains have demonstrated good
      construct validity and discriminant validity. CONCLUSION: The results of this
      study show that the Persian version of the CPC is a reliable and valid
      questionnaire. Although further improvement of this measure is clearly required,
      it suggests being a potential basis for investigating the determinants and health
      effects of CPC.

PMID- 26478730
TI  - Comparison of N-acetylcysteine, ascorbic acid, and normal saline effect in
      prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Considering the crucial role of appropriate preventative strategies
      in reducing the rate of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) occurrence and its
      related morbidity and mortality, the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), ascorbic
      acid (AA), and normal saline (NS) was investigated in the patient's undergone
      coronary angiography. METHODS: In this clinical trial, 120 patients scheduled for
      elective coronary angiography with serum creatinine (Cr) level > 1.5 mg/dl or
      glomerular filtration rate (GFR) >= 60 selected by convenience method. Selected
      patients were allocated in three treatment groups randomly to receive oral NAC
      (600 mg/twice daily) plus NS (100 ml/hour) (Group A), oral AA (250 mg/twice
      daily) plus NS (100 ml/hour) (Group B) and NS (100 ml/hour) (Group C),
      respectively. The occurrence of CIN was evaluated based on serum Cr and GFR in
      three studied groups, before and after angiography procedure. The analysis of
      variance and paired t-test were used for data analysis by SPSS. RESULTS: The
      serum Cr increased and GFR decreased significantly during the intervention in
      three groups (P < 0.010). However, the amounts of these changes were equal
      between groups (P > 0.050). CONCLUSION: The study showed that nor the addition of
      NAC neither the addition of AA to sodium chloride infusion has more beneficial
      effect than hydration with sodium chloride, in the prevention of CIN.

PMID- 26478731
TI  - Trends of 28 days case fatality rate after first acute myocardial infarction in
      Isfahan, Iran, from 2000 to 2009.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was the analysis of the trends in
      case fatality rate of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Isfahan, Iran. This
      analysis was performed based on gender, age groups, and type of AMI according to
      the International Classification of Diseases, version 10, during 2000-2009.
      METHODS: Disregarding the Multinational Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in
      Cardiovascular Disease (MONICA), this cohort study considered all AMI events
      registered between 2000 and 2009 in 13 hospitals in Isfahan. All patients were
      followed for 28 days. In order to assess the case fatality rate, the Kaplan-Meier
      analysis, and to compare survival rate, log-rank test were used. Using the Cox
      regression model, 28 days case fatality hazard ratio (HR) was calculated.
      RESULTS: In total, 12,900 patients with first AMI were entered into the study.
      Among them, 9307 (72.10%) were men and 3593 (27.90%) women. The mean age in all
      patients increased from 61.36 +/- 12.19 in 2000-2001 to 62.15 +/- 12.74 in 2008
      2009, (P = 0.0070); in women, from 65.38 +/- 10.95 to 67.15 +/- 11.72 (P =
      0.0200), and in men, from 59.75 +/- 12.29 to 59.84 +/- 12.54 (P = 0.0170),. In
      addition, the 28 days case fatality rate in 2000-2009 had a steady descending
      trend. Thus, it decreased from 11.20% in 2000-2001 to 07.90% in 2008-2009; in
      men, from 09.20% to 06.70%, and in women, from 16.10% to 10.90%. During the
      study, HR of case fatality rate in 2000-2001 declined; therefore, in 2002-2003,
      it was 0.93 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.77-1.11], in 2004-2005, 0.88 (95%
      CI = 0.73-1.04), in 2006-2007, 0.67 (95% CI = 0.56-0.82), and in 2008-2009, 0.69
      (95% CI = 0.56-0.82). CONCLUSION: In Isfahan, a reduction was observable in the
      trend of case fatality rate in both genders and all age groups. Thus, there was a
      29.46% reduction in case fatality rate (27.17% in men, 32.29% in women) during
      the study period.

PMID- 26478733
TI  - Left ventricular dysfunction: Neither a matter of atherosclerosis nor an
      anomalous originated right coronary artery from left anterior descending artery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Abnormal separation of right coronary artery (RCA) from the left
      coronary system is an extremely rare variation among coronary artery anomalies.
      The compressions on the anomalous route of this artery may lead to arrhythmia,
      chest pain, or left ventricular dysfunction or may enhance formation of
      atherosclerotic plaques. CASE REPORT: Here, we have reported a patient presented
      with heart failure who had an anomalous atherosclerotic RCA originating from left
      anterior descending artery. Interestingly, neither the anomalous origin nor the
      atherosclerosis was the cause of the patient's problems and she suffered from a
      hypertensive cardiomyopathy. CONCLUSION: This reminds that encountering an
      anomaly should not solely be interpreted as the cause of cardiac disease.

PMID- 26478732
TI  - Herbs with anti-lipid effects and their interactions with statins as a chemical
      anti- hyperlipidemia group drugs: A systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The present systematic review aimed to express the clinical anti
      lipid effects of different types of herbs, as well as described studied
      interactions between herbal remedies and prescribed drugs for hyperlipidemic
      patients which were based on in vitro experiments, animal studies, and empirical
      clinical experiences. METHODS: For this systematic review, we explored 2183
      published papers about herbal drugs interactions from November 1967 to August
      2014, fulfilling eligibility criteria by searching in some databases such as Web
      of Science, Medline, Scopus, Embase, Cinahl, and the Cochrane database. The main
      keywords used for searching included: herbal medicine, herbs, statin, lipid, and
      herb-drug interaction. RESULTS: Among published articles about herb-drug
      interactions, 185 papers met the initial search criteria and among them, 92
      papers were potentially retrievable including a description of 17 herbs and
      medicinal plants. In first step and by reviewing all published manuscripts on
      beneficial effects of herbs on serum lipids level, 17 herbs were described to be
      effective on lipid profile as lowering serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, low
      density lipoprotein cholesterol as well as increasing serum high-density
      lipoprotein level. Some herbs such as celery could even affect the hepatic
      triglyceride concentrations. The herbal reaction toward different types of
      statins is varied so that grapefruit or pomegranate was interacted with only some
      types of statins, but not with all statin types. In this context, administration
      of herbal materials can lead to decreased absorption of statins or decreased the
      plasma concentration of these drugs. CONCLUSION: Various types of herbs can
      potentially reduce serum lipid profile with the different pathways; however, the
      herb-drug interactions may decrease pharmacological therapeutic effects of anti
      hyperlipidemic drugs that should be considered when approved herbs are
      prescribed.

PMID- 26478734
TI  - Influence of nandrolone decanoate administration on serum lipids and liver
      enzymes in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anabolic-androgenic steroids have been associated with several side
      effects range. This experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effects of
      nandrolone decanoate (ND, an anabolic steroid) on lipid profile and liver enzymes
      in rats in Iran. METHODS: Forty adult male and female of Wistar strain rats were
      randomly assigned to four groups of 10 animals each: male control, female
      control, ND-male treated (15 mg/kg b.w./day), and ND-female treated (15 mg/kg
      b.w./day). Serum concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG),
      low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
      were measured in all studied groups. RESULTS: Treating rats with ND (case group)
      resulted in a significant elevation of TC (69.4 +/- 8.7), TG (101.6 +/- 32.9) and
      ALT (72.2 +/- 13.8) and significant reduction of LDL (6.4 +/- 2.6) and AST (138.7
      +/- 19.4) as compared to control group in female rats. ND supplementation (case
      group) significantly increased TC (64.4 +/- 6.2), AST (255.0 +/- 32.0), and ALT
      (84.3 +/- 3.8) in comparison with the control group in male rats. CONCLUSION:
      Overall, our result indicated that the ND use can cause a negative effect on
      lipid profile and liver enzyme in rats.

PMID- 26478735
TI  - Effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma on inflammatory
      markers.

PMID- 26478736
TI  - Retracted: Pulmonary hypertension due to a pulmonary artery leiomyosarcoma: A
      case report.
AB  - [This retracts the article on p. 133 in vol. 10.]. 

PMID- 26478737
TI  - Illustrative case studies in the return of exome and genome sequencing results.
AB  - Whole genome and exome sequencing tests are increasingly being ordered in
      clinical practice, creating a need for research exploring the return of results
      from these tests. A goal of the Clinical Sequencing and Exploratory Research
      (CSER) consortium is to gain experience with this process to develop best
      practice recommendations for offering exome and genome testing and returning
      results. Genetic counselors in the CSER consortium have an integral role in the
      return of results from these genomic sequencing tests and have gained valuable
      insight. We present seven emerging themes related to return of exome and genome
      sequencing results accompanied by case descriptions illustrating important
      lessons learned, counseling challenges specific to these tests and considerations
      for future research and practice.

PMID- 26478739
TI  - A whole-plant chamber system for parallel gas exchange measurements of
      Arabidopsis and other herbaceous species.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Photosynthetic assimilation of carbon is a defining feature of the
      plant kingdom. The fixation of large amounts of carbon dioxide supports the
      synthesis of carbohydrates, which make up the bulk of plant biomass. Exact
      measurements of carbon assimilation rates are therefore crucial due to their
      impact on the plants metabolism, growth and reproductive success. Commercially
      available single-leaf cuvettes allow the detailed analysis of many photosynthetic
      parameters, including gas exchange, of a selected leaf area. However, these
      cuvettes can be difficult to use with small herbaceous plants such as Arabidopsis
      thaliana or plants having delicate or textured leaves. Furthermore, data from
      single leaves can be difficult to scale-up for a plant shoot with a complex
      architecture and tissues in different physiological states. Therefore, we
      constructed a versatile system-EGES-1-to simultaneously measure gas exchange in
      the whole shoots of multiple individual plants. Our system was designed to be
      able record data continuously over several days. RESULTS: The EGES-1 system
      yielded comparable measurements for eight plants for up to 6 days in stable,
      physiologically realistic conditions. The chambers seals have negligible
      permeability to carbon dioxide and the system is designed so as to detect any
      bulk-flow air leaks. We show that the system can be used to monitor plant
      responses to changing environmental conditions, such as changes in illumination
      or stress treatments, and to compare plants with phenotypically severe mutations.
      By incorporating interchangeable lids, the system could be used to measure
      photosynthetic gas exchange in several genera such as Arabidopsis, Nicotiana,
      Pisum, Lotus and Mesembryanthemum. CONCLUSION: EGES-1 can be introduced into a
      variety of growth facilities and measure gas exchange in the shoots diverse plant
      species grown in different growth media. It is ideal for comparing photosynthetic
      carbon assimilation of wild-type and mutant plants and/or plants undergoing
      selected experimental treatments. The system can deliver valuable data for whole
      plant growth studies and help understanding mutant phenotypes. Overall, the EGES
      1 is complementary to the readily-available single leaf systems that focus more
      on the photosynthetic process in within the leaf lamina.

PMID- 26478738
TI  - Genes associated with RSV lower respiratory tract infection and asthma: the
      application of genetic epidemiological methods to understand causality.
AB  - Infants with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract infections
      (LRIs) are at increased risk for childhood asthma. The objectives of this article
      are to review the genes associated with both RSV LRI and asthma, review analytic
      approaches to assessing shared genetic risk and propose a future perspective on
      how these approaches can help us to understand the role of infant RSV infection
      as both an important risk factor for asthma and marker of shared genetic etiology
      between the two conditions. The review of shared genes and thus pathways
      associated with severity of response to RSV infection and asthma risk can help us
      to understand mechanisms of disease and ultimately propose new and novel targets
      for primary prevention of both diseases.

PMID- 26478741
TI  - Feasibility of 3-dimensional video-assisted thoracic surgery (3D-VATS) for
      pulmonary resection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Two-dimensional video-assisted thoracic surgery (2D-VATS) has gained
      its position in daily practise. Although very useful, its two-dimensional view
      has its drawbacks when performing pulmonary resections. We report our first
      experience with 3-dimensional video-assisted surgery (3D-VATS). Advantages and
      differences with 2D-VATS and robotic surgery (RS) are discussed. METHODS: To
      evaluate feasibility, we scheduled patients for surgery by 3D-VATS who would
      normally be treated with 2D-VATS. The main difference of the equipment in 3D-VATS
      compared with former VATS equipment, is the flexible camera-tip (100-degrees) and
      the necessary 3D-glasses. RESULTS: Four patients were successfully operated for
      anatomic pulmonary resections. On-the-structure dissection was easily performed
      and with the flexible camera-tip, a perfect view can be obtained, with clear
      visualisation of important (hilar) structures. These features highly facilitate
      the surgeon in tissue preparation and recognition of the dissection planes.
      CONCLUSION: In our opinion, 3D-VATS is superior to 2D-VATS for performing
      anatomic pulmonary resection and we expect an improvement in terms of operation
      time and learning curve. Furthermore, it is a valuable alternative for RS at
      lower costs.

PMID- 26478740
TI  - Caustic ingestion management: world society of emergency surgery preliminary
      survey of expert opinion.
AB  - Caustic material ingestion injuries (CMI) are uncommon. Only 5,000 cases are
      reported in the United States each year and most acute care healthcare facilities
      admit only a few cases annually. Accordingly, no single institution can claim
      extensive experience, and management protocols are most probably based on either
      expert opinion or literature reports. In this study, we will attempt to review
      opinions and practices of representatives of the board members of the World
      Society of Emergency Surgery and compare them to the current literature. 

PMID- 26478742
TI  - Investments in blood safety improve the availability of blood to underserved
      areas in a sub-Saharan African country.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Since 2004, several African countries, including
      Namibia, have received assistance from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for
      AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Gains have been documented in the safety and number of
      collected units in these countries, but the distribution of blood has not been
      described. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine years of data on blood requests and issues
      from Namibia were stratified by region to describe temporal and spatial changes
      in the number and type of blood components issued to Namibian healthcare
      facilities nationally. RESULTS: Between 2004 and 2007 (early years of PEPFAR
      support) and 2008-2011 (peak years of PEPFAR support), the average number of red
      cell units issued annually increased by 23.5% in seven densely populated but less
      developed regions in northern Namibia; by 30% in two regions with urban centres;
      and by 35.1% in four sparsely populated rural regions. CONCLUSION: Investments in
      blood safety and a policy decision to emphasize distribution of blood to
      underserved regions improved blood availability in remote rural areas and
      increased the proportion of units distributed as components. However, disparities
      persist in the distribution of blood between Namibia's urban and rural regions.

PMID- 26478743
TI  - Using water-solvent systems to estimate in vivo blood-tissue partition
      coefficients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blood-tissue partition coefficients indicate how a chemical will
      distribute throughout the body and are an important part of any pharmacokinetic
      study. They can be used to assess potential toxicological effects from exposure
      to chemicals and the efficacy of potential novel drugs designed to target certain
      organs or the central nervous system. In vivo measurement of blood-tissue
      partition coefficients is often complicated, time-consuming, and relatively
      expensive, so developing in vitro systems that approximate in vivo ones is
      desirable. We have determined such systems for tissues such as brain, muscle,
      liver, lung, kidney, heart, skin, and fat. RESULTS: Several good (p < 0.05) blood
      tissue partition coefficient models were developed using a single water-solvent
      system. These include blood-brain, blood-lung, blood-heart, blood-fat, blood
      skin, water-skin, and skin permeation. Many of these partition coefficients have
      multiple water-solvent systems that can be used as models. Several solvents
      methylcyclohexane, 1,9-decadiene, and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol-were common to
      multiple models and thus a single measurement can be used to estimate multiple
      blood-tissue partition coefficients. A few blood-tissue systems require a
      combination of two water-solvent partition coefficient measurements to model well
      (p < 0.01), namely: blood-muscle: chloroform and dibutyl ether, blood-liver: N
      methyl-2-piperidone and ethanol/water (60:40) volume, and blood-kidney: DMSO and
      ethanol/water (20:80) volume. CONCLUSION: In vivo blood-tissue partition
      coefficients can be easily estimated through water-solvent partition coefficient
      measurements.Graphical abstract:Predicted blood-brain barrier partition
      coefficients coloured by measured log BB value.

PMID- 26478744
TI  - Improving transitions of care for complex pediatric trauma patients from
      inpatient rehabilitation to home: an observational pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients requiring inpatient pediatric rehabilitation following
      trauma or disabling illness often require complex care after hospital discharge.
      The patients and their families are at risk for loss of continuity of care and
      increased stress which can adversely affect functional and medical outcomes. This
      pilot study assesses the complexity of need and difficulty with obtaining
      services at the time of transition from inpatient to outpatient care for
      pediatric rehabilitation. Additionally we explored the intervention of a post
      discharge phone call from an experienced rehabilitation nurse to address any
      issues identified in this period. METHODS: A rehabilitation nurse made scripted
      post discharge phone calls to patients and families 1-2 weeks after discharge
      from inpatient pediatric rehabilitation inquiring about medical appointments,
      medications, therapies, adaptive equipment and transition back to school. Results
      were recorded by the nurse then analyzed and tabulated by a rehabilitation
      physician. RESULTS: Eighty two percent of patients had needs in 4-5 of the areas
      assessed as part of their discharge recommendations. Eighty four percent of those
      families contacted had difficulty with at least one area at discharge. In all
      cases of confusion or difficulty with the recommendations, the nurse was able to
      provide needed guidance to ameliorate the situation. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot
      study indicates that pediatric rehabilitation patient require complex care as
      they transition to an outpatient setting. There is significant confusion and
      families often have difficulty obtaining necessary care in an efficient and
      effective way during this transition. A post discharge phone call from an
      experienced rehabilitation nurse could address most of the issues that arise
      during the transition. This pilot study indicates a need for more investigation
      into interventions to improve the transition process for pediatric rehabilitation
      patients and suggests a post discharge phone call program could be useful
      intervention for pediatric rehabilitation patients and other patient populations
      requiring complex care such as polytrauma patients.

PMID- 26478745
TI  - Long contiguous stretches of homozygosity spanning shortly the imprinted loci are
      associated with intellectual disability, autism and/or epilepsy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long contiguous stretches of homozygosity (LCSH) (regions/runs of
      homozygosity) are repeatedly detected by single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)
      chromosomal microarrays. Providing important clues regarding parental relatedness
      (consanguinity), uniparental disomy, chromosomal recombination or rearrangements,
      LCSH are rarely considered as a possible epigenetic cause of neurodevelopmental
      disorders. Additionally, despite being relevant to imprinting, LCSH at imprinted
      loci have not been truly addressed in terms of pathogenicity. In this study, we
      examined LCSH in children with unexplained intellectual disability, autism,
      congenital malformations and/or epilepsy focusing on chromosomal regions which
      harbor imprinted disease genes. RESULTS: Out of 267 cases, 14 (5.2 %) were found
      to have LCSH at imprinted loci associated with a clinical outcome. There were 5
      cases of LCSH at 15p11.2, 4 cases of LCSH at 7q31.2, 3 cases of LCSH at 11p15.5,
      and 2 cases of LCSH at 7q21.3. Apart from a case of LCSH at 7q31.33q32.3 (~4 Mb
      in size), all causative LCSH were 1-1.5 Mb in size. Clinically, these cases were
      characterized by a weak resemblance to corresponding imprinting diseases (i.e.,
      Silver-Russell, Beckwith-Wiedemann, and Prader-Willi/Angelman syndromes),
      exhibiting distinctive intellectual disability, autistic behavior, developmental
      delay, seizures and/or facial dysmorphisms. Parental consanguinity was detected
      in 8 cases (3 %), and these cases did not exhibit LCSH at imprinted loci.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that shorter LCSH at chromosomes 7q21.3,
      7q31.2, 11p15.5, and 15p11.2 occur with a frequency of about 5 % in the children
      with intellectual disability, autism, congenital malformations and/or epilepsy.
      Consequently, this type of epigenetic mutations appears to be the most common one
      among children with neurodevelopmental diseases. Finally, since LCSH less than
      2.5-10 Mb in size are generally ignored in diagnostic SNP microarray studies, one
      can conclude that an important epigenetic cause of intellectual disability,
      autism or epilepsy is actually overlooked.

PMID- 26478746
TI  - Epidermal Growth Factor (EGFR) copy number aberrations in esophageal and gastro
      esophageal junctional carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical trials of agents targeting epidermal growth factor receptor
      (EGFR) in esophageal carcinoma (EC) have indicated a minority subgroup responsive
      to anti-EGFR therapies. Other investigations suggest increases in EGFR copy
      number are associated with poor prognosis in EC, but have used a variety of
      different techniques and tested numbers remain small. A validated assay for EGFR
      copy number in EC is needed, to allow investigation of EGFR copy number gain as a
      predictive biomarker for the anti-EGFR responsive subgroup of patients. We
      developed a scoring system in EC based upon established systems for EGFR
      fluorescence in-situ hybridisation (FISH) in lung cancer, and applied this in a
      series of 160 UK patients with advanced EC. RESULTS: Dual colour FISH on formalin
      fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) biopsies were scored independently by two
      operators as: disomy (score = 1), low trisomy (score = 2), high trisomy (score =
      3), low polysomy (score = 4), high polysomy (score = 5) and amplification (score
      = 6). EGFR FISH positive cases (scores 5 and 6) were found in 32/160 (20 %)
      tumours, with high polysomy in 22 (13.8 %) and amplification in 10 (6.3 %). Two
      independent operator scores for FISH positivity were 100 % concordant. EGFR FISH
      positive status was not associated with clinic-pathological features. EGFR
      amplification was associated with worse survival (HR = 2.64, 95 % CI 1.04 to
      6.71, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Our FISH scoring system for EGFR in advanced EC
      identifies a significant subgroup (20.0 %) of FISH positive patients. EGFR
      amplification, which is found in 6.3 %, is associated with poor survival. It is
      not known if there is a role for EGFR targeted treatment in this subgroup of
      patients, however we are now utilising this EGFR FISH assay and scoring system in
      biopsies from clinical trials utilising anti-EGFR targeted therapies.

PMID- 26478747
TI  - Prediction of protein solvent accessibility using PSO-SVR with multiple sequence
      derived features and weighted sliding window scheme.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prediction of solvent accessibility could provide valuable clues
      for analyzing protein structure and functions, such as protein 3-Dimensional
      structure and B-cell epitope prediction. To fully decipher the protein-protein
      interaction process, an initial but crucial step is to calculate the protein
      solvent accessibility, especially when the tertiary structure of the protein is
      unknown. Although some efforts have been put into the protein solvent
      accessibility prediction, the performance of existing methods is far from
      satisfaction. METHODS: In order to develop the high-accuracy model, we focus on
      some possible aspects concerning the prediction performance, including several
      sequence-derived features, a weighted sliding window scheme and the parameters
      optimization of machine learning approach. To address above issues, we take
      following strategies. Firstly, we explore various features which have been
      observed to be associated with the residue solvent accessibility. These
      discriminative features include protein evolutionary information, predicted
      protein secondary structure, native disorder, physicochemical propensities and
      several sequence-based structural descriptors of residues. Secondly, the
      different contributions of adjacent residues in sliding window are observed, thus
      a weighted sliding window scheme is proposed to differentiate the contributions
      of adjacent residues on the central residue. Thirdly, particle swarm optimization
      (PSO) is employed to search the global best parameters for the proposed
      predictor. RESULTS: Evaluated by 3-fold cross-validation, our method achieves the
      mean absolute error (MAE) of 14.1% and the person correlation coefficient (PCC)
      of 0.75 for our new-compiled dataset. When compared with the state-of-the-art
      prediction models in the two benchmark datasets, our method demonstrates better
      performance. Experimental results demonstrate that our PSAP achieves high
      performances and outperforms many existing predictors. A web server called PSAP
      is built and freely available at http://59.73.198.144:8088/SolventAccessibility/.

PMID- 26478748
TI  - Implementation of guidelines for metabolic syndrome control in kidney transplant
      recipients: results at a single center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death among kidney
      transplant recipients. Metabolic syndrome increases the risk for cardiovascular
      events and decreases graft survival. Lately, guidelines for management of the
      metabolic syndrome, primarily hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM) and
      hypercholesterolemia have dramatically changed in an attempt to decrease
      cardiovascular risks among kidney transplant recipients. In the present study we
      examined whether these guideline changes had impact on our management of post
      transplantation patients and the subsequent treatment outcomes for these
      diseases. METHODS: Data were obtained from kidney transplant clinic files from
      two follow-up (FU) periods-between 1994-1997 and between 2008-2011. Demographic
      data, monitoring and screening frequency for cardiovascular risk factors,
      immunosuppression regimen, treatment for hypertension, diabetes and
      hyperlipidemia, treatment outcomes and graft function changes were compared
      between the two follow-up periods. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in
      the percentage of patients undergoing transplantation due to renal failure
      secondary to diabetes and/or hypertension. Patient monitoring and screening
      during the second FU period were less frequent, but more targeted, reflecting
      changes in clinic routines. Blood pressure was better controlled in the second FU
      period (p < 0.01), as was hypercholesterolemia (p < 0.001). High fasting glucose
      levels were more prevalent among patients in the second group (p < 0.005),
      although more patients received treatment for DM (p < 0.001). Significantly,
      fewer patients experienced deterioration of kidney functions during the second FU
      period (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We found that guideline changes had impact on
      clinical practice, which translated to better control of the metabolic syndrome.
      DM control is challenging. Overall, stability of kidney function improved.

PMID- 26478749
TI  - Lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

PMID- 26478750
TI  - Perceiving the Black female body: Race and gender in police constructions of body
      weight.
AB  - Representations of Black women in United States popular culture and public
      discourse frequently depict them stereotypically as fat and in need of policing
      for moral failures. As well, research has shown that Black women are perceived
      and constructed as non-prototypical for their gender. Taken together, observers
      within a White dominant social frame could be said to have difficulty correctly
      seeing Black women's bodies and gender presentations. In this study we examined
      how Black women are seen in the context of New York City Police Department (NYPD)
      stops and searches (known as Stop & Frisk). We examined how officers categorized
      Black women's body weight; investigated whether stops took place in public or
      private space; and assessed the extent to which body weight brought additional
      sanctions (i.e., being frisked). We used publicly available datasets from the
      NYPD's Stop & Frisk program, in which stops numbering in the hundreds of
      thousands were recorded in yearly databases from 2003 to 2012. For each stop,
      officers record a number of attributes about the potential suspect and context,
      including race, gender, physique, date, and precinct. We conducted logistic
      regressions to model the odds of being categorized as heavy by race and gender,
      controlling for age, calculated BMI, location in a Black precinct, and season of
      the year. Results showed that across 10 years of data, Black women were more
      likely than White women to be labeled heavy. Black women were also much more
      likely than all other subgroups to be stopped inside rather than outside. Body
      size showed little association with stop locations or frisks. We interpret these
      findings as a reflection of Black women's positioning with regard to racial and
      gender representations and the disciplinary projects of the state.

PMID- 26478751
TI  - Estimation After a Group Sequential Trial.
AB  - Group sequential trials are one important instance of studies for which the
      sample size is not fixed a priori but rather takes one of a finite set of pre
      specified values, dependent on the observed data. Much work has been devoted to
      the inferential consequences of this design feature. Molenberghs et al (2012) and
      Milanzi et al (2012) reviewed and extended the existing literature, focusing on a
      collection of seemingly disparate, but related, settings, namely completely
      random sample sizes, group sequential studies with deterministic and random
      stopping rules, incomplete data, and random cluster sizes. They showed that the
      ordinary sample average is a viable option for estimation following a group
      sequential trial, for a wide class of stopping rules and for random outcomes with
      a distribution in the exponential family. Their results are somewhat surprising
      in the sense that the sample average is not optimal, and further, there does not
      exist an optimal, or even, unbiased linear estimator. However, the sample average
      is asymptotically unbiased, both conditionally upon the observed sample size as
      well as marginalized over it. By exploiting ignorability they showed that the
      sample average is the conventional maximum likelihood estimator. They also showed
      that a conditional maximum likelihood estimator is finite sample unbiased, but is
      less efficient than the sample average and has the larger mean squared error.
      Asymptotically, the sample average and the conditional maximum likelihood
      estimator are equivalent. This previous work is restricted, however, to the
      situation in which the the random sample size can take only two values, N = n or
      N = 2n. In this paper, we consider the more practically useful setting of sample
      sizes in a the finite set {n1, n2, ..., nL }. It is shown that the sample average
      is then a justifiable estimator , in the sense that it follows from joint
      likelihood estimation, and it is consistent and asymptotically unbiased. We also
      show why simulations can give the false impression of bias in the sample average
      when considered conditional upon the sample size. The consequence is that no
      corrections need to be made to estimators following sequential trials. When small
      sample bias is of concern, the conditional likelihood estimator provides a
      relatively straightforward modification to the sample average. Finally, it is
      shown that classical likelihood-based standard errors and confidence intervals
      can be applied, obviating the need for technical corrections.

PMID- 26478752
TI  - High levels of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is an adverse predictor of
      biochemical recurrence after prostatectomy in ERG-negative prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PC) can be stratified into distinct molecular
      subtypes based on TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion status, but its potential prognostic
      value remains controversial. Likewise, routine clinicopathological features
      cannot clearly distinguish aggressive from indolent tumors at the time of
      diagnosis; thus, new prognostic biomarkers are urgently needed. The DNA
      methylation variant 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC, an oxidized derivative of 5
      methylcytosine) has recently emerged as a new diagnostic and/or prognostic
      biomarker candidate for several human malignancies. However, this remains to be
      systematically investigated for PC. In this study, we determined 5hmC levels in
      311 PC (stratified by ERG status) and 228 adjacent non-malignant (NM) prostate
      tissue specimens by immunohistochemical analysis of a tissue microarray,
      representing a large radical prostatectomy (RP) cohort with long clinical follow
      up. We investigated possible correlations between 5hmC and routine
      clinicopathological variables and assessed the prognostic potential of 5hmC by
      Kaplan-Meier and uni- and multivariate Cox regression analyses in ERG+ (n = 178)
      vs. ERG- (n = 133) PCs using biochemical recurrence (BCR) as endpoint. RESULTS:
      We observed a borderline significant (p = 0.06) reduction in 5hmC levels in PC
      compared to NM tissue samples, which was explained by a highly significant (p <
      0.001) loss of 5hmC in ERG- PCs. ERG status was not predictive of BCR in this
      cohort (p = 0.73), and no significant association was found between BCR and 5hmC
      levels in ERG+ PCs (p = 0.98). In contrast, high 5hmC immunoreactivity was a
      significant adverse predictor of BCR after RP in ERG- PCs, independent of Gleason
      score, pathological tumor stage, surgical margin status, and pre-operative
      prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level (hazard ratio (HR) (95 % confidence
      interval (CI)): 1.62 (1.15-2.28), p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first
      study to demonstrate a prognostic potential for 5hmC in PC. Our findings
      highlight the importance of ERG stratification in PC biomarker studies and
      suggest that epigenetic mechanisms involving 5hmC are important for the
      development and/or progression of ERG- PC.

PMID- 26478753
TI  - Influences of diet and the gut microbiome on epigenetic modulation in cancer and
      other diseases.
AB  - Epigenetic modulation of gene activity occurs in response to non-genetic factors
      such as body weight status, physical activity, dietary factors, and environmental
      toxins. In addition, each of these factors is thought to affect and be affected
      by the gut microbiome. A primary mechanism that links these various factors
      together in mediating control of gene expression is the production of metabolites
      that serve as critical cofactors and allosteric regulators of epigenetic
      processes. Here, we review the involvement of the gut microbiota and its
      interactions with dietary factors, many of which have known cellular bioactivity,
      focusing on particular epigenetic processes affected and the influence they have
      on human health and disease, particularly cancer and response to treatment.
      Advances in DNA sequencing have expanded the capacity for studying the
      microbiome. Combining this with rapidly improving techniques to measure the
      metabolome provides opportunities to understand complex relationships that may
      underlie the development and progression of cancer as well as treatment-related
      sequelae. Given broad reaching and fundamental biology, both at the cellular and
      organismal levels, we propose that interactive research programs, which utilize a
      wide range of mutually informative experimental model systems-each one optimally
      suited for answering particular questions-provide the best path forward for
      breaking ground on new knowledge and ultimately understanding the epigenetic
      significance of the gut microbiome and its response to dietary factors in cancer
      prevention and therapy. 

PMID- 26478754
TI  - DNA methylation changes of whole blood cells in response to active smoking
      exposure in adults: a systematic review of DNA methylation studies.
AB  - Active smoking is a major preventable public health problem and an established
      critical factor for epigenetic modification. In this systematic review, we
      identified 17 studies addressing the association of active smoking exposure with
      methylation modifications in blood DNA, including 14 recent epigenome-wide
      association studies (EWASs) and 3 gene-specific methylation studies (GSMSs) on
      the gene regions identified by EWASs. Overall, 1460 smoking-associated CpG sites
      were identified in the EWASs, of which 62 sites were detected in multiple (>=3)
      studies. The three most frequently reported CpG sites (genes) in whole blood
      samples were cg05575921 (AHRR), cg03636183 (F2RL3), and cg19859270 (GPR15),
      followed by other loci within intergenic regions 2q37.1 and 6p21.33. These
      significant smoking-related genes were further assessed by specific methylation
      assays in three GSMSs and reflected not only current but also lifetime or long
      term exposure to active smoking. In conclusion, this review summarizes the
      evidences for the use of blood DNA methylation patterns as biomarkers of smoking
      exposure for research and clinical practice. In particular, it provides a
      reservoir for constructing a smoking exposure index score which could be used to
      more precisely quantify long-term smoking exposure and evaluate the risks of
      smoking-induced diseases. 

PMID- 26478755
TI  - Roadside increments in PM10, NOx and NO2 concentrations observed over 2 months at
      a major highway in New Zealand.
AB  - Continuous and simultaneous observational particulate matter (measured as PM10),
      nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) data were captured at a
      kerbside site alongside a major highway in Auckland, New Zealand, and at a pair
      of setback sites within 250 m of the highway, day and night over 8 weeks. The
      three measurement sites were intended to allow emissions from the highway to be
      largely isolated from other sources. By filtering the data and subtracting upwind
      concentrations, the average roadside increment was calculated to be 1.8, 7.2 and
      101.4 MUg m-3 for PM10, NO2 and NOx, respectively, relative to a predominantly
      upwind setback site, and -0.1, 9.4 and 98.5 MUg m-3 for PM10, NO2 and NOx,
      respectively, relative to a downwind setback site. The negative value for PM10
      was attributed to local evening heating sources impacting the setback site. On
      days when peak 24 h PM10 concentrations were observed, the absolute kerbside
      increment was 2.1 MUg m-3. The absolute roadside 24 h average PM10 increment
      varied diurnally, peaking (on average) at 2.4 MUg m-3 during peak traffic hours.
      The largest observed 24-h average PM10 roadside increment was 6.9 MUg m-3 and
      exceeded 5 MUg m-3 on nine occasions. On each of these occasions, the daily mean
      wind speed was less than 2 m s-1. The diurnally averaged difference in NOx
      concentrations between the kerbside site and the setback sites clearly resembled
      the diurnal cycle in traffic volume, and peaked during the morning traffic peak
      at around 180 MUg m-3. Background NOx concentrations were slightly higher in our
      study compared to a similar study in Las Vegas but absolute roadside
      concentrations were higher. This may be consistent with higher NOx emission
      factors in Auckland, but differences in the precise distance of the monitor from
      the road lanes and differences in meteorology need to be considered.

PMID- 26478756
TI  - Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptom Profiles in Medication-Treated
      Adults Entering a Psychosocial Treatment Program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although medications are the most widely studied effective treatments
      for adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), patients treated
      with medications often have significant residual symptoms that may be amenable to
      psychosocial intervention. Few studies, however, report on the structure and
      severity of specific residual ADHD symptoms in adult patients who have been
      treated with medications. This information may be important in identifying the
      most important psychosocial treatment targets for medicated adults with ADHD with
      residual symptoms. OBJECTIVES: Identify which symptoms of ADHD are most frequent
      and severe for medication-treated adults. Identify meaningful factors underlying
      self-report and clinician ratings in this group. METHODS: Self-reported and
      clinician-rated ADHD symptom data from 105 adults in the community already
      receiving medication treatment who were entering cognitive behavioral therapy
      studies were examined. First, we examined the frequency and severity of each of
      the 18 ADHD symptoms that were present in the sample. Second, we conducted
      exploratory factor analyses of self-reported and clinician-rated ADHD symptoms to
      best describe the structure of residual symptoms in medication-treated adults,
      Lastly, we examined the association of the resulting factor scores with clinician
      rated global ADHD severity (Clinical Global Impressions) and functional
      impairment (Global Assessment of Functioning) scales to determine which factors
      relate to overall severity. RESULTS: The 2 most frequent (self-reported and
      clinician-rated) residual symptoms were disorganization (85%-88%) and
      distractibility (74%-83%). Exploratory factor analyses for both self-reported and
      clinician-rated data yielded a 3-factor model: (1) Hyperactivity/Restlessness,
      (2) Impulsivity/Poor Prospective Memory, and (3) Inattention. Using multiple
      regression, the Inattention factor from self-reported and clinician-rated data
      was most strongly, consistently, and uniquely related to clinician ratings of
      both illness severity and functioning. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample,
      disorganization and distractibility were the most frequent and clinically
      significant residual symptoms; therefore, these should be important targets in
      psychosocial treatments for this population. Scoring symptom rating scales in
      medication-treated adults with ADHD using Hyperactivity. Restlessness,
      Impulsivity/Poor Prospective Memory, and Inattention factors may be more
      informative with respect to evaluating psychosocial treatment outcome than
      overall scale scores alone.

PMID- 26478757
TI  - Measurement of ADAMTS13.
AB  - ADAMTS13, encoded on chromosome 9q34, is a member of the ADAMTS (a disintegrin
      and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif) metalloprotease family,
      containing the common domain structure of (from the amino terminus) signal
      peptide, propeptide, reprolysin type metalloprotease, thrombospondin type 1
      motif, cysteine-rich region, and spacer domain. ADAMTS13 cleaves von Willebrand
      factor (VWF) in a shear stress dependent manner. Deficiency of the enzyme causes
      the platelet aggregation of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Inhibitory
      antibodies of ADAMTS13 are detected in patients with acquired TTP, while
      homozygous or double heterozygous mutations of the ADAMTS13 gene cause the
      hereditary form of the disease 1. Targeting of the ADAMTS13 gene by recombinant
      technology has reproduced the phenotype of human TTP in ADAMTS13-null mice 2.
      Despite these advances, intense controversy and confusion persist regarding the
      role of ADAMTS13 assays in the diagnosis of TTP. This brief review highlights
      some of the contentious issues and proposes steps to improve the diagnostic value
      of ADAMTS13 assays.

PMID- 26478758
TI  - Metacognition in animals: Trends and challenges.
AB  - There is widespread agreement that metacognition is not demonstrated if
      alternative explanations account for putative meta-cognition data. However, there
      is less agreement on which studies are protected from alternative explanations.
      We have argued that existing experiments on uncertainty monitoring can be
      explained by low-level explanations without assuming metacognition (Crystal &
      Foote, 2009). The field would benefit from the development of accepted standards
      for what is required to produce a convincing example of metacognition in animals.

PMID- 26478759
TI  - Structure Activity Relationships (SARs) Using a Structurally Diverse Drug
      Database: Validating Success of Predictor Tools.
AB  - ADME/Tox (absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination and toxicity)
      technology is traditionally associated as a tool in the drug discovery process
      which is often used to predict the efficiency of drug adsorption, distribution,
      metabolic pathways, and elimination. For the past four years we have been
      involved in an effort to evaluate readily available Food and Drug Administration
      (FDA) consumer drug profiles and pharmacological data. Portable Document Format
      (PDF) data from drug profiles available on the FDA Drug Information website were
      used to create a searchable FDA Consumer Drug Database(c) using Bio-Rad's
      KnowItAll(r) platform which includes ADME/Tox in silico predictors. 14 pertinent
      pharmaceutical and pharmacological properties were collected for 75 structurally
      diverse consumer prescription drugs, and for several drugs, not all properties
      were completely populated. The major objective of this investigation was to
      validate the platforms prediction models for plasma protein binding (PPB) and
      bioavailability (BIO).

PMID- 26478760
TI  - Particle Size Distribution in Aluminum Manufacturing Facilities.
AB  - As part of exposure assessment for an ongoing epidemiologic study of heart
      disease and fine particle exposures in aluminum industry, area particle samples
      were collected in production facilities to assess instrument reliability and
      particle size distribution at different process areas. Personal modular impactors
      (PMI) and Minimicro-orifice uniform deposition impactors (MiniMOUDI) were used.
      The coefficient of variation (CV) of co-located samples was used to evaluate the
      reproducibility of the samplers. PM2.5 measured by PMI was compared to PM2.5
      calculated from MiniMOUDI data. Mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) and
      concentrations of sub-micrometer (PM1.0) and quasi-ultrafine (PM0.56) particles
      were evaluated to characterize particle size distribution. Most of CVs were less
      than 30%. The slope of the linear regression of PMI_PM2.5 versus MiniMOUDI_PM2.5
      was 1.03 mg/m3 per mg/m3 (+/- 0.05), with correlation coefficient of 0.97 (+/-
      0.01). Particle size distribution varied substantively in smelters, whereas it
      was less variable in fabrication units with significantly smaller MMADs
      (arithmetic mean of MMADs: 2.59 MUm in smelters vs. 1.31 MUm in fabrication
      units, p = 0.001). Although the total particle concentration was more than two
      times higher in the smelters than in the fabrication units, the fraction of PM10
      which was PM1.0 or PM0.56 was significantly lower in the smelters than in the
      fabrication units (p < 0.001). Consequently, the concentrations of sub-micrometer
      and quasi-ultrafine particles were similar in these two types of facilities. It
      would appear, studies evaluating ultrafine particle exposure in aluminum industry
      should focus on not only the smelters, but also the fabrication facilities.

PMID- 26478761
TI  - Promoting an Alcohol-free Childhood: A Novel Home-Based Parenting Program.

PMID- 26478763
TI  - Factors Influencing Care Decisions for Patients With Advanced Cancer.

PMID- 26478762
TI  - BAYESIAN GROUP LASSO FOR NONPARAMETRIC VARYING-COEFFICIENT MODELS WITH
      APPLICATION TO FUNCTIONAL GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES.
AB  - Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have proven powerful for
      comprehending the genetic architecture of complex traits, they are challenged by
      a high dimension of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as predictors, the
      presence of complex environmental factors, and longitudinal or functional natures
      of many complex traits or diseases. To address these challenges, we propose a
      high-dimensional varying-coefficient model for incorporating functional aspects
      of phenotypic traits into GWAS to formulate a so-called functional GWAS or fGWAS.
      Bayesian group lasso and the associated MCMC algorithms are developed to identify
      significant SNPs and estimate how they affect longitudinal traits through time
      varying genetic actions. The model is generalized to analyze the genetic control
      of complex traits using subject-specific sparse longitudinal data. The
      statistical properties of the new model are investigated through simulation
      studies. We use the new model to analyze a real GWAS data set from the Framingham
      Heart Study, leading to the identification of several significant SNPs associated
      with age-specific changes of body mass index. The fGWAS model, equipped with
      Bayesian group lassso, will provide a useful tool for genetic and developmental
      analysis of complex traits or diseases.

PMID- 26478764
TI  - Reconsidering the logical structure of the theory of natural selection.
AB  - Natural selection has been criticized as a tautology. This would be a major
      problem for evolutionary biology, if true, because tautological statements can't
      be falsified and, therefore, can't be scientific. There is merit to this critique
      insofar as the theory of natural selection is indeed generally described in a
      tautological manner. However, natural selection can be described non
      tautologically if we're careful. Natural selection should be defined as the
      theory that attempts to predict and retrodict evolutionary change through
      environmental forces acting upon organisms. However, this re-framing comes at a
      cost: it reveals, based on our current knowledge of evolutionary forces, the lack
      of ability to make accurate predictions about expected changes except in the most
      simple of circumstances. I suggest that evolutionary biologists should work to
      develop "principles of evolution," based on an expanded and more focused research
      program designed to identify common trends in evolution, which will ultimately
      allow us to make more accurate predictions and retrodictions about evolution. 

PMID- 26478765
TI  - MICAL-L1-related and unrelated mechanisms underlying elongated tubular endosomal
      network (ETEN) in human dendritic cells.
AB  - The endosomal pathway constitutes a highly dynamic intracellular transport
      system, which is composed of vesicular and tubular compartments. Endosomal
      tubules enable geometry-based discrimination between membrane and luminal
      content. Extended tubular endosomes were suggested to deliver a steady stream of
      membrane proteins to one location more reliable and effective than vesicular
      endosomes. Recently, we demonstrated that human dendritic cells (DCs) form a
      large elongated tubular endosomal network, e.g. ETEN, upon distinct triggers. LPS
      stimulation triggered late endosomal tubulation. Additional clustering of class I
      MHC and ICAM-1 by a cognate interaction between antigen-laden DC and antigen
      specific CD8(+) T-cells induces formation of transferrin-positive tubules
      emanating from the endosomal recycling compartment (ERC). We here discuss cell
      biological mechanisms that are involved in membrane bending and possibly underlie
      initiation, elongation, and stabilization of ETEN in human DCs. Using a knock
      down approach we demonstrate that MICAL-L1 is necessary for ETEN remodeling
      originating from ERC in human DCs. 

PMID- 26478766
TI  - Evolutionary thinking: "A conversation with Carter Phipps about the role of
      evolutionary thinking in modern culture".
AB  - Evolution as an idea has a lengthy history, even though the idea of evolution is
      generally associated with Darwin today. Rebecca Stott provides an engaging and
      thoughtful overview of this history of evolutionary thinking in her 2013 book,
      Darwin's Ghosts: The Secret History of Evolution. Since Darwin, the debate over
      evolution-both how it takes place and, in a long war of words with religiously
      oriented thinkers, whether it takes place-has been sustained and heated. A
      growing share of this debate is now devoted to examining how evolutionary
      thinking affects areas outside of biology. How do our lives change when we
      recognize that all is in flux? What can we learn about life more generally if we
      study change instead of stasis? Carter Phipps' book, Evolutionaries: Unlocking
      the Spiritual and Cultural Potential of Science's Greatest Idea, delves deep into
      this relatively new development. Phipps generally takes as a given the validity
      of the Modern Synthesis of evolutionary biology. His story takes us into, as the
      subtitle suggests, the spiritual and cultural implications of evolutionary
      thinking. Can religion and evolution be reconciled? Can evolutionary thinking
      lead to a new type of spirituality? Is our culture already being changed in ways
      that we don't realize by evolutionary thinking? These are all important questions
      and Phipps book is a great introduction to this discussion. Phipps is an author,
      journalist, and contributor to the emerging "integral" or "evolutionary" cultural
      movement that combines the insights of Integral Philosophy, evolutionary science,
      developmental psychology, and the social sciences. He has served as the Executive
      Editor of EnlightenNext magazine (no longer published) and more recently is the
      co-founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, a public policy think tank
      addressing the cultural roots of America's political challenges. What follows is
      an email interview with Phipps. 

PMID- 26478767
TI  - The genealogy of genealogy of neurons.
AB  - Two scenarios of neuronal evolution (monophyly and polyphyly) are discussed in
      the historical timeline starting from the 19th century. The recent genomic
      studies on Ctenophores re-initiated a broad interest in the hypotheses of
      independent origins of neurons. However, even earlier work on ctenophores
      suggested that their nervous systems are unique in many aspects of their
      organization and a possibility of the independent origin of neurons and synapses
      was introduced well before modern advances in genomic biology. 

PMID- 26478768
TI  - Assembly of actin filaments and microtubules in Nwk F-BAR-induced membrane
      deformations.
AB  - F-BAR domains form crescent-shaped dimers that bind to and deform lipid bilayers,
      and play a role in many cellular processes requiring membrane remodeling,
      including endocytosis and cell morphogenesis. Nervous Wreck (NWK) encodes an F
      BAR/SH3 protein that regulates synapse growth in Drosophila. Unlike conventional
      F-BAR proteins that assemble tip-to-tip into filaments and helical arrays around
      membrane tubules, the Nwk F-BAR domain instead assembles into zigzags, creating
      ridges and periodic scallops on membranes in vitro. In cells, this membrane
      deforming activity generates small buds, which can lengthen into extensive
      protrusions upon actin cytoskeleton polymerization. Here, we show that Nwk
      induced cellular protrusions contain dynamic microtubules, distinguishing them
      from conventional filopodia, and further do not depend on actin filaments or
      microtubules for their maintenance. Our results indicate new ways in which close
      cooperation between the membrane remodeling and cytoskeletal machinery underlies
      large-scale changes in cellular morphology. 

PMID- 26478769
TI  - In wild tobacco, Nicotiana attenuata, variation among bacterial communities of
      isogenic plants is mainly shaped by the local soil microbiota independently of
      the plants' capacity to produce jasmonic acid.
AB  - The phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA) plays a central role in defense against
      necrotrophic pathogens and herbivores in Nicotiana attenuata. Recently Santhanam
      et al.(1) showed that JA does not have a major role in shaping the root- and
      shoot associated bacterial communities, though a few taxa differed among control
      (empty vector, EV) plants and plants impaired in their capacity to produce JA
      (irAOC). In this addendum, we provide additional data showing that the
      composition of the plant bacterial communities is mainly shaped by tissue type.
      The qualitative data analysis revealed that at the order level, 5 bacterial OTUs
      formed a core community found in all tissues irrespective of genotypes, while 9
      OTUs were different among roots and shoots. The heterogeneity among individual
      plants was high masking the potential genotype effect on bacterial communities.
      Using a culture-dependent approach, 3 of 18 bacterial taxa retrieved either only
      from one of the genotypes or from both had a growth promoting effect on EV and
      irAOC seedlings. The data suggest that the local soil niche in which the roots
      grows is a major driver of the variability in root bacterial communities
      recruited by different individuals, and the plant growth-promoting effects of
      some taxa are independent of the genotype. 

PMID- 26478770
TI  - Subcellular neuronal quasicrystals: Implications for consciousness.
AB  - Neuron neurotransmitter receptors are in general pentameric. This enables them to
      form pentagonal components in biological quasicrystals (similar to mathematical
      aperiodic tilings). As quasicrystals have been proposed to require quantum
      effects to exist this might introduce such effects as a component of
      neurotransmission and thus consciousness. Microtubules may play a role in the
      clustering of the receptors into quasicrystals, thus modulating their function
      and may even form quasicrystals themselves. Other quaiscrystals in neurons are
      potentially formed by water, cholera toxin complexes, and the cytoskeletal
      components actin and ankyrin. 

PMID- 26478771
TI  - The Microcosm within: An interview with William B. Miller, Jr., on the Extended
      Hologenome theory of evolution.
AB  - There is a singular unifying reality underlying every biologic interaction on our
      planet. In immunology, that which does not kill you makes you different. -William
      B. Miller, Jr. We are experiencing a revolution in our understanding of inner
      space on a par with our exponentially increasing understanding of outer space. In
      biology, we are learning that the genetic and epigenetic complexity within
      organisms is far deeper than suspected. This is a key theme in William B. Miller
      Jr.'s book, The Microcosm Within: Evolution and Extinction in the Hologenome. We
      are learning also that a focus on the human genome alone is misleading when it
      comes to who we really are as biological entities, and in terms of how we and
      other creatures have evolved. Rather than being defined by the human genome
      alone, we are instead defined by the "hologenome," the sum of the human genome
      and the far larger genetic endowment of the microbiome and symbiotic communities
      that reside within and around us. Miller is a medical doctor previously in
      private practice in Pennsylvania and Phoenix, Arizona. This book is his first
      foray into evolutionary theory. His book could have been titled "The Origin of
      Variation" because this is his primary focus. He accepts that natural selection
      plays a role in evolution, but he demotes this mechanism to a less important role
      than the Modern Synthesis suggests. His main gripe, however, concerns random
      variation. He argues that random variation is unable to explain the origin and
      evolution of biological forms that we see in the world around us and in the
      historical record. Miller suggests that, rather than random variation as the
      engine of novelty, there is a creative impulse at the heart of cellular life, and
      even at the level of the genetic aggregate, that generates novelty on a regular
      basis. I probe this assertion in the interview below. He also highlights the
      strong role of "exogenous genetic assault" in variation and in his immunological
      model of evolution. 

PMID- 26478772
TI  - Why so many sperm cells?
AB  - A key limiting step in fertility is the search for the oocyte by spermatozoa.
      Initially, there are tens of millions of sperm cells, but a single one will make
      it to the oocyte. This may be one of the most severe selection processes designed
      by evolution, whose role is yet to be understood. Why such a huge redundancy is
      required and what does that mean for the search process? we discuss here these
      questions and consequently new lines of interdisciplinary research needed to find
      possible answers. 

PMID- 26478773
TI  - Intranasal administration of oxytocin promotes social play in domestic dogs.
AB  - In a recent paper,(1) we examined whether oxytocin in the domestic dog modulates
      the maintenance of close social bonds in non-reproductive contexts. We found that
      exogenous oxytocin promotes positive social behaviors not only toward
      conspecifics, but also toward human partners. Here we examined in further detail
      the effect that oxytocin manipulation has on social play. When sprayed with
      oxytocin, subjects initiated play sessions more often and played for longer
      periods of time than when sprayed with saline. Furthermore, after oxytocin nasal
      intake dogs displayed play signals more often than after saline administration,
      suggesting that oxytocin enhances dogs' play motivation. To our knowledge, this
      study provides the first evidence that oxytocin promotes social play in the
      domestic dog. We use these results to hypothesize on the potential therapeutic
      use of oxytocin for promoting social behaviors and treating social deficits in
      the domestic dog. 

PMID- 26478774
TI  - Bacterial microcompartment assembly: The key role of encapsulation peptides.
AB  - Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) are proteinaceous organelles used by a broad
      range of bacteria to segregate and optimize metabolic reactions. Their functions
      are diverse, and can be divided into anabolic (carboxysome) and catabolic
      (metabolosomes) processes, depending on their cargo enzymes. The assembly pathway
      for the beta-carboxysome has been characterized, revealing that biogenesis
      proceeds from the inside out. The enzymes coalesce into a procarboxysome,
      followed by encapsulation in a protein shell that is recruited to the
      procarboxysome by a short (~17 amino acids) extension on the C-terminus of one of
      the encapsulated proteins. A similar extension is also found on the N- or C
      termini of a subset of metabolosome core enzymes. These encapsulation peptides
      (EPs) are characterized by a primary structure predicted to form an amphipathic
      alpha-helix that interacts with shell proteins. Here, we review the features,
      function and widespread occurrence of EPs among metabolosomes, and propose an
      expanded role for EPs in the assembly of diverse BMCs. 

PMID- 26478775
TI  - Time-related expression profiles for heat shock protein gene transcripts (HSP40,
      HSP70) in the central nervous system of Lymnaea stagnalis exposed to thermal
      stress.
AB  - Organisms exposed to environmental stressors respond by rapidly synthesising a
      suite of highly conserved proteins called heat shock proteins (HSPs).
      Environmental stress can also enhance and/or block memory formation, with long
      term memory formation requiring gene activation and protein synthesis. Thermal
      stress in the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis can enhance memory formation, and, in
      this study, the effect of thermal stress on HSP gene expression in the nervous
      system was investigated. Time-related expression profiles for HSP40 and HSP70
      indicated rapid (<30 min) induction for both transcripts. For HSP40, induction
      was <20 fold relative to control and expression returned to control levels within
      8 h, whereas HSP70 induction was >100 fold and expression did not return to
      control levels within 8 h. 

PMID- 26478776
TI  - Can subcellular organization be explained only by physical principles?
AB  - In a recent forum article, Dan Needleman and Jan Brugues argue that, despite the
      astonishing advances in cell biology, a fundamental understanding of even the
      most well-studied subcellular biological processes is lacking.(1) This lack of
      understanding is evidenced by our inability to make precise predictions of
      subcellular and cellular behaviors. They suggest that to achieve such an
      understanding, we need to apply a combination of quantitative experiments with
      new theoretical concepts and determine the physical principles of subcellular
      biological organization.(1) We discuss these issues and suggest that, besides
      biophysics, we need strong theoretical inputs from biocommunication theory in
      order to understand all the core agents of the cellular life and subcellular
      organization. 

PMID- 26478777
TI  - Investigating animal cognition with the Aesop's Fable paradigm: Current
      understanding and future directions.
AB  - The Aesop's Fable paradigm - in which subjects drop stones into tubes of water to
      obtain floating out-of-reach rewards - has been used to assess causal
      understanding in rooks, crows, jays and human children. To date, the performance
      of corvids suggests that they can recognize the functional properties of a
      variety of objects including size, weight and solidity, and they seem to be more
      capable of learning from causal information than arbitrary information. However,
      2 alternative explanations for their performance have yet to be ruled out. The
      perceptual-motor feedback hypothesis suggests that subjects may attend solely to
      the movement of the reward, repeating actions which bring the reward closer,
      while the object-bias hypothesis suggests that subjects could pass certain tasks
      by preferring to handle objects that resemble natural stones. Here we review our
      current understanding of performance on the Aesop's Fable tasks, and suggest that
      studies controlling for feedback and object preferences will help us determine
      exactly what animals understand about the cause and effect of water displacement.

PMID- 26478779
TI  - A Charge Swap mutation E461K in the yeast dynamin Vps1 reduces endocytic
      invagination.
AB  - Vps1 is the yeast dynamin-like protein that functions during several membrane
      trafficking events including traffic from Golgi to vacuole, endosomal recycling
      and endocytosis. Vps1 can also function in peroxisomal fission indicating that
      its ability to drive membrane fission is relatively promiscuous. It has been of
      interest therefore that several mutations have been identified in Vps1 that only
      disrupt its endocytic function. Most recently, disruption of the interaction with
      actin through mutation of residues in one of the central stalk alpha helices
      (RR457,458 EE) has been shown to disrupt endocytosis and cause an accumulation of
      highly elongated invaginations in cells. This data supports the idea that an
      interaction between Vps1 and actin is important to drive the scission stage in
      endocytosis. Another Vps1 mutant generated in the study was vps1 E461K. Here we
      show data demonstrating that the E461K mutation also disrupts endocytosis but at
      an early stage, resulting in inhibition of the invagination step itself. 

PMID- 26478778
TI  - The natural history of consciousness, and the question of whether plants are
      conscious, in relation to the Hameroff-Penrose quantum-physical 'Orch OR' theory
      of universal consciousness.

PMID- 26478780
TI  - Differences in color learning between pollen- and sucrose-rewarded bees.
AB  - What bees learn during pollen collection, and how they might discriminate between
      flowers on the basis of the quality of this reward, is not well understood.
      Recently we showed that bees learn to associate colors with differences in pollen
      rewards. Extending these findings, we present here additional evidence to suggest
      that the strength and time-course of memory formation may differ between pollen-
      and sucrose-rewarded bees. Color-naive honeybees, trained with pollen or sucrose
      rewards to discriminate colored stimuli, were found to differ in their responses
      when recalling learnt information after reversal training. Such differences could
      affect the decision-making and foraging dynamics of individual bees when
      collecting different types of floral rewards. 

PMID- 26478781
TI  - Anchored PKA as a gatekeeper for gap junctions.
AB  - Anchored protein kinase A (PKA) bound to A Kinase Anchoring Protein (AKAP)
      mediates effects of localized increases in cAMP in defined subcellular
      microdomains and retains the specificity in cAMP-PKA signaling to distinct
      extracellular stimuli. Gap junctions are pores between adjacent cells constituted
      by connexin proteins that provide means of communication and transfer of small
      molecules. While the PKA signaling is known to promote human trophoblast cell
      fusion, the gap junction communication through connexin 43 (Cx43) is a
      prerequisite for this process. We recently demonstrated that trophoblast fusion
      is regulated by ezrin, a known AKAP, which binds to Cx43 and delivers PKA in the
      vicinity gap junctions. We found that disruption of the ezrin-Cx43 interaction
      abolished PKA-dependent phosphorylation of Cx43 as well as gap junction
      communication and subsequently cell fusion. We propose that the PKA-ezrin-Cx43
      macromolecular complex regulating gap junction communication constitutes a
      general mechanism to control opening of Cx43 gap junctions by phosphorylation in
      response to cAMP signaling in various cell types. 

PMID- 26478782
TI  - On the role of the plasmodial cytoskeleton in facilitating intelligent behavior
      in slime mold Physarum polycephalum.
AB  - The plasmodium of slime mold Physarum polycephalum behaves as an amorphous
      reaction-diffusion computing substrate and is capable of apparently 'intelligent'
      behavior. But how does intelligence emerge in an acellular organism? Through a
      range of laboratory experiments, we visualize the plasmodial cytoskeleton-a
      ubiquitous cellular protein scaffold whose functions are manifold and essential
      to life-and discuss its putative role as a network for transducing, transmitting
      and structuring data streams within the plasmodium. Through a range of computer
      modeling techniques, we demonstrate how emergent behavior, and hence
      computational intelligence, may occur in cytoskeletal communications networks.
      Specifically, we model the topology of both the actin and tubulin cytoskeletal
      networks and discuss how computation may occur therein. Furthermore, we present
      bespoke cellular automata and particle swarm models for the computational process
      within the cytoskeleton and observe the incidence of emergent patterns in both.
      Our work grants unique insight into the origins of natural intelligence; the
      results presented here are therefore readily transferable to the fields of
      natural computation, cell biology and biomedical science. We conclude by
      discussing how our results may alter our biological, computational and
      philosophical understanding of intelligence and consciousness. 

PMID- 26478783
TI  - Cell-based inhibitor screening identifies multiple protein kinases important for
      circadian clock oscillations.
AB  - Molecular oscillation of the circadian clock is based on E-box-mediated
      transcriptional feedback loop formed with clock genes and their encoding
      products, clock proteins. The clock proteins are regulated by post-translational
      modifications such as phosphorylation. We investigated the effects of a series of
      kinase inhibitors on gene expression rhythms in Rat-1 fibroblasts. The period of
      the cellular circadian rhythm in culture was lengthened by treatment with
      SB203580 (p38 MAPK inhibitor), SP600125 (JNK inhibitor), IC261 (CKI inhibitor)
      and Roscovitine (CDK inhibitor). On the other hand, the period was shortened by
      SB216763 (GSK-3 inhibitor) or KN93 (CaMKII inhibitor) treatment. Application of
      20 MUM KN93 completely abolished the rhythmic gene expression. The activity of
      CaMKII exhibited circadian variation in a phase close to the E-box-mediated
      transcriptional rhythms. In vitro kinase assay revealed that CaMKII directly
      phosphorylates N-terminal and Ser/Pro-rich domains of CLOCK, an activator of E
      box-mediated transcription. These results indicate a phosphorylation-dependent
      tuning of the period length by a regulatory network of multiple kinases and
      reveal an essential role of CaMKII in the cellular oscillation mechanism. 

PMID- 26478784
TI  - Autopoiesis + extended cognition + nature = can buildings think?
AB  - To incorporate metabolic, bioremedial functions into the performance of buildings
      and to balance generative architecture's dominant focus on computational
      programming and digital fabrication, this text first discusses hybridizing
      Maturana and Varela's biological theory of autopoiesis with Andy Clark's
      hypothesis of extended cognition. Doing so establishes a procedural protocol to
      research biological domains from which design could source data/insight from
      biosemiotics, sensory plants, and biocomputation. I trace computation and botanic
      simulations back to Alan Turing's little-known 1950s Morphogenetic drawings,
      reaction-diffusion algorithms, and pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) in
      order to establish bioarchitecture's generative point of origin. I ask
      provocatively, Can buildings think? as a question echoing Turing's own, "Can
      machines think?" 

PMID- 26478785
TI  - High-quality permanent draft genome sequence of the Lebeckia ambigua-nodulating
      Burkholderia sp. strain WSM4176.
AB  - Burkholderia sp. strain WSM4176 is an aerobic, motile, Gram-negative, non-spore
      forming rod that was isolated from an effective N2-fixing root nodule of Lebeckia
      ambigua collected in Nieuwoudtville, Western Cape of South Africa, in October
      2007. This plant persists in infertile, acidic and deep sandy soils, and is
      therefore an ideal candidate for a perennial based agriculture system in Western
      Australia. Here we describe the features of Burkholderia sp. strain WSM4176,
      which represents a potential inoculant quality strain for L. ambigua, together
      with sequence and annotation. The 9,065,247 bp high-quality-draft genome is
      arranged in 13 scaffolds of 65 contigs, contains 8369 protein-coding genes and
      128 RNA-only encoding genes, and is part of the GEBA-RNB project proposal
      (Project ID 882). 

PMID- 26478786
TI  - High-quality permanent draft genome sequence of the Mimosa asperata - nodulating
      Cupriavidus sp. strain AMP6.
AB  - Cupriavidus sp. strain AMP6 is an aerobic, motile, Gram-negative, non-spore
      forming rod that was isolated from a root nodule of Mimosa asperata collected in
      Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, in 2005. Mimosa asperata is the only
      legume described so far to exclusively associates with Cupriavidus symbionts.
      Moreover, strain AMP6 represents an early-diverging lineage within the symbiotic
      Cupriavidus group and has the capacity to develop an effective nitrogen-fixing
      symbiosis with three other species of Mimosa. Therefore, the genome of
      Cupriavidus sp. strain AMP6 enables comparative analyses of symbiotic trait
      evolution in this genus and here we describe the general features, together with
      sequence and annotation. The 7,579,563 bp high-quality permanent draft genome is
      arranged in 260 scaffolds of 262 contigs, contains 7,033 protein-coding genes and
      97 RNA-only encoding genes, and is part of the GEBA-RNB project proposal. 

PMID- 26478787
TI  - Indolinyl-Thiazole Based Inhibitors of Scavenger Receptor-BI (SR-BI)-Mediated
      Lipid Transport.
AB  - A potent class of indolinyl-thiazole based inhibitors of cellular lipid uptake
      mediated by scavenger receptor, class B, type I (SR-BI) was identified via a high
      throughput screen of the National Institutes of Health Molecular Libraries Small
      Molecule Repository (NIH MLSMR) in an assay measuring the uptake of the
      fluorescent lipid DiI from HDL particles. This class of compounds is represented
      by ML278 (17-11), a potent (average IC50 = 6 nM) and reversible inhibitor of
      lipid uptake via SR-BI. ML278 is a plasma-stable, noncytotoxic probe that
      exhibits moderate metabolic stability, thus displaying improved properties for in
      vitro and in vivo studies. Strikingly, ML278 and previously described inhibitors
      of lipid transport share the property of increasing the binding of HDL to SR-BI,
      rather than blocking it, suggesting there may be similarities in their mechanisms
      of action.

PMID- 26478789
TI  - Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and Epidermal Growth
      Factor Receptor (EGFR) in Patients With Serous Ovarian Carcinoma and Their
      Clinical Significance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has an essential role in
      tumor metastasis by inducing the construction of abnormal blood vessels.
      Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is involved in different parts of cancer
      growth such as tumor initiation, angiogenesis and metastasis. OBJECTIVES: The aim
      of this study was to evaluate the expression of VEGF and EGFR in ovarian cancer
      in southern Iran and to assess the correlation between expression of these two
      markers and patients' age, tumor stage, and grade. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this
      cross-sectional study, 50 paraffin blocks of serous ovarian adenocarcinomas and
      50 paraffin-embedded specimens from control individuals operated for reasons
      other than malignancy were immunohistochemically stained using anti-human VEGF
      and EGFR antibodies. RESULTS: A significant difference in the frequency of
      positive expression of VEGF was observed in ovarian cancer patients (25.0%)
      compared with the control group (8.0%) (P = 0.023). A significant difference
      between EGFR expression in patients (56.8%) and controls (24.0%) was also
      obtained (P = 0.001). No significant correlation between VEGF and EGFR expression
      and patients' age, tumor grade and stage were detected (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      The significant increase in both VEGF and EGFR in the patients with ovarian
      cancer compared to healthy individuals could have prognostic value. Identifying
      these markers may be useful for chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic strategies
      for patients with serous ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26478790
TI  - Awareness, Attitude, and Practice of Breast Cancer Screening Women, and the
      Associated Socio-Demographic Characteristics, in Northern Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women, with a high
      rate of mortality. The burden of disease and its serious outcome could be
      prevented by early detection. OBJECTIVES: Thus, the objective of this study was
      investigation the awareness, attitude and practice of breast cancer screening
      women. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study has conducted on 500
      representative samples of women aged 20 - 65 years who referred to urban area of
      Babol health centers in 2012. The data have collected with standard
      questionnaire. The demographic data, the knowledge of risk factors and symptoms
      and sign, the health belief, and the practice of women in breast cancer screening
      have collected by interview. RESULTS: The results show that only 14.8% of
      participants had a high level of knowledge for breast cancer risk factors and
      33.8% at high level of awareness of symptoms and signs. The level of awareness
      has significantly associated with higher age (P = 0.03) and higher educational
      level (P = 0.04). Only 10.2% and 8.4% of women have performed breast self-
      examination (BSE) monthly and breast clinical examination (BCE) annually
      respectively. The practice of women with BSE has significantly associated with
      aging (P = 0.005), higher educational level (P = 0.007), higher knowledge (P =
      0.001) and positive attitude toward perceived benefits and confidence and health
      motivation (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The low level of awareness and practice of
      breast cancer screening have found in this study, emphasized an extension of
      framework health educational program, particularly in younger and low educated
      women.

PMID- 26478791
TI  - Epidemiological Evaluation of Head and Neck Sarcomas in Iran (the Study of 105
      Cases Over 13 Years).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Head and neck sarcomas are exceedingly rare and they include 4% - 10%
      of all sarcomas and less than 1% of all neoplasm of head and neck. OBJECTIVES:
      The aim of this study is to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of head
      and neck sarcomas of patients in Isfahan, Iran. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this
      retrospective study, from the 16000 patients whose files were evaluated, the
      total number of 105 head and neck sarcomas were collected. They were evaluated
      with due attention to age, gender of the patients and the most common location of
      the lesion. RESULTS: From the total number of 105 (0.6%) patients with sarcomas,
      56 were men (53.33%) and 49 women (46.66%). The most common head and neck
      sarcomas among this population were Osteosarcoma (32 cases, 30.47%),
      Chondrosarcoma (14 cases, 13.33%), and Ewing sarcoma (11 cases, 10.47%).The most
      common soft tissue sarcoma was Rabdomiosarcoma. Mandible was the most common
      location for these lesions. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the hard tissue sarcomas
      were more prevalent than soft tissue ones. Hence, special attention should be
      paid to the patients when being diagnosed.

PMID- 26478788
TI  - Tumor-Induced Osteomalacia.

PMID- 26478792
TI  - A Common SNP of IL-10 (-1082A/G) is Associated With Increased Risk of
      Premenopausal Breast Cancer in South Indian Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evading the immune destruction and angiogenesis has been the two
      hallmarks of cancer. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a cytokine with immune suppressing
      (pro-tumorigenic) and anti-angiogenic (anti-tumorigenic) properties, thus making
      the role of IL-10 in tumorigenesis enigmatic. Previous studies have suggested a
      critical role of IL10 altered expression in complex process of tumor
      microenvironment, co-evolution and tumorigenesis. OBJECTIVES: Evaluating the role
      of IL10 (-1082A/G) gene promoter polymorphism in breast cancer patients from
      South India. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A case-control study was conducted with a
      total of 285 individuals, these include 125 histologically confirmed breast
      cancer patients and 160 age and sex matched controls. Genotypes were determined
      by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR), followed by agarose gel
      electrophoresis. Statistical analysis was done to test the significance of
      results obtained. RESULTS: Statistical analysis revealed that AA genotype of the
      Il-10 -1082A/G polymorphism is significantly associated with breast cancer (AA
      vs. AG: chi(2) = 14.46, P = 0.0001432, OR = 2.854, 95% CI = 1.68 - 4.849). Up on
      stratifying subjects based on cancer stage, age at onset, menopausal status, AA
      genotype has associated with all the sub groups, except for post-menopausal
      women. There was no significant association which was observed with respected to
      hormonal status (ER, PR) and Her2/neu status. CONCLUSIONS: The present study
      suggests that IL-10 AA genotype as a risk factor in the etiology of breast cancer
      in the South Indian population.

PMID- 26478793
TI  - The Effect of Stress Management Model in Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer associates with severs severe distress and stress.
      Since Because of that, the stress management program can train necessary skills
      to cope with stress; therefore, the current study investigates the effectiveness
      of stress management on enhancement of quality of life. OBJECTIVES: The aim of
      the current study is to examine the effectiveness of stress management model in
      quality of life for breast cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This research
      is a quasi-experimental study with pre and post-tests. The 21 subjects were
      selected from cancer institute of Imam Khomeini in Tehran in 2014. The
      participants were allocated to two matched groups based on their pre-test scores.
      They were assigned randomly to the control and experimental groups. Stress
      management was conducted with the experimental group during 10 sessions. Then the
      questionnaire was administered at post-test. Statistical analysis was conducted
      by using the independent t-test and analysis of variance. The research instrument
      was the core quality of life questionnaire QLQ-C30. RESULTS: The results of the
      independent t-test showed that there is a significant difference between the
      pretest and post-test scores in the experimental group (P < 0.05). Also, there is
      no significant difference between means of quality of life subscales and socio
      demographic of the patients such as; age, education and disease stage (P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that stress management can change the
      irrational and distortion thoughts. So, it enhances the quality of life in breast
      cancer patients.

PMID- 26478795
TI  - Association of Systemic Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma and Active Toxoplasmosis
      in a Child.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anaplastic large cell lymphoma is a subset of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
      and an unusual disease in children. CASE PRESENTATION: Herein we have reported a
      7- year- old girl with a large necrotic skin ulcer on the chest caused by
      systemic form of anaplastic large-cell lymphoma and simultaneous active
      toxoplasmosis diagnosed by PCR on lymph node specimen. There were few reports
      showing a role for toxoplasma infection to cause some malignancies such as
      lymphoma in adults. CONCLUSIONS: Based to our knowledge, this has been the first
      report of simultaneous systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma and active
      toxoplasmosis, documented by positive PCR on tissue biopsy in a child. This case
      report has suggested more attention to the accompanying Toxoplasma gondii
      infection as a probable cause of some types of lymphomas.

PMID- 26478794
TI  - Pituitary Glioblastoma: A Case Report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pituitary adenomas have been the most common sellaturcica tumors.
      There have been many unusual types of pituitary tumors that might neglect by
      radiologists and clinicians. One of these tumors would be the malignant glioma.
      CASE PRESENTATION: A 62-year-old male has complained from sudden frontal
      headache, nausea, vomiting, decreased vision, blurred vision and double vision.
      In skull radiographic, there was an expansion of sellaturcica and a lesion with
      clear border on T1; heterogeneous; iso - to hypotense; size about 3/5 * 2/5 cm
      with no surrounding edema that it has homogeneously attracted contrast Lesion,
      that shown a signal hypointensity on T2 with heterogeneous enhancement. In the
      coronal sections, the tumor expanded to the suprasellar region and optic
      chiasmatic that has compressed especially on the left side. Partial tumor
      resection has conducted. The surgery has done by a transsphenoidal approach. The
      pathologist has diagnosed a glioblastoma. This diagnosis has confirmed using
      immunohistochemistry technique. CONCLUSIONS: There have been many unusual types
      of pituitary tumors that might neglect by radiologists and clinicians. One of
      these tumors would be the malignant glioma.

PMID- 26478796
TI  - Recurrence and Five -Year Survival in Colorectal Cancer Patients After Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancyworldwide and its
      outcome is most closely related to the extent of disease at presentation. Early
      diagnosis of an asymptomatic recurrence increases the likelihood of a complete
      surgical resection. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      incidence of colorectal cancer recurrence and survival rate within 5 years, after
      surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During the 9-year period since 21st Mar, 2004 to
      20th Mar, 2013, patients whose primary colorectal cancer were resected in
      Taleghani hospital, Tehran, Iran were selected in a historical cohort. The
      necessary data such as demographic, age, gender, family history of CRC, site and
      size of tumor, stage of tumor, operation details, histological results, treatment
      method, histopathologic, etc. were collected. Then the recurrence and survival of
      colorectal cancer within 5 years after operation and their risk factors were
      evaluated. P value less than 0.05 were considered significant. All analysis was
      done using SPSS software. RESULTS: A total of 107 patients underwent resection
      for colorectal cancer during the study period, with mean age of 53.50 +/- 12.68
      years (range 24 - 76 years), survival rate of 73.8% (rectum 70.0% and colon
      75.9%), and mean survival time of 142.17 +/- 21.60 month. The recurrence rate of
      CRC patients, during five years after surgery was 5.7%. Regional lymph nodes,
      Distance metastasis and Adjuvant therapy were significant prognosis factors of
      survival after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of recurrence in Iranian patients
      was low, which could be due to improvement of exactness and expertise of surgeons
      or better adjuvant therapy. The significant association between survival and
      adjuvant therapy clarifies this finding. Early diagnosis and primary detection
      could increase the rate of survival.

PMID- 26478797
TI  - Germ Cell Tumor's Survival Rate in Young Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Germ cell tumors are neoplasms that originate from multi potential
      germ cells and can be intra or extra gonadal. According to pathologic
      classification, they have different subtypes. They account for 3% of pediatric
      malignancies and most commonly happen in children before the age of 15 years old.
      Epidemiologic evidence about pediatric germ cell tumors is scant in our region.
      OBJECTIVES: The aim of current study was to determine demographic
      characteristics, recurrence and survival rate of germ cell tumor patients under
      the age of 21 years. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During a 10-year period (1996 - 2006),
      106 patients under the age of 21 years suffering from germ cell tumor were
      admitted to our centers. We extracted the data needed for our study from
      patients' medical records in the hospitals. RESULTS: Thirty seven boys and 69
      girls with a mean age of 8.4 +/- 7.8 years were included. Most tumors were
      diagnosed before the age of one year (37%). The most common pathologic subtype
      was mature teratoma (44%). Ovary (35%) was the most common primary site. Surgery
      plus chemotherapy were used to treat 54 patients and BEP was the most common
      chemotherapy regimen. Metastasis and recurrent tumor were seen in 22% and 8% of
      cases, respectively. Four-year overall survival was 89%. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      showed that demographic characteristics of GCT patients in our population are
      similar to patients of other geographic regions in the world. Primary tumor site,
      histologic subtype and metastasis were significant prognostic factors for
      survival.

PMID- 26478798
TI  - Evaluation of Survival and Treatment Toxicity With High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy
      With Cobalt 60 in Carcinoma of Cervix.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer remains to be a major health problem and cancer
      related cause of death among women in developing countries such as Iran where the
      most cases are diagnosed in locally advanced stage. OBJECTIVES: This cross
      sectional-analytic study aims to report outcome 154 patients with carcinoma of
      cervix were treated with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and high-dose
      rate (HDR) brachytherapy with cobalt 60 (Co-6o) remote after loading system.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 154 patients with the international federation
      of gynecologist and oncologist (FIGO) stages I-IVA with histopathologically
      confirmed carcinoma of cervix, followed by the radiation-oncology ward of Shohada
      e-Tajrish Hospital in Tehran, Iran, between February 2008 and March 2015. They
      were completed their scheduled EBRT and HDR brachytherapy with Co-60 remote after
      loading system. Out of this, 132 patients completed their standard follow up
      protocol. They were analyzed for 3-year disease-free survival (DFS), 3-year
      overall survival (OS) incidence of acute and late complications for HDR
      brachytherapy. RESULTS: Fourteen patients (9.1 %) were in stage I (FIGO
      classification), 8 (5.2%) were in stage IIA, 26 (16.9%) were in stage IIB, 100
      (64.9%) were in stage III, and 6 (3.9 %) were in stage IVA. The follow up
      duration was between 6 - 60 months with a median of 38 months. Overall rectal and
      bladder treatment toxicity rates were 33.7%. The 3-year DFS rate was 85.7%, 70.7
      %, 41% and 16.6% for stages I, II, III, IVA respectively. Favorable prognostic
      factors in univariate and multivariate analysis were early stage, tumor size < 4
      cm (after adjusting for the residual disease after radiation), no pelvic lymph
      node involvement and 1 week Gap between EBRT and HDR brachytherapy in 3-year DFS
      (P = 0.001, P = 0.012, P = 0.005, P = 0.005, respectively). The 3-year OS rate
      was 85.7%, 76.4%, 42%, and 33.3% for stages I, II, III, and IVA, respectively.
      Favorable prognostic factors in univariate and multivariate analysis were early
      stage, tumor size < 4 cm, no pelvic lymph node involvement, 1 week gap between
      EBRT and HDR brachytherapy and no distant metastasis (during the follow up) in 3
      year OS (P = 0.001, P = 0.002, P = 0.002, P = 0.002, P = 0.001, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: HDR brachytherapy with Co-60 remote after loading system was
      successful and it showed HDR brachytherapy in treating patients with carcinoma of
      cervix was effective after EBRT with acceptable rectal and bladder complications.

PMID- 26478799
TI  - The Role of Patient in Patient Management.

PMID- 26478800
TI  - Erratum: Association of cigarette smoking and metabolic syndrome in a Puerto
      Rican adult population: Erratum.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 849 in vol. 5, PMID: 25104996.]. 

PMID- 26478801
TI  - Erratum: Pathologic Analysis of Control Plans for Air Pollution Management in
      Tehran Metropolis: A Qualitative Study: Erratum.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 995 in vol. 4, PMID: 24130939.]. 

PMID- 26478802
TI  - Erratum: Can French paradox hypothesis explain the observed different trends of
      mortality from ischemic Heart disease and stroke in Western Europe?: Erratum.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 1345 in vol. 4, PMID: 24498488.]. 

PMID- 26478803
TI  - One-pot synthesis of MWW zeolite nanosheets using a rationally designed organic
      structure-directing agent.
AB  - A new material MIT-1 comprised of delaminated MWW zeolite nanosheets is
      synthesized in one-pot using a rationally designed organic structure-directing
      agent (OSDA). The OSDA is comprised of a hydrophilic head segment that resembles
      the OSDA used to synthesize the zeolite precursor MCM22(P), a hydrophobic tail
      segment that resembles the swelling agent used to swell MCM22(P), and a di
      quaternary ammonium linker that connects both segments. MIT-1 features high
      crystallinity and surface areas exceeding 500 m2g-1, and can be synthesized over
      a wide synthesis window that includes Si/Al ratios ranging from 13 to 67.
      Characterization data reveal high mesoporosity and acid strength with no
      detectable amorphous silica phases. Compared to MCM-22 and MCM-56, MIT-1 shows a
      three-fold increase in catalytic activity for the Friedel-Crafts alkylation of
      benzene with benzyl alcohol.

PMID- 26478805
TI  - Pharmacists in Australian general practice: an opportunity for expertise in
      precision medicine.

PMID- 26478804
TI  - Dermestes maculatus: an intermediate-germ beetle model system for evo-devo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding how genes change during evolution to direct the
      development of diverse body plans is a major goal of the evo-devo field.
      Achieving this will require the establishment of new model systems that represent
      key points in phylogeny. These new model systems must be amenable to laboratory
      culture, and molecular and functional approaches should be feasible. To date,
      studies of insects have been best represented by the model system Drosophila
      melanogaster. Given the enormous diversity represented by insect taxa,
      comparative studies within this clade will provide a wealth of information about
      the evolutionary potential and trajectories of alternative developmental
      strategies. RESULTS: Here we established the beetle Dermestes maculatus, a member
      of the speciose clade Coleoptera, as a new insect model system. We have
      maintained a continuously breeding culture in the lab and documented Dermestes
      maculatus embryogenesis using nuclear and phalloidin staining. Anterior segments
      are specified during the blastoderm stage before gastrulation, and posterior
      segments are added sequentially during germ band elongation. We isolated and
      studied the expression and function of the pair-rule segmentation gene paired in
      Dermestes maculatus. In this species, paired is expressed in stripes during both
      blastoderm and germ band stages: four primary stripes arise prior to
      gastrulation, confirming an intermediate-germ mode of development for this
      species. As in other insects, these primary stripes then split into secondary
      stripes. To study gene function, we established both embryonic and parental RNAi.
      Knockdown of Dmac-paired with either method resulted in pair-rule-like
      segmentation defects, including loss of Engrailed expression in alternate
      stripes. CONCLUSIONS: These studies establish basic approaches necessary to use
      Dermestes maculatus as a model system. Methods are now available for use of this
      intermediate-germ insect for future studies of the evolution of regulatory
      networks controlling insect segmentation, as well as of other processes in
      development and homeostasis. Consistent with the role of paired in long-germ
      Drosophila and shorter-germ Tribolium, paired functions as a pair-rule
      segmentation gene in Dermestes maculatus. Thus, paired retains pair-rule function
      in insects with different modes of segment addition.

PMID- 26478806
TI  - Suvorexant in insomnia: efficacy, safety and place in therapy.
AB  - Insomnia is a highly prevalent disorder that can occur in conjunction with other
      medical or psychiatric conditions or can occur in the absence of a coexisting
      disorder. Regardless, treatment of insomnia is beneficial to the patient and may
      benefit comorbidities if they exist. Nonpharmacologic modalities such as sleep
      hygiene and stimulus controls are important mainstays of insomnia therapy, but
      may not be sufficient to treat the disorder. Dual orexin receptor antagonists
      (DORAs) are a new class of insomnia medication that target wakefulness-promoting
      neuropeptides to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Suvorexant is the first DORA to
      be approved and has demonstrated efficacy at decreasing both time to sleep onset
      and increasing total sleep time compared with placebo. Suvorexant has a novel
      mechanism of action and may represent an alternative for patients who cannot
      tolerate or do not receive benefit from traditional sleep agents. Suvorexant is
      generally effective and well tolerated, but has not been compared head to head
      with traditional sleep agents and being only newly available, lacks a longer-term
      'real-world' experience base. 

PMID- 26478807
TI  - Abuse-deterrent formulations: transitioning the pharmaceutical market to improve
      public health and safety.

PMID- 26478809
TI  - Upcoming drug safety and pharmacovigilance conferences 2016/2016.

PMID- 26478808
TI  - Abuse-deterrent formulations: transitioning the pharmaceutical market to improve
      public health and safety-reply.

PMID- 26478810
TI  - Sex-specific cardiac cardiolipin remodelling after doxorubicin treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Imbalance in lipid metabolism and membrane lipid homeostasis has been
      observed in numerous diseases including heart failure and cardiotoxicity. Growing
      evidence links phospholipid alterations especially cardiolipins (CLs) to defects
      in mitochondrial function and energy metabolism in heart failure. We have shown
      recently that doxorubicin cardiotoxicity is more severe in male than female
      Wistar rats. We aimed to study whether this sex specificity is linked to
      differences in cardiac phospholipid profiles. RESULTS: Adult male and female rats
      were injected 2 mg/kg doxorubicin weekly for 7 weeks. Cardiac phospholipid
      molecular species were determined by liquid chromatography coupled with mass
      spectrometry fragmentation (LC)/MS(n). Sex difference in phosphatidylethanolamine
      and phosphatidylcholine species containing docosahexaenoic and docosapentaenoic
      acyl chains was observed, females having more than males. In both sexes,
      doxorubicin induced an important loss of the main CL(18:2)4, while the level of
      monolysocardiolipin MLCL(18:2)3 remained stable. However, a severe remodelling
      appeared in treated rats with the longest CL acyl chains in doxorubicin-treated
      females, which might compensate for the loss of tetra-linoleoyl CL. The level of
      oxidized cardiolipin was not particularly increased after doxorubicin treatment.
      Finally, expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis of fatty acid appeared
      to be decreased in doxorubicin-treated males. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      emphasize for the first time the cardiac remodelling in the phospholipid classes
      after doxorubicin treatment. These observations suggest that doxorubicin has a
      sex-specific impact on the heart phospholipidome especially on cardiolipin, an
      essential mitochondrial lipid. Further studies are needed to better understand
      the roles of lipids in the anthracycline cardiotoxicity and sex differences, but
      phospholipid cardioprotection seems a valuable new additive therapeutic strategy
      for anthracycline cardiotoxicity.

PMID- 26478811
TI  - Solving the worldwide emergency department crowding problem - what can we learn
      from an Israeli ED?
AB  - ED crowding is a prevalent and important issue facing hospitals in Israel and
      around the world, including North and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and
      Africa. ED crowding is associated with poorer quality of care and poorer health
      outcomes, along with extended waits for care. Crowding is caused by a periodic
      mismatch between the supply of ED and hospital resources and the demand for
      patient care. In a recent article in the Israel Journal of Health Policy
      Research, Bashkin et al. present an Ishikawa diagram describing several factors
      related to longer length of stay (LOS), and higher levels of ED crowding,
      including management, process, environmental, human factors, and resource issues.
      Several solutions exist to reduce ED crowding, which involve addressing several
      of the issues identified by Bashkin et al. This includes reducing the demand for
      and variation in care, and better matching the supply of resources to demands in
      care in real time. However, what is needed to reduce crowding is an institutional
      imperative from senior leadership, implemented by engaged ED and hospital
      leadership with multi-disciplinary cross-unit collaboration, sufficient resources
      to implement effective interventions, access to data, and a sustained commitment
      over time. This may move the culture of a hospital to facilitate improved flow
      within and across units and ultimately improve quality and safety over the long
      term. 

PMID- 26478812
TI  - Ligand uptake in Mycobacterium tuberculosis truncated hemoglobins is controlled
      by both internal tunnels and active site water molecules.
AB  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of human tuberculosis, has two
      proteins belonging to the truncated hemoglobin (trHb) family. Mt-trHbN presents
      well-defined internal hydrophobic tunnels that allow O 2 and (*)NO to migrate
      easily from the solvent to the active site, whereas Mt-trHbO possesses tunnels
      that are partially blocked by a few bulky residues, particularly a tryptophan at
      position G8. Differential ligand migration rates allow Mt-trHbN to detoxify
      (*)NO, a crucial step for pathogen survival once under attack by the immune
      system, much more efficiently than Mt-trHbO. In order to investigate the
      differences between these proteins, we performed experimental kinetic
      measurements, (*)NO decomposition, as well as molecular dynamics simulations of
      the wild type Mt-trHbN and two mutants, VG8F and VG8W. These mutations introduce
      modifications in both tunnel topologies and affect the incoming ligand capacity
      to displace retained water molecules at the active site. We found that a single
      mutation allows Mt-trHbN to acquire ligand migration rates comparable to those
      observed for Mt-trHbO, confirming that ligand migration is regulated by the
      internal tunnel architecture as well as by water molecules stabilized in the
      active site. 

PMID- 26478813
TI  - Synthesis and Protein Incorporation of Azido-Modified Unnatural Amino Acids.
AB  - Two new azidophenylalanine residues (3 and 4) have been synthesized and, in
      combination with 4-azido-L-phenylalanine (1) and 4-azidomethyl-L-phenylalanine
      (2), form a series of unnatural amino acids (UAAs) containing the azide
      vibrational reporter at varying distances from the aromatic ring of
      phenylalanine. These UAAs were designed to probe protein hydration with high
      spatial resolution by utilizing the large extinction coefficient and
      environmental sensitivity of the azide asymmetric stretch vibration. The
      sensitivity of the azide reporters was investigated in solvents that mimic
      distinct local protein environments. Three of the four azido-modified
      phenylalanine residues were successfully genetically incorporated into a surface
      site in superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) utilizing an engineered,
      orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase in response to an amber codon with high
      efficiency and fidelity. SDS-PAGE and ESI-Q-TOF mass analysis verified the site
      specific incorporation of these UAAs. The observed azide asymmetric stretch in
      the linear IR spectra of these UAAs incorporated into sfGFP indicated that the
      azide groups were hydrated in the protein.

PMID- 26478815
TI  - Quantitative assessment of damage during MCET: a parametric study in a rodent
      model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myocardial cavitation-enabled therapy (MCET) has been proposed as a
      means to achieve minimally invasive myocardial reduction using ultrasound to
      produce scattered microlesions by cavitating contrast agent microbubbles.
      METHODS: Rats were treated using burst mode focused ultrasound at 1.5 MHz center
      frequency and varying envelope and pressure amplitudes. Evans blue staining
      indicated lethal cardiomyocytic injury. A previously developed quantitative
      scheme, evaluating the histologic treatment results, provides an insightful
      analysis for MCET treatment parameters. Such include ultrasound exposure
      amplitude and pulse modulation, contrast agent dose, and infusion rate. RESULTS:
      The quantitative method overcomes the limitation of visual scoring and works for
      a large dynamic range of treatment impact. Macrolesions are generated as an
      accumulation of probability driven microlesion formations. Macrolesions grow
      radially with radii from 0.1 to 1.6 mm as the ultrasound exposure amplitude (peak
      negative) increases from 2 to 4 MPa. To shorten treatment time, a swept beam was
      investigated and found to generate an acceptable macrolesion volume of about 40
      MUL for a single beam position. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound parameters and
      administration of microbubbles directly influence lesion characteristics such as
      microlesion density and macrolesion dimension. For lesion generation planning,
      control of MCET is crucial, especially when targeting larger pre-clinical models.

PMID- 26478814
TI  - Nitrergic Mechanisms for Management of Recurrent Priapism.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Priapism is a condition involving prolonged penile erection
      unrelated to sexual interest or desire. The ischemic type, including its
      recurrent variant, is often associated with both physical and psychological
      complications. As such, management is of critical importance. Ideal therapies for
      recurrent priapism should address its underlying pathophysiology. AIM: To review
      the available literature on priapism management approaches particularly related
      to nitrergic mechanisms. METHODS: A literature review of the pathophysiology and
      management of priapism was performed using PubMed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:
      Publications pertaining to mechanisms of the molecular pathophysiology of
      priapism. RESULTS: Nitrergic mechanisms are characterized as major players in the
      molecular pathophysiology of priapism. PDE5 inhibitors represent an available
      therapeutic option with demonstrated ability in attenuating these underlying
      nitrergic derangements. Several additional signaling pathways have been found to
      play a role in the molecular pathophysiology of priapism and have also been
      associated with these nitrergic mechanisms. CONCLUSION: An increasing
      understanding of the molecular pathophysiology of priapism has led to the
      discovery of new potential targets. Several mechanism-based therapeutic
      approaches may become available in the future.

PMID- 26478816
TI  - Synthesis of bulk-size transparent gadolinium oxide-polymer nanocomposites for
      gamma ray spectroscopy.
AB  - Heavy element loaded polymer composites have long been proposed to detect high
      energy X- and gamma-rays upon scintillation. The previously reported bulk
      composite scintillators have achieved limited success because of the diminished
      light output resulting from fluorescence quenching and opacity. We demonstrate
      the synthesis of a transparent nanocomposite comprising gadolinium oxide
      nanocrystals uniformly dispersed in bulk-size samples at a high loading content.
      The strategy to avoid luminescence quenching and opacity in the nanocomposite was
      successfully deployed, which led to the radioluminescence light yield of up to 27
      000/MeV, about twice as much as standard commercial plastic scintillators.
      Nanocomposites monoliths (14 mm diameter by 3 mm thickness) with 31 wt% loading
      of nanocrystals generated a photoelectric peak for Cs-137 gamma (662 keV) with
      11.4% energy resolution.

PMID- 26478817
TI  - Safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity of Flublok in the prevention of seasonal
      influenza in adults.
AB  - Flublok is the first recombinant hemagglutinin (HA) vaccine licensed by the US
      Food and Drugs Administration for the prevention of influenza in adults aged 18
      and older. The HA proteins produced in insect cell culture using the baculovirus
      expression system technology are exact analogues of wild type circulating
      influenza virus HAs. The universal HA manufacturing process that has been
      successfully scaled to the 21,000L contributes to rapid delivery of a substantial
      number of doses. This review discusses the immunogenicity, efficacy and safety
      data from five pivotal clinical studies used to support licensure of trivalent
      Flublok for adults 18 years of age and older in the United States. The trial data
      demonstrate that the higher antigen content in Flublok results in improved
      immunogenicity. Data further suggest improved efficacy and a slightly lower local
      reactogenicity compared with standard inactivated influenza vaccine, despite the
      presence of more antigen (statistically significant). Flublok influenza vaccine
      can include HAs designed to mimic 'drift' in influenza viruses as the process of
      predicting antigenic drift advances and, at a minimum, could address late
      appearing influenza viruses. The implementation of the latter will require
      support from regulatory authorities. 

PMID- 26478818
TI  - Herpes zoster epidemiology, management, and disease and economic burden in
      Europe: a multidisciplinary perspective.
AB  - Herpes zoster (HZ) is primarily a disease of nerve tissue but the acute and
      longer-term manifestations require multidisciplinary knowledge and involvement in
      their management. Complications may be dermatological (e.g. secondary bacterial
      infection), neurological (e.g. long-term pain, segmental paresis, stroke),
      ophthalmological (e.g. keratitis, iridocyclitis, secondary glaucoma) or visceral
      (e.g. pneumonia, hepatitis). The age-related increased incidence of HZ and its
      complications is thought to be a result of the decline in cell-mediated immunity
      (immunosenescence), higher incidence of comorbidities with age and social
      environmental changes. Individuals who are immunocompromised as a result of
      disease or therapy are also at increased risk, independent of age. HZ and its
      complications (particularly postherpetic neuralgia) create a significant burden
      for the patient, carers, healthcare systems and employers. Prevention and
      treatment of HZ complications remain a therapeutic challenge despite recent
      advances. This is an overview of the multidisciplinary implications and
      management of HZ in which the potential contribution of vaccination to reducing
      the incidence HZ and its complications are also discussed. 

PMID- 26478819
TI  - Nickel-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Arylation of Azoles with Perfluoro- and
      Nitrobenzoates.
AB  - This manuscript describes a Ni-catalyzed method for the direct arylation of
      azoles using benzoates. Perfluorophenyl and 2-nitrobenzoates participate in these
      reactions to afford the corresponding products in modest to good yields. The
      efficiency of the arylations with perfluorobenzoates is highly dependent on both
      the degree and position of fluorine atoms in the benzoates.

PMID- 26478821
TI  - An unusual coronary pseudo-obstruction image due to competitive blood flow
      between critical stenosis in proximal LAD and collateral vessels from RCA.
AB  - This case illustrates an unusual coronary pseudo-obstruction due to competitive
      coronary flows from critical proximal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary
      artery stenosis and collateral vessels from distal right coronary artery. The
      flow dynamics of both antegrade and retrograde flows counterbalanced each other
      at the second diagonal branch level of LAD causing a total pseudo-obstruction
      image. 

PMID- 26478820
TI  - Renocardiac syndromes: physiopathology and treatment stratagems.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Bidirectional inter-organ interactions are essential for
      normal functioning of the human body; however, they may also promote adverse
      conditions in remote organs. This review provides a narrative summary of the
      epidemiology, physiopathological mechanisms and clinical management of patients
      with combined renal and cardiac disease (recently classified as type 3 and 4
      cardiorenal syndrome). Findings are also discussed within the context of basic
      research in animal models with similar comorbidities. SOURCES OF INFORMATION:
      Pertinent published articles were identified by literature search of PubMed,
      MEDLINE and Google Scholar. Additional data from studies in the author's
      laboratory were also consulted. FINDINGS: The prevalence of renocardiac syndrome
      throughout the world is increasing in part due to an aging population and to
      other risk factors including hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia.
      Pathogenesis of this disorder involves multiple bidirectional interactions
      between the kidneys and heart; however, participation of other organs cannot be
      excluded. Our own work supports the hypothesis that the uremic milieu, caused by
      kidney dysfunction, produces major alterations in vasoregulatory control
      particularly at the level of the microvasculature that results in impaired oxygen
      delivery and blood perfusion. LIMITATIONS: Recent clinical literature is replete
      with articles discussing the necessity to clearly define or characterize what
      constitutes cardiorenal syndrome in order to improve clinical management of
      affected patients. Patients are treated after onset of symptoms with limited
      available information regarding etiology. While understanding of mechanisms
      involved in pathogenesis of inter-organ crosstalk remains a challenging
      objective, basic research data remains limited partly because of the lack of
      animal models. IMPLICATIONS: Preservation of microvascular integrity may be the
      most critical factor to limit progression of multi-organ disorders including
      renocardiac syndrome. More fundamental studies are needed to help elucidate
      physiopathological mechanisms and for development of treatments to improve
      clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26478822
TI  - Social Support Can Buffer against Stress and Shape Brain Activity.
AB  - Social support from close relationship partners is an important resource for
      coping with stress, particularly during childhood. We discuss ethical challenges
      associated with studying stress and its social buffering in the laboratory, as
      well as emerging evidence regarding two potential neural substrates for the
      social buffering of stress: hypothalamic oxytocin activity and activation of
      areas in the prefrontal cortex associated with effective self-regulation. We also
      address the role of early-life social experiences in shaping brain development,
      as well as recommendations for practice and policy that would advance the ethical
      treatment of children and reduce social inequalities in early-life experiences
      and opportunities-e.g., investing in programs that prevent child maltreatment and
      facilitating access to high-quality child care for economically disadvantaged
      families. We also debate the ethical implications of using oxytocin nasal sprays
      to simulate the stress-reducing properties of social support and advise waiting
      for more evidence before recommending their use.

PMID- 26478824
TI  - Finger Tendon Travel Associated with Sequential Trigger Nail Gun Use.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pneumatic nail guns used in wood framing are equipped with one of two
      triggering mechanisms. Sequential actuation triggers have been shown to be a
      safer alternative to contact actuation triggers because they reduce traumatic
      injury risk. However, the sequential actuation trigger must be depressed for each
      individual nail fired as opposed to the contact actuation trigger, which allows
      the trigger to be held depressed as nails are fired repeatedly by bumping the
      safety tip against the workpiece. As such, concerns have been raised about risks
      for cumulative trauma injury, and reduced productivity, due to repetitive finger
      motion with the sequential actuation trigger. PURPOSE: This study developed a
      method to predict cumulative finger flexor tendon travel associated with the
      sequential actuation trigger nail gun from finger joint kinematics measured in
      the trigger actuation and productivity standards for wood-frame construction
      tasks. METHODS: Finger motions were measured from six users wearing an
      instrumented electrogoniometer glove in a simulation of two common framing tasks
      wall building and flat nailing of material. Flexor tendon travel was calculated
      from the ensemble average kinematics for an individual nail fired. RESULTS:
      Finger flexor tendon travel was attributable mostly to proximal interphalangeal
      and distal interphalangeal joint motion. Tendon travel per nail fired appeared to
      be slightly greater for a wall-building task than a flat nailing task. The
      present study data, in combination with construction industry productivity
      standards, suggest that a high-production workday would be associated with less
      than 60 m/day cumulative tendon travel per worker (based on 1700 trigger
      presses/day). CONCLUSION AND APPLICATIONS: These results suggest that exposure to
      finger tendon travel from sequential actuation trigger nail gun use may be below
      levels that have been previously associated with high musculoskeletal disorder
      risk.

PMID- 26478823
TI  - Factors that determine local control with gamma knife radiosurgery: The role of
      primary histology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stereotactic radiosurgery for the treatment of brain metastases is
      commonly delivered without regard to primary cancer histology. This study sought
      to determine if the primary site of origin for brain metastases affected the
      propensity for local failure. METHODS: A total of 83 patients with 200 brain
      metastases were examined retrospectively for predictors of infield failure.
      Tumor, patient, and treatment characteristics were analyzed including primary
      tumor histology, radiosurgical dose and age. Cox proportional hazards models,
      univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify predictors of local
      failure. RESULTS: Freedom from local failure for the entire population was 83%
      and 65% at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that
      breast cancer brain metastases have a significantly lower risk of local failure
      than melanoma (HR = 0.31, p< 0.001). Additionally, multivariate analysis revealed
      that increasing dose lowered risk for local failure (HR = 0.87, p<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Melanoma histology leads to a higher rate of local failure. Higher
      prescription dose results in higher incidence of local control.

PMID- 26478825
TI  - Yoga in public school improves adolescent mood and affect.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to directly compare the acute effects of
      participating in a single yoga class versus a single standard physical education
      (PE) class on student mood. Forty-seven high school students completed self
      report questionnaires assessing mood and affect immediately before and after
      participating in a single yoga class and a single PE class one week later. Data
      were analyzed using paired-samples t tests and Wilcoxon-signed ranks tests and by
      comparing effect sizes between the two conditions. Participants reported
      significantly greater decreases in anger, depression, and fatigue from before to
      after participating in yoga compared to PE. Significant reductions in negative
      affect occurred after yoga but not after PE; however, the changes were not
      significantly different between conditions. In addition, after participating in
      both yoga and PE, participants reported significant decreases in confusion and
      tension, with no significant difference between groups. Results suggest that
      school-based yoga may provide unique benefits for students above and beyond
      participation in PE. Future research should continue to elucidate the distinct
      psychological and physiological effects of participating in yoga compared to PE
      activities.

PMID- 26478826
TI  - A Cross Cultural Comparison of Disability and Symptomatology Associated with CFS.
AB  - Few studies have compared symptomatology and functional differences experienced
      by patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) across cultures. The current
      study compared patients with CFS from the United States (US) to those from the
      United Kingdom (UK) across areas of functioning, symptomatology, and illness
      onset characteristics. Individuals in each sample met criteria for CFS as defined
      by Fukuda et al. (1994). These samples were compared on two measures of
      disability and impairment, the DePaul Symptom Questionnarie (DSQ) and the Medical
      outcomes study 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). Results revealed that
      the UK sample was significantly more impaired in terms of mental health and role
      emotional functioning, as well as specific symptoms of pain, neurocognitive
      difficulties, and immune manifestations. In addition, the UK sample was more
      likely to be working rather than on disability. Individuals in the US sample
      reported more difficulties falling asleep, more frequently reported experiencing
      a sudden illness onset (within 24 hours), and more often reported that the cause
      of illness was primarily due to physical causes. These findings suggest that
      there may be important differences in illness characteristics across individuals
      with CFS in the US and the UK, and this has implications for the comparability of
      research findings across these two countries.

PMID- 26478827
TI  - Synthesis and Characterization of L-Lysine Conjugated Silver Nanoparticles
      Smaller Than 10 nM.
AB  - A rapid and convenient batch method for synthesizing lysine-conjugated silver
      nanoparticles of approximately 5 nm of size was developed. Nanoparticles of size
      less than 100 nm exhibit significant medical potential. L-Lysine demonstrates
      potential for therapeutic applications and silver nanoparticles are an optimal
      choice for drug delivery because of its intrinsic anti-platelet, anti-bacterial
      and anti-inflammatory capabilities. Current synthesis protocols for Lysine-capped
      particles under 10 nm are time consuming and tedious and allow only for the
      sythesis of small quantities of particles. The synthesis of Lysin-capped silver
      nanoparticles was based on the reaction in which AgNO3 was reduced by excess
      NaBH4. L-Lysine, a known essential amino acid, served as the capping agent to
      minimize initial aggregation. The particles were then separated by size
      chromatography. Capping occurred through the amide bond on L-Lysine as determined
      by FT-IR. The conjugation of the particle to the amide bond is important, since
      this leaves the amino group of Lysine open to further modifications. The
      particles were further characterized in regards to their shape, size and
      stability. Finally we demonstrated that the synthesized particles exhibit limited
      to no toxicity in cells, using HEK 293 cell line as a model system. Our sythesis
      protocol can be successfully used for scale-up and synthesis of high quantities
      of nanoparticles.

PMID- 26478828
TI  - The Implications of Rapid Economic Growth for Health-Related Behaviors and
      Chronic Metabolic Diseases: An Exploratory Study in Post-Earthquake West China.
AB  - A devastating earthquake struck west China in 2008. Reconstruction efforts have
      focused on urbanization and modernization, hastening economic growth in the area.
      This rapid growth provides a unique opportunity to explore the potential impact
      of rapid environmental changes on metabolic disease risk. The study objective was
      to gather qualitative information from residents of a rapidly changing area in
      China to determine perceived changes in food- and physical activity-related
      aspects of the environment and their perceived effects on health. We conducted
      extensive interviews with 30 residents of an area where towns were rapidly
      rebuilt after being destroyed by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Findings suggest
      that a longitudinal investigation of children and their families in this rapidly
      developing region may identify mechanisms by which environmental factors
      influence the development of diet-related chronic illnesses.

PMID- 26478829
TI  - Portrayal of medical decision making around medical interventions life-saving
      encounters on three medical television shows.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Previous literature has shown that patients obtain information
      about the medical system from television shows. Additionally, shared decision
      making is regularly cited as the ideal way to make decisions during a medical
      encounter. Little information exists surrounding the characteristics of medical
      decision-making, such as who makes the decision, on medical television shows. We
      evaluate the characteristics of medical decisions in lifesaving encounters on
      medical television shows and evaluate if these characteristics were different on
      staged and reality television shows. METHODS: We coded type of medical
      intervention, patient's ability to participate in decision, presence of patient
      advocate during decision, final decision maker, decision to use intervention, and
      controversy surrounding decision on three television shows. Frequencies by show
      were calculated and differences across the three television shows and between
      staged (ER) and reality (BostonMed and Hopkins) television shows were assessed
      with chi-square tests. RESULTS: The final data set included 37 episodes, 137
      patients and 593 interventions. On ER, providers were significantly more likely
      to make the decision about the medical intervention without informing the patient
      when a patient was capable of making a decision compared to BostonMed or Hopkins
      (p<0.001). Across all shows, 99% of all decisions on whether to use a medical
      intervention resulted in the use of that intervention. DISCUSSION: Medical
      interventions are widely portrayed in the medical television shows we analyzed.
      It is possible that what patients see on television influences their expectations
      surrounding the decision making process and the use of medical interventions in
      everyday healthcare encounters.

PMID- 26478831
TI  - A Practical One-Pot Synthesis of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Tracers via
      Nickel-Mediated Radiofluorination.
AB  - Invited for this months cover picture is the group of Professor Bernd Neumaier at
      the Institute of Radiochemistry and Experimental Molecular Imaging at the
      University Clinic of Cologne. The cover picture shows the differences in brain
      metabolism of a healthy young and a healthy old subject, as well as a patient
      suffering from Parkinsons disease (left to right) uncovered by 6-[(18)F]FDOPA
      positron emission tomography (PET). Morbus Parkinson occurs when nerve cells that
      produce dopamine begin to die. The shortage of dopamine leads to movement
      problems in affected individuals. 6-[(18)F]FDOPA is extensively used to evaluate
      the progression of Parkinsons disease. Bold stick projections of this PET tracer,
      as well as a neuronal network, are seen in the background. Unfortunately,
      conventional procedures to produce 6-[(18)F]FDOPA are cumbersome. Thus, several
      recent developments aim at the simplification of this radiosynthesis. In our
      work, we studied the applicability of the recently reported Ni-mediated
      radiofluorination approach for daily routine production of 6-[(18)F]FDOPA. For
      more details, see the Full Paper on p. 457 ff. 

PMID- 26478832
TI  - Graphical Abstract: ChemistryOpen 4/2015.

PMID- 26478834
TI  - Spotlights on our sister journals: ChemistryOpen 4/2015.

PMID- 26478835
TI  - Advanced Developments in Cyclic Polymers: Synthesis, Applications, and
      Perspectives.
AB  - Due to the topological effect, cyclic polymers demonstrate different and unique
      physical and biological properties in comparison with linear counterparts having
      the same molecular-weight range. With advanced synthetic and analytic
      technologies, cyclic polymers with different topologies, e.g. multicyclic
      polymers, have been reported and well characterized. For example, various cyclic
      DNA and related structures, such as cyclic duplexes, have been prepared
      conveniently by click chemistry. These types of DNA have increased resistance to
      enzymatic degradation and have high thermodynamic stability, and thus, have
      potential therapeutic applications. In addition, cyclic polymers have also been
      used to prepare organic-inorganic hybrids for applications in catalysis, e.g.
      catalyst supports. Due to developments in synthetic technology, highly pure
      cyclic polymers could now be produced in large scale. Therefore, we anticipate
      discovering more applications in the near future. Despite their promise, cyclic
      polymers are still less explored than linear polymers like polyolefins and
      polycarbonates, which are widely used in daily life. Some critical issues,
      including controlling the molecular weight and finding suitable applications,
      remain big challenges in the cyclic-polymer field. This review briefly summarizes
      the commonly used synthetic methodologies and focuses more on the attractive
      functional materials and their biological properties and potential applications. 

PMID- 26478836
TI  - Morphological Transformation Reactions of Photocatalytic Metalloporphyrin
      Containing Coordination Polymer Particles from Seed Structures.
AB  - Coordination polymer particles have attracted a great deal of attention due to
      their characteristic properties and diverse applications in the fields of gas
      storage, catalysis, optics, sensing, electronics, photochemistry, and biology.
      Herein, we investigated shape transformation reactions of zinc 5, 10, 15, 20
      tetra(4-pyridyl)-21 H, 23 H-porphine (ZnTPyP)-containing coordination polymer
      particles (ZnTPyP-CPPs) from seed structures by delicately controlling the Gibbs
      energy of the self-assembly system. We obtained a morphological transformation
      from 1 D short nanorods to 1 D long nanorods and 3 D nano-octahedral structures,
      and from 3 D nano-octahedral structures to 1 D nanorod structures. We illustrated
      a new method to design and synthesize metalloporphyrin-containing CPPs in a
      controllable manner. Furthermore, photocatalytic properties of ZnTPyP-CPPs were
      tested, showing good catalytic abilities towards the photodegradation of
      methylene blue (MB) under visible light illumination. 

PMID- 26478837
TI  - Lithium Insertion Mechanism in Iron-Based Oxyfluorides with Anionic Vacancies
      Probed by PDF Analysis.
AB  - The mechanism of lithium insertion that occurs in an iron oxyfluoride sample with
      a hexagonal-tungsten-bronze (HTB)-type structure was investigated by the pair
      distribution function. This study reveals that upon lithiation, the HTB framework
      collapses to yield disordered rutile and rock salt phases followed by a
      conversion reaction of the fluoride phase toward lithium fluoride and nanometer
      sized metallic iron. The occurrence of anionic vacancies in the pristine
      framework was shown to strongly impact the electrochemical activity, that is, the
      reversible capacity scales with the content of anionic vacancies. Similar to FeOF
      type electrodes, upon de-lithiation, a disordered rutile phase forms, showing
      that the anionic chemistry dictates the atomic arrangement of the re-oxidized
      phase. Finally, it was shown that the nanoscaling and structural rearrangement
      induced by the conversion reaction allow the in situ formation of new electrode
      materials with enhanced electrochemical properties. 

PMID- 26478838
TI  - Development of a Chemical Methodology for the Preparation of Peptide Thioesters
      Applicable to Naturally Occurring Peptides Using a Sequential Quadruple Acyl
      Transfer System.
AB  - Peptide thioesters are very useful in protein chemistry, and chemistry- and
      biochemistry-based protocols are used for the preparation of thioesters. Among
      such protocols, only a few biochemistry-based approaches have been use for
      naturally occurring peptide sequences. The development of chemistry-based
      protocols applicable to natural sequences remains a challenge, and the
      development of such methods would be a major contribution to protein science.
      Here, we describe the preparation of peptide thioesters using innovative
      methodology that features nickel(II)-mediated alcoholysis of a naturally
      occurring peptide sequence, followed by O-N and N-S acyl transfers. This protocol
      involves sequential quadruple acyl transfer, termed SQAT. Notably, the SQAT
      system consists of sequential chemical reactions that allow naturally occurring
      peptide sequences to be converted to thioesters without requiring an artificial
      chemical unit. 

PMID- 26478839
TI  - Synthesis of Arylamine Tribenzopentaphenes and Investigation of their Hole
      Mobility.
AB  - We report the versatile synthesis of two tribenzo[fj,ij,rst]pentaphene (TBP)
      derivatives bearing two diarylamine substituents attached at the opposite ends of
      the aromatic core. Field effect transistor (FET) devices of the bis-diarylamine
      TBP compounds were fabricated using spin coating under different concentrations,
      spin speed, and solvent conditions. Emission spectra and surface investigation by
      atomic force microscopy (AFM) reveal the formation of aggregates induced by the
      strong pi-pi stacking of the aromatic core leading to island features, and thus,
      unexpected low hole mobilities. The synthetic strategy we show herein, however,
      offers the possibility to decorate the TBP core structure with various charge
      carrier peripheral groups and optimized alkyl chains, which should improve the
      crystalline property of their thin films upon deposition, leading consequently to
      a better hole transport mobility. 

PMID- 26478840
TI  - A Practical One-Pot Synthesis of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Tracers via
      Nickel-Mediated Radiofluorination.
AB  - Recently a novel method for the preparation of (18)F-labeled arenes via oxidative
      [(18)F]fluorination of easily accessible and sufficiently stable nickel complexes
      with [(18)F]fluoride under exceptionally mild reaction conditions was published.
      The suitability of this procedure for the routine preparation of clinically
      relevant positron emission tomography (PET) tracers, 6-[(18)F]fluorodopamine (6
      [(18)F]FDA), 6-[(18)F]fluoro-l-DOPA (6-[(18)F]FDOPA) and 6-[(18)F]fluoro-m
      tyrosine (6-[(18)F]FMT), was evaluated. The originally published base-free method
      was inoperative. However, a "low base" protocol afforded protected radiolabeled
      intermediates in radiochemical conversions (RCCs) of 5-18 %. The subsequent
      deprotection step proceeded almost quantitatively (>95 %). The simple one-pot two
      step procedure allowed the preparation of clinical doses of 6-[(18)F]FDA and 6
      [(18)F]FDOPA within 50 min (12 and 7 % radiochemical yield, respectively). In an
      unilateral rat model of Parkinsons disease, 6-[(18)F]FDOPA with high specific
      activity (175 GBq MUmol(-1)) prepared using the described nickel-mediated
      radiofluorination was compared to 6-[(18)F]FDOPA with low specific activity (30
      MBq MUmol(-1)) produced via conventional electrophilic radiofluorination.
      Unexpectedly both tracer variants displayed very similar in vivo properties with
      respect to signal-to-noise ratio and brain distribution, and consequently, the
      quality of the obtained PET images was almost identical. 

PMID- 26478841
TI  - Functionalization of a Rigid Divalent Ligand for LecA, a Bacterial Adhesion
      Lectin.
AB  - The bacterial adhesion lectin LecA is an attractive target for interference with
      the infectivity of its producer P. aeruginosa. Divalent ligands with two terminal
      galactoside moieties connected by an alternating glucose-triazole spacer were
      previously shown to be very potent inhibitors. In this study, we chose to prepare
      a series of derivatives with various new substituents in the spacer in hopes of
      further enhancing the LecA inhibitory potency of the molecules. Based on the
      binding mode, modifications were made to the spacer to enable additional spacer
      protein interactions. The introduction of positively charged, negatively charged,
      and also lipophilic functional groups was successful. The compounds were good
      LecA ligands, but no improved binding was seen, even though altered thermodynamic
      parameters were observed by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). 

PMID- 26478842
TI  - Tetra- versus Pentavalent Inhibitors of Cholera Toxin.
AB  - The five B-subunits (CTB5) of the Vibrio cholerae (cholera) toxin can bind to the
      intestinal cell surface so the entire AB5 toxin can enter the cell. Simultaneous
      binding can occur on more than one of the monosialotetrahexosylganglioside (GM1)
      units present on the cell surface. Such simultaneous binding arising from the
      toxins multivalency is believed to enhance its affinity. Thus, blocking the
      initial attachment of the toxin to the cell surface using inhibitors with GM1
      subunits has the potential to stop the disease. Previously we showed that
      tetravalent GM1 molecules were sub-nanomolar inhibitors of CTB5. In this study,
      we synthesized a pentavalent version and compared the binding and potency of
      penta- and tetravalent cholera toxin inhibitors, based on the same scaffold, for
      the first time. The pentavalent geometry did not yield major benefits over the
      tetravalent species, but it was still a strong inhibitor, and no major steric
      clashes occurred when binding the toxin. Thus, systems which can adopt more
      geometries, such as those described here, can be equally potent, and this may
      possibly be due to their ability to form higher-order structures or simply due to
      more statistical options for binding. 

PMID- 26478843
TI  - Multistimuli-Responsive Luminescence of Naphthalazine Based on Aggregation
      Induced Emission.
AB  - Stimuli-responsive luminescent materials, which are dependent on changes in
      physical molecular packing modes, have attracted more and more interest over the
      past ten years. In this study, 2,2-dihydroxy-1,1-naphthalazine was synthesized
      and shown to exhibit different fluorescence emission in solution and solid states
      with characteristic aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties. A remarkable
      change in the fluorescence of 2,2-dihydroxy-1,1-naphthalazine occurred upon
      mechanical grinding, heating, or exposure to solvents. According to the
      characterization by solid-state fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography,
      differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray powder diffraction, the fluorescence
      change could be attributed to transitions between two structurally different
      polymorphs. These significant properties could also give 2,2-dihydroxy-1,1
      naphthalazine more potential applications as a multifunctional material. 

PMID- 26478844
TI  - Highly Efficient Synthesis of Optically Pure (S)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol by a
      Self-Sufficient Whole Cell Biocatalyst.
AB  - Terminal vicinal diols are important chiral building blocks and intermediates in
      organic synthesis. Reduction of alpha-hydroxy ketones provides a straightforward
      approach to access these important compounds. In this study, it has been found
      that asymmetric reduction of a series of alpha-hydroxy aromatic ketones and 1
      hydroxy-2-pentanone, catalyzed by Candida magnolia carbonyl reductase (CMCR) with
      glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) from Bacillus subtilis for cofactor regeneration,
      afforded 1-aryl-1,2-ethanediols and pentane-1,2-diol, respectively, in up to 99 %
      ee. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the bioreduction, lyophilized
      recombinant Escherichia coli whole cells coexpressing CMCR and GDH genes were
      used as the biocatalyst and alpha-hydroxy acetophenone as the model substrate,
      and the reaction conditions, such as pH, cosolvent, the amount of biocatalyst and
      the presences of a cofactor (i.e., NADP(+)), were optimized. Under the optimized
      conditions (pH 6, 16 h), the bioreduction proceeded smoothly at 1.0 m substrate
      concentration without the external addition of cofactor, and the product (S)-1
      phenyl-1,2-ethanediol was isolated with 90 % yield and 99 % ee. This offers a
      practical biocatalytic method for the preparation of these important vicinal
      diols. 

PMID- 26478845
TI  - Novel Carbazole (Cbz)-Based Carboxylated Functional Monomers: Design, Synthesis,
      and Characterization.
AB  - A series of novel functional carbazole (Cbz)-based carboxylated monomers were
      synthesized and characterized. A Clauson-Kaas procedure, a deprotection step,
      amide coupling, and hydrolysis were utilized as key chemical reactions towards
      the multistep synthesis of monomers in good to excellent isolated yields. The
      design strategy was further extended to complex carbazole-COOH monomers
      incorporated arylazo groups as photoreactive moieties. In addition, photoreactive
      hybrid carbazole (Cbz)-pyrrole (Pyr)-based carboxylated monomers, comprising a
      pyrrole core linking a carbazole and a photoreactive phenylazide or benzophenone
      moiety through an amide spacer in the molecular structure, were also synthesized.
      The latter can be utilized for surface modification of polymeric films in their
      monomeric form or as polymeric microparticles (MPs). 

PMID- 26478846
TI  - Picking Out Logic Operations in a Naphthalene beta-Diketone Derivative by Using
      Molecular Encapsulation, Controlled Protonation, and DNA Binding.
AB  - On-off switching and molecular logic in fluorescent molecules are associated with
      what chemical inputs can do to the structure and dynamics of these molecules.
      Herein, we report the structure of a naphthalene derivative, the fashion of its
      binding to beta-cyclodextrin and DNA, and the operation of logic possible using
      protons, cyclodextrin, and DNA as chemical inputs. The compound crystallizes out
      in a keto-amine form, with intramolecular N-H???O bonding. It shows stepwise
      formation of 1:1 and 1:2 inclusion complexes with beta-cyclodextrin. The
      aminopentenone substituents are encapsulated by beta-cyclodextrin, leaving out
      the naphthalene rings free. The binding constant of the beta-cyclodextrin complex
      is 512 m(-1). The pKa value of the guest molecule is not greatly affected by the
      complexation. Dual input logic operations, based on various chemical inputs, lead
      to the possibility of several molecular logic gates, namely NOR, XOR, NAND, and
      Buffer. Such chemical inputs on the naphthalene derivative are examples of how
      variable signal outputs based on binding can be derived, which, in turn, are
      dependent on the size and shape of the molecule. 

PMID- 26478847
TI  - Thermodynamics of Self-Assembly of Dicarboxylate Ions with Binuclear Lanthanide
      Complexes.
AB  - Self-assembly of a range of carboxylic acids (benzoic acid, dinicotinic acid,
      nicotinic acid, and isophthalic acid) with the europium complex of 5-nitro
      alpha,alpha'-bis(DO3Ayl)-m-xylene (where DO3A is 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane
      1,4,7-triacetic acid) has been explored to establish the thermodynamics of
      binding in a range of solvent systems and in a range of aqueous buffer solutions.
      In this system, profound effects are observed as a consequence of competition by
      the hydroxide ion, which outcompetes even dinicotinate at high pH. In the case of
      isophthalate, which binds most strongly, and dinicotinate, both enthalpic and
      entropic contributions to binding have been identified. The europium complex with
      5-nitro-alpha,alpha'-bis(DO3Ayl)-m-xylene is found to have a solution structure
      significantly different from the related europium complex of 5-amino-alpha,alpha'
      bis(DO3Ayl)-m-xylene. It is found that phosphate binds strongly to the europium
      complex of the nitro derivate but not to the europium complex of amino
      derivative. Lactate, citrate, and pyruvate also bind strongly to 5-nitro
      alpha,alpha'-bis(Eu?DO3Ayl)-m-xylene, and it is concluded that the solution
      structure of this binuclear lanthanide complex is significantly different from
      that of the amino-substituted complex. 

PMID- 26478848
TI  - Solvent-Tuned Self-Assembled Nanostructures of Chiral l/d-Phenylalanine
      Derivatives of Protoporphyrin IX.
AB  - Protoporphyrin IX is a naturally occurring amphiphilic porphyrin with a rigid
      hydrophobic nonpolar core and two polar propionic acid substitutions on the
      porphyrin ring. This molecule can be modified on the hydrophilic group, which can
      lead to strengthened pi-pi-stacking and spontaneous self-assembly into novel
      nanostructures. Herein, we use l- phenylalanine and d-phenylalanine to modify
      protoporphyrin IX, and use the two derivatives for solvophobic-controlled self
      assembly. Both derivatives possess two important features: 1) the aromatic core
      of the porphyrin for dispersive interactions and 2) a chiral amino acid to
      maximize the influence of chirality on selfassembly. These derivatives lead to
      the formation of a variety of nanostructure morphologies, such as spheres,
      nanofibers, lamellar structures, and thread-like and spherical shells. Solution
      based self-assembly was determined by UV/Vis, fluorescence, and circular
      dichroism spectroscopy, and the formed nanostructures were characterized by
      scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Such engineered porphyrin derivatives could
      have potential applications in energy transport and storage, supramolecular
      chemistry, materials science, and medicine. 

PMID- 26478849
TI  - Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) Synthesis of Heteroepitaxial
      Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3 Films: Effects of Processing Conditions on
      Structural/Morphological and Functional Properties.
AB  - Calcium-doped praseodymium manganite films (Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3, PCMO) were prepared
      by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on SrTiO3 (001) and SrTiO3
      (110) single-crystal substrates. Structural characterization through X-ray
      diffraction (XRD) measurements and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
      analyses confirmed the formation of epitaxial PCMO phase films. Energy dispersive
      X-ray (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization was used
      to confirm lateral and vertical composition and the purity of the deposited
      films. Magnetic measurements, obtained in zero-field-cooling (ZFC) and field
      cooling (FC) modes, provided evidence of the presence of a ferromagnetic (FM)
      transition temperature, which was correlated to the transport properties of the
      film. The functional properties of the deposited films, combined with the
      structural and chemical characterization collected data, indicate that the MOCVD
      approach represents a suitable route for the growth of pure, good quality PCMO
      for the fabrication of novel spintronic devices. 

PMID- 26478850
TI  - Responsive Polymer Photonics.

PMID- 26478851
TI  - New Synthetic Receptors for Molecular Recognition of Anions and Their Practical
      Applications.

PMID- 26478852
TI  - Towards immersive virtual reality (iVR): a route to surgical expertise.
AB  - Surgery is characterized by complex tasks performed in stressful environments. To
      enhance patient safety and reduce errors, surgeons must be trained in
      environments that mimic the actual clinical setting. Rasmussen's model of human
      behavior indicates that errors in surgical procedures may be skill-, rule-, or
      knowledge-based. While skill-based behavior and some rule-based behavior may be
      taught using box trainers and ex vivo or in vivo animal models, we posit that
      multimodal immersive virtual reality (iVR) that includes high-fidelity visual as
      well as other sensory feedback in a seamless fashion provides the only means of
      achieving true surgical expertise by addressing all three levels of human
      behavior. While the field of virtual reality is not new, realization of the goals
      of complete immersion is challenging and has been recognized as a Grand Challenge
      by the National Academy of Engineering. Recent technological advances in both
      interface and computational hardware have generated significant enthusiasm in
      this field. In this paper, we discuss convergence of some of these technologies
      and possible evolution of the field in the near term.

PMID- 26478853
TI  - Finding the loopholes: a cross-sectional qualitative study of systemic barriers
      to treatment access for women drug court participants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Therapeutic diversion courts seek to address justice-involved
      participants' underlying problems leading to their legal system involvement,
      including substance use disorder, psychiatric illness, and intimate partner
      violence. The courts have not addressed systemic hurdles, which can contribute to
      a cycle of substance use disorder and recidivism, which in turn hinder health and
      wellness. The study purpose is to explore the systemic issues faced by women
      participants in drug treatment court from multiple perspectives to understand how
      these issues may relate to health and wellness in their lives. METHODS:
      Qualitative thematic framework analysis of five separate focus groups consisting
      of female drug treatment court participants, community providers, and court staff
      (n = 25). Themes were mapped across the socio-ecological framework and
      contextualized according to social determinants of health. RESULTS: Numerous
      systemic factors impacted women's access to treatment. Laws and legal policies
      (governance) excluded those who could potentially have benefitted from
      therapeutic court and did not allow consideration of parenting issues.
      Macroeconomic policies limit housing options for those with convictions. Social
      policies limited transportation, education, and employment options. Public
      policies limited healthcare and social protection and ability to access available
      resources. Culture and societal values, including stigma, limited treatment
      options. CONCLUSIONS: By understanding the social determinant of health for women
      in drug treatment court and stakeholder's perceptions, the legal system can
      implement public policy to better address the health needs of women drug court
      participants.

PMID- 26478854
TI  - Children and unintentional firearm death.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children in the United States are at far greater risk of
      unintentional gun death than children in other developed countries. The relative
      figures may even be worse since the estimates for US child unintentional gun
      deaths are derived from the Vital Statistics which have been shown to be
      underestimates. No study has used a national data system to investigate the
      circumstances of fatal child gun accidents. METHODS: We use data from the
      National Violent Death Reporting System for 16 states from 2005 to 2012. We
      examine the cases of unintentional gun death involving children in five age
      groups, 0-1, 2-4, 5-10, 11-12, and 13-14, where the child was either the victim
      or shooter. RESULTS: We estimate that there were 110 unintentional firearm deaths
      to children 0-14 annually in the U.S. during this 8 year time period, 80 % higher
      than reported by the Vital Statistics. The victims were predominantly male (81
      %). Approximately two thirds of the shootings were other-inflicted, and in 97 %
      of those cases the shooter was a male. The typical shooter in other-inflicted
      shootings is a brother or friend. Indeed, children aged 11-14 are often shot in
      the home of friends. The large majority of children are shot by other children or
      by themselves. It is rare for a child accidentally to be shot by or accidentally
      to shoot an adult who is not a family member. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights
      the fact that unintentional firearm death to children is a problem of children
      shooting children and thus the importance of keeping guns away from children,
      their siblings, and their friends.

PMID- 26478855
TI  - Resveratrol and Malignancies.
AB  - Carcinogenesis is a multifactorial process, frequently encompassing 3 stages:
      initiation, promotion and progression. It is characterized by multiple deviations
      from normal both at the cell and organism levels. Although most people have a
      small number of cells that present deviations from normal, most of those cells
      will not cause cancer. However, some will. What tips the balance between normal
      and abnormal is the subject of intense scientific research as well as unfounded
      speculations. Chronic inflammation is one of the risk factors for cancer.
      Resveratrol is consumed by the population as a dietary supplement in the hope of
      decreasing the risk of inflammation and cancer and other chronic diseases such as
      diabetes and vascular diseases. There is a discrepancy between the doses used in
      the animal studies showing that resveratrol decreases all three stages of
      carcinogenesis, and the doses ingested by the population either as supplements or
      in the diet. While there is health benefit from using high resveratrol doses, it
      might be also of practical and scientific benefit to focus future effort in
      understanding the effects of normal dietary resveratrol levels.

PMID- 26478856
TI  - Influence of the MCT1 rs1049434 on Indirect Muscle Disorders/Injuries in Elite
      Football Players.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between MCT1
      rs1049434 polymorphism and indirect muscle injuries in elite football players.
      One hundred and seventy-three male elite Italian football players (age = 19.2 +/-
      5.3 years) were recruited from a first-league football club participating at the
      Official National Italian Football Championship (Serie A, Primavera, Allievi,
      Giovanissimi). The cohort was genotyped for the MCT1 rs1049434 polymorphism, and
      muscle injuries data were collected during the period of 2009-2014 (five football
      seasons). METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted using a buccal swab, and genotyping
      was performed using PCR method. Structural-mechanical injuries and functional
      muscle disorder were included in the acute indirect muscle injury group. RESULTS:
      Participants with the MCT1 AA (AA = 1.57 +/- 3.07, n = 69) genotype exhibit
      significantly higher injury incidents compared to participants with the TT
      genotype (TT = 0.09 +/- 0.25, n = 22, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The MCT1 rs1049434
      polymorphism is associated with the incidence of muscle injuries in elite
      football players. We anticipate that the knowledge of athletes' genetic
      predisposition to sports-related injuries might aid in individualizing training
      programs.

PMID- 26478857
TI  - Increased Insulin mRNA Binding Protein-3 Expression Correlates with Vascular
      Enhancement of Renal Cell Carcinoma by Intravenous Contrast-CT and is Associated
      with Bone Metastasis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To: 1) assess the correlation between CT vascularity and a candidate
      molecular marker of RCC metastasis (insulin-like mRNA binding protein-3 (IMP3));
      and 2) demonstrate the differential expression of IMP3 in high vs. low vascular
      tumors. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Retrospectively obtained contrast CT from 72
      patients with primary RCC were used to establish threshold values for Low,
      Intermediate and High tumor vascularity. Paired histopathology specimens from 33
      of these patients were used for immunohistochemistry (IHC) to correlate CT with
      IMP-3 expression. IMP-3 gene expression studies were performed on RCC and poorly
      vascular prostate cancer (PC) human bone metastases samples to confirm presence
      of IMP3 in metastatic samples from RCC. Gene expression studies were performed on
      RCC 786-O and PC3 cell lines to confirm the presence of high expression of IMP3
      in the RCC cell line. RESULTS: IMP-3 expression positively correlated with CT
      vascular enhancement (p<0.01). IMP3 expression by IHC was strongly positive in
      all RCC, but weak in PC bone metastases. Real time RT-PCR demonstrated a
      significant 4-fold increase in imp-3 expression in RCC 786-O vs. PC3 cells in
      vitro (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Quantitation of pre-operative CT is a feasible
      method to phenotype primary RCC vascularity, which correlates with IMP-3
      expression. In situ and cell line studies demonstrate an association between high
      IMP-3 expression and RCC bone metastasis. Studies aimed at defining the
      diagnostic potential of biomarkers for RCC bone metastasis, and functional
      significance of IMP-3 in RCC vascularity and tumor progression are warranted.

PMID- 26478858
TI  - Changing plasmid types responsible for extended spectrum cephalosporin resistance
      in Escherichia coli O157:H7 in the United States, 1996-2009.
AB  - Escherichia coli O157 is a major cause of foodborne illness. Plasmids are genetic
      elements that mobilize antimicrobial resistance determinants including blaCMY
      beta-lactamases that confer resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC).
      ESCs are important for treating a variety of infections. IncA/C plasmids are
      found among diverse sources, including cattle, the principal source of E. coli
      O157 infections in humans. IncI1 plasmids are common among E. coli and Salmonella
      from poultry and other avian sources. To broaden our understanding of reservoirs
      of blaCMY, we determined the types of plasmids carrying blaCMY among E. coli
      O157. From 1996 to 2009, 3742 E. coli O157 isolates were tested. Eleven (0.29%)
      were ceftriaxone resistant and had a blaCMY-2-containing plasmid. All four
      isolates submitted before 2001 and a single 2001 isolate had blaCMY encoded on
      IncA/C plasmids, while all five isolates submitted after 2001 and a single 2001
      isolate had blaCMY carried on IncI1 plasmids. The IncI1 plasmids were ST2, ST20,
      and ST23. We conclude that cephalosporin resistance among E. coli O157:H7 is due
      to plasmid-encoded blaCMY genes and that plasmid types appear to have shifted
      from IncA/C to IncI1. This shift suggests either a change in plasmid type among
      animal reservoirs or that the organism has expanded into avian reservoirs. More
      analysis of human, retail meat, and food animal isolates is necessary to broaden
      our understanding of the antimicrobial resistance determinants of ESC resistance
      among E. coli O157.

PMID- 26478859
TI  - Improvement of glucaric acid production in E. coli via dynamic control of
      metabolic fluxes.
AB  - D-glucaric acid can be used as a building block for biopolymers as well as in the
      formulation of detergents and corrosion inhibitors. A biosynthetic route for
      production in E. coli has been developed (Moon et al., 2009), but previous work
      with the glucaric acid pathway has indicated that competition with endogenous
      metabolism may limit carbon flux into the pathway. Our group has recently
      developed an E. coli strain where phosphofructokinase (Pfk) activity can be
      dynamically controlled and demonstrated its use for improving yields and titers
      of the glucaric acid precursor myo-inositol on glucose minimal medium. In this
      work, we have explored the further applicability of this strain for glucaric acid
      production in a supplemented medium more relevant for scale-up studies, both
      under batch conditions and with glucose feeding via in situ enzymatic starch
      hydrolysis. It was found that glucaric acid titers could be improved by up to 42%
      with appropriately timed knockdown of Pfk activity during glucose feeding. The
      glucose feeding protocol could also be used for reduction of acetate production
      in the wild type and modified E. coli strains.

PMID- 26478860
TI  - The Effect of Gynecologic Oncologist Availability on Ovarian Cancer Mortality.
AB  - AIM: To determine the association between the distribution of gynecologic
      oncologist (GO) and population-based ovarian cancer death rates. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Data on ovarian cancer incidence and mortality in the United States
      (U.S.) was supplemented with U.S. census data, and analyzed in relation to
      practicing GOs. GO locations were geocoded to link association between county
      variables and GO availability. Logistic regression was used to measure areas of
      high and low ovarian cancer mortality, adjusting for contextual variables.
      RESULTS: Practicing GOs were unevenly distributed in the United States, with the
      greatest numbers in metropolitan areas. Ovarian cancer incidence and death rates
      increased as distance to a practicing GO increased. A relatively small number
      (153) of counties within 24 miles of a GO had high ovarian cancer death rates
      compared to 577 counties located 50 or more miles away with high ovarian cancer
      death rates. Counties located 50 or more miles away from a GO practice had an
      almost 60% greater odds of high ovarian cancer mortality compared to those with
      closer practicing GOs (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.18-2.15). CONCLUSION: The distribution
      of GOs across the United States appears to be significantly associated with
      ovarian cancer mortality. Efforts that facilitate outreach of GOs to certain
      populations may increase geographic access. Future studies examining other
      factors associated with lack of GO access (e.g. insurance and other socioeconomic
      factors) at the individual level will assist with further defining barriers to
      quality ovarian cancer care in the United States.

PMID- 26478861
TI  - Anesthesia Experience for Open Gastrostomy With Ultrasound-Guided Unilateral
      Subcostal Transversus Abdominis Plane Block in a High Risk Elderly Patient: A
      Case Report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Many papers have reported that TAP block provides effective
      postoperative analgesia, but the sole use of TAP block for surgical anesthesia
      has been rarely reported. CASE PRESENTATION: Therefore, we presented an 80-year
      old male undergoing ultrasound-guided unilateral subcostal TAP block providing
      surgical anesthesia for open gastrostomy. Left subcostal TAP block was performed
      using the method described by Hebbard with the M-Turbo((r)) ultrasound system and
      a linear probe placing immediately inferior and parallel to the costal margin.
      Using a 100 -mm long, 23 G short-bevel needle in-plane technique, 20 mL of 0.25%
      levobupivacaine was injected on the TAP. A sensory block from T7 to T11 was
      established and the satisfaction score was 7 - 8. CONCLUSIONS: Open gastrostomy
      was successfully performed under subcostal TAP block with small dose fentanyl
      supplementation. The subcostal TAP block is considered a useful anesthetic choice
      in surgery for high risk patients.

PMID- 26478862
TI  - Comparison of the Effects of Magnesium Sulfate and Remifentanil on Hemodynamic
      Responses During Tracheal Extubation After Laparotomy: A Randomized Double
      blinded Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Because blood pressure and heart rate (HR) elevations during tracheal
      extubation are common, different medications have been studied to prevent such
      complications. OBJECTIVES: To compare magnesium sulfate, remifentanil, and
      placebo regarding mean arterial pressure (MAP) and HR changes during/after
      tracheal extubation, in patients who underwent laparotomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      In this randomized double-blinded trial, 120 patients undergoing laparotomy were
      evenly divided into three groups, including remifentanil (1 mcg/kg), magnesium
      sulfate (50 mg/kg), or normal saline, as placebo. Hemodynamic responses (MAP and
      HR) were documented at different times (before operation, during medication
      administration, immediately before extubation, immediately after extubation, and
      also 3, 5, and 10 minutes after extubation). The double burst time (DBT) was
      determined using neuromuscular monitoring, as time interval, between
      administration of reverse medication and DBT of 100%. RESULTS: The HR was
      significantly lower, immediately after extubation and 3, 5, and 10 minutes after
      extubation, in both magnesium and remifentanil groups, compared to normal saline
      (P < 0.001). The MAP was also lower in magnesium and remifentanil groups,
      immediately after extubation and 3 minutes after extubation, in comparison to the
      normal saline group (P < 0.001). Mean (+/- SD) DBT 100% was significantly higher
      in magnesium group (30.2 +/- 15.3) vs. remifenatnil (13.6 +/- 6.8) and normal
      saline (13.5 +/- 8.2) groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Both remifentanil and
      magnesium had favorable outcomes in preventing HR and MAP elevation after
      tracheal extubation. However, remifentanil was associated with more rapid
      regaining of consciousness and reversal of muscular relaxation.

PMID- 26478863
TI  - Comparing the Duration of Spinal Anesthesia Induced With Bupivacaine and a
      Bupivacaince-Lidocaine Combination in Trans-Urethral Resection of the Prostate
      (TURP).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spinal anesthesia is a safe anesthetic mode for transurethral
      prostate resection (TUPR). There are several studies assessing the effect of
      bupivacaine, lonely or accompanied by other drugs, on short duration operations.
      However, there is controversy regarding the exact combination. OBJECTIVES: The
      aim of the study was to compare the effects of spinal anesthesia with bupivacaine
      and low dose lidocaine with bupivacaine alone on postoperative pain in those
      undergoing transurethral resection of prostate (TURP). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This was a randomized clinical trial performed in Shiraz university of medical
      sciences during one year. Eighty men scheduled for TURP were randomly assigned to
      receive spinal anesthesia with 1.5 mL bupivacaine 0.6% and 0.6 mL Lidocaine 1% or
      spinal anesthesia with 1.5 mL bupivacaine 0.5% in combination with 0.6 mL normal
      saline. The primary endpoint was the time lag between induction of spinal
      anesthesia and reaching the highest spinal block level. We also recorded the
      duration of spinal block declining to L1 level, operation duration and the
      admission duration. RESULTS: Both study groups were comparable regarding the
      baseline characteristics. We did not find any difference between the two study
      groups regarding the duration of anesthetic block reaching the maximum level (P =
      0.433) and duration of decreasing it to L1 (P = 0.189). The course of
      postoperative recovery and duration of hospital admission were also comparable
      between the groups (P = 0.661). CONCLUSIONS: Lidocaine does not have additive
      effects on duration and quality of spinal anesthesia with bupivacaine in those
      undergoing TURP.

PMID- 26478864
TI  - Caudal Anesthesia for Open Bladder Surgery in High-Risk Adolescent With Scoliosis
      and Neural Tube Defect.

PMID- 26478865
TI  - Effect of Trigger Sensitivity on Redistribution of Ventilation During Pressure
      Support Ventilation Detected by Electrical Impedance Tomography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In supine position, pressure support ventilation causes a
      redistribution of ventilation towards the ventral regions of the lung.
      Theoretically, a less sensitive support trigger would cause the patient to
      breathe more actively, potentially attenuating the effect of positive pressure
      ventilation. OBJECTIVES: To quantify the effect of trigger setting, we assessed
      redistribution of ventilation during pressure support ventilation (PSV) using
      electrical impedance tomography (EIT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: With approval from
      the local ethics committee, six orthopedic patients were enrolled. All patients
      had general anesthesia with a laryngeal mask airway and a standardized anesthetic
      regimen (sufentanil, propofol and sevoflurane). Pressure support trigger settings
      varied between 2 and 15 L/minute and compared to unassisted spontaneous
      breathing. From EIT data, the center of ventilation (COV), the fraction of the
      total ventilation per region of interest (ROI) and intratidal gas distribution
      were calculated. RESULTS: At all trigger settings, pressure support ventilation
      caused a significant ventral shift of the center of ventilation compared with
      during spontaneous breathing, confirmed by the analysis by regions of interest.
      During spontaneous breathing, COV was not different from baseline values obtained
      before induction of anesthesia. During PSV, the intratidal regional gas
      distribution (ITV-analysis) revealed subtle changes during the early inspiratory
      phase not detected by the COV-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Pressure support
      ventilation, but not spontaneous breathing, induces a significant redistribution
      of ventilation towards the ventral region. The sensitivity of the support trigger
      appears to influence the distribution of ventilation only during the early phase
      of inspiration.

PMID- 26478866
TI  - Heparinized and Saline Solutions in the Maintenance of Arterial and Central
      Venous Catheters After Cardiac Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heparinized saline solution is used to prevent occlusion in the
      arterial catheters and central venous pressure monitoring catheters. Even at low
      dose, heparin administration can be associated with serious complications. Normal
      saline solution can maintain patency of arterial catheters and central venous
      pressure monitoring catheters. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to compare the
      efficacy of normal saline with that of heparinized one to maintain patency of
      arterial and central venous catheters after cardiac surgery. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: In the current randomized controlled trial, 100 patients, with an age
      range of 18 - 65 years of valve and coronary artery surgery were studied in
      Rajaie heart center, Tehran, Iran. Patients were randomized to receive either
      heparinized saline (n = 50) or normal saline flush solutions (n = 50). In the
      study, arterial catheters and central venous pressure monitoring catheters were
      daily checked for any signs of occlusion in three postoperative days as primary
      end-point of the study. RESULTS: According to the information obtained from the
      study, four (8%) arterial catheters in the saline group (P value: 0.135) and
      three (6%) arterial catheters in the heparin group (P value = 0.097) were
      obstructed. Statistical analysis showed that the incidence of obstruction and
      changes in all other parameters between the two groups during the three-day
      follow-up was not significant (all P values > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It seems that
      there is no difference in the use of heparinized and normal saline solutions to
      prevent catheter occlusion of arterial and central venous pressure.

PMID- 26478867
TI  - Efficacy of Pregabalin in the Treatment of Radicular Pain: Results of a
      Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pregabalin is commonly used to treat patients with various
      neuropathic pain syndromes. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to
      evaluate the efficacy of pregabalin in patients with lumbar or cervical radicular
      pain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective, randomized, double-blind trial was
      conducted in 39 patients with lumbar and cervical radicular pain, who received 3
      weeks of either pregabalin (n = 10) or placebo (n = 9) treatment. Baseline pain
      and disability were evaluated before the treatment and were re-evaluated, along
      with overall patient satisfaction, after the 3 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: Data
      on 19 of the 39 patients recruited were available for analysis. No statistically
      significant differences in the pain, disability, and patient satisfaction scores
      were found between the groups. When the individual patient scores were assessed,
      the placebo treatment was found to be efficacious in 4 of the 9 patients and
      pregabalin was effective in 2 of the 10 patients, but the difference was not
      statistically significant (P = 0.350). CONCLUSIONS: The present data do not
      suggest that pregabalin is more efficacious than placebo in the treatment of
      lumbar and cervical radicular pain. However, the small sample size of this study
      may have affected the ability to detect such a difference.

PMID- 26478869
TI  - Effect of iron oxide nanoparticles coating type on the relationship between
      nanoparticles concentration and signal intensity in inversion recovery T1
      weighted MRI.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) nanoparticles are
      used as blood pool contrast agent for magnetic resonance angiography and
      perfusion imaging. Our aim in this study was to investigate the effect of the two
      coating types of iron oxide nanoparticles on the relationship between
      nanoparticles concentration and signal intensity (SI) in T1-weighted MR images.
      METHODS: Different concentrations of the polyethylene glycol (PEG), and
      carboxydextran-coated iron oxide nanoparticles were imaged using inversion
      recovery Turbo-FLASH (Turbo fast low-angle shot) pulse sequence with inversion
      times (TIs) of 300-900 ms (interval of 100 ms). The maximum non-linear and linear
      relationship between the corrected SI (after non-uniformity correction) and the
      concentration of the two coated nanoparticles were calculated in T1-weighted
      images. RESULTS: The maximum non-linear relationship between the corrected SI and
      the concentration of the PEG, and carboxydextran-coated nanoparticles were
      obtained at concentrations of 400 and 200 MUmol Fe/L at a TI of 900 ms,
      respectively. In addition, the maximum linear relationship between the corrected
      SI and the concentration of the PEG, and carboxydextran-coated nanoparticles
      (R2=0.99) appeared at 228.184 and 205.654 MUmolFe/L with a TI of 300 ms,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: The maximum non-linear corrected SI of the
      carboxydextran-coated nanoparticles was slightly higher than that of the PEG
      coated nanoparticles at similar TIs. However, the PEG-coated nanoparticles were
      better than the carboxydextran-coated nanoparticles as a T1 contrast agent for
      perfusion measurements.

PMID- 26478870
TI  - Therapeutic effects of Ventolin versus hypertonic saline 3% for acute
      bronchiolitis in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Complications of Ventolin as the most common drug used for
      bronchiolitis are widely known. The present study was conducted to determine the
      efficacy of hypertonic saline 3%, compared with Ventolin, for treatment of acute
      bronchiolitis in children. METHODS: This double-blinded clinical trial study was
      conducted in Hajar Hospital, Shahrekord, Iran, from 2011 to 2012. A total of 70
      patients under the age of two years with bronchiolitis were divided into two
      groups of 35 each. Ventolin nebulizer and hypertonic saline 3% nebulizer three
      times per day were administered in the first (Ventolin) and second (Hypersaline)
      group, respectively. The length of recovery was compared between the two groups.
      The data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 22) using chi-square, t-test,
      paired t-test, and Mann-Whitney. RESULTS: The mean+/-SD length of recovery was
      4.14+/-0.9 and 3.06+/-0.6 in the Ventolin and hypersaline groups, respectively.
      The mean duration of recovery was significantly lower in the hypersaline group
      (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Hypertonic saline 3% nebulizer has more pleasant
      therapeutic effects on acute bronchiolitis than Ventolin. Therefore, use of
      hypertonic saline 3% nebulizer is recommended for the treatment of acute
      bronchiolitis in children under two years old.

PMID- 26478868
TI  - The TREM2-DAP12 signaling pathway in Nasu-Hakola disease: a molecular genetics
      perspective.
AB  - Nasu-Hakola disease or polycystic lipomembranous osteodysplasia with sclerosing
      leukoencephalopathy (PLOSL) is a rare recessively inherited disease that is
      associated with early dementia and bone cysts with fractures. Here, we review the
      genetic causes of PLOSL with loss-of-function mutations or deletions in one of
      two genes, TYROBP and TREM2, encoding for two proteins DNAX-activating protein 12
      (DAP12) and triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-2 (TREM2). TREM2 and
      DAP12 form an immunoreceptor signaling complex that mediates myeloid cell,
      including microglia and osteoclasts, development, activation, and function.
      Functionally, TREM2-DAP12 mediates osteoclast multi-nucleation, migration, and
      resorption. In microglia, TREM2-DAP12 participates in recognition and apoptosis
      of neuronal debris and amyloid deposits. Review of the complex immunoregulatory
      roles of TREM2-DAP12 in the innate immune system, where it can both promote and
      inhibit pro-inflammatory responses, is given. Little is known about the function
      of TREM2-DAP12 in normal brain homeostasis or in pathological central nervous
      system diseases. Based on the state of the field, genetic testing now aids in
      diagnosis of PLOSL, but therapeutics and interventions are still under
      development.

PMID- 26478871
TI  - The effects of symbiotic therapy on anthropometric measures, body composition and
      blood pressure in patient with metabolic syndrome: a triple blind RCT.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increase in prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes which are of
      the main risk factors of metabolic syndrome, is not only the result of changes in
      genetic, diet or physical activity, but also an imbalance of micro flora may play
      an important role. Therefore, alteration of micro flora using pre/probiotic is
      considered as a new strategy for treatment of metabolic disorders. METHODS: The
      current study is a triple blind randomized controlled trial. 46 patients from
      both sexes, who fulfilled inclusion criteria, randomly categorized into
      intervention or placebo group. The intervention and placebo groups consumed 2
      probiotic capsules or 2 placebo capsules during 3 months, respectively. Both
      groups received a weight loss diet, according to their adjusted ideal body
      weight. Anthropometric, body composition, blood pressure and nutritional
      measurements were done in the beginning, at 6th week, and at the end of the
      study. T-test and paired-t test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: 40
      patients completed the study. BMI, WC, HC, fat mass, lean mass and blood pressure
      were reduced in all participants (p< 0.05). Systolic blood pressure in symbiotic
      group was less than placebo group, significantly (p< 0.05). The trend of weight
      loss in symbiotic group continued at least for 12 weeks while it was stopped at
      week 6 in placebo group. CONCLUSION: Symbiotic supplement with the weight loss
      diet had synergistic effects on improvement in systolic blood pressure and
      anthropometric measurements. Based on our findings, symbiotic can postpone
      plateau phase of weight loss and it may prevent resistance to further weight
      loss.

PMID- 26478872
TI  - High crash areas resulting in injuries and deaths in Tehran traffic areas from
      november 2011 through february 2012: a geographic information system analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evaluation of intra-city roads in terms of environmental factors of
      motor vehicle injuries can help us to better identify these factors and the share
      of each of the factors in injuries. Therefore, this study was conducted to
      determine the high injury areas and the risk factors of motor vehicle crashes
      resulting in injury and death in Tehran, the capital city of Iran, from November
      2011 through February 2012. METHODS: In this cross sectional study, the locations
      of the motor vehicle injuries resulting in injuries and deaths were obtained from
      police stations in Tehran. The coordinates of the injuries locations were
      extracted and entered into the Arc-GIS software to overlay the different layers
      of geographical data and extract the risk map. RESULTS: A total of 4257 motor
      vehicle injuries were evaluated in this study. Forty-two injuries (1%) resulted
      in death and 4215 injuries (99%) resulted in injury. The traffic districts 5 and
      21 had the highest frequency of injuries resulting in death. The type of the
      motor vehicle resulting in injury or death was motorcycle in 2330 injuries
      (54.73%). CONCLUSION: The frequency of traffic injuries is more in the west and
      northwest areas of Tehran, and it is caused more by motorcycles in terms of
      traffic and motor injuries resulting in injury and death. It is useful to conduct
      more studies to better identify these factors considering their importance in
      traffic injuries.

PMID- 26478873
TI  - Remifentanil versus dexmedtomidine for posterior spinal fusion surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Controlling the hemodynamic situation of patients who have spinal
      operation is of prime importance, and maintaining the heart rate and blood
      pressure in normal or low- normal levels in these patients can reduce their
      bleeding loss. One of the commonly used drugs for this purpose is remifentanil.
      Another sedative-hypnotic-analgesic drug, with acceptable effects is
      dexmedetomidine. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of
      dexmedetomidine with remifentanil in spinal operation. METHODS: In a double blind
      randomized clinical trial, using random sampling method, 60 patients with the age
      range of 15-65 years who were candidates for posterior spinal fusion operation
      were included. Induction of anesthesia was performed, and both groups received
      isoflurane 1% during the surgery. Remifentanil was injected via infusion pump in
      one group. The patients in the trial group received dexmedetomidine. As trial
      outcomes, heart rate and blood pressure were measured before, after induction and
      during the operation. Pain score, sedation score and the need to analgesic
      therapy were recorded in the recovery room and the ward. Independent sample t
      test and chi-square were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Dexmedetomidine
      had a significant lowering impact on intraoperative blood pressure and heart rate
      compared to remifentanil (p<0.001). The mean of sedation scores after extubation
      in patients who received dexmedetomidine was significantly higher than the
      sedation scores in patients who received remifentanil (p<0.001). The mean of post
      extubation and recovery pain score in patients taking remifentanil was
      significantly higher than patients taking dexmedetomidine (p<0.05). CONCLUSION:
      Dexmedetomidine in patients with spinal operation is associated with lower
      postoperative pain score and intraoperative bleeding. Hemodynamic effects are
      significantly better in patients received dexmedetomidine.

PMID- 26478874
TI  - Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune systemic disease. Most
      common autoimmune diseases are multisystem disorders that may also present with
      otological manifestations, and autoimmune inner ear disease accompanied by
      vestibular dysfunction. This study aimed to compare the vestibular function
      between RA patients and normal subjects using cervical vestibular evoked myogenic
      potentials (cVEMPs). METHODS: In this cross- sectional study, 25patients with RA
      (19 female and 6 male: mean (+/-SD) age, 40.00 (+/-7.92) years) and 20 healthy
      subjects (15 female and 5 male: mean (+/-SD) age, 35.35 (+/-10.48) years)
      underwent cVEMPs, using 500 Hz-tone bursts at 95 dB nHL intensity level. Data
      were analyzed using independent sample t-test through SPSS software v. 16.
      RESULTS: The mean peak latency of p13 was significantly higher in RA patients
      (p<0.001). The mean peak latency of n23 was significantly higher in patients in
      the left ear (p=0.03). Vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) responses were
      present in all (100%) of the participants. There were no significant differences
      in mean peak to peak amplitude and amplitude ratio between the two groups.
      CONCLUSION: According to the prolonged latency of VEMP responses in RA patients,
      lesions in the retrolabyrinthine, especially in the vestibulospinal tract are
      suspected.

PMID- 26478875
TI  - Ranking Iranian biomedical research centers according to H-variants (G, M, A, R)
      in Scopus and Web of Science.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We conducted a comprehensive bibliometrics analysis to calculate the
      H, G, M, A and R indicators for all Iranian biomedical research centers (IBRCs)
      from the output of ISI Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus between 1991 and 2010. We
      compared the research performance of the research centers according to these
      indicators. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study,
      conducted on 104 Iranian biomedical research centers between August and September
      2011. We collected our data through Scopus and WoS. Pearson correlation
      coefficient between the scientometrics indicators was calculated using SPSS,
      version 16. RESULTS: The mean values of all indicators were higher in Scopus than
      in WoS. Drug Applied Research Center of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences had
      the highest number of publications in both WoS and Scopus databases. This
      research center along with Royan Institute received the highest number of
      citations in both Scopus and WoS, respectively. The highest correlation was seen
      between G and R (.998) in WoS and between G and R (.990) in Scopus. Furthermore,
      the highest overlap of the 10 top IBRCs was between G and H in WoS (100%) and
      between G-R (90%) and H-R (90%) in Scopus. CONCLUSION: Research centers
      affiliated to the top ranked Iranian medical universities obtained a better
      position with respect to the studied scientometrics indicators. All
      aforementioned indicators are important for ranking bibliometrics studies as they
      refer to different attributes of scientific output and citation aspects.

PMID- 26478876
TI  - Serum and saliva collagenase-3 (MMP-13) in patients with oral lichen planus and
      oral squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oral lichen planus (OLP) has been classified as a pre-malignant
      condition. Matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) or collagenase-3 may play a key
      role in cancer development. The aim of this study was to compare serum and saliva
      MMP-13 between patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral squamous cell
      carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS: This cross sectional study was performed on 30
      patients with OLP (8 reticular and 22 erosive forms) and 20 patients with OSCC (6
      in low stage and 14 in advanced stage) who were selected randomly. The study was
      conducted at the Cancer Department, Clinic of Oral Medicine, Tehran University of
      Medical Sciences. The serum and saliva MMP-13 were assayed by ELISA method.
      Statistical analysis of the Student's t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation
      coefficient was performed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in mean
      saliva and serum levels of MMP-13 between patients with OSCC and OLP and their
      subgroups. Serum MMP-13 correlated significantly with unstimulated (r = 0.307, p=
      0.048), but not with stimulated, saliva MMP-13. CONCLUSION: Serum and saliva MMP
      13 levels appear to be statistically similar in OLP and OSCC.

PMID- 26478877
TI  - Correlation between CRP and early failure of arteriovenous fistula (AVF).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arteriovenous Fistula (AVF) is the ideal method of vascular access
      for patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD). Therefore it is an important part
      of treatment in HD. There are several observations that indicate the role of
      inflammation in failure of AVF. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      hematologic and inflammatory biomarkers in early AVF failure. METHODS: This case
      control study included 110 ESRD patients, whom were undergone AVF creation,
      divided in two groups. About 700 radius-cephalic AVF were created during these
      two years. We found 55 cases with AVF failure. In this study, we compared those
      55 failures with 55 functional AVF which were selected using randomized sampling
      from the rest of patients according to age, gender, and AVF location. Levels of
      serum C-reactive protein (CRP) were checked in both groups to evaluate the
      relation between AVF failure and CRP level before surgery. RESULTS: The mean+/-SD
      age of the patients was 49.7+/-17.28 years. CRP was positive in 34 patients
      (61.8%) with unsuccessful fistula function, while only 4 (7.3%) of those with
      successful AVF had positive CRP and the rest had negative CRP. The difference
      between the two groups of patients was strongly significant (p<0.001).
      Statistically, there was not any significant difference between the average of
      age (p: 0.580) of patients in the control and experimental groups. However, the
      gender (p: 0.832) discrepancies was not meaningful between the groups.
      CONCLUSION: AVF thrombosis is one of the main complications after AVF creation.
      Therefore, it is recommended to check CRP before AVF surgery to prevent possible
      failure of the fistula function.

PMID- 26478878
TI  - Patient education process in teaching hospitals of Tehran University of Medical
      Sciences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient education is widely recognized as a core component of
      nursing. Patient education can lead to quality outcomes including adherence,
      quality of life, patients' knowledge of their illness and self-management. This
      study aimed to clarify patient education process in teaching hospitals affiliated
      to Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) in Iran. METHODS: This cross
      sectional study was conducted in 2013. In this descriptive quantitative study,
      the sample covered 187 head nurses selected from ten teaching hospitals through
      convenience sampling. Data were collected with a questionnaire developed
      specifically for this study. The questionnaire measured patient education process
      in four dimensions: need assessment, planning, implementing and evaluating.
      RESULTS: The overall mean score of patient education was 3.326+/-0.0524. Among
      the four dimensions of the patient education process, planning was in the highest
      level (3.570+/-0.0591) and the lowest score belonged to the evaluation of patient
      education (2.840 +/-0.0628). CONCLUSION: Clarifying patient education steps,
      developing standardized framework and providing easily understandable tool-kit of
      the patient education program will improve the ability of nurses in delivering
      effective patient education in general and specialized hospitals.

PMID- 26478879
TI  - Measuring psychosocial exposures: validation of the Persian of the copenhagen
      psychosocial questionnaire (COPSOQ).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effect of psychosocial work environment on personal and
      organizational aspects of employees is well-known; and it is of fundamental
      importance to have valid tools to evaluate them. This study aims to evaluate the
      reliability and validity of the Persian version of Copenhagen Psychosocial
      Questionnaire (COPSOQ). METHODS: The questionnaire was translated into Persian
      and then back translated into English by two translators separately. The wording
      of the final Persian version was established by comparing the translated versions
      with the original questionnaire. One hundred three health care workers completed
      the questionnaire. Chronbach's alpha was calculated, and factor analysis was
      performed. RESULTS: Factor analysis revealed acceptable validity for the five
      contexts of the questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.73 to 0.82 in
      different contexts. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the Persian version of
      COPSOQ is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring psychosocial factors at
      work.

PMID- 26478880
TI  - Clinical reasoning assessment through medical expertise theories: past, present
      and future directions.
AB  - Exploration into the concept of "medical expert" dates back to more than 50 years
      ago, yet yielding three leading theories in the area of clinical reasoning,
      namely, knowledge structure, hypotheticdeductive, and dual process. Each theory
      defines "medical expert" in a dissimilar way. Therefore, the methods of
      assessment through which the experts are identified have been changed during the
      time. In this paper, we tried to categorize and introduce some widely used tests
      for identification of experts within the framework of existing main theories.
      Implementation of the proposed categorization for providing future assessment
      tools is discussed. 

PMID- 26478881
TI  - Treatment of knee osteoarthritis with platelet-rich plasma in comparison with
      transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation plus exercise: a randomized clinical
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis is a disabling musculoskeletal disease with no
      definite treatment. This study compared the effect of Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)
      and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) plus exercise in the
      treatment of patients with knee joint osteoarthritis. METHODS: 54 eligible
      patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomly allocated into two groups.
      (IRCT2012110611382N) Group A (27 patients) received 2 injections of PRP (4 weeks
      apart) and group B (27 patients) received 10 sessions of TENS as well as exercise
      during the study period. Clinical outcome was evaluated using the Knee injury and
      Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores (KOOS) questionnaire before the treatment, 4 weeks,
      and 8 weeks after that the treatment. Pain was also assessed using a visual
      analog scale (VAS). Time to an intolerable knee pain during treadmill workout was
      also evaluated using an objective test. RESULTS: In the PRP group, the mean KOOS
      symptom score improved significantly from baseline to the end of study, while the
      change was not significant over this period for the group B. In both groups,
      significant reductions were observed in VAS scores from baseline till the end of
      study. The mean time to feel intolerable knee pain during treadmill work out of
      PRP group increased significantly from baseline to week 4, but no significant
      changes were found in this parameter over the time of study in the group B.
      CONCLUSION: Intraarticular injection of PRP is an effective, safe method for
      short-term treatment of patients with knee joint osteoarthritis.

PMID- 26478882
TI  - Tendency to breast reconstruction after breast mastectomy among Iranian women
      with breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Women with the medical history of breast cancer constitute the
      biggest group of patients who survived cancer. Despite the high rate of
      mastectomy after breast cancer in Iran; only limited patients elect
      reconstruction surgery. The aim of our study was to evaluate the rate of tendency
      to breast reconstruction (BR) surgery among women with breast cancer who had
      mastectomy but not undergone reconstruction. METHODS: This cross sectional study
      was conducted in Mashhad, north east of Iran during 2013. A total of 108 patients
      with mastectomy due to breast cancer were selected through convenience sampling
      and completed the questionnaire. Demographic data collected and 21 items of
      questionnaire were compared between patients with and without tendency to BR.
      Data were analyzed using Chi square, t tests and logistic regression. RESULTS: In
      this study 62 (57.4%) patients had a tendency to BR and 46 (42.6%) had not. The
      mean (+/-SD) age of patients in first group was 43.3+/-8.03 and 49.6+/-9.9 in the
      second group (p<0.001). Frequency of agreement about impact of BR on appearance
      and beauty, mood, family living conditions and their opinion (p<0.001), lack of
      sufficient information (p=0.01), physician's opinion (p<0.001) and priority of
      cancer breast treatment (p=0.02) were significantly different between the two
      groups. CONCLUSION: More than half of the patients had a tendency to BR although
      they did not go under the surgery yet. Identification of factors that can
      increase the tendency and factors that help to change the intention to action are
      important and should be investigate in future research.

PMID- 26478883
TI  - Morphology of proximal tibia in Iranian population and its correlation with
      available prostheses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Total knee arthroplasty is a complex procedure aiming to relieve pain
      and improve function. It is critical to select prosthesis that best cover the
      bone surfaces. Ethnicity may affect fitness of the components mainly designed for
      Caucasian populations. This study aimed to evaluate morphometric features of
      proximal tibia in Iranian population. METHODS: During 2013, 150 consecutive
      patients (96 males and 54 females) form orthopedics department of Rasoul-Akram
      hospital with knee CT scan were randomly enrolled. We entered cases with apparent
      normal extremity alignment and bone maturity. Cases with history of fracture or
      conditions affecting knee profile were excluded. Standard cuts were simulated on
      CT scan. Anteroposterior (AP), mediolateral (ML) and aspect ratio (ML/AP) were
      measured for general morphology. Medial and lateral AP distance of tibia and
      their distance to tibial center were measured for checking symmetry. RESULTS:
      Mean age was 43.0+/- 10.4 years (rang 11-80). Males showed significantly larger
      values in ML dimension and aspect ratio than females under a given AP value
      (p<0.001). However, the aspect ratio was suggestive of similar configuration of
      proximal tibia profiles among genders. Totally, close correlations were observed
      among simulated cuts and size-matched tibial components of the prostheses.
      However, better coverage was provided by some brands via designing
      interchangeable components for a given dimension. Medial and lateral condyles of
      tibia were almost symmetrical. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that some
      alterations in the shape of the components are needed to provide optimal coverage
      in Iranian population. We propose symmetrical configuration in designing tibial
      components as well.

PMID- 26478884
TI  - Labour economics and healthcare professional education.
AB  - Healthcare professional education is the undergraduate, postgraduate and
      continuing professional development for doctors, nurses and allied healthcare
      professionals. Labour economics is the relationship between workers and
      employers, and the resultant effect on employment and wages. Healthcare
      professional education ultimately produces a workforce, and that workforce is
      governed by the rules of labour economics like any other workforce. Despite all
      of these largely incontrovertible facts, there has been remarkably little
      interest in the relationship between healthcare professional education and labour
      economics. This short article attempts to redress this shortcoming by describing
      some of the factors that can affect healthcare professional education and labour
      economics, and aims to mention some of the methods in which these two disciplines
      can interact with each other. 

PMID- 26478885
TI  - Household food security status in the Northeast of Iran: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An important issue the world faces today is ensuring that households
      living in different countries have access to enough food to maintain a healthy
      life. Food insecurity is prevalent in both developed and developing countries.
      The objective of this study was to assess the household food security status and
      related factors among different rural districts of Neyshabur (A city in northeast
      of Iran). METHODS: Of 5000 selected rural households 4647 were studied in this
      cross-sectional study. A validated short questionnaire (with six questions) was
      used to measure food security. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used
      for data analysis through SPSS software. RESULTS: In total, 2747 households
      (59.1%) were identified as food secure. The highest prevalence of food security
      was observed in Central district (62.3%) and the lowest was in Miyanjolgeh
      district (52.9%). Backward multiple logistic regression revealed that car
      ownership, presence of chronic disease in household and household income (per
      month) were significantly associated with food security in all of surveyed
      districts (p< 0.05). CONCLUSION: According to results of this study, lower than
      60% of Neyshabur rural households were food secure and economic variables were
      the most important factors. Therefore, a special attention should be paid to this
      health problem in these regions.

PMID- 26478886
TI  - Organochlorine pesticides residue in breast milk: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chlorinated pesticides have been used in pest control for several
      decades in the world. These compounds are still applied in many regions, and
      their continuous usage has resulted in their bioaccumulation and residue in the
      food chain. These residues could transfer to food products and accumulate in fat
      tissues. Undoubtedly, the breast milk could be a significant biomarker for
      estimation of these residues in the human body. This study was conducted to
      review and compile the results of the studies undertaken in the world which
      surveyed the organochlorine pesticides residue in breast milk. METHODS: A total
      of 710 national and international articles and texts related to the focused
      subject were extracted from the virtual databases using the following key words:
      Chlorinated pesticides, residue and breast milk. Thirty articles published
      between 1980 and 2013 were selected and reviewed. RESULTS: The majority of the
      reviewed articles indicated the presence of two or more organochlorine pesticides
      in the collected samples of breast milk. Based on the reviewed studies,
      dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) had the highest level of concentration in
      the collected samples of breast milk. Moreover, there was a statistically
      significant positive correlation between mother's age, her multiparty and
      concentration of chlorinated pesticides in breast milk. CONCLUSION: The
      organochlorine pesticides are still applied in some developing countries
      including some regions of Iran. Thus, it seems essential to inform the community
      about the adverse effects of this class of pesticides; and most importantly the
      governments should also ban the use of such compounds.

PMID- 26478887
TI  - The association between air pollution and weather conditions with increase in the
      number of admissions of asthmatic patients in emergency wards: a case study in
      Kermanshah.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Industrialization and urbanization had a devastating impact on public
      health and caused an increase in health related morbidity and mortality. In fact,
      asthma is a chronic condition which is considered as one of the significant
      challenges of public health. In this study, we investigated the association of
      air pollution and weather conditions with excess emergency ward admissions of
      asthmatic patients in Kermanshah hospitals. METHODS: This was an ecological
      study. The total number of hospital admissions to emergency wards from all
      related and major hospitals of Kermanshah was collected from September 2008
      through August 2009. In addition, data on air pollution as well as meteorological
      data were collected from the Environmental Protection Agency and Meteorological
      Organization of Kermanshah. To determine the association between the number of
      hospitalization due to asthma with those parameters, Poisson regression was used.
      RESULTS: The results of Poisson regression revealed a significant association
      between carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and temperature with emergency
      room visits due to asthma in Kermanshah. No associations were found for sulfur
      dioxide or for particulate matter. CONCLUSION: This study provides further
      evidence for the significant effect of monoxide carbon on asthma; and it suggests
      that temperature may have a role in the exacerbation of asthma. However, due to
      the multi-factorial nature of asthma, other factors also play a major role in the
      development and exacerbation of this illness.

PMID- 26478888
TI  - Health literacy and its influencing factors in Iranian diabetic patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health literacy is the ability to obtain, read, understand and use
      healthcare information to make appropriate health decisions and follow
      instructions for treatment. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of
      various factors on health literacy in patients with diabetes. METHODS: 407
      patients with diabetes older than 15 years of age were identified from the
      Diabetes Clinic affiliated to the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism (IEM)
      of Iran University of Medical Sciences. We assessed patients' health literacy
      using the Persian version of Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults
      (TOFHLA) questionnaire. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 55.8 +/- 11.3
      years, and 61.7% the participants were female.. Overall, 18.2% of the patients
      had adequate health literacy skills, 11.8% had marginal and 70.0% inadequate
      health literacy skills. Male participants performed better than females (p< 0.01)
      and older patients had lower health literacy score than younger patients (p<
      0.001). Furthermore, patients with higher educational and occupational levels had
      higher functional health literacy score than those with lower levels (p< 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: Health literacy score in Iranian patients with diabetes seems
      inadequate. Therefrom effective interventions should be designed and implemented
      for this group of patients to improve diabetes outcomes.

PMID- 26478891
TI  - Controlled Activation for Interrogation of the Electrophysiological Substrate.
AB  - Ectopic activation and conduction may give rise to arrhythmias when a diseased
      myocardial substrate exists. Electrophysiological mapping studies that record
      electrical properties of the heart in sinus rhythm may fail to uncover pro
      arrhythmic substrates that are triggered by ectopy. In this study we use
      simulation and experimental models of clinical, trackable, loop catheters to
      interrogate regions of myocardium by stimulating and recording with multiple
      activation patterns. Longitudinal and traverse conduction velocities of the
      tissue were acquired from the pacing protocol. Artifacts resulting from variable
      distance between the recording electrodes and pacing site were also detected and
      removed. This study demonstrates that the mapping of local tissue properties with
      variable activation patterns is feasible and can expose features of the
      electrophysiological substrate that can not be recovered during sinus conduction.

PMID- 26478890
TI  - Cervical Artery Dissection: A Review of the Epidemiology, Pathophysiology,
      Treatment, and Outcome.
AB  - CONTEXT: Cervical artery dissection (CAD) is a common cause of stroke in young
      adults. There is controversy over whether anticoagulation is superior to
      antiplatelet therapy in preventing stroke in patients with CAD, although meta
      analyses to date have not shown any difference between the two treatments.
      EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: We performed a PubMed search using each of the keywords:
      "Cervical artery dissection", "Dissection", "Carotid dissection", and "Vertebral
      dissection" between January 1st, 1990 and July 1st 2015. We identified evidence
      based peer-reviewed articles, including randomized trials, case series and
      reports, and retrospective reviews that encompass the epidemiology, clinical
      manifestations, pathophysiology, treatment, and outcome of cervical artery
      dissection. RESULTS: This paper highlights the mechanisms of cervical artery
      dissection and stroke in patients with dissection as well as the natural history
      and treatment. CONCLUSION: Given the relatively rare incidence of this disease,
      multicenter studies with collaborative effort among stroke centers worldwide
      should be considered to enroll patients with cervical artery dissection in a
      randomized trial comparing the two treatments.

PMID- 26478892
TI  - Long and Short Term Cumulative Structural Priming Effects.
AB  - We present six experiments that examine cumulative structural priming effects
      (i.e., structural priming effects that accumulate across many utterances). Of
      particular interest is whether (1) cumulative priming effects transfer across
      language production tasks and (2) the transfer of cumulative priming effects
      across tasks persists over the course of a week. Our data suggest that cumulative
      structural priming effects do transfer across language production tasks (e.g.,
      from written stem completion to picture description, and from picture description
      to written stem completion), but only when both tasks are presented in the same
      experimental session. When cumulative priming effects are established in one
      task, and the second (changed) task is not presented until a week later, the
      cumulative priming effects are not observed.

PMID- 26478893
TI  - Designing and Interpreting Limiting Dilution Assays: General Principles and
      Applications to the Latent Reservoir for Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1.
AB  - Limiting dilution assays are widely used in infectious disease research. These
      assays are crucial for current human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 cure research
      in particular. In this study, we offer new tools to help investigators design and
      analyze dilution assays based on their specific research needs. Limiting dilution
      assays are commonly used to measure the extent of infection, and in the context
      of HIV they represent an essential tool for studying latency and potential
      curative strategies. Yet standard assay designs may not discern whether an
      intervention reduces an already miniscule latent infection. This review addresses
      challenges arising in this setting and in the general use of dilution assays. We
      illustrate the major statistical method for estimating frequency of infectious
      units from assay results, and we offer an online tool for computing this
      estimate. We recommend a procedure for customizing assay design to achieve
      desired sensitivity and precision goals, subject to experimental constraints. We
      consider experiments in which no viral outgrowth is observed and explain how
      using alternatives to viral outgrowth may make measurement of HIV latency more
      efficient. Finally, we discuss how biological complications, such as
      probabilistic growth of small infections, alter interpretations of experimental
      results. 

PMID- 26478894
TI  - Nemesis of neglected neurosarcoidosis.

PMID- 26478889
TI  - The Road Ahead to Cure Alzheimer's Disease: Development of Biological Markers and
      Neuroimaging Methods for Prevention Trials Across all Stages and Target
      Populations.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a slowly progressing non-linear dynamic brain disease
      in which pathophysiological abnormalities, detectable in vivo by biological
      markers, precede overt clinical symptoms by many years to decades. Use of these
      biomarkers for the detection of early and preclinical AD has become of central
      importance following publication of two international expert working group's
      revised criteria for the diagnosis of AD dementia, mild cognitive impairment
      (MCI) due to AD, prodromal AD and preclinical AD. As a consequence of matured
      research evidence six AD biomarkers are sufficiently validated and partly
      qualified to be incorporated into operationalized clinical diagnostic criteria
      and use in primary and secondary prevention trials. These biomarkers fall into
      two molecular categories: biomarkers of amyloid-beta (Abeta) deposition and
      plaque formation as well as of tau-protein related hyperphosphorylation and
      neurodegeneration. Three of the six gold-standard ("core feasible) biomarkers are
      neuroimaging measures and three are cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analytes. CSF
      Abeta1-42 (Abeta1-42), also expressed as Abeta1-42 : Abeta1-40 ratio, T-tau, and
      P-tau Thr181 & Thr231 proteins have proven diagnostic accuracy and risk
      enhancement in prodromal MCI and AD dementia. Conversely, having all three
      biomarkers in the normal range rules out AD. Intermediate conditions require
      further patient follow-up. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at increasing field
      strength and resolution allows detecting the evolution of distinct types of
      structural and functional abnormality pattern throughout early to late AD stages.
      Anatomical or volumetric MRI is the most widely used technique and provides local
      and global measures of atrophy. The revised diagnostic criteria for "prodromal
      AD" and "mild cognitive impairment due to AD" include hippocampal atrophy (as the
      fourth validated biomarker), which is considered an indicator of regional
      neuronal injury. Advanced image analysis techniques generate automatic and
      reproducible measures both in regions of interest, such as the hippocampus and in
      an exploratory fashion, observer and hypothesis-indedendent, throughout the
      entire brain. Evolving modalities such as diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) and
      advanced tractography as well as resting-state functional MRI provide useful
      additionally useful measures indicating the degree of fiber tract and neural
      network disintegration (structural, effective and functional connectivity) that
      may substantially contribute to early detection and the mapping of progression.
      These modalities require further standardization and validation. The use of
      molecular in vivo amyloid imaging agents (the fifth validated biomarker), such as
      the Pittsburgh Compound-B and markers of neurodegeneration, such as fluoro-2
      deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) (as the sixth validated biomarker) support the detection of
      early AD pathological processes and associated neurodegeneration. How to use,
      interpret, and disclose biomarker results drives the need for optimized
      standardization. Multimodal AD biomarkers do not evolve in an identical manner
      but rather in a sequential but temporally overlapping fashion. Models of the
      temporal evolution of AD biomarkers can take the form of plots of biomarker
      severity (degree of abnormality) versus time. AD biomarkers can be combined to
      increase accuracy or risk. A list of genetic risk factors is increasingly
      included in secondary prevention trials to stratify and select individuals at
      genetic risk of AD. Although most of these biomarker candidates are not yet
      qualified and approved by regulatory authorities for their intended use in drug
      trials, they are nonetheless applied in ongoing clinical studies for the
      following functions: (i) inclusion/exclusion criteria, (ii) patient
      stratification, (iii) evaluation of treatment effect, (iv) drug target
      engagement, and (v) safety. Moreover, novel promising hypothesis-driven, as well
      as exploratory biochemical, genetic, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging
      markers for use in clinical trials are being developed. The current state-of-the
      art and future perspectives on both biological and neuroimaging derived biomarker
      discovery and development as well as the intended application in prevention
      trials is outlined in the present publication.

PMID- 26478895
TI  - Dopaminergic, serotonergic, and noradrenergic deficits in Parkinson disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: People with Parkinson disease (PD) frequently develop dementia, which
      is associated with neocortical deposition of alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) in Lewy
      bodies and Lewy neurites. In addition, neuronal loss and deposition of aggregated
      alpha-syn also occur in multiple subcortical nuclei that project to neocortical,
      limbic, and basal ganglia regions. Therefore, we quantified regional deficits in
      innervation from these PD-affected subcortical nuclei, by measuring the
      neurotransmitters and neurotransmitter transporter proteins originating from
      projections of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta,
      serotonergic neurons in dorsal raphe nuclei, noradrenergic neurons in locus
      coeruleus, and cholinergic neurons in nucleus basalis of Meynert. METHODS: High
      performance liquid chromatography and novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays
      were performed to quantify dopaminergic, serotonergic, noradrenergic, and
      cholinergic innervation in postmortem brain tissue. Eight brain regions from 15
      PD participants (with dementia and Braak stage 6 alpha-syn deposition) and six
      age-matched controls were tested. RESULTS: PD participants compared to controls
      had widespread reductions of dopamine transporter in caudate, amygdala,
      hippocampus, inferior parietal lobule (IPL), precuneus, and visual association
      cortex (VAC) that exceeded loss of dopamine, which was only significantly reduced
      in caudate and amygdala. In contrast, PD participants had comparable deficits of
      both serotonin and serotonin transporter in caudate, middle frontal gyrus, IPL,
      and VAC. PD participants also had significantly reduced norepinephrine levels for
      all eight brain regions tested. Vesicular acetylcholine transporter levels were
      only quantifiable in caudate and hippocampus and did not differ between PD and
      control groups. INTERPRETATION: These results demonstrate widespread deficits in
      dopaminergic, serotonergic, and noradrenergic innervation of neocortical, limbic,
      and basal ganglia regions in advanced PD with dementia.

PMID- 26478896
TI  - Characterization of IgG4 anti-neurofascin 155 antibody-positive polyneuropathy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate anti-neurofascin 155 (NF155) antibody-positive chronic
      inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). METHODS: Sera from 50
      consecutive CIDP patients diagnosed in our clinic, 32 patients with multiple
      sclerosis, 40 patients with other neuropathies including 26 with Guillain-Barre
      syndrome (GBS)/Fisher syndrome, and 30 healthy controls were measured for anti-NF
      antibodies by flow cytometry using HEK293 cell lines stably expressing human
      NF155 or NF186. Four additional CIDP patients with anti-NF155 antibodies referred
      from other clinics were enrolled for clinical characterization. RESULTS: The
      positivity rate for anti-NF155 antibodies in CIDP patients was 18% (9/50), who
      all showed a predominance of IgG4 subclass. No other subjects were positive,
      except one GBS patient harboring IgG1 anti-NF155 antibodies. No anti-NF155
      antibody carriers had anti-NF186 antibodies. Anti-NF155 antibody-positive CIDP
      patients had a significantly younger onset age, higher frequency of drop foot,
      gait disturbance, tremor and distal acquired demyelinating symmetric phenotype,
      greater cervical root diameter on magnetic resonance imaging neurography, higher
      cerebrospinal fluid protein levels, and longer distal and F-wave latencies than
      anti-NF155 antibody-negative patients. Marked symmetric hypertrophy of cervical
      and lumbosacral roots/plexuses was present in all anti-NF155 antibody-positive
      CIDP patients examined by neurography. Biopsied sural nerves from two patients
      with anti-NF155 antibodies demonstrated subperineurial edema and occasional
      paranodal demyelination, but no vasculitis, inflammatory cell infiltrates, or
      onion bulbs. Among anti-NF155 antibody-positive patients, treatment responders
      more frequently had daily oral corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressants in
      addition to intravenous immunoglobulins than nonresponders did. INTERPRETATION:
      Anti-NF155 antibodies occur in a subset of CIDP patients with distal-dominant
      involvement and symmetric nerve hypertrophy.

PMID- 26478897
TI  - Fine mapping of chromosome 15q25 implicates ZNF592 in neurosarcoidosis patients.
AB  - Neurosarcoidosis is a clinical subtype of sarcoidosis characterized by the
      presence of granulomas in the nervous system. Here, we report a highly
      significant association with a variant (rs75652600, P = 3.12 * 10(-8), odds
      ratios = 4.34) within a zinc finger gene, ZNF592, from an imputation-based fine
      mapping study of the chromosomal region 15q25 in African-Americans with
      neurosarcoidosis. We validate the association with ZNF592, a gene previously
      shown to cause cerebellar ataxia, in a cohort of European-Americans with
      neurosarcoidosis by uncovering low-frequency variants with a similar risk effect
      size (chr15:85309284, P = 0.0021, odds ratios = 5.36). 

PMID- 26478899
TI  - Comment on: Short pulse width widens the therapeutic window of subthalamic
      neurostimulation.

PMID- 26478898
TI  - Dimethyl fumarate inhibits integrin alpha4 expression in multiple sclerosis
      models.
AB  - Dimethyl fumarate is an orally bioavailable compound for the treatment of
      multiple sclerosis and psoriasis. A mechanism involving nuclear factor erythroid
      2-like 2 activation has been proposed to account for its efficacy in multiple
      sclerosis. Here, we report that dimethyl fumarate inhibits expression of integrin
      alpha4 on circulating lymphocytes in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
      mice and also on activated human Jurkat T cells in a manner distinct from nuclear
      factor erythroid 2-like 2 activation. Our results offer an alternative mechanism
      for the efficacy of dimethyl fumarate in multiple sclerosis. 

PMID- 26478900
TI  - Reply to comment on: Short pulse width widens the therapeutic window of
      subthalamic neurostimulation.

PMID- 26478903
TI  - Why Does Attention to Web Articles Fall With Time?
AB  - We analyze access statistics of 150 blog entries and news articles for periods of
      up to 3 years. Access rate falls as an inverse power of time passed since
      publication. The power law holds for periods of up to 1,000 days. The exponents
      are different for different blogs and are distributed between 0.6 and 3.2. We
      argue that the decay of attention to a web article is caused by the link to it
      first dropping down the list of links on the website's front page and then
      disappearing from the front page and its subsequent movement further into
      background. The other proposed explanations that use a decaying with time novelty
      factor, or some intricate theory of human dynamics, cannot explain all of the
      experimental observations.

PMID- 26478901
TI  - MINORITY STRESS, POSITIVE IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT, AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS:
      IMPLICATIONS FOR RESILIENCE AMONG SEXUAL MINORITY MALE YOUTH.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Minority stress processes have been shown to have significant
      associations with negative mental health outcomes among sexual minority
      populations. Given that adversity may be experienced growing up as a sexual
      minority in heteronormative, if not heterosexist, environments, our research on
      resilience among sexual minority male youth proposes that positive identity
      development may buffer the effects of a range of minority stress processes.
      METHODS: An ethnically diverse sample of 200 sexual minority males ages 16-24
      (mean age, 20.9 years) was recruited using mixed recruitment methods. We
      developed and tested two new measures: concealment stress during adolescence and
      sexual minority-related positive identity development. We then tested a path
      model that assessed the effects of minority stressors, positive identity
      development, and social support on major depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Experience
      of stigma was associated with internalized homophobia (beta=.138, p<.05) and
      major depressive symptoms (beta=1.076, OR=2.933, p<.001), and internalized
      homophobia partially mediated experience's effects on major depression
      (beta=.773, OR=2.167, p<.001). Concealment stress was associated with positive
      identity development (beta=.155, p<.05) and internalized homophobia (beta=.418,
      p<.001), and positive identity development partially mediated concealment
      stress's effects on internalized homophobia (beta=-.527, p<.001). Concealment
      stress demonstrated a direct effect on major depression (beta=1.400, OR=4.056,
      p<.001), and indirect paths to social support through positive identity
      development. CONCLUSIONS: With these results, we offer an exploratory model that
      empirically identifies significant paths among minority stress dimensions,
      positive identity development, and major depressive symptoms. This study helps
      further our understanding of minority stress, identity development, and resources
      of resilience among sexual minority male youth.

PMID- 26478902
TI  - Alcohol Versus Cannabinoids: A Review of Their Opposite Neuro-Immunomodulatory
      Effects and Future Therapeutic Potentials.
AB  - Due to the legalization of marijuana and the increased demand for cannabis and
      alcohol consumption, research efforts highlighting the biomedical consequences of
      the use of alcohol and cannabinoids are not only relevant to the substance abuse
      scientific field, but are also of public health interest. Moreover, an overview
      of the recent literature about alcohol and cannabinoids neuro-immunomodulatory
      effects highlighting their future therapeutic potentials will provide a
      significant contribution to science and medicine. Therefore, in the current
      review, we will first discuss briefly the prevalence of alcohol and marijuana
      abuse, followed by a discussion on the individual effects of alcohol and
      cannabinoids on the immune system; then, we will focus on the role of
      endocannabinoids on the alcohol-induced inflammatory effects. In addition, the
      review also incorporates cytokine array data obtained from human monocyte-derived
      dendritic cells, providing a different perspective on the alcohol and cannabinoid
      abuse divergent effects on cytokine production. The final section will highlight
      the therapeutic potential of cannabinoid receptors and the novel strategies to
      treat alcohol dependence as determined by in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies.

PMID- 26478904
TI  - Laboratory Activity for the Determination of Nicotine in Electronic Cigarette
      Liquids using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - In recent years the prevalence and popularity of electronic cigarettes (ECs) has
      increased noticeably and a large market for their refillable nicotine solutions
      (e-liquids) has also rapidly increased. These e-liquids contain nicotine, an
      addictive and potentially dangerous stimulant, but often the actual nicotine
      content differs significantly from manufacturers' labelling, due in part to lack
      of regulation for these products. A laboratory activity for undergraduate
      students was developed to directly test e-liquids for nicotine content using gas
      chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as a means for teaching
      the instrumentation to undergraduate students using an authentic, real-world
      example. The activity introduces and/or re-emphasizes the theory and operation of
      GC-MS, standard/sample preparation, calibration curves, internal standards,
      selected ion monitoring mode of MS operation, and method validation. The
      laboratory experiment is designed for students enrolled in Quantitative Analysis
      courses (like Analytical Chemistry or Instrumental Analysis), but portions are
      also suitable for lower level chemistry courses or even those designed for allied
      health professionals or non-chemistry majors. Given the current popularity of
      ECs, this activity can provide the chemistry curriculum with a timely, real
      world, and contemporary application in which crucial course content is taught.
      Students can also benefit from the inherent discussion of ECs, regulations, and
      related social aspects of smoking and EC vaping - which can serve as a secondary
      learning outcome.

PMID- 26478906
TI  - Comparison of SIRT and SQS for Regularized Weighted Least Squares Image
      Reconstruction.
AB  - Tomographic image reconstruction is often formulated as a regularized weighted
      least squares (RWLS) problem optimized by iterative algorithms that are either
      inherently algebraic or derived from a statistical point of view. This paper
      compares a modified version of SIRT (Simultaneous Iterative Reconstruction
      Technique), which is of the former type, with a version of SQS (Separable
      Quadratic Surrogates), which is of the latter type. We show that the two
      algorithms minimize the same criterion function using similar forms of
      preconditioned gradient descent. We present near-optimal relaxation for both
      based on eigenvalue bounds and include a heuristic extension for use with ordered
      subsets. We provide empirical evidence that SIRT and SQS converge at the same
      rate for all intents and purposes. For context, we compare their performance with
      an implementation of preconditioned conjugate gradient. The illustrative
      application is X-ray CT of luggage for aviation security.

PMID- 26478905
TI  - Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy: Multigenic Changes Underlie Cardiovascular Dysfunction.
AB  - Alcoholism is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States.
      Aside from promoting cardiomyopathies, chronic alcohol consumption is associated
      with an increased risk of dementia, the development of liver or pancreas failure,
      and cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx. Although a J-shaped curve for all
      cause mortality has been identified for average alcohol consumption, irregular
      heavy drinking also carries significantly greater risks for cardiovascular
      disease. Alcohol induced cardiovascular disease has a complex multigenic
      etiology. There is significant variation in the initial presentation of alcoholic
      cardiomyopathy with diastolic dysfunction possibly being the first indication.
      Ethanol exposure generates toxic metabolites, primarily acetaldehyde and ROS,
      which activate several cell signaling systems to alter cell function across many
      levels. Sudden cardiac death is a known occurrence of alcoholism that may be
      linked to an arrhythmogenic effect of alcohol. Microscopic and molecular
      examination of diseased hearts has demonstrated abnormal alterations to various
      cellular components, including the mitochondria and myofibrils. These studies
      have shown not only the direct impact on myocardial contractility but also
      disrupted metabolism that determines the long-term survival of the myocardium.
      Significant variations in the response to chronic alcohol consumption may be
      related to unique genotypes that modify the metabolic response to ethanol. Future
      studies to further characterize the role of different genotypes will help
      indentify those genotypes are more susceptible to chronic alcohol consumption.

PMID- 26478907
TI  - Trends in Multiple Tobacco Product Use, Among High School Students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify trends of tobacco use, among
      all students and current tobacco users, in a nationally representative sample of
      high school students from 1999 to 2013. METHODS: Trends in individual and
      concurrent use of cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco (SLT) products were
      tested using 8 repeated cross-sections of the YRBS between 1999 and 2013. Tests
      for effect modification of race/ethnicity and sex were conducted for each trend.
      RESULTS: Among all students, there were significant non-linear changes detected
      for the concurrent use of all 3 products, and the dual use of cigarettes and
      cigars. Girls significantly increased their use of SLT. Among users, significant
      changes were detected for each individual product and all combinations. Female
      users significantly increased their concurrent use of cigarettes and cigars and
      concurrent use of cigarettes and SLT. Male users significantly decreased their
      use of cigarettes and cigars. CONCLUSION: While the decrease in the youth
      prevalence of cigarette use is a public health success, there is concern about
      the increase in non-cigarette products, among tobacco users. These changes
      further drive increases in the concurrent use of tobacco products, adding to the
      potential health burden.

PMID- 26478908
TI  - Functional Integration of Adult-Born Hippocampal Neurons after Traumatic Brain
      Injury(1,2,3).
AB  - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases hippocampal neurogenesis, which may
      contribute to cognitive recovery after injury. However, it is unknown whether TBI
      induced adult-born neurons mature normally and functionally integrate into the
      hippocampal network. We assessed the generation, morphology, and synaptic
      integration of new hippocampal neurons after a controlled cortical impact (CCI)
      injury model of TBI. To label TBI-induced newborn neurons, we used 2-month-old
      POMC-EGFP mice, which transiently and specifically express EGFP in immature
      hippocampal neurons, and doublecortin-CreER(T2) transgenic mice crossed with
      Rosa26-CAG-tdTomato reporter mice, to permanently pulse-label a cohort of adult
      born hippocampal neurons. TBI increased the generation, outward migration, and
      dendritic complexity of neurons born during post-traumatic neurogenesis. Cells
      born after TBI had profound alterations in their dendritic structure, with
      increased dendritic branching proximal to the soma and widely splayed dendritic
      branches. These changes were apparent during early dendritic outgrowth and
      persisted as these cells matured. Whole-cell recordings from neurons generated
      during post-traumatic neurogenesis demonstrate that they are excitable and
      functionally integrate into the hippocampal circuit. However, despite their
      dramatic morphologic abnormalities, we found no differences in the rate of their
      electrophysiological maturation, or their overall degree of synaptic integration
      when compared to age-matched adult-born cells from sham mice. Our results suggest
      that cells born after TBI participate in information processing, and receive an
      apparently normal balance of excitatory and inhibitory inputs. However, TBI
      induced changes in their anatomic localization and dendritic projection patterns
      could result in maladaptive network properties. 

PMID- 26478909
TI  - Organization of the Mammalian Locomotor CPG: Review of Computational Model and
      Circuit Architectures Based on Genetically Identified Spinal Interneurons(1,2,3).
AB  - The organization of neural circuits that form the locomotor central pattern
      generator (CPG) and provide flexor-extensor and left-right coordination of
      neuronal activity remains largely unknown. However, significant progress has been
      made in the molecular/genetic identification of several types of spinal
      interneurons, including V0 (V0D and V0V subtypes), V1, V2a, V2b, V3, and Shox2,
      among others. The possible functional roles of these interneurons can be
      suggested from changes in the locomotor pattern generated in mutant mice lacking
      particular neuron types. Computational modeling of spinal circuits may complement
      these studies by bringing together data from different experimental studies and
      proposing the possible connectivity of these interneurons that may define rhythm
      generation, flexor-extensor interactions on each side of the cord, and
      commissural interactions between left and right circuits. This review focuses on
      the analysis of potential architectures of spinal circuits that can reproduce
      recent results and suggest common explanations for a series of experimental data
      on genetically identified spinal interneurons, including the consequences of
      their genetic ablation, and provides important insights into the organization of
      the spinal CPG and neural control of locomotion. 

PMID- 26478911
TI  - DREADD-Induced Silencing of the Medial Olfactory Tubercle Disrupts the Preference
      of Female Mice for Opposite-Sex Chemosignals(1,2,3).
AB  - Attraction to opposite-sex pheromones during rodent courtship involves a pathway
      that includes inputs to the medial amygdala (Me) from the main and accessory
      olfactory bulbs, and projections from the Me to nuclei in the medial hypothalamus
      that control reproduction. However, the consideration of circuitry that
      attributes hedonic properties to opposite-sex odors has been lacking. The medial
      olfactory tubercle (mOT) has been implicated in the reinforcing effects of
      natural stimuli and drugs of abuse. We performed a tract-tracing study wherein
      estrous female mice that had received injections of the retrograde tracer,
      cholera toxin B, into the mOT were exposed to volatile odors from soiled bedding.
      Both the anterior Me and ventral tegmental area sent direct projections to the
      mOT, of which a significant subset was selectively activated (expressed Fos
      protein) by testes-intact male (but not female) volatile odors from soiled
      bedding. Next, the inhibitory DREADD (designer receptors exclusively activated by
      designer drugs) receptor hM4Di was bilaterally expressed in the mOT of female
      mice. Urinary preferences were then assessed after intraperitoneal injection of
      either saline or clozapine-N-oxide (CNO), which binds to the hM4Di receptor to
      hyperpolarize infected neurons. After receiving CNO, estrous females lost their
      preference for male over female urinary odors, whereas the ability to
      discriminate these odors remained intact. Male odor preference returned after
      vehicle treatment in counterbalanced tests. There were no deficits in locomotor
      activity or preference for food odors when subject mice received CNO injections
      prior to testing. The mOT appears to be a critical segment in the pheromone
      reward pathway of female mice. 

PMID- 26478910
TI  - Developing Extracellular Matrix Technology to Treat Retinal or Optic Nerve
      Injury(1,2,3).
AB  - Adult mammalian CNS neurons often degenerate after injury, leading to lost
      neurologic functions. In the visual system, retinal or optic nerve injury often
      leads to retinal ganglion cell axon degeneration and irreversible vision loss.
      CNS axon degeneration is increasingly linked to the innate immune response to
      injury, which leads to tissue-destructive inflammation and scarring.
      Extracellular matrix (ECM) technology can reduce inflammation, while increasing
      functional tissue remodeling, over scarring, in various tissues and organs,
      including the peripheral nervous system. However, applying ECM technology to CNS
      injuries has been limited and virtually unstudied in the visual system. Here we
      discuss advances in deriving fetal CNS-specific ECMs, like fetal porcine brain,
      retina, and optic nerve, and fetal non-CNS-specific ECMs, like fetal urinary
      bladder, and the potential for using tissue-specific ECMs to treat retinal or
      optic nerve injuries in two platforms. The first platform is an ECM hydrogel that
      can be administered as a retrobulbar, periocular, or even intraocular injection.
      The second platform is an ECM hydrogel and polymer "biohybrid" sheet that can be
      readily shaped and wrapped around a nerve. Both platforms can be tuned
      mechanically and biochemically to deliver factors like neurotrophins,
      immunotherapeutics, or stem cells. Since clinical CNS therapies often use general
      anti-inflammatory agents, which can reduce tissue-destructive inflammation but
      also suppress tissue-reparative immune system functions, tissue-specific, ECM
      based devices may fill an important need by providing naturally derived,
      biocompatible, and highly translatable platforms that can modulate the innate
      immune response to promote a positive functional outcome. 

PMID- 26478912
TI  - CSF and Blood Levels of GFAP in Alexander Disease
AB  - Alexander disease is a rare, progressive, and generally fatal neurological
      disorder that results from dominant mutations affecting the coding region of
      GFAP, the gene encoding glial fibrillary acidic protein, the major intermediate
      filament protein of astrocytes in the CNS. A key step in pathogenesis appears to
      be the accumulation of GFAP within astrocytes to excessive levels. Studies using
      mouse models indicate that the severity of the phenotype correlates with the
      level of expression, and suppression of GFAP expression and/or accumulation is
      one strategy that is being pursued as a potential treatment. With the goal of
      identifying biomarkers that indirectly reflect the levels of GFAP in brain
      parenchyma, we have assayed GFAP levels in two body fluids in humans that are
      readily accessible as biopsy sites: CSF and blood. We find that GFAP levels are
      consistently elevated in the CSF of patients with Alexander disease, but only
      occasionally and modestly elevated in blood. These results provide the foundation
      for future studies that will explore whether GFAP levels can serve as a
      convenient means to monitor the progression of disease and the response to
      treatment.

PMID- 26478913
TI  - The Good and Bad Differentially Encoded within the Subthalamic Nucleus in
      Rats(1,2,3).
AB  - The subthalamic nucleus (STN) has only recently been added into the reward
      circuit. It has been shown to encode information regarding rewards (4% sucrose,
      32% cocaine). To investigate the encoding of negative value, STN neurons were
      recorded in rats performing a task using discriminative stimuli predicting
      various rewards and especially during the replacement of a positive reinforcer
      (4% sucrose) by an aversive reinforcer (quinine). The results show that STN
      neurons encode information relative to both positive and aversive reinforcers via
      specialized subpopulations. The specialization is reset when the context is
      modified (change from a favorable context (4% vs 32% sucrose) to an unfavorable
      context (quinine vs 32% sucrose). An excitatory response to the cue light
      predicting the reward seems to be associated with the preferred situation,
      suggesting that STN plays a role in encoding the relative value of rewards. STN
      also seems to play a critical role in the encoding of execution error. Indeed,
      various subpopulations of neurons responding exclusively at early (i.e., "oops
      neurons") or at correct lever release were identified. The oops neurons respond
      mostly when the preferred reward (32% sucrose) is missed. Furthermore, STN
      neurons respond to reward omission, suggesting a role in reward prediction error.
      These properties of STN neurons strengthen its position in the reward circuit as
      a key cerebral structure through which reward-related processes are mediated. It
      is particularly important given the fact that STN is the target of surgical
      treatment for Parkinson's disease and obsessive compulsive disorders, and has
      been suggested for the treatment of addiction as well. 

PMID- 26478915
TI  - Update on The Cancer Genome Atlas Project on Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer.

PMID- 26478914
TI  - Layer-by-layer heparinization of decellularized liver matrices to reduce
      thrombogenicity of tissue engineered grafts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tissue-engineered liver grafts may offer a viable alternative to
      orthotopic liver transplantation and help overcome the donor organ shortage.
      Decellularized liver matrices (DLM) have a preserved vasculature and sustain
      hepatocellular function in culture, but graft survival after transplantation
      remains limited due to thrombogenicity of the matrix. AIM: To evaluate the effect
      of heparin immobilization on DLM thrombogenicity. METHODS: Heparin was
      immobilized on DLMs by means of layer-by-layer deposition. Grafts with 4 or 8
      bilayers and 2 or 4 g/L of heparin were recellularized with primary rat
      hepatocytes and maintained in culture for 5 days. Hemocompatibility of the graft
      was assessed by ex vivo diluted whole-blood perfusion and heterotopic
      transplantation. RESULTS: Heparin was deposited throughout the matrix and the
      heparin content in the graft was higher with increasing number of bilayers and
      concentration of heparin. Recellularization and in vitro albumin and urea
      production were unaffected by heparinization. Resistance to blood flow during ex
      vivo perfusion was lower with increased heparinization and, macroscopically, no
      clots were visible in grafts with 8 bilayers. Following transplantation, flow
      through the graft was limited in all groups. Histological evidence of thrombosis
      was lower in heparinized DLMs, but transplantation of DLM grafts was not
      improved. CONCLUSIONS: Layer-by-layer deposition of heparin on a DLM is an
      effective method of immobilizing heparin throughout the graft and does not impede
      recellularization or hepatocellular function in vitro. Thrombogenicity during ex
      vivo blood perfusion was reduced in heparinized grafts and optimal with 8
      bilayers, but transplantation remained unsuccessful with this method. RELEVANCE
      FOR PATIENTS: Tissue engineered liver grafts may offer a viable solution to
      dramatic shortages in donor organs.

PMID- 26478916
TI  - Community Pharmacy Use Patterns of Women with HIV and Women At Risk for HIV in
      the San Francisco Bay Area.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Community pharmacies play a key role in the care of patients when
      dispensing antiretroviral therapy. The primary objective of this study was to
      describe patterns of community pharmacy use of women enrolled in the San
      Francisco site of the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). The secondary
      objective was to determine whether the number of pharmacies a patient uses is
      associated with specific patient characteristics or virologic outcomes in HIV
      positive women. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to determine factors which
      were associated with using multiple dispensing pharmacies to obtain medications
      in a population of HIV+ and at-risk women. The secondary objective was to
      determine whether use of multiple pharmacies was associated with immunologic or
      virologic changes for the subset of HIV+ women. METHODS: A survey on community
      pharmacy use was distributed to San Francisco WIHS participants from 2004-2007.
      Poisson, linear, and logistic regression methods were used to determine
      associations between specific patient characteristics and use of multiple
      dispensing pharmacies and associations between multiple pharmacy use and CD4+
      cell count or viral load changes. RESULTS: There was a trend towards an
      association between HIV status and use of multiple pharmacies (IRR=1.23; 95% CI
      1.00-1.51, p =0.05). In multivariable analyses of HIV positive women, use of
      additional pharmacies (over the primary pharmacy) during the study period was not
      associated with statistically significant changes in CD4+ count or viral load.
      CONCLUSION: HIV positive participants may tend to use multiple pharmacies more
      frequently than their HIV negative counterparts, though this practice does not
      appear to be associated with poorer immunologic or virologic outcomes. Future
      studies should be conducted to determine whether different patient patterns of
      community pharmacy use affect HIV treatment outcomes.

PMID- 26478918
TI  - Evolution of a Structure-Searchable Database into a Prototype for a High-Fidelity
      SmartPhone App for 62 Common Pesticides Used in Delaware.
AB  - Synthetic pesticides are widely used in the modern world for human benefit. They
      are usually classified according to their intended pest target. In Delaware (DE),
      approximately 42 percent of the arable land is used for agriculture. In order to
      manage insectivorous and herbaceous pests (such as insects, weeds, nematodes, and
      rodents), pesticides are used profusely to biologically control the normal pest's
      life stage. In this undergraduate project, we first created a usable relational
      database containing 62 agricultural pesticides that are common in Delaware.
      Chemically pertinent quantitative and qualitative information was first stored in
      Bio-Rad's KnowItAll(r) Informatics System. Next, we extracted the data out of the
      KnowItAll(r) system and created additional sections on a Microsoft(r) Excel
      spreadsheet detailing pesticide use(s) and safety and handling information.
      Finally, in an effort to promote good agricultural practices, to increase
      efficiency in business decisions, and to make pesticide data globally accessible,
      we developed a mobile application for smartphones that displayed the pesticide
      database using Appery.ioTM; a cloud-based HyperText Markup Language (HTML5),
      jQuery Mobile and Hybrid Mobile app builder.

PMID- 26478919
TI  - A 3D Primary Vessel Reconstruction Framework with Serial Microscopy Images.
AB  - Three dimensional microscopy images present significant potential to enhance
      biomedical studies. This paper presents an automated method for quantitative
      analysis of 3D primary vessel structures with histology whole slide images. With
      registered microscopy images of liver tissue, we identify primary vessels with an
      improved variational level set framework at each 2D slide. We propose a Vessel
      Directed Fitting Energy (VDFE) to provide prior information on vessel wall
      probability in an energy minimization paradigm. We find the optimal vessel cross
      section associations along the image sequence with a two-stage procedure. Vessel
      mappings are first found between each pair of adjacent slides with a similarity
      function for four association cases. These bi-slide vessel components are further
      linked by Bayesian Maximum A Posteriori (MAP) estimation where the posterior
      probability is modeled as a Markov chain. The efficacy of the proposed method is
      demonstrated with 54 whole slide microscopy images of sequential sections from a
      human liver. 

PMID- 26478917
TI  - The Evolution of Homeopathic Theory-Driven Research and the Methodological
      Toolbox.

PMID- 26478920
TI  - Polythiophene derivative on quartz resonators for miRNA capture and assay.
AB  - A novel approach for miRNA assay using a cationic polythiophene derivative,
      poly[3-(3'-N,N,N-triethylamino-1'-propyloxy)-4-methyl-2,5-thiophene hydrobromide]
      (PT), immobilized on a quartz resonator is proposed. The cationic PT enables
      capturing of all RNA sequences in the sample matrix via electrostatic
      interactions, resulting in the formation of PT-RNA duplex structures on quartz
      resonators. Biotinylated peptide nucleic acid (b-PNA) sequences are subsequently
      utilized for the RNA assay, upon monitoring the PT-RNA-b-PNA triplex formation.
      Signal amplification is achieved by anchoring avidin coated nanoparticles to b
      PNA in order to yield responses at clinically relevant concentration regimes.
      Unlike conventional nucleic acid assay methodologies that usually quantify a
      specific sequence of RNA, the proposed approach enables the assay of any RNA
      sequence in the sample matrix upon hybridization with a PNA sequence
      complementary to the RNA of interest. As an illustration, successful detection of
      mir21, (a miRNA sequence associated with lung cancer) is demonstrated with a
      limit of detection of 400 pM. Furthermore, precise quantification of mir21 in
      plasma samples is demonstrated without requiring PCR and sophisticated
      instrumentation. 

PMID- 26478921
TI  - Detection of DNA methyltransferase activity using allosteric molecular beacons.
AB  - Abnormal DNA methylation patterns caused by altered DNA methyltransferase (MTase)
      activity are closely associated with cancer. Herein, using DNA adenine
      methylation methyltransferase (Dam MTase) as a model analyte, we designed an
      allosteric molecular beacon (aMB) for sensitive detection of Dam MTase activity.
      When the specific site in an aMB is methylated by Dam MTase, the probe can be cut
      by the restriction nuclease DpnI to release a fluorophore labeled aptamer
      specific for streptavidin (SA) which will bind to SA beads to generate highly
      fluorescent beads for easy signal readout by a microscope or flow cytometer.
      However, aMBs maintain a hairpin structure without the binding ability to SA
      beads in the absence of Dam MTase, leading to weakly fluorescent SA beads. Unlike
      the existing signal amplified assays, our method is simpler and more convenient.
      The high performance of the aptamer and the easy bead separation process make
      this probe superior to other methods for the detection of MTase in complex
      biological systems. Overall, the proposed method with a detection limit of 0.57 U
      mL(-1) for Dam MTase shows great potential for further applications in the
      detection of other MTases, screening of MTase inhibitors, and early diagnosis of
      cancer. 

PMID- 26478923
TI  - Three-dimensional hierarchical Prussian blue composed of ultrathin nanosheets:
      enhanced hetero-catalytic and adsorption properties.
AB  - Three-dimensional hierarchical Prussian blue composed of ultrathin nanosheets was
      successfully synthesized by employing a self-aggregation and oriented attachment
      strategy. The unique structure highly increases the exposure of micropores and
      metal sites of Prussian blue to guests, thus significantly enhancing its hetero
      catalysis and adsorption properties compared to cubic and commercial
      counterparts. 

PMID- 26478922
TI  - Folic acid conjugated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for nondestructive
      separation and detection of ovarian cancer cells from whole blood.
AB  - Because of the lack of early screening strategies, ovarian cancer is the most
      deadly cause of gynecologic malignancies. This paper describes an effective
      method for the separation and detection of ovarian cancer cells from female whole
      blood, using folic acid (FA) conjugated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IO-FA
      nanoparticles). The IO nanoparticles were synthesized by thermal decomposition
      and then covalently conjugated with FA. The IO-FA nanoparticles were stably
      attached to the surface of ovarian cancer cells by coupling to the over-expressed
      folate receptor (FR), thereby making the cells magnetic. These "magnetic cells"
      were separated from the complex blood matrix without destruction under a magnetic
      field. The separation efficiency was as high as 61.3% when the abundance of
      spiked ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells was as low as 5 * 10(-5)%. We also successfully
      detected five (5) out of ten (10) metastatic ovarian cancer patients' whole
      blood. This study suggested the feasibility of early detecting of metastatic
      ovarian cancer cells, which may potentially improve the ovarian cancers patients'
      overall survival rate for clinical applications. 

PMID- 26478924
TI  - Pd(OAc)2/S=PPh3 accelerated activation of gem-dichloroalkenes for the
      construction of 3-arylchromones.
AB  - The Pd-catalyzed regioselective intramolecular nucleophilic substitution of gem
      dichloroalkene derivatives with salicylaldehydes leading to the synthesis of 3
      arylchromones has been developed. Pd(OAc)2/S=PPh3 could activate gem
      dichloroalkenes and undergo nucleophilic substitution by salicylaldehydes with
      the aid of a base.

PMID- 26478925
TI  - Direct production of naphthenes and paraffins from lignin.
AB  - The utilization of lignin as a fuel precursor has attracted attention, and a
      novel and facile process has been developed for one-pot conversion of lignin into
      cycloalkanes and alkanes with Ni catalysts under moderate conditions. This
      cascade hydrodeoxygenation approach may open the route to a new promising
      technique for direct liquefaction of lignin to hydrocarbons. 

PMID- 26478926
TI  - Macromolecular cell surface engineering for accelerated and reversible cellular
      aggregation.
AB  - We report the synthesis of two simple copolymers that induce rapid cell
      aggregation within minutes in a fully reversible manner. The polymers can act as
      self-supporting "cellular glues" or as "drivers" of 3D cell spheroids/aggregates
      formation at minute concentrations. 

PMID- 26478927
TI  - Coupled molecular motions driven by light or chemical inputs: spiropyran to
      merocyanine isomerisation followed by pseudorotaxane formation.
AB  - We have designed and prepared a new dual stimuli-responsive guest molecule
      containing a spiropyran fragment and a pyridinium moiety. Acid addition or UV
      light irradiation induces guest transformation to a merocyanine isomer, promoting
      the threading motion through a 24-crown-8 macrocycle and the formation of a
      [2]pseudorotaxane complex. 

PMID- 26478929
TI  - Patterns in atrial fibrillation management and  'real-world' adherence to
      guidelines in the Balkan  Region: an overview of the Balkan-atrial  fibrillation
      survey.

PMID- 26478930
TI  - Digoxin mortality in heart failure and atrial  fibrillation.

PMID- 26478928
TI  - Neuregulin 1 Prevents Phencyclidine-Induced  Behavioral Impairments and
      Disruptions to  GABAergic Signaling in Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Substantial evidence from human post-mortem and genetic studies has
      linked the neurotrophic factor neuregulin 1 (NRG1) to the pathophysiology of
      schizophrenia. Genetic animal models and in vitro experiments have suggested that
      altered NRG1 signaling, rather than protein changes, contributes to the
      symptomatology of schizophrenia. However, little is known about the effect of
      NRG1 on schizophrenia-relevant behavior and neurotransmission (particularly
      GABAergic and glutamatergic) in adult animals. METHOD: To address this question,
      we treated adult mice with the extracellular signaling domain of NRG1 and
      assessed spontaneous locomotor activity and acoustic startle response, as well as
      extracellular GABA, glutamate, and glycine levels in the prefrontal cortex and
      hippocampus via microdialysis. Furthermore, we asked whether the effect of NRG1
      would differ under schizophrenia-relevant impairments in mice and therefore co
      treated mice with NRG1 and phencyclidine (PCP) (3 mg/kg). RESULTS: Acute
      intraventricularly- or systemically-injected NRG1 did not affect spontaneous
      behavior, but prevented PCP induced hyperlocomotion and deficits of prepulse
      inhibition. NRG1 retrodialysis (10 nM) reduced extracellular glutamate and
      glycine levels in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, and prevented PCP
      induced increase in extracellular GABA levels in the hippocampus. CONCLUSION:
      With these results, we provide the first compelling in vivo evidence for the
      involvement of NRG1 signaling in schizophrenia-relevant behavior and
      neurotransmission in the adult nervous system, which highlight its treatment
      potential. Furthermore, the ability of NRG1 treatment to alter GABA, glutamate,
      and glycine levels in the presence of PCP also suggests that NRG1 signaling has
      the potential to alter disrupted neurotransmission in patients with
      schizophrenia.

PMID- 26478931
TI  - Cognitive impairment predicts worse outcome  in heart failure.

PMID- 26478932
TI  - Depression associated with five-fold increased  mortality risk in heart failure
      patients.

PMID- 26478933
TI  - Retraction notice to "Dual ACE-inhibition and angiotensin II AT1 receptor
      antagonism with curcumin attenuate maladaptive cardiac repair and improve
      ventricular systolic function after myocardial infarction in rat heart"
      [Eur.J.Pharmacol.January(2015)22-30].

PMID- 26478934
TI  - Retraction notice to "Memantine enhances the inhibitory effects of  naltrexone on
      ethanol consumption" [Eur.J.Pharmacol.584(2-3)  (2008)352-356].

PMID- 26478935
TI  - Science in court: Courage of conviction.

PMID- 26478936
TI  - Retraction notice to "Neoteric FT-IR investigation on the functional groups of
      phosphonium-based deep eutectic solvents" [Spectrochim. Acta Part A: Mol. Biomol.
      Spectrosc. 149 (2015) 588-591].

PMID- 26478937
TI  - Jean-Jacques Lefrere in memoriam.

PMID- 26478938
TI  - Preface. Human Embryonic Stem Cell Protocols.

PMID- 26478939
TI  - Preface. G Protein-Coupled Receptors in Drug Discovery.

PMID- 26478940
TI  - Explaining the Persistence of Health Disparities: Social Stratification and the
      Efficiency-Equity Trade-off in the Kidney Transplantation System.
AB  - Why do health disparities persist when their previous mechanisms are eliminated?
      Fundamental-cause theorists argue that social position primarily improves health
      through two metamechanisms: better access to health information and technology. I
      argue that the general, cumulative, and embodied consequences of social
      stratification can produce another metamechanism: an efficiency-equity trade-off.
      A case in point is kidney transplantation, where the mechanisms previously
      thought to link race to outcomes--ability to pay and certain factors in the
      kidney allocation system--have been greatly reduced, yet large disparities
      persist. I show that these current disparities are rooted in factors that
      directly influence posttransplant success, placing efficiency and racial/ethnic
      equity at cross-purposes.

PMID- 26478941
TI  - Urbanization as Socioenvironmental Succession: The Case of Hazardous Industrial
      Site Accumulation.
AB  - This study rehabilitates concepts from classical human ecology and synthesizes
      them with contemporary urban and environmental sociology to advance a theory of
      urbanization as socioenvironmental succession. The theory illuminates how social
      and biophysical phenomena interact endogenously at the local level to situate
      urban land use patterns recursively and reciprocally in place. To demonstrate
      this theory we conduct a historical-comparative analysis of hazardous industrial
      site accumulation in four U.S. cities, using a relational database that was
      assembled for more than 11,000 facilities that operated during the past half
      century--most of which remain unacknowledged in government reports. Results show
      how three iterative processes--hazardous industrial churning, residential
      churning, and risk containment--intersect to produce successive
      socioenvironmental changes that are highly relevant to but often missed by
      research on urban growth machines, environmental inequality, and systemic risk.

PMID- 26478942
TI  - Metal Ion Complexes of N,N'-Bis(2-Pyridylmethyl)-trans-1,2-Diaminocyclohexane
      N,N'-Diacetic Acid, H2bpcd: Cis/Trans Isomerization Equilibria.
AB  - The synthesis of N,N'-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N'
      diacetic acid (H2bpcd) and its complexation of Ga(III) and Co(III) are reported.
      H2bpcd and the metal-bpcd(2-) complexes, isolated as hexafluorophosphate salts,
      were characterized by elemental analysis, X-ray crystallography, IR spectroscopy,
      and (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. [Ga(bpcd)]PF6, [Ga(C22H26N4O4)]PF6,
      crystallized in the orthorhombic space group Ibca, with a = 13.8975(7) A, b =
      15.0872(7) A, c = 22.2418(10) A, and Z = 8. Ga is coordinated in a distorted
      octahedral geometry provided by a N4O2 donor atom set with trans-monodentate
      acetate groups and cis-2-pyridylmethyl N atoms, i.e., the trans-O,O isomer. The
      diamagnetic [Co(bpcd)]PF6, [Co(C22H26N4O4)]PF6, also crystallized from solution
      in the Ibca space group as the trans-O,O isomer. The (1)H and (13)C assignments
      for H2bpcd and metal-bpcd(2-) complexes were made on the basis of 2D COSY and
      HSQC experiments, which were used to differentiate among three possible isomers,
      i.e., one cis (C1 symmetry) and two trans (C2 symmetry). NMR results indicate
      that the [Ga(bpcd)](+), [Co(bpcd)](+), and cis-O,O, cis-Npy,Npy-[Ga(bppd)](+)
      cations, where bppd(2-) stands for bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,3-diaminopropane
      diacetate, are present in solution as isomers with the same symmetry as observed
      in the solid state. The crystallographic data and the dramatic shift that occurs
      in the position of the cis/trans isomerization equilibria for the [Ga(bpad)](+)
      cations simply by increasing the number of bridging CH2 groups in the ligand's
      diamine backbone represent a unique opportunity to assess the accuracy of modern
      computational methods. The performance of several local density functionals using
      a pseudopotential-based SDD basis set was compared with the more rigorous HF and
      MP2 ab initio calculations. The SVWN5 and SV5LYP functionals provide
      significantly better Ga-O and Ga-N distances than the HF method or the nonlocal
      BLYP functional. However, to provide proper isomerization energies the
      pseudopotential-DFT calculations must be augmented by MP2 single-point energies
      and calculations of solvation free energies. 

PMID- 26478943
TI  - Development of a face-to-face injunctive norms brief motivational intervention
      for college drinkers and preliminary outcomes.
AB  - Findings are presented from the first randomized clinical trial that compared
      changes in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences among college
      student drinkers from baseline to follow-up across 4 conditions: (a) a new single
      component injunctive norms brief motivational intervention (IN-BMI) condition;
      (b) a single component descriptive norms brief motivational intervention (DN
      BMI); (c) a combined IN and DN brief motivational intervention (Combined-BMI);
      and (d) assessment-only control. DN-BMI focused on the juxtaposition of personal,
      perceived, and actual alcohol use by typical same-sex students at your
      university. IN-BMI focused on the juxtaposition of personal, perceived, and
      actual attitudes about alcohol-related consequences by the typical same-sex
      student at your university. Exploratory analyses assessed the effect of IN-BMI
      and DN-BMI on matched (e.g., the effect of DN-BMI on perceived DN) and mismatched
      norms (e.g., the effect of DN-BMI on perceived IN). IN-BMI resulted in greater
      decreases in alcohol use and consequences when delivered alone and in conjunction
      with DN-BMI compared with the control condition. Further, the Combined-BMI
      condition reported greater reductions in alcohol use but not consequences
      compared to the DN condition. Receiving IN-BMI either alone or in combination
      with DN-BMI produced greater changes in IN perceptions than were produced in the
      control group. Grounded in norms theory, this study examined how college student
      problem drinking is affected by both IN-BMI and DN-BMI alone and in combination.
      We conclude that IN-BMI alone or in combination with DN-BMI is able to modify
      alcohol use and reduce alcohol-related consequences. (PsycINFO Database Record 

PMID- 26478944
TI  - Reciprocal relationships over time between descriptive norms and alcohol use in
      young adult sexual minority women.
AB  - Young adulthood, roughly ages 18-25, is a period of great risk for excessive
      consumption of alcohol, especially among sexual minority women (SMW). Despite the
      substantial literature examining the relationships between social norms and
      behavior in general, little attention has been given to the role of descriptive
      norms on the drinking behaviors of sexual minorities. The present study had 3
      aims: to compare both typical woman descriptive norms and sexual minority
      specific descriptive normative perceptions among a sample of SMW, to examine
      reciprocal associations between sexual minority-specific descriptive norms and
      alcohol consumption over time, and to examine whether these reciprocal
      associations were moderated by sexual orientation (i.e., whether 1 identifies as
      lesbian or bisexual). A national sample of 1,057 lesbian and bisexual women
      between the ages of 18 and 25 was enrolled in this study. Participants completed
      an online survey at 4 time points that assessed the constructs of interest.
      Results indicated that SMW consistently perceived that SMW drank more than their
      nonsexual minority peers; that SMW-specific descriptive drinking norms and
      alcohol consumption influenced 1 another over time in a reciprocal, feed-forward
      fashion; and that these associations were not moderated by sexual orientation.
      These findings highlight the importance of considering SMW-specific norms as an
      important factor in predicting alcohol consumption in SMW. Results further
      support the development and testing of normative interventions for high-risk
      drinking among SMW.

PMID- 26478945
TI  - Management of drug resistantTB in patients with HIV co-infection.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis
      (MDR- and XDR-TB) are major public health concerns worldwide. Their association
      with HIV/AIDS infection has contributed to the slowing down of TB incidence
      decline over the last two decades, therefore representing one of the most
      important barriers to reach TB elimination. AREAS COVERED: The aim of this
      manuscript is to critically review the recent scientific evidence on the
      management of drug-resistant TB (essentially MDR- and XDR-TB) in subjects
      coinfected with HIV, focusing on the two new recently-approved anti-TB drugs
      delamanid and bedaquiline. The medical search-engine PubMed was used, selecting
      the time-period January 2013 - February 2015, and using the following KEYWORDS:
      drug-resistant TB, multidrug resistant TB (or MDR-TB), extensively drug-resistant
      TB (or XDR-TB), delamanid and bedaquiline. EXPERT OPINION: The TB/HIV co-epidemic
      can be faced by implementing the 12 TB/HIV collaborative activities recommended
      by the World Health Organization. They are focused on the systematic screening of
      individuals to detect the Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in HIV-positives,
      as well as HIV infection in TB patients in order to ensure a rapid initiation of
      the anti-retroviral therapy (ART). The clinical and public health management of
      HIV-positive individuals with MDR-TB is complex and expensive, given the cost of
      second line anti-TB drugs (including the new drugs, delamanid and bedaquiline)
      and ART. Political commitment and more investment to identify shorter, cheaper
      and effective anti-TB and HIV regimens as well as better diagnostics and,
      hopefully, a vaccine will contribute to boost the efforts to eliminate TB.

PMID- 26478946
TI  - Photochemical CO2 Reduction Catalyzed by Phenanthroline Extended Tetramesityl
      Porphyrin Complexes Linked with a Rhenium(I) Tricarbonyl Unit.
AB  - A series of heterodinuclear complexes (M-1-Re) based on a phenanthroline (phen)
      extended tetramesityl porphyrin ligand (H2-1) has been prepared. The phen moiety
      of this ligand selectively coordinates a Re(I) tricarbonyl chloride unit, whereas
      the metal in the porphyrin moiety has been varied: namely, Cu, Pd, Zn, Co, or Fe
      was used. These dinuclear complexes were fully characterized by standard
      analytical methods. Additionally, a crystal structure of Cu-1
      Re.5.5(C7H8).0.5(C6H6) could be obtained, and extended time-resolved emission
      lifetime measurements were conducted. Furthermore, their ability to catalyze the
      photochemical reduction of CO2 to CO was investigated. Light-driven CO2 reduction
      experiments were performed in dimethylformamide (DMF) using triethylamine (TEA)
      as the sacrificial electron donor. The TONs (turnover numbers) of CO were
      determined and revealed a surprising catalytic activity that is obviously
      independent from the redox activity of the porphyrin metal. We have recently
      shown that the parent M-1 compounds are active photocatalysts, but the catalytic
      activity was dependent on the redox activity of the porphyrin metal. In the case
      of the new heterodinuclear complexes M-1-Re reported in this study, the catalytic
      active center seems to be the Re(I) moiety and not the porphyrin. Surprisingly,
      Zn-1-Re proved to be the most active compound in this series showing a TONCO of
      13 after 24 h of illumination using a >375 nm cutoff filter while all other
      compounds showed minimal activity under this condition. 

PMID- 26478948
TI  - Red blood cell membrane-facilitated release of nitrite-derived nitric oxide
      bioactivity.
AB  - The reduction of nitrite by deoxyhemoglobin to nitric oxide (NO) has been
      proposed as a mechanism for the transfer of NO bioactivity from the red blood
      cell (RBC) to the vasculature. This transfer can increase vascular dilatation.
      The major challenge to this hypothesis is the very efficient scavenging of NO by
      hemoglobin, which prevents the release of NO from RBCs. Previous studies indicate
      that the reaction of nitrite with deoxyhemoglobin produces two metastable
      intermediates involving nitrite bound to deoxyhemoglobin and a hybrid
      intermediate [Hb(II)NO(+) <-> Hb(III)NO] where the nitrite is reduced, but
      unavailable to react with hemoglobin. We have now shown how unique properties of
      these intermediates provide a pathway for the release of NO bioactivity from
      RBCs. The high membrane affinity of these intermediates (>100-fold greater than
      that of deoxyhemoglobin) places these intermediates on the membrane. Furthermore,
      membrane-induced conformational changes of the nitrite-reacted intermediates
      facilitate the release of NO from the hybrid intermediate and nitrite from the
      nitrite-bound intermediate. Increased membrane affinity, coupled with facilitated
      dissociation of NO and nitrite from the membrane-bound intermediates, provides
      the first realistic mechanism for the potential release of NO and nitrite from
      the RBC and their potential transfer to the vasculature. 

PMID- 26478947
TI  - A Neuroprotective Sericin Hydrogel As an Effective Neuronal Cell Carrier for the
      Repair of Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - Ischemic stroke causes extensive cellular loss that impairs brain functions,
      resulting in severe disabilities. No effective treatments are currently available
      for brain tissue regeneration. The need to develop effective therapeutic
      approaches for treating stroke is compelling. A tissue engineering approach
      employing a hydrogel carrying both cells and neurotrophic cytokines to damaged
      regions is an encouraging alternative for neuronal repair. However, this approach
      is often challenged by low in vivo cell survival rate, and low encapsulation
      efficiency and loss of cytokines. To address these limitations, we propose to
      develop a biomaterial that can form a matrix capable of improving in vivo
      survival of transplanted cells and reducing in vivo loss of cytokines. Here, we
      report that using sericin, a natural protein from silk, we have fabricated a
      genipin-cross-linked sericin hydrogel (GSH) with porous structure and mild
      swelling ratio. The GSH supports the effective attachment and growth of neurons
      in vitro. Strikingly, our data reveal that sericin protein is intrinsically
      neurotrophic and neuroprotective, promoting axon extension and branching as well
      as preventing primary neurons from hypoxia-induced cell death. Notably, these
      functions are inherited by the GSH's degradation products, which might spare a
      need of incorporating costly cytokines. We further demonstrate that this
      neurotrophic effect is dependent on the Lkb1-Nuak1 pathway, while the
      neuroprotective effect is realized through regulating the Bcl-2/Bax protein
      ratio. Importantly, when transplanted in vivo, the GSH gives a high cell survival
      rate and allows the cells to continuously proliferate. Together, this work
      unmasks the neurotrophic and neuroprotective functions for sericin and provides
      strong evidence justifying the GSH's suitability as a potential neuronal cell
      delivery vehicle for ischemic stroke repair. 

PMID- 26478949
TI  - Ultimate Limit of Light Extinction by Nanophotonic Structures.
AB  - Nanophotonic structures make it possible to precisely engineer the optical
      response at deep subwavelength scales. However, a fundamental understanding of
      the general performance limits remains a challenge. Here we use extensive
      electrodynamics simulations to demonstrate that the so-called f-sum rule sets a
      strict upper bound to the light extinction by nanostructures regardless their
      internal interactions and retardation effects. In particular, we show that the f
      sum rule applies to arbitrarily complex plasmonic metal structures that exhibit
      an extraordinary spectral sensitivity to size, shape, near-field coupling
      effects, and incident polarization. The results may be used for benchmarking
      light scattering and absorption efficiencies, thus imposing fundamental limits on
      solar light harvesting, biomedical photonics, and optical communications. 

PMID- 26478950
TI  - Solvothermal Synthesis of Tetrahedrite: Speeding Up the Process of Thermoelectric
      Material Generation.
AB  - Derivatives of synthetic tetrahedrite, Cu12Sb4S13, are receiving increasing
      attention in the thermoelectric community due to their exploitation of plentiful,
      relatively nontoxic elements, combined with a thermoelectric performance that
      rivals that of PbTe-based compounds. However, traditional synthetic methods
      require weeks of annealing at high temperatures (450-600  degrees C) and periodic
      regrinding of the samples. Here we report a solvothermal method to produce
      tetrahedrite that requires only 1 day of heating at a relatively low temperature
      (155  degrees C). This allows preparation of multiple samples at once and is
      potentially scalable. The solvothermal material described herein demonstrates a
      dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) vs temperature curve comparable to that of
      solid-state tetrahedrite, achieving the same ZT of 0.63 at ~720 K. As with the
      materials from solid-state synthesis, products from this rapid solvothermal
      synthesis can be improved by mixing in a 1:1 molar ratio with the Zn-containing
      natural mineral, tennantite, to achieve 0.9 mol equiv of Zn. This leads to a 36%
      increase in ZT at ~720 K for solvothermal tetrahedrite, to 0.85. 

PMID- 26478952
TI  - Surface 3D Micro Free Forms: Multifunctional Microstructured Mesoporous alpha
      Alumina by in Situ Slip Casting Using Excimer Laser Ablated Polycarbonate Molds.
AB  - Ceramic surface microstructuring is a rapidly growing field with a variety of
      applications in tribology, wetting, biology, and so on. However, there are
      limitations to large-area microstructuring and fabrication of three-dimensional
      (3D) micro free forms. Here, we present a route to obtain intricate surface
      structures through in situ slip casting using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)
      negative molds which are replicated from excimer laser ablated polycarbonate (PC)
      master molds. PC sheets are ablated with a nanosecond KrF (lambda = 248 nm)
      excimer laser mask projection system to obtain micron-scale 3D surface features
      over a large area of up to 3 m(2). Complex surface structures that include 3D
      free forms such as 3D topography of Switzerland, shallow structures such as
      diffractive optical elements (60 nm step) and conical micropillars have been
      obtained. The samples are defect-free produced with thicknesses of up to 10 mm
      and 120 mm diameter. The drying process of the slip cast alumina slurry takes
      place as a one-dimensional process, through surface evaporation and water
      permeation through the PDMS membrane. This allows homogeneous one-dimensional
      shrinkage during the drying process, independent of the sample's lateral
      dimensions. A linear mass diffusion model has been proposed to predict and
      explain the drying process of these ceramic colloidal suspensions. The calculated
      drying time is linearly proportional to the height of the slurry and the
      thickness of the negatively structured PDMS and is validated by the experimental
      results. An experimentally observed optimum Sylgard PDMS thickness range of ~400
      MUm to 1 mm has achieved the best quality microstructured green compacts.
      Further, the model predicts that the drying time is independent of the
      microstructured areas and was validated using experimental observations carried
      out with microstructured areas of 300 mm(2), 1200 mm(2), and 120 cm(2).
      Therefore, in principle, the structures can be further replicated in areas up to
      3 m(2) with the same drying time for the same slurry height. The surface
      structured ceramics display interesting wetting properties, for example, eicosane
      coated mesoporous microstructured alumina shows superhydrophobic behavior.
      Additionally, ceramic bulk samples could be further used as second-generation
      very hard and low-wear molds for further microfabrication.

PMID- 26478951
TI  - Pediatric Primary Care-Based Obesity Prevention for Parents of Preschool
      Children: A Pilot Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Healthy Homes/Healthy Kids Preschool (HHHK-Preschool) pilot
      program is an obesity prevention intervention integrating pediatric care provider
      counseling and a phone-based program to prevent unhealthy weight gain among 2- to
      4-year-old children at risk for obesity (BMI percentile between the 50th and 85th
      percentile and at least one overweight parent) or currently overweight (85th
      percentile <= BMI < 95th percentile). The aim of this randomized, controlled
      pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and potential
      efficacy of the HHHK-Preschool intervention. METHODS: Sixty parent-child dyads
      recruited from pediatric primary care clinics were randomized to: (1) the Busy
      Bodies/Better Bites Obesity Prevention Arm or the (2) Healthy Tots/Safe Spots
      safety/injury prevention Contact Control Arm. Baseline and 6-month data were
      collected, including measured height and weight, accelerometry, previous day
      dietary recalls, and parent surveys. Intervention process data (e.g., call
      completion) were also collected. RESULTS: High intervention completion and
      satisfaction rates were observed. Although a statistically significant time by
      treatment interaction was not observed for BMI percentile or BMI z-score, post
      hoc examination of baseline weight status as a moderator of treatment outcome
      showed that the Busy Bodies/Better Bites obesity prevention intervention appeared
      to be effective among children who were in the overweight category at baseline
      relative to those who were categorized as at risk for obesity (p = 0.04).
      CONCLUSIONS: HHHK-Preschool pilot study results support the feasibility,
      acceptability, and potential efficacy in already overweight children of a
      pediatric primary care-based obesity prevention intervention integrating brief
      provider counseling and parent-targeted phone coaching. What's New: Implementing
      pediatric primary care-based obesity interventions is challenging. Previous
      interventions have primarily involved in-person sessions, a barrier to sustained
      parent involvement. HHHK-preschool pilot study results suggest that integrating
      brief provider counseling and parent-targeted phone coaching is a promising
      approach.

PMID- 26478953
TI  - Micronutrients (B, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, and Zn) content in made tea (Camellia
      sinensis L.) and tea infusion with health prospect: A critical review.
AB  - Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) is a perennial acidophilic crop, and known to be a
      nonalcoholic stimulating beverage that is most widely consumed after water. The
      aim of this review paper is to provide a detailed documentation of selected
      micronutrient contents, viz. boron (B), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe),
      manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), and zinc (Zn) in made tea and tea infusion.
      Available data from the literature were used to calculate human health aspect
      associated with the consumption of tea infusion. A wide range of micronutrients
      reported in both made tea and tea infusion could be the major sources of
      micronutrients for human. The content of B, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, and Zn in made
      tea are ranged from 3.04 to 58.44 MUg g-1, below detectable limit (BDL) to 122.4
      MUg g-1, BDL to 602 MUg g-1, 0.275 to 13,040 MUg g-1, 0.004 to 15,866 MUg g-1,
      0.04 to 570.80 MUg g-1 and 0.01 to 1120 MUg g-1, respectively. Only 3.2 MUg L-1
      to 7.25 mg L-1, 0.01 MUg L-1 to 7 mg L-1, 3.80 MUg L-1 to 6.13 mg L-1, 135.59 MUg
      L-1 -11.05 mg L-1, 0.05 MUg L-1 to 1980.34 mg L-1, 0.012 to 3.78 MUg L-1, and
      1.12 MUg L-1 to 2.32 MUg L-1 of B, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, and Zn, respectively, are
      found in tea infusion which are lower than the prescribed limit of micronutrients
      in drinking water by World Health Organization. Furthermore, micronutrient
      contents in tea infusion depend on infusion procedure as well as on the
      instrument used for analysis. The proportion of micronutrients found in different
      tea types are 1.0-88.9% for B, 10-60% for Co, 2.0-97.8% for Cu, 67.8-89.9% for
      Fe, 71.0-87.4% for Mn, 13.3-34% for Mo, and 34.9-83% for Zn. From the results, it
      can also be concluded that consumption of three cups of tea infusion per day does
      not have any adverse effect on human health with respect to the referred
      micronutrients rather got beneficial effects to human.

PMID- 26478954
TI  - Promising Strategy To Improve Charge Separation in Organic Photovoltaics:
      Installing Permanent Dipoles in PCBM Analogues.
AB  - A multidisciplinary approach involving organic synthesis and theoretical
      chemistry was applied to investigate a promising strategy to improve charge
      separation in organic photovoltaics: installing permanent dipoles in fullerene
      derivatives. First, a PCBM analogue with a permanent dipole in the side chain
      (PCBDN) and its reference analogue without a permanent dipole (PCBBz) were
      successfully synthesized and characterized. Second, a multiscale modeling
      approach was applied to investigate if a PCBDN environment around a central donor
      acceptor complex indeed facilitates charge separation. Alignment of the embedding
      dipoles in response to charges present on the central donor-acceptor complex
      enhances charge separation. The good correspondence between experimentally and
      theoretically determined electronic and optical properties of PCBDN, PCBBz, and
      PCBM indicates that the theoretical analysis of the embedding effects of these
      molecules gives a reliable expectation for their influence on the charge
      separation process at a microscopic scale in a real device. This work suggests
      the following strategies to improve charge separation in organic photovoltaics:
      installing permanent dipoles in PCBM analogues and tuning the concentration of
      these molecules in an organic donor/acceptor blend. 

PMID- 26478955
TI  - Giant Permittivity Polymer Nanocomposites Obtained by Curing a Direct Emulsion.
AB  - Near-percolated CNT-polymer composites are promising high-permittivity materials.
      The main challenge in the field consists of finding compromises that allow high
      permittivity and low losses in frequency ranges of interest. Using an emulsion
      approach and optimizing the size of the droplets and the curing procedure, we
      obtain unprecedented performances and measure giant permittivity larger than
      20,000 at 100 Hz along with a conductivity below 10(-4) S/m.

PMID- 26478956
TI  - Optimization of exposure in panoramic radiography while maintaining image quality
      using adaptive filtering.
AB  - Objective The purpose of the present study was to investigate the potential of
      using advanced external adaptive image processing for maintaining image quality
      while reducing exposure in dental panoramic storage phosphor plate (SPP)
      radiography. Materials and methods Thirty-seven SPP radiographs of a skull
      phantom were acquired using a Scanora panoramic X-ray machine with various tube
      load, tube voltage, SPP sensitivity and filtration settings. The radiographs were
      processed using General Operator Processor (GOP) technology. Fifteen dentists,
      all within the dental radiology field, compared the structural image quality of
      each radiograph with a reference image on a 5-point rating scale in a visual
      grading characteristics (VGC) study. The reference image was acquired with the
      acquisition parameters commonly used in daily operation (70 kVp, 150 mAs and
      sensitivity class 200) and processed using the standard process parameters
      supplied by the modality vendor. Results All GOP-processed images with similar
      (or higher) dose as the reference image resulted in higher image quality than the
      reference. All GOP-processed images with similar image quality as the reference
      image were acquired at a lower dose than the reference. This indicates that the
      external image processing improved the image quality compared with the standard
      processing. Regarding acquisition parameters, no strong dependency of the image
      quality on the radiation quality was seen and the image quality was mainly
      affected by the dose. Conclusions The present study indicates that advanced
      external adaptive image processing may be beneficial in panoramic radiography for
      increasing the image quality of SPP radiographs or for reducing the exposure
      while maintaining image quality. 

PMID- 26478957
TI  - Factors associated with hysterectomy among older women from Latin America and the
      Caribbean.
AB  - To identify factors associated with hysterectomy, data collected from 1999-2000
      were assessed from seven cities of the Health, Well-Being and Aging in Latin
      America and the Caribbean Study on 6,549 women, aged 60 years and older.
      Hysterectomy prevalence ranged from 12.8% in Buenos Aires (Argentina) to 30.4% in
      Bridgetown (Barbados). The median age for having had a hysterectomy ranged from
      45 to 50 years across the cities and was 47 years in the pooled sample. Ethnic
      differences in hysterectomy rates were partially explained by differences across
      cities. Factors significantly associated with lower odds for hysterectomy
      included older age, household crowding conditions, and having public/military or
      no health insurance, compared to having private health insurance. Women who had
      three or more children were less likely to have had a hysterectomy, a finding
      that differs from most previous studies. Socioeconomic position related to rates
      of hysterectomy in late life rather than hysterectomies earlier in life. However,
      the nature of these differences varied across birth cohorts. The findings
      suggested that adverse socioeconomic factors were most likely related to
      hysterectomy risk by affecting access to health care, whereas parity was most
      likely acting through an effect on decision-making processes.

PMID- 26478958
TI  - Event processing in the visual world: Projected motion paths during spoken
      sentence comprehension.
AB  - Motion events in language describe the movement of an entity to another location
      along a path. In 2 eye-tracking experiments, we found that comprehension of
      motion events involves the online construction of a spatial mental model that
      integrates language with the visual world. In Experiment 1, participants listened
      to sentences describing the movement of an agent to a goal while viewing visual
      scenes depicting the agent, goal, and empty space in between. Crucially, verbs
      suggested either upward (e.g., jump) or downward (e.g., crawl) paths. We found
      that in the rare event of fixating the empty space between the agent and goal,
      visual attention was biased upward or downward in line with the verb. In
      Experiment 2, visual scenes depicted a central obstruction, which imposed further
      constraints on the paths and increased the likelihood of fixating the empty space
      between the agent and goal. The results from this experiment corroborated and
      refined the previous findings. Specifically, eye-movement effects started
      immediately after hearing the verb and were in line with data from an additional
      mouse-tracking task that encouraged a more explicit spatial reenactment of the
      motion event. In revealing how event comprehension operates in the visual world,
      these findings suggest a mental simulation process whereby spatial details of
      motion events are mapped onto the world through visual attention. The strength
      and detectability of such effects in overt eye-movements is constrained by the
      visual world and the fact that perceivers rarely fixate regions of empty space.
      (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26478959
TI  - Stimulus probability effects in absolute identification.
AB  - This study investigated the effect of stimulus presentation probability on
      accuracy and response times in an absolute identification task. Three schedules
      of presentation were used to investigate the interaction between presentation
      probability and stimulus position within the set. Data from individual
      participants indicated strong effects of presentation probability on both
      proportion correct and response times. The effects were moderated by the
      ubiquitous stimulus position effect. The accuracy and response time data were
      predicted by an exemplar-based model of perceptual cognition (Kent & Lamberts,
      2005). The bow in discriminability was also attenuated when presentation
      probability for middle items was relatively high, an effect that will constrain
      future model development. The study provides evidence for item-specific learning
      in absolute identification. Implications for other theories of absolute
      identification are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26478960
TI  - Clinical outcome and gait analysis of a cat with bilateral slipped capital
      femoral epiphysis following bilateral ostectomy of the femoral head and neck.

PMID- 26478962
TI  - Broca's region and Visual Word Form Area activation differ during a predictive
      Stroop task.
AB  - Competing theories attempt to explain the function of Broca's area in single word
      processing. Studies have found the region to be more active during processing of
      pseudo words than real words and during infrequent words relative to frequent
      words and during Stroop (incongruent) color words compared to Non-Stroop
      (congruent) words. Two related theories explain these findings as reflecting
      either "cognitive control" processing in the face of conflicting input or a
      linguistic prediction error signal, based on a predictive coding approach. The
      latter implies that processing cost refers to violations of expectations based on
      the statistical distributions of input. In this fMRI experiment we attempted to
      disentangle single word processing cost originating from cognitive conflict and
      that stemming from predictive expectation violation. Participants (N = 49)
      responded to whether the words "GREEN" or "RED" were displayed in green or red
      (incongruent vs congruent colors). One of the colors, however, was presented
      three times as often as the other, making it possible to study both congruency
      and frequency effects independently. Auditory stimuli saying "GREEN" or "RED" had
      the same distribution, making it possible to study frequency effects across
      modalities. We found significant behavioral effects of both incongruency and
      frequency. A significant effect (p < .05 FWE) of incongruency was found in
      Broca's region, but no effect of frequency was observed and no interaction.
      Conjoined effects of incongruency and frequency were found in parietal regions as
      well as in the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA). No interaction between perceptual
      modality and frequency was found in VWFA suggesting that the region is not
      strictly visual. These findings speak against a strong version of the prediction
      error processing hypothesis in Broca's region. They support the idea that
      prediction error processes in the intermediate timeframe are allocated to more
      posterior parts of the brain.

PMID- 26478961
TI  - Investigating the functions of subregions within anterior hippocampus.
AB  - Previous functional MRI (fMRI) studies have associated anterior hippocampus with
      imagining and recalling scenes, imagining the future, recalling autobiographical
      memories and visual scene perception. We have observed that this typically
      involves the medial rather than the lateral portion of the anterior hippocampus.
      Here, we investigated which specific structures of the hippocampus underpin this
      observation. We had participants imagine novel scenes during fMRI scanning, as
      well as recall previously learned scenes from two different time periods (one
      week and 30 min prior to scanning), with analogous single object conditions as
      baselines. Using an extended segmentation protocol focussing on anterior
      hippocampus, we first investigated which substructures of the hippocampus respond
      to scenes, and found both imagination and recall of scenes to be associated with
      activity in presubiculum/parasubiculum, a region associated with spatial
      representation in rodents. Next, we compared imagining novel scenes to recall
      from one week or 30 min before scanning. We expected a strong response to
      imagining novel scenes and 1-week recall, as both involve constructing scene
      representations from elements stored across cortex. By contrast, we expected a
      weaker response to 30-min recall, as representations of these scenes had already
      been constructed but not yet consolidated. Both imagination and 1-week recall of
      scenes engaged anterior hippocampal structures (anterior subiculum and uncus
      respectively), indicating possible roles in scene construction. By contrast, 30
      min recall of scenes elicited significantly less activation of anterior
      hippocampus but did engage posterior CA3. Together, these results elucidate the
      functions of different parts of the anterior hippocampus, a key brain area about
      which little is definitely known.

PMID- 26478964
TI  - Dynamic reorganization of functional brain networks during picture naming.
AB  - For efficient information processing during cognitive activity, functional brain
      networks have to rapidly and dynamically reorganize on a sub-second time scale.
      Tracking the spatiotemporal dynamics of large scale networks over this short time
      duration is a very challenging issue. Here, we tackle this problem by using dense
      electroencephalography (EEG) recorded during a picture naming task. We found that
      (i) the picture naming task can be divided into six brain network states (BNSs)
      characterized by significantly high synchronization of gamma (30-45 Hz)
      oscillations, (ii) fast transitions occur between these BNSs that last from 30
      msec to 160 msec, (iii) based on the state of the art of the picture naming task,
      we consider that the spatial location of their nodes and edges, as well as the
      timing of transitions, indicate that each network can be associated with one or
      several specific function (from visual processing to articulation) and (iv) the
      comparison with previously-used approach aimed at localizing the sources showed
      that the network-based approach reveals networks that are more specific to the
      performed task. We speculate that the persistence of several brain regions in
      successive BNSs participates to fast and efficient information processing in the
      brain.

PMID- 26478963
TI  - The brain's dress code: How The Dress allows to decode the neuronal pathway of an
      optical illusion.
AB  - Optical illusions have broadened our understanding of the brain's role in visual
      perception. A modern day optical illusion emerged from a posted photo of a
      striped dress, which some perceived as white and gold and others as blue and
      black. Here we show, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), that
      those who perceive The Dress as white/gold have higher activation in response to
      the image of The Dress in brain regions critically involved in higher cognition
      (frontal and parietal brain areas). These results are consistent with theories of
      top-down modulation and present a neural signature associated with the
      differences in perceiving The Dress as white/gold or blue/black. Furthermore the
      results support recent psychophysiological data on this phenomenon and provide a
      fundamental building block to study interindividual differences in visual
      processing. 

PMID- 26478965
TI  - Quality of statistical reporting in developmental disability journals.
AB  - Null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) dominates quantitative data analysis,
      but its use is controversial and has been heavily criticized. The American
      Psychological Association has advocated the reporting of effect sizes (ES),
      confidence intervals (CIs), and statistical power analysis to complement NHST
      results to provide a more comprehensive understanding of research findings. The
      aim of this paper is to carry out a sample survey of statistical reporting
      practices in two journals with the highest h5-index scores in the areas of
      developmental disability and rehabilitation. Using a checklist that includes
      critical recommendations by American Psychological Association, we examined 100
      randomly selected articles out of 456 articles reporting inferential statistics
      in the year 2013 in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (JADD) and
      Research in Developmental Disabilities (RDD). The results showed that for both
      journals, ES were reported only half the time (JADD 59.3%; RDD 55.87%). These
      findings are similar to psychology journals, but are in stark contrast to ES
      reporting in educational journals (73%). Furthermore, a priori power and sample
      size determination (JADD 10%; RDD 6%), along with reporting and interpreting
      precision measures (CI: JADD 13.33%; RDD 16.67%), were the least reported metrics
      in these journals, but not dissimilar to journals in other disciplines. To
      advance the science in developmental disability and rehabilitation and to bridge
      the research-to-practice divide, reforms in statistical reporting, such as
      providing supplemental measures to NHST, are clearly needed. 

PMID- 26478966
TI  - Soft tissue and crestal bone changes around implants with platform-switched
      abutments placed nonsubmerged at subcrestal position: a 2-year clinical and
      radiographic evaluation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate crestal bone changes around implants with platform-switched
      abutments placed 1 mm subcrestally in a prospective clinical investigation.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty consecutive systemically healthy patients (mean age
      +/- standard deviation [SD], 55.2 +/- 8.7 years) with one or more missing teeth
      were consecutively treated with 1-mm subcrestally positioned, platform-switched,
      tapered, full treated implants restored with coded abutments. A total of 58
      implants were placed. Final restorations were delivered 4 to 8 months after
      implant insertion. Digital standardized periapical radiographs using customized
      film holders were obtained at the time of implant insertion, and at 12 and 24
      months after final prosthesis placement. Marginal peri-implant bone levels were
      measured at the mesial and distal surfaces of each implant using digital image
      software. RESULTS: All implants osseointegrated and were clinically stable at the
      2-year follow-up. The cumulative survival rate was 100%. From implant insertion
      to the 2-year follow-up, the mean bone loss was 0.32 +/- 0.37 mm. No significant
      differences related to sex, implant site, and bone density were observed. The
      mean midbuccal and interproximal soft tissue margin positions were 1.13 +/- 0.5
      mm and 1.15 +/- 0.6 mm coronal to the prosthetic finish line, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: There is limited clinical information regarding the amount of
      marginal bone loss around two-piece platform-switched implants placed at
      subcrestal positions. Results of this study suggest that platform switching and
      subcrestal location of the implant-abutment interface may be effective in
      reducing bone loss and in preserving esthetics around dental implants.

PMID- 26478967
TI  - Quality Assessment of Systematic Reviews on Oral Implants Placed Immediately into
      Fresh Extraction Sockets.
AB  - PURPOSE: During the last two decades, many clinical trials and systematic reviews
      (SRs) have evaluated the clinical outcomes of immediate implant placement and its
      effects on soft and hard tissue. Despite the increased popularity and knowledge
      of immediate implant placement, the evidence about its benefits is still not
      conclusive. The aim of this review was to assess the quality of published SRs
      with meta-analyses of immediate implant placement and provide an overview of the
      key findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane
      Library, and the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects were performed to
      include SRs with meta-analysis of immediate implant placement. Two independent
      reviewers assessed the methodologic quality of SRs using A MeaSurement Tool to
      Assess Reviews (AMSTAR), the 2003 checklist of Glenny et al, and the Critical
      Appraisal Skills Program (CASP). RESULTS: A total of 742 articles were found; 5
      were included. All included SRs were published after 2007. Implant survival rate
      was the most commonly reported outcome. There was insufficient information in the
      primary studies, and hence in the SRs, about other outcomes and any adverse
      events. However, the methodologic quality of the SRs was considered to be high.
      CONCLUSION: There is a general consensus among the included SRs that it is still
      premature to draw definite conclusions about the potential benefits of immediate
      implant placement because of the limited number of well-designed controlled
      clinical trials. Improvements in future SRs are still required and can be
      achieved by following established quality criteria, namely researching the
      unpublished literature and literature not in English and by reporting the quality
      assessment of primary studies and any sources of bias.

PMID- 26478968
TI  - Accuracy and reliability of cone beam computed tomographic measurements of the
      bone labial and palatal to the maxillary anterior teeth.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to measure the thickness of bone labial and
      palatal to maxillary anterior teeth on cone beam computed tomographic (CBCT)
      images and to compare these measurements with direct clinical measurements to
      determine the reliability and accuracy of CBCT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighteen
      healthy subjects were randomly selected from among candidates for immediate
      implant placement in the anterior maxilla. After extraction, labial bone
      thickness was measured at 1, 4, and 8 mm from the bone crest. Palatal bone
      thickness was also measured at 1 and 4 mm from the bone crest. The same
      measurements were performed on presurgical CBCT images. The CBCT measurements
      were compared to the direct measurements, and their accuracy and reliability were
      assessed by Pearson correlation coefficients and intraclass correlation
      coefficients, respectively. RESULTS: The mean width of labial bone was 0.50 +/-
      0.32 mm and 0.76 +/- 0.37 mm for direct and CBCT measurements, respectively.
      Average thickness of the palatal bone was 1.16 +/- 0.53 mm and 1.41 +/- 0.51 mm
      for direct and CBCT measurements, respectively. The mean absolute error and mean
      relative error of CBCT measurements compared to direct measurements were 0.28 +/-
      0.29 mm and 0.60 +/- 0.84 mm, respectively. The Pearson correlation between CBCT
      and direct measurements was 0.795 (P < .001) and the intraclass correlation
      coefficient between direct and CBCT measurements was 0.840. The correlation
      between the measurement series increased significantly when the measured bone was
      more than 1 mm thick. CONCLUSION: CBCT measurements of labial bone mostly
      overestimated bone thickness. CBCT has relatively good accuracy and reliability
      for measurement of labial bone thickness when the alveolar bone is thicker than 1
      mm. However, most subjects have labial bone thinner than 1 mm; therefore, CBCT
      could result in large errors in many patients.

PMID- 26478969
TI  - Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis of the Biomechanical Behaviors of
      Implants with Different Connections, Lengths, and Diameters Placed in the
      Maxillary Anterior Region.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the biomechanical behaviors of multiple implant-supported
      prostheses with different implant lengths, connections, locations, and
      restoration materials in the maxillary anterior region using three-dimensional
      finite element analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A finite element model of a
      maxillary image was created from a tomography data bank. The simulations were
      executed in two types of models based on the treatment plan: (1) two implants
      with 4.0-mm diameters placed in the maxillary central incisors to simulate an
      implant-supported fixed prosthesis with four elements with a cantilever of both
      maxillary lateral incisors; (2) two implants with 3.75-mm diameters placed in the
      maxillary lateral incisors to simulate a conventional fixed prosthesis with four
      elements with pontics for maxillary central incisors. Subsequently, the models
      created were subdivided into eight subgroups according to implant length,
      connection type, and restoration material. A total static oblique load of 150 N
      was applied to the cingulum area of the palatal surfaces of the four incisors at
      an angle of 45 degrees to the long axis of the implant in the palatal-labial
      direction. Bone stresses were analyzed through maximum and minimum principal
      stresses and ductile material as implant, framework, and abutments were analyzed
      using von Mises stress criterion. RESULTS: Regardless of implant diameter and
      type of treatment, the 8.5-mm-long implants exhibited the lowest tensile and
      compressive stresses. Maximum and minimum principal stresses were identified in
      the cortical bone. The lowest von Mises equivalent stress values were identified
      in the metal-ceramic prostheses, with the exception of the cantilever prosthesis
      model with flat top connection. Conical cone implant models exhibited maximum von
      Mises equivalent stress in contact with the abutment. CONCLUSION: The lowest
      principal stresses in the peri-implant bone were observed in implants with
      conical cone connection and 8.5 mm in length. Also, in most cases, the models
      with metal-ceramic restorations exhibited better stress distributions.

PMID- 26478971
TI  - Key biomechanical characteristics of complete-arch fixed mandibular prostheses
      supported by three implants developed at P-I Branemark Institute, Bauru.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the range of vertical cantilever (VC), real cantilever
      (RC), and height of the imaginary triangle (h) formed by the bases of the three
      implant cylinders in full-arch mandibular prostheses supported by three implants.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample comprised 203 patients (147 women, 56 men; mean
      age, 58 years, range, 37 to 79 years) with full-arch mandibular rehabilitations.
      Their prostheses were measured in relation to implant placement to characterize
      numerical values for VC, force arm of the lever system (represented by the distal
      cantilever or RC), and resistance arm of the system (represented by the height of
      the imaginary triangle formed by the bases of the three implants). Data were
      tabulated and means and standard deviations calculated for all measurements. The
      range of each of the three measurements was then divided into quintiles for
      characterizing data distribution. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation) values
      found were as follows: VC1 = 17.11 (3.39) mm; VC2 = 17.46 (2.89) mm; VC3 = 16.68
      (3.16) mm; RC1 = 14.67 (3.90) mm; RC3 = 15.02 (4.15) mm; h = 8.27 (2.96) mm.
      CONCLUSION: VC ranged from 7.37 to 26.44 mm, RC ranged from 4.00 to 26.93 mm, and
      the height of the imaginary triangle formed by the bases of the three implant
      cylinders ranged from 0.37 to 15.33 mm.

PMID- 26478970
TI  - An Analysis of Frequency, Morphology, and Locations of Maxillary Sinus Septa
      Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the frequency, morphology, and locations of maxillary sinus
      septa using cone beam computed tomographic (CBCT) imaging of the entire maxillary
      sinus and to analyze factors influencing the presence or absence of septa.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: CBCT images of the maxilla taken during a 1-year study
      period (October 1, 2012, to September 30, 2013) were evaluated for the presence
      and type of septa as well as the health or pathology of the maxillary sinus.
      Differences in age, gender, type of dentition, septa location, and sinus
      pathology with regard to the incidence of sinus septa were analyzed
      statistically. RESULTS: The study included 294 maxillary sinuses in 212 patients
      (126 women and 86 men) with a mean age of 53.8 years. Sinus septa were present in
      141 patients (66.5%) and in 166 of 294 sinuses (56.5%). The most common
      orientation of the septa was coronal (61.8%), 7.6% were oriented axially, and
      3.6% were aligned sagittally. Most septa were located on the floor of the
      maxillary sinus (58.6%), commonly (60.7%) in the region of the first and second
      molars. The maxillary sinuses were diagnosed in 36.4% of cases as healthy and
      without thickening of the sinus membrane. Sex was a significant variable in the
      health of the maxillary sinus; 57.7% of the sinuses in women and 72.3% in men
      were diagnosed as pathologic. CONCLUSION: Septa are common anatomical structures
      and are most often found in the first or second molar region on the floor of the
      maxillary sinus. To prevent possible complications during sinus floor elevation
      procedures, a thorough three-dimensional radiographic examination of the sinus
      prior to surgery is recommended.

PMID- 26478973
TI  - Bilateral Cutaneous Fistula After the Placement of Zygomatic Implants.
AB  - Zygomatic implants are used to restore function in patients with highly
      edentulous atrophic maxillae, in which it is not possible to place conventional
      implants. The aim of this paper is to present a case of bilateral cutaneous
      fistula after placement of zygomatic implants and the treatment performed to
      resolve the condition, as well as to establish a hypothesis regarding the
      etiology of these lesions. Presented is a 59-year-old woman with an atrophic
      edentulous maxilla who received four zygomatic implants. At 8 months and 31
      months after implant placement on the right and left sides, respectively, the
      patient developed inflammatory lesions in the lateral aspect of both orbits that
      evolved toward developing a fistula within weeks. The patient underwent surgery
      in both cases. Complications of zygomatic implants are relatively common but
      rarely involve the loss or removal of implants. In this case, the patient
      retained her implants, and several months after resection of both fistulae, the
      patient is asymptomatic without recurrence of the lesions. The probable cause of
      the occurrence of the fistula could be an accumulation of sinus mucosa remnants,
      periosteum, and bone particles at the malar level as a result of poor irrigation
      at the time of implant placement.

PMID- 26478974
TI  - Antimicrobial effectiveness of cetylpyridinium chloride and zinc chloride
      containing mouthrinses on bacteria of halitosis and peri-implant disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: To clarify the antimicrobial efficacy of zinc chloride (ZnCl2) and
      cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) by testing their impact on the growth of seven
      bacterial strains known to be involved in the pathophysiology of both peri
      implant disease and halitosis-Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans,
      Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Fusobacterium nucleatum,
      Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A time
      response growth curve was obtained. Commercial mouthrinses with CPC, ZnCl2, or
      both were added to the media in a final concentration of 0.25% CPC, 2.5% ZnCl2,
      and 2.5% ZnCl2 with 0.25% CPC. RESULTS: Both CPC and ZnCl2 effectively inhibited
      the growth of almost all bacterial strains tested except T denticola. ZnCl2 was
      generally more effective in suppressing bacterial growth than CPC. ZnCl2 with CPC
      showed the greatest inhibitory activities on almost all strains of bacterial
      growth except for P gingivalis and T denticola, followed by ZnCl2, then CPC, thus
      suggesting the possibility of a synergistic effect of the two agents. P
      gingivalis exhibited a different pattern because ZnCl2 showed the most
      significant inhibitory effect. CPC did not show growth inhibitory effects on T
      denticola, but ZnCl2 did. CONCLUSION: Zinc and CPC effectively inhibit bacterial
      growth that causes both halitosis and peri-implant disease. The effect is even
      more powerful when applied in combination.

PMID- 26478975
TI  - Changes in Sinus Membrane Thickness After Lateral Sinus Floor Elevation: A
      Radiographic Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To radiographically monitor sinus membrane swelling after lateral sinus
      floor elevation surgery at short and long healing periods. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      For 26 patients seeking posterior maxillary implant-supported reconstruction, 32
      lateral sinus floor elevations were performed using Piezosurgery. Sinus membranes
      were grafted using synthetic calcium phosphate bone substitutes, and graft volume
      was measured in cubic centimeters for each case. Cone beam computed tomography
      (CBCT) examination was conducted preoperatively in all patients and for each
      grafted sinus at 1 day (n = 8), 2 days (n = 9), 3 days (n = 8), or 7 days (n = 7)
      after surgery. Control CBCT was then performed for all patients at 3, 6, and 12
      months after surgery. Sinus membrane thickness was measured on cross-sectional
      CBCT images at nine standardized points per sinus, before lateral sinus floor
      elevation and at all postoperative examinations. RESULTS: Mean sinus membrane
      thickness was 0.73 mm before surgery, and 5 mm, 4.1 mm, 5.9 mm, and 7 mm,
      respectively, at 1, 2, 3, and 7 days after surgery. First week combined
      postoperative CBCT measurements of membrane thickness was 5.4 mm, then 1.3, 0.68,
      and 0.39 mm at 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively, after surgery. Membrane
      thickness significantly increased the first week after surgery and gradually
      decreased significantly at 3, 6, and 12 months in all groups (P < .001). First
      week postoperative measurements showed a significant increase in membrane
      thickness at 3 days compared with the 1- and 2-day results (P < .001) and at 7
      days compared with all other time points (P < .001). Membrane thickness at 2 days
      did not change significantly compared with 1-day measurements. Larger graft
      volume was positively correlated with an increase in membrane thickness after
      surgery at all time points (n = 32; r = 0.527; P < .001). CONCLUSION: After
      lateral sinus floor elevation surgery, transient swelling of sinus membrane is
      observed. It reaches a peak value 7 days after surgery and completely resolves
      over months. This swelling is correlated to the extent of sinus floor elevation.

PMID- 26478976
TI  - The effect of implant thread design on stress distribution in anisotropic bone
      with different osseointegration conditions: a finite element analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Whereas bone is anisotropic, nearly all previous mechanical analyses of
      implants assumed bone as an isotropic material. Another means to simplify a
      simulation of the biomechanics of the implant-bone interface is the assumption of
      complete or no osseointegration; in clinical reality, an implant never achieves
      100% contact with the surrounding bone. This study evaluated different thread
      profiles while not taking into account these two common simplifications. This
      study sought to (1) investigate the effects of various implant thread designs on
      stress distribution in the peri-implant bone, (2) appraise previous efforts in
      this area, and (3) find an optimum basic thread-form design. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Through finite element analysis, four different basic commercial thread
      form configurations for a solid screw-type implant were modeled: buttress,
      reverse buttress, V, and square. Bone was assumed to be transversely isotropic,
      and various degrees of osseointegration were simulated. RESULTS: Simulations
      showed that von Mises stresses were more distributed in the mesiodistal
      direction. Additionally, maximum stresses were concentrated at the cervical
      cortical bone region and the first thread. Moreover, in most of the models, von
      Mises stresses gradually increased in the supporting structure when the degree of
      osseointegration increased. CONCLUSION: The use of different thread designs and
      various osseointegration conditions did not affect the stress distribution
      patterns in the supporting bone. In this study, square threads showed the most
      favorable results according to the predicted values of von Mises equivalent
      stress, pressure, different shear stresses, and micromotion.

PMID- 26478977
TI  - Levels of osteoclastogenesis-related factors in the peri-implant crevicular fluid
      and clinical parameters of immediately loaded implants in patients with
      osteopenia: a short-term report.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this prospective controlled study was to evaluate the
      influence of osteopenia on the levels of osteoclastogenesis-related factors in
      the peri-implant crevicular fluid (PICF) and on the clinical parameters of
      immediately loaded implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 24
      patients who received at least two implants in the mandible, with restorations
      delivered 48 hours after implant placement. Patients were divided into control (n
      = 11) and osteopenia (n = 13) groups. Seven days after implant placement
      (baseline) and 4 months after implant placement, PICF samples were obtained, and
      clinical parameters (Plaque Index, Gingival Index, bleeding on probing,
      suppuration, probing depths, clinical attachment levels) were measured. A
      commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to analyze PICF
      samples for levels of soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor of kappaB
      ligand (sRANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG). At the 4-month follow-up visit, the
      implant-supported restorations were removed and periapical radiographs were
      acquired to evaluate bone loss around the implants. RESULTS: Eighty-eight
      immediately loaded implants were included in this study (38 in the control group,
      50 in the osteopenia group). The RANKL and OPG levels, the RANKL/OPG ratio, and
      the clinical parameters were similar between the groups at both time points.
      However, the levels of these factors in PICF differed significantly between
      baseline and 4 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this
      short-term study, it can be concluded that osteopenia does not influence the PICF
      levels of osteoclastogenesis-related factors in immediately loaded implants after
      4 months of loading.

PMID- 26478978
TI  - The Microbiologic Profile Associated with Peri-Implantitis in Humans: A
      Systematic Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: To qualitatively investigate the microbiologic profile in peri
      implantitis by systematically reviewing the published literature on peri-implant
      infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Searches of the US National Institutes of
      Health free digital archives of the biomedical and life sciences journal
      literature (PubMed) and The Cochrane Library of the Cochrane Collaboration
      (CENTRAL), as well as a hand search of other literature, were conducted to
      identify articles potentially relevant for the review. Randomized clinical
      trials, prospective cohort studies, longitudinal studies, case-control studies,
      and cross-sectional studies in humans reporting microbiologic findings in
      patients with diagnosed peri-implantitis were considered eligible for this
      review. Screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were conducted
      independently and in duplicate. RESULTS: Twenty-one articles were eligible for
      inclusion in this review. Early studies focused on the identification of target
      periopathogens, whereas more recent studies used advanced molecular techniques
      for comprehensive overview of the peri-implantitis-associated microbiome. In
      summary, the microbiologic profile in peri-implantitis (1) is complex and
      variable, (2) consists of gram-negative anaerobic periopathogens and
      opportunistic microorganisms in almost the same ratio, (3) is frequently
      associated with the Epstein-Barr virus and nonsaccharolytic anaerobic gram
      positive rods, (4) is not so strictly associated with Staphylococcus aureus, and
      (5) is different from that of periodontitis. A meta-analysis could not be
      performed because of the heterogeneity of the reviewed studies. CONCLUSION:
      Although a comparison of the published results was limited because of the
      inhomogeneity of the studies, it is clear that the microbiologic profile of peri
      implantitis consists of aggressive and resistant microorganisms and is distinct
      from that of periodontitis. It seems that the quantitative characteristics of the
      microflora cohabitants represent the key determinant of disease, rather than the
      qualitative composition, which is very similar in healthy and peri-implantitis
      states.

PMID- 26478979
TI  - Correlation of Fractal Dimension Values with Implant Insertion Torque and
      Resonance Frequency Values at Implant Recipient Sites.
AB  - PURPOSE: Fractal analysis is a mathematical method used to describe the internal
      architecture of complex structures such as trabecular bone. Fractal analysis of
      panoramic radiographs of implant recipient sites could help to predict the
      quality of the bone prior to implant placement. This study investigated the
      correlations between the fractal dimension values obtained from panoramic
      radiographs and the insertion torque and resonance frequency values of mandibular
      implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients who received a total of 55
      implants of the same brand, diameter, and length in the mandibular premolar and
      molar regions were included in the study. The same surgical procedures were
      applied to each patient, and the insertion torque and resonance frequency values
      were recorded for each implant at the time of placement. The radiographic fractal
      dimensions of the alveolar bone in the implant recipient area were calculated
      from preoperative panoramic radiographs using a box-counting algorithm. The
      insertion torque and resonance frequency values were compared with the fractal
      dimension values using the Spearman test. RESULTS: All implants were successful,
      and none were lost during the follow-up period. Linear correlations were observed
      between the fractal dimension and resonance frequency, between the fractal
      dimension and insertion torque, and between resonance frequency and insertion
      torque. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the noninvasive measurement of the
      fractal dimension from panoramic radiographs might help to predict the bone
      quality, and thus the primary stability of dental implants, before implant
      surgery.

PMID- 26478980
TI  - Influence of reinforcement on strains within maxillary implant overdentures.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of reinforcement
      of an embedded cast on the strains within maxillary implant overdentures.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A maxillary edentulous model with implants placed
      bilaterally in the canine positions, dome-shaped copings, and experimental
      overdentures was fabricated. Rosette-type strain gauges were attached in the
      canine positions and at three points along the midline of the polished surface of
      the denture and connected to the sensor interface controlled by a personal
      computer. Experimental dentures with five different reinforcements were tested:
      without reinforcement; with a cast cobalt-chrome reinforcement over the residual
      ridge and the tops of the copings; with the same reinforcement from first molar
      to first molar, over the residual ridge and the tops of the copings; with the
      same reinforcement over the residual ridge and the sides of the copings; and with
      the same reinforcement from first molar to first molar, over the residual ridge
      and the sides of the copings. A vertical occlusal load of 49 N was applied to the
      first premolar and then to the first molar, and the strains were measured and
      compared by analysis of variance. RESULTS: In both loading situations,
      significantly less strain was recorded in dentures with reinforcement than in
      those without reinforcement. When the first premolar was loaded on dentures with
      and without palatal reinforcement at the first premolars, the strains on the
      denture with reinforcement over the tops of the copings were significantly lower
      than on the denture with reinforcement over the sides of the copings at the
      canine position. CONCLUSION: Cast reinforcement over the residual ridge and the
      top of copings embedded in an acrylic base reduced the strain from occlusal
      stress on maxillary implant overdentures.

PMID- 26478981
TI  - Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma regulates bone remodeling after
      midpalatal suture expansion in mice.
AB  - PURPOSE: The effectiveness of rapid maxillary expansion is adversely affected by
      failure and relapse. It is important to identify key factors that increase new
      bone formation and improve bone remodeling of midpalatal sutures to improve the
      stability and effectiveness of this commonly used orthodontic procedure.
      Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) plays an important
      role in modulating osteogenesis and bone resorption in long bones. This study was
      designed to explore the function of PPARgamma in bone remodeling and tissue
      engineering of midpalatal sutures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pioglitazone, a
      PPARgamma agonist, and osteoclast PPARgamma knockout mice were used to explore
      the impact of PPARgamma activation and inactivation, respectively, on bone
      remodeling in a mouse model of midpalatal suture expansion (MSE). Histologic
      analysis including staining with hematoxylin-eosin, tartrate-resistant acid
      phosphatase, and alkaline phosphatase was used to evaluate tissue remodeling.
      Reverse-transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure
      gene expression. RESULTS: Pioglitazone decreased new bone formation after MSE.
      This was accompanied by an increased amount of osteoclasts and expression of
      genes promoting osteoclastogenesis, as well as a decreased amount of osteoblasts
      and expression of genes promoting osteoblastogenesis in midpalatal sutures.
      Conversely, osteoclast PPARgamma knockout mice increased new bone formation and
      decreased the amount of osteoclasts and expression of genes promoting
      osteoclastogenesis. CONCLUSION: In the process of bone remodeling after MSE,
      PPARgamma, particularly in osteoclasts, is an important regulator of osteoblast
      and osteoclast homeostasis and bone remodeling in midpalatal sutures. Blockade of
      PPARgamma might be an effective strategy to improve stability and decrease
      relapse in the practice of rapid maxillary expansion.

PMID- 26478982
TI  - The effect of pharmacogenetic profiling with a clinical decision support tool on
      healthcare resource utilization and estimated costs in the elderly exposed to
      polypharmacy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and clinical decision
      making for elderly patients based on cytochrome P450 (CYP) pharmacogenetic
      testing and the use of a comprehensive medication management clinical decision
      support tool (CDST), to a cohort of similar non-tested patients. METHODS: An
      observational study compared a prospective cohort of patients >=65 years
      subjected to pharmacogenetic testing to a propensity score (PS) matched
      historical cohort of untested patients in a claims database. Patients had a
      prescribed medication or dose change of at least one of 61 oral drugs or
      combinations of >=3 drugs at enrollment. Four-month HRU outcomes examined
      included hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) and outpatient visits and
      provider acceptance of test recommendations. Costs were estimated using national
      data sources. RESULTS: There were 205 tested patients PS matched to 820 untested
      patients. Hospitalization rate was 9.8% in the tested group vs. 16.1% in the
      untested group (RR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.39-0.95, p = 0.027), ED visit rate was 4.4%
      in the tested group vs. 15.4% in the untested group (RR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.15
      0.55, p = 0.0002) and outpatient visit rate was 71.7% in the tested group vs.
      36.5% in the untested group (RR = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.74-2.23, p < 0.0001). The rate
      of overall HRU was 72.2% in the tested group vs. 49.0% in the untested group (RR
      = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.32-1.64, p < 0.0001). Potential cost savings were estimated at
      $218 (mean) in the tested group. The provider majority (95%) considered the test
      helpful and 46% followed CDST provided recommendations. CONCLUSION: Patients CYP
      DNA tested and treated according to the personalized prescribing system had a
      significant decrease in hospitalizations and emergency department visits,
      resulting in potential cost savings. Providers had a high satisfaction rate with
      the clinical utility of the system and followed recommendations when appropriate.

PMID- 26478983
TI  - Atomic-Level Sculpting of Crystalline Oxides: Toward Bulk Nanofabrication with
      Single Atomic Plane Precision.
AB  - The atomic-level sculpting of 3D crystalline oxide nanostructures from metastable
      amorphous films in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) is
      demonstrated. Strontium titanate nanostructures grow epitaxially from the
      crystalline substrate following the beam path. This method can be used for
      fabricating crystalline structures as small as 1-2 nm and the process can be
      observed in situ with atomic resolution. The fabrication of arbitrary shape
      structures via control of the position and scan speed of the electron beam is
      further demonstrated. Combined with broad availability of the atomic resolved
      electron microscopy platforms, these observations suggest the feasibility of
      large scale implementation of bulk atomic-level fabrication as a new enabling
      tool of nanoscience and technology, providing a bottom-up, atomic-level
      complement to 3D printing. 

PMID- 26478984
TI  - Long-term efficacy of Peg-Interferon/Ribavirin with and without Lamivudine
      therapy for HBeAg-positive hepatitis B and C dual infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The optimal therapeutic strategy for hepatitis B virus (HBV) e
      antigen (HBeAg)-seropositive and hepatitis C virus (HCV) dually infected patients
      remains unknown. We aimed to elucidate the effectiveness of peginterferon (Peg
      IFN)/ribavirin (RBV) with and without lamivudine (LAM) combination therapy in the
      clinical settings. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nine patients seropositive for HBV
      surface antigen, HBeAg, antibodies to HCV and HCV RNA for >6 months were treated
      with Peg-IFN/RBV with (n = 5) and without (n = 4) a 12-month LAM add-on therapy
      at treatment week 12. The treatment duration of Peg-IFN/RBV was 24 weeks (HCV
      genotype 1 [HCV-1] with rapid virological response [RVR] or HCV-2) or 48 weeks
      (HCV-1 without RVR). Primary endpoints included HBeAg loss and HCV-sustained
      virological response (SVR). RESULTS: All of the nine patients had undetectable
      HCV RNA at treatment weeks 4 and 12 and end-of-Peg-IFN/RBV therapy. However, SVR
      was achieved in 100% of patients treated with triple therapy, compared with only
      50% in those with Peg-IFN/RBV therapy (P = 0.167). The 3-year durability of HCV
      SVR was 100%. HBeAg loss and HBV DNA <2000 IU/mL at 6 months post-LAM treatment
      were found in 100% and 40% of patients treated with triple therapy, compared with
      none of the four patients with Peg-IFN/RBV therapy achieved any HBV responses. Of
      the five patients with triple therapy, four had persistent HBeAg loss during 3
      year follow-up period; one developed HBeAg seroreversion 15 months after
      treatment. CONCLUSION: For HBeAg-positive HBV/HCV dually infected patients, Peg
      IFN/RBV was effective for HCV eradication. Add-on LAM might promote HBeAg loss in
      the clinical setting.

PMID- 26478986
TI  - A rhenium complex doped in a silica molecular sieve for molecular oxygen sensing:
      Construction and characterization.
AB  - This paper reported a diamine ligand and its Re(I) complex for potential
      application in oxygen sensing. The novelty of this diamine ligand localized at
      its increased conjugation chain which had a typical electron-withdrawing group of
      1,3,4-oxadiazole. Electronic distribution of excited electrons and their lifetime
      were supposed to be increased, favoring oxygen sensing collision. This hypothesis
      was confirmed by single crystal analysis, theoretical calculation and
      photophysical measurement. It was found that this Re(I) complex had a long-lived
      emission peaking at 545 nm, favoring sensing application. By doping this complex
      into a silica matrix MCM-41, oxygen sensing performance and mechanism of the
      resulting composites were discussed in detail. Non-linear Stern-Volmer working
      curves were observed with maximum sensitivity of 5.54 and short response time of
      ~6 s.

PMID- 26478987
TI  - Needlestick Injuries in Agriculture Workers and Prevention Programs.
AB  - There are a variety of biologics, vaccines, antibiotics, and hormones used in
      animal agriculture. Depending upon the procedure or pharmaceutical used,
      accidental injections or product exposures can result in mild to severe injuries.
      Needlestick injury (NSI) prevention, research, and education for veterinarians
      and agriculture workers is limited. The objective of this study was to collect
      and review published case reports and case series/surveys on human needlestick
      exposure to veterinary biologics and to summarize needlestick prevention
      strategies for agricultural workers/veterinarians. A search was conducted of
      PubMed and Centre for Agriculture Bioscience International (CABI) databases.
      References were reviewed to identify additional articles. NSI among agricultural
      workers were primarily included in this review. Thirty articles were applicable
      to exposures in agricultural settings. Relevant literature consisted of case
      reports, survey/case series articles, prevention documents, and background
      articles. Fifty-nine case patients were identified. Most of these cases were
      associated with exposures to specific vaccines or veterinary products. Injury
      location was identified from 36 individuals: 24 (67%) NSI to the hands, 10 (28%)
      injuries to the legs, and 2 to other body locations. Of the 59 cases, 20 (34%)
      involved oil-adjuvant vaccines. Evidence of hospitalization was recorded for 30
      case patients. The length of hospitalization was available from 11 case patients.
      Median length of hospitalization was 3 days (range: 1-4). Surgical intervention
      was reported in 25 case patients. Outcome information was available on 30 case
      patients. Fifteen made a complete recovery within 2 weeks of treatment, 14 had
      residual sequelae attributed to the injury, and there was 1 reported death. Of
      the 13 survey/case series articles: 2 focused on oil-adjuvant products, 1 on
      Brucellosis RB-51 vaccine, 3 on tilmicosin, 1 on Salmonella enteritidis vaccine,
      1 on high-pressure injection, and 5 were nonspecific. NSI in agriculture workers
      and veterinarians can result in significant bodily injury and loss of work. There
      is a need for varied and comprehensive educational programs for agricultural
      workers and veterinarians to prevent NSI on livestock operations. 

PMID- 26478988
TI  - Tailor-made rehabilitation approach using multiple types of hybrid assistive limb
      robots for acute stroke patients: A pilot study.
AB  - This article investigated the feasibility of a tailor-made neurorehabilitation
      approach using multiple types of hybrid assistive limb (HAL) robots for acute
      stroke patients. We investigated the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent
      rehabilitation using the HAL robots. The Brunnstrom stage, Barthel index (BI),
      and functional independence measure (FIM) were evaluated at baseline and when
      patients were transferred to a rehabilitation facility. Scores were compared
      between the multiple-robot rehabilitation and single-robot rehabilitation groups.
      Nine hemiplegic acute stroke patients (five men and four women; mean age 59.4 +/-
      12.5 years; four hemorrhagic stroke and five ischemic stroke) underwent
      rehabilitation using multiple types of HAL robots for 19.4 +/- 12.5 days, and 14
      patients (six men and eight women; mean age 63.2 +/- 13.9 years; nine hemorrhagic
      stroke and five ischemic stroke) underwent rehabilitation using a single type of
      HAL robot for 14.9 +/- 8.9 days. The multiple-robot rehabilitation group showed
      significantly better outcomes in the Brunnstrom stage of the upper extremity, BI,
      and FIM scores. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first pilot
      study demonstrating the feasibility of rehabilitation using multiple exoskeleton
      robots. The tailor-made rehabilitation approach may be useful for the treatment
      of acute stroke.

PMID- 26478989
TI  - The peculiar economics of life-extending therapies: a review of costing methods
      in health economic evaluations in oncology.
AB  - Published literature lacks consensus, and most guidelines lack definitive
      recommendations as to whether cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) should include
      all "future" costs or distinguish between related and unrelated medical costs.
      This systematic review of oncology CEAs evaluated cost methods used and the
      impact on the cost-effectiveness of incorporating different cost categories,
      including costs due to study intervention, related medical costs of the treated
      condition, and unrelated medical costs. Of the 59 studies reviewed, none included
      medical costs unrelated to the treated condition and 14 studies (32%) excluded
      direct medical costs related to the condition but not the evaluated intervention.
      Recomputing ICERs using different cost categories altered overall cost
      effectiveness conclusions. The authors propose conventional CEA methods may
      implicitly penalize therapies that add "expensive" life years for chronically ill
      patients. Presenting ICERs computed with and without disease-attributable costs
      can help better convey how much the treatment itself contributes to overall
      costs. 

PMID- 26478985
TI  - Has adult sleep duration declined over the last 50+ years?
AB  - The common assumption that population sleep duration has declined in the past few
      decades has not been supported by recent reviews, which have been limited to self
      reported data. The aim of this review was to assess whether there has been a
      reduction in objectively recorded sleep duration over the last 50+ years. The
      literature was searched for studies published from 1960 to 2013, which assessed
      objective sleep duration (total sleep time (TST)) in healthy normal-sleeping
      adults. The search found 168 studies that met inclusion criteria, with 257 data
      points representing 6052 individuals ages 18-88 y. Data were assessed by
      comparing the regression lines of age vs. TST in studies conducted between 1960
      and 1989 vs. 1990-2013. Weighted regression analyses assessed the association of
      year of study with age-adjusted TST across all data points. Regression analyses
      also assessed the association of year of study with TST separately for 10-y age
      categories (e.g., ages 18-27 y), and separately for polysomnographic and
      actigraphic data, and for studies involving a fixed sleep schedule and
      participants' customary sleep schedules. Analyses revealed no significant
      association of sleep duration with study year. The results are consistent with
      recent reviews of subjective data, which have challenged the notion of a modern
      epidemic of insufficient sleep.

PMID- 26478990
TI  - A novel diagnostic method to detect truncated neurofibromin in neurofibromatosis
      1.
AB  - Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant genetic condition caused
      by dominant loss-of-function mutations of the tumor suppressor gene NF1 that
      encodes neurofibromin, a negative regulator of RAS activity. Mutation analysis of
      NF1 located at 17q11.2 has been hampered by the large size of the gene, the high
      rate of new mutations, the lack of mutational clustering, and the presence of
      several homologous loci. To date, about 80% of the reported NF1 mutations are
      predicted to result in protein truncation, but very few studies have correlated
      the causative NF1 mutation with its effect at the protein level. We evaluated a
      novel diagnostic method to detect truncated forms of neurofibromin in a large
      cohort of unrelated subjects suspected of having NF1, according to the NIH
      consensus criteria. Western blot analysis was carried out on protein extracts
      from patients' leukocytes to highlight the possible presence of altered
      neurofibromin as a result of mutations in NF1. Truncated neurofibromin was
      identified in 274/336 patients (81%), confirming the usefulness and
      reproducibility of the proposed diagnostic approach. Our methodology can be
      routinely applied in the diagnostic setting, thanks to its simplicity and
      reliability. Combined with molecular approaches, it may increase the accuracy and
      efficiency of NF1 genetic testing. We evaluated a novel diagnostic method to
      detect truncated forms of neurofibromin in patients fulfilling the clinical
      criteria for Neurofibromatosis 1. Western blot analysis identified truncated
      neurofibromin in 274/336 patients (81%). Our results indicate that the proposed
      technique is cheap and reliable, and could ideally be performed as a preliminary
      biochemical screening before molecular analysis of the NF1 gene. 

PMID- 26478991
TI  - Tissue specific responses to cadmium-based quantum dots in the marine mussel
      Mytilus galloprovincialis.
AB  - In recent years, Cd-based quantum dots (QDs) have generated interest from the
      life sciences community due to their potential applications in nanomedicine,
      biology and electronics. However, these engineered nanomaterials can be released
      into the marine environment, where their environmental health hazards remain
      unclear. This study investigated the tissue-specific responses related to
      alterations in the antioxidant defense system induced by CdTe QDs, in comparison
      with its dissolved counterpart, using the marine mussel Mytilus
      galloprovincialis. Mussels were exposed to CdTe QDs and dissolved Cd for 14 days
      at 10 MUgCd L(-1) and biomarkers of oxidative stress [superoxide dismutase (SOD),
      catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidases (total, Se-independent and Se-dependent
      GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities] were analyzed along with Cd
      accumulation in the gills and digestive gland of mussels. Results show that both
      Cd forms changed mussels' antioxidant responses with distinct modes of action
      (MoA). There were tissue- and time-dependent differences in the biochemical
      responses to each Cd form, wherein QDs are more pro-oxidant when compared to
      dissolved Cd. The gills are the main tissue affected by QDs, with effects related
      to the increase of SOD, GST and GPx activities, while those of dissolved Cd was
      associated to the increase of CAT activity, Cd accumulation and exposure time.
      Digestive gland is a main tissue for accumulation of both Cd forms, but changes
      in antioxidant enzyme activities are smaller than in gills. A multivariate
      analysis revealed that the antioxidant patterns are tissue dependent, indicating
      nano-specific effects possibly associated to oxidative stress and changes in
      redox homeostasis.

PMID- 26478993
TI  - The functional architecture of skeletal compared to cardiac musculature: Myocyte
      orientation, lamellar unit morphology, and the helical ventricular myocardial
      band.
AB  - How the cardiomyocytes are aggregated within the heart walls remains contentious.
      We still do not fully understand how the end-to-end longitudinal myocytic chains
      are arranged, nor the true extent and shape of the lamellar units they aggregate
      to form. In this article, we show that an understanding of the complex
      arrangement of cardiac musculature requires knowledge of three-dimensional
      myocyte orientation (helical and intrusion angle), and appreciation of myocyte
      packing within the connective tissue matrix. We show how visualization and
      segmentation of high-resolution three-dimensional image data can accurately
      identify the morphology and orientation of the myocytic chains, and the lamellar
      units. Some maintain that the ventricles can be unwrapped in the form of a
      "helical ventricular myocardial band," that is, as a compartmentalized band with
      selective regional innervation and deformation, and a defined origin and
      insertion like most skeletal muscles. In contrast to the simpler interpretation
      of the helical ventricular myocardial band, we provide insight as to how the
      complex myocytic chains, the heterogeneous lamellar units, and connective tissue
      matrix form an interconnected meshwork, which facilitates the complex internal
      deformations of the ventricular wall. We highlight the dangers of disregarding
      the intruding cardiomyocytes. Preparation of the band destroys intruding myocytic
      chains, and thus disregards the functional implications of the antagonistic
      auxotonic forces they produce. We conclude that the ventricular myocardium is not
      analogous to skeletal muscle, but is a complex three-dimensional meshwork, with a
      heterogeneous branching lamellar architecture.

PMID- 26478994
TI  - Comments on, 'Extreme Variation of Nutritional Composition and Osmolality of
      Commercially Available Carbohydrate Energy Gels'.
AB  - No abstract available for this article. 

PMID- 26478992
TI  - Prion protein as a mediator of synaptic transmission.
AB  - Neurodegenerative disorders are characterized by synaptic and neuronal
      dysfunction which precedes general neuronal loss and subsequent cognitive or
      behavioral anomalies. Although the exact early cellular signaling mechanisms
      involved in neurodegenerative diseases are largely unknown, a view is emerging
      that compromised synaptic function may underlie the initial steps in disease
      progression. Much recent research has been aimed at understanding these early
      underlying processes leading to dysfunctional synaptic signaling, as this
      knowledge could identify putative sites of interventions, which could potentially
      slow progression and delay onset of disease. We have recently reported that
      synaptic function in a Drosophila melanogaster model can be modulated by the
      presence of native mouse prion protein and this modulation is negatively affected
      by a mutation within the protein which is associated with the Gerstmann
      Straussler-Scheinker syndrome, a human form of prion disease. Indeed, wild-type
      prion protein facilitates synaptic release, whereas the mutated form induced
      diminished phenotypes. It is believed that together with the gain-of-function of
      neurotoxic misfolded prion signaling, the lack of prion protein contributes to
      the pathology in prion diseases. Therefore, our study investigated a potential
      endogenous role of prion protein in synaptic signaling, the lack of which could
      resemble a lack-of-function phenotype in prion disease. 

PMID- 26478996
TI  - Pharmacotherapy for Neurodegenerative Diseases: Are We Approaching the Tipping
      Point?
AB  - Neurodegenerative diseases continue to represent major unmet medical and public
      health needs and will increasingly strain the healthcare system as people live
      longer due to medical advances in other diseases. Hopefully the emergence of
      increased understanding of the biology of these conditions coupled with novel
      clinical pharmacology tools, clinical trial designs, and regulatory innovation
      will allow the emergence of highly effective symptomatic and disease modifying
      pharmacotherapies. 

PMID- 26478999
TI  - The Sense and Sensibility of SeENS in Sarajevo 2015: Building Bridges of
      Knowledge and Understanding.

PMID- 26479001
TI  - Temperature and Relative Humidity Inside Trailers During Finishing Pig Loading
      and Transport in Cold and Mild Weather.
AB  - The effect of bedding levels and trailer compartment on internal trailer
      temperature and relative humidity (RH) during loading and transport of finishing
      pigs was evaluated in cold and mild weather. Three levels of bedding were used in
      each experiment: 0.6 m3, 1.2 m3, and 2.4 m3. In mild weather, internal
      temperatures were lower when 1.2 m3 or 2.4 m3 of bedding were used during loading
      and transport compared to 0.6 m3 (P < 0.05). Internal trailer temperature
      increased in a quadratic fashion in the top front compartment when 1.2 m3 was
      used (P < 0.05), and in a linear fashion in the top rear compartment when 2.4 m3
      were used in cold weather (P < 0.05). In mild weather, temperature increased
      linearly in the top front compartment with heavy bedding levels. Relative
      humidity increased in a linear fashion in the top front compartment with 0.6 m3,
      bottom front with 1.2 m3, and top front with 1.2 m3 in cold weather (P < 0.05).
      In general, temperature and RH increased as bedding levels increased in both cold
      and mild temperatures. Excess bedding can absorb more moisture, resulting in
      transport loss and decreased animal welfare. 

PMID- 26479002
TI  - Tourists' Perceptions of the Free-Roaming Dog Population in Samoa.
AB  - A study was undertaken to establish how visiting tourists to Samoa perceived free
      roaming dogs (Canis familiaris) and their management, additionally some factors
      that influence their perceptions were assessed. Questionnaires were administered
      to 281 tourists across Samoa over 5 weeks. Free-roaming dogs were seen by 98.2%
      (n = 269/274) of respondents, with 64.9% (n = 137/211) reporting that their
      presence had a negative effect on overall holiday experience. Respondents staying
      in the Apia (capital city) area were more likely to consider dogs a problem (p <
      0.0001), and there was a significant association between whether the respondent
      owned a dog and if they thought dogs were a nuisance in Samoa (p < 0.003). Forty
      four percent (20/89) of non-dog owners agreed that dogs were a nuisance compared
      to 22% (80/182) of dog owners. The majority felt that dogs required better
      control and management in Samoa (81%, n = 222) and that there were too many
      "stray" dogs (67.9%, n = 188). More respondents were negatively affected by the
      dogs' presence (64.9%, 137/211), and felt that the dogs made their holiday worse,
      than respondents that felt the dogs' presence improved their holiday experience
      (35.1%, 74/211). Most respondents stated that the dogs had a low impact (one to
      three; 68%, 187/275) on their stay in Samoa, whilst 24% (65/275) and 8% (23/275)
      stated they had a medium or high impact, respectively, on their stay. Respondents
      showed strong support for humane population management. Free-roaming dogs present
      a complex problem for Samoa and for its tourism industry in particular. The
      findings of this study further support the need for more discussion and action
      about the provision of veterinary services and population management for dogs in
      Samoa. It also provides information complementing an earlier study of the
      attitudes of local Samoans. 

PMID- 26479000
TI  - Quantifying trophoblast migration: In vitro approaches to address in vivo
      situations.
AB  - When trophoblasts migrate and invade in vivo, they do so by interacting with a
      range of other cell types, extracellular matrix proteins, chemotactic factors and
      physical forces such as fluid shear stress. These factors combine to influence
      overall trophoblast migration and invasion into the decidua, which in turn
      determines the success of spiral artery remodelling, and pregnancy itself. Our
      understanding of these important but complex processes is limited by the
      simplified conditions in which we often study cell migration in vitro, and many
      discrepancies are observed between different in vitro models in the literature.
      On top of these experimental considerations, the migration of individual
      trophoblasts can vary widely. While time-lapse microscopy provides a wealth of
      information on trophoblast migration, manual tracking of individual cell
      migration is a time consuming task that ultimately restricts the numbers of cells
      quantified, and thus the ability to extract meaningful information from the data.
      However, the development of automated imaging algorithms is likely to aid our
      ability to accurately interpret trophoblast migration in vitro, and better allow
      us to relate these observations to in vivo scenarios. This commentary discusses
      the advantages and disadvantages of techniques commonly used to quantify
      trophoblast migration and invasion, both from a cell biology and a mathematical
      perspective, and examines how such techniques could be improved to help us relate
      trophoblast migration more accurately to in vivo function in the future.

PMID- 26479003
TI  - Leptospira spp. in Domestic Cats from Different Environments: Prevalence of
      Antibodies and Risk Factors Associated with the Seropositivity.
AB  - Leptospirosis is an emerging zoonotic disease of worldwide distribution. A cross
      sectional study was conducted in urban and rural environments in southern Chile
      (1) to detect domestic cats with serologic evidence of exposure to Leptospira
      spp.; (2) to determine the prevalence of anti-Leptospira antibodies; (3) to
      describe seroprevalences according to different characteristics of the animals,
      and (4) to identify risk factors associated with the seropositivity in the
      Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT). Blood samples were taken from 124 owned
      cats. A frequentist and Bayesian approach were applied for prevalence estimation.
      The overall apparent prevalence of anti-Leptospira antibodies was 8.1% (95%
      Confident Interval = 3.9-4.3). With the Bayesian approach, the overall True
      Prevalence (TP) was 5.2% (95% Credibility Interval (CrI) = 0.6-12.4). The TP for
      urban cats was 1.8% (95% CrI = 0.1-7.2) and the TP for rural felines was 25.2%
      (95% CrI = 9.3-46.6). Cats that live in a place where agricultural activities are
      performed with water that flows in streams or backwater and cats that live in
      places near flooded areas had a higher risk of seropositivity in MAT. The
      exposure to Leptospira spp. in domestic cats of urban and rural origin in
      Southern Chile is a public health concern that requires an increased awareness
      and the implementation of preventive measures. 

PMID- 26479004
TI  - Effect of Season, Transport Length, Deck Location, and Lairage Length on Pork
      Quality and Blood Cortisol Concentrations of Market Hogs.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of seasonal
      environment, transport conditions, and time in lairage on pork quality and serum
      cortisol concentrations. Market hogs were slaughtered during winter (n = 535),
      spring (n = 645), summer (n = 644), and fall (n = 488). Within season, hogs were
      randomly assigned to treatments in a 2 * 2 * 2 factorial arrangement, with 2 deck
      locations (top vs. bottom) and 2 transport and lairage durations (3 h vs. 6 h).
      Blood samples were collected at exsanguination for analysis of cortisol
      concentration. Loins were collected at 24 h postmortem for pork quality
      assessment. Season and deck did not have a main effect on cortisol concentrations
      or pork quality. Hogs transported 6 h had increased cortisol concentrations
      (103.0 vs. 95.5 ng/mL; P < 0.001) and decreased L* (52.49 vs. 52.69; P = 0.09),
      b* (6.28 vs. 6.36; P = 0.03), and hue angle (20.70 vs. 20.95; P = 0.03) compared
      to hogs transported 3 h. Hogs subjected to 6 h of lairage had increased 24-h pH
      (5.69 vs. 5.66; P = 0.005), a* (16.64 vs. 16.48; P < 0.0001), b* (6.42 vs. 6.22;
      P < 0.0001), saturation (17.85 vs. 17.64; P < 0.0001), and hue angle (21.01 vs.
      20.65; P = 0.002) and decreased L* (52.49 vs. 52.69; P = 0.07) when compared to
      hogs subjected to 3 h of lairage. 

PMID- 26479005
TI  - Effects of Transport at Weaning on the Behavior, Physiology and Performance of
      Pigs.
AB  - Transport of pigs to separate production facilities at the time of weaning is a
      common practice, primarily performed to reduce vertical transfer of disease and
      enhance production and overall farm efficiency. During transport, pigs are
      exposed to numerous stressors in conjunction with the stress experienced as a
      result of weaning. In this review, the behavioral and physiological response of
      pigs experiencing weaning and transport simultaneously will be described,
      including the effects of space allowance, season and transport duration. Based on
      the scientific literature, the gaps in the knowledge regarding potential welfare
      issues are discussed. Changes in behavior and physiology suggest that weaned pigs
      may experience stress due to transport. Space allowance, season and duration are
      aspects of transport that can have a marked impact on these responses. To date,
      the literature regarding the effects of transport on weaned pigs has primarily
      focused on the short term stress response and little is known about the effects
      of concurrent weaning and transport on other aspects of pig welfare including
      morbidity and mortality rates. Greater understanding of the short and long term
      consequences of transport on weaned pig welfare particularly in relation to
      factors such as trip duration, provision of feed and water, and best handling
      practices would benefit the swine industry. Furthermore, the development of
      guidelines and recommendations to enhance the short and long term welfare of
      weaned pigs in relation to transport are needed. 

PMID- 26479006
TI  - Off-Stream Watering Systems and Partial Barriers as a Strategy to Maximize Cattle
      Production and Minimize Time Spent in the Riparian Area.
AB  - A study was conducted in 2009 at two locations in Manitoba (Killarney and
      Souris), Canada to determine the impact of off-stream waterers (OSW) with or
      without natural barriers on (i) amount of time cattle spent in the 10 m buffer
      created within the riparian area, referred to as the riparian polygon (RP), (ii)
      watering location (OSW or stream), and (iii) animal performance measured as
      weight gain. This study was divided into three 28-day periods over the grazing
      season. At each location, the pasture-which ranged from 21.0 ha to 39.2 ha in
      size-was divided into three treatments: no OSW nor barriers (1CONT), OSW with
      barriers along the stream bank to deter cattle from watering at the stream
      (2BARR), and OSW without barriers (3NOBARR). Cattle in 2BARR spent less time in
      the RP in Periods 1 (p = 0.0002), 2 (p = 0.1116), and 3 (p < 0.0001) at the
      Killarney site compared to cattle in 3NOBARR at the same site. Cattle in 2BARR at
      the Souris site spent more time in the RP in Period 1 (p < 0.0001) and less time
      in Period 2 (p = 0.0002) compared to cattle in 3NOBARR. Cattle did use the OSW,
      but not exclusively, as watering at the stream was still observed. The observed
      inconsistency in the effectiveness of the natural barriers on deterring cattle
      from the riparian area between periods and locations may be partly attributable
      to the environmental conditions present during this field trial as well as
      difference in pasture size and the ability of the established barriers to deter
      cattle from using the stream as a water source. Treatment had no significant
      effect (p > 0.05) on cow and calf weights averaged over the summer period. These
      results indicate that the presence of an OSW does not create significant
      differences in animal performance when used in extensive pasture scenarios such
      as those studied within the present study. Whereas the barriers did not
      consistently discourage watering at the stream, the results provide some
      indication of the efficacy of the OSW as well as the natural barriers on
      deterring cattle from the riparian area. 

PMID- 26479007
TI  - Sex Differences in Physiological Acclimatization after Transfer in Wistar Rats.
AB  - Most laboratory animals used in research are vendor-bred and transferred to
      research facilities. Transfer procedures might have considerable and unintended
      effects on research results. In the present study we compared physiological and
      behavioral parameters before and after external and internal transfer, as well as
      between transferred and non-transferred Wistar rats. The impact of both external
      and internal transfer on body weight, plasma corticosterone levels, heart rate,
      blood pressure, and locomotor activity was studied in both male and female Wistar
      rats, taking into account the sex differences in stress responsivity. External
      transfer was found to decrease body weight, increase plasma corticosterone,
      increase activity, increase heart rate in female rats, but decrease heart rate in
      male rats. Parameters showed differences between the sexes and light phases. This
      study shows that acclimatization after transfer is sex-specific and researchers
      should take the sex into consideration when determining the acclimatization
      period. It is recommended to allow for acclimatization of at least 8 days in
      males and two weeks in females after external transfer and timely (2 days before
      starting experiments) transfer the animals internally to the testing room. 

PMID- 26479008
TI  - Effects of Transfer from Breeding to Research Facility on the Welfare of Rats.
AB  - Transfer from the breeding facility to a research facility is a stressful event
      for laboratory animals. Heat stress has been reported to constitute one of the
      major concerns during transport of animals. This study measured ambient and body
      temperature, corticosterone and glucose levels, body weight, behavior and water
      and food intake before, during and after transfer in Wistar rats. Decreased body
      weight, water and food intake were observed on the day of transfer in rats.
      Environmental temperature strongly affected body temperature of rats and needs to
      be controlled. Male rats need to habituate for at least one week, females for two
      weeks after transfer. 

PMID- 26479009
TI  - Ethical and Animal Welfare Considerations in Relation to Species Selection for
      Animal Experimentation.
AB  - Ethical principles governing the conduct of experiments with animals are
      reviewed, especially those relating to the choice of species. Legislation
      requires that the potential harm to animals arising from any procedure should be
      assessed in advance and justified in terms of its possible benefit to society.
      Potential harms may arise both from the procedures and the quality of the
      animals' lifetime experience. The conventional approach to species selection is
      to use animals with the "lowest degree of neurophysiological sensitivity".
      However; this concept should be applied with extreme caution in the light of new
      knowledge. The capacity to experience pain may be similar in mammals, birds and
      fish. The capacity to suffer from fear is governed more by sentience than
      cognitive ability, so it cannot be assumed that rodents or farm animals suffer
      less than dogs or primates. I suggest that it is unethical to base the choice of
      species for animal experimentation simply on the basis that it will cause less
      distress within society. A set of responsibilities is outlined for each category
      of moral agent. These include regulators, operators directly concerned with the
      conduct of scientific experiments and toxicology trials, veterinarians and animal
      care staff; and society at large. 

PMID- 26479010
TI  - Loading and Unloading Weaned Pigs: Effects of Bedding Types, Ramp Angle, and
      Bedding Moisture.
AB  - The use of non-slip surfaces during loading and unloading of weaned pigs plays an
      important role in animal welfare and economics of the pork industry. Currently,
      the guidelines available only suggest the use of ramps below 20 degrees  to load
      and unload pigs. Three ramp angles (0 degrees , 10 degrees  or 20 degrees ), five
      bedding materials (nothing, sand, feed, wood shavings or wheat straw hay), two
      moistures (dry or wet bedding; >50% moisture) over two seasons (>23.9  degrees C
      summer, <23.9  degrees C winter) were assessed for slips/falls/vocalizations (n =
      6,000 pig observations). "Score" was calculated by the sum of slips, falls, and
      vocalizations. With the exception of using feed as a bedding, all beddings
      provided some protection against elevated slips, falls, and vocalizations (P <
      0.01). Providing bedding reduced (P < 0.05) scores regardless of whether the
      bedding was dry or wet. Scores increased as the slope increased (P < 0.01).
      Provision of bedding, other than feed, at slopes greater than zero, decreased
      slips, falls and vocalizations. The total time it took to load and unload pigs
      was affected by bedding type, ramp angle, and season (P < 0.05). Minimizing
      slips, falls, and vocalizations when loading and unloading pigs improved animal
      welfare. 

PMID- 26479011
TI  - Rabbit Feces as Feed for Ruminants and as an Energy Source.
AB  - There are prospects for using novel feeds from various sources to provide
      ruminants with alternative sources of protein and energy such as by-products, and
      animal wastes. Rabbit feces are a concentrated source of fiber and could have
      commercial potential both as input biomass in anaerobic processes for biogas
      production, as well as a fibrous source for ruminal degradation. The aims of this
      work were to assess the potential as ruminant feeding and as biogas production of
      rabbit feces, in comparison with 12 crops. The chemical composition and the
      potential and experimental in vitro true digestibility (IVTD) and neutral
      detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD) of 148 feces samples were determined by
      using chemical methods, Daisy system digestibility and/or NIRS predictions. The
      average biomethane potential (BMP) was 286 +/- 10 lCH4/kg SV with -4% vs. the
      crops average. Milk forage unit (milk FU), IVTD and NDFD of feces were 0.54 +/-
      0.06 milk FU/kg DM, 74% +/- 3% and 50% +/- 5%, respectively, with comparisons of 
      19%, -11% and -24% vs. the crops average. Reconstruction of the potential values
      based on the chemical constituents but using the crop partial least square model
      well agreed with the NIRS calibrations and cross-validation. In a global NIRS
      calibration of the feces and crops the relative predicted deviation for IVTD,
      NDFD and milk FU were 3.1, 2.9 and 2.6, respectively, and only 1.5 for BMP.
      Running the Daisy system for rabbit feces in rumen fluid gave some
      inconsistencies, weakened the functional relationships, and appeared not to be
      correlated with the potential values of IVTD and NDFD. Nevertheless, the
      energetic potential of feces appears to be similar to some conventional crops at
      different degrees of maturity. Thus we conclude that rabbit feces has potential
      value as a ruminant feed and for biogas production. 

PMID- 26479012
TI  - Effects of Adding Corn Dried Distiller Grains with Solubles (DDGS) to the Dairy
      Cow Diet and Effects of Bedding in Dairy Cow Slurry on Fugitive Methane
      Emissions.
AB  - The specific objectives of this experiment were to investigate the effects of
      adding 10% or 30% corn dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) to the dairy
      cow diet and the effects of bedding type (wood shavings, straw or peat moss) in
      dairy slurry on fugitive CH4 emissions. The addition of DDGS10 to the dairy cow
      diet significantly increased (29%) the daily amount of fat excreted in slurry
      compared to the control diet. The inclusion of DDGS30 in the diet increased the
      daily amounts of excreted DM, volatile solids (VS), fat, neutral detergent fiber
      (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and hemicellulose by 18%, 18%, 70%, 30%, 15%
      and 53%, respectively, compared to the control diet. During the storage
      experiment, daily fugitive CH4 emissions showed a significant increase of 15% (p
      < 0.05) for the slurry resulting from the corn DDGS30 diet. The addition of wood
      shavings and straw did not have a significant effect on daily fugitive CH4
      emissions relative to the control diet, whereas the addition of peat moss caused
      a significant increase of 27% (p < 0.05) in fugitive CH4 emissions. 

PMID- 26479013
TI  - Thirst for knowledge: The effects of curiosity and interest on memory in younger
      and older adults.
AB  - Given age-related memory impairments, one's level of curiosity or interest could
      enhance memory for certain information. In the current study, younger and older
      adults read trivia questions, rated how curious they were to learn each answer,
      provided confidence and interest ratings, and judgments of learning after
      learning the answer. No age-related differences in memory were found. Analyses
      indicated that curiosity and interest contributed to the formation of judgments
      of learning. Additionally, interest had a unique increasing relationship with
      older, but not younger, adults' memory performance after a one-week delay. The
      results suggest that subjective interest may serve to enhance older adults'
      memory.

PMID- 26479014
TI  - The impact of red light running camera flashes on younger and older drivers'
      attention and oculomotor control.
AB  - Recent empirical evidence has suggested that the flashes associated with red
      light running cameras (RLRCs) distract younger drivers, pulling attention away
      from the roadway and delaying processing of safety-relevant events. Considering
      the perceptual and attentional declines that occur with age, older drivers may be
      especially susceptible to the distracting effects of RLRC flashes, particularly
      in situations in which the flash is more salient (a bright flash at night
      compared with the day). The current study examined how age and situational
      factors potentially influence attention capture by RLRC flashes using covert
      (cuing effects) and overt (eye movement) indices of capture. We manipulated the
      salience of the flash by varying its luminance and contrast with respect to the
      background of the driving scene (either day or night scenes). Results of 2
      experiments suggest that simulated RLRC flashes capture observers' attention,
      but, surprisingly, no age differences in capture were observed. However, an
      analysis examining early and late eye movements revealed that older adults may
      have been strategically delaying their eye movements in order to avoid capture.
      Additionally, older adults took longer to disengage attention following capture,
      suggesting at least 1 age-related disadvantage in capture situations. Findings
      have theoretical implications for understanding age differences in attention
      capture, especially with respect to capture in real-world scenes, and inform
      future work that should examine how the distracting effects of RLRC flashes
      influence driver behavior.

PMID- 26479015
TI  - Online dating across the life span: Users' relationship goals.
AB  - Utilizing data from an eHarmony.com relationship questionnaire completed by new
      users (N = 5,434), this study identifies prioritized goals in new romantic
      relationships and whether importance of these goals differs by participants' age
      and gender. Overall, users valued interpersonal communication more than sex
      appeal. Older users rated sexual attraction as slightly less important than
      younger users did, but they still highly valued the goal. Women placed even
      greater emphasis on communication over sexual attraction compared to men.
      However, although men valued sexual attraction more than women at all ages, only
      the youngest women valued interpersonal communication more than young men.

PMID- 26479016
TI  - Do negative views of aging influence memory and auditory performance through self
      perceived abilities?
AB  - Memory and hearing are critical domains that interact during older adults' daily
      communication and social encounters. To develop a more comprehensive picture of
      how aging influences performance in these domains, the roles of social variables
      such as views of aging and self-perceived abilities need greater examination. The
      present study investigates the linkages between views of aging, self-perceived
      abilities, and performance within and across the domains of memory and hearing,
      connections that have never been examined together within the same sample of
      older adults. For both domains, 301 older adults completed measures of their
      views of aging, their self-perceived abilities and behavioral tests. Using
      structural equation modeling, we tested a hypothesized model in which older
      adults' negative views of aging predicted their performance in the domains of
      memory and hearing through negatively affecting their self-perceived abilities in
      those domains. Although this model achieved adequate fit, an alternative model in
      which hearing performance predicted self-perceived hearing also was supported.
      Both models indicate that hearing influences memory with respect to both
      behavioral and self-perception measures and that negative views of aging
      influence self-perceptions in both domains. These results highlight the
      importance of views of aging and self-perceptions of abilities within and across
      these domains.

PMID- 26479017
TI  - Effects of targeting disease and medication management interventions towards
      patients with COPD.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Suboptimal adherence in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
      patients is associated with decreased clinical and economic outcomes.
      Intervention programs, targeted at patients with suboptimal adherence and
      exacerbations, offer opportunities for cost-effective COPD care. We have aimed to
      assess the effects of the Medication Monitoring and Optimization (MeMO) targeted
      COPD intervention. METHODS: Twenty community pharmacies participated in this 1
      year real-world study with a pre-test/post-test design. Patients with a physician
      confirmed COPD diagnosis, oral corticosteroid use, suboptimal adherence and
      Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) score >=1 were selected by pharmacists.
      Pharmacy interventions included inhalation instruction, medication information
      and motivational interviewing regarding adherence and smoking cessation.
      Proposals for dose, medication and/or inhaler change and physical activity or
      diet recommendations were discussed with the general practitioner (GP),
      physiotherapist or dietician, when deemed relevant. Primary endpoint was the
      change in CCQ score. Secondary outcomes were adherence, exacerbations, healthcare
      utilization, quality of life (EQ-5D), modified Medical Research Council (mMRC)
      dyspnea score and cost-effectiveness. RESULTS: Interventions were performed in 88
      patients (mean age: 69; 52% male; mean CCQ: 2.10). The most often performed
      interventions were inhalation instruction (89%), medication education (98%) and
      adherence counseling (58%). Respectively 9%, 45% and 16% were referred to GP,
      physiotherapist or dietician. After 1 year, mean CCQ decrement was 0.12 and 38%
      showed a clinically relevant improvement. There was a significant decrease in
      exacerbations (-0.82) per patient per year. Adherence, mMRC and EQ-5D hardly
      changed. Per patient, annual medication costs were ?26 higher, interventions cost
      ?33, but total healthcare costs were ?333 lower. The small sample size and lack
      of a control group were the main limitations. CONCLUSION: By specifically
      targeting COPD patients with potential room for improvement, the MeMO COPD
      program has the potential to be an effective and cost-saving method for
      preventing exacerbations. However, no effects on quality of life have been
      observed. Larger studies are therefore recommended.

PMID- 26479018
TI  - Biogeography of a defensive symbiosis.
AB  - Mutualistic microorganisms play important roles in nutrition, reproduction and
      defense of many insects, yet the factors contributing to their maintenance and
      dispersal remain unknown in most cases. Theory suggests that collaboration can be
      maintained by repeated interaction of the same partners (partner fidelity) or by
      selective discrimination against non-cooperative partners (partner choice). In
      the defensive mutualism between solitary beewolf wasps and their antibiotic
      producing Streptomyces bacteria, partner choice by host control of vertical
      symbiont transmission reinforces partner fidelity and has helped to maintain this
      highly specific association since it originated in the late Cretaceous. However,
      co-phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses suggest that there has also been
      considerable horizontal transmission of the symbionts. While the beewolves
      clearly have a paleotropic or palearctic origin, with later colonization of the
      nearctic and neotropics via Beringia and the Aves ridge, respectively, the
      bacteria show only weak geographical clustering, implying global dispersal or
      vicariance within the confines of an otherwise apparently exclusive symbiotic
      relationship. We discuss several hypotheses that may explain these patterns.
      Future studies investigating the occurrence of beewolf symbionts in the
      environment could yield broadly applicable insights into the relative impact of
      animal-vectored and free-living dispersal on the distribution of microorganisms
      in nature. 

PMID- 26479019
TI  - A New Measure of the Perceived Influence of Sexually Explicit Online Media on the
      Sexual Behaviors of Men Who Have Sex With Men.
AB  - Men who have sex with men (MSM) frequently consume sexually explicit online media
      (SEOM), yet little is known about its influence on their sexual behaviors. We
      describe a sequence of four studies to develop and psychometrically validate a
      measure of the perceived influence of sexually explicit online media (PI-SEOM) on
      the sexual behaviors of MSM. Study 1 involved qualitative interviews (N = 28) and
      a quantitative survey (N = 100) to develop a preliminary measure. Using an
      Internet sample of MSM (N = 1,170), we assessed its factor structure and
      reliability in Studies 2 and 3 as well as convergent validity and associations
      with HIV-related sexual risk in Study 4. Based on findings the measure was
      divided into two subscales: influences on (1) self and (2) other MSM. Factor
      analyses confirmed a two-factor model for each subscale, measuring perceived
      influences on (a) general sexual scripts and (b) condomless sex scripts. Survey
      results indicated that the more men perceived SEOM influencing their own
      condomless sex scripts, the more likely they were to report engaging in sexual
      risk behaviors. The developed measure holds promise for assessing the influence
      of SEOM on the sexual behaviors of MSM and may prove useful for HIV-prevention
      research.

PMID- 26479020
TI  - Cellular and Mitochondrial Dual-Targeted Organic Dots with Aggregation-Induced
      Emission Characteristics for Image-Guided Photodynamic Therapy.
AB  - Targeted delivery of drugs toward mitochondria of specific cancer cells
      dramatically improves therapy efficiencies especially for photodynamic therapy
      (PDT), as reactive oxygen species (ROS) are short in lifetime and small in radius
      of action. Different from chemical modification, nanotechnology has been serving
      as a simple and nonchemical approach to deliver drugs to cells of interest or
      specific organelles, such as mitochondria, but there have been limited examples
      of dual-targeted delivery for both cells and mitochondria. Here, cellular and
      mitochondrial dual-targeted organic dots for image-guided PDT are reported based
      on a fluorogen with aggregation-induced emission (AIEgen) characteristics. The
      AIEgen possesses enhanced red fluorescence and efficient ROS production in
      aggregated states. The AIE dot surfaces are functionalized with folate and
      triphenylphosphine, which can selectively internalize into folate-receptor (FR)
      positive cancer cells, and subsequently accumulate at mitochondria. The direct
      ROS generation at mitochondria sites is found to depolarize mitochondrial
      membrane, affect cell migration, and lead to cell apoptosis and death with
      enhanced PDT effects as compared to ROS generated randomly in cytoplasm. This
      report demonstrates a simple and general nanocarrier approach for cellular and
      mitochondrial dual-targeted PDT, which opens new opportunities for dual-targeted
      delivery and therapy. 

PMID- 26479022
TI  - Strength and Power Correlates of Throwing Velocity on Subelite Male Cricket
      Players.
AB  - Throwing velocity is an important aspect of fielding in cricket to affect run
      outs and reduce the opponent's run-scoring opportunities. Although a relationship
      between strength and/or power and throwing velocity has been well established in
      baseball, water polo, and European handball, it has not been adequately explored
      in cricket. Consequently, this study aimed to determine the relationship between
      measures of strength and/or power and throwing velocity in cricket players.
      Seventeen male cricket players (mean +/- SD; age, 21.1 +/- 1.6 years; height,
      1.79 +/- 0.06 m; weight, 79.8 +/- 6.4 kg) from an elite athlete program were
      tested for maximal throwing velocity from the stretch position and after a 3
      meter shuffle. They were also assessed for strength and power using a range of
      different measures. Throwing velocity from the stretch position (30.5 +/- 2.4
      m.s) was significantly related to dominant leg lateral-to-medial jump (LMJ)
      distance (r = 0.71; p < 0.01), dominant shoulder internal rotation (IR) strength
      (r = 0.55; p <= 0.05), and dominant (r = 0.73; p < 0.01) and nondominant (r =
      0.54; p <= 0.05) medicine ball rotation (MB Rot) throw velocity and medicine ball
      chest pass (MB CP) distance (r = 0.67; p < 0.01). A nonsignificant trend was
      observed for vertical jump (VJ) height (p = 0.06), whereas no significant
      relationships were observed for nondominant LMJ distance (p = 0.97), nondominant
      shoulder IR strength (p = 0.80), 1 repetition maximum (RM) squat strength (p =
      0.57), 1RM bench press strength (p = 0.90), height (p = 0.33), or weight (p =
      0.29). Multiple regression analysis revealed that dominant MB Rot and MB CP
      explained 66% of the variance. The results were similar for velocity after a
      shuffle step (31.8 +/- 2.1 m.s); however, VJ height reached statistical
      significance (r = 0.51; p <= 0.05). The multiple regression was also similar with
      MB Rot and MB CP explaining 70% of the variance. The cricketers in this study
      threw with greater velocity than elite junior and subelite senior cricketers but
      with lower velocities than elite senior cricketers and collegiate level and
      professional baseball players. This is the first study to demonstrate a link
      between strength and/or power and throwing velocity in cricket players and
      highlight the importance of power development as it relates to throwing velocity.
      Exercises that more closely simulated the speed (body weight jumps and medicine
      ball throws) or movement pattern (shoulder IR) of overhead throwing were greater
      predictors of throwing velocity. Strength and conditioning staff should assess
      and develop power to enhance throwing performance in cricket players. Exercises
      with greater movement and speed specificity to throwing should be used in
      preference over exercises that are slower and have less movement specificity to
      the throwing motion. Cricket players should engage in power training to bridge
      the gap in performance between them and baseball players.

PMID- 26479021
TI  - Longitudinal changes in mathematical abilities and white matter following
      paediatric mild traumatic brain injury.
AB  - PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: Paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been associated
      with acute and long-term mathematical difficulties. Little is known about the
      recovery of these impairments in children with mild TBI (mTBI) and their
      underlying pathophysiology, such as white matter abnormalities. RESEARCH DESIGN:
      A prospective longitudinal study followed the recovery of mathematical abilities
      and white matter in children with mTBI from the sub-acute (1 month post-injury)
      to chronic stage (6-8 months post-injury) of recovery. METHODS AND PROCEDURES:
      Twenty children with mTBI and 20 matched controls completed mathematics tests.
      Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) metrics of white matter pathways corpus callosum
      (CC), superior and longitudinal fasciculi were examined with DTI-tractography.
      MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Mathematical difficulties and white matter
      abnormalities in the CC observed shortly after the injury resolved after 6-8
      months of recovery. Children with mTBI continued to show working memory deficits.
      Longitudinal DTI data suggest continued maturation of the CC in controls, but
      little maturation of the damaged CC in children with mTBI. CONCLUSIONS: Children
      with mTBI recovered in terms of mathematical abilities and white matter. These
      children continued to show working memory deficits, which might interfere with
      learning at school.

PMID- 26479023
TI  - Validity of Self-Reported Running Distance.
AB  - It is unclear whether there is a difference between subjective evaluation and
      objective global positioning systems (GPS) measurement of running distance. The
      purpose of this study was to investigate if such difference exists. A total of
      100 participants (51% men; median age, 41.5; body mass, 78.1 kg +/-13.8 SD)
      completed a run of free choice, then subjectively reported the distance in
      kilometer (km). This information was subsequently compared with the distance
      derived from a nondifferential GPS watch using paired t-tests and Bland-Altman's
      95% limits of agreement. No significant difference was found between the mean
      paired differences between subjective evaluations and GPS measurements (1.86%,
      95% confidence interval = -1.53%; 5.25%, p = 0.96). The Bland-Altman 95% limits
      of agreement revealed considerable variation (lower limit = -28% and upper limit
      = 40%). Such variation exceeds the clinical error range of 10%. In conclusion,
      the mean running distance (km) is similar between self-reporting and GPS
      measurements. However, researchers should consider using GPS measurements in
      favor of subjective reporting of running distance because of considerable
      variation on an individual level.

PMID- 26479024
TI  - Effects of Cycling vs. Running Training on Endurance Performance in Preparation
      for Inline Speed Skating.
AB  - Winter weather conditions restrict regular sport-specific endurance training in
      inline speed skating. As a result, this study was designed to compare the effects
      of cycling and running training programs on inline speed skaters' endurance
      performance. Sixteen (8 men, 8 women) high-level athletes (mean +/- SD 24 +/- 8
      years) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups (running and cycling). Both groups
      trained twice a week for 8 weeks, one group on a treadmill and the other on a
      cycle ergometer. Training intensity and duration was individually calculated
      (maximal fat oxidation: ~52% of V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak: 500 kcal per
      session). Before and after the training intervention, all athletes performed an
      incremental specific (inline speed skating) and 1 nonspecific (cycling or
      running) step test according to the group affiliation. In addition to blood
      lactate concentration, oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2), ventilatory
      equivalent (VE/V[Combining Dot Above]O2), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), and
      heart rate were measured. The specific posttest revealed significantly increased
      absolute V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak values (2.9 +/- 0.4, 3.4 +/- 0.7, p = 0.01)
      and submaximal V[Combining Dot Above]O2 values (p <= 0.01). VE/V[Combining Dot
      Above]O2 and RER significantly decreased at maximal (46.6 +/- 6.6, 38.5 +/- 3.4,
      p = 0.005; 1.1 +/- 0.03, 1.0 +/- 0.04, p = 0.001) and submaximal intensities (p
      <= 0.04). None of the analysis revealed a significant group effect (p >= 0.15).
      The results indicate that both cycling vs. running exercise at ~52% of
      V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak had a positive effect on the athletes' endurance
      performance. The increased submaximal V[Combining Dot Above]O2 values indicate a
      reduction in athletes' inline speed skating technique. Therefore, athletes would
      benefit from a focus on technique training in the subsequent period.

PMID- 26479025
TI  - Harnessing structural darkness in the visible and infrared wavelengths for a new
      source of light.
AB  - Engineering broadband light absorbers is crucial to many applications, including
      energy-harvesting devices and optical interconnects. The performances of an ideal
      absorber are that of a black body, a dark material that absorbs radiation at all
      angles and polarizations. Despite advances in micrometre-thick films, the
      absorbers available to date are still far from an ideal black body. Here, we
      describe a disordered nanostructured material that shows an almost ideal black
      body absorption of 98-99% between 400 and 1,400 nm that is insensitive to the
      angle and polarization of the incident light. The material comprises
      nanoparticles composed of a nanorod with a nanosphere of 30 nm diameter attached.
      When diluted into liquids, a small concentration of nanoparticles absorbs on
      average 26% more than carbon nanotubes, the darkest material available to date.
      By pumping a dye optical amplifier with nanosecond pulses of ~100 mW power, we
      harness the structural darkness of the material and create a new type of light
      source, which generates monochromatic emission (~5 nm wide) without the need for
      any resonance. This is achieved through the dynamics of light condensation in
      which all absorbed electromagnetic energy spontaneously generates single-colour
      energy pulses. 

PMID- 26479026
TI  - Placing molecules with Bohr radius resolution using DNA origami.
AB  - Molecular self-assembly with nucleic acids can be used to fabricate discrete
      objects with defined sizes and arbitrary shapes. It relies on building blocks
      that are commensurate to those of biological macromolecular machines and should
      therefore be capable of delivering the atomic-scale placement accuracy known
      today only from natural and designed proteins. However, research in the field has
      predominantly focused on producing increasingly large and complex, but more
      coarsely defined, objects and placing them in an orderly manner on solid
      substrates. So far, few objects afford a design accuracy better than 5 nm, and
      the subnanometre scale has been reached only within the unit cells of designed
      DNA crystals. Here, we report a molecular positioning device made from a hinged
      DNA origami object in which the angle between the two structural units can be
      controlled with adjuster helices. To test the positioning capabilities of the
      device, we used photophysical and crosslinking assays that report the coordinate
      of interest directly with atomic resolution. Using this combination of placement
      and analysis, we rationally adjusted the average distance between fluorescent
      molecules and reactive groups from 1.5 to 9 nm in 123 discrete displacement
      steps. The smallest displacement step possible was 0.04 nm, which is slightly
      less than the Bohr radius. The fluctuation amplitudes in the distance coordinate
      were also small (+/-0.5 nm), and within a factor of two to three of the
      amplitudes found in protein structures. 

PMID- 26479027
TI  - Targeting the delivery of systemically administered haematopoietic
      stem/progenitor cells to the inflamed colon using hydrogen peroxide and platelet
      microparticle pre-treatment strategies.
AB  - Haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSC) therapy may be promising for the
      treatment of inflammatory bowel disorders (IBDs). However, clinical success
      remains poor, partly explained by limited HSC recruitment following systemic
      delivery. The mechanisms governing HSC adhesion within inflamed colon, and
      whether this event can be enhanced, are not known. An immortalised HSC-like line
      (HPC7) was pre-treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), activated platelet
      releasate enriched supernatant (PES) or platelet microparticles (PMPs).
      Subsequent adhesion was monitored using adhesion assays or in vivo ischaemia
      reperfusion (IR) and colitis injured mouse colon intravitally. Integrin
      clustering was determined confocally and cell morphology using scanning electron
      microscopy. Both injuries resulted in increased HPC7 adhesion within colonic
      mucosal microcirculation. H2O2 and PES significantly enhanced adhesion in vitro
      and in the colitis, but not IR injured, colon. PMPs had no effect on adhesion.
      PES and PMPs induced clustering of integrins on the HPC7 surface, but did not
      alter their expression. Adhesion to the colon is modulated by injury but only in
      colitis injury can this recruitment be enhanced. The enhanced adhesion induced by
      PES is likely through integrin distribution changes on the HPC7 surface.
      Improving local HSC presence in injured colon may result in better therapeutic
      efficacy for treatment of IBD. 

PMID- 26479028
TI  - Synthesis, cytotoxicity and antiviral evaluation of new series of imidazo[4,5
      g]quinoline and pyrido[2,3-g]quinoxalinone derivatives.
AB  - Linear aromatic N-tricyclic compounds with promising antiviral activity and
      minimal cytotoxicity were prepared and analyzed in the last years. Specifically,
      the pyrido[2,3-g]quinoxalinone nucleus was found endowed with high potency
      against several pathogenic RNA viruses as etiological agents of important
      veterinary and human pathologies. Following our research program on new antiviral
      agents we have designed, synthesized and assayed new series of imidazo[4,5
      g]quinoline and pyrido[2,3-g]quinoxalinone derivatives. Lead compounds 1-4 were
      further modified to enhance their antiviral activity and reduce their
      cytotoxicity. Thus, different substituents were introduced on N atom at position
      1 or the O atom at position 2 of the leads; contextually, several groups were
      inserted on the nitrogen atom at position 7 of diaminoquinoline intermediates.
      Title compounds were tested in cell-based assays for cytotoxicity and antiviral
      activity against RNA virus families containing single-stranded (either positive
      sense (ssRNA+) or negative-sense (ssRNA-)), and double-stranded genomes (dsRNA),
      and against two representatives of DNA virus families. Some derivatives emerged
      as potential leads for further development as antiviral agents against some
      viruses of public health significance, such as RSV, Reo, BVDV and HCV.
      Particularly, compounds 4, 11b, 11c, 13c, 15a, 18 and 21 resulted active against
      BVDV at concentrations ranging from 1.3 to 5 MUM. Compound 21 was also evaluated
      for its activity on the BVDV RdRp. Compound 4 was also tested as potential anti
      HCV compound in a subgenomic replication assay. Molecular simulation results
      provided a molecular rationale for the anti-BVDV activity of these compounds. 

PMID- 26479029
TI  - Development of new highly potent imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazines targeting Toxoplasma
      gondii calcium-dependent protein kinase 1.
AB  - Using a structure-based design approach, we have developed a new series of
      imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazines, targeting the calcium-dependent protein kinase-1
      (CDPK1) from Toxoplasma gondii. Twenty derivatives were thus synthesized.
      Structure-activity relationships and docking studies confirmed the binding mode
      of these inhibitors within the ATP binding pocket of TgCDPK1. Two lead compounds
      (16a and 16f) were then identified, which were able to block TgCDPK1 enzymatic
      activity at low nanomolar concentrations, with a good selectivity profile against
      a panel of mammalian kinases. The potential of these inhibitors was confirmed in
      vitro on T. gondii growth, with EC50 values of 100 nM and 70 nM, respectively.
      These best candidates also displayed low toxicity to mammalian cells and were
      selected for further in vivo investigations on murine model of acute
      toxoplasmosis. 

PMID- 26479030
TI  - Design and studies of multiple mechanism of anti-Candida activity of a new potent
      Trp-rich peptide dendrimers.
AB  - PURPOSE: Eight peptide dendrimers were designed as structural mimics of natural
      cationic amphiphilic peptides with antifungal activity and evaluated for their
      anti-Candida potential against the wild type strains and mutants. METHODS:
      Dendrimer 14 containing four Trp residues and dodecyl tail and a slightly smaller
      dendrimer 9 decorated with four N-methylated Trp that displayed 100 and 99.7% of
      growth inhibition at 16 MUg/mL respectively, were selected for evaluation against
      the Candida albicans mutants with disabled biosynthesis of aspartic proteases
      responsible for host tissue colonization and morphogenesis during biofilm
      formation (sessile model). Flow cytometry method was employed to detect apoptotic
      cells with membrane alterations (phosphatidylserine translocation), and
      differentiation of apoptotic from necrotic cells was also performed. Simultaneous
      staining of cell surface phosphatidylserine with Annexin-V-Fluorescein and
      necrotic cells with propidium iodide was conducted. RESULTS: 14 at 16 MUg/mL
      caused C. albicans cells to undergo cellular apoptosis but its increasing
      concentrations induced necrosis. 14 influenced C. albicans biofilm viability as
      well as hyphal and cell wall morphology. Confocal microscopy and cell wall
      staining with calcofluor white revealed that in epithelial model the cell surface
      structure was perturbed at MIC of peptide dendrimer. It appears that tryptophan
      or 1-methyltryptophan groups displayed at the surface and positive charges hidden
      in the dendrimer tree along with hydrocarbon tail located at C-terminus are
      important for the anti-Candida activity since dendrimers containing tryptamine at
      C-terminus showed only a moderate activity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that
      membranolytic dendrimer 14, targeting cellular apoptotic pathway and impairing
      the cell wall formation in mature biofilm, may be a potential multifunctional
      antifungal lead compound for the control of C. albicans infections.

PMID- 26479031
TI  - Multicomponent reaction-based synthesis and biological evaluation of tricyclic
      heterofused quinolines with multi-trypanosomatid activity.
AB  - Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), Chagas disease and leishmaniasis, which are
      caused by the trypanosomatids Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and
      Leishmania species, are among the most deadly neglected tropical diseases. The
      development of drugs that are active against several trypanosomatids is appealing
      from a clinical and economic viewpoint, and seems feasible, as these parasites
      share metabolic pathways and hence might be treatable by common drugs. From
      benzonapthyridine 1, an inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) for which we
      have found a remarkable trypanocidal activity, we have designed and synthesized
      novel benzo[h][1,6]naphthyridines, pyrrolo[3,2-c]quinolines, azepino[3,2
      c]quinolines, and pyrano[3,2-c]quinolines through 2-4-step sequences featuring an
      initial multicomponent Povarov reaction as the key step. To assess the
      therapeutic potential of the novel compounds, we have evaluated their in vitro
      activity against T. brucei, T. cruzi, and Leishmania infantum, as well as their
      brain permeability, which is of specific interest for the treatment of late-stage
      HAT. To assess their potential toxicity, we have determined their cytotoxicity
      against rat myoblast L6 cells and their AChE inhibitory activity. Several
      tricyclic heterofused quinoline derivatives were found to display an interesting
      multi-trypanosomatid profile, with one-digit micromolar potencies against two of
      these parasites and two-digit micromolar potency against the other.
      Pyranoquinoline 39, which displays IC50 values of 1.5 MUM, 6.1 MUM and 29.2 MUM
      against T. brucei, L. infantum and T. cruzi, respectively, brain permeability,
      better drug-like properties (lower lipophilicity and molecular weight and higher
      CNS MPO desirability score) than hit 1, and the lowest AChE inhibitory activity
      of the series (IC50 > 30 MUM), emerges as an interesting multi-trypanosomatid
      lead, amenable to further optimization particularly in terms of its selectivity
      index over mammalian cells. 

PMID- 26479032
TI  - Structure of a eukaryotic SWEET transporter in a homotrimeric complex.
AB  - Eukaryotes rely on efficient distribution of energy and carbon skeletons between
      organs in the form of sugars. Glucose in animals and sucrose in plants serve as
      the dominant distribution forms. Cellular sugar uptake and release require
      vesicular and/or plasma membrane transport proteins. Humans and plants use
      proteins from three superfamilies for sugar translocation: the major facilitator
      superfamily (MFS), the sodium solute symporter family (SSF; only in the animal
      kingdom), and SWEETs. SWEETs carry mono- and disaccharides across vacuolar or
      plasma membranes. Plant SWEETs play key roles in sugar translocation between
      compartments, cells, and organs, notably in nectar secretion, phloem loading for
      long distance translocation, pollen nutrition, and seed filling. Plant SWEETs
      cause pathogen susceptibility possibly by sugar leakage from infected cells. The
      vacuolar Arabidopsis thaliana AtSWEET2 sequesters sugars in root vacuoles; loss
      of-function mutants show increased susceptibility to Pythium infection. Here we
      show that its orthologue, the vacuolar glucose transporter OsSWEET2b from rice
      (Oryza sativa), consists of an asymmetrical pair of triple-helix bundles,
      connected by an inversion linker transmembrane helix (TM4) to create the
      translocation pathway. Structural and biochemical analyses show OsSWEET2b in an
      apparent inward (cytosolic) open state forming homomeric trimers. TM4 tightly
      interacts with the first triple-helix bundle within a protomer and mediates key
      contacts among protomers. Structure-guided mutagenesis of the close paralogue
      SWEET1 from Arabidopsis identified key residues in substrate translocation and
      protomer crosstalk. Insights into the structure-function relationship of SWEETs
      are valuable for understanding the transport mechanism of eukaryotic SWEETs and
      may be useful for engineering sugar flux. 

PMID- 26479033
TI  - The inner workings of the hydrazine synthase multiprotein complex.
AB  - Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) has a major role in the Earth's nitrogen
      cycle and is used in energy-efficient wastewater treatment. This bacterial
      process combines nitrite and ammonium to form dinitrogen (N2) gas, and has been
      estimated to synthesize up to 50% of the dinitrogen gas emitted into our
      atmosphere from the oceans. Strikingly, the anammox process relies on the highly
      unusual, extremely reactive intermediate hydrazine, a compound also used as a
      rocket fuel because of its high reducing power. So far, the enzymatic mechanism
      by which hydrazine is synthesized is unknown. Here we report the 2.7 A resolution
      crystal structure, as well as biophysical and spectroscopic studies, of a
      hydrazine synthase multiprotein complex isolated from the anammox organism
      Kuenenia stuttgartiensis. The structure shows an elongated dimer of
      heterotrimers, each of which has two unique c-type haem-containing active sites,
      as well as an interaction point for a redox partner. Furthermore, a system of
      tunnels connects these active sites. The crystal structure implies a two-step
      mechanism for hydrazine synthesis: a three-electron reduction of nitric oxide to
      hydroxylamine at the active site of the gamma-subunit and its subsequent
      condensation with ammonia, yielding hydrazine in the active centre of the alpha
      subunit. Our results provide the first, to our knowledge, detailed structural
      insight into the mechanism of biological hydrazine synthesis, which is of major
      significance for our understanding of the conversion of nitrogenous compounds in
      nature. 

PMID- 26479034
TI  - Bacteriocin production augments niche competition by enterococci in the mammalian
      gastrointestinal tract.
AB  - Enterococcus faecalis is both a common commensal of the human gastrointestinal
      tract and a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. Systemic infections
      with multidrug-resistant enterococci occur subsequent to gastrointestinal
      colonization. Preventing colonization by multidrug-resistant E. faecalis could
      therefore be a valuable approach towards limiting infection. However, little is
      known about the mechanisms E. faecalis uses to colonize and compete for stable
      gastrointestinal niches. Pheromone-responsive conjugative plasmids encoding
      bacteriocins are common among enterococcal strains and could modulate niche
      competition among enterococci or between enterococci and the intestinal
      microbiota. We developed a model of colonization of the mouse gut with E.
      faecalis, without disrupting the microbiota, to evaluate the role of the
      conjugative plasmid pPD1 expressing bacteriocin 21 (ref. 4) in enterococcal
      colonization. Here we show that E. faecalis harbouring pPD1 replaces indigenous
      enterococci and outcompetes E. faecalis lacking pPD1. Furthermore, in the
      intestine, pPD1 is transferred to other E. faecalis strains by conjugation,
      enhancing their survival. Colonization with an E. faecalis strain carrying a
      conjugation-defective pPD1 mutant subsequently resulted in clearance of
      vancomycin-resistant enterococci, without plasmid transfer. Therefore,
      bacteriocin expression by commensal bacteria can influence niche competition in
      the gastrointestinal tract, and bacteriocins, delivered by commensals that occupy
      a precise intestinal bacterial niche, may be an effective therapeutic approach to
      specifically eliminate intestinal colonization by multidrug-resistant bacteria,
      without profound disruption of the indigenous microbiota. 

PMID- 26479037
TI  - Impact of spiked concentrations of Cd, Pb, As and Zn in growth medium on
      elemental uptake of Nasturtium officinale (Watercress).
AB  - This study is aimed at investigating the impact of water quality on the uptake
      and distribution of three non-essential and toxic elements, namely, As, Cd and Pb
      in the watercress plant to assess for metal toxicity. The plant was
      hydroponically cultivated under greenhouse conditions, with the growth medium
      being spiked with varying concentrations of As, Cd and Pb. Plants that were
      harvested weekly for elemental analysis showed physiological and morphological
      symptoms of toxicity on exposure to high concentrations of Cd and Pb. Plants
      exposed to high concentrations of As did not survive and the threshold for As
      uptake in watercress was established at 5 ppm. Translocation factors were low in
      all cases as the toxic elements accumulated more in the roots of the plant than
      the edible leaves. The impact of Zn on the uptake of toxic elements was also
      evaluated and Zn was found to have an antagonistic effect on uptake of both Cd
      and Pb with no notable effect on uptake of As. The findings indicate that
      phytotoxicity or death of the watercress plant would prevent it from being a
      route of human exposure to high concentrations of As, Cd and Pb in the
      environment.

PMID- 26479035
TI  - Microenvironment-induced PTEN loss by exosomal microRNA primes brain metastasis
      outgrowth.
AB  - The development of life-threatening cancer metastases at distant organs requires
      disseminated tumour cells' adaptation to, and co-evolution with, the drastically
      different microenvironments of metastatic sites. Cancer cells of common origin
      manifest distinct gene expression patterns after metastasizing to different
      organs. Clearly, the dynamic interaction between metastatic tumour cells and
      extrinsic signals at individual metastatic organ sites critically effects the
      subsequent metastatic outgrowth. Yet, it is unclear when and how disseminated
      tumour cells acquire the essential traits from the microenvironment of metastatic
      organs that prime their subsequent outgrowth. Here we show that both human and
      mouse tumour cells with normal expression of PTEN, an important tumour
      suppressor, lose PTEN expression after dissemination to the brain, but not to
      other organs. The PTEN level in PTEN-loss brain metastatic tumour cells is
      restored after leaving the brain microenvironment. This brain microenvironment
      dependent, reversible PTEN messenger RNA and protein downregulation is
      epigenetically regulated by microRNAs from brain astrocytes. Mechanistically,
      astrocyte-derived exosomes mediate an intercellular transfer of PTEN-targeting
      microRNAs to metastatic tumour cells, while astrocyte-specific depletion of PTEN
      targeting microRNAs or blockade of astrocyte exosome secretion rescues the PTEN
      loss and suppresses brain metastasis in vivo. Furthermore, this adaptive PTEN
      loss in brain metastatic tumour cells leads to an increased secretion of the
      chemokine CCL2, which recruits IBA1-expressing myeloid cells that reciprocally
      enhance the outgrowth of brain metastatic tumour cells via enhanced proliferation
      and reduced apoptosis. Our findings demonstrate a remarkable plasticity of PTEN
      expression in metastatic tumour cells in response to different organ
      microenvironments, underpinning an essential role of co-evolution between the
      metastatic cells and their microenvironment during the adaptive metastatic
      outgrowth. Our findings signify the dynamic and reciprocal cross-talk between
      tumour cells and the metastatic niche; importantly, they provide new
      opportunities for effective anti-metastasis therapies, especially of consequence
      for brain metastasis patients. 

PMID- 26479036
TI  - Generation of human MHC (HLA-A11/DR1) transgenic mice for vaccine evaluation.
AB  - The rapid occurrence of emerging infectious diseases demonstrates an urgent need
      for a new preclinical experimental model that reliably replicates human immune
      responses. Here, a new homozygous humanized human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A11/DR1
      transgenic mouse (HLA-A11(+/+)/DR01(+/+)/H-2-beta2m(-/-)/IAbeta(-/-)) was
      generated by crossing HLA-A11 transgenic (Tg) mice with HLA-A2(+/+)/DR01(+/+)/H-2
      beta2m(-/-)/IAbeta(-/-) mice. The HLA-A11-restricted immune response of this
      mouse model was then examined. HLA-A11 Tg mice expressing a chimeric major
      histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule comprising the alpha1, alpha2, and
      beta2m domains of human HLA-A11 and the alpha3 transmembrane and cytoplasmic
      domains of murine H-2D(b) were generated. The correct integration of HLA-A11 and
      HLA-DR1 into the genome of the HLA-A11/DR1 Tg mice (which lacked the expression
      of endogenous H-2-I/II molecules) was then confirmed. Immunizing mice with a
      recombinant HBV vaccine or a recombinant HIV-1 protein resulted in the generation
      of IFN-gamma-producing cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) and antigen-specific
      antibodies. The HLA-A11-restricted CTL response was directed at HLA
      immunodominant epitopes. These mice represent a versatile animal model for
      studying the immunogenicity of HLA CTL epitopes in the absence of a murine MHC
      response. The established animal model will also be useful for evaluating and
      optimizing T cell-based vaccines and for studying differences in antigen
      processing between mice and humans.

PMID- 26479038
TI  - Possible Common Aetiology behind Maternal Preeclampsia and Congenital Heart
      Defects in the Child: a Cardiovascular Diseases in Norway Project Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aetiology of congenital heart defects (CHD) is mostly unknown,
      but maternal factors may modify the infant risk of CHD. We investigated the
      association between maternal preeclampsia and offspring risk of severe CHD in a
      nation-wide cohort study. METHODS: Information on all births registered in the
      Medical Birth Registry of Norway, 1994-2009, was completed with information on
      CHD diagnoses from national health registries and the Cardiovascular Diseases in
      Norway Project (CVDNOR). RESULTS: Among 914 703 singleton births without
      chromosomal abnormalities, 32 864 (3.6%) were born after a pregnancy with
      preeclampsia. The preeclampsia was diagnosed before the 34th week of pregnancy
      (early-onset preeclampsia) in 2618 (8.0% of preeclamptic pregnancies). CHDs were
      diagnosed in 10 691 infants; of these, 2473 had severe CHD. The risk of severe
      CHD was compared between births with and without maternal preeclampsia and
      estimated with binomial log-linear regression. When adjusting for year of birth,
      maternal age, parity, and pregestational diabetes, the risk ratio (RR) for severe
      CHD in offspring of mothers with any preeclampsia was 1.3 [95% confidence
      interval (CI) 1.1, 1.5], and in pregnancies with early-onset preeclampsia, the RR
      was 2.8 (95% CI 1.8, 4.4). The association between early-onset preeclampsia and
      specific types of severe CHD was stronger for atrioventricular septal defects
      (AVSD), with adjusted RR 13.5 (95% CI 6.8, 26.8). CONCLUSIONS: Early-onset
      preeclampsia was strongly associated with infant risk of severe CHD,
      specifically; the risk of AVSD was 15-fold higher if the mother was diagnosed
      with early-onset preeclampsia, suggesting common aetiological factors for early
      onset preeclampsia and erroneous fetal heart development.

PMID- 26479039
TI  - Engineering Rhodosporidium toruloides for increased lipid production.
AB  - Oleaginous yeast are promising organisms for the production of lipid-based
      chemicals and fuels from simple sugars. In this work, we explored Rhodosporidium
      toruloides for the production of lipid-based products. This oleaginous yeast
      natively produces lipids at high titers and can grow on glucose and xylose. As a
      first step, we sequenced the genomes of two strains, IFO0880, and IFO0559, and
      generated draft assemblies and annotations. We then used this information to
      engineer two R. toruloides strains for increased lipid production by over
      expressing the native acetyl-CoA carboxylase and diacylglycerol acyltransferase
      genes using Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation. Our best strain,
      derived from IFO0880, was able to produce 16.4 +/- 1.1 g/L lipid from 70 g/L
      glucose and 9.5 +/- 1.3 g/L lipid from 70 g/L xylose in shake-flask experiments.
      This work represents one of the first examples of metabolic engineering in R.
      toruloides and establishes this yeast as a new platform for production of fatty
      acid derived products.

PMID- 26479040
TI  - A Stretchable and Highly Sensitive Graphene-Based Fiber for Sensing Tensile
      Strain, Bending, and Torsion.
AB  - Wearable sensors are increasingly finding their way into applications of
      kinesthetic sensing, personal health monitoring, and smart prosthetics/robotics.
      A graphene-based composite fiber sensor with a "compression spring" structure is
      fabricated, featuring the ability of detecting multiple kinds of deformation.
      This fiber sensor is integrated into wearable sensors for monitoring human
      activities and intricate movements of robotics successfully. 

PMID- 26479041
TI  - Effects of streptozotocin-induced type 1 maternal diabetes on PI3K/AKT signaling
      pathway in the hippocampus of rat neonates.
AB  - Diabetes in pregnancy impairs hippocampus development in offspring, leading to
      behavioral problems and learning deficits. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein
      kinase B (PKB/Akt) signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in the regulation of
      neuronal proliferation, survival and death. The present study was designed to
      examine the effects of maternal diabetes on PKB/Akt expression and
      phosphorylation in the developing rat hippocampus. Wistar female rats were
      maintained diabetic from a week before pregnancy through parturition and male
      offspring was killed at first postnatal day (P1). The hippocampal expression and
      phosphorylation level of PKB/Akt, one of the key molecules in PI3K/AKT signaling
      pathway, was evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and
      western blot analysis. We found a significant bilateral downregulation of AKT1
      gene expression in the hippocampus of pups born to diabetic mothers (p < 0.05).
      Interestingly, our results revealed a marked upregulation of Akt1 gene in insulin
      treated group compared with other groups (p < 0.05). The western blot analysis
      also showed the reduction of phosphorylation level of all AKT isoforms in both
      diabetic and insulin-treated groups compared with control (p < 0.05). Moreover,
      the results showed a significant increase in phosphorylation level of AKT in
      insulin-treated group compared with the diabetic group. These results represent
      that diabetes during pregnancy strongly influences the regulation of PKB/AKT in
      the developing rat hippocampus. Furthermore, although the control of glycemia by
      insulin administration is not sufficient to prevent the alterations in PKB/Akt
      expression, it modulates the phosphorylation process, thus ultimately resulting
      in a situation comparable to that found in the normal condition. 

PMID- 26479042
TI  - New insights into the functions of intersectin-1s.
AB  - Intersectin-1s (ITSN) is a ubiquitously expressed multifunctional protein known
      as a scaffold and regulator of the general endocytic machinery as well as a
      critical integrator of cellular signaling pathways. We showed recently that ITSN
      deficiency triggers a transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta)/Alk5 signaling
      switch, from the canonical Smad 2/3 to the Erk1/2 MAPK pathway; moreover,
      endocytic impairment induced by ITSN deficiency enhances Alk5 ubiquitination and
      degradation and elicits TGFbeta-paracrine effects mediated by circulating
      microparticles, leading to endothelial cell survival and increased proliferation.
      The studies expand our understanding of how ITSN facilitates cross-regulation of
      signaling pathways and provide insights into the involvement of ITSN deficiency
      in human disease. 

PMID- 26479043
TI  - TVT for the treatment of urodynamic stress incontinence: Efficacy and adverse
      effects at 13-year follow-up.
AB  - AIM: To assess long-term subjective, objective, and urodynamic outcomes of
      retropubic mid-urethral slings at 13-year follow-up. METHODS: This was a
      prospective observational study. Consecutive women with proven urodynamic stress
      incontinence were treated with standard retropubic tension free vaginal tape
      (TVT). Patients with mixed incontinence and/or anatomic evidence of pelvic organ
      prolapse were excluded. All the included patients underwent preoperative clinical
      and urodynamic evaluations. During follow-up examinations, women were assessed
      for subjective satisfaction and objective cure rates. The Cox model was used in
      order to investigate factors predicting the risk of recurrent stress urinary
      incontinence (SUI), over the study period. RESULTS: Overall, 55 patients were
      suitable for the analysis. At 13-year follow-up, 47 out of 55 (85.5%) patients
      declared themselves cured (p-for-trend 0.02) and 48 out of 58 (87.2%) were at
      least improved (p-for-trend 0.07). No significant deterioration of objective cure
      rates was observed over time (P = 0.29). At the time of the last evaluation, 50
      out of 55 (90.9%) women were objectively cured; urodynamic evaluation confirmed
      this finding in 49 (89.1%) patients. Considering factors predictive of SUI
      recurrence, we observed that, via multivariate analysis, obesity (HR 7.2; P =
      0.01) and maximum detrusor pressure during the voiding phase <=29 cmH2 O (HR 8.0;
      P = 0.01) were the only independent predictors of recurrent SUI. CONCLUSION: Our
      data confirmed that TVT is a highly effective and safe procedure also at 13-year
      follow-up. Interestingly, we observed a significant decrease of subjective
      satisfaction over time. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:192-197, 2017. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26479046
TI  - Scientific Collaboration in Chinese Nursing Research: A Social Network Analysis
      Study.
AB  - Collaboration has become very important in research and in technological
      progress. Coauthorship networks in different fields have been intensively studied
      as an important type of collaboration in recent years. Yet there are few
      published reports about collaboration in the field of nursing. This article aimed
      to reveal the status and identify the key features of collaboration in the field
      of nursing in China. Using data from the top 10 nursing journals in China from
      2003 to 2013, we constructed a nursing scientific coauthorship network using
      social network analysis. We found that coauthorship was a common phenomenon in
      the Chinese nursing field. A coauthorship network with 228 subnetworks formed by
      1428 nodes was constructed. The network was relatively loose, and most
      subnetworks were of small scales. Scholars from Shanghai and from military
      medical system were at the center of the Chinese nursing scientific coauthorship
      network. We identified the authors' positions and influences according to the
      research output and centralities of each author. We also analyzed the
      microstructure and the evolution over time of the maximum subnetwork. 

PMID- 26479044
TI  - Role of AINTEGUMENTA-like gene NtANTL in the regulation of tobacco organ growth.
AB  - The Nicotiana tabacum AINTEGUMENTA-like gene (NtANTL), encoding one of AP2/ERF
      transcription factors, is a putative ortholog of the AtANT gene from Arabidopsis
      thaliana. In wild-type tobacco plants, the NtANTL gene was expressed in the
      actively dividing young flowers, shoot apices, and calluses, while the level of
      its mRNA increased considerably after treatment with exogenous 6
      benzylaminopurine, indoleacetic acid and 24-epibrassinolide. We found a positive
      correlation among the expression levels of NtANTL, cyclin NtCYCD3;1 and cyclin
      dependent kinase NtCDKB1-1 genes, suggesting possible molecular links between
      AINTEGUMENTA and cell cycle regulators in tobacco plants. However, no correlation
      was observed between NtANTL, NtCYCD3;1 and NtCDKB1-1 expression levels in
      response to NaCl and ABA. These observations indicate that the transcription
      factor NtANTL was not involved in the regulation of the cellular response to
      salinity nor did it affect the expression of NtCYCD3;1 and NtCDKB1-1 when tobacco
      plants were exposed to salt stress and ABA. In addition, we generated transgenic
      tobacco plants with both up-regulated and down-regulated expression of the NtANTL
      gene. Constitutive expression of the NtANTL gene contributed to an increase in
      the size of leaves and corolla of transgenic plants. Transgenic plants with
      reduced expression of the NtANTL gene had smaller leaves, flowers and stems, but
      showed a compensatory increase in the cell size of leaves and flowers. The
      results show the significance of the NtANTL gene for the control of organ growth
      by both cell division and expansion in tobacco plants. 

PMID- 26479047
TI  - Transient generalized glucocorticoid hypersensitivity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transient generalized glucocorticoid hypersensitivity is a rare
      disorder characterized by increased tissue sensitivity to glucocorticoids and
      compensatory hypo-activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The
      condition itself and the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been
      elucidated. OBJECTIVE: To present the clinical manifestations, endocrinologic
      evaluation and transcriptomic profile in a patient with transient generalized
      glucocorticoid hypersensitivity. DESIGN AND RESULTS: A 9-year-old girl presented
      with an 8-month history of clinical manifestations suggestive of Cushing
      syndrome. Endocrinologic evaluation revealed undetectable 08:00 h ACTH (<1 pg/mL)
      and cortisol (0.025 MUg/dL) concentrations, which remained decreased throughout
      the 24-h period and did not respond to stimulation with ovine CRH. The disease
      gradually resolved spontaneously over the ensuing 3 months. Sequencing of the
      human glucocorticoid receptor gene revealed no mutations or polymorphisms.
      Western blot analysis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells revealed equal
      protein expression of hGRalpha of the patient in the disease and postresolution
      phases compared with a control subject. Transcriptomic analysis in peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells in the disease and postresolution phases identified 903
      differentially expressed genes. Of these, 106 genes were up-regulated and 797
      were down-regulated in the disease compared with the resolution phase.
      Bioinformatics analysis on the differentially expressed gene networks revealed
      Nuclear Factor-kappaB as the predominant transcription factor influencing the
      expression of the majority of differentially expressed genes. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      findings indicate that a transient postreceptor defect, or a virus- or bacterium
      encoded molecule, may have enhanced glucocorticoid signal transduction, leading
      to transient generalized glucocorticoid hypersensitivity and hypo-activation of
      the HPA axis.

PMID- 26479048
TI  - Development and validation of an Argentine set of facial expressions of emotion.
AB  - Pictures of facial expressions of emotion are used in a wide range of
      experiments. The last decade has seen an increase in the number of studies
      presenting local sets of emotion stimuli. However, only a few existing sets
      contain pictures of Latin Americans, despite the growing attention emotion
      research is receiving in this region. Here we present the development and
      validation of the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Expresiones de Emociones
      Faciales (UNCEEF), a Facial Action Coding System (FACS)-verified set of pictures
      of Argentineans expressing the six basic emotions, plus neutral expressions. FACS
      scores, recognition rates, Hu scores, and discrimination indices are reported.
      Evidence of convergent validity was obtained using the Pictures of Facial Affect
      in an Argentine sample. However, recognition accuracy was greater for UNCEEF. The
      importance of local sets of emotion pictures is discussed.

PMID- 26479049
TI  - [Immunogenetics of glomerulopathies].
AB  - There are many evidences that the HLA genes are risk factors for kidney complex
      disease for the pathogenesis of which an abnormal response of the immune system
      is involved. In this review, we present the latest knowledge about the genetics
      of the HLA complex, the molecules encoded by the HLA genes, their polymorphism
      and the physiological role of the HLA system in the defense against infections.
      It then addresses the issue of the association between specific alleles of HLA
      and renal disorders. Many kidney diseases have been described associated with
      HLA. This review focuses on some examples of renal diseases, exploring in detail
      how certain HLA antigens are a risk factor for idiopathic membranous
      glomerulonephritis, Goodpasture's disease and vasculitis associated with the
      presence of ANCA. These diseases indeed offer a good example of how the presence
      of some variants of HLA class II genes in individuals who possess them promote
      the presentation of peptides derived from certain self proteins, able to initiate
      the autoimmune response. Immunogenetic study of many complex renal diseases can
      be useful for the understanding of their pathogenesis and the possible
      development of new therapies. 

PMID- 26479050
TI  - [Introduction].

PMID- 26479051
TI  - [Genetics of aHUS and transplant recurrence].
AB  - Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a rare disease with a triad of
      microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute renal failure.
      Several genetic and acquired abnormalities leading to abnormal activation of the
      alternative pathway of complement have been identified in patients with atypical
      HUS (aHUS). Studies over the past decade have shown that the risk of post
      transplant recurrence of aHUS depends on the underlying genetic abnormality. The
      risk is high in patients with mutations in genes (CFH, CFI, C3, CFB) encoding
      circulating complement proteins and regulators, while patients with mutations in
      membrane cofactor protein (MCP) and diacylglycerol kinase E (DGKE) generally show
      good transplant outcome. Recent data provided evidence about the efficacy of the
      anti-C5 monoclonal antibody Eculizumab in the prevention and treatment of post
      transplant aHUS recurrences. 

PMID- 26479052
TI  - [Diagnosis of Alport syndrome].
AB  - Diagnosis of Alport syndrome or Thin basement membrane disease is suggested first
      of all by the clinical picture, the presence of neurisensorial hypoacusia and/or
      ocular abnormalities, and the family history which should be as accurate as
      possible involving the largest number possible of family members to recognize the
      transmission modalities, i.e. X-linked or autosomal. Renal biopsy remains the
      main tool to confirm the diagnosis and requires electron microscopy observation
      and collagen IV alpha chains investigation on renal tissue by means of specific
      antibodies. Skin biopsy is a useful and less invasive tool in families with X
      linked Alport syndrome and can substitute renal biopsy in childhood as well as in
      patients with contraindication to renal biopsy. Confocal microscopy is mandatory
      to reduce the risk of false negative results in patients with segmental
      expression of alpha chains. Genetic analysis is at present indicated for studying
      subjects at risk for family planning or possible kidney donation but new
      techniques (Next Generation Sequencing) might increase their use in clinical
      practice.

PMID- 26479053
TI  - [Kidney Transplantation and inborn errors of metabolism].
AB  - Inherited kidney diseases constitute at least 150 different disorders and they
      have an overall prevalence of about 6080 cases per 100,000 in Europe and in USA.
      At least 10% of adults and nearly all children who progress to renal-replacement
      therapy have an inherited kidney disease, representing the fifth most common
      cause of end-stage renal disease after diabetes, hypertension,
      glomerulonephritis, and pyelonephritis. These conditions include both structural
      and functional disorders, among which are counted diseases resulting from inborn
      errors of metabolism (IEM). Some inborn errors of metabolism primarily affect
      kidney and because of progress in renal replacement therapy, patients with
      inherited kidney disorders rarely die when their disease progresses and can live
      for many years. However, these patients often have compromised health with a poor
      quality of life. Renal transplantation offers a viable treatment option for those
      inborn errors of metabolism characterized by primary renal damage caused by
      dysfunction of a mutated protein, as in cystinuria. In this case, the indication
      to renal transplantation makes it possible to overcome the specific enzyme
      defect. However this option remains valid even when the genetic defect is
      expressed systemically and renal involvement is just one of the clinical
      manifestations of the disease, as in Anderson-Fabry disease, cystinosis,
      hereditary amyloidosis and primary hyperoxaluria. In these conditions, renal
      transplantation is combined with the liver (primary hyperoxaluria) or cardiac
      transplant (familial amyloidosis) improving the quality and life expectancy of
      patients.

PMID- 26479054
TI  - [Genetic approach to nephrolithiasis].
AB  - Nephrolithiasis (NL) has high and increasing prevalence in western countries.
      Most renal stones contain calcium and/or uric acid and often occur as idiopathic
      stones, while seldom are caused by genetic disorders. Conversely, cystinuria,
      xantinuria, 2-8 dihydroxyadeninuria only occur in patients with mutations of
      corresponding genes. Inherited NL must be suspected in case of early onset,
      positive family history, severe recurrence rate, associated biochemical
      disorders, abnormal urinary sediment, renal insufficiency, involvement of other
      organs or apparatus. Pathophysiology is based on different mechanisms:
      electrolytic abnormalities, altered tubular transport, acid-base imbalances,
      cystic renal diseases. Sometimes NL is iatrogenic. Here we review some genetic
      NL, not only characterized by clinical relevance but also by the scientific
      interest in view of our better understanding of mechanisms of stone formation.
      Namely, Dents syndrome, calcium sensing receptor mutations, familial
      hypopomagnesiemic hypercalciuria (FHHNC), hypophosphatemic rickets (HHRH), renal
      tubular acidosis (dRTA), primary hyperoxaluria (PH), cystinuria, 2-8
      dihydroxyadeninuria (2-8 DHA). We will briefly report on prevalence, genetics,
      pathophysiology, clinical aspects and treatment. The need for early diagnosis
      stems from the fact that, for most of these, selective treatment may be highly
      effective and can prevent progression to ESRD. Lastly, a better knowledge and
      understanding of genetic NL is a premise to study polymorphisms of candidate
      genes also in the setting of so-called idiopathic disease.

PMID- 26479055
TI  - [Genetic approach to hypertensive nephrosclerosis].
AB  - Several epidemiological and experimental studies suggest an important role of
      genetic factors in the pathogenesis of hypertensive nephrosclerosis. However,
      identification of susceptibility genes is difficult. The association between
      apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1) variants and non-diabetic chronic kidney disease
      in African Americans has modified the approach to hypertensive glomerular
      sclerosis, as a member of a single disease spectrum: APOL1-associated FSGS. 

PMID- 26479056
TI  - [Innate immunity and transplantation].
AB  - Innate immunity is the first barrier against pathogen infection and has also the
      important function of activating the adaptive immunity. The receptors of innate
      immunity, such as toll-like receptors and other receptors, recognize as danger
      signals the molecular patterns of pathogens as well as those of endogenous
      molecules released by dying cells. The information is transmitted to adapter
      proteins that, through a chain of kinases that translate the signal to
      transcription factors regulating inflammatory genes. In the inflammatory milieu
      dendritic cells become mature, intercept the antigen and migrate to lymphoid
      organs where they present the antigen to naive T cells. Complement also exerts an
      important role of bridge between innate and adaptive immunity. In donor-deceased
      kidney transplantation, the innate immunity is triggered in the donor by brain
      death and is aggravated by the cold ischemia and even more by reperfusion. Once
      activated, innate immunity produces a local inflammatory environment leading to
      dendritic cell maturation and complement activation. Dendritic cells present the
      alloantigen to T cells and induce their differentiation towards effector Th1 and
      Th17 while inhibiting Th2 and T regulatory cells. A main goal of the current
      research in transplantation is to obtain an immunological tolerance. Experimental
      studies showed the possibility of inducing operative tolerance in murine models
      and even in primates with the infusion of regulatory dendritic cells. However,
      there are no data with this technique in clinical transplantation.

PMID- 26479057
TI  - [Kidney diseases associated with uromodulin (Tamm-Horsfall protein)].
AB  - Uromodulin is the most abundant protein excreted in the urine under physiological
      conditions. It is exclusively expressed in the kidney by epithelial cells lining
      the thick ascending limb of Henles loop. It is mainly localized at the apical
      plasma membrane of tubular cells and released through a proteolytic cleavage.
      Although its function is still elusive it is proposed to have a protective role
      against urinary tract infection and kidney stone formation, in ion transport and
      in kidney innate immunity. Mutations in the gene UMOD encoding uromodulin lead to
      rare autosomal dominant diseases, collectively referred to as uromodulin
      associated kidney disease, that are characterized by progressive tubulo
      interstitial damage, impaired urinary concentrating ability, hyperuricemia, and
      progressive renal failure. Recently, genome-wide association studies identified
      uromodulin as a risk factor for chronic kidney disease and hypertension. Risk
      variants in the UMOD gene are common in all studied populations and are
      associated with higher expression and urinary level of the protein. 

PMID- 26479058
TI  - [Podocytes: genetics and biology].
AB  - Progresses in podocyte biology have been strictly connected with genetic
      advances; the identification of genes mutated in familial and sporadic forms of
      nephrotic syndrome has been followed by functional studies of the encoded
      proteins, revealing numerous properties of the cell. The molecules uncovered so
      far belong to three main categories: a) proteins located at the slit diaphragm,
      the intercellular junction which laterally connects podocyte processes and is
      responsible for selectivity of the glomerular filter, b) molecules involved in
      regulation of actin dynamics, which are essential for the maintenance of podocyte
      structure and function, and c) molecules belonging to intracellular organelles,
      such as mitochondria and lysosomes, which are central players in podocyte
      metabolism. Considering the key role of the podocyte in health and disease of the
      glomerular filter, better knowledge of this cell is a pre-requisite for
      developing targeted therapies of glomerular diseases. 

PMID- 26479059
TI  - [Genetics of mesangial IgA nephropathy].
AB  - IgA nephropathy is the most common form of primary glomerulonephritis, with a
      variable prevalence depending on the geographic area of examination. Marked
      differences in disease prevalence has suggested that genetics could play a role
      in the pathogenesis of the disease, indicating the existence of susceptibility
      genes detected with different frequencies in geographically separated
      populations. Moreover, familial forms of IgAN have been reported worldwide, in
      sibling pairs, families and extended pedigrees belonging to geographically
      isolated populations. In this article we describe recent discoveries in genetic
      studies on IgAN. If candidate-gene association studies require first survey on
      the pathogenesis of the disease, since the candidate loci are selected on the
      basis of information gathered from traditional biology, the linkage analysis
      consist in an alternative approach. Several susceptibility loci have been
      identified in pedigrees segregating for IgAN, but not the causative mutations of
      the disease. Further progress in the field of knowledge about the genetics of
      IgAN has recently been obtained by the application of genome-wide association
      studies (GWAS) in large cohorts of cases and controls of IgAN. GWAS have
      identified multiple susceptibility loci coding for genes involved in critical
      mechanisms for the development of IgAN and, accordingly, have shed new light on
      the biology of the disease, revealing unknown pathogenic pathways. The close
      connection between IgAN and many autoimmune diseases has been demonstrated.
      Moreover, these studies have made the correlation of genetic risk score of
      developing IgAN with the geo-epidemiological aspect of the disease possible. The
      goal of the integrated genomic approach will be to discover new potential
      therapeutic targets. 

PMID- 26479060
TI  - [Familial Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, a vademecum for clinical
      nephrologist].
AB  - The new genomic technologies (Next Generation Sequencing, NGS) are opening a new
      era in Genomic Medicine. This simple guide gives a state-of-the-art description
      of the genes that cause Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis and nephrotic
      syndrome. 

PMID- 26479061
TI  - [The ciliopathies--Polycystic Kidney Disease].
AB  - The primary cilium is an organelle composed of microtubules that emerges from the
      cell surface. Its inappropriate structure or function leads to the onset of a
      series of disease conditions collectively defined as ciliopathies, a class of
      genetic disorders with a variety of manifestations in different organs. In the
      kidneys the ciliopathies manifest with renal cysts and propotype diseases are
      autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive polycystic kidney diseases (ADPKD and
      ARPKD, respectively) . ADPKD is one of the most frequent genetic disorders
      affecting 1: 500 to 1: 1000 at birth. It manifests primarily with the formation
      of cysts in both kidneys that increase in number and size during the life of an
      individual, eventually causing loss of renal function. ADPKD is caused by
      mutations in the genes PKD1 (85% of cases) or PKD2 (15% of cases), encoding for
      polycystin-1 (PC-1) and polycystin-2 (PC-2) respectively. The PC-1/PC-2 complex
      was found on the primary cilium and elsewhere. Here we summarize recent work from
      our and other labs suggesting that defective planar cell polarity and cellular
      shape might underly PKD and additional work suggesting that defective glucose
      metabolism is a feature of this disease. This is the summary of a presentation
      delivered during a recent meeting on the genetics of renal diseases. 

PMID- 26479062
TI  - [Genetic Basis of Congenital Anomalies of the Kidney and Urinary Tract].
AB  - Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) occur have an
      incidence of about 1% and they are one of the most common birth defects. CAKUT is
      the most common cause of end stage renal disease in children, leading to high
      morbidity and mortality in these patients. Recent studies indicate a strong
      genetic component in the determination of CAKUT. The genetic architecture of
      these malformations involves both point mutations and structural variants. The
      recent improvement in next-generation sequencing technologies resulted in a boost
      on discovery of new genes involved in CAKUT. Results from micro-array study have
      demonstrated that rare structural variants are an important source of genetic
      variation in patients with CAKUT. Moreover, these structural variants have been
      proven to be associated with developmental disorders that develop later in life,
      especially neurodevelopment diseases, such as autism, schizophrenia, epilepsy,
      intellectual disability, and others. The easy pre-natal diagnosis of CAKUT by
      ultrasound and the possibility of a rapid molecular diagnosis in a significant
      fraction of patients, implicate the kidney and urinary tract as new possible
      sentinels for other diseases that develop later in life, bearing strong
      implications for personalized medicine. 

PMID- 26479063
TI  - Dynapenic obesity and the risk of incident Type 2 diabetes: the English
      Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
AB  - AIM: Obesity is a well-established risk factor for developing Type 2 diabetes.
      Evidence suggests that sarcopenia, the age-related decline in muscle mass and
      strength, may exacerbate diabetes risk in obese individuals. The aim of this
      study was to determine the combined effect of obesity and low muscle strength,
      dynapenia, on the risk of incident Type 2 diabetes in older adults. METHODS:
      Participants were 5953 (1670 obese) men and women from the English Longitudinal
      Study of Ageing without known Type 2 diabetes at baseline and for whom handgrip
      strength, biochemical and other clinical data were collected. A diagnosis of Type
      2 diabetes was recorded from self-reported physician diagnosis over 6 years.
      RESULTS: For each unit increase in grip strength, there was a reduction in
      diabetes risk (age-, sex- and BMI adjusted HR; 0.98; 95% CI 0.96-0.99). The risk
      of Type 2 diabetes was elevated in all obese participants, but was greatest in
      those with low handgrip strength (HR = 4.93, 95% CI 2.85, 8.53) compared with non
      obese individuals with high handgrip strength. Eleven per cent of the sample met
      the threshold for weakness (handgrip strength: men < 26 kg; women < 16 kg) that
      was associated with elevated Type 2 diabetes risk in obese (HR = 3.57, 95% CI
      2.04, 6.24) but not in non-obese (HR = 0.86, 95% CI, 0.44, 1.68) compared with
      normal/non-obese participants. CONCLUSION: Dynapenic obesity, determined by high
      BMI and low handgrip strength, is associated with increased risk of incident Type
      2 diabetes in older people.

PMID- 26479065
TI  - Inner Retinal Refractile Lesions in Type 1 Neurofibromatosis.

PMID- 26479064
TI  - Rubisco Activase Is Also a Multiple Responder to Abiotic Stresses in Rice.
AB  - Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activase (RCA) is a nuclear gene
      that encodes a chloroplast protein that plays an important role in
      photosynthesis. Some reports have indicated that it may play a role in
      acclimation to different abiotic stresses. In this paper, we analyzed the stress
      responsive elements in the 2.0 kb 5'-upstream regions of the RCA gene promoter
      and the primary, secondary and tertiary structure of the protein. We identified
      some cis-elements of multiple stress-related components in the RCA promoter.
      Amino acid and evolution analyses showed that the RCA protein had conserved
      regions between different species; however, the size and type varied. The
      secondary structures, binding sites and tertiary structures of the RCA proteins
      were also different. This might reflect the differences in the transcription and
      translation levels of the two RCA isoforms during adaptation to different abiotic
      stresses. Although both the transcription and translation levels of RCA isoforms
      in the rice leaves increased under various stresses, the large isoform was
      increased more significantly in the chloroplast stroma and thylakoid. It can be
      concluded that RCA, especially RCAL, is also a multiple responder to abiotic
      stresses in rice, which provides new insights into RCA functions. 

PMID- 26479066
TI  - Breast conservation versus mastectomy for patients with T3 primary tumors (>5
      cm): A review of 5685 medicare patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although breast conservation therapy (BCT) is standard for breast
      cancer treatment, patients with tumors measuring >5 cm have been excluded from
      clinical trials. Nevertheless, only a few small retrospective series to date have
      compared BCT with mastectomy for tumors measuring >5 cm. The current study was
      performed to determine whether survival is equivalent for BCT versus mastectomy
      using a large national data set. METHODS: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End
      Results (SEER)-Medicare-linked cases were identified for patients aged >= 66
      years undergoing breast conservation for invasive, noninflammatory, nonmetastatic
      breast cancer between 1992 and 2009. Propensity score-based adjustment was used
      to account for demographics and tumor and treatment factors. RESULTS: A total of
      5685 patients with tumors measuring >5.0 cm underwent breast surgery, with 15.6%
      receiving BCT. Mean ages of the patients and tumor sizes were similar. Predictors
      of BCT included neoadjuvant chemotherapy and postoperative radiotherapy use,
      higher income, breast cancer as a first malignancy, and a higher Charlson
      Comorbidity Index. Predictors of mastectomy included younger age, nonductal
      histology, higher grade, numbers of lymph nodes examined and found to be
      positive, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage III disease, postoperative
      chemotherapy use, and residential region of the country. Adjusted overall and
      breast cancer-specific survival were not different between patients treated with
      BCT and mastectomy (hazard ratio, 0.934; 95% confidence interval, 0.791-1.103 [P
      = .419] for overall survival; and subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.042; 95%
      confidence interval, 0.793-1.369 [P = .769] for breast cancer-specific survival),
      with each improving over time. The median follow-up was 7.0 years. CONCLUSIONS:
      For Medicare patients with tumors measuring >5 cm, survival is similar between
      those treated with BCT and mastectomy as for patients with smaller primary
      tumors. Despite exclusion from randomized trials, BCT may remain an option for
      patients with larger tumors when deemed clinically and cosmetically amenable to
      surgical resection.

PMID- 26479068
TI  - Large-Scale Fabrication of Polymer Microcavities with Adjustable Openings and
      Surface Roughness Regulated by the Polarity of both Seed Surface and Monomers.
AB  - Polymer microcavities with adjustable openings and surface roughness are
      fabricated on a large scale via single-hole poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA)
      swelling seed particles. The size of openings of these microcavities can be
      adjusted by changing the amount of hydrophilic monomer, and the degree of surface
      roughness is easily regulated relying on the adjustment of the polarity of
      monomer. Furthermore, the morphology of PGMA/poly(styrene-methacrylic acid)
      (PGMA/P(S-MAA)) microparticles from microcavity to erythrocyte shape is
      controlled by the polarity of seed surface. From transmission electron microscopy
      images of PGMA/P(S-MAA) microparticles, a fresh polymer particle appears in the
      cavity. To confirm this phenomenon, thermal annealing process in dioxane/water
      solution is carried out. Considering the flexibility of polymers, the openings
      and closing of the prepared microparticles are regulated following the increase
      in volume ratio of dioxane/water. Ball-in-bowl-shaped PGMA/P(S-MAA)
      microparticles are further presented, which proves secondary nucleation of
      monomer in the polymerization stage.

PMID- 26479067
TI  - A Comparison Study of Canonical Correlation Analysis Based Methods for Detecting
      Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials.
AB  - Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) has been widely used in the detection of the
      steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) in brain-computer interfaces
      (BCIs). The standard CCA method, which uses sinusoidal signals as reference
      signals, was first proposed for SSVEP detection without calibration. However, the
      detection performance can be deteriorated by the interference from the
      spontaneous EEG activities. Recently, various extended methods have been
      developed to incorporate individual EEG calibration data in CCA to improve the
      detection performance. Although advantages of the extended CCA methods have been
      demonstrated in separate studies, a comprehensive comparison between these
      methods is still missing. This study performed a comparison of the existing CCA
      based SSVEP detection methods using a 12-class SSVEP dataset recorded from 10
      subjects in a simulated online BCI experiment. Classification accuracy and
      information transfer rate (ITR) were used for performance evaluation. The results
      suggest that individual calibration data can significantly improve the detection
      performance. Furthermore, the results showed that the combination method based on
      the standard CCA and the individual template based CCA (IT-CCA) achieved the
      highest performance. 

PMID- 26479069
TI  - Neurobehavioral foundation of environmental reactivity.
AB  - Sensitivity to environmental context has been of interest for many years, but the
      nature of individual differences in environmental sensitivity has become of
      particular focus over the past 2 decades. What is particularly uncertain are the
      neural variables and processes that mediate the effects of environment on
      developmental outcomes. Accordingly, we provide a neurobehavioral foundation of
      reactivity to the environment in several steps. First, the different patterns of
      environmental sensitivity are defined to identify the significant factors
      involved in the manifestation of these patterns. Second, we focus on
      neurobiological reactivity as the construct underlying variation in sensitivity
      to the environment by (a) providing an organizing threshold model of elicitation
      of neurobiology by environmental context; and (b) integrating the literature on 2
      sets of neuromodulators in terms of each modulator's (a) contribution to neural
      and behavioral reactivity to stimulation, and (b) relation to emotional
      motivational systems (dopamine, opiates and oxytocin, corticotropin-releasing
      hormone) or the general modulation of those systems (serotonin, norepinephrine,
      and GABA). Discussion concludes with (a) a comprehensive neurobehavioral
      framework of environmental reactivity based on a combinatorial model of a
      supertrait, (b) methodological implications of the model, and (c) a developmental
      perspective on environmental reactivity.

PMID- 26479070
TI  - Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? A meta-analysis of the
      experimental evidence.
AB  - Control theory and other frameworks for understanding self-regulation suggest
      that monitoring goal progress is a crucial process that intervenes between
      setting and attaining a goal, and helps to ensure that goals are translated into
      action. However, the impact of progress monitoring interventions on rates of
      behavioral performance and goal attainment has yet to be quantified. A systematic
      literature search identified 138 studies (N = 19,951) that randomly allocated
      participants to an intervention designed to promote monitoring of goal progress
      versus a control condition. All studies reported the effects of the treatment on
      (a) the frequency of progress monitoring and (b) subsequent goal attainment. A
      random effects model revealed that, on average, interventions were successful at
      increasing the frequency of monitoring goal progress (d+ = 1.98, 95% CI [1.71,
      2.24]) and promoted goal attainment (d+ = 0.40, 95% CI [0.32, 0.48]).
      Furthermore, changes in the frequency of progress monitoring mediated the effect
      of the interventions on goal attainment. Moderation tests revealed that progress
      monitoring had larger effects on goal attainment when the outcomes were reported
      or made public, and when the information was physically recorded. Taken together,
      the findings suggest that monitoring goal progress is an effective self
      regulation strategy, and that interventions that increase the frequency of
      progress monitoring are likely to promote behavior change.

PMID- 26479072
TI  - Research Training in Psychiatry Residency: Strategies for Reform.

PMID- 26479076
TI  - Nickel Nanoparticle-Decorated Porous Carbons for Highly Active Catalytic
      Reduction of Organic Dyes and Sensitive Detection of Hg(II) Ions.
AB  - High surface area carbon porous materials (CPMs) synthesized by the direct
      template method via self-assembly of polymerized phloroglucinol-formaldehyde
      resol around a triblock copolymer template were used as supports for nickel
      nanoparticles (Ni NPs). The Ni/CPM materials fabricated through a microwave
      assisted heating procedure have been characterized by various analytical and
      spectroscopic techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, field emission transmission
      electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, gas
      physisorption/chemisorption, thermogravimetric analysis, and Raman, Fourier
      transform infrared, and X-ray photon spectroscopies. Results obtained from
      ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy demonstrated that the supported Ni/CPM
      catalysts exhibit superior activity for catalytic reduction of organic dyes, such
      as methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB). Further electrochemical
      measurements by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV)
      also revealed that the Ni/CPM-modified electrodes showed excellent sensitivity
      (59.6 MUA MUM(-1) cm(-2)) and a relatively low detection limit (2.1 nM) toward
      the detection of Hg(II) ion. The system has also been successfully applied for
      the detection of mercuric ion in real sea fish samples. The Ni/CPM nanocomposite
      represents a robust, user-friendly, and highly effective system with prospective
      practical applications for catalytic reduction of organic dyes as well as trace
      level detection of heavy metals. 

PMID- 26479071
TI  - High-Throughput Sequencing-The Key to Rapid Biodiversity Assessment of Marine
      Metazoa?
AB  - The applications of traditional morphological and molecular methods for species
      identification are greatly restricted by processing speed and on a regional or
      greater scale are generally considered unfeasible. In this context, high
      throughput sequencing, or metagenetics, has been proposed as an efficient tool to
      document biodiversity. Here we evaluated the effectiveness of 454 pyrosequencing
      in marine metazoan community analysis using the 18S rDNA: V1-V2 region. Multiplex
      pyrosequencing of the V1-V2 region was used to analyze two pooled samples of DNA,
      one comprising 118 and the other 37 morphologically identified species, and one
      natural sample taken directly from a North Sea zooplankton community. A DNA
      reference library comprising all species represented in the pooled samples was
      created by Sanger sequencing, and this was then used to determine the optimal
      similarity threshold for species delineation. The optimal threshold was found at
      99% species similarity, with 85% identification success. Pyrosequencing was able
      to identify between fewer species: 67% and 78% of the species in the two pooled
      samples. Also, a large number of sequences for three species that were not
      included in the pooled samples were amplified by pyrosequencing, suggesting
      preferential amplification of some genotypes and the sensitivity of this approach
      to even low levels of contamination. Conversely, metagenetic analysis of the
      natural zooplankton sample identified many more species (particularly gelatinous
      zooplankton and meroplankton) than morphological analysis of a formalin-fixed
      sample from the same sampling site, suggesting an increased level of taxonomic
      resolution with pyrosequencing. The study demonstrated that, based on the V1-V2
      region, 454 sequencing does not provide accurate species differentiation and
      reliable taxonomic classification, as it is required in most biodiversity
      monitoring. The analysis of artificially prepared samples indicated that species
      detection in pyrosequencing datasets is complicated by potential PCR-based biases
      and that the V1-V2 marker is poorly resolved for some taxa. 

PMID- 26479078
TI  - Isolation of Uranyl Dicyanamide Complexes from N-Donor Ionic Liquids.
AB  - An ionic liquid (IL) approach for soft-donor f-element chemistry has been
      demonstrated by the isolation of several new uranyl dicyanamide complexes through
      reactions of UO2(NO3)2.6H2O with dicyanamide ([N(CN)2](-))-containing ILs. The
      [N(CN)2](-) ions are able to rapidly substitute uranium's O-donor ligands, as
      evidenced by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies on two anhydrous adducts of
      UO2(NO3)2 with [N(CN)2](-) ILs as well as by IR and NMR spectroscopic studies on
      solutions of UO2(NO3)2 in these ILs. By contrast, the slow reaction of
      UO2(OAc)2.2H2O with a nitrile-functionalized imidazolium dicyanamide IL in
      solvent and the reaction of UO2(NO3)2.6H2O with NaN(CN)2 at elevated temperature
      resulted in irreversible hydrolysis. The reaction of UO2SO4 with [N(CN)2](-) ions
      in an acidified aqueous solution resulted in the crystallization of a [UO2](2+)
      complex with biuret, a N(CN)2](-) hydrolysis product. [N(CN)2](-) ions in the
      form of ILs react rapidly with [UO2](2+) at room temperature, allowing ligand
      substitution with [N(CN)2](-) to out-compete the slower hydrolysis reaction,
      enabling the isolation of uranyl dicyanamide complexes and challenging
      assumptions regarding the affinity of uranium for O-donors. 

PMID- 26479077
TI  - Effect of health risk assessment and counselling on health behaviour and survival
      in older people: a pragmatic randomised trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Potentially avoidable risk factors continue to cause unnecessary
      disability and premature death in older people. Health risk assessment (HRA), a
      method successfully used in working-age populations, is a promising method for
      cost-effective health promotion and preventive care in older individuals, but the
      long-term effects of this approach are unknown. The objective of this study was
      to evaluate the effects of an innovative approach to HRA and counselling in older
      individuals for health behaviours, preventive care, and long-term survival.
      METHODS AND FINDINGS: This study was a pragmatic, single-centre randomised
      controlled clinical trial in community-dwelling individuals aged 65 y or older
      registered with one of 19 primary care physician (PCP) practices in a mixed rural
      and urban area in Switzerland. From November 2000 to January 2002, 874
      participants were randomly allocated to the intervention and 1,410 to usual care.
      The intervention consisted of HRA based on self-administered questionnaires and
      individualised computer-generated feedback reports, combined with nurse and PCP
      counselling over a 2-y period. Primary outcomes were health behaviours and
      preventive care use at 2 y and all-cause mortality at 8 y. At baseline,
      participants in the intervention group had a mean +/- standard deviation of 6.9
      +/- 3.7 risk factors (including unfavourable health behaviours, health and
      functional impairments, and social risk factors) and 4.3 +/- 1.8 deficits in
      recommended preventive care. At 2 y, favourable health behaviours and use of
      preventive care were more frequent in the intervention than in the control group
      (based on z-statistics from generalised estimating equation models). For example,
      70% compared to 62% were physically active (odds ratio 1.43, 95% CI 1.16-1.77, p
      = 0.001), and 66% compared to 59% had influenza vaccinations in the past year
      (odds ratio 1.35, 95% CI 1.09-1.66, p = 0.005). At 8 y, based on an intention-to
      treat analysis, the estimated proportion alive was 77.9% in the intervention and
      72.8% in the control group, for an absolute mortality difference of 4.9% (95% CI
      1.3%-8.5%, p = 0.009; based on z-test for risk difference). The hazard ratio of
      death comparing intervention with control was 0.79 (95% CI 0.66-0.94, p = 0.009;
      based on Wald test from Cox regression model), and the number needed to receive
      the intervention to prevent one death was 21 (95% CI 12-79). The main limitations
      of the study include the single-site study design, the use of a brief self
      administered questionnaire for 2-y outcome data collection, the unavailability of
      other long-term outcome data (e.g., functional status, nursing home admissions),
      and the availability of long-term follow-up data on mortality for analysis only
      in 2014. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first trial to our knowledge demonstrating that
      a collaborative care model of HRA in community-dwelling older people not only
      results in better health behaviours and increased use of recommended preventive
      care interventions, but also improves survival. The intervention tested in our
      study may serve as a model of how to implement a relatively low-cost but
      effective programme of disease prevention and health promotion in older
      individuals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: International Standard Randomized Controlled
      Trial Number: ISRCTN 28458424.

PMID- 26479079
TI  - Glucocorticoid Receptor Mediates the Effect of High-Fat Diet on Mitochondrial
      Oxidative Phosphorylation in Mouse Liver.
AB  - Obesity is associated with hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction. The relationship
      between glucocorticoids (GCs) and obesity has also been demonstrated in several
      researches. Recent research showed that GCs can affect the mitochondrial
      function. However, the role of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in obesity-induced
      mitochondrial dysfunction remains unclear. C57BL/6 male mice fed with a high-fat
      diet (HFD) for 7 weeks were used as a model. The mice were shown to be
      overweight, together with lower serum and hepatic corticosterone levels. The
      hepatic expressions of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-encoded genes were lower in the
      HFD mice, same as the mtDNA copy number, ATP content, and COX enzyme activity.
      Both the translocation of GR (NR3C1) into mitochondria and the binding of GR to
      the mtDNA were lower in the liver of HFD mice. The PGC1alpha mRNA expression,
      protein content, and translocation into mitochondria were also found to be
      reduced, with the lower GR binding to the promoter region of PGC1alpha in the
      liver of HFD mice. GR, as a transcription factor, may take an important role in
      the regulation of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in the HFD mice by
      interacting with PGC1alpha and controlling mtDNA expression. 

PMID- 26479080
TI  - Recent development in 3D food printing.
AB  - Robots and software have been significantly improving our daily lives by
      rendering us much convenience. And 3D printing is a typical example, for it is
      going to usher in a new era of localized manufacturing that is actually based on
      digital fabrication by layer-by-layer deposition in three-dimensional space. In
      terms of food industry, the revolution that three-dimensional printing
      technologies is bringing to food manufacturing is convenience of low-cost
      customized fabrication and even precise nutrition control. This paper is aimed to
      give a brief introduction of recent development of food printing and material
      property of food ingredients that can be used to design the 3D food matrix and
      investigate the relationship between process parameters and resulting printed
      food properties in order to establish a food manufacturing process with this new
      food production approach.

PMID- 26479081
TI  - The Role of Routine Biopsy of the Lacrimal Sac During Dacryocystorhinostomy
      Surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the role of routine histopathological evaluation of the
      lacrimal sac wall when performing dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) surgery. METHODS: A
      retrospective review was conducted of the histology findings in lacrimal sac
      biopsies, taken routinely, in an external-approach DCR series. This is a single
      surgeon (RB), single pathologist (AG) consecutive series. The histopathology
      reports were reviewed and collated. Each patient's medical history and risk
      factors for malignancy were recorded. The surgeon documented any abnormal
      lacrimal sac appearance at the time of surgery. RESULTS: No patient in this
      series of 245, in whom 254 histology specimens were taken, recorded a significant
      pathological result that was not anticipated from pre-operative assessment, or
      from the appearance of the lacrimal sac intra-operatively. CONCLUSION: The
      reported recommendation for routine histopathological evaluation of the lacrimal
      sac wall when performing DCR surgery is not supported by this consecutive series.
      The authors recommend histopathological evaluation only in the setting of pre
      existing clinical suspicion of malignancy, or an abnormal intra-operative
      appearance of the lacrimal sac.

PMID- 26479082
TI  - Structure and Properties of Precursor/Successor Complex and Transition State of
      the FeCl(2+)/Fe(2+) Electron Self-Exchange Reaction via the Inner-Sphere Pathway.
AB  - The electron self-exchange reaction FeCl(OH2)5(2+) + Fe(OH2)6(2+) -> Fe(OH2)6(2+)
      + FeCl(OH2)5(2+), proceeding via the inner-sphere pathway, was investigated with
      quantum chemical methods. Geometry and vibrational frequencies of the
      precursor/successor complex,
      (H2O)5Fe(III)ClFe(II)(OH2)5(4+)/(H2O)5Fe(II)ClFe(III)(OH2)5(4+) (P/S), and the
      transition state, (H2O)5FeClFe(OH2)5(4+?) (TS), were computed with the LC-BOP
      functional and CPCM hydration. Bent and linear structures were computed for the
      TS and P/S. The electronic coupling matrix element (Hab) and the electronic
      energies were calculated with multistate extended general multiconfiguration
      quasi-degenerate second-order perturbation theory (XGMC-QDPT2) and spin-orbit
      configuration interaction (SO-CI). Since the Fe...Fe distance changes
      considerably along the electron transfer step, the transformation P -> TS -> S,
      equations based on the hypothesis of a fixed donor-acceptor distance cannot be
      applied. Hence, the rate constant for the electron transfer step (ket) was
      calculated as described previously (Rotzinger, F. P. Inorg. Chem. 2014, 53,
      9923). ket is very fast, ~9.4 * 10(8)-6.6 * 10(9) s(-1) at 0  degrees C. The
      experimental rate constant of the title reaction (k) is much slower and
      controlled by the formation of the precursor complex. The substitution of a water
      ligand by FeCl(OH2)5(2+) at Fe(OH2)6(2+) is rate-determining. 

PMID- 26479083
TI  - Modulation of sensitivity and resistance to multikinase inhibitors by
      microenvironmental platelet factors in HCC.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Response of a tumor to chemotherapy or multikinase inhibitor
      therapy has been traditionally thought to be a reflection of the sum of the
      characteristics of both the drug and of the tumor cell resistance mechanisms.
      More recently, there has been a growing awareness of the role of non-tumor
      factors-both cellular and humoral-in the tumor microenvironment that can increase
      or decrease the tumor cellular responses to the therapy. This article focuses on
      platelet factors in clinical HCC and experimental evidence that they provide
      growth stimulants that can antagonize the growth inhibitory effects of therapy.
      AREAS COVERED: Review of the mechanisms of multikinase cancer growth inhibitors
      and of the role of platelets in providing growth factors that can antagonize
      their effects. EXPERT OPINION: These new ideas and data show that the response of
      a tumor to multikinase inhibitors or chemotherapy may be strongly influenced by
      microenvironmental factors. Conversely, antagonists to these environmental
      factors, such as EGFR inhibitors and IGF1-R inhibitors, might be expected to
      augment the anti-tumor effect of both chemotherapy and multikinase inhibitors.

PMID- 26479085
TI  - Observation of Plasmon Wave Packet Motions via Femtosecond Time-Resolved Near
      Field Imaging Techniques.
AB  - The generation and dynamics of plasmon wave packets in single gold nanorods were
      observed at a spatiotemporal scale of 100 nm and 10 fs via time-resolved near
      field optical microscopy. Following simultaneous excitation of two plasmon modes
      of a nanorod with an ultrashort near-field pulse, a decay and revival feature of
      the time-resolved signal was obtained, which reflected the reciprocating motion
      of the wave packet. The time-resolved near-field images were also indicative of
      the wave packet motion. At some period of time after the excitation, the spatial
      features of the two modes appeared alternately, showing motion of plasmonic wave
      crests along the rod. The wave packet propagation was clearly demonstrated from
      this observation with the aid of a simulation model. The present experimental
      scheme opens the door to coherent control of plasmon-induced optical fields in a
      nanometer spatial scale and femtosecond temporal scale. 

PMID- 26479084
TI  - What we talk about when we talk about NICUs: infants' acuity and nurse staffing.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Organizational features of neonatal intensive care influence the care
      of sick neonates. We estimated the acuity-adjusted nurse-to-patient ratio (NPR)
      in a national sample of Italian NICUs and factors influencing it. METHODS: Twelve
      monthly cross-sectional surveys were prospectively carried out in 63 NICUs.
      Number and acuity of infants, and number of nurses were recorded. Infants' acuity
      was assessed by Rogowki's 2013 and British Association for Perinatal Medicine
      2001 classifications. RESULTS: We collected 702 reports regarding 11 082 infants.
      Non-intensive infants represented about 75% of NICU residents. Very preterm
      infants (<1501 g birth weight or <30 weeks gestation) represented 10.8% of
      admissions, but 44% of all infants surveyed. Average acuity-adjusted NPR was 0.31
      (interquartile range 0.28-0.38); NPR depended on case-mix (proportion of
      intensive infants), size of the unit (larger units had a lower NPR) and was
      higher during morning shifts (+18%). Clustering on hospitals, reflecting shared
      components within each hospital, explained 47% of the variability of NPR.
      CONCLUSIONS: The majority of infants cared for in NICUs are not intensive. NPR is
      influenced by acuity of infants, size of units, shifts, but is largely due to
      other unobserved hospital-related organizational features.

PMID- 26479086
TI  - Solution-Processed Small-Molecule Bulk Heterojunctions: Leakage Currents and the
      Dewetting Issue for Inverted Solar Cells.
AB  - In organic photovoltaic (PV) devices based on solution-processed small molecules,
      we report here that the physicochemical properties of the substrate are critical
      for achieving high-performances organic solar cells. Three different substrates
      were tested: ITO coated with PEDOT: PSS, ZnO sol-gel, and ZnO nanoparticles. PV
      performances are found to be low when the ZnO nanoparticles layer is used. This
      performance loss is attributed to the formation of many dewetting points in the
      active layer, because of a relatively high roughness of the ZnO nanoparticles
      layer, compared to the other layers. We successfully circumvented this phenomenon
      by adding a small quantity of polystyrene (PS) in the active layer. The
      introduction of PS improves the quality of film forming and reduces the dark
      currents of solar cells. Using this method, high-efficiency devices were
      achieved, even in the case of substrates with higher roughness.

PMID- 26479087
TI  - Structure-Free Validation of Residual Dipolar Coupling and Paramagnetic
      Relaxation Enhancement Measurements of Disordered Proteins.
AB  - Residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) and paramagnetic relaxation enhancements (PREs)
      have emerged as valuable parameters for defining the structures and dynamics of
      disordered proteins by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Procedures
      for their measurement, however, may lead to conformational perturbations because
      of the presence of the alignment media necessary for recording RDCs, or of the
      paramagnetic groups that must be introduced for measuring PREs. We discuss here
      experimental methods for quantifying these effects by considering the case of the
      40-residue isoform of the amyloid beta peptide (Abeta40), which is associated
      with Alzheimer's disease. By conducting RDC measurements over a range of
      concentrations of certain alignment media, we show that perturbations arising
      from transient binding of Abeta40 can be characterized, allowing appropriate
      corrections to be made. In addition, by using NMR experiments sensitive to long
      range interactions, we show that it is possible to identify relatively
      nonperturbing sites for attaching nitroxide radicals for PRE measurements. Thus,
      minimizing the conformational perturbations introduced by RDC and PRE
      measurements should facilitate their use for the rigorous determination of the
      conformational properties of disordered proteins. 

PMID- 26479088
TI  - Drift from the Use of Hand-Held Knapsack Pesticide Sprayers in Boyaca (Colombian
      Andes).
AB  - Offsite pesticide losses in tropical mountainous regions have been little
      studied. One example is measuring pesticide drift soil deposition, which can
      support pesticide risk assessment for surface water, soil, bystanders, and off
      target plants and fauna. This is considered a serious gap, given the evidence of
      pesticide-related poisoning in those regions. Empirical data of drift deposition
      of a pesticide surrogate, Uranine tracer, within one of the highest potato
      producing regions in Colombia, characterized by small plots and mountain
      orography, is presented. High drift values encountered in this study reflect the
      actual spray conditions using hand-held knapsack sprayers. Comparison between
      measured and predicted drift values using three existing empirical equations
      showed important underestimation. However, after their optimization based on
      measured drift information, the equations showed a strong predictive power for
      this study area and the study conditions. The most suitable curve to assess mean
      relative drift was the IMAG calculator after optimization. 

PMID- 26479089
TI  - Migrant Workers in Agriculture: A View from Thailand.
AB  - There has been a dramatic increase in the global movement of workers during the
      last few decades. As Thailand has developed rapidly over the past 20 years, it
      has attracted laborers (both authorized and unauthorized) from the neighboring
      countries of Myanmar, People's Democratic Republic of Lao (Lao PDR), and
      Cambodia. Given that agriculture has been Thailand's most important industry, its
      continued growth has been dependent on migrant workers. Both crop agriculture and
      animal-production agriculture have employed migrant labor. Migrants have been
      hired to plant, weed, fertilize, spray pesticides, and harvest crops such as
      rice, corn, sugar cane, and cassava. They have worked at rubber and coffee
      plantations, as well as in the production of ornamental crops. Also, migrants
      have labored on pig, beef, and duck farms. There have been numerous documented
      health problems among migrant workers, including acute diarrhea, malaria, and
      fever of unknown causes. Occupational illness and injury have been a significant
      concern, and there has been limited health and safety training. This article
      reviewed the demographic changes in Thailand, studied the agricultural crops and
      animal production that are dependent on migrant labor, discussed the health
      status and safety challenges pertaining to migrant workers in agriculture, and
      described several recommendations. Among the recommendations, the conclusions of
      this study have suggested that addressing the cost for health care and solutions
      to health care access for migrant labor are needed. 

PMID- 26479090
TI  - Do Patients Want to Participate in Decisions About Their Own Medical Care?

PMID- 26479091
TI  - Placebo Effects and Informed Consent.
AB  - The concepts of placebos and placebo effects refer to extremely diverse
      phenomena. I recommend dissolving the concepts of placebos and placebo effects
      into loosely related groups of specific mechanisms, including (potentially among
      others) expectation-fulfillment, classical conditioning, and attentional-somatic
      feedback loops. If this approach is on the right track, it has three main
      implications for the ethics of informed consent. First, because of the
      expectation-fulfillment mechanism, the process of informing cannot be considered
      independently from the potential effects of treatment. Obtaining informed consent
      influences the effects of treatment. This provides support for the authorized
      concealment and authorized deception paradigms, and perhaps even for outright
      deceptive placebo use. Second, doctors may easily fail to consider the potential
      benefits of conditioning, leading them to misjudge the trade-off between
      beneficence and autonomy. Third, how attentional-somatic feedback loops play out
      depends not only on the content of the informing process but also on its framing.
      This suggests a role for libertarian paternalism in clinical practice. 

PMID- 26479092
TI  - Placebos, Full Disclosure, and Trust: The Risks and Benefits of Disclosing Risks
      and Benefits.

PMID- 26479093
TI  - Placebo, Nocebo, Informed Consent, and Moral Technologies.

PMID- 26479094
TI  - Informed Consent: Hints From Placebo and Nocebo Research.

PMID- 26479095
TI  - Dealing With Placebo Effects: A Plea to Take Into Account Contextual Factors.

PMID- 26479096
TI  - Destigmatising the Placebo Effect.

PMID- 26479097
TI  - Authorized Concealment and Authorized Deception: Well-Intended Secrets Are Likely
      to Induce Nocebo Effects.

PMID- 26479098
TI  - Clinical Placebo Can Be Defined Positively: Implications for Informed Consent.

PMID- 26479099
TI  - Doctors, Patients, and Nudging in the Clinical Context--Four Views on Nudging and
      Informed Consent.
AB  - In an analysis of recent work on nudging we distinguish three positions on the
      relationship between nudging founded in libertarian paternalism and the
      protection of personal autonomy through informed consent. We argue that all three
      positions fail to provide adequate protection of personal autonomy in the
      clinical context. Acknowledging that nudging may be beneficial, we suggest a
      fourth position according to which nudging and informed consent are valuable in
      different domains of interaction. 

PMID- 26479100
TI  - A Philosophical Misunderstanding at the Basis of Opposition to Nudging.

PMID- 26479101
TI  - On Nudging and Informed Consent.

PMID- 26479102
TI  - Evidence-Based Nudging: Best Practices in Informed Consent.

PMID- 26479103
TI  - In Defense of Nudge-Autonomy Compatibility.

PMID- 26479104
TI  - Are There Public Health Domains in "Domain-Specific" Health Nudging?

PMID- 26479105
TI  - When Aid Is a Good Thing: Trusting Relationships as Autonomy Support in Health
      Care Settings.

PMID- 26479106
TI  - Good Arguments, Wrong Target: Equivalence and the Compatibilist View.

PMID- 26479107
TI  - The Ethical Merits of Nudges in the Clinical Setting.

PMID- 26479108
TI  - Recontact and Recruitment of Young Adults Previously Enrolled in Neonatal Herpes
      Simplex Virus Research.

PMID- 26479110
TI  - A Knotty Problem of Intertwined Rights.

PMID- 26479109
TI  - Research Recruitment of Adult Survivors of Neonatal Infections: Is There a Role
      for Parental Consent?

PMID- 26479111
TI  - Consent Is the Cornerstone of Ethically Valid Research: Ethical Issues in
      Recontacting Subjects Who Enrolled in Research as a Minor.

PMID- 26479112
TI  - Is It Ethical to Enroll Cognitively Impaired Adults in Research That Is More Than
      Minimal Risk With No Prospect of Benefit?

PMID- 26479113
TI  - Inconsistent Approaches to Research Involving Cognitively Impaired Adults: Why
      the Broad View of Substituted Judgment Is Our Best Guide.

PMID- 26479114
TI  - Ethical and Regulatory Considerations Regarding Enrollment of Incompetent Adults
      in More Than Minimal Risk Research as Compared With Children.

PMID- 26479115
TI  - Acceptable Approaches to Enrolling Adults Who Cannot Consent in More Than Minimal
      Risk Research.

PMID- 26479116
TI  - Response to Open Peer Commentaries on "Placebo Effects and Informed Consent".

PMID- 26479118
TI  - Pd Nanoparticle Formation in Ionic Liquid Thin Films Monitored by in situ
      Vibrational Spectroscopy.
AB  - Ionic liquids (ILs) are flexible reaction media and solvents for the synthesis of
      metal nanoparticles (NPs). Here, we describe a new preparation method for
      metallic NPs in nanometer thick films of ultraclean ILs in an ultrahigh vacuum
      (UHV) environment. CO-covered Pd NPs are formed by simultaneous and by sequential
      physical vapor deposition (PVD) of the IL and the metal in the presence of low
      partial pressures of CO. The film thickness and the particle size can be
      controlled by the deposition parameters. We followed the formation of the NPs and
      their thermal behavior by time-resolved IR reflection absorption spectroscopy (TP
      IRAS) and by temperature-programmed IRAS (TR-IRAS). Codeposition of Pd and
      [C1C2Im][OTf] in CO at 100 K leads to the growth of homogeneous multilayer films
      of CO-covered Pd aggregates in an IL matrix. The size of these NPs can be
      controlled by the metal fraction in the co-deposit. With increasing metal
      fraction, the size of the Pd NPs also increases. At very low metal content, small
      Pd carbonyl-like species are formed, which bind CO in on-top geometry only. Upon
      annealing, the [OTf](-) anion coadsorbs at the NP surface and partially displaces
      CO. Co-adsorption of CO and IL is indicated by a strong red-shift of the CO
      stretching bands. While the weakly bound on-top CO is mainly replaced below the
      melting transition of the IL, coadsorbate shells with bridge-bonded CO and IL are
      stable well above the melting point. Larger three-dimensional Pd NPs can be
      prepared by PVD of Pd onto a solid [C1C2Im][OTf] film at 100 K. Upon annealing,
      on-top CO desorbs from these NPs below 200 K. Upon melting of the IL film, the CO
      covered Pd NPs immerse into the IL and again form a stable coadsorbate shell that
      consists of bridge-bonded CO and the IL. 

PMID- 26479119
TI  - Thionine-Modified Poly(glycidyl methacrylate) Nanospheres as Labels of Antibodies
      for Biosensing Applications.
AB  - Monodisperse poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) nanospheres were obtained by
      emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization and characterized by physicochemical
      methods. The effects of various reaction parameters on the particle properties
      were investigated. The particle size was controlled in the range of 350-420 nm.
      To introduce carboxyl groups, the PGMA nanospheres were hydrolyzed and oxidized
      with KMnO4. Subsequently, the enzyme horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and the
      electron mediator thionine were covalently attached to the PGMA nanospheres to
      obtain an antibody indicator suitable for enzyme-based electrochemical
      immunosensors. Combined HRP and thionine binding to the nanospheres had
      beneficial effects for the labeling efficiency and at the same time prevented the
      formation of soluble electron mediators. 

PMID- 26479120
TI  - Comparison of health behaviors among women brothel workers to those of the
      general population of women in Denmark.
AB  - Previous research on behavioral risk factors for illness among sex workers has
      been limited and based on mixed, poorly defined groups of sex workers. The aim of
      the present study was to compare the health behaviors and weight of women brothel
      workers with women in the general population in Denmark. Logistic regression
      analyses were used to compare data from eighty-eight women working in brothels in
      2010 with data from 3,225 women of similar age from the nationally representative
      Danish Health Survey 2010. Compared to Danish women, the prevalence of daily and
      heavy smoking was higher among brothel workers, but the prevalence of wanting to
      quit smoking was lower. The prevalence rates of exceeding the Danish high-risk
      level of alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and illicit drug use were higher
      among women brothel workers compared to Danish women. The prevalence of
      underweight was higher and overweight and obesity lower among brothel workers
      compared to Danish women. These differences were significant when adjusted for
      age and educational level. Few differences were noted regarding dietary habits
      and no differences regarding physical activity. Findings suggest the need for
      health-promotion initiatives, particularly for smoking, alcohol consumption, and
      drug use, targeted at women brothel workers. 

PMID- 26479121
TI  - Analysis of waste management issues arising from a field study evaluating
      decontamination of a biological agent from a building.
AB  - The Bio-response Operational Testing and Evaluation (BOTE) Project was a cross
      government effort designed to operationally test and evaluate a response to a
      biological incident (release of Bacillus anthracis [Ba] spores, the causative
      agent for anthrax) from initial public health and law enforcement response
      through environmental remediation. The BOTE Project was designed to address site
      remediation after the release of a Ba simulant, Bacillus atrophaeus spp. globigii
      (Bg), within a facility, drawing upon recent advances in the biological sampling
      and decontamination areas. A key component of response to a biological
      contamination incident is the proper management of wastes and residues, which is
      woven throughout all response activities. Waste is generated throughout the
      response and includes items like sampling media packaging materials, discarded
      personal protective equipment, items removed from the facility either prior to or
      following decontamination, aqueous waste streams, and materials generated through
      the application of decontamination technologies. The amount of residual
      contaminating agent will impact the available disposal pathways and waste
      management costs. Waste management is an integral part of the decontamination
      process and should be included through "Pre-Incident" response planning. Overall,
      the pH-adjusted bleach decontamination process generated the most waste from the
      decontamination efforts, and fumigation with chlorine dioxide generated the least
      waste. A majority of the solid waste generated during pH-adjusted bleach
      decontamination was the nonporous surfaces that were removed, bagged,
      decontaminated ex situ, and treated as waste. The waste during the two fumigation
      rounds of the BOTE Project was associated mainly with sampling activities. Waste
      management activities may represent a significant contribution to the overall
      cost of the response/recovery operation. This paper addresses the waste
      management activities for the BOTE field test. IMPLICATIONS: Management of waste
      is a critical element of activities dealing with remediation of buildings and
      outdoor areas following a biological contamination incident. Waste management
      must be integrated into the overall remediation process, along with sampling,
      decontamination, resource management, and other important response elements,
      rather than being a stand-alone activity. The results presented in this paper
      will provide decision makers and emergency planners at the
      federal/state/tribal/local level information that can be used to integrate waste
      management into an overall systems approach to planning and response activities.

PMID- 26479122
TI  - Neuroproteomics and microRNAs studies in multiple sclerosis: transforming
      research and clinical knowledge in biomarker research.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease characterized by extensive
      phenotypic variability. Biomarkers to capture the different aspects of MS
      heterogeneity, and to help make a diagnosis and monitor disease progression,
      while providing insights into etiopathogenesis and response to treatment, are
      urgently needed. Omics technologies and research efforts with microRNAs have
      provide unparalleled opportunities for exploring altered protein profiles
      associated with molecular mechanisms of disease, substantially expanding the list
      of candidate biomarkers for MS. This review presents evidence from proteomic
      studies that have focused on identification of biomarkers released in biofluids
      as a result of the different pathophysiological processes of MS. Also discussed
      is the emerging role of miRNAs as complementary biomarkers related to cellular
      processes occurring in MS patients. Also provided is an overview of candidate
      biomarkers that have been proposed for elucidating pathophysiological processes
      and disease activity and for guiding clinical diagnosis and/or therapeutic
      interventions in MS. 

PMID- 26479123
TI  - A Prospective, Multicentered Study to Assess Social Adjustment in Patients With
      an Intestinal Stoma in Turkey.
AB  - Patients with a stoma undergo physiological, psychological, and social adjustment
      to their new life situation. A descriptive, prospective study was conducted to
      assess adaptation among patients >18 years of age with a new temporary or
      permanent colostomy or ileostomy living in Turkey and receiving care at a
      participating stomatherapy unit. The study took place between September 1, 2011,
      and September 1, 2012. During hospitalization and following discharge, patients
      with a stoma received training and counseling according to their individual
      characteristics and their physiological, psychological, and social needs. Each
      participant completed the 19-item "Identification Form for Patients with a Stoma"
      at the beginning of the study to document sociodemographic and stoma
      characteristics. To assess adjustment to the stoma, The Ostomy Assessment
      Inventory (OAI-23) was administered 2 times - the first within 1 month and the
      second within 6 months after surgery or when a temporary stoma was closed
      (whichever came first). This instrument comprised 23 items regarding adaptation
      to the stoma using Likert-type response options (0-4 range). Total scores ranged
      from 10 to 92, with higher scores indicating better adjustment. The instruments
      were completed by stoma and wound care nurses during face-to-face interviews.
      Data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, and Wilcoxon tests. Of
      the 135 participants, the majority (77, 57.0%) were male; 73 (54.1%) had a
      colostomy, and 106 (78.5%) had a temporary stoma. The primary reason for stoma
      creation was cancer (89, 65.9%). Mean total OAI-23 scores were 48.63 +/- 13.75 at
      the first administration and 50.59 +/- 13.89 for the second. In terms of
      sociodemographic factors, significant increases in mean scores from the first to
      the second survey time were noted among patients in the 50-69 age group, women,
      married persons, and unemployed persons (P less than 0.05). With regard to stoma
      characteristics, the OAI-23 scores of patients with planned stoma operations and
      persons with permanent stomas increased significantly (P less than 0.05) between
      assessments. Significant increases in OAI-23 scores also were noted among persons
      who did not receive information before the operation, patients whose stoma site
      was not marked, and patients who had experienced a complication (P less than
      0.05). Postoperatively, it is important to consider sociodemographic and stoma
      characteristics as well as preoperative variables that may influence adaptation
      to stoma. Additional larger, multicentered studies with extended patient follow
      up are warranted. 

PMID- 26479124
TI  - Use of a Dehydrated Amniotic Membrane Allograft on Lower Extremity Ulcers in
      Patients with Challenging Wounds: A Retrospective Case Series.
AB  - Lower extremity ulcers in patients with diabetes mellitus may take a long time to
      heal despite the use of advanced topical therapies. A retrospective review of
      cases was conducted to assess the use of a dehydrated amniotic membrane allograft
      (DAMA) in a convenience sample of 9 wounds in 8 patients (5 men, 3 women, average
      age 62 years [range 31-81 years]) with diabetes mellitus and/or vascular disease.
      Wound data and patient characteristics were abstracted from medical records.
      Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. In 5 of 9 wounds, DAMA
      was applied after a failure to demonstrate a 50% reduction in area after 4 weeks
      of treatment with advanced wound care, offloading, and compression as indicated.
      In 4 wounds, DAMA was applied 2-4 weeks after presentation because of concerns
      about existing patient risk factors for nonhealing. Wounds were present for an
      average of 11 weeks (range 1-35 weeks) before application of DAMA. Mean baseline
      wound area and volume were 3.11 cm2 (+/- 3.73) and 0.55 cm3 (+/- 0.58),
      respectively. All wounds healed in an average of 5.7 (+/- 2.9) weeks (range: 1-9
      weeks) after a mean of 2.7 applications (+/- 1.7) (range 1-5 applications). No
      adverse events occurred. These observations suggest prospective, randomized,
      controlled clinical studies to compare the use of DAMA to other topical treatment
      modalities are warranted. 

PMID- 26479125
TI  - Non-transfusion-dependent thalassemia and thalassemia intermedia: epidemiology,
      complications, and management.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The non-transfusion-dependent thalassemias (NTDTs), including
      thalassemia intermedia (TI), hemoglobin E beta thalassemia, and hemoglobin H
      disease, have sometimes been regarded as less severe than their transfusion
      dependent variants; however, these disorders carry a substantial disease burden
      (e.g., splenomegaly, iron overload, skeletal effects, and cardiopulmonary
      disease). The aim of this review is to increase clinician awareness of the
      growing global problem of NTDT and TI, and discuss the current management
      strategies for these conditions. METHODS: Recent peer-reviewed articles
      (publication years 2000 through 2015) addressing the epidemiology, complications,
      management, and monitoring of NTDT were identified in the PubMed database and
      reviewed. RESULTS: The changing epidemiology of thalassemia constitutes a growing
      health problem. Increased clinician awareness is necessary for the appropriate
      diagnosis and management of patients with NTDT. CONCLUSIONS: Management of NTDT
      requires a comprehensive approach, beginning with screening and prenatal
      diagnosis, monitoring for iron overload and associated complications, and iron
      chelation therapy. Several novel strategies are in the early stages of
      investigation and may help increase treatment options in patients with NTDT.
      Importantly, ethnic or cultural barriers may exist within the affected
      populations and need to be considered in the management approach.

PMID- 26479126
TI  - Prevalence of mental health conditions after military blast exposure, their co
      occurrence, and their relation to mild traumatic brain injury.
AB  - PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: To measure common psychiatric conditions after military
      deployment with blast exposure and test relationships to post-concussion syndrome
      (PCS) symptoms and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) history. RESEARCH DESIGN:
      Cross-sectional. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Service members or Veterans (n = 107)
      within 2 years of blast exposure underwent structured interviews for mTBI, post
      traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and multiple mood and anxiety diagnoses. MAIN
      OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: MTBI history and active PTSD were both common, additionally
      61% had at least one post-deployment mood or anxiety disorder episode.
      Psychiatric diagnoses had a high degree of comorbidity. Most dramatically,
      depression was 43-times (95% CI = 11-165) more likely if an individual had PTSD.
      PCS symptoms were greater in those with post-deployment PTSD or mood diagnosis.
      However, neither mTBI nor blast exposure history had an effect on the odds of
      having PTSD, mood or anxiety condition. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support that
      psychiatric conditions beyond PTSD are common after military combat deployment
      with blast exposure. They also highlight the non-specificity of post-concussion
      type symptoms. While some researchers have implicated mTBI history as a
      contributor to post-deployment mental health conditions, no clear association was
      found. This may partly be due to the more rigorous method of retrospective mTBI
      diagnosis determination.

PMID- 26479127
TI  - The multifaceted role of nitric oxide synthases in mitochondrial biogenesis and
      cell differentiation.
AB  - Nitric oxide (NO) is physiologically synthetized by a family of enzymes called NO
      synthases (NOSs). NO is a pleiotropic second messenger having a fundamental role
      in several cellular processes including cell differentiation. Being a high
      reactive molecule, NO must be synthetized in close proximity to the
      effector/target. For this reason, the subcellular localization of NOSs is tightly
      regulated by different post-translation mechanisms. Recently, in murine C2C12
      myoblasts, we have demonstrated that mitochondrial biogenesis, an essential event
      for cell differentiation, can be effective only if the site of NO production is
      located at nuclear level, where NO favors the CREB-dependent expression of PGC
      1alpha gene. The increase of NO flux in nuclei is elicited by the up-regulation
      and redistribution of neuronal NOS (nNOS) toward nuclei. Herein we show that an
      upregulation of endothelial NOS (eNOS) occurs during adipocyte differentiation in
      3T3-L1 cells. However, differently to differentiating myocytes, a concomitant
      redistribution of eNOS toward nuclei was not detected. We also observed that,
      upon treatment with the NO synthesis inhibitor L-NAME, mitochondrial biogenesis
      as well as triglyceride accumulation that normally occurs during adipogenesis
      were not impeded. The absence of eNOS in nuclei together with the ineffectiveness
      of L-NAME suggest that, at least during 3T3-L1 differentiation, NO is not
      fundamental for the induction of mitochondrial biogenesis and adipogenesis. 

PMID- 26479128
TI  - Member Perspectives on the Role of BDSM Communities.
AB  - Bondage-discipline/Dominance-submission/sadomasochism (BDSM) is an often
      misunderstood and misrepresented social phenomenon warranting further discourse
      and study. Community-based research that engages member perspective can assist in
      understanding socially marginalized experiences. The current study examined the
      role, meaning, and function of BDSM communities from the perspective of self
      identified members. Seven nominal group technique workshops were conducted
      representing a variety of practitioner experiences and identities. Workshops
      involved 48 participants and resulted in the generation of 133 unique terms
      describing the role of BDSM communities in their lives. Terms were coded using a
      five-step procedure involving both academic and community members. A total of 15
      categories were identified and included domains such as acceptance, sexual
      expression, friendship, safety, and sharing of educational knowledge. Results
      underscore the multifaceted nature of the role of such communities. While results
      consisted of mostly positive features, participants also identified certain
      negative aspects, such as conflict among members. Results from the study provide
      a succinct, member-derived, structured inventory of the role of BDSM communities
      that can serve to validate and synthesize existing research, improve
      dissemination of community voice around BDSM, and inform future research. We
      conclude with a discussion of the study's implications for sex education,
      clinical practice, and community dissemination.

PMID- 26479130
TI  - Spectrum of Smoking-related Lung Diseases: Imaging Review and Update.
AB  - There is increased awareness of smoking-related lung diseases other than lung
      cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Concurrently, there is general
      acceptance that there is difficulty in establishing a specific diagnosis of
      smoking-related interstitial lung disease (ILD), as many patients may not undergo
      biopsy to facilitate a specific histopathologic diagnosis. Cases that do proceed
      to biopsy may demonstrate multiple abnormalities, and histologic overlap between
      different disease processes may confound the picture. This review outlines the
      key aspects of smoking-related lung disease, including entities secondary to
      smoking-related lung inflammation such as respiratory bronchiolitis-ILD,
      desquamative idiopathic pneumonia, and pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis,
      as well as chronic fibrosing lung diseases strongly associated with cigarette
      smoke including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, combined pulmonary fibrosis and
      emphysema, nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, and rheumatoid arthritis-ILD. The
      focus will be on incorporation of clinical findings, key pulmonary function
      testing parameters, high-resolution computer tomography (HRCT) findings, and
      pathologic correlates in refining the differential diagnosis and differentiating
      between the various entities. 

PMID- 26479131
TI  - Multidisciplinary Approach to Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis.
AB  - Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) may be a challenging diagnosis given the wide
      variability of its clinical, radiographic, and pathologic manifestations. A
      multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis is critical in maintaining a high
      specificity for HP. An in-depth knowledge of all 3 arms of the multidisciplinary
      approach helps clinicians, radiologists, and pathologists interpret their own
      findings in the context of the entire presentation. In some cases, the
      combination of clinical findings (ie, an identifiable exposure) and typical
      findings on high-resolution computed tomography is considered diagnostic of HP,
      and pathologic confirmation is not necessary. As many as 50% of patients do not
      have a clear exposure, however. These patients may be difficult to distinguish
      from idiopathic disorders. In these cases, high-resolution computed tomography
      and pathology are the primary data points that may suggest the correct diagnosis.
      The goal of this paper is to discuss recent advances in HP and to present the
      spectrum of clinical, radiographic, and pathologic findings. 

PMID- 26479129
TI  - Carvedilol Suppresses Apoptosis and Ion Channel Remodelling of HL-1 Cardiac
      Myocytes Expressing E334K cMyBPC.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Besides its antiarrhythmic action, carvedilol has an activity to
      suppress cardiac tissue damage. However, it is unknown whether it has any effect
      on cellular apoptosis and ion channel remodelling. PURPOSE: To know whether
      carvedilol has any effect on apoptosis and ion channel remodeling of HL-1 cells
      expressing E334K MyBPC, and comparing it with bisoprolol. METHOD: We examined
      effects of carvedilol and bisoprolol on the levels of pro- and anti-apoptotic
      proteins and ion channels as well as apoptosis of HL-1 cells transfected with
      E334K MyBPC using Western blot and flow cytometry. RESULTS: Carvedilol decreased
      the protein levels of p53, Bax and cytochrome c and increased that of Bcl-2 in HL
      1 cells expressing E334K MyBPC. Bisoprolol failed to affect the protein levels.
      Both carvedilol and bisoprolol increased the protein levels of Cav1.2 but not
      that of Nav1.5. Carvedilol was stronger than bisoprolol at decreasing the number
      of annexin-V positive cells in HL-1 cells expressing E334K MyBPC. CONCLUSION:
      Carvedilol suppressed apoptosis of HL-1 cells expressing E334K MyBPC through
      modification of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins, whose was associated with an
      increase of Cav 1.2 protein expression.

PMID- 26479133
TI  - The Experience of Being a Guide Dog Puppy Raiser Volunteer: A Longitudinal
      Qualitative Collective Case Study.
AB  - There are no published studies that consider the experiences of guide dog puppy
      raisers. As these people are volunteers, their continued willingness to
      participate in the training of dogs for assisting the vision impaired and blind
      is essential for the viability of guide dog schools around the world. Using a
      qualitative, longitudinal methodology, data were collected from nine guide dog
      puppy raisers at four time points: before receiving the puppy, one week, then
      three months after the puppy arrived, and 13 months after the puppy arrived (at
      which time all puppies had left the raisers). Participants reported more
      challenges than benefits in raising the puppies. Volunteering to be a guide dog
      puppy raiser may not be the pleasant experience that is anticipated when
      community members first offer their services. Understanding what it is like to be
      a puppy raiser and working towards ways in which to address problems is
      essential, given that, without volunteers to train and care for puppies, vision
      impaired and blind people would not have access to guide dogs. 

PMID- 26479132
TI  - A comparative evaluation of self-report and biological measures of cigarette use
      in nondaily smokers.
AB  - A large subset of individuals who smoke cigarettes do not smoke regularly, but
      the assessments used to collect data on cigarette consumption in nondaily smokers
      have not been rigorously evaluated. The current study examined several self
      report and biomarker approaches to the assessment of cigarette use in a sample of
      nondaily smokers (n = 176). Participants were randomly assigned to a daily
      monitoring condition (n = 89), requiring a daily report of the number of
      cigarettes smoked in the previous 24 hours, or a no monitoring condition (n =
      87). Number of cigarettes smoked over the first 28 days of the study was assessed
      using 2 quantity frequency measures, a graduated frequency measure, and a
      timeline follow back (TLFB) interview at the Session 5 study visit. Hair nicotine
      (NIC), hair cotinine (COT), and expired-air carbon monoxide (CO) were collected
      from each participant. Total cigarettes reported via daily report were strongly
      correlated with all Session 5 measures of total cigarettes, but were most
      strongly associated with TLFB total cigarettes. Collapsed CO across 5 sessions
      was the biomarker most strongly correlated with daily report total cigarettes.
      The results support the use of daily report and TLFB methods of assessing
      cigarette use in nondaily smokers. Results also support the use of CO as
      appropriate biological markers of exposure in nondaily smokers, and point to some
      limitations in the use of hair biomarkers in this population. (PsycINFO Database
      Record

PMID- 26479134
TI  - Loading and Unloading Finishing Pigs: Effects of Bedding Types, Ramp Angle, and
      Bedding Moisture.
AB  - The use of non-slip surfaces during loading and unloading of finishing pigs plays
      an important role in animal welfare and economics of the pork industry.
      Currently, the guidelines available only suggest the use of ramps with a slope
      below 20 degrees to load and unload pigs. However, the total time it takes to
      load and unload animals and slips, falls, and vocalizations are a welfare
      concern. Three ramp angles (0, 10 or 20 degrees), five bedding materials
      (nothing, sand, feed, wood shavings or wheat straw hay), two moistures (dry or
      wet bedding, >50% moisture) over two seasons (>23.9  degrees C summer, <23.9 
      degrees C winter) were assessed for slips/falls/vocalizations (n = 2400 pig
      observations) and analyzed with a scoring system. The use of bedding during
      summer or winter played a role in the total time it took to load and unload the
      ramp (p < 0.05). Bedding, bedding moisture, season, and slope significantly
      interacted to impact the total time to load and unload finishing pigs (p < 0.05).
      Heart rate and the total time it took to load and unload the ramp increased as
      the slope of the ramp increased (p < 0.05). Heart rates were higher during the
      summer than winter, and summer heart rates increased as the slope increased (p <
      0.05). The current study suggests that several factors should be considered in
      combination to identify the appropriate bedding for the specific occasion. 

PMID- 26479135
TI  - Selecting a Conservation Surrogate Species for Small Fragmented Habitats Using
      Ecological Niche Modelling.
AB  - Flagship species are traditionally large, charismatic animals used to rally
      conservation efforts. Accepted flagship definitions suggest they need only fulfil
      a strategic role, unlike umbrella species that are used to shelter cohabitant
      taxa. The criteria used to select both flagship and umbrella species may not
      stand up in the face of dramatic forest loss, where remaining fragments may only
      contain species that do not suit either set of criteria. The Cinderella species
      concept covers aesthetically pleasing and overlooked species that fulfil the
      criteria of flagships or umbrellas. Such species are also more likely to occur in
      fragmented habitats. We tested Cinderella criteria on mammals in the fragmented
      forests of the Sri Lankan Wet Zone. We selected taxa that fulfilled both
      strategic and ecological roles. We created a shortlist of ten species, and from a
      survey of local perceptions highlighted two finalists. We tested these for
      umbrella characteristics against the original shortlist, utilizing Maximum
      Entropy (MaxEnt) modelling, and analysed distribution overlap using ArcGIS. The
      criteria highlighted Loris tardigradus tardigradus and Prionailurus viverrinus as
      finalists, with the former having highest flagship potential. We suggest
      Cinderella species can be effective conservation surrogates especially in
      habitats where traditional flagship species have been extirpated. 

PMID- 26479137
TI  - Evaluating the Age-Dependent Potential for Protein Deposition in Naked Neck Meat
      Type Chicken.
AB  - The introduction of the naked neck gene (Na) into modern meat type chicken is
      known to be helpful in increasing the tolerance for a high ambient temperature
      (AT) by reducing the feather coverage which allows for a higher level of heat
      dissipation compared to normally feathered (na/na) birds. In addition, reduced
      feather coverage could affect requirements for sulfur containing amino acids. As
      a prerequisite for further modeling of individual amino acid requirements, the
      daily N maintenance requirement (NMR) and the threshold value of daily N
      retention (NRmaxT) were determined. This was carried out using graded dietary
      protein supply and exponential modeling between N intake (NI) and N excretion
      (NEX) or N deposition (ND), respectively. Studies with homozygous (Na/Na) and
      heterozygous (Na/na) naked neck meat type chicken utilized 144 birds of average
      weight (50% of each genotype and sex) within two N balance experiments during
      both the starter (days 10-20) and the grower period (days 25-35). Birds were
      randomly allotted to five diets with graded dietary protein supply but constant
      protein quality. The observed estimates depending on genotype, sex and age varied
      for NMR and NRmaxT from 224 to 395 and 2881 to 4049 mg N/BWkg(0.67)/day,
      respectively. 

PMID- 26479136
TI  - Pet Food Palatability Evaluation: A Review of Standard Assay Techniques and
      Interpretation of Results with a Primary Focus on Limitations.
AB  - The pet food industry continues to grow steadily as a result of new innovative
      products. Quality control and product development tests for pet foods are
      typically conducted through palatability testing with dogs and cats. Palatability
      is the measure of intake of a food that indicates acceptance or the measure of
      preference of one food over another. Pet food palatability is most commonly
      measured using a single-bowl or a two-bowl assay. While these tests answer some
      questions about the animals' perception of the food, there are many limitations
      as well. This review addresses some of these limitations and indicates
      opportunities for future research. 

PMID- 26479138
TI  - Modification of the Feline-AlityTM Assessment and the Ability to Predict Adopted
      Cats' Behaviors in Their New Homes.
AB  - It is estimated that 2.5 million cats enter animal shelters in the United States
      every year and as few as 20% leave the shelter alive. Of those adopted, the
      greatest risk to post-adoption human animal bond is unrealistic expectations set
      by the adopter. The ASPCA((r))'s Meet Your Match((r)) Feline-alityTM adoption
      program was developed to provide adopters with an accurate assessment of an adult
      cat's future behavior in the home. However, the original Feline-alityTM required
      a three-day hold time to collect cat behaviors on a data card, which was
      challenging for some shelters. This research involved creating a survey to
      determine in-home feline behavior post adoption and explored the predictive
      ability of the in-shelter assessment without the data card. Our results show that
      the original Feline-alityTM assessment and our modified version were predictive
      of feline behavior post adoption. Our modified version also decreased hold time
      for cats to one day. Shelters interested in increasing cat adoptions, decreasing
      length of stay and improving the adoption experience can now implement the
      modified version for future feline adoption success. 

PMID- 26479139
TI  - Maintenance Energy Requirements of Double-Muscled Belgian Blue Beef Cows.
AB  - Sixty non-pregnant, non-lactating double-muscled Belgian Blue (DMBB) cows were
      used to estimate the energy required to maintain body weight (BW). They were fed
      one of three energy levels for 112 or 140 days, corresponding to approximately
      100%, 80% or 70% of their total energy requirements. The relationship between
      daily energy intake and BW and daily BW change was developed using regression
      analysis. Maintenance energy requirements were estimated from the regression
      equation by setting BW gain to zero. Metabolizable and net energy for maintenance
      amounted to 0.569 +/- 0.001 and 0.332 +/- 0.001 MJ per kg BW(0.75)/d,
      respectively. Maintenance energy requirements were not dependent on energy level
      (p > 0.10). Parity affected maintenance energy requirements (p < 0.001), although
      the small numerical differences between parities may hardly be nutritionally
      relevant. Maintenance energy requirements of DMBB beef cows were close to the
      mean energy requirements of other beef genotypes reported in the literature. 

PMID- 26479140
TI  - The Choice of Diet Affects the Oral Health of the Domestic Cat.
AB  - In this cross-sectional study, the gingivitis and the calculus indices of the
      teeth of N = 41 cats were used to model oral health as a dependent variable using
      a Poisson regression. The independent variables used were "quadrant", "teeth
      type", "age", and "diet". Teeth type (p < 0.001) and diet (p < 0.001) were found
      to be significant, however, age was not (p > 0.05). Interactions were all
      significant: age x teeth (p < 0.01), age * diet (p < 0.01), teeth * diet (p <
      0.001), and teeth * age * diet (p < 0.001). The probability of poor oral health
      is lower in the incisors of young or adult cats, fed a dry diet in comparison to
      the cheek teeth of older cats fed a wet diet. Diet has a higher contribution to
      poor oral health than age. It is argued that cats' oral health may be promoted
      with an early age hygiene of the cheek teeth and with provision of abrasive dry
      food. 

PMID- 26479141
TI  - The Effects of Fiber Inclusion on Pet Food Sensory Characteristics and
      Palatability.
AB  - The objectives of this study were to determine (a) the influence of fiber on the
      sensory characteristics of dry dog foods; (b) differences of coated and uncoated
      kibbles for aroma and flavor characteristics; (c) palatability of these dry dog
      foods; and (d) potential associations between palatability and sensory
      attributes. A total of eight fiber treatments were manufactured: a control (no
      fiber addition), guava fiber (3%, 6%, and 12%), sugar cane fiber (9%; large and
      small particle size), and wheat bran fiber (32%; large and small particle size).
      The results indicated significant effects of fibers on both flavor and texture
      properties of the samples. Bitter taste and iron and stale aftertaste were
      examples of flavor attributes that differed with treatment, with highest
      intensity observed for 12% guava fiber and small particle size sugar cane fiber
      treatments. Fracturability and initial crispness attributes were lowest for the
      sugar cane fiber treatments. Flavor of all treatments changed after coating with
      a palatant, increasing in toasted, brothy, and grainy attributes. The coating
      also had a masking effect on aroma attributes such as stale, flavor attributes
      such as iron and bitter taste, and appearance attributes such as porosity.
      Palatability testing results indicated that the control treatment was preferred
      over the sugar cane or the wheat bran treatment. The treatment with large
      sugarcane fiber particles was preferred over the treatment with small particles,
      while both of the wheat bran treatments were eaten at a similar level.
      Descriptive sensory analysis data, especially textural attributes, were useful in
      pinpointing the underlying characteristics and were considered to be reasons that
      may influence palatability of dog foods manufactured with inclusion of different
      fibers. 

PMID- 26479142
TI  - Assessing Food Preferences in Dogs and Cats: A Review of the Current Methods.
AB  - Food is a major aspect of pet care; therefore, ensuring that pet foods are not
      only healthful but attractive to companion animals and their owners is essential.
      The petfood market remains active and requires ongoing evaluation of the
      adaptation and efficiency of the new products. Palatability-foods'
      characteristics enticing animals and leading them to consumption-is therefore a
      key element to look at. Based on the type of information needed, different pet
      populations (expert or naive) can be tested to access their preference and
      acceptance for different food products. Classical techniques are the one-bowl and
      two-bowl tests, but complementary (i.e., operant conditioning) and novel (i.e.,
      exploratory behavior) approaches are available to gather more information on the
      evaluation of petfood palatability. 

PMID- 26479143
TI  - A Critical Analysis of the British Horseracing Authority's Review of the Use of
      the Whip in Horseracing.
AB  - There is increasing controversy about the use of the whip as a performance aid in
      Thoroughbred horseracing and its impact on horse welfare. This paper offers a
      critical analysis of the British Horseracing Authority's (BHA) 2011 Report
      Responsible Regulation: A Review of the Use of the Whip in Horseracing. It
      examines the BHA's process of consultation and use of science and public opinion
      research through the application of current scientific literature and legal
      analysis. This analysis suggests that the BHA's findings on the welfare impact
      and justification for whip use are insufficiently defended by the report. These
      findings indicate that the report is an inadequate basis from which to draw any
      definitive conclusions on the impact of whips on racehorse welfare. Further
      review is needed, undertaken by an independent scientific body, to advance this
      debate. 

PMID- 26479144
TI  - Rationale and design of a randomized controlled trial of allogeneic mesenchymal
      stem cells in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy.
AB  - AIMS: This article describes an ongoing study investigating the safety and
      efficacy of ischemia-tolerant mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy in patients
      with nonischemic heart failure and dysfunctional viable myocardium without
      scarring. This study will follow principles of the previously described
      mechanistic translational-phase concept whereby the effect of the study agent on
      laboratory and imaging markers of cardiac structure and function will be tested
      in a small homogenous cohort with the goal to enhance the understanding of the
      effect of interventions on cardiac remodeling and performance. STUDY DESIGN: This
      single-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover, multicenter, randomized study will
      assess the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of a single intravenous
      (i.v.) dose of allogeneic ischemia-tolerant MSCs in individuals with heart
      failure of nonischemic cause, ejection fraction 40% or less, and dysfunctional
      viable myocardium who have been receiving guideline-directed medical therapy.
      Eligible patients will have no evidence of baseline replacement scarring on
      delayed-enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Approximately 20 patients
      will be randomized in a 1 : 1 ratio to receive an i.v. infusion of ischemia
      tolerant MSCs or placebo. At 90 days, the two groups will undergo crossover and
      received the alternative treatment. The primary endpoint is safety, as evaluated
      through at least 1-year post-MSC infusion. Additional efficacy endpoints will
      include measures of cardiac structure and function, as evaluated by serial cine
      CMR and transthoracic echocardiography at 90 and 180 days post-initial infusion.
      CONCLUSION: This pilot study will explore the safety and effects on cardiac
      structure and function of i.v. injection of ischemia-tolerant MSCs in a small
      homogenous cohort of nonischemic heart failure patients with reduced ejection
      fraction and absent replacement scarring on CMR. This study also represents a
      prospective mechanistic translational-phase study using baseline and serial CMR
      imaging in heart failure patients and serves as a potential model for design of
      future heart failure trials (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02467387).

PMID- 26479145
TI  - Activity of nintedanib in germ cell tumors.
AB  - Germ cell tumors (GCTs) are the most frequent malignancy in male patients between
      15 and 45 years of age. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy shows excellent cure rates,
      but patients with cisplatin-resistant GCTs have a poor prognosis. Nintedanib
      (BIBF 1120, Vargatef) inhibits the receptor classes vascular endothelial growth
      factor receptor, platelet derived growth factor receptor, and fibroblast growth
      factor receptor, and has shown activity against many tumors, as well as in
      idiopathic lung fibrosis and bleomycin-induced lung injury. Here, we investigated
      the antineoplastic and antiangiogenic properties of nintedanib in cisplatin
      resistant and cisplatin-sensitive GCT cells, both alone and in combination with
      classical cytotoxic agents such as cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin. The half
      maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of nintedanib was 4.5 +/- 0.43 MUmol/l,
      3.1 +/- 0.45 MUmol/l, and 3.6 +/- 0.33 MUmol/l in cisplatin-sensitive NTERA2,
      2102Ep, and NCCIT cells, whereas the IC50 doses of the cisplatin-resistant
      counterparts were 6.6 +/- 0.37 MUmol/l (NTERA2-R), 4.5 +/- 0.83 MUmol/l (2102Ep
      R), and 6.1 +/- 0.41 MUmol/l (NCCIT-R), respectively. Single treatment with
      nintedanib induced apoptosis and resulted in a sustained reduction in the
      capacity of colony formation in both cisplatin-sensitive and cisplatin-resistant
      GCT cells. Cell cycle analysis showed that nintedanib induced a strong G0/G1
      phase arrest in all investigated cell lines. Combination treatment with cisplatin
      did not result in additive, synergistic, or antagonistic effects. The in-vivo
      activity was studied using the chorioallantoic membrane assay and indicated the
      antiangiogenic potency of nintedanib with markedly reduced microvessel density.
      Topical treatment of inoculated tumor plaques resulted in a significant reduction
      of the tumor size. This indicates that nintedanib might be a promising substance
      in the treatment of GCT.

PMID- 26479146
TI  - Getting to the root of plant iron uptake and cell-cell transport: Polarity
      matters!
AB  - Plasma membrane proteins play pivotal roles in mediating responses to endogenous
      and environmental cues. Regulation of membrane protein levels and establishment
      of polarity are fundamental for many cellular processes. In plants, IRON
      REGULATED TRANSPORTER 1 (IRT1) is the major root iron transporter but is also
      responsible for the absorption of other divalent metals such as manganese, zinc
      and cobalt. We recently uncovered that IRT1 is polarly localized to the outer
      plasma membrane domain of plant root epidermal cells upon depletion of its
      secondary metal substrates. The endosome-recruited FYVE1 protein interacts with
      IRT1 in the endocytic pathway and plays a crucial role in the establishment of
      IRT1 polarity, likely through its recycling to the cell surface. Our work sheds
      light on the mechanisms of radial transport of nutrients across the different
      cell types of plant roots toward the vascular tissues and raises interesting
      parallel with iron transport in mammals. 

PMID- 26479147
TI  - Dynamic subnuclear relocalization of WRKY40, a potential new mechanism of ABA
      dependent transcription factor regulation.
AB  - The phytohormone ABA plays a major role during plant development, e.g. seed
      maturation and seed germination, and during adaptation to abiotic stresses like
      stomatal aperture regulation. The three closely related WRKY transcription
      factors WRKY18, WRKY40 and WRKY60 function in ABA signal transduction. We
      recently demonstrated that WRKY18 and WRKY40 but not WRKY60 localize to nuclear
      bodies in A. thaliana mesophyll protoplasts. WRKY40, a negative regulator of ABA
      dependent inhibition of seed germination, relocalizes from PNBs to the
      nucleoplasm in the presence of ABA in a dynamic and phosphorylation-dependent
      manner. We propose that subnuclear relocalization of WRKY40 might constitute a
      new regulatory mechanism of ABA-dependent modulation of transcription factor
      activity.

PMID- 26479148
TI  - Slow water transport in MgSO4 aerosol droplets at gel-forming relative
      humidities.
AB  - The effect of gel formation on the mass transfer of water during evaporation or
      condensation from MgSO4 droplets is studied using aerosol optical tweezers
      coupled with Raman spectroscopy. In particular, the kinetics of water transport
      during hydration and dehydration are followed for variable step changes in
      relative humidity and compared with previous measurements using different
      methodologies. Slow diffusion of water in the particle bulk is shown to limit
      water evaporation and condensation from the aerosol. Desorption of water
      continues over a long time at the very low RH region and this is validated with
      complementary studies made by FTIR-ATR and measurements of water adsorption
      isotherms. The observations can be rationalized when considering the possible
      phase transformation of the gel structure at very low RHs. Finally, the influence
      of the duration of the drying time (RH <= 10%) on the kinetics of condensation
      during hydration is investigated. Apparent diffusion coefficients of water
      molecules in the gel are obtained, showing little dependence on the water
      activity and droplet composition, and are consistent with the slow removal of
      water during drying from pores formed at the gel transition RH. 

PMID- 26479149
TI  - Nanodiamond-Mediated Intercellular Transport of Proteins through Membrane
      Tunneling Nanotubes.
AB  - Recently discovered tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are capable of creating
      intercellular communication pathways through which transport of proteins and
      other cytoplasmic components occurs. Intercellular transport is related to many
      diseases and nanotubes are potentially useful as drug-delivery channels for
      cancer therapy. Here, we apply fluorescent nanodiamond (FND) as a photostable
      tracker, as well as a protein carrier, to illustrate the transport events in TNTs
      of human cells. Proteins, including bovine serum albumin and green fluorescent
      protein, are first coated on 100-nm FNDs by physical adsorption and then single
      particle tracking of the bioconjugates in the transient membrane connections is
      carried out by fluorescence microscopy. Stop-and-go and to-and-fro motions
      mediated by molecular motors are found for the active transport of protein-loaded
      FNDs trapped in the endosomal vehicles of human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293T).
      Quantitative analysis of the heterotypical transport between HEK293T and SH-SY5Y
      neuroblastoma cells by flow cytometry confirm the formation of open-ended
      nanotubes between them, despite that their TNTs differ in structural components.
      Our results demonstrate the promising applications of this novel carbon-based
      nanomaterial for intercellular delivery of biomolecular cargo down to the single
      particle level. 

PMID- 26479150
TI  - Effect of the co-culture of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells with
      human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) give origin to the marrow tromal environment that
      supports hematopoiesis. These cells present a wide range of differentiation
      potentials and a complex relationship with hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and
      endothelial cells. In addition to bone marrow (BM), MSCs can be obtained from
      other sites in the adult or the fetus. Recent studies have shown that cocultured
      endothelial cells and osteoblasts are mutually promotive in bone tissues repair.
      In this study, we observed the effects of coculture of endothelial cells and
      osteoblasts at different ratios on vasculogenesis and bone formation, and we
      found that angiogenic effect is more effective when endothelial cells are
      cocultured with osteoblasts at the ratio of 4:1, and osteogenic effect is more
      effective at the ratio of 1:4. It is concluded that the co-culture of human bone
      marrow mesenchymal stromal cells with human umbilical vein endothelial cells
      could be a promising culture system for bone tissue engineering applications.

PMID- 26479151
TI  - The spread of a novel behavior in wild chimpanzees: New insights into the ape
      cultural mind.
AB  - For years, the animal culture debate has been dominated by the puzzling absence
      of direct evidence for social transmission of behavioral innovations in the
      flagship species of animal culture, the common chimpanzee. Although social
      learning of novel behaviors has been documented in captivity, critics argue that
      these findings lack ecological validity and therefore may not be relevant for
      understanding the evolution of culture. For the wild, it is possible that group
      specific behavioral differences emerge because group members respond individually
      to unspecified environmental differences, rather than learning from each other.
      In a recent paper, we used social network analyses in wild chimpanzees (Pan
      troglodytes schweinfurthii) to provide direct evidence for social transmission of
      a behavioral innovation, moss-sponging, to extract water from a tree hole. Here,
      we discuss the implications of our findings and how our new methodological
      approach could help future studies of social learning and culture in wild apes. 

PMID- 26479152
TI  - Successful maintenance on sulphonylurea therapy and low diabetes complication
      rates in a HNF1A-MODY cohort.
AB  - AIMS: HNF1A gene mutations are the most common cause of maturity-onset diabetes
      of the young (MODY) in the UK. Persons with HNF1A-MODY display sensitivity to
      sulphonylurea therapy; however, the long-term efficacy is not established. There
      is limited literature as to the prevalence of micro- and macrovascular
      complications in this unique cohort. The aim of this study was to determine the
      natural progression and clinical management of HNF1A-MODY diabetes in a dedicated
      MODY clinic. METHODS: Sixty patients with HNF1A-MODY and a cohort of 60 BMI-, age
      , ethnicity- and diabetes duration-matched patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus
      participated in the study. All patients were phenotyped in detail. Clinical
      follow-up of the HNF1A-MODY cohort occurred on a bi-annual basis. RESULTS:
      Following a genetic diagnosis of MODY, the majority of the cohort treated with
      sulphonylurea therapy remained insulin independent at 84-month follow-up (80%).
      The HbA1c in the HNF1A-MODY group treated with sulphonylurea therapy alone
      improved significantly over the study period [from 49 (44-63) mmol/mol, 6.6 (6.2
      7.9)% to 41 (31-50) mmol/mol, 5.9 (5-6.7)%; P = 0.003]. The rate of retinopathy
      was significantly lower than that noted in the Type 1 diabetes mellitus group
      (13.6 vs. 50%; P = 0.0001).There was also a lower rate of microalbuminuria and
      cardiovascular disease in the HNF1A-MODY group compared with the Type 1 diabetes
      mellitus group. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the majority of
      patients with HNF1A-MODY can be maintained successfully on sulphonylurea therapy
      with good glycaemic control. We note a significantly lower rate of micro- and
      macrovascular complications than reported previously. The use of appropriate
      therapy at early stages of the disorder may decrease the incidence of
      complications.

PMID- 26479153
TI  - Expression profile of microRNA-200 family in cholangiocarcinoma arising from
      choledochal cyst.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: The risk of cholangiocarcinoma (cCC) arising from choledochal
      cyst (CC-CC) is imminent, if the latter not treated appropriately in time.
      Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is considered a critical step for
      various solid cancers, which is regulated by the microRNA-200 (miR-200) family.
      The aim of this study was to assess the role of miR-200 family in the
      pathogenesis of CC-CC. METHODS: Sixteen patients with CC-CC were enrolled and 254
      patients with conventional cCC served as clinicopathologic controls. Fifty-four
      cCC were selected to compare the miR-200 family expression and
      immunohistochemical characteristics. Gain-and loss-of-function studies of miR-200
      family were conducted using the cCC cell lines. RESULTS: CC-CC were younger (P <
      0.01), more female- predominated (P < 0.01), and rarely associated with lithiasis
      (P < 0.01) compared with those of cCC. miR-200 family was down-regulated in CC
      CC, while miR-200 family was paradoxically up-regulated in cCC (P < 0.01). CC-CC
      exhibited overt overexpression of mesenchymal markers including ZEB1, Twist,
      Snail, and vimentin as well an aberrant E-cadherin expression in comparison with
      cCC. In vitro migration assay showed that cCC cells bearing lower miR-200 s
      levels exhibited stronger migration ability. Invasive ability of cCC cells was
      increased after miR-200 s knockdown, accompanied by up-regulation of mesenchymal
      markers. CONCLUSIONS: CC-CC was characterized by distinct demographics,
      precipitating factors, and down-regulation of miR-200 family, compared with those
      of cCC. The pathogenesis of CC-CC might partly link to the silencing of miR-200
      family, acting via ZEB1-directed EMT activation.

PMID- 26479154
TI  - Characterization of bacterial diversity in an atrazine degrading enrichment
      culture and degradation of atrazine, cyanuric acid and biuret in industrial
      wastewater.
AB  - An enrichment culture was used to study atrazine degradation in mineral salt
      medium (MSM) (T1), MSM+soil extract (1:1, v/v) (T2) and soil extract (T3).
      Results suggested that enrichment culture required soil extract to degrade
      atrazine, as after second sequential transfer only partial atrazine degradation
      was observed in T1 treatment while atrazine was completely degraded in T2 and T3
      treatments even after fourth transfer. Culture independent polymerase chain
      reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) technique confirmed
      selective enrichment of genus Bacillus along with Pseudomonas and Burkholderia.
      Degradation of atrazine/metabolites in the industrial wastewater was studied at
      different initial concentrations of the contaminants [wastewater-water (v/v)
      ratio: T1, 1:9; T2, 2:8; T3, 3:7; T4, 5:5 and T5, undiluted effluent]. The
      initial concentrations of atrazine, cyanuric acid and biuret ranged between 5.32
      and 53.92 ug mL(-1), 265.6 and 1805.2 ug mL(-1) and 1.85 and 16.12 ug mL(-1),
      respectively. The enrichment culture was able to completely degrade atrazine,
      cyanuric acid and biuret up to T4 treatment, while no appreciable degradation of
      contaminants was observed in the undiluted effluent (T5). Inability of enrichment
      culture to degrade atrazine/metabolites might be due to high concentrations of
      cyanuric acid. Therefore, a separate study on cyanuric acid degradation
      suggested: (i) no appreciable cyanuric acid degradation with accumulation of an
      unidentified metabolite in the medium where cyanuric acid was supplemented as the
      sole source of carbon and nitrogen; (ii) partial cyanuric acid degradation with
      accumulation of unidentified metabolite in the medium containing additional
      nitrogen source; and (iii) complete cyanuric acid degradation in the medium
      supplemented with an additional carbon source. This unidentified metabolite
      observed during cyanuric acid degradation and also detected in the enrichment
      culture inoculated wastewater samples, however, was degraded up to T4 treatments
      and was persistent in the T5 treatment. Probably, accumulation of this metabolite
      inhibited atrazine/cyanuric acid degradation by the enrichment culture in
      undiluted wastewater.

PMID- 26479155
TI  - Chemotherapy for Children With Medulloblastoma.

PMID- 26479156
TI  - Nurses and Women With Breast Cancer: No Time to Lose.

PMID- 26479157
TI  - The Crystal Hotel: A Microfluidic Approach to Biomimetic Crystallization.
AB  - A "crystal hotel" microfluidic device that allows crystal growth in confined
      volumes to be studied in situ is used to produce large calcite single crystals
      with predefined crystallographic orientation, microstructure, and shape by
      control of the detailed physical environment, flow, and surface chemistry. This
      general approach can be extended to form technologically important, nanopatterned
      single crystals. 

PMID- 26479158
TI  - Risk of urinary retention after nerve-sparing surgery for deep infiltrating
      endometriosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - AIMS: Recently, nerve-sparing (NS) techniques have been incorporated in surgeries
      for deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) to prevent urinary complications. Our
      aim was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the risk of
      urinary retention after NS surgery for DIE compared with classical (non-NS)
      techniques. METHODS: Following the MOOSE guidelines for systematic reviews of
      observational studies, data were collected from published research articles that
      compared NS techniques with non-NS techniques in DIE surgery, with regard to post
      operative urinary complications. INCLUSION CRITERIA: randomized clinical trials,
      intervention or observational (cohort and case-control) studies assessing women
      who underwent surgery for painful DIE. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: cancer surgery and
      women submitted to bladder or ureteral resections. The respective relative risks
      (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were extracted and a forest plot was
      generated to show individual and combined estimates. RESULTS: Preliminarily,
      1,270 potentially relevant studies were identified from which four studies were
      selected. A meta-analysis was performed to assess the risk of urinary retention
      at discharge and 90 days after surgery. We found a common RR of 0.19 [95%CI: 0.03
      1.17; (I2  = 50.20%; P = 0.09)] for need of self-catheterization at discharge in
      the NS group in relation to the conventional technique. Based on two studies,
      common RR for persistent urinary retention (after 90 days) was 0.16 [95%CI: 0.03
      0.84]. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest significant advantages of the NS
      technique when considering the RR of persistent urinary retention. Controlled
      studies evaluating the best approach to manage the urinary tract after complex
      surgery for DIE are needed. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:57-61, 2017. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26479159
TI  - Enhanced suicidal erythrocyte death in acute cardiac failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A common complication of acute cardiac failure (AHF) is anaemia,
      which negatively influences the clinical outcome. Causes of anaemia include
      enhanced eryptosis, a suicidal erythrocyte death characterized by cell shrinkage
      and cell membrane scrambling with phosphatidylserine translocation. Signalling
      triggering eryptosis include oxidative stress, increase of cytosolic Ca(2+) 
      activity ([Ca(2+) ]i ) and ceramide. The present study explored whether AHF is
      associated with accelerated eryptosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Erythrocytes were
      drawn from healthy volunteers (n = 10) and patients hospitalized for AHF (n =
      22). Phosphatidylserine exposure was estimated from annexin-V-binding, cell
      volume from forward scatter, [Ca(2+) ]i from Fluo3-fluorescence, ceramide
      abundance utilizing specific antibodies and reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      abundance from 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA) fluorescence,
      as determined by flow cytometry. RESULTS: In AHF-patients, haemoglobin
      concentration (11.5 +/- 0.5 g/dL), and haematocrit (35.6 +/- 1.2%) were
      significantly lower than haemoglobin concentration (14.1 +/- 0.4 g/dL), and
      haematocrit (40.1 +/- 1.0%) in healthy volunteers, even though reticulocyte
      number was significantly higher in AHF patients (2.3 +/- 0.3%) than in healthy
      volunteers (1.1 +/- 0.2%). The percentage of erythrocytes exposing
      phosphatidylserine was significantly higher in AHF patients (1.8 +/- 0.1%) than
      in healthy volunteers (1.2 +/- 0.2%). The forward scatter was significantly lower
      and the ROS abundance significantly larger in AHF patients than in healthy
      volunteers. In erythrocytes drawn from healthy volunteers, phosphatidylserine and
      ROS abundance was increased to significantly higher values following a 24 h
      treatment with plasma from AHF patients than with plasma from healthy volunteers.
      CONCLUSION: AHF leads to anaemia despite increased reticulocyte number and at
      least partially due to enhanced eryptosis. Underlying mechanisms include
      oxidative stress imposed by a plasma borne component.

PMID- 26479160
TI  - Macronutrient balancing affects patch departure by guerezas (Colobus guereza).
AB  - Foraging strategies are central in shaping social structure and grouping patterns
      in primates. We address Colobus guereza foraging strategies by investigating
      their patch departure decisions in relation to diet composition and nutrition. We
      examine whether guerezas are constrained in their intake of food in patches and
      thereby forage according to a fixed amount strategy that dictates patch
      departure. Additionally, we assess whether guereza employ a fixed time strategy
      or attempt to balance nutrients when foraging. We measured food patch occupancy
      time, intake rates, and analyzed foods for macronutrients, fiber, and condensed
      tannins. We determined that guerezas do not employ a fixed time foraging
      strategy; patch residence time varied widely between 1 and 290 min. They also did
      not depart patches or stop eating when they reached a specific intake of dry
      mass, macronutrients, or condensed tannins. However, guerezas maintained a
      macronutrient balance when feeding across patches, and the balance of protein to
      non-protein energy (fats and carbohydrates) in patches is the best indicator of
      time adult guerezas spent feeding in patches. Previous studies have shown that
      the protein-to-fiber ratio is important in predicting food selection for
      folivores and their biomass; however, we found that guerezas did not maximize
      protein and minimize fiber intake while foraging in patches, nor did they stay
      longer in patches with the highest ratio of protein to fiber concentrations. This
      study raises questions about the nutritional and social implications of patch
      depletion as a foraging strategy in folivorous monkeys where food limitation
      predicts competitive and social regimes. Am. J. Primatol. 79:e22495, 2017. (c)
      2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26479161
TI  - Frequency and Severity of Pulmonary Hemorrhage in Patients Undergoing
      Percutaneous CT-guided Transthoracic Lung Biopsy: Single-Institution Experience
      of 1175 Cases.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the frequency and severity of pulmonary hemorrhage after
      transthoracic needle lung biopsy (TTLB) and assess possible factors associated
      with pulmonary hemorrhage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was
      approved by the institutional review board. The requirement to obtain informed
      consent was waived. Records from 1113 patients who underwent 1175 TTLBs between
      January 2008 and April 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Primary outcomes were
      pulmonary hemorrhage, documented hemoptysis, and bleeding complications
      necessitating intervention. Pulmonary hemorrhage was graded as follows: 0, none;
      1, less than or equal to 2 cm around the needle; 2, more than 2 cm and sublobar;
      3, at least lobar; and 4, hemothorax. Patient, technique, and lesion-related
      variables were evaluated as predictors of pulmonary hemorrhage. Patient-related
      variables included main pulmonary artery diameter (mPAD) at computed tomography
      (CT), pulmonary artery pressures at echocardiography and right-sided heart
      catheterization, medications, chronic lung disease, bleeding diathesis, and
      immunodeficiency. Technique- and lesion-related variables included needle gauge,
      number of passes, pleura-needle angle, lesion size and morphologic
      characteristics, and distance to pleura. Univariate analysis was performed with
      chi(2), Fisher exact, and Student t tests. RESULTS: Pulmonary hemorrhage occurred
      in 483 of the 1175 TTLBs (41.1%); hemoptysis was documented in 21 of the 1175
      TTLBs (1.8%). Higher-grade hemorrhage (grade 2 or higher) occurred in 201 of the
      1175 TTLBs (17.1%); five of the 1175 TTLBs (0.4%) necessitated hemorrhage-related
      admission. Higher-grade hemorrhage was more likely to occur with female sex (P =
      .001), older age (P = .003), emphysema (P = .004), coaxial technique (P = .025),
      nonsubpleural location (P < .001), lesion size of 3 cm or smaller (P < .001), and
      subsolid lesions (P = .028). Enlarged mPAD at CT (>=2.95 cm) was not
      significantly associated with higher-grade hemorrhage (P = .430). CONCLUSION:
      Pulmonary hemorrhage after TTLB is common but rarely requires intervention. An
      enlarged mPAD at CT may not be a risk factor for higher-grade hemorrhage.

PMID- 26479162
TI  - Comparative Analgesic Efficacy of Oxycodone/Acetaminophen Versus
      Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen for Short-term Pain Management in Adults Following ED
      Discharge.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective was to test the hypothesis that oxycodone/acetaminophen
      provides superior analgesia to hydrocodone/acetaminophen for the treatment of
      acute extremity pain following emergency department (ED) discharge. METHODS: This
      was a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial of nonelderly adult ED
      patients with acute musculoskeletal extremity pain, randomly allocated at
      discharge to receive oxycodone/acetaminophen (5 mg/325 mg) or
      hydrocodone/acetaminophen (5 mg/325 mg). The primary outcome was the between
      group difference in improvement in numerical rating scale (NRS) pain scores over
      a 2-hour period following the most recent ingestion of study drug, obtained
      during telephone contact 24 hours after ED discharge. Secondary outcomes included
      proportionate decrease in pain, comparative side-effect profiles, and patient
      satisfaction. RESULTS: A total of 240 patients were enrolled. The final sample
      consisted of 220 patients, 107 randomly allocated to oxycodone/acetaminophen and
      113 to hydrocodone/acetaminophen. At 24 hours after ED discharge, the mean NRS
      pain scores prior to the most recent dose of outpatient pain medication were 7.8
      and 7.9 in the oxycodone/acetaminophen and hydrocodone/acetaminophen groups,
      respectively. The mean decreases in pain scores over 2 hours were 4.4 NRS units
      in the oxycodone/acetaminophen group versus 4.0 NRS units in the
      hydrocodone/acetaminophen group, for a difference of 0.4 NRS units (95%
      confidence interval = -0.2 to 1.1 NRS units). Satisfaction with the analgesics
      was similar. CONCLUSIONS: This study design could not detect a clinically or
      statistically significant difference in analgesic efficacy between
      oxycodone/acetaminophen (5 mg/325 mg) and hydrocodone/acetaminophen (5 mg/325 mg)
      for treatment of acute musculoskeletal extremity pain in adults following ED
      discharge. Both opioids reduced pain scores by approximately 50%.

PMID- 26479163
TI  - Osseous Sarcoidosis Revealed by a Pathologic Fracture and Successfully Treated
      With Methotrexate and Prednisone.

PMID- 26479164
TI  - The necessity of clinicopathologic correlation: syphilis that could have been
      missed.

PMID- 26479165
TI  - Prediction of high naevus count in a healthy U.K. population to estimate melanoma
      risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite recent discoveries of germline and somatic mutations in
      melanoma, naevus count remains the most important risk factor for melanoma.
      Counting naevi on the whole body is time consuming. In order to identify patients
      at risk for melanoma, many studies have used naevus count on selected body sites
      as a proxy for total body naevus count (TBNC). OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this
      study was to assess the predictive value of naevus count on 17 different body
      sites in estimating TBNC in a large cohort of healthy U.K. Caucasian female
      subjects. Once the site with the best predictive value for TBNC was determined, a
      second aim was to estimate the cut-off values of naevus counts at this anatomical
      site that best predict the presence of 50 or 100 naevi, respectively. METHODS:
      The most predictive body site for TBNC was assessed in a cohort of healthy female
      twins. This finding was replicated on a control group from a U.K. case-control
      study and a prediction model was performed afterwards. The area under the
      receiver operating characteristics curve was used to evaluate the best cut-off
      for the prediction of having a TBNC of more than 50 or 100. RESULTS: There were
      3694 female twins included. The TBNC showed a steady decline after the age of 30
      years (P < 0.001). The most predictive sites for TBNC were the arms and legs: the
      adjusted correlation coefficients were 0.50 and 0.51 (P < 0.001) for the right
      and left arm, respectively, and 0.49 and 0.48 for the right and left legs,
      respectively (P < 0.001). The arm remained the most predictive site for TBNC when
      replicated in a control population including both sexes. In the twin study, women
      with more than 11 naevi on the right arm were approximately nine times more
      likely to have more than 100 naevi (odds ratio = 9.38, 95% confidence interval
      6.71-13.11). CONCLUSIONS: The ability to estimate TBNC quickly by counting naevi
      on one arm could be a very useful tool in assessing melanoma risk in primary
      care.

PMID- 26479166
TI  - Adverse event surveillance in small animal anaesthesia: an intervention-based,
      voluntary reporting audit.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop, test and refine an 'intervention-based' system for the
      surveillance of adverse events (AEs) during small animal anaesthesia. STUDY
      DESIGN: Prospective, voluntary reporting audit. ANIMALS: A total of 1386
      consecutive small animal anaesthetics (including 972 dogs and 387 cats). METHODS:
      Adverse events were defined as undesirable perianaesthetic events requiring
      remedial intervention to prevent or limit patient morbidity. Using previous
      reports, 11 common AEs were selected and 'intervention-based' definitions were
      devised. A voluntary reporting audit was performed over 1 year at a university
      teaching hospital. Data on AEs were collected via paper checkbox forms completed
      after each anaesthetic and were assimilated using an electronic database.
      Interventions were performed entirely at the discretion of the attending
      anaesthetist. Comparisons between dogs and cats were made using Fisher's exact
      tests. RESULTS: Forms were completed for 1114 anaesthetics (a compliance of
      80.4%), with 1001 AEs reported in 572 patients. The relative frequency of AEs
      reported were as follows: arousal or breakthrough pain (14.9%), hypoventilation
      (13.5%), hypotension (10.3%), arrhythmias (5.8%), hyperthermia/hypothermia
      (5.0%), airway complications (4.8%), recovery excitation (4.6%), aspiration risk
      (4.5%), desaturation (2.8%), hypertension (1.7%) and 'other' (3.7%). Canine
      anaesthetics (57.3%) were more likely to involve AEs than were feline
      anaesthetics (35.5%, p < 0.01). Escalation in postanaesthetic care was required
      in 20% of cases where an AE was reported (8% of anaesthetics overall). In 6% of
      cases (2% overall), this involved management in an intensive care unit. There
      were six intra-anaesthetic fatalities (0.43%) during this period. The tool was
      widely accepted, being considered quick and easy to complete, but several
      semantic, logistical and personnel factors were encountered. CONCLUSIONS AND
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Simple intervention-based surveillance tools can be easily
      integrated into small animal anaesthetic practice, providing a valuable evidence
      base for anaesthetists. A number of considerations must be addressed to ensure
      compliance and the quality of data collected.

PMID- 26479168
TI  - Effect of Meconium-Stained Amniotic Fluid on Perinatal Complications in Low-Risk
      Pregnancies at Term.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the impact of meconium-stained amniotic
      fluid (MSAF) in low-risk pregnancies at term on pregnancy outcome. STUDY DESIGN:
      A retrospective cohort study of women with MSAF during labor who delivered in a
      tertiary hospital at 37 to 41(+6) weeks of gestation (2007-2013). Exclusion
      criteria included: multiple gestations, noncephalic presentation, fetal
      structural/chromosomal anomalies, hypertensive disorders, diabetes,
      oligohydramnios, or small for gestational age. Pregnancy outcome of women with
      MSAF (N = 4,893) was compared with a control group of women without MSAF (N =
      39,651). Neonatal respiratory morbidity was defined as the presence of any of the
      following: respiratory distress syndrome, transient tachypnea of the newborn,
      meconium aspiration syndrome, or need for ventilatory support. RESULTS: Overall,
      10.9% of low-risk pregnancies at term were diagnosed with MSAF. Compared with the
      controls, women with MSAF had higher rates of nulliparity, gestational age at
      delivery >= 41 weeks, induction of labor, nonreassuring fetal heart rate, and
      operative deliveries. In multivariate analysis MSAF was associated with operative
      delivery (odds ratio [OR], 1.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.63-2.09; p <
      0.001), cesarean section (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.31-1.69; p < 0.001), respiratory
      morbidity (OR, 4.74; 95% CI, 3.87-5.82; p < 0.001), and increased risk for short
      term neonatal morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: MSAF is associated with a higher rate of
      adverse perinatal outcome even in low-risk pregnancies at term.

PMID- 26479167
TI  - Enhanced hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass: Bi-functional enzyme complexes
      expressed in Pichia pastoris improve bioethanol production from Miscanthus
      sinensis.
AB  - Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant utilizable natural resource. In the
      process of bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass, an efficient
      hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose to release hexose and pentose is
      essential. We have developed a strain of Pichia pastoris that can produce ethanol
      via pentose and hexose using an assembly of enzyme complexes. The use of enzyme
      complexes is one of the strategies for effective lignocellulosic biomass
      hydrolysis. Xylanase XynB from Clostridium cellulovorans and a chimeric
      endoglucanase cCelE from Clostridium thermocellum were selected as enzyme
      subunits, and were bound to a recombinant scaffolding protein mini-CbpA from C.
      cellulovorans to assemble the enzyme complexes. These complexes efficiently
      degraded xylan and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), producing approximately 1.18 and
      1.07 g/L ethanol from each substrate, respectively, which is 2.3-fold and 2.7
      fold higher than that of the free-enzyme expressing strain. Miscanthus sinensis
      was investigated as the lignocellulosic biomass for producing bioethanol, and
      1.08 g/L ethanol was produced using our recombinant P. pastoris strain, which is
      approximately 1.9-fold higher than that of the wild-type strain. In future
      research, construction of enzyme complexes containing various hydrolysis enzymes
      could be used to develop biocatalysts that can completely degrade lignocellulosic
      biomass into valuable products such as biofuels. 

PMID- 26479169
TI  - Early versus Late Feeding after Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate whether early feeding after cesarean
      delivery (CD) shortens the time to pass flatus and bowel movement. METHODS: Women
      at term undergoing CD were randomly assigned to start oral intake either within 6
      hours (early feeding) or after 12 hours (late feeding) from surgery completion.
      Women with preeclampsia, or requiring emergent CD, additional bowel surgery, or
      the use of general anesthesia were excluded. Our primary outcome was time of
      passing first flatus following surgery completion. Secondary outcomes included
      time of first bowel sounds, time of first bowel movement, nausea/vomiting, and
      length of maternal hospital stay (clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02396485).
      RESULTS: A total of 177 women were randomized to early (n  =  85) or late feeding
      (n  =  82). There was no loss to follow-up, and outcomes were available for all
      patients. There were no differences in baseline characteristics between the two
      groups. Early feeding resulted in shorter time to pass flatus (median
      [interquartile range], 715 [485-1,208] minutes vs. 1,300 [820-1,760] minutes; p <
      0.001) and to have bowel sounds (232 [168-537.8] minutes vs. 554.5 [202-706]
      minutes; p = 0.001). Time to pass bowel movement was shorter in the early-feeding
      group, but did not reach significance. The groups did not differ in length of
      stay or in rates of nausea, vomiting, or ileus. CONCLUSION: In women undergoing
      CD, early oral intake is well tolerated and results in earlier return of bowel
      function.

PMID- 26479171
TI  - The Rising Burden of Preeclampsia in the United States Impacts Both Maternal and
      Child Health.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Preeclampsia is one of the top six causes of maternal mortality in the
      United States (US) and is associated with considerable perinatal morbidity and
      mortality. Evidence suggests the US incidence of preeclampsia has increased
      dramatically over the past two decades. This study aims to compile, summarize,
      and critique the literature on the health and economic burden of preeclampsia and
      early-onset preeclampsia. STUDY DESIGN: We reviewed the literature for estimates
      of burden of preeclampsia and early-onset preeclampsia to both mother and child,
      summarized the evidence on economic and social burden, and highlighted current
      gaps in the literature. RESULTS: No recent studies comprehensively assess the
      costs and health consequences of preeclampsia or early-onset preeclampsia for
      both mother and child. Where it exists, the literature suggests preeclampsia and
      early-onset preeclampsia cause numerous adverse health consequences, but these
      conditions currently lack effective treatment. The need for preterm delivery from
      early-onset preeclampsia suggests its costs are substantial: very (28-31 weeks)
      and extremely (<28 weeks) preterm birth cost approximately 40 and 100 times a
      term pregnancy, respectively. CONCLUSION: Given the severity of outcomes from
      preeclampsia, further research on its health and economic consequences is
      essential to inform policy and resource allocation decisions in health care.

PMID- 26479170
TI  - Vaginal Microbiota in Pregnancy: Evaluation Based on Vaginal Flora, Birth
      Outcome, and Race.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate vaginal microbiota differences by
      bacterial vaginosis (BV), birth timing, and race, and to estimate parameters to
      power future vaginal microbiome studies. METHODS: Previously, vaginal swabs were
      collected at 21 to 25 weeks (stored at -80 degrees C), and vaginal smears
      evaluated for BV (Nugent criteria). In a blinded fashion, 40 samples were
      selected, creating 8 equal-sized groups stratified by race (black/white), BV
      (present/absent), and birth timing (preterm/term). Samples were thawed, DNA
      extracted, and prepared. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers targeting
      the 16S rDNA V4 region was used to prepare an amplicon library. PCR products were
      sequenced and analyzed using quantitative insight into microbial ecology;
      taxonomy was assigned using ribosomal database program classifier (threshold 0.8)
      against the modified Greengenes database. RESULTS: After quality control, 97,720
      sequences (mean) per sample, single-end 250 base-reads, were analyzed. BV samples
      had greater microbiota diversity (p < 0.05)-with BVAB1, Prevotella, and
      unclassified genus, Bifidobacteriaceae family (all p < 0.001) more abundant;
      there was minimal content of Gardnerella or Mobiluncus. Microbiota did not differ
      by race or birth timing, but there was an association between certain microbial
      clusters and preterm birth (p = 0.07). To evaluate this difference, 159 patients
      per group are needed. CONCLUSIONS: There are differences in the vaginal
      microbiota between patients with and without BV. Larger studies should assess the
      relationship between microbiota composition and preterm birth.

PMID- 26479172
TI  - Changes in liver acceptance patterns after implementation of share 35.

PMID- 26479173
TI  - Mothers' characteristics as predictors of adolescents' ethnic-racial identity: An
      examination of Mexican-origin teen mothers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The current longitudinal study examined Mexican-origin mothers'
      cultural characteristics and ethnic socialization efforts as predictors of their
      adolescent daughters' ethnic-racial identity (ERI) exploration, resolution, and
      affirmation. METHOD: Participants were 193 Mexican-origin adolescent mothers (M
      age = 16.78 years; SD = .98) and their mothers (M age = 41.24 years; SD = 7.11).
      RESULTS: Findings indicated that mothers' familism values and ERI exploration
      were positively associated with mother-reported ethnic socialization efforts 1
      year later. Furthermore, mothers' ERI affirmation was a significant positive
      predictor of adolescents' ERI affirmation 2 years later, accounting for
      adolescents' ERI affirmation 1 year earlier. CONCLUSIONS: Discussion emphasizes
      the significance of ERI development among adolescent mothers who are negotiating
      the normative development of ERI and faced with their new role as parents and
      cultural socializers of their young children. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26479174
TI  - Determining Free-Radical Propagation Rate Coefficients with High-Frequency
      Lasers: Current Status and Future Perspectives.
AB  - Detailed knowledge of the polymerization mechanisms and kinetics of academically
      and industrially relevant monomers is mandatory for the precision synthesis of
      tailor-made polymers. The IUPAC-recommended pulsed-laser polymerization-size
      exclusion chromatography (PLP-SEC) approach is the method of choice for the
      determination of propagation rate coefficients and the associated Arrhenius
      parameters for free radical polymerization processes. With regard to specific
      monomer classes-such as acrylate-type monomers, which are very important from a
      materials point of view-high laser frequencies of up to 500 Hz are mandatory to
      prevent the formation of mid-chain radicals and the occurrence of chain-breaking
      events by chain transfer, if industrially relevant temperatures are to be reached
      and wide temperature ranges are to be explored (up to 70  degrees C). Herein the
      progress and state-of-the-art of high-frequency PLP-SEC with pulse repetition
      rates of 500 Hz is reported, with a critical collection of to-date investigated
      500 Hz data as well as future perspectives for the field. 

PMID- 26479175
TI  - Emerging targets in sarcoma: Rising to the challenge of RAS signaling in
      undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma.

PMID- 26479181
TI  - Colloidal Gold--Collagen Protein Core--Shell Nanoconjugate: One-Step Biomimetic
      Synthesis, Layer-by-Layer Assembled Film, and Controlled Cell Growth.
AB  - The biogenic synthesis of biomolecule-gold nanoconjugates is of key importance
      for a broad range of biomedical applications. In this work, a one-step, green,
      and condition-gentle strategy is presented to synthesize stable colloidal gold
      collagen core-shell nanoconjugates in an aqueous solution at room temperature,
      without use of any reducing agents and stabilizing agents. It is discovered that
      electrostatic binding between gold ions and collagen proteins and concomitant in
      situ reduction by hydroxyproline residues are critically responsible for the
      formation of the core-shell nanoconjugates. The film formed by layer-by-layer
      assembly of such colloidal gold-collagen nanoconjugates can notably improve the
      mechanical properties and promote cell adhesion, growth, and differentiation.
      Thus, the colloidal gold-collagen nanoconjugates synthesized by such a
      straightforward and clean manner, analogous to a biomineralization pathway,
      provide new alternatives for developing biologically based hybrid biomaterials
      toward a range of therapeutic and diagnostic applications. 

PMID- 26479182
TI  - Modification of appetite by bread consumption: A systematic review of randomized
      controlled trials.
AB  - The inclusion of different ingredients or the use of different baking
      technologies may modify the satiety response to bread, and aid in the control of
      food intake. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic search of
      randomized clinical trials on the effect of bread consumption on appetite ratings
      in humans. The search equation was ("Bread"[MeSH]) AND ("Satiation"[MeSH] OR
      "Satiety response"[MeSH]), and the filter "clinical trials." As a result of this
      procedure, 37 publications were selected. The satiety response was considered as
      the primary outcome. The studies were classified as follows: breads differing in
      their flour composition, breads differing in ingredients other than flours,
      breads with added organic acids, or breads made using different baking
      technologies. In addition, we have revised the data related to the influence of
      bread on glycemic index, insulinemic index and postprandial gastrointestinal
      hormones responses. The inclusion of appropriate ingredients such as fiber,
      proteins, legumes, seaweeds and acids into breads and the use of specific
      technologies may result in the development of healthier breads that increase
      satiety and satiation, which may aid in the control of weight gain and benefit
      postprandial glycemia. However, more well-designed randomized control trials are
      required to reach final conclusions.

PMID- 26479183
TI  - Diastereoisomers of Ruthenium Dyes with Unsymmetric Ligands for DSC: Fundamental
      Chemistry and Photovoltaic Performance.
AB  - A new thiocyanic acid-free ruthenium sensitizer, CYC-B29, containing two
      unsymmetrical ancillary ligands, was synthesized, and its three diastereoisomers
      CYC-B29-CC, CYC-B29-TT, and CYC-B29-CT with significantly different optical,
      electronic, and electrochemical properties were carefully separated. CYC-B29-TT
      with the smallest size has the strongest absorption coefficient of the MLCT band,
      the shortest lambdamax, the lowest highest occupied molecular orbital level and
      the highest dye loading. Therefore, dye-sensitized solar cell based on CYC-B29-TT
      has the highest efficiency, which is two times higher than that of CYC-B29-CC
      sensitized device and 10% higher than that of N719-based cell. Time-dependent
      density functional theory-calculated transition bands for the three isomers are
      not identical, and only CYC-B29-TT has the calculated transition bands close to
      the experimental absorption profile. Although the calculated transition bands for
      CYC-B29-CC and CYC-B29-CT are not consistent with the experimental data, the
      ground-state vertical excitation energy with oscillator strength and electron
      density difference map data combining with the dye loading predict correctly the
      order of the photocurrent for the three isomers sensitized devices. 

PMID- 26479184
TI  - Synthetic biology for microbial production of lipid-based biofuels.
AB  - The risks of maintaining current CO2 emission trends have led to interest in
      producing biofuels using engineered microbes. Microbial biofuels reduce emissions
      because CO2 produced by fuel combustion is offset by CO2 captured by growing
      biomass, which is later used as feedstock for biofuel fermentation. Hydrocarbons
      found in petroleum fuels share striking similarity with biological lipids. Here
      we review synthetic metabolic pathways based on fatty acid and isoprenoid
      metabolism to produce alkanes and other molecules suitable as biofuels. We
      further discuss engineering strategies to optimize engineered biosynthetic
      routes, as well as the potential of synthetic biology for sustainable
      manufacturing. 

PMID- 26479185
TI  - Haemolacria: A Novel Approach to Lesion Localization.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the use of punctal plugs as a new modality to assist in the
      localization of lesions providing symptomatic relief in patients with haemolacria
      during their workup. METHODS: Retrospective case series. RESULTS: One boy and one
      girl, ages 16 and 20, respectively, reported spontaneous bloody tearing. Workup
      included probing and irrigation of the nasolacrimal system, blood and coagulation
      profiles, blood typing, serum hormone levels, conjunctival biopsy, and imaging.
      All findings were normal and failed to suggest a cause in any of the cases.
      Punctal plugs were inserted into each patient's inferior punctum OS without
      complication. On initial follow-up visits, each patient reported cessation of
      bloody tears OS with continued bloody tears OD. Over time, both patients
      experienced complete cessation of haemolacria in both eyes. CONCLUSIONS:
      Haemolacria is a condition caused by a group of disorders that result in the
      production of tears that are partially composed of blood. The large majority of
      cases result in a specific diagnosis. Only rarely does workup result in
      undetermined etiology. The novel approach of utilizing punctal plugs in the
      management of haemolacria may not only provide symptomatic relief for lesions
      distal to and including the punctum, but also assists in anatomic localization in
      idiopathic cases.

PMID- 26479187
TI  - Childhood lead exposure and sexually transmitted infections: New evidence.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The adverse health effects of lead exposure in children are well
      documented and include intellectual and behavioral maladies. Childhood lead
      exposure has also been linked to impulsive behaviors, which, in turn, are
      associated with a host of negative health outcomes including an increased risk
      for sexually transmitted infections (STI). The purpose of this study was to
      assess the association of lead exposure with STI rates across census tracts in
      St. Louis City, Missouri. METHODS: Incident cases of gonorrhea and chlamydia (GC)
      during 2011 were identified from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior
      Services and aggregated by census tract. We also geocoded the home address of
      59,645 children >72 months in age who had blood lead level tests performed in St.
      Louis City from 1996 to 2007. Traditional regression and Bayesian spatial models
      were used to determine the relationship between GC and lead exposure while
      accounting for confounders (condom and alcohol availability, crime, and an index
      of concentrated disadvantage). RESULTS: Incident GC rates were found to cluster
      across census tracts (Moran's I=0.13, p=0.006). After accounting for confounders
      and their spatial dependence, a linear relationship existed between lead exposure
      and GC incidence across census tracts, with higher GC rates occurring in the
      northern part of St. Louis City CONCLUSIONS: At the census-tract level, higher
      lead exposure is associated with higher STI rates. Visualizing these patterns
      through maps may help deliver targeted interventions to reduce geographic
      disparities in GC rates.

PMID- 26479188
TI  - Structural & functional consequences of chronic psychosocial stress on the
      microbiome & host.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Given the lasting impact of psychological distress on behavior,
      along with the role of the microbiome in neurobehavioral development, we sought
      to examine the relationship between the microbiota and stress-induced behavioral
      deficits. METHODS: Male C57BL/6 mice exposed to chronic social defeat were
      subjected to behavioral analysis and profiling of the intestinal microbiome. Mice
      were also analyzed for phenotypic and functional immune changes. A computational
      approach on 16S rRNA marker gene sequences was used to predict functional changes
      in the metagenome as a consequence of structural shifts in the microbiota.
      RESULTS: Chronic social defeat induced behavioral changes that were associated
      with reduced richness and diversity of the gut microbial community, along with
      distinct shifts at the level of operational taxonomic units (OTU) across phyla.
      The degree of deficits in social, but not exploratory behavior was correlated
      with group differences between the microbial community profile. In silico
      analysis predicted a shift in the functional profile of the microbiome: defeated
      mice exhibited reduced functional diversity and a lower prevalence of pathways
      involved in the synthesis and metabolism of neurotransmitter precursors and short
      chain fatty acids. Defeated mice also exhibited sustained alterations in
      dendritic cell activation, and transiently elevated levels of IL-10+ T regulatory
      cells that were suppressed over time. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that
      stress-induced disruptions in neurologic function are associated with altered
      immunoregulatory responses and complex OTU-level shifts in the microbiota. It is
      thus suggested that a dysbiotic state, along with specific changes in microbial
      markers, may predict the onset of adverse neurocognitive deficits commonly
      observed following exposure to severe stressors. The data also predict novel
      pathways that might underlie microbiota-mediated effects on brain and behavior,
      thus presenting targets for investigations into mechanisms and potential therapy.

PMID- 26479186
TI  - Leptin Matures Aspects of Lung Structure and Function in the Ovine Fetus.
AB  - In human and ovine fetuses, glucocorticoids stimulate leptin secretion, although
      the extent to which leptin mediates the maturational effects of glucocorticoids
      on pulmonary development is unclear. This study investigated the effects of
      leptin administration on indices of lung structure and function before birth.
      Chronically catheterized singleton sheep fetuses were infused iv for 5 days with
      either saline or recombinant ovine leptin (0.5 mg/kg . d leptin (LEP), 0.5 LEP or
      1.0 mg/kg . d, 1.0 LEP) from 125 days of gestation (term ~145 d). Over the
      infusion, leptin administration increased plasma leptin, but not cortisol,
      concentrations. On the fifth day of infusion, 0.5 LEP reduced alveolar wall
      thickness and increased the volume at closing pressure of the pressure-volume
      deflation curve, interalveolar septal elastin content, secondary septal crest
      density, and the mRNA abundance of the leptin receptor (Ob-R) and surfactant
      protein (SP) B. Neither treatment influenced static lung compliance, maximal lung
      volume at 40 cmH2O, lung compartment volumes, alveolar surface area, pulmonary
      glycogen, protein content of the long form signaling Ob-Rb or phosphorylated
      signal transducers and activators of transcription-3, or mRNA levels of SP-A, C,
      or D, elastin, vascular endothelial growth factor-A, the vascular endothelial
      growth factor receptor 2, angiotensin-converting enzyme, peroxisome proliferator
      activated receptor gamma, or parathyroid hormone-related peptide. Leptin
      administration in the ovine fetus during late gestation promotes aspects of lung
      maturation, including up-regulation of SP-B. 

PMID- 26479189
TI  - Better response to the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin in young adults with type 2
      diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: A variation of the response to Sodium glucose co-transporter
      2 (SGLT2) inhibitors with age has not been investigated in patients with
      diabetes. The aim of this study was to assess renal threshold of glucose (RTg)
      before and after administration of an SGLT2 inhibitor in young adult patients
      (<=40 years) and older adult patients (>40 years) with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty Japanese patients with T2DM were enrolled. Baseline
      data were obtained on the first day and dapagliflozin (5 mg) was administered at
      6:00 on the second day. Glucose excursions were assessed by continuous glucose
      monitoring and urine samples were collected every hour during the daytime (7:00
      to 15:00) on both days. RTg was estimated from the regression line of the scatter
      plot of the hourly mean glucose concentrations. RESULTS: After a single dose of
      dapagliflozin, RTg decreased from 121.5 to 6.1 mg/dl in the young adult group and
      from 151.0 mg/dl to -15.8 mg/dl in the older group. After dapagliflozin, the
      slope of the regression line was significantly steeper in the young adult group.
      CONCLUSION: Dapagliflozin was more effective in young patients because they
      showed a larger response of urinary glucose excretion.

PMID- 26479190
TI  - Effect of nitrogen doping on titanium carbonitride-derived adsorbents used for
      arsenic removal.
AB  - Arsenic in water and wastewater is considered to be a critical contaminant as it
      poses harmful health risks. In this regard, to meet the stringent regulation of
      arsenic in aqueous solutions, nitrogen doped carbon-based materials (CN) were
      prepared as adsorbents and tested for the removal of arsenic ion from aqueous
      solutions. Nitrogen-doped carbon (CNs) synthesized by chlorination exhibited well
      developed micro- and small meso-pores with uniform pore structures. The structure
      and characteristics of the adsorbents thus developed were confirmed by field
      emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer
      Emmett-Teller analysis, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and
      Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Among the CNs developed, CN700 exhibited
      high adsorption capacity for arsenic (31.08 mg/g). The adsorption efficiency for
      arsenic ion was confirmed to be affected by pyrrolic nitrogen and micro-pores.
      These results suggest that CNs are useful adsorbents for the treatment of
      arsenic, and in particular, CN700 demonstrates potential for application as an
      adsorbent for the removal of anionic heavy metals from wastewater and sewage.

PMID- 26479191
TI  - DNA-free genome editing in plants with preassembled CRISPR-Cas9
      ribonucleoproteins.
AB  - Editing plant genomes without introducing foreign DNA into cells may alleviate
      regulatory concerns related to genetically modified plants. We transfected
      preassembled complexes of purified Cas9 protein and guide RNA into plant
      protoplasts of Arabidopsis thaliana, tobacco, lettuce and rice and achieved
      targeted mutagenesis in regenerated plants at frequencies of up to 46%. The
      targeted sites contained germline-transmissible small insertions or deletions
      that are indistinguishable from naturally occurring genetic variation. 

PMID- 26479192
TI  - Influence of the ionic liquid [C4mpy][Tf2N] on the structure of the miniprotein
      Trp-cage.
AB  - We examine the effect of the ionic liquid [C4mpy][Tf2N] on the structure of the
      miniprotein Trp-cage and contrast these results with the behavior of Trp-cage in
      water. We find the ionic liquid has a dramatic effect on Trp-cage, though many
      similarities with aqueous Trp-cage are observed. We assess Trp-cage folding by
      monitoring root mean square deviation from the crystallographic structure, radius
      of gyration, proline cis/trans isomerization state, protein secondary structure,
      amino acid contact formation and distance, and native and non-native contact
      formation. Starting from an unfolded configuration, Trp-cage folds in water at
      298 K in less than 500 ns of simulation, but has very little mobility in the
      ionic liquid at the same temperature, which can be ascribed to the higher ionic
      liquid viscosity. At 365 K, the mobility of the ionic liquid is increased and
      initial stages of Trp-cage folding are observed, however Trp-cage does not reach
      the native folded state in 2 MUs of simulation in the ionic liquid. Therefore, in
      addition to conventional molecular dynamics, we also employ scaled molecular
      dynamics to expedite sampling, and we demonstrate that Trp-cage in the ionic
      liquid does closely approach the aqueous folded state. Interestingly, while the
      reduced mobility of the ionic liquid is found to restrict Trp-cage motion, the
      ionic liquid does facilitate proline cis/trans isomerization events that are not
      seen in our aqueous simulations.

PMID- 26479193
TI  - Polycystic ovary syndrome in globalizing India: An ecosocial perspective on an
      emerging lifestyle disease.
AB  - Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder linked to type II
      diabetes and the leading cause of female infertility worldwide. Despite being
      considered a "lifestyle" disease, PCOS has received scant attention in the social
      science literature. In India, media accounts citing prominent doctors have
      expressed concern that the syndrome affects a growing number of urban middle
      class Indian women. The general public, doctors, and afflicted women all
      attribute the condition to stress, lifestyle changes, "Westernization,"
      modernization, and disrupted circadian rhythms. These factors are associated with
      changes in diets, gender roles, and aspirations since 1991, when the introduction
      of neoliberal reforms opened up the country to processes of globalization. Women
      with PCOS have come to be seen as living embodiments of the biosocial stresses
      associated with modern urban middle-class living, and discourse about PCOS serves
      as commentary indexing anxieties about social and political-economic shifts in
      the country. In this paper, based on ethnographic fieldwork in Mumbai, India,
      with 141 participants from 2012 to 2014, we point to local understanding of PCOS
      as corresponding to an ecosocial perspective that highlights the structural
      vulnerabilities of urban middle-class women. Whereas most research on structural
      vulnerabilities and health has centered on economically and otherwise
      disadvantaged groups, we use PCOS as a case study to draw attention to the rise
      of lifestyle disorders linked to the impact of globalization and the pressures of
      "modern" identities and aspirations among middle-class populations. 

PMID- 26479194
TI  - Single-Band 2-nm-Line-Width Plasmon Resonance in a Strongly Coupled Au Nanorod.
AB  - This paper reports a dramatic reduction in plasmon resonance line width of a
      single Au nanorod by coupling it to a whispering gallery cavity of a silica
      microfiber. With fiber diameter below 6 MUm, strong coupling between the nanorod
      and the cavity occurs, leading to evident mode splitting and spectral narrowing.
      Using a 1.46-MUm-diameter microfiber, we obtained single-band 2-nm-line-width
      plasmon resonance in an Au nanorod around a 655-nm-wavelength, with a quality
      factor up to 330 and extinction ratio of 30 dB. Compared to an uncoupled Au
      nanorod, the strongly coupled nanorod offers a 30-fold enhancement in the peak
      intensity of plasmonic resonant scattering. 

PMID- 26479195
TI  - Spot Spraying Reduces Herbicide Concentrations in Runoff.
AB  - Rainfall simulator trials were conducted on sugar cane paddocks across dry
      tropical and subtropical Queensland, Australia, to examine the potential for spot
      spraying to reduce herbicide losses in runoff. Recommended rates of the
      herbicides glyphosate, 2,4-D, fluoroxypyr, atrazine, and diuron were sprayed onto
      0, 20, 40, 50, 70, or 100% of the area of runoff plots. Simulated rainfall was
      applied 2 days after spraying to induce runoff at one plant cane and three ratoon
      crop sites. Over 50% of all herbicides were transported in the dissolved phase of
      runoff, regardless of the herbicide's sediment-water partition coefficient. For
      most sites and herbicides, runoff herbicide concentrations decreased with
      decreasing spray coverage and with decreasing herbicide load in the soil and cane
      residues. Importantly, sites with higher infiltration prior to runoff and lower
      total runoff had lower runoff herbicide concentrations. 

PMID- 26479196
TI  - Influence mechanism of low-dose ionizing radiation on Escherichia coli DH5alpha
      population based on plasma theory and system dynamics simulation.
AB  - It remains a mystery why the growth rate of bacteria is higher in low-dose
      ionizing radiation (LDIR) environment than that in normal environment. In this
      study, a hypothesis composed of environmental selection and competitive exclusion
      was firstly proposed from observed phenomena, experimental data and microbial
      ecology. Then a LDIR environment simulator (LDIRES) was built to cultivate a
      model organism of bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli) DH5alpha, the accurate
      response of bacterial population to ionizing radiation intensity variation was
      measured experimentally, and then the precise relative dosage of ionizing
      radiation E. coli DH5alpha population received was calculated by finite element
      analysis based on drift-diffusion equations of plasma. Finally, a highly valid
      mathematical model expressing the relationship between E. coli DH5alpha
      population and LDIR intensity was developed by system dynamics based on
      hypotheses, experimental data and microbial ecology. Both experiment and
      simulation results clearly showed that the E. coli DH5alpha individuals with
      greater specific growth rate and lower substrate consumption coefficient would
      adapt and survive in LDIR environment and those without such adaptability were
      finally eliminated under the combined effects of ionizing radiation selection and
      competitive exclusion. 

PMID- 26479197
TI  - Stage-specific assembly events of the 6-MDa small-subunit processome initiate
      eukaryotic ribosome biogenesis.
AB  - Eukaryotic ribosome biogenesis involves a plethora of ribosome-assembly factors,
      and their temporal order of association with preribosomal RNA is largely unknown.
      By using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism, we developed a system that
      recapitulates and arrests ribosome assembly at early stages, thus providing in
      vivo snapshots of nascent preribosomal particles. Here we report the stage
      specific order in which 70 ribosome-assembly factors associate with preribosomal
      RNA domains, thereby forming the 6-MDa small-subunit processome. 

PMID- 26479199
TI  - Control of magnetite primary particle size in aqueous dispersions of nanoclusters
      for high magnetic susceptibilities.
AB  - Aqueous dispersions of iron oxide nanoparticles with a high initial magnetic
      susceptibility (chii) are of interest as contrast agents in electromagnetic
      tomography. Nanoclusters composed of iron oxide primary particles were formed by
      co-precipitation of Fe(II) and Fe(III) chlorides at alkaline conditions and high
      temperature of 95 degrees C. Two-step addition of citrate was used to produce
      large primary particles and then stabilize the nanoclusters. The size of the
      primary particles was tuned from 5nm to 15nm by varying the citrate/iron
      precursor ratio during the normal phase hydrolysis reaction, while the second
      iteration of citrate stabilized the nanoclusters with hydrodynamic diameters of
      30-75nm. The crystallinity of the iron oxide nanoparticles was promoted by
      annealing at 95 degrees C and systematically studied with Superconducting Quantum
      Interference Device (SQUID), Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM), Transmission
      Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The dependence of chii was
      examined over a range of low volume fractions (0.005<theta<0.02) to understand
      the magnetic behavior of dispersions. The chii of the dispersions increased
      markedly with the size and concentration of the constituent primary particles,
      reaching an unusually high value of 0.85 at 1.6% v/v for 15nm primary particles,
      which is 2-3 times higher than that for typical commercial ferrofluids. The high
      chii values are favored by the high crystallinity and the large magnetic diameter
      of 9.3nm, indicating a relatively thin surface nonmagnetic layer where the spin
      orientations are disordered. 

PMID- 26479198
TI  - Mechanism of eIF6 release from the nascent 60S ribosomal subunit.
AB  - SBDS protein (deficient in the inherited leukemia-predisposition disorder
      Shwachman-Diamond syndrome) and the GTPase EFL1 (an EF-G homolog) activate
      nascent 60S ribosomal subunits for translation by catalyzing eviction of the
      antiassociation factor eIF6 from nascent 60S ribosomal subunits. However, the
      mechanism is completely unknown. Here, we present cryo-EM structures of human
      SBDS and SBDS-EFL1 bound to Dictyostelium discoideum 60S ribosomal subunits with
      and without endogenous eIF6. SBDS assesses the integrity of the peptidyl (P)
      site, bridging uL16 (mutated in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia) with uL11 at
      the P-stalk base and the sarcin-ricin loop. Upon EFL1 binding, SBDS is
      repositioned around helix 69, thus facilitating a conformational switch in EFL1
      that displaces eIF6 by competing for an overlapping binding site on the 60S
      ribosomal subunit. Our data reveal the conserved mechanism of eIF6 release, which
      is corrupted in both inherited and sporadic leukemias. 

PMID- 26479200
TI  - Enhancing delivery and cytotoxicity of resveratrol through a dual
      nanoencapsulation approach.
AB  - Despite the known anticancer potential of resveratrol, its clinical applications
      are often hindered by physicochemical limitations such as poor solubility and
      stability. The encapsulation of resveratrol in formulations such as polymeric
      nanoparticles and liposomes has shown limited success. This study aimed to
      develop and optimize a novel drug carrier by co-encapsulating pristine
      resveratrol alongside cyclodextrin-resveratrol inclusion complexes in the
      lipophilic and hydrophilic compartments of liposomes, respectively by using a
      novel dual carrier approach. The particle size, polydispersity index and zeta
      potential of the final formulation were 131+/-1.30nm, 0.089+/-0.005 and -2.64+/
      0.51mV, respectively. Compared to free resveratrol and conventional liposomal
      formulations with drug release profile of 40-60%, our novel nanoformulations
      showed complete (100%) drug release in 24h. The formulation was stable for 14days
      at 4 degrees C. We also studied the in vitro cytotoxicity of resveratrol
      encapsulated liposomes in HT-29 colon cancer cell lines. The cytotoxicity profile
      of our liposomes was observed to be dose dependent and enhanced in comparison to
      free resveratrol (in DMSO). Our study demonstrates that co-encapsulation of
      pristine resveratrol along with its cyclodextrin complex in liposomal
      formulations is a plausible option for the enhanced delivery of the hydrophobic
      chemotherapeutic agent. 

PMID- 26479201
TI  - HTLV-1 associated myelopathy after renal transplantation.

PMID- 26479204
TI  - Development of the Seasonal Migrant Agricultural Worker Stress Scale in
      Sanliurfa, Southeast Turkey.
AB  - Stress is one of the main causes of health problems, especially mental disorders.
      These health problems cause a significant amount of ability loss and increase
      cost. It is estimated that by 2020, mental disorders will constitute 15% of the
      total disease burden, and depression will rank second only after ischemic heart
      disease. Environmental experiences are paramount in increasing the liability of
      mental disorders in those who constantly face sustained high levels of stress.
      The objective of this study was to develop a stress scale for seasonal migrant
      agricultural workers aged 18 years and older. The sample consisted of 270
      randomly selected seasonal migrant agricultural workers. The average age of the
      participants was 33.1 +/- 14, and 50.7% were male. The Cronbach alpha coefficient
      and test-retest methods were used for reliability analyses. Although the factor
      analysis was performed for the structure validity of the scale, the Kaiser-Meyer
      Olkin coefficient and Bartlett test were used to determine the convenience of the
      data for the factor analysis. In the reliability analyses, the Cronbach alpha
      coefficient of internal consistency was calculated as .96, and the test-retest
      reliability coefficient was .81. In the exploratory factor analysis for validity
      of the scale, four factors were obtained, and the factors represented workplace
      physical conditions (25.7% of the total variance), workplace psychosocial and
      economic factors (19.3% of the total variance), workplace health problems (15.2%
      of the total variance), and school problems (10.1% of the total variance). The
      four factors explained 70.3% of the total variance. As a result of the expert
      opinions and analyses, a stress scale with 48 items was developed. The highest
      score to be obtained from the scale was 144, and the lowest score was 0. The
      increase in the score indicates the increase in the stress levels. The findings
      show that the scale is a valid and reliable assessment instrument that can be
      used in epidemiological research and planning interventions. 

PMID- 26479203
TI  - The effect of delivery type on uncoupling protein-2 levels.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are carrier proteins located in the
      mitochondrial inner membrane that disturb the proton gradient by re-transporting
      protons and that thus inhibit ATP synthesis. UCP-2 is found in in several
      tissues, particularly the brain. This study was performed to examine the effects
      of mode of delivery on UCP-2 in humans. METHODS: The study was performed
      prospectively. Cord blood specimens were collected for measurement of blood
      gasses, full-blood count, total and direct bilirubin levels and UCP-2. UCP-2
      levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit.
      Results were expressed as nanogram per milliliter. RESULTS: The study was
      performed with 120 healthy term babies, 60 born by normal spontaneous vaginal
      delivery (NSVD) and 60 by cesarean/section (C/S). There was significant
      difference in UCP-2 levels between the two groups. UCP-2 levels were
      significantly higher in the cases born by NSVD then in the cases born by C/S.
      CONCLUSION: This study showed that a correlation exists between mode of delivery
      and UCP-2 in humans. As UCP-2 is described as playing a significant role in the
      formation of nerve cells and deficiency of this protein during development of the
      brain may lead to behavioral problems extending to adulthood, we think that
      increasing UCP-2 levels through normal delivery will protect all organs, and
      particularly the brain, against oxidative damage and play a role in preventing
      organ dysfunctions.

PMID- 26479202
TI  - Virome analysis of antiretroviral-treated HIV patients shows no correlation
      between T-cell activation and anelloviruses levels.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Abnormally high levels of T-cell activation can persist in HIV
      infected subjects despite effective anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and has been
      associated with negative health outcomes. The nature of the antigenic drivers or
      other causes of this residual T-cell activation remain uncertain. Anelloviruses
      are universally acquired soon after birth, resulting in persistent viremia, and
      considered part of the commensal human virome. Reduced immunocompetence results
      in increased anellovirus levels. OBJECTIVES: To test whether increased levels of
      anelloviruses or other viruses in plasma are associated with higher levels of
      persistent T-cell activation during ART. STUDY DESIGN: Two amplification methods
      combined with next generation sequencing were used to detect all viruses and
      estimate relative anellovirus levels in plasma from 19 adults on effective ART
      who exhibited a wide range of T-cell activation levels. RESULTS: Nucleic acids
      from HBV and HCV were detected in one patient each while pegivirus A (GBV-C) was
      found in three patients. Anellovirus DNA was detected in all patients with some
      individuals carrying up to eight different genotypes. Specific anellovirus
      genotypes or higher level of co-infections were not detected in subjects with
      higher levels of T-cell activation. No association was detected between relative
      plasma anellovirus DNA levels and the percentage of activated CD4 or CD8 T cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: Human anelloviruses were detected in all HIV suppressed subjects,
      exhibited a wide range of viremia levels, and were genetically highly diverse.
      The level of persistent T-cell activation was not correlated with the level of
      viremia or genotypes present indicating that anellovirus antigens are unlikely to
      be a dominant source of antigens driving chronic T-cell activation.

PMID- 26479205
TI  - Application Of Phenol/Amine Copolymerized Film Modified Magnesium Alloys:
      Anticorrosion And Surface Biofunctionalization.
AB  - Magnesium metal as degradable metallic material is one of the most researched
      areas, but its rapid degradation rate restricts its development. The current
      anticorrosion surface modification methods require expensive equipment and
      complicated operation processes and cannot continue to introduce biofunction on
      modified surface. In this study, the GAHD conversion coatings were fabricated on
      the surface of magnesium alloys (MZM) by incubating in the mixture solution of
      gallic acid (GA) and hexamethylenediamine (HD) to decrease the corrosion rate and
      provide primary amines (-NH2), carboxyl (-COOH), and quinone groups, which is
      supposed to introduce biomolecules on MZM. Chemical structures of the MZM-GAHD
      and MZM-HEP-GAHD were explored by analyzing the results of FTIR and XPS
      comprehensively. Furthermore, it was proved that the heparin (HEP) molecules were
      successfully immobilized on MZM-GAHD surface through carbodiimide method. The
      evaluation of platelet adhesion and clotting time test showed that MZM-HEP-GAHD
      had higher anticoagulation than MZM-GAHD. Through electrochemical detection
      (polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy Nyquist spectrum)
      and immersion test (Mg(2+) concentration and weight loss), it was proved that
      compared to MZM, both the MZM-GAHD and MZM-HEP-GAHD significantly improved the
      corrosion resistance. Finally, in vivo experimentation indicated that mass loss
      had no significant difference between MZM-1:1, MZM-HEP-1:1, and MZM. However, the
      trend still suggested that MZM-1:1 and MZM-HEP-1:1 possessed corrosion resistance
      property. 

PMID- 26479207
TI  - New Solid Forms of the Antiviral Drug Arbidol: Crystal Structures, Thermodynamic
      Stability, and Solubility.
AB  - Salts of the antiviral drug Arbidol (umifenovir) with pharmaceutically relevant
      benzoate and salicylate anions were obtained, and their crystal structures were
      described. For Arbidol salicylate, an unstable solvate with acetonitrile was also
      found and characterized. Analysis of the conformational preferences of the
      Arbidol molecule in the crystal structures showed that it adopts two types of
      conformations, namely "open" and "closed", both of which correspond to local
      conformational energy minima of the isolated molecule. Thermal stability of the
      Arbidol salicylate solvates with chloroform and acetonitrile was analyzed by
      means of differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The
      standard thermodynamic functions of the salt formation were determined. The Gibbs
      energy change of the process was found to be negative, indicating that the
      formation of the salts from individual components is a spontaneous process. The
      dissolution study of the Arbidol salts performed in aqueous buffer solutions with
      pH 1.2 and 6.8 showed that both salts dissolve incongruently to form an Arbidol
      hydrochloride monohydrate at pH 1.2 and an Arbidol base at pH 6.8, respectively. 

PMID- 26479206
TI  - An observational study of powered wheelchair provision in Italy.
AB  - Powered wheelchairs are complex and expensive assistive devices that must be
      selected and configured on the basis of individual user needs, lifestyle,
      motivation, driving ability, and environment. Providing agencies often require
      evidence that their financial investment will lead to a successful outcome. The
      authors surveyed a sample of 79 users who had obtained powered wheelchairs from a
      Regional Health Service in Italy in the period 2008-2013. Follow-up interviews
      were conducted at the users' homes in order to collect information about
      wheelchair use, and its effectiveness, usefulness, and economic impact. The
      instruments used in the interviews included an introductory questionnaire, QUEST
      (Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology), PIADS
      (Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale), FABS/M (Facilitators and
      Barriers Survey/Mobility), and SCAI (Siva Cost Analysis Instrument). The results
      indicated positive outcomes, especially in relation to user satisfaction and
      psychosocial impact. A number of barriers were identified in various settings
      that sometimes restrict user mobility, and suggest corrective actions. The
      provision of a powered wheelchair generated considerable savings in social costs
      for most users: an average of about $38,000 per person over a projected 5-year
      period was estimated by comparing the cost of the intervention with that of non
      intervention.

PMID- 26479208
TI  - Injury of the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract in a patient with mild traumatic brain
      injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) have
      demonstrated injury of the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract (DRTT) in various brain
      pathologies. However, no study on traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been reported.
      This case study attempted to demonstrate injury of the DRTT in a patient with
      mild TBI, using DTT. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 41-year-old female patient suffered from
      head trauma resulting from flexion-hyperextension injury by being hit from behind
      by a running car while stopped at an intersection. The patient lost consciousness
      and experienced post-traumatic amnesia for ~1minute from the time of the car
      accident. The patient's Glasgow Coma Scale score was 15. No specific lesion was
      observed on brain MRI. At 2 weeks after onset, the patient began to show resting
      and intentional tremor (more severe in the right upper and lower extremities) and
      ataxic gait. Her symptoms had been aggravated with the passage of time. On 1
      month DTT, the left DRTT, which originated from the left dentate nucleus of the
      cerebellum, was thinner than the right DRTT. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated
      injury of the DRTT in a patient with tremor and ataxia following mild TBI, using
      DTT. It is believed that analysis of the DRTT using DTT would be useful in
      elucidating the cause of post-traumatic abnormal movements.

PMID- 26479209
TI  - AISI: A New Disease Severity Assessment Tool for Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, disabling, skin
      disorder. Because of renewed scientific interest in HS, different aspects of the
      condition, such as disease severity assessment, are being investigated and better
      defined. The aim of this study is to provide a novel tool for the assessment of
      disease severity. METHODS AND MATERIALS: An HS-tailored, composite, dynamic
      score, named the Acne Inversa Severity Index (AISI) was designed to include a
      physician-rated assessment that considers the type of lesions occurring and the
      affected body sites. Additionally, a 0-10 visual analog scale (VAS), named
      Illness-VAS, was created to assess a patient's pain, discomfort, and disability
      due to HS. The authors compared AISI with other validated measurements, namely
      the Hurley staging classification, modified Sartorius score, and the Dermatology
      Life Quality Index (DLQI). RESULTS: The AISI was tested in 46 patients with HS,
      demonstrating a significant correlation with Hurley staging (r: 0.70856; P =
      0.0021), modified Sartorius score (r: 0.9730; P = less than 0.00001), and DLQI
      (r: 0.8257; P = 0.0221). According to AISI cut-offs, HS may be defined as mild
      (AISI less than 10), moderate (AISI 10 > 18), and severe (AISI > 18).
      Additionally, comparing the 2 dynamic scores, AISI and Sartorius, AISI proved
      significantly faster than the Sartorius score (46.44 +/- 19.24 seconds vs 83.2 +/
      19.04 seconds; P =1.31 x 10-6). CONCLUSIONS: Being simple, fast, dynamic, and
      accurate, the AISI could represent the ideal measurement for HS severity in both
      real-life and clinical trial settings.

PMID- 26479210
TI  - A New Acid-oxidizing Solution: Assessment of Its Role on Methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Biofilm Morphological Changes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Biofilms represent a key challenge in the treatment of chronic wounds,
      as they are among the main reasons for delays in chronic wound healing. This in
      vitro study was aimed at evaluating the activity of a new acid-oxidizing solution
      (AOS) on biofilm formation. Acid-oxidizing solution contains free chlorine
      species with stabilized hypochlorous acid in high concentration (> 95%) and is
      characterized by acidic (pH less than 3) and super-oxidizing (Redox greater than
      1000mV) features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 3-dimensional in vitro model of
      reconstructed human epidermis was used to compare the activity of AOS vs 2
      reference products (RP) containing betaine and polyhexanide (RP1) and sodium
      hypochlorite and hypochlorous acid (RP2). Different approaches were used to
      assess the prevention and eradication of methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus
      aureus biofilm by the study products. Xylitol and chlorhexidine were used as
      positive controls. The activity of the study products on the biofilm structure
      was evaluated analyzing the ultrastructural modification by scanning electron
      microscopy, while skin compatibility was assessed on noncolonized tissues
      measuring the metabolic activity of the cells. RESULTS: In all experiments, AOS
      showed to be active on the biofilm matrix, modifying its structure and allowing
      bacterial release from the matrix. In all experiments, no cytotoxicity was
      observed in the tissues treated with the product suggesting a good compatibility
      of AOS with skin tissues. Reference product 1 affected the biofilm, suggesting a
      disruption effect; RP2 was slightly less active than AOS in modifying the biofilm
      structure. CONCLUSION: Treatment with AOS affects biofilm by modifying its
      structure and therefore facilitating local bacteria accessibility to bactericidal
      agents, with consequent potential clinical benefits in the treatment of chronic
      wounds.

PMID- 26479211
TI  - Correlation Between Wound Temperature Obtained With an Infrared Camera and
      Clinical Wound Bed Score in Venous Leg Ulcers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The measurement of skin and wound bed temperature in chronic wounds
      may be a useful way to optimize the assessment and diagnosis of chronic wound
      infection. The aim of this clinical research trial was to correlate the wound bed
      score, validated by Falanga in 2006, to wound bed and perilesional skin
      temperature with an easy-to-use, handheld, noninvasive thermometer. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: In this study, the authors recruited 18 patients affected by venous
      insufficiency and lower leg ulcers. A total of 24 chronic wound bed and
      perilesional skin ulcers were assessed using an infrared camera (FLIR T620
      Thermal Imager, FLIR Systems Boston, MA). At the same visit, an operator blinded
      to the thermal image results made a wound bed score to make a clinical evaluation
      of the lesion. RESULTS: The wound bed temperature range after dressing removal
      was between 31 degrees C and 35 degrees C, and the perilesional skin temperature
      range was between 31 degrees C and 34 degrees C. The wound bed score range was
      between 5-14 (14 patients > 10; 11 patients <= 10). The study data showed an
      increasing relationship between the wound bed score and the wound bed temperature
      according to several studies that have demonstrated 33 degrees C is the critical
      temperature level required for normal cellular activity. The correlation between
      the wound bed score and the perilesional skin temperature is weaker compared to
      other measurements. CONCLUSION: The results obtained in this preliminary research
      suggest that this correlation is worth being further investigated with a larger
      dataset.

PMID- 26479212
TI  - Evidence Corner: Improving Outcomes of Colorectal Surgery.

PMID- 26479213
TI  - Editorial Message: The Psychology of Wound Healing.

PMID- 26479214
TI  - Geographic Variation in Outcome Benefits of Helicopter Transport for Trauma in
      the United States: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the effect of US geographic region on outcomes of helicopter
      transport (HT) for trauma. BACKGROUND: HT is an integral component of trauma
      systems. Evidence suggests that HT is associated with improved outcomes; however,
      no studies examine the impact of geographic variation on outcomes for HT.
      METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing scene HT or ground
      transport in the National Trauma Databank (2009-2012). Subjects were divided by
      US census region. HT and ground transport subjects were propensity-score matched
      based on prehospital physiology and injury severity. Conditional logistic
      regression was used to evaluate the effect of HT on survival and discharge to
      home in each region. Region-level characteristics were assessed as potential
      explanatory factors. RESULTS: A total of 193,629 pairs were matched. HT was
      associated with increased odds of survival and discharge to home; however, the
      magnitude of these effects varied significantly across regions (P < 0.01). The
      South had the greatest survival benefit (odds ratio: 1.44; 95% confidence
      interval: 1.39-1.49, P < 0.01) and the Northeast had the greatest discharge to
      home benefit (odds ratio: 1.29; 95% confidence interval: 1.18-1.41, P < 0.01). A
      subset of region-level characteristics influenced the effect of HT on each
      outcome, including helicopter utilization, injury severity, trauma center and
      helicopter distribution, trauma center access, traffic congestion, and urbanicity
      (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Geographic region impacts the benefits of HT in trauma.
      Variations in resource allocation partially account for outcome differences.
      Policy makers should consider regional factors to better assess and allocate
      resources within trauma systems to optimize the role of HT.

PMID- 26479216
TI  - Incidence and causative agents of chemical eye injuries in Switzerland.
AB  - CONTEXT: Chemical eye injuries are ophthalmological emergencies with a high risk
      of secondary complications and severe visual loss. Only limited epidemiological
      data for such injuries are available for many countries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We
      performed two independent studies. The cause of chemical eye injuries was
      assessed with a prospective questionnaire study. Questionnaires were sent to all
      ophthalmologists in Switzerland. A total of 163 patients (205 eyes) were
      included, between December 2012 and October 2014. Independent of the
      questionnaire study, the incidence of chemical eye injuries was assessed with a
      retrospective cohort study design using the database of the mandatory accident
      insurance. RESULTS: Ophthalmological questionnaires revealed that plaster/cement
      (20.5%), alkaline (12.2%) and acid (10.2%) solutions caused the highest number of
      chemical injuries. Only 2% of all injuries were classified as grade III and none
      as grade IV (Roper-Hall classification). The official toxicological information
      phone-hotline was contacted in 4.3% of cases. Using data from the accident
      insurance, an incidence of chemical eye injuries of about 50/100 000/year was
      found in the working population. CONCLUSION: Here, we present data on the
      involved agents of chemical eye injuries in Switzerland, and also the incidence
      of such injuries in the working population. This may also help to assess the need
      for further education programs and to improve and direct preventive measures.

PMID- 26479215
TI  - Examining the Psychometric Properties of the Sexual Excitation/Sexual Inhibition
      Inventory for Women (SESII-W) in a Sample of Lesbian and Bisexual Women.
AB  - The Sexual Excitation/Sexual Inhibition Inventory for Women (SESII-W) assesses
      propensities for sexual excitation (SE) and inhibition (SI). Previous research
      utilizing the SESII-W included samples comprised exclusively or almost entirely
      of heterosexual women. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric
      properties of the SESII-W and assess its relation to aspects of sexual function
      within a sample of lesbian and bisexual women. The sample included 974 self
      identified bisexual (n = 733) or lesbian/homosexual (n = 241) women who completed
      an online survey including items assessing women's sexual behaviors, feelings,
      and functioning, sociodemographics, and the SESII-W. The sample was split;
      exploratory factor analyses were conducted on the first half, yielding eight
      lower-order factors with two higher-order factors. Confirmatory factor analysis
      was conducted on the second half and suggested reasonable model fit. SI was
      positively correlated with sexual problems and negatively correlated with sexual
      pleasure; the correlations were significant but small. Hierarchical regression
      analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between SESII-W scores and
      sexual problems/sexual pleasure, controlling for age, relationship duration, and
      relationship status. Four lower-order factors predicted reports of sexual
      problems. Findings indicated the SESII-W has similar psychometric properties
      among sexual minority women as it does among heterosexual women.

PMID- 26479217
TI  - Readability of online patient resources for melanoma.
AB  - Medical information is often difficult for patients to understand. With
      specialized vocabulary and complex pathophysiology, even well-educated adults
      have trouble interpreting information about their healthcare. The average
      American adult reads at a seventh-grade level. In light of the inherent
      complexity of health information, the American Medical Association and National
      Institutes of Health have recommended that information for patients should be
      written at a sixth-grade level. The goal of this study was to evaluate the most
      commonly used online patient resources about melanoma in the context of these
      recommendations. A web search for 'melanoma' identified the 10 most-accessed
      websites. Location filters were disabled and sponsored results were excluded to
      avoid inadvertent search bias. All relevant, patient-directed articles were
      downloaded and formatted into plain text. Pictures, videos, links,
      advertisements, and references were removed. Readability analysis was carried out
      using 10 established tests, both overall and arranged by parent website for
      comparison. A total of 130 articles for melanoma information were identified. The
      overall mean reading grade level was 12.6. All sites exceeded the recommended
      sixth-grade level. Secondary analysis of articles grouped by website indicated a
      range of readability across sites from 9.9 (high school freshman) to 14.9
      (university sophomore). Online patient resources for melanoma uniformly exceed
      the recommended reading level and may be too difficult for many Americans to
      understand. The range of readability among websites may indicate an opportunity
      for physicians to direct patients to more appropriate resources for their level
      of health literacy. 

PMID- 26479219
TI  - A novel role of actomyosin bundles in ERK signaling.
AB  - Intracellular and extracellular mechanical environments have a significant impact
      on survival and proliferation of cells. While the extracellular signal-regulated
      kinase (ERK) subfamily of MAP kinases plays critical roles in regulations of
      these cellular behaviors, activation of ERK is affected by mechanical conditions
      of cells. We have recently found that ERK is activated on contractile actomyosin
      bundles. ERK activation on actomyosin bundles depends on tension in the bundles,
      which is generated by either myosin II activity of external forces. In this
      Addendum, we discuss a novel, potential role of actomyosin bundles in ERK
      signaling and mechanical regulation of cell survival and proliferation. 

PMID- 26479221
TI  - The Controversial Case of Biperiden: From Prescription Drug to Drug of Abuse.

PMID- 26479218
TI  - Implications of age and conditional survival estimates for patients with
      melanoma.
AB  - Overall cancer incidence is decreasing, whereas melanoma cases are increasing.
      Conditional survival estimates offer a more accurate prognosis for patients the
      farther they are from time of diagnosis. The effect of age and stage on a
      melanoma patient's conditional survival estimate is unknown. Surveillance,
      Epidemiology, and End Results data were utilized to identify newly diagnosed
      cutaneous melanoma patients (N=95 041), from 1998 to 2005, with up to 12 years of
      follow-up. Estimates of disease-specific survival by stage and age were
      determined by Cox regression analysis and transformed to estimated conditional 5
      year survival. Localized melanoma patients have an excellent 5-year survival at
      diagnosis and over subsequent years. For patients with localized and regional
      disease, an age effect is present for disease-specific mortality when comparing
      older patients (70-79 years) with younger patients (<30 years): hazard ratio (HR)
      for mortality 3.79 [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.01-4.84] and HR 2.36 (95% CI
      1.93-2.91), respectively. No age effect difference is observed in disease
      specific survival for advanced disease: HR 1.14 (95% CI 0.87-1.53). Over time,
      conditional survival estimates improve for older patients with localized and
      regional disease. This improvement is not seen in distant disease, neither is the
      age gradient. Disease-specific mortality and conditional survival for patients
      with localized and regional melanomas are initially impacted by older age, with
      effects dissipating over time. Age does not affect survival in patients with
      advanced disease. Understanding the conditional 5-year disease-specific survival
      of melanoma based on age and stage can help patients and physicians, informing
      decision-making about treatment and surveillance. 

PMID- 26479220
TI  - Pain Affects Clinical Patterns and Treatment Outcomes for Patients With Major
      Depressive Disorder Taking Fluoxetine.
AB  - The aim of the study was to determine whether baseline pain was associated with
      discernible clinical features and treatment outcomes for patients with major
      depressive disorder (MDD) receiving 6-week fluoxetine treatment. A total of 131
      inpatients with acutely ill MDD were enrolled to receive 20 mg of fluoxetine
      daily for 6 weeks. Pain was measured by the Short-Form 36 body pain index.
      Symptom severity, functional impairment, and severity of adverse events were
      assessed at baseline and again at weeks 1 to 4 and 6 using the 17-item Hamilton
      Depression Rating Scale, Modified Work and Social Adjustment Scale, and Utvalg
      for Kliniske Undersogelser Side Effect Rating Scale, respectively. Simple linear
      regression was employed to examine the clinical variables significantly
      associated with pain. The generalized estimating equations method was used to
      analyze the influence of pain on the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale,
      Modified Work and Social Adjustment Scale, and Utvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser
      Side Effect Rating Scale over time. Of the 131 participants, 119 (90.8%) who
      completed baseline pain measurements and had at least 1 postbaseline assessment
      were included in the analysis. Patients experiencing greater pain were more
      likely to have more severe depression, to be at greater risk of suicide, to have
      functional impairment, to experience stressful life events, and to have poor
      treatment outcomes. These findings suggest that pain was significantly associated
      with multiple aspects of patients with MDD. Patients with MDD with higher levels
      of pain were clinically useful in predicting poor outcomes after acute fluoxetine
      treatment.

PMID- 26479222
TI  - Effect of Antipsychotic Dosing Regimen on Neurocognition in Schizophrenia.

PMID- 26479224
TI  - A Case of Frontotemporal Dementia Presenting With Treatment-Refractory Psychosis
      and Extreme Violence: Response to Combination of Clozapine, Medroxyprogesterone,
      and Sertraline.

PMID- 26479223
TI  - Efficacy of Tranylcypromine in Bipolar Depression: A Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Currently, there is a paucity of treatment options with limited
      efficacy for bipolar depression. The monoamine oxidase inhibitor tranylcypromine
      might be an effective form of treatment. The current systematic review reassesses
      the efficacy and safety of tranylcypromine in bipolar depression. METHODS: For
      this systematic review comparing tranylcypromine with placebo or active
      comparators in bipolar depression, relevant randomized controlled trials were
      identified from systematic searches of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane library
      databases. A manual search of the references of the included studies was also
      performed. RESULTS: Four studies with a total of 145 participants were
      identified. Response rates were higher in patients treated with tranylcypromine
      (60.0%-80.7%; overall response rate, 73.7%) compared with placebo, imipramine,
      and lamotrigine (the latter as add-on to a mood stabilizer) (12.9%-47.6%; overall
      response rate, 27.5%). The overall switch rate was 6.3% for patients treated with
      tranylcypromine and 18.4% for patients in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This
      systematic review provides evidence for the efficacy and safety of
      tranylcypromine treatment in bipolar depression. Additional research is required
      to establish the efficacy of tranylcypromine as add-on to a mood stabilizer.

PMID- 26479225
TI  - Statistics Commentary Series: Commentary #12-One--Tailed and Two-Tailed Tests.

PMID- 26479226
TI  - Does the Naked Neck Meat Type Chicken Yield Lower Methionine Requirement Data?
AB  - Methionine (Met) requirement studies with homozygous (Na/Na) and heterozygous
      (Na/na) naked neck meat type chicken utilized 144 birds of average weight (50%
      each genotype and sex) within two N balance experiments involving both the
      starter (d10-20) and grower period (d25-35). The birds were randomly allotted to
      five experimental diets with graded protein supply and Met as the limiting amino
      acid. The proportion of native feed protein sources (soy protein concentrate,
      maize, wheat, fishmeal and wheat gluten) was kept constant to ensure a uniform
      protein quality in all diets. The Met requirement depending on genotype, sex, age
      period and growth performance (protein deposition) was estimated using a non
      linear modeling procedure of N utilization in monogastric animals. On average,
      0.47% (Na/Na) and 0.45% (Na/na) dietary Met was established as adequate in the
      starter diet, as well as 0.37% (Na/Na) and 0.36% (Na/na) Met in the grower diet
      for both of the sexes. In conclusion, the Met requirement of the naked neck
      chicken is not significantly different from its normally-feathered counterparts.
      In addition, the low feather production was not reflected by reduced requirement
      for Met in naked neck birds. However, these conclusions are valid only at the
      given Met:Cys ratio (1:1) in the experimental diets. 

PMID- 26479227
TI  - The Use of a Shelter Software (a) to Track Frequency and Selected Risk Factors
      for Feline Upper Respiratory Infection.
AB  - Objective-Feline upper respiratory infection (URI) is a common, multi-factorial
      infectious disease syndrome endemic to many animal shelters. Although a
      significant cause of morbidity and mortality in shelter cats, URI is seldom
      formally monitored in shelter cat populations. Without monitoring, effective
      control and prevention of this often endemic disease is difficult. We looked at
      an integrated case management software system (a) for animal care organizations,
      widely used in shelters across the United States. Shelter staff routinely enter
      information regarding individual animals and disease status, but do not commonly
      use the software system to track frequency of disease. The purpose of this study
      was to determine if the software system (a) can be used to track URI frequency
      and selected risk factors in a population, and to evaluate the quality and
      completeness of the data as currently collected in a shelter. Design (type of
      study)-Descriptive Survey. Animals (or Sample)-317 cats in an animal shelter.
      Procedures-Reports from the software system (a) containing data regarding daily
      inventory, daily intake, animal identification, location, age, vaccination
      status, URI diagnosis and URI duration were evaluated. The reports were compared
      to data collected manually by an observer (Ann Therese Kommedal) to assess
      discrepancies, completeness, timeliness, availability and accuracy. Data were
      collected 6 days a week over a 4 week period. Results-Comparisons between the
      software system (a) reports and manually collected reports showed that 93% of
      inventory reports were complete and of these 99% were accurate. Fifty-two percent
      of the vaccination reports were complete, of which 97% were accurate. The
      accuracy of the software system's age reports was 76%. Two-hundred and twenty
      three cats were assigned a positive or negative URI diagnosis by the observer.
      The predictive value of the URI status in the software system (a) was below 60%
      both for positive and negative URI diagnosis. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance
      data currently collected and entered into the software systems in the study
      shelter, was not useful for tracking URI frequency and risk factors, due to
      issues with both data quality and capture. However, the potential exists to
      increase the practicality and usefulness of this shelter software system to
      monitor URI and other diseases. Relevant data points, i.e., health status at
      intake and outcome, vaccination date and status, as well as age, should be made
      mandatory to facilitate more useful data collection and reporting. 

PMID- 26479229
TI  - 2004 Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Manure Management in South Africa.
AB  - Manure management in livestock makes a significant contribution towards
      greenhouse gas emissions in the Agriculture; Forestry and Other Land Use category
      in South Africa. Methane and nitrous oxide emissions are prevalent in contrasting
      manure management systems; promoting anaerobic and aerobic conditions
      respectively. In this paper; both Tier 1 and modified Tier 2 approaches of the
      IPCC guidelines are utilized to estimate the emissions from South African
      livestock manure management. Activity data (animal population, animal weights,
      manure management systems, etc.) were sourced from various resources for
      estimation of both emissions factors and emissions of methane and nitrous oxide.
      The results show relatively high methane emissions factors from manure management
      for mature female dairy cattle (40.98 kg/year/animal), sows (25.23
      kg/year/animal) and boars (25.23 kg/year/animal). Hence, contributions for pig
      farming and dairy cattle are the highest at 54.50 Gg and 32.01 Gg respectively,
      with total emissions of 134.97 Gg (3104 Gg CO2 Equivalent). Total nitrous oxide
      emissions are estimated at 7.10 Gg (2272 Gg CO2 Equivalent) and the three main
      contributors are commercial beef cattle; poultry and small-scale beef farming at
      1.80 Gg; 1.72 Gg and 1.69 Gg respectively. Mitigation options from manure
      management must be taken with care due to divergent conducive requirements of
      methane and nitrous oxide emissions requirements. 

PMID- 26479228
TI  - Challenges of Managing Animals in Disasters in the U.S.
AB  - Common to many of the repeated issues surrounding animals in disasters in the
      U.S. is a pre-existing weak animal health infrastructure that is under constant
      pressure resulting from pet overpopulation. Unless this root cause is addressed,
      communities remain vulnerable to similar issues with animals they and others have
      faced in past disasters. In the US the plight of animals in disasters is
      frequently viewed primarily as a response issue and frequently handled by groups
      that are not integrated with the affected community's emergency management. In
      contrast, animals, their owners, and communities would greatly benefit from
      integrating animal issues into an overall emergency management strategy for the
      community. There is no other factor contributing as much to human evacuation
      failure in disasters that is under the control of emergency management when a
      threat is imminent as pet ownership. Emergency managers can take advantage of the
      bond people have with their animals to instill appropriate behavior amongst pet
      owners in disasters. 

PMID- 26479230
TI  - Behavioral Response of Invertebrates to Experimental Simulation of Pre-Seismic
      Chemical Changes.
AB  - Unusual behavior before earthquakes has been reported for millennia but no
      plausible mechanism has been identified. One possible way in which animals could
      be affected by pre-earthquake processes is via stress activated positive holes
      leading to the formation of hydrogen peroxide at the rock water interface.
      Aquatic and fossorial animals could be irritated by H2O2 and move down the
      concentration gradient. Here, we carry out avoidance tests with hydrogen peroxide
      in two model organisms; Daphnia pulex and earthworms. Daphnia were found to move
      away from increasing concentrations of H2O2 but earthworms appeared unaffected.
      It is possible that earthworm swarming behavior, reported frequently before
      earthquakes, is caused by electric field shifts or another unknown mechanism,
      whereas zooplankton may be affected by increasing levels of H2O2. 

PMID- 26479231
TI  - The Efficiency of an Integrated Program Using Falconry to Deter Gulls from
      Landfills.
AB  - Gulls are commonly attracted to landfills, and managers are often required to
      implement cost-effective and socially accepted deterrence programs. Our objective
      was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive program that integrated the use
      of trained birds of prey, pyrotechnics, and playback of gull distress calls at a
      landfill located close to a large ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis) colony
      near Montreal, Quebec, Canada. We used long-term survey data on bird use of the
      landfill, conducted behavioral observations of gulls during one season and
      tracked birds fitted with GPS data loggers. We also carried out observations at
      another landfill located farther from the colony, where less refuse was brought
      and where a limited culling program was conducted. The integrated program based
      on falconry resulted in a 98% decrease in the annual total number of gulls
      counted each day between 1995 and 2014. A separate study indicated that the local
      breeding population of ring-billed gulls increased and then declined during this
      period but remained relatively large. In 2010, there was an average (+/-SE) of 59
      +/- 15 gulls/day using the site with falconry and only 0.4% +/- 0.2% of these
      birds were feeding. At the other site, there was an average of 347 +/- 55
      gulls/day and 13% +/- 3% were feeding. Twenty-two gulls tracked from the colony
      made 41 trips towards the landfills: twenty-five percent of the trips that passed
      by the site with falconry resulted in a stopover that lasted 22 +/- 7 min
      compared to 85% at the other landfill lasting 63 +/- 15 min. We concluded that
      the integrated program using falconry, which we consider more socially acceptable
      than selective culling, was effective in reducing the number of gulls at the
      landfill. 

PMID- 26479232
TI  - Characteristics of Trailer Thermal Environment during Commercial Swine Transport
      Managed under U.S. Industry Guidelines.
AB  - Transport is a critical factor in modern pork production and can seriously affect
      swine welfare. While previous research has explored thermal conditions during
      transport, the impact of extreme weather conditions on the trailer thermal
      environment under industry practices has not been well documented; and the
      critical factors impacting microclimate are not well understood. To assess the
      trailer microclimate during transport events, an instrumentation system was
      designed and installed at the central ceiling level, pig level and floor-level in
      each of six zones inside a commercial swine trailer. Transport environmental data
      from 34 monitoring trips (approximately 1-4 h in duration each) were collected
      from May, 2012, to February, 2013, with trailer management corresponding to the
      National Pork Board Transport Quality Assurance (TQA) guidelines in 31 of these
      trips. According to the TQA guidelines, for outdoor temperature ranging from 5 
      degrees C (40  degrees F) to 27  degrees C (80  degrees F), acceptable thermal
      conditions were observed based on the criteria that no more than 10% of the trip
      duration was above 35  degrees C (95  degrees F) or below 0  degrees C (32 
      degrees F). Recommended bedding, boarding and water application were sufficient
      in this range. Measurements support relaxing boarding guidelines for moderate
      outdoor conditions, as this did not result in less desirable conditions. Pigs
      experienced extended undesirable thermal conditions for outdoor temperatures
      above 27  degrees C (80  degrees F) or below 5  degrees C (40  degrees F),
      meriting a recommendation for further assessment of bedding, boarding and water
      application guidelines for extreme outdoor temperatures. An Emergency Livestock
      Weather Safety Index (LWSI) condition was observed inside the trailer when
      outdoor temperature exceeded 10  degrees C (50  degrees F); although the validity
      of LWSI to indicate heat stress for pigs during transport is not well
      established. Extreme pig surface temperatures in the rear and middle zones of the
      trailer were more frequently experienced than in the front zones, and the few
      observations of pigs dead or down upon arrival were noted in these zones.
      Observations indicate that arranging boarding placement may alter the ventilation
      patterns inside the trailer. 

PMID- 26479233
TI  - The Use of Refuges by Communally Housed Cats.
AB  - The increase of domestic animals kept in shelters highlights the need to ensure
      animal welfare. Environmental enrichment can improve animal welfare in many ways,
      such as encouraging captive animals to use all the space available to them. The
      effects of physical environmental enrichment on the spatial distribution and
      behavioral repertoire of 35 neutered domestic cats housed communally were
      analyzed. The provision of boxes in the environment increases the use of
      available space by the cats. We suggest this improves the cats' welfare while in
      communally-housed rescue shelters. The frequencies of active and especially
      inactive behaviors also increased in the enriched condition. In a test with
      vertical environmental enrichment, the animals showed an increased length of stay
      in refuges located at a height of 0.5 m compared to those on the ground (0.0 m).
      However, the entry frequency was higher in refuges at 0.0 m. Both horizontal and
      vertical environmental enrichment increased the use of available space,
      demonstrating that box refuges as enrichment are effective in providing a refuge
      when at a height, or a place to explore at ground level. We suggest it enhances
      the welfare of cats in communally housed shelters. This information adds to the
      body of evidence relating to cat enrichment and can be useful in designing cat
      housing in veterinary clinics, research laboratories, shelters and domestic
      homes. 

PMID- 26479234
TI  - The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine Shelter Program.
AB  - The shelter program at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary
      Medicine provides veterinary students with extensive experience in shelter animal
      care including spay/neuter, basic wellness care, diagnostics, medical management,
      disease control, shelter management and biosecurity. Students spend five days at
      shelters in the junior year of the curriculum and two weeks working on mobile
      veterinary units in their senior year. The program helps meet accreditation
      standards of the American Veterinary Medical Association's Council on Education
      that require students to have hands-on experience and is in keeping with
      recommendations from the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium.
      The program responds, in part, to the challenge from the Pew Study on Future
      Directions for Veterinary Medicine that argued that veterinary students do not
      graduate with the level of knowledge and skills that is commensurate with the
      number of years of professional education. 

PMID- 26479236
TI  - Determinants of Cat Choice and Outcomes for Adult Cats and Kittens Adopted from
      an Australian Animal Shelter.
AB  - The percentage of adult cats euthanized in animal shelters is greater than that
      of kittens because adult cats are less likely to be adopted. This study aimed to
      provide evidence to inform the design of strategies to encourage adult cat
      adoptions. One such strategy is to discount adoption prices, but there are
      concerns that this may result in poor adoption outcomes. We surveyed 382 cat
      adopters at the time of adoption, to assess potential determinants of adopters'
      cat age group choice (adult or kitten) and, for adult cat adopters, the price
      they are willing to pay. The same respondents were surveyed again 6-12 months
      after the adoption to compare outcomes between cat age groups and between adult
      cats in two price categories. Most adopters had benevolent motivations for
      adopting from the shelter and had put considerable thought into the adoption and
      requirements for responsible ownership. However, adult cat adopters were more
      likely to have been influenced by price than kitten adopters. Adoption outcomes
      were generally positive for both adult cats and kittens and for adult cats
      adopted at low prices. The latter finding alleviates concerns about the outcomes
      of "low-cost" adoptions in populations, such as the study population, and lends
      support for the use of "low-cost" adoptions as an option for attempting to
      increase adoption rates. In addition, the results provide information that can be
      used to inform future campaigns aimed at increasing the number of adult cat
      adoptions, particularly in devising marketing strategies for adult cats. 

PMID- 26479235
TI  - Bleeding Diathesis in Fawn Hooded Rats-Possible Implications for Invasive
      Procedures and Refinement Strategies.
AB  - The Fawn hooded (FH) rat is commonly used in biomedical research. It is widely
      acknowledged that the FH rat has a bleeding disorder; leading to abundant
      bleedings. Although this bleeding disorder is investigated to model the storage
      pool defect; its impact on commonly performed invasive laboratory procedures has
      not yet been described. Our research group experienced clinically significant
      consequences of this bleeding disorder following invasive procedures (including
      intraperitoneal injections and neurocranial surgery) in the Rjlbm: FH stock. The
      clinical consequences of the surgical and anesthetic protocols applied; are
      described including the subsequent procedural refinements applied to minimize the
      impact of this disorder. It is strongly recommended to take the bleeding
      diathesis into account when performing invasive procedures in FH rats and to
      apply the suggested refinement of procedures. 

PMID- 26479237
TI  - A Critical Look at Biomedical Journals' Policies on Animal Research by Use of a
      Novel Tool: The EXEMPLAR Scale.
AB  - Animal research is not only regulated by legislation but also by self-regulatory
      mechanisms within the scientific community, which include biomedical journals'
      policies on animal use. For editorial policies to meaningfully impact attitudes
      and practice, they must not only be put into effect by editors and reviewers, but
      also be set to high standards. We present a novel tool to classify journals'
      policies on animal use-the EXEMPLAR scale-as well as an analysis by this scale of
      170 journals publishing studies on animal models of three human diseases:
      Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Type-1 Diabetes and Tuberculosis. Results show a
      much greater focus of editorial policies on regulatory compliance than on other
      domains, suggesting a transfer of journals' responsibilities to scientists,
      institutions and regulators. Scores were not found to vary with journals' impact
      factor, country of origin or antiquity, but were, however, significantly higher
      for open access journals, which may be a result of their greater exposure and
      consequent higher public scrutiny. 

PMID- 26479238
TI  - Problems Associated with the Microchip Data of Stray Dogs and Cats Entering RSPCA
      Queensland Shelters.
AB  - A lack of published information documenting problems with the microchip data for
      the reclaiming of stray animals entering Australian shelters limits improvement
      of the current microchipping system. A retrospective study analysing admission
      data for stray, adult dogs (n = 7258) and cats (n = 6950) entering the Royal
      Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Queensland between
      January 2012 and December 2013 was undertaken to determine the character and
      frequency of microchip data problems and their impact on outcome for the animal.
      Only 28% of dogs and 9% of cats were microchipped, and a substantial proportion
      (37%) had problems with their data, including being registered to a previous
      owner or organisation (47%), all phone numbers incorrect/disconnected (29%), and
      the microchip not registered (14%). A higher proportion of owners could be
      contacted when the microchip had no problems, compared to those with problems
      (dogs, 93% vs. 70%; cats, 75% vs. 41%). The proportion of animals reclaimed
      declined significantly between microchipped animals with no data problems,
      microchipped animals with data problems and non-microchipped animals-87%, 69%,
      and 37%, respectively, for dogs and 61%, 33%, and 5%, respectively, for cats.
      Strategies are needed to increase the accuracy of microchip data to facilitate
      the reclaiming of stray dogs and cats. 

PMID- 26479239
TI  - Adaptation of Piglets Using Different Methods of Stress Prevention.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the viability and growth rate of
      piglets after weaning, the content of lipids in the blood and liver, antioxidant
      activity (AOA) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) when various additives are used in
      feed. The experiments were performed on two crosses of piglets obtained from
      Large White breed sows and Landrace breed boars. Twenty to 28 animals were
      randomly assigned per group. The following additives were tested: the
      benzodiazepine phenazepam, the neuroleptic aminazine, vitamins E and C, and the
      extract Eleutherococcus senticosus (Araliaceae). Different doses and combinations
      of the additives against ultraviolet irradiation were used. The addition of these
      substances improved the growth rate and viability of piglets. AOA increased under
      the influence of all factors studied, especially with the addition of extract of
      Eleutherococcus in feed in combination with aminazine and UV-irradiation (p <
      0.01). However, the addition of Eleutherococcus extract and aminazine intensified
      LPO (p < 0.01), but use of UV irradiation helped to decrease LPO values (p <
      0.01). Feeding a mixture of additives per pig per day of 3 mL of Eleutherococcus
      extract, 80 mg of 25% tocopherol, and 500 mg of ascorbic acid increased survival
      rate, average daily gain, and live weight at the end of the experiment. Thus, the
      use of prophylactic antistress and sedative drugs during weaning helps AOA
      normalize LPO of red blood cells; enhance post weaning growth of the pigs by 4.8%
      to 24.6% and increases piglet survival rate by 5% to 5.1%. 

PMID- 26479240
TI  - The Impacts of Climate Change Mitigation Strategies on Animal Welfare.
AB  - The objective of this review is to point out that the global dialog on reducing
      greenhouse gas emissions in animal agriculture has, thus far, not adequately
      considered animal welfare in proposed climate change mitigation strategies. Many
      suggested approaches for reducing emissions, most of which could generally be
      described as calls for the intensification of production, can have substantial
      effects on the animals. Given the growing world-wide awareness and concern for
      animal welfare, many of these approaches are not socially sustainable. This
      review identifies the main emission abatement strategies in the climate change
      literature that would negatively affect animal welfare and details the associated
      problems. Alternative strategies are also identified as possible solutions for
      animal welfare and climate change, and it is suggested that more attention be
      focused on these types of options when allocating resources, researching
      mitigation strategies, and making policy decisions on reducing emissions from
      animal agriculture. 

PMID- 26479241
TI  - The First Shared Online Curriculum Resources for Veterinary Undergraduate
      Learning and Teaching in Animal Welfare and Ethics in Australia and New Zealand.
AB  - The need for undergraduate teaching of Animal Welfare and Ethics (AWE) in
      Australian and New Zealand veterinary courses reflects increasing community
      concerns and expectations about AWE; global pressures regarding food security and
      sustainability; the demands of veterinary accreditation; and fears that, unless
      students encounter AWE as part of their formal education, as veterinarians they
      will be relatively unaware of the discipline of animal welfare science. To
      address this need we are developing online resources to ensure Australian and New
      Zealand veterinary graduates have the knowledge, and the research, communication
      and critical reasoning skills, to fulfill the AWE role demanded of them by
      contemporary society. To prioritize development of these resources we assembled
      leaders in the field of AWE education from the eight veterinary schools in
      Australia and New Zealand and used modified deliberative polling. This paper
      describes the role of the poll in developing the first shared online curriculum
      resource for veterinary undergraduate learning and teaching in AWE in Australia
      and New Zealand. The learning and teaching strategies that ranked highest in the
      exercise were: scenario-based learning; a quality of animal life assessment tool;
      the so-called 'Human Continuum' discussion platform; and a negotiated curriculum.

PMID- 26479242
TI  - Effect of Provision of Feed and Water during Transport on the Welfare of Weaned
      Pigs.
AB  - Transportation is a complex stressor made up of factors including weaning itself
      and withdrawal from feed and water. Therefore, transportation has the potential
      to negatively impact the health and welfare of weaned pigs. Pigs were transported
      for 32 h and measures of performance, physiology, and behavior were taken to
      assess piglet welfare. Treatment groups included pigs not weaned or transported
      (CON), weaned pigs provided with feed and water (WEAN+), weaned pigs not provided
      with feed and water (WEAN-), weaned and transported pigs provided with feed and
      water (TRANS+), and weaned and transported pigs not provided with feed and water
      (TRANS-). Body weight loss was different among treatments (p < 0.01). CON pigs
      had a 6.5% +/- 0.45% gain in body weight after 32 h. WEAN+, WEAN-, TRANS+, and
      TRANS- groups all had a loss in body weight of 5.9% +/- 0.45%, 7.8% +/- 0.45%,
      6.5% +/- 0.45% and 9.1% +/- 0.46%, respectively. The N:L was greater in all
      weaned pigs at 8 h compared to CON pigs (p < 0.01). WEAN- and transported pigs
      had significantly higher N:L than CON pigs from 8 h through 16 h, however, all
      treatment groups were similar to CON pigs after 16 h irrespective of provision of
      feed and water. Blood glucose levels were lower in transported and/or weaned pigs
      than CON pigs after 16 h irrespective of the provision of feed and water. TRANS+
      females had higher creatine kinase (CK) levels than males (p < 0.05). After a 16
      h transport period, TRANS- pigs had higher total plasma protein (TP) levels than
      all other treatment groups (p < 0.05). Significant changes in behavior were
      observed during and after transportation, which could also be indicative of
      stress. Overall, transportation and weaning had a negative effect on performance,
      physiology and behavior (both during and post-weaning) of pigs, especially when
      feed and water was not provided. Transporting pigs without feed and water for
      more than 24 h was a welfare concern as indicated by changes in body weight and
      physiology measures of stress. 

PMID- 26479243
TI  - Epidemiology of Dog and Cat Abandonment in Spain (2008-2013).
AB  - Millions of pets are abandoned worldwide every year, which is an important animal
      welfare and financial problem. This paper was divided into three studies. Our
      first two studies were designed as a national survey of animal shelters to
      profile the population of stray dogs and cats, as well as to gather information
      on both relinquishment and adoption. The aim of our third study was to test the
      impact of identification on the recovery of dogs entering animal shelters.
      Studies one and two indicate that more than 100,000 dogs and more than 30,000
      cats enter animal shelters annually in Spain. We observed a seasonal effect in
      the number of admissions in cats. Two-thirds of dogs and cats entering shelters
      were found as strays, while the rest were relinquished directly to the shelter.
      Most pets admitted to animal shelters were adult, non-purebred, and without a
      microchip, with the majority of dogs being medium sized. Adult dogs spent
      significantly more time in shelters than puppies. While most animals were either
      adopted or recovered by their owner, a considerable percentage remained at the
      shelter or was euthanized. The identification of dogs with a microchip increased
      by 3-fold the likelihood of them being returned to the owner. 

PMID- 26479244
TI  - Dietary Mannoheptulose Increases Fasting Serum Glucagon Like Peptide-1 and Post
      Prandial Serum Ghrelin Concentrations in Adult Beagle Dogs.
AB  - There is a growing interest in the use of nutraceuticals for weight management in
      companion animals. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of
      mannoheptulose (MH), a sugar in avocados that inhibits glycolysis, on energy
      metabolism in adult Beagle dogs. The study was a double-blind, randomized
      controlled trial where dogs were allocated to a control (CON, n = 10, 10.1 +/-
      0.4 kg) or MH containing diet (168 mg/kg, n = 10, 10.3 +/- 0.4 kg). Blood was
      collected after an overnight fast and 1 h post-feeding (week 12) to determine
      serum satiety related hormones and biochemistry. Resting and post-prandial energy
      expenditure and respiratory quotient were determined by indirect calorimetry
      (weeks 4 and 8). Physical activity was measured using an accelerometer (weeks 3,
      7, 11). Body composition was assessed using dual X-ray absorptiometry (week 12).
      MH significantly (p < 0.05) increased fasting serum glucagon-like peptide-1 and
      post-prandial serum ghrelin. MH tended (p < 0.1) to increase fasting serum
      gastric inhibitory peptide and decrease physical activity. Together, these
      findings suggest that dietary MH has the ability to promote satiation and lowers
      daily energy expenditure. 

PMID- 26479245
TI  - Association Tests of Multiple Phenotypes: ATeMP.
AB  - Joint analysis of multiple phenotypes has gained growing attention in genome-wide
      association studies (GWASs), especially for the analysis of multiple intermediate
      phenotypes which measure the same underlying complex human disorder. One of the
      multivariate methods, MultiPhen (O' Reilly et al. 2012), employs the proportional
      odds model to regress a genotype on multiple phenotypes, hence ignoring the
      phenotypic distributions. Despite the flexibilities of MultiPhen, the properties
      and performance of MultiPhen are not well understood, especially when the
      phenotypic distributions are non-normal. In fact, it is well known in the
      statistical literature that the estimation is attenuated when the explanatory
      variables contain measurement errors. In this study, we first established an
      equivalence relationship between MultiPhen and the generalized Kendall tau
      association test, shedding light on why MultiPhen can perform well for joint
      association analysis of multiple phenotypes. Through the equivalence, we show
      that MultiPhen may lose power when the phenotypes are non-normal. To maintain the
      power, we propose two solutions (ATeMP-rn and ATeMP-or) to improve MultiPhen, and
      demonstrate their effectiveness through extensive simulation studies and a real
      case study from the Guangzhou Twin Eye Study. 

PMID- 26479246
TI  - Activity Augmentation of Amphioxus Peptidoglycan Recognition Protein BbtPGRP3 via
      Fusion with a Chitin Binding Domain.
AB  - Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs), which have been identified in most
      animals, are pattern recognition molecules that involve antimicrobial defense.
      Resulting from extraordinary expansion of innate immune genes, the amphioxus
      encodes many PGRPs of diverse functions. For instance, three isoforms of PGRP
      encoded by Branchiostoma belcheri tsingtauense, termed BbtPGRP1~3, are fused with
      a chitin binding domain (CBD) at the N-terminus. Here we report the 2.7 A crystal
      structure of BbtPGRP3, revealing an overall structure of an N-terminal hevein
      like CBD followed by a catalytic PGRP domain. Activity assays combined with site
      directed mutagenesis indicated that the individual PGRP domain exhibits amidase
      activity towards both DAP-type and Lys-type peptidoglycans (PGNs), the former of
      which is favored. The N-terminal CBD not only has the chitin-binding activity,
      but also enables BbtPGRP3 to gain a five-fold increase of amidase activity
      towards the Lys-type PGNs, leading to a significantly broadened substrate
      spectrum. Together, we propose that modular evolution via domain shuffling
      combined with gene horizontal transfer makes BbtPGRP1~3 novel PGRPs of augmented
      catalytic activity and broad recognition spectrum. 

PMID- 26479247
TI  - Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF) Inhibition during Mid-Gestation Impairs
      Trophoblast Invasion and Spiral Artery Remodelling during Pregnancy in Mice.
AB  - The placenta forms the interface between the maternal and fetal circulation and
      is critical for the establishment of a healthy pregnancy. Trophoblast cell
      proliferation, migration and invasion into the endometrium are fundamental events
      in the initiation of placentation. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) has been
      shown to promote trophoblast invasion in vitro, however its precise role in
      trophoblast invasion in vivo is unknown. We hypothesized that LIF would be
      required for normal trophoblast invasion and spiral artery remodeling in mice.
      Both LIF and its receptor (LIFRalpha) co-localized with cytokeratin-positive
      invasive endovascular extravillous trophoblasts (EVT) in mouse implantation sites
      during mid-gestation. Temporally blocking LIF action during specific periods of
      placental development via administration of our unique LIFRalpha antagonist,
      PEGLA, resulted in abnormal trophoblast invasion and impaired spiral artery
      remodeling compared to PEG control. PEGLA-treated mouse decidual vessels were
      characterized by retention of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alphaSMA)-positive
      vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), while PEG control decidual vessels were
      remodelled by cytokeratin-positive trophoblasts. LIF blockade did not alter F4/80
      positive decidual macrophage numbers between treatment groups, but resulted in
      down-regulation of decidual transcript levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein
      1 (MCP-1) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), which are important immune cell activation
      factors that promote spiral artery remodeling during pregnancy. Our data suggest
      that LIF plays an important role in trophoblast invasion in vivo and may
      facilitate trophoblast-decidual-immune cell cross talk to enable adequate spiral
      artery remodeling. 

PMID- 26479249
TI  - [Abuse of power by psychiatrists--or why we should regularly take a good hard
      look in the mirror].

PMID- 26479248
TI  - Paracetamol (acetaminophen) poisoning.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Paracetamol directly causes around 150 deaths per year in UK.
      METHODS AND OUTCOMES: We conducted a systematic overview, aiming to answer the
      following clinical question: What are the effects of treatments for acute
      paracetamol poisoning? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and
      other important databases up to October 2014 (Clinical Evidence overviews are
      updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of
      this overview). RESULTS: At this update, searching of electronic databases
      retrieved 127 studies. After deduplication and removal of conference abstracts,
      64 records were screened for inclusion in the overview. Appraisal of titles and
      abstracts led to the exclusion of 46 studies and the further review of 18 full
      publications. Of the 18 full articles evaluated, one systematic review was
      updated and one RCT was added at this update. In addition, two systematic reviews
      and three RCTs not meeting our inclusion criteria were added to the Comment
      sections. We performed a GRADE evaluation for three PICO combinations.
      CONCLUSIONS: In this systematic overview we categorised the efficacy for six
      interventions, based on information about the effectiveness and safety of
      activated charcoal (single or multiple dose), gastric lavage, haemodialysis,
      liver transplant, methionine, and acetylcysteine.

PMID- 26479250
TI  - [Somatic screening in child and adolescent psychiatry: a descriptive pilot
      study].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Somatic disorders occur more often in psychiatric patients than in
      the general population. Somatic symptoms can cause or increase psychiatric
      symptoms. Psychiatric symptoms and their treatment can have an effect on the
      physical state of the patient. A pilot study involving an adult outpatient
      population has demonstrated that 62% of the patients studied had new clinically
      relevant symptoms. So far, no other data are available relating to somatic
      screening in child and adolescent psychiatry. AIM: To assess whether somatic
      screening of children and adolescents newly referred to a department of child and
      adolescent psychiatry in the Netherlands gives added value to the diagnosis and
      treatment policy. METHOD: In a pilot study 43 newly referred patients aged
      between 6 and 18 were screened by means of somatic history, a physical
      examination and blood parameters. On this basis we could calculate the percentage
      of somatic symptoms and , where necessary, follow-up treatment could be applied.
      RESULTS: One or more clinically relevant disorders were found in almost 56% of
      the children and adolescents investigated. The disorders included dysmorphic
      anomalies, weight and height deviations, raised thyroid hormone levels,
      dyslipidaemia, anaemia and vitamin D and B12 deficiency. Advice about a healthy
      lifestyle was given to 44% of the patients. An antipsychotic medication in 25% of
      the patients was changed, in the case of 16% of the patients a family doctor was
      contacted about subsequent treatment and 19% of the patients were referred to a
      medical specialist. CONCLUSION: Although the results of the pilot study indicate
      that somatic screening does provide added value, more research is needed in order
      to optimise the screening procedure.

PMID- 26479251
TI  - [Dialectical behaviour theory in the Netherlands: implementation and
      consolidation].
AB  - BACKGROUND: More and more evidence-based treatments for severe personality
      disorders are becoming available. Nevertheless, there are problems with the
      implementation of these treatments and it is proving difficult to keep the
      treatment programmes running. However, teams which offer dialectical behavior
      therapy (DBT) seem to survive. AIM: To find out which factors enable dbt teams to
      survive. METHOD: Twenty-five Dutch DBT teams received a questionnaire about
      factors that could be influencing the continuation of the DBT treatment
      programmes. The questionnaire consisted of 9 open questions, 2 multiple-choice
      questions and 26 closed questions. RESULTS: The results show that the continued
      existence of the treatment programmes is due largely to the commitment of both
      the team and its managers. They all feel embedded in the organisation as a whole,
      feel connected with one another and are supportive of the method. CONCLUSION: A
      well-functioning consultation team seems to be of crucial importance for the
      continued existence of the DBT programme. We believe that independent external
      supervision is essential to keep the dbt teams alert and aware of current trends
      and developments.

PMID- 26479252
TI  - [20 years dialectical behavior therapy in the Netherlands: who cares?].

PMID- 26479253
TI  - [The delusion of world catastrophe. Is this classic symptom still relevant
      today?].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The delusion of world catastrophe was conceptualised by classic
      authors such as Jaspers and Conrad as a specific expression of acute psychosis
      that deserved special attention in psychiatric diagnosis. We need to find out
      whether this approach is still relevant today. AIM: To provide an overview of the
      literature about the delusion of world catastrophe. METHOD: The literature was
      searched and historical literature was also consulted. RESULTS: A patient's
      delusion of world catastrophe often begins with a phase known as the
      'Wahnstimmung' which may be accompanied by subtle positive disorders of
      perception. This is followed by frank psychosis, with hallucinations, formal
      thought disorders, and, in exceptional cases, can lead to suicidality and/or
      homicidality. Prevalence rates derived from populations of patients diagnosed
      with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder vary from 1% to 8%, with a single outlier
      of 63.5%. Wetzel was the first to conceptualise the delusion of world catastrophe
      as an attempt of the brain to make sense of a world on which it had lost its grip
      due to the psychotic process. The link Wetzel established between subtle
      disorders of perception and possible organic causes is still relevant today.
      CONCLUSION: Patients who are beginning to have delusions of world catastrophe
      deserve not only to get an early diagnosis of the neurobiological correlates of
      their perceptual disorders, but also to receive adequate treatment for their
      psychosis.

PMID- 26479254
TI  - [New generation behaviour therapy; new generation assessment measures; a review
      of currently available assessment measures].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a relatively new form of
      behaviour therapy, which has relational frame theory as its theoretical
      foundation. Since ACT is not aimed primarily at reducing psychopathological
      symptoms, changes are likely to be needed in the nature and purpose of the
      assessment measures used. AIM: To provide an up-to-date overview of ACT-measures
      that are suitable for use with adults and that will assist Dutch-speaking
      clinicians and researchers. METHOD: We performed a systematic review of the
      literature. RESULTS: More than 50 ACT-related questionnaires were identified; of
      these, the AAQ-II was the most suitable for acceptance as an act component, the
      CFQ was the most appropriate for defusion and the SACS was the best for self as
      context; the FFMQ-SF was regarded as the best for contact with the present
      moment, the VLQ for values, the ELS for committed action and the FIT-60 for
      psychological flexibility. CONCLUSION: Clinicians and researchers with an
      interest in ACT have many measures at their disposal. Most of these are available
      free of charge and can also be used without payment.

PMID- 26479255
TI  - [Eating problems in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but no
      intellectual impairment].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the co-occurrence--in individuals--of autism
      spectrum disorder (ASD) and eating disorders and eating problems. Consequently,
      clinicians do not have enough information about how to diagnose or treat the
      combination of ASD and eating problems. AIM: To discuss the scientific literature
      and clinical experiences relating to eating disorders and eating problems in
      people who have ASD but no intellectual impairment. METHOD: The scientific
      literature was searched by means of PubMed, Medline and PsycINFO, and clinical
      experiences were discussed. RESULTS: The combination of ASS and anorexia nervosa
      seems to be a strong predictor that the eating disorder will follow a chronic
      course. It is not clear how often bulimia nervosa occurs in persons with ASD.
      Eating problems in persons with ASD often seem to be related to sensory
      sensitivity, eating preferences and motor problems. So far, little is known about
      the treatment of eating disorders and eating problems in individuals with ASD.
      CONCLUSION: When diagnosing and treating eating disorders and eating problems in
      individuals with ASD, it is important to take information processing and
      behaviour characteristics of ASD into account. Further research is needed,
      particularly in order to cast more light on treatment possibilities.

PMID- 26479256
TI  - [Cushing's syndrome in a manic patient with a long-standing bipolar disorder:
      cause or coincidence?].
AB  - Hypercortisolism is associated with mood disorders such as depression and bipolar
      disorder. A 75-year-old female patient who had been diagnosed with bipolar
      disorder forty years ago was admitted to our hospital with a severe, therapy
      resistant mania. Careful diagnostic considerations, resulted in the patient being
      diagnosed with Cushing's syndrome. Treatment with metyrapone led to a swift
      improvement of the patient's symptoms. Could Cushing's syndrome underlie this
      patient's psychiatric history? Or are two co-existing, intertwining causes
      responsible for the psychiatric symptoms? The case illustrates that even if a
      patient has a long history of psychiatric problems that have been plausibly
      diagnosed over time, clinicians and psychiatrists should always consider the
      possibility that there may be an underlying somatic cause for the patient's
      psychiatric symptoms. 

PMID- 26479257
TI  - [Gradually increasing apathy and self-neglect in a 29-year-old man].
AB  - A 29-year-old man presented with progressive behavioural changes, expressed
      mainly in the form of increasing of apathy and self-neglect. The initial
      differential diagnosis included a psychotic disorder, a mood disorder or a
      personality disorder. After a month of medication-free observation and
      uncertainty regarding the results of various diagnostic approaches, we decided to
      use MR-imaging; this revealed a frontal meningioma which had invaded the entire
      frontal lobe. Although patients with some types of somatic disorders frequently
      present with psychiatric symptoms, there are often indications (e.g. from history
      or physical examination) that in fact the symptoms are of organic origin. In this
      case report we discuss the indications that should lead clinicians and
      psychiatrists to consider the possibility of organic pathology when young adults
      present with only psychiatric symptoms. 

PMID- 26479258
TI  - Functional Analysis and RNA Sequencing Indicate the Regulatory Role of Argonaute1
      in Tomato Compound Leaf Development.
AB  - Regardless of whether a leaf is simple or compound, the mechanism underlying its
      development will give rise to a full comprehension of plant morphogenesis. The
      role of Argonaute1 (AGO1) in the development of simple leaves has been
      established, but its role in the development of compound leaves remains to be
      characterized. In this paper, a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) strategy was
      used to dramatically down-regulate the expression of AGO1 ortholog in tomatoes, a
      model plant for research into compound leaves. AGO1-silenced tomato compound
      leaves exhibited morphological defects of leaf adaxial-abaxial and trichome
      development. Analysis of global gene expression profiles indicated that the
      silencing of AGO1 in tomato compound leaf caused significant changes in the
      expression of several critical genes, including Auxin Response Factor 4 (ARF4)
      and Non-expressor of PR5 (NPR5), which were involved in adaxial-abaxial formation
      and IAA15 that was found to contribute to growth of trichomes as well as
      Gibberellic Acid Insensitive (GAI) which participated in hormone regulation.
      Collectively, these results shed light on the complicated mechanism by which AGO1
      regulates compound leaf development. 

PMID- 26479259
TI  - Error-related processing in adult males with elevated psychopathic traits.
AB  - Psychopathy is a serious personality disorder characterized by dysfunctional
      affective and behavioral symptoms. In incarcerated populations, elevated
      psychopathic traits have been linked to increased rates of violent recidivism.
      Cognitive processes related to error processing have been shown to differentiate
      individuals with high and low psychopathic traits and may contribute to poor
      decision making that increases the risk of recidivism. Error processing
      abnormalities related to psychopathy may be attributable to error-monitoring
      (error detection) or posterror processing (error evaluation). A recent
      'bottleneck' theory predicts deficiencies in posterror processing in individuals
      with high psychopathic traits. In the current study, incarcerated males (n = 93)
      performed a Go/NoGo response inhibition task while event-related potentials
      (ERPs) were recorded. Classic time-domain windowed component and principal
      component analyses were used to measure error-monitoring (as measured with the
      error-related negativity [ERN/Ne]) and posterror processing (as measured with the
      error positivity [Pe]). Psychopathic traits were assessed using Hare's
      Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). PCL-R Total score, Factor 1 (interpersonal
      affective traits), and Facet 3 (lifestyle traits) scores were positively related
      to posterror processes (i.e., increased Pe amplitude) but unrelated to error
      monitoring processes (i.e., ERN/Ne). These results support the attentional
      bottleneck theory and further describe deficiencies related to elevated
      psychopathic traits that could be beneficial for new treatment strategies for
      psychopathy.

PMID- 26479260
TI  - On the role of a Lipid-Transfer Protein. Arabidopsis ltp3 mutant is compromised
      in germination and seedling growth.
AB  - Plant Lipid-Transfer Proteins (LTPs) exhibit the ability to reversibly
      bind/transport lipids in vitro. LTPs have been involved in diverse physiological
      processes but conclusive evidence on their role has only been presented for a few
      members, none of them related to seed physiology. Arabidopsis seeds rely on
      storage oil breakdown to supply carbon skeletons and energy for seedling growth.
      Here, Arabidopsis ltp3 mutant was analyzed for its ability to germinate and for
      seedling establishment. Ltp3 showed delayed germination and reduced germination
      frequency. Seedling growth appeared reduced in the mutant but this growth
      restriction was rescued by the addition of an exogenous carbon supply, suggesting
      a defective oil mobilization. Lipid breakdown analysis during seedling growth
      revealed a differential profile in the mutant compared to the wild type. The
      involvement of LTP3 in germination and seedling growth and its relationship with
      the lipid transfer ability of this protein is discussed. 

PMID- 26479261
TI  - Desiccation tolerance in the streptophyte green alga Klebsormidium: The role of
      phytohormones.

PMID- 26479262
TI  - Ice-Templated Assembly Strategy to Construct 3D Boron Nitride Nanosheet Networks
      in Polymer Composites for Thermal Conductivity Improvement.
AB  - Owing to the growing heat removal issue of modern electronic devices, polymer
      composites with high thermal conductivity have drawn much attention in the past
      few years. However, a traditional method to enhance the thermal conductivity of
      the polymers by addition of inorganic fillers usually creates composite with not
      only limited thermal conductivity but also other detrimental effects due to large
      amount of fillers required. Here, novel polymer composites are reported by first
      constructing 3D boron nitride nanosheets (3D-BNNS) network using ice-templated
      approach and then infiltrating them with epoxy matrix. The obtained polymer
      composites exhibit a high thermal conductivity (2.85 W m(-1) K(-1)), a low
      thermal expansion coefficient (24-32 ppm K(-1)), and an increased glass
      transition temperature (T(g)) at relatively low BNNSs loading (9.29 vol%). These
      results demonstrate that this approach opens a new avenue for design and
      preparation of polymer composites with high thermal conductivity. The polymer
      composites are potentially useful in advanced electronic packaging techniques,
      namely, thermal interface materials, underfill materials, molding compounds, and
      organic substrates.

PMID- 26479263
TI  - Glycaemic behaviour during breastfeeding in women with Type 1 diabetes.
AB  - AIM: To describe glycaemia in both breastfeeding women and artificially feeding
      women with Type 1 diabetes, and the changes in glycaemia induced by suckling.
      METHODS: A blinded continuous glucose monitor was applied for up to 6 days in
      eight breastfeeding and eight artificially feeding women with Type 1 diabetes 2-4
      months postpartum. Women recorded glucose levels, insulin dosages, oral intake
      and breastfeeding episodes. A standardized breakfast was consumed on 2 days. A
      third group (clinic controls) were identified from a historical database.
      RESULTS: Carbohydrate intake tended to be higher in breastfeeding than
      artificially feeding women (P = 0.09) despite similar insulin requirements.
      Compared with breastfeeding women, the high blood glucose index and standard
      deviation of glucose were higher in artificially feeding women (P = 0.02 and
      0.06, respectively) and in the clinical control group (P = 0.02 and 0.05,
      respectively). The low blood glucose index and hypoglycaemia were similar. After
      suckling, the low blood glucose index increased compared with before (P < 0.01)
      and during (P < 0.01) suckling. Hypoglycaemia (blood glucose < 4.0 mmol/l)
      occurred within 3 h of suckling in 14% of suckling episodes, and was associated
      with time from last oral intake (P = 0.04) and last rapid-acting insulin (P =
      0.03). After a standardized breakfast, the area under the glucose curve was
      positive. In breastfeeding women the area under the glucose curve was positive if
      suckling was avoided for 1 h after eating and negative if suckling occurred
      within 30 min of eating. CONCLUSIONS: Breastfeeding women with Type 1 diabetes
      had similar hypoglycaemia but lower glucose variability than artificially feeding
      women. Suckling reduced maternal glucose levels but did not cause hypoglycaemia
      in most episodes.

PMID- 26479265
TI  - Effects of low-dose light-emitting-diode therapy in combination with water bath
      for atopic dermatitis in NC/Nga mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Light-emitting diode (LED) phototherapy and water bath therapy have
      beneficial effect on atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin disease. However, not all
      current treatments work well and alternative therapies are need. The contribution
      of combination therapy with low-dose 850 nm LED and water bath was investigated
      on dermatophagoides farina (Df)-induced dermatitis in NC/Nga mice. METHODS: Low
      dose LED (10, 15, and 20 J/cm(2) ) irradiation, water bath (36 +/- 1 degrees C)
      were administered separately and together to the Df-induced NC/Nga mice in
      acrylic jar once a day for 2 weeks. RESULTS: Combined therapy with low-dose LED
      therapy and water bath therapy significantly ameliorated the development of AD
      like skin lesions. These effects were correlated with the suppression of total
      IgE, NO, histamine, and Th2-mediated immune responses. Furthermore, combination
      therapy significantly reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the
      induction of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in the skin lesions. The
      beneficial therapeutic effects of this combination therapy might regulate by the
      inhibition of various immunological responses including Th2-mediated immune
      responses, inflammatory mediators such as IgE, histamine, and NO, as well as
      inflammatory cells. CONCLUSIONS: The combination therapy of LED and water bath
      might be used as an efficacious, safe, and steroid-free alternative therapeutic
      strategy for the treatment of AD.

PMID- 26479264
TI  - Domestication footprints anchor genomic regions of agronomic importance in
      soybeans.
AB  - Present-day soybeans consist of elite cultivars and landraces (Glycine max, fully
      domesticated (FD)), annual wild type (Glycine soja, nondomesticated (ND)), and
      semi-wild type (semi-domesticated (SD)). FD soybean originated in China, although
      the details of its domestication history remain obscure. More than 500 diverse
      soybean accessions were sequenced using specific-locus amplified fragment
      sequencing (SLAF-seq) to address fundamental questions regarding soybean
      domestication. In total, 64,141 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with minor
      allele frequencies (MAFs) > 0.05 were found among the 512 tested accessions. The
      results indicated that the SD group is not a hybrid between the FD and ND groups.
      The initial domestication region was pinpointed to central China (demarcated by
      the Great Wall to the north and the Qinling Mountains to the south). A total of
      800 highly differentiated genetic regions and > 140 selective sweeps were
      identified, and these were three- and twofold more likely, respectively, to
      encompass a known quantitative trait locus (QTL) than the rest of the soybean
      genome. Forty-three potential quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs; including 15
      distinct traits) were identified by genome-wide association mapping. The results
      of the present study should be beneficial for soybean improvement and provide
      insight into the genetic architecture of traits of agronomic importance.

PMID- 26479266
TI  - Urinary incontinence in patients with cystic fibrosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Owing to evolution in treatment, the average life expectancy of
      patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) has increased. This has been followed by an
      increase in urological complications such as urinary incontinence. As stress
      incontinence occurs during exercise, it may have a negative effect on the
      implementation of respiratory physiotherapy. The purpose of this study is to
      determine the prevalence of urinary incontinence and its effect on the quality of
      life and physiotherapy in a population with CF. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Questionnaires were used to determine the prevalence of incontinence in patients
      of the Cystic Fibrosis Clinic of the University Hospital in Brussels. Two
      different surveys were used, depending on the age of the patients (< 12 or >= 12
      years). The different characteristics of incontinence were emphasized. RESULTS:
      Questionnaires were completed by 122 participants aged 6-59 years, showing an
      overall prevalence of 27% for urinary incontinence. Mainly adults reported
      urinary incontinence, with a prevalence of 11% in men and 68% in women aged 12
      and above. The amount of urinary leakage was usually only a few drops and it was
      mainly triggered by coughing. Many of the participants had never mentioned this
      symptom to anyone. CONCLUSIONS: Doctors' and physical therapists' attention
      should be drawn to the fact that urinary incontinence is part of the complication
      spectrum of CF. A quarter of the study population refrained from coughing up
      phlegm and from physiotherapy. It is important to actively question and inform
      about this problem, to enable its detection and treatment.

PMID- 26479267
TI  - Estimating motor unit numbers from a CMAP scan.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Compound muscle action potential (CMAP) scans are detailed stimulus
      response curves which provide information about motor unit properties in
      neuromuscular disorders. This study assessed a method of automatic motor unit
      number estimation (MUNE) from 5-min CMAP scans. METHODS: A preliminary model,
      derived from the variance and slope of the scan, is refined to fit the CMAP scan
      more closely. The method was tested by application to 60 simulated scans,
      generated from between 5 and 160 motor unit potentials. RESULTS: The fitting
      procedure took an average of 1.5 min on a standard personal computer. Small unit
      numbers (5-20) were on average correctly estimated, but large unit numbers (>40)
      were slightly underestimated. Overall, the absolute MUNE error averaged 6.9%.
      CONCLUSIONS: This new MUNE method takes all excitable motor units into account
      and provides realistic estimates of unit numbers over the range 5 to 160.
      Validation as a clinical tool awaits further study. Muscle Nerve 53: 889-896,
      2016.

PMID- 26479268
TI  - Statics and Dynamics of Ferroelectric Domains in Diisopropylammonium Bromide.
AB  - An electrically written domain structure formed by a biased tip, and visualized
      in the piezoresponse force microscopy mode, shows stable charged domain walls in
      the organic ferroelectric diisopropylammonium chloride microcrystal. 

PMID- 26479269
TI  - Remote calorimetric detection of urea via flow injection analysis.
AB  - The design and development of a calorimetric biosensing system enabling
      relatively high throughput sample analysis are reported. The calorimetric
      biosensor system consists of a thin (~20 MUm) micromachined Y-cut quartz crystal
      resonator (QCR) as a temperature sensor placed in close proximity to a fluidic
      chamber packed with an immobilized enzyme. Layer by layer enzyme immobilization
      of urease is demonstrated and its activity as a function of the number of layers,
      pH, and time has been evaluated. This configuration enables a sensing system
      where a transducer element is physically separated from the analyte solution of
      interest and is thereby free from fouling effects typically associated with
      biochemical reactions occuring on the sensor surface. The performance of this
      biosensing system is demonstrated by detection of 1-200 mM urea in phosphate
      buffer via a flow injection analysis (FIA) technique. Miniaturized fluidic
      systems were used to provide continuous flow through a reaction column. Under
      this configuration the biosensor has an ultimate resolution of less than 1 mM
      urea and showed a linear response between 0-50 mM. This work demonstrates a
      sensing modality in which the sensor itself is not fouled or contaminated by the
      solution of interest and the enzyme immobilized Kapton(r) fluidic reaction column
      can be used as a disposable cartridge. Such a system enables reuse and
      reliability for long term sampling measurements. Based on this concept a
      biosensing system is envisioned which can perform rapid measurements to detect
      biomarkers such as glucose, creatinine, cholesterol, urea and lactate in urine
      and blood continuously over extended periods of time. 

PMID- 26479270
TI  - Experience-dependent plasticity of adult-born neuron connectivity.
AB  - In contrast to most areas of the adult brain, the dentate gyrus (DG) of the
      hippocampus is endowed with the capability to generate new neurons life-long.
      While recent evidence suggests that these adult-born neurons exert specialized
      functions in information processing compared to pre-existing DG granule neurons,
      to which extent the establishment of their evolving connectivity may be regulated
      by experience has been elusive. We recently demonstrated that environmental
      enrichment (EE) induces a surprising input-specific reorganization of the
      presynaptic connectivity of adult-born neurons, and that this form of structural
      plasticity appears to large degree confined to a defined period of few weeks
      shortly after their generation. Here, I briefly discuss how these findings may
      uncover a previously unknown layer of complexity in the processes regulating the
      synaptic integration of adult-born neurons and propose that their circuit
      incorporation within the pre-existing hippocampal network is not prefigured but
      rather modulated by specific experiences. 

PMID- 26479272
TI  - Nocturnal behavior in captive giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)--A pilot study.
AB  - Captive giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) are known to perform oral and locomotor
      stereotypies. However, many studies do not consider the behavioral repertoire of
      these animals during the time when animals are confined to night quarters. At two
      zoological institutions, a total of six captive giraffes were observed via camera
      trap technology throughout six diurnal and nocturnal periods to record feeding,
      ruminating, and stereotypic behaviors. The effect of browse enrichment was
      assessed on alternate nights to determine how behaviors may be altered in the
      presence of natural forage. Results need to be interpreted with caution due to a
      high proportion of time when animals were out of camera range. For the observed
      time, stereotypical licking behavior was significantly higher at night compared
      to daytime at both facilities, while tongue play increased at the same time, but
      not significantly. The provision of browse enrichment during the night decreased
      the rate of tongue playing, but not significantly; however, browse did
      significantly reduce pacing behavior. Across treatments and institutions,
      observed oral stereotypies tended to correlate negatively with increased feeding
      behavior. Apart from a short-term effect of enrichment, this study indicates
      relevant differences in the frequencies of behaviors observed during the day and
      night, suggesting that assessing nocturnal behavior specifically may be important
      in many species.

PMID- 26479271
TI  - Endoscopic wire-guided papillectomy versus conventional papillectomy for
      ampullary tumors: A prospective comparative pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: A major concern about endoscopic snare papillectomy (ESP) is
      the risk of procedure-related pancreatitis. To maintain pancreatic duct access
      for stent placement after ESP, wire-guided ESP (WP) was introduced. The aim of
      the study was to compare post-procedure pancreatitis rates, the success rate of
      pancreatic stent insertion, and complete resection rates between WP and
      conventional ESP (CP) procedures. METHODS: This was a multi-center, prospective,
      randomized pilot study. Forty-five patients with ampullary tumors were randomly
      assigned to a WP group (n = 22) or a CP group (n = 23). In the WP group, a
      guidewire was placed in the pancreatic duct prior to ESP. A 5-Fr pancreatic stent
      was passed over the guidewire and placed across the pancreatic duct orifice.
      RESULTS: Complete resection was achieved in 20 patients (91%) in the WP group and
      18 patients (78%) in the CP group (P = 0.414). A pancreatic stent was placed
      successfully in all patients in the WP group but in only 15 patients (65%) in the
      CP group (P = 0.004). Post-papillectomy pancreatitis occurred in four (18%)
      patients in the WP and three (13%) patients in the CP groups (P = 0.960). In the
      CP group, three of eight (37.5%) patients without stents developed pancreatitis
      compared with zero of 15 patients with stents (P = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: The WP
      method is a useful technique used to insert a pancreatic stent after ESP,
      compared with CP. However, there was no significant difference in the post
      procedure pancreatitis or complete resection rates between the two methods.

PMID- 26479273
TI  - The Role of Cytokinin During Infection of Arabidopsis thaliana by the Cyst
      Nematode Heterodera schachtii.
AB  - Plant-parasitic cyst nematodes induce the formation of hypermetabolic feeding
      sites, termed syncytia, as their sole source of nutrients. The formation of the
      syncytium is orchestrated by the nematode, in part, by modulation of phytohormone
      responses, including cytokinin. In response to infection by the nematode
      Heterodera schachtii, cytokinin signaling is transiently induced at the site of
      infection and in the developing syncytium. Arabidopsis lines with reduced
      cytokinin sensitivity show reduced susceptibility to nematode infection,
      indicating that cytokinin signaling is required for optimal nematode development.
      Furthermore, lines with increased cytokinin sensitivity also exhibit reduced
      nematode susceptibility. To ascertain why cytokinin hypersensitivity reduces
      nematode parasitism, we examined the transcriptomes in wild type and a cytokinin
      hypersensitive type-A arr Arabidopsis mutant in response to H. schachtii
      infection. Genes involved in the response to biotic stress and defense response
      were elevated in the type-A arr mutant in the absence of nematodes and were
      hyperinduced following H. schachtii infection, which suggests that the
      Arabidopsis type-A arr mutants impede nematode development because they are
      primed to respond to pathogen infection. These results suggest that cytokinin
      signaling is required for optimal H. schachtii parasitism of Arabidopsis but that
      elevated cytokinin signaling triggers a heightened immune response to nematode
      infection. 

PMID- 26479274
TI  - Education and Training Needs in the Radiation Sciences: Problems and Potential
      Solutions.
AB  - This article provides a summary of presentations focused on critical education
      and training issues in radiation oncology, radiobiology and medical physics from
      a workshop conducted as part of the 60th Annual Meeting of the Radiation Research
      Society held in Las Vegas, NV (September 21-24, 2014). Also included in this
      synopsis are pertinent comments and concerns raised by audience members, as well
      as recommendations for addressing ongoing and future challenges. 

PMID- 26479275
TI  - Decernotinib: A Next-Generation Jakinib.

PMID- 26479276
TI  - Invited Review: Polycomb group genes in the regeneration of the healthy and
      pathological skeletal muscle.
AB  - The polycomb group (PcG) proteins are epigenetic repressors required during key
      developmental processes, such as maintenance of cell identity and stem cell
      differentiation. To exert their repressive function, PcG proteins assemble on
      chromatin into multiprotein complexes, known as polycomb repressive complex 1 and
      2. In this review, we will focus on the role and mode of function of PcG proteins
      in the development and regeneration of the skeletal muscle, both in normal and
      pathological conditions and we will discuss the emerging concept of modulation of
      their expression to enhance the muscle-specific regenerative process for patient
      benefit.

PMID- 26479277
TI  - Preliminary investigation comparing a detomidine continuous rate infusion
      combined with either morphine or buprenorphine for standing sedation in horses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare sedative and analgesic properties of buprenorphine or
      morphine for standing procedures combined with a detomidine continuous rate
      infusion (CRI). STUDY DESIGN: Blinded, prospective, randomized clinical pilot
      study. ANIMALS: Ten horses presented for dental or sinus procedures. METHODS:
      Horses received 0.02 mg kg(-1) acepromazine intravenously (IV), followed 30
      minutes later by detomidine 10 MUg kg(-1) IV. Five minutes later, buprenorphine
      0.01 mg kg(-1) (n = 6) or morphine 0.1 mg kg(-1) (n = 4) was administered IV.
      Detomidine was administered by CRI (0.2 MUg kg(-1) minute(-1)) and adjusted to
      maintain appropriate sedation. Heart rate, respiratory frequency,
      gastrointestinal motility and rectal temperature were measured; pain, ataxia and
      sedation were scored. Sedation, pain scores and ataxia scores were analysed using
      a mixed linear model. Detomidine dose and procedure success scores were compared
      using Wilcoxon's rank sum test. Complications between groups were analysed using
      Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Two horses had incomplete data. Weights and ages
      were not different between groups (p = 0.15 and p = 0.42, respectively). The dose
      rate for detomidine was not different between groups (0.33 +/- 0.02 MUg kg(-1)
      minute(-1) in the buprenorphine group and 0.33 +/- 0.05 MUg kg(-1) minute(-1), in
      the morphine group p = 0.89). Intraoperative visual analogue scale scores were
      greater after buprenorphine than morphine (mean +/- SD, buprenorphine 48 +/- 4,
      morphine 40 +/- 5, p = 0.0497). Procedure duration was not different between
      groups (buprenorphine 142 +/- 33, morphine 140 +/- 12 minutes). All horses
      treated with buprenorphine experienced complications compared with none in the
      morphine group (p = 0.0286). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: At the doses
      used, buprenorphine produced greater sedation but more post-operative
      complications than morphine. However, Type I or Type II errors cannot be excluded
      and larger studies are required to confirm these findings.

PMID- 26479278
TI  - Pharmacoepidemiologic Methods for Studying the Health Effects of Drug-Drug
      Interactions.
AB  - A drug-drug interaction (DDI) occurs when one or more drugs affect the
      pharmacokinetics (the body's effect on the drug) and/or pharmacodynamics (the
      drug's effect on the body) of one or more other drugs. Pharmacoepidemiologic
      studies are the principal way of studying the health effects of potential DDIs.
      This article discusses aspects of pharmacoepidemiologic research designs that are
      particularly salient to the design and interpretation of pharmacoepidemiologic
      studies of DDIs. 

PMID- 26479279
TI  - Functional analysis of mutual behavior in laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus).
AB  - Three pairs of rats were trained to synchronize their lever pressing according to
      a mutual reinforcement contingency, in which alternating lever presses that fell
      within a 500-ms window were reinforced with food. In Experiment 1, rats worked in
      adjacent chambers separated by a transparent barrier, and the effects of the
      mutual reinforcement contingency were compared with those under yoked-control
      conditions that provided the same rate of food reinforcement but without the
      temporal coordination response requirement. In Experiment 2, coordinated behavior
      was compared with and without a barrier, and across different barrier types:
      transparent, opaque, wire mesh. In Experiment 3, the effects of social
      familiarity were assessed by switching partners, enabling a comparison of
      coordinated behavior with familiar and unfamiliar partners. The overall pattern
      of results shows that the coordinated behavior of 2 rats was (a) maintained by
      mutual reinforcement contingencies, (b) unrelated to the type or presence of a
      barrier separating the rats, and (c) sufficiently flexible to adjust to the
      presence and behavior of an unfamiliar partner. Taken as a whole, the study
      illustrates a promising approach to conceptualizing and analyzing behavioral
      mechanisms of mutual behavior, an important component of an integrated study of
      social behavior.

PMID- 26479280
TI  - Controlled Oxygenated Rewarming of Cold Stored Livers Prior to Transplantation:
      First Clinical Application of a New Concept.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Abrupt temperature shift from hypothermia to normothermia incurred on
      reperfusion of organ grafts has been delineated as a genuine factor contributing
      to reperfusion injury and graft dysfunction after transplantation. METHODS: In a
      first clinical series of 6 patients, cold-stored livers, all allocated by the
      rescue offer mechanism by Eurotransplant, were subjected to machine-assisted slow
      controlled oxygenated rewarming (COR) for 90 minutes before engrafting. A
      historical cohort of 106 patients basically similar in graft (all rescue offer
      organs) and recipient factors was used for comparison. RESULTS: The clinical
      benefit of COR was documented by a significant reduction by approximately 50% in
      peak serum transaminases after transplantation compared to untreated controls
      (AST 563.5 vs. 1204 U/L, P = 0.023). After 6 months graft survival was 100% in
      the COR group and 80.9% in the controls (P = 0.24). Respective patient survival
      was 100% and 84.7% (P = 0.28). Real-time assessment of glucose concentration in
      the perfusion solution correlated well with postoperative synthetic graft
      function (r = 0.78; P < 0.02). All treated recipients had normal liver function
      after a 6-month follow-up and are well and alive. CONCLUSIONS: This first
      clinical application suggests that controlled graft rewarming after cold storage
      is a feasible and safe method in clinical praxis and might become an adjunct in
      organ preservation.

PMID- 26479282
TI  - Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis is the Most Rapidly Growing Indication for
      Simultaneous Liver Kidney Transplantation in the United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Frequency of liver transplantation (LT) is increasing in nonalcoholic
      steatohepatitis (NASH) with good post-transplant outcomes. Similar data on
      simultaneous liver kidney (SLK) transplants are limited. METHODS: United Network
      for Organ Sharing database (2002-2011) queried for deceased donor first LT for
      primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, or alcoholic cirrhosis
      (group I), NASH, and cryptogenic cirrhosis with body mass index greater than 30
      (group II), and hepatitis C virus with and without alcohol, hepatitis B virus,
      and hepatocellular carcinoma (group III). RESULTS: Of 38 533 LT (9495, 3665, and
      25 383 in groups I-III, respectively), about 5.6% (N = 2162) received SLK with
      584 (6.2%), 320 (8.7%), and 1258 (5%) in groups I-III, respectively. The SLK
      performed for group II increased from 6.3% in 2002 to 2003 to 19.2% in 2010 to
      2011. Similar trends remained unchanged in group I (26.1 to 26.6%) and decreased
      in group III (67.6 to 54.5%). Five-year outcomes were similar comparing group II
      versus group I for liver graft (78 vs 74%, P = 0.14) and patient survival (81 vs
      76%, P = 0.07). In contrast, kidney graft outcome was worse for group II (70 vs
      79%, P = 0.002). Risk of kidney graft loss was over 1.5-fold higher among group
      II SLK recipients compared to group I after controlling for recipient
      characteristics. Estimated glomerular filtration rate remained lower in group II
      compared with group I at various time points after SLK transplantation.
      CONCLUSIONS: The NASH is the most rapidly growing indication for SLK
      transplantation with poor renal outcomes. Studies are needed to examine
      mechanisms of these findings and develop strategies to improve renal outcomes in
      SLK recipients for NASH.

PMID- 26479281
TI  - Long-term Efficacy and Biocompatibility of Encapsulated Islet Transplantation
      With Chitosan-Coated Alginate Capsules in Mice and Canine Models of Diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical application of encapsulated islet transplantation is
      hindered by low biocompatibility of capsules leading to pericapsular fibrosis and
      decreased islet viability. To improve biocompatibility, we designed a novel
      chitosan-coated alginate capsules and compared them to uncoated alginate
      capsules. METHODS: Alginate capsules were formed by crosslinking with BaCl2, then
      they were suspended in chitosan solution for 10 minutes at pH 4.5. Xenogeneic
      islet transplantation, using encapsulated porcine islets in 1,3
      galactosyltransferase knockout mice, and allogeneic islet transplantation, using
      encapsulated canine islets in beagles, were performed without immunosuppressants.
      RESULTS: The chitosan-alginate capsules showed similar pore size, islet
      viability, and insulin secretory function compared to alginate capsules, in
      vitro. Xenogeneic transplantation of chitosan-alginate capsules demonstrated a
      trend toward superior graft survival (P = 0.07) with significantly less
      pericapsular fibrosis (cell adhesion score: 3.77 +/- 0.41 vs 8.08 +/- 0.05; P <
      0.001) compared to that of alginate capsules up to 1 year after transplantation.
      Allogeneic transplantation of chitosan-alginate capsules normalized the blood
      glucose level up to 1 year with little evidence of pericapsular fibrotic
      overgrowth on graft explantation. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy and biocompatibility
      of chitosan-alginate capsules were demonstrated in xenogeneic and allogeneic
      islet transplantations using small and large animal models of diabetes. This
      capsule might be a potential candidate applicable in the treatment of type 1
      diabetes mellitus patients, and further studies in nonhuman primates are
      required.

PMID- 26479283
TI  - Estimation of Potential Deceased Organ Donors in Canada.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Development of strategies to increase deceased organ donation is
      dependent on timely, accurate information regarding the number of potential
      deceased organ donors. Our objective was to estimate the number of potential
      deceased organ donors in Canada. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of
      information captured from hospital separations in Canadian provinces with the
      exception of Quebec between 2005 and 2009. We studied individuals 70 years or
      younger who died in hospital. Our primary outcome measure was potential deceased
      organ donors (identified by the presence of diagnostic codes compatible with
      donation, the absence of contraindications to donation defined by Canadian
      Standards, and the use of mechanical ventilation). RESULTS: Among 335 793
      hospital deaths, 8274 potential donors were identified. The study method was 81%
      sensitive and 93% specific for identification of potential donors, and
      overestimated potential donors by a factor of 1.6- to 2.1-fold when compared to
      information from chart audits. After accounting for this overestimation, there
      are conservatively 400 unrecognized potential deceased donors in Canada annually.
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest there may be significant potential to
      increase deceased organ donations in Canada. Further studies to fully
      characterize the number of potential donors identified by the study method are
      needed.

PMID- 26479284
TI  - Warming Up--Not Only Essential for Athletes?

PMID- 26479285
TI  - Reassessing Preemptive Kidney Transplantation in the United States: Are We Making
      Progress?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preemptive kidney transplantation (preKT) is associated with higher
      patient survival, improved quality of life, and lower costs. However, only a
      minority of patients receives preKT. The aim of this study was to examine changes
      over the past decade in rates of preKT, focusing on living donor kidney
      transplantation (LDKT) and specifically recipients who underwent kidney
      transplantation within 1 year of initiating dialysis. METHODS: Using United
      Network of Organ Sharing data, we examined retrospectively all kidney transplant
      candidates (n = 369 103) and recipients (n = 141 254) from 2003 to 2012 in the
      United States focusing on LDKT (n = 47 108). Predictors of preKT were examined,
      and patient and graft survival were compared for preKT, pretransplant dialysis
      less than 1 year, and pretransplant dialysis recipients of 1 year or longer.
      RESULTS: PreKT occurred in only 17% of recipients overall and 31% of LDKT
      recipients. Medicare patients (odds ratio [OR], 0.29; 95% confidence interval
      [95% CI], 0.28-0.31), diabetics (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.69-0.80), and minorities
      (Hispanics OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.57-0.68 and African Americans OR, 0.58; 95% CI,
      0.53-0.63) were less likely to receive preKT. Dialysis recipients for less than 1
      year comprised 30% of nonpreemptive LDKT. Dialysis recipients of less than 1 year
      had similar patient survival to preKT (5 years: preKT, 94%; dialysis < 1 year,
      94%; dialysis >= 1 year, 89%; P < 0.01), but decreased death-censored graft
      survival (5 years: preKT, 93%; dialysis < 1 year, 89%; and dialysis >= 1 year,
      89%; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: PreKT remains an unrealized goal for the majority of
      recipients. Medicare patients, diabetics, and minorities are less likely to
      receive preKT. Almost one third of nonpreemptive LDKT recipients were dialyzed
      for less than 1 year, highlighting an important target for improvement.

PMID- 26479286
TI  - The Challenge of Acute Antibody-Mediated Rejection in Kidney Transplantation.

PMID- 26479287
TI  - Cognitive Changes in Chronic Kidney Disease and After Transplantation.
AB  - Cognitive impairment is very common in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is
      strongly associated with increased mortality. This review article will discuss
      the pathophysiology of cognitive impairment in CKD, as well as the effect of
      dialysis and transplantation on cognitive function. In CKD, uremic toxins,
      hyperparathyroidism and Klotho deficiency lead to chronic inflammation,
      endothelial dysfunction and vascular calcifications. This results in an increased
      burden of cerebrovascular disease in CKD patients, who consistently have more
      white matter hyperintensities, microbleeds, microinfarctions and cerebral atrophy
      on magnetic resonance imaging scans. Hemodialysis, although beneficial in terms
      of uremic toxin clearance, also contributes to cognitive decline by causing rapid
      fluid and osmotic shifts. Decreasing the dialysate temperature and increasing
      total dialysis time limits these shifts and helps maintain cognitive function in
      hemodialysis patients. For many patients, kidney transplantation is the preferred
      treatment modality, because it reverses the underlying mechanisms causing
      cognitive impairment in CKD. These positive effects have to be balanced against
      the possible neurotoxicity of infections and immunosuppressive medications,
      especially glucocorticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors. A limited number of
      studies have addressed the overall effect of transplantation on cognitive
      function. These have mostly found an improvement after transplantation, but have
      a limited applicability to daily practice because they have only included
      relatively young patients. 

PMID- 26479289
TI  - Acute Kidney Injury as a Complication of Cardiac Transplantation: Incidence, Risk
      Factors, and Impact on 1-year Mortality and Renal Function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although chronic deterioration in renal function is frequently seen
      after cardiac transplantation, which is partly explained by the use of
      calcineurin inhibitors, data on the consequences of acute kidney injury (AKI)
      after cardiac transplantation are scarce. In the current study, the incidence of
      AKI and its impact on mortality and renal function was evaluated. METHODS: Five
      hundred thirty-one cardiac transplant recipients (age >=18 years) were evaluated
      for the postoperative incidence of AKI defined by the Kidney Disease Improving
      Global Outcome criteria. Secondary outcomes were renal function and mortality
      during the first postoperative year. RESULTS: Overall, 405 (76%) recipients met
      the AKI criteria of which 211 (40%) had AKI stage I, 119 (22%) stage II, 75 (14%)
      stage III, and 25 patients (5%) required renal replacement therapy (RRT). One
      year mortality rates in patients without AKI, stages I, II, and III were 4.8%,
      7.6%, 11.8%, and 14.7%, respectively (log-rank test for trend, P = 0.008). In
      patients that required RRT 1-year mortality was 28.2% (log-rank test P = 0.001).
      In multivariable analysis only AKI requiring RRT was an independent predictor of
      1-year mortality (hazard ratio, 2.75; P = 0.03). Improvement in renal function,
      compared with baseline values, occurred in 27% of recipients 1 month after
      transplantation. This was less likely to occur after previous AKI (P <= 0.04).
      The AKI stages I to III were independently proportionally associated with a worse
      renal function 1 year after transplantation (P <= 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Acute
      kidney injury is highly frequent after cardiac transplantation, and the stage of
      AKI is associated with increased mortality and impaired renal function in the
      first postoperative year.

PMID- 26479288
TI  - Outcomes of Kidney Transplantation from Circulatory Death Donors With Increased
      Terminal Creatinine Levels in Serum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To alleviate chronic renal graft shortages in Japan, donation after
      circulatory death (DCD) is an increasingly used organ resource. Organs from DCD
      donors with progressively increased terminal creatinine (t-Cr) levels are
      frequently used, but the effects of this condition on kidney transplantation
      (KTx) remain unclear. METHODS: Between 1996 and 2013, 99 KTx from DCD donors were
      conducted in our department. Recipients were grouped according to the t-Cr (in
      mg/dL) of donors: group 1, t-Cr less than < 1.5; group 2, 1.5 <= t-Cr < 3.0; and
      group 3, t-Cr >= 3.0. We analyzed the long-term outcomes of KTx from DCD donors
      retrospectively in terms of donors' terminal renal function. RESULTS: The
      respective mean donor t-Cr in groups 1, 2, and 3 were 0.73 +/- 0.28, 2.02 +/-
      0.40, and 6.69 +/- 3.68. The respective death-censored graft survival rates (%)
      in groups 1, 2, and 3 were 90.2, 96.2, and 86.7 at 1 year and 70.3, 86.2, and
      73.4 at 10 years after transplantation. Group 1 exhibited lower incidence of
      delayed graft function than either group 2 or group 3 (80.5% vs 100% and 93.3%).
      Nevertheless, no significant difference was found between groups for several
      measures: Cr levels 1 month after KTx and lowest Cr levels throughout the
      observation period, prevalence of biopsy-proven acute rejection, and graft
      survival. Cox proportional hazard regression showed that donor age,
      cerebrovascular event, terminal urine output, and history of hypertension were
      significantly associated with graft survival. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that,
      under certain conditions, kidneys from DCD donors with progressively increased t
      Cr can be used safely with promising long-term outcomes.

PMID- 26479290
TI  - Phenolic compounds: Strong inhibitors derived from lignocellulosic hydrolysate
      for 2,3-butanediol production by Enterobacter aerogenes.
AB  - Lignocellulosic biomass are attractive feedstocks for 2,3-butanediol production
      due to their abundant supply and low price. During the hydrolysis of
      lignocellulosic biomass, various byproducts are formed and their effects on 2,3
      butanediol production were not sufficiently studied compared to ethanol
      production. Therefore, the effects of compounds derived from lignocellulosic
      biomass (weak acids, furan derivatives and phenolics) on the cell growth, the 2,3
      butanediol production and the enzymes activity involved in 2,3-butanediol
      production were evaluated using Enterobacter aerogenes ATCC 29007. The phenolic
      compounds showed the most toxic effects on cell growth, 2,3-butanediol production
      and enzyme activity, followed by furan derivatives and weak acids. The
      significant effects were not observed in the presence of acetic acid and formic
      acid. Also, feasibility of 2,3-butanediol production from lignocellulosic biomass
      was evaluated using Miscanthus as a feedstock. In the fermentation of Miscanthus
      hydrolysate, 11.00 g/L of 2,3-butanediol was obtained from 34.62 g/L of reducing
      sugar. However, 2,3-butanediol was not produced when the concentration of total
      phenolic compounds in the hydrolysate increased to more than 1.5 g/L. The present
      study provides useful information to develop strategies for biological production
      of 2,3-butanediol and to establish biorefinery for biochemicals from
      lignocellulosic biomass. 

PMID- 26479291
TI  - RAS/MAPK pathway hyperactivation determines poor prognosis in undifferentiated
      pleomorphic sarcomas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) constitutes the most
      common subtype of soft tissue sarcoma. However, UPS is clinically and molecularly
      poorly understood, in great extent due to its intrinsic phenotypic and
      cytogenetic complexity, which in turn results in the absence of specific
      prognostic or predictive biomarkers. The RAS/mitogen-activated protein kinases
      (MAPK) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor (PI3K)/mammalian target of
      rapamycin (mTOR) pathways are considered to be 2 major mechanisms for sarcoma
      proliferation and survival and to the authors' knowledge their role in UPS
      remains unclear. The objective of the current study was to investigate whether
      the RAS/MAPK and PI3K/mTOR pathways are activated in UPS, and whether pathway
      activation is associated with outcome. METHODS: Records for patients diagnosed
      and treated for UPS in the study institution between 2000 and 2009 were reviewed.
      Phosphorylation status of 4E-binding protein (4E-BP1), eukaryotic translation
      initiation factor 4E (eIF-4E), S6-RP, and ERK 1/2, together with total forms of
      4E-BP1 and eIF-4E, were assessed using immunohistochemistry in paraffin-embedded
      tumor tissue. Mutational analysis for KRAS; NRAS; BRAF; and phosphatidylinositol
      4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) oncogenic mutations
      was performed as well. RESULTS: Critical lymph nodes within the RAS/MAPK and
      PI3K/mTOR pathways were found to be activated in >80% of UPS cases.
      Hyperactivation of the RAS/MAPK pathway, as assessed by expression of
      phosphorylated ERK 1/2, was found to independently predict a higher risk of
      disease recurrence and impaired overall survival. Only a KRAS A146V mutation was
      detected in 1 tumor. CONCLUSIONS: The RAS/MAPK and PI3K/mTOR pathways are
      activated in the majority of cases of UPS. The RAS/MAPK pathway distinguishes a
      subgroup of patients with localized UPS with a worse outcome.

PMID- 26479292
TI  - Feasibility and tolerability of self-insertion of a transnasal tube for
      esophagogastroduodenoscopy: a pilot study.

PMID- 26479293
TI  - Cold polypectomy for nonampullary duodenal adenoma.

PMID- 26479294
TI  - Laser lithotripsy with a standard endoscope through a hepaticoduodenostomy.

PMID- 26479295
TI  - Peroral endoscopic myotomy using the posterior approach in an 11-month-old girl
      with achalasia, severe malnutrition, and recurrent pneumonia.

PMID- 26479296
TI  - Transient gastric ischemia as a complication of cystotomy in endoscopic
      pancreatic pseudocyst drainage.

PMID- 26479298
TI  - Hole-making technique for the treatment for acute pancreatitis due to placement
      of a fully covered duodenal metallic stent.

PMID- 26479297
TI  - Effective endoscopic holmium laser lithotripsy in the treatment of a large
      impacted gallstone in the duodenum.

PMID- 26479299
TI  - Duodenal ulceration following gastroduodenal artery embolization with coils.

PMID- 26479300
TI  - Elastic band ligation for the removal of a colonic tubular adenoma in a
      diverticulum.

PMID- 26479302
TI  - Spontaneous tearing of a duodenal metallic stent: a rare adverse event.

PMID- 26479301
TI  - Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis involving the small intestine:
      radiographic and endoscopic findings.

PMID- 26479303
TI  - Successful biliary drainage with peroral direct cholangioscopy in a patient with
      Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy for congenital biliary dilatation.

PMID- 26479304
TI  - Interleukin 18 binding protein ameliorates ischemia/reperfusion-induced hepatic
      injury in mice.
AB  - Inflammation-associated oxidative stress contributes to hepatic
      ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). Detrimental inflammatory event cascades
      largely depend on activated Kupffer cells (KCs) and neutrophils, as well as
      proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and
      interleukin (IL) 18. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of IL 18
      binding protein (IL 18Bp) in hepatic IRI of mice. Thirty C57BL/6 mice were
      allocated into 3 groups: sham operation, ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), and I/R with
      intravenous administration of IL 18Bp. Hepatic ischemia was induced for 30
      minutes by Pringle's maneuver. After 120 minutes of reperfusion, mice were
      euthanized, and the liver and blood samples were collected for histological,
      immunohistochemical, molecular, and biochemical analyses. I/R injury induced the
      typical liver pathology and upregulated IL-18 expression in the liver of mice.
      Binding of IL 18 with IL 18Bp significantly reduced the histopathological indices
      of I/R liver injury and KC apoptosis. The I/R-induced increase of TNF-alpha,
      malondialdehyde, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase levels
      was prevented in statistically significant levels because of the pretreatment
      with IL 18Bp. Likewise, blocking of IL 18 ablated the I/R-associated elevation of
      nuclear factor kappa B, c-Jun, myeloperoxidase, and IL 32 and the up-regulation
      of neutrophils and T-helper lymphocytes. Administration of IL 18Bp protects the
      mice liver from I/R injury by intervening in critical inflammation-associated
      pathways and KC apoptosis.

PMID- 26479306
TI  - Towards the identification of the allosteric Phe-binding site in phenylalanine
      hydroxylase.
AB  - The enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) is defective in the inherited disorder
      phenylketonuria. PAH, a tetrameric enzyme, is highly regulated and displays
      positive cooperativity for its substrate, Phe. Whether Phe binds to an allosteric
      site is a matter of debate, despite several studies worldwide. To address this
      issue, we generated a dimeric model for Phe-PAH interactions, by performing
      molecular docking combined with molecular dynamics simulations on human and rat
      wild-type sequences and also on a human G46S mutant. Our results suggest that the
      allosteric Phe-binding site lies at the dimeric interface between the regulatory
      and the catalytic domains of two adjacent subunits. The structural and dynamical
      features of the site were characterized in depth and described. Interestingly,
      our findings provide evidence for lower allosteric Phe-binding ability of the
      G46S mutant than the human wild-type enzyme. This also explains the disease
      causing nature of this mutant. 

PMID- 26479305
TI  - Vitamin B12: a tunable, long wavelength, light-responsive platform for launching
      therapeutic agents.
AB  - Light-responsive agents offer the promise of targeted therapy, whose benefits
      include (i) prolonged action at the target site, (ii) overall reduced systemic
      dosage, (iii) reduced adverse effects, and (iv) localized delivery of multiple
      agents. Although photoactivated prodrugs have been reported, these species
      generally require short wavelengths (<450 nm) for activation. However, maximal
      tissue penetrance by light occurs within the "optical window of tissue" (600-900
      nm), well beyond the wavelength range of most existing photocleavable functional
      groups. Furthermore, since multidrug therapy holds promise for the treatment of
      complex diseases, from cancer to neurological disorders, controlling the action
      of multiple drugs via wavelength modulation would take advantage of a property
      that is unique to light. However, discrimination between existing photoresponsive
      moieties has thus far proven to be limited. We have developed a vitamin B12/light
      facilitated strategy for controlling drug action using red, far-red, and NIR
      light. The technology is based on a light-triggered reaction displayed by a
      subset of B12 derivatives: alkyl-cob(III)alamins suffer photohomolysis of the C
      Co(III) bond. The C-Co(III) bond is weak (<30 kcal/mol), and therefore all
      wavelengths absorbed by the corrin ring (330-580 nm) induce photocleavage. In
      addition, by appending fluorophores to the corrin ring, long wavelength light
      (>600 nm) is readily captured and used to separate the Co-appended ligand (e.g.,
      a drug) from B12. Consequently, it is now feasible to preassign the wavelength of
      homolysis by simply installing a fluorescent antenna with the desired
      photophysical properties. The wavelength malleability inherent within this
      strategy has been used to construct photoresponsive compounds that launch
      different drugs by simply modulating the wavelength of illumination. In addition,
      these phototherapeutics have been installed on the surface and interior of cells,
      such as erythrocytes or neural stem cells, and released upon expoure to the
      appropriate wavelength. We have shown that cytotoxic agents, such as doxorubicin,
      anti-inflammatories, such as dexamethasone, and anti- and pro-vascular agents are
      readily released from cellular vehicles as biologically active agents. We have
      also demonstrated that the concept of "optical window of tissue"
      phototherapeutics is not just limited to prodrugs. For example, stem cells have
      received considerable attention in the area of regenerative medicine. Hydrogels
      serve as scaffolds for stem cell growth and differentiation. We have shown that
      the formation of hydrogels can be triggered, in the presence of cells, using
      appropriately designed alkyl-cob(III)alamins and long wavelength light. The
      potential applications of phototherapeutics are broad and include drug delivery
      for a variety of indications, tissue engineering, and surgery. 

PMID- 26479307
TI  - Phaseolus vulgaris lectins: A systematic review of characteristics and health
      implications.
AB  - Legume lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins of non-immune origin.
      Significant amounts of lectins have been found in Phaseolus vulgaris beans as far
      back as in the last century; however, many questions about their potential
      biological roles still remain obscure. Studies have shown that lectins are anti
      nutritional factors that can cause intestinal disorders. Owing to their ability
      to act as toxic allergens and hemagglutinins, the Phaseolus vulgaris lectins are
      of grave concern for human health and safety. Nonetheless, their potential
      beneficial health effects, such as anti-cancer, anti-human immunodeficiency virus
      (anti-HIV), anti-microbial infection, preventing mucosal atrophy, reducing type 2
      diabetes and obesity, promoting nutrients absorption and targeting drugs, are of
      immense interest. The significance of Phaseolus vulgaris lectins in biological
      researches and the potential biomedical applications have placed tremendous
      emphasis on the development of purification strategies to obtain the protein in
      pure and stable forms. These purification strategies entail considerations such
      as effects of proteolysis, heating, gamma radiation, and high-hydrostatic
      pressure that can have crucial outcomes in either eliminating or improving
      bioactivities of the lectins. Thus, up-to-date research findings of Phaseolus
      vulgaris lectins on different aspects such as anti-nutritional and health
      impacts, purification strategies and novel processing trends, are systematically
      reviewed.

PMID- 26479308
TI  - Cation-Poor Complex Metallic Alloys in Ba(Eu)-Au-Al(Ga) Systems: Identifying the
      Keys that Control Structural Arrangements and Atom Distributions at the Atomic
      Level.
AB  - Four complex intermetallic compounds BaAu(6+/-x)Ga(6+/-y) (x = 1, y = 0.9) (I),
      BaAu(6+/-x)Al(6+/-y) (x = 0.9, y = 0.6) (II), EuAu6.2Ga5.8 (III), and
      EuAu6.1Al5.9 (IV) have been synthesized, and their structures and homogeneity
      ranges have been determined by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction.
      Whereas I and II originate from the NaZn13-type structure (cF104-112, Fm3c), III
      (tP52, P4/nbm) is derived from the tetragonal Ce2Ni17Si9-type, and IV (oP104,
      Pbcm) crystallizes in a new orthorhombic structure type. Both I and II feature
      formally anionic networks with completely mixed site occupation by Au and triel
      (Tr = Al, Ga) atoms, while a successive decrease of local symmetry from the
      parental structures of I and II to III and, ultimately, to IV correlates with
      increasing separation of Au and Tr on individual crystallographic sites. Density
      functional theory-based calculations were employed to determine the
      crystallographic site preferences of Au and the respective triel element to
      elucidate reasons for the atom distribution ("coloring scheme"). Chemical bonding
      analyses for two different "EuAu6Tr6" models reveal maximization of the number of
      heteroatomic Au-Tr bonds as the driving force for atom organization. The Fermi
      levels fall in broad pseudogaps for both models allowing some electronic
      flexibility. Spin-polarized band structure calculations on the "EuAu6Tr6" models
      hint to singlet ground states for europium and long-range magnetic coupling for
      both EuAu6.2Ga5.8 (III) and EuAu6.1Al5.9 (IV). This is substantiated by
      experimental evidence because both compounds show nearly identical magnetic
      behavior with ferromagnetic transitions at TC = 6 K and net magnetic moments of
      7.35 MUB/f.u. at 2 K. The effective moments of 8.3 MUB/f.u., determined from
      Curie-Weiss fits, point to divalent oxidation states for europium in both III and
      IV.

PMID- 26479309
TI  - An evaluation of olfactory function in adults with gastro-esophageal reflux
      disease.
AB  - CONCLUSION: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to
      evaluate the olfactory function of adult patients diagnosed with GERD. The
      results revealed that adults with GERD have diminished olfactory function.
      OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the olfactory abilities of subjects using
      the 'Sniffin' Sticks' olfactory test. METHODS: A total of 35 men and women aged
      18-60 years with a diagnosis of GERD and 45 healthy controls were included in the
      study. The Sniffin' Sticks olfactory test results of the two groups were
      compared, and the relationship between the study findings and the olfactory
      parameters was evaluated. RESULTS: The odor threshold (10.1; 9.5, p = 0.016),
      odor identification (9.6; 8.1, p < 0.001), and odor discrimination (10.7; 8.9, p
      < 0.001) of the GERD group were significantly lower than those of the control
      group. A statistically significant positive correlation was detected between the
      accompanying chronic pharyngitis, chronic sinusitis, and odor parameters. A
      significant correlation was not detected between the laryngeal findings and the
      olfactory parameters.

PMID- 26479311
TI  - VEGF-mediated cell survival in non-small-cell lung cancer: implications for
      epigenetic targeting of VEGF receptors as a therapeutic approach.
AB  - AIMS: To evaluate the potential therapeutic utility of histone deacetylase
      inhibitors (HDACi) in targeting VEGF receptors in non-small-cell lung cancer.
      MATERIALS & METHODS: Non-small-cell lung cancer cells were screened for the VEGF
      receptors at the mRNA and protein levels, while cellular responses to various
      HDACi were examined. RESULTS: Significant effects on the regulation of the VEGF
      receptors were observed in response to HDACi. These were associated with
      decreased secretion of VEGF, decreased cellular proliferation and increased
      apoptosis which could not be rescued by addition of exogenous recombinant VEGF.
      Direct remodeling of the VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 promoters was observed. In contrast,
      HDACi treatments resulted in significant downregulation of the Neuropilin
      receptors. CONCLUSION: Epigenetic targeting of the Neuropilin receptors may offer
      an effective treatment for lung cancer patients in the clinical setting.

PMID- 26479312
TI  - Diagnostic and prognostic epigenetic biomarkers in cancer.
AB  - Growing cancer incidence and mortality worldwide demands development of accurate
      biomarkers to perfect detection, diagnosis, prognostication and monitoring.
      Urologic (prostate, bladder, kidney), lung, breast and colorectal cancers are the
      most common and despite major advances in their characterization, this has seldom
      translated into biomarkers amenable for clinical practice. Epigenetic alterations
      are innovative cancer biomarkers owing to stability, frequency, reversibility and
      accessibility in body fluids, entailing great potential of assay development to
      assist in patient management. Several studies identified putative epigenetic
      cancer biomarkers, some of which have been commercialized. However, large
      multicenter validation studies are required to foster translation to the clinics.
      Herein we review the most promising epigenetic detection, diagnostic, prognostic
      and predictive biomarkers for the most common cancers. 

PMID- 26479310
TI  - Epigenome-modifying tools in asthma.
AB  - Asthma is a chronic disease which causes recurrent breathlessness affecting 300
      million people worldwide of whom 250,000 die annually. The epigenome is a set of
      heritable modifications and tags that affect the genome without changing the
      intrinsic DNA sequence. These marks include DNA methylation, modifications to
      histone proteins around which DNA is wrapped and expression of noncoding RNA.
      Alterations in all of these processes have been reported in patients with asthma.
      In some cases these differences are linked to disease severity and susceptibility
      and may account for the limited value of genetic studies in asthma. Animal models
      of asthma suggest that epigenetic modifications and processes are linked to
      asthma and may be tractable targets for therapeutic intervention. 

PMID- 26479313
TI  - Catalytic Transformation of Lignin for the Production of Chemicals and Fuels.

PMID- 26479314
TI  - The use of antidepressants in bipolar disorder patients with depression.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The proportion of time that bipolar patients experience depressive
      symptoms and clinical states, with associated psychosocial impairment and
      elevated risk of suicide, is significantly greater than the time spent in
      manic/hypomanic forms of bipolar disorders. Yet, manic states and symptoms have
      been the focus and interest of most clinical research over the past quarter
      century. Not a single antidepressant approved for treatment of major depressive
      disorder, as monotherapy, has received regulatory approval for treatment of
      bipolar depression as monotherapy, despite their common use in bipolar
      depression. AREAS COVERED: We reviewed randomized studies, particularly ones
      initially intended for registration purposes, and systematic treatment
      guidelines, in development of this guide to treatment decision and implementation
      of interventions for depression in bipolar disorders. EXPERT OPINION: The Expert
      Opinion section emphasizes strategies, not individual agents. The efficacious
      performance of mood stabilizers and second-generation antipsychotics as a
      component of the strategy is strongly supported by published studies. However,
      this section relies largely on secondary publications and our combined clinical
      experience, as few randomized, blinded studies have had, as their focus, the
      comparison of combined regimens for depression. This article summarizes the
      design features and results of studies dealing with depressive features and
      intervention strategies for bipolar disorders. The emphasis of the
      recommendations is on pragmatic treatment decisions that clinicians can make to
      enhance the probability of both short and long term benefits for patients.

PMID- 26479315
TI  - Deletion of murine Arv1 results in a lean phenotype with increased energy
      expenditure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: ACAT-related enzyme 2 required for viability 1 (ARV1) is a putative
      lipid transporter of the endoplasmic reticulum that is conserved across
      eukaryotic species. The ARV1 protein contains a conserved N-terminal cytosolic
      zinc ribbon motif known as the ARV1 homology domain, followed by multiple
      transmembrane regions anchoring it in the ER. Deletion of ARV1 in yeast results
      in defective sterol trafficking, aberrant lipid synthesis, ER stress, membrane
      disorganization and hypersensitivity to fatty acids (FAs). We sought to
      investigate the role of Arv1 in mammalian lipid metabolism. METHODS: Homologous
      recombination was used to disrupt the Arv1 gene in mice. Animals were examined
      for alterations in lipid and lipoprotein levels, body weight, body composition,
      glucose tolerance and energy expenditure. RESULTS: Global loss of Arv1
      significantly decreased total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol levels in the plasma. Arv1 knockout mice exhibited a dramatic lean
      phenotype, with major reductions in white adipose tissue (WAT) mass and body
      weight on a chow diet. This loss of WAT is accompanied by improved glucose
      tolerance, higher adiponectin levels, increased energy expenditure and greater
      rates of whole-body FA oxidation. CONCLUSIONS: This work identifies Arv1 as an
      important player in mammalian lipid metabolism and whole-body energy homeostasis.

PMID- 26479316
TI  - NMR-based metabolic profiling in healthy individuals overfed different types of
      fat: links to changes in liver fat accumulation and lean tissue mass.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Overeating different dietary fatty acids influence the amount of
      liver fat stored during weight gain, however, the mechanisms responsible are
      unclear. We aimed to identify non-lipid metabolites that may differentiate
      between saturated (SFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) overfeeding using a
      non-targeted metabolomic approach. We also investigated the possible
      relationships between plasma metabolites and body fat accumulation. METHODS: In a
      randomized study (LIPOGAIN study), n=39 healthy individuals were overfed with
      muffins containing SFA or PUFA. Plasma samples were precipitated with cold
      acetonitrile and analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
      Pattern recognition techniques were used to overview the data, identify variables
      contributing to group classification and to correlate metabolites with fat
      accumulation. RESULTS: We previously reported that SFA causes a greater
      accumulation of liver fat, visceral fat and total body fat, whereas lean tissue
      levels increases less compared with PUFA, despite comparable weight gain. In this
      study, lactate and acetate were identified as important contributors to group
      classification between SFA and PUFA (P<0.05). Furthermore, the fat depots (total
      body fat, visceral adipose tissue and liver fat) and lean tissue correlated
      (P(corr)>0.5) all with two or more metabolites (for example, branched amino
      acids, alanine, acetate and lactate). The metabolite composition differed in a
      manner that may indicate higher insulin sensitivity after a diet with PUFA
      compared with SFA, but this needs to be confirmed in future studies. CONCLUSION:
      A non-lipid metabolic profiling approach only identified a few metabolites that
      differentiated between SFA and PUFA overfeeding. Whether these metabolite changes
      are involved in depot-specific fat storage and increased lean tissue mass during
      overeating needs further investigation.

PMID- 26479317
TI  - A high-throughput platform for real-time analysis of membrane fission reactions
      reveals dynamin function.
AB  - Dynamin, the paradigmatic membrane fission catalyst, assembles as helical
      scaffolds that hydrolyse GTP to sever the tubular necks of clathrin-coated pits.
      Using a facile assay system of supported membrane tubes (SMrT) engineered to
      mimic the dimensions of necks of clathrin-coated pits, we monitor the dynamics of
      a dynamin-catalysed tube-severing reaction in real time using fluorescence
      microscopy. We find that GTP hydrolysis by an intact helical scaffold causes
      progressive constriction of the underlying membrane tube. On reaching a critical
      dimension of 7.3 nm in radius, the tube undergoes scission and concomitant
      splitting of the scaffold. In a constant GTP turnover scenario, scaffold assembly
      and GTP hydrolysis-induced tube constriction are kinetically inseparable events
      leading to tube-severing reactions occurring at timescales similar to the
      characteristic fission times seen in vivo. We anticipate SMrT templates to allow
      dynamic fluorescence-based detection of conformational changes occurring in self
      assembling proteins that remodel membranes.

PMID- 26479318
TI  - 6-Phosphogluconate dehydrogenase links oxidative PPP, lipogenesis and tumour
      growth by inhibiting LKB1-AMPK signalling.
AB  - The oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) contributes to tumour growth, but
      the precise contribution of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD), the third
      enzyme in this pathway, to tumorigenesis remains unclear. We found that
      suppression of 6PGD decreased lipogenesis and RNA biosynthesis and elevated ROS
      levels in cancer cells, attenuating cell proliferation and tumour growth. 6PGD
      mediated production of ribulose-5-phosphate (Ru-5-P) inhibits AMPK activation by
      disrupting the active LKB1 complex, thereby activating acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1
      and lipogenesis. Ru-5-P and NADPH are thought to be precursors in RNA
      biosynthesis and lipogenesis, respectively; thus, our findings provide an
      additional link between the oxidative PPP and lipogenesis through Ru-5-P
      dependent inhibition of LKB1-AMPK signalling. Moreover, we identified and
      developed 6PGD inhibitors, physcion and its derivative S3, that effectively
      inhibited 6PGD, cancer cell proliferation and tumour growth in nude mice
      xenografts without obvious toxicity, suggesting that 6PGD could be an anticancer
      target. 

PMID- 26479319
TI  - Definition of a consensus integrin adhesome and its dynamics during adhesion
      complex assembly and disassembly.
AB  - Integrin receptor activation initiates the formation of integrin adhesion
      complexes (IACs) at the cell membrane that transduce adhesion-dependent signals
      to control a multitude of cellular functions. Proteomic analyses of isolated IACs
      have revealed an unanticipated molecular complexity; however, a global view of
      the consensus composition and dynamics of IACs is lacking. Here, we have
      integrated several IAC proteomes and generated a 2,412-protein integrin adhesome.
      Analysis of this data set reveals the functional diversity of proteins in IACs
      and establishes a consensus adhesome of 60 proteins. The consensus adhesome is
      likely to represent a core cell adhesion machinery, centred around four axes
      comprising ILK-PINCH-kindlin, FAK-paxillin, talin-vinculin and alpha-actinin
      zyxin-VASP, and includes underappreciated IAC components such as Rsu-1 and
      caldesmon. Proteomic quantification of IAC assembly and disassembly detailed the
      compositional dynamics of the core cell adhesion machinery. The definition of
      this consensus view of integrin adhesome components provides a resource for the
      research community. 

PMID- 26479321
TI  - Synthesis of Biaryls via Benzylic C-C Bond Cleavage of Styrenes and Benzyl
      Alcohols.
AB  - A metal-free oxidative coupling of styrenes and benzyl alcohols with arenes has
      been developed for the synthesis of biaryls. The reaction features a conspicuous
      benzylic C-C bond cleavage of styrenes and benzyl alcohols. The reaction with
      both substrates proceeds through a common aldehydic intermediate formed through
      oxidative C-C bond cleavage of alkene and oxidation of benzyl alcohols. The
      reaction proceeds efficiently over a broad range of substrates with excellent
      functional group tolerance. 

PMID- 26479320
TI  - Activator-inhibitor coupling between Rho signalling and actin assembly makes the
      cell cortex an excitable medium.
AB  - Animal cell cytokinesis results from patterned activation of the small GTPase
      Rho, which directs assembly of actomyosin in the equatorial cortex. Cytokinesis
      is restricted to a portion of the cell cycle following anaphase onset in which
      the cortex is responsive to signals from the spindle. We show that shortly after
      anaphase onset oocytes and embryonic cells of frogs and echinoderms exhibit
      cortical waves of Rho activity and F-actin polymerization. The waves are
      modulated by cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) activity and require the Rho GEF
      (guanine nucleotide exchange factor), Ect2. Surprisingly, during wave
      propagation, although Rho activity elicits F-actin assembly, F-actin subsequently
      inactivates Rho. Experimental and modelling results show that waves represent
      excitable dynamics of a reaction-diffusion system with Rho as the activator and F
      actin the inhibitor. We propose that cortical excitability explains fundamental
      features of cytokinesis including its cell cycle regulation. 

PMID- 26479322
TI  - Assessing Interactions between Lipophilic and Hydrophilic Antioxidants in Food
      Emulsions.
AB  - Dietary lipids containing high concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids are
      considered to be beneficial to human health, yet their incorporation within
      formulated foods is complicated by their susceptibility to oxidation. Lipid
      oxidation in foods is inhibited through the incorporation of antioxidants, yet
      the list of antioxidants approved for food use is small, and consumers frequently
      demand foods without synthetic additives. As a consequence, food processors are
      now tasked with improving the efficacy of approved, "natural" (i.e.,
      nonsynthetic) antioxidants; a rational strategy for doing so involves localizing
      the antioxidants at the interface where oxidation usually occurs and regenerating
      the consumed antioxidants after the oxidation event has occurred. The present
      study describes a procedure to evaluate antioxidant interactions in oil-in-water
      food emulsions, which is based on controlled oxidation reactions induced in the
      dispersed oil phase by the lipophilic radical generator, 2,2'-azobis(2,4
      dimethylvaleronitrile). The extent of lipid oxidation is measured
      spectroscopically by following the loss of an oxidatively labile, lipophilic
      probe (methyl eleostearate), the synthesis of which is described here. Using this
      procedure, the ability of various aqueous phase solvated antioxidants (ascorbic
      acid, gallic acid, (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate) to regenerate
      lipid phase solvated alpha-tocopherol was evaluated. In all cases, the test
      compounds were able to inhibit oxidation reactions; however, these effects were
      not profoundly synergistic, and the maximum synergistic interaction observed was
      only ~ 3% using ascorbic acid.

PMID- 26479323
TI  - Sample tilt effects on atom column position determination in ABF-STEM imaging.
AB  - The determination of atom positions from atomically resolved transmission
      electron micrographs is fundamental for the analysis of crystal defects and
      strain. In recent years annular bright-field (ABF) imaging has become a popular
      imaging technique owing to its ability to map both light and heavy elements.
      Contrast formation in ABF is partially governed by the phase of the electron
      wave, which renders the technique more sensitive to the tilt of the electron beam
      with respect to the crystal zone axis than high-angle annular dark-field imaging.
      Here we show this sensitivity experimentally and use image simulations to
      quantify this effect. This is essential for error estimation in future
      quantitative ABF studies. 

PMID- 26479324
TI  - Specific marker of feigned memory impairment: The activation of left superior
      frontal gyrus.
AB  - Faking memory impairment means normal people complain lots of memory problems
      without organic damage in forensic assessments. Using alternative forced-choice
      paradigm, containing digital or autobiographical information, previous
      neuroimaging studies have indicated that faking memory impairment could cause the
      activation in the prefrontal and parietal regions, and might involve a fronto
      parietal-subcortical circuit. However, it is still unclear whether different
      memory types have influence on faking or not. Since different memory types, such
      as long-term memory (LTM) and short-term memory (STM), were found supported by
      different brain areas, we hypothesized that feigned STM or LTM impairment had
      distinct neural activation mapping. Besides that, some common neural correlates
      may act as the general characteristic of feigned memory impairment. To verify
      this hypothesis, the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) combined with
      an alternative word forced-choice paradigm were used in this study. A total of 10
      right-handed participants, in this study, had to perform both STW and LTM tasks
      respectively under answering correctly, answering randomly and feigned memory
      impairment conditions. Our results indicated that the activation of the left
      superior frontal gyrus and the left medial frontal gyrus was associated with
      feigned LTM impairment, whereas the left superior frontal gyrus, the left
      precuneus and the right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) were highly activated
      while feigning STM impairment. Furthermore, an overlapping was found in the left
      superior frontal gyrus, and it suggested that the activity of the left superior
      frontal gyrus might be acting as a specific marker of feigned memory impairment. 

PMID- 26479326
TI  - The levels of vitamin B12, folate and homocysteine in mothers and their babies
      with neural tube defects.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to determine the serum levels of vitamin B12,
      folate, and homocysteine (Hcy) in mothers and their babies, and to assess the
      association between these levels and neural tube defect (NTD). The study group
      included 92 baby-mother pairs, where the babies had NTD, and the control group
      included 102 pairs, where the babies had no NTD, from May 2012 to May 2015.
      Plasma vitamin B12, folate, and Hcy levels of the babies and mothers were
      measured, and compared with each other. NTD was diagnosed in 2.6% of our babies.
      The vitamin B12 levels in the mothers and the babies in the study group were
      determined as 166.2 +/- 63.7 pg/mL and 240.3 +/- 120.3 pg/mL, and in the control
      group as 1 9 0 +/- 80.2 pg/mL and 299.5 +/- 151.4 pg/mL, respectively. There was
      a significant difference between the two groups in terms of both the mothers' and
      the babies' vitamin B12 levels (p = 0.024 and p = 0.003, respectively). The
      plasma folate levels of the mothers in the study group (5.2 +/- 3 ng/mL) were
      significantly lower than control group (6.4 +/- 4.3 ng/mL, p = 0.032).The plasma
      Hcy level of the mothers in the study group (9.3 +/- 3.8 MUmol/L) was
      significantly higher than the control group (7 +/- 3.8 MUmol/L, p < 0.001). High
      plasma Hcy levels and low plasma folate and vitamin B12 levels are risk factors
      for NTD. Our results show that the risk for NTD can be decreased by fortification
      of mothers-to-be, particularly in rural areas with folate and vitamin B12
      deficiency, which would lower the plasma Hcy level. 

PMID- 26479327
TI  - Organochlorine Pesticides Exposure and Bladder Cancer: Evaluation from a Gene
      Environment Perspective in a Hospital-Based Case-Control Study in the Canary
      Islands (Spain).
AB  - The incidence of bladder cancer has increased significantly since the 1950s.
      Pesticide exposure has been linked with increasing bladder cancer incidence,
      although the evidence is inconclusive. However, most epidemiological studies did
      not evaluate the potential role played by the organochlorine pesticides, the most
      widely used pesticides in Western countries from the 1940s to the 1970s.
      Organochlorine pesticides were banned in the late 1970s because of their
      persistence in the environment and their carcinogenic and mutagenic effects.
      Organochlorine pesticides were employed in huge amounts in the Spanish
      archipelago of the Canary Islands; the authors, therefore, evaluated the role
      played by organochlorine pesticides exposure on bladder cancer. Serum levels of
      the most prevalent organochlorine pesticides used in the agriculture of these
      Islands (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [p,p'-DDT], and its metabolites
      dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene [p,p'-DDE] and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane
      [p,p'-DDD], hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorocyclohexane isomers, aldrin, dieldrin,
      endrin, heptachlor, cis-chlordane, trans-chlordane, alpha- and beta-endosulfan,
      endosulfan sulfate, methoxychlor, and mirex) were measured in 140 bladder cancer
      cases and 206 controls. GST-M1 and GST-T1 gene polymorphisms were genotyped by
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods. These results showed that serum
      levels of organochlorine pesticides did not increase bladder cancer risk. On the
      contrary, total burden of hexachlorocyclohexanes was found to be negatively
      associated to bladder cancer (odds ratio [OR] = 0.929, 95% confidence interval
      [CI]: 0.865-0.997; P = .041). This effect disappeared when the distribution of
      the gluthathione S-transferase polymorphisms was introduced in the statistical
      model. These results indicate that organochlorine pesticides are not a risk
      factor for bladder cancer. However, these findings provide additional evidence of
      gene-environment interactions for organochlorine pesticides and bladder cancer
      and reinforce the relevance of genes encoding xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in
      bladder cancer. 

PMID- 26479328
TI  - Paper-Based Analytical Devices Relying on Visible-Light-Enhanced Glucose/Air
      Biofuel Cells.
AB  - A strategy that combines visible-light-enhanced biofuel cells (BFCs) and
      electrochemical immunosensor into paper-based analytical devices was proposed for
      sensitive detection of the carbohydrate antigen 15-3 (CA15-3). The gold
      nanoparticle modified paper electrode with large surface area and good
      conductibility was applied as an effective matrix for primary antibodies. The
      glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) modified gold-silver bimetallic nanoparticles were
      used as bioanodic biocatalyst and signal magnification label. Poly(terthiophene)
      (pTTh), a photoresponsive conducting polymer, served as catalyst in cathode for
      the reduction of oxygen upon illumination by visible light. In the bioanode,
      electrons were generated through the oxidation of glucose catalyzed by GDH. The
      amount of electrons is determined by the amount of GDH, which finally depended on
      the amount of CA15-3. In the cathode, electrons from the bioanode could combine
      with the generated holes in the HOMO energy level of cathode catalysts pTTh.
      Meanwhile, the high energy level photoexcited electrons were generated in the
      LUMO energy level and involved in the oxygen reduction reaction, finally
      resulting in an increasing current and a decreasing overpotential. According to
      the current signal, simple and efficient detection of CA15-3 was achieved. 

PMID- 26479325
TI  - Comparison of three neurotropic viruses reveals differences in viral
      dissemination to the central nervous system.
AB  - Neurotropic viruses initiate infection in peripheral tissues prior to entry into
      the central nervous system (CNS). However, mechanisms of dissemination are not
      completely understood. We used genetically marked viruses to compare
      dissemination of poliovirus, yellow fever virus 17D (YFV-17D), and reovirus type
      3 Dearing in mice from a hind limb intramuscular inoculation site to the sciatic
      nerve, spinal cord, and brain. While YFV-17D likely entered the CNS via blood,
      poliovirus and reovirus likely entered the CNS by transport through the sciatic
      nerve to the spinal cord. We found that dissemination was inefficient in adult
      immune-competent mice for all three viruses, particularly reovirus. Dissemination
      of all viruses was more efficient in immune-deficient mice. Although poliovirus
      and reovirus both accessed the CNS by transit through the sciatic nerve,
      stimulation of neuronal transport by muscle damage enhanced dissemination only of
      poliovirus. Our results suggest that these viruses access the CNS using different
      pathways. 

PMID- 26479329
TI  - Implementing a routine outcome assessment procedure to evaluate the quality of
      assistive technology service delivery for children with physical or multiple
      disabilities: Perceived effectiveness, social cost, and user satisfaction.
AB  - There is a lack of evidence on the effects and quality of assistive technology
      service delivery (ATSD). This study presents a quasi-experimental 3-months follow
      up using a pre-test/post-test design aimed at evaluating outcomes of assistive
      technology (AT) interventions targeting children with physical and multiple
      disabilities. A secondary aim was to evaluate the feasibility of the follow-up
      assessment adopted in this study with a view to implement the procedure in
      routine clinical practice. Forty-five children aged 3-17 years were included.
      Parents were asked to complete the Individual Prioritised Problem Assessment
      (IPPA) for AT effectiveness; KWAZO (Kwaliteit van Zorg [Quality of Care]) and
      Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST) 2.0 for
      satisfaction with ATSD; Siva Cost Analysis Instrument (SCAI) for estimating the
      social cost of AT interventions. At follow-up, 25 children used the AT
      recommended. IPPA effect sizes ranged from 1.4 to 0.7, showing a large effect of
      AT interventions. Overall, parents were satisfied with ATSD, but Maintenance,
      Professional Services, and AT Delivery were rated not satisfactory. SCAI showed
      more resources spent for AT intervention compared to human assistance without
      technological supports. AT may be an effective intervention for children with
      disabilities. Issues concerning responsiveness and feasibility of the IPPA and
      the SCAI instruments are discussed with a view to inform routine clinical
      practice.

PMID- 26479330
TI  - Suppression of Low-Frequency Electronic Noise in Polymer Nanowire Field-Effect
      Transistors.
AB  - The authors report on the reduction of low-frequency noise in semiconductor
      polymer nanowires with respect to thin-films made of the same organic material.
      Flicker noise is experimentally investigated in polymer nanowires in the range of
      10-10(5) Hz by means of field-effect transistor architectures. The noise in the
      devices is well described by the Hooge empirical model and exhibits an average
      Hooge constant, which describes the current power spectral density of
      fluctuations, suppressed by 1-2 orders of magnitude compared to thin-film
      devices. To explain the Hooge constant reduction, a resistor network model is
      developed, in which the organic semiconducting nanostructures or films are
      depicted through a two-dimensional network of resistors with a square-lattice
      structure, accounting for the different anisotropy and degree of structural
      disorder of the active nanowires and films. Results from modeling agree well with
      experimental findings. These results support enhanced structural order through
      size-confinement in organic nanostructures as effective route to improve the
      noise performance in polymer electronic devices. 

PMID- 26479331
TI  - Structural Properties and Aggregation Behavior of 1-Hexyl-3-methylimidazolium
      Iodide in Aqueous Solutions.
AB  - The structural properties of 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide ([C6mim]I)/water
      mixtures with molar ratios ranging from 1:1 to 1:200 have been investigated using
      molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with extended X-ray absorption fine structure
      (EXAFS) experimental data. The presence of a complex network of interactions
      among cations, anions, and water molecules has been highlighted from the MD
      simulations, even if water molecules have been found to interact preferentially
      with the I(-) anion. The EXAFS results show that, also for the 1:1 [C6mim]I/water
      mixture, the water molecules are placed next to the I(-) anion, and the I(-)
      hydration shell becomes more and more crowded with increasing water content.
      Tight ion pairs have been detected in the [C6mim]I/water mixtures with molar
      ratios from 1:1 to 1:12, while no ionic pairs were found in the most diluted
      solutions. The aggregation behavior has been determined from MD simulations with
      the aid of S(q) functions. For the most concentrated IL/water mixtures with molar
      ratios between 1:1 and 1:12 the existence of long-range structural correlations
      has been evidenced, even if the apolar chains are not completely segregated as
      expected for micelle-like structures. Conversely, for the 1:200 mixture, that is
      above the experimental critical aggregation concentration value, the alkyl chains
      are completely separated from each other. 

PMID- 26479332
TI  - Tailor-Made Boronic Acid Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles with a Tunable
      Polymer Shell-Assisted for the Selective Enrichment of
      Glycoproteins/Glycopeptides.
AB  - Biomedical sciences, and in particular biomarker research, demand efficient
      glycoproteins enrichment platforms. In this work, we present a facile and time
      saving method to synthesize phenylboronic acid and copolymer multifunctionalized
      magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) using a distillation-precipitation polymerization
      (DPP) technique. The polymer shell is obtained through copolymerization of two
      monomers-affinity ligand 3-acrylaminophenylboronic acid (AAPBA) and a hydrophilic
      functional monomer. The resulting hydrophilic Fe3O4@P(AAPBA-co-monomer) NPs
      exhibit an enhanced binding capacity toward glycoproteins by an additional
      functional monomer complementary to the surface presentation of the target
      protein. The effects of monomer ratio of AAPBA to hydrophilic comonomers on the
      binding of glycoproteins are systematically investigated. The morphology,
      structure, and composition of all the synthesized microspheres are characterized
      by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD),
      Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA),
      and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The hydrophilic Fe3O4@P(AAPBA-co
      monomer) microspheres show an excellent performance in the separation of
      glycoproteins with high binding capacity; And strong magnetic response allows
      them to be easily separated from solution in the presence of an external magnetic
      field. Moreover, both synthetic Fe3O4@P(AAPBA) and copolymeric NPs show good
      adsorption to glycoproteins in physiological conditions (pH 7.4). The
      Fe3O4@P(AAPBA-co-monomer) NPs are successfully utilized to selectively capture
      and identify the low-abundance glycopeptides from the tryptic digest of
      horseradish peroxidase (HRP). In addition, the selective isolation and enrichment
      of glycoproteins from the egg white samples at physiological condition is
      obtained by Fe3O4@P(AAPBA-co-monomer) NPs as adsorbents.

PMID- 26479333
TI  - Oxidative Stress, Cytotoxicity, and Genotoxicity Induced by Methyl Parathion in
      Human Gingival Fibroblasts: Protective Role of Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate.
AB  - Organophosphorous (OP) compounds are pesticides frequently released into the
      environment because of extensive use in agriculture. Among these, methyl
      parathion (mPT) recently received attention as a consequence of illegal use. The
      predominant route of human exposure to mPT is via inhalation, but inadvertent
      consumption of contaminated foods and water may also occur. The goal of this
      study was to investigate the in vitro effects of mPT on cells in the oral cavity
      and evaluate the potential protective role of epigallocathechin-3-gallate (EGCG)
      on these effects. Human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) were exposed to 10, 50, or 100
      MU g/ml mPT for 24 h and assessed for oxidative stress, as evidenced by reactive
      generation of oxygen species (ROS), induction of apoptotic cell death, DNA damage
      (comet assay and cytochinesis-block micronucleus test), and nitric oxide (NO)
      production. The results showed that mPT produced significant oxidative stress,
      cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity and increased NO levels through stimulation of
      inducible NO synthase expression. Finally, data demonstrated that EGCG (10, 25,
      or 50 MU M) was able to inhibit the pesticide-induced effects on all parameters
      studied. Data indicate that cytotoxic and genotoxic effects may be associated
      with oxidative stress induced by mPT observed in HGF cultures and that EGCG plays
      a protective role via antioxidant activities. 

PMID- 26479334
TI  - Physical Delivery of Macromolecules using High-Aspect Ratio Nanostructured
      Materials.
AB  - There is great need for the development of an efficient delivery method of
      macromolecules, including nucleic acids, proteins, and peptides, to cell
      cytoplasm without eliciting toxicity or changing cell behavior. High-aspect ratio
      nanomaterials have addressed many challenges present in conventional methods,
      such as cell membrane passage and endosomal degradation, and have shown the
      feasibility of efficient high-throughput macromolecule delivery with minimal
      perturbation of cells. This review describes the recent advances of in vitro and
      in vivo physical macromolecule delivery with high-aspect ratio nanostructured
      materials and summarizes the synthesis methods, material properties, relevant
      applications, and various potential directions. 

PMID- 26479336
TI  - High-level mobility skills in children and adolescents with traumatic brain
      injury.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the reliability, validity and responsiveness of the High-level
      Mobility Assessment Tool (HiMAT) in children and adolescents with traumatic brain
      injury (TBI) and to compare the mobility skills of children with TBI to those of
      healthy peers. METHOD: The mobility skills of 52 children with moderate and
      severe TBI (36 males; mean age = 12 years, range = 6-17) were assessed using the
      HiMAT and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). Inter-rater
      reliability, re-test reliability and responsiveness of the HiMAT were evaluated
      in sub-groups by comparing results scored at several time-points. The HiMAT
      scores of children with TBI were compared with those of a healthy comparative
      cohort. RESULTS: The HiMAT demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC =
      0.93), re-test reliability (ICC = 0.98) and responsiveness to change (p = 0.002).
      The PEDI demonstrated a ceiling effect in mobility assessment of ambulant
      children with TBI. The HiMAT scores of children with TBI were lower than those of
      their healthy peers (p < 0.001). INTERPRETATION: The HiMAT is a reliable, valid
      and sensitive measure of high-level mobility skills following childhood TBI. The
      high-level mobility skills of children with TBI are less proficient than their
      peers.

PMID- 26479337
TI  - Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering Detection of Cancer Biomarkers with
      Bifunctional Nanocomposite Probes.
AB  - This report describes new findings of an investigation of a bifunctional
      nanocomposite probe for the detection of cancer biomarkers, demonstrating the
      viability of magnetic focusing and SERS detection in a microfluidic platform. The
      nanocomposite probe consists of a magnetic nickel-iron core and a gold shell.
      Upon bioconjugation, the nanoprobes are magnetically focused on a specific spot
      in a microfluidic channel, enabling an enrichment of "hot spots" for surface
      enhanced Raman scattering detection of the targeted carcinoembryonic antigen. The
      detection sensitivity, with a limit of detection of ~0.1 pM, is shown to scale
      with the magnetic focusing time and the nanoparticle size. The latter is also
      shown to exhibit an excellent agreement between the experimental data and the
      theoretical simulation. Implications of the findings to the development of rapid
      and sensitive microfluidic detection of cancer biomarkers are also discussed. 

PMID- 26479335
TI  - Therapeutic targets for cholestatic liver injury.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cholestasis is a reduction in bile flow that occurs during numerous
      pathologies. Blockage of the biliary tracts results in hepatic accumulation of
      bile acids or their conjugate bile salts. The molecular mechanisms behind liver
      injury associated with cholestasis are extensively studied, but not well
      understood. Multiple models of obstructive cholestasis result in a significant
      inflammatory infiltrate at the sites of necrosis that characterize the injury.
      AREAS COVERED: This review will focus on direct bile acid toxicity during
      cholestasis, bile acid signaling processes and on the development and
      continuation of inflammation during cholestasis, with a focus on novel proposed
      molecular mediators of neutrophil recruitment. While significant progress has
      been made on these molecular mechanisms, a continued focus on how cholestasis and
      the innate immune system interact is necessary to discover targetable
      therapeutics that might protect the liver while leaving global immunity intact.
      EXPERT OPINION: While bile acid toxicity likely occurs in humans and other
      mammals when toxic bile acids accumulate, persistent inflammation is likely
      responsible for continued liver injury during obstructive cholestasis. Targeting
      molecular mediators of inflammation may help prevent liver injury during acute
      cholestasis both in murine models and human patients.

PMID- 26479338
TI  - Multi-modal signal acquisition using a synchronized wireless body sensor network
      in geriatric patients.
AB  - Wearable home-monitoring devices acquiring various biosignals such as the
      electrocardiogram, photoplethysmogram, electromyogram, respirational activity and
      movements have become popular in many fields of research, medical diagnostics and
      commercial applications. Especially ambulatory settings introduce still unsolved
      challenges to the development of sensor hardware and smart signal processing
      approaches. This work gives a detailed insight into a novel wireless body sensor
      network and addresses critical aspects such as signal quality, synchronicity
      among multiple devices as well as the system's overall capabilities and
      limitations in cardiovascular monitoring. An early sign of typical cardiovascular
      diseases is often shown by disturbed autonomic regulations such as orthostatic
      intolerance. In that context, blood pressure measurements play an important role
      to observe abnormalities like hypo- or hypertensions. Non-invasive and
      unobtrusive blood pressure monitoring still poses a significant challenge,
      promoting alternative approaches including pulse wave velocity considerations. In
      the scope of this work, the presented hardware is applied to demonstrate the
      continuous extraction of multi modal parameters like pulse arrival time within a
      preliminary clinical study. A Schellong test to diagnose orthostatic hypotension
      which is typically based on blood pressure cuff measurements has been conducted,
      serving as an application that might significantly benefit from novel multi-modal
      measurement principles. It is further shown that the system's synchronicity is as
      precise as 30 MUs and that the integrated analog preprocessing circuits and
      additional accelerometer data provide significant advantages in ambulatory
      measurement environments. 

PMID- 26479339
TI  - The multifunctional lateral geniculate nucleus.
AB  - Providing the critical link between the retina and visual cortex, the well
      studied lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) has stood out as a structure in search
      of a function exceeding the mundane 'relay'. For many mammals, it is structurally
      impressive: Exquisite lamination, sophisticated microcircuits, and blending of
      multiple inputs suggest some fundamental transform. This impression is bolstered
      by the fact that numerically, the retina accounts for a small fraction of its
      input. Despite such promise, the extent to which an LGN neuron separates itself
      from its retinal brethren has proven difficult to appreciate. Here, I argue that
      whereas retinogeniculate coupling is strong, what occurs in the LGN is judicious
      pruning of a retinal drive by nonretinal inputs. These nonretinal inputs reshape
      a receptive field that under the right conditions departs significantly from its
      retinal drive, even if transiently. I first review design features of the LGN and
      follow with evidence for 10 putative functions. Only two of these tend to surface
      in textbooks: parsing retinal axons by eye and functional group and gating by
      state. Among the remaining putative functions, implementation of the principle of
      graceful degradation and temporal decorrelation are at least as interesting but
      much less promoted. The retina solves formidable problems imposed by physics to
      yield multiple efficient and sensitive representations of the world. The LGN
      applies context, increasing content, and gates several of these representations.
      Even if the basic concentric receptive field remains, information transmitted for
      each LGN spike relative to each retinal spike is measurably increased. 

PMID- 26479340
TI  - Evaluation of anti-inflammatory potential of the ethanolic extract of the
      Saussurea lappa root (costus) on adjuvant-induced monoarthritis in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disorder
      characterized by polyarticular symmetrical arthritis. The prevalence of RA is
      consistent worldwide, affecting about 0.5%-1.0% of the population. The aim of
      this study was to investigate whether Saussurea lappa (costus) could ameliorate
      adjuvant arthritis (AA) in the rat for 21 days. METHODS: Animals were divided
      into eight groups (n=5/group). Group 1 acted as control, group 2 presented the AA
      rats (positive control), and groups 3, 4, and 5 were treated with different doses
      of S. lappa (200, 400, and 600 mg/kg, respectively), whereas groups 6, 7, and 8
      were AA rats and orally administered with S. lappa (200, 400, and 600 mg/kg,
      respectively). The changes caused by chronic inflammation were evaluated through
      the measurement of ankle circumference (AC). Serum C-reactive protein (CRP),
      interleukins (IL-1beta and IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), total
      oxidative capacity (TOC), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were determined.
      RESULTS: Saussurea lappa dose-dependently alleviated the severity of the disease
      based on the reduction in AC and on the clinical scores of the histological
      study. Histopathological examination proved that S. lappa decreased the
      infiltration of inflammatory cells and synovial hyperplasia as well as protected
      joint destruction. Saussurea lappa reduced the serum levels of CRP, TNF-alpha, IL
      1beta, and IL-6, reduced the TOC, and improved the TAC as compared with AA rats.
      CONCLUSIONS: The S. lappa extract has potentially useful anti-arthritic activity
      as well as improves the immune and antioxidant responses of adjuvant-induced
      monoarthritis in rats.

PMID- 26479341
TI  - Melatonin and vitamin C exacerbate Cannabis sativa-induced testicular damage when
      administered separately but ameliorate it when combined in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mechanisms involved in the spermatotoxic effect of Cannabis
      sativa are inconclusive. The involvement of oxidative stress in male factor
      infertility has been well documented, and the antioxidative potential of
      melatonin and vitamin C in many oxidative stress conditions has been well
      reported. This study sought to investigate whether melatonin and vitamin C will
      ameliorate C. sativa-induced spermatotoxicity or not. METHODS: Fifty-five (55)
      male albino rats (250-300 g) were randomly divided in a blinded fashion into five
      oral treatment groups as follows: group I (control, n=5) received 1 mL/kg of 10%
      ethanol for 30 days; groups IIa, IIb, and IIc (n=5 each) received 2 mg/kg C.
      sativa for 20, 30, and 40 days, respectively; groups IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc (n=5
      each) received a combination of 2 mg/kg C. sativa and 4 mg/kg melatonin for 20,
      30, and 40 days, respectively; groups IVa, IVb, and IVc (n=5 each) received a
      combination of 2 mg/kg C. sativa and 1.25 g/kg vitamin C for 20, 30, and 40 days,
      respectively; group V (n=5) received a combination of 2 mg/kg C. sativa, 4 mg/kg
      melatonin, and 1.25 g/kg vitamin C for 30 days. RESULTS: Cannabis treatments
      reduced the Johnsen score, sperm count, motility, morphology, paired
      testicular/body weight ratio, and total antioxidant capacity, but increased
      lactate dehydrogenase activity. In addition, supplementation of cannabis-treated
      rats with either melatonin or vitamin C exacerbates the effect of cannabis on
      those parameters, whereas combination of melatonin and vitamin C reversed the
      trend to the level comparable to control. CONCLUSIONS: This study further showed
      the gonadotoxic effect of C. sativa, which could be mediated by oxidative stress.
      It also showed that melatonin and vitamin C exacerbate C. sativa-induced
      testicular damage when administered separately but ameliorate it when combined in
      rats.

PMID- 26479342
TI  - Chemical characterization, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of the methanolic
      extract of Hymenocrater longiflorus grown in Iraq.
AB  - Hymenocrater longiflorus was collected from northern Iraq, and the chemical
      composition and antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of this plant were
      investigated. Ten compounds detected by HPLC-ESI/MS were identified as flavonoids
      and phenolic acids. The free radical scavenging activity of the 70% methanol
      extract was evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The
      antioxidant activities of the extract may be attributed to its polyphenolic
      composition. The cytotoxicity of the plant extract against the osteosarcoma
      (U2OS) cell line was assessed with the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5
      diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The extract significantly reduced the
      viability of cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Cells were
      arrested during the S-phase of the cell cycle, and DNA damage was revealed by
      antibodies against histone H2AX. The apoptotic features of cell shrinkage and
      decrease in cell size were also observed. Western blot analysis revealed cleavage
      of poly (ADP-ribose)-polymerase 1 (PARP-1), in addition to increases in the
      proteins p53, p21, and gamma-H2AX. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that
      the H. longiflorus extract is highly cytotoxic to U2OS cells, most likely due to
      its polyphenolic composition. 

PMID- 26479343
TI  - A novel exonuclease (TaqMan) assay for rapid haptoglobin genotyping.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Haptoglobin is an acute-phase binding protein that scavenges free
      hemoglobin. The human haptoglobin gene (HP) is polymorphic with two main alleles,
      haptoglobin allele 1 (Hp1) and haptoglobin allele 2 (Hp2). The smaller Hp1 allele
      features no duplication and consists of four exons, whereas the larger Hp2
      allele, containing a 1.7 kb duplication, consists of six exons, with the fifth
      and sixth being highly homologous to exons 3 and 4 of Hp1. METHODS: We designed
      an exonuclease (TaqMan) assay targeting single nucleotide differences between the
      homologous regions of Hp1 and Hp2. The assay contained one probe specifically
      binding to a site in intron 4 of Hp2, and another probe binding equally to intron
      4 of Hp1 and intron 6 of Hp2. RESULTS: Measurement of post-PCR fluorescence
      allowed unambiguous discrimination of HP genotypes. Comparison with genotypes
      obtained by a method based upon allele-specific primers yielded fully
      corresponding results. CONCLUSIONS: The new HP genotyping method is fast,
      reliable, does not require real-time instruments and may be especially useful for
      high-throughput genotyping.

PMID- 26479344
TI  - Analysis of PMP22 duplication and deletion using a panel of six dinucleotide
      tandem repeats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1A (CMT1A) is the most common type of
      hereditary motor and sensory neuropathies (HMSN), caused by the duplication of
      the 17p11.2 region that includes the PMP22 gene. Reciprocal deletion of the same
      region is the main cause of hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure
      palsies (HNPP). CMT1A accounts for approximately 50% of HMSN patients.
      Diagnostics of CMT1A and HNPP are based on quantitative analysis of the affected
      region or RFLP detection of breakage points. The aim of this study was to improve
      the sensitivity and efficiency of CMT1A and HNPP genetic diagnostics by
      introducing analysis of six STR markers (D17S261-D17S122-D17S839-D17S1358-D17S955
      D17S921) spanning the duplicated region. METHODS: Forty-six CMT1A and seven HNPP
      patients, all genetically diagnosed by RFLP analysis, were tested for duplication
      or deletion using six STR markers. RESULTS: In all CMT1A and HNPP patients,
      microsatellite analysis comprising six STR markers confirmed the existence of a
      duplication or deletion. In 89% (41/46) CMT1A patients the confirmation was based
      on detecting three alleles on at least one locus. In the remaining 11% (5) CMT1A
      patients, duplication was also confirmed based on two peaks with clear dosage
      difference for at least two different markers. All HNPP patients (7/7) displayed
      only one allele for each analyzed locus. CONCLUSIONS: Microsatellite analysis
      using six selected STR loci showed a high level of sensitivity and specificity
      for genetic diagnostics of CMT1A and HNPP. The results here strongly suggest STR
      marker analysis as a method of choice in PMP22 duplication/deletion testing.

PMID- 26479345
TI  - The efficacy of an internet-based e-learning system using the CellaVision
      Competency Software for continuing professional development.

PMID- 26479346
TI  - Comparison of a 10- vs. 15-min centrifugation time for chemical and
      immunochemical assays and impact on turnaround time in a hospital laboratory.

PMID- 26479347
TI  - Preanalytical, analytical, gestational and pediatric aspects of the S100B immuno
      assays.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury management is a tricky issue in children and
      pregnant women (due to adverse effects of computer tomography). To facilitate
      management, we report the main analytical performances and reference ranges for
      blood tests for the well-established S100B biomarker in under-16 children on a
      DiaSorin(r) Liaison XL analyzer and in pregnant women on DiaSorin(r) Liaison XL
      and Roche Diagnostics(r) Cobas e411 analyzers. METHODS: Serum S100B
      concentrations were determined by chemiluminescent immunoassay on a DiaSorin(r)
      analyzer in a population of 409 healthy children aged 0-16 years and on
      DiaSorin(r)/Roche Diagnostics(r) instruments in a population of 50 pregnant women
      (one blood sample for each trimester). The analytical performances of both
      instruments and the influence of blood cells and skin pigmentation on the assay
      were also studied. RESULTS: For children, four age-groups emerged, i.e. 0-3
      months (mean: 0.97 MUg/L; standard deviation (SD): 0.36; 95th percentile: 1.55),
      4-9 months (mean: 0.58 MUg/L; SD: 0.30; 95th: 1.18), 10-24 months (mean: 0.31
      MUg/L; SD: 0.12; 95th: 0.54) and 2-16 years (mean: 0.20 MUg/L; SD: 0.07; 95th:
      0.32). For pregnant women, serum S100B concentrations were similar to defined
      ranges for adults and not significantly different between trimesters on
      DiaSorin(r) (p=0.652)/Roche Diagnostics(r) (p=0.877) analyzers. We also found
      S100B expression (protein, total mRNA) in lymphocytes, an influence of skin
      pigmentation, and good analytical performances for both instruments. CONCLUSIONS:
      Data provided here is useful for interpreting serum S100B test results, in terms
      of preanalytical conditions, analytical performances, pediatric and pregnancy'
      environment.

PMID- 26479348
TI  - The Italian External Quality Assessment (EQA) program on urinary sediment:
      results of the period 2012-2015.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Manual microscopy still represents the gold standard for urinary
      sediment (US) examination. We report the results obtained in the period 2012-2015
      by the EQA Italian program on US, which today involves about 260 laboratories.
      METHODS: The program includes four surveys per year. In two surveys, participants
      are asked to supply identification and clinical association of US particles. In
      two other surveys, they are asked to supply the diagnosis of clinical cases,
      presented with images, some key laboratory findings and a short clinical history.
      Sixty-six images of US particles (21 cells, 2 lipids, 21 casts, 10 crystals, 3
      microorganisms, 15 contaminants) and seven clinical cases were presented.
      RESULTS: The correct identification rate for each category of particles, in
      decreasing order, was: micro-organisms (mean+/-SD: 92.4%+/-4.5%), lipids (92.0%+/
      1.8%), casts (82.8%+/-8.8%), crystals (79.4%+/-29.8%), cells (77.3%+/-13.5%), and
      contaminants (70.9%+/-22.2%). For 13 particles, a correct clinical association
      was indicated by 91.5%+/-11.7% of participants, while it was 52.7% for particles
      associated with urinary tract infection. For clinical cases, due to a high rate
      of particles misidentification, only 44.3%+/-10.1% of participants achieved
      access to clinical diagnosis, which was then correctly indicated by 92.5%+/-5.3%
      of them. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the EQA program confirm that, while some US
      particles are well known in terms of identification, clinical association and
      clinical meaning, others particles still are not, and this represents an
      important reason to encourage EQA programs on US.

PMID- 26479349
TI  - Galectin-3, osteopontin and successful aging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individuals who reach exceptional longevity (100+ years of age) free
      of common chronic age diseases (i.e. 'dodgers') arguably represent the paradigm
      of successful aging in humans. As such, identification of potential biomarkers
      associated with this phenomenon is of medical interest. METHODS: We measured
      serum levels of galectin-3 and osteopontin, both of which have been shown to be
      linked with major chronic or aging-related disorders in younger populations, in
      centenarian 'dodgers' (n=81; 40 men; 100-104 years) and healthy controls (n=41;
      24 men, 70-80 years). RESULTS: Both biomarkers showed significantly lower values
      (p<0.001) in the former (galectin-3: 2.4+/-1.7 vs. 4.8+/-2.8 ng/mL; osteopontin:
      38.1+/-27.7 vs. 72.6+/-33.1 MUg/mL). Logistic regression analysis identified the
      combination of these two biomarkers as a significant predictor variable
      associated with successful aging regardless of sex (p<0.001). The area under the
      curve (AUC) classified the ability of galectin-3 and osteopontin to predict the
      likelihood of successful aging as 'fair' (AUC=0.75) and 'good' (AUC=0.80),
      respectively. Particularly, the combination of the two biomarkers showed good
      discriminatory power for successful aging (AUC=0.86), with sensitivity=83% and
      specificity=74%. CONCLUSIONS: Lower levels of both galectin-3 and osteopontin are
      associated with successful aging, representing potential biomarkers of this
      condition. Our cross-sectional data must be however approached with caution.
      Further research is necessary to replicate the present preliminary results in
      other cohorts and to identify the potential use of galectin-3 and osteopontin as
      potential targets (or at least predictors) in future personalized anti-aging
      therapies.

PMID- 26479350
TI  - Trefoil factor family peptides--friends or foes?
AB  - Trefoil factor family (TFF) peptides are a group of molecules bearing a
      characteristic three-loop trefoil domain. They are mainly secreted in mucous
      epithelia together with mucins but are also synthesized in the nervous system.
      For many years, TFF peptides were only known for their wound healing and
      protective function, e.g. in epithelial protection and restitution. However,
      experimental evidence has emerged supporting a pivotal role of TFF peptides in
      oncogenic transformation, tumorigenesis and metastasis. Deregulated expression of
      TFF peptides at the gene and protein level is obviously implicated in numerous
      cancers, and opposing functions as oncogenes and tumor suppressors have been
      described. With regard to the regulation of TFF expression, epigenetic mechanisms
      as well as the involvement of various miRNAs are new, promising aspects in the
      field of cancer research. This review will summarize current knowledge about the
      expression and regulation of TFF peptides and the involvement of TFF peptides in
      tumor biology and cancerogenesis. 

PMID- 26479351
TI  - Developments and new vistas in the field of melanocortins.
AB  - Melanocortins play a fundamental role in several basic functions of the organism
      (sexual activity, feeding, inflammation and immune responses, pain sensitivity,
      response to stressful situations, motivation, attention, learning, and memory).
      Moreover, a large body of animal data, some of which were also confirmed in
      humans, unequivocally show that melanocortins also have impressive therapeutic
      effects in several pathological conditions that are the leading cause of
      mortality and disability worldwide (hemorrhagic, or anyway hypovolemic, shock;
      septic shock; respiratory arrest; cardiac arrest; ischemia- and
      ischemia/reperfusion-induced damage of the brain, heart, intestine, and other
      organs; traumatic injury of brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves;
      neuropathic pain; toxic neuropathies; gouty arthritis; etc.). Recent data
      obtained in animal models seem to moreover confirm previous hypotheses and
      preliminary data concerning the neurotrophic activity of melanocortins in
      neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer's disease. Our aim was (i) to
      critically reconsider the established extrahormonal effects of melanocortins (on
      sexual activity, feeding, inflammation, tissue hypoperfusion, and traumatic
      damage of central and peripheral nervous system) at the light of recent findings,
      (ii) to review the most recent advancements, particularly on the effects of
      melanocortins in models of neurodegenerative diseases, (iii) to discuss the
      reasons that support the introduction into clinical practice of melanocortins as
      life-saving agents in shock conditions and that suggest to verify in clinical
      setting the impressive results steadily obtained with melanocortins in different
      animal models of tissue ischemia and ischemia/reperfusion, and finally, (iv) to
      mention the advisable developments, particularly in terms of selectivity of
      action and of effects. 

PMID- 26479353
TI  - MDMA-induced angioedema treated with icatibant.

PMID- 26479352
TI  - CYP2D6 in Amerindians from Southern Mexico: low variability and higher frequency
      of functional alleles.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several functional and nonfunctional CYP2D6 variants have been
      associated with interindividual and interethnic variability in pharmacological
      responses. The aim of this article was to study the diversity and the
      interpopulation relationships of CYP2D6 variants of south Native Mexicans to
      define predicted phenotypes. CONTENTS: A fully systematic review of CYP2D6
      variants reported in Amerindian populations before 2015 was performed (NCBI,
      Google Scholar, and 1000 Genomes Project databases). Allele data were analyzed by
      methods such as heat map, dissimilarity matrix, dendogram, and principal
      component analysis using complete-linkage clustering method. Five original
      studies on CYP2D6 covering 13 Native Mexican populations were identified; three
      of these described CYP2D6 allele frequencies were in south Native Mexican
      populations. Overall, CYP2D6 allele variability is scarce in southern Native
      Mexican populations: besides the functional alleles *1 and *2 and the null
      variant *4, the other variants have frequencies <0.05. This implies that most of
      the southern Native Mexican populations may be considered CYP2D6 extended
      metabolizers. The statistical analyses tend to cluster the native communities by
      their geographical origin, but in a disperse pattern suggesting distinct
      subpopulation structures. CONCLUSIONS: CYP2D6 functional variants are prevalent
      in Native Mexicans, and they may be predicted as extended drug metabolizers. In
      addition, allele frequencies are related to the geographic distribution of the
      Amerindian groups and display important population stratification.

PMID- 26479354
TI  - Should Surgery for Hypospadias Be Performed Before An Age of Consent?
AB  - Hypospadias is a relatively common genital condition in which the urethral
      opening forms on the underside of the penis, as opposed to at the tip of the
      glans. Patients with hypospadias are typically referred for surgery during
      infancy or early childhood. Recent evidence, however, indicates that many
      individuals with hypospadias do not experience the functional or psychosocial
      difficulties commonly attributed to the condition, and that surgical intervention
      for hypospadias carries substantial risk of adverse outcomes. In this article, we
      review published outcomes data and conduct an in-depth analysis of the typical
      rationales for hypospadias surgery, taking into consideration both the potential
      benefits and harms of the procedure, as well as the existence of nonsurgical
      alternatives. We argue, first, that most childhood surgeries for hypospadias are
      performed for anticipated future problems concerning function and cosmesis,
      rather than extant physical and/or psychosocial problems that are adversely
      affecting the child's well-being. Second, we contend that the surgery can be
      safely performed after an age of consent without increasing the absolute risk of
      surgical complications to an ethically meaningful degree. We conclude, therefore,
      that surgery for hypospadias should be performed only if requested by the
      affected individual, under conditions of informed consent.

PMID- 26479355
TI  - Innovation in Nursing Education: What Outcomes?

PMID- 26479356
TI  - Interprofessional Education: Learning by Shadowing Other Providers.

PMID- 26479357
TI  - Teaching and Learning About Big Data: Start Small.

PMID- 26479358
TI  - Using a Nursing History Web Site With Today's Nursing Students.

PMID- 26479359
TI  - "Women Are Better Than Men"-Public Beliefs on Gender Differences and Other
      Aspects in Multitasking.
AB  - Reports in public media suggest the existence of a stereotype that women are
      better at multitasking than men. The present online survey aimed at supporting
      this incidental observation by empirical data. For this, 488 participants from
      various ethnic backgrounds (US, UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, and others)
      filled out a self-developed online-questionnaire. Results showed that overall
      more than 50% of the participants believed in gender differences in multitasking
      abilities. Of those who believed in gender differences, a majority of 80%
      believed that women were better at multitasking. The main reasons for this were
      believed to be an evolutionary advantage and more multitasking practice in women,
      mainly due to managing children and household and/or family and job. Findings
      were consistent across the different countries, thus supporting the existence of
      a widespread gender stereotype that women are better at multitasking than men.
      Further questionnaire results provided information about the participants' self
      rated own multitasking abilities, and how they conceived multitasking activities
      such as childcare, phoning while driving, and office work. 

PMID- 26479360
TI  - On rivalry and goal pursuit: Shared competitive history, legacy concerns, and
      strategy selection.
AB  - Seven studies converge to show that prompting people to think about a rival
      versus a nonrival competitor causes them to view current competitions as more
      connected to past ones, to be more concerned with long-term legacy, and to pursue
      personal goals in a more eager, less cautious manner. These results are
      consistent with a social-cognitive view of rivalry that defines it as a
      competitive relational schema. A preliminary analysis revealed that people were
      more likely to appeal to past competitions to explain the importance of current
      rivalry than nonrivalry contests. Experiment 1 showed that people view rivalry
      versus nonrivalry competitions as more embedded in an ongoing competitive
      narrative and that this perception increases legacy concerns. The next 2
      experiments used a causal chain approach to examine the possibility of legacy
      concerns acting as a mediator between rivalry and eagerness. Experiment 2a
      demonstrated that longer (vs. shorter) competitive histories are associated with
      increased legacy concerns. Experiment 2b manipulated legacy concerns and found
      that this shifted regulatory focus toward eagerness. Finally, 3 experiments
      tested the direct effect of thinking about a rival on eager strategy selection:
      Thinking about rivals (vs. nonrivals) led people to be more interested in
      offensive than defensive strategies (Experiment 3), to initiate rather than delay
      their goal pursuit (Experiment 4), and to rely on spontaneous rather than
      deliberative reasoning (Experiment 5). We suggest that rivalries affect how
      people view their goals and the strategies they use for pursuing them, and that
      these effects are at least partially attributable to the shared history between
      individuals and their rivals.

PMID- 26479361
TI  - Looking back to move forward: Nostalgia as a psychological resource for promoting
      relationship goals and overcoming relationship challenges.
AB  - Previous research has shown that nostalgia is a highly social emotion that
      provides a sense of social connectedness. In the present research, we tested a
      social motivational function of nostalgia. Specifically, across 7 studies we
      found converging evidence that nostalgia mobilizes social goals. In Study 1,
      nostalgia increased the importance people assigned to relationship goals and how
      optimistic they felt about achieving these goals. In Study 2, nostalgia increased
      intentions to pursue goals of connecting with friends. In Study 3, experimentally
      induced pessimism about achieving relationship goals instigated nostalgia. In
      Study 4, we found evidence that it is the interpersonal nature of nostalgia that
      is associated with striving to connect with others. Specifically, nostalgia about
      aspects of the past that were high in sociality was associated with intentions to
      interact with others, whereas nostalgia for aspects of the past that were low in
      sociality was not. In Study 5, nostalgic reflection increased friendship-approach
      goal striving relative to reflecting on ordinary social memories, but did not
      increase friendship-avoidant goal striving. Finally, in Studies 6 and 7, we found
      evidence that social-efficacy mediated the effect of nostalgia on striving to
      connect with others and striving to overcome interpersonal challenges. Together,
      these findings establish nostalgia as catalyst for social goal pursuit and
      growth.

PMID- 26479362
TI  - The nature of social dominance orientation: Theorizing and measuring preferences
      for intergroup inequality using the new SDO7 scale.
AB  - A new conceptualization and measurement of social dominance orientation
      individual differences in the preference for group based hierarchy and inequality
      is introduced. In contrast to previous measures of social dominance orientation
      that were designed to be unidimensional, the new measure (SDO7) embeds
      theoretically grounded subdimensions of SDO-SDO-Dominance (SDO-D) and SDO
      Egalitarianism (SDO-E). SDO-D constitutes a preference for systems of group-based
      dominance in which high status groups forcefully oppress lower status groups. SDO
      E constitutes a preference for systems of group-based inequality that are
      maintained by an interrelated network of subtle hierarchy-enhancing ideologies
      and social policies. Confirmatory factor and criterion validity analyses
      confirmed that SDO-D and SDO-E are theoretically distinct and dissociate in terms
      of the intergroup outcomes they best predict. For the first time, distinct
      personality and individual difference bases of SDO-D and SDO-E are outlined. We
      clarify the construct validity of SDO by strictly assessing a preference for
      dominance hierarchies in general, removing a possible confound relating to
      support for hierarchy benefitting the ingroup. Consistent with this, results show
      that among members of a disadvantaged ethnic minority group (African Americans),
      endorsement of SDO7 is inversely related to ingroup identity. We further
      demonstrate these effects using nationally representative samples of U.S. Blacks
      and Whites, documenting the generalizability of these findings. Finally, we
      introduce and validate a brief 4-item measure of each dimension. This article
      importantly extends our theoretical understanding of one of the most generative
      constructs in social psychology, and introduces powerful new tools for its
      measurement.

PMID- 26479363
TI  - Personality trait development at the end of life: Antecedents and correlates of
      mean-level trajectories.
AB  - Empirical evidence over the past 20 years has documented that key aspects of
      personality traits change during adulthood. However, it is essentially an open
      question whether and how traits change at the very end of life and what role
      health, cognitive performance, perceived control, and social factors play in
      those changes. To examine these questions, we applied growth models to 13-year
      longitudinal data obtained from now-deceased participants in the Berlin Aging
      Study (N = 463; age at baseline M = 85.9 years, SD = 8.4; 51% men). Results
      revealed that neuroticism, on average, increases (about 0.3 SD in the last 10
      years) and that this increase becomes even steeper at the end of life. In
      contrast, extraversion and openness decline rather steadily at the end of life
      (about -0.5 SD in the last 10 years). Additionally, poor health manifested as a
      risk factor for declines in extraversion and openness late in life but not
      neuroticism. Similar to earlier phases of life, better cognitive performance
      related to more openness. More loneliness was associated with higher neuroticism,
      whereas more social activity was associated with higher levels of extraversion
      and openness. Intriguing additional insights indicated that more personal control
      was associated with higher levels of extraversion and openness, whereas the
      feeling that one's life is controlled by others was associated with higher
      neuroticism but also with higher openness closer to death. We discuss potential
      pathways by which health, cognitive performance, control, and social inclusion
      resources and risk factors affect personality development late in life. (PsycINFO
      Database Record

PMID- 26479364
TI  - Sentimental value and its influence on hedonic adaptation.
AB  - Sentimental value is a highly prevalent, yet largely understudied phenomenon. We
      introduce the construct of sentimental value and investigate how and why
      sentimental value influences hedonic adaptation. Across 7 studies, we examine the
      antecedents of sentimental value and demonstrate its effect on hedonic adaptation
      using both naturally occurring and experimentally manipulated items with
      sentimental value. We further test the underlying process linking sentimental
      value and hedonic adaptation by showing that whereas feature-related utility
      decreases for all items with time, sentimental value typically does not, and that
      sentimental value moderates the influence of the decrement in feature-related
      utility on hedonic adaptation. Moreover, this moderating effect of sentimental
      value is driven by a shift in focus from features of the item to the associations
      that item possess. We conclude with a discussion of related phenomena and
      implications for individuals.

PMID- 26479365
TI  - The motivation to express prejudice.
AB  - Contemporary prejudice research focuses primarily on people who are motivated to
      respond without prejudice and the ways in which unintentional bias can cause
      these people to act in a manner inconsistent with this motivation. However, some
      real-world phenomena (e.g., hate speech, hate crimes) and experimental findings
      (e.g., Plant & Devine, 2001, 2009) suggest that some prejudice is intentional.
      These phenomena and findings are difficult to explain solely from the motivations
      to respond without prejudice. We argue that some people are motivated to express
      prejudice, and we develop the Motivation to Express Prejudice Scale (MP) to
      measure this motivation. In 7 studies involving more than 6,000 participants, we
      demonstrate that, across scale versions targeted at Black people and gay men, the
      MP has good reliability and convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity. In
      normative climates that prohibit prejudice, the internal and external motivations
      to express prejudice are functionally nonindependent, but they become more
      independent when normative climates permit more prejudice toward a target group.
      People high in the motivation to express prejudice are relatively likely to
      resist pressure to support programs promoting intergroup contact and to vote for
      political candidates who support oppressive policies. The motivation to express
      prejudice predicted these outcomes even when controlling for attitudes and the
      motivations to respond without prejudice. This work encourages contemporary
      prejudice researchers to give greater consideration to the intentional aspects of
      negative intergroup behavior and to broaden the range of phenomena, target
      groups, and samples that they study.

PMID- 26479366
TI  - Emotion regulation and depressive symptoms: Close relationships as social context
      and influence.
AB  - Depression is associated with social dysfunction and maladaptive social
      environments, but mechanisms through which social relationships affect depressive
      psychopathology are unclear. We hypothesized that emotion regulation (ER) is such
      a mechanism, with outcomes of individuals' ER efforts sensitive to the social
      context, and individuals' ER strategy repertoire and use sensitive to social
      influence. In Study 1, a longitudinal study of community adults (N = 1,319),
      associations of individuals' ER strategies with depressive symptoms depended on
      social connectedness and romantic relationship status (social context
      hypothesis). Moreover, associations of social connectedness and relationship
      status with symptoms were accounted for by maladaptive ER concurrently and, for
      social connectedness, prospectively over 1 year (social influence hypothesis).
      Study 2a, using a national sample (N = 772), replicated and extended these
      findings with a broader array of ER strategies, and ruled out alternative
      explanations regarding social skills and psychological wellbeing. Among
      participants in romantic relationships (Study 2b; N = 558), intimacy and trust
      buffered associations of maladaptive ER strategies with symptoms (context), and
      maladaptive and adaptive ER mediated links between relationship variables and
      symptoms (influence). Findings suggest that close relationships-and variation in
      underlying relational processes within relationships-influence the ER strategies
      people use, and also affect whether individuals' own ER repertoires contribute to
      depression when deployed. Results elucidate core social mechanisms of ER in terms
      of both basic processes and depressive psychopathology, suggest ER is a channel
      through which social factors affect internal functioning and mental health, and
      inform relationship pathways for clinical intervention.

PMID- 26479367
TI  - Effects of a Multidisciplinary Approach to Improve Volume of Diagnostic Material
      in CT-Guided Lung Biopsies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent publications have emphasized the importance of a
      multidisciplinary strategy for maximum conservation and utilization of lung
      biopsy material for advanced testing, which may determine therapy. This paper
      quantifies the effect of a multidisciplinary strategy implemented to optimize and
      increase tissue volume in CT-guided transthoracic needle core lung biopsies. The
      strategy was three-pronged: (1) once there was confidence diagnostic tissue had
      been obtained and if safe for the patient, additional biopsy passes were
      performed to further increase volume of biopsy material, (2) biopsy material was
      placed in multiple cassettes for processing, and (3) all tissue ribbons were
      conserved when cutting blocks in the histology laboratory. This study quantifies
      the effects of strategies #1 and #2. DESIGN: This retrospective analysis
      comparing CT-guided lung biopsies from 2007 and 2012 (before and after
      multidisciplinary approach implementation) was performed at a single institution.
      Patient medical records were reviewed and main variables analyzed include biopsy
      sample size, radiologist, number of blocks submitted, diagnosis, and
      complications. The biopsy sample size measured was considered to be directly
      proportional to tissue volume in the block. RESULTS: Biopsy sample size increased
      2.5 fold with the average total biopsy sample size increasing from 1.0 cm (0.9
      1.1 cm) in 2007 to 2.5 cm (2.3-2.8 cm) in 2012 (P<0.0001). The improvement was
      statistically significant for each individual radiologist. During the same time,
      the rate of pneumothorax requiring chest tube placement decreased from 15% to 7%
      (P = 0.065). No other major complications were identified. The proportion of
      tumor within the biopsy material was similar at 28% (23%-33%) and 35% (30%-40%)
      for 2007 and 2012, respectively. The number of cases with at least two blocks
      available for testing increased from 10.7% to 96.4% (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The
      effect of this multidisciplinary strategy to CT-guided lung biopsies was
      effective in significantly increasing tissue volume and number of blocks
      available for advanced diagnostic testing.

PMID- 26479368
TI  - Consistent Individual Behavioral Variation: The Difference between Temperament,
      Personality and Behavioral Syndromes.
AB  - Ethologists use a variety of terminology such as "personality", "temperament" and
      "behavioral syndromes" almost interchangeably to discuss the phenomenon of
      individuals within a population of animals consistently varying from one another
      in their behavioral responses to stimuli. This interchangeable usage of
      terminology has contributed to confusion within the field of animal behavior and
      limits the study of the phenomenon. Here we use a rapid, non-exhaustive and
      repeatable search strategy literature review to investigate where there were
      unique distinctions between these three terms and where there was an overlap in
      their usage. We identified three main areas of confusion in terminology:
      historical usage which is not updated; a lack of precision between different
      fields of study; and a lack of precision between different levels of variation.
      We propose a framework with which to understand and define the terms based on the
      levels of variation ethologists are interested in. Consistent individual animal
      behavioral variation relates to the different structures of variation of between
      individual/between-population and between and across contexts. By formalizing
      this framework we provide clarity between the three terms which can be easily
      defined and understood. 

PMID- 26479369
TI  - Farm Management in Organic and Conventional Dairy Production Systems Based on
      Pasture in Southern Brazil and Its Consequences on Production and Milk Quality.
AB  - Pasture-based dairy production is used widely on family dairy farms in Southern
      Brazil. This study investigates conventional high input (C-HI), conventional low
      input (C-LI), and organic low input (O-LI) pasture-based systems and their
      effects on quantity and quality of the milk produced. We conducted technical site
      visits and interviews monthly over one year on 24 family farms (n = 8 per type).
      C-HI farms had the greatest total area (28.9 ha), greatest percentage of area
      with annual pasture (38.7%), largest number of lactating animals (26.2) and
      greatest milk yield per cow (22.8 kg.day(-1)). O-LI farms had the largest
      perennial pasture area (52.3%), with the greatest botanical richness during all
      seasons. Area of perennial pasture was positively correlated with number of
      species consumed by the animals (R2 = 0.74). Milk from O-LI farms had higher
      levels of fat and total solids only during the winter. Hygienic and
      microbiological quality of the milk was poor for all farms and need to be
      improved. C-HI farms had high milk yield related to high input, C-LI had
      intermediate characteristics and O-LI utilized a year round perennial pasture as
      a strategy to diminish the use of supplements in animal diets, which is an
      important aspect in ensuring production sustainability. 

PMID- 26479370
TI  - Air Quality in Alternative Housing Systems May Have an Impact on Laying Hen
      Welfare. Part I-Dust.
AB  - The new legislation for laying hens in the European Union put a ban on
      conventional cages. Production systems must now provide the hens with access to a
      nest, a perch, and material for dust bathing. These requirements will improve the
      behavioral aspects of animal welfare. However, when hens are kept with access to
      litter, it is a concern that polluted air may become an increased threat to
      health and therefore also a welfare problem. This article reviews the literature
      regarding the health and welfare effects birds experience when exposed to barn
      dust. Dust is composed of inorganic and organic compounds, from the birds
      themselves as well as from feed, litter, and building materials. Dust may be a
      vector for microorganisms and toxins. In general, studies indicate that housing
      systems where laying hens have access to litter as aviaries and floor systems
      consistently have higher concentrations of suspended dust than caged hens with
      little (furnished cages) or no access to litter (conventional cages). The higher
      dust levels in aviaries and floor housing are also caused by increased bird
      activity in the non-cage systems. There are gaps in both the basic and applied
      knowledge of how birds react to dust and aerosol contaminants, i.e., what levels
      they find aversive and/or impair health. Nevertheless, high dust levels may
      compromise the health and welfare of both birds and their caretakers and the poor
      air quality often found in new poultry housing systems needs to be addressed. It
      is necessary to develop prophylactic measures and to refine the production
      systems in order to achieve the full welfare benefits of the cage ban. 

PMID- 26479372
TI  - A High Percentage of Beef Bull Pictures in Semen Catalogues Have Feet and Lower
      Legs that Are Not Visible.
AB  - A total of 1379 beef bull pictures were surveyed to determine visibility of feet
      and legs from four American semen company websites. Five different breeds were
      represented: Angus, Red Angus, Hereford (polled and horned), Simmental, and
      Charolais. In addition to visibility, data on other variables were collected to
      establish frequencies and correlations. These included breed, color, material
      that obscured visibility, such as grass, picture taken at livestock show or
      outside, semen company, photographer, video, and age of bull. A foot and leg
      visibility score was given to each bull picture. Only 19.4% of the pictures had
      fully visible feet and legs. Both the hooves and dewclaws were hidden on 32.5% of
      the pictures. Correlation between bull's birthdate and the first four visibility
      scores was statistically significant (P < 0.0001). As age increased the feet and
      legs were more likely to be visible in the bull's picture. This may possibly be
      due to greater availability of both photo editing software and digital
      photography. One positive finding was that 6% of the bulls had a video of the
      bull walking which completely showed his feet and legs. 

PMID- 26479373
TI  - Effects of Oxytocin Administration on the Response of Piglets to Weaning.
AB  - Weaning is often an abrupt and stressful process. We studied the effects of
      administering oxytocin, subcutaneously or intranasally, on the ability of pigs to
      cope with weaning. On a commercial farm 144, 30 day-old pigs from 24 litters were
      used. On the day of weaning, one male and one female in each litter were
      administered one of three treatments: intranasal oxytocin (24 International
      Unit), subcutaneous oxytocin (10 International Unit per kg of body weight), or
      handled as a control. The pigs were placed in one of eight weaner pens, split by
      sex and with an equal representation of treatments. Data included body weight and
      growth, physiology (neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio, plasma cortisol, C-reactive
      protein and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha concentrations), and behavior (feeding,
      drinking, social behavior). Both oxytocin treatments tended to result in higher
      levels of mild aggression within groups (p = 0.08), specifically between oxytocin
      administered and control pigs (subcutaneous to control p = 0.03; intranasal to
      control p = 0.10). Subcutaneously-administered pigs tended to frequent the feeder
      more often than intranasally-administered pigs (p < 0.10), with the latter having
      slightly lower body weight 38 days post-weaning (p = 0.03). However, acute
      oxytocin administration did not result in any noticeable physiological changes 4
      or 28 h post-weaning. Hence, the use of a single administration of oxytocin prior
      to weaning in pigs is not recommended, at least not in the conditions studied
      here. 

PMID- 26479374
TI  - A Critical Review of Horse-Related Risk: A Research Agenda for Safer Mounts,
      Riders and Equestrian Cultures.
AB  - While the importance of improving horse-related safety seems self-evident, no
      comprehensive study into understanding or reducing horse-related risk has been
      undertaken. In this paper, we discuss four dimensions of horse-related risk: the
      risk itself, the horse, the rider and the culture in which equestrian activities
      takes place. We identify how the ways in which risk is constructed in each
      dimension affects the applicability of four basic risk management options of
      avoidance, transference, mitigation and acceptance. We find the acceptance and
      avoidance of horse-related risk is generally high, most likely due to a common
      construction of horses as irrevocably unpredictable, fearful and dangerous. The
      transference of risk management is also high, especially in the use of protective
      technologies such as helmets. Of concern, the strategy least utilised is risk
      mitigation. We highlight the potential benefit in developing mitigation
      strategies directed at: (a) improving the predictability of horses (to and by
      humans), and (b) improving riders' competence in the physical skills that make
      them more resilient to injury and falls. We conclude with the presentation of a
      multidisciplinary agenda for research that could reduce accident, injury and
      death to horse-riders around the world. 

PMID- 26479371
TI  - Digital Dermatitis in Dairy Cows: A Review of Risk Factors and Potential Sources
      of Between-Animal Variation in Susceptibility.
AB  - Digital dermatitis (DD) is a bacterial disease that primarily affects the skin on
      the heels of cattle. It is a major cause of lameness in dairy cows and a
      significant problem for the dairy industry in many countries, causing reduced
      animal welfare and economic loss. A wide range of infection levels has been found
      on infected farms, prompting investigations into both farm level and animal level
      risk factors for DD occurrence. There also appears to be individual variation
      between animals in susceptibility to the disease. The identification of factors
      affecting individual variation in susceptibility to DD might allow changes in
      breeding policies or herd management which could be used to reduce DD prevalence.
      Factors mentioned in the literature as possibly influencing individual variation
      in susceptibility to DD include physical factors such as hoof conformation and
      properties of the skin, physiological factors such as the efficacy of the immune
      response, and behavioural factors such as standing half in cubicles. Further work
      is required to determine the influence of these factors, identify the genetic
      basis of variation, clarify the level of heritability of DD susceptibility and to
      determine how this is correlated with production and health traits currently used
      in breeding programmes. 

PMID- 26479375
TI  - Helmet Use Amongst Equestrians: Harnessing Social and Attitudinal Factors
      Revealed in Online Forums.
AB  - Equestrian activities pose significant head injury risks to participants. Yet,
      helmet use is not mandatory in Australia outside of selected competitions.
      Awareness of technical countermeasures and the dangers of equestrian activities
      has not resulted in widespread adoption of simple precautionary behaviors like
      helmet use. Until the use of helmets whilst riding horses is legislated in
      Australia, there is an urgent need to improve voluntary use. To design effective
      injury prevention interventions, the factors affecting helmet use must first be
      understood. To add to current understandings of these factors, we examined the
      ways horse riders discussed helmet use by analyzing 103 posts on two helmet use
      related threads from two different Australian equestrian forums. We found
      evidence of social influence on helmet use behaviors as well as three attitudes
      that contributed towards stated helmet use that we termed: "I Can Control Risk",
      "It Does Not Feel Right" and "Accidents Happen". Whilst we confirm barriers
      identified in previous literature, we also identify their ability to support
      helmet use. This suggests challenging but potentially useful complexity in the
      relationship between risk perception, protective knowledge, attitudes, decision
      making and behavior. Whilst this complexity is largely due to the involvement of
      interspecies relationships through which safety, risk and trust are distributed;
      our findings about harnessing the potential of barriers could be extended to
      other high risk activities. 

PMID- 26479376
TI  - Inroads into Equestrian Safety: Rider-Reported Factors Contributing to Horse
      Related Accidents and Near Misses on Australian Roads.
AB  - Horse riding and horse-related interactions are inherently dangerous. When they
      occur on public roads, the risk profile of equestrian activities is complicated
      by interactions with other road users. Research has identified speed, proximity,
      visibility, conspicuity and mutual misunderstanding as factors contributing to
      accidents and near misses. However, little is known about their significance or
      incidence in Australia. To explore road safety issues amongst Australian
      equestrians, we conducted an online survey. More than half of all riders (52%)
      reported having experienced at least one accident or near miss in the 12 months
      prior to the survey. Whilst our findings confirm the factors identified overseas,
      we also identified issues around rider misunderstanding of road rules and driver
      misunderstanding of rider hand signals. Of particular concern, we also found
      reports of potentially dangerous rider-directed road rage. We identify several
      areas for potential safety intervention including (1) identifying equestrians as
      vulnerable road users and horses as sentient decision-making vehicles (2)
      harmonising laws regarding passing horses, (3) mandating personal protective
      equipment, (4) improving road signage, (5) comprehensive data collection, (6)
      developing mutual understanding amongst road-users, (7) safer road design and
      alternative riding spaces; and (8) increasing investment in horse-related safety
      initiatives. 

PMID- 26479377
TI  - Inclusion of Oat in Feeding Can Increase the Potential Probiotic Bifidobacteria
      in Sow Milk.
AB  - The objectives of this study were to (i) investigate the impact of feeding oat on
      the population of bifidobacteria and (ii) evaluate their probiotic potential. In
      this study, we investigated the effects of supplementing sows' gestation and
      lactation feed with 15% oat (prebiotic source) on the levels of probiotic
      population in milk. We found that dietary inclusion of oat during lactation and
      gestation resulted in increased levels of bifidobacteria compared to lactobacilli
      in sow milk. Furthermore bifidobacteria within the sow milk samples were further
      evaluated for probiotic potential based on aggregating properties, and acid- and
      bile-tolerance after exposure to hydrochloric acid (pH 2.5) and bile salts (0%,
      0.25%, 0.50%, 1.0% and 2.0%). All isolates survived under the condition of low pH
      and bile 2.0%. Autoaggregation ability ranged from 17.5% to 73%. These isolates
      also showed antimicrobial activity against E. coli O157:H7.Together our results
      suggest that inclusion of oat in feeding systems could have the potential to
      improve the intestinal health of piglets by increasing the population of
      bifidobacteria. 

PMID- 26479378
TI  - An Insufferable Business: Ethics, Nonhuman Animals and Biomedical Experiments.
AB  - Each year millions of nonhuman animals suffer in biomedical experiments for human
      health benefits. Clinical ethics demand that nonhuman animals are used in the
      development of pharmaceuticals and vaccines. Nonhuman animals are also used for
      fundamental biomedical research. Biomedical research that uses nonhuman animals
      is big business but the financial gains are generally occluded. This paper
      explores how such research generates profits and gains for those associated with
      the industry. Research establishments, scientists, laboratories, companies that
      sell nonhuman animal subjects, that supply equipment for the research, and
      corporations that market the resulting products are among those that benefit
      financially. Given the complex articulation of ethical codes, enormous corporate
      profits that are secured and personal returns that are made, the accepted moral
      legitimacy of such experiments is compromised. In order to address this, within
      the confines of the moral orthodoxy, more could to be done to ensure transparency
      and to extricate the vested financial interests from the human health benefits.
      But such a determination would not address the fundamental issues that should be
      at the heart of human actions in respect of the nonhuman animals who are used in
      experiments. The paper concludes with such an address by calling for an end to
      the denigration of nonhuman animals as experimental subjects who can be used as
      commodities for profit-maximisation and as tools in experiments for human health
      benefits, and the implementation of a more inclusive ethic that is informed by
      universal concern about the suffering of and compassion for all oppressed beings.

PMID- 26479379
TI  - Predictions of Daily Milk and Fat Yields, Major Groups of Fatty Acids, and C18:1
      cis-9 from Single Milking Data without a Milking Interval.
AB  - Reducing the frequency of milk recording would help reduce the costs of official
      milk recording. However, this approach could also negatively affect the accuracy
      of predicting daily yields. This problem has been investigated in numerous
      studies. In addition, published equations take into account milking intervals
      (MI), and these are often not available and/or are unreliable in practice. The
      first objective of this study was to propose models in which the MI was replaced
      by a combination of data easily recorded by dairy farmers. The second objective
      was to further investigate the fatty acids (FA) present in milk. Equations to
      predict daily yield from AM or PM data were based on a calibration database
      containing 79,971 records related to 51 traits [milk yield (expected AM, expected
      PM, and expected daily); fat content (expected AM, expected PM, and expected
      daily); fat yield (expected AM, expected PM, and expected daily; g/day); levels
      of seven different FAs or FA groups (expected AM, expected PM, and expected
      daily; g/dL milk), and the corresponding FA yields for these seven FA
      types/groups (expected AM, expected PM, and expected daily; g/day)]. These
      equations were validated using two distinct external datasets. The results
      obtained from the proposed models were compared to previously published results
      for models which included a MI effect. The corresponding correlation values
      ranged from 96.4% to 97.6% when the daily yields were estimated from the AM
      milkings and ranged from 96.9% to 98.3% when the daily yields were estimated from
      the PM milkings. The simplicity of these proposed models should facilitate their
      use by breeding and milk recording organizations. 

PMID- 26479380
TI  - Influence of Soft or Hard Floors before and after First Calving on Dairy Heifer
      Locomotion, Claw and Leg Health.
AB  - Claw health, an important dairy cow welfare parameter, may be affected by early
      life foot/leg stresses. To investigate this, groups of pregnant heifers were
      allocated to deep straw bedding (Soft) or cubicles (Hard), both with scraped
      concrete feeding alleys. After the grazing season, they were re-housed in cubicle
      systems, half on slatted concrete (Hard) and half on slatted rubber (Soft)
      alleys. Claw measurements, contact area and pressure distribution claw/flooring,
      claw disorders and leg lesions were recorded at the start and end of each housing
      season. Locomotion and leg lesions were also scored monthly after calving.
      Prevalence of sole haemorrhages was higher among pregnant heifers in cubicles
      than in deep straw. After calving, first-calvers on Hard floors had higher odds
      for lameness (OR = 3.6; P < 0.01), sole haemorrhages/ulcers (OR = 2.2; P < 0.05),
      white-line haemorrhages (OR = 2.8; P < 0.01) and leg lesions (OR = 2.6; P < 0.02)
      than those on Soft floors. Lowest prevalence and severity of sole and white-line
      haemorrhages (non-significant) in first-calvers was found in those on Soft floors
      and reared on Hard floors and the highest prevalence and severity on those on
      Hard floors reared on Soft floors. Soft flooring after calving is of most
      importance for healthy feet and legs. 

PMID- 26479381
TI  - Measuring Claw Conformation in Cattle: Assessing the Agreement between Manual and
      Digital Measurement.
AB  - Five measurements of claw conformation (toe angle, claw height, claw width, toe
      length and abaxial groove length) taken directly from the hoof were compared with
      the measurements taken from digital images of the same claws. Concordance
      correlation coefficients and limits-of-agreement analysis showed that, for four
      of the five measures (claw height, claw width, toe length and abaxial groove
      length), agreement was too poor for digital and manual measures to be used
      interchangeably. For all four of these measures, Liao's modified concordance
      correlation coefficient (mCCC) was <=0.4, indicating poor concordance despite
      Pearson's correlation being >0.6 in all cases. The worst concordance was seen for
      toe length (mCCC = 0.13). Limits-of-agreement analysis showed that, for all four
      measures, there was a large variation in the difference between the manual and
      digital methods, even when the effect of mean on difference was accounted for,
      with the 95% limits-of-agreement for the four measures being further away from
      the mean difference than 10% of the mean in all four cases. The only one of the
      five measures with an acceptable concordance between digital and manual
      measurement was toe angle (mCCC = 0.81). Nevertheless, the limits-of-agreement
      analysis showed that there was a systematic bias with, on average, the manual
      measure of toe angle, being 2.1 degrees  smaller than the digital. The 95% limits
      of-agreement for toe angle were +/-3.4 degrees , probably at the upper limit of
      what is acceptable. However, the lack of data on the variability of individual
      measurements of claw conformation means that it is unclear how this variability
      compares to measurement of toe angle in the same animal using the same or a
      different manual technique. 

PMID- 26479382
TI  - Physiologic Measures of Animal Stress during Transitional States of
      Consciousness.
AB  - Determination of the humaneness of methods used to produce unconsciousness in
      animals, whether for anesthesia, euthanasia, humane slaughter, or depopulation,
      relies on our ability to assess stress, pain, and consciousness within the
      contexts of method and application. Determining the subjective experience of
      animals during transitional states of consciousness, however, can be quite
      difficult; further, loss of consciousness with different agents or methods may
      occur at substantially different rates. Stress and distress may manifest
      behaviorally (e.g., overt escape behaviors, approach-avoidance preferences
      [aversion]) or physiologically (e.g., movement, vocalization, changes in
      electroencephalographic activity, heart rate, sympathetic nervous system [SNS]
      activity, hypothalamic-pituitary axis [HPA] activity), such that a one-size-fits
      all approach cannot be easily applied to evaluate methods or determine specific
      species applications. The purpose of this review is to discuss methods of
      evaluating stress in animals using physiologic methods, with emphasis on the
      transition between the conscious and unconscious states. 

PMID- 26479383
TI  - Alterations of Innate Immunity Reactants in Transition Dairy Cows before Clinical
      Signs of Lameness.
AB  - The objectives of this study were to evaluate metabolic and innate immunity
      alterations in the blood of transition dairy cows before, during, and after
      diagnosis of lameness during periparturient period. Blood samples were collected
      from the coccygeal vain once per week before morning feeding from 100 multiparous
      Holstein dairy cows during -8, -4, disease diagnosis, and +4 weeks (wks) relative
      to parturition. Six healthy cows (CON) and six cows that showed clinical signs of
      lameness were selected for intensive serum analyses. Concentrations of
      interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF),
      haptoglobin (Hp), serum amyloid A (SAA), lipopolysaccharide binding protein
      (LBP), lactate, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), and beta-hydroxybutyrate
      (BHBA) were measured in serum by ELISA or colorimetric methods. Health status,
      DMI, rectal temperature, milk yield, and milk composition also were monitored for
      each cow during the whole experimental period. Results showed that cows affected
      by lameness had greater concentrations of lactate, IL-6, and SAA in the serum vs.
      CON cows. Concentrations of TNF tended to be greater in cows with lameness
      compared with CON. In addition, there was a health status (Hs) by time (week)
      interaction for IL-1, TNF, and Hp in lameness cows vs. CON ones. Enhanced serum
      concentrations of lactate, IL-6, and SAA at -8 and -4 wks before parturition were
      different in cows with lameness as compared with those of the CON group. The
      disease was also associated with lowered overall milk production and DMI as well
      as milk fat and fat-to-protein ratio. In conclusion, cows affected postpartum by
      lameness had alterations in several serum variables related to innate immunity
      and carbohydrate metabolism that give insights into the etiopathogenesis of the
      disease and might serve to monitor health status of transition dairy cows in the
      near future. 

PMID- 26479384
TI  - Relationships between Circulating Urea Concentrations and Endometrial Function in
      Postpartum Dairy Cows.
AB  - Both high and low circulating urea concentrations, a product of protein
      metabolism, are associated with decreased fertility in dairy cows through poorly
      defined mechanisms. The rate of involution and the endometrial ability to mount
      an adequate innate immune response after calving are both critical for subsequent
      fertility. Study 1 used microarray analysis to identify genes whose endometrial
      expression 2 weeks postpartum correlated significantly with the mean plasma urea
      per cow, ranging from 3.2 to 6.6 mmol/L. The biological functions of 781 mapped
      genes were analysed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. These were predominantly
      associated with tissue turnover (e.g., BRINP1, FOXG1), immune function (e.g.,
      IL17RB, CRISPLD2), inflammation (e.g., C3, SERPINF1, SERPINF2) and lipid
      metabolism (e.g., SCAP, ACBD5, SLC10A). Study 2 investigated the relationship
      between urea concentration and expression of 6 candidate genes (S100A8, HSP5A,
      IGF1R, IL17RB, BRINP1, CRISPLD2) in bovine endometrial cell culture. These were
      treated with 0, 2.5, 5.0 or 7.5 mmol/L urea, equivalent to low, medium and high
      circulating values with or without challenge by bacterial lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS). LPS increased S100A8 expression as expected but urea treatment had no
      effect on expression of any tested gene. Examination of the genes/pathways
      involved suggests that plasma urea levels may reflect variations in lipid
      metabolism. Our results suggest that it is the effects of lipid metabolism rather
      than the urea concentration which probably alter the rate of involution and
      innate immune response, in turn influencing subsequent fertility. 

PMID- 26479385
TI  - RandAgiamoTM, a Pilot Project Increasing Adoptability of Shelter Dogs in the
      Umbria Region (Italy).
AB  - Current Italian legislation does not permit euthanasia of dogs, unless they are
      ill or dangerous. Despite good intentions and ethical benefits, this 'no-kill
      policy' has caused a progressive overpopulation of dogs in shelters, due to
      abandonment rates being higher than adoption rates. Shelter overcrowding has
      negative implications for dog welfare and increases public costs. The aim of this
      paper is to describe the pilot project "RandAgiamo" implemented in a rescue
      shelter in the Umbria Region and to evaluate its effectiveness on the rate of dog
      adoption using official data. RandAgiamo aimed to increase adult shelter dogs'
      adoptability by a standard training and socialization programme. It also promoted
      dogs' visibility by publicizing them through social media and participation in
      events. We analysed the official data of the Umbria regional health authorities
      regarding dog shelters of the Perugia province of the year 2014. In the
      RandAgiamo shelter, the dog adoption rate was 27.5% higher than that of dogs
      housed in other shelters located in the same geographical area (P < 0.001). The
      RandAgiamo project could be beneficial for the dogs' welfare, owner satisfaction,
      shelter management, and public perception of shelter dogs. However, staff were
      required to provide dog training and related activities. 

PMID- 26479386
TI  - The Role of TCA Cycle Anaplerosis in Ketosis and Fatty Liver in Periparturient
      Dairy Cows.
AB  - The transition to lactation period in dairy cattle is characterized by metabolic
      challenges, negative energy balance, and adipose tissue mobilization. Metabolism
      of mobilized adipose tissue is part of the adaptive response to negative energy
      balance in dairy cattle; however, the capacity of the liver to completely oxidize
      nonesterified fatty acids may be limited and is reflective of oxaloacetate pool,
      the carbon carrier of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Alternative metabolic fates
      of acetyl-CoA from nonesterified fatty acids include esterification to
      triacylglycerides and ketogenesis, and when excessive, these pathways lead to
      fatty liver and ketosis. Examination of the anaplerotic and cataplerotic pull of
      oxaloacetate by the tricarboxylic acid cycle and gluconeogenesis may provide
      insight into the balance of oxidation and esterification of acetyl-CoA within the
      liver of periparturient dairy cows. 

PMID- 26479387
TI  - Evidence for a Role of Prolactin in Mediating Effects of Photoperiod during the
      Dry Period.
AB  - Photoperiod manipulation during the lactation cycle alters milk yield, with long
      days (LDPP) increasing yield in lactation and short days (SDPP) in the dry period
      improving subsequent yield. Circulating prolactin (PRL) is directly related to
      day length, with LDPP increasing and SDPP decreasing PRL, respectively. Two
      blocks of 24 multiparous Holstein cows were used during two consecutive years to
      test the hypothesis that the mammary response to SDPP is the result of decreased
      concentrations of PRL in the circulation relative to LDPP. Cows were randomly
      assigned to one of three treatment groups during the dry period: SDPP, LDPP, or
      SDPP+PRL. Cows were returned to ambient photoperiod at calving and milk yield and
      DMI recorded for 120 d and 42 d, respectively. Mammary biopsies were obtained to
      determine rates of [3H]-thymidine incorporation into DNA in vitro. Treatment of
      SDPP cows with PRL caused a rapid increase in systemic PRL that reached
      concentrations similar to cows under LDPP. The periparturient PRL surge was
      similar for LDPP and SDPP+PRL cows, but those groups had greater surge
      concentrations versus SDPP. Cows exposed to SDPP produced more milk than LDPP
      cows, and there was a trend for SDPP+PRL cows to produce more milk than LDPP
      cows. Milk production was inversely related to the periparturient PRL surge.
      There was a trend for a treatment effect on mammary cell proliferation with
      greater proliferation in mammary tissue of SDPP cows relative to LDPP or SDPP+PRL
      on day -20 relative to parturition. Replacement of PRL to cows on SDPP when dry
      resulted in milk yield intermediate to cows on SDPP or LDPP, supporting the
      concept of a link between dry period PRL and yield. 

PMID- 26479388
TI  - "Chickens Are a Lot Smarter than I Originally Thought": Changes in Student
      Attitudes to Chickens Following a Chicken Training Class.
AB  - A practical class using clicker training of chickens to apply knowledge of how
      animals learn and practice skills in animal training was added to an
      undergraduate course. Since attitudes to animals are related to their perceived
      intelligence, surveys of student attitudes were completed pre- and post- the
      practical class, to determine if (1) the practical class changed students'
      attitudes to chickens and their ability to experience affective states, and (2)
      any changes were related to previous contact with chickens, training experience
      or gender. In the post- versus pre-surveys, students agreed more that chickens
      are easy to teach tricks to, are intelligent, and have individual personalities
      and disagreed more that they are difficult to train and are slow learners.
      Following the class, they were more likely to believe chickens experience
      boredom, frustration and happiness. Females rated the intelligence and ability to
      experience affective states in chickens more highly than males, although there
      were shifts in attitude in both genders. This study demonstrated shifts in
      attitudes following a practical class teaching clicker training in chickens.
      Similar practical classes may provide an effective method of teaching animal
      training skills and promoting more positive attitudes to animals. 

PMID- 26479389
TI  - Lameness Detection in Dairy Cows: Part 1. How to Distinguish between Non-Lame and
      Lame Cows Based on Differences in Locomotion or Behavior.
AB  - Due to its detrimental effect on cow welfare, health and production, lameness in
      dairy cows has received quite a lot of attention in the last few decades-not only
      in terms of prevention and treatment of lameness but also in terms of detection,
      as early treatment might decrease the number of severely lame cows in the herds
      as well as decrease the direct and indirect costs associated with lameness cases.
      Generally, lame cows are detected by the herdsman, hoof trimmer or veterinarian
      based on abnormal locomotion, abnormal behavior or the presence of hoof lesions
      during routine trimming. In the scientific literature, several guidelines are
      proposed to detect lame cows based on visual interpretation of the locomotion of
      individual cows (i.e., locomotion scoring systems). Researchers and the industry
      have focused on automating such observations to support the farmer in finding the
      lame cows in their herds, but until now, such automated systems have rarely been
      used in commercial herds. This review starts with the description of normal
      locomotion of cows in order to define 'abnormal' locomotion caused by lameness.
      Cow locomotion (gait and posture) and behavioral features that change when a cow
      becomes lame are described and linked to the existing visual scoring systems. In
      addition, the lack of information of normal cow gait and a clear description of
      'abnormal' gait are discussed. Finally, the different set-ups used during
      locomotion scoring and their influence on the resulting locomotion scores are
      evaluated. 

PMID- 26479390
TI  - Lameness Detection in Dairy Cows: Part 2. Use of Sensors to Automatically
      Register Changes in Locomotion or Behavior.
AB  - Despite the research on opportunities to automatically measure lameness in
      cattle, lameness detection systems are not widely available commercially and are
      only used on a few dairy farms. However, farmers need to be aware of the lame
      cows in their herds in order treat them properly and in a timely fashion. Many
      papers have focused on the automated measurement of gait or behavioral cow
      characteristics related to lameness. In order for such automated measurements to
      be used in a detection system, algorithms to distinguish between non-lame and
      mildly or severely lame cows need to be developed and validated. Few studies have
      reached this latter stage of the development process. Also, comparison between
      the different approaches is impeded by the wide range of practical settings used
      to measure the gait or behavioral characteristic (e.g., measurements during
      normal farming routine or during experiments; cows guided or walking at their own
      speed) and by the different definitions of lame cows. In the majority of the
      publications, mildly lame cows are included in the non-lame cow group, which
      limits the possibility of also detecting early lameness cases. In this review,
      studies that used sensor technology to measure changes in gait or behavior of
      cows related to lameness are discussed together with practical considerations
      when conducting lameness research. In addition, other prerequisites for any
      lameness detection system on farms (e.g., need for early detection, real-time
      measurements) are discussed. 

PMID- 26479391
TI  - Air Quality in Alternative Housing Systems may have an Impact on Laying Hen
      Welfare. Part II-Ammonia.
AB  - The EU ban on conventional barren cages for laying hens from 2012 has improved
      many aspects of laying hen welfare. The new housing systems allow for the
      expression of highly-motivated behaviors. However, the systems available for
      intensive large-scale egg production (e.g., aviaries, floor housing systems,
      furnished cages) may cause other welfare challenges. We have reviewed the
      literature regarding the health, behavior, production characteristics, and
      welfare of laying hens when exposed to ammonia in their housing environment.
      Concentrations of ammonia gas are commonly high in aviaries and floor housing
      systems in which manure is not regularly removed, whereas they are usually lower
      in furnished cages. High levels are found during the cold season when ventilation
      flow is often reduced. Ammonia is a pungent gas, and behavioral studies indicate
      chickens are averse to the gas. High concentrations of gaseous ammonia can have
      adverse health effects and, when very high, even influence production
      performance. The most profound effects seen are the occurrence of lesions in the
      respiratory tract and keratoconjunctivitis. There is also evidence that high
      ammonia concentrations predispose poultry to respiratory disease and secondary
      infections. We conclude that there are animal welfare challenges related to high
      ammonia levels, and that immediate actions are needed. Development of improved
      systems and management routines for manure removal and ventilation will be
      important for the reduction of ammonia levels and hence will contribute to
      safeguarding hen welfare. 

PMID- 26479392
TI  - Workplace Injuries in Thoroughbred Racing: An Analysis of Insurance Payments and
      Injuries amongst Jockeys in Australia from 2002 to 2010.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is no comprehensive study of the costs of horse-related
      workplace injuries to Australian Thoroughbred racing jockeys. OBJECTIVES: To
      analyse the characteristics of insurance payments and horse-related workplace
      injuries to Australian jockeys during Thoroughbred racing or training. METHODS:
      Insurance payments to Australian jockeys and apprentice jockeys as a result of
      claims for injury were reviewed. The cause and nature of injuries, and the
      breakdown of payments associated with claims were described. RESULTS: The
      incidence of claims was 2.1/1000 race rides, with an average cost of AUD 9
      million/year. Race-day incidents were associated with 39% of claims, but 52% of
      the total cost. The mean cost of race-day incidents (AUD 33,756) was higher than
      non-race day incidents (AUD 20,338). Weekly benefits and medical expenses made up
      the majority of costs of claims. Fractures were the most common injury (29.5%),
      but head injuries resulting from a fall from a horse had the highest mean
      cost/claim (AUD 127,127). CONCLUSIONS: Costs of workplace injuries to the
      Australian Thoroughbred racing industry have been greatly underestimated because
      the focus has historically been on incidents that occur on race-days. These
      findings add to the evidence base for developing strategies to reduce injuries
      and their associated costs.

PMID- 26479394
TI  - Does Preeclampsia Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer?

PMID- 26479393
TI  - Effects of Prepartum Dietary Energy Level and Nicotinic Acid Supplementation on
      Immunological, Hematological and Biochemical Parameters of Periparturient Dairy
      Cows Differing in Parity.
AB  - The periparturient period is critical according to health, productivity and
      profitability. As this period is fundamental for the success of the lactation
      period, the interest in improving periparturient health by dietary supplements
      increased in recent years. The present study investigated the effects of feeding
      nicotinic acid (NA) combined with varying dietary energy densities on
      immunological, hematological and biochemical parameters of periparturient cows
      differing in parity. Thirty-six multiparous and 20 primiparous dairy cows were
      enrolled in the study 42 days before expected parturition date until 100 days
      postpartum with the half of the cows being supplemented with 24 g of NA/d. After
      parturition a diet with 30% concentrate was fed to all cows which was followed by
      different concentrate escalation strategies. Dietary NA supplementation was
      ceased on day 24 postpartum. Dietary NA increased (P = 0.010) serum nicotinamide
      concentrations (mean of 3.35 +/- 1.65 ug/mL), whereas NA could not be detected.
      Present data emphasize that periparturient cows are faced with major
      physiological challenges and that both parity-groups have different prerequisites
      to adapt to those changes irrespective of NA supplementation. The overfeeding of
      energy to cows which were similar in body condition score had only minor effects
      on periparturient immune system function and the metabolism of those cows. 

PMID- 26479395
TI  - Ligand-inducible dimeric antibody for selecting antibodies against a membrane
      protein based on mammalian cell proliferation.
AB  - A method for selecting antibodies against a membrane protein is important for
      attaining a variety of antibody-based diagnostics and therapies. In this study,
      we propose a novel system to select specific antibodies against a membrane
      protein based on mammalian cell proliferation as a readout. The system employs a
      chimeric membrane protein in which a target membrane protein of interest is fused
      to the intracellular signaling domain of a cytokine receptor. The chimeric
      membrane protein transduces a cell proliferation signal through dimerization when
      co-expressed with a specific single-chain Fv fused with a mutant of FK-binding
      protein 12 (scFv-Fk) that can be conditionally dimerized by a synthetic ligand
      AP20187. To demonstrate this system, ErbB2 and gp130 were chosen as the target
      membrane protein and cytokine receptor, respectively. Consequently, co-expression
      of the ErbB2/gp130 chimera and ErbB2-specific scFv-Fk rendered the cells
      proliferative in response to AP20187. The system also allowed selection of high
      affinity binders from a mixture composed of dominant low-affinity binders. This
      system may be extended to affinity maturation of scFvs by modulating AP20187
      concentration in the selection process.

PMID- 26479396
TI  - Increased Rates of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Among Older Adults in US Emergency
      Departments, 2009-2010.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate rates of emergency department (ED) visits for mild
      traumatic brain injury (TBI) among older adults. We defined possible mild TBI
      cases to assess underdiagnoses. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: National sample
      of ED visits in 2009-2010 captured by the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical
      Care Survey. PARTICIPANTS: Aged 65 years and older. MEASUREMENTS: Mild TBI
      defined by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical
      Modification, codes (800.0x-801.9x, 803.xx, 804.xx, 850.xx-854.1x, 950.1x-950.3x,
      959.01) and a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 14 or more or missing, excluding those
      admitted to the hospital. Possible mild TBI was defined similarly among those
      without mild TBI and with a fall or motor vehicle collision as cause of injury.
      We calculated rates of mild TBI and examined factors associated with a diagnosis
      of mild TBI. RESULTS: Rates of ED visits for mild TBI were 386 per 100 000 among
      those aged 65 to 74 years, 777 per 100 000 among those aged 75 to 84 years, and
      1205 per 100 000 among those older than 84 years. Rates for women (706/100 000)
      were higher than for men (516/100 000). Compared with a possible mild TBI, a
      diagnosis of mild TBI was more likely in the West (odds ratio = 2.31; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.02-5.24) and less likely in the South/Midwest (odds ratio
      = 0.52; 95% confidence interval, 0.29-0.96) than in the Northeast. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study highlights an upward trend in rates of ED visits for mild TBI among
      older adults.

PMID- 26479397
TI  - Sports-Related Concussion Results in Differential Expression of Nuclear Factor
      kappaB Pathway Genes in Peripheral Blood During the Acute and Subacute Periods.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine changes in global gene expression in peripheral
      leukocytes in the acute and subacute periods following a sports-related
      concussion in athletes. SETTING: Samples were collected at 2 universities in
      Rochester, New York. PARTICIPANTS: Fifteen contact sport athletes who experienced
      a sports-related concussion, and 16 nonconcussed teammates served as controls.
      DESIGN: Blood samples were collected at the start of the season (baseline),
      within 6 hours of injury (acute), and at 7 days (subacute) postinjury.
      Differential gene expression was measured using the GeneChip 3' in vitro
      transcription Expression kit and Affymetrix microarrays, and genes with fold
      difference of 2 or more were identified using Partek. MAIN MEASURES: Whole genome
      differential gene expression, and cognitive and balance measures to asses for
      clinical symptoms pre- and postinjury. RESULTS: In the concussed athletes, we
      observed 67 downregulated and 4 upregulated genes in the acute period and 63
      downregulated and 2 upregulated genes in the subacute period compared with
      baseline. Of these, there were 28 genes from both time points involved in the
      inflammatory response. No significant differences in gene expression were
      detected in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that recovery
      from sports-related concussion relates to modulation of inflammation through
      cytokine and chemokine gene pathways, which can contribute to future development
      of personalized therapeutic agents.

PMID- 26479398
TI  - Pharmacotherapy for Depression Posttraumatic Brain Injury: A Meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy for the treatment of
      depression following traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN: Systematic review and
      meta-analysis. Multiple electronic databases were searched to identify relevant
      studies examining effectiveness of pharmacotherapy for depression post-TBI.
      Clinical trials evaluating the use of pharmacotherapy in individuals with
      depression at baseline and using standardized assessments of depression were
      included. Data abstracted included sample size, antidepressant used, treatment
      timing/duration, method of assessment, and results pertaining to impact of
      treatment. Study quality was assessed using a modified Jadad scale. RESULTS: Nine
      studies met criteria for inclusion. Pooled analyses based on reported means
      (standard deviations) from repeated assessments of depression showed that, over
      time, antidepressant treatment was associated with a significant effect in favor
      of treatment (Hedges g = 1.169; 95% confidence interval, 0.849-1.489; P < .001).
      Similarly, when limited to placebo-controlled trials, treatment was associated
      with a significant reduction in symptoms (standardized mean difference = 0.84;
      95% confidence interval, 0.314-1.366; P = .002). CONCLUSION: Pharmacotherapy
      after TBI may be associated with a reduction in depressive symptomatology. Given
      limitations within the available literature, further well-powered, placebo
      controlled trials should be conducted to confirm the effectiveness of
      antidepressant therapy in this population.

PMID- 26479399
TI  - The nuclear pore complex acts as a master switch for nuclear and cell
      differentiation.
AB  - Cell differentiation is associated with the functional differentiation of the
      nucleus, in which alteration of the expression profiles of transcription factors
      occurs to destine cell fate. Nuclear transport machineries, such as importin
      alpha, have also been reported as critical factors that induce cell
      differentiation. Using various fluorescence live cell imaging methods, including
      time-lapse imaging, FRAP analysis and live-cell imaging associated correlative
      light and electron microscopy (Live CLEM) of Tetrahymena, a unicellular ciliated
      protozoan, we have recently discovered that type switching of the NPC is the
      earliest detectable event of nuclear differentiation. Our studies suggest that
      this type switching of the NPC directs the fate of the nucleus to differentiate
      into either a macronucleus or a micronucleus. Our findings in this organism may
      provide new insights into the role of the NPC in controlling nuclear functions in
      general in eukaryotes, including controlling cell fate leading to cell
      differentiation in multicellular metazoa. 

PMID- 26479400
TI  - French Experience with Buprenorphine : Do Physicians Follow the Guidelines?
AB  - Opiate dependence affects about 15,479,000 people worldwide. The effectiveness of
      opiate substitution treatments (OST) has been widely demonstrated. Buprenorphine
      plays a particular role in opiate dependence care provision in France. It is
      widely prescribed by physicians and national opiate substitution treatment
      guidelines have been available since 2004. In order to study the prescribing of
      buprenorphine, we used a questionnaire sent by email, to a large sample of
      physicians. These physicians were either in practice, or belonged to an addiction
      treatment network or a hospital. The main objective of this work was to measure
      the extent to which the theoretical, clinical attitude of physicians towards
      prescribing buprenorphine (BHD) complied with the statutory guidelines. We showed
      that the physicians we interviewed rarely took into account the guidelines
      regarding buprenorphine prescription. The actual prescribing of Buprenorphine
      differed from the guidelines. Only 42% of independent Family Physicians (FPs),
      working outside the national health care system, had prescribed buprenorphine as
      a first-time prescription and 40% of FPs do not follow up patients on
      buprenorphine. In terms of compliance with the guidelines, 55% of FPs gave
      theoretical answers that only partially complied with the guidelines. The
      variations in compliance with the guidelines was noted according to different
      variables and took into particular account whether the physician were affiliated
      to a network or in training. 

PMID- 26479401
TI  - Endurance Cyclist Fluid Intake, Hydration Status, Thirst, and Thermal Sensations:
      Gender Differences.
AB  - This field investigation assessed differences (e.g., drinking behavior, hydration
      status, perceptual ratings) between female and male endurance cyclists who
      completed a 164-km event in a hot environment (35  degrees C mean dry bulb) to
      inform rehydration recommendations for athletes. Three years of data were pooled
      to create 2 groups of cyclists: women (n = 15) and men (n = 88). Women were
      significantly smaller (p < .001) than men in height (166 +/- 5 vs. 179 +/- 7 cm),
      body mass (64.6 +/- 7.3 vs. 86.4 +/- 12.3 kg), and body mass index (BMI; 23.3 +/-
      1.8 vs. 26.9 +/- 3.4) and had lower preevent urinary indices of hydration status,
      but were similar to men in age (43 +/- 7 years vs. 44 +/- 9 years) and exercise
      time (7.77 +/- 1.24 hr vs. 7.23 +/- 1.75 hr). During the 164-km ride, women lost
      less body mass (-0.7 +/- 1.0 vs. -1.7 +/- 1.5 kg; -1.1 +/- 1.6% vs. -1.9 +/- 1.8%
      of body weight; p < .005) and consumed less fluid than men (4.80 +/- 1.28 L vs.
      5.59 +/- 2.13 L; p < .005). Women consumed a similar volume of fluid as men,
      relative to body mass (milliliters/kilogram). To control for performance and
      anthropomorphic characteristics, 15 women were pair-matched with 15 men on the
      basis of exercise time on the course and BMI; urine-specific gravity, urine
      color, and body mass change (kilograms and percentage) were different (p < .05)
      in 4 of 6 comparisons. No gender differences were observed for ratings of thirst,
      thermal sensation, or perceived exertion. In conclusion, differences in relative
      fluid volume consumed and hydration indices suggest that professional sports
      medicine organizations should consider gender and individualized drinking plans
      when formulating pronouncements regarding rehydration during exercise. 

PMID- 26479402
TI  - REDOX RESPONSIVE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR1 is involved in age-dependent and systemic
      stress signaling.
AB  - REDOX RESPONSIVE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR1 (RRTF1) regulates redox homeostasis under
      stress, however the mechanism is mainly unknown. In a recent publication, we
      analyzed rrtf1 knockout (ko) and RRTF1 overexpressor lines of Arabidopsis
      thaliana and showed that RRTF1 plays a crucial role in reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) production. Ko line produces less and overexpressor lines constitutively
      high levels of ROS under stress, and the amount of ROS increases with increase in
      stress and the RRTF1 level in the plant. The transcription factor also activates
      systemic ROS signaling under stress. (1) In this report, we show that RRTF1
      exerts different roles in young and old leaves. While RRTF1 enhances defense
      responses to high light (HL) stress in young leaves, it induces senescence and
      chlorosis in older leaves. These findings suggest that RRTF1 and/or RRTF1
      mediated ROS signaling induce stress responses in an age-dependent manner, and
      the age-dependent alteration in the RRTF1 function might be important for plants'
      acclimation to the stress environment.

PMID- 26479403
TI  - Dynamic buckling of actin within filopodia.
AB  - Filopodia are active tubular structures protruding from the cell surface which
      allow the cell to sense and interact with the surrounding environment through
      repetitive elongation-retraction cycles. The mechanical behavior of filopodia has
      been studied by measuring the traction forces exerted on external substrates.(1)
      These studies have revealed that internal actin flow can transduce a force across
      the cell surface through transmembrane linkers like integrins. In addition to the
      elongation-retraction behavior filopodia also exhibit a buckling and rotational
      behavior. Filopodial buckling in conjunction with rotation enables the cell to
      explore a much larger 3-dimensional space and allows for more complex, and
      possibly stronger, interactions with the external environment.(2) Here we focus
      on how bending of the filopodial actin dynamically correlates with pulling on an
      optically trapped microsphere which acts like an external substrate attached to
      the filopodial tip. There is a clear correlation between presence of actin near
      the tip and exertion of a traction force, thus demonstrating that the traction
      force is transduced along the actin shaft inside the filopodium. By extending a
      filopodium and holding it while measuring the cellular response, we also monitor
      and analyze the waiting times for the first buckle observed in the fluorescently
      labeled actin shaft. 

PMID- 26479404
TI  - High Full-Electrode Basis Capacity Template-Free 3D Nanocomposite Secondary
      Battery Anodes.
AB  - A high full-electrode basis capacity secondary battery anode consisting of a
      template-free 3D nanostructured Fe3O4/C composite is presented. On a full
      electrode basis, the nanocomposite exhibits attractive electrochemical
      performance including a volumetric capacity of 1064 mAh cm(-3), which
      significantly exceeds both the practical (~300 mAh cm(-3)) and theoretical (837
      mAh cm(-3)) capacity of a commercial graphite-based anode.

PMID- 26479405
TI  - Interactions among Collective Spectators Facilitate Eyeblink Synchronization.
AB  - Whereas the entrainment of movements and aspirations among audience members has
      been known as a basis of collective excitement in the theater, the role of the
      entrainment of cognitive processes among audience members is still unclear. In
      the current study, temporal patterns of the audience's attention were observed
      using eyeblink responses. To determine the effect of interactions among audience
      members on cognitive entrainment, as well as its direction (attractive or
      repulsive), the eyeblink synchronization of the following two groups were
      compared: (1) the experimental condition, where the audience members (seven
      frequent viewers and seven first-time viewers) viewed live performances in situ,
      and (2) the control condition, where the audience members (15 frequent viewers
      and 15 first-time viewers) viewed videotaped performances in individual
      experimental settings (results reported in previous study.) The results of this
      study demonstrated that the mean values of a measure of asynchrony (i.e., D
      interval) were much lower for the experimental condition than for the control
      condition. Frequent viewers had a moderate attractive effect that increased as
      the story progressed, while a strong attractive effect was observed throughout
      the story for first-time viewers. The attractive effect of interactions among a
      group of spectators was discussed from the viewpoint of cognitive and somatic
      entrainment in live performances. 

PMID- 26479407
TI  - Ultrasound findings of carpal tunnel syndrome in a Hunter syndrome patient.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hunter syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis II) is a rare genetic
      disorder. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common finding in these patients.
      METHODS: We report the ultrasound findings in a 40-year-old Hunter syndrome
      patient with severe CTS. RESULTS: Marked abnormalities of the median nerve were
      present proximal to the carpal tunnel with an unusual area of increased
      echogenicity between enlarged fascicles separating the area of maximal
      enlargement and the normal median nerve proximally. CONCLUSIONS: This case
      demonstrated unique ultrasound findings in a Hunter syndrome with CTS. Ultrasound
      also localized the median nerve lesion in the setting of end-stage median
      neuropathy and nonlocalizing electrophysiology.

PMID- 26479406
TI  - Evaluation of a Scenario in Which Estimates of Bioequivalence Are Biased and a
      Proposed Solution: tlast (Common).
AB  - In bioequivalence (BE) testing, it is the convention to identify tlast separately
      for each concentration-vs-time profile. Within-subject differences in tlast
      between treatments can arise when assay sensitivity is reached during washout,
      causing profiles to fall below the limit of quantitation (LOQ) at different
      sampling times. The resulting tlast difference may be systematic, due to true
      differences in exposure, and/or random, due to measurement noise. The
      conventional profile-specific tlast approach assumes that concentrations in the
      terminal phase are sufficiently low that use of different tlast values between
      treatments within a subject causes negligible bias in the AUC0-t geometric mean
      ratio (GMR). Here we investigate the validity of this assumption. Using
      concentration-vs-time data following oral inhalation of 50 MUg salmeterol as an
      example data set, we conducted simulations to evaluate whether use of different
      test/reference AUC timeframes arising from a systematic difference in exposure
      causes sufficient AUC0-t GMR bias to influence the determination of BE. To ensure
      that results would be relevant to BE testing, we considered only test/reference
      relative systemic exposures within the BE window (80.00%-125.00%). We show that
      use of conventional profile-specific tlast exaggerates true differences in
      systemic exposure; the resulting AUC0-t ratios are biased from true relative
      exposure by an amount large enough to impact the conclusion of BE. Thus, drugs
      whose concentrations fall below LOQ during washout may fail BE inappropriately
      using conventional methods. AUC0-t calculated over a common timeframe within each
      subject (tlast [common]) minimizes this bias and harmonizes the statistical
      analysis of BE.

PMID- 26479408
TI  - Translational regulation of the expression of the ubiquitin E3 ligase Nedd4-1 by
      mTORC1-dependent signaling.
AB  - We found recently that mTORC1 regulates the biosynthesis of the ubiquitin E3
      ligase Nedd4-1, but not the close homolog Nedd4-2. This regulatory process plays
      a key role in promoting neurite growth in neurons of the mammalian central
      nervous system. The molecular mechanism underlying this rather specific
      regulation likely involves a pyrimidine-rich sequence stretch near the putative
      transcriptional start site within the 5' untranslated region of the Nedd4-1 mRNA,
      which may play a crucial role in directing the assembly of the protein
      translation machinery. We postulate that the Nedd4-1 mRNA is a major target of
      the local translation machinery within neurons that can be translated in a
      spatially and temporally controlled manner in response to various stimuli. Based
      on this model, neuronal Nedd4-1 may not only be involved in the regulation of
      neurite growth but also in axon guidance, spine formation, and synaptic
      plasticity. 

PMID- 26479410
TI  - In vivo deformation of thin cartilage layers: Feasibility and applicability of
      T2* mapping.
AB  - The objectives of this study were as follows: (i) to assess segmentation
      consistency and scan precision of T2* mapping of human tibio-talar cartilage, and
      (ii) to monitor changes in T2* relaxation times of ankle cartilage immediately
      following a clinically relevant in vivo exercise and during recovery. Using multi
      echo gradient recalled echo sequences, averaged T2* values were calculated for
      tibio-talar cartilage layers in 10 healthy volunteers. Segmentation consistency
      and scan precision were determined from two repeated segmentations and two
      repeated acquisitions with repositioning, respectively. Subsequently, acute in
      vivo cartilage loading responses were monitored by calculating averaged tibio
      talar T2* values at rest, immediately after (i.e., deformation) and at 15 min
      (i.e., recovery) following a 30-repetition knee bending exercise. Precision
      errors attained 4-6% with excellent segmentation consistency point estimates
      (i.e., intra-rater ICC of 0.95) and acceptable limits of confidence. At
      deformation, T2* values were increased in both layers [+16.1 (10.7)%, p = 0.004
      and +17.3 (15.3)%, p = 0.023, for the talus and tibia, respectively] whereas
      during recovery no significant changes could be established when comparing to
      baseline [talar cartilage: +5.2 (8.2)%, p = 0.26 and tibial cartilage: +6.6
      (10.4)%, p = 0.23]. T2* mapping is a viable method to monitor deformational
      behavior in thin cartilage layers such as ankle cartilage. Longitudinal changes
      in T2* can be reliably appraised and require at least 4-6% differences to
      ascertain statistical significance. The ability to detect considerable change
      even after non-strenuous loading events, endorses T2* mapping as an innovative
      method to evaluate the effects of therapeutic exercise on thin cartilage layers.
      (c) 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J
      Orthop Res 34:771-778, 2016.

PMID- 26479411
TI  - Novel Efficient Cell-Penetrating, Peptide-Mediated Strategy for Enhancing
      Telomerase Inhibitor Oligonucleotides.
AB  - At present, there are several therapeutic approaches for targeting telomerase in
      tumors. One in particular, currently undergoing clinical trials, is based on
      synthetic lipid-modified oligonucleotide antagonists aimed at inhibiting the
      ribonucleoprotein subunit of human telomerase. However, while enabling efficient
      uptake, the lipid modifications reduce the potency of the therapeutic
      oligonucleotides compared to nonmodified oligonucleotides. Moreover, lipid
      modification may increase oligonucleotide accumulation in the liver causing
      undesirable hepatotoxicity. Noncovalent complexation strategies for cell
      penetrating peptide (CPP)-mediated delivery present an option to circumvent the
      need for potency-reducing modifications, while allowing for a highly efficient
      uptake, and could significantly improve the efficiency of telomerase-targeting
      cancer therapeutics. Delivery of a nonlipidated locked nucleic acid/2'-O-methyl
      mixmer significantly inhibits the telomerase activity in treated HeLa cells. The
      inhibitory effect was further improved through addition of a CPP. Furthermore,
      calculated IC50-values for the oligonucleotide delivered by CPPs into HeLa cells
      are more than 20 times lower than telomerase inhibitor Imetelstat, currently
      undergoing clinical trials. These results emphasize the potential of CPP-mediated
      delivery of future pharmaceuticals and provide means by which to enhance an
      already promising therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26479409
TI  - Analysis of Multiple Families With Single Individuals Affected by
      Pseudohypoparathyroidism Type Ib (PHP1B) Reveals Only One Novel Maternally
      Inherited GNAS Deletion.
AB  - Proximal tubular resistance to parathyroid hormone (PTH) resulting in
      hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia are preeminent abnormalities in
      pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ib (PHP1B), but resistance toward other hormones as
      well as variable features of Albright's Hereditary Osteodystrophy (AHO) can occur
      also. Genomic DNA from PHP1B patients shows epigenetic changes at one or multiple
      differentially methylated regions (DMRs) within GNAS, the gene encoding Galphas
      and splice variants thereof. In the autosomal dominant disease variant, these
      methylation abnormalities are caused by deletions in STX16 or GNAS on the
      maternal allele. The molecular defect(s) leading to sporadic PHP1B (sporPHP1B)
      remains in most cases unknown and we therefore analyzed 60 sporPHP1B patients and
      available family members by microsatellite markers, single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs), multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA),
      and methylation-specific MLPA (MS-MLPA). All investigated cases revealed broad
      GNAS methylation changes, but no evidence for inheritance of two paternal
      chromosome 20q alleles. Some patients with partial epigenetic modifications in
      DNA from peripheral blood cells showed more complete GNAS methylation changes
      when testing their immortalized lymphoblastoid cells. Analysis of siblings and
      children of sporPHP1B patients provided no evidence for an abnormal mineral ion
      regulation and no changes in GNAS methylation. Only one patient revealed, based
      on MLPA and microsatellite analyses, evidence for an allelic loss, which resulted
      in the discovery of two adjacent, maternally inherited deletions (37,597 and 1427
      bp, respectively) that remove the area between GNAS antisense exons 3 and 5,
      including exon NESP. Our findings thus emphasize that the region comprising
      antisense exons 3 and 4 is required for establishing all maternal GNAS
      methylation imprints. The genetic defect(s) leading in sporPHP1B to epigenetic
      GNAS changes and thus PTH-resistance remains unknown, but it seems unlikely that
      this disease variant is caused by heterozygous inherited or de novo mutations
      involving GNAS.

PMID- 26479412
TI  - Commentary on Some Recent Theses Relevant to Combating Aging: October 2015.

PMID- 26479413
TI  - Morphological spectrum of neovaginitis in autologous sigmoid transplant patients.
AB  - AIMS: Autologous intestinal grafts are used to (re)create a vagina in selected
      patients. The risk of diversion colitis is mentioned as a disadvantage, although
      its prevalence remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the histopathological
      characteristics of the sigmoid-derived neovaginal epithelial lining after
      diverting surgery and correlate these with clinical findings. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Biopsy specimens were obtained from the epithelial lining of the sigmoid
      derived neovagina and remaining rectosigmoid as regular follow-up from 26
      patients with a median age of 22 years (range 19-52) and median postoperative
      follow-up of 13 months (range 6-52). Medical history, neovaginal symptoms and
      sexual activity were documented. An experienced gastrointestinal histopathologist
      assessed the specimens using a descriptive item-score, comprising signs of
      chronic and active inflammation. Inflammatory changes were observed in 21 (80.7%)
      neovaginal and one (3.8%) rectosigmoid specimens. The neovaginal appearance was
      characterized by an increase of lymphoid aggregates and lymphoplasmacellular
      infiltrate. Other common features were the presence of polymorphonuclear
      neutrophils and Paneth cell metaplasia. Neovaginal discharge was correlated with
      the presence of inflammatory changes (P = 0.008, Spearman's rho = 0.506).
      DISCUSSION: Acute and chronic inflammation of the sigmoid-derived neovagina was
      commonly observed and consistent with a proposed diagnosis of diversion
      neovaginitis. Neovaginal discharge correlates with this histopathological entity.

PMID- 26479415
TI  - Why therapeutic drug monitoring is needed for monoclonal antibodies and how do we
      implement this?
AB  - Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have improved clinical outcomes for many therapeutic
      indications. However, extensive between-subject variability (BSV) contributes to
      therapeutic failures through suboptimal exposure. Therapeutic drug monitoring
      (TDM) is routinely implemented for inflammatory diseases; improving outcomes and
      reducing treatment costs. BSV can be more extensive with anticancer mAbs.
      Clearance BSV is associated with patient factors and disease burden, suggesting
      that TDM could benefit anticancer mAbs, as was seen with inflammatory disease,
      however, there are many hurdles. 

PMID- 26479414
TI  - Association Between Initial Oral Therapy and Outcomes in Systemic Sclerosis
      Related Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare time to clinical worsening (TTCW) based on initial oral
      therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with systemic
      sclerosis (SSc)-related PAH. METHODS: Using data from the Pulmonary Hypertension
      Assessment and Recognition of Outcomes in Scleroderma (PHAROS) registry (a
      multicenter prospective observational study enrolling SSc patients with incident
      pulmonary hypertension), we selected patients with group 1 PAH (World Health
      Organization Clinical Classification system) who received initial therapy (for 6
      months) with an endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA), a phosphodiesterase 5
      (PDE5) inhibitor, or a combination of these 2 agents (ERA/PDE5 inhibitor). The
      main outcome was TTCW, defined as the first occurrence of death, PAH-related
      hospitalization, lung transplantation, initiation of parenteral prostacyclin
      treatment, or worsening symptoms. RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients (24 in the ERA
      group, 59 in the PDE5 inhibitor group, and 15 in the ERA/PDE5 inhibitor group)
      were included. No significant differences in the baseline characteristics of the
      patients were observed. TTCW was significantly worse in patients in the ERA group
      compared with those in the PDE5 inhibitor group or the ERA/PDE5 inhibitor group.
      Ten patients (41.6%) in the ERA group died during the 3-year observation period,
      compared with 4 patients (6.8%) in the PDE5 inhibitor group and 1 patient (6.7%)
      in the ERA/PDE5 inhibitor group. Baseline factors that were independently
      associated with a shorter TTCW were initial treatment with an ERA (hazard ratio
      [HR] 2.63 [P = 0.009]), lower diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (HR 0.69 per
      10% of predicted change [P = 0.04]), and higher pulmonary vascular resistance (HR
      1.10 per Wood unit change [P = 0.007]). CONCLUSION: Compared with initial
      treatment with a PDE5 inhibitor or combination therapy with an ERA and a PDE5
      inhibitor, initial therapy with an ERA in patients with SSc-related PAH was
      associated with significantly worse TTCW, even after adjustment for commonly
      accepted prognostic factors. Further study into the optimal initial oral therapy
      for patients with SSc-related PAH is needed.

PMID- 26479417
TI  - Understanding beta-mannanase from Streptomyces sp. CS147 and its potential
      application in lignocellulose based biorefining.
AB  - Hydrolytic enzymes such as cellulase and hemicellulase have been attracted in
      lignocellulose based biorefinery. Especially, mannanase has been a growing
      interest in industrial applications due to its importance in the bioconversion.
      In this study, an extracellular endo-beta-1,4-D-mannanase was produced by
      Streptomyces sp. CS147 (Mn147) and purified 8.5-fold with a 43.4% yield using
      Sephadex G-50 column. The characterization of Mn147 was performed, and the
      results were as follows: molecular weight of ~25 kDa with an optimum temperature
      of 50 degrees C and pH of 11.0. The effect of metal ions and various reagents on
      Mn147 was strongly activated by Ca(+2) but inhibited by Mg(+2) , Fe(+2) ,
      hydrogen peroxide, EDTA and EGTA. Km and Vmax values of Mn147 were 0.13 mg/mL and
      294 MUmol/min mg, respectively, when different concentrations (3.1 to 50 mg/mL)
      of locust bean gum galactomannan were used as substrate. In enzymatic hydrolysis
      of heterogeneous substrate (spent coffee grounds), Mn147 shows a similar
      conversion compared to commercial enzymes. In addition, lignocellulosic biomass
      can be hydrolyzed to oligosaccharides (reducing sugars), which can be further
      utilized for the production of biomaterials. These results showed that Mn147 is
      attractive in quest of potential bioindustrial applications. 

PMID- 26479419
TI  - Haemangioma in an infant whose mother was receiving long-term propranolol
      treatment during pregnancy.

PMID- 26479418
TI  - Racial and ethnic socialization as moderators of racial discrimination and school
      adjustment of adopted and nonadopted Korean American adolescents.
AB  - This study investigated the roles of racial and ethnic socialization in the link
      between racial discrimination and school adjustment among a sample of 233 adopted
      Korean American adolescents from White adoptive families and 155 nonadopted
      Korean American adolescents from immigrant Korean families. Adopted Korean
      American adolescents reported lower levels of racial discrimination, racial
      socialization, and ethnic socialization than nonadopted Korean American
      adolescents. However, racial discrimination was negatively related to school
      belonging and school engagement, and ethnic socialization was positively related
      to school engagement for both groups. Racial socialization also had a curvilinear
      relationship with school engagement for both groups. A moderate level of racial
      socialization predicted positive school engagement, whereas low and high levels
      of racial socialization predicted negative school engagement. Finally, ethnic
      socialization moderated the link between racial discrimination and school
      belonging, which differed between groups. In particular, ethnic socialization
      exacerbated the relations between racial discrimination and school belonging for
      adopted Korean American adolescents, whereas ethnic socialization buffered this
      link for nonadopted Korean American adolescents. The findings illustrate the
      complex relationship between racial and ethnic socialization, racial
      discrimination, and school adjustment.

PMID- 26479416
TI  - Design and Implementation of the International Genetics and Translational
      Research in Transplantation Network.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genetic association studies of transplantation outcomes have been
      hampered by small samples and highly complex multifactorial phenotypes, hindering
      investigations of the genetic architecture of a range of comorbidities which
      significantly impact graft and recipient life expectancy. We describe here the
      rationale and design of the International Genetics & Translational Research in
      Transplantation Network. The network comprises 22 studies to date, including
      16494 transplant recipients and 11669 donors, of whom more than 5000 are of non
      European ancestry, all of whom have existing genomewide genotype data sets.
      METHODS: We describe the rich genetic and phenotypic information available in
      this consortium comprising heart, kidney, liver, and lung transplant cohorts.
      RESULTS: We demonstrate significant power in International Genetics &
      Translational Research in Transplantation Network to detect main effect
      association signals across regions such as the MHC region as well as genomewide
      for transplant outcomes that span all solid organs, such as graft survival, acute
      rejection, new onset of diabetes after transplantation, and for delayed graft
      function in kidney only. CONCLUSIONS: This consortium is designed and
      statistically powered to deliver pioneering insights into the genetic
      architecture of transplant-related outcomes across a range of different solid
      organ transplant studies. The study design allows a spectrum of analyses to be
      performed including recipient-only analyses, donor-recipient HLA mismatches with
      focus on loss-of-function variants and nonsynonymous single nucleotide
      polymorphisms.

PMID- 26479420
TI  - Evaluation of 122 advanced-stage cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas by
      comprehensive genomic profiling opens the door for new routes to targeted
      therapies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The authors hypothesized that comprehensive genomic profiling of
      advanced-stage cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) could identify genomic
      derived drug targets of therapy for patients with conventional therapy-resistant
      disease. METHODS: Comprehensive genomic profiling of 315 cancer genes was applied
      to 50 ng of DNA from 122 cSCC cases for the evaluation of all classes of genomic
      alterations (GAs). Clinically relevant genomic alterations (CRGAs) were defined
      as those identifying anticancer drugs on the market or in registered clinical
      trials. RESULTS: There were 21 women (17%) and 101 men (83%) with a median age of
      64.9 years (range, 21-87 years). Eleven cSCC cases (9%) were histologic AJCC
      grade 1, 69 (57%) were grade 2, and 42 (34%) were grade 3. The primary cSCC was
      used for sequencing in 77 cases (63%). Metastatic lesions were sequenced in 37%
      of cases. There were 1120 total GAs identified (average of 9.2 GAs per tumor),
      with 100% of cases harboring at least 1 alteration. Of the 122 cSCCs, 107 (88%)
      harbored at least 1 CRGA (2.5 CRGAs per cSCC) includingNOTCH1 (43%); patched 1
      (PTCH1) (11%); BRCA2 (10%); HRAS (8%); ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) (7%);
      erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 4 (ERBB4) (7%); neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)
      (7%); erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (ERBB2) (6%); phosphatidylinositol-4,5
      bisphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) (6%); cyclin D1 (CCND1)
      (6%); epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) (5%); and F-box and WD repeat
      domain containing 7, E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (FBXW7) (5%). CONCLUSIONS: In
      the current study, approximately 88% of patients with cSCC were found to harbor
      clinically relevant GAs that have the potential to guide the treatment of
      patients with advanced-stage tumors with targeted therapeutic agents. Cancer
      2016;122:249-257. (c) 2015 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 26479421
TI  - Surgical Procedure Choice for Removing Hepatic Cysts of Echinococcus granulosus
      in Children.
AB  - Aim This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of radical and conservative
      surgical procedures for removal of hydatid cysts in the liver of children.
      Methods A total of 112 pediatric patients had surgical treatment of hepatic
      cystic echinococcosis (CE) between January 2002 and December 2012 at the First
      Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were retrospectively
      evaluated. The patients were divided into two groups receiving either radical (n
      = 26) or conservative surgery (CS) (n = 86). Patient age, gender, symptoms,
      preoperative radiologic investigations, type of cyst, involvement of other
      organs, surgical procedure performed, postoperative complications, and mean
      hospital stay after surgery were recorded. Results The mean surgical procedure
      time for radical surgery (RS) was significantly longer than CS (126.4 +/- 37 vs.
      90.4 +/- 22.9 minutes, p < 0.001], and the days for hospitalization showed no
      difference (11.0 +/- 2.1 vs. 11.5 +/- 3.1 days, p > 0.05]. Seven patients in the
      CS group had 20-300 mL of bile drainage 2-4 days post-operation and two patients
      developed a postoperative cavitary abscess; five patients in the RS group and one
      patient in the CS group developed a hydrothorax on the fifth day postoperatively.
      Follow-up of all patients showed that the majority had recovered well except for
      3 cases who developed recurrences due to cysts ruptured accidently before
      surgery. There were no recurrences or biliary complications in the RS group.
      Conclusion CS is an effective method for liver CE cyst removal and RS is suitable
      for hepatic cysts in less risk position in pediatric patients. 

PMID- 26479423
TI  - Pt/In2S3/CdS/Cu2ZnSnS4 Thin Film as an Efficient and Stable Photocathode for
      Water Reduction under Sunlight Radiation.
AB  - An electrodeposited Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) compact thin film modified with an In2S3/CdS
      double layer and Pt deposits (Pt/In2S3/CdS/CZTS) was used as a photocathode for
      water splitting of hydrogen production under simulated sunlight (AM 1.5G)
      radiation. Compared to platinized electrodes based on a bare CZTS film (Pt/CZTS)
      and a CZTS film modified with a CdS single layer (Pt/CdS/CZTS), the
      Pt/In2S3/CdS/CZTS electrode exhibited a significantly high cathodic photocurrent.
      Moreover, the coverage of the In2S3 layer was found to be effective for
      stabilization against degradation induced by photocorrosion of the CdS layer.
      Bias-free water splitting with a power conversion efficiency of 0.28% was
      achieved by using a simple two-electrode cell consisting of the Pt/In2S3/CdS/CZTS
      photocathode and a BiVO4 photoanode. 

PMID- 26479422
TI  - Intention to treat outcome of T1 hepatocellular carcinoma with the "wait and not
      ablate" approach until meeting T2 criteria for liver transplant listing.
AB  - Patients with T1 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; 1 lesion < 2 cm) are currently
      not eligible for priority listing for liver transplantation (LT). A common
      practice is to wait without locoregional therapy (LRT) until tumor growth occurs
      from T1 to T2 (1 lesion 2-5 cm or 2-3 lesions <= 3 cm) to be eligible for listing
      with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease exception. We aimed to evaluate the
      intention to treat outcome of the "wait and not ablate" approach for nonresection
      candidates with T1 HCC until tumor growth to T2. The study included 114 patients
      with T1 HCC 1.0-1.9 cm followed by serial imaging every 3 months. Two
      investigators performed independent imaging reviews to confirm the diagnosis.
      Median increase in total tumor diameter was 0.14 cm/month. Probabilities of
      progression from T1 to directly beyond T2 without LT listing were 4.4% at 6
      months and 9.0% at both 12 and 24 months. The 1- and 3-year survival was 94.5%
      and 75.5%. In multivariate analysis, predictors of rapid tumor progression,
      defined as a > 1 cm increase in total tumor diameter over 3 months, included
      alcoholic liver disease (odds ratio [OR], 6.52; P = 0.02) and Hispanic race (OR,
      3.86; P = 0.047), whereas hepatitis B appeared to be protective (OR, 0.09; P =
      0.04). By competing risks regression, predictors of exclusion from LT (with or
      without listing for LT under T2) were alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) >= 500 ng/mL (HR,
      12.69; 95% confidence interval, 2.8-57.0; P = 0.001) and rapid tumor progression
      (HR, 5.68; P < 0.001). In conclusion, the "wait and not ablate" approach until
      tumor growth from T1 to T2 before LT listing is associated with a <10% risk of
      tumor progression to directly beyond T2 criteria. However, patients with AFP >=
      500 ng/mL and rapid tumor progression are at high risk for wait-list dropout and
      should receive early LRT.

PMID- 26479424
TI  - The relationships between content of heavy metals in soil and in strawberries.
AB  - The work was aimed at assessment of quality of strawberry based on the contents
      of heavy metals as well as the possible correlations between selected heavy
      metals in soil and strawberries. The results revealed that from all observed
      metals in soil determined in aqua regia only in the case of cadmium the maximum
      permissible limit in comparison with the limit resulting from the Law No.
      220/2004 as well as threshold values proposed by European Commission (EC) (2006)
      has been exceeded. In our paper the values of cadmium in the soil representing
      1.86 to 2.41 times higher values than limit valid in the Slovak Republic (0.7
      mg/kg) and 2.6 to 3.38 times higher in comparison to EC (0.5 mg/kg). In our study
      in 1 M NH4NO3 the values of lead ranged from 0.125 to 0.205 mg/kg representing
      values exceeded the limit valid in Slovak Republic (0.1 mg/kg) about 0.037-0.105
      mg/kg. Despite exceeded values of heavy metals in soil, no values above the limit
      directly in strawberries when compared to Food Codex of Slovak Republic as well
      as to Commission Regulation 1881/2006 were recorded. Among the varieties
      statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) in intake of heavy metals were
      found.

PMID- 26479425
TI  - Bulky N-Phosphino-Functionalized N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands: Synthesis,
      Ruthenium Coordination Chemistry, and Ruthenium Alkylidene Complexes for Olefin
      Metathesis.
AB  - Ruthenium chemistry and applications in catalytic olefin metathesis based on N
      phosphino-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbene ligands (NHCPs) are presented.
      Alkyl NHCP Ru coordination chemistry is described, and access to several
      potential synthetic precursors for ruthenium alkylidene complexes is outlined,
      incorporating both trimethylsilyl and phenyl alkylidenes. The Ru alkylidene
      complexes are evaluated as potential olefin metathesis catalysts and were shown
      to behave in a latent fashion. They displayed catalytic activity at elevated
      temperatures for both ring closing metathesis and ring opening metathesis
      polymerization. 

PMID- 26479426
TI  - Audiologic evaluation of vestibular schwannoma and other cerebellopontine angle
      tumors.
AB  - CONCLUSION: Otologic accompanying symptoms, audiogram patterns, and hearing
      levels according to tumor size differed in patients with CPA tumors classified as
      VS and non-VS types. OBJECTIVES: The diagnosis of CPA tumors is often delayed.
      Late-diagnosed tumors can grow until they compress and damage vital structures.
      This study evaluated the otologic symptoms and results of audiologic tests in
      patients with vestibular schwannomas (VS) and other types of CPA tumors. METHODS:
      This study included 171 patients with otologic symptoms who were diagnosed with
      CPA tumors, including 116 with VS and 55 with other types of CPA tumors. Factors
      analyzed retrospectively included tumor type, size, and location and the results
      of audiometric examinations. RESULTS: The most common chief complaint in patients
      diagnosed with CPA tumors was asymmetrical hearing loss, with most frequent
      accompanying symptoms being tinnitus in patients with VS and dizziness in those
      with other types of CPA tumor. The most frequent patterns of hearing loss were
      the descending type in patients with VS and the flat type in patients with non-VS
      tumors (p < 0.05). Pure tone thresholds tended to increase more in patients with
      VS than non-VS tumors according to tumor size, and pure tone averages were
      significantly higher in patients with VS than non-VS tumors of 11-25 mm in size
      (p < 0.05).

PMID- 26479427
TI  - Compressive cyclic ratcheting and fatigue of synthetic, soft biomedical polymers
      in solution.
AB  - The use of soft, synthetic materials for the replacement of soft, load-bearing
      tissues has been largely unsuccessful due to a lack of materials with sufficient
      fatigue and wear properties, as well as a lack of fundamental understanding on
      the relationship between material structure and behavior under cyclic loads. In
      this study, we investigated the response of several soft, biomedical polymers to
      cyclic compressive stresses under aqueous conditions and utilized dynamic
      mechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry to evaluate the role of
      thermo-mechanical transitions on such behavior. Studied materials include:
      polycarbonate urethane, polydimethylsiloxane, four acrylate copolymers with
      systematically varied thermo-mechanical transitions, as well as bovine meniscal
      tissue for comparison. Materials showed compressive moduli between 2.3 and
      1900MPa, with polycarbonate urethane (27.3MPa) matching closest to meniscal
      tissue (37.0MPa), and also demonstrated a variety of thermo-mechanical transition
      behaviors. Cyclic testing resulted in distinct fatigue-life curves, with failure
      defined as either classic fatigue fracture or a defined increased in maximum
      strain due to ratcheting. Our study found that polymers with sufficient
      dissipation mechanisms at the testing temperature, as evidenced by tan delta
      values, were generally tougher than those with less dissipation and exhibited
      ratcheting rather than fatigue fracture much like meniscal tissue. Strain
      recovery tests indicated that, for some toughened polymers, the residual strain
      following our cyclic loading protocol could be fully recovered. The similarity in
      ratcheting behavior, and lack of fatigue fracture, between the meniscal tissue
      and toughened polymers indicates that such polymers may have potential as
      artificial soft tissue. 

PMID- 26479428
TI  - Effect of silanization of hydroxyapatite fillers on physical and mechanical
      properties of a bis-GMA based resin composite.
AB  - To evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of an experimental bis-GMA
      based resin composite incorporated with non-silanized and silanized nano
      hydroxyapatite (nHAP) fillers. Experimental bis-GMA based resin composites
      samples which were reinforced with nHAP fillers were prepared. Filler particles
      were surface treated with a silane coupling agent. Five test groups were
      prepared: 1. Unfilled, 2. Reinforced with 10wt% and 30wt% non-silanized nHAP
      fillers, and 3. Reinforced with 10wt% and 30wt% silanized nHAP fillers. The
      samples were subjected to tests in dry condition and in deionized water, aged at
      37 degrees C for 30 days. Prepared silanized and non-silanized nHAP were analyzed
      with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron
      Spectroscopy (XPS). The micro-hardness and water sorption were evaluated. Data
      were analyzed by one-way ANOVA (p<0.05). The samples were characterized by FTIR
      Spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric Analysis and Differential Scanning Calorimetry.
      The surface morphology of sample surfaces was examined by Scanning Electron
      Microscope (SEM). The results showed that the water sorption for nHAP fillers
      reinforced resins was significantly lower than unfilled resins. Surface hardness
      for resins reinforced with silane treated fillers was superior to unfilled and
      untreated fillers resins. The resin matrix loaded with 30wt% silanized-nHAP
      fillers would improve the physical and mechanical properties of a bis-GMA based
      resin. 

PMID- 26479429
TI  - Flavonoids from Pronephrium megacuspe.
AB  - A chemical investigation of the whole plant of Pronephrium megacuspe (Bak.)
      Holtt. led to the isolation of four flavonoids, pronephrones A-D (1-4), which
      were firstly reported. The chemical structures of four compounds were established
      using spectroscopic methods. These isolates were further evaluated for
      cytotoxicity to ovarian cells of Spodoptera litura Fabricius. 

PMID- 26479430
TI  - Glycerin esterification of scum derived free fatty acids for biodiesel
      production.
AB  - Scum is an oily waste stream of the wastewater treatment process that can be used
      to produce biodiesel. Combining acid hydrolysis and solvent extraction, a free
      fatty acid and acyl-glycerol rich product was produced. Free fatty acids (FFAs)
      present were converted to acyl-glycols via a high temperature (238 degrees C)
      glycerin esterification process known as glycerolysis. The inorganic catalysts
      zinc aluminum oxide and sodium sulfate were tested during glycerolysis to compare
      the reaction kinetics of converting FFA to acyl-glycerols. It was concluded that
      the zinc-based catalyst increased the reaction rate significantly, from a "k"
      value of 2.57 (uncatalyzed) to 5.63, completing the reaction in 60min, half the
      time it took the uncatalyzed reaction (120min). Sodium sulfate's presence however
      slowed the reaction, resulting in a "k" value of 1.45, completing the reaction in
      180min. Use of the external catalyst Zn-Al2O3 showed the greatest catalytic
      potential, but also assumes additional costs. 

PMID- 26479431
TI  - Enhancement of aerobic biodegradability potential of municipal waste activated
      sludge by ultrasonic aided bacterial disintegration.
AB  - An investigation was performed to study the influence of ultrasonic aided
      bacterial disintegration on the aerobic degradability of sludge. In first phase
      of the study, effective floc disruption was achieved at an ultrasonic specific
      energy input of 2.45kJ/kg TS with 44.5mg/L of Extracellular Polymeric Substance
      (EPS) release including 0.035U/mL and 0.025U/mL protease and amylase activity
      respectively. In second phase, experimental outcomes revealed bacterial
      disintegration of floc disrupted-sludge showing a maximum solubilization of about
      23% and was observed to be superior to bacterially disintegrated (11%) and
      control (6%), respectively. The result of aerobic biodegradability of ultrasonic
      aided bacterially pretreated sludge showed volatile solids (VS) degradation of
      about 40.2%. The kinetic study of aerobic biodegradability through non linear
      regression modelling reveals that floc disrupted sludge showed better
      biodegradability with decay constant of about 0.19d(-1) relatively higher than
      the control (0.14d(-1)) and bacterially disintegrated (0.17d(-1)) sludges. 

PMID- 26479432
TI  - Influence of an oxic settling anoxic system on biomass yield, protozoa and
      filamentous bacteria.
AB  - An oxic settling anoxic system coupled with an activated sludge process has been
      studied to reduce sewage sludge production. The reduction of sludge yield, excess
      sludge production and active biomass yield were 51.7%, 52.9% and 67.1%,
      respectively, compared with the control system. The oxic reactor of the oxic
      settling anoxic system, even with a lower active biomass concentration than the
      oxic reactor of control system, showed a higher metabolic activity in their
      active biomass. Diversity and crawling ciliates group have been shown as
      promising bioindicators of active biomass yield reduction. The identification of
      floc-forming bacteria in the control system suggested that oxic settling anoxic
      system will improve settling properties compared to a Conventional Activated
      Sludge process.

PMID- 26479433
TI  - Cervix removal at the time of hysterectomy: factors affecting patients' choice
      and effect on subsequent sexual function.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify factors that influence the decision-making process on the
      type of hysterectomy (total or supracervical) and the impact of surgery of
      subsequent sexual function. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken
      on 212 women who underwent total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) or laparoscopic
      supracervical hysterectomy (LSH) for benign conditions at the Division of
      Minimally Invasive Gynecology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA, USA.
      We analyzed the factors that patients considered in their decision-making
      process, their sexual function after surgery and their satisfaction with the
      surgery overall. Demographic and perioperative outcomes were also collected.
      RESULTS: A total of 115 women answered the survey, for a response rate of 54.24%.
      The patients who underwent LSH (n=54) and TLH (n=61) were overall similar in
      terms of baseline factors and perioperative outcomes. Patients reported that the
      physician was the main source of information regarding decision to remove or
      retain the cervix (79.13%). The physicians' recommendation was viewed as very or
      extremely important (83.68%) to the decision-making process, followed by concerns
      regarding their future sex life (51.09%). Almost half of the women reported that
      hysterectomy had no impact on sexual function. No statistically significant
      differences were seen between groups regarding satisfaction with sexual function
      (p=.822), impact on sexual function (p=.753) or recommendation of this surgery to
      other women (p=.505). CONCLUSION: Concerns about sexual health were important to
      women when considering the type of hysterectomy to undergo. Cervix removal or
      retention at the time of hysterectomy did not impact women's sexual function
      after mean follow-up of 15.2 months.

PMID- 26479434
TI  - Results from the International Consensus Conference on Myo-inositol and d-chiro
      inositol in Obstetrics and Gynecology: the link between metabolic syndrome and
      PCOS.
AB  - In recent years, interest has been focused to the study of the two major inositol
      stereoisomers: myo-inositol (MI) and d-chiro-inositol (DCI), because of their
      involvement, as second messengers of insulin, in several insulin-dependent
      processes, such as metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome. Although
      these molecules have different functions, very often their roles have been
      confused, while the meaning of several observations still needs to be interpreted
      under a more rigorous physiological framework. With the aim of clarifying this
      issue, the 2013 International Consensus Conference on MI and DCI in Obstetrics
      and Gynecology identified opinion leaders in all fields related to this area of
      research. They examined seminal experimental papers and randomized clinical
      trials reporting the role and the use of inositol(s) in clinical practice. The
      main topics were the relation between inositol(s) and metabolic syndrome,
      polycystic ovary syndrome (with a focus on both metabolic and reproductive
      aspects), congenital anomalies, gestational diabetes. Clinical trials
      demonstrated that inositol(s) supplementation could fruitfully affect different
      pathophysiological aspects of disorders pertaining Obstetrics and Gynecology. The
      treatment of PCOS women as well as the prevention of GDM seem those clinical
      conditions which take more advantages from MI supplementation, when used at a
      dose of 2g twice/day. The clinical experience with MI is largely superior to the
      one with DCI. However, the existence of tissue-specific ratios, namely in the
      ovary, has prompted researchers to recently develop a treatment based on both
      molecules in the proportion of 40 (MI) to 1 (DCI). 

PMID- 26479435
TI  - Romanian adolescents' knowledge and attitudes towards human papillomavirus
      infection and prophylactic vaccination.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Since licensure of HPV vaccine in 2006, HPV vaccine coverage among
      Romanian adolescents remains worryingly low. The objectives of the study were to
      assess the knowledge and attitudes towards HPV infection and vaccination among
      Romanian adolescents and to explore the barriers to HPV vaccination with a view
      to developing strategies for expanding primary HPV infection prevention. STUDY
      DESIGN: This study was conducted in Bucharest between April and June 2015. A
      total of 524 adolescents aged 16-18 years old were recruited from the first two
      general highschools in Bucharest (according to the admission grade) and completed
      a self-administered questionnaire including demographics, HPV related and
      Papanicolau smear test knowledge. Odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals were
      used to identify the strength of association. Logistic regression analysis was
      used to identify the effect of demographic characteristics on the level of
      knowledge and HPV vaccination rate. Associations were considered statistically
      significant at p<0.05. RESULTS: Of the adolescents interviewed, a very small
      proportion had heard of HPV infection, HPV vaccine and Papanicolau smear test,
      that is, 20.22%, 67.92% and 22.9%, respectively. The overall vaccination rate for
      this group was 2.3%. The most common reason for not receiving the HPV vaccine was
      the lack of information (80.6%) followed by parents' concerns regarding safety
      (11%), fear of pain (5.59%) and not being sexually active (2.7%). However, 97.7%
      of the respondents declared interest in receiving more information about HPV.
      According to demographic characteristics, age at first sexual intercourse over 16
      years old, monthly household income over one thousand euros and self-perceived
      good relationship with family members were statistically associated on a
      multivariate logistic regression analysis with a high HPV knowledge score and
      rate of vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows a low level of knowledge about
      HPV infection and prophylactic vaccination among Romanian adolescents which may
      be one of the most important factors for the alarmingly low HPV vaccination rate.
      We specifically call for HPV knowledge and awareness programs; the implication of
      health professionals, Romanian media and family members should be included as a
      centrepiece in the effort to inform this vulnerable population group.

PMID- 26479436
TI  - Power Doppler flow mapping and four-dimensional ultrasound for evaluating tubal
      patency compared with laparoscopy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study the accuracy of four-dimensional (4D) ultrasound and power
      Doppler flow mapping in detecting tubal patency in women with sub-/infertility,
      and compare it with laparoscopy and chromopertubation. STUDY DESIGN: A
      prospective study. The study was performed in the outpatient clinic and
      infertility unit of a university hospital. The sonographic team and laparoscopic
      team were blinded to the results of each other. Women aged younger than 43 years
      seeking medical advice due to primary or secondary infertility and who planned to
      have a diagnostic laparoscopy performed, were recruited to the study after
      signing an informed consent. All of the recruited patients had power Doppler flow
      mapping and 4D hysterosalpingo-sonography by injecting sterile saline into the
      fallopian tubes 1 day before surgery. Registering Doppler signals, while using
      power Doppler, both at the tubal ostia and fimbrial end and the ability to
      demonstrate the course of the tube especially the isthmus and fimbrial end, while
      using 4D mode, was considered a patent tube. RESULTS: Out of 50 recruited
      patients, 33 women had bilateral patent tubes and five had unilateral patent
      tubes as shown by chromopertubation during diagnostic laparoscopy. Sensitivity,
      specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV),
      and accuracy for two-dimensional power Doppler hysterosalpingography were 94.4%,
      100%, 100%, 89.2%, and 96.2%, respectively and for 4D ultrasound were 70.4%,
      100%, 100%, 70.4%, and 82.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Four-dimensional saline
      hysterosalpingography has acceptable accuracy in detecting tubal patency, but is
      surpassed by power Doppler saline hysterosalpingography. Power Doppler saline
      hysterosalpingography could be incorporated into the routine sub-/infertility
      workup.

PMID- 26479437
TI  - Systemic lupus erythematosus: review of synthetic drugs.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Synthetic drugs are prescribed for nearly all patients with
      systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a multisystem autoimmune disease, to
      ameliorate symptoms and positively influence outcome. While only 2 biologic
      agents have been approved for the treatment of SLE, synthetic drugs are still the
      mainstay of therapy in SLE. The highly variable and unpredictable course of SLE
      poses a challenge for physicians as to what drug(s) should be prescribed for
      which patient. AREAS COVERED: Previous and recent studies have evaluated several
      synthetic drugs in the treatment of SLE. This article reviews currently available
      evidence for the efficacy and safety of synthetic drugs in SLE and discusses
      future treatment perspectives. EXPERT OPINION: Hydroxychloroquine should be
      considered an anchor drug in SLE because of the multiple beneficial effects of
      this agent. When patients present with persistent disease activity despite
      hydroxychloroquine therapy or need higher dosages and/or prolonged use of
      glucocorticoids (GCs), additional immunosuppressants should be promptly
      prescribed. Based on available evidence, azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil
      are the drugs of first choice. Determination of a 'safe' GC dose for chronic
      daily use is of major importance and should be subject of further studies in
      large patient populations.

PMID- 26479438
TI  - MicroRNAs regulate the immunometabolic response to viral infection in the liver.
AB  - Immune regulation of cellular metabolism can be responsible for successful
      responses to invading pathogens. Viruses alter their hosts' cellular metabolism
      to facilitate infection. Conversely, the innate antiviral responses of mammalian
      cells target these metabolic pathways to restrict viral propagation. We
      identified miR-130b and miR-185 as hepatic microRNAs (miRNAs) whose expression is
      stimulated by 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC), an antiviral oxysterol secreted by
      interferon-stimulated macrophages and dendritic cells, during hepatitis C virus
      (HCV) infection. However, 25-HC only directly stimulated miR-185 expression,
      whereas HCV regulated miR-130b expression. Independently, miR-130b and miR-185
      inhibited HCV infection. In particular, miR-185 significantly restricted host
      metabolic pathways crucial to the HCV life cycle. Interestingly, HCV infection
      decreased miR-185 and miR-130b levels to promote lipid accumulation and
      counteract 25-HC's antiviral effect. Furthermore, miR-185 can inhibit other
      viruses through the regulation of immunometabolic pathways. These data establish
      these microRNAs as a key link between innate defenses and metabolism in the
      liver. 

PMID- 26479440
TI  - Chemical libraries: How dark is HTS dark matter?

PMID- 26479439
TI  - Mapping the energy landscape for second-stage folding of a single membrane
      protein.
AB  - Membrane proteins are designed to fold and function in a lipid membrane, yet
      folding experiments within a native membrane environment are challenging to
      design. Here we show that single-molecule forced unfolding experiments can be
      adapted to study helical membrane protein folding under native-like bicelle
      conditions. Applying force using magnetic tweezers, we find that a transmembrane
      helix protein, Escherichia coli rhomboid protease GlpG, unfolds in a highly
      cooperative manner, largely unraveling as one physical unit in response to
      mechanical tension above 25 pN. Considerable hysteresis is observed, with
      refolding occurring only at forces below 5 pN. Characterizing the energy
      landscape reveals only modest thermodynamic stability (DeltaG = 6.5 kBT) but a
      large unfolding barrier (21.3 kBT) that can maintain the protein in a folded
      state for long periods of time (t1/2 ~3.5 h). The observed energy landscape may
      have evolved to limit the existence of troublesome partially unfolded states and
      impart rigidity to the structure. 

PMID- 26479441
TI  - Dark chemical matter as a promising starting point for drug lead discovery.
AB  - High-throughput screening (HTS) is an integral part of early drug discovery.
      Herein, we focused on those small molecules in a screening collection that have
      never shown biological activity despite having been exhaustively tested in HTS
      assays. These compounds are referred to as 'dark chemical matter' (DCM). We
      quantified DCM, validated it in quality control experiments, described its
      physicochemical properties and mapped it into chemical space. Through analysis of
      prospective reporter-gene assay, gene expression and yeast chemogenomics
      experiments, we evaluated the potential of DCM to show biological activity in
      future screens. We demonstrated that, despite the apparent lack of activity,
      occasionally these compounds can result in potent hits with unique activity and
      clean safety profiles, which makes them valuable starting points for lead
      optimization efforts. Among the identified DCM hits was a new antifungal
      chemotype with strong activity against the pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans but
      little activity at targets relevant to human safety. 

PMID- 26479442
TI  - Polyketide synthase chimeras reveal key role of ketosynthase domain in chain
      branching.
AB  - Biosynthesis of rhizoxin in Burkholderia rhizoxinica affords an unusual
      polyketide synthase module with ketosynthase and branching domains that install
      the delta-lactone, conferring antimitotic activity. To investigate their
      functions in chain branching, we designed chimeric modules with structurally
      similar domains from a glutarimide-forming module and a dehydratase. Biochemical,
      kinetic and mutational analyses reveal a structural role of the accessory domains
      and multifarious catalytic actions of the ketosynthase. 

PMID- 26479443
TI  - Epstein-Barr virus LMP1 induces focal adhesions and epithelial cell migration
      through effects on integrin-alpha5 and N-cadherin.
AB  - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a gamma-herpesvirus associated with human epithelial
      and B-cell malignancies. The EBV latent membrane protein (LMP) 1 is expressed in
      nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and promotes oncogenic intracellular signaling
      mechanisms. LMP1 also promotes a pro-migratory phenotype through potential
      effects on cell surface proteins, as expression of LMP1 induces an epithelial
      mesenchymal transition (EMT) in epithelial cell lines. In this study, LMP1 was
      examined for potential effects on cadherin and integrin surface interactions, and
      assessed for biological effects on adhesion and motility to fibronectin.
      Expression of LMP1 in the non-tumorigenic epithelial cell line MCF10a induced an
      EMT-associated cadherin switch. The induced N-cadherin was ligated and localized
      to the cell surface as determined by triton-solubility and immunofluorescence
      assays. In addition, LMP1 induced the assembly of focal adhesions (FAs) with
      increased production of fibronectin in MCF10a and NP460hTERT-immortalized
      nasopharyngeal cells. Biochemical enrichment of fibronectin-associated proteins
      indicated that LMP1 selectively promoted the recruitment of integrin-alpha5 and
      Src family kinase proteins to FA complexes. Neutralizing antibodies to N-cadherin
      and integrin-alpha5, but not integrin-alphaV, blocked the adhesion and transwell
      motility of MCF10a cells to fibronectin induced by LMP1. LMP1-induced transwell
      motility was also decreased by Src inhibition with the PP2 kinase inhibitor and
      short hairpin RNAs. These studies reveal that LMP1 has multiple mechanisms to
      promote the adhesive and migratory properties of epithelial cells through
      induction of fibronectin and modulation of cell surface interactions involving
      integrin-alpha5 and N-cadherin, which may contribute to the metastatic potential
      of NPC. 

PMID- 26479444
TI  - Nodes-and-connections RNAi knockdown screening: identification of a signaling
      molecule network involved in fulvestrant action and breast cancer prognosis.
AB  - Although RNA interference (RNAi) knockdown screening of cancer cell cultures is
      an effective approach to predict drug targets or therapeutic/prognostic
      biomarkers, interactions among identified targets often remain obscure. Here, we
      introduce the nodes-and-connections RNAi knockdown screening that generates a map
      of target interactions through systematic iterations of in silico prediction of
      targets and their experimental validation. An initial RNAi knockdown screening of
      MCF-7 human breast cancer cells targeting 6560 proteins identified four signaling
      molecules required for their fulvestrant-induced apoptosis. Signaling molecules
      physically or functionally interacting with these four primary node targets were
      computationally predicted and experimentally validated, resulting in
      identification of four second-generation nodes. Three rounds of further
      iterations of the prediction-validation cycle generated third, fourth and fifth
      generation of nodes, completing a 19-node interaction map that contained three
      predicted nodes but without experimental validation because of technical
      limitations. The interaction map involved all three members of the death
      associated protein kinases (DAPKs) as well as their upstream and downstream
      signaling molecules (calmodulins and myosin light chain kinases), suggesting that
      DAPKs play critical roles in the cytocidal action of fulvestrant. The in silico
      Kaplan-Meier analysis of previously reported human breast cancer cohorts
      demonstrated significant prognostic predictive power for five of the
      experimentally validated nodes and for three of the prediction-only nodes.
      Immunohistochemical studies on the expression of 10 nodal proteins in human
      breast cancer tissues not only supported their prognostic prediction power but
      also provided statistically significant evidence of their synchronized
      expression, implying functional interactions among these nodal proteins. Thus,
      the Nodes-and-Connections approach to RNAi knockdown screening yields
      biologically meaningful outcomes by taking advantage of the existing knowledge of
      the physical and functional interactions between the predicted target genes. The
      resulting interaction maps provide useful information on signaling pathways
      cooperatively involved in clinically important features of the malignant cells,
      such as drug resistance. 

PMID- 26479445
TI  - Resonance light scattering determination of 6-mercaptopurine coupled with HPLC
      technique.
AB  - A simple, fast, costless, sensitive and selective method of resonance light
      scattering coupled with HPLC was established for the determination of 6
      mercaptopurine in human urine sample. In a Britton-Robinson buffer solution of
      pH5.5, the formation of coordination complex between 6-mercaptopurine and metal
      palladium (II) led to enhance the RLS intensity of the system. The RLS signal was
      detected by fluorescence detector at lambda(ex)=lambda(em)=315 nm. The analytical
      parameters were provided by the coupled system, the linear of 6-mercaptopurine
      response from 0.0615 to 2.40 MUg L(-1) and the limit of detection (S/N=3) was
      0.05 MUg L(-1). The presented method has been applied to determine 6
      mercaptopurine in human urine samples which obtained satisfactory results.
      Moreover, the reaction mechanism and possible reasons for enhancement of RLS were
      fully discussed.

PMID- 26479446
TI  - Oxidative Cross-Coupling of sp(3)- and sp(2)-Hybridized C-H Bonds: Vanadium
      Catalyzed Aminomethylation of Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines.
AB  - The vanadium-catalyzed oxidative coupling of substituted 2-arylimidiazo[1,2
      a]pyridines to N-methylmorpholine oxide, which acts as both a coupling partner
      and an oxidant, has been achieved. This reaction was applied to various
      substituted imidiazo[1,2-a]pyridine and indole substrates, resulting in yields as
      high as 90%. Mechanistic investigations indicate that the reaction may proceed
      via a Mannich-type process. This work demonstrates how oxidative aminomethylation
      can be used as a useful method to introduce tertiary amines into heterocycles,
      thus providing an alternative method for conventional Mannich-type reactions. 

PMID- 26479447
TI  - Physicochemical Properties and in Vitro Digestibility of Cooked Regular and
      Nondarkening Cranberry Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and Their Effects on
      Bioaccessibility, Phenolic Composition, and Antioxidant Activity.
AB  - Cranberry beans from regular (RR) and nondarkening (CND) genotypes were pressure
      cooked, and free, conjugated, and bound phenolics were analyzed. Simulated in
      vitro gastrointestinal digestion was used to assess the bioaccessibility of these
      phenolic fractions. Total phenolic content decreased after cooking and digestion,
      whereas individual phenolic compounds were affected differently. Cooking
      significantly increased the release of bound ferulic and sinapic acids and
      flavanols, whereas digestion released p-coumaric, ferulic, and sinapic acids in
      both genotypes, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid, epicatechin, and catechin in only RR.
      Bioaccessibility of phenolics in RR and CND was 8.75 and 14.69%, respectively.
      Difference in total phenolics was smaller after digestion, and enzymes
      potentially secreted by colonic bacteria released similar amounts of phenolic
      acids in both varieties. Resistant and slowly digestible starch contents showed
      no differences between RR and CND. These results suggest that the lower phenolic
      content in raw CND may not completely negate its impact on gut health. 

PMID- 26479448
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26479449
TI  - Design of Microporous Material HUS-10 with Tunable Hydrophilicity, Molecular
      Sieving, and CO2 Adsorption Ability Derived from Interlayer Silylation of Layered
      Silicate HUS-2.
AB  - The attractive properties of zeolites, which make them suitable for numerous
      applications for the energy and chemical industries and for life sciences, are
      derived from their crystalline framework structures. Herein, we describe the
      rational synthesis of a microporous material, HUS-10, utilizing a layered
      silicate precursor, HUS-2, as a structural building unit. For the ordered
      micropores to be formed, interlayer pillars that supported the original silicate
      layer of HUS-2 were immobilized through the interlayer silylation of silanol
      groups with trichloromethylsilane and a subsequent dehydration-condensation
      reaction of the hydroxyl groups on the preintroduced tetrahedral units. An actual
      molecular sieving ability, enabling the adsorption of molecules smaller than
      ethane, was confirmed in the ordered micropores of HUS-10. The hydrophilic
      adsorption could also be controlled by changing the number of methyl and hydroxyl
      groups in the immobilized interlayer pillars. In addition, when the adsorption
      behaviors of CO2, CH4, and N2 on HUS-10 were compared to those on siliceous MFI
      and CDO zeolites with approximately the same pore diameter, the CO2 adsorption
      capacity of HUS-10 was comparable. Conversely, because of the adsorption
      inhibition of CH4 and N2, HUS-10 exhibited larger CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 adsorption
      ratios relative to those of MFI and CDO zeolites. These results reveal that the
      unique microporous framework structure presented by the rational structural
      design using the layered silicate precursor HUS-2 has the potential to separate
      CO2 from gas mixtures. 

PMID- 26479450
TI  - Acute renal failure in critically ill newborns increases the risk of death: a
      prospective observational study from India.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence and risk factors of acute renal failure
      (ARF) in hospitalized critically ill neonates and analyze outcome of all neonates
      with renal failure in relation to risk factors. MATERIAL & METHODS: In this
      prospective observational study 815 infants were enrolled. Renal profile (blood
      urea and serum creatinine) was done after 12 h of life (or at the time of
      admission for outborn babies) and then every 12 hourly. Daily 24 h urine output
      was evaluated. RESULTS: Incidence of renal failure in critically ill neonates was
      10.67%. Out of 87 ARF neonates 52 (60%) expired. Mortality in the renal failure
      group was significantly higher in comparison to control group (p < 0.01). Non
      oliguric renal failure was more common than oliguric renal failure, but mortality
      in the oliguric renal failure group was more. Neonatal sepsis was the most common
      cause of ARF. Eight neonates underwent peritoneal dialysis (PD) out of which
      there were seven neonatal deaths. CONCLUSION: Prognosis of neonates with ARF
      requiring PD was very poor. It can thus be concluded that the health care
      personal should do rapid diagnosis of ARF in neonates with potential risk factors
      and also goal at an early and effective treatment of these risk factors in
      neonates with ARF.

PMID- 26479451
TI  - Distribution and congener profiles of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in
      indoor/outdoor glass window surface films and their film-air partitioning in
      Beijing, China.
AB  - Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are a group of n-alkanes with carbon
      chain length of 10-13. In this work, paired indoor/outdoor samples of organic
      films on window glass surfaces from urban buildings in Beijing, China, were
      collected to measure the concentrations and congener distributions of SCCPs. The
      total SCCP levels ranged from 337 ng/m(2) to 114 MUg/m(2), with total organic
      carbon (TOC) normalized concentrations of 365 MUg/m(2)-365 mg/m(2). Overall, the
      concentrations of SCCPs on the interior films were higher than the concentrations
      on the exterior films, suggesting an important indoor environmental exposure of
      SCCPs to the general public. A significant linear relationship was found between
      the SCCP concentrations and TOC, with a correlation coefficient of R = 0.34 (p <
      0.01). A film-air partitioning model suggests that the indoor gas-phase SCCPs are
      related to their corresponding window film levels.

PMID- 26479452
TI  - Toxicity of TiO2 nanoparticle to denitrifying strain CFY1 and the impact on
      microbial community structures in activated sludge.
AB  - The antibacterial activity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) is well
      described, but little is known of their impact on specific microbial functions
      such as denitrification, nor on microbial community structure. In this study, a
      denitrifier (named as Pseudomonas stutzeri CFY1), which was isolated from the
      activated sludge and could remove up to 111.68 mg/L of NO3(-)-N under aerobic
      conditions, was utilized to evaluate the influences of TiO2 NPs on its nitrogen
      removal ability and associated gene expression under aerobic conditions. The
      variations of the bacterial diversity of activated sludge were also observed. The
      results showed that antibacterial activity increased with increasing
      concentrations of TiO2 NPs. Increased production of reactive oxygen species was
      responsible for TiO2 NPs toxicity. An up-regulation of denitrification genes was
      observed with increasing concentrations of TiO2 NPs under aerobic conditions.
      Accordingly, denitrification by P. stutzeri was accelerated when the
      concentration of TiO2 NPs was increased to 50 mg/L. However, the denitrification
      of CFY1 was inhibited at low concentrations of TiO2 NPs (5-25 mg/L), indicating
      that assimilatory and dissimilatory denitrification were synchronized in P.
      stutzeri CFY1; the latter process plays a major role in denitrification. Further
      study of the community using 454 pyrosequencing showed that after 7 days of
      exposure to 50 mg/L TiO2 NPs, the microbial composition of the activated sludge
      was significantly different and had a lower diversity compared to the controls.

PMID- 26479453
TI  - Vitellogenin expression in wild cyprinid Petroleuciscus esfahani as a biomarker
      of endocrine disruption along the Zayandeh Roud River, Iran.
AB  - Aquatic environments are the ultimate sink for most of anthropogenic pollutants.
      The Zayandeh Roud River is the most important river in the central Iranian
      Plateau, supplying water to a large population. In order to determine the
      potential occurrence and in vivo effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)
      with estrogenic or anti-androgenic properties we analyzed the wild populations of
      an extensively distributed endemic fish species, Petroleuciscus esfahani. For
      this purpose, specimens were caught from two sites upstream and two sites
      downstream of the expected major anthropogenic pollution sources. P. esfahani
      full-length cDNAs for vitellogenin (vtg), with 4177 base pairs (bp) encoding a
      1339 amino acids (aa), and for beta-actin (actb), with 1776 bp encoding a 375 aa,
      were amplified and cloned. Hepatic vtg mRNA expression levels were measured by
      quantitative real-time PCR. Condition factor, gonadosomatic index and sex ratio
      were calculated and compared with vtg expression. Gonad histology was performed
      to study the possible presence of intersex condition. Detection of vtg
      transcripts in male individuals from the two downstream sampling sites supports
      the hypothesis of exposure to EDCs in these regions. Higher vtg expression in
      male individuals, together with reduced gonad size and condition factor, in
      specimens from the site located downstream of the major steel mill plant suggest
      a major endocrine disruption in this area.

PMID- 26479454
TI  - Three-Dimensional Printing of Hollow-Struts-Packed Bioceramic Scaffolds for Bone
      Regeneration.
AB  - Three-dimensional printing technologies have shown distinct advantages to create
      porous scaffolds with designed macropores for application in bone tissue
      engineering. However, until now, 3D-printed bioceramic scaffolds only possessing
      a single type of macropore have been reported. Generally, those scaffolds with a
      single type of macropore have relatively low porosity and pore surfaces, limited
      delivery of oxygen and nutrition to surviving cells, and new bone tissue
      formation in the center of the scaffolds. Therefore, in this work, we present a
      useful and facile method for preparing hollow-struts-packed (HSP) bioceramic
      scaffolds with designed macropores and multioriented hollow channels via a
      modified coaxial 3D printing strategy. The prepared HSP scaffolds combined high
      porosity and surface area with impressive mechanical strength. The unique hollow
      struts structures of bioceramic scaffolds significantly improved cell attachment
      and proliferation and further promoted formation of new bone tissue in the center
      of the scaffolds, indicating that HSP ceramic scaffolds can be used for
      regeneration of large bone defects. In addition, the strategy can be used to
      prepare other HSP ceramic scaffolds, indicating a universal application for
      tissue engineering, mechanical engineering, catalysis, and environmental
      materials. 

PMID- 26479455
TI  - Estimating the Prevalence of Heat-Related Symptoms and Sun Safety-Related
      Behavior among Latino Farmworkers in Eastern North Carolina.
AB  - In hot weather, thermal heat generated by the body, combined with environmental
      heat from the sun, can lead outdoor workers to experience heat-related stress,
      severe illness, or even death. The aims of this study were to estimate the
      prevalence of heat-related symptoms and potential risk factors associated with
      sun safety-related behavior among Latino farmworkers. Data from interviewer
      administered questionnaires were collected from a cross-sectional survey among
      farmworkers (N = 158) from August to September 2013. Data analysis assessed
      associations between work activities, sun safety behavior, and the prevalence of
      heat-related illness (HRI) symptoms among workers. Nearly two thirds (72%) of
      farmworkers experienced at least one HRI symptom and lacked proper cooling
      methods when working outdoors. Most workers reported wearing long-sleeved shirts
      (85%), long pants (98%), and baseball caps (93%). The prevalence of having one
      HRI symptom was 72% and 27% among workers having three or more HRI symptoms. The
      majority of farmworkers experience symptoms of HRI and are not provided with
      proper shade protection when working outdoors. Increased emphasis on
      administrative controls, particularly educating field supervisors and workers on
      how to avoid and recognize HRI, should be a priority. 

PMID- 26479456
TI  - Evaluating pictogram prediction in a location-aware augmentative and alternative
      communication system.
AB  - This study compared the performance of two statistical location-aware pictogram
      prediction mechanisms, with an all-purpose (All) pictogram prediction mechanism,
      having no location knowledge. The All approach had a unique language model under
      all locations. One of the location-aware alternatives, the location-specific
      (Spec) approach, made use of specific language models for pictogram prediction in
      each location of interest. The other location-aware approach resulted from
      combining the Spec and the All approaches, and was designated the mixed approach
      (Mix). In this approach, the language models acquired knowledge from all
      locations, but a higher relevance was assigned to the vocabulary from the
      associated location. Results from simulations showed that the Mix and Spec
      approaches could only outperform the baseline in a statistically significant way
      if pictogram users reuse more than 50% and 75% of their sentences, respectively.
      Under low sentence reuse conditions there were no statistically significant
      differences between the location-aware approaches and the All approach. Under
      these conditions, the Mix approach performed better than the Spec approach in a
      statistically significant way.

PMID- 26479457
TI  - Binding of Short Cationic Peptides (KX)4K to Negatively Charged DPPG Monolayers:
      Competition between Electrostatic and Hydrophobic Interactions.
AB  - The influence of the peptide sequence on the binding of short cationic peptides
      composed of five lysines alternating with uncharged amino acids within the series
      (KX)4K to negatively charged monolayers of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phosphoglycerol (DPPG) was investigated by adsorption experiments in combination
      with epifluorescence microscopy. To evaluate the impact of electrostatic and
      hydrophobic contributions, different uncharged amino acids X with increasing
      hydrophobicity, where X = G (glycine), A (alanine), Abu (alpha-aminobutyric
      acid), V (valine), or L (leucine) were introduced into the peptide sequence to
      tune the peptide hydrophobicity. The adsorption kinetics of these peptides to a
      DPPG monolayer always showed two superimposed processes, one leading to an
      increase and another to a decrease of the surface pressure Pi. Thus, the plots of
      the change in Pi after peptide binding vs initial surface pressure of the
      monolayer showed an unusual behavior with maxima and negative changes in Pi at
      high initial Pi values. Epifluorescence microscopy confirmed that electrostatic
      binding of the peptides with a concomitant decrease in Pi leads to a condensation
      of the lipid monolayer and the formation of liquid-condensed (LC) domains even at
      Pi values where the monolayer is supposedly in the liquid-expanded (LE) state. An
      increase in hydrophobicity of the amino acid X was found to counteract the
      condensation and an increase in Pi upon peptide binding is observed at low Pi
      values, also concomitant with the formation of LC-domains. Compression of
      monolayers after peptide adsorption at low surface pressure for 4 h leads to a
      change of the isotherms compared to pure DPPG isotherms. The phase transition of
      DPPG from LE to LC state is smeared out or is shifted to higher surface pressure.
      Considerable changes in the shapes of LC-domains were observed after peptide
      binding. Growth of the LC-domains was hindered in most cases and regular domain
      patterns were formed. Binding of (KL)4K leads to a decrease in line tension and
      the formation of extended filaments protruding from initially circular domains. 

PMID- 26479458
TI  - Pesticide Exposures and Body Mass Index (BMI) of Pesticide Applicators From the
      Agricultural Health Study.
AB  - Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including pesticides, may be associated with
      weight gain. This is the first longitudinal study to examine a potential
      association between weight gain and pesticides using data on 8,365 male pesticide
      applicators from the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) cohort established in 1993.
      The relationship between total cumulative days of exposure to pesticide
      functional/chemical classes and to the four most frequently used individual
      pesticides was studied in relation to body mass index (BMI) at the time of 5-yr
      follow-up (beginning in 1998) with the length of the exposure period dating back
      to age 20 yr. Multiple regression, Spearman correlation, ordinal logistic
      regression, and logistic regression models all utilized a Bonferroni-adjusted p
      value, were adjusted for relevant covariates, and were stratified by state of
      residence (Iowa/North Carolina) and presence/absence of weight-related health
      conditions. Adjusted multiple regression yielded statistically significant
      positive parameter estimates for the study sample and Iowa subgroups with
      consistent findings for triazine herbicides and atrazine: Change in BMI per 100
      cumulative pesticide exposure days ranged from 0.07 to 0.11 for triazine
      herbicides and from 0.10 to 0.19 for atrazine. Ordinal logistic regression
      compared normal weight with overweight and with obese using the zero exposure
      category as referent. Statistically significant adjusted odds ratios identified
      for the study sample and both state subgroups for the highest level of atrazine
      exposure ranged from 1.4 to 1.7. Further investigation is warranted to evaluate
      the associations identified here. 

PMID- 26479459
TI  - Bifunctional Nitrogen-Doped Microporous Carbon Microspheres Derived from Poly(o
      methylaniline) for Oxygen Reduction and Supercapacitors.
AB  - Heteroatom-doped carbon materials have attracted significant attention because of
      their applications in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and supercapacitors. Here
      we demonstrate a facile poly(o-methylaniline)-derived fabrication of bifunctional
      microporous nitrogen-doped carbon microspheres (NCMSs) with high electrocatalytic
      activity and stability for ORR and energy storage in supercapacitors. At a
      pyrolysis temperature of 900  degrees C, the highly dispersed NCMSs present a
      high surface area (727.1 m(2) g(-1)), proper total content of doping N, and high
      concentration of quaternary N, which exhibit superior electrocatalytic activities
      for ORR to the commercial Pt/C catalysts, high specific capacitance (414 F g(
      1)), and excellent durability, making them very promising for advanced energy
      conversion and storage. The presented conducting polymer-derived strategy may
      provide a new way for the fabrication of heteroatom-doped carbon materials for
      energy device applications. 

PMID- 26479460
TI  - Letrozole versus clomiphene citrate in polycystic ovary syndrome: systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - The objective of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine
      the literature and to identify the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
      comparing the use of letrozole to clomiphene citrate (CC) for ovulation induction
      in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). An exhaustive electronic
      literature search was performed using the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases until
      October 2014. Seven prospective RCTs comparing the use of letrozole to CC in PCOS
      patients met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the seven included studies
      accounted for 1833 patients (906 in the letrozole group and 927 in the CC group)
      and for 4999 ovulation induction cycles (2455 in the letrozole group and 2544 in
      the CC group). Five of the included studies reported data on live birth rates.
      There was a statistically significant increase in the live birth and pregnancy
      rates in the letrozole group when compared to the CC group, with a relative risk
      (RR) = 1.55 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.26-1.90; I(2) = 0%) and RR = 1.38
      (95% CI: 1.05-1.83; I(2) = 61%), respectively. There were no differences in the
      multiple pregnancy, miscarriage and ovulation rates between the two groups. Our
      study found that letrozole is superior to CC when considering the live birth and
      pregnancy rates in patients with PCOS.

PMID- 26479461
TI  - Predictive value of hyperthermia and intracranial hypertension on neurological
      outcomes in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intracranial hypertension (ICH) and hyperthermia are common after
      traumatic brain injury (TBI) and associated with worse neurological outcomes.
      This study sets out to determine the combined power of temperature and
      intracranial pressure (ICP) for predicting neurologic outcomes and prolonged
      length of stay (LOS) following severe TBI. METHODS: High resolution (every 6
      seconds) temperature and ICP data were collected in adults with severe TBI from
      2008-2010. Temperatures were plotted against concurrent ICP and divided based on
      breakpoints (Temperature: <36, 36-38.5 or >38.5  degrees C, ICP: <20, 20-30 or
      >30 mmHg). The percentage of time spent in each section, as well as several
      pooled unfavourable conditions (hyperthermia +/- ICH), were then evaluated for
      predictive value for ICU-LOS > 7 days and short-term (<6 months) vs. long-term
      (>6 months) dichotomized neurologic outcomes. RESULTS: Fifty patients were
      included for analysis with severe TBI. Evaluation of the area under the operating
      receiver curve (AUC) showed significant periods of fever and high ICP (<30 mmHg)
      had a strong association with poor long-term neurological outcomes (Day 3, AUC =
      0.71, p = 0.04) and were higher than either condition alone. ICU-LOS > 7 days was
      increased when hyperthermia and/or ICH remained uncontrolled by Day 5 (AUC =
      0.82, p = 0.02). SUMMARY: Hyperthermia combined with ICH were shown to be
      significant prognostic indicators of future poor neurologic outcomes in patients
      with severe traumatic brain injury.

PMID- 26479462
TI  - Structure-Correlation NMR Spectroscopy for Macromolecules Using Repeated
      Bidirectional Photoisomerization of Azobenzene.
AB  - Control over macromolecular structure offers bright potentials for manipulation
      of macromolecular functions. We here present structure-correlation NMR
      spectroscopy to analyze the correlation between polymorphic macromolecular
      structures driven by photoisomerization of azobenzene. The structural conversion
      of azobenzene was induced within the mixing time of a NOESY experiment using a
      colored light source, and the reverse structural conversion was induced during
      the relaxation delay using a light source of another color. The correlation
      spectrum between trans- and cis-azobenzene was then obtained. To maximize the
      efficiency of the bidirectional photoisomerization of azobenzene-containing
      macromolecules, we developed a novel light-irradiation NMR sample tube and method
      for irradiating target molecules in an NMR radio frequency (rf) coil. When this
      sample tube was used for photoisomerization of an azobenzene derivative at a
      concentration of 0.2 mM, data collection with reasonable sensitivity applicable
      to macromolecules was achieved. We performed isomerization of an azobenzene-cross
      linked peptide within the mixing time of a NOESY experiment that produced cross
      peaks between helix and random-coil forms of the peptide. Thus, these results
      indicate that macromolecular structure manipulation can be incorporated into an
      NMR pulse sequence using an azobenzene derivative and irradiation with light of
      two types of wavelengths, providing a new method for structural analysis of
      metastable states of macromolecules. 

PMID- 26479463
TI  - Pulmonary Hypertension After Heart Transplantation in Patients Bridged with the
      Total Artificial Heart.
AB  - Pulmonary hypertension (PH) among heart transplant recipients is associated with
      an increased risk of mortality. Pulmonary hemodynamics improves after left
      ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation; however, the impact of PH before
      total artificial heart (TAH) implantation on posttransplant hemodynamics and
      survival is unknown. This is a single center retrospective study aimed to
      evaluate the impact of TAH implantation on posttransplant hemodynamics and
      mortality in two groups stratified according to severity of PH: high (>=3 Woods
      units [WU]) and low (<3 WU) baseline pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR).
      Hemodynamic data were obtained from right heart catheterization performed at
      baseline (before TAH) and posttransplant at 1 and 12 months. Patients in the high
      PVR group (n = 12) experienced improvement in PVR (baseline = 4.31 +/- 0.7; 1
      month = 1.69 +/- 0.7, p < 0.001; 12-month = 48 +/- 0.9, p < 0.001) and
      transpulmonary gradient (baseline = 15.8 +/- 3.3; 1-month = 11.57 +/- 5.0, p =
      0.07; 12-month = 8.50 +/- 4.0, p = 0.008) after transplantation, reaching similar
      values as the low PVR group at 12 months. The filling pressures improved in the
      high PVR group after heart transplantation (HT), but remained elevated. There was
      no significant difference in survival between the two groups at 12 months follow
      up. Patients with high PVR who are bridged to transplant with TAH had improvement
      in PVR at 12 months after transplant, and the degree of PVR did not impact
      posttransplant survival. 

PMID- 26479464
TI  - Incidence, Management, and Outcome of Suspected Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular
      Assist Device Thrombosis.
AB  - Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) thrombosis is associated with high
      morbidity and mortality because of device malfunction, embolic events, and
      hemolysis. There remains uncertainty as to whether immediate device exchange
      versus an initial trial of anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy is most
      appropriate in hemodynamically stable patients. We conducted a retrospective
      analysis of all LVAD implantations at a single center between January 2009 and
      June 2013 with follow-up through December 2013. Suspected LVAD thrombosis
      occurred in 20% of patients (N = 25) over a median follow-up of 275 days. Medical
      therapy led to resolution of hemolysis, and discharge to home, in 15 of 25 (60%)
      cases; however, this strategy was associated with intracranial hemorrhage in 4
      patients and readmission with recurrent thrombosis in 10 patients. The 30 day, 6
      month, and 1 year freedom from suspected LVAD thrombosis was 96.5, 85.9, and
      80.3% in HeartMate II devices and 100, 92.9, and 87.1% in HeartWare ventricular
      assist devices, respectively (p = 0.11). Although medical treatment with
      intravenous heparin, antiplatelet agents, antithrombotic agents, or thrombolytic
      therapy can lead to initial resolution of hemolysis, the risks of recurrence
      after transition to warfarin and adverse events are high. 

PMID- 26479465
TI  - Surgical Considerations and Challenges for Bilateral Continuous-Flow Durable
      Device Implantation.
AB  - The concept of biventricular support with durable centrifugal pumps is evolving,
      and the surgical strategy and best practice guidelines for implantation of right
      sided devices are still unknown. We present optimal strategy for bilateral
      HeartWare continuous-flow ventricular assist device (HVAD) implantation in a
      series of four patients. Patients were implanted with the HVAD pumps
      simultaneously or sequentially. This report offers a perspective on surgical
      considerations such as right ventricular positioning, implications related to
      potential risks of obstruction from the tricuspid apparatus, the role if any of
      downsizing the outflow anastomosis, and considerations for speed adjustments. In
      this series, one patient died on support and three patients experienced pump
      thrombosis requiring device revision. All other patients survived until
      orthotopic heart transplantation, although one of these patients died from
      perioperative complications, 2 days posttransplantation. Surgical management of
      patients with medically refractory biventricular heart failure remains
      challenging and associated with a high incidence of pump thrombosis. Best
      practice guidelines from experts' consensus are still needed to address this
      challenging population. 

PMID- 26479466
TI  - Early Results of Novel Bovine Pericardial Patch Using Comprehensive
      Anticalcification Procedure in a Swine Model.
AB  - We evaluated the short-term safety and effectiveness of our comprehensive
      anticalcification procedure in swine model. Our comprehensive anticalcification
      procedure consisted of four steps, including decellularization with sodium
      dodecyl sulfate and tritonX-100, space filler treatment with polyethylene glycol
      (PEG), glutaraldehyde cross-linking with organic solvent, and detoxification with
      glycine. We simultaneously implanted both the commercially available bovine
      pericardial patch (Supple Peri-Guard) and novel bovine pericardial patch
      processed by the comprehensive anticalcification procedure into the main
      pulmonary artery in seven pigs. Every pig underwent a cardiac angiography and was
      killed on the postoperative day 28. The extracted patches were stained with
      hematoxylin and eosin. All pigs survived for 4 weeks without any complication.
      Cardiac angiography showed the absence of leakage and structural problem.
      Neointimas were formed evenly without intimal hyperplasia. There were no
      significant differences in the degree of inflammation, necrosis, and
      calcification between the novel and commercially available patch (p = 0.450, p =
      0.317, p = 0.999). Novel bovine pericardial patch using comprehensive
      anticalcification procedure was similar to existing cardiovascular patch in early
      surgical results in a swine model. The comprehensive anticalcification procedure
      could facilitate appropriate bioprosthetic properties of the bovine pericardium.

PMID- 26479467
TI  - Accuracy of the HVAD Pump Flow Estimation Algorithm.
AB  - Controller algorithms are an important feature for assessment of ventricular
      assist device performance. Flow estimation is one algorithm implemented in the
      HeartWare continuous-flow ventricular assist device pump system. This parameter
      estimates flow passing through the pump and is calculated using speed, current,
      and hematocrit. In vitro and in vivo studies were conducted to assess the
      algorithm accuracy. During in vitro testing, three pumps were tested in four
      water-glycerol solutions at 37 degrees C with viscosities equivalent to
      hematocrits of 20, 30, 40, and 50%. By using a linear regression model, a
      correlation coefficient of >0.94 was observed between measured and estimated flow
      for all conditions. In vivo studies (n = 9) were conducted in an ovine model
      where a reference flow probe was placed on the outflow graft and speed was
      adjusted from 1,800 to 4,000 revolutions per minute. During in vivo experiments,
      estimated pump flow (mean, minimum, and maximum) was compared with measured pump
      flow. The best-fit linear regression equation for the data is y = 0.96x + 0.54, r
      = 0.92. In addition, waveform fidelity was high (r > 0.96) in normal (i.e.,
      nonsuction) cases where flow pulsatility was >2 L/min. The flow estimation
      algorithm demonstrated strong agreement with measured flow, both when analyzing
      average waveform magnitude and fidelity.

PMID- 26479469
TI  - Neural dynamics during repetitive visual stimulation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs), the brain responses to
      repetitive visual stimulation (RVS), are widely utilized in neuroscience. Their
      high signal-to-noise ratio and ability to entrain oscillatory brain activity are
      beneficial for their applications in brain-computer interfaces, investigation of
      neural processes underlying brain rhythmic activity (steady-state topography) and
      probing the causal role of brain rhythms in cognition and emotion. This paper
      aims at analyzing the space and time EEG dynamics in response to RVS at the
      frequency of stimulation and ongoing rhythms in the delta, theta, alpha, beta,
      and gamma bands. APPROACH: We used electroencephalography (EEG) to study the
      oscillatory brain dynamics during RVS at 10 frequencies in the gamma band (40-60
      Hz). We collected an extensive EEG data set from 32 participants and analyzed the
      RVS evoked and induced responses in the time-frequency domain. MAIN RESULTS:
      Stable SSVEP over parieto-occipital sites was observed at each of the fundamental
      frequencies and their harmonics and sub-harmonics. Both the strength and the
      spatial propagation of the SSVEP response seem sensitive to stimulus frequency.
      The SSVEP was more localized around the parieto-occipital sites for higher
      frequencies (>54 Hz) and spread to fronto-central locations for lower
      frequencies. We observed a strong negative correlation between stimulation
      frequency and relative power change at that frequency, the first harmonic and the
      sub-harmonic components over occipital sites. Interestingly, over parietal sites
      for sub-harmonics a positive correlation of relative power change and stimulation
      frequency was found. A number of distinct patterns in delta (1-4 Hz), theta (4-8
      Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz) and beta (15-30 Hz) bands were also observed. The transient
      response, from 0 to about 300 ms after stimulation onset, was accompanied by
      increase in delta and theta power over fronto-central and occipital sites, which
      returned to baseline after approx. 500 ms. During the steady-state response, we
      observed alpha band desynchronization over occipital sites and after 500 ms also
      over frontal sites, while neighboring areas synchronized. The power in beta band
      over occipital sites increased during the stimulation period, possibly caused by
      increase in power at sub-harmonic frequencies of stimulation. Gamma power was
      also enhanced by the stimulation. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings have direct
      implications on the use of RVS and SSVEPs for neural process investigation
      through steady-state topography, controlled entrainment of brain oscillations and
      BCIs. A deep understanding of SSVEP propagation in time and space and the link
      with ongoing brain rhythms is crucial for optimizing the typical SSVEP
      applications for studying, assisting, or augmenting human cognitive and
      sensorimotor function.

PMID- 26479468
TI  - The relationship between exposure to brand-specific alcohol advertising and brand
      specific consumption among underage drinkers--United States, 2011-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Marketing is increasingly recognized as a potentially important
      contributor to youth drinking, yet few studies have examined the relationship
      between advertising exposure and alcohol consumption among underage youth at the
      brand level. OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between brand-specific
      exposure to alcohol advertising among underage youth and the consumption
      prevalence of each brand in a national sample of underage drinkers. METHODS: We
      analyzed the relationship between population-level exposure of underage youth
      ages 12-20 to brand-specific alcohol advertising in national magazines and
      television programs and the 30-day consumption prevalence--by brand--among a
      national sample of underage drinkers ages 13-20. Underage youth exposure to
      alcohol advertising by brand for each month in 2011, measured in gross rating
      points (GRPs, a standard measure of advertising exposure), was obtained from GfK
      MRI (a media consumer research company) and Nielsen for all measured national
      issues of magazines and all national television programs, respectively. The 30
      day consumption prevalence for each brand was obtained from a national survey of
      1031 underage drinkers conducted between December 2011 and May 2012. RESULTS:
      Underage youth were more than five times more likely to consume brands that
      advertise on national television and 36% more likely to consume brands that
      advertise in national magazines. The consumption prevalence of a brand increased
      by 36% for each 1.5 standard deviation (50 GRPs) increase in television adstock
      among underage youth and by 23% for each 1.5 standard deviation (10 GRPs)
      increase in magazine adstock. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that alcohol
      advertising influences an important aspect of drinking behavior--brand choice-
      among youth who consume alcohol.

PMID- 26479471
TI  - Journal Club: Surgical Management of Trigeminal Neuralgia: Use and Cost
      Effectiveness From an Analysis of the Medicare Claims Database.

PMID- 26479470
TI  - CXCL4 mediates tumor regrowth after chemotherapy by suppression of antitumor
      immunity.
AB  - The recurrence of colorectal cancer after chemotherapy is the leading cause of
      its high mortality. We propose that elucidating the mechanisms of tumor regrowth
      after chemotherapy in tumor-bearing mice may provide new insights into tumor
      relapse in cancer patients. We firstly report the identification of a chemokine,
      CXCL4, that plays an important role in the molecular mechanism of cancer regrowth
      after chemotherapy. A syngenic transplantation tumor model was established with
      murine colon cancer CT26 cells and treated with 5-FU. Genome-wide gene expression
      analysis determined that CXCL4 was transiently upregulated in the tumor model.
      Systemic overexpression of CXCL4 accelerated cancer growth in vivo, but not in
      vitro. Conversely, the anti-CXCL4 monoclonal antibody (CXCL4-mab) retarded tumor
      regrowth after 5-FU treatment in immune-competent mice, but not nude mice. The
      CXCL4-mab treatment increased the local expression levels of IFN-gamma and Gran-b
      genes in the tumor-bed, and elevated the function of CTLs against CT26 cells.
      Thus, the colon cancer cells in responding to the cytotoxic stress of 5-FU
      produce a high level of CXCL4, which suppresses antitumor immunity to confer the
      residual cancer cells an advantage for regrowth after chemotherapy. Our findings
      provide a novel target for developing therapeutics aiming to increase antitumor
      immunity after chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26479472
TI  - Response to Journal Club: Surgical Management of Trigeminal Neuralgia: Use and
      Cost-Effectiveness From an Analysis of the Medicare Claims Database.

PMID- 26479475
TI  - Probing viscoelastic response of soft material surfaces at the nanoscale.
AB  - We study the interaction between an AFM tip and a soft viscoelastic surface.
      Using a multifrequency method we measure the amplitude-dependence of the
      cantilever dynamic force quadratures, which clearly show the effect of finite
      relaxation time of the viscoelastic surface. A model is introduced which treats
      the tip and surface as a two-body dynamic problem with a nonlinear interaction
      depending on their separation. We find good agreement between simulations of this
      model and experimental data on polymer blend samples for a variety of materials
      and measurement conditions. 

PMID- 26479476
TI  - Facility Delivery, Postnatal Care and Neonatal Deaths in India: Nationally
      Representative Case-Control Studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Clinical studies demonstrate the efficacy of interventions to reduce
      neonatal deaths, but there are fewer studies of their real-life effectiveness. In
      India, women often seek facility delivery after complications arise, rather than
      to avoid complications. Our objective was to quantify the association of facility
      delivery and postnatal checkups with neonatal mortality while examining the
      "reverse causality" in which the mothers deliver at a health facility due to
      adverse perinatal events. METHODS: We conducted nationally representative case
      control studies of about 300,000 live births and 4,000 neonatal deaths to examine
      the effect of, place of delivery and postnatal checkup on neonatal mortality. We
      compared neonatal deaths to all live births and to a subset of live births
      reporting excessive bleeding or obstructed labour that were more comparable to
      cases in seeking care. FINDINGS: In the larger study of 2004-8 births, facility
      delivery without postnatal checkup was associated with an increased odds of
      neonatal death (Odds ratio = 2.5; 99% CI 2.2-2.9), especially for early versus
      late neonatal deaths. However, use of more comparable controls showed marked
      attenuation (Odds ratio = 0.5; 0.4-0.5). Facility delivery with postnatal checkup
      was associated with reduced odds of neonatal death. Excess risks were attenuated
      in the earlier study of 2001-4 births. CONCLUSION: The combined effect of
      facility deliveries with postnatal checks ups is substantially higher than just
      facility delivery alone. Evaluation of the real-life effectiveness of
      interventions to reduce child and maternal deaths need to consider reverse
      causality. If these associations are causal, facility delivery with postnatal
      check up could avoid about 1/3 of all neonatal deaths in India (~100,000/year).

PMID- 26479477
TI  - On-FarmWelfare Assessment Protocol for Adult Dairy Goats in Intensive Production
      Systems.
AB  - Within the European AWIN project, a protocol for assessing dairy goats' welfareon
      the farm was developed. Starting from a literature review, a prototype
      includinganimal-based indicators covering four welfare principles and 12 welfare
      criteria was set up.The prototype was tested in 60 farms for validity,
      reliability, and feasibility. After testing theprototype, a two-level assessment
      protocol was proposed in order to increase acceptabilityamong stakeholders. The
      first level offers a more general overview of the welfare status,based on group
      assessment of a few indicators (e.g., hair coat condition, latency to thefirst
      contact test, severe lameness, Qualitative Behavior Assessment), with no or
      minimalhandling of goats and short assessment time required. The second level
      starts if welfareAnimals 2015, 5 935problems are encountered in the first level
      and adds a comprehensive and detailed individualevaluation (e.g., Body Condition
      Score, udder asymmetry, overgrown claws), supported byan effective sampling
      strategy. The assessment can be carried out using the AWIN Goatapp. The app
      results in a clear visual output, which provides positive feedback on
      welfareconditions in comparison with a benchmark of a reference population. The
      protocol maybe a valuable tool for both veterinarians and technicians and a self
      assessment instrumentfor farmers. 

PMID- 26479478
TI  - A Cross-Sectional Study of Horse-Related Injuries in Veterinary and Animal
      Science Students at an Australian University.
AB  - Specific estimates of the risk of horse-related injury (HRI) to university
      students enrolled in veterinary and animal sciences have not been reported. This
      study aimed to determine the risk of student HRI during their university
      education, the nature and management of such injuries. A retrospective
      questionnaire solicited demographic information, data on students' equine
      experience prior to and during their educational programs, and on HRI during
      their program of study. Of 260 respondents, 22 (8.5%) reported HRI (27
      incidents). Including concurrent injuries the most commonly injured body parts
      were the foot or ankle (nine of 32 injures), the upper leg or knee (eight of 32),
      and hands (three of 32). Trampling and being kicked by a hind limb were each
      associated with 30.4% of HRI, and 13% with being bitten. Bruising (91.3% of
      respondents) and an open wound (17.4%) were most commonly described. No treatment
      occurred for 60.9% of incidents; professional medical treatment was not sought
      for the remainder. Most incidents (56.5%) occurred during program-related work
      experience placements. Although injury rates and severity were modest, a
      proactive approach to injury prevention and reporting is recommended for students
      required to handle horses as part of their education. Student accident and injury
      data should be monitored to ensure effective evaluation of risk-reduction
      initiatives. The risk and nature of university student horse-related injury (HRI)
      was studied. Of 260 students, 22 (8.5%) reported HRI (27 incidents). Including
      multiple injuries, reports described involvement of the foot or ankle (nine of 32
      injures), upper leg or knee (eight of 32), and hands (three of 32). Trampling
      (30.4%) and being kicked (30.4%) accounted for most HRI. The injuries were
      usually bruising (91.3%) or an open wound (17.4%). Most (60.9%) injuries were
      untreated; professional medical treatment was not sought for the rest. Most
      incidents (56.5%) occurred during program-related off-campus work experiences. A
      proactive approach to injury prevention is recommended for students handling
      horses. 

PMID- 26479479
TI  - Reducing Respiratory Health Risks to Horses and Workers: A Comparison of Two
      Stall Bedding Materials.
AB  - Stable air quality and the choice of bedding material are an important health
      issue both in horses and people working or visiting horse stables. Risks of
      impaired respiratory health are those that can especially be avoided by improving
      air quality in the stable. The choice of bedding material is particularly
      important in cold climate conditions; where horses are kept most of the day and
      year indoors throughout their life. This study examined the effect of two bedding
      materials; wood shavings and peat; on stable air quality and health of horses.
      Ammonia and dust levels were also measured to assess conditions in the stable.
      Ammonia was not detected or was at very low levels (<0.25 ppm) in the boxes in
      which peat was used as bedding; but its concentration was clearly higher (1.5-7.0
      ppm) in stalls with wood shavings as bedding. Personal measurements of workers
      revealed quite high ammonia exposure (5.9 ppm8h) in the boxes in which wood
      shavings were used; but no exposure was Animals 2015, 5 966 observed in stalls
      bedded with peat. The respiratory symptoms in horses increased regardless of the
      bedding material at the beginning of the study. The health status of the horses
      in the peat bedding group returned to the initial level in the end of the trial
      but horses bedded with wood shavings continued to be symptomatic. The hooves of
      the horses with peat bedding had a better moisture content than those of the
      horses bedded with wood shavings. The results suggest that peat is a better
      bedding material for horses than wood shavings regarding the health of both
      horses and stable workers. 

PMID- 26479481
TI  - Metabolic Profile and Inflammatory Responses in Dairy Cows with Left Displaced
      Abomasum Kept under Small-Scaled Farm Conditions.
AB  - Left displaced abomasum (LDA) is a severe metabolic disease of cattle with a
      strong negative impact on production efficiency of dairy farms. Metabolic and
      inflammatory alterations associated with this disease have been reported in
      earlier studies, conducted mostly in large dairy farms. This research aimed to:
      (1) evaluate metabolic and inflammatory responses in dairy cows affected by LDA
      in small-scaled dairy farms; and (2) establish an Animals 2015, 5 1022
      association between lactation number and milk production with the outcome of
      metabolic variables. The cows with LDA had lower serum calcium (Ca), but greater
      concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and beta-hydroxy-butyrate
      (BHBA), in particular when lactation number was >2. Cows with LDA showed elevated
      levels of aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate dehydrogenase, and serum amyloid
      A (SAA), regardless of lactation number. In addition, this study revealed strong
      associations between milk yield and the alteration of metabolic profile but not
      with inflammation in the sick cows. Results indicate metabolic alterations, liver
      damage, and inflammation in LDA cows kept under small-scale farm conditions.
      Furthermore, the data suggest exacerbation of metabolic profile and Ca metabolism
      but not of inflammation and liver health with increasing lactation number and
      milk yield in cows affected by LDA. 

PMID- 26479480
TI  - Metabolic Disorders in the Transition Period Indicate that the Dairy Cows'
      Ability to Adapt is Overstressed.
AB  - Metabolic disorders are a key problem in the transition period of dairy cows and
      often appear before the onset of further health problems. They mainly derive from
      difficulties the animals have in adapting to changes and disturbances occurring
      both outside and inside the organisms and due to varying gaps between nutrient
      supply and demand. Adaptation is a functional and target-oriented process
      involving the whole organism and thus cannot be narrowed down to single factors.
      Most problems which challenge the organisms can be solved in a number of
      different ways. To understand the mechanisms of adaptation, the
      interconnectedness of variables and the nutrient flow within a metabolic network
      need to be considered. Metabolic disorders indicate an overstressed ability to
      balance input, partitioning and output variables. Dairy cows will more easily
      succeed in adapting and in avoiding dysfunctional processes in the transition
      period when the gap between nutrient and energy demands and their supply is
      restricted. Dairy farms vary widely in relation to the living conditions of the
      animals. The complexity of nutritional and metabolic processes Animals 2015, 5
      979 and their large variations on various scales contradict any attempts to
      predict the outcome of animals' adaptation in a farm specific situation. Any
      attempts to reduce the prevalence of metabolic disorders and associated
      production diseases should rely on continuous and comprehensive monitoring with
      appropriate indicators on the farm level. Furthermore, low levels of disorders
      and diseases should be seen as a further significant goal which carries weight in
      addition to productivity goals. In the long run, low disease levels can only be
      expected when farmers realize that they can gain a competitive advantage over
      competitors with higher levels of disease. 

PMID- 26479482
TI  - Predator Bounties in Western Canada Cause Animal Suffering and CompromiseWildlife
      Conservation Efforts.
AB  - Although predation bounty programs (rewards offered for capturing or killing an
      animal) ended more than 40 years ago in Canada, they were reintroduced in Alberta
      in 2007 by hunting, trapping, and farming organizations, municipalities and
      counties, and in 2009 in Saskatchewan, by municipal and provincial governments
      and the Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association. Bounty hunters use inhumane and non
      selective killing methods such as shooting animals in non-vital regions, and
      killing neck snares and strychnine poisoning, which cause suffering and delayed
      deaths. They are unselective, and kill many non-target species, some of them at
      risk. Predator bounty programs have been found to be ineffective by wildlife
      professionals, and they use killing methods that cause needless suffering and
      jeopardize wildlife conservation programs. Our analysis therefore indicates that
      government agencies should not permit the implementation of bounty programs.
      Accordingly, they must develop conservation programs that will minimize wildlife
      human conflicts, prevent the unnecessary and inhumane killing of animals, and
      ensure the persistence of all wildlife species. 

PMID- 26479483
TI  - How Can We Prevent School Avoidance and Behavior Problems in Preschool Children?

PMID- 26479484
TI  - Preventing Behavioral Disorders via Supporting Social and Emotional Competence at
      Preschool Age.
AB  - BACKGROUND: 13-18% of all preschool children have severe behavioral problems at
      least transiently, sometimes with long-term adverse consequences. In this study,
      the social training program "Lubo aus dem All! - Vorschulalter" (Lubo from Outer
      Space, Preschool Version) was evaluated in a kindergarten setting. METHODS: 15
      kindergartens were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control
      group, in a 2:1 ratio. The intervention was designed to strengthen emotional
      knowledge and regulation, the ability to take another person's point of view,
      communication skills, and social problem solving. The control group continued
      with conventional kindergarten activities. The primary endpoint was improvement
      in social-cognitive problem solving strategies, as assessed with the Wally Social
      Skills and Problem Solving Game (Wally). Secondary endpoints were improvement in
      prosocial behavior and reduction in problematic behavior, as assessed with the
      Preschool Social Behavior Questionnaire (PSBQ) and the Caregiver-Teacher Report
      Form (C-TRF). Data were collected before and after the intervention and also 5
      months later. Mixed models were calculated with random effects to take account of
      the cluster design and for adjustment for confounding variables. RESULTS: 221
      children in kindergarten, aged 5-6 years, were included in the study.
      Randomization was unsuccessful: the children in the intervention group performed
      markedly worse on the tests carried out before the intervention. Five months
      after the end of the intervention, the social-cognitive problem solving
      strategies of the children in the intervention group had improved more than those
      of the children in the control group: the intergroup difference in improvement
      was 0.79 standard deviations of the Wally test (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.13
      1.46). This effect was just as marked 5 months later (0.63, 95% CI 0.03-1.23).
      Prosocial behavior, as measured by the PSBQ, also improved more in the
      intervention group, with an intergroup difference of 0.37 standard deviations
      (95% CI 0.05-0.71). CONCLUSION: An age-appropriate program to prevent behavioral
      disorders among kindergarten children improved both the children's knowledge of
      prosocial problem solving strategies and their prosocial behavior.

PMID- 26479485
TI  - The Treatment of School Avoidance in Children and Adolescents With Psychiatric
      Illness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: 5-10% of schoolchildren in Germany are absent from school without an
      excuse more than five times per year. We investigate the effectiveness of manual
      based, multimodal cognitive behavioral therapy focusing on school-avoidant
      behavior and on the underlying mental disorders. METHODS: 112 school avoiders
      were recruited from an outpatient child and adolescent psychiatric clinic and
      adaptively randomized into two treatment groups. The first group received manual
      based multimodal treatment (MT), the second group treatment as usual (TAU) in the
      child and adolescent mental health care system. The primary outcome of the study
      was the percentage of classes attended in the five days prior to first
      measurement (before the intervention), as well as 6 and 12 months afterward. In
      each of these periods, school attendance was characterized as regular, partial,
      or none. Secondary outcomes were the severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms,
      self-efficacy, and quality of family life. RESULTS: In both treatment arms, the
      percentage of regular school attenders rose to about 60% in 6 months, regardless
      of the intervention (MT 60.6%, TAU 58.3%; odds ratio [OR] for changes over
      baseline 6.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.98-12.12, p< 0.001; OR for MT
      versus TAU 1.05, 95% CI 0.58-1.90, p = 0.875). The improvement persisted 12
      months after inclusion. CONCLUSION: In accordance with earlier studies, we found
      that manual-based multimodal treatment did not improve school avoidance to any
      greater extent than treatment as usual. Future studies should focus on the
      conditions for successful reintegration in school and on the differential
      indicators for outpatient versus inpatient treatment.

PMID- 26479486
TI  - Natural isotope correction of MS/MS measurements for metabolomics and (13)C
      fluxomics.
AB  - Fluxomics and metabolomics are crucial tools for metabolic engineering and
      biomedical analysis to determine the in vivo cellular state. Especially, the
      application of (13)C isotopes allows comprehensive insights into the functional
      operation of cellular metabolism. Compared to single MS, tandem mass spectrometry
      (MS/MS) provides more detailed and accurate measurements of the metabolite
      enrichment patterns (tandem mass isotopomers), increasing the accuracy of
      metabolite concentration measurements and metabolic flux estimation. MS-type data
      from isotope labeling experiments is biased by naturally occurring stable
      isotopes (C, H, N, O, etc.). In particular, GC-MS(/MS) requires derivatization
      for the usually non-volatile intracellular metabolites introducing additional
      natural isotopes leading to measurements that do not directly represent the
      carbon labeling distribution. To make full use of LC- and GC-MS/MS mass
      isotopomer measurements, the influence of natural isotopes has to be eliminated
      (corrected). Our correction approach is analyzed for the two most common
      applications; (13)C fluxomics and isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) based
      metabolomics. Natural isotopes can have an impact on the calculated flux
      distribution which strongly depends on the substrate labeling and the actual flux
      distribution. Second, we show that in IDMS based metabolomics natural isotopes
      lead to underestimated concentrations that can and should be corrected with a
      nonlinear calibration. Our simulations indicate that the correction for natural
      abundance in isotope based fluxomics and quantitative metabolomics is essential
      for correct data interpretation.

PMID- 26479487
TI  - Considering Eligibility for Studies of Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment
      Resistant Depression: Insights From a Clinical Trial in Unipolar and Bipolar
      Depression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective treatment
      for major depression (major depressive disorder [MDD]), deep brain stimulation
      (DBS) has shown efficacy in patients who have not received benefit from ECT.
      Studies of DBS are small, and a better understanding of which eligibility
      criteria lead to exclusion may help achieve a more appropriate balance between
      scientific rigor and generalizability in future trials. We assessed the rate and
      reasons for exclusion from a study of DBS for treatment-resistant MDD and bipolar
      type II (BPII) depression. METHODS: One thousand ninety-eight adults were
      screened for a study of DBS for MDD or BPII. Reasons for exclusion were
      documented. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each reason for exclusion
      for the entire sample as well as the self-reported MDD and BPII subgroups.
      RESULTS: Ninety-eight percent (98%) of patients screened were excluded. Exclusion
      due to lack of interest or inability to relocate to the study site was high
      (41%). Following this, primary reasons for exclusion were lack of prior ECT and
      presence of psychiatric/general medical comorbidity. Patients with MDD were more
      likely to be excluded because of inadequate ECT, whereas patients with BPII
      depression were more likely to be excluded for comorbid psychiatric diagnoses and
      not meeting minimum severity criteria. CONCLUSIONS: A surprisingly high number of
      potential participants were excluded because of lack of adequate ECT. This
      suggests that many patients self-identifying as "treatment resistant" have not
      truly exhausted available, evidence-based treatments. Overall exclusion rate was
      high, with key differences in exclusion reasons between the MDD and BPII
      subgroups. These findings can inform design of future clinical trials for
      treatment-resistant unipolar and bipolar depression.Clinicaltrials.gov
      Identifier: NCT00367003.

PMID- 26479488
TI  - The Efficacy of Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Perinatal Population: A
      Comparative Pilot Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of electroconvulsive
      therapy (ECT) as a treatment for postnatal depression compared with a matched
      nonpostnatal population. A secondary aim is to compare the number of ECT
      treatments needed to treat in both groups. As the numbers in this study are
      small, this would act as a pilot study, allowing a power calculation to determine
      the numbers needed for a more definitive study. METHODS: Cases were identified
      from the local Scottish ECT Accreditation Network database. Twelve patients had
      received ECT and had complete data from all those admitted to the Glasgow Mother
      and Baby Unit since its opening. Each case was matched to 2 control subjects who
      had also received ECT and who were matched for age, sex, and severity of
      depressive symptoms. It was not possible to find 2 control subjects for each
      case, and 23 control subjects were allocated. Severity was matched using the
      Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), which is completed for all
      patients receiving ECT in Scotland, at the beginning and end of their course. As
      all control subjects were matched for initial severity of symptoms using MADRS,
      the change in MADRS score between both groups was compared. RESULTS: When
      comparing the mean change in MADRS scores between both groups, it was seen that
      the perinatal patients scores dropped by a mean of 10.09 points more than those
      of the control subjects (95% confidence interval for difference, -0.54 to 20.73,
      P = 0.062). No difference was seen between the groups when comparing the number
      of treatments (7.8 vs 8). CONCLUSIONS: Further research is required.

PMID- 26479489
TI  - Algal viruses hitchhiking on zooplankton across phytoplankton blooms.
AB  - Viruses infecting marine phytoplankton are key biogeochemical 'engines' of the
      oceans, regulating the dynamics of algal populations and the fate of their
      extensive blooms. In addition they are important ecological and evolutionary
      drivers of microbial diversification. Yet, little is known about mechanisms
      influencing viral dispersal in aquatic systems, enabling the rapid infection and
      demise of vast phytoplankton blooms. In a recent study we showed that migrating
      zooplankton as copepods that graze on marine phytoplankton can act as
      transmission vectors for algal viruses. We demonstrated that these grazers can
      concentrate virions through topical adsorption and by ingesting infected cells
      and then releasing back to the medium, via detachment or defecation, high viral
      titers that readily infect host populations. We proposed that this zooplankton
      driven process can potentially boost viral dispersal over wide oceanic scales and
      enhance bloom termination. Here, we highlight key results and further discuss the
      ecological and evolutionary consequences of our findings. 

PMID- 26479490
TI  - Rapid Weight Loss Among Adolescents Participating In Competitive Judo.
AB  - Athletes competing in individual sports such as judo are categorized by weight.
      Before competitions, weight cutting is common. This cross-sectional study was
      designed to characterize and determine the prevalence of rapid weight loss (RWL)
      among adolescent judo competitors. Male athletes aged 12- to 17-years old (N =
      108) were recruited from local judo teams. Each participant completed a validated
      questionnaire regarding RWL practices. Anthropometric measurements were also
      performed. Average age was 14.6 +/- 1.6 years and all participants were of normal
      body mass index (BMI). RWL was practiced by 80% of the athletes before
      competition, beginning at an average age of 12.5 +/- 2.2 years with the highest
      prevalence (~94%) in the oldest group of judoka (16-17.9 years). Precompetition
      weight loss duration was 8 +/- 5.4 days, with an average weight reduction of 1.5
      +/- 1.1 kg. The number of weight loss efforts per athlete in the past season was
      2.8 +/- 2.2. RWL was achieved by increased physical activity (82.6%), skipped
      meals (56.3%), or fasting at least once (47%). Two-thirds of the athletes
      indicated that their coaches were the most influential figure in their decision
      to lose weight before competition. RWL is highly prevalent in adolescent judo
      competitors. The methods used by these athletes can potentially lead to
      significant health risks including compromised nutritional status, diminished
      physical performance and impaired growth and development. It is of great
      importance to insure that those who guide young adults in weight loss for
      competitive sports have the knowledge and understanding to make safe
      recommendations and appropriate decisions regarding achieving specific weight
      goals. 

PMID- 26479491
TI  - Entrapped Sediments as a Source of Phosphorus in Epilithic Cyanobacterial
      Proliferations in Low Nutrient Rivers.
AB  - Proliferations of the benthic mat-forming cyanobacteria Phormidium have been
      reported in rivers worldwide. Phormidium commonly produces natural toxins which
      pose a health risk to animal and humans. Recent field studies in New Zealand
      identified that sites with Phormidium proliferations consistently have low
      concentrations of water column dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP). Unlike other
      river periphyton, Phormidium mats are thick and cohesive, with water and fine
      sediment trapped in a mucilaginous matrix. We hypothesized that daytime
      photosynthetic activity would elevate pH inside the mats, and/or night time
      respiration would reduce dissolved oxygen. Either condition could be sufficient
      to facilitate desorption of phosphates from sediment incorporated within mats,
      thus allowing Phormidium to utilize it for growth. Using microelectrodes, optodes
      and pulse amplitude modulation fluorometry we demonstrated that photosynthetic
      activity results in elevated pH (>9) during daytime, and that night-time
      respiration causes oxygen depletion (<4 mg L-1) within mats. Water trapped within
      the mucilaginous Phormidium mat matrix had on average 320-fold higher DRP
      concentrations than bulk river water and this, together with elevated
      concentrations of elements, including iron, suggest phosphorus release from
      entrapped sediment. Sequential extraction of phosphorus from trapped sediment was
      used to investigate the role of sediment at sites on the Mangatainoka River (New
      Zealand) with and without Phormidium proliferations. Deposition of fine sediment
      (<63 MUm) was significantly higher at the site with the most extensive
      proliferations and concentrations of biological available phosphorus were two- to
      four- fold higher. Collectively these results provide evidence that fine sediment
      can provide a source of phosphorus to support Phormidium growth and
      proliferation. 

PMID- 26479493
TI  - Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides as atomically thin
      semiconductors: opportunities and challenges.
AB  - The discovery of graphene has ignited intensive interest in two-dimensional
      layered materials (2DLMs). These 2DLMs represent a new class of nearly ideal 2D
      material systems for exploring fundamental chemistry and physics at the limit of
      single-atom thickness, and have the potential to open up totally new
      technological opportunities beyond the reach of existing materials. In general,
      there are a wide range of 2DLMs in which the atomic layers are weakly bonded
      together by van der Waals interactions and can be isolated into single or few
      layer nanosheets. The van der Waals interactions between neighboring atomic
      layers could allow much more flexible integration of distinct materials to nearly
      arbitrarily combine and control different properties at the atomic scale. The
      transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) (e.g., MoS2, WSe2) represent a large
      family of layered materials, many of which exhibit tunable band gaps that can
      undergo a transition from an indirect band gap in bulk crystals to a direct band
      gap in monolayer nanosheets. These 2D-TMDs have thus emerged as an exciting class
      of atomically thin semiconductors for a new generation of electronic and
      optoelectronic devices. Recent studies have shown exciting potential of these
      atomically thin semiconductors, including the demonstration of atomically thin
      transistors, a new design of vertical transistors, as well as new types of
      optoelectronic devices such as tunable photovoltaic devices and light emitting
      devices. In parallel, there have also been considerable efforts in developing
      diverse synthetic approaches for the rational growth of various forms of 2D
      materials with precisely controlled chemical composition, physical dimension, and
      heterostructure interface. Here we review the recent efforts, progress,
      opportunities and challenges in exploring the layered TMDs as a new class of
      atomically thin semiconductors. 

PMID- 26479492
TI  - The Arabidopsis transcription factor NAI1 is required for enhancing the active
      histone mark but not for removing the repressive mark on PYK10, a seedling
      specific gene upon embryonic-to-postgerminative developmental phase transition.
AB  - We have recently shown that the expression onset of a seedling-specific gene,
      PYK10, occurs in a cell-by-cell manner upon the transition from the embryonic to
      the postgerminative phase and during embryogenesis in seed maturation regulator
      mutants such as lec1, and implicated epigenetic mechanisms in the process. Here,
      the role of the NAI1 transcription factor required for PYK10 expression in the
      developmental switching of PYK10 was investigated. The cell-by-cell onset of
      PYK10-EGFP in lec1 embryo was still observed in the nai1 background, but at
      greatly reduced levels. Decreases in the level of the repressive histone mark,
      H3K27 trimethylation observed upon the transition to the postgeminative phase
      normally occurred in nai1. However, concomitant increases in the level of the
      active mark, H3K4 trimethylation observed in wild type was significantly
      compromised in nai1. These results indicate that the switching of PYK10 upon
      developmental phase transition involves 2 separable steps of chromatin state
      change. 

PMID- 26479494
TI  - Maintaining heterokaryosis in pseudo-homothallic fungi.
AB  - Among all the strategies displayed by fungi to reproduce and propagate, some
      species have adopted a peculiar behavior called pseudo-homothallism. Pseudo
      homothallic fungi are true heterothallics, i.e., they need 2 genetically
      compatible partners to mate, but they produce self-fertile mycelium in which the
      2 different nuclei carrying the compatible mating types are present. This
      lifestyle not only enables the fungus to reproduce without finding a compatible
      partner, but also to cross with any mate it may encounter. However, to be fully
      functional, pseudo-homothallism requires maintaining heterokaryosis at every
      stage of the life cycle. We recently showed that neither the structure of the
      mating-type locus nor hybrid-enhancing effect due to the presence of the 2 mating
      types accounts for the maintenance of heterokaryosis in the pseudo-homothallic
      fungus P. anserina. In this addendum, we summarize the mechanisms creating
      heterokaryosis in P. anserina and 2 other well-known pseudo-homothallic fungi,
      Neurospora tetrasperma and Agaricus bisporus. We also discuss mechanisms
      potentially involved in maintaining heterokaryosis in these 3 species. 

PMID- 26479495
TI  - Discrimination Power of Polynomial-Based Descriptors for Graphs by Using
      Functional Matrices.
AB  - In this paper, we study the discrimination power of graph measures that are based
      on graph-theoretical matrices. The paper generalizes the work of [M. Dehmer, M.
      Moosbrugger. Y. Shi, Encoding structural information uniquely with polynomial
      based descriptors by employing the Randic matrix, Applied Mathematics and
      Computation, 268(2015), 164-168]. We demonstrate that by using the new functional
      matrix approach, exhaustively generated graphs can be discriminated more uniquely
      than shown in the mentioned previous work. 

PMID- 26479496
TI  - 3D Graphene-Infused Polyimide with Enhanced Electrothermal Performance for Long
      Term Flexible Space Applications.
AB  - Polyimides (PIs) have been praised for their high thermal stability, high modulus
      of elasticity and tensile strength, ease of fabrication, and moldability. They
      are currently the standard choice for both substrates for flexible electronics
      and space shielding, as they render high temperature and UV stability and
      toughness. However, their poor thermal conductivity and completely electrically
      insulating characteristics have caused other limitations, such as thermal
      management challenges for flexible high-power electronics and spacecraft
      electrostatic charging. In order to target these issues, a hybrid of PI with 3D
      graphene (3D-C), 3D-C/PI, is developed here. This composite renders extraordinary
      enhancements of thermal conductivity (one order of magnitude) and electrical
      conductivity (10 orders of magnitude). It withstands and keeps a stable
      performance throughout various bending and thermal cycles, as well as the
      oxidative and aggressive environment of ground-based, simulated space
      environments. This makes this new hybrid film a suitable material for flexible
      space applications. 

PMID- 26479497
TI  - Application of a Stable Isotope Approach to Evaluate Impact of Changes in
      Manufacturing Parameters for an Immediate-Release Tablet.
AB  - There is continued emphasis from the various worldwide regulatory agencies to
      ensure that the pharmaceutical industry fully understands the products they are
      developing. This emphasis is seen via development of quality-by-design (QbD)
      publications and guidelines generated by the International Committee on
      Harmonization. The challenge to meet these expectations is primarily associated
      with the generation of in vivo data (eg, pharmacokinetic data) that is resource
      intensive. A technique reducing the resources needed to generate this in vivo
      data permits a more extensive application of QbD principles. This paper presents
      the application of stable isotopes in pharmacokinetic studies. The data show that
      the use of stable isotopes can significantly reduce the number of subjects
      required for a study. This reduction in subjects thus translates into a
      significant reduction in resources and time needed to generate the required in
      vivo data to support QbD.

PMID- 26479498
TI  - One gene but different proteins and diseases: the complexity of dystonin and
      bullous pemphigoid antigen 1.
AB  - Since the immunochemical identification of the bullous pemphigoid antigen 230
      (BP230) as one of the major target autoantigens of bullous pemphigoid (BP) in
      1981, our understanding of this protein has significantly increased. Cloning of
      its gene, development and characterization of animal models with engineered gene
      mutations or spontaneous mouse mutations have revealed an unexpected complexity
      of the gene encoding BP230. The latter, now called dystonin (DST), is composed of
      at least 100 exons and gives rise to three major isoforms, an epithelial, a
      neuronal and a muscular isoform, named BPAG1e (corresponding to the original
      BP230), BPAG1a and BPAG1b, respectively. The various BPAG1 isoforms play a key
      role in fundamental processes, such as cell adhesion, cytoskeleton organization,
      and cell migration. Genetic defects of BPAG1 isoforms are the culprits of
      epidermolysis bullosa and complex, devastating neurological diseases. In this
      review, we summarize recent advances of our knowledge about several BPAG1
      isoforms, their role in various biological processes and in human diseases. 

PMID- 26479499
TI  - Perinatal outcomes of fetal pleural effusion following thoracoamniotic shunting.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim is to evaluate perinatal outcomes of fetal pleural effusion
      after thoracoamniotic shunting. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 68
      singleton pregnancies with massive fetal pleural effusion that underwent
      thoracoamniotic shunting between 1999 and 2012 at Asan Medical Center, Seoul,
      Korea. Through a review of medical records, we investigated perinatal outcomes
      according to the presence of fetal hydrops and identified prognostic factors by
      stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 68
      pregnancies, three were lost to follow-up and two fetuses died in utero. The
      median gestational age at shunting was 28.3 weeks (range, 18.5-34.1 weeks). Of
      the 65 fetuses, 50 (76.9%) were hydropic, of which hydrops resolved following
      shunting in 29 fetuses (58.0%). Among the 63 live births, the median gestational
      age at delivery was 33.6 weeks (range, 26.2-40.0 weeks), with 36 fetuses (57.1%)
      delivered preterm. The overall survival rate was 75.4% (49/65), and in a subgroup
      analysis, the survival rate was highest for non-hydropic fetuses (14/15, 93.3%),
      followed by fetuses whose hydrops resolved (25/29, 86.2%) and remained after
      shunting (10/21, 47.6%). CONCLUSION: Thoracoamniotic shunting can be helpful for
      fetuses with massive pleural effusion. While fetal hydrops can occur in such
      cases, perinatal outcomes can be improved by successful shunting.

PMID- 26479500
TI  - Analysis of Attentional Bias towards Attractive and Unattractive Body Regions
      among Overweight Males and Females: An Eye-Movement Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Body image distortion is highly prevalent among overweight
      individuals. Whilst there is evidence that body-dissatisfied women and those
      suffering from disordered eating show a negative attentional bias towards their
      own unattractive body parts and others' attractive body parts, little is known
      about visual attention patterns in the area of obesity and with respect to males.
      Since eating disorders and obesity share common features in terms of distorted
      body image and body dissatisfaction, the aim of this study was to examine whether
      overweight men and women show a similar attentional bias. METHODS/DESIGN: We
      analyzed eye movements in 30 overweight individuals (18 females) and 28 normal
      weight individuals (16 females) with respect to the participants' own pictures as
      well as gender- and BMI-matched control pictures (front and back view).
      Additionally, we assessed body image and disordered eating using validated
      questionnaires. DISCUSSION: The overweight sample rated their own body as less
      attractive and showed a more disturbed body image. Contrary to our assumptions,
      they focused significantly longer on attractive compared to unattractive regions
      of both their own and the control body. For one's own body, this was more
      pronounced for women. A higher weight status and more frequent body checking
      predicted attentional bias towards attractive body parts. We found that
      overweight adults exhibit an unexpected and stable pattern of selective
      attention, with a distinctive focus on their own attractive body regions despite
      higher levels of body dissatisfaction. This positive attentional bias may either
      be an indicator of a more pronounced pattern of attentional avoidance or a self
      enhancing strategy. Further research is warranted to clarify these results.

PMID- 26479501
TI  - Eradication of osteosarcoma by fluorescence-guided surgery with tumor labeling by
      a killer-reporter adenovirus.
AB  - In a previous study, we developed fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) for
      osteosarcoma using an orthotopic model with 143B human osteosarcoma cells
      expressing red fluorescent protein (RFP) implanted into the intramedullary cavity
      of the tibia in nude mice. The FGS-treated mice had a significantly higher
      disease-free survival (DFS) rate than the bright-light surgery (BLS). However,
      although FGS significantly reduced the recurrence of the primary tumor, it did
      not reduce lung metastasis. In the present study, we utilized the OBP-401
      telomerase-dependent killer-reporter adenovirus, carrying green fluorescent
      protein (GFP), to label human osteosarcoma in situ in orthotopic mouse models.
      OBP-401-illuminated human osteosarcoma cell lines, 143B and MNNG/HOS cells in
      vitro and in vivo. OBP-401 tumor illumination enabled effective FGS of the 143B
      derived orthotopic mouse model of human osteosarcoma model as well as FGS
      eradication of residual cancer cells after BLS. OBP-401-assisted FGS
      significantly inhibited local recurrence and lung metastasis after surgery,
      thereby prolonging DFS and overall survival (OS), achieving a very important
      improvement of therapeutic outcomes over our previously reported FGS study. These
      therapeutic benefits of FGS were demonstrated using a clinically-viable
      methodology of direct labeling of human osteosarcoma in situ with the OBP-401
      killer-reporter adenovirus in contrast with previous reports, which used
      genetically engineered labeled cells or antibody-based fluorescent labels for
      FGS. (c) 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
      J Orthop Res 34:836-844, 2016.

PMID- 26479502
TI  - Carbohydrates, pollinators, and cycads.
AB  - Cycad biology, ecology, and horticulture decisions are not supported by adequate
      research, and experiments in cycad physiology in particular have been deficient.
      Our recent report on free sugar content in a range of cycad taxa and tissues sets
      the stage for developing continued carbohydrate research. Growth and development
      of cycad pollen, mediation of the herbivory traits of specialist pollinators, and
      support of expensive strobilus behavioral traits are areas of cycad pollination
      biology that would benefit from a greater understanding of the role of
      carbohydrate relations. 

PMID- 26479504
TI  - 3'-hydroxy-epsilon,epsilon-caroten-3-one inhibits the differentiation of 3T3-L1
      cells to adipocytes.
AB  - An oxidative metabolite of lutein, 3'-hydroxy-epsilon,epsilon-caroten-3-one,
      inhibited the differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells to adipocytes and the subsequent
      triacylglycerol production, but lutein did not. The alpha,beta-unsaturated
      carbonyl structure of 3'-hydroxy-epsilon,epsilon-caroten-3-one was considered to
      participate in the inhibitory effect, suggesting that this lutein metabolite has
      the potential to prevent metabolic syndrome. 

PMID- 26479505
TI  - Bayesian Biostatistics 2014 - Satellite conference of the International Biometric
      Conference.

PMID- 26479506
TI  - Bayesian meta-analysis of test accuracy in the absence of a perfect reference
      test applied to bone scintigraphy for the diagnosis of complex regional pain
      syndrome.
AB  - There is conflicting evidence about the accuracy of bone scintigraphy (BS) for
      the diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome 1 (CRPS 1). In a meta-analysis of
      diagnostic studies, the evaluation of test accuracy is impeded by the use of
      different imperfect reference tests. The aim of our study is to summarize
      sensitivity and specificity of BS for CRPS 1 and to identify factors to explain
      heterogeneity. We use a hierarchical Bayesian approach to model test accuracy and
      threshold, and we present different models accounting for the imperfect nature of
      the reference tests, and assuming conditional dependence between BS and the
      reference test results. Further, we include disease duration as explanatory
      variable in the model. The models are compared using summary ROC curves and the
      deviance information criterion (DIC). Our results show that those models which
      account for different imperfect reference tests with conditional dependence and
      inclusion of the covariate are the ones with the smallest DIC. The sensitivity of
      BS was 0.87 (95% credible interval 0.73-0.97) and the overall specificity was
      0.87 (0.73-0.95) in the model with the smallest DIC, in which missing values of
      the covariate are imputed within the Bayesian framework. The estimated effect of
      duration of symptoms on the threshold parameter was 0.17 (-0.25 to 0.57). We
      demonstrate that the Bayesian models presented in this paper are useful to
      address typical problems occurring in meta-analysis of diagnostic studies,
      including conditional dependence between index test and reference test, as well
      as missing values in the study-specific covariates. 

PMID- 26479511
TI  - Value of ultrasound with a single linear transducer to confirm correct
      positioning of central venous catheter in low body weight neonates.

PMID- 26479510
TI  - Postoperative shoulder pain after laparoscopic hysterectomy with deep
      neuromuscular blockade and low-pressure pneumoperitoneum: A randomised controlled
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative shoulder pain remains a significant problem after
      laparoscopy. Pneumoperitoneum with insufflation of carbon dioxide (CO2) is
      thought to be the most important cause. Reduction of pneumoperitoneum pressure
      may, however, compromise surgical visualisation. Recent studies indicate that the
      use of deep neuromuscular blockade (NMB) improves surgical conditions during a
      low-pressure pneumoperitoneum (8 mmHg). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to
      investigate whether low-pressure pneumoperitoneum (8 mmHg) and deep NMB
      (posttetanic count 0 to 1) compared with standard-pressure pneumoperitoneum (12
      mmHg) and moderate NMB (single bolus of rocuronium 0.3 mg kg with spontaneous
      recovery) would reduce the incidence of shoulder pain and improve recovery after
      laparoscopic hysterectomy. DESIGN: A randomised, controlled, double-blinded
      study. SETTING: Private hospital in Denmark. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-nine patients.
      INTERVENTIONS: Randomisation to either deep NMB and 8 mmHg pneumoperitoneum
      (Group 8-Deep) or moderate NMB and 12 mmHg pneumoperitoneum (Group 12-Mod). Pain
      was assessed on a visual analogue scale (VAS) for 14 postoperative days. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary endpoint was the incidence of shoulder pain during
      14 postoperative days. Secondary endpoints included area under curve VAS scores
      for shoulder, abdominal, incisional and overall pain during 4 and 14
      postoperative days; opioid consumption; incidence of nausea and vomiting;
      antiemetic consumption; time to recovery of activities of daily living; length of
      hospital stay; and duration of surgery. RESULTS: Shoulder pain occurred in 14 of
      49 patients (28.6%) in Group 8-Deep compared with 30 of 50 (60%) patients in
      Group 12-Mod. Absolute risk reduction was 0.31 (95% confidence interval 0.12 to
      0.48; P = 0.002). There were no differences in any secondary endpoints including
      area under the curve for VAS scores. CONCLUSION: Deep NMB and low-pressure
      pneumoperitoneum (8 mmHg) reduced the incidence of shoulder pain after
      laparoscopic hysterectomy in comparison to moderate NMB and standard-pressure
      pneumoperitoneum (12 mmHg). TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier:
      NCT01722097.

PMID- 26479512
TI  - Efficacy of coaxial ventilation with a novel endotracheal catheter equipped with
      a functional cuff: A swine model study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We have developed an endotracheal catheter with a functional cuff
      (ECFC) that inflates during inspiration and deflates during expiration. This
      catheter, together with a regular ICU ventilator, can provide coaxial
      ventilation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of
      ventilation in adult human-sized swine using an ECFC and a regular ICU
      ventilator. DESIGN: A prospective animal study. SETTING: Experimental, Trauma
      Transplant Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
      ANIMALS: Eight adult Yorkshire swine, weighing 45 to 50  kg, were studied.
      INTERVENTIONS: To create the ECFC, a 5  cm long latex cuff was placed over the
      distal side ports of either a 14 or 19-Fr gauge endotracheal catheter and a 1  cm
      long piece of plastic tube was inserted into the tip of the endotracheal catheter
      to create an internal resistance. The ECFC was placed into the trachea and the
      proximal end of the ECFC was connected to an ICU ventilator in pressure-control
      mode, with peak pressures set at either 25, 50 or 70  cmH2O. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Tidal volume was calculated using plethysmography. RESULTS: During
      pressure control ventilation with the 14-Fr gauge ECFC at set inspiratory
      pressures of 25, 50 and 75  cmH2O, the tidal volumes generated were 209 +/- 36,
      309 +/- 61 and 367 +/- 85  ml, respectively, and with the 19-Fr gauge ECFC these
      were 277 +/- 51, 442 +/- 91 and 538 +/- 123  ml, respectively. No complications
      were observed. CONCLUSION: An ECFC combined with a regular pressure-controlled
      ICU ventilator can produce adequate tidal volumes in adult human-sized swine. Our
      results establish the feasibility of ventilation with this new alternative
      technique. The safety and advantages of such a technique remain to be determined
      in humans.

PMID- 26479513
TI  - Anaesthesia and orphan disease: 22q11.2 microdeletion disorder (DiGeorge
      syndrome).

PMID- 26479514
TI  - Anaesthesia and orphan disease: primary autosomal recessive microcephaly-10
      caused by a mutation in the ZNF335 gene.

PMID- 26479515
TI  - Anaesthesia and orphan disease: A septuagenarian patient with Segawa's dystonia.

PMID- 26479516
TI  - Using the C-MAC videolaryngoscope as a first-line device for out-of-hospital
      emergency intubation.

PMID- 26479517
TI  - A rare case of sevoflurane hypersensitivity.

PMID- 26479519
TI  - Improved growth and ethanol fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the
      presence of acetic acid by overexpression of SET5 and PPR1.
AB  - To better understand the contribution of zinc-finger proteins to environmental
      stress tolerance, particularly inhibition from acetic acid, which is a potent
      inhibitor for cellulosic ethanol production by microbial fermentations, SET5 and
      PPR1 were overexpressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4741. With 5 g/L acetic
      acid addition, engineered strains BY4741/SET5 and BY4741/PPR1 showed improved
      growth and enhanced ethanol fermentation performance compared to that with the
      control strain. Similar results were also observed in ethanol production using
      corn stover hydrolysate. Further studies indicated that SET5 and PPR1
      overexpression in S. cerevisiae significantly improved activities of antioxidant
      enzymes and ATP generation in the presence of acetic acid, and consequently
      decreased intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (50.9 and 45.7%,
      respectively). These results revealed the novel functions of SET5 and PPR1 for
      the improvement of yeast acetic acid tolerance, and also implicated the
      involvement of these proteins in oxidative stress defense and energy metabolism
      in S. cerevisiae. This work also demonstrated that overexpression of SET5 and
      PPR1 would be a feasible strategy to increase cellulosic ethanol production
      efficiency. 

PMID- 26479520
TI  - Carboxylate free MU-oxo bridged ferric wheel with a record exchange coupling.
AB  - A novel oxo-bridged, carboxylate free 'ferric wheel' was isolated with the
      molecular formula [FeIII8(MU-O)4(L(2-))8] (1). Magnetic susceptibility
      measurements suggest that the Fe(III) ions are coupled antiferromagnetically and
      magnetic data modelling yields J1 = -26.4 cm(-1), J2 = -170 cm(-1) which are
      rationalized by DFT calculation. The exchange value for of -170 cm(-1) (Fe-O(oxo)
      Fe) is the largest exchange value known compared to any homometallic or
      heterometallic wheel reported to date.

PMID- 26479521
TI  - Improving the Reliability of Optimal In-Feed Amino Acid Ratios Based on
      Individual Amino Acid Efficiency Data from N Balance Studies in Growing Chicken.
AB  - Three consecutive nitrogen balance experiments with fast-growing male broiler
      chickens (ROSS 308), both during starter and grower periods, were conducted to
      determine the ideal ratios of several indispensable amino acids relative to
      lysine. The control diets based on corn, wheat, fishmeal, field peas, wheat
      gluten and soybean oil were formulated by computer optimizing to meet the assumed
      ideal amino acid ratios and to fulfill both the energy and nutrient requirements
      of growing chicken. According to principles of the diet dilution technique,
      balanced control diets were diluted by wheat starch and refilled by crystalline
      amino acids and remaining feed ingredients, except the amino acid under study.
      The lysine, threonine, tryptophan, arginine, isoleucine and valine diluted diets
      resulted in significantly lower protein quality as compared to control diet,
      especially following increased dietary lysine supply (experiments II and III) and
      stronger amino acid dilution (experiment III). Accordingly, the limiting position
      of individual amino acids was confirmed, and the derived amino acid efficiency
      data were utilized to derive ideal amino acid ratios for the starter period: Lys
      (100): Thr (60): Trp (19): Arg (105): Ile (55): Val (63); and the grower period:
      Lys (100): Thr (62): Trp (17): Arg (105): Ile (65): Val (79). 

PMID- 26479522
TI  - Livestock Production in the UK in the 21(st) Century: A Perfect Storm Averted?
AB  - There is a school of thought that future demand for meat and other farm animal
      products is unsustainable for several reasons, including greenhouse gas
      emissions, especially from ruminants; standards of farm animal health and
      welfare, especially when farm animals are kept intensively; efficiency of
      conversion by livestock of solar energy into (human) food, particularly by pigs
      and poultry; water availability and usage for all types of agricultural
      production, including livestock; and human health and consumption of meat, eggs
      and milk. Demand for meat is forecast to rise as a result of global population
      growth and increasing affluence. These issues buttress an impending perfect storm
      of food shortages, scarce water and insufficient energy, which is likely to
      coincide with global population reaching about 9 billion people in 2030 (pace
      Beddington). This paper examines global demand for animal products, the narrative
      of 'sustainable intensification' and the implications of each for the future of
      farm animal welfare. In the UK, we suggest that, though non-ruminant farming may
      become unsustainable, ruminant agriculture will continue to prosper because cows,
      sheep and goats utilize grass and other herbage that cannot be consumed directly
      by humans, especially on land that is unsuitable for other purposes. However, the
      demand for meat and other livestock-based food is often for pork, eggs and
      chicken from grain-fed pigs and poultry. The consequences of such a perfect storm
      are beginning to be incorporated in long-term business planning by retailers and
      others. Nevertheless, marketing sustainable animal produce will require
      considerable innovation and flair in public and private policies if marketing
      messages are to be optimized and consumer behaviour modified. 

PMID- 26479518
TI  - Pharmacogenetic allele nomenclature: International workgroup recommendations for
      test result reporting.
AB  - This article provides nomenclature recommendations developed by an international
      workgroup to increase transparency and standardization of pharmacogenetic (PGx)
      result reporting. Presently, sequence variants identified by PGx tests are
      described using different nomenclature systems. In addition, PGx analysis may
      detect different sets of variants for each gene, which can affect interpretation
      of results. This practice has caused confusion and may thereby impede the
      adoption of clinical PGx testing. Standardization is critical to move PGx
      forward. 

PMID- 26479524
TI  - Impact of Selected Factors on the Occurrence of Contact Dermatitis in Turkeys on
      Commercial Farms in Germany.
AB  - In a long term research project in Germany the influence of husbandry on the
      health of fattening turkeys (Study 1) as well as the influence of practiced
      rearing conditions on the health of turkey poults (Study 2) was examined in 24
      farms and at the meat processing plant. In all examined rearing farms, litter
      samples for the determination of litter moisture were taken. This paper
      summarizes the results obtained by our working group from 2007 until 2012. The
      results elucidate the universal problem of foot pad dermatitis (FPD). Nearly 100%
      of the observed turkeys showed a clinically apparent FPD at the meat processing
      plant. Furthermore, skin lesions of the breast, especially breast buttons were
      diagnosed, particularly at the slaughterhouse. FPD was detected in the first week
      of the rearing phase. Prevalence and degree showed a progressive development up
      to the age of 22-35 days, whereas 63.3% of the poults had foot pad alterations.
      As even mild alterations in the foot pad condition can be indicators for
      suboptimal design of the rearing environment, especially high litter moisture, it
      is important to focus on the early rearing phase. 

PMID- 26479523
TI  - Towards a 'Good Life' for Farm Animals: Development of a Resource Tier Framework
      to Achieve Positive Welfare for Laying Hens.
AB  - The concept of a 'good life' recognises the distinction that an animal's quality
      of life is beyond that of a 'life worth living', representing a standard of
      welfare substantially higher than the legal minimum (FAWC, 2009). We propose that
      the opportunities required for a 'good life' could be used to structure resource
      tiers that lead to positive welfare and are compatible with higher welfare farm
      assurance schemes. Published evidence and expert opinion was used to define three
      tiers of resource provision (Welfare +, Welfare ++ and Welfare +++) above those
      stipulated in UK legislation and codes of practice, which should lead to positive
      welfare outcomes. In this paper we describe the principles underpinning the
      framework and the process of developing the resource tiers for laying hens. In
      doing so, we summarise expert opinion on resources required to achieve a 'good
      life' in laying hens and discuss the philosophical and practical challenges of
      developing the framework. We present the results of a pilot study to establish
      the validity, reliability and feasibility of the draft laying hen tiers on laying
      hen production systems. Finally, we propose a generic welfare assessment
      framework for farm animals and suggest directions for implementation, alongside
      outcome parameters, that can help define and promote a future 'good life' for
      farm animals. 

PMID- 26479525
TI  - Emerging Profiles for Cultured Meat; Ethics through and as Design.
AB  - The development of cultured meat has gained urgency through the increasing
      problems associated with meat, but what it might become is still open in many
      respects. In existing debates, two main moral profiles can be distinguished.
      Vegetarians and vegans who embrace cultured meat emphasize how it could
      contribute to the diminishment of animal suffering and exploitation, while in a
      more mainstream profile cultured meat helps to keep meat eating sustainable and
      affordable. In this paper we argue that these profiles do not exhaust the options
      and that (gut) feelings as well as imagination are needed to explore possible
      future options. On the basis of workshops, we present a third moral profile, "the
      pig in the backyard". Here cultured meat is imagined as an element of a hybrid
      community of humans and animals that would allow for both the consumption of
      animal protein and meaningful relations with domestic (farm) animals. Experience
      in the workshops and elsewhere also illustrates that thinking about cultured meat
      inspires new thoughts on "normal" meat. In short, the idea of cultured meat opens
      up new search space in various ways. We suggest that ethics can take an active
      part in these searches, by fostering a process that integrates (gut) feelings,
      imagination and rational thought and that expands the range of our moral
      identities. 

PMID- 26479526
TI  - Polymorphisms of the Dopamine D4 Receptor Gene in Stabled Horses are Related to
      Differences in Behavioral Response to Frustration.
AB  - In stabled horses, behavioral responses to frustration are often observed,
      especially around feeding time. These behavioral responses are a useful indicator
      of their welfare. In this study, we investigated the association between this
      behavioral indicator and DRD4 gene polymorphisms in stabled horses. Twenty one
      horses housed in two stables were used. The horses were observed for
      approximately 4 h around feeding over three or more days using focal-sampling and
      instantaneous-sampling. Horses were genotyped for the A-G substitution in the
      DRD4 gene. The effects of the A-G substitution (with or without the A allele in
      the DRD4 gene), the stables, and their interaction on the frequency of behavioral
      responses to frustration were analyzed using general linear models. The total
      time budget of behavioral responses to frustration was higher in horses without
      the A allele than in those with the A allele (P = 0.007). These results indicate
      that the A-G substitution of the DRD4 gene is related to frustration-related
      behavioral responses in stabled horses. Appropriate consideration should be made
      for the DRD4 gene polymorphism when the welfare of stabled horses is assessed,
      based on this behavioral indicator. 

PMID- 26479527
TI  - Spatial and Temporal Habitat Use of an Asian Elephant in Sumatra.
AB  - Increasingly, habitat fragmentation caused by agricultural and human development
      has forced Sumatran elephants into relatively small areas, but there is little
      information on how elephants use these areas and thus, how habitats can be
      managed to sustain elephants in the future. Using a Global Positioning System
      (GPS) collar and a land cover map developed from TM imagery, we identified the
      habitats used by a wild adult female elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) in the
      Seblat Elephant Conservation Center, Bengkulu Province, Sumatra during 2007-2008.
      The marked elephant (and presumably her 40-60 herd mates) used a home range that
      contained more than expected medium canopy and open canopy land cover. Further,
      within the home range, closed canopy forests were used more during the day than
      at night. When elephants were in closed canopy forests they were most often near
      the forest edge vs. in the forest interior. Effective elephant conservation
      strategies in Sumatra need to focus on forest restoration of cleared areas and
      providing a forest matrix that includes various canopy types. 

PMID- 26479528
TI  - An Attempt at Captive Breeding of the Endangered Newt Echinotriton andersoni,
      from the Central Ryukyus in Japan.
AB  - Anderson's crocodile newt (Echinotriton andersoni) is distributed in the Central
      Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan, but environmental degradation and illegal
      collection over the last several decades have devastated the local populations.
      It has therefore been listed as a class B1 endangered species in the IUCN Red
      List, indicating that it is at high risk of extinction in the wild. The species
      is also protected by law in both Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures. An artificial
      insemination technique using hormonal injections could not be applied to the
      breeding of this species in the laboratory. In this study we naturally bred the
      species, and tested a laboratory farming technique using several male and female
      E. andersoni pairs collected from Okinawa, Amami, and Tokunoshima Islands and
      subsequently maintained in near-biotopic breeding cages. Among 378 eggs derived
      from 17 females, 319 (84.4%) became normal tailbud embryos, 274 (72.5%) hatched
      normally, 213 (56.3%) metamorphosed normally, and 141 (37.3%) became normal two
      month-old newts; in addition, 77 one- to three-year-old Tokunoshima newts and 32
      Amami larvae are currently still growing normally. Over the last five breeding
      seasons, eggs were laid in-cage on slopes near the waterfront. Larvae were raised
      in nets maintained in a temperature-controlled water bath at 20  degrees C and
      fed live Tubifex. Metamorphosed newts were transferred to plastic containers
      containing wet sponges kept in a temperature-controlled incubator at 22.5 
      degrees C and fed a cricket diet to promote healthy growth. This is the first
      published report of successfully propagating an endangered species by using
      breeding cages in a laboratory setting for captive breeding. Our findings on the
      natural breeding and raising of larvae and adults are useful in breeding this
      endangered species and can be applied to the preservation of other similarly wild
      and endangered species such as E. chinhaiensis. 

PMID- 26479529
TI  - Biological Anomalies around the 2009 L'Aquila Earthquake.
AB  - The April 6, 2009 L'Aquila earthquake was the strongest seismic event to occur in
      Italy over the last thirty years with a magnitude of M = 6.3. Around the time of
      the seismic swarm many instruments were operating in Central Italy, even if not
      dedicated to biological effects associated with the stress field variations,
      including seismicity. Testimonies were collected using a specific questionnaire
      immediately after the main shock, including data on earthquake lights, gas leaks,
      human diseases, and irregular animal behavior. The questionnaire was made up of a
      sequence of arguments, based upon past historical earthquake observations and
      compiled over seven months after the main shock. Data on animal behavior, before,
      during and after the main shocks, were analyzed in space/time distributions with
      respect to the epicenter area, evidencing the specific responses of different
      animals. Several instances of strange animal behavior were observed which could
      causally support the hypotheses that they were induced by the physical presence
      of gas, electric charges and electromagnetic waves in atmosphere. The aim of this
      study was to order the biological observations and thereby allow future work to
      determine whether these observations were influenced by geophysical parameters. 

PMID- 26479530
TI  - Red Wolf (Canis rufus) Recovery: A Review with Suggestions for Future Research.
AB  - By the 1970s, government-supported eradication campaigns reduced red wolves to a
      remnant population of less than 100 individuals on the southern border of Texas
      and Louisiana. Restoration efforts in the region were deemed unpromising because
      of predator-control programs and hybridization with coyotes. The U.S. Fish and
      Wildlife Service (USFWS) removed the last remaining red wolves from the wild and
      placed them in a captive-breeding program. In 1980, the USFWS declared red wolves
      extinct in the wild. During 1987, the USFWS, through the Red Wolf Recovery
      Program, reintroduced red wolves into northeastern North Carolina. Although
      restoration efforts have established a population of approximately 70-80 red
      wolves in the wild, issues of hybridization with coyotes, inbreeding, and human
      caused mortality continue to hamper red wolf recovery. We explore these three
      challenges and, within each challenge, we illustrate how research can be used to
      resolve problems associated with red wolf-coyote interactions, effects of
      inbreeding, and demographic responses to human-caused mortality. We hope this
      illustrates the utility of research to advance restoration of red wolves. 

PMID- 26479531
TI  - Uncertainty in Population Estimates for Endangered Animals and Improving the
      Recovery Process.
AB  - United States recovery plans contain biological information for a species listed
      under the Endangered Species Act and specify recovery criteria to provide basis
      for species recovery. The objective of our study was to evaluate whether recovery
      plans provide uncertainty (e.g., variance) with estimates of population size. We
      reviewed all finalized recovery plans for listed terrestrial vertebrate species
      to record the following data: (1) if a current population size was given, (2) if
      a measure of uncertainty or variance was associated with current estimates of
      population size and (3) if population size was stipulated for recovery. We found
      that 59% of completed recovery plans specified a current population size, 14.5%
      specified a variance for the current population size estimate and 43% specified
      population size as a recovery criterion. More recent recovery plans reported more
      estimates of current population size, uncertainty and population size as a
      recovery criterion. Also, bird and mammal recovery plans reported more estimates
      of population size and uncertainty compared to reptiles and amphibians. We
      suggest the use of calculating minimum detectable differences to improve
      confidence when delisting endangered animals and we identified incentives for
      individuals to get involved in recovery planning to improve access to
      quantitative data. 

PMID- 26479532
TI  - Swooping in the Suburbs; Parental Defence of an Abundant Aggressive Urban Bird
      against Humans.
AB  - Masked Lapwings, Vanellus miles, often come into 'conflict' with humans, because
      they often breed in close proximity to humans and actively defend their ground
      nests through aggressive behaviour, which typically involves swooping. This study
      examined whether defensive responses differed when nesting birds were confronted
      with different human stimuli ('pedestrian alone' vs. 'person pushing a lawn
      mower' approaches to nests) and tested the effectiveness of a commonly used
      deterrent (mock eyes positioned on the top or back of a person's head) on the
      defensive response. Masked Lapwings did not swoop closer to a person with a lawn
      mower compared with a pedestrian, but flushed closer and remained closer to the
      nest in the presence of a lawn mower. The presence of eye stickers decreased
      (pedestrians) and increased (lawn mowers) swooping behaviour. Masked Lapwings can
      discriminate between different human activities and adjust their defensive
      behaviour accordingly. We also conclude that the use of eye stickers is an
      effective method to mitigate the human-lapwing 'conflict' in some, but not all,
      circumstances. 

PMID- 26479533
TI  - The Supply Chain's Role in Improving Animal Welfare.
AB  - Supply chains are already incorporating citizen/consumer demands for improved
      animal welfare, especially through product differentiation and the associated
      segmentation of markets. Nonetheless, the ability of the chain to deliver
      high(er) levels and standards of animal welfare is subject to two critical
      conditions: (a) the innovative and adaptive capacity of the chain to respond to
      society's demands; (b) the extent to which consumers actually purchase animal
      friendly products. Despite a substantial literature reporting estimates of
      willingness to pay (WTP) for animal welfare, there is a belief that in practice
      people vote for substantially more and better animal welfare as citizens than
      they are willing to pay for as consumers. This citizen-consumer gap has
      significant consequences on the supply chain, although there is limited
      literature on the capacity and willingness of supply chains to deliver what the
      consumer wants and is willing to pay for. This paper outlines an economic
      analysis of supply chain delivery of improved standards for farm animal welfare
      in the EU and illustrates the possible consequences of improving animal welfare
      standards for the supply chain using a prototype belief network analysis. 

PMID- 26479534
TI  - The Effect of Steps to Promote Higher Levels of Farm Animal Welfare across the
      EU. Societal versus Animal Scientists' Perceptions of Animal Welfare.
AB  - Information about animal welfare standards and initiatives from eight European
      countries was collected, grouped, and compared to EU welfare standards to detect
      those aspects beyond minimum welfare levels demanded by EU welfare legislation.
      Literature was reviewed to determine the scientific relevance of standards and
      initiatives, and those aspects going beyond minimum EU standards. Standards and
      initiatives were assessed to determine their strengths and weaknesses regarding
      animal welfare. Attitudes of stakeholders in the improvement of animal welfare
      were determined through a Policy Delphi exercise. Social perception of animal
      welfare, economic implications of upraising welfare levels, and differences
      between countries were considered. Literature review revealed that on-farm space
      allowance, climate control, and environmental enrichment are relevant for all
      animal categories. Experts' assessment revealed that on-farm prevention of
      thermal stress, air quality, and races and passageways' design were not
      sufficiently included. Stakeholders considered that housing conditions are
      particularly relevant regarding animal welfare, and that animal-based and farm
      level indicators are fundamental to monitor the progress of animal welfare. The
      most notable differences between what society offers and what farm animals are
      likely to need are related to transportation and space availability, with
      economic constraints being the most plausible explanation. 

PMID- 26479535
TI  - The European Market for Animal-Friendly Products in a Societal Context.
AB  - This article takes a future focus on the direction in which social forces develop
      the market for animal-friendly products in Europe. On the basis of qualitative
      data gathered in the context of the European EconWelfare project, the differences
      across eight European countries are studied. The findings suggest that, given
      international trade barriers that prevent an improvement of animal welfare
      through legislation, many stakeholders believe that the market is the most viable
      direction to improve farm animal welfare. Economic productivity of the chain
      remains, however, an issue that on a fundamental level conflicts with the
      objective to improve animal welfare. With the help of a deeper conceptual
      understanding of willingness to pay for animal welfare, the paper finds that the
      European market for animal-friendly products is still largely fragmented and that
      the differences between European countries are considerable. A more animal
      friendly future that is achieved through the market will therefore need
      substantial policy attention from stakeholders in society. 

PMID- 26479536
TI  - Behavior and Characteristics of Sap-Feeding North Island kaka (Nestor
      meridionalis septentrionalis) in Wellington, New Zealand.
AB  - The North Island kaka (Nestor meridionalis septentrionalis), a threatened New
      Zealand native parrot, was successfully reintroduced to an urban sanctuary in
      Wellington, New Zealand. Conflict has recently begun to emerge with Wellington
      City residents due to tree damage caused by kaka sap foraging. Little is known
      about sap foraging behavior of kaka, and this study aimed to gain a greater
      understanding of this behavior, and to test hypotheses that sap feeding is
      predominantly a female activity and that one technique, forming transverse gouges
      through bark, may be restricted to adult kaka. We used instantaneous scan
      sampling to record the behavior of kaka during 25 60-100 minute observation
      periods at Anderson Park, Wellington Botanic Garden, and during 13 opportunistic
      observations of sap feeding kaka in Wellington City. Forty-one observations of
      sap feeding were made of 21 individually-identified birds. Sap feeding birds were
      predominantly young and, based on estimated sex, females were no more likely to
      sap feed than males (exact binomial test p = 0.868). Twenty of the 21 identified
      sap feeding kaka utilized supplementary feeding stations at Zealandia-Karori
      Wildlife Sanctuary. Kaka were observed defending sap feeding sites from tui
      (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) and conspecifics. Sap appears to be an important
      resource for kaka across sexes and life stages, and provision of supplementary
      food is unlikely to reduce sap feeding and tree damage in Wellington City. 

PMID- 26479537
TI  - Characteristics of a Canine Distemper Virus Outbreak in Dichato, Chile Following
      the February 2010 Earthquake.
AB  - Following the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Chile in February 2010,
      residents of Dichato reported high morbidity and mortality in dogs, descriptions
      of which resembled canine distemper virus (CDV). To assess the situation, free
      vaccine clinics were offered in April and May. Owner information, dog history and
      signalment were gathered; dogs received physical examinations and vaccines
      protecting against CDV, and other common canine pathogens. Blood was collected to
      screen for IgM antibodies to CDV. In total, 208 dogs received physical exams and
      vaccines were given to 177. IgM antibody titres to CDV were obtained for 104
      dogs. Fifty-four dogs (51.9%) tested positive for CDV at the cut off titre of
      >1:50, but a total of 91.4% of dogs had a detectable titre >1:10. Most of the
      positive test results were in dogs less than 2 years of age; 33.5% had been
      previously vaccinated against CDV, and owners of 84 dogs (42.2%) reported
      clinical signs characteristic of CDV in their dogs following the disaster. The
      presence of endemic diseases in dog populations together with poor pre-disaster
      free-roaming dog management results in a potential for widespread negative
      effects following disasters. Creation of preparedness plans that include animal
      welfare, disease prevention and mitigation should be developed. 

PMID- 26479538
TI  - Pre-Calving and Calving Management Practices in Dairy Herds with a History of
      High or Low Bovine Perinatal Mortality.
AB  - Bovine perinatal mortality is an increasing problem in dairy industries
      internationally. The objective of this study was to determine the risk factors
      associated with high and low herd-level calf mortality. Thirty herds with a
      history of either high (case) or low (control) calf mortality were recruited. A
      herd-level questionnaire was used to gather information on management practices
      likely to impact bovine perinatal mortality. The questionnaire was divided into
      four subsections dealing with pre-calving (breeding, diet and body condition
      score, endemic infectious diseases) and calving factors. Most of the significant
      differences between case and control herds were found in calving management. For
      example, in case herds, pregnant cattle were less likely to be moved to the
      calving unit two or more days and more likely to be moved less than 12 hours pre
      calving, they were also less likely to calve in group-calving facilities and
      their calves were more likely to receive intranasal or hypothermal resuscitation.
      These management procedures may cause social isolation and periparturient
      psychogenic uterine atony leading to dystocia, more weak calves requiring
      resuscitation and high perinatal calf mortality. The key finding is that calving,
      not pre-calving, management appears to be the most important area of concern in
      herds with high perinatal mortality. 

PMID- 26479539
TI  - Searching for Animal Sentience: A Systematic Review of the Scientific Literature.
AB  - Knowledge of animal sentience is fundamental to many disciplines and imperative
      to the animal welfare movement. In this review, we examined what is being
      explored and discussed, regarding animal sentience, within the scientific
      literature. Rather than attempting to extract meaning from the many complex and
      abstract definitions of animal sentience, we searched over two decades of
      scientific literature using a peer-reviewed list of 174 keywords. The list
      consisted of human emotions, terminology associated with animal sentience, and
      traits often thought to be indicative of subjective states. We discovered that
      very little was actually being explored, and instead there was already much
      agreement about what animals can feel. Why then is there so much scepticism
      surrounding the science of animal sentience? Sentience refers to the subjective
      states of animals, and so is often thought to be impossible to measure
      objectively. However, when we consider that much of the research found to accept
      and utilise animal sentience is performed for the development of human drugs and
      treatment, it appears that measuring sentience is, after all, not quite as
      impossible as was previously thought. In this paper, we explored what has been
      published on animal sentience in the scientific literature and where the gaps in
      research lie. We drew conclusions on the implications for animal welfare science
      and argued for the importance of addressing these gaps in our knowledge. We found
      that there is a need for more research on positive emotional states in animals,
      and that there is still much to learn about taxa such as invertebrates. Such
      information will not only be useful in supporting and initiating legislative
      amendments but will help to increase understanding, and potentially positive
      actions and attitudes towards animals. 

PMID- 26479540
TI  - Critical Analysis of Assessment Studies of the Animal Ethics Review Process.
AB  - In many countries the approval of animal research projects depends on the
      decisions of Animal Ethics Committees (AEC's), which review the projects. An
      animal ethics review is performed as part of the authorization process and
      therefore performed routinely, but comprehensive information about how well the
      review system works is not available. This paper reviews studies that assess the
      performance of animal ethics committees by using Donabedian's structure-process
      outcome model. The paper points out that it is well recognised that AECs differ
      in structure, in their decision-making methods, in the time they take to review
      proposals and that they also make inconsistent decisions. On the other hand, we
      know little about the quality of outcomes, and to what extent decisions have been
      incorporated into daily scientific activity, and we know almost nothing about how
      well AECs work from the animal protection point of view. In order to emphasise
      this viewpoint in the assessment of AECs, the paper provides an example of
      measures for outcome assessment. The animal suffering is considered as a
      potential measure for outcome assessment of the ethics review. Although this
      approach has limitations, outcome assessment would significantly increase our
      understanding of the performance of AECs. 

PMID- 26479541
TI  - Understanding Vocalization Might Help to Assess Stressful Conditions in Piglets.
AB  - Assessing pigs' welfare is one of the most challenging subjects in intensive pig
      farming. Animal vocalization analysis is a noninvasive procedure and may be used
      as a tool for assessing animal welfare status. The objective of this research was
      to identify stress conditions in piglets reared in farrowing pens through their
      vocalization. Vocal signals were collected from 40 animals under the following
      situations: normal (baseline), feeling cold, in pain, and feeling hunger. A
      unidirectional microphone positioned about 15 cm from the animals' mouth was used
      for recording the acoustic signals. The microphone was connected to a digital
      recorder, where the signals were digitized at the 44,100 Hz frequency. The
      collected sounds were edited and analyzed. The J48 decision tree algorithm
      available at the Weka((r)) data mining software was used for stress
      classification. It was possible to categorize diverse conditions from the
      piglets' vocalization during the farrowing phase (pain, cold and hunger), with an
      accuracy rate of 81.12%. Results indicated that vocalization might be an
      effective welfare indicator, and it could be applied for assessing distress from
      pain, cold and hunger in farrowing piglets. 

PMID- 26479542
TI  - Local Attitudes towards Bear Management after Illegal Feeding and Problem Bear
      Activity.
AB  - The "pot bears" received international media attention in 2010 after police
      discovered the intentional feeding of over 20 black bears during the
      investigation of an alleged marijuana-growing operation in Christina Lake,
      British Columbia, Canada. A two-phase random digit dialing survey of the
      community was conducted in 2011 to understand local perspectives on bear policy
      and management, before and after a summer of problem bear activity and government
      interventions. Of the 159 households surveyed in February 2011, most had neutral
      or positive attitudes towards bears in general, and supported the initial
      decision to feed the food-conditioned bears until the autumn hibernation. In
      contrast to wildlife experts however, most participants supported relocating the
      problem bears, or allowing them to remain in the area, ahead of killing; in part
      this arose from notions of fairness despite the acknowledged problems of
      relocation. Most locals were aware of the years of feeding but did not report it,
      evidently failing to see it as a serious form of harm, even after many bears had
      been killed. This underscores the importance of preventive action on wildlife
      feeding and the need to narrow the gap between public and expert opinion on the
      likely effects of relocation versus killing. 

PMID- 26479543
TI  - Effects of Increased Vigilance for Locomotion Disorders on Lameness and
      Production in Dairy Cows.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine the influence of weekly locomotion
      scoring and, thus, early detection and treatment of lame cows by a veterinarian
      on lameness prevalence, incidence, duration of lameness, fertility and milk yield
      on one dairy farm in Northern Germany. Cows were distributed to two groups. Cows
      in Group A (n = 99) with a locomotion score (LS) > 1 were examined and treated.
      In Group B (n = 99), it was solely in the hands of the farmer to detect lame cows
      and to decide which cows received treatment. Four weeks after the beginning of
      the experimental period, the prevalence of cows with LS = 1 was higher in Group A
      compared with Group B. Prevalence of lame cows (LS > 1) increased in Group B
      (47.6% in Week 2 to 84.0% in Week 40) and decreased in Group A from Week 2 to
      Week 40 (50% to 14.4%; P < 0.05). Within groups, the monthly lameness incidence
      did not differ. The average duration of lameness for newly lame cows was 3.7
      weeks in Group A and 10.4 weeks in Group B (P < 0.001). There was no effect on
      fertility and incidence of puerperal disorders. The 100-day milk yield was
      calculated from cows having their first four Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) test
      day results during the experimental period. The mean 100-day milk yield tended to
      be higher in Group A compared with Group B (3,386 kg vs. 3,359 kg; P = 0.084). 

PMID- 26479544
TI  - The slow developmental time course of real-time spoken word recognition.
AB  - This study investigated the developmental time course of spoken word recognition
      in older children using eye tracking to assess how the real-time processing
      dynamics of word recognition change over development. We found that 9-year-olds
      were slower to activate the target words and showed more early competition from
      competitor words than 16-year-olds; however, both age groups ultimately fixated
      targets to the same degree. This contrasts with a prior study of adolescents with
      language impairment (McMurray, Samelson, Lee, & Tomblin, 2010) that showed a
      different pattern of real-time processes. These findings suggest that the
      dynamics of word recognition are still developing even at these late ages, and
      developmental changes may derive from different sources than individual
      differences in relative language ability.

PMID- 26479545
TI  - Peer effects on Head Start children's preschool competency.
AB  - The goals of this study were to investigate whether young children attending Head
      Start (N = 292; Mage = 4.3 years) selected peers based on their preschool
      competency and whether children's levels of preschool competency were influenced
      by their peers' levels of preschool competency. Children's peer interaction
      partners were intensively observed several times a week over 1 academic year.
      Social network analyses revealed that children selected peer interaction partners
      with similar levels of preschool competency and were influenced over time by
      their partners' levels of preschool competency. These effects held even after
      controlling for several child (e.g., sex and language) and family factors (e.g.,
      financial strain and parent education). Implications for promoting preschool
      competency among Head Start children are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record 

PMID- 26479546
TI  - The better part of not knowing: Virtuous ignorance.
AB  - Suppose you are presented with 2 informants who have provided answers to the same
      question. One provides a precise and confident answer, and the other says that
      they do not know. If you were asked which of these 2 informants was more of an
      expert, intuitively you would select the informant who provided the certain
      answer over the ignorant informant. However, for cases in which precise
      information is practically or actually unknowable (e.g., the number of leaves on
      all the trees in the world), certainty and confidence indicate a lack of
      competence, while expressions of ignorance may indicate greater expertise. In 3
      experiments, we investigated whether children and adults are able to use this
      "virtuous ignorance" as a cue to expertise. Experiment 1 found that adults and
      children older than 9 years selected confident informants for knowable
      information and ignorant informants for unknowable information. However, 5-6-year
      olds overwhelmingly favored the confident informant, even when such certainty was
      completely implausible. In Experiment 2 we replicated the results of Experiment 1
      with a new set of items focused on predictions about the future, rather than
      numerical information. In Experiment 3, we demonstrated that 5-8-year-olds and
      adults are both able to distinguish between knowable and unknowable items when
      asked how difficult the information would be to acquire, but those same children
      failed to reject the precise and confident informant for unknowable items. We
      suggest that children have difficulty integrating information about the
      knowability of particular facts into their evaluations of expertise. (PsycINFO
      Database Record 

PMID- 26479547
TI  - Understanding Chinese immigrant and European American mothers' expressions of
      warmth.
AB  - Maternal warmth, the quality of the affectional bond between mothers and their
      children, has been found to be consistently associated with children's positive
      developmental outcomes in Western cultures. However, researchers debate the
      potential differences in the cultural meanings of maternal warmth, particularly
      between Chinese and European American families. To address the lack of empirical
      research on this issue, the present study examined culturally derived perceptions
      and practices of maternal warmth through open-ended interviews with 70 Chinese
      immigrant and 70 European American mothers of preschoolers. Specifically, we
      compared mothers' perceived importance and degree of expression of warmth toward
      their children, and why and how they express warmth toward their children in the
      2 cultural groups. Results showed that, although mothers perceived expressing
      warmth to be similarly important, European American mothers perceived expressing
      more warmth toward their children. Moreover, both cultural similarities and
      differences were found in why these 2 groups of mothers believed it was important
      to express warmth and the specific practices they used. Chinese immigrant
      mothers' responses were interpreted as reflecting a cultural emphasis on
      nurturance and instrumental support, whereas European American mothers' responses
      reflected the Western cultural focus on more direct and outward demonstrations of
      warmth.

PMID- 26479548
TI  - First-line treatment with paclitaxel for non-HIV-related Kaposi sarcoma:
      experience in 10 cases.

PMID- 26479549
TI  - Irisin in the Glucose Continuum.
AB  - AIM: Irisin, a novel myokine has been involved in the pathogenesis of type 2
      diabetes (T2D) and metabolic syndrome. The aim of the current study was to
      investigate this association by comparing individuals from the whole spectrum of
      carbohydrate disturbances. METHOD: A total of 160 subjects participated in the
      study - 50 had normal glucose tolerance (NGT), 60 had prediabetes (PreDM), 50 had
      T2D. Subjects in the 3 groups were age, sex and BMI-matched. Standard OGTTs were
      performed for the distribution of patients in each group. Circulating serum
      irisin was measured by ELISA method. RESULTS: Mean age of the participants of the
      study was 48.8 (+/- 7.97) years. Circulating irisin levels were statistically
      different in the 3 study groups - highest in NGT - median 619 ng/ml (IQR=567),
      lower in PreDM - 314 ng/ml (IQR=577) and lowest in T2D - 228 ng/ml (IQR=200). In
      males, irisin correlated positively with BMI (r=0.475, p<0.001), negatively with
      fasting glucose (r=- 0.547, p<0.001) and negatively with hepatic enzymes: ALT (r=
      0.281, p<0.05), AST (r=- 0.153, p>0.05), GGT (r=- 0.293, p<0.05). Similar
      correlations were observed in females. ROC analyses established irisin suitable
      for distinguishing T2D subjects from those without the condition (AUC=0.779,
      p<0.001) and insulin resistance (AUC=0.679, p=0.009), but not for MetS or
      dyslipidaemia. In a binary logistic regression model, after adjustment for
      confounders, irisin of <=658 ng/ml had an OR of 7.125 for T2D in females.
      CONCLUSION: Circulating irisin levels progressively decreased with the worsening
      of the glucose tolerance. Irisin correlated well with traditional biochemical and
      anthropometric parameters of metabolic health.

PMID- 26479550
TI  - The Skewness of Alpha Beta T Cell Receptors in Peripheral Blood of the Patients
      with Type 1 Diabetes.
AB  - AIM: To detect the skewness of TCR Valpha and TCR Vbeta of patients with type 1
      diabetes (T1D). METHODS: The heparinized venous blood was collected from ten
      patients with T1D. The peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were isolated and used
      to extract mRNA. Reverse amplyfication was performed for cDNA synthesis. The
      skewness of TCR Valpha and Vbeta was detected with real-time florescence
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) and analyzed by DNA melting-curve
      analysis technique, respectively. RESULTS: Among the TCR Valpha genes, the
      skewness frequency rate (SFR) of Valpha22 was 30%; both of Valpha5 and Valpha24
      were 20%; Valpha28 was the only restricted-clone gene with the SFR of 10%. In all
      the Vbeta genes, Vbeta7 and Vbeta17 were the the highest expression genes, and
      their SFRs were both 60%. Vbeta11 was near them with the SFR of 40%; the
      restricted clonal genes were Vbeta18 and Vbeta20, their SFRs were 10% and 20%,
      respectivley. CONCLUSION: There are skewd genes in TCR Valpha and TCR Vbeta,
      which are probably relative to the onset of T1D.

PMID- 26479551
TI  - Anticancer potential of dietary vitamin D and ascorbic acid: A review.
AB  - Cancers have been the leading cause of death worldwide and poor diet and physical
      inactivity are major risk factors in cancer-related deaths. Micronutrients such
      as vitamins and minerals appear to have preventive properties against cancer. One
      important mechanism by which dietary changes can exert preventive effects on
      cancer is via the modulation of micronutrient concentrations in target tissues.
      Many of these micronutrients are available in the form of dietary supplements,
      and the intake of these supplements is prevalent in various parts of the world.
      However, in most cases, it is not known which micronutrient (or combination of
      micronutrients) is best when it comes to lowering the risk of cancer. The present
      review illustrates the effect of vitamin D and ascorbic acid intake on preventing
      cancer.

PMID- 26479552
TI  - The clinical usefulness of the intraoperative detection of sentinel lymph node
      metastases by a rapid RT-PCR system in patients with gastric cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of pathological lymph node metastases in patients with
      gastric cancer is 5% to 10%, which means that approximately 90% of patients with
      gastric cancer may undergo unnecessary lymphadenectomy. The precise
      intraoperative diagnosis of sentinel lymph node (SN) metastases is essential. The
      purpose of the current study was to verify the usefulness of a rapid reverse
      transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) system compared with hematoxylin
      and eosin staining for such diagnoses. METHODS: A total of 113 patients with
      clinical T1-T2 (cT1-T2) gastric cancer, including 73 patients with cT1cN0 disease
      with a tumor diameter <4 cm, were enrolled in the current study. SNs were
      identified by a radioisotope method. Carcinoembryonic antigen and cytokeratin 19
      were used as markers for RT-PCR and the cutoff values were set using 1701 lymph
      nodes harvested from 157 patients with gastric cancer. RESULTS: SNs were detected
      in all 113 patients. Sensitivity and accuracy for detection by paraffin section
      were both 100% in patients with cT1 disease and were 60% and 90%, respectively,
      in patients with cT2 disease. The sensitivity of RT-PCR for the detection of
      pathological SN metastases was 92.3%. Furthermore, 11 patients had SN metastases
      detected only by RT-PCR, and these patients had frequent lymphatic invasion.
      Hematoxylin and eosin staining detected SN metastases in 6 of 73 patients with
      cT1cN0 gastric cancer; RT-PCR and frozen section detected SN metastases in 6 and
      4 of these patients, respectively. Accordingly, the sensitivity of RT-PCR and
      frozen section for the detection of those pathological SN metastases were 100%
      and 66.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The rapid RT-PCR system appears to have
      clinical usefulness for the intraoperative detection of SN metastases in patients
      with gastric cancer.

PMID- 26479553
TI  - Non-Amyloid-beta Component of Human alpha-Synuclein Oligomers Induces Formation
      of New Abeta Oligomers: Insight into the Mechanisms That Link Parkinson's and
      Alzheimer's Diseases.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the formation of Lewy bodies (LBs),
      of which their major component is the non-amyloid-beta component (NAC) of alpha
      synuclein (AS). Clinical studies have identified a link between PD and
      Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the question of why PD patients are at risk to
      develop various types of dementia, such as AD, is still elusive. In vivo studies
      have shown that Abeta can act as a seed for NAC/AS aggregation, promoting NAC/AS
      aggregation and thus contributing to the etiology of PD. However, the mechanisms
      by which NAC/AS oligomers interact with Abeta oligomers are still elusive. This
      work presents the interactions between NAC oligomers and Abeta oligomers at
      atomic resolution by applying extensive molecular dynamics simulations for an
      ensemble of cross-seeded NAC-Abeta(1-42) oligomers. The main conclusions of this
      study are as follows: first, the cross-seeded NAC-Abeta(1-42) oligomers represent
      polymorphic states, yet NAC oligomers prefer to interact with Abeta(1-42)
      oligomers to form double-layer over single-layer conformations due to
      electrostatic/hydrophobic interactions; second, among the single-layer
      conformations, the NAC oligomers induce formation of new beta-strands in Abeta(1
      42) oligomers, thus leading to new Abeta oligomer structures; and third, NAC
      oligomers stabilize the cross-beta structure of Abeta oligomers, i.e., yielding
      compact Abeta fibril-like structures.

PMID- 26479554
TI  - INTRODUCTION: Return of Research Results: What About the Family?

PMID- 26479556
TI  - Preferences Regarding Return of Genomic Results to Relatives of Research
      Participants, Including after Participant Death: Empirical Results from a Cancer
      Biobank.
AB  - Data are lacking with regard to participants' perspectives on return of genetic
      research results to relatives, including after the participant's death. This
      paper reports descriptive results from 3,630 survey respondents: 464 participants
      in a pancreatic cancer biobank, 1,439 family registry participants, and 1,727
      healthy individuals. Our findings indicate that most participants would feel
      obligated to share their results with blood relatives while alive and would want
      results to be shared with relatives after their death. 

PMID- 26479555
TI  - Returning a Research Participant's Genomic Results to Relatives: Analysis and
      Recommendations.
AB  - Genomic research results and incidental findings with health implications for a
      research participant are of potential interest not only to the participant, but
      also to the participant's family. Yet investigators lack guidance on return of
      results to relatives, including after the participant's death. In this paper, a
      national working group offers consensus analysis and recommendations, including
      an ethical framework to guide investigators in managing this challenging issue,
      before and after the participant's death. 

PMID- 26479557
TI  - Patients' Choices for Return of Exome Sequencing Results to Relatives in the
      Event of Their Death.
AB  - The informed consent process for genetic testing does not commonly address
      preferences regarding disclosure of results in the event of the patient's death.
      Adults being tested for familial colorectal cancer were asked whether they want
      their exome sequencing results disclosed to another person in the event of their
      death prior to receiving the results. Of 78 participants, 92% designated an
      individual and 8% declined to. Further research will help refine practices for
      informed consent. 

PMID- 26479558
TI  - Mapping the Ethics of Translational Genomics: Situating Return of Results and
      Navigating the Research-Clinical Divide.
AB  - Both bioethics and law have governed human genomics by distinguishing research
      from clinical practice. Yet the rise of translational genomics now makes this
      traditional dichotomy inadequate. This paper pioneers a new approach to the
      ethics of translational genomics. It maps the full range of ethical approaches
      needed, proposes a "layered" approach to determining the ethics framework for
      projects combining research and clinical care, and clarifies the key role that
      return of results can play in advancing translation. 

PMID- 26479559
TI  - Return of Genetic Research Results to Participants and Families: IRB Perspectives
      and Roles.
AB  - We surveyed IRB chairs' perspectives on offering individual genetic research
      results to participants and families, including family members of deceased
      participants, and the IRB's role in addressing these issues. Given a particular
      hypothetical scenario, respondents favored offering results to participants but
      not family members, giving choices at the time of initial consent, and honoring
      elicited choices. They felt IRBs should have authority regarding the process
      issues, but a more limited role in medical and scientific issues. 

PMID- 26479560
TI  - Canadian Research Ethics Board Leadership Attitudes to the Return of Genetic
      Research Results to Individuals and Their Families.
AB  - Genomic research may uncover results that have direct actionable benefit to the
      individual. An emerging debate is the degree to which researchers may have
      responsibility to offer results to the biological relatives of the research
      participant. In a companion study to one carried out in the United States, we
      describe the attitudes of Canadian Research Ethics Board (REB) chairs to this
      issue and their opinions as to the role of the REB in developing related policy. 

PMID- 26479561
TI  - Returning a Research Participant's Genomic Results to Relatives: Perspectives
      from Managers of Two Distinct Research Biobanks.
AB  - Research biobanks are heterogeneous and exist to manage diverse biosample types
      with the goal of facilitating and serving biomedical discovery. The perspectives
      of biobank managers are reviewed, and the perspectives of two biobank directors,
      one with experience in institutional biobanks and the other with national
      cooperative group banks, are presented. Most research biobanks are not designed,
      nor do they have the resources, to return research results and incidental
      findings to participants or their families. 

PMID- 26479562
TI  - Pediatric Cancer Genetics Research and an Evolving Preventive Ethics Approach for
      Return of Results after Death of the Subject.
AB  - The return of genetic research results after death in the pediatric setting comes
      with unique complexities. Researchers must determine which results and through
      which processes results are returned. This paper discusses the experience over 15
      years in pediatric cancer genetics research of returning research results after
      the death of a child and proposes a preventive ethics approach to protocol
      development in order to improve the quality of return of results in pediatric
      genomic settings. 

PMID- 26479563
TI  - How Much Control Do Children and Adolescents Have over Genomic Testing, Parental
      Access to Their Results, and Parental Communication of Those Results to Others?
AB  - Adolescents may often have opinions about whether they want genetic and genomic
      testing in both the clinic and research and about who should have access to the
      results. This legal analysis demonstrates that the law provides very little
      protection to minors' wishes. 

PMID- 26479564
TI  - A Family-Centered Model for Sharing Genetic Risk.
AB  - The successes of the Human Genome Project have ushered in a new era of genomic
      science. To effectively translate these discoveries, it will be critical to
      improve the communication of genetic risk within families. This will require a
      systematic approach that accounts for the nature of family relationships and
      sociocultural beliefs. This paper proposes the application of the Family Systems
      Illness Model, used in the setting of cancer care, to the evolving field of
      genomics. 

PMID- 26479566
TI  - Return of Results from Research Using Newborn Screening Dried Blood Samples.
AB  - There may be compelling reasons to return to parents a limited subset of results
      from research conducted using residual newborn screening dried blood samples
      (DBS). This article explores the circumstances under which research results might
      be returned, as well as the mechanisms by which state newborn screening programs
      might facilitate the return of research results. The scope of any responsibility
      to return results of research conducted using DBS should be assessed in light of
      the potential impact on the primary mission of state newborn screening programs. 

PMID- 26479565
TI  - Disclosing Secondary Findings from Pediatric Sequencing to Families: Considering
      the "Benefit to Families".
AB  - Secondary findings for adult-onset diseases in pediatric clinical sequencing can
      benefit parents or other family members. In the absence of data showing harm, it
      is ethically reasonable for parents to request such information, because in other
      types of medical decision-making, they are often given discretion unless their
      decisions clearly harm the child. Some parents might not want this information
      because it could distract them from focusing on the child's underlying condition
      that prompted sequencing. Collecting family impact data may improve future policy
      determinations. 

PMID- 26479567
TI  - Considerations for Returning Research Results to Culturally Diverse Participants
      and Families of Decedents.
AB  - There has been considerable debate on which genomic research results to return to
      participants and when those results should be returned, but little attention to
      how those results should be returned, especially to minority and culturally
      diverse participants. This paper explores the cultural and ethical considerations
      around returning research results to participants and families of culturally
      diverse backgrounds, with a special focus on considerations when the research
      participant is deceased, and raises points for further discussion. 

PMID- 26479568
TI  - International Policies on Sharing Genomic Research Results with Relatives:
      Approaches to Balancing Privacy with Access.
AB  - Returning genetic research results to relatives raises complex issues. In order
      to inform the U.S. debate, this paper analyzes international law and policies
      governing the sharing of genetic research results with relatives and identifies
      key themes and lessons. The laws and policies from other countries demonstrate a
      range of approaches to balancing individual privacy and autonomy with family
      access for health benefit, offering important lessons for further development of
      approaches in the United States. 

PMID- 26479569
TI  - Certificates of Confidentiality: Protecting Human Subject Research Data in Law
      and Practice.
AB  - The federal Certificate of Confidentiality plays an important role in research on
      sensitive topics by authorizing researchers to refuse to disclose identifiable
      research data in response to subpoenas in any legal setting. However, there is
      little known about how effective Certificates are in practice. This article draws
      on our legal and empirical research on this topic to fill this information gap.
      It includes a description of the purpose of Certificates, their legislative and
      regulatory history, and a summary of the few reported and unreported cases that
      have dealt with Certificates. In addition, we outline other statutory
      confidentiality protections, compare them to the Certificate's protections, and
      analyze some of the vulnerabilities of a Certificate's protections. This analysis
      allows us to make specific recommendations for strengthening the protections
      afforded to research data. 

PMID- 26479570
TI  - How Agencies Market Egg Donation on the Internet: A Qualitative Study.
AB  - We systematically examined the content of the websites of 46 agencies that buy
      and sell human eggs to understand how they market themselves to both donors and
      recipients. We found that these websites use marketing techniques that obscure
      the realities of egg donation, presenting egg donation as a mutually beneficial
      and fulfilling experience. Sites emphasize egg donors' emotional fulfillment
      (71.4%) and address recipients' anxieties by stressing the ability to find the
      perfect "fit" or "match" (56.5%), suiting recipients'"preferences"/"desires"
      (19.6%), and even designing/customizing a child (15.2%). Agencies attempt to
      create a sense of connection between the recipients and donors by reporting
      donors' personal characteristics - e.g., interests/hobbies (63%), traits (34.8%),
      mood/temperament (20%), and self-reported childhood behavior/memories (15%).
      Sites present donors as caring/generous (54.3%) and smart/successful/beautiful.
      These data, the first to examine several key aspects of egg donation agency
      websites, reveal critical aspects of how these companies communicate to
      prospective donors and recipients, raising several ethical concerns. Websites
      frame information in ways that may bias consumers, making emotional appeals that
      may distract from appropriate risk/benefit assessments and obscure the ethical
      challenges of egg donation. These data highlight needs for improved practices,
      adherence to guidelines, and consideration of enhanced guidelines or policy. 

PMID- 26479571
TI  - Considering Actionability at the Participant's Research Setting Level for
      Anticipatable Incidental Findings from Clinical Research.
AB  - Determining what constitutes an anticipatable incidental finding (IF) from
      clinical research and defining whether, and when, this IF should be returned to
      the participant have been topics of discussion in the field of human subject
      protections for the last 10 years. It has been debated that implementing a
      comprehensive IF-approach that addresses both the responsibility of researchers
      to return IFs and the expectation of participants to receive them can be
      logistically challenging. IFs have been debated at different levels, such as the
      ethical reasoning for considering their disclosure or the need for planning for
      them during the development of the research study. Some authors have discussed
      the methods for re-contacting participants for disclosing IFs, as well as the
      relevance of considering the clinical importance of the IFs. Similarly, other
      authors have debated about when IFs should be disclosed to participants. However,
      no author has addressed how the "actionability" of the IFs should be considered,
      evaluated, or characterized at the participant's research setting level. This
      paper defines the concept of "Actionability at the Participant's Research Setting
      Level" (APRSL) for anticipatable IFs from clinical research, discusses some
      related ethical concepts to justify the APRSL concept, proposes a strategy to
      incorporate APRSL into the planning and management of IFs, and suggests a
      strategy for integrating APRSL at each local research setting. 

PMID- 26479572
TI  - Funding the Costs of Disease Outbreaks Caused by Non-Vaccination.
AB  - While vaccination rates in the United States are high - generally over 90 percent
      - rates of exemptions have been going up, and preventable diseases coming back.
      Aside from their human cost and the financial cost of treatment imposed on those
      who become ill, outbreaks impose financial costs on an already burdened public
      health system, diverting resources from other areas. This article examines the
      financial costs of non-vaccination, showing how high they can be and what they
      include. It makes a case for requiring those who do not vaccinate to cover the
      costs of outbreak caused by their choice. Such recouping is justified because the
      choice not to vaccinate can easily be seen as negligent. But even if it is not,
      that choice involves imposing costs on others, and there are good reasons to
      require the actors to internalize those costs. The article proposes alternative
      statutory and regulatory schemes to cover the costs imposed on the public purse,
      focusing on no-fault mechanisms. We consider both ex ante mechanisms like a tax
      or a fee that will go into a no-fault fund to cover the costs and ex post
      mechanisms like a statutory authorization for recoupment of those costs by health
      officials. 

PMID- 26479573
TI  - The Pediatrician's Dilemma: Refusing the Refusers of Infant Vaccines.
AB  - Dealing with the continuously increasing rates of families wanting to either
      significantly delay or completely postpone their infant's vaccines has created an
      alarmingly untenable dilemma for the general pediatricians dealing with these
      families on a daily basis. Pediatricians must decide whether to continue to
      provide substandard care by foregoing many or most of the infant's highly
      recommended protective vaccines, or whether to dismiss from the practice the
      family who refuses vaccines. Much has been written about why they should retain
      these families, but this paper will discuss some reasonable rationales as to why
      nearly 40% of pediatricians choose dismissal of these families. 

PMID- 26479574
TI  - Physician Dismissal of Families Who Refuse Vaccination: An Ethical Assessment.
AB  - Thousands of U.S. parents choose to refuse or delay the administration of
      selected vaccines to their children each year, and some choose not to vaccinate
      their children at all. While most physicians continue to provide care to these
      families over time, using each visit as an opportunity to educate and encourage
      vaccination, an increasing number of physicians are choosing to dismiss these
      families from their practice unless they agree to vaccinate their children. This
      paper will examine this emerging trend along with the reasons given by those who
      advocate such an approach. I will argue that the strategy of refusing to allow
      families into a clinic unless they agree to vaccinate their children is
      misguided, and the arguments for doing so fail to stand up to close scrutiny.
      Such a strategy does not benefit the child or the health of the community, and
      may have a negative impact on both. Furthermore, some of the arguments in support
      of dismissal policies ignore the importance of professional obligation and appear
      to favor self-interest over the interest of the patient. 

PMID- 26479575
TI  - Ethical Integrity in Health Care Organizations: Currents in Contemporary
      Bioethics.

PMID- 26479577
TI  - Longterm outcomes of auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation in
      preadolescent children with fulminant hepatic failure.
AB  - By preserving part of the native liver, auxiliary partial orthotopic liver
      transplantation (APOLT) provides the advantage of potential immunosuppression
      (ISP) withdrawal if the native liver recovers but has had limited acceptance,
      especially in the United States, due to technical complications and low rates of
      native liver regeneration. No previous study has evaluated APOLT specifically for
      preadolescent children with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF). This population
      might benefit especially based on greater capacity for liver regeneration. Data
      from 13 preadolescent children who underwent APOLT were compared to 13 matched
      controls who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for FHF from 1996
      to 2013. There were no significant differences in patient demographics or
      survival between the 2 groups. However, all surviving OLT recipients (10/13)
      remain on ISP, while all but 1 surviving APOLT recipient (12/13) showed native
      liver regeneration, and the first 10 recipients (76.9%) are currently off ISP
      with 2 additional patients currently weaning. In our experience, APOLT produced
      excellent survival and high rates of native liver regeneration in preadolescent
      children with FHF. This represents the largest series to date to report such
      outcomes. Liberating these children from lifelong ISP without the downside of
      increased surgical morbidity makes APOLT an attractive alternative. In
      conclusion, we therefore propose that, with the availability of technical
      expertise and with the technical modifications above, APOLT for FHF should be
      strongly considered for preteenage children with FHF.

PMID- 26479578
TI  - In-silico identification of inhibitors against mutated BCR-ABL protein of chronic
      myeloid leukemia: a virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulation study.
AB  - Aberrant and proliferative expression of the oncogene BCR-ABL in the bone marrow
      cells had been proven as the prime cause of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). It
      has been established that tyrosine kinase domain of BCR-ABL protein is a
      potential therapeutic target for the treatment of CML. Imatinib is considered as
      a first-generation drug that can inhibit the enzymatic action by inhibiting the
      ATP binding with BCR-ABL protein. Later on, insensitivity of CML cells towards
      Imatinib has been observed may be due to mutation in tyrosine kinase domain of
      the ABL receptor. Subsequently, some other second-generation drugs have also been
      reported viz. Baustinib, Nilotinib, Dasatinib, Ponatinib, Bafetinib, etc., which
      can able to combat against mutated domain of ABL tyrosine kinase protein. By
      taking into account of bioavailability and resistance developed, there is an
      utmost need to find some more inhibitors for the mutated ABL tyrosine kinase
      protein. For virtual screening, a data-set has been generated by collecting the
      all available drug like natural compounds from ZINC and Drug Bank databases.
      Comparative docking analysis was also carried out on the active site of ABL
      tyrosine kinase receptor with reported reference inhibitors. Molecular dynamics
      simulation of the best screened interacting complex was done for 50 ns to
      validate the stability of the system. These selected inhibitors were further
      validated and analyzed through pharmacokinetics properties and series of ADMET
      parameters by in silico methods. Considering the above said parameters proposed
      molecules are concluded as potential leads for drug designing pipeline against
      CML. 

PMID- 26479579
TI  - (1)H NMR chiral analysis of charged molecules via ion pairing with aluminum
      complexes.
AB  - Chiral analysis, such as determination of identity, concentration, and relative
      ratio of optically active (chiral) molecules, plays an indispensable role in
      contemporary synthetic, medicinal, and biological chemistry. Here, we describe
      the selective control of metal-centered chirality in an octahedral geometry to
      prepare negatively charged Al(III) complexes, which can be used as versatile (1)H
      NMR chiral solvating agents for both positively and negatively charged chiral
      molecules in polar or nonpolar solvents. During the formation of ion pairs
      between the Al(III) complexes and the chiral analytes such as amines and
      carboxylic acids, the metal-centered chirality in the Al complexes plays a
      crucial role in providing anisochronous chemical shifts to the (1)H NMR spectra.
      As a chiral solvating agent, Al(III) complexes display an unprecedentedly broad
      substrate scope, good solvent compatibility, and operational simplicity. 

PMID- 26479581
TI  - Synthesis and Electrocatalytic Property of Diiron Hydride Complexes Derived from
      a Thiolate-Bridged Diiron Complex.
AB  - Interaction of a diiron thiolate-bridged complex, [Cp*Fe(MU-eta(2):eta(4)
      bdt)FeCp*] (1) (Cp* = eta(5)-C5Me5; bdt = benzene-1,2-dithiolate) with a proton
      gives an Fe(III)Fe(III) hydride bridged complex, [Cp*Fe(MU-bdt)(MU-H)FeCp*][BF4]
      (3[BF4]). According to in situ variable temperature (1)H NMR studies, the
      formation of 3[BF4] was evidenced to occur through a stepwise pathway:
      protonation occurring at an iron center to produce terminal hydride [Cp*Fe(MU
      bdt)(t-H)FeCp*][BF4] (2) and subsequent intramolecular isomerization to bridging
      hydride 3[BF4]. A one-electron reduction of 3[BF4] by CoCp2 affords a
      paramagnetic mixed-valent Fe(II)Fe(III) hydride complex, [Cp*Fe(MU-eta(2):eta(2)
      bdt)(MU-H)FeCp*] (4). Further, studies on protonation processes of diruthenium
      and iron-ruthenium analogues of 1, [Cp*M1(MU-bdt)M2Cp*] (M1 = M2 = Ru, 5; M1 =
      Fe, M2 = Ru, 8), provide experimental evidence for terminal hydride species at
      these bdt systems. Importantly, diiron or diruthenium hydride bridged complexes
      3[BF4], 7[BF4] and iron-ruthenium heterodinuclear complex 8[PF6] can realize
      electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution. 

PMID- 26479580
TI  - Coronary artery disease risk reduction in HIV-infected persons: a comparative
      analysis.
AB  - Despite an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in persons infected
      with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), few data are available on primary
      prevention of CAD in this population. In this retrospective cohort study, HIV
      infected patients treated in an academic medical center HIV Specialty Clinic
      between 1996 and 2010 were matched by age, gender, and ethnicity to a cohort of
      presumed uninfected persons followed in an academic medical center Internal
      Medicine primary care clinic. We compared CAD primary prevention care practices
      between the two clinics, including use of aspirin, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors
      ("statins"), and anti-hypertensive drugs. CAD risk between the two groups was
      assessed with 10-year Framingham CAD risk scores. In the comparative analysis,
      890 HIV-infected persons were compared to 807 controls. Ten-year Framingham CAD
      Risk Scores were similar in the two groups (median, 3; interquartile range [IQR],
      0-5). After adjusting for relevant risk factors, HIV-infected persons were less
      likely to be prescribed aspirin (odds ratio [OR] 0.53; 95% confidence interval
      [CI], 0.40-0.71), statins (OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.53-0.92), and anti-hypertensive
      drugs (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.50-0.79) than persons in the control group. In
      summary, when compared to demographically similar uninfected persons, HIV
      infected persons treated in an HIV specialty clinic were less likely to be
      prescribed medications appropriate for CAD risk reduction. Improving primary
      preventative CAD care in HIV specialty clinic populations is an important step
      toward diminishing risk of heart disease in HIV-infected persons. 

PMID- 26479582
TI  - Clinical characteristics and prognosis of low frequency sensorineural hearing
      loss without vertigo.
AB  - CONCLUSION: Factors prognostic of recovery from low frequency sensorineural
      hearing loss without vertigo are co-occurrence of tinnitus, PTA determined
      hearing level on the affected side before treatment initiation, and time from
      onset to treatment initiation. The rate of hearing recovery was higher in the
      oral steroid than in the intra-tympanic steroid and combined groups. OBJECTIVES:
      Although many studies have assessed acute sudden hearing loss, few have analyzed
      low-frequency hearing loss. Clinical characteristics of patients with hearing
      loss may vary by type of hearing loss. This study, therefore, analyzed the
      clinical characteristics, recovery rates, and factors associated with hearing
      recovery in patients with low-frequency sensorineural hearing loss unaccompanied
      by vertigo. METHOD: This study included 50 patients with severe low frequency
      hearing loss unaccompanied by vertigo and with normal tympanic membrane status
      who visited hospitals from July 2005 to May 2014 due to sudden tinnitus, ear
      fullness, or hearing loss. Of these patients, 29 were treated with oral steroids,
      eight with tympanic steroid injections, and 13 with both. Clinical and auditory
      characteristics before and after treatment, as well as treatment outcomes, were
      compared in these three groups. RESULTS: Age, sex, affected side, co-occurrence
      of ear fullness, and accompanying chronic diseases were similar in the three
      groups. All patients started on treatment within 10 days of hearing loss showed
      significant recovery, with complete recovery, unaccompanied by tinnitus, observed
      in 10 patients. Treatment outcomes were not affected by hearing thresholds on the
      unaffected side. Of the patients treated with both oral and intra-tympanic
      steroids, 39% showed complete recovery, and 77% showed audiometric improvement.
      The complete recovery rate was significantly higher in the oral steroid than in
      the other two groups (p = 0.029); and the audiometric improvement rate tended to
      be lower in the intra-tympanic steroid group than in the other groups. Cure
      rates, defined as complete disappearance of symptoms and normal findings on pure
      tone audiograms (PTA), in the oral, intra-tympanic, and combined steroid groups
      were 49%, 25%, and 23%, respectively. There were no significant differences among
      the three groups in cure, subjective improvement, and audiometric improvement
      rates. Factors prognostic of non-recovery of hearing included late treatment
      initiation (p = 0.044), accompanying tinnitus (p = 0.049), and higher hearing
      thresholds on the affected side before treatment initiation (p = 0.005).

PMID- 26479583
TI  - Social provocation modulates decision making and feedback processing: Examining
      the trajectory of development in adolescent participants.
AB  - Increasingly, research is turning to the ways in which social context impacts
      decision making and feedback processing in adolescents. The current study
      recorded electroencephalography to examine the trajectory of development across
      adolescence, with a focus on how social context impacts cognition and behaviour.
      To that end, younger (10-12 years) and older (14-16 years) adolescents played a
      modified Taylor Aggression Paradigm against two virtual opponents: a low-provoker
      and a high-provoker. During the task's decision phase (where participants select
      punishment for their opponent), we examined two event-related potentials: the N2
      and the late positive potential (LPP). During the outcome phase (where
      participants experience win or loss feedback), we measured the feedback related
      negativity (FRN). Although N2 amplitudes did not vary with provocation, LPP
      amplitudes were enhanced under high provocation for the younger group, suggesting
      that emotional reactivity during the decision phase was heightened for early
      adolescents. During the outcome phase, the FRN was reduced following win outcomes
      under high provocation for both groups, suggesting that a highly provocative
      social opponent may influence the reward response. Collectively, the data argue
      that social context is an important factor modulating neural responses in
      adolescent behavioural and brain development. 

PMID- 26479584
TI  - New C20-diterpenoid alkaloids from Aconitum vilmorrianum and structural revision
      of 2-O-acetylorochrine and orochrine.
AB  - Three new C20-diterpenoid alkaloids vilmorrianines E (1), F (2), and G (3) were
      isolated from the whole plants of Aconitum vilmorrianum, along with one artifact
      N-chloromethyl vilmorrianine E hydrochloride (4), as well as two known alkaloids
      hemsleyaconitines F (5) and G (6). The structures of 1-4 were established by HR
      ESI-MS, 1D-, 2D-NMR (HMQC, HMBC, and NOESY), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction
      analysis. In addition, the structures of naturally occurring 2-O-acetylorochrine
      (7) and orochrine (8) were revised to be the known alkaloids heterophylloidine
      (9) and deacetyl heterophylloidine (10), respectively, on the basis of
      consideration of transannular effect and chemical correlations. 

PMID- 26479585
TI  - Enhanced visible light photocatalytic inactivation of Escherichia coli using
      silver nanoparticles as photocatalyst.
AB  - The silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were green synthesized using Cirsium arvense
      plant extract as a reducing and stabilizing agent, with superior photo
      inactivation activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli). The synthesized AgNPs
      had crystalline structure and were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, XRD,
      HRTEM, SEM, EDX and FT-IR. The formation of nanoparticles was observed at
      different pH and different plant extract concentrations and it was found that at
      higher pH (pH>6) and at lower concentration (10 mL), the reducing and stabilizing
      efficiency of plant extract was increased. The synthesized AgNPs had small size
      (<15 nm) and spherical shape. The AgNPs were evaluated for antibacterial activity
      against E. coli. Before transferring it to antibacterial activity, it was placed
      under visible light for 120 min. The same experiment was performed in dark as a
      control medium. The photo irradiated AgNPs were observed to be more effective
      against E. coli. The results showed, that the diameter of zone of inhibition of
      visible light irradiated AgNPs against E. coli was 23 (+/-0.5)mm and in dark was
      11 (+/-0.4)mm.

PMID- 26479587
TI  - Memory hierarchies map onto the hippocampal long axis in humans.
AB  - Memories, similar to the internal representation of space, can be recalled at
      different resolutions ranging from detailed events to more comprehensive, multi
      event narratives. Single-cell recordings in rodents have suggested that different
      spatial scales are represented as a gradient along the hippocampal axis. We found
      that a similar organization holds for human episodic memory: memory
      representations systematically vary in scale along the hippocampal long axis,
      which may enable the formation of mnemonic hierarchies. 

PMID- 26479589
TI  - Neurons in the human amygdala encode face identity, but not gaze direction.
AB  - The amygdala is important for face processing, and direction of eye gaze is one
      of the most socially salient facial signals. Recording from over 200 neurons in
      the amygdala of neurosurgical patients, we found robust encoding of the identity
      of neutral-expression faces, but not of their direction of gaze. Processing of
      gaze direction may rely on a predominantly cortical network rather than the
      amygdala. 

PMID- 26479591
TI  - Effect of waist diameter and twist on tapered asymmetrical dual-core fiber MZI
      filter.
AB  - A compact in-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) filter fabricated from
      custom-designed asymmetrical dual-core fiber is numerically analyzed in detail
      and experimentally verified. The asymmetrical dual-core fiber has core diameters
      and a core pitch of 6.9, 6, and 19.9 MUm, respectively. The fiber tapering
      technique is introduced to fuse the originally uncoupled cores into strong
      coupling tapered regions. The length and diameter of the waist region have a
      close impact on the splitting ratio, which further affects the spectral
      properties of the MZI filter. The field evolution with varied waist parameters is
      characterized by the finite element method and beam propagation method.
      Repeatable comb filters with ~15  dB extinction ratio are successfully achieved
      under the guidance of simulated optimum conditions. The twist-induced circular
      birefringence gives rise to a retardance that causes the spectral shifts of the
      MZI filter. The theoretical and experimental results confirm that the relative
      wavelength shift is proportional to the retardance, which follows a sinc function
      in the limit of a large twist rate.

PMID- 26479592
TI  - Sensitivity modeling of binary optical receivers.
AB  - The sensitivity characteristics of optical receiver frontends for high-speed data
      communications depend on modulation format, detector type, and specific
      operational constraints. A general mathematical model of the receiver sensitivity
      that fits to analytical as well as measured data is required to compare different
      receiver implementations and assess the reliability of data links under varying
      received power as common in free-space optical communication links. In this
      paper, a new approach based on Q-factor modeling is presented, compared with
      analytical receiver models, and applied to a multitude of exemplary receiver
      implementations. A methodology is introduced to generally apply the model to
      ideal or practical binary optical receiver frontends. 

PMID- 26479590
TI  - Reward expectation differentially modulates attentional behavior and activity in
      visual area V4.
AB  - Neural activity in visual area V4 is enhanced when attention is directed into
      neuronal receptive fields. However, the source of this enhancement is unclear, as
      most physiological studies have manipulated attention by changing the absolute
      reward associated with a particular location as well as its value relative to
      other locations. We trained monkeys to discriminate the orientation of two
      stimuli presented simultaneously in different hemifields while we independently
      varied the reward magnitude associated with correct discrimination at each
      location. Behavioral measures of attention were controlled by the relative value
      of each location. By contrast, neurons in V4 were consistently modulated by
      absolute reward value, exhibiting increased activity, increased gamma-band power
      and decreased trial-to-trial variability whenever receptive field locations were
      associated with large rewards. These data challenge the notion that the
      perceptual benefits of spatial attention rely on increased signal-to-noise in V4.
      Instead, these benefits likely derive from downstream selection mechanisms. 

PMID- 26479588
TI  - Anchoring and synaptic stability of PSD-95 is driven by ephrin-B3.
AB  - Organization of signaling complexes at excitatory synapses by membrane-associated
      guanylate kinase (MAGUK) proteins regulates synapse development, plasticity,
      senescence and disease. Post-translational modification of MAGUK family proteins
      can drive their membrane localization, yet it is unclear how these intracellular
      proteins are targeted to sites of synaptic contact. Here we show using super
      resolution imaging, biochemical approaches and in vivo models that the trans
      synaptic organizing protein ephrin-B3 controls the synaptic localization and
      stability of PSD-95 and links these events to changes in neuronal activity via
      negative regulation of a newly identified mitogen-associated protein kinase
      (MAPK)-dependent phosphorylation site on ephrin-B3, Ser332. Unphosphorylated
      ephrin-B3 was enriched at synapses, and interacted directly with and stabilized
      PSD-95 at synapses. Activity-induced phosphorylation of Ser332 dispersed ephrin
      B3 from synapses, prevented the interaction with PSD-95 and enhanced the turnover
      of PSD-95. Thus, ephrin-B3 specifies the synaptic localization of PSD-95 and
      likely links the synaptic stability of PSD-95 to changes in neuronal activity. 

PMID- 26479593
TI  - Tunable multiwavelength mode-locked Tm/Ho-doped fiber laser based on a nonlinear
      amplified loop mirror.
AB  - We propose and demonstrate a tunable multiwavelength mode-locked Tm/Ho-doped
      fiber laser based on a nonlinear amplified loop mirror (NALM). Without using
      polarization-maintaining fiber, only passive fibers with low birefringence were
      inserted into the NALM to help overcome mode competition and realize mode
      locking. The spacing between adjacent channels was measured to be ~6  nm. By
      adjusting the polarization controllers (PCs) to an appropriate position, self
      started mode-locking was achieved, which further overcame the mode competition in
      the fiber laser. A multiwavelength mode-locked fiber laser with at least three
      available channels were tunable in the widest range of 30 nm (from 1935 to 1965
      nm) with a 3 dB channel bandwidth of ~1.6  nm. This multiwavelength mode-locked
      fiber laser is quite stable with the maximum peak fluctuation within 0.47 dB in
      long-term observations.

PMID- 26479594
TI  - Analysis of deformation of flexible hemispherical lens arrays based on soft
      elastomers.
AB  - In this paper, flexible hemispherical lens arrays based on soft elastomers were
      fabricated. Then, the effects of various geometric parameters on the deformation
      (i.e., hemispherical deformation and radial extension) of these lens arrays were
      investigated experimentally and were verified by finite element analysis. We
      focused on determining the relationship between the geometric parameters and the
      radius of curvature of the lens. We found that the height of the lens support
      post plays an important role in minimizing changes in the radius of curvature of
      the lens. The results of this research offer valuable design principles for
      flexible lens arrays, which can be used as an optical component of various
      flexible optoelectronic devices. 

PMID- 26479595
TI  - Multi-trench fiber with four gaps for improved bend performance.
AB  - A modified multi-trench fiber (MTF) design with gaps to create leakage channels
      is proposed and investigated numerically using the scalar finite-difference beam
      propagation method algorithm. Great potential in single-mode operation, mode area
      enlargement, and resistance to bending is demonstrated. A high loss ratio (>50)
      between high-order modes and the fundamental mode is possible over a wide range
      of high-index ring thickness, gap width, and bending orientation. This reduces
      the required fabrication accuracy. We obtain an effective area of 920  MUm2 at a
      wavelength of 1050 nm and a 20 cm bend radius with a high loss ratio (>100). Our
      modified gap MTF can possibly be fabricated by drilling holes in an ordinary MTF
      and inserting rods into the holes.

PMID- 26479596
TI  - Mathematical modeling of surface roughness in magnetic abrasive finishing of BK7
      optical glass.
AB  - Magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) is one of the advanced machining processes
      efficiently used to finish hard-to-machine materials. Simulation and modeling of
      the process is of particular importance to understand the mechanics of material
      removal and consequently achieve a high-quality surface with a minimum of surface
      defects. Hence, in this paper, we performed a numerical-experimental study to
      mathematically model the surface roughness during the MAF of BK7 optical glass.
      For this purpose, the initial roughness profile was estimated using fast Fourier
      transform (FFT) and a Gaussian filter. We obtained the final surface profile
      based on the material removal mechanisms and the corresponding chipping depth
      values evaluated by finite element analysis. We then validated experimentally the
      simulation results in terms of the arithmetic average surface roughness (R(a ).
      The comparison between the obtained results demonstrates that the theoretical and
      experimental findings are in good agreement when predicting the parameters'
      effect on surface roughness behavior.

PMID- 26479597
TI  - Power-area method to precisely estimate laser linewidth from its frequency-noise
      spectrum.
AB  - We proposed a precise and simple method to estimate the laser linewidth from its
      frequency power spectral density, which is termed as power-area method (PAM). We
      applied this method to determine the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of white
      frequency noise and flicker-frequency noise, and the error was less than 7%. Then
      we successfully estimated the FWHM of the beat note of delayed self
      homodyne/heterodyne interferometry with this method. Lastly we investigated the
      selection of loop gain and loop bandwidth using PAM to achieve a better result in
      linewidth compression with servo-loop control. 

PMID- 26479598
TI  - Method for measuring the cone angle and the shape of the axicon simultaneously
      using computer-generated holograms.
AB  - An axicon is an optical element with rotational symmetry and cone shape, which is
      nowadays widely used in many fields of engineering, like laser beam shaping,
      imaging systems, optical testing, laser machining, etc. In this paper, we propose
      a new method to measure the cone angle and the shape of the axicon simultaneously
      by using a computer-generated hologram. This test is performed in a null-test
      configuration. 

PMID- 26479599
TI  - Light-controllable linear dichroism in nematics.
AB  - We report a method to obtain a light-controllable dichroism. The main effect is
      achieved using spiropyran-doped (SP-doped) nematic liquid crystal mixtures. SP
      molecules exhibit a high solubility in the liquid crystal host, which can vary
      between 1% and 4% in weight, without destroying the liquid crystalline phase. Due
      to their elongated shape, SP molecules are oriented along the nematic liquid
      crystal director. The obtained linear dichroism was measured to be 1.08 with a
      dichroic ratio of 7.12. Further, a two-direction linear dichroism was obtained by
      adding a dichroic dye to the mixture. The angle between the two dichroic axes was
      found to be 11 degrees . Two-direction linear dichroism is also light
      controllable and can be switched back to one-direction dichroism. 

PMID- 26479601
TI  - Phase-polarization parallax barriers for an autostereo/stereo/monoscopic display
      with full-screen resolution at each operation mode.
AB  - It is attractive to have a three-mode flat-panel 3D display capable of working in
      autostereoscopic, stereoscopic-with-passive-glasses, and monoscopic modes and
      providing full-screen resolution of images at each mode. The concept of
      autostereoscopic displays simultaneously reproducing two image elements in each
      display pixel based on information-dependent polarization coding and subsequent
      decoding was recently proposed. Such a concept allows full-screen resolution in
      each image view and flickerless 3D images to be observed even at a 60-Hz frame
      rate. The essential problem of such display implementation is to create the
      suitable structure of the phase-polarization parallax barrier (PPPB) capable of
      working properly at a variable polarization state of input light. This paper
      presents the results of theoretical research of an electrically switchable liquid
      crystal (LC) PPPB. The Jones matrix notation of the required performance function
      of the LC PPPB is found. The results of computer modeling of achromatic
      characteristics of suitable LC structures are discussed to determine the optimum
      structures for PPPB. The proposed layout of three-mode 3D display with LC PPPB
      allows it to go from autostereoscopic mode to "stereoscopic-with-passive-glasses"
      mode and backward by electrical switching the LC PPPB in combination with
      removing/inserting the output polaroid film. 

PMID- 26479600
TI  - High-resolution moire interferometry for quantitative low-cost, real-time surface
      profilometry.
AB  - A two-dimensional optical profilometry system has been developed in which fringe
      projection and image processing methods allow for image acquisition and analysis
      at video frame rates with MUm-scale precision in an inexpensive portable device.
      The device presented can be used to interrogate any uniformly reflective surface,
      imaging an area of approximately 10 square centimeters and providing a real-time
      digital display of the surface's contours. The presented system has the ability
      to resolve surface features with a lateral resolution of <50  MUm and <15  MUm in
      height. 

PMID- 26479602
TI  - Modeling and analysis of optical properties of a gold nanoring based on electric
      and magnetic dipoles.
AB  - The optical behavior of a plane-wave excited gold nanoring (NR), originated from
      localized surface plasmon resonance is modeled by two coupled electric- and
      magnetic-point dipoles. Considering the extinction cross-section spectrum, it is
      found that the electric-dipole effect is dominant in comparison with the magnetic
      dipole effect although the magnetic-dipole signature is observable in the near
      field response of the NR. In addition, the far-field electromagnetic radiation
      pattern of the NR verifies the corresponding radiation pattern of the point
      dipoles. The numerical simulation near-field results are in agreement with the
      proposed electric- and magnetic-dipole theory. 

PMID- 26479603
TI  - Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technique for quantitative analysis of
      aqueous solution using matrix conversion based on plant fiber spunlaced
      nonwovens.
AB  - In the present work, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied to
      detect concentrations of chromium and nickel in aqueous solution in the form of
      matrix conversion using plant fiber spunlaced nonwovens as a solid-phase support,
      which can effectively avoid the inherent difficulties such as splashing, a
      quenching effect, and a shorter plasma lifetime during the liquid LIBS analysis.
      Drops of the sample solution were transferred to the plant fiber spunlaced
      nonwovens surface and uniformly diffused from the center to the whole area of the
      substrate. Owing to good hydrophilicity, the plant fiber spunlaced nonwovens can
      hold more of the liquid sample, and the surface of this material never wrinkles
      after being dried in a drying oven, which can effectively reduce the deviation
      during the LIBS analysis. In addition, the plant fiber spunlaced nonwovens used
      in the present work are relatively convenient and low cost. Also, the procedure
      of analysis was simple and fast, which are the unique features of LIBS
      technology. Therefore, this method has potential applications for practical and
      in situ analyses. To achieve sensitive elemental detection, the optimal delay
      time in this experiment was investigated. Under the optimized condition, the
      limits of detection for Cr and Ni are 0.7 and 5.7  MUg.mL(-1), respectively. The
      results obtained in the present study show that the matrix conversion method is a
      feasible option for analyzing heavy metals in aqueous solutions by LIBS
      technology.

PMID- 26479604
TI  - Compact linearly polarized ceramic laser made with anisotropic nanostructured
      thin films.
AB  - A novel method is proposed for the fabrication of polarizing laser mirrors for
      compact solid-state lasers using glancing angle deposition. Changing the
      inclination angle and the azimuthal orientation of the substrate during
      deposition allows one to create and control in-plane birefringence of a deposited
      thin film by changing its nanostructure. Principal refractive indices of tungsten
      trioxide films were determined for various deposition angles using transmission
      and reflection ellipsometry. High-reflectance contrast between orthogonal linear
      polarization directions was obtained using a single material without any
      additional processing steps. These birefringent films were the building blocks of
      a Bragg mirror that was tested as an output coupler of a (Yb0.1Y0.9)3Al5O12
      ceramic laser in a laser-diode end-pumped configuration. Continuous-wave,
      linearly polarized, transverse single-mode laser emission was obtained at a
      wavelength of 1030 nm with a polarization extinction ratio higher than 973 (30
      dB).

PMID- 26479605
TI  - Research on quantum efficiency for reflection-mode InGaAs photocathodes with thin
      emission layer.
AB  - In order to understand the photoemission mechanism of the reflection-mode InGaAs
      photocathode with a thin emission layer, the formula describing reflection-mode
      quantum efficiency is revised by solving the one-dimensional continuity equation,
      in which the electrons generated in the GaAs buffer layer are considered.
      Compared with the conventional formula, the revised formula is proved to be more
      suitable for the reflection-mode InGaAs photocathode with a thin emission layer.
      In experiment, the InGaAs sample goes through two-step surface preparation
      including a wet chemical cleaning process and a heat treatment process. Then the
      sample is activated by Cs/O and the experimental quantum efficiency curves are
      measured simultaneously every other hour. The measured results show that the
      shapes of the quantum efficiency curves degrade with time because of the
      contamination of residual gases in the vacuum system. All the quantum efficiency
      curves are well fitted by the revised formula. 

PMID- 26479606
TI  - Analysis of mode-hop free tuning of folded cavity grating feedback lasers.
AB  - We analytically study an external cavity laser structure including a folded
      cavity. A steering mirror is utilized in the folded cavity to deflect the
      intracavity laser beam. A mode-hop free tuning range of ~400  GHz can be achieved
      by control of the steering mirror, and a fast tuning rate is expected because of
      the small mass of the steering mirror. This technique has potential for
      applications in spectroscopy for turbulent media, especially in the mid-infrared
      region.

PMID- 26479607
TI  - Nonblocking 3 * 3 polymer thermo-optic switch array based on total-internal
      reflection effect.
AB  - A nonblocking 3*3 polymer thermo-optic (TO) switch array based on the total
      internal-reflection (TIR) effect is demonstrated. The switch array consists of
      three 2*2 TIR TO switch elements with a total device length of 15.5 mm, and
      achieves nine switching states with no more than one switch element working. The
      fabricated 3*3 TO switch array shows excellent switching performance with low
      crosstalk for all switching states of less than -20  dB. The power consumption of
      each switch element is below 53 mW, and the switching rise time and fall time are
      ~450 and 550 MUs at 1550 nm wavelength, respectively.

PMID- 26479608
TI  - 1 GHz repetition rate femtosecond Yb:fiber laser for direct generation of carrier
      envelope offset frequency.
AB  - We report a mode-locked fiber laser working at a 1 GHz fundamental repetition
      rate. The laser delivers a 600 mW average power at a pump power of 1800 mW. The
      pulse spectrum bandwidth was 23 nm to support 64 fs near-transform-limited
      pulses. An octave-spanning supercontinuum from 590 to 1350 nm was generated in a
      tapered photonic crystal fiber solely with the mode-locked fiber-laser output,
      without amplifiers. A 30 dB f(ceo) beat signal was detected via f-to-2f
      interferometer.

PMID- 26479610
TI  - Analysis of thermo-optic effect-based refractive index dynamic modulation in
      microspherical resonator.
AB  - The thermo-optic effect has been utilized to modulate the refractive index
      dynamically within a whispering gallery mode resonator. Modulation with a large
      tuning range is mostly performed for mode locking and dynamic control of the
      optical path at a modulation frequency as low as several hertz, while high
      frequency modulation up to megahertz is mainly exploited in optical switching
      devices with small tuning range. Here, we introduce the response functions
      theoretically to describe the dynamic response of temperature changes in the mode
      volume and the resonator body, respectively. This result is verified
      experimentally in silica microspherical resonators. The dependence of the tuning
      range on the modulation frequency is achieved. This knowledge could pave the way
      toward more practical control of refractive index in microresonators. 

PMID- 26479609
TI  - Stray light and tolerance analysis of an ultrathin waveguide display.
AB  - Waveguides are becoming increasingly popular in the field of near-eye display
      because of their low thickness and light weight. However, ghost stray light
      generated in the waveguide and the double-image problem caused by low parallelism
      precision seriously degrade the display quality. In this study, the causes of
      stray light are investigated, an effective solution is proposed, and a coupling
      in structure is designed to suppress stray light. The Monte Carlo tolerances on
      the parallelism errors based on the visual acuity for the two substrates and the
      partially reflective mirror array (PRMA) of the waveguide are implemented.
      Results show that the fabrication accuracy of the substrates and the PRMA should
      be controlled within 6'' and 9'', respectively. A 2.4 mm thick waveguide with
      stray light of less than 1% is designed. The field of view is 36 degrees  in the
      pupil-expanding direction, and the diameter of the exit pupil is 11.6 mm at an
      eye relief of 20 mm. Finally, a proof-of-concept prototype is fabricated and
      demonstrated.

PMID- 26479611
TI  - Electromagnetic sunscreen model: design of experiments on particle
      specifications.
AB  - We report a numerical study on sunscreen design and optimization. Thanks to the
      combined use of electromagnetic modeling and design of experiments, we are able
      to screen the most relevant parameters of mineral filters and to optimize
      sunscreens. Several electromagnetic modeling methods are used depending on the
      type of particles, density of particles, etc. Both the sun protection factor
      (SPF) and the UVB/UVA ratio are considered. We show that the design of
      experiments' model should include interactions between materials and other
      parameters. We conclude that the material of the particles is a key parameter for
      the SPF and the UVB/UVA ratio. Among the materials considered, none is optimal
      for both. The SPF is also highly dependent on the size of the particles.

PMID- 26479612
TI  - Quantitative phase imaging applied to laser damage detection and analysis.
AB  - We investigate phase imaging as a measurement method for laser damage detection
      and analysis of laser-induced modification of optical materials. Experiments have
      been conducted with a wavefront sensor based on lateral shearing interferometry
      associated with a high-magnification optical microscope. The system has been used
      for the in-line observation of optical thin films and bulk samples, laser
      irradiated in two different conditions: 500 fs pulses at 343 and 1030 nm, and
      millisecond to second irradiation with a CO2 laser at 10.6 MUm. We investigate
      the measurement of the laser-induced damage threshold of optical material by
      detection and phase changes and show that the technique realizes high sensitivity
      with different optical path measurements lower than 1 nm. Additionally, the
      quantitative information on the refractive index or surface modification of the
      samples under test that is provided by the system has been compared to classical
      metrology instruments used for laser damage or laser ablation characterization
      (an atomic force microscope, a differential interference contrast microscope, and
      an optical surface profiler). An accurate in-line measurement of the morphology
      of laser-ablated sites, from few nanometers to hundred microns in depth, is
      shown.

PMID- 26479613
TI  - End-pumped temperature-dependent passively Q-switched lasers.
AB  - In this paper, we compare pulse parameters in two end-pumped passively Q-switched
      lasers by increasing the boundary temperature of the laser crystal. For the
      Nd:YAG/Cr:YAG laser, the pulse energy at 1 kHz increased from 12.4 to 21 MUJ when
      the boundary temperature increased from 20 degrees C to 120 degrees C, while the
      pulse width decreased by 1.2 times. For the Nd:YVO4 passively Q-switched laser
      using Cr:YAG as the saturable absorber, the pulse energy at 100 Hz increased from
      5.45 to 24.5 MUJ when the boundary temperature increased from 26 degrees C to 113
      degrees C, while the pulse width decreased by 2.4 times. An improved model based
      on the rate equations was introduced to analyze the large variation of pulse
      energy when heating the Nd:YVO4 crystal.

PMID- 26479614
TI  - Thin-film optoacoustic transducers for subcellular Brillouin oscillation imaging
      of individual biological cells.
AB  - At low frequencies ultrasound is a valuable tool to mechanically characterize and
      image biological tissues. There is much interest in using high-frequency
      ultrasound to investigate single cells. Mechanical characterization of vegetal
      and biological cells by measurement of Brillouin oscillations has been
      demonstrated using ultrasound in the GHz range. This paper presents a method to
      extend this technique from the previously reported single-point measurements and
      line scans into a high-resolution acoustic imaging tool. Our technique uses a
      three-layered metal-dielectric-metal film as a transducer to launch acoustic
      waves into the cell we want to study. The design of this transducer and measuring
      system is optimized to overcome the vulnerability of a cell to the exposure of
      laser light and heat without sacrificing the signal-to-noise ratio. The
      transducer substrate shields the cell from the laser radiation, efficiently
      generates acoustic waves, facilitates optical detection in transmission, and aids
      with heat dissipation away from the cell. This paper discusses the design of the
      transducers and instrumentation and presents Brillouin frequency images on
      phantom, fixed, and living cells. 

PMID- 26479615
TI  - Investigation of micro-injection molding based on longitudinal ultrasonic
      vibration core.
AB  - An ultrasound-assisted micro-injection molding method is proposed to improve the
      rheological behavior of the polymer melt radically, and a micro-injection molding
      system based on a longitudinal ultrasonic vibration core is developed and
      employed in the micro-injection molding process of Fresnel lenses. The
      verification experiments show that the filling mold area of the polymer melt is
      increased by 6.08% to 19.12%, and the symmetric deviation of the Fresnel lens is
      improved 15.62% on average. This method improved the filling performance and
      replication quality of the polymer melt in the injection molding process
      effectively. 

PMID- 26479616
TI  - THz wave in double-metal-film waveguides and the application of wavelength
      analysis.
AB  - We propose the double-metal-film waveguides for terahertz (THz) wave guiding. The
      loss and field features are analyzed. In the application of wavelength analysis,
      the formula of the wavelength has been derived, and it can be used to analyze the
      wavelength of the THz sources according to mode field distribution in the
      dielectric-substrate slab. The penetrating capability of the THz wave is also
      discussed for different structures. When there is more energy in the dielectric
      substrate slab, it will be better for wavelength analysis. 

PMID- 26479617
TI  - Three dimensional polymer waveguide using hybrid lithography.
AB  - A three dimensional polymer waveguide with taper structure was demonstrated and
      fabricated by a reliable and effective hybrid lithography. The hybrid lithography
      consists of lithography to fabricate a polymer waveguide and gray scale
      lithography to fabricate a polymer taper structure. Laser ablation and shadow
      aluminum evaporation were designed for gray scale lithography. The length of the
      gray scale region ranging from 20 to 400 MUm could be controlled by the laser
      power, the ablation speed, and the aluminum thickness. The slope angle was
      determined by the length of the gray scale region and the thickness of the
      photoresist. The waveguide taper structure could be transferred to the lower
      layer by the etching method. The taper structure can be used for integration of
      the waveguide with different dimensions.

PMID- 26479618
TI  - Studies on dynamic motion compensation and positioning accuracy on star tracker.
AB  - Error from motion is the dominant restriction on the improvement of dynamic
      performance on a star tracker. As a remarkable motion error, the degree of
      nonuniformity of the star image velocity field on the detector is studied, and
      thus a general model for the moving star spot is built. To minimize velocity
      nonuniformity, a novel general method is proposed to derive the proper motion
      compensation and location accuracy in cases of both uniform velocity and
      acceleration. Using this method, a theoretic analysis on the accuracy of time
      delayed integration and similar techniques, which are thought of as state-of-the
      art approaches to reduce error from motion, is conducted. The simulations and
      experimental results validate the proposed method. Our method shows a more steady
      performance than the dynamic binning algorithm. The positional error could be
      neglected when the smear length is far less than 3.464 times the scale of star
      spot, which suggests accuracy can be maintained by changing frame-integration
      time inverse proportional to the velocity on the focal plane. It also shows that
      the acceleration effect must be compensated to achieve accuracy close to the
      Cramer-Rao lower bound. 

PMID- 26479619
TI  - Low-timing-jitter high-power mode-locked 1063 nm Nd:GdVO4 master oscillator power
      amplifier.
AB  - A low-timing-jitter high-power semiconductor saturable absorber mirror mode
      locked picosecond (ps) 1063 nm Nd:GdVO4 master oscillator power amplifier is
      presented. Using a single-pass Nd:GdVO4 amplifier, an amplified laser with 21.5 W
      output power and 8.3 ps pulsewidth was achieved at 250 MHz repetition rate.
      Employing a servo control, an average RMS timing jitter of ~222  fs was realized.
      This laser can be used as a drive laser for photocathode injectors in free
      electron lasers.

PMID- 26479620
TI  - Approach for designing and developing high-precision integrative systems for
      strip flatness detection.
AB  - In this paper, we propose an approach for designing and developing high-precision
      integrative systems for strip flatness detection. Algorithms are developed for
      camera calibration, which are more accurate than the general method calculating
      all the camera parameters. On the basis of this method, a detection system is
      developed including an integrative device for easy calculation and repeated
      usage. On-site experiment results confirm that the proposed method works well
      under hostile environmental conditions in mills. 

PMID- 26479621
TI  - Scattering phase function of a charged spherical particle.
AB  - We deduced the scattering phase function (SPF) of a charged spherical particle,
      which is significantly different from the SPF of an uncharged spherical sphere.
      The difference between the SPF of a charged spherical particle and the SPF of an
      uncharged spherical sphere is related to the surface conductivity, particle size
      parameter, frequency of the electromagnetic (EM) waves, and refractive index of
      the particle. The surface charges carried by the particle make the backward
      scattering of EM waves increase. Given the EM wave frequency and the refractive
      index, there is a threshold of surface conductivity for each particle size
      number, beyond which the SPF mainly depends on the surface conductivity. 

PMID- 26479622
TI  - Efficient generation of Hermite-Gauss and Ince-Gauss beams through kinoform phase
      elements.
AB  - We discuss the generation of Hermite-Gauss and Ince-Gauss beams employing phase
      elements whose transmittances coincide with the phase modulations of such beams.
      A scaled version of the desired field appears, distorted by marginal optical
      noise, at the element's Fourier domain. The motivation to perform this study is
      that, in the context of the proposed approach, the desired beams are generated
      with the maximum possible efficiency. A disadvantage of the method is the
      distortion of the desired beams by the influence of several nondesired beam modes
      generated by the phase elements. We evaluate such distortion employing the root
      mean square deviation as a figure of merit. 

PMID- 26479623
TI  - Determination of the refractive index of glucose-ethanol-water mixtures using
      spectroscopic refractometry near the critical angle.
AB  - A spectroscopic refractometer was used to investigate the dispersion curves of
      ethanol and D-glucose solutions in water near the critical angle; here, the
      reflectivity was measured using a white source. Dispersion curves were obtained
      in the 320-1000 nm wavelength range with a resolution better than 10(-4) for the
      refractive index, n. The differential refractive index is measured as a function
      of wavelength, and a simple expression is proposed to obtain the refractive index
      of the glucose-ethanol-water ternary system. Using this expression, combined with
      the experimental differential refractive index values, the concentrations of
      individual components can be calculated.

PMID- 26479624
TI  - Analysis of focused laser differential interferometry.
AB  - A computational method for predicting the output of a focused laser differential
      interferometer (FLDI) given an arbitrary density field is presented. The method
      is verified against analytical predictions and experimental data. The FLDI
      simulation software is applied to the problem of measuring Mack-mode wave packets
      in a hypervelocity boundary layer on a 5 degrees  half-angle cone. The software
      is shown to complement experiments by providing the necessary information to
      allow quantitative density fluctuation magnitudes to be extracted from
      experimental measurements. 

PMID- 26479625
TI  - Comparative study of Al(x)Ga(1-x)As/GaAs photocathodes with different aluminum
      concentrations by surface photovoltage spectroscopy.
AB  - The influence of aluminum concentration in an Al(x)Ga(1-x)As window layer on the
      performance of Al(x)Ga(1-x)As/GaAs photocathodes was investigated. Three types of
      transmission-mode photocathode materials with different aluminum concentrations
      were designed for the comparative research. The surface photovoltage technique
      was applied to prepare samples. After the Cs-O activation process, spectral
      response curves of Al(x)Ga(1-x)As/GaAs photocathodes were obtained. Comparative
      studies show that a higher aluminum composition in the window layer is beneficial
      to improve the response of Al(x)Ga(1-x)As/GaAs photocathodes in the shortwave
      region. The surface photovoltage calculation formula of photocathode materials
      was put forward and used to obtain key performance parameters of Al(x)Ga(1
      x)As/GaAs photocathodes by fitting calculations. Through calculations, the
      Al(x)Ga(1-x)As/GaAs interface recombination velocity, the minority carrier
      diffusion length of the window layer, and the emission layer were deduced, and
      there is a positive correlation between the aluminum composition in the window
      layer and the Al(x)Ga(1-x)As/GaAs interface recombination velocity, which is
      negative with the performance of photocathodes.

PMID- 26479626
TI  - Proposed new approach to the design of universal logic gates using the electro
      optic effect in Mach-Zehnder interferometers.
AB  - Efficient application of the electro-optic effect in a lithium-niobate-based Mach
      Zehnder interferometer to construct universal gates has been demonstrated. The
      study is carried out by simulating the proposed device with the beam propagation
      method, and the results are verified using MATLAB. Various parameters influencing
      the performance of the device (such as speed, latency, and power consumption)
      also have been taken into account. 

PMID- 26479627
TI  - Triple-image encryption based on phase-truncated Fresnel transform and basic
      vector operation.
AB  - A triple-image encryption method is proposed that is based on phase-truncated
      Fresnel transform (PTFT), basic vector composition, and XOR operation. In the
      encryption process, two random phase masks, with one each placed at the input
      plane and the transform plane, are generated by basic vector resolution
      operations over the first and the second plaintext images, and then a ciphered
      image in the input plane is fabricated by XOR encoding for the third plaintext
      image. When the cryptosystem is illuminated by an on-axis plane, assisted by
      PTFT, the ciphered image is finally encrypted into an amplitude-only noise-like
      image in the output plane. During decryption, possessing the correct private key,
      decryption keys, and the assistant geometrical parameter keys, and placing them
      at the corresponding correct positions, the original three plaintext images can
      be successfully decrypted by inverse PTFT, basic vector composition, and XOR
      decoding. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations both verify the
      feasibility of the proposed method. 

PMID- 26479629
TI  - Effects of graded band-gap structures on spectral response of AlGaAs/GaAs
      photocathodes.
AB  - The effects of AlGaAs/GaAs layer thickness and Al composition range on the
      spectral response and integral sensitivities of reflection-mode graded band-gap
      AlGaAs/GaAs photocathodes have been investigated and simulated. The experimental
      results demonstrate that the spectral response over the wavelength region of
      interest for graded band-gap photocathodes is greater than that for uniform band
      gap cathodes, and the increase in long-wavelength response is more pronounced.
      These results can be attributed to the built-in electric field in the graded band
      gap AlGaAs layer. We established a spectral response model of graded band-gap
      photocathodes based on the numerical solution of coupled Poisson and continuity
      equations. According to the model, we calculated the theoretical spectral
      response and sensitivities of graded band-gap cathodes, and found the optimum
      Al(x)Ga(1-x)As layer thicknesses are 6, 10, 16, and 22 MUm for the reflection
      mode cathodes with linearly graded Al composition x ranges of 0 to 0.1, 0.2, 0.3,
      and 0.4, respectively.

PMID- 26479628
TI  - NOMAD spectrometer on the ExoMars trace gas orbiter mission: part 1--design,
      manufacturing and testing of the infrared channels.
AB  - NOMAD is a spectrometer suite on board ESA's ExoMars trace gas orbiter due for
      launch in January 2016. NOMAD consists of two infrared channels and one
      ultraviolet and visible channel allowing the instrument to perform observations
      quasi-constantly, by taking nadir measurements at dayside and nightside, and
      during solar occultations. In this paper, the design, manufacturing, and testing
      of the two infrared channels are described. We focus upon the optical working
      principle in these channels, where an echelle grating, used as a diffractive
      element, is combined with an acousto-optical tunable filter, used as a
      diffraction order sorter. 

PMID- 26479630
TI  - Cavity-enhanced Faraday rotation measurement with auto-balanced photodetection.
AB  - Optical cavity enhancement for a tiny Faraday rotation is demonstrated with auto
      balanced photodetection. This configuration is analyzed using the Jones matrix
      formalism. The resonant rotation signal is amplified, and thus, the angular
      sensitivity is improved. In the experiment, the air Faraday rotation is measured
      with an auto-balanced photoreceiver in single-pass and cavity geometries. The
      result shows that the measured Faraday rotation in the single-pass geometry is
      enhanced by a factor of 85 in the cavity geometry, and the sensitivity is
      improved to 7.54*10(-10)  rad Hz(-1/2), which agrees well with the Jones matrix
      analysis. With this verification, we propose an AC magnetic sensor whose magnetic
      sensitivity is expected to achieve 10  pT Hz(-1/2).

PMID- 26479631
TI  - Monitoring techniques for the manufacture of tapered optical fibers.
AB  - The use of a range of optical techniques to monitor the process of fabricating
      optical fiber tapers is investigated. Thermal imaging was used to optimize the
      alignment of the optical system; the transmission spectrum of the fiber was
      monitored to confirm that the tapers had the required optical properties and the
      strain induced in the fiber during tapering was monitored using in-line optical
      fiber Bragg gratings. Tapers were fabricated with diameters down to 5 MUm and
      with waist lengths of 20 mm using single-mode SMF-28 fiber.

PMID- 26479632
TI  - Validation of ozone monitoring instrument ultraviolet index against ground-based
      UV index in Kampala, Uganda.
AB  - The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) overpass solar ultraviolet (UV) indices
      have been validated against the ground-based UV indices derived from Norwegian
      Institute for Air Research UV measurements in Kampala (0.31 degrees  N, 32.58
      degrees  E, 1200 m), Uganda for the period between 2005 and 2014. An excessive
      use of old cars, which would imply a high loading of absorbing aerosols, could
      cause the OMI retrieval algorithm to overestimate the surface UV irradiances. The
      UV index values were found to follow a seasonal pattern with maximum values in
      March and October. Under all-sky conditions, the OMI retrieval algorithm was
      found to overestimate the UV index values with a mean bias of about 28%. When
      only days with radiation modification factor greater than or equal to 65%, 70%,
      75%, and 80% were considered, the mean bias between ground-based and OMI overpass
      UV index values was reduced to 8%, 5%, 3%, and 1%, respectively. The
      overestimation of the UV index by the OMI retrieval algorithm was found to be
      mainly due to clouds and aerosols. 

PMID- 26479633
TI  - Elasto-optic effect anisotropy in gallium phosphide crystals.
AB  - Elasto-optic coefficients of gallium phosphide (GaP) crystals were calculated on
      the basis of their piezo-optic and elastic coefficients. Surfaces of the spatial
      distribution of piezo- and elasto-optic effects in these crystals were built. The
      maxima of the surfaces of the elasto-optic effect and the geometries of acousto
      optic interaction that correspond to these maxima were found. Ratios that
      describe the rotation of optical indicatrix, depending on direction of the action
      of uniaxial pressure or deformation on cubic crystal, were recorded. It was shown
      that such rotations induced by mechanical stress do not exceed 1.5 degrees  in
      GaP, but in some cubic crystals they can reach tens of degrees. 

PMID- 26479634
TI  - Measurement of optical scattered power from laser-induced shallow pits on silica.
AB  - A model describing far-field scattered power and irradiance by a silica glass
      slab with a shallow-pitted exit surface is experimentally validated. The
      comparison to the model is performed using a precisely micromachined ensemble of
      ~11  MUm wide laser ablated shallow pits producing 1% of the incident beam
      scatter in a 10 mrad angle. A series of samples with damage initiations and laser
      induced shallow pits resulting from 351 nm, 5 ns pulsed laser cleaning of metal
      microparticles at different fluences between 2  J/cm2 and 11  J/cm2 are
      characterized as well and found in good agreement with model predictions.

PMID- 26479635
TI  - Statistics of the derivatives of complex signal derived from Riesz transform and
      its application to pseudo-Stokes vector correlation for speckle displacement
      measurement.
AB  - As an improvement of the well-known intensity correlation used in conventional
      electronic speckle photography, we have proposed a new technique, to the best of
      our knowledge, for displacement measurement referred to as pseudo-Stokes vector
      correlation (PSVC). To provide a theoretical background for the superiority of
      the proposed PSVC technique, we study the statistical properties of the spatial
      derivatives of the complex signal representation generated from the Riesz
      transform. Under the assumption of a Gaussian random process, a theoretical
      analysis for the pseudo Stokes vector correlation has been provided. Based on
      these results, we show mathematically that PSVC has a performance advantage over
      conventional intensity-based correlation technique. 

PMID- 26479636
TI  - Quantitative phase microscopy via optimized inversion of the phase optical
      transfer function.
AB  - Although the field of quantitative phase imaging (QPI) has wide-ranging
      biomedical applicability, many QPI methods are not well-suited for such
      applications due to their reliance on coherent illumination and specialized
      hardware. By contrast, methods utilizing partially coherent illumination have the
      potential to promote the widespread adoption of QPI due to their compatibility
      with microscopy, which is ubiquitous in the biomedical community. Described
      herein is a new defocus-based reconstruction method that utilizes a small number
      of efficiently sampled micrographs to optimally invert the partially coherent
      phase optical transfer function under assumptions of weak absorption and slowly
      varying phase. Simulation results are provided that compare the performance of
      this method with similar algorithms and demonstrate compatibility with large
      phase objects. The accuracy of the method is validated experimentally using a
      microlens array as a test phase object. Lastly, time-lapse images of live
      adherent cells are obtained with an off-the-shelf microscope, thus demonstrating
      the new method's potential for extending QPI capability widely in the biomedical
      community. 

PMID- 26479637
TI  - Free-form illumination of a refractive surface using multiple-faceted refractors.
AB  - We report a design method based on multiple-faceted refractors for free-form
      illumination of a refractive surface. The free-form surface is constructed as a
      set of primitive surface elements, which provide flexibility to satisfy the
      requirements of practical design problems. An extended light source can be
      considered, and a smooth free-form refractive surface can be established by
      adding feedback to the design process for a point source. Moreover, the
      performance can be improved by iterating this feedback process. Illumination
      systems with a point source and an extended source are designed and analyzed,
      resulting in uniform illuminance distribution, which demonstrates the validity of
      the method. 

PMID- 26479638
TI  - Optical design of an LED motorcycle headlamp with compound reflectors and a toric
      lens.
AB  - An optical design for a new white LED motorcycle headlamp is presented. The
      motorcycle headlamp designed in this study comprises a white LED module, an
      elliptical reflector, a parabolic reflector, and a toric lens. The light emitted
      from the white LED module is located at the first focal point of the elliptical
      reflector and focuses on the second focal point. The second focal point of the
      elliptical reflector and the focal point of the parabolic reflector are confocal.
      We use nonsequential rays to improve the optical efficiency of the compound
      reflectors. The toric spherical lens allows the device to meet the Economic
      Commission of Europe, regulation no. 113 (ECE R113). Furthermore, good uniformity
      is obtained by using aspherical surface optimization of the same toric lens. The
      reflectivity of the reflector is 95%, and the transmittance of each lens surface
      is 98%. The average deviation of the high beam is 14.17%, and the optical
      efficiency is 66.45%.

PMID- 26479639
TI  - High temperature strain sensor based on a fiber Bragg grating and rhombus metal
      structure.
AB  - In this paper, a novel high temperature strain sensor based on a polyimide-coated
      fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and a rhombus metal structure is presented and
      experimentally demonstrated. By heating low softening point glass via a micro
      torch, the polyimide-coated FBG could be fixed into the rhombus metal structure.
      Consequently, when the rhombus structure is stretched and compressed,
      respectively, then the FBG will be subjected to a reverse state. Moreover, the
      strain sensitivity is controllable and enhanced by adjusting the dimension of the
      rhombus metal structure appropriately. The experiment was then carried out by
      using an equi-intensity cantilever beam and high temperature chamber, and the
      result showed that the proposed high temperature strain sensor could be used at
      the high temperature of 300 degrees C. A resolution of ~10  MUepsilon has been
      experimentally achieved. The average wavelength strain sensitivity at 300 degrees
      C is 1.821 and 1.814 pm/MUepsilon, for the compressed and stretched states,
      respectively.

PMID- 26479640
TI  - Least-squares fitting of Hartmann or Shack-Hartmann data with a circular array of
      sampling points.
AB  - A least-squares procedure to find the tilts, curvature, astigmatism, coma, and
      triangular astigmatism by means of measurements of the transverse aberrations
      using a Hartmann or Shack-Hartmann test is described. The sampling points are
      distributed in a ring centered on the pupil of the optical system. The properties
      and characteristics of rings with three, four, five, six, or more sampling points
      are analyzed with more detail and better mathematical analysis than in previous
      publications. 

PMID- 26479641
TI  - Near-infrared imaging system for nondestructive inspection of micro-crack in
      wafer through dicing tape.
AB  - Detection of wafer/die crack after the wafer dicing process is important for
      yield rate control prior to packaging. The traditional approach of microscopic
      examination is done after the dies are stripped from the dicing tape, and further
      crack propagation could result from this pick-and-place process. An on-tape crack
      inspection technique is proposed in this paper so that the crack from the dicing
      process can be clearly identified. The issues of seeing through the silicon
      substrate and the scattering at the dicing tape have been resolved, respectively,
      using a near-infrared wavelength of 1100 nm for illumination and using a feeding
      index matching liquid for filling the rough surface of the tape. Both the
      illumination and imaging optics of the inspection system have been designed and
      simulated with a ray-tracing program, and the prototype demonstrates the ability
      of seeing through the silicon substrate and dicing tape as well as detecting
      micro-crack down to 1.25 MUm, whose resolution is sufficient for most
      applications of die crack inspection.

PMID- 26479642
TI  - Implementation of laser acupuncture with lifting-thrusting through the use of
      mechanically immobile components.
AB  - Lifting and thrusting constitute an important manipulation method in traditional
      Chinese acupuncture. Lifting and thrusting enables the implementation of various
      features, such as reinforcement and reduction, which enhance acupuncture
      effectiveness. Laser acupuncture stimulates acupoints through laser light, which
      is a noninvasive treatment, but can still achieve effects similar to those
      obtained from traditional acupuncture. Lifting and thrusting can be achieved by
      moving the laser focal point back and forth, thus concentrating the energy, as
      does the tip of the acupuncture needle when it is moved upward and downward in
      the acupoint. This article presents a novel optical design of a laser acupuncture
      device, in which a focus-tunable lens is used to move the position of the focused
      light in order to achieve the lifting and thrusting mechanism through
      programmable changes to the control current of the focus-tunable lens. The device
      employs an infrared laser with a wavelength of 808 nm and a maximum power of 150
      mW. The focus-tunable lens used in this study had a diopter of -10 to +5. The
      results revealed that by controlling the lens diopter, the focused light can be
      moved from 4.5 to 9.5 cm. Therefore, the range of the lift and thrust for the
      laser acupuncture device was 5 cm. The area of the focal point was approximately
      6*10(-3) mm2, which is comparable to that of the commonly used traditional
      acupuncture needle tip. Because the components are immobile, no additional space
      is required for the moving lens. Therefore, the size of the laser acupuncture
      head can be minimized, and the effectiveness of focus tuning can be improved.

PMID- 26479643
TI  - Image quality affected by diffraction of aperture structure arrangement in
      transparent active-matrix organic light-emitting diode displays.
AB  - Transparent display is one of the main technologies in next-generation displays,
      especially for augmented reality applications. An aperture structure is attached
      on each display pixel to partition them into transparent and black regions.
      However, diffraction blurs caused by the aperture structure typically degrade the
      transparent image when the light from a background object passes through finite
      aperture window. In this paper, the diffraction effect of an active-matrix
      organic light-emitting diode display (AMOLED) is studied. Several aperture
      structures have been proposed and implemented. Based on theoretical analysis and
      simulation, the appropriate aperture structure will effectively reduce the blur.
      The analysis data are also consistent with the experimental results. Compared
      with the various transparent aperture structure on AMOLED, diffraction width
      (zero energy position of diffraction pattern) of the optimize aperture structure
      can be reduced 63% and 31% in the x and y directions in CASE 3. Associated with a
      lenticular lens on the aperture structure, the improvement could reach to 77% and
      54% of diffraction width in the x and y directions. Modulation transfer function
      and practical images are provided to evaluate the improvement of image blurs. 

PMID- 26479644
TI  - Freeform lens design for light-emitting diode uniform illumination by using a
      method of source-target luminous intensity mapping.
AB  - We present a freeform lens for application to LED uniform illumination. This
      lens, which is designed with a method of simple source-target luminous intensity
      mapping, can produce irradiance uniformity of greater than 0.8 and optical
      efficiency above 90% with an arbitrary half-beam angle greater than 45 deg.
      Typically, as compared with a conventional source-target energy mapping method,
      this design method can achieve better optical performance of lenses for general
      LED lighting. When a non-Lambertian-type light source is employed, for example,
      the chip on board LED, the use of the method can result in a compact LED lens
      without losing the optical performances of high irradiance uniformity and high
      optical efficiency as yielded by lenses for Lambertian-type LED light sources. 

PMID- 26479645
TI  - Design and assessment of a wide FOV and high-resolution optical tiled head
      mounted display.
AB  - It has always been a challenge to break the resolution/field-of-view (FOV)
      invariant to design a large FOV and high-resolution optical system, especially
      for a head-mounted display (HMD) system. In this study, a tiled HMD using two
      compact rotationally symmetrical eyepieces was designed and developed. Some
      issues on exit pupil and eye relief were analyzed in detail and taken into
      consideration during the design procedure. The overall optical system is compact
      with high performance. The system volume is smaller than 30  mm*35  mm*30  mm.
      Based on two 0.61 in. microdisplay devices, the overall tiled system demonstrates
      an FOV of 66 degrees (H)*32 degrees (V) with a 7.5 mm exit pupil diameter and a
      15.7 mm eye relief.

PMID- 26479646
TI  - Solar concentrator with a toroidal relay module.
AB  - III-V multijunction solar cells require solar concentrators with a high
      concentration ratio to reduce per watt cost and to increase solar energy
      transforming efficiency. This paper discusses a novel solar concentrator design
      that features a high concentration ratio, high transfer efficiency, thin profile
      design, and a high solar acceptance angle. The optical design of the concentrator
      utilizes a toroidal relay module, which includes both the off-axis relay lens and
      field lens design in a single concentric toroidal lens shape. The optical design
      concept of the concentrator is discussed and the simulation results are shown.
      The given exemplary design has an aspect ratio of 0.24, a high averaged optical
      concentration ratio 1230*, a maximum efficiency of 76.8%, and the solar
      acceptance angle of +/-0.9 degrees . 

PMID- 26479647
TI  - Freeform microstructure linear light emitter design for a natural light
      illumination system.
AB  - The major factors of an illuminative environment are a high rendering index and
      uniformity. The natural light illumination system (NLIS) is used to guide
      sunlight for indoor illumination. The NLIS consists of three subsystems:
      collecting, transmitting, and emitting. Nowadays, a variety of light emitters are
      available for different illuminative environments. This paper proposes a linear
      microstructure to diffuse parallel light for indoor illumination. To increase
      uniformity and promote the illuminative area, the light emitter includes two
      microstructures for the distribution of light. Finally, the proposed light
      emitter gives illuminance uniformity and efficiency of 0.55% and 74.18%,
      respectively. 

PMID- 26479648
TI  - Innovative light collimator with afocal lens and total internal reflection lens
      for daylighting system.
AB  - This research presents a novel design of the collimator, which uses total
      internal reflection (TIR), convex, and concave lenses for the natural light
      illumination system (NLIS). The concept of the NLIS is to illuminate building
      interiors with natural light, which saves energy consumption. The TIR lens is
      used to collimate the light, and convex and concave lenses are used to converge
      the light to the required area. The results have shown that the efficiency in
      terms of achieving collimated light using the proposed collimator at the output
      of the light collector is better than that of a previous system without a
      collimator. 

PMID- 26479649
TI  - Optical design of dental light with high performance and low power based on white
      LEDs.
AB  - This paper presents an optical design of a dental light that meets the regulation
      of ISO 9680. The designed light pattern on the target is an elliptical shape with
      uniform illumination. Moreover, the real module contains four optical modules,
      and is operated at 9 W and performs a maximum illuminance of 42,010 lx. In order
      to reduce the correlated color temperature (CCT) variation, we replace the
      original white light-emitting diode with a new one, which has an extremely low
      angular CCT derivation. Accordingly, the CCT variation is reduced to 232 K from
      1323 K of the original module.

PMID- 26479650
TI  - Statistics-based reconstruction method with high random-error tolerance for
      integral imaging.
AB  - A three-dimensional (3D) digital reconstruction method for integral imaging with
      high random-error tolerance based on statistics is proposed. By statistically
      analyzing the points reconstructed by triangulation from all corresponding image
      points in an elemental images array, 3D reconstruction with high random-error
      tolerance could be realized. To simulate the impacts of random errors, random
      offsets with different error levels are added to a different number of elemental
      images in simulation and optical experiments. The results of simulation and
      optical experiments showed that the proposed statistic-based reconstruction
      method has relatively stable and better reconstruction accuracy than the
      conventional reconstruction method. It can be verified that the proposed method
      can effectively reduce the impacts of random errors on 3D reconstruction of
      integral imaging. This method is simple and very helpful to the development of
      integral imaging technology. 

PMID- 26479651
TI  - Human vision model in relation to characteristics of shapes for the Mach band
      effect.
AB  - For human vision to recognize the contours of objects means that, as the contrast
      variation at the object's edges increases, so will the Mach band effect of human
      vision. This paper more deeply investigates the relationship between changes in
      the contours of an object and the Mach band effect of human vision. Based on
      lateral inhibition and the Mach band effect, we studied subjects' eyes as they
      watched images of different shapes under a fixed brightness at 34  cd/m2, with
      changes of contrast and spatial frequency. Three types of display were used: a
      television, a computer monitor, and a projector. For each display used, we
      conducted a separate experiment for each shape. Although the maximum values for
      the contrast sensitivity function curves of the displays were different, their
      variations were minimal. As the spatial frequency changed, the diminishing effect
      of the different lines also was minimal. However, as the shapes at the contour
      intersections were modified by the Mach band effect, a greater degree of
      variation occurred. In addition, as the spatial frequency at a contour
      intersection increased, the Mach band effect became lower, along with changes in
      the corresponding contrast sensitivity function curve. Our experimental results
      on the characteristics of human vision have led to what we believe is a new
      vision model based on tests with different shapes. This new model may be used for
      future development and implementation of an artificial vision system.

PMID- 26479652
TI  - Single-shot digital holography for fast measuring optical properties of fibers.
AB  - We propose a fast method for measuring optical properties, e.g., the refractive
      index profile and birefringence, of fibers. It is based on recovering the phase
      distribution of light refracted by a fiber sample at the recording plane from a
      single-shot digital hologram. During the recovering process, an optimized
      approach based on the spatial carrier frequency method was utilized. The proposed
      approach enhances affects that arise from the limited spatial extent of the
      bandpass filter associated with the implementation of the spatial carrier
      frequency method. In contrast to the low spatial resolution of off-axis digital
      holograms, the method ensures the best utilization of the camera support. From
      the recovered phase information, the optical path difference is measured; thus,
      the refractive index profile, the mean refractive index, and the birefringence of
      isotactic polypropylene (IPP) are determined. Experimental results are given for
      illustration.

PMID- 26479653
TI  - Double peak-induced distance error in short-time-Fourier-transform-Brillouin
      optical time domain reflectometers event detection and the recovery method.
AB  - The measured distance error caused by double peaks in the BOTDRs (Brillouin
      optical time domain reflectometers) system is a kind of Brillouin scattering
      spectrum (BSS) deformation, discussed and simulated for the first time in the
      paper, to the best of the authors' knowledge. Double peak, as a kind of Brillouin
      spectrum deformation, is important in the enhancement of spatial resolution,
      measurement accuracy, and crack detection. Due to the variances of the peak
      powers of the BSS along the fiber, the measured starting point of a step-shape
      frequency transition region is shifted and results in distance errors. Zero
      padded short-time-Fourier-transform (STFT) can restore the transition-induced
      double peaks in the asymmetric and deformed BSS, thus offering more accurate and
      quicker measurements than the conventional Lorentz-fitting method. The recovering
      method based on the double-peak detection and corresponding BSS deformation can
      be applied to calculate the real starting point, which can improve the distance
      accuracy of the STFT-based BOTDR system. 

PMID- 26479654
TI  - Simulation of autofocus lens design for a cell phone camera with object distance
      from infinity to 9.754 mm.
AB  - This paper presents the simulation of an autofocus lens design with large depth
      of field for a cell phone camera. The object distance of the lens is from
      infinity to 9.754 mm. When the object distance is from infinity to 550 mm, the
      value of the modulation transfer function (MTF) is greater than 0.6 for the
      spatial frequency of 114 lp/mm, the optical distortion is less than 1.5%, and the
      relative illumination is greater than 67%. When the object distance is from 325
      to 9.754 mm, the MTF values is greater than 0.4 for close-up shooting. The
      optical distortion is less than 1.454%, and the relative illumination is greater
      than 68.8%.

PMID- 26479655
TI  - Micro-lens array design on a flexible light-emitting diode package for indoor
      lighting.
AB  - An advanced, ultra-thin, flexible LED (FLED) package technique is first proposed
      in this study, where a polyimide substrate was used as the lead frame package
      material due to its physical stability in thermal processing. The experimental
      results showed that the thickness of the mockup sample measured by a vernier
      caliper was 260 MUm and 35% thinner than the Panasonic organic LED lighting panel
      announced on 4 March 2014 in Tokyo. Moreover, the flexible angle of the ultra
      thin LED package was 200.54 degrees  when it surrounded a disk with a 1 cm
      radius. A design of a micro-lens array manufactured by silicone molding on the
      FLED is also proposed in this study. Finally, different types of micro-lenses
      were applied to different lighting regions to investigate their lighting effects.

PMID- 26479656
TI  - Optical analysis of miniature lenses with curved imaging surfaces.
AB  - Miniature cameras for consumer electronics and mobile phones have been, and
      continue to be, in fast development. The system level requirements, such as
      manufacturing cost, packaging, and sensor characteristics, impose unique
      challenges for optical designers. In this paper, we discuss the potential optical
      benefits of having a curved image surface rather than a flat one. We show that
      curved sensor technology allows for optically faster lens solutions. We discuss
      trade-offs of several relevant characteristics, such as packaging, chief ray
      angle, image quality, and tolerance sensitivity. A comparison of a benchmark flat
      field lens, and an evaluation design imaging on a curved surface and working at
      f/1.6, provides useful specific insights. For a given image quality, departing
      from a flat imaging surface does not allow significantly reducing the total
      length of a lens. 

PMID- 26479657
TI  - Study of optical design of three-dimensional digital ophthalmoscopes.
AB  - This study primarily involves using optical zoom structures to design a three
      dimensional (3D) human-eye optical sensory system with infrared and visible
      light. According to experimental data on two-dimensional (2D) and 3D images,
      human-eye recognition of 3D images is substantially higher (approximately
      13.182%) than that of 2D images. Thus, 3D images are more effective than 2D
      images when they are used at work or in high-recognition devices. In the optical
      system design, infrared and visible light wavebands were incorporated as light
      sources to perform simulations. The results can be used to facilitate the design
      of optical systems suitable for 3D digital ophthalmoscopes. 

PMID- 26479658
TI  - Thin hollow light guide for high-efficiency planar illuminator.
AB  - Light guides have been widely used for transforming line sources into planar
      illuminators for lighting and display applications. Solid light guides provide
      good uniformity but still have the issues of heavy weight and material
      absorption, especially for large applications. Hollow light guides solve the
      problem of weight, but the uniformity is relatively poor or efficiency could be
      sacrificed for enhancing uniformity. In this paper, a hollow light guide with
      edge-lit LED sources has been proposed to simultaneously resolve the issues of
      weight, uniformity, and efficiency. The major approach is to modulate the LED
      luminous intensity profile by a ring of parabolic surface with continuously
      varied focal length. The modulated light emitting profile directly makes up
      sufficient uniformity on the planar surface, and extra components are not
      required. The prototype is a circular planar illuminator with a diameter of 178
      mm and a weight of 240 g. The experiment shows an overall efficiency of 82.37%,
      with a uniformity of 83.7%. The weight of the whole module is 40% lighter than
      that of a solid light guide with the same size.

PMID- 26479659
TI  - Wavefront measurement made by an off-the-shelf laser-scanning pico projector.
AB  - Focal plane testing methods such as the Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor and phase
      shifting deflectometry are valuable tools for optical testing. In this study, we
      propose a novel wavefront slope testing method that uses a scanning galvo laser,
      in which a single-mode Gaussian beam scans the pupils of the tested optics in the
      system. In addition, the ray aberration is reconstructed by the four-step phase
      shifting measurement by modulating the angular domain. The measured wavefront is
      verified by a Fizeau interferometer in terms of Zernike polynomials. 

PMID- 26479660
TI  - Color multiplexing method to capture front and side images with a capsule
      endoscope.
AB  - This paper proposes a capsule endoscope (CE), based on color multiplexing, to
      simultaneously record front and side images. Only one lens associated with an X
      cube prism is employed to catch the front and side view profiles in the CE. Three
      color filters and polarizers are placed on three sides of an X-cube prism. When
      objects locate at one of the X-cube's three sides, front and side view profiles
      of different colors will be caught through the proposed lens and recorded at the
      color image sensor. The proposed color multiplexing CE (CMCE) is designed with a
      field of view of up to 210 deg and a 180 lp/mm resolution under f-number 2.8 and
      overall length 13.323 mm. A ray-tracing simulation in the CMCE with the color
      multiplexing mechanism verifies that the CMCE not only records the front and side
      view profiles at the same time, but also has great image quality at a small size.

PMID- 26479661
TI  - Investigation of remote-phosphor white light-emitting diodes with improved
      scattered photon extraction structure.
AB  - In this study, an improved scattered photon extraction (SPE) package structure
      with a reflection plate over the remote phosphor layer is presented. The
      important factors for the remote phosphor layer in the conventional and improved
      SPE package structures, including the phosphor layer thickness and phosphor
      concentration, are also studied. The simulation results show that the yellow-blue
      ratio (YBR) of the conventional and improved SPE package structure increases with
      the phosphor concentration when the phosphor layer is thin and that the YBR is
      saturated when the layer is thick. The experimental results show that for both
      conventional and improved SPE package structure, the correlated color temperature
      (CCT) decreases as the phosphor concentration increases. However, the YBR of the
      improved SPE package structure is higher than that of the conventional SPE
      package structure for a given phosphor layer thickness and phosphor
      concentration. That is, in the conventional SPE package structure, it is
      necessary to increase the phosphor concentration and then increase the absorption
      of blue light to obtain more yellow light. Hence, for the improved SPE package
      structure, less phosphor is required in the phosphor layer for achieving the
      chosen CCT. 

PMID- 26479662
TI  - Precision distance measurement using a two-photon absorption process in a silicon
      avalanche photodiode with saw-tooth phase modulation.
AB  - We present a novel configuration of a precision laser distance measurement based
      on the two-photon absorption (TPA) photocurrent from a silicon avalanche
      photodiode (Si-APD). The proposed system uses saw-tooth phase modulation, known
      as serrodyne modulation, in order to shift the frequency of the reference light
      from that of the probe light. It suppresses the coherent interference noise
      between the probe and the reference. The serrodyne modulation also enables lock
      in detection of the TPA photocurrent. Furthermore, it contributes to the
      reduction of the system components. The precision measurement is experimentally
      demonstrated by measuring a fiber length difference of 2.6 m with a standard
      deviation of 27 MUm under constant temperature. The high-precision displacement
      measurement is also demonstrated by measuring the temperature-induced change in
      the optical path length difference of a fiber interferometer.

PMID- 26479663
TI  - Approach to analytically minimize the LCD moire by image-based particle swarm
      optimization.
AB  - In this paper, we proposed a methodology to optimize the parametric window of a
      liquid crystal display (LCD) system, whose visual performance was deteriorated by
      the pixel moire arising in between multiple periodic structures. Conventional
      analysis and minimization of moire patterns are limited by few parameters. With
      the proposed image-based particle swarm optimization (PSO), we enable a
      multivariable optimization at the same time. A series of experiments was
      conducted to validate the methodology. Due to its versatility, the proposed
      technique will certainly have a promising impact on the fast optimization in LCD
      design with more complex configuration. 

PMID- 26479664
TI  - Experiment evaluation of speckle suppression efficiency of 2D quasi-spiral M
      sequence-based diffractive optical element.
AB  - The quasi-spiral 2D diffractive optical element (DOE) based on M-sequence of
      length N=15 is designed and manufactured. The speckle suppression efficiency by
      the DOE rotation is measured. The speckle suppression coefficients of 10.5, 6,
      and 4 are obtained for green, violet, and red laser beams, respectively. The
      results of numerical simulation and experimental data show that the quasi-spiral
      binary DOE structure can be as effective in speckle reduction as a periodic 2D
      DOE structure. The numerical simulation and experimental results show that the
      speckle suppression efficiency of the 2D DOE structure decreases approximately
      twice at the boundaries of the visible range. It is shown that a replacement of
      this structure with the bilateral 1D DOE allows obtaining the maximum speckle
      suppression efficiency in the entire visible range of light. 

PMID- 26479665
TI  - Transverse image translation using an optical freeform single lens.
AB  - In this paper, we have proposed an approach that utilizes freeform optical
      surfaces to realize a novel optical function called transverse image translation,
      which acts as a basic geometrical transformation for images. Its purpose is to
      make the image of a given optical system move directionally with the designated
      distance by means of inserting and arranging some extra optical elements behind
      the given system. The structure of the given system, as well as its optical
      specifications, stays unchanged when performing the translation. As the
      translation is transverse, the image can only move transversely in the plane
      where the original image lies. A freeform single lens comprising two different
      freeform surfaces is designed for the given system as the only translation
      element. The image of the given system is expected to be successfully translated
      transversely as designed when the freeform lens is properly inserted. The design
      method and process of the freeform lens is presented briefly. Additionally, a
      design example is introduced to demonstrate the feasibility of our proposed
      approach for this new type of transverse image translation. 

PMID- 26479666
TI  - Reconfigurable optofluidic switch for generation of optical pulse width
      modulation based on tunable reflective interface.
AB  - We present a numerical method for generation of optical pulse width modulation
      (PWM) based on tunable reflective interface by using a microfluidic droplet. We
      demonstrate a single layer, planar, optofluidic PWM switch that is driven by
      excited alternating microbubbles. The main parameters of generation of this PWM
      such as frequency and speed of switching can be controlled by the mass flow rates
      of input fluids, and the shape of plug or droplet. Advantages of this design are
      the reconfigurability in design and the easy control of the switching parameters.
      The validation of the proposed design is carried out by employing the finite
      element method (FEM) for the mechanical simulation and the finite-difference time
      domain (FDTD) for the optical simulation. 

PMID- 26479667
TI  - Design of multisegmented freeform lens for LED fishing/working lamp with high
      efficiency.
AB  - A novel LED fishing/working light is proposed to enhance the lighting efficiency
      of a fishing boat. The study is focused on the freeform secondary lens design so
      as to create a lamp that attracts fish and sheds light on the deck for the crew's
      work. The experimental results show that the proposed multisegmented freeform
      lens can deliver the proposed aim, giving 3 times as much illuminating power as
      the traditional high-intensity discharge fishing lamp does with the same input of
      electrical power. 

PMID- 26479668
TI  - Improving the color uniformity of multiple colored light-emitting diodes using a
      periodic microstructure surface.
AB  - This study looks at the performance of a periodic microstructure surface on
      multiple colored light-emitting diodes (LEDs). A periodic microstructure surface
      on the package was used to reshape the light from the different colored LED chips
      in the multiple colored LEDs, which decreased the color separation and color
      nonuniformity of the multiple colored LEDs. Experimental results show that the
      multiple colored LEDs with a periodic microstructure surface could achieve medium
      or high collimation as well as good color uniformity. Thus, this study provides a
      simple and cost-effective method to greatly improve the color uniformity of
      multiple colored LEDs with medium or high collimation. 

PMID- 26479669
TI  - Conditions for having identical aberration behaviors of various thick lenses.
AB  - Two optical lenses with the same focal length but different lens thicknesses and
      principal plane locations can provide equivalent first-order optics on imagery if
      the marginal and chief ray heights and slope angles at their principal planes are
      equal, resulting in the same system magnification, object and image distances. In
      this paper, we will prove that if these lenses have the same primary aberrations
      (including Seidel aberrations, chromatic aberrations, and secondary spectrum)
      corresponding to the same marginal and chief rays then they must have the same
      new aberrations for any same new rays. This theorem is useful when designers
      would like to redesign a lens group in a system. The influence on the movements
      among lens groups, the special aberration properties of plane parallel plates,
      and afocal lens groups are also discussed. 

PMID- 26479670
TI  - Dual-view angle backlight module design.
AB  - We propose a bilayer light guide plate (BLGP) with specially designed
      microstructures and two light source modules to achieve an adjustable viewing
      angle backlight for ecofriendly displays. The dual viewing angle backlight module
      has a thin, simple structure and a high optical efficiency. Comparison with the
      conventional edge-lit backlight module shows an improvement in the on-axis
      luminance of the narrow viewing angle mode of 4.3 times and a decrease in the
      half-luminance angle of 7 degrees  in the horizontal direction. When using the
      wide viewing angle mode, there is an improvement in the on-axis luminance of 1.8
      times and an improvement in the half-luminance angle of 54 degrees  in the
      horizontal direction. The uniformity of illuminance can reach 80% in each mode.
      The backlight optical sheet number is reduced from 5 to 1. 

PMID- 26479671
TI  - Aspherical lens design using hybrid neural-genetic algorithm of contact lenses.
AB  - The design of complex contact lenses involves numerous uncertain variables. How
      to help an optical designer to first design the optimal contact lens to reduce
      discomfort when wearing a pair of glasses is an essential design concern. This
      study examined the impact of aberrations on contact lenses to optimize a contact
      lens design for myopic and astigmatic eyes. In general, two aspherical surfaces
      can be assembled in an optical system to reduce the overall volume size. However,
      this design reduces the spherical aberration (SA) values at wide contact radii.
      The proposed optimization algorithm with optical design can be corrected to
      improve the SA value and, thus, reduce coma aberration (TCO) values and enhance
      the modulation transfer function (MTF). This means integrating a modified genetic
      algorithm (GA) with a neural network (NN) to optimize multiple-quality
      characteristics, namely the SA, TCO, and MTF, of contact lenses. When the
      proposed optional weight NN-GA is implemented, the weight values of the fitness
      function can be varied to adjust system performance. The method simplifies the
      selection of parameters in the optimization of optical systems. Compared with the
      traditional CODE V built-in optimal scheme, the proposed scheme is more flexible
      and intuitive to improve SA, TCO, and MTF values by 50.03%, 45.78%, and 24.7%,
      respectively. 

PMID- 26479672
TI  - Optical and thermal design of light emitting diodes omnidirectional bulb.
AB  - The penetration of LED light bulbs into the lighting market is growing quickly in
      recent years due to significant increase of LED efficiency and reduction of cost.
      One major issue to be improved is the overall light bulb efficiency, which can
      fulfill "Energy Star for Lamps" while keeping sufficiently high efficiency. The
      efficiency issue results mainly from the high directionality of the LED sources
      and the corresponding solutions to make the emission more diverse. In this paper,
      a diffusion white reflection sheet (DWRS) with an array of holes is proposed as a
      high efficiency solution for modulating a light emission profile with SMD type
      LED source. The hole size is adjusted with fixed hole pitch to both maximize the
      efficiency and meet the omnidirectional specification. In addition, the concept
      of thermal plastic insertion molding metal is proposed for thermal management
      without fins for cooling. The prototype demonstrates the efficiency (Ef.) of
      87.6% and LED pad temperature of 85 degrees C, which shows the feasibility as a
      total solution for high efficiency LED omnidirectional bulbs. 

PMID- 26479673
TI  - Publishing supplementary material: editorial.
AB  - Editor-in-Chief Ron Driggers highlights the new supplemental material guidelines
      for OSA Journals. 

PMID- 26479674
TI  - Optical design and testing: introduction.
AB  - Optical design and testing have numerous applications in industrial, military,
      consumer, and bio-medical settings. This issue features original research ranging
      from the optical design of image and nonimage optical stimuli for human
      perception, optics applications, bio-optics applications, displays, and solar
      energy systems to novel imaging modalities from deep UV to infrared spectral
      imaging, a systems perspective to imaging, as well as optical measurement. In
      addition, new concepts and trends for optics and further optical systems will be
      especially highlighted in this special issue. 

PMID- 26479675
TI  - Scalable Synthesis of Human Ultralong Chain Ceramides.
AB  - Ceramides with ultralong chains (>=30 carbons), also known as acylceramides, play
      a critical role in the survival of mammals on dry land. An efficient and scalable
      synthesis of four major classes of ultralong human skin ceramides is reported.
      The key approach involves the use of a succinimidyl ester that acts as a
      protective group, helps overcome the extremely low solubility, and simultaneously
      activates the fatty acid for its clean and high-yielding attachment to a
      sphingoid base. 

PMID- 26479676
TI  - ZINC 15--Ligand Discovery for Everyone.
AB  - Many questions about the biological activity and availability of small molecules
      remain inaccessible to investigators who could most benefit from their answers.
      To narrow the gap between chemoinformatics and biology, we have developed a suite
      of ligand annotation, purchasability, target, and biology association tools,
      incorporated into ZINC and meant for investigators who are not computer
      specialists. The new version contains over 120 million purchasable "drug-like"
      compounds--effectively all organic molecules that are for sale--a quarter of
      which are available for immediate delivery. ZINC connects purchasable compounds
      to high-value ones such as metabolites, drugs, natural products, and annotated
      compounds from the literature. Compounds may be accessed by the genes for which
      they are annotated as well as the major and minor target classes to which those
      genes belong. It offers new analysis tools that are easy for nonspecialists yet
      with few limitations for experts. ZINC retains its original 3D roots--all
      molecules are available in biologically relevant, ready-to-dock formats. ZINC is
      freely available at http://zinc15.docking.org.

PMID- 26479677
TI  - Community-based pedestrian safety training in virtual reality: A pragmatic trial.
AB  - Child pedestrian injuries are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity across
      the United States and the world. Repeated practice at the cognitive-perceptual
      task of crossing a street may lead to safer pedestrian behavior. Virtual reality
      offers a unique opportunity for repeated practice without the risk of actual
      injury. This study conducted a pre-post within-subjects trial of training
      children in pedestrian safety using a semi-mobile, semi-immersive virtual
      pedestrian environment placed at schools and community centers. Pedestrian safety
      skills among a group of 44 seven- and eight-year-old children were assessed in a
      laboratory, and then children completed six 15-minute training sessions in the
      virtual pedestrian environment at their school or community center following
      pragmatic trial strategies over the course of three weeks. Following training,
      pedestrian safety skills were re-assessed. Results indicate improvement in delay
      entering traffic following training. Safe crossings did not demonstrate change.
      Attention to traffic and time to contact with oncoming vehicles both decreased
      somewhat, perhaps an indication that training was incomplete and children were in
      the process of actively learning to be safer pedestrians. The findings suggest
      virtual reality environments placed in community centers hold promise for
      teaching children to be safer pedestrians, but future research is needed to
      determine the optimal training dosage. 

PMID- 26479678
TI  - Bacterial Nanobioreactors--Directing Enzyme Packaging into Bacterial Outer
      Membrane Vesicles.
AB  - All bacteria shed outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) loaded with a diverse array of
      small molecules, proteins, and genetic cargo. In this study we sought to hijack
      the bacterial cell export pathway to simultaneously produce, package, and release
      an active enzyme, phosphotriesterase (PTE). To accomplish this goal the
      SpyCatcher/SpyTag (SC/ST) bioconjugation system was utilized to produce a PTE
      SpyCatcher (PTE-SC) fusion protein and a SpyTagged transmembrane porin protein
      (OmpA-ST), known to be abundant in OMVs. Under a range of physiological
      conditions the SpyTag and SpyCatcher domains interact with one another and form a
      covalent isopeptide bond driving packaging of PTE into forming OMVs. The PTE-SC
      loaded OMVs are characterized for size distribution, number of vesicles produced,
      cell viability, packaged PTE enzyme kinetics, OMV loading efficiency, and enzyme
      stability following iterative cycles of freezing and thawing. The PTE-loaded OMVs
      exhibit native-like enzyme kinetics when assayed with paraoxon as a substrate.
      PTE is often toxic to expression cultures and has a tendency to lose activity
      with improper handling. The coexpression of OmpA-ST with PTE-SC, however, greatly
      improved the overall PTE production levels by mitigating toxicity through
      exporting of the PTE-SC and greatly enhanced packaged enzyme stability against
      iterative cycles of freezing and thawing. 

PMID- 26479679
TI  - Maternal complications associated with stillbirth delivery: A cross-sectional
      analysis.
AB  - This study sought to identify delivery complications associated with stillbirth
      labour and delivery. We conducted a retrospective chart review evaluating
      stillbirth demographics, pregnancy and maternal risk factors, and complications
      of labour and delivery. We performed bivariable analysis and multivariable
      logistic regression to evaluate factors associated with medical complications and
      variations by race. Our cohort included 543 mothers with stillbirth, of which two
      thirds were African-American. We noted high rates of shoulder dystocia, clinical
      chorioamnionitis, postpartum haemorrhage and retained placenta in women with
      stillbirths. Thirty-three women (6%) experienced at least one serious maternal
      complication. Complication rates did not vary by maternal race. Providers who
      perform obstetrical care should be alert to the high rate of maternal medical
      complications associated with labour and delivery of a stillbirth foetus. 

PMID- 26479680
TI  - White Light-Activated Antimicrobial Paint using Crystal Violet.
AB  - Crystal violet (CV) was incorporated into acrylic latex to produce white-light
      activated antimicrobial paint (WLAAP). Measurement of the water contact angle of
      the WLAAP showed that the water contact angle increased with increasing CV
      concentration. In a leaching test over 120 h, the amount of CV that leached from
      the WLAAPs was close to the detection limit (<0.03%). The WLAAPs were used to
      coat samples of polyurethane, and these showed bactericidal activity against
      Escherichia coli, which is a key causative agent of healthcare-associated
      infections (HAIs). A reduction in the numbers of viable bacteria was observed on
      the painted coated polyurethane after 6 h in the dark, and the bactericidal
      activity increased with increasing CV concentration (P < 0.1). After 6 h of white
      light exposure, all of coated polyurethanes demonstrated a potent
      photobactericidal activity, and it was statistically confirmed that the WLAAP
      showed better activity in white light than in the dark (P < 0.05). At the highest
      CV concentration, the numbers of viable bacteria fell below the detection limit
      (<10(3) CFU/mL) after 6 h of white light exposure. The difference in
      antimicrobial activity between the materials in the light and dark was 0.48 log
      at CV 250 ppm, and it increased by 0.43 log at each increment of CV 250 ppm. The
      difference was the highest (>1.8 log) at the highest CV concentration (1000 ppm).
      These WLAAPs are promising candidates for use in healthcare facilities to reduce
      HAIs.

PMID- 26479681
TI  - Band Bending Inversion in Bi2Se3 Nanostructures.
AB  - Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations were studied under high magnetic field in Bi2Se3
      nanostructures grown by chemical vapor transport, for different bulk carrier
      densities ranging from 3 * 10(19) cm(-3) to 6 * 10(17) cm(-3). The contribution
      of topological surface states to electrical transport can be identified and
      separated from bulk carriers and massive two-dimensional electron gas. Band
      bending is investigated, and a crossover from upward to downward band bending is
      found at low bulk density as a result of a competition between bulk and interface
      doping. These results highlight the need to control electrical doping both in the
      bulk and at interfaces in order to study only topological surface states. 

PMID- 26479682
TI  - Effects of low-energy N(+)-beam implantation on root growth in Arabidopsis
      seedlings.
AB  - The effects of ion implantation on the morphology changes and biological
      responses of plants are dependent on implantation doses. Previous studies mainly
      focus on the application of ion-beam technology in genetic mutation. Our
      knowledge regarding the mechanism underlying the plant growth inhibition induced
      by ion implantation remains limited. In this study, we explore the responses of
      root growth to low-energy N(+)-beam implantation using implanted Arabidopsis
      seeds. Our results showed that the root and root tip length were obviously
      reduced by implantation with large doses of low-energy N(+) beam. The analysis of
      confocal images showed that ion implantation reduced the cell viability and cell
      division activity in root meristem. The production rate of superoxide radical
      (O2(*-)) and contents of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in roots under ion implantation
      were markedly higher than those of controls. Transcriptional expression analysis
      of selected genes revealed that Arabidopsis RBOH genes associated with reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) production were significantly up-regulated in roots in
      response to ion implantation. The activities of antioxidant enzymes were also
      induced by ion implantation. Moreover, ROS scavenging obviously enhanced cell
      viability and cell division in response to ion implantation and alleviated the
      root growth inhibition of the implanted seedlings. Our results suggest that the
      overproduction of ROS induced by ion implantation is involved in the inhibitory
      effect of low-energy ion beam on root growth by affecting the cell viability and
      cell division of root meristem in Arabidopsis seedlings. 

PMID- 26479683
TI  - A Brief Report Describing the Union of Medical Training and Agricultural Health.
AB  - This brief report describes a mutually beneficial partnership forged to extend
      agricultural medicine training to physicians, nurses, veterinarians, public
      health workers, health care professionals, medical residents, and students.
      Agricultural Medicine: Occupational and Environmental Health for Rural Health
      Professionals originated at the University of Iowa, Iowa's Center for
      Agricultural Safety and Health, and the Great Plains Center for Agricultural
      Health. Through a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
      funded Training Project Grant, The University of Texas Health Northeast worked
      with the University of Iowa and regional experts to adapt the agricultural
      medicine content for the southwestern United States. Further partnerships were
      developed with the Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention
      and Education, The University of North Texas Health Science Center College of
      Osteopathic Medicine, and the Texas Rural Health Association to extend the reach
      of this training to other important stakeholders. Each of the collaborators
      offered unique resources to the coordination of the agricultural medicine course.
      Likewise, each organization benefited from extending regionally relevant
      agricultural medicine training to current and future health care providers. The
      long-term goal for the partnership is to train a broad array of health care
      providers with the basics of anticipation, recognition, diagnosis, treatment, and
      the prevention of occupational and environmental illnesses and injuries within
      rural and agricultural communities, customized to the Southwest Region. This
      brief descriptive report highlights the process by which strategic partners
      collaborated to conduct a regional agricultural medicine course, such that other
      organizations interested in offering a similar training might gain insight to
      best practices from our experience. 

PMID- 26479685
TI  - Low-Friction Adsorbed Layers of a Triblock Copolymer Additive in Oil-Based
      Lubrication.
AB  - The tribological properties of the dilute solution of an ABA triblock copolymer,
      poly(11-acrylamidoundecanoic acid)-block-poly(stearyl methacrylate)-block-poly(11
      acrylamidoundecanoic acid (A5S992A5), in poly(alpha-olefin) (PAO) confined
      between mica surfaces were investigated using the surface forces apparatus (SFA).
      Friction force was measured as a function of applied load and sliding velocity,
      and the film thickness and contact geometry during sliding were analyzed using
      the fringes of equal chromatic order (FECO) in the SFA. The results were
      contrasted with those of confined PAO films; the effects of the addition of
      A5S992A5 on the tribological properties were discussed. The thickness of the
      A5S992A5/PAO system varied with time after surface preparation and with
      repetitive sliding motions. The thickness was within the range from 40 to 70 nm 1
      day after preparation (the Day1 film), and was about 20 nm on the following day
      (the Day2 film). The thickness of the confined PAO film was thinner than 1.4 nm,
      indicating that the A5S992A5/PAO system formed thick adsorbed layers on mica
      surfaces. The friction coefficient was about 0.03 to 0.04 for the Day1 film and
      well below 0.01 for the Day2 film, which were 1 or 2 orders of magnitude lower
      than the values for the confined PAO films. The time dependent changes of the
      adsorbed layer thickness and friction properties should be caused by the
      relatively low solubility of A5S992A5 in PAO. The detailed analysis of the
      contact geometry and friction behaviors implies that the particularly low
      friction of the Day2 film originates from the following factors: (i) shrinkage of
      the A5S992A5 molecules (mainly the poly(stearyl methacrylate) blocks) that leads
      to a viscoelastic properties of the adsorbed layers; and (ii) the intervening PAO
      layer between the adsorbed polymer layers that constitutes a high-fluidity
      sliding interface. Our results suggest that the block copolymer having relatively
      low solubility in a lubricant base oil is effective at forming low-friction
      adsorbed layers in oil-based lubrication. 

PMID- 26479684
TI  - A novel mobile-cloud system for capturing and analyzing wheelchair maneuvering
      data: A pilot study.
AB  - The purpose of this pilot study was to provide a new approach for capturing and
      analyzing wheelchair maneuvering data, which are critical for evaluating
      wheelchair users' activity levels. We proposed a mobile-cloud (MC) system, which
      incorporated the emerging mobile and cloud computing technologies. The MC system
      employed smartphone sensors to collect wheelchair maneuvering data and transmit
      them to the cloud for storage and analysis. A k-nearest neighbor (KNN) machine
      learning algorithm was developed to mitigate the impact of sensor noise and
      recognize wheelchair maneuvering patterns. We conducted 30 trials in an indoor
      setting, where each trial contained 10 bouts (i.e., periods of continuous
      wheelchair movement). We also verified our approach in a different building.
      Different from existing approaches that require sensors to be attached to
      wheelchairs' wheels, we placed the smartphone into a smartphone holder attached
      to the wheelchair. Experimental results illustrate that our approach correctly
      identified all 300 bouts. Compared to existing approaches, our approach was
      easier to use while achieving similar accuracy in analyzing the accumulated
      movement time and maximum period of continuous movement (p > 0.8). Overall, the
      MC system provided a feasible way to ease the data collection process and
      generated accurate analysis results for evaluating activity levels.

PMID- 26479686
TI  - The effects of polycystic ovary syndrome on gestational diabetes mellitus.
AB  - The aim of this study was to explore the inter-relationship between polycystic
      ovary syndrome and gestational diabetes mellitus, and demonstrate maternal and
      fetal outcomes. This was a case-control study in 1360 pregnant women who received
      a diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus between 24 and 28 weeks of
      gestational age. Among all diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus, 150
      pregnant women had received a polycystic ovary syndrome, and 160 women who did
      not have polycystic ovary syndrome were designated as controls. The incidence of
      pregnancy-induced hypertension was 26.3% and 12% in the case and control groups,
      respectively. Preeclampsia was seen at an incidence of 12% and 6% in case and in
      control groups, respectively. The difference in neonatal hypoglycemia between the
      two groups was statistically significant, with an incidence of 17% and 5% in the
      case and in control groups, respectively. This study demonstrated that the
      presence of polycystic ovary syndrome along with gestational diabetes mellitus
      increases the risk of pregnancy induced hypertension by 2.4 fold, preeclampsia by
      2 fold and neonatal hypoglycemia by 3.2 fold, compared to gestational diabetes
      mellitus alone. 

PMID- 26479687
TI  - Knee pain relief with genicular nerve blockage in two brain injured patients with
      heterotopic ossification.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the ectopic bone formation in non
      osseous tissues. This study aimed to present two patients with traumatic brain
      injury (TBI) who had HO in knee joint and pain relief after genicular nerve
      blockage. Case 1: A 14-year-old patient with TBI was admitted with bilateral knee
      pain and limited range of motion. Physical examination and x-ray graphics
      revealed calcification which was diagnosed as HO. Ultrasonography (US) guided
      genicular nerve blockage was performed to both knees with 2 ml lidocaine and 1 ml
      betamethasone. VAS of pain was decreased to 30 mm from 80 mm. At 6-month follow
      up, VAS of pain was still 30 mm. Case 2: A 29-year-old patient with TBI was
      admitted for rehabilitation. He had right knee pain and his pain was 80 mm
      according to VAS. Investigation revealed HO. US guided genicular nerve blockage
      was performed to the right knee and pain was decreased to 20 mm. DISCUSSION: US
      guided genicular nerve blockage can provide pain relief in HO and this technique
      may be effective and alternative for pain relief in patients with neurogenic knee
      HO to increase patient's compliance.

PMID- 26479688
TI  - CIDAR MoClo: Improved MoClo Assembly Standard and New E. coli Part Library Enable
      Rapid Combinatorial Design for Synthetic and Traditional Biology.
AB  - Multipart and modular DNA part libraries and assembly standards have become
      common tools in synthetic biology since the publication of the Gibson and Golden
      Gate assembly methods, yet no multipart modular library exists for use in
      bacterial systems. Building upon the existing MoClo assembly framework, we have
      developed a publicly available collection of modular DNA parts and enhanced MoClo
      protocols to enable rapid one-pot, multipart assembly, combinatorial design, and
      expression tuning in Escherichia coli. The Cross-disciplinary Integration of
      Design Automation Research lab (CIDAR) MoClo Library is openly available and
      contains promoters, ribosomal binding sites, coding sequence, terminators,
      vectors, and a set of fluorescent control plasmids. Optimized protocols reduce
      reaction time and cost by >80% from that of previously published protocols. 

PMID- 26479689
TI  - Letters to the Editor: "I Have Read with Great Interest...".

PMID- 26479690
TI  - Payer Coverage: Myths and Truths.

PMID- 26479691
TI  - The Use of PRISM (Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self Measure) in
      Patients Affected by Chronic Cutaneous Ulcers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: PRISM (Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self Measure) is a
      nonverbal visualization instrument. The authors chose to use this tool to avoid
      the limitation of the other tests for the assessment of quality of life by using
      interview methods that depend on the cognitive and cultural level of the patient.
      The aim of the study was to assess the impact on the quality of life of different
      types of chronic wounds using the PRISM test. SETTING: The PRISM test was
      administered by the same medical student to each patient visiting the dermatology
      department for a routine visit and medication. PARTICIPANTS: The PRISM test was
      administered to 77 patients with chronic cutaneous ulcers referred to the
      Dermatology Department of the Spedali Civili of Brescia, Italy. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The authors analyzed the "Self-llness-Separation"' (SIS) value, which
      resulted from the PRISM test, and related it to sex, age, and ulcer etiology.
      RESULTS: Considering all categories, the mean SIS was 9.58 cm; a different
      perception of the disease between the sexes was noted and also in the subgroups
      based on the ulcer's different etiology. In addition, the age of the affected
      patients influenced the SIS value. CONCLUSIONS: PRISM is an easy and sensitive
      instrument to record information about the patient's expectations and suffering
      in order to improve the overall physician-patient relationship.

PMID- 26479692
TI  - The Effect of Electrical Stimulation Combined with Foam Dressing on Ulcer Healing
      in Rats with Spinal Cord Injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of electrical stimulation (ES) combined with
      foam dressing on wound healing in rats with spinal cord injury. METHODS: Complete
      spinal cord injury was induced in 49 male Sprague-Dawley rats at the T11-L1
      level, after which a pressure ulcer was induced on the left thigh. The newly
      invented surface electrode, which was fitted with foam inside, was applied to the
      ulcers. Rats were divided into 2 groups as follows: the ES group, which received
      foam dressings and ES (2 Hz and 200-microsecond duration, 15 mA) for 4 times a
      day, 30 minutes each, for 3 weeks; and the control group, which received the foam
      dressings without ES. The ulcer area was measured by taking a photograph daily
      from day 0 to day 21. Histopathologic and immune-histochemical evaluations were
      performed on day 1 and days 7, 14, and 21. RESULTS: The area of the ulcers of the
      ES group was smaller than that of the control group after day 14 (P < .05). In
      the ES group, the vascularity was significantly greater on day 14 and more
      decreased on day 21 compared with day 7 than that in the control group (P < .05).
      In the ES group, the area of positive reaction to anti-alpha-SMA antibody was
      increased compared with the control group on days 7 and 14 and decreased on day
      21 (P > .05). CONCLUSION: Electrical stimulation combined with foam dressing by
      means of newly invented surface electrodes facilitates and accelerates the wound
      healing process.

PMID- 26479693
TI  - Surgical Treatment of Pressure Ulcers with a Fibrin Sealant in Patients with
      Spinal Cord Injury: A Cost-Consequence Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A comparative study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness and
      costs of a fibrin sealant (Tissucol Duo [known as Tisseel in the United States],
      Baxter International, Deerfield, Illinois) to improve postoperative outcomes in
      patients with spinal cord injury undergoing surgical treatment for pressure
      ulcers (PrUs). METHODS: Between January and June 2011, 27 patients underwent
      surgical treatment for PrUs with the direct application of Tissucol Duo sprayed
      before closure. The costs and outcomes obtained in this cohort were compared with
      those obtained in a previous retrospective study where 71 patients underwent
      conventional surgery. RESULTS: Lower rates of hematoma-seroma were observed in
      the study group (3.7% vs 33.8%; P < .05). Drain removal occurred earlier (10 vs
      15 days; P < .05), and the average drain volume was also lower (155 vs 360 mL; P
      < .05) for this group. The mean length of hospital stay was significantly lower
      in the study group and was the main contributing factor to the overall costs.
      CONCLUSIONS: The application of Tissucol Duo during surgical treatment of PrUs in
      patients with spinal cord injury has been shown to be effective in reducing
      postoperative complications and in shortening the duration of the hospital stay
      with a consequent savings in costs.

PMID- 26479694
TI  - Intervention with Formulated Collagen Gel for Chronic Heel Pressure Ulcers in
      Older Adults with Diabetes.
AB  - Chronic pressure ulcers (PrUs), ulcers that fail to progress through the expected
      phases of wound healing in a timely fashion, are not only a concern for the
      patients afflicted with them, but are also a significant burden for the long-term
      care facilities in which patients reside. The heel is the second most common
      location for PrUs. Morbidity and mortality rates for heel PrUs, particularly in
      the diabetic population, are alarming. Therefore, a consistently effective, cost
      conscious, and user-friendly topical treatment for heel ulcers would be welcomed
      by patients and clinicians. This article describes a marked and rapid improvement
      in wound granulation in 3 older adult patients following weekly treatment for 8
      weeks of chronic (>=1-year duration) heel ulcers with an easy-to-use, cost
      effective, topical, formulated collagen gel. 

PMID- 26479695
TI  - Differentiating a Pressure Ulcer from Acute Skin Failure in the Adult Critical
      Care Patient.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this learning activity is to provide information
      regarding the differentiation between pressure ulcers and acute skin failure
      (ASF) in critically ill patients. TARGET AUDIENCE: This continuing education
      activity is intended for physicians and nurses with an interest in skin and wound
      care. OBJECTIVES: After participating in this educational activity, the
      participant should be better able to:1. Describe the purpose, methodology and
      impact of this research.2. Differentiate the pathophysiology of pressure ulcers
      and ASF.3. Identify risk factors and diagnostic criteria for ASF. ABSTRACT: To
      develop a statistical model to predict the development of acute skin failure in
      patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and to validate this
      model.Retrospective case-control, logistic regression modeling552 ICU
      patientsIntensive care unit patients with and without pressure ulcers (PrUs) were
      studied and compared on key variables sorted into the following categories: (1)
      disease status, (2) physical conditions, and (3) conditions of
      hospitalization.The variables, peripheral arterial disease (odds ratio [OR], 3.8;
      P = .002), mechanical ventilation greater than 72 hours (OR, 3.0; P < .001),
      respiratory failure (OR, 3.2; P < .001), liver failure (OR, 2.9; P = .04), and
      severe sepsis/septic shock (OR, 1.9; P = .02), were found to be statistically
      significant and independent predictors of acute skin failure in ICU patients.
      These variables created a predictor model for acute skin failure in the ICU.Lack
      of objective criteria to define acute skin failure presents a clinical conundrum
      for practitioners-the acknowledgment that skin failure exists, but no clear-cut
      diagnostic criteria in which to support its existence as a result of a paucity of
      empirical evidence. In certain populations, such as the critically ill patient,
      the phenomenon of acute skin failure may be occurring, and with the current level
      of evidence, these ulcers may be incorrectly identified as PrUs. Accurately
      distinguishing risk factors that lead to a PrU from factors that result in a
      lesion due to acute skin failure is crucial in the quest to provide evidence
      based practice to patients.

PMID- 26479697
TI  - The Strategic View of Meaningful Use: Part 2.

PMID- 26479698
TI  - Cut-off values for step count and TV viewing time as discriminators of
      hyperglycaemia in Brazilian children and adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of step count and TV viewing time to discriminate youngsters
      with hyperglycaemia is still a matter of debate. AIM: To establish cut-off values
      for step count and TV viewing time in children and adolescents using glycaemia as
      the reference criterion. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was
      conducted on 1044 schoolchildren aged 6-18 years from Northeastern Brazil. Daily
      step counts were assessed with a pedometer over 1 week and TV viewing time by
      self-report. RESULTS: The area under the curve (AUC) ranged from 0.52-0.61 for
      step count and from 0.49-0.65 for TV viewing time. The daily step count with the
      highest discriminatory power for hyperglycaemia was 13 884 (sensitivity = 77.8;
      specificity = 51.8) for male children and 12 371 (sensitivity = 55.6; specificity
      = 55.5) and 11 292 (sensitivity = 57.7; specificity = 48.6) for female children
      and adolescents respectively. The cut-off for TV viewing time with the highest
      discriminatory capacity for hyperglycaemia was 3 hours/day (sensitivity = 57.7
      77.8; specificity = 48.6-53.2). CONCLUSION: This study represents the first step
      for the development of criteria based on cardiometabolic risk factors for step
      count and TV viewing time in youngsters. However, the present cut-off values have
      limited practical application because of their poor accuracy and low sensitivity
      and specificity.

PMID- 26479699
TI  - The TZD insulin sensitizer clue provides a new route into diabetes drug
      discovery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Thiazolidinedione (TZD) insulin sensitizers have a pleotropic
      pharmacology including reduction of insulin resistance, a root cause of diabetes.
      Importantly, these agents also preserve pancreatic beta cell function. TZDs are
      not widely used, especially early on in disease progression when they might have
      the greatest benefit, because of side effects, principally volume expansion,
      weight gain, and increased bone reabsorption. Incomplete understanding of their
      mechanism of action has prevented the development of new agents. Recent studies
      suggest that these compounds modify mitochondrial metabolism and metabolic
      signals that coordinate downstream cell function. AREAS COVERED: The author
      provides a brief history of the development of the first generation insulin
      sensitizer TZDs, which coincided with the expansion of the concept of insulin
      resistance in disease. Furthermore, the article summarizes ideas as to how a
      newly identified mitochondrial target might explain the activity of new clinical
      candidates. EXPERT OPINION: Recognition of the pyruvate carrier complex as a
      mitochondrial target of the TZDs provides a new direction for discovery and
      development of anti-diabetic agents. Recent clinical studies have suggested that
      reduction of direct agonism of PPARgamma may prove to be useful therapeutically
      by reducing dose-limiting side effects. The study of the mechanism of insulin
      resistance produced by metabolic signals (metabolic inflammation) and the
      counterbalance of these signals by insulin sensitizers is likely to be useful in
      providing more target and discovery approaches to metabolic diseases.

PMID- 26479700
TI  - Evaluating the stage of change model to a cervical cancer screening intervention
      among Ohio Appalachian women.
AB  - Cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates are disproportionally high among
      women living in Appalachia Ohio. This study used the Transtheoretical Model to
      examine screening barriers before and after a lay health advisor (LHA)
      intervention (2005-2009) to increase cervical cancer screening rates. Ohio
      Appalachian women (n = 90) who were in need of a Pap test, based on risk
      appropriate guidelines, were randomized to a 10-month LHA intervention and
      received two in-person visits, two phone calls, and four mailed postcards
      targeted to the participant's stage of change. Findings revealed that 63% had
      forward stage movement 10 months after the intervention. The most frequently
      reported screening barriers were time constraints, forgetting to make an
      appointment, and cost. Women who reported the following barriers-doctor not
      recommending the test; being unable to afford the test; and being embarrassed,
      nervous, or afraid of getting a Pap test-were less likely to be in the action
      stage. Understanding the stages of change related to Pap testing and reported
      barriers among this underserved population may help inform researchers and
      clinicians of this population's readiness for change and how to set realistic
      intervention goals. 

PMID- 26479701
TI  - The effects of chronic intracortical microstimulation on neural tissue and fine
      motor behavior.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: One approach to conveying sensory feedback in neuroprostheses is to
      electrically stimulate sensory neurons in the cortex. For this approach to be
      viable, it is critical that intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) causes minimal
      damage to the brain. Here, we investigate the effects of chronic ICMS on the
      neuronal tissue across a variety of stimulation regimes in non-human primates. We
      also examine each animal's ability to use their hand--the cortical representation
      of which is targeted by the ICMS--as a further assay of possible neuronal damage.
      APPROACH: We implanted electrode arrays in the primary somatosensory cortex of
      three Rhesus macaques and delivered ICMS four hours per day, five days per week,
      for six months. Multiple regimes of ICMS were delivered to investigate the
      effects of stimulation parameters on the tissue and behavior. Parameters included
      current amplitude (10-100 MUA), pulse train duration (1, 5 s), and duty cycle
      (1/1, 1/3). We then performed a range of histopathological assays on tissue near
      the tips of both stimulated and unstimulated electrodes to assess the effects of
      chronic ICMS on the tissue and their dependence on stimulation parameters. MAIN
      RESULTS: While the implantation and residence of the arrays in the cortical
      tissue did cause significant damage, chronic ICMS had no detectable additional
      effect; furthermore, the animals exhibited no impairments in fine motor control.
      SIGNIFICANCE: Chronic ICMS may be a viable means to convey sensory feedback in
      neuroprostheses as it does not cause significant damage to the stimulated tissue.

PMID- 26479702
TI  - Methylomic analysis of monozygotic twins discordant for childhood psychotic
      symptoms.
AB  - Childhood psychotic symptoms are associated with increased rates of
      schizophrenia, other psychiatric disorders, and suicide attempts in adulthood;
      thus, elucidating early risk indicators is crucial to target prevention efforts.
      There is considerable discordance for psychotic symptoms between monozygotic
      twins, indicating that child-specific non-genetic factors must be involved.
      Epigenetic processes may constitute one of these factors and have not yet been
      investigated in relation to childhood psychotic symptoms. Therefore, this study
      explored whether differences in DNA methylation at age 10 were associated with
      monozygotic twin discordance for psychotic symptoms at age 12. The Environmental
      Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study cohort of 2,232 children (1,116 twin pairs)
      was assessed for age-12 psychotic symptoms and 24 monozygotic twin pairs
      discordant for symptoms were identified for methylomic comparison. Children
      provided buccal samples at ages 5 and 10. DNA was bisulfite modified and DNA
      methylation was quantified using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 array.
      Differentially methylated positions (DMPs) associated with psychotic symptoms
      were subsequently tested in post-mortem prefrontal cortex tissue from adult
      schizophrenia patients and age-matched controls. Site-specific DNA methylation
      differences were observed at age 10 between monozygotic twins discordant for age
      12 psychotic symptoms. Similar DMPs were not found at age 5. The top-ranked
      psychosis-associated DMP (cg23933044), located in the promoter of the C5ORF42
      gene, was also hypomethylated in post-mortem prefrontal cortex brain tissue from
      schizophrenia patients compared to unaffected controls. These data tentatively
      suggest that epigenetic variation in peripheral tissue is associated with
      childhood psychotic symptoms and may indicate susceptibility to schizophrenia and
      other mental health problems. 

PMID- 26479704
TI  - Ameliorating Spinal Cord Injury in an Animal Model With Mechanical Tissue
      Resuscitation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a major worldwide cause of
      mortality and disability with limited treatment options. Previous research
      applying controlled negative pressure to traumatic brain injury in rat and swine
      models resulted in smaller injuries and more rapid recovery. OBJECTIVE: To
      examine the effects of the application of a controlled vacuum (mechanical tissue
      resuscitation [MTR]) to SCI in a rat model under several magnitudes of vacuum.
      METHODS: Controlled contusion SCIs were created in rats. Vacuums of -50 and -75
      mm Hg were compared. Analysis included open-field locomotor performance, magnetic
      resonance imaging (in vivo T2, ex vivo diffusion tensor imaging and fiber
      tractography), and histological assessments. RESULTS: MTR treatment significantly
      improved the locomotor recovery from a Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan score of 7.8
      +/- 1.9 to 11.4 +/- 1.2 and 10.7 +/- 1.9 at -50- and -75-mm Hg pressures,
      respectively, 4 weeks after injury. Both pressures also reduced fluid
      accumulations > 10% by T2-imaging in SCI sites. The mean fiber number and mean
      fiber length were greater across injured sites after MTR treatment, especially
      with treatment with -50 mm Hg. Myelin volume was increased significantly by 60%
      in the group treated with -50 mm Hg. CONCLUSION: MTR of SCI in a rat model is
      effective in reducing edema in the injured cord, preserving myelin survival, and
      improving the rate and quantity of functional recovery. ABBREVIATIONS: BBB,
      Basso, Beattie, and BresnahanDTI, diffusion tensor imagingFA, fractional
      anisotropyMTR, mechanical tissue resuscitationMTR50, mechanical tissue
      resuscitation with 50-mm Hg subatmospheric pressureMTR75, mechanical tissue
      resuscitation with 75-mm Hg subatmospheric pressureROI, region of interestSCI,
      spinal cord injury.

PMID- 26479703
TI  - Upregulated KLK10 inhibits esophageal cancer proliferation and enhances cisplatin
      sensitivity in vitro.
AB  - The kallikrein-related peptidase 10 (KLK10) gene has tumor-suppressive function
      in various types of human cancer. However, previous studies showed that KLK10
      also acts as an oncogene and is upregulated in gastrointestinal tumors. The role
      of KLK10 in human esophageal cancer (EC) remains unclear. In the present study,
      the expression of KLK10 in human esophageal and non-esophageal cancer tissues was
      investigated by immunohistochemistry. Quantitative RT-PCR and western blot
      analysis were utilized to detect KLK10 mRNA and protein expression in human
      esophageal cancer cell lines (TE-1 and Eca-109). Small interference RNA was
      utilized to specifically knockdown KLK10 expression in Eca-109 and TE-1 cells.
      Cell proliferation, cell cycle analysis as well as CDDP-dependent apoptosis were
      determined using a CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry. The results showed that, KLK10
      was positive in 67 out of 83 (80.72%) human EC and positive in 3 out of 11
      (27.27%) normal tissues (P=0.001). The present study indicated that KLK10
      potentially plays a crucial role in Eca-109 cell growth. Additionally, the
      downregulation of KLK10 induced S-phase arrest and promoted cisplatin-induced
      apoptosis. The resutls of the present study suggested that KLK10 is a promising
      novel marker for the diagnostic and therapeutic target of esophageal cancer. 

PMID- 26479706
TI  - Toward a formalized account of attitudes: The Causal Attitude Network (CAN)
      model.
AB  - This article introduces the Causal Attitude Network (CAN) model, which
      conceptualizes attitudes as networks consisting of evaluative reactions and
      interactions between these reactions. Relevant evaluative reactions include
      beliefs, feelings, and behaviors toward the attitude object. Interactions between
      these reactions arise through direct causal influences (e.g., the belief that
      snakes are dangerous causes fear of snakes) and mechanisms that support
      evaluative consistency between related contents of evaluative reactions (e.g.,
      people tend to align their belief that snakes are useful with their belief that
      snakes help maintain ecological balance). In the CAN model, the structure of
      attitude networks conforms to a small-world structure: evaluative reactions that
      are similar to each other form tight clusters, which are connected by a sparser
      set of "shortcuts" between them. We argue that the CAN model provides a realistic
      formalized measurement model of attitudes and therefore fills a crucial gap in
      the attitude literature. Furthermore, the CAN model provides testable predictions
      for the structure of attitudes and how they develop, remain stable, and change
      over time. Attitude strength is conceptualized in terms of the connectivity of
      attitude networks and we show that this provides a parsimonious account of the
      differences between strong and weak attitudes. We discuss the CAN model in
      relation to possible extensions, implication for the assessment of attitudes, and
      possibilities for further study.

PMID- 26479707
TI  - Believing what we do not believe: Acquiescence to superstitious beliefs and other
      powerful intuitions.
AB  - Traditionally, research on superstition and magical thinking has focused on
      people's cognitive shortcomings, but superstitions are not limited to individuals
      with mental deficits. Even smart, educated, emotionally stable adults have
      superstitions that are not rational. Dual process models--such as the corrective
      model advocated by Kahneman and Frederick (2002, 2005), which suggests that
      System 1 generates intuitive answers that may or may not be corrected by System 2
      -are useful for illustrating why superstitious thinking is widespread, why
      particular beliefs arise, and why they are maintained even though they are not
      true. However, to understand why superstitious beliefs are maintained even when
      people know they are not true requires that the model be refined. It must allow
      for the possibility that people can recognize--in the moment--that their belief
      does not make sense, but act on it nevertheless. People can detect an error, but
      choose not to correct it, a process I refer to as acquiescence. The first part of
      the article will use a dual process model to understand the psychology underlying
      magical thinking, highlighting features of System 1 that generate magical
      intuitions and features of the person or situation that prompt System 2 to
      correct them. The second part of the article will suggest that we can improve the
      model by decoupling the detection of errors from their correction and recognizing
      acquiescence as a possible System 2 response. I suggest that refining the theory
      will prove useful for understanding phenomena outside of the context of magical
      thinking.

PMID- 26479708
TI  - Comparison of rhBMP-2 versus Autogenous Iliac Crest Bone Graft for 2-Level
      Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the efficacy of recombinant human bone
      morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) in 2-level anterior cervical discectomy and
      fusion (ACDF). The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes in a series
      of patients with CSM treated with 2-level ACDF with or without rhBMP-2. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: The retrospective study included a total of 146 patients with CSM.
      The rhBMP-2 group consisted of 73 patients who underwent 2-level ACDF with rhBMP
      2. A total of 73 patients who also received 2-level ACDF with autogenous ICBG
      alone were included in the matched-pair ICBG group with a ratio of 1:1, based on
      age, sex, and BMI. All data, including fusion rate and time, VAS, JOA score,
      operative date, and complications, were assessed. RESULTS: With respect to the
      length of hospital stay, operative times, and blood loss, there were no
      significant difference between the 2 groups. However, the rhBMP-2 group presented
      a shorter fusion time (P<0.013) and higher fusion rate (P<0.036) than the ICBG
      group. In the rhBMP-2 group, 22% required additional treatment for complications
      compared to 18% of patients in the ICBG group, which showed no significant
      difference (P=0.543). CONCLUSIONS: The application of rhBMP-2 in 2-level ACDF
      showed higher fusion rates, shorter fusion time, and similar function outcomes
      compared to those who received ACDF with ICBG alone.

PMID- 26479709
TI  - Characterizing and predicting carboxylic acid reductase activity for diversifying
      bioaldehyde production.
AB  - Chemicals with aldehyde moieties are useful in the synthesis of polymerization
      reagents, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, flavors, and fragrances because of their
      high reactivity. However, chemical synthesis of aldehydes from carboxylic acids
      has unfavorable thermodynamics and limited specificity. Enzymatically catalyzed
      reductive bioaldehyde synthesis is an attractive route that overcomes unfavorable
      thermodynamics by ATP hydrolysis in ambient, aqueous conditions. Carboxylic acid
      reductases (Cars) are particularly attractive, as only one enzyme is required. We
      sought to increase the knowledge base of permitted substrates for four Cars.
      Additionally, the Lys2 enzyme family was found to be mechanistically the same as
      Cars and two isozymes were also tested. Our results show that Cars prefer
      molecules where the carboxylic acid is the only polar/charged group. Using this
      data and other published data, we develop a support vector classifier (SVC) for
      predicting Car reactivity and make predictions on all carboxylic acid metabolites
      in iAF1260 and Model SEED.

PMID- 26479711
TI  - High-Dose Probiotic Supplementation Containing Lactobacillus casei for 7 Days
      Does Not Enhance Salivary Antimicrobial Protein Responses to Exertional Heat
      Stress Compared With Placebo.
AB  - The study aimed to determine whether high-dose probiotic supplementation
      containing Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) for 7 consecutive days enhances
      salivary antimicrobial protein (S-AMP) responses to exertional-heat stress (EHS).
      Eight endurance-trained male volunteers (age 26 +/- 6 years, nude body mass 70.2
      +/- 8.8 kg, height 1.75 +/- 0.05 m, VO2max 59 +/- 5 ml.kg-1.min-1 [M +/- SD])
      completed a blinded randomized and counterbalanced crossover design. Oral
      supplementation of the probiotic beverage (PRO; L. casei . 1011 colony-forming
      units.day-1) or placebo (PLA) was consumed for 7 consecutive days before 2 hr
      running exercise at 60% VO2max in hot ambient conditions (34.0 degrees  C and 32%
      RH). Body mass and unstimulated saliva and venous blood samples were collected at
      baseline (7 days before EHS), pre-EHS, post-EHS (1 hr, 2 hr, and 4 hr), and at 24
      hr. Saliva samples were analyzed for salivary (S) IgA, alpha-amylase, lysozyme,
      and cortisol. Plasma samples were analyzed for plasma osmolality. Body mass and
      plasma osmolality did not differ between trials. Saliva flow rate remained
      relatively constant throughout the experimental design in PRO (overall M +/- SD =
      601 +/- 284 MUl/min) and PLA (557 +/- 296 MUl/min). PRO did not induce
      significant changes in resting S-AMP responses compared with PLA (p > .05).
      Increases in S-IgA, S-alpha-amylase, and S-cortisol responses, but not S-lysozyme
      responses, were observed after EHS (p < .05). No main effects of trial or Time x
      Trial interaction were observed for S-AMP and S-cortisol responses.
      Supplementation of a probiotic beverage containing L. casei for 7 days before EHS
      does not provide any further oral-respiratory mucosal immune protection, with
      respect to S-AMP, over PLA. 

PMID- 26479710
TI  - Pericytes are progenitors for coronary artery smooth muscle.
AB  - Epicardial cells on the heart's surface give rise to coronary artery smooth
      muscle cells (caSMCs) located deep in the myocardium. However, the
      differentiation steps between epicardial cells and caSMCs are unknown as are the
      final maturation signals at coronary arteries. Here, we use clonal analysis and
      lineage tracing to show that caSMCs derive from pericytes, mural cells associated
      with microvessels, and that these cells are present in adults. During development
      following the onset of blood flow, pericytes at arterial remodeling sites
      upregulate Notch3 while endothelial cells express Jagged-1. Deletion of Notch3
      disrupts caSMC differentiation. Our data support a model wherein epicardial
      derived pericytes populate the entire coronary microvasculature, but
      differentiate into caSMCs at arterial remodeling zones in response to Notch
      signaling. Our data are the first demonstration that pericytes are progenitors
      for smooth muscle, and their presence in adult hearts reveals a new potential
      cell type for targeting during cardiovascular disease. 

PMID- 26479712
TI  - Theoretical considerations for understanding a Purkinje cell timing mechanism.
AB  - In classical conditioning, cerebellar Purkinje cells learn an adaptively timed
      pause in spontaneous firing. This pause reaches its maximum near the end of the
      interstimulus interval. While it was thought that this timing was due to temporal
      patterns in the input signal and selective engagement of changes in synapse
      strength, we have shown Purkinje cells learn timed responses even when the
      conditional stimulus is delivered to its immediate afferents.(1) This shows that
      Purkinje cells have a cellular timing mechanism. The cellular models of intrinsic
      timing we are aware of are based on adapting the rise time of the concentration
      of a given ion. As an alternative, we here propose a selection mechanism in
      abstract terms for how a Purkinje cell could learn to respond at a particular
      time after an external trigger. 

PMID- 26479713
TI  - A Graph Algorithmic Approach to Separate Direct from Indirect Neural
      Interactions.
AB  - Network graphs have become a popular tool to represent complex systems composed
      of many interacting subunits; especially in neuroscience, network graphs are
      increasingly used to represent and analyze functional interactions between
      multiple neural sources. Interactions are often reconstructed using pairwise
      bivariate analyses, overlooking the multivariate nature of interactions: it is
      neglected that investigating the effect of one source on a target necessitates to
      take all other sources as potential nuisance variables into account; also
      combinations of sources may act jointly on a given target. Bivariate analyses
      produce networks that may contain spurious interactions, which reduce the
      interpretability of the network and its graph metrics. A truly multivariate
      reconstruction, however, is computationally intractable because of the
      combinatorial explosion in the number of potential interactions. Thus, we have to
      resort to approximative methods to handle the intractability of multivariate
      interaction reconstruction, and thereby enable the use of networks in
      neuroscience. Here, we suggest such an approximative approach in the form of an
      algorithm that extends fast bivariate interaction reconstruction by identifying
      potentially spurious interactions post-hoc: the algorithm uses interaction delays
      reconstructed for directed bivariate interactions to tag potentially spurious
      edges on the basis of their timing signatures in the context of the surrounding
      network. Such tagged interactions may then be pruned, which produces a
      statistically conservative network approximation that is guaranteed to contain
      non-spurious interactions only. We describe the algorithm and present a reference
      implementation in MATLAB to test the algorithm's performance on simulated
      networks as well as networks derived from magnetoencephalographic data. We
      discuss the algorithm in relation to other approximative multivariate methods and
      highlight suitable application scenarios. Our approach is a tractable and data
      efficient way of reconstructing approximative networks of multivariate
      interactions. It is preferable if available data are limited or if fully
      multivariate approaches are computationally infeasible. 

PMID- 26479716
TI  - Response to a letter to the Editor by Dr. David Egilman and Mr. John Schilling
      regarding the article by Donovan et al. (2011).

PMID- 26479714
TI  - Retention and splicing complex (RES) - the importance of cooperativity.
AB  - One of the great challenges to structural biologists lies in explaining the
      complexities of the spliceosome - a ribosome-sized molecular machine that is
      assembled in a step-wise manner and is responsible for pre-mRNA splicing. The
      spliceosome is both fascinating and difficult to work with, because of its
      dynamic nature. At each discrete step of splicing tens of proteins come and go
      orchestrating the functional transition through massive structural
      rearrangements. The retention and splicing complex (RES) is an important splicing
      factor interacting with pre-mRNA at the onset of the first transesterification
      reaction. RES is a specific splicing factor for a number of genes and is
      important for controlling pre-mRNA retention in the nucleus. RES is a 71 kDa
      heterotrimer composed of the 3 proteins Pml1p, Bud13p and Snu17p. We solved the 3
      dimensional structure of the core of the RES complex as well as the 2 dimers,
      Snu17p-Bud13p and Snu17p-Pml1p. Further biophysical analysis revealed an
      astounding cooperativity that governs the assembly of this trimeric complex as
      well as its interaction with pre-mRNA. The more than 100-fold cooperativity
      originates from the progressive rigidification of Snu17p upon coupled binding-and
      folding of protein regions, which are disordered in the unbound state. Our work
      highlights the role of cooperativity in the spliceosome and poses new questions
      about the structure and assembly of the spliceosome. 

PMID- 26479715
TI  - Potential impact of gene regulatory mechanisms on the evolution of
      multicellularity in the volvocine algae.
AB  - A fundamental question in biology is how multicellular organisms can arise from
      their single-celled precursors. The evolution of multicellularity requires the
      adoption of new traits in unicellular ancestors that allows the generation of
      form by, for example, increasing the size and developing new cell types. But what
      are the genetic, cellular and biochemical bases underlying the evolution of
      multicellularity? Recent advances in evolutionary developmental biology suggest
      that the regulation of gene expression by cis-regulatory factors, gene
      duplication and alternative splicing contribute to phenotypic evolution. These
      mechanisms enable different degrees of phenotypic divergence and complexity with
      variation in traits from genomes with similar gene contents. In addition,
      signaling pathways specific to cell types are developed to guarantee the
      modulation of cellular and developmental processes matched to the cell types as
      well as the maintenance of multicellularity. 

PMID- 26479717
TI  - Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling After Repeated Administrations of RBP-6000, a
      New, Subcutaneously Injectable, Long-Acting, Sustained-Release Formulation of
      Buprenorphine, for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder.
AB  - RBP-6000 is a novel sustained-release formulation of buprenorphine for the
      treatment of opioid use disorder, which has been designed for once-monthly (28
      days) subcutaneous (SC) injections. A population pharmacokinetic (PK) model was
      developed to describe the time course of buprenorphine plasma concentrations
      after repeated SC injections of RBP-6000 at 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, or 300 mg in
      treatment-seeking opioid-dependent subjects previously on sublingual
      buprenorphine (Subutex((r)) ) treatment. The MU-opioid receptor occupancy was
      predicted using a previously developed PK/PD Emax model. The results of the
      population PK analysis jointly with the predicted level of MU-opioid receptor
      occupancy provided quantitative criteria for clinical dose selection for RBP
      6000: the dose of 300 mg every 28 days seems appropriate for immediately
      achieving an effective exposure after the first SC injection and to maintain
      effective levels of exposure during chronic treatment. Furthermore, simulations
      conducted to evaluate the potential impact of a holiday in drug intake indicated
      that in the unexpected event of a 2-week holiday, levels of MU-opioid receptor
      occupancy remained consistently above 70% with no significant loss of drug
      efficacy. This analysis indicated that RBP-6000 has the potential for becoming an
      effective treatment for opioid-dependent subjects by addressing compliance issues
      associated with the current once-a-day treatments.

PMID- 26479718
TI  - Sensitivity of Hyperdense Basilar Artery Sign on Non-Enhanced Computed
      Tomography.
AB  - PURPOSE: The hyperdense basilar artery sign (HBAS) is an indicator of vessel
      occlusion on non contrast-enhanced computer tomography (NECT) in acute stroke
      patients. Since basilar artery occlusion (BAO) is associated with a high
      mortality and morbidity, its early detection is of great clinical value. We
      sought to analyze the influence of density measurement as well as a normalized
      ratio of Hounsfield unit/hematocrit (HU/Hct) ratio on the detection of BAO on
      NECT in patients with suspected BAO. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 102 patients with
      clinically suspected BAO were examined with NECT followed immediately by
      Multidetector computed tomography Angiography. Two observers independently
      analyzed the images regarding the presence or absence of HBAS on NECT and
      performed HU measurements in the basilar artery. Receiver operating
      characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the optimal density
      threshold for BAO using attenuation measurements or HU/Hct ratio. RESULTS:
      Sensitivity of visual detection of the HBAS on NECT was relatively low 81% (95%
      CI, 54-95%) while specificity was high 91% (95%-CI, 82-96%). The highest
      sensitivity was achieved by the combination of visual assessment and additional
      quantitative attenuation measurements applying a cut-off value of 46.5 HU with
      94% sensitivity and 81% specificity for BAO. A HU/Hct ratio >1.32 revealed
      sensitivity of 88% (95%-CI, 60-98%) and specificity of 84% (95%-CI, 74-90%).
      CONCLUSION: In patients with clinically suspected acute BAO the combination of
      visual assessment and additional attenuation measurement with a cut-off value of
      46.5 HU is a reliable approach with high sensitivity in the detection of BAO on
      NECT.

PMID- 26479721
TI  - Charge-Transport Anisotropy in a Uniaxially Aligned Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Based
      Copolymer.
AB  - Aligned films of a semiconducting DPP-based copolymer exhibit highly anisotropic
      charge transport with a band-like temperature dependence along the alignment
      direction and hole mobilities of up to 6.7 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) . X-ray diffraction
      measurements reveal an exceptional degree of in-plane alignment, high
      crystallinity, and a dominant face-on orientation of the polymer backbones. The
      surprising charge-transport properties are interpreted in a tie-chain model
      consistent with anisotropic activation energies.

PMID- 26479722
TI  - Intracoronary Delivery of Human Mesenchymal/Stromal Stem Cells: Insights from
      Coronary Microcirculation Invasive Assessment in a Swine Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells have unique properties favorable to
      their use in clinical practice and have been studied for cardiac repair. However,
      these cells are larger than coronary microvessels and there is controversy about
      the risk of embolization and microinfarctions, which could jeopardize the safety
      and efficacy of intracoronary route for their delivery. The index of
      microcirculatory resistance (IMR) is an invasive method for quantitatively
      assessing the coronary microcirculation status. OBJECTIVES: To examine heart
      microcirculation after intracoronary injection of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells
      with the index of microcirculatory resistance. METHODS: Healthy swine were
      randomized to receive by intracoronary route either 30x106 MSC or the same
      solution with no cells (1% human albumin/PBS) (placebo). Blinded operators took
      coronary pressure and flow measurements, prior to intracoronary infusion and at 5
      and 30 minutes post-delivery. Coronary flow reserve (CFR) and the IMR were
      compared between groups. RESULTS: CFR and IMR were done with a variance within
      the 3 transit time measurements of 6% at rest and 11% at maximal hyperemia. After
      intracoronary infusion there were no significant differences in CFR. The IMR was
      significantly higher in MSC-injected animals (at 30 minutes, 14.2U vs. 8.8U, p =
      0.02) and intragroup analysis showed a significant increase of 112% from baseline
      to 30 minutes after cell infusion, although no electrocardiographic changes or
      clinical deterioration were noted. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study provides
      definitive evidence of microcirculatory disruption upon intracoronary
      administration of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells, in a large animal model closely
      resembling human cardiac physiology, function and anatomy.

PMID- 26479723
TI  - Cyanobacterial composition and spatial distribution based on pyrosequencing data
      in the Gurbantunggut Desert, Northwestern China.
AB  - Cyanobacteria are the primary colonizers and form a dominant component of soil
      photosynthetic communities in biological soil crusts. They are crucial in
      improving soil environments, namely accumulating soil carbon and nitrogen. Many
      classical studies have examined cyanobacterial diversity in desert crusts, but
      relatively few comprehensive molecular surveys have been conducted. We used 454
      pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA to investigate cyanobacterial composition and
      distribution on regional scales in the Gurbantunggut Desert. The relationship
      between cyanobacterial distribution and environmental factors was also explored.
      A total of 24,973 cyanobacteria partial 16S rRNA gene sequences were obtained,
      and 507OTUs were selected, as most OTUs had very few reads. Among these, 347 OTU
      sequences were of cyanobacteria origin, belonging to Oscillatoriales, Nostocales,
      Chroococcales, and uncultured cyanobacterium clone, respectively. Microcoleus
      vaginatus, Chroococcidiopsis spp. and M. steenstrupii were the dominant species
      in most areas of the Gurbantunggut Desert. Compared with other desert, the
      Gurbantunggut Desert differed in the prominence of Chroococcidiopsis spp. and
      lack of Pseudanabaenales. Species composition and abundance of cyanobacteria also
      showed distinct variations. Soil texture, precipitation, and nutrients and salt
      levels affected cyanobacterial distribution. Increased precipitation was helpful
      in improving cyanobacterial diversity. A higher content of coarse sand promoted
      the colonization and growth of Oscillatoriales and some phylotypes of
      Chroococcales. The fine-textured soil with higher nutrients and salts supported
      more varied populations of cyanobacteria, namely some heterocystous
      cyanobacteria. The results suggested that the Gurbantunggut Desert was rich in
      cyanobacteria and that precipitation was a primary regulating factor for
      cyanobacterial composition on a regional scale.

PMID- 26479724
TI  - Realistic analytical polyhedral MRI phantoms.
AB  - PURPOSE: Analytical phantoms have closed form Fourier transform expressions and
      are used to simulate MRI acquisitions. Existing three-dimensional (3D) analytical
      phantoms are unable to accurately model shapes of biomedical interest. The goal
      of this study was to demonstrate that polyhedral analytical phantoms have closed
      form Fourier transform expressions and can accurately represent 3D biomedical
      shapes. METHODS: The Fourier transform of a polyhedron was implemented and its
      accuracy in representing faceted and smooth surfaces was characterized. Realistic
      anthropomorphic polyhedral brain and torso phantoms were constructed and their
      use in simulated 3D and two-dimensional (2D) MRI acquisitions was described.
      RESULTS: Using polyhedra, the Fourier transform of faceted shapes can be computed
      to within machine precision. Smooth surfaces can be approximated with increasing
      accuracy by increasing the number of facets in the polyhedron; the additional
      accumulated numerical imprecision of the Fourier transform of polyhedra with many
      faces remained small. Simulations of 3D and 2D brain and 2D torso cine
      acquisitions produced realistic reconstructions free of high frequency edge
      aliasing compared with equivalent voxelized/rasterized phantoms. CONCLUSION:
      Analytical polyhedral phantoms are easy to construct and can accurately simulate
      shapes of biomedical interest. Magn Reson Med 76:663-678, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26479725
TI  - The large-X effect in plants: increased species divergence and reduced gene flow
      on the Silene X-chromosome.
AB  - The disproportionately large involvement of the X-chromosome in the isolation of
      closely related species (the large-X effect) has been reported for many animals,
      where X-linked genes are mostly hemizygous in the heterogametic sex. The
      expression of deleterious recessive mutations is thought to drive the frequent
      involvement of the X-chromosome in hybrid sterility, as well as to reduce
      interspecific gene flow for X-linked genes. Here, we evaluate the role of the X
      chromosome in the speciation of two closely related plant species - the white and
      red campions (Silene latifolia and S. dioica) - that hybridize widely across
      Europe. The two species evolved separate sexes and sex chromosomes relatively
      recently (~10(7)  years), and unlike most animal species, most X-linked genes
      have intact Y-linked homologs. We demonstrate that the X-linked genes show a very
      small and insignificant amount of interspecific gene flow, while gene flow
      involving autosomal loci is significant and sufficient to homogenize the gene
      pools of the two species. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis of
      the large-X effect in Silene and comprise the first report of this effect in
      plants. Nonhemizygosity of many X-linked genes in Silene males indicates that
      exposure of recessive mutations to selection may not be essential for the
      occurrence of the large-X effect. Several possible causes of the large-X effect
      in Silene are discussed.

PMID- 26479726
TI  - Type 2 Diabetes Biomarkers of Human Gut Microbiota Selected via Iterative Sure
      Independent Screening Method.
AB  - Type 2 diabetes, which is a complex metabolic disease influenced by genetic and
      environment, has become a worldwide problem. Previous published results focused
      on genetic components through genome-wide association studies that just interpret
      this disease to some extent. Recently, two research groups published metagenome
      wide association studies (MGWAS) result that found meta-biomarkers related with
      type 2 diabetes. However, One key problem of analyzing genomic data is that how
      to deal with the ultra-high dimensionality of features. From a statistical
      viewpoint it is challenging to filter true factors in high dimensional data.
      Various methods and techniques have been proposed on this issue, which can only
      achieve limited prediction performance and poor interpretability. New statistical
      procedure with higher performance and clear interpretability is appealing in
      analyzing high dimensional data. To address this problem, we apply an excellent
      statistical variable selection procedure called iterative sure independence
      screening to gene profiles that obtained from metagenome sequencing, and 48/24
      meta-markers were selected in Chinese/European cohorts as predictors with
      0.97/0.99 accuracy in AUC (area under the curve), which showed a better
      performance than other model selection methods, respectively. These results
      demonstrate the power and utility of data mining technologies within the large
      scale and ultra-high dimensional genomic-related dataset for diagnostic and
      predictive markers identifying. 

PMID- 26479729
TI  - Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (American Psychological Association,
      Division 40) Annual Meeting Program Summary and Abstracts.

PMID- 26479727
TI  - Influence of Alluvial Morphology on Upscaled Hydraulic Conductivity.
AB  - The hydraulic conductivity of aquifers is a key parameter controlling the
      interactions between resource exploitation activities, such as unconventional gas
      production and natural groundwater systems. Furthermore, this parameter is often
      poorly constrained by typical data used for regional groundwater modeling and
      calibration studies performed as part of impact assessments. In this study, a
      systematic investigation is performed to understand the correspondence between
      the lithological descriptions of channel-type formation and the bulk effective
      hydraulic conductivities at a larger scale (Kxeff , Kyeff , and Kzeff in the
      direction of channel cross section, along the channel and in the vertical
      directions, respectively). This will inform decisions on what additional data
      gathering and modeling of the geological system can be performed to allow the
      critical bulk properties to be more accurately predicted. The systems studied are
      conceptualized as stacked meandering channels formed in an alluvial plain, and
      are represented as two facies. Such systems are often studied using very detailed
      numerical models. The main factors that may influence Kxeff , Kyeff , and Kzeff
      are the proportion of the facies representing connected channels, the aspect
      ratio of the channels, and the difference in hydraulic conductivity between
      facies. Our results show that in most cases, Kzeff is only weakly dependent on
      the orientations of channelized structures, with the main effects coming from
      channel aspect ratio and facies proportion.

PMID- 26479731
TI  - SH2B1 orchestrates signaling events to filopodium formation during neurite
      outgrowth.
AB  - Morphogenesis during development is fundamental to the differentiation of several
      cell types. As neurite outgrowth marks neuritogenesis, formation of filopodia
      precede the formation of dendrites and axons. While the structure of filopodia is
      well-known, the initiation of filopodia during neurite outgrowth is not clear.
      SH2B1 is known to promote neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells, hippocampal and
      cortical neurons. As a signaling adaptor protein, SH2B1 interacts with several
      neurotrophin receptors, and regulates signaling as well as gene expression. Our
      recent findings suggest that SH2B1 can be recruited to the plasma membrane and F
      actin fractions by IRSp53. IRSp53 bends plasma membrane and facilitates actin
      bundling to set the stage for filopodium formation. We further demonstrate that
      SH2B1-IRSp53 complexes enhance the formation of filopodia, dendrites and
      dendritic branches of hippocampal and cortical neurons. While the molecular
      mechanism underlying filopodium initiation is not clear, we propose that SH2B1
      neurotrophin interacting sites may mark the putative sites of filopodium
      initiation. 

PMID- 26479732
TI  - Advanced glycation end-product (AGE) induces apoptosis in human retinal ARPE-19
      cells via promoting mitochondrial dysfunction and activating the Fas-FasL
      signaling.
AB  - Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are extremely accumulated in the retinal
      vascular and epithelial cells of diabetes mellitus (DM) patients, particularly
      with diabetic retinopathy (DR). To elucidate the pathogenesis of the AGE-induced
      toxicity to retinal epithelial cells, we investigated the role of Fas-Fas ligand
      (FasL) signaling and mitochondrial dysfunction in the AGE-induced apoptosis.
      Results demonstrated that the AGE-BSA- induced apoptosis of retinal ARPE-19
      cells. And the AGE-BSA treatment caused mitochondrial dysfunction, via
      deregulating the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) signaling. Moreover, the Fas/FasL and
      its downstreamer Caspase 8 were promoted by the AGE-BSA treatment, and the
      exogenous alpha-Fas exacerbated the activation of Caspase 3/8. On the other side,
      the siRNA-mediated knockdown of Fas/FasL inhibited the AGE-BSA-induced apoptosis.
      Taken together, we confirmed the activation of Fas-FasL signaling and of
      mitochondrial dysfunction in the AGE-BSA-promoted apoptosis in retinal ARPE-19
      cells, implying the important role of Fas-FasL signaling in the DR in DM. 

PMID- 26479733
TI  - Clinical assessments of health status as a potential marker to identify patients
      who are too sick to undergo transplantation.

PMID- 26479734
TI  - Physiologic findings in children previously ventilator dependent at home due to
      bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the primary respiratory
      complication of premature birth. Some preterm newborns develop chronic
      respiratory failure, requiring home ventilator support. While physiologic
      measures have been described for prematurely born children, little is known about
      spirometric indices in patients with severe BPD who were previously ventilator
      dependent at home. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical charts of
      patients with severe BPD who were ventilator dependent at home. We excluded
      patients with other comorbidities that could contribute to the severity of BPD.
      Spirometry was performed when the patient was able to follow commands. RESULTS:
      Between 1984 and 2012, within our severe BPD cohort who previously required home
      ventilator support, 19 patients were able to perform reproducible spirometry
      meeting ATS/ERS acceptability criteria. Ten (52.6%) were females, 13 (68.4%) were
      Caucasians. Mean age at liberation from ventilation was 2.4 years (C.I. 2.0, 2.9)
      and at decannulation was 3.5 years (C.I. 2.9, 4.0); median age at first
      reproducible spirometry measurement was 6.6 years (IQR: 4.9, 8.3). Spirometry
      results revealed significant airway obstruction, as demonstrated by Z-scores
      values of -1.5 (C.I. -2.5, -0.4) for FVC, -2.7 (C.I. -3.3, -1.9) for FEV1 , and 
      3.6 (C.I. -4.3, -2.9) for FEF25-75 . More so, serial spirometric measurements'
      slopes revealed that the airway obstruction remained static over time (FEV1
      slope: -0.07, P-value: 0.2624; FVC slope: -0.01, P-value: 0.9064; and FEF25-75 :
      0.0, P-value: 0.8532). CONCLUSIONS: Extreme prematurity associated with severe
      BPD requiring home ventilator support carries significant risks of morbidity.
      These patients had substantially diminished respiratory function reflecting
      airflow abnormalities that remained static over time.

PMID- 26479735
TI  - Evaluation of screening and brief intervention for hazardous alcohol use
      integrated into clinical practice in an inner-city Emergency Department.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In small studies, Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to
      Treatment (SBIRT) in Emergency Departments (EDs) is effective in reducing
      hazardous alcohol use. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of SBIRT at an
      inner-city ED in routine clinical practice. METHODS: Of the 41 900 consecutive ED
      patients aged 18 years and older, 22 537 (53.8%) were screened using the Alcohol
      Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C). Patients with positive AUDIT-C
      scores (men>=5 and women>=4) received educational leaflets. Brief interventions
      were performed by ED personnel trained in motivational interviewing. At 3 months,
      patients were contacted by telephone and recent drinking pattern was assessed.
      RESULTS: Out of 22 537 patients, 2209 (9.8%) had an elevated AUDIT-C score. Male
      sex, alcohol-related reason for ED visit, alcohol or other intoxication at ED
      visit, head injury, stomach or intestinal bleeding and wounds were significant
      predictors of hazardous alcohol use in both univariate and multivariate analysis
      (all P<0.001). Out of 2209 patients, 894 (40.5%) AUDIT-C-positive patients
      received an intervention: of these 894 patients, 70% received educational
      material and 30% received motivational intervention and educational material. In
      the subset of patients available for follow-up, 34.9% either reduced or stopped
      alcohol use. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that in a large inner-city ED, SBIRT can
      be implemented in daily care. Screening uncovered large numbers of patients with
      hazardous alcohol use and identified several risk factors. Moreover, screening
      and intervention appeared to be effective in reducing alcohol intake.

PMID- 26479736
TI  - Reverse triage: more than just another method.
AB  - Reverse triage is a way to rapidly create inpatient surge capacity by identifying
      hospitalized patients who do not require major medical assistance for at least 96
      h and who only have a small risk for serious complications resulting from early
      discharge. Electronic searches were conducted in the MEDLINE, TRIP, Cochrane
      Library, CINAHL, EMBASE, Web of Science, and SCOPUS databases to identify
      relevant publications published from 2004 to 2014. The reference lists of all
      relevant articles were screened for additional relevant studies that might have
      been missed in the primary searches. There will always be small individual
      differences in the reverse triage decision process, influencing the potential
      effect on surge capacity, but at most, 10-20% of hospital total bed capacity can
      be made available within a few hours. Reverse triage could be a response to
      Emergency Department (ED) crowding, as it gives priority to ED patients with
      urgent needs over inpatients who can be discharged with little to no health
      risks. The early discharge of inpatients entails negative consequences. They
      often return to the ED for further assessment, treatment, and even readmission.
      When time to a medical referral or bed is less than 4-6 h, 100 additional lives
      per annum are predicted to be potentially saved. The results of our systematic
      review identified only a small number of publications addressing reverse triage,
      indicating that reverse triage and surge capacity are relatively new subjects of
      research within the medical field. Not all research questions could be fully
      answered.

PMID- 26479737
TI  - Length of stay in emergency department and cerebral intravenous thrombolysis in
      community hospitals.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Current guidelines for the early management of patients with acute
      ischemic stroke recommend completion of an evaluation within 60 min of the
      patient's arrival at the emergency department (ED) because prolongation of ED
      length of stay (LOS) may reduce the efficacy of acute stroke treatment. AIM: To
      evaluate the LOS in EDs at the community-based Polish stroke centers, to
      determine logistic, social, epidemiological, and clinical factors responsible for
      its prolongation, and to assess the association between increased LOS and the
      implementation of cerebral intravenous (IV) thrombolysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This study carried out an evaluation of the medical records of 8398 patients with
      stroke and transient ischemic attack who consecutively reported to the Pomeranian
      Stroke Registry from 2010 to 2012. RESULTS: The median ED LOS in the studied
      cohort was 97 (44-196) min and was prolonged (>60 min) in 63.1% of patients.
      Prolongation of ED LOS contributed to a low (4.9%) IV thrombolysis rate.
      Functional status at discharge was worse in patients with prolonged versus
      nonprolonged LOS [modified Rankin scale: 2 (0-3) vs. 1 (0-3) points; P<0.001].
      Multivariate analysis showed that onset-to-door time more than 270 min or unknown
      time of symptoms onset, referral to ED in urban areas, living alone, presence of
      diabetes, motor, sensory, visual, and gait deficits at stroke onset, and NIHSS
      score on admission contributed toward prolongation of ED LOS. CONCLUSION: A
      prolonged ED LOS, because of ineffective prehospital logistics, ED urban
      location, patients' risk factors, and cohabitation profile and stroke symptoms
      and severity, commonly exists among patients with stroke and transient ischemic
      attack and contributes toward a low rate of IV thrombolysis in Polish community
      hospitals.

PMID- 26479738
TI  - Acute urinary retention and the difficult catheterization: current emergency
      management.
AB  - Acute urinary retention (AUR) is a common presentation to emergency departments.
      This article updates the reader on the appropriate management, investigations and
      guidelines for AUR. It looks at the mechanism of normal micturition and describes
      the theories of AUR. It outlines urethral catheterization techniques for
      difficult cases, reviews suprapubic catheterization procedures and describes the
      management of AUR in polytrauma. Although emergency management is by bladder
      drainage, key points in the history and examination may expose significant,
      latent pathologies. 

PMID- 26479739
TI  - Time delay to surgery for appendicitis: no difference between surgical assessment
      unit and emergency department.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Denmark, emergency departments (EDs) are replacing acute surgical
      and medical units. The aim of this study was to compare the trajectory of
      patients undergoing surgery on the suspicion of appendicitis in a surgical
      assessment unit (SAU) and EDs with an observation unit, respectively. The primary
      outcome measure was the time from hospital arrival-to-decision for surgery.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comparative retrospective study with a cross-sectional
      design and a before-and-after design was carried out during January 2011 to
      December 2012 at a SAU and an ED at a university hospital (U-SAU and U-ED) and at
      an ED at a regional hospital (R-ED). Data included time of arrival, decision for
      surgery, surgery and discharge, and number of blood tests. RESULTS: In total, 250
      patients were included. Time to decision for surgery was 4.50, 4.95, and 4.63 h
      (P=0.58) in the U-SAU, R-ED, and U-ED, respectively. Time from decision for
      surgery to start of surgery was 4.60, 3.29, and 4.12 h in the U-SAU, R-ED, and U
      ED, respectively. The difference was significant between the U-SAU and R-ED
      (P=0.05) and between R-ED and U-ED (P=0.03). Time from surgery to discharge from
      the hospital was 17.88, 19.28, and 15.13 h in the U-SAU, R-ED, and U-ED,
      respectively. The difference was significant between the EDs (P=0.02).
      Significantly more blood tests were performed in the EDs than in the U-SAU.
      CONCLUSION: The introduction of EDs with observation units did not influence time
      to decision for surgery, but more blood tests were performed.

PMID- 26479740
TI  - Optimal timing for performing percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage and
      subsequent cholecystectomy for better management of acute cholecystitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to clarify the appropriate timing for performing
      percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) and cholecystectomy, and
      the effect of PTGBD on surgical difficulty in acute cholecystitis patients.
      METHODS: We retrospectively examined 46 patients who underwent laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy (LC) after PTGBD for acute cholecystitis. We evaluated the
      duration from acute cholecystitis onset to PTGBD and the appropriate interval
      from PTGBD to elective LC. Intraoperative blood loss, operating time, rate of
      conversion to open surgery, and rate of severe adhesion were the objective and
      subjective measures. RESULTS: Based on the cut-off value calculated using the
      Youden index, the group with a duration from acute cholecystitis onset to PTGBD
      of <=73.5 h had a significantly shorter operating time (127.5 min vs. 180.0 min,
      P = 0.007), lower rate of severe adhesion (3/20 vs. 14/26, P = 0.007), and lower
      rate of conversion to open surgery (2/20 vs. 13/26, P = 0.004); moreover, the
      interval from PTGBD to elective LC did not significantly differ between these
      groups. CONCLUSION: The most important predictor of successful LC following PTGBD
      for acute cholecystitis was a duration from acute cholecystitis onset to PTGBD of
      <=73.5 h. Hence, PTGBD should be performed immediately in cases where early
      cholecystectomy is not indicated.

PMID- 26479741
TI  - Scholarly Activity Program Requirements: The Review Committee-Emergency Medicine
      (RC-EM) Perspective.

PMID- 26479742
TI  - Resveratrol, sirtuins, and viruses.
AB  - Resveratrol is a natural phenolic product found in some plants in response to
      stress and has been linked to the many health benefits of red wine. Over the past
      several decades, a great deal of research has identified diverse biological roles
      associated with resveratrol, including anti-oxidant, anti-proliferation, anti
      inflammation, anti-cancer, anti-fungal, and antiviral activities. Such biological
      activities of resveratrol are likely mediated through multiple cellular targets
      or pathways, such as sirtuins, a family of NAD(+)-dependent deacetylases. In this
      treatise, the literatures focusing on the roles of resveratrol and sirtuins in
      modulating infections by a broad-spectrum of viruses are reviewed, with an
      emphasis on its potential antiviral mechanisms. A working model about the effects
      of resveratrol on virus infection is proposed to stimulate further researches on
      this exciting topic.

PMID- 26479743
TI  - Correction: Synthesis and crystal structure of a new hexagonal perovskite 7H
      Ba7Li1.75Mn3.5O15.75 with Mn(4+)/Mn(5+) charge distribution.

PMID- 26479745
TI  - Peer Review: We Can't Do Without You.

PMID- 26479744
TI  - Novel 1-Phenyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyridinone Derivatives as Multifunctional Agents for
      the Therapy of Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - A series of novel 1-phenyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyridinone derivatives were designed and
      synthesized as multifunctional agents for Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapy
      through incorporation of 3-hydroxy-4-pyridinone moiety from deferiprone into the
      scaffold of H3 receptor antagonists. Most of these new compounds displayed
      designed quadruple functions, H3 receptor antagonism, Abeta aggregation
      inhibition, metal ion chelation, and radical scavenging. Especially, the most
      promising compound 5c displayed nanomolar IC50 values in H3 receptor antagonism
      with high selectivity, efficient capability to interrupt the formation of Abeta(1
      42) fibrils, good copper and iron chelating properties, and more potent 2,2'
      azino-bis(3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation (ABTS(*+))
      scavenging activity than Trolox. Further biological evaluation revealed that it
      did not show obvious cytotoxicity and hERG potassium channel inhibition at
      micromolar concentration. In addition, compound 5c demonstrated suitable
      pharmacokinetic properties and acceptable blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability
      in vivo. All these results indicate that compound 5c is a potential
      multifunctional candidate for AD therapy.

PMID- 26479746
TI  - Frog Swarms: Earthquake Precursors or False Alarms?
AB  - In short-term earthquake risk forecasting, the avoidance of false alarms is of
      utmost importance to preclude the possibility of unnecessary panic among
      populations in seismic hazard areas. Unusual animal behaviour prior to
      earthquakes has been reported for millennia but has rarely been scientifically
      documented. Recently large migrations or unusual behaviour of amphibians have
      been linked to large earthquakes, and media reports of large frog and toad
      migrations in areas of high seismic risk such as Greece and China have led to
      fears of a subsequent large earthquake. However, at certain times of year large
      migrations are part of the normal behavioural repertoire of amphibians. News
      reports of "frog swarms" from 1850 to the present day were examined for evidence
      that this behaviour is a precursor to large earthquakes. It was found that only
      two of 28 reported frog swarms preceded large earthquakes (Sichuan province,
      China in 2008 and 2010). All of the reported mass migrations of amphibians
      occurred in late spring, summer and autumn and appeared to relate to small
      juvenile anurans (frogs and toads). It was concluded that most reported "frog
      swarms" are actually normal behaviour, probably caused by juvenile animals
      migrating away from their breeding pond, after a fruitful reproductive season. As
      amphibian populations undergo large fluctuations in numbers from year to year,
      this phenomenon will not occur on a yearly basis but will depend on successful
      reproduction, which is related to numerous climatic and geophysical factors.
      Hence, most large swarms of amphibians, particularly those involving very small
      frogs and occurring in late spring or summer, are not unusual and should not be
      considered earthquake precursors. In addition, it is likely that reports of
      several mass migration of small toads prior to the Great Sichuan Earthquake in
      2008 were not linked to the subsequent M = 7.9 event (some occurred at a great
      distance from the epicentre), and were probably co-incidence. Statistical
      analysis of the data indicated frog swarms are unlikely to be connected with
      earthquakes. Reports of unusual behaviour giving rise to earthquake fears should
      be interpreted with caution, and consultation with experts in the field of
      earthquake biology is advised. 

PMID- 26479747
TI  - A Framework to Evaluate Wildlife Feeding in Research, Wildlife Management,
      Tourism and Recreation.
AB  - Feeding of wildlife occurs in the context of research, wildlife management,
      tourism and in opportunistic ways. A review of examples shows that although
      feeding is often motivated by good intentions, it can lead to problems of public
      safety and conservation and be detrimental to the welfare of the animals.
      Examples from British Columbia illustrate the problems (nuisance animal activity,
      public safety risk) and consequences (culling, translocation) that often arise
      from uncontrolled feeding. Three features of wildlife feeding can be
      distinguished: the feasibility of control, the effects on conservation and the
      effects on animal welfare. An evaluative framework incorporating these three
      features was applied to examples of feeding from the literature. The cases of
      feeding for research and management purposes were generally found to be
      acceptable, while cases of feeding for tourism or opportunistic feeding were
      generally unacceptable. The framework should allow managers and policy-makers to
      distinguish acceptable from unacceptable forms of wildlife feeding as a basis for
      policy, public education and enforcement. Many harmful forms of wildlife feeding
      seem unlikely to change until they come to be seen as socially unacceptable. 

PMID- 26479748
TI  - Should Dogs and Cats be Given as Gifts?
AB  - Policies that state dogs and cats should not be adopted as gifts are prevalent at
      animal welfare organizations, despite the fact that this belief is unfounded.
      Denying adopters who intend to give the animals as gifts may unnecessarily impede
      the overarching goal of increasing the rate of live-releases of dogs and cats
      from our nations' shelter system. The results of this brief survey show that
      receiving a dog or cat as a gift was neither significantly associated with impact
      on self-perceived love/attachment, nor was it associated with whether or not
      respondents still had the dog or cat in the home. The results from this survey
      add to a growing body of literature that suggests there is no increased risk of
      relinquishment for dogs and cats received as a gift. 

PMID- 26479749
TI  - Stakeholder Perceptions of Threatened Species and Their Management on Urban
      Beaches.
AB  - We surveyed 579 recreationists regarding management of the threatened, beach
      dwelling Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis. We postulated that: (1) lower
      awareness of the species and higher 'inconvenience' of management would engender
      less favourable perceptions of conservation and management; and (2) that
      frequency of beach use and dog ownership may mediate perceptions and levels of
      awareness and inconvenience. Overall, inconvenience was low while awareness and
      support for plover conservation were high. Education and awareness strategies
      were considered less effective than regulations; exclusion and regulations were
      considered less desirable than on-ground protective measures. Awareness,
      frequency of beach use and dog walking did not influence the perceived
      effectiveness of different managements. More frequent beach users had greater
      awareness of the species and their plight but reported greater inconvenience
      associated with management. Respondents with high awareness rated the severity of
      human-related threats higher; low awareness was associated with more
      inconvenience associated with on-ground protection, and exclusion and
      regulations. Dog walkers reported more inconvenience associated with exclusions
      and regulations than non-dog walkers. Dog walkers who used the beach infrequently
      rated threats significantly higher than frequent beach users. Conservation and
      education strategies could usefully be tailored to beach users' level of use and
      pet ownership. 

PMID- 26479750
TI  - Animal Health and Welfare Issues Facing Organic Production Systems.
AB  - The demand for organically-grown produce is increasing worldwide, with one of the
      drivers being an expectation among consumers that animals have been farmed to a
      high standard of animal welfare. This review evaluates whether this expectation
      is in fact being met, by describing the current level of science-based knowledge
      of animal health and welfare in organic systems. The primary welfare risk in
      organic production systems appears to be related to animal health. Organic farms
      use a combination of management practices, alternative and complementary remedies
      and convenional medicines to manage the health of their animals and in many cases
      these are at least as effective as management practices employed by non-organic
      producers. However, in contrast to non-organic systems, there is still a lack of
      scientifically evaluated, organically acceptable therapeutic treatments that
      organic animal producers can use when current management practices are not
      sufficient to maintain the health of their animals. The development of such
      treatments are necessary to assure consumers that organic animal-based food and
      fibre has not only been produced with minimal or no chemical input, but under
      high standards of animal welfare. 

PMID- 26479752
TI  - Do Formal Inspections Ensure that British Zoos Meet and Improve on Minimum Animal
      Welfare Standards?
AB  - We analysed two consecutive inspection reports for each of 136 British zoos made
      by government-appointed inspectors between 2005 and 2011 to assess how well
      British zoos were complying with minimum animal welfare standards; median
      interval between inspections was 1,107 days. There was no conclusive evidence for
      overall improvements in the levels of compliance by British zoos. Having the same
      zoo inspector at both inspections affected the outcome of an inspection; animal
      welfare criteria were more likely to be assessed as unchanged if the same
      inspector was present on both inspections. This, and erratic decisions as to
      whether a criterion applied to a particular zoo, suggest inconsistency in
      assessments between inspectors. Zoos that were members of a professional
      association (BIAZA) did not differ significantly from non-members in the overall
      number of criteria assessed as substandard at the second inspection but were more
      likely to meet the standards on both inspections and less likely to have criteria
      remaining substandard. Lack of consistency between inspectors, and the high
      proportion of zoos failing to meet minimum animal welfare standards nearly thirty
      years after the Zoo Licensing Act came into force, suggest that the current
      system of licensing and inspection is not meeting key objectives and requires
      revision. 

PMID- 26479751
TI  - Why Do So Many Calves Die on Modern Dairy Farms and What Can We Do about Calf
      Welfare in the Future?
AB  - Poor bovine neonatal survival rates are an international animal welfare issue.
      The key modifiable risk factors associated with such loss are age at first
      calving in primiparae, calf breed, gender and gestation length and calving
      management. The primary causes of mortality in the perinatal period are calving
      problems, in particular dystocia, defined as both difficult and abnormal
      calvings. Calf loss rates are rising on modern dairy farms in many countries
      internationally. High calf loss rates are often not recognised at national or at
      farm-level; recording needs to be improved. Improving bovine neonatal survival
      requires re-prioritization of this issue. Stakeholders need to be made cognisant
      of this prioritization. Actions to effect change need to occur at both national
      and farm-levels. National-level actions need firstly to address raising awareness
      of the issue. Farm-level actions need to focus on identifiable problem farms
      through targeted surveillance. Application of existing knowledge to alter
      modifiable risk factors is the key to improving calf welfare in the future.
      Research also has a role to play in filling knowledge gaps in particular about
      the 'unexplained stillbirth'. 

PMID- 26479753
TI  - Challenges Encountered During the Veterinary Disaster Response: An Example from
      Chile.
AB  - Large-scale disasters have immeasurable effects on human and animal communities.
      Evaluating and reporting on the response successes and difficulties encountered
      serves to improve existing preparedness documents and provide support to those in
      the process of developing plans. Although the majority of disasters occur in low
      and middle income nations, less than 1% of the disaster literature originates
      from these countries. This report describes a response to a disease outbreak in
      domestic dogs in Dichato, Chile following the 2010 earthquake/tsunami. With no
      national plan coordinating the companion animal response, there was a chaotic
      approach among animal welfare organizations towards rescue, diagnosis, treatment
      and record-keeping. Similar to the medical response following the 1985 earthquake
      near Santiago, we experienced problems within our own teams in maintenance of
      data integrity and protocol compliance. Loss of infrastructure added
      complications with transportation, communications and acquisition of supplies.
      Similar challenges likely occur in most disasters, but can be reduced through pro
      active planning at national and local levels. There is sufficient information to
      support the human and animal welfare benefits of including companion animals in
      national planning, and lessons learned through this and other experiences can
      assist planners in the development of comprehensive and locally relevant
      contingency plans. 

PMID- 26479754
TI  - Policing Farm Animal Welfare in Federated Nations: The Problem of Dual Federalism
      in Canada and the USA.
AB  - In recent European animal welfare statutes, human actions injurious to animals
      are new "offences" articulated as an injury to societal norms in addition to
      property damage. A crime is foremost a violation of a community moral standard.
      Violating a societal norm puts society out of balance and justice is served when
      that balance is returned. Criminal law normally requires the presence of mens
      rea, or evil intent, a particular state of mind; however, dereliction of duties
      towards animals (or children) is usually described as being of varying levels of
      negligence but, rarely can be so egregious that it constitutes criminal societal
      injury. In instrumental justice, the "public goods" delivered by criminal law are
      commonly classified as retribution, incapacitation and general deterrence.
      Prevention is a small, if present, outcome of criminal justice. Quazi-criminal
      law intends to establish certain expected (moral) standards of human behavior
      where by statute, the obligations of one party to another are clearly articulated
      as strict liability. Although largely moral in nature, this class of laws focuses
      on achieving compliance, thereby resulting in prevention. For example, protecting
      the environment from degradation is a benefit to society; punishing non
      compliance, as is the application of criminal law, will not prevent the injury.
      This paper will provide evidence that the integrated meat complex of Canada and
      the USA is not in a good position to make changes to implement a credible farm
      animal protection system. 

PMID- 26479756
TI  - Wildlife Warning Signs: Public Assessment of Components, Placement and Designs to
      Optimise Driver Response.
AB  - Wildlife warning signs are the most commonly used and widespread form of road
      impact mitigation, aimed at reducing the incidence of wildlife-vehicle
      collisions. Evidence of the effectiveness of currently used signs is rare and
      often indicates minimal change in driver behaviour. Improving the design of these
      signs to increase the likelihood of appropriate driver response has the potential
      to reduce the incidence of wildlife-vehicle collisions. This study aimed to
      examine and assess the opinions of drivers on wildlife warning sign designs
      through a public opinion survey. Three currently used sign designs and five
      alternative sign designs were compared in the survey. A total of 134 drivers were
      surveyed. The presence of temporal specifications and an updated count of road
      killed animals on wildlife warning signs were assessed, as well as the position
      of the sign. Drivers' responses to the eight signs were scaled separately at
      three speed limits and participants indicated the sign to which they were most
      likely to respond. Three signs consistently ranked high. The messages conveyed by
      these signs and their prominent features were explored. Animal-activated and
      vehicle speed-activated signs were ranked very highly by participants. Extensive
      field trials of various sign designs are needed to further this research into
      optimizing wildlife warning sign designs. 

PMID- 26479755
TI  - Influence of Different Housing Systems on Distribution, Function and Mitogen
      Response of Leukocytes in Pregnant Sows.
AB  - In pig production, pregnant sows are either housed in individual crates or in
      groups, the latter being mandatory in the EU since 2013. The consequences of
      different housing conditions on the immune system are however poorly
      investigated, although immunological alterations may have severe consequences for
      the animal's health, performance, and welfare. This study assessed measures of
      blood celluar immunity with special emphasis on T cells in pregnant German
      Landrace sows either housed in individual crates or in a social group. Blood
      samples were taken at four samplings pre partum to evaluate numbers of lymphocyte
      subpopulations, mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine-producing T
      cells. Plasma cortisol concentrations were evaluated as an indicator of stress.
      We found lower blood lymphocyte numbers (p < 0.01) in individually housed as
      opposed to group-housed sows, an effect due to lower numbers of cytotoxic T
      cells, naive TH cells, and CD8+ gd-T cells. Individually housed sows showed
      higher cortisol concentrations (p < 0.01), whereas lymphocyte functionality did
      not differ between sows of both housing systems. Possible implications and
      underlying mechanisms for the endocrine and immunological differences are
      discussed. We favor the hypothesis that differences in the stressfulness of the
      environment contributed to the effects, with crate-housing being a more stressful
      environment-at least under conditions of this study. 

PMID- 26479757
TI  - Practical Physical and Behavioral Measures to Assess the Socialization Spectrum
      of Cats in a Shelter-Like Setting during a Three Day Period.
AB  - Animal welfare organizations routinely accept large numbers of cats with unknown
      histories, and whose backgrounds vary from well-socialized pets to cats that have
      had little or no contact with humans. Agencies are challenged with making the
      determination of socialization level in a highly stressful environment where cats
      are often too frightened to show typical behaviors. A variety of structured
      behavioral assessments were conducted in a shelter-like environment, from intake
      through a three day holding period, on cats from the full range of socialization
      as reported by their caregivers. Our results show that certain behaviors such as
      rubbing, playing, chirping, having the tail up or being at the front of the cage
      were found to be unique to More Socialized cats. While not all more socialized
      cats showed these behaviors, cats that did were socialized. Assessing the cats
      throughout the three day period was beneficial in eliciting key behaviors from
      shyer and more frightened cats. These results will be used in future work to
      develop an assessment tool to identify the socialization status of cats as a
      standardized guide for transparent and reliable disposition decisions and higher
      live release rates for cats in animal shelters. 

PMID- 26479758
TI  - Reliability and Validity of a Survey of Cat Caregivers on Their Cats'
      Socialization Level in the Cat's Normal Environment.
AB  - Stray cats routinely enter animal welfare organizations each year and shelters
      are challenged with determining the level of human socialization these cats may
      possess as quickly as possible. However, there is currently no standard process
      to guide this determination. This study describes the development and validation
      of a caregiver survey designed to be filled out by a cat's caregiver so it
      accurately describes a cat's personality, background, and full range of behavior
      with people when in its normal environment. The results from this survey provided
      the basis for a socialization score that ranged from unsocialized to well
      socialized with people. The quality of the survey was evaluated based on inter
      rater and test-retest reliability and internal consistency and estimates of
      construct and criterion validity. In general, our results showed moderate to high
      levels of inter-rater (median of 0.803, range 0.211-0.957) and test-retest
      agreement (median 0.92, range 0.211-0.999). Cronbach's alpha showed high internal
      consistency (0.962). Estimates of validity did not highlight any major
      shortcomings. This survey will be used to develop and validate an effective
      assessment process that accurately differentiates cats by their socialization
      levels towards humans based on direct observation of cats' behavior in an animal
      shelter. 

PMID- 26479759
TI  - Physical and Behavioral Measures that Predict Cats' Socialization in an Animal
      Shelter Environment during a Three Day Period.
AB  - Animal welfare organizations typically take in cats with unknown levels of
      socialization towards humans, ranging from unsocialized cats well-socialized but
      lost pets. Agencies typically determine the socialization status and disposition
      options of cats within three days, when even a well-socialized pet may be too
      frightened of the unfamiliar surroundings to display its typical behavior. This
      is the third part of a three-phase project to develop and evaluate a reliable and
      valid tool to predict cats' socialization levels. We recruited cats from the full
      spectrum of socialization and, using information from the cats' caregivers
      regarding typical behavior toward familiar and unfamiliar people, assigned each
      cat to a Socialization Category. This information was compared to the cats'
      behavior during three days of structured assessments conducted in a shelter-like
      setting. The results of logistic regression modeling generated two models using
      assessments from the mornings of the second and third day, focusing on predicting
      shyer or more aloof but socialized cats. Using the coefficients from each of
      these models, two sets of points were calculated which were useful in
      differentiating More and Less Socialized cats. In combination with key socialized
      behaviors, these points were able to fairly accurately identify More and Less
      Socialized cats. 

PMID- 26479760
TI  - Ventricular Catheter Systems with Subcutaneous Reservoirs (Ommaya Reservoirs) in
      Pediatric Patients with Brain Tumors: Infections and Other Complications.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe complications related to ventricular
      catheter systems with subcutaneous reservoirs (VCSR) (such as Ommaya reservoirs)
      in pediatric patients with brain tumors. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of
      consecutive patients with a total of 31 VCSR treated at the Children's University
      Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland. RESULTS: A total of 20 patients with a median
      age of 3.3 years at VCSR implantation received 31 VCSR. Overall, 19 complications
      in 11 patients were recorded: 7 patients had a VCSR-related infection with
      coagulase-negative staphylococci, 4 of these probably as a surgical complication
      and 3 probably related to VCSR use. Systemic perioperative prophylaxis was
      administered in 22 cases, and intraventricular vancomycin and gentamicin were
      given in 8 cases (none of which subsequently developed an infection). Other
      complications included wound dehiscence, catheter malplacement, and leakage of
      cerebrospinal fluid. Overall, 17 VCSR were explanted due to complications.
      CONCLUSION: Infections were the most frequent VCSR-related complication. In our
      own institution, the high rate of complications led to the definition of a bundle
      of measures as a standard operating procedure for VCSR placement and use.
      Prospective studies in larger patient collectives are warranted to better
      identify risk factors and evaluate preventive measures such as the administration
      of perioperative antibiotics and the use of antimicrobial coating of catheters.

PMID- 26479761
TI  - A Multinational Survey on Actual Diagnostics and Treatment of Subacute Sclerosing
      Panencephalitis.
AB  - Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a chronic infection of the central
      nervous system caused by the measles virus (MV). Its prevalence remains high in
      resource poor countries and is likely to increase in the Northern Europe as
      vaccination rates decrease. Clinical knowledge of this devastating condition,
      however, is limited. We therefore conducted this multinational survey summarizing
      experience obtained from more than 500 patients treated by 24 physicians in seven
      countries. SSPE should be considered in all patients presenting with otherwise
      unexplained acquired neurological symptoms. In most patients, the diagnosis will
      be established by the combination of typical clinical symptoms (characteristic
      repetitive myoclonic jerks), a strong intrathecal synthesis of antibodies to MV
      and typical electroencephalogram findings (Radermecker complexes). Whereas the
      therapeutic use of different antiviral (amantadine, ribavirin) and
      immunomodulatory drugs (isoprinosine, interferons) and of immunoglobulins has
      been reported repeatedly, optimum application regimen of these drugs has not been
      established. This is partly due to the absence of common diagnostic and clinical
      standards focusing on neurological and psychosocial aspects. Carbamazepine,
      levetiracetam, and clobazam are the drugs most frequently used to control
      myoclonic jerks. We have established a consensus on essential laboratory and
      clinical parameters that should facilitate collaborative studies. Those are
      urgently needed to improve outcome. 

PMID- 26479763
TI  - Prenatal Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Atypical Partial Rhombencephalosynapsis
      with Involvement of the Anterior Vermis: Two Case Reports.
AB  - Rhombencephalosynapsis is a hindbrain malformation characterized by complete or
      partial absence of the cerebellar vermis, with varying degrees of midline
      continuity of cerebellar hemispheres, dentate nuclei, and in some patients of the
      superior cerebellar peduncles. Partial rhombencephalosynapsis usually consists of
      a segmental deficiency of posterior vermis. Although prenatal diagnosis of
      rhombencephalosynapsis is feasible by ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging
      both, partial rhombencephalosynapsis might be difficult to detect, especially at
      an early gestational age. We report two fetal cases of atypical partial
      rhombencephalosynapsis, with deficiency of anterior vermis, detected by prenatal
      magnetic resonance imaging at 21st and 23rd week of gestation, respectively. 

PMID- 26479762
TI  - Low Serum Level alpha-Synuclein and Tau Protein in Autism Spectrum Disorder
      Compared to Controls.
AB  - alpha-Synuclein (alpha-syn) and tau proteins are thought to be related with the
      synaptic loss and cell death underlying several important neurodegenerative
      diseases. The aim of our study was to investigate serum alpha-syn and tau levels
      in autism. Serum levels of alpha-syn and tau were measured, and autism spectrum
      disorder (ASD) severity was assessed at admission using the Childhood Autism
      Rating Scale (CARS) total score. The mean CARS score of the autism group on
      admission was 47.91 points (SD: 5.97). The results indicated that the mean serum
      alpha-syn and serum tau levels were significantly (p < 0.001) lower in children
      with ASD as compared with normal cases (33.01 +/- 20.78 and 55.19 +/- 15.34 ng/mL
      and 241.23 +/- 290.5 and 509.78 +/- 269.25 ng/mL, respectively). There was a
      significant positive correlation between serum alpha-syn levels and serum levels
      of tau identified by Pearson correlation analysis (r = 0.922, n = 28, p < 0.001).
      Synaptic abnormality in autism may result from microglial activity. Furthermore,
      alpha-syn and tau aggregation may lead to synaptic dysfunction, and this may
      contribute to either neuronal or synaptic dysfunction or neurodegeneration. Our
      preliminary study suggests that low levels of serum alpha-syn and tau may be
      implicated in the relationship between synaptic activity and autism.

PMID- 26479764
TI  - Clinical, Electrodiagnostic, and Genetic Features of Tangier Disease in an
      Adolescent Girl with Presentation of Peripheral Neuropathy.
AB  - Tangier disease (TD) is a rare, autosomal recessive inherited disorder caused by
      a mutation in the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1)
      gene, which results in a decrease in plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL)
      levels. Peripheral neuropathy can be seen in approximately 50% of patients with
      TD, which usually occurs after the age of 15 years, and is characterized by
      relapsing-remitting mono- or polyneuropathy or syringomyelia-like neuropathy.
      Herein, we report a 16-year-old female patient who was initially diagnosed with
      peripheral neuropathy at the age of 13 years. Whole exome sequencing was
      performed, and a nonsense mutation (p.Arg1817X) in ABCA1 was identified. The
      patient was investigated for systemic findings of TD after the genetic diagnosis
      was made, and low (< 5 mg/dL) levels of HDL cholesterol were detected by lipid
      electrophoresis. Other family members were reexamined after the diagnosis of the
      proband, and asymptomatic sister of the proband was diagnosed with TD. We would
      like to emphasize that TD should be considered in the differential diagnosis of
      pediatric patients presenting with peripheral neuropathy; furthermore detection
      of HDL levels by lipid electrophoresis is a simple but indicative diagnostic
      test. 

PMID- 26479765
TI  - X-Linked Hereditary Motor Sensory Neuropathy Type 1 (CMTX1) in a Three-Generation
      Gelao Chinese Family.
AB  - In this report, we describe a three-generation family (the Gelao nationality, a
      minority ethnic group from Guizhou Province in the southwest China) with one
      affected member with Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy X type 1 (CMTX1) in each
      generation. The three affected members carrying the R164W mutation in the Cx32
      gene had different clinical symptoms. The proband, a 13-year-old boy presented
      recurrent episodes of transient central nervous system symptoms and concomitant
      transient diffuse white matter lesions on magnetic resonance imaging. His
      grandfather had the peripheral neurological presentations with later onset in the
      fourth decade, characterized by slowly progressive weakness of the distal
      muscles, atrophy, and foot deformities. But no sensory loss was observed. The
      proband's 38-year-old mother denied any neurological symptoms. The examination
      was normal except for pes cavus and diminished deep tendon reflexes in her lower
      limbs bilaterally. Genetic sequencing revealed the proband and his grandfather
      had a hemizygous mutation (p.164R > W) of CJB1 gene, and his mother had R164W
      heterozygous mutation. Our three cases denied symptoms of sensory disturbances,
      the sensory examination including touch, pin prick, and temperature sensation
      showed no obvious abnormalities. Thus, further investigation is needed to improve
      our understanding of the Cx32 protein function in the nervous system. 

PMID- 26479766
TI  - Age-Dependent Seroprevalence of JCV Antibody in Children.
AB  - Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is an opportunistic central
      nervous system infection, caused by the John Cunningham virus (JCV). PML may
      occur during treatment with immunosuppressive agents or monoclonal antibodies
      such as natalizumab. The JCV seroprevalence increases with age with a
      seropositivity of 60% in the adult human population. In this study, we analyzed
      sera from 109 pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) patients (mean age 14 years) as
      well as sera from 162 patients with a wide range of suspected neurologic
      disorders (mean age 6.3 years). Our results showed a considerably lower
      seroprevalence for JCV in our pediatric cohort with 33.3% and equal distribution
      in both subgroups, compared with reported seropositivity in adult population.
      This could result in a lower risk for drug-induced PML in pediatric patients
      compared with adult patients and can influence the indication for natalizumab
      therapy in pediatric MS patients. 

PMID- 26479768
TI  - Unmasking mycosis fungoides/Sezary syndrome from preceding or co-existing benign
      inflammatory dermatoses requiring systemic therapies: patients frequently present
      with advanced disease and have an aggressive clinical course.

PMID- 26479767
TI  - Social factors in informal cancer caregivers: The interrelationships among social
      stressors, relationship quality, and family functioning in the CanCORS data set.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Social and family factors can influence the health outcomes and
      quality of life of informal caregivers. Little is known about the distribution
      and correlates of such factors for caregivers of cancer patients. This study
      sought to fill this gap with data from the Cancer Care Outcomes Research and
      Surveillance consortium. METHODS: Lung and colorectal cancer patients nominated
      an informal caregiver to participate in a caregiving survey. Caregivers reported
      their sociodemographic and caregiving characteristics, social stress,
      relationship quality with the patient, and family functioning. Descriptive
      statistics and Pearson correlations were used to assess the distribution of
      caregivers' social factors. Multivariable linear regressions assessed the
      independent correlates of each social factor. RESULTS: Most caregivers reported
      low to moderate levels of social stress and good relationship quality and family
      functioning. In multivariable analyses, older age was associated with less social
      stress and better family functioning but worse relationship quality, with effect
      sizes (Cohen's d) up to 0.40 (P < .05). Caring for a female patient was
      associated with less social stress and better relationship quality but worse
      family functioning (effect sizes <= 0.16, P < .05). Few caregiving
      characteristics were associated with social stress, whereas several were
      significant independent correlates of relationship quality. Finally, social
      factors were important independent correlates of one another. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results indicate the importance of personal and caregiving-related
      characteristics and the broader family context to social factors. Future work is
      needed to better understand these pathways and assess whether interventions
      targeting social factors can improve health or quality-of-life outcomes for
      informal cancer caregivers. Cancer 2016;122:278-286. (c) 2015 American Cancer
      Society.

PMID- 26479769
TI  - Biological activity of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni and their relationship to
      health.
AB  - The leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni has nutrients and phytochemicals, which
      make it an adequate source for the extraction and production of functional food
      ingredients. Preclinical and clinical studies suggest therapeutic and
      pharmacological applications for stevia and their extracts because they are not
      toxic and exhibit several biological activities. This review presents the
      biological activity of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni and their relationship to
      antidiabetic, anticariogenic, antioxidant, hypotensive, antihypertensive,
      antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities. Consumption and
      adverse effects were also reviewed.

PMID- 26479770
TI  - It's all in the anticipation: How perception of threat is enhanced in anxiety.
AB  - The importance of top-down factors such as goals and expectations is well
      established in both visual perception and anxiety. However, researchers have
      attributed the perceptual prioritization of threatening stimuli in anxiety to
      bottom-up, automatic processing of these stimuli while neglecting the role of
      prestimulus, top-down factors. Furthermore, different kinds of anxiety
      (dispositional versus induced) impact cognitive functions differently, suggesting
      that top-down factors may have distinct effects on threat perception. In the
      present study, we examined whether prestimulus representations of threatening
      stimuli facilitate perception differently, depending on induced and trait
      anxiety. Two groups of participants completed a cued discrimination task using
      threatening or neutral cues to identify subsequently presented fearful and
      neutral faces, degraded to each participant's perceptual threshold. In Group 1,
      threat of shock induced anxiety (n = 22; 12 men), whereas in Group 2, no anxiety
      was induced (n = 29; 7 men). The impact of induced anxiety on perception
      interacted with trait anxiety. Following fear cues, higher trait anxiety was
      associated with improved perceptual sensitivity and faster reaction time under
      threat of shock, and worse perceptual sensitivity and slower reaction time in
      absence of shock. The present findings represent an important advance in the
      literature because they elucidate the role of previously ignored top-down factors
      in threat perception for individuals with varying levels of anxiety and highlight
      the distinct impact that different types of anxiety have on the perception of
      threatening stimuli. Furthermore, these findings underline the importance of
      including top-down factors in future conceptualizations of perceptual bias toward
      threat in anxiety.

PMID- 26479771
TI  - Distracted by pleasure: Effects of positive versus negative valence on emotional
      capture under load.
AB  - We report 3 experiments examining the effects of positive versus negative valence
      and perceptual load in determining attention capture by irrelevant emotional
      distractors. Participants performed a letter search task searching for 1 of 2
      target letters (X or N) in conditions of either low perceptual load (circular
      nontarget letters) or high perceptual load (angular nontarget letters that are
      similar to the target letters). On 25% of the trials an irrelevant emotional
      distractor was presented at the display center and participants were instructed
      to ignore it. The distractor stimulus was either positive or negative and was
      selected from 3 different classes: IAPS pictures of erotica or mutilated bodies
      (Experiment 1), happy or angry faces (Experiment 2), and faces associated with
      gain or loss in a prior value-learning phase involving a betting game (Experiment
      3). The results showed a consistent pattern of interaction of load and valence
      across the 3 experiments. Irrelevant emotional distractors produced interference
      effects on search reaction time (RT) in conditions of low load, with no
      difference between negative and positive valence. High perceptual load, however,
      consistently reduced interference from the negative-valence distractors, but had
      no effect on the positive-valence distractors. As these results were consistently
      found across 3 different categories of emotional distractors, they suggest the
      general conclusion that attentional capture by irrelevant emotional distractors
      depends on both their valence and the level of perceptual load in the task and
      highlight the special status of distractors associated with pleasure.

PMID- 26479772
TI  - Emotional and organizational supports for preschoolers' emotion regulation:
      Relations with school adjustment.
AB  - Preschool teachers, like parents, support children in ways that promote the
      regulation capacities that drive school adjustment, especially for children
      struggling to succeed in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to explore
      the emotionally and organizationally supportive classroom processes that
      contribute to the development of children's emotion regulation and executive
      control. Emotion regulation and executive control were assessed in 312 3-, 4- and
      5-year-old children. The 44 teachers of these children completed questionnaires
      asking about 3 components of children's school adjustment: Positive/Engaged,
      Independent/Motivated, and Prosocial/Connected. Observations of classroom
      emotional and organizational supports were conducted. Results of multilevel
      models indicated emotion regulation was significantly associated with the
      Positive/Engaged school adjustment component, but only when teachers' emotional
      and organizational supports were taken into account. Children with lower levels
      of emotion regulation, who were also in less supportive classrooms, had the
      lowest scores on the Positive/Engaged component. Children's executive control was
      associated with the Independent/Motivated and Prosocial/Connected components
      independently of teacher effects. In general, moderate support was found for the
      notion that teachers' supports can be particularly helpful for children
      struggling to regulate their emotions to be better adjusted to school. Children's
      emotionally salient classroom behaviors, and teachers' emotion scaffolding, are
      discussed.

PMID- 26479773
TI  - Variation in normal mood state influences sensitivity to dynamic changes in
      emotional expression.
AB  - Normal social functioning depends on the ability to efficiently and accurately
      detect when someone's facial expression changes to convey positive or negative
      emotion. While observer mood state has been shown to influence emotion
      recognition, how variations in normal mood might influence sensitivity to the
      dynamic emergence of expressions has not yet been addressed. To investigate this,
      we modified an existing face-morphing paradigm in which a central face gradually
      changes from neutral to expressive (angry, sad, happy, surprised). Our sample
      comprised healthy young adults, and current mood state was measured using the
      PANAS-X. Participants pressed a key as soon as they (1) noticed a physical change
      in expression (perceptual sensitivity-novel task element), and (2) could clearly
      conceptualize which expression was emerging (conceptual sensitivity). A final
      unspeeded response required participants to explicitly label the expression as a
      measure of recognition accuracy. We measured the percentage morph (expression
      intensity) at which a perceptual and conceptual change was detected, where
      greater intensity equates to poorer sensitivity. Increased positive mood reduced
      perceptual and conceptual sensitivity to angry and sad expressions only (a mood
      incongruency effect). Of particular interest, increased negative mood decreased
      conceptual sensitivity for all expressions, but had limited impact on perceptual
      sensitivity. Thus, heightened negative mood is particularly detrimental for
      effectively decoding someone else's mood change. This may reflect greater
      introspection and consumption of attentional resources directed toward the
      negative self, leaving fewer resources to process emotional signals conveyed by
      others. This could have important consequences for human social interaction.

PMID- 26479774
TI  - Intensity Modulation: A Novel Approach to Percept Control in Spinal Cord
      Stimulation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) can be effective for neuropathic pain,
      but clinical benefit is sometimes inadequate or is offset by stimulation-induced
      side-effects, and response can be inconsistent among patients. Intensity
      modulated stimulation (IMS) is an alternative to tonic stimulation (TS) that
      involves continuous variation of stimulation intensity in a sinusoidal pattern
      between two different values, sequentially activating distinct axonal populations
      to produce an effect that resembles natural physiological signals. The purpose of
      this study is to evaluate the effect of IMS on the clinical effect of SCS.
      METHODS: Seven patients undergoing a percutaneous SCS trial for postlaminectomy
      syndrome were enrolled. Thresholds for perception, pain relief, and discomfort
      were measured and used to create patient-specific models of axonal activation and
      charge delivery for both TS and IMS. All participants underwent three two-min
      periods of blinded stimulation using TS, IMS, and placebo, and were asked to
      describe the effect on quality of the sensory percept and pain relief. RESULTS:
      All participants perceived IMS differently from placebo, and five noted
      significant differences from TS that resulted in a more comfortable sensation. TS
      was described as electric and tingling, whereas IMS was described as producing a
      focal area of deep pressure with a sense of motion away from that focus. The
      anatomic location of coverage was similar between the two forms of stimulation,
      although one participant reported better lower back coverage with IMS. Computer
      modeling revealed that, compared with TS, IMS involved 36.4% less charge delivery
      and produced 78.7% less suprathreshold axonal activation. CONCLUSIONS: IMS for
      SCS is feasible, produces a more comfortable percept than conventional TS, and
      appears to provide a similar degree of pain relief with significantly lower
      energy requirements. Further studies are necessary to determine whether this
      represents an effective alternative to tonic SCS for treatment of neuropathic
      pain.

PMID- 26479775
TI  - Light-induced cation exchange for copper sulfide based CO2 reduction.
AB  - Copper(I)-based catalysts, such as Cu2S, are considered to be very promising
      materials for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. A common synthesis route for Cu2S via
      cation exchange from CdS nanocrystals requires Cu(I) precursors, organic
      solvents, and neutral atmosphere, but these conditions are not compatible with in
      situ applications in photocatalysis. Here we propose a novel cation exchange
      reaction that takes advantage of the reducing potential of photoexcited electrons
      in the conduction band of CdS and proceeds with Cu(II) precursors in an aqueous
      environment and under aerobic conditions. We show that the synthesized Cu2S
      photocatalyst can be efficiently used for the reduction of CO2 to carbon monoxide
      and methane, achieving formation rates of 3.02 and 0.13 MUmol h(-1) g(-1),
      respectively, and suppressing competing water reduction. The process opens new
      pathways for the preparation of new efficient photocatalysts from readily
      available nanostructured templates. 

PMID- 26479776
TI  - Peptidomics for Studying Limited Proteolysis.
AB  - Limited proteolysis is a pivotal mechanism regulating protein functions.
      Identifying physiologically or pathophysiologically relevant cleavage sites helps
      to develop molecular tools that can be used for diagnostics or therapeutics.
      During proteolysis of secretory and membrane proteins, part of the cleaved
      protein is liberated and destined to undergo degradation but should retain
      original cleavage sites created by proteolytic enzymes. We profiled endogenous
      peptides accumulated for 4 h in media conditioned by primary cultured rat cardiac
      fibroblasts. A total of 3916 redundant peptide sequences from 94 secretory
      proteins and membrane proteins served to identify limited cleavage sites, both
      annotated and unannotated, for signal peptide or propeptide removal, peptide
      hormone processing, ectodomain shedding, and regulated intramembrane proteolysis.
      Incorrectly predicted signal cleavage sites are found in typical proteins such as
      extracellular matrix proteins and the peptide hormone precursor adrenomedullin
      ADM. The revealed signal peptide cleavage site for ADM was experimentally
      verified by identifying the major molecular form of flanking proadrenomedullin N
      terminal peptide. We suggest that profiling of endogenous peptides, like
      transcriptome sequence reads, makes sense in regular cells such as fibroblasts
      and that peptidomics provides insight into proteolysis-regulated protein
      functions. 

PMID- 26479777
TI  - Fear of falling and its predictors among community-living older adults in Korea.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To explore the prevalence and predicting factors of fear of falling
      (FOF) among community-living older adults in Korea. METHODS: Secondary data
      analysis of the 2011 Korean National Elderly Living Conditions and Welfare Desire
      Survey was used. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the
      predictors of FOF. RESULTS: In total, 75.6% of older adults with normal cognition
      have FOF. Factors associated with an increased risk of FOF in older adults are
      previous experience with falling (OR = 3.734, 95% CI = 2.996-4.655), limitations
      in the performance of exercise involving lower extremities (OR = 2.428, 95% CI =
      2.063-2.858), being female (OR = 2.335, 95% CI = 2.023-2.694), having more than
      three chronic diseases (OR = 1.994, 95% CI = 1.625-2.446), limitations in
      instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) (OR = 1.745, 95% CI = 1.230
      2.477), limitations in the performance of exercise involving upper extremities
      (OR = 1.646, 95% CI = 1.357-1.997), living without a spouse (OR = 1.626, 95% CI =
      1.357-1.948), having poor self-rated health (OR = 1.571, 95% CI = 1.356-1.821),
      limitations in muscle strength (OR = 1.455, 95% CI = 1.150-1.841), age (>=75
      years) (OR = 1.320, 95% CI = 1.150-1.516), lower levels of education (0-6 years)
      (OR = 1.231, 95% CI = 1.075-1.409), and life satisfaction (OR = 1.104, 95% CI =
      1.065-1.114). CONCLUSION: A multidimensional construct of general
      characteristics, physical, and psychosocial variables act as risk factors for
      FOF. Preventive intervention should be developed to decrease the FOF among Korean
      older adults.

PMID- 26479778
TI  - Structural Difference in Superconductive and Nonsuperconductive Bi-S Planes
      within Bi4O4Bi2S4 Blocks.
AB  - The relationship between the structure and superconductivity of Bi4O4S3 powders
      synthesized by heating under ambient and high pressures was investigated using
      synchrotron X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron
      microscopy (TEM) observation. The Bi4O4S3 powders synthesized under ambient
      pressure exhibited a strong superconductivity (diamagnetic) signal and zero
      resistivity below ~4.5 K, while the Bi4O4S3 powder synthesized by the high
      pressure method exhibited a low-intensity signal down to 2 K. Further annealing
      of the latter Bi4O4S3 powder under ambient pressure led to the development of a
      strong signal and zero resistivity. The crystal structures of all Bi4O4S3 phases
      consisted of Bi4O4Bi2S4 blocks including a Bi-S layer and anion(s) sandwiched
      between Bi4O4Bi2S4 blocks, but minor structural differences were detected. A
      comparison of the structures of the superconductive and nonsuperconductive
      Bi4O4S3 samples suggested that the superconductive Bi4O4S3 phases had slightly
      smaller lattice parameters. The average structures of the superconductive Bi4O4S3
      phases were characterized by a slightly shorter and less bent Bi-S plane. Raman
      spectroscopy detected vibration of the S-O bonds, which can be attributed to
      sandwiched anion(s) such as SO4(2-). TEM observation showed stacking faults in
      the superconductive Bi4O4S3 phases, which indicated local fluctuation of the
      average structures. The observed superconductivity of Bi4O4S3 was discussed based
      on impurity phases, enhanced hybridization of the px and py orbitals of the Bi-S
      plane within Bi4O4Bi2S4 blocks, local fluctuation of the average structures,
      compositional deviation related to suspicious anion(s) sandwiched between
      Bi4O4Bi2S4 blocks, and the possibility of suppression of the charge-density-wave
      state by enriched carrier concentrations. 

PMID- 26479779
TI  - Long-term follow-up of individuals undergoing sex reassignment surgery:
      Psychiatric morbidity and mortality.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a lack of long-term register-based follow-up studies of sex
      reassigned individuals concerning mortality and psychiatric morbidity.
      Accordingly, the present study investigated both mortality and psychiatric
      morbidity using a sample of individuals with transsexualism which comprised 98%
      (n = 104) of all individuals in Denmark. AIMS: (1) To investigate psychiatric
      morbidity before and after sex reassignment surgery (SRS) among Danish
      individuals who underwent SRS during the period of 1978-2010. (2) To investigate
      mortality among Danish individuals who underwent SRS during the period of 1978
      2010. METHOD: Psychiatric morbidity and mortality were identified by data from
      the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register and the Cause of Death Register
      through a retrospective register study of 104 sex-reassigned individuals.
      RESULTS: Overall, 27.9% of the sample were registered with psychiatric morbidity
      before SRS and 22.1% after SRS (p = not significant). A total of 6.7% of the
      sample were registered with psychiatric morbidity both before and after SRS.
      Significantly more psychiatric diagnoses were found before SRS for those assigned
      as female at birth. Ten individuals were registered as deceased post-SRS with an
      average age of death of 53.5 years. CONCLUSIONS: No significant difference in
      psychiatric morbidity or mortality was found between male to female and female to
      male (FtM) save for the total number of psychiatric diagnoses where FtM held a
      significantly higher number of psychiatric diagnoses overall. Despite the over
      representation of psychiatric diagnoses both pre- and post-SRS the study found
      that only a relatively limited number of individuals had received diagnoses both
      prior to and after SRS. This suggests that generally SRS may reduce psychological
      morbidity for some individuals while increasing it for others.

PMID- 26479780
TI  - Biofouling on polymeric heat exchanger surfaces with E. coli and native biofilms.
AB  - The biofouling affinity of different polymeric surfaces (polypropylene,
      polysulfone, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyether ether ketone) in
      comparison to stainless steel (SS) was studied for the model bacterium
      Escherichia coli K12 DSM 498 and native biofilms originating from Rhine water.
      The biofilm mass deposited on the polymer surfaces was minimized by several
      magnitudes compared to SS. The cell count and the accumulated biomass of E. coli
      on the polymer surfaces showed an opposing linear trend. The promising low
      biofilm formation on the polymers is attributed to the combination of inherent
      surface properties (roughness, surface energy and hydrophobicity) when compared
      to SS. The fouling characteristics of E. coli biofilms show good conformity with
      the more complex native biofilms investigated. The results can be utilized for
      the development of new polymer heat exchangers when using untreated river water
      as coolant or for other processes needing antifouling materials. 

PMID- 26479781
TI  - Cyst decreased in size post maxillary sinus floor augmentation surgery in
      diabetic patient: A case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Whether mucosal cyst of maxillary sinus is contraindication for
      sinus floor augmentation surgery has been a controversial hot spot for years.
      PRESENTATION OF CASE: This case aims to present the surgical procedure of sinus
      floor augmentation surgery with cyst (18.72mm*24.61mm) in diabetic patient. And 6
      months later, the cyst decreased in size. The authors elevated the sinus floor
      and cyst simultaneously. The surgery was carried out successfully without sinus
      membrane perforation and the alveolar ridge gained about 8mm height. Six months
      later, the cyst decreased in size and osseointegration was observed. DISCUSSION:
      Interdisciplinary cooperation is encouraged to diagnose benign mucosal cyst. The
      isolation between sinus lumen and the grafted sub-sinus space is important. Graft
      contamination or dispersion into the sinus lumen should be avoided. The integrity
      of the sinus membrane and use of antibiotics are very important to prevent the
      occurrence of postoperative sinus infection CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that
      sinus augmentation surgery could be done with mucosal cyst in diabetic patient.

PMID- 26479782
TI  - Efficacy and surgical procedures of preoperative splenic artery embolization for
      laparoscopic splenectomy of a massive splenomegaly: A case report.
AB  - Here, we describe the case of a 58-year-old woman diagnosed with massive
      splenomegaly with a malignant lymphoma that had a maximum diameter of 24cm.
      Splenectomy was indicated because of thrombocytopenia and abdominal distention.
      Therefore, a balloon catheter was inserted preoperatively through the splenic
      artery for embolization and continuous infusion to reduce the spleen volume. It
      enabled easy handling of the spleen and minimized bleeding. The volume of the
      spleen was estimated at 1896g through the skin incision, as measured by
      volumetric computed tomography; thus, laparoscopy seemed difficult. However, the
      surgery was successfully performed only with laparoscopic surgery, and the volume
      of the resected spleen was 1020g. This preoperative preparation is an effective
      alternative to laparoscopic removal of a huge splenomegaly. 

PMID- 26479783
TI  - Pseudo subclavian steal syndrome: Case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI) is a condition that results
      from restricted blood flow to the posterior portions of the brain, which are
      primarily served by the vertebral and basilar arteries. It is the most common
      cause of vertigo in the elderly and is usually accompanied by impaired vision and
      sensation. Congenital abnormalities, atherosclerosis, stroke and/or trauma may
      all lead to decreased vertebrobasilar circulation. A syndrome called Subclavian
      Steal Syndrome (SSS), which manifests with similar neurological symptoms but with
      a different pathophysiology, may also cause VBI. CASE PRESENTATION: A middle-aged
      female presented with gradual onset fainting and vertigo attacks. Cardiac,
      auditory and autonomic etiologies were investigated and excluded. Clinical
      findings and presentation were highly suggestive of subclavian steal. However,
      subsequent CT angiography showed normal subclavian arteries. Instead, findings
      included a persistent right trigeminal artery (PTA), stenosis of the right
      proximal internal carotid artery, atresis of the left vertebral artery and distal
      segment of right vertebral artery, congenitally compromised changes in vertebral
      circulation (bilateral absence of the posterior communicating arteries (PCOMs))
      and an absent anterograde vertebrobasilar circulation. Symptoms resolved after
      carotid endarterectomy. DISCUSSION: Due to the absence of a normally developed
      posterior circulation, the PTA was the main source of blood supply for the
      patient. Development of recent artheromatous changes in the right internal
      carotid artery, however, resulted in decreased blood through PTA, further
      compromising posterior circulation. This resulted in vertebrobasilar
      insufficiency, and manifested in symptomology similar to SSS. CONCLUSIONS: This
      clinical encounter illustrates the relative contribution of anatomical and
      vasoocclusive factors in closely mimicking symptoms of subclavian steal syndrome.

PMID- 26479784
TI  - Correction to Manganese-Cycling Microbial Communities Inside Deep-Sea Manganese
      Nodules.

PMID- 26479785
TI  - KMnO4-Fe(II) pretreatment to enhance Microcystis aeruginosa removal by aluminum
      coagulation: Does it work after long distance transportation?
AB  - KMnO4-Fe(II) pretreatment was proposed to enhance Microcystis aeruginosa (M.
      aeruginosa) removal by aluminum (Al) coagulation in drinking water treatment
      plants (DWTPs) in our previous study. This study aims to optimize this process
      and evaluate the feasibility of using the process at water sources, which are
      usually far away from DWTPs. The optimum molar ratio of KMnO4 to Fe(II) [Formula:
      see text] is observed to be 1:3 with respect to algae removal and residual
      manganese (Mn) control. As indicated from flow cytometer analysis, KMnO4 at <20
      MUM promisingly maintains cell integrity, with damaged cell ratios of below 10%.
      KMnO4 at 30 and 60 MUM damages M. aeruginosa cells more significantly and the
      damaged cell ratios increase to 21% and 34% after 480 min. The intracellular
      organic matter (IOM) release can be controlled by the subsequent introduction of
      Fe(II) to quench residual KMnO4. KMnO4-Fe(II) pretreatment at the KMnO4 dose of
      10 MUM dramatically enhances the algae removal by over 70% compared to that by Al
      coagulation, even if KMnO4 and Fe(II) are introduced 480 min prior to the
      addition of Al2(SO4)3. The Al doses can be reduced by more than half to achieve
      the same algae removal. Furthermore, the deposition of the tiny Fe-Mn
      precipitates formed rarely occurs, as indicated by a settleability evaluation
      prior to Al addition. The KMnO4-Fe(II) process can be sequentially dosed at
      intake points in water sources to achieve moderate inactivation of algae cells
      and to enhance algae removal in DWTPs thereafter. 

PMID- 26479786
TI  - Dihydrocodeine: safety concerns.
AB  - Dihydrocodeine (DHC) is a semi-synthetic analogue of codeine, which was formed by
      the hydrogenation of the double tie in the main chain of the codeine molecule -
      instead of a double bond between carbons 7 and 8 DHC possesses a single bond. DHC
      is used as an analgesic and antitussive agent and for the management of dyspnea
      and opioid addiction. Limited data is available on the potency of DHC to other
      opioids. The analgesic effect of DHC is similar to codeine and approximately
      twice as potent as tramadol for an oral route. In contrast to codeine and
      tramadol, DHC analgesia seem to be irrespective of CYP2D6 activity due to parent
      compound analgesic effects, multiple metabolic pathways and limited role of
      dihydromorphine in DHC analgesia. As the drug is commonly available appropriate
      titration and dosing and knowledge of its metabolism and possible adverse effects
      are important for safe prescription of DHC. 

PMID- 26479787
TI  - Translational Research and Plasma Proteomic in Cancer.
AB  - Proteomics is a recent field of research in molecular biology that can help in
      the fight against cancer through the search for biomarkers that can detect this
      disease in the early stages of its development. Proteomic is a speedily growing
      technology, also thanks to the development of even more sensitive and fast mass
      spectrometry analysis. Although this technique is the most widespread for the
      discovery of new cancer biomarkers, it still suffers of a poor sensitivity and
      insufficient reproducibility, essentially due to the tumor heterogeneity. Common
      technical shortcomings include limitations in the sensitivity of detecting low
      abundant biomarkers and possible systematic biases in the observed data. Current
      research attempts are trying to develop high-resolution proteomic instrumentation
      for high-throughput monitoring of protein changes that occur in cancer. In this
      review, we describe the basic features of the proteomic tools which have proven
      to be useful in cancer research, showing their advantages and disadvantages. The
      application of these proteomic tools could provide early biomarkers detection in
      various cancer types and could improve the understanding the mechanisms of tumor
      growth and dissemination.

PMID- 26479790
TI  - Multisegment oven scheme for Gouy phase shift compensation in second-harmonic
      generation.
AB  - We present a theoretical model that describes a multisegment oven configuration
      to compensate for the Gouy phase shift in the tight focusing regime. The model is
      provided to obtain maximum efficiency of the second-harmonic wave. Numerical
      simulations are performed based on the experimental setup employing an MgO:sPPLT
      nonlinear crystal. It is shown by the simulation that the three-segment oven is
      potentially capable of reaching the highest efficiency by canceling the effect of
      Gouy phase when the temperature of each segment is so optimized that the phase
      matching condition is re-established. It is found that by using a multisegment
      oven scheme with optimized temperature, the highest attainable second-harmonic
      generation (SHG) efficiency exceeds about 4.4% at a confocal parameter of 3.32.
      Moreover, it is shown that for long crystals with large confocal parameter, the
      only way to attain the maximum efficiency is by using multisegment ovens. The
      results indicate that when the number of segments is changed from one to nine,
      the confocal parameter can be varied from 3.90 to 5.85. In the candidate three
      segment oven, by applying active control on the temperature of each segment, for
      a certain combination of segment lengths, ~4% improvement in the SHG efficiency
      is achieved. This results in a relatively large increase in the acceptance
      temperature bandwidth of the crystal of up to 2 times, reflecting a comparatively
      large enhancement in the second-harmonic power stability and efficiency. 

PMID- 26479791
TI  - Spatial light modulator phase mask implementation of wavefront encoded 3D
      computational-optical microscopy.
AB  - Spatial light modulator (SLM) implementation of wavefront encoding enables
      various types of engineered point-spread functions (PSFs), including the
      generalized-cubic and squared-cubic phase mask wavefront encoded (WFE) PSFs,
      shown to reduce the impact of sample-induced spherical aberration in fluorescence
      microscopy. This investigation validates dynamic experimental parameter variation
      of these WFE-PSFs. We find that particular design parameter bounds exist, within
      which the divergence of computed and experimental WFE-PSFs is of the same order
      of magnitude as that of computed and experimental conventional PSFs, such that
      model-based approaches for solving the inverse imaging problem can be applied to
      a wide range of SLM-WFE systems. Interferometric measurements were obtained to
      evaluate the SLM implementation of the numeric mask. Agreement between experiment
      and theory in terms of a wrapped phase, 0-2pi, validates the phase mask
      implementation and allows characterization of the SLM response. These
      measurements substantiate experimental practice of computational-optical
      microscope imaging with an SLM-engineered PSF. 

PMID- 26479789
TI  - The phosphatase DUSP2 controls the activity of the transcription activator STAT3
      and regulates TH17 differentiation.
AB  - Deregulation of the TH17 subset of helper T cells is closely linked with
      immunological disorders and inflammatory diseases. However, the mechanism by
      which TH17 cells are regulated remains elusive. Here we found that the
      phosphatase DUSP2 (PAC1) negatively regulated the development of TH17 cells.
      DUSP2 was directly associated with the signal transducer and transcription
      activator STAT3 and attenuated its activity through dephosphorylation of STAT3 at
      Tyr705 and Ser727. DUSP2-deficient mice exhibited severe susceptibility to
      experimental colitis, with enhanced differentiation of TH17 cells and secretion
      of proinflammatory cytokines. In clinical patients with ulcerative colitis, DUSP2
      was downregulated by DNA methylation and was not induced during T cell
      activation. Our data demonstrate that DUSP2 is a true STAT3 phosphatase that
      modulates the development of TH17 cells in the autoimmune response and
      inflammation. 

PMID- 26479792
TI  - Single-pulse laser ablation threshold of borosilicate, fused silica, sapphire,
      and soda-lime glass for pulse widths of 500  fs, 10  ps, 20  ns.
AB  - In this work, we report a comparative study of the laser ablation threshold of
      borosilicate, fused silica, sapphire, and soda-lime glass as a function of the
      pulse width and for IR laser wavelengths. We determine the ablation threshold for
      three different pulse durations: tau=500  fs, 10 ps, and 20 ns. Experiments have
      been performed using a single laser pulse per shot in an ambient (air)
      environment. The results show a significant difference, of two orders of
      magnitude, between the group of ablation thresholds obtained for femtosecond,
      picosecond, and nanosecond pulses. This difference is reduced to 1 order of
      magnitude in the soda-lime substrate with tin impurities, pointing out the
      importance of the incubation effect. The morphology of the marks generated over
      the different glass materials by one single pulse of different pulse durations
      has been analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (FESEM ULTRA Plus). Our
      results are important for practical purposes, providing the ablation threshold
      data of four commonly used substrates at three different pulse durations in the
      infrared regime (1030-1064 nm) and complete data for increasing the understanding
      of the differences in the mechanism's leading ablation in the nanosecond,
      picosecond, and femtosecond regimes. 

PMID- 26479788
TI  - PARP9-DTX3L ubiquitin ligase targets host histone H2BJ and viral 3C protease to
      enhance interferon signaling and control viral infection.
AB  - Enhancing the response to interferon could offer an immunological advantage to
      the host. In support of this concept, we used a modified form of the
      transcription factor STAT1 to achieve hyper-responsiveness to interferon without
      toxicity and markedly improve antiviral function in transgenic mice and
      transduced human cells. We found that the improvement depended on expression of a
      PARP9-DTX3L complex with distinct domains for interaction with STAT1 and for
      activity as an E3 ubiquitin ligase that acted on host histone H2BJ to promote
      interferon-stimulated gene expression and on viral 3C proteases to degrade these
      proteases via the immunoproteasome. Thus, PARP9-DTX3L acted on host and pathogen
      to achieve a double layer of immunity within a safe reserve in the interferon
      signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26479793
TI  - Analysis of defect mode in a one-dimensional symmetric double-negative photonic
      crystal containing magnetized cold plasma defect.
AB  - In this paper, the characteristic matrix method is employed to theoretically
      investigate properties of the defect mode in a 1D lossy symmetric defective
      photonic crystal containing two magnetized cold plasma defect layers. The
      considered photonic crystal is made of double-negative and double-positive
      materials. The defect mode, as a function of the magnetic field and the electron
      density, will be investigated in three different structures. The results show
      that the defect mode frequency can be tuned by variations of the magnetic field
      and the electron density as well. Due to the polarization-dependent magnetized
      cold plasma, the shift trend in the defect mode is shown to also rely on the
      polarization. The proposed structures could provide another alternative for the
      design of narrowband filters at microwave. 

PMID- 26479794
TI  - Impact of laser-contaminant interaction on the performance of the protective
      capping layer of 1 omega high-reflection mirror coatings.
AB  - High dielectric constant multilayer coatings are commonly used on high-reflection
      mirrors for high-peak-power laser systems because of their high laser-damage
      resistance. However, surface contaminants often lead to damage upon laser
      exposure, thus limiting the mirror's lifetime and performance. One plausible
      approach to improve the overall mirror resistance against laser damage, including
      that induced by laser-contaminant coupling, is to coat the multilayers with a
      thin protective capping (absentee) layer on top of the multilayer coatings. An
      understanding of the underlying mechanism by which laser-particle interaction
      leads to capping layer damage is important for the rational design and selection
      of capping materials of high-reflection multilayer coatings. In this paper, we
      examine the responses of two candidate capping layer materials, made of
      SiO<sub>2</sub> and Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, over silica-hafnia multilayer
      coatings. These are exposed to a single oblique shot of a 1053 nm laser beam
      (fluence ~10  J/cm<sup>2</sup>, pulse length 14 ns), in the presence of Ti
      particles on the surface. We find that the two capping layers show markedly
      different responses to the laser-particle interaction. The
      Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> cap layer exhibits severe damage, with the capping
      layer becoming completely delaminated at the particle locations. The
      SiO<sub>2</sub> capping layer, on the other hand, is only mildly modified by a
      shallow depression. Combining the observations with optical modeling and
      thermal/mechanical calculations, we argue that a high-temperature thermal field
      from plasma generated by the laser-particle interaction above a critical fluence
      is responsible for the surface modification of each capping layer. The great
      difference in damage behavior is mainly attributed to the large disparity in the
      thermal expansion coefficient of the two capping materials, with that of
      Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> layer being about 15 times greater than that of
      SiO<sub>2</sub>. 

PMID- 26479795
TI  - GaN-based metamaterial terahertz bandpass filter design: tunability and ultra
      broad passband attainment.
AB  - Engineering metamaterial-based devices such as terahertz bandpass filters (BPFs)
      play a definitive role in advancement of terahertz technology. In this article,
      we propose a design procedure to obtain a considerably broadband terahertz BPF at
      a normal incidence; it shows promising filtering characteristics, including a
      wide passband of ~1.34  THz at a central frequency of 1.17 THz, a flat top in a
      broad band, and high transmission, compared to previous reports. Then, exploiting
      the voltage-dependent carrier density control in an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure
      with a Schottky gate configuration, we investigate the tuning of the transmission
      properties in a narrow-band terahertz filter. A combination of the ultra-wide,
      flat-top BPF in series with the tunable, narrow band filter designed in the
      current study offers the ability to tune the desired resonance frequency along
      with high out-of-band rejection and the suppression of unwanted resonances in a
      large spectral range. The proposed structure exhibits a frequency tunability of
      103 GHz for a voltage change between -8 and 2 V, and a transmission amplitude
      change of ~0.51. This scheme may open up a route for the improved design of
      terahertz filters and modulators. 

PMID- 26479796
TI  - Sparse representations for online-learning-based hyperspectral image compression.
AB  - Sparse models provide data representations in the fewest possible number of
      nonzero elements. This inherent characteristic enables sparse models to be
      utilized for data compression purposes. Hyperspectral data is large in size. In
      this paper, a framework for sparsity-based hyperspectral image compression
      methods using online learning is proposed. There are various sparse optimization
      models. A comparative analysis of sparse representations in terms of their
      hyperspectral image compression performance is presented. For this purpose,
      online-learning-based hyperspectral image compression methods are proposed using
      four different sparse representations. Results indicate that, independent of the
      sparsity models, online-learning-based hyperspectral data compression schemes
      yield the best compression performances for data rates of 0.1 and 0.3 bits per
      sample, compared to other state-of-the-art hyperspectral data compression
      techniques, in terms of image quality measured as average peak signal-to-noise
      ratio. 

PMID- 26479797
TI  - Fast frame scanning camera system for light-sheet microscopy.
AB  - In the interest of improving the temporal resolution for light-sheet microscopy,
      we designed a fast frame scanning camera system that incorporated a galvanometer
      scanning mirror into the imaging path of a home-built light-sheet microscope.
      This system transformed a temporal image sequence to a spatial one so that
      multiple images could be acquired during one exposure period. The improvement
      factor of the frame rate was dependent on the number of sub-images that could be
      tiled on the sensor without overlapping each other and was therefore a trade-off
      with the image size. As a demonstration, we achieved 960 frames/s (fps) on a CCD
      camera that was originally capable of recording images at only 30 fps (full
      frame). This allowed us to observe millisecond or sub-millisecond events with
      ordinary CCD cameras. 

PMID- 26479798
TI  - Microstructure core photonic crystal fiber for gas sensing applications.
AB  - In this paper, a highly sensitive gas sensor based on the microstructure core and
      cladding photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is presented over the wavelength range from
      1.3 to 2.2 MUm, which is advantageous for sensor fabrication. The guiding
      properties of the proposed structure are dependent on geometrical parameters and
      wavelengths, which are numerically investigated by using a finite element method
      (FEM). Introducing the microstructure core makes it possible to obtain higher
      relative sensitivity and achieves low confinement loss. Moreover, it can be shown
      that increasing the diameter of the air holes in the microstructure core and
      decreasing the size of hole to hole space (pitch), the relative sensitivity is
      enhanced. In addition, the confinement loss is reduced by increasing the value of
      the diameter of the air holes in the cladding. Simulation results reveal that for
      the optimum design of the proposed PCF it is possible to obtain the highest
      relative sensitivity of about 42.27% at the wavelength lambda=1.33  MUm for the
      absorption line of methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) and hydrogen fluoride (HF) gases. In
      this case, the confinement loss of the fiber is 4.78345*10<sup>-6</sup>  dB/m. 

PMID- 26479799
TI  - Two-channel algorithm for single-shot, high-resolution measurement of optical
      wavefronts using two image sensors.
AB  - We propose a two-channel holographic diversity interferometer (2ch-HDI) system
      for single-shot and highly accurate measurements of complex amplitude fields with
      a simple optical setup. In this method, two phase-shifted interference patterns
      are generated, without requiring a phase-shifting device, by entering a
      circularly polarized reference beam into a polarizing beam splitter, and the
      resulting patterns are captured simultaneously using two image sensors. However,
      differences in the intensity distributions of the two image sensors may lead to
      serious measurement errors. Thus, we also develop a two-channel algorithm
      optimized for the 2ch-HDI to compensate for these differences. Simulation results
      show that this algorithm can compensate for such differences in the intensity
      distributions in the two image sensors. Experimental results confirm that the
      combination of the 2ch-HDI and the calculation algorithm significantly enhances
      measurement accuracy. 

PMID- 26479800
TI  - Analytical model for CO(2) laser ablation of fused quartz.
AB  - This paper reports the development of an analytical model, with supporting
      experimental data, which quite accurately describes the key features of
      CO<sub>2</sub> laser ablation of fused silica glass. The quantitative model of
      nonexplosive, evaporative material removal is shown to match the experimental
      data very well, to the extent that it can be used as a tool for ablative
      measurements of absorption coefficient and vaporization energy. The experimental
      results indicated that a minimum of 12  MJ kg<sup>-1</sup> is required to fully
      vaporize fused quartz initially held at room temperature, which is in good
      agreement with the prediction of the model supplied with input data available in
      the literature. An optimal window for the machining of fused quartz was revealed
      in terms of pulse duration 20-80 MUs and CO<sub>2</sub> laser wavelength
      optimized for maximum absorption coefficient. Material removal rates of 0.33 MUm
      per J cm<sup>-2</sup> allow for a high-precision depth control with modest laser
      stability. The model may also be used as a parameter selection guide for
      CO<sub>2</sub> laser ablation of fused silica or other materials of similar
      thermophysical properties. 

PMID- 26479801
TI  - Diamagnetic tellurite glass and fiber based magneto-optical current transducer.
AB  - Diamagnetic TeO<sub>2</sub>-ZnO-Na<sub>2</sub>O glasses and fibers were
      fabricated and characterized for magneto-optical current-sensor applications. Two
      prototypes based on the obtained glass and fibers were constructed. An analysis
      of the distribution of the magnetic field flux inside the conductor was
      performed. Hardware and developed software were constructed for the acquisition
      of weak output signals induced by a low current. The good sensitivities of the
      fiber magneto-optical current transducer and the bulk magneto-optical current
      transducer are due to the high Verdet constant and homemade signal-acquisition
      hardware. 

PMID- 26479802
TI  - Estimation of measurement uncertainty caused by surface gradient for a white
      light interferometer.
AB  - Although the scanning white light interferometer can provide measurement results
      with subnanometer resolution, the measurement accuracy is far from perfect. The
      surface roughness and surface gradient have significant influence on the
      measurement uncertainty since the corresponding height differences within a
      single CCD pixel cannot be resolved. This paper presents an uncertainty
      estimation method for estimating the measurement uncertainty due to the surface
      gradient of the workpiece. The method is developed based on the mathematical
      expression of an uncertainty estimation model which is derived and verified
      through a series of experiments. The results show that there is a notable
      similarity between the predicted uncertainty from the uncertainty estimation
      model and the experimental measurement uncertainty, which demonstrates the
      effectiveness of the method. With the establishment of the proposed uncertainty
      estimation method, the uncertainty associated with the measurement result can be
      determined conveniently. 

PMID- 26479803
TI  - Automatic parameter estimation based on the degree of texture overlapping in
      accurate cost-aggregation stereo matching for three-dimensional video display.
AB  - Stereo matching plays a significant role in three-dimensional (3D) display
      applications. The estimation of the regularization parameter, which strikes a
      balance between the spatial distance and color difference, is essential for
      successfully solving ill-posed image-matching problems. Based on the cost
      filtering algorithm, a degree of texture overlapping is designed to
      simultaneously estimate the optimal regularization parameter and achieve accurate
      matching results. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model
      can estimate the smoothing parameter well, and the accuracy is comparable to
      other methods with manual adjustment. The application of the presented stereo
      matching method in the 32-view 3D display is demonstrated. 

PMID- 26479804
TI  - Spectropolarimetric detection using photoelastic modulators and acousto-optic
      tunable filter.
AB  - This paper proposes a spectropolarimetric detection method based on three
      photoelastic modulators (3PEMs) and an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF).
      Operating the 3PEMs at slightly resonant frequencies
      (omega<sub>1</sub>,omega<sub>2</sub>,omega<sub>3</sub>) generates a different
      frequency signal that modulates the polarized component of the incident light at
      a low-frequency (0, 2omega<sub>1</sub>-2omega<sub>3</sub>, omega<sub>2</sub>
      omega<sub>3</sub>). The frequency of the low-frequency modulation component is
      two to three orders of magnitude lower than the resonant frequency of any of the
      3PEMs so the general area array detector can realize the detection. I, Q, and U
      of the incident light's Stokes parameters can be obtained in only one detection
      by extracting the low-frequency component from the detector's signals, and then
      combining it with an AOTF to finally realize the spectropolarimetric imaging
      detection. The paper introduces the basic principle, preliminarily verifies
      feasibility through a corresponding numerical simulation and experiment, and
      makes an error analysis on the polarization detection results according to
      factors of difference frequency and phase delay amplitude. The theory has
      potential application value to spectropolarimetric technology. 

PMID- 26479805
TI  - Photonic jets produced by dielectric micro cuboids.
AB  - The formation of photonic jets produced by dielectric micro cuboids is reported.
      The spatial electromagnetic field has been numerically analyzed on the basis of
      the finite-difference time-domain calculation. The characteristics of photonic
      jets, such as propagation length and location, can be drastically changed by
      controlling the cuboid dimensions. Visually three morphological types of photonic
      jets are introduced for classification. Combining key parameters of photonic
      jets, the quality criterion is used to describe the jet quality. The super
      resolution imaging of the dielectric micro cuboid can be expected from the long
      focal length and small beam waist. The simulation results show that it can be of
      interest for several potential applications, such as subdiffraction resolution
      optical microlenses, ultradirectional optical antennae, and nanolithography based
      on the micro cuboid. 

PMID- 26479806
TI  - Facility for assessing spectral normal emittance of solid materials at high
      temperature.
AB  - Spectral emittance is a key topic in the study of new compositions, depositions,
      and mechanical machining of materials for solar absorption and for renewable
      energies in general. The present work reports on the realization and testing of a
      new experimental facility for the measurement of directional spectral emittance
      in the range of 2.5-20 MUm. Our setup provides emittance spectral information in
      a completely controlled environment at medium-high temperatures up to 1200 K. We
      describe the layout and first tests on the device, comparing the results obtained
      for hafnium carbide and tantalum diboride ultrarefractory ceramic samples to
      previous quasi-monochromatic measurements carried out in the PROMES-CNRS
      (PROcedes, Materiaux et Energie Solaire- Centre National de la Recherche
      Scientifique, France) solar furnace, obtaining a good agreement. Finally, to
      assess the reliability of the widely used approach of estimating the spectral
      emittance from room-temperature reflectance spectrum, we compared the calculation
      in the 2.5-17 MUm spectral range to the experimental high-temperature spectral
      emittance, obtaining that the spectral trend of calculated and measured curves is
      similar but the calculated emittance underestimates the measured value. 

PMID- 26479807
TI  - Differential resistance of GaN-based laser diodes with and without polarization
      effect.
AB  - In this paper, we used numerical calculation and simulation to investigate the
      differential resistance of GaN-based laser diodes (LDs) with and without
      polarization effect. We confirmed the existence of a kink at the vicinity of
      threshold current in the differential resistance curve of GaN-based LDs and found
      that the kink polarity can be reversed dependent on the polarization effect. The
      serial parasitic diodes should be included in the theoretical analysis of the
      equivalent circuit of the LD devices. We determined that the superposition
      effects of the n-side, active, and p-side regions of the LDs caused the kink and
      its polarity. We also found that the differential resistance before and after the
      threshold was dominated by the p-side region and its gradual reduction is related
      to an electron overflow into p-side. Finally, we studied the effects of cavity
      facet reflectivity on the kink. 

PMID- 26479808
TI  - Fiber-optic ammonia sensor using Ag/SnO(2) thin films: optimization of thickness
      of SnO(2) film using electric field distribution and reaction factor.
AB  - A highly sensitive ammonia gas sensor exploiting the gas sensing characteristics
      of tin oxide (SnO<sub>2</sub>) has been reported. The methodology of the sensor
      is based on the phenomenon of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with a fiber-optic
      probe consisting of coatings of silver as a plasmonic material and
      SnO<sub>2</sub> as the sensing layer. The sensing principle relies on the change
      in refractive index of SnO<sub>2</sub> upon its reaction with ammonia gas. The
      capability of the sensor has been tested for a 10 to 100 ppm concentration range
      of ammonia gas. To enhance the sensitivity, probes with different thicknesses of
      SnO<sub>2</sub> have been fabricated and characterized for ammonia sensing. It
      has been found that at a particular thickness the sensitivity is highest. The
      reason for the highest sensitivity at a particular thickness has been evinced
      theoretically. The electromagnetic field distribution for the multilayer
      structure of the probe reveals the enhancement of the evanescent field at the tin
      oxide-ammonia gas interface, which in turn manifests the highest shift in
      resonance wavelength at a particular thickness. The selectivity of the probe has
      been tested for various gases, and it has been found to be most accurate for the
      sensing of ammonia. A sensor utilizing optical fiber, the SPR technique, and
      metal oxide as sensing element combines the advantages of a miniaturized probe,
      online monitoring, and remote sensing on one hand and stability, high sensitivity
      and selectivity, ruggedness, and low cost on the other. 

PMID- 26479809
TI  - Experimental demonstration of single-mode fiber coupling over relatively strong
      turbulence with adaptive optics.
AB  - High-speed free-space optical communication systems using fiber-optic components
      can greatly improve the stability of the system and simplify the structure.
      However, propagation through atmospheric turbulence degrades the spatial
      coherence of the signal beam and limits the single-mode fiber (SMF) coupling
      efficiency. In this paper, we analyze the influence of the atmospheric turbulence
      on the SMF coupling efficiency over various turbulences. The results show that
      the SMF coupling efficiency drops from 81% without phase distortion to 10% when
      phase root mean square value equals 0.3lambda. The simulations of SMF coupling
      with adaptive optics (AO) indicate that it is inevitable to compensate the high
      order aberrations for SMF coupling over relatively strong turbulence. The SMF
      coupling efficiency experiments, using an AO system with a 137-element deformable
      mirror and a Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor, obtain average coupling efficiency
      increasing from 1.3% in open loop to 46.1% in closed loop under a relatively
      strong turbulence, D/r<sub>0</sub>=15.1. 

PMID- 26479810
TI  - Europium-doped SiAlON and borosilicate glass composites for white light-emitting
      diode.
AB  - The oxynitride phosphor Ca-alpha-SiAlON:Eu<sup>2+</sup> has a high thermal
      tolerance. In this study, we prepared sodium borosilicate glass [4Na<sub>2</sub>O
      56B<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-40SiO<sub>2</sub>, mol. %], and examined its ability
      to host Ca-alpha-SiAlON:Eu<sup>2+</sup> phosphor powder. We successfully used a
      melting method to fabricate glass-SiAlON phosphor composites, which can emit
      yellow light when irradiated with blue light (with a wavelength of 450 nm). The
      chromaticity of the composites, which was estimated from photoluminescence
      spectra, changed from blue to yellow with increasing SiAlON concentration and
      sample thickness. A 3 mm thick composite with 4 mass% SiAlON and a 2 mm thick
      composite with 5 mass% SiAlON generated near-white light. The quantum efficiency
      of the composites did not depend on the SiAlON concentration and was similar to
      that of the phosphor powder. The PL intensity decreased with increasing
      temperature, but the decrease was similar to that for SiAlON powder. 

PMID- 26479811
TI  - Measurements for displacement and deformation at high temperature by using edge
      detection of digital image.
AB  - In this work, we propose a structural deformation measuring method based on
      structural feature processing (straight line/edge detection) of the recorded
      digital images for specimens subjected to a high-temperature environment. Both
      radiation light and oxidation at high temperatures challenge the optics-based
      measurements. The images of a rectangular piece of copper specimen are obtained
      by using a bandpass filtering method at high temperatures, then all the edges are
      detected by using an edge detection operator, and then a Hough transform is
      conducted to search the straight edges for the calculation of deformation.
      Especially, due to the severe oxidation, a special seed strategy is adopted to
      reduce the oxidation effect and obtain an accurate result. For validation, the
      structural thermal deformation and the values of coefficients of thermal
      expansion for the copper specimen are measured and compared with data in the
      literature. The results reveal that the proposed method is accurate to measure
      the deformation of the structures at high temperatures. 

PMID- 26479812
TI  - Photonic band gap structure for a ferroelectric photonic crystal at microwave
      frequencies.
AB  - In this work, the photonic band gap (PBG) structure in a one-dimensional
      ferroelectric photonic crystal (PC) is theoretically investigated. We consider a
      PC, air/(AB)<sup>N</sup>/air, in which layer A is a dielectric of MgO and layer B
      is taken to be a ferroelectric of
      Ba<sub>0.55</sub>Sr<sub>0.45</sub>TiO<sub>3</sub> (BSTO). With an extremely high
      value in the dielectric constant in BSTO, the calculated photonic band structure
      at microwave frequencies exhibits some interesting features that are
      significantly different from those in a usual dielectric-dielectric PC. First,
      the photonic transmission band consists of multiple and nearly discrete
      transmission peaks. Second, the calculated bandwidth of the PBG is nearly
      unchanged as the angle of incidence varies in the TE wave. The bandwidth will
      slightly reduce for the TM mode. Thus, a wide omnidirectional PBG can be
      obtained. Additionally, the effect of the thickness of the ferroelectric layer on
      the PBG is much more pronounced compared to the dielectric layer thickness. That
      is, the increase of ferroelectric thickness can significantly decrease the PBG
      bandwidth. 

PMID- 26479813
TI  - Computational structured illumination.
AB  - We propose a computational structured illumination method for flexible object
      observation and measurement, which is a gradual extension of computational
      imaging. In the method, the impulse responses of illumination (IRIs) are observed
      in advance, and then the optical reflection for an arbitrary illumination pattern
      is generated by the superposition of the impulse responses. As a benefit of the
      method, illumination patterns can be easily designed and adjusted for different
      purposes without physical experiments after the IRI observation, and the desired
      information can be reconstructed with the same process as that used in
      conventional-structure illumination methods. A high-precision optical setup does
      not have to be maintained physically because it is virtualized in a computer. We
      experimentally demonstrated three-dimensional shape measurement and signal
      separation between direct- and internal-reflection components using the proposed
      method. 

PMID- 26479814
TI  - Homodyne chiral polarimetry for measuring thermo-optic refractive index
      variations.
AB  - Novel reflection-type homodyne chiral polarimetry is proposed for measuring the
      refractive index variations of a transparent plate under thermal impact. The
      experimental results show it is a simple and useful method for providing accurate
      measurements of refractive index variations. The measurement can reach a
      resolution of 7*10<sup>-5</sup>. 

PMID- 26479815
TI  - Spatiotemporal evolution of a cosine-modulated stationary field and Kerr
      frequency comb generation in a microresonator.
AB  - Based on the normalized spatiotemporal Lugiato-Lefever equation, the evolutions
      of cosine-modulated stationary fields relating to the generation of single-free
      spectral range (FSR) or multi-FSR Kerr frequency combs in a microresonator with
      anomalous dispersion are studied numerically. The research results show that a
      single-FSR comb arises when a dissipative soliton pulse or multiple
      nonequidistant soliton pulses form in the cavity. Compared with the smooth and
      regular spectral structure of a single soliton pulse, the comb corresponding to
      the uneven distribution of multiple soliton pulses exhibits a complex and
      irregular profile. When the stable intracavity field consists of a "roll" Turing
      pattern or N(N>1) evenly distributed soliton pulses separated by 2pi/N, multi-FSR
      combs can be generated. In the case of the "roll" Turing pattern solution, it is
      found that third-order dispersion could modify the comb mode spacing and decrease
      the intensity of high-order comb modes. For the situation of multiple soliton
      pulse generation, the simulation results indicate that both the number and
      locations of the soliton pulses can be actively controlled through the careful
      selection of modulation frequency. In addition, for the selected cosine-modulated
      initial field profile, only those modes with the mode numbers being equal to an
      integer multiple of N can be greatly amplified by the parametric gain during
      propagation in the microresonator. This process eventually leads to the formation
      of a N-FSR frequency comb. 

PMID- 26479816
TI  - Implementation and performance of an in-line incomplete Stokes polarimeter based
      on a single biaxial crystal.
AB  - Due to the increasing interest of polarimetric information in numerous
      applications, different Stokes polarimeter designs are provided in the literature
      for the measure of light beam polarization. Recently, the concept of polarimeters
      based on the conical refraction (CR) phenomenon, occurring in biaxial crystals,
      was proposed. CR polarimeters are snapshot polarimeters that allow controlling
      the volume of data redundancy without an increase in the acquisition time. We
      present the implementation, calibration, and analysis of an incomplete CR
      polarimeter optimized for the measure of linear polarizations. A simpler and
      cheaper experimental configuration is achieved, if compared with other
      polarimeters proposed in the literature. The suitability of the polarimeter is
      experimentally demonstrated and some of its benefits, such as its performance in
      low-intensity conditions, are discussed. 

PMID- 26479817
TI  - Shock-tube measurements of excited oxygen atoms using cavity-enhanced absorption
      spectroscopy.
AB  - We report the use of cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS) using two
      distributed feedback diode lasers near 777.2 and 844.6 nm for sensitive, time
      resolved, in situ measurements of excited-state populations of atomic oxygen in a
      shock tube. Here, a 1% O<sub>2</sub>/Ar mixture was shock-heated to 5400-8000 K
      behind reflected shock waves. The combined use of a low-finesse cavity, fast
      wavelength scanning of the lasers, and an off-axis alignment enabled measurements
      with 10 MUs time response and low cavity noise. The CEAS absorption gain factors
      of 104 and 142 for the P<sub>3</sub>5<-S520 (777.2 nm) and P<sub>0,1,2</sub>3<
      S310 (844.6 nm) atomic oxygen transitions, respectively, significantly improved
      the detection sensitivity over conventional single-pass measurements. This work
      demonstrates the potential of using CEAS to improve shock-tube studies of
      nonequilibrium electronic-excitation processes at high temperatures. 

PMID- 26479818
TI  - 355-nm high spectral resolution airborne lidar LNG: system description and first
      results.
AB  - A high spectral resolution (HSR) measurement capability in the ultraviolet has
      been added to the 3-wavelength-2-polarization-backscatter lidar LNG (lidar
      aerosols nouvelle generation) and tested during several flights. The system
      includes a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) as a spectral discriminator and does
      not require any frequency locking between the emitter and the interferometer.
      Results obtained during test flights show that the backscatter and extinction
      coefficients at 355 nm can be measured with a relative precision of 10% for 60 m
      and 240 m vertical resolution, respectively, in aerosol layers of 10<sup>-6</sup>
      m<sup>-1</sup> sr<sup>-1</sup> backscatter coefficient with a 30-km horizontal
      resolution. The same relative precision is obtained in cirrus clouds of a
      2*10<sup>-5</sup>  m<sup>-1</sup> sr<sup>-1</sup> backscatter coefficient for the
      same vertical resolution and a horizontal resolution reduced to 5 km. The
      capacity of the system to perform wind velocity measurements is also demonstrated
      with precisions in the range of 1 to 2  ms<sup>-1</sup>. Particle-to-total
      backscatter ratio and line-of-sight speed measurements have been performed on
      ground echoes; averaged data show biases less than 1% and 0.15  ms<sup>-1</sup>,
      respectively. 

PMID- 26479819
TI  - Lamb wave acousto-optic modulator in ZnO/MgO multiple quantum wells and
      comparison with classical modulator.
AB  - An analysis of a ZnO/MgO multiple quantum well (MQW) acousto-optic modulator with
      Lamb waves is performed. With the MQW thickness in the range of 0.2 times the
      Lamb wavelength, the only observed Lamb modes are the lowest-order symmetric
      S<sub>0</sub> and antisymmetric A<sub>0</sub> modes. These modes induce strain
      and electric field components which influence the absorption coefficient of the
      modulator by the associated variation of the excitonic energies of MQW. The
      optical absorption coefficient spectra of the modulator as a function of the Lamb
      waves' power is presented. The Lamb-wave-based modulator gives a better
      absorption coefficient than the Rayleigh-wave-based one. An analysis of a
      classical acousto-optic modulator is also performed for comparison of
      performance. 

PMID- 26479820
TI  - Ray tracing method in arbitrarily shaped radial graded-index waveguide.
AB  - A ray tracing algorithm for an arbitrarily shaped axially symmetric graded index
      waveguide was proposed. This was achieved by considering the center of the
      waveguide (optical axis) as a set of discrete points. The refractive index
      depends on the distance of the ray position from the optical axis. This distance
      was approximated as the shortest distance between the ray position and a point in
      the set. Using this algorithm, ray tracing could be performed, regardless of the
      waveguide configuration. In this study, a precise explanation of the algorithm is
      given and the errors are evaluated. A technique to reduce computing time is also
      included. 

PMID- 26479821
TI  - Tunable passively harmonic mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser with Lyot-Sagnac
      filter.
AB  - A novel passively harmonic mode-locked dissipative soliton Yb-doped fiber laser
      with all normal dispersion is proposed and experimentally demonstrated based on a
      semiconductor saturable absorption mirror and tunable Lyot-Sagnac filter. By only
      tuning the bandwidth of the filter at fixed pump power, the repetition rate of
      9.87 to 167.8 MHz (corresponding to 17th-order harmonic) is obtained. This is the
      highest repetition rate and harmonic order for a passively harmonic mode-locked
      dissipative soliton Yb-doped fiber laser with all-normal dispersion to the best
      of our knowledge. The signal-to-noise ratio and super-mode suppression ratio for
      all harmonic orders are higher than 65 and 35 dB, respectively, which shows the
      high stability of the fiber laser. 

PMID- 26479822
TI  - Passively Q-switched Nd:YAG/Cr(4+):YAG bonded crystal microchip laser operating
      at 1112  nm and its application for second-harmonic generation.
AB  - A passively Q-switched Nd:YAG/Cr<sup>4+</sup>:YAG microchip laser operating at
      1112 nm is demonstrated. Under a pump power of 5.5 W, a maximum average output
      power of 623 mW was obtained with T=6% output coupler, corresponding to an
      optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 11.3% and a slope efficiency of
      19.5%. The minimum pulse width was 2.8 ns, the pulse energy and peak power were
      39.3 MUJ and 14 kW, respectively. Additionally, based on the 1112 nm laser, a 230
      mW 556 nm green-yellow laser was achieved within an LBO crystal. 

PMID- 26479823
TI  - Alignment of sources and detectors on breast surface for noncontact diffuse
      correlation tomography of breast tumors.
AB  - Noncontact diffuse correlation tomography (ncDCT) is an emerging technology for
      3D imaging of deep tissue blood flow distribution without distorting hemodynamic
      properties. To adapt the ncDCT for imaging in vivo breast tumors, we designed a
      motorized ncDCT probe to scan over the breast surface. A computer-aided design
      (CAD)-based approach was proposed to create solid volume mesh from arbitrary
      breast surface obtained by a commercial 3D camera. The sources and detectors of
      ncDCT were aligned on the breast surface through ray tracing to mimic the ncDCT
      scanning with CAD software. The generated breast volume mesh along with the
      boundary data of ncDCT at the aligned source and detector pairs were used for
      finite-element-method-based flow image reconstruction. We evaluated the accuracy
      of source alignments on mannequin and human breasts; largest alignment errors
      were less than 10% in both tangential and radial directions of scanning. The
      impact of alignment errors (assigned 10%) on the tumor reconstruction was
      estimated using computer simulations. The deviations of simulated tumor location
      and blood flow contrast resulted from the alignment errors were 0.77 mm (less
      than the node distance of 1 mm) and 1%, respectively, which result in minor
      impact on flow image reconstruction. Finally, a case study on a human breast
      tumor was conducted and a tumor-to-normal flow contrast was reconstructed,
      demonstrating the feasibility of ncDCT in clinical application. 

PMID- 26479824
TI  - Present and past: Can writing abilities in school children be associated with
      their auditory discrimination capacities in infancy?
AB  - Literacy acquisition is highly associated with auditory processing abilities,
      such as auditory discrimination. The event-related potential Mismatch Response
      (MMR) is an indicator for cortical auditory discrimination abilities and it has
      been found to be reduced in individuals with reading and writing impairments and
      also in infants at risk for these impairments. The goal of the present study was
      to analyze the relationship between auditory speech discrimination in infancy and
      writing abilities at school age within subjects, and to determine when auditory
      speech discrimination differences, relevant for later writing abilities, start to
      develop. We analyzed the MMR registered in response to natural syllables in
      German children with and without writing problems at two points during
      development, that is, at school age and at infancy, namely at age 1 month and 5
      months. We observed MMR related auditory discrimination differences between
      infants with and without later writing problems, starting to develop at age 5
      months-an age when infants begin to establish language-specific phoneme
      representations. At school age, these children with and without writing problems
      also showed auditory discrimination differences, reflected in the MMR, confirming
      a relationship between writing and auditory speech processing skills. Thus,
      writing problems at school age are, at least, partly grounded in auditory
      discrimination problems developing already during the first months of life. 

PMID- 26479825
TI  - Effectiveness of cognitive-behaviour therapy for hoarding disorder in people with
      mild intellectual disabilities.
AB  - Evaluations of cognitive behavioural interventions for hoarding for those with
      intellectual disabilities (ID) have not been previously attempted. This
      investigation therefore examined the acceptability and effectiveness of cognitive
      behavioural therapy (CBT) in a sample of N=14 adults with mild ID. All
      participants had hoarding as their primary problem and received twelve individual
      CBT sessions, all conducted via domiciliary visits. The primary outcome measure
      was an environmental measure (Clutter Image Rating Scale), which was scored at
      baseline, end of treatment and at six-month follow-up. Acceptability of CBT was
      measured via the treatment refusal and dropout rate. Secondary self-report
      outcomes included measures of hoarding, depression and anxiety. Results
      demonstrate that hoarding significantly reduced following treatment on both self
      report and environmental assessment. No participants refused or dropped out of
      treatment and that there was no evidence of relapse over the follow-up period. No
      adverse treatment incidences were reported. This open trial suggests that CBT may
      be a safe and effective intervention for hoarding difficulties in people with ID,
      but that the evidence base in this population needs urgent and detailed
      attention. 

PMID- 26479826
TI  - An Effective Method for the Construction of Esters Using Cs2CO3 as Oxygen Source.
AB  - An effective method for the construction of esters from acyl chloride and
      halohydrocarbon using Cs2CO3 as an oxygen source was achieved for the first time.
      The methodology has a wide scope of substrates and can be scaled up. The study of
      a preliminary reaction mechanism demonstrated that the O in the products comes
      from Cs2CO3 and this esterification proceeds through a free radical reaction. It
      was also found that CO2 can also be used in this esterification reaction as an
      oxygen source. 

PMID- 26479827
TI  - N3 and BNN: Two New Similarity Based Classification Methods in Comparison with
      Other Classifiers.
AB  - Two novel classification methods, called N3 (N-nearest neighbors) and BNN (binned
      nearest neighbors), are proposed. Both methods are inspired by the principles of
      the K-nearest neighbors (KNN) method, being both based on object pairwise
      similarities. Their performance was evaluated in comparison with nine well-known
      classification methods. In order to obtain reliable statistics, several
      comparisons were performed using 32 different literature data sets, which differ
      for number of objects, variables and classes. Results highlighted that N3 on
      average behaves as the most efficient classification method with similar
      performance to support vector machine based on radial basis function kernel
      (SVM/RBF). The method BNN showed on average higher performance than the classical
      K-nearest neighbors method. 

PMID- 26479828
TI  - Dropout in looking time studies: The role of infants' temperament and cognitive
      developmental status.
AB  - Dropout of infants in looking time studies sometimes occurs at high rates,
      raising concerns that the representativeness of the final sample might be reduced
      in comparison to the originally obtained sample. The current study investigated
      which infant characteristics play a role in dropout. Infants were presented with
      a preferential looking task at 6 and 9 months of age. At 9 months of age, an
      additional habituation task and a subsequent novelty preference task were
      conducted. In addition, temperament was assessed via the Infant Behavior
      Questionnaire - Revised (IBQ-R, Gartstein & Rothbart, 2003), and cognitive
      developmental status was assessed via the Cognitive Scale of the Bayley Scale of
      Infant and Toddler Development (BSID-III, Bayley, 2006). Dropout was positively
      related to the IBQ-R temperament scales Distress to Limitations and Approach, and
      negatively related to the scales Falling Reactivity and Cuddliness. The
      representativeness of the final sample regarding situation-specific temperament
      dimensions is affected by dropout. Dropout was not related to cognitive
      developmental status as measured via the BSID-III, habituation speed and novelty
      preference. Dropout at 6 months of age was associated with dropout at 9 months of
      age. We concluded that in looking time studies, the representativeness of the
      final sample regarding performance-relevant temperament dimensions or cognitive
      developmental status is not affected by dropout. 

PMID- 26479829
TI  - Dietary exposure to cadmium and risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women: A
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With tobacco smoking, diet is the main source of cadmium (Cd)
      exposure in the general population. The carcinogenic and estrogenic activities of
      Cd make it a contaminant of potential concern for hormone-dependent cancers
      including breast cancer. Postmenopausal women represent the most appropriate
      population to investigate the possible impact of exogenous factors with potential
      estrogenic activity on breast cancer as, after menopause, their estrogenic
      influence is predominant. OBJECTIVES: We systematically reviewed available
      studies on the association between dietary exposure to Cd and breast cancer
      focusing on postmenopausal women. A meta-analysis combining the risk estimators
      was performed and potential sources of between studies heterogeneity were traced.
      METHODS: Studies were searched from MEDLINE through 31 January 2015 and from the
      reference lists of relevant publications. Six eligible studies published between
      2012 and 2014 were identified and relative risk estimates were extracted. Meta
      rate ratio estimates (mRR) were calculated according to fixed and random-effect
      models. Meta-analyses were performed on the whole set of data and separate
      analyses were conducted after stratification for study design, geographic
      location, use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), tumor estrogen receptor
      status (ER+ or ER-), progesterone receptor status (PGR+ or PGR-), body mass index
      (BMI), smoker status, zinc or iron intake. RESULTS: No statistically significant
      increased risk of breast cancer was observed when all studies were combined
      (mRR=1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.89-1.19). Several sources of
      heterogeneity and inconsistency were identified, including smoker status, HRT
      use, BMI, zinc and iron intake. Inconsistency was also strongly reduced when only
      considering ER-, PGR-, tumors subgroups from USA and from Japan. The risks were,
      however, not substantially modified after stratifications. No evidence of
      publication bias was found. CONCLUSION: The present study does not provide
      support for the hypothesis that dietary exposure to Cd increases the risk of
      breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Misclassification in dietary Cd assessment
      in primary studies could have biased the results towards a finding of no
      association.

PMID- 26479830
TI  - Impact of climate change on human infectious diseases: Empirical evidence and
      human adaptation.
AB  - Climate change refers to long-term shifts in weather conditions and patterns of
      extreme weather events. It may lead to changes in health threat to human beings,
      multiplying existing health problems. This review examines the scientific
      evidences on the impact of climate change on human infectious diseases. It
      identifies research progress and gaps on how human society may respond to, adapt
      to, and prepare for the related changes. Based on a survey of related
      publications between 1990 and 2015, the terms used for literature selection
      reflect three aspects--the components of infectious diseases, climate variables,
      and selected infectious diseases. Humans' vulnerability to the potential health
      impacts by climate change is evident in literature. As an active agent, human
      beings may control the related health effects that may be effectively controlled
      through adopting proactive measures, including better understanding of the
      climate change patterns and of the compound disease-specific health effects, and
      effective allocation of technologies and resources to promote healthy lifestyles
      and public awareness. The following adaptation measures are recommended: 1) to go
      beyond empirical observations of the association between climate change and
      infectious diseases and develop more scientific explanations, 2) to improve the
      prediction of spatial-temporal process of climate change and the associated
      shifts in infectious diseases at various spatial and temporal scales, and 3) to
      establish locally effective early warning systems for the health effects of
      predicated climate change.

PMID- 26479831
TI  - A review of organic UV-filters in wastewater treatment plants.
AB  - UV-filters are a group of compounds which have been massively used in the past
      years due to the recent concerns with sunburns, premature skin ageing and the
      risk of developing skin cancer, related to sun exposure. At the moment, these
      compounds have been identified by the scientific community as emerging
      pollutants, due to their persistence in the environment, potential to accumulate
      in biota and potential threat as endocrine disruptors. At some point, the
      majority of sunscreens will find their way into wastewater (due to bathing and
      washing activities) and because wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are not able
      to remove and/or degrade them, consequently they find their way into rivers,
      lakes and ocean, so it is not surprising that UV-filters are found in the
      environment. Therefore, wastewater treatment plants should be the focus of the
      scientific community aiming to better understand the fate of the UV-filters and
      develop new technologies to remove them from wastewater and sludge. This review,
      aims to provide the current state of the art in the occurrence and fate of UV
      filters in wastewater treatment plants and how the technologies that are being
      used are successfully removing these compounds from both wastewater and sludge. 

PMID- 26479832
TI  - Biomimetic chimeric peptide-tethered hydrogels for human mesenchymal stem cell
      delivery.
AB  - Here, we report a chimeric peptide-tethered fibrin hydrogel scaffold for delivery
      of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC). Osteopontin-derived peptide (OP) was used
      as an hMSC-tethering moiety. OP showed hMSC adhesion properties and enhanced hMSC
      proliferation. A natural fibrin-binding protein-derived peptide (FBP) was tested
      for its ability to tether hMSC to the fibrin gel matrix. FBP loading on fibrin
      gels was 8.2-fold higher than that of a scrambled peptide (scFBP). FBP-loaded
      fibrin gels were retained at injection sites longer than scFBP-loaded fibrin
      gels, showing a 15.9-fold higher photon intensity of fluorescent FBP-grafted
      fibrin gels than fluorescent scFBP-loaded fibrin gels 48 h after injection. On
      the basis of the fibrin gel-binding properties of FBP and the hMSC-binding and
      proliferation-supporting properties of OP, we constructed chimeric peptides
      containing FBP and OP linked with a spacer (FBPsOP). Four days after
      transplantation, the survival of hMSC in FBPsOP-grafted fibrin gels was 3.9-fold
      higher than hMSC in fibrin gels alone. Our results suggest the potential of
      FBPsOP-grafted fibrin gels as a bioactive delivery system for enhanced survival
      of stem cells.

PMID- 26479833
TI  - Solution-Processed Self-Assembled Nanodielectrics on Template-Stripped Metal
      Substrates.
AB  - The coupling of hybrid organic-inorganic gate dielectrics with emergent
      unconventional semiconductors has yielded transistor devices exhibiting record
      setting transport properties. However, extensive electronic transport
      measurements on these high-capacitance systems are often convoluted with the
      electronic response of the semiconducting silicon substrate. In this report, we
      demonstrate the growth of solution-processed zirconia self-assembled
      nanodielectrics (Zr-SAND) on template-stripped aluminum substrates. The resulting
      Zr-SAND on Al structures leverage the ultrasmooth (r.m.s. roughness <0.4 nm),
      chemically uniform nature of template-stripped metal substrates to demonstrate
      the same exceptional electronic uniformity (capacitance ~700 nF cm(-2), leakage
      current <1 MUA cm(-2) at -2 MV cm(-1)) and multilayer growth of Zr-SAND on Si,
      while exhibiting superior temperature and voltage capacitance responses. These
      results are important to conduct detailed transport measurements in emergent
      transistor technologies featuring SAND as well as for future applications in
      integrated circuits or flexible electronics. 

PMID- 26479834
TI  - The contribution of tumour-derived exosomes to the hallmarks of cancer.
AB  - Exosomes are small, biologically active extracellular vesicles and over the last
      decade, both stromal and tumour-derived exosomes (TDE) have been implicated in
      cancer onset, progression and metastases. Cancer is a complex disease that is
      underpinned by several "cancer hallmarks", originally described by Hanahan and
      Weinberg in 2000 and then revised in 2011. The hallmarks of cancer comprise six
      biological capabilities, along with two emerging hallmarks and two enabling
      characteristics that facilitate tumour growth and metastatic dissemination. Ample
      evidence supports a clear role for TDE in four of the original biological
      hallmarks (sustaining proliferative signalling, resisting cell death, inducing
      angiogenesis and activating invasion and metastases). A less-defined role exists
      for TDE in evading growth suppressors, and currently, there is no evidence to
      suggest a role for TDE in enabling replicative immortality. TDE are intimately
      involved in the newly defined hallmarks of cancer and enabling characteristics,
      most evidently in immune inhibition and tumour-promoting inflammation, which
      ultimately enable escape from immune destruction and tumour progression. Herein,
      we discuss the role of TDE in the context of the hallmarks and enabling
      characteristics of cancer as defined by Hanahan and Weinberg. 

PMID- 26479835
TI  - Thermo- and pH-Responsive Copolymers Bearing Cholic Acid and Oligo(ethylene
      glycol) Pendants: Self-Assembly and pH-Controlled Release.
AB  - A family of block and random copolymers of norbornene derivatives bearing cholic
      acid and oligo(ethylene glycol) pendants were prepared in the presence of Grubbs'
      catalyst. The phase transition temperature of the copolymers in aqueous solutions
      may be tuned by the variation of comonomer ratios and pH values. Both types of
      copolymers formed micellar nanostructures with a hydrophilic poly(ethylene
      glycol) shell and a hydrophobic core containing cholic acid residues. The
      micellar size increased gradually with increasing pH due to the deprotonation of
      the carboxylic acid groups. These micelles were capable of encapsulating
      hydrophobic compounds such as Nile Red (NR). A higher
      hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity ratio in both copolymers resulted in a higher
      loading capacity for NR. With similar molecular weights and monomer compositions,
      the block copolymers showed a higher loading capacity for NR than the random
      copolymers. The NR-loaded micelles exhibited a pH-triggered release behavior. At
      pH 7.4 within 96 h, the micelles formed by the block and random of copolymers
      released 56 and 97% NR, respectively. Therefore, these micelles may have promise
      for use as therapeutic nanocarriers in drug delivery systems. 

PMID- 26479836
TI  - Fractional Quantum Hall States in Bilayer Graphene Probed by Transconductance
      Fluctuations.
AB  - We have investigated fractional quantum Hall (QH) states in Bernal-stacked
      bilayer graphene using transconductance fluctuation measurements. A variety of
      odd-denominator fractional QH states with nuQH -> nuQH + 2 symmetry, as
      previously reported, are observed. However, surprising is that also particle-hole
      symmetric states are clearly resolved in the same measurement set. We attribute
      their emergence to the reversal of orbital states in the octet level scheme
      induced by a strong local charge imbalance, which can be captured by the
      transconductance fluctuations. Also the even-denominator fractional QH state at
      filling -1/2 is observed. However, contrary to a previous study on a suspended
      graphene layer [ Ki et al. Nano Lett. 2014, 14 , 2135 ], the particle-hole
      symmetric state at filling 1/2 is detected as well. These observations suggest
      that the stability of both odd and even denominator fractional QH states is very
      sensitive to local transverse electric fields in bilayer graphene. 

PMID- 26479837
TI  - A model for effective planning of SME support services.
AB  - This paper presents a model for effective planning of support services for small
      and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The idea is to scrutinize and measure the
      suitability of support services in order to give recommendations for the
      improvement of a support planning process. We examined the applied support
      services and matched them with the problems and needs of SMEs, based on the
      survey conducted in 2013 on a sample of 336 SMEs in Serbia. We defined and
      analysed the five research questions that refer to support services, their
      consistency with the SMEs' problems and needs, and the relation between the given
      support and SMEs' success. The survey results have shown a statistically
      significant connection between them. Based on this result, we proposed an eight
      phase model as a method for the improvement of support service planning for SMEs.
      This model helps SMEs to plan better their requirements in terms of support;
      government and administration bodies at all levels and organizations that provide
      support services to understand better SMEs' problems and needs for support. 

PMID- 26479838
TI  - A comparative study of virtual hand prosthesis control using an inductive tongue
      control system.
AB  - This study compares the time required to activate a grasp or function of a hand
      prosthesis when using an electromyogram (EMG) based control scheme and when using
      a control scheme combining EMG and control signals from an inductive tongue
      control system (ITCS). Using a cross-over study design, 10 able-bodied subjects
      used a computer model of a hand and completed simulated grasping exercises. The
      time required to activate grasps was recorded and analyzed for both control
      schemes. End session mean activation times (ATs; seconds) for the EMG control
      scheme grasps 1 -5 were 0.80, 1.51, 1.95, 2.93, and 3.42; for the ITCS control
      scheme grasps 1 -5 they were 1.19, 1.89, 1.75, 2.26, and 1.80. Mean AT for grasps
      1 and 2 was statistically significant in favor of the EMG control scheme (p =
      0.030; p = 0.004). For grasp 3 no statistical significance occurred, and for
      grasps 4 and 5 there was a statistical significance in favour of the ITCS control
      scheme (p = 0.048; p = 0.004). Based on the amount of training and the achieved
      level of performance, it is concluded that the proposed ITCS control scheme can
      be used as a means of enhancing prosthesis control.

PMID- 26479839
TI  - The Dialectic of Chaos and Control in the Experience of Therapists Who Work With
      Sexually Abused Children.
AB  - The aim of this study is to contribute to the understanding the interaction
      between the emotionally destructive intensity of the trauma and forces that
      foster growth in therapists who treat sexually abused children. Data were
      collected through in-depth semistructured interviews with 14 experienced social
      workers. Content analysis reveals two emotional poles. At one pole, the dominant
      experiences are anxiety, turmoil, and intrusion that disrupted the order in the
      interviewee's secure world. At the opposing pole, the dominant experiences are
      positive, such as hope and faith. These formed the basis of empowering meaning
      construction that engendered a sense of control, enabling the therapists to trust
      the value of intervention with sexually abused children. The discussion uses a
      dialectical perspective to examine how interaction between these two poles
      enhances our understanding of the emotional and existential threats inherent in
      working with children who have experienced sexual abuse and on the potential for
      positive change. 

PMID- 26479840
TI  - Self-Assembly of Charged Nanoparticles by an Autocatalytic Reaction Front.
AB  - In this work we present that aggregation of charged and pH sensitive
      nanoparticles can be spatiotemporally controlled by an autonomous way using the
      chlorite-tetrathionate autocatalytic front, where the front regulates the
      electrostatic interaction between nanoparticles due to protonation of the capping
      (carboxylate-terminated) ligand. We found that the aggregation and sedimentation
      of nanoparticles in liquid phase with the effect of reversible binding of the
      autocatalyst (H(+)) play important roles in changing the front stability (mixing
      length) and the velocity of the front in both cases when the fronts propagate
      upward and downward. Calculation of interparticle interactions (electrostatic and
      van der Waals) with the measurement of front velocity revealed that the
      aggregation process occurs fast (within a few seconds) at the front position. 

PMID- 26479841
TI  - Diagnosis of a Family with the Novel -alpha(21.9) Thalassemia Deletion.
AB  - The Qinzhou alpha-thalassemia (alpha-thal) or -alpha(21.9) deletion was first
      described at the Qinzhou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Qinzhou,
      Guangxi, People's Republic of China (PRC) in 2013. The molecular biological
      mechanism by which this allele leads to alpha-thal involves the deletion of a
      21.9 kb DNA fragment of the alpha-globin gene cluster (NG_000006.1), designated
      as -alpha(21.9). During routine screening, a new family with -alpha(21.9) was
      found by the research group. This is the first time that an adult patient with
      the -alpha(21.9)/alphaalpha genotype and a 6-month-old baby with the 
      alpha(21.9)/- -(SEA) (Southeast Asian) genotype were detected in one family. The
      discovery of this family demonstrates that there is a certain risk for the
      Qinzhou alpha-thal deletion in the southern regions of Guangxi Province, PRC. The
      detection of the adult patient with the -alpha(21.9)/alphaalpha genotype and the
      analysis of hematological data are important supplements for -alpha(21.9)
      research. Additionally, Hb Bart's (gamma4) and Hb H (beta4) were detected in the
      6-month-old, confirming that the baby with the -alpha(21.9)/- -(SEA) genotype
      also carries Hb H disease. The analysis of this family verifies that the 
      alpha(21.9) deletion is an alpha(+)-thal allele. 

PMID- 26479843
TI  - Occupational Accidents with Agricultural Machinery in Austria.
AB  - The number of recognized accidents with fatalities during agricultural and
      forestry work, despite better technology and coordinated prevention and
      trainings, is still very high in Austria. The accident scenarios in which people
      are injured are very different on farms. The common causes of accidents in
      agriculture and forestry are the loss of control of machine, means of transport
      or handling equipment, hand-held tool, and object or animal, followed by
      slipping, stumbling and falling, breakage, bursting, splitting, slipping, fall,
      and collapse of material agent. In the literature, a number of studies of general
      (machine- and animal-related accidents) and specific (machine-related accidents)
      agricultural and forestry accident situations can be found that refer to
      different databases. From the database Data of the Austrian Workers Compensation
      Board (AUVA) about occupational accidents with different agricultural machinery
      over the period 2008-2010 in Austria, main characteristics of the accident, the
      victim, and the employer as well as variables on causes and circumstances by
      frequency and contexts of parameters were statistically analyzed by employing the
      chi-square test and odds ratio. The aim of the study was to determine the
      information content and quality of the European Statistics on Accidents at Work
      (ESAW) variables to evaluate safety gaps and risks as well as the accidental man
      machine interaction. 

PMID- 26479844
TI  - Circadian variation in murine hepatotoxicity to the antituberculosis agent
      "Isoniazide".
AB  - The circadian time is an important process affecting both pharmacokinetics and
      pharmacodynamics of drugs. Consequently, the desired and/or undesired effects
      vary according to the time of drug administration in the 24 h scale. This study
      investigates whether the toxicity in liver as well as oxidative stress varies
      according to the circadian dosing-time of isoniazid (INH) in mice. A potentially
      toxic INH dose (120 mg/kg) was injected by i.p. route to different groups of
      animals at three different circadian times: 1, 9, and 17 Zeitgeber time (ZT). INH
      administration at 1 ZT resulted in a maximum hepatotoxicity assessed by the
      significant increase in both serum transaminase (ALAT: alanine aminotransferase)
      and (ASAT: aspartate aminotransferase) and antioxidant enzyme activities
      (catalase: CAT and superoxide dismutase: SOD). The highest malondialdehyde (MDA)
      level indicating an induction of lipid peroxidation resulting in oxidative damage
      was also observed at 1 ZT. Liver histopathology from INH groups at 9 ZT and at 1
      ZT showed moderate to severe cytoplasma vacuolation, hepatocyte hypertrophy,
      ballooning, and necrosis. The circadian variation in INH toxicity may help
      realize a chronotherapy protocol in humans based on the selection of the best
      time associated to optimal tolerance or least side effects. 

PMID- 26479845
TI  - Theoretical Study of the Pyridine-Helium van der Waals Complexes.
AB  - In this study we evaluate a high-level ab initio ground-state intermolecular
      potential-energy surface for the pyridine-He van der Waals complex, using the
      CCSD(T) method and Dunning's augmented correlation consistent polarized valence
      double-zeta basis set extended with a set of 3s3p2d1f1g midbond functions. The
      potential is characterized by two symmetric global minima of -93.2 cm(-1) that
      correspond to geometries where the distance between the helium atom and the
      pyridine center of mass is 3.105 A and the angle with respect to the pyridine c
      rotational axis is 3.9 degrees . Six local minima can be observed for geometries
      with the helium atom in the plane cotaining the pyridine molecule. To further
      analyze the nature of the intermolecular interactions in the complex, we use
      symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT). Additional consideration of the
      pyridine-He2 complex provides a better insight into many-body nonadditive
      contributions to intermolecular interactions in systems with more helium atoms. 

PMID- 26479846
TI  - Preparation and in vitro evaluation of Methotrexate-loaded magnetic nanoparticles
      modified with biocompatible copolymers.
AB  - Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) are attractive materials that
      have been widely used in medicine for drug delivery, diagnostic imaging and
      therapeutic applications. In our study, SPION and the anticancer drug,
      Methotrexate, were encapsulated into polycaprolactone-polyethylene glycol (PCL
      PEG) nanoparticles for local treatment. The magnetic properties conferred by
      SPION could help to maintain the nanoparticles in the joint with an external
      magnet. The drug encapsulation efficiency achieved for Fe3O4 magnetic
      nanoparticles modified with PCL-PEG copolymer was 92.36%. There is potential for
      use of these nanoparticles for biomedical application. 

PMID- 26479848
TI  - A Community-Based Home Visitation Program's Impact on Birth Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MOMS Orange County is a coordinated home visitation program in which
      trained paraprofessional home visitors work under the close supervision of
      registered nurses. This model was developed to address health disparities in
      birth outcomes in a Hispanic community in Orange County, CA. PURPOSE: The primary
      objective was to test the impact of MOMS Orange County on birth outcomes. The
      second objective was to examine the breadth of prenatal health education topics
      as a mediator of the relationship between home visits and birth outcomes.
      METHODS: A retrospective cohort design was used. Paraprofessional home visitors
      collected prenatal and postnatal data during home visits. Only those whose birth
      outcomes were obtained were included in the analysis (N = 2,027 participants).
      Regression models were conducted to test the associations between prenatal home
      visits and birth outcomes, adjusting for 10 covariates. RESULTS: Number of
      prenatal home visits predicted higher birthweight and greater gestational age at
      birth. Breadth of health education topics partially mediated the associations
      between home visits and birthweight. The same mediation was revealed with
      gestational age at birth. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The MOMS Orange County prenatal
      home visitation program may be a promising approach to decrease adverse birth
      outcomes in disadvantaged communities. Rigorously designed studies are needed to
      further test this model.

PMID- 26479850
TI  - Dynamics of histone H3 acetylation in the nucleosome core during mouse pre
      implantation development.
AB  - In mammals, the time period that follows fertilization is characterized by
      extensive chromatin remodeling, which enables epigenetic reprogramming of the
      gametes. Major changes in chromatin structure persist until the time of
      implantation, when the embryo develops into a blastocyst, which comprises the
      inner cell mass and the trophectoderm. Changes in DNA methylation, histone
      variant incorporation, and covalent modifications of the histones tails have been
      intensively studied during pre-implantation development. However, modifications
      within the core of the nucleosomes have not been systematically analyzed. Here,
      we report the first characterization and temporal analysis of 3 key acetylated
      residues in the core of the histone H3: H3K64ac, H3K122ac, and H3K56ac, all
      located at structurally important positions close to the DNA. We found that all 3
      acetylations occur during pre-implantation development, but with different
      temporal kinetics. Globally, H3K64ac and H3K56ac were detected throughout
      cleavage stages, while H3K122ac was only weakly detectable during this time. Our
      work contributes to the understanding of the contribution of histone
      modifications in the core of the nucleosome to the "marking" of the newly
      established embryonic chromatin and unveils new modification pathways potentially
      involved in epigenetic reprogramming.

PMID- 26479849
TI  - Effects of the phencyclidine model of schizophrenia and nicotine on total and
      categorized ultrasonic vocalizations in rats.
AB  - Patients with schizophrenia smoke cigarettes at a higher rate than the general
      population. We hypothesized that a factor in this comorbidity is sensitivity to
      the reinforcing and reinforcement-enhancement effects of nicotine. Phencyclidine
      (PCP) was used to model behavioral changes resembling negative symptoms of
      schizophrenia in rats. Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in rats have been used to
      measure emotional states, with 50 kHz USVs indicating positive states and 22 kHz
      USVs indicating negative states. Total and categorized numbers of 22 and 50 kHz
      USVs and USVs during a visual stimulus (e.g. a potential measure of reinforcement
      enhancement) were examined in rats following injection of PCP (2.0 mg/kg) and/or
      nicotine (0.2 or 0.4 mg/kg) daily for 7 days. PCP was then discontinued and all
      rats received nicotine (0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg) and PCP (2.0 mg/kg) on three challenge
      days. PCP acutely decreased 50 kHz vocalizations, whereas repeated nicotine
      potentiated rates of vocalizations, with similar patterns during light
      presentations. Rats in the PCP and nicotine combination groups made more 50 kHz
      vocalizations compared with rats in the control groups on challenge days. We
      conclude that PCP may produce a reward deficit, which is shown by decreased 50
      kHz USVs, and behaviors post-PCP exposure may best model the comorbidity between
      schizophrenia and nicotine.

PMID- 26479851
TI  - Postpartum depression and its psychosocial correlates: A longitudinal study among
      a group of women in Turkey.
AB  - The postpartum period is a window of risk for psychological disturbances and
      particularly for depressive symptoms. This study explored the relationships
      between postpartum depression and prepartum depressive symptoms, marital
      adjustment, support from family, previous depressive symptomology, and pregnancy
      planning. A total of 128 women who were receiving prenatal care at a state
      hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, and who were in the last trimester of their
      pregnancy participated in the first phase of the study. Of these, eighty-seven
      women also participated in the second phase, during the 3-6 month postpartum
      period. The results indicated that depressed mood in the last trimester of
      pregnancy, family support, care and support from spouse, previous depression
      history, and unplanned pregnancy were significant risk factors for postpartum
      depressive symptoms; significant differences were found for study variables as a
      function of women's scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in
      pregnancy and in the postpartum period. The recommendation is made to use
      screening tools, like the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, in the course of
      routine prenatal care, and to refer women with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression
      Scale scores above the cutoff score for further clinical examination.

PMID- 26479852
TI  - Perceived school climate across the transition from elementary to middle school.
AB  - The implications of the transition from elementary to middle school are of major
      concern for educators and researchers worldwide. Previous studies have yielded
      ambiguous findings; some have indicated negative outcomes of school transition,
      whereas others have demonstrated null or even positive effects. The aim of the
      current research was to explore the impact of school transition on students'
      perceived educational climate while distinguishing between transition effects and
      age-related effects by comparing students who transitioned to middle schools at
      the end of the sixth grade versus those who did not. The research included 2
      complementary studies. Study 1 was based on a large-scale national survey in
      Israel (N = 71,739) that compared students from fifth to eighth grades using a
      cross-sectional design, in which the students completed a survey once in the
      middle of the school year. Study 2 followed a sample of 415 students across 2
      years including 4 waves of survey completion, at the beginning and the end of 2
      consecutive school years, during which 55% of the students experienced a
      transition and 45% remained in elementary school. In both studies, the students
      completed self-report surveys assessing the perceived school climate. Both
      multilevel and nonlinear growth-curve analyses consistently indicated that the
      students who transitioned reported positive perceptions of the school climate
      before the transition that declined more quickly and become equal to or lower
      than those of the nontransitioning students. Teachers should apply practices that
      enhance students' sense of support, specifically following school transitions.
      (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26479853
TI  - An HCG-rich microenvironment contributes to ovarian cancer cell differentiation
      into endothelioid cells in a three-dimensional culture system.
AB  - We investigated the expression of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and its
      effects on vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation in ovarian cancer cells under
      normoxic and hypoxic conditions in three-dimensional matrices preconditioned by
      an endothelial-trophoblast cell co-culture system. The co-culture model was
      established using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and HTR-8
      trophoblast cells in a three-dimensional culture system. The co-cultured cells
      were removed with NH4OH, and ovarian cancer cells were implanted into the
      preconditioned matrix. VM was identified morphologically and by detecting
      vascular markers expressed by cancer cells. The specificity of the effects of
      exogenous HCG in the microenvironment was assessed by inhibition with a
      neutralizing anti-HCG antibody. HCG siRNA was used to knock down endogenous HCG
      expression in OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cells. HTR-8 cells 'fingerprinted' HUVECs to
      form capillary-like tube structures in co-cultures. In the preconditioned HCG
      rich microenvironment, the number of vessel-like network structures formed by HCG
      receptor-positive OVCAR-3 cells and the expression levels of CD31, VEGF and
      factor VIII were significantly increased. The preconditioned HCG-rich
      microenvironment significantly increased the expression of hypoxia inducible
      factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) and VM formation in OVCAR-3 cells under hypoxic
      conditions. Treatment with a neutralizing anti-HCG antibody but not HCG siRNA
      significantly inhibited the formation of vessel-like network structures. HCG in
      the microenvironment contributes to OVCAR-3 differentiation into endothelioid
      cells in three-dimensional matrices preconditioned with an endothelial
      trophoblast cell co-culture system. HCG may synergistically enhance hypoxia
      induced vascular markers and HIF-1alpha expression. These findings would provide
      perspectives on new therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer. 

PMID- 26479854
TI  - Robotic rectal cancer surgery: literature review and perspective.
AB  - Surgical treatment of patients with rectal cancer is challenging. The concept of
      robotic surgery is attractive and has earned considerable interest after its
      successful implementation in the fields of urology and gynecology. Recently,
      robotic surgery for rectal cancer with total mesorectal excision (TME) has also
      obtained an increasing amount of attention in the colorectal field. In this
      review, we introduce the commonly performed methods of robotic rectal surgery and
      discuss results to date and future perspectives. 

PMID- 26479855
TI  - Production in Pichia pastoris of protein-based polymers with small heterodimer
      forming blocks.
AB  - Some combinations of leucine zipper peptides are capable of forming alpha-helical
      heterodimeric coiled coils with very high affinity. These can be used as physical
      cross-linkers in the design of protein-based polymers that form supramolecular
      structures, for example hydrogels, upon mixing solutions containing the
      complementary blocks. Such two-component physical networks are of interest for
      many applications in biomedicine, pharmaceutics, and diagnostics. This article
      describes the efficient secretory production of A and B type leucine zipper
      peptides fused to protein-based polymers in Pichia pastoris. By adjusting the
      fermentation conditions, we were able to significantly reduce undesirable
      proteolytic degradation. The formation of A-B heterodimers in mixtures of the
      purified products was confirmed by size exclusion chromatography. Our results
      demonstrate that protein-based polymers incorporating functional heterodimer
      forming blocks can be produced with P. pastoris in sufficient quantities for use
      in future supramolecular self-assembly studies and in various applications.

PMID- 26479856
TI  - High-Intensity Interval Training and Isocaloric Moderate-Intensity Continuous
      Training Result in Similar Improvements in Body Composition and Fitness in Obese
      Individuals.
AB  - This study aimed to determine the effects of 12 weeks of isocaloric programs of
      high-intensity intermittent training (HIIT) or moderate-intensity continuous
      training (MICT) or a short-duration HIIT (1/2HIIT) inducing only half the energy
      deficit on a cycle ergometer, on body weight and composition, cardiovascular
      fitness, resting metabolism rate (RMR), respiratory exchange ratio (RER),
      nonexercise physical activity (PA) levels and fasting and postprandial insulin
      response in sedentary obese individuals. Forty-six sedentary obese individuals
      (30 women), with a mean BMI of 33.3 +/- 2.9 kg/m2 and a mean age of 34.4 +/- 8.8
      years were randomly assigned to one of the three training groups: HIIT (n = 16),
      MICT (n = 14) or 1/2HIIT (n = 16) and exercise was performed 3 times/week for 12
      weeks. Overall, there was a significant reduction in body weight, waist (p <
      .001) and hip (p < .01) circumference,, trunk and leg fat mass (FM; p < .01) and
      an increase in trunk and leg fat free mass (FFM; p < .01) and cardiovascular
      fitness (VO2max in ml/kg/min; p < .001) with exercise. However, no significant
      differences were observed between groups. There was no significant change in RMR,
      RER, nonexercise PA levels, fasting insulin or insulin sensitivity with exercise
      or between groups. There was a tendency for a reduction in AUC insulin with
      exercise (p = .069), but no differences between groups. These results indicate
      that isocaloric training protocols of HIIT or MICT (or 1/2HIIT inducing only half
      the energy deficit) exert similar metabolic and cardiovascular improvements in
      sedentary obese individuals. 

PMID- 26479857
TI  - Pre-Travel Medical Preparation of Business and Occupational Travelers: An
      Analysis of the Global TravEpiNet Consortium, 2009 to 2012.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to understand more about pre-travel
      preparations and itineraries of business and occupational travelers. METHODS: De
      identified data from 18 Global TravEpiNet clinics from January 2009 to December
      2012 were analyzed. RESULTS: Of 23,534 travelers, 61% were non-occupational and
      39% occupational. Business travelers were more likely to be men, had short times
      to departure and shorter trip durations, and commonly refused influenza,
      meningococcal, and hepatitis B vaccines. Most business travelers indicated that
      employers suggested the pre-travel health consultation, whereas non-occupational
      travelers sought consultations because of travel health concerns. CONCLUSIONS:
      Sub-groups of occupational travelers have characteristic profiles, with business
      travelers being particularly distinct. Employers play a role in encouraging
      business travelers to seek pre-travel consultations. Such consultations, even if
      scheduled immediately before travel, can identify vaccination gaps and increase
      coverage.

PMID- 26479858
TI  - Vesicular control of fusion pore expansion.
AB  - Exocytic post-fusion events play an important role determining the composition
      and quantity of cellular secretion. In particular, Ca(2+)-dependent regulation of
      fusion pore dilation/closure is a key regulator for fine-tuning vesicle content
      secretion. This requires a tight temporal and spatial integration of vesicle
      fusion with the PM, Ca(2+) signals and translation of the Ca(2+) signal into
      fusion pore dilation via auxiliary factors. Yet, it is still mostly elusive how
      this is achieved in slow and non-excitable secretory cells, where initial Ca(2+)
      signals triggering fusions will abate before onset of the post-fusion phase. New
      results suggest, that the vesicles themselves provide the necessary itinerary to
      sense and link vesicle fusion to generation of local Ca(2+) signals and fusion
      pore expansion. 

PMID- 26479859
TI  - How can clinicians detect and treat autism early? Methodological trends of
      technology use in research.
AB  - We reviewed original research papers that used quantifiable technology to detect
      early autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and identified 376 studies from 34 countries
      from 1965 to 2013. Publications have increased significantly since 2000, with
      most coming from the USA. Electroencephalogram, magnetic resonance imaging and
      eye tracking were the most frequently used technologies. CONCLUSION: The use of
      quantifiable technology to detect early ASD has increased in recent decades, but
      has had limited impact on early detection and treatment. Further scientific
      developments are anticipated, and we hope that they will increasingly be used in
      clinical practice for early ASD screening, diagnosis and intervention.

PMID- 26479860
TI  - Evolutionarily conserved exon definition interactions with U11 snRNP mediate
      alternative splicing regulation on U11-48K and U11/U12-65K genes.
AB  - Many splicing regulators bind to their own pre-mRNAs to induce alternative
      splicing that leads to formation of unstable mRNA isoforms. This provides an
      autoregulatory feedback mechanism that regulates the cellular homeostasis of
      these factors. We have described such an autoregulatory mechanism for two core
      protein components, U11-48K and U11/U12-65K, of the U12-dependent spliceosome.
      This regulatory system uses an atypical splicing enhancer element termed USSE
      (U11 snRNP-binding splicing enhancer), which contains two U12-type consensus 5'
      splice sites (5'ss). Evolutionary analysis of the USSE element from a large
      number of animal and plant species indicate that USSE sequence must be located 25
      50 nt downstream from the target 3' splice site (3'ss). Together with functional
      evidence showing a loss of USSE activity when this distance is reduced and a
      requirement for RS-domain of U11-35K protein for 3'ss activation, our data
      suggests that U11 snRNP bound to USSE uses exon definition interactions for
      regulating alternative splicing. However, unlike standard exon definition where
      the 5'ss bound by U1 or U11 will be subsequently activated for splicing, the USSE
      element functions similarly as an exonic splicing enhancer and is involved only
      in upstream splice site activation but does not function as a splicing donor.
      Additionally, our evolutionary and functional data suggests that the function of
      the 5'ss duplication within the USSE elements is to allow binding of two U11/U12
      di-snRNPs that stabilize each others' binding through putative mutual
      interactions. 

PMID- 26479861
TI  - Can we understand how developmental stress enhances performance under future
      threat with the Yerkes-Dodson law?
AB  - Recently we have shown that adult rats exposed to chronic stress during
      adolescence increase foraging performance in high-threat conditions by 43%
      compared to rats reared without stress. Our findings suggest that stress during
      adolescence can prepare rats to better function under future threat, which
      supports hypotheses describing an adaptive role for the long-term consequences of
      early stress (e.g. the thrifty phenotype and maternal mismatch hypotheses). These
      hypotheses often predict that early stress will impair performance in low-threat
      conditions later in life. However, we did not find any difference in performance
      under low-threat conditions between adolescent-stressed and unstressed adult
      animals. To understand why stress during adolescence may affect performance in
      high-threat but not in low-threat conditions, we discuss our findings in the
      framework of the Yerkes-Dodson law, a key precept of psychology that has been
      used for over a century to describe how stress affects performance. 

PMID- 26479862
TI  - Morphological Changes within the Rat Lateral Ventricle after the Administration
      of Proteasome Inhibitors.
AB  - The broad variety of substances that inhibit the action of the ubiquitin
      proteasome system (UPS)-known as proteasome inhibitors-have been used extensively
      in previous studies, and they are currently frequently proposed as a novel form
      of cancer treatment and as a protective factor in intracerebral hemorrhage
      treatment. The experimental data on the safest route of proteasome inhibitor
      administration, their associated side effects, and the possible ways of
      minimizing these effects have recently become a very important topic. The aim of
      our present study was to determine the effects of administering of MG-132,
      lactacystin and epoxomicin, compounds belonging to three different classes of
      proteasome inhibitors, on the ependymal walls of the lateral ventricle.
      Observations were made 2 and 8 weeks after the intraventricular administration of
      the studied substances dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) into the lateral
      ventricle of adult Wistar rats. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of brain
      sections stained with histochemical and inmmunofluorescence techniques showed
      that the administration of proteasome inhibitors caused a partial occlusion of
      the injected ventricle in all of the studied animals. The occlusion was due to
      ependymal cells damage and subsequent ependymal discontinuity, which caused
      direct contact between the striatum and the lateral nuclei of the septum,
      mononuclear cell infiltration and the formation of a glial scar between these
      structures (with the activation of astroglia, microglia and oligodendroglia).
      Morphologically, the ubiquitin-positive aggregates corresponded to aggresomes,
      indicating impaired activity of the UPS and the accumulation and aggregation of
      ubiquitinated proteins that coincided with the occurrence of glial scars. The
      most significant changes were observed in the wall covering the striatum in
      animals that were administered epoxomicin, and milder changes were observed in
      animals administered lactacystin and MG-132. Interestingly, DMSO administration
      also caused damage to some of the ependymal cells, but the aggresome-like
      structures were not formed. Our results indicate that all of the studied classes
      of proteasome inhibitors are detrimental to ependymal cells to some extent, and
      may cause severe changes in the ventricular system. The safety implications of
      their usage in therapeutic strategies to attenuate intracerebral hemorrhagic
      injury and in brain cancer treatment will require further studies. 

PMID- 26479864
TI  - Hemoglobin-Based Nanoarchitectonic Assemblies as Oxygen Carriers.
AB  - Safe and effective artificial oxygen carriers are the subject of great interest
      due to the problems of traditional blood transfusion and enormous demand in
      clinical use. In view of its unique oxygen-transport ability and normal metabolic
      pathways, hemoglobin is regarded as an ideal oxygen-carrying unit. With advances
      in nano-biotechnology, hemoglobin assemblies as artificial oxygen carriers
      achieve great development. Here, recent progress on hemoglobin-based oxygen
      carriers is highlighted in view of two aspects: acellular hemoglobin-based oxygen
      carriers and cellular hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers. These novel oxygen
      carriers exhibit advantages over traditional carriers and will greatly promote
      research on reliable and feasible oxygen carriers. 

PMID- 26479863
TI  - Domestic animals as models for biomedical research.
AB  - Domestic animals are unique models for biomedical research due to their long
      history (thousands of years) of strong phenotypic selection. This process has
      enriched for novel mutations that have contributed to phenotype evolution in
      domestic animals. The characterization of such mutations provides insights in
      gene function and biological mechanisms. This review summarizes genetic
      dissection of about 50 genetic variants affecting pigmentation, behaviour,
      metabolic regulation, and the pattern of locomotion. The variants are controlled
      by mutations in about 30 different genes, and for 10 of these our group was the
      first to report an association between the gene and a phenotype. Almost half of
      the reported mutations occur in non-coding sequences, suggesting that this is the
      most common type of polymorphism underlying phenotypic variation since this is a
      biased list where the proportion of coding mutations are inflated as they are
      easier to find. The review documents that structural changes (duplications,
      deletions, and inversions) have contributed significantly to the evolution of
      phenotypic diversity in domestic animals. Finally, we describe five examples of
      evolution of alleles, which means that alleles have evolved by the accumulation
      of several consecutive mutations affecting the function of the same gene. 

PMID- 26479865
TI  - Editor-in-Chief editorial and introduction to 'Metabolomics and biomarkers'
      special issue.

PMID- 26479866
TI  - Free-breathing slice-interleaved myocardial T2 mapping with slice-selective T2
      magnetization preparation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop and evaluate a free-breathing slice-interleaved T2 mapping
      sequence by proposing a new slice-selective T2 magnetization preparation (T2
      prep) sequence that allows interleaved data acquisition for different slices in
      subsequent heartbeats. METHODS: We developed a slice-selective T2 prep for
      myocardial T2 mapping by adding slice-selective gradients to a conventional
      single-slice T2 prep sequence. In this sequence, five slices are acquired during
      five consecutive heartbeats, each using a slice-selective T2 prep. The scheme was
      repeated four times using different T2 prep echo times. We compared the
      performance of the proposed slice-interleaved T2 mapping sequence and the
      conventional single-slice T2 mapping sequence in term of accuracy, precision, and
      reproducibility using phantom experiments and in vivo imaging in 10 healthy
      subjects. We also evaluated the feasibility of the proposed sequence in 28
      patients with cardiovascular disease, and the quality of the maps was scored
      subjectively. Furthermore, we investigated the impact of through-plane motion by
      comparing T2 measurements acquired during end-systole versus mid-diastole.
      RESULTS: T2 measurements using a slice-interleaved T2 mapping sequence were
      correlated with a spin echo (r(2)  = 0.88) and single-slice T2 mapping sequence
      (r(2)  = 0.98). The mean myocardial T2 values were correlated between slice
      interleaved (48 ms) and single-slice (51 ms) T2 mapping sequences. Subjective
      scores of T2 map quality were good to excellent in 81% of the maps in patients.
      There was no difference in T2 measurements between end-systole versus mid
      diastole. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed free-breathing slice-interleaved T2 mapping
      sequence allows T2 measurements of five left ventricular slices in 20 heartbeats
      with similar reproducibility and precision as the single-slice T2 mapping
      sequence but with a four-fold reduction in acquisition time. Magn Reson Med
      76:555-565, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26479867
TI  - Next-generation monitoring of aquatic biodiversity using environmental DNA
      metabarcoding.
AB  - Global biodiversity in freshwater and the oceans is declining at high rates.
      Reliable tools for assessing and monitoring aquatic biodiversity, especially for
      rare and secretive species, are important for efficient and timely management.
      Recent advances in DNA sequencing have provided a new tool for species detection
      from DNA present in the environment. In this study, we tested whether an
      environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding approach, using water samples, can be used
      for addressing significant questions in ecology and conservation. Two key aquatic
      vertebrate groups were targeted: amphibians and bony fish. The reliability of
      this method was cautiously validated in silico, in vitro and in situ. When
      compared with traditional surveys or historical data, eDNA metabarcoding showed a
      much better detection probability overall. For amphibians, the detection
      probability with eDNA metabarcoding was 0.97 (CI = 0.90-0.99) vs. 0.58 (CI = 0.50
      0.63) for traditional surveys. For fish, in 89% of the studied sites, the number
      of taxa detected using the eDNA metabarcoding approach was higher or identical to
      the number detected using traditional methods. We argue that the proposed DNA
      based approach has the potential to become the next-generation tool for
      ecological studies and standardized biodiversity monitoring in a wide range of
      aquatic ecosystems.

PMID- 26479869
TI  - Tracing microbiota changes in yamahai-moto, the traditional Japanese sake
      starter.
AB  - Sake is made from steamed rice, malted rice, and water. Sake production begins
      with the preparation of a small-scale starter (moto); the quality of moto
      significantly influences the flavor and richness of sake. In the traditional
      starter, yamahai-moto, the growth of naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria
      represses the putrefactive micro-organisms, whereas in the modern starter, sokujo
      moto, this is achieved by adding lactic acid. In this study, the successive
      change in bacterial flora of yamahai-moto was analyzed by pyrosequencing 16S
      ribosomal RNA genes. Lactobacillus was dominant throughout the process (93-98%).
      Nitrate-reducing bacteria that have been generally assumed to be the first
      colonizers of yamahai-moto were scarcely found in the early stage, but
      Lactobacillus acidipiscis dominated. Lactobacillus sakei drastically increased in
      the middle stage. This is the first report, though one case study, to show how
      the early stage microbiota in Japanese yamahai-moto is varyingly controlled
      without nitrate-reducing bacteria using next-generation sequencing. 

PMID- 26479868
TI  - Non-Hematopoietic beta-Arrestin1 Confers Protection Against Experimental Colitis.
AB  - beta-Arrestins are multifunctional scaffolding proteins that modulate G protein
      coupled receptor (GPCR)-dependent and -independent cell signaling pathways in
      various types of cells. We recently demonstrated that beta-arrestin1 (beta-arr1)
      deficiency strikingly attenuates dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in
      mice. Since DSS-induced colitis is in part dependent on gut epithelial injury, we
      examined the role of beta-arr1 in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) using a
      colon epithelial cell line, SW480 cells. Surprisingly, we found that knockdown of
      beta-arr1 in SW480 cells enhanced epithelial cell death via a caspase-3-dependent
      process. To understand the in vivo relevance and potential cell type-specific
      role of beta-arr1 in colitis development, we generated bone marrow chimeras with
      beta-arr1 deficiency in either the hematopoietic or non-hematopoietic
      compartment. Reconstituted chimeric mice were then subjected to DSS-induced
      colitis. Similar to our previous findings, beta-arr1 deficiency in the
      hematopoietic compartment protected mice from DSS-induced colitis. However,
      consistent with the role of beta-arr1 in epithelial apoptosis in vitro, non
      hematopoietic beta-arr1 deficiency led to an exacerbated colitis phenotype. To
      further understand signaling mechanisms, we examined the effect of beta-arr1 on
      TNF-alpha-mediated NFkappaB and MAPK pathways. Our results demonstrate that beta
      arr1 has a critical role in modulating ERK, JNK and p38 MAPK pathways mediated by
      TNF-alpha in IECs. Together, our results show that beta-arr1-dependent signaling
      in hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells differentially regulates colitis
      pathogenesis and further demonstrates that beta-arr1 in epithelial cells inhibits
      TNF-alpha-induced cell death pathways.

PMID- 26479871
TI  - Correction: Structural Synaptic Plasticity Has High Memory Capacity and Can
      Explain Graded Amnesia, Catastrophic Forgetting, and the Spacing Effect.

PMID- 26479870
TI  - Malva sylvestris Inhibits Inflammatory Response in Oral Human Cells. An In Vitro
      Infection Model.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity
      of Malva sylvestris extract (MSE) and fractions in a co-culture model of cells
      infected by Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. In addition, we evaluated the
      phytochemical content in the extract and fractions of M. sylvestris and
      demonstrated that polyphenols were the most frequent group in all samples
      studied. An in vitro dual-chamber model to mimic the periodontal structure was
      developed using a monolayer of epithelial keratinocytes (OBA-9) and a
      subepithelial layer of fibroblasts (HGF-1). The invasive periodontopathogen A.
      actinomycetemcomitans (D7S-1) was applied to migrate through the cell layers and
      induce the synthesis of immune factors and cytokines in the host cells. In an
      attempt to analyze the antimicrobial properties of MSE and fractions, a
      susceptibility test was carried out. The extract (MIC 175 MUg/mL, MBC 500MUg/mL)
      and chloroform fraction (MIC 150 MUg/mL, MBC 250 MUg/mL) were found to have
      inhibitory activity. The extract and all fractions were assessed using a
      cytotoxicity test and results showed that concentrations under 100 MUg/mL did not
      significantly reduce cell viability compared to the control group (p > 0.05,
      viability > 90%). In order to analyze the inflammatory response, transcriptional
      factors and cytokines were quantified in the supernatant released from the cells.
      The chloroform fraction was the most effective in reducing the bacterial
      colonization (p< 0.05) and controlling inflammatory mediators, and promoted the
      down-regulation of genes including IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-10, CD14, PTGS, MMP-1 and
      FOS as well as the reduction of the IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8 and GM-CSF protein
      levels (p< 0.05). Malva sylvestris and its chloroform fraction minimized the A.
      actinomycetemcomitans infection and inflammation processes in oral human cells by
      a putative pathway that involves important cytokines and receptors. Therefore,
      this natural product may be considered as a successful dual anti-inflammatory
      antimicrobial candidate. 

PMID- 26479872
TI  - mVps45 knockdown selectively modulates VAMP expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.
AB  - Insulin stimulates the delivery of glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4)-containing
      vesicles to the surface of adipocytes. Depletion of the Sec1/Munc18 protein
      mVps45 significantly abrogates insulin-stimulated glucose transport and GLUT4
      translocation. Here we show that depletion of mVps45 selectively reduced
      expression of VAMPs 2 and 4, but not other VAMP isoforms. Although we did not
      observe direct interaction of mVps45 with any VAMP isoform; we found that the
      cognate binding partner of mVps45, Syntaxin 16 associates with VAMPs 2, 4, 7 and
      8 in vitro. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments in 3T3-L1 adipocytes revealed an
      interaction between Syntaxin 16 and only VAMP4. We suggest GLUT4 trafficking is
      controlled by the coordinated expression of mVps45/Syntaxin 16/VAMP4, and that
      depletion of mVps45 regulates VAMP2 levels indirectly, perhaps via reduced
      trafficking into specialized subcellular compartments. 

PMID- 26479873
TI  - Determinants of Socioeconomic Inequalities in Traumatic Dental Injuries among
      Urban Indian Adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess socioeconomic inequalities in traumatic dental injuries
      (TDIs) in adolescents in New Delhi and examine the role of material, psychosocial
      and behavioural factors in explaining these inequalities. METHODS: We conducted a
      cross sectional study of 1386 adolescents aged between 12-15 years residing in
      three diverse areas of New Delhi. A non-invasive clinical examination was used to
      estimate the prevalence of TDIs, and an interviewer-administered questionnaire
      was used to gather relevant behavioural and socio-demographic data. Multiple
      logistic regression models were used to assess the association between area based
      socioeconomic position and TDIs. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of TDIs was
      10.9%. Social inequalities in the prevalence of TDIs were observed across the
      adolescent population according to their area of residence. Socio-economic group
      differences in the prevalence of TDIs remained statistically significant after
      adjusting for demographic factors, material resources, social capital, social
      support and health affecting behaviours (OR 3.36, 95% CI 1.75-6.46 and OR 3.99,
      95% CI 1.86-8.56 for adolescents from resettlement areas and urban slums
      respectively in comparison to middle class adolescents). Different psychosocial,
      material and socio-demographic variables did not attenuate the estimates for the
      relationship between area socioeconomic position and TDIs. CONCLUSION: Area of
      residence was a strong predictor of TDIs in adolescents with a higher prevalence
      in more deprived areas. Social inequalities in TDIs were not explained by
      psychosocial and behavioural variables. Health promoting policies aimed at
      improving the physical environment in which adolescents reside might be
      instrumental in reducing the prevalence of TDIs and associated inequalities.

PMID- 26479874
TI  - Biological variation of thromboelastrography variables in 10 clinically healthy
      horses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the utility of population-based reference intervals (PRIs)
      for interpreting thromboelastography (TEG) variables in horses using biological
      variation data. DESIGN: Prospective cohort biologic variation study conducted
      over a 5-week period. SETTING: Veterinary teaching hospital and research
      facility. ANIMALS: Ten clinically healthy horses randomly selected from a
      veterinary school research and teaching herd. INTERVENTIONS: Horse health was
      determined using physical examination, CBC, and biochemical and coagulation
      profiles prior to the start of the study. Subsequently, once weekly blood
      sampling for TEG testing was performed for 5 weeks. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
      RESULTS: The 4 TEG variables reaction time (R), clot formation time (K), angle,
      and maximum amplitude (MA) were measured, and coefficient of variation
      representing within- and between-horse biological variation (CVi and CVg ,
      respectively) and coefficient of variation representing analytical variation (CVa
      ) were calculated using a nested ANOVA after removing outlier data. The CVi , CVg
      , and CVa for R were 26.8%, 5.2%, and 5.9%; for K were 31.0%, 0.0%, and 5.9%; for
      angle were 9.4%, 6.2%, and 21.7%; and for MA were 3.4%, 4.1%, and 4.4%,
      respectively. Index of individuality (IOI) was then calculated for each variable
      using the formula {( CVi2 + CVa2/CVg2)}1/2. IOI for R was 5.3, for angle was 3.8,
      and for MA was 1.4; IOI was not assessed for K. CONCLUSIONS: PRIs are appropriate
      for TEG variables, R, angle, and MA when interpreting results from individual
      horses based on calculated IOI values equal to or greater than 1.4. PRIs are
      likely appropriate when interpreting K, but IOI could not be calculated for this
      variable.

PMID- 26479875
TI  - Protecting against ischaemic stroke in rats by heat shock protein 20-mediated
      exercise.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exercise preconditioning (EP(+) ) has been widely accepted as a being
      of safe and effective preventive measure for stroke. The purpose of this study
      was to investigate whether EP(+) improves outcomes of ischaemic stroke by
      promoting neuronal and glial expression of heat shock protein (HSP) 20. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (288 in number) were used to
      investigate the contribution of HSP20-containing neurons and HSP20-containing
      glial cells in the exercise-mediated neuroprotection in the stroke condition
      using middle cerebral artery occlusion. RESULTS: Exercise preconditioning, in
      addition to increasing the numbers of both the HSP20-containg neurons (88 +/- 8
      vs. 43 +/- 4; n = 8 each group; P < 0.05) and the HSP20-containg astrocytes (102
      +/- 10 vs. 56 +/- 5; n = 8; P < 0.05) significantly attenuated stroke-induced
      brain infarct (140 +/- 9 vs. 341 +/- 20 mm(3) ; n = 8 per group; P < 0.01),
      neuronal apoptosis (20 +/- 5 vs. 87 +/- 7; n = 8 per group; n = 8; P < 0.01),
      glial apoptosis (29 +/- 5 vs. 101 +/- 4; n = 8; P < 0.01), and neurological
      deficits (6.6 +/- 0.3 vs. 11.7 +/- 0.8; n = 8 per group; P < 0.01). Reducing the
      numbers of both HSP20-containing neurons and HSP20-contaiing glia by
      intracerebral injection of pSUPER small interfering RNAiota expressing HSP20
      significantly reversed the beneficial effects of EP(+) in attenuating stroke
      induced cerebral infarct, neuronal and glial apoptosis, and neurological
      deficits. CONCLUSIONS: The numbers of both the HSP20-containing neurons and the
      HSP20-containing glia inversely correlated with the outcomes of ischaemic stroke.
      In addition, preischaemic treadmill exercise improves outcomes of ischaemic
      stroke by increasing the numbers of both the HSP20-containing neurons and the
      HSP20-containing glia.

PMID- 26479877
TI  - Sholom Wacholder, 1955-2015.

PMID- 26479876
TI  - Growth and Mortality Outcomes for Different Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation
      Criteria in Children Ages 1-5 Years: A Causal Modeling Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence regarding the optimal timing of initiating
      antiretroviral therapy (ART) in children. We conducted a causal modeling analysis
      in children ages 1-5 years from the International Epidemiologic Databases to
      Evaluate AIDS West/Southern-Africa collaboration to determine growth and
      mortality differences related to different CD4-based treatment initiation
      criteria, age groups, and regions. METHODS: ART-naive children of ages 12-59
      months at enrollment with at least one visit before ART initiation and one follow
      up visit were included. We estimated 3-year growth and cumulative mortality from
      the start of follow-up for different CD4 criteria using g-computation. RESULTS:
      About one quarter of the 5,826 included children was from West Africa (24.6%).The
      median (first; third quartile) CD4% at the first visit was 16% (11%; 23%), the
      median weight-for-age z-scores and height-for-age z-scores were -1.5 (-2.7; -0.6)
      and -2.5 (-3.5; -1.5), respectively. Estimated cumulative mortality was higher
      overall, and growth was slower, when initiating ART at lower CD4 thresholds.
      After 3 years of follow-up, the estimated mortality difference between starting
      ART routinely irrespective of CD4 count and starting ART if either CD4 count <750
      cells/mm3 or CD4% <25% was 0.2% (95% CI = -0.2%; 0.3%), and the difference in the
      mean height-for-age z-scores of those who survived was -0.02 (95% CI = -0.04;
      0.01). Younger children ages 1-2 and children in West Africa had worse outcomes.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that earlier treatment initiation yields
      overall better growth and mortality outcomes, although we could not show any
      differences in outcomes between immediate ART and delaying until CD4 count/%
      falls below 750/25%.

PMID- 26479878
TI  - A Simple Technique for Accurate Transfer of Secondary Copings in a Tooth
      Supported Telescopic Prosthesis.
AB  - Residual ridge resorption is a rapid, progressive, irreversible, and inevitable
      process of bone resorption. Long-standing teeth and implants have been shown to
      have maintained the bone around them without resorption. Thus, overdenture
      therapy has been proven to be beneficial in situations where few remaining teeth
      are present. In addition to the various advantages seen with tooth-supported
      telescopic overdentures, a few shortcomings can also be expected, including
      unseating of the overdenture, increased bulk of the prosthesis, secondary caries,
      etc. The precise transfer of the secondary telescopic copings to maintain the
      spatial relationship, without any micromovement, remains the most critical step
      in ensuring the success of the tooth-supported telescopic prosthesis. Thus, a
      simple and innovative technique of splinting the secondary copings was devised to
      prevent distortion and micromovement and maintain its spatial relationship.

PMID- 26479879
TI  - Morphological Changes in Skin Glands During Development in Rhinella Arenarum
      (Anura: Bufonidae).
AB  - Avoiding predation is critical to survival of animals; chemical defenses
      represent a common strategy among amphibians. In this study, we examined
      histologically the morphology of skin glands and types of secretions related to
      chemical skin defense during ontogeny of Rhinella arenarum. Prior to metamorphic
      climax the epidermis contains typical bufonid giant cells producing a mucous
      substance supposedly involved in triggering a flight reaction of the tadpole
      school. An apical layer of alcianophilic mucus covers the epidermis, which could
      produce the unpleasant taste of bufonid tadpoles. Giant cells disappear by onset
      of metamorphic climax, when multicellular glands start developing, but the apical
      mucous layer remains. By the end of climax, neither the granular glands of the
      dorsum nor the parotoid regions are completely developed. Conversely, by the end
      of metamorphosis the mucous glands are partially developed and secrete mucus.
      Adults have at least three types of granular glands, which we designate type A
      (acidophilic), type B (basophilic) and ventral (mucous). Polymorphic granular
      glands distribute differently in the body: dorsal granular glands between warts
      and in the periphery of parotoids contain protein; granular glands of big warts
      and in the central region of parotoids contain catecholamines, lipids, and
      glycoconjugates, whereas ventral granular glands produce acidic glycoconjugates.
      Mucous glands produce both mucus and proteins. Results suggest that in early
      juveniles the chemical skin defense mechanisms are not functional. Topographical
      differences in adult skin secretions suggest that granular glands from the big
      warts in the skin produce similar toxins to the parotoid glands.

PMID- 26479880
TI  - Molecular insight into the viral biology and clinical features of trichodysplasia
      spinulosa.
AB  - Trichodysplasia spinulosa (TS) is a disfiguring skin disease that occurs most
      frequently in patients receiving immunosuppressive therapies, and is thus
      frequently associated with organ transplantation. TS is characterized clinically
      by folliculocentric papular eruption, keratin spine formation and development of
      leonine face; and histologically by expansion of the inner root sheath epithelium
      and high expression of the proliferative marker Ki-67. Recent discovery of the TS
      associated polyomavirus (TSPyV) and emerging studies demonstrating the role of
      TSPyV tumour antigens in cell proliferation pathways have opened a new corridor
      for research on TS. In this brief review, we summarize the clinical and
      histological features of TS and evaluate the current options for therapy.
      Furthermore, we address the viral aetiology of the disease and explore the
      mechanisms by which TSPyV may influence TS development and progression. As
      reports of TS continue to rise, clinician recognition of TS, as well as
      accompanying research on its underlying pathogenesis and therapeutic options, is
      becoming increasingly important. It is our hope that heightened clinical
      suspicion for TS will increase rates of diagnosis and will galvanize both
      molecular and clinical interest in this disease. 

PMID- 26479881
TI  - Effectiveness of Gel Repellents on Feral Pigeons.
AB  - Millions of feral pigeons (Columba livia) live in close association with the
      human population in our cities. They pose serious health risks to humans and lead
      to high economic loss due to damage caused to buildings. Consequently, house
      owners and city authorities are not willing to allow pigeons on their buildings.
      While various avian repellents are regularly introduced onto the market,
      scientific proof of efficacy is lacking. This study aimed at testing the
      effectiveness of two avian gel repellents and additionally examined their
      application from animal welfare standpoint. The gels used an alleged tactile or
      visual aversion of the birds, reinforced by additional sensory cues. We mounted
      experimental shelves with the installed repellents in a pigeon loft and observed
      the behavior of free-living feral pigeons towards the systems. Both gels showed a
      restricted, transient repellent effect, but failed to prove the claimed complete
      effectiveness. Additionally, the gels' adhesive effect remains doubtful in view
      of animal welfare because gluing of plumage presents a risk to feral pigeons and
      also to other non-target birds. This study infers that both gels lack the
      promised complete efficacy, conflict with animal welfare concerns and are
      therefore not suitable for feral pigeon management in urban areas. 

PMID- 26479882
TI  - Conscientious Objection to Harmful Animal Use within Veterinary and Other
      Biomedical Education.
AB  - Laboratory classes in which animals are seriously harmed or killed, or which use
      cadavers or body parts from ethically debatable sources, are controversial within
      veterinary and other biomedical curricula. Along with the development of more
      humane teaching methods, this has increasingly led to objections to participation
      in harmful animal use. Such cases raise a host of issues of importance to
      universities, including those pertaining to curricular design and course
      accreditation, and compliance with applicable animal welfare and
      antidiscrimination legislation. Accordingly, after detailed investigation, some
      universities have implemented formal policies to guide faculty responses to such
      cases, and to ensure that decisions are consistent and defensible from legal and
      other policy perspectives. However, many other institutions have not yet done so,
      instead dealing with such cases on an ad hoc basis as they arise. Among other
      undesirable outcomes this can lead to insufficient student and faculty
      preparation, suboptimal and inconsistent responses, and greater likelihood of
      legal challenge. Accordingly, this paper provides pertinent information about the
      evolution of conscientious objection policies within Australian veterinary
      schools, and about the jurisprudential bases for conscientious objection within
      Australia and the USA. It concludes with recommendations for the development and
      implementation of policy within this arena. 

PMID- 26479883
TI  - Dogs' Body Language Relevant to Learning Achievement.
AB  - The facial expressions and body postures of dogs can give helpful information
      about their moods and emotional states. People can more effectively obedience
      train their dogs if we can identify the mannerisms associated with learning in
      dogs. The aim of this study was to clarify the dog's body language during operant
      conditioning to predict achievement in the test that followed by measuring the
      duration of behaviors. Forty-six untrained dogs (17 males and 26 females) of
      various breeds were used. Each session consisted of 5 minutes of training with a
      treat reward followed by 3 minutes of rest and finally an operant conditioning
      test that consisted of 20 "hand motion" cues. The operant tests were conducted a
      total of nine times over three consecutive days, and the success numbers were
      counted. The duration of the dog's behavior, focusing on the dog's eyes, mouth,
      ears, tail and tail-wagging, was recorded during the operant conditioning
      sessions before the test. Particular behaviors, including wide-eyes, closed
      mouth, erect ears, and forward and high tail carriage, without wagging or with
      short and quick wagging, related to high achievement results. It is concluded
      that dogs' body language during operant conditioning was related to their success
      rate. 

PMID- 26479884
TI  - Characteristics of Loads of Cattle Stopping for Feed, Water and Rest during Long
      Distance Transport in Canada.
AB  - This study is the first comprehensive examination of long-haul cattle being
      transported across Canada and off-loaded for feed, water and rest. A total of 129
      truckloads were observed at one of two commercial rest stations near Thunder Bay,
      Ontario. Data collected included information regarding the truck driver, the
      trailer, the trip, the animals and animal handling. The majority of the loads
      stopping were feeder calves (60.94%) while 21.09% were weaned calves, and the
      remaining 14.84% were market weight cattle. The truck loads surveyed were in
      transit for, on average, 28.2 +/- 5.0 hours before stopping and cattle were
      rested for an average of 11.2 +/- 2.8 hours. These data suggest that loads
      stopping at the rest station were adhering to the regulations stated in the
      Health of Animals Act, which outline a maximum of 48 hours in transit before a
      mandatory stop of at least 5 hours for feed, water and rest. There was a large
      amount of variability around how well recommendations, such as stocking density
      were followed. Further research is required to assess how well cattle are coping
      with long-distance transport under current regulations and industry practices. 

PMID- 26479885
TI  - Effect of Corn Dried Distiller Grains with Solubles (DDGS) in Dairy Cow Diets on
      Manure Bioenergy Production Potential.
AB  - The main objective of this study was to obtain scientifically sound data on the
      bioenergy potential of dairy manures from cows fed different levels of corn dried
      distillers grains with solubles (DDGS). Three diets differing in corn DDGS
      content were formulated: 0% corn DDGS (DDGS0; control diet), 10% corn DDGS
      (DDGS10) and 30% corn DDGS (DDGS30). Bioenergy production was determined in
      psychrophilic (25 +/- 1  degrees C) sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) fed 3 g COD
      L(-1).day(-1) during a two-week feeding period followed by a two-week react
      period. Compared to the control diet, adding DDGS10 and DDGS30 to the dairy cow
      diet increased the daily amount of fat excreted in slurry by 29% and 70%,
      respectively. The addition of DDGS30 increased the cows' daily production of
      fresh feces and slurry by 15% and 11%, respectively. Furthermore, the
      incorporation of DDGS30 in the diet increased the daily amounts of dry matter
      (DM), volatile solids (VS), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber
      (ADF) and hemicellulose by 18%, 18%, 30%, 15% and 53%, respectively, compared to
      the control diet. While the addition of DDGS did not significantly affect the
      specific CH4 production per kg VS compared to the control diet, DDGS30 increased
      the per cow daily CH4 production by 14% compared to the control diet. 

PMID- 26479886
TI  - Social Networks and Welfare in Future Animal Management.
AB  - It may become advantageous to keep human-managed animals in the social network
      groups to which they have adapted. Data concerning the social networks of farm
      animal species and their ancestors are scarce but essential to establishing the
      importance of a natural social network for farmed animal species. Social Network
      Analysis (SNA) facilitates the characterization of social networking at group,
      subgroup and individual levels. SNA is currently used for modeling the social
      behavior and management of wild animals and social welfare of zoo animals. It has
      been recognized for use with farm animals but has yet to be applied for
      management purposes. Currently, the main focus is on cattle, because in large
      groups (poultry), recording of individuals is expensive and the existence of
      social networks is uncertain due to on-farm restrictions. However, in many cases,
      a stable social network might be important to individual animal fitness, survival
      and welfare. For instance, when laying hens are not too densely housed, simple
      networks may be established. We describe here small social networks in horses,
      brown bears, laying hens and veal calves to illustrate the importance of
      measuring social networks among animals managed by humans. Emphasis is placed on
      the automatic measurement of identity, location, nearest neighbors and nearest
      neighbor distance for management purposes. It is concluded that social networks
      are important to the welfare of human-managed animal species and that welfare
      management based on automatic recordings will become available in the near
      future. 

PMID- 26479887
TI  - Environmental and Anthropogenic Impacts on Avifaunal Assemblages in an Urban
      Parkland, 1976 to 2007.
AB  - Urban environments are unique, rapidly changing habitats in which almost half of
      the world's human population resides. The effects of urbanisation, such as
      habitat (vegetation) removal, pollution and modification of natural areas,
      commonly cause biodiversity loss. Long-term ecological monitoring of urban
      environments is vital to determine the composition and long-term trends of faunal
      communities. This paper provides a detailed view of long-term changes in
      avifaunal assemblages of the Adelaide City parklands and discusses the
      anthropogenic and environmental factors that contributed to the changes between
      1976 and 2007. The Adelaide City parklands (ACP) comprise 760 ha of land
      surrounding Adelaide's central business district. Naturalist Robert Whatmough
      completed a 32-year survey of the ACP to determine the structure of the urban
      bird community residing there. Annual species richness and the abundance of birds
      in March and September months were analysed. Linear regression analysis was
      applied to species richness and abundance data of each assemblage. Resident
      parkland birds demonstrated significant declines in abundance. Native and
      introduced species also exhibited long-term declines in species richness and
      abundance throughout the 32-year period. Cycles of varying time periods indicated
      fluctuations in avian biodiversity demonstrating the need for future monitoring
      and statistical analyses on bird communities in the Adelaide City parklands. 

PMID- 26479888
TI  - Interaction between gut immunity and polysaccharides.
AB  - The human gut is colonized with a vast and diverse microbial ecosystem, and these
      bacteria play fundamental roles in the well being of our bodies. Gut-associated
      lymphoid tissues, the largest mucosal immune system, should never be overlooked
      for their profound effect in maintaining the host immunity. Therefore, we
      discussed the relationship between gut immunity and host health, primarily from
      two aspects: the homeostasis of gut microbiota, and the function of gut
      associated lymphoid tissues. Polysaccharides, widely concerned as bioactive
      macromolecules in recent centuries, have been proved to benefit the intestinal
      health. Dietary polysaccharides can improve the ratio of probiotics, regulate the
      intestinal microenvironment like decreasing the gut pH, and stimulate the
      macrophages or lymphocytes in gut tissues to fight against diseases like cancer.
      Based on various experimental and clinical evidence, the impacts of dietary
      polysaccharides on intestinal health are summarized, in order to reveal the
      possible immunomodulatory mechanisms of polysaccharides.

PMID- 26479889
TI  - Conditional survival in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase
      in the era of tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) significantly improve survival in
      patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP). Conditional
      probability provides survival information in patients who have already survived
      for a specific period of time after treatment. METHODS: Cumulative response and
      survival data from 6 consecutive frontline TKI clinical trials were analyzed.
      Conditional probability was calculated for failure-free survival (FFS),
      transformation-free survival (TFS), event-free survival (EFS), and overall
      survival (OS) according to depth of response within 1 year of the initiation of
      TKIs, including complete cytogenetic response, major molecular response, and
      molecular response with a 4-log or 4.5-log reduction. RESULTS: A total of 483
      patients with a median follow-up of 99.4 months from the initiation of treatment
      with TKIs were analyzed. Conditional probabilities of FFS, TFS, EFS, and OS for 1
      additional year for patients alive after 12 months of therapy ranged from 92.0%
      to 99.1%, 98.5% to 100%, 96.2% to 99.6%, and 96.8% to 99.7%, respectively.
      Conditional FFS for 1 additional year did not improve with a deeper response each
      year. Conditional probabilities of TFS, EFS, and OS for 1 additional year were
      maintained at >95% during the period. CONCLUSIONS: In the era of TKIs, patients
      with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase who survived for a certain number
      of years maintained excellent clinical outcomes in each age group. Cancer
      2016;122:238-248. (c) 2015 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 26479890
TI  - Erythropoietin concentration in acute kidney injury is associated with insulin
      like growth factor-binding protein-1.
AB  - AIM: Erythropoietin (EPO) production is stimulated by hypoxia in the kidney.
      Ischaemic injury plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of acute kidney injury
      (AKI). However, EPO concentrations in critically ill patients complicated with
      AKI have not been evaluated sufficiently. This study was conducted to clarify the
      factors associated with plasma EPO concentrations in AKI. METHODS: This study
      prospectively enrolled 98 critically ill adult patients treated at the adult
      mixed ICU. Plasma EPO, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1),
      neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and
      urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) were measured on ICU admission.
      RESULTS: Acute kidney injury occurred in 42 (42.9%) patients. Significantly
      higher plasma EPO in the AKI group was detected than in the non-AKI group (16.13
      (9.87-28.47) mIU/mL versus 27.81 (10.16-106.02) mIU/mL, P < 0.05). Plasma IGFBP-1
      in the AKI group was also significantly higher than in the non-AKI group (19 208
      (8820-50 780) pg/mL versus 63 199 (25 289-147 489) pg/mL, P < 0.05). Plasma EPO
      concentration was negatively correlated with haemoglobin in the non-AKI group
      with statistical significance, but not in the AKI group. Multiple logistic
      regression analysis revealed that plasma EPO in the AKI group was associated
      significantly with plasma IGFBP-1 and complication of diabetes mellitus, but not
      the haemoglobin concentration, partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2 ), and
      IL-6. CONCLUSIONS: Not low arterial oxygen tension, haemoglobin concentration,
      and inflammation evaluated by IL-6 but plasma IGFBP-1 was significantly
      associated with plasma EPO concentration in AKI, suggesting an unknown mechanism
      related to systemic stress conditions for EPO regulation in AKI.

PMID- 26479891
TI  - Structure Sensitivity of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction Catalyzed by
      Cobalt(II,III) Oxide.
AB  - Quantum chemical calculations and simulated kinetics were used to examine the
      structure sensitivity of the oxygen evolution reaction on several surface
      terminations of Co3O4. Active sites consisting of two adjacent Co(IV) cations
      connected by bridging oxos were identified on both the (001) and (311) surfaces.
      Formation of the O-O bond proceeds on these sites by nucleophilic attack of water
      on a bridging oxo. It was found that the relative turnover frequencies for the
      different sites are highly dependent on the overpotential, with the dual-Co site
      on the (311) surface being most active at medium overpotentials (0.46-0.77 V),
      where O-O bond formation by water addition is rate limiting. A similar dual-Co
      site on the (001) surface is most active at low overpotentials (<0.46 V), where
      O2 release is rate limiting, and a single-Co site on the (110) surface is most
      active at overpotentials that are high enough (>0.77 V) to form a significant
      concentration of highly reactive terminal Co(V)?O species. Two overpotential
      dependent Sabatier relationships were identified based on the Bronsted basicity
      and redox potential of the active site, explaining the change in the active site
      with overpotential. The (311) dual-Co site that is most active in the medium
      overpotential range is consistent with recent experimental observations
      suggesting that a defect site is responsible for the observed oxygen evolution
      activity and that a modest concentration of superoxo intermediates is present on
      the surface. Importantly, we find that it is essential to consider the kinetics
      of the water addition and O2 release steps rather than only the thermodynamics. 

PMID- 26479892
TI  - Definitions in hemophilia: resolved and unresolved issues.
AB  - Definitions of clinical events and end points of care are important for disease
      characterization as well as documentation of outcomes in clinical practice and
      trials. Until recently, the only definitions in hemophilia that were provided
      through an international scientific organization related to disease severity and
      levels of inhibitors. Recently, the Scientific and Standardization Committee
      (SSC) of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, through its
      Factor VIII and IX subcommittee, published consensus definitions for several
      other aspects of hemophilia management, including classification of disease
      severity; inhibitors; bleeding (and rebleeding) into muscles and joints; target
      joints; different forms of factor replacement therapy; and response to therapy
      for joint bleeding and surgical hemostasis. These definitions should help to
      bring greater uniformity in the documentation of critical clinical events and
      laboratory data that are reported both from clinical trials as well as real-world
      practice. This article describes these definitions in greater detail than the SSC
      short report and also addresses some of the unresolved issues. Wide dissemination
      of these concepts and definitions and their acceptance by relevant leading
      scientific societies, drug regulators, industry, and patient organizations will
      go a long way in ensuring their acceptance and use globally. 

PMID- 26479893
TI  - Imaging evaluation of hemophilia: musculoskeletal approach.
AB  - Imaging assessment is an important tool to evaluate clinical joint outcomes of
      hemophilia. Arthropathic changes have traditionally been evaluated by plain
      radiography and more recently by ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
      Early arthropathic changes can be identified by modern imaging techniques such as
      T2 mapping MRI of cartilage even before clinical symptoms become apparent. Cross
      sectional imaging modalities such as CT, ultrasonography, and MRI are useful in
      assessing bleeding-related musculoskeletal complications such as pseudotumors
      that still exist in some parts of the world. This article provides an overview of
      imaging of hemophilic arthropathy, and discusses the role and scope of individual
      imaging modalities currently in use in clinical practice, as well as of promising
      techniques that require further investigation in the immediate future. 

PMID- 26479894
TI  - Meeting Report: 18th International Meeting of the Danubian League against
      Thrombosis and Haemorrhagic Disorders.

PMID- 26479895
TI  - Assessment of clotting factor concentrates--pivotal studies and long-term
      requirements.
AB  - Assessment of quality in terms of safety and efficacy of clotting factor
      concentrates (CFCs) is very important for all new therapeutic products. In rare
      diseases this is often complicated due to small number of trial participants. In
      hemophilia, an extra complication is the large impact previous treatments have on
      both the risk on inhibitors and the overall response to bleedings. For new CFCs,
      safety needs to be evaluated against inhibitor risk whereas efficacy is primarily
      judged against the most common clinical manifestations of the disease, namely,
      bleeding into joints and muscles. In this article the challenges are described
      for hemophilia that recruits patients globally. Recommendations of ISTH are
      discussed; these propose to substitute the single-arm prelicensure study with a
      two-stage approach, which considers epidemic and endemic incidence rate, and
      might increase the feasibility of studying multiple new products in populations
      with rare disease without compromising the assessment of product safety and
      efficacy. We also suggest that the annual bleeding rate (ABR) is an unreliable
      predictor of efficacy. The response to treatment highly depends on the current
      disease status of every patient participating in a clinical trial. The phenotype
      of patients with hemophilia is highly influenced by previous treatment history.
      Patients with severe hemophilia of the same age can demonstrate a different
      response to treatment. 

PMID- 26479896
TI  - Emotional health across the transition to first and second unions among emerging
      adults.
AB  - The link between romantic relationships and emotional health has been extensively
      examined and suggests that marriage provides more emotional health benefits than
      cohabiting or dating relationships. However, the contemporary context of intimate
      relationships has changed and these associations warrant reexamination among
      emerging adults in the 2000s. We examined the change in emotional health across
      the entrance into first and second unions, including cohabiting unions, direct
      marriage (marriage without premarital cohabitation), and marriage preceded by
      cohabitation. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997, a nationally
      representative panel study of youth born between 1980 and 1984 in the United
      States, pooled fixed-effects regression models indicated that entrance into first
      cohabiting unions and direct marriages, and all second unions, were significantly
      associated with reduced emotional distress. Gender differences were found for
      first unions only; for men, only direct marriage was associated with an emotional
      health benefit, while both direct marriage and cohabitation benefited women's
      emotional health.

PMID- 26479897
TI  - Quantitative analysis of pesticide residues in vegetables and fruits by liquid
      chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
AB  - The applicability of liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole time-of
      flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) for the quantitative analysis of pesticide
      residues in vegetables and fruits was demonstrated. The LC-QTOF-MS parameters,
      such as cone voltage, capillary voltage, collision energy and mass extraction
      window, were carefully optimised for the analysis of pesticide residues. The LC
      QTOF-MS method was validated for 149 pesticides in four vegetables and fruits,
      i.e. apple, potato, cabbage and spinach, at a spiking level of 0.01 mg kg(-1).
      The samples were prepared according to the Japanese official multi-residue method
      with a modification to the column clean-up procedure. Of the 149 pesticides,
      recoveries in the range of 70-120% were achieved for 147 pesticides in apple, 145
      in potato, 141 in cabbage and 131 in spinach, with intra-day precisions (RSDs) of
      < 25% and inter-day precisions (RSDs) of < 30%, which are within the acceptable
      range given in the Japanese method validation guideline. Matrix effects were
      negligible for the majority of the target pesticides. Except for spiroxamine in
      spinach, no interfering peaks were observed in the blank samples. The target
      pesticides, except those with low sensitivity, achieved calibration curves with
      satisfactory linearity, with correlation coefficients (r) greater than 0.995 in
      the concentration range of 0.002-0.1 MUg ml(-1). Furthermore, the majority of the
      target pesticides provided more than one fragment ion or isotope ion that could
      be used for confirmation. The overall results suggest that LC-QTOF-MS is a
      powerful tool for the quantification of pesticide residues in vegetables and
      fruits at the level of 0.01 mg kg(-1). 

PMID- 26479898
TI  - Sulfasalazine-induced renal injury in rats and the protective role of thiol
      reductants.
AB  - Sulfasalazine is widely used for inflammatory-mediated disorders in human. Renal
      damage is a serious adverse effect accompanied sulfasalazine administration. No
      specific therapeutic option is available against this complication so far.
      Oxidative stress seems to play a role in sulfasalazine-induced renal injury.
      Current investigation was designed to evaluate the effect of N-acetyl cysteine
      (NAC) and dithiothreitol (DTT) as thiol reductants against sulfasalazine-induced
      renal injury in rats. Oral administration of sulfasalazine (600 mg/kg for 14
      consecutive days) caused renal injury as judged by increase in serum level of
      creatinine and blood urea nitrogen. Furthermore, the level of reactive oxygen
      species and lipid peroxidation were raised in kidney tissue after sulfasalazine
      administration. Additionally, it was also found that renal glutathione reservoirs
      were significantly depleted in sulfasalazine-treated animals. Histopathological
      examination of kidney endorsed organ injury in drug-treated rats. Daily
      intraperitoneal administration of NAC (250 and 500 mg/kg/day) and/or DTT (15 and
      30 mg/kg/day) effectively alleviated renal damage induced by sulfasalazine. Data
      suggested that thiol reductants could serve as potential protective agents with
      therapeutic capabilities against sulfasalazine adverse effect toward kidney.

PMID- 26479899
TI  - Syntheses, Structural Characterization, and Catalytic Properties of Di- and
      Trinickel Polyoxometalates.
AB  - The syntheses, structural characterization, and catalytic properties of two
      different nickel-containing polyoxometalates (POMs) are presented. The dinickel
      containing sandwich-type POM [Ni2(P2W15O56)2](20-) (Ni2) exhibits an unusual
      alphaalphaalphaalpha geometry. The trinickel-containing Wells-Dawson POM
      [Ni3(OH)3(H2O)3P2W16O59](9-) (Ni3) shows a unique structure where the [alpha
      P2W15O56](12-) ligand is capped by a triangular Ni3O13 unit and a WO6 octahedron.
      Ni3 shows a high catalytic activity for visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution,
      while the activity for Ni2 is minimal. An analysis of the structures of
      multinickel-containing POMs and their hydrogen evolution activity is given. 

PMID- 26479900
TI  - Two nematicidal furocoumarins from Ficus carica L. leaves and their physiological
      effects on pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus).
AB  - The ethanol extract of the Ficus carica L. leaves was tested to show strong
      nematicidal activity against pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus
      xylophilus, causing 90.93% corrected mortality within 72 h at 1.0 mg/mL. From the
      ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the F. carica L. leaves extract, the main
      nematicidal constituents were obtained by bioassay-guided isolation and
      identified as linear furocoumarins bergapten (1) and psoralen (2) by mass and NMR
      spectral data analysis. Bergapten and psoralen had significant nematicidal
      activity against PWN with the LC50 values of 97.08 aKSnd 115.03  MU g/mL within
      72 h, respectively. The two furocoumarins could inhibit the activities of
      amylase, cellulase and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) from PWN. The morphologies of
      PWNs changed much after they were treated by bergapten and psoralen. The
      physiological effects of bergapten and psoralen on PWN might provide helpful
      clues to elucidate their nematicidal mechanisms. 

PMID- 26479901
TI  - Novel Vaccine Candidates against Brucella melitensis Identified through Reverse
      Vaccinology Approach.
AB  - Global health therapeutics is a rapidly emerging facet of postgenomics medicine.
      In this connection, Brucella melitensis is an intracellular bacterium that causes
      the zoonotic infectious disease, brucellosis. Presently, no licensed vaccines are
      available for human brucellosis. Here, we report the identification of potential
      vaccine candidates against B. melitensis using a reverse vaccinology approach.
      Based on a systematic screening of exoproteome and secretome of B. melitensis 16
      M, we identified eight proteins as potential vaccine candidates, including LPS
      assembly protein LptD, a polysaccharide export protein, a cell surface protein,
      heme transporter BhuA, flagellin FliC, 7-alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase,
      immunoglobulin-binding protein EIBE, and hemagglutinin. Among these, the roles of
      BhuA and hemagglutinin in the virulence of Brucella are essential to establish
      infection. Roles of other proteins in the virulence are yet to be studied.
      Prediction of protein-protein interactions revealed that these proteins can
      interact with other proteins involved in virulence, secretion system, metabolism,
      and transport. From these eight potential vaccine candidates, we predicted three
      surface exposed novel antigenic epitopes that can induce both B-cell and T-cell
      immune responses. These peptides can be used for the development of either
      exclusive peptide vaccines or multi-component vaccines against human brucellosis.
      Reverse vaccinology is an important strategy for discovery of novel global health
      therapeutics.

PMID- 26479902
TI  - Control processes through the suppression of the automatic response activation
      triggered by task-irrelevant information in the Simon-type tasks.
AB  - The congruency sequence effect, one of the indices of cognitive control, refers
      to a smaller congruency effect after an incongruent than congruent trial.
      Although the effect has been found across a variety of conflict tasks, there is
      not yet agreement on the underlying mechanism. The present study investigated the
      mechanism underlying cognitive control by using a cross-task paradigm. In
      Experiments 1, 2, and 3, participants performed a modified Simon task and a
      spatial Stroop task alternately in a trial-by-trial manner. The task-irrelevant
      dimension of the two tasks was perceptually and conceptually identical in
      Experiment 1, whereas it was perceptually different but conceptually identical in
      Experiment 2. The response sets for both tasks were different in Experiment 3. In
      Experiment 4, participants performed two Simon tasks with different task-relevant
      dimensions. In all experiments in which the task-irrelevant dimension and
      response mode were shared, significant congruency sequence effects were found
      between the two different congruencies, indicating that Simon-type conflicts were
      resolved by a control mechanism, which is specific to an abstract task-irrelevant
      stimulus spatial dimension. 

PMID- 26479903
TI  - Effect of Pressure on Valence and Structural Properties of YbFe2Ge2 Heavy Fermion
      Compound--A Combined Inelastic X-ray Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and
      Theoretical Investigation.
AB  - The crystal structure and the Yb valence of the YbFe2Ge2 heavy fermion compound
      was measured at room temperature and under high pressures using high-pressure
      powder X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy via both partial
      fluorescence yield and resonant inelastic X-ray emission techniques. The
      measurements are complemented by first-principles density functional theoretical
      calculations using the self-interaction corrected local spin density
      approximation investigating in particular the magnetic structure and the Yb
      valence. While the ThCr2Si2-type tetragonal (I4/mmm) structure is stable up to 53
      GPa, the X-ray emission results show an increase of the Yb valence from v =
      2.72(2) at ambient pressure to v = 2.93(3) at ~9 GPa, where at low temperature a
      pressure-induced quantum critical state was reported. 

PMID- 26479904
TI  - Optimizing clinical outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve implantation patients
      with comorbidities.
AB  - Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has revolutionized the management
      of high-risk or inoperable patients presenting with symptomatic severe aortic
      stenosis (AS). There are several factors to consider to optimize patient outcomes
      from TAVI. Before TAVI, patient selection is key and an understanding the effects
      of common comorbidities on outcomes after TAVI is critical. Some comorbidities
      share common risk factors with AS (e.g. coronary artery disease), others are
      directly or indirectly caused or exacerbated by severe AS (e.g. atrial
      fibrillation, pulmonary hypertension, mitral regurgitation, tricuspid
      regurgitation and right ventricular dysfunction), whereas others are not directly
      related to severe AS (e.g. chronic kidney disease and chronic lung disease).
      Choice of transcatheter heart valve prosthesis, vascular access route and mode of
      anesthesia are important considerations during TAVI. New onset conduction
      disturbances and arrhythmias remain a vexing issue after TAVI. The aim of the
      present review is to provide an overview of these issues. 

PMID- 26479905
TI  - Polymerase chain reaction-free detection of hepatitis B virus DNA using a
      nanostructured impedance biosensor.
AB  - A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-free technique for the effective detection of
      genomic length hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA is described in this study. The
      honeycomb-like barrier layer of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) film having a
      uniform nanohemisphere array was used as the substrate of the sensing electrode.
      A 30-nm gold film was sputtered onto the AAO barrier layer surface as the
      electrode, followed by electrochemical deposition of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) on
      the hemisphere surface. A specially designed single-strand 96-mer gene fragment
      of the target genomic DNA of HBV based on the genome sequences of HBV was
      immobilized on the nanostructured electrode as the capture probe. Target HBV DNA
      obtained from clinical samples was hybridized to the sensing probes. Detection
      results illustrate two dynamic linear ranges, 10(2)-10(3) and 10(3)-10(5.1)
      copies/mL, having R(2) values of 0.801 and 0.996 could be obtained, respectively.
      The detection limit of the proposed sending scheme was measured to be 111
      copies/mL. The total of 45 target samples, including 20 samples with HBV
      concentration being lower than 10(2) copies/mL and 25 samples with HBV
      concentration being in the range of 10(3)-10(5.1) copies/mL, were used for real
      test. The concentration of these 45 HBV DNA samples was measured by the COBAS
      Ampliprep system. Comparing the measured results of the COBAS Ampliprep and our
      system, it was illustrated that the HBV DNA concentrations measured by the
      proposed method in this study had a high linear correlation with the COBAS
      Ampliprep, having R(2) values of 0.983. The proposed sensing scheme is highly
      feasible for future clinical applications. 

PMID- 26479906
TI  - A G-pentaplex-based assay for Cs(+) ions in aqueous solution using a luminescent
      Ir(III) complex.
AB  - A series of 5 randomly designed in-house cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes were
      examined for their application in G-pentaplex probes and the "proof-of-principle"
      concept in G-pentaplex-based Cs(+) ions detection. The G-pentaplex-forming
      sequence (DNA1, 5'-T(iG)4T-3', where iG=isoguanine) is present in single strand
      DNA form ab initio, however, the addition of Cs(+) ions lead to formation of the
      intermolecular G-pentaplex structure which is identified by the novel Ir(III)
      complex 1 afterward and produce an enhanced luminescence signal for Cs(+) ions
      monitoring. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first G-pentaplex probe and
      also the first G-pentaplex-based label-free detection platform for Cs(+) ions
      reported in the literature. The monitoring of spiked Cs(+) ions in natural water
      samples demonstrates the potential application and technical sound of this "proof
      of-principle" concept sensing platform. 

PMID- 26479907
TI  - Productivity and carbon footprint of perennial grass-forage legume intercropping
      strategies with high or low nitrogen fertilizer input.
AB  - A three-season field experiment was established and repeated twice with spring
      barley used as cover crop for different perennial grass-legume intercrops
      followed by a full year pasture cropping and winter wheat after sward
      incorporation. Two fertilization regimes were applied with plots fertilized with
      either a high or a low rate of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer. Life cycle
      assessment (LCA) was used to evaluate the carbon footprint (global warming
      potential) of the grassland management including measured nitrous oxide (N2O)
      emissions after sward incorporation. Without applying any mineral N fertilizer,
      the forage legume pure stand, especially red clover, was able to produce about 15
      t above ground dry matter ha(-1) year(-1) saving around 325 kg mineral
      Nfertilizer ha(-1) compared to the cocksfoot and tall fescue grass treatments.
      The pure stand ryegrass yielded around 3t DM more than red clover in the high
      fertilizer treatment. Nitrous oxide emissions were highest in the treatments
      containing legumes. The LCA showed that the low input N systems had markedly
      lower carbon footprint values than crops from the high N input system with the
      pure stand legumes without N fertilization having the lowest carbon footprint.
      Thus, a reduction in N fertilizer application rates in the low input systems
      offsets increased N2O emissions after forage legume treatments compared to grass
      plots due to the N fertilizer production-related emissions. When including the
      subsequent wheat yield in the total aboveground production across the three
      season rotation, the pure stand red clover without N application and pure stand
      ryegrass treatments with the highest N input equalled. The present study
      illustrate how leguminous biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) represents an
      important low impact renewable N source without reducing crop yields and thereby
      farmers earnings.

PMID- 26479908
TI  - Concentrations and potential health risks of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE)
      in air and drinking water from Nanning, South China.
AB  - Levels of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) in occupational air, ambient air,
      and drinking water in Nanning, South China, were investigated, and then their
      potential health risks to occupational workers and the general public were
      evaluated. Results show that the MTBE concentration in occupational air from 13
      service stations was significantly higher than that in ambient air from
      residential areas (p<0.0001); both are far lower than the threshold limit value
      time weighted average of MTBE regulated in the United States (US). The drinking
      water samples from household taps yielded detectable MTBE in the range of 0.04
      0.33 MUg/L, which is below the US drinking water standard of 20-40 MUg/L. The non
      carcinogenic risk of MTBE from air inhalation may be negligible because the
      calculated hazard quotient was less than 1. The mean MTBE lifetime cancer risk
      was within the acceptable limit of 1 * 10(-6) to 1 * 10(-4), but the lifetime
      cancer risk of refueling workers in the urban service station at the 95th
      percentile slightly exceeded the maximum acceptable carcinogen risk (1 * 10(-4)),
      indicating the potential carcinogenic health effects on the population highly
      exposed to MTBE in this region. The hazard index and carcinogenic risk of MTBE in
      drinking water were significantly lower than the safe limit of US Environmental
      Protection Agency, suggesting that drinking water unlikely poses significant
      health risks to the residents in Nanning.

PMID- 26479909
TI  - Temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants in dated sediment cores:
      Chemical fingerprinting of the anthropogenic impacts in the Seine River basin,
      Paris.
AB  - Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were extensively produced and used
      throughout the last century. In the early 1980s, a rising concern on the
      environmental impact of these chemicals has led to the establishment of
      regulations and changes of use including bans. Long term monitoring of the
      environmental impacts of these emissions and regulations is a challenge because
      regular monitoring was not mandatory at the beginning of the first emissions.
      Moreover, the analytical methods have been strongly improved over the decades. To
      overcome the lack of monitoring and accurate data, sediment cores are powerful
      tools to construct contamination records. In this study, a high resolution record
      was constructed for four POPs families (13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
      (PAHs), 15 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 3 alkylphenols (APs) and 8
      polybromodiphenyl ethers (PBDEs)) to establish their historical trends in a long
      term urbanized and industrialized environment: the Seine River basin, France.
      These specific families were selected because they had different sources, uses
      and histories. The results showed concentrations up to 90 mg/kg for ?PAHs,
      2.3mg/kg for ?PCB, 1.2mg/kg for ?APs and 0.06 mg/kg for ?PBDE. The vertical
      distribution profiles were different from one family to another and presented a
      good correlation with uses (e.g. transition from coal to natural gas for PAHs),
      and regulation implementation (e.g., AP ban after "OSPAR Convention" in 1992).
      The study of compounds distribution provided original information on sources,
      e.g. temporal variations in PAH uses. This study demonstrates the usefulness and
      accuracy of sedimentary archives in floodplain to assess the fate of POPs through
      time in continental hydrosystems. These first results give a comprehensive
      overview of the contamination in the Seine River basin downstream of Paris
      Megacity. They were in good agreement with previous studies dedicated to European
      areas and highlighted specificities of this basin that were not reported before.

PMID- 26479910
TI  - Microbial responses to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination in temporary
      river sediments: Experimental insights.
AB  - Temporary rivers are characterized by dry-wet phases and represent an important
      water resource in semi-arid regions worldwide. The fate and effect of
      contaminants have not been firmly established in temporary rivers such as in
      other aquatic environments. In this study, we assessed the effects of sediment
      amendment with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) on benthic microbial
      communities. Experimental microcosms containing natural (Control) and amended
      sediments (2 and 20 mg PAHs kg(-1) were incubated for 28 days. The PAH
      concentrations in sediments were monitored weekly together with microbial
      community structural (biomass and phylogenetic composition by TGGE and CARD-FISH)
      and functional parameters (ATP concentration, community respiration rate,
      bacterial carbon production rate, extracellular enzyme activities). The
      concentration of the PAH isomers did not change significantly with the exception
      of phenanthrene. No changes were observed in the TGGE profiles, whereas the
      occurrence of Alpha- and Beta-Proteobacteria was significantly affected by the
      treatments. In the amended sediments, the rates of carbon production were
      stimulated together with aminopeptidase enzyme activity. The community
      respiration rates showed values significantly lower than the Control after 1 day
      from the amendment then recovering the Control values during the incubation. A
      negative trend between the respiration rates and ATP concentration was observed
      only in the amended sediments. This result indicates a potential toxic effect on
      the oxidative phosphorylation processes. The impoverishment of the energetic
      resources that follows the PAH impact may act as a domino on the flux of energy
      from prokaryotes to the upper level of the trophic chain, with the potential to
      alter the temporary river functioning.

PMID- 26479911
TI  - Exploring the potential of novel biomixtures and Lentinula edodes fungus for the
      degradation of selected pesticides. Evaluation for use in biobed systems.
AB  - An approach to reduce the contamination of water sources with pesticides is the
      use of biopurificaction systems. The active core of these systems is the
      biomixture. The composition of biomixtures depends on the availability of local
      agro-industrial wastes and design should be adapted to every region. In Portugal,
      cork processing is generally regarded as environmentally friendly and would be
      interesting to find applications for its industry residues. In this work the
      potential use of different substrates in biomixtures, as cork (CBX); cork and
      straw, coat pine and LECA (Light Expanded Clay Aggregates), was tested on the
      degradation of terbuthylazine, difenoconazole, diflufenican and pendimethalin
      pesticides. Bioaugmentation strategies using the white-rot fungus Lentinula
      edodes inoculated into the CBX, was also assessed. The results obtained from this
      study clearly demonstrated the relevance of using natural biosorbents as cork
      residues to increase the capacity of pesticide dissipation in biomixtures for
      establishing biobeds. Furthermore, higher degradation of all the pesticides was
      achieved by use of bioaugmented biomixtures. Indeed, the biomixtures inoculated
      with L. edodes EL1 were able to mineralize the selected xenobiotics, revelling
      that these white-rot fungi might be a suitable fungus for being used as inoculum
      sources in on-farm sustainable biopurification system, in order to increase its
      degradation efficiency. After 120 days, maximum degradation of terbuthylazine,
      difenoconazole, diflufenican and pendimethalin, of bioaugmented CBX, was 89.9%,
      75.0%, 65.0% and 99.4%, respectively.. The dominant metabolic route of
      terbuthylazine in biomixtures inoculated with L. edodes EL1 proceeded mainly via
      hydroxylation, towards production of terbuthylazine-hydroxy-2 metabolite.
      Finally, sorption process to cork by pesticides proved to be a reversible
      process, working cork as a mitigating factor reducing the toxicity to
      microorganisms in the biomixture, especially in the early stages.

PMID- 26479912
TI  - Spatial and temporal variability of river periphyton below a hypereutrophic lake
      and a series of dams.
AB  - Klamath River is described as an "upside-down" river due to its origins from the
      hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake (UKL) and hydrology that is heavily regulated
      by upstream dams. Understanding the lake and reservoir effects on benthic
      communities in the river can inform important aspects of its water quality
      dynamics. Periphyton samples were collected in May-November from 2004, 2006-2013
      at nine long-term monitoring sites along 306 river km below UKL and a series of
      dams (n=299). Cluster analysis of periphyton assemblages identified three
      statistically different periphyton groups (denoted Groups 1-3). Group 1 occurred
      primarily in the upstream reach for June-October and had a higher percentage of
      sestonic species, including the cyanobacteria Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and
      Microcystis aeruginosa, consistent with the presence of upstream reservoirs.
      Group 2 had the highest relative biomass of diatoms and lowest relative biomass
      of cyanobacteria. Sites in the lower reach of the Klamath River fell into Group 2
      in May-June and transitioning into Group 3 for July-October. Group 3 was
      dominated by nitrogen (N)-fixing species, including three diatoms (Epithemia
      sorex, Epithemia turgida, and Rhopalodia gibba) with cyanobacterial endosymbionts
      and the cyanobacterium Calothrix sp. Periphyton assemblages were strongly
      associated with temporal variations in flow conditions (e.g., decreasing flow
      from spring to fall) and spatial gradients in nutrient concentrations (e.g.,
      decreasing from upstream to downstream). The inverse longitudinal relationship
      between periphyton biomass and nutrients may be explained by the ability of
      benthic N-fixers (Group 3) to overcome N limitation. Overall results showed a
      strong inverse relationship between the relative biomass of N-fixers and nitrogen
      concentrations and flow. This long-term dataset provides valuable insight into
      Klamath River's seasonal and longitudinal patterns of benthic algal communities
      and associated environmental variables. Our findings can inform river management
      decisions such as reducing upstream nutrient loads, setting flow regimes, and
      potential dam removals.

PMID- 26479913
TI  - Utility of Bayesian networks in QMRA-based evaluation of risk reduction options
      for recycled water.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA), the current method of
      choice for evaluating human health risks associated with disease-causing
      microorganisms, is often constrained by issues such as availability of required
      data, and inability to incorporate the multitude of factors influencing risk.
      Bayesian networks (BNs), with their ability to handle data paucity, combine
      quantitative and qualitative information including expert opinions, and ability
      to offer a systems approach to characterisation of complexity, are increasingly
      recognised as a powerful, flexible tool that overcomes these limitations.
      OBJECTIVES: We present a QMRA expressed as a Bayesian network (BN) in a
      wastewater reuse context, with the objective of demonstrating the utility of the
      BN method in health risk assessments, particularly for evaluating a range of
      exposure and risk mitigation scenarios. As a case study, we examine the risk of
      norovirus infection associated with wastewater-irrigated lettuce. METHODS: A
      Bayesian network was developed following a QMRA approach, using published data,
      and reviewed by domain experts using a participatory process. DISCUSSION:
      Employment of a BN facilitated rapid scenario evaluations, risk minimisation, and
      predictive comparisons. The BN supported exploration of conditions required for
      optimal outcomes, as well as investigation of the effect on the reporting nodes
      of changes in 'upstream' conditions. A significant finding was the indication
      that if maximum post-treatment risk mitigation measures were implemented, there
      was a high probability (0.84) of a low risk of infection regardless of
      fluctuations in other variables, including norovirus concentration in treated
      wastewater. CONCLUSION: BNs are useful in situations where insufficient empirical
      data exist to satisfy QMRA requirements and they are exceptionally suited to the
      integration of risk assessment and risk management in the QMRA context. They
      allow a comprehensive visual appraisal of major influences in exposure pathways,
      and rapid interactive risk assessment in multifaceted water reuse scenarios.

PMID- 26479914
TI  - Air pollution monitoring using emission inventories combined with the moss bag
      approach.
AB  - Inventory of emission sources and biomonitoring with moss transplants are two
      different methods to evaluate air pollution. In this study, for the first time,
      both these approaches were simultaneously applied in five municipalities in
      Campania (southern Italy), deserving attention for health-oriented interventions
      as part of a National Interest Priority Site. The pollutants covered by the
      inventory were CO, NOx, particulate matter (PM10), volatile organic compounds
      (VOCs), and some heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn). The
      biomonitoring survey was based on the use of the devitalized moss Hypnum
      cupressiforme transplanted into bags, following a harmonized protocol. The
      exposure covered 40 agricultural and urban/residential sites, with half of them
      located in proximity to roads. The pollutants monitored were Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu,
      Fe, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn, as well as total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
      (PAHs) only in five sites. Using the emission inventory approach, high emission
      loads were detected for all the major air pollutants and the following heavy
      metals: Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn, over the entire study area. Arsenic, Pb, and Zn
      were the elements most accumulated by moss. Total PAH postexposure contents were
      higher than the preexposure values (~20-50% of initial value). Moss uptakes did
      not differ substantially among municipalities or within exposure sites. In the
      five municipalities, a similar spatial pattern was evidenced for Pb by emission
      inventory and moss accumulation. Both approaches indicated the same most polluted
      municipality, suggesting their combined use as a valuable resource to reveal
      contaminants that are not routinely monitored. 

PMID- 26479915
TI  - Impact of human interventions on nutrient biogeochemistry in the Pamba River,
      Kerala, India.
AB  - Anthropogenic inputs nowadays are the major source of nutrients to the coastal
      area. While a wealth of data exists from high latitude regions, little is known
      on the amount and composition of nutrient fluxes from densely populated tropical
      catchments. The South Indian Pamba River is a prime example in this respect
      because of its manifold human interventions such as the Sabarimala pilgrimage,
      the largest pilgrim centre in the world and agricultural practices. In order (i)
      to identify direct cause-effect relationships, (ii) to quantify land use specific
      nutrient inputs and (iii) to assess the respective impacts water was sampled
      along the river course during the pre monsoon, south west monsoon and north east
      monsoon periods in 2010 to 2012. Sampling segments were chosen according to
      prevailing land use. A socioeconomic survey on agricultural practices was
      conducted to collect information on the type, time and quantity of fertilizer
      application. Our results indicate (i) little human activities in the forest
      segment resulted in a low nutrient yield; (ii) pilgrim activities led to high
      ammonium and phosphate yields in the temple segment; (iii) specific fertilizer
      management resulted in moderate and maximum nitrate yields in the respective
      agriculture segments. Annual NPK fertilizer inputs to the catchment were 95 kg
      ha(-1) yr(-1).The average yield for the Pamba River catchment amounted to 3.5 kg
      ha(-1) yr(-1) of DIN and 0.2 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) of phosphate-P. As opposing
      predictions for densely-populated regions the N and P yields of the Pamba River
      are moderate to low on a global scale. It highlights the need for land use
      specific quantitative estimates from tropical regions in order to improve the
      global database and local water quality management.

PMID- 26479916
TI  - Comparative study of the effect of pharmaceutical additives on the elimination of
      antibiotic activity during the treatment of oxacillin in water by the photo
      Fenton, TiO2-photocatalysis and electrochemical processes.
AB  - Synthetic pharmaceutical effluents loaded with the beta-lactam antibiotic
      oxacillin were treated using advanced oxidation processes (the photo-Fenton
      system and TiO2 photocatalysis) and chloride mediated electrochemical oxidation
      (with Ti/IrO2 anodes). Combinations of the antibiotic with excipients (mannitol
      or tartaric acid), an active ingredient (calcium carbonate, i.e. bicarbonate ions
      due to the pH) and a cleaning agent (sodium lauryl ether sulfate) were
      considered. Additionally, urban wastewater that had undergone biological
      treatment was doped with oxacillin and treated with the tested systems. The
      evolution of antimicrobial activity was monitored as a parameter of processes
      efficiency. Although the two advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) differ only in
      the way they produce OH, marked differences were observed between them. There
      were also differences between the AOPs and the electrochemical system.
      Interestingly, each additive had a different effect on each treatment. For water
      loaded with mannitol, electrochemical treatment was the most suitable option
      because the additive did not significantly affect the efficiency of the system.
      Due to the formation of a complex with Fe(3+), tartaric acid accelerated the
      elimination of antibiotic activity during the photo-Fenton process. For TiO2
      photocatalysis, the presence of bicarbonate ions contributed to antibiotic
      activity elimination through the possible formation of carbonate and bicarbonate
      radicals. Sodium lauryl ether sulfate negatively affected all of the processes.
      However, due to the higher selectivity of HOCl compared with OH, electrochemical
      oxidation showed the least inhibited efficiency. For the urban wastewater doped
      with oxacillin, TiO2 photocatalysis was the most efficient process. These results
      will help select the most suitable technology for the treatment of water polluted
      with beta-lactam antibiotics. 

PMID- 26479917
TI  - Biotransformation of pharmaceuticals under nitrification, nitratation and
      heterotrophic conditions.
AB  - The effect of nitrification, nitratation and heterotrophic conditions on the
      biotransformation of several pharmaceuticals in a highly enriched nitrifying
      activated sludge was evaluated in this study by selective activation of ammonia
      oxidizing bacteria (AOB), nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) and heterotrophic
      bacteria. Nitrifiers displayed a noticeable capacity to process ibuprofen due to
      hydroxylation by ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) to produce 2-hydroxy-ibuprofen.
      Naproxen was also biotransformed under nitrifying conditions. On the other hand,
      heterotrophic bacteria present in the nitrifying activated sludge (NAS)
      biotransformed sulfamethoxazole. In contrast, both nitrifying and heterotrophic
      activities were ineffective against diclofenac, diazepam, carbamazepine and
      trimethoprim. Similar biotransformation rates of erythromycin, roxithromycin and
      fluoxetine were observed under all conditions tested. Overall, results from this
      study give more evidence on the role of the different microbial communities
      present in activated sludge reactors on the biological removal of
      pharmaceuticals. 

PMID- 26479918
TI  - Seasonal dynamics and long-term trend of hypoxia in the coastal zone of Emilia
      Romagna (NW Adriatic Sea, Italy).
AB  - Long-term series of meteorological, hydrological and oceanographic data were
      compared with hypoxia occurrence, in order to define characteristics and trends
      of this phenomenon in the Emilia Romagna Coastal Zone (ERCZ) in 1977-2008. During
      this period, hypoxia was recorded at all sampling stations, up to 20 km offshore.
      In winter, spring and late autumn, hypoxia appearance was matched to significant
      positive anomalies of air and surface seawater temperatures (up to +3.6  degrees
      C), whereas this effect was less pronounced in August-October. Hypoxia generally
      occurred with scarce precipitation (0-2 dm(3)m(2)d(-1)) and low wind velocity (0
      2 ms(-1)), suggesting the importance of stable meteo-marine conditions for the
      onset of this phenomenon. Nevertheless, wind direction emerged as an indicator of
      hydrodynamic seasonal changes in the area and is thus a hypoxia regulator. In
      winter, spring and autumn, hypoxia was favored by large increases of biomass
      induced by river freshets. In contrast, summer hypoxia occurred during periods of
      low runoff, suggesting that pronounced stratification and weak circulation of
      coastal waters were more important in this season. Since the 1990s, a shift from
      widespread summer hypoxia to local hypoxia irregularly distributed across the
      year has occurred. This process was concomitant to long-term increases of air
      temperature (+0.14  degrees C yr(-1)), wind speed (+0.03 ms(-1) yr(-1)) and
      salinity (+0.09 yr(-1)), and decreases of Po River flow (-0.54 km(3) yr(-1)),
      oxygen saturation (-0.2% yr(-1)) and PO4(3-) (-0.004 MUmol P L(-1) yr(-1)) and
      NH4(+) (-0.04 MUmol N L(-1) yr(-1)) concentrations in surface coastal waters.
      Despite that several of these changes suggest an ERCZ trophic level positive
      reduction, similar to that reported for the N Adriatic, the concomitant climate
      warming might further exacerbate hypoxia in particularly shallow shelf locations.
      Therefore, in order to avoid hypoxia development a further mitigation of
      anthropogenic pressure is still needed in the area.

PMID- 26479919
TI  - Weekly variability of precipitation induced by anthropogenic aerosols: A case
      study in Korea in summer 2004.
AB  - We examine the effect of anthropogenic aerosols on the weekly variability of
      precipitation in Korea in summer 2004 by using Weather Research and Forecasting
      (WRF) and Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) models. We conduct two WRF
      simulations including a baseline simulation with empirically based cloud
      condensation nuclei (CCN) number concentrations and a sensitivity simulation with
      our implementation to account for the effect of aerosols on CCN number
      concentrations. The first simulation underestimates observed precipitation
      amounts, particularly in northeastern coastal areas of Korea, whereas the latter
      shows higher precipitation amounts that are in better agreement with the
      observations. In addition, the sensitivity model with the aerosol effects
      reproduces the observed weekly variability, particularly for precipitation
      frequency with a high R at 0.85, showing 20% increase of precipitation events
      during the weekend than those during weekdays. We find that the aerosol effect
      results in higher CCN number concentrations during the weekdays and a three-fold
      increase of the cloud water mixing ratio through enhanced condensation. As a
      result, the amount of warm rain is generally suppressed because of the low auto
      conversion process from cloud water to rain water under high aerosol conditions.
      The inefficient conversion, however, leads to higher vertical development of
      clouds in the mid-atmosphere with stronger updrafts in the sensitivity model,
      which increases by 21% cold-phase hydrometeors including ice, snow, and graupel
      relative to the baseline model and ultimately results in higher precipitation
      amounts in summer. 

PMID- 26479920
TI  - Distribution and ecological risk of organic pollutants in the sediments and
      seafood of Yangtze Estuary and Hangzhou Bay, East China Sea.
AB  - A wide variety of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the surface marine
      sediments and seafood from four geographic areas of the East China Sea were
      investigated. The POP concentrations were analyzed and their possible
      ecotoxicological risks assessed. The total concentrations of
      hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs),
      polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in
      the sediments were found to be ND-22.40, ND-5.10, 32.10-171.70, and 0.60-63.00
      ng/g dry weight (dw), respectively. Low-chlorinated biphenyl congeners and HCHs
      were predominantly found at the Hangzhou Bay and Yangtze River areas. The
      sediment ecotoxicological risk was assessed, indicating the toxic effect of PCBs
      and DDTs on benthic organisms. In marine organisms of economic importance, the
      concentration of total PAHs, PCBs, and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) ranged
      from 43.20 to 291.20, 2.60 to 96.20, and 12.70 to 235.20 MUg/kg dw, respectively.
      The bioaccumulation in marine organisms did not pose a significant health risk to
      consumers. As indicated by the POP residues in both marine sediments and
      organisms, POPs were persistent over time, posing a long-term risk to the local
      ecosystem and human health via the food chain.

PMID- 26479921
TI  - Selective inhibition of the p38 alternative activation pathway in infiltrating T
      cells inhibits pancreatic cancer progression.
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive neoplasm
      characterized by a marked fibro-inflammatory microenvironment, the presence of
      which can promote both cancer induction and growth. Therefore, selective
      manipulation of local cytokines is an attractive, although unrealized,
      therapeutic approach. T cells possess a unique mechanism of p38 mitogen-activated
      protein kinase (MAPK) activation downstream of T cell receptor (TCR) engagement
      through the phosphorylation of Tyr323 (pY323). This alternative p38 activation
      pathway is required for pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Here we show in
      human PDAC that a high percentage of infiltrating pY323(+) T cells was associated
      with large numbers of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha- and interleukin (IL)-17
      producing CD4(+) tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and aggressive disease.
      The growth of mouse pancreatic tumors was inhibited by genetic ablation of the
      alternative p38 pathway, and transfer of wild-type CD4(+) T cells, but not those
      lacking the alternative pathway, enhanced tumor growth in T cell-deficient mice.
      Notably, a plasma membrane-permeable peptide derived from GADD45-alpha, the
      naturally occurring inhibitor of p38 pY323(+) (ref. 7), reduced CD4(+) TIL
      production of TNF-alpha, IL-17A, IL-10 and secondary cytokines, halted growth of
      implanted tumors and inhibited progression of spontaneous KRAS-driven
      adenocarcinoma in mice. Thus, TCR-mediated activation of CD4(+) TILs results in
      alternative p38 activation and production of protumorigenic factors and can be
      targeted for therapeutic benefit. 

PMID- 26479922
TI  - Hair follicle-derived IL-7 and IL-15 mediate skin-resident memory T cell
      homeostasis and lymphoma.
AB  - The skin harbors a variety of resident leukocyte subsets that must be tightly
      regulated to maintain immune homeostasis. Hair follicles are unique structures in
      the skin that contribute to skin dendritic cell homeostasis through chemokine
      production. We demonstrate that CD4(+) and CD8(+) skin-resident memory T cells
      (TRM cells), which are responsible for long-term skin immunity, reside
      predominantly within the hair follicle epithelium of the unperturbed epidermis.
      TRM cell tropism for the epidermis and follicles is herein termed
      epidermotropism. Hair follicle expression of IL-15 was required for CD8(+) TRM
      cells, and IL-7 for CD8(+) and CD4(+) TRM cells, to exert epidermotropism. A lack
      of either cytokine in the skin led to impaired hapten-induced contact
      hypersensitivity responses. In a model of cutaneous T cell lymphoma,
      epidermotropic CD4(+) TRM lymphoma cell localization depended on the presence of
      hair follicle-derived IL-7. These findings implicate hair follicle-derived
      cytokines as regulators of malignant and non-malignant TRM cell tissue residence,
      and they suggest that the cytokines may be targeted therapeutically in
      inflammatory skin diseases and lymphoma. 

PMID- 26479923
TI  - High-throughput screening using patient-derived tumor xenografts to predict
      clinical trial drug response.
AB  - Profiling candidate therapeutics with limited cancer models during preclinical
      development hinders predictions of clinical efficacy and identifying factors that
      underlie heterogeneous patient responses for patient-selection strategies. We
      established ~1,000 patient-derived tumor xenograft models (PDXs) with a diverse
      set of driver mutations. With these PDXs, we performed in vivo compound screens
      using a 1 * 1 * 1 experimental design (PDX clinical trial or PCT) to assess the
      population responses to 62 treatments across six indications. We demonstrate both
      the reproducibility and the clinical translatability of this approach by
      identifying associations between a genotype and drug response, and established
      mechanisms of resistance. In addition, our results suggest that PCTs may
      represent a more accurate approach than cell line models for assessing the
      clinical potential of some therapeutic modalities. We therefore propose that this
      experimental paradigm could potentially improve preclinical evaluation of
      treatment modalities and enhance our ability to predict clinical trial responses.

PMID- 26479926
TI  - Depolarizing differential Mueller matrix of homogeneous media under Gaussian
      fluctuation hypothesis.
AB  - In this paper, we address the issue of the existence of a solution of
      depolarizing differential Mueller matrix for a homogeneous medium. Such a medium
      is characterized by linear changes of its differential optical properties with z
      the thickness of the medium. We show that, under a short correlation distance
      assumption, it is possible to derive such linear solution, and we clarify this
      solution in the particular case where the random fluctuation processes associated
      to the optical properties are Gaussian white noise-like. A solution to the
      problem of noncommutativity of a previously proposed model [J. Opt. Soc. Am.30,
      2196 (2013)JOSAAH0030-394110.1364/JOSAA.30.002196] is given by assuming a random
      permutation of the order of the layers and by averaging all the differential
      matrices resulting from these permutations. It is shown that the underlying
      assumption in this case is exactly the Gaussian white noise assumption. Finally,
      a recently proposed approach [Opt. Lett.39, 4470 (2014)OPLEDP0146
      959210.1364/OL.39.004470] for analysis of the statistical properties related to
      changes in optical properties is revisited, and the experimental conditions of
      application of these results are specified. 

PMID- 26479924
TI  - Cardiac RKIP induces a beneficial beta-adrenoceptor-dependent positive inotropy.
AB  - In heart failure therapy, it is generally assumed that attempts to produce a long
      term increase in cardiac contractile force are almost always accompanied by
      structural and functional damage. Here we show that modest overexpression of the
      Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP), encoded by Pebp1 in mice, produces a well
      tolerated, persistent increase in cardiac contractility that is mediated by the
      beta1-adrenoceptor (beta1AR). This result is unexpected, as beta1AR activation, a
      major driver of cardiac contractility, usually has long-term adverse effects.
      RKIP overexpression achieves this tolerance via simultaneous activation of the
      beta2AR subtype. Analogously, RKIP deficiency exaggerates pressure overload
      induced cardiac failure. We find that RKIP expression is upregulated in mouse and
      human heart failure, indicative of an adaptive role for RKIP. Pebp1 gene transfer
      in a mouse model of heart failure has beneficial effects, suggesting a new
      therapeutic strategy for heart failure therapy. 

PMID- 26479927
TI  - Fourier method for modeling slanted lamellar gratings of arbitrary end-surface
      shapes in conical mounting.
AB  - An efficient modal method for numerically modeling slanted lamellar gratings of
      isotropic dielectric or metallic media in conical mounting is presented. No
      restrictions are imposed on the slant angle and the length of the lamellae. The
      end surface of the lamellae can be arbitrary, subject to certain restrictions. An
      oblique coordinate system that is adapted to the slanted lamella sidewalls allows
      the most efficient way of representing and manipulating the electromagnetic
      fields. A translational coordinate system that is based on the oblique Cartesian
      coordinate system adapts to the end-surface profile of the lamellae, so that the
      latter can be handled simply and easily. Moreover, two matrix eigenvalue problems
      of size 2N * 2N, one for each fundamental polarization of the electromagnetic
      fields in the periodic lamellar structure, where N is the matrix truncation
      number, are derived to replace the 4N * 4N eigenvalue problem that has been used
      in the literature. The core idea leading to this success is the polarization
      decomposition of the electromagnetic fields inside the periodic lamellar region
      when the fields are expressed in the oblique translational coordinate system.

PMID- 26479928
TI  - Snapshot colored compressive spectral imager.
AB  - Traditional spectral imaging approaches require sensing all the voxels of a
      scene. Colored mosaic FPA detector-based architectures can acquire sets of the
      scene's spectral components, but the number of spectral planes depends directly
      on the number of available filters used on the FPA, which leads to reduced
      spatiospectral resolutions. Instead of sensing all the voxels of the scene,
      compressive spectral imaging (CSI) captures coded and dispersed projections of
      the spatiospectral source. This approach mitigates the resolution issues by
      exploiting optical phenomena in lenses and other elements, which, in turn,
      compromise the portability of the devices. This paper presents a compact snapshot
      colored compressive spectral imager (SCCSI) that exploits the benefits of the
      colored mosaic FPA detectors and the compression capabilities of CSI sensing
      techniques. The proposed optical architecture has no moving parts and can capture
      the spatiospectral information of a scene in a single snapshot by using a
      dispersive element and a color-patterned detector. The optical and the
      mathematical models of SCCSI are presented along with a testbed implementation of
      the system. Simulations and real experiments show the accuracy of SCCSI and
      compare the reconstructions with those of similar CSI optical architectures, such
      as the CASSI and SSCSI systems, resulting in improvements of up to 6 dB and 1 dB
      of PSNR, respectively.

PMID- 26479925
TI  - Inhibition of mechanical allodynia in neuropathic pain by TLR5-mediated A-fiber
      blockade.
AB  - Mechanical allodynia, induced by normally innocuous low-threshold mechanical
      stimulation, represents a cardinal feature of neuropathic pain. Blockade or
      ablation of high-threshold, small-diameter unmyelinated group C nerve fibers (C
      fibers) has limited effects on mechanical allodynia. Although large, myelinated
      group A fibers, in particular Abeta-fibers, have previously been implicated in
      mechanical allodynia, an A-fiber-selective pharmacological blocker is still
      lacking. Here we report a new method for targeted silencing of A-fibers in
      neuropathic pain. We found that Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) is co-expressed with
      neurofilament-200 in large-diameter A-fiber neurons in the dorsal root ganglion
      (DRG). Activation of TLR5 with its ligand flagellin results in neuronal entry of
      the membrane-impermeable lidocaine derivative QX-314, leading to TLR5-dependent
      blockade of sodium currents, predominantly in A-fiber neurons of mouse DRGs.
      Intraplantar co-application of flagellin and QX-314 (flagellin/QX-314) dose
      dependently suppresses mechanical allodynia after chemotherapy, nerve injury, and
      diabetic neuropathy, but this blockade is abrogated in Tlr5-deficient mice. In
      vivo electrophysiology demonstrated that co-application of flagellin/QX-314
      selectively suppressed Abeta-fiber conduction in naive and chemotherapy-treated
      mice. TLR5-mediated Abeta-fiber blockade, but not capsaicin-mediated C-fiber
      blockade, also reduced chemotherapy-induced ongoing pain without impairing motor
      function. Finally, flagellin/QX-314 co-application suppressed sodium currents in
      large-diameter human DRG neurons. Thus, our findings provide a new tool for
      targeted silencing of Abeta-fibers and neuropathic pain treatment. 

PMID- 26479929
TI  - Effect of induced transverse chromatic aberration on peripheral vision.
AB  - Transverse chromatic aberration (TCA) is one of the largest optical errors
      affecting the peripheral image quality in the human eye. However, the effect of
      chromatic aberrations on our peripheral vision is largely unknown. This study
      investigates the effect of prism-induced horizontal TCA on vision, in the central
      as well as in the 20 degrees  nasal visual field, for four subjects.
      Additionally, the magnitude of induced TCA (in minutes of arc) was measured
      subjectively in the fovea with a Vernier alignment method. During all
      measurements, the monochromatic optical errors of the eye were compensated for by
      adaptive optics. The average reduction in foveal grating resolution was about
      0.032 +/- 0.005  logMAR/arcmin of TCA (mean +/- std). For peripheral grating
      detection, the reduction was 0.057 +/- 0.012  logMAR/arcmin. This means that the
      prismatic effect of highly dispersive spectacles may reduce the ability to detect
      objects in the peripheral visual field.

PMID- 26479930
TI  - Cancelable face verification using optical encryption and authentication.
AB  - In a cancelable biometric system, each instance of enrollment is distorted by a
      transform function, and the output should not be retransformed to the original
      data. This paper presents a new cancelable face verification system in the
      encrypted domain. Encrypted facial images are generated by a double random phase
      encoding (DRPE) algorithm using two keys (RPM1 and RPM2). To make the system
      noninvertible, a photon counting (PC) method is utilized, which requires a photon
      distribution mask for information reduction. Verification of sparse images that
      are not recognizable by direct visual inspection is performed by unconstrained
      minimum average correlation energy filter. In the proposed method, encryption
      keys (RPM1, RPM2, and PDM) are used in the sender side, and the receiver needs
      only encrypted images and correlation filters. In this manner, the system
      preserves privacy if correlation filters are obtained by an adversary.
      Performance of PC-DRPE verification system is evaluated under illumination
      variation, pose changes, and facial expression. Experimental results show that
      utilizing encrypted images not only increases security concerns but also enhances
      verification performance. This improvement can be attributed to the fact that, in
      the proposed system, the face verification problem is converted to key
      verification tasks. 

PMID- 26479931
TI  - Modal analysis of a multilayer dielectric microsphere in a free-space ambient
      medium.
AB  - An analysis of the eigenmodes associated with a dielectric sphere embedded within
      one or more spherical layers of varying permittivity is presented. A matrix
      formulation is applied to the general multilayer problem, and the solution is
      validated by comparison to the complex transcendental equations derived for the
      homogeneous dielectric spherical resonator and a single-layer spherical
      dielectric resonator. Although only lossless cases are considered for simplicity,
      the formulation presented is applicable to resonators (with loss or gain) via the
      replacement of real permittivities with complex permittivities. The matrix
      formulation presented for the multilayer dielectric sphere follows a previously
      published development with the inclusion of some significant corrections. A
      Wronskian filter effective index approximation is developed for the estimation of
      Bessel functions of large order (expanding the functionality of the models to
      evaluation of whispering gallery modes), which is easily integrated into the
      presented models. Numerical simulations are generated utilizing MATLAB to solve
      for the complex roots of the characteristic equation, amplitude reflection
      coefficient, surface impedance of the dielectric layers, Q-factor, and field
      patterns for both TE and TM modes. Results are presented for single-layer and
      multilayer spherical geometries and compared to previously published results. 

PMID- 26479932
TI  - Propagation of time-truncated Airy-type pulses in media with quadratic and cubic
      dispersion.
AB  - In this paper, we describe analytically the propagation of Airy-type pulses
      truncated by a finite-time aperture when second- and third-order dispersion
      effects are considered. The mathematical method presented here, which is based on
      the superposition of exponentially truncated Airy pulses, is very effective and
      allows us to avoid the use of time-consuming numerical simulations. We analyze
      the behavior of the time-truncated ideal Airy pulse and also the interesting case
      of a time-truncated Airy pulse with a "defect" in its initial profile, which
      reveals the self-healing property of this kind of pulse solution. 

PMID- 26479933
TI  - Analysis of 2-D dielectric-waveguide-coupled optical ring resonators using a
      transmission-line formulation.
AB  - A rigorous and fast method for a Fourier-based analysis of 2-D dielectric
      waveguide-coupled optical ring resonators (ORRs) is presented. As a first step,
      the structure under investigation is periodically repeated along a specific
      direction. The resulting periodic structure is then analyzed using a transmission
      line formulation (TLF). For a sufficiently long period, the solutions of the
      resulting periodic structure converge with those of the actual structure. As will
      be demonstrated, the simulation time for the analysis of a sample ORR of high
      index contrast at a single frequency point amounts to a few seconds without
      remarkable computing resources. Our results are in close agreement with those of
      the pseudospectral time-domain (PSTD). 

PMID- 26479934
TI  - Orbital angular momentum of superposition of identical shifted vortex beams.
AB  - We have formulated and proven the following theorem: the superposition of an
      arbitrary number of arbitrarily off-axis, identical nonparaxial optical vortex
      beams of arbitrary radially symmetric shape, integer topological charge n, and
      arbitrary real weight coefficients has the normalized orbital angular momentum
      (OAM) equal to that of individual constituent identical beams. This theorem
      enables generating vortex laser beams with different (not necessarily radially
      symmetric) intensity profiles but identical OAM. Superpositions of Bessel, Hankel
      Bessel, Bessel-Gaussian, and Laguerre-Gaussian beams with the same OAM are
      discussed. 

PMID- 26479935
TI  - Group multiple-image encoding and watermarking using coupled logistic maps and
      gyrator wavelet transform.
AB  - A novel method of group multiple-image encoding and watermarking using coupled
      logistic maps and gyrator wavelet transform is presented. The proposed method
      employs three different groups of multiple images. The color images of each group
      are individually segregated into R, G, and B channels. Each channel is first
      permutated by using a sequence of chaotic pairs generated with a system of two
      symmetrically coupled identical logistic maps and then gyrator transformed. The
      gyrator spectrum of each channel is multiplied together and then modulated by a
      random phase function to obtain a corresponding multiplex channel. The encoded
      multiplex image is restituted through a concatenation of R, G, and B multiplex
      channels. The phase and amplitude functions of the first, second, and third
      groups of encoded multiplex images are generated. The host image is a single
      level 2D discrete wavelet transformed to decompose into LL, HL, LH, and HH
      subbands. HL, LH, and HH subbands are then replaced with phase functions of the
      first, second, and third groups, respectively. Finally, the resultant image is an
      inverse single-level 2D discrete wavelet transformed to construct a watermarked
      image. The three groups of multiple images are protected not only by the
      encryption algorithm but also visually by the host image. Thus, a high level of
      security can be achieved. Each group includes group decryption keys, and each
      image of the group comprises individual decryption keys beside parameters of
      coupled logistic maps and gyrator transform. As a result, the key space is very
      large. The decryption system can be realized by using an optoelectronic device.
      The numerical simulation results confirm the validity and security of the
      proposed scheme. 

PMID- 26479936
TI  - Lifetime estimation of moving subcellular objects in frequency-domain
      fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy.
AB  - Fluorescence lifetime is usually defined as the average nanosecond-scale delay
      between excitation and emission of fluorescence. It has been established that
      lifetime measurements yield numerous indications on cellular processes such as
      interprotein and intraprotein mechanisms through fluorescent tagging and Forster
      resonance energy transfer. In this area, frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime
      imaging microscopy is particularly appropriate to probe a sample noninvasively
      and quantify these interactions in living cells. The aim is then to measure the
      fluorescence lifetime in the sample at each location in space from fluorescence
      variations observed in a temporal sequence of images obtained by phase modulation
      of the detection signal. This leads to a sensitivity of lifetime determination to
      other sources of fluorescence variations such as intracellular motion. In this
      paper, we propose a robust statistical method for lifetime estimation for both
      background and small moving structures with a focus on intracellular vesicle
      trafficking. 

PMID- 26479937
TI  - Wavefront aberration function in terms of R. V. Shack's vector product and
      Zernike polynomial vectors.
AB  - Previous papers have shown how, for rotationally symmetric optical imaging
      systems, nodes in the field dependence of the wavefront aberration function
      develop when a rotationally symmetric optical surface within an imaging optical
      system is decentered and/or tilted. In this paper, we show how Shack's vector
      product (SVP) can be used to express the wavefront aberration function and to
      define vectors in terms of the Zernike polynomials. The wavefront aberration
      function is then expressed in terms of the Zernike vectors. It is further shown
      that SVP fits within the framework of two-dimensional geometric algebra (GA).
      Within the GA framework, an equation for the third-order node locations for the
      binodal astigmatism term that emerge in the presence of tilts and decenters is
      then demonstrated. A computer model of a three-mirror telescope system is used to
      demonstrate the validity of the mathematical development. 

PMID- 26479938
TI  - General Rytov approximation.
AB  - We examine how the Rytov approximation describing log-amplitude and phase
      fluctuations of a wave propagating through weak uniform turbulence can be
      generalized to the case of turbulence with a large-scale nonuniform component. We
      show how the large-scale refractive index field creates Fermat rays using the
      path integral formulation for paraxial propagation. We then show how the second
      order derivatives of the Fermat ray action affect the Rytov approximation, and we
      discuss how a numerical algorithm would model the general Rytov approximation. 

PMID- 26479939
TI  - Second-order axial color of thin lenses in air.
AB  - In present research, the influence of higher-order aberrations on the correction
      of secondary axial color is under investigation. Analytical solutions have so far
      been restricted to special cases and simple optical systems. Common theories
      require the tracing of rays of different wavelengths. Such numerical approaches
      do not support the comprehension of the underlying physical effects. In this
      paper, a formula for second-order axial color contributions is derived which is
      based on paraxial ray data for the reference wavelength only. Therefore, it
      allows the determination of second-order axial color in early paraxial design
      stages without further numerical ray trace. For systems of thin lenses in air,
      three second-order effects are identified and discussed using simple examples. A
      quantitative comparison with intrinsic secondary axial color is given. 

PMID- 26479940
TI  - Finite-difference time-domain analysis for the dynamics and diffraction of
      exciton-polaritons.
AB  - We adopted a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) scheme to simulate the dynamics
      and diffraction of exciton-polaritons, governed by the coupling of polarization
      waves with electromagnetic waves. The polarization wave, an approximate solution
      to the Schrodinger's equation at low frequencies, essentially captures the
      exciton behavior. Numerical stability of the scheme is analyzed and simple
      examples are provided to prove its validity. The system considered is both
      temporally and spatially dispersive, for which the FDTD analysis has attracted
      less attention in the literature. Here, we demonstrate that the FDTD scheme could
      be useful for studying the optical response of the exciton-polariton and its
      dynamics. The diffraction of a polariton wave from a polaritonic grating is also
      considered, and many sharp resonances are found, which manifest the interference
      effect of polariton waves. This illustrates that the measurement of transmittance
      or reflectance near polariton resonance can reveal subwavelength features in
      semiconductors, which are sensitive to polariton scattering. 

PMID- 26479941
TI  - Tuning the locality of filtering with a spatially weighted implementation of
      random spray Retinex.
AB  - The human color sensation depends on the spatial distribution of the colors in
      the viewed scene. This principle is at the basis of the random spray Retinex
      (RSR) algorithm. In this work, we modify RSR by integrating its approach with a
      method to weight and tune the locality of spatial image information. This
      modification allows for spatial control of the local effect of RSR on image color
      filtering. We study the performances of this spatially weighted version of RSR on
      a public image dataset by analyzing and comparing several image features of the
      output image and its local properties. 

PMID- 26479942
TI  - Detection and estimation of liquid flow through a pipe in a tissue-like object
      with ultrasound-assisted diffuse correlation spectroscopy.
AB  - Using coherent light interrogating a turbid object perturbed by a focused
      ultrasound (US) beam, we demonstrate localized measurement of dynamics in the
      focal region, termed the region-of-interest (ROI), from the decay of the
      modulation in intensity autocorrelation of light. When the ROI contains a pipe
      flow, the decay is shown to be sensitive to the average flow velocity from which
      the mean-squared displacement (MSD) of the scattering centers in the flow can be
      estimated. While the MSD estimated is seen to be an order of magnitude higher
      than that obtainable through the usual diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS) without
      the US, it is seen to be more accurate as verified by the volume flow estimated
      from it. It is further observed that, whereas the MSD from the localized
      measurement grows with time as tau(alpha) with alpha~1.65, without using the US,
      alpha is seen to be much less. Moreover, with the local measurement, this super
      diffusive nature of the pipe flow is seen to persist longer, i.e., over a wider
      range of initial tau, than with the unassisted DWS. The reason for the super
      diffusivity of flow, i.e., alpha<2, in the ROI is the presence of a fluctuating
      (thermodynamically nonequilibrium) component in the dynamics induced by the US
      forcing. Beyond this initial range, both methods measure MSDs that rise linearly
      with time, indicating that ballistic and near-ballistic photons hardly capture
      anything beyond the background Brownian motion.

PMID- 26479943
TI  - Blob parameter selection for image representation.
AB  - A technique for optimizing parameters for image representation using blob basis
      functions is presented and demonstrated. The exact choice of the basis functions
      significantly influences the quality of the image representation. It has been
      previously established that using spherically symmetric volume elements (blobs)
      as basis functions, instead of the more traditional voxels, yields superior
      representations of real objects, provided that the parameters that occur in the
      definition of the family of blobs are appropriately tuned. The technique
      presented in this paper makes use of an extra degree of freedom, which has been
      previously ignored, in the blob parameter space. The efficacy of the resulting
      parameters is illustrated. 

PMID- 26479944
TI  - Supported Palladium Nanoparticle-Catalyzed Carboxylation of Aryl Halides,
      Alkenylsilanes, and Organoboronic Acids Employing Oxalic Acid as the C1 Source.
AB  - Polystyrene-supported palladium(0) (Pd@PS) nanoparticles as a heterogeneous
      catalyst have been developed for caboxylation of aryl halides, alkenylsilanes,
      and organoboronic acids to produce the corresponding carboxylic acids with minor
      quantities of corresponding aldehydes using bench-stable and inexpensive oxalic
      acid as the C1 source under focused microwave irradiation. The close vicinity of
      oxalic acid to Pd@PS maintained through ionic bonding helped to produce CO2 over
      the catalytic surface that concurrently participated in the carboxylation
      reaction. 

PMID- 26479945
TI  - Discovery of a Novel Series of Imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine Derivatives as Potent and
      Orally Bioavailable Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 Inhibitors.
AB  - Inhibition of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) has been
      suggested to be a promising therapeutic strategy for several inflammation
      associated diseases, including atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetic
      macular edema. Herein, we report the discovery of a novel series of Lp-PLA2
      inhibitors constructed on an imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine scaffold through a
      conformational restriction strategy. Structure-activity relationship (SAR)
      analysis resulted in the identification of several compounds with high potency in
      vitro and good metabolic stability in liver S9 fractions. Compounds 7c and 14b
      selected for further exploration in vivo demonstrated excellent pharmacokinetic
      profiles and exhibited significant inhibitory efficacy in SD rats upon oral
      dosing. 

PMID- 26479946
TI  - Morphology of three Litonotus species (Ciliophora: Pleurostomatida) from China
      seas, with brief notes on their SSU rDNA-based phylogeny.
AB  - The morphology and ciliary pattern of three brackish pleurostomatid ciliates,
      Litonotus gracilis spec. nov., L. tropicus spec. nov., and L. duplostriatus, were
      investigated. Litonotus gracilis differs from its congeners by body size (200
      400*15-40MUm in vivo), body shape (slenderly spindle-shaped, long neck), the
      number of somatic kineties (6-7 left and 11-17 right somatic kineties), long bar
      shaped extrusomes arranged along oral slit, tiny cortical granules arranged like
      honeycomb, one subterminally located contractile vacuole and, usually, four
      macronuclear nodules. Litonotus tropicus is characterized by four contractile
      vacuoles dorsally located, 8-11 right and four or five left somatic kineties.
      Litonotus duplostriatus is lanceolate-shaped, with 11-14 right and five or six
      left somatic kineties, one subterminally located contractile vacuole, fusiform
      shaped extrusomes distributed along oral slit. Litonotus dragescoiPan et al.,
      2013 is not a valid name, it still be named as Litonotus fasciolatus (basionym
      Loxophyllum fasciolatusDragesco, 1966). Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on
      SSU rDNA sequence data indicate that neither the family Litonotidae nor the genus
      Litonotus is monophyletic, and L. gracilis has a closer relationship with the
      genus Kentrophyllum than with other Litonotus species. 

PMID- 26479947
TI  - Correlates, causes, and consequences of fat talk: A review.
AB  - Fat talk is a term used to describe self-disparaging remarks made to other people
      about one's weight or body. Fat talk has been both causally and correlationally
      linked to a number of negative body image-related variables including low body
      esteem, body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, body-related cognitive
      distortions, and perceived sociocultural pressure to be thin. As such, body image
      researchers and clinicians would benefit from increased awareness of the current
      literature concerning fat talk. A narrative synthesis approach is used to
      summarize all research containing the keywords fat talk, body talk, or weight
      talk that was published from 1994 to 2014 inclusive. The measures used to study
      fat talk, outcomes and correlates associated with fat talk, theories that may
      help explain these findings, and the purpose served by fat talk are reviewed and
      discussed. In addition, directions for future research on fat talk, including
      intervention strategies, are examined. 

PMID- 26479948
TI  - Modeling the chelation of As(III) in lewisite by dithiols using density
      functional theory and solvent-assisted proton exchange.
AB  - Dithiols such as British anti-lewisite (BAL, rac-2,3-dimercaptopropanol) are an
      important class of antidotes for the blister agent lewisite (trans-2
      chlorovinyldichloroarsine) and, more generally, are chelating agents for arsenic
      and other toxic metals. The reaction of the vicinal thiols of BAL with lewisite
      through the chelation of the As(III) center has been modeled using density
      functional theory (DFT) and solvent-assisted proton exchange (SAPE), a
      microsolvation method that uses a network of water molecules to mimic the role of
      bulk solvent in models of aqueous phase chemical reactions. The small activation
      barriers for the stepwise SN2-type nucleophilic attack of BAL on lewisite (0.7
      4.9kcal/mol) are consistent with the favorable leaving group properties of the
      chloride and the affinity of As(III) for soft sulfur nucleophiles. Small, but
      insignificant, differences in activation barriers were found for the initial
      attack of the primary versus secondary thiol of BAL and the R vs S enantiomer. An
      examination of the relative stability of various dithiol-lewisite complexes shows
      that ethanedithiols like BAL form the most favorable chelation complexes because
      the angles formed in five-membered ring are most consistent with the
      hybridization of As(III). More obtuse S-As-S angles are required for larger
      chelate rings, but internal As?N or As?O interactions can enhance the stability
      of moderate-sized rings. The low barriers for lewisite detoxification by BAL and
      the greater stability of the chelation complexes of small dithiols are consistent
      with the rapid reversal of toxicity demonstrated in previously reported animal
      models. 

PMID- 26479949
TI  - Click Synthesis of Hydrophilic Maltose-Functionalized Iron Oxide Magnetic
      Nanoparticles Based on Dopamine Anchors for Highly Selective Enrichment of
      Glycopeptides.
AB  - The development of methods to isolate and enrich low-abundance glycopeptides from
      biological samples is crucial to glycoproteomics. Herein, we present an easy and
      one-step surface modification strategy to prepare hydrophilic maltose
      functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs). First, based on the chelation of the
      catechol ligand with iron atoms, azido-terminated dopamine (DA) derivative was
      assembled on the surface of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles by sonication. Second,
      the hydrophilic maltose-functionalized Fe3O4 (Fe3O4-DA-Maltose) NPs were obtained
      via copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (click chemistry). The
      morphology, structure, and composition of Fe3O4-DA-Maltose NPs were investigated
      by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron
      microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron
      spectrometer (XPS), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Meanwhile,
      hydrophilicity of the obtained NPs was evaluated by water contact angle
      measurement. The hydrophilic Fe3O4-DA-Maltose NPs were applied in isolation and
      enrichment of glycopeptides from horseradish peroxidase (HRP), immunoglobulin
      (IgG) digests. The MALDI-TOF mass spectrometric analysis indicated that the novel
      NPs exhibited high detection sensitivity in enrichment from HRP digests at
      concentration as low as 0.05 ng MUL(-1), a large binding capacity up to 43 mg g(
      1), and good recovery for glycopeptides enrichment (85-110%). Moreover, the Fe3O4
      DA-Maltose NPs were applied to enrich glycopeptides from human renal mesangial
      cells (HRMC) for identification of N-glycosylation sites. Finally, we identified
      115 different N-linked glycopeptides, representing 93 gene products and 124
      glycosylation sites in HRMC. 

PMID- 26479950
TI  - Role of vitamin D in cytotoxic T lymphocyte immunity to pathogens and cancer.
AB  - The discovery of vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression in immune cells has opened
      up a new area of research into immunoregulation by vitamin D, a niche that is
      distinct from its classical role in skeletal health. Today, about three decades
      since this discovery, numerous cellular and molecular targets of vitamin D in the
      immune system have been delineated. Moreover, strong clinical associations
      between vitamin D status and the incidence/severity of many immune-regulated
      disorders (e.g. infectious diseases, cancers and autoimmunity) have prompted the
      idea of using vitamin D supplementation to manipulate disease outcome. While much
      is known about the effects of vitamin D on innate immune responses and helper T
      (T(H)) cell immunity, there has been relatively limited progress on the frontier
      of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) immunity--an arm of host cellular adaptive
      immunity that is crucial for the control of such intracellular pathogens as human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis (TB), malaria, and hepatitis C virus
      (HCV). In this review, we discuss the strong historical and clinical link between
      vitamin D and infectious diseases that involves cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)
      immunity, present our current understanding as well as critical knowledge gaps in
      the realm of vitamin D regulation of host CTL responses, and highlight potential
      regulatory connections between vitamin D and effector and memory CD8 T cell
      differentiation events during infections.

PMID- 26479951
TI  - Ultrasensitive NO2 Sensor Based on Ohmic Metal-Semiconductor Interfaces of
      Electrolytically Exfoliated Graphene/Flame-Spray-Made SnO2 Nanoparticles
      Composite Operating at Low Temperatures.
AB  - In this work, flame-spray-made undoped SnO2 nanoparticles were loaded with 0.1-5
      wt % electrolytically exfoliated graphene and systematically studied for NO2
      sensing at low working temperatures. Characterizations by X-ray diffraction,
      transmission/scanning electron microscopy, and Raman and X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy indicated that high-quality multilayer graphene sheets with low
      oxygen content were widely distributed within spheriodal nanoparticles having
      polycrystalline tetragonal SnO2 phase. The 10-20 MUm thick sensing films
      fabricated by spin coating on Au/Al2O3 substrates were tested toward NO2 at
      operating temperatures ranging from 25 to 350  degrees C in dry air. Gas-sensing
      results showed that the optimal graphene loading level of 0.5 wt % provided an
      ultrahigh response of 26,342 toward 5 ppm of NO2 with a short response time of 13
      s and good recovery stabilization at a low optimal operating temperature of 150 
      degrees C. In addition, the optimal sensor also displayed high sensor response
      and relatively short response time of 171 and 7 min toward 5 ppm of NO2 at room
      temperature (25  degrees C). Furthermore, the sensors displayed very high NO2
      selectivity against H2S, NH3, C2H5OH, H2, and H2O. Detailed mechanisms for the
      drastic NO2 response enhancement by graphene were proposed on the basis of the
      formation of graphene-undoped SnO2 ohmic metal-semiconductor junctions and
      accessible interfaces of graphene-SnO2 nanoparticles. Therefore, the
      electrolytically exfoliated graphene-loaded FSP-made SnO2 sensor is a highly
      promising candidate for fast, sensitive, and selective detection of NO2 at low
      operating temperatures.

PMID- 26479952
TI  - Nanoscale Electromechanics To Measure Thermal Conductivity, Expansion, and
      Interfacial Losses.
AB  - We study the effect of localized Joule heating on the mechanical properties of
      doubly clamped nanowires under tensile stress. Local heating results in
      systematic variation of the resonant frequency; these frequency changes result
      from thermal stresses that depend on temperature dependent thermal conductivity
      and expansion coefficient. The change in sign of the linear expansion coefficient
      of InAs is reflected in the resonant response of the system near a bath
      temperature of 20 K. Using finite element simulations to model the experimentally
      observed frequency shifts, we show that the thermal conductivity of a nanowire
      can be approximated in the 10-60 K temperature range by the empirical form kappa
      = bT W/mK, where the value of b for a nanowire was found to be b = 0.035 W/mK(2),
      significantly lower than bulk values. Also, local heating allows us to
      independently vary the temperature of the nanowire relative to the clamping
      points pinned to the bath temperature. We suggest a loss mechanism (dissipation
      ~10(-4)-10(-5)) originating from the interfacial clamping losses between the
      metal and the semiconductor nanostructure.

PMID- 26479953
TI  - The text telephone as an empowering technology in the daily lives of deaf people
      A qualitative study.
AB  - Text-telephone technology (TTY) has been used for communication between deaf
      people since 1964. There is a gap in the scientific knowledge about the influence
      this may have had especially in relation to effective participation in society as
      well as the feeling of capability, confidence and collective meaningfulness. The
      aim of the present paper is, first, to disentangle the different aspects of TTY
      as an empowering artifact; and, second, to explore the role of TTY in their
      lives. To provide a framework for the empirical analysis, the paper draws on
      Empowerment Theory: personal control, a proactive approach to life, and a
      critical awareness of one's socio-political environment. Twenty-four people aged
      16-64 with Swedish Sign Language (SSL) as their first language were interviewed.
      The findings indicate that the introduction of the TTY was of great importance
      for self-esteem, equality and independence. The findings show that feelings of
      empowerment are closely linked to language use and contextually driven, and it is
      in interaction between deaf and hearing that such feelings arise (or not). The
      results indicate the need for further research into Deaf people's use of other
      means of interacting, using modern technique for example in social digital media
      and interactive platforms.

PMID- 26479954
TI  - Considerations on exercise stress testing: A personal experience of grey zones.

PMID- 26479955
TI  - Endomyocardial Biopsy in acute cardiogenic shock: Diagnosis of pheochromocytoma.

PMID- 26479956
TI  - A new approach: Left atrial appendage occlusion, as an alternative to
      anticoagulant, to treat patient who suffered of atrial fibrillation, acute
      coronary syndrome and clopidogrel resistance.

PMID- 26479957
TI  - Closure access leading venous advanced gain new ability: A new technique to
      overcome implantable device venous occlusion.

PMID- 26479958
TI  - Inadvertent implantation of a pacemaker lead in the left ventricle: A new
      challenge in cardiology.

PMID- 26479959
TI  - Clinical epidemiology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)
      in comparatively young hospitalized patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is
      primarily a disease of old age, risk factors that contribute to HFpEF are not
      limited to older patients. The objectives of this population-based observational
      study were to describe the clinical epidemiology of HFpEF in younger (<65 years)
      as compared with older (>=65 years) patients hospitalized with acute
      decompensated heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: We reviewed the medical records
      of residents of central Massachusetts hospitalized with HFpEF at all 11 greater
      Worcester (MA) medical centers during the 5 study years of 1995, 2000, 2002,
      2004, and 2006. Among the 2398 patients hospitalized with confirmed HFpEF, 357
      (14.9%) were <65 years old. Younger patients were more likely to be male, non
      Caucasian, obese, and to have a history of diabetes and chronic kidney disease
      than older patients with HFpEF. Younger patients hospitalized with HFpEF were
      less likely to have received commonly prescribed cardiac medications, had a
      longer hospital stay, and experienced significantly lower post-discharge death
      rates than older hospitalized patients. CONCLUSION: While HFpEF is predominantly
      a disease of old age, data from longitudinal studies remain needed to identify
      risk factors in younger individuals that may predispose them to the development
      of HFpEF.

PMID- 26479960
TI  - Disclosure and Psychological Well-Being of Sexually Abused Adolescents in Hong
      Kong.
AB  - The role of disclosure on psychological well-being of adolescents with child
      sexual abuse experience was investigated in a subsample of 74 disclosers among
      800 adolescents recruited in the community in Hong Kong. The results supported
      that CSA experiences have differential impact on adolescents' psychological well
      being. Family characteristics of the disclosers accounted for only a small amount
      of the variance in an array of psychological well-being measures. CSA
      characteristics were robust predictors of disclosers' sexual eroticism and
      externalizing behavioral symptoms. Disclosers' cognitive appraisal of CSA
      experience and quality of parental attachment were strong predictors of their
      self-esteem and internalizing behavioral problems. After controlling for the
      aforementioned factors, negative disclosure experience still significantly
      predicted lower self-esteem, higher sexual anxiety, more internalizing behavior,
      and more severe post-traumatic stress disorder responses. Research to understand
      the factors that generate negative disclosure experiences is needed for
      developing effective intervention strategies to mitigate the negative
      consequences of disclosure. 

PMID- 26479961
TI  - Lanthanide-Dipicolinic Acid Coordination Driven Micelles with Enhanced Stability
      and Tunable Function.
AB  - Lanthanide-incorporated polymer micelles have been prepared driven by the
      lanthanide-dipicolinic acid (Ln-DPA) coordination. The terdentate DPA ligand is
      grafted to the PVP block of a diblock copolymer poly(4-vinylpyridine)-b
      poly(ethylene oxide) (P4VP48-b-PEO193). Upon addition of Eu(III) ions to a
      solution of the DPA16-g-P4VP48-b-PEO193 block copolymer, intermolecular cross
      links form and the ligand-carrying blocks assemble, leading to the formation of
      micelles, stabilized by the hydrophilic PEO blocks. The DPA exhibits a dual
      function in this study. First, the chelate group strongly coordinates to Eu(III)
      in a three to one ratio, and leads to high stability of the formed micelles, as
      proven by light scattering and luminescence spectroscopy. Second, DPA acts as an
      antenna that transfers energy to the Eu(III) ion and dramatically enhances the
      luminescence emission. The Eu(III) emission is moreover most sensitive for local
      environment and allows to shine light on the internal structure of this class of
      self-assembled 36 nm size soft nanoparticles. With the same strategy
      gadolinium(III) can be incorporated providing micelles which show enhanced
      magnetic relaxation rates. Micelles capping a mixture of Eu(III) and Gd(III) show
      both enhanced luminescence emission and magnetic relaxation rates, and the
      functions can be tuned by regulating the mixing ratio of Eu(III) and Gd(III),
      showing great potential for developing multimodal imaging agents for diagnostic
      as well as therapeutic applications. 

PMID- 26479962
TI  - Understanding the Origins of Ischemia and Reperfusion.

PMID- 26479963
TI  - Advances in Ischemia and Reperfusion.

PMID- 26479965
TI  - Nuclear Bound States of Molecular Hydrogen Physisorbed on Graphene: An Effective
      Two-Dimensional Model.
AB  - The interaction potential of molecular hydrogen physisorbed on a graphene sheet
      is evaluated using the ab initio-based periodic dlDF+Das scheme and its accuracy
      is assessed by comparing the nuclear bound-state energies supported by the
      H2(D2/HD)/graphite potentials with the experimental energies. The periodic
      dlDF+Das treatment uses DFT-based symmetry-adapted perturbation theory on surface
      cluster models to extract the dispersion contribution to the interaction whereas
      periodic dispersionless density functional (dlDF) calculations are performed to
      determine the dispersion-free counterpart. It is shown that the H2/graphene
      interaction is effectively two-dimensional (2D), with the distance from the
      molecule center-of-mass to the surface plane and the angle between the diatomic
      axis and the surface normal as the relevant degrees of freedom. The global
      potential minimum is found at the orthogonal orientation of the molecule with
      respect to the surface plane, with an equilibrium distance of 3.17 A and a
      binding energy of -51.9 meV. The comparison of the binding energies shows an
      important improvement of our approach over the vdW-corrected DFT schemes when we
      are dealing with the very weak H2/surface interaction. Next, the 2D nuclear bound
      state energies are calculated numerically. As a cross-validation of the
      interaction potential, the bound states are also determined for molecular
      hydrogen on the graphite surface (represented as an assembly of graphene sheets).
      With the largest absolute deviation being 1.7 meV, the theoretical and
      experimental energy levels compare very favorably. 

PMID- 26479964
TI  - The Feasibility of Using Electronic Health Records to Describe Demographic and
      Clinical Indicators of Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers.
AB  - Few extensive, national clinical databases exist on the health of migrant and
      seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs). Electronic health records (EHRs) are increasingly
      utilized by Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and have the potential to
      improve clinical care and complement current surveillance and epidemiologic
      studies of underserved working populations, such as MSFWs. The aim of this
      feasibility study was to describe the demographics and baseline clinical
      indicators of patients at an FQHC by MSFW status. The authors described 2012
      patient demographics, social history, medical indicators, and diagnoses by MSFW
      status from the de-identified EHR database of a large, multisite Colorado Migrant
      Health Center (MHC). Included in the study were 41,817 patients from 2012: 553
      (1.3%) MSFWs, 20,665 (49.4%) non-MSFWs, and 20,599 (49.3%) who had no information
      in the MSFW field. MSFWs were more often male, married, employed, Hispanic, and
      Spanish-speaking compared with non-MSFWs. The most frequent diagnoses for all
      patients were hypertension, overweight/obesity, lipid disorder, type 2 diabetes,
      or a back disorder. Although there were significant missing values, this
      feasibility study was able to analyze medical data in a timely manner and show
      that Meaningful Use requirements can improve the usability of EHR data for
      epidemiologic research of MSFWs and other patients at FQHCs. The results of this
      study were consistent with current literature available for MSFWs. By reaching
      this vulnerable working population, EHRs may be a key data source for
      occupational injury and illness surveillance and research. 

PMID- 26479966
TI  - Immobilized laccase-based biosensor for the detection of disubstituted methyl and
      methoxy phenols - application of Box-Behnken design with response surface
      methodology for modeling and optimization of performance parameters.
AB  - An amperometric principle-based biosensor, employing immobilized laccase enzyme
      from Trametes versicolor, was developed for the detection of disubstituted methyl
      and methoxy phenols. Three immobilization methods such as entrapment, cross
      linking, and co-cross-linking, with bovine serum albumin (BSA) on nylon membrane
      have been compared. Among tested methods of immobilization, co-cross-linking
      method with BSA was superior to the other methods in terms of; sensitivity, limit
      of detection, response time, and operating stability. The increased sensitivity
      of the probe optimization of concentrations of laccase, BSA and glutaraldehyde
      can be achieved by, employing the Box-Behnken design of experiment. 

PMID- 26479967
TI  - (18)F-Based Pretargeted PET Imaging Based on Bioorthogonal Diels-Alder Click
      Chemistry.
AB  - A first-of-its-kind (18)F pretargeted PET imaging approach based on the
      bioorthogonal inverse electron demand Diels-Alder (IEDDA) reaction between
      tetrazine (Tz) and trans-cyclooctene (TCO) is presented. As proof-of-principle, a
      TCO-bearing immunoconjugate of the anti-CA19.9 antibody 5B1 and an Al[(18)F]NOTA
      labeled tetrazine radioligand were harnessed for the visualization of CA19.9
      expressing BxPC3 pancreatic cancer xenografts. Biodistribution and (18)F-PET
      imaging data clearly demonstrate that this methodology effectively delineates
      tumor mass with activity concentrations up to 6.4 %ID/g at 4 h after injection of
      the radioligand. 

PMID- 26479969
TI  - Paclitaxel-coated balloon plus bare-metal stent for de-novo coronary artery
      disease: final 5-year results of a randomized prospective multicenter trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The PERfECT Stent Study compared paclitaxel-coated balloon (PCB)
      angioplasty plus bare-metal stent (BMS) implantation with BMS alone in de-novo
      lesions in native coronary artery disease. Angiographic follow-up after 6 months
      showed the superiority of the additional PCB. We evaluated a potential late catch
      up phenomenon with the use of PCB. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the prospective,
      multicenter, single-blind, randomized PERfECT Stent trial, 120 patients were
      assigned to either PCB angioplasty plus BMS implantation or BMS alone. For BMS,
      the endothelial progenitor cell capturing stent was used. Dual antiplatelet
      therapy was recommended for 3 months. The clinical endpoint for 5-year follow-up
      was a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction attributed to the target
      vessel, or target lesion revascularization. The follow-up rate after 5 years was
      97%. Baseline and procedural characteristics did not differ. At the 5-year follow
      up, clinically driven target lesion revascularization was 23.2% in the BMS group
      versus 15% with PCB plus BMS (P=0.26). The clinical endpoint (major adverse
      cardiac event) was 30.4% with BMS and with 23.5% lower with PCB plus BMS. No
      definite or probable stent thrombosis was found in either group with a dual
      antiplatelet therapy for 3 months for the total period. CONCLUSION: PCB
      angioplasty plus BMS was superior to BMS alone for the treatment of de-novo
      lesions. The combined clinical endpoint was lower with PCB plus BMS at 6 months
      and remained lower after 5 years. There was no late catch-up phenomenon
      (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov; NCT 00732953).

PMID- 26479968
TI  - Advances in intravesical therapy for urinary tract disorders.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intravesical therapy is a valuable option in the clinical
      management of urinary tract disorders such as interstitial cystitis/ painful
      bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) and refractory overactive bladder. This review will
      cover the latest advances in this field using polymer and liposomes as delivery
      platform for drugs, protein and nucleic acids. AREAS COVERED: This review
      summarizes the significance of intravesical therapy for lower urinary tract
      disorders. The recent advancement of liposomes as a drug delivery platform for
      botulinum toxin, tacrolimus and small interfering RNA is discussed. The
      importance of polymers forming indwelling devices and hydrogels are also
      discussed, where all preparations improved efficacy parameters in rodent models.
      Clinical experience of treating IC/PBS with indwelling devices and liposomes are
      summarized and preclinical evidence about the downregulation of target gene
      expression in rodent bladder with liposomes complexed with siRNA is also
      reviewed. EXPERT OPINION: There have been several advances in the field of
      intravesical therapy for improving clinical outcomes. One of the most promising
      research avenues is the repurposing of drugs, given previously by other routes of
      administration, such as tacrolimus. Intravesical therapy also opens up novel
      therapeutic targets with improved efficacy and safety for underactive bladder.

PMID- 26479970
TI  - CRISPR/Cas mutagenesis of soybean and Medicago truncatula using a new web-tool
      and a modified Cas9 enzyme.
AB  - The CRISPR/Cas9 system is rapidly becoming the reagent of choice for targeted
      mutagenesis and gene editing in crop species. There are currently intense
      research efforts in the crop sciences to identify efficient CRISPR/Cas9 platforms
      to carry out targeted mutagenesis and gene editing projects. These efforts
      typically result in the incremental tweaking of various platform components
      including the identification of crop-specific promoters and terminators for
      optimal expression of the Cas9 enzyme and identification of promoters for
      expression of the CRISPR guide RNA. In this report, we demonstrate the
      development of an online web tool for fast identification of CRISPR/Cas9 target
      loci within soybean gene models, and generic DNA sequences. The web-tool
      described in this work can quickly identify a high number of potential
      CRISPR/Cas9 target sites, including restriction enzyme sites that can facilitate
      the detection of new mutations. In conjunction with the web tool, a soybean codon
      optimized CRISPR/Cas9 platform was designed to direct double-stranded breaks to
      the targeted loci in hairy root transformed cells. The modified Cas9 enzyme was
      shown to successfully mutate target genes in somatic cells of 2 legume species,
      soybean and Medicago truncatula. These new tools may help facilitate targeted
      mutagenesis in legume and other plant species. 

PMID- 26479971
TI  - Physical activity level of postmenopausal women in Nigeria: Association with self
      rated health status, overall obesity, and abdominal obesity.
AB  - Regular physical activity (PA) has been shown to have many health benefits in
      various populations, including postmenopausal women (n = 310). Self-rated health
      has been positively associated with PA. This cross-sectional survey of
      postmenopausal women in Nigeria was conducted from April to September 2012 to
      investigate associations among PA level, self-rated health, overall obesity (body
      mass index [BMI]), and abdominal obesity (waist-height ratio, waist-hip ratio,
      and waist circumference). The International Physical Activity Questionnaire was
      used to classify PA. Chi-square and logistic regression were used for analyses
      with level of significance set at .05. Participants were aged 53.0 +/- 4.2 years;
      moderate to vigorous PA was reported by 188 (60.0%), while 26 (8.4%) self-rated
      their health as poor/fair, and 242 (78.1%) were either predominantly overweight
      or obese when classified according to BMI. Participants with fair/poor self-rated
      health had less odds of involvement in moderate to vigorous PA. Obese
      postmenopausal women had greater odds of reporting lower PA. PA was positively
      related to self-rated health, which was negatively associated with overall
      obesity but not abdominal obesity. Measures to control obesity among
      postmenopausal women are essential in view of its direct association with poor
      self-rated health and low PA in this group of women.

PMID- 26479972
TI  - Cystatin C: A Marker for Inflammation and Renal Function Among HIV-infected
      Children and Adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Renal disease is a leading cause of morbidity in HIV-infected adults
      in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era. Cystatin C has been
      proposed as a more sensitive marker of renal function, but it may be affected by
      ongoing inflammation. We aimed to study the cystatin C levels in a cohort of HIV
      infected pediatric patients at 3 Spanish centers. METHODS: This is a multicenter
      cross-sectional observational study. Renal function was assessed by means of
      first morning urine protein/creatinine and albumin/creatinine ratios and
      creatinine-estimated glomerular filtration rates (GFRs), together with the
      following inflammation markers: cystatin C, reactive C protein, beta-2
      microglobulin and 25(OH)-vitamin D levels. A control group of healthy children
      and adolescents was used. RESULTS: Eighty-three patients (51 females, median age:
      13.3 years; 32 males, median age: 13.6 years) and 44 controls (24 females, median
      age: 12.2 years; 20 males, median age: 10.9 years) were included. Among the
      former, mean CD4 cell count was 860/mm, 29(35%) patients had a previous AIDS
      diagnosis, 73(88%) were on HAART and HIV viremia was undetectable in 61(73%). No
      differences in cystatin C levels were observed between the 2 groups. In HIV
      infected patients, cystatin C levels correlated with GFR (r = -0.27; P = 0.01),
      age at first HAART (r = -0.21; P = 0.05), and beta-2-microglobulin (r = 0.569; P
      < 0.01). In multivariate analysis, lower GFR (P = 0.014) and higher beta-2
      microglobulin levels (P = 0.001) remained as independent risk factors for higher
      cystatin C values. CONCLUSIONS: Cystatin C values were associated with GFR and
      beta-2-microglobulin. Cystatin C may be useful as a marker of renal function in
      HIV-infected pediatric patients, independently of ongoing inflammation or
      viremia.

PMID- 26479973
TI  - Immunogenicity and Safety of a 3- and 4-dose Vaccination Series of a
      Meningococcal ACWY Conjugate Vaccine in Infants: Results of a Phase 3b,
      Randomized, Open-label Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The quadrivalent meningococcal glycoconjugate vaccine MenACWY-CRM is
      licensed for children from 2 months of age as a 4-dose series. This study
      assessed the immunogenicity of a 3-dose MenACWY-CRM vaccination series in
      infants, compared with the 4-dose series, and evaluated the impact of MenACWY-CRM
      concomitant administration on immune responses to the 13-valent pneumococcal
      conjugate vaccine (PCV13). METHODS: Overall, 751 healthy infants (age: 55-89
      days) were randomized to receive 3 or 4 doses of MenACWY-CRM (2/4/12 or 2/4/6/12
      months of age, respectively) with PCV13 + routine vaccinations (ACWY3 and ACWY4
      groups, respectively) or PCV13 + routine vaccinations only (routine group).
      Immunological noninferiority of the 3-dose versus 4-dose MenACWY-CRM vaccination
      series was evaluated at 13 months of age for serogroups CWY; noninferiority of
      immune responses to PCV13 serotypes for concomitant administration of MenACWY-CRM
      and PCV13 was evaluated at 7 and 13 months of age. RESULTS: At 13 months, 88%
      100% of subjects in groups ACWY3 and ACWY4 achieved seroprotective bactericidal
      antibody titers against serogroups ACWY; noninferiority criteria for the 3-dose
      versus 4-dose MenACWY-CRM vaccination series were met. At 7 months,
      noninferiority criteria were met for all PCV13 serotypes except for serotypes 3
      and 5 (group ACWY3) and 19A (group ACWY4). At 13 months, noninferiority criteria
      were met for all PCV13 serotypes for both ACWY groups. CONCLUSIONS: After
      completion of either MenACWY-CRM vaccination series, most subjects achieved
      seroprotective titers against serogroups ACWY, with the 3-dose series being
      noninferior to the 4-dose series for serogroups CWY, and no interference with
      immune responses against PCV13 serotypes was observed (NCT01214837).

PMID- 26479974
TI  - The use of uncertainty forecasts in complex decision tasks and various weather
      conditions.
AB  - Recent research on weather-related decision-making suggests that the inclusion of
      numeric uncertainty estimates in weather forecasts improves decision quality over
      single value forecasts or specific advice. However, it is unclear if the benefit
      of uncertainty estimates extends to more complex decision tasks, presumably
      requiring greater cognitive effort, or to tasks in which the decision is clear
      cut, perhaps making the additional uncertainty information unnecessary. In the
      present research, participants completed a task in which they used single value
      weather forecasts, either alone, with freeze probabilities, advice, or both, to
      decide whether to apply salt to roads in winter to prevent icing or to withhold
      salt and risk a penalty. Participants completed either a simple binary choice
      version of the task or a complex version with 3 response options and accompanying
      rules for application. Some participants were shown forecasts near the freezing
      point, such that the need for salt was ambiguous, whereas other participants were
      shown forecasts well below the freezing point. Results suggest that participants
      with uncertainty estimates did better overall, and neither the task complexity
      nor the coldness of the forecasts reduced that advantage. However, unexpectedly
      colder forecasts lead to poorer decisions and an advantage for specific advice.

PMID- 26479975
TI  - The pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension--an update.
AB  - Elevation of the mean pulmonary arterial pressure to >=25 mm Hg within the low
      pressure system of the pulmonary circulation is defined as pulmonary
      hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension may be the consequence of various clinical
      and pathophysiological entities. Many of these conditions, however, result in a
      final common pathway of pathogenesis. This pathway is characterised by the triad
      of excessive vasoconstriction, microthrombosis and remodelling of pulmonary
      arteries. Remodelling is arguably the most important factor: its complex
      pathogenesis is not completely understood and no specific treatment directly
      targets vascular remodelling. This article aims to review the current
      understanding of the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension and to give insights
      in future developments in this evolving field. 

PMID- 26479976
TI  - Inactivation of nitrate reductase alters metabolic branching of carbohydrate
      fermentation in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002.
AB  - To produce cellular energy, cyanobacteria reduce nitrate as the preferred pathway
      over proton reduction (H2 evolution) by catabolizing glycogen under dark
      anaerobic conditions. This competition lowers H2 production by consuming a large
      fraction of the reducing equivalents (NADPH and NADH). To eliminate this
      competition, we constructed a knockout mutant of nitrate reductase, encoded by
      narB, in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. As expected, DeltanarB was able to take up
      intracellular nitrate but was unable to reduce it to nitrite or ammonia, and was
      unable to grow photoautotrophically on nitrate. During photoautotrophic growth on
      urea, DeltanarB significantly redirects biomass accumulation into glycogen at the
      expense of protein accumulation. During subsequent dark fermentation, metabolite
      concentrations--both the adenylate cellular energy charge (~ATP) and the redox
      poise (NAD(P)H/NAD(P))--were independent of nitrate availability in DeltanarB, in
      contrast to the wild type (WT) control. The DeltanarB strain diverted more
      reducing equivalents from glycogen catabolism into reduced products, mainly H2
      and d-lactate, by 6-fold (2.8% yield) and 2-fold (82.3% yield), respectively,
      than WT. Continuous removal of H2 from the fermentation medium (milking) further
      boosted net H2 production by 7-fold in DeltanarB, at the expense of less excreted
      lactate, resulting in a 49-fold combined increase in the net H2 evolution rate
      during 2 days of fermentation compared to the WT. The absence of nitrate
      reductase eliminated the inductive effect of nitrate addition on rerouting
      carbohydrate catabolism from glycolysis to the oxidative pentose phosphate (OPP)
      pathway, indicating that intracellular redox poise and not nitrate itself acts as
      the control switch for carbon flux branching between pathways.

PMID- 26479977
TI  - Pulmonary hypertension associated with bronchiolitis obliterans after
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

PMID- 26479978
TI  - Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for nonresponders to
      immunosuppressive therapy against acquired severe aplastic anemia.

PMID- 26479979
TI  - Pericardial effusion post transplantation predicts inferior overall survival
      following allo-hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

PMID- 26479980
TI  - Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in light chain amyloidosis
      (AL) with renal involvement.

PMID- 26479981
TI  - Characteristics and outcomes of aplastic anemia in HIV patients: a brief report
      from the severe aplastic anemia working party of the European Society of Blood
      and Bone Marrow Transplantation.

PMID- 26479982
TI  - The use of basiliximab-infliximab combination for the treatment of severe
      gastrointestinal acute GvHD.
AB  - After allogeneic stem cell transplant, severe grade III-IV gastrointestinal (GI)
      acute GvHD is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and generally
      results in poor outcomes. Salvage therapy for patients who fail steroid therapy
      is not well defined in the literature. In the current retrospective study, we
      reviewed our experience with the combination of basiliximab and infliximab in 21
      patients with severe, grade III-IV GI acute GvHD of whom 16 met the definition
      for steroid-refractory disease. The overall response rate was 76%, with 43% CR at
      a median time of 21 days after beginning treatment. The survival at 1 year was
      24%, with most deaths due to complications from GvHD and recurrence of primary
      disease. All five of the long-term survivors have chronic GvHD. On the basis of a
      review of the literature, this regimen does not seem to be significantly more
      effective than other strategies for severe GI GvHD and seems to be worse than the
      results reported for basiliximab alone. Future studies of single-agent
      basiliximab and newer agents are required.

PMID- 26479983
TI  - Case Study: Nutritional and Lifestyle Support to Reduce Infection Incidence in an
      International-Standard Premier League Soccer Player.
AB  - Professional soccer players are exposed to large amounts of physiological and
      psychological stress, which can increase infection risk and threaten availability
      for training and competition. Accordingly, it is important for practitioners to
      implement strategies that support player well-being and prevent illness. This
      case study demonstrates how a scientifically supported and practically applicable
      nutrition and lifestyle strategy can reduce infection incidence in an illness
      prone professional soccer player. In the 3 months before the intervention, the
      player had 3 upper-respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and subsequently missed 3
      competitive matches and 2 weeks' training. He routinely commenced morning
      training sessions in the fasted state and was estimated to be in a large daily
      energy deficit. Throughout the 12-week intervention, the amount, composition, and
      timing of energy intake was altered, quercetin and vitamin D were supplemented,
      and the player was provided with a daily sleep and hygiene protocol. There was a
      positive increase in serum vitamin D 25(OH) concentration from baseline to Week
      12 (53 n.mol-1 to 120 n.mol-1) and salivary immunoglobulin-A (98 mg.dl-1 to 135
      mg.dl-1), as well as a decline in the number of URTI symptoms (1.8 +/- 2.0 vs.
      0.25 +/- 0.5 for Weeks 0-4 and Weeks 8-12, respectively). More important, he
      maintained availability for all training and matches over the 12-week period. We
      offer this case study as a real-world applied example for other players and
      practitioners seeking to deploy nutrition and lifestyle strategies to reduce risk
      of illness and maximize player availability. 

PMID- 26479984
TI  - Accelerated Unilateral Radiographic Huntingtonian Changes Following Neoadjuvant
      Chemotherapy for a Nongerminomatous Germ Cell Tumor Leading to Identification of
      Occult Disease in the Dorsal Striatum.
AB  - Basal ganglia nongerminomatous germ cell tumors comprise 10% to 15% of germ cell
      tumor and have substantial morbidity at the time of local failure. In this
      submitted image we present a case where neoadjuvant chemotherapy unmasked a
      unilateral caudate head loss consistent with Huntingtonian changes. Careful
      review of the patient's imaging identified disease within the dorsal striatum
      that was not previously identified at the time of diagnosis. Review of the
      diffusion tensor fractional anisotropy imaging identified progressive white
      matter likely secondary to the occult disease within the dorsal striatum.
      Although this patient was asymptomatic and had no signs of a movement disorder,
      similar findings have been noted to be a prelude to such findings several months
      later. The occult disease was incorporated into the patient's radiotherapy
      planning target volume as oversight of these changes would have led to a marginal
      miss and potential early disease relapse. 

PMID- 26479985
TI  - G6PC3 Deficiency: Primary Immune Deficiency Beyond Just Neutropenia.
AB  - Glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit 3 (G6PC3) deficiency was recently defined
      as a new severe congenital neutropenia subgroup remarkable with congenital heart
      defects, urogenital malformations, endocrine abnormalities, and prominent
      superficial veins. Here, we report 3 patients with G6PC3 deficiency presenting
      with recurrent diarrhea, failure to thrive, and sinopulmonary infections leading
      to bronchiectasis. In patient I and II, a combined immune deficiency was
      suspected due to early-onset disease with lymphopenia, neutropenia, and
      thrombocytopenia, along with variable reductions in lymphocyte subpopulations and
      favorable response to intravenous gamma-globulin therapy. Apart from neutropenia,
      all 3 patients had intermittent thrombocytopenia, anemia, and lymphopenia. All
      patients had failure to thrive and some of the classic syndromic features of
      G6PC3 deficiency, including cardiac abnormalities and visibility of superficial
      veins in all, endocrinologic problems in PI and PIII, and urogenital
      abnormalities in PII. Our experience suggests that a diagnosis of congenital
      neutropenia due to G6PC3 may not be as straightforward in such patients with
      combined lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia. A high index of suspicion and the
      other syndromic features of G6PC3 were clues to diagnosis. Screening of all
      combined immune deficiencies with neutropenia may help to uncover the whole
      spectra of G6PC3 deficiency. 

PMID- 26479986
TI  - Chronic Neutropenia in Childhood: Experience From a Single Center.
AB  - Chronic neutropenia (CN) is defined as neutropenia that persists for >3 months;
      it is caused by a heterogeneous group of diseases in children. The aim of the
      present study was to evaluate the significance and clinical manifestations of CN
      in children at a single children's hospital. Between October 2004 and April 2014,
      CN patient data were evaluated retrospectively. Thirty-one patients were assessed
      in this study. Thirteen of them (41.9%) were younger than 12 months of age at
      initial diagnosis. There was no difference in the absolute number of neutrophils
      at diagnosis between the children aged younger than 12 months and those aged 12
      months and older at CN onset. Twenty-two of the patients (70.9%) were diagnosed
      during treatment for acute infections. A total of 11 patients (35.5%) were
      hospitalized because of recurrent infections. Most of the recurrent infections
      occurred in the lungs (81.8%). Congenital neutropenia (CoN) was identified in 14
      patients (45.1%). Eight of 14 patients (57.1%) required granulocyte-colony
      stimulating factor treatment, and none of them experienced adverse effects from
      this treatment. Fifteen patients (48.3%) were diagnosed with idiopathic
      neutropenia. Comparison between the idiopathic and CoN groups revealed no
      differences in age, the absolute number of neutrophils, or the presence of
      infection at diagnosis; however, differences were detected in sex and the rate of
      spontaneous recovery from neutropenia. Ten of the patients (32.2%) experienced
      spontaneous recovery from neutropenia during a follow-up period of 7 to 52
      months. In current study, we found a higher CoN ratio in the CN patients compared
      with previous reports, which may be due to the high rate of consanguineous
      marriages in our country. However, the finding of CN requires several laboratory
      investigations, prolonged follow-up, and advanced molecular analysis, and its
      etiology can remain idiopathic. 

PMID- 26479987
TI  - Pathologic Risk Factors in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients With Clinical Stage
      I Testicular Stromal Tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Testicular stromal tumors (TSTs) are rare. In adult men with TSTs,
      various pathologic risk factors have been identified in patients with clinically
      localized disease that increase the risk of occult metastatic disease (OMD). We
      systematically reviewed existing literature to analyze the impact of these risk
      factors on OMD in prepubertal (0 to 12 y) and postpubertal (13 to 21 y) patients.
      METHODS: A literature search was conducted using the combination of terms:
      "testicular stromal tumors," "testicular leydig cell tumors," "testicular sertoli
      tumors," "testicular interstitial tumors," "testicular granulosa tumor," and
      "testicular sex cord tumors." Studies of patients 0 to 21 years with clinical
      stage I TSTs were included. RESULTS: A total of 100 patients from 31 publications
      were included with a median age at diagnosis of 5.7 years (range, 1.2 mo to 21
      y). Seventy-nine patients were 12 years and below (median 7.2 mo) and 21 patients
      were 13 to 21 years (median 16 y). No patients in either group were identified to
      have OMD at retroperitoneal lymph node dissection or during follow-up
      surveillance (median follow-up 45.6 y; range, 4 to 360 mo). 99% of those 12 years
      and below versus 95% of those above 12 years had 0 to 1 pathologic risk factors,
      and 1% versus 5% had 2+ pathologic risk factors (P=0.38). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical
      stage I TSTs in adolescent, postpubertal patients appear to behave in a benign
      manner with few pathologic risk factors, similar to prepubertal patients. Given
      the low risk of relapse in this population, low-impact surveillance strategies
      are paramount. Prospective study of these patients is needed, and entry into a
      tumor registry such as the International Ovarian and Testicular Stromal Tumor
      Registry is important to learning more about this rare disease.

PMID- 26479988
TI  - Secondary Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in a Patient With Favorable
      Histology Wilms Tumor.
AB  - Secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is most commonly associated
      with malignancy, infection, or an underlying autoimmune disorder. Malignancy
      associated hemophagocytic syndrome is responsible for most secondary HLH cases,
      but it has not been well described in children. We present a case of a 4-year-old
      female with favorable histology of Wilms tumor who developed secondary HLH after
      unsuccessful resection of the tumor and initiation of chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26479989
TI  - Tissue Expander Placement to Prevent the Adverse Intestinal Effects of
      Radiotherapy in Malignant Pelvic Tumors.
AB  - We herein report the findings of 3 patients with primary Ewing sarcoma in a
      pelvic lesion who underwent the placement of a tissue expander (TE) before
      radiation therapy to prevent the adverse effects of radiotherapy. The simulation
      study showed that the TE drastically reduced volume of the intestine that was
      irradiated at all dose levels. All patients could receive the scheduled dose of
      radiotherapy without any acute and late complications such as diarrhea, melena,
      the dislodging of the TE, infection, or the formation of fistulae. In the 4-year
      (minimum) observation period, we did not observe intestinal complications in any
      of our patients. TE placement is considered to be a safe and effective method for
      preventing the adverse effects of radiotherapy in pediatric malignant pelvic
      tumors. 

PMID- 26479990
TI  - Use of Vandetanib in Metastatic Medullary Carcinoma of Thyroid in a Pediatric
      Patient With Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia 2B.
AB  - We describe a child with advanced, metastatic, inoperable medullary carcinoma of
      thyroid associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia 2B and rearranged during
      transfection mutation with a positive response to vandetanib treatment. He
      responded well with a fall in calcitonin levels and a reduction in size of the
      thyroid malignancy, lymph nodes, and pulmonary metastases. He has been on
      vandetanib for 4 years with good clinical and biochemical response. Vandetanib
      has a role in the treatment of patients including children with inoperable
      locally advanced and metastatic medullary carcinoma of thyroid. More information
      is needed on its use in children and long-term outcome. 

PMID- 26479991
TI  - Severe G6PD Deficiency Due to a New Missense Mutation in an Infant of Northern
      European Descent.
AB  - We report a term male infant born to parents of Danish descent, who on the second
      day of life developed jaundice peaking at 67 hours and decreasing on applied
      double-sided phototherapy. In the weeks following, the infant showed signs of
      ongoing hemolysis. Laboratory tests showed very low glucose-6-phosphate
      dehydrogenase (G6PD) enzymatic activity, and sequencing of the G6PD gene revealed
      a previously uncharacterized missense mutation c. 592 C>A (Arg198Ser). Oral DNA
      from the infant had the same G6PD mutation, suggesting a spontaneous maternal
      germline mutation as the mutation was not observed in leukocytes from the mother.

PMID- 26479992
TI  - Comparing the Quality of Life of Patients With Hemophilia and Juvenile Idiopathic
      Arthritis in Which Chronic Arthropathy Is a Common Complication.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hemophilia is a genetic disorder in which recurrent joint bleeding
      causes arthropathy. Inflammation and degeneration play roles in the pathogenesis
      of hemophilic arthropathy. Patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)
      experience a similar inflammatory degenerative joint disease. A comparison of
      different patients with common pathogenetic features may identify unique features
      helpful in terms of the follow-up. AIM: We compared the quality of life (QoL) of
      patients with hemophilia and JIA, and healthy controls, using a generic QoL
      scale, Kidscreen and Disabkids Questionnaires (KINDL). Differences among groups
      were evaluated in terms of sociodemographic characteristics and clinical
      parameters affecting the QoL. METHODS: We included 33 hemophilia patients, 19 JIA
      patients, and 32 healthy individuals aged 4 to 18 years. Sociodemographic
      characteristics (the age, the maternal educational status, the place of
      residence, the size of the household, the household income, divorced parents)
      were noted, and the KINDL was administered to all participants. Clinical
      parameters associated with arthropathy (the functional independence score [FISH],
      the hemophilia joint health score [HJHS], the arthropathic joint count, and the
      painful joint count) were documented. Differences in frequencies and medians
      among the groups were evaluated using the chi, the Mann-Whitney U, and the
      Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS: All KINDL dimensions were above 50, reflecting
      "good conditions" in the 2 patient groups. No difference between patients with
      hemophilia and JIA was evident in terms of the clinical parameters of FISH, the
      HJHS, or the arthropathic or painful joint counts (P>0.05). Sociodemographically,
      only the frequency of literate mothers was lower in patients with hemophilia than
      in those with JIA and healthy controls (P=0.03). Patients with JIA scored more
      higher on the KINDL dimension of chronic illness than those with hemophilia
      (P=0.02). The FISH score correlated with the total QoL score in both patients
      with hemophilia and JIA (r=0.39, P=0.03 and r=0.48, P=0.04, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: Although no difference was evident between the patient groups in
      terms of clinical parameters associated with arthropathy, JIA patients coped
      better with illness than those with hemophilia. JIA patients had a higher
      proportion of literate mothers than hemophilia patients; this may affect a
      patient's ability to cope with issues relating to chronic illness. Implementation
      of an educational program for mothers of hemophilia patients, during follow-up,
      may improve the patient's QoL. Also, hemophilia patients should be assisted to
      improve their QoL in the dimensions of self-esteem and schooling. Lastly, the
      evaluation of functional disability by FISH in hemophilia patients is important
      because the FISH score correlated with the total QoL score, as revealed by KINDL.
      In JIA patients also, functional disabilities caused by arthropathy affected the
      QoL.

PMID- 26479993
TI  - Fatigue in Children With Sickle Cell Disease: Association With Neurocognitive and
      Social-Emotional Functioning and Quality of Life.
AB  - Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) report fatigue in addition to acute and
      chronic pain, which can decrease overall health-related quality of life (HRQL).
      The primary objective of the current study was to investigate the relationship
      between fatigue and HRQL. Given limited prior research, secondary objectives
      included investigation of associations between fatigue and functional outcomes,
      including child neurocognitive and social-emotional functioning. Children aged 8
      to 16 years (N=32) and a caregiver completed measures of fatigue, HRQL, pain, and
      neurocognitive and social-emotional functioning. Controlling for pain and number
      of SCD-related hospitalizations, hierarchical linear regression models were used
      to determine the impact of child-reported and parent-reported fatigue on child
      HRQL. Correlational analyses were used to explore the relationship between
      fatigue and additional child outcomes. Data indicated that children with SCD
      experience clinically relevant levels of fatigue, which independently predicts
      lower HRQL. Fatigue was also associated with lower working memory, executive
      functioning, and higher levels of internalizing symptoms. Given its observed
      impact on HRQL and relationship to functional outcomes, fatigue may be an
      important target of clinical, home, or school interventions. This practice may
      attenuate the burden of fatigue in these patients, and in turn, help improve the
      quality of life of children living with SCD. 

PMID- 26479994
TI  - Health-related Quality of Life in Infants With Sickle Cell Disease.
AB  - Using historical cohorts of healthy, acutely ill, and chronically ill infants for
      comparison, we sought to determine whether infants with sickle cell disease (SCD)
      have impaired health-related quality of life (HRQL). We conducted a cross
      sectional study at 2 sites: the Medical College of Wisconsin/Children's of
      Wisconsin and the University of Alabama School of Medicine/Children's of Alabama.
      Parents of 90 infants with SCD completed the PedsQL Infant Module corresponding
      to their infant's age (1 to 12 mo or 13 to 24 mo) during a regular clinic visit.
      At 1 to 12 months, infants with SCD displayed lower Physical HRQL than healthy
      infants, but better HRQL than chronically ill infants. By 13 to 24 months,
      infants with SCD had worse HRQL in all areas than healthy infants and worse
      Physical and Total HRQL than acutely ill infants. Compared with chronically ill
      infants in this age group, infants with SCD had similar Physical HRQL and better
      Psychosocial and Total HRQL. By 13 to 24 months, a greater proportion of infants
      with SCD had impaired Physical and Total HRQL compared with infants aged 1 to 12
      months. All differences were significant at the (P<0.05) level. Impaired HRQL can
      be detected in infants with SCD. 

PMID- 26479995
TI  - Effect of Malnutrition at Diagnosis on Clinical Outcomes of Children With Acute
      Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
AB  - Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignancy among children.
      Although studies have shown that malnutrition can negatively affect treatment
      outcome, results are controversial. This retrospective study aims at determining
      the prevalence of malnutrition and its association with treatment outcome among
      children with ALL treated at the Children's Cancer Institute in Lebanon. A total
      of 103 patients diagnosed with ALL between April 2002 and May 2010 were enrolled.
      Anthropometric data were collected from medical records upon diagnosis, at 3 and
      6 months, and at the end of treatment. Body mass index was calculated for
      children 2 years of age and older, whereas weight-for-height ratio was used for
      patients below 2 years. Patients were considered underweight, stunted, or wasted
      if their Z-scores were <-2 SD. The prevalence of malnourished children was 25.2%
      at diagnosis and remained almost the same at the end of treatment. The odds of
      having a poor outcome (death and relapse) was higher among malnourished children
      and more so among stunted children with an odds ratios=2.15; 95% confidence
      interval, 0.5-8.3 and odds ratio=2.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.6-11.5,
      respectively. Although there was a trend showing worse outcomes in malnourished
      children with ALL at diagnosis when compared with well-nourished children larger
      studies using additional tools like arm anthropometry need to be conducted to
      prove the association. 

PMID- 26479996
TI  - Which Variables Are Useful for Predicting Severe Infection in Children With
      Febrile Neutropenia?
AB  - To distinguish children with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia (FN) at low
      risk of severe infection, the variables that are significant risk factors must be
      identified. Our objective was to identify them by applying evidence-based
      standards. This retrospective 2-center cohort study included all episodes of
      chemotherapy-induced FN in children in 2005 and 2006. The medical history,
      clinical, and laboratory data available at admission were collected. Severe
      infection was defined by bacteremia, a positive culture of a normally sterile
      body fluid, invasive fungal infection, or localized infection at high risk of
      extension. Univariate analysis identified potential predictive variables. A
      generalized mixed model was used to determine the adjusted variables that predict
      severe infection. We analyzed 372 FN episodes. Severe infections occurred in
      16.1% of them. Variables predictive of severe infection at admission were:
      disease with high risk of prolonged neutropenia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=2.5),
      blood cancer (aOR=1.9), fever >=38.5 degrees C (aOR=3.7), and C-reactive protein
      level >=90 mg/L (aOR=4.5). Now that we have identified these variables
      significantly associated with the risk of severe infection, they must be
      validated prospectively before combining the best predictive variables in a
      decision rule that can be used to distinguish children at low risk. 

PMID- 26479997
TI  - Left Ventricular Metastasis in Neuroblastoma: A Case Report.
AB  - Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children. Most
      common sites of metastases from neuroblastoma are bone marrow, bone and lymph
      nodes, however cardiac metastasis is rarely seen. Metastatic cardiac tumors are
      20 to 40 times more common than primary cardiac tumors. Mechanism of cardiac
      metastasis can be hematogenous, lymphatogenous, and direct extension/infiltration
      of tumor cells. Usually right heart metastasis is seen. Left ventricular
      metastatic tumor has never been reported with neuroblastoma. 

PMID- 26479998
TI  - New ribosomes for new memories?
AB  - Widely thought to be a housekeeping process, the regulation and synthesis of rRNA
      emerges as a potentially central mechanism for the maintenance of synaptic
      plasticity and memory. We have recently shown that an essential component of late
      phase synaptic plasticity is rRNA biosynthesis - the rate-limiting step in the
      production of new ribosomes. We hypothesize that a particular population of
      ribosomes is generated upon learning-associated neural activity to alter the rate
      of synthesis of plasticity factors at tagged synapses that will support the
      maintenance of synaptic plasticity and memory. 

PMID- 26479999
TI  - Associations between amount of smoking and alcohol intake and risk of colorectal
      neoplasm.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Although smoking and alcohol has been linked to an increased
      risk of colorectal neoplasm (CRN), large-scale studies to identify dose-dependent
      relationship between amount of smoking and alcohol consumption and risk of CRN
      are rare. We aimed to investigate the risk for CRN according to the amount of
      smoking and alcohol intake in a large sample of Korean adults. METHODS: A cross
      sectional study was performed on 31,714 examinees aged >=30 years undergoing
      their first colonoscopy as part of routine preventive health care between 2010
      and 2011. Never smokers were compared with six groups of smokers according to
      smoking amount, and individuals with alcohol intake of <= 6.25 g ethanol per day
      were compared with three groups according to alcohol amount. RESULTS: In adjusted
      models, the risk of overall CRN increased with increasing amount of smoking (P
      for trend < 0.001). The adjusted odds ratios for overall CRN comparing never
      smokers with six smoker groups according to smoking amount (<=2.50, 2.51-5.60,
      5.61-9.00, 9.01-13.00, 13.01-19.50, and >=19.51 pack-years) were 1.02, 1.19,
      1.35, 1.53, 1.63, and 2.03, respectively. In addition, the risk of both non
      advanced and advanced CRN increased with increasing amount of smoking (both P for
      trend < 0.001). However, the amount of alcohol consumption was not correlated
      with the risk of CRN. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of CRN was associated with
      increasing amount of smoking in a dose-response manner, whereas it was not
      associated with the amount of alcohol consumption. Our study suggests that
      smoking amount as well as smoking status should be considered for CRN risk
      stratification.

PMID- 26480001
TI  - Promoting the confluence of tropical cyclone research.
AB  - Contributions of biologists to tropical cyclone research may improve by
      integrating concepts from other disciplines. Employing accumulated cyclone energy
      into protocols may foster greater integration of ecology and meteorology
      research. Considering experienced ecosystems as antifragile instead of just
      resilient may improve cross-referencing among ecological and social scientists.
      Quantifying ecosystem capital as distinct from ecosystem services may improve
      integration of tropical cyclone ecology research into the expansive global
      climate change research community. 

PMID- 26480003
TI  - AVMA's advocacy efforts protect, promote, and advance your interests.

PMID- 26480004
TI  - IT DOESN'T HAVE TO HUR+.

PMID- 26480000
TI  - Identification of linc-NeD125, a novel long non coding RNA that hosts miR-125b-1
      and negatively controls proliferation of human neuroblastoma cells.
AB  - The human genome contains some thousands of long non coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Many
      of these transcripts are presently considered crucial regulators of gene
      expression and functionally implicated in developmental processes in Eukaryotes.
      Notably, despite a huge number of lncRNAs are expressed in the Central Nervous
      System (CNS), only a few of them have been characterized in terms of molecular
      structure, gene expression regulation and function. In the present study, we
      identify linc-NeD125 as a novel cytoplasmic, neuronal-induced long intergenic non
      coding RNA (lincRNA). Linc-NeD125 represents the host gene for miR-125b-1, a
      microRNA with an established role as negative regulator of human neuroblastoma
      cell proliferation. Here, we demonstrate that these two overlapping non coding
      RNAs are coordinately induced during in vitro neuronal differentiation, and that
      their expression is regulated by different mechanisms. While the production of
      miR-125b-1 relies on transcriptional regulation, linc-NeD125 is controlled at the
      post-transcriptional level, through modulation of its stability. We also
      demonstrate that linc-NeD125 functions independently of the hosted microRNA, by
      reducing cell proliferation and activating the antiapoptotic factor BCL-2. 

PMID- 26480005
TI  - An honest look at common stressors in the profession.

PMID- 26480006
TI  - What Is Your Diagnosis? Congenital intrapulmonary bronchogenic cyst.

PMID- 26480007
TI  - What Is Your Diagnosis? Acute, severe trauma resulting in multiple fractures and
      complete luxation of the thoracic vertebral column.

PMID- 26480008
TI  - What Is Your Neurologic Diagnosis? Astrocytoma affecting the pontine region of
      the brainstem.

PMID- 26480009
TI  - ECG of the Month. Atrioventricular dissociation arrhythmia.

PMID- 26480010
TI  - Pathology in Practice. Acute to subacute multifocal to coalescing necrosis of the
      myocardium.

PMID- 26480011
TI  - Usefulness of whole blood, plasma, peritoneal fluid, and peritoneal fluid
      supernatant glucose concentrations obtained by a veterinary point-of-care
      glucometer to identify septic peritonitis in dogs with peritoneal effusion.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usefulness of a veterinary point-of-care glucometer
      for identification of septic peritonitis in dogs with peritoneal effusion (PE).
      DESIGN: Prospective clinical evaluation. ANIMALS: 39 dogs with PE. PROCEDURES:
      Blood and peritoneal fluid convenience samples were collected concurrently in all
      dogs at the time of initial evaluation. A veterinary point-of-care glucometer was
      used to measure glucose concentration in heparinized whole blood, plasma,
      peritoneal fluid, and peritoneal fluid supernatant samples. Seventeen dogs had
      confirmed septic peritonitis, and 22 dogs had nonseptic PE. Sensitivity,
      specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of
      identification of dogs with septic peritonitis were calculated for glucose
      concentration differences for whole blood versus peritoneal fluid (WB-PF), plasma
      versus peritoneal fluid (P-PF), and plasma versus peritoneal fluid supernatant (P
      PFS). RESULTS: With a cutoff of > 20 mg/dL, the glucose concentration difference
      for WB-PF was an insensitive indicator of septic peritonitis (sensitivity, 41.2%;
      specificity, 100%). In comparison, the glucose concentration differences for P-PF
      and P-PFS had a higher sensitivity for septic peritonitis (88.2% and 82.4%,
      respectively) but a lower specificity (80% and 77.8%, respectively). With a
      glucose concentration difference cutoff of >= 38 mg/dL, specificity, positive
      predictive value, and accuracy of P-PF and P-PFS improved. CONCLUSIONS AND
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Determination of the glucose concentration difference for WB
      PF with the veterinary point-of-care glucometer was not useful in identifying all
      dogs with septic peritonitis. A glucose concentration difference of >= 38 mg/dL
      for P-PF or P-PFS, however, supported an accurate diagnosis of septic peritonitis
      in dogs with PE.

PMID- 26480012
TI  - Efficacy of endotracheal tube disinfection strategies for elimination of
      Streptococcus zooepidemicus and Bordetella bronchiseptica.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of various endotracheal tube disinfection
      strategies for elimination of Streptococcus zooepidemicus and Bordetella
      bronchiseptica. DESIGN: Experimental in vitro study. SAMPLE: 12 sterile
      endotracheal tubes. PROCEDURES: Endotracheal tubes were inoculated with S
      zooepidemicus or B bronchiseptica and subjected to 1 of 5 treatments (spraying
      with accelerated hydrogen peroxide solution [AHP] or soaking in one of the
      following: AHP, 0.5% chlorhexidine gluconate solution [CHG], 0.3% triclosan
      containing soap solution, or tap water) or left untreated (controls). After 5
      minutes, tubes were rinsed with water and swabbed for direct and enrichment
      culture. Culture results were scored semiquantitatively. Each isolate was tested
      separately (10 endotracheal tubes/isolate/treatment). RESULTS: No growth was
      identified by direct culture of any samples collected from CHG-treated
      endotracheal tubes, whereas S zooepidemicus and B bronchiseptica were each
      identified from 1 of 10 tubes sprayed or soaked with AHP and from all tubes
      (10/10 each) treated by other methods or used as controls. The CHG and AHP
      treatments resulted in significantly lower median growth scores after direct
      culture than did other treatments. After enrichment culture, samples from CHG
      treated tubes had significantly lower growth scores than samples from AHP-treated
      tubes, which had significantly lower scores than samples from other treatment
      groups. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: High-level disinfection (ie,
      elimination of all vegetative bacterial growth) was not achieved with any
      treatment tested. Although optimal approaches are not known, processing of
      endotracheal tubes with CHG or AHP appears to be the best approach when
      sterilization is not feasible.

PMID- 26480013
TI  - Use of a caudoventral-craniodorsal oblique radiographic view made at 45 degrees 
      to the frontal plane to evaluate the pectoral girdle in raptors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate use of a caudoventral-craniodorsal oblique radiographic
      view made at 45 degrees  to the frontal plane (H view) for assessment of the
      pectoral (thoracic) girdle in raptors. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional
      analysis. ANIMALS: 24 raptors suspected to have a fracture of the thoracic
      girdle. PROCEDURES: Standard ventrodorsal and H views were obtained for all
      birds. Radiographs were evaluated twice by a radiologist blinded to the final
      diagnosis, with each view first evaluated independently and views then evaluated
      in combination. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative
      predictive value were calculated, with results of surgery or necropsy used as the
      gold standard. RESULTS: 9 birds had thoracic girdle fractures; fractures were
      correctly identified in 8 of these 9 birds on the ventrodorsal view alone, 7 of
      these 9 birds on the H view alone, and all 9 birds on the 2 views in combination.
      Fifteen birds did not have thoracic girdle fractures; radiographs were correctly
      classified in 12 of these 15 birds when the ventrodorsal view was evaluated
      alone, all 15 birds when the H view was evaluated alone, and 14 of these 15 birds
      when the 2 views were evaluated in combination. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: Results suggested that the H view or the addition of the H view to the
      VD view could be useful in raptors suspected to have fractures of the thoracic
      girdle. Agreement with the gold standard (ie, fracture present or absent) was
      higher with the H view and combination of views than with the ventrodorsal view
      alone.

PMID- 26480014
TI  - Outcome of full-thickness skin grafts used to close skin defects involving the
      distal aspects of the limbs in cats and dogs: 52 cases (2005-2012).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the outcome of full-thickness skin grafts used to close
      skin defects involving the distal aspects of the limbs in cats and dogs and
      identify factors associated with outcome. DESIGN: Retrospective case series.
      ANIMALS: 20 cats and 32 dogs with a skin defect involving the distal aspect of a
      limb that received 58 full-thickness skin grafts between 2005 and 2012.
      PROCEDURES: Data regarding patient signalment, location and cause of the skin
      defect, surgical and anesthetic duration, and postoperative bandaging protocol
      were obtained from the medical records. Graft outcome was assessed by
      interpreting descriptions in the records; skin viability over >= 75% of the graft
      area between 7 and 14 days after surgery was considered a successful outcome.
      RESULTS: For 4 of the 58 grafts, graft outcome could not be determined from the
      medical record. For the remaining grafts, success rate was significantly higher
      for grafts placed in cats (17/22 [77%]) than in dogs (12/32 [38%]). The overall
      complication rate was 50%; complications included skin graft failure, donor site
      dehiscence, and bandage-induced sloughing of skin adjacent to the graft recipient
      site. In addition to species, anatomic location of the skin defect was identified
      as a prognostic indicator of graft outcome. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
      Full-thickness skin grafting had a higher success rate in cats than in dogs. Skin
      grafts applied to the antebrachium, compared with other locations on the distal
      aspects of the limbs, were associated with a poorer prognosis.

PMID- 26480015
TI  - Establishment of reference values for various coagulation tests in healthy
      Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and evaluation of coagulation
      in debilitated manatees during rehabilitation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish reference ranges for coagulation parameters in healthy
      Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and compare results with those
      for debilitated manatees undergoing treatment at a rehabilitation facility.
      DESIGN: Prospective study. ANIMALS: 29 healthy manatees and 45 debilitated
      manatees with various diseases. PROCEDURES: Manatees considered healthy on the
      basis of results of physical examination, CBC, and serum biochemical analysis
      underwent coagulation testing including measurement of prothrombin time, partial
      thromboplastin time, D-dimer concentration, platelet count, and fibrinogen
      concentration to establish reference ranges. For comparison, a group of manatees
      undergoing rehabilitation was also tested, and the results were compared.
      Thromboelastography was also performed on some animals. RESULTS: Values for D
      dimer concentration were significantly higher in debilitated versus healthy
      animals. There was no significant difference for prothrombin time, partial
      thromboplastin time, platelet count, or fibrinogen concentration between groups.
      Thromboelastography was performed on 8 healthy animals. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: Reference ranges were established for various tests of coagulation
      that may assist clinicians during the initial evaluation and rehabilitation of
      Florida manatees. Future research to evaluate the effect of specific disease
      processes on the coagulation cascade is recommended.

PMID- 26480017
TI  - Wettability Contrast Gravure Printing.
AB  - Silicon gravure patterns are engineered to have cells that are wettable and lands
      that are not wettable by aqueous inks. This strategy allows excess ink on the
      lands to be removed without using a doctor blade. Using an aqueous silica ink,
      continuous lines as narrow as 1.2 MUm with 1.5 MUm space are gravure printed. 

PMID- 26480018
TI  - Simultaneous detection of fluquinconazole and flusilazole in lettuce using gas
      chromatography with a nitrogen phosphorus detector: decline patterns at two
      different locations.
AB  - Method validations in addition to decline patterns of fluquinconazole and
      flusilazole in lettuce grown under greenhouse conditions at two different
      locations were investigated. Following the application of fluquinconazole and
      flusilazole at a dose rate of 20 mL/20 L water, lettuce samples were collected
      randomly for up to 7 days post-application, and simultaneously extracted with
      acetone, purified through solid-phase extraction, analyzed via gas chromatography
      with a nitrogen phosphorus detector, and confirmed through gas chromatography
      mass spectrometry. The linearity was excellent, with determination coefficients
      (R(2) ) between 0.9999 and 1.0. The method was validated in triplicate at two
      different spiking levels (0.2 and 1.0 mg/kg) with satisfactory recoveries between
      75.7 and 97.9% and relative standard deviations of <9. The limit of
      quantification was 0.01 mg/kg. Both analytes declined very quickly, as can be
      seen from the short half-life time of <4 days. Statistical analysis revealed
      significant differences between residues at different days of sampling, except at
      7 days post-application (triple application). At that point, the decline patterns
      of fluquinconazole and flusilazole were independent of application rate,
      location, temperature and humidity. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 

PMID- 26480019
TI  - Dielectric waveguides for ultrahigh field magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: The design of RF coils for MRI transmit becomes increasingly challenging
      at high frequencies required for MRI at 7T and above. Our goal is to show a proof
      of principle of a new type of transmit coil for higher field strengths. METHOD:
      We demonstrate an alternative transmit coil design based on dielectric waveguide
      principles which transfers energy via evanescent wave coupling. The operating
      principles and conditions are explored by simulations. The waveguide is applied
      for in vivo imaging at 7T. RESULTS: The waveguide can be an efficient transmit
      coil when four conditions are fulfilled: (1) the waveguide should be operated
      just above the cutoff frequency of the lowest order transverse electric mode, (2)
      the waveguide should not operate at a frequency where the wavelength fits an
      integer number of times in the waveguide length and standing wave patterns become
      very prominent, (3) for homogeneous excitation, the waveguide should be bent
      around the object, and (4) there should be an air gap between the waveguide and
      the object. CONCLUSIONS: By choosing the dielectric and the dimensions
      adequately, the dielectric waveguide couples the magnetic field efficiently into
      the body. The waveguide can be redesigned for higher frequencies by simple
      adaptations and may be a promising transmit alternative. Magn Reson Med 76:1314
      1324, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26480020
TI  - Towards the rationalization of catalytic activity values by means of local hyper
      softness on the catalytic site: a criticism about the use of net electric
      charges.
AB  - By means of the Spin-Polarized Conceptual Density Functional Theory (SP-CDFT),
      three 2,6-bis(imino)pyridine catalysts based on iron(II), used for polymerization
      of ethylene, were studied. The catalysts differed by the substituent group,
      bearing either -H, -NO2 or -OCH3. To date, catalytic activity, a purely
      experimental parameter measuring the mass of polyethylene produced per millimole
      of iron per time and pressure unit at a fixed temperature, has not been explained
      in terms of local hyper-softness. The latter is a purely theoretical parameter
      designed for quantifying electronic effects; it is measured using the metal atom
      responsible for the coordination process with the monomer (ethylene). Because
      steric effects are not relevant in these kinds of catalysts and only electronic
      effects drive the catalytic process, an interesting link is found between
      catalytic activity and the local hyper-softness condensed on the iron atom by
      means of four functionals (B3LYP, BP86, B97D, and VSXC). This work demonstrates
      that the use of local hyper-softness, predicted by the SP-CDFT, is a suitable
      parameter for explaining order relationships among catalytic activity values,
      thus quantifying the electronic influence of the substituent group inducing this
      difference; the use of only net electric charges does not lead to clear
      conclusions. This finding can aid in estimating catalytic activities leading to a
      more rational design of new catalysts via computational chemistry.

PMID- 26480021
TI  - Angelman syndrome: A review highlighting musculoskeletal and anatomical
      aberrations.
AB  - Angelman's syndrome (AS) is a genetic neurodevelopment disorder. The cause is a
      known abnormality involving the maternal inherited ubiquitin-protein ligase
      (UBE3A) gene. Clinical characteristics universal to the disorder are well
      documented in the literature and include developmental delay, seizures, ataxia,
      altered tone, severely impaired speech and intellect, as well as an overall happy
      demeanor, frequent bouts of laughter, and hypermotoric behavior. Associated with
      this disorder are several musculoskeletal aberrations. To date, a review of case
      studies reporting on these musculoskeletal changes has not been carried out.
      Thus, the purpose of this paper was to provide an overview of the musculoskeletal
      changes present in individuals with AS. In our review of 21 case reports from
      1965-2013, the most consistently reported anatomical changes were of the
      craniofacial region. These include microcephaly, brachycephaly, a palpable
      occipital groove, prognathism, and wide spaced teeth. Other musculoskeletal
      abnormalities less frequently reported in the literature include scoliosis,
      excessive lumbar lordosis, and pes planus. Given that the majority of the case
      reports reviewed was of young children, the possibility of underreporting
      musculoskeletal changes which may manifest in the later years of life may be
      present. Early diagnosis and interventions to minimize secondary complications
      are crucial to maintain quality of life. An overall multidisciplinary approach is
      emphasized to maximize developmental potential for these individuals. Future
      prospective studies that follow patients into adulthood are needed to better
      understand the prevalence and development of secondary musculoskeletal changes,
      which in turn can inform intervention techniques and preventative measures. Clin.
      Anat. 29:561-567, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26480022
TI  - Fractionation of Poly(butyl methacrylate) by Molecular Topology Using
      Multidetector Thermal Field-Flow Fractionation.
AB  - Thermal field-flow fractionation (ThFFF) is an interesting alternative to column
      based fractionation being able to address different molecular parameters
      including size and composition. Until today it has not been shown to be able to
      fractionate polymers of similar molar masses and chemical compositions by
      molecular topology. The present study demonstrates that poly(butyl methacrylates)
      with identical molar masses can be fractionated by ThFFF according to the
      topology of the butyl group. The influence of the solvent polarity on the thermal
      diffusion behavior of these polymers is presented and it is shown to have a
      significant influence on the fractionation of poly(n-butyl methacrylate) and
      poly(t-butyl methacrylate). Fractionation improves with increasing solvent
      polarity and solvent polarity may have a greater influence on fractionation than
      solvent viscosity. It is found that the thermal diffusion coefficient, D(T), as
      well as the hydrodynamic diameter, D(h), exhibit increasing trends with
      increasing solvent polarity. The solvent quality has a significant influence on
      the fractionation. It is found that cyclohexane, being a theta solvent for poly(t
      butyl methacrylate) but not for poly(n-butyl methacrylate), significantly
      improves the fractionation of the samples by decreasing the diffusion rate of the
      former but not the latter.

PMID- 26480023
TI  - Designed Amino Acid Feed in Improvement of Production and Quality Targets of a
      Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibody.
AB  - Cell culture feeds optimization is a critical step in process development of
      pharmaceutical recombinant protein production. Amino acids are the basic
      supplements of mammalian cell culture feeds with known effect on their growth
      promotion and productivity. In this study, we reported the implementation of the
      Plackett-Burman (PB) multifactorial design to screen the effects of amino acids
      on the growth promotion and productivity of a Chinese hamster ovary DG-44 (CHO
      DG44) cell line producing bevacizumab. After this screening, the amino acid
      combinations were optimized by the response surface methodology (RSM) to
      determine the most effective concentration in feeds. Through this strategy, the
      final monoclonal antibody (mAb) titre was enhanced by 70%, compared to the
      control group. For this particular cell line, aspartic acid, glutamic acid,
      arginine and glycine had the highest positive effects on the final mAb titre.
      Simultaneously, the impact of the designed amino acid feed on some critical
      quality attributes of bevacizumab was examined in the group with highest
      productivity. The product was analysed for N-glycan profiles, charge variant
      distribution, and low molecular weight forms. The results showed that the target
      product quality has been improved using this feeding strategy. It was shown how
      this strategy could significantly diminish the time and number of experiments in
      identifying the most effective amino acids and related concentrations in target
      product enhancement. This model could be successfully applied to other components
      of culture media and feeds. 

PMID- 26480024
TI  - Effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid on Cell Cycle Pathways in Breast Cell Lines With
      Different Transformation Degree.
AB  - n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and
      docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), abundant in fish, have been shown to affect
      development and progression of some types of cancer, including breast cancer. The
      aim of our study was to further analyze and clarify the effects of these
      nutrients on the molecular mechanisms underlying breast cancer. Following
      treatments with DHA we examined cell viability, death, cell cycle, and some
      molecular effects in breast cell lines with different transformation, phenotypic,
      and biochemical characteristics (MCF-10A, MCF-7, SK-BR-3, ZR-75-1). These
      investigations showed that DHA is able to affect cell viability, proliferation,
      and cell cycle progression in a different way in each assayed breast cell line.
      The activation of ERK1/2 and STAT3 pathways and the expression and/or activation
      of molecules involved in cell cycle regulation such as p21(Waf1/Cip1) and p53,
      are very differently regulated by DHA treatments in each cell model. DHA
      selectively: (i) arrests non tumoral MCF-10A breast cells in G0 /G1 cycle phase,
      activating p21(Waf1/Cip1) , and p53, (ii) induces to death highly transformed
      breast cells SK-BR-3, reducing ERK1/2 and STAT3 phosphorylation and (iii) only
      slightly affects each analyzed process in MCF-7 breast cell line with
      transformation degree lower than SK-BR-3 cells. These findings suggest a more
      relevant inhibitory role of DHA within early development and late progression of
      breast cancer cell transformation and a variable effect in the other phases,
      depending on individual molecular properties and degree of malignancy of each
      clinical case.

PMID- 26480025
TI  - Identification of the zebrafish red nucleus using Wheat Germ Agglutinin
      transneuronal tracing.
AB  - The red nucleus is located in the rostral midbrain of the vertebrate brain and
      controls motor coordination during locomotion. It receives input from the
      cerebellum and sends its output to the spinal cord. The presence of the red
      nucleus is well established in tetrapods, and its existence has also been
      suggested in teleosts but its presence and position has still been under
      discussion. By using wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) as a genetically encoded
      anterograde tracer, we recently identified contralateral projections from the
      cerebellum to a putative red nucleus in the zebrafish midbrain tegmentum. In this
      report we further revealed red nucleus derived from this contralateral afferent
      from the cerebellum using WGA and contralateral projections to the hindbrain
      spinal cord junction site using DiI-mediated retrograde tracing. Thus the
      structure that we have identified by anterograde and retrograde tracing fulfills
      the anatomical demands for the red nucleus: the location in the midbrain
      tegmentum, contralateral afferent from the cerebellum (cerebello-ruber
      projection) and contralateral efferent to the spinal cord (rubro-spinal
      projection). 

PMID- 26480026
TI  - The sensory system: More than just a window to the external world.
AB  - While the traditional importance of the sensory system lies in its ability to
      perceive external information about the world, emerging discoveries suggest that
      sensory perception has a greater impact on health and longevity than was
      previously appreciated. These effects are conserved across species. In this mini
      review, we discuss the specific sensory cues that have been identified to
      significantly impact organismal physiology and lifespan. Ongoing work in the
      aging field has begun to identify the downstream molecules that mediate the broad
      effects of sensory signals. Candidates include FOXO, neuropeptide F (NPF),
      adipokinetic hormone (AKH), dopamine, serotonin, and octopamine. We then discuss
      the many implications that arise from our current understanding of the effects of
      sensory perception on health and longevity. 

PMID- 26480027
TI  - Different definition of microvascular angina.
AB  - We sometimes encounter patients with microvascular angina (MVA), a disease
      characterized by anginal pain without abnormal coronary arteriographic findings
      or coronary spasm. More than 40 years have passed since MVA was first confirmed.
      The terms 'syndrome X', 'cardiac syndrome X' and 'microvascular dysfunction' have
      also been used to describe conditions similar to MVA, but all with slightly
      different definitions. The cause of MVA seems almost certain to be organic and
      functional abnormalities of the small arteries of the heart. Patients with MVA
      are likely to suffer from endothelial dysfunction and other microvascular
      abnormalities of both the coronary and peripheral arteries. The major treatment
      of MVA has been medication, most often calcium channel blockers. The prognosis of
      MVA is generally excellent, although symptoms remain in many studies. Some MVA
      patients with accompanying hypertensive heart disease have gone on to develop
      progressive left ventricular dysfunction, with poor prognosis. The different
      definitions applied to the terms used to describe this condition, what we refer
      to here as MVA, can confound issues involved in diagnosis, prognosis and proper
      treatment. Therefore, it is extremely important to distinguish primary MVA
      without underlying heart disease from secondary MVA to explore the disease
      mechanism and examine the clinical characteristics. It is more than 40 years
      since Likoff first confirmed this disease; therefore, all researchers know that
      strict diagnostic criteria for MVA should be immediately established. 

PMID- 26480029
TI  - Effect of Different Surface Treatments on Porcelain-Resin Bond Strength.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of various surface
      treatments on the surface structure and shear bond strength (SBS) of different
      ceramics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 192 disk-shaped cores were prepared
      using two all-ceramic systems, of which 168 were submitted to SBS tests, and 24
      were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force
      microscopy (AFM). The ceramics used were IPS Empress e.max (EX) lithium glass
      ceramic and Vita In-Ceram Zirconia glass-infiltrated zirconia (ICZ). The
      specimens were randomly divided into seven groups (n = 12) on the basis of the
      surface treatment used: control; SB-sandblasting with 50 MUm Al2 O3 particles; CJ
      chairside silica coating with 30 MUm SiO2 particles and silanization (Clearfil
      Porcelain Bond Activator); HF-etching in 5% hydrofluoric acid and silanization;
      ER-etching with an Er:YAG laser (10 W); ND-Nd:YAG laser etching (0.8 W); and FS
      etching with a femtosecond laser (860 mW). A luting cement (Clearfil Esthetic)
      was photopolymerized on each treated ceramic disk. After subjecting the specimens
      to thermocycling (1000 cycles, 5 degrees C to 55 degrees C), SBS tests were
      performed using a universal testing machine. The data were analyzed with two-way
      ANOVA and Tukey's tests using a significance limit of 5%. RESULTS: Among the EX
      ceramics, the CJ (29.10 MPa) and HF (26.07 MPa) specimens had statistically
      higher SBS values. For the ICZ ceramics, the highest value (28.08 MPa) was
      obtained for the CJ specimens. CONCLUSIONS: Silanization after coating with
      silica improves the bond strengths of both EX and ICZ specimens, while HF etching
      is favorable only for the EX specimens.

PMID- 26480028
TI  - Synaptic Efficacy as a Function of Ionotropic Receptor Distribution: A
      Computational Study.
AB  - Glutamatergic synapses are the most prevalent functional elements of information
      processing in the brain. Changes in pre-synaptic activity and in the function of
      various post-synaptic elements contribute to generate a large variety of synaptic
      responses. Previous studies have explored postsynaptic factors responsible for
      regulating synaptic strength variations, but have given far less importance to
      synaptic geometry, and more specifically to the subcellular distribution of
      ionotropic receptors. We analyzed the functional effects resulting from changing
      the subsynaptic localization of ionotropic receptors by using a hippocampal
      synaptic computational framework. The present study was performed using the EONS
      (Elementary Objects of the Nervous System) synaptic modeling platform, which was
      specifically developed to explore the roles of subsynaptic elements as well as
      their interactions, and that of synaptic geometry. More specifically, we
      determined the effects of changing the localization of ionotropic receptors
      relative to the presynaptic glutamate release site, on synaptic efficacy and its
      variations following single pulse and paired-pulse stimulation protocols. The
      results indicate that changes in synaptic geometry do have consequences on
      synaptic efficacy and its dynamics. 

PMID- 26480030
TI  - Ancient Human Bone Microstructure in Medieval England: Comparisons between Two
      Socio-Economic Groups.
AB  - Understanding the links between bone microstructure and human lifestyle is
      critical for clinical and anthropological research into skeletal growth and
      adaptation. The present study is the first to report correspondence between socio
      economic status and variation in bone microstructure in ancient humans. Products
      of femoral cortical remodeling were assessed using histological methods in a
      large human medieval sample (N = 450) which represented two distinct socio
      economic groups. Osteonal parameters were recorded in posterior midshaft femoral
      sections from adult males (N = 233) and females (N = 217). Using univariate and
      multivariate statistics, intact, fragmentary, and osteon population densities,
      Haversian canal area and diameter, and osteon area were compared between the two
      groups, accounting for sex, age, and estimated femoral robusticity. The size of
      osteons and their Haversian canals, as well as osteon density, varied
      significantly between the socio-economic groups, although minor inconsistencies
      were observed in females. Variation in microstructure was consistent with
      historical textual evidence that describes differences in mechanical loading and
      nutrition between the two groups. Results demonstrate that aspects of ancient
      human lifestyle can be inferred from bone microstructure.

PMID- 26480031
TI  - Sentinel lymph node biopsy in Merkel cell carcinoma: a 15-year institutional
      experience and statistical analysis of 721 reported cases.
AB  - Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare aggressive cutaneous neuroendocrine
      malignancy that frequently metastasizes to the regional lymphatic basin.
      Pathological assessment of regional lymph nodes with sentinel lymph node biopsy
      (SLNB) in patients without clinical involvement has permitted more accurate
      staging and more appropriate management. Nonetheless, concerns have been raised
      regarding the accuracy of this technique and its prognostic implications. We
      conducted a review of previously published data analysing the positive and false
      negative rates of SLNB in MCC. A search of the Medline and Embase databases to
      April 2015 identified 36 published studies between 1997 and 2015 comprising 692
      patients. With the addition of 29 patients treated at our own institution, we
      conducted an analysis of 721 patients. Among this cumulative cohort, SLNBs were
      performed from 736 regional sites with 29.6% recorded as positive. Regional
      metastasis occurred in 45 cases following a negative SLNB, for a false negative
      rate of 17.1%. Adjuvant regional radiotherapy in the setting of a negative SLNB
      did not affect regional recurrence (P = 0.31), providing credence to emerging
      evidence that regional therapy can be safely omitted in the setting of a negative
      SLNB. Distant relapse was noted far more frequently following a positive rather
      than negative SLNB (17.6% vs. 7.3%, P < 0.001). 

PMID- 26480032
TI  - Sterilization by Cooling in Isochoric Conditions: The Case of Escherichia coli.
AB  - High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) affects the structure, metabolism and survival of
      micro-organisms including bacteria. For this reason HHP is a promising treatment
      in the food industry. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of high
      pressure, under isochoric cooling conditions, on Escherichia coli, where such
      high pressure develops due to the fact water cannot expand. We combine survival
      curves obtained by spectrophotometry and images of atomic force microscopy in
      this study. Our results show that cooling at -20 and -30 degrees C leads to a
      partial destruction of a Escherichia coli population. However, cooling at -15
      degrees C causes a total extermination of bacteria. This intriguing result is
      explained by the phase diagram of water. In the first case, the simultaneous
      formation of ice III and ice Ih crystals provides a safe environment for
      bacteria. In the second case (-15 degrees C) Escherichia coli remains in a
      metastable and amorphous free-of-crystals liquid subjected to high pressure. Our
      work is the first experimental study carried out to inactivate Escherichia coli
      under isochoric cooling conditions. Unlike HHP, which is based on the application
      of an external load to augment the pressure, this technique only requires
      cooling. The method could be used for annihilation of other Escherichia coli
      strains and perhaps other micro-organisms. 

PMID- 26480033
TI  - Unusual Animal Behavior Preceding the 2011 Earthquake off the Pacific Coast of
      Tohoku, Japan: A Way to Predict the Approach of Large Earthquakes.
AB  - Unusual animal behaviors (UABs) have been observed before large earthquakes
      (EQs), however, their mechanisms are unclear. While information on UABs has been
      gathered after many EQs, few studies have focused on the ratio of emerged UABs or
      specific behaviors prior to EQs. On 11 March 2011, an EQ (Mw 9.0) occurred in
      Japan, which took about twenty thousand lives together with missing and killed
      persons. We surveyed UABs of pets preceding this EQ using a questionnaire.
      Additionally, we explored whether dairy cow milk yields varied before this EQ in
      particular locations. In the results, 236 of 1,259 dog owners and 115 of 703 cat
      owners observed UABs in their pets, with restless behavior being the most
      prominent change in both species. Most UABs occurred within one day of the EQ.
      The UABs showed a precursory relationship with epicentral distance.
      Interestingly, cow milk yields in a milking facility within 340 km of the
      epicenter decreased significantly about one week before the EQ. However, cows in
      facilities farther away showed no significant decreases. Since both the pets'
      behavior and the dairy cows' milk yields were affected prior to the EQ, with
      careful observation they could contribute to EQ predictions. 

PMID- 26480034
TI  - Potential of Biological Processes to Eliminate Antibiotics in Livestock Manure:
      An Overview.
AB  - Degrading antibiotics discharged in the livestock manure in a well-controlled
      bioprocess contributes to a more sustainable and environment-friendly livestock
      breeding. Although most antibiotics remain stable during manure storage,
      anaerobic digestion can degrade and remove them to various extents depending on
      the concentration and class of antibiotic, bioreactor operating conditions, type
      of feedstock and inoculum sources. Generally, antibiotics are degraded during
      composting > anaerobic digestion > manure storage > soil. Manure matrix variation
      influences extraction, quantification, and degradation of antibiotics, but it has
      not been well investigated. Fractioning of manure-laden antibiotics into liquid
      and solid phases and its effects on their anaerobic degradation and the
      contribution of abiotic (physical and chemical) versus biotic degradation
      mechanisms need to be quantified for various manures, antibiotics types, reactor
      designs and temperature of operations. More research is required to determine the
      kinetics of antibiotics' metabolites degradation during anaerobic digestion.
      Further investigations are required to assess the degradation of antibiotics
      during psychrophilic anaerobic digestion. 

PMID- 26480035
TI  - Establishing Sprinkling Requirements on Trailers Transporting Market Weight Pigs
      in Warm and Hot Weather.
AB  - This study was conducted July of 2012 in Iowa, in WARM (<26.7  degrees C) and HOT
      (>=26.7  degrees C) weather. Four sprinkling methods were compared, with one
      treatment being randomly assigned to each load: control- no sprinkling (not
      applied in HOT weather), pigs only, bedding only, or pigs and bedding. Experiment
      1 used 51 loads in WARM- and 86 loads in HOT weather to determine sprinkling
      effects on pig measures (surface temperature, vocalizations, slips and falls, and
      stress signs). Experiment 2 used 82 loads in WARM- and 54 loads in HOT weather to
      determine the sprinkling effects on transport losses (non-ambulatory, dead, and
      total transport losses). Experiment 1 found that, in WARM weather, there were no
      differences between sprinkling treatments for surface temperature, vocalizations,
      or slips and falls (p >= 0.18). However, stress signs were 2% greater when
      sprinkling pigs- or bedding only- compared to control (p = 0.03). Experiment 2
      found that, in WARM and HOT weather, sprinkling did not affect non-ambulatory,
      dead, or total transport losses (p >= 0.18). Although the current study did not
      find any observed sprinkling effects for pig measures or transport losses it is
      extremely important to note that the inference space of this study is relatively
      small, so further studies should be conducted to see if these results are
      applicable to other geographical regions and seasons. 

PMID- 26480036
TI  - The Effect of Age, Stocking Density and Flooring during Transport on Welfare of
      Young Dairy Calves in Australia.
AB  - Transport of young ('bobby') calves for slaughter is a contentious welfare issue
      for some sectors of the Australian community. Factors of age, stocking density
      and flooring need further research to develop appropriate welfare standards for
      transport of bobby calves. The objective of this study was to identify the space
      allowance requirements for transport of bobby calves and to understand factors
      such as age and flooring that minimise risks to calf welfare during transport.
      Animals aged 3-, 5- and 10-day old were transported for 12 h in a custom-made
      cattle truck fitted with 9 pens, with movable mesh divisions. Each pen contained
      4 calves, with space allowances of 0.2, 0.3 and 0.5 m2 per calf and flooring of
      solid metal, mesh or straw bedding. A total of 432 male dairy calves were
      transported in 12 trips during the 2-year study. Behavioural measurements
      included lying during transport, and lying and drinking for 12 h after transport
      during recovery. Blood samples were taken prior to transport, immediately after
      transport and 12 h after transport. Blood samples were analysed for metabolic
      state (glucose, beta-hydroxy-butyrate (BOHB)), hydration (packed cell volume
      (PCV)) and exhaustion/bruising (creatine kinase (CK) activity). It was found that
      several measures were affected by age, which indicates that the physiology and in
      particular lying behaviour of 3-day old calves is fundamentally different from
      that of older calves. It is unclear how this affects their ability to cope with
      the stressors of transport. Space affected the posture changes and CK activity
      during and after transport and it is concluded that space allowance should be at
      least 0.3 m2 per calf for calves of average size, while CK activity suggested
      that providing more space to 0.5 m2 per calf may provide even greater benefits.
      Straw bedding is of clear benefit to calves during transport, to the extent that
      it may even reduce some of the negative effects of reduced space on lying
      behaviour. 

PMID- 26480037
TI  - Welfare of Pigs Being Transported over Long Distances Using a Pot-Belly Trailer
      during Winter and Summer.
AB  - A total of 2,145 pigs were transported for 8 h in summer (six trips) and winter
      (five trips) using a pot-belly trailer accommodating pigs in four locations
      (upper deck or UD, bottom-nose or BN, middle deck or MD and bottom deck or BD).
      Heart rate of pigs during loading and transportation and lactate and creatine
      kinase (CK) concentrations in exsanguination blood were measured. Meat quality
      was evaluated in the Longissimus thoracis (LT), Semimembranosus (SM) and Adductor
      (AD) muscles. During summer, pigs loaded in the UD and MD had higher (P < 0.05)
      heart rate at loading compared to those located in the BD and BN. Blood lactate
      and CK concentrations were higher (P < 0.001) in winter than in summer. Lactate
      concentration was higher (P = 0.01) in the blood of pigs transported in the BN.
      Pigs transported in the BN had higher pHu values in the LT, SM and AD muscles (P
      = 0.02, P < 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively) and lower (P = 0.002) drip loss
      values in the SM muscle. This study confirms that some locations within the PB
      trailer have a negative impact on the welfare of pigs at loading and during
      transport with more pronounced effects in the winter due to the additive effect
      of cold stress. 

PMID- 26480038
TI  - No Pet or Their Person Left Behind: Increasing the Disaster Resilience of
      Vulnerable Groups through Animal Attachment, Activities and Networks.
AB  - Increased vulnerability to natural disasters has been associated with particular
      groups in the community. This includes those who are considered de facto
      vulnerable (children, older people, those with disabilities etc.) and those who
      own pets (not to mention pets themselves). The potential for reconfiguring pet
      ownership from a risk factor to a protective factor for natural disaster survival
      has been recently proposed. But how might this resilience-building proposition
      apply to vulnerable members of the community who own pets or other animals? This
      article addresses this important question by synthesizing information about what
      makes particular groups vulnerable, the challenges to increasing their resilience
      and how animals figure in their lives. Despite different vulnerabilities, animals
      were found to be important to the disaster resilience of seven vulnerable groups
      in Australia. Animal attachment and animal-related activities and networks are
      identified as underexplored devices for disseminating or 'piggybacking' disaster
      related information and engaging vulnerable people in resilience building
      behaviors (in addition to including animals in disaster planning initiatives in
      general). Animals may provide the kind of innovative approach required to
      overcome the challenges in accessing and engaging vulnerable groups. As the
      survival of humans and animals are so often intertwined, the benefits of
      increasing the resilience of vulnerable communities through animal attachment is
      twofold: human and animal lives can be saved together. 

PMID- 26480039
TI  - Establishing Bedding Requirements during Transport and Monitoring Skin
      Temperature during Cold and Mild Seasons after Transport for Finishing Pigs.
AB  - The broad aim of this study was to determine whether bedding level in the
      transport trailer influenced pig performance and welfare. Specifically, the
      objective was to define the bedding requirements of pigs during transportation in
      commercial settings during cold and mild weather. Animals (n = 112,078 pigs on
      572 trailers) used were raised in commercial finishing sites and transported in
      trailers to commercial processing plants. Dead on arrival (DOA), non-ambulatory
      (NA), and total dead and down (D&D) data were collected and skin surface
      temperatures of the pigs were measured by infrared thermography. Data were
      collected during winter (Experiment 1) and fall/spring (Experiment 2). Total D&D
      percent showed no interaction between bedding level and outside air temperature
      in any experiments. Average skin surface temperature during unloading increased
      with outside air temperature linearly in both experiments (P < 0.01). In
      conclusion, over-use of bedding may be economically inefficient. Pig skin surface
      temperature could be a useful measure of pig welfare during or after transport. 

PMID- 26480040
TI  - The Effects of Cooking Process and Meat Inclusion on Pet Food Flavor and Texture
      Characteristics.
AB  - The pet food industry is an important portion of the food and feed industries in
      the US. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine cooking method (baking
      or extrusion), meat inclusion (0 or 20%), and extrusion thermal to mechanical
      energy ratios (low, medium, and high) effects on sensory and volatile properties
      of pet foods, and (2) to determine associations among sensory and volatile
      characteristics of baked and extruded pet foods. Descriptive sensory analysis and
      gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to analyze the pet food samples.
      It was found that baked samples were lighter in color (2.0-2.6 baked vs. 3.5-4.3
      extruded, color intensity scale 0-15), and had lower levels of attributes that
      indicated rancidity (i.e., fishy flavor; 0.3-0.6 baked, 0.6-1.5 extruded, scale 0
      15), whereas extruded pet foods were more cohesive in mass, more friable, hard,
      and crisp, but less powdery than baked samples. Fresh meat inclusion tended to
      decrease bitterness and increase fishy flavor and cohesiveness of pet foods. High
      thermal to mechanical energy ratio during extrusion resulted in less musty and
      more porous kibbles. The main volatile compounds included aldehydes, such as
      hexanal and heptanal, ketones, and alcohols. Extruded samples did not contain
      methylpyrazine, while baked samples did not contain 2-butyl furan. Future studies
      should consider evaluating the relationship between sensory results and animal
      palatability for these types of foods. 

PMID- 26480041
TI  - Hopping Down the Main Street: Eastern Grey Kangaroos at Home in an Urban Matrix.
AB  - Most urban mammals are small. However, one of the largest marsupials, the Eastern
      Grey Kangaroo Macropus giganteus, occurs in some urban areas. In 2007, we
      embarked on a longitudinal study of this species in the seaside town of Anglesea
      in southern Victoria, Australia. We have captured and tagged 360 individuals to
      date, fitting each adult with a collar displaying its name. We have monitored
      survival, reproduction and movements by resighting, recapture and radio-tracking,
      augmented by citizen science reports of collared individuals. Kangaroos occurred
      throughout the town, but the golf course formed the nucleus of this urban
      population. The course supported a high density of kangaroos (2-5/ha), and
      approximately half of them were tagged. Total counts of kangaroos on the golf
      course were highest in summer, at the peak of the mating season, and lowest in
      winter, when many males but not females left the course. Almost all tagged adult
      females were sedentary, using only part of the golf course and adjacent native
      vegetation and residential blocks. In contrast, during the non-mating season
      (autumn and winter), many tagged adult males ranged widely across the town in a
      mix of native vegetation remnants, recreation reserves, vacant blocks, commercial
      properties and residential gardens. Annual fecundity of tagged females was
      generally high (>=70%), but survival of tagged juveniles was low (54%). We could
      not determine the cause of death of most juveniles. Vehicles were the major (47%)
      cause of mortality of tagged adults. Road-kills were concentrated (74%) in autumn
      and winter, and were heavily male biased: half of all tagged males died on roads
      compared with only 20% of tagged females. We predict that this novel and potent
      mortality factor will have profound, long-term impacts on the demography and
      behavior of the urban kangaroo population at Anglesea. 

PMID- 26480042
TI  - Cows Come Down from the Mountains before the (Mw = 6.1) Earthquake Colfiorito in
      September 1997; A Single Case Study.
AB  - The September-October 1997 seismic sequence in the Umbria-Marche regions of
      Central Italy has been one of the stronger seismic events to occur in Italy over
      the last thirty years, with a maximum magnitude of Mw = 6.1. Over the last three
      years, a collection of evidence was carried out regarding non-seismic phenomena,
      by interviewing local residents using a questionnaire. One particular observation
      of anomalous animal behaviour, confirmed by many witnesses, concerned a herd of
      cows, which descended from a mountain close to the streets of a village near the
      epicentre, a few days before the main shock. Testimonies were collected using a
      specific questionnaire including data on earthquake lights, spring variations,
      human diseases, and irregular animal behaviour. The questionnaire was compiled
      after the L'Aquila earthquake in 2009, and was based upon past historical
      earthquake observations. A possible explanation for the cows' behavior-local air
      ionization caused by stress-activated positive holes-is discussed. 

PMID- 26480043
TI  - Consumer Acceptance of Dry Dog Food Variations.
AB  - The objectives of this study were to compare the acceptance of different dry dog
      food products by consumers, determine consumer clusters for acceptance, and
      identify the characteristics of dog food that drive consumer acceptance. Eight
      dry dog food samples available in the US market were evaluated by pet owners. In
      this study, consumers evaluated overall liking, aroma, and appearance liking of
      the products. Consumers were also asked to predict their purchase intent, their
      dog's liking, and cost of the samples. The results indicated that appearance of
      the sample, especially the color, influenced pet owner's overall liking more than
      the aroma of the product. Overall liking clusters were not related to income,
      age, gender, or education, indicating that general consumer demographics do not
      appear to play a main role in individual consumer acceptance of dog food
      products. 

PMID- 26480044
TI  - Comparison of Performance, Meat Lipids and Oxidative Status of Pigs from
      Commercial Breed and Organic Crossbreed.
AB  - The aim of this research was to determine the effect of rearing systems for pig
      production, as concerns performance, meat lipid content, the fatty acid profile,
      histidinic antioxidants, coenzyme Q10, and TBARs. One hundred pigs were assigned
      to one of three treatments: intensively reared commercial hybrid pig (I), free
      range commercial hybrid pig (FR) or organically reared crossbred pig (O),
      according to organic EU Regulations. I pigs showed the best productive
      performance, but FR and O increased: C20:1n9, Delta9-desaturase (C18) and
      thioesterase indices in meat. Lipid, dipeptides and CoQ10 appeared correlated to
      glycolytic and oxidative metabolic pathways. We can conclude that all studied
      parameters were influenced by the rearing system used, and that differences were
      particularly evident in the O system, which produced leaner meat with higher
      oxidative stability. In this respect, the organic pig rearing system promotes and
      enhances biodiversity, environmental sustainability and food quality. 

PMID- 26480045
TI  - Refining Housing, Husbandry and Care for Animals Used in Studies Involving
      Biotelemetry.
AB  - Biotelemetry can contribute towards reducing animal numbers and suffering in
      disciplines including physiology, pharmacology and behavioural research. However,
      the technique can also cause harm to animals, making biotelemetry a 'refinement
      that needs refining'. Current welfare issues relating to the housing and
      husbandry of animals used in biotelemetry studies are single vs. group housing,
      provision of environmental enrichment, long term laboratory housing and use of
      telemetered data to help assess welfare. Animals may be singly housed because
      more than one device transmits on the same wavelength; due to concerns regarding
      damage to surgical sites; because they are wearing exteriorised jackets; or if
      monitoring systems can only record from individually housed animals. Much of this
      can be overcome by thoughtful experimental design and surgery refinements.
      Similarly, if biotelemetry studies preclude certain enrichment items, husbandry
      refinement protocols can be adapted to permit some environmental stimulation.
      Nevertheless, long-term laboratory housing raises welfare concerns and maximum
      durations should be defined. Telemetered data can be used to help assess welfare,
      helping to determine endpoints and refine future studies. The above measures will
      help to improve data quality as well as welfare, because experimental confounds
      due to physiological and psychological stress will be minimised. 

PMID- 26480046
TI  - Health and Welfare in Dutch Organic Laying Hens.
AB  - From 2007-2008, data on animal health and welfare and farm management during
      rearing and laying periods were collected from 49 flocks of organic laying hens
      in the Netherlands. Our aim was to investigate how organic egg farms performed in
      terms of animal health and welfare and which farm factors affected this
      performance. The flocks in our study were kept on farms with 34 to 25,000 hens
      (average 9,300 hens). Seventy-one percent of the flocks consisted of 'silver
      hybrids': white hens that lay brown eggs. Fifty-five percent of the flocks were
      kept in floor-based housing and 45% of the flocks in aviaries. No relation was
      found between the amount of time spent outdoors during the laying period and
      mortality at 60 weeks. Flocks that used their outdoor run more intensively had
      better feather scores. In 40% of the flocks there was mortality caused by
      predators. The average feed intake was 129 g/day at 30 weeks and 133 g/day at 60
      weeks of age. The average percentage of mislaid eggs decreased from three at 30
      weeks to two at 60 weeks. The average mortality was 7.8% at 60 weeks. Twenty-five
      percent of the flocks were not treated for worms in their first 50 weeks.
      Flubenol((c)) was applied to the flocks that were treated. Ten percent of the
      flocks followed Flubenol((c)) instructions for use and were wormed five or more
      times. The other 65% percent were treated irregularly between one and four times.
      Sixty-eight percent of the flocks showed little or no feather damage, 24% showed
      moderate damage and 8% showed severe damage. The feather score was better if the
      hens used the free-range area more intensely, the laying percentage at 60 weeks
      was higher, and if they were allowed to go outside sooner after arrival on the
      laying farm. In 69% of the flocks, hens had peck wounds in the vent area: on
      average this was 18% of the hens. Keel bone deformations were found in all
      flocks, on average in 21% of the birds. In 78% of the flocks, an average of 13%
      of the hens had foot-sole wounds, mostly a small crust. Combs were darker in
      flocks that used the range area more intensively. More fearful flocks had lighter
      combs. We conclude that organic farms are potentially more animal friendly than
      other poultry systems based on the animal welfare benefits of the free range
      areas. However, we also observed mortality rates, internal parasites, keel bone
      deformities, and foot sole lesions on organic farms that were comparable to or
      worse than in other husbandry systems. It is unclear whether these 'remaining'
      problems can be attributed to housing or if they are the result of keeping high
      productive genotypes in an artificial environment. Organic farms use the same
      high productive genotypes as other husbandry systems. 

PMID- 26480047
TI  - Non-Destructive and rapid evaluation of staple foods quality by using
      spectroscopic techniques: A review.
AB  - Staple foods, including cereals, legumes, and root/tuber crops, dominate the
      daily diet of humans by providing valuable proteins, starch, oils, minerals, and
      vitamins. Quality evaluation of staple foods is primarily carried out on sensory
      (e.g. external defect, color), adulteration (e.g. species, origin), chemical
      (e.g. starch, proteins), mycotoxin (e.g. Fusarium toxin, aflatoxin), parasitic
      infection (e.g. weevil, beetle), and internal physiological (e.g. hollow heart,
      black heart) aspects. Conventional methods for the quality assessment of staple
      foods are always laborious, destructive, and time-consuming. Requirements for
      online monitoring of staple foods have been proposed to encourage the development
      of rapid, reagentless, and noninvasive techniques. Spectroscopic techniques, such
      as visible-infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance
      spectroscopy, and spectral imaging, have been introduced as promising analytical
      tools and applied for the quality evaluation of staple foods. This review
      summarizes the recent applications and progress of such spectroscopic techniques
      in determining various qualities of staple foods. Besides, challenges and future
      trends of these spectroscopic techniques are also presented.

PMID- 26480048
TI  - Does skin cancer screening save lives? A detailed analysis of mortality time
      trends in Schleswig-Holstein and Germany.
AB  - BACKGROUND: After a pilot study on skin cancer screening was performed between
      2003 and 2004 in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, the country implemented what to the
      authors' knowledge is the first nationwide skin cancer screening program in the
      world in 2008. The objective of the current study was to provide details
      regarding mortality trends in Schleswig-Holstein and Germany in relation to the
      screening. METHODS: Annual age-standardized mortality rates for skin melanoma
      (using the 10th Revision of the International Statistical Classification of
      Diseases and Related Health Problems [ICD-10] code C43) and malignant neoplasms
      of ill-defined, secondary, and unspecified sites (ICD-10 code C76-C80) were
      analyzed. The European Standard population was used for age standardization. A
      bias analysis was performed to estimate the number of skin melanoma deaths that
      may have been incorrectly counted as ICD-10 code C76-C80 when the skin melanoma
      mortality declined in Schleswig-Holstein. RESULTS: The observed mortality decline
      in Schleswig-Holstein 5 years after the pilot study was accompanied by a
      considerable increase in the number of deaths due to malignant neoplasms of ill
      defined, secondary, and unspecified sites (ICD-10 code C76-C80) that is not
      explainable by an increase in the incidence of these neoplasms. Incorrect
      assignment of 8 to 35 and 12 to 23 skin melanoma deaths per year among men and
      women, respectively, as ICD-10 code C76-C80 during 2007 through 2010 could
      explain the transient skin melanoma mortality decline observed in Schleswig
      Holstein. Five years after implementation of the program, the nationwide skin
      melanoma mortality increased (age-standardized rate change of +0.4 per 100,000
      person-years [95% confidence interval, 0.2-0.6] in men and +0.1 per 100,000
      person-years [95% confidence interval, -0.1 to 0.2] in women). CONCLUSIONS:
      Although the current analyses raise doubts that the skin cancer screening program
      in Germany can reduce the skin cancer mortality rate, the authors do not believe
      the program should be immediately stopped. Further in-depth evaluations are
      required. Cancer 2016;122:432-437. (c) 2015 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 26480049
TI  - Tuning the Electromechanical Properties of Single DNA Molecular Junctions.
AB  - Understanding the interplay between the electrical and mechanical properties of
      DNA molecules is important for the design and characterization of molecular
      electronic devices, as well as understanding the role of charge transport in
      biological functions. However, to date, force-induced melting has limited our
      ability to investigate the response of DNA molecular conductance to stretching.
      Here we present a new molecule-electrode linker based on a hairpin-like design,
      which prevents force-induced melting at the end of single DNA molecules during
      stretching by stretching both strands of the duplex evenly. We find that the new
      linker group gives larger conductance than previously measured DNA-electrode
      linkers, which attach to the end of one strand of the duplex. In addition to
      changing the conductance the new linker also stabilizes the molecule during
      stretching, increasing the length a single DNA molecule can be stretched before
      an abrupt decrease in conductance. Fitting these electromechanical properties to
      a spring model, we show that distortion is more evenly distributed across the
      single DNA molecule during stretching, and thus the electromechanical effects of
      the pi-pi coupling between neighboring bases is measured. 

PMID- 26480050
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26480051
TI  - Caliber of the common bile duct: effect of cholecystectomy and other factors in a
      ultrasonographic study of 8534 patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to analyze the effects of
      different factors impacting the caliber of the common bile duct (CBD) and a
      comparison of maximum extrahepatic bile duct caliber in patients with and without
      a history of cholecystectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective data analysis
      was undertaken of 8534 patients (4480 females; 4054 males; average age: 59.2+/
      18.0 years) with sonographic documentation of bile duct caliber. Maximum intra-
      and extrahepatic bile duct diameters were studied. The normal maximum diameter of
      the extrahepatic bile duct was defined as 7 mm. In patients who had undergone
      prior cholecystectomy, a maximum bile duct diameter<10 mm was considered normal.
      RESULTS: The average maximum diameter of the CBD amounted to 5.3+/-3.0 mm for the
      overall collective. In patients who had undergone prior cholecystectomy, maximum
      CBD diameters in the normal range (<7 mm) were documented in 55%, while larger
      diameters (>7 mm) were observed in 45%. In the collective of patients without
      prior cholecystectomy, CBD diameters in the normal range (<7 mm) were found in
      81%, with larger diameters observed in only 18.4% of patients. In both subgroups,
      there was a significant association between age and bile duct diameter (for those
      with prior cholecystectomy, p=0.0003; without prior cholecystectomy, p<0.0001).
      No statistically significant influence on CBD diameter was observed for either
      prior cholecystectomy (p=0.2116) or time interval since cholecystectomy
      (p=0.3537). Females, both with and without a history of prior cholecystectomy,
      showed a 1.4-1.5-fold higher risk of exhibiting a CBD diameter>7 mm (for those
      with prior cholecystectomy, p=0.0485; without prior cholecystectomy, p<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our data show a positive correlation between age and CBD diameter.
      There was no statistically significant relationship between CBD diameter and
      prior cholecystectomy, postoperative interval and BMI.

PMID- 26480052
TI  - [Evaluation of endoscopic live case demonstrations--the patient's and
      participant's perspective].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Benefits and ethics of live demonstrations of endoscopic
      interventions as part of educational meetings are controversial. Of particular
      importance is the acceptance and satisfaction of patients treated and the opinion
      of the participants of the courses. METHODS: A validated questionnaire was sent
      to all patients who were treated in live demonstrations at the Dusseldorf
      International Endoscopy Symposium (DIES) in the years 2008-2014. In addition, all
      participants completed evaluation forms of the same events were evaluated in
      order to determine the benefits of live performances. The assessments were
      carried out with evaluations 1-6 (1=very good, 6=very poor). RESULTS: Of 174
      patients, 76 written questionnaires were returned, of which 70 were evaluable
      (40.2%). The rate of satisfaction with the course of treatment and stay in the
      endoscopy department was 80.8%. The vast majority of patients (84.1%) did not
      feel that a wrong treatment option was chosen, and only a few (6.7%) questioned
      the expertise of the treating physician. 83% of respondents felt also at the
      nurses in good hands. For three-quarters of patients surveyed (74.3%), the
      quality of life has improved as a result of the measures in the live
      demonstrations. Of 10,004 participants of the symposia, 6770 evaluation forms
      were filled out. Mean scores of below 2 were rated for questions about the
      quality of patient care from a medical and ethical point of view as well as for
      questions about the learning effect through live demonstrations compared to
      canned videos. CONCLUSION: The vast majority of patients treated within live
      demonstrations as part of the DIES is satisfied with the course, treatment and
      patient care and outcomes. Congress participants assess the educational value of
      the live broadcasts as well as patient care in medical and ethical terms as good
      to very good.

PMID- 26480053
TI  - Quantitative perfusion analysis in pancreatic contrast enhanced ultrasound (DCE
      US): a promising tool for the differentiation between autoimmune pancreatitis and
      pancreatic cancer.
AB  - In the work-up of focal pancreatic lesions autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a
      rare differential diagnosis to pancreatic cancer (PC) with similar clinical
      constellations. The aim of our study was to compare differences between proven
      AIP and PC using transabdominal dynamic contrast enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US).
      Therefore we recorded 3-minute-clips of CEUS examinations and analyzed perfusion
      parameters with VueBox(r)-quantification software. To obtain DCE-US Parameters,
      Regions-of-Interest were selected within the lesions and the surrounding pancreas
      parenchyma, serving as reference tissue. We compared 3 patients with AIP (mean
      age: 58 years; lesion mean size: 40 mm) to 17 patients with PC (mean age: 68
      years; lesion mean size: 35.9 mm). Significant differences between PC and
      parenchyma could be found in the following parameters: Peak-Enhancement (PE),
      Wash-in-and-Wash-out-AUC, Wash-in Perfusion-Index. PE of AIP was comparable to
      normal parenchyma. The relation of PE between parenchyma and lesion (DeltaPE) AIP
      and PC was significantly different [AIP: 0.21 (+/-0.06); PC: 0.81 (+/-0.1);
      p<0.01]. PE of neoplastic lesions was significantly lower as AIP and normal
      parenchyma (p<0.01). Therefore perfusion analysis in DCE-US can help to
      differentiate hypovascular PC from AIP presenting nearly isovascular time
      intensity curves. Diagnostic accuracy of DCE-US in this setting has to be
      validated in future prospective studies in comparison to CT and MRI.

PMID- 26480054
TI  - ["Giant" fibrovascular esophageal polyp].
AB  - Fibrovascular polyps are rare mesenchymal tumors that arise mainly in the
      cricopharyngeal portion of the esophagus. They may protrude distally to become
      "giant" pedunculated lesions filling almost the entire esophageal lumen.
      Histologically they contain varying amounts of adipose, fibrous and vascular
      tissues and belong to spindle cell lipomas according to the classification of
      soft tissue tumors. Immediate resection of these benign lesions is warranted as
      they may be regurgitated and cause asphyxia. These lesions are usually treated by
      open surgery (left cervicotomy) or, less invasively, by peroral endoscopic
      surgery. Polyp removal by flexible endoscopy has been described but may be
      hazardous if its stalk is broad-based. In this report the case of a 73-year-old
      male with dysphagia is described in whom a "giant" fibrovascular polyp was
      diagnosed endoscopically and promptly removed surgically by the peroral route. At
      control endoscopy 14 months later, the asymptomatic patient was free of polyp
      recurrence. 

PMID- 26480055
TI  - [Morbus Behcet or inflammatory bowel disease--a diagnostic and therapeutic
      dilemma].
AB  - We present the case of a 43-year old caucasian male suffering from a condition
      initially diagnosed as colitis ulcerosa. For 2 years Azathioprine and anti-TNF
      alpha antibodies were used for treatment without convincing benefit but with
      serious adverse events. After the first occurrence of complex accompanying
      symptoms like oral and scrotal ulcerations, arthritis and scratch-induced skin
      lesions the differential diagnosis of a Morbus Adamantiades-Behcet with
      intestinal evolvement was considered. After introduction of a parenteral
      Ciclosporin medication, which was later switched to Tacrolimus and Azathioprin, a
      remission could be achieved that lasted for several months. When a drug-induced
      acute kidney injury occurred, the regime was changed to Golimumab and a delayed
      but significant improvement was achieved. To separate Morbus Adamantiades-Behcet
      from inflammatory bowel disease is of some difficulty, demands interdisciplinary
      cooperation and is the basis for a successful therapy.

PMID- 26480056
TI  - [Guidelines for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors--what is new? What
      should be incorporated in daily therapeutic decisions?].
AB  - Neuroendocrine neoplasias are seldom, but increasing. This holds true for the
      incidence but even more for the prevalence, since patients are able to live with
      their disease for quite a long time. The European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society
      (ENETS) as well as other societies (NANETS: North American Neuroendocrine Tumor
      Society; NCCN: National Comprehensive Cancer Network; ESMO: European Society of
      Medical Oncology) have published diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines that we
      present in this review. We aim to summarize those actual guidelines in a practice
      based diagnostic and therapeutic algorithm, but also wish to point to open
      questions that have to be discussed in a multidisciplinary approach. 

PMID- 26480057
TI  - [From bench to bedside--predictor of response to an anti-TNF-therapy in patients
      with Crohn's disease during confocal laser endomicroscopy].

PMID- 26480059
TI  - Performance analysis of the retractable dome for the Chinese Large Telescope.
AB  - In order to quantitatively assess the influence of the retractable dome on the
      observational performance of the 4-m Chinese Large Telescope (CLT), an integrated
      analysis method based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and sub-harmonic
      phase screen is proposed in this paper. The pressure, the temperature, and the
      speed of air surrounding the retractable dome are attained by CFD simulations,
      and then the fluctuation of refractive index of air is calculated. Based on sub
      harmonic phase screen algorithm, three kinds of performance evaluation parameters
      are presented: irradiance, phase of the target, and Full Width Half Maximum
      (FWHM). The wind tunnel tests (WT) with a 1:120 scaled model of the retractable
      dome for the CLT are conducted to verify the calculated precision of the CFD. The
      results show that the fluctuation of air refractive index surrounding the CLT is
      mainly caused by the inhomogeneous distribution of temperature and speed, and
      with the help of pier's height the impact of inhomogeneous air temperature from
      the ground layer on the fluctuation of air refractive index can be effectively
      decreased. Furthermore, the lower of the air speed is, the better performance of
      the retractable dome will be, and when the speed of air is less than 5m/s, the
      dome seeing induced by the retractable dome on the observational wave front is
      less than 0.13 arcsec. 

PMID- 26480060
TI  - Compendium of natural hyperbolic materials.
AB  - Artificially structured hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) - uniaxial materials with
      opposite signs of permittivity for ordinary and extraordinary waves - are one of
      the most attractive classes of metamaterials. Their existing in nature
      counterpart natural (homogeneous) hyperbolic materials (NHMs) has several
      advantages but has not yet been analyzed extensively. Here, based on literature
      available data on permittivity as a function of wavelength, we review materials
      with naturally occurring anisotropy of permittivity in specific wavelength
      ranges. We suggest the best choice of materials that may act as NHMs depending on
      the wavelength, strength of the dielectric anisotropy (SDA), and losses. 

PMID- 26480061
TI  - Phase unwrapping with a virtual Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor.
AB  - The use of a spatial light modulator for implementing a digital phase-shifting
      (PS) point diffraction interferometer (PDI) allows tunability in fringe spacing
      and in achieving PS without the need for mechanically moving parts. However, a
      small amount of detector or scatter noise could affect the accuracy of wavefront
      sensing. Here, a novel method of wavefront reconstruction incorporating a virtual
      Hartmann-Shack (HS) wavefront sensor is proposed that allows easy tuning of
      several wavefront sensor parameters. The proposed method was tested and compared
      with a Fourier unwrapping method implemented on a digital PS PDI. The rewrapping
      of the Fourier reconstructed wavefronts resulted in phase maps that matched well
      the original wrapped phase and the performance was found to be more stable and
      accurate than conventional methods. Through simulation studies, the superiority
      of the proposed virtual HS phase unwrapping method is shown in comparison with
      the Fourier unwrapping method in the presence of noise. Further, combining the
      two methods could improve accuracy when the signal-to-noise ratio is sufficiently
      high. 

PMID- 26480062
TI  - Accurate calculation of computer-generated holograms using angular-spectrum layer
      oriented method.
AB  - Fast calculation and correct depth cue are crucial issues in the calculation of
      computer-generated hologram (CGH) for high quality three-dimensional (3-D)
      display. An angular-spectrum based algorithm for layer-oriented CGH is proposed.
      Angular spectra from each layer are synthesized as a layer-corresponded sub
      hologram based on the fast Fourier transform without paraxial approximation. The
      proposed method can avoid the huge computational cost of the point-oriented
      method and yield accurate predictions of the whole diffracted field compared with
      other layer-oriented methods. CGHs of versatile formats of 3-D digital scenes,
      including computed tomography and 3-D digital models, are demonstrated with
      precise depth performance and advanced image quality. 

PMID- 26480063
TI  - Effect of spectral sampling on the temporal coherence analysis of a broadband
      source in a SFG interferometer.
AB  - In the frame of sum frequency generation of a broadband infrared source, we aim
      to enlarge the converted bandwidth by using a pump frequency comb while keeping a
      high conversion efficiency. The nonlinear effects are simultaneously induced in
      the same nonlinear medium. In this paper, we investigate the spectral filtering
      effect on the temporal coherence behavior with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer
      using two pump lines. We show that joined effects of quasi-phase matching and
      spectral sampling lead to an original coherence behavior. 

PMID- 26480058
TI  - Computational Systems Biology of Psoriasis: Are We Ready for the Age of Omics and
      Systems Biomarkers?
AB  - Computational biology and 'omics' systems sciences are greatly impacting research
      on common diseases such as cancer. By contrast, dermatology covering an array of
      skin diseases with high prevalence in society, has received relatively less
      attention from 'omics' and computational biosciences. We are focusing on
      psoriasis, a common and debilitating autoimmune disease involving skin and
      joints. Using computational systems biology and reconstruction, topological,
      modular, and a novel correlational analyses (based on fold changes) of biological
      and transcriptional regulatory networks, we analyzed and integrated data from a
      total of twelve studies from the Gene Expression Omnibus (sample size = 534).
      Samples represented a comprehensive continuum from lesional and nonlesional skin,
      as well as bone marrow and dermal mesenchymal stem cells. We identified and
      propose here a JAK/STAT signaling pathway significant for psoriasis. Importantly,
      cytokines, interferon-stimulated genes, antimicrobial peptides, among other
      proteins, were involved in intrinsic parts of the proposed pathway. Several
      biomarker and therapeutic candidates such as SUB1 are discussed for future
      experimental studies. The integrative systems biology approach presented here
      illustrates a comprehensive perspective on the molecular basis of psoriasis. This
      also attests to the promise of systems biology research in skin diseases, with
      psoriasis as a systemic component. The present study reports, to the best of our
      knowledge, the largest set of microarray datasets on psoriasis, to offer new
      insights into the disease mechanisms with a proposal of a disease pathway. We
      call for greater computational systems biology research and analyses in
      dermatology and skin diseases in general.

PMID- 26480064
TI  - Supercontinuum generation in silicon waveguides relying on wave-breaking.
AB  - Four-wave-mixing processes enabled during optical wave-breaking (OWB) are
      exploited in this paper for supercontinuum generation. Unlike conventional
      approaches based on OWB, phase-matching is achieved here for these nonlinear
      interactions, and, consequently, new frequency production becomes more efficient.
      We take advantage of this kind of pulse propagation to obtain numerically a
      coherent octave-spanning mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in a silicon
      waveguide pumping at telecom wavelengths in the normal dispersion regime. This
      scheme shows a feasible path to overcome limits imposed by two-photon absorption
      on spectral broadening in silicon waveguides. 

PMID- 26480065
TI  - Laser frequency noise induced error in resonant fiber optic gyro due to an
      intermodulation effect.
AB  - For the first time, a significant noise source in the resonant fiber optic
      gyroscope (RFOG) called intermodulation induced error is proposed and deeply
      analyzed in this paper. The intermodulation error is produced by the laser
      frequency noise at even multiples of the modulation frequency due to an
      intermodulation effect, which will seriously limit the random noise performance
      of the RFOG. Experiments are designed and conducted to verify and measure the
      intermodulation induced error in the RFOG. The experimental results confirm the
      existence of intermodulation error, and fit well with the theory. As for the
      design of the RFOG, light sources with a narrow intrinsic linewidth and a high
      modulation frequency are preferable to achieve a high rotation-rate sensitivity. 

PMID- 26480066
TI  - Extreme ultraviolet proximity lithography for fast, flexible and parallel
      fabrication of infrared antennas.
AB  - We present a method for fabrication of large arrays of nano-antennas using
      extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) illumination. A discharge-produced plasma source
      generating EUV radiation around 10.88 nm wavelength is used for the illumination
      of a photoresist via a mask in a proximity printing setup. The method of metallic
      nanoantennas fabrication utilizes a bilayer photoresist and employs a lift-off
      process. The impact of Fresnel-diffraction of EUV light in the mask on a shape of
      the nanostructures has been investigated. It is shown how by the use of the same
      rectangular apertures in the transmission mask, antennas of various shapes can be
      fabricated. Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, spectra of antennas
      reflectivity were measured and compared to FDTD simulations demonstrating good
      agreement. 

PMID- 26480067
TI  - Radiative properties of diffractively-coupled optical nano-antennas with helical
      geometry.
AB  - In this paper, using the rigorous Surface Integral Equation (SIE) method, we
      study light scattering by Au nano-helices with geometrical dimensions comparable
      to the wavelength of visible light and we demonstrate that they behave as highly
      directional nano-antennas with largely controllable radiation and polarization
      characteristics in the optical regime. In particular, we systematically
      investigate the radiation properties of helical nano-antennas with realistic Au
      dispersion parameters in the visible spectral range, and we establish general
      design rules that enable the engineering of directional scattering with
      elliptical or circular polarization. Given the realistic material and geometric
      parameters used in this work, our findings provide novel opportunities for the
      engineering of chiral sensors, filters, and components for nano-scale antennas
      with unprecedented beam forming and polarization capabilities. 

PMID- 26480068
TI  - Grating-assisted silicon-on-insulator racetrack resonator reflector.
AB  - We experimentally demonstrate a grating-assisted silicon-on-insulator (SOI)
      racetrack resonator reflector with a reflect port suppression of 10.3 dB and no
      free spectral range. We use contra-directional grating couplers within the
      coupling regions of the racetrack resonator to enable suppression of all but one
      of the peaks within the reflect port spectrum as well as all but one of the
      notches within the through port spectrum. 

PMID- 26480069
TI  - Fade-resistant photochromic reactions in a self-healable polymer.
AB  - Molecular diffusion in a polymer matrix was studied to prevent degradation of
      photochromic reactions during repeated coloration-decoloration processes.
      Photochromic diarylethene was dispersed in polydimethylsiloxane (cured polymer),
      since it promoted exchange of damaged and fresh molecules owing to high
      diffusivity. The diffusion coefficient was evaluated by measuring a distribution
      of dye molecules that were colored within a narrow laser beam path. Temporal
      change of the distribution fitted well to theoretical curves that were drawn
      according to the 2-D solutions of Fick's equation. The experimental results
      indicated a fifteen-fold enhancement of the diffusion coefficient (0.0015
      mm(2)/s) when the polymer was swollen with toluene. Fading of this photochromic
      polymer was examined by repeating alternative irradiation of violet and green
      laser beams. Although a non-swollen polymer faded seriously within 1,000
      photochromic cycles, a swollen polymer exhibited an excellent photochromic
      function even after 30,000 cycles.

PMID- 26480070
TI  - Extreme ultraviolet Talbot interference lithography.
AB  - Periodic nanopatterns can be generated using lithography based on the Talbot
      effect or optical interference. However, these techniques have restrictions that
      limit their performance. High resolution Talbot lithography is limited by the
      very small depth of focus and the demanding requirements in the fabrication of
      the master mask. Interference lithography, with large DOF and high resolution, is
      limited to simple periodic patterns. This paper describes a hybrid extreme
      ultraviolet lithography approach that combines Talbot lithography and
      interference lithography to render an interference pattern with a lattice
      determined by a Talbot image. As a result, the method enables filling the
      arbitrary shaped cells produced by the Talbot image with interference patterns.
      Detailed modeling, system design and experimental results using a tabletop EUV
      laser are presented. 

PMID- 26480071
TI  - Microwave photonic filter with multiple independently tunable passbands based on
      a broadband optical source.
AB  - In this paper, a novel microwave photonic filter (MPF) with multiple
      independently tunable passbands is proposed. A broadband optical source (BOS) is
      employed and split by a 1:N coupler into several branches. One branch is directed
      to a phase modulator which is modulated by a radio frequency signal and the other
      branches are delayed by optical delay lines (ODLs), respectively. All of these
      branches are combined by another 1:N coupler and sent to a dispersion
      compensation fiber which is used to introduce group delay dispersion to the
      optical signal. At a photodetector, each time-delayed broadband lightwave beating
      with the sidebands produced by the phase modulator forms a passband of the MPF.
      By tuning the delay of each broadband lightwave, the center frequency of the
      passband can be independently tuned. An MPF with two independently tunable
      passbands is experimentally demonstrated. The two passbands can be tuned from DC
      to 30 GHz with a 3-dB bandwidth of about 250 MHz. The stability and dynamic range
      of the MPF are also evaluated. By employing more branches delayed by ODLs, more
      passbands can be generated. 

PMID- 26480072
TI  - Characterization of a swept external cavity quantum cascade laser for rapid
      broadband spectroscopy and sensing.
AB  - The performance of a rapidly swept external cavity quantum cascade laser (ECQCL)
      system combined with an open-path Herriott cell was evaluated for time-resolved
      measurements of chemical species with broad and narrow absorption spectra. A
      spectral window spanning 1278 - 1390 cm(-1) was acquired at a 200 Hz acquisition
      rate, corresponding to a tuning rate of 2x10(4) cm(-1)/s, with a spectral
      resolution of 0.2 cm(-1). The capability of the ECQCL to measure < 100 ppbv
      changes in nitrous oxide (N(2)O) and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (F134A)
      concentrations on millisecond timescales was demonstrated in simulated plume
      studies with releases near the open-path Herriott cell. Absorbance spectra
      measured using the ECQCL system exhibited noise-equivalent absorption
      coefficients of 5x10(-9) cm(-1)Hz(-1/2). For a spectrum acquisition time of 5 ms,
      noise-equivalent concentrations (NEC) for N(2)O and F134A were measured to be 70
      and 16 ppbv respectively, which improved to sub-ppbv levels with averaging to 100
      s. Noise equivalent column densities of 0.64 and 0.25 ppmv * m in 1 sec are
      estimated for N(2)O and F134A.

PMID- 26480073
TI  - Effects of Raman pump power distribution on output spectrum in a multi-wavelength
      BRFL.
AB  - This paper aims to investigate changes in multi-wavelength Brillouin-Raman fiber
      laser (MBRFL) spectra characteristics that are influenced by variation of Raman
      pump power distribution along the two fiber-entry points. This is carried out by
      incorporating a Raman pump source with a set of couplers with various ratios. In
      this arrangement, the optimization of pumping ratio is properly carried out to
      achieve high number of lasing lines with 20 GHz spacing which yield the highest
      peak power discrepancy between odd- and even-order lasing lines and an excellent
      Stokes optical signal-to-noise ratio (S-OSNR). Employment of 50/50 coupler offers
      212 flat amplitude channels with an average 27.5 dB S-OSNR and -10 dBm Stokes
      peak power when the Brillouin pump wavelength is set at 1543 nm. Achievements
      such flat and wide bandwidth MBRFL spectrum with 20 GHz spacing and excellent S
      OSNR utilizing just a single pump source is significant in terms of simplicity
      and flexibility. 

PMID- 26480074
TI  - Multiwavelength ultrafast LiNbO(3) Raman laser.
AB  - We present a multiwavelength ultrafast Raman laser based on lithium niobate which
      uses polariton scattering in combination with Raman scattering to selectively
      generate new wavelengths from a nanojoule-scale picosecond pump laser. Pumped by
      a 1064 nm pump laser, the system generates 1123 nm by stimulated polariton
      scattering (SPS) and 1140 nm by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS). Cascading of
      these intracavity fields generates 1155 nm and 1174 nm, as well as generating THz
      output. 

PMID- 26480075
TI  - Optical fibers with gradient index nanostructured core.
AB  - We present a new approach for the development of structured optical fibers. It is
      shown that fibers having an effective gradient index profile with designed
      refractive index distribution can be developed with internal nanostructuring of
      the core composed of two glasses. As proof-of-concept, fibers made of two soft
      glasses with a parabolic gradient index profile are developed. Energy-dispersive
      X-ray spectroscopy reveals a possibility of selective diffusion of individual
      chemical ingredients among the sub-wavelength components of the nanostructure.
      This hints a postulate that core nanostructuring also changes material dispersion
      of the glasses in the core, potentially opening up unique dispersion shaping
      possibilities. 

PMID- 26480076
TI  - Probability of the moire effect in barrier and lenticular autostereoscopic 3D
      displays.
AB  - The probability of the moire effect in LCD displays is estimated as a function of
      angle based on the experimental data; a theoretical function (node spacing) is
      proposed basing on the distance between nodes. Both functions are close to each
      other. The connection between the probability of the moire effect and the
      Thomae's function is also found. The function proposed in this paper can be used
      in the minimization of the moire effect in visual displays, especially in
      autostereoscopic 3D displays. 

PMID- 26480077
TI  - Experimental demonstration of low-complexity fiber chromatic dispersion
      mitigation for reduced guard-interval OFDM coherent optical communication systems
      based on digital spectrum sub-band multiplexing.
AB  - We experimentally demonstrate a novel digital signal processing (DSP) structure
      for reduced guard-interval (RGI) OFDM coherent optical systems. The proposed
      concept is based on digitally slicing optical channel bandwidth into multiple
      spectrally disjoint sub-bands which are then processed in parallel. Each low
      bandwidth sub-band has a smaller delay-spread compared to a full-band signal.
      This enables compensation of both chromatic dispersion (CD) and polarization mode
      dispersion using a simple timing and one-tap-per-symbol frequency domain
      equalizer with a small cyclic prefix overhead. In terms of the DSP architecture,
      this allows for a highly efficient parallelization of DSP tasks performed over
      the received signal samples by deploying multiple processors running at a lower
      clock rate. It should be noted that this parallelization is performed in the
      frequency domain and it allows for flexible optical transceiver schemes. In
      addition, the resulting optical receiver is simplified due to the removal of the
      CD compensation equalizer compared to conventional RGI-OFDM systems. In this
      paper we experimentally demonstrate digital sub-banding of optical bandwidth. We
      test the system performance for different modulation formats (QPSK, 16QAM and
      32QAM) over various transmission distances and optical launch powers using a 1.5%
      CP overhead in all scenarios. We also compare the proposed RGI-OFDM architecture
      performance against common single carrier modulation formats. At the same total
      data rate and signal bandwidth both systems have similar performance and
      transmission reach whereas the proposed method allows for a significant reduction
      of computational complexity due to removal of CD pre/post compensation equalizer.

PMID- 26480078
TI  - Visible-pulse generation in gain crystal of near-infrared femtosecond optical
      parametric oscillator.
AB  - An optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on magnesium-oxide-doped
      periodically poled lithium niobate (MgO:PPLN) is demonstrated to deliver visible
      femtosecond pulses, which were created through the intra-cavity nonlinear
      interactions within the PPLN itself. The signal from the OPO produces femtosecond
      pulses in the near-infrared region tunable from 1050 to 1600 nm. Visible
      femtosecond pulses in the range of 522-800 nm and those of 455-540 nm,
      respectively, were generated via second-harmonic generation (SHG) of signal
      photons and through sum-frequency generation (SFG) of pump and signal photons.
      Maximum output efficiencies of 9.2% at 614 nm and 8.0% at 522 nm for the SHG and
      SFG are attained, respectively, where the efficient visible pulse generation
      relies on the quasi-phase matching with the aid of the higher-order grating
      momentum. 

PMID- 26480079
TI  - Beam wandering of femtosecond laser filament in air.
AB  - The spatial wandering of a femtosecond laser filament caused by the filament
      heating effect in air has been studied. An empirical formula has also been
      derived from the classical Karman turbulence model, which determines
      quantitatively the displacement of the beam center as a function of the
      propagation distance and the effective turbulence structure constant. After
      fitting the experimental data with this formula, the effective turbulence
      structure constant has been estimated for a single filament generated in
      laboratory environment. With this result, one may be able to estimate
      quantitatively the displacement of a filament over long distance propagation and
      interpret the practical performance of the experiments assisted by femtosecond
      laser filamentation, such as remote air lasing, pulse compression, high order
      harmonic generation (HHG), etc. 

PMID- 26480080
TI  - Comprehensive model for studying noise induced by self-homodyne detection of
      backward Rayleigh scattering in optical fibers.
AB  - Backward Rayleigh scattering in optical fibers due to the fluctuations that are
      "frozen-in" to the fiber during the manufacturing process may limit the
      performance of optical sensors and bidirectional coherent optical communication
      systems. In this manuscript we describe a comprehensive model for studying
      intensity noise induced by spontaneous Rayleigh backscattering in optical systems
      that are based on self-homodyne detection. Our model includes amplitude and
      frequency noise of the laser source, random distribution of the scatterers along
      the fiber, and phase noise induced in fibers due to thermal and mechanical
      fluctuations. The model shows that at frequencies above about 10 kHz the noise
      spectrum is determined by the laser white frequency noise. The laser flicker
      frequency noise becomes the dominant effect at lower frequencies. The noise
      amplitude depends on the laser polarization. A very good agreement between theory
      and experiment is obtained for fibers with a length between 500 m to 100 km and
      for a laser with a linewidth below 5 kHz. 

PMID- 26480081
TI  - Athermal silicon ring resonators clad with titanium dioxide for 1.3um wavelength
      operation.
AB  - We investigate the athermal characteristics of silicon waveguides clad with
      TiO(2) designed for 1.3 um wavelength operation. Using CMOS-compatible
      fabrication processes, we realize and experimentally demonstrate silicon photonic
      ring resonators with resonant wavelengths that vary by less than 6 pm/ degrees C
      at 1.3 um. The measured ring resonance wavelengths across the 20-50 degrees C
      temperature range show nearly complete cancellation of the first-order thermo
      optical effects and exhibit second-order thermo-optical effects expected from the
      combination of TiO(2) and Si.

PMID- 26480082
TI  - Multicore optical fiber Y-splitter.
AB  - In future high capacity multicore optical fiber (MCF) networks, signal-processing
      devices should be able to manipulate data without sacrificing network capacity or
      MCFs advantages. Thus, it is crucial to have high performance novel devices that
      can be connected directly to MCFs without conversion to conventional single-core
      fibers. In this work, a novel Y-splitter for multicore optical fibers is proposed
      and numerically demonstrated for the first time. The splitter can directly split
      the power of input MCF cores by 50/50 splitting-ratio into two output MCFs cores.
      The splitter principle of operation mainly depends on novel double-hump graded
      index (DHGI) profile that can space-division split (SDS) optical power by half.
      Both finite-difference-time-domain and eigenmode-expansion simulations are
      performed to design, verify, and characterize performance of Y-splitter. It shows
      wideband operation over the S, C, L, U-bands with polarization insensitivity. It
      also demonstrates high performance with reasonable insertion-loss, in addition to
      very low excess-loss and return-loss. Moreover, the splitter shows good
      performance tolerance to both MCF and design parameters variations. 

PMID- 26480083
TI  - Developing high-power hybrid resonant gain-switched thulium fiber lasers.
AB  - In this paper, we propose hybrid-pumped resonant gain-switched thulium fiber
      lasers to realize high-average-power and high-pulse-energy 2-MUm laser emissions.
      Based on numerical simulation, laser dynamics (pulse peak power, pulse energy,
      pulse duration, etc.) of this kind of laser system are investigated in detail. By
      taking advantages of the 793 nm continuous wave pump and the 1900 nm pulsed pump,
      performance of the laser emission can be significantly improved, with the highest
      average power of 28 W, peak power of 3.5 kW, pulse energy of 281 MUJ, and
      narrowest pulse duration of 92 ns, all of which can be further optimized through
      designing the cavity parameters and the pumping circumstance. Compared with the
      pump pulses, two times improvement in pulse energy and average power has been
      achieved. This hybrid resonant gain-switched system has an all-fiber
      configuration and high efficiency (low heat load), and can be steadily extended
      into the cladding pump scheme, thus paving a new way to realize high power (>100
      W average power) and high pulse energy (>1 mJ) 2 MUm thulium fiber lasers. 

PMID- 26480084
TI  - High-sensitivity liquid refractive-index sensor based on a Mach-Zehnder
      interferometer with a double-slot hybrid plasmonic waveguide.
AB  - A Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) liquid sensor, employing ultra-compact double
      slot hybrid plasmonic (DSHP) waveguide as active sensing arm, is developed.
      Numerical results show that extremely large optical confinement factor of the
      tested analytes (as high as 88%) can be obtained by DSHP waveguide with optimized
      geometrical parameters, which is larger than both, conventional SOI waveguides
      and plasmonic slot waveguides with same widths. As for MZI sensor with 40MUm long
      DSHP active sensing area, the sensitivity can reach as high value as 1061nm/RIU
      (refractive index unit). The total loss, excluding the coupling loss of the
      grating coupler, is around 4.5dB. 

PMID- 26480085
TI  - Bandwidth improvement for germanium photodetector using wire bonding technology.
AB  - We demonstrate an ultrahigh speed germanium photodetector by introducing gold
      wires into the discrete ground electrodes with standard wire bonding technology.
      To engineer the parasitic parameter, the physical dimension of the gold wire used
      for wire bonding is specially designed with an inductance of about 450 pH.
      Simulation and experimental results show that the bandwidth of the photodetector
      can be effectively extended from less than 30 GHz to over 60 GHz. 

PMID- 26480086
TI  - Manipulation of metallic nanoparticle with evanescent vortex Bessel beam.
AB  - In this work, we propose a novel strategy to optically trap and manipulate
      metallic nanoparticles using evanescent vortex Bessel beam (EVBB). A versatile
      method is presented to generate evanescent Bessel beam with tunable optical
      angular momentum by focusing a radially polarized vortex beam onto a one
      dimensional photonics band gap structure. The behavior of a metallic nanoparticle
      in the EVBB is numerically studied. We show that such particle can be stably
      trapped near the surface. The orbital angular momentum drives the metallic
      nanoparticle to orbit around the beam axis, and the direction of the orbital
      motion is controlled by the handedness of the helical phase front. The technique
      demonstrated in this work may open up new avenues for optical manipulation, and
      the non-contact tunable orbiting dynamics of the trapped particle may find
      important applications in higher resolution imaging techniques. 

PMID- 26480087
TI  - Spherical space Bessel-Legendre-Fourier localized modes solver for
      electromagnetic waves.
AB  - Maxwell's vector wave equations are solved for dielectric configurations that
      match the symmetry of a spherical computational domain. The electric or magnetic
      field components and the inverse of the dielectric profile are series expansion
      defined using basis functions composed of the lowest order spherical Bessel
      function, polar angle single index dependant Legendre polynomials and azimuthal
      complex exponential (BLF). The series expressions and non-traditional form of the
      basis functions result in an eigenvalue matrix formulation of Maxwell's equations
      that are relatively compact and accurately solvable on a desktop PC. The BLF
      matrix returns the frequencies and field profiles for steady states modes. The
      key steps leading to the matrix populating expressions are provided. The validity
      of the numerical technique is confirmed by comparing the results of computations
      to those published using complementary techniques. 

PMID- 26480088
TI  - Cloak based on the angle dependent constitutive parameters tensors.
AB  - The transformation optics cloak was proposed for the medium with the angle
      dependent tensors of permittivity and permeability consisted of the right-handed
      and left-handed metamaterial media. The cloaking effect was numerically simulated
      using finite element method in the terahertz frequency range for different wave
      sources. The impact of cloaking medium thickness on the invisibility effect was
      demonstrated. 

PMID- 26480089
TI  - Scalable two- and three-dimensional optical labels generated by 128-port
      encoder/decoder for optical packet switching.
AB  - This paper deals with massive number of optical code (OC) label generation and
      recognition for scalable optical packet switching (OPS) networks. In order to
      expand the system scalability of code label processing, we develop a record port
      count 128 x 128 optical encoder/decoder (E/D) and propose a novel three
      dimensional (3-D) optical label combining code label with wavelength and
      polarization. In the experiment, we conduct a proof-of-concept demonstration of 4
      code x 2-wavelength x 2-polarization and validate that the 3-D labeling scheme
      can consequently increase the available number of code label up to more than
      1,000 labels. Real-time labeling performance using a field programmable gate
      array (FPGA)-based processor and crosstalk influence at an optical switch are
      also experimentally evaluated. 

PMID- 26480090
TI  - Cyclostationarity-based joint monitoring of symbol-rate, frequency offset, CD and
      OSNR for Nyquist WDM superchannels.
AB  - Software-defined transceivers can be reconfigured based on demand and existing
      channel impairments, and as such, monitoring of both signal and channel
      parameters is necessary. We demonstrate a novel joint estimation method suitable
      for spectrally efficient Nyquist wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM), based on
      the cyclostationary property of linearly modulated signals, exploited both in the
      frequency and time domains. Using a Nyquist superchannel composed of three 10
      GBaud channels, we experimentally demonstrate the simultaneous monitoring of
      symbol-rate with 100% accuracy, roll-off, frequency offset (FO), chromatic
      dispersion (CD) and optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) with root-mean-square
      errors (RMSE) of 20%, 4 MHz, 200 ps/nm and 1.5 dB respectively, when the roll-off
      factor is larger than 0.06 for DP-QPSK and 0.3 for DP-16QAM. 

PMID- 26480091
TI  - Omnidirectional diffraction control with rotational topological defects.
AB  - We present a new scheme for the directional diffraction management of light with
      incompatible transformation optics. By introducing the concept of disclinations
      into transformation optics, we demonstrate that the rotational incompatible
      mapping violates the integrability condition of the coordinate transformation and
      gives rise to the non-vanishing Frank vector. It is revealed that such special
      coordinate transformations can produce rotational topological defects in physical
      space, which magnifies or compresses the diffraction of light beams propagating
      in arbitrary directions. We verify our theoretical analysis by numerical
      simulations of the light scattering from a cylinder of a generic disclination
      medium. 

PMID- 26480092
TI  - Thin waveplate lenses of switchable focal length--new generation in optics.
AB  - We present new lenses - waveplate lenses created in liquid crystal and liquid
      crystal polymer materials. Using an electrically-switchable liquid-crystal half
      wave retarder we realized switching between focused and defocused beams by the
      waveplate lens. A combination of two such lenses allowed the collimation of a
      laser beam as well as the change of focal length of optical system. 

PMID- 26480093
TI  - Flexible calibration method for microscopic structured light system using
      telecentric lens.
AB  - This research presents a novel method to calibrate a microscopic structured light
      system using a camera with a telecentric lens. The pin-hole projector calibration
      follows the standard pin-hole camera calibration procedures. With the calibrated
      projector, the 3D coordinates of those feature points used for projector
      calibration are then estimated through iterative Levenberg-Marquardt
      optimization. Those 3D feature points are further used to calibrate the camera
      with a telecentric lens. We will describe the mathematical model of a telecentric
      lens, and demonstrate that the proposed calibration framework can achieve very
      high accuracy: approximately 10 MUm with a volume of approximately 10(H) mm *
      8(W) mm * 5(D) mm. 

PMID- 26480094
TI  - Fragmentation-aware service provisioning for advance reservation multicast in SD
      EONs.
AB  - In this paper, we study the service provisioning schemes for dynamic advance
      reservation (AR) multicast requests in elastic optical networks (EONs). We first
      propose several algorithms that can handle the service scheduling and routing and
      spectrum assignment (RSA) of AR multicast requests jointly, including an
      integrated two-dimensional fragmentation-aware RSA (2D-FMA) that can alleviate
      the 2D fragmentation caused by light-tree provisioning. Then, we leverage the
      idea of software-defined EONs (SD-EONs) that utilizes OpenFlow (OF) in the
      control plane to demonstrate and evaluate the proposed algorithms. Specifically,
      we build an SD-EON control plane testbed, implement the algorithms in it, and
      perform control plane experiments on dynamic AR multicast provisioning. The
      results indicate that 2D-FMA achieves the best blocking performance and provides
      the shortest average setup delay. 

PMID- 26480095
TI  - Acousto-optic coupling in phoxonic crystal nanobeam cavities with plasmonic
      behavior.
AB  - Acousto-optic (AO) coupling in a two-layer GaAs/Ag heterogeneous phoxonic crystal
      nanobeam cavity with plasmonic behavior is studied numerically. Because of the Ag
      metal layer, the cavity structure hybridizes photons and surface plasmons,
      squeezing the optical energy into small regions near the GaAs/Ag interface; the
      phononic cavity modes can be simultaneously tailored to highly match the photonic
      cavity modes at reduced regions in the cavity. Consequently, AO coupling is
      enhanced at near-infrared wavelengths. Boosting of the interface effect by the
      acoustic displacement field mainly contributes to the AO coupling enhancement.
      The simultaneous small photonic mode volume and high spatial matching of photonic
      and phononic cavity modes enhance the photonic resonance wavelength shift by one
      order of magnitude. This study enables applications of strong AO or photon-phonon
      interaction in subwavelength nano-structures. 

PMID- 26480096
TI  - Linear and nonlinear characterization of low-stress high-confinement silicon-rich
      nitride waveguides.
AB  - In this paper we introduce a low-stress silicon enriched nitride platform that
      has potential for nonlinear and highly integrated optics. The manufacturing
      process of this platform is CMOS compatible and the increased silicon content
      allows tensile stress reduction and crack free layer growth of 700 nm. Additional
      benefits of the silicon enriched nitride is a measured nonlinear Kerr coefficient
      n(2) of 1.4.10(-18) m(2)/W (5 times higher than stoichiometric silicon nitride)
      and a refractive index of 2.1 at 1550 nm that enables high optical field
      confinement allowing high intensity nonlinear optics and light guidance even with
      small bending radii. We analyze the waveguide loss (~1 dB/cm) in a spectrally
      resolved fashion and include scattering loss simulations based on waveguide
      surface roughness measurements. Detailed simulations show the possibility for
      fine dispersion and nonlinear engineering. In nonlinear experiments we present
      continuous-wave wavelength conversion and demonstrate that the material does not
      show nonlinear absorption effects. Finally, we demonstrate microfabrication of
      resonators with high Q-factors (~10(5)).

PMID- 26480097
TI  - Adaptive electrowetting lens-prism element.
AB  - An adaptive electrowetting-based element with focusing and steering capability
      has been demonstrated in a monolithic design. Curvature and tip-tilt variation
      have been demonstrated using low voltages. A steering range of up to 4.3 degrees 
      and lens tuning of 18 diopters have been measured at 30 V DC and 21 V DC,
      respectively. 

PMID- 26480098
TI  - Transmission spectra of sausage-like microresonators.
AB  - We experimentally develop a sausage-like microresonator (SLM) by making two
      microtapers on a single-mode fiber, and study whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) in
      SLMs with different lengths. The transmission spectra from 1530 nm to 1550 nm of
      several SLMs are presented and SLMs with different lengths are shown to have
      different transmission features. The maximal Q factor observed in the SLMs is 3.8
      * 10(7). For comparison, the transmission spectrum of a fiber cylinder
      microresonator is given and the maximal Q factor achieved in the fiber
      microcylinder resonator is 1.7 * 10(7). The strain tuning of the SLM is also
      demonstrated.

PMID- 26480099
TI  - Self-assembled dielectric microsphere array enhanced Raman scattering for large
      area and ultra-long working distance confocal detection.
AB  - Here we report enhanced confocal Raman detection with large-area and ultra-long
      working distance by capping dielectric microsphere array. Microspheres have been
      found to provide three channels for Raman scattering enhancement, including
      localized photonic nanojets, directional antenna effects, and whispering-gallery
      modes. The maximum enhancement ratio of Raman intensity is up to 14.6 using 4.94
      MUm-diameter polystyrene (PS) microspheres. Investigation on the directional
      antenna effect of microsphere reveals that the microsphere array confines
      electromagnetic (EM) waves to a narrow distribution with small divergent angles,
      by which the signal-to-noise ratio is retained and the offset of focal plane
      position from sample surface can be up to +/- 7.5 mm. The present work reduces
      the requirement of focusing in confocal Raman detection and hence makes the large
      area detection possible via rapid mapping. It opens up a simple approach for high
      sensitivity Raman detection of 3D-structured surface. 

PMID- 26480100
TI  - Submicro-pillars and holes from the depth-wise Talbot images of a conical phase
      mask.
AB  - We construct two-dimensional arrays of submicro-pillars and holes from the depth
      wise Talbot images of a conical phase mask in a photoactive layer prepared on a
      quartz substrate. In contrast to the conventional Talbot lithography employing
      only one image in the photoactive layer, two images of the phase mask are
      produced in a depth-wise manner such that the pillar patterns are in the primary
      image plane while the hole patterns in the secondary image plane according to the
      penetration depth of the exposure energy. The conical symmetry plays a critical
      role in producing the covariant patterns of the phase mask in the photoactive
      layer through the suppression of higher orders of diffraction. Our two image-type
      approach is simple and versatile for producing different kinds of periodic
      structures for photonic applications and surface engineering on a micrometer-to
      nanometer scale. 

PMID- 26480101
TI  - Parallel determination of absolute distances to multiple targets by time-of
      flight measurement using femtosecond light pulses.
AB  - Distances to multiple targets are measured simultaneously using a single
      femtosecond pulse laser split through a diffractive optical element. Pulse
      arrival from each target is detected by means of balanced cross-correlation of
      second harmonics generated using a PPKTP crystal. Time-of-flight of each
      returning pulse is counted by dual-comb interferometry with 0.01 ps timing
      resolution at a 2 kHz update rate. This multi-target ranging capability is
      demonstrated by performing multi-degree of freedom (m-DOF) sensing of a rigid
      body motion simulating a satellite operating in orbit. This method is applicable
      to diverse terrestrial and space applications requiring concurrent multiple
      distance measurements with high precision. 

PMID- 26480102
TI  - 160 W 800 fs Yb:YAG single crystal fiber amplifier without CPA.
AB  - We demonstrate a compact and simple two-stage Yb:YAG single crystal fiber
      amplifier which delivers 160 W average power, 800 fs pulses without chirped pulse
      amplification. This is the highest average power of femtosecond laser based on
      SCF. Additionally, we demonstrate the highest small signal gain of 32.5 dB from
      the SCF in the first stage and the highest extraction efficiency of 42% in the
      second stage. The excellent performance of the second stage was obtained using
      the bidirectional pumping scheme, which is applied to SCF for the first time. 

PMID- 26480103
TI  - Raman-scattering-assistant broadband noise-like pulse generation in all-normal
      dispersion fiber lasers.
AB  - We report on the observation of both stable dissipative solitons and noise-like
      pulses with the presence of strong Raman scattering in a relatively short all
      normal-dispersion Yb-doped fiber laser. We show that Raman scattering can be
      filtered out by intracavity filter. Furthermore, by appropriate intracavity
      polarization control, the Raman effect can be utilized to generate broadband
      noise-like pulses (NLPs) with bandwidth up to 61.4 nm. To the best of our
      knowledge, this is the broadest NLP achieved in all-normal-dispersion fiber
      lasers. 

PMID- 26480104
TI  - 293 W, GHz narrow-linewidth, polarization maintaining nanosecond fiber amplifier
      with SBS suppression employing simultaneous phase and intensity modulation.
AB  - We present a new method of SBS suppression in fiber amplifier system by employing
      simultaneously phase and intensity modulation. In this way, a GHz narrow
      linewidth polarization-maintaining (PM) all-fiber pulsed laser is obtained based
      on a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) configuration. The pulsed seed is
      generated from a single-frequency continuous wave (CW) laser at 1064 nm by
      simultaneous modulation using an electro-optic intensity modulator (EOIM) and an
      electro-optic phase modulator (EOPM). Theoretical model is built and simulation
      framework has been established to estimate the SBS threshold of the pulsed
      amplifier system before and after modulation. In experiment, in order to suppress
      SBS effectively, the pulse width is set to be 4 ns and the phase modulation
      voltage is set to be 5 V. After amplifying by the amplifier chain, a ~3.5 ns
      pulsed laser with average/peak power of 293 W/3.9 kW is obtained at intensity
      repetition rate of 20 MHz and phase repetition rate of 100MHz, showing good
      agreement with simulation results. The linewidth of the output laser is ~4.5 GHz,
      the M(2) factor at maximal output power is measured to be ~1.1 and the slope
      efficiency is ~86%.This method provides some references to suppress the SBS in
      narrow linewidth pulsed amplifier systems.

PMID- 26480105
TI  - Experimental research of a chain of diode pumped rubidium amplifiers.
AB  - In this paper, we have set up a diode pumped rubidium MOPA system with a chain of
      two amplifiers. The experimental results show an amplified laser power of 26W
      with amplification factor of 16.3 and power extraction efficiency of 53% for a
      single amplifier, and an amplified laser power of 11W with amplification factor
      of 7.9 and power extraction efficiency of 26% for a chain of two amplifiers. The
      reason for lower performance of cascade amplification is mainly due to the
      limited total pump power, which will be not sufficient for efficient pumping when
      assigned from a single amplifier into two amplifiers. The situation could be well
      improved by increasing the seed laser power as well as the pump power for each
      amplifier to realize high efficient saturated amplification. Such MOPA
      configuration has the potential for scaling high beam quality alkali laser into
      high powers. 

PMID- 26480106
TI  - Metal-dielectric-metal resonators with deep subwavelength dielectric layers
      increase the near-field SEIRA enhancement.
AB  - Plasmonic nanostructures presenting either structural asymmetry or metal
      dielectric-metal (M-D-M) architecture are commonly used structures to increase
      the quality factor and the near-field confinement in plasmonic materials. This
      characteristic can be leveraged for example to increase the sensitivity of IR
      spectroscopy, via the surface enhanced IR absorption (SEIRA) effect. In this
      work, we combine structural asymmetry with the M-D-M architecture to realize Ag
      Ag(2)O-Ag asymmetric ring resonators where two Ag layers sandwich a native silver
      oxide (Ag(2)O) layer. Their IR response is compared with the one of fully
      metallic (Ag) resonators of the same size and shape. The photothermal induced
      resonance technique (PTIR) is used to obtain near-field SEIRA absorption maps and
      spectra with nanoscale resolution. Although the native Ag(2)O layer is only 1 nm
      to 2 nm thick, it increases the quality factor of the resonators' dark-mode by
      ~27% and the SEIRA enhancement by ~44% with respect to entirely Ag structures.

PMID- 26480107
TI  - Spatio-temporal modeling and optimization of a deformable-grating compressor for
      short high-energy laser pulses.
AB  - Monolithic large-scale diffraction gratings are desired to improve the
      performance of high-energy laser systems and scale them to higher energy, but the
      surface deformation of these diffraction gratings induce spatio-temporal coupling
      that is detrimental to the focusability and compressibility of the output pulse.
      A new deformable-grating-based pulse compressor architecture with optimized
      actuator positions has been designed to correct the spatial and temporal
      aberrations induced by grating wavefront errors. An integrated optical model has
      been built to analyze the effect of grating wavefront errors on the spatio
      temporal performance of a compressor based on four deformable gratings. A 1.5
      meter deformable grating has been optimized using an integrated finite-element
      analysis and genetic-optimization model, leading to spatio-temporal performance
      similar to the baseline design with ideal gratings. 

PMID- 26480108
TI  - Toward a nonlinearity model for a heterodyne interferometer: not based on double
      frequency mixing.
AB  - Residual periodic errors detected in picometer-level heterodyne interferometers
      cannot be explained by the model based on double-frequency mixing. A new model is
      established and proposed in this paper for analysis of these errors. The multi
      order Doppler frequency shift ghost beams from measurement beam itself are
      involved in final interference leading to multi-order periodic errors, whether or
      not frequency-mixing originating from the two incident beams occurs. For model
      validation, a novel setup free from double-frequency mixing is constructed. The
      analyzed measurement signal shows that phase mixing of measurement beam itself
      can lead to multi-order periodic errors ranging from tens of picometers to one
      nanometer. 

PMID- 26480109
TI  - Enhancing the humidity response time of polymer optical fiber Bragg grating by
      using laser micromachining.
AB  - The humidity sensors constructed from polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings
      (POFBG) respond to the water content change in the fiber induced by varying
      environmental condition. The water content change is a diffusion process.
      Therefore the response time of the POFBG sensor strongly depends on the geometry
      and size of the fiber. In this work we investigate the use of laser
      micromachining of D-shaped and slotted structures to improve the response time of
      polymer fiber grating based humidity sensors. A significant improvement in the
      response time has been achieved in laser micromachined D-shaped POFBG humidity
      sensors. The slotted geometry allows water rapid access to the core region but
      this does not of itself improve response time due to the slow expansion of the
      bulk of the cladding. We show that by straining the slotted sensor, the expansion
      component can be removed resulting in the response time being determined only by
      the more rapid, water induced change in core refractive index. In this way the
      response time is reduced by a factor of 2.5. 

PMID- 26480110
TI  - Large viewing angle three-dimensional display with smooth motion parallax and
      accurate depth cues.
AB  - A three-dimensional (3D) display with smooth motion parallax and large viewing
      angle is demonstrated, which is based on a microlens array and a coded two
      dimensional (2D) image on a 50 inch liquid crystal device (LCD) panel with the
      resolution of 3840 * 2160. Combining with accurate depth cues expressing, the
      flipping images of the traditional integral imaging (II) are eliminated, and
      smooth motion parallax can be achieved. The image on the LCD panel is coded as an
      elemental image packed repeatedly, and the depth cue is determined by the
      repeated period of elemental image. To construct the 3D image with complex depth
      structure, the varying period of elemental image is required. Here, the detailed
      principle and coding method are presented. The shape and the texture of a target
      3D image are designed by a structure image and an elemental image, respectively.
      In the experiment, two groups of structure images and their corresponding
      elemental images are utilized to construct a 3D scene with a football in a green
      net. The constructed 3D image exhibits obviously enhanced 3D perception and
      smooth motion parallax. The viewing angle is 60 degrees , which is much larger
      than that of the traditional II. 

PMID- 26480111
TI  - Laser-induced periodic surface structures on titanium upon single- and two-color
      femtosecond double-pulse irradiation.
AB  - Single- and two-color double-fs-pulse experiments were performed on titanium to
      study the dynamics of the formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures
      (LIPSS). A Mach-Zehnder inter-ferometer generated polarization controlled
      (parallel or cross-polarized) double-pulse sequences in two configurations -
      either at 800 nm only, or at 400 and 800 nm wavelengths. The inter-pulse delays
      of the individual 50-fs pulses ranged up to some tens of picoseconds. Multiple of
      these single- or two-color double-fs-pulse sequences were collinearly focused by
      a spherical mirror to the sample surface. In both experimental configurations,
      the peak fluence of each individual pulse was kept below its respective ablation
      threshold and only the joint action of both pulses lead to the formation of
      LIPSS. Their resulting characteristics were analyzed by scanning electron
      microscopy and the periods were quantified by Fourier analyses. The LIPSS periods
      along with the orientation allow a clear identification of the pulse which
      dominates the energy coupling to the material. A plasmonic model successfully
      explains the delay-dependence of the LIPSS on titanium and confirms the
      importance of the ultrafast energy deposition stage for LIPSS formation. 

PMID- 26480112
TI  - All-fiber 10 MHz acousto-optic modulator of a fiber Bragg grating at 1060 nm
      wavelength.
AB  - Acousto-optic modulation of a 1 cm fiber Bragg grating at 10.9 MHz frequency and
      1065 nm wavelength is demonstrated for the first time. A special modulator design
      is employed to acoustically induce a dynamic radial long period grating which
      couples power of the fundamental mode to the higher-order modes supported by the
      Bragg grating. A modulated reflection band with a depth of 16 dB and 320 pm
      bandwidth has been achieved. The results indicate a higher modulation frequency
      compared to previous studies using flexural acoustic waves. In addition, the
      reduction of the grating length and the modulator size points to compact and
      faster acousto-optic modulators. 

PMID- 26480113
TI  - Highly stabilized optical frequency comb interferometer with a long fiber-based
      reference path towards arbitrary distance measurement.
AB  - An optical frequency comb interferometer with a 342-m-long fiber-based optical
      reference path was developed. The long fiber-based reference path was stabilized
      to 10(-12)-order stability by using a fiber noise cancellation technique, and
      small temperature changes on the millikelvin order were detected by measuring an
      interferometric phase signal. Pulse number differences of 30 and 61 between the
      measurement and reference paths were determined precisely, with slight tuning of
      the 53.4 MHz repetition frequency. Moreover, with pulse number difference of 61,
      a 6.4-m-wide scanning for the relative pulse position is possible only by 1 MHz
      repetition frequency tuning, which makes pulses overlapped for arbitrary
      distance. Such wide-range high-precision delay length scanning can be used to
      measure arbitrary distances by using a highly stabilized long fiber-based
      reference path.

PMID- 26480114
TI  - Time-gated digital optical frequency domain reflectometry with 1.6-m spatial
      resolution over entire 110-km range.
AB  - A novel time-gated digital optical frequency domain reflectometry (TGD-OFDR)
      technique with high spatial resolution over long measurement range is proposed
      and experimentally demonstrated. To solve the contradictory between the tuning
      rate of lightwave frequency, which determines the spatial resolution, and the
      measurable distance range in traditional OFDR, our proposed scheme sweeps the
      frequency of probe beam only within a time window, while the local reference
      remains a frequency-stable continuous lightwave. The frequency-to-distance
      mapping is digitally realized with equivalent references in data domain. In
      demonstrational experiments, a 1.6-m spatial resolution is obtained over an
      entire 110-km long fiber link, proving that the phase noises of the laser source
      as well as environmental perturbations are well suppressed. Meanwhile, the
      dynamic range was 26 dB with an average of only 373 measurements. The proposed
      reflectometry provides a simple-structure and high-performance solution for the
      applications where both high spatial resolution and long distance range are
      required. 

PMID- 26480115
TI  - Accelerating fDOT image reconstruction based on path-history fluorescence Monte
      Carlo model by using three-level parallel architecture.
AB  - The excessive time required by fluorescence diffuse optical tomography (fDOT)
      image reconstruction based on path-history fluorescence Monte Carlo model is its
      primary limiting factor. Herein, we present a method that accelerates fDOT image
      reconstruction. We employ three-level parallel architecture including multiple
      nodes in cluster, multiple cores in central processing unit (CPU), and multiple
      streaming multiprocessors in graphics processing unit (GPU). Different GPU
      memories are selectively used, the data-writing time is effectively eliminated,
      and the data transport per iteration is minimized. Simulation experiments
      demonstrated that this method can utilize general-purpose computing platforms to
      efficiently implement and accelerate fDOT image reconstruction, thus providing a
      practical means of using path-history-based fluorescence Monte Carlo model for
      fDOT imaging. 

PMID- 26480116
TI  - Quantum discord protection from amplitude damping decoherence.
AB  - Entanglement is known to be an essential resource for many quantum information
      processes. However, it is now known that some quantum features may be acheived
      with quantum discord, a generalized measure of quantum correlation. In this
      paper, we study how quantum discord, or more specifically, the measures of
      entropic discord and geometric discord are affected by the influence of amplitude
      damping decoherence. We also show that a protocol deploying weak measurement and
      quantum measurement reversal can effectively protect quantum discord from
      amplitude damping decoherence, enabling to distribute quantum correlation between
      two remote parties in a noisy environment. 

PMID- 26480117
TI  - Generation of dark solitons in erbium-doped fiber lasers based Sb(2)Te(3)
      saturable absorbers.
AB  - Dark solitons, which have better stability in the presence of noise, have
      potential applications in optical communication and ultrafast optics. In this
      paper, the dark soliton formation in erbium-doped fiber lasers based Sb(2)Te(3)
      saturable absorber (SA) is first experimentally demonstrated. The Sb(2)Te(3) SA
      is fabricated by using the pulsed laser deposition method. The generated dark
      solitons are centered at the wavelength of 1530 nm and repetition rate of 94 MHz.
      Analytic solutions for dark solitons are also obtained theoretically.

PMID- 26480118
TI  - Design of a dynamic dual-foveated imaging system.
AB  - A new kind of dynamic dual-foveated imaging system in the infrared band is
      designed and optimized in this paper. Dual-foveated imaging refers to the
      variation in spatial resolution at the two selected fields across the image. Such
      variable resolution imaging system is suitable for a variety of applications
      including monitoring, recognition, and remote operation of unmanned aerial
      vehicle. In this system, a transmissive spatial light modulator (SLM) is used as
      an active optical element which is located near the image plane instead of pupil
      plane creatively in order to divide the two selected fields. 

PMID- 26480119
TI  - Electrically controllable Fresnel lens in 90 degrees  twisted nematic liquid
      crystals.
AB  - This study presents a theoretical analysis and experimental demonstration of an
      electrically controllable Fresnel lens in a 90 degrees  twisted nematic liquid
      crystal cell. The cell gap was chosen to satisfy the Gooch-Tarry conditions, and
      therefore, the polarization rotation effect was valid regardless of the incident
      polarization direction. The polarization sensitivity of the diffraction
      efficiency of the 90 degrees  twisted nematic Fresnel lens was dependent on the
      applied voltage regime. Theoretical calculations effectively explain the
      experimental results. 

PMID- 26480120
TI  - Estimation of bulk optical properties of turbid media from hyperspectral scatter
      imaging measurements: metamodeling approach.
AB  - In many research areas and application domains, the bulk optical properties of
      biological materials are of great interest. Unfortunately, these properties
      cannot be obtained easily for complex turbid media. In this study, a metamodeling
      approach has been proposed and applied for the fast and accurate estimation of
      the bulk optical properties from contactless and non-destructive hyperspectral
      scatter imaging (HSI) measurements. A set of liquid optical phantoms, based on
      intralipid, methylene blue and water, were prepared and the Vis/NIR bulk optical
      properties were characterized with a double integrating sphere and unscattered
      transmittance setup. Accordingly, the phantoms were measured with the HSI
      technique and metamodels were constructed, relating the Vis/NIR reflectance
      images to the reference bulk optical properties of the samples. The independent
      inverse validation showed good prediction performance for the absorption
      coefficient and the reduced scattering coefficient, with R(2)(p) values of 0.980
      and 0.998, and RMSE(P) values of 0.032 cm(-1) and 0.197 cm(-1) respectively. The
      results clearly support the potential of this approach for fast and accurate
      estimation of the bulk optical properties of turbid media from contactless HSI
      measurements.

PMID- 26480121
TI  - Plane wave scattering from a plasmonic nanowire-film system with the inclusion of
      non-local effects.
AB  - In this paper we present a theoretical analysis of the electromagnetic response
      of a plasmonic nanowire-film system. The analytical solution accounts for both
      the dispersive as well as non-local nature of the plasmonic media. The physical
      structure comprises of a plasmonic nanowire made of a plasmonic metal such as
      gold or silver placed over a plasmonic film of the same material. Such a
      nanostructure exhibits a spectrum that is extremely sensitive to various
      geometric parameters such as spacer thickness and nanowire radius, which makes it
      favorable for various sensing applications. The non-locality of the plasmonic
      medium, which can be captured using the hydrodynamic model, significantly affects
      the resonant wavelength of this system for structures of small dimensions (~ less
      than 5 nm gap between the nanowire and the film). We present an analytical method
      that can be used to predict the effect of non-locality on the resonances of the
      system. To validate the analytical method, we also report a comparison of our
      analytical solution with a numerical Finite Difference Time Domain analysis
      (FDTD) of the same structure with the plasmonic medium being treated as local in
      nature. 

PMID- 26480122
TI  - Visible light communication using mobile-phone camera with data rate higher than
      frame rate.
AB  - Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors are widely used in
      mobile-phone and cameras. Hence, it is attractive if these image sensors can be
      used as the visible light communication (VLC) receivers (Rxs). However, using
      these CMOS image sensors are challenging. In this work, we propose and
      demonstrate a VLC link using mobile-phone camera with data rate higher than frame
      rate of the CMOS image sensor. We first discuss and analyze the features of using
      CMOS image sensor as VLC Rx, including the rolling shutter effect, overlapping of
      exposure time of each row of pixels, frame-to-frame processing time gap, and also
      the image sensor "blooming" effect. Then, we describe the procedure of
      synchronization and demodulation. This includes file format conversion, grayscale
      conversion, column matrix selection avoiding blooming, polynomial fitting for
      threshold location. Finally, the evaluation of bit-error-rate (BER) is performed
      satisfying the forward error correction (FEC) limit. 

PMID- 26480123
TI  - Thin-film Pancharatnam lens with low f-number and high quality.
AB  - We have made an ultra-thin (~2.26 um) f/2.1 lens based on the Pancharatnam phase
      effect using the polarization holography alignment technique. This lens exhibits
      a continuous phase profile, high efficiency (>97%), and is switchable from having
      a positive focal length to a negative one by changing the handedness of input
      circularly polarized light. We analyzed its optical performance and simulated it
      as a gradient index lens for further comparison, and to discuss its bandwidth
      limitation. The conditions required for improving the performance and its low
      cost fabrication method is discussed. Because of the nature of Pancharatnam
      devices and the demonstrated fabrication method, these results are applicable to
      a wide size range. 

PMID- 26480125
TI  - Design optical antenna and fiber coupling system based on the vector theory of
      reflection and refraction.
AB  - A Cassegrain antenna system and an optical fiber coupling system which consists
      of a plano-concave lens and a plano-convex lens are designed based on the vector
      theory of reflection and refraction, so as to improve the transmission
      performance of the optical antenna and fiber coupling system. Three-dimensional
      ray tracing simulation are performed and results of the optical aberrations
      calculation and the experimental test show that the aberrations caused by on
      axial defocusing, off-axial defocusing and deflection of receiving antenna can be
      well corrected by the optical fiber coupling system. 

PMID- 26480124
TI  - Low-visibility patterning of transparent conductive silver-nanowire films.
AB  - A partial etching mechanism is proposed to meet the requirement for low
      visibility patterning of silver nanowire (AgNW)-based transparent conductive
      electrodes (TCEs) by reducing the difference in optical properties between
      conductive and nonconductive regions of the pattern. Using the finite difference
      time domain (FDTD) method, etched geometries that provide the smallest difference
      in transmittance after etching are theoretically determined. A sodium
      hypochlorite-based etchant capable that allows the etched geometry to be varied
      by controlling the pH is used to create a low-visibility pattern with a
      transmittance and haze difference of 0.07 and 0.04%, respectively. To the best of
      our knowledge, this is the first time that a partial etching mechanism such as
      this has been studied in relation to AgNW-based TCEs. 

PMID- 26480126
TI  - Static/dynamic strain sensing applications by monitoring the correlation peak
      from optical wideband chaos.
AB  - We present a new sensing demodulation approach by monitoring the amplitude
      changes of correlation peak through using optical wideband chaos. For the static
      strain sensing, the reflection intensity of optical wideband chaos can be
      modulated by the strain induced wavelength spacing between the wavelength
      division multiplexing (WDM) device and the sensing grating. Thus, the relative
      amplitude change (RAC) of correlation peak is mainly determined by the change of
      chaotic reflection intensity. For the dynamic strain sensing, the reflection
      intensity of optical wideband chaos can be modulated by the fast fluctuant
      evanescent wave on a section of no-core fiber (NCF). Thus, the response from
      correlation peak's RAC is mainly according to the dynamic strain frequency. The
      experimental measurements show that a high strain sensing sensitivity of 7.04*10
      3 RAC/MUepsilon is achieved within the measurement range of 900 MUepsilon during
      the static strain test. While in the dynamic test, the demodulation can detect
      the vibration frequency of 6 kHz located at 6 km long. This demodulation method
      can simultaneously achieve static/dynamic sensing and precisely locating the
      fiber break point with the high accuracy of several centimeters, making it very
      easy for network maintenance. 

PMID- 26480127
TI  - Direct superresolution for realistic image reconstruction.
AB  - Traditional superresolution techniques employ optimizers, priors, and
      regularizers to deliver stable, appealing restorations even though deviating from
      the real, ground-truth scene. We have developed a non-regularized superresolution
      algorithm that directly solves a fully-characterized multi-shift imaging
      reconstruction problem to achieve realistic restorations without being penalized
      by improper assumptions made in the inverse problem. An adaptive frequency-based
      filtering scheme is introduced to upper bound the reconstruction errors while
      still producing more fine details as compared with previous methods when
      inaccurate shift estimation, noise, and blurring scenarios are considered. 

PMID- 26480128
TI  - Sub-100 fs pulses from an all-polarization maintaining Yb-fiber oscillator with
      an anomalous dispersion higher-order-mode fiber.
AB  - We present an Yb-fiber oscillator with an all-polarization-maintaining cavity
      with a higher-order-mode fiber for dispersion compensation. The polarization
      maintaining higher order mode fiber introduces not only negative second order
      dispersion but also negative third order dispersion in the cavity, in contrast to
      dispersion compensation schemes used in previous demonstrations of all
      polarization maintaining Yb-fiber oscillators. The performance of the saturable
      absorber mirror modelocked oscillator, that employs a free space scheme for
      coupling onto the saturable absorber mirror and output coupling, was investigated
      for different settings of the intracavity dispersion. When the cavity is operated
      with close to zero net dispersion, highly stable 0.5-nJ pulses externally
      compressed to sub-100-fs are generated. These are to our knowledge the shortest
      pulses generated from an all-polarization-maintaining Yb-fiber oscillator. The
      spectral phase of the output pulses is well behaved and can be compensated such
      that wing-free Fourier transform limited pulses can be obtained. Further
      reduction of the net intracavity third order dispersion will allow generating
      broader output spectra and consequently shorter pulses, without sacrificing pulse
      fidelity. 

PMID- 26480129
TI  - Polarimetric dehazing method for dense haze removal based on distribution
      analysis of angle of polarization.
AB  - Many dehazing methods have proven to be effective in removing haze out of the
      hazy image, but few of them are adaptive in handling the dense haze. In this
      paper, based on the angle of polarization (AOP) distribution analysis we propose
      a kind of polarimetric dehazing method, which is verified to be capable of
      enhancing the contrast and the range of visibility of images taken in dense haze
      substantially. It is found that the estimating precision of the intensity of
      airlight is a key factor which determines the dehazing quality, and fortunately
      our method involves a high precision estimation inherently. In the experiments a
      good dehazing performance is demonstrated, especially for dense haze removal. We
      find that the visibility can be enhanced at least 74%. Besides, the method can be
      used not only in dense haze but also in severe sea fog. 

PMID- 26480130
TI  - Graphene-assisted nonlinear optical device for four-wave mixing based tunable
      wavelength conversion of QPSK signal.
AB  - We fabricate a nonlinear optical device based on a fiber pigtail cross-section
      coated with a single-layer graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD)
      method. Using such graphene-assisted nonlinear optical device, we experimentally
      demonstrate tunable wavelength conversion of a 10 Gbaud quadrature phase-shift
      keying (QPSK) signal by exploiting degenerate four-wave mixing (FWM) progress in
      graphene. We study the conversion efficiency as functions of the pump power and
      pump wavelength and evaluate the bit-error rate (BER) performance. The observed
      optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) penalties for tunable QPSK wavelength
      conversion are less than 2.2 dB at a BER of 1 * 10(-3).

PMID- 26480131
TI  - Design, fabrication and characterization of an AWG at 4.5 um.
AB  - In this paper, we present the design, the fabrication and the characterization of
      an Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG) based on a SiGe graded index waveguide
      platform, operating at 4.5 um. These devices were specifically designed to work
      together with an array of Distributed Feedback Bragg Quantum Cascade Lasers (DFB
      QCL) emitting at different wavelengths. The AWG enables to combine the different
      light sources into a single output and the design adopted allows to maximize
      transmission over the entire spectral range defined by the array of DFB-QCLs. 

PMID- 26480132
TI  - Binary prefix for sampling frequency offset estimation in dispersive optical
      transmissions.
AB  - We propose and experimentally demonstrate a method for sampling frequency offset
      (SFO) estimation in optical communication systems based on periodically inserted
      identical binary prefix. Different from conventional cyclic prefix, binary prefix
      provides not only high tolerance to chromatic dispersion in dispersive fiber
      transmission, but also the ability to estimate SFO by simple receiver-side
      digital signal processing. Moreover, this binary prefix based scheme is generally
      applicable to any advanced modulation formats. A proof-of-concept experiment is
      conducted to quantify the accuracy and tolerance of the scheme in estimating SFO.
      It is found that over a wide SFO range up to 341 ppm, the estimation error is
      kept under 20 ppb and signals are recovered with the same quality as with zero
      offset sampling. The experimental results also confirm that this method is
      tolerant to link signal-to-noise ratio loss and dispersion, showing no additional
      penalty after transmission over a 40-km standard single-mode fiber at 1550 nm. 

PMID- 26480133
TI  - Modeling and compensation of transmitter nonlinearity in coherent optical OFDM.
AB  - We present a comprehensive study of nonlinear distortions from an optical OFDM
      transmitter. Nonlinearities are introduced by the combination of effects from the
      digital-to-analog converter (DAC), electrical power amplifier (PA) and optical
      modulator in the presence of high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). We
      introduce parameters to quantify the transmitter nonlinearity. High input backoff
      avoids OFDM signal compression from the PA, but incurs high penalties in power
      efficiency. At low input backoff, common PAPR reduction techniques are not
      effective in suppressing the PA nonlinear distortion. A bit error distribution
      investigation shows a technique combining nonlinear predistortion with PAPR
      mitigation could achieve good power efficiency by allowing low input backoff. We
      use training symbols to extract the transmitter nonlinear function. We show that
      piecewise linear interpolation (PLI) leads to an accurate transmitter
      nonlinearity characterization. We derive a semi-analytical solution for bit error
      rate (BER) that validates the PLI approximation accurately captures transmitter
      nonlinearity. The inverse of the PLI estimate of the nonlinear function is used
      as a predistorter to suppress transmitter nonlinearity. We investigate
      performance of the proposed scheme by Monte Carlo simulations. Our simulations
      show that when DAC resolution is more than 4 bits, BER below forward error
      correction limit of 3.8 * 10(-3) can be achieved by using predistortion with very
      low input power backoff for electrical PA and optical modulator.

PMID- 26480134
TI  - Modal wavefront estimation from its slopes by numerical orthogonal transformation
      method over general shaped aperture.
AB  - Wavefront estimation from the slope-based sensing metrologies zis important in
      modern optical testing. A numerical orthogonal transformation method is proposed
      for deriving the numerical orthogonal gradient polynomials as numerical
      orthogonal basis functions for directly fitting the measured slope data and then
      converting to the wavefront in a straightforward way in the modal approach. The
      presented method can be employed in the wavefront estimation from its slopes over
      the general shaped aperture. Moreover, the numerical orthogonal transformation
      method could be applied to the wavefront estimation from its slope measurements
      over the dynamic varying aperture. The performance of the numerical orthogonal
      transformation method is discussed, demonstrated and verified by the examples.
      They indicate that the presented method is valid, accurate and easily implemented
      for wavefront estimation from its slopes. 

PMID- 26480135
TI  - Simultaneous generation of multiple orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes using a
      single phase-only element.
AB  - Based on the conventional iterative algorithm, we present a pattern search
      assisted iterative (PSI) algorithm to simultaneously generate multiple orbital
      angular momentum (OAM) modes using a single phase-only element. The PSI algorithm
      shows a favorable operation performance for generating 100 randomly spaced OAM
      modes and 50 evenly spaced OAM modes with high diffraction efficiency (>93%), low
      relative root-mean-square error (R-RMSE) and low standard deviation. Moreover, we
      can also manipulate the relative power distribution of the generated OAM modes
      simply by setting the initial weight coefficients in the PSI algorithm. 

PMID- 26480136
TI  - 300-MHz-repetition-rate, all-fiber, femtosecond laser mode-locked by planar
      lightwave circuit-based saturable absorber.
AB  - We show the implementation of fiber-pigtailed, evanescent-field-interacting,
      single-walled carbon nanotube (CNT)-based saturable absorbers (SAs) using
      standard planar lightwave circuit (PLC) fabrication processes. The implemented
      PLC-CNT-SA device is employed to realize self-starting, high-repetition-rate, all
      fiber ring oscillators at telecommunication wavelength. We demonstrate all-fiber
      Er ring lasers operating at 303-MHz (soliton regime) and 274-MHz (stretched-pulse
      regime) repetition-rates. The 303-MHz (274-MHz) laser centered at 1555 nm (1550
      nm) provides 7.5 nm (19 nm) spectral bandwidth. After extra-cavity
      amplilfication, the amplified pulse train of the 303-MHz (274-MHz) laser delivers
      209 fs (178 fs) pulses. To our knowledge, this corresponds to the highest
      repetition-rates achieved for femtosecond lasers employing evanescent-field
      interacting SAs. The demonstrated SA fabrication method, which is based on well
      established PLC processes, also shows a potential way for mass-producible and
      lower-cost waveguide-type SA devices suitable for all-fiber and waveguide lasers.

PMID- 26480137
TI  - Out-of-plane actuation with a sub-micron initial gap for reconfigurable terahertz
      micro-electro-mechanical systems metamaterials.
AB  - We propose a reconfigurable terahertz (THz) metamaterial that can control the
      transmittance by out-of-plane actuation with changing the sub-micron gap distance
      between electrically coupled metamaterial elements. By using the out-of-plane
      actuation, it was possible to avoid contact between the coupled metamaterial
      elements across the small initial gap during the adjustment of the gap size. THz
      spectroscopy was performed during actuation, and the transmission dip frequency
      was confirmed to be tunable from 0.82 to 0.92 THz for one linear polarization
      state and from 0.80 to 0.91 THz for the other linear polarization; the two
      polarizations were orthogonal. The proposed approach will contribute to the
      development of tunable metamaterials based on structural deformations. 

PMID- 26480138
TI  - Soliton-dark pulse pair formation in birefringent cavity fiber lasers through
      cross phase coupling.
AB  - We report on the experimental observation of soliton-dark pulse pair formation in
      a birefringent cavity fiber laser. Temporal cavity solitons are formed in one
      polarization mode of the cavity. It is observed that associated with each of the
      cavity solitons a dark pulse is induced on the CW background of the orthogonal
      polarization mode. We show that the dark pulse formation is a result of the
      incoherent cross polarization coupling between the soliton and the CW beam and
      has a mechanism similar to that of the polarization domain formation observed in
      the fiber lasers. 

PMID- 26480139
TI  - RF frequency sextupling via an optical two-tone signal generated from two
      modulation lightwaves from one Mach-Zehnder optical modulator.
AB  - An optical two-tone (OTT) signal is generated with a wide frequency separation,
      based on the suppression of +/- 1st-order optical sidebands without using optical
      band-rejection filtering. By combining two orthogonally polarized lightwaves
      modulated with different modulation indices, each optical sideband constituting
      the combined lightwave has a different polarization. Some of these optical
      sidebands can be suppressed using a polarizer. By using a single Mach-Zehnder
      optical modulator to achieve two optical modulations, an OTT signal with a 60-GHz
      frequency-separation was successfully generated with 32-dB suppression of
      undesired +/- 1st-order optical sidebands. An rf signal was also obtained from
      the OTT signal. 

PMID- 26480140
TI  - Low-loss and high-Q Ta(2)O(5) based micro-ring resonator with inverse taper
      structure.
AB  - A low-loss and high-Q Ta(2)O(5) based micro-ring resonator is presented. The
      micro-ring resonator and channel waveguide with core area of the 700 by 400 nm(2)
      were fabricated on amorphous Ta(2)O(5) thin films prepared by reactive sputtering
      at 300 degrees C and post annealing at 650 degrees C for 3 hours. The Ta(2)O(5)
      micro-ring resonator with a diameter of 200 MUm was coupled to the channel
      waveguide with a coupled Q up to 38,000 at a 0.9 MUm coupling gap. By fitting the
      transmission spectrum of the resonator, the extracted loss coefficient inside the
      ring cavity and transmission coefficient of TE mode were 8.1dB/cm and 0.9923,
      leading to the estimated unloaded Q of higher than 44,000. In addition, based on
      the cut-back method, the propagation loss and the coupling loss of Ta(2)O(5)
      channel waveguide with an inverse taper were 1.5dB/cm and 3.2 dB, respectively.
      The proposed Ta(2)O(5) technology offers an unique alternative for fabricating
      high performance guided wave devices, and may well lead to novel applications in
      photonic integrated circuits.

PMID- 26480141
TI  - Efficient coupling of double-metal terahertz quantum cascade lasers to flexible
      dielectric-lined hollow metallic waveguides.
AB  - The growth in terahertz frequency applications utilising the quantum cascade
      laser is hampered by a lack of targeted power delivery solutions over large
      distances (>100 mm). Here we demonstrate the efficient coupling of double-metal
      quantum cascade lasers into flexible polystyrene lined hollow metallic waveguides
      via the use of a hollow copper waveguide integrated into the laser mounting
      block. Our approach exhibits low divergence, Gaussian-like emission, which is
      robust to misalignment error, at distances > 550 mm, with a coupling efficiency
      from the hollow copper waveguide into the flexible waveguide > 90%. We also
      demonstrate the ability to nitrogen purge the flexible waveguide, increasing the
      power transmission by up to 20% at 2.85 THz, which paves the way for future fibre
      based terahertz sensing and spectroscopy applications. 

PMID- 26480142
TI  - Numerical analysis of fast saturable absorber mode-locked Yb(3+) lasers under
      large modulation depth.
AB  - Numerical analysis of fast saturable absorber mode-locked Yb(3+)-doped solid
      state lasers is reported. The analysis includes a special case in which the
      spectral bandwidth of the short pulse is larger than the fluorescence bandwidth
      of the gain material. The relationship between the available shortest pulse
      duration and modulation depth for a standard bulk and thin disk laser geometries
      with several gain materials are shown. The characteristic phenomena observed in
      our previous Kerr-lens mode-locked laser experiments were reproduced in the
      simulation.

PMID- 26480143
TI  - Optical parametric oscillator based on degenerate four-wave mixing in suspended
      core tellurite microstructured optical fiber.
AB  - We report on a suspended core tellurite microstructured optical fiber (TMOF)
      based optical parametric oscillator (OPO). The intracavity gain is provided by
      the degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) occurred in a 1.5-m-long TMOF
      synchronously pumped by a mode-locked picosecond erbium-doped fiber laser. The
      oscillated signal can be generated from 1606 nm to 1743.5 nm, and the idler can
      be emited from 1526.8 nm to 1395 nm by adjusting the pump wavelength from 1565.4
      nm to 1551 nm. A total intenal conversion efficiency of -17.2 dB has been
      achieved. 

PMID- 26480144
TI  - Ultra efficient silicon nitride grating coupler with bottom grating reflector.
AB  - We theoretically propose a silicon nitride (Si(3)N(4)) grating coupler (GC) with
      both ultrahigh efficiency and simplified fabrication processes. Instead of using
      a bottom distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) or metal reflector, a bottom Si
      grating reflector (GR) with comparable reflectivity is utilized to improve the
      coupling efficiency. The fully etched Si GR is designed based on an industrially
      standard silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer with 220 nm top Si layer. By properly
      adjusting the trench width and period length of the Si GR, a high reflectivity
      over 90% is obtained. The Si(3)N(4) GC is optimized based on a common 400 nm
      Si(3)N(4) layer sitting on the Si GR with a SiO(2) separation layer. With an
      appropriate distance between the Si(3)N(4) GC and bottom Si GR, a low coupling
      loss of -1.47 dB is theoretically obtained using uniform GC structure. A further
      record ultralow loss of -0.88 dB is predicted by apodizing the Si(3)N(4) GC. The
      specific fabrication processes and tolerance are also investigated. Compared with
      DBR, the bottom Si GR can be easily fabricated by single step of patterning and
      etching, simplifying the fabrication processes.

PMID- 26480145
TI  - Switching in multicore fibers using flexural acoustic waves.
AB  - We propose an in-line wavelength selective core switch for multicore fiber (MCF)
      transmission systems, based on the acousto-optic effect. A theoretical model
      addressing the interaction between flexural acoustic waves and the optical signal
      in MCFs is developed. We show that an optical signal propagating in a particular
      core can be switched to any other core or distributed over all the cores. By
      tuning the acoustic wave amplitude, we can adjust the amount of optical power
      transferred between the cores. 

PMID- 26480146
TI  - Photonic nanojets in Fresnel zone scattering from non-spherical dielectric
      particles.
AB  - We experimentally and numerically study near-field and far-field visible light
      scattering from lithographically defined micron scale dielectric particles. We
      demonstrate field confinement and elongated intensity features known as photonic
      nanojets in the Fresnel zone. An experimental setup is introduced which allows
      simultaneous mapping of the angular properties of the scattering in the Fresnel
      zone and far-field regions. Precise control over the shape, size and position of
      the scatterers, allows direction control of the near-field intensity
      distribution. Intensity features with 1/3 the divergence of free space Gaussian
      beams of similar waist are experimentally observed. Additionally the direction
      and polarization of the incident light can be used to switch on and off intensity
      hot spots in the near-field. Together these parameters allow a previously un
      obtainable level of control over the intensity distribution in the near-field,
      compared to spherically and cylindrically symmetric scattering particles. 

PMID- 26480147
TI  - Carrier-induced fast wavelength switching in tunable V-cavity laser with quantum
      well intermixed tuning section.
AB  - We report on the fast wavelength switching in V-cavity laser (VCL) with quantum
      well intermixed tuning section. The laser wavelength can be switched between 32
      channels at 100 GHz spacing using a single electrode control. The fabrication
      process involves a quantum well intermixing (QWI) process using KrF laser
      irradiation and rapid thermal annealing (RTA). The tuning current is less than 40
      mA, much lower than previously demonstrated tunable VCL based on electro-thermal
      optic effect. The wavelength switching is also faster by three orders of
      magnitude. The dynamic switching characteristics between two channels with
      different numbers of intermediate channels are investigated. It shows that the
      switching time is about 1 ns between adjacent channels and increases up to 12 ns
      with increasing number of intermediate channels. 

PMID- 26480148
TI  - Electro-optic directed XOR logic circuits based on parallel-cascaded micro-ring
      resonators.
AB  - We report an electro-optic photonic integrated circuit which can perform the
      exclusive (XOR) logic operation based on two silicon parallel-cascaded microring
      resonators (MRRs) fabricated on the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. PIN
      diodes embedded around MRRs are employed to achieve the carrier injection
      modulation. Two electrical pulse sequences regarded as two operands of operations
      are applied to PIN diodes to modulate two MRRs through the free carrier
      dispersion effect. The final operation result of two operands is output at the
      Output port in the form of light. The scattering matrix method is employed to
      establish numerical model of the device, and numerical simulator SG-framework is
      used to simulate the electrical characteristics of the PIN diodes. XOR operation
      with the speed of 100Mbps is demonstrated successfully. 

PMID- 26480149
TI  - Directional solidification, thermo-mechanical and optical properties of
      (Mg(x)Ca(1-x))(3)Al(2)Si(3)O(12) glasses doped with Nd(3+) ions.
AB  - In this work glass rods of (Mg(x)Ca(1-x))(3)Al(2)Si(3)O(12) (x = 0, 0.5 and 1)
      doped with 1 wt% Nd(2)O(3) were produced by the laser floating zone technique.
      Thermo-mechanical and spectroscopic properties have been evaluated. The three
      glass samples present good thermo-mechanical properties, with similar hardness,
      toughness and glass transition temperatures. The spectroscopic characterization
      shows spectral shifts in absorption and emission spectra. These spectral shifts
      together with Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters and ionic packing ratio have been
      used to investigate the local structure surrounding the Nd(3+) ions and the
      covalency of the Nd-O bond. All obtained results agree and confirm the higher
      covalency of the Nd-O bond in the Ca(3)Al(2)Si(3)O(12) glass.

PMID- 26480150
TI  - Unidirectional hybrid silicon ring laser with an intracavity S-bend.
AB  - We demonstrate a hybrid silicon ring laser with an internal amplifying S-bend
      that couples a fraction of the counter-clockwise circulating light into the the
      clockwise direction. The device supported single-mode, unidirectional laser
      oscillation at certain bias conditions. A spatial field distribution model is
      derived to describe the unidirectional operation. A unidirectional clockwise
      laser output with a suppression ratio up to 18.6 dB over the counter-clockwise
      mode was achieved. 

PMID- 26480151
TI  - Real-time compensation of the refractive index of air in distance measurement.
AB  - A two-color scheme of heterodyne laser interferometer is devised for distance
      measurements with the capability of real-time compensation of the refractive
      index of the ambient air. A fundamental wavelength of 1555 nm and its second
      harmonic wavelength of 777.5 nm are generated, with stabilization to the
      frequency comb of a femtosecond laser, to provide fractional stability of the
      order of 3.0 * 10(-12) at 1 s averaging. Achieved uncertainty is of the order of
      10(-8) in measuring distances of 2.5 m without sensing the refractive index of
      air in adverse environmental conditions.

PMID- 26480152
TI  - Three-dimensional fiber probe based on orthogonal micro focal-length collimation
      for the measurement of micro parts.
AB  - A 3-dimensional fiber probe based on orthogonal micro focal-length collimation
      (MFL-collimation) is proposed for the measurement of micro parts with high aspect
      ratios. The probe consists of a fiber stylus which acts as a micro focal-length
      cylindrical lens (MFLC-lens) of the two orthogonal MFL-collimation optical paths
      and a probe tip fixed on the free end of the fiber stylus for touching the
      workpiece. The fiber stylus will deflect (deflection mode) or buckle (buckling
      mode) under contacts, and the deflection or buckling of the fiber stylus will
      cause corresponding shifts of the fringe images of the two orthogonal MFL
      collimation optical paths. Therefore, the 3-dimensional displacements of the
      probe tip are transformed into the centroid position shifts of the zero-order
      fringe images. Experimental results indicate that the fiber probe has a measuring
      capability in 3-dimensional tactility, and a radial and axial resolution of 5 nm
      and 3 nm can be obtained respectively. The probe is easily applied in the
      measurement of micro parts because of its high resolution, low cost, high
      measurable aspect ratio, low probing forces and capability in three-dimensional
      tactility. 

PMID- 26480153
TI  - High-resolution extended source optical coherence tomography.
AB  - High resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) is capable of providing
      detailed tissue microstructures that are critical for disease diagnosis, yet its
      sensitivity is usually degraded since the system key components are typically not
      working at their respective center wavelengths. We developed a novel imaging
      system that achieves enhanced sensitivity without axial resolution degradation by
      the use of a spectrally encoded extended source (SEES) technique; it allows
      larger sample power without exceeding the maximum permissible exposure (MPE). In
      this study, we demonstrate a high-resolution extended source (HRES) OCT system,
      which is capable of providing a transverse resolution of 4.4 um and an axial
      resolution of 2.1 um in air with the SEES technique. We first theoretically show
      a sensitivity advantage of 6-dB of the HRES-OCT over that of its point source
      counterpart using numerical simulations, and then experimentally validate the
      applicability of the SEES technique to high-resolution OCT (HR-OCT) by comparing
      the HRES-OCT with an equivalent point-source system. In the HRES-OCT system, a
      dispersive prism was placed in the infinity space of the sample arm optics to
      spectrally extend the visual angle (angular subtense) of the light source to 10.3
      mrad. This extended source allowed ~4 times larger MPE than its point source
      counterpart, which results in an enhancement of ~6 dB in sensitivity.
      Specifically, to solve the unbalanced dispersion between the sample and the
      reference arm optics, we proposed easy and efficient methods for system
      calibration and dispersion correction, respectively. With a maximum scanning
      speed reaching up to 60K A-lines/s, we further conducted imaging experiments with
      HRES-OCT using the human fingertip in vivo and the swine eye tissues ex vivo.
      Results demonstrate that the HRES-OCT is able to achieve significantly larger
      penetration depth than its conventional point source OCT counterpart. 

PMID- 26480154
TI  - Influence of energy pooling and ionization on physical features of a diode-pumped
      alkali laser.
AB  - In recent years, a diode-pumped alkali laser (DPAL) has become one of the most
      hopeful candidates to achieve the high power performance. A series of models have
      been established to analyze the DPAL's kinetic process and most of them were
      based on the algorithms in which only the ideal 3-level system was considered. In
      this paper, we developed a systematic model by taking into account the influence
      of excitation of neutral alkali atoms to even-higher levels and their ionization
      on the physical features of a static DPAL. The procedures of heat transfer and
      laser kinetics were combined together in our theoretical model. By using such a
      theme, the continuous temperature and number density distribution have been
      evaluated in the transverse section of a cesium vapor cell. The calculated
      results indicate that both energy pooling and ionization play important roles
      during the lasing process. The conclusions might deepen the understanding of the
      kinetic mechanism of a DPAL. 

PMID- 26480155
TI  - Tunable photonic nanojet formed by generalized Luneburg lens.
AB  - Nanojet has been emerging as an interesting topic in variety photonics
      applications. In this paper, inspired by the properties of generalized Luneburg
      lens (GLLs), a two-dimensional photonic nanojet system has been developed, which
      focal distance can be tuned by engineering the refractive index profile of GLLs.
      Simulation and analysis results show that the maximum light intensity, transverse
      and longitudinal dimensions of the photonic nanojet are dependent on the focal
      distance of the GLLs, thereby, by simply varying the focal distance, it is
      possible to obtain localized photon fluxes with different power characteristics
      and spatial dimensions. This can be of interest for many promising applications,
      such as high-resolution optical detection, optical manipulation, technology of
      direct-write nano-patterning and nano-lithography. 

PMID- 26480156
TI  - Spin-selected focusing and imaging based on metasurface lens.
AB  - Spin of light provides a route to control photons. Spin-based optical devices
      which can manipulate photons with different spin states are imperative. Here we
      experimentally demonstrated a spin-selected metasurface lens based on the spin
      orbit interaction originated from the Pancharatnam-Berry (PB) phase. The
      optimized PB phase enables the light with different spin states to be focused on
      two separated points in the preset plane. Furthermore, the metasurface lens can
      perform the spin-selected imaging according to the polarization of the
      illuminating light. Such a spin-based device capacitates a lot of advanced
      applications for spin-controlled photonics in quantum information processing and
      communication based on the spin and orbit angular momentum. 

PMID- 26480157
TI  - Single-section quantum well mode-locked laser for 400 Gb/s SSB-OFDM transmission.
AB  - Successful use of a single-section quantum well (QW) passively mode-locked laser
      (MLL) as a comb source for optical interconnects is demonstrated for the first
      time. Sixteen comb lines spaced by 37.6 GHz are modulated using 25 Gb/s
      compatible single sideband orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (SSB-OFDM)
      signals and transmitted over 50 km of standard single-mode fiber with bit error
      ratio below the 7% forward error correction limit. The system performance,
      analyzed on the basis of the relative intensity noise of the device, reveal the
      suitability of single-section QW MLLs as inexpensive comb sources for inter- and
      intra-data center communication scenarios. 

PMID- 26480158
TI  - Low crosstalk Bragg grating/Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical add-drop
      multiplexer in silicon photonics.
AB  - We characterize the interferometric crosstalk and system performance of two
      optical add-drop multiplexer (OADM) designs based on Bragg grating/Mach-Zehnder
      interferometers implemented in silicon-on-insulator. Both OADM designs exhibit
      low crosstalk and negligible crosstalk-induced power penalties over their 3 dB
      bandwidths. The devices are tolerant to wavelength drift and misalignment between
      the transmitter and OADM; moreover, their designs can be optimized further to
      enable high performance operation in WDM systems. 

PMID- 26480159
TI  - Acousto-optical detection of hidden objects via speckle based imaging.
AB  - Optical detection of objects hidden behind opaque screening layers is a
      challenging problem. We demonstrate an optically detected echographic-like method
      that combines collimated acoustic and laser beams. The acoustic waves cross the
      screening layers, and their back-reflection from the hidden objects is detected
      through the analysis of a dynamic laser speckle pattern created at the outer
      surface of the screening layer. Real-time remote detection of moving targets 15
      meters away, with a few mm resolution is demonstrated using a very sensitive
      camera detection scheme. 

PMID- 26480160
TI  - Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox in single pairs of images.
AB  - Spatially entangled twin photons provide a test of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen
      (EPR) paradox in its original form of position (image plane) versus impulsion
      (Fourier plane). We show that recording a single pair of images in each plane is
      sufficient to safely demonstrate an EPR paradox. On each pair of images, we have
      retrieved the fluctuations by subtracting the fitted deterministic intensity
      shape and then have obtained an intercorrelation peak with a sufficient signal to
      noise ratio to safely distinguish this peak from random fluctuations. A 95%
      confidence interval has been determined, confirming a high degree of paradox
      whatever the considered single pairs. Last, we have verified that the value of
      the variance of the difference between twin images is always below the quantum
      (poissonian) limit, in order to ensure the particle character of the
      demonstration. Our demonstration shows that a single image pattern can reveal the
      quantum and non-local behavior of light. 

PMID- 26480161
TI  - 28 Gb/s direct modulation heterogeneously integrated C-band InP/SOI DFB laser.
AB  - We demonstrate direct modulation of a heterogeneously integrated C-band DFB laser
      on SOI at 28 Gb/s with a 2 dB extinction ratio. This is the highest direct
      modulation bitrate so far reported for a membrane laser coupled to an SOI
      waveguide. The laser operates single mode with 6 mW output power at 100 mA bias
      current. The 3 dB modulation bandwidth is 15 GHz. Transmission experiments using
      a 2 km non zero dispersion shifted single mode fiber were performed at 28 Gb/s
      bitrate using a 2(7)-1 NRZ-PRBS pattern resulting in a 1 dB power penalty.

PMID- 26480162
TI  - Optical characterisation of plasmonic nanostructures on planar substrates using
      second-harmonic generation.
AB  - Off-normal, polarization dependent second-harmonic generation (SHG) measurements
      were performed ex situ on plasmonic nanostructures grown by self-assembly on
      nanopatterned templates. These exploratory studies of Ag nanoparticle (NP) arrays
      show that the sensitivity of SHG to the local fields, which are modified by the
      NP size, shape and distribution, makes it a promising fixed wavelength
      characterization technique that avoids the complexity of spectroscopic SHG. The
      off-normal geometry provides access to the out-of-plane SH response, which is
      typically an order-of-magnitude larger than the in-surface-plane response
      measured using normal incidence, for example in SHG microscopy. By choosing the
      plane of incidence orthogonal to the NP array direction, it was shown that the p
      polarized SH response, as a function of input polarization, is very sensitive to
      NP morphology, with a change of 20% in the aspect ratio of the NPs producing a
      variation of a factor of 30 in the easily measureable ratio of the p-polarized SH
      field strength for s- and p-polarized input. The results show that such a fixed
      geometry could be used for the in situ characterization of anisotropic
      nanostructure morphology during growth by self-assembly, which could be
      particularly useful in situations where rotating the sample may be neither
      desirable nor easily accomplished. 

PMID- 26480163
TI  - Kilowatt-level near-diffraction-limited and linear-polarized Ytterbium-Raman
      hybrid nonlinear amplifier based on polarization selection loss mechanism.
AB  - Ytterbium-Raman cascaded oscillators with linearly polarized output are designed
      and achieved based on polarization selection loss (PSL) mechanism for the first
      time. The 1120 nm laser cavity is designed with fully non polarization-maintained
      (NPM) fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) and NPM active fiber while the 1080 nm laser
      cavity is designed based on polarization-maintained (PM) FBGs and PM active
      fiber. By using PSL mechanism in 1080 nm cavity, even with fully NPM 1120 nm
      cavity, both linear-polarized 1120 nm and 1080 nm lasers are achieved in the
      output port of the cascaded oscillators. Based on the new designed cascaded
      seeds, a high power polarization-maintained Yb-Raman hybrid nonlinear amplifier
      is established for further power scaling of the 1120 nm laser. In the nonlinear
      amplifier, only 21-meter-long active fiber and 1.5-meter-long passive fiber is
      used for power transferring from 1080 nm to 1120 nm. Output power of 1181 W is
      achieved at central wavelength of 1120 nm with the M(2) factor of <1.2 and
      polarization-extinction ratio (PER) of 18.2 dB. As far as we known, the output
      power of this all fiber format is the highest one in 1120 nm with linear
      polarization. This type of high power Yb-Raman nonlinear amplifier design with
      linear polarization can be further extended to Yb-Raman amplifying the wavelength
      range of 1100-1200 nm.

PMID- 26480164
TI  - De-noising and retrieving algorithm of Mie lidar data based on the particle
      filter and the Fernald method.
AB  - The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of an atmospheric lidar decreases rapidly as
      range increases, so that maintaining high accuracy when retrieving lidar data at
      the far end is difficult. To avoid this problem, many de-noising algorithms have
      been developed; in particular, an effective de-noising algorithm has been
      proposed to simultaneously retrieve lidar data and obtain a de-noised signal by
      combining the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and the Fernald method. This
      algorithm enhances the retrieval accuracy and effective measure range of a lidar
      based on the Fernald method, but sometimes leads to a shift (bias) in the near
      range as a result of the over-smoothing caused by the EnKF. This study proposes a
      new scheme that avoids this phenomenon using a particle filter (PF) instead of
      the EnKF in the de-noising algorithm. Synthetic experiments show that the PF
      performs better than the EnKF and Fernald methods. The root mean square error of
      PF are 52.55% and 38.14% of that of the Fernald and EnKF methods, and PF
      increases the SNR by 44.36% and 11.57% of that of the Fernald and EnKF methods,
      respectively. For experiments with real signals, the relative bias of the EnKF is
      5.72%, which is reduced to 2.15% by the PF in the near range. Furthermore, the
      suppression impact on the random noise in the far range is also made significant
      via the PF. An extensive application of the PF method can be useful in
      determining the local and global properties of aerosols. 

PMID- 26480165
TI  - Spectral estimation optical coherence tomography for axial super-resolution.
AB  - The depth reflectivity profile of Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD
      OCT) is estimated from the inverse Fourier transform of the spectral interference
      signals (interferograms). As a result, the axial resolution is fundamentally
      limited by the coherence length of the light source. We demonstrate that using
      the autoregressive spectral estimation technique instead of the inverse Fourier
      transform, to analyze the spectral interferograms can improve the axial
      resolution. We name this method spectral estimation OCT (SE-OCT). SE-OCT breaks
      the coherence length limitation and improves the axial resolution by a factor of
      up to 4.7 compared with FD-OCT. Furthermore, SE-OCT provides complete sidelobe
      suppression in the depth point-spread function, further improving the image
      quality. We demonstrate that these technical advances enables clear
      identification of corneal endothelium anatomical details ex vivo that cannot be
      identified using the corresponding FD-OCT. Given that SE-OCT can be implemented
      in the FD-OCT devices without any hardware changes, the new capabilities provided
      by SE-OCT are likely to offer immediate improvements to the diagnosis and
      management of diseases based on OCT imaging. 

PMID- 26480166
TI  - Oxide mediated spectral shifting in aluminum resonant optical antennas.
AB  - As a key feature among metals showing good plasmonic behavior, aluminum extends
      the spectrum of achievable plasmon resonances of optical antennas into the deep
      ultraviolet. Due to degradation, a native oxide layer gives rise to a metal
      core/oxide-shell nanoparticle and influences the spectral resonance peak
      position. In this work, we examine the role of the underlying processes by
      applying numerical nanoantenna models that are experimentally not feasible.
      Finite-difference time-domain simulations are carried out for a large variety of
      elongated single-arm and two-arm gap nanoantennas. In a detailed analysis, which
      takes into account the varying surface-to-volume ratio, we show that the overall
      spectral shift toward longer wavelengths is mainly driven by the higher index
      surrounding material rather than by the decrease of the initial aluminum volume.
      In addition, we demonstrate experimentally that this shifting can be minimized by
      an all-inert fabrication and subsequent proof-of-concept encapsulation. 

PMID- 26480167
TI  - Enhanced second-harmonic generation from magnetic resonance in AlGaAs
      nanoantennas.
AB  - We designed AlGaAs-on-aluminium-oxide all-dielectric nanoantennas with magnetic
      dipole resonance at near-infrared wavelengths. These devices, shaped as cylinders
      of 400nm height and different radii, offer a few crucial advantages with respect
      to the silicon-on-insulator platform for operation around 1.55MUm wavelength:
      absence of two-photon absorption, high chi((2)) nonlinearity, and the perspective
      of a monolithic integration with a laser. We analyzed volume chi((2)) nonlinear
      effects associated to a magnetic dipole resonance in these nanoantennas, and we
      predict second-harmonic generation exceeding 10(-3) efficiency with 1GW/cm(2) of
      pump intensity.

PMID- 26480168
TI  - Optical bidirectional beacon based visible light communications.
AB  - In an indoor bidirectional visible light communications (VLC), a line-of-sight
      (LOS) transmission plays a major role in obtaining adequate performance of a VLC
      system. Signals are often obstructed in the LOS transmission path, causing an
      effect called optical shadowing. In the absence of LOS, the performance of the
      VLC system degrades significantly and, in particular, at uplink transmission this
      degradation becomes severe due to design constraints and limited power at uplink
      devices. In this paper, a novel concept and design of an optical bidirectional
      beacon (OBB) is presented as an efficient model to counter the performance
      degradation in a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) VLC system. OBB is an independent
      operating bidirectional transceiver unit installed on walls, composed of red,
      green, and blue (RGB) light emitting diodes (LEDs), photodetectors (PDs) and
      color filters. OBB improves the coverage area in the form of providing additional
      or alternate paths for transmission and enhances the performance of the VLC
      system in terms of bit error rate (BER). To verify the effectiveness of the
      proposed system, simulations were carried out under optical shadowing conditions
      at various locations in an indoor environment. The simulation results and
      analysis show that the implementation of OBB improves the performance of the VLC
      system significantly, especially when the LOS bidirectional transmission paths
      are completely or partially obstructed. 

PMID- 26480169
TI  - Evidence of near-infrared partial photonic bandgap in polymeric rod-connected
      diamond structures.
AB  - We present the simulation, fabrication, and optical characterization of low-index
      polymeric rod-connected diamond (RCD) structures. Such complex three-dimensional
      photonic crystal structures are created via direct laser writing by two-photon
      polymerization. To our knowledge, this is the first measurement at near-infrared
      wavelengths, showing partial photonic bandgaps for this structure. We
      characterize structures in transmission and reflection using angular resolved
      Fourier image spectroscopy to visualize the band structure. Comparison of the
      numerical simulations of such structures with the experimentally measured data
      show good agreement for both P- and S-polarizations. 

PMID- 26480170
TI  - Talbot interferometry with curved quasi-periodic gratings: towards large field of
      view X-ray phase-contrast imaging.
AB  - X-ray phase-contrast imaging based on grating interferometry has become a common
      method due to its superior contrast in biological soft tissue imaging. The high
      sensitivity relies on the high-aspect ratio structures of the planar gratings,
      which prohibit the large field of view applications with a diverging X-ray
      source. Curved gratings allow a high X-ray flux for a wider angular range, but
      the interference fringes are only visible within ~10 degrees  range due to the
      geometrical mismatch with the commonly used flat array detectors. In this paper,
      we propose a design using a curved quasi-periodic grating for large field of view
      imaging with a flat detector array. Our scheme is numerically verified in the X
      ray regime and experimentally verified in the visible optical regime. The
      interference fringe pattern is observed over 25 degrees , with less than 10% of
      decrease in visibility in our experiments. 

PMID- 26480171
TI  - Generalized Poincare sphere.
AB  - We present a generalized Poincare sphere (G sphere) and generalized Stokes
      parameters (G parameters), as a geometric representation, which unifies the
      descriptors of a variety of vector fields. Unlike the standard Poincare sphere,
      the radial dimension in the G sphere is not used to describe the partially
      polarized field. The G sphere is constructed by extending the basic Jones vector
      bases to the general vector bases with the continuously changeable ellipticity
      (spin angular momentum, SAM) and the higher dimensional orbital angular momentum
      (OAM). The north and south poles of different spherical shells in the G sphere
      represent the pair of different orthogonal vector basis with different
      ellipticity (SAM) and the opposite OAM. The higher-order Poincare spheres are
      just the two special spherical shells of the G sphere. We present a quite
      flexible scheme, which can generate all the vector fields described in the G
      sphere. 

PMID- 26480172
TI  - Midinfrared frequency comb from self-stable degenerate GaAs optical parametric
      oscillator.
AB  - We pump a degenerate frequency-divide-by-two optical parametric oscillator (OPO)
      based on orientation-patterned GaAs with a stable Tm frequency comb at 2
      micrometer wavelength and measure the OPO comb offset frequency and linewidth. We
      show frequency division by two with sub-Hz relative linewidth of the comb teeth.
      The OPO thermally self-stabilizes and oscillates for nearly an hour without any
      active control. 

PMID- 26480173
TI  - Optimal pulse penetration in Lorentz-Model dielectrics using the Sommerfeld and
      Brillouin precursors.
AB  - Under proper initial conditions, the interrelated effects of phase and
      attenuation dispersion in ultrawideband pulse propagation modify the input pulse
      into precursor fields. Because of their minimal decay in a given dispersive
      medium, precursor-type pulses possess optimal penetration into that material at
      the frequency-chirped Lambert-Beer's law limit, making them ideally suited for
      remote sensing and medical imaging. 

PMID- 26480174
TI  - Femtosecond laser direct writing of large-area two-dimensional metallic photonic
      crystal structures on tungsten surfaces.
AB  - Metallic photonic crystals (MPCs) and metamaterials operating in the visible
      spectrum are required for high-temperature nanophotonics, but they are often
      difficult to construct. This study demonstrates a new approach to directly write
      two-dimensional (2D) MPCs on tungsten surfaces through the cylindrical focusing
      of two collinear femtosecond laser beams with certain temporal delays and
      orthogonal linear polarizations. Results are physically attributed to the laser
      induced transient crossed temperature grating patterns and tempo-spatial thermal
      correlations. Optical properties of the fabricated MPCs are characterized. Such a
      simple and efficient technique can be used to fabricate large-area, 2D
      microstructures on metal surfaces for potential applications. 

PMID- 26480175
TI  - Power limits and a figure of merit for stimulated Brillouin scattering in the
      presence of third and fifth order loss.
AB  - We derive a set of design guidelines and a figure of merit to aid the engineering
      process of on-chip waveguides for strong Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS).
      To this end, we examine the impact of several types of loss on the total
      amplification of the Stokes wave that can be achieved via SBS. We account for
      linear loss and nonlinear loss of third order (two-photon absorption, 2PA) and
      fifth order, most notably 2PA-induced free carrier absorption (FCA). From this,
      we derive an upper bound for the output power of continuous-wave Brillouin-lasers
      and show that the optimal operating conditions and maximal realisable Stokes
      amplification of any given waveguide structure are determined by a dimensionless
      parameter F involving the SBS-gain and all loss parameters. We provide simple
      expressions for optimal pump power, waveguide length and realisable amplification
      and demonstrate their utility in two example systems. Notably, we find that 2PA
      induced FCA is a serious limitation to SBS in silicon and germanium for
      wavelengths shorter than 2200nm and 3600nm, respectively. In contrast, three
      photon absorption is of no practical significance. 

PMID- 26480176
TI  - Laser ablation- and plasma etching-based patterning of graphene on silicon-on
      insulator waveguides.
AB  - We present a new approach to remove monolayer graphene transferred on top of a
      silicon-on-insulator (SOI) photonic integrated chip. Femtosecond laser ablation
      is used for the first time to remove graphene from SOI waveguides, whereas oxygen
      plasma etching through a metal mask is employed to peel off graphene from the
      grating couplers attached to the waveguides. We show by means of Raman
      spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy that the removal of graphene is
      successful with minimal damage to the underlying SOI waveguides. Finally, we
      employ both removal techniques to measure the contribution of graphene to the
      loss of grating-coupled graphene-covered SOI waveguides using the cut-back
      method. 

PMID- 26480177
TI  - Investigations on ring-shaped pumping distributions for the generation of beams
      with radial polarization in an Yb:YAG thin-disk laser.
AB  - We present experimental investigations on the generation of radially polarized
      laser beams excited by a ring-shaped pump intensity distribution in combination
      with polarizing grating waveguide mirrors in an Yb:YAG thin-disk laser resonator.
      Hollow optical fiber components were implemented in the pump beam path to
      transform the commonly used flattop pumping distribution into a ring-shaped
      distribution. The investigation was focused on finding the optimum mode overlap
      between the ring-shaped pump spot and the excited first order Laguerre-Gaussian
      (LG(01)) doughnut mode. The power, efficiency and polarization state of the
      emitted laser beam as well as the thermal behavior of the disk was compared to
      that obtained with a standard flattop pumping distribution. A maximum output
      power of 107 W with a high optical efficiency of 41.2% was achieved by
      implementing a 300 mm long specially manufactured hollow fiber into the pump beam
      path. Additionally it was found that at a pump power of 280 W the maximum
      temperature increase is about 21% below the one observed with standard
      homogeneous pumping.

PMID- 26480178
TI  - Electro- and photosensitive azopolymer for alignment of liquid crystals.
AB  - We report an electro- and photosensitive metal containing polymer material for
      alignment of liquid crystals (LCs). Irradiation with polarized light and/or
      application of dc-field result in an anisotropy of the polymer and formation of
      an easy orientation axes of a LC on the polymer surface. The light-induced
      anisotropy of the polymer and the LC anchoring on the polymer surface can be
      controlled by the low dc-field at room temperature. 

PMID- 26480179
TI  - Modeling third harmonic generation from layered materials using nonlinear optical
      matrices: erratum.
AB  - We present corrected versions of Equations (11), (13), and (14) where typos were
      made. 

PMID- 26480180
TI  - Quantitative phase retrieval with arbitrary pupil and illumination.
AB  - We present a general algorithm for combining measurements taken under various
      illumination and imaging conditions to quantitatively extract the amplitude and
      phase of an object wave. The algorithm uses the weak object transfer function,
      which incorporates arbitrary pupil functions and partially coherent illumination.
      The approach is extended beyond the weak object regime using an iterative
      algorithm. We demonstrate the method on measurements of Extreme Ultraviolet
      Lithography (EUV) multilayer mask defects taken in an EUV zone plate microscope
      with both a standard zone plate lens and a zone plate implementing Zernike phase
      contrast. 

PMID- 26480181
TI  - Ultrafast laser inscription of volume phase gratings with low refractive index
      modulation and self-images of high visibility.
AB  - Ultrafast laser inscription of volume phase gratings with low index contrast and
      self-images with visibility of 0.96 is demonstrated. It is also demonstrated that
      phase differences of pi/2 for visible light are achievable with only one layer of
      structures induced in bulk borosilicate glass by direct laser writing. The
      fabrication method avoids the stitching of several layers of structures and
      significantly reduces the time of process. The increment of visibility with the
      induced phase difference is proved and results are compared with the expected for
      planar phase gratings. 

PMID- 26480182
TI  - Terahertz balanced self-heterodyne spectrometer with SNR-limited phase
      measurement sensitivity.
AB  - Photonics-based frequency-domain terahertz (THz) wave measurement systems have
      received significant attention in both scientific and industrial fields due to
      their high-frequency resolution. Highly sensitive phase-measurement systems have
      been desired in the chemical, material, and biomedical sciences to facilitate
      microanalysis of materials. Here, we demonstrate a balanced self-heterodyne
      technique that, for the first time, simultaneously offers wide frequency
      tunability of more than 2.5 THz and high phase sensitivity, which is limited only
      by the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the amplitude measurement. Using free
      running lasers for THz wave generation and detection, the experimentally achieved
      minimum detectable optical path length change was 400+/-50 nm at 2 THz for a SNR
      of 37.7 +/- 0.7 dB, even though the theoretically expected SNR-limited value was
      310 +/- 20 nm. The phase measurement sensitivity of our system is almost one
      order of magnitude better than that of the conventional systems in which
      limitations arise from phase instabilities in the optical components and/or laser
      linewidth. 

PMID- 26480183
TI  - Scalable micromesh-digital spatial light modulators.
AB  - Digital spatial light modulators (SLMs) with small pitch comparable to the
      wavelength of illuminating light and large physical dimension comparable to
      consumer displays are highly demanding for realizing realistic digital holography
      but are impractical due to various technical issues. Previously we proposed the
      way to overcome these hurdles by scalable SLM-micromesh (MUM) heterostructures
      utilizing large scale consumer displays and passive binary amplitude MUMs (AMs).
      However, a few drawbacks with these heterostructures are identified such as their
      low power efficiency due to the blocking of light beam diffracted from the SLM by
      the opaque part of the AM and the brightest zeroth order diffraction beam causing
      the lower power efficiency at higher diffraction orders. Thus in this paper, we
      employed scalable binary phase micromeshes (PMs) instead of AMs in the scalable
      heterostructures. This is able to minimize the power loss and to diminish the
      zeroth order diffraction beam simultaneously without requiring any time consuming
      steps. As a result, this allows full utilization of large scale consumer displays
      for scalable digital holography by employing scalable SLM-MUM heterostructures
      with negligible power loss. 

PMID- 26480184
TI  - Real-mode depth-fused display with viewer tracking.
AB  - A real-mode depth-fused display is proposed by employing an integral imaging
      method in the depth-fused display system with viewer tracking. By giving depth
      fusing effect between a transparent display and a floated planar two-dimensional
      image generated by the real-mode integral imaging method, a three-dimensional
      image is generated in front of the display plane unlike conventional depth-fused
      displays. The viewing angle of the system is expanded with a viewer tracking
      method. In addition, dynamic vertical and horizontal motion parallax can be given
      according to the tracked position of the viewer. As the depth-fusing effect is
      not dependent on the viewing distance, accommodation cue and motion parallax are
      provided for a wide range of viewing position. We demonstrate the feasibility of
      our proposed method by experimental system. 

PMID- 26480185
TI  - Q-switched fiber laser based on transition metal dichalcogenides MoS(2), MoSe(2),
      WS(2), and WSe(2).
AB  - In this paper, we report 4 different saturable absorbers based on 4 transition
      metal dichalcogenides (MoS(2), MoSe(2), WS(2), WSe(2)) and utilize them to Q
      switch a ring-cavity fiber laser with identical cavity configuration. It is found
      that MoSe(2) exhibits highest modulation depth with similar preparation process
      among four saturable absorbers. Q-switching operation performance is compared
      from the aspects of RF spectrum, optical spectrum, repetition rate and pulse
      duration. WS(2) Q-switched fiber laser generates the most stable pulse trains
      compared to other 3 fiber lasers. These results demonstrate the feasibility of
      TMDs to Q-switch fiber laser effectively and provide a meaningful reference for
      further research in nonlinear fiber optics with these TMDs materials.

PMID- 26480186
TI  - Impact of Kerr nonlinearity on the whispering gallery modes of a microsphere.
AB  - To describe the temporal evolution of the mode amplitude of a spherical
      microcavity, a nonlinear equation is developed by considering loss and Kerr
      nonlinear effect as perturbations. In order to study the impact of Kerr
      nonlinearity, the tensor components of chi((3)) in spherical coordinates are
      calculated. To describe the impact of Kerr nonlinearity, effective mode volume
      and effective nonlinear coefficient are defined. We found that the resonant modes
      undergo a negative frequency shift proportional to the injected energy,
      consistant with the reported experimental observations.

PMID- 26480187
TI  - Efficient speckle-suppressed white light source by micro-vibrated and color
      mixing techniques for lighting applications.
AB  - In this paper, we have demonstrated an efficient speckle-suppressed white light
      source generation when a blue laser diode illuminates on a micro-vibrated
      phosphor paper. Both micro-vibrated and color-mixing techniques are used in this
      system. With only micro-vibrated technique, the speckle contrast can be reduced
      from about 50% to 7.4% for the scattering blue image for a 16-ms integration
      time. Together with color-mixing technique, mixing speckle contrast is defined
      for laser diode pumped phosphor and almost speckle-free result is achieved. For
      color temperature lower than 5000 K, almost speckle-free mixed white can be
      obtained even without vibration technique. 

PMID- 26480188
TI  - Blind modulation format identification for digital coherent receivers.
AB  - In this paper, a simple novel digital modulation format identification (MFI)
      scheme for coherent optical systems is proposed. The scheme is based on the
      evaluation of the peak-to-average-power ratio (PAPR) of the incoming data samples
      after analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), chromatic dispersion (CD) and
      polarization mode demultiplexing (PMD) compensation at the receiver (Rx). Since
      at a particular optical-signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) value different modulation
      formats have distinct PAPR values, it is possible to identify them. The proposed
      scheme and the results are analyzed both experimentally and through numerical
      simulations. The results demonstrate successful identification among four
      modulation formats (MF) commonly used in digital coherent systems. 

PMID- 26480189
TI  - An ultra-compact multiplexed holographic microscope using a multiple-pinhole
      aperture.
AB  - In this paper, we present a low-cost and ultra-compact holographic microscope
      with multiple imaging areas. Instead of a dual-pinhole aperture as presented in
      our previous work, a multi-pinhole aperture is employed to filter the light
      source and to generate a reference wave as well as multiple object waves. The
      reference wave and the object waves interfere at the digital sensor and form
      multiplexed off-axis holograms without any lenses, splitters or combiners. The
      optimal number of object waves is determined which does not only fit our system
      but also brings some inspiration for traditional multiplexed off-axis holography.
      Our new system is tested to be able to retrieve quantitative phase images along
      with the amplitude images of multiple imaging areas at the same time with a
      lateral resolution of ~ 2.2um and an accuracy of the optical path of tens of
      nanometers. 

PMID- 26480190
TI  - Comparative analysis of opto-electronic performance of aluminium and silver nano
      porous and nano-wired layers.
AB  - The comparison of optical and electronic properties between squarely and
      hexagonally arranged nano-porous layers and uniformly arranged nano-wired layers
      of aluminium and silver was presented. The nano-wired configuration exhibit 20
      and 10% higher average transmittance in visible wavelength range in comparison to
      square and hexagonal nano-porous designs, respectively. The insignificant
      difference of the transmittance for aluminium and silver nano-porous and nano
      wired layers is observed, when interpore/interwire distance is larger than
      wavelengths of incoming light. This difference becomes considerable at the
      interpore/interwire distance less than wavelengths of incoming light: silver nano
      porous and nano-wired layers possess up to 27% higher transmittance in comparison
      to aluminium layers. 

PMID- 26480191
TI  - Excitable laser processing network node in hybrid silicon: analysis and
      simulation.
AB  - The combination of ultrafast laser dynamics and dense on-chip multiwavelength
      networking could potentially address new domains of real-time signal processing
      that require both speed and complexity. We present a physically realistic
      optoelectronic simulation model of a circuit for dynamical laser neural networks
      and verify its behavior. We describe the physics, dynamics, and parasitics of one
      network node, which includes a bank of filters, a photodetector, and excitable
      laser. This unconventional circuit exhibits both cascadability and fan-in,
      critical properties for the large-scale networking of information processors
      based on laser excitability. In addition, it can be instantiated on a photonic
      integrated circuit platform and requires no off-chip optical I/O. Our proposed
      processing system could find use in emerging applications, including cognitive
      radio and low-latency control. 

PMID- 26480192
TI  - Mid-infrared optical frequency combs based on difference frequency generation for
      molecular spectroscopy.
AB  - Mid-infrared femtosecond optical frequency combs were produced by difference
      frequency generation of the spectral components of a near-infrared comb in a 3-mm
      long MgO:PPLN crystal. We observe strong pump depletion and 9.3 dB parametric
      gain in the 1.5 MUm signal, which yields powers above 500 mW (3 MUW/mode) in the
      idler with spectra covering 2.8 MUm to 3.5 MUm. Potential for broadband, high
      resolution molecular spectroscopy is demonstrated by absorption spectra and
      interferograms obtained by heterodyning two combs. 

PMID- 26480193
TI  - Double-field-of-view, quasi-common-path interferometer using Fourier domain
      multiplexing.
AB  - We present a quasi-common-path interferometer with a double field of view (FOV).
      The laser beam of an imaging system is separated into three parts using three
      mirrors; the first and second beams are used to image two different areas of a
      sample, while the third beam functions as a reference beam. The reference beam is
      prepared by making clear area in a sample and projecting it on an image sensor. A
      double FOV is obtained by Fourier domain multiplexing, whereby two
      interferometric images corresponding to two different areas of a sample are
      modulated with two different spatial carrier frequencies. The feasibility of this
      technique is experimentally demonstrated by imaging two different areas of a test
      target with a single image sensor. 

PMID- 26480194
TI  - 2 MUm wavelength range InP-based type-II quantum well photodiodes heterogeneously
      integrated on silicon photonic integrated circuits.
AB  - The heterogeneous integration of InP-based type-II quantum well photodiodes on
      silicon photonic integrated circuits for the 2 um wavelength range is presented.
      A responsivity of 1.2 A/W at a wavelength of 2.32 um and 0.6 A/W at 2.4 um
      wavelength is demonstrated. The photodiodes have a dark current of 12 nA at -0.5
      V at room temperature. The absorbing active region of the integrated photodiodes
      consists of six periods of a "W"-shaped quantum well, also allowing for laser
      integration on the same platform.

PMID- 26480195
TI  - Iterative signal separation based multiple phase estimation in digital
      holographic interferometry.
AB  - We propose a new method for signal separation from a multicomponent interference
      field recorded in a digital holographic interferometry setup. The setup
      consisting of multiple object illuminating beams results in an interference field
      containing multiple signal components. The proposed method utilizes an amplitude
      discrimination criteria established by setting different intensities to the
      object illuminating beams in order to separate the signal components iteratively.
      The signal separation is performed in a small block of the interference field at
      a time. The augmentation of the block matrix with its own rows and columns is
      performed which has an effect of noise subspace inflation. This operation offers
      an improved noise robustness to the signal separation capability of the proposed
      method. The simulation and experimental results are provided to substantiate the
      applicability of the proposed method in multidimensional deformation measurement.

PMID- 26480196
TI  - Efficient matrix approach to optical wave propagation and Linear Canonical
      Transforms.
AB  - The Fresnel diffraction integral form of optical wave propagation and the more
      general Linear Canonical Transforms (LCT) are cast into a matrix transformation
      form. Taking advantage of recent efficient matrix multiply algorithms, this
      approach promises an efficient computational and analytical tool that is
      competitive with FFT based methods but offers better behavior in terms of
      aliasing, transparent boundary condition, and flexibility in number of sampling
      points and computational window sizes of the input and output planes being
      independent. This flexibility makes the method significantly faster than FFT
      based propagators when only a single point, as in Strehl metrics, or a limited
      number of points, as in power-in-the-bucket metrics, are needed in the output
      observation plane. 

PMID- 26480197
TI  - Ultra-wide-range measurements of thin-film filter optical density over the
      visible and near-infrared spectrum.
AB  - We present the improved structure and operating principle of a spectrophotometric
      mean that allows us for the recording of the transmittance of a thin-film filter
      over an ultra-wide range of optical densities (from 0 to 11) between 400 and 1000
      nm. The operation of this apparatus is based on the combined use of a high power
      supercontinuum laser source, a tunable volume hologram filter, a standard
      monochromator and a scientific grade CCD camera. The experimentally recorded
      noise floor is in good accordance with the optical density values given by the
      theoretical approach. A demonstration of the sensitivity gain provided by this
      new set-up with respect to standard spectrophotometric means is performed via the
      characterization of various types of filters (band-pass, long-pass, short-pass,
      and notch). 

PMID- 26480198
TI  - Attometer resolution spectral analysis based on polarization pulling assisted
      Brillouin scattering merged with heterodyne detection.
AB  - Spectral analysis is essential for measuring and monitoring advanced optical
      communication systems and the characterization of active and passive devices like
      amplifiers, filters and especially frequency combs. Conventional devices have a
      limited resolution or tuning range. Therefore, the true spectral shape of the
      signal remains hidden. In this work, a small part of the signal under test is
      preselected with help of the polarization pulling effect of stimulated Brillouin
      scattering where all unwanted spectral components are suppressed. Subsequently,
      this part is analyzed more deeply through heterodyne detection. Thereby, the
      local oscillator is generated from a narrow linewidth fiber laser which acts also
      as pump wave for Brillouin scattering. By scanning the pump wave together with
      the local oscillator through the signal spectrum, the whole signal is measured.
      The method is tunable over a broad wavelength range, is not affected by unwanted
      mixing products and utilizes a conventional narrow bandwidth photo diode. First
      proof of concept experiments show the measurement of the power spectral density
      function with a resolution in the attometer or lower kilohertz range at 1550 nm. 

PMID- 26480199
TI  - Moderators of the effects of indicated group and bibliotherapy cognitive
      behavioral depression prevention programs on adolescents' depressive symptoms and
      depressive disorder onset.
AB  - We investigated factors hypothesized to moderate the effects of cognitive
      behavioral group-based (CB group) and bibliotherapy depression prevention
      programs. Using data from two trials (N = 631) wherein adolescents (M age = 15.5,
      62% female, 61% Caucasian) with depressive symptoms were randomized into CB
      group, CB bibliotherapy, or an educational brochure control condition, we
      evaluated the moderating effects of individual, demographic, and environmental
      factors on depressive symptom reductions and major depressive disorder (MDD)
      onset over 2-year follow-up. CB group and bibliotherapy participants had lower
      depressive symptoms than controls at posttest but these effects did not persist.
      No MDD prevention effects were present in the merged data. Relative to controls,
      elevated depressive symptoms and motivation to reduce depression amplified
      posttest depressive symptom reduction for CB group, and elevated baseline
      symptoms amplified posttest symptom reduction effects of CB bibliotherapy.
      Conversely, elevated substance use mitigated the effectiveness of CB group
      relative to controls on MDD onset over follow-up. Findings suggest that both CB
      prevention programs are more beneficial for youth with at least moderate
      depressive symptoms, and that CB group is more effective for youth motivated to
      reduce their symptoms. Results also imply that substance use reduces the
      effectiveness of CB group-based depression prevention.

PMID- 26480200
TI  - Electrolytically generated acid functional water inhibits NF-kappaB activity by
      attenuating nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling of p65 and p50 subunits.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human beta-defensin 2 (hBD2) gene expression is dependent on nuclear
      factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) activity. We have previously demonstrated that
      electrolytically generated acid functional water (FW) induces the expression of
      hBD2 in the human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell line Ca9-22. However,
      the induction was not dependent on NF-kappaB activity; in fact, FW inhibited NF
      kappaB activity. Therefore, we hypothesized that FW might reduce spontaneous
      interleukin 8 (IL-8) secretion by Ca9-22 cells, which is heavily dependent on NF
      kappaB activity. This study aimed at demonstrating the inhibitory effect of FW on
      NF-kappaB activity. METHODS: Ca9-22 cells were incubated with FW, and spontaneous
      IL-8 secretion was observed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Luciferase
      assay was performed using the 5'-untranslated region of the IL-8 gene. The steps
      of NF-kappaB activation blocked by FW were evaluated by localization of the NF
      kappaB subunits p65 and p50 by immunofluorescence staining. Western blotting was
      further performed to confirm the changes in NF-kappaB subunit localization.
      RESULTS: The Ca9-22 cells spontaneously secreted IL-8, which was rapidly and
      drastically inhibited by FW treatment. The luciferase assay demonstrated the
      inhibitory action of FW, which was diminished by deletion of the NF-kappaB
      binding site from this construct. FW treatment altered the distribution of both
      the p65 and p50 subunits. P65, which was localized in the nucleus during the
      resting state, moved to the cytoplasm after FW treatment, whereas, p50, localized
      in the cytoplasm during the resting state, moved to the nucleus subsequent to FW
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study indicate that FW might
      inhibit spontaneous IL-8 secretion by redistribution of the NF-kappaB subunits
      within the cells.

PMID- 26480201
TI  - Glial-endothelial crosstalk regulates blood-brain barrier function.
AB  - The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is comprised of unique endothelial cells (ECs) that
      regulate the delicate central nervous system (CNS) microenvironment. During
      development, vasculature sprouts from the perivascular neural plexus and
      penetrates the CNS parenchyma. Recent studies indicate that these nascent vessels
      rely on radial glia (RG)-secreted factors for guidance and barrier induction.
      This early association also sustains astrocyte development, allowing for a tight
      interaction between these mature glia and ECs. The astrocyte-EC interface is
      crucial to BBB function and is substantially modified during pathology.
      Understanding the relationship between astrocytes and ECs lays the groundwork for
      advancing protective therapies that target neuroinflammatory disorders. 

PMID- 26480202
TI  - Perturbation of the transcriptome: implications of the innate immune system in
      Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with broad impact.
      Although Abeta and tau have been proposed as the key molecules in the disease
      mechanism, comprehensive understanding of AD pathogenesis requires a systemic
      view at the genomic level. From studies on the brain transcriptome of AD, we have
      gradually realized the contribution of the immune system to AD development.
      Recent explorations on the blood transcriptome of AD patients have revealed
      robust immune activation in the peripheral blood. The combination of
      transcriptome studies and other types of studies has further elucidated the roles
      of specific immune pathways in distinct cell types during AD development and
      highlighted the critical contributions from immune genes such as TREM2. 

PMID- 26480203
TI  - Topochemical Oxidation of Perovskite KCoF3 to a K2PtCl6 Structure-Type
      Oxyfluoride.
AB  - Oxyfluoride, K2CoOF4 with K2PtCl6 structure, has been stabilized from a
      perovskite-based KCoF3 complex by a simple oxidative anion insertion topochemical
      reaction. Similar structural transformations have been observed for Ni- and Mn
      containing systems. The generation of such unusual compounds, by soft chemical
      methods, strengthens the efforts toward materials discovery. 

PMID- 26480204
TI  - Hoofbeats From the Currituck Outer Banks: A Study of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund
      Adoption Program.
AB  - Research on the adoption and relinquishment of horses, both domestic and wild,
      remains limited. As a result, little is known about adopters, their adopted
      horses, and their adoption experience. This study surveyed and interviewed 17
      adopters of Colonial Spanish mustangs through the Corolla Wild Horse Fund (CWHF).
      Together, they adopted 22 horses of varying ages and genders from 2002 to 2012.
      The participants, who had a range of previous experience with and knowledge of
      horses, were generally very satisfied with their horses and their adoption
      experience. Being able to adopt a gentled/trained mustang and receiving support
      from the CWHF during the adoption process played key roles in adoption success.
      Additionally, participants' strong desire to preserve a perceived endangered
      species or national treasure appeared to be a major reason for adopting a
      Colonial Spanish mustang and served as motivation for making the adoption
      successful. The results of the study provide insights into ways to improve the
      number and success of adoptions through other equine programs, especially the
      Bureau of Land Management's wild horse and burro program. 

PMID- 26480205
TI  - Telephone-administered psychotherapy in combination with antidepressant
      medication for the acute treatment of major depressive disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Telephone-administered psychotherapies (T-P) provided as an adjunct
      to antidepressant medication may improve response rates in major depressive
      disorder (MDD). The goal of this study was to compare telephone-administered
      social rhythm therapy (T-SRT) and telephone-administered intensive clinical
      management (T-ICM) as adjuncts to antidepressant medication for MDD. A secondary
      goal was to compare T-P with Treatment as Usual (TAU) as adjunctive treatment to
      medication for MDD. METHODS: 221 adult out-patients with MDD, currently
      depressed, were randomly assigned to 8 sessions of weekly T-SRT (n=110) or T-ICM
      (n=111), administered as an adjunct to agomelatine. Both psychotherapies were
      administered entirely by telephone, by trained psychologists who were blind to
      other aspects of treatment. The 221 patients were a posteriori matched with 221
      depressed outpatients receiving TAU (controls). The primary outcome measure was
      the percentage of responders at 8 weeks post-treatment. RESULTS: No significant
      differences were found between T-SRT and T-ICM. But T-P was associated with
      higher response rates (65.4% vs 54.8%, p=0.02) and a trend toward higher
      remission rates (33.2% vs 25.1%; p=0.06) compared to TAU. LIMITATIONS: Short term
      study. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first assessing the short-term effects of
      an add-on, brief, telephone-administered psychotherapy in depressed patients
      treated with antidepressant medication. Eight sessions of weekly telephone
      delivered psychotherapy as an adjunct to antidepressant medication resulted in
      improved response rates relative to medication alone.

PMID- 26480206
TI  - Longitudinal relationship between Personal and Social Performance (PSP) and
      anxiety symptoms in schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to examine the longitudinal relationship between the
      personal and social functioning and anxiety symptoms in patients with
      schizophrenia. For this purpose, we confirmed the validity of the anxiety
      subscale of the Symptom-Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and then applied the
      latent growth modeling method for longitudinal causal relationships. METHODS:
      Five hundred and seventy-eight patients diagnosed with schizophrenia were
      evaluated and 369 patients were included in the study at baseline. After
      conducting Rasch model analyses for the validation of the anxiety subscale in the
      SCL-90-R, we applied latent growth model to determine the causal relationship
      between the PSP and the anxiety symptoms. RESULTS: The validity of the anxiety
      subscale of the SCL-90-R was confirmed based on the Rasch rating model, where the
      criteria for Infit, Outfit, item difficulty, and point-measure correlations were
      satisfied. The results from the latent growth model showed that the intercept and
      slope (rate of change) of the PSP negatively predicted the slope of anxiety
      symptoms along the longitudinal trajectory. Together with previous studies
      examining the predictive role of anxiety symptoms on quality of life, our
      longitudinal findings lend evidence for bidirectional effects between quality of
      life and anxiety symptoms. The transactional nature of the relationship between
      anxiety symptoms and quality of life warrant further investigation using a
      longitudinal cross-lagged design. CONCLUSION: The anxiety subscale of the SCL-90
      R may be utilized by clinicians and researcher to make inferences about quality
      of life in addition to assessing anxiety symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.

PMID- 26480207
TI  - Relationship between cardiac vagal activity and mood congruent memory bias in
      major depression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that autonomic reactivity during encoding of
      emotional information could modulate the neural processes mediating mood
      congruent memory. In this study, we use a point-process model to determine
      dynamic autonomic tone in response to negative emotions and its influence on long
      term memory of major depressed subjects. METHODS: Forty-eight patients with major
      depression and 48 healthy controls were randomly assigned to either neutral or
      emotionally arousing audiovisual stimuli. An adaptive point-process algorithm was
      applied to compute instantaneous estimates of the spectral components of heart
      rate variability [Low frequency (LF), 0.04-0.15 Hz; High frequency (HF), 0.15-0.4
      Hz]. Three days later subjects were submitted to a recall test. RESULTS: A
      significant increase in HF power was observed in depressed subjects in response
      to the emotionally arousing stimulus (p=0.03). The results of a multivariate
      analysis revealed that the HF power during the emotional segment of the stimulus
      was independently associated with the score of the recall test in depressed
      subjects, after adjusting for age, gender and educational level (Coef. 0.003,
      95%CI, 0.0009-0.005, p=0.008). LIMITATIONS: These results could only be
      interpreted as responses to elicitation of specific negative emotions, the
      relationship between HF changes and encoding/recall of positive stimuli should be
      further examined. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations on parasympathetic response to emotion
      are involved in the mood-congruent cognitive bias observed in major depression.
      These findings are clinically relevant because it could constitute the mechanism
      by which depressed patients maintain maladaptive patterns of negative information
      processing that trigger and sustain depressed mood.

PMID- 26480208
TI  - The specificity of the familial aggregation of early-onset bipolar disorder: A
      controlled 10-year follow-up study of offspring of parents with mood disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Two major sources of heterogeneity of mood disorders that have been
      demonstrated in clinical, family and genetic studies are the mood disorder
      subtype (i.e. bipolar (BPD) and major depressive disorder (MDD)) and age of onset
      of mood episodes. Using a prospective high-risk study design, our aims were to
      test the specificity of the parent-child transmission of BPD and MDD and to
      establish the risk of psychopathology in offspring in function of the age of
      onset of the parental disorder. METHODS: Clinical information was collected on
      208 probands (n=81 with BPD, n=64 with MDD, n=63 medical controls) as well as
      their 202 spouses and 372 children aged 6-17 years at study entry. Parents and
      children were directly interviewed every 3 years (mean duration of follow-up=10.6
      years). Parental age of onset was dichotomized at age 21. RESULTS: Offspring of
      parents with early onset BPD entailed a higher risk of BPD HR=7.9(1.8-34.6) and
      substance use disorders HR=5.0(1.1-21.9) than those with later onset and
      controls. Depressive disorders were not significantly increased in offspring
      regardless of parental mood disorder subtype or age of onset. LIMITATIONS:
      Limited sample size, age of onset in probands was obtained retrospectively, age
      of onset in co-parents was not adequately documented, and a quarter of the
      children had no direct interview. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide support for
      the independence of familial aggregation of BPD from MDD and the heterogeneity of
      BPD based on patterns of onset. Future studies should further investigate
      correlates of early versus later onset BPD.

PMID- 26480209
TI  - Comparative neurocognitive effects of lithium and anticonvulsants in long-term
      stable bipolar patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of choosing a mood-stabilizing drug (lithium or
      anticonvulsants) or a combination of them with minimal neurocognitive effects is
      to stimulate the development of criteria for a therapeutic adequacy, particularly
      in Bipolar Disorder (BD) patients who are clinically stabilized. METHOD: Three
      groups of BD patients were established according to their treatment: (i) lithium
      monotherapy (n=29); (ii) lithium together with one or more anticonvulsants
      (n=28); and (iii) one or more anticonvulsants (n=16). A group of healthy controls
      served as the control (n=25). The following tests were applied: Wechsler Adult
      Intelligence Scale, Trail Making Test, Wechsler Memory Scale, Rey Complex Figure
      Test, Stroop color-word test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Tower of Hanoi,
      Frontal Assessment Battery, and Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test. RESULTS:
      Relative to healthy controls, BD patients showed the following: (i) those on
      lithium monotherapy, but not other BD groups, had preserved short-term auditory
      memory, long-term memory, and attention; (ii) those who took only anticonvulsants
      showed worse findings in short-term visual memory, working memory, and several
      executive functions; and (iii) all BD patients showed worse performance in
      processing speed, resistance to interference, and emotion recognition.
      LIMITATIONS: Medication alone cannot explain why all BD patients showed common
      cognitive deficits despite different pharmacological treatment. CONCLUSION: The
      impairment on some executive functions and emotion recognition is an inherent
      trait in BD patients, regardless of their pharmacological treatment. However,
      while memory, attention, and most of the executive functions are preserved in
      long-term stable BD patients, these cognitive functions are impaired in those who
      take anticonvulsants.

PMID- 26480210
TI  - The association between blood lead level and clinical mental disorders in fifty
      thousand lead-exposed male workers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While there has been research into the relationship between blood
      lead (BPb) level and mental disorders, there have been few investigations that
      use clinically diagnosed mental disorders in the adult population with a
      retrospective cohort study design. Hence, our study investigated the association
      between BPb level and risk of clinically diagnosed mental disorders. METHODS: The
      data of male workers exposed to lead (Pb; n=54,788) were collected from annual Pb
      associated medical check-ups from 2000 to 2004 in Korea. The workers' hospital
      admission histories due to mental disorders (International Classification of
      Diseases, 10th revision, F00-F99) were used to identify clinically diagnosed
      mental disorders. After merging the data, the hazard ratio (HR) with a 95%
      confidence interval (95% CI) was calculated by survival analysis using the Cox
      proportional hazards model according to the quartile level of BPb (1st
      quartile<4.10 MUg/dl, 2nd quartile<6.04 MUg/dl, 3rd quartile<10.00 MUg/dl, and
      4th quartile>=10 MUg/dl). RESULTS: In a total of 54,788 workers, there were 223
      admission cases of mental disorders (F00-F99) during the follow-up period. The HR
      (95% CI) of total mental and behavioral disorders (F00-F99) was 1.63 (1.12-2.39)
      in the 4th quartile group compared to the HR of the 1st quartile group after
      adjusting for age. The HR (95% CI) of the 4th quartile group was 2.59 (1.15-5.82)
      for mood (affective) disorders (F30-F39). LIMITATION: The hospital admission
      data, not outpatient data, were used for current study while almost affective
      disorder treated at outpatient clinic level. CONCLUSION: Our study highlighted
      that Pb exposure can cause clinical mental disorders that require hospital
      admission in adult male workers. Our relatively large sample size strengthens the
      evidence of the association between BPb level and risk of clinically diagnosed
      mental disorders.

PMID- 26480211
TI  - Associations between depression and specific childhood experiences of abuse and
      neglect: A meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research documents a strong relationship between childhood
      maltreatment and depression. However, only few studies have examined the specific
      effects of various types of childhood abuse/neglect on depression. This meta
      analysis estimated the associations between depression and different types of
      childhood maltreatment (antipathy, neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and
      psychological abuse) assessed with the same measure, the Childhood Experience of
      Care and Abuse (CECA) interview. METHOD: A systematic search in scientific
      databases included use of CECA interview and strict clinical assessment for major
      depression as criteria. Our meta-analysis utilized Cohen's d and relied on a
      random-effects model. RESULTS: The literature search yielded 12 primary studies
      (reduced from 44), with a total of 4372 participants and 34 coefficients.
      Separate meta-analyses for each type of maltreatment revealed that psychological
      abuse and neglect were most strongly associated with the outcome of depression.
      Sexual abuse, although significant, was less strongly related. Furthermore, the
      effects of specific types of childhood maltreatment differed across adult and
      adolescent samples. LIMITATIONS: Our strict criteria for selecting the primary
      studies resulted in a small numbers of available studies. It restricted the
      analyses for various potential moderators. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis
      addressed the differential effects of type of childhood maltreatment on major
      depression, partially explaining between-study variance. The findings clearly
      highlight the potential impact of the more "silent" types of childhood
      maltreatment (other than physical and sexual abuse) on the development of
      depression.

PMID- 26480212
TI  - Discriminant validity and gender differences in DSM-5 posttraumatic stress
      disorder symptoms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) literature is replete with
      investigations of factor structure, however, few empirical studies have examined
      discriminant validity and the moderating role of gender on factor structure and
      symptom expression. This study aimed to address these gaps. METHODS: An online,
      population-based study of 3175 Australian adults was conducted. This study
      analyzed data from 642 participants who reported a traumatic event. Overall,
      10.2% (13.4% females, 7.6% males) met diagnostic criteria for current PTSD.
      RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that eight factor models provided
      excellent fit to the data. The DSM-5 model, anhedonia and hybrid models provided
      strong fit to the data, based on statistical fit indices and parsimony. The
      models' factors were significantly associated with a number of external
      correlates. Factor structure was gender invariant for the three models, albeit
      significant latent mean-level differences were apparent in relation to the
      intrusion/re-experiencing and alterations in arousal and reactivity factors.
      Bonferroni-adjusted Wald chi-square tests indicated significant gender
      differences in four DSM-5 PTSD symptoms: females reported significantly higher
      rates of negative beliefs, diminished interest, restricted affect and sleep
      disturbance symptoms compared to men. LIMITATIONS: Response rate to the survey
      was low. However, the number of respondents who completed the survey was high and
      population weights were employed to account for self-selection biases and aid
      generalizability. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide support for the DSM-5,
      anhedonia and hybrid models compared to alternative models based on DSM-5
      symptoms. Discriminant validity analyses indicated similar patterns of
      significant associations with the transdiagnostic factors, potentially suggesting
      that all the PTSD factors are related to non-specific distress. Further research
      investigating how gender influences PTSD symptom expression is warranted,
      including possible gender differences in symptom item interpretation.

PMID- 26480213
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for assessment of
      depression in type II diabetes mellitus and/or coronary heart disease in primary
      care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression is common among type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2)/coronary
      heart disease (CHD) patients and is associated with adverse health effects. A
      promising strategy to reduce burden of disease is to identify patients at risk
      for depression in order to offer indicated prevention. This study aims to assess
      the diagnostic accuracy of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to be used
      as a tool to identify high risk patients. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study,
      586 consecutive DM2/CHD patients aged >18 were recruited through 23 general
      practices. PHQ-9 outcomes were compared to the Mini International
      Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), which was considered the reference standard.
      Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated for minor and major depression, comparing both
      sum- and algorithm based PHQ-9 scores. RESULTS: For minor depression, the optimal
      cut-off score was 8 (sensitivity 71%, specificity 71% and an AUC of 0.74). For
      major depression, the optimal cut-off score was 10 resulting in a sensitivity of
      84%, a specificity of 82%, and an AUC of 0.88. The positive predictive value of
      the PHQ-9 algorithm for diagnosing minor and major depression was 25% and 33%,
      respectively. LIMITATIONS: Two main limitations apply. MINI Interviewers were not
      blinded for PHQ-9 scores and less than 10% of all invited patients could be
      included in the analyses. This could have resulted in biased outcomes.
      CONCLUSIONS: The PHQ-9 sum score performs well in identifying patients at high
      risk of minor and major depression. However, the PHQ-9 showed suboptimal results
      for diagnostic purposes. Therefore, it is recommended to combine the use of the
      PHQ-9 with further diagnostics to identify depression.

PMID- 26480214
TI  - Panic disorder and agoraphobia: A direct comparison of their multivariate
      comorbidity patterns.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Scientific debate has long surrounded whether agoraphobia is a severe
      consequence of panic disorder or a frequently comorbid diagnosis. Multivariate
      comorbidity investigations typically treat these diagnoses as fungible in
      structural models, assuming both are manifestations of the fear-subfactor in the
      internalizing-externalizing model. No studies have directly compared these
      disorders' multivariate associations, which could clarify their conceptualization
      in classification and comorbidity research. METHODS: In a nationally
      representative sample (N=43,093), we examined the multivariate comorbidity of
      panic disorder (1) without agoraphobia, (2) with agoraphobia, and (3) regardless
      of agoraphobia; and (4) agoraphobia without panic. We conducted exploratory and
      confirmatory factor analyses of these and 10 other lifetime DSM-IV diagnoses in a
      nationally representative sample (N=43,093). RESULTS: Differing bivariate and
      multivariate relations were found. Panic disorder without agoraphobia was largely
      a distress disorder, related to emotional disorders. Agoraphobia without panic
      was largely a fear disorder, related to phobias. When considered jointly,
      concomitant agoraphobia and panic was a fear disorder, and when panic was
      assessed without regard to agoraphobia (some individuals had agoraphobia while
      others did not) it was a mixed distress and fear disorder. LIMITATIONS: Diagnoses
      were obtained from comprehensively trained lay interviewers, not clinicians and
      analyses used DSM-IV diagnoses (rather than DSM-5). CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      support the conceptualization of agoraphobia as a distinct diagnostic entity and
      the independent classification of both disorders in DSM-5, suggesting future
      multivariate comorbidity studies should not assume various panic/agoraphobia
      diagnoses are invariably fear disorders.

PMID- 26480215
TI  - The role of fathers' psychopathology in the intergenerational transmission of
      captivity trauma: A twenty three-year longitudinal study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aversive impact of combat and parents' combat-induced
      posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on young children has been examined in a few
      studies. However, the long-term toll of war captivity on the secondary
      traumatization (ST) of adult offspring remains unknown. This study aimed to
      assess the longitudinal associations between former prisoners of war (ex-POWs),
      PTSD, depressive symptoms and their adult offsprings ST. METHOD: A sample of 134
      Israeli father-child dyads (80 ex-POWs dyads and a comparison group of 44
      veterans'dyads) completed self-report measures. The fathers participated in three
      waves of measurements following the Yom Kippur War (T1: 1991, T2: 2003, and T3:
      2008), while the offspring took part in T4 (2013). RESULTS: Offspring of ex-POWs
      with PTSD at T3 reported more ST symptoms than offspring of ex-POWs without PTSD
      and controls. Ex-POWs' PTSD hyper-arousal symptom cluster at T3 was positively
      related to offsprings ST avoidance symptom cluster. Offspring of ex-POWs with
      chronic and delayed PTSD trajectories reported more ST symptoms than offspring of
      ex-POWS and controls with resilient trajectories. Ex-POWs' PTSD and depression
      symptoms at T1, T2 and T3 mediated the link between war captivity (groups) and
      offsprings ST in T4. LIMITATIONS: The use of self-report measures that did not
      cover the entire span of 40 years since the war, might may bias the results.
      CONCLUSIONS: The intergenerational transmission of captivity related trauma
      following the Yom Kippur War was exemplified. ST symptoms among ex-POWs' adult
      offspring are closely related to their father' PTSD and related depressive
      symptom comorbidity.

PMID- 26480216
TI  - Overexpression of GRbeta in colonic mucosal cell line partly reflects altered
      gene expression in colonic mucosa of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
AB  - The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) plays a crucial role in inflammatory responses.
      GR has several isoforms, of which the most deeply studied are the GRalpha and
      GRbeta. Recently it has been suggested that in addition to its negative dominant
      effect on GRalpha, the GRbeta may have a GRalpha-independent transcriptional
      activity. The GRbeta isoform was found to be frequently overexpressed in various
      autoimmune diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this study,
      we wished to test whether the gene expression profile found in a GRbeta
      overexpressing intestinal cell line (Caco-2GRbeta) might mimic the gene
      expression alterations found in patients with IBD. Whole genome microarray
      analysis was performed in both normal and GRbeta overexpressing Caco-2 cell lines
      with and without dexamethasone treatment. IBD-related genes were identified from
      a meta-analysis of 245 microarrays available in online microarray deposits
      performed on intestinal mucosa samples from patients with IBD and healthy
      individuals. The differentially expressed genes were further studied using in
      silico pathway analysis. Overexpression of GRbeta altered a large proportion of
      genes that were not regulated by dexamethasone suggesting that GRbeta may have a
      GRalpha-independent role in the regulation of gene expression. About 10% of genes
      differentially expressed in colonic mucosa samples from IBD patients compared to
      normal subjects were also detected in Caco-2 GRbeta intestinal cell line. Common
      genes are involved in cell adhesion and cell proliferation. Overexpression of
      GRbeta in intestinal cells may affect appropriate mucosal repair and intact
      barrier function. The proposed novel role of GRbeta in intestinal epithelium
      warrants further studies. 

PMID- 26480217
TI  - Bidirectional associations between perceived parental support for violent and
      nonviolent responses and early adolescent aggressive and effective nonviolent
      behaviors.
AB  - The current study examined bidirectional relations between early adolescents'
      perceptions of parental support for violent and nonviolent responses to conflict
      and their aggressive and effective nonviolent behaviors six months later. Data
      was collected across the sixth and seventh grades for 520 adolescents at three
      middle schools in the southeastern United States. At baseline, participants were
      ages 10-14 (M = 11.29). Longitudinal path models showed that perceived parental
      support for violent responses was negatively associated with effective nonviolent
      behaviors and positively associated with aggressive behaviors across sixth and
      seventh grades. Across seventh grade, reciprocal negative relations were found
      between perceived parental support of nonviolent responses and aggressive
      behaviors. Effective nonviolent behaviors were positively associated with
      perceived parental support for nonviolent responses. Study implications include
      the importance of adolescent perceptions of parental support of violent and
      nonviolent responses in influencing early adolescents' effective nonviolent and
      aggressive behavior. 

PMID- 26480218
TI  - From anatomy to function: diagnosis of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis.
AB  - Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) affects 7% of the over 65 s and will
      be increasingly common with an ageing population. ARAS obstructs normal renal
      perfusion with adverse renal and cardiovascular consequences. Drug therapy is
      directed at reducing atherosclerotic risk. Two recent major trials of
      revascularization for ARAS showed that clinical outcomes were not improved beyond
      those offered by optimal drug therapy in most patients. This reflects
      experimental data showing that restoration of blood flow alone may not attenuate
      a cascade of tissue injury. A shift from anatomic to functional imaging of ARAS
      coupled to novel therapies might improve clinical outcomes in selected patients.
      This review outlines the case for separately assessing hemodynamic significance
      of arterial stenosis and functional reserve of renal parenchymal tissue. The
      authors consider current and emerging diagnostic techniques for ARAS and their
      potential to allow individualized and functionally directed treatments.

PMID- 26480219
TI  - Peculiar Magnetoelectric Coupling in BaTiO3:Fe113 ppm Nanoscopic Segregations.
AB  - We report polycrystalline BaTiO3 with cooperative magnetization behavior
      associated with the scarce presence of about 113 atomic ppm of Fe ions, clearly
      displaying magnetoelectric coupling with significant changes in magnetization (up
      to DeltaM/M ~ 32%) at the ferroelectric transitions. We find that Fe ions are
      segregated mostly at the interfaces between grain boundaries and an Fe-rich
      phase, forming a self-composite with high magnetoelectric coupling above room
      temperature. We compare our results with ab initio calculations and other
      experimental results found in the literature, proposing mechanisms that could be
      behind the magnetoelectric coupling within the ferroelectric matrix. These
      findings open the way for further strategies to optimize interfacial
      magnetoelectric couplings.

PMID- 26480220
TI  - Psychotropic medication in pregnancy: The cost-benefit ratio revised.

PMID- 26480221
TI  - Pharmacological agents under research for the maintenance treatment in bipolar
      disorder.
AB  - The treatment of bipolar disorder is a current challenge for clinicians and
      despite progress in psychopharmacology, options remain limited and results are
      often unsatisfactory. Current research focuses on finding new pharmaceutical
      agents for all phases of bipolar disorder, i.e. mania, bipolar depression and
      maintenance. Particularly, relapse prevention and longterm stabilization is a
      major therapeutic target. Combination treatment and polypharmacy are the most
      common choices concerning relapse prevention. Furthermore, during maintenance
      phase patients often experience residual mood symptoms, cognitive deficits and
      functional decline, which altogether illustrate the inadequate effectiveness of
      existing treatments and the need for new, targeted, effective and safe treatments
      for bipolar disorder. This review focuses on active agents for maintenance
      treatment in bipolar disorder investigated during the last 5 years. The compounds
      under investigation have been tried or tested either as monotherapy or as an add
      on treatment in clinical trials that have progressed up to phase 3 or in
      preclinical models of bipolar disorder. While awaiting the completion of many
      ongoing studies, the results so far indicate that paliperidone and pregabalin may
      have a position in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. Additionally,
      dextromethorphan, which acts primarily as a NMDA antagonist, may be an
      interesting compound for further study. However, results on memantine, another
      NMDA antagonist, were not encouraging. The effects of omega-3 fatty acids and
      cytidine were not superior to placebo, although they both have neurotrophic and
      neuroprotective properties. Eslicarbazepine, which has antiepileptic action,
      provided some evidence of efficacy as monotherapy. Regarding preclinical studies
      in experimental models, the pharmacological agents under investigation seem to
      follow the neurobiological pathways related to mechanism of action of lithium,
      which is still the "golden standard" for preventing recurrence in bipolar
      disorder. Major therapeutic targets are synthetic glucose kinase 3 (GSK-3) and
      the path of phosphoinositol (IMP), both probably involved in the action of
      lithium. Furthermore, the role of circadian rhythms maintenance is being studied
      in preclinical and clinical trials investigating the efficacy and safety of
      compounds CK-01 and ramelteon, respectively. Research also focuses on
      pharmacological agents based on epigenetic changes and gene expression
      modulation, as the inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC). Of note, the
      development of valid and reliable experimental models for bipolar disorder, which
      currently remains quite controversial, will contribute to the understanding of
      the pathogenic mechanisms and the development of new effective treatments.
      Improving methodology aspects of clinical trials, such as diagnosis, clinical
      heterogeneity, monitoring time, gender differences and comorbidities, may promote
      research. Current studies seem promising for the development of novel
      pharmacological agents in the near future, although there are methodological
      limitations in the search for the maintenance treatment in bipolar disorder. New
      therapeutic targets include not only the already known mechanisms of action, but
      also novel pathophysiological pathways, probably implicated in bipolar disorder. 

PMID- 26480222
TI  - Mental health services commissioning and provision: Lessons from the UK?
AB  - The commissioning and provision of healthcare, including mental health services,
      must be consistent with ethical principles - which can be summarised as being
      "fair", irrespective of the method chosen to deliver care. They must also provide
      value to both patients and society in general. Value may be defined as the ratio
      of patient health outcomes to the cost of service across the whole care pathway.
      Particularly in difficult times, it is essential to keep an open mind as to how
      this might be best achieved. National and regional policies will necessarily vary
      as they reflect diverse local histories, cultures, needs and preferences. As
      systems of commissioning and delivering mental health care vary from country to
      country, there is the opportunity to learn from others. In the future
      international comparisons may help identify policies and systems that can work
      across nations and regions. However a persistent problem is the lack of clear
      evidence over cost and quality delivered by different local or national models.
      The best informed economists, when asked about the international evidence do not
      provide clear answers, stating that it depends how you measure cost and quality,
      the national governance model and the level of resources. The UK has a centrally
      managed system funded by general taxation, known as the National Health Service
      (NHS). Since 2010, the UK's new Coalition* government has responded by further
      reforming the system of purchasing and providing NHS services - aiming to
      strengthen choice and competition between providers on the basis of quality and
      outcomes as well as price. Although the present coalition government's intention
      is to maintain a tax-funded system, free at the point of delivery, introducing
      market-style purchasing and provider-side reforms to encompass all of these bring
      new risks, whilst not pursuing reforms of a system in crisis is also seen to
      carry risks. Competition might bring efficiency, but may weaken cooperation
      between providers, and transparency too. On the other hand, it is hard to
      implement necessary governance and control without worsening bureaucracy and
      inefficiency. The pursuit of market efficiencies has been particularly
      contentious in mental health care, where many professionals are defensive about
      the risks to vulnerable patients and to traditional ways of professional working.
      Developments and debates in the UK may be instructive for others. We conclude
      this paper with a set of questions that may help inform debate and evaluation of
      mental health services internationally.

PMID- 26480223
TI  - NICE recommendations for psychotherapy in depression: Of limited clinical
      utility.
AB  - In 2009/10 NICE partially updated its guidelines on the treatment and management
      of depression in adults. Due to methodological shortcomings the recommendations
      for psychotherapy must be treated with caution. Despite recognising the
      heterogeneous and comorbid nature of depression, and the limitations of
      depression as a unitary diagnostic category, NICE treats depression as if it were
      a unitary entity differentiated only by severity. The guidance ignores important
      aetiological factors such as trauma, loss and maltreatment, personality and
      interpersonal difficulties. It excludes the largest naturalistic studies on
      clinical populations treated in the National Health Service on the grounds that
      they are observational studies conducted in heterogeneous groups with mixed
      neurotic disorders. It unquestioningly accepts that the "brand" of psychotherapy
      has construct validity, and ignores psychotherapy process research indicating
      significant commonalities, and overlap, between treatment modalities and evidence
      that individual practitioner effects are larger than the differences between
      treatment modalities. It fails to consider patient differences and preferences,
      which are known to influence uptake, completion and response. It takes an
      exclusively short-term perspective on a chronic relapsing disorder. It does not
      consider the evidence for longer-term treatments. It is of special concern that
      NICE misrepresents the findings of its own systematic review by implying that CBT
      and IPT are superior treatments. NICE's systematic review actually found no
      evidence of superiority between CBT, IPT, psychodynamic psychotherapy, or
      counselling. Based on the exclusion of much clinically relevant research
      demonstrating the effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy and counselling
      many commentators have alleged a bias towards CBT in the guidance. With regard to
      service delivery NICE proposes the replacement of psychiatric assessment and
      individualised treatment plans, with an unproven stepped-care model. These
      clinical and theoretical limitations, perceived bias in the selection of studies,
      neglect of patient differences, preferences and values, misrepresentation of
      results of the systematic review, and the proposal for an unproven service
      delivery model together seriously undermine the validity of the guidance. The
      guidance, lacking validity is of questionable use, it undermines patient
      autonomy, professional expertise and, ultimately, patient welfare. 

PMID- 26480224
TI  - Mental health and sexual activity according to ancient Greek physicians.
AB  - The ancient Greek physicians have not failed in their studies to indicate the
      beneficial role of sexual activity in human health. They acknowledged that sex
      helps to maintain mental balance. Very interesting is their observation that sex
      may help mental patients to recover. Nevertheless they stressed emphatically that
      sex is beneficial only when there is a measure in it, so they believed that
      sexual abstinence or excessive sexual activity affect negatively the mental and
      physical health of man. Ancient Greek physicians reached this conclusion by
      empirical observation. They tried to justify the mental imbalance, as the
      potential physical problems, which probably will be listed today in the
      psychosomatic manifestations, of people with long-term sexual abstinence or
      hyperactivity, based on the theory of humors which was the main methodological
      tool of ancient Greek medicine. Their fundamental idea was that the four humors
      of the body (blood, phlegm, yellow and black bile) should be in balance.
      Therefore they believed that the loss and the exchange of bodily fluids during
      sex help body's humors to maintain their equilibrium which in turn will form the
      basis for the physical and mental health. Although in ancient medical texts the
      irrationality presented by people in the aforementioned conditions was not
      attributed in any of the major mental illnesses recognized in antiquity, as
      mania, melancholy and phrenitis, our belief is that their behavior is more suited
      to the characteristics of melancholy, while according to modern medicine it
      should be classified in the depressive disorders. We have come to this
      conclusion, because common characteristics of people who either did not have
      sexual life or was overactive, was sadness, lack of interest and hope, as well as
      paranoid thinking that can reach up to suicide. Regarding the psychosomatic
      problems, which could occur in these people, they were determined by the ancient
      Greek physicians in the following; continuous headaches and heaviness, dilatancy,
      pain, dysuria and fever. But all these symptoms would disappear when the man
      gained a measure sexual activity, as was categorically stated by Galen. It is
      striking that these ideas were maintained over time, starting already from the
      authors of the Hippocratic Corpus, from which the distinguished work De virginum
      morbis, refers indeed to women who reached the point of suicide due to the
      absence sexual life, hanging themselves or falling into wells and eventually
      passing to the works of Rufus of Ephesus, Soranus of Ephesus and Galen.

PMID- 26480225
TI  - Validity of the Greek Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire 6.0 (EDE-Q-6.0)
      among Greek adolescents.
AB  - The aim of this study is to examine the validity of the Greek version of the
      Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire 6.0 (EDE-Q-6.0) in a sample of
      adolescent pupils. EDE-Q is a self- report instrument that assesses attitudes and
      behaviors related to Eating Disorders (EDs). A two-stage identification protocol
      has been applied to the 16 schools that agreed to participate in the present
      study. Initially, 2058 adolescents, in class under the supervision of one
      research assistant and one teacher, completed a Questionnaire on socio
      demographic data, the Greek EDE-Q-6.0 and the Greek Eating Attitudes Test (EAT
      26) while their weight and height were measured. Six-hundred and twenty six
      participants, who had scores on EAT-26>=20 and/or were underweight or overweight,
      were considered as "possible-cases" while the remaining 1432 pupils of the sample
      were thought as "non-possible cases". At the second stage, parents of 66 of the
      participants identified as possible-cases as well as parents of 72 participants
      from 358 controls randomly selected from the sample of "non-possible cases"
      agreed that their children would be examined by means of Best Estimate Diagnostic
      Procedure. Participants meeting DSM-IV-TR Eating Disorders criteria were
      identified. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis was applied to
      reveal EDE-Q's criterion validity. The kappa statistic test was used as measure
      of agreement between categorical variables at EDE-Q and at interview (the
      presence of objective binge eating episode, of self-induced vomiting, the use of
      laxatives and of excessive exercise). The Discriminant and Convergent validity
      were assessed using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test and by means of the
      Spearman's correlation coefficient, respectively. Nineteen cases of EDs were
      identified [one case of Anorexia Nervosa (AN), 13 cases of Eating Disorder Not
      Otherwise Specified (EDNOS), 5 cases of Binge Eating Disorder (BED)]. At the cut
      off point of 2.6125 on the EDE-Q's global scale the instrument screens with a
      sensitivity (Se) of 89.5% and a specificity (Sp) of 73.1%, a Positive Predictive
      Value (PPV) of 34.7% and a Negative Predictive Value (NPV) of 97.8% The same
      analyses for both sexes revealed a cut-off point of 2.612 for females and of
      3.125 for males on the global EDE-Q-6.0 score (Se=84.62%, Sp=73.33% for females
      and Se=83.33%, Sp= 84.09% for males), yielding a PPV and a NPV of 35.5% and of
      96.5% for females and 41.7% and 97.4% for males, respectively. A very low
      agreement level, between EDE-Q and interview, was observed regarding the presence
      of objective bulimic episodes (OBEs) [k=0.191 (SE=0.057)] and the unhealthy
      weight control behaviors [k=0.295 (SE=0.073)]. Positive correlations were found
      between EAT-26 and EDE-Q-6.0 for both global scale and subscales (rho=0.50-0.57).
      The results suggest that EDE-Q-6.0, when using its global score, appears to be a
      proper screening tool for assessing the core psychopathology of eating disorders
      in community samples in two-stage screening studies since it distinguishes very
      well the cases from the non-cases. However, the assessment of the presence and
      frequency of pathological behaviours which characterize EDs appears to be
      problematic since adolescents, especially the younger ones, misunderstood terms
      like large amount of food and loss of control or misinterpret the motivation for
      excessive exercise. Therefore, marked discrepancies were observed between
      pathological behaviors self-reported at questionnaire and those detected at
      interview. We may assume that giving participants more information regarding the
      definition of these concepts may increase the accuracy with which the
      participants report these behaviors. 

PMID- 26480226
TI  - Inter-rater reliability of the Greek version of CAARMS among two groups of mental
      health professionals.
AB  - There is increasing interest within the Greek psychiatric community in the early
      detection and prevention of psychotic disorders. To support this, there is a need
      for a valid and reliable tool to identify young people that may be at risk of
      developing a psychotic disorder. Our team has previously translated the
      Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS). The validity of the
      CAARMS was ensured by the procedure of translation and the aim of the current
      study was to estimate the interrater reliability of the CAARMS Greek translation
      among residents in psychiatry and specialized mental health professionals. 43
      mental health workers (27 residents in psychiatry and 16 specialized mental
      health professionals (i.e. 11 psychiatrists and 5 psychologist) participated in
      two seminars that covered theoretical information about the ultra high risk
      concept and training in the CAARMS. During the seminars, 10 vignettes with
      psychiatric history cases were presented, including healthy, ultra high risk and
      first episode psychosis. The mean correlated percentage of agreement with the
      correct answers regarding diagnosis of the presented history cases among all our
      subjects was 81.42, among specialized mental health professionals 77.88, and
      among residents 84.46. Intraclass correlation co-efficients were 0.994 for
      specialized mental health professionals and 0.997 for residents. The translated
      Greek version of CAARMS presents a satisfying interrater reliability when used by
      both residents and specialized mental health professionals. Residents declare
      even higher intraclass correlation co-efficients and mean correlated percentage
      of agreement than specialized mental health professionals, which indicate that
      residents are capable of using the CAARMS in early intervention units. 

PMID- 26480227
TI  - Fast diffusion of water nanodroplets on graphene.
AB  - Diffusion across surfaces generally involves motion on a vibrating but otherwise
      stationary substrate. Here, using molecular dynamics, we show that a layered
      material such as graphene opens up a new mechanism for surface diffusion whereby
      adsorbates are carried by propagating ripples in a motion similar to surfing. For
      water nanodroplets, we demonstrate that the mechanism leads to exceedingly fast
      diffusion that is 2-3 orders of magnitude faster than the self-diffusion of water
      molecules in liquid water. We also reveal the underlying principles that regulate
      this new mechanism for diffusion and show how it also applies to adsorbates other
      than water, thus opening up the prospect of achieving fast and controllable
      motion of adsorbates across material surfaces more generally. 

PMID- 26480228
TI  - Deep blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes with very high brightness
      and efficiency.
AB  - The combination of both very high brightness and deep blue emission from
      phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLED) is required for both
      display and lighting applications, yet so far has not been reported. A source of
      this difficulty is the absence of electron/exciton blocking layers (EBL) that are
      compatible with the high triplet energy of the deep blue dopant and the high
      frontier orbital energies of hosts needed to transport charge. Here, we show that
      N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) Ir(III) complexes can serve as both deep blue
      emitters and efficient hole-conducting EBLs. The NHC EBLs enable very high
      brightness (>7,800 cd m(-2)) operation, while achieving deep blue emission with
      colour coordinates of [0.16, 0.09], suitable for most demanding display
      applications. We find that both the facial and the meridional isomers of the
      dopant have high efficiencies that arise from the unusual properties of the NHC
      ligand-that is, the complexes possess a strong metal-ligand bond that
      destabilizes the non-radiative metal-centred ligand-field states. Our results
      represent an advance in blue-emitting PHOLED architectures and materials
      combinations that meet the requirements of many critical illumination
      applications. 

PMID- 26480229
TI  - A high-specific-strength and corrosion-resistant magnesium alloy.
AB  - Ultra-lightweight alloys with high strength, ductility and corrosion resistance
      are desirable for applications in the automotive, aerospace, defence, biomedical,
      sporting and electronic goods sectors. Ductility and corrosion resistance are
      generally inversely correlated with strength, making it difficult to optimize all
      three simultaneously. Here we design an ultralow density (1.4 g cm(-3)) Mg-Li
      based alloy that is strong, ductile, and more corrosion resistant than Mg-based
      alloys reported so far. The alloy is Li-rich and a solute nanostructure within a
      body-centred cubic matrix is achieved by a series of extrusion, heat-treatment
      and rolling processes. Corrosion resistance from the environment is believed to
      occur by a uniform lithium carbonate film in which surface coverage is much
      greater than in traditional hexagonal close-packed Mg-based alloys, explaining
      the superior corrosion resistance of the alloy. 

PMID- 26480230
TI  - Magnesium alloys: Ready for the road.

PMID- 26480231
TI  - Design principles for maximizing photovoltage in metal-oxide-protected water
      splitting photoanodes.
AB  - Metal oxide protection layers for photoanodes may enable the development of large
      scale solar fuel and solar chemical synthesis, but the poor photovoltages often
      reported so far will severely limit their performance. Here we report a novel
      observation of photovoltage loss associated with a charge extraction barrier
      imposed by the protection layer, and, by eliminating it, achieve photovoltages as
      high as 630 mV, the maximum reported so far for water-splitting silicon
      photoanodes. The loss mechanism is systematically probed in metal-insulator
      semiconductor Schottky junction cells compared to buried junction p(+)n cells,
      revealing the need to maintain a characteristic hole density at the
      semiconductor/insulator interface. A leaky-capacitor model related to the
      dielectric properties of the protective oxide explains this loss, achieving
      excellent agreement with the data. From these findings, we formulate design
      principles for simultaneous optimization of built-in field, interface quality,
      and hole extraction to maximize the photovoltage of oxide-protected water
      splitting anodes. 

PMID- 26480232
TI  - Characteristics of on-road driving by persons with central vision loss: Learning
      to drive with a bioptic telescope.
AB  - There is limited research on the driving performance and safety of bioptic
      drivers and even less regarding the driving skills that are most challenging for
      those learning to drive with bioptic telescopes. This research consisted of case
      studies of five trainee bioptic drivers whose driving skills were compared with
      those of a group of licensed bioptic drivers (n = 23) while they drove along
      city, suburban, and controlled-access highways in an instrumented dual-brake
      vehicle. A certified driver rehabilitation specialist was positioned in the front
      passenger seat to monitor safety and two backseat evaluators independently rated
      driving using a standardized scoring system. Other aspects of performance were
      assessed through vehicle instrumentation and video recordings. Results
      demonstrate that while sign recognition, lane keeping, steering steadiness, gap
      judgments, and speed choices were significantly worse in trainees, some driving
      behaviors and skills, including pedestrian detection and traffic light
      recognition were not significantly different from those of the licensed drivers.
      These data provide useful insights into the skill challenges encountered by a
      small sample of trainee bioptic drivers which, while not generalizable because of
      the small sample size, provide valuable insights beyond that of previous studies
      and can be used as a basis to guide training strategies.

PMID- 26480233
TI  - A Pentacoordinate Mn(II) Precatalyst That Exhibits Notable Aldehyde and Ketone
      Hydrosilylation Turnover Frequencies.
AB  - Heating (THF)2MnCl2 in the presence of the pyridine-substituted
      bis(imino)pyridine ligand, (PyEt)PDI, allowed preparation of the respective
      dihalide complex, ((PyEt)PDI)MnCl2. Reduction of this precursor using excess
      Na/Hg resulted in deprotonation of the chelate methyl groups to yield the
      bis(enamide)tris(pyridine)-supported product, (kappa(5)-N,N,N,N,N-(PyEt)PDEA)Mn.
      This complex was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and found to
      possess an intermediate-spin (S = (3)/2) Mn(II) center by the Evans method and
      electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Furthermore, (kappa(5)-N,N,N,N,N
      (PyEt)PDEA)Mn was determined to be an effective precatalyst for the
      hydrosilylation of aldehydes and ketones, exhibiting turnover frequencies of up
      to 2475 min(-1) when employed under solvent-free conditions. This optimization
      allowed for isolation of the respective alcohols and, in two cases, the partially
      reacted silyl ethers, PhSiH(OR)2 [R = Cy and CH(Me)((n)Bu)]. The aldehyde
      hydrosilylation activity observed for (kappa(5)-N,N,N,N,N-(PyEt)PDEA)Mn renders
      it one of the most efficient first-row transition metal catalysts for this
      transformation reported to date. 

PMID- 26480235
TI  - Catalytic Dynamics and Oxygen Diffusion in Doped PrBaCo2O(5.5+delta) Thin Films.
AB  - The Sr and Fe codoped double perovskites PrBaCo2O5.5+delta (PrBCO) thin films of
      Pr(Ba0.5Sr0.5)(Co1.5Fe0.5)O5.5+delta (PBSCFO) were epitaxially grown for chemical
      catalytic studies. The resistance behavior of PBSCFO epitaxial films was
      monitored under the switching flow of reducing and oxidizing gases as a function
      of the gas flow time, t, using an electrical conductivity relaxation (ECR)
      experimental setup. The R(t) vs t relationships determined at various
      temperatures show the occurrence of two oxidation processes, Co(2+)/Co(3+) <->
      Co(3+) and Co(3+) <-> Co(3+)/Co(4+). Mathematical fitting of the observed R(t) vs
      t relationships was carried out using Fick's second law for one-dimensional
      diffusion of charge carriers to derive the diffusivity D(T) and tau(T) for the
      two processes at various temperatures, T. The D(T) vs T relationships were
      analyzed in terms of the Arrhenius relationship to find the activation energies
      Ea for each process. Oscillations in the dR(t)/dt plots, observed under oxidation
      reactions, were discussed in terms of a layer-by-layer oxygen vacancy exchange
      diffusion mechanism. Our work suggests that thin films of LnBCO (Ln = lanthanide)
      with their A and B sites doped as in PBSCFO are excellent candidates for the
      development of low or intermediate temperature energy conversion devices and gas
      sensor applications. 

PMID- 26480234
TI  - Emotion in bipolar I disorder: Implications for functional and symptom outcomes.
AB  - Despite the centrality of emotion disturbance in neurobiological models of
      bipolar disorder, the behavioral literature has not yet clearly identified the
      most central aspects of emotion disturbance in bipolar disorder. Toward this aim,
      we gathered a battery of emotion-related measures in 67 persons diagnosed with
      bipolar I disorder as assessed with the SCID and a well-matched control group of
      58 persons without a history of mood disorders. Those with bipolar disorder were
      interviewed monthly until they achieved remission, and then tested on emotion
      measures. A subset of 36 participants with bipolar disorder completed symptom
      severity interviews at 12-month follow-up. Factor analyses indicated 4 emotion
      factor scores: Negative Emotion, Positive Emotion, Reappraisal, and Suppression.
      Bivariate analyses suggested that bipolar disorder was tied to a host of emotion
      disturbances, but multivariate analyses suggested that bipolar disorder was
      particularly tied to elevations of Negative Emotion. High Negative Emotion, low
      Positive Emotion, and high Suppression were conjointly related to lower
      functioning. Reappraisal predicted declines in depression over time for those
      with bipolar disorder. Findings highlight the importance of considering the
      overall profile of emotion disturbance in bipolar disorder. Emotion and emotion
      regulation appear central to a broad range of outcomes in bipolar disorder.

PMID- 26480237
TI  - Strain-Induced Spatial and Spectral Isolation of Quantum Emitters in Mono- and
      Bilayer WSe2.
AB  - Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors are intriguing
      hosts for quantum light sources due to their unique optoelectronic properties.
      Here, we report that strain gradients, either unintentionally induced or
      generated by substrate patterning, result in spatially and spectrally isolated
      quantum emitters in mono- and bilayer WSe2. By correlating localized excitons
      with localized strain variations, we show that the quantum emitter emission
      energy can be red-tuned up to a remarkable ~170 meV. We probe the fine-structure,
      magneto-optics, and second-order coherence of a strained emitter. These results
      raise the prospect of strain-engineering quantum emitter properties and
      deterministically creating arrays of quantum emitters in two-dimensional
      semiconductors. 

PMID- 26480236
TI  - Tailoring Oxygen Sensitivity with Halide Substitution in Difluoroboron
      Dibenzoylmethane Polylactide Materials.
AB  - The dual-emissive properties of solid-state difluoroboron beta-diketonate
      poly(lactic acid) (BF2bdkPLA) materials have been utilized for biological oxygen
      sensing. In this work, BF2dbm(X)PLA materials were synthesized, where X = H, F,
      Cl, Br, and I. The effects of changing the halide substituent and PLA polymer
      chain length on the optical properties in dilute CH2Cl2 solutions and solid-state
      polymer films were studied. These luminescent materials show fluorescence,
      phosphorescence, and lifetime tunability on the basis of molecular weight, as
      well as lifetime modulation via the halide substituent. Short BF2dbm(Br)PLA (6.0
      kDa) and both short and long BF2dbm(I)PLA polymers (6.0 or 20.3 kDa) have
      fluorescence and intense phosphorescence ideal for ratiometric oxygen sensing.
      The lighter halide-dye polymers with hydrogen, fluorine, and chlorine
      substitution have longer phosphorescence lifetimes and can be utilized as
      ultrasensitive oxygen sensors. Photostability was also analyzed for the polymer
      films. 

PMID- 26480238
TI  - Effect of Donor-Acceptor Coupling on TICT Dynamics in the Excited States of Two
      Dimethylamine Substituted Chalcones.
AB  - Significant effect of coupling between the electron donor and acceptor groups in
      intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) dynamics has been demonstrated by comparing
      the photophysical properties of two isomeric N,N-dimethylaminochalcone
      derivatives (namely, DMAC-A and DMAC-B). In the case of the DMAC-B molecule, the
      distance between the donor (N,N-dimethylaniline or DMA) and the acceptor
      (carbonyl) groups is larger by one ethylene unit as compared to that in the case
      of DMAC-A. The excited singlet (S1) states of both the isomers have strong ICT
      character but their photophysical properties are remarkably different. In polar
      solvents, fluorescence quantum yields (and the lifetimes of the S1 state) of DMAC
      A are more than 2 orders of magnitude lower (and shorter) than those of DMAC-B.
      Remarkable differences in the photophysical properties of these two isomers arise
      due to occurrence of the ultrafast twisting of the DMA group (or the TICT
      process) during the course of deactivation of the S1 state of the DMAC-A
      molecule, but not in the case of DMAC-B. In the later case, because of the
      presence of a large energy barrier along the twisting coordinate(s), TICT is not
      a feasible process, and hence, the S1 state of DMAC-B has the planar ICT
      structure. In the DMAC-A molecule, the strength of coupling between the donor and
      acceptor groups is relatively stronger because of a shorter distance between
      these groups. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopic measurements and
      DFT/TDDFT calculations have been adopted to establish the above aspects of the
      relaxation dynamics of the S1 states of these two isomeric chalcones. 

PMID- 26480239
TI  - The impact of blood ethanol concentration on the classification of head injury
      severity in traumatic brain injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is classified into mild, moderate and
      severe, based on the Glasgow Coma Score (GCS). However, TBI patients are often
      influenced by ethanol, which in itself can attenuate the level of consciousness.
      This study investigated the effect of ethanol on the GCS group classification in
      TBI patients. METHODS: The Oslo University Hospital trauma database was searched
      for all patients admitted with a head injury where the blood ethanol
      concentration (BEC) had been measured (n = 1004). The effect of BEC on GCS groups
      was analysed using multivariate ordinal logistic regression. RESULTS: This study
      identified 546, 142 and 316 patients in the mild, moderate and severe groups,
      respectively. Increasing BEC by 1 g kg(-1) and pre-hospital intubation had OR =
      1.34 and 16.34 for being in a more severe GCS group, respectively. Increasing
      head abbreviated injury scale (head-AIS) was significantly associated with being
      in a more severe GCS group. The modelled probability of detecting a head-AIS of 4
      or 5 in a patient with BEC of 2.0 g kg(-1) was 20%, 38% and 65% in the mild,
      moderate and severe groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing BEC was
      associated with increasing odds of being in a more severe GCS group. However,
      because the modelled probability of significant brain injury was high in patients
      with high levels of BEC, a reduced level of consciousness in intoxicated patients
      mandates further radiological investigations.

PMID- 26480240
TI  - Review of vorapaxar for the prevention of atherothrombotic events.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Atherosclerosis is frequently caused by clot blockage of the
      coronary or peripheral arteries, and may lead to myocardial infarction (MI) or
      peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Despite advancements in management of
      atherosclerosis, mortality and ischemic rates remain high. Vorapaxar is a
      protease activated receptor-1 (PAR-1) antagonist, and prevents thrombin
      activation of PAR-1 receptors on platelets. AREAS COVERED: Vorapaxar was studied
      in 2 landmark trials in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and in those
      with history of atherosclerosis. For patients with ACS, vorapaxar did not
      significantly reduce rates of the primary efficacy outcome as compared to
      placebo. For patients with a history of atherosclerosis, vorapaxar significantly
      reduced rates of primacy outcome. However, in both landmark trials, vorapaxar
      significantly increased risks of bleeding, and significantly increases risks of
      intracranial hemorrhage in patients with a history of stroke. Vorapaxar was
      approved in 2014 in the US for patients with a history of MI or PAD, and in the
      European Union for patients with a history of MI. EXPERT OPINION: Use of
      vorapaxar may be limited due to its high potential for causing bleeding. Efficacy
      of vorapaxar in addition to aspirin and prasugrel or ticagrelor for the
      management of ACS should be studied in the future.

PMID- 26480241
TI  - Epidemiology of Musculoskeletal Symptoms Among Milkers and Dairy Farm
      Characteristics in Sweden and Germany.
AB  - International studies have shown that musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) and
      disorders (MSD) are common among dairy farm milkers. Although dairy production is
      diverse, it has so far not been possible to explain the high risk by production
      parameters. Two national studies carried out under similar conditions were the
      incentive to merge the data and increase the sample size. The Standardized Nordic
      Questionnaire was used to assess MSS prevalence among 92 Swedish and 116 German
      male and female milkers. Eighty-four percent and 85% of the Swedish and German
      milkers reported MSS in at least one body part. Highest prevalence was reported
      in the lower back, shoulder, and neck. Females showed a significantly higher risk
      of MSS. Apart from that, small significant influence of MSS was found for other
      risk factors. These findings indicate that technical and organizational
      modifications of the work place design in milking parlors are needed. 

PMID- 26480242
TI  - Demographic and Motivation Differences Among Online Sex Offenders by Type of
      Offense: An Exploration of Routine Activities Theories.
AB  - This article presents an analysis of the relationship between online sexual
      offenders' demographic background and characteristics indicative of motivation
      and offense type. Specifically, we investigate whether these characteristics can
      distinguish different online sexual offender groups from one another as well as
      inform routine activity theorists on what potentially motivates perpetrators.
      Using multinomial logistic regression, this study found that online sexual
      offenders' demographic backgrounds and characteristics indicative of motivation
      do vary by offense types. Two important implications of this study are that the
      term "online sexual offender" encompasses different types of offenders, including
      some who do not align with mainstream media's characterization of "predators,"
      and that the potential offender within routine activity theory can be the focus
      of empirical investigation rather than taken as a given in research. 

PMID- 26480243
TI  - Studies on the Adhesive Property of Snail Adhesive Mucus.
AB  - Many gastropod molluscs are known to secrete mucus which allow these animals to
      adhere to a substrate while foraging over it. While the mucus is known to provide
      strong adhesion to both dry and wet surfaces, including both horizontal and
      vertical ones, no systematic study has been carried out to understand the
      strength of such adhesion under different conditions. We report here results from
      preliminary studies on adhesion characteristics of the mucus of a snail found in
      eastern India, Macrochlamys indica. When perturbed, the snail was found to
      secrete its adhesive mucus, which was collected and subjected to regular adhesion
      tests. The hydrated mucus was used as such, and also as mixed with buffer of
      different pH. These experiments suggest that the mucus was slightly alkaline, and
      showed the maximum adhesion strength of 9 kPa when present in an alkaline buffer.
      Preliminary studies indicate that adhesive force is related to the ability of the
      mucus to incorporate water. In alkaline condition, the gel like mass that it
      forms, incorporate water from a wet surface and enable strong adhesion. 

PMID- 26480244
TI  - An additional role for the Bronsted acid-base catalysts of mandelate racemase in
      transition state stabilization.
AB  - Mandelate racemase (MR) catalyzes the interconversion of the enantiomers of
      mandelate and serves as a paradigm for understanding the enzyme-catalyzed
      abstraction of an alpha-proton from a carbon acid substrate with a high pKa. The
      enzyme utilizes a two-base mechanism with Lys 166 and His 297 acting as Bronsted
      acid and base catalysts, respectively, in the R -> S reaction direction. In the S
      -> R reaction direction, their roles are reversed. Using isothermal titration
      calorimetry (ITC), MR is shown to bind the intermediate/transition state (TS)
      analogue inhibitor benzohydroxamate (BzH) in an entropy-driven process with a
      value of DeltaCp equal to -358 +/- 3 cal mol(-1) K(-1), consistent with an
      increased number of hydrophobic interactions. However, MR binds BzH with an
      affinity that is ~2 orders of magnitude greater than that predicted solely on the
      basis of hydrophobic interactions [St. Maurice, M., and Bearne, S. L. (2004)
      Biochemistry 43, 2524], suggesting that additional specific interactions
      contribute to binding. To test the hypothesis that cation-pi/NH-pi interactions
      between the side chains of Lys 166 and His 297 and the aromatic ring and/or the
      hydroxamate/hydroximate moiety of BzH contribute to the binding of BzH, site
      directed mutagenesis was used to generate the MR variants K166M, K166C, H297N,
      and K166M/H297N and their binding affinity for various ligands determined using
      ITC. Comparison of the binding affinities of these MR variants with the
      intermediate/TS analogues BzH and cyclohexanecarbohydroxamate revealed that
      cation-pi/NH-pi interactions between His 297 and the hydroxamate/hydroximate
      moiety and the phenyl ring of BzH contribute approximately 0.26 and 0.91 kcal/mol
      to binding, respectively, while interactions with Lys 166 contribute
      approximately 1.74 and 1.74 kcal/mol, respectively. Similarly, comparison of the
      binding affinities of these mutants with substrate analogues revealed that Lys
      166 contributes >2.93 kcal/mol to the binding of (R)-atrolactate, and His 297
      contributes 2.46 kcal/mol to the binding of (S)-atrolactate. These results are
      consistent with Lys 166 and His 297 playing dual roles in catalysis: they act as
      Bronsted acid-base catalysts, and they stabilize both the enolate moiety and
      phenyl ring of the altered substrate in the TS. 

PMID- 26480245
TI  - The revised Stress Measurement of Female Marriage Immigrants in Korea: Evaluation
      of the psychometric properties.
AB  - The twenty-one item Stress Measurement of Female Marriage Immigrants (SMFMI) was
      developed to assess stress of female marriage immigrants in Korea. This study
      reports the psychometric properties of a revised SMFMI (SMFMI-R) for application
      with female marriage immigrants to Korea who were raising children. Participants
      were 190 female marriage immigrants from China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and
      other Asian countries, who were recruited using convenience sampling between
      November 2013 and December 2013. Survey questionnaires were translated into study
      participants' native languages (Chinese, Vietnamese, and English). Principal
      component analysis yielded nineteen items in four factors (family, parenting,
      cultural, and economic stress), explaining 63.5% of the variance, which was
      slightly better than the original scale. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated
      adequate fit for the four-factor model. Based on classic test theory and item
      response theory, strong support was provided for item discrimination, item
      difficulty, and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.923). SMFMI-R scores
      were negatively associated with Korean proficiency and subjective economic
      status. The SMFMI-R is a valid, reliable, and comprehensive measure of stress for
      female marriage immigrants and can provide useful information to develop
      intervention programs for those who may be at risk for emotional stress. 

PMID- 26480246
TI  - Predicting high levels of multitasking reduces between-tasks interactions.
AB  - The simultaneous handling of 2 tasks requires shielding of the prioritized
      primary task (T1) from interference caused by the secondary task (T2) processing.
      Such interactions between tasks (e.g., between-task interference, or crosstalk)
      depend on the similarity of both tasks and are especially pronounced when both
      tasks overlap strongly in time. In the present study we investigated whether
      between-tasks interference can be reduced when specific items do not predict the
      level of interference but instead the degree of temporal proximity between both
      tasks. We implemented an item-specific proportion manipulation of temporal task
      overlap (stimulus onset asynchrony [SOA]). Selected stimuli of T1 predicted high
      temporal task overlap (short SOAs) in 80% of trials, whereas other stimuli of T1
      predicted low temporal task overlap (long SOAs) in 80% of trials. Results showed
      that the predictive value of T1 stimuli determined the adjustment of T1
      shielding. That is, interference from the secondary task was significantly
      reduced for items predicting high temporal task overlap compared to items
      predicting low temporal task overlap. It is important to note that task shielding
      was not initiated by predicting the actual conflict level (i.e., whether T1 and
      T2 required compatible/incompatible responses) between tasks but by specific
      items predicting conditions in which 2 tasks are likely to interact (i.e., short
      vs. long SOA). These findings offer new insights into the specificity of
      contextual bottom-up regulations of cognitive control.

PMID- 26480247
TI  - Cultural similarities and differences in perceiving and recognizing facial
      expressions of basic emotions.
AB  - The ability to recognize facial expressions of basic emotions is often considered
      a universal human ability. However, recent studies have suggested that this
      commonality has been overestimated and that people from different cultures use
      different facial signals to represent expressions (Jack, Blais, Scheepers,
      Schyns, & Caldara, 2009; Jack, Caldara, & Schyns, 2012). We investigated this
      possibility by examining similarities and differences in the perception and
      categorization of facial expressions between Chinese and white British
      participants using whole-face and partial-face images. Our results showed no
      cultural difference in the patterns of perceptual similarity of expressions from
      whole-face images. When categorizing the same expressions, however, both British
      and Chinese participants were slightly more accurate with whole-face images of
      their own ethnic group. To further investigate potential strategy differences, we
      repeated the perceptual similarity and categorization tasks with presentation of
      only the upper or lower half of each face. Again, the perceptual similarity of
      facial expressions was similar between Chinese and British participants for both
      the upper and lower face regions. However, participants were slightly better at
      categorizing facial expressions of their own ethnic group for the lower face
      regions, indicating that the way in which culture shapes the categorization of
      facial expressions is largely driven by differences in information decoding from
      this part of the face.

PMID- 26480249
TI  - When do humans spontaneously adopt another's visuospatial perspective?
AB  - Perspective-taking is a key component of social interactions. However, there is
      an ongoing controversy about whether, when and how instances of spontaneous
      visuospatial perspective-taking occur. The aim of this study was to investigate
      the underlying factors as well as boundary conditions that characterize the
      spontaneous adoption of another person's visuospatial perspective (VSP) during
      social interactions. We used a novel paradigm, in which a participant and a
      confederate performed a simple stimulus-response (SR) compatibility task sitting
      at a 90 degrees  angle to each other. In this set-up, participants would show a
      spatial compatibility effect only if they adopted the confederate's VSP. In a
      series of 5 experiments we found that participants reliably adopted the VSP of
      the confederate, as long as he was perceived as an intentionally acting agent.
      Our results therefore show that humans are able to spontaneously adopt the
      differing VSP of another agent and that there is a tight link between perspective
      taking and performing actions together. The results suggest that spontaneous VSP
      taking can effectively facilitate and speed up spatial alignment processes
      accruing from dynamic interactions in multiagent environments.

PMID- 26480250
TI  - The role of spatial frequency in expert object recognition.
AB  - Novices recognize objects at the basic-category level (e.g., dog, chair, and
      bird) at which identification is based on the global form of the objects (Rosch,
      Mervis, Gray, Johnson, & Boyes-Braem, 1976). In contrast, experts recognize
      objects within their domain of expertise at the subordinate level (e.g., Sparrow
      or Finch) for which the internal object information may play an important role in
      identification (Tanaka & Taylor, 1991). To investigate whether expert recognition
      relies on internal object information, we band-pass filtered bird images over a
      range of spatial frequencies (SF) and then masked the filtered image to preserve
      its global form. In Experiment 1, bird experts categorized common birds at the
      family level (e.g., Robin or Sparrow) more quickly and more accurately than
      novices. Both experts and novices were more accurate when bird images contained
      the internal information represented by a middle range of SFs, and this finding
      was characterized by a quadratic function in which accuracy decreased toward each
      end of the SF spectrum. However, the experts, but not the novices, showed a
      similar quadratic relationship between response times and SF range. In Experiment
      2, experts categorized Warblers and Finches at the more specific, species level
      (e.g., Wilson's Warbler or House Finch). Recognition was again fastest and most
      accurate for images filtered in the middle range of SFs. Collectively, these
      results indicate that a midrange of SFs contain crucial information for
      subordinate recognition, and that extensive perceptual experience can influence
      the efficiency with which this information is utilized. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26480248
TI  - Sound segregation via embedded repetition is robust to inattention.
AB  - The segregation of sound sources from the mixture of sounds that enters the ear
      is a core capacity of human hearing, but the extent to which this process is
      dependent on attention remains unclear. This study investigated the effect of
      attention on the ability to segregate sounds via repetition. We utilized a dual
      task design in which stimuli to be segregated were presented along with stimuli
      for a "decoy" task that required continuous monitoring. The task to assess
      segregation presented a target sound 10 times in a row, each time concurrent with
      a different distractor sound. McDermott, Wrobleski, and Oxenham (2011)
      demonstrated that repetition causes the target sound to be segregated from the
      distractors. Segregation was queried by asking listeners whether a subsequent
      probe sound was identical to the target. A control task presented similar stimuli
      but probed discrimination without engaging segregation processes. We present
      results from 3 different decoy tasks: a visual multiple object tracking task, a
      rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) digit encoding task, and a demanding
      auditory monitoring task. Load was manipulated by using high- and low-demand
      versions of each decoy task. The data provide converging evidence of a small
      effect of attention that is nonspecific, in that it affected the segregation and
      control tasks to a similar extent. In all cases, segregation performance remained
      high despite the presence of a concurrent, objectively demanding decoy task. The
      results suggest that repetition-based segregation is robust to inattention.

PMID- 26480251
TI  - Genome-scale metabolic model of Pichia pastoris with native and humanized
      glycosylation of recombinant proteins.
AB  - Pichia pastoris is used for commercial production of human therapeutic proteins,
      and genome-scale models of P. pastoris metabolism have been generated in the past
      to study the metabolism and associated protein production by this yeast. A major
      challenge with clinical usage of recombinant proteins produced by P. pastoris is
      the difference in N-glycosylation of proteins produced by humans and this yeast.
      However, through metabolic engineering, a P. pastoris strain capable of producing
      humanized N-glycosylated proteins was constructed. The current genome-scale
      models of P. pastoris do not address native nor humanized N-glycosylation, and we
      therefore developed ihGlycopastoris, an extension to the iLC915 model with both
      native and humanized N-glycosylation for recombinant protein production, but also
      an estimation of N-glycosylation of P. pastoris native proteins. This new model
      gives a better prediction of protein yield, demonstrates the effect of the
      different types of N-glycosylation of protein yield, and can be used to predict
      potential targets for strain improvement. The model represents a step towards a
      more complete description of protein production in P. pastoris, which is required
      for using these models to understand and optimize protein production processes.

PMID- 26480252
TI  - [Protein-energy wasting and nutritional supplementation in chronic hemodialysis].
AB  - Protein Energy Wasting (PEW) is a pathological condition characterized by a
      progressive reduction of protein and energy stores. PEW has a high prevalence
      among patients with CKD/ESRD (Chronic Kidney Disease/End Stage Renal Disease) and
      is closely associated with adverse clinical outcomes and increased rate of
      hospitalization, complications and mortality. The multifactorial pathogenesis of
      PEW is complex. A key role is played both by the reduced intake of nutrients and
      the condition of hypercatabolism/reduced anabolism typical of renal patients. The
      approach to prevent or treat PEW has several milestones such as reduction of
      potential risk factors, improvement in lifestyle and correction of any factor
      related to dialysis. It also needs a periodic assessment of nutritional status by
      using biochemical markers, body and muscle mass variables, nutritional scores and
      instrumental methods, aiming for an early diagnosis. In case of reduced protein
      and energy intake, the administration of nutrients during dialysis, or the use of
      oral supplements specific for renal patients are the first nutritional
      interventions recommended. In fact, oral nutritional supplementation represents
      the most effective nutritional approach to PEW prevention and treatment. It is
      simple and safe and it has a positive impact on quality of life and survival of
      haemodialysis patients. In the case of failure of oral supplementation,
      nutritional support should be enhanced by using intradialytic parenteral
      nutrition (IDPN). If the patient has difficulty in swallowing or IDPN is
      insufficient, total enteral nutrition should be considered. 

PMID- 26480253
TI  - [Anti-diabetics and chronic kidney disease].
AB  - Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most important non-communicable disease after
      hypertension. Prevalence of type 2 DM has progressively increased over the last
      decades. In Italy, 11.8% of the general adult population can be identified as
      diabetic. The major complication of DM is diabetic nephropathy (DM-CKD), which
      develops in approximately one-third of diabetics. Achieving optimal glycemic
      control is the first therapeutic goal in the management of DM-CKD. In recent
      years, new antidiabetic drugs have been marketed (GLP1 analogues, DPP-4
      inhibitors, SGLT-2 inhibitors) to ameliorate glycemia in patients nave or treated
      by means of traditional agents, such as sulfonylureas, metformin, glinides,
      insulin. However, use of these drugs in DM-CKD should be evaluated carefully,
      mainly because of the higher risk of hypoglycemia that requires dosing
      adjustments. Metformin still represents an adequate choice if proper dose
      adjustments are made on the basis of renal function. Sulfonylureas with limited
      renal clearance, i.e., gliquidone, glipizide and gliclazide are an alternative to
      metformin and more effective than repaglinide on glycemic control. Other
      antidiabetic agents with potential nephroprotective effects, namely DPP-4
      inhibitors, incretin analogues and SGLT-2 inhibitors, may allow nephroprotective
      effects independent of glycemic control. Insulin remains the cornerstone of
      therapy when oral therapy is no longer effective. 

PMID- 26480254
TI  - [Which genetic testing in renal disease].
AB  - Clinical genetics plays a central role in the diagnostic practice, mainly due to
      both the hereditary and non-hereditary genetic component, which characterizes
      most of the diseases. This branch of medicine has been characterized by a rapid
      technological growth since 2003, when the entire human genome was sequenced. We
      need to consider the reduction in terms of both time and costs that the gene
      sequencing has gone through. Before, 13 years and about three billion dollars
      were needed, now it takes only a few weeks and about ten thousand dollars to
      sequence the entire human genome. The applicability of clinical genetics in
      nephrology is due to the fact that many kidney diseases are characterized by
      genetic mutations (e.g., von-Hippel Lindau syndrome, MYH9 related disorders,
      Fabry's syndrome, Liddle's and Bartter's Syndrome, and others). Clinical genetics
      plays, therefore, a crucial role since many of these diseases are often not
      properly diagnosed. In this review, we examine the new technologies that are
      available to the nephrologist for the molecular diagnosis of renal diseases. 

PMID- 26480256
TI  - [Lactic acidosis, acute renal failure and heart failure during treatment with
      metformin: what do we know?].
AB  - Metformin is a common medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes,
      especially in obese subjects. Clinical studies show that, in addition to the
      lowering effect of blood glucose, metformin reduces cardiovascular risk, does not
      induce weight gain and additionally, provides a unique safety strategy and
      efficacy in patients with diabetes and heart disease. However, this treatment is
      not without risks. The most feared metabolic complication is lactic acidosis that
      often occurs with complex and severe clinical symptoms and is associated with a
      high mortality risk. We detail our experience, during one year, regarding four
      patients with diabetes treated with metformin who developed such acute renal
      failure and lactic acidosis as to require hemodialysis treatment. The patients
      selected had previous normal renal function but a history of serious
      cardiovascular disease (hypertensive cardiomiopathy, ischemic revascularized
      and/or dilated, chronic obstructive arterial disease). We observed in all four of
      our patients an onset of non-related symptoms (fever, fatigue, vomiting and
      gastrointestinal disorders), a rapid deterioration in renal function, anuria and
      very high levels of lactic acid. In two patients we found acute pancreatitis. In
      addition to rehydration therapy, hemodialysis was started instantly with
      progressive rebalancing of the biohumoral status, effective recovery of
      spontaneous diuresis and improvement of the clinical status in three patients.
      Unfortunately, we had a failure during the initial hours of ward admittance, with
      an important clinical situation complicated by acute cardiac ischemia, abnormal
      heart rhythm, ending in death. Our experience provides us with elements to
      reflect on. Lactic acidosis is a serious metabolic disorder because it is
      associated with a high mortality risk. So a rapid diagnosis and a complete
      recognition of all the fundamental elements are important for its management.
      Starting hemodialysis early and prolonged treatment can solve complicated
      clinical status, correct acidosis and restore kidney function in patients with
      serious comorbidity. 

PMID- 26480255
TI  - ["Getting to zero infections" in hemodialysis].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We describe two measures adopted in hemodialysis outpatient
      population in order to reduce Central Venous Catheter (CVC) related infections.
      The first is a nurse staff training in the field project and the second deals
      with the employment of chlorhexidine-impregnated dressing devices. These actions
      were performed after high infection rates were observed through a dedicated
      register. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the limited assistance dialysis center,
      direct observation (12/2012-02/2013) quantified the gap between the observed and
      expected health care behaviour. Training needs were defined and a 40 hours nurse
      staff training in the field was performed on two occasions. In the hospital
      dialysis center, we introduced alcoholic 2% chlorhexidine solution and
      chlorhexidine-impregnated dressing devices to the exit site (CHG-Tegaderm and
      BioPatch). Infections (cumulatively bacteremia/sepsis/skin exit/subcutaneous
      tunnel) were monitored continuously. RESULTS: Infection rates at the two
      locations were progressively reduced, reaching a value of zero at the limited
      assistance center. Nurse staff training in the field produced: two patient
      reports and three CVC management protocols, Italian language translation of the
      "The 5 moments of dialysis" WHO poster, alcoholic 2% chlorhexidine adoption to
      exit-site medication and improvement of environment cleaning/sanitation actions.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our experience shows that continuously monitoring infection rates
      represents the first step for timely corrective action. The continuous updating
      of health personnel, codified prevention measures and an ongoing commitment to
      raise awareness in a routine practice, allows us to obtain the goal of "getting
      to zero infections". The staff training produced equal or superior results
      compared to the isolated use of new chlorhexidine-impregnated dressing devices.

PMID- 26480257
TI  - [Analysis of clinical Risk and adoption of shared procedures: experience of
      nephrology and dialysis unit of ASL BA].
AB  - Currently, English scientific literature is lacking in studies showing that
      medical assistance may be delivered without errors. Since two years ago, the
      department of nephrology and urology of ASL BA has been establishing a process of
      clinical risk management.Starting with the reporting of a single error, a related
      database was subsequently developed, in order to validate technical and
      organizational procedures that would be of common use in the daily clinical
      practice.With regard to error reporting, the system of incident reporting was
      adopted: that is a structured collection of significant events for the safety of
      patients with a specific form for reporting to be filled out by health
      professionals. Reports have been collected, coded and analysed. Finally measures
      were adopted to reduce the recurrence of the error.This first phase consisted on
      writing the procedures in order to create structured diagnostic-therapeutic
      protocols. In 18 months of observation adopting the incident reporting form, 48
      errors have been reported: 52% due to adverse events; 12.5% to adverse reactions;
      31.2% near misses and 2% to sentinel events. In 35.4 % of cases the error
      occurred in the administration or prescription of drug therapies, in 18.7% of
      cases it occurred in the organizational stage, in 12.5% it was a surgical error,
      in 18.7% of cases the error was due to incorrect asepsis, in 8.3% of cases it
      occurred during the medical examination and finally in 8.3% during dialysis. An
      analysis of the error database resulted in the choice of more urgent procedures.
      It is our view that only the observation of procedures can ensure the achievement
      of a high quality with improved clinical outcomes, reduction of complications,
      elimination of inappropriate interventions and increased patient satisfaction. 

PMID- 26480258
TI  - [Periorbital purpura: a pathognomonic but late sign of AL amyloidosis].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: AL amyloidosis is the most common type of systemic amyloidosis and
      is caused by the deposition of an amyloidogenic protein composed of
      immunoglobulin light chains produced by a clonal population of plasma cells. CASE
      REPORT: We report the case of a 77-year-old woman with arterial hypotension,
      peripheral edema and renal failure. Electrocardiogram reveals low voltage on
      peripheral leads. Echocardiogram shows normal values for left ventricle size with
      increased wall thickness and cardiac wall reflectance with ground glass
      appearance. Serum immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) is negative while urine
      IFE detects type monoclonal light chains. Abdominal Fat Pad biopsy is positive
      for Congo red with typical apple green birefringence after polarization under
      optical microscopy (OM) while ultrastructural analysis does not show presence of
      amyloid deposition. Two months later, the patient undergoes further worsening of
      general clinical condition and development of purpura in the periorbital area, at
      the base of the neck and in the anterior chest wall. DISCUSSION: This clinical
      case presents classic signs of AL amyloidosis, such as cardiac and renal
      involvement with the presence of a urine monoclonal component. Periorbital
      purpura is a pathognomonic sign of AL amyloidosis but it appears late. Final
      diagnosis is "AL amyloidosis with prevalent cardiac, renal and soft tissue
      involvement".

PMID- 26480259
TI  - [Kidney toxicity's "HAART" therapy].
AB  - Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and antiretroviral therapy can damage the
      kidney. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) generally improves the renal
      function as it reduces the viral replication, although the renal function may be
      reduced by certain antiretroviral drugs. HAART causes acute tubular necrosis,
      acute interstitial nephritis, calculi, Fanconi Syndrome, crystal nephropathy,
      elevated lipid levels as well as calcium and phosphorus alteration. The physician
      must estimate renal function before and during antiretroviral therapy, especially
      when HIV-infected patients have some risk factors for renal damage such as high
      blood pressure or hepatitis B or C infections. 

PMID- 26480260
TI  - [Untitled].

PMID- 26480261
TI  - [Clinical experience with ferric carboxymaltose in non-dialysis chronic kidney
      disease].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (ND-CKD)
      often show anemia and iron deficiency despite oral iron supplementation caused by
      poor iron absorption, intolerance and non-compliance. METHODS: We prospectively
      followed seven adult patients with ND-CKD (eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73m2), anemia (Hb<11
      g/dl or treatment with ESA), iron deficiency (TSAT<20% and/or ferritin<100 ng/mL)
      and intolerant or non-responders to oral iron supplementation. Patients received
      ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) (single dose of 500 mg iv) eventually followed by
      further doses if iron deficiency persisted. Hemoglobin, ferritin, TSAT and ESA
      doses were recorded at baseline and after 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks.
      RESULTS: After 2 weeks of FCM, ferritin increased from 5348 to 222154 ng/mL
      (P<0.05) and remained steady thereafter. The increase of TSAT from baseline
      (115%) was more gradual being significant from week 4 (198%) up to week 24
      (2412%). During the study, patients received on average 2.31.0 injections of FCM,
      to the amount of 1143440 mg. Hb levels remained stable throughout the study,
      despite a significant reduction of ESA dosage (from 3426 g/week at baseline to
      1116 and 1710 g/week, after 4 and 24 weeks, respectively). On average, the ESA
      dose saving was 2024 g/week. Even considering the higher cost of FCM, ESA dose
      reduction allowed shortening overall costs by 673/patient during the 24 weeks of
      study. CONCLUSION: In ND-CKD patients, FCM is effective in correcting iron
      deficiency and associated with stable Hb levels and significant decrease of ESA
      dosage. This allows a marked reduction of costs for anemia correction.

PMID- 26480262
TI  - [The prevention of corruption].
AB  - The escalation of the crisis between society and administration had a negative
      impact on public administration, as highlighted by criminal acts (bribery,
      extortion, abuse of power). Other consequences of this crisis have been the bad
      administration phenomena, such as delays in carrying out the practices, lack of
      attention to people's questions and failure to comply with working hours. These
      phenomena culminate in treating people without due respect and necessary
      kindness. In this context, the so-called applied ethics has developed, consisting
      of the construction of rules for moral behaviour, adapted to particular fields as
      well as to the public. 

PMID- 26480263
TI  - Muscle stimulation in elderly patients with CKD and sarcopenia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Aim of our study was to assess the potential effects of high-tone
      external muscle stimulation (HTEMS) on improvement of endothelial dysfunction
      (ED) and kidney damage in elderly patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD),
      sarcopenia and/or serious physical disability with a high Multidisciplinary
      Prognostic Index (MPI). METHODS: We enrolled 12 consecutive CKD patients with MPI
      > 0,66 from January 1st, 2008 to December 31st, 2014. Six patients underwent a 2
      hours HTEMS during the first day (group A) and the other six patients (group B)
      underwent a sham experiment with HTEMS without power supply. After 24 hours,
      patients of group A were shifted to group B and vice-versa. Nitrite/nitrate
      (NOx), endotheline-1 (ET-1) and urine creatinine concentration were measured in
      all patients. RESULTS: During HTEMS urine amount increased by 22% (p=0.049), so
      did urine creatinine that increased by 40%, (p=0.034) and creatinine clearance
      that increased by 26% (p=0.041). There was no statistical difference in urine
      nitrogen (that raised by 11%, p=0.526), urine sodium (that reduced by 42%,
      p=0.121) and urine potassium levels (p=0,491). At the same time, NOx changed from
      44.15.1 to 38.45.3 M/L after 1 hour, to 36.44.8 M/L after 2 hours, to 41.15.7 M/L
      after 3 hours and to 46,95.0 M/L after 4 hours (p=0.008) during HTEMS, while it
      did not vary during the sham section of the experiment, respectively 43.66.1 M/L
      , 436.4 M/L, 42.85.5 M/L, 434.7 M/L, and 42.85.8 M/L (p=0.992). CONCLUSION: Our
      study showed that HTEMS may improve microcirculation and, through this mechanism,
      may reduce kidney damage in elderly patients with CKD and severe muscle atrophy.

PMID- 26480264
TI  - [Divest and reallocate: a successful combination to save the public health].

PMID- 26480265
TI  - [Chronic kidney disease: fertility and sexuality].

PMID- 26480266
TI  - [Prescription unsuitability and dialysis].

PMID- 26480267
TI  - Case Study: The Role of Milk  in a Dietary Strategy to Increase Muscle Mass  and
      Improve Recovery in an Elite Sprint Kayaker.
AB  - Flatwater kayaking requires upper-body muscle strength and a lean body
      composition. This case study describes a nutrition intervention with a 19-year
      old male elite sprint kayaker to increase muscle mass and improve recovery
      posttraining. Before the intervention, average daily energy intake was 13.6 +/-
      2.5 MJ (M +/- SD; protein, 1.8 g/kg; carbohydrate, 3.6 g/kg), and the athlete was
      unable to eat sufficient food to meet the energy demands of training. During the
      18-month intervention period, the athlete's daily energy intake increased to 22.1
      +/- 3.8 MJ (protein, 3.2 g/kg; carbohydrate, 7.7 g/kg) by including milk-based
      drinks pre- and posttraining and before bed and an additional carbohydrate-based
      snack midmorning. This simple dietary intervention, along with a structured
      strength and conditioning program, resulted in an increase of 10 kg body mass
      with minimal change in body fat percentage. Adequate vitamin D status was
      maintained without the need for supplementation during the intervention period.
      In addition, the athlete reported the milk-based drinks and carbohydrate snacks
      were easy to consume, and no adverse side effects were experienced. This was the
      first time the athlete was able to maintain weight during intensive phases of the
      training cycle.

PMID- 26480269
TI  - [Executive functions and psychopathology: Current status].
AB  - The aim of this review is to bring clinicians closer to the current discussion
      about the complex concept of Executive Functions in mental disorders that the DSM
      includes in axis 1, such as Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Social Phobia,
      Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The present
      controversies about the definitions of Executive Functions are exposed as well as
      the importance of its study. The article also presents the idea that patients
      with these disorders suffer alterations in their Executive Functions and as the
      knowledge in this area is fragmented and contradictory, it is important to
      continue its study. Finally, the review concludes that not only it is necessary
      to define the neuropsychological profile in different disorders but also to work
      together with the clinicians to build a common place of study and discussion.

PMID- 26480268
TI  - Proteomic analysis of acidocalcisomes of Trypanosoma brucei uncovers their role
      in phosphate metabolism, cation homeostasis, and calcium signaling.
AB  - Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis, is a
      unicellular parasite that possesses lysosome-related organelles known as
      acidocalcisomes. These organelles have been found from bacteria to human cells,
      and are characterized by their acidic nature and high calcium and polyphosphate
      (polyP) content. Our proteomic analysis of acidocalcisomes of T. brucei procyclic
      stages, together with in situ epitope-tagging and immunofluorescence assays with
      specific antibodies against selected proteins, established the presence of 2 H(+)
      pumps, a vacuolar H(+)-ATPase and a vacuolar H(+)-pyrophosphatase, that acidify
      the organelles as well as of a number of transporters and channels involved in
      phosphate metabolism, cation uptake and calcium signaling. Together with recent
      work in other organisms, these results provide direct evidence that
      acidocalcisomes are especially adapted to accumulate polyP bound to cations and
      for calcium signaling. 

PMID- 26480270
TI  - [Prescription patterns in the treatment of schizophrenia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine prescribing patterns for the
      pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia in a sample of Argentinean
      psychiatrists and to compare some results with those obtained in a previous
      survey done on a similar population. METHODS: A self-administered survey was
      conducted among psychiatrists who attended a conference of psychopharmacology
      held in August 2012 in Buenos Aires city. Answers were analyzed descriptively and
      some of them were compared with results of another survey done in 2006 in a
      psychiatry conference. RESULTS: Ninety six percent of the surveyed psychiatrists
      considered that every schizophrenic patient with an acute episode must be
      pharmacologically treated. For the acute and chronic treatment of positive
      symptoms most psychiatrists chose risperidone, haloperidol, olanzapine and
      quetiapine. In contrast, for the chronic treatment of negative symptomatology,
      physicians preferred risperidone, aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine and
      clozapine. An increased choice of quetiapine and aripiprazole was observed
      between this survey and the previous one. Sixty four percent of respondents
      reported using antipsychotic combination, similar as assessed in the previous
      survey. Most preferred to maintain pharmacological treatment during the
      pregnancy, although changing the antipsychotic to haloperidol. Ninety eight
      percent stated that they use some kind of psychotherapy in the treatment.
      CONCLUSION: In the pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia, similarities
      between reported clinical practice and current treatment guidelines were
      observed. There were no significant differences in the prescription patterns
      referred by psychiatrists between 2006 and 2012.

PMID- 26480271
TI  - [Proposal of initial psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological approach in
      patients with diagnose of five different subtypes of Borderline Personality
      Disorder].
AB  - The evidence shows that borderline personality disorder (BPD) is the most
      frequently diagnosed personality disorder. However, the diagnostic criteria are
      very heterogeneous, suggesting that very different patients may be included
      within a single construct. Despite its severity, there are no standardized
      treatments for this group of patients. We find the same problem in the Acute
      Mental Health Services. The numerous proposals that have been put forward are
      unclear and have not reached a final consensus. According to Oldham's
      classification, BPD can be divided into the following subtypes: Affective,
      Impulsive, Aggressive, Empty and Dependent. In this paper, we propose a
      psychotherapeutic initial approach from the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
      perspective and an initial psychopharmacological approach for each subtype of
      BPD.

PMID- 26480272
TI  - ['Third generation' psychotherapies].

PMID- 26480273
TI  - [Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Behaviorism, mindfulness and values].
AB  - Over the last decades a series of psychological treatments labeled 'Third
      Generation Therapies' have been developed. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
      (ACT) is a third generation therapy that essentially seeks to promote the
      acceptance of private events in opposition to their modification or change, with
      the aim of promoting cognitive flexibility. Thus, it is intended that the subject
      be permitted to choose their behavior consistent with personal values. The
      current work aims to provide overview specific to the contextual conditions that
      promoted the emergence of ACT, the underlying philosophy and theory, and the
      particularities of the intervention model.

PMID- 26480274
TI  - [Functional Analytic Psychotherapy: Approaches and scope of behavior therapy
      based on changes in the therapeutic context].
AB  - Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) is a therapeutic approach developed in
      'third wave therapies' context. FAP is characterized by use therapeutic
      relationship and the behaviors emit into it to improve clients daily life
      functioning. This therapeutic model is supported in behavior analysis principles
      and contextual functionalism philosophy. FAP proposes that clients behavior in
      session are functional equivalent with those out of session; therefore, when
      therapists respond to clients behaviors in session contingently, they promote and
      increase improvements in the natural setting. This article poses main features of
      FAP, its philosophical roots, achievements and research challenges to establish
      FAP as an independent treatment based on the evidence.

PMID- 26480275
TI  - [Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and the 'Third Wave' of Cognitive
      Bahavioral Therapies (CBT)].
AB  - The paper presents the reasons that led to the incorporation of mindfulness as
      part of a cognitive therapy approach to the prevention of relapse of recurrent
      depressive disorders. It describes the context in which models focused on the
      contents of cognition gave way to models focused on cognitive processes. We
      highlight the problems encountered by the standard cognitive model when trying to
      account for the cognitive vulnerability of individuals who, having experienced a
      depressive episode, are in remission. We briefly describe the theoretical
      foundations of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and its therapeutic approach.

PMID- 26480276
TI  - [Dialectical-Behavior Therapy: A possible treatment for patients with severe
      disorders].
AB  - Clinical work with patient suffering complex or multiple problems represents one
      of the biggest challenges for mental health professionals. The third wave of
      cognitive behavioral therapies emphasizes the context and function of
      psychological events more so than their validity, frequency, or form, while
      incorporating processes of acceptance and mindfulness. The current work aims to
      provide a description of one type of these therapies, Dialectical Behavioral
      Therapy (DBT), which was developed by Dr. Marsha M. Linehan. In the 80's DBT's
      efficacy was investigated among women diagnosed with borderline personality
      disorder, while later extending the model to be used for other disorders.
      Specifically, the orientation of DBT, the central dialectic component between
      acceptance and change, validation procedures, and changes are explained.
      Moreover, the biosocial theory of the etiology and maintenance of behavioral
      problems are considered. Lastly, the targeted problems specific to when they
      occurred and their components for treatment are explained in stages.

PMID- 26480277
TI  - [Christofried Jakob: The arrival of the science of brain to the Modern Argentina
      (1899-1956)].

PMID- 26480278
TI  - [The man without brain. Biopathological studies about dysgenesis of central
      nervous system in the man].

PMID- 26480279
TI  - [Anthropology of curses].
AB  - The symbolic order offers a great number of opportunities for understanding man's
      greatest fears. Based on Levi-Strauss' original concept, we can study the
      symbolic efficacy of curses and enrich it with the most recent contributions of
      neuroscience, philosophy, and the anthropology of consciousness. This is a report
      of qualitative research traversed by the methods of phenomenology and symbolic
      hermeneutics on a rarely addressed subject of unique significance to cultural
      psychiatry. We have worked on the empirical data of some classic religious curses
      of great historical value, but we have also inquired into the phenomenon of
      secular excommunication. Finally, we have interpreted the symbols used in curses
      and the areas of the psyche that they succeed in mobilizing. We suggest that the
      primary core of curses is dogma, without which their symbolic efficacy would not
      be possible.

PMID- 26480281
TI  - Epiplakin is a Paraneoplastic Pemphigus Autoantigen and Related to Bronchiolitis
      Obliterans in Japanese Patients.
AB  - All plakin family proteins are known to be autoantigens in paraneoplastic
      pemphigus (PNP). In this study, we first examined whether PNP sera also react
      with epiplakin, another plakin protein, by various immunological methods using 48
      Japanese PNP sera. Immunofluorescence confirmed that cultured keratinocytes
      expressed epiplakin. Epiplakin was detected by 72.9% of PNP sera by
      immunoprecipitation-immunoblotting with KU-8 cell extract, but not by
      immunoblotting of either normal human epidermal extract or KU-8 cell extract.
      Epiplakin was essentially not detected by 95 disease and normal control sera.
      Statistical analyses of various clinical and immunological findings revealed
      significant correlation of the presence of anti-epiplakin antibodies with both
      bronchiolitis obliterans and mortality. No epiplakin-negative PNP case developed
      bronchiolitis obliterans. However, although 29.4% of European PNP patients had
      bronchiolitis obliterans, significant correlation with anti-epiplakin
      autoantibodies was not observed. In further studies for lung, immunofluorescence
      showed the presence of epiplakin in normal human lung, particularly respiratory
      bronchiole, immunoprecipitation-immunoblotting showed that PNP sera reacted with
      epiplakin in cultured lung cells, and mice injected with polyclonal antibody
      specific to epiplakin histopathologically showed abnormal changes in small airway
      epithelia. These results indicated that epiplakin is one of major PNP
      autoantigens and is related to PNP-related bronchiolitis obliterans.Journal of
      Investigative Dermatology accepted article preview online, 19 October 2015.
      doi:10.1038/jid.2015.408.

PMID- 26480282
TI  - Factors Driving Local Health Departments' Partnerships With Other Organizations
      in Maternal and Child Health, Communicable Disease Prevention, and Chronic
      Disease Control.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe levels of partnership between local health departments
      (LHDs) and other community organizations in maternal and child health (MCH),
      communicable disease prevention, and chronic disease control and to assess LHD
      organizational characteristics and community factors that contribute to
      partnerships. DATA SOURCES: Data were drawn from the National Association of
      County & City Health Officials' 2013 National Profile Study (Profile Study) and
      the Area Health Resources File. LHDs that received module 1 of the Profile Study
      were asked to describe the level of partnership in MCH, communicable disease
      prevention, and chronic disease control. Levels of partnership included "not
      involved," "networking," "coordinating," "cooperating," and "collaborating," with
      "collaborating" as the highest level of partnership. Covariates included both LHD
      organizational and community factors. Data analyses were conducted using Stata 13
      SVY procedures to account for the Profile Study's survey design. RESULTS: About
      82%, 92%, and 80% of LHDs partnered with other organizations in MCH, communicable
      disease prevention, and chronic disease control programs, respectively. LHDs
      having a public health physician on staff were more likely to partner in chronic
      disease control programs (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.33; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], 1.03-5.25). Larger per capita expenditure was also associated with
      partnerships in MCH (AOR = 2.43; 95% CI, 1.22-4.86) and chronic disease
      prevention programs (AOR = 1.76; 95% CI, 1.09-2.86). Completion of a community
      health assessment was associated with partnership in MCH (AOR = 7.26; 95% CI,
      2.90-18.18), and chronic disease prevention (AOR = 5.10; 95% CI, 2.28-11.39).
      CONCLUSION: About 1 in 5 LHDs did not have any partnerships in chronic disease
      control. LHD partnerships should be promoted to improve care coordination and
      utilization of limited health care resources. Factors that might promote LHDs'
      partnerships include having a public health physician on staff, higher per capita
      expenditure, and completion of a community health assessment. Community context
      likely influences types and levels of partnerships. A better understanding of
      these contextual factors may lead to more complete and effective LHD
      partnerships.

PMID- 26480283
TI  - Delivering Partner Services to Reduce Transmission and Promote Linkage to Care:
      Process Outcomes Varied for Chlamydial Infection, Gonorrhea, HIV, and Syphilis
      Cases.
AB  - CONTEXT: Partner services for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, a public
      health intervention activity recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and
      Prevention, includes counseling, partner notification, linkage to care, and
      referral to other services. OBJECTIVE: A time study of partner services case
      investigations documented differences in times to process HIV/sexually
      transmitted disease cases. SETTING: Cases were from 9 local and regional sites in
      New York. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-two partner services disease investigators
      documented 542 randomly selected cases (271 chlamydial infections, 162 gonorrhea,
      48 HIV, and 61 syphilis cases) assigned between June and September 2014. Cases
      were the unit of the analysis and represented 6.9% of all partner services
      investigations in 2014. DESIGN: Cases were selected via stratified random
      sampling of infections assigned to staff. For each case, disease investigators
      completed a standard time study form to document the time spent on specific tasks
      and other outcomes. Kruskal-Wallis tests for continuous variables and chi tests
      for categorical variables assessed variation in outcomes across infection type.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcomes included minutes spent on specific tasks (such as
      medical provider and index case outreach, travel, and partner notification), days
      the case remained open, disposition codes, and number of partners reached.
      RESULTS: Case processing times varied, with HIV and syphilis tasks taking more
      minutes (P < .001) and cases staying open for more days (P < .001). Partners were
      notified in 33% of cases overall, with more notifications in syphilis (44%). Most
      time (median = 77%) was spent on index cases and 2% (median) on partner
      notification, with a wide range across cases. CONCLUSIONS: Given their chronic
      resource constraints, public health agencies must identify efficient methods to
      allocate resources, including which infections to prioritize. Documenting how
      workers allocate time across cases is essential to improving the effectiveness
      and efficiency of this program and generating the data to model return on
      investment.

PMID- 26480284
TI  - Increased Risk of Atrial Fibrillation After Treatment for Differentiated Thyroid
      Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) have a favorable
      prognosis after treatment with thyroidectomy, radioiodine, and TSH suppression.
      However, treatment is associated with long-term cardiovascular toxicity. The aim
      of this study was to evaluate whether there is an increased risk of atrial
      fibrillation (AF) in DTC patients and whether AF occurrence is related to DTC
      treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Incident AF was compared between 518 DTC
      patients and 1563 matched controls. A cumulative incidence curve was plotted, and
      competing risk regression analyses with adjustment for all-cause mortality were
      performed. Within the DTC cohort, associations between time-varying DTC treatment
      variables and incident AF were analyzed. RESULTS: For both cohorts, the mean age
      was 48.6 years (75% of subjects were women). The AF incidence rate was 6.2/1000
      person-years for DTC patients and 2.7/1000 person-years for controls. DTC
      patients had a 2.25-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40-3.63) and 2.47-fold
      (95% CI, 1.55-3.95) increased AF risk in crude and fully adjusted analyses,
      respectively. Within the DTC cohort, the TSH level (which was suppressed in 85.7%
      of patients) was not associated with AF, whereas a higher cumulative radioiodine
      dose slightly increased AF risk: subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.04 (95% CI, 1.01
      1.08) per 50 mCi (1.85 GBq) increase, after adjustment. CONCLUSION: Patients with
      DTC have an increased AF risk, independent from established AF risk factors. We
      could not demonstrate a relation between TSH and AF, whereas a higher cumulative
      radioiodine dose was associated with a slightly increased AF risk.
      Electrocardiogram screening for AF may be warranted during follow-up of DTC
      patients to allow early diagnosis and treatment of AF and to prevent its
      complications.

PMID- 26480285
TI  - No Association Between Transient Hypothyroxinemia of Prematurity and
      Neurodevelopmental Outcome in Young Adulthood.
AB  - CONTEXT: Transient hypothyroxinemia of prematurity (THoP) has been associated
      with neurodevelopmental impairment in infancy and childhood. It is not known
      whether these relations persist into adulthood. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to
      examine whether there is an effect of THoP on intelligence quotient (IQ) score
      and motor functioning at a young adult age. DESIGN: This study was part of the 19
      year follow-up of the Project On Preterm and Small-for-gestational-age birth
      (POPS) cohort, which included infants born very preterm (ie, <32 wk) and/or with
      a very low birth weight (ie, <1500 g). SETTING: This was a multicenter study.
      PATIENTS: There were 398 19-year-old participants of the POPS cohort, of whom 120
      had THoP. EXPOSURE: T4 concentrations were obtained through the national neonatal
      screening program for congenital hypothyroidism. THoP was defined as a total T4
      concentration < -3 SD of the daily mean (approximately 60 nmol/L). MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Main outcome measures were IQ and motor functioning, measured with the
      digital Multicultural Capacities Test-Intermediate Level and a revised version of
      Touwen's examination of minor neurological dysfunction, respectively. RESULTS:
      THoP was not associated with IQ score (mean difference, 0 [95% confidence
      interval, -3.8 to 3.8] points) or motor function (mean difference, 0.6 [95%
      confidence interval, -1.3 to 2.5] points) after adjustment for demographic and
      perinatal characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: No associations between THoP and
      neurodevelopmental outcome at age 19 years were found.

PMID- 26480286
TI  - Circulating Microvesicles Regulate Treg and Th17 Differentiation in Human
      Autoimmune Thyroid Disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microvesicles (MVs) are emerging as important contributors to the
      development of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. MVs can mediate immune
      modulation carrying genetic information, including microRNAs that can be
      transferred between cells. DESIGN: We determined the plasma levels of annexin-V+
      MVs derived from different immune cells and platelets in patients with autoimmune
      thyroid diseases (AITDs) and in healthy controls. T lymphocyte polarization
      assays were performed in the presence of MVs to evaluate their effect in T
      regulatory and T helper 17 cells differentiation. microRNA content into plasma
      MVs and their corresponding mRNA targets were evaluated by RT-PCR. RESULTS: The
      percentage of platelet-derived MVs (CD41a+) was significantly increased in plasma
      samples from AITD patients compared with healthy controls. In contrast, patients
      with AITD showed a lower percentage of leukocyte and endothelial cell-derived MVs
      compared with controls. In addition, functional assays showed that MVs from AITD
      patients inhibited the in vitro differentiation of Foxp3+ T regulatory cells
      (11.35% vs 4.40%, P = .01) and induced the expression of interferon-gamma by CD4+
      lymphocytes (10.91% vs 13.99%, P = .01) as well as the differentiation of T
      helper 17 pathogenic (IL-17+interferon-gamma+) cells (1.98% vs 5.13%, P = .03).
      Furthermore, in AITD patients, whereas miR-146a and miR-155 were increased in
      circulating MVs, their targets IL-8 and SMAD4 were decreased in peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that circulating MVs seem to
      have a relevant role in the modulation of the inflammatory response observed in
      AITD.

PMID- 26480287
TI  - Application of imaging fusion combining contrast-enhanced ultrasound and magnetic
      resonance imaging in detection of hepatic cellular carcinomas undetectable by
      conventional ultrasound.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: The aim of this study is to explore the value of volume
      navigation image fusion-assisted contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in detection
      for radiofrequency ablation guidance of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), which
      were undetectable on conventional ultrasound. METHODS: From May 2012 to May 2014,
      41 patients with 49 HCCs were included in this study. All lesions were detected
      by dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and planned for radiofrequency
      ablation but were undetectable on conventional ultrasound. After a bolus
      injection of 2.4 ml SonoVue(r) (Bracco, Italy), LOGIQ E9 ultrasound system with
      volume navigation system (version R1.0.5, GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA) was
      used to fuse CEUS and MRI images. The fusion time, fusion success rate, lesion
      enhancement pattern, and detection rate were analyzed. RESULTS: Image fusions
      were conducted successfully in 49 HCCs, the technical success rate was 100%. The
      average fusion time was (9.2 +/- 2.1) min (6-12 min). The mean diameter of HCCs
      was 25.2 +/- 5.3 mm (mean +/- SD), and mean depth was 41.8 +/- 17.2 mm. The
      detection rate of HCCs using CEUS/MRI imaging fusion (95.9%, 47/49) was
      significantly higher than CEUS (42.9%, 21/49) (P < 0.05). For small HCCs
      (diameter, 1-2 cm), the detection rate using imaging fusion (96.9%, 32/33) was
      also significantly higher than CEUS (18.2%, 6/33) (P < 0.01). All HCCs displayed
      a rapid wash-in pattern in the arterial phase of CEUS. CONCLUSIONS: Imaging
      fusion combining CEUS and MRI is a promising technique to improve the detection,
      precise localization, and accurate diagnosis of undetectable HCCs on conventional
      ultrasound, especially small and atypical HCCs.

PMID- 26480289
TI  - Visible-Light Modulation on Lattice Dielectric Responses of a Piezo-Phototronic
      Soft Material.
AB  - In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction is used to investigate a three-way piezo
      phototronic soft material. This new system is composed of a semi-crystalline
      poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) piezoelectric polymer and titanium
      oxide nanoparticles. Under light illumination, photon-induced piezoelectric
      responses are nearly two times higher at both the lattice-structure and the
      macroscopic level than under conditions without light illumination. A mechanistic
      model is proposed. 

PMID- 26480290
TI  - An Observational Study of 2,248 Patients Presenting With Headache, Suggestive of
      Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Who Received Lumbar Punctures Following Normal Computed
      Tomography of the Head.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective was to determine the incidence of subarachnoid
      hemorrhage (SAH) diagnosed by lumbar puncture (LP) when the head computed
      tomography (CT) was reported as demonstrating no subarachnoid blood. METHODS:
      Data were obtained on patients who received LP to diagnose or exclude SAH
      attending six hospitals over 5 years. Subsequent investigations and outcomes were
      reviewed in all patients with LPs that did not exclude SAH. RESULTS: A total of
      2,248 patients were included. A total of 1,898 LPs were suitable for biochemical
      analysis, of which 92 (4.8%) were positive for blood, suggesting SAH; 1,507
      (79.4%) were negative; and 299 (15.6%) were inconclusive. Of the 92 patients with
      positive cerebrospinal fluid analysis, eight patients (0.4%) had aneurysms on
      further imaging, and one had a carotid cavernous fistula. CONCLUSIONS: In
      patients presenting to the emergency department with acute severe headache, LP to
      diagnose or exclude SAH after negative head CT has a very low diagnostic yield,
      due to low prevalence of the disease and uninterpretable or inconclusive samples.
      A clinical decision rule may improve diagnostic yield by selecting patients
      requiring further evaluation with LP following nondiagnostic or normal
      noncontrast CT brain imaging.

PMID- 26480288
TI  - Viral activation of stress-regulated Rho-GTPase signaling pathway disrupts sites
      of mRNA degradation to influence cellular gene expression.
AB  - Viruses are useful tools that often reveal previously unrecognized levels of
      control within a cell. By studying the oncogenic Kaposi's sarcoma-associated
      herpesvirus (KSHV), we discovered a new signaling axis in endothelial cells (ECs)
      that links actin cytoskeleton dynamics to post-transcriptional control of gene
      expression. Translational repression and rapid decay of mRNAs containing AU-rich
      elements (AREs) occurs in cytoplasmic RNA granules known as processing bodies
      (PBs). Rho-GTPase activity influences PB dynamics but mechanistic details remain
      obscure. We have previously shown that the KSHV Kaposin B protein blocks the
      degradation of ARE-mRNAs that encode potent cytokines and angiogenic factors, at
      least in part by preventing PB formation. Moreover, Kaposin B is sufficient to
      cause marked alterations in endothelial cell physiology including the formation
      of long parallel actin stress fibers and accelerated migration and angiogenic
      phenotypes. All of these phenotypes depend on Kaposin B-mediated activation of a
      non-canonical signaling pathway comprising the stress-inducible kinase MK2,
      hsp27, p115RhoGEF and RhoA. Accelerated endothelial cell migration and
      angiogenesis depends on the subsequent activation of the RhoA-dependent kinase
      ROCK, but PB disruption is ROCK-independent. In this Commentary, we discuss
      implications of the activation of this signaling axis, and propose mechanistic
      links between RhoA activation and PB dynamics.

PMID- 26480291
TI  - Improved accuracy and precision of tracer kinetic parameters by joint fitting to
      variable flip angle and dynamic contrast enhanced MRI data.
AB  - PURPOSE: To improve the accuracy and precision of tracer kinetic model parameter
      estimates for use in dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI studies of solid tumors.
      THEORY: Quantitative DCE-MRI requires an estimate of precontrast T1 , which is
      obtained prior to fitting a tracer kinetic model. As T1 mapping and tracer
      kinetic signal models are both a function of precontrast T1 it was hypothesized
      that its joint estimation would improve the accuracy and precision of both
      precontrast T1 and tracer kinetic model parameters. METHODS: Accuracy and/or
      precision of two-compartment exchange model (2CXM) parameters were evaluated for
      standard and joint fitting methods in well-controlled synthetic data and for 36
      bladder cancer patients. Methods were compared under a number of experimental
      conditions. RESULTS: In synthetic data, joint estimation led to statistically
      significant improvements in the accuracy of estimated parameters in 30 of 42
      conditions (improvements between 1.8% and 49%). Reduced accuracy was observed in
      7 of the remaining 12 conditions. Significant improvements in precision were
      observed in 35 of 42 conditions (between 4.7% and 50%). In clinical data,
      significant improvements in precision were observed in 18 of 21 conditions
      (between 4.6% and 38%). CONCLUSION: Accuracy and precision of DCE-MRI parameter
      estimates are improved when signal models are fit jointly rather than
      sequentially. Magn Reson Med 76:1270-1281, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26480293
TI  - Quantum theory of concerted electronic and nuclear fluxes associated with
      adiabatic intramolecular processes.
AB  - An elementary molecular process can be characterized by the flow of particles
      (i.e., electrons and nuclei) that compose the system. The flow, in turn, is
      quantitatively described by the flux (i.e., the time-sequence of maps of the rate
      of flow of particles though specified surfaces of observation) or, in more
      detail, by the flux density. The quantum theory of concerted electronic and
      nuclear fluxes (CENFs) associated with electronically adiabatic intramolecular
      processes is presented. In particular, it is emphasized how the electronic
      continuity equation can be employed to circumvent the failure of the Born
      Oppenheimer approximation, which always predicts a vanishing electronic flux
      density (EFD). It is also shown that all CENFs accompanying coherent tunnelling
      between equivalent "reactant" and "product" configurations of isolated molecules
      are synchronous. The theory is applied to three systems of increasing complexity.
      The first application is to vibrating, aligned H2(+)((2)Sigmag(+)), or vibrating
      and dissociating H2(+)((2)Sigmag(+), J = 0, M = 0). The EFD maps manifest a rich
      and surprising structure in this simplest of systems; for example, they show that
      the EFD is not necessarily synchronous with the nuclear flux density and can
      alternate in direction several times over the length of the molecule. The second
      application is to coherent tunnelling isomerization in the model inorganic system
      B4, in which all CENFs are synchronous. The contributions of core and valence
      electrons to the EFD are separately computed and it is found that core electrons
      flow with the nuclei, whereas the valence electrons flow obliquely to the core
      electrons in distinctive patterns. The third application is to the Cope
      rearrangement of semibullvalene, which also involves coherent tunnelling. An
      especially interesting discovery is that the so-called "pericyclic" electrons do
      not behave in the manner typically portrayed by the traditional Lewis structures
      with appended arrows. Indeed, it is found that only about 3 pericyclic electrons
      flow, in contrast to the 6 predicted by the Lewis picture. It is remarkable that
      the time scales of these three processes vary by 18 orders of magnitude:
      femtoseconds (H2(+)((2)Sigmag(+))); picoseconds (B4); kilosceconds
      (semibullvalene). It is emphasized that results presented herein are appearing in
      the literature for the first time. 

PMID- 26480292
TI  - Childhood Respiratory Morbidity after Late Preterm and Early Term Delivery: a
      Study of Medicaid Patients in South Carolina.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a growing body of research documenting an increased risk of
      neonatal morbidity for late preterm infants (LPI, 34(0/7) weeks to 36(6/7) weeks)
      and early term infants (ETI, 37(0/7) weeks to 38(6/7) weeks) compared with term
      infants (TI, 39(0/7) to 41(6/7) ); however, there has been little research on
      outcomes beyond the first year of life. In this study, we examined respiratory
      outcomes of LPI and ETI in early childhood. METHODS: South Carolina Medicaid
      claims data for maternal delivery and infant birth hospitalisations were linked
      to vital records data for the years 2000 through 2003. Medicaid claims for all
      infants were then followed until their fifth birthday or until a break in their
      eligibility. Infants born between 34(0/7) and 41(6/7) weeks were eligible.
      Infants with congenital anomaly, birthweight below 500 g or above 6000 g, and
      multiple births were excluded. We fit Cox proportional hazard models from which
      adjusted hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were derived.
      RESULTS: A total of 3476 LPI, 12 398 ETI, and 25 975 term infants were included.
      Both LPI and ETI were associated with an increased risk for asthma (LPI: HR 1.24,
      95% CI 1.10, 1.40; ETI: HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.06, 1.19), and bronchitis (LPI: HR
      1.15, 95% CI 1.00, 1.34; ETI: HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.05, 1.2) at 3 to 5 years of age.
      CONCLUSIONS: Late preterm infants and early term infants are at increased risk
      for asthma and bronchitis.

PMID- 26480295
TI  - Pentafluorophenyl Ester-based Polymersomes as Nanosized Drug-Delivery Vehicles.
AB  - In this work, activated ester chemistry is employed to synthesize biocompatible
      and readily functionalizable polymersomes. Via aminolysis of pentafluorophenyl
      methacrylate-based precursor polymers, an N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide
      (HPMA)-analog hydrophilic block is obtained. The precursor polymers can be
      versatile functionalized by simple addition of suitable primary amines during
      aminolysis as demonstrated using a fluorescent dye. Vesicle formation is proven
      by cryoTEM and light scattering. High encapsulation efficiencies for hydrophilic
      cargo like siRNA are achieved using dual centrifugation and safe encapsulation is
      demonstrated by gel electrophoresis. In vitro studies reveal low cytotoxicity and
      no protein adsorption-induced aggregation in human blood serum occurs, making the
      vesicles interesting candidates as nanosized drug carriers.

PMID- 26480294
TI  - Usefulness of Multi-Parametric MRI for the Investigation of Posterior Cortical
      Atrophy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA) is a neurodegenerative disease
      characterized by a progressive decline in selective cognitive functions
      anatomically referred to occipital, parietal and temporal brain regions, whose
      diagnosis is rather challenging for clinicians. The aim of this study was to
      assess, using quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging techniques, the pattern of
      regional grey matter loss and metabolism in individuals with PCA to improve
      pathophysiological comprehension and diagnostic confidence. METHODS: We enrolled
      5 patients with PCA and 5 matched controls who all underwent magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS). Patients also underwent neuropsychological
      and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) assessments. MRI data were used for unbiased
      assessment of regional grey matter loss in PCA patients compared to controls. MRS
      data were obtained from a set of brain regions, including the occipital lobe and
      the centrum semiovale bilaterally, and the posterior and anterior cingulate.
      RESULTS: VBM analysis documented the presence of focal brain atrophy in the
      occipital lobes and in the posterior parietal and temporal lobes bilaterally but
      more pronounced on the right hemisphere. MRS revealed, in the occipital lobes and
      in the posterior cingulate cortex of PCA patients, reduced levels of N-Acetyl
      Aspartate (NAA, a marker of neurodegeneration) and increased levels of Myo
      Inositol (Ins, a glial marker), with no hemispheric lateralization. CONCLUSION:
      The bilateral but asymmetric pattern of regional grey matter loss is consistent
      with patients' clinical and neuropsychological features and with previous
      literature. The MRS findings reveal different stages of neurodegeneration
      (neuronal loss; gliosis), which coexist and likely precede the occurrence of
      brain tissue loss, and might represent early biomarkers. In conclusion, this
      study indicates the potential usefulness of a multi-parametric MRI approach for
      an early diagnosis and staging of patients with PCA.

PMID- 26480296
TI  - Ligament of the head of femur: A comprehensive review of its anatomy, embryology,
      and potential function.
AB  - The functional significance of the ligament of the head of femur (LHF), or
      ligamentum teres has often been debated. Having gained recent attention in
      clinical practice, it is suggested to partly provide some mechanical stability to
      the hip joint. However, the anatomy of this ligament is not well studied. This
      paper systematically reviews the anatomy of the LHF with the aim of exploring our
      current understanding of this structure and identifying any gaps in knowledge
      regarding its morphology and function. A systematic search of Medline, Embase,
      ProQuest, Web of Science, and Scopus databases was undertaken and relevant data
      extracted, analyzed. A total of 69 references were obtained, that included 53
      full text articles, three published abstracts, and 13 textbooks. Many
      publications related to clinical studies (n = 11) rather than gross anatomy (n =
      7), with one report on variation of the LHF. Considerable inconsistency in the
      naming and description of the LHF morphology was observed. Variable attachment
      sites were reported except for the acetabular notch, transverse acetabular
      ligament, and the femoral fovea. Presence and patency of the ligamental arteries
      supplying the head of the femur and their exact location were variably described
      and were often incomplete. The LHF is believed to be taught in extreme hip
      adduction, but there is little evidence to support this. In conclusions, further
      investigation of the anatomy of the LHF is recommended, particularly to clarify
      its mechanical role, innervation, and vascular contribution to the developing and
      adult femur, so to better inform clinical practice.

PMID- 26480297
TI  - Modulation of 17beta-Estradiol Signaling on Cellular Proliferation by Caveolin-2.
AB  - The sex hormone 17beta-estradiol (E2) exerts pleiotropic effects by binding to
      the ligand-activated transcription factor estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha). The
      E2:ERalpha complex regulates several physiological processes, including cell
      survival and proliferation, through transcriptional effects (i.e., estrogen
      responsive element [ERE]-based gene transcription) and non-transcriptional
      membrane-initiated effects (i.e., the activation of extra-nuclear signaling
      cascades), which derive from the activation of the pool of ERalpha that is
      localized to plasma membrane caveolae. Caveolae are omega-shaped membrane sub
      domains that are composed of scaffold proteins named caveolins (i.e., caveolin-1,
      caveolin-2, and caveolin-3). Although caveolin-3 is exclusively expressed in
      muscles, caveolin-1 and caveolin-2 are co-expressed in all human tissues. From a
      functional point of view, caveolin-2 can operate both dependently on and
      independently of caveolin-1, which is the main coat component of caveolae.
      Interestingly, while a functional interplay between caveolin-1 and ERalpha has
      been reported in the control of E2-induced physiological effects, the role of
      caveolin-2 in E2:ERalpha signaling within the cell remains poorly understood.
      This study shows that siRNA-mediated caveolin-2 depletion in breast ductal
      carcinoma cells (MCF-7) reduces E2-induced ERalpha phosphorylation at serine
      residue 118 (S118), controls intracellular receptor levels, precludes ERalpha
      mediated extra-nuclear activation of signaling pathways, reduces ERalpha
      transcriptional activity, and prevents cellular proliferation. Meanwhile, the
      impact of caveolin-1 depletion on ERalpha signaling in MCF-7 cells is shown to be
      similar to that elicited by siRNA-mediated caveolin-2 depletion. Altogether,
      these data demonstrate that caveolin-2 expression is necessary for the control of
      E2-dependent cellular proliferation.

PMID- 26480298
TI  - Cytosolically expressed PrP GPI-signal peptide interacts with mitochondria.
AB  - We previously reported that PrP GPI-anchor signal peptide (GPI-SP) is
      specifically degraded by the proteasome. Additionally, we showed that the point
      mutation P238S, responsible for a genetic form of prion diseases, while not
      affecting the GPI-anchoring process, results in the accumulation of PrP GPI-SP,
      suggesting the possibility that PrP GPI-anchor signal peptide could play a role
      in neurodegenerative prion diseases. We now show that PrP GPI-SP, when expressed
      as a cytosolic peptide, is able to localize to the mitochondria and to induce
      mitochondrial fragmentation and vacuolarization, followed by loss in
      mitochondrial membrane potential, ultimately resulting in apoptosis. Our results
      identify the GPI-SP of PrP as a novel candidate responsible for the impairment in
      mitochondrial function involved in the synaptic pathology observed in prion
      diseases, establishing a link between PrP GPI-SP accumulation and neuronal death.

PMID- 26480300
TI  - Sympathetic activation in cardiovascular disease: evidence, clinical impact and
      therapeutic implications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The sympathetic nervous exerts a key role in cardiovascular
      homeostasis control by regulating cardiac output, systemic vascular resistance,
      heart rate and blood pressure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data collected during the
      past 30 years have unequivocally shown that in a considerable number of
      cardiovascular as well as noncardiovascular disease there is a marked activation
      of the sympathetic nervous system which exerts in the long-term period
      unfavourable haemodynamic, metabolic, cardiovascular and renal effects. RESULTS:
      This paper will review the current knowledge on the alterations in sympathetic
      function described in cardiovascular disease, with particular focus on
      hypertension, heart failure and myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: The
      consequences of the phoenomenon will be discussed together with its therapeutic
      implications. This will be done by examining the impact of nonpharmacological as
      well as pharmacological interventions on sympathetic cardiovascular drive. The
      effects of new invasive approaches, such as carotid baroreceptor stimulation as
      well as renal nerves ablation, will be also briefly discussed.

PMID- 26480299
TI  - Whole-exome Sequence Analysis Implicates Rare Il17REL Variants in Familial and
      Sporadic Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rare variants (<1%) likely contribute significantly to risk for
      common diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in specific patient
      subsets, such as those with high familiality. They are, however, extraordinarily
      challenging to identify. METHODS: To discover candidate rare variants associated
      with IBD, we performed whole-exome sequencing on 6 members of a pediatric-onset
      IBD family with multiple affected individuals. To determine whether the variants
      discovered in this family are also associated with nonfamilial IBD, we
      investigated their influence on disease in 2 large case-control (CC) series.
      RESULTS: We identified 2 rare variants, rs142430606 and rs200958270, both in the
      established IBD-susceptibility gene IL17REL, carried by all 4 affected family
      members and their obligate carrier parents. We then demonstrated that both
      variants are associated with sporadic ulcerative colitis (UC) in 2 independent
      data sets. For UC in CC 1: rs142430606 (odds ratio [OR] = 2.99, Padj = 0.028;
      minor allele frequency [MAF]cases = 0.0063, MAFcontrols = 0.0021); rs200958270
      (OR = 2.61, Padj = 0.082; MAFcases = 0.0045, MAFcontrols = 0.0017). For UC in CC
      2: rs142430606 (OR = 1.94, P = 0.0056; MAFcases = 0.0071, MAFcontrols = 0.0045);
      rs200958270 (OR = 2.08, P = 0.0028; MAFcases = 0.0071, MAFcontrols = 0.0042).
      CONCLUSIONS: We discover in a family and replicate in 2 CC data sets 2 rare
      susceptibility variants for IBD, both in IL17REL. Our results illustrate that
      whole-exome sequencing performed on disease-enriched families to guide
      association testing can be an efficient strategy for the discovery of rare
      disease-associated variants. We speculate that rare variants identified in
      families and confirmed in the general population may be important modifiers of
      disease risk for patients with a family history, and that genetic testing of
      these variants may be warranted in this patient subset.

PMID- 26480301
TI  - Lipid disequilibrium in biological membranes, a possible pathway to
      neurodegeneration.
AB  - We recently reported that knocking down the enzyme phosphatidylserine
      decarboxylase, which synthesizes the phospholipid phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)
      in mitochondria, perturbs the homeostasis of the human Parkinson disease (PD)
      protein alpha-synuclein (expressed in yeast or worms). In yeast, low PE in the
      psd1Delta deletion mutant induces alpha-synuclein to enter cytoplasmic foci, the
      level of this protein increases 3-fold compared to wild-type cells, and the
      mutant cells are severely sick. The metabolite ethanolamine protects both yeast
      and worms from the deleterious synergistic effects of low mitochondrial PE and
      alpha-synuclein. Here we highlight a Drosophila mutant called easily shocked
      thought to be a model of epilepsy-that cannot use ethanolamine to synthesize PE.
      We also highlight recently identified mutated genes associated with defective
      lipid metabolism in PD and epilepsy patients. We propose that disruptions in
      lipid homeostasis (synthesis and degradation) may be responsible for some cases
      of PD and epilepsy. 

PMID- 26480302
TI  - E-learning, dual-task, and cognitive load: The anatomy of a failed experiment.
AB  - The rising popularity of commercial anatomy e-learning tools has been sustained,
      in part, due to increased annual enrollment and a reduction in laboratory hours
      across educational institutions. While e-learning tools continue to gain
      popularity, the research methodologies used to investigate their impact on
      learning remain imprecise. As new user interfaces are introduced, it is critical
      to understand how functionality can influence the load placed on a student's
      memory resources, also known as cognitive load. To study cognitive load, a dual
      task paradigm wherein a learner performs two tasks simultaneously is often used,
      however, its application within educational research remains uncommon. Using
      previous paradigms as a guide, a dual-task methodology was developed to assess
      the cognitive load imposed by two commercial anatomical e-learning tools. Results
      indicate that the standard dual-task paradigm, as described in the literature, is
      insensitive to the cognitive load disparities across e-learning tool interfaces.
      Confounding variables included automation of responses, task performance
      tradeoff, and poor understanding of primary task cognitive load requirements,
      leading to unreliable quantitative results. By modifying the secondary task from
      a basic visual response to a more cognitively demanding task, such as a modified
      Stroop test, the automation of secondary task responses can be reduced.
      Furthermore, by recording baseline measures for the primary task as well as the
      secondary task, it is possible for task performance tradeoff to be detected.
      Lastly, it is imperative that the cognitive load of the primary task be designed
      such that it does not overwhelm the individual's ability to learn new material.

PMID- 26480303
TI  - Liver injury-on-a-chip: microfluidic co-cultures with integrated biosensors for
      monitoring liver cell signaling during injury.
AB  - Tissue injury triggers complex communication between cells via secreted signaling
      molecules such as cytokines and growth factors. Discerning when and where these
      signals begin and how they propagate over time is very challenging with existing
      cell culture and analysis tools. The goal of this study was to develop new tools
      in the form of microfluidic co-cultures with integrated biosensors for local and
      continuous monitoring of secreted signals. Specifically, we focused on how
      alcohol injury affects TGF-beta signaling between two liver cell types,
      hepatocytes and stellate cells. Activation of stellate cells happens early during
      liver injury and is at the center of liver fibrosis. We demonstrated that alcohol
      injury to microfluidic co-cultures caused significantly higher levels of stellate
      cell activation compared to conditioned media and transwell injury experiments.
      This highlighted the advantage of the microfluidic co-culture: placement of two
      cell types in close proximity to ensure high local concentrations of injury
      promoting secreted signals. Next, we developed a microsystem consisting of five
      chambers, two for co-culturing hepatocytes with stellate cells and three
      additional chambers containing miniature aptamer-modified electrodes for
      monitoring secreted TGF-beta. Importantly, the walls separating microfluidic
      chambers were actuatable; they could be raised or lowered to create different
      configurations of the device. The use of reconfigurable microfluidics and
      miniature biosensors revealed that alcohol injury causes hepatocytes to secrete
      TGF-beta molecules, which diffuse over to neighboring stellate cells and trigger
      production of additional TGF-beta from stellate cells. Our results lend credence
      to the emerging view of hepatocytes as active participants of liver injury.
      Broadly speaking, our microsystem makes it possible to monitor paracrine
      crosstalk between two cell types communicating via the same signaling molecule
      (e.g. TGF-beta). 

PMID- 26480304
TI  - Skincare products containing low concentrations of formaldehyde detected by the
      chromotropic acid method cannot be safely used in formaldehyde-allergic patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Formaldehyde is a well-known contact sensitizer. Formaldehyde
      releasers are widely used preservatives in skincare products. It has been found
      that formaldehyde at concentrations allowed by the European Cosmetics Directive
      can cause allergic contact dermatitis. However, we still lack information on
      whether formaldehyde at low concentrations affects dermatitis in formaldehyde
      allergic individuals. OBJECTIVES: To study the effects of low concentrations of
      formaldehyde on irritant contact dermatitis in formaldehyde-allergic individuals.
      METHODS: Fifteen formaldehyde-allergic individuals and a control group of 12
      individuals without contact allergy to formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers
      were included in the study. The individuals performed the repeated open
      application test (ROAT) during 4 weeks with four different moisturizers releasing
      formaldehyde in concentrations that had been determined as > 40, 20-40, 2.5-10
      and 0 p.p.m. by the chromotropic acid (CA) spot test. Dimethyloldimethylhydantoin
      was used as a formaldehyde releaser in the moisturizers. The ROAT was performed
      on areas of experimentally induced sodium lauryl sulfate dermatitis. The study
      was double blind, controlled and randomized. RESULTS: Nine of the 15 formaldehyde
      allergic individuals had reappearance or worsening of dermatitis on the areas
      that were treated with moisturizers containing formaldehyde. No such reactions
      were observed in the control group (P < 0.001) or for the moisturizers without
      formaldehyde in the formaldehyde-allergic individuals (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Our results demonstrate that the low concentrations of formaldehyde often found
      in skincare products by the CA method are sufficient to worsen an existing
      dermatitis in formaldehyde-allergic individuals.

PMID- 26480305
TI  - Summary of the 2nd International Symposium on Arthrogryposis, St. Petersburg,
      Russia, September 17-19, 2014.

PMID- 26480306
TI  - Resolution of refractory hypotension and anuria in a premature newborn with loss
      of-function of ACE.

PMID- 26480307
TI  - Mutation spectrum of COL1A1 and COL1A2 genes in Indian patients with osteogenesis
      imperfecta.

PMID- 26480310
TI  - Informed consent required for federally funded studies on bloodspots.

PMID- 26480311
TI  - Research sheds light on gene expression differences in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

PMID- 26480313
TI  - Does Further Education in Adulthood Improve Physical and Mental Health among
      Australian Women? A Longitudinal Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We analyzed whether further education in young adult and mid-life
      [adult educational mobility] influences physical functioning and depressive
      symptoms in women. METHODS: 14247 women born 1973-78 (younger cohort) and 13715
      women born 1946-51 (mid-aged cohort) from the Australian Longitudinal Study on
      Women's Health were followed for 14-16 years. Measures were the Short-Form 36
      Health Survey physical functioning subscale (SF-36 PF) and Centre for
      Epidemiologic Studies 10-item Depression Scale (CESD-10). Linear mixed modelling,
      accounting for time varying covariates, assessed the influence of further
      education on physical functioning and depressive symptoms over time. Sensitivity
      analysis to assess the impact of missing data was conducted using multiple
      imputation. RESULTS: Compared to younger women with a pre-existing high level of
      education, women gaining further education (up to age 39 years) from low levels
      had lower SF-36 PF scores (poorer physical functioning) (fully adjusted beta
      estimates (95%CIs) -1.52 (-2.59, -0.44)) while those gaining further education
      from middle to high levels showed equivalent SF-36 PF scores (-0.08 (-0.61,
      0.44)). A similar pattern was shown for CESD-10 scores (0.78 (0.29, 1.25); -0.02
      (-0.26, 0.21), respectively) where higher scores represented more depressive
      symptoms. For mid-age women, further education from a middle to high level
      resulted in equivalent SF-36 PF scores (-0.61 (-1.93,0.71)) but higher CESD-10
      scores (0.49 (0.11, 0.86)), compared to highly educated women. CONCLUSION: Women
      who delay further education until they are aged between their 40s and 60s can
      improve or maintain their physical functioning but may have missed the critical
      time to minimise depressive symptomatology. Public health policy should focus on
      encouraging women to upgrade their educational qualifications earlier in life in
      order to potentially offset the negative associations between their initial lower
      socio-economic position class of origin and their mental health.

PMID- 26480314
TI  - Public Attitudes toward Animal Research: A Review.
AB  - The exploration of public attitudes toward animal research is important given
      recent developments in animal research (e.g., increasing creation and use of
      genetically modified animals, and plans for progress in areas such as
      personalized medicine), and the shifting relationship between science and society
      (i.e., a move toward the democratization of science). As such, public engagement
      on issues related to animal research, including exploration of public attitudes,
      provides a means of achieving socially acceptable scientific practice and
      oversight through an understanding of societal values and concerns. Numerous
      studies have been conducted to explore public attitudes toward animal use, and
      more specifically the use of animals in research. This paper reviews relevant
      literature using three categories of influential factors: personal and cultural
      characteristics, animal characteristics, and research characteristics. A critique
      is given of survey style methods used to collect data on public attitudes, and
      recommendations are given on how best to address current gaps in public attitudes
      literature. 

PMID- 26480315
TI  - Large Dog Relinquishment to Two Municipal Facilities in New York City and
      Washington, D.C.: Identifying Targets for Intervention.
AB  - While the overall trend in euthanasia has been decreasing nationally, large dogs
      are at a higher risk of euthanasia than other sized dogs in most animal shelters
      in the United States. We hypothesized one way to increase the lives saved with
      respect to these large dogs is to keep them home when possible. In order to
      develop solutions to decrease relinquishment, a survey was developed to learn
      more about the reasons owners relinquish large dogs. The survey was administered
      to owners relinquishing their dogs at two large municipal facilities, one in New
      York City and one in Washington, D.C. There were 157 responses between the two
      facilities. We found both significant similarities and differences between
      respondents and their dogs from the two cities. We identified opportunities to
      potentially support future relinquishers and found that targets for interventions
      are likely different in each community. 

PMID- 26480316
TI  - Emerging and Re-Emerging Zoonoses of Dogs and Cats.
AB  - Since the middle of the 20th century, pets are more frequently considered as
      "family members" within households. However, cats and dogs still can be a source
      of human infection by various zoonotic pathogens. Among emerging or re-emerging
      zoonoses, viral diseases, such as rabies (mainly from dog pet trade or travel
      abroad), but also feline cowpox and newly recognized noroviruses or rotaviruses
      or influenza viruses can sicken our pets and be transmitted to humans. Bacterial
      zoonoses include bacteria transmitted by bites or scratches, such as
      pasteurellosis or cat scratch disease, leading to severe clinical manifestations
      in people because of their age or immune status and also because of our
      closeness, not to say intimacy, with our pets. Cutaneous contamination with
      methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Leptospira spp., and/or
      aerosolization of bacteria causing tuberculosis or kennel cough are also
      emerging/re-emerging pathogens that can be transmitted by our pets, as well as
      gastro-intestinal pathogens such as Salmonella or Campylobacter. Parasitic and
      fungal pathogens, such as echinococcosis, leishmaniasis, onchocercosis, or
      sporotrichosis, are also re-emerging or emerging pet related zoonoses. Common
      sense and good personal and pet hygiene are the key elements to prevent such a
      risk of zoonotic infection. 

PMID- 26480317
TI  - A Prototype Tool to Enable Farmers to Measure and Improve the Welfare Performance
      of the Farm Animal Enterprise: The Unified Field Index.
AB  - Schemes for the assessment of farm animal welfare and assurance of welfare
      standards have proliferated in recent years. An acknowledged short-coming has
      been the lack of impact of these schemes on the welfare standards achieved on
      farm due in part to sociological factors concerning their implementation. Here we
      propose the concept of welfare performance based on a broad set of performance
      attributes of an enterprise and describe a tool based on risk assessment and
      benchmarking methods for measuring and managing welfare performance. The tool
      termed the Unified Field Index is presented in a general form comprising three
      modules addressing animal, resource, and management factors. Domains within these
      modules accommodate the principle conceptual perspectives for welfare assessment:
      biological functioning; emotional states; and naturalness. Pan-enterprise
      analysis in any livestock sector could be used to benchmark welfare performance
      of individual enterprises and also provide statistics of welfare performance for
      the livestock sector. An advantage of this concept of welfare performance is its
      use of continuous scales of measurement rather than traditional pass/fail
      measures. Through the feedback provided via benchmarking, the tool should help
      farmers better engage in on-going improvement of farm practices that affect
      animal welfare. 

PMID- 26480318
TI  - Productive and Economic Responses in Grazing Dairy Cows to Grain Supplementation
      on Family Farms in the South of Brazil.
AB  - Pasture-based dairy production has been a major source of income for most family
      farms in the south of Brazil. Increasing milk prices have spurred an increase in
      grain supplementation, which has been poorly implemented, resulting in low levels
      of efficiency. To evaluate the consequences of supplementation on milk production
      and composition, grazing behavior and economic return, the widely used grain
      management system (CC-commercial concentrate, containing 21% CP, offered at 1 kg
      per 3.7 L of milk) was compared with an energy supplement (GC-ground corn, with
      9.5% CP, offered at 0.4% of live weight). Ten Holstein cows were paired into two
      groups, and subjected to the two treatments in a crossover design. The cows
      remained in the same grazing group, and the grain supplement was offered
      individually at milking time and consumed completely. Each experimental period
      lasted 14 days, with 10 days for diet adaptation and four days for data
      collection; individual milk production and samples were collected to determine
      levels of fat, protein, lactose, carotenoids, vitamin A and N-urea. Grazing
      behavior was observed (scans every 5 min) in the first 4 h after the morning
      milking, and chemical composition of hand plucked samples of forage were
      measured. The cost of the supplement and profitability per treatment were
      calculated. Cows supplemented with GC consumed herbage with higher crude protein
      (CP: 16.23 vs. 14.62%; p < 0.05), had higher biting rate (44.21 vs. 39.54
      bites/min; p < 0.03) and grazing time (22.20 vs. 20.55 scans; p < 0.05) than when
      receiving CC. There were no differences in milk composition between treatments (p
      > 0.05). However, higher concentrations of beta-carotene and total carotenoids
      were detected in the milk of cows at 70-164 days of lactation, compared to <70
      days of lactation (p < 0.05). Milk production was higher (13.19 vs. 11.59 kg/day;
      p < 0.05) when cows consumed CC, but resulted in lower profitability compared to
      GC (US$ 4.39 vs. US$ 4.83/cow per day). Our results show that higher productivity
      does not necessarily improve profitability. Cows receiving supplement with lower
      levels of protein were able to adjust their grazing behavior to meet their
      protein needs and this level of diet modification did not alter milk composition.

PMID- 26480319
TI  - Establishing Bedding Requirements on Trailers Transporting Market Weight Pigs in
      Warm Weather.
AB  - During warm weather, incorrect bedding levels on a trailer transporting market
      weight pigs may result in heat stress, fatigue, and death. Two experiments were
      conducted in June and July of 2011; Experiment 1 used 80 loads (n = 13,887 pigs)
      to determine the effects of two bedding levels (3 (68.1 kg) or 6 bags (136.2 kg)
      of wood shavings/trailer [each bag contained 22.7 kg, 0.2 m3]) on pig measures
      (surface temperature, vocalizations, slips and falls, and stress signs).
      Experiment 2 used 131 loads (n = 22,917 pigs) to determine the effects of bedding
      (3 vs. 6 bags) on transport losses (dead, sum of dead- and euthanized- on
      arrival; non-ambulatory, sum of fatigued and injured; total transport losses sum
      of dead and non-ambulatory). Bedding did not affect surface temperature,
      vocalizations, or slips and falls (p = 0.58, p = 0.50, and p = 0.28,
      respectively). However, pigs transported on 6 bags/trailer had 1.5% more stress
      signs than pigs transported on 3 bags/trailer (p < 0.01). No differences were
      observed between bedding levels for non-ambulatory, dead, or total transport
      losses (p = 0.10, p = 0.67, and p = 0.34, respectively). Within the context of
      these experiments, bedding level did not result in deleterious effects on pig
      measures or transport losses. However, using more bedding may result in higher
      costs to the industry. Therefore, 3 bags of bedding/trailer may be used when
      transporting market weight pigs during warm weather in the Midwestern U.S. 

PMID- 26480320
TI  - Pain Management for Animals Used in Science: Views of Scientists and
      Veterinarians in Canada.
AB  - To explore the challenges and opportunities for pain management for animals used
      in research an interview study with 9 veterinarians, 3 veterinarian-scientists
      and 9 scientists, all engaged in animal-based studies in Canada, was carried out.
      Our broader aim was to contribute to further discussion of how pain can be
      minimized for animals used in science. Diverse views were identified regarding
      the ease of recognizing when animals are in pain and whether animals hide pain.
      Evidence of inconsistencies in pain management across laboratories, institutions
      and species were also identified. Clarification of the interactions between
      scientific objectives and pain management are needed, as well as a stronger
      evidence base for pain management approaches. Detailed examination of pain
      management for individual invasive animal models may be useful, and may support
      the development of model-specific pain management protocols. 

PMID- 26480321
TI  - Establishing Trailer Ventilation (Boarding) Requirements for Finishing Pigs
      during Transport.
AB  - Specifically, this study aimed to establish the effects on mortality and
      morbidity of boarding levels (amount of side-wall trailer ventilation) for
      finishing pigs in mild weather (8.80 +/- 0.30  degrees C, 71.70% +/- 1.12%
      humidity). Pigs from commercial finishing sites were transported in 302 pot
      bellied trailers to commercial processing plants. Measures collected at the
      processing plant were rates of dead on arrival (DOA), non-ambulatory, non-injured
      (NANI), non-ambulatory, injured (NAI), and total dead and down (D&D). Boarding
      levels (% that side walls were closed off with inserted boards) were divided into
      3 bins: low, medium, and high, and outside temperature was divided into 4 bins <5
      degrees C, 5.10-10  degrees C, and 10.10-15  degrees C and >15  degrees C.
      Average rates of DOA, NANI, NAI, and D&D were approximately 0.30%, 0.12%, 0.04%,
      and 0.46%, respectively. The D&D was highest when boarding level was low with
      temperatures <5  degrees C (p < 0.05). However, variations in boarding level
      (medium and high boarding) in the temperature range of 5.10  degrees C to 23.30 
      degrees C did not affect pig losses. 

PMID- 26480322
TI  - Effect of Transport Distance and Season on Some Defects of Fresh Hams Destined
      for DPO Production.
AB  - Pre-slaughter handling is related to defects in fresh hams that result in
      exclusion from the DPO Parma chain, including hematomas, lacerations,
      microhaemorrhages and veining. To determine the effects of transport conditions
      on hams, we collected data on defects in 901,990 trimmed fresh hams from heavy
      pigs provided by 3,650 batches from slaughterhouse during 2012 and 2013. For all
      batches, transport distance (1-276 km) season and year of delivery were
      considered. A decrease of all defect occurrences was observed for increasing
      distance up to 170 km (P < 0.05). Above 170 km, however, all defects frequencies
      increased (P < 0.05). Season showed an effect on the incidence of defects, with
      an increasing of hematomas and lacerations in winter and autumn respectively (P <
      0.05) and the highest percentage of veining and hemorrhages in spring (P < 0.05).
      Summer had the lowest incidence of defects on fresh hams. We concluded that the
      incidence of the examined defects and the subsequent rejection for DPO Parma ham
      production is lower in fresh hams transported 38-170 km during the summer. 

PMID- 26480323
TI  - The Effects of Using a Ramp and Elevator to Load and Unload Trailers on the
      Behavior and Physiology of Piglets.
AB  - Transport is an inevitable process in the modern U.S. swine industry. The loading
      process is a novel and potentially stressful experience. This study uses
      behavior, heart rate and leukocyte counts to compare stress one hour before,
      during and after loading via ramp or elevator. Piglets were held in a home pen
      (control (CON)), walked up and down an aisle (handled (HAN)), or walked to a
      truck and loaded via elevator (ELE) or ramp (RAM). Sitting, feeding and blood
      parameters did not show a significant treatment by time effect (p > 0.05).
      Standing behavior did not differ between CON and HAN piglets nor between RAM and
      ELE piglets (p > 0.05); however, CON and HAN piglets stood more than RAM and ELE
      piglets during treatment (p < 0.05). After treatment, drinking behavior was
      increased in RAM piglets (p < 0.05). The heart rate of ELE piglets decreased 6.3%
      after treatment; whereas the heart rate of RAM piglets remained elevated 2.4% (p
      < 0.05). In terms of heart rate, loading by elevator appears to be less stressful
      than loading by ramp. 

PMID- 26480324
TI  - Park Rangers' Behaviors and Their Effects on Tourists and Tibetan Macaques
      (Macaca thibetana) at Mt. Huangshan, China.
AB  - Previous studies have reported the negative impacts of tourism on nonhuman
      primates (NHPs) and tourists and advocated the improvement of tourism management,
      yet what constitutes good quality management remains unclear. We explored whether
      rates of macaque aggression and self-directed behaviors (SDBs) differed under the
      supervision of two park ranger teams at the Valley of the Wild Monkeys (VWM) in
      Mt. Huangshan, Anhui Province, China. The two ranger teams provisioned and
      managed a group of macaques on an alternating monthly basis. Monkey, tourist and
      ranger behaviors were collected from August 16-September 30, 2012. Macaque
      aggression and SDB rates did not differ significantly under the management of the
      two teams. Overall, there was little intervention in tourist-macaque interactions
      by park rangers, and even when rangers discouraged tourists' undesirable
      behaviors, tourist interactions with monkeys persisted. Furthermore, only one or
      sometimes two park rangers managed monkeys and tourists, and rangers established
      dominance over the monkeys to control them. In order to effectively manage
      tourists and monkeys by a single park ranger, we recommend that rangers: (1)
      prohibit tourists from feeding; (2) move around the viewing platform more
      frequently; and (3) limit the number of tourists each visiting session. 

PMID- 26480325
TI  - A Reproductive Management Program for an Urban Population of Eastern Grey
      Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus).
AB  - Traditionally, culling has been the expedient, most common, and in many cases,
      the only tool used to control free-ranging kangaroo populations. We applied a
      reproductive control program to a population of eastern grey kangaroos confined
      to a golf course in South East Queensland. The program aimed to reduce fecundity
      sufficiently for the population to decrease over time so that overgrazing of the
      fairways and the frequency of human-animal conflict situations were minimised. In
      2003, 92% of the female kangaroos above 5 kg bodyweight were implanted with the
      GnRH agonist deslorelin after darting with a dissociative anaesthetic. In 2007,
      86% of the females above 5 kg were implanted with deslorelin and also 87% of the
      males above 5 kg were sterilised by either orchidectomy or vasectomy. In 2005,
      2008 and 2009, the population was censused to assess the effect of each
      treatment. The 2003 deslorelin program resulted in effective zero population
      growth for approximately 2.5 years. The combined deslorelin-surgery program in
      2007 reduced the birth rate from 0.3 to 0.06%/year for 16 months, resulting in a
      27% population reduction by November 2009. The results were consistent with
      implants conferring contraception to 100% of implanted females for at least 12
      months. The iatrogenic mortality rates for each program were 10.5% and 4.9%,
      respectively, with 50% of all mortalities due to darting-related injuries,
      exertional myopathy/hyperthermia or recovery misadventure. The short term sexual
      and agonistic behaviour of the males was assessed for the 2007 program: no
      significant changes were seen in adult males given the vasectomy procedure, while
      sexual behaviours' were decreased in adult males given the orchidectomy
      procedure. It is concluded that female reproduction was effectively controlled by
      implantation with deslorrelin and male reproductive behaviour was reduced by
      orchidectomy, which together achieved population control. 

PMID- 26480327
TI  - 50 Years Ago ...

PMID- 26480330
TI  - Copper-Catalyzed Formation of alpha-Alkoxycycloalkenones from N-Tosylhydrazones.
AB  - The combination of 20 mol % of copper iodide and lithium tert-butoxide triggers
      the formation of a broad range of substituted, functionalized alpha-alkoxy 2H
      naphthalenones from readily available N-tosylhydrazones. The data suggests that
      this transformation occurs through cycloaddition of a copper carbenoid with an
      ester, followed by a Lewis acid-catalyzed [1,2] alkyl shift of the in situ
      generated alkoxyepoxide intermediate. 

PMID- 26480329
TI  - Divergent Reactivity of Rhodium(I) Carbenes Derived from Indole Annulations.
AB  - Rhodium(I) carbenes were generated from propargylic alcohol derivatives as the
      result of a dehydrative indole annulation. Depending on the choice of the
      electron-withdrawing group on the aniline nitrogen nucleophile, either a
      cyclopropanation product or dimerization product was obtained chemoselectively.
      Intramolecular hydroamidation occurred for the same type of propargylic alcohol
      derivatives when other transition-metal catalysts were employed. 

PMID- 26480326
TI  - Initiation of universal tumor screening for Lynch syndrome in colorectal cancer
      patients as a model for the implementation of genetic information into clinical
      oncology practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lynch syndrome confers a hereditary predisposition to colorectal and
      other cancers. Universal tumor screening (UTS) for Lynch syndrome is recommended
      by several professional societies, but the implementation can be complex. This
      article describes the evaluation, process development, and initiation of Lynch
      syndrome UTS at a tertiary referral cancer center. METHODS: A multidisciplinary
      team developed the new process design. Issues in 5 themes were noted: timing,
      funding, second-opinion patients, result processing, and the role of genetics
      providers. A committee approach was used to examine each issue for process
      improvement development. RESULTS: The issues related to testing were addressed
      individually for the successful implementation of UTS at the institutional level.
      In the conventional-care period, 9 of 30 cases (30%) received Lynch syndrome
      screening, and 4 cases were referred to medical genetics. During the 6 months
      following the implementation of UTS, 32 of 44 patients (73%) received Lynch
      syndrome screening. The 13 unscreened patients all had identified reasons for
      nonscreening (eg, financial limitations). Ten patients were referred to medical
      genetics, which identified no new cases of Lynch syndrome, but a low-risk
      adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) variant was detected in 1 individual.
      CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of effective Lynch syndrome UTS can feasibly
      alter practice at the institutional level. This experience with the assessment
      and management of issues relevant to the successful implementation of a new
      clinical care paradigm based on emerging technology has implications for the
      uptake of advances across molecular oncology into clinical practice, and this is
      highly relevant in the current era of rapidly evolving genomic technology.

PMID- 26480331
TI  - Radical Formation in the Gas-Phase Ozonolysis of Deprotonated Cysteine.
AB  - Although the deleterious effects of ozone on the human respiratory system are
      well-known, many of the precise chemical mechanisms that both cause damage and
      afford protection in the pulmonary epithelial lining fluid are poorly understood.
      As a key first step to elucidating the intrinsic reactivity of ozone with
      proteins, its reactions with deprotonated cysteine [Cys-H](-) are examined in the
      gas phase. Reaction proceeds at near the collision limit to give a rich set of
      products including 1) sequential oxygen atom abstraction reactions to yield
      cysteine sulfenate, sulfinate and sulfonate anions, and significantly 2)
      sulfenate radical anions formed by ejection of a hydroperoxy radical. The free
      radical pathway occurs only when both thiol and carboxylate moieties are
      available, implicating electron-transfer as a key step in this reaction. This
      novel and facile reaction is also observed in small cys-containing peptides
      indicating a possible role for this chemistry in protein ozonolysis. 

PMID- 26480332
TI  - Synthesis and Thermal Behavior of a Fused, Tricyclic 1,2,3,4-Tetrazine Ring
      System.
AB  - This study presents the synthesis and characterization of a fused, tricyclic
      1,2,3,4-tetrazine ring system. The molecule is synthesized in a three-step
      process from 5,5'-dinitro-bis,1,2,4-triazole via a di-N-amino compound. Oxidation
      to form the azo-coupled fused tricyclic 1,2,3,4-tetrazine is achieved using tert
      butyl hypochlorite as the oxidant. The di-N-amino compound and the desired fused
      tricyclic 1,2,3,4-triazine display interesting thermal behavior and are predicted
      to be high-performance energetic materials. 

PMID- 26480333
TI  - Reversible Photoswitching of a Spin-Crossover Molecular Complex in the Solid
      State at Room Temperature.
AB  - Spin-crossover metal complexes are highly promising magnetic molecular switches
      for prospective molecule-based devices. The spin-crossover molecular
      photoswitches developed so far operate either at very low temperatures or in the
      liquid phase, which hinders practical applications. Herein, we present a
      molecular spin-crossover iron(II) complex that can be switched between
      paramagnetic high-spin and diamagnetic low-spin states with light at room
      temperature in the solid state. The reversible photoswitching is induced by
      alternating irradiation with ultraviolet and visible light and proceeds at the
      molecular level. 

PMID- 26480334
TI  - A Low-Valent Iron Imido Heterocubane Cluster: Reversible Electron Transfer and
      Catalysis of Selective C-C Couplings.
AB  - Enzymes and cofactors with iron-sulfur heterocubane core structures, [Fe4 S4 ],
      are often found in nature as electron transfer reagents in fundamental catalytic
      transformations. An artificial heterocubane with a [Fe4 N4 ] core is reported
      that can reversibly store up to four electrons at very negative potentials. The
      neutral [Fe4 N4 ] and the singly reduced low-valent [Fe4 N4 ](-) heterocubanes
      were isolated and fully characterized. The low-valent species bears one unpaired
      electron, which is localized predominantly at one iron center in the electronic
      ground state but fluctuates with increasing temperatures. The electrons stored or
      released by the [Fe4 N4 ]/[Fe4 N4 ](-) redox couple can be used in reductive or
      oxidative C?C couplings and even allow catalytic one-pot reactions, which show a
      remarkably enhanced selectivity in the presence of the [Fe4 N4 ] heterocubanes. 

PMID- 26480335
TI  - Towards Structural-Functional Mimics of Acetylene Hydratase: Reversible
      Activation of Acetylene using a Biomimetic Tungsten Complex.
AB  - The synthesis and characterization of a biomimetic system that can reversibly
      bind acetylene (ethyne) is reported. The system has been designed to mimic
      catalytic intermediates of the tungstoenzyme acetylene hydratase. The
      thiophenyloxazoline ligand S-Phoz (2-(4',4'-dimethyloxazolin-2'-yl)thiophenolate)
      is used to generate a bioinspired donor environment around the W center,
      facilitating the stabilization of W-acetylene adducts. The featured complexes
      [W(C2 H2 )(CO)(S-Phoz)2 ] (2) and [WO(C2 H2 )(S-Phoz)2 ] (3) are extremely rare
      from a synthetic and structural point of view as very little is known about W-C2
      H2 adducts. Upon exposure to visible light, 3 can release C2 H2 from its
      coordination sphere to yield the 14-electron species [WO(S-Phoz)2 ] (4). Under
      light-exclusion 4 re-activates C2 H2 making this the first fully characterized
      system for the reversible activation of acetylene. 

PMID- 26480336
TI  - A Photonic Crystal Protein Hydrogel Sensor for Candida albicans.
AB  - We report two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystal (PC) sensing materials that
      selectively detect Candida albicans (C. albicans). These sensors utilize
      Concanavalin A (Con A) protein hydrogels with a 2D PC embedded on the Con A
      protein hydrogel surface, that multivalently and selectively bind to mannan on
      the C. albicans cell surface to form crosslinks. The resulting crosslinks shrink
      the Con A protein hydrogel, reduce the 2D PC particle spacing, and blue-shift the
      light diffracted from the PC. The diffraction shifts can be visually monitored,
      measured with a spectrometer, or determined from the Debye diffraction ring
      diameter. Our unoptimized hydrogel sensor has a detection limit of around 32
      CFU/mL for C. albicans. This sensor distinguishes between C. albicans and those
      microbes devoid of cell-surface mannan such as the gram-negative bacterium E.
      coli. This sensor provides a proof-of-concept for utilizing recognition between
      lectins and microbial cell surface carbohydrates to detect microorganisms in
      aqueous environments. 

PMID- 26480337
TI  - Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Amidation of Unactivated C(sp(3) )-H Bonds.
AB  - Nitrogenation by direct functionalization of C-H bonds represents an important
      strategy for constructing C-N bonds. Rhodium(III)-catalyzed direct amidation of
      unactivated C(sp(3) )-H bonds is rare, especially under mild reaction conditions.
      Herein, a broad scope of C(sp(3) )-H bonds are amidated under rhodium catalysis
      in high efficiency using 3-substituted 1,4,2-dioxazol-5-ones as the amide source.
      The protocol broadens the scope of rhodium(III)-catalyzed C(sp(3) )-H activation
      chemistry, and is applicable to the late-stage functionalization of natural
      products.

PMID- 26480338
TI  - Highly Efficient Near-Infrared Delayed Fluorescence Organic Light Emitting Diodes
      Using a Phenanthrene-Based Charge-Transfer Compound.
AB  - Significant efforts have been made to develop high-efficiency organic light
      emitting diodes (OLEDs) employing thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF)
      emitters with blue, green, yellow, and orange-red colors. However, efficient TADF
      materials with colors ranging from red, to deep-red, to near-infrared (NIR) have
      been rarely reported owing to the difficulty in molecular design. Herein, we
      report the first NIR TADF molecule TPA-DCPP (TPA=triphenylamine; DCPP=2,3
      dicyanopyrazino phenanthrene) which has a small singlet-triplet splitting
      (DeltaEST ) of 0.13 eV. Its nondoped OLED device exhibits a maximum external
      quantum efficiency (EQE) of 2.1 % with a Commission International de L'Eclairage
      (CIE) coordinate of (0.70, 0.29). Moreover, an extremely high EQE of nearly 10 %
      with an emission band at lambda=668 nm has been achieved in the doped device,
      which is comparable to the most-efficient deep-red/NIR phosphorescent OLEDs with
      similar electroluminescent spectra. 

PMID- 26480339
TI  - Formation of Frustrated Lewis Pairs in Ptx -Loaded Zeolite NaY.
AB  - The formation of a frustrated Lewis pair consisting of sodium hydride (Na(+) H(-)
      ) and a framework-bound hydroxy proton O(H(+) ) is reported upon H2 treatment of
      zeolite NaY loaded with Pt nanoparticles (Ptx /NaY). Frustrated Lewis pair
      formation was confirmed using in situ neutron diffraction and spectroscopic
      measurements. The activity of the intrazeolite NaH as a size-selective catalyst
      was verified by the efficient esterification of acetaldehyde (a small aldehyde)
      to form the corresponding ester ethyl acetate, whereas esterification of the
      larger molecule benzaldehyde was unsuccessful. The frustrated Lewis pair
      (consisting of Na(+) H(-) and O(H(+) )) generated within zeolite NaY may be a
      useful catalyst for various catalytic reactions which require both H(-) and H(+)
      ions, such as catalytic hydrogenation or dehydrogenation of organic compounds and
      activation of small molecules. 

PMID- 26480341
TI  - Synthesis and Stereochemical Assignment of Crypto-Optically Active (2) H6 
      Neopentane.
AB  - The determination of the absolute configuration of chiral molecules is at the
      heart of asymmetric synthesis. Here we probe the spectroscopic limits for chiral
      discrimination with NMR spectroscopy in chiral aligned media and with vibrational
      circular dichroism spectroscopy of the sixfold-deuterated chiral neopentane. The
      study of this compound presents formidable challenges since its stereogenicity is
      only due to small mass differences. For this purpose, we selectively prepared
      both enantiomers of (2) H6 -1 through a concise synthesis utilizing
      multifunctional intermediates. While NMR spectroscopy in chiral aligned media
      could be used to characterize the precursors to (2) H6 -1, the final assignment
      could only be accomplished with VCD spectroscopy, despite the fleetingly small
      dichroic properties of 1. Both enantiomers were assigned by matching the VCD
      spectra with those computed with density functional theory. 

PMID- 26480343
TI  - Computer-Navigated Total Knee Arthroplasty Utilization.
AB  - Computer-navigated total knee arthroplasty (CN-TKA) has been used to improve
      component alignment, though the evidence is currently mixed on whether there are
      clinically significant differences in long-term outcomes. Given the established
      increased costs and operative time, we hypothesized that the utilization rate of
      CN-TKA would be decreasing relative to standard TKA in the Medicare population
      given the current health care economic environment. We queried 1,914,514 primary
      TKAs performed in the entire Medicare database from 2005 to 2012. Current
      Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Diseases, Ninth
      Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes were used to identify and
      separate CN-TKAs. Utilization of TKA was compared by year, gender, and region.
      Average change in cases per year and compound annual growth rate (CAGR) were used
      to evaluate trends in utilization of the procedure. We identified 30,773 CN-TKAs
      performed over this time period. There was an increase in utilization of CN-TKA
      per year from 984 to 5,352 (average = 572/year, R (2) = 0.85, CAGR = 23.58%) from
      2005 to 2012. In contrast, there was a slight decrease in overall TKA utilization
      from 264,345 to 230,654 (average = 4297/year, R (2) = 0.74, CAGR = - 1.69%). When
      comparing proportion of CN-TKA to all TKAs, there was an increase from 0.37 to
      2.32% (average 0.26%/year, R (2) = 0.88, CAGR = 25.70%). CN-TKA growth in males
      and females was comparable at 24.42 and 23.11%, respectively. The South region
      had the highest growth rate at 28.76%, whereas the Midwest had the lowest growth
      rate at 15.51%. The Midwest was the only region that peaked (2008) with a slow
      decline in utilization until 2012. Despite increased costs with unclear clinical
      benefit, CN-TKA is increasing in utilization among Medicare patients. Reasons
      could include patient preference, advertising, proper of coding the procedure,
      and increased publicly available information about arthroplasty options. 

PMID- 26480340
TI  - Rhodium(II) Proximity-Labeling Identifies a Novel Target Site on STAT3 for
      Inhibitors with Potent Anti-Leukemia Activity.
AB  - Nearly 40 % of children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) suffer relapse arising
      from chemoresistance, often involving upregulation of the oncoprotein STAT3
      (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3). Herein, rhodium(II)
      catalyzed, proximity-driven modification identifies the STAT3 coiled-coil domain
      (CCD) as a novel ligand-binding site, and we describe a new naphthalene
      sulfonamide inhibitor that targets the CCD, blocks STAT3 function, and halts its
      disease-promoting effects in vitro, in tumor growth models, and in a leukemia
      mouse model, validating this new therapeutic target for resistant AML. 

PMID- 26480344
TI  - Implant Size Availability Affects Reproduction of Distal Femoral Anatomy.
AB  - A total knee arthroplasty system offers more distal femoral implant anterior
      posterior (AP) sizes than its predecessor. The purpose of this study is to
      investigate the impact of increased size availability on an implant system's
      ability to reproduce the AP dimension of the native distal femur. We measured 200
      cadaveric femora with the AP-sizing guides of Zimmer (Warsaw, IN) NexGen (8
      sizes) and Zimmer Persona (12 sizes) total knee arthroplasty systems. We defined
      "size deviation" as the difference in the AP dimension between the anatomic size
      of the native femur and the closest implant size. We defined satisfactory
      reproduction of distal femoral dimensions as < 1 mm difference between the
      implant and native femur size. The NexGen system was associated with a mean 0.46
      mm greater implant size deviation than Persona (p < 0.001). When using a 1 mm
      size deviation as a cutoff for satisfactory replication of the native distal
      femoral anatomy, 85/200 specimens (42.5%) were a poor fit by NexGen, but a
      satisfactory fit by Persona. Only 1/200 specimens (0.5%) was a poor fit by
      Persona, but a satisfactory fit by NexGen (p < 0.001). The novel knee system with
      12 versus 8 sizes reproduces the AP dimension of the native distal femur more
      closely than its predecessor. Further study is needed to determine the clinical
      impact of these differences. 

PMID- 26480345
TI  - Surgical Approaches to Posterolateral Tibial Plateau Fractures.
AB  - Tibial plateau fractures involving the posterolateral articular surface present a
      unique challenge to treating surgeons due to the complex anatomy of the region.
      The posterolateral corner complex and the proximity of the common peroneal nerve
      restrict both the exposure of the joint surface and the ability to distract
      across the joint using a varus force. Further, injury to the soft tissue envelope
      may prevent use of the optimal surgical incision. For these reasons, a thorough
      understanding of the anatomy and available approaches is essential when treating
      these fractures. Approach selection should be based on fracture pattern, the
      surrounding soft tissue envelope, and the patient's clinical conditions;
      concomitant injuries and overall health status must be accounted for. In this
      article, we highlight five surgical approaches that can be utilized to improve
      visualization and access to the posterolateral tibial plateau. These include
      three separate osteotomies performed through an anterolateral approach: lateral
      femoral epicondyle osteotomy, fibular head resection osteotomy, and a novel
      digastric fibular osteotomy. In addition, we will discuss a posterolateral
      approach and a direct posterior approach. 

PMID- 26480346
TI  - Staged Fixation of Tibial Plateau Fractures: Strategies for the Posterior
      Approach.
AB  - A critical assessment of radiographic and clinical outcomes after complex
      articular fractures of the proximal tibia demonstrates several aspects worthy of
      reevaluation and potential modification. These include a refined understanding of
      fracture pathoanatomy, injury classification, operative exposure, surgical
      timing, and preferred fixation constructs in addition to implant design
      modifications. Evolving trends include increasing appreciation of the importance
      of the fracture morphology in the axial plane and the role that the fracture
      pattern has on the choice of surgical approach. This focused review will
      highlight the attributes and limitations of classification schemes (both
      conventional and contemporary) as well as the role that posterior surgical
      approaches performed in the prone position may offer in select clinical
      scenarios. The merits of staged fixation (prone followed by supine patient
      positioning), its technique, indications, and potential liabilities are described
      and case examples offered. 

PMID- 26480347
TI  - Posterolateral Reconstruction of the Knee: Two-Tailed Surgical Techniques.
AB  - Reconstruction of the posterolateral corner of the knee using two-tailed
      techniques involved grafts originating from the femur and inserting on the
      proximal tibia and fibular head. This method reconstructs the fibular collateral
      ligament, popliteofibular ligament, and popliteus tendon using anatomically
      placed grafts. This article describes the history, anatomy, indications, and
      authors' preferred technique for a two-tailed posterolateral corner
      reconstruction. In addition, biomechanical and clinical outcomes of this
      technique will be compared. 

PMID- 26480350
TI  - InGaP/GaAs heterojunction phototransistors transferred to a Si substrate by metal
      wafer bonding combined with epitaxial lift-off.
AB  - We report fabrication and optical characteristics of an InGaP/GaAs heterojunction
      phototransistor (HPT) transferred to a Si substrate by a metal wafer bonding
      (MWB) and epitaxial lift-off (ELO) process at room temperature. An intermediate
      Pt/Au double layer between the HPT layer and Si provided a very smooth surface by
      which to achieve the MWB, and excellent durability against the acid solution
      during the ELO process. These processes were observed using scanning electron
      microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). While the results on a low
      temperature photoluminescence (LTPL) signal and high resolution x-ray diffraction
      (HRXRD) rocking curve of the bonded device film implied a defect-free bonding, a
      very low collector dark current of the fabricated HPT was observed. The optical
      performance of a bonded InGaP/GaAs HPT on Si, operating at 635 nm wavelength is
      also investigated. 

PMID- 26480349
TI  - Effect of anxiety on behavioural pattern separation in humans.
AB  - Behavioural pattern separation (BPS), the ability to distinguish among similar
      stimuli based on subtle physical differences, has been used to study the
      mechanism underlying stimulus generalisation. Fear overgeneralisation is often
      observed in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder and other anxiety
      disorders. However, the relationship between anxiety and BPS remains unclear. The
      purpose of this study was to determine the effect of anxiety (threat of shock) on
      BPS, which was assessed across separate encoding and retrieval sessions. Images
      were encoded/retrieved during blocks of threat or safety in a 2 * 2 factorial
      design. During retrieval, participants indicated whether images were new, old, or
      altered. Better accuracy was observed for altered images encoded during periods
      of threat compared to safety, but only if those images were also retrieved during
      periods of safety. These results suggest that overgeneralisation in anxiety may
      be due to altered pattern separation.

PMID- 26480351
TI  - Tuning of resonance spacing over whole free spectral range based on Autler-Townes
      splitting in a single microring resonator.
AB  - In this paper, a single microring resonator structure formed by incorporating a
      reflectivity-tunable loop mirror is demonstrated for the tuning of resonance
      spacing. Autler-Townes splitting in the resonator is utilized to tune the spacing
      between two adjacent resonances by controlling the strength of coupling between
      the two counter-propagating degenerate modes in the microring resonator. A
      theoretical model based on the transfer matrix method is built to analyze the
      device. The theoretical analysis indicates that the resonance spacing can be
      tuned from zero to one free spectral range (FSR). In experiment, by integrating
      metallic microheater, the tuning of resonance spacing in the range of the whole
      FSR (1.17 nm) is achieved within 9.82 mW heating power dissipation. The device
      has potential for applications in reconfigurable optical filtering and microwave
      photonics. 

PMID- 26480348
TI  - Increased Transcript Complexity in Genes Associated with Chronic Obstructive
      Pulmonary Disease.
AB  - Genome-wide association studies aim to correlate genotype with phenotype. Many
      common diseases including Type II diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Chronic
      Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are complex genetic traits with hundreds of
      different loci that are associated with varied disease risk. Identifying common
      features in the genes associated with each disease remains a challenge.
      Furthermore, the role of post-transcriptional regulation, and in particular
      alternative splicing, is still poorly understood in most multigenic diseases. We
      therefore compiled comprehensive lists of genes associated with Type II diabetes,
      Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and COPD in an attempt to identify common features of
      their corresponding mRNA transcripts within each gene set. The SERPINA1 gene is a
      well-recognized genetic risk factor of COPD and it produces 11 transcript
      variants, which is exceptional for a human gene. This led us to hypothesize that
      other genes associated with COPD, and complex disorders in general, are highly
      transcriptionally diverse. We found that COPD-associated genes have a
      statistically significant enrichment in transcript complexity stemming from a
      disproportionately high level of alternative splicing, however, Type II Diabetes,
      Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease genes were not significantly enriched. We
      also identified a subset of transcriptionally complex COPD-associated genes
      (~40%) that are differentially expressed between mild, moderate and severe COPD.
      Although the genes associated with other lung diseases are not extensively
      documented, we found preliminary data that idiopathic pulmonary disease genes,
      but not cystic fibrosis modulators, are also more transcriptionally complex.
      Interestingly, complex COPD transcripts are more often the product of alternative
      acceptor site usage. To verify the biological importance of these alternative
      transcripts, we used RNA-sequencing analyses to determine that COPD-associated
      genes are frequently expressed in lung and liver tissues and are regulated in a
      tissue-specific manner. Additionally, many complex COPD-associated genes are
      spliced differently between COPD and non-COPD patients. Our analysis therefore
      suggests that post-transcriptional regulation, particularly alternative splicing,
      is an important feature specific to COPD disease etiology that warrants further
      investigation. 

PMID- 26480352
TI  - Design of flexible multi-mode fiber endoscope.
AB  - Multi-mode fiber (MMF) endoscopes are extremely thin and have higher spatial
      resolution than conventional endoscopes; however, all current MMF endoscope
      designs require either that the MMF remain rigid during insertion and imaging or
      that the orientation of the MMF be known. This limits their possible medical
      applications. We describe an MMF endoscope design that allows the MMF to be
      arbitrarily bent as it is maneuvered to the target site prior to imaging. This is
      achieved by the addition of a partial reflector to the distal end of the MMF,
      which allows measurement of the mode coupling in the MMF using the reflected
      light arriving at the proximal end of the MMF. This measurement can be performed
      while the distal end of the endoscope is not directly accessible, as when the
      endoscope is being maneuvered. We simulate imaging through such a flexible MMF
      endoscope, where the MMF is step-index with 1588 spatial modes, and obtain an
      image even after the mode coupling matrix of the MMF is altered randomly,
      corresponding to an unknown bending of the MMF. 

PMID- 26480353
TI  - Sparse nonlinear inverse imaging for shot count reduction in inverse lithography.
AB  - Inverse lithography technique (ILT) is significant to reduce the feature size of
      ArF optical lithography due to its strong ability to overcome the optical
      proximity effect. A critical issue for inverse lithography is the complex
      curvilinear patterns produced, which are very costly to write due to the large
      number of shots needed with the current variable shape beam (VSB) writers. In
      this paper, we devise an inverse lithography method to reduce the shot count by
      incorporating a model-based fracturing (MBF) in the optimization. The MBF is
      formulated as a sparse nonlinear inverse imaging problem based on representing
      the mask as a linear combination of shots followed by a threshold function. The
      problem is approached with a Gauss-Newton algorithm, which is adapted to promote
      sparsity of the solution, corresponding to the reduction of the shot count.
      Simulations of inverse lithography are performed on several test cases, and
      results demonstrate reduced shot count of the resulting mask. 

PMID- 26480354
TI  - Effects of high-repetition-rate femtosecond laser micromachining on the physical
      and chemical properties of polylactide (PLA).
AB  - The effects of femtosecond laser ablation, with 115 fs pulses at 1040 nm
      wavelength and 57 MHz repetition-rate, on the physical and chemical properties of
      polylactide (PLA) were studied in air and in water. The surface of the PLA sample
      ablated by high-repetition-rate femtosecond laser was analysed using field
      emission scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, raman spectroscopy,
      as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Compared with the experiments in the
      air at ambient temperature, melting resolidification was negligible for the
      experiments conducted under water. Neither in air nor under water did oxidation
      and crystallization process take place in the laser ablated surface. In addition,
      the intensity of some oxygen related peaks increased for water experiments,
      probably due to the hydrolysis. Meantime, the chemical shift to higher energies
      appeared in C1s XPS spectrum of laser processing in water. Interestingly, a large
      amount of defects were observed after laser processing in air, while no
      significant change was shown under water experiments. This indicates that thermal
      and mechanical effects by high-repetition-rate femtosecond laser ablation in
      water are quite limited, which could be even ignored. 

PMID- 26480355
TI  - Slot waveguide ring resonators coated by an atomic layer deposited
      organic/inorganic nanolaminate.
AB  - In this study, slot waveguide ring resonators patterned on a silicon-on-insulator
      (SOI) wafer and coated with an atomic layer deposited nanolaminate consisting of
      alternating layers of tantalum pentoxide and polyimide were fabricated and
      characterized. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of
      atomic layer deposition (ALD) of organic materials in waveguiding applications.
      In our nanolaminate ring resonators, the optical power is not only confined in
      the narrow central air slot but also in several parallel sub-10 nm wide vertical
      polyimide slots. This indicates that the mode profiles in the silicon slot
      waveguide can be accurately tuned by the ALD method. Our results show that ALD of
      organic and inorganic materials can be combined with conventional silicon
      waveguide fabrication techniques to create slot waveguide ring resonators with
      varying mode profiles. This can potentially open new possibilities for various
      photonic applications, such as optical sensing and all-optical signal processing.

PMID- 26480356
TI  - All-optical 4x10 Gbps NAND gate using single mode Fabry-Perot laser diode.
AB  - We demonstrate all-optical 4x10 Gbps NAND gate with an individual input data rate
      of 10 Gbps using single mode Fabry-Perot laser diode. The proposed scheme is
      based on the principle of multi-input injection locking. All-optical NAND gate is
      one of the universal logic gates which can be used for realizing all other logic
      gates for optical communication and networks. The output performance of the
      proposed all-optical multi-input NAND gate is verified with output spectrum
      domain results, waveforms, rising-falling time, and eye diagram measurement at 10
      Gbps input. The ON/OFF contrast ratio of 41 dB is measured at the spectrum domain
      output when all four input beams are logic high. In all other combinations of
      four inputs, maximum ON/OFF contrast ratio of 1.5 dB ON/OFF is measured. Clear
      output waveform, output eye diagram with an extinction ratio of about 11 dB, and
      rising-falling time of about 35 ps are obtained. The BER measurement is carried
      out and we found the power penalty of about 1.7 dB at BER of 10(-9).

PMID- 26480358
TI  - Photoacoustic tomography from weak and noisy signals by using a pulse
      decomposition algorithm in the time-domain.
AB  - Photoacoustic tomography is a promising and rapidly developed methodology of
      biomedical imaging. It confronts an increasing urgent problem to reconstruct the
      image from weak and noisy photoacoustic signals, owing to its high benefit in
      extending the imaging depth and decreasing the dose of laser exposure. Based on
      the time-domain characteristics of photoacoustic signals, a pulse decomposition
      algorithm is proposed to reconstruct a photoacoustic image from signals with low
      signal-to-noise ratio. In this method, a photoacoustic signal is decomposed as
      the weighted summation of a set of pulses in the time-domain. Images are
      reconstructed from the weight factors, which are directly related to the optical
      absorption coefficient. Both simulation and experiment are conducted to test the
      performance of the method. Numerical simulations show that when the signal-to
      noise ratio is -4 dB, the proposed method decreases the reconstruction error to
      about 17%, in comparison with the conventional back-projection method. Moreover,
      it can produce acceptable images even when the signal-to-noise ratio is decreased
      to -10 dB. Experiments show that, when the laser influence level is low, the
      proposed method achieves a relatively clean image of a hair phantom with some
      well preserved pattern details. The proposed method demonstrates imaging
      potential of photoacoustic tomography in expanding applications. 

PMID- 26480357
TI  - High-sensitivity DNA biosensor based on optical fiber taper interferometer coated
      with conjugated polymer tentacle.
AB  - A sensitive bio-probe to in situ detect unlabeled single-stranded DNA targets
      based on optical microfiber taper interferometer coated by a high ordered pore
      arrays conjugated polymer has been presented. The polymer coating serves as
      tentacles to catch single-stranded DNA molecules by pi-pi conjugated interaction
      and varies the surface refractive index of the optical microfiber. The microfiber
      taper interferometer translates the refractive index information into wavelength
      shift of the interference fringe. The sensor exhibits DNA concentration
      sensitivity of 2.393 nm/log M and the lowest detection ability of 10(-10) M or
      even lower.

PMID- 26480359
TI  - Focus modulation of cylindrical vector beams by using 1D photonic crystal lens
      with negative refraction effect.
AB  - Sub-wavelength focusing of cylindrical vector beams (CVBs) has attracted great
      attention due to the specific physical effects and the applications in many
      areas. More powerful, flexible and effective ways to modulate the focus
      transversally and also longitudinally are always being pursued. In this paper,
      cylindrically symmetric lens composed of negative-index one-dimensional photonic
      crystal is proposed to make a breakthrough. By revealing the relationship between
      focal length and the exit surface shape of the lens, a quite simple and effective
      principle of designing the lens structure is presented to realize specific focus
      modulation. Plano-concave lenses are parameterized to modulate the focal length
      and the number of focuses. An axicon constructed by one-dimensional photonic
      crystal is proposed for the first time to obtain a large depth of focus and an
      optical needle focal field with almost a theoretical minimum FWHM of 0.362lambda
      is achieved under radially polarized incident light. Because of the almost
      identical negative refractive index for TE and TM polarization states, all the
      modulation methods can be applied for any arbitrary polarized CVBs. This work
      offers a promising methodology for designing negative-index lenses in related
      application areas. 

PMID- 26480360
TI  - Color image generation for screen-scanning holographic display.
AB  - Horizontally scanning holography using a microelectromechanical system spatial
      light modulator (MEMS-SLM) can provide reconstructed images with an enlarged
      screen size and an increased viewing zone angle. Herein, we propose techniques to
      enable color image generation for a screen-scanning display system employing a
      single MEMS-SLM. Higher-order diffraction components generated by the MEMS-SLM
      for R, G, and B laser lights were coupled by providing proper illumination angles
      on the MEMS-SLM for each color. An error diffusion technique to binarize the
      hologram patterns was developed, in which the error diffusion directions were
      determined for each color. Color reconstructed images with a screen size of 6.2
      in. and a viewing zone angle of 10.2 degrees  were generated at a frame rate of
      30 Hz. 

PMID- 26480362
TI  - In-line femtosecond common-path interferometer in reflection mode.
AB  - An innovative method to perform femtosecond time-resolved interferometry in
      reflection mode is proposed. The experiment consists in the combined use of a
      pump-probe setup and of a fully passive in-line femtosecond common-path
      interferometer. The originality of this interferometer relies on the use of a
      single birefringent crystal first to generate a pair of phase-locked pulses and
      second to recombine them to interfere. As predicted by analytical modeling, this
      interferometer measures the temporal derivative of the ultrafast changes of the
      complex optical reflection coefficient of the sample. Working conditions are
      illustrated through picosecond opto-acoustic experiments on a thin film. 

PMID- 26480361
TI  - Digital micromirror device-based laser-illumination Fourier ptychographic
      microscopy.
AB  - We report a novel approach to Fourier ptychographic microscopy (FPM) by using a
      digital micromirror device (DMD) and a coherent laser source (532 nm) for
      generating spatially modulated sample illumination. Previously demonstrated FPM
      systems are all based on partially-coherent illumination, which offers limited
      throughput due to insufficient brightness. Our FPM employs a high power coherent
      laser source to enable shot-noise limited high-speed imaging. For the first time,
      a digital micromirror device (DMD), imaged onto the back focal plane of the
      illumination objective, is used to generate spatially modulated sample
      illumination field for ptychography. By coding the on/off states of the
      micromirrors, the illumination plane wave angle can be varied at speeds more than
      4 kHz. A set of intensity images, resulting from different oblique illuminations,
      are used to numerically reconstruct one high-resolution image without obvious
      laser speckle. Experiments were conducted using a USAF resolution target and a
      fiber sample, demonstrating high-resolution imaging capability of our system. We
      envision that our approach, if combined with a coded-aperture compressive-sensing
      algorithm, will further improve the imaging speed in DMD-based FPM systems. 

PMID- 26480363
TI  - Mid-wave infrared metasurface microlensed focal plane array for optical crosstalk
      suppression.
AB  - Spatial crosstalk is one of the fundamental drawbacks of diminishing pixel size
      in mid-wave infrared focal plane arrays (IR-FPAs). We proposed an IR-FPA using
      the concept of optical phase discontinuities for substantial optical crosstalk
      suppression. This IR-FPA consists of asymmetrically tailored V-shaped optical
      antennas. Full-wave simulations confirmed major improvements in narrowing the
      intensity distribution of incident light beam by over 30-folds and concentrating
      these distributions in the central pixel of IR-FPA by achieving optical
      crosstalks of <1%. 

PMID- 26480364
TI  - Light coupling with a nonlinear prism.
AB  - We propose the use of a prism with nonlinear optical properties to improve the
      prism-coupling method. The principle is based on the inscription of an adapted
      waveguide inside this prism by beam self-trapping to enhance the coupling
      efficiency and stability. The experimental demonstration is realized with a prism
      diced from a LiNbO3 wafer to couple light into a resonator. 

PMID- 26480365
TI  - Phase-shifted Bragg gratings for Bloch surface waves.
AB  - An analogue of phase-shifted Bragg grating (PSBG) for Bloch surface waves (BSW)
      propagating along the interface between a one-dimensional photonic crystal and a
      homogeneous medium is proposed. The studied structure consists of a set of
      dielectric ridges located on the photonic crystal surface, the height of which is
      chosen so that they encode the required distribution of the effective refractive
      index. Rigorous simulation results of the surface wave diffraction on the
      proposed structure are compared with the plane wave diffraction on a conventional
      phase-shifted Bragg grating. The simulation results demonstrate the possibility
      of using the proposed analogue of PSBG for temporal differentiation of picosecond
      BSW pulses. The obtained results can find application in the design of the
      prospective on-chip systems for all-optical analog computing. 

PMID- 26480366
TI  - Comparison of phase modulation schemes for coherently combined fiber amplifiers.
AB  - Optical linewidth broadening through both white noise (WNS) and pseudo-random
      binary sequence (PBRS) phase modulation are effective techniques for suppressing
      stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in high- power fiber amplifiers. However,
      detailed studies comparing both coherent beam combining and SBS suppression of
      these phase modulation schemes have not been reported. In this study, a passive
      fiber cutback experiment is performed comparing the SBS threshold enhancement
      factor of a PRBS and WNS broadened seed as a function of linewidth and fiber
      length. Particularly, assuming an optimal PRBS pattern is chosen, pseudo-random
      modulation provides superior SBS suppression than WNS for a given fiber length
      and signal linewidth. Furthermore, two WNS and PRBS modulated 150 W fiber lasers
      are coherently combined to measure and compare the combining efficiency, beam
      quality, and coherence as a function of optical path length difference. Notably,
      the discrete spectral density of PRBS modulation provides a re-coherence effect
      where the lasers periodically come back into phase. Overall, this may reduce path
      length matching complexity in coherently combined fiber laser systems. 

PMID- 26480367
TI  - Resolution-improved in situ DNA hybridization detection based on microwave
      photonic interrogation.
AB  - In situ bio-sensing system based on microwave photonics filter (MPF)
      interrogation method with improved resolution is proposed and experimentally
      demonstrated. A microfiber Bragg grating (mFBG) is used as sensing probe for DNA
      hybridization detection. Different from the traditional wavelength monitoring
      technique, we use the frequency interrogation scheme for resolution-improved bio
      sensing detection. Experimental results show that the frequency shift of MPF
      notch presents a linear response to the surrounding refractive index (SRI) change
      over the range of 1.33 to 1.38, with a SRI resolution up to 2.6 * 10(-5) RIU,
      which has been increased for almost two orders of magnitude compared with the
      traditional fundamental mode monitoring technique (~3.6 * 10(-3) RIU). Due to the
      high Q value (about 27), the whole process of DNA hybridization can be in situ
      monitored. The proposed MPF-based bio-sensing system provides a new interrogation
      method over the frequency domain with improved sensing resolution and rapid
      interrogation rate for biochemical and environmental measurement.

PMID- 26480368
TI  - Measurement of particle motion in optical tweezers embedded in a Sagnac
      interferometer.
AB  - We have constructed a counterpropagating optical tweezers setup embedded in a
      Sagnac interferometer in order to increase the sensitivity of position tracking
      for particles in the geometrical optics regime. Enhanced position determination
      using a Sagnac interferometer has previously been described theoretically by
      Taylor et al. [Journal of Optics 13, 044014 (2011)] for Rayleigh-regime particles
      trapped in an antinode of a standing wave. We have extended their theory to a
      case of arbitrarily-sized particles trapped with orthogonally-polarized counter
      propagating beams. The working distance of the setup was sufficiently long to
      optically induce particle oscillations orthogonally to the axis of the tweezers
      with an auxiliary laser beam. Using these oscillations as a reference, we have
      experimentally shown that Sagnac-enhanced back focal plane interferometry is
      capable of providing an improvement of more than 5 times in the signal-to
      background ratio, corresponding to a more than 30-fold improvement of the signal
      to-noise ratio. The experimental results obtained are consistent with our
      theoretical predictions. In the experimental setup, we used a method of optical
      levitator-assisted liquid droplet delivery in air based on commercial inkjet
      technology, with a novel method to precisely control the size of droplets. 

PMID- 26480369
TI  - Tailoring the dispersion behavior of optical nanowires with intercore-cladding
      lithium niobate thin film.
AB  - The dispersion properties of silica and silicon subwavelength-diameter wires with
      intercore-cladding uniaxial dielectric lithium niobate thin film has been studied
      numerically in detail. The waveguide dispersion shifts centered around 1550-nm
      wavelength have been investigated. It shows that the dispersion of optical
      nanowires with intercore-cladding lithium niobate thin film is highly sensitive
      to fiber geometry. Moreover, with applied electric field, considerable dispersion
      shifts without changing its geometric structure can be obtained. Our work may
      provide an inroad for developing miniaturized functional optoelectronic devices. 

PMID- 26480370
TI  - Active integral imaging system based on multiple structured light method.
AB  - In this paper, we simplify the equipments for integral imaging (II) pickup and
      implement an active II system based on multiple structured light (MSL) method. In
      the active II system, the complete three-dimensional (3D) shape of the 3D scene
      can be reconstructed, and the tunable parallaxes can be generated without
      occlusions. Therefore, the high-quality 3D images can be displayed efficiently by
      the II. We also use the Compute Unified Device Architecture implementing the
      processing algorithms in graphics processing unit. The experimental results
      demonstrate the effectiveness of the MSL method for the II pickup and the
      acceleration for the elemental image array generation. Especially, the proposed
      method is suitable for the real scene with high precision. 

PMID- 26480371
TI  - Phase-only synthesis of ultrafast stretched square pulses.
AB  - We report the generation of square temporal-shape pulses with no loss of spectral
      bandwidth, using an analytic expression for the spectral phase modulation
      dependent only on the input spectrum and stretching factor. We demonstrate
      numerically and experimentally conversion of 40fs pulses into 150 times longer
      flat top pulses with sharp on and off fronts. Applications in pulse amplification
      and free electron lasers are considered. 

PMID- 26480372
TI  - Plasma temperature clamping in filamentation laser induced breakdown
      spectroscopy.
AB  - Ultrafast laser filament induced breakdown spectroscopy is a very promising
      method for remote material detection. We present characteristics of plasmas
      generated in a metal target by laser filaments in air. Our measurements show that
      the temperature of the ablation plasma is clamped along the filament channel due
      to intensity clamping in a filament. Nevertheless, significant changes in
      radiation intensity are noticeable, and this is essentially due to variation in
      the number density of emitting atoms. The present results also explain the near
      absence of ion emission but strong atomic neutral emission from plumes produced
      during fs LIBS in air. 

PMID- 26480373
TI  - Application of a broadly tunable SG-DBR QCL for multi-species trace gas
      spectroscopy.
AB  - Feasibility of using a mid-Infrared tunable sampled-grating distributed Bragg
      reflectors quantum cascade laser for high resolution multicomponent trace gas
      spectroscopy is demonstrated. By controlling the driving currents to the front
      and back sections of the laser, we were able to tune a pulsed 4.55 um laser over
      a frequency range a of 30 cm(-1) with high resolution, accuracy and
      repeatability. The laser was applied to absorption spectroscopy of ambient and
      reduced pressure (150 Torr) air in a 205 meters multi-pass Herriott cell, and by
      using standard LSQ fitting to a spectral database of these trace gases (HITRAN),
      the concentrations of nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, and water vapor were
      retrieved.

PMID- 26480374
TI  - Optimized calibration strategy for high order adaptive optics systems in closed
      loop: the slope-oriented Hadamard actuation.
AB  - The accurate calibration of the interaction matrix affects the performance of an
      adaptive optics system. In the case of high-order systems, when the number of
      mirror modes is worth a few thousands, the calibration strategy is critical to
      reach the maximum interaction matrix quality in the minimum time. This is all the
      more true for the future European Extremely Large Telescope. Here, we propose a
      novel calibration scheme, the Slope-Oriented Hadamard strategy. We then build a
      tractable interaction matrix quality criterion, and show that our method tends to
      optimize it. We demonstrate that for a given level of quality, the calibration
      time needed using the Slope-Oriented Hadamard method is seven times less than
      with a classical Hadamard scheme. These analytic and simulation results are
      confirmed experimentally on the SPHERE XAO system (SAXO). 

PMID- 26480375
TI  - Improved carrier injection in GaN-based VCSEL via AlGaN/GaN multiple quantum
      barrier electron blocking layer.
AB  - In this report, the improved lasing performance of the III-nitride based vertical
      cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) has been demonstrated by replacing the bulk
      AlGaN electron blocking layer (EBL) in the conventional VCSEL structure with an
      AlGaN/GaN multiple quantum barrier (MQB) EBL. The output power can be enhanced up
      to three times from 0.3 mW to 0.9 mW. In addition, the threshold current density
      of the fabricated device with the MQB-EBL was reduced from 12 kA/cm2 (9.5 mA) to
      10.6 kA/cm2 (8.5 mA) compared with the use of the bulk AlGaN EBL. Theoretical
      calculation results suggest that the improved carrier injection efficiency can be
      mainly attributed to the partial release of the strain and the effect of quantum
      interference by using the MQB structure, hence increasing the effective barrier
      height of the conduction band.

PMID- 26480376
TI  - Active metasurface terahertz deflector with phase discontinuities.
AB  - Metasurfaces provide great flexibility in tailoring light beams and reveal
      unprecedented prospects on novel functional components. However, techniques to
      dynamically control and manipulate the properties of metasurfaces are lagging
      behind. Here, for the first time to our knowledge, we present an active wave
      deflector made from a metasurface with phase discontinuities. The active
      metasurface is capable of delivering efficient real-time control and amplitude
      manipulation of broadband anomalous diffraction in the terahertz regime. The
      device consists of complementary C-shape split-ring resonator elements fabricated
      on a doped semiconductor substrate. Due to the Schottky diode effect formed by
      the hybrid metal-semiconductor, the real-time conductivity of the doped
      semiconductor substrate is modified by applying an external voltage bias, thereby
      effectively manipulating the intensity of the anomalous deflected terahertz wave.
      A modulation depth of up to 46% was achieved, while the characteristics of
      broadband frequency responses and constant deflected angles were well maintained
      during the modulation process. The modulation speed of diffraction amplitude
      reaches several kilohertz, limited by the capacitance and resistance of the
      depletion region. The scheme proposed here opens up a novel approach to develop
      tunable metasurfaces. 

PMID- 26480377
TI  - High fidelity digital inline holographic method for 3D flow measurements.
AB  - Among all the 3D optical flow diagnostic techniques, digital inline holographic
      particle tracking velocimetry (DIH-PTV) provides the highest spatial resolution
      with low cost, simple and compact optical setups. Despite these advantages, DIH
      PTV suffers from major limitations including poor longitudinal resolution, human
      intervention (i.e. requirement for manually determined tuning parameters during
      tracer field reconstruction and extraction), limited tracer concentration, and
      expensive computations. These limitations prevent this technique from being
      widely used for high resolution 3D flow measurements. In this study, we present a
      novel holographic particle extraction method with the goal of overcoming all the
      major limitations of DIH-PTV. The proposed method consists of multiple steps
      involving 3D deconvolution, automatic signal-to-noise ratio enhancement and
      thresholding, and inverse iterative particle extraction. The entire method is
      implemented using GPU-based algorithm to increase the computational speed
      significantly. Validated with synthetic particle holograms, the proposed method
      can achieve particle extraction rate above 95% with fake particles less than 3%
      and maximum position error below 1.6 particle diameter for holograms with
      particle concentration above 3000 particles/mm<sup>3</sup>. The applicability of
      the proposed method for DIH-PTV has been further validated using the experiment
      of laminar flow in a microchannel and the synthetic tracer flow fields generated
      using a DNS turbulent channel flow database. Such improvements will substantially
      enhance the implementation of DIH-PTV for 3D flow measurements and enable the
      potential commercialization of this technique. 

PMID- 26480378
TI  - Broadband high reflectivity in subwavelength-grating slab waveguides.
AB  - We computationally study a subwavelength dielectric grating structure, show that
      slab waveguide modes can be used to obtain broadband high reflectivity, and
      analyze how slab waveguide modes influence reflection. A structure showing
      interference between Fabry-Perot modes, slab waveguide modes, and waveguide array
      modes is designed with ultra-broadband high reflectivity. Owing to the coupling
      of guided modes, the region with reflectivity R > 0.99 has an ultra-high
      bandwidth (Deltaf / f > 30%). The incident-angle region with R > 0.99 extends
      over a range greater than 40 degrees . Moreover, an asymmetric waveguide
      structure with a semiconductor substrate is studied. 

PMID- 26480379
TI  - Electro-optical co-simulation for integrated CMOS photonic circuits with
      VerilogA.
AB  - We present a Cadence toolkit library written in VerilogA for simulation of
      electro-optical systems. We have identified and described a set of fundamental
      photonic components at the physical level such that characteristics of composite
      devices (e.g. ring modulators) are created organically - by simple instantiation
      of fundamental primitives. Both the amplitude and phase of optical signals as
      well as optical-electrical interactions are simulated. We show that the results
      match other simulations and analytic solutions that have previously been compared
      to theory for both simple devices, such as ring resonators, and more complicated
      devices and systems such as single-sideband modulators, WDM links and Pound
      Drever Hall Locking loops. We also illustrate the capability of such toolkit for
      co-simulation with electronic circuits, which is a key enabler of the electro
      optic system development and verification. 

PMID- 26480380
TI  - Terahertz transmission and sensing properties of microstructured PMMA tube
      waveguide.
AB  - A terahertz (THz) tube waveguide with grating structure has been designed,
      fabricated and characterized as a microstructure waveguide sensor. The resonance
      and polarization properties of this microstructured tube have been experimentally
      and theoretically investigated, which indicates that the grating etched on the
      tube surface has a remarkable modulation effect on the tube resonance and
      polarization dependence for THz waves. Moreover, a real-time quantitative sensing
      has been realized based on this tube waveguide in the THz time-domain
      spectroscopy system. Compared with the bare tube without grating, the grating
      structure strongly enhances the interaction between THz evanescent field on the
      tube surface and analytes, improving the sensitivity. This microstructured PMMA
      THz tube reveals a high sensitivity of 50GHz/MUl and precision of larger than
      0.125MUl with a good linear relationship for THz sensing applications. 

PMID- 26480381
TI  - High bandwidth, high responsivity waveguide-coupled germanium p-i-n photodiode.
AB  - A novel waveguide-coupled germanium p-i-n photodiode is demonstrated which
      combines high responsivity with very high -3 dB bandwidth at a medium dark
      current. Bandwidth values are 40 GHz at zero bias and more than 70 GHz at -1 V.
      Responsivity at 1.55 um wavelength ranges from 0.84 A/W at zero bias to 1 A/W at 
      1 V. Room temperature dark current density at -1 V is about 1 A/cm2. The high
      responsivity mainly results from the use of a new, low-loss contact scheme, which
      moreover also reduces the negative effect of photo carrier diffusion on
      bandwidth.

PMID- 26480382
TI  - Two-dimensional tomographic terahertz imaging by homodyne self-mixing.
AB  - We realize a compact two-dimensional tomographic terahertz imaging experiment
      involving only one photoconductive antenna (PCA) simultaneously serving as a
      transmitter and receiver of the terahertz radiation. A hollow-core Teflon
      cylinder filled with alpha-Lactose monohydrate powder is studied at two terahertz
      frequencies, far away and at a specific absorption line of the powder. This
      sample is placed between the antenna and a chopper wheel, which serves as back
      reflector of the terahertz radiation into the PCA. Amplitude and phase
      information of the continuous-wave (CW) terahertz radiation are extracted from
      the measured homodyne self-mixing (HSM) signal after interaction with the
      cylinder. The influence of refraction is studied by modeling the set-up utilizing
      ZEMAX and is discussed by means of the measured 1D projections. The tomographic
      reconstruction by using the Simultaneous Algebraic Reconstruction Technique
      (SART) allows to identify both object geometry and alpha-Lactose filling. 

PMID- 26480383
TI  - Switchable quarter-wave plate with graphene based metamaterial for broadband
      terahertz wave manipulation.
AB  - Graphene is a good candidate material in designing tunable terahertz devices due
      to its tunability of sheet conductivity. In this paper, we propose a scheme to
      design switchable quarter-wave plate for terahertz wave that is composed of
      graphene based grating and metallic grating structures. The proposed active
      device can dynamically switch the transmission wave among left-handed, right
      handed circular polarization and linear polarization states by electrically
      controlling the Fermi energy of the graphene grating. The device is analyzed with
      grating circular polarizer theory and its performance is investigated through
      full wave simulations on practically realizable geometry. The proposed quarter
      wave plate having a subwavelength thickness demonstrates a wide angle of
      incidence tolerance, and a broad bandwidth operation. This device concept offers
      a further step in developing tunable polarizers and polarization switchers, which
      may be applied in practical terahertz image and communication systems. 

PMID- 26480384
TI  - Suppression of WDM four-wave mixing crosstalk in fibre optic parametric amplifier
      using Raman-assisted pumping.
AB  - We perform an extensive numerical analysis of Raman-Assisted Fibre Optical
      Parametric Amplifiers (RA-FOPA) in the context of WDM QPSK signal amplification.
      A detailed comparison of the conventional FOPA and RA-FOPA is reported and the
      important advantages offered by the Raman pumping are clarified. We assess the
      impact of pump power ratios, channel count, and highly nonlinear fibre (HNLF)
      length on crosstalk levels at different amplifier gains. We show that for a fixed
      200 m HNLF length, maximum crosstalk can be reduced by up to 7 dB when amplifying
      10x58Gb/s QPSK signals at 20 dB net-gain using a Raman pump of 37 dBm and
      parametric pump of 28.5 dBm in comparison to a standard single-pump FOPA using
      33.4 dBm pump power. It is shown that a significant reduction in four-wave mixing
      crosstalk is also obtained by reducing the highly nonlinear fibre interaction
      length. The trend is shown to be generally valid for different net-gain
      conditions and channel grid size. Crosstalk levels are additionally shown to
      strongly depend on the Raman/parametric pump power ratio, with a reduction in
      crosstalk seen for increased Raman pump power contribution. 

PMID- 26480385
TI  - Temperature dependence of spin photocurrent spectra induced by Rashba- and
      Dresselhaus-type circular photogalvanic effect at inter-band excitation in
      InGaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells.
AB  - Spin photocurrent spectra induced by Rashba- and Dresselhaus-type circular
      photogalvanic effect (CPGE) at inter-band excitation have been experimentally
      investigated in InGaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells at a temperature range of 80 to 290
      K. It is found that, the sign of Rashba-type current reverses at low
      temperatures, while that of Dresselhaus-type remains unchanged. The temperature
      dependence of ratio of Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling parameters,
      increasing from -6.7 to 17.9, is obtained, and the possible reasons are
      discussed. We also develop a model to extract the Rashba-type effective electric
      field at different temperatures. It is demonstrated that excitonic effect will
      significantly influence the Rashba-type CPGE, while it has little effect on
      Dresselhaus-type CPGE. 

PMID- 26480386
TI  - Chip-based silica microspheres for cavity optomechanics.
AB  - We have experimentally realized on-chip silica microspheres that feature
      excellent thermal coupling to the silicon wafer. The chip-based microspheres
      significantly reduce laser-induced heating and correspondingly exhibit much lower
      threshold optical power for heating-induced optical bistability. We also show
      that the chip-based microspheres have optical and especially optomechanical
      properties that are similar to those of traditional fiber-stem-attached silica
      microspheres, making the chip-based microspheres suitable for optomechanical
      studies in a vacuum environment. 

PMID- 26480387
TI  - Modal analysis and efficient coupling of TE01 mode in small-core THz Bragg
      fibers.
AB  - We report a design of low-loss THz Bragg fibers with a core size on the order of
      wavelength that operates near the cutoff frequency of its TE01 mode. We also
      propose a broadband Y-type mode converter based on branched rectangular metallic
      waveguides to facilitate coupling between the TE01 mode of the Bragg fiber and
      the TEM mode in free space with 60% efficiency. Our fiber holds strong promise to
      facilitate beam-wave interaction in gyrotron for high-efficiency THz generation.

PMID- 26480388
TI  - InAsP quantum dot lasers grown by MOVPE.
AB  - We report on InAsP quantum dot lasers grown by MOVPE for 730-780 nm wavelength
      emission and compare performance with InP dot samples grown under similar
      conditions and with similar structures. 1-4 mm long, uncoated facet InAsP dot
      lasers emit between 760 and 775 nm and 2 mm long lasers with uncoated facets have
      threshold current density of 260 Acm(-2), compared with 150 Acm(-2) for InP
      quantum dot samples, which emit at shorter wavelengths, 715-725 nm. Pulsed lasing
      is demonstrated for InAsP dots up to 380 K with up to 200 mW output power.
      Measured absorption spectra indicate the addition of Arsenic to the dots has
      shifted the available transitions to longer wavelengths but also results in a
      much larger degree of spectral broadening. These spectra and transmission
      electron microscopy images indicate that the InAsP dots have a much larger degree
      of inhomogeneous broadening due to dot size variation, both from layer to layer
      and within a layer.

PMID- 26480389
TI  - Femtosecond solid-state laser based on tungsten disulfide saturable absorber.
AB  - A new kind of WS2 film was designed, which was composed of few-layer WS2
      nanosheets. The nanosheets spread evenly over the SiO2 substrate. By applying the
      samples into a solid-state laser cavity, excellent mode-locking (ML) performance
      was obtained. The pulse repetition rate was 86.7 MHz with a pulse width of 736
      fs. The results indicate that WS2 material have prosperous application future in
      solid-state lasers.

PMID- 26480390
TI  - Improving performance of channel equalization in RSOA-based WDM-PON by QR
      decomposition.
AB  - In reflective semiconductor optical amplifier (RSOA)-based wavelength division
      multiplexed passive optical network (WDM-PON), the bit rate is limited by low
      modulation bandwidth of RSOAs. To overcome the limitation, we apply QR
      decomposition in channel equalizer (QR-CE) to achieve successive interference
      cancellation (SIC) for discrete Fourier transform spreading orthogonal frequency
      division multiplexing (DFT-S OFDM) signal. Using an RSOA with a 3-dB modulation
      bandwidth of only ~800 MHz, we experimentally demonstrate a 15.5-Gb/s over 20-km
      SSMF DFT-S OFDM transmission with QR-CE. The experimental results show that DFTS
      OFDM with QR-CE attains much better BER performance than DFTS-OFDM and OFDM with
      conventional channel equalizers. The impacts of several parameters on QR-CE are
      investigated. It is found that 2 sub-bands in one OFDM symbol and 1 pilot in each
      sub-band are sufficient to achieve optimal performance and maintain the high
      spectral efficiency. 

PMID- 26480391
TI  - Towards highly efficient and highly transparent OLEDs: advanced considerations
      for emission zone coupled with capping layer design.
AB  - Strategies to achieve efficient transparent organic light-emitting diodes
      (TrOLEDs) are presented. The emission zone position is carefully adjusted by
      monitoring the optical phase change upon reflection from the top electrode, which
      is significant when the thickness of the capping layer changes. With the proposed
      design strategy, external quantum efficiency and transmittance values as high as
      15% and 80% are demonstrated simultaneously. The effect of surface plasmon
      polariton (SPP) loss from thin metal electrodes is also taken into account to
      correctly describe the full scaling behavior of the efficiency of TrOLEDs over
      key optical design parameters. 

PMID- 26480392
TI  - Flexible generation of coherent rectangular pulse from an ultrafast fiber laser
      based on dispersive Fourier transformation technique.
AB  - We propose a new solution to flexibly generate the coherent rectangular pulse
      from an ultrafast fiber laser based on the dispersive Fourier transformation
      (DFT) technique. The rectangular dissipative soliton (DS) spectra emitted from a
      net-normal dispersion mode-locked fiber laser is mapped into a time-domain
      coherent rectangular waveform through the DFT technique. The rectangular pulse
      can be broadened flexibly with the adjustments of the pump power. The coherence
      and shot-to-shot fluctuations of the achieved rectangular pulses are further
      verified by the Mach-Zehnder interference experiment and the recorded single-shot
      pulse train, respectively. The results demonstrate that the combination of DS
      mode-locked laser and DFT technique might be indeed an effective and flexible way
      to achieve highly coherent rectangular pulses. 

PMID- 26480393
TI  - 240-GHz continuously frequency-tuneable Nd:YVO4/LBO laser with two intra-cavity
      locked etalons.
AB  - This work reports for the first time on study of a single-frequency Nd:YVO4 laser
      with intra-cavity frequency doubling, in which quasi-continuous frequency tuning
      over an ultra-broad range is implemented with two intra-cavity locked etalons and
      automatic stitching between ranges of smooth scanning of the laser's output
      frequency. The proposed and demonstrated method allowed to continuously tune the
      output frequency of the studied 1.5-W Nd:YVO4/LBO laser over a record-breaking
      broad range of 240 GHz at 532 nm.

PMID- 26480394
TI  - Dynamical measurement of refractive index distribution using digital holographic
      interferometry based on total internal reflection.
AB  - We present a method for dynamically measuring the refractive index distribution
      in a large range based on the combination of digital holographic interferometry
      and total internal reflection. A series of holograms, carrying the index
      information of mixed liquids adhered on a total reflection prism surface, are
      recorded with CCD during the diffusion process. Phase shift differences of the
      reflected light are reconstructed exploiting the principle of double-exposure
      holographic interferometry. According to the relationship between the reflection
      phase shift difference and the liquid index, two dimensional index distributions
      can be directly figured out, assuming that the index of air near the prism
      surface is constant. The proposed method can also be applied to measure the index
      of solid media and monitor the index variation during some chemical reaction
      processes. 

PMID- 26480395
TI  - Non-orthogonal optical multicarrier access based on filter bank and SCMA.
AB  - This paper proposes a novel non-orthogonal optical multicarrier access system
      based on filter bank and sparse code multiple access (SCMA). It offers released
      frequency offset and better spectral efficiency for multicarrier access. An
      experiment of 73.68 Gb/s filter bank-based multicarrier (FBMC) SCMA system with
      60 km single mode fiber link is performed to demonstrate the feasibility. The
      comparison between fast Fourier transform (FFT) based multicarrier and the
      proposed scheme is also investigated in the experiment. 

PMID- 26480396
TI  - Polarization-selective dynamically tunable multispectral Fano resonances:
      decomposing of subgroup plasmonic resonances.
AB  - We analyze the design of near infrared all-optical controllable and dynamically
      tunable multispectral Fano resonances based on subgroup decomposition of
      plasmonic resonances in hybrid nanoslits antenna plasmonic system. The
      theoretical investigation complemented with numerical simulations show that the
      Fano resonance lines shape can be tailored efficiently and continuously with the
      nanoslits geometry and the variation of the polarization states of the incident
      light. The subgroup decomposition of the spectral profile and the modification of
      plasmonic resonances lineshape that leads to the Fano-type profile of
      transmission is investigated and revealed. The separate contribution from
      individual spectral of single-slit array subgroup is attributed to the resulting
      overall multispectral Fano lineshape of the proposed T-shaped slits array at
      their corresponding spectral peaks zone. The polarization-selective tunability of
      the multispectral Fano resonances in the planar hybrid plasmonic system creates
      new avenues for designing multi-channel multi-wavelength tunable Fano effect. 

PMID- 26480397
TI  - Scalable software-defined optical networking with high-performance routing and
      wavelength assignment algorithms.
AB  - The feasibility of software-defined optical networking (SDON) for a practical
      application critically depends on scalability of centralized control performance.
      The paper, highly scalable routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) algorithms are
      investigated on an OpenFlow-based SDON testbed for proof-of-concept
      demonstration. Efficient RWA algorithms are proposed to achieve high performance
      in achieving network capacity with reduced computation cost, which is a
      significant attribute in a scalable centralized-control SDON. The proposed
      heuristic RWA algorithms differ in the orders of request processes and in the
      procedures of routing table updates. Combined in a shortest-path-based routing
      algorithm, a hottest-request-first processing policy that considers demand
      intensity and end-to-end distance information offers both the highest throughput
      of networks and acceptable computation scalability. We further investigate trade
      off relationship between network throughput and computation complexity in routing
      table update procedure by a simulation study. 

PMID- 26480398
TI  - Broadband plasmon-induced transparency in terahertz metamaterials via
      constructive interference of electric and magnetic couplings.
AB  - Plasmon-induced transparency (PIT) is a result of destructive interference of
      different plasmonic resonators. Due to the extreme dispersion within the narrow
      transparency window, PIT metamaterials are utilized to realize slow light and
      nonlinear effect. However, other applications such as broadband filtering more
      desire a broad transmission frequency band at the PIT resonance. In this paper, a
      broadband PIT effect is demonstrated theoretically in a planar terahertz
      metamaterial, consisting of a U-shaped ring (USR) supporting electric and
      magnetic dipole modes as the bright resonator and a cut wire pair (CWP)
      possessing planar electric quadrupole and magnetic dipole modes as the dark
      resonator. The dark resonant modes of the CWP can be excited simultaneously via
      near-field by both the electric and magnetic dipole modes of the USR. When the
      electric as well as magnetic excitation pathways constructively interact with
      each other, the enhanced near-field coupling between bright and dark resonators
      gives rise to an ultra-broad transparency window across a frequency range greater
      than 0.61 THz in the transmittance spectrum. 

PMID- 26480399
TI  - Kinetic behavior of light emission in cholesteric liquid crystal lasers: An
      experimental study.
AB  - Some dynamical aspects of fluorescence and lasing have been studied in a dye
      doped cholesteric liquid crystal by measuring the response of the material to
      nanosecond optical pumping. It has been found that as the pumping energy is
      increased the fluorescence pulse duration decreases, reaching a minimum at the
      lasing threshold. Above the threshold the temporal profiles are irregular and
      consist of a set of narrow pulses whose measured duration is limited by the
      detector risetime (1 ns). The results are interpreted in terms of a recently
      proposed model [JETP, 118, 822 (2014)] that makes use of rate equations to
      account for the laser generation in cholesteric liquid crystals. The prediction
      of such equations for an experimental configuration appropriate for fluorescence
      lifetime measurements is analyzed. 

PMID- 26480400
TI  - Generalized analytical model based on harmonic coupling for hybrid plasmonic
      modes: comparison with numerical and experimental results.
AB  - Metal nanoparticle arrays have proved useful for different applications due to
      their ability to enhance electromagnetic fields within a few tens of nanometers.
      This field enhancement results from the excitation of various plasmonic modes at
      certain resonance frequencies. In this article, we have studied an array of
      metallic nanocylinders placed on a thin metallic film. A simple analytical model
      is proposed to explain the existence of the different types of modes that can be
      excited in such a structure. Owing to the cylinder array, the structure can
      support localized surface plasmon (LSP) modes. The LSP mode couples to the
      propagating surface plasmon (PSP) mode of the thin film to give rise to the
      hybrid lattice plasmon (HLP) mode and anti-crossing phenomenon. Due to the
      periodicity of the array, the Bragg modes (BM) are also excited in the structure.
      We have calculated analytically the resonance frequencies of the BM, LSP and the
      corresponding HLP, and have verified the calculations by rigorous numerical
      methods. Experimental results obtained in the Kretschmann configuration also
      validate the proposed analytical model. The dependency of the resonance
      frequencies of these modes on the structural parameters such as cylinder
      diameter, height and the periodicity of the array is shown. Such a detailed study
      can offer insights on the physical phenomenon that governs the excitation of
      various plasmonic modes in the system. It is also useful to optimize the
      structure as per required for the different applications, where such types of
      structures are used. 

PMID- 26480401
TI  - Efficiency of evanescent excitation and collection of spontaneous Raman
      scattering near high index contrast channel waveguides.
AB  - We develop and experimentally verify a theoretical model for the total efficiency
      eta0 of evanescent excitation and subsequent collection of spontaneous Raman
      signals by the fundamental quasi-TE and quasi-TM modes of a generic photonic
      channel waveguide. Single-mode silicon nitride (Si3N4) slot and strip waveguides
      of different dimensions are used in the experimental study. Our theoretical model
      is validated by the correspondence between the experimental and theoretical
      absolute values within the experimental errors. We extend our theoretical model
      to silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) channel waveguides and
      study eta0 as a function of index contrast, polarization of the mode and the
      geometry of the waveguides. We report nearly 2.5 (4 and 5) times larger eta0 for
      the fundamental quasi-TM mode when compared to eta0 for the fundamental quasi-TE
      mode of a typical Si3N4 (TiO2 and SOI) strip waveguide. eta0 for the fundamental
      quasi-TE mode of a typical Si3N4, (TiO2 and SOI) slot waveguide is about 7 (22
      and 90) times larger when compared to eta0 for the fundamental quasi-TE mode of a
      strip waveguide of the similar dimensions. We attribute the observed enhancement
      to the higher electric field discontinuity present in high index contrast
      waveguides.

PMID- 26480402
TI  - 2-LP mode few-mode fiber amplifier employing ring-core erbium-doped fiber.
AB  - A fiber amplifier supporting 2 LP modes that employs a ring-core erbium-doped
      fiber (RC-EDF) is investigated to reduce differential modal gain (DMG). The inner
      and outer radii of the ring-core of the RC-EDF are clarified for 2-LP mode
      operation of the amplifier, and are optimized to reduce the DMG. It is shown that
      using the overlap integral between the erbium-doped core area and the signal
      power mode distribution is a good way to optimize the inner and outer radii of
      the ring-core of the RC-EDF and thus minimize the DMG. A fabricated RC-EDF and a
      constructed 2-LP mode EDFA are described and a small DMG of around 1 dB is
      realized for LP01, LP11 and LP21 pumping.

PMID- 26480403
TI  - Signal-noise interaction in nonlinear optical fibers: a hydrodynamic approach.
AB  - We present a new perturbative approach to the study of signal-noise interactions
      in nonlinear optical fibers. The approach is based on the hydrodynamic
      formulation of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation that governs the propagation of
      light in the fiber. Our method is discussed in general and is developed in more
      details for some special cases, namely the small-dispersion regime, the
      continuous-wave (CW) signal and the solitonic pulse. The accuracy of the approach
      is numerically tested in the CW case. 

PMID- 26480404
TI  - Improved polarization dependent loss tolerance for polarization multiplexed
      coherent optical systems by polarization pairwise coding.
AB  - Polarization dependent loss (PDL) causes imbalanced optical signal to noise ratio
      (OSNR) of the two polarizations, thus remains one of the major bottlenecks for
      next-generation polarization-division-multiplexed (PDM) coherent optical
      transmission systems. In this paper, we investigate Pairwise Coding for adaptive
      PDL mitigation in PDM coherent optical systems. By pre-coding across two
      polarizations, the PDL-induced performance degradation can be largely mitigated
      without any coding overhead. We present details of the coding and de-coding
      design, and also derive the analytical symbol/bit error rate of the Polarization
      Pairwise Coding scheme, which can be used to predict the performance gain as well
      as for optimal rotation angle calculation. Simulation results verify that
      Pairwise Coding achieves substantial system performance gains over a wide range
      of PDL values. Compared with other digital coding techniques, Polarization
      Pairwise Coding shows improved performance than Walsh-Hadamard transform since it
      maximizes the coordinate diversity; and also Pairwise Coding is computationally
      much simpler to decode compared with the Golden and Silver Codes, therefore is
      practical for current 100-Gb/s and future 400-Gb/s and 1-Tb/s digital coherent
      transceivers. 

PMID- 26480405
TI  - Spectral division amplification of a 40 nm bandwidth in a multicore Yb doped
      fiber and femtosecond pulse synthesis with in-fiber delay line.
AB  - A compact multicore ytterbium doped fiber amplifier has been implemented
      according to the spectral division scheme. It was shown that it allows
      amplification of pulses with about 40 nm wide spectrum. Compensation of the
      different spectral bands delay through bending and twist of the multicore ribbon
      fiber followed by appropriate setting of their phase permitted the synthesis of
      pulses close to 100 fs duration. 

PMID- 26480406
TI  - Perturbative solution for terahertz two-wire metallic waveguides with different
      radii.
AB  - We introduce the technique of perturbation of boundary condition to the problem
      of terahertz two-wire metallic waveguides with different radii. Based on the
      quasi-TEM analytical mode fields derived by use of Mobius transformation, a
      concise expression for the complex effective index is obtained analytically. The
      expression is in good agreement with the simulation result. Further, the
      dispersion and attenuation are obtained from the expression. In addition, we find
      a zero value point of the group velocity dispersion around 1.268 THz. The results
      show that the technique of perturbation of boundary condition is helpful in the
      analysis and design of terahertz metal waveguide. 

PMID- 26480407
TI  - Color filters based on a nanoporous Al-AAO resonator featuring structure tolerant
      color saturation.
AB  - Reflection type subtractive tri-color filters, enabling metal-thickness tolerant
      high color saturation, were proposed and demonstrated capitalizing on a
      nanoporous metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) resonant structure, which comprises a
      cavity made of self-assembled nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO), sandwiched
      between an Al film of the same nanoporous configuration and a highly reflective
      aluminum (Al) substrate. For the proposed filter, the output color was easily
      determined by controlling the resonance wavelength via the thickness of the
      porous AAO cavity. In particular, the spectral response was deemed to exhibit a
      near-zero resonant dip, thereby achieving enhanced color saturation, which was
      stably maintained irrespective of the thickness of the porous Al film, due to its
      reduced effective refractive index. In order to manufacture the proposed color
      filters on a large scale, a porous Al film of hexagonal lattice configuration was
      integrated with an identically porous self-assembled AAO layer, which has been
      grown on an Al substrate. For the realized tri-color filters for cyan, magenta,
      and yellow (CMY), having a 15-nm Al film, near-zero reflection dips were observed
      to be centered at the wavelengths of 436, 500, and 600 nm, respectively. The
      resulting enhanced color saturation was stably maintained even though the
      variations were as large as 10 nm in the metal thickness. 

PMID- 26480409
TI  - Analyzing the temperature sensitivity of Fabry-Perot sensor using multilayer
      graphene diaphragm.
AB  - A miniature Fabry-Perot interferometric sensor with an ultra-high temperature
      sensitivity was constructed by using an approximate 8-layer graphene diaphragm.
      The extremely thin diaphragm was transferred onto the endface of a ferrule with
      an inner diameter of 125 MUm, and van der Waals interactions between the graphene
      diaphragm and its substrate created a low finesse Fabry-Perot interferometer with
      a cavity length of 42.86 MUm. Temperature testing demonstrated a temperature
      induced cavity length change of 352 nm/ degrees C with a good linearity in the
      range of 20-60  degrees C. The result conformed well to the proposed analytical
      models relating to thermal expansion of trapped gas, thermal-optical property of
      graphene diaphragm and deflection behavior of bulged graphene blister. However,
      the ultra-thin diaphragm exhibited a small deflection deformation characteristic
      due to the applied higher loads. 

PMID- 26480408
TI  - Enhanced resolution in a multimode fiber imaging system.
AB  - Multimode fibers have recently been demonstrated to be a promising candidate for
      ultrathin and high resolution endoscopy. However, this method does not offer
      depth discrimination for fluorescence imaging and the numerical aperture of the
      fiber limits its resolution. In this paper we demonstrate optical sectioning and
      enhanced resolution using saturated excitation and temporal modulation. Using a
      continuous wave laser excitation, we demonstrate improved resolution in all three
      dimensions and increased image contrast by rejecting out of focus light. 

PMID- 26480410
TI  - Sub-90 fs a stretched-pulse mode-locked fiber laser based on a graphene saturable
      absorber.
AB  - In this paper a stretched-pulse, mode-locked Er-doped fiber laser based on
      graphene saturable absorber (SA) is presented. A 60 layer graphene/polymer
      composite was used as a SA. The all-fiber dispersion managed laser resonator with
      the repetition frequency of 21.15 MHz allows for Gaussian pulses generation with
      the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 48 nm. The generated chirped pulses were
      compressed outside the cavity to the 88 fs using a piece of standard single mode
      fiber. The average output power and pulse energy were of 1.5 mW and 71 pJ,
      respectively. 

PMID- 26480411
TI  - WS2 saturable absorber for dissipative soliton mode locking at 1.06 and 1.55 um.
AB  - Transition-metal dichalcogenides, such as tungsten disulfide (WS2) and
      molybdenium disulfide (MoS2), are highly anisotropic layered materials and have
      attracted growing interest from basic research to practical applications due to
      their exotic physical property that may complement graphene and other
      semiconductor materials. WS2 nanosheets are found to exhibit broadband nonlinear
      saturable absorption property, and saturable absorbers (SAs) are fabricated by
      depositing WS2 nanosheets on side-polished fibers. Attributing to the weak
      evanescent field and long interaction length, the WS2 nanosheets are not exposed
      to large optical intensity, which allows the SA to work at the high-power regime.
      The SAs are used to mode lock erbium- and ytterbium-doped fiber lasers with
      normal dispersion, producing trains of dissipative soliton at 1.55 and 1.06 um
      respectively. Simulations show that the bandgap of WS2 nanosheets decreases from
      1.18 to 0.02 and 0.65 eV by introducing W and S defects respectively, which may
      contribute to the broadband saturable absorption property of the WS2.

PMID- 26480412
TI  - Influence of pre-annealing on the thermal regeneration of fiber Bragg gratings in
      standard optical fibers.
AB  - A detailed study of the dynamics during thermal regeneration of fiber Bragg
      gratings, written in hydrogen-loaded standard single-mode fibers using a ns
      pulsed 213 nm UV laser, is reported. Isothermal pre-annealing performed in the
      range 85  degrees C to 1100  degrees C, with subsequent grating regeneration at
      1100  degrees C, resulted in a maximum refractive index modulation, Deltan(m)
      ~1.4?10(-4), for gratings pre-annealed near 900  degrees C while a minimum value
      of Deltan(m) ~2?10(-5) was achieved irrespective of pre-annealing temperature.
      This optimum denote an inflection point between opposing thermally triggered
      processes, which we ascribe to the reaction-diffusion mechanism of molecular
      water and hydroxyl species in silica. The results shed new light on the
      mechanisms underlying thermal grating regeneration in optical fibers.

PMID- 26480413
TI  - Organic photo sensors for multi-angle light scattering characterization of
      particle systems.
AB  - Organic Photo Sensor (OPS) technology allows printing on conformable plastic-like
      substrates complex-shaped, arbitrarily-sized and pre-aligned photosensitive
      elements. This article reports, to the best of our knowledge, the first
      investigation to implement this emerging technology for Multi-Angle Light
      Scattering (MALS) characterization of nano- and microparticle suspensions. Monte
      Carlo and Lorenz-Mie theory calculations as well as preliminary experimental
      results on latex suspensions clearly demonstrate the potential of the proposed
      approach. 

PMID- 26480414
TI  - Perspective projection model for prism-based stereovision.
AB  - A perspective projection model for prism-based stereovision was presented in this
      paper. The prism was considered as a single optical lens. By analyzing each plane
      individually and then combining them together, an affine transformation matrix
      which can express the relationship between an object point and its image was
      derived. Next, the perspective projection model between object point and its
      image was established. The methods for model parameter calibration, distortion
      correction and 3D reconstruction were also provided. The proposed method was
      based on optical geometry and could be used in a multi-ocular prism. Experimental
      results are presented to demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of our method
      which could be used in morphological measurement with high precision. 

PMID- 26480415
TI  - Pattern recognition cytometry for label-free cell classification by 2D light
      scattering measurements.
AB  - We develop a pattern recognition cytometric technique for label-free cell
      classification. Two dimensional (2D) light scattering patterns from single cells
      and cell aggregates are obtained with a static cytometer. Good performance of the
      cytometric setup is verified by comparing yeast cell experimental results with
      theoretical simulations. Adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) method (a machine learning
      algorithm) is adopted for the analysis of the 2D light scattering patterns. It is
      shown that aggregates of three yeast cells can be well differentiated from
      aggregates of four yeast cells by this pattern recognition cytometric technique.
      We demonstrate that the pattern recognition cytometry can perform label-free
      classification of normal cervical cells and HeLa cells with a high accuracy rate.

PMID- 26480416
TI  - Achromatic polarization manipulation by dispersion management of anisotropic meta
      mirror with dual-metasurface.
AB  - A dual-metasurface-based reflective device ("meta-mirror") has been proposed for
      broadband polarization manipulation, which is composed of orthogonal metallic cut
      wire arrays separated from a grounded plane with different distances. The
      reflective phases of orthogonally linearly-polarized components can be
      independently adjusted by changing the dimensions of the cut-wire pairs.
      Benefiting from the fully released dispersion management ability in both
      dimensions, achromatic (i.e., ultra-broadband) polarization manipulation can be
      achieved. The suggested approach has been numerically verified in both microwave
      and optical band. Moreover, experimental characterization in microwave regime has
      demonstrated the broadband polarization manipulation ability within 5 - 30 GHz.
      The underlying physical mechanism of dispersion engineering was explained in
      general equivalent circuit theory and transmission line model. 

PMID- 26480417
TI  - Sufficient condition for producing photonic band gaps in one-dimensional optical
      waveguide networks.
AB  - In this paper, we investigate the influences of the mode, number, and sequence of
      unit cell on the production of photonic band gaps (PBGs) in one-dimensional (1D)
      optical waveguide networks (OWNs) and find that the sufficient condition for
      producing PBG is related to the mode and number of unit cell, but the sequence of
      unit cell does not affect the production of PBGs. Only when a 1D OWN contains
      enough evanescent-mode unit cells can it produce PBGs. Otherwise, no matter how
      the sequence of unit cell is, the 1D OWN can not produce any PBG. It may deepen
      people's knowledge on the mechanism of the production of PBGs in 1D OWNs and may
      be useful for the designing of PBG materials/devices. On the other hand,
      according to the classification method of 1D lattices in solid state physics, we
      classify the unit cells of OWNs as two types: the simple and complex unit cells.
      This classification method may be useful for investigating OWNs strictly, deeply,
      and taxonomically. 

PMID- 26480418
TI  - Sidemode suppression for coupled optoelectronic oscillator by optical pulse power
      feedforward.
AB  - Multiple sidemodes have been observed in a coupled optoelectronic oscillator
      (COEO) when the contained actively mode-locked fiber ring laser employs erbium
      doped fiber (EDF). We propose that such sidemodes can be suppressed significantly
      by an optical pulse power feedforward scheme, through which the mode-locked
      optical pulse is reversely intensity-modulated by itself, resulting in a fast
      power limiting. Experimentally we show that sidemodes are suppressed as much as
      40 dB in a 10-GHz COEO. The additional noise induced by the power feedforward
      technique is analyzed numerically. We show that for a COEO with a typical cavity
      length, the feedforward contribution to final single-side band (SSB) noise is
      minor and neglectable. 

PMID- 26480419
TI  - Laser induced periodic surface structuring on Si by temporal shaped femtosecond
      pulses.
AB  - We investigated the effect of temporal shaped femtosecond pulses on silicon laser
      micromachining. By using sinusoidal spectral phases, pulse trains composed of sub
      pulses with distinct temporal separations were generated and applied to the
      silicon surface to produce Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS). The
      LIPSS obtained with different sub-pulse separation were analyzed by comparing the
      intensity of the two-dimensional fast Fourier Transform (2D-FFT) of the AFM
      images of the ripples (LIPSS). It was observed that LIPSS amplitude is more
      emphasized for the pulse train with sub-pulses separation of 128 fs, even when
      compared with the Fourier transform limited pulse. By estimating the carrier
      density achieved at the end of each pulse train, we have been able to interpret
      our results with the Sipe-Drude model, that predicts that LIPSS efficacy is
      higher for a specific induced carrier density. Hence, our results indicate that
      temporal shaping of the excitation pulse, performed by spectral phase modulation,
      can be explored in fs-laser microstructuring. 

PMID- 26480420
TI  - Radiation build-up in laminar and turbulent regimes in quasi-CW Raman fiber
      laser.
AB  - We study the radiation build-up in laminar and turbulent generation regimes in
      quasi-CW Raman fiber laser. We found the resulted spectral shape and generation
      type is defined by the total spectral broadening/narrowing balance over laser
      cavity round-trip, which is substantially different in different regimes starting
      from first round-trips of the radiation build-up. In turbulent regime, the steady
      state is reached only after a few round-trips, while in the laminar regime the
      laser approaches the equilibrium spectrum shape asymptotically. 

PMID- 26480421
TI  - Cladding-like waveguide structure in Nd:YAG crystal fabricated by multiple ion
      irradiation for enhanced waveguide lasing.
AB  - We report on a cladding-like waveguide structure in Nd:YAG crystal fabricated by
      the multiple carbon ion beam irradiation. After the designed multiple irradiation
      process, the cladding-like waveguide with triple refractive-index layers were
      constructed in the region near the surface of the crystal. With such a structure,
      the waveguiding core was compressed and refractive index profile was modified,
      resulting in a higher light intensity than that of the single ion-beam-irradiated
      monolayer waveguide. The waveguide lasing at wavelength of 1064 nm was achieved
      with enhanced performance in the cladding-like structures with both planar and
      ridge configurations by the optical pump at 810 nm. 

PMID- 26480422
TI  - Research on the standards of indicators associated with maintain time in
      bidirectional beam tracking in inter-satellites optical communication links.
AB  - We report on a novel technology for high-speed inter-satellites optical
      communication by bidirectional beam tracking. By establishing the relation
      between the compensation effect and the parameters of response time and overshoot
      situation, the stability can be well compensated simply by the control system.
      Thus the relation between compensation effect and maintain time can be predicted
      from ground tests, and the certain evaluation standard could be established to
      meet the requirements of system. The other critical factors, such as signal-to
      noise ratio and pointing angle error, have also been considered to improve the
      stability. The general approach can provide us a powerful path to overcome the
      performance limitation of bidirectional beam tracking, which can be expected to
      be widely applied in Free Space optics communications in future. 

PMID- 26480423
TI  - Polarizer-free liquid crystal display with double microlens array layers and
      polarization-controlling liquid crystal layer.
AB  - We propose a polarizer-free liquid crystal display (LCD) consisting of two
      microlens array (MLA) layers, a twisted nematic (TN) LC layer, and two light
      blocking masks. By changing the polarization state, focal length of the LCD can
      be controlled. Since two light-blocking masks have a circular stop pattern and a
      complementary open pattern, entire gray-scale spectrum may be realized by
      controlling the intensity of light passing through masks. Ultimately, fast
      response time characteristics could be achieved due to the alignment of LC
      molecules on the flat MLA surface. 

PMID- 26480424
TI  - Quantitative sectioning and noise analysis for structured illumination
      microscopy: erratum.
AB  - We correct an error in the original manuscript, where an unrecognized assumption
      was made about the relationship between the out-of-focus light and the in-focus
      light. We summarize the condition under which the assumption may still hold, and
      mention alternative methods researchers can use to obtain accurate quantitative
      sectioning. 

PMID- 26480425
TI  - Axial range of conjugate adaptive optics in two-photon microscopy: erratum.
AB  - We correct an omission from the Acknowledgments section of our manuscript. 

PMID- 26480426
TI  - Fast Hadamard transforms for compressive sensing of joint systems: measurement of
      a 3.2 million-dimensional bi-photon probability distribution.
AB  - We demonstrate how to efficiently implement extremely high-dimensional
      compressive imaging of a bi-photon probability distribution. Our method uses fast
      Hadamard-transform Kronecker-based compressive sensing to acquire the joint space
      distribution. We list, in detail, the operations necessary to enable fast
      transform-based matrix-vector operations in the joint space to reconstruct a 16.8
      million-dimensional image in less than 10 minutes. Within a subspace of that
      image exists a 3.2 million-dimensional bi-photon probability distribution. In
      addition, we demonstrate how the marginal distributions can aid in the accuracy
      of joint space distribution reconstructions. 

PMID- 26480427
TI  - Localized optical manipulation in optical ring resonators.
AB  - We propose a tunable optical trapping system for nanoparticles based on
      generating standing wave by coupling two coherent beams into a ring resonator in
      opposite directions, respectively. The distributions of the mode field excited in
      three types of the ring-resonators-based trapping systems (microring, microdisk
      and slot ring) and the corresponding optical forces on the nanoparticles are
      calculated numerically. By the stability analysis in all directions, the smallest
      size of the particles could be stably trapped under the Brownian motion in the
      microring resonator is 61.2 nm when the input power is 10 mW, and the azimuthal
      orientations of the trapped particles are depended on the phase difference
      between the two input beams. On the other hand, the appearance of high order
      radial modes in the microdisk resonator enables a tunable radial trapping. To
      improve the trapping capability for the smaller particles, we utilize the slot
      ring resonator to make full use of the optical power and the trapping size could
      be minimized to ~29 nm when the input power is also set as 10 mW. 

PMID- 26480428
TI  - Single-channel stereoscopic video imaging modality based on transparent rotating
      deflector.
AB  - In this study, we developed a single-channel stereoscopic video imaging modality
      based on a transparent rotating deflector (TRD). Sequential two-dimensional (2D)
      left and right images were obtained through the TRD synchronized with a camera,
      and the components of the imaging modality were controlled by a microcontroller
      unit. The imaging modality was characterized by evaluating the stereoscopic video
      image generation, rotation of the TRD, heat generation by the stepping motor, and
      image quality and its stability in terms of the structural similarity index. The
      degree of depth perception was estimated and subjective analysis was performed to
      evaluate the depth perception improvement. The results show that the single
      channel stereoscopic video imaging modality may: 1) overcome some limitations of
      conventional stereoscopic video imaging modalities; 2) be a potential economical
      compact stereoscopic imaging modality if the system components can be
      miniaturized; 3) be easily integrated into current 2D optical imaging modalities
      to produce a stereoscopic image; and 4) be applied to various medical and
      industrial fields. 

PMID- 26480429
TI  - Single mode thermal emission.
AB  - We report on the properties of a thermal emitter which radiates into a single
      mode waveguide. We show that the maximal power of thermal radiation into a
      propagating single mode is limited only by the temperature of the thermal emitter
      and does not depend on other parameters of the waveguide. Furthermore, we show
      that the power of the thermal emitter cannot be increased by resonant coupling.
      For a given temperature, the enhancement of the total emitted power is only
      possible if the number of excited modes is increased. Either a narrowband or a
      broadband thermal excitation of the mode is possible, depending on the properties
      of the emitter. We finally discuss an example system, namely a thermal source for
      silicon photonics. 

PMID- 26480430
TI  - Highly spectrum-selective ultraviolet photodetector based on p-NiO/n-IGZO thin
      film heterojunction structure.
AB  - Ultraviolet photodetector with p-n heterojunction is fabricated by magnetron
      sputtering deposition of n-type indium gallium zinc oxide (n-IGZO) and p-type
      nickel oxide (p-NiO) thin films on ITO glass. The performance of the
      photodetector is largely affected by the conductivity of the p-NiO thin film,
      which can be controlled by varying the oxygen partial pressure during the
      deposition of the p-NiO thin film. A highly spectrum-selective ultraviolet
      photodetector has been achieved with the p-NiO layer with a high conductivity.
      The results can be explained in terms of the "optically-filtering" function of
      the NiO layer. 

PMID- 26480431
TI  - Optimal distribution of integration time for intensity measurements in Stokes
      polarimetry.
AB  - We consider the typical Stokes polarimetry system, which performs four intensity
      measurements to estimate a Stokes vector. We show that if the total integration
      time of intensity measurements is fixed, the variance of the Stokes vector
      estimator depends on the distribution of the integration time at four intensity
      measurements. Therefore, by optimizing the distribution of integration time, the
      variance of the Stokes vector estimator can be decreased. In this paper, we
      obtain the closed-form solution of the optimal distribution of integration time
      by employing Lagrange multiplier method. According to the theoretical analysis
      and real-world experiment, it is shown that the total variance of the Stokes
      vector estimator can be significantly decreased about 40% in the case discussed
      in this paper. The method proposed in this paper can effectively decrease the
      measurement variance and thus statistically improves the measurement accuracy of
      the polarimetric system. 

PMID- 26480432
TI  - Magnetically driven second-harmonic generation with phase matching in MnWO4.
AB  - Phase matching is known to enhance the nonlinear optical response in materials
      with a non-centrosymmetric crystallographic or electronic structure. In contrast,
      phase-matched frequency doubling driven by non-centrosymmetric magnetism that
      induces acentricity in otherwise centrosymmetric structures has not been reported
      yet. In our study we demonstrate the emergence of magnetically driven second
      harmonic generation (SHG) with phase matching in MnWO4. The phase-matched
      wavelength for SHG can be tuned continuously between 450 nm to 630 nm with the
      conversion efficiency being determined by the refractive indices and their
      dispersion. Our findings reveal a new strategy towards magnetism-based conversion
      materials and a route for controlling the nonlinear signal yield by acting
      primarily on the material's spin degree of freedom rather than employing its
      electronic or structural properties.

PMID- 26480433
TI  - Depolarized guided acoustic wave Brillouin scattering in hollow-core photonic
      crystal fibers.
AB  - By performing quantum-noise-limited optical heterodyne detection, we observe
      polarization noise in light after propagation through a hollow-core photonic
      crystal fiber (PCF). We compare the noise spectrum to the one of a standard fiber
      and find an increase of noise even though the light is mainly transmitted in air
      in a hollow-core PCF. Combined with our simulation of the acoustic vibrational
      modes in the hollow-core PCF, we are offering an explanation for the polarization
      noise with a variation of guided acoustic wave Brillouin scattering (GAWBS).
      Here, instead of modulating the strain in the fiber core as in a solid core
      fiber, the acoustic vibrations in hollow-core PCF influence the effective
      refractive index by modulating the geometry of the photonic crystal structure.
      This induces polarization noise in the light guided by the photonic crystal
      structure. 

PMID- 26480434
TI  - Linearity improvement of high-speed avalanche photodiodes using thin depleted
      absorber operating with higher order modulation format.
AB  - We present an avalanche photodiode (APD) with high-speed, high-responsivity and
      high-linearity operation to cope with higher order modulation format, such as
      pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM). A hybrid absorber configuration with thin
      depleted region which we newly employed successfully eliminates the space charge
      effect in the APD while maintaining high responsivity and operating speed. The
      fabricated APD shows an improved optical-input-electrical-output linearity for an
      optical input power over -8 dBm, and an optical receiver with this APD achieves
      both an error-free operation with a KP4 FEC and a high sensitivity of -17 dBm
      against a 28-Gbaud PAM4 signal. 

PMID- 26480435
TI  - Differentiation of morphotic elements in human blood using optical coherence
      tomography and a microfluidic setup.
AB  - We demonstrate a novel optical method for the detection and differentiation
      between erythrocytes and leukocytes that uses amplitude and phase information
      provided by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Biological cells can introduce
      significant phase modulation with substantial scattering anisotropy and dominant
      forward-scattered light. Such physical properties may favor the use of a trans
      illumination imaging technique. However, an epi-illumination mode may be more
      practical and robust in many applications. This study describes a new way of
      measuring the phase modulation introduced by flowing microobjects. The novel part
      of this invention is that it uses the backscattered signal from the substrate
      located below the flowing/moving objects. The identification of cells is based on
      phase-sensitive OCT signals. To differentiate single cells, a custom-designed
      microfluidic device with a highly scattering substrate is introduced. The
      microchannels are molded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mixed with titanium
      dioxide (TiO2) to ensure high scattering properties. The statistical parameters
      of the measured signal depend on the cells' features, such as their size, shape,
      and internal structure.

PMID- 26480436
TI  - Mode selection in square resonator microlasers for widely tunable single mode
      lasing.
AB  - Mode selection in square resonator semiconductor microlasers is demonstrated by
      adjusting the width of the output waveguide coupled to the midpoint of one side.
      The simulation and experimental results reveal that widely tunable single mode
      lasing can be realized in square resonator microlasers. Through adjusting the
      width of the output waveguide, the mode interval of the high-Q modes can reach
      four times of the longitudinal mode interval. Therefore, mode hopping can be
      efficiently avoided and the lasing wavelength can be tuned continuously by tuning
      the injection current. For a 17.8-MUm-side-length square microlaser with a 1.4
      MUm-width output waveguide, mode-hopping-free single-mode operation is achieved
      with a continuous tuning range of 9.2 nm. As a result, the control of the lasing
      mode is realized for the square microlasers. 

PMID- 26480437
TI  - Generation of high-quality parabolic pulses with optimized duration and energy by
      use of dispersive frequency-to-time mapping.
AB  - We propose and demonstrate a novel linear-optics method for high-fidelity
      parabolic pulse generation with durations ranging from the picosecond to the sub
      nanosecond range. This method is based on dispersion-induced frequency-to-time
      mapping combined with spectral shaping in order to overcome constraints of
      previous linear shaping approaches. Temporal waveform distortions associated with
      the need to satisfy a far-field condition are eliminated by use of a virtual time
      lens process, which is directly implemented in the linear spectral shaping stage.
      Using this approach, the generated parabolic pulses are able to maintain most
      energy spectrum available from the input pulse frequency bandwidth, regardless of
      the target pulse duration, which is not anymore limited by the finest spectral
      resolution of the optical pulse spectrum shaper. High-quality parabolic pulses,
      with durations from 25ps to 400ps and output powers exceeding 4dBm before
      amplification, have been experimentally synthesized from a picosecond mode-locked
      optical source using a commercial optical pulse shaper with a frequency
      resolution >10GHz. In particular, we report the synthesis of full-duty cycle
      parabolic pulses that match up almost exactly with an ideal fitting over the
      entire pulse period. 

PMID- 26480438
TI  - Direct observation of optical near field in nanophotonics devices at the
      nanoscale using Scanning Thermal Microscopy.
AB  - In recent years, following the miniaturization and integration of passive and
      active nanophotonic devices, thermal characterization of such devices at the
      nanoscale is becoming a task of crucial importance. The Scanning Thermal
      Microscopy (SThM) is a natural candidate for performing this task. However, it
      turns out that the SThM capability to precisely map the temperature of a photonic
      sample in the presence of light interacting with the sample is limited. This is
      because of the significant absorption of light by the SThM probe. As a result,
      the temperature of the SThM probe increases and a significant electrical signal
      which is directly proportional to the light intensity is obtained. As such,
      instead of measuring the temperature of the sample, one may directly measure the
      light intensity profile. While this is certainly a limitation in the context of
      thermal characterization of nanophotonic devices, this very property provides a
      new opportunity for optical near field characterization. In this paper we
      demonstrate numerically and experimentally the optical near field measurements of
      nanophotonic devices using a SThM probe. The system is characterized using
      several sets of samples with different properties and various wavelengths of
      operation. Our measurements indicate that the light absorption by the probe can
      be even larger than the light induced heat generation in the sample. The
      frequency response of the SThM system is characterized and the 3 dB frequency
      response was found to be ~1.5 kHz. The simplicity of the SThM system which
      eliminates the need for complex optical measurement setups together with its
      broadband wavelength of operation makes this approach an attractive alternative
      to the more conventional aperture and apertureless NSOM approaches. Finally,
      referring to its original role in characterizing thermal effects at the
      nanoscale, we propose an approach for characterizing the temperature profile of
      nanophotonic devices which are heated by light absorption within the device. This
      is achieved by spatially separating between the optical near field distribution
      and the SThM probe, taking advantage of the broader temperature profile as
      compared to the more localized light profile. 

PMID- 26480439
TI  - Analysis of the polarization rotation effect in the inversely tapered spot size
      converter.
AB  - Inversely tapered spot size converter (SSC) is widely used to connect silicon
      waveguide with fiber in silicon photonics. However, the tapered structure may
      cause polarization rotation and further generate interference fluctuation in the
      transmission spectrum even of a straight waveguide. We analyzed the light
      propagation in a straight waveguide with SSC at the both ends with coupling
      matrix and transmission matrix methods. The analysis results matched with the
      phenomena we observed in the transmission spectrum. Combining the analysis with
      the measurement results, we calculated the polarization rotation efficiency of
      the SSC in different samples and analyzed the origin of the polarization rotation
      effect. Finally, we discussed the influence of the effect to the DP-QPSK signal
      and proposed several methods to release the impact. 

PMID- 26480440
TI  - Intense 2.89 MUm emission from Dy3+/Yb3+-codoped PbF2 crystal by 970 nm laser
      diode pumping.
AB  - A novel Dy(3+)/Yb(3+) co-doped PbF2 mid-IR laser crystal was successfully grown
      using the vertical Bridgman method. Efficient emission at around 3 MUm from the
      crystal was observed under excitation of a conventional 970 nm laser diode (LD).
      The energy transfer efficiency from Yb(3+) to Dy(3+) in Dy(3+)/Yb(3+):PbF2
      crystal is as high as (97.7+/-0.3)%. It is also found that the Dy(3+)/Yb(3+):PbF2
      crystal possesses long fluorescence lifetime (15.4+/-0.2) ms, high quantum
      efficiency (95.0+/-0.3)%, and large emission cross section (1.37+/-0.11)*10(-20)
      cm2 corresponding to the stimulated emission of Dy(3+):(6)H(13/2)->(6)H(15/2)
      transition. Additionally, the phonon energy of the crystal was analyzed by the
      Raman spectrum. These results indicate that Dy(3+)/Yb(3+):PbF2 crystal may become
      a promising material for 3 MUm solid state lasers under a conventional 970 nm LD
      pump.

PMID- 26480441
TI  - Second and third harmonic waves excited by focused Gaussian beams.
AB  - Harmonic generation by tightly-focused Gaussian beams is finding important
      applications, primarily in nonlinear microscopy. It is often naively assumed that
      the nonlinear signal is generated predominantly in the focal region. However, the
      intensity of Gaussian-excited electromagnetic harmonic waves is sensitive to the
      excitation geometry and to the phase matching condition, and may depend on quite
      an extended region of the material away from the focal plane. Here we solve
      analytically the amplitude integral for second harmonic and third harmonic waves
      and study the generated harmonic intensities vs. focal-plane position within the
      material. We find that maximum intensity for positive wave-vector mismatch
      values, for both second harmonic and third harmonic waves, is achieved when the
      fundamental Gaussian is focused few Rayleigh lengths beyond the front surface.
      Harmonic-generation theory predicts strong intensity oscillations with thickness
      if the material is very thin. We reproduced these intensity oscillations in glass
      slabs pumped at 1550nm. From the oscillations of the 517nm third-harmonic waves
      with slab thickness we estimate the wave-vector mismatch in a Soda-lime glass as
      Deltak(H)= -0.249MUm(-1).

PMID- 26480442
TI  - Self-heterodyne interference spectroscopy using a comb generated by pseudo-random
      modulation.
AB  - We present an original instrument designed to accomplish high-speed spectroscopy
      of individual optical lines based on a frequency comb generated by pseudo-random
      phase modulation of a continuous-wave (CW) laser. This approach delivers
      efficient usage of the laser power as well as independent control over the
      spectral point spacing, bandwidth and central wavelength of the comb. The comb is
      mixed with a local oscillator generated from the same CW laser frequency-shifted
      by an acousto-optic modulator, enabling a self-heterodyne detection scheme. The
      current configuration offers a calibrated spectrum every 1.12 us. We demonstrate
      the capabilities of the spectrometer by producing averaged, as well as time
      resolved, spectra of the D1 transition of cesium with a 9.8-MHz point spacing, a
      50-kHz resolution and a span of more than 3 GHz. The spectra obtained after 1 ms
      of averaging are fitted with complex Voigt profiles that return parameters in
      good agreement with expected values. 

PMID- 26480443
TI  - High angular accuracy manufacture method of micro v-grooves based on tool
      alignment by on-machine measurement.
AB  - Micro v-groove has found wide applications in optical areas as one of the most
      important structures. However, its performance is significantly affected by its
      angular geometry accuracy. The diamond cutting has been commonly used as the
      fabrication method of micro v-groove, but it is still difficult to guarantee the
      cutting tool angle, which is limited by the measurement accuracy in the
      manufacture and mounting of the diamond tool. A cutting tool alignment method
      based on the on-machine measurement is proposed to improve the fabricated quality
      of the v-groove angle. An on-machine probe is employed to scan the v-groove
      geometrical deviation precisely. The system errors model, data processing
      algorithm and tool alignment methods are analyzed in details. Experimental
      results show that the measurement standard deviation within 0.01 degrees  can be
      achieved. Retro-reflection mirrors are fabricated and measured finally by the
      proposed method for verification. 

PMID- 26480444
TI  - OSOAA: a vector radiative transfer model of coupled atmosphere-ocean system for a
      rough sea surface application to the estimates of the directional variations of
      the water leaving reflectance to better process multi-angular satellite sensors
      data over the ocean.
AB  - In this study, we present a radiative transfer model, so-called OSOAA, that is
      able to predict the radiance and degree of polarization within the coupled
      atmosphere-ocean system in the presence of a rough sea surface. The OSOAA model
      solves the radiative transfer equation using the successive orders of scattering
      method. Comparisons with another operational radiative transfer model showed a
      satisfactory agreement within 0.8%. The OSOAA model has been designed with a
      graphical user interface to make it user friendly for the community. The radiance
      and degree of polarization are provided at any level, from the top of atmosphere
      to the ocean bottom. An application of the OSOAA model is carried out to quantify
      the directional variations of the water leaving reflectance and degree of
      polarization for phytoplankton and mineral-like dominated waters. The difference
      between the water leaving reflectance at a given geometry and that obtained for
      the nadir direction could reach 40%, thus questioning the Lambertian assumption
      of the sea surface that is used by inverse satellite algorithms dedicated to
      multi-angular sensors. It is shown as well that the directional features of the
      water leaving reflectance are weakly dependent on wind speed. The quantification
      of the directional variations of the water leaving reflectance obtained in this
      study should help to correctly exploit the satellite data that will be acquired
      by the current or forthcoming multi-angular satellite sensors. 

PMID- 26480445
TI  - Mechanism and elimination of bending effect in femtosecond laser deep-hole
      drilling.
AB  - In this work, a comprehensive study of the bending effect, which remains one of
      the most critical challenges during deep-hole drilling, was conducted. The
      experimental statistics indicate that polarization is not the main factor in
      bending, but the deviation of the hole tends to be perpendicular to the
      polarization direction. Also, the dynamic ablated material/plasma was studied.
      Straight microholes were obtained by extending the interval between laser pulses
      to avoid dynamic ablated material existing in the millisecond time domain.
      Therefore, we speculated that the disturbance of the laser beam at the dynamic
      ablated aerosol, which have not sufficiently dispersed in the millisecond domain,
      is the main mechanism of bending. However, to more efficiently reduce the
      disturbance factor, a rough vacuum environment was applied; and the bending
      effect was also eliminated. The critical pressure for eliminating bending was
      about 2 * 10(4) Pa that is about one order of magnitude lower than the
      atmosphere. The fabricated high-quality microhole arrays without bending show
      that the proposed drilling method is convenient and efficient with high
      repeatability and controllability.

PMID- 26480446
TI  - Cellular dye lasers: lasing thresholds and sensing in a planar resonator.
AB  - Biological cell lasers are promising novel building blocks of future
      biocompatible optical systems and offer new approaches to cellular sensing and
      cytometry in a microfluidic setting. Here, we demonstrate a simple method for
      providing optical gain by using a variety of standard fluorescent dyes. The dye
      gain medium can be located inside or outside a cell, or in both, which gives
      flexibility in experimental design and makes the method applicable to all cell
      types. Due to the higher refractive index of the cytoplasm compared to the
      surrounding medium, a cell acts as a convex lens in a planar Fabry-Perot cavity.
      Its effect on the stability of the laser cavity is analyzed and utilized to
      suppress lasing outside cells. The resonance modes depend on the shape and
      internal structure of the cell. As proof of concept, we show how the laser output
      modes are affected by the osmotic pressure. 

PMID- 26480447
TI  - Robust metamodel-based inverse estimation of bulk optical properties of turbid
      media from spatially resolved diffuse reflectance measurements.
AB  - Estimation of the bulk optical properties of turbid samples from spatially
      resolved reflectance measurements remains challenging, as the relation between
      the bulk optical properties and the acquired spatially resolved reflectance
      profiles is influenced by wavelength-dependent properties of the measurement
      system. The resulting measurement noise is apparent in the estimation of the bulk
      optical properties. In this study, a constrained inverse metamodeling approach is
      proposed to overcome these problems. First, a metamodel has been trained on a set
      of intralipid phantoms covering a wide range of optical properties to link the
      acquired spatially resolved reflectance profiles to the respective combinations
      of bulk optical properties (absorption coefficient and reduced scattering
      coefficient). In this metamodel, the wavelength (500 - 1700 nm) is considered as
      a third input parameter for the model to account for the wavelength dependent
      effects introduced by the measurement system. Secondly, a smoothness constraint
      on the reduced scattering coefficient spectra was implemented in the iterative
      inverse estimation procedure to robustify it against measurement noise and
      increase the reliability of the obtained bulk absorption and reduced scattering
      coefficient spectra. As the estimated values in some regions may be more reliable
      than others, the difference between simulated and measured values as a function
      of the evaluated absorption and scattering coefficients was combined in a 2D cost
      function. This cost function was used as a weight in the fitting procedure to
      find the parameters of the u(s)' function giving the lowest cost over all the
      wavelengths together. In accordance with previous research, an exponential
      function was considered to represent the u(s)' spectra of intralipid phantoms.
      The fitting procedure also provides an absorption coefficient spectrum which is
      in accordance with the measurements and the estimated parameters of the
      exponential function. This robust inverse estimation algorithm was validated on
      an independent set of intralipid(r) phantoms and its performance was also
      compared to that of a classical single-wavelength inverse estimation algorithm.
      While its performance in estimating u(a) was comparable (R2 of 0.844 vs. 0.862),
      it resulted in a large improvement in the estimation of u(s)' (R2 of 0.987 vs.
      0.681). The change in performance is more apparent in the improvement of RMSE of
      u(s)', which decreases from 10.36 cm(-1) to 2.10 cm(-1). The SRS profiles change
      more sensitively as a function of u(a). As a result, there is a large range of
      u(s)' and a small range of ua resulting in a good fit between measurement and
      simulation. The robust inverse estimator incorporates information over the
      different wavelengths, to increase the accuracy of u(s)'estimations and robustify
      the estimation process.

PMID- 26480448
TI  - Numerical calculation of phase-matching properties in photonic crystal fibers
      with three and four zero-dispersion wavelengths.
AB  - Photonic crystal fibers with three and four zero-dispersion wavelengths are
      presented through special design of the structural parameters, in which the
      closing to zero and ultra-flattened dispersion can be obtained. The unique phase
      matching properties of the fibers with three and four zero-dispersion wavelengths
      are analyzed. Variation of the phase-matching wavelengths with the pump
      wavelengths, pump powers, dispersion properties, and fiber structural parameters
      is analyzed. The presence of three and four zero-dispersion wavelengths can
      realize wavelength conversion of optical soliton between two anomalous dispersion
      regions, generate six phase-matching sidebands through four-wave mixing and
      create more new photon pairs, which can be used for the study of supercontinuum
      generation, optical switches and quantum optics. 

PMID- 26480449
TI  - Orthogonal polynomials describing polarization aberration for rotationally
      symmetric optical systems.
AB  - Optical lithography has approached a regime of high numerical aperture and wide
      field, where the impact of polarization aberration on imaging quality turns to be
      serious. Most of the existing studies focused on the distribution rule of
      polarization aberration on the pupil, and little attention had been paid to the
      field. In this paper, a new orthonormal set of polynomials is established to
      describe the polarization aberration of rotationally symmetric optical systems.
      The polynomials can simultaneously reveal the distribution rules of polarization
      aberration on the exit pupil and the field. Two examples are given to verify the
      polynomials. 

PMID- 26480450
TI  - Signal phase regeneration through multiple wave coherent addition enabled by
      hybrid optical phase squeezer.
AB  - A newly proposed concept, which is called hybrid optical phase squeezer (HOPS),
      achieves multi-level optical phase quantization through coherent addition of two
      (dual-wave scheme) or three (triple-wave scheme) optical waves exploiting optical
      parametric processes and electro-optic modulation. The triple-wave scheme enables
      signal phase regeneration free from phase-to-amplitude noise transfer, which is
      inevitable in the dual-wave scheme. By using HOPS in the dual-wave scheme, 3-fold
      phase-noise reduction was achieved for 24-Gb/s QPSK signals with a slight
      increase of amplitude noise. On the other hand, HOPS in the triple-wave scheme
      allowed phase regeneration of 12-Gb/s BPSK signal with a suppression of phase-to
      amplitude noise transfer. 

PMID- 26480451
TI  - Arbitrary-detuning asynchronous optical sampling with amplified laser systems.
AB  - We demonstrate that Arbitrary-Detuning ASynchronous OPtical Sampling (AD-ASOPS)
      makes possible multiscale pump-probe spectroscopy with time delays spanning from
      picosecond to millisecond. The implementation on pre-existing femtosecond
      amplifiers seeded by independent free-running oscillators is shown to be
      straightforward. The accuracy of the method is determined by comparison with
      spectral interferometry, providing a distribution with a standard deviation
      ranging from 0.31 to 1.7 ps depending on experimental conditions and on the
      method used to compute the AD-ASOPS delays. 

PMID- 26480452
TI  - Fabrication of a microresonator-fiber assembly maintaining a high-quality factor
      by CO2 laser welding.
AB  - We demonstrate fabrication of a microtoroid resonator of a high-quality (high-Q)
      factor using femtosecond laser three-dimensional (3D) micromachining. A fiber
      taper is reliably assembled to the microtoroid using CO2 laser welding.
      Specifically, we achieve a high-Q-factor of 2.12 * 10(6) in the microresonator
      fiber assembly by optimizing the contact position between the fiber taper and the
      microtoroid.

PMID- 26480453
TI  - Focused terahertz waves generated by a phase velocity gradient in a parallel
      plate waveguide.
AB  - We demonstrate the focusing of a free-space THz beam emerging from a leaky
      parallel-plate waveguide (PPWG). Focusing is accomplished by grading the launch
      angle of the leaky wave using a PPWG with gradient plate separation. Inside the
      PPWG, the phase velocity of the guided TE1 mode exceeds the vacuum light speed,
      allowing the wave to leak into free space from a slit cut along the top plate.
      Since the leaky wave angle changes as the plate separation decreases, the beam
      divergence can be controlled by grading the plate separation along the
      propagation axis. We experimentally demonstrate focusing of the leaky wave at a
      selected location at frequencies of 100 GHz and 170 GHz, and compare our
      measurements with numerical simulations. The proposed concept can be valuable for
      implementing a flat and wide-aperture beam-former for THz communications systems.

PMID- 26480454
TI  - Subduing surface recombination for continuous-wave operation of photonic crystal
      nanolasers integrated on Silicon waveguides.
AB  - Detrimental surface recombination of carriers in InP-based photonic crystal
      nanobeams containing quantum wells is reduced by employing chemical treatment
      followed by silica encapsulation. Carrier lifetime is shown to recover to 2.63ns
      close to the bulk value. This enables us to obtain optically pumped room
      temperature continuous-wave nanolasers at 1.55um integrated onto Silicon on
      insulator waveguide platform with a threshold of 8uW. 

PMID- 26480455
TI  - Optical side scattering radiometry for high resolution, wide dynamic range
      longitudinal assessment of optical fibers.
AB  - Current optical reflectometric techniques used to characterize optical fibers
      have to trade-off longitudinal range with spatial resolution and therefore
      struggle to provide simultaneously wide dynamic range (>20dB) and high resolution
      (<10cm). In this work, we develop and present a technique we refer to as Optical
      Side Scattering Radiometry (OSSR) capable of resolving discrete and distributed
      scattering properties of fibers along their length with up to 60dB dynamic range
      and 5cm spatial resolution. Our setup is first validated on a standard single
      mode telecoms fiber. Then we apply it to a record-length 11km hollow core
      photonic band-gap fiber (HC-PBGF) the characterization requirements of which lie
      far beyond the capability of standard optical reflectometric instruments. We next
      demonstrate use of the technique to investigate and explain the unusually high
      loss observed in another HC-PBGF and finally demonstrate its flexibility by
      measuring a HC-PBGF operating at a wavelength of 2um. In all of these examples,
      good agreement between the OSSR measurements and other well-established (but more
      limited) characterization methods, i.e. cutback loss and OTDR, was obtained. 

PMID- 26480456
TI  - Dynamic intensity normalization using eigen flat fields in X-ray imaging.
AB  - In X-ray imaging, it is common practice to normalize the acquired projection data
      with averaged flat fields taken prior to the scan. Unfortunately, due to source
      instabilities, vibrating beamline components such as the monochromator, time
      varying detector properties, or other confounding factors, flat fields are often
      far from stationary, resulting in significant systematic errors in intensity
      normalization. In this work, a simple and efficient method is proposed to account
      for dynamically varying flat fields. Through principal component analysis of a
      set of flat fields, eigen flat fields are computed. A linear combination of the
      most important eigen flat fields is then used to individually normalize each X
      ray projection. Experiments show that the proposed dynamic flat field correction
      leads to a substantial reduction of systematic errors in projection intensity
      normalization compared to conventional flat field correction. 

PMID- 26480457
TI  - Diffraction properties of multilayer Laue lenses with an aperture of 102 um and
      WSi2/Al bilayers.
AB  - We report on the characterization of a multilayer Laue lens (MLL) with large
      acceptance, made of a novel WSi2/Al bilayer system. Fabrication of multilayers
      with large deposition thickness is required to obtain MLL structures with
      sufficient apertures capable of accepting the full lateral coherence length of x
      rays at typical nanofocusing beamlines. To date, the total deposition thickness
      has been limited by stress-buildup in the multilayer. We were able to grow
      WSi2/Al with low grown-in stress, and asses the degree of stress reduction. X-ray
      diffraction experiments were conducted at beamline 1-BM at the Advanced Photon
      Source. We used monochromatic x-rays with a photon energy of 12 keV and a
      bandwidth of DeltaE/E=5.4.10(-4). The MLL was grown with parallel layer
      interfaces, and was designed to have a large focal length of 9.6 mm. The mounted
      lens was 2.7 mm in width. We found and quantified kinks and bending of sections
      of the MLL. Sections with bending were found to partly have a systematic
      progression in the interface angles. We observed kinking in some, but not all,
      areas. The measurements are compared with dynamic diffraction calculations made
      with Coupled Wave Theory. Data are plotted showing the diffraction efficiency as
      a function of the external tilting angle of the entire mounted lens. This way of
      plotting the data was found to provide an overview into the diffraction
      properties of the whole lens, and enabled the following layer tilt analyses.

PMID- 26480458
TI  - Analytical investigation of optical vortices emitted from a collectively
      polarized dipole array.
AB  - Many approaches for producing optical vortices have been developed both for
      fundamental interests of science and for engineering applications. In particular,
      the approach with direct excitation of several emitters has a potential to
      control the topological charges with a control of the source conditions without
      any modifications of structures of the system. In this paper, we investigate the
      propagation properties of the optical vortices emitted from a collectively
      polarized electric dipole array as a simple model of the several emitters. Using
      an analytical approach based on the Jacobi-Anger expansion, we derive a
      relationship between the topological charge of the optical vortices and the
      source conditions of the emitter, and clarify and report our new finding; there
      exists an intrinsic split of the singular points in the electric field due to the
      spin-orbit interaction of the dipole fields. 

PMID- 26480459
TI  - Additive mode-locked resembling pulses in a Tm-doped fiber laser with a hybrid
      cavity configuration.
AB  - We report on the generation of modulated spikes distributed across a mode-locked
      pulse profile, which is termed as "additive mode-locked resembling (AMLR)", in a
      Tm-doped fiber laser with a hybrid cavity configuration based on nonlinear
      polarization rotation (NPR) technique. The hybrid cavity configuration is
      composed of a ring cavity containing a micro Fabry-Perot (F-P) cavity. The F-P
      cavity is used to take the cavity-trip frequency (CTF) modulation on the mode
      locked pulses for forming AMLR pulses. We observe AMLR pulses with uniform and
      chirped modulation depths, as well as uniform and nonuniform spike separations,
      respectively. Numerical simulations confirm the experimental observations and
      show that the filtering effect of the F-P cavity is the main mechanism for taking
      CTF modulation on mode-locked pulses to generate AMLR pulses. 

PMID- 26480460
TI  - Two-photon imaging of a magneto-fluorescent indicator for 3D optical
      magnetometry.
AB  - We developed an optical method to visualize the three-dimensional distribution of
      magnetic field strength around magnetic microstructures. We show that the two
      photon-excited fluorescence of a chained donor-bridge-acceptor compound,
      phenanthrene-(CH2)12-O-(CH2)2-N,N-dimethylaniline, is sensitive to ambient
      magnetic field strength. A test structure is immersed in a solution of the
      magneto-fluorescent indicator and a custom two-photon microscope maps the
      fluorescence of this compound. The decay kinetics of the electronic excited state
      provide a measure of magnetic field that is insensitive to photobleaching,
      indicator concentration, or local variations in optical excitation or collection
      efficiency.

PMID- 26480461
TI  - Iterative optimum frequency combination method for high efficiency phase imaging
      of absorptive objects based on phase transfer function.
AB  - In this work, an optimum frequency combination (OFC) method is proposed to
      reconstruct high quality phase information of the complex light field, which is
      really valuable for many objects such as optical elements and cells. It is shown
      that the difference image between two symmetrical separated, larger defocused
      planes contains a lot of lower frequency components of the phase distribution and
      the higher frequency components can be easily observed in the difference image
      between two nearly focused planes. Based on the phase transfer function (PTF),
      our method combines different frequency components with high Signal-to-Noise
      Ratio (SNR) together to estimate a more accurate frequency spectrum of the
      object's phase distribution without any complicated linear or nonlinear
      regression. Then, we can directly reconstruct a high-quality phase map through
      inverse Fourier transform. What's more, in order to compensate the phase
      discrepancy resulted from strong absorption in the intensity, an iterative
      compensation algorithm is proposed. Both the simulation and experimental results
      demonstrate that our iterative OFC (IOFC) method can give a computationally
      efficient and noise-robust phase reconstruction for absorptive phase objects with
      higher accuracy and fewer defocus planes. 

PMID- 26480462
TI  - Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography with dual-balanced detection for
      auto-correlation artifacts reduction.
AB  - We developed a spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) to reduce
      auto-correlation artifacts (AC) using dual-balanced detection (DBD). AC were
      composed of the interference signals between different sample tissue depths, and
      shown up as artifacts in OCT images. This system employed a free-space Michelson
      interferometer, at the refraction plane of whose beam splitter, the light
      reflected experienced a pi/2 phase shift with respect to the light transmitted.
      Then two phase-opposed interferometric spectra sharing the same spectrometer
      optics were obtained simultaneously using two lines of a three-line CCD. This new
      design was of lower cost compared to the dual spectrometer design reported
      previously. DBD enabled this SD-OCT to achieve two-fold increase in the
      interested signal amplitude inherently, and obtain a SNR increase of ~2.9 dB
      experimentally. To demonstrate the feasibility and performance of this SD-OCT
      system with DBD, we conducted an imaging experiment using a glass plate to obtain
      the optimal spectral matching between dual-balanced spectrometer channels. As a
      result, this SD-OCT achieved AC reduction up to about 9 dB and direct current
      (DC) term suppression up to about 30 dB by cancelling the identical components
      between dual-balanced spectrometer channels. The efficacy of AC reduction and DC
      suppression was validated by imaging the polymer coating of a drug-eluting stent
      and fresh swine corneal tissue ex vivo. The quality of DBD optimized images was
      significantly improved with regard to the single-channel images. 

PMID- 26480463
TI  - Real-time optical wireless transmissions of digital TV signals using white InGaN
      LEDs grown with an asymmetric quantum barrier.
AB  - The feasibility of using InGaN LEDs grown with asymmetric barrier layer (ABL) as
      transmitters in visible light communications is investigated experimentally.
      Compared with normal LEDs, the improvement in the spontaneous emission rate due
      to enhanced carrier localization and better uniformity of carrier distribution in
      ABL-containing MQWs leads to the fabricated LEDs can exhibit a 32.6% (@ 350 mA)
      increase in emission intensity and a 10.5% increase in modulation bandwidth.
      After eliminating the slow-responding phosphorescent components emitting from the
      phosphor-converted white LEDs, an open eye-diagram at 180 Mb/s is demonstrated
      over a distance of 100 cm in directed line-of-sight optical links. With the use
      of proposed LEDs, real-time transmissions of digital TV signals over a moderate
      distance (~100 cm) in free space is shown to be available in a 150 Mbit/s white
      LED-based optical link with conventional on-off keying modulation. 

PMID- 26480464
TI  - Measurement of depth-resolved thermal deformation distribution using phase
      contrast spectral optical coherence tomography.
AB  - An updated B-scan method is proposed for measuring the evolution of thermal
      deformation fields in polymers. In order to measure the distributions of out-of
      plane deformation and normal strain field, phase-contrast spectral optical
      coherence tomography (PC-SOCT) was performed with the depth range and resolution
      of 4.3 mm and 10.7 MUm, respectively, as thermal loads were applied to three
      different multilayer samples. The relation between temperature and material
      refractive index was predetermined before the measurement. After accounting for
      the refractive index, the thermal deformation fields in the polymer were
      obtained. The measured thermal expansion coefficient of silicone sealant was
      approximately equal to its reference value. This method allows correctly
      assessing the mechanical properties in semitransparent polymers. 

PMID- 26480465
TI  - Cascaded random distributed-feedback Raman fiber laser assisted by Fresnel
      reflection.
AB  - We propose a new type of cascaded random distributed- feedback Raman fiber laser
      (RD-RFL), with the linear output at the second-order Stokes wavelength. The
      guideline about building such a RD-RFL with particular output power and
      conversion efficiency is presented based on numerical study. We also
      experimentally instantiate the principle, and confirm the effectiveness of the
      scheme on lasing generation. Moreover, the added Fresnel reflection feature
      maintains the simplicity and flexibility of the RD-RFL. 

PMID- 26480466
TI  - Adaptive mode control of a few-mode fiber by real-time mode decomposition.
AB  - A novel approach to adaptively control the beam profile in a few-mode fiber is
      experimentally demonstrated. We stress the fiber through an electric-controlled
      polarization controller, whose driven voltage depends on the current and target
      modal content difference obtained with the real-time mode decomposition. We have
      achieved selective excitations of LP01 and LP11 modes, as well as significant
      improvement of the beam quality factor, which may play crucial roles for high
      power fiber lasers, fiber based telecommunication systems and other fundamental
      researches and applications.

PMID- 26480467
TI  - High-power, high-repetition-rate performance characteristics of beta-BaB2O4 for
      single-pass picosecond ultraviolet generation at 266 nm.
AB  - We report a systematic study on the performance characteristics of a high-power,
      high-repetition-rate, picosecond ultraviolet (UV) source at 266 nm based on beta
      BaB2O4 (BBO). The source, based on single-pass fourth harmonic generation (FHG)
      of a compact Yb-fiber laser in a two-crystal spatial walk-off compensation
      scheme, generates up to 2.9 W of average power at 266 nm at a pulse repetition
      rate of ~80 MHz with a single-pass FHG efficiency of 35% from the green to UV.
      Detrimental issues such as thermal effects have been studied and confirmed by
      performing relevant measurements. Angular and temperature acceptance bandwidths
      in BBO for FHG to 266 nm are experimentally determined, indicating that the
      effective interaction length is limited by spatial walk-off and thermal gradients
      under high-power operation. The origin of dynamic color center formation due to
      two-photon absorption in BBO is investigated by measurements of intensity
      dependent transmission at 266 nm. Using a suitable theoretical model, two-photon
      absorption coefficients as well as the color center densities have been estimated
      at different temperatures. The measurements show that the two-photon absorption
      coefficient in BBO at 266 nm is ~3.5 times lower at 200 degrees C compared to
      that at room temperature. The long-term power stability as well as beam pointing
      stability is analyzed at different output power levels and focusing conditions.
      Using cylindrical optics, we have circularized the generated elliptic UV beam to
      a circularity of >90%. To our knowledge, this is the first time such high average
      powers and temperature-dependent two-photon absorption measurements at 266 nm are
      reported at repetition rates as high as ~80 MHz.

PMID- 26480468
TI  - Avoiding the requirement for pre-existing optical contact during picosecond laser
      glass-to-glass welding: erratum.
AB  - The results presented in Fig. 8 were incorrect; the growth in the weld structure
      presented was due to the laser taking 3 ms to reach full power. Here we present a
      corrected version of the figure and associated discussion. It should be noted
      that this affects only the exact number of pulses required to form the weld
      structure and some of the low pulse number observations. This does not therefore
      affect the theory presented in the paper. In addition Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 were
      reversed in the published version. The correct figures are presented below.

PMID- 26480469
TI  - The feasibility and acceptability of a brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
      (ACT) group intervention for people with psychosis: The 'ACT for life' study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a
      contextual cognitive-behavioural approach with a developing evidence base for
      clinical and cost-effectiveness as an individually-delivered intervention to
      promote recovery from psychosis. ACT also lends itself to brief group delivery,
      potentially increasing access to therapy without inflating costs. This study
      examined, for the first time, the feasibility and acceptability of ACT groups for
      people with psychosis (G-ACTp). METHODS: Participants were recruited from
      community psychosis teams. Ratings of user satisfaction, and pre-post change in
      self-rated functioning (primary outcome), mood (secondary outcome) and ACT
      processes were all completed with an independent assessor. Of 89 people
      recruited, 83 completed pre measures, 69 started the four-week G-ACTp
      intervention, and 65 completed post measures. RESULTS: Independently assessed
      acceptability and satisfaction were high. Functioning (Coeff. = -2.4, z = -2.9, p
      = 0.004; 95% CI: -4.0 to -0.8; within subject effect size (ES) d = 0.4) and mood
      (Coeff. = -2.3, z = -3.5, p = 0.001; 95% CI: -3.5 to -1.0; d = 0.4) improved from
      baseline to follow-up. Commensurate changes in targeted ACT processes were
      consistent with the underlying model. LIMITATIONS: The uncontrolled, pre-post
      design precluded blinded assessments, and may have inflated effect sizes.
      Participants may have improved as a result of other factors, and findings require
      replication in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary
      study showed that brief group ACT interventions for people with psychosis are
      feasible and acceptable. Uncontrolled, pre-post assessments suggest small
      clinical improvements, and changes in psychological processes consistent with an
      ACT model. Replication in an RCT is required, before implementation can be
      recommended.

PMID- 26480470
TI  - Linking chlorophyll biosynthesis to a dynamic plastoquinone pool.
AB  - Chlorophylls are essential cofactors in photosynthesis. All steps in the
      chlorophyll pathway are well characterized except for the cyclase reaction in
      which the fifth ring of the chlorophyll molecule is formed during conversion of
      Mg-protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester into Protochlorophyllide. The only subunit
      of the cyclase identified so far, is AcsF (Xantha-l in barley and Chl27 in
      Arabidopsis). This subunit contains a typical consensus di-iron-binding sequence
      and belongs to a subgroup of di-iron proteins, such as the plastid terminal
      oxidase (PTOX) in the chloroplast and the alternative oxidase (AOX) found in
      mitochondria. In order to complete the catalytic cycle, the irons of these
      proteins need to be reduced from Fe(3+) to Fe(2+) and either a reductase or
      another form of reductant is required. It has been reported that the alternative
      oxidase (AOX) and the plastid terminal oxidase (PTOX) utilize the di-iron center
      to oxidise ubiquinol and plastoquinol, respectively. In this paper, we have used
      a specific inhibitor of di-iron proteins as well as Arabidopsis and barley
      mutants affected in regulation of photosynthetic electron flow, to show that the
      cyclase step indeed is directly coupled to the plastoquinone pool. Thus,
      plastoquinol might act as an electron donor for the cyclase reaction and thereby
      fulfil the role of a cyclase reductase. That would provide a functional
      connection between the redox status of the thylakoids and the biosynthesis of
      chlorophyll. 

PMID- 26480471
TI  - Gd-AAZTA-MADEC, an improved blood pool agent for DCE-MRI studies on mice on 1 T
      scanners.
AB  - A novel MRI blood-pool contrast agent (Gd-AAZTA-MADEC) has been compared with
      established blood pool agents for tumor contrast enhanced images and angiography.
      Synthesis, relaxometric properties, albumin binding affinity and pharmacokinetic
      profiles are reported. For in vivo studies, angiographic images and tumor
      contrast enhanced images were acquired on mice with benchtop 1T-MRI scanners and
      compared with MS-325, B22956/1 and B25716/1. The design of this contrast agent
      involved the elongation of the spacer between the targeting deoxycholic acid
      moiety and the Gd-AAZTA imaging reporting unit that drastically changed either
      the binding affinity to albumin (KA(HSA) = 8.3 * 10(5) M(-1)) and the hydration
      state of the Gd ion (q = 2) in comparison to the recently reported B25716/1. The
      very markedly high binding affinity towards mouse and human serum albumins
      resulted in peculiar pharmacokinetics and relaxometric properties. The NMRD
      profiles clearly indicated that maximum efficiency is attainable at magnetic
      field strength of 1 T. In vivo studies showed high enhancement of the vasculature
      and a prolonged accumulation inside tumor. The herein reported pre-clinical
      imaging studies show that a great benefit arises from the combination of a
      benchtop MRI scanner operating at 1 T and the albumin-binding Gd-AAZTA-MADEC
      complex, for pursuing enhanced angiography and improved characterization of tumor
      vascular microenvironment.

PMID- 26480472
TI  - Horizontal gene transfer from macrophages to ischemic muscles upon delivery of
      naked DNA with Pluronic block copolymers.
AB  - Intramuscular administration of plasmid DNA (pDNA) with non-ionic Pluronic block
      copolymers increases gene expression in injected muscles and lymphoid organs. We
      studied the role of immune cells in muscle transfection upon inflammation. Local
      inflammation in murine hind limb ischemia model (MHLIM) drastically increased
      DNA, RNA and expressed protein levels in ischemic muscles injected with
      pDNA/Pluronic. The systemic inflammation (MHLIM or peritonitis) also increased
      expression of pDNA/Pluronic in the muscles. When pDNA/Pluronic was injected in
      ischemic muscles the reporter gene, Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) co-localized
      with desmin(+) muscle fibers and CD11b(+) macrophages (MOs), suggesting
      transfection of MOs along with the muscle cells. P85 enhanced (~ 4 orders)
      transfection of MOs with pDNA in vitro. Moreover, adoptively transferred MOs were
      shown to pass the transgene to inflamed muscle cells in MHLIM. Using a co-culture
      of myotubes (MTs) and transfected MOs expressing a reporter gene under
      constitutive (cmv-luciferase) or muscle specific (desmin-luciferase) promoter we
      demonstrated that P85 enhances horizontal gene transfer from MO to MTs.
      Therefore, MOs can play an important role in muscle transfection with
      pDNA/Pluronic during inflammation, with both inflammation and Pluronic
      contributing to the increased gene expression. pDNA/Pluronic has potential for
      therapeutic gene delivery in muscle pathologies that involve inflammation.

PMID- 26480473
TI  - DNA-binding-domain fusions enhance the targeting range and precision of Cas9.
AB  - The CRISPR-Cas9 system is commonly used in biomedical research; however, the
      precision of Cas9 is suboptimal for applications that involve editing a large
      population of cells (for example, gene therapy). Variations on the standard Cas9
      system have yielded improvements in the precision of targeted DNA cleavage, but
      they often restrict the range of targetable sequences. It remains unclear whether
      these variants can limit lesions to a single site in the human genome over a
      large cohort of treated cells. Here we show that by fusing a programmable DNA
      binding domain (pDBD) to Cas9 and attenuating Cas9's inherent DNA-binding
      affinity, we were able to produce a Cas9-pDBD chimera with dramatically improved
      precision and an increased targeting range. Because the specificity and affinity
      of this framework can be easily tuned, Cas9-pDBDs provide a flexible system that
      can be tailored to achieve extremely precise genome editing at nearly any genomic
      locus. 

PMID- 26480474
TI  - Continuously tunable nucleic acid hybridization probes.
AB  - In silico-designed nucleic acid probes and primers often do not achieve favorable
      specificity and sensitivity tradeoffs on the first try, and iterative empirical
      sequence-based optimization is needed, particularly in multiplexed assays. We
      present a novel, on-the-fly method of tuning probe affinity and selectivity by
      adjusting the stoichiometry of auxiliary species, which allows for independent
      and decoupled adjustment of the hybridization yield for different probes in
      multiplexed assays. Using this method, we achieved near-continuous tuning of
      probe effective free energy. To demonstrate our approach, we enforced uniform
      capture efficiency of 31 DNA molecules (GC content, 0-100%), maximized the signal
      difference for 11 pairs of single-nucleotide variants and performed tunable
      hybrid capture of mRNA from total RNA. Using the Nanostring nCounter platform, we
      applied stoichiometric tuning to simultaneously adjust yields for a 24-plex
      assay, and we show multiplexed quantitation of RNA sequences and variants from
      formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples. 

PMID- 26480477
TI  - The Interconnectedness of Diet Choice and Distance Running: Results of the
      Research Understanding the NutritioN of Endurance Runners (RUNNER) Study.
AB  - This study examined differences in diet, particularly vegetarian and vegan, among
      ultramarathon and other long distance runners. Participants who had completed a
      half- (HALF), full- (FULL), or ultramarathon (ULTRA) in the past 12 months were
      recruited to complete an online survey assessing current diet, reason for diet,
      and other dietary behaviors. A total of 422 participants completed the survey
      (n=125 ULTRA, n=152 FULL, n=145 HALF). More ULTRA participants were men (63%)
      (vs. FULL (37%) and HALF (23%)) and ULTRA participants reported significantly
      more years of running (16.2 +/- 13.6) than FULL (12.1 +/- 11.1, P<0.05) or HALF
      (10.6 +/- 11.6, P<0.05). Body Mass Index (self-reported height/weight) was
      significantly higher in HALF (24.3 +/- 4.4 kg/m2) vs. FULL (23.1 +/- 3.2 kg/m2,
      P<0.05). ULTRA runners were almost twice as likely to report following a
      vegan/vegetarian diet than HALF and FULL marathoners combined (B=1.94, 95%
      CI=1.08, 3.48) and reported following their current diet longer (13.7+/-15.3
      years) than HALF participants (8.6+/-12.1 years, P=0.01). ULTRA participants more
      commonly cited environmental concerns whereas HALF and FULL participants cited
      weight loss or maintenance as a reason for following their current diet. There
      was no difference in diet quality between ULTRA and other runners but vegan and
      vegetarian runners had higher diet quality scores than non-vegetarian runners
      (P<0.001). The findings point to an interconnectedness between long distance
      running, diet, and diet choice and can help guide nutrition, exercise, and
      psychology professionals who are working with distance runners.

PMID- 26480476
TI  - Risk factors to develop autonomic dysreflexia during urodynamic examinations in
      patients with spinal cord injury.
AB  - AIMS: The risk factors for developing autonomic dysreflexia (AD) during
      urodynamic (UD) examination in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) above Th6
      still remain unclear. The main goal of our study is to investigate the risk
      factors that could be associated with AD in these particular patients. DESIGN:
      Cross sectional survey. SUBJECT AND METHODS: The study was carried out in 83
      patients with SCI above Th6 who were submitted to our center for a UD
      examination. AD was defined as a rise in systolic blood pressure above 15 mm Hg
      with a pulse rate below 60 beats per minute. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of AD
      among our patients was 54%. Univariate analysis of our study showed the following
      risk factors: patient's age, SCI completeness, traumatic etiology, indwelling
      catheter, presence of chills or sweating, anticholinergic treatment, maximum
      detrusor voiding pressure, detrusor pressure at maximum flow rate, detrusor
      external sphincter dyssynergia, and bladder outlet obstruction. Using
      multivariate logistic regression, we found that there are only two independent
      risk factors: patient's age equal to or above 45 years of age (OR = 10.995) and
      maximum detrusor voiding pressure equal to or above 31 cm H2 O (OR = 3.879).
      CONCLUSIONS: According to our results, the patient's age and maximum detrusor
      voiding pressure should be considered at the time of performing a UD examination
      in order to prevent the sudden onset of AD in patients with SCI above Th6.
      Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:171-175, 2017. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26480475
TI  - Tissue matrix arrays for high-throughput screening and systems analysis of cell
      function.
AB  - Cell and protein arrays have demonstrated remarkable utility in the high
      throughput evaluation of biological responses; however, they lack the complexity
      of native tissue and organs. Here we spotted tissue extracellular matrix (ECM)
      particles as two-dimensional (2D) arrays or incorporated them with cells to
      generate three-dimensional (3D) cell-matrix microtissue arrays. We then
      investigated the responses of human stem, cancer and immune cells to tissue ECM
      arrays originating from 11 different tissues. We validated the 2D and 3D arrays
      as representative of the in vivo microenvironment by means of quantitative
      analysis of tissue-specific cellular responses, including matrix production,
      adhesion and proliferation, and morphological changes after culture. The
      biological outputs correlated with tissue proteomics, and network analysis
      identified several proteins linked to cell function. Our methodology enables
      broad screening of ECMs to connect tissue-specific composition with biological
      activity, providing a new resource for biomaterials research and further
      understanding of regeneration and disease mechanisms. 

PMID- 26480478
TI  - Transferable Measurements of Heredity in Models of the Origins of Life.
AB  - We propose a metric which can be used to compute the amount of heritable
      variation enabled by a given dynamical system. A distribution of selection
      pressures is used such that each pressure selects a particular fixed point via
      competitive exclusion in order to determine the corresponding distribution of
      potential fixed points in the population dynamics. This metric accurately detects
      the number of species present in artificially prepared test systems, and
      furthermore can correctly determine the number of heritable sets in clustered
      transition matrix models in which there are no clearly defined genomes. Finally,
      we apply our metric to the GARD model and show that it accurately reproduces
      prior measurements of the model's heritability. 

PMID- 26480479
TI  - Initial fungal effector production is mediated by early endosome motility.
AB  - Fungal plant pathogenicity is facilitated by effector proteins that are
      specifically expressed during infection and are responsible for suppressing plant
      defense mechanisms. Recent studies have elucidated the detailed molecular
      mechanisms of effector action throughout fungal infection. However, little is
      known about the trafficking and secretion of effectors in fungal hyphae during
      the initial stage of infection. Using state-of-the-art microscopy we have
      demonstrated that early endosome (EE) motility is required for effector
      production during fungal infection. Moreover, the MAPK Crk1 has been shown to
      travel on EEs and to function as a negative regulator of effector expression,
      suggesting that motile EEs are involved in signal transduction. Here I further
      discuss possible mechanisms whereby EE motility regulates effector expression in
      the initial stages of infection. 

PMID- 26480482
TI  - [Septic Shock: Innate Molecular Genetic Mechanisms of the Development of
      Generalized Inflammation].
AB  - The capacity for immune surveilance and protection against genetically alien
      agents is a basic property of multicellular organisms, and increasing
      significance in realizing this, capacity is assigned to mechanisms of innate
      immunity. The data accumulated to date show that many components of these
      mechanisms have a very wide spectrum of biological functions and play essential
      roles at different stages of ontogeny. An illustrative example is the signal
      system activated by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), which is responsible
      for the inflammation process. Analysis of its structural organization has shown
      that signaling mechanisms initiating inflammation largely overlap with mechanisms
      of programmed cell death. This is why hypersecretion of TNFalpha may lead to
      systemic inflammatory reation, or septic shok, and, hence, have a fatal outcome.
      Although studies on the TNFalpha-dependent mechanism have long history, many
      aspects of its regulation remain obscure. In particular, this concerns the nature
      of interspecific differences in the sensitivity of mammals to TNFalpha action and
      the ability of TNFalpha to activate oppositely directed cell programs depending
      on cell type or ambient conditions. The numerous data obtained in studies on
      different experimental systems need generalization and critical analysis. This
      review is an attempt at such an analysis. Its scope is concentrated on modern
      views on the divergence of TNFalpha-induced signal at the level of intracellular
      receptor-associated proteins. A description is given to potential "molecular
      triggers" responsible for switching between the main TNFalpha-dependent signaling
      pathways: inflammation, apoptosis, and necroptosis. The contribution of
      necroptosis (genetically programmed necrotic cell death) to the development of
      systemic inflammation and the lethal effect of TNFalpha are described.
      Consideration is also given to various lines of mice possessing natural
      resistance or sensitivity to TNFalpha, which hold much promise as models for
      deciphering the molecular genetic bases of the regulation of innate immune
      reactions and other TNFalpha-dependent processes.

PMID- 26480481
TI  - [Extrathymic Differentiation of alphabetaT Lymphocytes].
AB  - Extrathymic differentiation is an alternative way of alphabetaT lymphocyte
      development. In normal conditions it is expressed slightly and limited mainly to
      the liver and intestinal mucous. However, it increases significantly with age, as
      well as in certain physiological and pathological conditions, buying more
      widespread. In the review, the phenotypical and functional features of
      extrathymic T lymphocytes have been considered in detail depending on their
      localization and a way of the process activation. The mechanisms of such
      differentiation induction have been analyzed. Special attention is paid to the
      biological significance of extrathymic alphabetaT cell development.

PMID- 26480480
TI  - Disrupted Renal Mitochondrial Homeostasis after Liver Transplantation in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Suppressed mitochondrial biogenesis (MB) contributes to acute kidney
      injury (AKI) after many insults. AKI occurs frequently after liver
      transplantation (LT) and increases mortality. This study investigated whether
      disrupted mitochondrial homeostasis plays a role in AKI after LT. METHODS: Livers
      were explanted from Lewis rats and implanted after 18 h cold storage. Kidney and
      blood were collected 18 h after LT. RESULTS: In the kidney, oxidative
      phosphorylation (OXPHOS) proteins ATP synthase-beta and NADH dehydrogenase-3
      decreased 44% and 81%, respectively, with marked reduction in associated mRNAs.
      Renal PGC-1alpha, the major regulator of MB, decreased 57% with lower mRNA and
      increased acetylation, indicating inhibited synthesis and suppressed activation.
      Mitochondrial transcription factor-A, which controls mtDNA replication and
      transcription, protein and mRNA decreased 66% and 68%, respectively, which was
      associated with 64% decreases in mtDNA. Mitochondrial fission proteins Drp-1 and
      Fis-1 and mitochondrial fusion protein mitofusin-1 all decreased markedly. In
      contrast, PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 and microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B
      light chain 3 increased markedly after LT, indicating enhanced mitophagy.
      Concurrently, 18- and 13-fold increases in neutrophil gelatinase-associated
      lipocalin and cleaved caspase-3 occurred in renal tissue. Both serum creatinine
      and blood urea nitrogen increased >2 fold. Mild to moderate histological changes
      were observed in the kidney, including loss of brush border, vacuolization of
      tubular cells in the cortex, cast formation and necrosis in some proximal tubular
      cells. Finally, myeloperoxidase and ED-1 also increased, indicating inflammation.
      CONCLUSION: Suppression of MB, inhibition of mitochondrial fission/fusion and
      enhancement of mitophagy occur in the kidneys of recipients of liver grafts after
      long cold storage, which may contribute to the occurrence of AKI and increased
      mortality after LT.

PMID- 26480483
TI  - [Life Forms of Lampreys (Petromyzontidae) as a Manifestation of Intraspecific
      Diversity of Ontogenesis].
AB  - Some lamprey genera include the forms that have significantly different life
      cycles (the most well-known are the "anadromous" and "resident," or the
      "parasitic" and "nonparasitic" forms). The analysis of data on the genetic
      characteristics of these forms shows that, in some cases, the nonparasitic
      lampreys independently derived from the parasitic ones in different aqueous
      systems. These data, together with the results of morphological analysis as well
      as data on the distribution, ecology, hybridization, and observations ofjoint
      spawning of parasitic and nonparasitic forms show that these forms belong to the
      same species (except the resident forms that were isolated long ago).

PMID- 26480484
TI  - [Morphogenesis of Human Fetal Thymus during Weeks 22-27 of Development].
AB  - Distinctive features of human fetal thymus morphogenesis in early ontogeny in the
      case of uncomplicated pregnancy have been characterized. A steady increase of
      thymus dimensions and weight occurred concomitantly to differentiation of
      morphofunctional zones within the organ. Cell differentiation in the subcapsular
      and inner cortical zones of the thymus lobes was manifested as changes in
      parameters of expression of T-lymphocyte antigens CD1, CD2, and CD3 and
      ultrastructural features of reticuloepithelial cells (REC) type I and II forming
      a microenvironment for lymphocytes. RECs of the medullar zone formed a glomerular
      syncytium with desmosomal interepithelial contacts by week 22 of fetal
      development. Small lymphocytes predominated among thymocytes (66%). Hassall's
      corpuscles, the structural correlates of morphological and functional maturity,
      predominated in the fetal thymuses during developmental weeks 25-27.

PMID- 26480485
TI  - [In vitro Regeneration from Bulbous Scales of Fritillaria sonnikovae, an Endemic
      Species].
AB  - Features of in vitro regeneration of Fritillaria sonnikovae from bulb scales were
      studied. The initiation of shoot formation was obtained on a nutrient medium BDS,
      supplemented with 5 uM 6-benzylaminopurine and 2 uM alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid.
      Optimization of propagation stage was carried out using obtained microbulbs as
      explants. High regenerative response of explants and shoot multiplication rate
      were observed on both media supplemented with growth regulators (up to 47% and
      4.2 +/- 0.6 pcs./explant, respectively) and hormone-free medium (48% and 4.1 +/-
      0.2 shoots per explant, respectively). It has been established that the ad-
      dition of growth regulators on the stage of cultivation does not cause increased
      morphogenic response but contributes to the accelerated initiation and
      development of microbulbs. Morphological and histological analysis revealed the
      dynamics of the formation of shoots de novo. In vitro development of F.
      sonnikovae follows the path of direct organogenesis from the epidermal tissue of
      the explant.

PMID- 26480486
TI  - [Early Stages of Skull Embryogenesis in the Grass Snake, Natrix natrix
      (Serpentes, Colubridae)].
AB  - Studies of previous authors on snake skull embryogenesis have been performed on
      embryos obtained from eggs after oviposition. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the initial stages of chondrocranium development in Grass-snake
      Natrixnatrix Linnaeus, 1758, embryos before oviposition. Natrix natrix embryos at
      early developmental stages (24-27 according to the table of normal development by
      D. Zehr (1962)) were obtained by means of caesarean section. At developmental
      stages 25-27, previously undescribed structures were found in the region of
      future skull formation. These structures exist during one or two stages and then
      disappear. Therefore, we call them "temporary structures." The assumption about
      the nature of these structures is based on their topography and comparison with
      the structures of developing or fully formed chondrocranium in other vertebrates.
      It is hypothesized that the temporary structures in Natrix natrix chondrocranium
      are vestiges ofprimary chondrocranium of ancestral vertebrate forms, and they
      indicate the existence of several variants in the formation of chondrocranium in
      the historical vertebrates.' development.

PMID- 26480487
TI  - [Morphometry in Development of Red Deer's Adrenal Glands].
AB  - Histological structures and morphometric and some histochemical indicators of
      elk's adrenal gland development as subspecies of red deer in prenatal and
      postnatal ontogenies stages was studied. It was found that the growth of the
      fetus adrenal glands weight and the thickness of the structures adrenal glands
      fragments continue throughout the prenatal period of ontogeny. The cells of
      androgenic zone with single wandering sympathogoniae are differentiated in the
      adrenal glands in the second month of development. The androgenic and definite
      zone and the adrenal medulla are differentiated by the third month of
      development. At the 4 months, adrenal gland cortex zona glomerulosa and zona
      fasciculate-reticularis are differentiated; zona reticularis is differentiated
      only by the seventh month. By the eighth month, the structure of adrenal glands
      corresponds to the adrenal glands of a newborn. Full structural formation of the
      adrenal glands takes place in young animals by age 1.5. Obvious structural
      changes were not found late in the postnatal stages of development.

PMID- 26480488
TI  - Are You an Asset or a Liability in Your Committee?

PMID- 26480489
TI  - Preceptorship and Mentoring: Are They the Same Thing?

PMID- 26480490
TI  - TeamSTEPPS: A Path to High Functioning Teams.

PMID- 26480491
TI  - Five Proven Strategies for Goal Achievement.

PMID- 26480492
TI  - Facing the Reality of Today's Candidate-Driven Market in Nursing and Nurse
      Leadership.

PMID- 26480494
TI  - Job Seekers Etiquette 101: Why You Should Always Send a Thank You Letter After
      Your Interview.

PMID- 26480493
TI  - What Can I Do With A BSN?

PMID- 26480495
TI  - Creating a Nursing Portfolio.

PMID- 26480496
TI  - I Have a Job Interview! Oh My ... I Have a Job Interview--Now What?

PMID- 26480497
TI  - Letter from the Dean.

PMID- 26480498
TI  - Dr. Seizaburo Sakamoto, Former HSDM Faculty Member, Donates More Than $536,000 to
      HSDM.

PMID- 26480500
TI  - Dr. Leonard B. Kaban.

PMID- 26480502
TI  - HSDM Develops Collaborations in Asia.

PMID- 26480501
TI  - Dr. Shanele Williams.

PMID- 26480503
TI  - Remembering Dr. Gerald Shklar.

PMID- 26480504
TI  - Letter from the Dean.

PMID- 26480505
TI  - HSDM Launches an Initiative to Integrate Oral Health and Primary Care after
      Successful Leadership Forum.

PMID- 26480506
TI  - Remembering Deah, Yusor and Razan.

PMID- 26480507
TI  - Senior Dental Leaders Program.

PMID- 26480508
TI  - Update from Rwanda: Year Three.

PMID- 26480509
TI  - Five Questions for Dr. Brian Swann: Working to Increase the Capacity of
      Healthcare on a Global Level.

PMID- 26480510
TI  - From the Dean.

PMID- 26480511
TI  - Case Completion Curriculum Shines.

PMID- 26480512
TI  - Oral Health Care for Elders in Bolivia.

PMID- 26480513
TI  - Report from Rwanda.

PMID- 26480514
TI  - Harvard School of Dental Medicine: Reflections of a Graduate from a 70-Year
      Perspective.

PMID- 26480515
TI  - From the Dean.

PMID- 26480516
TI  - Alumnus Conducts Public Health Work in the Cook Islands.

PMID- 26480517
TI  - HSDM Works with Wampanoag Tribe.

PMID- 26480518
TI  - Shared Visits Offer Benefits for Patient and Provider.

PMID- 26480519
TI  - Building Bridges to Peace.

PMID- 26480520
TI  - From the Dean.

PMID- 26480521
TI  - Addressing Childhood Caries Through Education.

PMID- 26480522
TI  - Care for Indigent Rural Patients in Vermont.

PMID- 26480523
TI  - My Experience at Red Logan.

PMID- 26480525
TI  - Providing Oral Health Care in Ecuador.

PMID- 26480524
TI  - A Summer of Service.

PMID- 26480527
TI  - HSDM Creates Osteoarthritis Initiative.

PMID- 26480526
TI  - HSDM at the United Nations: Toward Global Health Equity.

PMID- 26480528
TI  - From the Dean.

PMID- 26480529
TI  - Frank Bliss Established a Legacy--and Received a Lifetime Income.

PMID- 26480530
TI  - Major HSDM Supporters Douglas and Eltress Dick Step Up Again.

PMID- 26480531
TI  - Ed Morin, DMD60, Longtime Donor.

PMID- 26480532
TI  - Marjorie Jeffcoat, DMD76, PD78: Researcher and Teacher.

PMID- 26480533
TI  - The HSDM Public Health Initiative.

PMID- 26480534
TI  - Collaborating on Oral Health Access and Education in Rwanda.

PMID- 26480535
TI  - New Drugs from Old Remedies.

PMID- 26480536
TI  - From the Dean.

PMID- 26480537
TI  - Heejoon Sun, DMD88, MPH88.

PMID- 26480538
TI  - Rochelle Lindner, DMD82, and Gary Lindner, DMSc83, PD83.

PMID- 26480541
TI  - Give Kids a Smile 2013.

PMID- 26480539
TI  - Martin Nweeia Studies an Enigma.

PMID- 26480542
TI  - Women in Dentistry CE Course.

PMID- 26480543
TI  - HSDM Students Receive Major Grant.

PMID- 26480544
TI  - [Clinical observation on obesity and hyperlipidemia of yang deficiency of spleen
      and kidney syn- drome in female patients treated with warm acupuncture combined
      with auricular acupuncture].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the differences of clinical effects in female patients with
      obesity and hyperlipidemia of yang deficiency of spleen and kidney syndrome
      between warm acupuncture combined with auricular acupuncture and simple warm
      acupuncture. METHODS: One hundred and thirty patients were randomly divided into
      an observation group and a control group, 65 cases in each one. In the control
      group, acupuncture was used at Pishu (BL 20), Zhongwan(CV 12), Shenshu(BL 23),
      Zhongji(CV 3), Guanyuan(CV 4), Mingmen(GV 4), Taibai(SP 3), Fenglong(ST 40),
      etc.; warm acupuncture was applied at Pishu(BL 20), Zhongwan(CV 12), Shenshu(BL
      23) and Zhongji(CV 3); the treatment was required once every two days and for 3
      months continuously. In the observation group, based on the treatment in the
      control group, thumbtack intradermal needles were embedded at auricular points,
      including pi(CO13), shen(CO10), pangguang(CO9), sanjiao(CO17), neifenmi(CO18),
      neishengzhiqi(TF2), etc. Obesity indices [body mass(W), obesity degree(A), body
      mass index(BMI), body fat percentage(F%)] blood lipid indices [serum total
      cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), low density lipoprotein(LDL-C), high density
      lipoprotein(HDL-C)] and clinical efficacy were observed before and after
      treatment in the two groups. Results After treatment in the two groups, the
      obesity indices of W, A, BMI, F% and the blood lipid levels of TC, TG, LDL-C were
      obviously decreased compared with those before treatment (all P<0. 01) and the
      HDL-C levels were apparently increased than those before treatment (both P<0.
      01). After treatment, the improvement of TC and HDL-C in the observation group
      was superior to that in the control group (both P<0. 01). The difference was not
      statistically significant in the aspect of improving every obesity index between
      two groups (all P>. 05). The comprehensive total effective rate of the
      observation group was 95.4% (62/65), which was better than 84. 6% (55/65) of the
      control group (P<0. 001). CONCLUSION: Warm acupuncture combined with auricular
      acupuncture and simple warm acupuncture can both benignly adjust abnormal lipid
      metabolism of obesity patients with hyperlipidemia, and warm acupuncture combined
      with auricular acupuncture are superior to simple warm acupuncture treatment on
      antiobesity action and improving the TC and HDL-C levels.

PMID- 26480545
TI  - [Impacts on fine movement of upper extremity with flaccid paralysis in stroke
      treated with acupuncture combined with motor imagery].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the impacts on the fine movement of upper extremity with
      flaccid paralysis in stroke treated with acupuncture and motor imagery. METHODS:
      Sixty-two cases of flaccid paralysis of upper extremity in stroke were randomized
      into an observation group (30 cases) and a control group (32 cases). In the
      control group, the conventional western medication and the passive movement of
      the extremity were applied. Additionally, the penetrating needling technique was
      used at the head points [penetrating needling from Baihui (GV 20) to Taiyang (EX
      HN 5)] and the local affected extremity [penetrating needling from Jianyu (LI 15)
      to Binao (LI1 14), from Quchi (LI 11) to Shaohai (HT 3), from Waiguan (TE 5) to
      Neiguan (PC 6), etc]. The needles were retained for 30 min. In the observation
      group, on the basic treatment as the control group, during the needle retaining,
      the motor imagery therapy was supplemented. The treatment was given once a day, 5
      treatments a week, for 4 weeks totally in the either group. The scores in the
      action research arm test (ARAT) and the modified Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) were
      recorded at the moment of enrollment, in 2 and 4 weeks of treatment, in the 6th
      and 8th weeks, as well as after 90 days separately. RESULTS: (1) ARAT score:
      since the 2nd week, ARAT scores in the observation group were all improved
      significantly as compared with those in the control group at the each time points
      (all P<0. 05). In the observation group, the scores were improved significantly
      in the pair comparison at the time points (all P<0. 05). In the control group,
      the score in the 2nd week was not different significantly as compared with that
      before treatment (P>0. 05), but the scores at the rest time points were improved
      significantly in the pair comparison (all P<0. 05); (2) FMA score: in the 2nd
      week and on the 90th day, FMA score in the observation group was higher
      significantly than those in the control group (both P < 0. 05). In the
      observation group, the scores were all improved significantly in the pair
      comparison at the time points (all P<0. 05). In the control group, except that in
      comparison between the 90th day and the 8th week (P>0. 05), the results were all
      P<0. 05 at the rest time points. CONCLUSION: The early intervention of the
      combined therapy of acupuncture and motor imagery effectively promotes the
      recovery of the coordination function and the fine movement of upper extremity,
      especially the improvements of the fine movement in stroke at flaccid paralysis
      stage. The efficacy is better than the single acupuncture treatment.

PMID- 26480546
TI  - [Impact on serum 5-HT and TH1/TH2 in patients of depressive disorder at acute
      stage treated with acupuncture and western medication].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the difference in depression relief in the treatment of
      depressive disorder at the acute stage between the combined therapy of
      acupuncture and 5-HT (5-hydroxytryptamine) selective serotonini reuptake
      inhibitors (SSRIs) and the single application of SSRIs and explore the impact on
      the imbalance of 5-HT and TH1/TH2. METHODS: Ninety cases of depressive disorder
      at the acute stage were randomized into a combined therapy group and a medication
      group, 45 cases in each one. In the medication group, SSRIs were prescribed forl
      oral administration, once or twice a day, continuously for 4 weeks. In the
      combined therapy group, on the basis of treatment as the medication group,
      acupuncture was combined. The main acupoints were Baihui (GV 20), Yintang (GV
      29), Shenting (GV 24), Fengchi (GB 20), Dazhui (GV 14) and Sishencong (EX-HN 1),
      once every two. days, continuously for 4 weeks. Before treatment, and after the
      1st, 2nd and 4th weeks of treatment, the Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) was
      used to evaluate the depression severity. Separately, before and after the 4
      weeks of treatment, the levels of serum 5-HT, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta),
      interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were
      determined and compared with those in 45 cases of the healthy group. RESULTS:
      HAMD score was reduced in the 1st, 2nd and 4th weeks of treatment as compared
      with that before treatment in the combined therapy group (all P<0 01). HAMD score
      was reduced in the 2nd and 4th weeks of treatment as compared with that before
      treatment in the medication group (all P<0. 01). HAMD scores in the combined
      therapy group were lower than those in the medication group in the 1st, 2nd and
      4th weeks of treatment (all P< 0. 01). Before treatment, in the combined therapy
      group and the medication group, the levels of serum 5-HT, IL-4 and IL-10 were all
      lower than those in the healthy group (all P<0. 01); the levels of IL-1beta and
      IL-6 were higher than those in the healthy group (all P<0. 01). In the combined
      therapy group and the medication group, the levels of 5-HT, IL-4 and IL-10 in 4
      weeks of treatment were all increased as compared with those before treatment
      (all P<0. 01), and the levels of IL-1beta and IL-6 were lower than those before
      treatment (all P<0. 01). In the combined therapy group, the levels of IL-1beta
      and IL-6 in 4 weeks of treatment were lower than those in the medication group,
      and the levels of 5-HT, IL-4 and IL-10 were higher than those in the medication
      group (P<0. 01, P< 0. 05). CONCLUSION: The combined therapy of acupuncture and
      SSRIs achieves much quicker and more effective re-' sult for relieving depression
      in the patients of depressive disorder as compared with simple oral
      administration of' SSRIs, and much more contributes to adjust the imbalance of
      serum 5-HT and TH1/TH2.

PMID- 26480548
TI  - [Expressions of neurotransmitters in patients of insomnia differentiated as liver
      stagnation transforming into fire treated with acupuncture].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the difference in the efficacy between acupuncture and oral
      administration of trazodone and the expressions of neurotransmitters in patients
      of insomnia differentiated as liver stagnation transforming into fire. METHODS:
      Seventy patients of insomnia differentiated as liver stagnation transforming into
      fire were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 35 cases in
      each one. In the observation group, acupuncture therapy was adopted at Shenmen
      (HT 7), Baihui (GV 20), Yintang (GV 29), Hegu (LI 4), Taichong (LR 3), etc. The
      needles were retained for 20 min each time. The treatment was given once a day,
      the treatment of 2 weeks made one session. In the control group, trazodone, 100
      mg, oral administration, once a day, the treatment of 2 weeks made one session.
      Two sessions were required in the two groups. The scores in Pittsburgh sleep
      quality index (PSQI) and Asberg rating scale for side effects (SERS), the levels
      of neurotransmitters such as 5-hydroxy tryptamine (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE)
      and the expressions of protein kinase C (PKC) and brain-derived neurotrophic
      factor (BDNF) in peripheral blood were observed before and after treatment in the
      two groups. RESULTS: PSQI score and SERS score after treatment were all decreased
      compared with those in both groups before treatment (both P<0. 05). After
      treatment, PSQI score and SERS score in the observation group were lower
      apparently than those in the control group (both P<0. 05). After treatment NE
      content and PKC level were decreased; 5-HT content and BDNF mRNA were increased
      compared with those in both groups before treatment (all P<0. 05). NE content and
      PKC level in the observation group were lower apparently than those in the
      control group (both P<0. 05). The serum 5-HT content and BDNF mRNA expression in
      the observation group were higher than those in the control group separately
      (both P<0. 05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture therapy improves the sleeping quality of
      patients of insomnia differentiated as liver stagnation transforming into fire,
      and reduces serum NE level and increases 5-HT content and BDNF expression, which
      achieves the better efficacy as compared with the oral administration of
      trazodone. It is one of the effective approaches to the treatment of insomnia
      differentiated as liver stagnation transforming into fire.

PMID- 26480547
TI  - [Senile insomnia treated with integrated acupuncture and medication therapy: a
      randomized controlled trial].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy difference in the treatment of senile insomnia
      among western, medication, acupuncture and the integrated therapy of acupuncture
      and western medication. METHODS: Ninety-eight patients of senile insomnia were
      randomized into a western medication group (30 cases), an acupuncture group (35
      cases) and an integrated acupuncture and medication group (35 cases). In the
      western medication group, estazolam 1mg was prescribed, taken 30 min before going
      to bed, oryzanol 20 mg, oral administration, three times a day, for 4 weeks
      totally. In the acupuncture group, the simple acupuncture therapy was applied at
      Shenmen (HT 7), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Anmian (Extra), Baihui (GV 20) and Sishencong
      (EX-HN 1), as well as the supplementary points selected according to the
      differentiation. The acupuncture treatment was given once a day, 5 treatments a
      week, for 4 weeks totally. In the integrated acupuncture and medication group,
      the western medication was combined with acupuncture. The dosage and usage of
      western medication were same as those in the western medication group; and
      acupoints in acupuncture treatment were same as those in the acupuncture group.
      The treatment lasted for 4 weeks in the three groups. Pittsburgh sleep quality
      index (PSQI) and clinical efficacy were observed before treatment, after 4 weeks'
      treatment and in 4 weeks after discontinuity of treatment in the three groups.
      RESULTS: Four weeks after treatment, the clinical curative rates were 3. 3%
      (1/30), 21. 2% (7/33) and 25. 7% (9/35) in the western medication group, the
      acupuncture group and the integrated acupuncture and medicines group separately.
      The total effective rates were 70. 0%(21/30), 93. 9%(31/33) and 97. 1%(34/35) in
      the three groups separately. The curative rates and the total effective rates in
      the integrated acupuncture and medication group and the acupuncture group were
      higher than those in the western medication group separately (all, P<0. 01). PSQI
      scores after 4 Weeks' treatment were all improved as compared with those before
      treatment in the three groups (all P<0. 05). PSQI score in either the integrated
      acupuncture and medication group or the acupuncture group was lower than that in
      the western medication group, indicating the significant difference (both P< 0.
      05). Four weeks after discontinuity of treatment, the efficacy was stable in the
      acupuncture group and the integrated acupuncture and medication group. PSQI score
      did not change as compared with that in the 4th week of treatment. The score in
      the western medication group ran back, close to that before treatment (P>0. 05).
      During the treatment, a few patients had dry mouth in the western medication
      group. The adverse reactions were not discovered in the other two groups.
      CONCLUSION: The integrated therapy of acupuncture and medication achieves the
      quick efficacy on senile insomnia and rapidly relieves the symptoms, with quite
      high clinical curative rate and total effective rate obtained. The long-term
      efficacy is better than that of western medication. The integrated therapy is the
      first option among the three therapeutic programs.

PMID- 26480549
TI  - [Clinical observation of peripheral facial palsy treated with electro-acupuncture
      based on surface electromyography].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the difference in the clinical efficacy on peripheral
      facial palsy between electro-acupuncture (EA) assisted with surface
      electromyography (sEMG) and conventional EA. METHODS: Sixty cases of peripheral
      facial palsy were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 30
      cases in each one. EA was applied during the first 15 days of sickness in the two
      groups, at Xiaguan (ST 7), Jiache (ST 6), Dicang (ST 4), Yangbai (GB 14), Taiyang
      (EX-HN 5), Quanliao (SI 18) and Hegu (LI 4), once a day. In the observation,
      group, 15 days after sickness, according to the situation in sEMG, on the basis
      of the acupoints in the previous treatment, the corresponding acupoints were
      reselected for EA. In the control group, the conventional EA was kept on. The
      treatment was given once every two days till the 35th day of sickness.
      Separately, on the 5th, 15th and 35th days of sickness, according to the
      detection of sEMG in the patients of two groups, the means ratios of: root mean
      square (RMS) of musculi buccinators, orbicularis oris, frontalis and nasalis on
      the healthy and affected sides were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: The
      differences of ratio in RMS of musculi buccinators, orbicularis oris, frontalis
      and nasalis on the healthy and affected sides were significant statistically in
      comparison between the, 15th day and the 5th day, and between the 35th day and
      the 15th day of sickness within each group (all P<0. 01). The differences of
      ratio in RMS of the muscles on the healthy and affected sides were significant
      statistically on the 15th and 35th days between the two groups (all P<0. 05).
      CONCLUSION: EA assisted with sEMG achieves the significant efficacy on peripheral
      facial palsy, better than the conventional EA.

PMID- 26480550
TI  - [Burning mouth syndrome].

PMID- 26480551
TI  - [Clinical observation of dysantonomia treated with transcutaneous electrical
      stimulation at Renying (ST 9) combined with stellate ganglion block].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy difference in dysantonomia between
      transcutaneous electrical stimulation at Renying(ST 9) combined with stellate
      ganglion block(SGB) and simple SGB. METHODS: Sixty patients in accord with the
      diagnostic criteria of dysantonomia were randomly divided into two groups,30
      cases in each group. In the observation group,transcutaneous electrical
      stimulation at Renying(ST 9) combined with SGB were adopted; in the control
      group,simple SGB was applied. In the two groups, treatment was used three times a
      week,and nine treatments were considered as one course. There was an interval of
      one week between courses,and two courses were treated. Total seven weeks were
      required. Scores were evaluated according to subjective symptoms before
      treatment,one month and three months after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS:
      The scores of subjective symptoms were not statistically different before
      treatment in the two groups(P>0. 05). The scores of subjective symptoms one month
      and three months after treatment were all lower than those before treatment(all
      P< 0. 01), and subjective symptoms scores in the observation group were lower
      than those in the control group(both P<0. 01). CONCLUSION: Transcutaneous
      electrical stimulation at Renying(ST 9) combined with SGB could obviously enhance
      the clinical effects for dysantonomia, and the control and improvement for
      clinical symptoms are apparently superior to simple SGB.

PMID- 26480552
TI  - [Case of infertility].

PMID- 26480553
TI  - [Clinical research of chronic pelvic cavity pain syndrome treated with acupoint
      catgut embedding therapy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical efficacy of acupoint catgut embedding therapy
      on chronic pelvic cavity pain syndrome differentiated as kidney deficiency and
      stagnation of damp heat, and explore the impacts on plasma P substance (SP),
      plasma beta-endorphin (beta-EP). METHODS: One hundred and eighty cases were
      randomly divided into a catgut embedding group (90 cases) and a western
      medication group (90 cases). In the western medication group, tamsulosin capsules
      0. 2 mg were prescribed for oral administration, once a day; indometacin
      sustained release tablets, 25 mg, three times a day. Totally, the oral
      administration for 8 weeks was required. In the catgut embedding group, the
      acupoint catgut embedding therapy was applied to Qugu (CV 2), Shenshu (BL 23),
      Zhibian (BL 54), Huiyin (CV 1) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6), once every two weeks; the
      treatment of 4 weeks made one session, and two sessions were required. Before and
      after treatment, TCM symptom score, NIH-CPSI (the National Institute of Health
      Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index) score, lecithin body numbers in prostatic
      fluid, score in SAS (self-rating anxiety scale), score in SDS (self-rating
      depression scale), the levels of SP and beta-EP, etc. were observed in the two
      groups, and the clinical efficacy was assessed in the two groups. RESULTS: (1)
      Ten cases were dropped in either group. The total effective rate was 91. 25%
      (73/80) in the catgut embedding group, higher than 78. 75% (63/80) in the western
      medication group (P<0. 05). (2) After treatment, TCM symptom score, total score
      in NIH-CPSI, pain score and the scores in SAS and SDS were all reduced as
      compared with those before treatment in the two groups (all P<0. 05). After
      treatment, TCM symptom score, total score and pain score in NIH-CPSI, and the
      scores in SAS and SDS in the catgut embedding group were both lower than those in
      the western medication group (all P<0. 05). (3) After treatment, the lecithin
      body numbers were both increased as compared with those before treatment in the
      two groups (both P<0. 05), and the result in the catgut embedding group was
      higher than that in the western medication group (P<0. 05). (4)After treatment,
      the SP level was lower than that before treatment in the two groups (both P<0.
      05); the level of p-EP was increased as compared with that before treatment (both
      P<0. 05). The SP level in the catgut embedding group was lower than that in the
      western medication group (P<0. 05); the level of beta-EP was higher than that in
      the western medication group (P<0. 05). CONCLUSION: The acupoint catgut embedding
      therapy apparently relieves the clinical symptoms of chronic pelvic cavity pain
      syndrome differentiated as kidney deficiency and stagnation of damp heat as well
      as the condition of anxiety and depression, increases lecithin body numbers in
      prostatic fluid and beta-EP level and reduces SP level.

PMID- 26480554
TI  - [Finger pressing and garlic-partition moxibustion for 12 cases of chronic
      appendicitis].

PMID- 26480555
TI  - [Clinical observation on therapeutic effect of myopia in children treated with
      abdominal acupuncture].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effects of myopia in children treated with
      abdominal acupuncture. METHODS: Ninety children with myopia were randomly divided
      into an abdominal acupuncture group (45 cases with 90 ill eyes) and an auricular
      point group(45 cases with 90 ill eyes). In the abdominal acupuncture group,
      Zhongwan (CV 12), Shangqu(KI 17), Xiawan(CV 10), Tianshu(ST 25), Qihai(CV 6),
      Guanyuan(CV 4) were treated with tapping method. The needles were not retained
      and down to the lower in accordance with the order from Zhongwan (CV 12) to
      Guanyuan(CV 4) for 5 min,and the erubescence skin without blood was proper. In
      the auricular point group, vaccaria seeds were pasted at gan(CO12),
      shen(CO10),pi(CO13), wei(CO4), yan(LO5), pingjianqian(TG2i), pingjianhou(ATli)
      and zhen(AT3); one ear was chosen every time and the other ear the second time
      with pressing of patient's own for 5 min every day. The treatment was given twice
      a week and 10 treatments were considered as one course in the two groups. The
      changes of the visual levels in visual chart before treatment, 20 min after the
      first treatment, after 5 weeks' and 3 months' treatment were compared between the
      two groups,and the clinicall efficacy was compared between the two groups as
      well. RESULTS: (1) The visual levels in visual chart were improved in the
      abdominal acupuncture group and auricular point group, and the effects 20 min
      after the first treatment, after 5 weeks' and 3 months' treatment in the
      abdominal acupuncture group were superior to those in the auricular point
      group(4. 78+/-0. 16 vs 4. 69+/-0. 22, P<0. 01; 4. 85+/-0. 16 vs 4. 79+/-0. 21,
      P<0. 05; 4. 89+/-0. 13 vs 4. 71+/-0. 25, P<0. 01). (2)The effective rates 20 min
      after the first treatment, after 5 weeks' and 3 months' treatment in the
      abdominal acupuncture group were better than those in the auricular point
      group[31. 4% (27/86) vs 0% (0/82). 81.4%(70/86) vs 60. 0%(49/82); 88. 4%(76/86)
      vs 51. 2%(42/82), all P<0. 01]. CONCLUSION: Abdominal acupuncture for improving
      the visual levels of myopia in children is superior to auricular point sticking.

PMID- 26480556
TI  - [Catgut injection therapy for 26 cases of ankylosing spondylitis].

PMID- 26480557
TI  - [Bone-length measurement at low back and its application].
AB  - By reviewing some acupuncture literature regarding the settings of bone-length
      measurement at low back, it was found out that ancient and modern descriptions
      were not consistent. In China current acupuncture textbook, it was mostly
      described as "the horizontal distance between inner borders of two scapulas was 6
      cun". However, after analysis, it was believed that this setting was not
      reasonable in the clinical application of acupuncture, and it was agreed with the
      opinion that "midpoint of inner borders of two scapulas when scapulas are in
      abduction position" should be taken as bone-length measurement of low back.
      Besides, a self-made bone-length scale was applied to locate acupoint at low
      back, which could provide references for its standardized application
      manipulation.

PMID- 26480558
TI  - [Clinical experience of postoperative complications].

PMID- 26480559
TI  - [Effects of electroacupuncture on cochlea morphology and expression of aquaporins
      in guinea pigs with endolymphatic hydrops].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on cochlea
      morphology and expression of aquaporin 1 (AQP1) in guinea pigs with endolymphatic
      hydrops, so as to explore the possible mechanism of EA on endolymphatic hydrops.
      METHODS: Forty guinea pigs were randomly divided into a blank group, a model
      group, a medication group and an EA group, 10 guinea pigs in each one. Model of
      endolymphatic hydrops was established by using intraperitoneal injection of
      aldosterone. Guinea pigs in the blank group and model group were treated with
      identical immobilization as EA group but no treatment was given; guinea pigs in
      the medication group were treated with intragastric administration of
      hydrochlorothiazide at a dose of 5 mg/kg, once a day for consecutive 10 days;
      guinea pigs in the EA group were treated with' EA at "Baihui" (GV 20) and
      "Tinggong"(SI 19), once a day for consecutive 10 days. The serum ionic
      concentration in each group was tested by turbidimetric method; hematoxylin-eosin
      staining was used to measure the severity of cochlea hydrops; immunohistochemical
      method was used to observe the expression of AQP1 in the cochlea. RESULTS: (1)
      There was no endolymphatic hydrops in the blank group, moderate-severe
      endolymphatic hydrops in the model group and slight endolymphatic hydrops in the
      EA group and medication group. (2) The concentration of K+ and Ca2+ in the EA
      group was higher than that in the model group and medication group (all P<0. 01);
      the concentration of Na+ was lower than that in the model group (P< 0. 01) but
      higher than that in the medication group (P<0. 01); the concentration of Cl- was
      higher than that in the medication group (P<0. 01), but not significantly
      different from the model group (P>0. 05). (3) The ratio of expression area of
      AQP1 in the model group was lower than that in the blank group (P<0. 01); the
      ratio of expression area of AQP1 in the EA group was higher than that in the
      model group (P<0. 01), and lower than that in the medication group without
      significant difference (P>0. 05). CONCLUSION: EA could relieve the endolymphatic
      hydrops in guinea pigs; the mechanism is likely to be related with up-regulating
      the expression of AQP1 in cochlea and ion concentration might be an important
      factor involved.

PMID- 26480560
TI  - [Neurological protection effects of "paraplegia-triple-needling method" on rats
      with incomplete spinal cord injury].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the neurological protection effects of "paraplegia-triple
      needling method" on rats with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), so as to make
      a preliminary exploration on its mechanism. METHODS: A total of 45 SD rats were
      randomly divided into a paraplegia-triple-needling method group (group A), a
      regular acupuncture group (group B) and a model group (group C), 15 rats in each
      one. The rats model of incomplete spinal cord injury was established by modified
      Allen's method. The acupoints of governor vessel and back-shu points next to the
      vertebras of upper end and lower end of injured segment as well as motor points
      in key muscle of lower extremities were treated with acupuncture in the group A;
      the acupoints of governor vessel and back-shu points next to the vertebras of
      upper end and lower end of injured segment as well as "Huantiao" (GB 30),
      "Housanli" (ST 36), "Yanglingquan" (GB 34) and "Genduan"(Extra) were treated with
      acupuncture in the group B; rats in the group C received no treatment after model
      establishment but grabbing and immobilization. The needles were retained for 15
      min in the group A and group B, once a day for 14 times. 1 d, 7 d and 14 d after
      model establishment, Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) scores were observed in each
      group; the morphologic change of injured spinal cord and expression of positive
      cells of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) were observed. Results (1) One
      day after SCI, there was no significant difference of BBB scores among three
      groups (P> 0. 05); 7 days and 14 days after SCI, BBB scores in the group A and
      group B were significantly superior to those in the group C (all P<0. 05), and
      the BBB scores in the group A were superior to those in the group B ( both P<0.
      05). (2) There was expression of CGRP positive cells in all three groups, and
      that in the group A and group B was significantly higher than that in group C
      (both P<0. 05); 14 days after treatment, the expression in the group A was higher
      than that in the group B (P<0. 05). CONCLUSION: The "paraplegia-triple-needling
      method" could obviously! improve the motor function of rats with SCI, especially
      the expression of neuroprotective factor CGRP, which is likely to be one of the
      mechanisms of neurological protection effect.

PMID- 26480561
TI  - [Acupuncture at cervical Jiaji (EX-B 2) points for 60 cases of ocular
      hypertension].

PMID- 26480562
TI  - [Acupoints selecting and medication rules analysis based on data mining technique
      for bronchial asthma treated with acupoint application].
AB  - Clinical literature of bronchial asthma treated with acupoints application from
      January 2000 to March 2014 in modern periodicals databases was retrieved through
      computer. With cluster analysis and frequency analysis methods of data mining,
      acupoints selecting and medication rules of bronchial asthma treated with
      acupoints application were analyzed. Total 38 articles were included eventually,
      including 25 acupoints and 42 medicines. The results indicate that on acupoints
      selecting, Feishu (BL 13) is used as the main acupoint and 3 groups of bladder
      meridian and conception vessel acupoints are applied alternately and on
      medicines, Baijiezi (Brassica alba Boiss), Xixin (Radix et Rhizoma Asari), Gansui
      (Radix Kansui), Yanhusuo (Corydalis) and Mahuang (Radix et Rhizonma Ephedrae) are
      primarily adopted, epispastic medicines being the main medicines; medicines
      mostly belong to lung meridian, main medicines being unchanged mostly with
      Shengjiang as guiding drug.

PMID- 26480563
TI  - [Yuan-source points and luo-connecting points combination with western medication
      for 30 cases of post-stroke anxiety disorder].

PMID- 26480564
TI  - [Academic thoughts of "pushing meridians to treat viscera diseases" in LIU' s
      infantile tuina in Xiangxi area].
AB  - As one of the most important schools of Chinese infantile tuina, the main
      academic thoughts of LIU's infantile tuina in Xiangxi area ware "pushing the
      meridians". In clinical treatment; he focuses on zang-fu syndrome differentiation
      and meridians tropism treatment, and based on the generation-inhibition of five
      elements as well as the infantile physiological and pathological characteristics,
      the "pushing meridians to treat viscera diseases" was gradually developed, which
      has enriched the academic connotation and performed a better guide for clinical
      pediatric treatment.

PMID- 26480565
TI  - [Professor SONG Nanchang's experience for treatment of peripheral facial
      paralysis].
AB  - Professor SONG Nanchang's clinical experience and characteristics for treatment
      of peripheral facial paralysis are introduced. In clinical treatment, professor
      SONG has adopted staging treatment strategy, and performed acupuncture
      stimulation with different levels. He attaches great importance to the acupoint
      selection on distal limbs. For the treatment on the face, he takes temperature as
      necessity; he inherits from famous Chinese doctor ZONG Ruilin's acupuncture
      technique of slow-twisting and gentle-pressing. Meanwhile, he excels in
      combination, of different therapies, using acupuncture, moxibustion,
      electroacupuncture, auricular point sticking, Chinese herbal medicine, etc.
      according to individual condition and disease stages. He also emphasizes on
      psychological counseling and daily life care to achieve rehabilitation within the
      shortest time.

PMID- 26480566
TI  - [Professor ZHENG Kuishan's experience in the clinical treatment of bi syndrome
      with acupuncture and moxibustion].
AB  - Professor ZHENG Kuishan has been engaged in the education and clinical practice
      of acupuncture and moxibustion for over 60 years. Professor ZHENG is strict in
      scholarly research and exquisite in medical techniques and he is good at
      treatment of bi syndrome induced by invasion of wind, cold and damp with warming
      and, promoting therapy. He emphasizes on syndrome differentiation and acupoint
      combination and selects the accurate manipulations. Not only are the symptoms
      relieved apparently, but also the body state is improved. As a result, the
      primary and secondary are treated simultaneously. In the paper, professor ZHENG's
      experience is introduced in the treatment of bi syndrome in the aspects of
      theory, method, formula, acupoint and technique. And his clinical therapeutic
      approaches have been deeply analyzed.

PMID- 26480567
TI  - [Bloodletting at sifeng (EX-UE 10) point for 49 cases of psoriasis vulgaris].

PMID- 26480569
TI  - [Electric-heat needling for 56 cases of cervical spondylosis with the neck type].

PMID- 26480568
TI  - [Analysis and discussion on current condition of acupuncture clinical research
      registration].
AB  - To introduce the international registration condition of acupuncture clinical
      research. With the examples of World Health Organization International Clinical
      Trials Registry Platform and the U. S. National Institutes of Health Clinical
      Registration Platform, the registration method and current condition of
      acupuncture clinical trials in international clinical trials registration
      platform were analyzed. The results indicate that the number of acupuncture
      clinical trials registration is gradually increased and the registration number
      from China is on the rise as well. But most domestic acupuncture clinical
      researches haven't been registered arid the researchers' valuing degree for
      clinical trials registration and methodology research needs to be improved.

PMID- 26480570
TI  - [Correlation between positive reaction point of auricular points and stroke].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the auricular point specificity of the electric
      determination in stroke so as to provide the evidence for the objective study on
      the auricular point diagnosis in stroke. METHODS: Thirty patients of stroke were
      selected in an observation group; 30 patients of non-stroke internal medicine
      disorder were in a control group A; 30 persons of healthy examination were in a
      control group B. In the observation group.and the control group A, beside the
      conventional treatment, acupuncture was applied to all the cases. In the
      observation group, Jianyu (LI 15), Quchi (LI 11), Shousanili (LI 10), Hegu (LI
      4), Waiguan (TE 5), Liangqiu (ST 34), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and
      Taichong (LR 3) were selected on the affected side. In the control group A, Yin
      tang (GV 29), Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Fengfu (GV 16), Dazhui (GV
      14), Fengchi (GB 20), Tianzhu (BL 10), Jiaji (EX-B 2) C4-C7 were selected.
      Acupuncture was given once a day in the two groups. The; treatment of one week
      made one session, and continuously 2 sessions were required. In the control group
      B, the convention physical examination was provided without any medication and
      acupuncture involved. The CLRH-A auricular point detector was used to detect the
      entire auricular point area in the subjects and the positive reaction sites of
      auricular points in the subjects of each group before and after treatment
      separately. The auricular point positive detecting score and positive point
      frequency were observed in the subjects. RESULTS: Before treatment, the auricular
      points detecting score in the observation group was obviously higher than that in
      the control group A and control group B (both P<0. 05). The difference in the
      score between the control groups was not significant in' comparison (P>0. 05). In
      two weeks of treatment, the auricular points detecting score in the observation
      group was reduced apparently (P<0. 05). The difference was not significant before
      and after treatment in either the control grolip A or the control group B (both
      P>0.05). In the observation group, the first 15 points with high frequencies of
      positive reaction were naogan (AT3,4i), pizhixia (AT4), e (AT1), xin (CO15), gan
      (CO12), nie (AT2), zhen (AT3), shen (CO10), jiaogan (AH6a), pi (CO13) shenmen
      (TF4), wei (CO4), neifenmi (CO18), shenshangxian (TG2p) and erjian (HX6,7i). The
      differences were significant in the frequencies of positive reaction at 9
      auricular points as compared with the control group A and the control group B
      respectively, named naogan (AT3,4i), pizhixia (AT4), e (AT1), xin (CO15), gan
      (CO12), nie (AT2), zhen (AT3), shen (CO10) and jiaogan (AH6a) (all P <0. 05).
      CONCLUSION: The pathological degree of positive reaction about auricular points
      in stroke patients is higher than those in the patients of non-stroke internal
      medicine disease and the healthy people. It is verified that the auricular
      diagnostic method is specific in stroke. naogan (AT3,4i), pizhixia (AT4), e
      (AT1), xin (C15), gan (GO12), nie (AT2), zhen (AT3), shen (CO10) and jiaogan
      (AH6a) are correlative with stroke.

PMID- 26480571
TI  - [Analysis on the requirements for clinical trial protocol writing of external
      treatment of TCM such as tuina].
AB  - According to Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials,
      Consolidated Standard of Reporting Trials 2010 Statement (CONSORT), CONSORT
      Extension for Non-Pharmacologic Treatment Interventions (CONSORT for NPT) and
      Good Clinical Practice, the detailed requirements for protocol writing,
      reporting, and practicing of clinical trial were classified and summarized in
      this article. By combining the practical situation of clinical trial of external
      treatment of TCM such as tuina, the requirernents for clinical trial protocol
      writing of external treatment of TCM were analyzed and acquired which could
      improve the quality of clinical trial protocol of external treatment of TCM, thus
      to provide references for standardized execution of TMC clinical trial and
      reports of research results.

PMID- 26480572
TI  - [Discussion of the reasons why Shimen(CV 5) is called Dantian].

PMID- 26480573
TI  - [Original meaning of mai and its academic evolution].
AB  - Mai is the important concept in TCM and this term has been found in the early
      classic work of TCM. With the development and perfection of TCM theory, the
      original meaning of mai is "blood vessels entirely distrusted in the body". In
      five dynasties, the meaning of it was supplemented as "distribution of qi and
      blood in five zang and six fu organs to the four extremities", in which, not only
      blood but also qi has been included. With the constant understanding on mai, qi
      and blood, the unique concept of meridian and collateral is gradually generated.
      In terms of the modern study on the original meaning of mai and the academic
      evolution of meridian and collateral, it is discovered that qi is predominated
      and distributed in meridian and collateral as compared with blood. It is very
      significant to study the original meaning and academic evolution of mai, as well
      as the origin of the concept of meridian and collateral and to provide the
      reference support for the terminology standardization and basic study.

PMID- 26480574
TI  - [Application of Jiao Xue on men's diseases].

PMID- 26480575
TI  - [Clinical rules for acupoint selection and prescription composition in treatment
      of polycystic ovary syndrome with acupuncture].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To summarize and analyze rules for acupoint selection and prescription
      composition in clinical literature regarding acupuncture for polycystic ovary
      syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: CHKD, VIP and Wan-fang databases were retrieved. The
      clinical literature data included in the study was collected. The descriptive
      statistical analysis was conducted on the main acupoints, main meridians of main
      acupoints, distribution of main acupoints, application of special points and
      rules for acupoint composition. RESULTS: Fifty-two articles were included,
      involving 55 main acupoints with a total frequency of 375. The most frequent
      acupoints of acupuncture for PCOS were Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Zigong
      (EX-CA 1), Zhongji (CV 3) and Qihai (CV 6). The meridians of main acupoitns were
      conception vessel, spleen meridian of foot-taiyin and stomach meridian of foot
      yangming. The main acupoints were distributed in the lower abdomen, lower limbs
      and back. In the special points, the use of front-mu points, five-shu points and
      back-shu points was more frequent. The prescription was usually consisted of 5 to
      7 acupoints, (6. 9 +/- 3. 6) acupoints in average. CONCLUSION: In the modern
      treatment of acupuncture for PCOS, Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Zigong (EX
      CA 1), Zhongii (CV 3) and Qihai (CV 6) are most used. With the theories of
      meridian and zang-fu as essential references, the acupoint selection is based on
      disease differentiation and meridian circulation. Additionally, the methods for
      selecting the adjacent points and the distant points are adopted.

PMID- 26480576
TI  - [Study on Chinese Acup-Mox Medicine by YAO Tianmin].
AB  - The characteristics and academic thoughts of Chinese Acup-Mox Medicine written by
      YAO Tianmin during the Republic of China was studied and analyzed in this paper.
      The academic thoughts of this book were confluence of Chinese and western
      knowledge, respecting for classics culture but not stubborn, using western
      science and medicine without worshiping it. The main characteristics were the
      scientific meridian-acupoint theory, extensive acupoint selection, "qie" method
      of acupuncture, high recommendation on medicated thread and ironing moxibustion,
      reinforcing and reducing based on the meridian direction in infantile massage,
      using acupuncture and cream formula for surgical treatment, and creating his own
      acupuncture codes.

PMID- 26480577
TI  - [Analysis on acupoint characteristics of medical records in Zhenjiu Dacheng].
AB  - Twenty-nine medical records of acupuncture and moxibustion at the end of volume
      in Zhenjiu Dacheng are precious clinical examples. The characteristics of
      selecting acupoints are less and ingenious with precious matching on the basis of
      syndrome differentiation and examining pathogenesis detailedly, according to
      meridians with diseases locations recognized clearly, keeping adopting acupoints
      on regular meridians combined with extra points and making good use of specific
      points, and attaching importance to acquired essence with protecting spleen and
      stomach. Valuable experience is provided for physicians of later generations to
      treat diseases.

PMID- 26480578
TI  - [A literature review on acupuncture and moxibustion for prevention and treatment
      of lung cancer in SCI iournals (2003-2013)].
AB  - To explore the status of acupuncture and moxibustion for prevention and treatment
      of lung cancer in current years; literature regarding acupuncture and moxibustion
      for prevention and treatment of lung cancer between 2003 and 2013 from SCI
      journals was retrieved and analyzed. As a result, 20 papers were included, which
      were published in 17 journals including Journal of Clinical Oncology, Chest,
      Respirology and Lung Cancer, etc. Of them, 3 papers discussed the effects of
      acupuncture on progressing of lung cancer; 4 articles confirmed that acupuncture
      could reduce myelosuppression and digestive tract reactions induced by
      radiotherapy and chemotherapy; 6 papers showed that acupuncture could relieve
      pain or fatigue of lung cancer; 3 papers indicated that acupuncture could
      palliate dyspnea in lung cancer patients. It is concluded by domestic and
      overseas researches that acupuncture and moxibustion are effective and safe for
      symptoms of lung cancer, which is worthy of further study.

PMID- 26480579
TI  - A Message from the New Editor.

PMID- 26480581
TI  - ODA Cares: Calvary Baptist Dental Clinic.

PMID- 26480582
TI  - ODA New Member Spotlight: David Taylor Evans, DMD, Oklahoma City, OK.

PMID- 26480580
TI  - The Spirit of Oklahoma Dentistry.

PMID- 26480583
TI  - 7 Steps to Prevent a Data Breach.

PMID- 26480586
TI  - Mathew, 1975-2015.

PMID- 26480584
TI  - Fluoridation is OK!

PMID- 26480585
TI  - Preventing Prescription Opioid Misuse, Abuse and Overdose in Dentistry.

PMID- 26480587
TI  - The Google Guarantee: Too Good To Be True?

PMID- 26480588
TI  - An Interview with the President-Elect: Dr. L King Scott.

PMID- 26480589
TI  - Regulatory Affairs and You.

PMID- 26480590
TI  - Mammography Rotations for All Students.

PMID- 26480591
TI  - Beyond Biopsy: The Cost Benefits of ShearWave Elastography for Liver Diagnosis.

PMID- 26480592
TI  - Imaging Clinical Decision Support: The Time is Now.
AB  - Organizations need to be ready for the imaging workflow changes related to the
      legislative mandates of P.L. 113-93 (Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014).
      They also need to have a good understanding of what's required to meet these
      mandates. There has been only one large scale study to determine the possible
      value of imaging CDS. Beginning in 2009, CMS initiated the Medicare Imaging
      Demonstration (MID) project--its subsequent evaluation is very instructive. The
      use of imaging CDS will be required for submitting claims to CMS as of January 1,
      2017. This means a mechanism that the Secretary of HHS has approved must be used
      and the results from that imaging CDS must be included on the claim submitted by
      the imaging facility.

PMID- 26480593
TI  - Humility.

PMID- 26480594
TI  - Implementing Protocols to Improve Patient Safety in the Medical Imaging
      Department.
AB  - Patient safety is a focal point in healthcare because of recent changes issued by
      CMS. Hospital reimbursement rates have fallen, and these reimbursement rates are
      governed by CMS mandates regarding patient safety procedures. Reimbursement
      changes are reflected in the National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) administered
      annually by The Joint Commission. Medical imaging departments have multiple areas
      of patient safety concerns including effective handoff communication, proper
      patient identification, and safe medication/contrast administration. This
      literature review examines those areas of patient safety within the medical
      imaging department and reveals the need for continued protocol and policy changes
      to keep patients safe.

PMID- 26480595
TI  - Mid-Year Check-Up: 2015.
AB  - There are always opportunities to improve processes within radiology. As
      radiology professionals, we pride ourselves on our willingness to adapt and
      improve in our realm of influence (personally and professionally). Don't neglect
      the opportunity to lend your interest and skills to the coding and billing areas
      that really can have a significant impact for your department and facility.

PMID- 26480596
TI  - ICD-10 Traumatic Fractures.

PMID- 26480597
TI  - The Imaging Administrator's Guide to XR-29.
AB  - It is important for an imaging administrator to know a few things about XR 29,
      the new radiation standard for CT: what the standard means, how to assess
      existing CT equipment for compliance, and what will be lost in the case of
      noncompliance. On January 1, 2016 Medicare will pay 5% less for diagnostic CT
      scans performed on non-compliant CT equipment. In 2017, this reduction will soar
      to a 15% reduction in reimbursement Understanding what the XR-29 standard is and
      how to assess existing equipment will help protect the organization's bottom
      line, but it will also help keep patient radiation exposure to the lowest
      practical levels.

PMID- 26480598
TI  - From X-Ray School to the C-Suite.

PMID- 26480599
TI  - Cross-Trained Radiologic Technologists: A Survey.
AB  - Cross-training technologists would help increase department efficiency from a
      labor viewpoint, while also helping to increase the job stability and
      marketability of staff members. A survey of radiology managers was conducted to
      determine views on hiring preferences of radiologic technologists with a focus on
      multi-modality training. The current trend for hiring radiologic technologists
      sees an increase in demand for multi-modality and cross-trained employees.
      Employees who are content with their single modality training should be
      encouraged to cross-train and certify in an additional area. Radiology managers
      should also help to create opportunities and incentivize those who are currently
      interested in doing so.

PMID- 26480600
TI  - End of Useful Life.

PMID- 26480601
TI  - Holistic & Integrative Nursing: Understanding our Roots.

PMID- 26480602
TI  - MINDFUL EATING: Body, Mind, and Oxytocin.

PMID- 26480604
TI  - Whole Foods Feed Our Cellular Health.

PMID- 26480603
TI  - Peas pass the carrots: Introducing Plant-based Nutrition in Primary Care.

PMID- 26480605
TI  - ENZYMES: The Foundations of Life and Health!

PMID- 26480606
TI  - Psychosocial factors and heart disease: My Father's Journey.

PMID- 26480607
TI  - Healing Nutrition: One Woman's Journey.

PMID- 26480608
TI  - [EXCELLENCE IN QUALITY, SERVICE AND RESEARCH].
AB  - Meir Medical Center was founded in 1956 as a hospital for patients with
      tuberculosis and lung disease. In 1962 its status was changed to a general
      hospital. Since 1971 it has been academically affiliated with the Tel Aviv
      University. Presently, Meir is a leading institution with regards to medical
      leadership. The strategic goals of the Meir Medical Center have been defined as
      excellence in care quality, service and research. In terms of scientific
      activity, the institutional Research Authority has been involved in strengthening
      the scientific community. This has been achieved through various initiatives
      including research grants, annual scientific meetings, development of
      infrastructure as well as a long term strategy for the promotion of academic
      research. Here we outline major recent progress in the implementation of quality
      control indices and improved patient experience. Furthermore, this issue of
      Harefuah highlights the hospital's multifaceted accomplishments in the clinical
      and academic fields.

PMID- 26480612
TI  - [REPORTING CRITICAL LAB RESULTS, A CHALLENGE FOR THE LAB AND THE PHYSICIAN - A
      SUMMARY OF FOUR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN MEIR MEDICAL CENTER LABORATORIES].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Critical laboratory results require prompt reporting to the
      attending physician, as they may indicate that a patient is in a life-threatening
      condition. Although this important subject has been covered in many publications,
      it needs more attention from our healthcare organizations, which have no official
      policy on the subject. Matching expectations between the doctor and the
      laboratory needs to be better defined. PURPOSE: The aim of this work was to
      inform the community of doctors and laboratories about the multiple problems
      concerning the reporting of critical laboratory results, to create a platform for
      exchanging views and ideas, and to build an extensive infrastructure for
      developing a unified plan to address this important issue. METHODS: We present
      the results of four years of experience of reporting critical laboratory values
      at the Meir Medical Center Laboratories. The idea leading this work was to
      present the relatively low rate of critical results reported by the laboratories
      in 2010, sharing the problems discovered while investigating the situation in
      depth, and presenting the solutions that enabled us to obtain the desired results
      within four years. RESULTS: Gradual implementation of these improvements resulted
      in critical value reporting increasing from 55% in 2010 to 95% currently.
      CONCLUSION: We suggest a model for improving critical laboratory values reporting
      based on our 4-year experience, which emphasizes: (1) The importance of selecting
      proper tests and values for critical results; (2) The significance of using
      technology and computerized measures to support the process; and (3) Developing
      quick procedures for monitoring and controlling the process.

PMID- 26480613
TI  - [LAPAROSCOPIC APPROACH AND SURGICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN RESECTION OF A LARGE
      EPIPHRENIC ESOPHAGEAL DIVERTICULUM].
AB  - Epiphrenic diverticulum of the esophagus is an uncommon finding. Small
      diverticula are usually asymptomatic in nature. Large diverticula may present
      with dysphagia, chest or upper abdominal discomfort, vomiting, irritating cough
      or halitosis. There are a few different surgical approaches to epiphrenic
      diverticulum resection. It can be performed with an abdominal or a thoracic
      approach and in an open or a laparoscopic manner. In this case report we present
      a 70 years old male patient with a giant epiphrenic diverticulum and dysphagia.
      The patient was operated upon via a laparoscopic abdominal approach with intra
      operative endoscopic assistance and underwent a diverticulum resection. We
      present a review of the different kinds of esophageal diverticula, the mechanism
      of their formation, and the surgical considerations associated with choosing the
      appropriate surgical approach.

PMID- 26480614
TI  - [MENTORING PROGRAM - ANOTHER FACET OF RESIDENT EDUCATION].
AB  - Medical residents are exposed to physical and emotional pressure and are required
      to cope with numerous demands during long working hours. Often, the intense
      workload leads to neglect of possible difficulties and professional and personal
      growth and empowerment. The Mentoring Program provides each resident with an
      attending physician mentor to help him or her adjust to the residency and to cope
      with its demands. The mentor guides the resident in career development and
      provides support in the event of difficulties. Attending physicians received
      professional guidance in the objectives and meaning of mentorship and were teamed
      with residents. The residents completed questionnaires regarding satisfaction and
      self-confidence before and a year after the mentoring program was established.
      The program significantly increased their feelings of support, confidence and
      satisfaction. As the program continued, the mentors' role in guiding the
      residents was expanded. The Mentoring Program has become an integral part of
      departmental teaching and team communication. It seems that the mentors, the
      residents and the department, all benefit from the program.

PMID- 26480610
TI  - [THE EFFECT OF PLACENTAL SOLUBLE FACTORS AND STEROID HORMONES ON OVARIAN CANCER
      PHENOTYPE].
AB  - Estrogen is involved in ovarian cancer etiology. Crosstalk exists between
      estrogen and progesterone ending with the inhibition of estrogen effects. While
      estrogen induces ovarian cancer cell proliferation, progesterone protects women
      from ovarian cancer. The placenta facilitates estrogen and progesterone
      production. Moreover, during pregnancy epithelial ovarian cancer is more common
      than in young non-pregnant women and borderline ovarian tumors exhibit aggressive
      behavior These data suggest that pregnancy changes ovarian cancer
      characteristics. AIM: Analyzing the effect of placental soluble factors and
      estrogen+progesterone [E+P, in placental supernatant level) on epithelial ovarian
      cancer cell phenotype. METHODS: Ovarian epithelial cancer cells (OVCAR-3, SKOV-3)
      were exposed to 1) supernatants collected from first trimester human placental
      explant culture; 2) E+P in levels equivalent to those measured in the placental
      supernatants. As a control OVCAR-3 and SKOV-3 were exposed to their supernatants
      or to the hormones solvent. Then we tested ovarian cancer cells proliferation,
      death, cell-cycle and migration. RESULTS: Placental supernatants facilitated
      cancer cells migration and SKOV-3 proliferation. E+P facilitated SKOV-3 migration
      and elevated OVCAR-3 cell-number and apoptotic rate. CONCLUSION: Placental
      soluble factors and E+P affect ovarian cancer cells phenotype. Discussion: The
      elevated aggressiveness observed following exposure of ovarian cancer cells to
      placental supernatant and to E+P may contribute to the special phenomena observed
      in ovarian cancer during pregnancy. During pregnancy, ovarian cancer is usually
      discovered at an early stage, which improves patients' prognosis. Nevertheless,
      our results suggest that physicians should closely follow ovarian tumors during
      pregnancy as they might be affected by pregnancy-related factors.

PMID- 26480611
TI  - [INTERNATIONAL NORMALIZED RATIO VALUES AND HEMORRHAGE IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS
      STARTING WARFARIN THERPY: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy is challenging because of the
      narrow therapeutic range, and the influence of numerous factors on the
      international normalized ratio (INR). During the beginning of warfarin treatment,
      INR must be assessed regularly in order to optimize treatment and minimize the
      risk for hemorrhage. In this study we examined the laboratory and clinical
      outcomes of a cohort of hospitalized patients starting warfarin treatment. AIMS:
      To document the rate of patients with supra-therapeutic INR values and the rate
      of major hemorrhage, during the first month after starting warfarin. METHODS: A
      prospective observational study of all patients admitted to Meir Medical Center
      starting warfarin treatment during a 3-month period. Baseline demographics,
      clinical data, warfarin dose, INR levels and bleeding events were documented.
      Patients were followed for 30 days after starting treatment with warfarin.
      RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients who started VKA therapy were identified during the
      study period. The mean age was 71.2+/-13.1 years. Atrial fibrillation was the
      indication for treatment in 63.2% of patients, deep vein thrombosis in 19.3%,
      pulmonary embolus in 10.5% and other indications in 7% of patients. In the first
      30 days of treatment, 60% of the patients had at least one INR value of >3. Of
      these patients, half had an INR of above 5. The number of concomitant medications
      were associated with INR values of >3. Arab patients tended to have a higher INR.
      Of note, there were 5 cases (8.8%) of major hemorrhage, which occurred with INR
      values ranging from 3.29 to >10, 4 of these patients were treated concomitantly
      with Aspirin. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of hospitalized patients starting
      warfarin therapy, excessive INR values were commonly encountered. There was a
      significant incidence of major hemorrhage among the patients. Further studies to
      define risk factors for elevated INR values and hemorrhage in hospitalized
      patients are needed.

PMID- 26480609
TI  - [ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND EXAMINATION IN ELDERLY LUNG PATIENTS: OUR EXPERIENCE AT
      MEIR MEDICAL CENTER].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) examination is the prime choice
      in patients with unexplained mediastinal lymphadenopathy. We summarize our
      experience at Meir Medical Center with EBUS in the elderly (over 75 years of age)
      patients with lung cancer including indications, benefits and risks factors.
      METHODS: The study included 20 patients over the age of 75, 13 men and 7 women.
      The average age was 81 +/- 5 years. Indications included 11 patients with lung
      cancer and nine patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Sixteen patients (80%]
      were diagnosed by the EBUS. Three patients needed a further diagnostic procedure.
      There was test accuracy in 18 of 20 patients (90%). Side effects included: One
      patient developed severe cough and another patient developed hypoxemia without
      the need for respiration, no bleeding was observed and there were no decreases in
      blood pressure. There was no arrhythmia or other complications. All patients were
      released on the examination day. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy and safety of EBUS in
      the elderly are similar to the conditions for the general population. There were
      no significant complications observed including bleeding or arrhythmias.

PMID- 26480615
TI  - [NON-CLONAL MAST CELL ACTIVATION SYNDROME: DESCRIPTION OF SERIES OF PATIENTS,
      DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA AND TREATMENT].
AB  - A non-clonal mast cell activation syndrome is a newly emerged diagnosis. It
      shares the clinical features of anaphylaxis and mastocytosis despite having
      distinct mast cell biology. In this,paper we describe a series of patients
      representing the spectrum of non-clonal mast cell activation syndrome (nc-MCAS).
      We highlight the clinical manifestations of nc-MCAS as well as the diagnostic
      criteria and treatment options.

PMID- 26480616
TI  - [LUNG CANCER TREATMENT IN 2015: ADVANCES AND FUTURE OUTLOOK].
AB  - Every third cancer death in Israel is due to lung cancer. Still, 80% of the lung
      cancer cases are related to tobacco smoking; and therefore, more must be done for
      primary prevention, screening for lung cancer among risk cohort and against the
      tobacco industry. In the last decade, significant progress in the molecular
      understanding of this disease brought to a marked improvement in the overall
      survival and in the quality of life of these patients. The treatment paradigm is
      shifting from "one treatment fits all" regimens to personalized treatment
      strategies that allow patients to be treated with a variety of novel drugs that
      prolong their survival and maintain their quality of life. The latest
      revolutionary concept of immunotherapy in lung cancer is emerging and promises
      further hope to this population

PMID- 26480617
TI  - [THE INVOLVEMENT OF THYROID HORMONES IN CANCER].
AB  - The possible association between thyroid hormones and cancer has been reported
      over the years in pre-clinical and clinical studies. These studies suggest that
      high levels of hormones induce cancer cell proliferation while low levels slow
      disease progress. A context in which to interpret such findings is the recent
      description of a plasma membrane receptor for the thyroid hormone on cancer cells
      and dividing tumor-associated endothelial cells.

PMID- 26480618
TI  - [UPDATE ON CATARACT EXTRACTION SURGERY AND INTRA-OCULAR LENS IMPLANTATION].
AB  - Cataract extraction and intra-ocular lens (IOL) implantation is one of the most
      prevalent surgical interventions worldwide. In Israel more than 50,000 procedures
      were performed in 2013. The progress in cataract surgery is dual, including the
      surgical technique of the crystalline lens removal along with developments in IOL
      structure and optic characteristics. This review focuses on new techniques in
      cataract surgery and modern types of IOLs for implantation.

PMID- 26480619
TI  - [THE CURRENT APPROACH TO ADVANCED LUNG CANCER].
AB  - Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a subtype of lung cancer and accounts for
      approximately 80% of lung cancer cases. For several years, chemotherapy treatment
      was the only optional treatment. The combination of two drugs - based on the
      platinum group, was the first line therapy. However the prognosis for patients
      with metastatic stage lung cancer is poor with a median survival time of 9-12
      months. Recent studies of molecular biology in lung cancer have expanded our
      understanding of the processes involved in cancer. Subsequently developed
      targeted drugs operate on cancer cell mechanisms, such as antibodies and kinase
      inhibitors. However, the majority of patients with metastatic lung cancer still
      do not benefit from clinical therapy. One reason for this is the development of
      drug resistance. Today, the major focus is on the development of a personal
      pharmacological approach - targeted therapy. Progress has been made in the
      understanding of molecular biomarkers in the cell, due to the execution of many
      studies that incorporate the new treatments for these patients.

PMID- 26480620
TI  - [BILE DUCT PROBLEMS - ENDOSCOPIC SOLUTIONS].
AB  - Patients with symptomatic bile duct stones are at increased risk for
      complications, which can be life-threatening. In the last four decades, with the
      development of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and biliary
      sphincterotomy, endoscopic treatment has almost totally replaced surgical
      treatment of bile duct stones. In addition, a variety of benign and malignant
      conditions such as iatrogenic strictures (post cholecystectomy/post liver
      transplant), PSC, papillary adenoma or malignant tumors of bile duct or pancreas,
      are now amenable to endoscopic treatment. In the early years, ERCP served as a
      diagnostic and therapeutic tool With the development of non-invasive imaging
      alternatives, ERCP became a purely therapeutic procedure. However, in recent
      years, advanced technologies have restored diagnostic abilities to FRCP.

PMID- 26480621
TI  - [THE EFFECT OF PREGNANCY ON BREAST CANCER].
AB  - Cancer and pregnancy coincide in about one in 1,000 pregnancies. One of the most
      common malignancies associated with pregnancy is breast cancer. Women with
      pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) have a higher likelihood of being
      diagnosed with metastatic disease and estrogen receptor (ER) negative tumors than
      do non-pregnant women. Controversies exist regarding the effect of pregnancy on
      breast cancer prognosis. Some researchers suggest that pregnancy does not affect
      breast cancer prognosis, whereas others claim the opposite. Although PABC is
      usually discovered in an advanced stage, breast cancer metastasis on the placenta
      is a rare event. During cancer progression, the surrounding microenvironment co
      evolves into an activated state through continuous communication with the
      malignant cells, thereby promoting tumor growth. The effect of pregnancy and
      placental environment on breast cancer biology is the issue of this review.
      Placental and cancer cells implantation processes share similar molecular
      pathways. This suggests that placental factors may affect breast cancer cells
      biology. Previously, we analyzed the effect of first trimester human placenta on
      breast cancer cells. Breast cancer cells were co-cultured with placental explants
      during their implantation on matrigel substrate. We found that the placenta
      reduced ER expression on the cancer cells and induced their migration and
      invasion abilities. As a result of it, breast cancer cells migrated away from the
      placental implantation sites. Hormonal pathways were involved in these phenomena.
      These results may explain the high incidence of metastases during pregnancy in on
      the one hand and the rarity of metastases on the placenta on the other hand.

PMID- 26480623
TI  - Implants Today Section Debut.

PMID- 26480622
TI  - [THE CURRENT APPROACH TO METASTATIC RENAL CELL CARCINOMA].
AB  - Renal cell carcinona is the most common kidney tumor. In Israel more than 600
      cases are diagnosed annually. Risk factors for renal cell carcinoma include
      obesity, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes; 20-30% of the patients are
      diagnosed with metastatic disease, and 70-80% of patients are diagnosed with an
      early non-metastatic tumor. The treatment of an early non-metastatic tumor is
      resection. At present, the role of adjuvant systemic therapy has not been
      established; 20-40% of the patients operated on for an early tumor will suffer
      from metastatic disease recurrence. The lungs are the most common site of
      metastases. Renal cell carcinoma is relatively refractory to chemotherapy and
      radiation. In the last decade, an improved understanding of the biology of the
      tumor, led to the development of biologic therapies targeting specific molecular
      mechanisms involved in the process of the disease, and a significant expansion of
      treatment horizon in these patients. The biologic therapies for metastatic renal
      cell carcinoma belong to two main groups: angiogenesis inhibitors (VEGF-R
      inhibitors like sunitinib, sorafenib, pazopanib and axitinib), and inhibitors of
      the mTOR protein (everolimus and temsirolimus). These biologic therapies led to a
      significant improvement in the patients' survival. Nonetheless, these therapies
      are associated with a unique profile of side effects like hypertension,
      mucositis, and hand-foot syndrome with VEGF-R inhibitors therapy, and non
      infectious pneumonitis with mTOR inhibitors therapy. The present review will
      focus on the modern approach to metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

PMID- 26480624
TI  - Conflict of Interest Revisited: Law Versus Ethics.

PMID- 26480625
TI  - Rella Christensen, PhD, discusses the newest in zirconia restorations and how
      zirconia is changing.

PMID- 26480626
TI  - A Review of E-Cigarettes and Related Health Issues.

PMID- 26480627
TI  - Marrying Clinical Techniques and Teamwork.

PMID- 26480628
TI  - Future Trends in Implant Dentistry.

PMID- 26480629
TI  - Latest Trends in Implant Dentistry.

PMID- 26480630
TI  - The Immediate Smile: Fixed Provisionalization Using Digital Technology.

PMID- 26480631
TI  - Metal-Based Restoration Replacement: Using Lithium Disilicate for Aesthetics and
      Strength.

PMID- 26480632
TI  - Endodontic Shaping Procedures: The Past, Present, and Near Future.

PMID- 26480633
TI  - Optimizing Your Shade-Matching Success: Tips, Tools, and Clinical Techniques.

PMID- 26480635
TI  - Where Do We Grow From Here?

PMID- 26480634
TI  - Diastema Closure: A Restorative Design and Treatment Challenge.

PMID- 26480636
TI  - Optimal Dental Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

PMID- 26480637
TI  - Taken to the woodshed...again.

PMID- 26480638
TI  - How politics might unravel Medicaid expansion.

PMID- 26480639
TI  - Preparing For the future: Advanced care planning for the patient with ESRD.

PMID- 26480641
TI  - Trends in nephrology practice.
AB  - The analysis of this benchmarking data tells us several things. Nephrology
      practices are more complex. Physicians are generating more RVUs for less money
      and a greater percentage of income is coming from things other than direct
      patient care. Practices have responded partly by becoming larger and looking for
      revenue stream diversification. The ability to predict the financial future from
      the historical data is problematic. We know from the most recent survey that a
      significant number of nephrology practices are already participating in
      accountable care organizations, shared savings programs, and even risk sharing
      contracts. We know that the incentive for participation in government quality
      reporting programs and meaningful use is transitioning from the carrot to the
      stick and that reductions in reimbursement will be applied to those who are
      unsuccessful. In order to take on the challenges and complexity that the future
      holds, successful nephrology practices will likely be larger, more sophisticated
      and tightly aligned with all stakeholders in the pursuit to provide high quality,
      low cost care to patients with kidney disease.

PMID- 26480640
TI  - HIPAA enforcement issues and dialysis providers.

PMID- 26480643
TI  - Monitoring and surveillance of the hemodialysis vascular access.
AB  - The physical exam, the clinical assessment, along with the surveillance tool we
      use has provided us the ability to identify access problems or potential
      problems. Abnormal surveillance data is always correlated with physical exam and
      clinical findings to determine the need for intervention. Monitoring and
      surveillance of vascular access are an integral part of the care of the
      hemodialysis patient. There are different techniques and methods available for
      identifying access dysfunction. Despite multiple studies that have been
      performed, there is still no consensus as to the best methodology to use.
      Physical exam and clinical evaluation remain key in detecting access problems.
      This along with a surveillance method chosen by the clinic can provide early
      identification of stenosis allowing for timely intervention of access
      dysfunction.

PMID- 26480642
TI  - Dialysis technicians' perception of certification.
AB  - The Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission initiated this research project
      to study the viewpoint of dialysis technicians regarding the value of
      certification. A national convenience sample was obtained using both paper-and
      pencil and online forms of the survey instrument. Demographic characteristics
      were obtained concerning age, race, ethnicity, education, and future employment
      planning. Technicians' primary work settings, the roles they fill, and the types
      of certification they hold are described. Incentives offered by employers are
      considered to explore how they contribute to job satisfaction. Understanding the
      perceptions of technicians regarding the benefits of certification and the
      limitations of workplace incentives should enable employers to improve their
      recruitment and retention programs. Information obtained may offer a baseline for
      future observations of the characteristics of these significant and essential
      contributors to the nephrology workforce.

PMID- 26480644
TI  - Access options for dialysis patients: A surgeon's view.

PMID- 26480646
TI  - The great salt debate: What is best for ESRD patients?

PMID- 26480645
TI  - Statement on nephrologists, other physicians, surgeons, and advanced
      practitioners with regard to compliance with infection control standards.

PMID- 26480647
TI  - [Effect of CD86 Gene Modified Recipient Dendritic Cell on Mix Cultured Donor
      derived Islet with Recipient-derived Lymphocyte in vitro].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of CD86 gene modified recipient dendritic
      cell (DC) on mix cultured donor-derived islet with recipient-derived lymphocyte
      in vitro. METHODS: DCs were separated from bone marrow of BALB/c mice and
      identified by flow cytometry. Chemically synthesized CD86 siRNA was transferred
      into DC. Donor islets were separated from the pancreas of SD rats. Acridine
      orange (AO)/Propidium iodide (PI) staining was conducted to assess the viability
      of islets. Lymphocytes were collected from the spleen of SD rats and then co
      cultured with CD86 gene modified recipient DCs. CD86 gene modified recipient DC,
      donor-derived islet (400 IEQ) and recipient-derived lymphocyte (1 x 10(6)) were
      mix cultured in vitro. Four groups were set: blank group (islets of SD rat only),
      control 1 group (islets of SD rat with splenic lymphocyte of BALB/c mice) ,
      control 2 group (islets of SD rat, splenic lymphocyte of BALB/c mice with normal
      recipient DC) and experimental group (islets of rat, splenic lymphocyte of BALB/c
      mice with CD86 gene modified recipient DC). After 3 days culture, the cellular
      morphology of culture was observed with light inverted microscope. The levels of
      IL-2, IL-4, IL-10 and IFN-gamma in the culture supernatant were tested, and
      islets viability was assessed by AO/PI staining. GSIS was conducted and
      stimulation index (SD was calculated. RESULTS: Typical DC morphology was found
      from the collected cells. The positive rates of CD1lc, CD80 and CD86 protein
      expression on DCs were 86.26% +/- 9.73%, 72.64% +/- 8.55% and 77.18% +/- 10.23%,
      respectively. The positive rate of CD86 protein expression on DCs after
      transfection was 23.64% +/- 5.25%. The viability of islets was over 95%. After 3
      days culture, the level of IL-10 increased significantly and the levels of IL-2
      and INF-gamma decreased significantly in experimental group (vs. control 1 and
      control 2 groups, P < 0.05). The level of IL-4 was similar in control 1, control
      2 and experimental groups, but the proliferation rate of lymphocyte in the
      experimental group was the lowest one, the viability of islets in the
      experimental group was the best and the SI was the highest. The levels of IL-2,
      IL-4, IL-10 and IFN-gamma in the experimental group were higher than those in the
      blank group. CONCLUSION: CD86 gene modified recipient DC loaded with donor
      derived antigen could protect the islet function in vitro to some extent.

PMID- 26480648
TI  - [Effect of Recombinant Super-compound Interferon (rSIFN-co) on Proliferation and
      Apoptosis of Human Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma Cell A549].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of recombinant super-compound interferon
      (rSIFN-co) on the proliferation and apoptosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell
      line A549. METHODS: Screening tests were conducted to determine the
      concentrations of rSIFN-co that have a significant impact on A549 and the optimal
      concentration and duration for the test of rSIFN-co combined with Cisplatin. A549
      cells were treated with rSIFN-co, Infergen, rSIFN- co+ Cisplatin, Infergen +
      Cisplatin, and Cisplatin, respectively, and compared with those cultured in
      normal medium. The viable A549 cells from Day 1 to Day 7 were detected by MTT
      assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry (FCM). Apoptosis-associated
      proteins, Fas and Bcl-2 were detected by immunofluoroscence at 48 h. RESULTS:
      Effective concentrations of rSIFN-co ranged from 1 to 64 ug/mL, and a minimal of
      2 ug/mL Cisplatin was needed. The optimal test condition was set at 5 ug/mL rSIFN
      co combined with 2 ug/mL Cisplatin for a duration of 48 h. rSIFN-co demonstrated
      a stronger inhibiting effect on cell proliferation than Infergen. The inhibiting
      efficiency of rSIFN-co+Cisplatin was also stronger than that of
      Infergen+Cisplatin. Apoptosis of A549 cells induced by rSIFN-co was also more
      significant than that of Infergen (P = 0.000). Cells treated with rSIFN- co+
      Cisplatin has a higher apoptosis rate than those treated with rSIFN-co (P =
      0.004) or Cisplatin (P = 0.023). rSIFN-co increased the expression of Fas and
      decreased the expression of Bcl-2. Cells treated with rSIFN-co showed lower
      fluoroscence intensity of Bcl-2 than those treated with Infergen (P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: rSIFN-co inhibits the proliferation of A549 and its effect is
      stronger than that of Infergen. Cisplatin can further enhance the inhibiting
      effect of rSIFN-co. The inhibiting efficiency may be associated with the
      expression of apoptosis-related genes.

PMID- 26480649
TI  - [The Involvement of CRMP-2 on Axonal and Dendrictic Injury after Hypoxic-Ischemic
      Brain Injury in Neonatal Rat].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the activity of collapsin response mediator protein 2
      (CRMP-2) and its possible regulation for axonal and dendrictic injury under
      hypoxia-ischemia (HI). METHODS: Postnatal day 10 SD rats were suffered the right
      common carotid artery ligation and 8% mixture of oxygen and nitrogen hypoxia 2.5
      h to produce HI model. The expression of total and phosphorylated CRMP-2 and
      amyloid precursor protein (APP) were detected by Western blot after HI. After
      pretreatment of protein kinase B (Akt) inhibitor, wortmannin or LY294002, western
      blot and immunohistochemistry were applied to detect the expression of total and
      phosphorylated of CRMP-2 at 4 h and 24 h after HI. At 72 h after HI, APP was
      detected by Western blot and immunohistochemistry, axonal and dendrictic injury
      was determined by electron microscope. RESULTS: Total CRMP-2 was not obviously
      changed after HI, compared with that of sham controls. However, the
      phosphorylated CRMP-2 (p-CRMP-2) protein transiently increased at 0.5 h, started
      to decrease at 2 h, remained at a low level at the rest of the time points,
      compared with that of sham controls. APP protein started to increase at 2 h,
      remained at a high level at 4, 8, 24 h, and then progressively increased at 48
      and 72 h. In wortmannin and LY294002 group, CRMP-2 protein was not obviously
      changed at 4 h and 24 h after HI. However, p-CRMP-2 increased at 4 h and 24 h. At
      72 h, wortmannin pretreatment increased APP expression, leading to more severe
      ultrastructure failure of axon and dendrite. CONCLUSION: As a downstream effector
      of Akt pathway, CRMP-2 is involved in axonal and dendritic injury regulation
      after HI in neonatal rat.

PMID- 26480650
TI  - [Effect of GABA(B) Receptor Signal to Corticosterone-induced Neuron Apoptosis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether corticosterone results in neuron apoptosis
      through regulating gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor. METHODS: In vivo: the
      hyperglycemic rat model with applying chronic restraint stress to healthy male SD
      rats (3 months) was established, after paraffin embedding the brain was sliced,
      and the level of neuron apoptosis was tested by detecting active Caspase-3 with
      immune-histochemical staining and TUNEL. The level of corticosterone in serum was
      detected by using ELISA. In vitro: the level of active Caspase-3 in NG108-15
      cells (neuroblastoma and glioma cell line) after treated with corticosterone (10(
      7) mol/L) was detected with Western blot. In NG108-15 cells recombinanted with
      GABA(B2) receptor, after administrating separately with the GABA(B) agonist
      baclofen (100 umol/L) and antagonist CGP35348 (100 umol/L), the level of active
      Caspase-3 under the effect of corticosterone (10(-7) mol/L) was detected.
      RESULTS: Active Caspase-3 positive apoptotic cells and TUNEL-positive cells were
      detected in solitary nucleus of hyperglycemia rat induced by chronic restraint
      stress, and the level of serum corticosterone had recovered after an initial
      ascent. NG108-15 cells could express GABA(B1) receptor endogenously, and the
      expression of active Caspase-3 increased after corticosterone treatment (P <
      0.05). In NG108-15 cells transfected with GABA(B2) receptor subunits, baclofen
      could reduce the effect of corticosterone- induced active Caspase-3 upexpression,
      while CGP35348 enhanced this effect (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Corticosterone may
      lead to abnormal neuron excitability and neuron apoptosis by means of inhibiting
      GABA receptor B.

PMID- 26480651
TI  - [Effects of Minocycline on the Neuronal Plasticity in Rats after Focal Cerebral
      Ischemia Reperfusion Injury].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of minocycline on morphology and the expression
      of synaptophysin in cortical tissues of rats after cerebral ischemia reperfusion
      injury. METHODS: 36 male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham group,
      model group [ischemia reperfusion (I/R)] and minocycline (Min) group (treated
      with minocycline for 14 d, 3 mg/kg, 2 times/d ). Middle cerebral artery occlusion
      (MCAO) was used to established as focal cerebral I/R model. At 14 d after I/R.
      Neurological functional recovery was evaluated using the staircase test, the cell
      morphology in cortex was evaluated by HE staining, the neurite growth was
      observed by immunostaining with anti-microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP-2)
      antibody, the expression of synaptophysin in pei-infarct region was tested by
      Western blot. RESULTS: In the sham group, the rats did not show any neurological
      deficits. The neurons in the cortex were arranged in neat rows and the morphology
      were normal, the MAP-2 positive neurons showed longer neuronal processes than the
      model group. Compared to the model group, minocycline significantly improved
      forelimb motor function, increased the expression of synaptophysin and the number
      of MAP-2-positive cells in peri-infarct region (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION:
      Minocycline could improve the neurite regrowth and the expression of
      synaptophysin of neuron in ischemic cortex, promote neurological functional
      recovery of rats after MCAO, which is related to regulate the neuronal
      plasticity.

PMID- 26480652
TI  - [Effect of Risperidone on BDNF-TrkB Signaling Pathway in Rat Brain].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of risperidone on the expression of brain
      derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptors, tyrosine kinase receptor
      (TrkB) and P75 neurotrophin receptor (P75NTR) in rat brain. METHODS: Sixteen SD
      rats were divided into two groups (n = 8 for each group). The rats in
      experimental group were treated with risperidone [0.25 mg/(kg . d)] for 14 d,
      while the control group was given placebo. Total RNA sample in prefrontal cortex,
      temporal cortex and hippocampus was extracted, and the expression of BDNF, TrkB
      and P75NTR mRNA were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: The
      treatment of risperidone significantly up-regulated the expressions of BDNF and
      TrkB in prefrontal cortex, temporal cortex and hippocampus, while the expression
      of P75NTR was not significantly changed. CONCLUSION: Risperidone upregulated BDNF
      TrkB signaling, but not BDNF-P75NTR signaling, which may be helpful for the
      further pharmacological study of risperidone.

PMID- 26480653
TI  - [B Cell Activating Transcription Factor Regulates Acute Airway Inflammation in
      Asthmatic Mice].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the regulatory effect of B cell activating
      transcription factor (BATF) on acute airway inflammation and its association with
      retinoic acid orphan nuclear receptors gammat (RORyt) in asthmatic mice. METHODS:
      24 female BALB/c mice were randomly and equally divided into three groups (n 8):
      normal saline (NS) treated, asthma (AS) control and dexamethasone (DEX) treated.
      AS mice were sensitized and challenged with OVA to establish murine asthma model.
      Histological changes in lung tissues of the mice were observed by HE staining.
      Numbers of white blood cell (WBC), polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) and
      eosinophils (EOS) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of the mice were
      counted. The concentration of interleukin-17 (IL-17) in BALF was measured by
      ELISA. Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR) was performed to assess the mRNA
      expressions of BATF, IL-17 and RORgammat in the lung tissues. RESULTS: The HE
      staining showed a higher level of inflammatory cell infiltration around the
      bronchi of AS mice compared with those treated with NS, predominantly in the
      forms of EOS, PMN and lymphocytes. The AS and DEX treated mice had higher levels
      of EOS, PMN, WBC and mRNA expressions of BATF, IL-17 and RORgammat in BALF than
      those treated with NS (P < 0.05). DEX reduced the levels of EOS, PMN, WBC and IL
      17 in BALF significantly (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of BATF in lung tissues
      of mice was positively correlated with the expression of IL-17, RORgammat and the
      counts of WBC,EOS and PMN in BALF (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Asthmatic mice have
      increased expressions of BATF, IL-17 and RORgammat in bronchial and lung tissues.
      BATF can, through regulating the secretion of Th17 cells, readjust the airway
      inflammatory. The regulatory function may take effect through synergy with
      RORgammat .

PMID- 26480654
TI  - [Effect of HIF-1alpha Gene Silence on Biological Characteristics of Human Colon
      Cancer Cells SW480].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate changes in proliferation and apoptosis of human colon
      cancer SW480 cells after silencing hypoxia inducible factor-lalpha (HIF-1alpha)
      expression. METHODS: siRNA interference technology was performed to silence the
      expression of HIF-1alpha using lipofectamine mediation to transfect siRNA into
      human colon cancer SW480 cells. The siRNA interfered SW480 cells were compared
      with a negative control group, an empty vector group, and a blank control group.
      Real-time PCR and Western blot were used to measure the expressions of HIF-lalpha
      protein and mRNA. MTT and flow cytometry (FCM) were used to evaluate the
      apoptosis and proliferation of SW480 cells. RESULTS: The interfered SW480 cells
      had a higher level of silence of HIF-lalpha mRNA (> 80%) compared with those of
      in the three control groups (P < 0.05). Higher levels of apoptosis and lower
      levels of proliferation were detected in the interfered cells compared with those
      in the control groups (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: HIF-lalpha silencing promotes
      apoptosis and inhibits the proliferation of SW480 cells in vitro.

PMID- 26480658
TI  - [Changes of the Expression of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factors in Rats Trachea
      Induced by Acrolein Exposure].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate expressional changes of brain derived neurotrophic
      factor (BDNF) in the trachea of rats with acrolein inhalation. METHODS: Twenty
      two SD rats were divided into 2 groups: the rats in experimental group were
      subjected to acrolein inhalation for the induce of trachea inflammatory injury,
      while the rats with saline (NS) inhalation were as control. All the rats were
      sacrificed in 1,3,6 weeks after acrolein (n = 11 at each time point) or saline
      inhalation (n = 11 at each time point), the samples of trachea epithelium were
      harvested. The immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization was performed to
      detect the location of BDNF protein and mRNA in trachea. The expression of BDNF
      mRNA in the trachea tissues were determined by RT-PCR. RESULTS: There are
      positive cells in epithelium of trachea for BDNF protein and mRNA, with cytoplasm
      staining. The expression of BDNF mRNA in the trachea was increased at 1 week
      after acrolein inhalation (P < 0.05, vs. control group), then decreased along
      with the time and reached to the same level as control group at 3 weeks, then
      last to 6 weeks (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The inflammatory injury in trachea
      induced by acrolein exposure could be associated with the increased expression of
      BDNF. BDNF may be one of the crucial inflammatory factors in the process of
      inflammatory reaction in trachea with acrolein stimulation.

PMID- 26480657
TI  - [Expression of Tcf-4, MMP7 and Survivin in Colorectal Cancer and Its Clinical
      Significance].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical and pathological significance and correlations
      among the xpressions of Tcf-4, MMP7 and survivin in colorectal cancer. METHODS:
      The expressions of Tcf-4, MMP7 and survivin mRNA in tumor tissues and adjacent
      normal mucosa from 50 colorectal cancer patients were detected by reverse
      transcription PCR (RT-PCR). The expressed proteins of Tcf-4, MMP7 and survivin
      were measured using mmunohistochemistry staining technique (Elivision) in 100
      colorectal cancer samples and 60 normal mucosa tissue samples. We analyzed the
      correlations between those measurements and their associations with clinical and
      pathological characteristics. RESULTS: Positive expressions of Tcf-4, MMP7 and
      survivin mRNA were found in both cancer and adjacent mucosa tissues, despite a
      higher level of expression in the cancer tissues (P < 0.01). Expressed proteins
      were detected in cancer tissues of 69.00% (69/100) of those with a positive Tcf-4
      expression, 77.00% (77/100) of those with a positive MMP7 expression, and 65.00%
      (65/100) of those with a positive survivin expression. Compared with cancer
      tissues, lower levels of protein expression were found in normal mucosa tissues
      [16.67% (10/60) for Tcf-4, 13.33% (8/60) for MMP7 and 15.00% (9/60) for survivin,
      P < 0.01]. The expressions of Tcf-4, MMP7 and survivin were all associated with
      lymphatic metastasis and Dukes staging (P < 0.05). MMP7 expression was associated
      with depth of tumor invasion (P < 0.05). Survivin expression was associated with
      tumor differentiation. The Spearman rank correlation analyses showed that protein
      expressions in colorectal cancer tissues in those with a positive Tcf-4 were
      correlated with those with a positive MMP7 (r = 0.302) and those with a positive
      survivin (r = 0.279) (P < 0.01), but not in those with a positive MMP7 and those
      with a positive survivin (r = 0.097, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The expression levels
      of Tcf-4, MMP7 and survivin are high in colorectal cancer, all being linked to
      lymph node metastasis and Dukes stages of patients. This suggests that they may
      be involved in the occurrence, development, malignant growth and clinical
      progression of colorectal cancer.

PMID- 26480659
TI  - [Study of Pregnancy Exposure to PFOS on Reproductive Toxicities and Mechanism in
      Male Offspring Rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of testosterone synthesis in adult leydig cell
      (ALC) of male rats exposed by perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) during pregnancy.
      METHODS: At gestations 12 day, the pregnant rats were exposed to PFOS (5 mg/kg,
      PFOS group) or 0.5% Tween (control group) by gavage, once a day for 8 consecutive
      days. On postnatal day (PND) 70, several indexes of male offspring rats were
      measured including body mass, testicular coefficient, sperm count, serum
      testosterone concentration. The mRNA levels of ALC associated with testosterone
      synthesis were detected by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: The result
      showed that sperm count and serum testosterone concentration decreased in male
      offspring rats of PFOS group (P < 0.05), and body mass was significantly lower (P
      < 0.001). The expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory factor (Star),
      scavenger receptor class B type 1 (Scarb1), Cyp11a1 (coding gene of cytochrome
      P450 side chain cleavage) and Hsd17b3 (coding gene of 17beta-hydroxysteroid
      dehydrogenase) were down regulated (P < 0.05), no significant statistical
      difference was observed on the mRNA level of insulin-like growth factor-1 (Igf1)
      and insulin-like factor 3 (Insl3). CONCLUSION: Gestational exposure to PFOS can
      inhibit the mRNA levels associated with testosterone synthesis, and decrease the
      ability of testosterone synthesis in ALC of male offspring rats.

PMID- 26480655
TI  - [Infiltrated T Cells Induce the Accumulation of Myeloid-derived Suppressor Cells
      in Tumor Microenvironment].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of infiltrated T cells in the accumulation of
      myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in tumor microenvironment. METHODS: T
      cell-deficient nude mice models were established using BALB/c mice. Growth of
      tumors was compared between those with and without adoptive transfer of T cells.
      Pathological changes of the tumors were examined with HE histological analysis.
      The levels of MDSCs were detected with flow cytometry (FACS). RESULTS: Tumor
      growth was promoted in T-cell-deficient nude mice, which was accompanied with
      lower levels of MDSCs compared with BALB/c mice (P < 0.05). T cell transfer
      increased the level of MDSCs significantly (P < 0.05). T cells depletion
      decreased the level of MDSCs (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Infiltrated T cells induce
      the accumulation of MDSCs in tumor microenvironment, and influence tumor growth.

PMID- 26480656
TI  - [Study of Mechanism of Esophageal Cancer Development through MKK6 Over-expression
      Regulated SIRTI Expression Level].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the influence of silent information regulator of
      transcription 1 (SIRT1) level by regulation of MKK6 over-expression in esophageal
      cancer cell Eca109, and then to explore the relationship between p38-MAPK-SIRT1
      axis and progressing of esophageal cancer. METHODS: MKK6 over-expression vector
      was successfully constructed firstly. Then the divided Eca109 cells were treated
      according to four groups: empty vector group, MKK6 over-xpression group (MKK6
      group), MKK6-SIRT1 ShRNA group, MKK6-RES group. The expression of MKK6 and
      endogenous SIRT1 were tested by Western blot; cell proliferation capability was
      detected by MTT method; cell invasion force was observed by transwell method; and
      cell apoptosis was detected with flow cytometry. RESULTS: pcDNA3.1 (+)/myc-His A
      MKK6 over-expression vector was constructed successfully and proved by
      sequencing. MKK6's over-expressing could reduce the expression of endogenous
      SIRT1. The viability of Eca109 cells was decreased. The increasing of invasion
      and apoptosis was observed. CONCLUSION: There might be the p38-MAPK-SIRT1
      regulation axis in Eca109 cells and affecting on a series of physiological
      characteristics of Eca109 cells.

PMID- 26480660
TI  - [Study on Microbial Diversity of Peri-implantitis Subgingival by High-throughput
      Sequencing].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study microbial diversity of peri-implantitis subgingival with high
      throughput sequencing, and investigate microbiological etiology of peri
      implantitis. METHODS: Subgingival plaques were sampled from the patients with
      peri-implantitis (D group) and non-peri-implantitis subjects (N group). The
      microbiological diversity of the subgingival plaques was detected by sequencing
      V4 region of 16S rRNA with Illumina Miseq platform. The diversity of the
      community structure was analyzed using Mothur software. RESULTS: A total of 156
      507 gene sequences were detected in nine samples and 4 402 operational taxonomic
      units (OTUs) were found. Selenomonas, Pseudomonas, and Fusobacterium were
      dominant bacteria in D group, while Fusobacterium, Veillonella and Streptococcus
      were dominant bacteria in N group. Differences between peri-implantitis and non
      peri-implantitis bacterial communities were observed at all phylogenetic levels
      by LEfSe, which was also found in PcoA test. CONCLUSION: The occurrence of peri
      implantitis is not only related to periodontitis pathogenic microbe, but also
      related with the changes of oral microbial community structure. Treponema,
      Herbaspirillum, Butyricimonas and Phaeobacte may be closely related to the
      occurrence and development of peri-implantitis.

PMID- 26480661
TI  - [HCV Genotype Distribution in Southwest China and Its Influence on Patients'
      Response to Pegylated-interferon alpha-2a Plus Ribavirin Therapy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype in
      Sichuan population and to investigate the effects of HCV genotypes on the viral
      response of hepatitis C patients treated with pegylated interferon alpha-2a plus
      ribavirin as well as the relationship between HCV genotype and the severity of
      disease. METHODS: 189 patients with HCV infection were enrolled. The level of
      serum HCV-RNA at various points during the treatment was measured while HCV
      genotypes and baseline serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine
      aminotransferase (ALT) were detected. RESULTS: The genotype of HCV in Sichuan
      population is dominated by genotype-1 (which accounting for 79.89%), while the
      other genotypes accounting for 20.11%. Patients with genotype-1 infection have
      lower end-oftreatment virological response (ETVR) rates and early virological
      response (EVR) compared with non-genotype-1 patients (P< 0 . 5). But the disease
      associated indexes between these two groups have no significant differences.
      CCONCLUSION: he distribution of the HCV genotypes in Sichuan population has
      certain regularity, dominated by HCV genotype-1 infection. We confirmed that HCV
      genotype can be a predictive factor of the virological response of the standard
      antiviral treatment.

PMID- 26480662
TI  - [Association Between SNP rs6007897 of CELSR1 and Acute Ischemic Stroke in Western
      China Han Population: a Case-control Study].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphism
      (SNP) rs6007897 of CELSR1 and acute ischemic stroke in Western China Han
      population. METHODS: All subjects (759 acute ischemic stroke patients and 786
      controls) were genotyped using ligation detection reaction (LDR). We analyzed the
      differences between SNP rs6007897 genotypes and allele frequencies between two
      groups. RESULTS: Two genotypes (AA, AG) of rs6007897 were found in both stroke
      and control group. There was no statistically significance between two groups
      about genotype and allele frequency. After adjusting for risk factors, we found
      there was no significant association between rs6007897 and ischemic stroke CP =
      0.797, odds ratio (OR) = 0.886, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.352-2.227).
      CONCLUSION: SNP rs6007897 of CELSR1 was not significantly associated with
      ischemic stroke in Western China Han population.

PMID- 26480663
TI  - [Cross-sectional Study on the Relationship among Syndrome of TCM, BODE Index and
      Qulity of Life, in Patients with COPD at Stable Phase].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the syndrome of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and
      relevant indexes of conventional Western medicine for patients with chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at stable phase, and further explore the
      trend of change of the deficiency syndrome of TCM, and the correlation of each
      syndrome with the BODE index (body mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, and
      exercise capacity index) and quality of life. METHODS: 300 cases with COPD which
      were in line with the standard were differentiated to 5 groups (60 cases for each
      group) by the symptoms. which were Lung Qi deficiency (Group A), Lung and Spleen
      Qi deficiency (Group B), Lung and Kidney Qi deficiency (Group C), Lung, Spleen
      and Kidney Qi deficiency (Group D), and deficiency of both Qi and Yin (Group E).
      Some basic details about the patients were recorded, such as body mass and
      height. Also BODE index and COPD assessment test were conducted. And then the
      differences of the indexes among groups, the relationship between the BODE index
      and the COPD assessment test (CAT) score were analyzed. RESULTS: Comparison in 5
      groups, the body mass index (BMD and forced expiratory volume in 1 s to forced
      vital capacity ratio (FEV1%) of Group A was the highest, the 6-min walk distance
      (6MWD) of Group A was the longest, but the degree of dyspnea, BODE index and CAT
      score of patients in Group A were the lowest (P < 0.05) No statistical
      significance of above index and score between Group D and E was observed (P >
      0.05). In Group D and E, the BMI and FEV1% was the lowest, 6MWD was the shortest,
      and the degree of dyspnea of patients was the highest (P < 0.05). A positive
      correlation between BODE index and CAT score observed (r = 0.883, P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: With the progress of COPD, disease from single viscera gradually
      accumulated to multiple viscera, from Group A --> Group B/Group C --> Group D,
      with the gradually increasing of BODE index and CAT score.

PMID- 26480664
TI  - [Effects of GLP-1 Agonist Exenatide on Cardiac Diastolic Function and Vascular
      Endothelial Function in Diabetic Patients].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the protective effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) on
      the left ventricular diastolic function and endothelial function in patients with
      type 2 diabetes. METHODS: 27 patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly divided
      into two groups: GLP-1 treated group and insulin treated group. Patients in the
      GLP-1 group were given GLP-1 analogue and metformin hydrochloride. Patients in
      the insulin group were given insulin and metformin hydrochloride. The outcomes of
      treatments were measured by fasting plasma glucose (FBG) fasting lipid profile,
      glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), blood pressure and general clinical features.
      High resolution Doppler ultrasound was performed to detect mitral early diastolic
      rapid filling (E-wave), atrial contraction late filling (A-wave), E/A ratio,
      early diastolic mitral annular velocity (e), late diastolic mitral annular
      velocity (a), e/a ratio, endothelium-dependent vasodilatation (EDV) mediated by
      brachial arterial blood flow, and endothelium-independent vasodilatation (EIV)
      mediated by nitroglycerin. RESULTS: The levels of FBG and HbA1c decreased
      significantly in both groups after treatments (P < 0.05). Patients in the GLP-1
      group showed improved e, e/a ratio, and E/e ratio after treatments (P < 0.05),
      but no significant changed in E, A, and E/A ratio (P > 0.05). By contrast,
      patients in the insulin group showed no significant changes in e, a, E, A, E/A
      ratio, e/a ratio and E/e ratio after treatments (P > 0.05). EDV increased
      significantly after treatments in both groups (P < 0.05). A higher level of post
      treatment EDV was found in patients in the GLP-1 group compared with those in the
      insulin group. No significant changes in EIV were found in both groups.
      CONCLUSION: GLP-1 may be able to mitigate the left ventricular diastolic
      dysfunction and improve endothelial function of patients with type 2 diabetes.
      Our findings suggest that GLP-1 has the potential to prevent or delay
      cardiovascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes. Further studies
      are needed.

PMID- 26480665
TI  - [Real-time Three-dimensional Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography for the
      Evaluation of Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate mitral regurgitation (MR) and left ventricular myocardial
      function in the patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) by real-time
      three-dimensional dobutamine stress echocardiography (RT3D-DSE). METHODS: Seventy
      two consecutive in-patients with myocardial infarction and MR were enrolled in
      the study during 2006-2012. Each patient underwent RT3D-DSE examination before
      treatment. Three-dimensional (3D) heart full-volume data and 3D MR were obtained
      at baseline and each stress state. Quantitative parameters including: left
      ventricular end-diastolic/systolic volume (LVEDV/LVESV), left ventricular
      ejection fraction (LVEF) , left ventricular diastolic /systolic mass (LVMd/s).
      The time to the point of minimal regional systolic volume (Tmsv) was measured
      from the time volume curves of 17 segments, the standard deviation (Tmsv-SD) and
      maximal difference (Tmsv-Dif) of Tmsv were calculated. Excursion max (Emax),
      excursion SD (Esd), vena contarcta area (VCA) also were measured. RESULTS: 94.4%
      patients reached dobutamine (Dob) at 30 ug/(kg . min), 69.4% patients completed
      Dob 40 ug/(kg . min), only 38.9% patients completed Dob at 50 ug/(kg . min). At
      different stress state, VCA decreased significantly, and the decrement was up to
      the largest at 30 ug/(kg . min). 2D-LVEF, 3D-LVEF increased gradually, but
      decreased at 50 ug/(kg . min). 2D-LVESV and LVMd decreased, but increased at 50
      ug/(kg . min). Tmsv-16/12/6 SD%, Tmsv-16/12/6 Dif% decreased, but increased at 50
      ug/(kg . min). Eave and Esd increased, but decreased at 40-50 ug/(kg . min).
      Compared each with the baseline, LV remodeling parameters and VCA were
      statistically significant. CONCLUSION: IMR patients showed a biphasic response
      during RT3D-DSE. The decrease of VCA is associated with an improvement of LV
      remodeling and synchronization when Dob <= 40 ug/(kg . min).

PMID- 26480667
TI  - [Reliability and Validity of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy in Chinese
      Medical Students].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To access the reliability and validity of the student version of
      Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE-S). METHODS: The JSPE-S was translated
      into Chinese using back-translation procedures and administered to 358 Chinese
      medical students at Sichuan University. The reliability was evaluated with Split
      half reliability and internal consistency. The validity was analyzed using
      discriminate validity, convergent validity and structure validity. RESULTS: The
      JSPE-S had a split-half reliability coefficient of 0.853 and Cronbach alpha of
      0.861. The convergent test achieved 95.0% success rate. The discriminant test
      achieved 95.0% success rate. Three factors were extracted, with a cumulative
      variance contribution of 50.87%. The estimated factor loading ranged from 0.485
      to 0.834, with factor variance ranging from 1.736 to 4.625. CONCLUSION: The
      Chinese JSPE-S has satisfactory reliability and validity in medical students.

PMID- 26480666
TI  - [Estimating Left Ventricular Diastolic Function through Simultaneous Measurement
      of T E-e' using Dual-Doppler].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Time interval between the onset of E and e' (T E-e') was applied as a
      non-invasive index for estimating left ventricular diastolic function. The T E-e'
      was measured simultaneously using dual- Doppler. METHODS: Dual-Doppler method was
      established, which allowed simultaneous recording and display of E and e', thus
      facilitating the measuring of T E-e'. Seventy-eight patients with suspected
      coronary artery disease, class II or above NYHA heart function, and >= 50% left
      ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) were recruited. The patients were given
      conventional echocardiography and dual-Doppler echocardiography. Left ventricle
      end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) of the patients was measured during left heart
      catheterization. The patients were divided into diastolic dysfunction group (n =
      48) and control group (n = 30) according to their LVEDP. RESULTS: The patients
      with diastolic dysfunction had higher T E-e' [(24.1 +/- 31.4) ms vs. the controls
      (8.1 +/- 23.3) ms, P = 0.019]. Significant linear correlation was found between T
      E-e' and LVEDP (r = 0.424, P < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic
      (ROC) curve showed a sensitivity of 56.3% and a specificity of 76.7% for T E-e'
      detecting elevated LVEDP. T E-e' estimated by dual-Doppler had better inter
      observer reliability (limit of agreement: -28. 0-27. 3 ms) compared with the
      conventional method (limit of agreement: -37.7-34.9 ms). CONCLUSION: Simultaneous
      T E-e' estimated by dual-Doppler has improved reliability, which is correlated
      with LVEDP. Patients with diastolic dysfunction have greater T E-e'.

PMID- 26480672
TI  - [Identifying Factors Associated with Visits to Doctors using a Multilevel Zero
      inflated Poisson Model].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine factors influencing patient visits to doctors using a
      multilevel zero-inflated Poisson model with count data with excessive zero.
      METHODS: The data in relation to rural health services collected in Sichuan
      Province as part of the Fifth National Health Service Survey (2013) were used in
      this study. A multilevel random intercept zero-inflated Poisson model was
      established to identify factors associated with visits to doctors in two weeks.
      RESULTS: The logistic regression showed that gender, age and presence of chronic
      diseases were the main factors associated with the likelihood of visiting doctors
      in two weeks. The Poisson regression revealed that travel time to the nearest
      medical facility, ethnicity, marital status and educational attainment were
      associated with numbers of visits to doctors in two weeks. CONCLUSION: Rural
      residents with a high level of education, unmarried, and living close to medical
      facility are more likely to visit doctors than others. The multilevel zero
      inflated Poisson model can be used for analyzing data with zero extra.

PMID- 26480668
TI  - [Characteristics and Functional Status of Victims with Fractured Injury in Lushan
      Earthquake].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the functional limitations and characteristics of victims
      with fractured injury in Lushan Earthquake. METHODS: A total of 113 patients
      admitted to the hospital from April 20th to 30th 2013 for treatment of fractured
      injury in Lushan Earthquake were recruited for this study. They were evaluated by
      the department of rehabilitation medicine in West China Hospital using a
      questionnaire. RESULTS: The most common cause of injury was falling (39.82%).
      Vertebral fractures (26.55%) was the most common type of injury. Most injure was
      light (80.53%), but incidence of complications was high (89.37%). Motor
      functional limitations included restricted range of motion (97.35%), balance
      functional limitation (89.38%) and decreased muscle force (87.61%). Limited
      cardiopulmonary function and limited circular function occurred in about 19.47%
      of patients. About 76. 11% patients had restricted activities of daily living
      capacities, predominantly in bathing (96.46%), stair climbing (86.73%), and
      walking (78.76%). Pain symptoms were common (97.35%), with 4-6 in visual analogue
      scale (VAS) values accounting for 40.71% of those reporting pains. Limited
      psychological function, professional function and social function was reported by
      46.02%, 99.12% and 100% patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: Fractured injury of
      Lushan earthquake victims has its own characteristics. Increased attention should
      be paid to the restoration of psychological function, professional function and
      social function.

PMID- 26480671
TI  - [A Novel All-arthroscopic PCL Tibial Inlay Reconstruction].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To design new apparatus and develop relative surgical procedures for
      all-arthroscopic tibial inlay PCL reconstruction. METHODS: The new apparatus
      consisting of three main components for total arthroscopic tibial inlay were
      designed and manufactured, and the relative surgical procedures were experimented
      on 6 cadaveric knees. RESULTS: The apparatus for tibial sloting including three
      components was designed and manufactured successfully, which could be used
      easily. The surgical procedures were proved to be feasible, which could be
      performed within a short time (mean, 78.5 min). The graft fixation was proved to
      be firm enough by mechanical tests. Image examination (X ray, CT and MRI)
      confirmed that the location of implants was appropriate. CONCLUSION: The newly
      designed apparatus and surgical procedures for all-arthroscopic tibial inlay
      seems feasible and useful.

PMID- 26480669
TI  - [Influence Factors on Serum Thyroid Hormone Level in Healthy People].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the influences of age, gender and season on serum thyroid
      stimulating hormone level and thyroid hormone level in healthy people. METHODS:
      There were 2 564 healthy volunteers enrolled in this study, whom were divided
      into different groups according to gender, age and the season. The levels of
      serum TSH, T3, T4, FT3, FT4 were measured and the data were statistically
      analyzed. RESULTS: The level of serum TSH in both young and middle-age groups of
      female was higher than that in the same age groups of male. The serum levels of
      T3, FT3, FT4 in both young and middle-age groups of female were lower than those
      in the same age groups of male (P < 0.05). In female, the serum level of TSH was
      increasing with age. However, the serum levels of FT3, FT4 had the opposite
      tendency. The level of serum FT3 in young group was higher than that in elderly
      group of, but T4 were lower. Lower levels of TSH, T3, FT4 were found in summer
      instead of winter (P < 0.05) and there was no significant difference of FT3
      between that two seasons. The levels of serum TSH, T3, T4 and FT4 were correlated
      with seasons (r = 0.079, 0.092,-0.137, 0.140). CONCLUSION: The levels of serum
      TSH and thyroid hormones are influenced by age, gender and seasons, which needs
      to be considered for the diagnosis of thyroid diseases and evaluation of thyroid
      function.

PMID- 26480670
TI  - [Rapid Detection of Adenovirus in Fecal Samples by Capillary Electrophoresis
      laser Induced Fluorescence and Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis-laser Induced
      Fluorescence].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish a rapid and sensitive method based on polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR) combined with capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence
      (CE-LIF) and microchip capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence (MCE
      LIF) for detecting adenoviruses in fecal samples. METHODS: The DNA of adenovirus
      in fecal samples were extracted by the commercial kits and the conserved region
      of hexon gene was selected as the target gene and amplified by PCR reaction.
      After labeling highly sensitive nucleic acid fluorescent dye SYBR Gold and SYBR
      Orange respectively, PCR amplification products were separated by CE and MCE
      under the optimized condition and detected by LIF detector. RESULTS: PCR
      amplification products could be detected within 9 min by CE-LIF and 6 min by MCE
      LIF under the optimized separation condition. The sequenced PCR product showed
      good specificity in comparison with the prototype sequences from NCBI. The
      intraday and inter-day relative standard deviation (RSD) of the size (bp) of the
      target DNA was in the range of 1.14%-1.34% and 1.27%- 2.76%, respectively, for CE
      LIF, and 1.18%-1.48% and 2.85%-4.06%, respectively, for MCE-LIF. The detection
      limits was 2.33 x 10(2) copies/mL for CE-LIF and 2.33 x 10(3) copies/mL for MCE
      LIF. The two proposed methods were applied to detect fecal samples, both showing
      high accuracy. CONCLUSION: The two proposed methods of PCR-CE-LIF and PCR-MCE-LIF
      can detect adenovirus in fecal samples rapidly, sensitively and specifically.

PMID- 26480673
TI  - [Correlation Between Serological Indices and Liver Histological Pathology in
      Patients with HBV Infection].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation between serological indices and liver
      histological pathology in the patients with hepatitis B virus ( HBV) infection.
      METHODS: This study enrolled 301 patients with HBV infection. All of them
      received liver biopsy, serum biochemical examination, including alanineamino
      transferase (ALT), aspart ateaminotransferase (AST), albumin (ALB), globulin (GLB
      ), HBV DNA test and HBV genotype detection. RESULTS: ALT, AST and AST/ALT in
      G2/G(3+4) group were significantly higher than those in group G0/G1 (P < 0.05),
      and all showed positive correlation with liver inflammation (r = 0.487, 0.648,
      0.509, P < 0.05). GLB in S2/S(3+4) group was significantly higher than that in
      group S0/S1 (P < 0.05), which had positive correlation with liver fibrosis (r =
      0.674, P < 0.05). ALB/GLB (A/G) in S2/S(3+4) group was significantly lower than
      that in group S0/S1 (P < 0.05), it had negative correlation with liver fibrosis(r
      = -0.500, P < 0.05). The inflammation and fibrosis level in patients with C
      genotype was higher than that of B genotype (chi2 = 11.460, 12.729, P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: ALT, AST and AST/ALT show better diagnostic value in liver
      inflammation. GLB and A/G show better diagnostic value in liver fibrosis. The
      progress of this disease is relatively faster in the patients with C genotype HBV
      infection.

PMID- 26480674
TI  - [Proximal Aorta Reconstruction for Type A Aortic Dissection Patients without
      Intimal Tear in Aortic Arch: the Early and Mid-outcomes].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the early and mid-outcomes of proximal aorta
      reconstruction for type A aortic dissection (AAD) patients without intimal tear
      in aortic arch, and assess the safety and efficacy of this surgical strategy.
      METHODS: From January 2010 to February 2013, there were 23 AAD patients without
      intimal tear in the aortic arch received proximal aorta reconstruction surgery.
      Clinical data of these patients were analyzed retrospectively, the mean age was
      (48.04 +/- 12.37) years old (21-73 yr.). Twelve cases were acute aortic
      dissection, the others were chronic dissection. Bentall surgery was performed for
      13 cases, Cabrol surgery for 2 cases, Wheat surgery for 1 case, ascending aorta
      replacement and aortic valve repair was employed for 1 patient, simple ascending
      aorta replacement for 6 cases. The patients received follow-up every 3 to 6
      months after the surgery. RESULTS: The duration of CPB time was (182.83 +/-
      36.98) min, cardiac arrest time was (111.87 +/- 18.82) min, circulatory arrest
      time was (24.22 +/- 6.38) min. The complications were lung infection (4 cases,
      17.4%), tracheotomy (2 cases), peritoneal dialysis (1 case), 2 cases suffered
      transient neurological dysfunction. None stroke, paralysis, and permanent
      neurological dysfunction occurred. All the patients were discharged. Mean time of
      follow-up was (38.35 +/- 11.95) months (18-56 months). All patients were alive
      and return to normal life, the proportion of false lumen closure was 65.22% (15
      cases). None patients need secondary surgery. CONCLUSION: Proximal aorta
      reconstruction is safe and effective for AAD patient without intimal tear in
      aortic arch, the operation strategy can be used individually.

PMID- 26480676
TI  - [Background and trigger factors for neuroimmunological diseases].

PMID- 26480675
TI  - [History and future perspective of the research on neuroimmunological diseases].

PMID- 26480683
TI  - [Animal models for multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480682
TI  - [Microglia in neuroimmunological disorders].

PMID- 26480679
TI  - [Neuroimmunological disorders and antibody-mediated immunity].

PMID- 26480678
TI  - [Cell-mediated immunity in neuroimmunological disorders].

PMID- 26480677
TI  - [Innate immunity and neuroimmune disease].

PMID- 26480680
TI  - [Breakdown of BBB and BNB in neuroimmunological diseases].

PMID- 26480684
TI  - [Animal model of neuromyelitis optica].

PMID- 26480681
TI  - [Neural stem cells in autoimmune neurological diseases].

PMID- 26480685
TI  - [An animal model of Guillain-Barre syndrome].

PMID- 26480686
TI  - [Animal models of myasthenia gravis].

PMID- 26480689
TI  - [Epidemiology of multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480693
TI  - [Blood and cerebrospinal fluid test in multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480687
TI  - [Animal model of polymyositis/dermatomyositis].

PMID- 26480688
TI  - [Changes of epidemiological and clinical features and disease concept in multiple
      sclerosis].

PMID- 26480691
TI  - [Symptoms and neurological findings in patients with multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480690
TI  - [Clinical course and prognosis of multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480692
TI  - [Neuropathology of multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480694
TI  - [MR imaging of multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480699
TI  - [Plasmapheresis in acute phase of multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480697
TI  - [How to use Japanese guidelines for the treatment of multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480700
TI  - [Interferon beta].

PMID- 26480695
TI  - [Electrophysiological examination of multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480696
TI  - [Diagnostic criteria to patients with multiple sclerosis and clinically isolated
      syndrome].

PMID- 26480698
TI  - [Corticosteroid treatment].

PMID- 26480701
TI  - [Fingolimod].

PMID- 26480707
TI  - [Pediatric multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480702
TI  - [Immunosuppressive treatments].

PMID- 26480708
TI  - [QoL in MS and guide for patients' education].

PMID- 26480711
TI  - [Neuromyelitis optica and anti-aquaporin 4 antibody].

PMID- 26480709
TI  - [Current and historical concept of neuromyelitis optica].

PMID- 26480706
TI  - [Treatment for multiple sclerosis in patients with collagen diseases].

PMID- 26480703
TI  - [Natalizumab].

PMID- 26480710
TI  - [Epidemiology of neuromyelitis optica].

PMID- 26480705
TI  - [Symptomatic therapy in multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480712
TI  - [Symptoms and clinical manifestations in neuromyelitis optica].

PMID- 26480704
TI  - [Emerging new disease--modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480714
TI  - [Differntial diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica].

PMID- 26480717
TI  - [Therapeutic development for neuromyelitis optica].

PMID- 26480716
TI  - [Treatment and prognosis of neuromyelitis optica(NMO)].

PMID- 26480713
TI  - [MRI and CSF features in neuromyelitis optica].

PMID- 26480718
TI  - [Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM)].

PMID- 26480715
TI  - [NMO spectrum disorder].

PMID- 26480720
TI  - [Balo's disease (concentric sclerosis)].

PMID- 26480719
TI  - [Autoimmune central nervous system disorders associated with streptococcal
      infection and anti-basal ganglia antibodies].

PMID- 26480721
TI  - [Atopic myelitis].

PMID- 26480722
TI  - [Acute transverse myelitis].

PMID- 26480723
TI  - [Concepts and epidemiology of combined central and peripheral demyelination].

PMID- 26480724
TI  - [Anti-neurofascin antibody in combined central and peripheral demyelination].

PMID- 26480725
TI  - [Pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of combined central and peripheral
      demyelination].

PMID- 26480726
TI  - [Anti-glycolipid antibodies in Guillain-Barre syndrome and Fisher syndrome].

PMID- 26480727
TI  - [Epidemiology, symptoms and neurological signs in Guillain-Barre syndrome].

PMID- 26480728
TI  - [Guillain-Barre syndrome: Clinical examination, diagnosis, and differential
      diagnosis].

PMID- 26480729
TI  - [Treatment and prognosis of Guillain-Barre syndrome].

PMID- 26480730
TI  - [Fisher's syndrome].

PMID- 26480732
TI  - [Epidemiology and clinical symptoms of CIDP].

PMID- 26480731
TI  - [Keypoints of the guideline for management of Guillain -Barre syndrome and Fisher
      syndrome, 2013].

PMID- 26480733
TI  - [Clinical, electrophysiological, and differential diagnosis of CIDP].

PMID- 26480734
TI  - [Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy(CIDP): Treatment and
      prognosis].

PMID- 26480735
TI  - [Practice guideline for CIDP and MMN 2013].

PMID- 26480736
TI  - [Epidemiology, symptoms, and pathogenesis of MMN].

PMID- 26480737
TI  - [Diagnosis of multifocal motor neuropathy].

PMID- 26480738
TI  - [Treatment and prognosis of multifocal motor neuropathy].

PMID- 26480739
TI  - [Neuropathy associated with IgM monoclonal gammopathy with anti-myelin-associated
      glycoprotein (MAG) antibody].

PMID- 26480740
TI  - [Crow-Fukase (POEMS) syndrome].

PMID- 26480741
TI  - [Acute autonomic and sensory neuropathy].

PMID- 26480742
TI  - [(Autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy: AAG)].

PMID- 26480743
TI  - [The role of autoantibodies in myasthenia gravis].

PMID- 26480744
TI  - [Myasthenia gravis: epidemiology and prognosis].

PMID- 26480745
TI  - [Clinical features and associated conditions of myasthenia gravis].

PMID- 26480746
TI  - [Diagnosis, differential diagnosis and laboratory examinations in myasthenia
      gravis].

PMID- 26480747
TI  - [The new clinical guidelines: basic policy against generalized MG].

PMID- 26480748
TI  - [Clinical feature of late-onset myasthenia gravis].

PMID- 26480749
TI  - [Cholinesterase inhibitors].

PMID- 26480750
TI  - [Oral immunotherapy].

PMID- 26480751
TI  - [Intravenous immunoglobulin in myasthenia gravis].

PMID- 26480752
TI  - [Plasmapheresis in treatment of myasthenia gravis].

PMID- 26480753
TI  - [Thymectomy].

PMID- 26480754
TI  - [Biological agents treatment for myasthenia gravis].

PMID- 26480755
TI  - [Clinical characteristics and managements of juvenile myasthenia gravis].

PMID- 26480756
TI  - [Quality of life and advice for lifestyle in myasthenia gravis].

PMID- 26480757
TI  - [HTLV-1-associated myelopathy(HAM)].

PMID- 26480758
TI  - [Autoantibodies in myositis].

PMID- 26480759
TI  - [Polymyositis].

PMID- 26480760
TI  - [Dermatomyositis].

PMID- 26480761
TI  - [Sporadic inclusion body myositis].

PMID- 26480762
TI  - [Necrotizing myopathy].

PMID- 26480763
TI  - [Autoimmune encephalitis/encephalopathy: An introduction].

PMID- 26480764
TI  - [Hashimoto's encephalopathy].

PMID- 26480765
TI  - [Anti -NMDA receptor encephalitis].

PMID- 26480766
TI  - [Anti-VGKC complex antibody associated limbic encephalitis].

PMID- 26480767
TI  - [Rasmussen syndrome (encephalitis)].

PMID- 26480768
TI  - [NMDA receptor encephalitis].

PMID- 26480769
TI  - [Autoimmune cerebellar ataxia].

PMID- 26480770
TI  - [Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis].

PMID- 26480771
TI  - [Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus].

PMID- 26480772
TI  - [Rheumatoid arthritis].

PMID- 26480773
TI  - [Muscle involvement in systemic sclerosis].

PMID- 26480774
TI  - [Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD)].

PMID- 26480775
TI  - [Sjogren's syndrome (sicca syndrome)].

PMID- 26480776
TI  - [Neuro-Behcet's disease].

PMID- 26480777
TI  - [Neuro-Sweet disease].

PMID- 26480778
TI  - [Sarcoidosis].

PMID- 26480779
TI  - [Vasculitis: neurological aspects].

PMID- 26480780
TI  - [Central nervous system vasculitis].

PMID- 26480781
TI  - [Antiphospholipid syndrome].

PMID- 26480782
TI  - [Polymyalgia rheumatica].

PMID- 26480783
TI  - [Susac syndrome].

PMID- 26480784
TI  - [Celiac disease].

PMID- 26480785
TI  - [Whipple disease].

PMID- 26480786
TI  - [Paraneoplastic neurological syndrome].

PMID- 26480787
TI  - [Paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis].

PMID- 26480788
TI  - [Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis].

PMID- 26480789
TI  - [Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD)].

PMID- 26480790
TI  - [Paraneoplastic brainstem encephalitis].

PMID- 26480791
TI  - [Paraneoplastic opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (POMS)].

PMID- 26480792
TI  - [Paraneoplastic retinopathy].

PMID- 26480793
TI  - [Paraneoplastic motor neuron disease].

PMID- 26480794
TI  - [Paraneoplastic neuropathy].

PMID- 26480795
TI  - [Paraneoplastic myositis].

PMID- 26480796
TI  - [Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS)].

PMID- 26480797
TI  - [Isaacs syndrome].

PMID- 26480798
TI  - [Morvan's syndrome (Morvan's fibrillary chorea)].

PMID- 26480799
TI  - [Stiff-person syndrome].

PMID- 26480800
TI  - [Semaphorin 4 in multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480801
TI  - [Tumefactive multiple sclerosis and connexin].

PMID- 26480802
TI  - [NLRP3 inflammasome and multiple sclerosis/EAE].

PMID- 26480803
TI  - [Anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody].

PMID- 26480805
TI  - [Remyelination strategy for multiple sclerosis].

PMID- 26480804
TI  - [Multiple sclerosis and microRNA].

PMID- 26480806
TI  - [Future issues of the multiple sclerosis treatment from a medical economic
      viewpoint].

PMID- 26480807
TI  - [Molecular targeted therapy and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy].

PMID- 26480808
TI  - [The patients with pregnancy of the neuroimmunological diseases: the management
      and treatment].

PMID- 26480809
TI  - A prospective randomized study comparing transnasal and peroral 5-mm ultrathin
      endoscopy.

PMID- 26480810
TI  - Pre-treatment protoporphyrin IX concentration in actinic keratosis lesions may be
      a predictive biomarker of response to aminolevulinic-acid based photodynamic
      therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX)
      photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective FDA-approved therapy for actinic
      keratosis (AK), a substantial fraction of patients (up to 25%) do not respond to
      treatment. This study examined the feasibility of using pre-treatment
      measurements of PpIX concentration in AK lesions to predict response of ALA-PpIX
      PDT. METHODS: A non-invasive fiber-optic fluorescence spectroscopy system was
      used to measure PpIX concentration in patients undergoing standard-of-care ALA
      PDT for AK. All patients provided assessments of pain at the time of treatment
      (n=70), and a subset reported pain and erythema 48-76 h after treatment (n=13).
      RESULTS: PpIX concentration was significantly higher in lesions of patients
      reporting high levels of pain (VAS score >=5) immediately after treatment vs.
      patients reporting pain scores below VAS=5 (p<0.022) (n=70). However, pain was
      not an exclusive indicator of PpIX concentration as many patients with low PpIX
      concentration reported high pain. In a subpopulation of patients surveyed in the
      days after treatment (n=13), PpIX concentration measured on the day of treatment
      was uncorrelated with pain-reported immediately after treatment (r=0.17, p<0.57),
      but positive correlations were found between PpIX concentration and patient
      reported pain (r=0.55, p<0.051) and erythema (r=0.58, p<0.039) in the 48-72 h
      following treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that in vivo optical
      measurements of PpIX concentration acquired before light delivery may be an
      objective predictor of response to ALA-PpIX PDT. Identification of non-responding
      patients on the day of treatment could facilitate the use of interventions that
      may improve outcomes.

PMID- 26480811
TI  - Excessive eccentric exercise leads to transitory hypothalamic inflammation, which
      may contribute to the low body weight gain and food intake in overtrained mice.
AB  - Low body weight gain and food intake are related to exhaustive training and
      overtraining; however, the molecular mechanisms responsible for these alterations
      remain unknown. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of running
      overtraining (OT) protocols performed downhill, uphill and without inclination on
      the inflammatory pathway in the mouse hypothalamus. The rodents were randomized
      into the control (C), overtrained by downhill running (OTR/down), overtrained by
      uphill running (OTR/up) and overtrained by running without inclination (OTR)
      groups. The body weights and food intake were recorded daily. The incremental
      load, exhaustive, rotarod and grip force tests were used to measure performance.
      At 36 h after the grip force test was performed at the end of OT protocols (i.e.,
      week eight) and/or after a 2-week total recovery period (i.e., week 10), the
      hypothalamus and gastrocnemius were extracted for immunoblotting analysis. In
      addition, the serum was used to determine cytokine and leptin concentrations.
      From week 0 to week 8, the OTR/down group exhibited decreased body weight and
      food intake, and the OTR/up group increased their food intake. At week 10, the
      OTR/down group exhibited increased body weight, while the OTR group decreased
      their food intake. The OTR/down group exhibited increased IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF
      alpha, pSAPK/JNK and SOCS3 levels at week eight. The OTR/down, OTR/up and OTR
      groups exhibited increased IL-10 levels at week 10. The OTR/up group displayed
      increased pJAK2 levels at week eight. While the OTR/down group exhibited
      increased IL-1beta levels, the OTR/down and OTR/up groups exhibited increased IL
      6 and TNF-alpha levels, but decreased IL-10 levels in the gastrocnemius at week
      eight. The three OT protocols increased the IL-1beta and IL-6 levels, but only
      the OTR/down and OTR/up groups had increased TNF-alpha levels in serum at week
      eight. The serum leptin levels were lower for the OTR group compared with the CT
      group at week eight. In conclusion, the OTR/down protocol induced transitory
      hypothalamic inflammation with concomitant reductions in the body weight and food
      intake. After the 2-week total recovery period, the OTR/down group had reversed
      the hypothalamic inflammation, with the concomitant normalization of the body
      weight and food intake.

PMID- 26480812
TI  - Alcohol and high fat induced chronic pancreatitis: TRPV4 antagonist reduces
      hypersensitivity.
AB  - The pathogenesis of pain in chronic pancreatitis is poorly understood, and its
      treatment can be a major clinical challenge. Surgical and other invasive methods
      have variable outcomes that can be unsatisfactory. Therefore, there is a great
      need for further discovery of the pathogenesis of pancreatitis pain and new
      therapeutic targets. Human and animal studies indicate a critical role for
      oxidative stress and activation of transient receptor potential (TRP) cation
      channel subfamily members TRPV1 and TRPA1 on pancreatic nociceptors in
      sensitization mechanisms that result in pain. However, the in vivo role of
      transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 4 (TRPV4) in
      chronic pancreatitis needs further evaluation. The present study characterized a
      rat alcohol/high fat diet (AHF)-induced chronic pancreatitis model with
      hypersensitivity, fibrotic pathology, and fat vacuolization consistent with the
      clinical syndrome. The rats with AHF-induced pancreatitis develop referred
      visceral pain-like behaviors, i.e. decreased hindpaw mechanical thresholds and
      shortened abdominal and hindpaw withdrawal latency to heat. In this study,
      oxidative stress was characterized as well as the role of TRPV4 in chronic
      visceral hypersensitivity. Lipid peroxidase and oxidative stress were indicated
      by increased plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and
      diminished pancreatic manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). The secondary
      sensitization associated with AHF-induced pancreatitis was effectively alleviated
      by the TRPV4 antagonist, HC 067047. Similarity of the results to those with the
      peripherally restricted MU-opiate receptor agonist, loperamide, suggested TRPV4
      channel activated peripheral sensitization. This study using a reliable model
      that provides pre-clinical correlates of human chronic pancreatitis provides
      further evidence that TRPV4 channel is a potential therapeutic target for
      treatment of pancreatitis pain. 

PMID- 26480814
TI  - The C-terminal binding protein (CTBP-1) regulates dorsal SMD axonal morphology in
      Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - C-terminal binding proteins (CtBPs) are transcriptional co-repressors which
      cooperate with a variety of transcription factors to repress gene expression.
      Caenorhabditis elegans CTBP-1 expression has been observed in the nervous system
      and hypodermis. In C. elegans, CTBP-1 regulates several processes including Acute
      Functional Tolerance to ethanol and functions in the nervous system to modulate
      both lifespan and expression of a lipase gene called lips-7. Incorrect structure
      and/or function of the nervous system can lead to behavioral changes. Here, we
      demonstrate reduced exploration behavior in ctbp-1 mutants. Our examination of a
      subset of neurons involved in regulating locomotion revealed that the axonal
      morphology of dorsal SMD (SMDD) neurons is altered in ctbp-1 mutants at the
      fourth larval (L4) stage. Expressing CTBP-1 under the control of the endogenous
      ctbp-1 promoter rescued both the exploration behavior phenotype and defective
      SMDD axon structure in ctbp-1 mutants at the L4 stage. Interestingly, the pre
      synaptic marker RAB-3 was found to localize to the mispositioned portion of SMDD
      axons in a ctbp-1 mutant. Further analysis of SMDD axonal morphology at days 1, 3
      and 5 of adulthood revealed that the number of ctbp-1 mutants showing an SMDD
      axonal morphology defect increases in early adulthood and the observed defect
      appears to be qualitatively more severe. CTBP-1 is prominently expressed in the
      nervous system with weak expression detected in the hypodermis. Surprisingly,
      solely expressing CTBP-1a in the nervous system or hypodermis did not restore
      correct SMDD axonal structure in a ctbp-1 mutant. Our results demonstrate a role
      for CTBP-1 in exploration behavior and the regulation of SMDD axonal morphology
      in C. elegans. 

PMID- 26480813
TI  - Impact of chronic morphine on delta opioid receptor-expressing neurons in the
      mouse hippocampus.
AB  - Delta opioid (DOP) receptors participate to the control of chronic pain and
      emotional responses. Recent data also identified their implication in spatial
      memory and drug-context associations pointing to a critical role of hippocampal
      delta receptors. To better appreciate the impact of repeated drug exposure on
      their modulatory activity, we used fluorescent knock-in mice that express a
      functional delta receptor fused at its carboxy-terminus with the green
      fluorescent protein in place of the native receptor. We then tested the impact of
      chronic morphine treatment on the density and distribution of delta receptor
      expressing cells in the hippocampus. A decrease in delta receptor-positive cell
      density was observed in the CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus without alteration of the
      distribution across the different GABAergic populations that mainly express delta
      receptors. This effect partly persisted after four weeks of morphine abstinence.
      In addition, we observed increased DOP receptor expression at the cell surface
      compared to saline-treated animals. In the hippocampus, chronic morphine
      administration thus induces DOP receptor cellular redistribution and durably
      decreases delta receptor-expressing cell density. Such modifications are likely
      to alter hippocampal physiology, and to contribute to long-term cognitive
      deficits. 

PMID- 26480815
TI  - Peripheral nerve injury induces aquaporin-4 expression and astrocytic enlargement
      in spinal cord.
AB  - Aquaporin-4 (AQP4), a water channel protein, is expressed mainly in the
      perivascular end-feet of astrocytes in the brain and spinal cord. Dysregulation
      of AQP4 is critically associated with abnormal water transport in the astrocytes.
      We aimed to examine whether peripheral nerve injury (PNI) could induce the
      changes of AQP4 expression and astrocytic morphology in the spinal cord. Two
      different PNI models [partial sciatic nerve transection (PST) and chronic
      constriction injury (CCI)] were established on the left sciatic nerve in Sprague
      Dawley rats, which decreased the pain withdrawal threshold in the ipsilateral
      hind paws. Both PNI models were associated with a persistent up-regulation of
      AQP4 in the ipsilateral dorsal horn at the lower lumbar region over 3 weeks,
      despite an absence of direct injury to the spinal cord. Three-dimensional
      reconstruction of astrocytes was made and morphometric analysis was done. Up
      regulation of AQP4 was accompanied by a significant increase in the length and
      volume of astrocytic processes and the number of branch points. The most
      prominent changes were present in the distal processes of the astrocytes and the
      changes were maintained throughout the whole experimental period. Extravasation
      of systemically administered tracers Evans Blue and sodium fluorescein was not
      seen in both models. Taken together, PNI was associated with a long-lasting AQP4
      up-regulation and enlargement of astrocytic processes in the spinal cord in rats,
      both of which were not related to the disruption of blood-spinal cord barrier.
      The findings could provide novel insights on the understanding of pathophysiology
      of spinal cords after PNI.

PMID- 26480816
TI  - Baicalin decreases SGK1 expression in the hippocampus and reverses depressive
      like behaviors induced by corticosterone.
AB  - The present study was to investigate whether baicalin can prevent repeated
      exogenous corticosterone injection-induced depressive-like behaviors and explore
      its possible mechanisms. After a 21-day treatment with baicalin (10 and 20
      mg/kg), sucrose preference in the sucrose preference test (SPT) and immobility
      time in forced swimming test (FST) were observed, serum corticosterone levels and
      brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) contents in the hippocampus were
      examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, quantitative
      real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot were used to detect
      the mRNA and protein expression in the hippocampus. The results showed that 21
      day cortiscosterone injections caused depressive-like behaviors in mice,
      including the reduced sucrose preference and increased duration of immobility.
      Baicalin reversed these behavioral changes described above and restored serum
      corticosterone levels. Additionally, baicalin up-regulated the mRNA and protein
      expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and BDNF, accompanied with the down
      regulation of serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) in the
      hippocampus. Moreover, baicalin significantly increased the protein expression of
      11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-2 (11beta-HSD2) in the hippocampus. The
      present results confirmed the antidepressant-like effects of baicalin in a mice
      model of depression induced by corticosterone and suggested that its mechanism
      was possibly involved in reducing serum corticosterone and thereby increasing
      BDNF in the hippocampus.

PMID- 26480817
TI  - Antenatal pelvic floor biometry is related to levator ani muscle injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between antenatal pelvic floor biometry
      and levator ani muscle (LAM) injury in Chinese women. METHODS: Three-dimensional
      transperineal ultrasound was performed in nulliparous Chinese women with a
      singleton pregnancy at 9-12 weeks, 26-28 weeks and 36-38 weeks of gestation and
      again at 12 months after delivery. Hiatal anteroposterior (AP) diameter,
      transverse diameter and area were measured on the antenatal ultrasound volumes
      obtained at rest, on Valsalva maneuver and during pelvic floor muscle contraction
      (PFMC). LAM injury was evaluated using ultrasound volumes obtained during PFMC at
      12 months after delivery. RESULTS: In total, 328 women completed the study. At 12
      months after delivery, 38 (14.8% of those who delivered vaginally) women had LAM
      injury; 28 were unilateral (14 right- and 14 left-sided) and 10 were bilateral.
      In all three trimesters there was smaller hiatal AP diameter and hiatal area in
      women with LAM injury when compared with women without injury. On multivariable
      analysis of the three factors, hiatal AP diameter at rest, hiatal area at rest
      and operative vaginal delivery, only hiatal AP diameter at rest in all three
      trimesters was an independent factor of LAM injury. A larger hiatal AP diameter
      at rest in the first, second and third trimesters reduced the likelihood of LAM
      injury with odds ratios of 0.21, 0.15 and 0.21, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A
      smaller antenatal hiatal AP diameter at rest is a risk factor for LAM injury. The
      hiatal AP diameter is relatively simple to measure and the error in measurement
      is relatively small. A prospective study to confirm this relationship and to
      explore whether this measurement, performed in the midsagittal plane, is
      repeatable should be performed. Copyright (c) 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley
      & Sons Ltd.

PMID- 26480818
TI  - The human complement inhibitor Sushi Domain-Containing Protein 4 (SUSD4)
      expression in tumor cells and infiltrating T cells is associated with better
      prognosis of breast cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The human Sushi Domain-Containing Protein 4 (SUSD4) was recently
      shown to function as a novel inhibitor of the complement system, but its role in
      tumor progression is unknown. METHODS: Using immunohistochemistry and
      quantitative PCR, we investigated SUSD4 expression in breast cancer tissue
      samples from two cohorts. The effect of SUSD4 expression on cell migration and
      invasion was studied in vitro using two human breast cancer cell lines
      overexpressing SUSD4. RESULTS: Tissue stainings revealed that both tumor cells
      and tumor-infiltrating cells expressed SUSD4. The highest SUSD4 expression was
      detected in differentiated tumors with decreased rate of metastasis, and SUSD4
      expression was associated with improved survival of the patients. Moreover,
      forced SUSD4 expression in human breast cancer cells attenuated their migratory
      and invasive traits in culture. SUSD4 expression also inhibited colony formation
      of human breast cancer cells cultured on carcinoma-associated fibroblasts.
      Furthermore, large numbers of SUSD4-expressing T cells in the tumor stroma
      associated with better overall survival of the breast cancer patients.
      CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that SUSD4 expression in both breast cancer
      cells and T cells infiltrating the tumor-associated stroma is useful to predict
      better prognosis of breast cancer patients.

PMID- 26480819
TI  - Challenges to translating new media interventions in community practice: a sexual
      health SMS program case study.
AB  - Issue addressed Herein we discuss translational challenges for new media
      interventions, using the Sexual Health & Youth (SHY) short message service (SMS)
      project to illustrate particular challenges relating to recruitment and
      evaluation. Methods Following the delivery of an SMS sexual health program,
      available documents (progress reports, communications with project staff, ethics
      submissions and reporting) were analysed thematically to elucidate the barriers
      to recruitment, implementation and evaluation. Results Despite being framed by
      evidence-based research, the project had little impact on the intended
      population. Only 119 of an expected 5100 young people (2%) enrolled to receive
      SMS messages. Program documents highlighted the difficulty of recruiting
      participants for new media interventions. Key issues identified in recruitment
      included under-resourcing, delays waiting to receive ethics approval and
      challenges of school-based recruitment. Conclusion The minimal impact of the SHY
      program illustrates the need for improved research translation in the field of
      new media interventions. It is important that recruitment procedures align with
      the convenience and appeal of mobile phone-based interventions. So what? New
      media research is not always easily translated into community settings. Large
      scale recruitment requires adequate resourcing and careful planning, even for low
      cost mobile interventions. Stronger formative research, documentation and use of
      partnerships are essential for successful implementation. Researchers must also
      consider translation in planning and disseminating their work.

PMID- 26480821
TI  - Phenethyl isothiocyanate, by virtue of its antioxidant activity, inhibits
      invasiveness and metastatic potential of breast cancer cells: HIF-1alpha as a
      putative target.
AB  - Hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) plays a crucial role in facilitating
      tumor progression and metastasis. Reducing the levels of HIF-1alpha might
      therefore be an important anticancer strategy. This could be achieved by
      understanding the key cellular events involved in HIF-1alpha activation. Present
      study explored the effect of phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a natural
      isothiocyanate, found in cruciferous vegetables on the expression of HIF-1alpha
      and HSP90 in breast adenocarcinoma cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) under both
      normoxia and hypoxia. This study established the possible role of ROS in the up
      regulation of these markers in breast cancer cells. PEITC-induced nuclear
      accumulation of Nrf2, increased the activities of several antioxidant enzymes,
      and thus reduced the ROS burden of the tumor cells by acting as an indirect
      antioxidant. This resulted in the down-regulation of HSP90 and thereby HIF-1alpha
      expression. HSP90 was also found to be involved in the regulation of HIF-1alpha.
      A probable link between down-regulation of HIF-1alpha with reduction of ROS by
      PEITC through induction of Nrf2 was determined. Finally, our study demonstrated
      that modulation of HIF-1alpha by PEITC retarded adhesion, aggregation, migration
      and invasion of the breast cancer cells, thereby showing anti-metastatic effect.
      Activities of MMPs (2 & 9) and expression of VEGF were also altered by PEITC. 

PMID- 26480820
TI  - The kinase inhibitor D11 induces caspase-mediated cell death in cancer cells
      resistant to chemotherapeutic treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multi-drug resistance and predisposition to metastasize are major
      clinical problems in cancer treatment. Malignant primary brain tumor and
      pancreatic cancer are two well-known examples of malignant tumors resistant to
      conventional therapies where aberrant EGFR-mediated and NF-kappaB signal
      transduction pathways are likely to play an important role. We have recently
      identified 1,3-Dichloro-6-[(E)-((4-methoxyphenyl)imino)methyl] diben-zo(b,d)
      furan-2,7-diol (D11) as a potent and selective inhibitor of CK2 a
      serine/threonine protein kinase that modulates the aforementioned signaling
      cascades. METHODS: Human cancer cell lines (glioblastoma and pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma) resistant to conventional chemotherapeutic agents were incubated
      with increasing concentrations of D11 for variable amounts of time. Cell
      viability, cell death and effects on major signal transduction pathways
      deregulated in cancer cells were analyzed by ELISA, FACS and Western blot-based
      assays, respectively. Moreover, effects on cell migration and in cell protein
      protein association were investigated by wound-healing and in situ proximity
      ligation assays, respectively. RESULTS: We show here, that D11 treatment leads to
      i) significant caspase-mediated apoptotic cell death, ii) down-regulation of EGFR
      expression and iii) inhibition of NF-kappaB transcriptional activity.
      Furthermore, cell exposure to D11 results in impaired cell migration and
      correlates with reduced expression of the ion co-transporter and cell volume
      regulator Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) (NKCC1). CONCLUSIONS: Data reported here underline
      the therapeutic potential of D11 with respect to certain types of cancer that
      carry aberrant intracellular signaling cascades and/or exhibit sustained cell
      migration and suggest a new therapeutic strategy against chemotherapy resistance.

PMID- 26480822
TI  - Experimentally induced cartilage degeneration treated by pulsed electromagnetic
      field stimulation; an in vitro study on bovine cartilage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the final result of progressive alterations to
      articular cartilage structure, composition and cellularity, followed by an
      increase in the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines in joint synovial
      fluid. Even though the effect of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) stimulation
      in counteracting OA progression and inflammation is of increasing interest,
      because of its anabolic and anti-inflammatory properties, the present study aimed
      to improve the knowledge on cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) and chondrocyte
      changes related to the exposure of PEMF, from a histological and
      histomorphometric point of view. METHODS: An in vitro OA model was realized,
      culturing bovine cartilage explants with a high dose of interleukin 1beta
      (IL1beta, 50 ng/ml) at different experimental times (24 h, and 7 and 21 days).
      The effects of PEMFs (75 Hz, 1.5 mT) were evaluated in cartilage explants treated
      with IL1beta or not (control), in terms of cartilage structure, cellularity and
      proteoglycans, glycosaminoglycans, collagen II and transforming growth factor
      beta1 synthesis by using histology, histomorphometry and immunohistochemistry.
      RESULTS: Making a comparison with control cartilage, IL1beta-treated explants
      showed a decrease in cartilage matrix, structure and cellularity parameters.
      PEMFs were able to counteract the progression of OA acting on both cartilage
      cellularity and ECM in cartilage previously treated with IL1beta. Normal
      distribution (Kolmogroc-Smirnov test) and homoscedasticity (Levene test) of data
      were verified, then, the non-parametric Kruskal Wallis test followed by Mann
      Whiteny U test for pairwise comparisons were performed. The p-value was adjusted
      according to the Dunn-Sidak correction. CONCLUSIONS: These results, obtained by
      culturing and treating cartilage explants from two different joints, confirmed
      that PEMF stimulation can be used as adjuvant therapy to preserve cartilage from
      detrimental effects of high inflammatory cytokine levels during OA.

PMID- 26480824
TI  - Current Assessment of Reciprocation in Endodontic Preparation: A Comprehensive
      Review--Part II: Properties and Effectiveness.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Many reciprocating file systems (RFs) have recently been
      introduced. This article reviews the properties, effectiveness, and clinical
      outcomes of the RFs. METHODS: A PubMed electronic search was conducted by using
      appropriate key words to identify investigations on RFs. After retrieving the
      full-text relevant articles, the cross citations were also identified. RESULTS:
      This review summarizes the mechanical properties, shaping ability, preservation
      of the root canal anatomy, shaping time, cleaning effectiveness, microcrack
      formation, bacterial reduction, extrusion of debris, and removal of root canal
      filling materials of RFs. CONCLUSIONS: The favorable results of RFs indicate
      their potential application as viable alternatives to rotary file systems, yet no
      filing system is able to entirely prepare the dentin of canals, totally eliminate
      sessile and planktonic microorganisms, or remove the filling material completely
      from the root canal system.

PMID- 26480823
TI  - Integrated metabolic modelling reveals cell-type specific epigenetic control
      points of the macrophage metabolic network.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reconstruction of context-specific metabolic models from easily
      and reliably measurable features such as transcriptomics data will be
      increasingly important in research and medicine. Current reconstruction methods
      suffer from high computational effort and arbitrary threshold setting. Moreover,
      understanding the underlying epigenetic regulation might allow the identification
      of putative intervention points within metabolic networks. Genes under high
      regulatory load from multiple enhancers or super-enhancers are known key genes
      for disease and cell identity. However, their role in regulation of metabolism
      and their placement within the metabolic networks has not been studied. METHODS:
      Here we present FASTCORMICS, a fast and robust workflow for the creation of high
      quality metabolic models from transcriptomics data. FASTCORMICS is devoid of
      arbitrary parameter settings and due to its low computational demand allows cross
      validation assays. Applying FASTCORMICS, we have generated models for 63 primary
      human cell types from microarray data, revealing significant differences in their
      metabolic networks. RESULTS: To understand the cell type-specific regulation of
      the alternative metabolic pathways we built multiple models during
      differentiation of primary human monocytes to macrophages and performed ChIP-Seq
      experiments for histone H3 K27 acetylation (H3K27ac) to map the active enhancers
      in macrophages. Focusing on the metabolic genes under high regulatory load from
      multiple enhancers or super-enhancers, we found these genes to show the most cell
      type-restricted and abundant expression profiles within their respective
      pathways. Importantly, the high regulatory load genes are associated to reactions
      enriched for transport reactions and other pathway entry points, suggesting that
      they are critical regulatory control points for cell type-specific metabolism.
      CONCLUSIONS: By integrating metabolic modelling and epigenomic analysis we have
      identified high regulatory load as a common feature of metabolic genes at pathway
      entry points such as transporters within the macrophage metabolic network.
      Analysis of these control points through further integration of metabolic and
      gene regulatory networks in various contexts could be beneficial in multiple
      fields from identification of disease intervention strategies to cellular
      reprogramming.

PMID- 26480825
TI  - Luteinizing hormone receptors are expressed in rat myenteric neurons and mediate
      neuronal loss.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical observations have suggested repeated gonadotropin-releasing
      hormone (GnRH) exposure to cause intestinal dysfunction and loss of enteric
      neurons. This has been further studied and confirmed in a rat in vivo model
      involving iterated GnRH treatments. Mechanisms behind are enigmatic since no GnRH
      receptors are found to be expressed in enteric neurons neither in man nor rat.
      Both species, however, harbor substantial subpopulations of luteinizing hormone
      (LH) receptor-immunoreactive myenteric neurons which suggests that intestinal
      GnRH-induced neuropathy may be mediated by LH release. AIMS: To reveal if
      exposures of GnRH or LH to rat myenteric neurons in vitro cause neuronal loss.
      METHODS: Primary cultured adult rat myenteric neurons were exposed to single or
      repeated treatments of the GnRH analog buserelin or the LH analog lutrotropin
      alpha, and neuronal survival was determined by cell counting. Possible presence
      of GnRH- or LH receptor -immunoreactive neurons was determined by
      immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: Exposure to the LH, but not the GnRH, analog caused
      significantly reduced neuronal survival. LH, but not GnRH, receptors were found
      to be expressed on cultured myenteric neurons. CONCLUSION: Myenteric neurons
      express LH receptors in vitro and LH exposure causes reduced neuronal survival.
      This suggests that GnRH-induced enteric neuropathy in vivo is mediated by way of
      LH release and activation of enteric neuronal LH receptors.

PMID- 26480827
TI  - Functional genomics: A novel CRISPR-Cas system for easier genome editing?

PMID- 26480826
TI  - Epigenetics: Fatherly histone influences.

PMID- 26480828
TI  - Achiral Dye/Surfactant Heteroaggregates for Chiral Sensing of Phosphocholines.
AB  - An investigation, based on absorption and circular dichroism spectroscopy, was
      carried out on assemblies formed in water upon the interaction of
      heteroaggregates, composed of dyes (Congo Red or Evans Blue) and
      cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), with four enantiopure phopshocholines
      (DMPC, DPPC, DOPC, and POPC) characterized by the same polar head and different
      hydrophobic tails. The results show that the nature of the lipid as well as the
      concentration ratios influence sensitively the absorption and chiroptical
      properties of the supramolecular structure. Intriguingly, the transfer of
      chirality from the lipid to the assembly may be triggered or not, depending on
      the nature of the lipid hydrophobic chain. These findings confirm the fundamental
      role of hydrophobic interactions in the transcription of chirality from molecules
      to complex architectures.

PMID- 26480829
TI  - Landscape-Based Biology.

PMID- 26480830
TI  - Minimizing Penile Implant Infection: A Literature Review of Patient and Surgical
      Factors.
AB  - Inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) is an effective treatment for erectile
      dysfunction in patients' refractory to oral or injectable treatment. While the
      rate of infection has decreased over the past decade, it is still the most feared
      complication of IPP placement. Here, we assemble possible patient and surgical
      factors attributing to the risk of infection. Studies have been gathered
      addressing each of these factors, and an Oxford Level of Evidence is assigned to
      each recommendation based on strength of the study. The goal of this review is to
      inform surgeons of possible risks in order to further reduce the risk of
      infection and thus increase success of IPP placement. 

PMID- 26480831
TI  - Whole body creatine and protein kinetics in healthy men and women: effects of
      creatine and amino acid supplementation.
AB  - Creatine kinetics were measured in young healthy subjects, eight males and seven
      females, age 20-30 years, after an overnight fast on creatine-free diet. Whole
      body turnover of glycine and its appearance in creatine was quantified using [1
      (13)C] glycine and the rate of protein turnover was quantified using L-ring
      [(2)H5] phenylalanine. The creatine pool size was estimated by the dilution of a
      bolus [C(2)H3] creatine. Studies were repeated following a five days supplement
      creatine 21 g.day(-1) and following supplement amino acids 14.3 g day(-1).
      Creatine caused a ten-fold increase in the plasma concentration of creatine and a
      50 % decrease in the concentration of guanidinoacetic acid. Plasma amino acids
      profile showed a significant decrease in glycine, glutamine, and taurine and a
      significant increase in citrulline, valine, lysine, and cysteine. There was a
      significant decrease in the rate of appearance of glycine, suggesting a decrease
      in de-novo synthesis (p = 0.006). The fractional and absolute rate of synthesis
      of creatine was significantly decreased by supplemental creatine. Amino acid
      supplement had no impact on any of the parameters. This is the first detailed
      analysis of creatine kinetics and the effects of creatine supplement in healthy
      young men and women. These methods can be applied for the analysis of creatine
      kinetics in different physiological states.

PMID- 26480832
TI  - A prolonged maturational time course in brain development for cortical processing
      of temporal modulations.

PMID- 26480833
TI  - Quantitative sleep EEG and polysomnographic predictors of driving simulator
      performance in obstructive sleep apnea.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To improve identification of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients
      at risk of driving impairment, this study explored predictors of driving
      performance impairment in untreated OSA patients using clinical PSG metrics,
      sleepiness questionnaires and quantitative EEG markers from routine sleep
      studies. METHODS: Seventy-six OSA patients completed sleepiness questionnaires
      and driving simulator tests in the evening of their diagnostic sleep study. All
      sleep EEGs were subjected to quantitative power spectral analysis. Correlation
      and multivariate linear regression were used to identify the strongest predictors
      of driving simulator performance. RESULTS: Absolute EEG spectral power across all
      frequencies (0.5-32 Hz) throughout the entire sleep period and separately in REM
      and NREM sleep, (r range 0.239-0.473, all p<0.05), as well as sleep onset latency
      (r=0.273, p<0.017) positively correlated with driving simulator steering
      deviation. Regression models revealed that amongst clinical and qEEG variables,
      the significant predictors of worse steering deviation were greater total EEG
      power during NREM and REM sleep, greater beta EEG power in NREM and greater delta
      EEG power in REM (range of variance explained 5-17%, t range 2.29-4.0, all
      p<0.05) and sleep onset latency (range of variance explained 4-9%, t range 2.15
      2.5, all p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In OSA patients, increased EEG power, especially
      in the faster frequency (beta) range during NREM sleep and slower frequency
      (delta) range in REM sleep were associated with worse driving performance, while
      no relationships were observed with clinical metrics e.g. apnea, arousal or
      oxygen indices. SIGNIFICANCE: Quantitative EEG analysis in OSA may provide useful
      markers of driving impairment risk. Future studies are necessary to confirm these
      findings and assess the clinical significance of quantitative EEG as predictors
      of driving impairment in OSA.

PMID- 26480834
TI  - EEG entropy measures indicate decrease of cortical information processing in
      Disorders of Consciousness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Clinical assessments that rely on behavioral responses to
      differentiate Disorders of Consciousness are at times inapt because of some
      patients' motor disabilities. To objectify patients' conditions of reduced
      consciousness the present study evaluated the use of electroencephalography to
      measure residual brain activity. METHODS: We analyzed entropy values of 18 scalp
      EEG channels of 15 severely brain-damaged patients with clinically diagnosed
      Minimally-Conscious-State (MCS) or Unresponsive-Wakefulness-Syndrome (UWS) and
      compared the results to a sample of 24 control subjects. Permutation entropy
      (PeEn) and symbolic transfer entropy (STEn), reflecting information processes in
      the EEG, were calculated for all subjects. Participants were tested on a modified
      active own-name paradigm to identify correlates of active instruction following.
      RESULTS: PeEn showed reduced local information content in the EEG in patients,
      that was most pronounced in UWS. STEn analysis revealed altered directed
      information flow in the EEG of patients, indicating impaired feed-backward
      connectivity. Responses to auditory stimulation yielded differences in entropy
      measures, indicating reduced information processing in MCS and UWS. CONCLUSIONS:
      Local EEG information content and information flow are affected in Disorders of
      Consciousness. This suggests local cortical information capacity and feedback
      information transfer as neural correlates of consciousness. SIGNIFICANCE: The
      utilized EEG entropy analyses were able to relate to patient groups with
      different Disorders of Consciousness.

PMID- 26480835
TI  - Metabolic responses to dietary protein/carbohydrate ratios  in zebra sea bream
      (Diplodus cervinus, Lowe, 1838) juveniles.
AB  - This study aims to evaluate the effect of diets with different protein to
      carbohydrate ratios (P:C) on the omnivorous zebra sea bream (Diplodus cervinus)
      juveniles growth performance, feed efficiency, N excretion and metabolic response
      of intermediary metabolism enzymes. Four isoenergetic and isolipidic diets were
      formulated to contain increasing protein levels (25, 35, 45 and 55%) at the
      expense of carbohydrates (43, 32, 21 and 9%): diets P25C43, P35C32, P45C21 and
      P55C9. Growth performance, feed efficiency (FE), N intake [(g kg(-1) average body
      weight (ABW) day(-1))], N retention (g kg(-1) ABW day(-1)) and energy retention
      (kJ kg(-1) ABW day(-1)) increased with the increase of P:C ratio. The best growth
      performance and FE were achieved with diet P45C21. Ammonia excretion (mg NH4-N
      kg(-1) ABW day(-1)) increased as dietary protein level increased. Alanine
      aminotransferase and glutamate dehydrogenase activities increased with the
      increase of dietary P:C ratio. The opposite was observed for malic enzyme
      activity. Aspartate aminotransferase, hexokinase, glucokinase, fructose-1, 6
      bisphosphatase and fatty acid synthetase activities were unaffected by dietary
      treatments. Response of key amino acid catabolic enzymes and N excretion levels
      to dietary P:C ratio supports the metabolic adaptability of this species to
      dietary protein inclusion levels. Overall, zebra sea bream seems capable of
      better utilize dietary protein rather than dietary carbohydrates as energy source
      which may be an obstacle for using more economically diets and thus for reducing
      environmental N loads in semi-intensive aquaculture of this species.

PMID- 26480836
TI  - Memory strength versus memory variability in visual change detection.
AB  - Observers made change-detection judgments for colored squares in a paradigm that
      manipulated the retention interval, the magnitude of change, and objective change
      probability. The probability of change judgments increased across the retention
      interval for "same" and "small-change" test items but stayed the same or
      decreased for "large-change" and "far" test items. A variety of formal models
      were fitted to the individual-subject data. The modeling results provided
      evidence that, beyond changes in visual-memory precision, there were decreases in
      memory strength of individual study items across the retention interval. In
      addition, the modeling results provided evidence of a zero-information, absence
      of-memory state that required guessing. The data were not sufficiently strong to
      sharply distinguish whether the losses in memory strength across the retention
      interval were continuous in nature or all-or-none. The authors argue that the
      construct of memory strength as distinct from memory variability is an important
      component of the nature of forgetting from visual working memory.

PMID- 26480837
TI  - How do healthcare workers judge pain in older palliative care patients with
      delirium near the end of life?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pain and delirium are commonly reported in older people with advanced
      cancer. However, assessing pain in this population is challenging, and there is
      currently no validated assessment tool for this task. The present retrospective
      cohort study was conducted to understand how healthcare workers (HCWs; nurses and
      physicians) determine that older cancer patients with delirium are in pain.
      METHOD: We reviewed the medical records of consecutive palliative care
      inpatients, 65 years of age and above (N = 113), in order to identify patient
      based cues used by HCWs to make pain judgments and to examine how the cues differ
      by delirium subtype and outcome. RESULTS: We found that HCWs routinely make
      judgments about pain in older patients with delirium using a repertoire of
      strategies that includes patient self-report and observations of spontaneous and
      evoked behavior. Using these strategies, HCWs judged pain to be highly prevalent
      in this inpatient palliative care setting. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: These novel
      findings will inform the development of valid and reliable tools to assess pain
      in older cancer patients with delirium.

PMID- 26480838
TI  - The potential of virtual reality-based training to enhance the functional
      autonomy of Alzheimer's disease patients in cooking activities: A single case
      study.
AB  - Impairments in performing activities of daily living occur early in the course of
      Alzheimer's disease (AD). There is a great need to develop non-pharmacological
      therapeutic interventions likely to reduce dependency in everyday activities in
      AD patients. This study investigated whether it was possible to increase autonomy
      in these patients in cooking activities using interventions based on errorless
      learning, vanishing-cue, and virtual reality techniques. We recruited a 79-year
      old woman who met NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for probable AD. She was trained in four
      cooking tasks for four days per task, one hour per day, in virtual and in real
      conditions. Outcome measures included subjective data concerning the therapeutic
      intervention and the experience of virtual reality, repeated assessments of
      training activities, neuropsychological scores, and self-esteem and quality of
      life measures. The results indicated that our patient could relearn some cooking
      activities using virtual reality techniques. Transfer to real life was also
      observed. Improvement of the task performance remained stable over time. This
      case report supports the value of a non-immersive virtual kitchen to help people
      with AD to relearn cooking activities.

PMID- 26480839
TI  - Different Complexation Behavior of P-Functionalized Ferrocene Derivatives Towards
      SnCl2 , SnCl4 and SnPh2 Cl2 : Auto-ionization and Redox-Type Reactions.
AB  - The novel phosphonyl-substituted ferrocene derivatives [Fe(eta(5) -Cp)(eta(5) -C5
      H3 {P(O)(O-iPr)2 }2 -1,2)] (Fc(1,2) ) and [Fe{eta(5) -C5 H4 P(O)(O-iPr)2 }2 ]
      (Fc(1,1') ) react with SnCl2 , SnCl4 , and SnPh2 Cl2 , giving the corresponding
      complexes [(Fc(1,2) )2 SnCl][SnCl3 ] (1), [{(Fc(1,1') )SnCl2 }n ] (2), [(Fc(1,1')
      )SnCl4 ] (3), [{(Fc(1,1') )SnPh2 Cl2 }n ] (4), and [(Fc(1,2) )SnCl4 ] (5),
      respectively. The compounds are characterized by elemental analyses, (1) H, (13)
      C, (31) P, (119) Sn NMR and IR spectroscopy, (31) P and (119) Sn CP-MAS NMR
      spectroscopy, cyclovoltammetry, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and
      single-crystal as well as powder X-ray diffraction analyses. The experimental
      work is accompanied by DFT calculations, which help to shed light on the origin
      for the different reaction behavior of Fc(1,1') and Fc(1,2) towards tin(II)
      chloride. 

PMID- 26480840
TI  - Adaptive changes in spatiotemporal gait characteristics in women during
      pregnancy.
AB  - Spatiotemporal gait cycle characteristics were assessed at early (P1), and late
      (P2) pregnancy, as well as at 2 months (PP1) and 6 months (PP2) postpartum. A
      substantial decrease in walking speed was observed throughout the pregnancy, with
      the slowest speed (1+/-0.2m/s) being during the third trimester. Walking at
      slower velocity resulted in complex adaptive adjustments to their spatiotemporal
      gait pattern, including a shorter step length and an increased duration of both
      their stance and double-support phases. Duration of the swing phase remained the
      least susceptible to changes. Habitual walking velocity (1.13+/-0.2m/s) and the
      optimal gait pattern were fully recovered 6 months after childbirth. Documented
      here adaptive changes in the preferred gait pattern seem to result mainly from
      the altered body anthropometry leading to temporary balance impairments. All the
      observed changes within stride cycle aimed to improve gait safety by focusing on
      its dynamic stability. The pregnant women preferred to walk at a slower velocity
      which allowed them to spend more time in double-support compared with their
      habitual pattern. Such changes provided pregnant women with a safer and more
      tentative ambulation that reduced the single-support period and, hence, the
      possibility of instability. As pregnancy progressed a significant increase in
      stance width and a decrease in step length was observed. Both factors allow also
      for gait stability improvement. 

PMID- 26480841
TI  - Late development of cue integration is linked to sensory fusion in cortex.
AB  - Adults optimize perceptual judgements by integrating different types of sensory
      information [1, 2]. This engages specialized neural circuits that fuse signals
      from the same [3-5] or different [6] modalities. Whereas young children can use
      sensory cues independently, adult-like precision gains from cue combination only
      emerge around ages 10 to 11 years [7-9]. Why does it take so long to make best
      use of sensory information? Existing data cannot distinguish whether this (1)
      reflects surprisingly late changes in sensory processing (sensory integration
      mechanisms in the brain are still developing) or (2) depends on post-perceptual
      changes (integration in sensory cortex is adult-like, but higher-level decision
      processes do not access the information) [10]. We tested visual depth cue
      integration in the developing brain to distinguish these possibilities. We
      presented children aged 6-12 years with displays depicting depth from binocular
      disparity and relative motion and made measurements using psychophysics,
      retinotopic mapping, and pattern classification fMRI. Older children (>10.5
      years) showed clear evidence for sensory fusion in V3B, a visual area thought to
      integrate depth cues in the adult brain [3-5]. By contrast, in younger children
      (<10.5 years), there was no evidence for sensory fusion in any visual area. This
      significant age difference was paired with a shift in perceptual performance
      around ages 10 to 11 years and could not be explained by motion artifacts, visual
      attention, or signal quality differences. Thus, whereas many basic visual
      processes mature early in childhood [11, 12], the brain circuits that fuse cues
      take a very long time to develop. 

PMID- 26480842
TI  - Natural sleep and its seasonal variations in three pre-industrial societies.
AB  - How did humans sleep before the modern era? Because the tools to measure sleep
      under natural conditions were developed long after the invention of the electric
      devices suspected of delaying and reducing sleep, we investigated sleep in three
      preindustrial societies [1-3]. We find that all three show similar sleep
      organization, suggesting that they express core human sleep patterns, most likely
      characteristic of pre-modern era Homo sapiens. Sleep periods, the times from
      onset to offset, averaged 6.9-8.5 hr, with sleep durations of 5.7-7.1 hr, amounts
      near the low end of those industrial societies [4-7]. There was a difference of
      nearly 1 hr between summer and winter sleep. Daily variation in sleep duration
      was strongly linked to time of onset, rather than offset. None of these groups
      began sleep near sunset, onset occurring, on average, 3.3 hr after sunset.
      Awakening was usually before sunrise. The sleep period consistently occurred
      during the nighttime period of falling environmental temperature, was not
      interrupted by extended periods of waking, and terminated, with vasoconstriction,
      near the nadir of daily ambient temperature. The daily cycle of temperature
      change, largely eliminated from modern sleep environments, may be a potent
      natural regulator of sleep. Light exposure was maximal in the morning and greatly
      decreased at noon, indicating that all three groups seek shade at midday and that
      light activation of the suprachiasmatic nucleus is maximal in the morning.
      Napping occurred on <7% of days in winter and <22% of days in summer. Mimicking
      aspects of the natural environment might be effective in treating certain modern
      sleep disorders. 

PMID- 26480843
TI  - Caffeinated forage tricks honeybees into increasing foraging and recruitment
      behaviors.
AB  - In pollination, plants provide food reward to pollinators who in turn enhance
      plant reproduction by transferring pollen, making the relationship largely
      cooperative; however, because the interests of plants and pollinators do not
      always align, there exists the potential for conflict, where it may benefit both
      to cheat the other [1, 2]. Plants may even resort to chemistry: caffeine, a
      naturally occurring, bitter-tasting, pharmacologically active secondary compound
      whose main purpose is to detract herbivores, is also found in lower
      concentrations in the nectar of some plants, even though nectar, unlike leaves,
      is made to be consumed by pollinators. [corrected]. A recent laboratory study
      showed that caffeine may lead to efficient and effective foraging by aiding
      honeybee memory of a learned olfactory association [4], suggesting that caffeine
      may enhance bee reward perception. However, without field data, the wider
      ecological significance of caffeinated nectar remains difficult to interpret.
      Here we demonstrate in the field that caffeine generates significant individual-
      and colony-level effects in free-flying worker honeybees. Compared to a control,
      a sucrose solution with field-realistic doses of caffeine caused honeybees to
      significantly increase their foraging frequency, waggle dancing probability and
      frequency, and persistency and specificity to the forage location, resulting in a
      quadrupling of colony-level recruitment. An agent-based model also demonstrates
      how caffeine-enhanced foraging may reduce honey storage. Overall, caffeine causes
      bees to overestimate forage quality, tempting the colony into sub-optimal
      foraging strategies, which makes the relationship between pollinator and plant
      less mutualistic and more exploitative. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

PMID- 26480844
TI  - Asterless Reduction during Spermiogenesis Is Regulated by Plk4 and Is Essential
      for Zygote Development in Drosophila.
AB  - Centrosome reduction is the decrease in centrosomal components during spermatid
      differentiation (spermiogenesis). It is one of several dramatic subcellular
      reorganizations that lead to spermatozoa formation common to a wide range of
      animals. However, the mechanism underlying centrosome reduction is unknown and
      its functions are unclear. Here, we show that in Drosophila melanogaster
      spermiogenesis, the quantity of centrosomal proteins is dramatically reduced; for
      example, Asterless (Asl) is reduced ~500-fold and is barely detected in
      spermatozoa. Asl reduction is regulated through a subset of its domains by the
      master regulator of centriole duplication Plk4 and by the ubiquitin ligase that
      targets Plk4 for degradation: Slimb. When Asl reduction is attenuated by Asl
      overexpression, plk4 mutations, Plk4 RNAi, or Slimb overexpression, Asl levels
      are higher in spermatozoa, resulting in embryos with reduced viability.
      Significantly, overexpressing Plk4 and Asl simultaneously, or combining plk4 and
      slimb mutations, balances their opposing effects on Asl reduction, restoring
      seemingly normal fertility. This suggests that increased Asl levels cause the
      observed reduced fertility and not other pleotropic effects. Attenuation of Asl
      reduction also causes delayed development and a failure to form astral
      microtubules in the zygote. Together, we provide the first insight into a
      molecular mechanism that regulates centrosome reduction and the first direct
      evidence that centrosome reduction is essential for post-fertilization
      development.

PMID- 26480846
TI  - Ecological Momentary Assessment of the Association Between Exposure to Alcohol
      Advertising and Early Adolescents' Beliefs About Alcohol.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the momentary association between exposure to alcohol
      advertising and middle-school students' beliefs about alcohol in real-world
      settings and to explore racial/ethnic differences in this association. METHODS:
      Middle-school students (N = 588) carried handheld data collection devices for 14
      days, recording their exposures to all forms of alcohol advertising during the
      assessment period. Students also responded to three investigator-initiated
      control prompts (programmed to occur randomly) on each day of the assessment
      period. After each exposure to advertising and at each control prompt, students
      reported their beliefs about alcohol. Mixed-effects regression models compared
      students' beliefs about alcohol between moments of exposure to alcohol
      advertising and control prompts. RESULTS: Students perceived the typical person
      their age who drinks alcohol (prototype perceptions) more favorably and perceived
      alcohol use as more normative at times of exposure to alcohol advertising than at
      times of nonexposure (i.e., at control prompts). Exposure to alcohol advertising
      was not associated with shifts in the perceived norms of black and Hispanic
      students, however, and the association between exposure and prototype perceptions
      was stronger among non-Hispanic students than among Hispanic students.
      CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to alcohol advertising is associated with acute shifts in
      adolescents' perceptions of the typical person that drinks alcohol and the
      normativeness of drinking. These associations are both statistically and
      substantively meaningful.

PMID- 26480847
TI  - Theory of Planned Behavior in School-Based Adolescent Problem Gambling
      Prevention: A Conceptual Framework.
AB  - Given its serious implications for psychological and socio-emotional health, the
      prevention of problem gambling among adolescents is increasingly acknowledged as
      an area requiring attention. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) is a well
      established model of behavior change that has been studied in the development and
      evaluation of primary preventive interventions aimed at modifying cognitions and
      behavior. However, the utility of the TPB has yet to be explored as a framework
      for the development of adolescent problem gambling prevention initiatives. This
      paper first examines the existing empirical literature addressing the
      effectiveness of school-based primary prevention programs for adolescent
      gambling. Given the limitations of existing programs, we then present a
      conceptual framework for the integration of the TPB in the development of
      effective problem gambling preventive interventions. The paper describes the TPB,
      demonstrates how the framework has been applied to gambling behavior, and reviews
      the strengths and limitations of the model for the design of primary prevention
      initiatives targeting adolescent risk and addictive behaviors, including
      adolescent gambling. 

PMID- 26480845
TI  - The host immune response to gastrointestinal nematode infection in sheep.
AB  - Gastrointestinal nematode infection represents a major threat to the health,
      welfare and productivity of sheep populations worldwide. Infected lambs have a
      reduced ability to absorb nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in
      morbidity and occasional mortality. The current chemo-dominant approach to
      nematode control is considered unsustainable due to the increasing incidence of
      anthelmintic resistance. In addition, there is growing consumer demand for food
      products from animals not subjected to chemical treatment. Future mechanisms of
      nematode control must rely on alternative, sustainable strategies such as
      vaccination or selective breeding of resistant animals. Such strategies take
      advantage of the host's natural immune response to nematodes. The ability to
      resist gastrointestinal nematode infection is considered to be dependent on the
      development of a protective acquired immune response, although the precise immune
      mechanisms involved in initiating this process remain to be fully elucidated. In
      this study, current knowledge on the innate and acquired host immune response to
      gastrointestinal nematode infection in sheep and the development of immunity is
      reviewed. 

PMID- 26480848
TI  - Early Postoperative Chemotherapy After Complete Cytoreduction and Hyperthermic
      Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Isolated Peritoneal Carcinomatosis of Colon
      Cancer: A Multicenter Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The prognosis of peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) from colorectal cancer
      has been improved with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic
      intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). However, benefits of postoperative
      chemotherapy (CT) are unclear. METHODS: This retrospective, multicenter study
      included 231 patients treated by CRS and HIPEC for isolated PC of colon cancer in
      four expert's centers. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS),
      and peritoneal recurrence-free survival (PRFS) were compared between patients
      with adjuvant CT (started within 3 months after surgery) and patients with
      surveillance only. RESULTS: After exclusion of 10 patients for early
      postoperative death (4%), 221 patients were included (CT group: n = 151;
      surveillance group: n = 70). Main postoperative CT regimens (median of 6 cycles)
      were Folfox (28%), Folfiri bevacizumab (24.5%), Folfiri (16%), and Folfiri
      cetuximab (12.5%). The median OS after surgery was 43.3 months with no difference
      between CT and surveillance groups. In multivariate analysis, a low peritoneal
      cancer index (p < 0.0001) and a long delay between diagnosis of CP and HIPEC (p =
      0.001) were associated with increased OS. The median PFS and PRFS were 12.4 and
      17 months, respectively. At 1 year, more patients were without progression (p =
      0.001) or PC recurrence (0.0004) in the CT group, but with prolonged follow-up
      this difference was no longer significant. CONCLUSIONS: Early postoperative CT
      does not improve OS after CRS and HIPEC for colon carcinomatosis. However, a
      transient effect on PFS and PRFS was observed. A subgroup of patients who may
      benefit more from CT remain to be defined.

PMID- 26480849
TI  - Role of Adjuvant Radiotherapy in Locally Advanced Colonic Carcinoma in the Modern
      Chemotherapy Era.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) in the treatment of
      resected, locally advanced colon cancer is unclear. One randomized controlled
      trial (Intergroup-0130) addressed this question but failed to meet its accrual
      goals. Since this trial, few attempts have been made to reassess the role of RT
      in this clinical setting. METHODS: Sixty-two patients with non-metastatic,
      American Joint Committee on Cancer 7th edition stage T4 colonic adenocarcinoma
      were treated at our institution between 2000 and 2013. All underwent curative
      intent surgery. Sixteen patients underwent resection only, 33 patients received
      adjuvant chemotherapy (ChT), and 13 patients received adjuvant chemoradiation
      therapy (CRT). RESULTS: Patients receiving adjuvant CRT were more likely to have
      T4b (vs. T4a) disease and were more likely to undergo R1 or R2 resection compared
      with those receiving adjuvant ChT alone. Despite this, multivariate analysis
      demonstrated that treatment with adjuvant CRT (vs. adjuvant ChT) enhanced
      locoregional control and disease-free survival (hazard ratio 0.044 and 0.145,
      respectively; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant RT for T4 colon cancers may be
      appropriate in select patients, specifically those with T4b lesions and/or
      residual disease following resection.

PMID- 26480850
TI  - Open Versus Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy for Adrenocortical Carcinoma: A Meta
      analysis of Surgical and Oncological Outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine the role of laparoscopic
      adrenalectomy (LA) in the surgical management of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC).
      METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed on January 2, 2015 using
      PubMed. Article selection proceeded according to PRISMA criteria. Studies
      comparing open adrenalectomy (OA) to LA for ACC and including at least 10 cases
      per each surgical approach were included. Odds ratio (OR) was used for all binary
      variables, and weight mean difference (WMD) was used for the continuous
      parameters. Pooled estimates were calculated with the fixed-effect model, if no
      significant heterogeneity was identified; alternatively, the random-effect model
      was used when significant heterogeneity was detected. Main demographics, surgical
      outcomes, and oncological outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Nine studies published
      between 2010 and 2014 were deemed eligible and included in the analysis, all of
      them being retrospective case-control studies. Overall, they included 240 LA and
      557 OA cases. Tumors treated with laparoscopy were significantly smaller in size
      (WMD -3.41 cm; confidence interval [CI] -4.91, -1.91; p < 0.001), and a higher
      proportion of them (80.8 %) more at a localized (I-II) stage compared with open
      surgery (67.7 %) (odds ratio [OR] 2.8; CI 1.8, 4.2; p < 0.001). Hospitalization
      time was in favor of laparoscopy, with a WMD of -2.5 days (CI -3.3, -1.7; p <
      0.001). There was no difference in the overall recurrence rate between LA and OA
      (relative risk [RR] 1.09; CI 0.83, 1.43; p = 0.53), whereas development of
      peritoneal carcinomatosis was higher for LA (RR 2.39; CI 1.41, 4.04; p = 0.001).
      No difference could be found for time to recurrence (WMD -8.2 months; CI -18.2,
      1.7; p = 0.11), as well as for cancer specific mortality (OR 0.68; CI 0.44, 1.05;
      p = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: OA should still be considered the standard surgical
      management of ACC. LA can offer a shorter hospital stay and possibly a faster
      recovery. Therefore, this minimally invasive approach can certainly play a role
      in this setting, but it should be only offered in carefully selected cases to
      avoid jeopardizing the oncological outcome.

PMID- 26480851
TI  - Muscle synergies underlying control of taking a step during support surface
      translation.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated the muscle activation patterns and the center of
      pressure (COP) displacement in stepping behavior to determine the relations
      between anticipatory synergy adjustments (ASAs) and anticipatory postural
      adjustments (APAs) during support surface translation. METHODS: Surface muscle
      activity of eleven leg and trunk muscles was analyzed to identify sets of four
      muscle modes (M-modes). Linear combination of M-modes and their relationship to
      changes in the COP shift in the anterior-posterior (AP) direction were then
      determined. Uncontrolled manifold (UCM) analysis was performed to determine
      variance components in the M-mode space and indices of M-mode synergy stabilizing
      the COP shift. RESULTS: Prior to the step initiation, synergies stabilizing COP
      were seen in both conditions. The synergy index started to drop before a change
      in the averaged activation levels across trials in postural muscles. The
      magnitude of synergy index was significantly larger under the perturbation
      condition. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the study have revealed that the central
      nervous system is able to prepare multi-muscle synergies when a step is performed
      during support surface translation. Prior to APAs, ASAs reduce stability of COPAP
      coordinate that is to be adjusted during the APAs. These findings may help get
      closer to understanding of physiological mechanism of postural preparation to
      external perturbation.

PMID- 26480852
TI  - Halogenated Phenazines that Potently Eradicate Biofilms, MRSA Persister Cells in
      Non-Biofilm Cultures, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - Conventional antibiotics are ineffective against non-replicating bacteria (for
      example, bacteria within biofilms). We report a series of halogenated phenazines
      (HP), inspired by marine antibiotic 1, that targets persistent bacteria. HP 14
      demonstrated the most potent biofilm eradication activities to date against MRSA,
      MRSE, and VRE biofilms (MBEC = 0.2-12.5 MUM), as well as the effective killing of
      MRSA persister cells in non-biofilm cultures. Frontline MRSA treatments,
      vancomycin and daptomycin, were unable to eradicate MRSA biofilms or non-biofilm
      persisters alongside 14. HP 13 displayed potent antibacterial activity against
      slow-growing M. tuberculosis (MIC = 3.13 MUM), the leading cause of death by
      bacterial infection around the world. HP analogues effectively target persistent
      bacteria through a mechanism that is non-toxic to mammalian cells and could have
      a significant impact on treatments for chronic bacterial infections.

PMID- 26480853
TI  - Elderly men with moderate and intense training lifestyle present sustained higher
      antibody responses to influenza vaccine.
AB  - We aimed to verify whether different levels of training performed regularly and
      voluntarily for many years could have an impact on one of the main issues of
      immunosenescence: the poor response to vaccines. We recruited 61 healthy elderly
      men (65-85 years old), 23 with a moderate training (MT) lifestyle (for 17.0 +/-
      3.2 years), 22 with an intense training (IT) lifestyle (for 25.9 +/- 3.4 years),
      and 16 without a training lifestyle (NT). Fitness was evaluated through the IPAQ
      and VO2max consumption. The participants were evaluated regarding cognitive
      aspects, nutritional status, depression, and quality of life. Antibody titers
      were determined by hemagglutination inhibition assay prior to influenza
      vaccination and at 6 weeks and 6 months post-vaccination. Strains used were B,
      H3N2, and H1N1. Our groups were matched for most characteristics, except for
      those directly influenced by their lifestyles, such as BMI, VO2max, and MET. In
      general, MT and IT elderly men showed significantly higher antibody titers to the
      three vaccine strains post-vaccination than NT elderly men. There were also
      higher titers against B and H1N1 strains in the trained groups before
      vaccination. Additionally, there were higher proportions of seroprotected (titers
      >=1:40) individuals in the pooled trained groups both at 6 weeks (B and H3N2, p <
      0.05) and 6 months (H1N1, p < 0.05; B, p = 0.07). There were no significant
      differences between the MT and IT groups. Either a moderate or an intense
      training is associated with stronger and longstanding antibody responses to the
      influenza vaccine, resulting in higher percentages of seroprotected individuals.

PMID- 26480854
TI  - Charge versus Energy Transfer Effects in High-Performance Perylene Diimide
      Photovoltaic Blend Films.
AB  - Perylene diimide (PDI)-based organic photovoltaic devices can potentially deliver
      high power conversion efficiency values provided the photon energy absorbed is
      utilized efficiently in charge transfer (CT) reactions instead of being consumed
      in nonradiative energy transfer (ET) steps. Hitherto, it remains unclear whether
      ET or CT primarily drives the photoluminescence (PL) quenching of the PDI excimer
      state in PDI-based blend films. Here, we affirm the key role of the thermally
      assisted PDI excimer diffusion and subsequent CT reaction in the process of PDI
      excimer PL deactivation. For our study we perform PL quenching experiments in the
      model PDI-based composite made of poly[4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2
      yl)benzo[1,2-b;4,5-b']dithiophene-2,6-diyl-alt-(4-(2-ethylhexanoyl)-thieno[3,4
      b]thiophene)-2-6-diyl] (PBDTTT-CT) polymeric donor mixed with the N,N'-bis(1
      ethylpropyl)-perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide (PDI) acceptor. Despite
      the strong spectral overlap between the PDI excimer PL emission and UV-vis
      absorption of PBDTTT-CT, two main observations indicate that no significant ET
      component operates in the overall PL quenching: the PL intensity of the PDI
      excimer (i) increases with decreasing temperature and (ii) remains unaffected
      even in the presence of 10 wt % content of the PBDTTT-CT quencher. Temperature
      dependent wide-angle X-ray scattering experiments further indicate that
      nonradiative resonance ET is highly improbable due to the large size of PDI
      domains. The dominance of the CT over the ET process is verified by the high
      performance of devices with an optimum composition of 30:70 PBDTTT-CT:PDI. By
      adding 0.4 vol % of 1,8-diiodooctane we verify the plasticization of the polymer
      side chains that balances the charge transport properties of the PBDTTT-CT:PDI
      composite and results in additional improvement in the device efficiency. The
      temperature-dependent spectral width of the PDI excimer PL band suggests the
      presence of energetic disorder in the PDI excimer excited state manifold.

PMID- 26480855
TI  - Prevalence of hemoglobin S trait among blood donors: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sickle cell trait (SCT) or Hemoglobin S (HbS) trait which is due to
      inheritance of an abnormal hemoglobin (Hb) gene from one parent and a normal gene
      from the other has been known to be common among people of African descent.
      Individuals with SCT may find themselves in the blood donor population without
      knowing their 'carrier' status and this may have severe consequences on their
      health as well as that of a recipient, particularly if they happen to be a sickle
      cell disease patient. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of HbS
      trait among blood donors. RESULTS: This cross-sectional study employed
      convenience sampling method to recruit subjects. A total of 150 prospective and
      healthy blood donors comprising 138 males and 12 females were involved in the
      study. Two (2) ml of venous blood was collected from each donor into K(3)EDTA
      tubes and analyzed using the sodium metabisulphite slide test and cellulose
      acetate Hb electrophoresis at alkaline pH (8.6) for Hb genotypes. Statistical
      Package for Social Sciences version 20.0 (SPSS 20.0) and Chi square were used to
      analyse the data obtained. Out of the 150 blood donors, 133 (88.7 %) tested
      negative for sickling (131 were genotype AA and 2 were AC) and 17 (11.3 %) tested
      positive for sickling, all of whom were genotype AS. CONCLUSION: The results of
      the study showed the existence of SCT among the blood donor population sampled.
      Taking blood from such people can harm their health as well as that of the
      recipient if they happen to be sickle cell disease (SCD) patients. It is
      therefore recommended that blood donors as well as donated blood units should be
      screened for SCT to avoid causing any harm to both the donor and recipient.

PMID- 26480856
TI  - My older patient with cancer reports falls: What should I do?
AB  - Falling is one of the major geriatric syndromes, with a multi-factorial
      pathogenesis due to age-related changes, pathological conditions and
      environmental hazards. Such a multi-factorial syndrome needs a standardized
      approach aimed at identifying risk factors. A comprehensive loco-motor, gait and
      standing balance, cardiovascular and neurological assessment, as well as a drugs
      regimens review, should be part of the routinely approach. Modification of
      environmental hazards, exercise training, behavioral and pharmacological
      treatment of specific diseases which can be the leading cause of falls, should
      all be part of an individualized intervention. Particular attention should be
      paid in the evaluation of unexplained falls, which can mask hypotensive or
      arrhythmic syncope. 

PMID- 26480857
TI  - Simple reaction time in 8-9-year old children environmentally exposed to PCBs.
AB  - Simple reaction time (SRT) has been studied in children exposed to
      polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), with variable results. In the current work we
      examined SRT in 146 boys and 161 girls, aged 8.53 +/- 0.65 years (mean +/- SD),
      exposed to PCBs in the environment of eastern Slovakia. We divided the children
      into tertiles with regard to increasing PCB serum concentration. The mean +/- SEM
      serum concentration of the sum of 15 PCB congeners was 191.15 +/- 5.39, 419.23 +/
      8.47, and 1315.12 +/- 92.57 ng/g lipids in children of the first, second, and
      third tertiles, respectively. We created probability distribution plots for each
      child from their multiple trials of the SRT testing. We fitted response time
      distributions from all valid trials with the ex-Gaussian function, a convolution
      of a normal and an additional exponential function, providing estimates of three
      independent parameters MU, sigma, and tau. MU is the mean of the normal
      component, sigma is the standard deviation of the normal component, and tau is
      the mean of the exponential component. Group response time distributions were
      calculated using the Vincent averaging technique. A Q-Q plot comparing
      probability distribution of the first vs. third tertile indicated that deviation
      of the quantiles of the latter tertile from those of the former begins at the
      40th percentile and does not show a positive acceleration. This was confirmed in
      comparison of the ex-Gaussian parameters of these two tertiles adjusted for sex,
      age, Raven IQ of the child, mother's and father's education, behavior at home and
      school, and BMI: the results showed that the parameters MU and tau significantly
      (p <= 0.05) increased with PCB exposure. Similar increases of the ex-Gaussian
      parameter tau in children suffering from ADHD have been previously reported and
      interpreted as intermittent attentional lapses, but were not seen in our cohort.
      Our study has confirmed that environmental exposure of children to PCBs is
      associated with prolongation of simple reaction time reflecting impairment of
      cognitive functions.

PMID- 26480859
TI  - Combining Systemic Therapies with Radiation in Non small Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - Radiotherapy has been the mainstay of treatment of stage III nonsmall cell lung
      cancer patients. In the early 90s, combined treatment with chemotherapy was
      introduced. In 1995, a meta-analysis showed improved treatment outcome of the
      sequential use of cisplatin-based chemotherapy and radiotherapy compared to
      radiotherapy alone. Subsequent randomized studies and two meta-analyses
      demonstrated that concurrent radiochemotherapy is superior (local control and
      overall survival) to sequential usage of both method. However, several questions
      remain unanswered concerning the optimal chemotherapy regimen and radiotherapy
      doses and techniques in terms of treatment outcome and toxicity profile. Targeted
      therapies represent a new class of drugs, which interfere with specific molecular
      targets (typically proteins) playing critical roles in tumor growth and
      progression. Some combinations appear to be too toxic, such as the vascular
      epithelial growth factor antibody bevacizumab. The feasibility of adding the
      epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor cetuximab has been recently reported
      for nonsmall cell lung cancer patients. Strategies to incorporate safely novel
      antiangiogenic agents into combined- modality therapy in lung cancer are needed.
      Hopefully, rapid development of molecular oncology will contribute to better
      patient selection to particular strategies and to treatment optimization.
      Increasing radiotherapy doses applied according to up -to -date techniques and
      combinations with new biologicals might lead to further treatment improvements.

PMID- 26480858
TI  - Lactational exposure of mice to low levels of non-dioxin-like polychlorinated
      biphenyls increases susceptibility to neuronal stress at a mature age.
AB  - Lactational exposure to low levels of the sum of the six indicator
      polychlorinated biphenyls (Sigma6 NDL-PCBs, 10ng/kg/day) is known to lead to
      persistent anxious behavior in young and adult offspring mice at postnatal days
      40 and 160, respectively. At more advanced life stages, we evaluated the effects
      on the mouse brain of neuronal stress induced by the synaptotoxic amyloid-beta
      (Abeta) peptide. Perinatal exposure of lactating mice to Sigma6 NDL-PCBs did not
      affect short-term memory performances of their offspring male mice aged 14 months
      as compared to control PCB-naive mice. However, following intracerebroventricular
      injection of soluble Abeta oligomers, significant impairments in long-term memory
      were detected in the mice that had been lactationally treated with Sigma6 NDL
      PCBs. In addition, immunoblot analyses of the synaptosomal fraction of
      hippocampal tissues from treated mice revealed a lower expression of the synaptic
      proteins synaptophysin and PSD-95. Though preliminary, our findings suggest for
      the first time that early exposure to low levels of NDL-PCBs induce late neuronal
      vulnerability to amyloid stress. Additional experiments are needed to confirm
      whether early environmental influences are involved in the etiology of brain
      aging and cognitive decline. 

PMID- 26480860
TI  - [Methods of Assesing Quality of Life in Women with Breast Cancer -  Overview and
      Basic Characteristics].
AB  - BACKGROUND: For the assessment of health -related quality of life (HRQOL) in
      women with diagnosis of breast carcinoma, patient-eported outcome measures are
      reported that allow subjective assessment of quality of life related to health
      status and satisfaction with treatment and medical care. However, their research
      use is still limited by the low availability of reliable and valid tools tested
      on samples of specific populations with malignant disease. AIM: The aim of the
      article is to provide review and short description of available instruments
      related to HRQOL of patients with a history of treatment for breast cancer with
      evidence of validation in the breast cancer population. RESULTS: In this review
      15 validated patientreported outcome measures are presented specifically relating
      to HRQOL in women with breast carcinoma. CONCLUSION: Most of the presented
      measures are suitable in research and clinical trials but not for individual use
      in clinical practice. Most of the specific measures for assessing HRQOL in
      patients with breast cancer are not yet available in Czech language and Czech
      cultural environment adapted versions. Research versions of some of these
      measures are available in Czech, but these methods have not yet been validated in
      the Czech Republic. Lack of available tools for use in our conditions means
      significant limiting factor for research as well as for clinical practice in the
      Czech Republic. On the other hand, it also offers great scope for validation
      studies.

PMID- 26480861
TI  - [The Relevance of MicroRNAs in Glioblastoma Stem Cells].
AB  - Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common intracranial malignity of astrocyte
      origin in adults. Despite complex therapy consisting of maximal surgical
      resection, adjuvant concomitant chemoradiotherapy with temozolomide followed by
      temozolomide in monotherapy, the median of survival ranges between 12 and 15
      months from dia-gnosis. This infaust prognosis is very often caused by both
      impossibility of achieving of sufficient radical surgical resection and tumor
      resistance to adjuvant therapy, which relates to the presence of glioblastoma
      stem cells. Similarly to normal stem cells, glioblastoma stem cells are capable
      of self -renewal, differentiation, and unlimited slow proliferation. Their
      resistance to conventional therapy is also due to higher expressions of DNA
      repair enzymes, antiapoptotic factors and multidrug transporters. Therefore,
      targeting these unique properties could be a novel promising therapeutic approach
      leading to more effective therapy and better prognosis of glioblastoma multiforme
      patients. One of the approaches how to successfully regulate above -mentioned
      properties is targeted regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs). These small noncoding
      RNA molecules posttranscriptionally regulate expression of more than 2/ 3 of all
      human genes that are also involved in stem cell associated signaling pathways.
      Moreover, deregulated expression of some miRNAs has been observed in many
      cancers, including glioblastoma multiforme.

PMID- 26480862
TI  - [Surgical Treatment of Lung Metastases of Colorectal Carcinoma -  Survival and
      Prognostic Factors].
AB  - BACKROUND: Colorectal carcinoma has the third highest incidence of all tumor
      diseases in the world. In the long term, Slovak republic is among countries with
      highest occurrence of this disease. About 25% of patients have distant metastases
      at the time of diagnosis, and about 50% of patients progress. The first
      possibility of colorectal carcinoma lung metastases treatment is metastasectomy
      which may have a curative character. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this paper, the
      authors retrospectively evaluated 50 patients who had undergone surgical
      treatment to establish the diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma lung metastases at
      the Clinic of thoracic surgery of JLF UK and UH Martin between 2003 and 2014.
      RESULTS: Altogether, 27 men and 23 women were operated (average age: 62 and 61
      years). 52% of patients had solitary metastasis.We chose thoracotomy as a
      surgical access for majority of the surgeries (76%), and the most common type of
      surgical procedure was a wedge resection (74%). 3-year survival of patients after
      complete metastasectomy was 55.5%, and 5-year survival was 31.8% with a median
      survival of 42 months. We did not record any statistically significant influence
      of number of metastases (p = 0.3297) and length of disease-free interval (p =
      0.4423) on the long-term survival, but we confirmed a significant difference of
      survival in different prognostic groups according to the International registry
      of lung metastases (p = 0.049). CONCLUSION: A surgical removal of colorectal
      carcinoma lung metastases in selected patients is an important curative modality
      that might prolongsurvival, improve the prognosis and at the same time have
      minimum complications. The results show that the strongest predicative indicator
      of prognosis is incorporation of the patients to the prognostic groups determined
      by the International Registry of Lung Metastases.

PMID- 26480863
TI  - Utilization of Prognostic Indexes for Patients with Brain Metastases in Daily
      Radiotherapy Routine -  is the Complexity and Intricacy Still an Issue?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many prognostic indexes are available for patients with brain
      metastases in order to estimate remaining lifetime before selection of
      appropriate treatment including palliative radiotherapy. Their routine
      utilization is often deprecated for their complexity. We developed a practical
      tool based on widely available spreadsheet editors for facilitation of daily
      clinical use of selected indexes (RPA, GPA and WBRT 30) and evaluated its usage
      for retrospective single institutional survival analysis of patients irradiated
      for brain metastases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Spreadsheet platform was prepared and
      adjusted for automatic calculation of selected prognostic indexes after input of
      the relevant parameters. The consecutive series of newly diagnosed patients
      referred during 2011 to the palliative brain radiotherapy were analyzed, and real
      calculated survival parameters of individual subgroups of RPA, GPA and WBRT 30
      were compared with estimated ones. Correlation of radiotherapy technique and
      estimated survival at the time of treatment indication was evaluated. RESULTS:
      Total of 121 patients (61% with multiple metastases) were irradiated with the
      majority undergoing whole brain radiotherapy. Median overall survival from the
      time of radiotherapy indication was 3.13 months. Non balanced distribution into
      individual scoring systems subgroups was observed with 8 (7%), 89 (73%) and 24
      (20%) patients assigned to RPA 1, 2 and 3 subgroup, 3 (3%), 9 (7%), 57 (47%) and
      52 (43%) patients assigned to GPA 3.5- 4, GPA 3.0, GPA 1.5- 2.5 and GPA 0- 1.0
      subgroup and 10 (8%), 88 (73%) and 23 (19%) patients assigned to WBRT 30 subgroup
      D, B and A. Entire differences in overall survival between subgroups are
      significant among all three scoring systems. CONCLUSION: Routine calculation of
      available prognostic indexes is useful in decision making regarding the best
      radiotherapy of brain metastases, and their calculation is greatly facilitated by
      properly prepared widely available spreadsheet tools.

PMID- 26480864
TI  - [Assessment of Heavy/ Light Chain Pairs of Immunoglobulin (Hevylite assay) - 
      Benefit for Stratification of Multiple Myeloma?].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was the comparison of two novel stratification
      models in multiple myeloma (MM), ie. according to Avet- Loiseau (A L) and
      according to Ludwig (L), based on the HLC r index (ratio of serum levels of
      involved- HLC/ uninvolved HLC, ie. HLC kappa/ HLC  lambda assessed using ie.
      nephelometric/turbidimetric technique using specific polyclonal antibodies on a
      Binding Site SPA(PLUS)) technique) and beta(2) microglobulin (beta(2) M) with
      selected prognostic factors (PF) of MM and staging systems according to Durie-
      Salmon (D S) and International Staging System (ISS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a
      cohort of 132 patients (94 with IgG and 38 with IgA type of MM) at the time of
      dia-gnosis, we assessed HLC r, select-ed PF and D S, ISS, A L and L
      stratification systems. RESULTS: Unlike in IgA isotype, in IgG isotype we found a
      significant relationship of HLC r to stratification according to D S and ISS with
      the difference between A and B substages according to D S (p = 0.049) and between
      ISS stages 1 vs. 3 (p = 0.001). In the IgG group, there was highly significant
      relationship of the depth of Hb and albumin decrease and beta(2) M increase to
      the results of stratification according to ISS, A L and L model (p < 0.0001),
      increase of LDH in the ISS system and A L, and creatinine according to ISS and L
      but not the relationship of the stages according to any of the stratification
      systems to the values of FLC r (ratio of serum free light chains kappa/ lambda of
      immunoglobulin), thrombocytes and Ca. In the IgA type, there was a significant
      relationship of the depth of the decrease of Hb, thrombocytes, albumin and
      increase of beta(2) M to the results of stratification according to ISS, A L and
      L and increase of creatinine in the case of ISS, but not of the values of FLC r,
      Ca and LDH in the case of any of the stratification systems. The degree of
      correlation of selected PF, especially of Hb, albumin and beta(2) M, event. of
      thrombocytes, LDH and creatinine to the stages according to ISS and to stage 1-3
      according to A L and L model was in IgG vs IgA isotype significantly different (p
      < 0.0001- 0.030). Staging system according to ISS had proportional distribution
      of stages 1- 3, whereas in the A L model prevailed in IgA and IgG isotype risk
      category 2, ie. intermediate-risk (47.3 and 44.7%) and in the L model prevailed
      risk category 3, ie. high-risk (41.5 and 52.6%) with low count of category 1, ie.
      low- risk category (23.4 and 10.5%). McNemar- Bowker test of symmetry showed in
      both types of MM the highest concordance between the stratification according to
      D S and L in category 3, ie. high-risk (31.9 vs. 28.9%) with overall accord only
      in 53.2 and 42.1% and with significant shift in the case of IgG isotype only (p =
      0.036). In IgG and IgA isotype there was an overall concordance in the
      distribution of categories 1- 3 according to ISS vs. A L (62.4 and 63.2%) but
      with significant shift of the stratification (p = 0.002 and 0.028). In the case
      of IgG and IgA isotype there was a close relationship between the models A L and
      L (64.5 and 81.6%) with significant stratification shift (p < 0.0001 and 0.030).
      CONCLUSION: The new stratification models for MM according to A L and L are
      easily practically applicable, with close relationship to principal PF but they
      need separate assessment of IgG and IgA isotypes of MM. The choice of optimal
      model for routine practice needs a validation study aimed at progression free
      survival and overall survival.

PMID- 26480865
TI  - Forbidden to Drive -  a New Chemotherapy Side Effect.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Capecitabine is an oral antineoplastic agent classified as a
      pyrimidin analogue. It is widely used in different types of cancers.
      Unfortunately, it does not come without a cost, as the drug may have adverse
      effects - largely diarrhea, but also hand -foot syndrome and loss of fingerprints
      in extreme cases. CASE: We report a case of a 47-year-old male, which had been
      diagnosed with metastatic rectal cancer and received capecitabine, developing a
      severe hand foot syndrome which led him to lose his fingerprints in spite of
      complete resolution of the syndrome after stoppage of the drug. CONCLUSION: This
      case highlights a rare condition that, even though not precisely a disease per
      se, may hinder patients quality of life and must be recognised by the treating
      physician as an treatment related side effect.

PMID- 26480866
TI  - Lung cancer survival in Germany: A population-based analysis of 132,612 lung
      cancer patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Lung cancer is the most common cancer-related death worldwide. In
      Germany it accounts for 25% of cancer deaths in men, and 14% in women. The aim of
      this study is to provide an overview of 5-year relative survival by sex, age,
      histology, and tumour stage in Germany representing a population of 26.7 million
      people. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study is based on a pooled German dataset
      including data from 12 population-based cancer registries covering around one
      third of the German population. A total of 132,612 patients diagnosed with lung
      cancer from 2002 to 2010 were included in the analysis. Survival estimates for
      the time period 2007-2010 were calculated using period analysis. Differences in
      survival between sexes were tested for statistical significance by model-based
      period analysis (poisson regression model). The relative excess risk (RER) of
      death (women vs. men) was extracted from the model with the p value for the
      difference in RER. RESULTS: The overall age adjusted 5-year relative survival was
      15.5% (standard error (SE) 0.2) for men and 20.3% (SE 0.3) in women. Survival
      differed markedly according to age (men: <60 years 18.5% vs. 80+ years 8.4% and
      women 23.7% vs. 10.6%, respectively), histology (largest difference between
      histological groups: men 25.7 and women 44.4% points) and stage (men: UICC Ia
      62.9%, vs. UICC IV 4.6% and women 75.2% vs. 7.0%, respectively). Our study showed
      survival advantages for women compared to men, most notably in younger aged
      patients (RER 0.83, p<0.0001), patients with adenocarcinoma (RER 0.80, p<0.0001),
      and patients with lower stage cancer (RER 0.62, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This
      study presents up-to-date survival estimates for lung cancer in Germany. Compared
      to other European countries survival was relatively high. Women showed higher
      survival than men independent of age, histology and stage. The reasons for the
      survival differences require further clarification.

PMID- 26480867
TI  - An overview on fluid resuscitation and resuscitation endpoints in burns: Past,
      present and future. Part 1 - historical background, resuscitation fluid and
      adjunctive treatment.
AB  - An improved understanding of burn shock pathophysiology and subsequent
      development of fluid resuscitation strategies has led to dramatic outcome
      improvements in burn care during the 20th century. While organ hypoperfusion
      caused by inadequate resuscitation has become rare in clinical practice, there is
      growing concern that increased morbidity and mortality related to over
      resuscitation is occurring more frequently in burn care. In order to reduce
      complications related to this concept of "fluid creep", such as respiratory
      failure and compartment syndromes, efforts should be made to resuscitate with the
      least amount of fluid in order to provide adequate organ perfusion. In this first
      part of a concise review, historic and current evidence regarding the available
      fluids is discussed, as well as some adjunctive treatments modulating the
      inflammatory response. In the second part, special reference will be made to the
      role of abdominal hypertension in burn care and the endpoints used to guide fluid
      resuscitation will be discussed. Finally, as urine output has been recognized as
      a poor resuscitation target, a resuscitation protocol is suggested in part two
      which includes new targets and endpoints that can be obtained with modern, less
      invasive hemodynamic monitoring devices. 

PMID- 26480868
TI  - An overview on fluid resuscitation and resuscitation endpoints in burns: Past,
      present and future. Part 2 - avoiding complications by using the right endpoints
      with a new personalized protocolized approach.
AB  - While organ hypoperfusion caused by inadequate resuscitation has become rare in
      clinical practice due to the better understanding of burn shock pathophysiology,
      there is growing concern that increased morbidity and mortality related to over
      resuscitation induced by late 20th century resuscitation strategies based on
      urine output, is occurring more frequently in burn care. In order to reduce
      complications related to this concept of "fluid creep", such as respiratory
      failure and compartment syndromes, efforts should be made to resuscitate with the
      least amount of fluid to provide adequate organ perfusion. In this second part of
      a concise review, the different targets and endpoints used to guide fluid
      resuscitation are discussed. Special reference is made to the role of intra
      abdominal hypertension in burn care and adjunctive treatments modulating the
      inflammatory response. Finally, as urine output has been recognized as a poor
      resuscitation target, a new personalized stepwise resuscitation protocol is
      suggested which includes targets and endpoints that can be obtained with modern,
      less invasive hemodynamic monitoring devices like transpulmonary thermodilution. 

PMID- 26480869
TI  - Striatal NELF-mediated RNA polymerase II stalling controls L-dopa induced
      dyskinesia.
AB  - Long-term l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-Dopa) treatment in Parkinson's disease
      leads to involuntary movements called dyskinesia, notably through an
      overexpression of immediate-early genes (IEG). Their rapid transcription involves
      the stalling of RNA polymerase II on IEG promoters, a mechanism that critically
      depends on the presence of the negative elongation factor (NELF) protein complex.
      We here down-regulated the key NELF-E subunit using lentiviral vector delivery of
      a short hairpin RNA in the striatum of 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats. Such NELF
      E reduced expression significantly attenuated the development of abnormal
      involuntary movements in response to chronic L-Dopa treatment. Effectiveness of
      silencing was demonstrated by the significant decrease in striatal ?FosB, ARC and
      Zif268 IEG expression. Repression of NELF-mediating RNA polymerase II stalling
      thus achieves both antidyskinetic and potentiation of antiparkinsonian L-Dopa
      effect, highlighting the role of transcriptional events in dyskinesia
      establishment, acute dyskinetic manifestation and in the therapeutic response to
      L-Dopa.

PMID- 26480870
TI  - Anthropometry, muscular strength and aerobic capacity up to 5 years after
      pediatric burns.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Physical functioning is of major importance after burns in many areas
      of life, in both the short and the long term. This cross-sectional study aimed to
      describe anthropometry, muscular strength and aerobic capacity in children and
      adolescents between 0.5-5 years after burns over 10% TBSA. PROCEDURES:
      Assessments took place in a mobile exercise lab. Demographics, burn
      characteristics and anthropometrics were recorded. Muscular strength in six
      muscle groups was measured using hand-held dynamometry and aerobic capacity was
      measured with a graded cardiopulmonary exercise test. Subjects' scores were
      compared with Dutch age- and gender-matched norm values and converted to Z
      scores. RESULTS: The assessments were completed by 24 subjects with pediatric
      burns ranging from 10 to 41% TBSA and time after burn from 1 to 5 years (58.3%
      male; 6-18 years). On group level, no significant differences between the
      subjects' scores and norm values were found. No trends were seen indicating an
      effect of extent of burn or time after burn. Individually, eight subjects
      (33.3%), mostly aged 6 or 7, showed significantly low performance on at least one
      variable: seven for strength, one for aerobic capacity and one for both.
      CONCLUSION: Anthropometry, muscular strength and aerobic capacity are adequate in
      the majority of Dutch children and adolescents 1-5 years after 10-41% TBSA burns.

PMID- 26480872
TI  - Structured data quality reports to improve EHR data quality.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine whether a structured data quality report (SDQR) and
      feedback sessions with practice principals and managers improve the quality of
      routinely collected data in EHRs. METHODS: The intervention was conducted in four
      general practices participating in the Fairfield neighborhood electronic Practice
      Based Research Network (ePBRN). Data were extracted from their clinical
      information systems and summarised as a SDQR to guide feedback to practice
      principals and managers at 0, 4, 8 and 12 months. Data quality (DQ) metrics
      included completeness, correctness, consistency and duplication of patient
      records. Information on data recording practices, data quality improvement, and
      utility of SDQRs was collected at the feedback sessions at the practices. The
      main outcome measure was change in the recording of clinical information and
      level of meeting Royal Australian College of General Practice (RACGP) targets.
      RESULTS: Birth date was 100% and gender 99% complete at baseline and maintained.
      DQ of all variables measured improved significantly (p<0.01) over 12 months, but
      was not sufficient to comply with RACGP standards. Improvement was greatest with
      allergies. There was no significant change in duplicate records. CONCLUSIONS:
      SDQRs and feedback sessions support general practitioners and practice managers
      to focus on improving the recording of patient information. However, improved
      practice DQ, was not sufficient to meet RACGP targets. Randomised controlled
      studies are required to evaluate strategies to improve data quality and any
      associated improved safety and quality of care.

PMID- 26480873
TI  - Teaching Neuroimages: Cerebral Fat Embolism After Cemented Hip Replacement.

PMID- 26480874
TI  - ?
AB  - There is an ongoing discussion about reimbursement of stent-angioplasty for the
      treatment of intracranial stenoses in Germany. The discussion was initiated by
      the statutory health insurance companies after publication of the SAMMPRIS study
      results, which were in favor for medical management compared to stent-angioplasty
      with the Wingspan(r) stent system. A report (Rapid report N14-01) mainly based on
      SAMMPRIS was written by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health
      Care (IQWiG) and serves as a basis for the decision-making process. This report
      was previously commented by the medical societies involved. Limitations of the
      SAMMPRIS trial and vital indications for intracranial stenting were outlined in
      this comment (acute vessel occlusion, hemodynamic impairment, recurrent symptoms
      under medical treatment).Currently also emergency stent procedures are a matter
      of debate. In this context a second IQWiG report was commissioned (GA 15 - 02)
      addressing the results of the VISSIT trial, the transferability of the results of
      the first report to emergency treatments and the practice of emergency
      intracranial stent treatment in Germany6. Regarding transferability of results
      the main conclusion was that there was no evidence that the results of the
      studies analyzed for the first report (mainly SAMMPRIS) could not be transferred
      to emergency treatments. From a medical professional and scientific standpoint it
      is inacceptable to compare outcomes of a secondary prophylactic treatment with
      emergency procedures. The analysis of emergency treatments in Germany based on
      retrospective case series with a cumulative number of 31 patients. Since most
      emergency procedures are performed in a clinical context and are not necessarily
      subject to scientific evaluation, this does not reflect current practice in
      Germany.The first part of this statement briefly outlines the design of SAMMPRIS
      and VISSIT and the interpretation of the trial results from a professional
      perspective. The current state of discussion regarding reimbursement of
      intracranial stenting is summarized. The second section contains a detailed
      comment on the current IQWiG report GA15-02 "Stents for the treatment of
      intracranial artery stenosis: VISSIT study and acute treatment in Germany".

PMID- 26480871
TI  - Re-engineering a neuroprotective, clinical drug as a procognitive agent with high
      in vivo potency and with GABAA potentiating activity for use in dementia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Synaptic dysfunction is a key event in pathogenesis of
      neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) where synapse loss
      pathologically correlates with cognitive decline and dementia. Although evidence
      suggests that aberrant protein production and aggregation are the causative
      factors in familial subsets of such diseases, drugs singularly targeting these
      hallmark proteins, such as amyloid-beta, have failed in late stage clinical
      trials. Therefore, to provide a successful disease-modifying compound and address
      synaptic dysfunction and memory loss in AD and mixed pathology dementia, we
      repurposed a clinically proven drug, CMZ, with neuroprotective and anti
      inflammatory properties via addition of nitric oxide (NO) and cGMP signaling
      property. RESULTS: The novel compound, NMZ, was shown to retain the GABAA
      potentiating actions of CMZ in vitro and sedative activity in vivo. Importantly,
      NMZ restored LTP in hippocampal slices from AD transgenic mice, whereas CMZ was
      without effect. NMZ reversed amnestic blockade of acetylcholine receptors by
      scopolamine as well as NMDA receptor blockade by a benzodiazepine and a NO
      synthase inhibitor in the step-through passive avoidance (STPA) test of learning
      and working memory. A PK/PD relationship was developed based on STPA analysis
      coupled with pharmacokinetic measures of drug levels in the brain: at 1 nM
      concentration in brain and plasma, NMZ was able to restore memory consolidation
      in mice. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that NMZ embodies a promising
      pharmacological approach targeting synaptic dysfunction and opens new avenues for
      neuroprotective intervention strategies in mixed pathology AD, neurodegeneration,
      and dementia.

PMID- 26480875
TI  - Challenges in randomized controlled trials and emerging multiple sclerosis
      therapeutics.
AB  - The remarkable global development of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) specific
      for multiple sclerosis (MS) has significantly reduced the frequency of relapse,
      slowed the progression of disability, and improved the quality of life in
      patients with MS. With increasing numbers of approved DMTs, neurologists in North
      America and Europe are able to present multiple treatment options to their
      patients to achieve a better therapeutic outcome, and in many cases, no evidence
      of disease activity. MS patients have improved accessibility to various DMTs at
      no or minimal out-of-pocket cost. The ethical guidelines defined by the Edinburgh
      revision of the Declaration of Helsinki strongly discourage the use of placebo
      control groups in modern MS clinical trials. The use of an active comparator
      control group increases the number of participants in each group that is
      essential to achieve statistical significance, thus further increasing the
      difficulty of completing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for the development
      of new MS therapies. There is evidence of a high prevalence of MS and a large
      number of patients in Asia. The belief of the existence of Asian types of MS that
      are distinct from Western types, and regulatory policies are among the reasons
      why DMTs are limited in most Asian countries. Lack of access to approved DMTs
      provides a good opportunity for clinical trials that are designed for the
      development of new MS therapies. Recently, data from RCTs have demonstrated
      excellent recruitment of participants and the completion of multi-nation and
      single-nation MS trials within this region. Recent studies using the McDonald MS
      diagnostic criteria carefully excluded patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO)
      and NMO spectrum disorder, and demonstrated that patients with MS in Asia have
      clinical characteristics and treatment responses similar to those in Western
      countries.

PMID- 26480876
TI  - Cortico-centric effects of general anesthetics on cerebrocortical evoked
      potentials.
AB  - Despite their ubiquitous use for rendering patients unconscious for surgery, our
      understanding of how general anesthetics cause hypnosis remains rudimentary at
      best. Recent years have seen increased interest in "top-down" cortico-centric
      theories of anesthetic action. The aim of this study was to explore this by
      investigating direct cortical effects of anesthetics on cerebrocortical evoked
      potentials in isolated mouse brain slices. Evoked potentials were elicited in
      cortical layer IV by electrical stimulation of the underlying white matter. The
      effects of three anesthetics (ketamine, etomidate, and isoflurane) on the
      amplitude, latency, and slope of short-latency evoked potentials were quantified.
      The N2/P3/N4 potentials-which represent the early cortical response-were enhanced
      by etomidate (increased P3-N4 slope, P <0.01), maintained by ketamine, and
      reduced by isoflurane (lower N2/P3 amplitude, P <0.01). These effects closely
      resemble those seen in vivo for the same drugs and point to a cortical mechanism
      independent of effects on subcortical structures such as the thalamus.

PMID- 26480877
TI  - Neer Award 2015: A randomized, prospective evaluation on the effectiveness of
      tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss after total shoulder arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an antifibrinolytic agent that has been
      shown to significantly reduce blood loss and transfusion requirements after total
      knee and hip arthroplasty. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect
      of TXA on postoperative blood loss after shoulder arthroplasty. METHODS: A total
      of 111 patients (62 women; average age, 67 years) who underwent shoulder
      arthroplasty were prospectively randomized in double-blinded fashion to receive
      either 100 mL of normal saline or 100 mL of normal saline with 2 g TXA by topical
      application into the wound at the completion of the case. All patients received a
      postoperative drain. Drain output representing postoperative blood loss,
      transfusion requirements, and change in hemoglobin level were recorded. All
      postoperative complications were noted. RESULTS: The average blood loss recorded
      after surgery was 170 mL in the placebo group and 108 mL in the TXA group (P =
      .017). The average change in hemoglobin level was 2.6 g/dL in the placebo group
      and 1.7 g/dL in the TXA group (P < .001). There were no transfusion requirements
      or postoperative complications noted in either group. DISCUSSION: In this cohort
      of patients, those treated with TXA experienced a significantly lower amount of
      postoperative blood loss and a significantly smaller change in hemoglobin level
      compared with those treated with placebo. Further work is required to determine
      the effectiveness and clinical significance of TXA in reducing transfusion
      requirements in shoulder arthroplasty and, more specifically, shoulder
      arthroplasty performed for complicated patients or for trauma and fracture
      patients.

PMID- 26480878
TI  - The efficacy of celecoxib in preventing heterotopic ossification recurrence after
      open arthrolysis for post-traumatic elbow stiffness in adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heterotopic ossification (HO) recurrence after joint surgery is
      always a disturbing problem for patients and surgeons. Our study was performed to
      assess the efficacy and safety of celecoxib in preventing the recurrence of HO
      after open arthrolysis for post-traumatic elbow stiffness. METHODS: We
      retrospectively studied 152 patients with stiff elbows caused by post-traumatic
      HO. After surgery, 77 patients received celecoxib (200 mg once daily) for 28
      days, whereas 75 did not. Radiographic evaluation was performed at 3, 6, and 9
      months postoperatively. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to
      determine which factors affected HO recurrence. RESULTS: HO was both more common
      and more severe in the no-celecoxib group than in the celecoxib group at 3, 6,
      and 9 months after surgery. A significant difference was observed between the 2
      groups in terms of postoperative extension (P = .030), flexion (P = .008), and
      pronation (P = .005); however, no significant difference in postoperative
      supination was noted (P = .622). Logistic regression analysis showed that taking
      celecoxib was the protective factor for HO recurrence, whereas overweight (body
      mass index > 25) and male gender were the risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: A short
      course of celecoxib aids in the prevention of HO recurrence after open
      arthrolysis for elbow stiffness in adults and could be an effective and safe
      option.

PMID- 26480879
TI  - Is minimally invasive plating osteosynthesis for humeral shaft fracture
      advantageous compared with the conventional open technique?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) technique has been
      described and used effectively in humeral shaft fractures. However, the
      postoperative deformity resulting from malreduction with the minimally invasive
      technique has not received adequate attention. The purpose of this study was to
      evaluate the postoperative malrotation and the functional results of the MIPO
      technique and conventional plating in open reduction and internal fixation after
      humeral shaft fracture. METHODS: A prospective cohort research was performed; 53
      cases of humeral shaft fractures in a level I trauma center were included and
      allocated into group I for open reduction and internal fixation or group II for
      MIPO. Computed tomography was used to measure the postoperative malrotation. The
      status of the union, functional scoring, and muscle strength were recorded at 12
      months after surgery. RESULTS: Both groups exhibited satisfactory union results
      and final shoulder function scoring. Shoulder girdle musculature of both groups
      exhibited considerable strength loss with no obvious intergroup discrepancy, with
      greater internal rotation strength loss compared with external rotation. A
      significantly increased incidence of postoperative malrotation >20 degrees  was
      observed in the MIPO group (40.9% vs. 0%; P < .01). A linear correlation between
      postoperative malrotation and range of rotation loss was observed. CONCLUSIONS:
      The MIPO technique might be advantageous as a cosmetic consideration; however, it
      did not improve postoperative function and strength restoration results more than
      the open technique. Moreover, MIPO was associated with greater postoperative
      malrotation, which was considered to be correlated with subsequent long-term
      shoulder degeneration.

PMID- 26480880
TI  - Short-term clinical results of arthroscopic osteochondral fixation for elbow
      osteochondritis dissecans in teenaged baseball players.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reports regarding arthroscopic fixation of the osteochondral
      fragments for elbow osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) are few. This study assessed
      the clinical outcomes of arthroscopic fixation of unstable osteochondral
      fragments by using absorbable pins over a postoperative period of at least 1
      year. METHODS: The patients were 13 adolescent baseball players with a mean age
      of 14 years (range, 12-16 years) who underwent OCD of primary lesions at
      International Cartilage Repair Society grades III and IV. The patients were
      evaluated by using validated outcome measures at a mean follow-up period of 24
      months (range, 12-50 months). RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation) score in the
      disability/symptom section of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand
      improved from 12.4 (6.0) before the surgery to 0.5 (1.2) after the surgery, and
      the sports section improved from 74.5 (25.4) to 1.4 (5.2). The mean (standard
      deviation) extension improved from -11 degrees  (10.8) to -2 degrees  (3.9; P <
      .001). The mean (SD) flexion improved from 129 degrees  (11.6) to 137 degrees 
      (5.6; P = .040). All patients were able to resume playing baseball, and 9 (69%)
      resumed playing at the same position as before their injuries. CONCLUSIONS: The
      clinical results of arthroscopic osteochondral fragment fixation in the teenaged
      baseball players with elbow OCD, albeit obtained over only a short period, were
      favorable. This arthroscopic treatment enables repair of lesions and is
      considered appropriate for unstable OCD during the adolescent growth spurt.

PMID- 26480881
TI  - Elbow arthrodesis for post-traumatic sequelae: surgical tactics using the
      Ilizarov frame.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical arthrodesis of the elbow joint is frequently unsuccessful
      and rarely performed. It is the purpose of this article to evaluate tactics and
      different constructs to achieve elbow arthrodesis (EA) using the Ilizarov
      apparatus in patients with post-traumatic nonreconstructable elbow sequelae.
      METHODS: A consecutive series of 4 patients were treated between 2009 and 2013 (3
      men and 1 woman; mean age, 46.7 [35-75] years). Two patients had late
      complications in total elbow replacement and developed nonunion after condylar
      fractures of the distal humerus. There were 3 ulnohumeral arthrodeses and 1
      radiohumeral arthrodesis. The hybrid advanced Ilizarov technique was used in all
      cases. RESULTS: Complete union was obtained in 3 EAs (75%) without additional
      surgery at an average of 23 weeks. Fusion angles ranged from 90 degrees  to 120
      degrees . One patient required amputation above the elbow because of persistent
      infection and chronic pain after attempted reconstruction with distraction
      osteogenesis for infected total elbow replacement with humeral bone loss. The
      average length of follow-up after EA was 33 months (range, 18-60 months). At
      final follow-up, the median score of the shortened Disabilities of the Arm,
      Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire was 42.4 (27.3-52.2). Three patients returned to
      their working activities. CONCLUSIONS: EA is not a common orthopedic procedure.
      Despite its difficulties and need of specific training, the Ilizarov technique
      provides a reproducible and reliable way of achieving solid fusion with the
      desired angle. Advantages include infection control, early mobilization, accurate
      application, convertibility and versatility compared with a monolateral fixator,
      and improved union rate.

PMID- 26480882
TI  - Regarding "Surgical treatment of displaced middle-third clavicular fractures: a
      prospective, randomized trial in a working compensation population".

PMID- 26480883
TI  - Response to Letter to the Editor regarding "Surgical treatment of displaced
      middle-third clavicular fractures: a prospective, randomized trial in a working
      compensation population".

PMID- 26480884
TI  - Diarrhea and Weight Loss in a 67-Year-Old Man.

PMID- 26480885
TI  - Perianal Fistula, Weight Loss, and Skin Rash: Good Job Making the Diagnosis.

PMID- 26480886
TI  - Slow Growing Abdominal Mass Over 10 Years.

PMID- 26480887
TI  - Evaluation and Validation of the Detection of soluble Triggering Receptor
      Expressed on Myeloid Cells 1 by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent Assay.
AB  - Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM)-1 plays an important role
      in innate immune responses and is upregulated under infectious as well as non
      infectious conditions. In addition, a soluble TREM-1 variant (sTREM-1) is
      detectable in sera or bronchoalveolar-lavage fluids from patients. Currently,
      various studies are difficult to compare, since the methods of detection by
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) vary among different research groups.
      In this study, we compared three different s-TREM-1 specific ELISAs and
      identified individual assay characteristics finding notable differences in sTREM
      1 concentrations in part depending on the employed buffers. Investigating
      potential confounding factors for sTREM-1 detection, serum heat-inactivation (HI)
      showed improved recovery compared to non-HI (NHI) serum, reproducible by addition
      of complement and re-heat-inactivation. Hence we identified complement as a heat
      sensitive confounder in some sTREM-1 ELISAs. We conclude that it is difficult to
      directly compare data of several studies, in particular if different ELISAs are
      engaged. Immunoassays for research use only are in general hampered by lack of
      standardization. Further standardization is needed until sTREM-1 ELISA is capable
      for better reproducibility of studies and clinical application. 

PMID- 26480888
TI  - [Inhaled treatments: Choice of devices, systemic absorption of inhaled drugs and
      bitter taste receptors in the respiratory tract].
AB  - Inhaled drugs are now routinely prescribed in daily medical practice. Recent
      topics about these treatments have been developed during the fourth annual
      meeting of the Groupe de travail aerosoltherapie (GAT) of the French-speaking
      respiratory society (Societe de pneumologie de langue francaise). This article
      focuses mainly upon the choice of devices, systemic absorption of inhaled drugs
      and bitter taste receptors in the respiratory tract, a potential new target for
      drug development. 

PMID- 26480889
TI  - Eliminating the phrase "elective abortion": why language matters.
AB  - The phrase "elective abortion" is often used to describe induced abortions
      performed for reasons other than a direct, immediate threat to maternal physical
      health. We argue that the term "elective abortion" is variably defined,
      misrepresents the complexity and multiplicity of indications for abortion and
      perpetuates stigma. In practice, restricting access to abortion at the legal,
      regulatory or institutional level based on subjective perceptions of patient need
      constrains health care providers' ability to act according to their best clinical
      judgments and limits patient access to care. The phrase "elective abortion"
      should be eliminated from scientific and medical discourse to prevent further
      damage to the public understanding of the variety of indications for which women
      require expeditious and equitable access to induced abortion. 

PMID- 26480890
TI  - Women's experiences with doula support during first-trimester surgical abortion:
      a qualitative study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore how doula support influences women's experiences with first
      trimester surgical abortion. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted semistructured interviews
      with women given the option to receive doula support during first-trimester
      surgical abortion in a clinic that uses local anesthesia and does not routinely
      allow support people to be present during procedures. Dimensions explored
      included (a) reasons women did or did not choose doula support; (b) key aspects
      of the doula interaction; and (c) future directions for doula support in abortion
      care. Interviews were transcribed, and computer-assisted content analysis was
      performed; salient themes are presented. RESULTS: Thirty women were interviewed:
      19 received and 11 did not receive doula support. Reasons to accept doula support
      included (a) wanting companionship during the procedure and (b) being concerned
      about the procedure. Reasons to decline doula support included (a) a sense of
      stoicism and desiring privacy or (b) not wanting to add emotion to this event.
      Women who received doula support universally reported positive experiences with
      the verbal and physical techniques used by doulas during the procedure, and most
      women who declined doula support subsequently regretted not having a doula. Many
      women endorsed additional roles for doulas in abortion care, including addressing
      informational and emotional needs before and after the procedure. CONCLUSION:
      Women receiving first-trimester surgical abortion in this setting value doula
      support at the time of the procedure. This intervention has the potential to be
      further developed to help women address pre- and postabortion informational and
      emotional needs. IMPLICATIONS: In a setting that does not allow family or friends
      to be present during the abortion procedure, women highly valued the presence of
      trained abortion doulas. This study speaks to the importance of providing support
      to women during abortion care. Developing a volunteer doula service is one
      approach to addressing this need, especially in clinics that otherwise do not
      permit support people in the procedure room or for women who do not have a
      support person and desire one.

PMID- 26480892
TI  - InSAR analysis of surface deformation over permafrost to estimate active layer
      thickness based on one-dimensional heat transfer model of soils.
AB  - This paper presents a novel method to estimate active layer thickness (ALT) over
      permafrost based on InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) observation
      and the heat transfer model of soils. The time lags between the periodic feature
      of InSAR-observed surface deformation over permafrost and the meteorologically
      recorded temperatures are assumed to be the time intervals that the temperature
      maximum to diffuse from the ground surface downward to the bottom of the active
      layer. By exploiting the time lags and the one-dimensional heat transfer model of
      soils, we estimate the ALTs. Using the frozen soil region in southern Qinghai
      Tibet Plateau (QTP) as examples, we provided a conceptual demonstration of the
      estimation of the InSAR pixel-wise ALTs. In the case study, the ALTs are ranging
      from 1.02 to 3.14 m and with an average of 1.95 m. The results are compatible
      with those sparse ALT observations/estimations by traditional methods, while with
      extraordinary high spatial resolution at pixel level (~40 meter). The presented
      method is simple, and can potentially be used for deriving high-resolution ALTs
      in other remote areas similar to QTP, where only sparse observations are
      available now. 

PMID- 26480893
TI  - Optimizing the lifetimes of phenoxonium cations derived from vitamin E via
      structural modifications.
AB  - Systematic synthesis of a number of new phenolic compounds with structures
      similar to vitamin E led to the identification of several sterically hindered
      compounds that when electrochemically oxidised in acetonitrile in a -2e(-)/-H(+)
      process formed phenoxonium diamagnetic cations that were resistant to hydrolysis
      reactions. The reactivity of the phenoxonium ions was ascertained by performing
      cyclic voltammetric scans during the addition of carefully controlled quantities
      of water into acetonitrile solutions, with the data modelled using digital
      simulation techniques. 

PMID- 26480891
TI  - The cell competition-based high-throughput screening identifies small compounds
      that promote the elimination of RasV12-transformed cells from epithelia.
AB  - Recent studies have revealed that cell competition can occur between normal and
      transformed epithelial cells; normal epithelial cells recognize the presence of
      the neighboring transformed cells and actively eliminate them from epithelial
      tissues. Here, we have established a brand-new high-throughput screening platform
      that targets cell competition. By using this platform, we have identified
      Rebeccamycin as a hit compound that specifically promotes elimination of RasV12
      transformed cells from the epithelium, though after longer treatment it shows
      substantial cytotoxic effect against normal epithelial cells. Among several
      Rebeccamycin-derivative compounds, we have found that VC1-8 has least
      cytotoxicity against normal cells but shows the comparable effect on the
      elimination of transformed cells. This cell competition-promoting activity of VC1
      8 is observed both in vitro and ex vivo. These data demonstrate that the cell
      competition-based screening is a promising tool for the establishment of a novel
      type of cancer preventive medicine. 

PMID- 26480894
TI  - Effect of Bacillus subtilis CGMCC 1.1086 on the growth performance and intestinal
      microbiota of broilers.
AB  - AIMS: Probiotics have been proved to be the most preferred and effective
      alternative to antibiotics as growth promoter and pathogens inhibitor in poultry
      industry. In this study Bacillus subtilis CGMCC 1.1086 as a probiotic bacterium
      was administered in diet and its effects on both the growth performance and the
      caecal microbiota of broilers were evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 240
      male Arbor Acres (AA) broilers were randomly allocated into two treatment groups
      of basal diet without any addition of probiotics and basal diet containing B.
      subtilis CGMCC 1.1086. The body weight of broilers was measured individually at
      32, 39 and 46 days of bird age. Furthermore, MiSeq high-throughput sequencing
      analysis of 16S rRNA was used to investigate the bacterial community structure in
      the caeca of broilers. The results indicated that broilers receiving diet
      supplemented with B. subtilis CGMCC 1.1086 showed 27.7% higher daily weight gain
      than those of control during 2 weeks. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) of B.
      subtilis CGMCC 1.1086 group was also improved by 10.3%. In the caeca of broilers
      fed with B. subtilis CGMCC 1.1086, the relative abundance of Alistipes,
      Odoribacter, Ruminococcus, Blautia and Desulfovibrio were higher, while the
      potential pathogens such as Staphylococcus and Escherichia-Shigella were lower
      than those of control. CONCLUSIONS: The probiotic B. subtilis CGMCC 1.1086 can
      effectively improve the growth performance and FCR of broilers via the beneficial
      modulation of caecal microbiota. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The effect
      of B. subtilis on growth performance of broilers was evaluated and the
      relationship between growth and caecal microbiota was revealed. The results of
      this study help to promote application of probiotics in poultry industry.

PMID- 26480895
TI  - The salt-sensitive structure and zinc inhibition of Borrelia burgdorferi protease
      BbHtrA.
AB  - HtrA serine proteases are highly conserved and essential ATP-independent
      proteases with chaperone activity. Bacteria express a variable number of HtrA
      homologues that contribute to the virulence and pathogenicity of bacterial
      pathogens. Lyme disease spirochetes possess a single HtrA protease homologue,
      Borrelia burgdorferi HtrA (BbHtrA). Previous studies established that, like the
      human orthologue HtrA1, BbHtrA is proteolytically active against numerous
      extracellular proteins in vitro. In this study, we utilized size exclusion
      chromatography and blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE) to
      demonstrate BbHtrA oligomeric structures that were substrate independent and salt
      sensitive. Examination of the influence of transition metals on the activity of
      BbHtrA revealed that this protease is inhibited by Zn(2+) > Cu(2+) > Mn(2+).
      Extending this analysis to two other HtrA proteases, E. coli DegP and HtrA1,
      revealed that all three HtrA proteases were reversibly inhibited by ZnCl2 at all
      micro molar concentrations examined. Commercial inhibitors for HtrA proteases are
      not available and physiologic HtrA inhibitors are unknown. Our observation of
      conserved zinc inhibition of HtrA proteases will facilitate structural and
      functional studies of additional members of this important class of proteases.

PMID- 26480896
TI  - The relationship between C-reactive protein rs3091244 polymorphism and ankylosing
      spondylitis.
AB  - AIMS: Previous studies have shown that C-reactive protein (CRP) gene polymorphism
      can be related to inflammatory changes. The present study aimed to examine the
      association between CRP gene polymorphism and clinical and laboratory findings in
      ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 80
      patients, 40 with AS and 40 controls, were included in the study. Diagnosis of AS
      was made according to Assessment in AS International Working Group criteria. Bath
      Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis
      Functional Index, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index and Bath Ankylosing
      Spondylitis Radiology Index scores were evaluated. CRP gene C, A and T alleles
      were evaluated and were determined using the analysis of melting curves after
      real time polymerase chain reaction. The odds ratios were calculated for all
      alleles and haploids of the CRP gene. We investigated the relationship between
      the CRP polymorphism and clinical and laboratory findings. RESULTS: A, C, T
      allele frequencies in the control group were 15%, 57.5% and 27.5%. The allele
      frequencies in the AS group were 38%, 68.8% and 26.2%. While C and T allele
      frequencies were shown to be similar in the two groups, A allele frequency was
      higher in the AS group compared to the control group. The CC wild allele was
      42.5% in the control group and 47.5% in the AS group (P = 1.0). Odds ratios for
      the C allele were 1.6, for the CC haploid 1.2 and for the CT haploid 3.7. Chest
      expansion and finger-to-ground distance was better in the CRP gene polymorphism
      group compared to the no polymorphism group. CONCLUSION: The presence of the CRP
      gene CC wild haploid and C allele in patients may indicate an increased risk for
      AS.

PMID- 26480897
TI  - Kruppel-like factor 5 promotes apoptosis triggered by tumor necrosis factor alpha
      in LNCaP prostate cancer cells via up-regulation of mitogen-activated protein
      kinase kinase 7.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Kruppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) modulates multiple cell processes in
      different cancers. It is frequently deleted and inactivated in prostate cancer
      and may exert a tumor suppressor function. However, how KLF5 inhibits the
      progression of prostate cancer is still not clear. In the present study, we
      identified how KLF5 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) pathway, which can
      induce apoptosis in cancer, regulate each other in LNCaP prostate cancer cells.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: The expression of messenger RNA and protein was detected by
      real-time polymerase chain reaction assay and western blot analysis,
      respectively. To identify whether KLF5 regulates the activity of TNFalpha
      downstream pathway, we constructed a stable KLF5 knockdown or KLF5 overexpressing
      cell line with lentivirus-containing short hairpin RNA targeting KLF5 or full
      length KLF5 in LNCaP cells. Cell apoptosis was determined through flow cytometry
      assay. In addition, the regulation of KLF5 on target gene transcription was
      detected by reporter luciferase activity assay, and the binding of KLF5 on target
      promoter was detected through oligonucleotides pull-down analysis. RESULTS: We
      found that TNFalpha induced the expression of KLF5 at both messenger RNA and
      protein levels; moreover, TNFalpha up-regulated KLF5 through TNF receptor 1 but
      not through TNF receptor 2 in LNCaP cells. Knockdown of KLF5 decreased apoptosis
      induced by TNFalpha, whereas cell apoptosis was increased by KLF5 overexpression.
      Consistently, expression of cleaved PARP and caspase-3 induced by TNFalpha was
      decreased by KLF5 knockdown, whereas it was increased by overexpressed KLF5. JNK
      activity is essential for the apoptosis induced by TNFalpha. We found that
      knockdown of KLF5 not only decreased the phosphorylation of JNK induced by
      TNFalpha, but also down-regulated the transcription of mitogen-activated protein
      kinase kinase 7 (MKK7), an upstream kinase of JNK, by binding to the MKK7
      promoter. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that KLF5 is an essential
      transcription regulator of MKK7 kinase and promotes the apoptosis induced by
      TNFalpha in LNCaP cells. Loss of KLF5 in prostate cancer may decrease cell
      response to TNFalpha-inducing apoptosis and facilitate cancer initiation and
      progression; moreover, KLF5 could be a potential molecular marker for predicting
      the effect of high-dose TNFalpha on tumor growth inhibition in prostate cancer.

PMID- 26480898
TI  - Age-related variation and predictors of long-term quality of life in germ cell
      tumor survivors.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare long-term health-related quality of life (QoL) in germ cell
      tumor survivors (GCTS) and age-adjusted men and to identify predictors of
      variation in long-term QoL in GCTS. METHODS: We used the Short-Form Health Survey
      to measure QoL in a cross-sectional sample of 164 survivors of germ cell tumors
      from Hamburg, Germany. QoL was compared with age-adjusted German norm data.
      Sociodemographic and medical data from questionnaires and medical records were
      used to find predictors of QoL. RESULTS: On average, patients were 44.4 years old
      (standard deviation = 9.6 y) and average time since first germ cell tumor
      diagnosis was 11.6 years (standard deviation = 7.3 y). We found significantly
      lower mental component scores in GCTS when compared with norm data (Hedges g =
      0.44, P<0.001). An exploratory analysis by age group showed the largest
      difference in mental QoL in survivors aged 31 to 40 years (Hedges g =-0.67).
      Linear regression analysis revealed age (beta =-0.46, P<0.001), marital status
      (beta = 0.20, P = 0.024), advanced secondary qualifications (beta =-0.25, P =
      0.001), time since diagnosis (beta = 0.17, P = 0.031), and tumor stage (beta =
      0.17, P = 0.024) as statistically significant predictors of the physical
      component score, accounting for 22% of the variance. Statistically significant
      predictors of the mental component score were higher secondary qualifications
      (beta = 0.17, P = 0.033) and unemployment (beta =-0.21, P = 0.009), accounting
      for 6% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS: Survivors of germ cell tumors can expect an
      overall long-term QoL similar to that of other men of their age.

PMID- 26480899
TI  - In vitro evaluation of the effects of anti-fungals, benzodiazepines and non
      steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on the glucuronidation of 19-norandrosterone:
      implications on doping control analysis.
AB  - We have studied whether the phase II metabolism of 19-norandrosterone, the most
      representative metabolite of 19-nortestosterone (nandrolone), can be altered in
      the presence of other drugs that are not presently included on the Prohibited
      List of the World Anti-Doping Agency. In detail, we have evaluated the effect of
      non-prohibited drugs belonging to the classes of anti-fungals, benzodiazepines,
      and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on the glucuronidation of 19
      norandrosterone. In vitro assays based on the use of either pooled human liver
      microsomes or specific recombinant isoforms of uridine diphosphoglucuronosyl
      transferase were designed and performed to monitor the formation of 19
      norandrosterone glucuronide from 19-norandrosterone. Determination of 19
      norandrosterone (free and conjugated fraction) was performed by gas
      chromatography - mass spectrometry after sample pretreatment consisting of an
      enzymatic hydrolysis (performed only for the conjugated fraction), liquid/liquid
      extraction with tert-butylmethyl ether, and derivatization to form the
      trimethylsilyl derivative. In parallel, a method based on reversed-phase liquid
      chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry in positive electrospray
      ionization with acquisition in selected reaction monitoring mode was also
      developed to identify the non-prohibited drugs considered in this study.
      Incubation experiments have preliminarily shown that the glucuronidation of 19
      norandrosterone is principally carried out by UGT2B7 (39%) and UGT2B17 (31%).
      Inhibition studies have shown that the yield of the glucuronidation reaction is
      reduced in the presence of the anti-fungals itraconazole, ketoconazole, and
      miconazole, of the benzodiazepine triazolam and of the non-steroidal anti
      inflammatory drugs diclofenac and ibuprofen, while no alteration was recorded in
      the presence of all other compounds considered in this study. Copyright (c) 2015
      John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 

PMID- 26480900
TI  - Herpes viruses and human papilloma virus in nasal polyposis and controls.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps is a multifactorial
      disease entity with an unclear pathogenesis. Contradictory data exist in the
      literature on the potential implication of viral elements in adult patients with
      chronic rhinosinusitis. OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of human herpes
      viruses (1-6) and Human Papilloma Virus in adult patients with chronic
      rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps and healthy controls. METHODS: Viral DNA
      presence was evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction application to
      nasal polyps specimens from 91 chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps patients
      and nasal turbinate mucosa from 38 healthy controls. RESULTS: Epstein-Barr virus
      positivity was higher in nasal polyps (24/91; 26.4%) versus controls (4/38;
      10.5%), but the difference did not reach significance (p=0.06). Human herpes
      virus-6 positivity was lower in nasal polyps (13/91; 14.29%) versus controls
      (10/38; 26.32%, p=0.13). In chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps group, 1
      sample was herpes simplex virus-1-positive (1/91; 1.1%), and another was
      cytomegalovirus-positive (1/91; 1.1%), versus none in controls. No sample was
      positive for herpes simplex virus-2, varicella-zoster virus, high-risk-human
      papilloma viruses (16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59) and low-risk
      human papilloma viruses (6, 11). CONCLUSION: Differences in Epstein-Barr virus
      and human herpes virus-6 positivity among patients with chronic rhinosinusitis
      with nasal polyps and healthy controls are not statistically significant,
      weakening the likelihood of their implication in chronic rhinosinusitis with
      nasal polyps pathogenesis.

PMID- 26480901
TI  - Long-latency auditory evoked potentials with verbal and nonverbal stimuli.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Long-latency auditory evoked potentials represent the cortical
      activity related to attention, memory, and auditory discrimination skills.
      Acoustic signal processing occurs differently between verbal and nonverbal
      stimuli, influencing the latency and amplitude patterns. OBJECTIVE: To describe
      the latencies of the cortical potentials P1, N1, P2, N2, and P3, as well as P3
      amplitude, with different speech stimuli and tone bursts, and to classify them in
      the presence and absence of these data. METHODS: A total of 30 subjects with
      normal hearing were assessed, aged 18-32 years old, matched by gender. Nonverbal
      stimuli were used (tone burst; 1000Hz - frequent and 4000Hz - rare); and verbal
      (/ba/ - frequent; /ga/, /da/, and /di/ - rare). RESULTS: Considering the
      component N2 for tone burst, the lowest latency found was 217.45ms for the BA/DI
      stimulus; the highest latency found was 256.5ms. For the P3 component, the
      shortest latency with tone burst stimuli was 298.7 with BA/GA stimuli, the
      highest, was 340ms. For the P3 amplitude, there was no statistically significant
      difference among the different stimuli. For latencies of components P1, N1, P2,
      N2, P3, there were no statistical differences among them, regardless of the
      stimuli used. CONCLUSION: There was a difference in the latency of potentials N2
      and P3 among the stimuli employed but no difference was observed for the P3
      amplitude.

PMID- 26480902
TI  - Investigation of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and mean platelet volume in
      sudden hearing loss.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Several theories attempt to explain the pathophysiology of sudden
      hearing loss. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the
      possible role of inflammation and atherothrombosis in sudden hearing loss
      patients through the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and mean platelet volume.
      METHODS: Study design - retrospective cross-sectional historical cohort. This
      study was conducted on two groups: one with 59 individuals diagnosed with sudden
      hearing loss, and other with 59 healthy individuals with the same characteristics
      of gender and age distribution, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and mean platelet
      volume levels were measured in patients diagnosed with sudden hearing loss as
      well as in the control group, and it was verified whether these results
      interfered for a better or worse prognosis with treatment of sudden deafness.
      RESULTS: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio levels are much higher in patients
      diagnosed with sudden hearing loss compared to the control group. Similarly, mean
      levels of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio are higher in non-recovered versus
      recovered patients (p=0.001). However, we could not find a correlation with mean
      platelet volume levels (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is a
      quick and reliable indicator regarding diagnosis and prognosis of sudden hearing
      loss; on the other hand, mean platelet volume may be considered a less important
      indicator in this aspect.

PMID- 26480903
TI  - Newborn physiological responses to noise in the neonatal unit.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The incorporation of technologies in the care of infants has
      contributed to increased survival; however, this has turned neonatal unit into a
      noisy environment. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the physiological and functional
      effects resulting from the exposure to noise on low-weight newborns in incubators
      in a neonatal unit. METHODS: Prospective, observational, quantitative,
      exploratory, descriptive study. The adopted statistical method included tables of
      frequency, descriptive statistics, and Student's t-test, with a 0.05 level of
      significance. As data collection tools, the environmental noise and the noise
      inside of the incubator were evaluated, and the Assessment of Preterm Infant
      Behavior scale was used to assess premature newborn behavior and projected
      specifically to document the neurobehavioral functioning of preterm infants. The
      data collection occurred from September of 2012 to April of 2013; 61 low-weight
      newborns admitted in the neonatal unit and in incubators were observed. RESULTS:
      Significant differences in the variables heart rate and oxygen saturation were
      noted when newborns were exposed to noise. CONCLUSION: Low-weight neonates in
      incubators present physiological alterations when facing discomfort caused by
      environmental noise in neonatal units.

PMID- 26480904
TI  - Effects of vibrotactile vestibular substitution on vestibular rehabilitation -
      preliminary study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Some patients with severe impairment of body balance do not obtain
      adequate improvement from vestibular rehabilitation (VR). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate
      the effectiveness of VertiguardTM biofeedback equipment as a sensory substitution
      (SS) of the vestibular system in patients who did not obtain sufficient
      improvement from VR. METHODS: This was a randomized prospective clinical study.
      Thirteen patients without satisfactory response to conventional VR were
      randomized into a study group (SG), which received the vibrotactile stimulus from
      VertiguardTM for ten days, and a control group (CG), which used equipment without
      the stimulus. For pre- and post-treatment assessment, the Sensory Organization
      Test (SOT) protocol of the Computerized Dynamic Posturography (CDP) and two
      scales of balance self-perception, Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC)
      and Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), were used. RESULTS: After treatment, only
      the SG showed statistically significant improvement in C5 (p=0.007) and C6
      (p=0.01). On the ABC scale, there was a significant difference in the SG
      (p=0.04). The DHI showed a significant difference in CG and SG with regard to the
      physical aspect, and only in the SG for the functional aspect (p=0.04).
      CONCLUSION: The present findings show that sensory substitution using the
      vibrotactile stimulus of the VertiguardTM system helped with the integration of
      neural networks involved in maintaining posture, improving the strategies used in
      the recovery of body balance.

PMID- 26480905
TI  - Inverted papilloma originating from the left ethmoid sinus invading the nasal
      cavity bilaterally via the frontal sinus septum.

PMID- 26480906
TI  - Pulsatile tinnitus related to progestin from intrauterine device.

PMID- 26480907
TI  - High frequency hearing thresholds and product distortion otoacoustic emissions in
      cystic fibrosis patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The treatment of patients with cystic fibrosis involves the use of
      ototoxic drugs, mainly aminoglycoside antibiotics. Due to the use of these drugs,
      fibrocystic patients are at risk of developing hearing loss. OBJECTIVE: To
      evaluate the hearing of patients with cystic fibrosis by High Frequency
      Audiometry and Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions. METHODS: Cross-sectional
      study. The study group consisted of 39 patients (7-20 years of age) with cystic
      fibrosis and a control group of 36 individuals in the same age group without
      otologic complaints, with normal audiometric thresholds and type A tympanometric
      curves. High Frequency Audiometry and Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions
      tests were conducted. RESULTS: The study group had significantly higher
      thresholds at 250, 1000, 8000, 9000, 10,000, 12,500, and 16,000Hz (p=0.004) as
      well as higher prevalence of otoacoustic emission alterations at 1000 and 6000Hz
      (p=0.001), with significantly lower amplitudes at 1000, 1400, and 6000Hz. There
      was a significant association between alterations in hearing thresholds in High
      Frequency Audiometry with the number of courses of aminoglycosides administered
      (p=0.005). Eighty-three percent of patients who completed more than ten courses
      of aminoglycosides had hearing loss in High Frequency Audiometry. CONCLUSION: A
      significant number of patients with cystic fibrosis who received repeated courses
      of aminoglycosides showed alterations in High Frequency Audiometry and Distortion
      Product Otoacoustic Emissions. The implementation of ten or more aminoglycoside
      cycles was associated with alterations in High Frequency Audiometry.

PMID- 26480908
TI  - Translation and cross-cultural adaptation into Brazilian Portuguese of the
      Vanderbilt Head and Neck Symptom Survey version 2.0 (VHNSS 2.0) for the
      assessment of oral symptoms in head and neck cancer patients submitted to
      radiotherapy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patients submitted to radiotherapy for the treatment of head and
      neck cancer have several symptoms, predominantly oral. The Vanderbilt Head and
      Neck Symptom Survey version 2.0 is an American tool developed to evaluate oral
      symptoms in head and neck cancer patients submitted to radiotherapy. OBJECTIVE:
      The aim of the present study was to translate the Vanderbilt Head and Neck
      Symptom Survey version 2.0 into Brazilian Portuguese and cross-culturally adapt
      this tool for subsequent validation and application in Brazil. METHODS: A method
      used for the translation and cultural adaptation of tools, which included
      independent translations, synthesis of the translations, back-translations,
      expert committee, and pre-test, was used. The pre-test was performed with 37 head
      and neck cancer patients, who were divided into four groups, to assess the
      relevance and understanding of the assessed items. Data were submitted to
      descriptive statistical analysis. RESULTS: The overall mean of the content
      validity index was 0.79 for semantic and idiomatic equivalence, and it was higher
      than 0.8 for cultural and conceptual equivalence. The cognitive interview showed
      that patients were able to paraphrase the items, and considered them relevant and
      easily understood. CONCLUSION: The tool was translated and cross-culturally
      adapted to be used in Brazil. The authors believe this translation is suited for
      validation.

PMID- 26480909
TI  - Extracranial neurogenic tumors of the head and neck.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Peripheric nerve tumors typically derive from Schwann cells of the
      peripheral nerve sheet. Since these tumors are uncommon, they should be
      considered in preoperative differential diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: To report the
      experience of a tertiary care department. METHODS: Forty-two patients with head
      and neck peripheral neurogenic tumors were retrospectively analyzed and evaluated
      from 1977 to 2013. The preoperative diagnosis was confirmed by biopsy or imaging
      study. RESULTS: The mean age was 41.7 and 15 patients (36%) were male. The mean
      size was 5.5cm and 26 (61%) were located laterally in the neck. Most tumors
      (39.9%) presented as an asymptomatic neck mass. Most (39.9%) were resected
      through a neck approach. Cranial nerves were the commonest site of origin.
      CONCLUSIONS: Extracranial neurogenic tumors presented with a mean size of 5.5cm,
      were located laterally in the neck, normally had their origin from cranial
      nerves, and their resection approach is cervical.

PMID- 26480911
TI  - Pathogen surveillance in wild bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus.
AB  - The number and prevalence of diseases is rapidly increasing in the marine
      ecosystem. Although there is an increase in the number of marine diseases
      observed world-wide, current understanding of the pathogens associated with
      marine mammals is limited. An important need exists to develop and apply
      platforms for rapid detection and characterization of pathogenic agents to
      assess, prevent and respond to disease outbreaks. In this study, a broad-spectrum
      molecular detection technology capable of detecting all sequenced microbial
      organisms, the Lawrence Livermore Microbial Detection Array, was used to assess
      the microbial agents that could be associated with wild Atlantic dolphins.
      Blowhole, gastric, and fecal samples from 8 bottlenose dolphins were collected in
      Charleston, SC, as part of the dolphin assessment effort. The array detected
      various microbial agents from the dolphin samples. Clostridium perfringens was
      most prevalent in the samples surveyed using the microarray. This pathogen was
      also detected using microbiological culture techniques. Additionally,
      Campylobacter sp., Staphylococcus sp., Erwinia amylovora, Helicobacter pylori,
      and Frankia sp. were also detected in more than one dolphin using the microarray,
      but not in culture. This study provides the first survey of pathogens associated
      with 3 tissue types in dolphins using a broad-spectrum microbial detection
      microarray and expands insight on the microbial community profile in dolphins. 

PMID- 26480912
TI  - First isolation of a rhabdovirus from perch Perca fluviatilis in Switzerland.
AB  - Perca fluviatilis is a fish species of increasing interest to the Swiss fish
      farming industry. In recent years, recirculation systems have been specifically
      set up to increase production. In one of these farms, abnormal spiral swimming
      associated with elevated mortalities occurred in repeated batches of imported
      perch shortly after stocking on several occasions. No bacterial or parasitic
      etiology was detected, but a virus grown in bluegill fry (BF-2) cells was
      identified as perch rhabdovirus. Subsequent investigations of other samples
      suggested a viral tropism for the central nervous system (CNS). Phylogenetic
      analysis of the partial N and entire G gene sequences positioned this isolate in
      genogroup C of the species Perch rhabdovirus, with high nucleotide and amino acid
      (aa) sequence identities with the DK5533 strain isolated in Denmark in 1989.
      Comparative studies using other closely related isolates allowed the distinction
      of 2 serological patterns among perch rhabdoviruses and the identification of a
      proline substitution by a serine in position 147 of the glycoprotein potentially
      involved in antigenic differentiation. Even if perch imported onto the farm
      tested negative by virus isolation prior to transport, they may have been the
      origin of this outbreak since CNS tissue was not included in the samples that
      were analyzed. Another possibility might be a sub-clinical infection with a viral
      load in resident fish too low to be detected. This study reports the first
      isolation of a perch rhabdovirus in Switzerland, and emphasizes the necessity of
      optimizing diagnostic tools that facilitate better control of the risks
      associated with fish translocation. 

PMID- 26480913
TI  - Molecular confirmation of infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) in
      farmed and imported ornamental fish in Australia.
AB  - Viruses of the genus Megalocytivirus have not been detected in wild populations
      of fish in Australia but circulate in imported ornamental fish. In 2012,
      detection of a megalocytivirus in healthy platys Xiphophorus maculatus was
      reported from a farm in Australia during surveillance testing as part of a
      research project undertaken at the University of Sydney. Confirmatory testing of
      the original samples at the AAHL Fish Diseases Laboratory verified the presence
      of an infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV)-like virus. Additional
      sampling at the positive farm confirmed the persistence of the virus in the
      platys, with 39 of 265 (14.7%) samples testing positive. Comparison of 3 separate
      gene regions of the virus with those of ISKNV confirmed the detection of a virus
      indistinguishable from ISKNV. Subsequently, ISKNV was also detected in a range of
      imported ornamental fish from several countries between 2013 and 2014, by
      screening with real-time PCR and confirmation by conventional PCR and sequence
      analysis. Accordingly, the current importation of live ornamental fish acts as a
      potential perpetual source for the establishment of ISKNV viruses within
      Australia. The testing of the farmed and imported ornamental fish verified the
      utility of the probe-based real-time PCR assay for screening of ornamental fish
      for Megalocytivirus. 

PMID- 26480914
TI  - Immune responses of flounder Paralichthys olivaceus vaccinated by immersion of
      formalin-inactivated Edwardsiella tarda following hyperosmotic treatment.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of hyperosmotic
      immersion (HI) vaccination and determine the optimum hyperosmotic salinity for
      flounder Paralichthys olivaceus by investigating its immune responses following
      vaccination. Flounder were immersed in 1 of 3 hyperosmotic solutions at 50, 60
      and 700/00 salinity, then transferred into 300/00 salinity normal seawater
      containing formalin-inactivated Edwardsiella tarda for vaccination (3 HI groups),
      or were immersed in normal seawater as direct immersion (DI group). The results
      showed that the percentages of surface membrane immunoglobulin-positive (sIg+)
      cells in peripheral blood leukocytes and spleen leukocytes induced by HI were
      significantly higher than that with DI (p < 0.05), and the 500/00 salinity group
      showed the strongest response among the HI groups, which reached peaks at Week 4.
      ELISA assay showed that the specific serum antibodies gradually increased after
      vaccination and reached peak at Day 32, and the fish treated with HI showed
      stronger antibody responses; among the HI groups, a significantly higher specific
      antibody level was detected in the 500/00 salinity group at Day 32 (p < 0.05).
      Similarly, the fish treated with HI showed higher specific mucosal antibody
      levels compared to the DI group, and the mucosal antibody showed a faster
      response, with peak time arriving 1 wk earlier than for the serum antibody. The
      relative percent survival (RPS) of flounder treated with HI at 50, 60 and 700/00
      salinities were 79, 71 and 57% respectively, while this was 43% in the DI group.
      These results demonstrated that HI, especially the 500/00 salinity, could
      efficiently enhance the immune response of flounder and show higher RPS. This has
      significant value for immunological prevention of edwardsiellosis in flounder. 

PMID- 26480915
TI  - Explained and unexplained tissue loss in corals from the Tropical Eastern
      Pacific.
AB  - Coral reefs rival rainforest in biodiversity, but are declining in part because
      of disease. Tissue loss lesions, a manifestation of disease, are present in
      dominant Pocillopora along the Pacific coast of Mexico. We characterized tissue
      loss in 7 species of Pocillopora from 9 locations (44 sites) spanning southern to
      northern Mexico. Corals were identified to species, and tissue loss lesions were
      photographed and classified as those explainable by predation and those that were
      unexplained. A focal predation study was done concurrently at 3 locations to
      confirm origin of explained lesions. Of 1054 cases of tissue loss in 7 species of
      corals, 84% were associated with predation (fish, snails, or seastar) and the
      remainder were unexplained. Types of tissue loss were not related to coral
      density; however there was significant geographic heterogeneity in type of
      lesion; one site in particular (Cabo Pulmo) had the highest prevalence of
      predator-induced tissue loss (mainly pufferfish predation). Crown-of-thorns
      starfish, pufferfish, and snails were the most common predators and preferred P.
      verrucosa, P. meandrina, and P. capitata, respectively. Of the 9 locations, 4 had
      unexplained tissue loss with prevalence ranging from 1 to 3% with no species
      predilection. Unexplained tissue loss was similar to white syndrome (WS) in
      morphology, indicating additional study is necessary to clarify the cause(s) of
      the lesions and the potential impacts to dominant corals along the Pacific coast
      of Mexico. 

PMID- 26480916
TI  - Proteomic profiling of healthy and diseased hybrid soft corals Sinularia maxima *
      S. polydactyla.
AB  - Emerging diseases of marine invertebrates have been implicated as one of the
      major causes of the continuing decline in coral reefs worldwide. To date, most of
      the focus on marine diseases has been aimed at hard (scleractinian) corals, which
      are the main reef builders worldwide. However, soft (alcyonacean) corals are also
      essential components of tropical reefs, representing food, habitat and the 'glue'
      that consolidates reefs, and they are subject to the same stressors as hard
      corals. Sinularia maxima and S. polydactyla are the dominant soft corals on the
      shallow reefs of Guam, where they hybridize. In addition to both parent species,
      the hybrid soft coral population in Guam is particularly affected by Sinularia
      tissue loss disease. Using label-free shotgun proteomics, we identified
      differences in protein expression between healthy and diseased colonies of the
      hybrid S. maxima * S. polydactyla. This study provided qualitative and
      quantitative data on specific proteins that were differentially expressed under
      the stress of disease. In particular, metabolic proteins were down-regulated,
      whereas proteins related to stress and to symbiont photosynthesis were up
      regulated in the diseased soft corals. These results indicate that soft corals
      are responding to pathogenesis at the level of the proteome, and that this label
      free approach can be used to identify and quantify protein biomarkers of sub
      lethal stress in studies of marine disease. 

PMID- 26480917
TI  - Cellulose is not degraded in the tunic of the edible ascidian Halocynthia roretzi
      contracting soft tunic syndrome.
AB  - Soft tunic syndrome is a fatal disease in the edible ascidian Halocynthia
      roretzi, causing serious damage to ascidian aquaculture in Korea and Japan. In
      diseased individuals, the tunic, an integumentary extracellular matrix of
      ascidians, softens and eventually tears. This is an infectious disease caused by
      the kinetoplastid flagellate Azumiobodo hoyamushi. However, the mechanism of
      tunic softening remains unknown. Because cellulose fibrils are the main component
      of the tunic, we compared the contents and structures of cellulose in healthy and
      diseased tunics by means of biochemical quantification and X-ray diffractometry.
      Unexpectedly, the cellulose contents and structures of cellulose microfibrils
      were almost the same regardless of the presence or absence of the disease.
      Therefore, it is unlikely that thinning of the microfibrils occurred in the
      softened tunic, because digestion should have resulted in decreases in
      crystallinity index and crystallite size. Moreover, cellulase was not detected in
      pure cultures of A. hoyamushi in biochemical and expressed sequence tag analyses.
      These results indicate that cellulose degradation does not occur in the softened
      tunic. 

PMID- 26480918
TI  - Herpesvirus-like respiratory infection in African penguins Spheniscus demersus
      admitted to a rehabilitation centre.
AB  - Rehabilitation is an important strategy for the conservation of the Endangered
      African penguin Spheniscus demersus, and disease has been raised as a concern in
      the management of the species, both in the wild and in rehabilitation centres. We
      report 8 cases of herpesvirus-like respiratory infection in African penguin
      chicks undergoing rehabilitation between 2010 and 2013 at a facility in Cape
      Town, South Africa. Infection was confirmed through the identification of viral
      inclusions in the tracheal epithelium and demonstration of particles consistent
      with herpesvirus by electron microscopy, whereas virus isolation in eggs,
      serology and PCR testing failed to detect the virus. Only penguin chicks were
      affected; they were in poor body condition, and in 2 cases infection occurred
      prior to admission to the rehabilitation centre. The role played by the
      herpesvirus-like infection in the overall respiratory disease syndrome is
      uncertain, due to identification of lesions in only a small proportion of the
      chicks as well as to the occurrence of other concurrent pathological processes.
      Further studies are advised to characterise the specific virus involved through
      the development of sensitive diagnostic methods and to clarify the epidemiology
      and significance of these infections in wild African penguins. 

PMID- 26480919
TI  - Identification, molecular and phylogenetic analysis of poxvirus in skin lesions
      of southern right whale.
AB  - Poxvirus skin disease has been reported in several species of cetaceans,
      principally in odontocetes, and a single report in mysticetes. Southern right
      whales Eubalaena australis in Peninsula Valdes, Argentina, show a variety of skin
      lesions of unknown etiology, and the number of these lesions has increased in
      recent years. Samples from dead whales were taken in order to establish the
      etiology of these lesions. One calf and one adult presented ring-type lesions,
      characterized by a circumscribed and slightly raised area of skin. Lesions were
      histologically characterized by the presence of microvesicles and vacuolated
      cells in the stratum spinosum, along with hyperplasia of the stratum corneum and
      eosinophilic inclusion bodies in the cytoplasm of the epithelial cells.
      Transmission electron microscopy showed aggregations of virions with typical
      poxvirus morphology. PCR of cetacean poxvirus (CPV) DNA polymerase, DNA
      topoisomerase I and parapoxvirus DNA polymerase gene fragments was done, and
      confirmed the presence of poxvirus in one sample. Phylogenetic analysis showed
      that the detected poxvirus belongs to the CPV-2 group. This is the first
      confirmed report of poxvirus in southern right whales in Argentina. 

PMID- 26480922
TI  - Healthcare utilization and costs associated with tyrosine kinase inhibitor
      switching in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Differences in healthcare utilization and costs were examined in chronic myeloid
      leukemia (CML) patients experiencing first-, second- and third-line tyrosine
      kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. Three CML cohorts were identified from the Truven
      Health MarketScan(r) database: No-Switch Cohort (NSc) = did not switch from first
      line; One-Switch Cohort (OSc) = switched from first- to second-line only; Two
      Switch Cohort (TSc) = switched to second- and then third-line. A total of 3510
      patients were identified (mean = 54%; age = 55.8 years). NSc comprised 81% of the
      sample, OSc comprised 15% and 4% were in the TSc. First-line utilization/costs
      were significantly higher in the OSc/TSc compared to the NSc. Second-line
      hospital/outpatient visits and costs were higher in TSc compared to OSc. TSc
      experienced a significant cost increase from first- to second-line ($4226.46),
      twice that of OSc ($2488.03). TKI switching is associated with a substantial
      increase in healthcare utilization and costs, particularly for patients who
      switch twice. 

PMID- 26480920
TI  - Genome-wide association studies suggest sex-specific loci associated with
      abdominal and visceral fat.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To identify loci associated with abdominal fat and replicate prior
      findings, we performed genome-wide association (GWA) studies of abdominal fat
      traits: subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT); visceral adipose tissue (VAT); total
      adipose tissue (TAT) and visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio (VSR).
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Sex-combined and sex-stratified analyses were performed on
      each trait with (TRAIT-BMI) or without (TRAIT) adjustment for body mass index
      (BMI), and cohort-specific results were combined via a fixed effects meta
      analysis. A total of 2513 subjects of European descent were available for the
      discovery phase. For replication, 2171 European Americans and 772 African
      Americans were available. RESULTS: A total of 52 single-nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) encompassing 7 loci showed suggestive evidence of association (P<1.0 * 10(
      6)) with abdominal fat in the sex-combined analyses. The strongest evidence was
      found on chromosome 7p14.3 between a SNP near BBS9 gene and VAT (rs12374818;
      P=1.10 * 10(-7)), an association that was replicated (P=0.02). For the BMI
      adjusted trait, the strongest evidence of association was found between a SNP
      near CYCSP30 and VAT-BMI (rs10506943; P=2.42 * 10(-7)). Our sex-specific analyses
      identified one genome-wide significant (P<5.0 * 10(-8)) locus for SAT in women
      with 11 SNPs encompassing the MLLT10, DNAJC1 and EBLN1 genes on chromosome
      10p12.31 (P=3.97 * 10(-8) to 1.13 * 10(-8)). The THNSL2 gene previously
      associated with VAT in women was also replicated (P=0.006). The six gene/loci
      showing the strongest evidence of association with VAT or VAT-BMI were
      interrogated for their functional links with obesity and inflammation using the
      Biograph knowledge-mining software. Genes showing the closest functional links
      with obesity and inflammation were ADCY8 and KCNK9, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our results provide evidence for new loci influencing abdominal visceral (BBS9,
      ADCY8, KCNK9) and subcutaneous (MLLT10/DNAJC1/EBLN1) fat, and confirmed a locus
      (THNSL2) previously reported to be associated with abdominal fat in women.

PMID- 26480923
TI  - Spinal cord involvement in Behcet's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spinal cord involvement in Behcet's disease is not well studied.
      OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical, laboratory and magnetic resonance imaging
      characteristics of spinal cord involvement in Behcet's disease. METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed 10 spinal cord involvements in seven patients with
      Behcet's disease. RESULTS: The median age of onset for spinal cord involvement
      was 32 (23-45 years). Two patients showed a secondary progressive course.
      Cerebrospinal fluid findings revealed mild to moderate pleocytosis and/or
      elevated protein levels. In eight spinal cord involvements, the lesion was longer
      than three vertebrae. Serum anti-aquaporin-4 antibody was negative in all four
      patients tested. CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis is a
      characteristic manifestation of spinal cord involvement in Behcet's disease.

PMID- 26480924
TI  - Prevalence of neuropathic pain in early multiple sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pain is considered a frequent symptom in multiple sclerosis.
      Neuropathic pain is the type of pain most closely related to the pathology of
      multiple sclerosis and its prevalence estimates vary largely. OBJECTIVE: We
      prospectively assessed the prevalence of neuropathic pain in patients with early
      multiple sclerosis and investigated the association of neuropathic pain with
      other clinical parameters. METHODS: A total of 377 outpatients with multiple
      sclerosis at an early disease stage were included in this prospective study. Mean
      disease duration was 4.2 years, mean Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)
      score was 1.6, 96.8% of patients were classified as having relapsing-remitting
      multiple sclerosis. Neuropathic pain was assessed using the PainDETECT
      questionnaire (PDQ). Depression, fatigue and cognition were assessed using the
      Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive
      Functions (FSMC) and the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test. RESULTS: PDQ scores
      indicative of neuropathic pain were found in 4.2% of patients. Regression
      analysis revealed EDSS, BDI and FMSC scores as strongest predictors of PDQ
      scores. CONCLUSIONS: Neuropathic pain appears to be less frequent in early
      multiple sclerosis than expected and is significantly associated with disability,
      depression and fatigue. The assessment and therapy of pain in multiple sclerosis
      should thus take into account neuropsychiatric symptoms already at early disease
      stages.

PMID- 26480926
TI  - Impact of Maximum Allowable Cost on CO2 Storage Capacity in Saline Formations.
AB  - Injecting CO2 into deep saline formations represents an important component of
      many greenhouse-gas-reduction strategies for the future. A number of authors have
      posed concern over the thousands of injection wells likely to be needed. However,
      a more important criterion than the number of wells is whether the total cost of
      storing the CO2 is market-bearable. Previous studies have sought to determine the
      number of injection wells required to achieve a specified storage target. Here an
      alternative methodology is presented whereby we specify a maximum allowable cost
      (MAC) per ton of CO2 stored, a priori, and determine the corresponding potential
      operational storage capacity. The methodology takes advantage of an analytical
      solution for pressure build-up during CO2 injection into a cylindrical saline
      formation, accounting for two-phase flow, brine evaporation, and salt
      precipitation around the injection well. The methodology is applied to 375 saline
      formations from the U.K. Continental Shelf. Parameter uncertainty is propagated
      using Monte Carlo simulation with 10 000 realizations for each formation. The
      results show that MAC affects both the magnitude and spatial distribution of
      potential operational storage capacity on a national scale. Different storage
      prospects can appear more or less attractive depending on the MAC scenario
      considered. It is also shown that, under high well-injection rate scenarios with
      relatively low cost, there is adequate operational storage capacity for the
      equivalent of 40 years of U.K. CO2 emissions. 

PMID- 26480921
TI  - Physical Activity Is Associated with Attention Capacity in Adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationships among physical activity, measured
      objectively, and attention capacity in European adolescents. STUDY DESIGN: The
      study included 273 adolescents, aged 12.5-17.5 years, who participated in the
      Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence Study. Participants wore
      a uniaxial accelerometer for 7 days to measure physical activity. The d2 Test of
      Attention was administered to assess attention capacity. Multivariate analyses
      were used to study the association of attention capacity with each measure of
      physical activity. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to
      determine thresholds that best discriminate between low and good attention
      capacity. RESULTS: After controlling for potential confounding variables (age,
      sex, body mass index, parental educational level, fat mass, aerobic fitness, and
      center), adolescents' attention capacity test performances were significantly and
      positively associated with longer time spent in moderate or moderate-to-vigorous
      physical activity (MVPA) in free-living conditions (P < .05). Receiver operating
      characteristic curve analyses revealed that the physical activity thresholds that
      best discriminated between low/good attention capacities were >=41 min.day(-1)
      for moderate, >=12 min.day(-1) for vigorous, and >=58 min.day(-1) for MVPA.
      CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that promoting MVPA may be have a beneficial
      effect on attention capacity, an important component of cognition, in
      adolescents.

PMID- 26480925
TI  - Reduced Myelination and Increased Glia Reactivity Resulting from Severe Neonatal
      Hyperbilirubinemia.
AB  - Bilirubin-induced neurologic dysfunction (BIND) and kernicterus has been used to
      describe moderate to severe neurologic dysfunction observed in children exposed
      to excessive levels of total serum bilirubin (TSB) during the neonatal period.
      Here we use a new mouse model that targets deletion of the Ugt1 locus and the
      Ugt1a1 gene in liver to promote hyperbilirubinemia-induced seizures and central
      nervous system toxicity. The accumulation of TSB in these mice leads to diffuse
      yellow coloration of brain tissue and a marked cerebellar hypoplasia that we
      characterize as kernicterus. Histologic studies of brain tissue demonstrate that
      the onset of severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, characterized by seizures, leads
      to alterations in myelination and glia reactivity. Kernicterus presents as
      axonopathy with myelination deficits at different brain regions, including pons,
      medulla oblongata, and cerebellum. The excessive accumulation of TSB in the early
      neonatal period (5 days after birth) promotes activation of the myelin basic
      protein (Mbp) gene with an accelerated loss of MBP that correlates with a lack of
      myelin sheath formation. These changes were accompanied by increased astroglial
      and microglial reactivity, possibly as a response to myelination injury.
      Interestingly, cerebellum was the area most affected, with greater myelination
      impairment and glia burden, and showing a marked loss of Purkinje cells and
      reduced arborization of the remaining ones. Thus, kernicterus in this model
      displays not only axonal damage but also myelination deficits and glial
      activation in different brain regions that are usually related to the neurologic
      sequelae observed after severe hyperbilirubinemia.

PMID- 26480927
TI  - The dollars and sense of economic incentives to modify HIV-related behaviours.

PMID- 26480928
TI  - ST-Segment Elevation and Fractionated Electrograms in Brugada Syndrome Patients
      Arise From the Same Structurally Abnormal Subepicardial RVOT Area but Have a
      Different Mechanism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Brugada syndrome (BrS) is characterized by a typical ECG pattern. We
      aimed to determine the pathophysiologic basis of the ST-segment in the BrS-ECG
      with data from various epicardial and endocardial right ventricular activation
      mapping procedures in 6 BrS patients and in 5 non-BrS controls. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: In 7 patients (2 BrS and 5 controls) with atrial fibrillation, an
      epicardial 8*6 electrode grid (interelectrode distance 1 mm) was placed
      epicardially on the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) before video-assisted
      thoracoscopic surgical pulmonary vein isolation. In 2 other BrS patients,
      endocardial, epicardial RV (CARTO), and body surface mapping was performed. In 2
      additional BrS patients, we performed decremental preexcitation of the RVOT
      before endocardial RV mapping. During video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical
      pulmonary vein isolation and CARTO mapping, BrS patients (n=4) showed greater
      activation delay and more fractionated electrograms in the RVOT region than
      controls. Ajmaline administration increased the region with fractionated
      electrograms, as well as ST-segment elevation. Preexcitation of the RVOT (n=2)
      resulted in ECGs that supported the current-to-load mismatch hypothesis for ST
      segment elevation. Body surface mapping showed that the area with ST-segment
      elevation anatomically correlated with the area of fractionated electrograms and
      activation delay at the RVOT epicardium. CONCLUSIONS: ST-segment elevation and
      epicardial fractionation/conduction delay in BrS patients are most likely related
      to the same structural subepicardial abnormalities, but the mechanism is
      different. ST-segment elevation may be caused by current-to-load mismatch,
      whereas fractionated electrograms and conduction delay are expected to be caused
      by discontinuous conduction in the same area with abnormal myocardium.

PMID- 26480929
TI  - Decrement Evoked Potential Mapping: Basis of a Mechanistic Strategy for
      Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Substrate-based mapping for ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation is
      hampered by its inability to determine critical sites of the VT circuit. We
      hypothesized that those potentials, which delay with a decremental extrastimulus
      (decrement evoked potentials or DEEPs), are more likely to colocalize with the
      diastolic pathways of VT circuits. METHODS AND RESULTS: DEEPs were identified in
      intraoperative left ventricular maps from 6 patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy
      (total 9 VTs) and were compared with late potential (LP) and activation maps of
      the diastolic pathway for each VT. Mathematical modeling was also used to further
      validate and elucidate the mechanisms of DEEP mapping. All patients demonstrated
      regions of DEEPs and LPs. The mean endocardial surface area of these potentials
      was 18+/-4% and 21+/-6%, respectively (P=0.13). The mean sensitivity for
      identifying the diastolic pathway in VT was 50+/-23% for DEEPs and 36+/-32% for
      LPs (P=0.31). The mean specificity was 43+/-23% versus 20+/-8% for DEEP and LP
      mapping, respectively (P=0.031). The electrograms that displayed the greatest
      decrement in each case had a sensitivity and specificity for the VT isthmus of
      29+/-10% and 95+/-1%, respectively. Mathematical modeling studies recapitulated
      DEEPs at the VT isthmus and demonstrated their role in VT initiation with a
      critical degree of decrement. CONCLUSIONS: In this preliminary study, DEEP
      mapping was more specific than LP mapping for identifying the critical targets of
      VT ablation. The mechanism of DEEPs relates to conduction velocity restitution
      magnified by zigzag conduction within scar channels.

PMID- 26480930
TI  - Long-Term Natural History of Adult Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome Patients
      Treated With and Without Catheter Ablation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are a paucity of data about the long-term natural history of
      adult Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) patients in regard to risk of
      mortality and atrial fibrillation. We sought to describe the long-term outcomes
      of WPW patients and ascertain the impact of ablation on the natural history.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Three groups of patients were studied: 2 WPW populations
      (ablation: 872, no ablation: 1461) and a 1:5 control population (n=11 175). Long
      term mortality and atrial fibrillation rates were determined. The average follow
      up for the WPW group was 7.9+/-5.9 (median: 6.9) years and was similar between
      the ablation and nonablation groups. Death rates were similar between the WPW
      group versus the control group (hazard ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.83
      1.11; P=0.56). Nonablated WPW patients had a higher long-term death risk compared
      with ablated WPW patients (hazard ratio, 2.10; 95% confidence interval: 1.50
      20.93; P<0.0001). Incident atrial fibrillation risk was higher in the WPW group
      compared with the control population (hazard ratio, 1.55; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.29-1.87; P<0.0001). Nonablated WPW patients had lower risk than
      ablated patients (hazard ratio, 0.39; 95% confidence interval, 0.28-0.53;
      P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term mortality rates in WPW patients are low and
      similar to an age-matched and gender-matched control population. WPW patients
      that underwent the multifactorial process of ablation had a lower mortality
      compared to nonablated WPW patients. Atrial fibrillation rates are high long
      term, and ablation does not reduce this risk.

PMID- 26480931
TI  - High-dose dexamethasone vs prednisone for treatment of adult immune
      thrombocytopenia: a prospective multicenter randomized trial.
AB  - This study compared the efficacy and safety of high-dose dexamethasone (HD-DXM)
      and conventional prednisone (PDN) on the largest cohort to date as first-line
      strategies for newly diagnosed adult primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).
      Patients enrolled were randomized to receive DXM 40 mg/d for 4 days (n = 95,
      nonresponders received an additional 4-day course of DXM) or prednisone 1.0 mg/kg
      daily for 4 weeks and then tapered (n = 97). One or 2 courses of HD-DXM resulted
      in a higher incidence of overall initial response (82.1% vs 67.4%, P = .044) and
      complete response (50.5% vs 26.8%, P = .001) compared with prednisone. Time to
      response was shorter in the HD-DXM arm (P < .001), and a baseline bleeding score
      >=8 was associated with a decreased likelihood of initial response. Sustained
      response was achieved by 40.0% of patients in the HD-DXM arm and 41.2% in the PDN
      arm (P = .884). Initial complete response was a positive indicator of sustained
      response, whereas presence of antiplatelet autoantibodies was a negative
      indicator. HD-DXM was generally tolerated better. We concluded that HD-DXM could
      be a preferred corticosteroid strategy for first-line management of adult primary
      ITP. This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01356511. 

PMID- 26480932
TI  - Autologous stem cell transplantation aids autoimmune patients by functional
      renewal and TCR diversification of regulatory T cells.
AB  - Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is increasingly
      considered for patients with severe autoimmune diseases whose prognosis is poor
      with standard treatments. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are thought to be important
      for disease remission after HSCT. However, eliciting the role of donor and host
      Tregs in autologous HSCT is not possible in humans due to the autologous nature
      of the intervention. Therefore, we investigated their role during immune
      reconstitution and re-establishment of immune tolerance and their therapeutic
      potential following congenic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in a proteoglycan
      induced arthritis (PGIA) mouse model. In addition, we determined Treg T-cell
      receptor (TCR) CDR3 diversity before and after HSCT in patients with juvenile
      idiopathic arthritis and juvenile dermatomyositis. In the PGIA BMT model, after
      an initial predominance of host Tregs, graft-derived Tregs started dominating and
      displayed a more stable phenotype with better suppressive capacity. Patient
      samples revealed a striking lack of diversity of the Treg repertoire before HSCT.
      This ameliorated after HSCT, confirming reset of the Treg compartment following
      HSCT. In the mouse model, a therapeutic approach was initiated by infusing extra
      Foxp3(GFP+) Tregs during BMT. Infusion of Foxp3(GFP+) Tregs did not elicit
      additional clinical improvement but conversely delayed reconstitution of the
      graft-derived T-cell compartment. These data indicate that HSCT-mediated
      amelioration of autoimmune disease involves renewal of the Treg pool. In
      addition, infusion of extra Tregs during BMT results in a delayed reconstitution
      of T-cell compartments. Therefore, Treg therapy may hamper development of long
      term tolerance and should be approached with caution in the clinical autologous
      setting. 

PMID- 26480933
TI  - Long-term survival and T-cell kinetics in relapsed/refractory ALL patients who
      achieved MRD response after blinatumomab treatment.
AB  - This long-term follow-up analysis evaluated overall survival (OS) and relapse
      free survival (RFS) in a phase 2 study of the bispecific T-cell engager antibody
      construct blinatumomab in 36 adults with relapsed/refractory B-precursor acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In the primary analysis, 25 (69%) patients with
      relapsed/refractory ALL achieved complete remission with full (CR) or partial
      (CRh) hematologic recovery of peripheral blood counts within the first 2 cycles.
      Twenty-five patients (69%) had a minimal residual disease (MRD) response (<10(-4)
      blasts), including 22 CR/CRh responders, 2 patients with hypocellular bone
      marrow, and 1 patient with normocellular bone marrow but low peripheral counts.
      Ten of the 36 patients (28%) were long-term survivors (OS >=30 months). Median OS
      was 13.0 months (median follow-up, 32.6 months). MRD response was associated with
      significantly longer OS (Mantel-Byar P = .009). All 10 long-term survivors had an
      MRD response. Median RFS was 8.8 months (median follow-up, 28.9 months). A
      plateau for RFS was reached after ~18 months. Six of the 10 long-term survivors
      remained relapse-free, including 4 who received allogeneic stem cell
      transplantation (allo-SCT) as consolidation for blinatumomab and 2 who received 3
      additional cycles of blinatumomab instead of allo-SCT. Three long-term survivors
      had neurologic events or cytokine release syndrome, resulting in temporary
      blinatumomab discontinuation; all restarted blinatumomab successfully. Long-term
      survivors had more pronounced T-cell expansion than patients with OS <30 months. 

PMID- 26480935
TI  - A novel approach to promote motivation to change in the treatment of anorexia
      nervosa using visualisation and imagery.

PMID- 26480934
TI  - Antipsychotic medication side effect assessment tools: A systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review was to critically appraise the
      psychometric properties of antipsychotic medication side effect assessment tools.
      METHODS: Systematic searches were undertaken in PubMed, CINAHL and CENTRAL from
      inception to October 2014. Studies were included if they detailed the evaluation
      of psychometric properties of antipsychotic medication side effect assessment
      tools in mental health populations. Studies were excluded if they examined the
      use of antipsychotic medication side effect assessment tools in non-mental health
      populations, including people suffering from dementia, Parkinsonism and
      Alzheimer's. Narrative reviews and studies published in any language other than
      English were also excluded. RESULTS: Content validity was appropriately
      established for only one of the tools, reliability was inappropriately evaluated
      for all but one tool, and the assessment of responsiveness was not acceptable for
      any tool. CONCLUSION: Further psychometric studies are warranted to consolidate
      the psychometric properties of the included antipsychotic medication side effect
      assessment tools before any of these tools can be confidently recommended for
      either research or clinical purposes.

PMID- 26480936
TI  - Deep brain stimulation in depression.

PMID- 26480937
TI  - Comorbid bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and
      adolescents: Treatment implications.

PMID- 26480938
TI  - HOPE-trial: hemiarthroplasty compared to total hip arthroplasty for displaced
      femoral neck fractures in the elderly-elderly, a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A femoral neck fracture (FNF) is a common cause of suffering and
      premature death in the elderly population. Optimizing the treatment for improved
      outcome and a reduced need for secondary surgery is important both for the
      patient and the society. The choice of primary total or hemiarthroplasty in
      patients over eighty years are controversial. We hypothesized that total hip
      arthroplasty has an equal or better outcome in patient-reported outcome compared
      with hemiarthroplasty. METHODS/DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, single-blinded
      trial will be conducted. We will include 120 patients, 80 years of age and over
      with an acute (<36 h) displaced femoral neck fracture. The patients will be
      randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either total hip arthroplasty or hemiarthroplasty.
      The primary endpoints are Harris hip Score and EQ-5D. Secondary endpoints include
      pain measured with visual analogue scale, surgical time, reoperations,
      complications and radiological measurement of erosion in patients operated with
      hemiarthroplasty. Follow-up will be performed postoperatively after three months,
      1, 2, 4 and 10 years. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this is the first randomized
      controlled trial comparing total hip arthroplasty and hemiarthroplasty for
      displaced femoral neck fracture in patients age 80 years and over. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrial.gov: NCT02246335.

PMID- 26480940
TI  - Preservation of fertility and subsequent childbirth after methotrexate treatment
      of placenta percreta: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Placenta percreta is associated with maternal morbidity and
      mortality. A hysterectomy is often needed to control the bleeding in such cases.
      However, it has been advocated that placenta percreta be managed conservatively
      to avoid massive pelvic bleeding and to preserve the patient's fertility. Here,
      we present a case of placenta percreta diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging,
      and treated with systemic administration of methotrexate. CASE PRESENTATION: A 27
      year-old nulliparous Japanese woman at 39 gestational weeks had an uncomplicated
      vaginal delivery of a 3244-g infant. However, her placenta was not delivered, and
      we could not remove it manually. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging
      indicated deep myometrial invasion by placental tissue and the whole placenta was
      strongly enhanced. Seven days post-partum, her serum human chorionic gonadotropin
      level was 12,656IU/L. Our patient hoped to preserve her uterus for a future
      pregnancy. She therefore received 13 courses of methotrexate (50mg/week,
      intravenous injection). Her serum human chorionic gonadotropin level was
      undetectable 97 days after the first methotrexate injection. At 117 days post
      partum, she had a labor-like pain every three minutes and delivered the placenta.
      Our patient regained normal menses and at follow-up remained in good health. Two
      years later, she delivered a healthy daughter. CONCLUSION: We should try to
      detect placenta percreta in high-risk patients by any means. For low-risk
      patients, we should give a diagnosis swiftly and control any intrauterine
      infection and massive bleeding.

PMID- 26480941
TI  - Accuracy of an HRP-2/panLDH rapid diagnostic test to detect peripheral and
      placental Plasmodium falciparum infection in Papua New Guinean women with anaemia
      or suspected malaria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of malaria during pregnancy is complicated by placental
      sequestration, asymptomatic infection, and low-density peripheral parasitaemia.
      Where intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is
      threatened by drug resistance, or is inappropriate due to low transmission,
      intermittent screening and treatment (ISTp) with rapid diagnostic tests for
      malaria (RDT) could be a valuable alternative. Therefore, the accuracy of RDTs to
      detect peripheral and placental infection was assessed in a declining
      transmission setting in Papua New Guinea (PNG). METHODS: The performance of a
      combination RDT detecting histidine-rich protein-2 (HRP-2) and Plasmodium lactate
      dehydrogenase (pLDH), and light microscopy (LM), to diagnose peripheral
      Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections during pregnancy, were
      assessed using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) as the reference standard.
      Participants in a malaria prevention trial in PNG with a haemoglobin <=90 g/L, or
      symptoms suggestive of malaria, were tested. Ability of RDT and LM to detect
      active placental infection on histology was evaluated in some participants.
      RESULTS: Among 876 women, 1162 RDTs were undertaken (anaemia: 854 [73.5 %],
      suspected malaria: 308 [26.5 %]). qPCR detected peripheral infection during 190
      RDT episodes (165 P. falciparum, 19 P. vivax, 6 mixed infections). Overall, RDT
      detected peripheral P. falciparum infection with 45.6 % sensitivity (95 % CI 38.0
      53.4), a specificity of 96.4 % (95.0-97.4), a positive predictive value of 68.4 %
      (59.1-76.8), and a negative predictive value of 91.1 % (89.2-92.8). RDT
      performance to detect P. falciparum was inferior to LM, more so amongst anaemic
      women (18.6 vs 45.3 % sensitivity, Liddell's exact test, P < 0.001) compared to
      symptomatic women (72.9 vs 82.4 % sensitivity, P = 0.077). RDT and LM missed 88.0
      % (22/25) and 76.0 % (19/25) of P. vivax infections, respectively. In a subset of
      women tested at delivery and who had placental histology (n = 158) active
      placental infection was present in 19.6 %: all three peripheral blood infection
      detection methods (RDT, LM, qPCR) missed >50 % of these infections. CONCLUSIONS:
      In PNG, HRP-2/pLDH RDTs may be useful to diagnose peripheral P. falciparum
      infections in symptomatic pregnant women. However, they are not sufficiently
      sensitive for use in intermittent screening amongst asymptomatic (anaemic) women.
      These findings have implications for the management of malaria in pregnancy. The
      adverse impact of infections undetected by RDT or LM on pregnancy outcomes needs
      further evaluation.

PMID- 26480942
TI  - The role of communication in breast cancer screening: a qualitative study with
      Australian experts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One well-accepted strategy for optimising outcomes in mammographic
      breast cancer screening is to improve communication with women about screening.
      It is not always clear, however, what it is that communication should be expected
      to achieve, and why or how this is so. We investigated Australian experts'
      opinions on breast screening communication. Our research questions were: 1 What
      are the views of Australian experts about communicating with consumers on breast
      screening? 2 How do experts reason about this topic? METHODS: We used a
      qualitative methodology, interviewing 33 breast screening experts across
      Australia with recognisable influence in the Australian mammographic breast
      cancer screening setting. We used purposive and theoretical sampling to identify
      experts from different professional roles (including clinicians, program
      managers, policy makers, advocates and researchers) with a range of opinions
      about communication in breast screening. RESULTS: Experts discussed the topic of
      communication with consumers by focusing on two main questions: how strongly to
      guide consumers' breast cancer screening choices, and what to communicate about
      overdiagnosis. Each expert adopted one of three approaches to consumer
      communication depending on their views about these topics. We labelled these
      approaches: Be screened; Be screened and here's why; Screening is available
      please consider whether it's right for you. There was a similar level of support
      for all three approaches. Experts' reasoning was grounded in how they conceived
      of and prioritised their underlying values including: delivering benefits,
      avoiding harms, delivering more benefits than harms, respecting autonomy and
      transparency. CONCLUSIONS: There is disagreement between experts regarding
      communication with breast screening consumers. Our study provides some insights
      into this persisting lack of consensus, highlighting the different meanings that
      experts give to values, and different ways that values are prioritised. We
      suggest that explicit discussion about ethical values might help to focus
      thinking, clarify concepts and promote consensus in policy around communication
      with consumers. More specifically, we suggest that decision-makers who are
      considering policy on screening communication should begin with identifying and
      agreeing on the specific values to be prioritised and use this to guide them in
      establishing what the communication aims will be and which communication strategy
      will achieve those aims.

PMID- 26480943
TI  - A comprehensive mapping of the structure and gene organisation in the sheep MHC
      class I region.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a chromosomal region
      that regulates immune responsiveness in vertebrates. This region is one of the
      most important for disease resistance because it has been associated with
      resistance or susceptibility to a wide variety of diseases and because the MHC
      often accounts for more of the variance than other loci. Selective breeding for
      disease resistance is becoming increasingly common in livestock industries, and
      it is important to determine how this will influence MHC polymorphism and
      resistance to diseases that are not targeted for selection. However, in sheep the
      order and sequence of the protein coding genes is controversial. Yet this
      information is needed to determine precisely how the MHC influences resistance
      and susceptibility to disease. METHODS: CHORI bacterial artificial chromosomes
      (BACs) known to contain sequences from the sheep MHC class I region were sub
      cloned, and the clones partially sequenced. The resulting sequences were analysed
      and re-assembled to identify gene content and organisation within each BAC. The
      low resolution MHC class I physical map was then compared to the cattle reference
      genome, the Chinese Merino sheep MHC map published by Gao, et al. (2010) and the
      recently available sheep reference genome. RESULTS: Immune related class I genes
      are clustered into 3 blocks; beta, kappa and a novel block not previously
      identified in other organisms. The revised map is more similar to Bovidae maps
      than the previous sheep maps and also includes several genes previously not
      annotated in the Chinese Merino BAC assembly and others not currently annotated
      in the sheep reference chromosome 20. In particular, the organisation of
      nonclassical MHC class I genes is similar to that present in the cattle MHC.
      Sequence analysis and prediction of amino acid sequences of MHC class I classical
      and nonclassical genes was performed and it was observed that the map contained
      one classical and eight nonclassical genes together with three possible
      pseudogenes. CONCLUSIONS: The comprehensive physical map of the sheep MHC class I
      region enhances our understanding of the genetic architecture of the class I MHC
      region in sheep and will facilitate future studies of MHC function.

PMID- 26480944
TI  - The frequency of osteolytic bone metastasis is determined by conditions of the
      soil, not the number of seeds; evidence from in vivo models of breast and
      prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While both preclinical and clinical studies suggest that the
      frequency of growing skeletal metastases is elevated in individuals with higher
      bone turnover, it is unclear whether this is a result of increased numbers of
      tumour cells arriving in active sites or of higher numbers of tumour cells being
      induced to divide by the bone micro-environment. Here we have investigated how
      the differences in bone turnover affect seeding of tumour cells and/or
      development of overt osteolytic bone metastasis using in vivo models of hormone
      independent breast and prostate cancer. METHODS: Cohorts of 6 (young) and 16
      (mature)-week old BALB/c nude mice were culled 1, 7 and 21 days after received
      intracardiac injection of luciferase expressing human prostate (PC3) or breast
      cancer (MDA-MB-231) cell lines labelled with a fluorescent cell membrane dye
      (Vybrant DiD). The presence of growing bone metastases was determined by
      bioluminescence using an in vivo imaging system (IVIS) and followed by anatomical
      confirmation of tumour metastatic sites post mortem, while the presence of
      individual fluorescently labelled tumour cells was evaluated using two-photon
      microscopy ex vivo. The bone remodelling activities were compared between young
      and mature naive mice (both male and female) using micro-CT analysis, ELISA and
      bone histomorphometry. RESULTS: Both prostate and breast cancer cells generated
      higher numbers of overt skeletal lesions in young mice (~80%) than in mature mice
      (~20%). Although mature mice presented with fewer overt bone metastases, the
      number of tumour cells arriving/colonizing in the tibias was comparable between
      young and mature animals. Young naive mice had lower bone volume but higher bone
      formation and resorption activities compared to mature animals. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      studies suggest that higher frequencies of growing osteolytic skeletal metastases
      in these models are linked to increased bone turnover and not to the initial
      number of tumour cells entering the bone microenvironment.

PMID- 26480945
TI  - Messenger RNA exchange between scions and rootstocks in grafted grapevines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Grafting has been widely practiced for centuries in the propagation
      and production of many vegetable and fruit species. However, the underlying
      molecular and genetic mechanisms for how the graft partners interact with each
      other to produce a successful graft remain largely unknown. We hypothesized that
      genome-wide mRNA exchanges, which were recently documented in grafted model plant
      species, are a general phenomenon widely present in grafted plants, including
      those in vegetable and fruit species, and have specific genotype- and environment
      dependent characteristics modulating plant performance. METHODS: Using diagnostic
      SNPs derived from high throughput genome sequencing, we identified and
      characterized the patterns of genome-wide mRNA exchanges across graft junctions
      in grafted grapevines grown in the in vitro and field conditions. RESULTS: We
      identified more than 3000 genes transporting mRNAs across graft junctions. These
      genes were involved in diverse biological processes and those involved in basic
      cellular, biosynthetic, catabolic, and metabolic activities, as well as responses
      to stress and signal transduction, were highly enriched. Field-grown mature
      grafts had much fewer genes transmitting mRNAs than the in vitro young grafts
      (987 vs. 2679). These mobile mRNAs could move directionally or bi-directionally
      between scions and rootstocks. The mRNA transmission rates of these genes were
      generally low, with 65% or more having transmission rates lower than 0.01.
      Furthermore, genotypes, graft combinations and growth environments had impact on
      the directions of mRNA movement as well as the numbers and species of mRNAs being
      exchanged. Moreover, we found evidence for the presences of both passive and
      selective mechanisms underlying long distance mRNA trafficking in grafted
      grapevines. CONCLUSIONS: We extended the studies of mRNA exchanges in model
      species to grapevines and demonstrated that genomic-scale mRNA exchange across
      graft junctions occurred in grapevines in a passive or genotype and environment
      dependent manner.

PMID- 26480946
TI  - Age trajectories of everyday cognition in African American and White older adults
      under prompted and unprompted conditions.
AB  - We investigated how race and verbal prompting interacted with age to predict age
      trajectories on a performance-based measure of everyday cognition. African
      American (n = 727) and White (n = 2052) older adults from the ACTIVE clinical
      trial were given the Observed Tasks of Daily Living (OTDL; a performance-based
      measure of medication management/finances/telephone use) at baseline and 1-, 2-,
      3-, 5-, and 10-year follow-ups. When participants said "I don't know" or did not
      respond, they received a standardised verbal prompt, which served only as a cue
      to initiate the first step. At each occasion, unprompted (sum of items correct
      without prompting) and prompted (sum of correct prompted and unprompted items)
      scores were derived for each participant. Mixed effects models for change were
      used to determine the age trajectories of OTDL performance by race. When not
      prompted, African Americans demonstrated more rapid decline in OTDL performance
      than Whites, especially after age 80. When prompted, both groups had improved
      performance and evinced shallower decline, although African Americans continued
      to demonstrate a slightly more rapid decline. Simple prompting attenuated age
      related changes of African Americans and Whites on a measure of everyday
      cognition. Prompting may be especially helpful for older African Americans.

PMID- 26480947
TI  - Ranibizumab versus bevacizumab for the treatment of idiopathic choroidal
      neovascularization: 2-Year results.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab vs ranibizumab for the
      treatment of idiopathic choroidal neovascularization (ICNV). METHODS: This
      retrospective study included 60 eyes of 60 patients with ICNV who underwent
      intravitreal injection of bevacizumab (1.25 mg/0.05 mL, n = 30 eyes) or
      ranibizumab (0.5 mg/0.05 mL, n = 30 eyes). Multiple treatments were based on
      complete ophthalmologic investigation including slit-lamp biomicroscopy, fundus
      examination, fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), optical coherence tomography
      (OCT), and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). The BCVA, central retinal
      thickness (CRT), intraocular pressure (IOP), FFA results, and complications were
      compared between the 2 groups during the 2-year follow-up. RESULTS: Visual acuity
      was significantly better at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after treatment (p<0.01),
      with no significant difference in visual acuity between the bevacizumab and
      ranibizumab groups. In both groups of patients, the CRT after treatment was
      significantly less than before. At 12 and 24 months, the CRT in the ranibizumab
      group was significantly less than in the bevacizumab group (p<0.05). The FFA
      examination showed that CNV was reduced after intravitreal injection of either
      drug, with no significant difference in IOP between the 2 groups. No
      ophthalmologic or systemic complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Bevacizumab and
      ranibizumab are effective and safe in the treatment of ICNV, with similar effects
      in improving visual acuity and reducing retinal edema. The long-term efficacy of
      ranibizumab is superior to bevacizumab in reducing CRT.

PMID- 26480948
TI  - Reasons for visits to an emergency center and hemostatic alterations in patients
      with recurrent spontaneous subconjunctival hemorrhage.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate causes of visits to the Eye Emergency Department, determine
      the prevalence of subconjunctival hemorrhage (SCH), and assess the role of
      hemostatic abnormalities among patients with spontaneous recurrent SCH (SRSCH).
      METHODS: In a prospective study conducted over 2 years, hemostatic function was
      studied in a subgroup of 105 consecutive patients (39 male) with SRSCH free of
      systemic risk factors and in 53 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) (24
      male). RESULTS: A total of 10,090 patients (mean age 57.2 +/- 16.7 years, range 0
      94, median 58.4) were evaluated. A total of 39.3% had ocular trauma, 34.9%
      inflammatory ocular surface disorder, 5.7% floaters, 3.3% visual symptoms of
      neurologic origin, 1.6% uveitis, 1.5% ocular hypertension, 0.8% retinal tear or
      detachment, 0.7% retinal vascular disease, and 0.5% other causes. A total of 1.6%
      of the patients were hospitalized. A total of 11.7% of patients had SCH: in 86.7%
      it was spontaneous, in 13.3% consequent to trauma or to ocular surface disorders.
      A total of 105 patients had SRSCH, and the prevalence of hemostatic abnormalities
      among them was not different from HC. Type I von Willebrand disease was diagnosed
      in 1 patient with SCH and in none of the HC (chi2 = 0.13, p = 0.72). CONCLUSIONS:
      Most patients had ocular infection or trauma and were treated on an outpatient
      basis; SCH was the third cause of access. The large majority of SCH were
      unprovoked, and the prevalence of hemostatic alterations in patients with SRSCH
      and no systemic causes was not different from the general population. Hemostatic
      screening or second level blood clotting tests were of no use in these patients.

PMID- 26480949
TI  - Thioredoxin interacting protein expression in the urinary sediment associates
      with renal function decline in type 1 diabetes.
AB  - AIMS: Thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP), an inhibitor of antioxidant
      thioredoxin (Trx), is upregulated by hyperglycemia and implicated in pathogenesis
      of diabetes complications. We evaluated mRNA expressions of genes encoding TXNIP
      and Trx (TXN) in urinary sediment and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)
      of type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients with different degrees of chronic
      complications. METHODS: qPCR was employed to quantify target genes in urinary
      sediment (n = 55) and PBMC (n = 161) from patients sorted by presence or absence
      of diabetic nephropathy (DN), retinopathy, peripheral and cardiovascular
      neuropathy; 26 healthy controls and 13 patients presenting non-diabetic
      nephropathy (focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis, FSGS) were also included.
      RESULTS: Regarding the urinary sediment, TXNIP (but not TXN) expression was
      higher in T1D (p = 0.0023) and FSGS (p = 0.0027) patients versus controls.
      Expressions of TXNIP and TXN were higher, respectively, in T1D patients with
      versus without DN (p = 0.032) and in those with estimated glomerular filtration
      rate (eGFR) < 60 versus >=60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) (p = 0.008). eGFR negatively
      correlated with TXNIP (p = 0.04, r = -0.28) and TXN (p = 0.04, r = -0.30)
      expressions. T1D patients who lost >=5 mL/min/1.73 m(2) yearly of eGFR presented
      higher basal TXNIP expression than those who lost <5 mL/min/1.73 m(2) yearly
      after median follow-up of 24 months. TXNIP (p < 0.0001) and TXN (p = 0.002)
      expressions in PBMC of T1D patients were significantly higher than in controls
      but no differences were observed between patients with or without chronic
      complications. CONCLUSIONS: TXNIP and TXN are upregulated in urinary sediment of
      T1D patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD), but only TXNIP expression is
      associated with magnitude of eGFR decline.

PMID- 26480950
TI  - Cornelia de Lange syndrome: specific features for prenatal diagnosis.

PMID- 26480951
TI  - Downfall of the current antibody correlates of influenza vaccine response in
      yearly vaccinated subjects: Toward qualitative rather than quantitative assays.
AB  - Response to seasonal influenza vaccination is currently evaluated by antibody
      correlates that estimate vaccine seroconversion as well as immune protection.
      These correlates rely on the general dogmas surrounding seasonal influenza
      vaccination; that is, that vaccine-induced antibodies would exclusively generate
      immunity to influenza vaccine strains and that protective immunity would wane
      before the next season. Here, we summarize recently reported data on immunity to
      seasonal influenza in healthy individuals and rediscuss results on yearly
      vaccinated pediatric immunocompromised patients that together highlight the need
      for revision of the current correlates of vaccine response to shift from
      quantitative to qualitative measurements. 

PMID- 26480952
TI  - TaGS5-3A, a grain size gene selected during wheat improvement for larger kernel
      and yield.
AB  - Grain size is a dominant component of grain weight in cereals. Earlier studies
      have shown that OsGS5 plays a major role in regulating both grain size and weight
      in rice via promotion of cell division. In this study, we isolated TaGS5
      homoeologues in wheat and mapped them on chromosomes 3A, 3B and 3D. Temporal and
      spatial expression analysis showed that TaGS5 homoeologues were preferentially
      expressed in young spikes and developing grains. Two alleles of TaGS5-3A, TaGS5
      3A-T and TaGS5-3A-G were identified in wheat accessions, and a functional marker
      was developed to discriminate them. Association analysis revealed that TaGS5-3A-T
      was significantly correlated with larger grain size and higher thousand kernel
      weight. Biochemical assays showed that TaGS5-3A-T possesses a higher enzymatic
      activity than TaGS5-3A-G. Transgenic rice lines overexpressing TaGS5-3A-T also
      exhibited larger grain size and higher thousand kernel weight than TaGS5-3A-G
      lines, and the transcript levels of cell cycle-related genes in TaGS5-3A-T lines
      were higher than those in TaGS5-3A-G lines. Furthermore, systematic evolution
      analysis in diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid wheat showed that TaGS5-3A
      underwent strong artificial selection during wheat polyploidization events and
      the frequency changes of two alleles demonstrated that TaGS5-3A-T was favoured in
      global modern wheat cultivars. These results suggest that TaGS5-3A is a positive
      regulator of grain size and its favoured allele TaGS5-3A-T exhibits a larger
      potential application in wheat high-yield breeding. 

PMID- 26480953
TI  - Enantioselective Addition of a 2-Alkoxycarbonyl-1,3-dithiane to Imines Catalyzed
      by a Bis(guanidino)iminophosphorane Organosuperbase.
AB  - A chiral bis(guanidino)iminophosphorane catalyzes enantioselective addition
      reactions of a 1,3-dithiane derivative as a pronucleophile. The chiral uncharged
      organosuperbase facilitates the addition of benzyloxycarbonyl-1,3-dithiane to
      aromatic N-Boc-protected imines to provide optically active alpha-amino-1,3
      dithiane derivatives, which are valuable versatile building blocks in organic
      synthesis. 

PMID- 26480954
TI  - The challenge of using experimental infectivity data in risk assessment for Ebola
      virus: why ecology may be important.
AB  - Analysis of published data shows that experimental passaging of Zaire ebolavirus
      (EBOV) in guinea pigs changes the risk of infection per plaque-forming unit
      (PFU), increasing infectivity to some species while decreasing infectivity to
      others. Thus, a PFU of monkey-adapted EBOV is 10(7) -fold more lethal to mice
      than a PFU adapted to guinea pigs. The first conclusion is that the infectivity
      of EBOV to humans may depend on the identity of the donor species itself and, on
      the basis of limited epidemiological data, the question is raised as to whether
      bat-adapted EBOV is less infectious to humans than nonhuman primate (NHP)-adapted
      EBOV. Wildlife species such as bats, duikers and NHPs are naturally infected by
      EBOV through different species giving rise to EBOV with different wildlife
      species-passage histories (heritages). Based on the ecology of these wildlife
      species, three broad 'types' of EBOV-infected bushmeat are postulated reflecting
      differences in the number of passages within a given species, and hence the
      degree of adaptation of the EBOV present. The second conclusion is that the prior
      species-transmission chain may affect the infectivity to humans per PFU for EBOV
      from individuals of the same species. This is supported by the finding that the
      related Marburg marburgvirus requires ten passages in mice to fully adapt. It is
      even possible that the evolutionary trajectory of EBOV could vary in individuals
      of the same species giving rise to variants which are more or less virulent to
      humans and that the probability of a given trajectory is related to the heritage.
      Overall the ecology of the donor species (e.g. dog or bushmeat species) at the
      level of the individual animal itself may determine the risk of infection per PFU
      to humans reflecting the heritage of the virus and may contribute to the sporadic
      nature of EBOV outbreaks. 

PMID- 26480955
TI  - An ion-pairing, reversed-phase liquid chromatography method to assess the cross
      contamination of cancer chemotherapy infusions prepared in a dual-operator
      aseptic isolator.
AB  - Cytotoxics are usually prepared in a centralized pharmacy unit in a controlled
      hospital environment. Despite the rigorous operating procedures used for such
      preparations, contamination is theoretically possible - for example due to vial
      switches. Therefore products ought to be checked in order to determine whether
      quality control measures are adequate. Numerous strategies have been applied
      locally to ensure the safety of both patients and operators but the efficacy of
      these methodologies has not previously been examined. The aim of this study was
      to develop an analytical method sensitive enough to detect traces of anti-cancer
      drugs, in order to evaluate cross-contamination between infusions prepared in a
      dual-operator isolator in the dedicated pharmacy unit. We developed a high
      performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with ultraviolet (UV) detection
      to identify and quantify the following seven drugs: 5-Fluorouracil, Cytarabine,
      Gemcitabine, Irinotecan, Doxorubicin, Epirubicin, and Daunorubicin. We assessed
      the levels of cross-contamination in 20 random preparations. We achieved
      separation of the seven drugs in less than 28 min, with a lower limit of
      quantification capable of detecting cross-contamination. An assessment of 20
      preparations revealed no cross-contamination. We developed a reproducible and
      sensitive HPLC method which could be a potentially useful tool for use in
      practice. We checked the level of cross-contamination in anti-cancer drug
      infusions and confirmed that the process in current use was safe. This study is
      the first to assess cross-contamination in anti-cancer preparations. This work is
      the first step in an extensive programme of quality control, whose aim is to
      ensure the safety of both patients and operators. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley &
      Sons, Ltd. KEY FINDINGS: Development of a reproducible and sensitive HPLC method
      capable of detecting seven anticancer drugs. This method could be used alongside
      MS detection, to check for biological contamination of nursing and pharmacy staff
      with anticancer drugs. No cross-contamination was detected in cancer chemotherapy
      infusions prepared in a dual-operator aseptic isolator.

PMID- 26480956
TI  - Effects of amino acid starvation on RelA diffusive behavior in live Escherichia
      coli.
AB  - During amino acid starvation, bacterial cells rapidly synthesize the nucleotides
      (p)ppGpp, causing a massive re-programming of the transcriptional profile known
      as the stringent response. The (p)ppGpp synthase RelA is activated by ribosomes
      harboring an uncharged tRNA at the A site. It is unclear whether synthesis occurs
      while RelA is bound to the ribosome or free in the cytoplasm. We present a study
      of three Escherichia coli strains, each expressing a different RelA-fluorescent
      protein (RelA-FP) construct: RelA-YFP, RelA-mEos2 and RelA-Dendra2. Single
      molecule localization and tracking studies were carried out under normal growth
      conditions and during amino acid starvation. Study of three labeling schemes
      enabled us to assess potential problems with FP labeling of RelA. The diffusive
      trajectories and axial spatial distributions indicate that amino acid starvation
      induces net binding of all three RelA-FP constructs to 70S ribosomes. The data
      are most consistent with a model in which RelA synthesizes (p)ppGpp while bound
      to the 70S ribosome. We suggest a 'short hopping time' model of RelA activity
      during starvation. Our results contradict an earlier study of RelA-Dendra2
      diffusion that inferred off-ribosome synthesis of (p)ppGpp. The reasons for the
      discrepancy remain unclear. 

PMID- 26480957
TI  - Association of tocilizumab treatment with changes in measures of regional left
      ventricular function in rheumatoid arthritis, as assessed by cardiac magnetic
      resonance imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to determine whether the powerful anti
      inflammatory effect of anti-interleukin-6 with tocilizumab (TCZ) might lead to a
      reduction in left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in patients with rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA). METHODS: Consecutive RA patients with active disease and healthy
      control subjects without a clinical diagnosis of cardiovascular disease were
      enrolled. The RA patients each had inadequate clinical response to non-biologic
      disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and were prescribed TCZ therapy. All
      subjects underwent baseline evaluation of LV function, as measured by cardiac
      magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI). Peak systolic regional radial strain (Err, %)
      was calculated by feature tracking of cine CMRI. After baseline (BL) CMRI
      measurements, treatment with TCZ was initiated, and patients were followed for 52
      weeks. We compared peak Err of RA patients at BL and at 52 weeks. RESULTS:
      Thirteen RA patients (mean age 52.6 +/- 5.4 years) were assessed at BL and at 52
      weeks, and these patients were compared with 10 non-RA controls (mean age 55.7 +/
      4.6 years). Disease Activity Score of 28 joints - erythrocyte sedimentation rate
      and Simple Disease Activity Index were significantly lower in RA patients at 52
      weeks than at BL. Mean peak Err at BL in RA patients was significantly lower than
      in normal subjects (P = 0.03). Mean peak Err was significantly higher at 52 weeks
      than at BL (P = 0.028) in RA patients. CONCLUSION: We showed that TCZ was
      associated with left ventricular dysfunction in RA patients which correlated with
      a reduction in RA disease activity.

PMID- 26480958
TI  - Language Experience Affects Grouping of Musical Instrument Sounds.
AB  - Language experience clearly affects the perception of speech, but little is known
      about whether these differences in perception extend to non-speech sounds. In
      this study, we investigated rhythmic perception of non-linguistic sounds in
      speakers of French and German using a grouping task, in which complexity
      (variability in sounds, presence of pauses) was manipulated. In this task,
      participants grouped sequences of auditory chimeras formed from musical
      instruments. These chimeras mimic the complexity of speech without being speech.
      We found that, while showing the same overall grouping preferences, the German
      speakers showed stronger biases than the French speakers in grouping complex
      sequences. Sound variability reduced all participants' biases, resulting in the
      French group showing no grouping preference for the most variable sequences,
      though this reduction was attenuated by musical experience. In sum, this study
      demonstrates that linguistic experience, musical experience, and complexity
      affect rhythmic grouping of non-linguistic sounds and suggests that experience
      with acoustic cues in a meaningful context (language or music) is necessary for
      developing a robust grouping preference that survives acoustic variability.

PMID- 26480959
TI  - Induction of neurite outgrowth in 3D hydrogel-based environments.
AB  - The ability of peripheral nervous system (PNS) axons to regenerate and re
      innervate their targets after an injury has been widely recognized. However,
      despite the considerable advances made in microsurgical techniques, complete
      functional recovery is rarely achieved, especially for severe peripheral nerve
      injuries (PNIs). Therefore, alternative therapies that can successfully repair
      peripheral nerves are still essential. In recent years the use of biodegradable
      hydrogels enriched with growth-supporting and guidance cues, cell
      transplantation, and biomolecular therapies have been explored for the treatment
      of PNIs. Bearing this in mind, the aim of this study was to assess whether Gly
      Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser synthetic peptide (GRGDS)-modified gellan gum (GG) based
      hydrogels could foster an amenable environment for neurite/axonal growth.
      Additionally, strategies to further improve the rate of neurite outgrowth were
      also tested, namely the use of adipose tissue derived stem cells (ASCs), as well
      as the glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). In order to increase its
      stability and enhance its bioactivity, the GDNF was conjugated covalently to iron
      oxide nanoparticles (IONPs). The impact of hydrogel modification as well as the
      effect of the GDNF-IONPs on ASC behavior was also screened. The results revealed
      that the GRGDS-GG hydrogel was able to support dorsal root ganglia (DRG)-based
      neurite outgrowth, which was not observed for non-modified hydrogels. Moreover,
      the modified hydrogels were also able to support ASCs attachment. In contrast,
      the presence of the GDNF-IONPs had no positive or negative impact on ASC
      behavior. Further experiments revealed that the presence of ASCs in the hydrogel
      improved axonal growth. On the other hand, GDNF-IONPs alone or combined with ASCs
      significantly increased neurite outgrowth from DRGs, suggesting a beneficial role
      of the proposed strategy for future applications in PNI regenerative medicine. 

PMID- 26480960
TI  - Suberythemal Sun Exposures at Swedish Schools Depend on Sky Views of the Outdoor
      Environments - Possible Implications for Pupils' Health.
AB  - More scheduled outdoor stay is increasingly advocated for school children. This
      study measured 2(nd) , 5(th) and 8(th) graders' erythemal UV-exposure in
      September, March and May at four Swedish schools. We related those exposures, as
      fractions of total available ambient radiation, to the schools outdoor
      environments differing in amount of shade, vegetation, and peripheral city-scape
      quantified as percentage of free sky view calculated from fish-eye photographs.
      Exposures correlated with the sky views (with exceptions in May) and were
      suberythemal. The exposures were also below the threshold limit of the
      International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) for hazard
      evaluation of UVR but were potentially enough for adequate vitamin D formation
      according to a cited model calculation - as illustrated in the results and
      discussed. The school environments, typical in southern and middle Sweden, offer
      enough shade to protect children from overexposure during seasons with
      potentially harmful solar UV radiation. Pupils' outdoor stay may be extended
      during September and March. In May extended outdoor stay of the youngest pupils
      requires a more UVR-protective environment. 

PMID- 26480961
TI  - Development of chitosan-pullulan composite nanoparticles for nasal delivery of
      vaccines: optimisation and cellular studies.
AB  - Nasal immunisation with nanoparticles has already shown promising results. In
      this study, nanoparticle composites carrying BSA for nasal vaccination prepared
      using electrostatic interaction process between polycation N-trimethyl chitosan
      chloride (TMC), chitosan glutamate (CG), chitosan chloride (CCl) and polyanion
      carboxymethyl pullulan (CMP). A mass ratio of 2:1 for TMC-CMP combination
      produced stable nanocarriers. For CCl-CMP and CG-CMP formulations needed a mass
      ratio of 3:1. Loading efficiency was >90% for all formulations. Nanoparticles'
      size ranged from 207 to 603 nm. The surface charge of the complexes varied
      between +14 and +33 mV. SDS-PAGE integrity of the model antigen was also
      demonstrated. MTT studies showed that nanoparticle composites were less toxic to
      Calu-3 cells than the particles of cationic polymers alone. FITC-BSA loaded
      nanoparticles efficiently taken up by J774A.1 macrophages as confirmed by
      confocal microscopy highlighting the potential of these novel nanoparticulate
      carriers' use for nasal vaccination.

PMID- 26480962
TI  - Development of chitosan-pullulan composite nanoparticles for nasal delivery of
      vaccines: in vivo studies.
AB  - Here, we aimed at developing chitosan/pullulan composite nanoparticles and
      testing their potential as novel systems for the nasal delivery of diphtheria
      toxoid (DT). All the chitosan derivatives [N-trimethyl (TMC), chloride and
      glutamate] and carboxymethyl pullulan (CMP) were synthesised and antigen-loaded
      composites were prepared by polyion complexation of chitosan and pullulan
      derivatives (particle size: 239-405 nm; surface charge: +18 and +27 mV). Their
      immunological effects after intranasal administration to mice were compared to
      intramuscular route. Composite nanoparticles induced higher levels of IgG
      responses than particles formed with chitosan derivative and antigen. Nasally
      administered TMC-pullulan composites showed higher DT serum IgG titre when
      compared with the other composites. Co-encapsulation of CpG ODN within TMC-CMP-DT
      nanoparticles resulted in a balanced Th1/Th2 response. TMC/pullulan composite
      nanoparticles also induced highest cytokine levels compared to those of chitosan
      salts. These findings demonstrated that TMC-CMP-DT composite nanoparticles are
      promising delivery system for nasal vaccination.

PMID- 26480964
TI  - SELEX: How It Happened and Where It will Go.

PMID- 26480963
TI  - Preparation and detection of calcium alginate/bone powder hybrid microbeads for
      in vitro culture of ADSCs.
AB  - Calcium alginate microbeads have been widely used in tissue engineering
      application, due to their excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, enhanced
      mechanical strength and toughness. Bone powder containing abundant
      hydroxylapatite, type I collagen and growth factors such as BMP2 and BMP4,
      possesses good osteoinductive activity. Herein, a hybrid calcium alginate/bone
      powder microbead was therefore prepared. Afterwards, different seeding density of
      adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) in these hybrid microbeads was discussed
      systematically for further in vitro expansion. Optimised microbeads suitable for
      in vitro expansion and differentiation of ADSCs were prepared using the droplet
      method under overall considering suitable concentrations of calcium alginate and
      calcium chloride as well as the density of bone powder through an orthogonal
      experiment. The results showed that the concentration of sodium alginate had the
      most influence on inside mass transfer and mechanical strength of the hybrid
      microbeads, secondly the calcium chloride, then the density of bone powder. The
      hybrid microbeads could be optimally performed while the concentrations of sodium
      alginate and calcium chloride were 2.5% and 4.5%, as well as 5.0 mg/mL bone
      powder, respectively. Live/Dead assay showed that the expanded ADSCs
      differentiated well with an initial embedding density of 5 * 10(6) cells/mL.

PMID- 26480965
TI  - Is There a Role for Publication Consultants and How Should Their Contribution be
      Recognized?
AB  - When a scientific paper, dissertation or thesis is published the author(s) have a
      duty to report who has contributed to the work. This recognition can take several
      forms such as authorship, relevant acknowledgments and by citing previous work.
      There is a growing industry where publication consultants will work with authors,
      research groups or even institutions to help get their work published, or help
      submit their dissertation/thesis. This help can range from proof reading, data
      collection, analysis (including statistics), helping with the literature review
      and identifying suitable journals/conferences. In this opinion article we
      question whether these external services are required, given that institutions
      should provide this support and that experienced researchers should be qualified
      to carry out these activities. If these services are used, we argue that their
      use should at least be made transparent either by the consultant being an author
      on the paper, or by being acknowledged on the paper, dissertation or thesis. We
      also argue that publication consultants should provide an annual return that
      details the papers, dissertations and thesis that they have consulted on.

PMID- 26480968
TI  - The Eye of the Beholder.

PMID- 26480967
TI  - Diabetes Mellitus Care Provided by Nurse Practitioners vs Primary Care
      Physicians.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare processes and cost of care of older adults with diabetes
      mellitus cared for by nurse practitioners (NPs) with processes and cost of those
      cared for by primary care physicians (PCPs). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.
      SETTING: Primary care in communities. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals with a diagnosis
      of diabetes mellitus in 2009 who received all their primary care from NPs or PCPs
      were selected from a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries (N = 64,354).
      MEASUREMENTS: Propensity score matching within each state was used to compare
      these two cohorts with regard to rate of eye examinations, low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) testing,
      nephropathy monitoring, specialist consultation, and Medicare costs. The two
      groups were also compared regarding medication adherence and use of statins,
      angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (for
      individuals with a diagnosis of hypertension), and potentially inappropriate
      medications (PIMs). RESULTS: Nurse practitioners and PCPs had similar rates of
      LDL-C testing (odds ratio (OR) = 1.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.94-1.09)
      and nephropathy monitoring (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.98-1.03), but NPs had lower
      rates of eye examinations (OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.84-0.93) and HbA1C testing (OR =
      0.88, 95% CI = 0.79-0.98). NPs were more likely to have consulted cardiologists
      (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.21-1.37), endocrinologists (OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.48
      1.82), and nephrologists (OR = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.67-2.17) and more likely to have
      prescribed PIMs (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.01-1.12). There was no statistically
      significant difference in adjusted Medicare spending between the two groups (P =
      .56). CONCLUSION: Nurse practitioners were similar to PCPs or slightly lower in
      their rates of diabetes mellitus guideline-concordant care. NPs used specialist
      consultations more often but had similar overall costs of care to PCPs.

PMID- 26480969
TI  - Dietary Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Are Positively Associated with Risk of
      Developing Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate how glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) are
      associated with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its features in middle-aged and
      elderly adults at high cardiovascular risk. DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal,
      population-based cohort. SETTING: PREvencion con DIeta MEDiterranea study.
      PARTICIPANTS: Men and women (N = 6,606) divided into three age groups (<65, 65
      74, >=75). MEASUREMENTS: Energy and nutrient intake was evaluated using a
      validated 137-item food frequency questionnaire. MetS and its features were
      defined in accordance with the criteria of the American Heart Association and
      National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. RESULTS: A positive association was
      observed between GI and MetS prevalence in the youngest and middle age groups for
      participants without diabetes mellitus, but no relationship was found for those
      with diabetes mellitus. During the median follow-up of 4.8 years, higher GI and
      GL were related to greater risk of MetS in the middle age group, independent of
      the presence of diabetes mellitus. Changes in dietary GI were associated with
      risk of developing the high fasting glucose component of the MetS in the oldest
      age category, and changes in dietary GL were associated with risk of developing
      abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol, and high blood pressure in the youngest age category. CONCLUSION:
      Dietary GI and GL have a potential role in the development of MetS and associated
      clinical features, with particular age-dependent considerations.

PMID- 26480970
TI  - Increase in Disability Prevalence Before Hip Fracture.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To establish the prevalence and correlates of disability during the 2
      years before hip fracture. DESIGN: Data from participants who experienced hip
      fracture in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) with hip fracture identified
      using linked Medicare claims. Each participant was interviewed at varying time
      points in the 2 years before hip fracture. Disability was defined as self-report
      of the need for assistance in any activity of daily living (walking across the
      room, eating, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, transferring). Based on the
      timing between interview and hip fracture, prevalence of disability was
      calculated in the cohort as a whole over the 2 years before hip fracture and in
      subgroups defined according to demographic and clinical characteristics. SETTING:
      The HRS is a nationally representative longitudinal study (1992-2010).
      PARTICIPANTS: HRS participants aged >=65 with hip fracture (mean age at fracture
      84, 77% female). RESULTS: The adjusted prevalence of disability was 20% (95%
      confidence interval (CI) = 14-25%) 2 years before hip fracture, with little
      change until approximately 10 months before fracture, when it started to rise,
      reaching 44% (95% CI = 33-55%) in the month before hip fracture. The prevalence
      of disability was highest in the last month before fracture for persons aged 85
      and older (53%) and for those with dementia (60%). CONCLUSION: Care models for
      hip fracture need to consider not only the acute medical and surgical needs, but
      also the high level of need for supportive care and caregiver assistance that
      chronically disabled individuals require.

PMID- 26480971
TI  - Intervention to Reduce Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Individuals on Long
      Term Ventilation by Introducing a Customized Bundle.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of a modified bundle of preventative
      measures to decrease ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in chronically
      ventilated long-term care facility (LTCF) residents. DESIGN: Cohort before-and
      after study. SETTING: Geriatric hospital ward. PARTICIPANTS: LTCF residents on
      long-term ventilation. INTERVENTION: The modified bundle included hand hygiene
      before patient care, elevation of the head of the bed to more than 30 degrees 
      for individuals who are supine, chlorhexidine oral care at the beginning of each
      nursing shift, keeping tracheostomy cannula balloon pressure at 20 to 30 cm H2 O,
      and measuring nasogastric food remnants before every meal for individuals fed
      through a nasogastric tube. MEASUREMENTS: Number of VAP episodes was determined
      prospectively, and rates were calculated as episodes per 1,000 ventilation days.
      RESULTS: VAP rate decreased from 5.97 before the intervention to 2.34 after the
      intervention (P < .001). The use of broad-spectrum antibiotics decreased from
      1,788 defined daily doses before the intervention to 1,093 after (P = .04).
      CONCLUSION: A modified bundle successfully decreased VAP rates in chronically
      ventilated elderly LTCF residents.

PMID- 26480972
TI  - Self-Reported Hearing Loss, Hearing Aids, and Cognitive Decline in Elderly
      Adults: A 25-Year Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between hearing loss, hearing aid use,
      and cognitive decline. DESIGN: Prospective population-based study. SETTING: Data
      gathered from the Personnes Agees QUID study, a cohort study begun in 1989-90.
      PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 65 and older (N = 3,670). MEASUREMENTS: At
      baseline, hearing loss was determined using a questionnaire assessing self
      perceived hearing loss; 137 subjects reported major hearing loss, 1,139 reported
      moderate problems (difficulty following the conversation when several persons
      talk at the same time or in a noisy background), and 2,394 reported no hearing
      trouble. Cognitive decline was measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination
      (MMSE), administered at follow-up visits over 25 years. RESULTS: Self-reported
      hearing loss was significantly associated with lower baseline MMSE score (beta = 
      0.69, P < .001) and greater decline during the 25-year follow-up period (beta = 
      0.04, P = .01) independent of age, sex, and education. A difference in the rate
      of change in MMSE score over the 25-year follow-up was observed between
      participants with hearing loss not using hearing aids and controls (beta = -0.06,
      P < .001). In contrast, subjects with hearing loss using a hearing aid had no
      difference in cognitive decline (beta = 0.07, P = .08) from controls. CONCLUSION:
      Self-reported hearing loss is associated with accelerated cognitive decline in
      older adults; hearing aid use attenuates such decline.

PMID- 26480973
TI  - Preparedness for End of Life-a Survey of Jerusalem District Nursing Homes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the quality of end-of-life (EOL) care in nursing homes.
      DESIGN: Survey and semistructured interviews. SETTING: Jerusalem district nursing
      homes. PARTICIPANTS: Staff members of 28 long-term care and skilled nursing
      facilities in the Jerusalem area in Israel of various ethnic, religious, and
      administrative affiliations (N = 207). MEASUREMENTS: Qualitative analysis of
      semistructured interviews and statistical analysis of questionnaires. RESULTS:
      Most staff members reported that EOL preferences were unknown for more than 90%
      of residents and that fewer than 10% had a healthcare proxy. Most staff members
      recalled conducting fewer than five EOL conversations over the past year with
      residents or family members and could recall fewer than five cases in which a
      resident was allowed to die in the nursing home. According to staff opinions the
      prevalence of tube feeding was estimated at greater than 10%, initiated because
      of aspiration, malnutrition, and understaffing, often against family's
      preferences. More than 25% of staff members believed that pain management was
      inadequate. Knowledge about management of chronic pain was poor in half of nurses
      and nearly one-third of physicians. Most staff would rather not receive the
      treatments they administered to residents. CONCLUSION: Nursing homes in Jerusalem
      lack competency for quality EOL care, and there are multiple psychological,
      training, and policy challenges to improvement.

PMID- 26480974
TI  - Concordance Between Anticholinergic Burden Scales.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate concordance of five commonly used anticholinergic scales.
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional secondary analysis. SETTING: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
      and Memphis, Tennessee. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling adults aged 70 to 79
      with baseline medication data from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study
      (N = 3,055). MEASUREMENTS: Any anticholinergic use, weighted scores, and total
      standardized daily dosage were calculated using five anticholinergic measures
      (Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) Scale, Anticholinergic Drug Scale (ADS),
      Anticholinergic Risk Scale (ARS), Drug Burden Index anticholinergic component
      (DBI-ACh), and Summated Anticholinergic Medications Scale (SAMS)). Concordance
      was evaluated using kappa statistics and Spearman rank correlations. RESULTS: Any
      anticholinergic use in rank order was 51% for the ACB, 43% for the ADS, 29% for
      the DBI-ACh, 23% for the ARS, and 16% for the SAMS. Kappa statistics for all
      pairwise use comparisons ranged from 0.33 to 0.68. Similarly, concordance as
      measured using weighted kappa statistics ranged from 0.54 to 0.70 for the three
      scales not incorporating dosage (ADS, ARS, ACB). Spearman rank correlation
      between the DBI-ACh and SAMS was 0.50. CONCLUSION: Only low to moderate
      concordance was found between the five anticholinergic scales. Future research is
      needed to examine how these differences in measurement affect their predictive
      validity with respect to clinically relevant outcomes, such as cognitive
      impairment.

PMID- 26480975
TI  - Recognition and Management of Hypertension in Older Persons: Focus on African
      Americans.
AB  - Hypertension is the most commonly diagnosed condition in persons aged 60 and
      older and is the single most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease
      (ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and stroke), kidney disease, and
      dementia. More than half of individuals with hypertension in the United States
      are aged 60 and older. Hypertension disproportionately affects African Americans,
      with all age groups, including elderly adults, having a higher burden of
      hypertension-related complications than other U.S. POPULATIONS: Multiple clinical
      trials have demonstrated the beneficial effects of blood pressure (BP) reduction
      on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, with most of the evidence in
      individuals aged 60 and older. Several guidelines have recently been published on
      the specific management of hypertension in individuals aged 60 and older,
      including in high-risk groups such as African Americans. Most recommend careful
      evaluation, thiazide diuretics and calcium-channel blockers for initial drug
      therapy in most African Americans, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors
      and angiotensin receptor blockers in those with chronic kidney disease or heart
      failure. Among the areas of controversy is the recommended target BP in African
      Americans aged 60 and older. A recent U.S. guideline recommended raising the
      systolic BP target from less than 140 mmHg to less than 150 mmHg in this
      population. This article will review the evidence and current guideline
      recommendations for hypertension treatment in older African Americans, including
      the rationale for continuing to recommend a SBP target of less than 140 mmHg in
      this population.

PMID- 26480976
TI  - The Highs and Lows of Blood Pressure Targets in Elderly Adults and Other High
      Risk Populations.

PMID- 26480978
TI  - Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders to the Rescue.

PMID- 26480977
TI  - Effect of Physician Delegation to Other Healthcare Providers on the Quality of
      Care for Geriatric Conditions.
AB  - The quality of care of older adults in the United States has been consistently
      shown to be inadequate. This gap between recommended and actual care provides an
      opportunity to improve the value of health care for older adults. Prior work from
      the Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders (ACOVE) investigators first defined, and
      then sought to improve, clinical practice for common geriatric conditions. A
      critical component of the ACOVE intervention for practice improvement was an
      emphasis on the delegation of specific care processes, but the independent effect
      of delegation on the quality of care has not been evaluated. This study analyzed
      the pooled results of prior ACOVE projects from 1998 to 2010. Totaled, these
      studies included 4,776 individuals aged 65 and older of mixed demographic
      backgrounds and 16,204 ACOVE quality indicators (QIs) for three geriatric
      conditions: falls, urinary incontinence, and dementia. In unadjusted analyses, QI
      pass probabilities were 0.36 for physician-performed tasks, 0.55 for nurse
      practitioner (NP)-, physician assistant (PA)-, and registered nurse (RN)
      performed tasks; and 0.61 for medical assistant- and licensed vocational nurse
      performed tasks. In multiply adjusted models, the independent pass-probability
      effect of delegation to NPs, PAs, and RNs was 1.37 (P = .05). These findings
      suggest that delegation of selected tasks to nonphysician healthcare providers is
      associated with higher quality of care for these geriatric conditions in
      community practices and supports the value of interdisciplinary team management
      for common outpatient conditions in older adults. 

PMID- 26480979
TI  - Participation of Medical Students in Discharge Tasks: A Needs Assessment.

PMID- 26480980
TI  - Early Commencement of Oral Intake and Physical Function are Associated with Early
      Hospital Discharge with Oral Intake in Hospitalized Elderly Individuals with
      Pneumonia.

PMID- 26480982
TI  - Deep Brain Stimulation Ameliorates Postural Hypotension in Parkinson's Disease.

PMID- 26480981
TI  - Levodopa Does Not Worsen Gastric Emptying in Parkinson's Disease.

PMID- 26480983
TI  - Acupuncture for Gait Disturbance in Parkinson's Disease: Immediate Effects of
      Acupuncture Treatment.

PMID- 26480984
TI  - Does Age Influence Treatment and Oncological Outcomes in Individuals with
      Sporadic Colorectal Cancer?

PMID- 26480985
TI  - Effectiveness of a Cardiovascular Evaluation and Intervention in Older Fallers: A
      Pilot Study.

PMID- 26480986
TI  - Views of Primary Care Physicians and Home Care Nurses on the Causes of
      Readmission of Older Adults.

PMID- 26480987
TI  - Circulating Levels of Advanced Glycation End Products in Diabetes Mellitus
      Related Dementia.

PMID- 26480988
TI  - Inappropriate Proton Pump Inhibitor Prescription in Elderly Adults: As Usual As
      Dangerous.

PMID- 26480990
TI  - Anemia, Physical Function, and Mortality in Long-Lived Individuals Aged 95 and
      Older: A Population-Based Study.

PMID- 26480989
TI  - Use of Vitamin K Antagonists and Brain Volumetry in Older Adults: Preliminary
      Results From the GAIT Study.

PMID- 26480991
TI  - Antihypertensive Treatment After Ischemic Stroke in Elderly Adults: Beware of
      Nocturnal Hypotension Episodes.

PMID- 26480992
TI  - Conservative Management of Intentional Massive Dabigatran Overdose.

PMID- 26480993
TI  - Low-Dose Sip Feeding in Individuals with Malnutrition-Effects on the Nutritional
      Parameters.

PMID- 26480994
TI  - Effects of Weighted Tai Chi on Leg Strength of Older Adults.

PMID- 26480995
TI  - Potential Effect of Coding Differences on Comparisons of Rural and Urban
      Outcomes.

PMID- 26480996
TI  - Timing Is Critical in Determining the Association Between Delirium and S100
      Calcium-Binding Protein B.

PMID- 26480997
TI  - Older Adult Openness to Physician Questioning About Firearms.

PMID- 26480998
TI  - Differences in Medicare Billing of Internal Medicine Physicians According to Sex.

PMID- 26480999
TI  - Older Dutch People's Self-Reported Advance Euthanasia Directive Completion Before
      and After the Enactment of the Euthanasia Law: A Time Trend Study (1998-2011).

PMID- 26481000
TI  - Don't Let the BEDBUGS Bite: An Overlooked Cause of Rash in an Older Adult.

PMID- 26481001
TI  - Hypervitaminosis B12 As an Additional Prognostic Indicator in Elderly Adults with
      a Neoplastic Disease: Report of a Case and Review of the Literature.

PMID- 26481002
TI  - Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw in an 80-Year-Old Woman with
      Diabetes Mellitus: Case Report.

PMID- 26481003
TI  - The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly Model: Lessons for the Medicare
      Medicaid Coordination Office.

PMID- 26481006
TI  - Suppression and Working Memory in Auditory Comprehension of L2 Narratives:
      Evidence from Cross-Modal Priming.
AB  - Using a cross-modal priming task, the present study explores whether Chinese
      English bilinguals process goal related information during auditory comprehension
      of English narratives like native speakers. Results indicate that English native
      speakers adopted both mechanisms of suppression and enhancement to modulate the
      activation of goals and keep track of the "causal path" in narrative events and
      that L1 speakers with higher working memory (WM) capacity are more skilled at
      attenuating interference. L2 speakers, however, experienced the phenomenon of
      "facilitation-without-inhibition." Their difficulty in suppressing irrelevant
      information was related to their performance in the test of working memory
      capacity. For the L2 group with greater working memory capacity, the effects of
      both enhancement and suppression were found. These findings are discussed in
      light of a landscape model of L2 text comprehension which highlights the need for
      WM to be incorporated into comprehensive models of L2 processing as well as
      theories of SLA. 

PMID- 26481005
TI  - Downregulation of hepatic betaine:homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT)
      expression in taurine-deficient mice is reversed by taurine supplementation in
      vivo.
AB  - The cysteine dioxygenase (Cdo1)-null and the cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase
      (Csad)-null mouse are not able to synthesize hypotaurine/taurine by the
      cysteine/cysteine sulfinate pathway and have very low tissue taurine levels.
      These mice provide excellent models for studying the effects of taurine on
      biological processes. Using these mouse models, we identified
      betaine:homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) as a protein whose in vivo
      expression is robustly regulated by taurine. BHMT levels are low in liver of both
      Cdo1-null and Csad-null mice, but are restored to wild-type levels by dietary
      taurine supplementation. A lack of BHMT activity was indicated by an increase in
      the hepatic betaine level. In contrast to observations in liver of Cdo1-null and
      Csad-null mice, BHMT was not affected by taurine supplementation of primary
      hepatocytes from these mice. Likewise, CSAD abundance was not affected by taurine
      supplementation of primary hepatocytes, although it was robustly upregulated in
      liver of Cdo1-null and Csad-null mice and lowered to wild-type levels by dietary
      taurine supplementation. The mechanism by which taurine status affects hepatic
      CSAD and BHMT expression appears to be complex and to require factors outside of
      hepatocytes. Within the liver, mRNA abundance for both CSAD and BHMT was
      upregulated in parallel with protein levels, indicating regulation of BHMT and
      CSAD mRNA synthesis or degradation.

PMID- 26481007
TI  - Microsatellite-based genetic diversity patterns in disjunct populations of a rare
      orchid.
AB  - We investigated the patterns of genetic diversity and structure in seven disjunct
      populations of a rare North American orchid, Cypripedium kentuckiense by
      including populations that represented the periphery and the center of the its
      range. Eight nuclear and two chloroplast microsatellites were used. Genetic
      diversity was low across the sampled populations of C. kentuckiense based on both
      nuclear (average An = 4.0, Ho = 0.436, He = 0.448) and cpDNA microsatellites
      (average An = 1.57, Nh = 1.57 and H = 0.133). The number of private alleles
      ranged from one to four per population with a total of 17 private alleles
      detected at five nuclear microsatellites. One private allele at one cpDNA
      microsatellite was also observed. Although the absolute values for nuclear
      microsatellite based population differentiation were low (Fst = 0.075; phiPT =
      0.24), they were statistically significant. Pairwise Fst values ranged from 0.038
      to 0.123 and each comparison was significant. We also detected isolation by
      distance with nDNA microsatellites based on the Mantel test (r(2) = 0.209, P =
      0.05). STRUCTURE analysis and the neighbor joining trees grouped the populations
      similarly whereby the geographically proximal populations were genetically
      similar. Our data indicate that the species is genetically depauperate but the
      diversity is distributed more or less equally across its range. Population
      differentiation and isolation by distance were detectable, which indicates that
      genetic isolation is beginning to manifest itself across the range in this rare
      species. 

PMID- 26481008
TI  - The role of the transformer gene in sex determination and reproduction in the
      tephritid fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel).
AB  - Transformer (tra) is a switch gene in the somatic sex-determination hierarchy
      that regulates sexual dimorphism based on RNA splicing in many insects. In
      tephritids, a Y-linked male determining gene (M) controls sex in the sex
      determination pathway. Here, homologues of Drosophila tra and transformer-2 (tra
      2) genes were isolated and characterized in Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), one of
      the most destructive agricultural insect pests in many Asian countries. Two male
      specific and one female-specific isoforms of B. dorsalis transformer (Bdtra) were
      identified. The presence of multiple TRA/TRA-2 binding sites in Bdtra suggests
      that the TRA/TRA-2 proteins are splicing regulators promoting and maintaining,
      epigenetically, female sex determination by a tra positive feedback loop in XX
      individuals during development. The expression patterns of female-specific Bdtra
      transcripts during early embryogenesis shows that a peak appears at 15 h after
      egg laying. Using dsRNA to knock-down Bdtra expression in the embryo and adult
      stages, we showed that sexual formation is determined early in the embryo stage
      and that parental RNAi does not lead to the production of all male progeny as in
      Tribolium castaneum. RNAi results from adult abdominal dsRNA injections show that
      Bdtra has a positive influence on female yolk protein gene (Bdyp1) expression and
      fecundity. 

PMID- 26481010
TI  - Strategy for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of histone deacetylase inhibitor
      dacinostat: the novel paradigm to tackle monotonous cancer chemoresistance.
AB  - Histone deacetylases (HDACs) regulate gene expression by creating the closed
      state of chromatin via histone hypoacetylation. Histone acetylation deregulation
      caused by aberrant expression of classical HDACs leads to imprecise gene
      regulation culminating in various diseases including cancer. Histone deacetylase
      inhibitors (HDACi), the small-molecules modulating the biological function of
      HDACs have shown promising results in inducing cell cycle arrest, differentiation
      and apoptosis in tumour models. HDACi do not show desired cytotoxic effect when
      used in monotherapy due to triggering of various resistance mechanisms in cancer
      cells emphasizing the desperate need of novel strategies that can be used to
      overcome such challenges. The present article provides intricate details about
      the novel HDACi dacinostat (LAQ-824) against multiple myeloma and acute myeloid
      leukaemia. The distinct molecular mechanisms modulated by dacinostat in exerting
      cytotoxic effect against the defined malignancies have also been detailed. The
      article also explains the strategy that can be used to circumvent the
      conventional therapy resistant cases and for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy
      of dacinostat for effective anticancer therapy.

PMID- 26481009
TI  - Protein kinase OsSAPK8 functions as an essential activator of S-type anion
      channel OsSLAC1, which is nitrate-selective in rice.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: OsSAPK8 is an essential activator of OsSLAC1 by phosphorylation,
      and OsSLAC1 is a nitrate-selective anion channel. S-type anion channel AtSLAC1
      and protein kinase AtOST1 have been well-characterized as two core components of
      ABA signaling cascade in Arabidopsis guard cells, and AtOST1 functions as a main
      upstream activator of AtSLAC1 for drought stress- and ABA-induced stomata
      closure. However, the identity of the ortholog of AtOST1 in rice, the main
      activator of OsSLAC1, is still unknown. Here, we report that protein kinase
      OsSAPK8 interacts with and activates OsSLAC1 mainly by phosphorylating serine 129
      (S129) of OsSLAC1, and this phosphorylating site corresponds to the specific
      phosphorylating site serine 120 (S120) of AtSLAC1 for AtOST1. Additionally, we
      found that OsSLAC1 is a nitrate-selective anion channel without obvious
      permeability to chloride, malate, and sulfate, and the expression of OsSLAC1 in
      Arabidopsis slac1-3 (atslac1-3) mutant successfully rescued the hypersensitive
      phenotype of this mutant to drought stress. Together, this research suggests that
      OsSAPK8 is a counterpart of AtOST1 for the activation of OsSLAC1, which is a
      nitrate-selective anion channel.

PMID- 26481012
TI  - Longitudinal tumor hypoxia imaging with [(18)F]FAZA-PET provides early prediction
      of nanoliposomal irinotecan (nal-IRI) treatment activity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-invasive measurement of tumor hypoxia has demonstrated potential
      for the evaluation of disease progression, as well as prediction and assessment
      of treatment outcome. [(18)F]fluoroazomycin arabinoside (FAZA) positron emission
      tomography (PET) has been identified as a robust method for quantification of
      hypoxia both preclinically and clinically. The goal of this investigation was to
      evaluate the feasibility and value of repeated FAZA-PET imaging to quantify
      hypoxia in tumors that received multi-dose chemotherapy. METHODS: FAZA-PET
      imaging was conducted over a 21-day period in a mouse xenograft model of HT-29
      human colorectal carcinoma, following multi-dose chemotherapy treatment with
      irinotecan (CPT-11) or nanoliposomal irinotecan (nal-IRI, MM-398). RESULTS:
      Tumors treated with 10 mg/kg nal-IRI maintained significantly lower levels of
      hypoxia and smaller hypoxic fractions compared to tumors that received 50 mg/kg
      CPT-11. Specifically, differences in FAZA uptake were detectable 9 days before
      any significant differences in tumor volume were observed between the treatment
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the potential use of FAZA-PET as an
      early marker of treatment response following multi-dose chemotherapy.

PMID- 26481011
TI  - Purple potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) anthocyanins attenuate alcohol-induced
      hepatic injury by enhancing antioxidant defense.
AB  - Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a serious and challenging health issue. In the
      past decade, natural components possessing hepatoprotective properties have
      gained more attention for ALD intervention. In this study, the phytochemical
      components of anthocyanins from purple potato were assessed using UPLC-MS/MS, and
      the hepatoprotective effects of purple potato anthocyanins (PPAs) were
      investigated in the ALD mouse model. Serum and liver biochemical parameters were
      determined, along with histopathological changes in liver tissue. In addition,
      the major contributors to alcohol-induced oxidative stress were assessed. The
      results indicated that the levels of aspartate transaminase and alanine
      transaminase were lower in the serum of the PPA-treated group than the alcohol
      treated group. PPAs significantly inhibited the reduction of total cholesterol
      and triglycerides. Higher levels of superoxide dismutase and reduced glutathione
      enzymes as well as a reduction in the formation of malondialdehyde occurred in
      mice fed with PPAs. In addition, PPAs protected against increased alcohol-induced
      levels and activity of cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), which demonstrates the
      effects of PPAs against alcohol-induced oxidative stress and liver injury. This
      study suggests that PPAs could be an effective therapeutic agent in alcohol
      induced liver injuries by inhibiting CYP2E1 expression and thereby strengthening
      antioxidant defenses.

PMID- 26481013
TI  - [Party and designer drugs : From ecstasy and crystal meth to angel's trumpet].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The growing abuse of party and designer drugs increases the number of
      emergency cases related to drug consumption. OBJECTIVES: Presentation of the
      scenario as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic principles of emergency
      management and characterization of the most frequently abused drugs and its
      effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Evaluation of drug statistics, and work-up and
      discussion of expert publications and recommendations. RESULTS: In 2014, there
      were 1032 drug-related deaths, which is 3 % more incidents than in 2013. However,
      there is a drastically and steadily increasing consumption of newer enhancing
      drugs such as crystal meth. Throughout Europe, there are about 1500 designer
      drugs that are disguised as so-called spice mixtures or bath salts. In addition
      to stimulating substances, hallucinogenic and sedative drugs are also consumed.
      Common nonspecific symptoms of emergency drug overdose are psychosis, impaired
      consciousness, seizures, and disorders of various internal organs. Based on the
      clinical presentation, different neurotransmitter syndromes can be distinguished
      and the drug etiology can be diagnosed and proven by laboratory assays. Therapy
      includes symptom-oriented measures. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of different party and
      designer drugs and their complications enables prompt emergency management.

PMID- 26481014
TI  - [Investing in knowledge].

PMID- 26481015
TI  - [DNA fragments synthesized by polymerase alpha shape our genome].

PMID- 26481016
TI  - [Macrophage migration inhibitory factor: a key cytokine for endometriosis].

PMID- 26481017
TI  - [Viagra(r) makes Plasmodium stiff: a novel way to block malaria transmission?].

PMID- 26481018
TI  - [Altruism in the retina: sticks feed cones].

PMID- 26481019
TI  - [Retinal prostheses: high-resolution photovoltaic implants].

PMID- 26481020
TI  - [Immunosuppression by Treg can be decreased with anti-GARP antibodies].

PMID- 26481021
TI  - [PRAF2, an endoplasmic reticulum gatekeeper, controls the cell-surface export of
      the GABA(B) receptor in neurons].

PMID- 26481022
TI  - [Co-activation of AMPK and mTORC1: a therapeutic application of synthetic
      lethality in acute myeloid leukemia].

PMID- 26481023
TI  - [Molecular pathogenesis of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (1): angioimmunoblastic T
      cell lymphoma, peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified and anaplastic
      large cell lymphoma].
AB  - Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) belong to the group of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
      and particularly that of mature T/NK cells lymphoproliferative neoplasms. The
      2008 WHO classification describes different PTCL entities with varying
      prevalence. With the exception of the histological subtype "ALK positive
      anaplastic large cell lymphoma", PTCL are characterized by a poor prognosis. The
      mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of these lymphomas are not yet fully
      understood, but development of genomic high-throughput analysis techniques now
      allows to extensively identify the molecular abnormalities present in tumor
      cells. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge and recent advances
      about the molecular events occurring at the origin or during the natural history
      of main entities of PTCL. It will be published in two parts : the first is
      focused on the three more frequent entities, angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma,
      peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified, and anaplastic large cell
      lymphoma. The second (which will appear in the november issue) will describe
      other subtypes less frequent and of poor prognosis : extranodal NK/T-cell
      lymphoma, nasal type, adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, and enteropathy-associated
      T-cell lymphoma. T or NK cell lymphoproliferative disorders with leukemic
      presentation, primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and very rare subtypes of PTCL
      whose prevalence is less than 5% (hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma and subcutaneous
      panniculitis-like T cell lymphoma) will not be discussed herein. 

PMID- 26481024
TI  - [Prader-Willi syndrome in 2015].
AB  - Prader-Willi syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the lack of
      expression of imprinted genes of the chromosomal region 15q11-q12. Diagnosis can
      now be made in the first months of life, allowing a precise description of the
      natural history of the disease. Of interest, nutritional phases appear to be more
      complex than those initially reported, starting with a severe hypotonia with
      deficit of suckling and failure to thrive in neonates, and subsequently switching
      to excessive weight gain with morbid obesity due to hyperphagia and deficit of
      satiety. The phenotype also includes endocrine dysfunction, intellectual
      disability, learning deficits, behavioural troubles with impaired social skills
      and psychiatric features. Multidisciplinary care has been strongly improved by
      the rare disease programme launched in France in 2004 and the Obesity programme
      in 2011 in link with the patient association. New therapeutic perspectives have
      arisen from knowledge of the pathophysiology of PWS. 

PMID- 26481025
TI  - [Complete hydatidiform mole].
AB  - "The battle of the sexes begins in the zygote" W. Reik and J. Walter. Complete
      hydatidiform mole (CHM) is a pathology of the placenta with androgenetic diploid
      origin (chromosomes only from paternal origin). Placental villi present an
      abnormal hyperproliferation and hydropic degeneration associated with the absence
      of embryo. Three mechanisms can be envisaged at its origin: (1)
      destruction/expulsion of the female pronucleus at the time of fertilization by
      one or two spermatozoa, the former being followed by an endoreplication of the
      male pronucleus (homozygous mole), (2) a triploid zygote (fertilization by two
      spermatozoa) leading to a haploid and a diploid clones. The diploid clone may
      produce a normal fetus while the haploid clone, after endoreplication, generates
      a complete hydatidiform mole, (3) a nutritional defect during the differentiation
      of the oocytes of the female embryo that will affect the integrity and maturity
      of her oocytes during her adult life and lead to hydatidiform mole. In countries
      with a poor medical health care system, moles can be invasive or, in rare cases,
      lead to gestational choriocarcinomas.

PMID- 26481026
TI  - [Punish or cherish: p53, metabolism and tumor suppression].
AB  - The p53 gene is essential for tumor suppression, but how it does so remains
      unclear. Upon genotoxic or oncogenic stresses, increased p53 activity induces
      transient cell cycle arrest, senescence or apoptosis, the three cornerstones of
      the so-called triumvirate. Accordingly, it has long been thought that p53
      suppresses tumorigenesis by somehow counteracting cell proliferation or survival.
      However, several recently described genetically modified mice indicate that p53
      can suppress tumorigenesis without triggering these three responses. Rather, as
      an important mechanism for tumor suppression, these mutant mice point to the
      ability of p53 to prevent the Warburg effect, that is to dampen glycolysis and
      foster mitochondrial respiration. Interestingly, these metabolic functions of p53
      rely, in part, on its "unstressed" (basal) expression, a feature shared by its
      mechanistically linked anti-oxydant function. Together, these "conservative"
      activities of p53 may prevent tumor initiation by promoting and maintaining a
      normal oxidative metabolism and hence underly the "daily" tumor suppression by
      p53 in most cells. Conversely, destructive activities elicited by high p53 levels
      and leading to senescence or apoptosis provide a shield against partially or
      overtly transformed cells. This last situation, although relatively infrequent
      throughout life, is usual in experimental settings, which could explain the
      disproportionally high number of data implicating the triumvirate in tumor
      suppression by p53. 

PMID- 26481027
TI  - [Molecular determinants of pathological cardiac remodeling: the examples of Epac
      and Carabin].
AB  - Physical exercise or hypertension requires that the heart increases its
      hemodynamic work. However, this adaptation is based on distinct cardiac
      remodelling according to the physiological or pathological origin of the stress.
      As shown here with two examples, understanding the molecular events leading to
      cardiac remodeling may offer new opportunities for the development of therapies
      for heart failure. The recently described Epac1 protein is an effector of the
      second messenger cAMP. Following a pathological stress, the cAMP-binding protein
      Epac1 induces cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis as well as alteration of calcium
      cycling suggesting that Epac1 pharmacological inhibition may be of therapeutic
      value. Furthermore, the protein carabin is an important regulator of several
      effectors of pathological cardiac remodelling. Experimental manipulation of
      carabin expression profoundly alters the development of heart failure. 

PMID- 26481028
TI  - [Randomness and cell fate].
AB  - Thermal fluctuations at the molecular scale cause random fluctuations of gene
      expression, which, in association with differentiation circuits, can lead to
      phenotypic diversification in cell populations. In this synthesis article, we
      detail the mechanisms that generate this diversification and illustrate their
      consequences in various organisms. In bacteria, random phenotypic diversification
      allows to anticipate environmental changes that are otherwise unpredictable, in
      particular during metabolic transitions and stress responses, for example
      inducing a transient form of antibiotic resistance. In multi-cellular organisms,
      similar mechanisms allow the maintenance of healthy tissues, such as intestinal
      crypts, epidermis and retina, but also seem to play a role in establishment and
      renewal of tumoral heterogeneity. 

PMID- 26481029
TI  - [Targeting and role of alpha4beta7 integrin in the pathophysiology of IBD and HIV
      infection].
AB  - Integrins are a large family of heterodimeric cell adhesion molecules that are
      key regulators in multiple biological functions. They orchestrate cell-cell and
      cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesive interactions from embryonic development
      to mature tissue function, and are thus involved in cell migration,
      proliferation, differentiation, and survival. As such, they are also involved in
      human diseases, such as thrombotic diseases, inflammation, cancer, fibrosis and
      infectious diseases. Integrins are exciting pharmacological targets because they
      are exposed on the cell surface. Indeed, several compounds have been developed
      that block integrins function, and five have been approved as therapeutic drugs
      for use in clinic. This review will detail the role of alpha4beta7, an integrin
      of particular relevance for mucosal diseases such as IBD (inflammatory bowel
      disease) and also, as reported more recently, HIV infection. 

PMID- 26481030
TI  - [Brain-computer interfaces, Locked-In syndrome, and disorders of consciousness].
AB  - Detecting signs of consciousness in patients with severe brain injury constitutes
      a real challenge for clinicians. The current gold standard in clinical diagnosis
      is the behavioral scale relying on motor abilities, which are often impaired or
      nonexistent in these patients. In this context, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs)
      could offer a potential complementary tool to detect signs of consciousness
      whilst bypassing the usual motor pathway. In addition to complementing behavioral
      assessments and potentially reducing error rate, BCIs could also serve as a
      communication tool for paralyzed but conscious patients, e.g., suffering from
      Locked-In Syndrome. In this paper, we report on recent work conducted by the Coma
      Science Group on BCI technology, aiming to optimize diagnosis and communication
      in patients with disorders of consciousness and Locked-In syndrome. 

PMID- 26481031
TI  - [Potential of the zebrafish model to study congenital muscular dystrophies].
AB  - In order to better understand the complexity of congenital muscular dystrophies
      (CMD) and develop new strategies to cure them, it is important to establish new
      disease models. Due to its numerous helpful attributes, the zebrafish has
      recently become a very powerful animal model for the study of CMD. For some CMD,
      this vertebrate model is phenotypically closer to human pathology than the murine
      model. Over the last few years, researchers have developed innovative techniques
      to screen rapidly and on a large scale for muscle defects in zebrafish.
      Furthermore, new genome editing techniques in zebrafish make possible the
      identification of new disease models. In this review, the major attributes of
      zebrafish for CMD studies are discussed and the principal models of CMD in
      zebrafish are highlighted. 

PMID- 26481032
TI  - [What do we know of the construction of French and American thoughts on the issue
      of drugs? From parallelism of beginnings until the turning point during the
      Thirties].
AB  - This article traces the major milestones in the development of French and
      American thought on the issue of drugs and drug addiction, between the second
      half of the nineteenth century and the end of the twentieth century. The
      historical perspective highlights the relative parallelism of concerns and
      conceptualizations until the years 1920-1930. Beyond, a real turning point of
      American thought is observed, which will develop original ways of thinking and
      action. These original ways will have no equivalents in French thought. 

PMID- 26481033
TI  - [Sequencing babies?].
AB  - An extension of newborn screening to genome sequencing is now feasible but raises
      a number of scientific, organisational and ethical issues. This is being explored
      in discussions and in several funded trials, in order to maximize benefits and
      avoid some identified risks. As some companies are already offering such a
      service, this is quite an urgent matter. 

PMID- 26481034
TI  - Frequency, intensity, and correlates of spiritual pain in advanced cancer
      patients assessed in a supportive/palliative care clinic.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Regular assessments of spiritual distress/spiritual pain among
      patients in a supportive/palliative care clinic (SCPC) are limited or
      unavailable. We modified the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) by adding
      spiritual pain (SP) to the scale (0 = best, 10 = worst) to determine the
      frequency, intensity, and correlates of self-reported SP (>=1/10) (pain deep in
      your soul/being that is not physical) among these advanced cancer patients.
      METHOD: We reviewed 292 consecutive consults of advanced cancer patients (ACPs)
      who were evaluated at our SCPC between October of 2012 and January of 2013.
      Symptoms were assessed using the new instrument (termed the ESAS-FS). RESULTS:
      The median age of patients was 61 (range = 22-92). Some 53% were male; 189 (65%)
      were white, 45 (15%) African American, and 34 (12%) Hispanic. Some 123 of 282
      (44%) of ACPs had SP (mean (95% CI) = 4(3.5-4.4). Advanced cancer patients with
      SP had worse pain [mean (95% CI) = 5.3(4.8, 5.8) vs. 4.5(4.0, 5.0)] (p = 0.02);
      depression [4.2(3.7, 4.7) vs. 2.1(1.7, 2.6), p < 0.0001]; anxiety [4.2(3.6, 4.7)
      vs. 2.5(2.0, 3.0), p < 0.0001]; drowsiness [4.2(3.7, 4.7) vs. 2.8(2.3, 3.2), p <
      0.0001]; well-being [5.4(4.9, 5.8) vs. 4.5(4.1, 4.9), p = 0.0136]; and financial
      distress (FD) [4.4(3.9, 5.0) vs. 2.2(1.8, 2.7), p < 0.0001]. Spiritual pain
      correlated (Spearman) with depression (r = 0.45, p < 0.0001), anxiety (r = 0.34,
      p < 0.0001), drowsiness (r = 0.26, p < 0.0001), and FD (r = 0.44, p < 0.0001).
      Multivariate analysis showed an association with FD [OR (95% Wald CI) =
      1.204(1.104-1.313), p < 0.0001] and depression [1.218(1.110-1.336), p < 0.0001].
      The odds that patients who had SP at baseline would also have SP at follow-up
      were 182% higher (OR = 2.82) than for patients who were SP-negative at baseline
      (p = 0.0029). SP at follow-up correlated with depression (r = 0.35, p < 0.0001),
      anxiety (r = 0.25, p = 0.001), well-being (r = 0.27, p = 0.0006), nausea (r =
      0.29, p = 0.0002), and financial distress (r = 0.42, p < 0.0001). SIGNIFICANCE OF
      RESULTS: Spiritual pain, which is correlated with physical and psychological
      distress, was reported in more than 40% of ACPs. Employment of the ESAS-FS allows
      ACPs with SP to be identified and evaluated in an SCPC. More research is needed.

PMID- 26481035
TI  - Roles of the Lateral Habenula and Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Negative Outcome
      Monitoring and Behavioral Adjustment in Nonhuman Primates.
AB  - Animals monitor the outcome of their choice and adjust subsequent choice behavior
      using the outcome information. Together with the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC),
      the lateral habenula (LHb) has recently attracted attention for its crucial role
      in monitoring negative outcome. To investigate their contributions to subsequent
      behavioral adjustment, we recorded single-unit activity from the LHb and ACC in
      monkeys performing a reversal learning task. The monkey was required to shift a
      previous choice to the alternative if the choice had been repeatedly unrewarded
      in past trials. We found that ACC neurons stored outcome information from several
      past trials, whereas LHb neurons detected the ongoing negative outcome with
      shorter latencies. ACC neurons, but not LHb neurons, signaled a behavioral shift
      in the next trial. Our findings suggest that, although both the LHb and the ACC
      represent signals associated with negative outcome, these structures contribute
      to subsequent behavioral adjustment in different ways.

PMID- 26481036
TI  - A National Network of Neurotechnology Centers for the BRAIN Initiative.
AB  - We propose the creation of a national network of neurotechnology centers to
      enhance and accelerate the BRAIN Initiative and optimally leverage the effort and
      creativity of individual laboratories involved in it. As "brain observatories,"
      these centers could provide the critical interdisciplinary environment both for
      realizing ambitious and complex technologies and for providing individual
      investigators with access to them. 

PMID- 26481037
TI  - Hebbian and Homeostatic Plasticity Mechanisms in Regular Spiking and Intrinsic
      Bursting Cells of Cortical Layer 5.
AB  - Layer 5 contains the major projection neurons of the neocortex and is composed of
      two major cell types: regular spiking (RS) cells, which have cortico-cortical
      projections, and intrinsic bursting cells (IB), which have subcortical
      projections. Little is known about the plasticity processes and specifically the
      molecular mechanisms by which these two cell classes develop and maintain their
      unique integrative properties. In this study, we find that RS and IB cells show
      fundementally different experience-dependent plasticity processes and integrate
      Hebbian and homeostatic components of plasticity differently. Both RS and IB
      cells showed TNFalpha-dependent homeostatic plasticity in response to sensory
      deprivation, but IB cells were capable of a much faster synaptic depression and
      homeostatic rebound than RS cells. Only IB cells showed input-specific
      potentiation that depended on CaMKII autophosphorylation. Our findings
      demonstrate that plasticity mechanisms are not uniform within the neocortex, even
      within a cortical layer, but are specialized within subcircuits. 

PMID- 26481038
TI  - A Peptide Uncoupling BDNF Receptor TrkB from Phospholipase Cgamma1 Prevents
      Epilepsy Induced by Status Epilepticus.
AB  - The BDNF receptor tyrosine kinase, TrkB, underlies nervous system function in
      both health and disease. Excessive activation of TrkB caused by status
      epilepticus promotes development of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), revealing TrkB
      as a therapeutic target for prevention of TLE. To circumvent undesirable
      consequences of global inhibition of TrkB signaling, we implemented a novel
      strategy aimed at selective inhibition of the TrkB-activated signaling pathway
      responsible for TLE. Our studies of a mouse model reveal that phospholipase
      Cgamma1 (PLCgamma1) is the dominant signaling effector by which excessive
      activation of TrkB promotes epilepsy. We designed a novel peptide (pY816) that
      uncouples TrkB from PLCgamma1. Treatment with pY816 following status epilepticus
      inhibited TLE and prevented anxiety-like disorder yet preserved neuroprotective
      effects of endogenous TrkB signaling. We provide proof-of-concept evidence for a
      novel strategy targeting receptor tyrosine signaling and identify a therapeutic
      with promise for prevention of TLE caused by status epilepticus in humans. 

PMID- 26481039
TI  - Malignancy risk in Australian rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with anti
      tumour necrosis factor therapy: analysis of the Australian Rheumatology
      Association Database (ARAD) prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malignancy risk with tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) therapy
      remains unclear. Our primary aim was to assess malignancy risk with TNFi therapy
      in a cohort of Australian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We also
      assessed risk in a biologic-naive group. METHODS: Demographic data of all RA
      patients enrolled in the Australian Rheumatology Association Database before 25
      October 2010 were matched to national cancer records in July 2010 (linkage
      complete to 2007). Verified self-reported malignancies occurring between 1
      January 2008 and 25 October 2010 were also included in the analysis. Standardised
      incidence ratios (SIRs) were used to compare malignancy incidence in biologic
      naive and TNFi-exposed ARAD participants to the general population using site-,
      age- and sex-specific rates by calendar year. Rate ratios (RRs) were used to
      compare malignancy incidence in TNFi-exposed participants to biologic-naive RA
      patients, and a composite RA cohort that included pre-TNFi person years, both
      adjusted for age, gender, smoking, methotrexate use and prior malignancy.
      RESULTS: Forty-four malignancies were reported after 5752 person-years in the
      TNFi-exposed group (N = 2145) and 32 malignancies were reported after 1682 person
      years in the biologic-naive group (N = 803). No overall increased risk of
      malignancy in TNFi-treated RA patients was found when compared with the general
      population or with biologic-naive RA patients. Compared to the biologic naive
      group, without the inclusion of pre-TNFi years in the comparator group, the
      relative risk of female breast cancer was reduced in TNFi-treated patients (RR
      0.17 (95 % CI 0.03 to 0.95)). It was no longer significant when adding pre-TNFi
      years in the comparator group. The risk of melanoma was increased for both
      biologic naive and TNFi-treated patients when compared with the general
      population (SIR 2.72 (95 % CI 1.13 to 6.53) and SIR 2.03 (95 % CI 1.09 to 3.78)
      respectively). The relative risk of melanoma was not increased in the TNFi
      exposed group compared with biologic naive patients (RR 0.54, 95 % CI 0.12,
      2.40). Inclusion of pre-TNFi person years in the comparator group did not change
      these results. CONCLUSIONS: Malignancy incidence was low in this RA cohort and
      biologic exposure did not increase the risk of malignancy. Melanoma risk was
      increased in both TNFi-treated and biologic-naive RA patients compared with the
      general population suggesting that RA status, and possibly methotrexate exposure,
      may be responsible.

PMID- 26481040
TI  - Long-term survival in low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma with childbirth and
      multidisciplinary treatment: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma is very rare and difficult to
      diagnose in the early stage. A standard treatment has not been established. In
      this case report of a patient with long-term survival, we describe an effective
      treatment for advanced low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma. CASE PRESENTATION:
      A 24-year-old Japanese woman who presented with prolonged menstruation was
      diagnosed with leiomyoma on the basis of a specimen resected transvaginally. She
      underwent ten resections in 10 years without a malignancy diagnosis. During this
      period, she gave birth. At age 34 years, she visited our hospital, complaining of
      lower abdominal pain. A 10cm tumor was detected behind her uterus. The disease
      was diagnosed as an advanced malignant ovarian tumor before surgery. A laparotomy
      was performed, with many remnants left in the abdominal cavity. The final
      diagnosis was advanced low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma. After 12 cycles of
      gemcitabine and docetaxel combination chemotherapy, the tumor disappeared
      completely. A retrospective pathological review of the specimens resected
      transvaginally showed that the tumors included low-grade endometrial stromal
      sarcoma elements. When the patient was age 42 years, the sarcoma recurred. It was
      detected around the right diaphragm and liver. Despite administration of
      gemcitabine and docetaxel, ascites and pleural effusion accumulated.
      Administration of medroxyprogesterone acetate, leuprorelin acetate, and
      anastrozole gradually reduced the ascites and pleural effusion. In addition to
      the three hormone drugs, 18 cycles of paclitaxel and carboplatin were
      administered. The patient recovered from her critically ill state and is
      currently alive with reduced tumor at age 45 years. CONCLUSIONS: Our patient with
      low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma whose disease began in her youth gave birth
      and experienced long-term survival with surgery, chemotherapy, and hormone
      therapy.

PMID- 26481041
TI  - Growth inhibitory effect of an injectable hyaluronic acid-tyramine hydrogels
      incorporating human natural interferon-alpha and sorafenib on renal cell
      carcinoma cells.
AB  - Immunotherapy including interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) is one of the treatment
      options for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients. Despite clinical
      benefits for the selected patients, IFN-alpha therapy has some problems, such as
      poor tolerability and dose-limiting adverse effects. In addition, the frequent
      injections reduce a patient's quality of life and compliance. Recently, an
      injectable and biodegradable hydrogel system to prolong drug release is reported.
      In this study, we investigated the anticancer effect of IFN-alpha (Sumiferon(r))
      incorporated hyaluronic acid-tyramine (HA-Tyr) hydrogels in human RCC-xenografted
      in nude mice. We also evaluated the synergistic efficacy of IFN-alpha
      incorporated HA-Tyr hydrogels+sorafenib in this model. IFN-alpha-incorporated HA
      Tyr hydrogels+sorafenib most effectively inhibited tumor growth on human RCC
      cells xenografted in nude mice. In addition, IFN-alpha-incorporated HA-Tyr
      hydrogels+sorafenib inhibited the proliferation of tumor in nude mice by inducing
      apoptosis and the suppression of angiogenesis. Our results suggest a possibility
      that HA-Tyr hydrogel drug delivery system prolongs the biological half-life of
      natural human IFN-alpha and enhances its anticancer effects on human RCC cells.
      STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The scope of this study is to provide an alternative
      approach to improve the anticancer efficacy in renal cell carcinoma (RCC)
      treatment by using hyaluronic acid-tyramine (HA-Tyr) hydrogel drug delivery
      system. We investigated the anticancer effect of natural interferon-alpha (IFN
      alpha)-incorporated HA-Tyr hydrogels in RCC cells. We also evaluated the
      synergistic efficacy of natural human IFN-alpha-incorporated HA-Tyr
      hydrogels+sorafenib. We demonstrated that HA-Tyr hydrogel system is able to
      release natural human IFN-alpha in sustained manner and enhances its anticancer
      effects on human RCC cells. In addition, we suggested that IFN-alpha-incorporated
      HA-Tyr hydrogels+sorafenib exhibited most effectively anticancer effects. Hence,
      we believe that this approach could be applied to treatment with RCC in the
      future.

PMID- 26481043
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26481042
TI  - Endothelial sprouting and network formation in collagen- and fibrin-based modular
      microbeads.
AB  - A modular tissue engineering approach may have advantages over current therapies
      in providing rapid and sustained revascularization of ischemic tissue. In this
      study, modular protein microbeads were prepared from pure fibrin (FIB) and
      collagen-fibrin composites (COL-FIB) using a simple water-in-oil emulsification
      technique. Human endothelial cells and fibroblasts were embedded directly in the
      microbead matrix. The resulting microbeads were generally spheroidal with a
      diameter of 100-200MUm. Cell viability was high (75-80% viable) in microbeads,
      but was marginally lower than in bulk hydrogels of corresponding composition (85
      90% viable). Cell proliferation was significantly greater in COL-FIB microbeads
      after two weeks in culture, compared to pure FIB microbeads. Upon embedding of
      microbeads in a surrounding fibrin hydrogel, endothelial cell networks formed
      inside the microbead matrix and extended into the surrounding matrix. The number
      of vessel segments, average segment length, and number of branch points was
      higher in FIB samples, compared to COL-FIB samples, resulting in significantly
      longer total vessel networks. Anastomosis of vessel networks from adjacent
      microbeads was also observed. These studies demonstrate that primitive vessel
      networks can be formed by modular protein microbeads containing embedded
      endothelial cells and fibroblasts. Such microbeads may find utility as
      prevascularized tissue modules that can be delivered minimally invasively as a
      therapy to restore blood flow to ischemic tissues. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE:
      Vascularization is critically important for tissue engineering and regenerative
      medicine, and materials that support and/or promote neovascularization are of
      value both for translational applications and for mechanistic studies and
      discovery-based research. Therefore, we fabricated small modular microbeads
      formulated from pure fibrin (FIB) and collagen-fibrin (COL-FIB) containing
      endothelial cells and supportive fibroblasts. We explored how cells encapsulated
      within these materials form microvessel-like networks both within and outside of
      the microbeads when embedded in larger 3D matrices. FIB microbeads were found to
      initiate more extensive sprouting into the surrounding ECM in vitro. These
      results represent an important step towards our goal of developing injectable
      biomaterial modules containing preformed vascular units that can rapidly restore
      vascularization to an ischemic tissue in vivo.

PMID- 26481045
TI  - [Pitfalls for renogram interpretation in pediatric urology].
AB  - Renograms are currently used for functional assessment by pediatric urologists.
      The aim of the present work was to focus on the potential pitfalls concerning
      renography. Potential confounding factors are described in reference to concrete
      cases. The main types of pitfalls concern venous or urinary catheters and
      background area definition. Protocols and renogram interpretation are critiqued
      in a bibliographic review. We propose a technical update and original data on the
      potential pitfalls in renography interpretation. Multidisciplinary discussion
      between nuclear medicine, pediatrics and pediatric surgery departments is
      required before drawing conclusions. 

PMID- 26481044
TI  - Nampt is required for long-term depression and the function of GluN2B subunit
      containing NMDA receptors.
AB  - Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) is an essential coenzyme/cosubstrate
      for many biological processes in cellular metabolism. The rate-limiting step in
      the major pathway of mammalian NAD(+) biosynthesis is mediated by nicotinamide
      phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt). Previously, we showed that mice lacking Nampt
      in forebrain excitatory neurons (CamKIIalphaNampt(-/-) mice) exhibited
      hyperactivity, impaired learning and memory, and reduced anxiety-like behaviors.
      However, it remained unclear if these functional effects were accompanied by
      synaptic changes. Here, we show that CamKIIalphaNampt(-/-) mice have impaired
      induction of long-term depression (LTD) in the Schaffer collateral pathway, but
      normal induction of long-term potentiation (LTP), at postnatal day 30.
      Pharmacological assessments demonstrated that CamKIIalphaNampt(-/-) mice also
      display dysfunction of synaptic GluN2B (NR2B)-containing N-methyl-d-aspartate
      receptors (NMDARs) prior to changes in NMDAR subunit expression. These results
      support a novel, important role for Nampt-mediated NAD(+) biosynthesis in LTD and
      in the function of GluN2B-containing NMDARs. 

PMID- 26481046
TI  - Lentiviral vector-mediated transduction of goat undifferentiated spermatogonia.
AB  - Recent studies show that spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are able to colonize
      and form mature spermatozoa following transplantation into germ cell depleted
      testes of recipient males. Therefore, efficient ways for enrichment and gene
      transfer into SSCs provides a powerful tool for production of transgenic animals.
      In order to adapt the technique to goats, three issues were addressed: (i)
      enrichment of the undifferentiated spermatogonia including SSCs using magnetic
      activated cell sorting (MACS), (ii) lentiviral vector-mediated transduction of an
      enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgene into enriched cells, and
      (iii) transplantation of transduced undifferentiated spermatogonia into the germ
      cell depleted testes of immune-suppressed mice to assess for migration and colony
      formation ability. Enriched cells were transduced by lentiviral vectors and
      subsequently analyzed for expression of THY1, PLZF, VASA, UCHL1 and BCL6B genes.
      Cells were also analyzed for GFP and PLZF by flow cytometry. Enriched transduced
      cells were transplanted into germ cell depleted mice testis. Quantitative
      analysis of transcripts revealed that MACS-enrichment significantly increased the
      expression of SSC-characteristic genes THY1, PLZF, VASA, UCHL1 and BCL6B compared
      to non-enriched population (P<=0.05). EGFP transduction did not affect the
      expression levels of SSC-characteristic genes. Flow cytometry revealed that 72%
      of transduced-enriched cells were positive for EGFP. Finally, transduced-enriched
      goat SSCs could colonize within the cells into the seminiferous tubules of germ
      cell depleted recipient mice at higher frequency than non-enriched cells. The
      results indicated that enrichment of goat undifferentiated spermatogonia by
      magnetic-activated cell sorting for THY1 antibody combined with lentiviral vector
      mediated transduction has the potential to be used for production of transgenic
      goats. 

PMID- 26481047
TI  - Timed artificial insemination in blocks: A new alternative to improve fertility
      in lactating beef cows.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate whether changing the interval from CIDR
      removal to timed artificial insemination (TAI) according to the diameter of the
      preovulatory follicle (POF) would improve pregnancy per AI in cows. In Study 1, a
      retrospective analysis of TAI experiments (n=96 cows) was performed to
      characterize the time of ovulation according to the diameter of the dominant
      follicle. It was observed that cows with a larger POF had ovulations earlier than
      cows with smaller POF, according to the equation: y=0.72x(2)-26.74x+264.54
      (R(2)=0.63; P<0.001). In Study 2, lactating Nelore cows (n=412) were subjected to
      an EB-CIDR based TAI protocol. On the morning of Day 10 (time of TAI), cows were
      randomized into Control (n=209) and Block (n=203) groups; (1) Cows in the Control
      Group were TAI 48 h after CIDR removal (08:00 am on Day 10), and; (2) Cows in the
      block group were inseminated once at one of the following time points, according
      to the diameter of the POF on Day 10: B0 (POF>=15mm, TAI 0 h after convetional
      TAI), B1 (POF 13-14.9 mm, TAI 6h later), B2 (POF 10.1-12.9 mm, TAI 24h later) and
      B3 (POF<=10mm, TAI 30 h later). The cows of the Block Group had greater pregnancy
      rates per AI than the Control Group (129/203, 63.5% when compared with 102/209,
      48.8%, respectively; P<0.01). In conclusion, results of the present study
      demonstrate that adjusting the timing of TAI according to the diameter of the POF
      can be an effective practice for improving fertility of cows in TAI protocols.

PMID- 26481048
TI  - Common and distinct neural mechanisms of the fundamental dimensions of social
      cognition.
AB  - In the present study, we used a valence classification task to investigate the
      common and distinct neural basis of the two fundamental dimensions of social
      cognition (agency and communion) using functional magnetic resonance imaging
      (fMRI). The results showed that several brain areas associated with mentalizing,
      along with the inferior parietal gyrus in the mirror system, showed overlap in
      response to both agentic and communal words. These findings suggest that both
      content categories are related to the neural basis of social cognition; further,
      several areas in the default mode network (DMN) showed similar deactivations
      between agency and communion, reflecting task-induced deactivation (TID). In
      terms of distinct activations, the findings indicated greater deactivations for
      communal than agentic content in the ventral anterior cingulate (vACC) and medial
      orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC). Communion also showed greater activation in some
      visual areas compared to agentic content, including occipital gyrus, lingual
      gyrus, and fusiform gyrus. These activations may reflect greater allocation of
      attentional resources to visual areas when processing communal content, or
      inhibition of cognitive activity irrelevant to task performance. If so, this
      suggests greater attention and engagement with communion-related content. The
      present research thus suggests common and differential activations for agency-
      versus communion-related content. 

PMID- 26481049
TI  - Hederagenin, a major component of Clematis mandshurica Ruprecht root, attenuates
      inflammatory responses in RAW 264.7 cells and in mice.
AB  - Clematis mandshurica Ruprecht root has been used in Asia as a traditional anti
      inflammatory, analgesic, and antitumor agent. Its main active component is
      hederagenin, a naturally occurring triterpene, and in this study, we examined the
      anti-inflammatory effects of hederagenin in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW
      264.7 cells using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western blot, and RT-PCR.
      In addition, its effects on acute inflammation in vivo were observed using a
      carrageenan-induced mouse hind paw edema assay. Furthermore, the changes on the
      histopathology and histomorphometry of hind paw skins were examined using
      carrageenan-treated mice. Treatment with hederagenin (10, 30 and 100MUM) resulted
      in inhibited levels of protein expression of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated iNOS,
      COX-2, and NF-kappaB as well as production of NO, PGE2, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and
      IL-6 induced by lipopolysaccharide. Consistent with these results, hederagenin
      also dose-dependently reduced the lipopolysaccharide-induced mRNA levels of iNOS
      and COX-2, and of the above-mentioned cytokines. Interestingly, results of the
      carrageenan-induced mouse hind paw edema assay showed an anti-edema effect of
      hederagenin. Furthermore, hederagenin (30mg/kg) inhibited the carrageenan-induced
      increases in skin thicknesses, infiltrated inflammatory cells, and mast cell
      degranulation. These results suggest that hederagenin may possess anti
      inflammatory activities. 

PMID- 26481051
TI  - PLK4 trans-Autoactivation Controls Centriole Biogenesis in Space.
AB  - Centrioles are essential for cilia and centrosome assembly. In centriole
      containing cells, centrioles always form juxtaposed to pre-existing ones,
      motivating a century-old debate on centriole biogenesis control. Here, we show
      that trans-autoactivation of Polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4), the trigger of centriole
      biogenesis, is a critical event in the spatial control of that process. We
      demonstrate that centrioles promote PLK4 activation through its recruitment and
      local accumulation. Though centriole removal reduces the proportion of active
      PLK4, this is rescued by concentrating PLK4 to the peroxisome lumen. Moreover,
      while mild overexpression of PLK4 only triggers centriole amplification at the
      existing centriole, higher PLK4 levels trigger both centriolar and cytoplasmatic
      (de novo) biogenesis. Hence, centrioles promote their assembly locally and
      disfavor de novo synthesis. Similar mechanisms enforcing the local concentration
      and/or activity of other centriole components are likely to contribute to the
      spatial control of centriole biogenesis under physiological conditions.

PMID- 26481050
TI  - Establishment of Par-Polarized Cortical Domains via Phosphoregulated Membrane
      Motifs.
AB  - The Par polarity complex creates mutually exclusive cortical domains in diverse
      animal cells. Activity of the atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) is a key output of
      the Par complex as phosphorylation removes substrates from the Par domain. Here,
      we investigate how diverse, apparently unrelated Par substrates couple
      phosphorylation to cortical displacement. Each protein contains a basic and
      hydrophobic (BH) motif that interacts directly with phospholipids and also
      overlaps with aPKC phosphorylation sites. Phosphorylation alters the
      electrostatic character of the sequence, inhibiting interaction with
      phospholipids and the cell cortex. We searched for overlapping BH and aPKC
      phosphorylation site motifs (i.e., putative phosphoregulated BH motifs) in
      several animal proteomes. Candidate proteins with strong PRBH signals associated
      with the cell cortex but were displaced into the cytoplasm by aPKC. These
      findings demonstrate a potentially general mechanism for exclusion of proteins
      from the Par cortical domain in polarized cells. 

PMID- 26481052
TI  - Taking Aim at Moving Targets in Computational Cell Migration.
AB  - Cell migration is central to the development and maintenance of multicellular
      organisms. Fundamental understanding of cell migration can, for example, direct
      novel therapeutic strategies to control invasive tumor cells. However, the study
      of cell migration yields an overabundance of experimental data that require
      demanding processing and analysis for results extraction. Computational methods
      and tools have therefore become essential in the quantification and modeling of
      cell migration data. We review computational approaches for the key tasks in the
      quantification of in vitro cell migration: image pre-processing, motion
      estimation and feature extraction. Moreover, we summarize the current state-of
      the-art for in silico modeling of cell migration. Finally, we provide a list of
      available software tools for cell migration to assist researchers in choosing the
      most appropriate solution for their needs. 

PMID- 26481053
TI  - Chondromyxoid fibroma invasion of the transverse-sigmoid sinus junction causing
      posterior fossa hemorrhage.
AB  - We report a 50-year-old woman with a chondromyxoid fibroma of the occipital bone,
      who presented with a cerebellar hemorrhage due to invasion of the adjacent sinus.
      Chondromyxoid fibromas are benign cartilaginous tumors. However, this case
      represents the first example, to our knowledge, of a chondromyxoid fibroma
      invading the transverse-sigmoid junction, resulting in intracranial hemorrhage.
      Our report highlights that the location of an intracranial chondromyxoid fibroma
      is an important factor in guiding surgical management. 

PMID- 26481054
TI  - Innovation and hard work: The 2015 George E. Palade Medal Award Lecture.
AB  - The George E Palade Medal is the highest honor awarded by the International
      Association of Pancreatology and is given to an individual who has made
      outstanding contributions to the understanding of the pancreas and pancreatic
      diseases. Professor David C Whitcomb, University of Pittsburgh, is the 2015
      recipient. The Palade Lecture, presented in Shanghai, China on August 28, 2015,
      included 5 personal stories that provide perspective from a life-time of
      achievement: "My life in a nutshell"; "Two old ladies"; "7777"; "I helped put a
      man on the moon"; and "Rugby". Together, the stories provide encouragement to a
      younger generation, struggling to find their way as physicians and scientists who
      are working on pancreatic or other diseases in a challenging world. 

PMID- 26481056
TI  - A systematic review of filler agents for aesthetic treatment of HIV facial
      lipoatrophy (FLA).
AB  - HIV facial lipoatrophy (FLA) is characterized by facial volume loss. HIV FLA
      affects the facial contours of the cheeks, temples, and orbits, and is associated
      with social stigma. Although new highly active antiretroviral therapy medications
      are associated with less severe FLA, the prevalence of HIV FLA among treated
      individuals exceeds 50%. The goal of our systematic review is to examine
      published clinical studies involving the use of filler agents for aesthetic
      treatment of HIV FLA and to provide evidence-based recommendations based on
      published efficacy and safety data. A systematic review of the published
      literature was performed on July 1, 2015, on filler agents for aesthetic
      treatment of HIV FLA. Based on published studies, poly-L-lactic acid is the only
      filler agent with grade of recommendation: B. Other reviewed filler agents
      received grade of recommendation: C or D. Poly-L-lactic acid may be best for
      treatment over temples and cheeks, whereas calcium hydroxylapatite, with a Food
      and Drug Administration indication of subdermal implantation, may be best used
      deeply over bone for focal enhancement. Additional long-term randomized
      controlled trials are necessary to elucidate the advantages and disadvantages of
      fillers that have different biophysical properties, in conjunction with cost
      effectiveness analysis, for treatment of HIV FLA. 

PMID- 26481055
TI  - Fulminant lymphocytic myocarditis associated with orbital myositis and
      diaphragmatic paralysis.
AB  - Although the clinical presentation of myocarditis is very diverse, ranging from
      mild dyspnea to hemodynamic collapse, myocarditis accompanied with extracardiac
      myositis is extremely rare. We report a single case of fulminant myocarditis
      associated with orbital myositis and diaphragmatic paralysis in a 40-year-old
      man, which was successfully managed by immunosuppressive therapy with steroid.

PMID- 26481057
TI  - Factors related to outcome of early and delayed prosthetic joint infections.

PMID- 26481058
TI  - Evidence-based practice and barriers to compliance: Face bow transfer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To recapitulate a 2003 study inquiring of US dental schools whether they
      teach the face bow transfer by means of a survey in order to determine if
      compliance with clinical evidence has improved. METHODS: The same 54 dental
      schools surveyed in 2003 were asked the same question regarding whether they
      teach the use of the face bow transfer in the complete denture curriculum.
      RESULTS: Teaching of the face bow transfer has increased in prevalence from 84%
      of surveyed schools in 2003 to 93.75% of surveyed schools in 2015. CONCLUSIONS:
      This finding is especially interesting in light of the fact that there is no
      compelling evidence supporting the use of the face bow transfer with regard to
      improving patient outcomes. With respect to the continued unjustified teaching of
      the face bow transfer, some possible reasons for non-compliance with best
      available evidence are presented using the medical literature for reference.

PMID- 26481059
TI  - A conservative approach to retrieve a fractured abutment screw - Case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Regarding implant-supported prostheses, the most reported types of
      complications are related to loosening or fracturing of abutment or prosthesis
      screws. This case report shows a series of procedures that allowed a conservative
      solution for a fractured screw. It avoided removing the implant and also allowed
      the same prosthesis to be used after guided-drilling the fractured screw and re
      tapping the implant internal threads. The same prosthesis was replaced
      immediately after the procedure. PATIENT: A 67-year-old male patient, who had a
      fractured abutment screw of the lower left first molar implant. The patient
      decided for the conservative treatment option and an attempt was made to remove
      the fractured screw. DISCUSSION: Parafunctional habits can generate excessive
      occlusal forces, which are risk factors associated with loosening and fracturing
      implant screws and even the fixtures themselves. This case report focus on the
      probable causes, difficulties and risks associated with this procedure and it
      also discusses the alternative approaches. CONCLUSION: The purposed treatment
      allowed a time and money saving resolution for fractured abutment screws.

PMID- 26481060
TI  - Prognostic value of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio in patients with solid tumors: A
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The immune system plays an important role in cancer pathogenesis. A
      low lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), as a simple biomarker of host immune
      system, has been suggested to be related to poor prognosis in various cancers. We
      performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the prognostic value
      of LMR on clinical outcomes in non-hematologic solid tumors. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: We searched PubMed and the ASCO online database of meeting abstracts up
      to July 2015 for relevant studies. We included studies assessing the prognostic
      impact of pre-treatment LMR on clinical outcomes in patients with non-hematologic
      solid tumors. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS) and the secondary
      outcomes were cancer-specific survival (CSS) and disease-free survival (DFS). The
      summary hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.
      RESULTS: A total of 11,197 patients from 29 studies were included. LMR lower than
      the cut-off was associated with poor OS (HR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.55-1.93; P<0.001),
      CCS (HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.27-1.91; P<0.001) and DFS (HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.31-1.86;
      P<0.001). The effect of LMR on OS was observed in among various tumor types and
      across disease stages. The median cut-off value for LMR was 3.0 (range=2.0-5.3).
      Subgroup analysis according to cut-off value (<3.0, 3.0 to <4.0, 4.0 to <5.0, and
      ?5.0) showed a significant prognostic value of LMR on OS in all subgroups.
      CONCLUSIONS: A low pre-treatment LMR seems to represent an unfavorable and robust
      prognostic factor for clinical outcomes in patients with non-hematologic
      malignancies. FUNDING: None.

PMID- 26481061
TI  - Mitochondrial pharmacology: A need in modern biomedicine.

PMID- 26481062
TI  - Intraocular pressure evaluation in healthy eyes and diseased ones using contact
      and non contact devices.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze and compare intraocular pressure (IOP) values measured in
      healthy subjects (HS), keratoconus (KC) patients and patients that underwent
      myopic photorefractive keratectomy (REF), using Goldmann applanation tonometry
      (GAT), dynamic contour tonometry (DCT), ocular response analyzer (ORA) and Corvis
      ST (CST). METHODS: The study included 76 eyes of 76HS, 15 eyes of 15 KC patients
      and 18 eyes of 18 subjects that underwent REF. Each participant underwent a
      complete ophthalmic evaluation, IOP measurement with GAT, DCT, ORA and CST.
      RESULTS: HS showed a mean GAT value of 15.62+/-2.33 mm Hg, a mean DCT value of
      17.44+/-2.51 mm Hg, a mean ORA value of 15.99+/-3.58 mm Hg and a mean CST value
      of 17.24+/-3.44 mm Hg. KC showed a mean GAT value of 15.07+/-1.83 mm Hg, a mean
      DCT value of 17.01+/-1.96 mm Hg, a mean ORA value of 13.58+/-2.99 mm Hg and a
      mean CST value of 14.37+/-1.89 mm Hg. REF showed a mean GAT value of 14.06+/-1.51
      mm Hg, a mean DCT value of 15.12+/-2.34 mm Hg, a mean ORA value of 16.85+/-2.4 mm
      Hg and a mean CST value of 15.57+/-1.77 mm Hg. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that
      ORA and GAT could be used interchangeably in HS; GAT, ORA and CST could be used
      interchangeably in KC patients and that GAT provides lower IOP values compared to
      the other devices in eyes previously submitted to myopic PRK.

PMID- 26481063
TI  - Functional integrity of rostral regions of the immature brainstem is impaired in
      babies born extremely preterm.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Babies born extremely preterm are predisposed to brain damage. We test
      the hypothesis that functional integrity of the auditory brainstem, particularly
      the rostral regions, is impaired in extremely preterm babies. METHODS: We
      recruited 68 babies who were born at 23-27 weeks of gestation. At term date,
      these babies were studied by recording and analysing maximum length sequence
      brainstem auditory evoked response (MLS BAER) with click rates 91-910/s. Detailed
      data analysis was performed in 65 babies from whom reliable MLS BAER measurements
      were obtained. RESULTS: Compared with normal term controls, the extremely preterm
      babies showed a significant increase in wave V latency, and I-V interval at all
      rates 91-910/s (p<0.01-0.001). Of two small intervals, I-III interval showed no
      apparent abnormality, but III-V interval was significantly increased at all
      rates, which was supported by a significant increase in III-V/I-III interval
      ratio (all p<0.001). These abnormalities were more significant at higher than at
      lower rates. The slopes of wave V latency-, I-V interval- and particularly III-V
      interval-rate functions were all increased. The same was true for the slope of
      III-V/I-III interval ratio-rate function. CONCLUSIONS: MLS BAER variables that
      mainly reflect central neural conduction in the extremely preterm babies were
      abnormally increased. The most important abnormality was a significant increase
      in III-V interval and its click rate-dependent change. The abnormalities tended
      to be more significant than those previously reported in late and very preterm
      babies. SIGNIFICANCE: Babies born extremely preterm have a major impairment or
      maturational delay in functional integrity of the rostral regions of the immature
      brainstem, which is more significant than in less preterm babies.

PMID- 26481064
TI  - The small GTPase Rap1 is a modulator of Hedgehog signaling.
AB  - During development, the evolutionarily conserved Hedgehog (Hh) morphogen provides
      instructional cues that influence cell fate, cell affinity and tissue
      morphogenesis. To do so, the Hh signaling cascade must coordinate its activity
      with other morphogenetic signals. This can occur through engagement of or
      response to effectors that do not typically function as core Hh pathway
      components. Given the ability of small G proteins of the Ras family to impact
      cell survival, differentiation, growth and adhesion, we wanted to determine
      whether Hh and Ras signaling might intersect during development. We performed
      genetic modifier tests in Drosophila to examine the ability of select Ras family
      members to influence Hh signal output, and identified Rap1 as a positive
      modulator of Hh pathway activity. Our results suggest that Rap1 is activated to
      its GTP-bound form in response to Hh ligand, and that the GTPase exchange factor
      C3G likely contributes to this activation. The Rap1 effector Canoe (Cno) also
      impacts Hh signal output, suggesting that a C3G-Rap1-Cno axis intersects the Hh
      pathway during tissue morphogenesis. 

PMID- 26481066
TI  - Obturator prostheses versus free tissue transfers: A systematic review of the
      optimal approach to improving the quality of life for patients with maxillary
      defects.
AB  - STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Patient perspectives on the treatment options for maxillary
      defects, which include free tissue transfers or obturator prostheses, may help
      eliminate current uncertainty as to the best choice of treatment plan. PURPOSE:
      The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the quality of life (QoL)
      of patients with maxillary defects who had undergone restoration with obturator
      prostheses and/or free tissue transfers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic
      search of Medline/PubMed and Web of Science databases for articles published
      before April 2015 was performed by 2 independent reviewers. A manual search of
      articles published from January 2005 to March 2015 was also conducted. Studies
      published in English that evaluated the QoL in patients with head and neck
      cancers were included. The Cohen kappa method was used to calculate inter
      reviewer agreement. RESULTS: Ten studies were included. The University of
      Washington Head and Neck Questionnaire (UW-QOL) was most commonly used to measure
      QoL. The majority of maxillary defects were Class IIa-b. Two studies reported
      that the global QoL for patients with obturator prostheses is equivalent to or
      even better than that of other chronic disease populations. One study revealed no
      significant difference in QoL when the 2 treatment options were compared.
      CONCLUSIONS: The limited data indicate that the QoL of patients treated with
      obturator prostheses and that of patients free of tumors is similar. Well
      designed clinical studies are necessary to draw definitive conclusions about how
      obturator prostheses compare with free tissue transfers in terms of affecting
      patient QoL.

PMID- 26481065
TI  - Endoglin is required in Pax3-derived cells for embryonic blood vessel formation.
AB  - Mutations in endoglin, a TGFbeta/BMP coreceptor, are causal for hereditary
      hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). Endoglin-null (Eng-/-) mouse embryos die at
      embryonic day (E)10.5-11.5 due to defects in angiogenesis. In part, this is due
      to an absence of vascular smooth muscle cell differentiation and vessel
      investment. Prior studies from our lab and others have shown the importance of
      endoglin expression in embryonic development in both endothelial cells and neural
      crest stem cells. These studies support the hypothesis that endoglin may play
      cell-autonomous roles in endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cell precursors.
      However, the requirement for endoglin in vascular cell precursors remains poorly
      defined. Our objective was to specifically delete endoglin in neural crest- and
      somite-derived Pax3-positive vascular precursors to understand the impact on
      somite progenitor cell contribution to embryonic vascular development. Pax3Cre
      mice were crossed with Eng+/- mice to obtain compound mutant Pax3(Cre/+);Eng+/-
      mice. These mice were then crossed with homozygous endoglin LoxP-mutated
      (Eng(LoxP/LoxP)) mice to conditionally delete the endoglin gene in specific
      lineages that contribute to endothelial and smooth muscle constituents of
      developing embryonic vessels. Pax3(Cre/+);Eng(LoxP/)(-) mice showed a variety of
      vascular defects at E10.5, and none of these mice survived past E12.5. Embryos
      analyzed at E10.5 showed malformations suggestive of misdirection of the
      intersomitic vessels. The dorsal aorta showed significant dilation with
      associated vascular smooth muscle cells exhibiting disorganization and enhanced
      expression of smooth muscle differentiation proteins, including smooth muscle
      actin. These results demonstrate a requirement for endoglin in descendants of
      Pax3-expressing vascular cell precursors, and thus provides new insight into the
      cellular basis underlying adult vascular diseases such as HHT. 

PMID- 26481067
TI  - Is there still a need for prophylactic intra-abdominal drainage in elective major
      gastro-intestinal surgery?
AB  - Prophylactic drainage of the abdominal cavity after gastro-intestinal surgery is
      widely used. The rationale is that intra-abdominal drainage enhances early
      detection of complications (gastro-intestinal leakage, hemorrhage, bile leak),
      prevents collection of fluid or pus, reduces morbidity and mortality, and
      decreases the duration of hospital stay. However, dogmatic attitudes favoring
      systematic drain placement should be questioned. The aim of this review was to
      evaluate the evidence supporting systematic use of prophylactic abdominal
      drainage following gastrectomy, pancreatectomy, liver resection, and rectal
      resection. Based on this review of the literature: (i) there was no evidence in
      favor of intra-peritoneal drainage following total or sub-total gastrectomy with
      respect to morbidity-mortality, nor was it helpful in the diagnosis or management
      of leakage, however the level of evidence is low, (ii) following pancreatic
      resection, data are conflicting but, overall, suggest that the absence of
      drainage is prejudicial, and support the notion that short-term drainage is
      better than long-term drainage, (iii) after liver resection without hepatico
      intestinal anastomosis, high level evidence supports that there is no need for
      abdominal drainage, and (iv) following rectal resection, data are insufficient to
      establish recommendations. However, results from the French multicenter
      randomized controlled trial GRECCAR5 (NCT01269567) should provide new evidence
      this coming year. Accumulating data support that systematic drainage of the
      abdominal cavity in digestive surgery is a non-beneficial and obsolete practice,
      except following pancreatectomy where the consensus appears to indicate the
      usefulness of short-term drainage. While the level of evidence is high for liver
      resections, new randomized controlled trials are awaited regarding gastric,
      pancreatic and rectal surgery. 

PMID- 26481068
TI  - Answer to the recent article by Blot C et al. "Conservative surgical management
      of persistent leak after sleeve gastrectomy by Roux-en-Y gastro-jejunostomy to
      the fistulous orifice".

PMID- 26481069
TI  - Clinicopathological features and outcomes in patients undergoing radical
      resection for early gastric cancer with signet ring cell histology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The signet ring cell histology is regarded as an independent
      predictor of poor prognosis in advanced gastric adenocarcinomas, but its biologic
      behavior in early gastric cancer remains highly controversial. OBJECTIVE: Our
      objective was to compare the clinicopathological features and outcomes in
      patients undergoing curative resection between SRCs and non-SRCs histologic types
      of early gastric cancer. METHODS: Clinicopathologic features and the overall
      survival rates of 334 patients with early gastric cancer undergoing D2 curative
      resection from January 1994 to December 2008 were retrospectively reviewed and
      compared according to the histologic type. RESULTS: Clinicopathologic features
      were comparable between two groups, except age, ulcer findings and the presence
      of lymph node metastasis. The incidence of recurrence for SRCs group was
      significantly lower than that for non-SRCs group (10.4% vs. 19.6%; P<0.05). The
      overall 5-year survival rate was 88.6% in all cases. The overall survival rate of
      patients in SRCs group was significantly better than that of patients in non-SRCs
      group (5-year survival, 93.9% vs. 85.8%; P=0.027). Multivariable analysis
      revealed that SRCs subtype, lymphovascular invasion, and lymph node metastasis
      were independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: Our analysis revealed that the
      biological behavior of SRCs was different from other undifferentiated cancer
      histologic subtypes in early stage. Early gastric cancer with signet ring cell
      histology had low incidence of lymph node metastasis and a relatively favorable
      prognosis.

PMID- 26481070
TI  - Alternative Solution for Bilateral Common Iliac Aneurysm in a Patient With Left
      External Iliac Artery Occlusion.

PMID- 26481071
TI  - Lipoprotein subfraction oxidation in acute exercise and ageing.
AB  - Exercise and ageing can independently increase free radical production that may
      enhance the susceptibility of LDL to oxidation and create a more atherogenic LDL
      particle. This investigation was designed to examine exercise and ageing on the
      susceptibility of LDL subfractions to oxidation. Eleven aged (55 +/- 4 years) and
      twelve young (21 +/- 2 years) participants completed a progressive exercise test
      to exhaustion and within one week performed a 1 h bout of moderate intensity (65%
      VO(2max)) exercise. Blood was assayed for metabolites associated with lipid
      composition (total cholesterol, free cholesterol, triglycerides) and lipoprotein
      susceptibility to oxidation. Exercise increased small density (sdLDL) oxidation,
      independently of age (p < 0.05). However, sdLDL oxidation further increased 24 h
      post exercise in the aged group (p < 0.05). With regards to the changes in lipid
      components within LDL, free and total cholesterol and triglycerides in large
      buoyant (lbLDL) were all elevated 24 h post exercise in aged compared with young
      (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). There was a decrease in triglycerides in medium
      density (mdLDL) 24 h post exercise in the aged group (p < 0.05). The lipid
      composition of sdLDL, VLDL, HDL(2), HDL(3) and serum lipid hydroperoxides
      remained unchanged as a function of exercise and ageing (p > 0.05). Although
      regular exercise training is known to be protective against cardiovascular
      disease (CVD) onset, our data demonstrates that acute exercise can increase sdLDL
      oxidative susceptibility, and this is independent of age and regardless of a
      change in LDL lipid composition. However, age seems to be a determining factor
      with regards the susceptibility of sdLDL to oxidation 24 h following exercise.

PMID- 26481072
TI  - [In Process Citation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The significance of surgery in elderly patients with lung cancer is
      debated. The age is a predisposing risk factor for developing cancer thereby the
      possibilities of surgical procedure is increasing in the elderly patients. To
      clarify the benefit of surgery in patients with lung cancer aged 70 years and
      over we reviewed our cohort of 206 patients. METHODS: Data of elderly patients
      out of 4022 lung cancer cases were analysed. 124 patients with lung tumours
      presented symptomatically and imaging suggested the presence of lung malignancies
      in 82 patients. 155 tumours were located peripherally, while 51 were central. All
      patients underwent detailed lung function test and cardiovascular examinations
      prior to surgery; significant comorbidities were optimised, too. RESULTS: One
      patient's data was lost during follow-up. In 122 cases lobectomy was the choice
      of surgery, 49 patients underwent atypical resection, 16 had pneumonectomies, and
      18 explorations were performed. Postoperative mortality rate was 1%. Histology
      revealed adenocarcinoma in 121 patients, squamous cell carcinoma in 73 patients,
      small cell carcinoma nine and large cell carcinoma three patients. As far as
      postoperative staging 100 patients had stage I, 54 had stage II, 38 had stage III
      (III/a: 34, III/b: 4) and 13 had stage IV disease. 5-year survival was 40%.
      Survival by histology was 40% for adenocarcinoma and 45% for squamous cell
      carcinoma at five years. Survival rate for patients with stage I was 58% (st I/a:
      75%), with stage II 29%, with stage III 14% (st III/a: 17%), with stage IV no
      five-year survivor was observed. Lymph node involvement was significantly
      associated with outcome (5-year survival rate in N0 was 49% in N2: 8%).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirmed an acceptable perioperative risk and benefit
      of surgery for elderly patients with lung cancer. The age alone is not a
      contraindication for lung resection with meticulous patient's selection and
      active postoperative rehabilitation. More patients had adenocarcinoma than
      squamous cell carcinoma, similarly to all patients. In the elderly patients
      limited parenchymal resection is an acceptable alternative. Surgery offers good
      outcome in early stage disease, but surgery should not be the choice of treatment
      for advanced cancers (st III/b and st IV especially N2).

PMID- 26481073
TI  - [In Process Citation].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The number of patients operated on with endometriosis increases,
      the urological organ and the bowels are involved in 10-40% of the cases in
      addition to the gynaecological organs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sigmoideoscopy
      detected bowel endometriosis in 224 patients from 383 patients with
      endometriosis, and 127 patients were operated on from 14.07.2009 to 13.01.2014 at
      the 1st Gynaecological Department of Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
      All the operation was made by the same gynaecologist and surgeon team. RESULTS:
      Segment resection of the bowel was performed in 120 patients, local resection in
      two patients and shaving in another two cases. The involved part of the bowels
      were the rectum at 46 patients, rectosigmoid in 68, sigmoid bowel in 30, coecum
      in 4, appendix in 2 and the small intestine in 2 patients. Bladder resection was
      carried out in 9 patients, ureter resection in two patients and ureterolysis in
      26 cases were done due to infiltration of the urological organs. The laparoscopic
      operation needed to be converted on one single occasion due to bleeding from the
      epigastric artery, and a laparoscopic suture of the anastomosis was applied for
      bleeding in another patient. The specimen was extracted transvaginally in 16
      patients and transanally in 13 patients. Anastomotic leakage was detected in two
      patients and rectovaginal fistula in four patients. All reoperations (creation
      and closing of the stoma) were done laparoscopically. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment
      of the bowel endometriosis is suggested with segment resection by
      multidisciplinary team, where the invasivity can be decreased by transanal
      specimen extraction.

PMID- 26481074
TI  - [Not Available].
AB  - Among patients undergoing radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer,
      local and distant recurrence is the main reason for cancer-related deaths. In
      case of adrenal location of metachronous metastases, the standard treatment
      consists on cisplatin-based systemic chemotherapy. While surgical removal of
      metastasis remains controversial approach, more and more data support such
      treatment as effective and safe. We report two cases of patients submitted to
      laparoscopic adrenalectomy as a sole treatment mode due to metachronous
      metastases of bladder cancer. No adjuvant systemic therapy was implemented. After
      a follow-up of 12 months patients remain disease free. This report is another
      voice in the on-going debate on the role of surgical treatment of patients with
      metastatic bladder cancer. 

PMID- 26481075
TI  - [In Process Citation].
AB  - Due to the climate change zoonoses, dirofilariasis in particular is spreading.
      Hence, it is likely that we will encounter with this problem more frequently in
      the future Our intention with this case presentation is to draw attention to the
      increasing number of nematodes that cause differential diagnostic problems. The
      patient underwent surgery with suspicion of pulmonary malignancy suggested by a
      peripheral rounded opacity in imaging, but histological examination revealed
      dirofilariasis. 

PMID- 26481077
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26481076
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26481079
TI  - The Underestimated Belly Factor: Waist Circumference Is Linked to Significant
      Morbidity Following Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI) are clinically
      used to assess adiposity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the
      association of WC with postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients who
      underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in relation to
      patients' BMI category. METHODS: We analyzed the associations of WC and BMI with
      short-term postoperative outcomes in a cohort of 7446 patients who underwent
      isolated CABG. We performed univariate and adjusted analyses on main
      postoperative outcomes after CABG for WC and BMI. RESULTS: Adverse events
      researched included postoperative mortality, intensive care unit and hospital
      length of stay, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, respiratory
      complications, infectious, hemostasis complications, and renal complications. WC
      was independently associated with all postoperative outcomes except prolonged
      intubation and mortality. Overall, patients in the upper WC quartile in each BMI
      category were at increased risk of adverse events compared with patients in the
      lower 3 WC quartiles, with a maximal incremental risk of 1.91 (95% confidence
      interval, 1.23-2.95) among patients with a BMI >= 35. This association was
      observed for men and women, across all overweight and obesity categories. Neither
      WC nor BMI was associated with short-term postoperative mortality. CONCLUSIONS:
      In our large cohort of patients who underwent isolated CABG, WC was significantly
      associated with clinical adverse events, independently of BMI. These findings
      provide further evidence on the added value of measuring WC as a simple and easy
      to measure anthropometric marker to refine risk assessment beyond BMI among
      patients who undergo CABG.

PMID- 26481078
TI  - Differences in Vessel Healing Between Sirolimus- and Everolimus-Eluting Stent
      Implantation for Bifurcation Lesions: The J-REVERSE Optical Coherence Tomography
      Substudy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to clarify the differences in vessel healing after stenting
      of bifurcation lesions using sirolimus-eluting stents (SESs) or everolimus
      eluting stents (EESs). METHODS: Japanese Registry Study in Comparison Between
      Everolimus-Eluting Stent and Sirolimus-Eluting Stent for the Bifurcation Lesion
      (J-REVERSE) is a prospective multicentre registry of 303 bifurcation lesions that
      were treated with provisional SES or EES with or without final kissing inflation.
      The first 115 lesions at selected study sites were predefined for inclusion in
      the optical coherence tomography (OCT) substudy, and 9-month follow-up OCT was
      conducted in 64 lesions (SES, n = 18; EES, n = 46). In addition to standard OCT
      parameters, stent eccentricity index (SEI; minimum divided by the maximum stent
      diameter), neointimal unevenness score (NUS; maximum neointimal thickness in the
      cross-section [CS] divided by the average neointimal thickness [NIT] of the same
      CS; uniformity of the neointima suppression) were averaged for each segment
      (proximal, bifurcation, and distal segments). RESULTS: Overall, the average stent
      and luminal area, NIT, and frequency of uncovered struts were similar. The
      frequency of malapposed struts and SEI were significantly lower in the EES group
      than in the SES group. The EES group had a significantly smaller NUS in the
      proximal and distal segments. CONCLUSIONS: EESs offer homogeneous vessel healing
      with less malapposition in the treatment of bifurcation lesions.

PMID- 26481080
TI  - Left Ventricular Dilatation Assessed on the Lateral Chest Radiograph: The Classic
      Hoffman and Rigler Sign Falls Short in a Modern-Day Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The classic Hoffman and Rigler (H&R) sign, originally described in
      1965, suggests that left ventricular (LV) dilatation is present if the left
      ventricle extends more than 18 mm posterior to the inferior vena cava at a level
      2 cm above their crossing on a lateral chest radiograph. This sign is still
      widely used by radiologists but has not been well evaluated against modern
      methods of noninvasive assessment. This study investigated the sensitivity and
      specificity of the H&R sign in a modern population. METHODS: A sample of 145
      patients with LV dilatation based on current echocardiographic criteria was
      matched for age and sex with 145 patients without LV dilatation. Patients were
      required to have undergone a lateral chest radiograph in the 3 months before or
      after undergoing echocardiography; the H&R sign and the cardiothoracic index were
      assessed on the radiograph independently by 2 blinded physicians. RESULTS: Using
      the threshold value of 18 mm, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative
      likelihood ratios of the H&R sign were 54.9%, 59.2%, 1.34, and 0.76, respectively
      (area under the curve [AUC], 0.58). In comparison, the cardiothoracic index
      provided better prediction of LV dilatation (sensitivity, 87.9%; specificity,
      47.5%; AUC, 0.72). CONCLUSIONS: The H&R sign is a poor marker of LV enlargement
      when compared with echocardiography and should not be used as a radiologic index
      of LV enlargement.

PMID- 26481081
TI  - Refractory Hypoxemia After Laparoscopic Nissen Fundoplication.
AB  - Postoperative hypoxemia can result from a variety of causes. We describe a case
      of platypnea-orthodeoxia caused by shunting across a patent foramen ovale in a 72
      year-old woman immediately after a laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication procedure.
      This was diagnosed by echocardiography and treated successfully with percutaneous
      device closure. An intracardiac shunt should always be considered as a potential
      cause of refractory postoperative hypoxemia after procedures on the thorax and
      upper abdomen. 

PMID- 26481082
TI  - Heart Failure, Iron Deficiency, and Supplementation: Where Do We Stand?

PMID- 26481084
TI  - Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: Current and Evolving Indications.
AB  - Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) was initially developed to treat
      aortic stenosis in patients with high risk for surgical intervention. With great
      initial adoption of the technology and improvements in device design and
      procedural success TAVI is increasingly being performed in broader populations
      for diverse indications. This paper is a concise review of the evolving and
      expanding use of TAVI in the current era. 

PMID- 26481083
TI  - Novel Approaches in Primary Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: The HOPE-3 Trial
      Rationale, Design, and Participants' Baseline Characteristics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cholesterol and blood pressure (BP) can be effectively and safely
      lowered with statin drugs and BP-lowering drugs, reducing major cardiovascular
      (CV) events by 20%-30% within 5 years in high-risk individuals. However, there
      are limited data in lower-risk populations. The Heart Outcomes Prevention
      Evaluation-3 (HOPE-3) trial is evaluating whether cholesterol lowering with a
      statin drug, BP lowering with low doses of 2 antihypertensive agents, and their
      combination safely reduce major CV events in individuals at intermediate risk who
      have had no previous vascular events and have average cholesterol and BP levels.
      METHODS: A total of 12,705 women 65 years or older and men 55 years or older with
      at least 1 CV risk factor, no known CV disease, and without any clear indication
      or contraindication to the study drugs were randomized to rosuvastatin 10 mg/d or
      placebo and to candesartan/hydrochlorothiazide 16/12.5 mg/d or placebo (2 * 2
      factorial design) and will be followed for a mean of 5.8 years. The coprimary
      study outcomes are the composite of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction
      (MI), and nonfatal stroke and the composite of CV death, nonfatal MI, nonfatal
      stroke, resuscitated cardiac arrest, heart failure, and arterial
      revascularization. RESULTS: Participants were recruited from 21 countries in
      North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Mean age at
      randomization was 66 years and 46% were women. CONCLUSIONS: The HOPE-3 trial will
      provide new information on cholesterol and BP lowering in intermediate-risk
      populations with average cholesterol and BP levels and is expected to inform
      approaches to primary prevention worldwide (HOPE-3 ClinicalTrials.gov
      NCT00468923).

PMID- 26481085
TI  - Cardiopulmonary Bypass Increases Plasma Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Only in
      First Stage Palliation of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Univentricular congenital heart defects require open-heart surgery
      soon after birth, and are associated with risk of brain injury and poor
      neurologic outcome. METHODS: This is a prospective, observational study on
      children undergoing cardiac surgery. Plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein
      (GFAP), as an early marker of brain injury, was measured by ELISA at the end of
      anaesthesia induction, initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), the end of
      cooling, the end of rewarming, the end of CPB, and after protamine
      administration. We recorded clinical and surgical parameters to assess which CPB
      phase and clinical parameters were associated with a GFAP increase. RESULTS: We
      studied 13 children less than 50 months of age: 8 underwent Norwood or Damus-Kaye
      Stansel palliation (group 1) and 5 underwent Fontan procedure (group 2). A GFAP
      increase was only observed in group 1, with the highest median value at the end
      of rewarming. No quantifiable levels of GFAP were measured at pre-bypass and the
      start of CPB stages in all patients. End of cooling and CPB-end GFAP, GFAP
      maximum value, and GFAP area under the curve all correlated with the CPB time
      spent at a cerebral regional saturation < 45% (P = 0.021, 0.028, 0.007, 0.021,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Children with univentricular heart defects exhibit a
      CPB plasma-GFAP increase only after stage 1 palliation. The maximum GFAP increase
      occurred at the end of rewarming. Further studies are needed to identify which
      clinical or surgical parameter(s) could reflect a GFAP increase during surgery
      for congenital heart defects, and whether GFAP levels correlate with the
      neurologic outcome.

PMID- 26481086
TI  - Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Risk.

PMID- 26481087
TI  - Arch to Descending Aorta Extra-anatomic Aortic Repair for Thoracic Stent Graft
      Infection.
AB  - We report a case of a pedunculated mass of the aortic isthmus. The patient was
      treated with bilateral carotid-subclavian bypass and a stent graft to cover the
      thrombus within the distal arch. The postoperative course was complicated by a
      stent graft infection. The patient underwent graft explantation with aortic
      continuity using extra-anatomic bypass from the aortic arch to the distal
      descending aorta. 

PMID- 26481088
TI  - A Pilot Study on the Utility of Serum Metabolomics in Neuroblastoma Patients and
      Xenograft Models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Improved prediction of neuroblastoma (NB) behavior is needed to
      detect treatment-refractory disease and may allow further reduction in therapy
      for some patients. In this regard, serum metabolomic analysis has proven utility
      in several cancer types. We hypothesize that serum metabolomic analysis will
      correlate with risk-group classification for patients with NB, and sensitively
      detect NB in murine xenograft models. PROCEDURE: A pilot study was done on
      Children's Oncology Group (COG) tumor bank sera from 10 patients (five high-,
      five low-risk). An institutional pilot study was carried out on five patients
      comparing sera obtained during active versus minimal disease (complete
      response/very good partial response; CR/VGPR). XENOGRAFT: Flank tumors were
      established in Nu/Nu mice by injection of NB cell lines (IMR-32, SH-EP, SK-N-AS).
      Serum for comparison was drawn pre-injection, at 1 week after injection when
      there was no visible tumor, and again once tumors were grossly visible.
      Comparisons were also made between tumor bearing mouse serum and supernatants
      from NB cell lines. METABOLOMIC ANALYSIS: Samples were analyzed by nuclear
      magnetic resonance and/or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Multivariate data
      analysis was conducted using SIMCA-P (Umetrics). RESULTS: Serum metabolomic
      analysis differentiated high- and low-risk patients as well as active disease
      from CR/VGPR. Differences were in nitrogen, amino acid, and carbohydrate
      metabolism, as well as ketosis. The serum metabolomic signature in murine
      xenograft models sensitively detected NB cells and correlated with disease
      burden. Similar metabolic changes attributable to NB were noted in both human and
      murine serum. CONCLUSIONS: Serum metabolomic analysis can distinguish several
      characteristics of NB. A larger analysis of COG banked sera is warranted.

PMID- 26481090
TI  - Prevention of pre-eclampsia by low-molecular-weight heparin in addition to
      aspirin: a meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the impact of adding low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH)
      or unfractionated heparin to low-dose aspirin started <= 16 weeks' gestation on
      the prevalence of pre-eclampsia (PE) and the delivery of a small-for-gestational
      age (SGA) neonate. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized
      controlled trials (RCTs) was performed by searching the medical databases PubMed,
      EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Central. Pregnant women randomized to receive
      LMWH or unfractionated heparin in addition to low-dose aspirin were compared with
      those who received low-dose aspirin alone. Outcome measures were PE, severe PE,
      early-onset PE and SGA. Pooled relative risks (RRs) with 95% CI were calculated
      using a random-effects model. RESULTS: Eight RCTs met the inclusion criteria; the
      indication for recruitment was previous recurrent miscarriage in five studies
      (three included women with thrombophilia) and a history of severe or early-onset
      PE in three studies (including women with thrombophilia in one). LMWH was
      administered in seven studies and unfractionated heparin in one. In women with a
      history of PE, treatment with LMWH and aspirin, compared with aspirin alone, was
      associated with a significant reduction in development of PE (three trials (n =
      379); RR, 0.54 (95% CI, 0.31-0.92); P = 0.03) and in delivery of SGA neonates
      (two trials (n = 363); RR, 0.54 (95% CI, 0.32-0.91); P = 0.02). These outcomes
      were not significantly reduced in women with recurrent miscarriage who received
      LMWH and aspirin, compared with aspirin alone. The small number of studies
      precluded sensitivity analyses and the evaluation of publication biases. Blinding
      to the allocation treatment was absent in all RCTs. CONCLUSIONS: Based on limited
      evidence, the addition of LMWH to low-dose aspirin could reduce the prevalence of
      PE and SGA in women with a history of PE. This observation should be the basis of
      a well-conducted future trial rather than a recommendation for immediate clinical
      application. Copyright (c) 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PMID- 26481089
TI  - Spatially extensive microbial biogeography of the Indian Ocean provides insights
      into the unique community structure of a pristine coral atoll.
AB  - Microorganisms act both as drivers and indicators of perturbations in the marine
      environment. In an effort to establish baselines to predict the response of
      marine habitats to environmental change, here we report a broad survey of
      microbial diversity across the Indian Ocean, including the first microbial
      samples collected in the pristine lagoon of Salomon Islands, Chagos Archipelago.
      This was the first large-scale ecogenomic survey aboard a private yacht employing
      a 'citizen oceanography' approach and tools and protocols easily adapted to ocean
      going sailboats. Our data highlighted biogeographic patterns in microbial
      community composition across the Indian Ocean. Samples from within the Salomon
      Islands lagoon contained a community which was different even from adjacent
      samples despite constant water exchange, driven by the dominance of the
      photosynthetic cyanobacterium Synechococcus. In the lagoon, Synechococcus was
      also responsible for driving shifts in the metatranscriptional profiles.
      Enrichment of transcripts related to photosynthesis and nutrient cycling
      indicated bottom-up controls of community structure. However a five-fold increase
      in viral transcripts within the lagoon during the day, suggested a concomitant
      top-down control by bacteriophages. Indeed, genome recruitment against
      Synechococcus reference genomes suggested a role of viruses in providing the
      ecological filter for determining the beta-diversity patterns in this system. 

PMID- 26481091
TI  - Random Plant Viral Variants Attain Temporal Advantages During Systemic Infections
      and in Turn Resist other Variants of the Same Virus.
AB  - Infection of plants with viruses containing multiple variants frequently leads to
      dominance by a few random variants in the systemically infected leaves (SLs), for
      which a plausible explanation is lacking. We show here that SL dominance by a
      given viral variant is adequately explained by its fortuitous lead in systemic
      spread, coupled with its resistance to superinfection by other variants. We
      analyzed the fate of a multi-variant turnip crinkle virus (TCV) population in
      Arabidopsis and N. benthamiana plants. Both wild-type and RNA silencing-defective
      plants displayed a similar pattern of random dominance by a few variant
      genotypes, thus discounting a prominent role for RNA silencing. When introduced
      to plants sequentially as two subpopulations, a twelve-hour head-start was
      sufficient for the first set to dominate. Finally, SLs of TCV-infected plants
      became highly resistant to secondary invasions of another TCV variant. We propose
      that random distribution of variant foci on inoculated leaves allows different
      variants to lead systemic movement in different plants. The leading variants then
      colonize large areas of SLs, and resist the superinfection of lagging variants in
      the same areas. In conclusion, superinfection resistance is the primary driver of
      random enrichment of viral variants in systemically infected plants. 

PMID- 26481092
TI  - A Multistate Model Predicting Mortality, Length of Stay, and Readmission for
      Surgical Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Simultaneously evaluate postoperative mortality, length of stay (LOS),
      and readmission. DATA SOURCE: National Surgical Quality Improvement Program
      (NSQIP). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. METHODS: Data from elective general
      surgical patients were obtained from the 2012 NSQIP Participant Use File. For
      each postoperative day, each patient's state was classified as index
      hospitalization, discharged home, discharged to long-term care (LTC), readmitted,
      or dead. Transition rates were estimated using exponential regression, assuming
      constant rates for specified time periods. These estimates were combined into a
      multistate model, simulated results of which were compared to observed outcomes.
      FINDINGS: Age, comorbidities, more complex procedures, and longer index LOS were
      associated with lower rates of discharge home and higher rates of death,
      discharge to LTC, and readmission. The longer patients had been discharged, the
      less likely they were to die or be readmitted. The model predicted 30-day
      mortality 0.38 percent (95 percent CI: 0.36-0.41), index LOS 2.85 days (95
      percent CI: 2.83-2.86), LTC discharge 2.76 percent (95 percent CI: 2.69-2.82),
      and readmissions 5.53 percent (95 percent CI: 5.43-5.62); observed values were
      0.39 percent, 2.82 days, 2.87 percent, and 5.70 percent, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Multistate models can simultaneously predict postoperative
      mortality, LOS, discharge destination, and readmissions, which allows
      multidimensional comparison of surgical outcomes.

PMID- 26481096
TI  - Repair: Mobilizing stem cells.

PMID- 26481098
TI  - The neural bases of emotion regulation.
AB  - Emotions are powerful determinants of behaviour, thought and experience, and they
      may be regulated in various ways. Neuroimaging studies have implicated several
      brain regions in emotion regulation, including the ventral anterior cingulate and
      ventromedial prefrontal cortices, as well as the lateral prefrontal and parietal
      cortices. Drawing on computational approaches to value-based decision-making and
      reinforcement learning, we propose a unifying conceptual framework for
      understanding the neural bases of diverse forms of emotion regulation. 

PMID- 26481099
TI  - Sulfur-Limonene Polysulfide: A Material Synthesized Entirely from Industrial By
      Products and Its Use in Removing Toxic Metals from Water and Soil.
AB  - A polysulfide material was synthesized by the direct reaction of sulfur and d
      limonene, by-products of the petroleum and citrus industries, respectively. The
      resulting material was processed into functional coatings or molded into solid
      devices for the removal of palladium and mercury salts from water and soil. The
      binding of mercury(II) to the sulfur-limonene polysulfide resulted in a color
      change. These properties motivate application in next-generation environmental
      remediation and mercury sensing. 

PMID- 26481100
TI  - Genome editing of CXCR4 by CRISPR/cas9 confers cells resistant to HIV-1
      infection.
AB  - Genome editing via CRISPR/Cas9 has become an efficient and reliable way to make
      precise, targeted changes to the genome of living cells. CXCR4 is a co-receptor
      for the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection and has been
      considered as an important therapeutic target for AIDS. CXCR4 mediates viral
      entry into human CD4(+) cells by binding to envelope protein, gp120. Here, we
      show that human CXCR4 gene is efficiently disrupted by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated
      genome editing, leading to HIV-1 resistance of human primary CD4(+) T cells. We
      also show that the Cas9-mediated ablation of CXCR4 demonstrated high specificity
      and negligible off-target effects without affecting cell division and
      propagation. The precise and efficient genome editing of CXCR4 will provide a new
      strategy for therapeutic application against HIV-1 infection. 

PMID- 26481101
TI  - The effects of high-intensity interval training on glucose regulation and insulin
      resistance: a meta-analysis.
AB  - The aim of this meta-analysis was to quantify the effects of high-intensity
      interval training (HIIT) on markers of glucose regulation and insulin resistance
      compared with control conditions (CON) or continuous training (CT). Databases
      were searched for HIIT interventions based upon the inclusion criteria: training
      >=2 weeks, adult participants and outcome measurements that included insulin
      resistance, fasting glucose, HbA1c or fasting insulin. Dual interventions and
      participants with type 1 diabetes were excluded. Fifty studies were included.
      There was a reduction in insulin resistance following HIIT compared with both CON
      and CT (HIIT vs. CON: standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.49, confidence
      intervals [CIs] -0.87 to -0.12, P = 0.009; CT: SMD = -0.35, -0.68 to -0.02, P =
      0.036). Compared with CON, HbA1c decreased by 0.19% (-0.36 to -0.03, P = 0.021)
      and body weight decreased by 1.3 kg (-1.9 to -0.7, P < 0.001). There were no
      statistically significant differences between groups in other outcomes overall.
      However, participants at risk of or with type 2 diabetes experienced reductions
      in fasting glucose (-0.92 mmol L(-1), -1.22 to -0.62, P < 0.001) compared with
      CON. HIIT appears effective at improving metabolic health, particularly in those
      at risk of or with type 2 diabetes. Larger randomized controlled trials of longer
      duration than those included in this meta-analysis are required to confirm these
      results.

PMID- 26481102
TI  - Monitoring 2-phenylethanamine and 2-(3-hydroxyphenyl)acetamide sulfate in doping
      controls.
AB  - 2-Phenylethanamine (phenethylamine, PEA) represents the core structure of
      numerous drugs with stimulant-like properties and is explicitly featured as so
      called specified substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited
      List. Due to its natural occurrence in humans as well as its presence in dietary
      products, studies concerning the ability of test methods to differentiate between
      an illicit intake and the renal elimination of endogenously produced PEA were
      indicated. Following the addition of PEA to the Prohibited List in January 2015,
      retrospective evaluation of routine doping control data of 10 190 urine samples
      generated by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and nitrogen
      phosphorus-specific detection (GC-MS/NPD) was performed. Signals for PEA at
      approximate concentrations > 500 ng/mL were observed in 31 cases (0.3%), which
      were subjected to a validated isotope-dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry (ID-LC-MS/MS) test method for accurate quantification of the target
      analyte. Further, using elimination study urine samples collected after a single
      oral administration of 250 mg of PEA hydrochloride to two healthy male
      volunteers, two tentatively identified metabolites of PEA were observed and
      evaluated concerning their utility as discriminative markers for PEA intake. The
      ID-LC-MS/MS approach was extended to allow for the simultaneous detection of PEA
      and 2-(3-hydroxyphenyl)acetamide sulfate (M1), and concentration ratios of M1 and
      PEA were calculated for elimination study urine samples and a total of 205 doping
      control urine samples that returned findings for PEA at estimated concentrations
      of 50-2500 ng/mL. Urine samples of the elimination study with PEA yielded
      concentration ratios of M1/PEA up to values of 9.4. Notably, the urinary
      concentration of PEA did increase with the intake of PEA only to a modest extent,
      suggesting a comprehensive metabolism of the orally administered substance.
      Conversely, doping control urine samples with elevated (>50 ng/mL) amounts of PEA
      returned quantifiable concentrations of M1 only in 3 cases, which yielded maximum
      ratios of M1/PEA of 0.9, indicating an origin of PEA other than an orally
      ingested drug formulation. Consequently, the consideration of analyte abundance
      ratios (e.g. M1/PEA) is suggested as a means to identify the use of PEA by
      athletes, but further studies to support potential decisive criteria are
      warranted.

PMID- 26481103
TI  - Antibacterial efficacy of 405, 460 and 520 nm light emitting diodes on
      Lactobacillus plantarum, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
AB  - AIMS: Little information is available on a direct comparison of the antibacterial
      efficacy of light emitting diode (LEDs) of different peak wavelengths. Thus, the
      objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of LEDs of three different
      wavelengths on bacterial inactivation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Lactobacillus
      plantarum, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus were illuminated
      with 405, 460 and 520 nm LEDs at 4, 10 and 25 degrees C respectively.
      Inactivation curves were plotted and fitted using Gompertz Model. Illumination
      with 405 and 460 nm LED produced significant inactivation (P < 0.05) in the
      population of V. parahaemolyticus (>4 log) while Lact. plantarum and Staph.
      aureus showed relatively less susceptibility to the LED illumination. The 520 nm
      LED produced negligible inactivation. CONCLUSIONS: The 405 and 460 nm LEDs proved
      more effective in inactivating the selected foodborne bacteria in this study
      compared to 520 nm LED. The 405 nm LED showed the greatest antibacterial effect
      at the same level of energy dose. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The
      results in this study demonstrated the antibacterial efficacy of 405 nm LED on
      Lact. plantarum and V. parahaemolyticus, suggesting its potential for use in food
      industry for the control of these micro-organisms.

PMID- 26481104
TI  - Diacerein reduces joint damage, pain behavior and inhibits transient receptor
      potential vanilloid 1, matrix metalloproteinase and glial cells in rat spinal
      cord.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the antinociceptive, antiedematogenic and chondroprotective
      effects of diacerein (DIA) in a model of joint inflammation induced by complete
      Freund's adjuvant (CFA), as well as to investigate the involvement of
      metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and
      glial cells in DIA's action mechanism. METHODS: Complete Freund's adjuvant was
      injected into the knee joint of male rats. We observed mechanical and cold
      hypersensitivity, vocalization and spontaneous pain-related behaviors, as well as
      edema of the knee. Tissue samples of the knee were stained with Cason's technique
      and the thickness of the condilus cartilage was measured. Immunohistochemical
      analysis was performed on the spinal cord using anti-GFAP (glial fibrillary
      acidic protein), anti-MMP and anti-TRPV1 antibodies. Sections of the dorsal horns
      of the spinal cord were captured and an optical density was obtained. RESULTS:
      Complete Freund's adjuvant induced mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity, as
      well as joint edema and changes in the synovial membrane and cartilage. DIA (30
      mg/kg, orally, daily) significantly inhibited mechanical (58 +/- 10-87 +/- 3%)
      and thermal (66 +/- 12-87 +/- 8%) hypersensitivity, vocalization (83 +/- 5-41 +/-
      11%), spontaneous pain score, joint swelling (60 +/- 6-40 +/- 9%), as well as the
      histological changes induced by CFA. In addition, DIA inhibited astrocyte
      activation, and prevented the increase of MMP-9 and TRPV1 expression in the
      spinal cord of the animals subjected to CFA injections. CONCLUSIONS: In short,
      this study shows that DIA reduces joint damage and hypersensitivity associated
      with inflammation induced by CFA through the inhibition of astroglial activation
      and decreases the expression of TRPV1 and MMP-9 in the rat spinal cord.

PMID- 26481105
TI  - Temperature control in critically ill patients with a novel esophageal cooling
      device: a case series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mild hypothermia and fever control have been shown to improve
      neurological outcomes post cardiac arrest. Common methods to induce hypothermia
      include body surface cooling and intravascular cooling; however, a new approach
      using an esophageal cooling catheter has recently become available. METHODS: We
      report the first three cases of temperature control using an esophageal cooling
      device (ECD). The ECD was placed in a similar fashion to orogastric tubes.
      Temperature reduction was achieved by connecting the ECD to a commercially
      available external heat exchange unit (Blanketrol Hyperthermia - Hypothermia
      System). RESULTS: The first patient, a 54 year-old woman (86 kg) was admitted
      after resuscitation from an out-of-hospital non-shockable cardiac arrest. Shortly
      after admission, she mounted a fever peaking at 38.3  degrees C despite
      administration of cold intravenous saline and application of cooling blankets.
      ECD utilization resulted in a temperature reduction to 35.7  degrees C over a
      period of 4 h. She subsequently recovered and was discharged home at day 23. The
      second patient, a 59 year-old man (73 kg), was admitted after successful
      resuscitation from a protracted out-of hospital cardiac arrest. His initial
      temperature was 35  degrees C, but slowly increased to 35.8  degrees C despite
      applying a cooling blanket and ice packs. The ECD was inserted and a temperature
      reduction to 34.8  degrees C was achieved within 3 h. The patient expired on day
      3. The third patient, a 47 year-old man (95 kg) presented with a refractory fever
      secondary to necrotizing pneumonia in the postoperative period after coronary
      artery bypass grafting. His fever persisted despite empiric antibiotics,
      antipyretics, cooling blankets, and ice packs. ECD insertion resulted in a
      decrease in temperature from 39.5 to 36.5  degrees C in less than 5 h. He
      eventually made a favorable recovery and was discharged home after 59 days. In
      all 3 patients, device placement occurred in under 3 min and ease-of-use was
      reported as excellent by nursing staff and physicians. CONCLUSIONS: The
      esophageal cooling device was found to be an effective temperature control
      modality in this small case series of critically ill patients. Preliminary data
      presented in this report needs to be confirmed in large randomized controlled
      trials comparing its efficacy and safety to standard temperature control
      modalities.

PMID- 26481106
TI  - Feasibility and cost of using mobile phones for capturing drug safety information
      in peri-urban settlement in Ghana: a prospective cohort study of patients with
      uncomplicated malaria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The growing need to capture data on health and health events using
      faster and efficient means to enable prompt evidence-based decision-making is
      making the use of mobile phones for health an alternative means to capture anti
      malarial drug safety data. This paper examined the feasibility and cost of using
      mobile phones vis-a-vis home visit to monitor adverse events (AEs) related to
      artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) for treatment of uncomplicated
      malaria in peri-urban Ghana. METHODS: A prospective, observational, cohort study
      conducted on 4270 patients prescribed ACT in 21 health facilities. The patients
      were actively followed by telephone or home visit to document AEs associated with
      anti-malarial drugs. Call duration and travel distances of each visit were
      recorded. Pre-paid call cards and fuel for motorbike travels were used to
      determine cost of conducting both follow-ups. Ms-Excel 2010 and STATA 11.2 were
      used for analysis. RESULTS: Of the 4270 patients recruited, 4124 (96.6 %) were
      successfully followed up and analyzed. Of these, 1126/4124 (27.3 %) were children
      under 5 years. Most 3790/4124 (91.9 %) follow-ups were done within 7 days of ACT
      intake. Overall, follow up by phone (2671/4124-64.8 %) was almost two times the
      number done by home visits (1453/4124-35.2 %). Duration of telephone calls ranged
      from 38 s to 53 min, costing between GHc0.26 (0.20USD) and GHc41.70 (27.USD). On
      the average, the calls lasted 3 min 51 s (SD = 3 min, 21 s) costing GHc2.70
      (0.77USD). Distance travelled for home visit ranged from 0.65 to 62 km costing
      GHc0.29 (0.20USD) and GHc279.00 (79.70USD). Thirty-two per cent (1128/4124) of
      patients reported AEs. In total, 1831 AE were reported, 1016/1831(55.5 %) by
      telephone and 815/1831 (44.5 %) by home visits. Events such as nausea, dizziness,
      diarrhoea, and vomiting were commonly reported. CONCLUSION: Majority of patients
      was successfully followed up by telephone and reported the most AEs. The cost of
      telephone interviewing was almost two times less than the cost of home visit.
      Telephone follow up should be considered for monitoring drug adverse events in
      low resource settings.

PMID- 26481107
TI  - Relapsing pneumonitis due to two distinct inhibitors of the MAPK/ERK pathway:
      report of a case.
AB  - BACKGROUND: BRAF and MEK are component of the MAPK/ERK pathway and inhibitors of
      these proteins have significantly improved the outcome of metastatic melanoma. We
      report for the first time two sequential episodes of pneumonitis presumably
      induced by trametinib (a MEK inhibitor) and vemurafenib (a BRAF inhibitor) in a
      50 year-old man. CASE PRESENTATION: While receiving trametinib for a metastatic
      melanoma, the patient developed non-febrile acute respiratory failure in the
      context of bilateral ground-glass opacities and sub pleural reticulations on high
      resolution computed tomography. An excess of lymphocytes was found in the
      bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Outcome was favorable after simple drug
      discontinuation. He subsequently developed a similar clinical-imaging picture 6
      months into vemurafenib. A transthoracic lung biopsy disclosed interstitial
      lymphocytic infiltrate, poorly-formed granulomas with multinucleated giant cells
      and scattered eosinophils. Outcome was again favorable after simple drug
      discontinuation. CONCLUSION: These two episodes in the same patient suggest that
      MAPK/ERK inhibitors may cause interstitial lung disease and may exert cross
      toxicity. This side effect is of particular interest for physicians in charge of
      patients with melanoma but this drug family is currently under development for
      several other solid tumors.

PMID- 26481108
TI  - Leishmania donovani-specific Ub-related modifier-1: an early endosome-associated
      ubiquitin-like conjugation in Leishmania donovani.
AB  - Protein modification by ubiquitin (Ub) and Ub-like molecules (Ubls) is a diverse
      biological process that regulates the activity of the target proteins. Systematic
      studies of Ubls in trypanosomatids like Leishmania, the causative organism of
      potentially fatal visceral leishmaniasis, would yield a better understanding of
      the disease pathogenesis and identify novel therapeutic targets. The present
      study is the first to characterize Leishmania donovani-specific Ub-related
      modifier-1 (LdUrm1) and the associated conjugation pathway. Based on homology
      modeling, LdUrm1 was found to possess a beta-grasp fold and a C-terminal di
      glycine motif unique to Ub/Ubls, essential for its conjugation to the target
      proteins. We identified LdUba4 as the E1 enzyme for LdUrm1 and demonstrated its
      energy-dependent enzymatic activity. LdUrm1 was immunolocalized anteriorly near
      the flagellar reservoir, while LdUba4 was cytoplasmic, both in promastigotes and
      axenic amastigotes. Expression of nonconjugatable LdUrm1 in L. donovani resulted
      in depleted parasite growth suggesting its role in the pathogenesis. By mass
      spectrometry, we identified Rab5, a known mediator of early endosome regulated
      hemoglobin endocytosis in Leishmania, as a target of LdUrm1. Our data suggest
      that LdUrm1 conjugation pathway may have a role in early endosome-mediated heme
      uptake in Leishmania that may be explored as a drug target.

PMID- 26481109
TI  - Middle latency auditory-evoked potential index monitoring of cerebral function to
      predict functional outcome after emergency craniotomy in patients with brain
      damage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: At present, no satisfactory reports on the monitoring of cerebral
      function to predict functional outcomes after brain damage such as traumatic
      brain injury (TBI) and stroke. The middle latency auditory-evoked potential index
      (MLAEPi) monitor (aepEX plus(r), Audiomex, UK) is a mobile MLAEP monitor
      measuring the degree of consciousness that is represented by numerical values.
      Hence, we hypothesized that MLAEPi predicts neurological outcome after emergency
      craniotomy among patients with disturbance of consciousness (DOC), which was
      caused by brain damage. METHODS: The afore-mentioned patients who underwent
      emergency craniotomy within 12 h of brain damage and were subsequently monitored
      using MLAEPi were enrolled in this study. DOC was defined as an initial Glasgow
      Coma Scale score < 8. MLAEPi was measured for 14 days after craniotomy.
      Neurological outcome was evaluated before discharge using a cerebral performance
      category (CPC) score and classified into three groups: favorable outcome group
      for a CPC score of 1 or 2, unfavorable outcome group for a score of 3 or 4, and
      brain dead (BD) group for a score of 5. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients were
      included in this study (17 with TBIs and 15 with acute stroke). Regarding
      outcome, 10 patients had a favorable outcome, 15 had an unfavorable outcome, and
      7 were pronounced BD. MLAEPi was observed to be significantly higher on day 5
      than that observed immediately after craniotomy in cases of favorable or
      unfavorable outcome (63 +/- 3.5 vs. 36 +/- 2.5 in favorable outcome; 63 +/- 3.5
      vs. 34 +/- 1.8 in unfavorable outcome). MLAEPi was significantly lower in BD
      patients than in those with a favorable or unfavorable outcome on day 3 (24 +/-
      4.2 in BD vs. 52 +/- 5.2 and 45 +/- 2.7 in favorable and unfavorable outcome,
      respectively) and after day 4. MLAEPi was significantly higher in patients with a
      favorable outcome than in those with a favorable or unfavorable outcome after day
      6 (68 +/- 2.3 in favorable outcome vs. 48 +/- 2.3 in unfavorable outcome).
      CONCLUSION: We believe that MLAEPi satisfactorily denotes cerebral function and
      predicts outcomes after emergency craniotomy in patients with DOC, which was
      caused by acute brain damage.

PMID- 26481110
TI  - Investigation of regions impacting inbreeding depression and their association
      with the additive genetic effect for United States and Australia Jersey dairy
      cattle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Variation in environment, management practices, nutrition or
      selection objectives has led to a variety of different choices being made in the
      use of genetic material between countries. Differences in genome-level
      homozygosity between countries may give rise to regions that result in inbreeding
      depression to differ. The objective of this study was to characterize regions
      that have an impact on a runs of homozygosity (ROH) metric and estimate their
      association with the additive genetic effect of milk (MY), fat (FY) and protein
      yield (PY) and calving interval (CI) using Australia (AU) and United States (US)
      Jersey cows. METHODS: Genotyped cows with phenotypes on MY, FY and PY (n = 6751
      US; n = 3974 AU) and CI (n = 5816 US; n = 3905 AU) were used in a two-stage
      analysis. A ROH statistic (ROH4Mb), which counts the frequency of a SNP being in
      a ROH of at least 4 Mb was calculated across the genome. In the first stage,
      residuals were obtained from a model that accounted for the portion explained by
      the estimated breeding value. In the second stage, these residuals were regressed
      on ROH4Mb using a single marker regression model and a gradient boosted machine
      (GBM) algorithm. The relationship between the additive and ROH4Mb of a region was
      characterized based on the (co)variance of 500 kb estimated genomic breeding
      values derived from a Bayesian LASSO analysis. Phenotypes to determine ROH4Mb and
      additive effects were residuals from the two-stage approach and yield deviations,
      respectively. RESULTS: Associations between yield traits and ROH4Mb were found
      for regions on BTA13, BTA23 and BTA25 for the US population and BTA3, BTA7, BTA17
      for the AU population. Only one association (BTA7) was found for CI and ROH4Mb
      for the US population. Multiple potential epistatic interactions were
      characterized based on the GBM analysis. Lastly, the covariance sign between
      ROH4Mb and additive SNP effect of a region was heterogeneous across the genome.
      CONCLUSION: We identified multiple genomic regions associated with ROH4Mb in US
      and AU Jersey females. The covariance of regions impacting ROH4Mb and the
      additive genetic effect were positive and negative, which provides evidence that
      the homozygosity effect is location dependent.

PMID- 26481111
TI  - Perception of Sentence Stress in Speech Correlates With the Temporal
      Unpredictability of Prosodic Features.
AB  - Numerous studies have examined the acoustic correlates of sentential stress and
      its underlying linguistic functionality. However, the mechanism that connects
      stress cues to the listener's attentional processing has remained unclear. Also,
      the learnability versus innateness of stress perception has not been widely
      discussed. In this work, we introduce a novel perspective to the study of
      sentential stress and put forward the hypothesis that perceived sentence stress
      in speech is related to the unpredictability of prosodic features, thereby
      capturing the attention of the listener. As predictability is based on the
      statistical structure of the speech input, the hypothesis also suggests that
      stress perception is a result of general statistical learning mechanisms. To
      study this idea, computational simulations are performed where temporal prosodic
      trajectories are modeled with an n-gram model. Probabilities of the feature
      trajectories are subsequently evaluated on a set of novel utterances and compared
      to human perception of stress. The results show that the low-probability regions
      of F0 and energy trajectories are strongly correlated with stress perception,
      giving support to the idea that attention and unpredictability of sensory
      stimulus are mutually connected.

PMID- 26481113
TI  - A new iron calcium phosphate material to improve the osteoconductive properties
      of a biodegradable ceramic: a study in rabbit calvaria.
AB  - beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) is an osteoconductive and biodegradable
      material used in bone regeneration procedures, while iron has been suggested as a
      tool to improve the biological performance of calcium phosphate-based materials.
      However, the mechanisms of interaction between these materials and human cells
      are not fully understood. In order to clarify this relationship, we have studied
      the iron role in beta-TCP ceramics. Iron-containing beta-TCPs were prepared by
      replacing CaCO3 with C6H5FeO7 at different molar ratios. X-ray diffraction
      analysis indicated the occurrence of beta-TCP as the sole phase in the pure beta
      TCP and iron-containing ceramics. The incorporation of iron ions in the beta-TCP
      lattice decreased the specific surface area as the pore size was shifted toward
      meso- and/or macropores. Furthermore, the human osteoblastlike cell line MG-63
      was cultured onto the ceramics to determine cell proliferation and viability, and
      it was observed that the iron-beta-TCP ceramics have better cytocompatibility
      than pure beta-TCP. Finally, in vivo assays were performed using rabbit calvaria
      as a bone model. The scaffolds were implanted for 8 and 12 weeks in the defects
      created in the skullcap with pure beta-TCP as the control. The in vivo behavior,
      in terms of new bone formed, degradation, and residual graft material were
      investigated using sequential histological evaluations and histomorphometric
      analysis. The in vivo implantation of the ceramics showed enhanced bone tissue
      formation and scaffold degradation for iron-beta-TCPs. Thus, iron appears to be a
      useful tool to enhance the osteoconductive properties of calcium phosphate
      ceramics. 

PMID- 26481112
TI  - Photobiological Origins of the Field of Genomic Maintenance.
AB  - Although sunlight is essential for life on earth, the ultraviolet (UV)
      wavelengths in its spectrum constitute a major threat to life. Various cellular
      responses have evolved to deal with the damage inflicted in DNA by UV, and the
      study of these responses in model systems has spawned the burgeoning field of DNA
      repair. Although we now know of many types of deleterious alterations in DNA, the
      approaches for studying them and the early mechanistic insights have come in
      large part from pioneering research on the processing of UV-induced bipyrimidine
      photoproducts in bacteria. It is also notable that UV was one of the first DNA
      damaging agents for which exposure was directly linked to cancer; the sun
      sensitive syndrome, xeroderma pigmentosum, was the first example of a cancer
      prone hereditary disease involving a defect in DNA repair. We provide a short
      history of advances in the broad field of genomic maintenance as they have
      emerged from research in photochemistry and photobiology. 

PMID- 26481114
TI  - Infant feeding practices and childhood diet at Apollonia Pontica: Isotopic and
      dental evidence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study analyzes deciduous dental pathology and stable isotopes to
      investigate the relationship between diet, feeding practices, and oral health in
      a subadult skeletal sample from the Greek colonial site of Apollonia Pontica,
      Bulgaria (mid-5th to mid-3rd Centuries BC). METHODS: Stable carbon and nitrogen
      isotope analysis was conducted on 74 bone collagen samples, and the deciduous
      dentitions of 85 individuals aged 8.5 months to 11 years were examined for
      evidence of caries, calculus, antemortem tooth loss, abscesses, and occlusal
      tooth wear. RESULTS: delta(13) C and delta(15) N values of the collagen samples
      indicate that weaning began between the ages of 6 months and 1 year, and was
      complete for most individuals by the age of 3. The isotopic data are consistent
      with a mixed diet of primarily terrestrial C3 resources. The dental pathology
      data indicate that complementary foods provided to young children had an impact
      on their oral health early on. Four outliers exhibited elevated delta(15) N
      values compared with the adult female range and lower levels of tooth wear than
      other members of their age groups. Possible explanations include prolonged
      breastfeeding, the consumption of diets elevated in (15) N, and
      physiological/nutritional stress. CONCLUSIONS: The deciduous dental data
      correlate well with the isotopic data and are consistent with later textual
      sources regarding the timing and duration of weaning, and the composition of
      complementary foods. The results of this research demonstrate the value of
      combining isotopic and dental evidence to investigate the dietary practices of
      infants and young children and the impact of these practices on oral health.

PMID- 26481115
TI  - Stereoselective recognition of the Ac-Glu-Tyr-OH dipeptide by pseudopeptidic
      cages.
AB  - Pseudopeptidic molecular cages are appealing receptors since they can display
      different polar and non-polar interaction sites in a modular framework and a
      controlled disposition. Inspired by previous host-guest knowledge, two
      pseudopeptidic molecular cages based on serine and threonine (CySer and CyThr,
      respectively) were designed and synthesized as hosts for the binding of the four
      possible stereoisomers of the Ac-Glu-Tyr-OH dipeptide, a target sequence of
      tyrosine kinases. The careful NMR titration experiments in aqueous acetonitrile
      allowed the determination of the binding constants and reflected a difference in
      the stability of the corresponding diastereomeric host-guest complexes. The CySer
      cage proved to be slightly more efficient than the CyThr counterpart, although
      both showed similar stereoselectivity trends: LL > DD >= LD > DL. This
      stereoselective binding was retained in the gas phase, as shown by ESI-MS
      competition experiments using the enantiomer-labelled method (EL), as well as CID
      experiments. Thus, the MS-determined discriminations follow the same trends
      observed by NMR, suggesting that the stereoselectivity observed for these systems
      must be mainly dictated by the polar host-guest interactions. Despite the
      stereoselective binding of short peptide sequences in competitive media being a
      challenging issue in supramolecular chemistry, our results demonstrate the power
      of pseudopeptidic cages in molecular recognition with foreseen implications in
      chemical biology.

PMID- 26481116
TI  - Positional Relationship Between the Pulmonary Venous Confluence-Vertical Vein and
      Atria in Infracardiac Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection.
AB  - To explore the positional relationship between the pulmonary venous confluence
      venous vein (PVC-VV) and both the atria in infracardiac total anomalous pulmonary
      venous connection (iTAPVC), using two-dimensional (2D) computerized tomography
      (CT) reconstruction. Through the 2D reconstruction of enhanced cardiac CT images
      of patients with iTAPVC, the projection of PVC-VV on coronal axial images was
      acquired and its location on the bilateral atrial splice was analyzed. Sagittal
      axial reconstruction was used to identify which atrium had a precise anterior
      posterior positional relationship with PVC-VV. The type of iTAPVC, where the
      projection of PVC-VV was lying on the left atrium, and the left atrium had a
      precise anterior-posterior positional relationship with PVC-VV, was classified as
      the left atrial type. If the projection of PVC-VV was lying on the right atrium
      and the right atrium had a precise anterior-posterior positional relationship
      with PVC-VV, it was classified as the right atrial type. Finally, if the
      projection of PVC-VV was lying in the middle of the bilateral atria, and both the
      atria had precise anterior-posterior positional relationship with PVC-VV, it was
      referred to as the bilateral atrial type. Upon analysis of the 22 enhanced
      cardiac CT images, 6 were the left atrial type (27.27 %), 9 were right atrial
      type (40.91 %), while 7 were of the bilateral atrial type (31.82 %). The
      positional relationship between PVC-VV and the bilateral atria are variable, and
      iTAPVC classification using 2D CT reconstruction is an invaluable tool in
      designing the surgical approaches in iTAPVC.

PMID- 26481117
TI  - Characterization of Cardiac Troponin Elevation in the Setting of Pediatric
      Supraventricular Tachycardia.
AB  - Cardiac troponin (cTn) is currently considered the gold standard biomarker for
      detection of myocardial necrosis. Patients with supraventricular tachycardia
      (SVT) often present with symptoms resulting in cTn assessment; however, there are
      no data on the results of such testing in childhood. We hypothesized that cTn
      elevation would be common in the pediatric SVT population and would portend a
      benign prognosis. A retrospective review of all pediatric patients (<=21 years)
      presenting with SVT was performed. Clinical and electrocardiographic variables
      from the emergency department (ED) presentation were reviewed and clinical
      outcomes during subsequent follow-up assessed. Of 128 patients seen in the ED for
      SVT, cTn was assessed in 48 (38 %). Of patients with cTn assessment, 14 (29 %)
      patients demonstrated cTn elevation. Univariate predictors of cTn elevation
      included presentation with respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms (50 vs 12 %
      and 42 vs 9 %; p = 0.008 and p = 0.01, respectively), lower mean arterial blood
      pressure (73 vs 85 mm Hg, p = 0.009), higher age-adjusted tachycardia rate (z
      score 9.3 vs 7.2, p < 0.001), and longer tachycardia duration (4.2 vs 1.0 h, p =
      0.02). Multivariate logistic regression confirmed the association of age-adjusted
      tachycardia rate (odds ratio [OR] 3.8 per heart rate z score, confidence interval
      [CI] 1.9-11.8, p = 0.003) and duration (OR 1.5 per hour, CI 1.1-2.5, p = 0.03).
      Clinical outcome was excellent with no adverse sequelae during a median of 2.9
      years of follow-up. Cardiac Tn elevation is common in the pediatric population
      presenting with SVT. Episode severity, characterized by respiratory or
      gastrointestinal symptoms, lower mean blood pressure, and increased tachycardia
      rate and duration are predictive. Clinical follow-up is favorable.

PMID- 26481118
TI  - Arrhythmias in Adult Congenital Patients With Bodily Isomerism.
AB  - There are an increasing number of adults with congenital heart disease, some of
      whom have bodily isomerism. Bodily isomerism or heterotaxy is a unique clinical
      entity associated with congenital malformations of the heart which further
      increases the risk for future cardiovascular complications. We aimed to
      investigate the frequency of arrhythmias in adults with bodily isomerism. We
      utilized the 2012 iteration of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample to identify adult
      inpatient admissions associated with arrhythmias in patients with isomerism. Data
      regarding demographics, comorbidities, and various procedures were collected and
      compared between those with and without isomerism. A total of 6,907,109
      admissions were analyzed with a total of 861 being associated isomerism. The
      frequency of arrhythmias was greater in those with isomerism (20.8 vs. 15.4 %).
      Those with isomerism were also more five times more likely to undergo invasive
      electrophysiology studies. Length and cost of hospitalization for patients with
      arrhythmias also tended to be greater in those with isomerism. Mortality did not
      differ between the two groups. Arrhythmias are more prevalent in those with
      isomerism, with a majority of arrhythmias in isomerism being atrial. Those with
      isomerism and arrhythmias also tended to have greater length and cost of
      hospitalization.

PMID- 26481120
TI  - A 1-bp deletion in Fgf5 causes male-dominant long hair in the Syrian hamster.
AB  - Hair length in mammals is generally regulated by the hair cycle, and its
      disruption leads to abnormal hair morphogenesis in several species. FGF5, one of
      the hair cycle regulators, has a role in inducing catagen, and that mutation
      causes abnormal hair length in both sexes in humans, mice, dogs, and cats. Male
      dominant long-haired coat (MALC) is an inbred strain of Syrian hamster exhibiting
      spontaneous long hair in males. After castration, MALC exhibited significantly
      shorter hair than the control individuals, but testosterone administration to
      castrated MALC showed reversion to the original phenotype. Moreover, flutamide
      administration led to MALC phenotype repression. Histological analysis revealed
      that hair follicle regression was shown in the wild-type 4 weeks after
      depilation, but that of MALC remained in the anagen phase. We detected a
      c.546delG of Fgf5 in MALC (Fgf5malc) that might lead to truncation resulting from
      a frame shift in FGF5 (p.Arg184GlyfsX6). Additionally, homozygous Fgf5malc was
      only detected in long-haired (Slc:Syrian*MALC)F2 and (J-2-Nn*MALC)F2 progenies,
      and all homozygous wild and heterozygous Fgf5malc individuals showed normal hair
      length. Thus, Fgf5malc leads to male-dominant long hair via a prolonged anagen
      phase which is affected by testosterone in hamsters. To our knowledge, this
      report is the first to present the sexual dimorphism of hair length caused by the
      Fgf5 mutation.

PMID- 26481122
TI  - Does Early versus Delayed Spanning External Fixation Impact Complication Rates
      for High-energy Tibial Plateau and Plafond Fractures?
AB  - BACKGROUND: High-energy tibial plateau and tibial plafond fractures have a high
      complication rate and are frequently treated with a staged approach of spanning
      external fixation followed by definitive internal fixation after resolution of
      soft tissue swelling. A theoretical advantage to early spanning external fixation
      is that earlier fracture stabilization could prevent further soft tissue damage
      and potentially reduce the occurrence of subsequent infection. However, the
      relative urgency of applying the external fixator after injury is unknown, and
      whether delay in this intervention is correlated to subsequent treatment
      complications has not been examined. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: Is delay of more than 12
      hours to spanning external fixation of high-energy tibial plateau and plafond
      fractures associated with increased (1) infection risk; (2) compartment syndrome
      risk; and (3) time to definitive fixation, length of hospitalization, or risk of
      secondary surgeries? We further stratified our results based on injury site:
      plateau and plafond. In practical clinical terms, many of these high-energy C
      type articular fractures will arrive at the regional trauma center in the evening
      and this investigation attempted to explore if these injuries need to be placed
      in temporizing fixators that evening or if they may be safely addressed in a
      dedicated trauma room the next morning. METHODS: We performed a retrospective
      review of all patients at a Level I university trauma center with high-energy
      tibial plateau and plafond fractures who underwent staged treatment with a
      spanning external fixation followed by subsequent definitive internal fixation
      between 2006 and 2012. Patients who received a fixator within 12 hours of
      recorded injury time were classified as early external fixation; those who
      received a fixator greater than 12 hours from injury were classified as delayed
      external fixation. There were 80 patients (42 plateaus and 38 plafonds) in the
      early external fixation cohort and 79 patients (45 plateaus and 34 plafonds) in
      the delayed external fixation cohort. Deep infection rate was 13% in plateau
      fractures and 18% in plafond fractures. Rates of infection, compartment syndrome,
      secondary surgeries, time to definitive fixation, and length of hospitalization
      were recorded. RESULTS: Controlling for differences in open fracture severity
      between groups, there was no difference in infection for plafond (early fixation:
      12 of 38 [32%]; delayed fixation: seven of 34 [21%]; adjusted relative risk =
      1.39 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.45-4.31], p = 0.573) and plateau (early
      fixation: eight of 42 [19%]; delayed fixation: nine of 45 [20%]; adjusted
      relative risk: 0.93 [95% CI, 0.31-2.78], p = 0.861) groups. For compartment
      syndrome risk, there was no difference between early and delayed groups for
      plateau fractures (early fixation: six of 42 [14%]; delayed fixation: three of 45
      [7%]; relative risk = 0.47 [0.12-1.75], p = 0.304) and plafond fractures (early
      fixation: two of 38 [5%]; delayed fixation: three of 34 [9%]; relative risk =
      1.67 [0.30-9.44], p = 0.662). There was no difference for length of
      hospitalization for early (9 +/- 7 days) versus delayed fixation (9 +/- 6 days)
      (mean difference = 0.24 [95% CI, -2.9 to 3.4], p = 0.878) for patients with
      plafond fracture. Similarly, there was no difference in length of hospitalization
      for early (10 +/- 6 days) versus delayed fixation (8 +/- 4 days) (mean difference
      = 1.6 [95% CI, -3.9 to 0.7], p = 0.170) for patients with plateau fracture. Time
      to definitive fixation for plateau fractures in the early external fixation group
      was 8 +/- 6 days compared with 11 +/- 7 days for the delayed external fixation
      group (mean difference = 2.9 [95% CI, 0.13-5.7], p = 0.040); there was no
      difference in time to definitive fixation for early (12 +/- 7 days) versus
      delayed (12 +/- 6 days) for patients with plafond fractures (mean difference =
      0.39 [95% CI, -2.7 to 3.4], p = 0.801). There was no difference in risk of
      secondary surgeries between early external fixation (21 of 38 [55%]) and delayed
      external fixation (13 if 34 [38%]) for plafond fractures (adjusted relative risk
      = 0.69 [95% CI, 0.41-1.16], p = 0.165) and no difference between early fixation
      (24 of 42 [57%]) and delayed fixation (26 of 45 [58%]) for plateau fractures
      (adjusted relative risk = 1.0 [95% CI, 0.70-1.45], p = 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: We
      were unable to detect a difference in infection, compartment syndrome, secondary
      procedures, or length of hospitalization for patients who undergo early versus
      delayed external fixation for high-energy tibial plateau or plafond fractures.
      This may affect decisions for resource use at trauma centers such as whether high
      energy periarticular lower extremity fractures need to be spanned on the evening
      of presentation or whether this procedure may wait until the morning trauma room.
      Given the high complication rate of these injuries and clinical relevance of this
      question, this may also need to be examined in a prospective manner. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic study.

PMID- 26481123
TI  - Gendered Innovations in Orthopaedic Science: Sex, Lies, and Stereotype: In Praise
      of the Systematic Review.

PMID- 26481124
TI  - Comparison of tip apex distance and cut-out complications between helical blades
      and lag screws in intertrochanteric fractures among the elderly: a meta-analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate whether helical blade implant systems have advantages in
      terms of tip apex distance (TAD) and cut-out rate in comparison to conventional
      lag screws for intertrochanteric fractures in a geriatric population. Methods:
      Relevant articles were sourced from the MEDLINE, Embase, Ovid and Cochrane
      Library databases from inception through March 2015. All randomized controlled
      trials (RCTs) comparing outcomes between helical blade and lag screw implant
      systems were selected. Mean TAD values and reported cut-out complications were
      noted. Each author independently assessed the relevance of the enrolled studies
      and the quality of the extracted data. Data were analyzed using R software.
      RESULTS: Ten studies including 1831 patients were eligible for this review, seven
      of which were included in a combined analysis of dichotomous outcomes and five in
      a combined analysis of continuous outcomes. The results revealed that, compared
      with lag screw implantations, the use of helical blades led to a lower rate of
      cut-out complications (95 % CI: 0.28-0.96, P = 0.036). Patients who experienced
      cut-out complications had a significantly greater tip apex distance (95 % CI:
      0.68-1.34, P < 0.001). However, the actual tip apex distances were similar
      between the screw group and blade group (95 % CI: -0.44-0.79, P = 0.58).
      CONCLUSIONS: No difference in TAD values was found between blades and screws. In
      addition, the cut-out risk in the blade-design group was lower than that of the
      screw group. Therefore, TAD is not an accurate predictor of cut-out risk.

PMID- 26481125
TI  - Timing of referral to inpatient palliative care services for advanced cancer
      patients and earlier referral predictors in mainland China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Routine early integration of palliative care with advanced cancer
      management is not yet a part of standard practice in many countries, including
      mainland China. Whether patients in China suffering from advanced cancer are
      referred to palliative care services in a timely manner remains unclear. We
      sought to investigate the timing of palliative care referral of Chinese cancer
      patients at our center and its predictors. METHOD: Retrospective medical data
      including demographic characteristics and referral information were collected for
      analysis. A total of 759 patients referred to our palliative care unit (PCU) from
      January of 2007 to December of 2013 were included in the final analysis. RESULTS:
      The mean age of the 759 patients included in the study was 62.89 years (range
      61.95-63.82). Some 369 patients (48.6%) were male and 559 (73.6%) Shanghainese
      (indigenous). Lung cancer (17.9%) was the most common diagnosis. The time
      interval since enrollment into the PCU until a patient's death (length of stay,
      LOS) was calculated. A longer LOS indicated earlier referral to inpatient PC
      services. The median LOS was 21 days (CI 95% = 19.79-22.21). Multivariate
      analysis showed that whether or not the patient was indigenous (p = 0.002) and
      younger than 65 (p = 0.031) were independent factors for a longer LOS. Such other
      characteristics as gender and primary cancer type bore no relationship to LOS.
      SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Our findings demonstrate that Chinese cancer patients
      are referred relatively late in the course of their disease to inpatient
      palliative care services. To overcome the barriers to early integration of
      palliative care into a patient's treatment plan, accurate information about
      palliative care must be provided to both oncologists and patients via
      comprehensive and systematic educational programs.

PMID- 26481126
TI  - Initial Host Response to Bacteria in the Murine Lung Differs Between Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae.
AB  - Phagocytosis of bacteria is an important process during early host defence. It
      has been directly observed only ex vivo or in vitro. Here, we report on the
      observation of phagocytosis under in vivo conditions by using intravital
      microscopy in the murine lung. Suspensions of fluorescently labelled
      Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells
      were each instilled intratracheally to anaesthetized mice. After thoracotomy, the
      alveolar surface was observed for 30 min. Alveolar phagocytes exhibiting ingested
      bacteria could be detected and counted. The highest numbers were found after the
      infection with P. aeruginosa. By using intravital microscopy, cellular host
      defence could be observed in living mice lungs. The initial phagocytic reaction
      crucially depends on the species of applied bacteria invading the lung. 

PMID- 26481129
TI  - Diversification of four human HOX gene clusters by step-wise evolution rather
      than ancient whole-genome duplications.
AB  - HOX genes encode transcriptional factors that play a pivotal role in specifying
      regional identity in nearly every bilateral animal. The birth of HOX gene cluster
      and its subsequent evolution, either in regulation or function, underlie the
      evolution of many bilaterian features and hence to the evolutionary radiation of
      this group. Despite of this importance, evolution of HOX cluster in vertebrates
      remains largely obscure because the phylogenetic history of these genes is poorly
      resolved. This has led to the controversy about whether four HOX clusters in
      human originated through two rounds (2R) of whole-genome duplications or instead
      evolved by small-scale events early in vertebrate evolution. Recently, the large
      scale phylogenetic analysis of triplicate and quadruplicate paralogous regions
      residing on human HOX-bearing chromosomes provided an unprecedented insight into
      events that shaped vertebrate genome early in their history. Based on these data
      and comparative genomic analysis of fruit fly, red floor beetle, and human, this
      study infers the genic content of minimal HOX locus in the Urbilaterian and
      reconstructs its duplication history. It appears that four HOX clusters of humans
      are not remnants of polyploidy events in vertebrate ancestry. Rather, current
      evidence suggests that one-to-four transition in HOX cluster number occurred by
      three-step sequential process involving regional duplication events. Therefore,
      it is concluded that the evolutionary origin of vertebrate novelties, including
      the complexity of their body, is the consequence of small-scale genetic changes
      at widely different times over their history. 

PMID- 26481128
TI  - Genetic and functional characterization of an extracellular modular GH6 endo-beta
      1,4-glucanase from an earthworm symbiont, Cellulosimicrobium funkei HY-13.
AB  - The gene (1608-bp) encoding a GH6 endo-beta-1,4-glucanase (CelL) from the
      earthworm-symbiotic bacterium Cellulosimicrobium funkei HY-13 was cloned from its
      whole genome sequence, expressed recombinantly, and biochemically characterized.
      CelL (56.0 kDa) is a modular enzyme consisting of an N-terminal catalytic GH6
      domain (from Val57 to Pro396), which is 71 % identical to a GH6 protein
      (accession no.: WP_034662937) from Cellulomonas sp. KRMCY2, together with a C
      terminal CBM 2 domain (from Cys429 to Cys532). The highest catalytic activity of
      CelL toward carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) was observed at 50  degrees C and pH
      5.0, and was relatively stable at a broad pH range of 4.0-10.0. The enzyme was
      capable of efficiently hydrolyzing the cellulosic polymers in the order of barley
      beta-1,3-1,4-D-glucan > CMC > lichenan > Avicel > konjac glucomannan. However,
      cellobiose, cellotriose, p-nitrophenyl derivatives of mono- and disaccharides, or
      structurally unrelated carbohydrate polymers including beta-1,3-D-glucan, beta
      1,4-D-galactomannan, and beta-1,4-D-xylan were not susceptible to CelL. The
      enzymatic hydrolysis of cellopentaose resulted in the production of a mixture of
      68.6 % cellobiose and 31.4 % cellotriose but barley beta-1,3-1,4-D-glucan was 100
      % degraded to cellotriose by CelL. The enzyme strongly bound to Avicel, ivory nut
      mannan, and chitin but showed relatively weak binding affinity to lichenan,
      lignin, or poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) granules.

PMID- 26481130
TI  - Evolutionary conserved gene co-expression drives generation of self-antigen
      diversity in medullary thymic epithelial cells.
AB  - Promiscuous expression of a plethora of tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs) in
      medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) is essential for central tolerance.
      This promiscuous gene expression (pGE) is characterized by inclusion of a broad
      range of TRAs and by its mosaic expression patterns, i.e. each antigen is only
      expressed in 1-3% of mTECs. It is currently unclear to which extent random and/or
      deterministic mechanisms are involved in the regulation of pGE. In order to
      address this issue, we deconstructed the transcriptional heterogeneity in mTEC to
      minor subsets expressing a particular TRA. We identified six delineable co
      expression groups in mouse mTECs. These co-expression groups displayed a variable
      degree of mutual overlap and mapped to different stages of mTEC development. Co
      expressed genes showed chromosomal preference and clustered within delimited
      genomic regions. Moreover, co-expression groups in mice and humans selected by a
      pair of orthologous genes preferentially co-expressed sets of orthologous genes
      attesting to the species conservation of pGE between mouse and human.
      Furthermore, co-expressed genes were enriched for specific transcription factor
      binding motifs concomitant with up-regulation of the corresponding transcription
      factors, implicating additional factors in the regulation of pGE besides the
      Autoimmune Regulator (Aire). Thus promiscuous transcription of self-antigens in
      mTECs entails a highly coordinated process, which is evolutionary strictly
      conserved between species. 

PMID- 26481131
TI  - Episodic-like memory trace in awake replay of hippocampal place cell activity
      sequences.
AB  - Episodic memory retrieval of events at a specific place and time is effective for
      future planning. Sequential reactivation of the hippocampal place cells along
      familiar paths while the animal pauses is well suited to such a memory retrieval
      process. It is, however, unknown whether this awake replay represents events
      occurring along the path. Using a subtask switching protocol in which the animal
      experienced three subtasks as 'what' information in a maze, I here show that the
      replay represents a trial type, consisting of path and subtask, in terms of
      neuronal firing timings and rates. The actual trial type to be rewarded could
      only be reliably predicted from replays that occurred at the decision point. This
      trial-type representation implies that not only 'where and when' but also 'what'
      information is contained in the replay. This result supports the view that awake
      replay is an episodic-like memory retrieval process. 

PMID- 26481133
TI  - Four pestalpolyols from a mycoparasite Pestalotipsis sp. PG52.
AB  - A mycoparasite PG52 isolated from aeciospore piles of Aecidium pourthiaea was
      identified as Pestalotipsis sp. The chemical constituents of Pestalotipsis sp.
      PG52 were investigated. Four novel polyketides, named pestalpolyols E-H (1-4),
      were isolated from solid fermentations of Pestalotiopsis sp. PG52. Their
      structures were elucidated by interpretation of extensive spectroscopic methods,
      including 1D and 2D NMR, HR-MS experiments; and the absolute configuration of 1
      was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis using the anomalous
      scattering of Cu Kalpha radiation. Compounds 2-4 showed cytotoxic activities
      against human tumor cell lines.

PMID- 26481132
TI  - Cryptotanshinone and wogonin up-regulate eNOS in vascular endothelial cells via
      ERalpha and down-regulate iNOS in LPS stimulated vascular smooth muscle cells via
      ERbeta.
AB  - Phytoestrogens were widely used as natural alternatives to estrogen for treating
      cardiovascular diseases. They have been reported to have cardioprotective and
      anti-inflammatory response, but the mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we
      found cryptotanshinone and wogonin exhibited phytoestrogenic property in an
      estrogen-responsive reporter assay. In EA.hy926 cells, treatment of
      cryptotanshinone and wogonin led to significant increase in NO production levels,
      which were inhibited by co-incubation of estrogen receptor (ER)alpha antagonist
      methyl-piperidino-pyrazole (MPP). The expression of endothelial NO synthase
      (eNOS) and ERalpha were up-regulated with the same treatment, indicating they
      stimulate NO and eNOS expression via ERalpha-dependent pathway in endothelial
      cells. While in lipopolysaccharide activated vascular smooth muscle cell line
      A7r5, cryptotanshinone and wogonin exerted anti-inflammatory effects by
      inhibiting NO and inducible NO synthase expression via ERbeta-dependent pathway.
      The reduction of NO synthesis was not affected by MPP, and was abrogated by
      ERbeta antagonist R,R-tetrahydrochrysene. Our findings provide the potential
      molecular mechanism of cryptotanshinone and wogonin as phytoestrogens for their
      cardioprotective effects, which exerted regulatory effects on NO synthesis
      through differential regulation of estrogen receptors. It can be employed as a
      basis for evaluating the beneficial effects of phytoestrogens in the treatment of
      patients at risk of cardiovascular disease. 

PMID- 26481134
TI  - Membrane immunoglobulin expressed by retroviral vector gene transfer mimics
      partial function of the B-cell receptor in vivo.
AB  - Activation of B-cells is initiated by the ligation of B-cell receptors by its
      cognate antigen, inducing a series of signal cascades. Understanding the
      molecular mechanisms of these important events is a crucial goal for
      immunologists. Chimeric B cell receptors provide a powerful tool for analysis of
      B-cell signal function. However, this method can only be used in tool cells, but
      cannot be used for in vivo study. Here, we constructed a retroviral vector to
      encode both heavy chains and light chains of a membrane immunoglobulin, and
      expressed them in primary B-cells using retroviral gene transfer. Our results
      demonstrate that the membrane immunoglobulin expressed by retroviral vectors
      transfer can initiate B-cell receptor-mediated signaling, resulting in the
      phosphorylation of Syk and Erk1/2 proteins. The results showed that B-cells
      expressing membrane immunoglobulin can make proliferative responses to cognate
      antigen both in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, we provide a methodology for
      rapidly analyzing the downstream signals of B-cell receptors both in vitro and in
      vivo, which could expedite the identification of proteins involved in B-cell
      function. 

PMID- 26481135
TI  - The discovery of artemisinin and the Nobel Prize  in Physiology or Medicine.

PMID- 26481136
TI  - "Ductal adenocarcinoma in annular pancreas": Is it really an annular pancreas
      with pancreatic cancer?

PMID- 26481137
TI  - Three new alkaloids and three new phenolic glycosides from Liparis odorata.
AB  - Three new alkaloids, liparis alkaloid A (1), B (2), C (3), and three new phenolic
      glycosides, liparis glycoside H (4), I (5), J (6), together with three known
      phenolic glycosides (7-9) were isolated from the whole plant of Liparis odorata.
      Their structures were characterized on the basis of extensive 1D-, 2D-NMR and HR
      ESI-MS experiments. In addition, compounds 1-3 revealed hypolipidemic effects in
      the in vitro bioassays, and the ability to inhibit LPS-induced NO production of
      these isolated phenolic glycosides (4-9) was also evaluated.

PMID- 26481138
TI  - Flavonol dimers from callus cultures of Dysosma versipellis and their in vitro
      neuraminidase inhibitory activities.
AB  - A chemical investigation of callus cultures of Dysosma versipellis led to the
      isolation of five new flavonol dimers, dysoverines A-E (1-5), together with 12
      known compounds (6-17). The structures of new compounds were determined by the
      extensive spectroscopic data analyses. The biosynthetic pathway of the new
      compounds was proposed to involve O-methylation, prenylation, and Diels-Alder
      cycloaddition, which successively occurred in cultured plant cells. Compounds 1
      17 exhibited in vitro neuraminidase inhibitory activities with the IC50 values of
      31.0-93.9MUM.

PMID- 26481139
TI  - Undetected human papillomavirus DNA and uterine cervical carcinoma: Association
      with cancer recurrence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The time course of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA clearance was
      studied in patients with carcinoma of the cervix during follow-up after primary
      radical radiotherapy (RT). This study investigated the relationship between
      timing of HPV clearance and RT effectiveness. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 71
      consecutive patients who were treated for cervical cancer with primary radical
      radiotherapy and high-dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy with or without
      chemotherapy were enrolled in the study. Samples for HPV DNA examination were
      taken before (1) treatment, (2) every brachytherapy, and (3) every follow-up
      examination. The times when HPV DNA was undetected were analyzed for association
      with recurrence-free survival. RESULTS: HPV DNA was not detected in 13 patients
      (18 %) before RT. Of the 58 patients with HPV DNA detected before treatment, HPV
      DNA was not detected in 34 % during treatment and in 66 % after the treatment.
      Within 6 months after RT, HPV DNA was detected in 0 % of all patients. The
      patients were followed up for a median period of 43 months (range 7-70 months).
      In all, 20 patients were found to develop recurrence. The 3-year cumulative
      disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 71 ?} 5.4 % for all 71 patients. In
      multivariate analysis, DFS was significantly associated with HPV (detected vs.
      not detected) with a hazard ratio of 0.07 (95 % confidence interval 0.008-0.6, p
      = 0.009). CONCLUSION: In this study, patients in whom HPV was not detected had
      the worst prognosis. Six months after RT, HPV DNA was detected in 0 % of the
      patients. Patients in whom HPV DNA could not be detected before treatment need
      careful follow-up for recurrence and may be considered for additional, or
      alternative treatment.

PMID- 26481140
TI  - Information extraction from multi-institutional radiology reports.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The radiology report is the most important source of clinical imaging
      information. It documents critical information about the patient's health and the
      radiologist's interpretation of medical findings. It also communicates
      information to the referring physicians and records that information for future
      clinical and research use. Although efforts to structure some radiology report
      information through predefined templates are beginning to bear fruit, a large
      portion of radiology report information is entered in free text. The free text
      format is a major obstacle for rapid extraction and subsequent use of information
      by clinicians, researchers, and healthcare information systems. This difficulty
      is due to the ambiguity and subtlety of natural language, complexity of described
      images, and variations among different radiologists and healthcare organizations.
      As a result, radiology reports are used only once by the clinician who ordered
      the study and rarely are used again for research and data mining. In this work,
      machine learning techniques and a large multi-institutional radiology report
      repository are used to extract the semantics of the radiology report and overcome
      the barriers to the re-use of radiology report information in clinical research
      and other healthcare applications. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We describe a machine
      learning system to annotate radiology reports and extract report contents
      according to an information model. This information model covers the majority of
      clinically significant contents in radiology reports and is applicable to a wide
      variety of radiology study types. Our automated approach uses discriminative
      sequence classifiers for named-entity recognition to extract and organize
      clinically significant terms and phrases consistent with the information model.
      We evaluated our information extraction system on 150 radiology reports from
      three major healthcare organizations and compared its results to a commonly used
      non-machine learning information extraction method. We also evaluated the
      generalizability of our approach across different organizations by training and
      testing our system on data from different organizations. RESULTS: Our results
      show the efficacy of our machine learning approach in extracting the information
      model's elements (10-fold cross-validation average performance: precision: 87%,
      recall: 84%, F1 score: 85%) and its superiority and generalizability compared to
      the common non-machine learning approach (p-value<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our machine
      learning information extraction approach provides an effective automatic method
      to annotate and extract clinically significant information from a large
      collection of free text radiology reports. This information extraction system can
      help clinicians better understand the radiology reports and prioritize their
      review process. In addition, the extracted information can be used by researchers
      to link radiology reports to information from other data sources such as
      electronic health records and the patient's genome. Extracted information also
      can facilitate disease surveillance, real-time clinical decision support for the
      radiologist, and content-based image retrieval.

PMID- 26481141
TI  - In-office magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment ownership and MRI volume
      among medicare patients in orthopedic practices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Concerns have been raised about physician ownership of onsite
      advanced imaging equipment as allowed under Stark laws by the in-office ancillary
      service exception (IOASE). METHODS: A web-based survey of orthopedic practices in
      the United States was used to assign a first date of onsite MRI capacity
      acquisition (if any) to specific orthopedic practices. Medicare claims data for
      2006-2010 was obtained for providers in orthopedic practices acquiring onsite MRI
      capacity and in matched orthopedic practices without an onsite MRI over the same
      period of time. Multivariate regression was used to estimate the change in
      provider Medicare MRI volume one year before and one year after the onsite MRI
      acquisition year for providers in MRI practices compared to providers in
      propensity-score matched non-MRI practices. RESULTS: In all of the MRI volume
      change models estimated, the association between onsite MRI acquisition and the
      change in provider Medicare MRI volume (one-year post-onsite-MRI-acquisition less
      one year pre-acquisition) was consistently small and not statistically
      significant. This lack of association was robust to changes in model
      specification in terms of types of MRI exams considered, specific covariates
      included in the multivariate model, or the process used to confirm individual
      provider affiliation with study practices in study years. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      analysis of Medicare claims data provides no empirical support for the
      proposition that acquisition of onsite MRI capacity within an orthopedic surgery
      practice induces an increase in the rate of MRI use for Medicare patients among
      practice providers, relative to physicians in practices without MRI capacity over
      the same time period.

PMID- 26481142
TI  - Reply to the Letter to the Editor: A rebuttal: FSFI questionnaire does not assess
      female sexual function, by V. Puppo and G. Puppo: Sexual function: From pulp
      fiction to evidence-based screening.

PMID- 26481143
TI  - A novel cold-adapted type I pullulanase of Paenibacillus polymyxa Nws-pp2: in
      vivo functional expression and biochemical characterization of glucans
      hydrolyzates analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pullulanase is an important debranching enzyme and has been widely
      utilized to hydrolyse the alpha-1,6 glucosidic linkages in starch/sugar industry.
      Selecting new bacterial strains or improving bacterial strains is a prerequisite
      and effective solution in industrial applications. Although many pullulanase
      genes have been cloned and sequenced, there is no report of P. polymyxa type I
      pullulanase gene or the recombinant strain. Meanwhile most of the type I
      pullulanase investigated exhibit thermophilic or mesophilic properties. There are
      just few reports of cold-adapted pullulanases, which have optimum activity at
      moderate temperature and exhibit rather high catalytic activity at cold.
      Previously, six strains showing distinct pullulan degradation ability were
      isolated using enrichment procedures. As containing novel bacterium resource and
      significant pullulanase activity, strain Nws-pp2 was selected for in-depth study.
      METHODS: In this study, a type I pullulanase gene (pulN) was obtained from the
      strain P. polymyxa Nws-pp2 by degenerate primers. Through optimization of induced
      conditions, the recombinant PulN achieved functional soluble expression by low
      temperature induction. The enzyme characterizations including the enzyme
      activity/stability, optimum temperature, optimum pH and substrate specificity
      were also described through protein purification. RESULTS: The pullulanase gene
      (named pulN), encoding a novel cold-adapted type I pullulanase (named PulN), was
      obtained from isolated strain Paenibacillus polymyxa Nws-pp2. The gene had an
      open reading frame of 2532-bp and was functionally expressed in Escherichia coli
      through optimization of induced conditions. The level of functional PulN-like
      protein reached the maximum after induction for 16 h at 20  degrees C and reached
      about 0.34 mg/ml (about 20 % of total protein) with an activity of 6.49 U/ml. The
      purified recombinant enzyme with an apparent molecular mass of about 96 kDa was
      able to attack specifically the alpha-1,6 linkages in pullulan to generate
      maltotriose as the major product. The purified PulN showed optimal activity at pH
      6.0 and 35  degrees C, and retained more than 40 % of the maximum activity at 10 
      degrees C (showing cold-adapted). The pullulanase activity was significantly
      enhanced by Co(2+) and Mn(2+), meanwhile Cu(2+) and SDS inhibited pullulanase
      activity completely. The Km and Vmax values of purified PulN were 15.25 mg/ml and
      20.1 U/mg, respectively. The PulN hydrolyzed pullulan, amylopectin, starch, and
      glycogen, but not amylose. Substrate specificity and products analysis proved
      that the purified pullulanase from Paenibacillus polymyxa Nws-pp2 belong to a
      type I pullulanase. CONCLUSIONS: This report of the novel type I pullulanase in
      Paenibacillus polymyxa would contribute to pullulanase research from
      Paenibacillus spp. significantly. Also, the cold-adapted pullulanase produced in
      recombinant strain shows the potential application.

PMID- 26481145
TI  - Correlates of concurrency among young people in Carletonville, South Africa.
AB  - There is still a considerable debate about whether socioeconomic or cultural
      factors underpin the high prevalence of sexual partner concurrency in parts of
      Southern and Eastern Africa. We analyzed the patterning and correlates of
      concurrency in a population-based sample of 1182 sexually active 14-24 year olds
      in Carletonville, South Africa. Potential demographic, socioeconomic and
      attitudinal risk factors were assessed via a questionnaire. The association
      between risk factors and respondent reported concurrency were assessed using
      multivariate logistic regression. Separate models were run for men and women.
      Point-concurrency rates at the time of the survey and 6 months prior to the
      survey were similarly high--19.3 (95% confidence interval, CI 14.2-18.5%) and
      16.2% (CI 14.1-18.4%), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression revealed
      that for men and women, concurrency was not associated with socioeconomic
      deprivation but was associated with a number of sexual partners, being married
      and having a partner who was thought to have an additional partner. Female
      concurrents were more likely to use alcohol, have an older partner and have
      difficulties negotiating condom usage and refusing sex with their partners. Male
      concurrents were less likely to use a condom regularly and less likely to wear a
      condom when their partner asked them to. The strong relationship between
      respondent and partner concurrency appears to depend on contemporary concurrency,
      as opposed to the behavior of previous partners. If high concurrency rates are in
      part driven by positive feedback loops of partner and respondent concurrency,
      then norm change involving the rejection of concurrents could be self-amplifying
      leading to a rapid decline of concurrency.

PMID- 26481144
TI  - Differential ability of MSCs isolated from placenta and cord as feeders for
      supporting ex vivo expansion of umbilical cord blood derived CD34(+) cells.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ex vivo expansion of umbilical cord blood (UCB) is attempted to
      increase cell numbers to overcome the limitation of cell dose. Presently,
      suspension cultures or feeder mediated co-cultures are performed for expansion of
      hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have proved to be
      efficient feeders for the maintenance of HSCs. Here, we have established MSCs
      HSCs co-culture system with MSCs isolated from less invasive and ethically
      acceptable sources like umbilical cord tissue (C-MSCs) and placenta (P-MSCs).
      MSCs derived from these tissues are often compared with bone marrow derived MSCs
      (BM-MSCs) which are considered as a gold standard. However, so far none of the
      studies have directly compared C-MSCs with P-MSCs as feeders for ex vivo
      expansion of HSCs. Thus, we for the first time performed a systematic comparison
      of hematopoietic supportive capability of C and P-MSCs using paired samples.
      METHODS: UCB-derived CD34(+) cells were isolated and co-cultured on irradiated C
      and P-MSCs for 10 days. C-MSCs and P-MSCs were isolated from the same donor. The
      cultures comprised of serum-free medium supplemented with 25 ng/ml each of SCF,
      TPO, Flt-3 L and IL-6. After 10 days cells were collected and analyzed for
      phenotype and functionality. RESULTS: C-MSCs and P-MSCs were found to be
      morphologically and phenotypically similar but exhibited differential ability to
      support ex vivo hematopoiesis. Cells expanded on P-MSCs showed higher percentage
      of primitive cells (CD34(+)CD38(-)), CFU (Colony forming unit) content and LTC-IC
      (Long term culture initiating cells) ability. CD34(+) cells expanded on P-MSCs
      also exhibited better in vitro adhesion to fibronectin and migration towards SDF
      1alpha and enhanced NOD/SCID repopulation ability, as compared to those grown on
      C-MSCs. P-MSCs were found to be closer to BM-MSCs in their ability to expand
      HSCs. P-MSCs supported expansion of functionally superior HSCs by virtue of
      reduction in apoptosis of primitive HSCs, higher Wnt and Notch activity, HGF
      secretion and cell-cell contact. On the other hand, C-MSCs facilitated expansion
      of progenitors (CD34(+)CD38(+)) and differentiated (CD34(-)CD38(+)) cells by
      secretion of IL1-alpha, beta, MCP-2, 3 and MIP-3alpha. CONCLUSIONS: P-MSCs were
      found to be better feeders for ex vivo maintenance of primitive HSCs with higher
      engraftment potential than the cells expanded with C-MSCs as feeders.

PMID- 26481146
TI  - Twins with incurable progressive disease can be taken off life support, High
      Court rules.

PMID- 26481147
TI  - A LIN28B-RAN-AURKA Signaling Network Promotes Neuroblastoma Tumorigenesis.
AB  - A more complete understanding of aberrant oncogenic signaling in neuroblastoma, a
      malignancy of the developing sympathetic nervous system, is paramount to
      improving patient outcomes. Recently, we identified LIN28B as an oncogenic driver
      in high-risk neuroblastoma. Here, we identify the oncogene RAN as a LIN28B target
      and show regional gain of chromosome 12q24 as an additional somatic alteration
      resulting in increased RAN expression. We show that LIN28B influences RAN
      expression by promoting RAN Binding Protein 2 expression and by directly binding
      RAN mRNA. Further, we demonstrate a convergence of LIN28B and RAN signaling on
      Aurora kinase A activity. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that LIN28B
      RAN-AURKA signaling drives neuroblastoma oncogenesis, suggesting that this
      pathway may be amenable to therapeutic targeting. 

PMID- 26481150
TI  - Discovery of pyridine-based agrochemicals by using Intermediate Derivatization
      Methods.
AB  - Pyridine-based compounds have been playing a crucial role as agrochemicals or
      pesticides including fungicides, insecticides/acaricides and herbicides, etc.
      Since most of the agrochemicals listed in the Pesticide Manual were discovered
      through screening programs that relied on trial-and-error testing and new
      agrochemical discovery is not benefiting as much from the in silico new chemical
      compound identification/discovery techniques used in pharmaceutical research, it
      has become more important to find new methods to enhance the efficiency of
      discovering novel lead compounds in the agrochemical field to shorten the time of
      research phases in order to meet changing market requirements. In this review, we
      selected 18 representative known agrochemicals containing a pyridine moiety and
      extrapolate their discovery from the perspective of Intermediate Derivatization
      Methods in the hope that this approach will have greater appeal to researchers
      engaged in the discovery of agrochemicals and/or pharmaceuticals. 

PMID- 26481148
TI  - Erythropoietin Stimulates Tumor Growth via EphB4.
AB  - While recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) has been widely used to treat
      anemia in cancer patients, concerns about its adverse effects on patient survival
      have emerged. A lack of correlation between expression of the canonical EpoR and
      rhEpo's effects on cancer cells prompted us to consider the existence of an
      alternative Epo receptor. Here, we identified EphB4 as an Epo receptor that
      triggers downstream signaling via STAT3 and promotes rhEpo-induced tumor growth
      and progression. In human ovarian and breast cancer samples, expression of EphB4
      rather than the canonical EpoR correlated with decreased disease-specific
      survival in rhEpo-treated patients. These results identify EphB4 as a critical
      mediator of erythropoietin-induced tumor progression and further provide
      clinically significant dimension to the biology of erythropoietin. 

PMID- 26481149
TI  - A roadmap to improve the quality of atrial fibrillation management: proceedings
      from the fifth Atrial Fibrillation Network/European Heart Rhythm Association
      consensus conference.
AB  - At least 30 million people worldwide carry a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation
      (AF), and many more suffer from undiagnosed, subclinical, or 'silent' AF. Atrial
      fibrillation-related cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, including
      cardiovascular deaths, heart failure, stroke, and hospitalizations, remain
      unacceptably high, even when evidence-based therapies such as anticoagulation and
      rate control are used. Furthermore, it is still necessary to define how best to
      prevent AF, largely due to a lack of clinical measures that would allow
      identification of treatable causes of AF in any given patient. Hence, there are
      important unmet clinical and research needs in the evaluation and management of
      AF patients. The ensuing needs and opportunities for improving the quality of AF
      care were discussed during the fifth Atrial Fibrillation Network/European Heart
      Rhythm Association consensus conference in Nice, France, on 22 and 23 January
      2015. Here, we report the outcome of this conference, with a focus on (i)
      learning from our 'neighbours' to improve AF care, (ii) patient-centred
      approaches to AF management, (iii) structured care of AF patients, (iv) improving
      the quality of AF treatment, and (v) personalization of AF management. This
      report ends with a list of priorities for research in AF patients. 

PMID- 26481151
TI  - Stereospecific inhibition of nitric oxide production in macrophage cells by
      flavanonols: Synthesis and the structure-activity relationship.
AB  - To explore the structure-activity relationships on the inhibitory activity of
      flavanonols against nitric oxide (NO) production in inflammatory cells, we
      synthesized 19 flavanonols which shared a common 3,5,7-trihydroxychroman
      scaffold. A range of substitutions was included in the B ring in order to
      investigate the structure-activity relationship. We also succeeded in isolating
      stereoisomers from 16 of the flavanonols using chiral column chromatography. The
      inhibitory effects of these compounds on NO production were examined in RAW 264.7
      cells (a murine macrophage-like cell line), which were activated by
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We only observed inhibitory activity against NO
      production in (2R,3R) stereoisomers, while the inhibitory activities of (2S,3S)
      stereoisomers were significantly weaker. We also evaluated the free radical
      scavenging potential of the flavanonols using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl
      (DPPH). Each stereoisomer indicated the equivalent DPPH scavenging potential as
      expected. The radical scavenging activity was not correlated with the inhibitory
      activity against NO. The inhibition of NO production by flavanonols is
      stereospecific and cannot simply be explained by their radical scavenging
      activity. We propose the possible existence of a 'target' molecule for
      flavanonols which is involved in the production and/or regulation of NO in RAW
      264.7 cells. 

PMID- 26481153
TI  - The outcome of H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae inter-species interactions depends
      on pH, nutrient availability and growth phase.
AB  - Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae exist together as common
      commensals of the healthy human nasopharynx, but both are important aetiological
      agents of different diseases, including the paediatric disease otitis media. It
      was recently shown that the formation of a multispecies biofilm of H. influenzae
      and S. pneumoniae is the cause of chronic forms of otitis media. However, the
      interactions between the two species are not clearly defined. Using a defined and
      kinetic analysis, our study has shown that while co-existence of the two species
      occurs, S. pneumoniae is also able to convert H. influenzae to a non-culturable
      state. We determined that this process was dependent on growth phase and pH. To
      analyse the H. influenzae/S. pneumoniae interactions in more depth, we
      investigated the growth and transcriptional profile in a pH-defined batch culture
      model, as well as in a growth phase independent flow cell system. Transcriptomics
      has shown that there are changes in gene expression in each of the species when
      grown in co-culture, intriguingly inducing the S. pneumoniae bacteriocin
      transport genes, and phage-associated genes in both species. Importantly, we have
      shown vast changes in gene expression in a group of S. pneumoniae metabolic
      genes, including those encoding lactose utilisation, glycerol utilisation and
      sugar transport proteins; we have shown that the expression of these genes
      depends not only on the presence of H. influenzae, but also on the growth system
      utilised. 

PMID- 26481152
TI  - Isolation, semisynthesis, covalent docking and transforming growth factor beta
      activated kinase 1 (TAK1)-inhibitory activities of (5Z)-7-oxozeaenol analogues.
AB  - (5Z)-7-Oxozeanol and related analogues were isolated and screened to explore
      their activity as TAK1 inhibitors. Seven analogues were synthesized and more than
      a score of natural products isolated that examined the role that different areas
      of the molecule contribute to TAK1 inhibition. A novel nonaromatic difluoro
      derivative was synthesized that had similar potency compared to the lead. This is
      the first example of a nonaromatic compound in this class to have TAK1
      inhibition. Covalent docking for the isolated and synthesized analogues was
      carried out and found a strong correlation between the observed activities and
      the calculated binding. 

PMID- 26481154
TI  - Effect of glycemic and lipid achievements on clinical outcomes type 2 diabetic,
      Chinese patients with stable coronary artery disease.
AB  - AIMS: To describe the effect of glycemic and lipid achievements and their joint
      roles in future major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) prediction. METHODS:
      One thousand two hundred sixty consecutive, type 2 diabetic patients with stable
      coronary artery disease (CAD) were identified, they were followed up a median of
      24.07months. RESULTS: At baseline, 85.4% of patients with blood pressure less
      than 140/90mmHg, while only a minority of patients met guideline-recommended
      hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) (44.2%), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)
      (24.7%), non high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (NHDL-C) (36.3%), or
      apolipoprotein B (apoB) levels (38.6%). After follow-up, patients achieving
      either glycemic or lipid goals experienced a lower rate of future events (HbA1C
      35.4%, LDL-C 19.3%, NHDL-C 30.4%, apoB 26.7%). Dual-goal achievements of HbA1C
      and lipids showed the lowest event risk (adjusted relative risk, RR: HbA1C, 0.92
      vs. LDL-C 0.75 vs. dual 0.27; HbA1C, 0.86 vs. NHDL-C 0.59 vs. dual 0.44; HbA1C,
      0.74 vs. apoB 0.64 vs. dual 0.55). Patients with suboptimal goals (LDL-C 1.8
      2.5mmol/L, NHDL-C 2.5-3.4mmol/L, or apoB 0.8-1.0g/L) were at risk when compared
      to those with guideline-recommended goals. CONCLUSIONS: Dual-achievement of
      glycemic and lipid goals based on a relative well-controlled condition of blood
      pressure conferred a better prognosis in type 2 diabetic patients with CAD.

PMID- 26481157
TI  - On the origins of autism: The Quantitative Threshold Exposure hypothesis.
AB  - The Quantitative Threshold Exposure (QTE) hypothesis is a multifactorial
      threshold model that accounts for the cumulative effects of risk factor exposure
      in both the causation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and its dramatic increase
      over the past 30 years. The QTE hypothesis proposes that ASD is triggered by the
      cumulative effects of high-level exposure to endogenous and environmental factors
      that act as antigens to impair normal immune system (IS) and associated central
      nervous system (CNS) functions during critical developmental stages. The
      quantitative threshold parameters that comprise a cumulative risk for the
      development of ASD are identified by the assessment of documented epidemiological
      factors that, in sum, determine the likelihood that ASD will occur as a result of
      their effects on critically integrated IS and CNS pathways active during
      prenatal, neo-natal and early childhood brain maturation. The model proposes an
      explanation for the relationship between critical developmental stages of
      brain/immune system development in conjunction with the quantitative effects of
      genetic and environmental risk factors that may interface with these critical
      developmental windows. This model may be useful even when the individual
      contributions of specific risk factors cannot be quantified, as it proposes that
      the combined quantitative level of exposure to risk factors for ASD rather than
      exposure to any one risk factor per se defines threshold occurrence rates.

PMID- 26481156
TI  - Analyzing HT-SELEX data with the Galaxy Project tools--A web based bioinformatics
      platform for biomedical research.
AB  - The development of DNA and RNA aptamers for research as well as diagnostic and
      therapeutic applications is a rapidly growing field. In the past decade, the
      process of identifying aptamers has been revolutionized with the advent of high
      throughput sequencing (HTS). However, bioinformatics tools that enable the
      average molecular biologist to analyze these large datasets and expedite the
      identification of candidate aptamer sequences have been lagging behind the HTS
      revolution. The Galaxy Project was developed in order to efficiently analyze
      genome, exome, and transcriptome HTS data, and we have now applied these tools to
      aptamer HTS data. The Galaxy Project's public webserver is an open source
      collection of bioinformatics tools that are powerful, flexible, dynamic, and user
      friendly. The online nature of the Galaxy webserver and its graphical interface
      allow users to analyze HTS data without compiling code or installing multiple
      programs. Herein we describe how tools within the Galaxy webserver can be adapted
      to pre-process, compile, filter and analyze aptamer HTS data from multiple rounds
      of selection. 

PMID- 26481155
TI  - Parkinson's disease proteins: Novel mitochondrial targets for cardioprotection.
AB  - Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the leading cause of death and disability
      worldwide. Therefore, novel therapeutic targets for protecting the heart against
      acute ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) are required to attenuate cardiomyocyte
      death, preserve myocardial function, and prevent the onset of heart failure. In
      this regard, a specific group of mitochondrial proteins, which have been linked
      to familial forms of Parkinson's disease (PD), may provide novel therapeutic
      targets for cardioprotection. In dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra,
      these PD proteins, which include Parkin, PINK1, DJ-1, LRRK2, and alpha-synuclein,
      play essential roles in preventing cell death-through maintaining normal
      mitochondrial function, protecting against oxidative stress, mediating mitophagy,
      and preventing apoptosis. These rare familial forms of PD may therefore provide
      important insights into the pathophysiology underlying mitochondrial dysfunction
      and the development of PD. Interestingly, these PD proteins are also present in
      the heart, but their role in myocardial health and disease is not clear. In this
      article, we review the role of these PD proteins in the heart and explore their
      potential as novel mitochondrial targets for cardioprotection. 

PMID- 26481158
TI  - Possible role of mechanical force in regulating regeneration of the vascularized
      fat flap inside a tissue engineering chamber.
AB  - In plastic and reconstructive surgery, adipose tissue is widely used as effective
      filler for tissue defects. Strategies for treating soft tissue deficiency, which
      include free adipose tissue grafts, use of hyaluronic acid, collagen injections,
      and implantation of synthetic materials, have several clinical limitations. With
      the aim of overcoming these limitations, researchers have recently utilized
      tissue engineering chambers to produce large volumes of engineered vascularized
      fat tissue. However, the process of growing fat tissue in a chamber is still
      relatively limited, and can result in unpredictable or dissatisfactory final
      tissue volumes. Therefore, detailed understanding of the process is both
      necessary and urgent. Many studies have shown that mechanical force can change
      the function of cells via mechanotransduction. Here, we hypothesized that,
      besides the inflammatory response, one of the key factors to control the
      regeneration of vascularized fat flap inside a tissue engineering chamber might
      be the balance of mechanical forces. To test our hypothesis, we intend to change
      the balance of forces by means of measures in order to make the equilibrium point
      in favor of the direction of regeneration. If those measures proved to be
      feasible, they could be applied in clinical practice to engineer vascularized
      adipose tissue of predictable size and shape, which would in turn help in the
      advancement of tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26481159
TI  - Adaptation of a mixed culture of acidophiles for a tank biooxidation of
      refractory gold concentrates containing a high concentration of arsenic.
AB  - We adapted a mixed culture of acidophiles to high arsenic concentrations to
      confirm the possibility of achieving more than 70% biooxidation of refractory
      gold concentrates containing high arsenic (As) concentration. The biooxidation
      process was applied to refractory gold concentrates containing approximately
      139.67 g/kg of total As in a stirred tank reactor using an adapted mixed culture
      of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans. The
      percentage of the biooxidation process was analyzed based on the total As removal
      efficiency. The As removal was monitored by inductively coupled plasma (ICP)
      analysis, conducted every 24 h. The results obtained with the adapted culture
      were compared with the percentage of biooxidation obtained with a non-adapted
      mixed culture of A. ferrooxidans and A. thiooxidans, and with their respective
      pure cultures. The percentages of biooxidation obtained during 358 h of reaction
      were 72.20%, 38.20%, 27.70%, and 11.45% for adapted culture, non-adapted culture,
      and pure cultures of A. thiooxidans and A. ferrooxidans, respectively. The
      adapted culture showed a peak maximum percentage of biooxidation of 77% at 120 h
      of reaction, confirming that it is possible to obtain biooxidation percentages
      over 70% in gold concentrates containing high As concentrations.

PMID- 26481160
TI  - Screening of natural yeast isolates under the effects of stresses associated with
      second-generation biofuel production.
AB  - Robust microorganisms are required for sustainable second-generation biofuel
      production. We evaluated the growth and fermentation performance of six natural
      isolates that were derived from grape wine and medicinal herbs using a wide range
      of carbon sources, rice and wheat straw hydrolysates as well as stress conditions
      associated with second-generation ethanol production. Sequence analysis of the
      5.8S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and species-specific PCR amplification of
      the HO gene region assigned the natural isolates to Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
      Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the mitochondrial DNA
      revealed that natural yeast isolates are genetically closer to the laboratory
      strain BY4741 than to the CEN.PK strains. Dextrose fermentation by a natural
      isolate, MTCC4780, under semi-anaerobic conditions produced maximum ethanol
      yields of 0.44 g/g and 0.39 g/g, respectively, with and without the stresses
      encountered during lignocellulosic ethanol fermentation. However, MTCC4780
      produced ethanol yields of 0.48 g/g, 0.42 g/g and 0.45 g/g, respectively, with
      glucose, rice and wheat straw enzymatic hydrolysate fermentation in a bioreactor.
      The isolates MTCC4781 and MTCC4796 showed higher growth and fermentation
      performance than did MTCC4780 in the presence of elevated temperature and pre
      treatment inhibitors. Taken together, the MTCC4780, MTCC4781 and MTCC4796 strains
      have the potential to serve as a platform for lignocellulosic ethanol production
      under stresses associated with second-generation biofuel production.

PMID- 26481161
TI  - Production of raw starch-degrading enzyme by Aspergillus sp. and its use in
      conversion of inedible wild cassava flour to bioethanol.
AB  - The major bottlenecks in achieving competitive bioethanol fuel are the high cost
      of feedstock, energy and enzymes employed in pretreatment prior to fermentation.
      Lignocellulosic biomass has been proposed as an alternative feedstock, but
      because of its complexity, economic viability is yet to be realized. Therefore,
      research around non-conventional feedstocks and deployment of bioconversion
      approaches that downsize the cost of energy and enzymes is justified. In this
      study, a non-conventional feedstock, inedible wild cassava was used for
      bioethanol production. Bioconversion of raw starch from the wild cassava to
      bioethanol at low temperature was investigated using both a co-culture of
      Aspergillus sp. and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and a monoculture of the later with
      enzyme preparation from the former. A newly isolated strain of Aspergillus sp.
      MZA-3 produced raw starch-degrading enzyme which displayed highest activity of
      3.3 U/mL towards raw starch from wild cassava at 50 degrees C, pH 5.5. A co
      culture of MZA-3 and S. cerevisiae; and a monoculture of S. cerevisiae and MZA-3
      enzyme (both supplemented with glucoamylase) resulted into bioethanol yield
      (percentage of the theoretical yield) of 91 and 95 at efficiency (percentage) of
      84 and 96, respectively. Direct bioconversion of raw starch to bioethanol was
      achieved at 30 degrees C through the co-culture approach. This could be
      attractive since it may significantly downsize energy expenses.

PMID- 26481162
TI  - Left Ventricular Thrombus Formation After ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial
      Infarction: Insights From a Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Multicenter Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data on left ventricular (LV) thrombus formation after primary
      percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction
      (STEMI) are scarce. The aims of this study were to assess the (1) incidence of LV
      thrombi using cardiac magnetic resonance in a multicenter cohort of STEMI
      patients and (2) prognostic relevance of LV thrombi at 1-year follow-up. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: In total, 738 STEMI patients reperfused by primary angioplasty were
      enrolled in 8 centers. Cardiac magnetic resonance was completed within 1 week
      after infarction. Central core laboratory-masked analyses for the presence of LV
      thrombi were performed. The primary clinical end point was the occurrence of
      major adverse cardiac events within 1 year. LV thrombi were detected in 26
      patients (3.5%) in the overall cohort and in 7.1% in anterior STEMI patients. The
      presence of thrombi was associated with larger infarcts (P<0.001), less
      myocardial salvage (P<0.01), impaired LV ejection fraction (P<0.001), and more
      pronounced late microvascular obstruction (P=0.002). The presence of thrombi was
      independently associated with the incidence of major adverse cardiac events at 12
      months (hazard ratio, 2.73; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-6.73; P=0.03).
      CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter cohort of patients with STEMI, thrombus
      prevalence assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance was 3.5% and associated with
      decreased myocardial salvage, larger infarcts, and more pronounced reperfusion
      injury. Importantly, LV thrombus was independently associated with major adverse
      cardiac events at 1-year follow-up. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL:
      http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00712101.

PMID- 26481163
TI  - Thrombosis and Prognosis Following ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Left
      Ventricular Thrombus Assessment by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance.

PMID- 26481164
TI  - Chronic sodium salicylate administration enhances population spike long-term
      potentiation following a combination of theta frequency primed-burst stimulation
      and the transient application of pentylenetetrazol in rat CA1 hippocampal
      neurons.
AB  - The effect of chronic administration of sodium salicylate (NaSal) on the
      excitability and synaptic plasticity of the rodent hippocampus was investigated.
      Repeated systemic treatment with NaSal reliably induced tolerance to the anti
      nociceptive effect of NaSal (one i.p. injection per day for 6 consecutive days).
      Following chronic NaSal or vehicle treatment, a series of electrophysiological
      experiments on acute hippocampal slices (focusing on the CA1 circuitry) were
      tested whether tolerance to NaSal would augment pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced
      long-term potentiation (LTP) and /or epileptic activity, and whether the
      augmentation was the same after priming activity with a natural stimulus pattern
      prior to PTZ. We noted an altered synaptic input-to-spike transformation, such
      that neuronal firing increased after a given synaptic drive. Population spike-LTP
      (PS-LTP) was increased in the NaSal-tolerant animals, but only when it was
      induced via a combination of electrical stimulation (theta pattern primed-burst
      stimulation) and the transient application of PTZ. Identifying and understanding
      these changes in neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity following chronic
      salicylate treatment could prove useful in the clinical diagnosis or treatment of
      chronic aspirin-induced, or even idiopathic, seizure activity. 

PMID- 26481165
TI  - Coumaglutide, a novel long-acting GLP-1 analog, inhibits beta-cell apoptosis in
      vitro and invokes sustained glycemic control in vivo.
AB  - Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a potential candidate for the treatment of
      type 2 diabetes. However, native GLP-1 is not suitable for therapy of diabetes
      due to its short half-life (t1/2=2 min). Our recent discovery of the novel long
      acting GLP-1 analog, coumaglutide, elicits favorable hypoglycemic effects. The
      present study was aimed at determining the protection effect of beta-cell from
      apoptosis and in vivo pharmacologic properties of coumaglutide in diabetic mice.
      To determine the protective effect of coumaglutide on INS-1 cell viability and
      apoptosis, cells were exposed to 1 MUM streptozotocin (STZ) and coumaglutide for
      24 h. Moreover, STZ-induced diabetic mice were treated daily with coumaglutide
      for 20 days and a range of pharmacologic parameters, including hemoglobin A1c
      (HbA1C), intraperitoneal glucose tolerance, food intake and body weight were
      assessed before and after the treatment. As with other glucagon-like peptide-1
      receptor agonizts, coumaglutide was able to protect beta-cell from apoptosis in
      vitro and induce a durable restoration of glycemic control (normalization of both
      HbA1C and improvement of intraperitoneal glucose tolerance) in diabetic mice. It
      can be concluded that coumaglutide retains native GLP-1 activities and thus may
      serve as a promising hypoglycemic drug candidate.

PMID- 26481166
TI  - Inhibition of calcineurin/NFAT pathway plays an essential role in renoprotective
      effect of tropisetron in early stage of diabetic nephropathy.
AB  - Recent studies have shown that calcineurin plays a central role in hypertrophy
      and extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation in glomeruli at the early stages of
      diabetic nephropathy. Tropisetron is an effective antiemetic drug which also can
      potently inhibit calcineurin. The aim of this study was to investigate whether
      tropisetron can prevent glomerular hypertrophy and ECM expansion in early
      diabetic nephropathy. Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats were treated
      with tropisetron and cyclosporine A, a pharmacological calcineurin inhibitor, and
      the renal function and the expression of calcineurin and fibronectin were then
      assessed as well as nuclear localization of nuclear factor of activated T-cell c1
      (NFATc1). 2 weeks after diabetes induction, all STZ-treated rats showed
      hyperglycemia, polyuria, body weight loss and renal dysfunction, as evidenced by
      increased glomerular filtration rate (GFR), along with a marked pathological
      changes in kidney. Calcineurin expression was increased in association with
      increased nuclear localization of the calcineurin substrate NFATc1 and
      fibronectin expression in glomeruli of diabetic rats. In parallel, the diabetic
      glomeruli became hypertrophic with an increase in kidney weight. Tropisetron, as
      potent as cyclosporine A, significantly ameliorated the early nephropathy
      symptoms, potentially through suppression of calcineurin expression, nuclear
      localization of NFATc1 and accumulation of fibronectin, and thereby reduced
      hypertrophy in glomeruli of diabetic rats. In conclusion, our results showed that
      tropisetron could ameliorate kidney injury in the early stage of diabetic
      nephropathy in rats. The renoprotective effects of tropisetron can be attributed,
      at least in part, to the suppression of diabetes-induced increases in calcineurin
      expression in kidney tissue. 

PMID- 26481167
TI  - Sporadic hereditary motor and sensory neuropathies: Advances in the diagnosis
      using next generation sequencing technology.
AB  - Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathies (HMSN) are genetically heterogeneous
      disorders affecting peripheral motor and sensory functions. Many different
      pathogenic variants in several genes involved in the demyelinating, the axonal
      and the intermediate HMSN forms have been identified, for which all inheritance
      patterns have been described. The mutation screening currently available is based
      on Sanger sequencing and is time-consuming and relatively expensive due to the
      high number of genes involved and to the absence of mutational hot spots. To
      overcome these limitations, we have designed a custom panel for simultaneous
      sequencing of 28 HMSN-related genes. We have applied this panel to three
      representative patients with variable HMSN phenotype and uncertain diagnostic
      classifications. Using our NGS platform we rapidly identified three already
      described pathogenic heterozygous variants in MFN2, MPZ and DNM2 genes. Here we
      show that our pre-custom platform allows a fast, specific and low-cost diagnosis
      in sporadic HMSN cases. This prompt diagnosis is useful for providing a well
      timed treatment, establishing a recurrence risk and preventing further
      investigations poorly tolerated by patients and expensive for the health system.
      Importantly, our study illustrates the utility and successful application of NGS
      to mutation screening of a Mendelian disorder with extreme locus heterogeneity.

PMID- 26481168
TI  - Spinobulbar muscular atrophy (Kennedy's disease): A rare diagnosis in the Greek
      population.

PMID- 26481169
TI  - Dietary transition difficulties in preterm infants: critical literature review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the scientific literature on dietary changes in preterm
      children during the first years of life. DATA SOURCE: The PubMed database was
      used for article selection. The texts were analyzed according to their
      objectives, research design, and research group characteristics. The following
      were selected to comprise the criteria: (1) publications in the period from 1996
      to 2014; (2) participation of infants and children from birth to 10 years of age;
      (3) development of oral motor skills necessary for feeding; (4) development of
      the feeding process; and (5) feeding difficulties during childhood. SUMMARY OF
      THE FINDINGS: There were 282 studies identified, of which 17 were used in the
      review, and five more articles were identified through the reference list of
      selected articles, totaling 22 references. CONCLUSION: Very low birth weight
      preterm newborns are more likely to have feeding problems in early postnatal
      stages and during childhood when compared with full-term infants. Monitoring the
      feeding of these infants after hospital discharge is strictly recommended in an
      early intervention program aiming at better development of feeding skills.

PMID- 26481171
TI  - Sex differences in hospital length of stay in children and adults hospitalized
      for asthma exacerbation.

PMID- 26481170
TI  - Family responses to a child with schizophrenia: An Indonesian experience.
AB  - Indonesian culture puts a high value on family bonding. Therefore, support and
      encouragement for each family member is high that any problems are the
      responsibility of the whole family. This paper explores the implications of the
      phenomena whether is a schizophrenic child in the family affected the parental
      relationship in Indonesian family and trying to find out the implication of
      parental relationship on medication adherence. This was a cross-sectional study
      which involved 180 parents of children with schizophrenia and parents with aged
      matched non-schizophrenic children as a control group; consisting of 45 parents
      of children with schizophrenia and 135 parents of non-schizophrenic children. The
      parental relationship was examined by using the Indonesian version of Family
      Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale IV (Indonesian version of FACES IV).
      Our study revealed that 75.6% parents of children with schizophrenia experienced
      a healthy parental relationship compared to 94.80% in the parents of non
      schizophrenic children group. The most prevalent of unhealthy relationship among
      parents of children with schizophrenia was chaotic disengagement. Parental
      adherence to give medication for their child with schizophrenia was better if
      they had a healthy parental relationship. In conclusion, a small number of
      Indonesian parents with schizophrenic children experienced an unhealthy parental
      relationship. Therefore, psycho-education and supportive psychotherapy still
      needed to facilitate those families to express their emotion adapt and cope. 

PMID- 26481172
TI  - Differential Response to Risperidone in Schizophrenia Patients by KCNH2 Genotype
      and Drug Metabolizer Status.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Antipsychotic drugs target dopamine and serotonin receptors as well as
      Kv11.1 potassium channels encoded by KCNH2. Variable patient responses and a wide
      range of side effects, however, limit their efficacy. Slow metabolizer status and
      gene variants in KCNH2 associated with increased expression of Kv11.1-3.1, an
      alternatively spliced isoform of Kv11.1, are correlated with improved responses
      to antipsychotic medications. Here, the authors test the hypothesis that these
      effects may be influenced by differential drug binding to Kv11.1 channel
      isoforms. METHOD: Drug block of Kv11.1 isoforms was tested in cellular
      electrophysiology assays. The effects of drug metabolism and KCNH2 genotypes on
      clinical responses were assessed in patients enrolled in the multicenter Clinical
      Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE). RESULTS: Risperidone
      caused greater in vitro block of the alternatively spliced Kv11.1-3.1 isoform
      than full-length Kv11.1-1A channels, whereas its metabolite paliperidone and
      other atypical antipsychotics have similar potencies for the two isoforms. In the
      CATIE study (N=362), patients with genotypes associated with increased Kv11.1-3.1
      expression (N=52) showed a better treatment response to risperidone compared with
      other drugs, but this association was dependent on metabolism status. Patients
      with KCNH2 risk genotypes and slow metabolizer status (approximately 7% of
      patients) showed marked improvement in symptoms when treated with risperidone
      compared with patients with fast metabolizer status or without the KCNH2 risk
      genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the hypothesis that Kv11.1 channels
      play a role in the therapeutic action of antipsychotic drugs, particularly
      risperidone, and further highlight the promise of optimizing response with
      genotype-guided therapy for schizophrenia patients.

PMID- 26481173
TI  - The Sequential Integration of Pharmacotherapy and Psychotherapy in the Treatment
      of Major Depressive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of the Sequential Model and a
      Critical Review of the Literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A number of randomized controlled trials in major depressive disorder
      have employed a sequential model, which consists of the use of pharmacotherapy in
      the acute phase and of psychotherapy in its residual phase. The aim of this
      review was to provide an updated meta-analysis of the efficacy of this approach
      in reducing the risk of relapse in major depressive disorder and to place these
      findings in the larger context of treatment selection. METHOD: Keyword searches
      were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library from inception
      of each database through October 2014. Randomized controlled trials examining the
      efficacy of the administration of psychotherapy after successful response to
      acute-phase pharmacotherapy in the treatment of adults with major depressive
      disorder were considered for inclusion in the meta-analysis. RESULTS: Thirteen
      high-quality studies with 728 patients in a sequential treatment arm and 682 in a
      control treatment arm were included. All studies involved cognitive-behavioral
      therapy (CBT). The pooled risk ratio for relapse/recurrence was 0.781 (95%
      confidence interval [CI]=0.671-0.909; number needed to treat=8), according to the
      random-effects model, suggesting a relative advantage in preventing
      relapse/recurrence compared with control conditions. A significant effect of CBT
      during continuation of antidepressant drugs compared with antidepressants alone
      or treatment as usual (risk ratio: 0.811; 95% CI=0.685-0.961; number needed to
      treat=10) was found. Patients randomly assigned to CBT who had antidepressants
      tapered and discontinued were significantly less likely to experience
      relapse/recurrence compared with those assigned to either clinical management or
      continuation of antidepressant medication (risk ratio: 0.674; 95% CI=0.482-0.943;
      number needed to treat=5). CONCLUSIONS: The sequential integration of CBT and
      pharmacotherapy is a viable strategy for preventing relapse in major depressive
      disorder. The current indications for the application of psychotherapy in major
      depressive disorder are discussed, with special reference to its integration with
      pharmacotherapy.

PMID- 26481175
TI  - RAISE-ing Our Expectations for First-Episode Psychosis.

PMID- 26481174
TI  - Comprehensive Versus Usual Community Care for First-Episode Psychosis: 2-Year
      Outcomes From the NIMH RAISE Early Treatment Program.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study was to compare the impact of NAVIGATE, a
      comprehensive, multidisciplinary, team-based treatment approach for first-episode
      psychosis designed for implementation in the U.S. health care system, with
      community care on quality of life. METHOD: Thirty-four clinics in 21 states were
      randomly assigned to NAVIGATE or community care. Diagnosis, duration of untreated
      psychosis, and clinical outcomes were assessed via live, two-way video by remote,
      centralized raters masked to study design and treatment. Participants (mean age,
      23) with schizophrenia and related disorders and <=6 months of antipsychotic
      treatment (N=404) were enrolled and followed for >=2 years. The primary outcome
      was the total score of the Heinrichs-Carpenter Quality of Life Scale, a measure
      that includes sense of purpose, motivation, emotional and social interactions,
      role functioning, and engagement in regular activities. RESULTS: The 223
      recipients of NAVIGATE remained in treatment longer, experienced greater
      improvement in quality of life and psychopathology, and experienced greater
      involvement in work and school compared with 181 participants in community care.
      The median duration of untreated psychosis was 74 weeks. NAVIGATE participants
      with duration of untreated psychosis of <74 weeks had greater improvement in
      quality of life and psychopathology compared with those with longer duration of
      untreated psychosis and those in community care. Rates of hospitalization were
      relatively low compared with other first-episode psychosis clinical trials and
      did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive care for first-episode
      psychosis can be implemented in U.S. community clinics and improves functional
      and clinical outcomes. Effects are more pronounced for those with shorter
      duration of untreated psychosis.

PMID- 26481176
TI  - Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 26481177
TI  - Suppression of Tinnitus in Chinese Patients Receiving Regular Cochlear Implant
      Programming.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical effect of cochlear implant programming on
      tinnitus. METHODS: Tinnitus patients (n = 234) were divided into 3 groups: (1)
      preoperative tinnitus (n = 108), (2) postoperative tinnitus occurring before
      implant switch-on at week 4 (n = 88), and (3) tinnitus occurring more than 1 year
      postoperatively (n = 44). Patients in each group were randomly allocated into a
      programming subgroup that received programming for 12 weeks postoperatively or
      after tinnitus occurrence or a control subgroup. Impedance testing and the
      Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) were performed preoperatively and at 4, 6, 8,
      and 12 weeks postoperatively (groups 1 and 2) or after tinnitus occurrence (group
      3). Comparisons were performed using t tests and chi-square tests. RESULTS:
      Impedance was significantly lower in the programming subgroup than in the control
      subgroup in groups 1 and 2 at 8 and 12 weeks and in group 3 at 12 weeks. The THI
      scores decreased in both programming and control subgroups in all groups.
      However, this decrease was pronounced in the programming subgroup, whereas in the
      control subgroup, it occurred slowly over time. CONCLUSION: Cochlear implant
      programming decreases impedance and improves tinnitus symptoms.

PMID- 26481178
TI  - Treatment and Survival Trends in Glottic Carcinoma in Situ and Stage I Cancer
      From 1988 to 2012.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify trends in treatment and survival for patients with stage I
      glottic cancer and glottic carcinoma in situ (CIS). METHODS: The 18-registry SEER
      data were analyzed for CIS and stage I glottic cancer. Treatment variables and
      observed and relative survival were assessed separately for stage I and glottic
      CIS. RESULTS: Among 14 025 cases of stage I glottic cancer identified from 1988
      to 2012, radiation was the most common treatment for all eras. An increase in
      surgical treatment occurred with a decline in combination therapy. There were
      3169 cases of glottic CIS, with surgery the most common initial treatment but
      with radiotherapy increasing across the years. Relative survival was similar for
      treatment type and era of diagnosis. Among the 3738 patients with glottic CIS,
      5.4% went on to develop invasive glottic carcinoma of any stage, with invasive
      cancer more common in patients treated by surgery alone compared to radiation or
      surgery with radiation. CONCLUSIONS: Despite changes in treatment modalities for
      CIS and stage I glottic cancer, there have not been significant changes in
      survival for CIS, with slightly improved survival for treatment with surgery
      alone. Patients treated with surgery alone had an increased rate of subsequent
      invasive cancer.

PMID- 26481179
TI  - Giant right coronary aneurysm untreatable by percutaneous intervention.

PMID- 26481180
TI  - Rare presentation of ruptured syphilitic aortic aneurysm with pseudoaneurysm.
AB  - We report the interesting case of a rare form of presentation of rupture of the
      ascending aorta with formation of a pseudoaneurysm, diagnosed following the
      development of a large mass on the surface of the chest over a period of about
      eight months. Serological tests were positive for syphilis. Echocardiography and
      computed tomography angiography were essential to confirm the diagnosis and
      therapeutic management. Cardiovascular syphilis is a rare entity since the
      discovery of penicillin. Rupture of an aortic aneurysm with formation of a
      pseudoaneurysm is a potentially fatal complication. The postoperative period was
      uneventful and the patient was discharged from hospital within days of surgery. 

PMID- 26481181
TI  - Comment on "Cost-effectiveness of rivaroxaban for stroke prevention in atrial
      fibrillation in the Portuguese setting".

PMID- 26481182
TI  - Portuguese Society of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery/Portuguese Society of
      Cardiology recommendations for waiting times for cardiac surgery.
AB  - Appointed jointly by the Portuguese Society of Cardiothoracic and Vascular
      Surgery (SPCCTV) and the Portuguese Society of Cardiology (SPC), the Working
      Group on Waiting Times for Cardiac Surgery was established with the aim of
      developing practical recommendations for clinically acceptable waiting times for
      the three critical phases of the care of adults with heart disease who require
      surgery or other cardiological intervention: cardiology appointments; the
      diagnostic process; and invasive treatment. Cardiac surgery has specific
      characteristics that are not comparable to other surgical specialties. It is
      important to reduce maximum waiting times and to increase the efficacy of systems
      for patient monitoring and tracking. The information in this document is mainly
      based on available clinical information. The methodology used to establish the
      criteria was based on studies on the natural history of heart disease, clinical
      studies comparing medical treatment with intervention, retrospective and
      prospective analyses of patients on waiting lists, and the opinions of experts
      and working groups. Following the first step, represented by publication of this
      document, the SPCCTV and SPC, as the bodies best suited to oversee this process,
      are committed to working together to define operational strategies that will
      reconcile the clinical evidence with the actual situation and with available
      resources. 

PMID- 26481183
TI  - Preserved High Probability of Overall Survival with Significant Reduction of
      Chemotherapy for Myeloid Leukemia in Down Syndrome: A Nationwide Prospective
      Study in Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: On the basis of results of previous Japanese trials for myeloid
      leukemia in Down syndrome (ML-DS), the efficacy of risk-oriented therapy was
      evaluated in the Japanese Pediatric Leukemia/Lymphoma Study Group AML-D05 study.
      PROCEDURE: All patients received induction chemotherapy that consisted of
      pirarubicin, intermediate-dose cytarabine, and etoposide. Patients who achieved
      complete remission (CR) after initial induction therapy were stratified to the
      standard risk (SR) group and received four courses of reduced-dose
      intensification therapy. Patients who did not achieve CR were stratified to the
      high risk (HR) group and received intensified therapy that consisted of
      continuous or high-dose cytarabine. RESULTS: A total of 72 patients were eligible
      and evaluated. One patient died of sepsis during initial induction therapy. Sixty
      nine patients were stratified to SR and two patients to HR. No therapy-related
      deaths were observed during intensification therapy. The 3-year event-free and
      overall survival rates were 83.3% +/- 4.4% and 87.5% +/- 3.9%, respectively. Age
      at diagnosis less than 2 years was a significant favorable prognostic factor for
      risk of relapse (P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: The attempt of risk-oriented
      prospective study for ML-DS was unsuccessful, but despite the dose reduction of
      chemotherapeutic agents, the overall outcome was good, and further dose reduction
      might be possible for specific subgroups.

PMID- 26481184
TI  - Caerulomycin A inhibits Th2 cell activity: a possible role in the management of
      asthma.
AB  - We have recently demonstrated that Caerulomycin A induces regulatory T cells
      differentiation by suppressing Th1 cells activity. The role of regulatory T cells
      is well established in suppressing the function of Th2 cells. Th2 cells are known
      to inflict the induction of the activation of asthma. Consequently, in the
      present study, we monitored the influence of Caerulomycin A in inhibiting the
      activity of Th2 cells and its impact in recuperating asthma symptoms.
      Interestingly, we observed that Caerulomycin A significantly suppressed the
      differentiation of Th2 cells, as evidenced by downregulation in the GATA-3
      expression. Further, decline in the levels of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 cytokines and
      IgE was noted in the animals suffering from asthma. Furthermore, we noticed
      substantial suppression in the inflammatory response and number of eosinophils in
      the lungs. In essence, this study signifies an important therapeutic role of
      Caerulomycin A in asthma. 

PMID- 26481185
TI  - A case of Epstein-Barr encephalitis with some curiosities.
AB  - We present the magnetic resonance imaging findings of an eight-year-old boy with
      Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) encephalitis, with special attention to lesion
      neuroanatomic distribution, diffusion-weighted images, and proton magnetic
      resonance spectroscopy (MRS). T2 and FLAIR-weighted images showed bilateral and
      symmetric basal nuclei lesions, with diffusion facilitation. MRS of the lesions
      demonstrated elevated lactate/lipid and excitatory neurotransmitters. The purpose
      of this report is to alert to this imagiologic pattern of EBV infection, and in
      particular to the fact that facilitated diffusion does occur on EBV encephalitis.

PMID- 26481186
TI  - The gently pull-back technique for neck bypass in treatment of wide-necked
      internal carotid artery aneurysms: A report of three cases and review of the
      literature.
AB  - Neck bypass failure in endovascular treatment of wide-necked internal carotid
      artery (ICA) aneurysms may adversely affect the technical success of the
      procedure. We used the gently pull-back technique to bypass the aneurysm neck and
      access the distal parent artery during endovascular treatment in patients with
      wide-necked ICA aneurysms. In this technique, a loop was made in the aneurysm and
      the distal parent artery was reached by using a small diameter microguidewire and
      a microcatheter. After providing reliable distal access, the microguidewire was
      removed and the whole system which consists of the microcatheter was gently
      pulled back. Finally the microcatheter was straightened and the aneurysm neck was
      passed. After crossing the aneurysm neck, a flow-diverting stent treatment and
      stent-assisted coiling were performed in three cases with wide-necked ICA
      aneurysm. The gently pull-back technique is a simple and effective method which
      requires no extra intravascular device and helps to bypass the aneurysm neck
      through a small diameter microguidewire and a microcatheter. This technique may
      be useful for neck aneurysm bypass in endovascular treatment of wide-necked ICA
      aneurysms. 

PMID- 26481187
TI  - Utility of diffusion tensor imaging parameters for diagnosis of
      hemimegalencephaly.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemimegalencephaly is a rare hamartomatous entity characterised by
      enlargement of all or part of the cerebral hemisphere ipsilaterally with cortical
      dysgenesis, large lateral ventricle and white matter hypertrophy with or without
      advanced myelination. Although conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is
      useful for detecting these diagnostic features, hemimegalencephaly is not always
      easily distinguished from other entities, especially when hemimegalencephaly
      shows blurring between the grey and white matter. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
      is a functional MRI technique commonly used to assess the integrity of white
      matter. The usefulness of DTI in assessing hemimegalencephaly has not been fully
      elucidated. In this study, we clarified the characteristics of hemimegalencephaly
      with regard to DTI and its parameters including fractional anisotropy and
      apparent diffusion coefficient. METHODS: Three patients with hemimegalencephaly
      underwent MRI including DTI. We first visually compared fractional anisotropy
      mapping and conventional MRI. Next, we quantitatively measured the fractional
      anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient values in the subcortical white
      matter of the hemisphere with hemimegalencephaly and corresponding normal
      appearing contralateral regions and analysed the values using the Mann-Whitney U
      test. RESULTS: On fractional anisotropy mapping, we could clearly distinguish the
      junction of grey and white matter and observed thicker white matter in the
      hemisphere with hemimegalencephaly, which was unclear on conventional MRI. The
      white matter in the hemisphere with hemimegalencephaly showed significantly
      higher fractional anisotropy (P<0.0001) and lower apparent diffusion coefficient
      (P=0.0022) values than the normal contralateral side. CONCLUSION: DTI parameters
      showed salient hemimegalencephaly features and could be useful in its assessment.

PMID- 26481188
TI  - Blocking autophagy enhances meloxicam lethality to hepatocellular carcinoma by
      promotion of endoplasmic reticulum stress.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Meloxicam, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, has been
      demonstrated to exert anti-tumour effects against various malignancies. However,
      up to now, mechanisms involved in meloxicam anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effects
      have remained unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cell viability and apoptosis were
      assessed by CCK-8 and flow cytometry. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and
      autophagy-associated molecules were analysed by western blotting and
      immunofluorescence assay. GRP78 and Atg5 knock-down by siRNA or chemical
      inhibition was used to investigate cytotoxic effects of meloxicam treatment on
      HCC cells. RESULTS: We found that meloxicam led to apoptosis and autophagy in
      HepG2 and Bel-7402 cells via a mechanism that involved ER stress. Up-regulation
      of GRP78 signalling pathway from meloxicam-induced ER stress was critical for
      activation of autophagy. Furthermore, autophagy activation attenuated ER stress
      related cell death. Blocking autophagy by 3-methyladenine (3-MA) or Atg5 siRNA
      knock-down enhanced meloxicam lethality for HCC by activation of ER stress
      related apoptosis. In addition, GRP78 seemed to lead to autophagic activation via
      the AMPK-mTOR signalling pathway. Blocking AMPK with a chemical inhibitor
      inhibited autophagy suggesting that meloxicam-regulated autophagy requires
      activation of AMPK. CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed that both ER stress and
      autophagy were involved in cell death evoked by meloxicam in HCC cells. This
      inhibition of autophagy to enhance meloxicam lethality, suggests a novel
      therapeutic strategy against HCC.

PMID- 26481189
TI  - Light-induced cell damage in live-cell super-resolution microscopy.
AB  - Super-resolution microscopy can unravel previously hidden details of cellular
      structures but requires high irradiation intensities to use the limited photon
      budget efficiently. Such high photon densities are likely to induce cellular
      damage in live-cell experiments. We applied single-molecule localization
      microscopy conditions and tested the influence of irradiation intensity,
      illumination-mode, wavelength, light-dose, temperature and fluorescence labeling
      on the survival probability of different cell lines 20-24 hours after
      irradiation. In addition, we measured the microtubule growth speed after
      irradiation. The photo-sensitivity is dramatically increased at lower irradiation
      wavelength. We observed fixation, plasma membrane permeabilization and
      cytoskeleton destruction upon irradiation with shorter wavelengths. While cells
      stand light intensities of ~1 kW cm(-2) at 640 nm for several minutes, the
      maximum dose at 405 nm is only ~50 J cm(-2), emphasizing red fluorophores for
      live-cell localization microscopy. We also present strategies to minimize
      phototoxic factors and maximize the cells ability to cope with higher irradiation
      intensities. 

PMID- 26481191
TI  - Glomerular disease: Protective role of TGR5 activation.

PMID- 26481190
TI  - Hospital Readmission Rates in U.S. States: Are Readmissions Higher Where More
      Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions Cluster?
AB  - RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: This study examines small area variations in readmission
      rates to assess whether higher readmission rate in an area is associated with
      higher clusters of patients with multiple chronic conditions. STUDY DESIGN: The
      study uses hospital discharge data of adult (18+) patients in 6 U.S. states for
      2009 from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project of the Agency for
      Healthcare Research and Quality, linked to contextual and provider data from
      Health Resources and Services Administration. A multivariate cross sectional
      design at primary care service area (PCSA) level is used. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:
      Adjusting for area characteristics, the readmission rates were significantly
      higher in PCSAs having higher proportions of patients with 2-3 chronic conditions
      and those with 4+ chronic conditions, compared with areas with a higher
      concentration of patients with 0-1 chronic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Using small
      area analysis, the study shows that areas with higher concentration of patients
      with increased comorbid conditions are more likely to have higher readmission
      rates.

PMID- 26481192
TI  - Developmental biology: Nephrogenesis in kidney organoids derived from human
      pluripotent stem cells.

PMID- 26481194
TI  - Enantioselective Total Syntheses of (-)-Rhazinilam, (-)-Leucomidine B, and (+)
      Leuconodine F.
AB  - A divergent total synthesis of three structurally distinct natural products from
      imine 9 was accomplished through an approach featuring: 1) a Pd-catalyzed
      decarboxylative cross-coupling, and 2) heteroannulation of 9 with
      bromoacetaldehyde and oxalyl chloride to give tetrahydroindolizine 6 and
      dioxopyrrole 7, respectively. The former was converted into (-)-rhazinilam, while
      the latter was converted into (-)-leucomidine B and (+)-leuconodine F. A
      substrate-directed highly diastereoselective reduction of a sterically unbiased
      double bond by using a homogeneous palladium catalyst was developed. A self
      induced diastereomeric anisochronism (SIDA) phenomenon was observed for
      leucomidine B. 

PMID- 26481193
TI  - European S3-Guidelines on the systemic treatment of psoriasis vulgaris--Update
      2015--Short version--EDF in cooperation with EADV and IPC.

PMID- 26481195
TI  - Interaction of Cx43 with Hsc70 regulates G1/S transition through CDK inhibitor
      p27.
AB  - Connexin 43 (Cx43) functions as a cell growth suppressor. We have demonstrated
      that Cx43 interacts with heat shock cognate protein 70 (Hsc70) for regulating
      cell proliferation. Hsc70 interacts with CDK inhibitor p27, which regulates the
      assembly and subcellular localization of cyclin D1-CDK4-p27 complex. However, the
      involvement of p27 with Cx43-mediated cell cycle suppression is still poorly
      understood. Here, we report that nuclear accumulation of p27 is reduced by
      overexpression of Cx43, and that this reduction is restored by co-overexpression
      with Hsc70. We found that Cx43 competes with p27 for binding to Hsc70, and as a
      result, decreases the level of Hsc70 in cyclin D1-CDK4-p27 complex, leading to
      prevention of the nuclear translocation of the complex and the G1/S transition.
      Collectively, our findings suggest that, in Cx43 up-regulation, which is most
      likely an emergency measure, Cx43-Hsc70 interaction regulates cell cycle G1/S
      progression through a novel mechanism by which Cx43-Hsc70 interaction prevents
      the nuclear accumulation of p27 through controlling the nuclear translocation of
      cyclin D1-CDK4-p27 complex. 

PMID- 26481196
TI  - Student conceptions about the DNA structure within a hierarchical organizational
      level: Improvement by experiment- and computer-based outreach learning.
AB  - As non-scientific conceptions interfere with learning processes, teachers need
      both, to know about them and to address them in their classrooms. For our study,
      based on 182 eleventh graders, we analyzed the level of conceptual understanding
      by implementing the "draw and write" technique during a computer-supported gene
      technology module. To give participants the hierarchical organizational level
      which they have to draw, was a specific feature of our study. We introduced two
      objective category systems for analyzing drawings and inscriptions. Our results
      indicated a long- as well as a short-term increase in the level of conceptual
      understanding and in the number of drawn elements and their grades concerning the
      DNA structure. Consequently, we regard the "draw and write" technique as a tool
      for a teacher to get to know students' alternative conceptions. Furthermore, our
      study points the modification potential of hands-on and computer-supported
      learning modules.

PMID- 26481198
TI  - Role of vitamin D supplementation in improving disease activity in rheumatoid
      arthritis: An exploratory study.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this exploratory study is to estimate the relationship between
      vitamin D (vit D) deficiency and active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and the role
      of supplementation in improving disease activity. METHOD: A randomized
      recruitment, consent screening, open-label interventional study was conducted in
      patients who fulfilled American College of Rheumatology/European League Against
      Rheumatism 2010 criteria for diagnosing RA and on stable disease-modifying anti
      rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for 3 months. Serum vit D levels and Disease Activity
      Score of 28 joints/C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) disease activity status were
      estimated at the first visit. Subjects with low vit D levels and DAS28-CRP > 2.6
      were supplemented with vit D for 12 weeks, and were assessed for improvement in
      disease activity and serum vit D levels. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty RA
      patients of mean age 49 +/- 12.1 years, mean duration of illness 78 +/- 63
      months, and on treatment with DMARDs for 44 +/- 39 months were recruited for the
      study. Of these, 73 (49%) subjects were found to have DAS28-CRP > 2.6 and serum
      vit D below 20 ng/mL. The patients received vit D supplement of 60 000 IU/week
      for 6 weeks, followed by 60 000 IU/month for a total duration of 3 months.
      Disease activity and vit D status were assessed for 59 (80.8%) patients who
      reported at the end of 12 weeks of treatment. Mean DAS28-CRP of these patients
      showed a statistically significant improvement from 3.68 +/- 0.93 at baseline to
      3.08 +/- 1.11 after supplementation (P = 0.002). Serum vit D levels improved from
      10.05 +/- 5.18 to 57.21 +/- 24.77 ng/mL (P < 0.001) during the period.
      CONCLUSION: Supplementation of vit D in RA patients with persisting disease
      activity and vit D deficiency contributed to significant improvement in disease
      activity within a short duration.

PMID- 26481197
TI  - The fructanolytic abilities of the rumen bacterium Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens
      strain 3071.
AB  - AIMS: To determine if Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens strain 3071 is able to use
      fructose polymers for growth and to identify the enzymes involved in their
      digestion. METHODS AND RESULTS: Strain 3071 utilized 97, 89, 85 and 60% of
      sucrose, timothy grass fructan, inulin oligosaccharides and inulin, respectively,
      in the growth medium. A cell extract from timothy grass fructan-grown bacteria
      was used for identification of fructanolytic enzymes by anion exchange
      chromatography, gel filtration, zymography and thin-layer chromatography. The
      bacterium synthesizes a specific endolevanase and a nonspecific beta
      fructofuranosidase. Both enzymes occurred in two forms differing in molecular
      weight. The beta-fructofuranosidase was not able to digest long-chain inulin or
      timothy grass fructan, but degraded inulin oligosaccharides and sucrose. Addition
      of 1,4-dithioerythritol to an enzyme solution did not affect the activity of
      endolevanase(s), but increased the ability of beta-fructofuranosidase to digest
      sucrose. The digestion of timothy grass fructan by endolevanase(s) was described
      by Michaelis-Menten kinetics in which Km  = 2.82 g l(-1) and Vmax  = 4.01 MUmoles
      reducing sugar equivalents * mg(-1)  * min(-1) . CONCLUSION: Strain 3071
      synthesizes enzymes enabling it to use grass fructans for growth. SIGNIFICANCE
      AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens strain 3071 can be considered
      a member of the rumen fructanolytic guild.

PMID- 26481199
TI  - Atomic force microscopy reveals a dual collagen-binding activity for the
      staphylococcal surface protein SdrF.
AB  - Staphylococcus epidermidis causes nosocomial infections by colonizing and forming
      biofilms on indwelling medical devices. This process involves specific
      interactions between cell wall-anchored (CWA) proteins and host proteins adsorbed
      onto the biomaterial. Here, we have explored the molecular forces by which the S.
      epidermidis CWA protein serine-aspartate repeat protein F (SdrF) binds to type I
      collagen, by means of advanced atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. Using
      single-cell force spectroscopy, we found that SdrF mediates bacterial adhesion to
      collagen-coated substrates through both weak and strong bonds. Single-molecule
      force spectroscopy demonstrated that these bonds involve the A and B regions of
      SdrF, thus revealing that the protein is capable of dual ligand-binding activity.
      Both weak and strong bonds showed high dissociation rates, indicating they are
      much less stable than those formed by the well-characterized 'dock, lock and
      latch' mechanism. Collectively, our results show that CWA proteins can bind to
      ligands by novel mechanisms. We anticipate that AFM will greatly contribute to
      the identification of novel binding partners and binding mechanisms in
      staphylococcal CWA proteins. 

PMID- 26481200
TI  - Burden of Proof in Bioethics.
AB  - A common strategy in bioethics is to posit a prima facie case in favour of one
      policy, and to then claim that the burden of proof (that this policy should be
      rejected) falls on those with opposing views. If the burden of proof is not met,
      it is claimed, then the policy in question should be accepted. This article
      illustrates, and critically evaluates, examples of this strategy in debates about
      the sale of organs by living donors, human enhancement, and the precautionary
      principle. We highlight general problems with this style of argument, and
      particular problems with its use in specific cases. We conclude that the burden
      ultimately falls on decision-makers (i.e. policy-makers) to choose the policy
      supported by the best reasons. 

PMID- 26481201
TI  - The Ethics of Introducing GMOs into sub-Saharan Africa: Considerations from the
      sub-Saharan African Theory of Ubuntu.
AB  - A growing number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa are considering legalizing
      the growth of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Furthermore, several
      projects are underway to develop transgenic crops tailored to the region. Given
      the contentious nature of GMOs and prevalent anti-GMO sentiments in Africa, a
      robust ethical analysis examining the concerns arising from the development,
      adoption, and regulation of GMOs in sub-Saharan Africa is warranted. To date,
      ethical analyses of GMOs in the global context have drawn predominantly on
      Western philosophy, dealing with Africa primarily on a material level. Yet, a
      growing number of scholars are articulating and engaging with ethical theories
      that draw upon sub-Saharan African value systems. One such theory, Ubuntu, is a
      well-studied sub-Saharan African communitarian morality. I propose that a robust
      ethical analysis of Africa's agricultural future necessitates engaging with
      African moral theory. I articulate how Ubuntu may lead to a novel and
      constructive understanding of the ethical considerations for introducing GMOs
      into sub-Saharan Africa. However, rather than reaching a definitive prescription,
      which would require significant engagement with local communities, I consider
      some of Ubuntu's broader implications for conceptualizing risk and engaging with
      local communities when evaluating GMOs. I conclude by reflecting on the
      implications of using local moral theory in bioethics by considering how one
      might negotiate between universalism and particularism in the global context.
      Rather than advocating for a form of ethical relativism, I suggest that local
      moral theories shed light on salient ethical considerations that are otherwise
      overlooked. 

PMID- 26481202
TI  - Reexamining Healthcare Justice in the Light of Empirical Data.
AB  - This article discusses the notion of justice from a capabilities approach. We
      undertake an empirical analysis of the concepts of justice held by healthcare
      personnel, gleaned from a qualitative analysis of interviews on the subject of
      ethical dilemmas in everyday practice. The article states that Justice
      undoubtedly presents a work in progress, which implicates the link between
      justice as capability and human dignity. We empirically found a contrast between
      the views of justice based on the patient's own perceptions and those based on
      the perceptions of healthcare personnel. We establish the kind of actions,
      communication skills and justice required to build a stronger relationship
      between patients and healthcare professionals, which would improve prognosis,
      treatment efficiency and therapeutic adhesion. 

PMID- 26481203
TI  - Ideas of Perfection and the Ethics of Human Enhancement.
AB  - Whatever ethical stance one takes in the debate regarding the ethics of human
      enhancement, one or more reference points are required to assess its morality.
      Some have suggested looking at the bioethical notions of safety, justice, and/or
      autonomy to find such reference points. Others, arguing that those notions are
      limited with respect to assessing the morality of human enhancement, have turned
      to human nature, human authenticity, or human dignity as reference points,
      thereby introducing some perfectionist assumptions into the debate. In this
      article, we ask which perfectionist assumptions should be used in this debate.
      After a critique of views that are problematic, we take a positive approach,
      suggesting some perfectionist elements that can lend guidance to the practice of
      human enhancement, based on the work of Martha Nussbaum's Capability Approach. We
      suggest that the central capabilities can be used to define the human aspect of
      human enhancement and thereby allow a moral evaluation of enhancement
      interventions. These central capabilities can be maximized harmoniously to
      postulate what an ideal human would look like. Ultimately, the aim of this
      article is twofold. First, it seeks to make explicit the perfectionist
      assumptions found in the debate and eliminate those that are problematic. Second,
      the paper clarifies an element that is often neglected in the debate about human
      enhancement, the view of the ideal human towards which human enhancement should
      strive. Here, we suggest that some central capabilities that are essential for an
      ideal human being can be maximized harmoniously and can therefore serve as
      possible reference points to guide human enhancement. 

PMID- 26481204
TI  - Mitochondrial Replacement: Ethics and Identity.
AB  - Mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs) have the potential to allow
      prospective parents who are at risk of passing on debilitating or even life
      threatening mitochondrial disorders to have healthy children to whom they are
      genetically related. Ethical concerns have however been raised about these
      techniques. This article focuses on one aspect of the ethical debate, the
      question of whether there is any moral difference between the two types of MRT
      proposed: Pronuclear Transfer (PNT) and Maternal Spindle Transfer (MST). It
      examines how questions of identity impact on the ethical evaluation of each
      technique and argues that there is an important difference between the two. PNT,
      it is argued, is a form of therapy based on embryo modification while MST is,
      instead, an instance of selective reproduction. The article's main ethical
      conclusion is that, in some circumstances, there is a stronger obligation to use
      PNT than MST. 

PMID- 26481205
TI  - The Ethics of Fertility Preservation for Paediatric Cancer Patients: From Offer
      to Rebuttable Presumption.
AB  - Given advances in the science of fertility preservation and the link between
      fertility choices and wellbeing, it is time to reframe our ethical thinking
      around fertility preservation procedures for children and young people with
      cancer. The current framing of fertility preservation as a possible offer may no
      longer be universally appropriate. There is an increasingly pressing need to
      discuss the ethics of failing to preserve fertility, particularly for patient
      groups for whom established techniques exist. I argue that the starting point for
      deliberating about a particular patient should be a rebuttable presumption that
      fertility preservation ought to be attempted. Consideration of the harms
      applicable to that specific patient may then override this presumption. I outline
      the benefits of attempting fertility preservation; these justify a presumption in
      favour of the treatment. I then discuss the potential harms associated with
      fertility preservation procedures, which may justify failing to attempt fertility
      preservation in an individual patient's particular case. Moving from a framework
      of offer to one of rebuttable presumption in favour of fertility preservation
      would have significant implications for medical practice, healthcare
      organizations and the state. 

PMID- 26481206
TI  - Food Culture, Preferences and Ethics in Dysphagia Management.
AB  - Adults with dysphagia experience difficulties swallowing food and fluids with
      potentially harmful health and psychosocial consequences. Speech pathologists who
      manage patients with dysphagia are frequently required to address ethical issues
      when patients' food culture and/ or preferences are inconsistent with recommended
      diets. These issues incorporate complex links between food, identity and social
      participation. A composite case has been developed to reflect ethical issues
      identified by practising speech pathologists for the purposes of illustrating
      ethical concerns in dysphagia management. The case examines a speech
      pathologist's role in supporting patient autonomy when patients and carers
      express different goals and values. The case presents a 68-year-old man of
      Australian/Italian heritage with severe swallowing impairment and strong values
      attached to food preferences. The case is examined through application of the
      dysphagia algorithm, a tool for shared decision-making when patients refuse
      dietary modifications. Case analysis revealed the benefits and challenges of
      shared decision-making processes in dysphagia management. Four health
      professional skills and attributes were identified as synonymous with shared
      decision making: communication, imagination, courage and reflection. 

PMID- 26481207
TI  - Real-time Responsiveness for Ethics Oversight During Disaster Research.
AB  - Disaster research has grown in scope and frequency. Research in the wake of
      disasters and during humanitarian crises--particularly in resource-poor settings-
      is likely to raise profound and unique ethical challenges for local communities,
      crisis responders, researchers, and research ethics committees (RECs). Given the
      ethical challenges, many have questioned how best to provide research ethics
      review and oversight. We contribute to the conversation concerning how best to
      ensure appropriate ethical oversight in disaster research and argue that ethical
      disaster research requires of researchers and RECs a particular sort of ongoing,
      critical engagement which may not be warranted in less exceptional research. We
      present two cases that typify the concerns disaster researchers and RECs may
      confront, and elaborate upon what this ongoing engagement might look like--how it
      might be conceptualized and utilized--using the concept of real-time
      responsiveness (RTR). The central aim of RTR, understood here as both an ethical
      ideal and practice, is to lessen the potential for research conducted in the wake
      of disasters to create, perpetuate, or exacerbate vulnerabilities and contribute
      to injustices suffered by disaster-affected populations. Well cultivated and
      deployed, we believe that RTR may enhance the moral capacities of researchers and
      REC members, and RECs as institutions where moral agency is nurtured and
      sustained.

PMID- 26481211
TI  - In this Issue: A Snapshot of World Bioethics and an Invitation.

PMID- 26481208
TI  - Morally Relevant Similarities and Differences Between Children and Dementia
      Patients as Research Subjects: Representation in Legal Documents and Ethical
      Guidelines.
AB  - Children and adults with dementia are vulnerable populations. Both groups are
      also relatively seldom included in biomedical research. However, including them
      in clinical trials is necessary, since both groups are in need of scientific
      innovation and new therapies. Their dependence and limited decision-making
      capacities increase their vulnerability, necessitating extra precautions when
      including them in clinical trials. Beside these similarities there are also many
      differences between the groups. The most obvious one is that children have an
      entire life ahead of them and will become persons with certain ideals and
      preferences, while adults with dementia have lived a life in which they have
      expressed their ideals and preferences. Some of the available research guidelines
      recognize these differences, setting one list of specific requirements for groups
      of incapacitated adults and another list for children. Other documents, however,
      do not differentiate and only set requirements for subjects unable to consent as
      a single category of subjects. In this article we analyse to what extent the
      similarities and differences between the two groups are represented in legal
      documents and ethical guidelines. The article presents an overview and an
      analysis of the requirements for doing research with children and dementia
      patients. We conclude with suggestions about how to better incorporate the
      morally relevant aspects of these two groups in legislation and ethical
      guidelines. 

PMID- 26481212
TI  - Chirality- and pH-Controlled Supramolecular Isomerism in Cobalt Phosphonates and
      Its Impact on the Magnetic Behavior.
AB  - Two pairs of enantiomeric compounds with formulas (S)- or (R)-Co3 (ppap)2 (4,4'
      bpy)2 (H2 O)2 ?4 H2 O [(S)-1 or (R)-1], (S)- or (R)-Co3 (ppap)2 (4,4'-bpy)2 (H2
      O)2 ?3 H2 O [(S)- or (R)-2), and related racemic compound Co3 (ppap)2 (4,4'-bpy)2
      (H2 O)2 ?4 H2 O (rac-3; 4,4'-bpy=4,4'-bipyridine, H3 ppap=3-phenyl-2
      [(phosphonomethyl)amino]propanoic acid) are reported. Compounds 1 and rac-3 show
      identical three-dimensional framework structures, whereas compounds 2 have two
      dimensional layer structures. Compounds 1 and 2 are catenation isomers, formation
      of which is controlled solely by the pH of the reaction mixtures, whereas the
      formation of isomeric compounds 1 and rac-3 is controlled purely by the chirality
      of the phosphonate ligand. The magnetic properties of fully dehydrated (S)-1, (S)
      2, and rac-3 are highly dependent on both structure and chirality. 

PMID- 26481213
TI  - Augmentation index is associated with coronary revascularization in patients with
      high Framingham risk scores: a hospital-based observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study analyzed PWAs in patients with high Framingham risk scores
      to determine whether PWA is predictive of coronary artery disease (CAD) severity
      and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment. METHODS: In total, 310
      patients were screened due to suspected CAD; 78 were excluded due to PCI history
      (32), atrial fibrillation (11), or acute myocardial infarction (35). The
      augmentation index (AIx) was analyzed immediately before coronary angiography.
      PCI was performed in 73 (31.5 %) patients. RESULTS: The mean AIx, adjusted by
      heart rate (AIx@75) was different for each clinical diagnosis in the PCI group
      (stable angina, 30.6 +/- 7.7 %; silent ischemia, 30.2 +/- 8.6 %; unstable angina,
      38.5 +/- 8.5 %; p = 0.026). The 10-year estimate of CVD risk, based on the
      Framingham heart score, was 25.3 +/- 6.5 % and the mean AIx@75 was 31.6 +/- 8.5 %
      in the PCI group, significantly higher than in the non-PCI group (18.8 +/- 10.2
      %, p < 0.001; 27.2 +/- 9.0 %, p = 0.006, respectively). An inverse correlation
      was observed between the minimal luminal area and AIx@75 (rho = -0.559, p =
      0.010, n = 20). In ROC curve analysis of multivariate logistic regression model,
      higher HDL, medication of hypertension, and higher body mass index were
      associated with non-PCI and higher AIx@75 was associated with PCI (area under the
      curve, 0.764; 95 % CI: 0.701 to 0.819, z = 8.005; p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The
      AIx@75 seemed to reflect the clinical severity of CAD and was associated with PCI
      in patients with a high Framingham risk score.

PMID- 26481214
TI  - High adherence to malaria treatment: promising results of an adherence study in
      South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In resource-poor settings, treatment adherence is a major determinant
      of response to anti-malarial drugs as most are taken at home without medical
      supervision. Evidence on adherence to artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT)
      is limited. The study aimed to measure adherence and identify reasons for non
      adherence to a 3-day, fixed-dose combination (FDC) of artesunate-amodiaquine
      (ASAQ), the first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria in the Medecins Sans
      Frontieres project in the Shabunda Health Zone, South Kivu, Democratic Republic
      of Congo, a highly malarious and conflict-affected area. METHODS: The study took
      place in the health centres/outpatient departments of the Shabunda general
      hospital, the quarter Mbangayo, and participant households. Patients prescribed
      FDC ASAQ were visited at home on the day after their regimen finished and asked
      to complete an adherence questionnaire. Patients/caretakers were also interviewed
      when exiting the outpatient department to understand their attitude towards FDC
      ASAQ and assess the quality of the prescribing process. RESULTS: 148
      patients/caretakers completed the adherence questionnaire: 11.5 % (17/148, 95 %
      CI 7-17) had >=1 tablet left at the time of the home visit and were defined as
      certainly non-adherent; 13.5 % (20/148, 95 % CI 8-19) were probably non-adherent;
      thus total non-adherence was 25.0 % (37/148, 95 % CI 18-32). 75 % (111/148, 95 %
      CI 68-82) were defined as probably adherent. In exit interviews, 87.5 % (105/120)
      knew they had malaria or could name the correct signs/symptoms. 89 % (107/120)
      could identify FDC ASAQ as anti-malarials among all tablets given and correctly
      repeat the intake instructions given at the outpatient department. CONCLUSIONS:
      This is the first study to assess adherence to an FDC of ACT under real treatment
      conditions in a context of high instability. High quality prescribing of anti
      malarials at health centre level and patient adherence to the correct intake of
      ACT were possible in this setting. Adherence to treatment regimen requires
      careful and constant monitoring which might be better guaranteed at health centre
      rather than community level. It could, nevertheless, be a precondition to the
      successful introduction of home- or community based management of malaria.

PMID- 26481216
TI  - Novel In Vitro Antioxidant and Photoprotection Capacity of Plants from High
      Altitude Ecosystems of Colombia.
AB  - Currently, plants have gained widespread interest as a source of natural
      sunscreen. Specifically, plants from high altitude ecosystems are exposed to high
      UVR levels; therefore, they must produce an adaptive chemical response. The aim
      of this study was to evaluate the photo-protection and antioxidant capacity in
      vitro of nine plants from high altitude ecosystems in Antioquia, Colombia
      (Sphagnum meridense, Calamagrostis effusa, Lycopodiella alopecuroides, Morella
      parvifolia, Baccharis antioquensis, Pentacalia pulchella, Castilleja fissifolia,
      Hesperomeles ferruginea and Hypericum juniperinum). B. antioquensis and P.
      pulchella extracts showed the best results over a broad spectrum UVA-UVB with
      antioxidant capacity in vitro. However, B. antioquensis extracts presented the
      highest absorption coefficient in UVB-UVA range among plants under study.
      Furthermore, the gel formulation containing the crude extract of B. antioquensis
      showed significant values of UVAPF, UVA/UVB ratio, critical wavelength (lambdac )
      and SPF (3, 0.78 380 nm and 4.73 +/- 0.26; respectively), indicating interesting
      photostability and antiradical capacities. All of these properties could be
      improve in order to satisfy the requirements for broad-spectrum UVB/UVA
      protection. Finally, P. pulchella and B. antioquensis extracts could be a
      potential source of a new natural sunscreen compounds with photostable and
      antiradical properties. 

PMID- 26481215
TI  - Feasibility study of docetaxel plus bevacizumab as first line therapy for elderly
      patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: Thoracic Oncology Research
      Group (TORG) 1014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Docetaxel monotherapy is one of the standard treatments for non-small
      cell lung cancer in elderly patients. The addition of bevacizumab to docetaxel
      seems promising; however, the feasibility of this combination has not been
      investigated in such patients. METHODS: Patients with advanced non-squamous non
      small-cell lung cancer aged 70 years or older who had not previously received
      cytotoxic chemotherapy were enrolled. Patients in the Level 0 cohort received
      docetaxel 60 mg/m(2) and bevacizumab 15 mg/kg, whereas those in the Level-1
      cohort received docetaxel 50 mg/m(2) and bevacizumab 15 mg/kg. Chemotherapy was
      repeated 3 weekly for six cycles. The primary endpoint was toxicity and the
      secondary endpoints were response rate, progression-free survival, overall
      survival, and proportion of patients who underwent three or more cycles of
      chemotherapy. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were enrolled from December 2010 to
      September 2012 at six institutes. Of the nine patients enrolled in Level 0, two
      experienced dose-limiting toxicity (febrile neutropenia and prolonged Grade 4
      neutropenia in one patient, and Grade 3 infection in another patient) during the
      first cycle. Enrollment to the Level 0 cohort was terminated because two patients
      developed Grade 4 sepsis during later cycles. The remaining 12 patients were
      enrolled in the Level-1 cohort, in which two dose-limiting toxicities (prolonged
      Grade 4 neutropenia and Grade 3 increased aminotransferase level) were observed.
      No patient in the Level-1 cohort experienced Grade 4 nonhematologic toxicity.
      Grade 4 neutropenia occurred in 89 % of Level 0 patients and 50 % of Level-1
      patients. The proportion of patients who experienced Grade 3/4 infection, febrile
      neutropenia or sepsis was 44 % in the Level 0 cohort, and 8 % in the Level-1
      cohort. The overall response rate to chemotherapy and progression-free survival
      were 29 % (95 % CI, 11-52 %) and 5.9 months (95 % CI, 3.6-9.1 months),
      respectively. Efficacy outcomes did not differ significantly between the cohorts.
      CONCLUSIONS: Toxicities were tolerable in level-1 cohort. The recommended dose of
      combination chemotherapy with docetaxel and bevacizumab for elderly patients was
      determined as 50 mg/m(2) of docetaxel and 15 mg/kg of bevacizumab and toxicities
      were tolerable. Further studies are warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN Clinical
      Trial Registry; UMIN000004240 .

PMID- 26481217
TI  - Synthesis and mechanical evaluation of Sr-doped calcium-zirconium-silicate
      (baghdadite) and its impact on osteoblast cell proliferation and ALP activity.
AB  - For the first time the successful preparation of Sr doped baghdadite (Ca3-x Sr x
      ZrSi2O9 x  =  0.1 and 0.75) is shown. Sr-doped as well as pure baghdadite are
      prepared via a versatile solid-state synthesis and conventional sintering at 1400
      degrees C. XRD measurements and crystal structure refinements reveal that a
      substitution of Ca atoms with Sr and a high purity (>99%) is achieved. The
      physical, mechanical, and biological properties of these novel bioceramics are
      presented in relation to the dopant concentration. Incorporating Sr into the
      baghdadite crystal caused only minor changes to the grain size and the mechanical
      properties. The characteristic strength ranges from 145 to 168 MPa and a Weibull
      modulus of 4.9 to 9.2 is observed. Other mechanical properties like fracture
      toughness and hardness vary from 1.23  +/-  0.07 MPam(0.5) to 1.31  +/-  0.12
      MPam(0.5) and 7.3  +/-  0.6 GPa to 8.0  +/-  0.7 GPa, respectively. The in vitro
      cellular response of human osteoblasts showed an increase in the cell
      proliferation and a significantly higher alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity with
      an increase in the Sr content. From the improved biological properties and the
      suitable mechanical performance we conclude that this material is a highly
      promising candidate for bone replacement material and bioactive implant coatings.

PMID- 26481218
TI  - Improved and sustained triage skills in firemen after a short training
      intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A previous study has shown no measurable improvement in triage
      accuracy among physicians attending the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
      course and suggests a curriculum revision regarding triage. Other studies have
      indicated that cooperative learning helps students acquire knowledge. OBJECTIVE:
      The present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of trauma cards in
      triage training for firemen. METHODS: Eighty-six firemen were randomly assigned
      into two groups: the trauma card group and the direct instruction group. Both
      groups received the same 30-min PowerPoint lecture on how to perform triage
      according to the Sort Assess Lifesaving interventions Treatment and transport
      (SALT) Mass Casualty Triage Algorithm. In the trauma card group, the participants
      were divided into groups of 3-5 and instructed to triage 10 trauma victims
      according to the descriptions on the trauma cards. In the direct instruction
      group, written forms about the same 10 victims were used and discussed as a
      continuation of the PowerPoint lecture. Total training time was 60 min for both
      groups. A test was distributed before and after the educational intervention to
      measure the individual triage skills. The same test was applied again 6 months
      later. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in triage skills directly
      after the intervention and this was sustained 6 months later. No significant
      difference in triage skills was seen between the trauma card group and the direct
      instruction group. Previous experience of multi-casualty incidents, years in
      service, level of education or age did not have any measurable effects on triage
      accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: One hour of triage training with the SALT Mass Casualty
      Triage Algorithm was enough to significantly improve triage accuracy in both
      groups of firemen with sustained skills 6 months later. Further studies on the
      first assessment on scene versus patient outcome are necessary to provide
      evidence that this training can improve casualty outcome. The efficacy and
      validity of trauma cards for disaster management training need to be tested in
      future studies.

PMID- 26481220
TI  - Spectators Control Selectivity in Surface Chemistry: Acrolein Partial
      Hydrogenation Over Pd.
AB  - We present a mechanistic study on selective hydrogenation of acrolein over model
      Pd surfaces--both single crystal Pd(111) and Pd nanoparticles supported on a
      model oxide support. We show for the first time that selective hydrogenation of
      the C?O bond in acrolein to form an unsaturated alcohol is possible over Pd(111)
      with nearly 100% selectivity. However, this process requires a very distinct
      modification of the Pd(111) surface with an overlayer of oxopropyl spectator
      species that are formed from acrolein during the initial stages of reaction and
      turn the metal surface selective toward propenol formation. By applying pulsed
      multimolecular beam experiments and in situ infrared reflection-absorption
      spectroscopy, we identified the chemical nature of the spectator and the reactive
      surface intermediate (propenoxy species) and experimentally followed the
      simultaneous evolution of the reactive intermediate on the surface and formation
      of the product in the gas phase.

PMID- 26481219
TI  - Characterizing Benzo[a]pyrene-induced lacZ mutation spectrum in transgenic mice
      using next-generation sequencing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The transgenic rodent mutation reporter assay provides an efficient
      approach to identify mutagenic agents in vivo. A major advantage of this assay is
      that mutant reporter transgenes can be sequenced to provide information on the
      mode of action of a mutagen and to identify clonally expanded mutations. However,
      conventional DNA sequence analysis is laborious and expensive for long
      transgenes, such as lacZ (3096 bp), and is not normally implemented in routine
      screening. METHODS: We developed a high-throughput next-generation sequencing
      (NGS) approach to simultaneously sequence large numbers of barcoded mutant lacZ
      transgenes from different animals. We collected 3872 mutants derived from the
      bone marrow DNA of six MutaTMMouse males exposed to the well-established mutagen
      benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and six solvent-exposed controls. Mutants within animal
      samples were pooled, barcoded, and then sequenced using NGS. RESULTS: We
      identified 1652 mutant sequences from 1006 independent mutations that underwent
      clonal expansion. This deep sequencing analysis of mutation spectrum demonstrated
      that BaP causes primarily guanine transversions (e.g. G:C -> T:A), which is
      highly consistent with previous studies employing Sanger sequencing. Furthermore,
      we identified novel mutational hotspots in the lacZ transgene that were
      previously uncharacterized by Sanger sequencing. Deep sequencing also allowed for
      an unprecedented ability to correct for clonal expansion events, improving the
      sensitivity of the mutation reporter assay by 50 %. CONCLUSION: These results
      demonstrate that the high-throughput nature and reduced costs offered by NGS
      provide a sensitive and fast approach for elucidating and comparing mutagenic
      mechanisms of various agents among tissues and enabling improved evaluation of
      genotoxins.

PMID- 26481221
TI  - Comparison of Immune Profiles in Fetal Hearts with Idiopathic Dilated
      Cardiomyopathy, Maternal Autoimmune-Associated Dilated Cardiomyopathy and the
      Normal Fetus.
AB  - The etiology of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (iDCM) remains unknown. Immune
      therapies have improved outcome in fetuses with DCM born to mothers with
      autoimmune disease (aDCM). The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare
      the myocardial B and T cell profiles in fetuses and neonates with idiopathic DCM
      (iDCM) versus autoimmune-mediated DCM (aDCM) and to describe the normal cell
      maturation within the human fetal myocardium. Of 60 fetal autopsy cases
      identified from institutional databases, 10 had aDCM (18-38 weeks), 12 iDCM (19
      37 weeks) and 38 had normal hearts (11-40 weeks). Paraffin-embedded myocardium
      sections were stained for all lymphocyte (CD45), B cells (CD20, CD79a), T cells
      (CD3, CD4, CD7, CD8) and monocyte (CD68) surface markers. Two independent,
      blinded cell counts were performed. Normal hearts expressed all B and T cell
      markers in a bimodal fashion, with peaks at 22 and 37 weeks of gestation. The
      aDCM cohort was most distinct from normal hearts, with less overall T cell
      markers [EST -9.1 (2.6) cells/mm(2), p = 0.001], CD4 [EST -2.0 (0.6), p = 0.001],
      CD3 [EST -3.9 (1.0), p < 0.001], CD7 [EST -3.0 (1.1), p = 0.01] overall B cell
      markers [EST -4.9 (1.8), p = 0.01] and CD79a counts [EST -2.3 (0.9), p = 0.01].
      The iDCM group had less overall B cell markers [EST -4.0 (1.8), p = 0.03] and
      CD79a [EST -1.7 (0.9), p = 0.05], but no difference in T cell markers. Autoimmune
      mediated DCM fetuses have less B and T cell markers, whereas iDCM fetuses have
      less B cell markers compared with normal fetal hearts. The fetal immune system
      may play a role in the normal development of the heart and evolution of dilated
      cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26481222
TI  - White-Coat and Reverse White-Coat Effects Correlate with 24-h Pulse Pressure and
      Systolic Blood Pressure Variability in Children and Young Adults.
AB  - Masked hypertension (MH) and white-coat hypertension (WCH) are associated with
      organ damage. In the present study, we examined the correlation between the
      magnitude of white-coat effect (WCE) or reverse WCE (RWCE) and 24-h pulse
      pressure (PP), an indicator of target organ damage and arterial stiffness, in
      children and young adults. We also examined the relationship of WCE or RWCE and
      blood pressure (BP) variability, another predictor of clinical outcomes. One
      hundred and ninety-eight subjects were studied. According to the office BP and
      ambulatory BP, they were divided into normotension, WCH, MH, and hypertension.
      The magnitude of WCE or RWCE, along with male gender and 24-h systolic BP, was
      the determinant of 24-h PP. In subjects with 24-h PP >= 61 mmHg, the magnitude of
      WCE or RWCE, age, male ratio, height, weight, BMI, the percentage of secondary
      hypertension, that of MH, office systolic BP, and 24-h systolic BP were
      significantly greater. There was a progressive increase in 24-h PP from
      normotension, WCH, MH, to hypertension. BP variability in subjects with MH was
      numerically highest in both systolic and diastolic. Diastolic BP variability of
      WCH, MH, and hypertension was significantly higher than that of normotension.
      Finally, the magnitude of WCE or RWCE in systolic showed a significant
      correlation with systolic BP variability. In conclusion, the magnitude of WCE or
      RWCE correlates with 24-h PP and systolic BP variability, which may suggest
      increased arterial stiffness in WCH and MH.

PMID- 26481223
TI  - Cardioplegia Dose Effect on Immediate Postoperative Alterations in Coronary
      Artery Flow Velocities After Congenital Cardiac Surgery.
AB  - Abnormalities in coronary artery (CA) flow detected by echocardiography are
      increasingly used to guide clinical decisions in patient management. Increased CA
      flow has been seen postoperatively in congenital cardiac surgery. This study
      sought to determine immediate postoperative changes in left anterior descending
      (LAD) CA flow velocities, and to investigate possible factors associated with
      these changes. CA flow in the proximal LAD was sampled with pulsed-wave Doppler
      during trans-esophageal echocardiography imaging in the immediate preoperative
      and postoperative studies in 46 subjects. The peak velocity, velocity time
      integral (VTI), VTI corrected for heart rate (VTIc), and VTI rate pressure
      product (VTIrpp) were determined. The percent change in each measure between the
      preoperative and postoperative study was calculated and compared to age, body
      surface area (BSA), cardiopulmonary bypass time, cross-clamp time, and number of
      cardioplegia (CP) doses. The pH, oxygen saturation, temperature, and hemoglobin
      concentration (Hb) were compared for those with and without increased flow
      characteristics. There was an overall increase in LAD flow parameters in subjects
      who underwent congenital cardiac surgery. There was a significant and positive
      correlation of percent change in VTI, VTIc, and VTIrrp with number of CP doses
      and lower Hb. We propose that this phenomenon is likely of multifactorial origin,
      involving autoregulatory mechanism disturbance. The imaging and measurement of
      LAD flow velocities are feasible, reliable, and is positively correlated with
      number of CP doses. Interpretation of postoperative LAD flow velocities should be
      made in the context of intraoperative events since heart rate, blood pressure,
      and Hb concentration also influence CA flow parameters.

PMID- 26481225
TI  - High-level construal benefits, meaning making, and posttraumatic growth in cancer
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study sought to explore the role of meaning making and
      high-level construal in the relationship between meaning discrepancy and
      posttraumatic growth among Chinese cancer patients. METHOD: The participants were
      193 individuals diagnosed with cancer. Meaning discrepancy, meaning making, high
      level construal in meaning making, and posttraumatic growth were measured.
      Bootstrapping and structural equation modeling were performed to test the
      mediation effects of high-level construal on the meaning-making process. RESULTS:
      Mediation analysis revealed that perceived discrepancies were associated with
      individuals' meaning-making efforts. Meaning-making efforts prompted participants
      to adopt a high-level construal orientation, which in turn enhanced posttraumatic
      growth. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Our study empirically tested construal level
      theory in a population suffering from severe chronic trauma. The results
      demonstrate the important role of high-level construal in the meaning-making
      process of cancer patients, suggesting a specific effective strategy to foster
      posttraumatic growth. It seems encouraging to indicate that adopting such high
      level construal may be included as part of psychological interventions for cancer
      patients.

PMID- 26481224
TI  - Isolated Mitral Cleft in Trisomy 21: An Initially 'Silent' Lesion.
AB  - Congenital cardiac anomalies are common in trisomy 21, and transthoracic
      echocardiogram within the first month of life is recommended. While a cleft
      mitral valve associated with atrioventricular septal defect has been well defined
      in this population, the prevalence of isolated mitral valve cleft has not been
      previously reported. The aim of our study was to define the occurrence of
      isolated mitral cleft in the first echocardiogram of patients with trisomy 21.
      This retrospective chart review examined echocardiographic data on all Trisomy 21
      patients <1 year of age obtained during January 1, 2010, to May 1, 2014, at our
      institution. Images were reviewed by one of the authors with no knowledge of the
      official diagnosis. In addition to evaluation for isolated mitral valve cleft,
      data obtained included presence of additional congenital heart defects and need
      for surgical intervention. A total of 184 patients (median age 5 days) were
      identified. Isolated mitral cleft was identified in 12 patients (6.5 %). Four
      were diagnosed retrospectively (33 %). Only one had mitral regurgitation on
      initial echocardiogram. Seven required surgery for closure of ventricular septal
      defects. Isolated mitral cleft is present in an important number of neonates with
      Trisomy 21. Mitral regurgitation is often absent in the neonatal period and
      should not be used as a reliable indicator of absence of valve abnormality.
      Careful attention should be directed toward the mitral valve during the first
      echocardiogram to exclude an isolated cleft, which can lead to progressive mitral
      regurgitation.

PMID- 26481226
TI  - Endorectal multiparametric 3-tesla magnetic resonance imaging associated with
      systematic cognitive biopsies does not increase prostate cancer detection rate: a
      randomized prospective trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate prostate cancer (PC) detection rate, employing endorectal
      multiparametric 3-tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) driving subsequent
      cognitive systematic prostatic biopsy (CSPB) versus a homogenous group of
      patients who did not undergo endorectal MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A series of
      patients with a first negative biopsy were enrolled in the study. Patients were
      randomized into two groups: Group A: patients underwent MRI and subsequent CSPB;
      Group B: patients that did not undergo MRI. Each patient underwent a 13-core
      sampling. Patients from Group A had four cores more for each MRI suspected
      lesion. The cancer detection rate was calculated for each group with regard to
      possible matches or mismatches between MRI evidence and pathological reports.
      RESULTS: Two hundred consecutive patients were investigated. Fifty out of 200 (25
      %) patients had a diagnosis of PC, 24 in Group A and 26 in Group B. In Group A,
      67 patients (67 %) were positive for suspected lesions at the MRI. The mismatch
      between MRI findings and the CSPB outcome was 61 % with an MRI-driven detection
      rate of 15 %. Group B detection rate was 26 % with no significant differences
      versus Group A (P = NS). Patient discomfort was higher in Group A (82 %). The
      accuracy of CSPB was 41 % with a positive predictive value of 22.3 %. This rate
      is lower in high-grade cancers (11.9 %). The cost-effectiveness was higher in
      Group A. CONCLUSIONS: Prostate cancer detection rate does not improve by CSPB.
      The accuracy of CSPB was lower in high-grade PC, and a higher cost was found with
      CSPB.

PMID- 26481227
TI  - Additional elastography-targeted biopsy improves the agreement between biopsy
      Gleason grade and Gleason grade at radical prostatectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess whether real-time elastography-targeted biopsy (RTE-bx) may
      help to correctly assign Gleason grade at radical prostatectomy (RP) and to
      compare discriminant properties of systematic biopsy alone (sbx) versus
      combination with RTE-bx (comb-bx) to distinguish between postoperatively
      favorable (Gleason 3 + 3, pT2, Nx/0) and postoperatively unfavorable (Gleason >=4
      + 4) prostate cancer (PCa) at RP. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Overall, 259 patients
      diagnosed with PCa at systematic biopsy in combination with RTE-bx underwent RP
      between 2008 and 2011. Gleason Score derived from sbx versus comb-bx was compared
      to the gold-standard RP, and discriminant properties were assessed. Specificity
      gains were examined for sbx versus comb-bx when the endpoint consisted of
      postoperatively favorable PCa at RP. Sensitivity gains were examined, when
      analyses focused on postoperatively unfavorable PCa. RESULTS: Comb-bx resulted in
      higher correct overall Gleason assignment (68.3 vs. 56.7 %, p = 0.008) than sbx.
      Similarly, lower rates of undergrading (21.2 vs. 36.3 %, p < 0.001) were
      recorded. Specificity gains with comb-bx were 10 % (92 vs. 82 %, p = 0.004) for
      postoperatively favorable PCa. Comb-bx resulted in 31 % sensitivity gains
      relative to sbx (94 vs. 63 %, p = 0.03), when postoperatively unfavorable PCa was
      the endpoint. CONCLUSION: The agreement between biopsy and pathology Gleason
      Score was significantly higher for comb-bx than sbx. Additionally, comb-bx
      reduced the rate of false positives in the diagnosis of favorable PCa. Rates of
      correctly classified unfavorable PCa at RP were also higher for comb-bx. Those
      data indicate that comb-bx is useful in clinical practice.

PMID- 26481228
TI  - Erratum to: Nonclassically Secreted Proteins as Possible Antigens for Vaccine
      Development: A Reverse Vaccinology Approach.

PMID- 26481229
TI  - Study of metabolic profile of Rhizopus oryzae to enhance fumaric acid production
      under low pH condition.
AB  - Ensuring a suitable pH is a major problem in industrial organic acid
      fermentation. To circumvent this problem, we used a metabolic profiling approach
      to analyze metabolite changes in Rhizopus oryzae under different pH conditions. A
      correlation between fumaric acid production and intracellular metabolic
      characteristics of R. oryzae was revealed by principal component analysis. The
      results showed that to help cell survival in the presence of low pH, R. oryzae
      altered amino acid and fatty acid metabolism and promoted sugar or sugar alcohol
      synthesis, corresponding with a suppressing of energy metabolism, phenylalanine,
      and tyrosine synthesis and finally resulting in the low performance of fumaric
      acid production. Based on this observation, 1 % linoleic acid was added to the
      culture medium in pH 3.0 to decrease the carbon demand for cell survival, and the
      fumaric acid titer was enhanced by 39.7 % compared with the control (pH 3.0
      without linoleic acid addition), reaching 18.3 g/L after 84 h of fermentation.
      These findings provide new insights into the mechanism by which R. oryzae
      responds to acidic stress and would be helpful for the development of efficient
      strategies for fumaric acid production at low pH. 

PMID- 26481230
TI  - Comparative Characterization of Aroma Volatiles and Related Gene Expression
      Analysis at Vegetative and Mature Stages in Basmati and Non-Basmati Rice (Oryza
      sativa L.) Cultivars.
AB  - Aroma volatiles in Basmati-370, Ambemohar-157 (non-basmati scented), and IR-64
      (non-scented) rice cultivars were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed at
      vegetative and maturity stages to study their differential accumulation using
      headspace solid-phase microextraction, followed by gas chromatography mass
      spectrometry (HS-SPME-GCMS) with selected ion monitoring (SIM) approach. In
      addition, expression analysis of major aroma volatile 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP)
      related genes, betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (badh2) and Delta(1)-pyrolline-5
      carboxylic acid synthetase (P5CS), were studied by real-time PCR. Maximum number
      of volatiles recorded at vegetative (72-58) than at mature stage (54-39). Twenty
      new compounds (12 in scented and 8 in both) were reported in rice. N-containing
      aromatic compounds were major distinguishing class separating scented from non
      scented. Among quantified 26 volatiles, 14 odor-active compounds distinguished
      vegetative and mature stage. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification
      (LOQ) for 2AP was 0.001 mg/kg of 2AP and 0.01 g of rice, respectively. 2AP
      accumulation in mature grains was found three times more than in leaves of
      scented rice. Positive correlation of 2AP with 2-pentylfuran, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2
      one, and (E)-2-nonenal suggests their major role as aroma contributors. The badh2
      expression was inversely and P5CS expression was positively correlated with 2AP
      accumulation in scented over non-scented cultivar. 

PMID- 26481231
TI  - Detection of Asp371, Phe375, and Tyr376 Influence on GD-95-10 Lipase Using
      Alanine Scanning Mutagenesis.
AB  - GD-95-10 and GD-95-20 lipases are modified GD-95 lipase variants, which lack 10
      and 20 C-terminal amino acids, respectively. Previous analysis showed that GD-95
      10 lipase has higher activity than GD-95 lipase, while GD-95-20 lipase almost
      completely loses its activity. Analysis in silico suggested three conservative
      amino acids at region between 369 and 378 amino acids which can be relevant to
      the activity of GD-95-10 lipase. These amino acids have direct contacts with
      residues involved in substrate binding, stabilization of the serine loop or form
      oxyanion hole. In this work, the role of Asp371, Phe375, and Tyr376 on activity,
      functionality, and structure of GD-95-10 lipase was analyzed by Ala scanning
      mutagenesis. We showed that even a single mutation can impact the main structure
      and activity of Geobacillus lipases. Our experiments provide new knowledge about
      lipases from thermophilic Geobacillus bacteria and are important for protein
      engineering and synthetic biology. These enzymes and their engineering can be
      basis for future biocatalysts applied in production of biofuel or other
      industrial esters. 

PMID- 26481232
TI  - A Review on the Genetics of Aliphatic and Aromatic Hydrocarbon Degradation.
AB  - Because of the high diversity of hydrocarbons, degradation of each class of these
      compounds is activated by a specific enzyme. However, most of other downstream
      enzymes necessary for complete degradation of hydrocarbons maybe common between
      different hydrocarbons. The genes encoding proteins for degradation of
      hydrocarbons, including the proteins required for the uptake of these molecules,
      the specific enzyme used for the initial activation of the molecules and other
      necessary degrading enzymes are usually arranged as an operon. Although the
      corresponding genes in many phylogenetic groups of microbial species show
      different levels of diversity in terms of the gene sequence, the organisation of
      the genes in the genome or on plasmids and the activation mode (inductive or
      constitutive), some organisms show identical hydrocarbon-degrading genes,
      probably as a result of horizontal gene transfer between microorganisms.

PMID- 26481233
TI  - The caverno-apical triangle: anatomic-pathological considerations and pictorial
      review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The caverno-apical triangle (CAT) is defined from the components that
      define its contours: the cavernous sinus and the orbital apex. A wide range of
      pathologies arise from the space between the cavernous sinus and the orbital
      apex. OBJECT: To better define radiologically this critical anatomic landmark and
      establish an organized approach for image analysis to help generate focused
      differential diagnoses and accurately characterize lesions found on imaging.
      CONCLUSION: We have identified common imaging characteristics of frequently
      encountered lesions and divided them into specific categories to facilitate
      creation of logical and focused differential diagnoses.

PMID- 26481234
TI  - Transdentinal cytotoxicity of resin-based luting cements to pulp cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the transdentinal cytotoxicity
      of components released from different resin-based luting cements to cultured MDPC
      23 odontoblast-like cells and human dental pulp cells (HDPCs). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Artificial pulp chamber (APC)/dentin disc sets were distributed into
      four groups according to the materials tested (n = 10), as follows: G1, control
      (no treatment); G2, resin-modified glass-ionomer cement (RelyX Luting 2); G3,
      self-adhesive resin cement (RelyX U200); and G4, conventional resin cement (RelyX
      ARC). The materials were applied to the occlusal surfaces (facing up) of the
      dentin discs adapted to the APCs. The pulpal surfaces of the discs were
      maintained in contact with culture medium. Then, an aliquot of 400 MUL from the
      extract (culture medium + resin-based components that diffused through dentin) of
      each luting cement was applied for 24 h to HDPCs or MDPC-23 cells previously
      seeded in wells of 24-well plates. Cell viability analysis was performed by the
      MTT assay (1-way ANOVA/Tukey test; alpha = 5 %). RESULTS: For MDPC-23 cells,
      RelyX ARC (G4) and RelyX Luting 2 (G2) caused greater reduction in cell viability
      compared with the negative control group (P < 0.05). Only the HDPCs exposed to
      RelyX ARC (G4) extract showed a tendency toward viability decrease (9.3 %);
      however, the values were statistically similar to those of the control group (G1)
      (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In accordance with the safe limits of ISO 10993-5:1999
      (E) recommendations, all resin-based luting cements evaluated in this study can
      be considered as non-toxic to pulp cells. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Cytotoxicity of
      resin-based luting cements is material-dependent, and the different protocols for
      the application of these dental materials to dentin may interfere with their
      cytotoxicity.

PMID- 26481236
TI  - BEND3 is involved in the human-specific repression of calreticulin: Implication
      for the evolution of higher brain functions in human.
AB  - Recent emerging evidence indicates that changes in gene expression levels are
      linked to human evolution. We have previously reported a human-specific
      nucleotide in the promoter sequence of the calreticulin (CALR) gene at position 
      220C, which is the site of action of valproic acid. Reversion of this nucleotide
      to the ancestral A-allele has been detected in patients with degrees of deficit
      in higher brain cognitive functions. This mutation has since been reported in the
      1000 genomes database at an approximate frequency of <0.0004 in humans
      (rs138452745). In the study reported here, we present update on the status of
      rs138452745 across evolution, based on the Ensembl and NCBI databases. The DNA
      pulldown assay was also used to identify the proteins binding to the C- and A
      alleles, using two cell lines, SK-N-BE and HeLa. Consistent with our previous
      findings, the C-allele is human-specific, and the A-allele is the rule across all
      other species (N=38). This nucleotide resides in a block of 12-nucleotides that
      is strictly conserved across evolution. The DNA pulldown experiments revealed
      that in both SK-N-BE and HeLa cells, the transcription repressor BEN domain
      containing 3 (BEND3) binds to the human-specific C-allele, whereas the nuclear
      factor I (NFI) family members, NF1A, B, C, and X, specifically bind to the
      ancestral A-allele. This binding pattern is consistent with a previously reported
      decreased promoter activity of the C-allele vs. the A-allele. We propose that
      there is a link between binding of BEND3 to the CALR rs138452745 C-allele and
      removal of NFI binding site from this nucleotide, and the evolution of human
      specific higher brain functions. To our knowledge, CALR rs138452745 is the first
      instance of enormous nucleotide conservation across evolution, except in the
      human species. 

PMID- 26481235
TI  - Local, systemic, demographic, and health-related factors influencing pathogenic
      yeast spectrum and antifungal drug administration frequency in oral candidiasis:
      a retrospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In order to identify oral candidiasis patients being at risk of
      carrying potentially drug-resistant Candida, the aim of the study was to detect
      local, systemic, demographic, and health-related factors influencing (I) yeast
      spectrum composition and (II) antifungal administration frequency. Additionally,
      the aim was to investigate (III) species shift occurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Data from 798 patients (496 females, 302 males; mean age 59.7) with oral
      candidiasis diagnosed based on positive clinical and microbial findings (species
      identification and CFU count) between 2006 and 2011 were retrospectively analyzed
      using Pearson's chi(2) test and regression analysis. RESULTS: Among 958 isolates,
      Candida albicans was the most frequently detected (76.8 %). Also, species
      intrinsically resistant to azoles were frequently isolated (15.8 and 17.7 % of
      isolates and patients). (I) Infections only caused by C. albicans were
      significantly associated with the use of inhalation steroids (p = 0.001) and
      antibiotics (p = 0.04), super-infection of lichen planus (p = 0.002), and the
      absence of removable dentures (p < 0.001). (II) Anti-mycotics were significantly
      more frequently administered in patients using inhalation steroids (p = 0.001),
      suffering from asthma/COPD, or smoking heavily (p = 0.003) and if C. albicans and
      non-albicans species were detected together (p = 0.001). (III) Pathogen
      composition did not change over time within the examined period (p = 0.239).
      CONCLUSIONS: Different variables enhance the presence of certain Candida and the
      antifungal prescription frequency. No species shift was evident. CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: The major pathogen in oral candidiasis remains C. albicans.
      Nevertheless, therapeutic problems may be caused by the frequent presence of
      species intrinsically resistant to azoles, especially in patients wearing
      dentures.

PMID- 26481237
TI  - Sequence variation of Bemisia tabaci Chemosensory Protein 2 in cryptic species B
      and Q: New DNA markers for whitefly recognition.
AB  - Bemisia tabaci Gennadius biotypes B and Q are two of the most important worldwide
      agricultural insect pests. Genomic sequences of Type-2 B. tabaci chemosensory
      protein (BtabCSP2) were cloned and sequenced in B and Q biotypes, revealing key
      biotype-specific variations in the intron sequence. A Q260 sequence was found
      specifically in Q-BtabCSP2 and Cucumis melo LN692399, suggesting ancestral
      horizontal transfer of gene between the insect and the plant through bacteria. A
      cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences (CAPS) method was then developed to
      differentiate B and Q based on the sequence variation in exon of BtabCSP2 gene.
      The performances of CSP2-based CAPS for whitefly recognition were assessed using
      B. tabaci field collections from Shandong Province (P.R. China). Our SacII based
      CAPS method led to the same result compared to mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase
      based CAPS method in the field collections. We therefore propose an explanation
      for CSP origin and a new rapid simple molecular method based on genomic DNA and
      chemosensory gene to differentiate accurately the B and Q whiteflies of the
      Bemisia complex around the world.

PMID- 26481238
TI  - A novel common large genomic deletion and two new missense mutations identified
      in the Romanian phenylketonuria population.
AB  - The mutation spectrum for the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene was
      investigated in a cohort of 84 hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) patients from Romania
      identified through newborn screening or neurometabolic investigations.
      Differential diagnosis identified 81 patients with classic PAH deficiency while 3
      had tetrahydropterin-cofactor deficiency and/or remained uncertain due to
      insufficient specimen. PAH-genetic analysis included a combination of Sanger
      sequencing of exons and exon-intron boundaries, MLPA and NGS with genomic DNA,
      and cDNA analysis from immortalized lymphoblasts. A diagnostic efficiency of
      99.4% was achieved, as for one allele (out of a total of 162 alleles) no mutation
      could be identified. The most prevalent mutation was p.Arg408Trp which was found
      in ~ 38% of all PKU alleles. Three novel mutations were identified, including the
      two missense mutations p.Gln226Lys and p.Tyr268Cys that were both disease causing
      by prediction algorithms, and the large genomic deletion EX6del7831 (c.509 +
      4140_706 + 510del7831) that resulted in skipping of exon 6 based on PAH-cDNA
      analysis in immortalized lymphocytes. The genomic deletion was present in a
      heterozygous state in 12 patients, i.e. in ~ 8% of all the analyzed PKU alleles,
      and might have originated from a Romanian founder.

PMID- 26481239
TI  - Prevalence and phylogenetic analysis of Babesia spp.  in Ixodes ricinus and
      Ixodes persulcatus ticks in Latvia.
AB  - Babesia spp. are tick-borne protozoan parasites that have been reported in many
      European countries and are considered to be emerging pathogens. Several Babesia
      spp. have been identified in ticks in Latvia. Recently, canine babesiosis cases
      were diagnosed for the first time in Latvia; therefore, continued studies on the
      prevalence and occurrence of new species are warranted. In the present study,
      questing tick samples collected in 2005-2007 were screened for the presence of
      Babesia spp.; in total, 432 Ixodes ricinus and 693 Ixodes persulcatus ticks were
      analyzed. Babesia spp. were detected in 1.4% of the I. ricinus ticks and in 1.9%
      of I. persulcatus ticks. Sequencing revealed that ixodid ticks in Latvia
      contained Babesia microti, Babesia capreoli, and Babesia venatorum. Babesia
      microti was the most prevalent species, accounting for 58% of all positive
      samples; moreover, two distinct B. microti genotypes were identified.
      Phylogenetic analysis of the full-length 18S rRNA gene of two B. capreoli/B.
      divergens isolates indicated a closer relationship to the B. capreoli clade than
      B. divergens. This is the first report of B. venatorum in I. persulcatus ticks in
      Latvia. Our results suggest that both I. ricinus and I. persulcatus ticks play
      important roles in the epidemiology of these zoonotic pathogens in Latvia.

PMID- 26481240
TI  - Revealing the functional structure of a new PLA2 K49 from Bothriopsis taeniata
      snake venom employing automatic "de novo" sequencing using CID/HCD/ETD MS/MS
      analyses.
AB  - Snake venoms are composed of approximately 90% of proteins with several
      pharmacological activities having high potential in research as biological tools.
      One of the most abundant compounds is phospholipases A2 (PLA2), which are the
      most studied venom protein due to their wide pharmacological activity. Using a
      combination of chromatographic steps, a new PLA2 K49 was isolated and purified
      from the whole venom of the Bothriopsis taeniata and submitted to analyses mass
      spectrometry. An automatic "de novo" sequencing of this new PLA2 K49 denominated
      Btt-TX was performed using Peaks Studio 6 for analysis of the spectra.
      Additionally, a triplex approach CID/HCD/ETD has been performed, to generate
      higher coverage of the sequence of the protein. Structural studies correlating
      biological activities were made associating specific Btt-TX regions and myotoxic
      activity. Lysine acetylation was performed to better understand the mechanism of
      membrane interaction, identifying the extreme importance of the highly
      hydrophobic amino acids L, P and F for disruption of the membrane. Our myotoxical
      studies show a possible membrane disruption mechanism by Creatine Kinase release
      without a noticeable muscle damage, that probably occurred without phospholipid
      hydrolyses, but with a probable penetration of the hydrophobic amino acids
      present in the C-terminal region of the protein.

PMID- 26481241
TI  - The extended, dynamic mitochondrial reticulum in skeletal muscle and the creatine
      kinase (CK)/phosphocreatine (PCr) shuttle are working hand in hand for optimal
      energy provision.

PMID- 26481242
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26481243
TI  - IgG4-related disease: A relatively new concept for clinicians.
AB  - IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a recently recognized chronic fibrotic
      inflammation, which can affect almost every organ, and may come to clinical
      attention first due to visible organ swelling or organ dysfunction, or is
      identified incidentally by imaging and specific biopsy. The disorder has an
      allergic background and is immune-mediated. Up-regulated responses of T helper 2
      and T regulatory cells and their cytokines play a major role in disease
      progression. About 30-50% of patients are atopic or have mild eosinophilia. IgG4
      RD predominantly affects middle-aged male patients. The cornerstones of diagnosis
      of the disease are compatible clinical features and typical histopathology.
      Swelling of salivary and lacrimal glands, lymphadenopathy, and type 1 autoimmune
      pancreatitis (AIP) are the most common manifestations of the disease. However,
      other tissues and organs, such as retroperitoneum, lung, kidney, aorta, upper
      airways, thyroid gland, meninges, heart, mesenterium and skin may be involved.
      Typical histopathology is lymphoplasmacytic infiltration abundant in IgG4
      positive plasma cells, storiform-type fibrosis, and obliterative phlebitis.
      Elevated serum IgG4 concentration supports the diagnosis. Characteristic imaging
      features such as a "capsule-like rim" surrounding the pancreatic lesions is
      highly specific to type 1 AIP. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission
      tomography/computed tomography enables mapping the sites of inflammation, permits
      evaluation of the extent of the disease, helps in guiding biopsy decision, and
      may be used in monitoring response to treatment. Glucocorticoids alone or in
      combination with B-cell depletion with rituximab induces prompt clinical response
      to IgG4-RD. This article reviews the current understanding, different clinical
      manifestations, and approaches to diagnosis and treatment of IgG4-RD. 

PMID- 26481244
TI  - A methodology for comprehensive breast cancer Ki67 labeling index with intra
      tumor heterogeneity appraisal based on hexagonal tiling of digital image analysis
      data.
AB  - Digital image analysis (DIA) enables higher accuracy, reproducibility, and
      capacity to enumerate cell populations by immunohistochemistry; however, the most
      unique benefits may be obtained by evaluating the spatial distribution and intra
      tissue variance of markers. The proliferative activity of breast cancer tissue,
      estimated by the Ki67 labeling index (Ki67 LI), is a prognostic and predictive
      biomarker requiring robust measurement methodologies. We performed DIA on whole
      slide images (WSI) of 302 surgically removed Ki67-stained breast cancer
      specimens; the tumour classifier algorithm was used to automatically detect
      tumour tissue but was not trained to distinguish between invasive and non
      invasive carcinoma cells. The WSI DIA-generated data were subsampled by hexagonal
      tiling (HexT). Distribution and texture parameters were compared to conventional
      WSI DIA and pathology report data. Factor analysis of the data set, including
      total numbers of tumor cells, the Ki67 LI and Ki67 distribution, and texture
      indicators, extracted 4 factors, identified as entropy, proliferation,
      bimodality, and cellularity. The factor scores were further utilized in cluster
      analysis, outlining subcategories of heterogeneous tumors with predominant
      entropy, bimodality, or both at different levels of proliferative activity. The
      methodology also allowed the visualization of Ki67 LI heterogeneity in tumors and
      the automated detection and quantitative evaluation of Ki67 hotspots, based on
      the upper quintile of the HexT data, conceptualized as the "Pareto hotspot". We
      conclude that systematic subsampling of DIA-generated data into HexT enables
      comprehensive Ki67 LI analysis that reflects aspects of intra-tumor heterogeneity
      and may serve as a methodology to improve digital immunohistochemistry in
      general.

PMID- 26481246
TI  - Communication skills in diagnostic pathology.
AB  - Communication is an essential element of good medical practice also in pathology.
      In contrast to technical or diagnostic skills, communication skills are not easy
      to define, teach, or assess. Rules almost do not exist. In this paper, which has
      a rather personal character and cannot be taken as a set of guidelines, important
      aspects of communication in pathology are explored. This includes what should be
      communicated to the pathologist on the pathology request form, communication
      between pathologists during internal (interpathologist) consultation,
      communication around frozen section diagnoses, modalities of communication of a
      final diagnosis, with whom and how critical and unexpected findings should be
      communicated, (in-)adequate routes of communication for pathology diagnoses, who
      will (or might) receive pathology reports, and what should be communicated and
      how in case of an error or a technical problem. An earlier more formal
      description of what the responsibilities are of a pathologist as communicator and
      as collaborator in a medical team is added in separate tables. The intention of
      the paper is to stimulate reflection and discussion rather than to formulate
      strict rules. 

PMID- 26481245
TI  - The heterogeneity of follicular lymphomas: from early development to
      transformation.
AB  - Follicular lymphoma (FL) is a lymphoma composed of germinal center B cells, i.e.,
      centroblasts and centrocytes, that almost always show at least a focal follicular
      growth pattern. Most cases have a characteristic CD5-, CD10+, BCL6+, and BCL2+
      immunophenotype, and 85 % of cases exhibit the hallmark translocation
      t(14;18)(q32;q21) involving BCL2 and IGH. Although the typical
      clinicopathological findings of FL are well recognized, cases with unusual
      clinical, morphologic, immunophenotypic, and genetic features may pose problems
      in diagnosis and nomenclature. In the slide workshop organized by the European
      Association for Haematopathology (EAHP) and the Society for Hematopathology (SH)
      held in Istanbul, Turkey, unusual variants of FL were discussed based on the
      submitted cases, including early lesions, localized extranodal presentation,
      uncommon immunophenotype, rare genetic alterations, diffuse variant, and marginal
      zone differentiation. Interesting features such as blastoid morphology and
      unusual progression forms were presented, aiming to understand the genetic basis
      of transformation. In this report, novel findings and diagnostic challenges
      emerging from the submitted cases will be highlighted, and new terminologies for
      some of these lesions are proposed.

PMID- 26481247
TI  - Cerebellar Control on Prefrontal-Motor Connectivity During Movement Inhibition.
AB  - Converging evidence suggests a crucial role of right inferior frontal gyrus (r
      IFG) and right pre-supplementary motor area (r-preSMA) in movement inhibition
      control. The present work was aimed to investigate how the effective connectivity
      between these prefrontal areas and the primary motor cortex could change
      depending on the activity of the cerebellar cortex. Paired transcranial magnetic
      stimulation (TMS) was delivered in healthy subjects over the r-IFG/left primary
      motor area (l-M1) and over r-preSMA/l-M1 before (100 ms after the fixation cross
      onset) and 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150 ms after the presentation of a Go/NoGo
      visual cue establishing the specific time course and the causal interactions of
      these regions in relation to l-M1 as measured by motor evoked potentials (MEPs).
      The same paired-pulse protocol was applied following sham or real cerebellar
      continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS). Following sham cTBS, for NoGo trials
      only, MEPs collected showed the expected pattern of activation for both r-IFG-l
      M1 and r-preSMA-l-M1 connectivity, characterized by peaks of increased and
      decreased MEP amplitude regularly repeated every 50 ms. Following cerebellar
      cTBS, this pattern of activation related to NoGo trials was modified selectively
      for the r-IFG-M1 but not for r-preSMA-M1 connection. A common monitoring action
      of r-IFG and r-preSMA in inhibitory control was confirmed. The effects of
      cerebellar cTBS showed a specific interaction between cerebellum and r-IFG
      activity during the inhibitory process.

PMID- 26481248
TI  - Harness the power of endogenous neural stem cells by biomaterials  to treat
      spinal cord injury.

PMID- 26481249
TI  - Primary orbital yolk sac tumor: report of a case and review of literature.
AB  - Germ cell tumor can affect extragonadal sites. Teratoma is a well-recognized
      extragonadal tumor in the orbit. Primary yolk sac tumor (YST) or endodermal sinus
      tumor of orbit is rare and only few cases have been reported in the literature.
      Its clinical presentation may mimic many common pediatric orbital conditions, and
      delay in diagnosis affects ocular morbidity and mortality. In the past orbital
      YST has been treated with multimodal therapy including surgery, systemic
      chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Herein we describe a case of primary orbital YST
      and reviewed the literature for similar cases. The review aims to describe the
      clinical presentation, imaging features, histopathological characteristics, and
      management of orbital YST. 

PMID- 26481250
TI  - Evaluation of hematological markers in minor head trauma in the emergency room.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A rule exists regarding the use of computed tomography (CT) for
      patients presenting to the emergency department with head trauma and a Glasgow
      coma score (GCS) of 15; however, it can be difficult to make this decision due to
      overcrowded emergency rooms or exaggerated patients complaints. We evaluated
      patients who presented to the emergency room with minor head trauma, and we aimed
      to investigate the relationship between brain pathology on CT and hematological
      markers in order to find markers that help us identify brain pathology in
      patients with a GCS of 15. METHODS: This retrospective study included 100
      patients with pathologies present on their CT scans and a control group
      consisting of 100 patients with a normal CT. All data obtained from this study
      were recorded and evaluated using "Statistical Package for Social Sciences for
      Windows 20" program. Parametric tests (independent samples test) were used with
      normally distributed data, while non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U test) were
      used with non-normally distributed data. A p <= 0.05 was considered significant.
      FINDING: When we divided the cases into two groups based on the presence of
      pathologies on CT scan, we determined that there were significant differences
      between the groups in terms of white blood cell (WBC), hemoglobin (Hb), mean
      platelet volume (MPV), neutrophil (neu), troponin T, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio
      (NLR) and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR). When differentiating the patients that
      had brain pathologies on CT scan from patients that had normal CT scans, the
      troponin T cut-off value of 6.16 lead to 90 % specificity, and setting the NLR
      cut-off value at 4.29 resulted in a specificity of 90 %. CONCLUSION: MPV, NLR,
      and troponin T can be used as parameters that indicate brain pathologies on CT
      scans of patients presenting to the emergency department with isolated minor head
      trauma and GCS of 15 when the necessity of a CT scan is otherwise unclear.

PMID- 26481251
TI  - Diagnostic value of MRI features of sacroiliitis in juvenile spondyloarthritis.
AB  - AIM: To determine the diagnostic utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      features of sacroiliitis in juvenile spondyloarthritis (JSpA). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This was a prospective study of 80 paediatric patients who underwent MRI
      of the sacroiliac joints that were clinically suspected to have sacroiliitis. The
      prevalence of MRI features of active and structural lesions of sacroiliitis was
      recorded. Patients were classified according to the International League of
      Association for Rheumatology criteria. The MRI findings were compared to the
      final clinical diagnosis. RESULTS: Sacroiliitis was seen in 25/80 (31%) patients.
      MRI showed active inflammation in 23 patients (29%): synovial enhancement (28%),
      high short tau inversion recovery (STIR)-signal in the joint space (29%), bone
      marrow oedema (BMO; 20%), and capsulitis (8%). Structural changes were present in
      14 patients (18%): erosion (14%), fat infiltration (13%), sclerosis (8%), and
      ankylosis (1%). Of all MRI features, ankylosis (100%), capsulitis (98%), BMO
      (96%), and erosion (96%) had the highest specificity for JSpA; global diagnostic
      impression (55%) and synovial enhancement (52%) were the MRI features with the
      highest sensitivity. The likelihood ratios (LR+) for diagnosis of JSpA were high
      for BMO (10.5), capsulitis (7.5), global diagnostic impression (6.9), and
      erosions (6.75), but greater for BMO concomitant with synovial enhancement (LR+
      19.5) and for erosion concomitant with BMO (LR+ 12) or synovial enhancement (LR+
      13.5). CONCLUSION: There are multiple features of active inflammation and
      structural damage visible at MRI of the sacroiliac joints that can provide a
      specific diagnosis of JSpA when present in children with suspected sacroiliitis.
      Synovial enhancement is the MRI feature with the highest sensitivity for JSpA. If
      BMO is seen concomitant with synovial enhancement or erosion, the diagnosis of
      JSpA is very likely. Ankylosis, capsulitis, bone marrow oedema, and erosion all
      have a high specificity for JSpA. Absence of MRI findings of sacroiliitis does
      not exclude the diagnosis of JSpA.

PMID- 26481252
TI  - Editorial - All Change.

PMID- 26481253
TI  - Dual treatment of acute HCV infection in HIV co-infection: influence of HCV
      genotype upon treatment outcome.
AB  - PURPOSE: With DAAs still only being licensed for chronic HCV infection, the
      ongoing epidemic of acute hepatitis C (AHC) infection among MSM highlights the
      need to identify factors allowing for optimal HCV treatment outcome. METHODS: 303
      HIV-infected patients from 4 European countries with diagnosed acute HCV
      infection were treated early with pegylated interferon (pegIFN) and ribavirin
      (RBV) (n = 273) or pegylated interferon alone (n = 30). RESULTS: All patients
      were male, median age was 39 years. Main routes of transmission were MSM (95%)
      and IVDU (3%). 69% of patients were infected with HCV GT 1, 4.3% with GT 2, 10.6%
      with GT 3, 16.1% with GT 4. Overall SVR rate was 69.3% (210/303). RVR (p <=
      0.001), 48-w treatment duration (p <= 0.001) and GT 2/3 (p = 0.024) were
      significantly associated with SVR. SVR rates were significantly higher in HCV GT
      2/3 receiving pegIFN and RBV (33/35) when compared with pegIFN mono-therapy
      (6/10) (94% vs. 60 % respectively; p = 0.016). In multivariate analysis,
      pegIFN/RBV combination therapy (p = 0.017) and rapid virological response (RVR)
      (p = 0.022) were significantly associated with SVR in HCV GT 2/3. In HCV GT 1/4,
      RVR (p <= 0.001) and 48-w treatment duration (p <= 0.001) were significantly
      associated with SVR. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of AHC GT 2 and 3 infections with
      pegIFN/RBV is associated with higher SVR rates suggesting different cure rates
      depending on HCV genotype similar to the genotype effects seen previously in
      chronic HCV under pegIFN/RBV. With pegIFN/RBV still being the gold standard of
      AHC treatment and in light of cost issues around DAAs and very limited licensed
      interferon-free DAA treatment options for chronic HCV GT 3 infection AHC GT 3
      patients might benefit most from early interferon-containing treatment.

PMID- 26481254
TI  - Agenesis of internal carotid artery associated with isolated growth hormone
      deficiency: a case report and literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Agenesis of the internal carotid artery (ICA) is a rare congenital
      abnormality, sporadically reported to be associated with a combined congenital
      hypopituitarism. Nevertheless, only a few cases have been extensively described,
      and none of these have been characterized by an isolated growth hormone (GH)
      deficiency. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we describe a 17-year old boy referred to
      our hospital for fatigue, decreased muscle strength and severe headache reported
      after the cessation of rhGH treatment for a GH deficiency diagnosed at the age of
      2 years and 3 months. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an adenohypophyseal
      hypoplasia with a lack of posterior pituitary hyperintensity, whereas MRI
      angiography indicated the absence of a normal flow void in the left ICA.
      Endocrinological tests confirmed the GH deficiency (GH peak after growth-hormone
      releasing hormone (GHRH) + arginine: 2.42 ng/mL) with a very low IGF-I value (31
      ng/mL) and normal function of other pituitary axes. CONCLUSION: To the best of
      our knowledge this is the first confirmed case of an isolated GH deficiency in a
      patient with ICA agenesis. The presence of an isolated pituitary deficit is
      unlike to be considered only as an effect of hemodynamic mechanism, suggesting a
      role for genetic factor(s) as a common cause of these two rare birth defects.
      Further studies could clarify this issue and the underlying mechanisms to better
      understand the etiopathogenetic characteristics of this disorder.

PMID- 26481255
TI  - Cancer classification in the genomic era: five contemporary problems.
AB  - Classification is an everyday instinct as well as a full-fledged scientific
      discipline. Throughout the history of medicine, disease classification is central
      to how we develop knowledge, make diagnosis, and assign treatment. Here, we
      discuss the classification of cancer and the process of categorizing cancer
      subtypes based on their observed clinical and biological features. Traditionally,
      cancer nomenclature is primarily based on organ location, e.g., "lung cancer"
      designates a tumor originating in lung structures. Within each organ-specific
      major type, finer subgroups can be defined based on patient age, cell type,
      histological grades, and sometimes molecular markers, e.g., hormonal receptor
      status in breast cancer or microsatellite instability in colorectal cancer. In
      the past 15+ years, high-throughput technologies have generated rich new data
      regarding somatic variations in DNA, RNA, protein, or epigenomic features for
      many cancers. These data, collected for increasingly large tumor cohorts, have
      provided not only new insights into the biological diversity of human cancers but
      also exciting opportunities to discover previously unrecognized cancer subtypes.
      Meanwhile, the unprecedented volume and complexity of these data pose significant
      challenges for biostatisticians, cancer biologists, and clinicians alike. Here,
      we review five related issues that represent contemporary problems in cancer
      taxonomy and interpretation. (1) How many cancer subtypes are there? (2) How can
      we evaluate the robustness of a new classification system? (3) How are
      classification systems affected by intratumor heterogeneity and tumor evolution?
      (4) How should we interpret cancer subtypes? (5) Can multiple classification
      systems co-exist? While related issues have existed for a long time, we will
      focus on those aspects that have been magnified by the recent influx of complex
      multi-omics data. Exploration of these problems is essential for data-driven
      refinement of cancer classification and the successful application of these
      concepts in precision medicine. 

PMID- 26481256
TI  - Alterations in walking knee joint stiffness in individuals with knee
      osteoarthritis and self-reported knee instability.
AB  - Increased walking knee joint stiffness has been reported in patients with knee
      osteoarthritis (OA) as a compensatory strategy to improve knee joint stability.
      However, presence of episodic self-reported knee instability in a large subgroup
      of patients with knee OA may be a sign of inadequate walking knee joint
      stiffness. The objective of this work was to evaluate the differences in walking
      knee joint stiffness in patients with knee OA with and without self-reported
      instability and examine the relationship between walking knee joint stiffness
      with quadriceps strength, knee joint laxity, and varus knee malalignment.
      Overground biomechanical data at a self-selected gait velocity was collected for
      35 individuals with knee OA without self-reported instability (stable group) and
      17 individuals with knee OA and episodic self-reported instability (unstable
      group). Knee joint stiffness was calculated during the weight-acceptance phase of
      gait as the change in the external knee joint moment divided by the change in the
      knee flexion angle. The unstable group walked with lower knee joint stiffness
      (p=0.01), mainly due to smaller heel-contact knee flexion angles (p<0.01) and
      greater knee flexion excursions (p<0.01) compared to their knee stable
      counterparts. No significant relationships were observed between walking knee
      joint stiffness and quadriceps strength, knee joint laxity or varus knee
      malalignment. Reduced walking knee joint stiffness appears to be associated with
      episodic knee instability and independent of quadriceps muscle weakness, knee
      joint laxity or varus malalignment. Further investigations of the temporal
      relationship between self-reported knee joint instability and walking knee joint
      stiffness are warranted. 

PMID- 26481257
TI  - A comparison of variability in spatiotemporal gait parameters between treadmill
      and overground walking conditions.
AB  - Motorized treadmills are commonly used in biomechanical and clinical studies of
      human walking. Whether treadmill walking induces identical motor responses to
      overground walking, however, is equivocal. The purpose of this study was to
      examine differences in the spatiotemporal gait parameters of the lower
      extremities and trunk during treadmill and overground walking using comparison of
      mean and variability values. Twenty healthy participants (age 23.8+/-1.2 years)
      walked for 6min on a treadmill and overground while wearing APDM 6 Opal inertial
      monitors. Stride length, stride time, stride velocity, cadence, stance phase
      percentage, and peak sagittal and frontal plane trunk velocities were measured.
      Mean values were calculated for each parameter as well as estimates of short-
      (SD1) and long-term variability (SD2) using Poincare analyses. The mean, SD1, and
      SD2 values were compared between overground and treadmill walking conditions with
      paired t-tests (alpha=0.05) and with effect size estimates using Cohen's d
      statistic. Mean values for each of the gait parameters were statistically
      equivalent between treadmill and overground walking (p>0.05). The SD1 and SD2
      values representing short- and long-term variability were considerably reduced
      (p<0.05) on the treadmill as compared to overground walking. This demonstrates
      the importance of consideration of gait variability when using treadmills for
      research or clinical purposes. Treadmill training may induce invariant gait
      patterns, posing difficulty in translating locomotor skills gained on a treadmill
      to overground walking conditions. 

PMID- 26481258
TI  - Contributors of stiff knee gait pattern for able bodies: Hip and knee velocity
      reduction and tiptoe gait.
AB  - Stiff-knee gait (SKG) is commonly encountered in clinic; many other gait
      abnormalities are seen together with this pathology. Simulation studies revealed
      that diminished knee flexion (KF) velocity and increased knee extension moments
      are strongly related with SKG. This study aimed to determine whether tiptoe
      walking and hip-knee flexion velocity reduction causes SKG pattern in healthy
      participants. METHODS: Fourteen able-bodied adults' (Av. age: 23.0+/-2.4) heel
      toe (N), tiptoe (T), and walking with 5% body weight on both shanks (W) were
      analyzed using 3D gait analysis by controlling cadence (90step/min). Repeated
      measures analysis of variance was used followed by Bonferroni correction
      (p<0.05). RESULTS: Walking velocity and cadence were similar for all conditions
      (p>0.1). Maximum hip flexion velocity was reduced (15%) significantly as well as
      the KF velocity (10%) in the W condition. The peak knee flexion (PKF) (8.3% for
      T, 8.6% for W) and total knee range (10.9% for T, 13% for W) were reduced for
      both conditions (p<0.05). The knee range in early swing and the duration between
      toe-off and PKF were reduced only in the weighted-leg condition (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Slow hip and knee flexion diminished all SKG parameters except
      timing of PKF. Tiptoe gait itself generated a borderline SKG pattern by reducing
      the PKF and total knee range. By considering that tiptoe gait and SKG commonly
      seen together, some of the SKG contributors can be treated by normalizing the
      ankle motion in the stance and increasing the hip-knee flexion velocity by
      rigorously planned muscle lengthening procedures and effective strengthening
      exercises.

PMID- 26481259
TI  - Association of serum VEGF with clinical response to anti-TNFalpha therapy for
      Crohn's disease.
AB  - Down-regulation of immune-mediated angiogenesis seems to be an important
      mechanism in anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNFalpha) therapy for Crohn's
      disease (CD). However, it remains to be established whether the baseline pro
      angiogenic activity as reflected by the level of vascular endothelial growth
      factor (VEGF) could be of predictive value for successful clinical outcome of
      such treatment. Here, the levels of serum VEGF and other crucial angiogenesis
      regulating peptides were assessed before and after induction anti-TNFalpha
      therapy in CD patients, and in age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Clinical,
      endoscopic, and biochemical activity of CD was estimated in parallel. CD patients
      were divided into two subgroups, depending on baseline VEGF levels: a "low-VEGF"
      subgroup with VEGF levels similar to those detected in healthy people, and a
      "high-VEGF" subgroup with VEGF levels significantly increased. VEGF levels were
      found to significantly correlate with CD clinical activity. Compared to the "low
      VEGF" subgroup, the reduction in CD clinical activity as assessed by Crohn's
      Disease Activity Index was significantly greater in "high-VEGF" patients both in
      absolute numbers, and as a percentage of pre-treatment values. Accordingly, the
      fraction of patients who did not respond adequately to treatment was
      significantly greater in the "low-VEGF" group. These data indicate that VEGF may
      serve as an additional marker of CD activity and that baseline VEGF levels can be
      helpful in predicting the efficacy of anti-TNFalpha therapy.

PMID- 26481260
TI  - Interleukin-15 enhances the expansion and function of natural killer T cells from
      adult peripheral and umbilical cord blood.
AB  - Invariant natural killer T cells (iNKT cells) are innate-like non-conventional T
      cells restricted by the CD1d molecule that are unique in their ability to play a
      pivotal role in immune regulation. Deficient iNKT function has been reported in
      patients receiving umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplantation. We sought to
      determine the effect of interleukin (IL)-15 on alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha
      GalCer)-expanded iNKT cell function from UCB and adult peripheral blood (APB)
      mononuclear cells (MNCs). Fresh APB and UCB MNCs were cultured with IL-15 (50
      ng/ml) in the presence or absence of alpha-GalCer (100 ng/ml) for 10 days. Cells
      were harvested for examination of cell yield, apoptosis, cytokine production and
      cytotoxic function of Valpha24(+)/Vbeta11(+) iNKT cells. We observed that alpha
      GalCer-expanded APB and UCB iNKT cells and such expansion was further enhanced
      with IL-15. The percentage of CD3(+)CD56(+) NKT-like cells in both APB and UCB
      MNCs was increased with IL-15 but not with alpha-GalCer. Apoptosis of UCB iNKT
      cells was ameliorated by IL-15. Although APB and UCB iNKT cells secreted lower
      IFN-gamma, it could be enhanced with IL-15. The expression of perforin in APB
      iNKT cells can also be enhanced with IL-15. UCB Valpha24(+)Vbeta11(+) iNKT cells
      further augmented K562 cytotoxicity mediated by IL-15. Taken together, these
      results demonstrated the relative functional deficiencies of alpha-GalCer induced
      UCB iNKT cells, which can be ameliorated by IL-15. Our findings suggest a
      therapeutic benefit of IL-15 immunotherapy during the post-UCB transplant period
      when iNKT function remains poor.

PMID- 26481261
TI  - An investigation into the exercise behaviours of regionally based Australian
      pregnant women.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Regular exercise during pregnancy is a recommended prenatal care
      strategy with short and long-term health benefits to mother and child.
      Unfortunately, most pregnant women are insufficiently active to obtain health
      benefits and there is evidence that activity levels decrease overall during
      pregnancy. Physical activity among regionally based women is lower than that of
      urban-based women within Australia. However, little is currently known about
      exercise behaviours of regionally based Australian pregnant women. To
      successfully promote exercise among regionally based pregnant women, a greater
      understanding of exercise behaviours must first be explored. This study
      investigated exercise behaviours in a sample of regionally based Australian
      pregnant women. DESIGN: Regionally based Australian pregnant women (n=142)
      completed a modified version of the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire
      examining exercise behaviours before and during pregnancy. METHODS: Women self
      reported their exercise behaviours, including exercise frequency, intensity, time
      and type, before and during pregnancy. RESULTS: Chi-square analysis revealed
      significantly less (chi(2)=31.66, p<0.05) women participated in exercise during
      pregnancy (61%) compared to before pregnancy (87%). During pregnancy, respondents
      exercised at a significantly lower frequency (chi(2)=111.63, p<0.05), intensity
      (chi(2)=67.41, p<0.05), shorter time/duration (chi(2)=114.33, p<0.05), and
      significantly less (chi(2)=8.55, p<0.05) women (8%) are meeting 'exercise during
      pregnancy' guidelines compared to women before pregnancy (49%) meeting physical
      activity guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise during pregnancy decreases to levels
      significantly lower than what is currently recommended. Public health initiatives
      that promote exercise among Australian pregnant women should aim to increase
      frequency, intensity, time and type of exercise to be undertaken during
      pregnancy.

PMID- 26481262
TI  - School's out ... now what? Objective estimates of afterschool sedentary time and
      physical activity from childhood to adolescence.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the change in afterschool levels of sedentary time and
      physical activity from childhood to adolescence. DESIGN: Longitudinal. METHODS:
      375 youth (50% boys) from the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development
      (United States) provided accelerometer data at 9 (2000/01) and 15 yrs (2006/07).
      Average time spent in sedentary, light, moderate, vigorous, and moderate-to
      vigorous physical activity (MVPA; minh(-1)) was reported across the afterschool
      period (15:00-22:00) and separately across whole days. Mean comparisons were
      conducted to report between- and within-group differences in afterschool data.
      Analysis of covariance was used to determine the effect of sex, ethnicity, and
      baseline body mass index (BMI) on the 6-yr change in afterschool sedentary time
      and MVPA before and after adjusting for covariates (baseline afterschool
      sedentary/MVPA time, change in non-afterschool sedentary/MVPA time, difference in
      afterschool wear time, and socioeconomic status). RESULTS: From 9 to 15 yrs,
      sedentary time increased and activity decreased during the afterschool period.
      After covariate adjustment, the decline in afterschool MVPA was significantly
      greater among girls, compared to boys (B coefficient (95%CI)=-0.94 (-1.47, 
      0.40)), and among overweight/obese youth, compared to youth with normal BMI
      values (B coefficient (95%CI)=-0.65 (-1.22, -0.08)). CONCLUSIONS: During the
      transition from childhood to adolescence, afterschool activity (minh(-1))
      decreases while sedentary time increases. Programs are needed throughout this
      period that promote the maintenance of activity or encourage additional activity
      with age.

PMID- 26481263
TI  - Quantitative Analysis of the Degree of Frontal Rotation Required to Anatomically
      Align the First Metatarsal Phalangeal Joint During Modified Tarsal-Metatarsal
      Arthrodesis Without Capsular Balancing.
AB  - The data from 35 consecutive patients with hallux valgus undergoing triplane
      arthrodesis at the first tarsal metatarsal joint were studied to determine the
      amount of first metatarsal frontal plane rotation (supination) needed to
      anatomically align the first metatarsal phalangeal joint on an anterior posterior
      radiograph without soft tissue balancing at the first metatarsal phalangeal
      joint. Radiographs were measured both pre- and postoperatively to assess the 1-2
      intermetatarsal angle, hallux abductus angle, and tibial sesamoid position (TSP).
      The mean amount of varus (supination) rotation performed during correction was
      22.1 degrees  +/- 5.2 degrees  and the mean amount of intermetatarsal angle
      reduction achieved after completion of the procedure was 6.9 degrees  +/- 3.0
      degrees . The TSP changed by a mean of 3.3 degrees  +/- 1.2 degrees . A series of
      univariate linear regression analyses was performed to analyze the relationship
      between the frontal plane rotation of the first metatarsal performed during the
      operation and the preoperative intermetatarsal angle, hallux abductus angle, and
      TSP. Greater preoperative TSP scores were associated with greater intraoperative
      varus (supination) rotation required for joint alignment. Direct observation of
      the alignment changes at the first metatarsal phalangeal joint after metatarsal
      rotation without distal procedures strengthened the notion that the frontal plane
      rotational position plays an important role in the bunion deformity.

PMID- 26481264
TI  - Big Questions for "Big Data".

PMID- 26481265
TI  - The Use of Ophthalmic Ultrasonography to Identify Retinal Injuries Associated
      With Abusive Head Trauma.
AB  - Abusive head trauma includes any nonaccidental injury inflicted to a child's head
      and body. It is often characterized by, but not limited to, the repetitive
      acceleration-deceleration forces with or without blunt head impact. It has a
      mortality rate of 30%, and 80% of survivors experience permanent neurologic
      damage. In this case series, we hypothesize that bedside ultrasonography can be
      useful in the identification of retinal injuries that are consistent with abusive
      head trauma. Ocular manifestations of abusive head trauma are identified by
      dilated ophthalmic examination showing retinal hemorrhages that are too numerous
      to count, multilayered, and extending to the periphery. Traumatic retinoschisis,
      splitting of the retinal layers with or without blood accumulating in the
      intervening space, is exclusive for abusive head trauma in infants without a
      history of significant cerebral crush injury. Direct visualization of intraocular
      structures is difficult when the eyelids are swollen shut or when dilatation must
      be delayed. We present a series of 11 patients with brain injuries who underwent
      ophthalmic point-of-care ultrasonography that revealed traumatic retinoschisis on
      average 60 hours earlier than direct ophthalmic visualization. Dilated ophthalmic
      examinations and autopsy reports confirmed retinoschisis and other forms of
      retinal hemorrhages that were too numerous to count, multilayered, and extending
      to the periphery in all 11 patients. One patient did not have a dilated
      ophthalmic examination; however, traumatic retinoschisis and retinal hemorrhages
      were confirmed on autopsy. Ocular point-of-care ultrasonography is a promising
      tool to investigate abusive head trauma through the identification of traumatic
      retinoschisis and retinal hemorrhages when pupillary dilatation and direct
      ophthalmic examination is delayed.

PMID- 26481266
TI  - In vivo and in vitro analyses of alpha-galactosylceramide uptake by conventional
      dendritic cell subsets using its fluorescence-labeled derivative.
AB  - Conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) present alpha-galactosylceramide (alphaGC) to
      invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells through CD1d. Among cDC subsets, CD8(+)
      DCs efficiently induce IFN-gamma production in iNKT cells. Using fluorescence
      labeled alphaGC, we showed that CD8(+) DCs incorporated larger amounts of alphaGC
      and kept it intact longer than CD8(-) DCs. Histological analyses revealed that
      Langerin(+)CD8(+) DCs in the splenic marginal zone, which was the unique
      equipment to capture blood-borne antigens, preferably incorporated alphaGC, and
      the depletion of Langerin(+) cells decreased IFN-gamma and IL-12 production in
      response to alphaGC. Furthermore, splenic Langerin(+)CD8(+) DCs expressed more
      membrane-bound CXCL16, which possibly anchored iNKT cells in the marginal zone,
      than CD8(-) DCs. Collectively, it is suggested that the cellular properties and
      localization of CD8(+) DCs are important for stimulation of iNKT cells by
      alphaGC. 

PMID- 26481267
TI  - Cognitive Load in Mastoidectomy Skills Training: Virtual Reality Simulation and
      Traditional Dissection Compared.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The cognitive load (CL) theoretical framework suggests that working
      memory is limited, which has implications for learning and skills acquisition.
      Complex learning situations such as surgical skills training can potentially
      induce a cognitive overload, inhibiting learning. This study aims to compare CL
      in traditional cadaveric dissection training and virtual reality (VR) simulation
      training of mastoidectomy. DESIGN: A prospective, crossover study. Participants
      performed cadaveric dissection before VR simulation of the procedure or vice
      versa. CL was estimated by secondary-task reaction time testing at baseline and
      during the procedure in both training modalities. SETTING: The national Danish
      temporal bone course. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 40 novice otorhinolaryngology
      residents. RESULTS: Reaction time was increased by 20% in VR simulation training
      and 55% in cadaveric dissection training of mastoidectomy compared with baseline
      measurements. Traditional dissection training increased CL significantly more
      than VR simulation training (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: VR simulation training
      imposed a lower CL than traditional cadaveric dissection training of
      mastoidectomy. Learning complex surgical skills can be a challenge for the novice
      and mastoidectomy skills training could potentially be optimized by employing VR
      simulation training first because of the lower CL. Traditional dissection
      training could then be used to supplement skills training after basic
      competencies have been acquired in the VR simulation.

PMID- 26481269
TI  - Non-residents with unpaid NHS bills can be reported to Home Office, Court of
      Appeal rules.

PMID- 26481268
TI  - A Disease-Specific Hybrid Rotation Increases Opportunities for Deliberate
      Practice.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Incorporating deliberate practice (DP) into residency curricula may
      optimize education. DP includes educationally protected time, continuous expert
      feedback, and a focus on a limited number of technical skills. It is strongly
      associated with mastery level learning. OBJECTIVE: Determine if a
      multidisciplinary breast rotation (MDB) increases DP opportunities. DESIGN:
      Beginning in 2010, interns completed the 4-week MDB. Three days a week were spent
      in surgery and surgical clinic. Half-days were in breast radiology, pathology,
      medical oncology, and didactics. The MDB was retrospectively compared with a
      traditional community rotation (TCR) and a university surgical oncology service
      (USOS) using rotation feedback and resident operative volume. Data are presented
      as mean +/- standard deviation. SETTING: Oregon Health and Science University in
      Portland, Oregon; an academic tertiary care general surgery residency program.
      PARTICIPANTS: General surgery residents at Oregon Health and Science University
      participating in either the MDB, TCR or USOS. RESULTS: A total of 31 interns
      rated the opportunity to perform procedures significantly higher for MDB than TCR
      or USOS (4.6 +/- 0.6 vs 4.2 +/- 0.9 and 4.1 +/- 1.0, p < 0.05). MDB was rated
      higher than TCR on quality of faculty teaching and educational materials (4.5 +/-
      0.7 vs 4.1 +/- 0.9 and 4.0 +/- 1.2 vs 3.5 +/- 1.0, p < 0.05). Interns operated
      more on the MDB than on the USOS and were more focused on breast resections,
      lymph node dissections, and port placements than on the traditional surgical
      rotation or USOS. CONCLUSIONS: The MDB incorporates multidisciplinary care into a
      unique, disease-specific, and educationally focused rotation. It is highly rated
      and affords a greater opportunity for DP than either the USOS or TCR. DP is
      strongly associated with mastery learning and this novel rotation structure could
      maximize intern education in the era of limited work hours.

PMID- 26481270
TI  - Positive Youth Development and Contraceptive Use Consistency.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Understanding protective factors associated with adolescent
      contraceptive use can guide strategies to prevent unprotected sex and its
      consequences. The current study investigated associations between a set of
      protective factors, specifically indicators of positive youth development, and
      consistency of contraceptive use. METHOD: This cross-sectional study examined
      relationships between positive youth development indicators and consistency of
      contraceptive use among sexually active adolescent girls at elevated risk for
      pregnancy. Multivariate models assessed whether measures of individual
      attributes, social attachments, and social norms were associated with consistent
      condom and hormonal contraceptive use. RESULTS: Adolescents with higher self
      esteem and greater family connectedness reported more consistent hormonal
      contraceptive use. Two factors, stress management skills and perceived peer
      prosocial norms, were protective for consistent condom use. In contrast, steady
      partnership status was associated with less consistent condom use. DISCUSSION:
      Findings suggest that interventions targeting protective factors may influence
      adolescents' contraceptive use, in addition to promoting their healthy
      development.

PMID- 26481271
TI  - Trichloroacetic acid treatment as a tricky way for rapid purification of 1N/4R
      tau protein.
AB  - Tau protein consists of six different isoforms and each one has particular
      physiological roles. In order to analyze the specific function of each single
      isoforms, large quantity of highly purified tau isoforms is essential. Many
      studies have been done to purify tau isoforms by heat treatment, followed by
      perchloric acid and glycerol precipitation. We found out that 1N/4R tau is
      soluble in glycerol, that is why mentioned methods do not work for purifying this
      isoform. In this study, large amounts of active and highly purified (97%) 1N/4R
      tau protein has been prepared by utilization of trichloroacetic acid as
      precipitating agent. 

PMID- 26481272
TI  - Efficient expression and purification of biologically active human cystatin
      proteins.
AB  - Cystatins are reversible cysteine protease inhibitor proteins. They are known to
      play important roles in controlling cathepsins, neurodegenerative disease, and in
      immune system regulation. Production of recombinant cystatin proteins is
      important for biochemical and function characterization. In this study, we cloned
      and expressed human stefin A, stefin B and cystatin C in Escherichia coli. Human
      stefin A, stefin B and cystatin C were purified from soluble fraction. For
      cystatin C, we used various chaperone plasmids to make cystatin C soluble, as it
      is reported to localize in inclusion bodies. Trigger factor, GroES-GroEL, DnaK
      DnaJ-GrpE chaperones lead to the presence of cystatin C in the soluble fraction.
      Immobilized metal affinity chromatography, glutathione sepharose and anion
      exchange chromatography techniques were employed for efficient purification of
      these proteins. Their biological activities were tested by inhibition assays
      against cathepsin L and H3 protease. 

PMID- 26481273
TI  - Expression and purification of histone H3 proteins containing multiple sites of
      lysine acetylation using nonsense suppression.
AB  - Lysine acetylation is a common post-translational modification, which is
      especially prevalent in histone proteins in chromatin. A number of strategies
      exist for generating histone proteins containing lysine acetylation, but an
      especially attractive approach is to genetically encode acetyl-lysine residues
      using nonsense suppression. This strategy has been successfully applied to single
      sites of histone acetylation. However, because histone acetylation can often
      occur at multiple sites simultaneously, we were interested in determining whether
      this approach could be extended. Here we show that we can express histone H3
      proteins that incorporate up to four sites of lysine acetylation on the histone
      tail. Because the amount of expressed multi-acetylated histone is reduced
      relative to the wild type, a purification strategy involving affinity
      purification and ion exchange chromatography was optimized. This expression and
      purification strategy ultimately generates H3 histone uniformly acetylated at the
      desired position at levels and purity sufficient to assemble histone octamers.
      Histone octamers containing four sites of lysine acetylation were assembled into
      mononucleosomes and enzymatic assays confirmed that this acetylation largely
      blocks further acetylation by the yeast SAGA acetyltransferase complex. 

PMID- 26481274
TI  - Epstein-Barr virus infection is equally distributed across the invasive ductal
      and invasive lobular forms of breast cancer.
AB  - The role of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the pathogenesis of breast cancer is
      still unclear, although a growing body of evidence supports a link. The aim of
      this study was to investigate if EBV infection was more prevalent in invasive
      ductal carcinoma or invasive lobular carcinoma. An immunohistochemical marker for
      EBV (Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) clone E1-2.5) was applied to a
      tissue micro array section. The tissue micro array contained 80 cases of invasive
      ductal carcinoma, and 80 cases of invasive lobular carcinoma. Each case was
      scored as positive or negative for nuclear expression of EBNA1 in tumor cells
      using standard light microscopy. EBNA1 staining was evident in the tumor cells of
      63 cases (39.4% of tumor cases). By tumor type (ductal/lobular) EBV infection was
      noted in 34 (42.5%) cases of invasive ductal carcinoma and 29 (36.2%) cases of
      invasive lobular carcinoma, this difference was not found to be significant
      (P=0.518). This study indicates that EBV infection is equally distributed across
      the ductal and lobular tumor types. 

PMID- 26481275
TI  - Modelling characteristics to predict Legionella contamination risk - Surveillance
      of drinking water plumbing systems and identification of risk areas.
AB  - For the surveillance of drinking water plumbing systems (DWPS) and the
      identification of risk factors, there is a need for an early estimation of the
      risk of Legionella contamination within a building, using efficient and
      assessable parameters to estimate hazards and to prioritize risks. The precision,
      accuracy and effectiveness of ways of estimating the risk of higher Legionella
      numbers (temperature, stagnation, pipe materials, etc.) have only rarely been
      empirically assessed in practice, although there is a broad consensus about the
      impact of these risk factors. We collected n = 807 drinking water samples from 9
      buildings which had had Legionella spp. occurrences of >100 CFU/100mL within the
      last 12 months, and tested for Legionella spp., L. pneumophila, HPC 20 degrees C
      and 36 degrees C (culture-based). Each building was sampled for 6 months under
      standard operating conditions in the DWPS. We discovered high variability (up to
      4 log(10) steps) in the presence of Legionella spp. (CFU/100 mL) within all
      buildings over a half year period as well as over the course of a day.
      Occurrences were significantly correlated with temperature, pipe length measures,
      and stagnation. Logistic regression modelling revealed three parameters
      (temperature after flushing until no significant changes in temperatures can be
      obtained, stagnation (low withdrawal, qualitatively assessed), pipe length
      proportion) to be the best predictors of Legionella contamination (>100 CFU/100
      mL) at single outlets (precision = 66.7%; accuracy = 72.1%; F(0.5) score = 0.59).

PMID- 26481276
TI  - Optimising the diagnosis of narcolepsy: looking deeper into sleep studies.

PMID- 26481277
TI  - Differentially expressed microRNAs in kidney biopsies from various subtypes of
      nephrotic children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our previous study showed a set of increased miRNAs in serum or urine
      from nephrotic syndrome children. In this study, we investigated the renal
      expression of these miRNAs in nephrotic children and explored their role in
      pathogenesis and as potential indicators to differentiate subtypes of kidney
      diseases. METHODS: We enrolled 52 children with six different subtypes of
      nephropathy, and 8 normal kidney tissues were used as controls. RT-qPCR was used
      to quantify the expression of miR-191, miR-151-3p, miR-150, miR-30a-5p and miR
      19b in renal tissues. RESULTS: miR-191 and miR-151-3p exhibited significantly
      higher and lower intrarenal expression in all six subtypes of kidney diseases
      compared to controls. miR-19b was upregulated in three subtypes, and miR-30a-5p
      and miR-150 were downregulated in two and four subtypes, respectively. The
      intrarenal expression of miR-150 was significantly different between minimal
      change disease (MCD) and some other subtypes. The renal levels of these miRNAs
      correlated significantly with some renal functions and immune parameters.
      Bioinformatics showed that some target genes of these miRNAs were associated with
      immune and renal pathological changes. CONCLUSIONS: These five miRNAs may be
      involved in the pathogenesis of nephropathy in children. miR-150 is a potential
      typing indictor to differentiate MCD from other nephropathy subtypes.

PMID- 26481279
TI  - Pulmonary vein stenosis: Severity and location predict survival after surgical
      repair.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary vein characteristics that influence survival after repair
      of stenosis have not been defined. We sought to develop a predictive model
      relating postrepair survival to preoperative pulmonary vein characteristics on
      computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS: Patients who
      underwent pulmonary vein stenosis repair (1990-2012) with preoperative computed
      tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were reviewed. We measured pulmonary
      vein short and long cross-sectional diameters at the left atrial junction
      (downstream), vein bifurcation (upstream), and narrowest point, and calculated
      the total cross-sectional area indexed for body surface area. The relationship
      between pulmonary vein dimensions and survival was related via risk-adjusted
      parametric hazard analyses. RESULTS: Of 145 patients who underwent surgical
      repair, 31 had preoperative computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging
      and were analyzed. Surgical repairs were sutureless (n = 30) or pericardial patch
      reconstruction (n = 1). Mean follow-up was 4.28 +/- 4.2 years. In-hospital
      mortality was 9.7%; unadjusted survival was 75% +/- 7%, 69% +/- 8%, and 64% +/-
      7% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively. Median downstream total cross-sectional
      area indexed for body surface area was 163 mm(2)/m(2), upstream total cross
      sectional area indexed for body surface area was 263 mm(2)/m(2), and total cross
      sectional area indexed for body surface area at maximal stenosis, localized at
      the left atrial junction in approximately two thirds of patients, was 163
      mm(2)/m(2). Smaller upstream total cross-sectional area indexed for body surface
      area (P = .030) and greater number of stenotic pulmonary veins (P = .0069) were
      associated with increased early (<1 year) risk of death. Smaller downstream total
      cross-sectional area indexed for body surface area tended to be associated with a
      late risk of death (P = .059). CONCLUSIONS: Smaller upstream or downstream total
      cross-sectional area indexed for body surface area negatively influenced
      survival. Early survival seemed especially poor for patients with a greater
      number of stenotic veins and upstream pulmonary vein involvement. The total cross
      sectional area indexed for body surface area measurements can help to inform
      prognosis and stratify patients for enrollment in clinical trials of agents
      directed at pulmonary vein pathology.

PMID- 26481280
TI  - Septal myectomy for patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: A new paradigm.

PMID- 26481278
TI  - Rapamycin prevents bronchiolitis obliterans through increasing infiltration of
      regulatory B cells in a murine tracheal transplantation model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: B lymphocytes are generally considered to be activators of the immune
      response; however, recent findings have shown that a subtype of B lymphocytes,
      regulatory B lymphocytes, play a role in attenuating the immune response.
      Bronchiolitis obliterans remains the major limitation to modern-day lung
      transplantation. The role of regulatory B lymphocytes in bronchiolitis obliterans
      has not been elucidated. We hypothesized that regulatory B lymphocytes play a
      role in the attenuation of bronchiolitis obliterans. METHODS: We performed a
      standard heterotopic tracheal transplant model. Tracheas from Balb/c mice were
      transplanted into C57BL/6 recipients. Rapamycin treatment and dimethyl sulfoxide
      control groups were each treated for the first 14 days after the transplant.
      Tracheas were collected on days 7, 14, and 28 post-transplantation. Luminal
      obliteration was evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin staining and Picrosirius red
      staining. Immune cell infiltration and characteristics, and secretion of
      interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor-beta1 were accessed by
      immunohistochemistry. Cytokines and transforming growth factor-beta1 were
      measured using the Luminex assay (Bio-Rad, Hercules, Calif). RESULTS: The results
      revealed that intraperitoneal injection of rapamycin for 14 days after tracheal
      transplantation significantly reduced luminal obliteration on day 28 when
      compared with the dimethyl sulfoxide control group (97.78% +/- 3.63% vs 3.02% +/-
      2.14%, P < .001). Rapamycin treatment markedly induced regulatory B lymphocytes
      (B220(+)IgM(+)IgG(-)IL-10(+)TGF-beta1(+)) cells when compared with dimethyl
      sulfoxide controls. Rapamycin treatment inhibited interleukin-1beta, 6, 13, and
      17 on days 7 and 14. Rapamycin also greatly increased interleukin-10 and
      transforming growth factor-beta1 production in B cells and regulatory T
      lymphocytes infiltration on day 28. CONCLUSIONS: Mammalian target of rapamycin
      inhibition decreases the development of bronchiolitis obliterans via inhibition
      of proinflammatory cytokines and increasing regulatory B lymphocytes cell
      infiltration, which subsequently produces anti-inflammatory cytokines and
      upregulates regulatory T lymphocyte cells.

PMID- 26481281
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26481282
TI  - Toll-like receptor 4 inhibition attenuates ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats:
      Will it work in human beings?

PMID- 26481283
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26481284
TI  - Primary Prevention of Sudden Death in Patients With Valvular Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Few data exist on the outcomes of valvular
      cardiomyopathy patients referred for defibrillator implantation for primary
      prevention. The aim of the present study was to describe the outcomes of this
      cardiomyopathy subgroup. METHODS: This multicenter retrospective study included
      consecutive patients referred for defibrillator implantation to 15 Spanish
      centers in 2010 and 2011, and to 3 centers after 1 January 2008. RESULTS: Of 1174
      patients, 73 (6.2%) had valvular cardiomyopathy. These patients had worse
      functional class, wider QRS, and a history of atrial fibrillation vs patients
      with ischemic (n=659; 56.1%) or dilated (n=442; 37.6%) cardiomyopathy. During a
      follow-up of 38.1 +/- 21.3 months, 197 patients (16.7%) died, without significant
      differences among the groups (19.2% in the valvular cardiomyopathy group, 15.8%
      in the ischemic cardiomyopathy group, and 17.9% in the dilated cardiomyopathy
      group; P=.2); 136 died of cardiovascular causes (11.6%), without significant
      differences among the groups (12.3%, 10.5%, and 13.1%, respectively; P=.1).
      Although there were no differences in the proportion of appropriate defibrillator
      interventions (13.7%, 17.9%, and 18.8%; P=.4), there was a difference in
      inappropriate interventions (8.2%, 7.1%, and 12.0%, respectively; P=.03).
      CONCLUSIONS: All-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with valvular
      cardiomyopathy were similar to those in other patients referred for defibrillator
      implantation. They also had similar rates of appropriate interventions. These
      data suggest that defibrillator implantation in this patient group confers a
      similar benefit to that obtained by patients with ischemic or dilated
      cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26481285
TI  - Culture-negative Endocarditis: Mycoplasma hominis Infection.

PMID- 26481286
TI  - The Descending Septal Artery: Description of This Infrequent Coronary Anatomical
      Variant in Three Different Clinical Scenarios.

PMID- 26481287
TI  - Broad-band UVB versus paint PUVA for palmoplantar psoriasis treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plaque-type palmoplantar psoriasis (PPTP) is a chronic recalcitrant
      dermatosis with treatment modalities ranging through topical, phototherapy or
      systemic. Phototherapy options include various forms of ultraviolet B (UVB) and
      ultraviolet A with prior psoralen sensitization (PUVA). Currently, few
      comparative studies have been reported. PURPOSE: To compare Broad-Band UVB (BB
      UVB) versus paint PUVA (p-PUVA) in regard to efficacy and safety in the treatment
      of PPTP. METHODS: A retrospective non-randomized cohort study comprised of all
      the patients with PPTP treated in our phototherapy centre during 2010-2012,
      either with BB-UVB or p-PUVA. RESULTS: Among the 248 patients included in this
      study, 122 received BB-UVB and 126 followed p-PUVA treatment. About 36 (30%) and
      53 (42%) had complete remission, 29 (24%) and 59 (47%) responded partially and 57
      (47%) and 14 (11%) patients did not improve with BB-UVB and p-PUVA, respectively.
      The odds ratio for remission (p-PUVA: BB-UVB) was 7.9. Duration of remission was
      21.9 +/- 1.34 months for p-PUVA and 16.75 +/- 1.83 months for BB-UVB. CONCLUSION:
      Both BB-UVB and p-PUVA are good therapeutic options for PPTP. P-PUVA emerges as
      the superior treatment modality, yielding a better and more extended response. BB
      UVB represents a feasible alternative in patients with milder disease or possible
      contraindications for p-PUVA.

PMID- 26481288
TI  - Electromyographic, mechanomyographic, and metabolic responses during cycle
      ergometry at a constant rating of perceived exertion.
AB  - Ten subjects performed four 8-min rides (65%-80% peak oxygen consumption) to
      determine the physical working capacity at the OMNI rating of perceived exertion
      (RPE) threshold (PWCOMNI). Polynomial regression analyses were used to examine
      the patterns of responses for surface electromyographic (EMG) amplitude (EMG
      AMP), EMG mean power frequency (EMG MPF), mechanomyographic (MMG) AMP, and MMG
      MPF of the vastus lateralis as well as oxygen consumption rate, respiratory
      exchange ratio (RER), and power output (PO) were examined during a 1-h ride on a
      cycle ergometer at a constant RPE that corresponded to the PWCOMNI. EMG AMP and
      MMG MPF tracked the decreases in oxygen consumption rate, RER, and PO, while EMG
      MPF and MMG AMP tracked RPE. The decreases in EMG AMP and MMG MPF were likely
      attributable to decreases in motor unit (MU) recruitment and firing rate, while
      the lack of change in MMG AMP may have resulted from a balance between MU de
      recruitment as PO decreased, and an increase in the ability of activated fibers
      to oscillate. The current findings suggested that during submaximal cycle
      ergometry at a constant RPE, MU de-recruitment and mechanical changes within the
      muscle may influence the perception of effort via feedback from group III and IV
      afferents. 

PMID- 26481289
TI  - Muscle sympathetic activity in resting and exercising humans with and without
      heart failure.
AB  - The sympathetic nervous system is critical for coordinating the cardiovascular
      response to various types of physical exercise. In a number of disease states,
      including human heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), this
      regulation can be disturbed and adversely affect outcome. The purpose of this
      review is to describe sympathetic activity at rest and during exercise in both
      healthy humans and those with HFrEF and outline factors, which influence these
      responses. We focus predominately on studies that report direct measurements of
      efferent sympathetic nerve traffic to skeletal muscle (muscle sympathetic nerve
      activity; MSNA) using intraneural microneurographic recordings. Differences in
      MSNA discharge between subjects with and without HFrEF both at rest and during
      exercise and the influence of exercise training on the sympathetic response to
      exercise will be discussed. In contrast to healthy controls, MSNA increases
      during mild to moderate dynamic exercise in the presence of HFrEF. This increase
      may contribute to the exercise intolerance characteristic of HFrEF by limiting
      muscle blood flow and may be attenuated by exercise training. Future
      investigations are needed to clarify the neural afferent mechanisms that
      contribute to efferent sympathetic activation at rest and during exercise in
      HFrEF. 

PMID- 26481290
TI  - How to Regenerate and Protect Desert Riparian Populus euphratica Forest in Arid
      Areas.
AB  - We found that the most suitable flooding disturbance model for regenerating
      Populus euphratica forest was two to three times per year with a duration of 15
      20 days and an intensity of 25-30 m(3)/s. The flooding should take place during
      the seed emergence to young tree growth stages, and should be based on flooding
      experiments and data from vegetation quadrats and ecological water conveyance.
      Furthermore, we found that tree-ring width index for P. euphratica declined as
      the groundwater depth increased, and ascertained that the minimum groundwater
      depths for young trees, near-mature trees, mature trees and over-mature trees
      were 4.0 m, 5.0-5.4 m, 6.9 m and 7.8 m, respectively. These were derived from a
      quantitative relationship model between groundwater depth and tree-ring width
      index. The range for ecological water conveyance volume was 311-320 million m(3)
      in the lower reaches of the Tarim River. This study not only provides a technical
      basis for sustainable ecological water conveyance in the Tarim River Basin, but
      also offers a theoretical guide and scientific information that could be used in
      similar areas to regenerate and protect Populus euphratica around the world. 

PMID- 26481291
TI  - Tissue engineering of nanosilver-embedded peripheral nerve scaffold to repair
      nerve defects under contamination conditions.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We employed a nanosilver-collagen scaffold and tested its effects
      on inhibiting bacteria and facilitating nerve regeneration. METHODS: Based on our
      previous research, we prepared bionic scaffolds with different concentrations of
      nanosilver and examined their internal structures by scanning electron microscopy
      and energy dispersive spectroscopy. We implanted these scaffolds or autologous
      nerve grafts into rats to repair a 10-mm injury of the sciatic nerve. RESULTS:
      The 2 mg/ml group showed a >10 mm bacterial inhibition zone in all 3 types of
      bacterial culture dishes. At day 60 postsurgery, the 2 mg/ml group also showed
      the highest amplitude of evoked potential (AMP) and nerve conduction velocity
      (NCV). The regenerating nerves in the 2 mg/ml group were denser and more mature,
      and with thicker and well-arrayed myelin sheath. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      demonstrate that nanosilver scaffolds (2 mg/ml group) were effective in
      inhibiting bacteria both in vitro and in vivo, and reduced the contamination
      caused immune responses, which in turn promoted nerve regeneration and functional
      recovery.

PMID- 26481292
TI  - Injury-induced inflammation and inadequate HSP expression in mesothelial cells
      upon repeat exposure to dual-chamber bag peritoneal dialysis fluids.
AB  - PURPOSE: Peritoneal dialysis fluids (PDFs) may induce inadequate heat-shock
      protein (HSP) expression and injury-related inflammation in exposed mesothelial
      cells. The aim of this study was to relate cellular injury to these cellular
      responses in mesothelial cells following repeated exposure to 3 commercial PDFs
      with different biocompatibility profiles. METHODS: Primary cultures of human
      peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMC) were exposed to a 1:2 mixture of cell culture
      medium and CAPD2 (single-chamber bag PDF; Fresenius, Bad Homburg, Germany),
      Physioneal (dual-chamber bag PDF; Baxter, Deerfield, IL, USA) or Balance (dual
      chamber bag PDF, Fresenius) for up to 10 days exposure time (4 dwells).
      Supernatant was analyzed for LDH, IL-6, and IL-8, cells for HSP-72 expression,
      and protein content. RESULTS: PDF exposure resulted in a biphasic pattern of cell
      damage switching from an earlier phase with increased injury by single-chamber
      PDF to a delayed phase with increased susceptibility to dual-chamber PDF. Sterile
      inflammation was related to LDH release over time and could be reproduced by
      exposure to necrotic cellular material. PDF exposure resulted in low HSP-72
      expression in all tested PDFs. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to single-chamber as well as
      to dual-chamber bag PDFs induce increased vulnerability of mesothelial cells to
      repeated exposure of the same solution. These effects were delayed with dual
      chamber PDFs. Injury-induced inflammation and impaired HSP expression upon PDF
      exposure might initiate a vicious cycle with progredient mesothelial cell damage
      upon repeated PDF exposure. Certainly, interventional studies and translation of
      these results into the in vivo system is needed.

PMID- 26481293
TI  - Comparing changes in plasma and skin autofluorescence in low-flux versus high
      flux hemodialysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tissue advanced glycation end products (AGE) are increased in
      hemodialysis (HD) patients, especially those with cardiovascular complications.
      Skin autofluorescence (skin-AF) can noninvasively estimate the accumulation of
      AGE in tissue. The aim was to clarify whether HD using a high-flux (HF) dialyzer
      favors plasma-or skin-AF removal compared to low-flux (LF) dialysis. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: 28 patients were treated with either an HF-HD or LF-HD but otherwise
      unchanged conditions in a cross-over design. A glucose containing dialysate was
      used. Skin-AF was measured noninvasively with an AGE reader before and after HD.
      Fluorescence (370 nm/465 nm) of plasma (p-AF) was determined as total and
      nonprotein-bound fractions. Correction for hemoconcentrations were made using the
      change in serum albumin.Paired and nonpaired statistical analyses were used.
      RESULTS: Skin-AF was unchanged after LF- and HF-dialysis. Total, free, and
      protein- bound p-AF was reduced after a single LF-HD by 21%, 28%, and 17%,
      respectively (P<.001). After HF HD total and free p-AF was reduced by 5% and 15%,
      respectively (P<.001), while protein bound values were unchanged. The LF-HD
      resulted in a more pronounced reduction of p-AF than did HF HD (P<.001). Serum
      albumin correlated inversely with p-AF in HF-HD. CONCLUSIONS: In the dialysis
      settings used there was no significant change in skin AF after dialysis, with LF
      or with HF dialysis. Although only limited reduction in plasma fluorescence was
      observed, this was more pronounced when performing LF dialysis. These data are
      not in overwhelming support of the use of HF dialysis in the setting used in this
      study.

PMID- 26481294
TI  - Protein array identification of protein markers for serodiagnosis of
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.
AB  - The lack of effective and accurate diagnostic tools contributes to the high
      prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) worldwide. The current serodiagnostics for TB are
      inadequate mainly due to lack of TB-specific antigens with highly accurate
      diagnosis. In the current study, we aimed to identify novel diagnostic antigens
      using glutathione S-transferase (GST)-fusion protein technique. We determined the
      reactivity of these recombinant proteins arrayed in solution and on GSH
      immobilized microplates with TB patient sera. Of 409 TB proteins produced, ninety
      two yielded seropositive reactions, fourteen including eight novel proteins
      showed strong immunoreactivity. Further, six were selected and constructed as a
      multiple-antigen combination set through analysis of various combinations. A
      comparative study of the multiple-antigen combination set and a commercially
      available kit revealed that the combination set showed 66.3% (95% CI 60.5-71.8)
      sensitivity, which was significantly higher than that of the commercial kit
      [31.6% (95% CI 26.3-37.3)]. The specificity of both methods was similar at 89.6%
      (95% CI 83.3-95.4) and 90.6% (95% CI 83.0-95.6), respectively. This study
      provides a set of novel diagnostic protein markers with great potential for the
      development of novel diagnostic tools for active TB. 

PMID- 26481295
TI  - Risk indicators for tooth loss in Kiriri Adult Indians: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the risk
      indicators of tooth loss in adult Kiriri Indians from Brazil. METHODS: A
      representative sample of 225 Indians (>= 19 years of age) was assessed.
      Interviews using a structured written questionnaire were performed to collect
      data on demographics and socio-economic status, and health-related data. Probing
      depth, the distance between the cement-enamel junction and the free gingival
      margin, and decayed, missing or filled teeth were evaluated. Bivariate and
      logistic models were used to assess associations between tooth loss and age, sex,
      income, education, diabetic status, smoking habits, dental caries, severe
      periodontitis, plaque index and previous dental visit. RESULTS: Eighty per cent
      of subjects had lost one tooth or more, and 20% had lost eight teeth or more.
      Mean (+/- standard deviation) tooth loss was 5.09 (+/- 5.83) teeth. After
      adjustment for covariates, loss of one tooth or more was associated with older
      age [>= 35 years; odds ratio (OR) = 4.06, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.38
      11.94, P = 0.01], severe periodontitis (OR = 3.35, 95% CI: 0.99-11.24, P = 0.05),
      higher dental caries (OR = 3.24, 95% CI: 1.35-7.78, P = 0.01) and previous dental
      visit (OR = 23.32, 95% CI: 5.75-94.63, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Tooth loss is
      highly prevalent in Kiriri Indians. Older age, severe periodontitis, higher
      caries index and previous dental visit were associated with tooth loss.
      Prevention and treatment programmes, targeting high-risk groups, are required to
      promote the oral health of the population.

PMID- 26481296
TI  - Brain health and shared risk factors for dementia and stroke.
AB  - Impaired brain health encompasses a range of clinical outcomes, including stroke,
      dementia, vascular cognitive impairment, cognitive ageing, and vascular
      functional impairment. Conditions associated with poor brain health represent
      leading causes of global morbidity and mortality, with projected increases in
      public health burden as the population ages. Many vascular risk factors are
      shared predictors for poor brain health. Moreover, subclinical brain MRI markers
      of vascular damage are risk factors shared between stroke and dementia, and can
      be used for risk stratification and early intervention. The broad concept of
      brain health has resulted in a conceptual shift from vascular risk factors to
      determinants of brain health. Global campaigns to reduce cardiovascular diseases
      by targeting modifiable risk factors are necessary and will have a broad impact
      on brain health. Research is needed on the distinct and overlapping aetiologies
      of brain health conditions, and to define MRI markers to help clinicians identify
      patients who will benefit from aggressive prevention measures. 

PMID- 26481297
TI  - Motor neuron disease: Human endogenous retrovirus-K activation is implicated in
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PMID- 26481298
TI  - Decade in review-stroke: progress in acute ischaemic stroke treatment and
      prevention.

PMID- 26481299
TI  - Increased levels of IL-17 in tear fluid of moderate-to-severe psoriatic patients
      is reduced by adalimumab therapy.

PMID- 26481301
TI  - Site-Specific Zwitterionic Polymer Conjugates of a Protein Have Long Plasma
      Circulation.
AB  - Many proteins suffer from suboptimal pharmacokinetics (PK) that limit their
      utility as drugs. The efficient synthesis of polymer conjugates of protein drugs
      with tunable PK to optimize their in vivo efficacy is hence critical. We report
      here the first study of the in vivo behavior of a site-specific conjugate of a
      zwitterionic polymer and a protein. To synthesize the conjugate, we first
      installed an initiator for atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) at the N
      terminus of myoglobin (Mb-N-Br). Subsequently, in situ ATRP was carried out in
      aqueous buffer to grow an amine-functionalized polymer from Mb-N-Br. The cationic
      polymer was further derivatized to two zwitterionic polymers by treating the
      amine groups of the cationic polymer with iodoacetic acid to obtain
      poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) with a one-carbon spacer (PCBMA; C1 ), and
      sequentially with 3-iodopropionic acid and iodoacetic acid to obtain PCBMA(mix)
      with a mixture of C1 and C2 spacers. The Mb-N-PCBMA polymer conjugates had a
      longer in vivo plasma half-life than a PEG-like comb polymer conjugate of similar
      molecular weights (MW). The structure of the zwitterion plays a role in
      controlling the in vivo behavior of the conjugate, as the PCBMA conjugate with a
      C1 spacer had significantly longer plasma circulation than the conjugate with a
      mixture of C1 and C2 spacers.

PMID- 26481302
TI  - Sirt6 depletion causes spindle defects and chromosome misalignment during meiosis
      of mouse oocyte.
AB  - Sirt6, a member of the sirtuin family of NAD-dependent protein deacetylases, has
      been implicated in multiple biological processes. However, the roles of Sirt6 in
      meiosis have not been addressed. In the present study, by employing knockdown
      analysis in mouse oocytes, we evaluated the effects of Sirt6 on meiotic
      apparatus. We found that specific depletion of Sirt6 results in disruption of
      spindle morphology and chromosome alignment in oocytes. Consistent with this
      observation, incidence of aneuploidy is also markedly increased in Sirt6-depleted
      oocytes. Furthermore, confocal scanning showed that kinetochore-microtubule
      interaction, an important mechanism controlling chromosome segregation, is
      severely impaired in metaphase oocytes following Sirt6 knockdown. Unexpectedly,
      we discovered that Sirt6 modulates the acetylation status of histone H4K16 as
      their knockdown specifically induces the hyperacetylation of H4K16 in oocytes,
      which may be associated with the defective phenotypes described above via
      altering kinetochore function. Altogether, our data reveal a novel function of
      Sirt6 during oocyte meiosis and indicate a pathway regulating meiotic apparatus. 

PMID- 26481303
TI  - Evaluation of guideline-adherent treatment in cluster headache.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several treatment guidelines exist for cluster headache. However, it
      is not yet known how many cluster headache patients are treated according to
      these guidelines. METHODS: We enrolled 434 cluster headache patients with
      confirmed diagnosis referred to two tertiary pain centers. The history of
      treatment was registered and analyzed according to the treatment guidelines of
      the European Federation of Neurological Societies. RESULTS: Regarding acute
      attack treatment, 62.1% of the episodic and 71.0% of the chronic cluster headache
      patients were treated according to the guidelines. The efficacy rate was above
      92% in both groups. Regarding prophylactic treatment, 31.3% of the episodic and
      50.9% of the chronic cluster headache patients were treated according to the
      guidelines. The efficacy rate was 92.8% for episodic and 70.9% for chronic
      cluster headache. CONCLUSION: The rate of guideline-adherent treatment in cluster
      headache is about 70% for acute treatment and about 35% for prophylactic
      treatment. The efficacy of this treatment is significantly higher than the
      efficacy of non-guideline-adherent treatment.

PMID- 26481304
TI  - Trigeminal neuralgia (part I): Revisiting the clinical phenotype.
AB  - AIMS: We conducted a cross-sectional study to re-examine the clinical profile of
      patients with a clinical diagnosis of classical trigeminal neuralgia (CTN).
      METHODS: Inclusion criteria consisted of the International Headache Society's
      published classification of CTN. For the specific purposes of the study, features
      such as autonomic signs, persistent background pain, attack durations of >2
      minutes and reports of pain-related awakening were included. The demographic and
      clinical phenotype of each patient were carefully recorded for analysis. RESULTS:
      The study cohort consisted of 81 patients and based on reported attack duration
      these were divided into short (<= 2 minutes, n = 61) and long (> 2 minutes, n =
      20) groups for further analysis. The group with short attack duration neatly fit
      most of the criteria for CTN while the long attack group presents a more
      challenging diagnosis. There were no significant differences in pain severity,
      quality and location between the short and long attack groups. The frequency of
      persistent background pain was significantly higher in the long (70%) compared to
      the short attack group (29.5%, p = 0.001). There were significantly more reports
      of pain-related awakenings in the long (55%) than in the short attack groups
      (29.5%, p = 0.04). There were no significant differences in the frequency of
      autonomic signs between the short (21.3%) and long attack groups (40%, p = 0.1).
      In the short attack group, the presence of autonomic signs was significantly
      associated with longer disease duration, increased pain-related awakenings, and a
      reduced prognosis. CONCLUSION: There are clear diagnostic criteria for CTN but
      often patients present with features, such as long pain attacks, that challenge
      such accepted criteria. In our cohort the clinical phenotype of trigeminal,
      neuralgiform pain with or without autonomic signs and background pain was
      observed across both short and long attack groups and the clinical implications
      of this are discussed.

PMID- 26481305
TI  - The Multivalent Adhesion Molecule SSO1327 plays a key role in Shigella sonnei
      pathogenesis.
AB  - Shigella sonnei is a bacterial pathogen and causative agent of bacillary
      dysentery. It deploys a type III secretion system to inject effector proteins
      into host epithelial cells and macrophages, an essential step for tissue invasion
      and immune evasion. Although the arsenal of bacterial effectors and their
      cellular targets have been studied extensively, little is known about the
      prerequisites for deployment of type III secreted proteins during infection.
      Here, we describe a novel S. sonnei adhesin, SSO1327 which is a multivalent
      adhesion molecule (MAM) required for invasion of epithelial cells and macrophages
      and for infection in vivo. The S. sonnei MAM mediates intimate attachment to host
      cells, which is required for efficient translocation of type III effectors into
      host cells. SSO1327 is non-redundant to IcsA; its activity is independent of type
      III secretion. In contrast to the up-regulation of IcsA-dependent and independent
      attachment and invasion by deoxycholate in Shigella flexneri, deoxycholate
      negatively regulates IcsA and MAM in S. sonnei resulting in reduction in
      attachment and invasion and virulence attenuation in vivo. A strain deficient for
      SSO1327 is avirulent in vivo, but still elicits a host immune response.

PMID- 26481306
TI  - Perm1 enhances mitochondrial biogenesis, oxidative capacity, and fatigue
      resistance in adult skeletal muscle.
AB  - Skeletal muscle mitochondrial content and oxidative capacity are important
      determinants of muscle function and whole-body health. Mitochondrial content and
      function are enhanced by endurance exercise and impaired in states or diseases
      where muscle function is compromised, such as myopathies, muscular dystrophies,
      neuromuscular diseases, and age-related muscle atrophy. Hence, elucidating the
      mechanisms that control muscle mitochondrial content and oxidative function can
      provide new insights into states and diseases that affect muscle health. In past
      studies, we identified Perm1 (PPARGC1- and ESRR-induced regulator, muscle 1) as a
      gene induced by endurance exercise in skeletal muscle, and regulating
      mitochondrial oxidative function in cultured myotubes. The capacity of Perm1 to
      regulate muscle mitochondrial content and function in vivo is not yet known. In
      this study, we use adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors to increase Perm1
      expression in skeletal muscles of 4-wk-old mice. Compared to control vector, AAV1
      Perm1 leads to significant increases in mitochondrial content and oxidative
      capacity (by 40-80%). Moreover, AAV1-Perm1-transduced muscles show increased
      capillary density and resistance to fatigue (by 33 and 31%, respectively),
      without prominent changes in fiber-type composition. These findings suggest that
      Perm1 selectively regulates mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative function, and
      implicate Perm1 in muscle adaptations that also occur in response to endurance
      exercise.

PMID- 26481307
TI  - An agonist antibody that blocks autoimmunity by inducing anti-inflammatory
      macrophages.
AB  - We have devised a method of using intracellular combinatorial libraries to select
      antibodies that control cell fates. Many agonist antibodies have been selected
      with this method, and the process appears to be limited only by the availability
      of a phenotypic selection system. We demonstrate the utility of this approach to
      discover agonist antibodies that engage an unanticipated target and regulate
      macrophage polarization by selective induction of anti-inflammatory M2
      macrophages. This antibody was used therapeutically to block autoimmunity in a
      classic mouse model of spontaneous systemic lupus erythematosus.

PMID- 26481308
TI  - Cardiac acetylcholine inhibits ventricular remodeling and dysfunction under
      pathologic conditions.
AB  - Autonomic dysfunction is a characteristic of cardiac disease and decreased vagal
      activity is observed in heart failure. Rodent cardiomyocytes produce de novo ACh,
      which is critical in maintaining cardiac homeostasis. We report that this
      nonneuronal cholinergic system is also found in human cardiomyocytes, which
      expressed choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and the vesicular acetylcholine
      transporter (VAChT). Furthermore, VAChT expression was increased 3- and 1.5-fold
      at the mRNA and protein level, respectively, in ventricular tissue from patients
      with heart failure, suggesting increased ACh secretion in disease. We used mice
      with genetic deletion of cardiomyocyte-specific VAChT or ChAT and mice
      overexpressing VAChT to test the functional significance of cholinergic
      signaling. Mice deficient for VAChT displayed an 8% decrease in fractional
      shortening and 13% decrease in ejection fraction compared with angiotensin II
      (Ang II)-treated control animals, suggesting enhanced ventricular dysfunction and
      pathologic remodeling in response to Ang II. Similar results were observed in
      ChAT-deficient mice. Conversely, no decline in ventricular function was observed
      in Ang II-treated VAChT overexpressors. Furthermore, the fibrotic area was
      significantly greater (P < 0.05) in Ang II-treated VAChT-deficient mice (3.61 +/-
      0.64%) compared with wild-type animals (2.24 +/- 0.11%). In contrast, VAChT
      overexpressing mice did not display an increase in collagen deposition. Our
      results provide new insight into cholinergic regulation of cardiac function,
      suggesting that a compensatory increase in cardiomyocyte VAChT levels may help
      offset cardiac remodeling in heart failure.

PMID- 26481309
TI  - Survival protein anoctamin-6 controls multiple platelet responses including
      phospholipid scrambling, swelling, and protein cleavage.
AB  - Scott syndrome is a rare bleeding disorder, characterized by altered Ca(2+)
      dependent platelet signaling with defective phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure and
      microparticle formation, and is linked to mutations in the ANO6 gene, encoding
      anoctamin (Ano)6. We investigated how the complex platelet phenotype of this
      syndrome is linked to defective expression of Anos or other ion channels. Mice
      were generated with heterozygous of homozygous deficiency in Ano6, Ano1, or
      Ca(2+)-dependent KCa3.1 Gardos channel. Platelets from these mice were
      extensively analyzed on molecular functions and compared with platelets from a
      patient with Scott syndrome. Deficiency in Ano1 or Gardos channel did not reduce
      platelet responses compared with control mice (P > 0.1). In 2 mouse strains,
      deficiency in Ano6 resulted in reduced viability with increased bleeding time to
      28.6 min (control 6.4 min, P < 0.05). Platelets from the surviving Ano6-deficient
      mice resembled platelets from patients with Scott syndrome in: 1) normal collagen
      induced aggregate formation (P > 0.05) with reduced PS exposure (-65 to 90%); 2)
      lowered Ca(2+)-dependent swelling (-80%) and membrane blebbing (-90%); 3) reduced
      calpain-dependent protein cleavage (-60%); and 4) moderately affected apoptosis
      dependent PS exposure. In conclusion, mouse deficiency of Ano6 but not of other
      channels affects viability and phenocopies the complex changes in platelets from
      hemostatically impaired patients with Scott syndrome.

PMID- 26481310
TI  - DMP-1-mediated Ghr gene recombination compromises skeletal development and
      impairs skeletal response to intermittent PTH.
AB  - Bone minerals are acquired during growth and are key determinants of adult
      skeletal health. During puberty, the serum levels of growth hormone (GH) and its
      downstream effector IGF-1 increase and play critical roles in bone acquisition.
      The goal of the current study was to determine how bone cells integrate signals
      from the GH/IGF-1 to enhance skeletal mineralization and strength during pubertal
      growth. Osteocytes, the most abundant bone cells, were shown to orchestrate bone
      modeling during growth. We used dentin matrix protein (Dmp)-1-mediated Ghr
      knockout (DMP-GHRKO) mice to address the role of the GH/IGF axis in osteocytes.
      We found that DMP-GHRKO did not affect linear growth but compromised overall bone
      accrual. DMP-GHRKO mice exhibited reduced serum inorganic phosphate and
      parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels and decreased bone formation indices and were
      associated with an impaired response to intermittent PTH treatment. Using an
      osteocyte-like cell line along with in vivo studies, we found that PTH sensitized
      the response of bone to GH by increasing Janus kinase-2 and IGF-1R protein
      levels. We concluded that endogenously secreted PTH and GHR signaling in bone are
      necessary to establish radial bone growth and optimize mineral acquisition during
      growth.

PMID- 26481311
TI  - Galectin-4 interacts with the drug transporter human concentrative nucleoside
      transporter 3 to regulate its function.
AB  - The intracellular N-terminal domain of the nucleoside and drug transporter human
      concentrative nucleoside transporter (hCNT)3 was used as bait in a glutathione S
      transferase pull-down approach, to identify hCNT3 protein partners, using human
      colon homogenates as a prey source. Galectin (Gal)-4 was identified as a
      potential hCNT3 partner in the colon. The biochemical validation of the Gal-4
      hCNT3 interaction was verified by targeted pull-down assays and
      coimmunoprecipitation experiments in HT-29 cells, which endogenously express
      hCNT3 and Gal-4. Furthermore, Gal-4 was shown to colocalize with hCNT3 in HT-29
      cells. The biologic significance of this interaction was obtained from
      experiments in which Gal-4 was knocked down, showing that this protein is a
      regulator of hCNT3 trafficking and retention at the cell membrane, reducing its
      plasma membrane location by 70%. Conversely, the addition of Gal-4 increased
      hCNT3 location at the plasma membrane by 77%, thereby demonstrating that this
      lectin modulates hCNT3 function in colonic cells. The integrity of this
      partnership may be clinically relevant, because hCNT3 may be responsible for the
      translocation of thiopurines, such as 6-mercaptopurine, a front-line treatment in
      inflammatory bowel disease. The expression of Gal-4 and hCNT3 proteins is not
      impaired in inflamed colon from patients with Crohn's disease, thereby
      anticipating the integrity of this system for drug targeting.

PMID- 26481312
TI  - Inclusion of gametocyte parameters in anti-malarial drug efficacy studies:
      filling a neglected gap needed for malaria elimination.
AB  - Standard anti-malarial drug efficacy and drug resistance assessments neglect the
      gametocyte parameters in their protocols. With the spread of drug resistance and
      the absence of clinically proven vaccines, the use of gametocytocidal drugs or
      drug combinations with transmission-blocking activity is a high priority for
      malaria control and elimination. However, the limited repertoire of
      gametocytocidal drugs and induction of gametocytogenesis after treatment with
      certain anti-malarial drugs necessitate both regular monitoring of
      gametocytocidal activities of anti-malarial drugs in clinical use and the
      effectiveness of candidate gametocytocidal agents. Therefore, updating current
      protocols of anti-malarial drug efficacy is needed to reflect the effects of anti
      malarial drugs or drug combinations on gametocyte carriage and gametocyte density
      along with asexual parasite density. Developing protocols of anti-malarial drug
      efficacy that include gametocyte parameters related to both microscopic and
      submicroscopic gametocytaemias is important if drugs or drug combinations are to
      be strategically used in transmission-blocking interventions in the context of
      malaria elimination. The present piece of opinion highlights the challenges in
      gametocyte detection and follow-up and discuss the need for including the
      gametocyte parameter in anti-malarial efficacy studies. 

PMID- 26481313
TI  - The HgF2 Ionic Switch: A Triumph of Electrostatics against Relativistic Odds.
AB  - A remarkable transition in the chemical bonding in (HgF2)n clusters as a function
      of n is identified and characterized. HgF2 is a fascinating material. Certain
      significant consequences of relativistic effects on the structure of the HgF2
      molecule, dimer, and trimer disappear in the extended solid. Relativistic effects
      in Hg ensure that HgX2 molecules (X=F, Cl, Br, and I) are linear, rigid, and form
      weakly bound dimers and trimers held together by weak electrostatic and van der
      Waals-type forces (unlike ZnX2 and CdX2 systems in which the intermonomer
      contacts are strong polar covalent bonds). For HgF2, the location and nature of
      an apparent transition from weak interactions in the smallest (HgF2)n clusters to
      ionic bonding in the (fluorite) HgF2 extended solid has remained a mystery.
      Computational evidence obtained at the M06-2X, B97D3, and MP2 levels of theory
      and reported herein indicate that polar covalent bonding in (HgF2)n begins as
      early as n=5. For n=2 through to n=13, the transition or switch from weak
      (primarily dipole-dipole-type) intermonomer interactions to a preference for
      polar covalent bonding occurs within the range 5<n<=9. Thermodynamic evidence for
      this transition is provided. Our results demonstrate a significant risk
      associated with crystal structure prediction from the ground up (i.e., based on
      bonding patterns in small clusters). The path from monomers through to extended
      solids may be punctuated at one or several points (as n increases) with
      transitions in structure and bonding that are not anticipated or betrayed by the
      bonding in small clusters.

PMID- 26481315
TI  - The efficacy of recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin for obstetric
      disseminated intravascular coagulation: a retrospective study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin (rhTM) is a novel anti
      coagulant agent that regulates the imbalanced coagulation system by reducing the
      excessive activation of thrombin. rhTM potentially reduces the morbidity and
      mortality in patients with sepsis-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation
      (DIC). However, the efficacy of rhTM in obstetric DIC has not yet been
      established. We performed this study to examine whether the administration of
      rhTM was a potentially effective treatment for DIC induced by one or more
      underlying obstetric disorders. METHODS: This is a single-center, retrospective
      cohort study conducted between January 2007 and February 2015 using the records
      of the Department of Obstetrics at the Perinatal Medical Center of TOYOTA
      Memorial Hospital, Aichi, Japan. The eligibility criteria were known or suspected
      obstetric DIC documented on the basis of clinical and laboratory data and
      association with one or more major underlying obstetric disorders. Baseline
      imbalance between patients with and without treatment of rhTM was adjusted using
      an inverse probability of treatment weighting using propensity scores composed of
      the following independent variables: severe postpartum hemorrhage, placental
      abruption, and preeclampsia/eclampsia, including hemolysis, elevated liver
      enzymes, and low platelet syndrome, initial platelet counts, D-dimer levels,
      fibrinogen levels, and prothrombin time-international normalized ratio (PT-INR).
      We evaluated laboratory changes and clinical outcomes in the early phase of
      obstetric DIC. RESULTS: In total, 66 of 4627 patients admitted to our department
      during the study period fulfilled the required criteria; of these, 37 and 29
      patients were included in the rhTM and control group, respectively. After
      adjustment, treatment with rhTM was associated with significant improvements in
      platelet counts, D-dimer levels, fibrinogen levels, and PT-INR compared with the
      control group. The platelet concentrate transfusion volume was significantly
      lower in the rhTM treatment group (3.02 vs 6.03 units, P = 0.016). None of the
      adjusted group differences were statistically significant for all types of organ
      damage and failure. CONCLUSION: rhTM administration was associated with clinical
      and laboratory improvement in patients with DIC caused by underlying obstetric
      conditions. Further clinical research is needed to clarify the optimal
      application of rhTM in each of the causative obstetric disorders.

PMID- 26481314
TI  - Endothelial cell control of thrombosis.
AB  - Hemostasis encompasses a set of tightly regulated processes that govern blood
      clotting, platelet activation, and vascular repair. Upon vascular injury, the
      hemostatic system initiates a series of vascular events and activates
      extravascular receptors that act in concert to seal off the damage. Blood
      clotting is subsequently attenuated by a plethora of inhibitors that prevent
      excessive clot formation and eventual thrombosis. The endothelium which resides
      at the interface between the blood and surrounding tissues, serves an integral
      role in the hemostatic system. Depending on specific tissue needs and local
      stresses, endothelial cells are capable of evoking either antithrombotic or
      prothrombotic events. Healthy endothelial cells express antiplatelet and
      anticoagulant agents that prevent platelet aggregation and fibrin formation,
      respectively. In the face of endothelial dysfunction, endothelial cells trigger
      fibrin formation, as well as platelet adhesion and aggregation. Finally,
      endothelial cells release pro-fibrinolytic agents that initiate fibrinolysis to
      degrade the clot. Taken together, a functional endothelium is essential to
      maintain hemostasis and prevent thrombosis. Thus, a greater understanding into
      the role of the endothelium can provide new avenues for exploration and novel
      therapies for the management of thromboembolisms. 

PMID- 26481316
TI  - Multilocus sequence typing of Arcobacter butzleri isolates collected from dairy
      plants and their products, and comparison with their PFGE types.
AB  - AIMS: The present study aimed to determine, by multilocus sequence type (MLST),
      the heterogeneity level of Arcobacter butzleri isolates and to compare MLST and
      pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) in terms of discriminatory power (DI) as
      well as unidirectional and bi-directional concordance. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Arcobacter butzleri isolates (N = 133) from dairy products and environmental
      samples, collected from dairy plants, were characterized by MLST and PFGE with
      SacII and classified in 29 sequence types (STs), 47 PFGE and 62 type strains
      (TS). Among the 119 alleles, 19 were previously unreported and the same for all
      the STs but two. A significant linkage disequilibrium was detected when the
      complete ST data set was analysed The DIs of MLST, PFGE and their combination
      were 0.937, 0.953 and 0.965 respectively. The adjusted Wallace coefficients
      between MLST and PFGE as well as PFGE and MLST were 0.535 and 0.720 respectively;
      the adjusted Rand coefficient was 0.612. CONCLUSIONS: The A. butzleri studied
      population showed recombination to some degree. PFGE showed a DI higher than
      MLST. Both methods presented good concordance. The TS analysis seems to show
      persistence of the same strain on time and possible cross-contaminations between
      food and environmental sites. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study
      provides insights in the A. butzleri population found in raw milk, cheese, and
      dairy production plants. The data suggest that MLST and PFGE genotypes correlate
      reasonably well, although their combination results in optimal resolution.

PMID- 26481317
TI  - Coffee consumption and the risk of gastric cancer: a meta-analysis of prospective
      cohort studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several observational studies suggest that coffee consumption may be
      associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer, but the results are
      inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship of coffee
      consumption with gastric cancer risk and quantify the dose-response relationship
      between them. METHODS: Relevant prospective studies were identified by a search
      of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science to May 2015 and by reviewing the references
      of retrieved articles. Two independent reviewers extracted data and performed the
      quality assessment. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled risk
      estimates and 95 % confidence intervals (CI). The heterogeneity was assessed
      using the I (2) statistic. Publication bias was assessed by using funnel plot,
      the Begg test and the Egger test. RESULTS: Thirteen prospective cohort studies
      with 20 independent reports involving 3,368 patients with gastric cancer and
      1,372,811 participants during a follow-up period ranging from 4.3-8 years were
      included. Compared with the lowest consumption level of coffee, the pooled
      relative risk (RR) was 1.13 (95 % CI: 0.94-1.35). The dose-response analysis
      indicated that, the RR of gastric cancer was 1.03 (95 % CI; 0.95-1.11) for per 3
      cups/day of coffee consumption. Any nonlinear association of gastric cancer risk
      with coffee consumption was not found (P for nonlinearity = 0.68). Subgroup
      analyses indicated that the pooled RR for participants from the United States
      comparing the highest with the lowest coffee consumption was 1.36 (95 % CI, 1.06
      1.75, I (2) = 0 %). In addition, people with higher coffee consumption was
      associated with 25 % higher risk of gastric cancer in equal to or less than 10
      years follow-up group (RR = 1.25; 95 % CI, 1.01-1.55, I (2) = 0 %). Visual
      inspection of a funnel plot and the Begg's and the Egger's tests did not indicate
      evidence of publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis does not support
      the hypothesis that coffee consumption is associated with the risk of gastric
      cancer. The increased risk of gastric cancer for participants from the United
      States and equal to or less than 10 years follow-up group associated with coffee
      consumption warrant further studies.

PMID- 26481319
TI  - Psychiatric genetics in China: achievements and challenges.

PMID- 26481318
TI  - The C9orf72 repeat size correlates with onset age of disease, DNA methylation and
      transcriptional downregulation of the promoter.
AB  - Pathological expansion of a G4C2 repeat, located in the 5' regulatory region of
      C9orf72, is the most common genetic cause of frontotemporal lobar degeneration
      (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). C9orf72 patients have highly
      variable onset ages suggesting the presence of modifying factors and/or
      anticipation. We studied 72 Belgian index patients with FTLD, FTLD-ALS or ALS and
      61 relatives with a C9orf72 repeat expansion. We assessed the effect of G4C2
      expansion size on onset age, the role of anticipation and the effect of repeat
      size on methylation and C9orf72 promoter activity. G4C2 expansion sizes varied in
      blood between 45 and over 2100 repeat units with short expansions (45-78 units)
      present in 5.6% of 72 index patients with an expansion. Short expansions co
      segregated with disease in two families. The subject with a short expansion in
      blood but an indication of mosaicism in brain showed the same pathology as those
      with a long expansion. Further, we provided evidence for an association of G4C2
      expansion size with onset age (P<0.05) most likely explained by an association of
      methylation state of the 5' flanking CpG island and expansion size in blood
      (P<0.0001) and brain (P<0.05). In several informative C9orf72 parent-child
      transmissions, we identified earlier onset ages, increasing expansion sizes
      and/or increasing methylation states (P=0.0034) of the 5' CpG island, reminiscent
      of disease anticipation. Also, intermediate repeats (7-24 units) showed a
      slightly higher methylation degree (P<0.0001) and a decrease of C9orf72 promoter
      activity (P<0.0001) compared with normal short repeats (2-6 units). Decrease of
      transcriptional activity was even more prominent in the presence of small
      deletions flanking G4C2 (P<0.0001). Here we showed that increased methylation of
      CpGs in the C9orf72 promoter may explain how an increasing G4C2 size lead to loss
      of-function without excluding repeat length-dependent toxic gain-of-function.
      These data provide insights into disease mechanisms and have important
      implications for diagnostic counseling and potential therapeutic approaches.

PMID- 26481320
TI  - Depression-like episodes in mice harboring mtDNA deletions in paraventricular
      thalamus.
AB  - Depression is a common debilitating human disease whose etiology has defied
      decades of research. A critical bottleneck is the difficulty in modeling
      depressive episodes in animals. Here, we show that a transgenic mouse with
      chronic forebrain expression of a dominant negative mutant of Polg1, a
      mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymerase, exhibits lethargic behavioral changes,
      which are associated with emotional, vegetative and psychomotor disturbances, and
      response to antidepression drug treatment. The results suggested a symptomatic
      similarity between the lethargic behavioral change that was recurrently and
      spontaneously experienced by the mutant mice and major depressive episode as
      defined by DSM-5. A comprehensive screen of mutant brain revealed a hotspot for
      mtDNA deletions and mitochondrial dysfunction in the paraventricular thalamic
      nucleus (PVT) with similar defects observed in postmortem brains of patients with
      mitochondrial disease with mood symptoms. Remarkably, the genetic inhibition of
      PVT synaptic output by Cre-loxP-dependent expression of tetanus toxin triggered
      de novo depression-like episodes. These findings identify a novel preclinical
      mouse model and brain area for major depressive episodes with mitochondrial
      dysfunction as its cellular mechanism. 

PMID- 26481321
TI  - BubbleGUM: automatic extraction of phenotype molecular signatures and
      comprehensive visualization of multiple Gene Set Enrichment Analyses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent advances in the analysis of high-throughput expression data
      have led to the development of tools that scaled-up their focus from single-gene
      to gene set level. For example, the popular Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA)
      algorithm can detect moderate but coordinated expression changes of groups of
      presumably related genes between pairs of experimental conditions. This
      considerably improves extraction of information from high-throughput gene
      expression data. However, although many gene sets covering a large panel of
      biological fields are available in public databases, the ability to generate home
      made gene sets relevant to one's biological question is crucial but remains a
      substantial challenge to most biologists lacking statistic or bioinformatic
      expertise. This is all the more the case when attempting to define a gene set
      specific of one condition compared to many other ones. Thus, there is a crucial
      need for an easy-to-use software for generation of relevant home-made gene sets
      from complex datasets, their use in GSEA, and the correction of the results when
      applied to multiple comparisons of many experimental conditions. RESULT: We
      developed BubbleGUM (GSEA Unlimited Map), a tool that allows to automatically
      extract molecular signatures from transcriptomic data and perform exhaustive GSEA
      with multiple testing correction. One original feature of BubbleGUM notably
      resides in its capacity to integrate and compare numerous GSEA results into an
      easy-to-grasp graphical representation. We applied our method to generate
      transcriptomic fingerprints for murine cell types and to assess their enrichments
      in human cell types. This analysis allowed us to confirm homologies between mouse
      and human immunocytes. CONCLUSIONS: BubbleGUM is an open-source software that
      allows to automatically generate molecular signatures out of complex expression
      datasets and to assess directly their enrichment by GSEA on independent datasets.
      Enrichments are displayed in a graphical output that helps interpreting the
      results. This innovative methodology has recently been used to answer important
      questions in functional genomics, such as the degree of similarities between
      microarray datasets from different laboratories or with different experimental
      models or clinical cohorts. BubbleGUM is executable through an intuitive
      interface so that both bioinformaticians and biologists can use it. It is
      available at http://www.ciml.univ-mrs.fr/applications/BubbleGUM/index.html .

PMID- 26481322
TI  - Post-trial obligations in the Declaration of Helsinki 2013: classification,
      reconstruction and interpretation.
AB  - The general aim of this article is to give a critical interpretation of post
      trial obligations towards individual research participants in the Declaration of
      Helsinki 2013. Transitioning research participants to the appropriate health care
      when a research study ends is a global problem. The publication of a new version
      of the Declaration of Helsinki is a great opportunity to discuss it. In my view,
      the Declaration of Helsinki 2013 identifies at least two clearly different types
      of post-trial obligations, specifically, access to care after research and access
      to information after research. The agents entitled to receive post-trial access
      are the individual participants in research studies. The Declaration identifies
      the sponsors, researchers and host country governments as the main agents
      responsible for complying with the post-trial obligations mentioned above. To
      justify this interpretation of post-trial obligations, I first introduce a
      classification of post-trial obligations and illustrate its application with
      examples from post-trial ethics literature. I then make a brief reconstruction of
      the formulations of post-trial obligations of the Declaration of Helsinki from
      2000 to 2008 to correlate the changes with some of the most salient ethical
      arguments. Finally I advance a critical interpretation of the latest formulation
      of post-trial obligations. I defend the view that paragraph 34 of 'Post-trial
      provisions' is an improved formulation by comparison with earlier versions,
      especially for identifying responsible agents and abandoning ambiguous 'fair
      benefit' language. However, I criticize the disappearance of 'access to other
      appropriate care' present in the Declaration since 2004 and the narrow scope
      given to obligations of access to information after research.

PMID- 26481323
TI  - Improvement in colon cancer screening through use of a multilevel intervention: A
      QI initiative.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer
      related deaths in the United States but is highly treatable when diagnosed early.
      The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) initiative was to develop,
      implement, and evaluate a multilevel intervention to raise colon cancer screening
      rates. METHODS: A pre- and postintervention design was used with patients who
      were largely Caucasian and English speaking. Patients were mailed information
      about the importance of screening, and a phone line was created for patients to
      select a colonoscopy, fecal immunochemical test, or decline screening. Patients
      not responding via the phone line received an e-mail or postcard about the
      importance of screening. Electronic flags were sent to providers on the day of
      the visit to remind staff to address screening. Uninsured patients received free
      screening. CONCLUSIONS: Across three clinics, colon cancer screening rates
      increased by 6.3%-6.9% through use of a multilevel intervention. Staff
      satisfaction was moderately high for ease of use, staff education, and perceived
      success of the QI initiative. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Patient education,
      decision support tools, outreach to patients by mail, phone, e-mail, electronic
      flags, and free screening for uninsured patients collectively can increase colon
      cancer screening rates in an at-risk population.

PMID- 26481324
TI  - Antibacterial and bioactive composite bone cements containing surface silver
      doped glass particles.
AB  - A bioactive silica-based glass powder (SBA2) was doped with silver (Ag(+)) ions
      by means of an ion-exchange process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy
      dispersion spectrometry (EDS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) evidenced that the
      glass powder was enriched with Ag(+) ions. However, a small amount of Ag2CO3
      precipitated with increased Ag concentrations in the exchange solution. The
      minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration
      (MBC) of Ag-SBA2 towards Staphylococcus aureus were also evaluated and were
      respectively 0.05 mg ml(-1) and 0.2 mg ml(-1). Subsequently, Ag-SBA2 glass was
      used as filler (30%wt) in a commercial formulation of bone cement (Simplex(TM) P)
      in order to impart both antibacterial and bioactive properties. The composite
      bone cement was investigated in terms of morphology (using SEM) and composition
      (using EDS); the glass powder was well dispersed and exposed on the cement
      surface. Bioactivity tests in simulated body fluid (SBF) evidenced the
      precipitation of hydroxyapatite on sample surfaces. Composite cement demonstrated
      antibacterial properties and a compressive strength comparable to the commercial
      formulation. 

PMID- 26481326
TI  - Tocilizumab is effective in a familial Mediterranean fever patient complicated
      with histologically proven recurrent fasciitis and myositis.

PMID- 26481325
TI  - Predictors of biochemical recurrence in pT3b prostate cancer after radical
      prostatectomy without adjuvant radiotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Men with pathologic evidence of seminal vesicle invasion (SVI) at
      radical prostatectomy (RP) have higher rates of biochemical recurrence (BCR) and
      mortality. Adjuvant radiotherapy (XRT) has been shown to increase freedom from
      BCR, but its impact on overall survival is controversial and it may represent
      overtreatment for some. The present study, therefore, sought to identify men with
      SVI at higher risk for BCR after RP in the absence of adjuvant XRT. METHODS: We
      identified 180 patients in our institutional database who underwent RP from 1990
      to 2011 who had pT3bN0-1 disease. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate
      freedom from BCR for the overall cohort and substratified by Gleason score, PSA,
      surgical margin status, and lymph node positivity. Cox Proportional Hazards
      models were used to determine demographic and histopathological factors
      predictive of BCR. Time-dependent ROC curve analysis was conducted to assess the
      ability of the UCSF-CAPRA score to predict BCR. RESULTS: Median age was 64 years,
      and 52.8% of patients were preoperative D'Amico high risk. At RP, 41.4% had a
      positive surgical margin (PSM), and 12.2% had positive lymph nodes (LN). The most
      common sites of PSM were the peripheral zone (56.8%) and the apex (32.4%).
      Positive bladder neck margin (HR = 7.01, P = 0.035) and PSA 10-20 versus <=10 (HR
      = 1.63, P = 0.047) predicted higher BCR in multivariable analyses. Median follow
      up was 26 months, and 2-, 3-, and 5-year BCR-free rates were 56.1%, 49.0%, and
      39.5%. Log rank tests showed that freedom from BCR was significantly less for
      Gleason 9-10, PSA >20, PSM, and N1 patients. The area under curve (AUC) for CAPRA
      in predicting BCR was 0.713 at 2 years, 0.692 at 3 years, and 0.641 at 5 years.
      Increasing CAPRA score was associated with an increased risk of BCR (HR = 1.33, P
      < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: pT3b prostate cancer is a heterogeneous disease commonly
      associated with several high-risk features. Stratifying men with SVI by
      prognostic features (i.e., Gleason, PSA, node status, surgical margin status) and
      using these features to augment the CAPRA score will improve identification of
      those at higher risk for BCR that should be strongly considered for adjuvant XRT.

PMID- 26481327
TI  - Preparing for (valenced) action: The role of differential effort in the
      orthogonalized go/no-go task.
AB  - Associating reward to task performance has been shown to benefit scores of
      cognitive functions. Importantly, this typically entails associating reward to
      the execution of a response, hence intertwining action-related processes with
      motivational ones. However, recently, preparatory action requirements (go/no-go)
      and outcome valence (reward/punishment) were elegantly separated using a cued
      orthogonalized go/no-go task. Functional magnetic resonance imaging results from
      this task showed that typical areas of the "reward network," like the
      dopaminergic midbrain and the striatum, predominantly encode action rather than
      valence, displaying enhanced activity when preparing for action (go) compared to
      inaction (no-go). In the current study, we used ERPs to probe for differences in
      preparatory state related to cognitive effort in this task, which has similarly
      been linked to reward-network activity. Importantly, the contingent negative
      variation, which is linked to effortful cognitive preparation processes during
      cue-target intervals, was clearly observed in go trials but not in no-go trials.
      Moreover, target-locked ERP results (N1 and P3) suggested that attention to the
      target was enhanced when an action had to be performed (go trials), and typical
      inhibition-related ERP components were not observed in no-go trials, suggesting a
      lack of active response inhibition. Finally, feedback-related P3 results could
      suggest that correct feedback was valued more in motivated go trials, again
      implying that more effort was required to correctly perform the task. Together,
      these results indicate that the anticipation of action compared to inaction
      simultaneously entails differences in mental effort, highlighting the need for
      further dissociation of these concepts. 

PMID- 26481328
TI  - Solving 21st Century Problems in Biological Inorganic Chemistry Using Synthetic
      Models.

PMID- 26481329
TI  - Taking a Nanoscale "Look" at Chemical Reactions on Surfaces.

PMID- 26481330
TI  - Managing Community Resilience to Climate Extremes, Rapid Unsustainable
      Urbanization, Emergencies of Scarcity, and Biodiversity Crises by Use of a
      Disaster Risk Reduction Bank.
AB  - Earth's climate is changing and national and international decision-makers are
      recognizing that global health security requires urgent attention and a
      significant investment to protect the future. In most locations, current data are
      inadequate to conduct a full assessment of the direct and indirect health impacts
      of climate change. All states require this information to evaluate community
      level resilience to climate extremes and climate change. A model that is being
      used successfully in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand is
      recommended to generate rapid information to assist decision-makers in the event
      of a disaster. The model overcomes barriers to success inherent in the
      traditional ''top-down'' approach to managing crises and recognizes the capacity
      of capable citizens and community organizers to facilitate response and recovery
      if provided the opportunity and resources. Local information is a prerequisite
      for strategic and tactical statewide planning. Time and resources are required to
      analyze risks within each community and what is required to prevent (mitigate),
      prepare, respond, recover (rehabilitate), anticipate, and assess any threatening
      events. Specific requirements at all levels from state to community must
      emphasize community roles by focusing on how best to maintain, respond, and
      recover public health protections and the infrastructure necessary for health
      security.

PMID- 26481331
TI  - Particle jumps in structural glasses.
AB  - Particles in structural glasses rattle around temporary equilibrium positions,
      that seldom change through a process which is much faster than the relaxation
      time, known as particle jump. Since the relaxation of the system is due to the
      accumulation of many such jumps, it could be possible to connect the single
      particle short time motion to the macroscopic relaxation by understanding the
      features of the jump dynamics. Here we review recent results in this research
      direction, clarifying the features of particle jumps that have been understood
      and those that are still under investigation, and examining the role of particle
      jumps in different theories of the glass transition. 

PMID- 26481332
TI  - Lipid-soluble nutrient status of healthy Omani school children before and after
      intervention with oily fish meal or re-esterified triacylglycerol fish oil.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Over the past two decades, the Omani diet has changed considerably to
      resemble a high calorie and a low nutrient density Western diet. We investigated
      the fat soluble nutrient status of children before and after intervention with
      fish diet or fish oil. METHODS: Children ages 9 and 10 y (n = 314) were recruited
      from three randomly selected schools. The schools were assigned to a fish, fish
      oil, or control group and the children were given a lightly grilled oily fish, a
      re-esterified triacylglycerol fish oil capsule, or no fish for 12 wk. RESULTS:
      Plasma vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin E concentrations, and vitamin E/total
      lipid ratio at baseline were 2.7 +/- 0.85 MUmol/L, 0.68 +/- 0.48 MUmol/L, 21.1 +/
      4.8 MUmol/L, and 5.0 +/- 0.81 MUmol/mmol, respectively, and none of the children
      were deficient. They were severely deficient (<27.5 nmol/L; 10.5% boys and 28.5%
      girls), deficient (27.5-44.9 nmol/L; 47.6% boys and 49.4% girls) or insufficient
      (50-74.9 nmol/L; 34.6% boys and 21.5% girls) in vitamin D; only 7.3% boys and
      0.6% girls had optimal status (>=75 nmol/L). Parathyroid hormone (5.0 +/- 1.7
      versus 5.8 +/- 2.1 pmol/L; P < 0.0001) and alkaline phosphatase (225.2 +/- 66.6
      versus 247.8 +/- 73.7 U/L; P < 0.01) levels were lower in boys. Postintervention,
      the fish oil (54.1 +/- 17.5 nmol/L; P < 0.001) and fish (49.2 +/- 17.4 nmol/L; P
      < 0.05) groups had elevated levels of vitamin D compared with the controls (42.3
      +/- 17.5 nmol/L). CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in Omani school
      children, but it can be mitigated with omega-3 fatty acid supplementation.
      Vitamin D plays a crucial role in skeletal and extraskeletal systems. Hence,
      there is a need for a child-focused program of food fortification and outdoor
      activities to alleviate the problem.

PMID- 26481333
TI  - The tobacco smoke component acrolein induces glucocorticoid resistant gene
      expression via inhibition of histone deacetylase.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the leading cause of cigarette
      smoke-related death worldwide. Acrolein, a crucial reactive electrophile found in
      cigarette smoke mimics many of the toxic effects of cigarette smoke-exposure in
      the lung. In macrophages, cigarette smoke is known to hinder histone deacetylases
      (HDACs), glucocorticoid-regulated enzymes that play an important role in the
      pathogenesis of glucocorticoid resistant inflammation, a common feature of COPD.
      Thus, we hypothesize that acrolein plays a role in COPD-associated glucocorticoid
      resistance. To examine the role of acrolein on glucocorticoid resistance, U937
      monocytes, differentiated with PMA to macrophage-like cells were treated with
      acrolein for 0.5h followed by stimulation with hydrocortisone for 8h, or treated
      simultaneously with LPS and hydrocortisone for 8h without acrolein. GSH and
      nuclear HDAC activity were measured, or gene expression was analyzed by qPCR.
      Acrolein-mediated TNFalpha gene expression was not suppressed by hydrocortisone
      whereas LPS-induced TNFalpha expression was suppressed. Acrolein also
      significantly inhibited nuclear HDAC activity in macrophage-like cells.
      Incubation of recombinant HDAC2 with acrolein led to the formation of an HDAC2
      acrolein adduct identified by mass spectrometry. Therefore, these results suggest
      that acrolein-induced inflammatory gene expression is resistant to suppression by
      the endogenous glucocorticoid, hydrocortisone. 

PMID- 26481334
TI  - Comparison of image quality and radiation dose between an image-intensifier
      system and a newer-generation flat-panel detector system - technical phantom
      measurements and evaluation of clinical imaging in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many image-intensifier fluoroscopy systems have been replaced by flat
      panel detectors in recent years. OBJECTIVE: To compare the level of contrast,
      image resolution and radiation dose between an image-intensifier and a newer
      generation flat-panel detector system in a pediatric radiology unit. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We compared two systems - a conventional image intensifier and a
      newer-generation flat-panel system. We measured image quality and radiation dose
      using a technical phantom. Additionally, we retrospectively compared age-matched
      fluoroscopic pediatric voiding cystourethrography (n = 15) and upper
      gastrointestinal investigations (n = 25). RESULTS: In phantom studies image
      contrast was equal while image resolution was higher and mean radiation dose
      lower using the flat-panel system (P < 0.0001). In pediatric investigations, mean
      dose area product was significantly reduced on the flat-panel system for upper
      gastrointestinal investigation (45 +/- 38 MUGy*m2 vs. 11 +/- 9 MUGy*m2; P <
      0.0001) and for voiding cystourethrography (18 +/- 20 MUGy*m2 vs. 10 +/- 12
      MUGy*m2; P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The newer flat-panel system performs at lower
      dose levels with equal to better image quality and therefore seems to be the more
      suitable technique for pediatric fluoroscopy in comparison to image-intensifier
      systems.

PMID- 26481335
TI  - Inter-radiologist agreement for CT scoring of pediatric splenic injuries and
      effect on an established clinical practice guideline.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) advocates for the
      use of a clinical practice guideline to direct management of hemodynamically
      stable pediatric spleen injuries. The clinical practice guideline is based on the
      CT score of the spleen injury according to the American Association for the
      Surgery of Trauma (AAST) CT scoring system. OBJECTIVE: To determine the potential
      effect of radiologist agreement for CT scoring of pediatric spleen injuries on an
      established APSA clinical practice guideline. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed blunt splenic injuries occurring in children from
      January 2007 to January 2012 at a single level 1 trauma center (n = 90).
      Abdominal CT exams performed at clinical presentation were reviewed by four
      radiologists who documented the following: (1) splenic injury grade (AAST
      system), (2) arterial extravasation and (3) pseudoaneurysm. Inter-rater agreement
      for AAST injury grade was assessed using the multi-rater Fleiss kappa and Kendall
      coefficient of concordance. Inter-rater agreement was assessed using weighted
      (AAST injury grade) or prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted (binary measures) kappa
      statistics; 95% confidence intervals were calculated. We evaluated the
      hypothetical effect of radiologist disagreement on an established APSA clinical
      practice guideline. RESULTS: Inter-rater agreement was good for absolute AAST
      injury grade (kappa: 0.64 [0.59-0.69]) and excellent for relative AAST injury
      grade (Kendall w: 0.90). All radiologists agreed on the AAST grade in 52% of
      cases. Based on an established clinical practice guideline, radiologist
      disagreement could have changed the decision for intensive care management in 11%
      (10/90) of children, changed the length of hospital stay in 44% (40/90), and
      changed the time to return to normal activity in 44% (40/90). CONCLUSION:
      Radiologist agreement when assigning splenic AAST injury grades is less than
      perfect, and disagreements have the potential to change management in a
      substantial number of pediatric patients.

PMID- 26481336
TI  - Right L4/L5 Extreme-Lateral Interbody Fusion for Adult Degenerative Scoliosis:
      When the Black Swan Is Too Real....

PMID- 26481337
TI  - The Role of Serial Oxidative Stress Levels in Acute Traumatic Brain Injury and as
      Predictors of Outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress is thought to participate in the pathobiology of
      secondary brain injury after acute traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study
      posits that oxidative stress levels in acute TBI are predictive of outcome.
      METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-nine blood samples from 88 patients admitted
      within 24 hours after TBI were obtained on admission and on days 4 and 7. Serial
      plasma oxidative level and antioxidant were examined in 88 patients with acute
      TBI and 27 control individuals. RESULTS: Compared with controls, patients with
      TBI had significantly increased serum glutathione (GSH) levels on presentation
      and significantly decreased erythrocyte superoxide dismutase levels. Outcome was
      assessed on discharge using the Glasgow Outcome Scale. Serum GSH and erythrocyte
      superoxide dismutase levels were significantly higher in the good outcome group
      than in the poor outcome group on day 1 (P = 0.008 and P = 0.026, respectively).
      In the logistic regression analysis, only motor deficits and GSH levels on
      presentation were independently associated with outcome. A GSH cutoff value of
      1.106 MUmol/L on presentation was associated with good outcome in patients with
      acute TBI. CONCLUSIONS: Quantifying biomarkers of oxidative stress and
      antioxidant status of serum correlate with trauma severity and may be used to
      predict outcomes after TBI. Higher serum GSH levels on admission are associated
      with better outcome.

PMID- 26481338
TI  - Use of General Anesthesia for Emergent Large Vessel Occlusion Patients.

PMID- 26481339
TI  - New Reversal Agents for Oral Anticoagulants on the Horizon.

PMID- 26481341
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26481340
TI  - Role of Rho Kinase and Fasudil on Synaptic Plasticity in Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - In addition to myelin loss and oligodendrocyte injury, axonal damage is a major
      cause of irreversible neurological disability in multiple sclerosis (MS). A
      series of studies have demonstrated that Rho kinase (ROCK) is involved in
      synaptic plasticity of neurons. Here, we found that ROCK activity in MS serum was
      elevated compared with serum from healthy controls. In experimental autoimmune
      encephalomyelitis (EAE), ROCK activity was also increased in serum, spleen, brain
      and spinal cord. Neuron injury with scratch and TNF-alpha stimulation induced the
      up-regulation of ROCK activity. When serum of MS patients was co-cultured with
      mouse cortical neurons in vitro, MS serum caused neurite shortening and reduction
      of cell viability, while the addition of Fasudil partially restored synaptic
      morphology of neurons, revealing that MS sera inhibited neurite outgrowth and
      synapse formation. The expression of synaptophysin was decreased in MS serum
      neurons, and elevated in the presence of Fasudil. In contrast, the expression of
      phosphorylated collapsin response mediator protein-2 (CRMP-2) was elevated in MS
      serum-neurons and decreased in the presence of Fasudil. However, the addition of
      anti-ROCK I/II mixed antibodies in MS serum partially declined ROCK activity, but
      did not improve neurite outgrowth of neurons, revealing that Fasudil should
      prevent synaptic damage possibly through inhibiting intracellular ROCK activation
      mediated with MS serum. Our results indicate that axonal loss in MS may be
      related to increased ROCK activity. Fasudil could promote synaptogenesis and thus
      may contribute to preventing irreversible neurological disability associated with
      MS.

PMID- 26481342
TI  - [Comparison of hang-back recession and conventional recession for correction of
      exotropia].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Weakening of the lateral rectus muscle to correct
      exotropia can be achieved by using a conventional or a hang-back recession. This
      study was conducted to compare the results of these techniques and to analyze the
      dose-response curve and complication rates. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Patients
      who underwent a lateral rectus muscle recession for exotropia were included in
      this retrospective study. The recession was performed conventionally with direct
      scleral fixation at the desired point or with a hang-back recession, each
      combined with a plication of the ipsilateral medial rectus muscle. The study
      analyzed ocular alignment and motility preoperatively as well as 1 day and 3
      months postoperatively. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were
      compared. RESULTS: A total of 50 patients (age 4-75 years) met the inclusion
      criteria for this study. A conventional recession of the lateral rectus muscle
      was performed in 30 patients and a hang-back recession in 20. Preoperative ocular
      alignment with distance fixation was - 33.8 +/- 14.4 prism diopters (PD) in the
      conventional group and - 30.6 +/- 11.8 PD (mean +/- standard deviation) in the
      hang-back group (where negative values constitute exotropia and positive values
      are esotropia). Preoperative ocular alignment with near fixation was - 40 +/-
      15.2 PD and - 36 +/- 14.7 PD for conventional and hang-back recession,
      respectively. Ocular alignment with distance fixation 3 months postoperatively
      was - 10 +/- 14.1 PD in the conventional group and - 11.1 +/- 13.2 PD in the hang
      back group and with near fixation it was - 15.4 +/- 13.9 PD and - 11.5 +/- 13.9
      PD, respectively. In the conventional group 1 mm of combined surgery corrected
      2.03 +/- 0.88 PD (- 0.31-4.15 PD/mm) of exotropia with distance fixation and 2.13
      +/- 0.87 PD (0.89-3.85 PD/mm) with near fixation. In the hang-back group, it
      corrected 1.83 +/- 0.89 PD (0.42-2.95 PD/mm) and 2.32 +/- 1.25 PD (0.17-4.76
      PD/mm), respectively. Differences between groups were not statistically
      significant. Intraoperative complications, such as scleral perforation were not
      observed. Postoperative complications, particularly slipped or lost muscles or
      induced vertical strabismus were not documented in either group. CONCLUSION: The
      hang-back recession is an effective and safe alternative to conventional
      recession of the lateral rectus muscle for exotropia. Larger studies with longer
      follow-up would be desirable to prospectively compare these two techniques.

PMID- 26481343
TI  - The usefulness of KL-6 and SP-D for the diagnosis and management of chronic
      hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is believed that Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) and surfactant
      protein D (SP-D) are useful biomarkers for the diagnosis of various types of
      interstitial lung diseases, including hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP). The
      clinical features of chronic HP are similar to those of idiopathic interstitial
      pneumonias, especially idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). OBJECTIVE: We sought
      to clarify the usefulness of serum KL-6 and SP-D for the diagnosis and management
      of chronic HP. METHODS: We examined serum KL-6 and SP-D levels and
      retrospectively evaluated the clinical parameters of acute HP (n = 35), chronic
      HP (n = 57), IPF (n = 54), collagen vascular disease-associated interstitial
      pneumonia (CVD-IP) (n = 67), and sarcoidosis (n = 47). We analyzed the relations
      between the two biomarkers and clinical data in chronic HP. RESULTS: Serum KL-6
      and SP-D levels in acute HP (2710 U/ml and 338 ng/ml, median) and chronic HP
      (1500 U/ml and 264 ng/ml, median) were significantly higher than in IPF, CVD-IP,
      and sarcoidosis. The area under the curve (AUC) values for serum KL-6 and SP-D
      between chronic HP and IPF were 0.771 and 0.729, respectively. Serum KL-6 levels
      in chronic HP were significantly higher during episodes of acute exacerbation
      than 1 month before acute exacerbation. The serum KL-6 levels had correlations
      with serum SP-D and the percentage of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage
      fluid. CONCLUSIONS: Serum KL-6 and SP-D levels are useful for the diagnosis and
      management of chronic HP.

PMID- 26481344
TI  - Anxiety in childhood across the globe: findings from meta-regression analyses of
      the past 15 years (1998-2013).

PMID- 26481345
TI  - Biological control of Tetranychus urticae by Phytoseiulus  macropilis and
      Macrolophus pygmaeus in tomato  greenhouses.
AB  - Biological control against phytophagous arthropods has been widely used under
      greenhouse conditions. Its success is dependent on a number of factors related to
      the abiotic conditions and to the interactions between pests and biological
      control agents. In particular, when multiple predator species are introduced to
      suppress one pest, competitive interactions might occur, including intraguild
      predation (IGP). In tomato crops, the spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch is a
      very problematic phytophagous mite and its control is not yet satisfactory. In
      2012 and 2013, the ability of a potential new predatory mite Phytoseiulus
      macropilis (Banks) was assessed, alone and in the presence of Macrolophus
      pygmaeus Rambur. Macrolophus pygmaeus is a polyphagous mirid supposed to predate
      on P. macropilis. Both years, under greenhouse conditions, the effectiveness of
      the two predators was compared between the following treatments: T. urticae, T.
      urticae + P. macropilis, T. urticae + M. pygmaeus, and T. urticae + P. macropilis
      + M. pygmaeus. The number of arthropods per tomato plant over time indicated that
      P. macropilis well-controlled the population of T. urticae, whereas M. pygmaeus
      had a very limited impact. Furthermore, there was no evidence of IGP between the
      two predators but in the presence of M. pygmaeus, P. macropilis tended to have a
      more clumped spatial distribution. Further studies should clarify the number and
      location of inoculation points to optimize the control of T. urticae by P.
      macropilis.

PMID- 26481346
TI  - Procedure for the systematic orientation of digitised cranial models. Design and
      validation.
AB  - Comparison of bony pieces requires that they are oriented systematically to
      ensure that homologous regions are compared. Few orientation methods are highly
      accurate; this is particularly true for methods applied to three-dimensional
      models obtained by surface scanning, a technique whose special features make it a
      powerful tool in forensic contexts. The aim of this study was to develop and
      evaluate a systematic, assisted orientation method for aligning three-dimensional
      cranial models relative to the Frankfurt Plane, which would be produce accurate
      orientations independent of operator and anthropological expertise. The study
      sample comprised four crania of known age and sex. All the crania were scanned
      and reconstructed using an Eva ArtecTM portable 3D surface scanner and
      subsequently, the position of certain characteristic landmarks were determined by
      three different operators using the Rhinoceros 3D surface modelling software.
      Intra-observer analysis showed a tendency for orientation to be more accurate
      when using the assisted method than when using conventional manual orientation.
      Inter-observer analysis showed that experienced evaluators achieve results at
      least as accurate if not more accurate using the assisted method than those
      obtained using manual orientation; while inexperienced evaluators achieved more
      accurate orientation using the assisted method. The method tested is a an
      innovative system capable of providing very precise, systematic and automatised
      spatial orientations of virtual cranial models relative to standardised
      anatomical planes independent of the operator and operator experience. 

PMID- 26481347
TI  - Age estimation by dental developmental stages in children and adolescents in
      Iceland.
AB  - Studies have shown that it is necessary to create a database for dental maturity
      for every population and compare it to others. The present study is the first one
      for dental development in the Icelandic population the age range being 4-24
      years. It will help in forensic dental age estimation and will also help
      dentists, physicians, anthropologists, archaeologists and other professionals who
      rely on developmental age assessment in children and adolescents. In this present
      retrospective cross-sectional study, dental maturity was determined in 1100
      Icelandic children and adolescents from orthopantomograms (OPGs). The first 100
      were used for a pilot study and the remaining 1000 for the main study. A total of
      23 subjects were excluded. The sample consisted of 508 girls and 469 boys from
      the age of 4-24 years and a dental developmental scoring system was used as a
      standard for determination of dental maturity stages. A total of 200 OPGs were
      studied both on the left and right side and the remaining on the right side.
      Dental maturity was established for all teeth and both genders, when the sample
      permitted, from the beginning of crown formation to the root apex closure. The
      Cronbach's Alpha reliability test showed high reliability, R=0.982. Girls in
      Iceland reach dental maturity root completed (stage 10, Rc) at 17.81 years of age
      for the maxillary and at 18.47 years for the mandibular teeth. Boys reach dental
      maturity root completed (stage 10, Rc) at 18.00 years of age in the maxilla and
      17.63 in the mandible. There was no significant difference between left and right
      side (r=0.95-1.00) and there was no gender difference, except in root formation
      in maxillary and mandibular canines where girls reached root completed earlier
      than boys. A reliable database has been established in Iceland for tooth
      development in the age range of 4-24 years, which is compatible with
      international studies. These results will help forensic odontologists and other
      professionals to estimate with high accuracy both age and dental maturity in
      Icelandic children and adolescents. 

PMID- 26481348
TI  - Epitope-tagged yeast strains reveal promoter driven changes to 3'-end formation
      and convergent antisense-transcription from common 3' UTRs.
AB  - Epitope-tagging by homologous recombination is ubiquitously used to study gene
      expression, protein localization and function in yeast. This is generally thought
      to insulate the regulation of gene expression to that mediated by the promoter
      and coding regions because native 3' UTR are replaced. Here we show that the 3'
      UTRs, CYC1 and ADH1, contain cryptic promoters that generate abundant convergent
      antisense-transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Moreover we show that
      aberrant, truncating 3' -end formation is often associated with regulated
      transcription in TAP-tagged strains. Importantly, the steady-state level of both
      3' -truncated and antisense transcription products is locus dependent. Using TAP
      and GFP-tagged strains we show that the transcriptional state of the gene-of
      interest induces changes to 3' -end formation by alternative polyadenylation and
      antisense transcription from a universal 3' UTR. This means that these 3' UTRs
      contains plastic features that can be molded to reflect the regulatory
      architecture of the locus rather than bringing their own regulatory paradigm to
      the gene-fusions as would be expected. Our work holds a cautionary note for
      studies utilizing tagged strains for quantitative biology, but also provides a
      new model for the study of promoter driven rewiring of 3' -end formation and
      regulatory non-coding transcription. 

PMID- 26481349
TI  - CRISPR-CAS9 D10A nickase target-specific fluorescent labeling of double strand
      DNA for whole genome mapping and structural variation analysis.
AB  - We have developed a new, sequence-specific DNA labeling strategy that will
      dramatically improve DNA mapping in complex and structurally variant genomic
      regions, as well as facilitate high-throughput automated whole-genome mapping.
      The method uses the Cas9 D10A protein, which contains a nuclease disabling
      mutation in one of the two nuclease domains of Cas9, to create a guide RNA
      directed DNA nick in the context of an in vitro-assembled CRISPR-CAS9-DNA
      complex. Fluorescent nucleotides are then incorporated adjacent to the nicking
      site with a DNA polymerase to label the guide RNA-determined target sequences.
      This labeling strategy is very powerful in targeting repetitive sequences as well
      as in barcoding genomic regions and structural variants not amenable to current
      labeling methods that rely on uneven distributions of restriction site motifs in
      the DNA. Importantly, it renders the labeled double-stranded DNA available in
      long intact stretches for high-throughput analysis in nanochannel arrays as well
      as for lower throughput targeted analysis of labeled DNA regions using
      alternative methods for stretching and imaging the labeled long DNA molecules.
      Thus, this method will dramatically improve both automated high-throughput genome
      wide mapping as well as targeted analyses of complex regions containing
      repetitive and structurally variant DNA. 

PMID- 26481350
TI  - The SIDER database of drugs and side effects.
AB  - Unwanted side effects of drugs are a burden on patients and a severe impediment
      in the development of new drugs. At the same time, adverse drug reactions (ADRs)
      recorded during clinical trials are an important source of human phenotypic data.
      It is therefore essential to combine data on drugs, targets and side effects into
      a more complete picture of the therapeutic mechanism of actions of drugs and the
      ways in which they cause adverse reactions. To this end, we have created the
      SIDER ('Side Effect Resource', http://sideeffects.embl.de) database of drugs and
      ADRs. The current release, SIDER 4, contains data on 1430 drugs, 5880 ADRs and
      140 064 drug-ADR pairs, which is an increase of 40% compared to the previous
      version. For more fine-grained analyses, we extracted the frequency with which
      side effects occur from the package inserts. This information is available for
      39% of drug-ADR pairs, 19% of which can be compared to the frequency under
      placebo treatment. SIDER furthermore contains a data set of drug indications,
      extracted from the package inserts using Natural Language Processing. These drug
      indications are used to reduce the rate of false positives by identifying medical
      terms that do not correspond to ADRs. 

PMID- 26481351
TI  - Expression Atlas update--an integrated database of gene and protein expression in
      humans, animals and plants.
AB  - Expression Atlas (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/gxa) provides information about gene and
      protein expression in animal and plant samples of different cell types, organism
      parts, developmental stages, diseases and other conditions. It consists of
      selected microarray and RNA-sequencing studies from ArrayExpress, which have been
      manually curated, annotated with ontology terms, checked for high quality and
      processed using standardised analysis methods. Since the last update, Atlas has
      grown seven-fold (1572 studies as of August 2015), and incorporates baseline
      expression profiles of tissues from Human Protein Atlas, GTEx and FANTOM5, and of
      cancer cell lines from ENCODE, CCLE and Genentech projects. Plant studies
      constitute a quarter of Atlas data. For genes of interest, the user can view
      baseline expression in tissues, and differential expression for biologically
      meaningful pairwise comparisons-estimated using consistent methodology across all
      of Atlas. Our first proteomics study in human tissues is now displayed alongside
      transcriptomics data in the same tissues. Novel analyses and visualisations
      include: 'enrichment' in each differential comparison of GO terms, Reactome,
      Plant Reactome pathways and InterPro domains; hierarchical clustering (by
      baseline expression) of most variable genes and experimental conditions; and, for
      a given gene-condition, distribution of baseline expression across biological
      replicates. 

PMID- 26481352
TI  - DIDA: A curated and annotated digenic diseases database.
AB  - DIDA (DIgenic diseases DAtabase) is a novel database that provides for the first
      time detailed information on genes and associated genetic variants involved in
      digenic diseases, the simplest form of oligogenic inheritance. The database is
      accessible via http://dida.ibsquare.be and currently includes 213 digenic
      combinations involved in 44 different digenic diseases. These combinations are
      composed of 364 distinct variants, which are distributed over 136 distinct genes.
      The web interface provides browsing and search functionalities, as well as
      documentation and help pages, general database statistics and references to the
      original publications from which the data have been collected. The possibility to
      submit novel digenic data to DIDA is also provided. Creating this new repository
      was essential as current databases do not allow one to retrieve detailed records
      regarding digenic combinations. Genes, variants, diseases and digenic
      combinations in DIDA are annotated with manually curated information and
      information mined from other online resources. Next to providing a unique
      resource for the development of new analysis methods, DIDA gives clinical and
      molecular geneticists a tool to find the most comprehensive information on the
      digenic nature of their diseases of interest. 

PMID- 26481353
TI  - ECMDB 2.0: A richer resource for understanding the biochemistry of E. coli.
AB  - ECMDB or the Escherichia coli Metabolome Database (http://www.ecmdb.ca) is a
      comprehensive database containing detailed information about the genome and
      metabolome of E. coli (K-12). First released in 2012, the ECMDB has undergone
      substantial expansion and many modifications over the past 4 years. This
      manuscript describes the most recent version of ECMDB (ECMDB 2.0). In particular,
      it provides a comprehensive update of the database that was previously described
      in the 2013 NAR Database Issue and details many of the additions and improvements
      made to the ECMDB over that time. Some of the most important or significant
      enhancements include a 13-fold increase in the number of metabolic pathway
      diagrams (from 125 to 1650), a 3-fold increase in the number of compounds linked
      to pathways (from 1058 to 3280), the addition of dozens of operon/metabolite
      signalling pathways, a 44% increase in the number of compounds in the database
      (from 2610 to 3760), a 7-fold increase in the number of compounds with NMR or MS
      spectra (from 412 to 3261) and a massive increase in the number of external links
      to other E. coli or chemical resources. These additions, along with many other
      enhancements aimed at improving the ease or speed of querying, searching and
      viewing the data within ECMDB should greatly facilitate the understanding of not
      only the metabolism of E. coli, but also allow the in-depth exploration of its
      extensive metabolic networks, its many signalling pathways and its essential
      biochemistry. 

PMID- 26481354
TI  - Synthesis and cell-free cloning of DNA libraries using programmable
      microfluidics.
AB  - Microfluidics may revolutionize our ability to write synthetic DNA by addressing
      several fundamental limitations associated with generating novel genetic
      constructs. Here we report the first de novo synthesis and cell-free cloning of
      custom DNA libraries in sub-microliter reaction droplets using programmable
      digital microfluidics. Specifically, we developed Programmable Order
      Polymerization (POP), Microfluidic Combinatorial Assembly of DNA (M-CAD) and
      Microfluidic In-vitro Cloning (MIC) and applied them to de novo synthesis,
      combinatorial assembly and cell-free cloning of genes, respectively. Proof-of
      concept for these methods was demonstrated by programming an autonomous
      microfluidic system to construct and clone libraries of yeast ribosome binding
      sites and bacterial Azurine, which were then retrieved in individual droplets and
      validated. The ability to rapidly and robustly generate designer DNA molecules in
      an autonomous manner should have wide application in biological research and
      development. 

PMID- 26481355
TI  - Mechanism of aromatic amine carcinogen bypass by the Y-family polymerase, Dpo4.
AB  - Bulky DNA damage inhibits DNA synthesis by replicative polymerases and often
      requires the action of error prone bypass polymerases. The exact mechanism
      governing adduct-induced mutagenesis and its dependence on the DNA sequence
      context remains unclear. In this work, we characterize Dpo4 binding conformations
      and activity with DNA templates modified with the carcinogenic DNA adducts, 2
      aminofluoene (AF) or N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene (AAF), using single-molecule FRET
      (smFRET) analysis and DNA synthesis extension assays. We find that in the absence
      of dNTPs, both adducts alter polymerase binding as measured by smFRET, but the
      addition of dNTPs induces the formation of a ternary complex having what appears
      to be a conformation similar to the one observed with an unmodified DNA template.
      We also observe that the misincorporation pathways for each adduct present
      significant differences: while an AF adduct induces a structure consistent with
      the previously observed primer-template looped structure, its acetylated
      counterpart uses a different mechanism, one consistent with a dNTP-stabilized
      misalignment mechanism. 

PMID- 26481356
TI  - Lnc2Cancer: a manually curated database of experimentally supported lncRNAs
      associated with various human cancers.
AB  - Lnc2Cancer (http://www.bio-bigdata.net/lnc2cancer) is a manually curated database
      of cancer-associated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) with experimental support
      that aims to provide a high-quality and integrated resource for exploring lncRNA
      deregulation in various human cancers. LncRNAs represent a large category of
      functional RNA molecules that play a significant role in human cancers. A curated
      collection and summary of deregulated lncRNAs in cancer is essential to
      thoroughly understand the mechanisms and functions of lncRNAs. Here, we developed
      the Lnc2Cancer database, which contains 1057 manually curated associations
      between 531 lncRNAs and 86 human cancers. Each association includes lncRNA and
      cancer name, the lncRNA expression pattern, experimental techniques, a brief
      functional description, the original reference and additional annotation
      information. Lnc2Cancer provides a user-friendly interface to conveniently
      browse, retrieve and download data. Lnc2Cancer also offers a submission page for
      researchers to submit newly validated lncRNA-cancer associations. With the
      rapidly increasing interest in lncRNAs, Lnc2Cancer will significantly improve our
      understanding of lncRNA deregulation in cancer and has the potential to be a
      timely and valuable resource. 

PMID- 26481357
TI  - WikiPathways: capturing the full diversity of pathway knowledge.
AB  - WikiPathways (http://www.wikipathways.org) is an open, collaborative platform for
      capturing and disseminating models of biological pathways for data visualization
      and analysis. Since our last NAR update, 4 years ago, WikiPathways has
      experienced massive growth in content, which continues to be contributed by
      hundreds of individuals each year. New aspects of the diversity and depth of the
      collected pathways are described from the perspective of researchers interested
      in using pathway information in their studies. We provide updates on extensions
      and services to support pathway analysis and visualization via popular standalone
      tools, i.e. PathVisio and Cytoscape, web applications and common programming
      environments. We introduce the Quick Edit feature for pathway authors and
      curators, in addition to new means of publishing pathways and maintaining custom
      pathway collections to serve specific research topics and communities. In
      addition to the latest milestones in our pathway collection and curation effort,
      we also highlight the latest means to access the content as publishable figures,
      as standard data files, and as linked data, including bulk and programmatic
      access. 

PMID- 26481358
TI  - ZFP57 recognizes multiple and closely spaced sequence motif variants to maintain
      repressive epigenetic marks in mouse embryonic stem cells.
AB  - Imprinting Control Regions (ICRs) need to maintain their parental allele-specific
      DNA methylation during early embryogenesis despite genome-wide demethylation and
      subsequent de novo methylation. ZFP57 and KAP1 are both required for maintaining
      the repressive DNA methylation and H3-lysine-9-trimethylation (H3K9me3) at ICRs.
      In vitro, ZFP57 binds a specific hexanucleotide motif that is enriched at its
      genomic binding sites. We now demonstrate in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs)
      that SNPs disrupting closely-spaced hexanucleotide motifs are associated with
      lack of ZFP57 binding and H3K9me3 enrichment. Through a transgenic approach in
      mouse ESCs, we further demonstrate that an ICR fragment containing three ZFP57
      motif sequences recapitulates the original methylated or unmethylated status when
      integrated into the genome at an ectopic position. Mutation of Zfp57 or the
      hexanucleotide motifs led to loss of ZFP57 binding and DNA methylation of the
      transgene. Finally, we identified a sequence variant of the hexanucleotide motif
      that interacts with ZFP57 both in vivo and in vitro. The presence of multiple and
      closely located copies of ZFP57 motif variants emerges as a distinct
      characteristic that is required for the faithful maintenance of repressive
      epigenetic marks at ICRs and other ZFP57 binding sites. 

PMID- 26481359
TI  - Human telomerase reverse transcriptase binds to a pre-organized hTR in vivo
      exposing its template.
AB  - Telomerase is a specialized reverse transcriptase that is responsible for
      telomere length maintenance. As in other organisms, the minimal components
      required for an active human telomerase are the template-providing telomerase RNA
      (hTR) and the enzymatic entity telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). Here, we
      explored the structure of hTR and the hTERT-induced conformational changes within
      hTR in living cells. By employing an in vivo DMS chemical probing technique, we
      showed that the pseudoknot and associated triple helical scaffold form stably in
      vivo independently of hTERT. In fact, the dimethyl-sulfate (DMS) modification
      pattern suggests that hTR alone is capable of adopting a conformation that is
      suited to interact with hTERT. However, in the absence of hTERT the template
      region of hTR is only weakly accessible to DMS-modifications. The predominant
      change after binding of hTERT to hTR is the exposure of the template region. 

PMID- 26481360
TI  - Secondary structure encodes a cooperative tertiary folding funnel in the Azoarcus
      ribozyme.
AB  - A requirement for specific RNA folding is that the free-energy landscape
      discriminate against non-native folds. While tertiary interactions are critical
      for stabilizing the native fold, they are relatively non-specific, suggesting
      additional mechanisms contribute to tertiary folding specificity. In this study,
      we use coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to explore how secondary
      structure shapes the tertiary free-energy landscape of the Azoarcus ribozyme. We
      show that steric and connectivity constraints posed by secondary structure
      strongly limit the accessible conformational space of the ribozyme, and that
      these so-called topological constraints in turn pose strong free-energy penalties
      on forming different tertiary contacts. Notably, native A-minor and base-triple
      interactions form with low conformational free energy, while non-native
      tetraloop/tetraloop-receptor interactions are penalized by high conformational
      free energies. Topological constraints also give rise to strong cooperativity
      between distal tertiary interactions, quantitatively matching prior experimental
      measurements. The specificity of the folding landscape is further enhanced as
      tertiary contacts place additional constraints on the conformational space,
      progressively funneling the molecule to the native state. These results indicate
      that secondary structure assists the ribozyme in navigating the otherwise rugged
      tertiary folding landscape, and further emphasize topological constraints as a
      key force in RNA folding. 

PMID- 26481361
TI  - Bovine Genome Database: new tools for gleaning function from the Bos taurus
      genome.
AB  - We report an update of the Bovine Genome Database (BGD)
      (http://BovineGenome.org). The goal of BGD is to support bovine genomics research
      by providing genome annotation and data mining tools. We have developed new
      genome and annotation browsers using JBrowse and WebApollo for two Bos taurus
      genome assemblies, the reference genome assembly (UMD3.1.1) and the alternate
      genome assembly (Btau_4.6.1). Annotation tools have been customized to highlight
      priority genes for annotation, and to aid annotators in selecting gene evidence
      tracks from 91 tissue specific RNAseq datasets. We have also developed
      BovineMine, based on the InterMine data warehousing system, to integrate the
      bovine genome, annotation, QTL, SNP and expression data with external sources of
      orthology, gene ontology, gene interaction and pathway information. BovineMine
      provides powerful query building tools, as well as customized query templates,
      and allows users to analyze and download genome-wide datasets. With BovineMine,
      bovine researchers can use orthology to leverage the curated gene pathways of
      model organisms, such as human, mouse and rat. BovineMine will be especially
      useful for gene ontology and pathway analyses in conjunction with GWAS and QTL
      studies. 

PMID- 26481362
TI  - BindingDB in 2015: A public database for medicinal chemistry, computational
      chemistry and systems pharmacology.
AB  - BindingDB, www.bindingdb.org, is a publicly accessible database of experimental
      protein-small molecule interaction data. Its collection of over a million data
      entries derives primarily from scientific articles and, increasingly, US patents.
      BindingDB provides many ways to browse and search for data of interest, including
      an advanced search tool, which can cross searches of multiple query types,
      including text, chemical structure, protein sequence and numerical affinities.
      The PDB and PubMed provide links to data in BindingDB, and vice versa; and
      BindingDB provides links to pathway information, the ZINC catalog of available
      compounds, and other resources. The BindingDB website offers specialized tools
      that take advantage of its large data collection, including ones to generate
      hypotheses for the protein targets bound by a bioactive compound, and for the
      compounds bound by a new protein of known sequence; and virtual compound
      screening by maximal chemical similarity, binary kernel discrimination, and
      support vector machine methods. Specialized data sets are also available, such as
      binding data for hundreds of congeneric series of ligands, drawn from BindingDB
      and organized for use in validating drug design methods. BindingDB offers several
      forms of programmatic access, and comes with extensive background material and
      documentation. Here, we provide the first update of BindingDB since 2007,
      focusing on new and unique features and highlighting directions of importance to
      the field as a whole. 

PMID- 26481363
TI  - DNA-binding proteins from marine bacteria expand the known sequence diversity of
      TALE-like repeats.
AB  - Transcription Activator-Like Effectors (TALEs) of Xanthomonas bacteria are
      programmable DNA binding proteins with unprecedented target specificity.
      Comparative studies into TALE repeat structure and function are hindered by the
      limited sequence variation among TALE repeats. More sequence-diverse TALE-like
      proteins are known from Ralstonia solanacearum (RipTALs) and Burkholderia
      rhizoxinica (Bats), but RipTAL and Bat repeats are conserved with those of TALEs
      around the DNA-binding residue. We study two novel marine-organism TALE-like
      proteins (MOrTL1 and MOrTL2), the first to date of non-terrestrial origin. We
      have assessed their DNA-binding properties and modelled repeat structures. We
      found that repeats from these proteins mediate sequence specific DNA binding
      conforming to the TALE code, despite low sequence similarity to TALE repeats, and
      with novel residues around the BSR. However, MOrTL1 repeats show greater sequence
      discriminating power than MOrTL2 repeats. Sequence alignments show that there are
      only three residues conserved between repeats of all TALE-like proteins including
      the two new additions. This conserved motif could prove useful as an identifier
      for future TALE-likes. Additionally, comparing MOrTL repeats with those of other
      TALE-likes suggests a common evolutionary origin for the TALEs, RipTALs and Bats.

PMID- 26481364
TI  - Factors Associated with Travel Time and Distance to Access Hospital Care Among
      Infants with Spina Bifida.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Using geographic information systems (GIS), we examined travel time
      and distance to access hospital care for infants with spina bifida (SB). METHODS:
      This study was a statewide, population-based analysis of Florida-born children
      with SB, 1998-2007, identified by the Florida Birth Defects Registry and linked
      to hospitalizations. We geocoded maternal residence at delivery and identified
      hospital locations for infants (<1 year). Using 2007 Florida Department of
      Transportation road data, we calculated one-way mean travel time and distance to
      access hospital care. We used Poisson regression to examine selected factors
      associated with travel time and distance [<=30 vs. >30 min/miles (reference)],
      including presence of hydrocephalus and SB type [isolated (no other major birth
      defect) versus non-isolated SB]. RESULTS: For 612 infants, one-way mean (median)
      travel time was 45.1 (25.9) min. Infants with both non-isolated SB and
      hydrocephalus traveled longest to access hospitals (mean 60.8 min/48.5 miles;
      median 34.2 min/26.9 miles). In adjusted results, infants with non-isolated SB
      and whose mothers had a rural residence were less likely to travel <=30 min to
      hospitals. Infants born to mothers in minority racial/ethnic groups were more
      likely to travel <=30 min. CONCLUSIONS: Birth defects registry data and GIS-based
      methods can be used to evaluate geographic accessibility to hospital care for
      infants with birth defects. Results can help to identify geographic barriers to
      accessing hospital care, such as travel time and distance, and inform
      opportunities to improve access to care for infants with SB or other special
      needs.

PMID- 26481365
TI  - Forum on the functioning of ethical committees: The nature of the problem.

PMID- 26481366
TI  - Role of Chemoradiotherapy in Elderly Patients With Limited-Stage Small-Cell Lung
      Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate outcomes for elderly patients treated with chemotherapy
      (CT) alone versus chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in the modern era by using a large
      national database. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Elderly patients (age >= 70 years) with
      limited-stage small-cell lung cancer clinical stage I to III who received CT or
      CRT were identified in the National Cancer Data Base between 2003 and 2011.
      Hierarchical mixed-effects logistic regression with clustering by reporting
      facility was performed to identify factors associated with treatment selection.
      Overall survival (OS) of patients receiving CT versus CRT was compared by using
      the log-rank test, Cox proportional hazards regression, and propensity score
      matching. RESULTS: A total of 8,637 patients were identified, among whom 3,775
      (43.7%) received CT and 4,862 (56.3%) received CRT. The odds of receiving CRT
      decreased with increasing age, clinical stage III disease, female sex, and the
      presence of medical comorbidities (all P < .01). Use of CRT was associated with
      increased OS compared with CT on univariable and multivariable analysis (median
      OS, 15.6 v 9.3 months; 3-year OS, 22.0% v 6.3%; log-rank P < .001; Cox P < .001).
      Propensity score matching identified a matched cohort of 6,856 patients and
      confirmed a survival benefit associated with CRT (hazard ratio, 0.52; 95% CI,
      0.50 to 0.55; P < .001). Subset analysis of CRT treatment sequence showed that
      patients alive 4 months after diagnosis derived a survival benefit with
      concurrent CRT over sequential CRT (median OS, 17.0 v 15.4 months; log-rank P =
      .01). CONCLUSION: In elderly patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer,
      modern CRT appears to confer an additional OS advantage beyond that achieved with
      CT alone in a large population-based cohort. Our findings suggest that CRT should
      be the preferred strategy in elderly patients who are expected to tolerate the
      toxicities of the combined approach.

PMID- 26481367
TI  - Improving structural development in oncology: transformation of theoretical
      health care standards and knowledge into a practical approach -- 2nd European
      Roundtable Meeting (ERTM), May 8, 2015, Berlin, Germany.
AB  - PURPOSE: It is widely accepted that National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs) are
      essential to improve cancer care. They often describe the structural requirements
      such as cancer centers, clinical cancer registries and quality control. During
      the 2nd European roundtable meeting, the implementation processes were analyzed
      and discussed. RESULTS: Communication strategies between cancer registries and
      cancer centers need to be developed. Analyses and discussion of collected data
      have to be performed by multidisciplinary teams. This has to be followed by
      appropriate actions to improve quality of care. It is essential to describe the
      clinical procedures, organizational processes and communication between
      individuals and professional teams. The patients' perspectives have to be
      included in the development of cancer care networks. The patients' feedback on
      cancer care is a routine quality indicator. CONCLUSION: NCCPs that include the
      description of structural requirements are important. In addition, it is
      essential to develop cancer care networks including multidisciplinary
      organizational processes to guarantee high quality. These have to consider
      patients preferences.

PMID- 26481369
TI  - The Journey of International Fellows: Have you been to America?

PMID- 26481370
TI  - Quantifying predictive accuracy in survival models.
AB  - For time-to-event outcomes in medical research, survival models are the most
      appropriate to use. Unlike logistic regression models, quantifying the predictive
      accuracy of these models is not a trivial task. We present the classes of
      concordance (C) statistics and R 2 statistics often used to assess the predictive
      ability of these models. The discussion focuses on Harrell's C, Kent and
      O'Quigley's R 2, and Royston and Sauerbrei's R 2. We present similarities and
      differences between the statistics, discuss the software options from the most
      widely used statistical analysis packages, and give a practical example using the
      Worcester Heart Attack Study dataset.

PMID- 26481372
TI  - Current natural products with antihypertensive activity.
AB  - Natural products have been an important source of new drugs, which also played a
      dominant role in the discovery and research of new drugs for the treatment of
      hypertension. This review article reviews the recent progress in the research and
      development of natural lead compounds with antihypertensive activity, including
      alkaloids, diterpenes, coumarins, flavonoids, and peptides. We summarized their
      structures, sources, as well as the antihypertensive mechanisms. These
      information provides instructive reference for the following structural
      modifications and optimization. 

PMID- 26481373
TI  - Modulation of signal transduction pathways by natural compounds in cancer.
AB  - Cancer is generally regarded as the result of abnormal growth of cells. According
      to World Health Organization, cancer is the leading cause of mortality worldwide.
      Mother nature provides a large source of bioactive compounds with excellent
      therapeutic efficacy. Numerous phytochemicals from nature have been investigated
      for anticancer properties. In this review article, we discuss several natural
      compounds, which have shown anti-cancer activity. Natural compounds induce cell
      cycle arrest, activate intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis pathways, generate
      Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), and down-regulate activated signaling pathways,
      resulting in inhibition of cell proliferation, progression and metastasis of
      cancer. Several preclinical studies have suggested that natural compounds can
      also increase the sensitivity of resistant cancers to available chemotherapy
      agents. Furthermore, combining FDA approved anti-cancer drugs with natural
      compounds results in improved efficacy. On the basis of these exciting outcomes
      of natural compounds against several cancer types, several agents have already
      advanced to clinical trials. In conclusion, preclinical results and clinical
      outcomes against cancer suggest promising anticancer efficacy of agents from
      natural sources. 

PMID- 26481374
TI  - Sheng-Mai-San attenuates contractile dysfunction and structural damage induced by
      chronic intermittent hypoxia in mice.
AB  - Sheng-Mai-San (SMS), a well-known Chinese medicinal plant formula, is widely used
      for the treatment of cardiac diseases characterized by deficiency of Qi and Yin
      syndrome. A mouse chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) model was established to
      mimic the primary clinical features of deficiency of Qi and Yin syndrome. Mice
      experienced CIH for 28 days (nadir 7% to peak 8% oxygen, 20 min per day),
      resulting in left ventricle (LV) dysfunction and structure abnormalities. After
      administration of SMS (0.55, 1.1, and 5.5 g.kg(-1).d(-1)) for four weeks,
      improved cardiac function was observed, as indicated by the increase in the
      ejection fraction from the LV on echocardiography. SMS also preserved the
      structural integrity of the LV against eccentric hypotrophy, tissue
      vacuolization, and mitochondrial injury as measured by histology, electron
      microscopy, and ultrasound assessments. Mechanistically, the antioxidant effects
      of SMS were demonstrated; SMS was able to suppress mitochondrial apoptosis as
      indicated by the reduction of several pro-apoptotic factors (Bax, cytochrome c,
      and cleaved caspase-3) and up-regulation of the anti-apoptosis factor Bcl-2. In
      conclusion, these results demonstrate that SMS treatment can protect the
      structure and function of the LV and that the protective effects of this formula
      are associated with the regulation of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. 

PMID- 26481375
TI  - Drug-target networks for Tanshinone IIA identified by data mining.
AB  - Tanshinone IIA is a pharmacologically active compound isolated from Danshen
      (Salvia miltiorrhiza), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for the management
      of cardiac diseases and other disorders. But its underlying molecular mechanisms
      of action are still unclear. The present investigation utilized a data mining
      approach based on network pharmacology to uncover the potential protein targets
      of Tanshinone IIA. Network pharmacology, an integrated multidisciplinary study,
      incorporates systems biology, network analysis, connectivity, redundancy, and
      pleiotropy, providing powerful new tools and insights into elucidating the fine
      details of drug-target interactions. In the present study, two separate drug
      target networks for Tanshinone IIA were constructed using the Agilent Literature
      Search (ALS) and STITCH (search tool for interactions of chemicals) methods.
      Analysis of the ALS-constructed network revealed a target network with a scale
      free topology and five top nodes (protein targets) corresponding to Fos, Jun,
      Src, phosphatidylinositol-4, 5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit alpha
      (PIK3CA), and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MAP2K1), whereas
      analysis of the STITCH-constructed network revealed three top nodes corresponding
      to cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4), cytochrome P450 A1 (CYP1A1), and nuclear factor
      kappa B1 (NFkappaB1). The discrepancies were probably due to the differences in
      the divergent computer mining tools and databases employed by the two methods.
      However, it is conceivable that all eight proteins mediate important biological
      functions of Tanshinone IIA, contributing to its overall drug-target network. In
      conclusion, the current results may assist in developing a comprehensive
      understanding of the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways of in a simple,
      compact, and visual manner. 

PMID- 26481371
TI  - Novelty Seeking and Drug Addiction in Humans and Animals: From Behavior to
      Molecules.
AB  - Global treatment of drug addiction costs society billions of dollars annually,
      but current psychopharmacological therapies have not been successful at desired
      rates. The increasing number of individuals suffering from substance abuse has
      turned attention to what makes some people more vulnerable to drug addiction than
      others. One personality trait that stands out as a contributing factor is novelty
      seeking. Novelty seeking, affected by both genetic and environmental factors, is
      defined as the tendency to desire novel stimuli and environments. It can be
      measured in humans through questionnaires and in rodents using behavioral tasks.
      On the behavioral level, both human and rodent studies demonstrate that high
      novelty seeking can predict the initiation of drug use and a transition to
      compulsive drug use and create a propensity to relapse. These predictions are
      valid for several drugs of abuse, such as alcohol, nicotine, cocaine,
      amphetamine, and opiates. On the molecular level, both novelty seeking and
      addiction are modulated by the central reward system in the brain. Dopamine is
      the primary neurotransmitter involved in the overlapping neural substrates of
      both parameters. In sum, the novelty-seeking trait can be valuable for predicting
      individual vulnerability to drug addiction and for generating successful
      treatment for patients with substance abuse disorders.

PMID- 26481376
TI  - Pleurotus nebrodensis polysaccharide (PN-S) enhances the immunity of
      immunosuppressed mice.
AB  - In the present study, the effects of Pleurotus nebrodensis polysaccharide (PN-S)
      on the immune functions of immunosuppressed mice were determined. The
      immunosuppressed mouse model was established by treating the mice with
      cyclophosphamide (40 mg/kg/2d, CY) through intraperitoneal injection. The results
      showed that PN-S administration significantly reversed the CY-induced weight
      loss, increased the thymic and splenic indices, and promoted proliferation of T
      lymphocyte, B lymphocyte, and macrophages. PN-S also enhanced the activity of
      natural killer cells and increased the immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin
      G (IgG) levels in the serum. In addition, PN-S treatment significantly increased
      the phagocytic activity of mouse peritoneal macrophages. PN-S also increased the
      levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha),
      interferon-gamma (INF-gamma), and nitric oxide (NOS) in splenocytes. qRT-PCR
      results also indicated that PN-S increased the mRNA expression of IL-6, TNF
      alpha, INF-gamma, and nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the splenocytes. These
      results suggest that PN-S treatment enhances the immune function of
      immunosuppressed mice. This study may provide a basis for the application of this
      fungus in adjacent immunopotentiating therapy against cancer and in the treatment
      of chemotherapy-induced immunosuppression. 

PMID- 26481377
TI  - Protective effects of Rabdosia japonica var. glaucocalyx extract on
      lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice.
AB  - The present study was designed to evaluate the protective effects of ethanol
      extracts of Rabdosia japonica var. glaucocalyx (Maxim.) Hara (RJ) on
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice and the possible
      underlying mechanisms of action. The mice were orally administrated with RJ
      extract (16, 32 or 64 mg(kg(-1)) daily for consecutive7 days before LPS
      challenge. The ung specimens and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were
      collected for histopathological examinations and biochemical analyses.
      Pretreatment with RJ significantly enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity
      and reduced the wet-to-dry weight (W/D) ratio, the levels of nitric oxide (NO)
      and protein leakage, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in mice with ALI, in a
      dose-dependent manner. RJ reduced complement deposition and significantly
      attenuated LPS-induced ALI by reducing productions of inflammatory mediators,
      such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and
      interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta). The results demonstrated that RJ may attenuate LPS
      induced ALI via reducing the production of pro-inflammatory mediators, and
      reducing complement deposition and radicals. 

PMID- 26481379
TI  - Identification and characterization of two new xanthones from Cudrania fruticosa.
AB  - The present study was designed to investigate the chemical constituents of the
      roots of Cudrania fruticosa Wight. Compounds were isolated by various column
      chromatographic methods including silica gel, polyamide, sephadex LH-20, and semi
      preparative HPLC. Their structures were elucidated by a combination of 1D and 2D
      NMR techniques, mass spectrometry, and chemical methods. Two new xanthones,
      Cudraxanthone T and U (1-2), along with four known compounds (3-6) were isolated
      from the roots of Cudrania fruticosa Wight. 

PMID- 26481378
TI  - Therapeutic effects of Qishen Yiqi Dropping Pill on myocardial injury induced by
      chronic hypoxia in rats.
AB  - The present study was designed to determine the effects of a traditional Chinese
      medicine, called Qishen Yiqi Dropping Pill on chronic hypoxia-induced myocardial
      injury. To establish a rat chronic hypoxia model to be used in the evaluation of
      the therapeutic effects of the Qishen Yiqi Dropping Pill, Sprague-Dawley (SD)
      rats were randomly divided into three groups: the control, model, and treatment
      groups (n = 10 per group). The animals were housed in a plexiglass container. The
      control animals were under normal oxygen concentration and the model and
      treatment groups were exposed to air and nitrogen for 5 weeks. The rats in the
      treatment group were orally administered the Qishen Yiqi Dropping pill (35 mg.kg(
      1).d(-1)) for 5 weeks. After the treatment, the cardiac function and morphology
      were analyzed, and the expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF
      1alpha) were determined using Western blotting. Our results indicated that the
      cardiac function was impaired, cell apoptosis was enhanced, and HIF-1alpha
      expression was up-regulated in the model group, compared to the control group.
      These changes were ameliorated by the treatment with the Qishen Yiqi Dropping
      Pill. In conclusion, Qishen Yiqi Dropping pill can ameliorate myocardial injury
      induced by chronic hypoxia, improve cardiac function, and decrease myocardial
      cell apoptosis, which may provide a basis for its clinical use for the treatment
      of chronic cardiovascular diseases. 

PMID- 26481380
TI  - Analgesic effects and structural elucidation of two new flavone C-glycosides from
      Artemisa sacrorum.
AB  - The present study was designed to isolate and characterize the analgesic
      compounds of Artemisa sacrorum Ledeb. The EtOAc crude extracts from the aerial
      parts of Artemisa sacrorum Ledeb were separated by chromatography and the
      structures of new compounds were elucidated based on spectral analyses. Analgesic
      activities of the isolated compounds were assessed in rats with hot plate test
      and paw pressure assay. Two new flavone C-glycosides, named as Sacroroside A and
      B (Compounds 1 and 2) were isolated from the EtOAc crude extract of the aerial
      parts ofArtemisa sacrorum Ledeb. They showed significant analgesic effects. In
      conclusion, Compounds 1 and 2 are new natural products, which show significant
      analgesic effects in a dose-dependent manner. 

PMID- 26481381
TI  - A high-performance liquid chromatography with circular dichroism detector for
      determination of stereochemistry of 6, 9-oxygen bridge dibenzocyclooctadiene
      lignans from kadsura coccinea.
AB  - The stereochemistry of two 6, 9-oxygen bridge dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans from
      Kadsura coccinea, are difficult to separate and very unstable. The present study
      was designed to develop a high-performance liquid chromatography using circular
      dichroism detection for the analysis of the stereochemistry. A new 6, 9-oxygen
      bridge dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans named Kadsulignan Q was firstly found with
      an S-biphenyl configuration. The other compound was identified as Kadsulignan L
      with an R- biphenyl configuration. In order to obtain kinetic data on their
      reversible interconversion, the stability was measured at different deuterated
      solvents such as deuterated methanol, deuterated chloroform and deuterated
      dimethylsulfoxide. The lignans were more unstable and converted more easily in
      deuterated methanol than in deuterated chloroform and deuterated
      dimethylsulfoxide. 

PMID- 26481382
TI  - Glycosylation and sulfation of emodin by Gliocladium deliquescens NRRL 1086.
AB  - The present study was designed to explore the substrate scope and biocatalytic
      capability of Gliocladium deliquescens NRRL 1086 on phenolic natural products.
      Emodin was subjected to the fermentation culture of Gliocladium deliquescens NRRL
      1086 according to the standard two-stage protocol. The biotransformation process
      was monitored by HPLC-DAD-MS, the main product was isolated by column
      chromatography, and the structure was elucidated on the basis of NMR
      spectroscopy. Emodin could be fully metabolized by Gliocladium deliquescens NRRL
      1086, resulting in high yield of emodin 6-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside and small
      amount of sulfated product. In conclusion, our results may provide a convenient
      method to prepare emodin 6-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside and the microbe catalyzed
      glucosylation/sulfation will give an inspiration to pharmacokinetic model studies
      in vitro. 

PMID- 26481383
TI  - Preoperative ICD risk score variables predict 30-day readmission after
      implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation in patients with heart
      failure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine if preoperative ICD Risk Score for Adverse Outcome (ICD
      RSAO) would predict need for hospital 30-day readmission. BACKGROUND: Pre
      analysis of National Cardiovascular Data Registry ICD database identified
      preoperative predictors of adverse outcomes associated with ICD implantation.
      METHODS: Logistic regression, descriptive statistics and Chi-square were used to
      examine the relationship between ICD-RSAO and 30-day readmission after ICD
      implantation. RESULTS: BUN >30, history of lung disease, NYHA Class IV and device
      implant during inpatient stay were predicative of 30-day readmission (P = 0.001;
      95% CI = 0.58-0.79). Patients with a combination of two or more of four variables
      were more likely to be readmitted (Hosmer-Lemeshow (chi(2) = 3.44, P = 0.49), c
      statistic = 0.71, and Nagelkerke R(2) = 0.15). CONCLUSION: Patients who have
      elevated BUN's, NYHA Class IV, chronic lung disease and ICD implantation during a
      concomitant hospital admission are at increased risk for readmission and need
      early follow up.

PMID- 26481384
TI  - Factors associated with excessive bleeding after cardiac surgery: A prospective
      cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with excessive bleeding (ExB) after
      cardiac surgery in adults. BACKGROUND: Excessive bleeding after cardiac surgery
      must be anticipated for implementation of timely interventions. METHODS: A
      prospective cohort study with 323 adults requiring open-chest cardiac surgery.
      Potential factors associated with ExB were investigated through univariate
      analysis and logistic regression. The accuracy of the relationship between the
      independent variables and the outcome was depicted through the receiver-operating
      characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: The factors associated with ExB included
      gender, body mass index (BMI), preoperative platelet count, intraoperative
      heparin doses and intraoperative platelet transfusion. The ROC curve cut-off
      points were 26.35 for the BMI; 214,000 for the preoperative platelet count, and
      6.25 for intraoperative heparin dose. This model had an accuracy = 77.3%, a
      sensitivity = 81%, and a specificity = 62%. CONCLUSIONS: Male gender, BMI,
      preoperative platelet count, dose of intraoperative heparin >312.5 mg without
      subsequent platelet transfusion, are factors associated with ExB.

PMID- 26481385
TI  - Catalysts for Change: The Role of Small Business Funders in the Creation and
      Dissemination of Innovation.
AB  - A gap exists between the expanding space of technological innovations to aid
      those affected by autism spectrum disorders, and the actual impact of those
      technologies on daily lives. This gap can be addressed through a very practical
      path of commercialization. However, the path from a technological innovation to a
      commercially viable product is fraught with challenges. These challenges can be
      mitigated through small business funding agencies, which are, more and more,
      catalyzing the dissemination of innovation by fostering social entrepreneurship
      through capital support and venture philanthropy. This letter describes the
      differences and nature of these agencies, and their importance in facilitating
      the translational and real-world impact of technological and scientific
      discoveries. 

PMID- 26481386
TI  - Parental Awareness of Sexual Experience in Adolescent Boys  With Autism Spectrum
      Disorder.
AB  - Parent report and adolescent self-report data on lifetime sexual experience in
      adolescents with ASD were compared in 43 parent-adolescent dyads. Parents tended
      to underestimate the lifetime sexual experience of their sons, particularly solo
      sexual experiences such as masturbation and experience with orgasm. Parental
      underestimation and unawareness of adolescents' sexual experience may influence
      communication and education about sex and sexuality in families. These findings
      have implications for the interpretation of earlier research, based on parent and
      caregiver reports, on sexuality in adolescents with ASD.

PMID- 26481387
TI  - Brief Report: Burden of Care in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
      or Intellectual Disability.
AB  - Compared to other mothers, mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder
      (ASD) or intellectual disability (ID) have higher rates of treatment episodes for
      psychiatric disorders. We aimed to estimate the maternal burden of care by
      comparing the length of hospitalisations for psychiatric disorders and the
      treatment rates for psychiatric disorders after the birth in mothers of children
      with ASD/ID and no psychiatric history to that of other mothers with no
      psychiatric history. Mothers of children with ID of known cause (not Down
      syndrome) and mothers of children ASD without ID emerged as particularly
      vulnerable. Mothers of children with Down syndrome were resilient. The
      development of specialised organisations to provide support to mothers of
      children with ID of known cause (not Down syndrome) and mothers of children with
      ASD without ID could assist them to maintain their mental health. 

PMID- 26481388
TI  - [Telephone enquiries on the topic of malignant hyperthermia: Evaluation of the
      content and subsequent diagnostic results at the MH Center Leipzig].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is an autosomal dominant metabolic
      myopathy. The in vitro contracture test (IVCT) is still considered to be the gold
      standard for diagnosing a disposition for MH. However, advances in genetic
      testing for MH disposition have supplemented or even replaced the invasive
      procedure of the IVCT. Information about MH can be obtained by either contacting
      the hotline for MH as a nationwide 24 h/7 days a week service or one of the
      regional MH centers. METHODS: The protocols of telephone conversations concerning
      MH at the MH Center University Leipzig were retrospectively analyzed. Data were
      collected from January 2011 to March 2015. Additionally, the results of the IVCT
      and genetic testing evolving from the counseling interviews were examined.
      RESULTS: A total of 205 telephone calls were documented during the period in
      question and an IVCT was performed as a consequence of 112 of the telephone
      calls. The IVCT resulted in 27 individuals being identified as MH susceptible
      which was subsequently diagnosed in 15 individuals with known familial MH
      disposition and 12 individuals were identified as new index patients. In 24
      individuals a total of 13 different mutations were detected and of these 4
      mutations were causative concerning MH. Of the 205 telephone calls 131 were
      private and 74 of medical professional origin. Among the private enquiries MH
      disposition within the family was a frequent reason for contacting the MH Center
      (61.8%). Conversations relating to MH-like symptoms during general anesthesia
      were carried out with 35.1% of medical doctors and with 22.9% of private callers.
      Advice about neuromuscular symptoms of unknown genesis was given to 15.3% of
      private individuals and to 24.3% of medical doctors. Overall MH topics were
      discussed with 23% (N = 17) of the medical profession and approximately half of
      these were anesthesiologists (N = 8). Not a single call was documented for the
      treatment of a suspected MH crisis. CONCLUSION: Private individuals and families
      affected by a MH disposition often showed good compliance with respect to
      counseling and diagnostics for MH and contacted the MH center more often than
      medical doctors. A more comprehensive cooperation with the medical profession is
      preferable and necessary to obtain a systematic and broad synopsis of
      characteristic and uncharacteristic signs and symptoms of MH. The telephone
      conversations analyzed as well as the diagnostic results (IVCT and genetic
      testing) underline that MH disposition is still a current and relevant topic.

PMID- 26481389
TI  - [Advantages and disadvantages of different methods for the implementation and the
      support of standard operating procedures: From PDF files to an app- and webbased
      SOP management system].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The quality assurance of care and patient safety, with increasing
      cost pressure and performance levels is of major importance in the high-risk and
      high cost area of the operating room (OR). Standard operating procedures (SOP)
      are an established tool for structuring and standardization of the clinical
      treatment pathways and show multiple benefits for quality assurance and process
      optimization. OBJECTIVES: An internal project was initiated in the department of
      anesthesiology and a continuous improvement process was carried out to build up a
      comprehensive SOP library. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the first step the spectrum
      of procedures in anesthesiology was transferred to PDF-based SOPs. The further
      development to an app-based SOP library (Aesculapp) was due to the high resource
      expenditure for the administration and maintenance of the large PDF-based SOP
      collection and to deficits in the mobile availability. The next developmental
      stage, the SOP healthcare information assistant (SOPHIA) included a simplified
      and advanced update feature, an archive feature previously missing and notably
      the possibility to share the SOP library with other departments including the
      option to adapt each SOP to the individual situation. A survey of the personnel
      showed that the app-based allocation of SOPs (Aesculapp, SOPHIA) had a higher
      acceptance than the PDF-based developmental stage SOP form. CONCLUSION: The SOP
      management system SOPHIA combines the benefits of the forerunner version
      Aesculapp with improved options for intradepartmental maintenance and
      administration of the SOPs and the possibility of an export and editing function
      for interinstitutional exchange of SOPs.

PMID- 26481390
TI  - [Prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infections: established and new
      aspects for the clinical routine : Revised recommendations on "prevention and
      control of catheter-associated urinary tract infections" of the commission for
      hospital hygiene and infection prevention at the Robert Koch Institute].
AB  - Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) are one of the most common
      healthcare-associated infections (HAI) in Germany and are of particular relevance
      for intensive and standard care units. The revised guidelines of the commission
      for hospital hygiene and infection prevention (KRINKO) provide an update on
      prevention of CAUTI. The guidelines consider and evaluate the new literature
      published after the initial publication in 1999. The KRINKO recommendations
      should be implemented to protect patients from such infections, especially as
      CAUTIs are one of the most preventable types of HAI. In this respect tailor-made
      infection prevention bundles seem to be most effective and continuous infection
      surveillance procedures are of particular importance. Thus, a comparison with the
      reference data provided by the (German) National Reference Center for
      surveillance of nosocomial infections is possible. This article explains the
      recommendations for prevention measures included in the new KRINKO guidelines.

PMID- 26481391
TI  - [Intubating laryngeal tube suction disposable: Initial clinical experiences with
      a novel device for endotracheal intubation].
AB  - BACKGROUND: According to the recent guidelines supraglottic airways, such as
      laryngeal tubes are recommended to ensure oxygenation in patients with unexpected
      difficult airways. The novel Intubating Laryngeal Tube Suction Disposable (iLTS
      D) is a modified laryngeal tube designed for secondary tracheal intubation. This
      pilot study evaluated the use of the iLTS-D in clinical practice with respect to
      practicality and efficacy. METHODS: In this study the airways of 30 consecutive
      adult patients with no evidence of a difficult airway undergoing elective ear,
      nose and throat (ENT) surgery were managed with the iLTS-D. After induction of
      anesthesia the iLTS-D was placed in position and checked for correct ventilation.
      Following muscle relaxation, endotracheal intubation through the iLTS-D was
      performed under continuous visualization using a flexible bronchoscope. Finally,
      the iLTS-D was removed leaving the endotracheal tube in place. Data were
      collected anonymously as part of a quality assurance program. Publication of the
      data was approved by the institutional review board. RESULTS: Initial iLTS-D
      placement took a median of 17 s (range 12-90 s) and provided sufficient
      ventilation in all patients; however, the position of the iLTS-D needed to be
      adjusted in four patients. Endotracheal intubation through the iLTS-D was
      achieved in 29 out of 30 patients at the first attempt (n = 23) or after 2
      attempts (n = 6) and the median time required for intubation was 32 s (range 18
      187 s). In five patients no laryngeal structures could initially be identified by
      bronchoscopy. Blind endotracheal intubation through the iLTS-D was performed in
      two cases and in two other patients the endotracheal tube was also blindly
      advanced but into the esophagus. After removal of the endotracheal tube and
      repositioning of the iLTS-D, successful tracheal intubation was subsequently
      achieved under bronchoscopic vision. The procedure was aborted and uneventful
      conventional intubation using direct laryngoscopy was carried out in one patient.
      The median time for removal of the iLTS-D after successful intubation was 20 s
      (range 15-80 s). Minor blood stains on the iLTS-D were observed in three
      patients. With one exception, all problems and adverse events occurred during the
      first 10 patients. CONCLUSION: This first clinical study demonstrated that in
      patients with apparently normal airways and in the hands of users without
      previous experience, the iLTS-D allowed sufficient ventilation in all patients
      and had a high success rate for subsequent endotracheal intubation. The results
      are, however, preliminary until confirmed by further studies, particularly in
      patients with difficult airways.

PMID- 26481392
TI  - [Ultrasound-guided retrograde emergency intubation : Life-saving management of a
      bleeding airway emergency with unclear anatomical situation].
AB  - The technique of ultrasound-guided retrograde intubation is a less invasive
      procedure for airway management especially in an emergency situation with massive
      bleeding. This article describes a case of postoperative neck bleeding into the
      pharynx and neck leading to significant anatomical impairment combined with
      laryngeal obstruction that was successfully managed using this technique in a
      modified way. Anatomically non-palpable from a superficial approach, conventional
      cricotomy and awake tracheotomy were not possible and attempts of fiber optic
      intubation failed; therefore, ultrasound-guided tracheal puncture was used to
      advance a conventional central line guidewire towards and out of the mouth and to
      install orotracheal intubation via a Cook airway catheter cut in half which was
      advanced over the wire. All airway material remained in place in order to secure
      the airway until permanent tracheostomy was established along the wire entrance.
      Sufficient ventilation was possible with the Cook catheter and wire still in the
      tube. No hypoxic episodes occurred and the patient achieved full recovery.

PMID- 26481393
TI  - A radiopaque polymer hydrogel used as a fiducial marker in gynecologic-cancer
      patients receiving brachytherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: We assessed a novel Food and Drug Administration-approved hydrogel,
      synthesized as absorbable iodinated particles, in gynecologic-cancer patients
      undergoing computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) based
      brachytherapy after external beam radiation. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Nineteen
      patients underwent CT-guided (n = 13) or MR-guided (n = 6) brachytherapy for
      gynecologic cancers. Seventy-seven hydrogel injections were placed. The hydrogel
      material was injected into gross residual disease and/or key anatomic landmarks
      in amounts ranging from 0.1 to 0.4 mL. The visibility of the tracer was scored on
      CT and on MR images using a 5-point scoring scale. A Cohen's kappa statistic was
      calculated to assess interobserver agreement. To assess the unadjusted effects of
      baseline parameters on hydrogel visibility, we modeled visibility using a linear
      mixed-effect model. RESULTS: Injections were without complication. The kappa
      statistic was 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68-0.87). The volume of
      hydrogel injected was significantly associated with visibility on both CT (p =
      0.032) and magnetic resonance imaging (p = 0.016). We analyzed visibility by
      location, controlling for amount. A 0.1-cc increase in volume injected was
      associated with increases of 0.54 (95% CI = 0.05-1.03) in the CT visibility score
      and 0.83 (95% CI = 0.17-1.49) in the MR visibility score. Injection of 0.4 cc or
      more was required for unequivocal visibility on CT or MR. No statistically
      significant correlation was found between tumor type, tumor location, or
      anatomical location of injection and visibility on either CT or magnetic
      resonance imaging. CONCLUSIONS: In this first report of an injectable radiopaque
      hydrogel, targets were visualized to assist with three-dimensional-based
      brachytherapy in gynecologic malignancies. This marker has potential for several
      applications, is easy to inject and visualize, and caused no acute complications.

PMID- 26481395
TI  - ?

PMID- 26481394
TI  - 'Becoming a Physician'-medical students get acquainted with disadvantaged
      populations, and practise sensitive and effective communication.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The three-year pre-medical programme 'Becoming a Physician' focuses
      on different aspects of medical professionalism. Objectives are to increase
      awareness and sensitivity to disadvantaged populations, and practise sensitive
      effective communication skills. METHODS: The curriculum includes: (1) Visits to
      treatment centres for people with special needs, mental illnesses, substance
      abuse issues, physically or sexually abused, and prisoners. Students tour the
      facility, hold discussions with residents, and discuss ethical professional
      interrelations to the medical world. Students then write 'reflective diaries'
      summarizing their thoughts and emotions. (2) Participation in a communication
      course that focuses on learning by practising patient-oriented communication.
      Qualitative data were collected from three sources: reflective diaries, students'
      course evaluations, and interviews with the students' tutors. RESULTS: Data
      indicated that the students were very satisfied with the programme. They
      indicated an increase in awareness of the special needs of diverse populations,
      and in the sense of efficacy for conducting interviews tailored to patients'
      needs. Tutors reported a sense of 'personal growth' following their role as
      mentors. REFLECTIONS: Interactions of medical students with diverse populations,
      when accompanied by appropriate feedback mechanisms and strengthening of
      communication skills, can improve awareness and sensitivity to patients' special
      needs. This could help students become more sensitive and thoughtful physicians.

PMID- 26481396
TI  - Foundation years: a time of reflection.

PMID- 26481397
TI  - Pneumopericardium Due to Mediastinum Metastatic Lymph Nodes.
AB  - Pneumopericardium is rare. We report a case of unresectable oropharyngeal cancer
      with mediastinum metastatic lymph nodes, which lead to left main bronchus fistula
      and pneumopericardium. 

PMID- 26481398
TI  - Relationships between Anticoagulation, Risk Scores and Adverse Outcomes in
      Dialysis Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest cardiac arrhythmia
      including in end-stage renal failure patients, but controversy remains whether
      these patients benefit from anticoagulation. We reviewed the characteristics,
      management and outcomes of end-stage renal failure patients on dialysis with AF.
      METHODS: All patients started on dialysis at Middlemore Hospital between January
      2000 and December 2008 who had AF were studied. Data regarding demographics, co
      morbidities, renal disease, AF and embolic, bleeding and/or mortality events were
      recorded. RESULTS: There were 141 out of 774(18.2%) dialysis patients with AF
      followed-up for 4.4+/-2.5 years, and 41.8%(59) were on warfarin. Incidence of all
      embolic events, ischaemic stroke, all bleeding and intracranial bleed were 4.1,
      3.1, 9.6 and 0.82/100 person years respectively. Warfarin anticoagulation was
      associated with increased risk of intracranial bleed (hazards ratio=11.1,
      P=0.038), but not total embolic, bleeding events or mortality during follow-up
      (P=0.317-0.980). All three scores (CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED) could
      detect all embolic events (c=0.808-0.838), but not bleeding events (c=0.459
      0.498). CONCLUSIONS: Anticoagulation with warfarin didn't significantly reduce
      embolism or mortality in dialysis patients with AF, but increased the risk of
      intracranial bleeds. Convention risk scores predict embolic but not bleeding
      events in these patients.

PMID- 26481399
TI  - Modification of Simplified Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index and its Prognostic
      Value in Patients with Acute Pulmonary Embolism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Various risk stratification systems have been used to predict the
      clinical outcome of patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). In this study we
      present a modification of the simplified Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (S
      PESI) score and evaluate its accuracy in predicting the outcome of these
      patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients older than 18 years with documented PE
      were enrolled in this study. S-PESI was calculated in all patients. We added
      electrocardiographic evidence of right ventricular strain as a new criteria and
      replaced the O2 saturation of <90% in S-PESI score with PaO2 /PaCO2 ratio
      obtained from the arterial blood gas analysis as two newly modified criteria to
      define a modified form of S-PESI system (modified s-PESI). Patients were followed
      for about one year in outpatient clinics. Any deaths attributable to PE or for
      unknown reasons were considered as PE related. We defined Major Adverse Cardio
      Pulmonary Events (MACPE) as sum of one-year mortality, need for thrombolysis and
      mechanical ventilation during index hospitalisation. RESULTS: Among 300 enrolled
      patients, in-hospital mortality occurred in 38 (12.7%) and one-year mortality in
      73 (24.3%) patients. Considering a cut-off point of 3, modified s-PESI score had
      a lower sensitivity (49.3% vs. 89%) and higher specificity (79.4% vs. 37.7%) than
      S-PESI to predict one-year mortality. Area Under Curve (AUC) to predict MACPE was
      significantly higher for modified s-PESI (0.692 vs 0.730, P=0.012). CONCLUSION:
      The modified s-PESI is superior to S-PESI in predicting one-year outcome in
      patients with PE and can be used for more accurate risk stratification of these
      patients.

PMID- 26481400
TI  - UK quality statements on end of life care in dementia: a systematic review of
      research evidence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Globally, the number of people who die with dementia is increasing.
      The importance of a palliative approach in the care of people with dementia is
      recognised and there are national polices to enhance current care. In the UK
      implementation of these polices is promoted by the National Institute for Health
      and Care Excellence (NICE) Dementia Quality Standards (QS). Since publication of
      the QS new care interventions have been developed. AIM: To explore critically the
      current international research evidence on effect available to inform NICE
      Dementia QS relevant to end of life (EOL) care. DESIGN: We used systematic review
      methods to seek the research evidence for three statements within the Dementia
      QS. These are those that recommend: (1) a case management approach, (2)
      discussing and consideration of making a statement about future care (SFC) and
      (3) a palliative care assessment (PCA). We included evaluative studies of
      relevant interventions that used a comparative design, such as trials and cohort
      studies, and measured EOL care outcomes for persons dying with moderate to severe
      dementia. Our primary outcome of interest was whether the intervention led to a
      measurable impact on wellbeing for the person with dementia and their family. We
      assessed included studies for quality using a scale by Higginson and colleagues
      (2002) for assessment of quality of studies in palliative care, and two authors
      undertook key review processes. Data sources included Cinahl, Embase, and
      PsychINFO from 2001 to August 2014. Our search strategy included free text and
      medical subject headings relevant to population and recommended care. RESULTS: We
      found seven studies evaluating a care intervention; four assessed SFC, three PCA.
      None assessed case management. Studies were of weak design; all used
      retrospective data and relied on others for precise record keeping and for
      accurate recall of events. There was limited overlap in outcome measurements.
      Overall reported benefits were mixed. CONCLUSIONS: Quality statements relevant to
      EOL care are useful to advance practice however they have a limited evidence
      base. High quality empirical work is needed to establish that the recommendations
      in these statements are best practice.

PMID- 26481401
TI  - Face and content validity of a virtual-reality simulator for myringotomy with
      tube placement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myringotomy with tube insertion can be challenging for junior
      Otolaryngology residents as it is one of the first microscopic procedures they
      encounter. The Western myringotomy simulator was developed to allow trainees to
      practice microscope positioning, myringotomy, and tube placement. This virtual
      reality simulator is viewed in stereoscopic 3D, and a haptic device is used to
      manipulate the digital ear model and surgical tools. OBJECTIVE: To assess the
      face and content validity of the Western myringotomy simulator. METHODS: The
      myringotomy simulator was integrated with new modules to allow speculum
      placement, manipulation of an operative microscope, and insertion of the
      ventilation tube through a deformable tympanic membrane. A questionnaire was
      developed in consultation with instructing surgeons. Fourteen face validity
      questions focused on the anatomy of the ear, simulation of the operative
      microscope, appearance and movement of the surgical instruments, deformation and
      cutting of the eardrum, and myringotomy tube insertion. Six content validity
      questions focused on training potential on surgical tasks such as speculum
      placement, microscope positioning, tool navigation, ear anatomy, myringotomy
      creation and tube insertion. A total of 12 participants from the Department of
      Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery were recruited for the study. Prior to
      completing the questionnaire, participants were oriented to the simulator and
      given unlimited time to practice until they were comfortable with all of its
      aspects. RESULTS: Responses to 12 of the 14 questions on face validity were
      predominantly positive. One issue of concern was with contact modeling related to
      tube insertion into the eardrum, and the second was with the movement of the
      blade and forceps. The former could be resolved by using a higher resolution
      digital model for the eardrum to improve contact localization. The latter could
      be resolved by using a higher fidelity haptic device. With regard to content
      validity, 64% of the responses were positive, 21% were neutral, and 15% were
      negative. CONCLUSIONS: The Western myringotomy simulator appears to have
      sufficient face and content validity. Further development with automated metrics
      and skills transference testing is planned.

PMID- 26481402
TI  - Error significance but not error expectancy predicts error-related negativities
      for different error types.
AB  - Violations of outcome expectancies have been proposed to account for error
      related brain activity in the medial prefrontal cortex. The present study
      investigated whether early error monitoring processes are sensitive only to the
      expectancy of errors, or whether these processes also evaluate the significance
      of errors. To this end, we considered the error-related negativity (Ne/ERN), an
      electrophysiological marker of early error monitoring, in a modified flanker task
      in which errors could occur because participants responded to the flankers
      instead of the target (flanker error) or because a response unrelated to the
      stimulus was given (nonflanker error). By manipulating the onset of the flankers
      relative to the target, we manipulated two variables: the probability (and thus
      the expectancy) of flanker errors and the proportion of significant attention
      errors among each error type. Contrary to the predictions of outcome expectancy
      accounts, we found that the Ne/ERN was larger for flanker errors than for
      nonflanker errors only in the condition in which flanker errors were particularly
      frequent. Consistent with the error significance account, however, Ne/ERN
      amplitude mirrored the estimated proportion of significant attention errors as
      estimated by multinomial modeling. These results provide support for the idea
      that early performance monitoring as reflected by the Ne/ERN involves an
      evaluation of error significance. 

PMID- 26481403
TI  - Association of APOE with tau-tangle pathology with and without beta-amyloid.
AB  - This study tested the hypothesis that the association of apolipoprotein E (APOE)
      with paired helical filament tau (PHF-tau) tangle pathology differs in brains
      with and without beta-amyloid. Participants were 1056 autopsied individuals from
      2 clinical-pathologic cohort studies of aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD), the
      Religious Orders Study, and the Rush Memory and Aging Project. Neuropathologic
      measures were obtained using immunohistochemistry targeting beta-amyloid and PHF
      tau tangles in 8 brain regions. Linear regression was used to compare the
      relation of APOE epsilon4 and epsilon2 to PHF-tau-tangle density in persons with
      beta-amyloid relative to persons without beta-amyloid. We found an interaction
      between APOE epsilon4 carriers and presence of beta-amyloid (beta = -0.968, p =
      0.013) such that the association of APOE epsilon4 with PHF-tau tangles was much
      stronger in brains with beta-amyloid. Stratified analysis shows that the
      association of APOE epsilon4 with PHF-tau tangles was considerably stronger among
      those with beta-amyloid (beta = 0.757, p = 1.1 * 10(-15)) compared to those
      without beta-amyloid which was not significant (beta = -0.201, p = 0.424).
      Separately, APOE epsilon2 was associated with fewer tangles in brains with beta
      amyloid (beta = -0.425, p = 7.6 * 10(-4)) compared to those without beta-amyloid
      which was not significant (beta = -0.102, p = 0.506). Thus, the presence of APOE
      epsilon4 and epsilon2 alleles was not associated with PHF-tau tangles in the
      absence of beta-amyloid. The data provide additional evidence that PHF-tau
      tangles in the absence of beta-amyloid may reflect a pathologic process distinct
      from Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26481404
TI  - Effect of mitochondrial cofactors and antioxidants supplementation on cognition
      in the aged canine.
AB  - A growing body of research has focused on modifiable risk factors for prevention
      and attenuation of cognitive decline in aging. This has led to an unprecedented
      interest in the relationship between diet and cognitive function. Several
      preclinical and epidemiologic studies suggest that dietary intervention can be
      used to improve cognitive function but randomized controlled trials are
      increasingly failing to replicate these findings. Here, we use a canine model of
      aging to evaluate the effects of specific components of diet supplementation
      which contain both antioxidants and a combination of mitochondrial cofactors
      (lipoic acid [LA] and acetyl-l-carnitine) on a battery of cognitive functions.
      Our data suggest that supplementation with mitochondrial cofactors, but not LA or
      antioxidant alone, selectively improve long-term recall in aged canines.
      Furthermore, we found evidence that LA alone could have cognitive impairing
      effects. These results contrast to those of a previous longitudinal study in aged
      canine. Our data demonstrate that one reason for this difference may be the
      nutritional status of animals at baseline for the 2 studies. Overall, this study
      suggests that social, cognitive, and physical activity together with optimal
      dietary intake (rather than diet alone) promotes successful brain aging.

PMID- 26481406
TI  - Changes in Femoral Version During Implantation of Anatomic Stems: Implications on
      Stem Design.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Component positioning in total hip arthroplasty (THA) is among the
      primary indicators for longevity and success. Acetabular component positioning
      has been discussed in literature at length; however, femoral component
      positioning is also important as it contributes to combined anteversion. METHODS:
      In this study, we examined the changes in femoral anteversion after the
      implantation of anatomic stem ABG II. A cadaveric study, a computed tomography
      based computer modeling study, and a clinical study using a navigation system
      were conducted to document these changes. RESULTS: These studies demonstrated
      that the anatomic stem ABG II increased the postimplantation femoral version by
      approximately 7 degrees . The postimplantation versions followed a bimodal
      distribution. The computed tomography and navigation data also highlighted that
      the patient population may roughly be divided into 2 groups: the first group that
      needs anteverted stem and the second group that needs little or no anteversion in
      the stem to recreate the desired version and offset. CONCLUSION: Based upon our
      data, we propose a new anatomic stem design that is offered in 2 version angles
      of 0 degrees  and 7 degrees  to help create the desired version and offset.

PMID- 26481405
TI  - Impact of proton pump inhibitor treatment on gastrointestinal bleeding associated
      with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use among post-myocardial infarction
      patients taking antithrombotics: nationwide study.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: What is the effect of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) on the risk
      of gastrointestinal bleeding in post-myocardial infarction patients taking
      antithrombotics and treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)?
      METHODS: This was a nationwide cohort study based on linked administrative
      registry data from all hospitals in Denmark between 1997 and 2011. The study
      included patients aged 30 years and over admitted with a first myocardial
      infarction who survived at least 30 days after discharge. The association between
      PPIs and risk of gastrointestinal bleeding according to NSAID plus antithrombotic
      therapy was estimated using adjusted time dependent Cox regression models. STUDY
      ANSWER AND LIMITATIONS: The use of PPIs was independently associated with
      decreased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in post-myocardial infarction
      patients taking antithrombotics and treated with NSAIDs. Of 82,955 post
      myocardial infarction patients (mean age 67.4 years, 64% (n=53,070) men), all of
      whom were taking single or dual antithrombotic therapy, 42.5% (n=35,233) filled
      at least one prescription for NSAIDs and 45.5% (n=37,771) received PPIs. Over a
      mean follow-up of 5.1 years, 3229 gastrointestinal bleeds occurred. The crude
      incidence rates of bleeding (events/100 person years) on NSAID plus
      antithrombotic therapy were 1.8 for patients taking PPIs and 2.1 for those not
      taking PPIs. The adjusted risk of bleeding was lower with PPI use (hazard ratio
      0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.54 to 0.95) regardless of antithrombotic
      treatment regimen, type of NSAID, and type of PPI used. The main limitation of
      the study is its observational non-randomised design. The results suggest that
      PPI treatment probably has a beneficial effect regardless of underlying
      gastrointestinal risk and that when NSAIDs cannot be avoided in post-myocardial
      infarction patients, physicians might prescribe a PPI as well. The study does not
      clarify whether PPIs might be safely omitted in specific subgroups of patients
      with a low risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: In post
      myocardial infarction patients, bleeding complications have been associated with
      both antithrombotic and NSAID treatment. Concurrent use of PPIs was independently
      associated with a decreased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in post-myocardial
      infarction patients taking antithrombotics and NSAID, regardless of
      antithrombotic treatment regimen, type of NSAID, and type of PPI used. FUNDING,
      COMPETING INTERESTS, DATA SHARING: AMSO has received a grant from the Danish
      Council of Independent Research (grant 12-132760). GHG is supported by an
      unrestricted research scholarship from the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

PMID- 26481407
TI  - A Comparison of 2 Tibial Inserts of Different Constraint for Cruciate-Retaining
      Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty: An Additional Tool for Balancing the Posterior
      Cruciate Ligament.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Frequently, a normal posterior-cruciate ligament (PCL) is removed at
      the surgeon's discretion, converting the normal 4-ligament knee to a 2-ligament
      knee, thus eliminating the need to balance all 4 ligaments. The development of
      modular tibial components has led to the availability of differing polyethylene
      inserts that permit adjustment to the flexion gap independent of the extension
      gap, permitting PCL balancing not previously available. The purpose of this study
      is to analyze a specific cruciate-retaining (CR) prosthesis which has 2
      polyethylene inserts intended for CR knee use. METHODS: Between February 2004 and
      February 2013, the senior author (R.H.E.) has performed 930 total knee
      arthroplasties using the CR flat insert and 424 knees using the CR lipped insert.
      The inserts were selected during surgery, based on the assessed tension and
      function of the PCL. The patients were followed up as part of a prospective total
      joint program with the Knee Society clinical scoring, range of motion,
      complications, revisions, preoperative coronal deformity, gender, body mass
      index, and status of the anterior-cruciate ligament intraoperatively. RESULTS:
      The average Knee Score was 92.4 for the flat group and 92.1 for the lipped group.
      Average knee flexion was 116.2 degrees  for the flat group and 114.4 degrees  for
      the lipped group (P=.2). Average knee extension (flexion deformity) was 2.1
      degrees  for the flat group and 0.9 degrees  for the lipped group CONCLUSION: The
      results reported here show that clinical outcomes and survivorship were no
      different for either insert option, leading to indirect evidence that appropriate
      soft tissue balance had been achieved.

PMID- 26481408
TI  - Direct Cost and Complications Associated With Total Joint Arthroplasty in
      Patients With Preoperative Anxiety and Depression.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The outcome of total joint arthroplasty (TJA) may be affected by
      numerous factors including the mental health status of patients and the presence
      of psychological disorders Therefore, the present study was designed and
      conducted to determine the impact of concomitant psychiatric disorders on the
      hospitalization charges and complications in patients with preoperative
      depression or anxiety undergoing TJA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: International
      Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes were used to identify
      perioperative complications in patients with and without concomitant diagnosis of
      depression or anxiety who underwent TJA at our institution during 2009.
      Hospitalization charges and complications were compared for patients with and
      without depression or anxiety undergoing TJA. RESULTS: Respectively, 12.7% and
      6.4% of knee and the hip arthroplasty patients had concomitant depression or
      anxiety. In the knee but not the hip group, the charge was $3420 higher in
      patients with depression/anxiety (P < .001). Anxiety and depression and higher
      American Society of Anesthesiologists score were independent predictors of
      complications. DISCUSSION: Depression or anxiety was a predictor of increased
      complications after TJA. Therefore, patients with depression or anxiety
      undergoing TJA need to be counselled appropriately, and all efforts need to be
      invested to minimize complications and the added cost in these patients.

PMID- 26481409
TI  - Surgeons' Leadership Styles and Team Behavior in the Operating Room.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The importance of leadership is recognized in surgery, but the
      specific impact of leadership style on team behavior is not well understood. In
      other industries, leadership is a well-characterized construct. One dominant
      theory proposes that transactional (task-focused) leaders achieve minimum
      standards and transformational (team-oriented) leaders inspire performance beyond
      expectations. STUDY DESIGN: We videorecorded 5 surgeons performing complex
      operations. Each surgeon was scored on the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire,
      a validated method for scoring transformational and transactional leadership
      style, by an organizational psychologist and a surgeon researcher. Independent
      coders assessed surgeons' leadership behaviors according to the Surgical
      Leadership Inventory and team behaviors (information sharing, cooperative, and
      voice behaviors). All coders were blinded. Leadership style (Multifactor
      Leadership Questionnaire) was correlated with surgeon behavior (Surgical
      Leadership Inventory) and team behavior using Poisson regression, controlling for
      time and the total number of behaviors, respectively. RESULTS: All surgeons
      scored similarly on transactional leadership (range 2.38 to 2.69), but varied
      more widely on transformational leadership (range 1.98 to 3.60). Each 1-point
      increase in transformational score corresponded to 3 times more information
      sharing behaviors (p < 0.0001) and 5.4 times more voice behaviors (p = 0.0005)
      among the team. With each 1-point increase in transformational score, leaders
      displayed 10 times more supportive behaviors (p < 0.0001) and displayed poor
      behaviors 12.5 times less frequently (p < 0.0001). Excerpts of representative
      dialogue are included for illustration. CONCLUSIONS: We provide a framework for
      evaluating surgeons' leadership and its impact on team performance in the
      operating room. As in other fields, our data suggest that transformational
      leadership is associated with improved team behavior. Surgeon leadership
      development, therefore, has the potential to improve the efficiency and safety of
      operative care.

PMID- 26481410
TI  - Twenty-year dynamics of hypertension in Iranian adults: age, period, and cohort
      analysis.
AB  - Hypertension is a well-known health problem all over the world. Many studies have
      assessed its prevalence and associated risk factors, but all were cross-sectional
      and did not evaluate the trend of hypertension through all three different
      temporal dimensions including age, period, and cohort. So, we aimed to assess the
      20-year dynamics of hypertension via the age-period-cohort model. Data from
      74,155 subjects aged 25-60 years gathered through five national health surveys
      (1990-91, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011) were used in this study. The age-period
      cohort effect on hypertension was analyzed using the intrinsic estimator model.
      The prevalence of hypertension increased with age for both genders except for
      males in 2003 and 2011 periods with drops of 3.5% for ages 55-60 and 8.1% for
      ages 50-60, respectively. As for the period effect, the prevalence of
      hypertension was almost constant in all age groups for both genders from 1990
      1999. The cohort-based prevalence of hypertension showed a declining trend in all
      cohorts for females except for 2011 in birth cohort of 1950-1955 which remains
      stationary. The trend of prevalence for males also follows a decreasing trend
      except for periods of 2003, 2007, and 2011; birth cohorts of 1945-1949, 1975
      1980, and 1950-1960 increase by 3.5%, 1.9%, and 8.1%, respectively. The age
      effect on the prevalence of hypertension showed an almost monotonic increasing
      trend. The period effect increased the total prevalence of hypertension from 1992
      to 1997. The cohort effect also showed a monotonic decrease in hypertension
      prevalence except for a few discrepancies.

PMID- 26481411
TI  - Association of serum cotinine levels and the parameters of vascular structure and
      function in never-smoking adults.
AB  - Passive smoking is now recognized to be associated with early arterial damage.
      The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between secondhand smoke
      (SHS) exposure, measured objectively by serum cotinine level, and the parameters
      used to assess vascular structure and function among never smokers in North
      China. From January 2008 to August 2008, 652 adults aged 20-70 years were
      enrolled. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), ankle-brachial index, and
      carotid intima-media thickness measurements were performed in all patients. All
      participants were required to respond to an interviewer-led questionnaire
      including medical histories and demographic data and to receive blood tests on
      biochemical indicators. We found that in nonsmokers, higher levels of serum
      cotinine were positively associated with higher baPWV and brachial pulse pressure
      after adjusting for heart rate, body mass index, and other confounders. Tests for
      linear trends for this association were statistically significant. In contrast,
      no association was present with ankle-brachial index and carotid intima-media
      thickness. In never smokers, higher SHS exposure measured objectively by serum
      cotinine levels was found to be associated with brachial pulse pressure and baPWV
      after adjusting for confounders.

PMID- 26481412
TI  - Metal release from contaminated coastal sediments under changing pH conditions:
      Implications for metal mobilization in acidified oceans.
AB  - To investigate the impacts and processes of CO2-induced acidification on metal
      mobilization, laboratory-scale experiments were performed, simulating the
      scenarios where carbon dioxide was injected into sediment-seawater layers inside
      non-pressurized chambers. Coastal sediments were sampled from two sites with
      different contamination levels and subjected to pre-determined pH conditions.
      Sediment samples and overlying water were collected for metal analysis after 10
      days. The results indicated that CO2-induced ocean acidification would provoke
      increased metal mobilization causing adverse side-effects on water quality. The
      mobility of metals from sediment to the overlying seawater was correlated with
      the reduction in pH. Results of sequential extractions of sediments illustrated
      that exchangeable metal forms were the dominant source of mobile metals.
      Collectively, our data revealed that high metal concentrations in overlying
      seawater released from contaminated sediments under acidic conditions may
      strengthen the existing contamination gradients in Maluan Bay and represent a
      potential risk to ecosystem health in coastal environments. 

PMID- 26481413
TI  - Accumulation and distribution of trace metals within soils and the austral
      cordgrass Spartina densiflora in a Patagonian salt marsh.
AB  - Concentrations of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn were determined in soils and in below-
      and above-ground structures of Spartina densiflora in a Patagonian salt marsh
      (San Antonio, Rio Negro, Argentina). Also, the relationship between trace metal
      concentrations in soils and plants was investigated to improve our knowledge
      regarding the ability of this plant species to take up and accumulate trace
      metals from the soil. Our results indicate that, within the studied salt marsh,
      soil trace metal concentrations follow a decreasing concentration gradient toward
      the sea. They show moderate pollution and a potentially negative biological
      effect in one site of the salt marsh. While below-ground structures reflect the
      soil metal concentration pattern, this is not so evident in above-ground
      concentrations. Also, S. densiflora is able to absorb a limited amount of metals
      present in the soil, the soil bioaccumulation factor being lower in sites where
      soil metal concentration is higher. 

PMID- 26481414
TI  - Heavy metal levels in dune sands from Matanzas urban resorts and Varadero beach
      (Cuba): Assessment of contamination and ecological risks.
AB  - Concentrations of chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and lead
      (Pb) in dune sands from six urban and suburban Matanzas (Cuba) resorts and
      Varadero beach were estimated by X-ray fluorescence analysis. Ranges of metal
      contents in dune sands show a strong variation across the studied locations (in
      mg/kg(-1)): 20-2964 for Cr, 17-183 for Ni, 17-51 for Cu, 18-88 for Zn and 5-29
      for Pb. The values of contamination factors and contamination degrees how that
      two of the studied Matanzas's resorts (Judio and Chirry) are strongly polluted.
      The comparison with Sediment Quality Guidelines shows that dune sands from Judio
      resort represent a serious risk for humans, due to polluted Cr and Ni levels,
      while sands from the rest of the studied resorts, including Varadero beach, do
      not represent any risk for public use. 

PMID- 26481415
TI  - Xeno-immunosuppressive properties of human decidual stromal cells in mouse models
      of alloreactivity in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - BACKGROUND AIMS: Human decidual stromal cells (hDSCs) may cure acute graft-versus
      host disease (GVHD) in humans. We evaluated immunosuppression by xenogenic hDSCs
      in mice, both in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: hDSCs inhibited mouse lymphocyte
      proliferation in allo- and xeno-stimulation assays in mixed lymphocyte culture
      (MLC) and after mitogenic stimulation. The immunosuppressive effect of hDSCs was
      dose-dependent and strain-independent. Trans-well experiments showed that hDSCs
      needed cell-to-cell contact to be immunosuppressive. In a GVHD model, Balb/c mice
      were transplanted with bone marrow and splenocytes from C57BL/6 a donor. Varying
      doses of hDSCs (10(5)-10(6) per mouse) were infused at different time points.
      Recipient mice showed lower GVHD scores than untreated mice, but they did not
      have consistently improved survival. Histopathological investigation of liver,
      gastrointestinal tract and skin of animals with GVHD did not show any significant
      improvement from hDSC infusion. RESULTS: hDSCs were transduced with
      immunosuppressive genes including those encoding interleukin-10, prostaglandin-E2
      receptor, indoleamine dioxygenase, interferon-gamma and programmed death ligand
      1. Transduced and untransduced hDSCs showed similar effects in vitro and in vivo.
      At a dose of 10(6)hDSCs per mouse, the majority of recipients died of embolism.
      CONCLUSIONS: hDSCs inhibit allo-reactivity, xeno-reactivity and mitogen-induced
      stimulation in mouse lymphocytes. Although the GVHD score was reduced by hDSC
      infusion, survival and GVHD histopathology were not improved. One reason for
      failure was fatal embolism.

PMID- 26481417
TI  - Lactate and its many faces.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lactate is traditionally seen as a marker of ischemia and a waste
      product of anaerobic glycolysis. In the last thirty years a more beneficial side
      of lactate as an alternative 'glucose sparing' fuel has been demonstrated.
      However, the translation of these growing insights to clinical practice seems to
      appear with great delay. METHODS: A review of the literature was performed,
      focusing on glucose and lactate in relation to cerebral energy metabolism, in the
      context of four typical clinical situations, namely (transient states of) low
      glucose availability for the brain due to hypoglycemia, combined with high blood
      lactate concentrations; permanent neuroglycopenia; lactic acidosis in
      mitochondrial disorders; and ischemic as well as traumatic brain injury. RESULTS:
      Lactate is thought to be an alternative fuel in the brain of patients with
      glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome and glycogen storage disease, and
      it has been demonstrated that lactate might have a protective role in ischemic
      and traumatic brain injury. CONCLUSION: Lactate has an apparently largely
      ignored, but potential beneficial role in the clinical management of several
      neurologic disorders.

PMID- 26481416
TI  - Gemcitabine-releasing mesenchymal stromal cells inhibit in vitro proliferation of
      human pancreatic carcinoma cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND AIMS: Pancreatic cancer (pCa) is a tumor characterized by a fibrotic
      state and associated with a poor prognosis. The observation that mesenchymal
      stromal cells (MSCs) migrate toward inflammatory micro-environments and engraft
      into tumor stroma after systemic administration suggested new therapeutic
      approaches with the use of engineered MSCs to deliver and produce anti-cancer
      molecules directly within the tumor. Previously, we demonstrated that without any
      genetic modifications, MSCs are able to deliver anti-cancer drugs. MSCs loaded
      with paclitaxel by exposure to high concentrations release the drug both in vitro
      and in vivo, inhibiting tumor proliferation. On the basis of these observations,
      we evaluated the ability of MSCs (from bone marrow and pancreas) to uptake and
      release gemcitabine (GCB), a drug widely used in pCa treatment. METHODS: MSCs
      were primed by 24-h exposure to 2000 ng/mL of GCB. The anti-tumor potential of
      primed MSCs was then investigated by in vitro anti-proliferation assays with the
      use of CFPAC-1, a pancreatic tumor cell line sensitive to GCB. The uptake/release
      ability was confirmed by means of high-performance liquid chromatography
      analysis. A cell-cycle study and secretome evaluation were also conducted to
      better understand the characteristics of primed MSCs. RESULTS: GCB-releasing MSCs
      inhibit the growth of a human pCa cell line in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: The use of
      MSCs as a "trojan horse" can open the way to a new pCa therapeutic approach; GCB
      loaded MSCs that integrate into the tumor mass could deliver much higher
      concentrations of the drug in situ than can be achieved by intravenous injection.

PMID- 26481418
TI  - Morphometric structural diversity of a natural armor assembly investigated by 2D
      continuum strain analysis.
AB  - Many armored fish scale assemblies use geometric heterogeneity of subunits as a
      design parameter to provide tailored biomechanical flexibility while maintaining
      protection from external penetrative threats. This study analyzes the spatially
      varying shape of individual ganoid scales as a structural element in a biological
      system, the exoskeleton of the armored fish Polypterus senegalus (bichir). X-ray
      microcomputed tomography is used to generate digital 3D reconstructions of the
      mineralized scales. Landmark-based geometric morphometrics is used to measure the
      geometric variation among scales and to define a set of geometric parameters to
      describe shape variation. A formalism using continuum mechanical strain analysis
      is developed to quantify the spatial geometry change of the scales and illustrate
      the mechanisms of shape morphing between scales. Five scale geometry variants are
      defined (average, anterior, tail, ventral, and pectoral fin) and their functional
      implications are discussed in terms of the interscale mobility mechanisms that
      enable flexibility within the exoskeleton. The results suggest that shape
      variation in materials design, inspired by structural biological materials, can
      allow for tunable behavior in flexible composites made of segmented scale
      assemblies to achieve enhanced user mobility, custom fit, and flexibility around
      joints for a variety of protective applications. 

PMID- 26481419
TI  - Structural insights into the mechanism of Escherichia coli YmdB: A 2'-O-acetyl
      ADP-ribose deacetylase.
AB  - The Escherichia coli protein YmdB belongs to the macrodomain protein family,
      which can bind ADP-ribose (ADPr) and its derivatives. Recently, YmdB was reported
      to be capable of deacetylating O-acetyl-ADP-ribose (OAADPr) to yield ADPr and
      free acetate. To study the substrate specificity and catalytic mechanism, the
      crystal structures of E. coli YmdB in complex with ADPr, double mutant N25AD35A
      complexed with 2'-OAADPr, and Y126A/ADPr complex were solved at 1.8A, 2.8A and
      3.0A resolution, respectively. Structural and biochemical studies reveal that
      YmdB has substrate specificity against 2'-OAADPr. The conserved residues Asn25
      and Asp35 are crucial for catalytic activity, and an active water molecule is
      proposed as the nucleophile to attack the acetyl group of 2'-OAADPr. Our findings
      indicate that the conserved phenyl group of Tyr126 plays a crucial role in
      catalytic activity by stabilizing the right orientation of distal ribose and that
      Gly32 may be important for activity by interacting with the acetyl group of 2'
      OAADPr. Based on these observations, a model of YmdB in complex with 2'-OAADPr
      was made to illustrate the proposed catalytic mechanism of YmdB. 

PMID- 26481420
TI  - Comparative epigenetic influence of autologous versus fetal bovine serum on
      mesenchymal stem cells through in vitro osteogenic and adipogenic
      differentiation.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from bone marrow (BM) represents a useful
      source of adult stem cells for cell therapy and tissue engineering. MSCs are
      present at a low frequency in the BM; therefore expansion is necessary before
      performing clinical studies. Fetal bovine serum (FBS) as a nutritional supplement
      for in vitro culture of MSCs is a suitable additive for human cell culture, but
      not regarding subsequent use of these cells for clinical treatment of human
      patients due to the risk of viral and prion transmission as well as xenogeneic
      immune responses after transplantation. Recently, autologous serum (AS) has been
      as a supplement to replace FBS in culture medium. We compared the effect of FBS
      versus AS on the histone modification pattern of MSCs through in vitro
      osteogenesis and adipogenesis. Differentiation of stem cells under various serum
      conditions to a committed state involves global changes in epigenetic patterns
      that are critically determined by chromatin modifications. Chromatin
      immunoprecipitation (ChIP) coupled with real-time PCR showed significant changes
      in the acetylation and methylation patterns in lysine 9 (Lys9) of histone H3 on
      the regulatory regions of stemness (Nanog, Sox2, Rex1), osteogenic (Runx2, Oc,
      Sp7) and adipogenic (Ppar-gamma, Lpl, adiponectin) marker genes in
      undifferentiated MSCs, FBS and AS. All epigenetic changes occurred in a serum
      dependent manner which resulted in higher expression level of stemness genes in
      undifferentiated MSCs compared to differentiated MSCs and increased expression
      levels of osteogenic genes in AS compared to FBS. Adipogenic genes showed greater
      expression in FBS compared to AS. These findings have demonstrated the epigenetic
      influence of serum culture conditions on differentiation potential of MSCs, which
      suggest that AS is possibly more efficient serum for osteogenic differentiation
      of MSCs in cell therapy purposes. 

PMID- 26481422
TI  - Role of P2 * 7 receptor in the differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells into
      osteoblasts and adipocytes.
AB  - Imbalance in osteogenesis and adipogenesis of bone marrow stromal cells is a
      crucial pathological process of osteoporosis. P2 * 7-deficient mice were
      previously shown to exhibit an osteopenic phenotype and abnormal fat
      distribution, leading us to hypothesize that P2 * 7R activation was involved in
      the differentiation of BMSCs. Consequently, we investigated the effect of P2 * 7R
      activation on osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of BMSCs in vitro, and
      established an ovariectomized (OVX) osteoporosis model to test P2 * 7R activation
      on adipocytes formation, trabecular and cortical bone parameters in vivo. Our
      results showed that activation of P2 * 7R by BzATP resulted in increase in the
      gene expression of osteoblastic markers, the activity of alkaline phosphatase and
      bone mineralization, and decrease in the gene expression of adipogenic markers
      and the number of adipocytes generated by BMSCs. MicroCT analysis showed that
      BzATP treatment ameliorated the micro-architecture of trabecular bones in OVX
      mice, while cortical bone parameters were unaffected. H&E staining analysis
      showed that was increase in the volume of trabecular bone and number of
      trabecular bone, and decrease in bone marrow adipocytes in BzATP-treated OVX mice
      compared with OVX mice. Also, activation of P2 * 7R transduced to ERK1/2 and JNK
      signaling pathways. This transduction was prevented by BBG, U0126, and SP600125.
      U0126 and SP600125 prevented BzATP-induced up-regulation of osteogenic-related
      genes expression and down-regulation of adipogenic-related genes expression.
      These data suggest that BzATP activates the differentiation of BMSCs into
      osteoblasts but not adipocytes by stimulating ERK1/2 and JNK signaling pathways
      in a P2 * 7R-dependent way.

PMID- 26481421
TI  - Regulation of fibrin-mediated tumor cell adhesion to the endothelium using anti
      thrombin aptamer.
AB  - Molecular intervention during transient stages of various metastatic pathways may
      lead to development of promising therapeutic technologies. One of such involves
      soluble fibrin (sFn) that has been implicated as a cross-linker between
      circulating blood or tumor cells and endothelial cell receptors, promoting cell
      arrest on the endothelium during circulation. sFn generation is a result of
      thrombin-mediated fibrinogen (Fg) cleavage due to either vascular injuries or a
      tumor microenvironment. For cancer therapy, thrombin-mediated conversions of Fg
      to sFn thus serve as potential intervention points to decrease circulating tumor
      cell adhesion to the endothelium and subsequent metastatic events. The purpose of
      this work was to investigate the function of an anti-thrombin oligonucleotide
      aptamer in reducing tumor cell arrest. Both molecular and cellular interactions
      were examined to demonstrate the binding and inhibitory effects of anti-thrombin
      aptamer. The results show that the aptamer is capable of inhibiting thrombin
      mediated Fg conversion, thereby reducing sFn-mediated tumor cell adhesion in a
      concentration-dependent manner. Notably, the aptamer is able to bind thrombin
      under dynamic flow conditions and reduce tumor cell adhesive events at various
      physiological shear rates. This study further indicates that oligonucleotide
      aptamers hold great promise as therapeutic regulators of tumor cell adhesion, and
      consequently, metastatic activity. 

PMID- 26481423
TI  - Putting the MeaT into TeaM Training: Development, Delivery, and Evaluation of a
      Surgical Team-Training Workshop.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite importance to patient care, team training is infrequently
      used in surgical education. To address this, a workshop was developed by the
      Association for Surgical Education Simulation Committee to teach team training
      using high-fidelity patient simulators and the American College of Surgeons
      Association of Program Directors in Surgery team-training curriculum. METHODS:
      Workshops were conducted at 3 national meetings. Participants completed
      preworkshop and postworkshop questionnaires to define experience, confidence in
      using simulation, intention to implement, as well as workshop content quality.
      The course consisted of (A) a didactic review of Preparation, Implementation, and
      Debriefing and (B) facilitated small group simulation sessions followed by
      debriefings. RESULTS: Of 78 participants, 51 completed the workshops. Overall,
      65% indicated that residents at their institutions used patient simulation, but
      only 33% used the American College of Surgeons-the Association of Program
      Directors in Surgery team-training modules. The workshop increased confidence to
      implement simulation team training (3.4 +/- 1.3 vs 4.5 +/- 0.9). Quality and
      importance were rated highly (5.4 +/- 00.6, highest score = 6). CONCLUSIONS:
      Preparation for simulation-based team training is possible in this workshop
      setting, although the effect on actual implementation remains to be determined.

PMID- 26481424
TI  - Novel Educational Module for Subclavian Central Venous Catheter Insertion Using
      Real-Time Ultrasound Guidance.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Given increasing evidence supporting a real-time ultrasound (US)
      guided approach for subclavian vein (SCV) central venous catheter (CVC) insertion
      as compared with the traditional landmark approach, we sought to develop a
      standardized curriculum to offer healthcare providers a means to attain increased
      competency and confidence in US-guided SCV CVC insertion. DESIGN: Retrospective
      review of prospectively collected data. SETTING: Single institution's American
      College of Surgeons Level 1 Accredited Education Institute within an academic
      tertiary care center. SUBJECTS: A total of 77 residents and midlevel providers
      working in our surgical intensive care unit. INTERVENTIONS: Providers
      participated in a tiered educational module designed to teach safe US-guided SCV
      CVC insertion. The education consisted of a multimedia didactic presentation and
      a hands-on simulation session, including US anatomy on live subjects and
      anatomical model-based SCV CVC insertion. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
      Assessment of the effect of education included a written examination and
      confidence survey, administered pre- and postintervention, and videotaped
      simulation session graded by blinded expert evaluators. Of the 77 participants,
      70 participants completed a posttest with a median 5-point increase in score
      compared with that of the pretest score (p < 0.0001). Confidence ratings based on
      a 5-point Likert scale demonstrated an increase in confidence in SCV CVC
      insertion (p < 0.0001), using the landmark approach (p < 0.0001), using US-guided
      approach (p < 0.0001), and in use of US to image the SCV (p < 0.0001).
      Postgraduate year-1 residents had lower mean global rating score (p = 0.010) than
      any other participants. CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive hands-on teaching module
      based curriculum enhanced learner knowledge of and confidence in US-guided SCV
      CVC insertion. This module can be implemented in simulation centers for teaching
      safe and successful SCV CVC insertion.

PMID- 26481425
TI  - Hirsch Index Value and Variability Related to General Surgery in a UK Deanery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The Hirsch Index (h-index) is often used to assess research impact,
      and on average a social science senior lecturer will have an h-index of 2.29, yet
      its validity within the context of UK General Surgery (GS) is unknown. The aim of
      this study was to calculate the h-indices of a cohort of GS consultants in a UK
      Deanery to assess its relative validity. DESIGN: Individual h-indices and total
      publication (TP) counts were obtained for GS consultants via the Scopus and Web
      of Science (WoS) Internet search engines. Assessment of construct validity and
      reliability of these 2 measures of the h-index was undertaken. SETTING: All
      hospitals in a single UK National Health Service Deanery were included (14
      general hospitals). PARTICIPANTS: All 136 GS consultants from the Deanery were
      included. RESULTS: Median h-index (Scopus) was 5 (0-52) and TP 15 (0-369), and
      strong correlation was found between h-index and TP (rho = 0.932, p < 0.001),
      with the intraclass correlation between Scopus and WoS h-index also significant
      (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.973 [95% CI: 0.962-0.981], p < 0.001).
      Academic GS consultants had higher h-indices than nonacademic University Hospital
      and District General Hospital consultants (Scopus 12 vs 7 vs 4 [p < 0.001] and
      WoS 10.5 vs 7 vs 4 [p < 0.001]). h-Index was >2.29 in 57.4% of consultants. No
      subspecialty differences were apparent in median h-indices (p = 0.792) and TP (p
      = 0.903). CONCLUSIONS: h-Index is a valid GS research productivity metric with
      over half of consultants performing at levels equivalent to social science Senior
      Lecturers.

PMID- 26481426
TI  - ["English" language in medicine].

PMID- 26481427
TI  - IL-4 Protects the Mitochondria Against TNFalpha and IFNgamma Induced Insult
      During Clearance of Infection with Citrobacter rodentium and Escherichia coli.
AB  - Citrobacter rodentium is a murine pathogen that serves as a model for
      enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. C. rodentium infection reduced the quantity
      and activity of mitochondrial respiratory complexes I and IV, as well as
      phosphorylation capacity, mitochondrial transmembrane potential and ATP
      generation at day 10, 14 and 19 post infection. Cytokine mRNA quantification
      showed increased levels of IFNgamma, TNFalpha, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-12 during
      infection. The effects of adding these cytokines, C. rodentium and E. coli were
      hence elucidated using an in vitro colonic mucosa. Both infection and TNFalpha,
      individually and combined with IFNgamma, decreased complex I and IV enzyme levels
      and mitochondrial function. However, IL-4 reversed these effects, and IL-6
      protected against loss of complex IV. Both in vivo and in vitro, the dysfunction
      appeared caused by nitric oxide-generation, and was alleviated by an antioxidant
      targeting mitochondria. IFNgamma -/- mice, containing a similar pathogen burden
      but higher IL-4 and IL-6, displayed no loss of any of the four complexes. Thus,
      the cytokine environment appears to be a more important determinant of
      mitochondrial function than direct actions of the pathogen. As IFNgamma and
      TNFalpha levels increase during clearance of infection, the concomitant increase
      in IL-4 and IL-6 protects mitochondrial function. 

PMID- 26481428
TI  - Hemocompatibility evaluation in vitro of methoxy polyethyleneglycol
      polycaprolactone copolymer solutions.
AB  - Amphiphilic block copolymer methoxy polyethyleneglycol-polycaprolactone (mPEG
      PCL) has attracted interest in the biomedical field, due to its water solubility
      and biodegradability. Nevertheless, the blood safety of mPEG-PCL copolymers has
      not been investigated in detail. Because mPEG-PCL copolymers introduced in vivo
      would inevitably interact with blood tissue, an investigation of possible
      interactions of mPEG-PCL with key blood components is crucial. We studied the
      effects of two mPEG-PCL copolymer solutions on blood coagulation, the morphology
      and lysis of human red blood cells (RBCs), the structure of plasma fibrinogen,
      complement activation, and platelet aggregation. We found that higher
      concentrations of the mPEG-PCL copolymers impaired blood clotting, and the
      copolymers had little impact on the morphology or lysis of RBCs. From the
      spectroscopy results, the copolymers affected the local microstructure of
      fibrinogen. The copolymers significantly activated the complement system in a
      concentration-dependent way. At higher concentrations, the copolymers impaired
      platelet aggregation, which may have been mediated by an inhibition of the
      arachidonic acid pathway. These findings provide important information that may
      be useful for the molecular design and biomedical applications of mPEG-PCL
      copolymers. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 802
      812, 2016.

PMID- 26481429
TI  - Redox-Dependent HMGB1 Isoforms as Pivotal Co-Ordinators of Drug-Induced Liver
      Injury: Mechanistic Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets.
AB  - SIGNIFICANCE: High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a critical protein in the
      coordination of the inflammatory response in drug-induced liver injury (DILI).
      HMGB1 is released from necrotic hepatocytes and activated immune cells. The
      extracellular function of HMGB1 is dependent upon redox modification of cysteine
      residues that control chemoattractant and cytokine-inducing properties. Existing
      biomarkers of DILI such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) have limitations such
      as lack of sensitivity and tissue specificity that can adversely affect clinical
      intervention. RECENT ADVANCES: HMGB1 isoforms have been shown to be more
      sensitive biomarkers than ALT for predicting DILI development and the requirement
      for liver transplant following acetaminophen (APAP) overdose. Hepatocyte-specific
      conditional knockout of HMGB1 has demonstrated the pivotal role of HMGB1 in DILI
      and liver disease. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) enables the characterization
      and quantification of different mechanism-dependent post-translationally modified
      isoforms of HMGB1. CRITICAL ISSUES: HMGB1 shows great promise as a biomarker of
      DILI. However, current diagnostic assays are either too time-consuming to be
      clinically applicable (MS/MS) or are unable to distinguish between different
      redox and acetyl isoforms of HMGB1 (ELISA). Additionally, HMGB1 is not liver
      specific, so while it outperforms ALT (also not liver specific) as a biomarker
      for the prediction of DILI development, it should be used in a biomarker panel
      along with liver-specific markers such as miR-122. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: A point-of
      care test for HMGB1 and the development of redox and acetyl isoform-targeting
      antibodies will advance clinical utility. Work is ongoing to validate baseline
      levels of circulating HMGB1 in healthy volunteers.

PMID- 26481432
TI  - Rheumatoid arthritis: Hitting the brakes on ectopic lymphoid structure formation.

PMID- 26481431
TI  - Transcriptome sequencing of a thalloid bryophyte; Dumortiera hirsuta (Sw) Nees:
      assembly, annotation, and marker discovery.
AB  - Bryophytes are the first land plants but are scarcely studied at the molecular
      level. Here, we report transcriptome sequencing and functional annotation of
      Dumortiera hirsuta, as a representative bryophyte. Approximately 0.5 million
      reads with ~195 Mb data were generated by sequencing of mRNA using 454
      pyrosequencer. De novo assembly of reads yielded 85,240 unigenes (12,439 contigs
      and 72,801 singletons). BlastX search at NCBI-NR database showed similarity of
      33,662 unigenes with 10-(10) e-value. A total of 23,685 unigenes were annotated
      at TAIR10 protein database. The annotated unigenes were further classified using
      the Gene Ontology. Analysis at Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway
      database identified 95 pathways with significant scores, among which metabolic
      and biosynthesis of secondary metabolite were the major ones. Phenylpropanoid
      pathway was elucidated and selected genes were characterized by real time qPCR.
      We identified 447 transcription factors belonging to 41 families and 1594 eSSRs
      in 1479 unigenes. D. hirsuta unigenes showed homology across the taxa from algae
      to angiosperm indicating their role as the connecting link between aquatic and
      terrestrial plants. This could be a valuable genomic resource for molecular and
      evolutionary studies. Further, it sheds light for the isolation and
      characterization of new genes with unique functions. 

PMID- 26481430
TI  - 1,3-propanediol binds deep inside the channel to inhibit water permeation through
      aquaporins.
AB  - Aquaporins and aquaglyceroporins (AQPs) are membrane channel proteins responsible
      for transport of water and for transport of glycerol in addition to water across
      the cell membrane, respectively. They are expressed throughout the human body and
      also in other forms of life. Inhibitors of human AQPs have been sought for
      therapeutic treatment for various medical conditions including hypertension,
      refractory edema, neurotoxic brain edema, and so forth. Conducting all-atom
      molecular dynamics simulations, we computed the binding affinity of acetazolamide
      to human AQP4 that agrees closely with in vitro experiments. Using this validated
      computational method, we found that 1,3-propanediol (PDO) binds deep inside the
      AQP4 channel to inhibit that particular aquaporin efficaciously. Furthermore, we
      used the same method to compute the affinities of PDO binding to four other AQPs
      and one aquaglyceroporin whose atomic coordinates are available from the protein
      data bank (PDB). For bovine AQP1, human AQP2, AQP4, AQP5, and Plasmodium
      falciparum PfAQP whose structures were resolved with high resolution, we obtained
      definitive predictions on the PDO dissociation constant. For human AQP1 whose PDB
      coordinates are less accurate, we estimated the dissociation constant with a
      rather large error bar. Taking into account the fact that PDO is generally
      recognized as safe by the US FDA, we predict that PDO can be an effective
      diuretic which directly modulates water flow through the protein channels. It
      should be free from the serious side effects associated with other diuretics that
      change the hydro-homeostasis indirectly by altering the osmotic gradients. 

PMID- 26481433
TI  - Clinical guidelines: Best practices and uncertainties in the management of PMR.

PMID- 26481435
TI  - Connective tissue diseases: Functional MRI in SLE-the current state.

PMID- 26481434
TI  - Vitamin D in rheumatoid arthritis-towards clinical application.
AB  - In addition to its well-documented involvement in mineral homeostasis, vitamin D
      seems to have broad effects on human health that go beyond the skeletal system.
      Prominent among these so-called nonclassical effects of vitamin D are its
      immunomodulatory properties. In vitro studies have shown anti-inflammatory
      effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), the active form of vitamin D. In
      addition, epidemiological analysis of patients with established inflammatory
      disease identified associations between vitamin D deficiency (low serum
      concentrations of inactive 25-hydroxyvitamin D, abbreviated to 25(OH)D) and
      inflammatory conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The association of
      vitamin D deficiency with RA severity supports the hypothesis of a role for
      vitamin D in the initiation or progression of the disease, or possibly both.
      However, whether 25(OH)D status is a cause or consequence of RA is still
      incompletely understood and requires further analysis in prospective vitamin D
      supplementation trials. The characterization of factors that promote the
      transition from preclinical to clinical phases of RA has become a major focus of
      research, with the aim to facilitate earlier diagnosis and treatment, and improve
      therapeutic outcomes. In this Review, we aim to describe the current knowledge of
      vitamin D and the immune system specifically in RA, and discuss the potential
      benefits that vitamin D might have on slowing RA progression. 

PMID- 26481436
TI  - Decade in review-clinical rheumatology: 10 years of therapeutic advances in the
      rheumatic diseases.

PMID- 26481437
TI  - Osteoarthritis: Autophagy prevents age-related OA.

PMID- 26481438
TI  - Vasculitis syndromes: PR3 on apoptotic cells promotes inflammation in GPA.

PMID- 26481439
TI  - Pupil diameter, working distance and illumination during habitual tasks.
      Implications for simultaneous vision contact lenses for presbyopia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine working distance, pupil diameter and illumination in real
      life conditions in a sample of presbyopic participants performing habitual tasks.
      METHODS: A total of 59 presbyopic subjects (aged between 45 and 63 years) with
      different occupational backgrounds participated in the study. Participants were
      first interviewed regarding their habitual tasks with the aid of an ad hoc
      questionnaire, following which in-office photopic and mesopic pupil diameter was
      determined. Pupil diameter was also evaluated while participants conducted each
      of the self-reported habitual tasks by taking a photograph, which was later
      submitted to image analysis. In addition, working distance was determined with a
      measuring tape and the illumination that reached the pupil during each of the
      different tasks was measured, in lux, with a light meter. RESULTS: The four most
      common habitual tasks were computer use, reading, sewing and sports. A high
      intersubject variability was found in pupil diameter, working distance and
      illumination conditions while conducting the same task. Statistically significant
      differences were found between the in-office measured photopic and mesopic pupil
      diameters and those obtained while participants were conducting their habitual
      tasks in real life conditions (all p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Potential multifocal
      contact lens users may present with different ages, different jobs or hobbies and
      different preferences regarding lighting conditions and working distances. This
      results in different pupil size, even within the same task. This information may
      be critical when selecting a particular lens design and add power. Eye care
      practitioners are therefore advised to assess pupil diameter in real life
      conditions.

PMID- 26481440
TI  - MicroRNAs in the pathogenesis of renal cell carcinoma and their diagnostic and
      prognostic utility as cancer biomarkers.
AB  - PURPOSE: To provide information about the role of microRNAs in the pathogenesis
      of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and their diagnostic and prognostic utility as
      cancer biomarkers. METHODS: A literature search was performed in the PubMed and
      Web of Science databases using the keywords "renal cancer/renal cell
      carcinoma/kidney cancer" and "miR*/miRNA*/microRNA*". Articles dealing with the
      role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of RCC, diagnostic miRNAs and prognostic
      miRNAs were separated. RESULTS: MiRNAs act both as oncogenes and tumor
      suppressors. They regulate apoptosis, cell growth, migration, invasion,
      proliferation, colony formation and angiogenesis through target proteins involved
      in several signaling pathways, and they are involved in key pathogenetic
      mechanisms such as hypoxia (HIF/VHL dependent) and epithelial-to-mesenchymal
      transition. Differentially expressed miRNAs can discriminate either tumor tissue
      from healthy renal tissue or different RCC subtypes. Circulating miRNAs are
      promissing as diagnostic biomarkers of RCC. Information about urinary miRNAs
      associated with RCC is sparse. Detection of a relapse is another implication of
      diagnostic miRNAs. The expression profiles of several miRNAs correlate with the
      prognosis of RCC patients. Comparison between primary tumor tissue and metastasis
      may help identify high-risk primary tumors. Finally, response to target therapy
      can be estimated thanks to differences in miRNA expression in tissue and serum of
      therapy-resistant versus therapy-sensitive patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      understanding of the role of microRNAs in RCC pathogenesis has been increasing
      dramatically. Identification and validation of their gene targets may have direct
      impact on developing microRNA-based anticancer therapy. Several microRNAs can
      serve as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.

PMID- 26481441
TI  - p16 cutoff in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: correlation between tumor
      and patient characteristics and outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: p16 has been indicated as a suitable surrogate biomarker of HPV
      infection. The prognosis of p16-positive oropharynx tumors (OTs) of squamous cell
      carcinoma (SCC) histology is better than that of p16-negative tumors. METHODS: We
      analyzed 209 samples of head and neck SCC to establish a predictive cutoff for
      p16 and determine the role of p16 positivity in OTs versus non-OTs. We compared
      the outcomes of tumors harboring any percentage of p16-positive cells (>=1%) with
      those of p16-negative OTs. We then considered 3 cutoffs (10%, 50% and 70%
      positive cells) to evaluate the outcome of OTs/non-OTs with similar p16
      expression and p16-positive versus p16-negative tumors stratified by patient age.
      RESULTS: p16-negative tumors among OTs and non-OTs were 29% and 49%, respectively
      (p = 0.0054). The cumulative distribution showed that the positive values were
      located around 2 focus points: 2% and 96%. Subgroup analysis showed that only OTs
      occurred in young patients (aged <65 years) and that there was a >=70% gain in
      survival in cases with p16-positive cells. CONCLUSIONS: p16 positivity influences
      outcome only in young patients and OTs (p = 0.048).

PMID- 26481442
TI  - SA-VA Difference with Extended Utility-More to Consider.

PMID- 26481443
TI  - The N-cadherin cytoplasmic domain confers anchorage-independent growth and the
      loss of contact inhibition.
AB  - Tumor growth is characterized by anchorage independence and the loss of contact
      inhibition. Previously, we showed that either a red fluorescent protein (DsRed)
      tagged N-cadherin or E-cadherin cytoplasmic domain (DNCT or DECT) could function
      as a dominant negative inhibitor by blocking the cell surface localization of
      endogenous E-cadherin and inducing cell dissociation. Here, we show that
      expression of DNCT abrogated contact inhibition of proliferation and conferred
      anchorage-independent growth. DNCT expression induced the relocation of the tumor
      suppressor Merlin from the cell surface to intracellular compartments. Although
      DNCT expression induced redistribution of TAZ from the cytoplasm to the nucleus,
      YAP/TAZ signaling was not activated. An E-cadherin-alpha-catenin chimera that
      functions as a beta-catenin-independent cell adhesion molecule restored contact
      inhibition and anchorage-dependency of growth. Addition of the SV40 large T
      antigen nuclear localization signal reversed the effects of DNCT expression,
      indicating that DNCT functioned outside of the nucleus. 

PMID- 26481444
TI  - The N-acetylglucosamine catabolic gene cluster in Trichoderma reesei is
      controlled by the Ndt80-like transcription factor RON1.
AB  - Chitin is an important structural constituent of fungal cell walls composed of N
      acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) monosaccharides, but catabolism of GlcNAc has not been
      studied in filamentous fungi so far. In the yeast Candida albicans, the genes
      encoding the three enzymes responsible for stepwise conversion of GlcNAc to
      fructose-6-phosphate are clustered. In this work, we analysed GlcNAc catabolism
      in ascomycete filamentous fungi and found that the respective genes are also
      clustered in these fungi. In contrast to C. albicans, the cluster often contains
      a gene for an Ndt80-like transcription factor, which we named RON1 (regulator of
      N-acetylglucosamine catabolism 1). Further, a gene for a glycoside hydrolase 3
      protein related to bacterial N-acetylglucosaminidases can be found in the GlcNAc
      gene cluster in filamentous fungi. Functional analysis in Trichoderma reesei
      showed that the transcription factor RON1 is a key activator of the GlcNAc gene
      cluster and essential for GlcNAc catabolism. Furthermore, we present an
      evolutionary analysis of Ndt80-like proteins in Ascomycota. All GlcNAc cluster
      genes, as well as the GlcNAc transporter gene ngt1, and an additional
      transcriptional regulator gene, csp2, encoding the homolog of Neurospora crassa
      CSP2/GRHL, were functionally characterised by gene expression analysis and
      phenotypic characterisation of knockout strains in T. reesei.

PMID- 26481446
TI  - A Superior Na3 V2 (PO4 )3 -Based Nanocomposite Enhanced by Both N-Doped Coating
      Carbon and Graphene as the Cathode for Sodium-Ion Batteries.
AB  - A superior Na3 V2 (PO4 )3 -based nanocomposite (NVP/C/rGO) has been successfully
      developed by a facile carbothermal reduction method using one most-common
      chelator, disodium ethylenediamintetraacetate [Na2 (C10 H16 N2 O8 )], as both
      sodium and nitrogen-doped carbon sources for the first time. 2D-reduced graphene
      oxide (rGO) nanosheets are also employed as highly conductive additives to
      facilitate the electrical conductivity and limit the growth of NVP nanoparticles.
      When used as the cathode material for sodium-ion batteries, the NVP/C/rGO
      nanocomposite exhibits the highest discharge capacity, the best high-rate
      capabilities and prolonged cycling life compared to the pristine NVP and single
      carbon-modified NVP/C. Specifically, the 0.1 C discharge capacity delivered by
      the NVP/C/rGO is 116.8 mAh g(-1) , which is obviously higher than 106 and 112.3
      mAh g(-1) for the NVP/C and pristine NVP respectively; it can still deliver a
      specific capacity of about 80 mAh g(-1) even at a high rate up to 30 C; and its
      capacity decay is as low as 0.0355 % per cycle when cycled at 0.2 C. Furthermore,
      the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was also implemented to compare the
      electrode kinetics of all three NVP-based cathodes including the apparent Na
      diffusion coefficients and charge-transfer resistances. 

PMID- 26481445
TI  - The utility of the apolipoprotein A1 remnant ratio in predicting incidence
      coronary heart disease in a primary prevention cohort: The Jackson Heart Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dyslipidemia plays a significant role in the progression of
      cardiovascular disease. The apolipoprotein (apo) A1 remnant ratio (apo A1/VLDL3-C
      + IDL-C) has recently been shown to be a strong predictor of death/myocardial
      infarction risk among women >50 years undergoing angiography. However, whether
      this ratio is associated with coronary heart disease risk among other populations
      is unknown. We evaluated the apo A1 remnant ratio and its components for coronary
      heart disease incidence. DESIGN: Observational. METHODS: Participants (N = 4722)
      of the Jackson Heart Study were evaluated. Baseline clinical characteristics and
      lipoprotein subfractions (Vertical Auto Profile method) were collected. Cox
      hazard regression analysis, adjusted by standard cardiovascular risk factors, was
      utilized to determine associations of lipoproteins with coronary heart disease.
      RESULTS: Those with new-onset coronary heart disease were older, diabetic,
      smokers, had less education, used more lipid-lowering medication, and had a more
      atherogenic lipoprotein profile. After adjustment, the apo A1 remnant ratio
      (hazard ratio = 0.67 per 1-SD, p = 0.002) was strongly associated with coronary
      heart disease incidence. This association appears to be driven by the IDL-C
      denominator (hazard ratio = 1.23 per 1-SD, p = 0.007). Remnants (hazard ratio =
      1.21 per 1-SD, p = 0.017), but not apo A1 (hazard ratio = 0.85 per 1-SD, p =
      0.121) or VLDL3-C (hazard ratio = 1.13 per 1-SD, p = 0.120) were associated with
      coronary heart disease. Standard lipids were not associated with coronary heart
      disease incidence. CONCLUSION: We found the apo A1 remnant ratio to be strongly
      associated with coronary heart disease. This ratio appears to better stratify
      risk than standard lipids, apo A1, and remnants among a primary prevention cohort
      of African Americans. Its utility requires further study as a lipoprotein
      management target for risk reduction.

PMID- 26481447
TI  - Application of analyzer based X-ray imaging technique for detection of ultrasound
      induced cavitation bubbles from a physical therapy unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The observation of ultrasound generated cavitation bubbles deep in
      tissue is very difficult. The development of an imaging method capable of
      investigating cavitation bubbles in tissue would improve the efficiency and
      application of ultrasound in the clinic. Among the previous imaging modalities
      capable of detecting cavitation bubbles in vivo, the acoustic detection technique
      has the positive aspect of in vivo application. However the size of the initial
      cavitation bubble and the amplitude of the ultrasound that produced the
      cavitation bubbles, affect the timing and amplitude of the cavitation bubbles'
      emissions. METHODS: The spatial distribution of cavitation bubbles, driven by
      0.8835 MHz therapeutic ultrasound system at output power of 14 Watt, was studied
      in water using a synchrotron X-ray imaging technique, Analyzer Based Imaging
      (ABI). The cavitation bubble distribution was investigated by repeated
      application of the ultrasound and imaging the water tank. The spatial frequency
      of the cavitation bubble pattern was evaluated by Fourier analysis. Acoustic
      cavitation was imaged at four different locations through the acoustic beam in
      water at a fixed power level. The pattern of cavitation bubbles in water was
      detected by synchrotron X-ray ABI. RESULTS: The spatial distribution of
      cavitation bubbles driven by the therapeutic ultrasound system was observed using
      ABI X-ray imaging technique. It was observed that the cavitation bubbles appeared
      in a periodic pattern. The calculated distance between intervals revealed that
      the distance of frequent cavitation lines (intervals) is one-half of the acoustic
      wave length consistent with standing waves. CONCLUSION: This set of experiments
      demonstrates the utility of synchrotron ABI for visualizing cavitation bubbles
      formed in water by clinical ultrasound systems working at high frequency and
      output powers as low as a therapeutic system.

PMID- 26481448
TI  - Assessing the association between occupancy and outcome in critically Ill
      hospitalized patients with sepsis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sepsis has a high prevalence, mortality-rate and cost. Sepsis
      patients usually enter the hospital through the Emergency Department (ED).
      Process or structural issues related to care may affect outcome. METHODS: Multi
      centered retrospective observational cohort study using administrative databases
      to identify adult patients (> = 18 years) with sepsis and severe sepsis admitted
      to Alberta Health Services Calgary zone adult multisystem intensive care units
      (ICU) through the ED between January 1, 2006 and September 30, 2009. We examined
      the association between ICU occupancy and hospital outcome. We explored other
      associations of hospital outcome including the effect of ED wait time, admission
      from ED during weekdays versus weekends and ED admission during the day versus at
      night. RESULTS: One thousand and seven hundred seventy patients were admitted to
      hospital via ED, 1036 (58.5 %) with sepsis and 734 (41.5 %) with severe sepsis.
      In patients with sepsis, ICU occupancy > 90 % was associated with an increase in
      hospital mortality even after adjusting for age, sex, triage level, Charlson
      index, time of first ED physician assessment and ICU admission. No differences in
      hospital mortality were found for patients who waited more than 7 h, were
      admitted during the day versus night or weekdays versus weekends. CONCLUSIONS: In
      patients with sepsis admitted via the ED, increased ICU occupancy was associated
      with higher in-hospital mortality.

PMID- 26481449
TI  - Privileging Naturals Over Strivers: The Costs of the Naturalness Bias.
AB  - A preference for "naturals" over "strivers" in performance judgments was
      investigated to test whether the effect is generalizable across domains, as well
      as to ascertain any costs imposed on decision quality by favoring naturals.
      Despite being presented with entrepreneurs equal in achievement, participants
      judged the natural and his business proposal to be superior to the striver and
      his proposal on multiple dimensions of performance and success (Study 1a and
      Study 1b). These findings were extended in Study 2, which quantified the costs of
      the naturalness bias using conjoint analysis to measure specific decision
      tradeoffs. Together, these three studies show that people tend to pass over
      better-qualified individuals in favor of apparent naturals. 

PMID- 26481450
TI  - Taking Race Off the Table: Agenda Setting and Support for Color-Blind Public
      Policy.
AB  - Whites are theorized to support color-blind policies as an act of racial agenda
      setting-an attempt to defend the existing hierarchy by excluding race from public
      and institutional discourse. The present analysis leverages work distinguishing
      between two forms of social dominance orientation (SDO): passive opposition to
      equality (SDO-E) and active desire for dominance (SDO-D). We hypothesized that
      agenda setting, as a subtle hierarchy-maintenance strategy, would be uniquely
      tied to high levels of SDO-E. When made to believe that the hierarchy was under
      threat, Whites high in SDO-E increased their endorsement of color-blind policy
      (Study 1), particularly when the racial hierarchy was framed as ingroup advantage
      (Study 2), and became less willing to include race as a topic in a hypothetical
      presidential debate (Study 3). Across studies, Whites high in SDO-D showed no
      affinity for agenda setting as a hierarchy-maintenance strategy. 

PMID- 26481451
TI  - Genome-wide mapping reveals single-origin chromosome replication in Leishmania, a
      eukaryotic microbe.
AB  - BACKGROUND: DNA replication initiates on defined genome sites, termed origins.
      Origin usage appears to follow common rules in the eukaryotic organisms examined
      to date: all chromosomes are replicated from multiple origins, which display
      variations in firing efficiency and are selected from a larger pool of potential
      origins. To ask if these features of DNA replication are true of all eukaryotes,
      we describe genome-wide origin mapping in the parasite Leishmania. RESULTS:
      Origin mapping in Leishmania suggests a striking divergence in origin usage
      relative to characterized eukaryotes, since each chromosome appears to be
      replicated from a single origin. By comparing two species of Leishmania, we find
      evidence that such origin singularity is maintained in the face of chromosome
      fusion or fission events during evolution. Mapping Leishmania origins suggests
      that all origins fire with equal efficiency, and that the genomic sites occupied
      by origins differ from related non-origins sites. Finally, we provide evidence
      that origin location in Leishmania displays striking conservation with
      Trypanosoma brucei, despite the latter parasite replicating its chromosomes from
      multiple, variable strength origins. CONCLUSIONS: The demonstration of chromosome
      replication for a single origin in Leishmania, a microbial eukaryote, has
      implications for the evolution of origin multiplicity and associated controls,
      and may explain the pervasive aneuploidy that characterizes Leishmania chromosome
      architecture.

PMID- 26481453
TI  - Allogeneic hand transplantation and rehabilitation of hand function: a 10-year
      follow-up study.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to present the long-term outcomes of allogenic hand
      transplantations performed at our centre. Between January 2001 and October 2002,
      five allogeneic limb transplantations were performed in three patients (two
      bilateral forearm and one left hand transplantation). Donors and recipients were
      matched for blood types (ABO/Rh) and had at least two human leukocyte antigen
      (HLA) matches. A comprehensive rehabilitation plan integrating preoperative,
      intraoperative and postoperative management was developed for each patient. After
      10 years, all transplantations were performed successfully without complications.
      As of 2014, all grafts were viable. The transplanted hands showed palmate
      morphology, perceived superficial pain and tactile sensations, and the static two
      point discrimination ranged from 2.5 to 4.0 mm. Chronic rejection at 4 years
      after surgery reduced hand function in case 2. Grip strength ranged from 3 kg
      (case 2) to 16-18 kg (case 1) to 41-43 kg for case 3. Lifting strength ranged
      from 3 kg (case 2) to 21-23 kg (case 1) to 47-51 kg for case 3. They lead a
      completely independent life. In summary, hand function following allogeneic limb
      transplantation allows the ability to perform tasks of daily living.

PMID- 26481452
TI  - The adherence paradox: guideline deviations contribute to the increased 5-year
      survival of breast cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In German breast cancer care, the S1-guidelines of the 1990s were
      substituted by national S3-guidelines in 2003. The application of guidelines
      became mandatory for certified breast cancer centers. The aim of the study was to
      assess guideline adherence according to time intervals and its impact on
      survival. METHODS: Women with primary breast cancer treated in three rural
      hospitals of one German geographical district were included. A cohort study
      design encompassed women from 1996-97 (N = 389) and from 2003-04 (N = 488).
      Quality indicators were defined along inpatient therapy sequences for each time
      interval and distinguished as guideline-adherent and guideline-divergent medical
      decisions. Based on all of the quality indicators, a binary overall adherence
      index was defined and served as a group indicator in multivariate Cox-regression
      models. A corrected group analysis estimated adjusted 5-year survival curves.
      RESULTS: From a total of 877 patients, 743 (85 %) and 504 (58 %) were included to
      assess 104 developed quality indicators and the resuming binary overall adherence
      index. The latter significantly increased from 13-15 % (1996-97) up to 33-35 %
      (2003-04). Within each time interval, no significant survival differences of
      guideline-adherent and -divergent treated patients were detected. Across time
      intervals and within the group of guideline-adherent treated patients only,
      survival increased but did not significantly differ between time intervals.
      Across time intervals and within the group of guideline-divergent treated
      patients only, survival increased and significantly differed between time
      intervals. CONCLUSIONS: Infrastructural efforts contributed to the increase of
      process quality of the examined certified breast cancer center. Paradoxically, a
      systematic impact on 5-year survival has been observed for patients treated
      divergently from the guideline recommendations. This is an indicator for the
      appropriate application of guidelines. A maximization of guideline-based
      decisions instead of the ubiquitous demand of guideline adherence maximization is
      advocated.

PMID- 26481455
TI  - Simple route for nano-hydroxyapatite properties expansion.
AB  - Simple surface modification of nano-hydroxyapatite, through acid-basic reactions,
      allows expanding the properties of this material. Introduction of organic groups
      such as hydrophobic alkyl chains, carboxylic acid, and amide or amine basic
      groups on the hydroxyapatite surface systematically change the polarity, surface
      area, and reactivity of hydroxyapatite without modifying its phase. Physical and
      chemical properties of the new derivative particles were analyzed. The
      biocompatibility of modified Nano-Hap on Raw 264.7 cells was also assessed. 

PMID- 26481456
TI  - Use of fine-needle aspirate calcitonin to detect medullary thyroid carcinoma: A
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The measurement of calcitonin in washout fluids of thyroid nodule
      aspirate (FNA-calcitonin) has been reported as accurate to detect medullary
      thyroid carcinoma (MTC). The results from these studies have been promising and
      the most updated version of ATA guidelines quoted for the first time that "FNA
      findings that are inconclusive or suggestive of MTC should have calcitonin
      measured in the FNA washout fluid." Here we aimed to systematically review
      published data on this topic to provide more robust estimates. RESEARCH DESIGN
      AND METHODS: A comprehensive computer literature search of the medical databases
      was conducted by searching for the terms "calcitonin" AND "washout." The search
      was updated until April 2015. RESULTS: Twelve relevant studies, published between
      2007 and 2014, were found. Overall, 413 thyroid nodules or neck lymph nodes
      underwent FNA-calcitonin, 95 were MTC lesions and 93 (97.9%) of these were
      correctly detected by this measurement regardless of their cytologic report.
      CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that the above ATA recommendation is well
      supported. Almost all MTC lesions are correctly detected by FNA-calcitonin and
      this technique should be used to avoid false negative or inconclusive results
      from cytology. The routine determination of serum calcitonin in patients
      undergoing FNA should improve the selection of patients at risk for MTC, guiding
      the use of FNA-calcitonin in the same FNA sample and providing useful information
      to the cytopathologist for the morphological assessment and the application of
      tailored ancillary tests.

PMID- 26481454
TI  - Alkaline phosphatase predicts response in polycystic liver disease during
      somatostatin analogue therapy: a pooled analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Somatostatin analogues reduce liver volumes in polycystic
      liver disease. However, patients show considerable variability in treatment
      responses. Our aim was to identify specific patient, disease or treatment
      characteristics that predict response in polycystic liver disease during
      somatostatin analogue therapy. METHODS: We pooled the individual patient data of
      four trials that evaluated long-acting somatostatin analogues (120 mg lanreotide
      or 40 mg octreotide) for 6-12 months in polycystic liver disease patients. We
      performed uni- and multivariate linear regression analysis with preselected
      patient, disease and drug variables to identify independent predictors of
      response, defined as per cent change in liver or kidney volume (in ADPKD
      subgroup). All analyses were adjusted for baseline liver volume and centre.
      RESULTS: We included 153 polycystic liver disease patients (86% female, median
      liver volume 4974 ml) from three international centres, all treated with
      octreotide (n = 70) or lanreotide (n = 83). Mean reduction in liver volume was
      4.4% (range -31.6 to +9.4%). Multivariate linear regression revealed that
      elevated baseline alkaline phosphatase was associated with increased liver volume
      reduction during therapy (-2.7%, 95% CI -5.1 to -0.2%, P = 0.04), independently
      of baseline liver volume. Somatostatin analogue type, underlying diagnosis and
      eGFR did not affect response. In our ADPKD subpopulation (n = 100), elevated
      alkaline phosphatase predicted liver volume reduction (-3.2%, P = 0.03) but did
      not predict kidney volume reduction (+0.1%, P = 0.97). Total gastro-intestinal
      symptom severity decreased with therapy in a subgroup analysis (n = 95; P <
      0.001). CONCLUSION: Alkaline phosphatase is a liver-specific, independent
      predictor of response in polycystic liver disease during somatostatin analogue
      therapy.

PMID- 26481457
TI  - An outbreak of multiple norovirus strains on a cruise ship in China, 2014.
AB  - AIMS: To determine the cause of an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis that
      occurred on a cruise ship sailing along the Yangzi River from Chongqing to
      Nanjing, China. METHODS AND RESULTS: Noroviruses were identified by reverse
      transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) in rectal swabs from 34 of 54 subjects tested (63.0%).
      Sequencing and genotyping showed that noroviruses of up to seven different
      genotypes circulated in this outbreak: noroviruses GI.1, GI.2, GI.3, GI.4, GI.8,
      GI.9 and an uncommon strain GII.17. Common genotypes were not identified in this
      event. None of the food or water samples were tested positive for noroviruses.
      CONCLUSIONS: We suspected that it was a point-source infection due to
      contaminated water or food harvested from contaminated water, taking account of
      the co-existence of diverse norovirus genotypes. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE
      STUDY: In this study, we presented the molecular investigation of a norovirus
      outbreak on a cruise in China. We revealed that the outbreak was caused by
      several different norovirus genotypes and analysed the possible source of
      infection as well, thus facilitating the evaluation of epidemiological issues
      regarding noroviruses in this area.

PMID- 26481458
TI  - Satellite RNA pathogens of plants: impacts and origins-an RNA silencing
      perspective.
AB  - Viral satellite RNAs (satRNAs) are among the smallest RNA pathogens in plants.
      They have little or no protein-coding capacity but can have a major impact on the
      host plants through trilateral interactions with helper viruses and host plants.
      Studies around the 1980s revealed much of what we know about satRNAs: they can
      affect helper virus accumulation, modulate helper virus-induced disease symptoms,
      and induce their own symptoms with the assistance of helper viruses which depend
      on specific nucleotide sequences of their genome and host species. The molecular
      basis of these satRNA-caused impacts and the origin of satRNAs have yet to be
      fully understood and revealed, but recent understanding of the antiviral RNA
      silencing pathways and advancement in RNA and DNA sequencing technologies have
      provided new avenues and opportunities to examine these unanswered questions.
      These RNA silencing-based studies have revealed the existence of cross silencing
      between some satRNAs and helper viruses, the downregulation of helper virus
      encoded suppressor (VSR) of RNA silencing or inhibition/enhancement of VSR
      activity by satRNAs, the silencing of host-encoded genes by satRNA-derived small
      interfering RNA (siRNAs), and the presence of satRNA-like small RNAs in
      uninfected host plants. These findings have provided alternative RNA silencing
      based models to explain the pathogenicity and origin of satRNAs. WIREs RNA 2016,
      7:5-16. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1311 For further resources related to this article,
      please visit the WIREs website. 

PMID- 26481459
TI  - Electrophysiological signatures of the race model in human primary motor cortex.
AB  - For 30 years, the independent race model has been used to account for the attempt
      to reactively inhibit on-going responses in the stop-signal task (reactive
      behavioral inhibition). The success of the race model derives in part by assuming
      that motor response activation speed is not different on inhibition trials
      compared to trials where inhibition is not required. To date, neurophysiological
      evidence supporting this assumption (context independence) has been limited,
      especially in human participants. In this study, we used EEG to investigate stop
      signal task performance in human participants, focusing on lateralized readiness
      potentials (LRPs) to examine context independence in human primary motor cortex
      (M1). The current results provided support for the context independence
      assumption, and further showed that successful inhibition was largely contingent
      upon the timing of response activation in M1 relative to stop-signal onset. These
      data afford a valuable insight into how stop-signal response inhibition is
      effected in the human brain. 

PMID- 26481460
TI  - Global identification and analysis of long non-coding RNAs in diploid strawberry
      Fragaria vesca during flower and fruit development.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a new class of regulatory
      molecules with roles in diverse biological processes. While much effort has been
      invested in the analysis of lncRNAs from established plant models Arabidopsis,
      maize, and rice, almost nothing is known about lncRNAs from fruit crops,
      including those in the Rosaceae family. RESULTS: Here, we present a genome-scale
      identification and characterization of lncRNAs from a diploid strawberry,
      Fragaria vesca, based on rich RNA-seq datasets from 35 different flower and fruit
      tissues. 5,884 Fve-lncRNAs derived from 3,862 loci were identified. These lncRNAs
      were carefully cataloged based on expression level and whether or not they
      contain repetitive sequences or generate small RNAs. About one fourth of them are
      termed high-confidence lncRNAs (hc-lncRNAs) because they are expressed at a level
      of FPKM higher than 2 and produce neither small RNAs nor contain repetitive
      sequence. To identify regulatory interactions between lncRNAs and their potential
      protein-coding (PC) gene targets, pairs of lncRNAs and PC genes with positively
      or negatively correlated expression trends were identified based on their
      expression; these pairs may be candidates of cis- or trans-acting lncRNAs and
      their targets. Finally, blast searches within plant species indicate that lncRNAs
      are not well conserved. CONCLUSIONS: Our study identifies a large number of
      tissue-specifically expressed lncRNAs in F. vesca, thereby highlighting their
      potential contributions to strawberry flower and fruit development and paving the
      way for future functional studies.

PMID- 26481461
TI  - The mechanism of lowering cholesterol absorption by calcium studied by using an
      in vitro digestion model.
AB  - Studies in humans show that a calcium-enriched diet leads to lower cholesterol in
      blood serum. This phenomenon is usually explained in the literature with a
      reduced cholesterol absorption in the small intestine. Our study aims to clarify
      the effect of calcium on the solubilisation of cholesterol and fatty acid in the
      dietary mixed micelles (DMM), viz. on the bioaccessibility of these lipophilic
      substances in the gut. We use an in vitro digestion model which mimics very
      closely the intestinal pH-profile and the composition of the intestinal fluids.
      We quantified the effects of Ca(2+) concentration on the lipid solubilization for
      fats and oils with different saturated/unsaturated fatty acid (FA) contents. We
      found that the increase of calcium significantly decreases the solubilization of
      cholesterol, FA and MG. Most importantly, we observe a clear positive correlation
      between the amounts of solubilized cholesterol, on one side, and solubilized free
      fatty acids and monoglycerides, on the other side. The main conclusion is that
      Ca(2+) ions strongly affect the bioaccessibility of both cholesterol and
      saturated FA. Therefore, calcium may decrease the serum cholesterol via two
      complementary mechanisms: (1) fatty acid precipitation by calcium ions reduces
      the solubilisation capacity of the DMM, thus decreasing the levels of solubilised
      (bioaccessible) cholesterol; (2) the observed strong decrease of the
      bioaccessible saturated FA, in its own turn, may suppress the cholesterol
      synthesis in the liver. 

PMID- 26481462
TI  - Clioquinol Improves Cognitive, Motor Function, and Microanatomy of the Alpha
      Synuclein hA53T Transgenic Mice.
AB  - The abnormal accumulation of alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) has been linked to a
      number of neurodegenerative disorders, the most noteworthy of which is
      Parkinson's disease. Alpha-synuclein itself is not toxic and fulfills various
      physiological roles in the central nervous system. However, specific types of
      aggregates have been shown to be toxic, and metals have been linked to the
      assembly of these toxic aggregates. In this paper, we have characterized a
      transgenic mouse that overexpresses the A53T mutation of human alpha-syn,
      specifically assessing cognition, motor performance, and subtle anatomical
      markers that have all been observed in synucleinopathies in humans. We
      hypothesized that treatment with the moderate-affinity metal chelator, clioquinol
      (CQ), would reduce the interaction between metals and alpha-syn to subsequently
      improve the phenotype of the A53T animal model. We showed that CQ prevents an
      iron-synuclein interaction, the formation of urea-soluble alpha-syn aggregates,
      alpha-syn-related substantia nigra pars compacta cell loss, reduction in
      dendritic spine density of hippocampal and caudate putamen medium spiny neurons,
      and the decline in motor and cognitive function. In conclusion, our data suggests
      that CQ is capable of mitigating the pathological metal/alpha-syn interactions,
      suggesting that the modulation of metal ions warrants further study as a
      therapeutic approach for the synucleinopathies. 

PMID- 26481463
TI  - One-post patterning of multiple protein gradients using a low-cost flash foam
      stamp.
AB  - Printing of versatile chemical and biological inks for protein and cell
      patterning was achieved using a simple and cost-effective flash foam stamp (FFS).
      The grey-scale mask fabricated stamp can generate multiple protein gradients with
      one-post stamping. Due to the importance of spatially controlled protein patterns
      in both biology and tissue engineering, this straightforward and reliable tool is
      an accessible solution for resource-limited laboratories conducting molecular
      patterning experiments. 

PMID- 26481464
TI  - Robustness of quantitative hypoxia PET image analysis for predicting local tumor
      control.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggested the maximum tumor to background ratio
      (TBRmax) in FMISO PET images as a potentially predictive parameter for local
      control after radio-chemotherapy (CRT) in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas
      (HNSCC). However, different TBRmax thresholds for stratification were reported,
      implying that a common threshold cannot readily be used among different
      institutions without the risk of reducing prediction accuracy. Therefore, this
      study investigated the robustness of using a common pre-defined TBRmax,
      simulating a multicenter clinical trial. MATERIAL AND METHODS: FMISO PET/CT was
      performed four hours post-injection in 22 patients with advanced HNSCC in a phase
      II FMISO dose escalation study. PET background regions of interest (ROIs) were
      manually defined in deep neck muscles. TBRmax was calculated as the mean of the
      highest-valued voxels within the high risk RT planning target volume. Its
      predictive power with respect to local control was tested, classifying patients
      using median TBRmax as threshold. The influence of systematically varying
      quantification between institutions was studied in silico by applying offsets of
      +/- 10% and +/- 20% to the TBRmax of all patients, while the threshold remained
      constant. The effect was analyzed using a receiver operating characteristic
      (ROC). True positive and false positive rates (TPR/FPR) as well as positive and
      negative predictive values (PPV/NPV) were evaluated. RESULTS: For the reference
      condition without an offset the median TBRmax was 2.0 (1.4-3.5). Patients were
      classified using this threshold and TPR = 0.7, FPR = 0.4, PPV = 0.5 and NPV = 0.8
      were observed. Accuracy declined with increasing offsets. Negative offsets of 
      10% and -20% resulted in TPR = 0.43 and 0.14, FPR = 0.20 and 0.13, PPV = 0.50 and
      0.33 and NPV = 0.75 and 0.68, respectively. Positive offsets of + 10% and + 20%
      resulted in TPR = 1.00 and 1.00, FPR = 0.53 and 0.67, PPV = 0.47 and 0.41 and NPV
      = 1.00 and 1.00, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Using a common pre-defined TBRmax
      threshold in multicenter trials requires careful standardization and
      harmonization of all steps from patient preparation to image analysis. Our
      results indicate that TBRmax should deviate less than 10% from reference
      conditions (absolute value in this dataset +/- 0.2). This conclusion likely
      applies to all low contrast nitroimidazole hypoxia PET tracers.

PMID- 26481465
TI  - Evaluation of miR-21 and miR-375 as prognostic biomarkers in esophageal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been associated with prognosis in esophageal
      cancer, suggesting a role for miRNAs to help guide treatment decisions.
      Especially, miR-21 and miR-375 have been investigated as prognostic biomarkers.
      The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic potential of miR-21 and miR
      375 in primary esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) and esophagogastric
      adenocarcinomas (EAC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Pre-therapeutic tumor specimens from
      195 patients with loco-regional esophageal cancer treated with neoadjuvant or
      definitive chemoradiotherapy or perioperative chemotherapy were analyzed.
      Expression levels of miR-21 and miR-375 were quantified using Affymetrix GeneChip
      miRNA 1.0 Array. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the
      correlation of miR-21 and miR-375 with disease-specific survival (DSS) and
      overall survival (OS). Forest plots were performed to evaluate the prognostic
      impact of miR-21 and miR-375 in the present study and previously published
      reports. RESULTS: In ESCC, patients with miR-21 expression levels above median
      showed a trend towards poorer DSS and OS. When dividing miR-21 expression by
      tertiles, high levels of miR-21 significantly correlated with shortened DSS [HR
      1.76 (95% CI 1.05-2.97) but not OS. Similarly for EAC, a significant association
      between miR-21 expression above median and DSS was observed [HR 3.37 (95% CI 1.41
      8.05)], in addition to a trend towards poorer OS for patients with miR-21
      expression above median. Multivariate analyses identified miR-21 as an
      independent prognostic marker for DSS in EAC [HR 3.52 (95% CI 1.06-11.69)]. High
      miR-375 was not correlated with improved prognosis in either histology. However,
      Forest plots demonstrated that both miR-21 and miR-375 were of prognostic impact
      in ESCC. CONCLUSION: In this study, miR-21 was identified as an independent
      prognostic biomarker for DSS in patients with EAC whereas miR-21 failed to show
      independent prognostic significance in ESCC. High miR-375 was not associated with
      enhanced survival in either histology.

PMID- 26481466
TI  - Youth Resilience Corps: An Innovative Model to Engage Youth in Building Disaster
      Resilience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Despite the growing awareness that youth are not just passive victims
      of disaster but can contribute to a community's disaster resilience, there have
      been limited efforts to formally engage youth in strengthening community
      resilience. The purpose of this brief report was to describe the development of a
      Youth Resilience Corps, or YRC (ie, a set of tools to engage young people in
      youth-led community resilience activities) and the findings from a small-scale
      pilot test. METHODS: The YRC was developed with input from a range of government
      and nongovernmental stakeholders. We conducted a pilot test with youth in
      Washington, DC, during summer 2014. Semi-structured focus groups with staff and
      youth surveys were used to obtain feedback on the YRC tools and to assess what
      participants learned. RESULTS: Focus groups and youth surveys suggested that the
      youth understood resilience concepts, and that most youth enjoyed and learned
      from the components. CONCLUSIONS: The YRC represent an important first step
      toward engaging youth in building disaster resilience, rather than just focusing
      on this group as a vulnerable population in need of special attention.

PMID- 26481467
TI  - Influence of hot isostatic pressing on ZrO2-CaO dental ceramics properties.
AB  - Different hot isostatic pressing conditions were used to obtain zirconia
      ceramics, in order to assess the influence of HIP on phase transformation,
      compressive strength, Young's modulus and density. First, CaO stabilized zirconia
      powder was synthesized through sol-gel method, using zirconium propoxide, calcium
      isopropoxide and 2-metoxiethanol as precursors, then HIP treatment was applied to
      obtain final dense ceramics. Ceramics were morphologically and structurally
      characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
      Density measurements, compressive strength and Young's modulus tests were also
      performed in order to evaluate the effect of HIP treatment. The zirconia powders
      heat treated at 500 degrees C for 2h showed a pure cubic phase with average
      particle dimension about 70nm. The samples that were hot isostatic pressed
      presented a mixture of monoclinic-tetragonal or monoclinic-cubic phases, while
      for pre-sintered samples, cubic zirconia was the single crystalline form. Final
      dense ceramics were obtained after HIP treatment, with relative density values
      higher than 94%. ZrO2-CaO ceramics presented high compressive strength, with
      values in the range of 500-708.9MPa and elastic behavior with Young's modulus
      between 1739MPa and 4372MPa. Finally zirconia ceramics were tested for
      biocompatibility allowing the normal development of MG63 cells in vitro. 

PMID- 26481468
TI  - Fabrication of controlled-release budesonide tablets via desktop (FDM) 3D
      printing.
AB  - The aim of this work was to explore the feasibility of using fused deposition
      modelling (FDM) 3D printing (3DP) technology with hot melt extrusion (HME) and
      fluid bed coating to fabricate modified-release budesonide dosage forms.
      Budesonide was sucessfully loaded into polyvinyl alcohol filaments using HME. The
      filaments were engineered into capsule-shaped tablets (caplets) containing 9mg
      budesonide using a FDM 3D printer; the caplets were then overcoated with a layer
      of enteric polymer. The final printed formulation was tested in a dynamic
      dissolution bicarbonate buffer system, and two commercial budesonide products,
      Cortiment(r) (Uceris(r)) and Entocort(r), were also investigated for comparison.
      Budesonide release from the Entocort(r) formulation was rapid in conditions of
      the upper small intestine while release from the Cortiment(r) product was more
      delayed and very slow. In contrast, the new 3D printed caplet formulation started
      to release in the mid-small intestine but release then continued in a sustained
      manner throughout the distal intestine and colon. This work has demonstrated the
      potential of combining FDM 3DP with established pharmaceutical processes,
      including HME and film coating, to fabricate modified release oral dosage forms.

PMID- 26481469
TI  - Thermoanalytical and Fourier transform infrared spectral curve-fitting techniques
      used to investigate the amorphous indomethacin formation and its physical
      stability in Indomethacin-Soluplus(r) solid dispersions.
AB  - The amorphous form of a drug has higher water solubility and faster dissolution
      rate than its crystalline form. However, the amorphous form is less
      thermodynamically stable and may recrystallize during manufacturing and storage.
      Maintaining the amorphous state of drug in a solid dosage form is extremely
      important to ensure product quality. The purpose of this study was to
      quantitatively determine the amount of amorphous indomethacin (INDO) formed in
      the Soluplus(r) solid dispersions using thermoanalytical and Fourier transform
      infrared (FTIR) spectral curve-fitting techniques. The INDO/Soluplus(r) solid
      dispersions with various weight ratios of both components were prepared by air
      drying and heat-drying processes. A predominate IR peak at 1683cm(-1) for
      amorphous INDO was selected as a marker for monitoring the solid state of INDO in
      the INDO/Soluplus(r) solid dispersions. The physical stability of amorphous INDO
      in the INDO/Soluplus(r) solid dispersions prepared by both drying processes was
      also studied under accelerated conditions. A typical endothermic peak at 161
      degrees C for gamma-form of INDO (gamma-INDO) disappeared from all the
      differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves of INDO/Soluplus(r) solid
      dispersions, suggesting the amorphization of INDO caused by Soluplus(r) after
      drying. In addition, two unique IR peaks at 1682 (1681) and 1593 (1591)cm(-1)
      corresponded to the amorphous form of INDO were observed in the FTIR spectra of
      all the INDO/Soluplus(r) solid dispersions. The quantitative amounts of amorphous
      INDO formed in all the INDO/Soluplus(r) solid dispersions were increased with the
      increase of gamma-INDO loaded into the INDO/Soluplus(r) solid dispersions by
      applying curve-fitting technique. However, the intermolecular hydrogen bonding
      interaction between Soluplus(r) and INDO were only observed in the samples
      prepared by heat-drying process, due to a marked spectral shift from 1636 to
      1628cm(-1) in the INDO/Soluplus(r) solid dispersions. The INDO/Soluplus(r) solid
      dispersions prepared by both drying processes could keep the amorphous state of
      INDO in the INDO/Soluplus(r) solid dispersions at the accelerated storage
      condition.

PMID- 26481470
TI  - Incremental prognostic value of high-sensitive C-reactive protein in patients
      undergoing coronary computed tomography angiography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was performed to investigate whether combined use of high
      sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels and coronary computed tomography
      angiography (CCTA) results have additional prognostic value for predicting
      cardiovascular events in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).
      METHODS: A total of 445 patients (61.6+/-9.3 years and 62.9% men) with suspected
      CAD who underwent both CCTA and hs-CRP measurement within one month were
      evaluated. Information on cardiovascular events, including cardiac death, non
      fatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina and late (>=six months after CCTA)
      coronary revascularization was assessed. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-five
      patients (41.6%) had obstructive CAD on CCTA (stenosis >=50%). Both high hs-CRP
      (>=2.25mg/L) and obstructive CAD were the independent predictors of
      cardiovascular events. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that event rates were
      significantly different according to the presence of obstructive CAD and hs-CRP
      levels. Addition of hs-CRP levels to combined information of clinical factors and
      CCTA results further increased the predictive power for cardiovascular events
      (global chi-square ratio, from 13.51 to 19.14, p=0.022). Event risks were
      approximately 21.0-fold higher in the highest-risk group with both obstructive
      CAD and high hs-CRP levels than in the lowest-risk group with both insignificant
      CAD and low hs-CRP levels (p=0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Combined use of hs-CRP levels
      and CCTA results provided a significant improvement in prognostic power for
      cardiovascular events in patients with suspected CAD. hs-CRP measurement may be a
      simple and useful method for determining risk stratification and treatment
      strategy in patients undergoing CCTA.

PMID- 26481471
TI  - Transport of membrane-bound mineral particles in blood vessels during chicken
      embryonic bone development.
AB  - During bone formation in embryos, large amounts of calcium and phosphate are
      taken up and transported to the site where solid mineral is first deposited. The
      initial mineral forms in vesicles inside osteoblasts and is deposited as a highly
      disordered calcium phosphate phase. The mineral is then translocated to the
      extracellular space where it penetrates the collagen matrix and crystallizes. To
      date little is known about the transport mechanisms of calcium and phosphate in
      the vascular system, especially when high transport rates are needed and the
      concentrations of these ions in the blood serum may exceed the solubility product
      of the mineral phase. Here we used a rapidly growing biological model, the chick
      embryo, to study the bone mineralization pathway taking advantage of the fact
      that large amounts of bone mineral constituents are transported. Cryo scanning
      electron microscopy together with cryo energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and
      focused-ion beam imaging in the serial surface view mode surprisingly reveal the
      presence of abundant vesicles containing small mineral particles in the lumen of
      the blood vessels. Morphologically similar vesicles are also found in the cells
      associated with bone formation. This observation directly implicates the vascular
      system in solid mineral distribution, as opposed to the transport of ions in
      solution. Mineral particle transport inside vesicles implies that far larger
      amounts of the bone mineral constituents can be transported through the
      vasculature, without the danger of ectopic precipitation. This introduces a new
      stage into the bone mineral formation pathway, with the first mineral being
      formed far from the bone itself. 

PMID- 26481473
TI  - Leisure-time physical activity and risk of type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis of
      prospective cohort studies.
AB  - Published articles reported controversial results about the association between
      leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and risk of type 2 diabetes. A meta
      analysis of prospective cohort studies was conducted to explore the effect of
      LTPA on the incidence of type 2 diabetes. PubMed and Embase databases were
      searched from its inception to June 13, 2014. Fixed or random effects models were
      used to calculate the pooled effect sizes based on between-study heterogeneity
      that was examined by the Q test and I (2) statistic. A total of eight studies,
      including 296,395 participants and 10,815 incident cases, were included in this
      study. Both high-level LTPA [high vs. low: hazard ratio (HR) 0.69, 95 %
      confidence interval (CI) 0.61-0.78] and moderate-level LTPA (moderate vs. low: HR
      0.79, 95 % CI 0.70-0.89) were associated with decreased incidence of type 2
      diabetes. In conclusion, LTPA was significantly associated with decreased risk of
      diabetes; high-level LTPA is more beneficial in decreasing the incidence of type
      2 diabetes than moderate-level LTPA.

PMID- 26481474
TI  - Pre-training levels of testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin are not
      correlated with training adaptations in fat mass and insulin sensitivity in
      healthy young men.

PMID- 26481472
TI  - Lipid dynamics in boar sperm studied by advanced fluorescence imaging techniques.
AB  - The (re)organization of membrane components is of special importance to prepare
      mammalian sperm to fertilization. Establishing suitable methods to examine
      physico-chemical membrane parameters is of high interest. We characterized the
      behavior of fluorescent (NBD) analogs of sphingomyelin (SM), phosphatidylserine
      (PS), and cholesterol (Ch) in the acrosomal and postacrosomal macrodomain of boar
      sperm. Due to their specific transverse membrane distribution, a leaflet-specific
      investigation of membrane properties is possible. The behavior of lipid analogs
      in boar sperm was investigated by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy
      (FLIM), fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), and fluorescence
      correlation spectroscopy (FCS). The results were compared with regard to the
      different temporal and spatial resolution of the methods. For the first time,
      fluorescence lifetimes of lipid analogs were determined in sperm cell membrane
      and found to be in a range characteristic for the liquid-disordered phase in
      artificial lipid membranes. FLIM analyses further indicate a more fluid
      microenvironment of NBD-Ch and NBD-PS in the postacrosomal compared to the
      acrosomal region. The concept of a more fluid cytoplasmic leaflet is supported by
      lower fluorescence lifetime and higher average D values (FCS) for NBD-PS in both
      head compartments. Whereas FLIM analyses did not indicate coexisting distinct
      liquid-ordered and -disordered domains in any of the head regions, comparisons
      between FRAP and FCS measurements suggest the incorporation of NBD-SM as well as
      NBD-PS in postacrosomal subpopulations with different diffusion velocity. The
      analog-specific results indicate that the lipid analogs used are suitable to
      report on the various physicochemical properties of different microenvironments. 

PMID- 26481475
TI  - A piecewise lookup table for calculating nonbonded pairwise atomic interactions.
AB  - A critical challenge for molecular dynamics simulations of chemical or biological
      systems is to improve the calculation efficiency while retaining sufficient
      accuracy. The main bottleneck in improving the efficiency is the evaluation of
      nonbonded pairwise interactions. We propose a new piecewise lookup table method
      for rapid and accurate calculation of interatomic nonbonded pairwise
      interactions. The piecewise lookup table allows nonuniform assignment of table
      nodes according to the slope of the potential function and the pair interaction
      distribution. The proposed method assigns the nodes more reasonably than in
      general lookup tables, and thus improves the accuracy while requiring fewer
      nodes. To obtain the same level of accuracy, our piecewise lookup table
      accelerates the calculation via the efficient usage of cache memory. This new
      method is straightforward to implement and should be broadly applicable.
      Graphical Abstract Illustration of piecewise lookup table method. 

PMID- 26481476
TI  - SCD1 mediates the influence of exogenous saturated and monounsaturated fatty
      acids in adipocytes: Effects on cellular stress, inflammatory markers and fatty
      acid elongation.
AB  - Palmitate (PA), stearate (SA), palmitoleate (PMA) and oleate (OA) are among the
      most abundant fatty acids (FAs) in adipose tissue (AT). These FAs differentially
      regulate AT inflammation by altering adipocyte signalling pathways and the
      secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. Intracellular levels of these FAs are
      controlled, in part, by stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1). Therefore, SCD1 may
      have an important role mediating FA-regulation of adipocyte inflammation. Given
      this, we hypothesized that the influence of PA, SA, PMA and OA on inflammation
      and cellular stress, as well as FA metabolism, would be exacerbated with reduced
      SCD1 activity. Real-time RT-PCR, immunoassays, gas chromatography and western
      blotting were used to examine the expression and secretion of common inflammatory
      markers, as well as FA profiles and markers of cellular stress, in 3T3-L1
      adipocytes. FA treatments differentially affected inflammatory markers and FA
      profiles in SCD1-inhibited adipocytes. Specifically, SA significantly increased
      the expression of Ccl5 (5.3-fold) and Mcp-1 (3.2-fold), and the secretion of IL-6
      (17.8-fold) and MCP-1 (4.0-fold) in SCD1-inhibited adipocytes compared to
      controls. The proinflammatory effects observed with SA are particularly notable
      given that SCD1-inhibited adipocytes increased elongation of PA to SA, as
      determined using U-(13)C-PA. The effects of PA, PMA and OA were not as
      substantial as those of SA, although PA did significantly increase Ccl5 (2.7
      fold) and Mcp-1 (1.2-fold) expression in SCD1-inhibited adipocytes. None of the
      FAs altered markers of cellular stress. Collectively, these results emphasize the
      differential effects of individual FAs and highlight how SCD1 influences their
      regulation of adipocyte inflammation. 

PMID- 26481477
TI  - Membrane-bound heat shock proteins facilitate the uptake of dying cells and cross
      presentation of cellular antigen.
AB  - Heat shock proteins (HSPs) were originally identified as stress-responsive
      proteins and serve as molecular chaperones in different intracellular
      compartments. Translocation of HSPs to the cell surface and release of HSPs into
      the extracellular space have been observed during the apoptotic process and in
      response to a variety of cellular stress. Here, we report that UV irradiation and
      cisplatin treatment rapidly induce the expression of membrane-bound Hsp60, Hsp70,
      and Hsp90 upstream the phosphatidylserine exposure. Membrane-bound Hsp60, Hsp70
      and Hsp90 could promote the release of IL-6 and IL-1beta as well as DC maturation
      by the evaluation of CD80 and CD86 expression. On the other hand, Hsp60, Hsp70
      and Hsp90 on cells could facilitate the uptake of dying cells by bone marrow
      derived dendritic cells. Lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1), as a common
      receptor for Hsp60, Hsp70, and Hsp90, is response for their recognition and
      mediates the uptake of dying cells. Furthermore, membrane-bound Hsp60, Hsp70 and
      Hsp90 could promote the cross-presentation of OVA antigen from E.G7 cells and
      inhibition of the uptake of dying cells by LOX-1 decreases the cross-presentation
      of cellular antigen. Therefore, the rapid exposure of HSPs on dying cells at the
      early stage allows for the recognition by and confers an activation signal to the
      immune system. 

PMID- 26481478
TI  - Effect of vasoactive peptides in Tetrahymena: chemotactic activities of
      adrenomedullin, proadrenomedullin N-terminal 20 peptide (PAMP) and calcitonin
      gene-related peptide (CGRP).
AB  - Adrenomedullin (AMD), proadrenomedullin N-terminal 20 peptide (PAMP) and
      calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) were studied for chemotaxis, chemotactic
      selection and G-actin/F-actin transition in Tetrahymena. The aim of the
      experiments was to study the effects of two different peptides encoded by the
      same gene compared to a peptide related to one of the two, but encoded by a
      different gene, at a low level of phylogeny. The positive, chemotactic effect of
      ADM and the strong negative, chemorepellent effect of PAMP suggest that in
      Tetrahymena, the two peptides elicit their chemotactic effects via different
      signalling mechanisms. The complexity of swimming behaviour modulated by the
      three peptides underlines that chemotaxis, chemokinesis and some characteristics
      of migratory behaviour (velocity, tortuosity) are working as a sub-population
      level complex functional unit. Chemotactic responsiveness to ADM and CGRP is
      short-term, in contrast to PAMP, which as a chemorepellent ligand, has the
      ability to select sub-populations with negative chemotactic responsiveness. The
      different effects of ADM and PAMP on the polymerization of actin networks show
      that the microtubular structure of cilia is more essential to chemotactic
      response than are transitions of the actin network. The results draw attention to
      the characteristic effects of vasoactive peptides at this low level of phylogeny.

PMID- 26481479
TI  - Up-regulation of liver Pcsk9 gene expression as a possible cause of
      hypercholesterolemia in experimental chronic renal failure.
AB  - Dyslipidemia commonly present in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has
      been recently linked to increased proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9
      (PCSK9) serum concentration. We tested a hypothesis that increased liver PCSK9
      biosynthesis could be partially responsible for the elevated circulating PCSK9
      level, and subsequently contribute to hypercholesterolemia observed in subjects
      with CKD. Rat model of chronic renal failure (CRF) was used in the study. Animals
      underwent a 5/6 nephrectomy or a sham operation. Liver expression of Pcsk9,
      sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 2 (Srebf-2), and beta
      actin were quantified by real-time RT-PCR. Liver protein levels of PCSK9, LDL
      receptor (LDL-R), and SREBF-2 were analyzed using Western blotting. Serum PCSK9
      concentration was estimated by immunoassay. Rats with an experimental CRF as
      compared to pair-fed and control ones were characterized by: (a) an up-regulation
      of liver Pcsk9 and Srebf-2 genes expression with parallel increase of serum PCSK9
      concentration; (b) a decrease in liver LDL-R protein level, and (c) an increase
      of serum total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations. We also found significant
      correlations between serum creatinine and liver PCSK9 mRNA levels (r = 0.88, p <
      0.001) and between serum creatinine and circulating PCSK9 levels (r = 0.73, p <
      0.001). The results suggest that a rat model of CRF is associated with an
      increased liver Pcsk9 gene expression. The coordinated up-regulation of Pcsk9 and
      Srebf-2 genes expression suggests that SREBF-2 may play a key role in regulation
      of Pcsk9 gene expression, circulating PCSK9 level, and hypercholesterolemia in
      experimental CRF. 

PMID- 26481480
TI  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and chronic mass-forming pancreatitis:
      Differentiation with dual-energy MDCT in spectral imaging mode.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of dual-energy MDCT in spectral imaging in
      the differential diagnosis of chronic mass-forming chronic pancreatitis (CMFP)
      and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) during the arterial phase (AP) and
      the pancreatic parenchymal phase (PP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty five
      consecutive patients with CMFP (n=15) or PDAC (n=20) underwent dual-energy MDCT
      in spectral imaging during AP and PP. Iodine concentrations were derived from
      iodine-based material-decomposition CT images and normalized to the iodine
      concentration in the aorta. The difference in iodine concentration between the AP
      and PP, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and the slope K of the spectrum curve were
      calculated. RESULTS: Normalized iodine concentrations (NICs) in patients with
      CMFP differed significantly from those in patients with PDAC during two double
      phases (mean NIC, 0.26+/-0.04 mg/mL vs. 0.53+/-0.02 mg/mL, p=0.0001; 0.07+/-0.02
      mg/mL vs. 0.28+/-0.04 mg/mL, p=0.0002, respectively). There were significant
      differences in the value of the slope K of the spectrum curve in two groups
      during AP and PP (K(CMFP)=3.27+/-0.70 vs. K(PDAC)=1.35+/-0.41, P=0.001, and
      K(CMFP)=3.70+/-0.17 vs. K(PDAC)=2.16+/-0.70, p=0.003, respectively). CNRs at low
      energy levels (40-70 keV) were higher than those at high energy levels (80-40
      keV). CONCLUSION: Individual patient CNR-optimized energy level images and the
      NIC can be used to improve the sensitivity and the specificity for
      differentiating CMFP from PDAC by use of dual-energy MDCT in spectral imaging
      with fast tube voltage switching.

PMID- 26481481
TI  - Comparison of fat-saturated T2-weighted and contrast-enhanced fat-saturated T1
      weighted sequences in MR imaging of sacroiliac joints in diagnosing active
      sacroiliitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare fat-saturated T2-weighted (FST2W) with contrast-enhanced
      fat-saturated T1-weighted (cFST1W) pulse sequences in magnetic resonance (MR)
      imaging of sacroiliac joints in diagnosis of active sacroiliitis associated with
      axial spondyloarthropathies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR examinations of 147 adult
      patients suspected for sacroiliitis were retrospectively analyzed. Signs of
      active inflammation, bone marrow edema/osteitis, capsulitis, enthesitis, and
      synovitis were noted both on FST2W and cFST1W images. Diagnosis of active
      sacroiliitis was made according to the Assessment in SpondyloArthritis
      international Society (ASAS) definition. RESULTS: Sixty three patients were
      diagnosed as having active sacroiliitis based on both FST2W images showing bone
      marrow edema and cFST1W images showing osteitis. All areas with osteitis seen on
      cFST1W images were also noted as having bone marrow edema on FST2W images while
      FST2W images revealed 4 additional areas of active bone marrow changes.
      Qualitative and quantitative analyses also revealed that FST2W images were
      superior in showing active bone marrow lesions, the hallmark of active
      sacroiliitis, while cFST1W images helped detecting enthesitis and/or capsulitis
      and were necessary for detecting synovitis. CONCLUSION: Although cFST1W images
      help detecting enthesitis and/or capsulitis and are necessary for detecting
      synovitis, FST2W sequence is superior in detecting active bone marrow lesions and
      therefore more valuable in diagnosing active sacroiliitis associated with axial
      spondyloarthropathies based on ASAS criteria.

PMID- 26481482
TI  - Pulmonary perfusion imaging: Qualitative comparison of TCIR MRI and SPECT/CT in
      porcine lung.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To validate the anatomical accuracy, homogeneity and sensitivity of
      two-compartment modeled inversion recovery (TCIR) magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) in a multimodal animal experiment as a non-invasive alternative to standard
      functional imaging techniques. METHODS: Seven pigs were studied on a 1.5 T whole
      body MR scanner and SPECT/CT. The specimens were intubated and maintained in
      general anesthesia throughout the experiment. TCIR maps of the fractional
      pulmonary blood volume were compared to dynamic contrast enhanced MRI and
      SPECT/CT via a region of interest (ROI) based reader study. A comprehensive
      statistical analysis was performed on the coefficient of variation to evaluate
      homogeneity properties. Sensitivity was assessed by detecting gravitation
      dependent perfusion variation and delineation of pathological areas. RESULTS: The
      fPBV-maps of all examined specimens indicate a superior homogeneity in the
      computed values (p<1.3*10(-4)). The sensitivity of the TCIR maps to a gravitation
      effect on the blood distribution was verified and a similar anteroposterior
      signal and count dependency was observed in DCE MRI and SPECT. Bland-Altman
      analysis showed no significant intra- or inter-observer difference within the ROI
      reader study (p>0.06). CONCLUSION: Superior information content, significantly
      higher homogeneity and similar sensitivity of TCIR when compared to DCE and
      SPECT/CT demonstrated the feasibility of TCIR MRI as an alternative contrast
      agent-free, non-invasive functional lung imaging approach.

PMID- 26481483
TI  - Incidence and therapeutic frequency of extrahepatic collateral arteries in
      transcatheter arterial chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma: Experience
      from 182 patients with survival time more than 3 years.
AB  - PURPOSE: To retrospectively evaluate the incidence of each extrahepatic
      collateral artery (EHCA) supplying to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in sessions
      of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and its therapeutic frequency.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between February 2002 and May 2008, 182 patients with HCC
      underwent TACE and survived more than 3 years. For TACE procedure, angiographic
      evaluation of all suspected EHCAs that could supply the tumor were performed. The
      incidence of EHCAs in TACE sessions and therapeutic frequency were analyzed.
      Correlations between the number of collaterals and the number of TACE sessions
      were investigated. RESULTS: 162 patients showed 647 EHCAs supplying tumors in a
      total of 795 sessions of TACE. The initially confirmed EHCAs in TACE sessions
      were the right inferior phrenic artery (RIPA, n=150), left inferior phrenic
      artery (LIPA, n=8), right internal mammary artery (RIMA, n=4), right adrenal
      artery (RAA, n=2) and left gastric artery (LGA, n=5), respectively. The
      incidences of EHCAs were 51.1%, 68.1%, 50.0%, 50.0%, 42.3%, 34.6%, 29.1%, 19.8%,
      6.6%, 3.3% and 0.6% from 1 to 11 session of TACE, respectively. The RIPA was
      accounted for 62.5% of EHCAs and other EHCAs often occurred after the attenuation
      of RIPA. There were correlations between the number of TACE sessions and either
      the sum number of collaterals (r=-0.961; p<0.001), the number of RIPA(r=-0.948;
      p<0.001) or the number of LGA(r=-0.670; p=0.024). The mean therapeutic
      frequencies of TACE were 2.6, 1.5, 1.6, 1.3, 1.5, 1.2, 3.3, 1.1, 1.0 and 7.0
      times for the RIPA, LIPA, RIMA, left internal mammary artery (LIMA), omental
      artery (OMA), LGA, right intercostal artery (RICA), RAA, right renal capsular
      artery (RRCA) and colic artery (COA), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The RIPA
      angiography should be routinely performed in TACE procedure. EHCAs should be
      searched during the sessions of TACE in the following order: RIPA, RIMA, LIPA and
      other collaterals of lower incidence.

PMID- 26481484
TI  - A review of direct-acting antivirals for the treatment of hepatitis C in patients
      with advanced chronic kidney disease.
AB  - Historically, standard treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients
      with renal impairment has been limited by low cure rates and poor tolerability.
      The introduction of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has revolutionized the
      treatment of HCV with impressive cure rates >90% and low rates of adverse events.
      Despite these major advancements, treatment of patients with HCV and advanced
      chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major challenge due to the lack of efficacy and
      safety data in this patient population. The purpose of this review is to
      summarize the available data for efficacy and safety of the following DAAs in
      treating HCV patients with advanced Stage 4 and 5 CKD: simeprevir, sofosbuvir,
      ledipasvir, ombitasvir, paritaprevir, dasabuvir, grazoprevir, elbasvir and
      daclatasvir.

PMID- 26481485
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of fast-swelling porous superabsorbent hydrogel
      based on starch as a hemostatic agent.
AB  - The body can't control massive bleeding without treatment. Different hemostatic
      agents have been prepared recently, but most of them are ineffective in severe
      bleeding and expensive or cause safety concerns. In this study, in order to
      achieve fast control of bleeding, we synthesized and characterized fast-swelling
      porous superabsorbent hydrogel (FSPSH) and investigated its use as a hemostatic
      agent. The FSPSH was prepared by grafting acrylic acid and acrylamide onto starch
      through free-radical polymerization in aqueous solution. The FSPSH was
      characterized by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, field emission
      scanning electron microscope, and thermogravimetric analysis. Then, temporal
      swelling behavior and coagulation time experiments were used to predict the in
      vivo behavior of the FSPSH. The hemocompatibility of synthesized FSPSH was
      evaluated by hemolysis test and blood cells function. In vivo study using femoral
      artery injury in rat demonstrated the FSPSH's ability to aid in rapid hemostasis.
      Furthermore, monitoring the rat on first and seventh day after femoral artery
      injury also showed no harmful effect. This study indicates that FSPSH adsorbs
      fluid and swells, thus forms a physical barrier to blood loss. FSPSH, moreover,
      as hemostat is simple to use, lightweight, stable, and harmless.

PMID- 26481486
TI  - Trichinella spiralis infection changes immune response in mice performed
      abdominal heterotopic cardiac transplantation and prolongs cardiac allograft
      survival time.
AB  - Allograft rejection has been an obstacle for long-term survival of patients for
      many years. Current strategies for transplant rejection are not as optimal as we
      expected, especially for long-term treatments. Trichinella spiralis, a nematode
      parasitized in mammalian muscle and as an invader, maintains harmonious with host
      in the long term by evading host immune attack. To determine whether T. spiralis
      infection impacts on allograft rejection, we performed mice cardiac allograft
      transplantation model by using BALB/c (H-2(b)) mice as donors and C57BL/6 (H
      2(b)) mice orally infected with 300 muscle larvae for 28 days as recipients.
      Graft survival was monitored by daily palpation of the abdomen; histologic change
      was observed by H&E stain; and CD4(+), CD8(+), CD4(+)IFN-gamma(+), and CD4(+)IL
      17(+) T cells and regulatory T cells were examined with the use of flow
      cytometry. Serum cytokine levels were measured by Luminex. Finally, we found that
      mean survival time of cardiac allografts in T. spiralis group was 23.40 +/- 1.99
      days, while the vehicle control group was 10.60 +/- 0.75 days. Furthermore, we
      observed alleviated histological changes in the heart allograft, decreased
      corresponding CD8(+) T cells, suppressed Th1 and Th17 responses, and increased
      regulatory T cell frequency in a murine cardiac transplantation model at day 7
      post-transplantation in experimental group. These data suggest that T. spiralis
      infection resulted in prolonged allograft survival following murine cardiac
      transplantation, with suppressed Th1/Th17 responses and augmented regulatory T
      cells.

PMID- 26481487
TI  - Comparative analysis of spermatids of Rhipicephalus sanguineus  sensu lato
      (Ixodidae) and Ornithodoros rostratus ticks  (Argasidae): morphophysiology aimed
      at systematics.
AB  - The phylogenetic relationships among tick species (Acari: Ixodida) have been
      revisited by several researchers over the last decades. Two subfamilies,
      Rhipicephalinae (Ixodidae) and Ornithodorinae (Argasidae), deserve special
      attention. The male reproductive system morphology, as well as the ultrastructure
      of the germ cells, may provide important information for phylogeny and
      systematics of metazoan groups, with spermatozoa exhibiting characters that can
      be used for this purpose. With that information in mind, this study aimed at
      evaluating, through a comparative analysis, the morphology of the male
      reproductive systems and germ cells of ticks species Rhipicephalus sanguineus and
      Ornithodoros rostratus. In order to do that, histology and scanning electron
      microscopy techniques were used. The results have shown that despite the
      similarities in the general morphology of the male reproductive system among
      studied Ixodida so far, there are morphological differences among the species
      studied herein, mainly the U-shaped testis (ancestral character) in O. rostratus
      and the pair testes (derived character) in R. sanguineus, and the general
      morphology of germ cells (spermatids V). Besides that, the morphological changes
      observed during the spermiogenesis appear to be different between the species
      studied here, probably characterizing the two families considered. The data
      generated in this study showed the importance of comparative internal morphology
      studies, mainly in regard to spermatology, despite the morphological data
      obtained herein not being enough to product a cladogram (sperm cladistics), it
      was already possible to observe clear differences among families Argasidae and
      Ixodidae in regard to the organization of their male reproductive systems and
      concerning the external morphology of spermatids. Data yet to be obtained through
      transmission electron microscopy techniques will allow the application of
      spermiocladistics and spermiotaxonomy as tools for tick systematics.

PMID- 26481488
TI  - Pentatrichomonas hominis: prevalence and molecular  characterization in humans,
      dogs, and monkeys  in Northern China.
AB  - Pentatrichomonas hominis is an anaerobic amitochondrial flagellated protist that
      primarily colonizes the large intestines of a number of species, including cats,
      dogs, nonhuman primates, and humans. The prevalence of this parasite in dogs,
      monkeys, and humans is, however, poorly understood. In this study, a total of 362
      fecal samples including 252 dogs, 60 monkeys, and 50 humans from northern China
      were collected for an epidemiological survey of P. hominis infection.The average
      prevalence of P. hominis infection determined by nested PCR was 27.38% (69/252),
      4.00% (2/50), and 46.67% (28/60) in dogs, humans, and monkeys, respectively. The
      prevalence was significantly higher in 6-month-old dogs (41.53%) and children
      (7.69%) than in older dogs (14.39%) and adults (0%) (P < 0.05). Sequencing of
      amplicons revealed that four variable positions separated sequences into three
      types, called CC1-3. CC1 was the most prevalent in the study population. This
      study determined that P. hominis infection is common in dogs, monkeys, and
      humans, especially in children and young dogs. Given the infection prevalence, P.
      hominis may pose a risk of zoonotic and anthroponotic transmission.

PMID- 26481490
TI  - Survey for Toxoplasma gondii by PCR detection in meat  for human consumption in
      Colombia.
AB  - The overall risk for toxoplasmosis in meat produced in Colombia is unknown. We
      analyzed by PCR assay meat samples for human consumption in two types of plants
      in Colombia: 120 samples from class I plants (60 samples from chicken, 30 from
      swine and 30 from beef) and 60 from class II plants (30 samples from beef and 30
      from swine). Presence of Toxoplasma DNA was established by targeted B1 nested PCR
      assay. We detected 79 (43%) samples that were positive by B1 nested PCR (33 from
      chicken, 22 from beef, and 24 from pork). No differences were found by region or
      species. Eleven positive samples were confirmed by sequencing of the B1 repeated
      region. Some polymorphisms were detected without relation with clonal groups nor
      meat species. Food animals are highly exposed to Toxoplasma in Colombia. Detailed
      studies are needed to establish the reasons for differences in Toxoplasma
      prevalence between farms, regarding practices of animal food production.

PMID- 26481489
TI  - Cross-resistance of Leishmania infantum isolates to nitric oxide from patients
      refractory to antimony treatment, and greater tolerance to antileishmanial
      responses by macrophages.
AB  - Visceral leishmaniasis is a life-threatening disease characterized by intense
      parasitism of the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. Antimonials have served as
      front-line antileishmanial therapeutics for decades, but the increasing failure
      rates under antimonial treatment have challenged the continued use of these
      drugs. Pentavalent antimonials are known to reinforce the killing mechanisms of
      macrophages, although the associated mechanism remains unclear. Here, for the
      first time, we determined whether Leishmania infantum strains isolated from
      patients refractory to antimony treatment (relapse cases) were cross-resistant to
      antimonials, liposomal amphotericin B, and/or nitric oxide, and also whether
      these strains modulate macrophage infection. We selected four clinical isolates
      from relapse cases and two clinical isolates from antimony-responsive patients
      (control group) for the present study. The L. infantum promastigotes from all
      four relapse cases were resistant to trivalent antimonial treatment and nitric
      oxide, while only one isolate was resistant to liposomal amphotericin B. We
      evaluated whether the resistant strains from relapse cases showed enhanced
      infectivity and amastigote survival in macrophages, or macrophage-killing
      mechanisms in macrophages activated by lipopolysaccharide plus interferon gamma.
      Infection indexes calculated using macrophages infected with isolates from
      relapse were higher than those observed with control strains that were stimulated
      independently. Macrophage infection was higher with L. infantum isolates from
      relapse cases and correlated with enhanced interleukin 1-beta production but
      showed similar nitrite production. Our results demonstrate that L. infantum field
      isolates from relapse cases were resistant to antimonials and nitric oxide and
      that these parasites stimulated inflammatory cytokines and were resistant to
      macrophage-killing mechanisms, factors that may contribute to disease severity.

PMID- 26481492
TI  - Bacteria-induced hatching of Trichuris muris eggs occurs without direct contact
      between eggs and bacteria.
AB  - Using three isolates of the murine parasitic nematode Trichuris muris, E, E/J
      (the E isolate maintained in Japan), and S, I have previously demonstrated that
      when the embryonated eggs of the E/J and E isolates are incubated with the
      intestinal bacteria Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, they are induced
      to hatch in vitro. However, the eggs of the S isolate are unresponsive to these
      bacteria. In the present study, I investigated whether direct contact between the
      embryonated eggs of the E/J and E isolates and bacteria is required to induce
      their hatching. To do so, a new co-culture system for eggs and bacteria (E. coli
      or S. aureus) was developed to block any direct contact between the eggs and the
      bacteria. In the hatching experiment using the new system, when direct contact
      between the eggs and bacteria was completely prevented, the eggs still hatched.
      However, the peak levels of hatching without direct contact were about 20 % lower
      than those with direct contact, and peak hatching occurred later without direct
      contact. This evidence suggests that hatching occurs without direct contact
      between the eggs and bacteria, and that unidentified material derived from active
      bacteria induces the hatching of embryonated eggs of the E/J and E isolates of T.
      muris in vitro.

PMID- 26481491
TI  - Increase number of mitochondrion-like organelle in symptomatic Blastocystis
      subtype 3 due to metronidazole treatment.
AB  - Blastocystis sp., an intestinal organism is known to cause diarrhea with
      metronidazole regarded as the first line of treatment despite reports of its
      resistance. The conflicting reports of variation in drug treatment have been
      ascribed to subtype differences. The present study evaluated in vitro responses
      due to metronidazole on ST3 isolated from three symptomatic and asymptomatic
      patients, respectively. Symptomatic isolates were obtained from clinical patients
      who showed symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal bloating. Asymptomatic
      isolates from a stool survey carried out in a rural area. These patients had no
      other pathogens other than Blastocystis. Ultrastructural studies using
      transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
      revealed drug-treated ST3 from symptomatic patients were irregular and amoebic
      with surface showing high-convoluted folding when treated with metronidazole.
      These organisms had higher number of mitochondrion-like organelle (MLO) with
      prominent cristae. However, the drug-treated ST3 from asymptomatic persons
      remained spherical in shape. Asymptomatic ST3 showed increase in the size of its
      central body with the MLO located at the periphery. 

PMID- 26481493
TI  - Trends in Prescribing Oral Anticoagulants in Canada, 2008-2014.
AB  - PURPOSE: The non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs), dabigatran,
      rivaroxaban, and apixaban, provide several advantages over vitamin K antagonists,
      such as warfarin. Little is known about the trends of prescribing OACs in Canada.
      In this study we analyzed changes in prescription volumes for OAC drugs since the
      introduction of the NOACs in Canada overall, by province and by physician
      specialty. METHODS: Canadian prescription volumes for warfarin, dabigatran,
      rivaroxaban, and apixaban from January 2008 to June 2014 were obtained from the
      Canadian Compuscript Audit of IMS Health Canada Inc and were analyzed by
      physician specialty at the national and provincial levels. Total prescriptions by
      indication were calculated based on data from the Canadian Disease and
      Therapeutic Index for all OAC indications and for each commonly prescribed dose
      of dabigatran (75, 110, and 150 mg), rivaroxaban (10, 15, and 20 mg), and
      apixaban (2.5 and 5 mg). FINDINGS: The overall number of OAC prescriptions in
      Canada has increased annually since 2008. With the availability of the NOACs, the
      proportion of total OAC prescriptions attributable to warfarin has steadily
      decreased, from 99% in 2010 to 67% by June 2014, and the absolute number of
      warfarin prescriptions has been decreasing since February 2011. The greatest
      decline in proportionate warfarin prescriptions was in Ontario. In general, the
      increase of NOAC prescriptions coincided with the introduction of provinces'
      reimbursement of NOAC prescription costs. The proportion of total OAC
      prescriptions represented by the NOACs varied by specialty, with the greatest
      proportionate prescribing found among orthopedic surgeons, cardiologists, and
      neurologists. IMPLICATIONS: Since their approval, the NOACs have represented a
      growing share of total OAC prescriptions in Canada. This trend is expected to
      continue because the NOACs are given preference over warfarin in guidelines on
      stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation, because of growing
      physician experience, and due to the emergence of potential new indications. An
      understanding of the current prescribing patterns will help to encourage
      knowledge translation and possibly influence policy/reimbursement strategies.

PMID- 26481494
TI  - "Clinical approach to fibromyalgia: Synthesis of Evidence-based recommendations,
      a systematic review".
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Efforts have been made to standardise evidence-based practice, but
      clinical practice guidelines do not always follow strict development methods. The
      objective of this review is to identify the current guidelines, analyse the
      variability of its recommendations and make a synthesis for clinical practice.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic review of clinical practice guidelines was
      made in electronic databases and guidelines databases; using "fibromyalgia" AND
      ["guideline" OR "Clinical Practice guideline"] as terms, from January for 2003 to
      July of 2013. Guidelines were selected according to the following criteria: a)
      aimed to fibromyalgia treatment in adults; b) based on scientific evidence,
      systematically searched; c) evidence levels and strength of recommendation
      included; d) written in English or Spanish. RESULTS: From 249 initial results,
      six guides fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Clinical practice guidelines
      analysed in this review show great variability both in the presence and level of
      evidence and in the strength of recommendation of many treatments. Physical
      exercise and cognitive-behavioural therapy are first-line treatments, showing
      high level of evidence. Amitriptyline, used for short periods of time for pain
      control, is the pharmacologic treatment with the most solid evidence. The
      multimodal approach reported better results than the isolated application of any
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Final recommendations in this review identify optimal
      treatments, facilitating the translation of evidence into practice and enabling
      more efficient and effective quality care.

PMID- 26481495
TI  - Understanding poor health behaviours as predictors of different types of hospital
      admission in older people: findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rates of hospital admission are increasing, particularly among older
      people. Poor health behaviours cluster but their combined impact on risk of
      hospital admission among older people in the UK is unknown. METHODS: 2997
      community-dwelling men and women (aged 59-73) participated in the Hertfordshire
      Cohort Study (HCS). We scored (from 0 to 4) number of poor health behaviours
      engaged in at baseline (1998-2004) out of: current smoking, high weekly alcohol,
      low customary physical activity and poor diet. We linked HCS with Hospital
      Episode Statistics and mortality data to 31/03/2010 and analysed associations
      between the score and risk of different types of hospital admission: any;
      elective; emergency; long stay (>7 days); 30-day readmission (any, or emergency).
      RESULTS: 32%, 40%, 20% and 7% of men engaged in 0, 1, 2 and 3/4 poor health
      behaviours; corresponding percentages for women 51%, 38%, 9%, 2%. 75% of men (69%
      women) experienced at least one hospital admission. Among men and women,
      increased number of poor health behaviours was strongly associated (p<0.01) with
      greater risk of long stay and emergency admissions, and 30-day emergency
      readmissions. Hazard ratios (HRs) for emergency admission for 3/4 poor health
      behaviours in comparison with none were: men, 1.37 (95% CI 1.11 to 1.69); women,
      1.84 (95% CI 1.22 to 2.77). Associations were unaltered by adjustment for age,
      body mass index and comorbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Clustered poor health behaviours
      are associated with increased risk of hospital admission among older people in
      the UK. Lifecourse interventions to reduce number of poor health behaviours could
      have substantial beneficial impact on health and use of healthcare in later life.

PMID- 26481496
TI  - Development of evidence-based clinical algorithms for prescription of exercise
      based cardiac rehabilitation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Guideline adherence with respect to exercise-based cardiac
      rehabilitation (CR) is hampered by a large variety of complex guidelines and
      position statements, and the fact that these documents are not specifically
      designed for healthcare professionals prescribing exercise-based CR programs.
      This study aimed to develop clinical algorithms that can be used in clinical
      practice for prescription and evaluation of exercise-based CR in patients with
      coronary artery disease (CAD) and chronic heart failure (CHF). METHODS: The
      clinical algorithms were developed using a systematic approach containing four
      steps. First, all recent Dutch and European cardiac rehabilitation guidelines and
      position statements were reviewed and prioritised. Second, training goals
      requiring a differentiated training approach were selected. Third, documents were
      reviewed on variables to set training intensity, modalities, volume and intensity
      and evaluation instruments. Finally, the algorithms were constructed. RESULTS:
      Three Dutch guidelines and three European position statements were reviewed.
      Based on these documents, five training goals were selected and subsequently five
      algorithms for CAD patients and five for CHF patients were developed.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study presents evidence-based clinical algorithms for exercise
      based CR in patients with CAD and CHF according to their training goals. These
      algorithms may serve to improve guideline adherence and the effectiveness of
      exercise-based CR.

PMID- 26481497
TI  - Estimating Tumor Growth Rates In Vivo.
AB  - In this paper, we develop methods for inferring tumor growth rates from the
      observation of tumor volumes at two time points. We fit power law, exponential,
      Gompertz, and Spratt's generalized logistic model to five data sets. Though the
      data sets are small and there are biases due to the way the samples were
      ascertained, there is a clear sign of exponential growth for the breast and liver
      cancers, and a 2/3's power law (surface growth) for the two neurological cancers.

PMID- 26481498
TI  - Emerging Roles of Disordered Sequences in RNA-Binding Proteins.
AB  - RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) maintain RNA metabolism homeostasis in the cell by
      regulating temporal, spatial, and functional dynamics of RNAs. RBPs achieve RNA
      binding not only through classical structured RNA-binding domains but also with
      sequences that are intrinsically disordered and often of low amino acid
      complexity. RBP-RNA interactions form ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes and
      emerging evidence indicates that RNPs form higher structures or lattices,
      promoting territories of phase transitions. Herein, we discuss the role of
      disordered sequences in RBPs, their function in RNPs and protein networks, as
      well as their regulation by post-translational modifications and how RBP
      deregulation leads to disease.

PMID- 26481499
TI  - Dynamics-Driven Allostery in Protein Kinases.
AB  - Protein kinases have very dynamic structures and their functionality strongly
      depends on their dynamic state. Active kinases reveal a dynamic pattern with
      residues clustering into semirigid communities that move in MUs-ms timescale.
      Previously detected hydrophobic spines serve as connectors between communities.
      Communities do not follow the traditional subdomain structure of the kinase core
      or its secondary structure elements. Instead they are organized around main
      functional units. Integration of the communities depends on the assembly of the
      hydrophobic spine and phosphorylation of the activation loop. Single mutations
      can significantly disrupt the dynamic infrastructure and thereby interfere with
      long-distance allosteric signaling that propagates throughout the whole molecule.
      Dynamics is proposed to be the underlying mechanism for allosteric regulation in
      protein kinases.

PMID- 26481500
TI  - Chemistry and Biology of Self-Cleaving Ribozymes.
AB  - Self-cleaving ribozymes were discovered 30 years ago, but their biological
      distribution and catalytic mechanisms are only beginning to be defined. Each
      ribozyme family is defined by a distinct structure, with unique active sites
      accelerating the same transesterification reaction across the families.
      Biochemical studies show that general acid-base catalysis is the most common
      mechanism of self-cleavage, but metal ions and metabolites can be used as
      cofactors. Ribozymes have been discovered in highly diverse genomic contexts
      throughout nature, from viroids to vertebrates. Their biological roles include
      self-scission during rolling-circle replication of RNA genomes, co
      transcriptional processing of retrotransposons, and metabolite-dependent gene
      expression regulation in bacteria. Other examples, including highly conserved
      mammalian ribozymes, suggest that many new biological roles are yet to be
      discovered. 

PMID- 26481501
TI  - Why more is less and less is more when it comes to ovarian stimulation.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study is to describe the possible mechanisms
      which may explain the apparent paradox of "less is more." Mild ovarian
      stimulation for in vitro fertilization (IVF) minimizes ovarian hyperstimulation
      syndrome (OHSS) and multiple gestations without compromising the pregnancy rate
      (PR). METHODS: The pertinent English literature (PubMed) addressing mild
      stimulation for IVF/assisted reproductive technology (ART) and publications
      addressing "mild" or "soft" controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) vs conventional
      COS for IVF, OHSS, natural cycle IVF, and IVF outcome in association with COS was
      searched. RESULTS: Four possible mechanisms can be put forward to explain the
      apparent paradox of "less is more." (1) In the natural or mild stimulation
      cycles, the healthiest follicles are selected by the principle of "quality for
      quantity"; (2) high estradiol (E2) in the late follicular phase significantly
      correlated with higher rates of small for gestational age (SGA) and low-birth
      weight (LBW) neonates; (3) anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), LH, testosterone, and
      E(2) are significantly higher in natural cycle (NC)-IVF than in stimulated IVF
      follicles, suggesting an alteration of the follicular metabolism in stimulated
      cycles; and (4) supraphysiological E(2) may increase the growth hormone-binding
      protein (GH-BP) bio-neutralizing GH and diminishing the resultant insulin-like
      growth factor (IGF) levels, necessary for optimal synergism with follicle
      stimulating hormone (FSH). CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested to aim at the retrieval
      of around eight to ten eggs. Mild stimulation should be the common practice for
      IVF. In cases where more than ten ova are retrieved or high E(2) levels are
      reached, either intentionally or unintentionally, "freeze-all policy" should be
      considered and embryo transfer (ET) done in a subsequent natural cycle.

PMID- 26481502
TI  - Effect of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor Asn680Ser polymorphism on the
      outcomes of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation: an updated meta-analysis of 16
      cohort studies.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of follicle
      stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) Asn680Ser polymorphism on the ovarian
      response to exogenous follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and clinical outcomes in
      women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). METHODS: A database
      search was conducted to identify the eligible studies that investigated the
      effect of FSHR Asn680Ser polymorphism on ovarian response and clinical outcomes.
      A pooled analysis was performed with the odds ratio (OR) or weighted mean
      difference (WMD) and their respective 95 % confidence interval (CI) by the STATA
      software with random effects model. RESULTS: Sixteen cohort studies comprising a
      total of 4287 subjects were included. The number of retrieved oocytes was
      significantly fewer in subjects with the SS genotype at position 680, compared to
      subjects with the NN or NS genotype (WMD = -1.36, 95 % CI = -1.85 to -0.87). Lack
      of association was detected between the genotypes (SS genotype vs. NN or NS
      genotype) and clinical outcomes such as exogenous FSH dose (WMD = 98.96 IU, 95 %
      CI = -22.33 to 220.24), poor response (OR = 1.08, 95 % CI = 0.71-1.64), ovarian
      hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) (OR = 1.58, 95 % CI = 0.41-6.07), and clinical
      pregnancy rate (OR = 1.10, 95 % CI = 0.86-1.40). However, poor ovarian response
      and number of retrieved oocytes were significantly influenced by the Asn680Ser
      polymorphism in the Asian subjects. In addition, no publication bias was
      detected. CONCLUSION: FSHR Asn680Ser polymorphism might be a significant
      biomarker for predicting the number of retrieved oocytes and poor response,
      especially in Asian subjects. Other outcomes such as exogenous FSH dose, OHSS,
      and pregnancy rate were not influenced by FSHR Asn680Ser polymorphism.

PMID- 26481503
TI  - Predictors of functional limitation trajectories after injury in a nationally
      representative U.S. older adult population.
AB  - PURPOSE: Studies examining postinjury functional status have demonstrated that
      individuals with severe injuries often do not return to baseline levels of
      physical functioning. We sought to investigate the impact injuries have on
      changes in physical functioning across the life course of older adults. The
      study's objectives were to (1) identify trajectories of long-term functional
      limitations after injury in the older adult population to better characterize the
      recovery process and (2) predict which individuals are most at risk for poor
      functional trajectories after injury. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was
      conducted using six waves of data from the Health and Retirement Study, which
      surveys Americans older than 50 years every two years. A group-based trajectory
      model was used to identify trajectories of functional limitations in injured
      participants. Using multivariate regression, we identified significant predictors
      of each trajectory. RESULTS: Five distinct trajectories were identified:
      Trajectory 1--consistently low functional limitations scores (18.9%), Trajectory
      2--increase in functional limitations after injury followed by a gradual,
      incomplete recovery (46.3%), Trajectory 3--increase in functional limitations
      followed by further decline in functioning (10.5%), Trajectory 4--increase in
      functional limitations after injury followed by a gradual, complete recovery
      (13.4%), and Trajectory 5--consistently high functional limitations scores
      (10.8%). Gender, multiple health conditions, and insurance status predicted
      trajectory membership. CONCLUSIONS: Functional limitations after injury follow
      distinct trajectories that can be predicted by baseline individual
      characteristics.

PMID- 26481504
TI  - Medical consultations about fertility preservation with haematological patients
      of childbearing age: A qualitative study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Oncological treatments can cause serious long-term consequences,
      including effects on patients' fertility. Communication about possible fertility
      impairment is essential for cancer patients who want to have children. When
      oncologists initiate this discussion in a timely manner, patients can be referred
      to fertility specialists and avail themselves of fertility preservation methods.
      The oncologist plays a key role in this context. METHODS: 30 cancer patients of
      childbearing age (21-43 years) took part in semi-structured interviews between
      March 2011 and April 2012 about fertility and their desire to have children.
      Interview transcripts were thematically analyzed. RESULTS: Physician-patient
      consultations broached the issue as a central theme in almost all patients. A few
      consultations were patient initiated, and the majority took place before the
      beginning of treatment. Almost half of the patients were satisfied with their
      consultations and were referred to a fertility specialist. The ideal setting for
      these conversations is in the presence of the patient's partner, in a private
      space, before the beginning of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: All patients should be
      informed about the possibility of their fertility being impaired due to
      treatments, even if they have not explicitly expressed wanting children. The
      oncologist is the first and most important contact for the patient and, hence,
      should bring up the issue of family planning and fertility. An interdisciplinary
      communication and collaboration between oncologists and fertility specialists can
      improve patient care.

PMID- 26481506
TI  - Defining Extended Spectrum beta-Lactamases: Implications of Minimum Inhibitory
      Concentration-Based Screening Versus Clavulanate Confirmation Testing.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: While the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)
      recommends against routine screening for extended spectrum beta-lactamases
      (ESBLs), knowledge of these data can provide valuable insights regarding
      epidemiology and drug therapy decisions. The purpose of this study was to compare
      the impact of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)-based screening versus
      phenotypic confirmatory testing of ESBLs on the susceptibility profile of
      selected antimicrobials. METHODS: Broth microdilution MICs were determined for
      various antimicrobial agents against a collection contemporary clinical
      Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. Isolates identified as ESBL
      positive by MIC screening were then subjected to confirmatory phenotypic testing.
      Percent susceptibility was based on CLSI or United States Food and Drug
      Administration breakpoints. RESULTS: Four-hundred and forty-two (18%) isolates
      screened positive for ESBL production. Of these, 274 (62%) were confirmed
      positive for ESBL production; 28 (10%) were also carbapenem non-susceptible. We
      found an under-prediction of activity for ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T), ertapenem
      (ETP), meropenem (MEM), and piperacillin/tazobactam (TZP) when considering only
      the screen-positive testing. CONCLUSION: For agents with potential activity
      against ESBLs such as C/T, TZP, ETP, and MEM, reduced susceptibility was noted
      when only considering the MIC screen-positive test. Although phenotypic screening
      selects for resistant organisms, inclusion of other genotypes besides ESBL (i.e.,
      AmpC, carbapenemase) may falsely under-predict the potency against some ESBL
      producers and may limit applicability of surveillance data to geographic areas
      not plagued with carbapenemase producers. FUNDING: Cubist Pharmaceuticals.

PMID- 26481505
TI  - Coordinate regulation of microenvironmental stimuli and role of methylation in
      bone metastasis from breast carcinoma.
AB  - The pathogenesis of bone metastasis is unclear, and much focus in metastatic
      biology and therapy relays on epigenetic alterations. Since DNA-methyltransferase
      blockade with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (dAza) counteracts tumour growth, here we
      utilized dAza to clarify whether molecular events undergoing epigenetic control
      were critical for bone metastatization. In particular, we investigated the
      patterns of secreted-protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) and of
      Endothelin 1, affected by DNA methyltransferases in tumours, with the hypothesis
      that in bone metastasis a coordinate function of SPARC and Endothelin 1, if any
      occurs, was orchestrated by DNA methylation. To this purpose, we prepared a
      xenograft model with the clone 1833, derived from human-MDA-MB231 cells, and dAza
      administration slowed-down metastasis outgrowth. This seemed consequent to the
      reductions of SPARC and Endothelin 1 at invasive front and in the bone marrow,
      mostly due to loss of Twist. In the metastasis bulk Snail, partly reduced by
      dAza, might sustain Endothelin 1-SPARC cooperativity. Both SPARC and Endothelin 1
      underwent post-translational control by miRNAs, a molecular mechanism that might
      explain the in vivo data. Ectopic miR29a reduced SPARC expression also under long
      term dAza exposure, while Endothelin 1 down-regulation occurred in the presence
      of endogenous-miR98 expression. Notably, dAza effects differed depending on in
      vivo and in vitro conditions. In 1833 cells exposed to 30-days dAza, SPARC
      protein level was practically unaffected, while Endothelin 1 induction depended
      on the 3'-UTR functionality. The blockade of methyltransferases leading to SPARC
      reduction in vivo, might represent a promising strategy to hamper early steps of
      the metastatic process affecting the osteogenic niche. 

PMID- 26481507
TI  - Periarrest intestinal bacterial translocation and resuscitation outcome.
AB  - During the periarrest period, intestinal ischemia may result in barrier
      dysfunction and bacterial translocation, which has clear mechanistic links to
      inflammation and cascade stimulation, especially in patients who are treated with
      therapeutic hypothermia. Despite optimal management, periarrest bacterial
      translocation may worsen the outcome of cardiac arrest victims. 

PMID- 26481509
TI  - Respiratory Disease: An Update for Radiologists.

PMID- 26481508
TI  - XingNaoJing, prescription of traditional Chinese medicine, prevents autophagy in
      experimental stroke by repressing p53-DRAM pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Xingnaojing (XNJ), a well known prescription in traditional Chinese
      medicine, has been used for treatment of stroke in China. However, the effects
      and mechanisms of XNJ on autophagy are not clear. Here, we used the cell models
      of autophagy induced by serum-free condition and ischemia stroke in rats to
      further investigate whether the p53-DRAM pathway is involved in the effects of
      XNJ on autophagy. METHODS: We used the cell model of autophagy induced by serum
      free condition and the rat model of ischemia caused by a middle cerebral artery
      occlusion (MCAO). The effects of XNJ on p53 transcriptional activity of PC12
      cells were evaluated by the luciferase activity assay. The mRNA levels and the
      expression of p53 and its target autophagy gene DRAM (damage-regulated autophagy
      modulator) were analyzed respectively by Quantitative-RTPCR and Western blot
      assay. The activation of autophagy was detected by the levels of autophagy
      markers, microtubule associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) and p62 by
      Immunofluorescence and Western blot. p53 inhibitor was used to determine whether
      p53 is responsible for the effects of XNJ on preventing autophagy. RESULTS: The
      assay for luciferase activity of p53 promoter indicated that XNJ inhibited p53
      transcriptional activity. XNJ reduced the expression of p53 and its target
      autophagy gene DRAM (damage-regulated autophagy modulator) in serum-free
      condition PC12 cells and the cortex in MCAO rats. XNJ reduced autophagy of PC12
      cells induced by serum-free condition and the cortex in MCAO rats. Furthermore,
      suppression of p53 by p53 inhibitor significantly reduced the effects of XNJ on
      the autophagy of PC12 cells in serum-free condition. CONCLUSION: XNJ prevents
      autophagy in experimental stroke by repressing p53/DRAM pathway. Our findings are
      therefore of considerable therapeutic significance and provide the novel and
      potential application of XNJ for the treatment of brain diseases.

PMID- 26481510
TI  - Understanding and Enhancing the Pediatric Radiology Patient's Experience.

PMID- 26481511
TI  - Long-term survival trends of gastric cancer patients between 1972 and 2011 in
      Qidong.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There have been few reports on long-term survival of gastric cancer
      patients. This study analyzed the survival data of gastric cancer patients
      obtained from the population-based Qidong Cancer Registry between 1972 and 2011,
      providing a basis for evaluation of gastric cancer treatment and prognosis.
      METHODS: The cumulative observed survival rate and relative survival rate of
      gastric cancer patients were calculated using Hakulinen's method via the SURV3.01
      software, which was developed by the Finnish Cancer Registry. The date of the
      last follow-up for the survival status of the 15,401 registered cases was April
      30, 2012. RESULTS: The 1-, 5-, 10-, 20-, and 30-year observed survival rates were
      33.82%, 14.18%, 10.35%, 6.63%, and 4.19%, respectively, and the 1-, 5-, 10-, 20-,
      and 30-year relative survival rates were 35.43%, 18.13%, 17.50%, 21.96%, and
      32.84%, respectively. For males, the corresponding observed survival rates were
      34.50%, 14.40%, 10.42%, 6.46%, and 4.05%, and the corresponding relative survival
      rates were 36.23%, 18.67%, 18.28%, 23.73%, and 38.61%. For females, the
      corresponding observed survival rates were 32.62%, 13.80%, 10.22%, 6.95%, and
      4.46%, and the corresponding relative survival rates were 34.03%, 17.21%, 16.28%,
      19.70%, and 26.78%. Significant differences in relative survival rates were
      observed between sexes (P = 0.003). For the 15-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74,
      and 75+ age groups, the 5-year relative survival rates were 16.13%, 21.77%,
      18.63%, 12.61%, 7.99%, and 2.94%, respectively, and the 10-year relative survival
      rates were 16.49%, 22.83%, 20.50%, 15.97%, 15.88%, and 15.73%, respectively.
      Remarkable improvement could be observed for the 5-, 10-, and 15-year relative
      survival rates in Qidong beginning in the 1980s. CONCLUSION: The survival outcome
      of registered gastric cancer cases in Qidong showed gradual progress over the
      past two decades.

PMID- 26481512
TI  - Unstable coronary plaque characteristics are associated with high-sensitivity
      cardiac troponin T and N-terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unstable plaque characteristics on coronary CT angiography (CTA),
      serum high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and N-terminal Pro-Brain
      Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations are associated with cardiovascular
      events. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between coronary CTA defined
      quantifiable plaque characteristics, hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP. METHODS: 81
      consecutive stable chest pain patients with an intermediate-to-high risk were
      analyzed. Coronary CTA was performed using a 64-slice multidetector-row CT
      scanner. Total coronary plaque volume, calcified volume, non-calcified volume,
      plaque burden, remodeling index (RI) and number of plaques were measured using
      dedicated software. A total plaque score ("Sum plaque score") incorporating total
      plaque volume, RI, plaque burden and number of plaques was defined. Hs-cTnT and
      NT-proBNP concentrations were measured in serum samples before coronary CTA.
      RESULTS: Univariate regression analysis demonstrated significant associations of
      hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP with total plaque volume (r hs-cTnT = .256; r NT-proBNP =
      .270), calcified volume (r hs-cTnT = .344; r NT-proBNP = .344), RI (r hs-cTnT =
      .335; r NT-proBNP = .342) and number of plaques (r hs-cTnT = .355; r NT-proBNP =
      .301) (all P values <= .021). Non-calcified plaque volume showed no association
      with hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP (r hs-cTnT = .050; r NT-proBNP = .087; P value = .660
      and P value = .442). The "Sum plaque score" showed the highest correlation
      compared to other plaque parameters (r hs-cTnT = .362; r NT-proBNP = .409; P
      value = .001 and P value <= .001). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that coronary
      plaque morphology parameters, derived by dedicated software, are associated with
      serum hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP concentrations.

PMID- 26481513
TI  - The effect of exercise on skeletal muscle glucose uptake in type 2 diabetes: An
      epigenetic perspective.
AB  - Changes in eating habits and sedentary lifestyle are main contributors to type 2
      diabetes (T2D) development, and studies suggest that epigenetic modifications are
      involved with the growing incidence of this disease. Regular exercise modulates
      many intracellular pathways improving insulin resistance and glucose uptake in
      skeletal muscle, both early abnormalities of T2D. Mitochondria dysfunction and
      decreased expression of glucose transporter (GLUT4) were identified as main
      factors of insulin resistance. Moreover, it has been suggested that skeletal
      muscle of T2D subjects have a different pattern of epigenetic marks on the
      promoter of GLUT4 and PGC1, main regulator of mitochondrial function, compared
      with nondiabetic individuals. Recent studies have proposed that regular exercise
      could improve glucose uptake by the attenuation of such epigenetic modification
      induced at GLUT4, PGC1 and its downstream regulators; however, the exact
      mechanism is still to be understood. Herein we review the known epigenetic
      modifications on GLUT4 and mitochondrial proteins that lead to impairment of
      skeletal muscle glucose uptake and T2D development, and the effect of physical
      exercise at these modifications.

PMID- 26481514
TI  - Gluteus medius coactivation response in field hockey players with and without low
      back pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of prolonged standing on gluteus medius
      coactivation and to observe whether the changes in gluteus medius coactivation
      over time were related to the development of low back pain in elite female field
      hockey players. DESIGN: Prospective cohort design. METHODS: Participants were 39
      elite female field hockey players (14 with a history of low back pain). Before
      the prolonged stand, maximal hip abduction strength, side bridge hold endurance
      and hip abduction range of motion were measured bilaterally. Surface
      electromyography was collected from the gluteus medius for coactivation analysis
      during a prolonged stand for 70 min. Low back pain was rated every 10 min on a
      visual analogue scale. RESULTS: Fourteen of 39 participants developed low back
      pain. The Time effect was significant for gluteus medius coactivation response (p
      = 0.003) and visual analogue scale score (p < 0.001). There were no significant
      group * time interactions. Yet athletes who developed pain had higher
      coactivation for the majority of the stand task. CONCLUSIONS: While female field
      hockey players have high agonist-antagonist coactivation patterns during
      prolonged standing, stand task is a useful tool to predict low back pain
      occurrence in players with and without history of pain.

PMID- 26481515
TI  - A rash starting on the palms and soles.

PMID- 26481516
TI  - Effects of repeated handling and air exposure on the immune response and the
      disease resistance of gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) over winter.
AB  - High mortalities and suppressed immune functions of farmed fish over winter are
      the universal problems in aquaculture. It is necessary to improve the immune
      response and disease resistance in the overwintering fish. A recent study
      suggested that repeated handling increased innate immune mechanisms and disease
      resistance in Senegalese sole. Therefore, the present study evaluated the
      hypothesis that appropriate repeated handling could compromise the immune
      depression and increase the disease resistance in gibel carp over winter. The
      experiment was executed in field net cages (2 m * 2 m * 2 m) from Dec. 4, 2012 to
      Apr. 2, 2013. Three cages with 50 fish per cage were randomly designed as the
      control group and did not receive any interfere over winter. The other three
      cages received repeated handling with an air exposure for 5 min every week during
      the experiment. Fish were not fed over winter. At the end of the trial, fish were
      challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila at a dose of 1.5 * 10(8) CFU ml(-1). The
      results showed that no significant difference of final body weight was found
      between groups. The spleen and kidney somatic index increased in the control fish
      after bacterial challenge and showed a rising trend but not a statistical change
      in repeated handled fish. Plasma cortisol levels significantly increased in the
      control fish at 6 h post bacterial challenge and then declined. However, repeated
      handled fish did not show any significant change in plasma cortisol levels after
      challenge. The reduced inducement of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expressions by
      repeated handling was found in gibel carp post bacterial challenge. After
      overwintering, the repeated handled fish exhibited increased catalase (CAT) and
      superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities. Enhanced plasma CAT activities and reduced
      plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were found in repeated handled fish over
      time against invading bacteria. Up-regulation of myeloid differentiation primary
      response gene 88 (MyD88) and interleukin 11 (IL11) was observed in repeated
      handled fish over time after bacterial challenge. The overexpression of IL11 was
      significantly reduced by repeated handling against invading bacteria compared to
      the control group. The present results implied that a MyD88-dependent signaling
      pathway was involved in the innate immune responses of gibel carp by repeated
      handling over winter against invading bacteria.

PMID- 26481517
TI  - Viral and bacterial septicaemic infections modulate the expression of PACAP
      splicing variants and VIP/PACAP receptors in brown trout immune organs.
AB  - Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide (PACAP) and PACAP-Related
      Peptide (PRP) are structurally similar peptides encoded in the same transcripts.
      Their transcription has been detected not only in the brain but also in a wide
      range of peripheral tissues, even including organs of the immune system. PACAP
      exerts pleiotropic activities through G-protein coupled membrane receptors: the
      PACAP-specific PAC-1 and the VPAC-1 and VPAC-2 receptors that exhibit similar
      affinities for the Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) and PACAP. Recent findings
      added PACAP and its receptors to the growing list of mediators that allow cross
      talk between the nervous, endocrine and immune systems in fish. In this study the
      expression of genes encoding for PACAP and PRP, as well as VIP/PACAP receptors
      was studied in laboratory-reared brown trout (Salmo trutta) after septicaemic
      infections. Respectively Viral Haemorrhagic Septicaemia Virus (VHSV-Ia) or the
      Gram-negative bacterium Yersinia ruckeri (ser. O1 - biot. 2) were used in
      infection challenges. Kidney and spleen, the teleost main lymphopoietic organs,
      were sampled during the first two weeks post-infection. RT-qPCR analysis assessed
      specific pathogens burden and gene expression levels. PACAP and PRP transcription
      in each organ was positively correlated to the respective pathogen burden,
      assessed targeting the VHSV-glycoprotein or Y. ruckeri 16S rRNA. Results showed
      as the transcription of PACAP splicing variants and VIP/PACAP receptors is
      modulated in these organs during an acute viral and bacterial septicaemic
      infections in brown trout. These gene expression results provide clues as to how
      the PACAP system is modulated in fish, confirming an involvement during active
      immune responses elicited by both viral and bacterial aetiological agents.
      However, further experimental evidence is still required to fully elucidate and
      characterize the role of PACAP and PRP for an efficient immune response against
      pathogens.

PMID- 26481518
TI  - Recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae serves as novel carrier for oral DNA
      vaccines in Carassius auratus.
AB  - Oral delivery of DNA vaccines represents a promising vaccinating method for fish.
      Recombinant yeast has been proved to be a safe carrier for delivering antigen
      proteins and DNAs to some species in vivo. However, whether recombinant yeast can
      be used to deliver functional DNAs for vaccination to fish is still unknown. In
      this study, red crucian carp (Carassius auratus) was orally administrated with
      recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae harboring CMV-EGFP expression cassette. On
      day 5 post the first vaccination, EGFP expression in the hindgut was detected
      under fluorescence microscope. To further study whether the delivered gene could
      induce specific immune responses, the model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) was used as
      immunogen, and oral administrations were conducted with recombinant S. cerevisiae
      harboring pCMV-OVA mammalian gene expression cassette as gene delivery or pADH1
      OVA yeast gene expression cassette as protein delivery. Each administration was
      performed with three different doses, and the OVA-specific serum antibody was
      detected in all the experimental groups by western blotting and enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA). ELISA assay also revealed that pCMV-OVA group with
      lower dose (pCMV-OVA-L) and pADH1-OVA group with moderate dose (pADH1-OVA-M)
      triggered relatively stronger antibody response than the other two doses.
      Moreover, the antibody level induced by pCMV-OVA-L group was significantly higher
      than pADH1-OVA-M group at the same serum dilutions. All the results suggested
      that recombinant yeast can be used as a potential carrier for oral DNA vaccines
      and would help to develop more practical strategies to control infectious
      diseases in aquaculture.

PMID- 26481519
TI  - Identification and characterization of a mitochondrial unfolded protein response
      transcription factor ATFS-1 in Litopenaeus vannamei.
AB  - A mitochondrial specific stress response termed mitochondrial unfolded protein
      response (UPR(mt)) is activated in responding to disturbance of protein
      homeostasis in mitochondria. The activating transcription factor associated with
      stress-1 (designated as ATFS-1) is the key regulator of UPR(mt). To investigating
      the roles of ATFS-1 (LvATFS-1) in Litopenaeus vannamei mitochondrial stress
      remission and immunity, it's full length cDNA was cloned. The open reading frame
      of LvATFS-1 was 1, 557 bp in length, deducing to a 268 amino acids protein.
      LvATFS-1 was highly expressed in muscle, hemocytes and eyestalk. Subcellular
      location assays showed that N-terminal of LvATFS-1 contained a mitochondrial
      targeting sequence, which could directed the fused EGFP located to mitochondria.
      And the C-terminal of LvATFS-1, which had a nuclear localization signal,
      expressed in nucleus. The in vitro experiments verified that LvATFS-1 could
      reduced the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). And results of
      real-time RT-PCR indicated that LvATFS-1 might scavenge excess ROS via ROS
      eliminating genes regulation. Reporter gene assays showed that LvATFS-1 could
      upregulated the expression of the antimicrobial peptide genes in Drosophila
      Schneider 2 cells. Results of real-time RT-PCR showed that Vibrio alginolyticus
      or white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection induced the expression of LvATFS-1.
      And knocked-down LvATFS-1 by RNAi resulted in a higher cumulative mortality of L.
      vannamei upon V. alginolyticus or WSSV infection. These results suggested that
      LvATFS-1 not only rolled in mitochondrial specific stress responding, but also
      important for L. vannamei immunologic defence. 

PMID- 26481521
TI  - Inhibition of voltage-gated Na+ channels by hinokiol in neuronal cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hinokiol is a naturally occurring diterpenoid compound isolated from
      plants such as Taiwania cryptomerioides. Anti-oxidation, anti-cancer, and anti
      inflammation effects of this compound have been reported. It is not yet known if
      hinokiol affects neurons or neuronal ion channel activities. We reported here
      that hinokiol inhibited voltage-gated Na(+) channels (VGSC) in neuronal cells and
      we characterized the mechanisms of block. METHODS: The effects of hinokiol on
      Na(+) channels were examined using the voltage-clamp (whole-cell mode) technique.
      RESULTS: VGSC was blocked by hinokiol in a concentration-dependent and state
      dependent manner in neuroblastoma N2A cells: IC(50) are 11.3 and 37.4MUM in
      holding potentials of -70 and -100 mV, respectively. In the presence of hinokiol
      there was a 13-mV left shift in steady-state inactivation curves; however,
      activation gating was not altered. VGSC inhibition by hinokiol did not require
      channel opening and was thus considered to be closed-channel block. In the
      presence of hinokiol, since the degree of block did not enhance with stimulation
      frequency, block by hinokiol thus did not exhibit use-dependence. Recovery from
      channel inactivation was not significantly affected in the presence of hinokiol.
      In addition, hinokiol also inhibited VGSC of differentiated neuronal NG108-15
      cells and rat hippocampal CA1 neurons. CONCLUSION: Our results therefore suggest
      hinokiol inhibited VGSC in a closed-channel block manner and such inhibition
      involved intensification of channel inactivation.

PMID- 26481520
TI  - Small Molecules Efficiently Reprogram Human Astroglial Cells into Functional
      Neurons.
AB  - We have recently demonstrated that reactive glial cells can be directly
      reprogrammed into functional neurons by a single neural transcription factor,
      NeuroD1. Here we report that a combination of small molecules can also reprogram
      human astrocytes in culture into fully functional neurons. We demonstrate that
      sequential exposure of human astrocytes to a cocktail of nine small molecules
      that inhibit glial but activate neuronal signaling pathways can successfully
      reprogram astrocytes into neurons in 8-10 days. This chemical reprogramming is
      mediated through epigenetic regulation and involves transcriptional activation of
      NEUROD1 and NEUROGENIN2. The human astrocyte-converted neurons can survive for >5
      months in culture and form functional synaptic networks with synchronous burst
      activities. The chemically reprogrammed human neurons can also survive for >1
      month in the mouse brain in vivo and integrate into local circuits. Our study
      opens a new avenue using chemical compounds to reprogram reactive glial cells
      into functional neurons.

PMID- 26481522
TI  - Molecular identification of P2X receptors in vascular smooth muscle cells from
      rat anterior, posterior, and basilar arteries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Purinergic P2X receptors in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play
      an important role in physiological stimulatory responses to the extracellularly
      released ATP. The aim of this work was to identify molecular P2X receptor
      subunits in VSMCs isolated from rat anterior, posterior and basilar arteries
      using a number of contemporary laboratory techniques. METHODS: P2X mediated ionic
      currents were recorded using amphotericin B perforated patch clamp method. Gene
      expression analysis was performed using RT-PCR in manually collected VSMCs. The
      expression of proteins was confirmed by fluorescent immunocytochemistry. RESULTS:
      Under voltage clamp conditions VSMCs stimulated by application of 10 MUmol/l
      selective P2X receptor agonist alphabeta-meATP, the biphasic currents consisting
      of rapidly rising rapidly desensitizing and slowly desensitizing components were
      observed in freshly isolated myocytes from all three arteries. Using RT-PCR, the
      expression of genes encoding only P2X1 and P2X4 receptor subunits was detected in
      preparations from all three arteries. The expression of corresponding P2X1 and
      P2X4 receptor subunit proteins was confirmed in isolated VSMCs. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      work therefore identified that in major arteries of rat cerebral circulation
      VSMCs express only P2X1 and P2X4 receptors subunits. We can propose that these
      P2X receptor subunits participate in functional P2X receptor structures mediating
      ATP-evoked stimulatory responses in cerebral vascular myocytes in vivo.

PMID- 26481523
TI  - Protective effect of gallic acid against bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in
      rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bleomycin (BLM), a chemotherapeutic agent is indicated in the
      management of some types of cancers. This drug produces a dose-dependent
      pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in most patients as well as experimental animals through
      oxidative injury. This study aimed to investigate the effect of gallic acid (GA),
      a polyphenolic compound, against PF-induce by BLM in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The rats were given GA orally at doses (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg/day) for 7
      consecutive days before the administration of single intratracheal (it)
      instillation of BLM at 7.5 IU/kg. GA doses were continued for 21 days after BLM
      exposure. The regulatory effects of GA on BLM-induced pulmonary toxicity were
      determined by assaying oxidative stress biomarkers, lung and serum cytokine
      levels, and by histopathological examination of lung tissue. RESULTS: The results
      showed that intratracheal BLM administration significantly increased the
      inflammatory or fibrotic changes, collagen content, levels of malondialdehyde
      (MDA), and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL1beta in lung.
      Also, it significantly decreased non-enzymatic (total thiol) and enzymatic
      (glutathione peroxidase (GPx)) antioxidant contents in the rats' lung tissue.
      However, oral administration of GA reversed all of these biochemical indices as
      well as histopathological alterations induced by BLM. CONCLUSION: Results of the
      present study demonstrate that GA, by its antioxidant properties, attenuates
      oxidative damage and fibrosis induced by BLM. Thus, an effective supplement with
      GA as an adjuvant therapy may be a very promising compound in reducing the side
      effects of BLM.

PMID- 26481524
TI  - Targeting aberrant cancer metabolism - The role of sirtuins.
AB  - Cancer cells, as opposed to normal cells, generate energy by increasing aerobic
      glycolysis, which is a phenomenon called "the Warburg effect". An altered energy
      metabolism supporting continuous cell growth and proliferation was pointed to as
      the new "hallmark" of cancer cells. Several hypotheses have been proposed to
      explain the maintenance of this seemingly wasteful catabolic state. The
      epigenetic mechanisms which depend on the covalent modifications of both DNA and
      histones have recently emerged as important players in the regulation of glucose
      metabolism. The sirtuin family of histone deacetylases has emerged as important
      regulators of diverse physiological and pathological events, including cancer
      metabolism. Sirtuins 1-7 (SIRT1-7) belong to class III of histone deacetylase
      enzymes which are dependent on NAD(+) for activity. It was recently demonstrated
      that SIRT6 is a tumor suppressor that modulates aerobic glycolysis by repressing
      HIF1 transcription. Members of this family of enzymes are considered promising
      pharmaceutical targets for cancer treatment. This review highlights the major
      functions of sirtuins in relation to cancer metabolism and the possibilities of
      their activation and inhibition by small molecule drugs. 

PMID- 26481525
TI  - In vitro studies of antifibrotic and cytoprotective effects elicited by proto
      berberine alkaloids in human dermal fibroblasts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The pathogenic mechanisms of skin fibrosis are still not completely
      understood, unlike the profibrotic role played by inflammatory cytokines and
      transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1). Few antifibrotic drugs are
      available. Nevertheless, folk medicine suggests numerous treatments of fibrotic
      conditions. Based on information from folk medicine and literature, the
      hypothesis was made that proto-berberine alkaloids could act as antifibrotic and
      cytoprotective agents. METHODS: The effects of berberine, dihydroberberine,
      canadine, stylopine, and coptisine were investigated on an in vitro model of
      fibrosis purposely set up. The study is based on the use of human dermal
      fibroblasts (HDF). The ability of the proto-berberine alkaloids investigated to
      modulate mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity, cell proliferation, collagen
      production, and inflammatory cytokine (IL-1beta and IL-6) production was tested
      on HDF cells grown under standard growth conditions, in the presence of 100 MUM
      H(2)O(2), simulating oxidative stress conditions, and in the presence of 34 ng/ml
      TGF-beta1, simulating fibrotic conditions. Antiradical activity was assayed as
      well, as it could contribute to cytoprotection. RESULTS: Each alkaloid tested
      showed peculiar effects on HDF. In particular, all of the alkaloids tested, with
      the exception of coptisine, inhibited TGF-beta1-induced collagen production.
      CONCLUSIONS: Due to its irritant effects and the lack of desired properties,
      coptisine has low exploitation potentialities. The other proto-berberine
      alkaloids investigated resulted all endowed with activities for which they can be
      exploited as antifibrotic and cytoprotective agents. Stylopine globally proved to
      be the most promising compound, being endowed with revitalizing, anti
      inflammatory, antifibrotic and wound-healing promoting activities, and showing no
      toxic effects.

PMID- 26481526
TI  - Naringenin protects cardiac hypercholesterolemia-induced oxidative stress and
      subsequent necroptosis in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In earlier studies, the supplementation of the natural compound
      Naringenin (NGEN), improved the liver oxidative and inflammatory status, which
      indicates its direct effect via inhibition of the nuclear factor kappaB pathway
      on high cholesterol-induced hepatic damages. In this regard, the present study
      highlights the mechanisms associated with the protective efficacy of NGEN in the
      heart tissue of hypercholesterolemic diet rats. RESULTS: The animals exposed to a
      high cholesterol diet (HCD) for 90 days exhibited a significant increase in the
      levels of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) activities,
      nitric oxide (NO) levels, protein and lipid oxidative markers and cardiac lipids
      profile. Moreover, hypercholesterolemia decreased the levels of enzymatic and non
      enzymatic antioxidants associated with mitochondrial dysfunctions as proved by
      the decrease in the mitochondrial complexes in comparison to controls.
      Importantly, cholesterol-feeding significantly increased myocardial reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) and nuclear DNA damage and led to the activation of gene
      expression of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and receptor
      interacting protein kinase 3 (RIP3) mRNA that contributed to the elucidation of
      cholesterol-induced necroptosis, a recently described type of programmed
      necrosis, in the cardiac tissue. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the co
      administration of NGEN (50 mg/kg/bw) in HCD rats improved all the altered
      parameters and provided insight into a possible molecular mechanism underlying
      NGEN suppression of necroptosis pathway in the heart.

PMID- 26481527
TI  - Current approach for detection of sub-clinical left ventricular dysfunction
      associated with chemotherapy.
AB  - The article describes the current knowledge concerning approaches for detection
      of sub-clinical left ventricular dysfunction associated with chemotherapy. The
      authors focused on the problem of defining cardiotoxicity as well as diagnostic
      methods, which may be useful in predicting the occurrence of such complications.
      Currently, cardiac biomarkers measurement (troponin, NT-proBNP), tissue Doppler
      based strain imaging and peak systolic longitudinal strain rate are most useful
      for detection of early myocardial changes during therapy, whereas speckle
      tracking echocardiography (STE) and peak systolic global longitudinal strain
      (GLS) appear to be the best measure. The problem of cardiotoxicity requires close
      cooperation between oncologists and cardiologists, particularly in light of the
      growing number of cancer cases. 

PMID- 26481528
TI  - A ground state of PPARgamma activity and expression is required for appropriate
      neural differentiation of hESCs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several evidences indicate stimulation of peroxisome proliferator
      activated receptor gamma (PPARg), promotes neuronal differentiation. This study
      was conducted to testify the prominence of PPARgamma during neural
      differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). METHODS: PPARgamma
      expression level was assessed during neural differentiation of hESCs. Meanwhile,
      the level of endogenous miRNAs, which could be engaged in regulation of PPARgamma
      expression, was measured. Next, natural and synthetic components of PPARgamma
      agonists and antagonist were implemented on neural progenitor formation during
      neural differentiation of hESCs. RESULTS: Data showed an increasing wave of
      PPARgamma expression level when human neural progenitors (NPs) were formed upon
      retinoic acid treatment. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in
      the amount of PPARgamma proteins during the differentiation of hESCs that is
      inconsistent with what we observed for RNA level. Our results indicated that
      miRNAs are not involved in the regulation of PPARgamma expression, while
      proteasome-mediated degradation may to some degree be involved in this process.
      Among numerous treatments, PPARgamma inactivation during NPs formation
      significantly decreased expression of NP markers. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that a
      ground state of PPARgamma activity is required for NP formation of hESCs during
      early neural differentiation. However, high expression and activity of PPARgamma
      could not enhance the required neural differentiation, whereas the PPARgamma
      inactivation could negatively influence NP formation from hESCs by antagonist.

PMID- 26481529
TI  - Knockdown of AKT3 and PI3KCA by RNA interference changes the expression of the
      genes that are related to apoptosis and autophagy in T98G glioblastoma multiforme
      cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant and invasive
      human brain tumor and it is characterized by a poor prognosis and short survival
      time. The PI3K/AKT/PTEN signaling pathway plays a crucial role in GBM development
      and it is connected with the regulation of apoptosis and autophagy. Akt is
      involved in various aspects of cancer cell biology such as cell survival, in
      addition to both apoptosis and autophagy. The current study was undertaken to
      examine the effect of the siRNAs that target AKT3 and PI3KCA genes on the
      apoptosis and autophagy of T98G cells. METHODS: T98G cells were transfected with
      AKT3 and/or PI3KCA siRNAs. Alterations in the mRNA expression of apoptosis- and
      autophagy-related genes were analyzed using QRT-PCR. LC3IIA protein-positive
      cells were identified using flow cytometry with specific antibodies. RESULTS: Our
      findings demonstrate for the first time that the siRNAs that target AKT3 and
      PI3KCA change the expression of the genes that are related to apoptosis and
      autophagy and change the expression of the LC3IIA protein in T98G cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: Thus, there is a high probability that the knockdown of these genes
      induces apoptosis and autophagy in T98G cells, but further studies are necessary
      in order to clarify and check whether autophagy induction is a positive
      phenomenon for the treatment of GBM.

PMID- 26481530
TI  - Valproic acid (VPA) reduces sensorimotor gating deficits and HDAC2 overexpression
      in the MAM animal model of schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence indicates that the disruption of epigenetic processes might
      play an important role in the development of schizophrenia symptoms. The present
      study investigated the role of histone acetylation in the development of
      sensorimotor gating deficits in a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia based
      on prenatal administration of methylazoxymethanol (MAM) at embryonic day 17.
      METHODS: Valproic acid (VPA), an inhibitor of class I histone deacetylases, was
      administered (250 mg/kg, twice a day for 7 consecutive days) in early adolescence
      (23rd-29th day) or early adulthood (63rd-69th day) to rats. The effect of VPA
      treatment on the sensorimotor gating deficits induced by prenatal MAM
      administration was analyzed in adult rats at postnatal day 70 (P70). In addition,
      the effects of VPA administration (at the same doses) on MAM-induced changes in
      the levels of histone H3 acetylation at lysine 9 (H3K9ac) and histone deacetylase
      2 (HDAC2) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) were determined at P70 using
      Western blot. RESULTS: VPA administration in either adolescence or early
      adulthood prevented the sensorimotor gating deficits induced by MAM. However, VPA
      administration in early adolescence or early adulthood did not alter H3K9ac
      levels induced by MAM. In contrast, VPA administration in either adolescence or
      adulthood prevented the increase in HDAC2 level evoked by MAM. CONCLUSIONS:
      Prenatal MAM administration impaired histone acetylation in the mPFC, which might
      be involved in the development of some of the neurobehavioral deficits (i.e.,
      sensorimotor gating deficits) associated with schizophrenia. Blockade of HDAC2
      might prevent the disruption of sensorimotor gating in adulthood.

PMID- 26481531
TI  - Decrease of interleukin (IL)17A gene expression in leucocytes and in the amount
      of IL-17A protein in CD4+ T cells in children with Down Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Down Syndrome is by far the most common and best known chromosomal
      disorder in humans. It expresses multiple systemic complications with both
      structural and functional defects as part of the clinical manifestation. The
      mechanisms of immune changes occurring in Down Syndrome are complex and include
      an extra gene copy of chromosome 21 and secondary dysregulation of numerous
      intercellular interactions. Recent studies suggest a role of interleukin 17A (IL
      17A), a pro-inflammatory cytokine located on 6p12 chromosome, in the pathogenesis
      of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. We aimed to analyze IL17A gene
      expression in peripheral white cells and IL-17A intracellular expression on CD4+
      T-cells. METHODS: The research was carried out on a group of 58 children aged 6
      12 years including a group of 30 children with Down Syndrome (simple trisomy of
      chromosome 21 only) and a reference group of 28 healthy children. We evaluated
      gene IL17A expression using real-time PCR and intracellular IL-17A analyzed by
      flow cytometry. RESULTS: We found significantly decreased gene expression in
      white cells and significantly decreased expression of IL-17A levels on CD4+ T
      cells in Down Syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that decreased IL-17A
      expression may play a significant role in the etiology of infections in Down
      Syndrome. Moreover, we demonstrated that in Down Syndrome the other gene located
      outside the extra chromosome 21 is also affected.

PMID- 26481532
TI  - Up-regulation of the GPR39 Zn2+-sensing receptor and CREB/BDNF/TrkB pathway after
      chronic but not acute antidepressant treatment in the frontal cortex of zinc
      deficient mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The GPR39-Zn(2+)-sensing receptor seems to be involved in the
      pathophysiology of depression. GPR39 knockout animals show depressive- and
      anxiety-like behavior. Chronic treatment with selective antidepressants (ADs) up
      regulates GPR39. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: In the present study we investigated
      whether acute or chronic treatment with imipramine, escitalopram, reboxetine and
      bupropion would cause changes in CREB, BDNF, TrkB and GPR39-Zn(2+) receptor
      proteins (measured by Western Blot) in the frontal cortex of mice fed with a low
      zinc diet. RESULTS: The administration of acute antidepressants induced diverse
      effects in the proteins that were examined (namely, GPR39 down-regulation and a
      reduction in CREB protein after administration of all ADs; a decrease in BDNF
      after administration of imipramine and escitalopram; an increase in BDNF after
      administration of reboxetine; no change in BDNF following administration of
      bupropion; and a decrease in TrkB following the administration of all ADs except
      bupropion). On the other hand, chronic treatment (which is required for
      depression relief) with all antidepressants increased the levels of all these
      proteins. CONCLUSIONS: The present study for the first time demonstrates the up
      regulation of GPR39 (and CREB, BDNF, and TrkB) protein when induced by chronic
      treatment with antidepressants (with different pharmacological profiles) in a
      zinc-deficiency model in mice. These data further indicate that the GPR39
      receptor may be an important target in the antidepressant response.

PMID- 26481533
TI  - Interactions between an antidepressant reboxetine and four classic antiepileptic
      drugs in the mouse model of myoclonic seizures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence rate of depression among patients with epilepsy is
      relatively high. The basis of proper therapy is knowledge of drug interactions,
      which may enable to maximize therapeutic effects and minimize undesired effects
      of the combined treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the
      influence of reboxetine, a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, on the
      seizure threshold and anticonvulsant effects of four classic antiepileptic drugs:
      valproate, phenobarbital, ethosuximide, and clonazepam. Moreover, we assessed the
      adverse effects of reboxetine and combinations of reboxetine with antiepileptic
      drugs on motor coordination and long-term memory. METHODS: The subcutaneous
      pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) test in mice was used to determine effects of
      anticonvulsant activity of antiepileptic drugs and reboxetine. Undesired effects
      of either reboxetine or and its combinations with antiepileptics were evaluated
      in the chimney test (motor coordination) and the step-through passive-avoidance
      task (long-term memory). RESULTS: Analysis of obtained results revealed that
      reboxetine given at doses of 10 and 15 mg/kg doses exhibits anticonvulsant
      activity expressed by increasing the median convulsive dose (CD(50)) for
      pentylenetetrazole (p < 0.01). However, the antidepressant did not affect the
      anticonvulsant action of antiepileptic drugs studied in this seizure model.
      Moreover, no adverse reactions were found after administration of reboxetine
      alone or in combinations. CONCLUSION: If further research confirms the obtained
      results, reboxetine may be categorized as an antidepressant which can be safely
      administered to epileptic patients treated with valproate, phenobarbital,
      ethosuximide or clonazepam.

PMID- 26481534
TI  - Icariin regulates PRMT/ADMA/DDAH pathway to improve endothelial function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress may affect PRMT/ADMA/DDAH (protein arginine
      methyltransferases/asymmetric dimethylarginine/dimethylarginine
      dimethylaminohydrolase) pathway to impair endothelial dysfunction. The present
      study was carried out to test the effect of icariin on endothelial function and
      the mechanisms responsible for this. METHODS: Eighty mice at 12 weeks of age were
      separated randomly into four groups (n = 20): C57BL/6J control, untreated
      apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE(-/-)), two groups of icariin-treated (10 or 30
      mg/kg body wt/day, intragastrically) ApoE(-/-). Primary human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells (HUVECs) were randomly divided into 7 groups: control group,
      vehicle of icariin (10 MUmol/L) group, icariin (10 MUmol/L) group,
      lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) (10 MUg/mL) group, LPC plus icariin (1 MUmol/L)
      group, LPC plus icariin (3 MUmol/L) group, and LPC plus icariin (10 MUmol/L)
      group. RESULTS: In ApoE(-/-) mice and primary HUVECs, icariin treatment decreased
      reactive oxygen species production, PRMT I expression, ADMA level, half-maximum
      effective concentration of ApoE(-/-) mice aortic rings. Icariin increased DDAH II
      expression, DDAH activity, maximal relaxation value and endothelium-dependent
      vasorelaxation in aortic rings from ApoE(-/-) mice (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest that icariin regulates PRMT/ADMA/DDAH
      pathway to improve endothelial function.

PMID- 26481535
TI  - The effect of GABA transporter 1 (GAT1) inhibitor, tiagabine, on scopolamine
      induced memory impairments in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: GABAergic neurotransmission is involved in long-term potentiation, a
      neurophysiological basis for learning and memory. On the other hand, GABA
      enhancing drugs may impair memory and learning in humans and animals. The present
      study aims at investigating the effect of GAT1 inhibitor tiagabine on memory and
      learning. METHODS: Albino Swiss (CD-1) and C57BL/6J mice were used in the passive
      avoidance (PA), Morris water maze (MWM) and radial arm water maze (RAWM) tasks.
      Scopolamine (1mg/kg ip) was applied to induce cognitive deficits. RESULTS: In the
      retention trial of PA scopolamine reduced step-through latency as compared to
      vehicle-treated mice, and pretreatment with tiagabine did not have any influence
      on this effect. In MWM the results obtained for vehicle-treated mice, scopolamine
      treated group and combined scopolamine+tiagabine-treated mice revealed variable
      learning abilities in these groups. Tiagabine did not impair learning in the
      acquisition trial. In RAWM on day 1 scopolamine-treated group made nearly two
      fold more errors than vehicle-treated mice and mice that received combined
      scopolamine and tiagabine. Learning abilities in the latter group were similar to
      those of vehicle-treated mice in the corresponding trial block on day 1, except
      for the last trial block, during which tiagabine+scopolamine-injected mice made
      more errors than control mice and the scopolamine-treated group. In all groups a
      complete reversal of memory deficits was observed in the last trial block of day
      2. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of negative influence of tiagabine on cognitive
      functions in animals with scopolamine-induced memory impairments may be relevant
      for patients treated with this drug.

PMID- 26481536
TI  - Antiarrhythmic activity of new 2-methoxyphenylpiperazine xanthone derivatives
      after ischemia/reperfusion in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We have previously shown significant prophylactic and therapeutic
      antiarrhythmic activity in adrenaline-induced arrhythmia, as well as alpha1
      adrenolytic properties of new derivatives of xanthone. Herein, we investigated
      their antiarrhythmic activity in the model of ischemia/reperfusion in isolated
      hearts. Furthermore, we assessed antioxidant activity in biochemical studies.
      METHODS: Antiarrhythmic activity in the model of ischemia/reperfusion in isolated
      perfused hearts was performed according to the Langendorff technique. Antioxidant
      activity was measured by lipid peroxidation level in tissue homogenate and in the
      FRAP assay. RESULTS: All studied compounds (MH-94, MH-99 and MH-105) showed
      significant antiarrhythmic activity in the model of ventricular arrhythmias
      associated with coronary artery occlusion and reperfusion. However, they did not
      demonstrate antioxidant effect, probably, because of the lack of free hydroxyl
      group(s) at a key position in the xanthone scaffold. CONCLUSIONS: The present
      study provides evidences for antiarrhythmic activity of some 2
      methoxyphenylpiperazine derivatives of xanthone.

PMID- 26481537
TI  - Chelidonine, a principal isoquinoline alkaloid of Chelidonium majus, attenuates
      eosinophilic airway inflammation by suppressing IL-4 and eotaxin-2 expression in
      asthmatic mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chelidonine, a major bioactive, isoquinoline alkaloid ingredient in
      Chelidonium majus, exhibits anti-inflammatory and other pharmacological
      properties. However, its molecular mechanisms in asthma remain unclear. In this
      work we investigated chelidonine's effect and mechanism in airway inflammation in
      a mouse model of allergic asthma. METHODS: The mice were sensitized to ovalbumin
      followed by aerosol allergen challenges and determination of chelidonine's effect
      on enhanced pause (Penh), pulmonary eosinophilic infiltration, eotaxin-2,
      interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-13, OVA-specific IgE production, and several
      transcription factors. RESULT: Chelidonine strongly suppressed airway
      eosinophilia, expression of eotaxin-2, IL-4, and IL-13 cytokine production in
      bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). It also attenuated lung IL-17, and eotaxin-2
      mRNA expression levels. Moreover, it suppressed eotaxin-2 and IL-17 production in
      accordance with up- and downregulation of forkhead box p3 (Foxp3), and signal
      transducer and activator of transcription (STAT6) expression, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Chelidonine has profound inhibitory effects on airway inflammation
      and this effect is caused by suppression of IL-4, eotaxin-2, and OVA-specific IgE
      production through the STAT6 and Foxp3 pathways. So chelidonine can improve
      allergic asthma in mice and be a novel anti-asthma therapeutic.

PMID- 26481538
TI  - Inhibition of human cytochrome P450 isoenzymes by a phenothiazine neuroleptic
      levomepromazine: An in vitro study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoenzymes is the most common
      cause of harmful drug-drug interactions. The present study was aimed at examining
      the inhibitory effect of the phenothiazine neuroleptic levomepromazine on main
      CYP isoenzymes in human liver. METHODS: The experiment was performed in vitro
      using the human cDNA-expressed CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4
      (Supersomes). CYP isoenzyme activities were determined using the CYP-specific
      reactions: caffeine 3-N-demethylation (CYP1A2), diclofenac 4'-hydroxylation
      (CYP2C9), perazine N-demethylation (CYP2C19), bufuralol 1'-hydroxylation (CYP2D6)
      and testosterone 6beta-hydroxylation (CYP3A4). The rates of the CYP-specific
      reactions were assessed in the absence and presence of levomepromazine (1-50
      MUM). The concentrations of CYP-specific substrates and their metabolites formed
      by CYP isoenzymes were measured by HPLC with UV or fluorimetric detection.
      RESULTS: Levomepromazine potently inhibited CYP2D6 (K(i) = 6 MUM) in a
      competitive manner. Moreover, the neuroleptic moderately diminished the activity
      of CYP1A2 (K(i) = 47 MUM) and CYP3A4 (K(i) = 34 MUM) via a mixed mechanism. On
      the other hand, levomepromazine did not affect the activities of CYP2C9 and
      CYP2C19. CONCLUSION: The inhibition of CYP1A2, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 by
      levomepromazine, demonstrated in vitro in the present study, should also be
      observed in vivo (especially the CYP2D6 inhibition by levomepromazine), since the
      calculated K(i) values are below or close to the presumed concentration range for
      levomepromazine in the liver in vivo. Therefore pharmacokinetic interactions
      involving levomepromazine and CYP2D6, CYP1A2 or CYP3A4 substrates are likely to
      occur in patients during co-administration of the above-mentioned
      substrates/drugs.

PMID- 26481539
TI  - The effect of combined treatment with risperidone and antidepressants on the MK
      801-induced deficits in the social interaction test in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several clinical reports have suggested that augmentation of atypical
      antipsychotics' activity by antidepressants may efficiently improve the treatment
      of negative and some cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. METHODS: The aim of the
      present study was to investigate the effect of antidepressant mirtazapine or
      escitalopram and risperidone (an atypical antipsychotic), given separately or
      jointly, on the MK-801-induced deficits in the social interaction test in rats.
      Antidepressants and risperidone were given 60 and 30 min before the test,
      respectively. The social interaction of male Wistar rats was measured for 10 min,
      starting 4 h after MK-801 (0.1 mg/kg) administration. RESULTS: In the social
      interaction test, MK-801-induced deficits in the parameters studied, i.e. the
      number of episodes and the time of interactions. Risperidone at a higher dose
      (0.1 mg/kg) reversed that effect. Co-treatment with an ineffective dose of
      risperidone (0.01 mg/kg) and mirtazapine (2.5 or 5 mg/kg) or escitalopram only at
      a dose of 5 mg/kg (but not 2.5 and 10 mg/kg) abolished the deficits evoked by MK
      801. CONCLUSION: The obtained results suggest that especially mirtazapine, and to
      a smaller degree escitalopram may enhance the antipsychotic-like effect of
      risperidone in the animal test modeling some negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

PMID- 26481540
TI  - Effect of a kynurenic acid analog on home-cage activity and body temperature in
      rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: N-(2-N,N-Dimethylaminoethyl)-4-oxo-1H-quinoline-2-carboxamide
      hydrochloride (SzR-72) is a kynurenic acid (KYNA) amide analog that displays
      neuroprotective action. Whereas its brain penetration ability and its solubility
      limit the therapeutic use of KYNA: the corresponding properties of the analog
      exceed those of the parent compound. Although SzR-72 has been extensively
      studied, its exact mechanism of action has not yet been fully clarified. As KYNA
      induces hypothermia in laboratory rodents, it may be hypothesized that SzR-72 may
      have a similar effect. This would be of major importance, since the hypothermia
      generated by external cooling is neuroprotective, thus a putative hypothermic
      effect of SzR-72 could contribute to its neuroprotective action. METHODS: The
      effects of SzR-72 on the body temperature and home-cage activity of rats were
      studied by using a telemetry system. In order to follow the longitudinal changes
      in the effects of the compound, subchronic drug administration was applied.
      RESULTS: The initial administration of the compound induced substantial
      hypothermia and reduced the home-cage activity. During the 5 days of SzR-72
      administration, partial tolerance developed to the hypothermic effect, while the
      inhibition of home-cage activity detected after the acute administration was
      completely tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of these results, it cannot be
      excluded that the hypothermic effect of SzR-72 contributes to its neuroprotective
      action.

PMID- 26481541
TI  - Thalidomide can promote erythropoiesis by induction of STAT5 and repression of
      external pathway of apoptosis resulting in increased expression of GATA-1
      transcription factor.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thalidomide was shown to stimulate erythropoiesis and increase
      hemoglobin level in multiple myeloma patients, but way of such activity remains
      unclear. The aim of the study was to investigate the mechanisms of thalidomide
      stimulating effect on erythroid differentiation. METHODS: Hematopoietic stem
      cells were isolated from bone marrow aspirates taken from myeloma patients and
      cultured with or without thalidomide. Then the generation of erythroid cells and
      the expression of STAT5, GATA-1, GATA-2, selected caspases and Bcl-2 family
      proteins in erythroid cells were assessed using flow cytometry and real-time PCR.
      RESULTS: The generation of erythroblasts was higher in thalidomide than in
      control cultures (63.9% vs. 55.8%, p < 0.001). The expression of caspase 3
      (cytometry 947.3 vs. 1021.0, p = 0.025; PCR 12.9 vs. 16.3, p = 0.025) and caspase
      8 (cytometry 1050.8 vs. 1168.5, p = 0.033; PCR 16.2 vs. 17.8, p = 0.004) was
      significantly lower in thalidomide than in control cultures. The expression of
      STAT5 (cytometry 331.5 vs. 276.1, p = 0.015; PCR 24.3 vs. 21.1, p = 0.003) and
      GATA-1 (cytometry 259.7 vs. 232.0, p = 0.027; PCR 18.9 vs. 16.5, p = 0.003) was
      higher in thalidomide than in control cultures. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest
      that thalidomide enhances expression of STAT5 in response of erythroid cells to
      erythropoietin and as a result of caspase 3 suppression. Moreover it may exert
      inhibitory effect on an external pathway of caspases activation with consequent
      decreased degradation of GATA-1 transcription factor by downstream caspases.

PMID- 26481542
TI  - Selective ablation of glucocorticoid receptors in the noradrenergic system
      affects evening corticosterone levels in a sex-dependent manner.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is involved in
      the release of corticosterone in response to stress, exhibits large circadian
      variations in its activity that can also be regulated by the noradrenergic
      system, thereby contributing to the pathophysiology of depression. We have
      recently shown that mice in which glucocorticoid receptors (GR) are selectively
      ablated in the noradrenergic system (GR(DBHCre) mice) exhibit sex-dependent
      phenotype alterations, manifested as increased anxiety- and depressive-like
      behaviors in female but not male mutants. METHODS: In this study, we investigated
      the regulation of circadian HPA axis activity in GR(DBHCre) transgenic mice by
      measuring plasma corticosterone levels. RESULTS: We found that evening plasma
      corticosterone increase was profoundly higher in females than males, and this
      diversification was further augmented in mutant GR(DBHCre) mice. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results provide evidence of the involvement of the noradrenergic system in the
      regulation of the sexually dimorphic circadian activity of the HPA axis.

PMID- 26481543
TI  - Psychotropic drugs and personality changes: A case of lithium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effect of psychopharmacological treatment on personality has been
      mostly studied with antidepressant drugs. Previously, we demonstrated an
      association between long-term lithium response and affective temperaments
      measured by the Temperament Scale of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego
      Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), and schizotypic traits, measured by the Oxford
      Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences (O-LIFE). Therefore, we were
      interested whether long-term lithium treatment per se may influence personality
      traits measured by these scales. METHODS: The study was performed on 40 patients
      with bipolar mood disorder (16 male, 24 female) with a mean age of 46 +/- 10
      years, either hospitalized or attending the outpatient clinic, Department of
      Adult Psychiatry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences. Among them, twenty
      patients (8 male, 12 female) have received lithium for 10-33 years, and twenty (8
      male, 12 female) have never been exposed to lithium and have been given other
      mood-stabilizing drugs. Each patient, had the assessment made by the TEMPS-A and
      O-LIFE, during euthymic state. RESULTS: Patients on long-term lithium treatment
      were significantly older and had longer duration of bipolar illness compared with
      non-lithium patients. Lithium-treated patients obtained significantly lower
      scores of cyclothymic and irritable temperaments on the TEMPS-A, and of unusual
      experiences, cognitive disorganization and impulsive nonconformity on the O-LIFE.
      CONCLUSIONS: It is hypothesized that the differences in personality, revealed by
      the TEMPS-A and O-LIFE scales, are related to the long-term treatment with
      lithium. The decrease in cyclothymic temperament and in cognitive disorganization
      trait were previously shown to be associated with the therapeutic effect of
      lithium.

PMID- 26481544
TI  - Effects of neuroleptics administration on adult neurogenesis in the rat
      hypothalamus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Among many factors influencing adult neurogenesis, pharmacological
      modulation has been broadly studied. It is proven that neuroleptics positively
      affect new neuron formation in canonical neurogenic sites - subgranular zone of
      the hippocampal dentate gyrus and subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles.
      Latest findings suggest that adult neurogenesis also occurs in several additional
      regions like the hypothalamus, amygdala, neocortex and striatum. As the
      hypothalamus is considered an important target of neuroleptics, a hypothesis can
      be made that these substances are able to modulate local neural proliferation.
      METHODS: Experiments were performed on adult male rats injected for 28 days or 1
      day by three neuroleptics: olanzapine, chlorpromazine and haloperidol.
      Immunohistochemistry was used to determine expression of proliferation marker (Ki
      67) and the marker of neuroblasts - doublecortin (DCX) - which may inform about
      drug influence on adult neurogenesis at the level of the hypothalamus. RESULTS:
      It was shown that a single injection of antipsychotics causes significant
      decrease in hypothalamic DCX expression, but after chronic treatment with
      chlorpromazine, but not olanzapine, there is an increase in the number of newly
      formed neuroblasts. Haloperidol has the opposite effect - its long-term
      administration decreases the number of DCX-positive cells. Cell proliferation
      levels (Ki-67 expression) increase after long-term drug administration, whereas
      their single doses do not have any modulatory effect on proliferation potential.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results throw a new light on the neuroleptics mechanism of
      action. They also support the potential role of antipsychotics as a factor that
      can modulate hypothalamic neurogenesis with putative clinical applications.

PMID- 26481545
TI  - Piroxicam, a traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) causes
      apoptosis by ROS mediated Akt activation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Piroxicam (Px) belongs to the oxicam group of the non-steroidal anti
      inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and have been shown to exert chemopreventive and
      chemotherapeutic effects in animal models and cultured animal cells. However,
      little is known about the mode of action of Px and its cellular targets. METHODS:
      We explored the role of Px, in triggering apoptosis and examined the involvement
      of upstream cellular mechanisms in apoptosis induction by Px. RESULTS AND
      DISCUSSION: Our studies with human breast cancer cells MCF-7 show that Px induces
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation along with apoptotic cell death. ROS
      release lead to Akt activation. On evaluation it became evident that ROS mediated
      apoptosis induction was due to Akt activation (hyper phosphorylation). Silencing
      the expression of Akt using siRNA and a specific Akt inhibitor, triciribine
      further confirmed the findings. However Px failed to cause ROS generation, cell
      death or Akt phosphorylation in another human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231
      which is estrogen receptor negative and more aggressive compared to MCF-7 cells.
      This suggests that Px has cell type specific effects. Thus we revealed for the
      first time that Px can induce apoptosis by ROS mediated Akt
      hyperphosphorylation/activation.

PMID- 26481546
TI  - Propranolol combined with dopamine has a synergistic action in intensifying and
      prolonging cutaneous analgesia in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of the experiment was to assess interactions of dopamine
      with propranolol as an infiltrative anesthetic. METHODS: After injecting the rats
      with four doses of drugs subcutaneously, the cutaneous analgesic effect of
      propranolol was compared with dopamine through the blockade of cutaneous trunci
      muscle reflex (CTMR) in response to local skin pinprick. Drug-drug interactions
      were examined via an isobolographic analysis. RESULTS: We demonstrated that the
      action of propranolol and dopamine was dose dependent to skin infiltrative
      analgesia. On the ED(50) (50% effective dose) basis, the rank of drug potency was
      propranolol (11.3 [10.6-12.2]MUmol) > dopamine (195 [188-205]MUmol) (p < 0.001).
      At the equi-anesthetic doses (ED(25), ED(50), ED(75)), the block duration caused
      by dopamine was equal to that caused by propranolol. Coadministration of dopamine
      and propranolol exhibited a synergistic effect on infiltrative cutaneous
      analgesia. CONCLUSIONS: The preclinical data showed that dopamine produced a
      lesser potency but a comparable duration of cutaneous analgesia compared to
      propranolol. Adding dopamine to propranolol potentiated and prolonged
      propranolol's cutaneous analgesic effect.

PMID- 26481547
TI  - Stability of erythrocyte membrane and overall hemostasis potential - A
      biocompatibility study of mebrofenin and other iminodiacetic acid derivatives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intravenous injection seems to be the most convenient way of
      administering drugs and contrast agents, which makes components of the blood the
      first and usually unwanted target of their action. Binding of intravenously
      administered compounds to erythrocytes, blood platelets and vascular wall may
      have serious clinical implications. The aim of this study was to examine the
      influence of four iminodiacetic acid derivatives, potential ligands for
      gadolinium complexation, on the process of coagulation and fibrinolysis, activity
      of thrombin and hemolysis. METHODS: Kinetic parameters of coagulation and
      fibrinolysis process were determined during an optical CL-test based on
      measurement of transmittance alterations. Thrombin (0.5 IU/mL) and t-PA (240
      ng/mL) were used to obtain a clotting and lysis curve. The activity of thrombin
      was determined with a chromogenic substrate S-2238. Hemolysis was examined
      spectrophotometrically and expressed as a percentage of released hemoglobin.
      RESULTS: Exposure to iminodiacetic acid derivatives resulted in a significant
      increase in the overall potential of clotting and lysis (CLAUC), as well as with
      the significant changes in the key parameters of these processes (thrombin time,
      initial plasma clotting velocity, clot stabilization time). Furthermore,
      iminodiacetic acid derivatives caused a significant decrease in the amidolytic
      activity of thrombin and enhanced hemolysis in a concentration-dependent manner.
      CONCLUSION: Despite their influence on the process of coagulation and
      fibrinolysis, amidolytic activity of thrombin and hemolysis, iminodiacetic acid
      derivatives should be generally considered safe as the significant effects were
      observed mostly at 4 MUmol/mL, which is about 10-fold higher than the theoretical
      plasma concentration of these compounds.

PMID- 26481548
TI  - Antidiabetic drugs and risk of cancer.
AB  - Antidiabetic drugs are an important group of medications used worldwide. They
      differ from each other in the mechanisms of lowering blood glucose as well as in
      adverse effects that may affect the course of the treatment and its efficacy. In
      recent years, new drugs have been discovered in order to improve the maintenance
      of proper blood glucose level and to reduce unwanted effects of these drugs.
      Their growing administration is related to the increasing incidence of diabetes
      observed in all countries in the world. Epidemiological data indicate that
      diabetes increases the risk of cancer, as well as the risk of death linked with
      neoplasms. It is still unknown whether this is an effect of antidiabetic drugs or
      just the effect of diabetes itself. In recent years there have been numerous
      investigations and meta-analyzes, based on both comparative and cohort studies
      trying to establish the relationship between antidiabetic pharmacotherapy and the
      incidence and mortality due to cancer. According to their findings, most of
      antidiabetic drugs increase the risk of cancer while only few of them show
      antitumor properties. Different mechanisms of action of glucose-lowering drugs
      may be responsible for these effects. However, most of the published studies
      concerning the influence of these drugs on cancer incidence were designed with
      some limitations and differed from each other in the approach. In this review, we
      discuss the association between antidiabetic drugs used in monotherapy or
      polytherapy and cancer risk, and consider potential mechanisms responsible for
      the observed effects. 

PMID- 26481549
TI  - Serum concentrations of chemokines (CCL-5 and CXCL-12), chemokine receptors (CCR
      5 and CXCR-4), and IL-6 in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder and
      avoidant personality disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be perceived as a
      psychoneuroimmunological disorder in which cytokines affecting the neurochemical
      and neuroendocrine functions of the body play an important role. Among cytokines,
      chemokines participating in activation of the inflammatory response are
      considered to be crucial. METHOD: 220 men and women were enrolled in the study.
      180 of them constituted the study group. The studied groups consisted of: 60
      patients with a diagnosed avoidant personality disorders (APD), 60 patients with
      a diagnosed APD and with PTSD and of 60 patients with PTSD but without a APD.
      There were 30 women and 30 men in each group of 60 subjects. The control group
      consisted of 40 healthy individuals. The plasma levels of chemokines and their
      receptors (CCL-5, CXCR-5, CXCL-12 and CXCR-4), as well as IL-6, were assessed by
      ELISA. RESULTS: There was an increase in the CXCL-12 and CCL-5 levels in women
      and men with the PTSD versus the control group. Also, increased levels of IL-6
      and the receptors CXCR-4, CCR-5 were observed in women and men with PTSD. The
      levels of CXCL-12 and CCL-5 chemokines, as well as CCR-5 and CXCR4 receptors were
      higher in women than in men. The results of this study indicate a need for
      assessment of the CCL-5 and CXCL-12 chemokine levels, as they are likely markers
      of PTSD. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of the concentrations of chemokines, chemokine
      receptors and IL-6 in women and men with PTSD along with concomittant APD may be
      useful for early detection of mental disorders.

PMID- 26481551
TI  - A pterostilbene derivative suppresses osteoclastogenesis by regulating RANKL
      mediated NFkappaB and MAPK signaling in RAW264.7 cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A dysfunctional osteoclast activity is often the cause of bone
      destructive diseases, such as osteoporosis, periodontitis, erosive arthritis, and
      cancer. The NFkappaB ligand (RANKL) has been identified as a major mediator of
      bone resorption. Agents that suppress RANKL signaling have the potential to
      inhibit bone resorption or osteoclastogenesis. The present study aimed to
      determine the effect of a pterostilbene derivative (PTERC-T) for suppressing
      RANKL or tumor cells-induced osteoclastogenesis in RAW264.7 murine macrophages.
      METHODS: Cytotoxicity was measured by MTT assay and inhibitory effect on
      osteoclastogenesis was analyzed by counting the number of tartrate-resistant acid
      phosphatase (TRAP)-positive multinucleated cells and measuring the expression
      levels of the osteoclast-specific genes. The reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      generation was detected by FACS. Further, signaling pathways were analyzed by
      immunofluorescence and immunoblot analyses. RESULTS: PTERC-T suppressed the
      differentiation of monocytes to osteoclasts in a dose and time-dependent manner.
      The expression of osteoclast marker genes like TRAP, cathepsin K (CTSK), matrix
      metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and transcription factors c-Fos, and nuclear factor of
      activated T cells cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1) were also diminished by PTERC-T. PTERC-T
      scavenged intracellular ROS generation within osteoclast precursors during RANKL
      stimulated osteoclastogenesis. Mechanistically, PTERC-T abrogated the
      phosphorylation of MAPKs (ERK and JNK) and inhibited RANKL-induced activation of
      NFkappaB by suppressing IkappaBalpha phosphorylation and preventing NFkappaB/p65
      nuclear translocation. CONCLUSIONS: This study thus identifies PTERC-T as an
      inhibitor of osteoclast formation and provides evidence for its role in
      preventing osteoporosis and other bone related disorders. However, further
      studies are needed to establish its efficacy in vivo.

PMID- 26481552
TI  - Modulation of Kv2.1 channels inactivation by curcumin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of curcumin on
      the voltage-dependent Kv2.1 potassium channel. METHODS: The whole-cell patch
      clamp technique was used to explore the regulation of Kv2.1 channels expressed in
      HEK293 cells by curcumin. RESULTS: Curcumin reduced the Kv2.1 currents; the
      inhibition occurred with a slow time course and was partially reversible.
      Curcumin did not alter the kinetics and voltage dependence of activation;
      however, the kinetics of open- and closed-state inactivation was accelerated by
      curcumin along with a hyperpolarizing shift in the voltage dependence of
      inactivation. Curcumin inhibition of Kv2.1 current was not use-dependent.
      CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our data suggest that curcumin inhibits Kv2.1 channels by
      modulating the inactivation gating, which would be expected to impact cellular
      physiology.

PMID- 26481550
TI  - Impact of morin-5'-sulfonic acid sodium salt on cyclophosphamide-induced
      gastrointestinal toxicity in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of morin-5'-sulfonic
      acid sodium salt (NaMSA) on cyclophosphamide-induced gastrointestinal changes in
      rats. METHODS: Rats received intragastrically 0.9% saline (group C),
      cyclophosphamide (15 mg/kg) (group CX), NaMSA (100 mg/kg) (group M) or
      cyclophosphamide (15 mg/kg) with NaMSA (100 mg/kg) (group M-CX), respectively,
      for 10 days. RESULTS: No histological lesions were observed in the liver and the
      large intestine in the control group and group receiving NaMSA. In the
      cyclophosphamide-treated group, a generalized blurred trabecular structure,
      hepatocyte apoptosis, focal and diffuse necrosis were noticed in the liver and
      atypia of epithelial cells or adenoma were noticed in the large intestine. In the
      group receiving both cyclophosphamide and NaMSA, hepatocyte apoptosis in the
      liver was observed less frequently. Histological examination of the small
      intestine revealed: low-grade dysplasia adenoma in the C, M, CX and M-CX group
      (in 44%, 0%, 100%, and 55.6% of specimens, respectively) with adenocarcinoma in
      55.6% of specimens in the cyclophosphamide-receiving group only. Adenoma with
      high-grade dysplasia was observed in the control and NaMSA-receiving group with a
      similar frequency (22%). In addition to the histological evaluation, blood cell
      count parameters, as well as total protein concentration, blood glucose level,
      amylase, ALT, AST and GGTP activities were evaluated. Cyclophosphamide impaired
      weight gain, decreased blood cell count parameters and total protein
      concentration, and increased the GGTP activity. Those changes were not reversed
      by NaMSA. CONCLUSIONS: Summing up, NaMSA may protect against some
      cyclophosphamide-induced histological abnormalities in the gastrointestinal
      tract, including intestinal neoplasia in rats.

PMID- 26481554
TI  - Dorsal Fracture-Dislocations of the Proximal Interphalangeal Joint.

PMID- 26481553
TI  - Internalization of bevacizumab by retinal endothelial cells and its intracellular
      fate: Evidence for an involvement of the neonatal Fc receptor.
AB  - Bevacizumab is one of the VEGF-binding proteins that are established in clinical
      practice to treat various ocular diseases. In view of therapeutic long-term
      application, potential accumulation of the antibody in retinal cells gave reason
      for safety concerns. Internalization of considerable amounts of bevacizumab by
      retinal endothelial (REC) and pigment epithelial cells has been observed which
      may affect their important functions. Therefore we investigated the transport and
      intracellular localization of bevacizumab in immortalized bovine REC (iBREC) in
      detail, considering possible roles of vesicles and receptors mediating uptake and
      intracellular transport. By performing transcytosis assays with iBREC monolayers
      cultivated on porous membrane inserts, we demonstrated that bevacizumab was
      transported efficiently through a tight monolayer from the lower to the upper
      chamber or vice versa. When added to the lower chamber in excess, the
      internalized antibody was transported through the cells, but it was also recycled
      to be set free at the same side of the cell into a bevacizumab-free environment.
      The rates of both processes strongly depended on the concentration of fetal
      bovine serum (FBS) in the environment. This observation is important because in
      vivo REC might be exposed to varying amounts of serum, e.g. in patients with
      macular edema. FBS also affected the intracellular localization of bevacizumab as
      shown by analyses of subcellular fractions and direct immunofluorescence
      staining. When iBREC were cultivated in low-serum medium, most of the antibody
      was found in the fraction of cytoskeleton proteins and spots of high intensity of
      bevacizumab-specific staining close to the nuclei were observed. Cultivation in
      medium with FBS resulted in internalized bevacizumab predominately found in the
      membrane/organelle fraction in addition to its weaker association with proteins
      from the cytoskeleton and uniform staining of the cell. Bevacizumab-specific
      staining close to the cytoskeleton proteins alpha-tubulin or vimentin was also
      observed. Accumulation and association of the antibody with the cytoskeleton
      induced by serum reduction could be reversed by subsequent FBS addition. In
      uptake and transport of bevacizumab vesicles and binding to a receptor seems to
      be involved: Internalization was strongly temperature-dependent which ruled out
      paracellular passage and a fraction of the internalized bevacizumab was
      associated with early endosomes. Protein A inhibited transcytosis and affected
      intracellular localization suggesting a key role of the neonatal Fc receptor
      (FcRn). Interestingly, FcRn expression was decreased when iBREC were cultivated
      without FBS. Our results suggest this pathway of bevacizumab uptake and
      transition through iBREC: Independent of serum, bevacizumab is taken up through a
      nonspecific mechanism. The subsequent sorting into transport vesicles depends on
      the presence of serum as regulator of FcRn expression. Without sufficient amounts
      of the receptor being expressed, a likely obstructed exocytosis results in
      intracellular accumulation and an increased association with cytoskeleton
      proteins. Interaction of substantial amounts of bevacizumab with the cytoskeleton
      may be the reason for under these conditions suppressed migration of iBREC. If
      long-term therapies by intravitreal injection lead to accumulation of bevacizumab
      in REC in vivo and potentially harmful consequences, will have to be revealed by
      future investigations. 

PMID- 26481555
TI  - The Origin and Meaning of "Intercalated Segment".

PMID- 26481556
TI  - Dissatisfaction After First Dorsal Compartment Release for de Quervain
      Tendinopathy.

PMID- 26481557
TI  - Visualizing chemical states and defects induced magnetism of graphene oxide by
      spatially-resolved-X-ray microscopy and spectroscopy.
AB  - This investigation studies the various magnetic behaviors of graphene oxide (GO)
      and reduced graphene oxides (rGOs) and elucidates the relationship between the
      chemical states that involve defects therein and their magnetic behaviors in GO
      sheets. Magnetic hysteresis loop reveals that the GO is ferromagnetic whereas
      photo-thermal moderately reduced graphene oxide (M-rGO) and heavily reduced
      graphene oxide (H-rGO) gradually become paramagnetic behavior at room
      temperature. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy and corresponding X-ray
      absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy were utilized to investigate
      thoroughly the variation of the C 2p(pi*) states that are bound with oxygen
      containing and hydroxyl groups, as well as the C 2p(sigma*)-derived states in
      flat and wrinkle regions to clarify the relationship between the spatially
      resolved chemical states and the magnetism of GO, M-rGO and H-rGO. The results of
      X-ray magnetic circular dichroism further support the finding that C 2p(sigma*)
      derived states are the main origin of the magnetism of GO. Based on experimental
      results and first-principles calculations, the variation in magnetic behavior
      from GO to M-rGO and to H-rGO is interpreted, and the origin of ferromagnetism is
      identified as the C 2p(sigma*)-derived states that involve defects/vacancies
      rather than the C 2p(pi*) states that are bound with oxygen-containing and
      hydroxyl groups on GO sheets. 

PMID- 26481558
TI  - Drug diffusion, integration, and stability of nanoengineered drug-releasing
      implants in bone ex-vivo.
AB  - To treat skeletal conditions such as bone infections, osteoporotic fractures, and
      osteosarcoma, it would be ideal to introduce drugs directly to the affected site.
      Localized drug delivery from the bone implants is a promising alternative to
      systemic drug administration. In this study we investigated electrochemically
      nanoengineered Ti wire implants with titania nanotubes (TNTs), as minimally
      invasive drug-releasing implants for the delivery of drugs directly into the bone
      tissue. Since trabecular bone in vivo contains a highly interconnected bone
      marrow, we sought to determine the influence of marrow on drug release and
      diffusion. Electrochemical anodization of Ti wires (length 10 mm) was performed
      to create an oxide layer with TNTs on the surface, followed by loading with a
      fluorescent model drug, Rhodamine B (RhB). Cores of bovine trabecular bone were
      generated from the sternum of a young steer, and were processed to have an intact
      bone marrow, or the marrow was removed. RhB-loaded TNTs/Ti wires were inserted
      into the bone cores, which were then cultured ex vivo using the ZetOSTM
      bioreactor system to maintain bone viability. Release and diffusion of RhB inside
      the bone was monitored using fluorescence imaging and different patterns of drug
      transport in the presence or absence of marrow were observed. Scanning electron
      microscopy of the implants after retrieval from bone cores confirmed survival of
      the TNTs structures. Histological investigation showed the presence of bone cells
      adherent on the implants. This study shows a potential of Ti drug-releasing
      implants based on TNTs technology towards localized bone therapy. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 714-725, 2016.

PMID- 26481559
TI  - Molecular subclasses of hepatocellular carcinoma predict sensitivity to
      fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibition.
AB  - A recent gene expression classification of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
      includes a poor survival subclass termed S2 representing about one-third of all
      HCC in clinical series. S2 cells express E-cadherin and c-myc and secrete AFP. As
      the expression of fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) differs between S2
      and non-S2 HCC, this study investigated whether molecular subclasses of HCC
      predict sensitivity to FGFR inhibition. S2 cell lines were significantly more
      sensitive (p < 0.001) to the FGFR inhibitors BGJ398 and AZD4547. BGJ398 decreased
      MAPK signaling in S2 but not in non-S2 cell lines. All cell lines expressed FGFR1
      and FGFR2, but only S2 cell lines expressed FGFR3 and FGFR4. FGFR4 siRNA
      decreased proliferation by 44% or more in all five S2 cell lines (p < 0.05 for
      each cell line), a significantly greater decrease than seen with knockdown of
      FGFR1-3 with siRNA transfection. FGFR4 knockdown decreased MAPK signaling in S2
      cell lines, but little effect was seen with knockdown of FGFR1-3. In conclusion,
      the S2 molecular subclass of HCC is sensitive to FGFR inhibition. FGFR4-MAPK
      signaling plays an important role in driving proliferation of a molecular
      subclass of HCC. This classification system may help to identify those patients
      who are most likely to benefit from inhibition of this pathway.

PMID- 26481560
TI  - Morphological Variability and Distinct Protein Profiles of Cultured and
      Endosymbiotic Symbiodinium cells Isolated from Exaiptasia pulchella.
AB  - Symbiodinium is a dinoflagellate that plays an important role in the physiology
      of the symbiotic relationships of Cnidarians such as corals and sea anemones.
      However, it is very difficult to cultivate free-living dinoflagellates after
      being isolated from the host, as they are very sensitive to environmental
      changes. How these symbiont cells are supported by the host tissue is still
      unclear. This study investigated the characteristics of Symbiodinium cells,
      particularly with respect to the morphological variability and distinct protein
      profiles of both cultured and endosymbiotic Symbiodinium which were freshly
      isolated from Exaiptasia pulchella. The response of the cellular morphology of
      freshly isolated Symbiodinium cells kept under a 12 h L:12 h D cycle to different
      temperatures was measured. Cellular proliferation was investigated by measuring
      the growth pattern of Symbiodinium cells, the results of which indicated that the
      growth was significantly reduced in response to the extreme temperatures.
      Proteomic analysis of freshly isolated Symbiodinium cells revealed twelve novel
      proteins that putatively included transcription translation factors, photosystem
      proteins, and proteins associated with energy and lipid metabolism, as well as
      defense response. The results of this study will bring more understandings to the
      mechanisms governing the endosymbiotic relationship between the cnidarians and
      dinoflagellates. 

PMID- 26481561
TI  - Production of soluble and active microbial transglutaminase in Escherichia coli
      for site-specific antibody drug conjugation.
AB  - Applications of microbial transglutaminase (mTGase) produced from Streptomyces
      mobarensis (S. mobarensis) were recently extended from food to pharmaceutical
      industry. To use mTGase for clinical applications, like generation of site
      specific antibody drug conjugates, it would be beneficial to manufacture mTGase
      in Escherichia coli (E. coli). To date, attempts to express recombinant soluble
      and active S. mobarensis mTGase have been largely unsuccessful. mTGase from S.
      mobarensis is naturally expressed as proenzyme and stepwise proteolytically
      processed into its active mature form outside of the bacterial cell. The pro
      domain is essential for correct folding of mTGase as well as for inhibiting
      activity of mTGase inside the cell. Here, we report a genetically modified mTGase
      that has full activity and can be expressed at high yields in the cytoplasm of E.
      coli. To achieve this we performed an alanine-scan of the mTGase pro-domain and
      identified mutants that maintain its chaperone function but destabilize the
      cleaved pro-domain/mTGase interaction in a temperature dependent fashion. This
      allows proper folding of mTGase and keeps the enzyme inactive during expression
      at 20 degrees C, but results in full activity when shifted to 37 degrees C due to
      loosen domain interactions. The insertion of the 3C protease cleavage site
      together with pro-domain alanine mutants Tyr14, Ile24, or Asn25 facilitate high
      yields (30-75 mg/L), and produced an enzyme with activity identical to wild type
      mTGase from S. mobarensis. Site-specific antibody drug conjugates made with the E
      .coli produced mTGase demonstrated identical potency in an in vitro cell assay to
      those made with mTGase from S. mobarensis. 

PMID- 26481562
TI  - Understanding the Healthy Immigrant Effect and Cardiovascular Disease: Looking to
      Big Data and Beyond.

PMID- 26481564
TI  - The 2013 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/The Obesity
      Society Guideline for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults: What Is
      New About Diet, Drugs, and Surgery for Obesity?

PMID- 26481563
TI  - Value-Based Insurance Design: Aligning Incentives to Improve Cardiovascular Care.

PMID- 26481566
TI  - Prenatal Diagnosis and Management of Berry Syndrome, a Rare Conotruncal Anatomy.

PMID- 26481567
TI  - When a Thrombus Is Life-Saving.

PMID- 26481568
TI  - Letter by Hayward Regarding Article, "Hyperlipidemia in Early Adulthood Increases
      Long-Term Risk of Coronary Heart Disease".

PMID- 26481569
TI  - Response to Letter Regarding Article, "Hyperlipidemia in Early Adulthood
      Increases Long-Term Risk of Coronary Heart Disease".

PMID- 26481570
TI  - Letter by Edwards et al Regarding Article, "Coronary Microvascular Rarefaction
      and Myocardial Fibrosis in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction".

PMID- 26481571
TI  - Letter by Campbell Regarding Article, "Coronary Microvascular Rarefaction and
      Myocardial Fibrosis in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction".

PMID- 26481572
TI  - Response to Letters Regarding Article, "Coronary Microvascular Rarefaction and
      Myocardial Fibrosis in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction".

PMID- 26481573
TI  - Kidney cancer: RNA activation in RCC: p21 and miR-1236 are a promising pair.

PMID- 26481574
TI  - Gender differences in incidence and outcomes of urothelial and kidney cancer.

PMID- 26481575
TI  - A step-wise approach to sperm retrieval in men with neurogenic anejaculation.
AB  - Normal fertility is dependent on intravaginal delivery of semen through
      ejaculation. This process is highly dependent on an intact ejaculatory reflex
      arc, which can be disrupted through any type of trauma or disease causing damage
      to the CNS and/or peripheral nerves. Neurogenic anejaculation is most commonly
      associated with spinal cord injury. This aetiology is especially relevant because
      most men with spinal cord injuries are injured at reproductive age. Assisted
      ejaculation in the form of penile vibratory stimulation is the first choice for
      sperm retrieval in such patients because it is noninvasive and inexpensive. In
      patients in whom vibratory stimulation fails, electroejaculation is almost always
      successful. When both methods of assisted ejaculation are unsuccessful, sperm
      retrieval by aspiration from either the vas deferens or the epididymis, or by
      testicular biopsy or surgery are reasonable options. In such cases the most
      inexpensive and least invasive methods should be considered first. The obtained
      semen can be used for intravaginal or intrauterine insemination or in vitro
      fertilization with or without intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

PMID- 26481577
TI  - Botox injections are effective for Fowler's syndrome.

PMID- 26481576
TI  - Imaging and evaluation of patients with high-risk prostate cancer.
AB  - Approximately 15% of men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer have high-risk
      disease. Imaging is critically important for the diagnosis and staging of these
      patients, and also for the selection of management. While established prostate
      cancer staging guidelines have increased the appropriate use of imaging, underuse
      for high-risk prostate cancer remains substantial. Several factors affect the
      utility of initial diagnostic imaging, including the variable definition of high
      risk prostate cancer, variable guideline recommendations, poor accuracy of
      existing imaging tests, and the difficulty in validating imaging findings.
      Conventional imaging modalities, including CT and radionuclide bone scan, have
      been employed for local and metastatic staging, but their performance
      characteristics have generally been poor. Emerging modalities including
      multiparametricMRI, positron emission tomography (PET)-CT, and PET-MRI have shown
      increased diagnostic accuracy and could improve accuracy in staging patients with
      high-risk prostate cancer.

PMID- 26481578
TI  - [Dietary habits of a sample of patients with schizophrenia].

PMID- 26481579
TI  - The reasons for the failure of the primary arteriovenous fistula surgery in
      patients with end-stage renal disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze the reasons for the failure of the primary arteriovenous
      fistula surgery and explore preventive measures. METHODS: A total of 819 patients
      with end-stage renal disease were enrolled in the study. Autologous arteriovenous
      fistula surgery was performed on all patients. Their clinical data of hemoglobin
      (HB), albumin (ALB), cholesterol (CHOL), parathyroid hormone (PTH), blood glucose
      and blood pressure were collected before surgery, while the diameters of the
      radial artery and cephalic vein were measured by ultrasound. RESULTS: The
      operations in 742 patients were successful, but failed in 77 cases (accounting
      for 7.07%). The failure group was significantly older (61.3 +/- 13.4 years) than
      the successful group (45.6 +/- 11.2 years). The ratio of diabetes 36 (46.8%) and
      hypertension 20 (26.0%) was significantly higher in the failure group than in the
      successful group, respectively 235 (31.7%) and 145 (19.5%). The patients with
      blood pressure below 120/70 mm Hg had a higher risk of failed surgery (36.4%)
      than those with blood pressure above 120/70 mm Hg (9.16%). The cephalic vein and
      radial artery diameter were significantly smaller in the failure group (1.35 +/-
      0.64 mm, 2.13 +/- 0.81 mm) than in the successful group (1.98 +/- 0.47 mm, 2.47
      +/- 0.74 mm); [corrected] the PTH levels in the failure group were significantly
      higher (782.39 +/- 423.85) than in the successful group (378.83 +/- 352.21).
      CONCLUSIONS: The autogenous arteriovenous fistula surgery failure highly
      correlated with the patient's age, blood pressure, the primary disease and the
      vessel diameter. In addition, the PTH levels had a certain correlation with the
      failure of the fistula surgery.

PMID- 26481580
TI  - SA-VA Difference with Extended Utility--More to Consider.

PMID- 26481581
TI  - Revealing hidden depression in older people: a qualitative study within a
      randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of depressive symptoms in older people may be as high
      as 20 %. Depression in older people is associated with loss, loneliness and
      physical co-morbidities; it is known to be under-diagnosed and under-treated.
      Older people may find it difficult to speak to their GPs about low mood, and GPs
      may avoid identifying depression due to limited consultation time and referral
      options for older patients. METHODS: A nested qualitative study in a randomised
      controlled trial for older people with moderate to severe depression: the CASPER
      Plus Trial (Collaborative Care for Screen Positive Elders). We interviewed GPs,
      case managers (CM) and patient participants to explore perspectives and
      experiences of delivering and receiving a psychosocial intervention, developed
      specifically for older adults in primary care, within a collaborative care
      framework. Transcripts were analysed thematically using principles of constant
      comparison. RESULTS: Thirty three interviews were conducted and, across the three
      data-sets, four main themes were identified: revealing hidden depression,
      reducing the 'blind spots', opportunity to talk outside the primary care
      consultation and 'moving on' from depression. CONCLUSIONS: Depression in older
      people is commonly hidden, and may coexist with physical conditions that are
      prioritised by both patients and GPs. Being invited to participate in a trial
      about depression may allow older people to disclose their feelings, name the
      problem, and seek help. Offering older people an opportunity to talk outside the
      primary care consultation is valued by patients and GPs. A psychosocial
      intervention delivered by a case manager in the primary care setting may fill the
      gap in the care of older people with depression. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current
      Controlled Trials ISRCTN45842879 .

PMID- 26481582
TI  - The influence of storage and heat treatment on a magnesium-based implant
      material: an in vitro and in vivo study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Magnesium alloys are recommended as a potential material for
      osteosynthesis. It is known that storage-induced property modifications can occur
      in materials like aluminum. Thus the aim of this study was to analyze the
      influence of storage durations of up to 48 weeks on the biomechanical,
      structural, and degradation properties of the degradable magnesium alloy LAE442.
      METHODS: Extruded implants (n = 104; O 2.5 mm * 25 mm) were investigated after
      storage periods of 0, 12, 24, and 48 weeks in three different sub-studies: (I)
      immediately after the respective storage duration and after an additional (II) 56
      days of in vitro corrosion in simulated body fluid (SFB), and (III) 48 weeks in
      vivo corrosion in a rabbit model, respectively. In addition, the influence of a
      T5-heat treatment (206  degrees C for 15 h in an argon atmosphere) was tested (n
      = 26; 0 week of storage). Evaluation was performed by three-point bending,
      scanning electron microscopy, radiography, u-computed tomography, evaluation of
      the mean grain size, and contrast analysis of precipitations (such as aluminum or
      lithium). RESULTS: The heat treatment induced a significant reduction in initial
      stability, and enhanced the corrosion resistance. In vivo experiments showed a
      good biocompatibility for all implants. During the storage of up to 48 weeks, no
      significant changes occurred in the implant properties. CONCLUSIONS: LAE442
      implants can be safely used after up to 48 weeks of storage.

PMID- 26481583
TI  - Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Changes Cerebral Oxygenation on the
      Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Bulimia Nervosa: A Near-Infrared
      Spectroscopy Pilot Study.
AB  - Previous studies showed that food craving in eating disorders can be weakened
      with high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the
      left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The aims of this study were to
      assess cerebral oxygenation change induced with rTMS and to assess the short-term
      impact of rTMS on food craving and other bulimic symptoms in patients with
      bulimia nervosa (BN). Eight women diagnosed with BN according to Diagnostic and
      Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision criteria
      participated in this study. We measured haemoglobin concentration changes in the
      DLPFC with near-infrared spectroscopy during cognitive tasks measuring self
      regulatory control in response to food photo stimuli, both at baseline and after
      a single session of rTMS. Subjective ratings for food cravings demonstrated
      significant reduction. A significant decrease in cerebral oxygenation of the left
      DLPFC was also observed after a single session of rTMS. Measurement with NIRS
      after rTMS intervention may be applicable for discussing the mechanisms
      underlying rTMS modulation in patients with BN.

PMID- 26481586
TI  - Can Authoritarianism Lead to Greater Liking of Out-Groups? The Intriguing Case of
      Singapore.

PMID- 26481584
TI  - The utility of transposon mutagenesis for cancer studies in the era of genome
      editing.
AB  - The use of transposons as insertional mutagens to identify cancer genes in mice
      has generated a wealth of information over the past decade. Here, we discuss
      recent major advances in transposon-mediated insertional mutagenesis screens and
      compare this technology with other screening strategies. 

PMID- 26481587
TI  - New Route to Stabilize Ruthenium Nanoparticles with Non-Isolable Chiral N
      Heterocyclic Carbenes.
AB  - Ru nanoparticles (RuNPs) stabilized by non-isolable chiral N-heterocyclic
      carbenes (NHCs), namely SIDPhNp ((4S,5S)-1,3-di(naphthalen-1-yl)-4,5
      diphenylimidazolidine) and SIPhOH ((S)-3-((1S,2R)-2-hydroxy-1,2-diphenylethyl)-1
      ((R)-2-hydroxy-1,2-diphenylethyl)-4,5-dihydro-3H-imidazoline), have been
      synthesized through a new procedure that does not require isolation of the free
      carbenes. The obtained RuNPs have been characterized by state-of-the-art
      techniques and their surface chemistry has been investigated by FTIR and solid
      state MAS NMR upon the coordination of CO, which indicated the presence of free
      and reactive Ru sites. Their catalytic activity has been tested in various
      hydrogenation reactions involving competition between different sites, whereby
      interesting differences in selectivity were observed, but no enantioselectivity. 

PMID- 26481585
TI  - A case-control study of sporadic retinoblastoma in relation to maternal health
      conditions and reproductive factors: a report from the Children's Oncology group.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The early age at retinoblastoma occurrence, the most common eye
      malignancy in childhood, suggests that perinatal factors may contribute to its
      etiology. METHODS: In a large multicenter study of non-familial retinoblastoma,
      we conducted structured interviews with the parents of 280 cases and 146 controls
      to elicit information on health during the perinatal period. We used
      unconditional logistic regression to assess associations between retinoblastoma
      and parental fertility treatment, birth control use in the year prior to
      pregnancy, maternal health conditions and the use of prescription medications
      during pregnancy, and whether mothers breastfed the index child. RESULTS:
      Bilateral retinoblastoma was related to maternal underweight (body mass index
      <18.5) prior to pregnancy [Odds Ratio (OR) = 4.5, 95 % confidence interval (CI)
      1.0, 20]. With regards to unilateral retinoblastoma, we observed a negative
      association with the use of condoms in the year prior to pregnancy (OR = 0.4, CI
      0.2, 0.9), and a trend towards a positive association with maternal diabetes (OR
      = 2.2, CI 0.8, 6.6). CONCLUSIONS: Results from our study suggest a role for
      several maternal health and reproductive factors. Given that there are few
      epidemiologic studies of retinoblastoma, our results require replication in
      studies which utilize medical record review.

PMID- 26481588
TI  - Fine mapping of QTL and genomic prediction using allele-specific expression SNPs
      demonstrates that the complex trait of genetic resistance to Marek's disease is
      predominantly determined by transcriptional regulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Marek's disease (MD) is a lymphoproliferative disease of poultry
      induced by Marek's disease virus (MDV), a highly oncogenic alphaherpesvirus.
      Identifying the underlying genes conferring MD genetic resistance is desired for
      more efficacious control measures including genomic selection, which requires
      accurately identified genetic markers throughout the chicken genome. METHODS:
      Hypothesizing that variants located in transcriptional regulatory regions are the
      main mechanism underlying this complex trait, a genome-wide association study was
      conducted by genotyping a ~1,000 bird MD resource population derived from
      experimental inbred layers with SNPs containing 1,824 previously identified
      allele-specific expression (ASE) SNPs in response to MDV infection as well as
      3,097 random SNPs equally spaced throughout the chicken genome. Based on the
      calculated associations, genomic predictions were determined for 200 roosters and
      selected sires had their progeny tested for Marek's disease incidence. RESULTS:
      Our analyses indicate that these ASE SNPs account for more than 83 % of the
      genetic variance and exhibit nearly all the highest associations. To validate
      these findings, 200 roosters had their genetic merit predicted from the ASE SNPs
      only, and the top 30 and bottom 30 ranked roosters were reciprocally mated to
      random hens. The resulting progeny showed that after only one generation of
      bidirectional selection, there was a 22 % difference in MD incidence and this
      approach gave a 125 % increase in accuracy compared to current pedigree-based
      estimates. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that variation in transcriptional regulation
      is the major driving cause for genetic resistance to MD, and ASE SNPs identify
      the underlying genes and are sufficiently linked to the causative polymorphisms
      that they can be used for accurate genomic prediction as well as help define the
      underlying molecular basis. Furthermore, this approach should be applicable to
      other complex traits.

PMID- 26481589
TI  - Curvilinear shapes and the snake detection hypothesis: An ERP study.
AB  - Consistent with the snake detection hypothesis, previous ERP studies have
      established a larger early posterior negativity (EPN) in response to pictures
      depicting snakes than to pictures depicting other creatures. Here, we examined to
      what extent the curvilinear shape of the snake's body drives the larger EPN. To
      this end, we employed pictures of threatening and nonthreatening species with or
      without typical curvature. Participants watched a random rapid serial visual
      presentation of snake, worm, spider, and beetle pictures. The EPN was scored as
      the mean activity (225-300 ms after picture onset) at occipital and parieto
      occipital electrodes. Across electrodes, the EPN was significantly larger for
      snake pictures than for spider, worm, and beetle pictures, and for spider and
      worm pictures than for beetle pictures. The results suggest that curvilinear body
      shapes may partly drive the enhanced EPN. However, the unique cortical response
      to snakes is not fully explained by this mechanism, and is most probably also
      determined by other threat-relevant cues. 

PMID- 26481590
TI  - Aconitum Alkaloid Poisoning Because of Contamination of Herbs by Aconite Roots.
AB  - Aconitum alkaloid poisoning can occur after drinking decoction and soup made from
      non-toxic herbs contaminated by aconite roots. In the present review, the main
      objective is to describe the clinical features, investigations and possible
      sources of contamination. A combination of neurological, gastrointestinal and
      cardiovascular signs and symptoms was seen. Ventricular tachyarrhythmias could
      occur in 18% of subjects. Yunaconitine and crassicauline A, mainly found in
      certain aconite roots from Southwest China, are most commonly involved. Herbal
      residues and unused herbs should first be inspected for gross contamination. On
      site inspection at the retailer should exclude accidental mix-up or cross
      contamination when handling aconite roots. Samples of prescribed herbs are
      examined for gross contamination and analysed for the presence of Aconitum
      alkaloids. Samples of the implicated herb are also collected from the wholesaler
      for investigation. If post-import contamination is unlikely, the regulatory
      authorities of the exporting countries should be notified for follow-up actions.
      It is a challenging task to work out how non-toxic herbs become contaminated by
      aconite roots. The source control with good agricultural and collection practices
      and quality assurance must be enhanced.

PMID- 26481591
TI  - One-year results of the ICON (Ionic versus non-ionic Contrast to Obviate
      worsening Nephropathy after angioplasty in chronic renal failure patients) Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-term clinical outcomes after exposure to non-ionic iso-osmolar
      contrast medium (IOCM) or ionic low-osmolar CM (LOCM) in patients with chronic
      kidney disease (CKD) undergoing coronary angiography are unclear. METHODS: The
      ICON trial was a prospective, double-blinded, multicentre study that randomly
      assigned 146 patients with CKD undergoing coronary angiography with or without
      percutaneous coronary intervention to the non-ionic IOCM Iodixanol or the ionic
      LOCM Ioxaglate. We report the 1-year clinical outcomes. RESULTS: After
      randomization, baseline and procedural characteristics were well-matched between
      the two groups. At 1 year, three deaths (4.1%) occurred in the ioxaglate and nine
      deaths in the iodixanol group (13.6%, P = 0.07). The cardiac death rate at 1 year
      was 2.7% in the ioxaglate group and 9.1% in the iodixanol group (P = 0.07). There
      were no significant differences in the rates of myocardial infarction (1.4% vs.
      1.5%; P = 1.00) and repeated revascularization (6.8% vs. 9.1%; P = 0.75).
      CONCLUSIONS: The use of ionic LOCM ioxaglate was associated with a numerically
      lower mortality at 1 year as compared to iodixanol in patients who underwent
      cardiac catheterization. Future studies evaluating long-term safety following
      exposure to different types of CM are warranted.

PMID- 26481592
TI  - Periodontal tissue regeneration with PRP incorporated gelatin hydrogel sponges.
AB  - Gelatin hydrogels have been designed and prepared for the controlled release of
      the transforming growth factor (TGF-b1) and the platelet-derived growth factor
      (PDGF-BB). PRP (Platelet rich plasma) contains many growth factors including the
      PDGF and TGF-b1. The objective of this study was to evaluate the regeneration of
      periodontal tissue following the controlled release of growth factors in PRP. For
      the periodontal ligament cells and osteoblast, PRP of different concentrations
      was added. The assessment of DNA, mitochondrial activity and ALP activity were
      measured. To evaluate the TGF-beta1 release from PRP incorporated gelatin sponge,
      amounts of TGF-beta1 in each supernatant sample were determined by the ELISA.
      Transplantation experiments to prepare a bone defect in a rat alveolar bone were
      an implanted gelatin sponge incorporated with different concentration PRP. In DNA
      assay and MTT assay, after the addition of PRP to the periodontal ligament cells
      and osteoblast, the cell count and mitochondrial activity had increased the most
      in the group with the addition of 5  *  PRP. In the ALP assay, after the addition
      of PRP to the periodontal ligament cells, the cell activity had increased the
      most in the group with the addition of 3  *  PRP. In the transplantation, the
      size of the bone regenerated in the defect with 3  *  PRP incorporated gelatin
      sponge was larger than that of the other group. 

PMID- 26481593
TI  - TROP-2 expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma: Potential Diagnostic Utility.
AB  - TROP-2 is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein which is over-expressed in various
      malignancies, and is related to epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), also
      called TROP-1, gp40, and KSA. In this study, we evaluated TROP-2 expression in
      papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and compared it to other thyroid neoplastic and
      non-neoplastic lesions. Immunohistochemical (IHC) evaluation for TROP-2 was
      performed on 137 thyroid fine needle aspiration (FNA) cell blocks (CB) which
      included classic PTC (64), follicular variant PTC (FVPTC) (10), anaplastic
      thyroid carcinoma (AC) (2), medullary carcinoma (MC) (8), follicular neoplasms
      (FN) (8), Hurthle cell neoplasms (HCN) (9), follicular lesion of uncertain
      significance (FLUS) (12), and benign thyroid nodule (BTN) (24). IHC for TROP-2
      expression was also performed on 331 BTN and malignant tumor tissue sections in
      tissue microarray (TMA). Membranous staining in >5% of tumor cells was considered
      positive. TROP-2 stained 61 of 64 PTC CB, 7 of 10 FVPTC CB, and 9 of 12 FLUS CB.
      All other cases were negative for TROP-2. TROP-2 showed a sensitivity of 95.31%
      and specificity of 89% for classic PTC in FNA CB. In TMA samples, TROP-2 stained
      54 of 60 classic PTC cases and hence showed a high sensitivity and specificity.
      All BTN in CB and TMA were negative. We conclude that TROP-2 is a highly
      sensitive and specific IHC marker for identifying classic PTC. TROP-2 may play an
      important role in diagnosing classic PTC, especially in equivocal cases. This
      study also identifies a strong role for TROP-2 in separating PTC from BTN.

PMID- 26481595
TI  - Malleable (Semi-Rigid) Penile Prosthesis (MPP).

PMID- 26481596
TI  - Why We Should Stop Confusing Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder with Low Sexual
      Desire/Interest Syndrome.

PMID- 26481597
TI  - Prenatal Hypoxia Ischemia Increases Male Rat Sexual Behavior.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Research consistently indicates an association between prenatal
      hypoxia-ischemia (HI) and mortality and chronic neurological diseases in
      newborns. HI can cause permanent effects, including mental retardation, motor
      impairment, learning disabilities, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy. Moreover, little
      is known about the relationship between HI and sexual behavior. AIMS: The aims of
      this study are to examine whether HI is associated with changes in sexual
      behavior. METHODS: HI was induced by clamping the uterine arteries of pregnant
      rats. The arteries were clamped for 45 minutes on the 18th day of gestation (HI
      group). Shams received laparotomy and anesthesia only. Pups were born at term. At
      90 days of age, sexual behavior was evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed
      using two-way analysis of variance and post hoc Bonferonni correction. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measures of sexual response were standard
      sexual behavior, homosexual behavior, and sexual attempt on nonreceptive females.
      RESULTS: The stimulatory effect of HI on male rat sexual behavior has been shown
      in various experimental models; these animals showed reduced mount, intromission
      and ejaculation latencies; increased copulatory efficiency; and homosexual
      mounting. Additionally, there was an increase in fighting in trying to mount an
      unreceptive female. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that HI had a long-term
      effect on sexual behavior despite exhibiting motor skill impairment. Accordingly,
      injuries during the fetal period may cause behavioral problems in adulthood.

PMID- 26481598
TI  - Bias in Evaluating Erectile Function in Lifelong Premature Ejaculation Patients
      with the International Index of Erectile Function-5.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE) is the most important
      ejaculating dysfunction. Relatively little is known about erectile function in
      this population. AIMS: We attempted to evaluate the erectile function of patients
      with LPE using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) to
      determine if it is sufficiently reliable and accurate to make such an assessment.
      METHODS: A total of 406 patients with LPE were enrolled in our study. The
      participants voluntarily answered the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool
      (PEDT) and IIEF-5 questionnaires and underwent a full history evaluation and
      clinical examination by doctors. Their answers were converted into data analyzed
      by a statistic software. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The patients were diagnosed with
      LPE based on the diagnostic criteria and PEDT scores. The intravaginal
      ejaculation latency time was recorded according to patient self-reports. The IIEF
      5 was used to evaluate their erectile function. Thorough history and clinical
      examination helped doctors make more correct diagnoses of erectile dysfunction
      (ED). RESULTS: Of the 406 patients, 70 (17.24%) patients had ED, as confirmed by
      doctors. IIEF-5 was accurate for the assessment of the erectile function of LPE
      patients when the cutoff was decreased to 15.5. Question 5 (1.34 +/- 0.53) was
      the main reason for the drop in the total IIEF-5 score. Questions 1 and 5 shared
      low consistency with the other three IIEF-5 items, thus they lowered the
      reliability of the IIEF-5 scores. These questions created a confounding bias that
      decreased the diagnostic threshold of IIEF-5. However, they could not be removed
      from the IIEF-5 because they did not reduce its diagnostic accuracy in patients
      with LPE. CONCLUSIONS: Bias from questions 1 and 5 lowered the reliability of the
      IIEF-5 scores; however, it did not reduce the diagnostic accuracy of the IIEF-5.
      The recommendation is to edit questions 1 and 5 when they are applied to
      populations with LPE.

PMID- 26481599
TI  - Editorial Comment on "Bias in Evaluating Erectile Function in Lifelong Premature
      Ejaculation Patients with the International Index of Erectile Function-5":
      Failure to Generalize Does Not Equal Instrument Bias.

PMID- 26481600
TI  - Vaginoplasty in Male-to-Female Transsexual Surgery: A Training Concept
      Incorporating Dissection Room Experience to Optimize Functional and Cosmetic
      Results.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Learning a new technique, even for an established surgeon, requires
      a learning curve; however, in transsexual surgery especially, there is a lack of
      professional and public tolerance for suboptimal aesthetic and functional results
      due to a learning curve. AIMS: In this context, we have tried to build a learning
      concept for vaginoplasty that includes four steps: (i) formal identification of
      the surgical steps in order to provide both measure of surgical process and
      measures of outcomes; (ii) training on cadavers with expert assistance; (iii)
      performing the live surgery with assistance from expert; and (iv) performing the
      surgery alone. Herein, we emphasize the second step of our learning concept.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between September 2013 and December 2013, 15 cadavers were
      operated on by an established surgeon learning vaginoplasty under assistance from
      two expert practitioners. Mean global time and mean time necessary to perform
      each step of the operation were recorded by the experts. Intraoperative
      complications were systematically registered. The final depth and diameter of the
      neaovaginal cavity were precisely measured. For each cadaver, the aesthetic
      results were assessed by one of the experts. RESULTS: Mean total operating time
      was 179 +/- 34 minutes and decreased from 262 minutes for the first training
      attempt to 141 minutes for the last one. Intraoperative expert correction
      included modification of the scrotal triangular flap design and change of
      position of the urethra: This happened during the first training. No lesion of
      the urethra or of the anus occurred. The two experts judged the outcomes as
      excellent in seven cases, very good in four cases, good in two cases, and fair in
      two cases. CONCLUSION: Despite the numerous reports on vaginoplasty in the
      literature, there is a real lack of published information on the learning curve
      of this operation. We make the hypothesis that introducing a learning concept
      with assistance from expert practitioners at the beginning of the surgeon's
      experience can optimize both the duration of his learning curve and reduce the
      risk of major complications.

PMID- 26481601
TI  - Re: What is a Good Looking Penis? How Women Rate the Penile Appearance of Men
      with Surgically Corrected Hypospadias, J Sex Med 2015;12:1737-457.

PMID- 26481602
TI  - Response and Rebuttal to the Letter to the Editor "Re: What is a Good Looking
      Penis? How Women Rate the Penile Appearance of Men with Surgically Corrected
      Hypospadias".

PMID- 26481603
TI  - Electric Double-Layer Effects Induce Separation of Aqueous Metal Ions.
AB  - Metal ion separation is crucial to environmental decontamination, chromatography,
      and metal recovery and recycling. Theoretical studies have suggested that the ion
      distributions in the electric double-layer (EDL) region depend on the nature of
      the ions and the characteristics of the charged electrode surface. We believe
      that rational design of the electrode material and device structure will enable
      EDL-based devices to be utilized in the separation of aqueous metal ions. On the
      basis of this concept, we fabricate an EDL separation (EDLS) device based on
      sandwich-structured N-functionalized graphene sheets (CN-GS) for selective
      separation of aqueous toxic heavy metal ions. We demonstrate that the EDLS
      enables randomly distributed soluble ions to form a coordination-driven layer and
      electrostatic-driven layer in the interfacial region of the CN-GS/solution.
      Through tuning the surface potential of the CN-GS, the effective separation of
      heavy metal ions (coordination-driven layer) from alkali or alkaline earth metal
      ions (electrostatic-driven layer) can be achieved. 

PMID- 26481604
TI  - Ultrafast electronic state conversion at room temperature utilizing hidden state
      in cuprate ladder system.
AB  - Photo-control of material properties on femto- (10(-15)) and pico- (10(-12))
      second timescales at room temperature has been a long-sought goal of materials
      science. Here we demonstrate a unique ultrafast conversion between the metallic
      and insulating state and the emergence of a hidden insulating state by tuning the
      carrier coherence in a wide temperature range in the two-leg ladder
      superconductor Sr(14-x)Ca(x)Cu24O41 through femtosecond time-resolved reflection
      spectroscopy. We also propose a theoretical scenario that can explain the
      experimental results. The calculations indicate that the holes injected by the
      ultrashort light reduce the coherence among the inherent hole pairs and result in
      suppression of conductivity, which is opposite to the conventional photocarrier
      doping mechanism. By using trains of ultrashort laser pulses, we successively
      tune the carrier coherence to within 1 picosecond. Control of hole-pair coherence
      is shown to be a realistic strategy for tuning the electronic state on ultrafast
      timescales at room temperature.

PMID- 26481605
TI  - Characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine use in patients with rheumatoid
      arthritis in Taiwan: A nationwide population-based study.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Large-scale study of traditional Chinese medicine
      (TCM) usage among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is lacking. The aim of
      this study is to evaluate the TCM usage among RA patients in Taiwan. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We examined the "registry for catastrophic illness patient dataset"
      of the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD; n=23 million people)
      in Taiwan. Patients (n=25,263) newly diagnosed as RA in 2001-2009 were included
      and then followed-up until the end of 2011. Based on the medical utilization,
      they were further categorized into TCM users (n= 6891; 27.3%) and non-TCM users
      (n=18,372; 72.7%). The demographic data and core prescription patterns of the TCM
      users were analyzed. RESULTS: Compared to non-TCM user, TCM users were younger
      (mean age: 49.6 versus 54.0 years), had a higher female/male ratio (82.7%/17.3%
      versus 74.1%/25.9%), resided in more urbanized area. Herbal remedies were the
      most commonly used therapeutic approach (76.4%), followed by combining
      acupuncture (21.1%). The frequency of outpatient visits in TCM users was higher
      across all disease categories except circulatory system. The most commonly
      prescribed formula and herb was Shang-Jong-Shiah-Tong-Yong-Tong-Feng-Wan and
      Rhizoma Corydalis, respectively. The analysis of core pattern revealed that Dang
      Gui-Nian-Tong-Tang, Shu-Jing-Huo-Xie-Tang, Gui-Zhi-Shao-Yao-Zhi-Mu-Tang, Myrrha
      and Olibanum, were among the most frequently used combinations. RA patients who
      had anxiety and depression, allergic rhinitis, osteoporosis, menstrual disorder,
      and menopausal syndrome were prone to have more TCM visits compared to non-TCM
      users. CONCLUSIONS: Our population-based study revealed the high prevalence and
      specific usage patterns of TCM in the RA patients in Taiwan. The information
      could be used for further pharmacological investigation and clinical trials.

PMID- 26481606
TI  - The protective effects of Ribes diacanthum Pall on cisplatin-induced
      nephrotoxicity in mice.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ribes diacanthum Pall. (Saxifragaceae), a
      Mongolian folk medicinal plant, was used to treat urinary system diseases. The
      present work aims to investigate the protective effects of Ribes diacanthum Pall
      (RDP) against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. METHODS: The renal injury was
      modeled by intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin for 5 consecutive days (5
      mg/kg). Nephroprotection of RDP was investigated by oral administration of RDP
      aqueous extract at a daily dose of 40 mg/kg for 14 consecutive days, starting 7
      days prior to cisplatin administration. RESULTS: We demonstrated that
      pretreatment with RDP aqueous extract protected the mice from death induced by
      cisplatin administration. RDP treatment also significantly reduced blood urea
      nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Cr) levels observed in cisplatin
      administrated mice. Histopathological analysis demonstrated that RDP
      administration protected cisplatin-induced renal tubular cell apoptosis. Further
      western blotting analysis revealed that RDP significantly reversed cisplatin
      increased expression levels of cleaved-Caspase-3, Bax and cisplatin-decreased
      expression level of Bcl-2 in renal tissue. Finally, RDP markedly enhanced enzyme
      activities of reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD), Heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and
      catalase (CAT), suppressed lipid peroxidation as well as reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) production. CONCLUSION: We concluded that RDP displayed nephroprotective
      effects against cisplatin-induced renal tubular cell apoptosis, possibly
      associated with both enhanced antioxidase activity and suppressed ROS generation.
      Given the major nephrotoxicity of cisplatin cancer chemotherapy, RDP might be a
      potential candidate for neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

PMID- 26481608
TI  - Annickia affinis and A. chlorantha (Enantia chlorantha)--A review of two closely
      related medicinal plants from tropical Africa.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Annickia affinis (Exell) Versteegh & Sosef,
      closely related to A. chlorantha Setten & P.J.Maas (both species also referred to
      as Enantia chlorantha Oliv.), from the Annonaceae family, are multi-purpose
      medicinal plants used widely across tropical Africa. The two Annickia species are
      morphologically distinct from each other and have different distribution
      patterns, but are frequently confused. Furthermore, the name Enantia chlorantha
      is an illegitimate name, but is still used today. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A review
      of the literature was undertaken and an in-depth analysis of previous research
      and future prospectives are considered. While a myriad of publications cite the
      species "Enantia chlorantha", this is not the case for A. affinis and A.
      chlorantha, and no reviews are available for any of the species to date.
      Consequently, a summary of their ethnobotany, phytochemistry and biological
      properties is presented here (for the period 1933 - November 2014) in order to
      substantiate their traditional importance as medicines for rural people in
      Africa. RESULTS: To this effect, these species seem to be the preferred
      traditional treatments for malaria in tropical Africa, an area suffering heavily
      under the malaria pandemic. Their chemical composition is dominated particularly
      by various isoquinoline alkaloids, as well as by acetogenins and sesquiterpenes,
      which have been isolated from the bark and leaves. All three of these classes of
      compounds have been reported to exhibit noteworthy biological activity.
      CONCLUSIONS: Due to their widespread use, especially of the bark, these species
      have already been categorized as threatened with extinction. Consequently this
      study further aims to identify areas where more research needs to be conducted
      involving these important species, and also to suggest possible means of
      increasing the biological activities of their extracts as a way to conserve the
      species.

PMID- 26481607
TI  - Medicinal and local food plants in the south of Alava (Basque Country, Spain).
AB  - ETHNOBOTANICAL RELEVANCE: Medicinal and food plants in the Basque Country are an
      integral part of a fast changing culture. With a distinct tradition and language,
      this region of Europe provides an important example demonstrating the changing
      role of local and traditional knowledge in industrial countries. As other
      Mediterranean regions it preserves a rich heritage of using plants as medicine
      and food, offering a unique opportunity for studying the medicine food interface
      in an ethnopharmacological context. Therefore, the key goal of this study has
      been to contribute to an understanding of local and traditional plant usage, to
      evaluate their uses as food and medicine as well as to critically assess the role
      of these plants in the south of the Basque Country contributing to an
      understanding of how foods and medicines are used. METHODS: A mixed methods
      approach, including participant observation; open and semi structured interviews
      was used. Ethnobotanical field work included 183 people, ages ranged from 24 to
      98 years old with a majority being between 70 and 80 years old (mean age 71) from
      31 towns of three different regions. The basic interview was a one-to-one
      meeting, which often included field walking and collection of samples as directed
      by the informants. 700 voucher specimens (most of them with duplicates) were
      collected for the data obtained. Using SPSS version 20 the gathered information
      was processed and the replies of the different informants were subsequently
      organised in variables like medicine and food plants, part of the plants used,
      forms of preparations, zones preferred for collecting these plants. The data were
      analysed based on the frequency of records. This type of approach allows us to
      understand the way the informant's categorize the species, and how these
      categories are distributed along the sample. In order to analyse the data three
      main categories of use were distinguished: Medicine (M), Food (F) and an
      intermediate Health-Food (H-F). The three categories were divided in 27
      subcategories (common uses). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The informants recognise and
      use a total of 184 species from 49 families. During interviews, 5658 individual
      use-reports were collected relating to three use-categories - as medicines, food
      and health-food. The two main groups with almost the same number of species each
      are health-food (75 species) and (locally gathered) food only (73), with
      medicinal uses only (36) being the smallest group. This highlights the important
      overlap between food and medicines. Overall, three core families were identified
      (based on the number of use reports and in the number of species): Asteraceae (25
      species), Lamiaceae and Rosaceae (24 each). The most frequently reported species
      are Jasonia glutinosa, Chamaemelum nobile, Prunus spinosa and Quercus ilex subsp.
      ballota. The most important general use-subcategories are as raw vegetables
      (27.43% of the use-reports and including 81 species), infusions (14.74%/42) and
      gastrointestinal (12.53%/42). Conceptually foods and medicines are clearly
      distinguished but the intermediate group of health foods is more ambiguous.
      CONCLUSION: Food and medicinal uses of plants are culturally closely linked. A
      wide range of plants are known and many still used. The analysis shows that the
      Basques use a wide range of species which are typical for Western European
      cultures. In comparison to other studies in the Mediterranean countries there are
      many similarities in the uses of different families, species of plants and their
      use and preparations. Some of these plants are key Mediterranean species, often
      used for a multitude of uses as food and medicine.

PMID- 26481609
TI  - Metal-carbonyl organometallic polymers, PFpP, as resists for high-resolution
      positive and negative electron beam lithography.
AB  - Metal-containing resists for electron beam lithography (EBL) are attracting
      attention owing to their high dry etching resistance and possibility for directly
      patterning metal-containing nanostructures. The newly developed organometallic
      metal carbonyl polymers, PFpP, can function as EBL resists with strong etching
      resistance. One significant feature of the PFpP resist is its high resolution.
      Line arrays with line-widths as narrow as 17 nm have been created. The resist can
      also be used in positive tone. 

PMID- 26481610
TI  - Arcobacter butzleri isolates exhibit pathogenic potential in intestinal
      epithelial cell models.
AB  - AIMS: The pathogenic potential of Arcobacter butzleri isolates on human (HT
      29/B6) and porcine epithelial (IPEC-J2) cells was investigated by in vitro
      assays. METHODS AND RESULTS: Five of six A. butzleri isolates were able to adhere
      and invade HT-29/B6 cells while only four isolates adhered and two invaded IPEC
      J2 cells. Two non- or poorly invasive A. butzleri isolates were highly cytotoxic
      to differentiated HT-29/B6 cells but none to IPEC-J2 cells as determined by WST
      assays. Epithelial integrity of cell monolayers, monitored by measurement of the
      transepithelial electrical resistance (TER), was decreased by all A. butzleri
      isolates in HT-29/B6 and IPEC-J2 cells to 30-15% and 90-50% respectively.
      CONCLUSION: The A. butzleri strain-specific pathomechanisms observed with the
      human colon cell line HT-29/B6, like adhesion, invasion and cytotoxicity might
      all contribute to epithelial barrier dysfunction, which could explain a leak-flux
      type of diarrhoea in humans. In contrast, porcine cells seem to be less
      susceptible to A. butzleri. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Arcobacter
      butzleri has enteric pathogenic potential, characterized by defined interactions
      with human epithelial cells and strain-specific pathomechanisms.

PMID- 26481613
TI  - Contribution of myosin II activity to cell spreading dynamics.
AB  - Myosin II activity and actin polymerization at the leading edge of the cell are
      known to be essential sources of cellular stress. However, a quantitative account
      of their separate contributions is still lacking; so is the influence of the
      coupling between the two phenomena on cell spreading dynamics. We present a
      simple analytic elastic theory of cell spreading dynamics that quantitatively
      demonstrates how actin polymerization and myosin activity cooperate in the
      generation of cellular stress during spreading. Consistent with experiments,
      myosin activity is assumed to polarize in response to the stresses generated
      during spreading. The characteristic response time and the overall spreading time
      are predicted to determine different evolution profiles of cell spreading
      dynamics. These include, a (regular) monotonic increase of cell projected area
      with time, a non-monotonic (overshooting) profile with a maximum, and damped
      oscillatory modes. In addition, two populations of myosin II motors are
      distinguished based on their location in the lamella; those located above the
      major adhesion zone at the cell periphery are shown to facilitate spreading
      whereas those in deeper regions of the lamella are shown to oppose spreading. We
      demonstrate that the attenuation of myosin activity in the two regions may result
      in reciprocal effects on spreading. These findings provide important new insight
      into the function of myosin II motors in the course of spreading. 

PMID- 26481612
TI  - The immune system in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: Friend or foe.
AB  - Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disease caused by mutations in the
      X-linked dystrophin gene, resulting in reduced or absent protein production,
      subsequently leading to the structural instability of the dystroglycan complex
      (DGC), muscle degeneration, and early death in males. Thus, current treatments
      have been targeting the genetic defect either by bypassing the mutation through
      exon skipping or replacing the defective gene through gene therapy and stem cell
      approaches. However, what has been an underappreciated mediator of muscle
      pathology and, ultimately, of muscle degeneration and fibrotic replacement, is
      the prominent inflammatory response. Of potentially critical importance, however,
      is the fact that the elements mediating the inflammatory response also play an
      essential role in tissue repair. In this opinion piece, we highlight the
      detrimental and supportive immune parameters that occur as a consequence of the
      genetic disorder and discuss how changes to immunity can potentially ameliorate
      the disease intensity and be employed in conjunction with efforts to correct the
      genetic disorder. 

PMID- 26481611
TI  - Neutralizing antibodies against West Nile virus identified directly from human B
      cells by single-cell analysis and next generation sequencing.
AB  - West Nile virus (WNV) infection is an emerging mosquito-borne disease that can
      lead to severe neurological illness and currently has no available treatment or
      vaccine. Using microengraving, an integrated single-cell analysis method, we
      analyzed a cohort of subjects infected with WNV - recently infected and post
      convalescent subjects - and efficiently identified four novel WNV neutralizing
      antibodies. We also assessed the humoral response to WNV on a single-cell and
      repertoire level by integrating next generation sequencing (NGS) into our
      analysis. The results from single-cell analysis indicate persistence of WNV
      specific memory B cells and antibody-secreting cells in post-convalescent
      subjects. These cells exhibited class-switched antibody isotypes. Furthermore,
      the results suggest that the antibody response itself does not predict the
      clinical severity of the disease (asymptomatic or symptomatic). Using the
      nucleotide coding sequences for WNV-specific antibodies derived from single
      cells, we revealed the ontogeny of expanded WNV-specific clones in the
      repertoires of recently infected subjects through NGS and bioinformatic analysis.
      This analysis also indicated that the humoral response to WNV did not depend on
      an anamnestic response, due to an unlikely previous exposure to the virus. The
      innovative and integrative approach presented here to analyze the evolution of
      neutralizing antibodies from natural infection on a single-cell and repertoire
      level can also be applied to vaccine studies, and could potentially aid the
      development of therapeutic antibodies and our basic understanding of other
      infectious diseases. 

PMID- 26481614
TI  - Association study of functional polymorphisms in interleukins and interleukin
      receptors genes: IL1A, IL1B, IL1RN, IL6, IL6R, IL10, IL10RA and TGFB1 in
      schizophrenia in Polish population.
AB  - Schizophrenia has been associated with a large range of autoimmune diseases, with
      a history of any autoimmune disease being associated with a 45% increase in risk
      for the illness. The inflammatory system may trigger or modulate the course of
      schizophrenia through complex mechanisms influencing neurodevelopment,
      neuroplasticity and neurotransmission. In particular, increases or imbalance in
      cytokine before birth or during the early stages of life may affect
      neurodevelopment and produce vulnerability to the disease. A total of 27
      polymorphisms of IL1N gene: rs1800587, rs17561; IL1B gene: rs1143634, rs1143643,
      rs16944, rs4848306, rs1143623, rs1143633, rs1143627; IL1RN gene: rs419598,
      rs315952, rs9005, rs4251961; IL6 gene: rs1800795, rs1800797; IL6R gene:
      rs4537545, rs4845617, rs2228145, IL10 gene: rs1800896, rs1800871, rs1800872,
      rs1800890, rs6676671; IL10RA gene: rs2229113, rs3135932; TGF1B gene: rs1800469,
      rs1800470; each selected on the basis of molecular evidence for functionality,
      were investigated in this study. Analysis was performed on a group of 621
      patients with diagnosis of schizophrenia and 531 healthy controls in Polish
      population. An association of rs4848306 in IL1B gene, rs4251961 in IL1RN gene,
      rs2228145 and rs4537545 in IL6R with schizophrenia have been observed. rs6676671
      in IL10 was associated with early age of onset. Strong linkage disequilibrium was
      observed between analyzed polymorphisms in each gene, except of IL10RA. We
      observed that haplotypes composed of rs4537545 and rs2228145 in IL6R gene were
      associated with schizophrenia. Analyses with family history of schizophrenia,
      other psychiatric disorders and alcohol abuse/dependence did not show any
      positive findings. Further studies on larger groups along with correlation with
      circulating protein levels are needed.

PMID- 26481616
TI  - Survival analysis of the use of first and second generation antipsychotics among
      patients suffering schizophrenia: A nationwide population-based cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies have investigated the relationship between the use of
      different generations of antipsychotics and mortality with contradictory results.
      The aim of this study is to compare mortality among patients suffering
      schizophrenia taking different generations of antipsychotics in a nationwide
      population-based cohort study in Taiwan. METHODS: A total of 812 patients
      suffering newly diagnosed schizophrenia under monotherapy of second generation
      antipsychotics (SGAs) comprised the group of cases. The matched controls were
      under monotherapy of first generation antipsychotics (FGAs). Each case was
      matched individually with their initial antipsychotics prescription calendar year
      and month, gender, and age. Cox regression analyses were applied to estimate
      survival time, adjusting for gender, age, residence, insurance premium, Charlson
      comorbidity index, hospital admission days, and hospital admission times. An
      analysis including the number of antipsychotic prescriptions, a proxy indicator
      of adherence, into the fully adjusted model to reveal the effect of adherence on
      survival of patients served as a sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Subjects
      receiving SGAs had lower admission times and inpatient days, more antipsychotic
      prescriptions, and longer follow-up time than FGAs. Compared with the FGAs group,
      the adjusted hazard ratio of mortality was 0.58 (95% confidence interval =0.34
      0.96, p=.034) for SGAs group. After controlling for the number of antipsychotic
      prescriptions, the difference in mortality between antipsychotic generations was
      non-significant. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that SGAs were
      better than FGAs in mortality among patients suffering schizophrenia. The
      difference in mortality can be explained by the better medication adherence of
      SGAs.

PMID- 26481615
TI  - Pursuit eye movements as an intermediate phenotype across psychotic disorders:
      Evidence from the B-SNIP study.
AB  - Smooth pursuit eye tracking deficits are a promising intermediate phenotype for
      schizophrenia and possibly for psychotic disorders more broadly. The Bipolar
      Schizophrenia Network on Intermediate Phenotypes (B-SNIP) consortium investigated
      the severity and familiality of different pursuit parameters across psychotic
      disorders. Probands with schizophrenia (N=265), schizoaffective disorder (N=178),
      psychotic bipolar disorder (N=231), their first-degree relatives (N=306, N=217,
      N=273, respectively) and healthy controls (N=305) performed pursuit tracking
      tasks designed to evaluate sensorimotor and cognitive/predictive aspects of
      pursuit. Probands from all diagnostic groups were impaired on all pursuit
      measures of interest compared to controls (p<0.001). Schizophrenia probands were
      more impaired than other proband groups on both early pursuit gain and predictive
      gain. Relatives with and without enhanced psychosis spectrum personality traits
      were impaired on initial eye acceleration, the most direct sensorimotor pursuit
      measure, but not on pursuit gain measures. This suggests that alterations in
      early sensorimotor function may track susceptibility to psychosis even in the
      absence of psychosis related personality traits. There were no differences in
      pursuit measures between relatives of the three proband groups. Familiality
      estimates of pursuit deficits indicate that early pursuit gain was more familial
      than predictive gain, which has been the most widely used measure in previous
      family studies of psychotic disorders. Thus, while disease-related factors may
      induce significant impairments of pursuit gain, especially in schizophrenia, the
      pattern of deficits in relatives and their familiality estimates suggest that
      alterations in sensorimotor function at pursuit onset may indicate increased
      susceptibility across psychotic disorders. 

PMID- 26481617
TI  - Development of a new measure for assessing insight: Psychometric properties of
      the insight orientation scale (IOS).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Given the centrality of insight in promoting change, the relevance
      of measures for assessing this construct has become increasingly clear. This
      paper describes a new self-report measure for assessing some of the
      characteristics of insight, the insight orientation scale (IOS). AIMS: In study
      1, we evaluated the factor structure and the reliability of the scale. In study
      2, we analyzed the concurrent and discriminant validity of the scale in patients
      with different clinical diagnoses. METHODS: In study 1 participants were 600
      individuals (41.1% male, 58.9% female) with a mean age of 33.95 years (SD =
      13.04). In study 2 participants were 136 individuals divided into the following
      groups: 1) schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders (n = 26); 2)
      substance-related disorders (n = 55); 3) depressive disorders (n = 27); and 4)
      personality disorders (n = 28). INSTRUMENTS: Instruments are the insight
      orientation scale (IOS) and the Beck cognitive insight scale. RESULTS: The
      goodness-of-fit indices showed a satisfactory fit of a one factor model. We found
      also a good internal consistency (alpha = .77). CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      support the dimensionality of the IOS and suggest that it may be useful as an
      assessment tool for use in guiding psychotherapy.

PMID- 26481618
TI  - Regulation of cellulase expression, sporulation, and morphogenesis by velvet
      family proteins in Trichoderma reesei.
AB  - Homologs of the velvet protein family are encoded by the ve1, vel2, and vel3
      genes in Trichoderma reesei. To test their regulatory functions, the velvet
      protein-coding genes were disrupted, generating Deltave1, Deltavel2, and
      Deltavel3 strains. The phenotypic features of these strains were examined to
      identify their functions in morphogenesis, sporulation, and cellulase expression.
      The three velvet-deficient strains produced more hyphal branches, indicating that
      velvet family proteins participate in the morphogenesis in T. reesei. Deletion of
      ve1 and vel3 did not affect biomass accumulation, while deletion of vel2 led to a
      significantly hampered growth when cellulose was used as the sole carbon source
      in the medium. The deletion of either ve1 or vel2 led to the sharp decrease of
      sporulation as well as a global downregulation of cellulase-coding genes. In
      contrast, although the expression of cellulase-coding genes of the ?vel3 strain
      was downregulated in the dark, their expression in light condition was
      unaffected. Sporulation was hampered in the ?vel3 strain. These results suggest
      that Ve1 and Vel2 play major roles, whereas Vel3 plays a minor role in
      sporulation, morphogenesis, and cellulase expression.

PMID- 26481619
TI  - Identification of catalytically important residues of the carotenoid 1,2
      hydratases from Rubrivivax gelatinosus and Thiocapsa roseopersicina.
AB  - Carotenoid 1,2-hydratases (CrtC) catalyze the selective addition of water to an
      isolated carbon-carbon double bond. Although their involvement in the carotenoid
      biosynthetic pathway is well understood, little is known about the mechanism by
      which these hydratases transform carotenoids such as lycopene into the
      corresponding hydroxyl compounds. Key residues were identified at positions
      His239, Trp241, Tyr266, and Asp268 in CrtC from Rubrivivax gelatinosus (and
      corresponding positions in Thiocapsa roseopersicina). Alanine mutants at these
      positions were found to be completely inactive, suggesting their direct
      involvement in the catalytic reaction. Our resulting mechanistic hypothesis is in
      analogy with the recently studied class of terpenoid cyclase enzymes containing a
      highly acidic aspartic residue in their active site. We propose that a similar
      aspartic acid residue, which is conserved through all putative CrtCs, is involved
      in initial protonation of the double bond in lycopene.

PMID- 26481620
TI  - Antifungal activities of three different Lactobacillus species  and their
      production of antifungal carboxylic acids in wheat  sourdough.
AB  - This study was undertaken to assess the antifungal performance of three different
      Lactobacillus species.Experiments were conducted in vitro and in situ to extend
      the shelf life of wheat bread. Standard sourdough analyses were performed
      characterising acidity and carbohydrate levels. Overall, the strains showed good
      inhibition in vitro against the indicator mould Fusarium culmorum TMW4.2043.
      Sourdough bread fermented with Lactobacillus amylovorus DSM19280 performed best
      in the in situ shelf life experiment. An average shelf life extension of six more
      mould-free days was reached when compared to the non-acidified control bread. A
      range of antifungal-active acids like 3-phenyllactic acid, 4-hydroxyphenyllactic
      acid and 2-hydroxyisocaproic acid in quantities between 0.1 and 360 mg/kg were
      present in the freeze-dried sourdoughs. Their concentration differed greatly
      amongst the species.However, a higher concentration of these compounds could not
      completely justify the growth inhibition of environmental moulds. In particular,
      although Lb. reuteri R29 produced the highest total concentration of these active
      compounds in the sourdough, its addition to bread did not result in a longest
      shelf life. Nevertheless, when the artificial compounds were spiked into a
      chemically acidified dough, it succeeded in a longer shelf life (+25 %) than
      achieved only by acidifying the dough. This provides evidence of their
      contribution to the antifungal activity and their synergy in concentration levels
      far below their single minimal inhibition concentrations under acidic conditions.

PMID- 26481621
TI  - Immobilization of biogenic Pd(0) in anaerobic granular sludge for the
      biotransformation of recalcitrant halogenated pollutants in UASB reactors.
AB  - The capacity of anaerobic granular sludge to reduce Pd(II), using ethanol as
      electron donor, in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor was
      demonstrated. Results confirmed complete reduction of Pd(II) and immobilization
      as Pd(0) in the granular sludge. The Pd-enriched sludge was further evaluated
      regarding biotransformation of two recalcitrant halogenated pollutants: 3-chloro
      nitrobenzene (3-CNB) and iopromide (IOP) in batch and continuous operation in
      UASB reactors. The superior removal capacity of the Pd-enriched biomass when
      compared with the control (not exposed to Pd) was demonstrated in both cases.
      Results revealed 80 % of IOP removal efficiency after 100 h of incubation in
      batch experiments performed with Pd-enriched biomass whereas only 28 % of removal
      efficiency was achieved in incubations with biomass lacking Pd. The UASB reactor
      operated with the Pd-enriched biomass achieved 81 +/- 9.5 % removal efficiency of
      IOP and only 61 +/- 8.3 % occurred in the control reactor lacking Pd. Regarding 3
      CNB, it was demonstrated that biogenic Pd(0) promoted both nitro-reduction and
      dehalogenation resulting in the complete conversion of 3-CNB to aniline while in
      the control experiment only nitro-reduction was documented. The complete
      biotransformation pathway of both contaminants was proposed by high-performance
      liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) analysis evidencing a higher
      degree of nitro-reduction and dehalogenation of both contaminants in the
      experiments with Pd-enriched anaerobic sludge as compared with the control. A
      biotechnological process is proposed to recover Pd(II) from industrial streams
      and to immobilize it in anaerobic granular sludge. The Pd-enriched biomass is
      also proposed as a biocatalyst to achieve the biotransformation of recalcitrant
      compounds in UASB reactors.

PMID- 26481623
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of Cronobacter sakazakii ATCC BAA-894 after interaction
      with human intestinal epithelial cell line HCT-8.
AB  - Cronobacter spp. are opportunistic pathogens that are responsible for infections
      including severe meningitis, septicemia, and necrotizing enterocolitis in
      neonates and infants. To date, questions still remain regarding the mechanisms of
      pathogenicity and virulence determinants for each bacterial strain. In this
      study, we established an in vitro model for Cronobacter sakazakii ATCC BAA-894
      infection of HCT-8 human colorectal epithelial cells. The transcriptome profile
      of C. sakazakii ATCC BAA-894 after interaction with HCT-8 cells was determined
      using high-throughput whole-transcriptome sequencing (RNA sequencing (RNA-seq)).
      Gene expression profiles indicated that 139 genes were upregulated and 72 genes
      were downregulated in the adherent C. sakazakii ATCC BAA-894 strain on HCT-8
      cells compared to the cultured bacteria in the cell-free medium. Expressions of
      some flagella genes and virulence factors involved in adherence were upregulated.
      High osmolarity and osmotic stress-associated genes were highly upregulated, as
      well as genes responsible for the synthesis of lipopolysaccharides and outer
      membrane proteins, iron acquisition systems, and glycerol and glycerophospholipid
      metabolism. In sum, our study provides further insight into the mechanisms
      underlying C. sakazakii pathogenesis in the human gastrointestinal tract.

PMID- 26481624
TI  - Modeling the fate of antibiotic resistance genes and class 1 integrons during
      thermophilic anaerobic digestion of municipal wastewater solids.
AB  - This study investigated the use of thermophilic anaerobic digestion for removing
      antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from residual municipal wastewater solids.
      Four laboratory-scale anaerobic digesters were operated in 8-day batch cycles at
      temperatures of 40, 56, 60, and 63  degrees C. Two tetracycline resistance genes
      (tet(W) and tet(X)), a fluoroquinolone resistance gene (qnrA), the integrase gene
      of class 1 integrons (intI1), 16S rRNA genes of all Bacteria, and 16S rRNA genes
      of methanogens were quantified using real-time quantitative PCR. ARG and intI1
      quantities decreased at all temperatures and were described well by a modified
      form of the Collins-Selleck disinfection kinetic model. The magnitudes of Collins
      Selleck kinetic parameters were significantly greater at thermophilic
      temperatures compared to 40  degrees C, but few statistically significant
      differences were observed among these parameters for the thermophilic anaerobic
      digesters. This model allows for the direct comparison of different operating
      conditions (e.g., temperature) on anaerobic digestion performance in mitigating
      the quantity of ARGs in wastewater solids and could be used to design full-scale
      anaerobic digesters to specifically treat for ARGs as a "pollutant" of concern.

PMID- 26481622
TI  - Carboxydotrophic growth of Geobacter sulfurreducens.
AB  - This study shows that Geobacter sulfurreducens grows on carbon monoxide (CO) as
      electron donor with fumarate as electron acceptor. Geobacter sulfurreducens was
      tolerant to high CO levels, with up to 150 kPa in the headspace tested. During
      growth, hydrogen was detected in very slight amounts (~5 Pa). In assays with cell
      free extract of cells grown with CO and fumarate, production of hydrogen from CO
      was not observed, and hydrogenase activity with benzyl viologen as electron
      acceptor was very low. Taken together, this suggested that CO is not utilized via
      hydrogen as intermediate. In the presence of CO, reduction of NADP(+) was
      observed at a rate comparable to CO oxidation coupled to fumarate reduction in
      vivo. The G. sulfurreducens genome contains a single putative carbon monoxide
      dehydrogenase-encoding gene. The gene is part of a predicted operon also
      comprising a putative Fe-S cluster-binding subunit (CooF) and a FAD-NAD(P)
      oxidoreductase and is preceded by a putative CO-sensing transcription factor.
      This cluster may be involved in a novel pathway for CO oxidation, but further
      studies are necessary to ascertain this. Similar gene clusters are present in
      several other species belonging to the Deltaproteobacteria and Firmicutes, for
      which CO utilization is currently not known.

PMID- 26481625
TI  - A newly discovered arabinoxylan-specific arabinofuranohydrolase. Synergistic
      action with xylanases from different glycosyl hydrolase families.
AB  - Arabinofuranosidase Abf43A from Bacillussp. BP-7 i s a newly discovered
      arabinoxylan arabinofuranohydrolase (AXH). It is a modular enzyme comprised of a
      GH43 catalytic domain and a carbohydrate-binding module of family CBM6.
      Recombinant Abf43A showed high activity on arabinoxylans, being rye arabinoxylan
      the preferred substrate on which the purified enzyme exhibited a Km of 10.6 +/-
      3.3 mg/ml and a Vmax of 29.2 +/- 3.4 U/mg. Thin-layer chromatography analysis of
      hydrolysis products showed arabinose as the only sugar released by the enzyme
      from its substrates. The GH43 and CBM6 modules of the enzyme were individually
      cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. While the isolated catalytic GH43
      module did not show hydrolytic activity, the purified CBM6 bound to soluble
      arabinoxylan in affinity gel electrophoresis analysis. Evaluation of cooperative
      activity of arabinofuranosidase Abf43A with xylanases from families GH10, GH11,
      andGH30, (Xyn10A, Xyn11E, and Xyn30D from Paenibacillus barcinonensis) on
      arabinoxylan depolymerization revealed that the studied enzyme showed synergism
      with Xyn11E, a 2.54-fold increase in the amount of sugars released. On the
      contrary, Abf43A did not show synergism with the xylanases of families GH10 or
      GH30 evaluated. The enzyme characterized contributes to understanding the role of
      this class of enzymes in the catalytic depolymerization of arabinoxylans and
      their potential for the production of valuable xylooligosaccharides from these
      abundant plant polymers.

PMID- 26481626
TI  - Laboratory-scale bioaugmentation relieves acetate accumulation and stimulates
      methane production in stalled anaerobic digesters.
AB  - An imbalance between acidogenic and methanogenic organisms during anaerobic
      digestion can result in increased accumulation of volatile fatty acids, decreased
      reactor pH, and inhibition of methane-producing Archaea. Most commonly the result
      of organic input overload or poor inoculum selection, these microbiological and
      biochemical changes severely hamper reactor performance, and there are a few
      tools available to facilitate reactor recovery. A small, stable consortium
      capable of catabolizing acetate and producing methane was propagated in vitro and
      evaluated as a potential bioaugmentation tool for stimulating methanogenesis in
      acidified reactors. Replicate laboratory-scale batch digesters were seeded with a
      combination of bioethanol stillage waste and a dairy manure inoculum previously
      observed to result in high volatile fatty acid accumulation and reactor failure.
      Experimental reactors were then amended with the acetoclastic consortium, and
      control reactors were amended with sterile culture media. Within 7 days,
      bioaugmented reactors had significantly reduced acetate accumulation and the
      proportion of methane in the biogas increased from 0.2 +/- 0 to 74.4 +/- 9.9 %
      while control reactors showed no significant reduction in acetate accumulation or
      increase in methane production. Organisms from the consortium were enumerated
      using specific quantitative PCR assays to evaluate their growth in the
      experimental reactors. While the abundance of hydrogenotrophic microorganisms
      remained stable during the recovery period, an acetoclastic methanogen
      phylogenetically similar to Methanosarcina sp. increased more than 100-fold and
      is hypothesized to be the primary contributor to reactor recovery. Genomic
      sequencing of this organism revealed genes related to the production of methane
      from acetate, hydrogen, and methanol.

PMID- 26481627
TI  - Enhancement of antioxidant ability of Bombyx mori silk fibroins  by enzymatic
      coupling of catechin.
AB  - Enzymatic modification of Bombyx mori silk fibroin was carried out by using (+)
      catechin, aiming at improving the antioxidant ability of the fibroin-based
      materials.The actions of tyrosinase on catechin were evaluated by using
      spectrophotometry, LC-MS, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).
      epsilon-Polylysine (epsilon-PLL) was used to investigate the possibility of the
      covalent reaction between catechin and the primary amine compound. The properties
      of the fibroin membranes before and after grafting of catechin were compared. The
      results revealed that catechin was oxidized into reactive o-quinones and
      subsequently formed catechin derivatives.Meanwhile, catechin could be efficiently
      grafted onto epsilon-PLL and led to a decrease in the amount of primary amine
      groups. 1H-NMR analysis verified the occurrence of the tyrosinase-catalyzed
      coupling of catechin onto the surface of silk fibroins. Improved antioxidant
      activity and better durability were obtained for the silk fibroin membrane based
      on catechin/tyrosinase treatment. Thermal behavior and biocompatibility for the
      catechin-grafted fibroin membranes did not noticeably change as compared to that
      of the untreated sample. The present work provided a novel method for preparation
      of the fibroin-based materials for biomedical applications.

PMID- 26481628
TI  - The Complementary Role of Transcription Factors in the Accurate Diagnosis of
      Clinically Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas.
AB  - Clinically nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFAs) may be hormonally inactive
      tumors of differentiated cells, mainly not only gonadotroph adenomas (GAs) but
      also silent corticotroph adenomas (SCAs) and other differentiated silent
      adenomas. Recently, the use of transcription factors has been recommended to
      confirm cytodiffererentiation of these neoplasms. Our objective was to assess the
      clinical significance of the new classification system using transcription
      factors. Five hundred sixteen consecutive NFAs were studied retrospectively. They
      were initially classified based on hormone immunohistochemistry as follows: 119
      hormone-negative adenomas (23.1 %), 300 GAs (58.1 %), 51 SCAs (9.9 %), and 46
      other silent adenomas. The 119 hormone-negative adenomas were further evaluated
      for expression of transcription factors including steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1),
      estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha), pituitary-specific transcription factor 1 (Pit
      1), and t-box transcription factor (Tpit). One hundred thirteen of 119 (95 %)
      hormone-negative adenomas showed mutually exclusive lineage-specific
      differentiation as gonadotrophs (SF-1 positive), corticotrophs (Tpit positive),
      or somatotrophs/mammosomatotrophs/lactotrophs/thyrotrophs (Pit-1 positive) in 79
      cases (66.4 %), 32 cases (26.9 %), and 2 cases, respectively. The 32 ACTH
      negative and Tpit-positive adenomas had higher pro-opiomelanocortin mRNA
      expression levels compared with GAs (P = 0.0001) on quantitative real-time PCR.
      They showed a female preponderance (P < 0.0001) and were more frequently giant
      adenomas (P = 0.0028) associated with marked cavernous sinus invasion (P <
      0.0001) compared with GAs. These clinical features were identical to those of the
      51 ACTH-positive SCAs. Our results justify the complementary role of
      transcription factors in the precise classification of NFAs that can more
      accurately characterize biological behavior. Our data suggest that more than one
      quarter of hormone-negative adenomas are SCAs that share distinct
      clinicopathological features with ACTH-expressing SCAs.

PMID- 26481629
TI  - A Novel Somatic Deletion Mutation of ATP2B3 in Aldosterone-Producing Adenoma.
AB  - Aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) is a form of primary aldosteronism (PA).
      Recent studies suggested that somatic mutations in the KCNJ5, ATP1A1, ATP2B3, and
      CACNA1D genes are involved in the pathogenesis of APA. We report a case of a 62
      year-old man diagnosed as PA with left adrenal mass. He underwent adrenalectomy
      for treatment. We identified a novel somatic deletion mutation in ATP2B3 in the
      adrenal tumor: c.1269_1274delTGTGCT which spans three codons (423-425) resulting
      in p.Val424_Leu425del. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed strong expression of
      aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) in the tumor tissue, which is consistent with APA.
      Here, we identified a novel somatic deletion mutation in ATP2B3, which results in
      the amino acid sequences increasing intracellular calcium concentrations as
      reported previously, leading to increased aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2)
      expression and following excess aldosterone production in the APA cells. The
      novel ATP2B3 mutation detected in our case supports the pathogenic significance
      of the locus spanning the codon 424-426 of ATP2B3. 

PMID- 26481630
TI  - Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Does Not Affect Ultrasonographical, Cytological, and
      Histopathological Features in Patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.
AB  - The association between papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and Hashimoto's
      thyroiditis (HT) is controversial. In this study, we aimed to compare
      preoperative thyroid functions, ultrasonography (US) features, fine-needle
      aspiration biopsy (FNAB) results, and histopathological characteristics of PTC in
      patients with and without HT. Data of 919 PTC patients were reviewed
      retrospectively. The diagnosis of HT was based on histopathological examination
      and patients were grouped as HT and non-HT. There were 1321 PTC lesions in 919
      patients among which 317 (34.5 %) had coexistent HT. There were no significant
      differences in nodule volume, longitudinal diameter, texture, echogenicity,
      marginal regularity, presence of microcalcification and hypoechoic halo, and
      peripheral vascularization in patients with and without HT (p > 0.05, for all
      parameters). Macrocalcification was observed more frequently in the non-HT group
      (p = 0.021). FNAB results were similar in the two groups (p = 0.105).
      Distribution of variants, capsule invasion, vascular invasion, and extrathyroidal
      extension were observed with similar rates in the HT and non-HT groups. Lymph
      node metastasis was significantly higher in patients without HT (p = 0.012). Of
      the carcinomas, 66.1 % (n = 874) were papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC).
      Tumor size was lower in PTMC lesions coexistent with HT (p = 0.026). We observed
      lower rates of capsule invasion, extrathyroidal extension, and lymph node
      metastases in PTMC with HT compared to without HT (p = 0.007, p = 0.003, and p =
      0.015, respectively). This study showed that US features, FNAB results, and
      histopathological findings of PTC lesions are not influenced by the presence of
      HT. However, PTMC seems to be related with less aggressive histopathological
      behavior in HT.

PMID- 26481631
TI  - Activity of ceftaroline and comparators against pathogens isolated from skin and
      soft tissue infections in Latin America - results of AWARE surveillance 2012.
AB  - As part of the Assessing Worldwide Antimicrobial Resistance Evaluation (AWARE)
      surveillance program in 2012 the in vitro activity of ceftaroline and relevant
      comparator antimicrobials was evaluated in six Latin American countries
      (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela) against pathogens
      isolated from patients with hospital associated skin and soft tissue infections
      (SSTIs). The study documented that ceftaroline was highly active (MIC90
      0.25mg/L/% susceptible 100%) against methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus
      aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MIC90 2mg/L/% susceptible 83.3%) and
      beta-hemolytic streptococci (MIC90 0.008-0.015mg/L/% susceptible 100%). The
      activity of ceftaroline against selected species of Enterobacteriaceae was
      dependent upon the presence or absence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases
      (ESBLs). Against ESBL screen-negative Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae,
      and Klebsiella oxytoca the MIC90 and percent susceptible for ceftaroline were
      (0.5mg/L/94.1%), (0.5mg/L/99.0%) and (0.5mg/L/91.5%), respectively. Ceftaroline
      demonstrated potent activity against a recent collection of pathogens associated
      with SSTI in six Latin American countries in 2012. 

PMID- 26481632
TI  - Plasmodium falciparum and hepatitis B virus infection in Nigerian urban
      population.

PMID- 26481633
TI  - Nitrincola nitratireducens sp. nov. isolated from a haloalkaline crater lake.
AB  - The novel, cream coloured, Gram-negative-staining, rod-shaped, motile bacteria,
      designated strains AK23(T) and AK28, were isolated from sediment samples
      collected from Lonar Lake, Buldhana district, India. The predominant fatty acids
      were C18:1omega7c, C16:0, C10:0 3OH and C16:1omega7c and/or iso-C15:0 2OH (summed
      feature 3). Polar lipid content of strains AK23(T) and AK28 were found to be
      phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphotidylserine
      (PS), one unidentified phospholipid (PL) and two unidentified lipids (L1 and L2).
      The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated strains AK23(T) and AK28 as the
      members of the genus Nitrincola and closely related to the type strain Nitrincola
      lacisaponensis with pair-wise sequence similarity of 97.67% and 97.62%
      respectively. DNA-DNA hybridization between strain AK23(T) and AK28 showed a
      relatedness of 91%. Genome of strains AK23(T) and N. lacisaponensis DSM 16316(T)
      were sequenced. A comparative genomics approach was used to study strains
      AK23(T), N. lacisaponensis DSM 16316(T) and five other phylogenetic neighbours.
      The genome size of N. lacisaponensis DSM 16316(T) was found to be 614,784bp
      smaller than that of the strain AK23(T). This variation could be due to multiple
      reasons, gene uptake, evolution, mutation, genome reduction phenomenon and draft
      nature of sequencing. Based on data from the current polyphasic study, strains
      AK23(T) and AK28 are proposed as novel species of the genus Nitrincola, for which
      the name Nitrincola nitratireducens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of N.
      nitratireducens is AK23(T) (=JCM 18788(T)=MTCC 11628(T)). 

PMID- 26481634
TI  - Von Willebrand factor is reversibly decreased during torpor in 13-lined ground
      squirrels.
AB  - During torpor in a hibernating mammal, decreased blood flow increases the risk of
      blood clots such as deep vein thrombi (DVT). In other animal models platelets,
      neutrophils, monocytes and von Willebrand factor (VWF) have been found in DVT.
      Previous research has shown that hibernating mammals decrease their levels of
      platelets and clotting factors VIII (FVIII) and IX (FIX), increasing both
      bleeding time and activated partial thromboplastin time. In this study, FVIII,
      FIX and VWF activities and mRNA levels were measured in torpid and non
      hibernating ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus). Here, we show that VWF
      high molecular weight multimers, collagen-binding activity, lung mRNA and
      promoter activity decrease during torpor. The VWF multimers reappear in plasma
      within 2 h of arousal in the spring. Similarly, FIX activity and liver mRNA both
      dropped threefold during torpor. In contrast, FVIII liver mRNA levels increased
      twofold while its activity dropped threefold, consistent with a post
      transcriptional decrease in FVIII stability in the plasma due to decreased VWF
      levels. Finally, both neutrophils and monocytes are decreased eightfold during
      torpor which could slow the formation of DVT. In addition to providing insight in
      how blood clotting can be regulated to allow mammals to survive in extreme
      environments, hibernating ground squirrels provide an interesting model for
      studying.

PMID- 26481635
TI  - Thermal drying of the solid fraction from biogas digestate: Effects of
      acidification, temperature and ventilation on nitrogen content.
AB  - Drying of solids produced from digestate is prone to N losses through NH3
      volatilisation. The applicability of acidification as an NH3 emission mitigation
      technique during the drying of solids from digestate was assessed in a drying
      experiment. Operating conditions comprised four drying temperatures (70-160
      degrees C), two air ventilation rates (natural, 420ml/min) and three pH levels
      (9.2, 6.5 and 5.5) of the solids, modified by the addition of concentrated
      sulphuric acid. Acidification of the solids from digestate significantly
      decreased the NH3 emission during drying, irrespective of the drying conditions.
      A parallel decrease in the organic nitrogen content and an increase in the
      ammonium content of the solids was observed after acidification of the solids. It
      was confirmed that acidification before thermal concentration of solids from
      digestate, minimised NH3 losses under a wide range of drying conditions. 

PMID- 26481636
TI  - The effect of bioleaching on sewage sludge pyrolysis.
AB  - The effects of bioleaching on sewage sludge pyrolysis were studied. Sewage sludge
      was treated by bioleaching with solid concentrations of 6% (w/v), 8% (w/v), 10%
      (w/v). Results showed that bioleaching treatment could modify the physicochemical
      properties of sewage sludge and enhance the metals removal. The optimum removal
      efficiencies of heavy metals were achieved with solid concentration of 6% (w/v)
      bioleaching treatment: Cu, 73.08%; Zn, 78.67%; Pb, 24.65%; Cd, 79.46%. The
      characterization results of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the
      bioleached sewage sludge with a 6% (w/v) solid concentration treatment was the
      easiest to decompose. Pyrolytic experiments of bioleached sewage sludge were
      performed in a laboratory-scale fixed bed reactor. Results indicated that
      bioleaching treatment greatly influenced the product yields and gas composition. 

PMID- 26481637
TI  - Management of landfill leachate: The legacy of European Union Directives.
AB  - Landfill leachate is the product of water that has percolated through waste
      deposits and contains various pollutants, which necessitate effective treatment
      before it can be released into the environment. In the last 30years, there have
      been significant changes in landfill management practices in response to European
      Union (EU) Directives, which have led to changes in leachate composition, volumes
      produced and treatability. In this study, historic landfill data, combined with
      leachate characterisation data, were used to determine the impacts of EU
      Directives on landfill leachate management, composition and treatability.
      Inhibitory compounds including ammonium (NH4-N), cyanide, chromium, nickel and
      zinc, were present in young leachate at levels that may inhibit ammonium
      oxidising bacteria, while arsenic, copper and silver were present in young and
      intermediate age leachate at concentrations above inhibitory thresholds. In
      addition, the results of this study show that while young landfills produce less
      than 50% of total leachate by volume in the Republic of Ireland, they account for
      70% of total annual leachate chemical oxygen demand (COD) load and approximately
      80% of total 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and NH4-N loads. These
      results show that there has been a decrease in the volume of leachate produced
      per tonne of waste landfilled since enactment of the Landfill Directive, with a
      trend towards increased leachate strength (particularly COD and BOD5) during the
      initial five years of landfill operation. These changes may be attributed to
      changes in landfill management practices following the implementation of the
      Landfill Directive. However, this study did not demonstrate the impact of
      decreasing inputs of biodegradable municipal waste on leachate composition.
      Increasingly stringent wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) emission limit values
      represent a significant threat to the sustainability of co-treatment of leachate
      with municipal wastewater. In addition, the seasonal variation in leachate
      production poses a risk to effective co-treatment in municipal WWTPs, as periods
      of high leachate production coincide with periods of maximum hydraulic loading in
      WWTPs. 

PMID- 26481638
TI  - Common Influencing Factors Are No Evidence of Association:  A Comment on
      Callander, Newman, and Holt (2015).

PMID- 26481639
TI  - The concept of "the inflamed brain" in acute liver failure: mechanisms and new
      therapeutic opportunities.
AB  - The presence and severity of a systemic inflammatory response is a major
      predictor of brain edema and encephalopathy in acute liver failure (ALF) and
      polymorphisms of the gene coding for the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha are
      known to influence the clinical outcome in ALF. Recent reports provide robust
      evidence for a role of neuroinflammation(inflammation of the brain per se) in ALF
      with the cardinal features of neuroinflammation including activation of
      microglial cells and increased production in situ of pro-inflammatory cytokines
      such as TNF-alpha and interleukins IL-1beta and IL-6. Multiple liver-brain
      signalling pathways have been proposed to explain the phenomenon of
      neuroinflammation in liver failure and these include direct effects of
      systemically-derived cytokines, recruitment of monocytes relating to microglial
      activation as well as effects of liver failure-derived toxins and altered
      permeability of the blood-brain barrier. Synergistic mechanisms involving ammonia
      and cytokines have been proposed. Currently-available strategies aimed at
      lowering of blood ammonia such as lactulose, probiotics and rifaximin have the
      potential to dampen systemic inflammation as does the anti-oxidant N-acetyl
      cysteine, mild hypothermia and albumin dialysis. Experimental studies demonstrate
      that deletion of genes coding for TNF-alpha or IL-1 leads to attenuation of the
      CNS consequences of ALF and administration of the TNF-alpha receptor antagonist
      etanercept has comparable beneficial effects in experimental ALF. Together, these
      findings confirm a major role for central neuroinflammatory mechanisms in general
      and mechanisms involving TNF-alpha in particular in the pathogenesis of the
      cerebral consequences of ALF and open the door to novel therapeutic interventions
      in this often fatal disorder.

PMID- 26481640
TI  - Apolipoprotein E genotyping and questionnaire-based assessment of lifestyle risk
      factors in dyslipidemic patients with a family history of Alzheimer's disease:
      test development for clinical application.
AB  - The cholesterol-raising properties of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon-4
      (epsilon-4) allele has been validated in the South African population. Mounting
      evidence supports the added value of APOE genotyping for the evaluation of
      cardiovascular risk in dyslipidemic patients beyond its established role in the
      diagnosis of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this study was to
      determine the potential benefits of combining AD family history with
      questionnaire-based lifestyle assessment to facilitate the clinical
      interpretation of APOE genotyping results. A total of 580 unrelated South African
      individuals prospectively enrolled in a chronic disease screening program
      incorporating a genetic component (2010-2015) was selected for inclusion in this
      study based on the presence (75) or absence (505) of AD family history.
      Biochemical assessment of their lipid profiles was performed according to
      standard laboratory protocols. All study participants were genotyped for the APOE
      epsilon-2/epsilon-3/epsilon-4 alleles using allele-specific TaqMan real-time
      polymerase chain reaction technology. In patients without a family history of AD,
      APOE genotype modified the relationship between alcohol intake and body mass
      index (p = 0.026), with a significant positive correlation noted between these
      parameters being limited to epsilon-4 allele carriers. APOE genotype also
      modified the association between alcohol intake and total serum cholesterol in
      patients with a positive family history of AD (p = 0.026). We demonstrated the
      benefits of a questionnaire-based approach for assessment of lifestyle risk
      factors to facilitate clinical interpretation of APOE genotyping results for
      targeted intervention in a genetic subgroup of dyslipidemic patients at increased
      risk for AD.

PMID- 26481642
TI  - Development of the Diabetes Technology Society Blood Glucose Monitor System
      Surveillance Protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inaccurate blood glucsoe monitoring systems (BGMSs) can lead to
      adverse health effects. The Diabetes Technology Society (DTS) Surveillance
      Program for cleared BGMSs is intended to protect people with diabetes from
      inaccurate, unreliable BGMS products that are currently on the market in the
      United States. The Surveillance Program will provide an independent assessment of
      the analytical performance of cleared BGMSs. METHODS: The DTS BGMS Surveillance
      Program Steering Committee included experts in glucose monitoring, surveillance
      testing, and regulatory science. Over one year, the committee engaged in meetings
      and teleconferences aiming to describe how to conduct BGMS surveillance studies
      in a scientifically sound manner that is in compliance with good clinical
      practice and all relevant regulations. RESULTS: A clinical surveillance protocol
      was created that contains performance targets and analytical accuracy-testing
      studies with marketed BGMS products conducted by qualified clinical and
      laboratory sites. This protocol entitled "Protocol for the Diabetes Technology
      Society Blood Glucose Monitor System Surveillance Program" is attached as
      supplementary material. CONCLUSION: This program is needed because currently once
      a BGMS product has been cleared for use by the FDA, no systematic postmarket
      Surveillance Program exists that can monitor analytical performance and detect
      potential problems. This protocol will allow identification of inaccurate and
      unreliable BGMSs currently available on the US market. The DTS Surveillance
      Program will provide BGMS manufacturers a benchmark to understand the postmarket
      analytical performance of their products. Furthermore, patients, health care
      professionals, payers, and regulatory agencies will be able to use the results of
      the study to make informed decisions to, respectively, select, prescribe,
      finance, and regulate BGMSs on the market.

PMID- 26481641
TI  - Physical Activity Capture Technology With Potential for Incorporation Into Closed
      Loop Control for Type 1 Diabetes.
AB  - Physical activity is an important determinant of glucose variability in type 1
      diabetes (T1D). It has been incorporated as a nonglucose input into closed-loop
      control (CLC) protocols for T1D during the last 4 years mainly by 3 research
      groups in single center based controlled clinical trials involving a maximum of
      18 subjects in any 1 study. Although physical activity data capture may have
      clinical benefit in patients with T1D by impacting cardiovascular fitness and
      optimal body weight achievement and maintenance, limited number of such studies
      have been conducted to date. Clinical trial registries provide information about
      a single small sample size 2 center prospective study incorporating physical
      activity data input to modulate closed-loop control in T1D that are seeking to
      build on prior studies. We expect an increase in such studies especially since
      the NIH has expanded support of this type of research with additional grants
      starting in the second half of 2015. Studies (1) involving patients with other
      disorders that have lasted 12 weeks or longer and tracked physical activity and
      (2) including both aerobic and resistance activity may offer insights about the
      user experience and device optimization even as single input CLC heads into real
      world clinical trials over the next few years and nonglucose input is introduced
      as the next advance. 

PMID- 26481643
TI  - The Glucose Measurement Industry and Hemoglobin A1c: An Opportunity for Creative
      Destruction.
AB  - The MyStar Extra self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) system provides moving
      estimates of the patient's hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). There is a treasure trove of
      highly accurate glucose data available from highly accurate SMBG, CGM and FGM
      along with highly accurate HPLC HbA1c. If Nathan's criteria are used to select
      subjects whose glucoses can be correlated to the HbA1c, then algorithms can be
      developed for robustly transforming glucose into HbA1c. These algorithms can then
      be implemented in any SMBG or with the CGM and FGM software. This calculated
      HbA1c would even be accurate with Nathan's excluded population thus reducing the
      use of fructosamine and glycated protein. Finally, the developer of these new
      algorithms is advised to use a specific approach for testing her algorithm. 

PMID- 26481644
TI  - Identification of Main Factors Explaining Glucose Dynamics During and Immediately
      After Moderate Exercise in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physical activity is recommended for patients with type 1 diabetes
      (T1D). However, without proper management, it can lead to higher risk for
      hypoglycemia and impaired glycemic control. In this work, we identify the main
      factors explaining the blood glucose dynamics during exercise in T1D. We then
      propose a prediction model to quantify the glycemic drop induced by a mild to
      moderate physical activity. METHODS: A meta-data analysis was conducted over 59
      T1D patients from 4 different studies in the United States and France (37 men and
      22 women; 47 adults; weight, 71.4 +/- 10.6 kg; age, 42 +/- 10 years; 12
      adolescents: weight, 60.7 +/- 12.5 kg; age, 14.0 +/- 1.4 years). All participants
      had physical activity between 3 and 5 pm at a mild to moderate intensity for
      approximately 30 to 45 min. A multiple linear regression analysis was applied to
      the data to identify the main parameters explaining the glucose dynamics during
      such physical activity. RESULTS: The blood glucose at the beginning of exercise
      ([Formula: see text]), the ratio of insulin on board over total daily insulin
      ([Formula: see text]) and the age as a categorical variable (1 for adult, 0 for
      adolescents) were significant factors involved in glucose evolution at exercise
      (all P < .05). The multiple linear regression model has an R-squared of .6.
      CONCLUSIONS: The main factors explaining glucose dynamics in the presence of mild
      to-moderate exercise in T1D have been identified. The clinical parameters are
      formally quantified using real data collected during clinical trials. The
      multiple linear regression model used to predict blood glucose during exercise
      can be applied in closed-loop control algorithms developed for artificial
      pancreas.

PMID- 26481645
TI  - Identification of microRNA-like RNAs from Curvularia lunata associated with maize
      leaf spot by bioinformation analysis and deep sequencing.
AB  - Deep sequencing of small RNAs is a useful tool to identify novel small RNAs that
      may be involved in fungal growth and pathogenesis. In this study, we used HiSeq
      deep sequencing to identify 747,487 unique small RNAs from Curvularia lunata.
      Among these small RNAs were 1012 microRNA-like RNAs (milRNAs), which are similar
      to other known microRNAs, and 48 potential novel milRNAs without homologs in
      other organisms have been identified using the miRBase(c) database. We used
      quantitative PCR to analyze the expression of four of these milRNAs from C.
      lunata at different developmental stages. The analysis revealed several changes
      associated with germinating conidia and mycelial growth, suggesting that these
      milRNAs may play a role in pathogen infection and mycelial growth. A total of
      8334 target mRNAs for the 1012 milRNAs that were identified, and 256 target mRNAs
      for the 48 novel milRNAs were predicted by computational analysis. These target
      mRNAs of milRNAs were also performed by gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of
      Genes and Genomes pathway analysis. To our knowledge, this study is the first
      report of C. lunata's milRNA profiles. This information will provide a better
      understanding of pathogen development and infection mechanism.

PMID- 26481646
TI  - Unrevealed mosaicism in the next-generation sequencing era.
AB  - Mosaicism refers to the presence in an individual of normal and abnormal cells
      that are genotypically distinct and are derived from a single zygote. The
      incidence of mosaicism events in the human body is underestimated as the
      genotypes in the mosaic ratio, especially in the low-grade mosaicism, stay
      unrevealed. This review summarizes various research outcomes and diagnostic
      questions in relation to different types of mosaicism. The impact of both tested
      biological material and applied method on the mosaicism detection rate is
      especially highlighted. As next-generation sequencing technologies constitute a
      promising methodological solution in mosaicism detection in the coming years,
      revisions in current diagnostic protocols are necessary to increase the detection
      rate of the unrevealed mosaicism events. Since mosaicism identification is a
      complex process, numerous examples of multistep mosaicism investigations are
      presented and discussed.

PMID- 26481647
TI  - Societal Implications of Health Insurance Coverage for Medically Necessary
      Services in the U.S. Transgender Population: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently, the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission (GIC)
      prioritized research on the implications of a clause expressly prohibiting the
      denial of health insurance coverage for transgender-related services. These
      medically necessary services include primary and preventive care as well as
      transitional therapy. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the cost-effectiveness of insurance
      coverage for medically necessary transgender-related services. DESIGN: Markov
      model with 5- and 10-year time horizons from a U.S. societal perspective,
      discounted at 3% (USD 2013). Data on outcomes were abstracted from the 2011
      National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS). PATIENTS: U.S. transgender
      population starting before transitional therapy. INTERVENTIONS: No health
      benefits compared to health insurance coverage for medically necessary services.
      This coverage can lead to hormone replacement therapy, sex reassignment surgery,
      or both. MAIN MEASURES: Cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) for successful
      transition or negative outcomes (e.g. HIV, depression, suicidality, drug abuse,
      mortality) dependent on insurance coverage or no health benefit at a willingness
      to-pay threshold of $100,000/QALY. Budget impact interpreted as the U.S. per
      member-per-month cost. KEY RESULTS: Compared to no health benefits for
      transgender patients ($23,619; 6.49 QALYs), insurance coverage for medically
      necessary services came at a greater cost and effectiveness ($31,816; 7.37
      QALYs), with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $9314/QALY. The
      budget impact of this coverage is approximately $0.016 per member per month.
      Although the cost for transitions is $10,000-22,000 and the cost of provider
      coverage is $2175/year, these additional expenses hold good value for reducing
      the risk of negative endpoints--HIV, depression, suicidality, and drug abuse.
      Results were robust to uncertainty. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed
      that provider coverage was cost-effective in 85% of simulations. CONCLUSIONS:
      Health insurance coverage for the U.S. transgender population is affordable and
      cost-effective, and has a low budget impact on U.S. society. Organizations such
      as the GIC should consider these results when examining policies regarding
      coverage exclusions.

PMID- 26481648
TI  - Molecular simulation assisted identification of Ca(2+) binding residues in
      TMEM16A.
AB  - Calcium-activated chloride channels (CaCCs) play vital roles in a variety of
      physiological processes. Transmembrane protein 16A (TMEM16A) has been confirmed
      as the molecular counterpart of CaCCs which greatly pushes the molecular insights
      of CaCCs forward. However, the detailed mechanism of Ca(2+) binding and
      activating the channel is still obscure. Here, we utilized a combination of
      computational and electrophysiological approaches to discern the molecular
      mechanism by which Ca(2+) regulates the gating of TMEM16A channels. The
      simulation results show that the first intracellular loop serves as a Ca(2+)
      binding site including D439, E444 and E447. The experimental results indicate
      that a novel residue, E447, plays key role in Ca(2+) binding. Compared with WT
      TMEM16A, E447Y produces a 30-fold increase in EC50 of Ca(2+) activation and leads
      to a 100-fold increase in Ca(2+) concentrations that is needed to fully activate
      the channel. The following steered molecular dynamic (SMD) simulation data
      suggests that the mutations at 447 reduce the Ca(2+) dissociation energy. Our
      results indicated that both the electrical property and the size of the side
      chain at residue 447 have significant effects on Ca(2+) dependent gating of
      TMEM16A. 

PMID- 26481649
TI  - The statistics of virtual screening and lead optimization.
AB  - Analytic formulae are used to estimate the error for two virtual screening
      metrics, enrichment factor and area under the ROC curve. These analytic error
      estimates are then compared to bootstrapping error estimates, and shown to have
      excellent agreement with respect to area under the ROC curve and good agreement
      with respect to enrichment factor. The major advantage of the analytic formulae
      is that they are trivial to calculate and depend only on the number of actives
      and inactives and the measured value of the metric, information commonly reported
      in papers. In contrast to this, the bootstrapping method requires the individual
      compound scores. Methods for converting the error, which is calculated as a
      variance, into more familiar error bars are also discussed.

PMID- 26481650
TI  - Associations of Dispositional Mindfulness with Obesity and Central Adiposity: the
      New England Family Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate whether dispositional mindfulness (defined as the ability to
      attend nonjudgmentally to one's own physical and mental processes) is associated
      with obesity and central adiposity. METHODS: Study participants (n = 394) were
      from the New England Family Study, a prospective birth cohort, with median age 47
      years. Dispositional mindfulness was assessed using the Mindful Attention
      Awareness Scale (MAAS). Central adiposity was assessed using dual-energy X-ray
      absorptiometry (DXA) scans with primary outcomes android fat mass and
      android/gynoid ratio. Obesity was defined as body mass index >=30 kg/m(2).
      RESULTS: Multivariable-adjusted regression analyses demonstrated that
      participants with low vs. high MAAS scores were more likely to be obese
      (prevalence ratio for obesity = 1.34 (95 % confidence limit (CL): 1.02, 1.77)),
      adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, birth weight, childhood socioeconomic
      status, and childhood intelligence. Furthermore, participants with low vs. high
      MAAS level had a 448 (95 % CL 39, 857) g higher android fat mass and a 0.056 (95
      % CL 0.003, 0.110) greater android/gynoid fat mass ratio. Prospective analyses
      demonstrated that participants who were not obese in childhood and became obese
      in adulthood (n = 154) had -0.21 (95 % CL -0.41, -0.01; p = 0.04) lower MAAS
      scores than participants who were not obese in childhood or adulthood (n = 203).
      CONCLUSIONS: Dispositional mindfulness may be inversely associated with obesity
      and adiposity. Replication studies are needed to adequately establish whether low
      dispositional mindfulness is a risk factor for obesity and adiposity.

PMID- 26481651
TI  - Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: An Update.
AB  - Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are life
      threatening mucocutaneous reactions, predominantly drug induced. The mortality
      rates for SJS and TEN are as high as 30 %, and short- and long-term morbidities
      are very common. SJS/TEN is one of the few dermatological diseases that
      constitute a true medical emergency. Early recognition and prompt and appropriate
      management can be lifesaving. In recent years, our understanding of the
      pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and management of SJS/TEN has improved.
      Nevertheless, in 2015, there are still no internationally accepted management
      guidelines. This review summarizes up-to-date insights on SJS/TEN and describes a
      protocol for assessment and treatment. We hope these suggested guidelines serve
      as a practical clinical tool in the management of SJS/TEN. The classic
      manifestation of SJS/TEN consists of initial "flu-like" symptoms (malaise, fever,
      anorexia) in the prodromal phase, followed by cutaneous and mucous membrane
      (ocular, oral, and genital) inflammation and pain, and other systemic
      involvement. Symptoms usually begin 4-28 days after the onset of drug intake.
      Treatment is multidisciplinary and includes identification and withdrawal of the
      culprit drug, transfer to a specialist unit, supportive care, medical treatment,
      communication, and provision of appropriate information and emotional support.

PMID- 26481652
TI  - Extraction optimization of medicinally important metabolites from Datura innoxia
      Mill.: an in vitro biological and phytochemical investigation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The present study aims to probe the impact of polarity dependent
      extraction efficiency variation on pharmacological spectrum of Datura innoxia
      Mill. in order to reconnoiter its underexplored therapeutic potential. METHODS: A
      range of solvent extracts was subjected to phytochemical and biological assays to
      find the most proficient solvent system and plant part for each type of
      bioactivity. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined
      colorimetrically and specific polyphenols were quantified by HPLC-DAD analysis.
      The samples were biologically evaluated by employing multimode antioxidant,
      cytotoxic, protein kinase inhibition and antimicrobial assays. RESULTS: Among all
      the solvents used, maximum percent extract recovery (33.28 %) was obtained in
      aqueous leaf extract. The highest amount of gallic acid equivalent phenolic and
      quercetin equivalent flavonoid content was obtained in the distilled water and
      ethyl acetate-ethanol extracts of leaf i.e., 29.91 +/- 0.12 and 15.68 +/- 0.18
      mg/g dry weight (DW) respectively. Reverse phase HPLC-DAD based quantification
      revealed the presence of significant amounts of catechin, caffiec acid, apigenin
      and rutin ranging from 0.16 to 5.41 mg/g DW. Highest DPPH radical scavenging
      activity (IC50 = 16.14 MUg/ml) was displayed by the ethyl acetate-acetone stem
      extract. Maximum total antioxidant capacity and reducing power potential were
      recorded in the aqueous leaf and ethyl acetate stem extracts i.e., 46.98 +/- 0.24
      and 15.35 +/- 0.61 mg ascorbic acid equivalent/g DW respectively. Cytotoxicity
      against brine shrimps categorized 25 % of the leaf, 16 % of the stem and 8.3 % of
      the fruit extracts as highly potent (LC50 <= 100 MUg/ml). Significant
      cytotoxicity against human leukemia (THP-1) cell line was exhibited by the
      chloroform and n-hexane fruit extracts with IC50 4.52 and 3.49 MUg/ml
      respectively. Ethyl acetate and methanol-chloroform extracts of leaf and stem
      exhibited conspicuous protein kinase inhibitory activity against Streptomyces 85E
      strain with 22 mm bald phenotype. A noteworthy antimicrobial activity was
      exhibited by leaf extracts against Micrococcus luteus and n-hexane fruit extract
      against Aspergillus niger (MIC 3.70 and 12.5 MUg/ml respectively). CONCLUSION:
      Multiple solvent system is a crucial variable to retrieve pharmacological
      potential of medicinal plants and D. innoxia can be envisaged as a novel source
      of natural antioxidants, antimicrobials and anticancer compounds.

PMID- 26481653
TI  - [Violence and health. Symptoms, consequences and treatment of victimized
      patients].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Violence has many faces and often results in a variety of
      consequences. Some studies indicated different types of violence and health
      consequences in men and women. However, it is still unclear whether this is
      reflected in clinical context, for example in a patient sample of a German
      university hospital. OBJECTIVES: The primary goal of the present study was to
      analyze associations of violence with health, gender and social, economic, job
      related, psychological and physical consequences. In addition, the effects of
      psychological treatment were examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One line of
      research refers to the survey of more than 5000 patients of the university
      hospital Aachen, evaluating violence experience and several health complaints
      anonymously. Another line of research deals with detailed interviews with victims
      of violence and their experienced consequences. A final data source stems from
      the evaluation of psychological counseling of patients with prior experience of
      violence. Changes in subjectively perceived depressive symptoms and acceptance of
      the treatment are evaluated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Experience of violence
      increases the risk for several health problems, especially the experience of
      multiple types of violence. The interviews showed that more than 60% of the
      victims had a clinical diagnosis--independent of sex. The risk for a clinical
      diagnosis increased with multiple violence experiences during childhood. Patients
      with a clinical diagnosis indicated more subjective consequences of violence, and
      consequences of violence were more pronounced in patients that experienced
      multiple types of violence. The good acceptance as well as the effects on
      symptomatology and other relevant therapeutic variables provides a first
      indication for a successful treatment of victims of violence in a clinical
      context.

PMID- 26481654
TI  - [Bright light therapy in seasonal bipolar depressions].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Bipolar disorders (BD) are frequent mood disorders associated with
      a poor prognosis mainly due to a high relapse rate. Depressive relapses may
      follow a seasonal cyclicality, and bright-light therapy (BLT) has been
      established as the treatment of choice for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The
      use of BLT for seasonal unipolar depression is well known, but the scientific
      literature is much poorer on the management of seasonal depressive episodes in
      BD. In addition, some specificities related to BD must be taken into account.
      METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive review using Medline and Google Scholar
      databases up to August 2014 using the following keywords combination: "bipolar
      disorder" and "light therapy" or "phototherapy". Papers were included in the
      review if (a) they were published in an English or French-language peer-reviewed
      journal; (b) the study enrolled patients with BD and SAD; and (c) the diagnosis
      was made according to the DSM or ICD criteria. RESULTS: BLT was considered among
      the first-line treatments for SAD with a size effect similar to antidepressants.
      Most of the studies did not distinguish between patients with unipolar and
      bipolar disorders. However, it has been demonstrated that the most significant
      risk of BLT in patients with BD is the mood shift. Thus, the most important
      therapeutic adaptation corresponds to the use of an effective mood stabilizer, as
      with any antidepressant. Another therapeutic adaptation in first intention is
      that the times of exposure to light should be shifted from morning to midday.
      This review also includes therapeutic guidelines regarding the management of BLT
      in seasonal bipolar depressive episodes. DISCUSSION: There are very few specific
      data on seasonal bipolar depressive episodes. This literature review has
      highlighted that BLT should be handled as a regular antidepressant treatment in
      patients suffering from seasonal bipolar depressive episodes.

PMID- 26481655
TI  - Hypoxia Inhibits De Novo Vascular Assembly of Adipose-Derived Stromal/Stem Cell
      Populations, but Promotes Growth of Preformed Vessels.
AB  - Vascularization is critical for cell survival within tissue-engineered grafts.
      Adipose-derived stromal/stem cells (ASCs) are widely used in tissue engineering
      applications as they are a clinically relevant source of stem cells and
      endothelial progenitor cells. ASCs have previously been shown to self-assemble
      into pericyte-stabilized vascular networks in normoxic (20% O2) cultures. This
      capacity for de novo vascular assembly may accelerate graft vascularization in
      vivo rather than relying solely on angiogenic ingrowth. However, oxygen depletion
      within large cell-seeded grafts will be rapid, and it is unclear how this
      worsening hypoxic environment will impact the vascular assembly of the
      transplanted cells. The objectives of this study were to determine whether ASC
      derived vessels could grow in hypoxia and to assess whether the vessel maturity
      (i.e., individual cells vs. preformed vessels) influenced this hypoxic response.
      Utilizing an in vitro vascularization model, ASCs were encapsulated within fibrin
      gels and cultured in vitro for up to 6 days in either normoxia (20% O2) or
      hypoxia (0.2% or 2% O2). In a subsequent experiment, vessels were allowed to
      preform in normoxia for 6 days before an additional 6 days of either normoxia or
      hypoxia. Viability, vessel growth, pericyte coverage, proliferation, metabolism,
      and angiogenic factor expression were assessed for each experimental approach.
      Vessel growth was dramatically inhibited in both moderate and severe hypoxia (47%
      and 11% total vessel length vs. normoxia, respectively), despite maintaining high
      cell viability and upregulating endogenous expression of vascular endothelial
      growth factor in hypoxia. Bromodeoxyuridine labeling indicated significantly
      reduced proliferation of endothelial cells in hypoxia. In contrast, when vascular
      networks were allowed to preform for 6 days in normoxia, vessels not only
      survived but also continued to grow more in hypoxia than those maintained in
      normoxia. These findings demonstrate that vascular assembly and growth are
      tightly regulated by oxygen tension and may be differentially affected by hypoxic
      conditions based on the maturity of the vessels. Understanding this relationship
      is critical to developing effective approaches to engineer viable tissue
      engineered grafts in vivo. 

PMID- 26481657
TI  - Novel, potent, selective and cellular active ABC type PTP1B inhibitors containing
      (methanesulfonyl-phenyl-amino)-acetic acid methyl ester phosphotyrosine mimetic.
AB  - Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) which plays an important role in the
      negative regulation of insulin and leptin pathway has emerged as a novel
      promising therapeutic target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and
      obesity. Upon careful study, a series of novel scaffold and simple synthesis
      method inhibitors were discovered based on the analysis of X-ray crystal
      structures of PTP1B/inhibitor complexes and docking simulations. Among them,
      compound P7 exhibited high inhibitory activity (IC50=222 nM) with moderate
      selectivity (8-fold) over T-cell PTPase (TCPTP) through interacting with the A, B
      and C binding sites of PTP1B enzyme. Further studies on cellular activities
      revealed that compound P7 could enhance insulin-mediated IRbeta phosphorylation
      and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake.

PMID- 26481656
TI  - Carotid Anatomy Does Not Predict the Risk of New Ischaemic Brain Lesions on
      Diffusion-Weighted Imaging after Carotid Artery Stenting in the ICSS-MRI
      Substudy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The International Carotid Stenting Study (ICSS, ISRCTN25337470)
      randomized patients with recently symptomatic carotid artery stenosis > 50% to
      carotid artery stenting (CAS) or endarterectomy. CAS increased the risk of new
      brain lesions visible on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI-MRI)
      more than endarterectomy in the ICSS-MRI Substudy. The predictors of new post
      stenting DWI lesions were assessed in these patients. METHODS: ICSS-MRI Substudy
      patients allocated to CAS were studied. Baseline or pre-stenting catheter
      angiograms were rated to determine carotid anatomy. Baseline patient demographics
      and the influence of plaque length, plaque morphology, internal carotid
      angulation, and external or common carotid atheroma were examined in negative
      binomial regression models. RESULTS: A total of 115 patients (70% male, average
      age 70.4) were included; 50.4% had at least one new DWI-MRI-positive lesion
      following CAS. Independent risk factors increasing the number of new lesions were
      a left-sided stenosis (incidence risk ratio [IRR] 1.59, 95% CI 1.04-2.44, p =
      .03), age (IRR 2.10 per 10-year increase in age, 95% CI 1.61-2.74, p < .01), male
      sex (IRR 2.83, 95% CI 1.72-4.67, p < .01), hypertension (IRR 2.04, 95% CI 1.25
      3.33, p < .01) and absence of cardiac failure (IRR 6.58, 95% CI 1.23-35.07, p =
      .03). None of the carotid anatomical features significantly influenced the number
      of post-procedure lesions. CONCLUSION: Carotid anatomy seen on pre-stenting
      catheter angiography did not predict of the number of ischaemic brain lesions
      following CAS.

PMID- 26481658
TI  - Synthesis of fucosylated lacto-N-tetraose using whole-cell biotransformation.
AB  - Fucosylated oligosaccharides present a predominant group of free oligosaccharides
      found in human milk. Here, a microbial conversion of lactose, D-glucose and L
      fucose to fucosylated lacto-N-tetraose by growing Escherichia coli cultures is
      presented. The recombinant expression of genes encoding for the beta1,3-N
      acetylglucosaminyltransferase (LgtA) and the beta1,3-galactosyltransferase (WbgO)
      enables the whole-cell biotransformation of lactose to lacto-N-tetraose. By the
      additional expression of a recombinant GDP-L-fucose salvage pathway together with
      a bacterial fucosyltransferase, lacto-N-tetraose is further converted into the
      respective fucosylated compounds. The expression of a gene encoding the alpha1,2
      fucosyltransferase (FutC) in the lacto-N-tetraose producing E. coli strain led to
      the formation of lacto-N-fucopentaose I, whereas the expression of a gene
      encoding the alpha1,4-fucosyltransferase (FucT14) mainly led to the conversion of
      lacto-N-tetraose to lacto-N-difucohexaose II.

PMID- 26481659
TI  - New macrocyclic analogs of the natural histone deacetylase inhibitor FK228;
      design, synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation.
AB  - Among the natural histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), the bicyclic
      depsipeptide macrolactone FK228 stands out for its unique chemical structure and
      mechanism of action. In order to expand the chemical diversity, exploiting the
      FK228 peculiar structure, we have synthesized a collection of 24 simplified novel
      analogs. A first series consists of bicyclic macrolactones, where the carboxy
      terminus of the natural compound was substituted by peptidomimetic
      aminomethylphenylacetic acid derivatives. These analogs, 7a-i, showed
      submicromolar cytotoxic activity, even though very low inhibitory activity
      against HDAC enzymes, suggesting that most probably they behave with a mechanism
      different from the natural compound. One of the most active members in the group,
      7g, was evaluated in vivo and exhibited significant antitumor activity. This
      evidence supports that the activity is unrelated to HDAC inhibition and these
      compounds represent a novel series of promising active agents. Another analog
      series consists of monocyclic macrolactones, 9a-c and 10a-d which lack the
      disulfide bridge and bear the protected sulfur on the linear external chain; they
      showed similar cytotoxic activities compared to the natural compound, but proved
      to be very sensitive to the nature of the sulfur protection. In fact, when the
      sulfur was protected by an 1-octanoyl residue, like in 9b, the product displayed
      a one digit nanomolar activity. The results provide evidence that our approach
      may be followed to develop novel series of FK228 analogs. 

PMID- 26481660
TI  - Folate and vitamin B12 status and dietary intake of anaemic adolescent
      schoolgirls in the delta region of Myanmar.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of deficiency of folate
      and vitamin B12 and, simultaneously, the nutrient intake adequacy of folate,
      vitamin B12, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and calcium in 391 adolescent
      anaemic (Hb<120 g/l) schoolgirls living in the delta region of Myanmar (Burma).
      Dietary intakes were assessed using a 3 d estimated food record. The distribution
      of observed intakes calculated from the food records were adjusted for usual
      intakes, and the prevalence of inadequacy was estimated using the estimated
      average requirement cut-point method. Median (first, third quartile) serum folate
      and vitamin B12 concentrations were 6.5 (4.6, 8.5) nmol/l and 612.8 (443.2,
      795.2) pmol/l, respectively. The prevalence of folate deficiency defined as <6.8
      nmol/l was 54 %; however, vitamin B12 deficiency defined as <148 pmol/l was
      negligible (<1 %). The prevalence of inadequate intake of folate was high (100 %)
      as was the prevalence of inadequate intakes of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6
      and calcium, ranging from 60 to 100 %. Red meat or poultry was rarely consumed,
      but fish was consumed on a daily basis. Green leafy vegetables were also consumed
      frequently but consumption of dairy products was uncommon. Folate deficiency was
      high, and the prevalence of inadequate intake of folate among other key
      micronutrients was relatively common in this sample of anaemic adolescent
      schoolgirls. Appropriate strategies such as food fortification and dietary
      diversification are needed to improve the micronutrient status of these young
      women to ensure optimal health and future reproductive success.

PMID- 26481661
TI  - Implementing and expanding HIV testing in immigrant populations in Europe:
      Comparing guideline's recommendations and expert's opinions.
AB  - Immigrant populations, especially those from endemic countries, living in the
      European Union (EU) suffer a disproportionate burden of HIV, delayed diagnosis
      and poorer access to antiretroviral treatment. While International Organisations
      are developing recommendations aimed at increasing the uptake of HIV testing, the
      feasibility and real outcomes of these measures remain unexplored. The aim of
      this review was, firstly to identify the recommendations of the main
      International Organisations (IO) on HIV testing in immigrants. Secondly, to
      describe the challenges for implementing and expanding HIV testing and
      counselling interventions targeting immigrants by interviewing key informants.
      The importance of HIV testing in immigrants is discussed, along with the
      appropriateness of universal HIV testing approaches vs most at risk targeted
      approaches. Also addressed is, pre- and post-HIV test counselling characteristics
      and community initiatives suitable to reach this population and, finally the
      legal issues regarding access to treatment for illegal immigrants.

PMID- 26481662
TI  - [Prevalence of human inmunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus markers in
      forensic autopsy cases in Barcelona and Lleida].

PMID- 26481665
TI  - Epidermal burn at a PEG site.

PMID- 26481663
TI  - PEPCK Coordinates the Regulation of Central Carbon Metabolism to Promote Cancer
      Cell Growth.
AB  - Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) is well known for its role in
      gluconeogenesis. However, PEPCK is also a key regulator of TCA cycle flux. The
      TCA cycle integrates glucose, amino acid, and lipid metabolism depending on
      cellular needs. In addition, biosynthetic pathways crucial to tumor growth
      require the TCA cycle for the processing of glucose and glutamine derived
      carbons. We show here an unexpected role for PEPCK in promoting cancer cell
      proliferation in vitro and in vivo by increasing glucose and glutamine
      utilization toward anabolic metabolism. Unexpectedly, PEPCK also increased the
      synthesis of ribose from non-carbohydrate sources, such as glutamine, a
      phenomenon not previously described. Finally, we show that the effects of PEPCK
      on glucose metabolism and cell proliferation are in part mediated via activation
      of mTORC1. Taken together, these data demonstrate a role for PEPCK that links
      metabolic flux and anabolic pathways to cancer cell proliferation.

PMID- 26481664
TI  - Anionic Phospholipids Stabilize RecA Filament Bundles in Escherichia coli.
AB  - We characterize the interaction of RecA with membranes in vivo and in vitro and
      demonstrate that RecA binds tightly to the anionic phospholipids cardiolipin (CL)
      and phosphatidylglycerol (PG). Using computational models, we identify two
      regions of RecA that interact with PG and CL: (1) the N-terminal helix and (2)
      loop L2. Mutating these regions decreased the affinity of RecA to PG and CL in
      vitro. Using 3D super-resolution microscopy, we demonstrate that depleting
      Escherichia coli PG and CL altered the localization of RecA foci and hindered the
      formation of RecA filament bundles. Consequently, E. coli cells lacking aPLs fail
      to initiate a robust SOS response after DNA damage, indicating that the membrane
      acts as a scaffold for nucleating the formation of RecA filament bundles and
      plays an important role in the SOS response.

PMID- 26481666
TI  - Comparison of Hypoalgesic Effects of Neural Stretching vs Neural Gliding: A
      Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immediate mechanical
      hypoalgesic effect of neural mobilization in asymptomatic subjects. We also
      compared neural gliding vs neural stretching to see which produced greater
      hypoalgesic effects in asymptomatic subjects. METHODS: Forty-five asymptomatic
      subjects (20 men and 25 women; mean +/- SD age, 20.8 +/- 2.83 years) were
      randomly allocated into 3 groups: the neural glide group, the neural stretch
      group, and the placebo group. Each subject received 1 treatment session. Outcome
      measures included bilateral pressure pain threshold measured at the trigeminal,
      cervical, and tibialis anterior points, assessed pre-treatment and immediately
      post-treatment by a blinded assessor. Three-way repeated-measures analysis of
      variance was used to evaluate changes in pressure pain threshold, with group
      (experimental or control) as the between-subjects variable and time (pre-, post
      treatment) or side (dominant, nondominant) as the within-subjects variable.
      RESULTS: Group differences were identified between neural mobilization groups and
      the placebo group. Changes occurred in all of the pressure pain threshold
      measures for neural gliding, and in all but the trigeminal point for neural
      stretch. No changes in the pressure pain threshold measures occurred in the
      placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: This research provides new experimental evidence that
      neural mobilization produces an immediate widespread hypoalgesic effect vs
      placebo but neural gliding produces hypoalgesic effects in more body sites than
      neural stretching.

PMID- 26481667
TI  - TNFRs and Control of Chronic LCMV Infection: Implications for Therapy.
AB  - The control of persistent viral infections requires the immune system to limit
      the spread of the virus while avoiding immunopathology. Recent studies have
      revealed that members of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily
      play unique and pivotal roles in control of chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis
      virus (LCMV) infection and in some settings can tip the balance between immune
      control and immune pathology. We review these findings and discuss how our
      understanding of the role of TNFRs in the immune response to chronic LCMV
      infection may shed light on what happens during HIV infection in humans. We
      discuss preclinical models of TNF/TNFR family-targeted immunotherapy of chronic
      LCMV infection and evaluate which TNFRs present the most promising targets for
      immune intervention. 

PMID- 26481669
TI  - Genome editing by natural genetic transformation in Streptococcus mutans.
AB  - Classical mutagenesis strategies using selective markers linked to designed
      mutations are powerful and widely applicable tools for targeted mutagenesis via
      natural genetic transformation in bacteria and archaea. However, the markers that
      confer power are also potentially problematic as they can be cumbersome, risk
      phenotypic effects of the inserted genes, and accumulate as unwanted genes during
      successive mutagenesis cycles. Alternative mutagenesis strategies use temporary
      plasmid or cassette insertions and can in principle achieve equally flexible
      mutation designs, but design of suitable counter-selected markers can be complex.
      All these drawbacks are eased by use of direct genome editing. Here we describe a
      strategy for directly editing the genome of S. mutans, which is applied to the
      widely studied reference strain UA159 (ATCC 700610) and has the advantage of
      extreme simplicity, requiring construction of only one synthetic donor amplicon
      and a single transformation step, followed by a simple PCR screen among a few
      dozen clones to identify the desired mutant. The donor amplicon carries the
      mutant sequence and extensive flanking segments of homology, which ensure
      efficient and precise integration by the recombination machinery specific to
      competent cells. The recipients are highly competent cells, in a state achieved
      by treatment with a synthetic competence pheromone. 

PMID- 26481668
TI  - Leptin Deficiency Shifts Mast Cells toward Anti-Inflammatory Actions and Protects
      Mice from Obesity and Diabetes by Polarizing M2 Macrophages.
AB  - Mast cells (MCs) contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity and diabetes. This
      study demonstrates that leptin deficiency slants MCs toward anti-inflammatory
      functions. MCs in the white adipose tissue (WAT) of lean humans and mice express
      negligible leptin. Adoptive transfer of leptin-deficient MCs expanded ex vivo
      mitigates diet-induced and pre-established obesity and diabetes in mice.
      Mechanistic studies show that leptin-deficient MCs polarize macrophages from M1
      to M2 functions because of impaired cell signaling and an altered balance between
      pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, but do not affect T cell differentiation.
      Rampant body weight gain in ob/ob mice, a strain that lacks leptin, associates
      with reduced MC content in WAT. In ob/ob mice, genetic depletion of MCs
      exacerbates obesity and diabetes, and repopulation of ex vivo expanded ob/ob MCs
      ameliorates these diseases. 

PMID- 26481670
TI  - Modulation of Hippocampal Activity by Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Freely Moving
      Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) has seizure-suppressing effects but the
      underlying mechanism is not fully understood. To further elucidate the mechanisms
      underlying VNS-induced seizure suppression at a neurophysiological level, the
      present study examined effects of VNS on hippocampal excitability using dentate
      gyrus evoked potentials (EPs) and hippocampal electroencephalography (EEG).
      METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with a VNS electrode around the
      left vagus nerve. A bipolar stimulation electrode was implanted in the left
      perforant path and a bipolar recording electrode was implanted in the left
      dentate gyrus for EEG and dentate field EP recording. Following recovery, VNS was
      applied in freely moving animals, using a duty cycle of 7 s on/18 s off, 30 Hz
      frequency, 250 us pulse width, and an intensity of either 0 (SHAM), 25 uA or 1000
      uA, while continuously monitoring EEG and dentate field EPs. RESULTS: VNS at 1000
      uA modulated dentate field EPs by decreasing the field excitatory post-synaptic
      potential (fEPSP) slope and increasing the latency and amplitude of the
      population spike. It additionally influenced hippocampal EEG by slowing theta
      rhythm from 7 Hz to 5 Hz and reducing theta peak and gamma band power. No effects
      were observed in the SHAM or 25 uA VNS conditions. CONCLUSION: VNS modulated
      hippocampal excitability of freely moving rats in a complex way. It decreased
      synaptic efficacy, reflected by decreased fEPSP slope and EEG power, but it
      simultaneously facilitated dentate granule cell discharge indicating
      depolarization of dentate granule cells.

PMID- 26481671
TI  - Mapping entrained brain oscillations during transcranial alternating current
      stimulation (tACS).
AB  - Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), a non-invasive and well
      tolerated form of electric brain stimulation, can influence perception, memory,
      as well as motor and cognitive function. While the exact underlying
      neurophysiological mechanisms are unknown, the effects of tACS are mainly
      attributed to frequency-specific entrainment of endogenous brain oscillations in
      brain areas close to the stimulation electrodes, and modulation of spike timing
      dependent plasticity reflected in gamma band oscillatory responses. tACS-related
      electromagnetic stimulator artifacts, however, impede investigation of these
      neurophysiological mechanisms. Here we introduce a novel approach combining
      amplitude-modulated tACS during whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) allowing
      for artifact-free source reconstruction and precise mapping of entrained brain
      oscillations underneath the stimulator electrodes. Using this approach, we show
      that reliable reconstruction of neuromagnetic low- and high-frequency
      oscillations including high gamma band activity in stimulated cortical areas is
      feasible opening a new window to unveil the mechanisms underlying the effects of
      stimulation protocols that entrain brain oscillatory activity. 

PMID- 26481672
TI  - An integrated approach to correction for off-resonance effects and subject
      movement in diffusion MR imaging.
AB  - In this paper we describe a method for retrospective estimation and correction of
      eddy current (EC)-induced distortions and subject movement in diffusion imaging.
      In addition a susceptibility-induced field can be supplied and will be
      incorporated into the calculations in a way that accurately reflects that the two
      fields (susceptibility- and EC-induced) behave differently in the presence of
      subject movement. The method is based on registering the individual volumes to a
      model free prediction of what each volume should look like, thereby enabling its
      use on high b-value data where the contrast is vastly different in different
      volumes. In addition we show that the linear EC-model commonly used is
      insufficient for the data used in the present paper (high spatial and angular
      resolution data acquired with Stejskal-Tanner gradients on a 3T Siemens Verio, a
      3T Siemens Connectome Skyra or a 7T Siemens Magnetome scanner) and that a higher
      order model performs significantly better. The method is already in extensive
      practical use and is used by four major projects (the WU-UMinn HCP, the MGH HCP,
      the UK Biobank and the Whitehall studies) to correct for distortions and subject
      movement.

PMID- 26481673
TI  - Decoding the direction of imagined visual motion using 7T ultra-high field fMRI.
AB  - There is a long-standing debate about the neurocognitive implementation of mental
      imagery. One form of mental imagery is the imagery of visual motion, which is of
      interest due to its naturalistic and dynamic character. However, so far only the
      mere occurrence rather than the specific content of motion imagery was shown to
      be detectable. In the current study, the application of multi-voxel pattern
      analysis to high-resolution functional data of 12 subjects acquired with ultra
      high field 7T functional magnetic resonance imaging allowed us to show that
      imagery of visual motion can indeed activate the earliest levels of the visual
      hierarchy, but the extent thereof varies highly between subjects. Our approach
      enabled classification not only of complex imagery, but also of its actual
      contents, in that the direction of imagined motion out of four options was
      successfully identified in two thirds of the subjects and with accuracies of up
      to 91.3% in individual subjects. A searchlight analysis confirmed the local
      origin of decodable information in striate and extra-striate cortex. These high
      accuracy findings not only shed new light on a central question in vision science
      on the constituents of mental imagery, but also show for the first time that the
      specific sub-categorical content of visual motion imagery is reliably decodable
      from brain imaging data on a single-subject level.

PMID- 26481674
TI  - fMRI neurofeedback of amygdala response to aversive stimuli enhances prefrontal
      limbic brain connectivity.
AB  - Down-regulation of the amygdala with real-time fMRI neurofeedback (rtfMRI NF)
      potentially allows targeting brain circuits of emotion processing and may involve
      prefrontal-limbic networks underlying effective emotion regulation. Little
      research has been dedicated to the effect of rtfMRI NF on the functional
      connectivity of the amygdala and connectivity patterns in amygdala down
      regulation with neurofeedback have not been addressed yet. Using
      psychophysiological interaction analysis of fMRI data, we present evidence that
      voluntary amygdala down-regulation by rtfMRI NF while viewing aversive pictures
      was associated with increased connectivity of the right amygdala with the
      ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in healthy subjects (N=16). In contrast, a
      control group (N=16) receiving sham feedback did not alter amygdala connectivity
      (Group*Condition t-contrast: p<.05 at cluster-level). Task-dependent increases in
      amygdala-vmPFC connectivity were predicted by picture arousal (beta=.59, p<.05).
      A dynamic causal modeling analysis with Bayesian model selection aimed at further
      characterizing the underlying causal structure and favored a bottom-up model
      assuming predominant information flow from the amygdala to the vmPFC (xp=.90).
      The results were complemented by the observation of task-dependent alterations in
      functional connectivity of the vmPFC with the visual cortex and the ventrolateral
      PFC in the experimental group (Condition t-contrast: p<.05 at cluster-level).
      Taken together, the results underscore the potential of amygdala fMRI
      neurofeedback to influence functional connectivity in key networks of emotion
      processing and regulation. This may be beneficial for patients suffering from
      severe emotion dysregulation by improving neural self-regulation.

PMID- 26481675
TI  - Differential aging of cerebral white matter in middle-aged and older adults: A
      seven-year follow-up.
AB  - The few extant reports of longitudinal white matter (WM) changes in healthy
      aging, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), reveal substantial differences in
      change across brain regions and DTI indices. According to the "last-in-first-out"
      hypothesis of brain aging late-developing WM tracts may be particularly
      vulnerable to advanced age. To test this hypothesis we compared age-related
      changes in association, commissural and projection WM fiber regions using a
      skeletonized, region of interest DTI approach. Using linear mixed effect models,
      we evaluated the influences of age and vascular risk at baseline on seven-year
      changes in three indices of WM integrity and organization (axial diffusivity, AD,
      radial diffusivity, RD, and fractional anisotropy, FA) in healthy middle-aged and
      older adults (mean age=65.4, SD=9.0years). Association fibers showed the most
      pronounced declines over time. Advanced age was associated with greater
      longitudinal changes in RD and FA, independent of fiber type. Furthermore, older
      age was associated with longitudinal RD increases in late-developing, but not
      early-developing projection fibers. These findings demonstrate the increased
      vulnerability of later developing WM regions and support the "last-in-first-out"
      hypothesis of brain aging.

PMID- 26481676
TI  - MAOA-VNTR polymorphism modulates context-dependent dopamine release and
      aggressive behavior in males.
AB  - A recent [(18)F]FDOPA-PET study reports negative correlations between dopamine
      synthesis rates and aggressive behavior. Since dopamine is among the substrates
      for monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), this investigation examines whether functional
      allelic variants of the MAOA tandem repeat (VNTR) promotor polymorphism, which is
      known to modulate aggressive behavior, influences dopamine release and aggression
      in response to violent visual stimuli. We selected from a genetic prescreening
      sample, strictly case-matched groups of 2*12 healthy male subjects with VNTRs
      predictive of high (MAOA-High) and low (MAOA-Low) MAOA expression. Subjects
      underwent pairs of PET sessions (dopamine D2/3 ligand [(18)F]DMFP) while viewing
      a movie of neutral content, versus violent content. Directly afterwards,
      aggressive behavior was assessed by the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm
      (PSAP). Finally, PET data of 23 participants and behavioral data of 22
      participants were analyzed due to post hoc exclusion criteria. In the genetic
      prescreening sample MAOA-Low carriers had significantly increased scores on the
      Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. In the PET-study-group, aggressive behavior
      under the emotional neutral condition was significantly higher in the MAOA-Low
      group. Interestingly, the two MAOA-groups showed inverse dopaminergic and
      behavioral reactions to the violent movie: The MAOA-High group showed higher
      dopamine release and increased aggression after the violent movie; MAOA-Low
      subjects showed decreases in aggressive behavior and no consistent dopamine
      release. These results indicate a possible impact of the MAOA-promotor
      polymorphism on the neurobiological modulation of aggressive behavior. However,
      the data do not support approaches stating that MAOA-Low fosters aggression by a
      simple pro-dopaminergic mechanism.

PMID- 26481677
TI  - Tractography atlas-based spatial statistics: Statistical analysis of diffusion
      tensor image along fiber pathways.
AB  - The quantitative analysis of diffusion tensor image (DTI) data has attracted
      increasing attention in recent decades for studying white matter (WM) integrity
      and development. Among the current DTI analysis methods, tract-based spatial
      statistics (TBSS), as a pioneering approach for the voxelwise analysis of DTI
      data, has gained a lot of popularity due to its user-friendly framework. However,
      in recent years, the reliability and interpretability of TBSS have been
      challenged by several works, and several improvements over the original TBSS
      pipeline have been suggested. In this paper, we propose a new DTI statistical
      analysis method, named tractography atlas-based spatial statistics (TABSS). It
      doesn't rely on the accurate alignment of fractional anisotropy (FA) images for
      population analysis and gets rid of the skeletonization procedures of TBSS, which
      have been indicated as the major sources of error. Furthermore, TABSS improves
      the interpretability of results by directly reporting the resulting statistics on
      WM tracts, waiving the need of a WM atlas in the interpretation of the results.
      The feasibility of TABSS was evaluated in an example study to show age-related FA
      alternation pattern of healthy human brain. Through this preliminary study, it is
      validated that TABSS can provide detailed statistical results in a comprehensive
      and easy-to-understand way.

PMID- 26481679
TI  - Matched signal detection on graphs: Theory and application to brain imaging data
      classification.
AB  - Motivated by recent progress in signal processing on graphs, we have developed a
      matched signal detection (MSD) theory for signals with intrinsic structures
      described by weighted graphs. First, we regard graph Laplacian eigenvalues as
      frequencies of graph-signals and assume that the signal is in a subspace spanned
      by the first few graph Laplacian eigenvectors associated with lower eigenvalues.
      The conventional matched subspace detector can be applied to this case.
      Furthermore, we study signals that may not merely live in a subspace. Concretely,
      we consider signals with bounded variation on graphs and more general signals
      that are randomly drawn from a prior distribution. For bounded variation signals,
      the test is a weighted energy detector. For the random signals, the test
      statistic is the difference of signal variations on associated graphs, if a
      degenerate Gaussian distribution specified by the graph Laplacian is adopted. We
      evaluate the effectiveness of the MSD on graphs both with simulated and real data
      sets. Specifically, we apply MSD to the brain imaging data classification problem
      of Alzheimer's disease (AD) based on two independent data sets: 1) positron
      emission tomography data with Pittsburgh compound-B tracer of 30 AD and 40 normal
      control (NC) subjects, and 2) resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging
      (R-fMRI) data of 30 early mild cognitive impairment and 20 NC subjects. Our
      results demonstrate that the MSD approach is able to outperform the traditional
      methods and help detect AD at an early stage, probably due to the success of
      exploiting the manifold structure of the data.

PMID- 26481678
TI  - How the brain learns how few are "many": An fMRI study of the flexibility of
      quantifier semantics.
AB  - Previous work has shown that the meaning of a quantifier such as "many" or "few"
      depends in part on quantity. However, the meaning of a quantifier may vary
      depending on the context, e.g. in the case of common entities such as "many ants"
      (perhaps several thousands) compared to endangered species such as "many pandas"
      (perhaps a dozen). In a recent study (Heim et al., 2015 Front. Psychol.) we
      demonstrated that the relative meaning of "many" and "few" may be changed
      experimentally. In a truth value judgment task, displays with 40% of circles in a
      named color initially had a low probability of being labeled "many". After a
      training phase, the likelihood of acceptance 40% as "many" increased. Moreover,
      the semantic learning effect also generalized to the related quantifier "few"
      which had not been mentioned in the training phase. Thus, fewer 40% arrays were
      considered "few." In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that this
      semantic adaptation effect was supported by cytoarchitectonic Brodmann area (BA)
      45 in Broca's region which may contribute to semantic evaluation in the context
      of language and quantification. In an event-related fMRI study, 17 healthy
      volunteers performed the same paradigm as in the previous behavioral study. We
      found a relative signal increase when comparing the critical, trained proportion
      to untrained proportions. This specific effect was found in left BA 45 for the
      trained quantifier "many", and in left BA 44 for both quantifiers, reflecting the
      semantic adjustment for the untrained but related quantifier "few." These
      findings demonstrate the neural basis for processing the flexible meaning of a
      quantifier, and illustrate the neuroanatomical structures that contribute to
      variable meanings that can be associated with a word when used in different
      contexts.

PMID- 26481680
TI  - [Indicated preterm birth in a type 3 maternity ward: Evaluation of practices].
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the proportion of indicated preterm
      births among all preterm births in a type 3 maternity ward; to assess practices
      in terms of mode of delivery in such cases; and to analyse the observed outcomes
      for such deliveries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted
      in the obstetrics department of the regional university hospital of Tours (type 3
      maternity ward) over a 22-month period. Women with an indicated preterm birth
      between 22 and 37 weeks of gestation, for whom vaginal delivery was possible,
      were included in the study. For every woman, the choice of mode of delivery
      (caesarean before labour or induction of labour) as well as maternal, obstetrical
      and neonatal factors were recorded. RESULTS: From January 2012 to October 2013,
      539 deliveries were preterm among which 42.5% were indicated preterm births. Out
      of 114 women for whom vaginal delivery was possible, 33.3% had a caesarean before
      labour and 66.7% had an induction of labour. The choice of mode of delivery is
      influenced by various factors such as local conditions, gestational age and type
      of obstetrical pathologies. Moreover, birth weight and Apgar score are
      significantly lower and the hospitalisation rate of newborns is significantly
      higher in the "caesarean before labour" group. CONCLUSION: Indicated preterm
      births represent almost half of preterm births in the maternity ward. A third of
      these indicated preterm births were caesareans before labour. Due to the neonatal
      morbidity resulting from indicated preterm birth, it is essential to regularly
      reassess indications of indicated preterm birth.

PMID- 26481681
TI  - [Assessment of shoulder dystocia related knowledge among French obstetrics and
      gynecology residents].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the related knowledge of French residents in obstetrics
      concerning maneuvers for shoulder dystocia (SD). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Multicenter descriptive transversal study conducted from June to September 2014.
      Data collection was performed through questionnaires sent by email to French
      resident in obstetrics. RESULTS: Among the 1080 questionnaires sent, 366
      responses were obtained with a response rate of 33.9%. One hundred and forty
      three residents (39.1%) were in the first part of their training (<=5th semester)
      and 60.9% (n=223) were in the second part of their training. Theoretical training
      on the SD was provided to 88.2% of resident (n=323). In total, 38.8% (n=142)
      obtained their French degree in mechanical and technical obstetric and among them
      77.5% (n=110) had the opportunity to train on simulators and dummies. Concerning
      their practical experiences, 31.5% (n=45) residents <=5th semester reported
      having experienced SD during their residency vs 58.3% (n=130) amongst oldest
      residents (P<0.001). In the second part of residency, 40% of residents (n=89)
      expressed to feel able to manage shoulder dystocia. Only 19.1% (n=70) were
      satisfied with their residency training program vs 39.1% (n=143) who were
      unsatisfied. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that less than one resident out of two
      (40%) felt able to perform maneuvers for SD in the second part of residency. We
      think that simulation activities should be mandatory for residency training
      programs in Obstetrics and Gynecology, which have to develop dependable measures
      to assess resident competencies to execute practical maneuvers for clinical
      emergencies in obstetrics.

PMID- 26481682
TI  - [Prescribed and dispensed in the third trimester of pregnancy drugs: What
      practices and risks?].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to describe the prescribing of drugs to
      pregnant women during the third trimester of pregnancy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The
      retrospective analysis is interested by pregnant women from August 2009 to April
      2011, living in Franche-Comte. The used data are recorded in the database of the
      French Health Insurance Service. Drugs prescribing were analyzed and classified
      according to three categories: drugs that are contraindicated, not recommended
      drugs and drugs that are used. This classification is based on two databases: the
      Summaries of Product Characteristics of Vidal 2010 and data from the National
      Security Agency of Medicines. The potential exposure of patients was pointed out.
      RESULTS: On 15,027 patients, 80% had a prescription. Six percent of prescriptions
      containing drugs not recommended and 1% drugs that contraindicated. Therapeutic
      classes identified are analgesics, anti-infective drugs and medicines
      supplementing with vitamins and minerals. Contraindicated drugs (10%) are NSAIDs,
      rubella vaccine, cyclins and ACE inhibitors and ARBs. Approximately 2.7% of women
      were potentially exposed to these drugs. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Despite the
      recommendations of the ANSM, some drugs that are contraindicated are prescribed
      for pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy. In the absence of
      studies, the decision must be made on a case by case basis by assessing the risk
      benefit ratio. Particular care is to bring about the drugs taken in self
      medication. Information and advice are key steps to avoid incidents.

PMID- 26481684
TI  - Oct1 and OCA-B are selectively required for CD4 memory T cell function.
AB  - Epigenetic changes are crucial for the generation of immunological memory.
      Failure to generate or maintain these changes will result in poor memory
      responses. Similarly, augmenting or stabilizing the correct epigenetic states
      offers a potential method of enhancing memory. Yet the transcription factors that
      regulate these processes are poorly defined. We find that the transcription
      factor Oct1 and its cofactor OCA-B are selectively required for the in vivo
      generation of CD4(+) memory T cells. More importantly, the memory cells that are
      formed do not respond properly to antigen reencounter. In vitro, both proteins
      are required to maintain a poised state at the Il2 target locus in resting but
      previously stimulated CD4(+) T cells. OCA-B is also required for the robust
      reexpression of multiple other genes including Ifng. ChIPseq identifies ~50
      differentially expressed direct Oct1 and OCA-B targets. We identify an underlying
      mechanism involving OCA-B recruitment of the histone lysine demethylase Jmjd1a to
      targets such as Il2, Ifng, and Zbtb32. The findings pinpoint Oct1 and OCA-B as
      central mediators of CD4(+) T cell memory.

PMID- 26481685
TI  - TLR9 ligation in pancreatic stellate cells promotes tumorigenesis.
AB  - Modulation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling can have protective or
      protumorigenic effects on oncogenesis depending on the cancer subtype and on
      specific inflammatory elements within the tumor milieu. We found that TLR9 is
      widely expressed early during the course of pancreatic transformation and that
      TLR9 ligands are ubiquitous within the tumor microenvironment. TLR9 ligation
      markedly accelerates oncogenesis, whereas TLR9 deletion is protective. We show
      that TLR9 activation has distinct effects on the epithelial, inflammatory, and
      fibrogenic cellular subsets in pancreatic carcinoma and plays a central role in
      cross talk between these compartments. Specifically, TLR9 activation can induce
      proinflammatory signaling in transformed epithelial cells, but does not elicit
      oncogene expression or cancer cell proliferation. Conversely, TLR9 ligation
      induces pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) to become fibrogenic and secrete
      chemokines that promote epithelial cell proliferation. TLR9-activated PSCs
      mediate their protumorigenic effects on the epithelial compartment via CCL11.
      Additionally, TLR9 has immune-suppressive effects in the tumor microenvironment
      (TME) via induction of regulatory T cell recruitment and myeloid-derived
      suppressor cell proliferation. Collectively, our work shows that TLR9 has
      protumorigenic effects in pancreatic carcinoma which are distinct from its
      influence in extrapancreatic malignancies and from the mechanistic effects of
      other TLRs on pancreatic oncogenesis.

PMID- 26481687
TI  - Auditory P3a and P3b neural generators in schizophrenia: An adaptive sLORETA P300
      localization approach.
AB  - The present study investigates the neural substrates underlying cognitive
      processing in schizophrenia (Sz) patients. To this end, an auditory 3-stimulus
      oddball paradigm was used to identify P3a and P3b components, elicited by rare
      distractor and rare-target tones, respectively. Event-related potentials (ERP)
      were recorded from 31 Sz patients and 38 healthy controls. The P3a and P3b brain
      source generators were identified by time-averaging of low-resolution brain
      electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) current density images. In contrast with the
      commonly used fixed window of interest (WOI), we proposed to apply an adaptive
      WOI, which takes into account subjects' P300 latency variability. Our results
      showed different P3a and P3b source activation patterns in both groups. P3b
      sources included frontal, parietal and limbic lobes, whereas P3a response
      generators were localized over bilateral frontal and superior temporal regions.
      These areas have been related to the discrimination of auditory stimulus and to
      the inhibition (P3a) or the initiation (P3b) of motor response in a cognitive
      task. In addition, differences in source localization between Sz and control
      groups were observed. Sz patients showed lower P3b source activity in bilateral
      frontal structures and the cingulate. P3a generators were less widespread for Sz
      patients than for controls in right superior, medial and middle frontal gyrus.
      Our findings suggest that target and distractor processing involves distinct
      attentional subsystems, both being altered in Sz. Hence, the study of
      neuroelectric brain information can provide further insights to understand
      cognitive processes and underlying mechanisms in Sz. 

PMID- 26481686
TI  - Qualitative changes in human gamma-secretase underlie familial Alzheimer's
      disease.
AB  - Presenilin (PSEN) pathogenic mutations cause familial Alzheimer's disease (AD
      [FAD]) in an autosomal-dominant manner. The extent to which the healthy and
      diseased alleles influence each other to cause neurodegeneration remains unclear.
      In this study, we assessed gamma-secretase activity in brain samples from 15
      nondemented subjects, 22 FAD patients harboring nine different mutations in
      PSEN1, and 11 sporadic AD (SAD) patients. FAD and control brain samples had
      similar overall gamma-secretase activity levels, and therefore, loss of overall
      (endopeptidase) gamma-secretase function cannot be an essential part of the
      pathogenic mechanism. In contrast, impaired carboxypeptidase-like activity (gamma
      secretase dysfunction) is a constant feature in all FAD brains. Significantly, we
      demonstrate that pharmacological activation of the carboxypeptidase-like gamma
      secretase activity with gamma-secretase modulators alleviates the mutant PSEN
      pathogenic effects. Most SAD cases display normal endo- and carboxypeptidase-like
      gamma-secretase activities. However and interestingly, a few SAD patient samples
      display gamma-secretase dysfunction, suggesting that gamma-secretase may play a
      role in some SAD cases. In conclusion, our study highlights qualitative shifts in
      amyloid-beta (Abeta) profiles as the common denominator in FAD and supports a
      model in which the healthy allele contributes with normal Abeta products and the
      diseased allele generates longer aggregation-prone peptides that act as seeds
      inducing toxic amyloid conformations.

PMID- 26481688
TI  - The proteome quest to understand biology and disease (HUPO 2014).

PMID- 26481689
TI  - A Plasmonic Spanner for Metal Particle Manipulation.
AB  - Typically, metal particles are difficult to manipulate with conventional optical
      vortex (OV) tweezers, because of their strong absorption and scattering. However,
      it has been shown that the vortex field of surface plasmonic polaritons, called
      plasmonic vortex (PV), is capable of stable trapping and dynamic rotation of
      metal particles, especially those of mesoscopic and Mie size. To uncover the
      different physical mechanisms of OV and PV tweezers, we investigated the force
      distribution and trapping potential of metal particles. In OV tweezers the
      stronger scattering force causes a positive potential barrier that repels
      particles, whereas in PV tweezers the dominant gradient force contributes to a
      negative potential well, resulting in stably trapped particles. Compared with OV,
      the orbital angular momentum of PV produces an azimuthal scattering force that
      rotates the trapped particles with more precise radius and position. Our results
      demonstrate that PV tweezers are superior in manipulation of metal particles. 

PMID- 26481690
TI  - Budget impact model of a 5-grass sublingual immunotherapy tablet for the
      treatment of grass pollen-induced allergic rhinitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a chronic disease with a substantial
      clinical and economic burden. This study estimated the potential budget impact
      (BI) associated with market entry of Sweet Vernal, Orchard, Perennial Rye,
      Timothy, and Kentucky Blue Grass Mixed Pollens Allergen Extract Tablet for
      Sublingual Use ('5-grass SLIT tablet') for patients aged 10-65 with grass pollen
      induced AR. METHODS: A budget impact model was constructed to estimate the
      potential BI from a US payer perspective. The model calculated pharmacy, medical,
      and total (pharmacy + medical) costs per-member-per-month (PMPM) with and without
      market entry of the 5-grass SLIT tablet, considering a 3-year time horizon. The
      target population was determined using an epidemiological approach and existing
      literature. The treatment market shares without 5-grass SLIT tablet entry were
      derived from an analysis of de-identified insurance claims data. Pharmacy costs
      and medical utilization rates and costs were obtained from the claims data
      analysis and existing literature. One-way sensitivities were conducted for key
      model inputs. RESULTS: Using an illustrative example of a hypothetical health
      plan with one million members, the estimated target population of AR patients
      aged 10-65 was 26,320. On a PMPM basis, pharmacy costs increased by $0.36, $0.44,
      and $0.51, while total costs (after medical cost offsets) increased by $0.15,
      $0.18, and $0.22 in the first, second, and third years following entry of the 5
      grass SLIT tablet, respectively. Results were most sensitive to changes in the
      compliance rate, treatment duration, and price. The BI will vary from the base
      case example when alternative, payer-specific inputs are used. CONCLUSIONS: Using
      base case inputs, use of the 5-grass SLIT tablet to treat grass pollen-induced AR
      increased the pharmacy budget for a hypothetical third-party payer. Higher
      pharmacy costs were partially offset by lower medical budget due to reduced
      resource use compared with existing treatments.

PMID- 26481691
TI  - All enamel is not created equal:Supports from a novel FAM83H mutation.

PMID- 26481693
TI  - The role of the galU gene of uropathogenic Escherichia coli in modulating
      macrophage TNF-alpha response.
AB  - Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are the major cause of urinary tract
      infections (UTI). These bacteria are equipped with an arsenal of virulence
      factors, such as siderophores and adhesins enabling UPECs to sufficiently
      colonize the urinary tract of humans and animals. Such virulence factors
      manipulate and impair the recognition of UPECs by the host's innate immune
      system. Among those, factors like the TIR domain containing proteins in E. coli
      (TcpC) have been described to interfere with the Toll-like receptor 4 signaling
      cascade. Nevertheless, some UPECs such as strain UTI89 lack TcpC, but also
      manipulate the innate immune response. By a random mutant-library approach we
      identified the galU gene of strain UTI89 to be responsible for a reduced immune
      response of macrophages. Consequently, we created a site directed knockout mutant
      of the galU gene in strain UTI89. This mutant caused a significantly increased
      cytokine response when co-incubated with J774A.1 macrophages. This phenotype
      could be recomplemented in trans by insertion of a galU-expressing plasmid. No
      differences in the viability of macrophages co-incubated with either the wild
      type (WT) or the DeltagalU mutant strain could be observed. Nor could any growth
      impairment be detected in the DeltagalU mutant compared to WT strain. Hence, the
      increased cytokine response was not due to differences in the bacterial
      cytotoxicity or bacterial counts in the assay. Our results also demonstrated a
      reduction of intracellular counts of UTI89DeltagalU in the infection model. We
      were able to show a loss of the O-polysaccharide side chain of the DeltagalU
      mutant LPS. A comparable LPS structure could be generated by the deletion of the
      waaL gene in the UTI89. This also caused an impaired immune modulation. In
      contrast, purified LPS was not sufficient to impair cytokine release of
      macrophages. Moreover, no differences could be detected by applying bacteria
      inactivated with heat or formalin treatment. From this, we assume that the
      aberration of the LPS structure caused by the knockout of the galU gene is an
      important but not the exclusive cause for the loss of UPEC's immune modulating
      properties. 

PMID- 26481692
TI  - The endocrine-immune network during taeniosis by Taenia solium: The role of the
      pituitary gland.
AB  - It is well known that sex hormones play an important role during Taenia solium
      infection; however, to our knowledge no studies exist concerning the immune
      response following complete or lobe-specific removal of the pituitary gland
      during T. solium infection. Thus, the aim of this work was to analyze in
      hamsters, the effects of lack of pituitary hormones on the duodenal immune
      response, and their impact on T. solium establishment and development. Thus, in
      order to achieve this goal, we perform anterior pituitary lobectomy (AL, n = 9),
      neurointermediate pituitary lobectomy (NIL, n = 9) and total hypophysectomy
      (HYPOX, n = 8), and related to the gut establishment and growth of T. solium,
      hematoxylin-eosin staining of duodenal tissue and immunofluorescence of duodenal
      cytokine expression and compared these results to the control intact (n = 8) and
      control infected group (n = 8). Our results indicate that 15 days post-infection,
      HYPOX reduces the number and size of intestinally recovered T. solium adults.
      Using semiquantitative immunofluorescent laser confocal microscopy, we observed
      that the mean intensity of duodenal IFN-gamma and IL-12 Th1 cytokines was mildly
      expressed in the infected controls, in contrast with the high level of expression
      of these cytokines in the NIL infected hamsters. Likewise, the duodenum of HYPOX
      animals showed an increase in the expression of Th2 cytokines IL-5 and IL-6, when
      compared to control hamsters. Histological analysis of duodenal mucosa from HYPOX
      hamsters revealed an exacerbated inflammatory infiltrate located along the lamina
      propria and related to the presence of the parasite. We conclude that lobe
      specific pituitary hormones affect differentially the T. solium development and
      the gut immune response. 

PMID- 26481694
TI  - Faith (F) and presence moment (O) in analytic processes: an example of a
      narcissistic disorder.
AB  - Based on Freud's remark that a neurosis can not be slain in absentia, the thesis
      is established that presence moments constitute the central points in the
      analytic process. The interpenetrative dynamics between analyst and analysand
      creates an analytical field, in which a pre-conception is formed. This pre
      conception meets the self-revealing psychic world of the patient. This
      realization is a moment of presence (O) and the analytic third is determined. In
      this moment, the presence of psychic reality is irrefutable present and can be
      called by name. The name, which is seen as a presentational symbol, is a creation
      of the analytic couple, but has its source in the genetic roots of the patient.
      The presentational arises from the presence, which can then become the
      representation. F is central in this process and is part of the analytic couple.
      Based on detailed case material of a narcissistic disorder it is shown that a
      dynamic that impresses at first narcissistic, can be understood from a different
      point of view as a struggle for the analytical attitude and belief (F). 

PMID- 26481695
TI  - Radiographic quantifications of joint space narrowing progression by computer
      based approach using temporal subtraction in rheumatoid wrist.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the validity of a computer-based method using temporal
      subtraction in carpal joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which
      can detect the difference in joint space between two images with the joint space
      difference index (JSDI). METHODS: The study consisted of 43 patients with RA (39
      females and 4 males) who underwent radiography at baseline and at 1-year follow
      up. The joint space narrowing (JSN) of carpal joints on bilateral hand
      radiographs was assessed by our computer-based method, using the Sharp/van der
      Heijde method as the standard of reference. We compared the JSDI of joints with
      JSN progression in the follow-up period with that of those without JSN
      progression. In addition, we examined whether there is a significant difference
      in JSDI in terms of laterality or topology of the joint. RESULTS: The JSDI of
      joints with JSN progression was significantly higher than that of those without
      JSN progression (Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.001). There was no statistically
      significant difference in the JSDI between the left and right carpal joints,
      which was analysed for five different joints altogether and each joint separately
      (Mann-Whitney U test, p > 0.05). There was statistically significant difference
      in JSDI among different joints (Kruskal-Wallis test, p = 0.003). CONCLUSION:
      These results suggest that our computer-based method may be useful to recognize
      the JSN progression on radiographs of rheumatoid wrists. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE:
      The computer-based temporal subtraction method can detect the JSN progression in
      the wrist, which is the single most commonly involved site in RA.

PMID- 26481696
TI  - Evaluation of 39 medical implants at 7.0 T.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: With increased signal to noise ratios, 7.0-T MRI has the potential to
      contribute unique information regarding anatomy and pathophysiology of a disease.
      However, concerns for the safety of subjects with metallic medical implants have
      hindered advancement in this field. The purpose of the present research was to
      evaluate the MRI safety for 39 commonly used medical implants at 7.0 T. METHODS:
      Selected metallic implants were tested for magnetic field interactions,
      radiofrequency-induced heating and artefacts using standardized testing
      techniques. RESULTS: 5 of the 39 implants tested may be unsafe for subjects
      undergoing MRI at 7.0 T. CONCLUSION: Implants were deemed either "MR Conditional"
      or "MR Unsafe" for the 7.0-T MRI environment. Further research is needed to
      expand the existing database categorizing implants that are acceptable for
      patients referred for MRI examinations at 7.0 T. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Lack of
      MRI testing for common metallic medical implants limits the translational
      potential of 7.0-T MRI. For safety reasons, patients with metallic implants are
      not allowed to undergo a 7.0-T MRI scan, precluding part of the population that
      can benefit from the detailed resolution of ultra-high-field MRIs. This
      investigation provides necessary MRI testing of common medical implants at 7.0 T.

PMID- 26481698
TI  - Nurses' attitudes and spontaneous adverse drug reaction reporting: a case-control
      study in Portugal.
AB  - AIM: To identify the attitudes and knowledge associated with adverse drug
      reactions (ADR) under-reporting by nurses. BACKGROUND: The voluntary reporting
      system is fundamental for expediting the detection of ADR during post-marketing
      surveillance. METHODS: We performed a case-control study. A self-administered
      questionnaire was sent by mail to 1325 nurses. The knowledge and attitudes
      related to ADR under-reporting were primarily based on Inman's seven deadly sins.
      RESULTS: The overall response rate was 34.2%. Nurses working in primary care were
      12-fold more likely to report an ADR. A change of attitude increased the
      probability of ADR reporting for:'The belief that the one case an individual
      nurse might see could not contribute to medical knowledge'; 'I do not know how
      the information reported is used by the system'; 'I would be more likely to
      report if the method was easier'; 'I think the most correct way to report is to
      inform the doctor' and 'I do not have time to think about the involvement of the
      drug in ADRs'. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that the beliefs of nurses, such as
      'one single report would not make any difference' and 'the pharmacovigilance
      system is very complex', act as a barrier to ADR reporting. IMPLICATIONS FOR
      NURSING MANAGEMENT: It is important to clarify the ADR reporting procedure and
      increase the nurses reporting rate.

PMID- 26481697
TI  - Systems assessment of intercalated combination of chemotherapy and EGFR TKIs
      versus chemotherapy or EGFR TKIs alone in advanced NSCLC patients.
AB  - Both chemotherapy and epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors
      (EGFR TKIs) are widely applied for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC), but the efficacy of these two treatments in combination is not yet
      clear. Thus, we sought to evaluate the efficacy of the intercalated combination
      of these two treatments in NSCLC. The PubMed database, EMBASE, Cochrane
      Controlled Trials Register, and Chinese Biomedical Database were systematically
      searched by two researchers for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that examined
      the intercalated combination of chemotherapy and EGFR TKIs in NSCLC. Ten studies
      involving 1,660 patients were included in this systematic review. The statistical
      results showed that the intercalated combination of chemotherapy and EGFR TKIs
      significantly improved overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.83, 95%
      confidence interval (CI): 0.70-0.98), progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 0.65,
      95% CI: 0.51-0.84), and the objective response rate (ORR) (risk ratio (RR) =
      1.90, 95% CI: 1.22-2.98) compared to chemotherapy alone. Similarly, compared to
      EGFR TKIs monotherapy, the intercalated combination of chemotherapy and EGFR TKIs
      seemed superior to EGFR TKIs alone in terms of PFS, ORR and DCR (PFS: HR = 0.75,
      95% CI: 0.62-0.91, ORR: RR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.12-2.00 and DCR: RR = 1.33, 95% CI:
      1.15-1.54) in advanced NSCLC therapy. 

PMID- 26481699
TI  - Blood metabolic response to a long-term wheelchair rugby training.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study with comparison group. OBJECTIVES: To
      evaluate the effects of long-term wheelchair rugby (WR) training on lipid
      profile, blood antioxidant status and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor
      (BDNF) level. SETTING: Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland. METHODS:
      Thirty-two males with chronic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) assigned into the
      physically active 'low-point' (LP, n=15) or 'high-point' (HP, n=8) WR players
      groups and the sedentary manual wheelchair users (SED, n=9) participated in this
      study. Fasting blood samples were collected at rest for assessment of activities
      of antioxidant enzymes, concentrations of reduced glutathione, uric acid,
      malondialdehyde (MDA), lipid profile measures and BDNF. RESULTS: No significant
      differences were found in anthropometric measures and serum lipid profile
      indices, although a slight tendency toward higher high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol level was evidenced in WR players. Significantly lower serum
      malondialdehyde (MDA) and significantly higher levels of the overall enzymatic
      antioxidant potential index (EAP) in WR players, compared with SED, may reflect
      some WR training-induced increase in the blood's antioxidant capacity. There was
      also a slight tendency toward higher serum BDNF level in WR players compared with
      the SED group and a significant positive association between years of WR training
      and the BDNF level. CONCLUSION: A voluntary participation in a long-term WR
      training program has several health promoting outcomes for individuals with
      chronic SCI. Among the most important are enhancement of the blood antioxidant
      defense capacity evidenced by lower MDA and higher EAP levels, as well as WR
      training-induced activation of BDNF signaling.

PMID- 26481701
TI  - Establishing standard hospital performance measures for cervical spinal trauma: a
      Nationwide In-patient Sample study.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective national administrative database study. OBJECTIVE:
      Patient safety indicators (PSIs) and hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) are
      metrics for quality of health care and are linked to reimbursement. The
      prevalence of PSIs/HACs may impact access to health care for certain conditions.
      We estimated the national occurrence rates of PSIs/HACs among cervical trauma
      patients and identified patient factors that correlate with their occurrence.
      SETTING: United States of America. METHODS: We queried Nationwide In-patient
      Sample database (NIS) hospitalizations (2002-2010) for diagnoses of cervical
      fracture with and without spinal cord injury (SCI). The incidence of each PSI/HAC
      was determined by ICD-9 (International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision)
      codes. Multivariate analysis was used to identify the correlation between
      specific variables and the probability of each indicator. RESULTS: There were
      52,377 hospitalizations for cervical fracture in the NIS (without SCI, n =
      41,708; with SCI, n = 10,669). Among those without SCI, there were 5374 (12.9%)
      reported PSIs and 117 (0.3%) HACs. Leading adverse events were postoperative
      respiratory failure (8.45%), pulmonary embolism (1.70%) and pressure ulcer
      (1.12%). Among those with SCI, there were 6600 (61.9%) PSIs and 143 (1.3%) HACs.
      Leading adverse events were postoperative respiratory failure (39.2%), pressure
      ulcer (7.78%), sepsis (5.71%), deep venous thrombosis (3.81%) and PE (1.70%).
      Adverse events were associated with several factors, including age, gender,
      Comorbidity Score and Injury Severity Score. Those with ? 1 PSI/HAC had
      significantly longer lengths of stay (P < 0.0001) and higher hospital costs (P <
      0.0001) and mortality (P < 0.0001) compared with patients without events.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results estimate baseline national rates of PSIs/HACs in
      patients with cervical spine trauma. These data may be used to gauge individual
      institutional quality of care in comparison with national data.

PMID- 26481700
TI  - Focal adhesion kinase signaling is decreased 56 days following spinal cord injury
      in rat gastrocnemius.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive study. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to
      determine the effects of spinal cord injury (SCI) on aspects of the focal
      adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling pathway 56 days post injury in rat gastrocnemius.
      SETTING: This study was conducted in Bronx, NY, USA. METHODS: Three-month-old
      male Wistar rats were exposed to either a sham surgery (n=10) or complete T4
      spinal cord transection (n=10). Rats were killed 56 days following surgery and
      the muscle was collected. Following homogenization, proteins of the FAK pathway
      were analyzed by western immunoblotting or reverse transcription-qPCR. In
      addition, cellular markers for proteins that target the degradation of FAK were
      investigated. RESULTS: SCI resulted in significantly lower levels of total and
      phosphorylated FAK, cSrc and p70S6k, and a trend for increased FRNK protein
      expression. SCI did not change levels of the alpha7 or beta1 integrin subunits,
      total or phosphorylated ERK1/2, phosphorylated Akt and TSC2 or total p70S6k. SCI
      resulted in a greater expression of total Akt. mRNA expression of FAK and the
      alpha7 or beta1 integrins remained unchanged between sham and SCI groups. Caspase
      3/7 activity and Trim72 mRNA and protein expression remained unchanged following
      SCI. CONCLUSION: SCI results in diminished FAK signaling and is independent of
      ERK1/2 and Akt. SCI has no effect on mRNA levels for genes encoding components of
      the focal adhesion 56 days after injury.

PMID- 26481702
TI  - Feasibility of an online well-being intervention for people with spinal cord
      injury: a pilot study.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Pre-test and post-test designs with 14 participants. Measurements
      were taken at baseline (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2) and at 3
      month follow-up (T3). OBJECTIVES: Psyfit is an online self-help program designed
      to enhance well-being in persons with depressed mood. We examined the feasibility
      of Psyfit in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING: Community, the
      Netherlands. METHODS: Participants chose two of the six Psyfit modules. The
      researcher maintained telephone contact with the participants. Feasibility was
      inferred from the completion rate of the modules and feedback from the
      participants. Outcome measures were the Mental Health Inventory-5, the Center for
      Epidemiological Studies Depression scale and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well
      Being Scale. RESULTS: Overall, 75% of the first module and 39% of the second
      module were completed. Seven participants were considered as study completers and
      were included in the evaluation. They evaluated Psyfit as a useful program and
      helpful for persons with SCI. Several technical problems were reported that
      mainly concerned browser compatibility. An increase in mental health and
      nonsignificant change of well-being were found at the end of the intervention
      period, but these were not maintained at follow-up. CONCLUSION: Psyfit seems a
      potentially feasible program. However, adaptation to the SCI population and
      further study with a controlled design and utilizing a larger sample size are
      necessary before it can be recommended as part of SCI rehabilitation.

PMID- 26481703
TI  - Mortality benefit of statin use in traumatic spinal cord injury: a retrospective
      analysis.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: An observational study based on retrospective review of the medical
      charts and death records of 163 individuals with traumatic spinal cord injuries
      (SCI). OBJECTIVES: To determine whether HMG coA Reductase Inhibitor ('statin')
      use in a cohort of patients with traumatic SCI reduced overall and cause-specific
      mortality. SETTING: An outpatient clinic designated for veterans with SCI at the
      Oklahoma City Veterans Administration Hospital. METHODS: Review and analysis of
      the medical records of 163 veterans with traumatic SCI cared for between the
      years 2000 and 2014. Data collected included statin use, duration of statin use
      and intensity of statin therapy, as well as cause-specific mortality. RESULTS:
      Seventy five participants had taken statins for an average of 5.7 +/- 3.7 years,
      and had greater cardiovascular risk burdens than those who had not taken statins
      (n = 88). Statin use was associated with a reduced risk of death. The mortality
      rate for those patients on statins was 33.8-49.9 per 1000 person-years, depending
      on assumptions made regarding residual effects of statin use. Under most
      assumptions this was significantly lower than the mortality rate seen in those
      not on statins (47.4-66.8 deaths per 1000 person-years). Within the statin group,
      neither duration nor average intensity of statin therapy affected mortality.
      CONCLUSION: Statin use among a cohort of veterans with traumatic SCI reduced all
      cause mortality. This retrospective study ought to spur further investigations
      into the potential benefits of statin use among people with chronic SCI, and
      begin a discussion as to whether individuals with injuries should routinely be
      offered statin therapy.

PMID- 26481704
TI  - EGb761 improves histological and functional recovery in rats with acute spinal
      cord contusion injury.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: This is an experimental study. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this
      study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of Ginkgo biloba extract 761
      (EGb761) on histological features of injured sites and on functional performance
      of rats subjected to standardized spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING: This study
      was conducted in Xian, Shaanxi, China. METHODS: Thirty female Sprague-Dawley rats
      were randomly divided into three groups: sham-operated, saline-treated control
      and EGb761-treated. The Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan Locomotor Rating Score (BBB
      score) was calculated and footprint analysis was performed to evaluate the
      functional performance of the rats in each group. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE)
      staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)
      and caspase-3 staining were performed to evaluate the necrosis area and apoptotic
      cells at the injured site in each group. RESULTS: At 14, but not 1, 3 and 7, days
      post injury (DPI), rats in the EGb761-treated group exhibited significantly
      better BBB scores compared with the saline-treated control group (P<0.05). The
      EGb761-treated group also showed increased stride length, decreased stride width
      and reduced toe dragging at 14 DPI (P<0.05). Analysis of HE staining revealed
      that the EGb761-treated group had reduced necrosis at the injury site compared
      with the saline-treated control group (P<0.05). Analysis of TUNEL and caspase-3
      staining demonstrated that cell apoptosis was increased at 1-14 DPI, peaking at
      24-h post injury in the gray matter, and 7 DPI in the white matter. At 7 DPI, the
      quantity of apoptotic cells was significantly decreased in the EGb761-treated
      group. CONCLUSION: EGb761 administration during the acute phase after SCI
      significantly reduced secondary injury-induced tissue necrosis and cell apoptosis
      and improved functional performance in rats.

PMID- 26481705
TI  - Validation of the Italian version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM
      III) Self-Report.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional validation study. OBJECTIVES: To validate the
      Italian version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure Self-Report (SCIM SR).
      SETTING: Two spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation facilities in Italy.
      METHODS: The SCIM III comprises items on 19 daily tasks, grouped into three
      subscales: 'Self-care,' 'Respiration and sphincter management' and 'Mobility'.
      The total SCIM score ranges between 0 and 100. The Italian self-reported version
      (SCIM SR) was translated from the German tool. We studied 116 patients on their
      first hospitalization for rehabilitation after an SCI. At the time of discharge,
      patients were evaluated by the rehabilitation team using the SCIM III and self
      assessed their independence with regard to activities of daily living using the
      SCIM SR. Pearson's correlation, Bland-Altman method, and stratified and
      regression analyses were used to examine the differences between evaluations.
      RESULTS: On the basis of Pearson's correlation, there was good agreement between
      the data from the SCIM III and SCIM SR (r=0.918 for 'Self-care,' 0.806 for
      'Respiration and sphincter management,' 0.906 for 'Mobility' and 0.934 for total
      scores). By Bland-Altman analysis, patients rated their functioning nearly the
      same as professionals-the mean difference between SCIM III and SCIM SR scores was
      approximately 0 for all subscales and total scores. The stratified and regression
      analyses failed to identify any specific factor that was associated with
      differences between SCIM III and SCIM SR scores. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      support the validity of the Italian version of the SCIM SR, which can facilitate
      longer-term evaluations of the independence of individuals with SCIs.

PMID- 26481706
TI  - Active Living Leaders Training Program for adults with spinal cord injury: a
      pilot study.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Quasi-experimental pre-post design with 6-month follow-up.
      OBJECTIVES: Active Living Leaders Training Program (ALLTP) equips individuals
      with knowledge and skills to encourage those with spinal cord injury (SCI) to
      increase their leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). The purpose of this pilot
      study was to, first, (i) evaluate participants' perceptions of the
      relevance/usefulness of ALLTP material/presentation, (ii) examine changes in
      participants' self-efficacy to promote LTPA, (iii) identify program components
      associated with greater self-efficacy and, second, measure participants' use of
      ALLTP skills and resources over the subsequent 6 months. SETTING: Canada.
      METHODS: Six SCI fitness trainers and six adults with SCI completed the three
      sections of ALLTP and, after each section, provided feedback. Six months later,
      participants' use of resources and skills was assessed. Means, standard
      deviations, repeated measures analysis of variance and Pearson's correlations
      were computed. RESULTS: Relevance/usefulness of the program was rated favorably.
      Self-efficacy to speak about and encourage LTPA remained high throughout the
      ALLTP and was positively correlated with the relevance/usefulness of program
      content and presentation. At follow-up, participants had discussed LTPA with an
      average of seven people with disabilities and reported using at least one skill
      and resource from the ALLTP during those discussions. CONCLUSIONS: Users had
      positive perceptions of ALLTP and reported using the training to promote LTPA to
      others with disabilities. Participant feedback has been used to improve ALLTP.
      ALLTP can now be used to train people with SCI and SCI fitness trainers to
      promote LTPA to others with disabilities.

PMID- 26481707
TI  - Lipofilling (fat grafting) in the secondary prevention of ischial tuberosity and
      pelvic pressure ulcers.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. OBJECTIVES: Lipofilling was proposed to adult
      chronic spinal cord injury patients with history of ischial tuberosity pressure
      ulcers surgery, at risk of recurrence of pressure ulcers due to unsatisfactory
      adipose tissue thickness. SETTING: Fondation Hopale, Berck, France. METHODS: The
      three staged (Coleman) procedure for fat grafting consisted of water-jet assisted
      liposuction (Harvest-Jet), decantation, and reinjection of the autologous fat in
      three-dimensional plan. RESULTS: Ten consecutive patients (eight paraplegics and
      two tetraplegics) benefited from bilateral ischial lipofilling, with additional
      lipofilling of the sacrum (three patients) and the trochanters (two patients).
      All patients attended the seating clinic with pressure mapping before and after
      lipofilling for appropriate cushion prescription. Mean follow-up time was 16
      months (4-24 months). Complications were limited to stage I (two patients) and
      stage II (one patient) pressure ulcers, due to negligence. Excellent results with
      minimal fat wasting (between 10% and 25%) underneath the ischial tuberosity were
      seen in eight patients, with significant improvement of adipose tissue thickness.
      Total fat waste was seen in two patients, one of whom following dramatic weight
      loss. Results were always good in the sacrum and trochanteric areas. Lipofilling
      allowed longer sitting times (three patients), improved skin quality (nine
      patients), improved quality of life (six patients), 'a better feeling of
      positioning in their wheelchair' (four patients), and decrease in pelvic pain
      (three patients). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Pelvic lipofilling is safe, cost
      effective, and can now be considered in the primary prevention of pelvic pressure
      ulcers in patients with insufficient adipose tissue.

PMID- 26481708
TI  - Development of the International Spinal Cord Injury Activities and Participation
      Basic Data Set.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Consensus decision-making process. OBJECTIVES: The objective of
      this study was to develop an International Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Activities
      and Participation (A&P) Basic Data Set. SETTING: International working group.
      METHODS: A committee of experts was established to select and define A&P data
      elements to be included in this data set. A draft data set was developed and
      posted on the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) and American Spinal
      Injury Association websites and was also disseminated among appropriate
      organizations for review. Suggested revisions were considered, and a final
      version of the A&P Data Set was completed. RESULTS: Consensus was reached to
      define A&P and to incorporate both performance and satisfaction ratings. Items
      that were considered core to each A&P domain were selected from two existing
      questionnaires. Four items measuring activities were selected from the Spinal
      Cord Independence Measure III to provide basic data on task execution in
      activities of daily living. Eight items were selected from the Craig Handicap
      Assessment and Reporting Technique to provide basic data on the frequency of
      participation. An additional rating of satisfaction on a three-point scale for
      each item completes the total of 24 A&P variables. CONCLUSION: Collection of the
      International SCI A&P Basic Data Set variables in all future research on SCI
      outcomes is advised to facilitate comparison of results across published studies
      from around the world. Additional standardised instruments to assess activities
      of daily living or participation can be administered, depending on the purpose of
      a particular study.

PMID- 26481709
TI  - Clinical and demographic profile of traumatic spinal cord injury: a Mexican
      hospital-based study.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Review of clinical data. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study
      was to describe the clinical and demographical profile of patients with traumatic
      spinal cord injury (TSCI) admitted to a single center. SETTING: Unidad de
      Medicina Fisica y Rehabilitacion Centro, Mexico. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with TSCI
      attending rehabilitation for the first time. INTERVENTION: Not applicable. MAIN
      MEASUREMENTS: Age, gender, educational level, occupational activity, causes of
      injury, level of injury, neurological level, injury severity and category were
      recorded. RESULTS: Four hundred and sixty-four clinical files of patients with
      TSCI were collected. The mean age was 37.9 +/- 15.9 years; 78.2% (363/464) were
      male, basic educational level predominated in 63.6% (296/464) and 73.1% (339/464)
      were employed. A fall was the main mechanism of the injury in 41.6% (193/464),
      replacing automobile accidents from the first place. The mean age of persons who
      suffered falls was 44 +/- 16 years. Injuries sustained by younger persons were
      due to violence (28.4 +/- 10.1 years) and the cause of injury associated with
      male gender was violence. Thoracic level was most often affected (in 56.7%,
      263/464) and neurological level C4 in 13.4% (62/464). In regard to the extent of
      the injury, lesions classified as American Spinal Injury Association A
      predominated (56.2%, 261/464) as with complete paraplegia in 43.3% (201/464).
      CONCLUSIONS: The mean age of our patients was 37 years. Men are affected in a
      higher proportion. Our population has <9 years of study. Physical labor was the
      usual pre-injury activity. The main mechanism of injury was falls. Thoracic spine
      was the most affected.

PMID- 26481710
TI  - Prevalence of secondary medical complications and risk factors for pressure
      ulcers after traumatic spinal cord injury during acute care in South Africa.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, population-based cohort study. OBJECTIVES: To
      determine the prevalence of selected complications following traumatic spinal
      cord injury during acute care and to identify the risk factors for pressure
      ulcers. SETTING: The only tertiary academic (Groote Schuur) hospital in the
      catchment region providing specialised acute care. METHODS: A descriptive,
      observational study of an inception cohort. Secondary complications were
      predefined and consisted of pressure ulcers, pulmonary complications (pneumonia
      and atelectasis), urinary tract infections, autonomic dysreflexia, deep vein
      thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, postural hypotension, neuropathic pain and
      spasticity. Possible risk factors for pressure ulcers included variables
      concerning demographic and injury characteristics and complications. Both
      univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used. RESULTS: Data
      of 141 patients (97%) were analysed. In total, 71 (50.3%) patients had one or
      more complication. The most common was pressure ulcers (n=42; 29.8%), followed by
      pulmonary complications (n=33; 23.4%) and urinary tract infections (n=24; 17%).
      Significant risk factors were gun-shot injury, motor completeness (American
      Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) A?B), vertebral injury, no
      spinal surgery, pulmonary complications, urinary tract infection and level of
      consciousness. In the final multivariate model that correctly predicted 81.6% of
      subjects, motor completeness and vertebral injury remained significant
      independent factors, whereas having a urinary tract infection was associated with
      an increased risk (odds ratio: 2.86), but not significant at the 5% level.
      CONCLUSION: Pressure ulcers and pulmonary complications were prevalent during
      specialised acute phase. The occurrence of pressure ulcers, despite protocols in
      place, is worrisome. To prevent pressure ulcers, special attention seems
      necessary for persons with motor complete lesions and those with vertebral
      injuries.

PMID- 26481711
TI  - Locomotor improvement of spinal cord-injured rats through treadmill training by
      forced plantar placement of hind paws.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Experimental training model of rats with spinal cord injury (SCI).
      SETTING: Osaka, JapanObjective:To investigate the effect of forced treadmill
      training by plantar placement (PP), as compared with dorsal placement (DP), of
      the dorsal paws on the locomotor behaviors of spinal cord-injured rats. METHODS:
      The spinal cord was contusion-injured at the thoracic level. Rats were divided
      into three groups: forced training involving stepping by PP and DP and non-forced
      training/assistance (nT). Training began 1 week after injury and was conducted
      for 4 weeks. Locomotor behaviors were estimated using Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan
      (BBB) scores, dorsiflexion of the hind paws and footprints of the hind paws.
      Histological and immunohistochemical examinations of the spinal cord lesions were
      conducted after 4 weeks of training. RESULTS: The values, respectively, of PP, DP
      and nT groups at 4 weeks of training were as follows: BBB scores were 15.6+/-0.8,
      7.7+/-1.3 and 10.3+/-0.4. The paw dorsiflexion angles were 34.1+/-5.2, 16.4+/-2.4
      and 23.6+/-3.0 degrees, respectively. The stride angles were 5.1+/-0.9, 13.7+/
      4.9 and 17.8+/-4.0 degrees for the left paws. Cavity volumes were 10.3+/-2.1,
      31.0+/-2.0 and 28.2+/-4.9%. In addition to cavities, there were astrocyte-devoid
      areas containing some loose tissues, through which many axons extended
      longitudinally. CONCLUSIONS: The BBB score, dorsiflexion angle and stride angle
      were consistently improved in the PP group. Cavity formation was more reduced,
      and many axons extended through coarse tissues formed in astrocyte-devoid areas
      at the lesion in the PP group. Forced training by PP of the hind paws promoted
      the behavioral and histological improvement of rats with SCI.

PMID- 26481712
TI  - Effects of tacrolimus and erythropoietin in experimental spinal cord lesion in
      rats: functional and histological evaluation.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study with rats. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate functional and
      histological effects of tacrolimus (FK 506) and erythropoietin (EPO) after
      experimental spinal cord contusion injury (SCI). SETTING: Brazil. METHODS: Wistar
      rats (n=60) were submitted to SCI with the NYU Impactor system. The control group
      received saline; the EPO group received EPO; the group EPO+FK 506 received EPO
      associated with tacrolimus and the group FK 506 received tacrolimus only. The
      Sham group underwent SCI, but did not receive any drug. Locomotor function was
      evaluated after SCI by BBB (Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan) weekly and by the motor
      evoked potential test in 42 days. The spinal cord was histologically evaluated.
      RESULTS: There was a significant difference between treated and the control
      groups from the seventh day on for BBB scores, with no difference between the
      groups EPO and EPO+FK 506 by the end of the study. There were significant
      differences between groups for necrosis and bleeding, but not for hiperemia,
      degeneration and cellular infiltrate. Axon neuron count was different between all
      groups (P=0.001), between EPO+FK 506 and FK 506 (P=0.011) and between EPO+FK 506
      and Sham (P=0.002). Amplitude was significantly different between all groups
      except between control and sham. For latency, there was no difference.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study did not reveal significant differences in the recovery of
      locomotor function, or in the histological and electrophysiological analysis in
      animals treated with EPO and tacrolimus after thoracic SCI.

PMID- 26481714
TI  - Ventricular Overdrive Pacing: Beyond V-A-V and V-A-A-V.

PMID- 26481713
TI  - Quality of websites with patient information about spinal cord injury in Spanish.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional analysis of websites with information
      on spinal cord injury (SCI) in Spanish. OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality,
      readability and presence of quality labels on web pages with information about
      SCI in Spanish. SETTING: The Internet. METHODS: An Internet search was conducted
      on Google with the keywords 'lesion medular' (spinal cord injury), 'paraplejia'
      (paraplegia) and 'tetraplejia' (tetraplegia). The first 50 results of each search
      were included. The quality of websites was assessed with the LIDA tool while the
      readability was assessed with the Flesch-Szigriszt index and the INFLESZ scale.
      We also checked the presence of any quality label. RESULTS: After excluding
      duplicated and irrelevant results, 33 websites were analysed. Only four of them
      had a quality label. The mean score of the LIDA tool was 61.12% (medium quality),
      and the worst results were those referring to the reliability of the information.
      The readability of the web pages was somewhat difficult, with a mean of 48.22 in
      the Flesch-Szigriszt index. Only eight of the websites showed normal readability.
      We observed no differences in either the quality or the readability of the
      websites according to their origin or the presence of quality labels.
      CONCLUSIONS: The websites analysed present a medium quality. Mainly, they should
      improve the reliability of their contents and their readability, including more
      quality labels. For SCI information in Spanish to be understandable and to
      provide valuable content, websites analysed in our study need to improve the
      quality parameters.

PMID- 26481715
TI  - Narrow band imaging and bladder cancer: when and how.
AB  - Narrow band imaging (NBI) is an optical enhancement technology for endoscopy. NBI
      works filtering the standard white light in two bandwidths of illumination of 415
      nm, blue, and 540 nm, green. As a result, capillaries on mucosal surface appear
      brown and veins in connective subepithelial layer cyan, enhancing the contrast
      among epithelial, subepithelial tissue and its vascularisation. Given that it is
      a filter, it is safe, does not need any kind of instillation and the vision
      modality can be switched from NBI to white light and vice versa without any
      limitations of time. NBI-assisted cystoscopy increases the detection rate of
      urothelial lesions and enhances visibility of tumour margins with respect to
      standard white light modality, although it does not need a particular learning
      curve. NBI exploration of the bladder should be avoided during active bleeding
      because the light absorption would be excessive impeding an optimal vision.
      Moreover, it should always be employed in combination with standard white light
      modality to avoid an excess of false-positive findings, particularly during or
      immediately after topic treatments. It can be used in office to anticipate
      bladder recurrences and in the operating theatre to perform a complete tumour
      resection. As a matter of fact, it is able to reduce the recurrence rate and
      ameliorate bladder cancer management by identifying high-grade cancerous tissue,
      especially Cis, undetected by the standard white light modality.

PMID- 26481718
TI  - Clinical pitfalls in diagnosis of nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer.
AB  - Current global economic crisis imposes healthcare system to reduce unnecessary
      investigations and increase early detection of tumors, to decrease the costs of
      an advanced disease. Several diagnostic pitfalls may occur dealing with bladder
      cancer (BC), particularly in nonmuscle-invasive (NMIBC) one. Hematuria, the
      commonest sign in NMIBC, is often underestimated. Urinary cytology is highly
      specific for high-grade tumors, but has a low sensitivity for low-grade BC, is
      operator dependent, and not always obtainable in clinical practice. Numerous
      urinary tests are available to ameliorate the accuracy of cytology, but none of
      them is routinly used in urological practice. Ultrasound could hardly detect a
      small bladder tumor, especially if located in the bladder neck or in the anterior
      wall. Computed tomography (CT) is widely adopted as an alternative to
      conventional urography, but its usefulness in patients with hematuria is still
      debated. MRI has a higher accuracy than CT for staging BC and evaluate the
      bladder-wall invasion. A negative cystoscopy cannot exclude Tis and should be
      accompanied by urinary cytology in patients with suspected Tis or high-risk
      NMIBC; however, new techniques such as narrow band imaging (NBI) and photodynamic
      (PDD) increase the detection rate of BC and flat lesions. Nearly half of all
      diagnostic resections present omission of muscle in the specimen or its mention
      in the pathology report, which is associated with an increased mortality. An
      adequate muscle sampling during endoscopic resection is mandatory, particularly
      in patients with high-grade disease. Recognition of pitfalls in diagnosis and
      management of BC represents the first step for a correct approach.

PMID- 26481720
TI  - NBI: results review.
AB  - The narrow band imaging (NBI) is a new technology introduced to complement the
      traditional endoscopy in order to enhance the detection of nonmuscle-invasive
      bladder cancer and, consequently, to improve the management of the disease. In
      this review, we considered the most important studies about the use of NBI in the
      diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer. Current results demonstrate a greater
      sensitivity in the diagnosis of bladder cancer and especially a better negative
      predictive value of cystoscopy enhanced by NBI technology than white light
      standard cystoscopy. Similarly, improving the performance of endoscopic
      resection, this new technology would have a positive therapeutic impact in order
      to decrease residual tumors and relapses. The validation of the results and
      diffusion of NBI in clinical practice may provide new perspectives in the
      management of nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer.

PMID- 26481721
TI  - The occult urothelial cancer.
AB  - Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is the tumor that most frequently affects the
      urinary tract. The most common location is in the bladder; the diagnosis, as the
      follow-up, is based on urine cytology, endoscopic, and radiological examinations.
      Urinary cytology is an important non invasive tool used in the diagnosis and
      follow-up of patients with TCC. A positive urine cytology result is highly
      predictive of the presence of TCC, even in the presence of normal cystoscopy,
      because malignant cells may appear in the urine long time before any
      cystoscopically visible lesion becomes apparent. The presence of a positive
      urinary cytology, in the absence of clinical or endoscopic evidence of a TCC, can
      identify an occult urothelial cancer, located in any site of the urinary tract
      (upper urinary tract, bladder, prostatic urethra). Most of the urothelial tumors
      of the renal pelvis and ureters are diagnosed by radiological examinations, but
      we can observe a high rate of false negatives. In order to improve the diagnostic
      role of urinary cytology and other conventional examinations, numerous molecular
      markers have been identified; however, the real clinical application remains
      unclear. Photodynamic diagnosis and narrow band imaging (NBI) cystoscopy increase
      the diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic examinations in the presence of lesions not
      easily detectable. The aim of this review is to analyze the current diagnostic
      standards in the presence of occult urothelial cancer. 

PMID- 26481722
TI  - Field-Induced Slow Magnetic Relaxation in a Mononuclear Manganese(III)-Porphyrin
      Complex.
AB  - We report on a novel manganese(III)-porphyrin complex with the formula [Mn(III)
      (TPP)(3,5-Me2 pyNO)2 ]ClO4 ?CH3 CN (2; 3,5-Me2 pyNO=3,5-dimethylpyridine N-oxide,
      H2 TPP=5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin), in which the Mn(III) ion is six
      coordinate with two monodentate 3,5-Me2 pyNO molecules and a tetradentate TPP
      ligand to build a tetragonally elongated octahedral geometry. The environment in
      2 is responsible for the large and negative axial zero-field splitting (D=-3.8
      cm(-1) ), low rhombicity (E/|D|=0.04) of the high-spin Mn(III) ion, and,
      ultimately, for the observation of slow magnetic-relaxation effects (Ea =15.5 cm(
      1) at H=1000 G) in this rare example of a manganese-based single-ion magnet
      (SIM). Structural, magnetic, and electronic characterizations were carried out by
      means of single-crystal diffraction studies, variable-temperature direct- and
      alternating-current measurements and high-frequency and -field EPR spectroscopic
      analysis followed by quantum-chemical calculations. Slow magnetic-relaxation
      effects were also observed in the already known analogous compound [Mn(III)
      (TPP)Cl] (1; Ea =10.5 cm(-1) at H=1000 G). The results obtained for 1 and 2 are
      compared and discussed herein. 

PMID- 26481723
TI  - Costs and consequences: Hepatitis C seroprevalence in the military and its impact
      on potential screening strategies.
AB  - Knowledge of the contemporary epidemiology of hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection
      among military personnel can inform potential Department of Defense screening
      policy. HCV infection status at the time of accession and following deployment
      was determined by evaluating reposed serum from 10,000 service members recently
      deployed to combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in the period 2007-2010. A
      cost model was developed from the perspective of the Department of Defense for a
      military applicant screening program. Return on investment was based on
      comparison between screening program costs and potential treatment costs avoided.
      The prevalence of HCV antibody-positive and chronic HCV infection at accession
      among younger recently deployed military personnel born after 1965 was 0.98/1000
      (95% confidence interval 0.45-1.85) and 0.43/1000 (95% confidence interval 0.12
      1.11), respectively. Among these, service-related incidence was low; 64% of
      infections were present at the time of accession. With no screening, the cost to
      the Department of Defense of treating the estimated 93 cases of chronic HCV cases
      from a single year's accession cohort was $9.3 million. Screening with the HCV
      antibody test followed by the nucleic acid test for confirmation yielded a net
      annual savings and a $3.1 million dollar advantage over not screening.
      CONCLUSIONS: Applicant screening will reduce chronic HCV infection in the force,
      result in a small system costs savings, and decrease the threat of transfusion
      transmitted HCV infection in the battlefield blood supply and may lead to earlier
      diagnosis and linkage to care; initiation of an applicant screening program will
      require ongoing evaluation that considers changes in the treatment cost and
      practice landscape, screening options, and the epidemiology of HCV in the
      applicant/accession and overall force populations.

PMID- 26481724
TI  - A nonparametric spatial scan statistic for continuous data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spatial scan statistics are widely used for spatial cluster
      detection, and several parametric models exist. For continuous data, a normal
      based scan statistic can be used. However, the performance of the model has not
      been fully evaluated for non-normal data. METHODS: We propose a nonparametric
      spatial scan statistic based on the Wilcoxon rank-sum test statistic and compared
      the performance of the method with parametric models via a simulation study under
      various scenarios. RESULTS: The nonparametric method outperforms the normal-based
      scan statistic in terms of power and accuracy in almost all cases under
      consideration in the simulation study. CONCLUSION: The proposed nonparametric
      spatial scan statistic is therefore an excellent alternative to the normal model
      for continuous data and is especially useful for data following skewed or heavy
      tailed distributions.

PMID- 26481726
TI  - Paresthesia-Free High-Density Spinal Cord Stimulation for Postlaminectomy
      Syndrome in a Prescreened Population: A Prospective Case Series.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) traditionally is thought to require
      paresthesia, but there is evidence that paresthesia-free stimulation using high
      density (HD) parameters might also be effective. The purpose of this study is to
      evaluate relative effectiveness of conventional, subthreshold HD, and sham
      stimulation on pain intensity and quality of life. METHODS: Fifteen patients with
      response to conventional stimulation (60 Hz/350 MUsec) were screened with a one
      week trial of subthreshold HD (1200 Hz/200 MUsec/amplitude 90% paresthesia
      threshold) and enrolled if there was at least 50% reduction on visual analog
      scale (VAS) for pain. Subjects were randomized into two groups and treated with
      four two-week periods of conventional, subthreshold HD, and sham stimulation in a
      randomized crossover design. RESULTS: Four of 15 patients responded to
      subthreshold HD stimulation. Mean VAS during conventional, subthreshold HD, and
      sham stimulation was 5.32 +/- 0.63, 2.29 +/- 0.41, and 6.31 +/- 1.22,
      respectively. There was a significant difference in pain scores during the
      blinded crossover study of subthreshold HD vs. sham stimulation (p < 0.05,
      Student's t-test). Post hoc analysis revealed that subjects reported
      significantly greater attention to pain during conventional stimulation compared
      with subthreshold HD stimulation (p < 0.05, Student's t-test). All subjects
      reported a positive impression of change for subthreshold HD stimulation compared
      with conventional stimulation, and there was a trend toward greater likelihood
      for response to subthreshold HD stimulation in comparison with sham stimulation
      (p = 0.07, Fisher's exact test). At the end of the trial, all subjects elected to
      continue to receive subthreshold HD stimulation rather than conventional
      stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Paresthesia are not necessary for pain relief using
      commercially available SCS devices, and may actually increase attention to pain.
      Subthreshold HD SCS represents a viable alternative to conventional stimulation
      among patients who are confirmed to have a clinical response to it.

PMID- 26481725
TI  - Prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease among coeliac disease patients in a
      Hungarian coeliac centre.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Celiac disease, Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis are inflammatory
      disorders of the gastrointestinal tract with some common genetic, immunological
      and environmental factors involved in their pathogenesis. Several research shown
      that patients with celiac disease have increased risk of developing inflammatory
      bowel disease when compared with that of the general population. The aim of this
      study is to determine the prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease in our celiac
      patient cohort over a 15-year-long study period. METHODS: To diagnose celiac
      disease, serological tests were used, and duodenal biopsy samples were taken to
      determine the degree of mucosal injury. To set up the diagnosis of inflammatory
      bowel disease, clinical parameters, imaging techniques, colonoscopy histology
      were applied. DEXA for measuring bone mineral density was performed on every
      patient. RESULTS: In our material, 8/245 (3,2 %) coeliac disease patients
      presented inflammatory bowel disease (four males, mean age 37, range 22-67), 6/8
      Crohn's disease, and 2/8 ulcerative colitis. In 7/8 patients the diagnosis of
      coeliac disease was made first and inflammatory bowel disease was identified
      during follow-up. The average time period during the set-up of the two diagnosis
      was 10,7 years. Coeliac disease serology was positive in all cases. The
      distribution of histology results according to Marsh classification: 1/8 M1, 2/8
      M2, 3/8 M3a, 2/8 M3b. The distribution according to the Montreal classification:
      4/6 Crohn's disease patients are B1, 2/6 Crohn's disease patients are B2, 2/2
      ulcerative colitis patients are S2. Normal bone mineral density was detected in
      2/8 case, osteopenia in 4/8 and osteoporosis in 2/8 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Within
      our cohort of patients with coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease was
      significantly more common (3,2 %) than in the general population.

PMID- 26481727
TI  - Contrast-enhanced ultrasound of embolic consolidations in patients with pulmonary
      embolism: A pilot study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze and describe the contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) patterns
      of peripheral lung lesions in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) confirmed on
      CT angiography or lung scintigraphy. METHODS: CEUS had been performed on 35
      patients with peripheral lung lesions detected on gray-scale imaging and
      confirmed as PE. The following data were evaluated retrospectively: (1)
      accumulation of contrast medium (absent or present), (2) differentiation between
      pulmonary arterial (PA) and bronchial arterial blood supply, and (3) contrast
      enhancement pattern (absent/nonhomogeneous or homogeneous). A CEUS pattern of
      absent or nonhomogeneous enhancement was suspicious (ie, typical) of embolic
      consolidations (EC), whereas a pattern of homogeneous PA enhancement was
      considered to be atypical of EC. RESULTS: Peripheral lesions showed a CEUS
      pattern suspicious of EC in 80% of the patients, with no enhancement in 40% and
      nonhomogeneous enhancement in another 40%. A CEUS pattern of homogeneous PA
      enhancement, atypical of EC, was identified in the remaining 20% of the patients.
      Pulmonary lesions larger than 1 cm showed vascularization more often than smaller
      lesions did (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Peripheral lung lesions in patients with
      confirmed PE show a CEUS pattern of absent or nonhomogeneous contrast enhancement
      for suspicious EC. Further prospective studies are required to verify the
      diagnostic accuracy of CEUS for EC.

PMID- 26481728
TI  - Retinal hemorrhages following fingolimod treatment for multiple sclerosis; a case
      report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fingolimod is the first oral agent used for treatment of relapsing
      remitting multiple sclerosis. Macular edema, but not retinal hemorrhage, is a
      well-known adverse effect of fingolimod treatment. To the best of our knowledge,
      this is the first case report of extensive retinal hemorrhages following
      fingolimod treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: A 31-year-old male with relapsing
      remitting multiple sclerosis developed macular edema and retinal hemorrhages in
      his left eye, 1 month after starting fingolimod treatment; treatment was then
      discontinued. The hemorrhages were flame-shaped, and were extensive along retinal
      arteries and veins. The hemorrhages started to decrease at 4 weeks and
      disappeared completely at 24 weeks after cessation of fingolimod treatment.
      CONCLUSIONS: Occurrence of retinal hemorrhage warrants careful follow-up for
      multiple sclerosis patients treated with fingolimod.

PMID- 26481729
TI  - Mitral valve repair after annuloplasty ring dehiscence using MitraClip.
AB  - Dehiscence of a surgical mitral annuloplasty ring for repair of functional mitral
      regurgitation (MR) is an infrequently reported complication that often manifests
      as recurrent MR and heart failure. Re-do mitral valve surgery to correct ring
      dehiscence may not be feasible for patients at high risk of operative mortality
      or serious morbidity. We report two cases of mitral annular ring dehiscence and
      severe mitral regurgitation in patients at prohibitive risk for re-do mitral
      valve surgery who were successfully treated with MitraClip. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26481730
TI  - Uncritical and unbalanced coverage of synthetic biology in the Nordic press.
AB  - Synthetic biology will probably have a high impact on a variety of fields, such
      as healthcare, environment, biofuels, agriculture, and so on. A driving theme in
      European research policy is the importance of maintaining public legitimacy and
      support. Media can influence public attitudes and are therefore an important
      object of study. Through qualitative content analysis, this study investigates
      the press coverage of synthetic biology in the major Nordic countries between
      2009 and 2014. The press coverage was found to be event-driven and there were
      striking similarities between countries when it comes to framing, language use,
      and treated themes. Reporters showed a marked dependence on their sources, mainly
      scientists and stakeholders, who thus drives the media agenda. The media
      portrayal was very positive, with an optimistic look at future benefits and very
      little discussion of possible risks.

PMID- 26481732
TI  - Lucky China: Efficient Prevention from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and its
      Beyond.

PMID- 26481731
TI  - De novo transcriptome analysis of Medicago falcata reveals novel insights about
      the mechanisms underlying abiotic stress-responsive pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The entire world is facing a deteriorating environment. Understanding
      the mechanisms underlying plant responses to external abiotic stresses is
      important for breeding stress-tolerant crops and herbages. Phytohormones play
      critical regulatory roles in plants in the response to external and internal cues
      to regulate growth and development. Medicago falcata is one of the stress
      tolerant candidate leguminous species and is able to fix atmospheric nitrogen.
      This ability allows leguminous plants to grow in nitrogen deficient soils.
      METHODS: We performed Illumina sequencing of cDNA prepared from abiotic stress
      treated M. falcata. Sequencedreads were assembled to provide a transcriptome
      resource. Transcripts were annotated using BLASTsearches against the NCBI non
      redundant database and gene ontology definitions were assigned. Acomparison among
      the three abiotic stress treated samples was carried out. The expression of
      transcriptswas confirmed with qRT-PCR. RESULTS: We present an abiotic stress
      responsive M. falcata transcriptome using next-generation sequencing data from
      samples grown under standard, dehydration, high salinity, and cold conditions. We
      combined reads from all samples and de novo assembled 98,515 transcripts to build
      the M. falcata gene index. A comprehensive analysis of the transcriptome revealed
      abiotic stress-responsive mechanisms underlying the metabolism and core
      signalling components of major phytohormones. We identified nod factor signalling
      pathways during early symbiotic nodulation that are modified by abiotic stresses.
      Additionally, a global comparison of homology between the M. falcata and M.
      truncatula transcriptomes, along with five other leguminous species, revealed a
      high level of global sequence conservation within the family. CONCLUSIONS: M.
      falcata is shown to be a model candidate for studying abiotic stress-responsive
      mechanisms in legumes. This global gene expression analysis provides new insights
      into the biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in the acclimation to
      abiotic stresses. Our data provides many gene candidates that might be used for
      herbage and crop breeding. Additionally, FalcataBase (
      http://bioinformatics.cau.edu.cn/falcata/ ) was built for storing these data.

PMID- 26481733
TI  - Clinical and Radiological Profile of Acute Fibrinous and Organizing Pneumonia: A
      Retrospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute fibrinous and organizing pneumonia (AFOP) is a unique
      pathological entity with intra-alveolar fibrin in the form of "fibrin balls" and
      organizing pneumonia. It was divided into rare idiopathic interstitial pneumonia
      according to the classification notified by American Thoracic Society/European
      Respiratory Society in 2013. As a rare pathological entity, it is still not well
      known and recognized by clinicians. We reviewed the clinical features of 20
      patients with AFOP diagnosed in a teaching hospital. METHODS: The medical records
      of 20 patients with biopsy-proven diagnosis of AFOP were retrospectively
      reviewed. The patients' symptoms, duration of the disease, comorbidities,
      clinical laboratory data, pulmonary function testing, radiographic studies, and
      the response to treatment were extracted and analyzed. RESULTS: Fever was the
      most common symptom and was manifested in 90% of AFOP patients. For clinical
      laboratory findings, systematic inflammatory indicators, including C-reactive
      protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, were significantly higher than normal
      in AFOP patients. In accordance with this increased indicators, injured liver
      functions were common in AFOP patients. Inversely, AFOP patients had worse
      clinical conditions including anemia and hypoalbuminemia. For pulmonary function
      testing, AFOP patients showed the pattern of restrictive mixed with obstructive
      ventilation dysfunction. For high-resolution computerized tomography (HRCT)
      findings, the most common pattern for AFOP patients was lobar consolidation which
      was very similar to pneumonia. However, unlike pneumonia, AFOP patients responded
      well to glucocorticoids. CONCLUSION: Patients with AFOP manifest as acute
      inflammatory-like clinical laboratory parameters and lobar consolidation on HRCT,
      but respond well to steroid.

PMID- 26481734
TI  - Healthcare-associated Pneumonia: Clinical Features and Retrospective Analysis
      Over 10 Years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) is associated with drug
      resistant pathogens and high mortality, and there is no clear evidence that this
      is due to inappropriate antibiotic therapy. This study was to elucidate the
      clinical features, pathogens, therapy, and outcomes of HCAP, and to clarify the
      risk factors for drug-resistant pathogens and prognosis. METHODS: Retrospective
      observational study among hospitalized patients with HCAP over 10 years. The
      primary outcome was 30-day all-cause hospital mortality after admission.
      Demographics (age, gender, clinical features, and comorbidities), dates of
      admission, discharge and/or death, hospitalization costs, microbiological
      results, chest imaging studies, and CURB-65 were analyzed. Antibiotics, admission
      to Intensive Care Unit (ICU), mechanical ventilation, and pneumonia prognosis
      were recorded. Patients were dichotomized based on CURB-65 (low- vs. high-risk).
      RESULTS: Among 612 patients (mean age of 70.7 years), 88.4% had at least one
      comorbidity. Commonly detected pathogens were Acinetobacter baumannii,
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and coagulase-negative staphylococci. Initial monotherapy
      with beta-lactam antibiotics was the most common initial therapy (50%). Mean age,
      length of stay, hospitalization expenses, ICU admission, mechanical ventilation
      use, malignancies, and detection rate for P. aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus
      aureus were higher in the high-risk group compared with the low-risk group. CURB
      65 >=3, malignancies, and mechanical ventilation were associated with an
      increased mortality. Logistic regression analysis showed that cerebrovascular
      diseases and being bedridden were independent risk factors for HCAP. CONCLUSION:
      Initial treatment of HCAP with broad-spectrum antibiotics could be an appropriate
      approach. CURB-65 >=3, malignancies, and mechanical ventilation may result in an
      increased mortality.

PMID- 26481735
TI  - Whole Lung Lavage Treatment of Chinese Patients with Autoimmune Pulmonary
      Alveolar Proteinosis: A Retrospective Long-term Follow-up Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare lung disease, the most
      common type of which is autoimmune PAP. The gold standard therapy for PAP is
      whole lung lavage (WLL). Few studies have reported the optimal technique with
      which to evaluate the response to WLL. In this study, we aimed to identify
      parameters with which to assess the need for repeat WLL during a long-term 8-year
      follow-up. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 120 patients with
      autoimmune PAP with 80 of whom underwent WLL. Physiologic, serologic, and
      radiologic features of the patients were analyzed during an 8-year follow-up
      after the first WLL treatment. RESULTS: Of the 40 patients without any
      intervention, 39 patients either achieved remission or remained stable and only
      one died of pulmonary infection. Of the 56 patients who underwent WLL for 1 time,
      55 remained free from a second WLL and 1 patient died of cancer. Twenty-four
      required additional treatments after their first WLL. The baseline PaO 2 (P =
      0.000), PA-aO 2 (P = 0.000), shunt fraction rate (P = 0.001), percent of
      predicted normal diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO%Pred)
      (P = 0.016), 6-min walk test (P = 0.013), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (P =
      0.007), and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) (P = 0.003) showed significant
      differences among the three groups. The need for a second WLL was significantly
      associated with PaO 2 (P = 0.000), CEA (P = 0.050) , the 6-minute walk test (P =
      0.026), and DLCO%Pred (P = 0.041). The DLCO%Pred on admission with a cut-off
      value of 42.1% (P = 0.001) may help to distinguish whether patients with PAP
      require a second WLL. CONCLUSIONS: WLL is the optimal treatment method for PAP
      and provides remarkable improvements for affected patients. The DLCO%Pred on
      admission with a cut-off value of 42.1% may distinguish whether patients with PAP
      require a second WLL.

PMID- 26481736
TI  - Endobronchial Ultrasound Elastography for Diagnosing Mediastinal and Hilar Lymph
      Nodes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pathophysiological processes, such as malignancy, can lead to the
      formation of stiffer tissue in lung cancers. Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)
      elastography is a novel technique for measuring tissue stiffness during EBUS
      guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA). The current study was
      conducted to investigate the diagnostic value of EBUS elastography for
      mediastinal and hilar lymph node metastasis in lung cancers. METHODS: From
      January 2014 to January 2015, 40 patients suspected of lung cancer were enrolled,
      and a total of 68 lymph nodes were evaluated by EBUS-TBNA. EBUS-guided
      elastography of lymph nodes was performed prior to EBUS-TBNA. Standard EBUS
      characteristics were also described. Pathological determination of malignant or
      benign lymph nodes was used as the gold standard for this study. If EBUS-TBNA did
      not result in a formal pathological diagnosis of malignancy, patients were
      referred for a surgical procedure. Comparisons of elastography and standard EBUS
      characteristics were made between benign and malignant lymph nodes. RESULTS:
      Elastography grading scores and strain ratios showed significant differences
      between benign and malignant lymph nodes (P = 0.000). The elastography strain
      ratio was more sensitive and specific for determining malignant lymph nodes than
      elastography grading score or standard EBUS criteria. The receiver operating
      characteristic curve for the elastography strain ratio showed an area under the
      curve of 0.933. The best cut-off point of the strain ratio for differentiating
      malignant from benign lymph nodes was 32.07. The elastography strain ratio had a
      sensitivity of 88.1%, the specificity of 80.8%, positive predictive value of
      88.1%, and negative predictive value of 80.8% for distinguishing malignant from
      benign nodes. The overall accuracy of elastography strain ratio was 85.3%. The
      strain ratio of malignant and benign lymph nodes positively correlated with the
      elastography grading score (r = 0.561, P = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: EBUS elastography
      can be effectively used to predict mediastinal and hilar lymph node metastases in
      lung cancer. This noninvasive technique may thus complement standard EBUS and
      help guide EBUS-TBNA procedures.

PMID- 26481737
TI  - Parainfluenza Virus Types 1, 2, and 3 in Pediatric Patients with Acute
      Respiratory Infections in Beijing During 2004 to 2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although human parainfluenza virus (HPIV) has been determined as an
      important viral cause of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in infants and young
      children, data on long-term investigation are still lacking to disclose the
      infection pattern of HPIV in China. METHODS: Nasopharyngeal aspirates were
      collected from 25,773 hospitalized pediatric patients with ARIs from January 2004
      through December 2012 for respiratory virus screen by direct immuno-fluorescence
      assay. RESULTS: Out of these specimens, 1675 (6.50%, 1675/25,773) showed HPIV
      positive, including 261 (1.01%, 261/25,773) for HPIV1, 28 (0.11%, 28/25,773) for
      HPIV2, and 1388 (5.39%, 1388/25,773) for HPIV3, 2 of the samples were positive
      for both HPIV1 and HPIV3, and 36 were co-detected with other viruses. The
      positive rates of HPIVs were higher in those younger than 3 years old. HPIV3 was
      detected from all age groups, predominantly from patients under 3 years of age,
      and the highest frequency was found in those 6 months to 1-year old (352/4077,
      8.63%). HPIV3 was the dominant type in each of the years detected between May and
      July. HPIV1 showed a peak in every odd year, mainly in August or September. HPIV
      was detected most frequently from patients with upper respiratory infection
      (12.49%, 157/1257), followed by bronchitis (11.13%, 176/2479), asthma (9.31%,
      43/462), bronchiolitis (5.91%, 150/2536), pneumonia (6.06%, 1034/17,068), and
      those with underlying diseases (1.0%, 15/1506). HPIV3 is the dominant type in
      these six disease groups referred above, especially in the asthma group.
      CONCLUSIONS: HPIV is one of the important viral causes of ARIs in infants and
      young children in Beijing based on the data from the hospitalized children
      covering a 9-year term. HPIV3 is the predominant type in all these years and in
      most of the disease groups. HPIVs with different types show different
      seasonality.

PMID- 26481738
TI  - A Matched Comparison Study of Uniportal Versus Triportal Thoracoscopic Lobectomy
      and Sublobectomy for Early-stage Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both uniportal and triportal thoracoscopic lobectomy and sublobectomy
      are feasible for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this
      study was to compare the perioperative outcomes of uniportal and triportal
      thoracoscopic lobectomy and sublobectomy for early-stage NSCLC. METHODS: A total
      of 405 patients with lung lesions underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy or
      sublobectomy through a uniportal or triportal procedure in approximately 7-month
      period (From November 2014 to May 2015). A propensity-matched analysis,
      incorporating preoperative variables, was used to compare the short-term outcomes
      of patients who received uniportal or triportal thoracoscopic lobectomy and
      sublobectomy. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients underwent uniportal and 347 patients
      underwent triportal pulmonary resection. The conversion rate for uniportal and
      triportal procedure was 3.4% (2/58) and 2.3% (8/347), respectively. The
      complication rate for uniportal and triportal procedure was 10.3% and 9.5%,
      respectively. There was no perioperative death in either group. Most patients had
      early-stage NSCLC in both groups (uniportal: 45/47, 96%; triportal: 313/343,
      91%). Propensity score-matching analysis demonstrated no significant differences
      in operation time, intraoperative blood loss, numbers of dissected lymph nodes,
      number of stations of lymph node dissected, duration of chest tube, and
      complication rate between uniportal and triportal group for early-stage NSCLC.
      However, the duration of postoperative hospitalization was longer in the
      uniportal group (6.83 +/- 4.17 vs. 5.42 +/- 1.86 d, P = 0.036) compared with the
      triportal group. CONCLUSIONS: Uniportal thoracoscopic lobectomy and sublobectomy
      is safe and feasible, with comparable short-term outcomes with triportal
      thoracoscopic pulmonary resection. Uniportal lobectomy and sublobectomy lead to
      similar cure rate as triportal lobectomy and sublobectomy for early NSCLC.

PMID- 26481739
TI  - Intravaginal Misoprostol for Cervical Ripening and Labor Induction in Nulliparous
      Women: A Double-blinded, Prospective Randomized Controlled Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In China, no multicenter double-blinded prospective randomized
      controlled study on labor induction has been conducted till now. This study is to
      evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravaginal accurate 25-MUg misoprostol
      tablets for cervical ripening and labor induction in term pregnancy in
      nulliparous women. METHODS: This was a double-blinded, prospective randomized
      controlled study including nulliparous women from 6 university hospitals across
      China. Subjects were randomized into misoprostol or placebo group with the sample
      size ratio set to 7:2. Intravaginal 25-MUg misoprostol or placebo was applied at
      an interval of 4 h (repeated up to 3 times) for labor induction. Primary outcome
      measures were the incidence of cumulative Bishop score increases >=3 within 12 h
      or vaginal delivery within 24 h. Safety assessments included the incidences of
      maternal morbidity and adverse fetal/neonatal outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 173
      women for misoprostol group and 49 women for placebo were analyzed. The incidence
      of cumulative Bishop score increases >=3 within 12 h or vaginal delivery within
      24 h was higher in the misoprostol group than in the placebo (64.2% vs. 22.5%,
      relative risk [RR]: 2.9, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4-6.0). The incidence of
      onset of labor within 24 h was significantly higher in the misoprostol group than
      in the placebo group (48.0% vs. 18.4%, RR: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.2-5.7); and the
      induction-onset of labor interval was significantly shorter in the misoprostol
      group (P = 0.0003). However, there were no significant differences in the median
      process time of vaginal labor (6.4 vs. 6.8 h; P = 0.695), incidence (39.3% vs.
      49.0%, RR: 0.8, 95% CI: 0.4-1.5) and indications (P = 0.683) of cesarean section
      deliveries, and frequencies of maternal, fetal/neonatal adverse events between
      the groups. CONCLUSION: Intravaginal misoprostol 25 MUg every 4 h is efficacious
      and safe in labor induction and cervical ripening.

PMID- 26481740
TI  - Mortality and Morbidity of Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants in the Mainland of
      China: A Multi-center Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With the progress of perinatal medicine and neonatal technology, more
      and more extremely low birth weight (ELBW) survived all over the world. This
      study was designed to investigate the short-term outcomes of ELBW infants during
      their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) stay in the mainland of China. METHODS:
      All infants admitted to 26 NICUs with a birth weight (BW) < l000 g were included
      between January l, 2011 and December 31, 2011. All the data were collected
      retrospectively from clinical records by a prospectively designed questionnaire.
      The data collected from each NICU transmitted to the main institution where the
      results were aggregated and analyzed. Categorical variables were performed with
      Pearson Chi-square test. Binary Logistic regression analysis was used to detect
      risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 258 ELBW infants were admitted to 26 NICUs, of
      whom the mean gestational age (GA) was 28.1 +/- 2.2 weeks, and the mean BW was
      868 +/- 97 g. The overall survival rate at discharge was 50.0%. Despite
      aggressive treatment 60 infants (23.3%) died and another 69 infants (26.7%) died
      after medical care withdrawal. Furthermore, the survival rate was significantly
      higher in coastal areas than inland areas (53.6% vs. 35.3%, P = 0.019). BW < 750
      g and GA < 28 weeks were the largest risk factors, and being small for
      gestational age was a protective factor related to mortality. Respiratory
      distress syndrome was the most common complication. The incidence of patent
      ductus arteriosus, intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia,
      bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity was 26.2%, 33.7%, 6.7%,
      48.1%, and 41.4%, respectively. Ventilator associated pneumonia was the most
      common hospital acquired infection during hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      was the first survey that revealed the present status of ELBW infants in the
      mainland of China. The mortality and morbidity of ELBW infants remained high as
      compared to other developed countries.

PMID- 26481741
TI  - Does Early Postsurgical Temozolomide Plus Concomitant Radiochemotherapy Regimen
      Have Any Benefit in Newly-diagnosed Glioblastoma Patients? A Multi-center,
      Randomized, Parallel, Open-label, Phase II Clinical Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The radiochemotherapy regimen concomitantly employing temozolomide
      (TMZ) chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT) 4 weeks after surgery, followed by 6
      cycles of TMZ is a common treatment for glioblastoma (GBM). However, its median
      overall survival (OS) is only 14.6 months. This study was to explore the
      effectiveness and safety of early TMZ chemotherapy between surgery and
      chemoradiotherapy plus the standard concomitant radiochemotherapy regimen.
      METHODS: A randomized, parallel group, open-label study of 99 newly diagnosed GBM
      patients was conducted at 10 independent Chinese neurosurgical departments from
      June 2008 to June 2012. Patients were treated with concomitant radiochemotherapy
      regimen plus early postsurgical temozolomide (early TMZ group) or standard
      concomitant radiochemotherapy regimen (control group). Overall response was
      assessed based on objective tumor assessments, administration of corticosteroid
      and neurological status test. Hematological, biochemical, laboratory, adverse
      event (AE), and neurological condition were measured for 24 months of follow-up.
      The primary efficacy endpoint of this study was overall survival (OS). The
      secondary endpoint was progression free survival (PFS). RESULTS: The median OS
      time in the early TMZ group was 17.6 months, compared with 13.2 months in the
      control group (log-rank test P = 0.021). In addition, the OS rate in the early
      TMZ group was higher at 6, 12, and 18 months than in the control group,
      respectively (P < 0.05). The median PFS time was 8.7 months in the early TMZ
      group and 10.4 months in the control group (log-rank test P = 0.695). AEs
      occurred in 29 (55.8%) and 31(73.8%) patients respectively in early and control
      groups, including nausea (15.4% vs. 33.3%), vomiting (7.7% vs. 28.6%), fever
      (7.7% vs. 11.9%), and headache (3.8% vs. 23.8%). Only 30.8% and 33.3% were drug
      related, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Addition of TMZ chemotherapy in the early
      break of the standard concomitant radiochemotherapy regimen was well tolerated
      and significantly improved the OS of the GBM patients, compared with standard
      concomitant radiochemotherapy regimen. However, a larger randomized trial is
      warranted to verify these results.

PMID- 26481742
TI  - Expression of Transcription Factor FOXO3a is Decreased in Patients with
      Ulcerative Colitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with differential expression of
      genes involved in inflammation and tissue remodeling, including FOXO3a, which
      encodes a transcription factor known to promote inflammation in several tissues.
      However, FOXO3a expression in tissues affected by UC has not been examined. This
      study investigated the effects of FOXO3a on UC pathogenesis. METHODS: FOXO3a
      expression, in 23 patients with UC and in HT29 cells treated with tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) for various durations, was detected by quantitative real
      time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting analysis. Enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay was used to quantify interleukin (IL)-8 expression in FOXO3a
      silenced HT29 cells treated with TNF-alpha for various durations. RESULTS: The
      messenger RNA and protein expression of FOXO3a were significantly lower in UC
      tissues than those in normal subjects (P < 0.01). TNF-alpha treatment for 0, 0.5,
      1, 6, and 24 h induced FOXO3 degradation in HT29 cells. FOXO3a silencing
      increased IL-8 levels in HT29 cells treated with TNF-alpha for 6 h (P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: FOXO3a may play an important role in the intestinal inflammation of
      patients with UC.

PMID- 26481743
TI  - Aortic Artery and Cardiac Valve Calcification are Associated with Mortality in
      Chinese Hemodialysis Patients: A 3.5 Years Follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was to investigate the relationship among aortic artery
      calcification (AAC), cardiac valve calcification (CVC), and mortality in
      maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. METHODS: All MHD patients in Shanghai
      Ruijin Hospital in July 2011 were included. To follow up for 42 months, clinical
      data, predialysis blood tests, echocardiography, and lateral lumbar X-ray plain
      radiography results were collected. Plasma FGF23 level was measured using a C
      terminal assay. RESULTS: Totally, 110 MHD patients were involved in this study.
      Of which, 64 (58.2%) patients were male, the mean age was 55.2 +/- 1.4 years old,
      and the median dialysis duration was 29.85 (3.0-225.5) months. About 25.5% of the
      110 MHD patients had CVC from echocardiography while 61.8% of the patients had
      visible calcification of aorta from lateral lumbar X-ray plain radiography. After
      42 months follow-up, 25 (22.7%) patients died. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that
      patients with AAC or CVC had a significant greater number of all-cause and
      cardiovascular deaths than those without. In multivariate analyses, the presence
      of AAC was a significant factor associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio
      [HR]: 3.149, P = 0.025) in addition to lower albumin level and lower 25-hydroxy
      Vitamin D (25(OH)D) level. The presence of CVC was a significant factor
      associated with cardiovascular mortality (HR: 3.800, P = 0.029) in addition to
      lower albumin level and lower 25(OH)D level. CONCLUSION: Lateral lumbar X-ray
      plain radiography and echocardiography are simple methods to detect AAC and CVC
      in dialysis patients. The presence of AAC and CVC was independently associated
      with mortality in MHD patients. Regular follow-up by X-ray and echocardiography
      could be a useful method to stratify mortality risk in MHD patients.

PMID- 26481744
TI  - Aneuploidy in Early Miscarriage and its Related Factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genetic factors are the main cause of early miscarriage. This study
      aimed to investigate aneuploidy in spontaneous abortion by fluorescence in situ
      hybridization (FISH) using probes for 13, 16, 18, 21, 22, X and Y chromosomes.
      METHODS: A total of 840 chorionic samples from spontaneous abortion were
      collected and examined by FISH. We analyzed the incidence and type of abnormal
      cases and sex ratio in the samples. We also analyzed the relationship between the
      rate of aneuploidy and parental age, the rate of aneuploidy between recurrent
      abortion and sporadic abortion, the difference in incidence of aneuploidy between
      samples from previous artificial abortion and those from no previous induced
      abortion. RESULTS: A total of 832 samples were finally analyzed. 368 (44.23%)
      were abnormal, in which 84.24% (310/368) were aneuploidies and 15.76% (58/368)
      were polyploidies. The first was trisomy 16 (121/310), followed by trisomy 22,
      and X monosomy. There was no significant difference in the rate of aneuploidy in
      the advanced maternal age group (>= 35 years old) and young maternal age group
      (<35 years old). However, the rate of trisomy 22 and the total rate of trisomies
      21, 13, and 18 (the number of trisomy 21 plus trisomy 13 and trisomy 18 together)
      showed significantly different in two groups. We found no skewed sex ratio. There
      was no significant difference in the rate of aneuploidy between recurrent
      miscarriage and sporadic abortion or between the samples from previous artificial
      abortion and those from no previous artificial abortion. CONCLUSIONS: Aneuploidy
      is a principal factor of miscarriage and total parental age is a risk factor.
      There is no skewed sex ratio in spontaneous abortion. There is also no difference
      in the rate of aneuploidy between recurrent abortion and sporadic abortion or
      between previous artificial abortion and no previous induced abortion.

PMID- 26481745
TI  - Analysis of Renal Artery Stenosis in Patients with Heart Failure: A RASHEF Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous data are controversial about the association of renal artery
      stenosis (RAS) with clinical outcome in patients with heart failure. Definition
      of RAS in previous studies might not be appropriate. By definition of RAS with
      renal duplex sonography, we investigated the association of RAS with clinical
      outcome in patients with heart failure. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we
      identified 164 patients with heart failure (New York Heart Association
      classification >=II; left ventricular ejection fraction <50%) who had received
      renal duplex sonography during hospital stay. RAS was defined as renal-aortic
      ratio >=3.5 or a peak systolic velocity >=200 cm/s (or both), or occlusion of the
      renal artery. Categorical data of patients were compared using the Chi-square
      test or Fisher's exact test. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling
      technique was used to investigate the prognostic significance of possible
      predictors. RESULTS: Finally, 143 patients were enrolled. Median follow-up time
      was 32 months (1-53 months). Twenty-two patients were diagnosed as RAS by renal
      duplex sonography, including 13 unilateral RAS (3 left RAS, 10 right RAS) and 9
      bilateral RAS. There were more all-cause mortality and cardiovascular death in
      patients with RAS than patients without RAS. By multivariate analysis, RAS was a
      significant predictor for all-cause death and cardiovascular death (hazard ratio
      [HR] = 4.155, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.546-11.164, P = 0.005; and HR =
      3.483, 95% CI: 1.200-10.104, P = 0.022, respectively). As for composite endpoint
      events, including death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke or
      intracranial hemorrhage, rehospitalization for cardiac failure, and renal
      replacement therapy, only angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin
      receptor blocker was significant predictor. RAS was not a significant predictor
      for composite endpoint events. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggested that RAS is
      associated with a poorer clinical outcome in patients with heart failure.

PMID- 26481746
TI  - Single-fiber Electromyography in the Extensor Digitorum Communis for the
      Predictive Prognosis of Ocular Myasthenia Gravis: A Retrospective Study of 102
      Cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Single-fiber electromyography (SFEMG) abnormality in the extensor
      digitorum communis (EDC) was reported in ocular myasthenia gravis (OMG), which
      indicated subclinical involvement beyond extraocular muscles in OMG patients. The
      relationship between the abnormal findings of SFEMG in EDC and the probability
      for OMG to develop generalized myasthenia gravis (GMG) is unknown. This
      retrospective study aimed to determine the predictive value of abnormality of
      SFEMG in EDC of OMG patients. METHODS: One-hundred and two OMG patients underwent
      standard clinical diagnosis process and SFEMG test in EDC muscle when diagnosed
      and were clinically followed up for 5 years. The SFEMG data were compared between
      different clinical groups according to thymus status, onset age, and different
      outcome of OMG developing. Chances of progressing to GMG were compared between
      two different groups according to SFEMG and repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS)
      results, acetylcholine receptor antibody (AchRAb) titer, thymus status, and onset
      age. RESULTS: Abnormal SFEMG results were observed in 84 (82.4%) patients. The
      mean jitter, percentage of jitter >55 MUs (%), and blocking were higher in OMG
      patients than in healthy volunteers. There were no statistical differences in
      jitter analysis between thymoma group and non-thymoma group (P = 0.65), or
      between the later OMG group and the later GMG group (P = 0.31), including mean
      jitter, percentage of jitter >55 MUs (%), and blocking. Elderly group (>=45 years
      old) had a higher mean jitter than younger group (t = 2.235, P = 0.028). Total 55
      OMG developed GMG, including 47 in abnormal SFEMG group while 8 in normal SFEMG
      group. There was no statistical difference in the conversion rates between the
      two groups (chi2 = 0.790, P = 0.140). RNS abnormality, AchRab titer, or onset age
      had no correlation with OMG prognosis (P = 0.150, 0.070, 0.120, respectively)
      while thymoma did (chi2 = 0.510, P = 0.020). CONCLUSION: SFEMG test in the EDC
      showed high abnormality in OMG, suggesting subclinical involvement other than
      extraocular muscles. Nevertheless, the abnormal jitter analysis did not predict
      the prognosis of OMG according to clinical follow-up.

PMID- 26481747
TI  - Process of Hypertrophic Scar Formation: Expression of Eukaryotic Initiation
      Factor 6.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypertrophic scar is one of the most common complications and often
      causes the disfigurement or deformity in burn or trauma patients. Therapeutic
      methods on hypertrophic scar treatment have limitations due to the poor
      understanding of mechanisms of hypertrophic scar formation. To throw light on the
      molecular mechanism of hypertrophic scar formation will definitely improve the
      outcome of the treatment. This study aimed to illustrate the negative role of
      eukaryotic initiation factor 6 (eIF6) in the process of human hypertrophic scar
      formation, and provide a possible indicator of hypertrophic scar treatment and a
      potential target molecule for hypertrophic scar. METHODS: In the present study,
      we investigated the protein expression of eIF6 in the human hypertrophic scar of
      different periods by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: In
      the hypertrophic scar tissue, eIF6 expression was significantly decreased and
      absent in the basal layer of epidermis in the early period, and increased slowly
      and began to appear in the basal layer of epidermis by the scar formation time.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that eIF6 expression was significantly related
      to the development of hypertrophic scar, and the eIF6 may be a target molecule
      for hypertrophic scar control or could be an indicator of the outcomes for other
      treatment modalities.

PMID- 26481748
TI  - Distribution of Major Pathogens from Sputum and Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid in
      Patients with Noncystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis: A Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Noncystic fibrosis (non-CF) bronchiectasis remains as a common health
      problem in Asia. Pathogens' distribution in airways of patients with non-CF
      bronchiectasis is important for doctors to make right decision. DATA SOURCES: We
      performed this systematic review on the English language literatures from 1966 to
      July 2014, using various search terms included "pathogens" or "bacteria" or
      "microbiology" and "bronchiectasis" or "non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis" or
      "non-CF bronchiectasis" or "NCFB." STUDY SELECTION: We included studies of
      patients with the confirmed non-CF bronchiectasis for which culture methods were
      required to sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Weighted mean
      isolation rates for Haemophilus influenzae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus
      pneumoniae, Stapylococcus aureus, Moxarella catarrhails were compared according
      to different methodology. RESULTS: The total mean bacterial culture positive
      rates were 63%. For studies using sputum samples, the mean positive culture rates
      were 74%. For studies using BALF alone or BALF and sputum, it was 48%. The
      distributions of main bacterial strains were 29% for H. influenzae, 28% for P.
      aeruginosa, 11% for S. pneumoniae, 12% for S. aureus, and 8% for M. catarrhails
      with methodology of sputum. Meanwhile, the bacterial distributions were 37% for
      H. influenzae, 8% for P. aeruginosa, 14% for S. pneumoniae, 5% for S. aureus, and
      10% for M. catarrhails with methodology of BALF alone or BALF and sputum.
      Analysis of the effect of different methodology on the isolation rates revealed
      some statistically significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: H. influenzae accounted
      for the highest percentage in different methodology. Our results suggested that
      the total positive culture rates and the proportion of P. aeruginosa from sputum
      and BALF specimens had significant differences, which can be used in further
      appropriate recommendations for the treatment of non-CF bronchiectasis.

PMID- 26481749
TI  - Asthma and Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To get a comprehensive understanding about the relationship between
      obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and asthma by reviewing the epidemiology,
      pathophysiology, and clinical manifestation and then summarizing the latest
      progress on diagnosis and treatment. DATA SOURCES: Articles referred in this
      review were mainly collected from a comprehensive search of the PubMed published
      in English from 1990 to 2015 with the terms "OSA" and "asthma" as the main
      keywords. Highly regarded older publications were also included. STUDY SELECTION:
      Information about the features of the two diseases in common, the
      pathophysiologic association between them and their current treatments from the
      literature search were identified, retrieved, and summarized. RESULTS: Both OSA
      and asthma are very prevalent conditions. The incidences of them have kept on
      rising in recent years. Asthma is often accompanied by snoring and apnea, and OSA
      often combines with asthma, as well. They have many predisposing and aggravating
      factors in common. Possible shared direct mechanistic links between them include
      mechanical effects, intermittent hypoxia, nerve reflex, inflammation, leptin,
      etc. Indirect mechanistic links include medication, nose diseases, smoking,
      obesity, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Since OSA presents many similar
      features with nocturnal asthma, some scholars termed them as a sole syndrome -
      "alternative overlap syndrome," and proved that asthma symptoms in those patients
      could be improved through the treatment of continuous positive airway pressure.
      CONCLUSIONS: OSA and asthma are closely associated in pathogenesis, symptoms, and
      therapies. With the growing awareness of the relationship between them, we should
      raise our vigilance on the coexistence of OSA in those difficult-to-control
      asthmatic patients. Further studies are still needed to guide the clinical works.

PMID- 26481751
TI  - Tuberculosis of Lymph Node Combined with Pulmonary Mucormycosis.

PMID- 26481750
TI  - Intestinal Microbiota Metabolism and Atherosclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to summarize the relationship between intestinal
      microbiota metabolism and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to propose a novel CVD
      therapeutic target. DATA SOURCES: This study was based on data obtained from
      PubMed and EMBASE up to June 30, 2015. Articles were selected using the following
      search terms: "Intestinal microbiota", "trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)",
      "trimethylamine (TMA)", "cardiovascular", and "atherosclerosis". STUDY SELECTION:
      Studies were eligible if they present information on intestinal microbiota
      metabolism and atherosclerosis. Studies on TMA-containing nutrients were also
      included. RESULTS: A new CVD risk factor, TMAO, was recently identified. It has
      been observed that several TMA-containing compounds may be catabolized by
      specific intestinal microbiota, resulting in TMA release. TMA is subsequently
      converted to TMAO in the liver. Several preliminary studies have linked TMAO to
      CVD, particularly atherosclerosis; however, the details of this relationship
      remain unclear. CONCLUSIONS: Intestinal microbiota metabolism is associated with
      atherosclerosis and may represent a promising therapeutic target with respect to
      CVD management.

PMID- 26481752
TI  - Polycythemia, Ablepsia, and Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome: A Case Report.

PMID- 26481753
TI  - Folding Sutures Following Tourniquet Binding as a Conservative Surgical Approach
      for Placenta Previa Combined with Morbidly Adherent Placenta.

PMID- 26481754
TI  - Acute Bilateral Optic Neuritis in Active Ankylosing Spondylitis.

PMID- 26481755
TI  - Fungal Keratitis Associated with Viral Keratitis.

PMID- 26481756
TI  - Multiple Ecchordosis Physaliphora: A Challenging Diagnosis.

PMID- 26481757
TI  - A Rare Novel Copy Number Variation of Xp22.33-p11.22 Duplication is Associated
      with Congenital Heart Defects.

PMID- 26481758
TI  - Repair of Large Diaphragmatic Defect Using Artificial Patch in Hydatid Disease.

PMID- 26481759
TI  - Kaposi's Varicelliform Eruption During Long-term Treatment of Rosacea with 0.03%
      Tacrolimus Ointment.

PMID- 26481760
TI  - Sudden Thrombosis in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery.

PMID- 26481761
TI  - Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Hypothermia Associated with Anti-tuberculosis
      Medication in a Patient with Heart Failure.

PMID- 26481762
TI  - Scalp Avulsion Combined with Unusual Severe Open Craniocerebral Avulsion Injury.

PMID- 26481763
TI  - Apheresis for babesiosis: Therapeutic parasite reduction or removal of harmful
      toxins or both?
AB  - Babesiosis is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by intraerythrocytic
      protozoan parasites of the genus Babesia that are transmitted most commonly by
      Ixodes ticks, and rarely from blood transfusion or congenitally. Clinical
      presentations of babesiosis include asymptomatic infection, mild to moderate
      disease, or severe disease. Antibiotics such as atovaquone plus azithromycin or
      clindamycin and quinine can be used effectively to treat this disease in most
      cases, however in high risk populations, the mortality rate can be as high as 20%
      despite therapy. Therapeutic exchange transfusion has been used in severe
      babesiosis and is of apparent therapeutic benefit. It is not entirely clear
      through what mechanism therapeutic exchange transfusion may help patients. Data
      suggests that in addition to parasite load reduction, it is possible that
      therapeutic exchange transfusion removes toxins generated by babesia infection.
      There are many remaining questions that need to be addressed regarding exchange
      transfusion for babesiosis. J. Clin. Apheresis 31:454-458, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26481764
TI  - Potential biomarkers for the early detection of acute kidney injury after
      percutaneous nephrolithotripsy.
AB  - This study aims to investigate the role of urinary biomarkers in the
      determination of the potential risks of renal parenchymal tubular damage in adult
      patients who underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) with the indication of
      renal stone. A randomized and prospective controlled study was performed between
      June and December 2013. We enrolled 29 consecutive patients with renal calculi >
      2 cm and who underwent PNL, as well as 47 healthy control subjects. Urine
      samples, including 2 h before surgery, 2 and 24 h after surgery were collected
      from the patient group. Freshly voided urine samples were collected from the
      control group. Kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), neutrophil gelatinase-associated
      lipocalin (NGAL), N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG), and liver-type fatty acid
      binding protein (LFABP) levels were measured from these urine samples. The mean
      KIM-1/Cr value that measured 24 h after the operation was statistically
      significant, higher than its preoperative (preop) level (p = 0.045). A
      significant difference was detected between the mean preop and postoperative
      (postop) 24 h NAG/Cr values (p < 0.001). Also, postop 24 h NGAL/Cr levels were
      statistically significant, higher than its preop levels (p = 0.013). According to
      the comparison of preop and postop levels, an increase in LFABP/Cr values
      secondary to surgical intervention was observed without any statistically
      significant difference. Besides the LFABP/Cr levels do not change after
      percutaneous kidney surgery, KIM-1/Cr, NAG/Cr, and NGAL/Cr levels increase postop
      period, especially at 24 h. Further studies with a larger series and repeated
      measurements should be performed to clarify if they can be used to demonstrate
      renal damage after percutaneous surgery or not.

PMID- 26481765
TI  - Do patients discussed at a lung cancer multidisciplinary team meeting receive
      guideline-recommended treatment?
AB  - AIM: Clinical guidelines provide evidence-based management recommendations to
      guide practice. This study aimed to evaluate whether patients discussed at a lung
      cancer multidisciplinary team meeting received guideline-recommended treatment
      and determine reasons for not receiving guideline-recommended treatment. METHODS:
      All new lung cancer patients discussed at the Liverpool/Macarthur lung cancer
      multidisciplinary team meeting between 1 December 2005 and 31 December 2010 were
      included. Guideline-recommended treatment was assigned according to pathology,
      stage and ECOG (Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group) performance status as per
      the 2004 Australian Lung Cancer Guidelines. This was compared with actual
      treatment received to determine adherence to guidelines. For those patients who
      did not receive guideline-recommended treatment, the medical record was reviewed
      to determine the reason(s) for this. Survival was compared between those who did
      and did not receive guideline-recommended treatment. RESULTS: 808 new patients
      were discussed at the multidisciplinary team meeting. Guideline-recommended
      treatment could not be assigned in 2% of patients due to missing data. 435
      patients (54%) received guideline-recommended treatment, and 356 (44%) did not.
      The most common reasons for not receiving guideline-recommended treatment were a
      decline in ECOG performance status (24%), large tumor volume precluding radical
      radiotherapy (17%), comorbidities (15%) and patient preference (13%). Patients
      less than 70 years who received guideline-recommended treatment had improved
      survival compared with those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion
      of lung cancer patients did not receive guideline-recommended treatment due to
      legitimate reasons. Alternative guidelines are needed for patients not suitable
      for current best practice. Treatment according to guidelines was a predictor for
      survival.

PMID- 26481766
TI  - High-Quality Graphene Ribbons Prepared from Graphene Oxide Hydrogels and Their
      Application for Strain Sensors.
AB  - Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) ribbons with arbitrary lengths were prepared by dry
      spinning of the hydrogels of graphene oxide (GO) formed via thermal annealing GO
      dispersions, and followed by chemical reduction. These rGO ribbons are flexible,
      having ultrahigh tensile strengths of 582 +/- 17 MPa, ultrahigh fracture energies
      of 18.29 +/- 2.47 MJ m(-3), high conductivities of 662 +/- 41 S cm(-1), and an
      extremely large breakdown current density of about 11,500 A cm(-2). Strain
      sensors based on the meshes of these ribbons showed sensitive recoverable
      responses to different tensile strains with excellent cycling stability,
      promising for the applications in wearable devices.

PMID- 26481767
TI  - Electromechanical oscillations in bilayer graphene.
AB  - Nanoelectromechanical systems constitute a class of devices lying at the
      interface between fundamental research and technological applications. Realizing
      nanoelectromechanical devices based on novel materials such as graphene allows
      studying their mechanical and electromechanical characteristics at the nanoscale
      and addressing fundamental questions such as electron-phonon interaction and
      bandgap engineering. In this work, we realize electromechanical devices using
      single and bilayer graphene and probe the interplay between their mechanical and
      electrical properties. We show that the deflection of monolayer graphene
      nanoribbons results in a linear increase in their electrical resistance.
      Surprisingly, we observe oscillations in the electromechanical response of
      bilayer graphene. The proposed theoretical model suggests that these oscillations
      arise from quantum mechanical interference in the transition region induced by
      sliding of individual graphene layers with respect to each other. Our work shows
      that bilayer graphene conceals unexpectedly rich and novel physics with promising
      potential in applications based on nanoelectromechanical systems. 

PMID- 26481768
TI  - Phospholipid fatty acid composition linking larval-density to lifespan of adult
      Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Pre-adult density-associated alterations in the composition of storage lipids may
      affect the cell membrane fatty acid profile (mainly phospholipids), membrane
      integrity, and cell function. The present study evaluated the impact of pre-adult
      density conditions, sex, and the selection regime on the composition of
      phospholipid fatty acids and lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster. The
      phospholipid profile of adult flies developed under larval crowding contained a
      higher proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids, lower proportion of
      monounsaturated fatty acids, and greater risk of peroxidation. There was also a
      negative correlation between the peroxidation index (PI) and longevity. The
      longevity-selected females showed a lower PI compared with control lines under
      both densities. The present results indicate that pre-adult density may play a
      significant role in the lifespan of adult flies by altering the composition of
      phospholipids and shaping cell membrane bilayers with different susceptibilities
      to peroxidation. 

PMID- 26481770
TI  - Sequential renal and bone marrow transplants in a child with Fanconi anemia.
AB  - FA is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by small stature and renal
      abnormalities. FA can lead to progressive bone marrow failure, myelodysplastic
      syndrome, or acute leukemia. Using a multidisciplinary team approach, we managed
      a 3-yr-old boy with FA who simultaneously developed renal and hematopoietic
      failure. Because renal function was insufficient to support the conditioning
      regimen for HCT, we performed a deceased donor renal transplant in December 2012
      prior to HCT with the known risk of graft-versus-graft rejection of the donor
      kidney. Seven months later he underwent allogeneic HCT. He obtained myeloid
      engraftment on day +11 and peripheral blood chimerism demonstrated all donor by
      day +21. He developed asymptomatic CMV reactivation and despite antirejection
      medications, mild skin graft-versus-host disease. He has maintained excellent
      renal function and remains transfusion independent with full hematopoietic
      recovery. He has not experienced any renal rejection episodes nor developed donor
      specific antibodies toward his renal donor. Peripheral blood chimerism remains
      completely HCT donor. He is clinically well, now greater than two and a half yr
      after renal transplant and two yr after HCT. The continuing close collaboration
      between the Pediatric Nephrology and Bone Marrow Transplant teams is a major
      factor in this successful outcome. 

PMID- 26481769
TI  - Leucine supplementation improves regeneration of skeletal muscles from old rats.
AB  - The decreased regenerative capacity of old skeletal muscles involves disrupted
      turnover of proteins. This study investigated whether leucine supplementation in
      old rats could improve muscle regenerative capacity. Young and old male Wistar
      rats were supplemented with leucine; then, the muscles were cryolesioned and
      examined after 3 and 10 days. Leucine supplementation attenuated the decrease in
      the expression of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein 1
      (4E-BP1) and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) in young and old
      muscles on day 3 post-injury and promoted an increase in the cross-sectional area
      of regenerating myofibers from both young and old soleus muscles on day 10 post
      injury. This supplementation decreased the levels of ubiquitinated proteins and
      increased the proteasome activity in young regenerating muscles, but the opposite
      effect was observed in old regenerating muscles. Moreover, leucine decreased the
      inflammation area and induced an increase in the number of proliferating
      satellite cells in both young and old muscles. Our results suggest that leucine
      supplementation improves the regeneration of skeletal muscles from old rats,
      through the preservation of certain biological responses upon leucine
      supplementation. Such responses comprise the decrease in the inflammation area,
      increase in the number of proliferating satellite cells and size of regenerating
      myofibers, combined with the modulation of components of the phosphoinositide 3
      kinase/Akt-protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) pathway
      and ubiquitin-proteasome system.

PMID- 26481771
TI  - A local redox cycling-based electrochemical chip device with nanocavities for
      multi-electrochemical evaluation of embryoid bodies.
AB  - An electrochemical device, which consists of electrode arrays, nanocavities, and
      microwells, was developed for multi-electrochemical detection with high
      sensitivity. A local redox cycling-based electrochemical (LRC-EC) system was used
      for multi-electrochemical detection and signal amplification. The LRC-EC system
      consists of n(2) sensors with only 2n bonding pads for external connection. The
      nanocavities fabricated in the sensor microwells enable significant improvement
      of the signal amplification compared with the previous devices we have developed.
      The present device was successfully applied for evaluation of embryoid bodies
      (EBs) from embryonic stem (ES) cells via electrochemical measurements of alkaline
      phosphatase (ALP) activity in the EBs. In addition, the EBs were successfully
      trapped in the sensor microwells of the device using dielectrophoresis (DEP)
      manipulation, which led to high-throughput cell analysis. This device is
      considered to be useful for multi-electrochemical detection and imaging for
      bioassays including cell analysis. 

PMID- 26481773
TI  - Human iPS cell models of Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome.
AB  - Recessive mutations in the ion channel-encoding KCNQ1 gene may cause Jervell and
      Lange-Nielsen syndrome (JLNS), a fatal cardiac disease leading to arrhythmia and
      sudden cardiac death in young patients. Mutations in KCNQ1 may also cause a
      milder and dominantly inherited form of the disease, long QT syndrome 1 (LQT1).
      However, why some mutations cause LQT1 and others cause JLNS can often not be
      understood a priori. In a recent study,(1) we have generated human induced
      pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) models of JLNS. Our work mechanistically revealed
      how distinct classes of JLNS-causing genetic lesions, namely, missense and splice
      site mutations, may promote the typical severe features of the disease at the
      cellular level. Interestingly, the JLNS models also displayed highly sensitive
      responses to pro-arrhythmic stresses. We hence propose JLNS hiPSCs as a powerful
      system for evaluating both phenotype-correcting as well as cardiotoxicity-causing
      drug effects. 

PMID- 26481772
TI  - Comparing a Video and Text Version of a Web-Based Computer-Tailored Intervention
      for Obesity Prevention: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Web-based computer-tailored interventions often suffer from small
      effect sizes and high drop-out rates, particularly among people with a low level
      of education. Using videos as a delivery format can possibly improve the effects
      and attractiveness of these interventions OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this study
      was to examine the effects of a video and text version of a Web-based computer
      tailored obesity prevention intervention on dietary intake, physical activity,
      and body mass index (BMI) among Dutch adults. A second study aim was to examine
      differences in appreciation between the video and text version. The final study
      aim was to examine possible differences in intervention effects and appreciation
      per educational level. METHODS: A three-armed randomized controlled trial was
      conducted with a baseline and 6 months follow-up measurement. The intervention
      consisted of six sessions, lasting about 15 minutes each. In the video version,
      the core tailored information was provided by means of videos. In the text
      version, the same tailored information was provided in text format. Outcome
      variables were self-reported and included BMI, physical activity, energy intake,
      and appreciation of the intervention. Multiple imputation was used to replace
      missing values. The effect analyses were carried out with multiple linear
      regression analyses and adjusted for confounders. The process evaluation data
      were analyzed with independent samples t tests. RESULTS: The baseline
      questionnaire was completed by 1419 participants and the 6 months follow-up
      measurement by 1015 participants (71.53%). No significant interaction effects of
      educational level were found on any of the outcome variables. Compared to the
      control condition, the video version resulted in lower BMI (B=-0.25, P=.049) and
      lower average daily energy intake from energy-dense food products (B=-175.58,
      P<.001), while the text version had an effect only on energy intake (B=-163.05,
      P=.001). No effects on physical activity were found. Moreover, the video version
      was rated significantly better than the text version on feelings of relatedness
      (P=.041), usefulness (P=.047), and grade given to the intervention (P=.018).
      CONCLUSIONS: The video version of the Web-based computer-tailored obesity
      prevention intervention was the most effective intervention and most appreciated.
      Future research needs to examine if the effects are maintained in the long term
      and how the intervention can be optimized. CLINICALTRIAL: Netherlands Trial
      Register: NTR3501; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=3501
      (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6cBKIMaW1).

PMID- 26481774
TI  - Universal contact-line dynamics at the nanoscale.
AB  - The relaxation dynamics of the contact angle between a viscous liquid and a
      smooth substrate is studied at the nanoscale. Through atomic force microscopy
      measurements of polystyrene nanostripes we simultaneously monitor both the
      temporal evolution of the liquid-air interface and the position of the contact
      line. The initial configuration exhibits high curvature gradients and a non
      equilibrium contact angle that drive liquid flow. Both these conditions are
      relaxed to achieve the final state, leading to three successive regimes in time:
      (i) stationary contact line levelling; (ii) receding contact line dewetting;
      (iii) collapse of the two fronts. For the first regime, we reveal the existence
      of a self-similar evolution of the liquid interface, which is in excellent
      agreement with numerical calculations from a lubrication model. For different
      liquid viscosities and film thicknesses we provide evidence for a transition to
      dewetting featuring a universal critical contact angle and dimensionless time. 

PMID- 26481775
TI  - Robotic Mitral Valve Repair for Simple and Complex Degenerative Disease: Midterm
      Clinical and Echocardiographic Quality Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Severe primary (degenerative) mitral regurgitation (MR) is repaired
      with durable results when simple single-scallop disease is addressed. The midterm
      quality outcomes of minimally invasive repair for complex disease are unknown,
      however. METHODS AND RESULTS: From January 2008 to January 2015, 487 patients
      (56+/-11 years, 360 men, ejection fraction 65+/-6%, 98.8% complete follow-up)
      underwent robotic mitral valve repair for severe nonischemic degenerative MR.
      Simple pathology was addressed in 289 of 487 (59%) patients, and complex repair
      (all others) was performed in 198 of 487 (41%). Four patients died during follow
      up with a 5-year survival rate 99.5% (99.4% simple; 99.5% complex; hazard ratio,
      0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-4.59); and New York Heart Association
      functional class I/II was documented in 97.9% (477/487). Eight patients had
      recurrence of moderate-to-severe MR (4 simple, 4 complex), with a 5-year freedom
      from MR of 94.6% (96.2% simple; 92.7%, complex; P=0.67; hazard ratio, 1.36; 95%
      confidence interval, 0.34-5.43). Seven patients (2 simple, 5 complex), underwent
      mitral reoperation, with a 5-year freedom from reoperation of 97.7% (99.1%
      simple; 95.7% complex; P=0.13; hazard ratio, 3.35; 95% confidence interval, 0.65
      17.32). CONCLUSIONS: At a large tertiary care referral center, midterm quality
      outcomes after robotic correction of degenerative MR are excellent, with very
      high survival, infrequent complications, and a low likelihood of MR recurrence,
      regardless of mitral valve repair complexity. Awareness of these improvements in
      outcome is important to inform contemporary decisions regarding high-quality
      alternatives to conventional and percutaneous mitral repair.

PMID- 26481776
TI  - Robotic Mitral Valve Repair for Degenerative Mitral Valve Regurgitation: Is It
      for Everyone?

PMID- 26481777
TI  - Ongoing Evolution of Outcomes Analysis for Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac
      Catheterization.

PMID- 26481778
TI  - Adjusting for Risk Associated With Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac
      Catheterization: A Report From the NCDR IMPACT Registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As US health care increasingly focuses on outcomes as a means for
      quantifying quality, there is a growing demand for risk models that can account
      for the variability of patients treated at different hospitals so that equitable
      comparisons between institutions can be made. We sought to apply aspects of prior
      risk-standardization methodology to begin development of a risk-standardization
      tool for the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) IMPACT (Improving
      Pediatric and Adult Congenital Treatment) Registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using
      IMPACT, we identified all patients undergoing diagnostic or interventional
      cardiac catheterization between January 2011 and March 2013. Multivariable
      hierarchical logistic regression was used to identify patient and procedural
      characteristics predictive of experiencing a major adverse event after cardiac
      catheterization. A total of 19,608 cardiac catheterizations were performed
      between January 2011 and March 2013. Among all cases, a major adverse event
      occurred in 378 of all cases (1.9%). After multivariable adjustment, 8 variables
      were identified as critical for risk standardization: patient age, renal
      insufficiency, single-ventricle physiology, procedure-type risk group, low
      systemic saturation, low mixed venous saturation, elevated systemic ventricular
      end-diastolic pressure, and elevated main pulmonary artery pressures. The model
      had good discrimination (C statistic, 0.70), confirmed by bootstrap validation
      (validation C statistic, 0.69). CONCLUSIONS: Using prior risk-standardization
      efforts as a foundation, we developed and internally validated a model to predict
      the occurrence of a major adverse event after cardiac catheterization for
      congenital heart disease. Future efforts should be directed toward further
      refinement of the model variables within this large, multicenter data set.

PMID- 26481779
TI  - Genetic analysis of Xp22.3 micro-deletions in seventeen families segregating
      isolated form of X-linked ichthyosis.

PMID- 26481780
TI  - Ligand-activated PPARdelta upregulates alpha-smooth muscle actin expression in
      human dermal fibroblasts: A potential role for PPARdelta in wound healing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The phenotypic changes that accompany differentiation of resident
      fibroblasts into myofibroblasts are important aspects of the wound healing
      process. Recent studies showed that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor
      (PPAR) delta plays a critical role in wound healing. OBJECTIVE: To determine
      whether the nuclear receptor PPARdelta can modulate the differentiation of human
      dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) into myofibroblasts. METHODS: These studies were
      undertaken in primary HDFs using Western blot analyses, small interfering (si)RNA
      mediated gene silencing, reporter gene assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation
      (ChIP), migration assays, collagen gel contraction assays, and real-time PCR.
      RESULTS: Activation of PPARdelta by GW501516, a specific ligand of PPARdelta,
      specifically upregulated the myofibroblast marker alpha-smooth muscle actin
      (alpha-SMA) in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. This induction was
      significantly inhibited by the presence of siRNA against PPARdelta, indicating
      that PPARdelta is involved in myofibroblast transdifferentiation of HDFs. Ligand
      activated PPARdelta increased alpha-SMA promoter activity in a dual mode by
      directly binding a direct repeat-1 (DR1) site in the alpha-SMA promoter, and by
      inducing expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, whose downstream
      effector Smad3 interacts with a Smad-binding element (SBE) in another region of
      the promoter. Mutations in these cis-elements totally abrogated transcriptional
      activation of the alpha-SMA gene by the PPARdelta ligand; thus both sites
      represent novel types of PPARdelta response elements. GW501516-activated
      PPARdelta also increased the migration and contractile properties of HDFs, as
      demonstrated by Transwell and collagen lattice contraction assays, respectively.
      In addition, PPARdelta-mediated upregulation of alpha-SMA was correlated with
      elevated expression of myofibroblast markers such as collagen I and fibronectin,
      with a concomitant reduction in expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin.
      CONCLUSION: PPARdelta plays pivotal roles in wound healing by promoting
      fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation via TGF-beta/Smad3 signaling.

PMID- 26481781
TI  - Kounis Syndrome Caused by Chronic Autoimmune Urticaria: A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Coincidental occurrence of acute coronary syndrome with symptoms
      associated with an allergic reaction is called Kounis syndrome (KS). Although KS
      has been recognized for several years and has been reported in many documents, KS
      induced by chronic autoimmune urticaria (CAU), to the authors' knowledge, has not
      been reported. CASE REPORT: The patient was a 31-year-old woman who suffered from
      chronic urticaria for nearly 3 years. Her urticaria became more serious 1 week
      before this visit and was accompanied by repeated attacks of cardiac symptoms.
      Autologous serum skin test and serum anti-high affinity immunoglobulin E receptor
      antibody test were positive for CAU. Her coronary artery pathological changes
      were confirmed by electrocardiogram (ECG), cardiac troponin T (cTnT) value, and
      angiocardiography. The patient was diagnosed with KS. After being treated with
      cetirizine, glucocorticoids, and azathioprine, the patient did not relapse during
      the first year of follow-up. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?:
      When seeing a patient with intermittent exacerbations of chronic urticaria
      accompanied by repeated attacks of cardiac symptoms, emergency physicians should
      consider the diagnosis of KS. It is important to monitor changes in the ECG and
      cTnT value. Angiocardiography is necessary to eliminate myocardial infarction or
      unstable angina. Second-generation antihistamines and glucocorticoids are
      effective in the treatment of CAU and also alleviate coronary spasm. Another
      important consideration for the emergency physician is the fact that some first
      generation antihistamines have the side effect of ventricular tachycardia or
      fibrillation, so it is better not to use these drugs to treat urticaria if KS is
      suspected.

PMID- 26481782
TI  - Diagnosis of an Arteriovenous (AV) Graft Pseudoaneurysm by Bedside Ultrasound in
      the Emergency Department.

PMID- 26481783
TI  - New paleoradiological investigations of ancient human remains   from North West
      Lombardy archaeological excavations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Since its birth in 1895, radiology has been used to study ancient
      mummies. The purpose of this article is to present paleoradiological
      investigations conducted on several medieval human remains in Varese province.
      Anthropological (generic identification) and paleopathological analyses were
      carried out with the support of diagnostic imaging (X-ray and CT scans).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human remains were discovered during excavations of
      medieval archaeological sites in northwest Lombardy. Classical physical
      anthropological methods were used for the macroscopic identification of the human
      remains. X-ray and CT scans were performed on the same scanner (16-layer Hitachi
      Eclos 16 X-ray equipment). Results Radiological analysis permitted investigating
      (1) the sex, (2) age of death, (3) type of trauma, (4) therapeutic interventions
      and (5) osteomas in ancient human remains. In particular, X-ray and CT
      examinations showed dimorphic facial traits on the mummified skull, and the same
      radiological approaches allowed determining the age at death from a mummified
      lower limb. CT analyses allow investigating different types of traumatic lesions
      in skulls and postcranial skeleton portions and reconstructing the gait and
      functional outcomes of a fractured femur. Moreover, one case of possible
      Gardner's syndrome (GS) was postulated from observing multiple osteomas in an
      ancient skull. CONCLUSION: Among the medical tests available to the clinician,
      radiology is the most appropriate first-line procedure for a diagnostic approach
      to ancient human remains because it can be performed without causing any
      significant damage to the specimen.

PMID- 26481784
TI  - Bone graft substitute prepared with the patient's blood. Technical tip.
AB  - Bone grafts are widely used during surgery in many fields in order to repair bone
      defects. During surgery, it is very common that small particles of bone graft
      scatter around the soft tissue. Every fragment has to be picked up and reinserted
      into the desired area. The aim of this work is to show a useful technical tip in
      order to avoid bone graft scattered in an undesired area. The bone graft
      particles are mixed with patient blood forming a gel-like mass containing all
      fragments together. This technical tip avoids time loss in picking up all
      fragments that scattered around soft tissue during surgery. 

PMID- 26481785
TI  - Evolution of perceived footwear comfort over a prolonged running session.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the subjective
      perception of overall footwear comfort over a prolonged running session. METHODS:
      Ten runners performed two similar sessions consisting of a 13-km trail run (5
      laps of 2.6 km) as fast as possible. The overall footwear comfort was evaluated
      before running and at the end of each lap with a 150-mm visual analogic scale, as
      well as speed, heart rate and rate of perceived exertion. RESULTS: The results
      showed that both overall footwear comfort and speed decreased consistently during
      the run session, and significantly after 44 min of running (i.e. the 3rd lap). It
      could be hypothesized that the deterioration of overall footwear comfort was
      explained by mechanical and energetical parameter changes with time and/or
      fatigue occurring at the whole body, foot and footwear levels. CONCLUSION: These
      results justify the use of a prolonged running test for running footwear comfort
      evaluation.

PMID- 26481786
TI  - Talar head fracture: A case report, systematic review and suggested algorithm of
      treatment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Talar head fractures are uncommon. This rarity contributes to the
      lack of structure and clarity in its management. The purpose of this systematic
      review is to analyse the published literature on management of these injuries and
      suggest a treatment plan that was followed in our case. METHODS: A search of
      Medline, EMBASE, AMED and Google Scholar was performed on 1st September 2014. Any
      article reporting case(s) of talar head fractures were included and studies of
      other anatomical types of talar fractures, stress fractures or paediatric cases
      were excluded. The paucity of data precluded data synthesis and instead a
      narrative synthesis was performed. RESULTS: Of 45 studies identified, five
      publications with seven case reports met the inclusion criteria. One occurred
      secondary to snowboarding, one wakeboarding, one inversion injury whilst walking
      and one gymnastic injury. Two patients were managed operatively and two non
      surgically with one requiring surgery for a symptomatic mal-union. CONCLUSION:
      Talar head fractures are rare and high quality literature regarding management of
      these injuries is lacking. A suggested algorithm for treatment is proposed, but
      further robust studies are required to substantiate this approach.

PMID- 26481788
TI  - Intratendinous ganglion cyst of the extensor digitorum longus tendon: A case
      report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ganglion cysts are benign lesions, common in the hand and wrist.
      Intratendinous ganglion, however, are rare. We present the first reported case of
      an intratendinous ganglion cyst in an extensor digitorum longus (EDL) tendon of
      the foot. CASE REPORT: A 35-year old presented with a left-sided painful
      dorsolateral foot swelling. Ultrasound suggested a ganglion cyst in proximity to
      the EDL tendon of the 5th toe. Two distinct swellings were identified on surgical
      exploration, including a 6*1cm ganglion lying within the EDL tendon substance
      that had resulted in tendon splitting. The lesions were excised and EDL tendon
      repaired. Histological analysis confirmed that both lesions were ganglion cysts.
      Post-operative recovery was uneventful. DISCUSSION: Intratendinous ganglion cysts
      are rare lesions that pose a unique set of diagnostic and treatment challenges.
      Unlike conventional ganglion, their diagnosis may not be possible until surgical
      exploration. They have been reported to increase the risk of spontaneous tendon
      rupture. As such, a lower operative threshold should be applied to prevent their
      progression. A high index of suspicion should be applied to any ganglion reported
      radiologically to be in close contact with tendons. If diagnosed upon surgical
      exploration, it is essential that the operating surgeon is prepared to
      appropriately modify the procedure to involve primary tendon repair, tendon
      transfer or tenodesis.

PMID- 26481787
TI  - Jones fracture of the fifth metatarsal: Is operative intervention justified? A
      systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis of results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study assesses the outcomes of surgical vs. conservative
      management in the treatment of the Jones fracture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      systematic review using four databases from their inception until September 2014
      was undertaken. Six studies were found evaluating operative therapy compared to
      conservative treatment. RESULTS: Six relevant studies were included, with a total
      of 237 patients. Of these, 51% were treated non-operatively, and 49% had surgical
      intervention. Those in the non-operative group were found to have a significantly
      higher odds ratio (OR) of fracture non-union (OR 5.74, 95% confidence interval
      (CI) 2.65-12.40, P<0.001). Studies also reported a prolonged healing time and a
      longer time to return to sports. Of the trials with time to union as an outcome
      measure, 3 of 4 trials found favourable results in the operative cohort.
      CONCLUSIONS: Surgical intervention is recommended for patients presenting with a
      Jones fracture as it is found to result in a lesser non-union rate and an
      improved time to union.

PMID- 26481789
TI  - Fatal diphenidol poisoning: a case report and a retrospective study of 16 cases.
AB  - Diphenidol hydrochloride (DPN), a nonphenothiazinic antiemetic agent used
      primarily in patients with Meniere disease and labyrinthopathies to treat
      vomiting and vertigo, is considered to be a relatively safe drug. Since it was
      first approved in the United States in 1967, this drug has been widely used in
      Latin America and Asia and has contributed to sporadic suicidal and accidental
      poisonings in mainland China and Taiwan. However, its toxic or lethal
      concentration ranges have not yet been determined. We report a case of a 23-year
      old female who suffered from DPN poisoning that resulted in death. At autopsy,
      there were no typical pathological findings, except for cerebral edema with high
      acetylcholinesterase expression. Postmortem analysis of DPN revealed 45 ug/ml in
      heart blood, 39 ug/ml in femoral vein blood, 141 ug/g in the liver, and 53 mg in
      the gastric contents. These concentrations indicated that the cause of death was
      DPN poisoning. The circumstances indicated that the manner of death was suicide.
      We also present a retrospective study, in which we review and summarize the
      literature from 1998 to 2014 and describe 16 cases of poisoning, including
      information from autopsy reports and postmortem drug concentrations. In forensic
      practice, drug residues at the scene, patients with convulsions and disturbance
      of consciousness, and rapidly occurring deaths, should draw attention to the
      possibility of this drug. Toxicological analysis and the exclusion of other
      diseases may ultimately be used to confirm DPN poisoning.

PMID- 26481790
TI  - Helicopter induced propeller injuries.

PMID- 26481791
TI  - Effects of arterial blood flow on walls of the abdominal aorta: distributions of
      wall shear stress and oscillatory shear index determined by phase-contrast
      magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - Although abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) occur mostly inferior to the renal
      artery, the mechanism of the development of AAA in relation to its specific
      location is not yet clearly understood. The objective of this study was to
      evaluate the hypothesis that even healthy volunteers may manifest specific flow
      characteristics of blood flow and alter wall shear or oscillatory shear stress in
      the areas where AAAs commonly develop. Eight healthy male volunteers were
      enrolled in this prospective study, aged from 24 to 27. Phase-contrast magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) was performed with electrocardiographic triggering. Flow
      sensitive four-dimensional MR imaging of the abdominal aorta, with three
      directional velocity encoding, including simple morphological image acquisition,
      was performed. Information on specific locations on the aortic wall was applied
      to the flow encodes to calculate wall shear stress (WSS) and oscillatory shear
      index (OSI). While time-framed WSS showed the highest peak of 1.14 +/- 0.25 Pa in
      the juxtaposition of the renal artery, the WSS plateaued to 0.61 Pa at the
      anterior wall of the abdominal aorta. The OSI peaked distal to the renal arteries
      at the posterior wall of the abdominal aorta of 0.249 +/- 0.148, and was
      constantly elevated in the whole abdominal aorta at more than 0.14. All subjects
      were found to have elevated OSI in regions where AAAs commonly occur. These
      findings indicate that areas of constant peaked oscillatory shear stress in the
      infra-renal aorta may be one of the factors that lead to morphological changes
      over time, even in healthy individuals. 

PMID- 26481794
TI  - Population variation affects interactions between two California  salt marsh
      plant species more than precipitation.
AB  - Species that occur along broad environmental gradients often vary in phenotypic
      traits that make them better adapted to local conditions. Variation in species
      interactions across gradients could therefore be due to either phenotypic
      differences among populations or environmental conditions that shift the balance
      between competition and facilitation. To understand how the environment
      (precipitation) and variation among populations affect species interactions, we
      conducted a common garden experiment using two common salt marsh plant species,
      Salicornia pacifica and Jaumea carnosa, from six salt marshes along the
      California coast encompassing a large precipitation gradient. Plants were grown
      alone or with an individual of the opposite species from the same site and
      exposed to one of three precipitation regimes. J. carnosa was negatively affected
      in the presence of S. pacifica, while S. pacifica was facilitated by J. carnosa.
      The strength of these interactions varied by site of origin but not by
      precipitation treatment. These results suggest that phenotypic variation among
      populations can affect interaction strength more than environment, despite a
      threefold difference in precipitation. Geographic intraspecific variation may
      therefore play an important role in determining the strength of interactions in
      communities.

PMID- 26481792
TI  - Differences in Adolescent Physical Fitness: A Multivariate Approach and Meta
      analysis.
AB  - Physical fitness can be defined as a set of components that determine exercise
      ability and influence performance in sports. This study investigates the genetic
      and environmental influences on individual differences in explosive leg strength
      (vertical jump), handgrip strength, balance, and flexibility (sit-and-reach) in
      227 healthy monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs and 38 of their singleton
      siblings (mean age 17.2 +/- 1.2). Heritability estimates were 49% (95% CI 35-60%)
      for vertical jump, 59% (95% CI 46-69%) for handgrip strength, 38% (95% CI 22-52%)
      for balance, and 77% (95% CI 69-83%) for flexibility. In addition, a meta
      analysis was performed on all twin studies in children, adolescents and young
      adults reporting heritability estimates for these phenotypes. Fifteen studies,
      including results from our own study, were meta-analyzed by computing the
      weighted average heritability. This showed that genetic factors explained most of
      the variance in vertical jump (62%; 95% CI 47-77%, N = 874), handgrip strength
      (63%; 95% CI 47-73%, N = 4516) and flexibility (50%; 95% CI 38-61%, N = 1130) in
      children and young adults. For balance this was 35% (95% CI 19-51%, N = 978).
      Finally, multivariate modeling showed that the phenotypic correlations between
      the phenotypes in current study (0.07 < r < 0.27) were mostly driven by genetic
      factors. It is concluded that genetic factors contribute significantly to the
      variance in muscle strength, flexibility and balance; factors that may play a key
      role in the individual differences in adolescent exercise ability and sports
      performance.

PMID- 26481795
TI  - Herbivory and dominance shifts among exotic and congeneric  native plant species
      during plant community establishment.
AB  - Invasive exotic plant species often have fewer natural enemies and suffer less
      damage from herbivores in their new range than genetically or functionally
      related species that are native to that area. Although we might expect that
      having fewer enemies would promote the invasiveness of the introduced exotic
      plant species due to reduced enemy exposure, few studies have actually analyzed
      the ecological consequences of this situation in the field. Here, we examined how
      exposure to aboveground herbivores influences shifts in dominance among exotic
      and phylogenetically related native plant species in a riparian ecosystem during
      early establishment of invaded communities. We planted ten plant communities each
      consisting of three individuals of each of six exotic plant species as well as
      six phylogenetically related natives. Exotic plant species were selected based on
      a rapid recent increase in regional abundance, the presence of a congeneric
      native species, and their co-occurrence in the riparian ecosystem. All plant
      communities were covered by tents with insect mesh. Five tents were open on the
      leeward side to allow herbivory. The other five tents were completely closed in
      order to exclude insects and vertebrates. Herbivory reduced aboveground biomass
      by half and influenced which of the plant species dominated the establishing
      communities. Exposure to herbivory did not reduce the total biomass of natives
      more than that of exotics, so aboveground herbivory did not selectively enhance
      exotics during this early stage of plant community development. Effects of
      herbivores on plant biomass depended on plant species or genus but not on plant
      status (i.e., exotic vs native). Thus, aboveground herbivory did not promote the
      dominance of exotic plant species during early establishment of the
      phylogenetically balanced plant communities.

PMID- 26481796
TI  - Quantitative Methodologies Reveal a Diversity of Nutrition, Infection/Illness,
      and Psychosocial Stressors During Pregnancy and Lactation in Rural Mam-Mayan
      Mother-Infant Dyads From the Western Highlands of Guatemala.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The nature and severity of 3 categories of maternal stressors
      (nutritional, infectious, and psychosocial) that may impact maternal health and
      early infant growth are not often considered together. OBJECTIVES: To describe
      quantitative methodologies; assess construct validity of questionnaires; report
      variability in sociodemographic, obstetric, nutritional, infectious, and
      psychosocial characteristics; and compare characteristics between pregnancy and
      lactation and between study cohorts of Mam-Mayan mother-infant dyads. METHODS:
      Grounded in participatory action research and a socioecological framework, this
      observational study enrolled a longitudinal cohort of 155 women, followed during
      pregnancy (6-9 months), early (0-6 weeks), and later (4-6 months) postpartum, and
      2 cross-sectional cohorts (60 early and 56 later postpartum). Household and
      social factors; obstetric history; nutritional, infectious, and psychosocial
      stressors; and infant characteristics were explored. RESULTS: Diet diversity (3.4
      +/- 1.3) and adult food security (38%) were low. Urinary and gastrointestinal
      infections were rare (<5%), whereas experience of local idioms of distress was
      frequent (20%-50%). Participants reported low maternal autonomy (81%), high
      paternal support (70%), small social support networks (2.7 +/- 1.3 individuals),
      and high trust in family (88%) and community-based institutions (61%-65%) but low
      trust in government services (6%). Domestic violence was commonly reported (22%).
      Infant stunting was common (36% early postpartum and 43% later postpartum)
      despite frequent antenatal care visits (7.5 +/- 3.8). Participant engagement with
      the research team did not influence study outcomes based on comparisons between
      longitudinal and cross-sectional cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: The variability in
      sociodemographic, nutritional, and psychosocial variables, will allow exploration
      of factors that promote resilience or increase vulnerability of the mother-infant
      dyad.

PMID- 26481797
TI  - Exploring Life Satisfaction Among Older Adults in Dakar.
AB  - Studies on correlates of subjective well-being of older adults are virtually non
      existent in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, understanding and improving the well-being
      of older adults should be a focal point of research and policy directed at this
      fast growing population. The aim of this study was to assess the links between
      socio-demographic factors, economic conditions, health, social relations, and the
      life satisfaction of older adults in Dakar. To this end, a survey was conducted
      on a sample of 500 dwellers of the Senegalese capital, aged 50 to 100, using the
      quota method for greater representativeness. Results revealed that with advancing
      age older adults expressed greater life satisfaction, and that older women were
      more satisfied than older men. As well, economic conditions were a main predictor
      of life satisfaction, along with good social relations. In contrast to findings
      with Western populations, neither self-rated health nor physical disabilities
      were associated with aging adults' life satisfaction. Findings suggest a number
      of avenues for future research.

PMID- 26481799
TI  - Why 'Optimal' Payment for Healthcare Providers Can Never be Optimal Under
      Community Rating.
AB  - This article extends the existing literature on optimal provider payment by
      accounting for consumer heterogeneity in preferences for health insurance and
      healthcare. This heterogeneity breaks down the separation of the relationship
      between providers and the health insurer and the relationship between consumers
      and the insurer. Both experimental and market evidence for a high degree of
      heterogeneity are presented. Given heterogeneity, a uniform policy fails to
      effectively control moral hazard, while incentives for risk selection created by
      community rating cannot be neutralized through risk adjustment. Consumer
      heterogeneity spills over into relationships with providers, such that a uniform
      contract with providers also cannot be optimal. The decisive condition for
      ensuring optimality of provider payment is to replace community rating (which
      violates the principle of marginal cost pricing) with risk rating of
      contributions combined with subsidization targeted at high risks with low
      incomes.

PMID- 26481798
TI  - Protective action of the phyllanthin against carbon  tetrachloride-induced
      hepatocyte damage in Cyprinus carpio.
AB  - The present study was to investigate the protective effect and possible mechanism
      of phyllanthin against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatocyte damage in
      carp. Phyllanthin (5, 10, and 15 MUg/ml) was added to carp primary hepatocytes
      before (pre-treatment) and after (post-treatment) incubation of the hepatocytes
      in medium containing CCl4 at 8 mM; supernatant and cell were collected for the
      analyses of cell viability, biochemical parameters, and gene expression. The
      results showed that phyllanthin at the concentration of 15 MUg/ml significantly
      suppressed the elevation of glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT), glutamate
      oxalate transaminase (GOT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and malondialdehyde
      (MDA), and the reduction of cell viability, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity,
      cytochrome P450 1a (CYP1A), and cytochrome P450 3a (CYP3A) messenger RNA (mRNA)
      levels expect LDH in the post-treatment. The levels of GPT, GOT, and CYP1A mRNA
      were also effectively restored in the pretreatment with phyllanthin (10 MUg/ml).
      Overall, our results suggested that phyllanthin may be used as a hepatoprotective
      agent to prevent liver diseases in fish.

PMID- 26481801
TI  - [Erratum to: Soft tissue plastic surgery for complications in the skull region].

PMID- 26481800
TI  - Protective effect of Suxiao jiuxin pill, a traditional Chinese medicine, against
      acute myocardial ischemia in dogs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Suxiao
      Jiuxin Pill (SX), a traditional Chinese medicine, on acute myocardial ischemia
      induced by coronary occlusion in anesthetized dogs. METHODS: Acute myocardial
      ischemia model was established by ligating the left anterior descending artery to
      reduce flow by 90 %. Adult mongrel dogs were randomly divided into six groups:
      model, SX high dose, SX middle dose, SX low dose, Isosorbide dinitrate (ISD) and
      Sham groups. Adult mongrel dogs were anesthetized and instrumented for
      measurements of heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), left ventricular
      systolic pressure (LVSP), left ventricular dP/dt, coronary blood flow (CBF),
      myocardial blood flow (MBF), coronary vascular resistance (CVR), and epicardial
      electrocardiogram (EECG). After administration with SX, changes in hemodynamics
      were recorded. Serum enzymes and blood gas analysis were also detected. RESULTS:
      SX has a dose-dependent effect on the reduction of infarct size. Besides, SX
      exerted a notable inhibition on the elevation of serum creatine kinase MB (CK
      MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and elevation in the
      superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. SX also showed a capacity to recover
      myocardial function by significantly reducing MAP, CVR, LVSP, left ventricular
      systolic pressure (LVEDP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood
      pressure (SDP), and increasing CBF and myocardial blood flow (MBF). In addition,
      SX high dose group markedly reduced total mV of ST segment elevation (Sigma-ST),
      total number of sites with this degree of ST segment elevation (N-ST) and oxygen
      extraction ratio (O2 Extr). CONCLUSION: SX can improve hemodynamic and myocardial
      oxygen metabolism, reduce the degree and scope of myocardial ischemia, and hence
      exert notable anti-anginal ischaemic effect.

PMID- 26481802
TI  - Laboratory guidelines for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with monoclonal
      gammopathies.
AB  - We present guidelines from the Immunochemistry group of the Spanish Society for
      Immunology that are designed to provide a practical tool for the diagnosis and
      follow-up of monoclonal gammopathies. We review the clinical and analytical
      features of various monoclonal gammopathies, international consensus guidelines
      and techniques used to detect and follow-up monoclonal components. 

PMID- 26481803
TI  - A case of cardiogenic shock with preserved ejection function.

PMID- 26481805
TI  - Cabozantinib and nivolumab for renal cell carcinoma.

PMID- 26481806
TI  - 21-gene assay identifies patients who can avoid chemotherapy.

PMID- 26481807
TI  - Preoperative MRI in breast cancer.

PMID- 26481808
TI  - Radiotherapy in the elderly and frail with glioblastoma.

PMID- 26481809
TI  - Effect of passengers' active head tilt and opening/closure of eyes on motion
      sickness in lateral acceleration environment of cars.
AB  - This study examined the effect of passengers' active head-tilt and eyes-open/eyes
      closed conditions on the severity of motion sickness in the lateral acceleration
      environment of cars. In the centrifugal head-tilt condition, participants
      intentionally tilted their heads towards the centrifugal force, whereas in the
      centripetal head-tilt condition, the participants tilted their heads against the
      centrifugal acceleration. The eyes-open and eyes-closed cases were investigated
      for each head-tilt condition. In the experimental runs, the sickness rating in
      the centripetal head-tilt condition was significantly lower than that in the
      centrifugal head-tilt condition. Moreover, the sickness rating in the eyes-open
      condition was significantly lower than that in the eyes-closed condition. The
      results suggest that an active head-tilt motion against the centrifugal
      acceleration reduces the severity of motion sickness both in the eyes-open and
      eyes-closed conditions. They also demonstrate that the eyes-open condition
      significantly reduces the motion sickness even when the head-tilt strategy is
      used. Practitioner Summary: Little is known about the effect of head-tilt
      strategies on motion sickness. This study investigated the effects of head-tilt
      direction and eyes-open/eyes-closed conditions on motion sickness during slalom
      automobile driving. Passengers' active head tilt towards the centripetal
      direction and the eyes-open condition greatly reduce the severity of motion
      sickness. 

PMID- 26481810
TI  - [Acquired A hemophilia and lymphoproliferative diseases: A literature review].
AB  - Acquired A haemophilia is a rare but severe autoimmune disease. It is caused by
      autoantibodies against the coagulation factor VIII. These autoantibodies could
      have different consequences: no effect, inhibition of factor VIII or factor VIII
      activity hydrolyzing. In about half of the cases, no cause is associated with the
      disorder [idiopathic acquired A haemophilia]. But in remaining 50% of the
      patients, some circumstances could be associated with acquired hemophilia: post
      partum, autoimmune disorders, cancer and sometimes malignant blood disorders. The
      objective of this article was to review the literature about acquired A
      hemophilia associated with lymphoproliferative diseases. 

PMID- 26481811
TI  - No effect of modest selenium supplementation on insulin resistance in UK pregnant
      women, as assessed by plasma adiponectin concentration.
AB  - Concern has been expressed recently that Se may increase the risk of type 2
      diabetes, but this has not been tested in a randomised-controlled trial (RCT) in
      pregnant women. We took advantage of having stored plasma samples from the Se in
      Pregnancy Intervention (SPRINT) RCT of Se supplementation in pregnancy to test
      the effect of Se supplementation on a marker of insulin resistance in UK pregnant
      women. Because our blood samples were not fasted, we measured plasma adiponectin
      concentration, a recognised marker of insulin resistance that gives valid
      measurements in non-fasted samples, as diurnal variability is minor and there is
      no noticeable effect of food intake. In SPRINT, 230 primiparous UK women were
      randomised to treatment with Se (60 MUg/d) or placebo from 12 weeks of gestation
      until delivery. We hypothesised that supplementation with Se at a nutritional
      level would not exacerbate the fall in adiponectin concentration that occurs in
      normal pregnancy, indicating the lack of an adverse effect on insulin resistance.
      Indeed, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the change
      in adiponectin from 12 to 35 weeks (P=0.938), nor when the analysis was
      restricted to the bottom or top quartiles of baseline whole-blood Se (P=0.515 and
      0.858, respectively). Cross-sectionally, adiponectin concentration was not
      associated with any parameter of Se status, either at 12 or 35 weeks. It is
      reassuring that a nutritional dose of Se had no adverse effect on the
      concentration of adiponectin, a biomarker of insulin resistance, in pregnant
      women of modest Se status. 

PMID- 26481812
TI  - Insights into Collagen Uptake by C-type Mannose Receptors from the Crystal
      Structure of Endo180 Domains 1-4.
AB  - The C-type mannose receptor and its homolog Endo180 (or uPARAP, for urokinase
      plasminogen activator receptor-associated protein) mediate the endocytic uptake
      of collagen by macrophages and fibroblasts. This process is required for normal
      tissue remodeling, but also facilitates the growth and dissemination of tumors.
      We have determined the crystal structure at 2.5 A resolution of the N-terminal
      region of Endo180, consisting of a ricin-like domain, a fibronectin type II (FN2)
      domain, and two C-type lectin (CTL) domains. The L-shaped arrangement of these
      domains creates a shallow trench spanning the FN2 and CTL1 domains, which was
      shown by mutagenesis to bind triple-helical and denatured collagen. Small-angle X
      ray scattering showed that the L-shaped structure is maintained in solution at
      neutral and acidic pH, irrespective of calcium ion loading. Collagen binding was
      equally unaffected by acidic pH, suggesting that collagen release in endosomes is
      not regulated by changes within the Endo180 N-terminal region. 

PMID- 26481813
TI  - Structure and Sequence Analyses of Clustered Protocadherins Reveal Antiparallel
      Interactions that Mediate Homophilic Specificity.
AB  - Clustered protocadherin (Pcdh) proteins mediate dendritic self-avoidance in
      neurons via specific homophilic interactions in their extracellular cadherin (EC)
      domains. We determined crystal structures of EC1-EC3, containing the homophilic
      specificity-determining region, of two mouse clustered Pcdh isoforms (PcdhgammaA1
      and PcdhgammaC3) to investigate the nature of the homophilic interaction. Within
      the crystal lattices, we observe antiparallel interfaces consistent with a role
      in trans cell-cell contact. Antiparallel dimerization is supported by
      evolutionary correlations. Two interfaces, located primarily on EC2-EC3, involve
      distinctive clustered Pcdh structure and sequence motifs, lack predicted
      glycosylation sites, and contain residues highly conserved in orthologs but not
      paralogs, pointing toward their biological significance as homophilic interaction
      interfaces. These two interfaces are similar yet distinct, reflecting a possible
      difference in interaction architecture between clustered Pcdh subfamilies. These
      structures initiate a molecular understanding of clustered Pcdh assemblies that
      are required to produce functional neuronal networks. 

PMID- 26481814
TI  - Molecular Mechanism of Dopamine Transport by Human Dopamine Transporter.
AB  - Dopamine transporters (DATs) control neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) homeostasis
      by reuptake of excess DA, assisted by sodium and chloride ions. The recent
      resolution of DAT structure (dDAT) from Drosophila permits us for the first time
      to directly view the sequence of events involved in DA reuptake in human DAT
      (hDAT) using homology modeling and full-atomic microseconds accelerated
      simulations. Major observations are spontaneous closure of extracellular gates
      prompted by DA binding; stabilization of a holo-occluded intermediate; disruption
      of N82-N353 hydrogen bond and exposure to intracellular (IC) water triggered by
      Na2 dislocation; redistribution of a network of salt bridges at the IC surface in
      the inward-facing state; concerted tilting of IC-exposed helices to enable the
      release of Na(+) and Cl(-) ions; and DA release after protonation of D79. The
      observed time-resolved interactions confirm the conserved dynamics of LeuT-fold
      family, while providing insights into the mechanistic role of specific residues
      in hDAT. 

PMID- 26481815
TI  - Multiple RF classifier for the hippocampus segmentation: Method and validation on
      EADC-ADNI Harmonized Hippocampal Protocol.
AB  - The hippocampus has a key role in a number of neurodegenerative diseases, such as
      Alzheimer's Disease. Here we present a novel method for the automated
      segmentation of the hippocampus from structural magnetic resonance images (MRI),
      based on a combination of multiple classifiers. The method is validated on a
      cohort of 50 T1 MRI scans, comprehending healthy control, mild cognitive
      impairment, and Alzheimer's Disease subjects. The preliminary release of the EADC
      ADNI Harmonized Protocol training labels is used as gold standard. The fully
      automated pipeline consists of a registration using an affine transformation, the
      extraction of a local bounding box, and the classification of each voxel in two
      classes (background and hippocampus). The classification is performed slice-by
      slice along each of the three orthogonal directions of the 3D-MRI using a Random
      Forest (RF) classifier, followed by a fusion of the three full segmentations.
      Dice coefficients obtained by multiple RF (0.87 +/- 0.03) are larger than those
      obtained by a single monolithic RF applied to the entire bounding box, and are
      comparable to state-of-the-art. A test on an external cohort of 50 T1 MRI scans
      shows that the presented method is robust and reliable. Additionally, a
      comparison of local changes in the morphology of the hippocampi between the three
      subject groups is performed. Our work showed that a multiple classification
      approach can be implemented for the segmentation for the measurement of volume
      and shape changes of the hippocampus with diagnostic purposes. 

PMID- 26481816
TI  - Dental cone beam CT: A review.
AB  - For the maxillofacial region, there are various indications that cannot be
      interpreted from 2D images and will benefit from multiplanar viewing. Dental cone
      beam CT (CBCT) utilises a cone- or pyramid-shaped X-ray beam using mostly flat
      panel detectors for 3D image reconstruction with high spatial resolution. The
      vast increase in availability and amount of these CBCT devices offers many
      clinical benefits, and their ongoing development has potential to bring various
      new clinical applications for medical imaging. Additionally, there is also a need
      for high quality research and education. European guidelines promote the use of a
      medical physics expert for advice on radiation protection, patient dose
      optimisation, and equipment testing. In this review article, we perform a
      comparison of technical equipment based on manufacturer data, including scanner
      specific X-ray spectra, and describe issues concerning CBCT image reconstruction
      and image quality, and also address radiation dose issues, dosimetry, and
      optimisation. We also discuss clinical needs and what type of education users
      should have in order to operate CBCT systems safely. We will also take a look
      into the future and discuss the issues that still need to be solved. 

PMID- 26481817
TI  - Pitfalls in the Use of Stereoacuity in the Diagnosis of Nonorganic Visual Loss.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Titmus Stereotest (Stereo Optical Co., Inc., Chicago, IL) has been
      used to estimate visual acuity (VA) in the evaluation of nonorganic visual loss.
      Previous predictions were derived from optical degradation of VA in normal
      subjects and may not account for the variability seen in patients with neuro
      ophthalmic pathologies included in the differential diagnosis of nonorganic
      visual loss. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between
      Titmus stereoacuity and minimal VA based on a real-world testing environment.
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. PARTICIPANTS: All patients treated
      at the authors' neuro-ophthalmology service between April 25, 2014, and July 31,
      2014. METHODS: All subjects underwent routine neuro-ophthalmic examination,
      including Titmus stereoacuity measurements. A compound Bayesian logit-lognormal
      model accounting for heteroscedasticity was used to determine 95% and 99%
      prediction intervals of the worse eye's near VA based on stereoacuity. Logarithm
      of the minimum angle of resolution VA and log stereoacuity were analyzed. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Titmus stereoacuity and worse eye VA. RESULTS: Of 561 patients,
      364 subjects 11 to 91 years of age were included. Titmus stereoacuity was
      associated positively with VA: 9 circles correct (40 seconds of arc) indicated VA
      of at least 20/40 with 95% confidence and VA of at least 20/79 with 99%
      confidence; 6 circles correct (80 seconds of arc) indicated VA of at least 20/62
      and 20/180, respectively; and 4 circles correct (140 seconds of arc) indicated VA
      of at least 20/110 and 20/570, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: When fully accounting
      for individual variation and the full spectrum of neuro-ophthalmic diseases
      affecting VA, stereoacuity remains associated with VA, but previous commonly used
      VA estimates based on stereoacuity overestimated VA. Our results more accurately
      predict minimum VA from Titmus stereoacuity and should be used preferentially
      when evaluating patients with suspected nonorganic visual loss. We demonstrated
      that Titmus stereoacuity cannot definitively establish normal VA, and therefore
      can suggest, but not fully establish, the diagnosis of nonorganic visual loss.

PMID- 26481818
TI  - Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptors in Benign Vascular
      Lesions of the Orbit: A Case Series.
AB  - PURPOSE: Vascular lesions of the orbit, although not malignant, can cause
      morbidity because of their location near critical structures in the orbit. For
      the same reason, they can be challenging to remove surgically. Anti-vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs are increasingly being used to treat
      diseases with prominent angiogenesis. Our study aimed to determine to what extent
      VEGF receptors and their subtypes are expressed on selected vascular lesions of
      the orbit. DESIGN: Retrospective case series of all orbital vascular lesions
      removed by one of the authors (JAG) at the Mayo Clinic. PARTICIPANTS: A total of
      52 patients who underwent removal of vascular orbital lesions. METHODS: The
      pathology specimens from the patients were retrieved, their pathologic diagnosis
      was confirmed, demographic and clinical information were gathered, and sections
      from vascular tumors were stained with vascular endothelial growth factor
      receptor (VEGFR), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor type 1 (VEGFR1),
      vascular endothelial growth factor receptor type 2 (VEGFR2), and vascular
      endothelial growth factor receptor type 3 (VEGFR3). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The
      existence and pattern of staining with VEGF and its subtypes on these lesions.
      RESULTS: There were 28 specimens of venous malformations, 4 capillary
      hemangiomas, 7 lymphatic malformations, and 6 lymphaticovenous malformations. All
      samples stained with VEGF, 55% stained with VEGFR1, 98% stained with VEGFR2, and
      96% stained with VEGFR3. Most (94%) of the VEGFR2 staining was diffuse.
      CONCLUSIONS: Most orbital vascular lesions express VEGF receptors, which may
      suggest a future target for nonsurgical treatment.

PMID- 26481820
TI  - Descemet Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty for Fuchs' Endothelial Corneal
      Dystrophy: Five-Year Results of a Prospective Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine 5-year outcomes of Descemet stripping endothelial
      keratoplasty (DSEK) for Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD). DESIGN:
      Prospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-two eyes of 45 subjects with FECD
      undergoing primary DSEK. METHODS: Subjects were examined before and at fixed
      intervals through 60 months after DSEK. At each visit, graft survival was
      determined by slit-lamp examination; best spectacle-corrected visual acuity
      (BSCVA) was measured using the electronic Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy
      Study (ETDRS) protocol; total anterior corneal higher-order aberrations (HOAs)
      were derived from corneal topography; and corneal backscatter, corneal thickness,
      and endothelial cell density were measured from confocal microscopy images.
      Corneal thickness also was measured by ultrasonic pachymetry. Changes after DSEK
      were analyzed using generalized estimating equation models. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Best-corrected visual acuity, HOAs, endothelial cell loss, corneal
      thickness, and corneal backscatter. RESULTS: Complete 60-month follow-up was
      possible in 34 eyes. Mean BSCVA+/-standard deviation improved from 0.45+/-0.19
      logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) (Snellen equivalent, 20/56)
      before DSEK to 0.09+/-0.13 logMAR (Snellen equivalent, 20/25) at 5 years (P <
      0.001). Between 1 and 5 years, BSCVA improved by 0.06 logMAR (or 3 ETDRS letters;
      95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.07 logMAR) per year (P < 0.001), and 56% of eyes
      were 0.1 logMAR (20/25) or better at 5 years. Graft thickness (approximately 155
      MUm) and corneal thickness (approximately 700 MUm) did not change after surgery.
      Anterior corneal HOAs and backscatter decreased between 1 and 5 years (P <=
      0.002). Six grafts failed, of which 4 were primary (iatrogenic); mean endothelial
      cell loss+/-standard deviation was 55+/-15% at 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Between 1
      and 5 years after DSEK, BSCVA continues to improve such that at 5 years, more
      than half of eyes see better than 20/25 with a mean total corneal thickness of
      700 MUm. Improvement in vision is accompanied by continued reduction in corneal
      haze and aberrations, suggesting ongoing remodeling of the cornea after
      restoration of endothelial function.

PMID- 26481819
TI  - Ultrahigh-Speed, Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in
      Nonexudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration with Geographic Atrophy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate ultrahigh-speed, swept-source optical coherence
      tomography (SSOCT) angiography for visualizing vascular changes in eyes with
      nonexudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with geographic atrophy (GA).
      DESIGN: Observational, prospective, cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: A total
      of 63 eyes from 32 normal subjects and 12 eyes from 7 patients with nonexudative
      AMD with GA. METHODS: A 1050-nm, 400-kHz A-scan rate SSOCT system was used to
      perform volumetric optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) of the retinal
      and choriocapillaris (CC) vasculatures in normal subjects and patients with
      nonexudative AMD with GA. Optical coherence tomography angiography using variable
      interscan time analysis (VISTA) was performed to assess CC alteration and
      differentiate varying degrees of CC flow impairment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Qualitative comparison of retinal and CC vasculatures in normal subjects versus
      those in patients with a clinical diagnosis of nonexudative AMD with GA. RESULTS:
      In all 12 eyes with GA, OCTA showed pronounced CC flow impairment within the
      region of GA. In 10 of the 12 eyes with GA, OCTA with VISTA showed milder CC flow
      impairment extending beyond the margin of GA. Of the 5 eyes exhibiting foveal
      sparing GA, OCTA showed CC flow within the region of foveal sparing in 4 of the
      eyes. CONCLUSIONS: The ability of ultrahigh-speed, swept-source OCTA to
      noninvasively visualize alterations in the retinal and CC vasculatures makes it a
      promising tool for assessing nonexudative AMD with GA. Optical coherence
      tomography angiography using VISTA can distinguish varying degrees of CC
      alteration and flow impairment and may be useful for elucidating disease
      pathogenesis, progression, and response to therapy.

PMID- 26481822
TI  - Report questions FDA approval of controversial anticoagulant.

PMID- 26481821
TI  - Predictive Value of Retinal Morphology for Visual Acuity Outcomes of Different
      Ranibizumab Treatment Regimens for Neovascular AMD.
AB  - PURPOSE: To establish the predictive value of defined retinal morphologic
      parameters on visual outcomes and re-treatment needs in patients with neovascular
      age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) receiving ranibizumab treatment. DESIGN:
      Post hoc analysis of a prospective, 12-month, multicenter, phase IIIb trial.
      PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred fifty-three treatment-naive patients with nAMD.
      METHODS: Available data from 319 treatment-naive patients receiving ranibizumab
      0.3 mg monthly (frequent regimen; n = 102) or ranibizumab 0.3 or 0.5 mg quarterly
      (pooled 0.3/0.5 mg = infrequent regimen; n = 217) were analyzed to assess the
      correlations between baseline retinal morphologic parameters and best-corrected
      visual acuity (BCVA) change (structure-function correlations). The BCVA was
      measured at monthly visits. Optical coherence tomography scans were acquired
      monthly for quantitative measures of the central retinal thickness and
      qualitative assessment of retinal morphologic features. Assessed morphologic
      parameters included intraretinal cystoid fluid (IRC), subretinal fluid (SRF),
      pigment epithelial detachment, and vitreomacular interface configuration
      classification comprising vitreomacular adhesion and posterior vitreous
      detachment (PVD). An analysis of covariance was conducted to evaluate the impact
      of retinal morphologic features on BCVA change at month 12. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Change in BCVA from baseline to month 12 compared between frequent and
      infrequent treatment arms. RESULTS: Relevant predictive factors for BCVA change
      at month 12 were baseline SRF (P = 0.05), PVD (P = 0.03), IRC (P = 0.05),
      treatment frequency (P < 0.01), and BCVA (P < 0.01). The presence of both SRF and
      PVD at baseline was associated with similar BCVA gains regardless of treatment
      frequency (mean difference in BCVA gains at month 12 of +2.6 letters in favor of
      infrequent treatment). Subretinal fluid was present in 71% of patients, and PVD
      was present in 64% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with both SRF and PVD at
      baseline, similar BCVA outcomes were observed regardless of treatment frequency.
      These patients may require less frequent treatments compared with patients
      without SRF, without PVD, or without either who may require more frequent
      injections for maintenance of vision. This finding may have implications in
      clinical practice by helping to tailor an individualized re-treatment interval in
      nAMD patients.

PMID- 26481823
TI  - Yttrium-90 Infusion: Incidence and Outcome of Delivery System Occlusions during
      885 Deliveries.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the incidence, cause, and management of delivery system
      occlusions during yttrium-90 (90Y) microsphere infusions and to identify
      techniques to prevent occlusions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review
      was conducted of 885 consecutive radioembolization deliveries during 820
      procedures (some with multiple deliveries) in 503 patients (mean age, 65 y; 293
      male) performed between June 2001 and July 2013 at a single academic tertiary
      care hospital. Occlusions were reported prospectively, and procedural details
      were reviewed. Statistical analysis assessed associations between catheter
      occlusions and patient and procedural characteristics. RESULTS: Of 885 90Y
      microsphere deliveries, 11 resulted in occlusion (1.2%). Five occlusions were
      associated with contained leakage of radioactive material, and one was associated
      with a spill. Treatment was completed in the same day in 10 patients; repeat
      catheterization was required in five patients. One patient returned 1 week later
      to complete treatment. Occlusions were more frequent with deliveries of resin
      (11/492; 2.2%) versus glass (0/393; 0%) microspheres (P = .002). Occlusions were
      more likely to occur within the proximal portion of the delivery apparatus (P =
      .002). There was no significant relationship with any patient characteristics,
      and there was no improvement with operator experience. The most common cause of
      occlusion was resin microsphere delivery device failure. CONCLUSIONS: (90)Y
      microsphere delivery device occlusion is uncommon but does occur with resin
      microspheres. Understanding causes and how to troubleshoot can limit the
      incidence and detrimental effects.

PMID- 26481824
TI  - Recurrent Bleeding, Survival, and Longitudinal Pulmonary Function following
      Bronchial Artery Embolization for Hemoptysis in a U.S. Adult Population.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report outcomes of bronchial artery embolization (BAE) for
      hemoptysis, including recurrent bleeding, survival, and longitudinal pulmonary
      function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective database identified 69 patients
      who underwent 97 BAE procedures (n = 1-7 per patient) at a tertiary academic
      medical center over a period of 11 years. Technical and clinical success were
      determined. Recurrent bleeding and survival were compared by etiology of lung
      disease. Rates of change in pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1 s
      [FEV1] and forced vital capacity [FVC]) were measured and compared before and
      after index BAE by linear regression in 17 patients. RESULTS: The technical
      success rate of BAE was 90%. Clinical success rates at 24 hours and 30 days were
      82% and 68%, respectively. Thirty percent of patients had recurrent bleeding that
      required bronchoscopy (7%) or additional embolization (23%). Median time to
      recurrent bleeding was 29 days among the 13 patients with sarcoidosis, compared
      with 293 days among patients without sarcoidosis (P = .0013). The hazard ratio
      for death in patients with sarcoidosis compared with those without sarcoidosis
      was 4 (95% confidence interval, 2.6-14.6). Analyzing all instances of pulmonary
      function tests, slopes of decline in FEV1 and FVC were significantly different
      (FEV1, P = .0048; FVC, P < .0001) before and after index BAE, with an improvement
      after BAE (FEV1, 0.8%/y; FVC, 1%/y) and a decrease before BAE (FEV1, -1.6%/y;
      FVC, -1.4%/y). CONCLUSIONS: BAE is an effective therapy for hemoptysis, but
      patients with sarcoidosis are at significant risk of recurrent bleeding and death
      compared with patients with other lung diseases. BAE does not accelerate
      deterioration in lung function.

PMID- 26481825
TI  - Cassane diterpenoids from the roots of Caesalpinia decapetala var. japonica and
      structure revision of caesaljapin.
AB  - Two cassane-type furanoditerpenoids, designated caesalacetal and caesalpinetate,
      and a norditerpenoid designated caesalpinone were isolated from the roots of
      Caesalpinia decapetala var. japonica along with seven known diterpenoids.
      Structures were elucidated by interpretation of their spectroscopic data, and the
      absolute structure of caesalacetal was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic
      analysis. Furthermore, the structure of a previously reported furanoditerpenoid,
      caesaljapin, was revised as its C-4 epimer on the basis of detailed NMR
      spectroscopic data as well as X-ray crystallographic analysis. 

PMID- 26481827
TI  - Emerging Approaches to GPCR Ligand Screening for Drug Discovery.
AB  - The superfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represents the largest
      class of cell surface receptors and, thus, a prominent family of drug targets.
      Recently, there has been significant progress in determination of GPCR crystal
      structures. The structure-based ligand discovery of GPCRs is emerging as a
      powerful path to drug development. Sensor surface-immobilized GPCRs can identify
      direct receptor-ligand interactions of a range of chemical libraries. This type
      of screening shows great promise as an alternative strategy for ligand discovery.
      Here, we summarize the most recent developments of structure- and sensor-based
      GPCR ligand discovery. We also highlight certain areas where GPCRs harbor great
      potential for the development of novel therapeutics, emphasizing the strategic
      approaches that may yield significant breakthroughs. 

PMID- 26481826
TI  - Pharmacy workforce to prevent and manage non-communicable diseases in developing
      nations: The case of Nepal.
AB  - Non-communicable diseases (NCDs, e.g. cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic
      respiratory diseases and diabetes mellitus) are the main causes of mortality and
      morbidity in developing countries, including Nepal. Nearly half of the deaths in
      Nepal are caused by NCDs. Nepal lacks adequate human resources to prevent and
      manage NCDs, but the skills and expertise of pharmacists in Nepal are underused.
      There is evidence from many countries that pharmacists can contribute
      substantially to the prevention and management NCD. We aim to describe the
      opportunities and challenges for pharmacists to prevent and manage NCDs in Nepal.
      Pharmacists can contribute by screening and monitoring NCDs; counseling on
      lifestyle; providing medication therapy management services; promoting public
      health; and providing other pharmaceutical services. Challenges to the
      implementation of some of these activities in the current context include
      inadequate training of pharmacists in NCD prevention and management, the cost of
      pharmaceutical services to patients and government, and the existing health care
      service delivery model. There is a need for health services research to determine
      how pharmacists can be best used to prevent and manage NCDs in Nepal.

PMID- 26481828
TI  - Bile Acid-Activated Receptors, Intestinal Microbiota, and the Treatment of
      Metabolic Disorders.
AB  - The composition of the bile acid pool is a function of the microbial metabolism
      of bile acids in the intestine. Perturbations of the microbiota shape the bile
      acid pool and modulate the activity of bile acid-activated receptors (BARs) even
      beyond the gastrointestinal tract, triggering various metabolic axes and altering
      host metabolism. Bile acids, in turn, can also regulate the composition of the
      gut microbiome at the highest taxonomic levels. Primary bile acids from the host
      are preferential ligands for the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), while secondary bile
      acids from the microbiota are ligands for G-protein-coupled bile acid receptor 1
      (GPBAR1). In this review, we examine the role of bile acid signaling in the
      regulation of intestinal microbiota and how changes in bile acid composition
      affect human metabolism. Bile acids may offer novel therapeutic modalities in
      inflammation, obesity, and diabetes. 

PMID- 26481829
TI  - Evaluation of various techniques for microalgal biomass quantification.
AB  - Biomass concentration is one of the most important parameters in the
      biotechnology processes. Its measurement relies on the physical, chemical or
      biological properties of the cells. Several techniques were applied in this work
      to measure the cell concentration of four microalgae: Botryococcussp.,
      Botryococcusbraunii, Chlorella vulgaris, and Ettlia sp. The experiments were
      performed using samples taken from a chemostat for each strain to provide
      microalgal cell suspensions in a stable physiological state and concentration.
      The dry cell weight (DCW) was used as the reference method for the evaluation of
      other methods. The two commercial sensors used to determine optical density and
      dielectric permittivity showed a broad effective measurement range up to more
      than 20gl(-1). A Red-Green-Blue model analysis of microalgal digital images in
      combination with Fourier equation significantly extended the measurements range
      up to 6gl(-1). Cell count using a flow cytometer showed a broad range of
      linearity to DCW in washed samples, but other counting methods using
      hemocytometer and microscopic automated count were limited. Finally, the oxygen
      production rate, representing the photosynthetic activity, showed a linear
      regression with DCW at cell concentrations lower than 1gl(-1). 

PMID- 26481831
TI  - Insect cell entrapment, growth and recovering using a single-use fixed-bed
      bioreactor. Scaling up and recombinant protein production.
AB  - Insect cells are largely used for industrial production of vaccines, viral
      vectors and recombinant proteins as well as in research and development as an
      important tool for biology and bioprocess studies. They grow in suspension and
      are semi-adherent cells. Among the cell culture systems enabling scalable
      bioprocess the single-use fixed-bed iCELLis((r)) bioreactors offer great
      advantages. We have established the conditions for Drosophila melanogaster
      Schneider 2 (S2) and Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells entrapment into the fixed
      bed, cell growth and recover from the fixed-bed once high cell densities were
      attained. Our established protocol allowed these cells, at a cell seeding of
      2*1E5 cells/microfiber carriers (MC) (3.5*1E6cells/mL; 1.7*1E4cells/cm(2)), to
      grow inside a 4m(2)/200mL fixed-bed attaining a concentration of 5.3*1E6 cells/MC
      (9.5*1E7cells/mL; 4.7*1E5 cells/cm(2)) for S2 cells or 4.6*1E6 cells/MC
      (8*1E7cells/mL; 4.1*1E5cells/cm(2)) for Sf9 cells. By washing the fixed-bed,
      entrapped cells could then be recovered from the fixed-bed at a high rate (>85%)
      with high viability (>95%) by increasing the agitation to 1200/1500rpm. Although
      the cell yields in the fixed-bed bioreactor were comparable to those obtained in
      a stirred tank (respectively, 1.3*1E10 and 2.5*1E10 total cells), S2 cells stably
      transfected with a cDNA coding for the rabies virus glycoprotein (RVGP) showed a
      30% higher preserved rRVGP production (2.5+/-0.1 and 1.9+/-0.1MUg/1E7 cells), as
      evidenced by a conformational ELISA evaluation. These findings demonstrate not
      only the possibility to entrap, cultivate to high densities and recover insect
      cells using a single-use fixed-bed bioreactor, but also that this system provides
      suitable physiological conditions for the entrapped cells to produce a cell
      membrane associated recombinant protein with higher specific biological activity
      as compared to classical suspension cell cultures. 

PMID- 26481830
TI  - Glucosylation of aroma chemicals and hydroxy fatty acids.
AB  - To explore the utility of glycosyltransferases as novel biocatalysts, we isolated
      the glycosyltransferase genes CaUGT2 and SbUGTA1 from Catharanthus roseus and
      Starmerella bombicola, respectively and heterologously expressed them in
      Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant proteins were assayed with a variety
      of small molecule substrates. Carvacrol and its phenol isomer thymol are
      efficiently glucosylated by CaUGT2. The Vmax/Km ratios show that CaUGT2 exhibits
      the highest specificity towards carvacrol, followed by thymol, geraniol, eugenol,
      vanillin, menthol, and tyrosol. In contrast, SbUGTA1 accepts omega-hydroxy fatty
      acids and 1-alkanols as substrates. The Vmax/Km ratios indicate that SbUGTA1
      exhibits the highest specificity towards 16-hydroxy palmitic acid, followed by
      octanol, decanol, and hexadecanol. In biotransformation experiments 23, 88 and
      99% of octanol, 16-hydroxy palmitic acid, and decanol, respectively is converted
      into the corresponding beta-glucosides by E. coli cells expressing SbUGTA1
      whereas those cells expressing CaUGT2 glucosylate 18, 61, 77 and 97% of applied
      eugenol, thymol, vanillin, and carvacrol, respectively. To optimize the
      biotransformation rate, the effects of the concentration of IPTG, glucose, and
      substrate on the production of glucosides were tested. Taken together, this
      procedure is a simple operation, environmentally friendly, and is useful for the
      preparation of glycosides as additives for food and cosmetics. 

PMID- 26481832
TI  - Identification of genetic risk for pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Recent consortium guidelines support research-based screening for those at high
      risk of pancreatic cancer (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)). Genetic
      testing plays an important role in the establishment of high-risk PDAC research
      clinics by delineating those individuals who would benefit from screening
      protocols. We retrospectively examined patients referred for PDAC-related genetic
      testing from January 2009 to June 2014. Patients were referred for a personal
      and/or family history of PDAC or a questioned diagnosis of hereditary
      pancreatitis (HP). Of the 75 referred patients, 36 underwent testing, of which 11
      (31%) were mutation-positive. In total, 36% of patients with chronic pancreatitis
      carried a mutation, 11% of patients with a family history of PDAC carried a
      mutation, and 20% of patients with a personal history of PDAC carried a mutation.
      The most common barrier to testing was lack of insurance coverage. Genetic
      testing yields a suitable number of mutation-positive individuals who may benefit
      from increased screening. Subjects with possible HP yielded the highest positive
      rate. Individuals with idiopathic pancreatitis, onset of pancreatitis before the
      age of 30 years, and those with a family history of PDAC should be considered for
      testing. Sub-optimal insurance coverage remains a major deterrent to obtaining
      testing. 

PMID- 26481833
TI  - Comparison of culture-dependent and independent approaches to characterize fecal
      bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.
AB  - Different culture-dependent and independent methods were applied to investigate
      the population of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in the feces of five healthy
      subjects. Bacteria were isolated on MRS, a complex medium supporting growth of
      lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, and on three selective media for bifidobacteria
      and two for lactobacilli. Taxonomic characterization of the isolates was carried
      out by RAPD-PCR and partial 16S sequencing. The selectivity of genus-specific
      media was also investigated by challenging colonies from MRS plates to grow onto
      each medium. In parallel, a quantitative and qualitative description of
      bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria was obtained by FISH, qPCR, TRFLP, and
      16S rRNA gene sequencing. Bifidobacteria did not fail to grow on their specific
      media and were easily isolated and enumerated, showing comparable quantitative
      data among culture-dependent and -independent techniques. The Bifidobacterium
      species identified on plates and those extracted from TRFLP and 16S rRNA gene
      sequencing were mostly overlapping. Selective media for lactobacilli gave
      unsuitable results, being too stringent or too permissive. The quantification of
      lactobacilli through selective plates, qPCR, FISH, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing
      gave unreliable results. Therefore, unlike bifidobacteria, intestinal
      lactobacilli are still problematic in terms of quantification and accurate
      profiling at level of species and possibly of strains by both culture-dependent
      and culture-independent techniques. 

PMID- 26481835
TI  - [Neonatal circumcision with local anesthesia. Results of a standardized
      protocol].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Neonatal circumcision is a common procedure in the US and other
      countries, with low rates of complications in trained hands. However, it has
      recently been incorporated into the clinical environment in Chile. Our goal was
      to establish a local standardised protocol for neonatal circumcision under local
      anaesthesia, and evaluate the results and possible complications. PATIENTS AND
      METHOD: A standardised prospective protocol was used on patients who underwent
      neonatal circumcision. The inclusion criteria were: children <60days and <5kg.
      The surgical technique used was topical local anaesthesia and penile block,
      attrition of redundant prepuce and mucosa with Mogen(r) clamp, and section with
      scalpel. The protocol was used and evaluated from November 2005 to October 2014
      by a paediatric surgeon and/or paediatric urologist trained in the technique.
      Complications and conditions until final discharge were analysed. RESULTS: The
      protocol was applied to 108 patients over a 9year period. The mean age at
      procedure was 9days (1-52). One patient (0.9%) had immediate bleeding, requiring
      further surgery. All patients were discharged from further medical checks at 1
      month, without any other complications. The reason for the procedure was by
      parental request in 100% of the cases, and always for sociocultural reasons.
      CONCLUSION: Neonatal circumcision under local anaesthesia is a simple procedure,
      and has excellent results in selected patients, and with no major complications.
      With proper training, and adapting the initial protocol, it can be performed on
      an outpatient basis, without putting the neonates through the risks of general
      anaesthesia.

PMID- 26481834
TI  - Polymicrobial infection alter inflammatory microRNA in rat salivary glands during
      periodontal disease.
AB  - Periodontal disease initiated by subgingival pathogens is linked with diminished
      secretion of saliva, and implies pathogenic bacteria dissemination to or affects
      secondary sites such as the salivary glands. MicroRNAs activated in response to
      bacteria may modulate immune responses against pathogens. Therefore, Sprague
      Dawley rats were infected by oral lavage consisting of polymicrobial inocula,
      namely Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola,
      or sham-infected for 12 weeks (n = 6). We quantified inflammatory miRNA
      expression levels of miRNA-132, miR-146a, and miR-155 at secondary sites to the
      primary infection of the gingiva, including submandibular salivary glands,
      lacrimal glands, and pancreas. The presence of bacteria was detected in situ at
      secondary sites. Infected rat gingiva showed increased relative expression of miR
      155. In contrast, miRNA-155 expression was decreased in submandibular salivary
      glands, along with positive identification of P. gingivalis in 2/6 and T.
      denticola in 1/6 rat salivary glands. Furthermore, miRNA-132 and miRNA-146a were
      significantly decreased in the pancreas of infected rats. This study is the first
      to show primary periodontal infections can alter miRNA profiles in secondary
      sites such as the salivary gland and pancreas. Whether these alterations
      contribute to pathologies of salivary glands in Sjogren's syndrome or of pancreas
      in diabetes warrants further investigation.

PMID- 26481836
TI  - Sirolimus for Refractory Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia after Allogeneic
      Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Case Report and Literature Review of
      the Treatment of Post-Transplant Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia.
AB  - Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) may occur after any type of allogeneic
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT), even ABO-matched transplantation.
      It tends to be refractory to standard corticosteroid treatment and requires
      multiple transfusions. Though, there is no consensus regarding the optimal
      treatment for post-transplant severe AIHA. We present a pediatric patient with
      refractory AIHA after umbilical cord blood transplantation. She developed severe
      AIHA at 3months after transplantation and was unresponsive to multiple treatment
      modalities, including corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, plasma
      exchange and rituximab, resulting in persistent transfusion dependency.
      Sirolimus, a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor, was started on day 67 after
      the onset of AIHA, and this patient was successfully rescued without any
      complications. Sirolimus induces apoptosis in autoreactive lymphocytes, increases
      regulatory T cells and has been reported to have a positive effect on AIHA
      following solid organ transplantation (SOT). We reviewed the literature regarding
      post-transplant AIHA in the PubMed database and evaluated the treatment outcome
      of sirolimus in AIHA after SOT. 

PMID- 26481837
TI  - Treatment Outcomes in CML Patients Treated With Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors at a
      Tertiary Teaching Hospital in South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has become one of the most treatable
      hematologic neoplasms since the advent of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs),
      but it was not known if similar treatment outcomes could be achieved in a
      resource-limited country. We tested the hypothesis that, despite challenges to
      access to second-generation TKIs, excellent responses could be replicated in the
      setting of limited resources. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Records of 58 patients with
      newly diagnosed CML in the chronic phase treated with TKIs at a tertiary teaching
      hospital in Cape Town, South Africa between 2003 and 2012 were reviewed and
      assessed according to European LeukemiaNet (ELN) criteria. RESULTS: After a
      median follow-up of 60.5 months, progression-free survival at 60 and 96 months
      was 79.98% and 68.4%, respectively. Overall survival at 60 and 96 months was
      92.9% and 83.6%, respectively. Progression to blast phase at 60 months was
      associated with poorer survival (P = .0002) but progression to accelerated phase
      was not (P = .1456). Attainment of a complete cytogenetic response at 12 months
      (P = .28) or major molecular response at 18 months (P = .268) did not have
      prognostic significance. CONCLUSION: Despite delays in achievement of the target
      responses defined according to ELN criteria, the use of imatinib mesylate as a
      first-line treatment can still result in treatment outcomes comparable with those
      in developed countries. These data suggest opportunities for improvement and
      success might be even greater with uninterrupted access to second-generation or
      newer TKIs.

PMID- 26481838
TI  - Viability, Remodeling, and CABG: Another STICH in the Shroud of Observation-Based
      Paradigm?

PMID- 26481839
TI  - Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis: Are We Getting Closer to Solving a Diagnostic and
      Therapeutic Dilemma?

PMID- 26481840
TI  - Coronary MR Imaging: Moving From Lumenography to Plaque Assessment.

PMID- 26481841
TI  - Conceptual New Biomechanical Approaches to Identify Coronary Plaques at Risk of
      Disruption.

PMID- 26481842
TI  - Radiation Exposure in Medical Imaging: Is the Message Out or Just Being Ignored?

PMID- 26481843
TI  - Predictors of Plaque Rupture Within Nonculprit Fibroatheromas in Patients With
      Acute Coronary Syndromes: The PROSPECT Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The study sought to examine the relative importance of lesion
      location versus vessel area and plaque burden in predicting plaque rupture within
      nonculprit fibroatheromas (FAs) in patients with acute coronary syndromes.
      BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated that plaque rupture is associated
      with larger vessel area and greater plaque burden clustering in the proximal
      segments of coronary arteries. METHODS: In the PROSPECT (Providing Regional
      Observations to Study Predictors of Events in the Coronary Tree) study 3-vessel
      grayscale and radiofrequency-intravascular ultrasound was performed after
      successful percutaneous coronary intervention in 697 patients with acute coronary
      syndromes. Untreated nonculprit lesion FAs were classified as proximal (<20 mm),
      mid (20 to 40 mm), and distal (>40 mm) according to the distance from the ostium
      to the maximum necrotic core site. RESULTS: Overall, 74 ruptured FAs and 2,396
      nonruptured FAs were identified in nonculprit vessels. The majority of FAs
      (73.6%) were located within 40 mm of the ostium, and the vessel area and plaque
      burden progressively decreased from proximal to distal FA location (both p <
      0.001). In a multivariate logistic regression model, independent predictors for
      plaque rupture included the distance from the ostium to the maximum necrotic core
      site per millimeter (odds ratio [OR]: 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.76 to
      0.98; p = 0.02), plaque burden per 10% (OR: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.63 to 2.58; p <
      0.0001), vessel area per mm(2) (OR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.11 to 1.17; p < 0.0001),
      calcium (OR: 0.09; 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.18; p < 0.0001), and right coronary artery
      location (OR: 2.16; 95% CI: 1.25 to 3.27; p = 0.006). By receiver-operating
      characteristic analysis, vessel area correlated with plaque rupture stronger than
      either plaque burden (p < 0.001) or location (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Large
      vessel area, plaque burden, proximal location, right coronary artery location,
      and lack of calcium were associated with FA plaque rupture. The present study
      suggests that among these variables, vessel area may be the strongest predictor
      of plaque rupture among non-left main coronary arteries. ( PROSPECT: An Imaging
      Study in Patients With Unstable Atherosclerotic Lesions [PROSPECT]; NCT00180466).

PMID- 26481844
TI  - A Bigger Artery Is Not Better: Predicting Coronary Plaque Rupture.

PMID- 26481845
TI  - Multimodality Imaging in the Context of Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement:
      Establishing Consensus Among Modalities and Disciplines.
AB  - Transcatheter mitral valve implantation (TMVI) represents a promising approach to
      treating mitral valve regurgitation in patients at increased risk of
      perioperative mortality. Similar to transcatheter aortic valve replacement
      (TAVR), TMVI relies on pre- and periprocedural noninvasive imaging. Although
      these imaging modalities, namely echocardiography, computed tomography, and
      fluoroscopy, are well established in TAVR, TMVI has entirely different
      requirements. Approaches and nomenclature need to be standardized given the
      multiple disciplines involved. Herein we provide an overview of anatomical
      principles and definitions, a methodology for anatomical quantification, and
      perioperative guidance. 

PMID- 26481846
TI  - Noninvasive Fractional Flow Reserve Derived From Coronary CT Angiography:
      Clinical Data and Scientific Principles.
AB  - Fractional flow reserve derived from coronary computed tomography angiography
      enables noninvasive assessment of the hemodynamic significance of coronary artery
      lesions and coupling of the anatomic severity of a coronary stenosis with its
      physiological effects. Since its initial demonstration of feasibility of use in
      humans in 2011, a significant body of clinical evidence has developed to evaluate
      the diagnostic performance of coronary computed tomography angiography-derived
      fractional flow reserve compared with an invasive fractional flow reserve
      reference standard. The purpose of this paper was to describe the scientific
      principles and to review the clinical data of this technology recently approved
      by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 

PMID- 26481847
TI  - Mechanisms of Mitral Valve Dysfunction Following Mitral Valve Repair for
      Degenerative Disease.

PMID- 26481848
TI  - Presence of Ischemia by FFR Without Significant Anatomic Stenosis Is Likely due
      to Concomitant Diffuse Disease and Not due to Impaired Vasodilation From
      Pharmacological Stress.

PMID- 26481849
TI  - Reply: Presence of Ischemia by FFR Without Significant Anatomic Stenosis Is
      Likely due to Concomitant Diffuse Disease and Not due to Impaired Vasodilation
      From Pharmacological Stress.

PMID- 26481850
TI  - Myocardial Viability and Remodeling: Does Size Matter?

PMID- 26481851
TI  - Aorta-Iliac Bypass in Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair in Young Chinese
      Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many surgical methods of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair
      (TAAAR) have been introduced over the past several decades, with varying degrees
      of success. We developed an aorta-iliac bypass technique to treat
      thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) in young Chinese patients. The aim of
      this study is to evaluate the results of this technique intraoperatively and
      postoperatively. METHODS: From June 2014 to March 2015, 28 patients underwent
      TAAAR using aorta-iliac bypass technique. A four-branched tetrafurcate graft was
      used. Two branches of the graft are sutured to bilateral common iliac arteries in
      an end-to-side fashion. The trunk of the graft was sutured to the proximal
      descending aorta in an end-to-end fashion. Then aorta-iliac bypass was
      established, and the lower extremities, viscera organ and spinal cord (SC)
      obtained perfusion from proximal descending aorta via the bypass graft. The
      thoracic and abdominal aorta were clamped in a staged fashion. The patent
      segmental arteries (SAs), and visceral arteries (coeliac trunk, superior
      mesenteric arteries, and renal arteries) were reattached sequentially. Evoked
      potential (EP) monitoring was adopted to assess the SC ischaemia throughout the
      procedure. The postoperative outcomes and follow-up results of this technique
      were evaluated. RESULTS: There was no in-hospital mortality. Complications
      included acute kidney dysfunction and pulmonary haemorrhage in one case (3.6%)
      each. The SAs were reattached in all cases. The EP wave disappeared after
      proximal descending aorta was clamped, and gradually recovered after the patent
      SAs reattached. The median follow-up after operation was eight months (range, 1
      10 months). There was no delayed neurologic deficit or late death. CONCLUSIONS:
      Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair using aorta-iliac bypass may be a simple
      and safe choice for young Chinese patients with thoracoabdominal aortic
      aneurysms.

PMID- 26481852
TI  - Elevation of neuron specific enolase and brain iron deposition on susceptibility
      weighted imaging as diagnostic clues for beta-propeller protein-associated
      neurodegeneration in early childhood: Additional case report and review of the
      literature.
AB  - Beta-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration (BPAN), also known as static
      encephalopathy of childhood with neurodegeneration in adulthood (SENDA), is a
      subtype of neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA). BPAN is caused
      by mutations in an X-linked gene WDR45 that is involved in autophagy. BPAN is
      characterized by developmental delay or intellectual disability until adolescence
      or early adulthood, followed by severe dystonia, parkinsonism, and progressive
      dementia. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows iron deposition in the
      bilateral globus pallidus (GP) and substantia nigra (SN). Clinical manifestations
      and laboratory findings in early childhood are limited. We report a 3-year-old
      girl with BPAN who presented with severe developmental delay and characteristic
      facial features. In addition to chronic elevation of serum aspartate
      transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, and soluble interleukin-2
      receptor, she had persistent elevation of neuron specific enolase (NSE) in serum
      and cerebrospinal fluid. MRI using susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI)
      demonstrated iron accumulation in the GP and SN bilaterally. Targeted next
      generation sequencing identified a de novo splice-site mutation, c.831-1G>C in
      WDR45, which resulted in aberrant splicing evidenced by reverse transcriptase
      PCR. Persistent elevation of NSE and iron deposition on SWI may provide clues for
      diagnosis of BPAN in early childhood.

PMID- 26481853
TI  - Cavity enhanced atomic magnetometry.
AB  - Atom sensing based on Faraday rotation is an indispensable method for precision
      measurements, universally suitable for both hot and cold atomic systems. Here we
      demonstrate an all-optical magnetometer where the optical cell for Faraday
      rotation spectroscopy is augmented with a low finesse cavity. Unlike in previous
      experiments, where specifically designed multipass cells had been employed, our
      scheme allows to use conventional, spherical vapour cells. Spherical shaped cells
      have the advantage that they can be effectively coated inside with a spin
      relaxation suppressing layer providing long spin coherence times without addition
      of a buffer gas. Cavity enhancement shows in an increase in optical polarization
      rotation and sensitivity compared to single-pass configurations. 

PMID- 26481854
TI  - Activity of SHIP, Which Prevents Expression of Interleukin 1beta, Is Reduced in
      Patients With Crohn's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Crohn's disease (CD) is associated with a dysregulated immune
      response to commensal micro-organisms in the intestine. Mice deficient in
      inositol polyphosphate 5'-phosphatase D (INPP5D, also known as SHIP) develop
      intestinal inflammation resembling that of patients with CD. SHIP is a negative
      regulator of PI3Kp110alpha activity. We investigated mechanisms of intestinal
      inflammation in Inpp5d(-/-) mice (SHIP-null mice), and SHIP levels and activity
      in intestinal tissues of subjects with CD. METHODS: We collected intestines from
      SHIP-null mice, as well as Inpp5d(+/+) mice (controls), and measured levels of
      cytokines of the interleukin 1 (IL1) family (IL1alpha, IL1beta, IL1ra, and IL6)
      by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Macrophages were isolated from lamina
      propria cells of mice, IL1beta production was measured, and mechanisms of
      increased IL1beta production were investigated. Macrophages were incubated with
      pan-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors or PI3Kp110alpha-specific
      inhibitors. Some mice were given an antagonist of the IL1 receptor; macrophages
      were depleted from ilea of mice using clodronate-containing liposomes. We
      obtained ileal biopsies from sites of inflammation and peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from treatment-naive subjects with CD or without CD
      (controls), and measured SHIP levels and activity. PBMCs were incubated with
      lipopolysaccharide and adenosine triphosphate, and levels of IL1beta production
      were measured. RESULTS: Inflamed intestinal tissues and intestinal macrophages
      from SHIP-null mice produced higher levels of IL1B and IL18 than intestinal
      tissues from control mice. We found PI3Kp110alpha to be required for macrophage
      transcription of Il1b. Macrophage depletion or injection of an IL1 receptor
      antagonist reduced ileal inflammation in SHIP-null mice. Inflamed ileal tissues
      and PBMCs from patients with CD had lower levels of SHIP protein than controls (P
      < .0001 and P < .0002, respectively). There was an inverse correlation between
      levels of SHIP activity in PBMCs and induction of IL1beta production by
      lipopolysaccharide and adenosine triphosphate (R(2) = .88). CONCLUSIONS:
      Macrophages from SHIP-deficient mice have increased PI3Kp110alpha-mediated
      transcription of Il1b, which contributes to spontaneous ileal inflammation. SHIP
      levels and activity are lower in intestinal tissues and peripheral blood samples
      from patients with CD than controls. There is an inverse correlation between SHIP
      activity and induction of IL1beta production by lipopolysaccharide and adenosine
      triphosphate in PBMCs. Strategies to reduce IL1B might be developed to treat
      patients with CD found to have low SHIP activity.

PMID- 26481856
TI  - Seeing and being seen: Shame in the clinical situation.
AB  - Shame may prevent the patient from emerging from a psychic retreat. As begins to
      do so he confronts two fears, first of seeing the object more clearly and second
      of being seen become prominent. Seeing leads to deeper and more distressing
      feelings connected with guilt and depression as the damage done to good objects
      is recognized. However it cannot be faced if shame leads to a demand for
      immediate relief. Shame is a prominent feature of the analytic situation and
      recognizing this may help the analyst to support his patients to tolerate the
      discomfort of being seen so that the conflicts about seeing can be worked
      through. Two clinical examples are briefly discussed. In the first feelings of
      inferiority lessened as they were analysed and allowed appreciative and
      depressive feelings to emerge. In the second embarrassment was associated with
      progress that the patient felt he had made but was embarrassed to admit. It is
      argued that the analysis of shame in the analytic situation is necessary so that
      being seen can be tolerated and allow the conflicts over seeing to be worked
      through. 

PMID- 26481855
TI  - Differences in Alimentary Glucose Absorption and Intestinal Disposal of Blood
      Glucose After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass vs Sleeve Gastrectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Bariatric procedures, such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB)
      or vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG), are the most effective approaches to
      resolve type 2 diabetes in obese individuals. Alimentary glucose absorption and
      intestinal disposal of blood glucose have not been directly compared between
      individuals or animals that underwent RYGB vs VSG. We evaluated in rats and
      humans how the gut epithelium adapts after surgery and the consequences on
      alimentary glucose absorption and intestinal disposal of blood glucose. METHODS:
      Obese male rats underwent RYGB, VSG, or sham (control) operations. We collected
      intestine segments from all rats; we performed histologic analyses and measured
      levels of messenger RNAs encoding the sugar transporters SGLT1, GLUT1, GLUT2,
      GLUT3, GLUT4, and GLUT5. Glucose transport and consumption were assayed using ex
      vivo jejunal loops. Histologic analyses were also performed on Roux limb sections
      from patients who underwent RYGB 1-5 years after surgery. Roux limb glucose
      consumption was assayed after surgery by positron emission and computed
      tomography imaging. RESULTS: In rats and humans that underwent RYGB, the Roux
      limb became hyperplasic, with an increased number of incretin-producing cells
      compared with the corresponding jejunal segment of controls. Furthermore,
      expression of sugar transporters and hypoxia-related genes increased and the
      nonintestinal glucose transporter GLUT1 appeared at the basolateral membrane of
      enterocytes. Ingested and circulating glucose was trapped within the intestinal
      epithelial cells of rats and humans that underwent RYGB. By contrast, there was
      no hyperplasia of the intestine after VSG, but the intestinal absorption of
      alimentary glucose was reduced and density of endocrine cells secreting glucagon
      like peptide-1 increased. CONCLUSIONS: The intestine adapts differently to RYGB
      vs VSG. RYGB increases intestinal glucose disposal and VSG delays glucose
      absorption; both contribute to observed improvements in glycemia.

PMID- 26481858
TI  - Dental calculus evidence of Tai Forest Chimpanzee plant consumption and life
      history transitions.
AB  - Dental calculus (calcified dental plaque) is a source of multiple types of data
      on life history. Recent research has targeted the plant microremains preserved in
      this mineralised deposit as a source of dietary and health information for recent
      and past populations. However, it is unclear to what extent we can interpret
      behaviour from microremains. Few studies to date have directly compared the
      microremain record from dental calculus to dietary records, and none with long
      term observation dietary records, thus limiting how we can interpret diet, food
      acquisition and behaviour. Here we present a high-resolution analysis of calculus
      microremains from wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) of Tai National Park,
      Cote d'Ivoire. We test microremain assemblages against more than two decades of
      field behavioural observations to establish the ability of calculus to capture
      the composition of diet. Our results show that some microremain classes
      accumulate as long-lived dietary markers. Phytolith abundance in calculus can
      reflect the proportions of plants in the diet, yet this pattern is not true for
      starches. We also report microremains can record information about other dietary
      behaviours, such as the age of weaning and learned food processing techniques
      like nut-cracking. 

PMID- 26481859
TI  - The Dichotic Right Ear Advantage Does not Change with Transcranial Direct Current
      Stimulation (tDCS).

PMID- 26481857
TI  - Histidine provides long-term neuroprotection after cerebral ischemia through
      promoting astrocyte migration.
AB  - The formation of glial scar impedes the neurogenesis and neural functional
      recovery following cerebral ischemia. Histamine showed neuroprotection at early
      stage after cerebral ischemia, however, its long-term effect, especially on glial
      scar formation, hasn't been characterized. With various administration regimens
      constructed for histidine, a precursor of histamine, we found that histidine
      treatment at a high dose at early stage and a low dose at late stage demonstrated
      the most remarkable long-term neuroprotection with decreased infarct volume and
      improved neurological function. Notably, this treatment regimen also robustly
      reduced the glial scar area and facilitated the astrocyte migration towards the
      infarct core. In wound-healing assay and transwell test, histamine significantly
      promoted astrocyte migration. H2 receptor antagonists reversed the promotion of
      astrocyte migration and the neuroprotection provided by histidine. Moreover,
      histamine upregulated the GTP-bound small GTPase Rac1, while a Rac1 inhibitor,
      NSC23766, abrogated the neuroprotection of histidine and its promotion of
      astrocyte migration. Our data indicated that a dose/stage-dependent histidine
      treatment, mediated by H2 receptor, promoted astrocyte migration towards the
      infarct core, which benefited long-term post-cerebral ischemia neurological
      recovery. Therefore, targeting histaminergic system may be an effective
      therapeutic strategy for long-term cerebral ischemia injury through its actions
      on astrocytes. 

PMID- 26481860
TI  - Analysis of youtube as a source of information for peripheral neuropathy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: YouTube is an important resource for patients. No study has
      evaluated the information on peripheral neuropathy disseminated by YouTube
      videos. In this study, our aim was to perform a systematic review of information
      on YouTube regarding peripheral neuropathy. METHODS: The Web site
      (www.youtube.com) was searched between September 19 and 21, 2014, for the terms
      "neuropathy," "peripheral neuropathy," "diabetic neuropathy," "neuropathy
      causes," and "neuropathy treatment." RESULTS: Two hundred videos met the
      inclusion criteria. Healthcare professionals accounted for almost half of the
      treatment videos (41 of 92; 44.6%), and most came from chiropractors (18 of 41;
      43.9%). Alternative medicine was cited most frequently among the treatment
      discussions (54 of 145, 37.2%), followed by devices (38 of 145, 26.2%), and
      pharmacological treatments (23 of 145, 15.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately half of
      the treatment options discussed in the videos were not evidence-based. Caution
      should be exercised when YouTube videos are used as a patient resource.

PMID- 26481861
TI  - Long-term survival in a patient with head and neck paraganglioma treated with
      tailored modalities for 20 years: a case report.
AB  - AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Primary paragangliomas of nasal cavity and paranasal sinus
      are rare conditions that could show aggressive behavior with local recurrence and
      metastasis development. The diagnosis of malignancy is challenging because there
      are no available histopathologic criteria. In these cases, the prognosis is
      usually poor. METHODS: We report a case of a woman with malignant paranasal sinus
      paragangliomas. RESULTS: The patient was treated with several surgical
      approaches, radiotherapy, and medical therapy for different recurrences.
      CONCLUSIONS: Despite the malignant behavior of the disease, this patient is still
      alive many years after first diagnosis.

PMID- 26481862
TI  - A neuro-oncologic challenge: the case of a large, aggressive, malignant
      meningioma of the skull base with paranasal sinus involvement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malignant meningiomas, rare tumors that account for approximately 1%
      3% of all meningioma, have high recurrence, morbidity, and mortality rate and a
      particularly poor outcome. Surgical excision followed by adjuvant radiotherapy is
      the current approach for the treatment of these tumors. METHODS: In the case
      reported, the disease, characterized by a high proliferative index (Ki67 60%
      70%), was treated with endoscopic surgery limited to the extracranial portion;
      then the patient underwent radiotherapy, on the residual tumor volume, to a total
      dose of 66 Gy delivered in 33 fractions (2 Gy/fraction) by helical intensity
      modulated radiation therapy with image-guided radiotherapy daily checks
      (tomotherapy). RESULTS: Two and a half years after the treatment, the patient is
      alive and a partial response is maintained. The patient is healthy overall with
      grade I fatigue and grade II hearing loss as late toxicity (Common Terminology
      Criteria for Adverse Events 4.1). CONCLUSIONS: Within a multidisciplinary
      approach, new radiotherapy techniques confirm their effectiveness and reliability
      for the treatment of malignant meningioma.

PMID- 26481864
TI  - When curing a pediatric tumor is not enough: the case of a psychiatric disorder
      in a woman surviving osteosarcoma.
AB  - AIMS AND BACKGROUND: We describe the case of a woman cured of osteosarcoma who
      took part in a mono-institutional study using different questionnaires to assess
      pediatric cancer survivors' quality of life and behavioral features 12 years
      after completing her cancer treatment. RESULTS: The high levels of psychological
      distress and psychopathologic symptoms revealed by this patient prompted us to
      offer her specific and prolonged support at our institution, since she refused to
      seek the help of other psychiatric services. The woman revealed a dysfunctional
      social and family setting and a borderline personality disorder. She was
      hospitalized after attempting suicide. No psychological distress had previously
      come to light during her long follow-up for cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer survivors
      are at risk of psychological and behavioral problems, so they should be followed
      up over time. Questionnaires and standard scales are important, but not enough:
      the physician-patient relationship is crucial to bring out a patient's
      psychological issues and needs. This means that dedicated resources should be
      made available, whenever possible.

PMID- 26481863
TI  - NMDA receptor encephalitis with cancer of unknown primary origin.
AB  - PURPOSE: N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis may present as a
      paraneoplastic syndrome in young women and is often associated with ovarian
      teratoma. METHODS: We report 2 male cases of NMDAR encephalitis presenting with
      metastatic cancer of unknown primary origin. RESULTS: Both patients showed
      cognitive dysfunction as well as other neurological symptoms, slow waves on EEG,
      and NMDAR antibodies in sera and CSF. Symptoms were effectively treated by pulse
      steroid and intravenous immunoglobulin treatment. The patients developed
      metastatic small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the parotid gland and inguinal
      metastatic squamous cell cancer shortly after their neurological episodes. Follow
      up PET studies showed small cell lung cancer in the first patient while no
      primary origin could be found in the second patient. CONLUSIONS: Our cases imply
      that NMDAR encephalitis may present with metastatic cancers that display slow
      progression rates and occur after encephalitis attacks.

PMID- 26481865
TI  - Systemic approach to malignant pleural mesothelioma: what news of chemotherapy,
      targeted agents and immunotherapy?
AB  - Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer with a cause-effect relationship
      to asbestos exposure. The prognosis is poor and chemotherapy seems the best
      treatment option. In the last two decades a deeper understanding of mesothelioma
      carcinogenesis and invasiveness mechanisms has prompted research efforts to test
      new agents in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, but the results have
      been modest. Attractive preclinical data disappointed in subsequent experimental
      phases. Other promising agents failed to improve patient outcomes due to high
      toxicity. Interesting suggestions have come from preliminary data on
      immunotherapy. Several trials are ongoing and the results are eagerly awaited.
      The aim of this review is to discuss the most recent news on systemic therapy for
      advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma. 

PMID- 26481866
TI  - Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma with coexistent hepatitis B infection: a rare
      clinicopathologic entity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTL) is a rare extranodal and
      systemic lymphoma derived from cytotoxic T cells usually of gammadelta T cell
      receptor type. It is characterized by primary extranodal disease with typical
      sinusoidal infiltration of liver, spleen, and bone marrow by medium-sized
      lymphoid cells. CASE REPORT: A 29-year-old man, with no significant prior medical
      history, presented with fever and massive splenomegaly. A diagnosis of HSTL was
      established by histologic examination and immunohistochemistry. Staging workup
      demonstrated bone marrow involvement by lymphoma. In addition, the patient was
      found to have hepatitis B infection. The association of these 2 entities has been
      described rarely. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma is a distinct T cell
      lymphoma associated with an aggressive clinical course, a poor response to
      conventional treatment, and an exceedingly high mortality rate. An association of
      HSTL with hepatitis B as seen in the present case is exceedingly rare, with few
      cases reported in the literature.

PMID- 26481867
TI  - Selective Heterogeneous C-H Activation/Halogenation Reactions Catalyzed by Pd@MOF
      Nanocomposites.
AB  - A directed heterogeneous C-H activation/halogenation reaction catalyzed by
      readily synthesized Pd@MOF nanocatalysts was developed. The heterogeneous Pd
      catalysts used were a novel and environmentally benign Fe-based metal-organic
      framework (MOF)(Pd@MIL-88B-NH2(Fe)) and the previously developed Pd@MIL-101
      NH2(Cr). Very high conversions and selectivities were achieved under very mild
      reaction conditions and in short reaction times. A wide variety of directing
      groups, halogen sources, and substitution patterns were well tolerated, and
      valuable polyhalogenated compounds were synthesized in a controlled manner. The
      synthesis of the Pd-functionalized Fe-based MOF and the recyclability of the two
      catalysts are also presented.

PMID- 26481868
TI  - Up-regulation of histone methyltransferase SETDB1 by multiple mechanisms in
      hepatocellular carcinoma promotes cancer metastasis.
AB  - Epigenetic deregulation plays an important role in liver carcinogenesis. Using
      transcriptome sequencing, we examined the expression of 591 epigenetic regulators
      in hepatitis B-associated human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We found that
      aberrant expression of epigenetic regulators was a common event in HCC. We
      further identified SETDB1 (SET domain, bifurcated 1), an H3K9-specific histone
      methyltransferase, as the most significantly up-regulated epigenetic regulator in
      human HCCs. Up-regulation of SETDB1 was significantly associated with HCC disease
      progression, cancer aggressiveness, and poorer prognosis of HCC patients.
      Functionally, we showed that knockdown of SETDB1 reduced HCC cell proliferation
      in vitro and suppressed orthotopic tumorigenicity in vivo. Inactivation of SETDB1
      also impeded HCC cell migration and abolished lung metastasis in nude mice.
      Interestingly, SETDB1 protein was consistently up-regulated in all metastatic
      foci found in different organs, suggesting that SETDB1 was essential for HCC
      metastatic progression. Mechanistically, we showed that the frequent up
      regulation of SETDB1 in human HCC was attributed to the recurrent SETDB1 gene
      copy gain at chromosome 1q21. In addition, hyperactivation of specificity protein
      1 transcription factor in HCC enhanced SETDB1 expression at the transcriptional
      level. Furthermore, we identified miR-29 as a negative regulator of SETDB1. Down
      regulation of miR-29 expression in human HCC contributed to SETDB1 up-regulation
      by relieving its post-transcriptional regulation. CONCLUSION: SETDB1 is an
      oncogene that is frequently up-regulated in human HCCs; the multiplicity of
      SETDB1 activating mechanisms at the chromosomal, transcriptional, and
      posttranscriptional levels together facilitates SETDB1 up-regulation in human
      HCC.

PMID- 26481869
TI  - Simple renal cyst and renal dysfunction: A pilot study using dimercaptosuccinic
      acid renal Scan.
AB  - AIM: Little is known about the association between renal cyst and renal
      dysfunction. We evaluated the deterioration of renal function in patients with
      unilateral, large, simple renal cysts. METHODS: Fifty patients with unilateral,
      simple renal cysts measuring >= 4 cm (cyst group) and 50 kidney donors (control
      group) were enrolled. Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) renal scans were performed
      to calculate split renal function. The differences between split renal function
      were calculated and compared. Clinical factors affecting decreased renal function
      in the cyst group were assessed. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients in the
      cyst group was higher than the control group (59.1 vs 39.2 years; P = 0.001).
      Patients with renal cysts tended to be diagnosed with hypertension (P = 0.001),
      However, the two groups did not significantly differ in terms of the other
      characteristics. The median cyst size was 7.2 cm (range, 4.5-14.2), and 31 of the
      50 patients (60.2%) in the cyst group demonstrated decreased renal function in
      the cystic kidney units (median: 5.8%; range, 0.2-33). Although there were no
      differences in split renal function (50.1% vs 49.9%; P = 0.629) in the control
      group, the relative renal function of the cystic kidney units were significantly
      lower than the contralateral kidney units in the cyst group (48.3% vs 51.7%; P =
      0.001). The decrease in relative renal function (>8%) in the cystic kidney units
      was associated with a higher serum uric acid levels and higher RENAL complexity
      (P = 0.035 and P = 0.007, respectively). CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of
      unilateral, large, simple renal cysts are associated with decreased relative
      renal function on DMSA renal scans.

PMID- 26481870
TI  - A 3-arm randomized controlled trial on the effects of dance movement intervention
      and exercises on elderly with early dementia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dementia is characterized by a progressive decline and deterioration
      of brain regions such as memory, spatial navigation and language, along with
      disturbances in daily functioning. Non-pharmacological interventions that offer a
      holistic approach by targeting cognitive functioning, prognosis and the
      psychological and social effects of dementia require rigorous investigation. The
      well-established benefits of physical activity for cognitive functioning and
      psychological support in dementia have been observed with dance-movement
      intervention. There is substantial evidence that dance-movement interventions
      provide emotional and social advantages. Thus, a randomized controlled trial
      (RCT) is planned to investigate the positive effects of a dance movement
      intervention, compared with mild physical exercise, on the physical and
      psychological well-being of elderly Chinese individuals with early dementia.
      METHODS/DESIGN: A 3-arm RCT with waitlist control design will be used in this
      study. Two hundred and one elderly participants with very mild to mild dementia
      will be screened and randomized into the following groups: (i) dance movement
      based intervention, (ii) stretching and exercise intervention and (iii) no
      intervention waitlist-control group. The two intervention groups will receive a 1
      h intervention, twice a week, for 12 weeks. The participants will be assessed
      four times over the course of 12 months: baseline before randomization, post
      intervention (3 months), 6 months from baseline and 12 months from baseline. The
      primary outcomes will be compared between assessment points and between groups on
      neuropsychiatric symptoms, psychosocial well-being and cognitive and daily
      functioning. Secondary outcomes will assess the changes in salivary cortisol
      levels and their relationships with the primary outcome measures. DISCUSSION:
      This study will provide substantial evidence of the efficacy of a dance-movement
      based intervention in slowing down dementia progression, due to its ability to
      act as a buffer against decline and improve areas affected by dementia. We also
      anticipate an association between cortisol levels and the outcome measures. The
      further development of this intervention into a structural program may be
      warranted for early psychosocial support among elderly populations. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: The trial has been registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial
      Registry ( ChiCTR-IOR-15006541 ).

PMID- 26481871
TI  - Prestenting for prevention of melody valve stent fractures: A systematic review
      and meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The role of right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) prestenting in
      the prevention of Melody valve stent fractures (SFs) is not well defined. We
      aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the incidence of
      SF in Melody valve transcatheter pulmonary implants with and without prestenting.
      METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central were searched for studies that
      reported the incidence of SF in Melody valve transcatheter pulmonary implants
      stratified by the presence or absence of RVOT prestenting. Subgroup analyses were
      performed for (1) SF associated with a loss of stent integrity and (2) SF
      requiring reintervention. RESULTS: Five studies and 360 patients were included,
      of whom 207 (57.5%) received prestenting. Follow-up ranged from 15 to 30 months.
      SF were significantly reduced in the prestenting group (16.7%) when compared to
      no prestenting (33.5%) (odds-ratio [OR] 0.39; 95%CI 0.22-0.69). Patients who
      received prestenting also had a lower incidence of (1) SF associated with loss of
      stent integrity (OR 0.16; 95%CI 0.05-0.48) and (2) SF requiring reintervention
      (OR 0.15; 95%CI 0.02-0.91). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that stenting of the
      RVOT prior to Melody valve implantation is associated with a reduction in the
      incidence of SF and fracture-related reinterventions.

PMID- 26481872
TI  - A Metal-free Approach to 3-Aryl-3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles by Treatment of 3-Acyloxy-2
      oxindoles with Diaryliodonium Salts.
AB  - A mild, metal-free approach has been realized for the facile construction of
      highly valuable 3-(hetero)aryl-3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles. Direct arylations of 3
      acyloxy-2-oxindoles with diaryliodonium salts as arylation reagents are
      implemented in the presence of K2 CO3 at room temperature without using an
      organometallic promoter to deliver an array of 3-(hetero)aryl-3-hydroxy-2
      oxindoles in good yields. 

PMID- 26481875
TI  - Do we have the resources and right ecosystem to channel the Indian work force to
      accelerate research and innovation?

PMID- 26481874
TI  - Central retinal artery occlusion associated with persistent truncus arteriosus
      and single atrium: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is an ocular emergency and
      most of the cases present with painless sudden persistent loss of vision in the
      range of counting fingers to perception of light. The presentation of CRAO is
      associated with a variety of medical conditions. We report a rare case of CRAO
      associated with persistent truncus arteriosus (PTA) and single atrium in a female
      patient. CASE PRESENTATION: A 23-year-old woman was admitted due to sudden
      painless visual loss in the left eye. On examination visual acuity of light
      perception was noted in the left eye with a left relative afferent pupillary
      defect. Fundoscopic examination revealed retinal ischemic whitening, constriction
      of the arteriole and venule with segmentation and typical "cherry-red spot"
      suggesting CRAO. The patient was treated with ocular massage and anterior chamber
      paracentesis. She was commenced on 150 mg of aspirin and also received hyperbaric
      oxygen therapy. An echocardiogram revealed PTA and single atrium. A diagnosis of
      CRAO associated with PTA and single atrium was made. CONCLUSION: The
      ophthalmologist should enquire about congenital and acquired cardiac
      abnormalities in patients with CRAO and consider such abnormalities to be
      possible sources of emboli.

PMID- 26481876
TI  - Self-reporting of improper data interpretation.

PMID- 26481873
TI  - The Patient Remote Intervention and Symptom Management System (PRISMS) - a
      Telehealth- mediated intervention enabling real-time monitoring of chemotherapy
      side-effects in patients with haematological malignancies: study protocol for a
      randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Outpatient chemotherapy is a core treatment for haematological
      malignancies; however, its toxicities frequently lead to distressing/potentially
      life-threatening side-effects (neutropenia/infection, nausea/vomiting, mucositis,
      constipation/diarrhoea, fatigue). Early detection/management of side-effects is
      vital to improve patient outcomes, decrease morbidity and limit lengthy/costly
      hospital admissions. The ability to capture patient-reported health data in real
      time, is regarded as the 'gold-standard' to allow rapid clinical decision
      making/intervention. This paper presents the protocol for a Phase 3 multi-site
      randomised controlled trial evaluating a novel nurse-led Telehealth intervention
      for remote monitoring/management of chemotherapy side-effects in Australian
      haematological cancer patients. METHODS/DESIGN: Two hundred and twenty-two
      patients will be recruited from two hospitals. Eligibility criteria include:
      diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/Hodgkin's/non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; aged
      >= 18 years; receiving >= 2 cycles chemotherapy. Patients will be randomised 1:1
      to either the control or intervention arm with stratification by diagnosis,
      chemotherapy toxicity (high versus low), receipt of previous chemotherapy and
      hospital. Patients allocated to the control arm will receive 'Usual Care' whilst
      those allocated to the intervention will receive the intervention in addition to
      'Usual Care'. Intervention patients will be provided with a computer tablet and
      software prompting twice-daily completion of physical/emotional scales for up to
      four chemotherapy cycles. Should patient data exceed pre-determined limits an
      Email alert is delivered to the treatment team, prompting nurses to view patient
      data, and contact the patient to provide clinical intervention. In addition, six
      scheduled nursing interventions will be completed to educate/support patients in
      use of the software. Patient outcomes will be measured cyclically (midpoint and
      end of cycles) via pen-and-paper self-report alongside review of the patient
      medical record. The primary outcome is burden due to nausea, mucositis,
      constipation and fatigue. Secondary outcomes include: burden due to vomiting and
      diarrhoea; psychological distress; ability to self-manage health; level of cancer
      information/support needs and; utilisation of health services. Analyses will be
      intention-to-treat. A cost-effectiveness analysis is planned. DISCUSSION: This
      trial is the first in the world to test a remote monitoring/management
      intervention for adult haematological cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.
      Future use of such interventions have the potential to improve patient
      outcomes/safety and decrease health care costs by enabling early
      detection/clinical intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12614000516684 . Date
      registered: 12 March 2014 (registered retrospectively).

PMID- 26481877
TI  - Defensins in periodontal health.
AB  - Defensins are abundant and widely distributed peptides in human and animal
      tissues that are involved in host defence. Defensins not only have the ability to
      strengthen the innate immune system but can also enhance the adaptive immune
      system by chemotaxis of monocytes, T-lymphocytes, dendritic cells and mast cells
      to the infection site. Defensins also improves the capacity of macrophage
      phagocytosis. A greater understanding of how these peptides act in the healthy,
      gingivitis and periodontitis conditions would definitely open new opportunities
      for identification, prevention and treatment of periodontal diseases. This
      discussion focuses on recent studies about biological function of defensins in
      human diseases and animal models. 

PMID- 26481878
TI  - Prevalence of carotid artery calcifications detected on panoramic radiographs and
      confirmed by Doppler ultrasonography: Their relationship with systemic
      conditions.
AB  - CONTEXT: Atherosclerosis affects large and medium caliber arteries by forming
      calcific atheromas, precursors of cerebral vascular disease. Diabetes mellitus,
      obesity, and hypertension are considered as risk factors of atherosclerosis.
      Panoramic radiographs can display images suggestive of carotid artery
      calcifications (CACs). AIMS: To investigate the prevalence of images suggestive
      of CAC in panoramic radiographs of the jaws (PRJs) and confirm them by Doppler
      ultrasonography. To evaluate their anatomic locations and relationships between
      systemic conditions (diabetes, hypertension, and obesity) and the presence of
      unilateral or bilateral CAC detected on PRJ or by Doppler ultrasonography.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of the 723 routinely performed PRJ in patients over 40
      years at the Radiology Center in Sao Luis, Maranhao, Brazil, 21 PRJ containing
      images suggestive of CAC were selected in this cross-sectional study. The
      findings from the PRJ were confirmed by Doppler sonography. RESULTS: Images
      suggestive of CAC was detected in 21 (2.9%) of the PRJ evaluated, consisting of
      11 (52.4%) hypertensive, 7 (33.3%) diabetics, and 9 (42.9%) obese. There was a
      higher prevalence of hypertensive patients in the unilateral CAC group (100%) and
      bilateral CAC (60%) compared to patients without CAC (25%). CONCLUSIONS: CACs can
      be detected in PRJs, and are more frequent in common carotid arteries. No
      significant associations were detected between the presence of unilateral or
      bilateral CAC in PRJ and hypertension, diabetes, or obesity.

PMID- 26481879
TI  - Age-related - oral manifestations and co-morbidities in human immunodeficiency
      virus-infected/acquired immune deficiency syndrome adults in Hyderabad, India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to clinically evaluate age-related -
      oral manifestations and co-morbidities in different age groups of human
      immunodeficiency virus-infected/acquired immune deficiency syndrome adults.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 adult
      patients aged above 20 years at infectious diseases units, medical wards and ART
      centre of Gandhi Medical Hospital, Hyderabad. Oral manifestations were diagnosed
      according to the presumptive criteria of EC-Clearinghouse Classification, and
      clinical data were retrieved from patient's medical records. Chi-square test was
      used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Men (72%) in the young age group of 21-30
      years were commonly affected. Heterosexual mode of transmission was most common
      in all the age groups, and the overall distribution were statistically
      significant (P < 0.05). Most common oral findings seen in 21-30 years of age were
      depapillation (90%), hyperpigmentation (70% and 72%) in 31-40 and 41-50 years old
      and linear gingival erythema (68%) in above 50 years of age group. The various co
      morbidities included the recurrent bacterial and skin infections (64% and 62%
      respectively) in the younger age group. Renal and cardiac diseases with pulmonary
      tuberculosis (74%) were commonly observed in middle-aged and elders. CONCLUSIONS:
      The underlying oral manifestations and co-morbidities could become very important
      variables that must be taken into account in determining treatment efficacy or
      health policy.

PMID- 26481880
TI  - Increased overjet is a risk factor for dental trauma in preschool children.
AB  - CONTEXT: Traumatic dental injury and malocclusion constitute a public health
      problem due to their high prevalence. Preventing or detecting such conditions, in
      any population, is of paramount importance. AIM: Assessing the association of
      anterior occlusal characteristics and dental trauma in preschool children.
      SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 2-6-year-old
      randomly selected by a sample calculation, resulting in 606 subjects MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A questionnaire to collect information about the sample (age,
      gender, and race) was sent to the children's parents. Two trained and calibrated
      examiners (Kappa 0.80) evaluated dental trauma according to criteria established
      by the World Health Organization. The following anterior occlusal characteristics
      were evaluated: Normal occlusion, anterior open bite, anterior crossbite,
      increased overjet (categorized as >=3 mm), and increased overbite (categorized as
      >=3 mm). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The variables associations were assessed
      (odds ratio, Chi-square test, and logistic regression, P < 0.05) using
      statistical software (SPSS, version 16.0). RESULTS: Dental trauma was observed in
      20.8% and malocclusion in 48.6% of the children. There is an association between
      malocclusion and dental trauma (P = 0.01). Children with malocclusion have a 64%
      higher chance of suffering dental trauma. Increased overjet was the type of
      malocclusion related to a higher rate of tooth fracture (P < 0.01). Subjects with
      this type of malocclusion suffered tooth fractures three times more often than
      subjects with other malocclusion types. CONCLUSIONS: There was association of
      dental trauma and malocclusion. Increased overjet was the most common
      malocclusion related to dental trauma. Preventive strategies are needed to reduce
      the rate of anterior malocclusion and, consequently, dental trauma in preschool
      children.

PMID- 26481881
TI  - Evaluation of normal range of mouth opening using three finger index: South India
      perspective study.
AB  - AIMS: The frequency, with which restricted mouth opening is encountered in the
      clinical practice, makes it essential to establish what constitutes the normal
      range. This study was undertaken to evaluate the normal range of mouth opening in
      adult population in south India. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: randomized clinical study
      conducted on dentate adult patients to evaluate the normal range of mouth openin.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: 500 healthy patients aged between 18-59 were randomly
      selected and divided into four groups according to their age ranges. The maximum
      inter-incisal distance and width of right and left three fingers at the first
      distal inter-phalanges were measured using vernier calipers. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
      USED: ANOVA test, student t test and pearsons correlation test. RESULTS: The mean
      value and range of maximum mouth opening of 50.3 mm +/- 6.26 mm for males and
      49.9 mm +/- 6.74 mm for females was recorded. These values were significant and
      correlated with the width of three fingers. It was found that the greatest mean
      maximum mouth opening was recorded in youngest age group and lowest was recorded
      in older age group in both genders. CONCLUSIONS: The mean mouth opening value
      decreases with age and is lesser in females as compared to males of same age.
      This study demonstrated that individuals in all the four groups were able to
      vertically align their right and left three fingers between the upper and lower
      central incisors upto the first distal interphalangeal folds thus suggesting
      that, width of three fingers can be used as 'tool' to distinguish 'normal' from
      'restricted' mouth opening.

PMID- 26481882
TI  - Comparative evaluation of hydroxyapatite and nano-bioglass in two forms of
      conventional micro- and nano-particles in repairing bone defects (an animal
      study).
AB  - CONTEXT: Many synthetic bone materials have been introduced for repairing bone
      defects. AIM: The aim of this study is to comparatively evaluate the efficacy of
      nano-hydroxyapatite (HA) and nano-bioglass bone materials with their traditional
      micro counterparts in repairing bone defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this
      prospective animal study, four healthy dogs were included. First to fourth
      premolars were extracted in each quadrant and five cavities in each quadrant were
      created using trephine. Sixteen cavities in each dog were filled by HA, nano-HA,
      bioglass, and nano-bioglass and four defects were left as the control group. All
      defects were covered by a nonrestorable membrane. Dogs were sacrificed after 15,
      30, 45, and 60 days sequentially. All 20 samples were extracted by trephine #8
      with a sufficient amount of surrounding bone. All specimens were investigated
      under an optical microscope and the percentage of total regenerated bone,
      lamellar, and woven bone were evaluated. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data analysis
      was carried out by SPSS Software ver. 15 and Mann-Whitney U-test (alpha =0.05).
      RESULTS: After 15 days, the bone formation percentage showed a significant
      difference between HA and nano-HA and between HA and bioglass (P < 0.001). The
      nano-HA group showed the highest rate of bone formation after 15 days. Nano
      bioglass and bioglass and nano-HA and nano-bioglass groups represented a
      significant difference and nano-bioglass showed the highest rate of bone
      formation after 30 days (P = 0.01). After 45 days, the bone formation percentage
      showed a significant difference between nano-bioglass and bioglass and between
      nano-HA and nano-bioglass groups (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Nano-HA and nano
      bioglass biomaterials showed promising results when compared to conventional
      micro-particles in the repair of bone defects.

PMID- 26481883
TI  - Flapless versus open flap techniques of implant placement: A 15-month follow-up
      study.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate and compare the effect of flapless and "open flap" techniques of
      implant placement on crestal bone height (CBH) around implants. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This prospective study comprised of 32 implants placed in 16 subjects
      with a bilateral missing mandibular first molar. In each subject, one implant was
      placed with "flapless" and other using "open flap" technique. Radiographic
      assessment of CBH was carried out using standardized intraoral periapical
      radiograph of the site at baseline, 3 months, 9 months and 15 months after
      implant placement. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data were analyzed using STATA 11.0
      statistical software. To determine the changes in CBH from baseline, at 3-, 9-,
      and 15-month, repeated measures analysis of variance followed by post-hoc
      Bonferroni was used for each of the two techniques for mesial and distal aspects
      separately. For both techniques, changes in CBH from baseline to 15 months were
      compared using an independent t-test with a confidence interval of 95%. RESULTS:
      For "flapless" technique, there was no statistically significant (P > 0.05)
      reduction of CBH in initial 9 months but was significant for the 9-15 months
      period while for "open flap" technique, statistically significant (P < 0.05)
      reduction was observed up to 15 months. Comparison of both techniques showed
      significantly lesser reduction with "flapless" than "open flap" technique. The
      overall average crestal bone loss was 0.046 +/- 0.008 mm on mesial aspect, 0.043
      +/- 0.012 mm on distal aspect with "flapless" technique and 1.48 +/- 0.085 mm on
      mesial aspect, 1.42 +/- 0.077 on distal aspect "open flap" technique.
      CONCLUSIONS: Both techniques showed a reduction in CBH with time but the flapless
      technique showed a lesser reduction. Therefore, the flapless technique can be
      considered as a better treatment approach for placement of implants, especially
      where adequate width and height of available bone are present.

PMID- 26481884
TI  - Effects of clinical use and sterilization on surface topography and surface
      roughness of three commonly used types of orthodontic archwires.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the changes in surface topography and roughness of stainless
      steel (SS), nickel-titanium and beta-titanium (beta-Ti) archwires after clinical
      use and sterilization. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Thirty wires each of SS, nitinol, and
      beta-Ti (3M Unitek) were tested in as received, as received and autoclaved, and
      clinically retrieved then autoclaved conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      sterilization protocol of 134 degrees C for 18 min was performed using an
      autoclave. Surface topography of specimens from each subgroup was examined using
      an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM model Quanta 200, The
      Netherlands) at *100, *1000, and *2500 magnifications. Surface roughness was
      measured using arithmetic mean roughness (Ra) values obtained from optical
      profilometric scanning (Taylor Hobson, Leicester, UK). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data
      were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post-hoc procedures.
      RESULTS: Scanning electron microscope images revealed an increase in surface
      irregularities in SS and nitinol wires after clinical use. There was a
      significant increase in Ra values of SS orthodontic wires after intra-oral
      exposure (P = 0.0002). CONCLUSION: Surface roughness of SS wires increased
      significantly after clinical use. Autoclave sterilization did not affect
      considerably on surface characteristics of any archwire.

PMID- 26481885
TI  - The clinical efficacy of laser assisted modified Widman flap: A randomized split
      mouth clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to compare the clinical efficacy of use
      of a diode laser (DL) (810 nm) as an adjunct to modified Widman flap (MWF)
      surgery to that of MWF alone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients between
      the ages of 20 and 50 years with generalized chronic periodontitis were selected
      for the study. Control sites (Group A) were randomly selected to receive an MWF,
      and the contralateral test sites (Group B) received MWF in conjunction with low
      level laser therapy. The energy density of 4 J/cm2 was applied to the gingival
      surface after periodontal treatment. The study tooth/site was treated along with
      any additional teeth in the quadrant in which the site was located if needed.
      Randomization was done using a coin flip. The DL was used to de-epithelialize the
      inner part of the periodontal flap and photo-biostimulate the surgical area.
      Plaque index (PI), papillary bleeding index (PBI), probing depth (PD), and
      clinical attachment level (CAL) scores were recorded at baseline and at 6 and 9
      months. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data were expressed as the mean +/- standard
      deviation. Statistical analyzes were performed using paired Student's t-testfor
      intragroup comparisons and unpaired Student's t-test for intergroup comparisons.
      RESULTS: No significant difference was observed in PI scores between the two
      groups at baseline, 6 and 9 months. PBI scores were significantly lower in Group
      B versus Group A at 6 months (P < 0.01). However, no significant difference was
      observed between the two groups in PBI scores at the end of 9 months. PD
      reduction in Group B versus Group A was statistically significant at the end of 9
      months (P < 0.01). Gains in CAL were significantly greater in Group B versus
      Group A at 6 and 9 months. CONCLUSION: The use of an 810 nm DL provided
      additional benefits to MWF surgery in terms of clinical parameters.

PMID- 26481886
TI  - Comparison of shear bond strength of self-etching fluoride releasing adhesives
      with and without pumice prophylaxis.
AB  - CONTEXT: Despite the advances in orthodontic material and treatment mechanics,
      the placement of fixed appliances increases the risk of enamel demineralization.
      The development of fluoride release adhesives has attracted considerable
      interests because the combined use of antimicrobials and fluoride enhances the
      cariostatic effect. AIM: To compare the shear bond strength (SBS) of fluoride
      release adhesives with established orthodontic adhesives and assess failure mode
      using adhesive remnant index (ARI). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The present study
      included 80 maxillary premolars which were randomly divided into four groups (n =
      20) and were further subdivided into two subgroups A - Pumice prophylaxis (PP)
      and subgroup B - No PP (n = 10). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Stainless steel brackets
      were bonded with Transbond XT, Transbond plus (TP) color change adhesive, Light
      Bond, and Clearfil protect bond. After debonding, the ARI was used to assess the
      mode of bracket failure. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The data were analyzed using two
      way analysis of variance, Post-hoc Tukey Honest significant differences test, and
      Chi-square test. RESULTS: The mean SBS of Group 4 was comparably higher
      regardless of PP. Brackets bonded with TP showed a comparable SBS to conventional
      Transbond XT. The ARI scores were predominately 2. CONCLUSIONS: Fluoride
      releasing adhesives combined with antibacterial monomer can play a vital role in
      reducing white spot lesions by enhancing the cariostatic effect especially in
      noncompliant?medically compromised patients.

PMID- 26481887
TI  - Mandibular canine index: A reliable predictor for gender identification using
      study cast in Indian population.
AB  - CONTEXT: Various methods are used for gender identification in anthropologic and
      forensic investigations. The canine tooth is widely used for gender determination
      because of its sexual dimorphism and durability in the oral cavity. Mandibular
      canine index (MCI) is one of the most reliable and valid predictor for gender
      identification. AIM: To assess the reliability of MCI in gender determination in
      Indian population. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was an experimental study involving
      the preparation of plaster models of 100 individuals residing in Udaipur,
      Rajasthan, India. Of these 45 were males and 55 were females. Both sexes were in
      the age group of 20-30 years. Study casts were prepared for all individuals and
      the measurements of mandibular canine teeth were taken. The MCI was calculated
      using standardized equation. In addition, the percentage of sexual dimorphism was
      calculated. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Independent sample t-test was used. P <
      0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: There was a significant
      difference (P < 0.05) observed between inter-canine distance, right and left
      canine width and right and left MCI between males and females. Sexual dimorphism
      is more on left permanent mandibular canine teeth than right permanent mandibular
      canine teeth. The overall percentage of accuracy observed was 85.5%. CONCLUSIONS:
      Study findings reveal that MCI can be used a reliable predictor for gender
      determination in Indian population and can form the basis of anthropologic and
      forensic investigations.

PMID- 26481888
TI  - Rehabilitation of weakened premolars with a new polyfiber post and adhesive
      materials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Polyfiber posts used inside the root canal can help to restore the
      fracture resistance of weakened premolars. AIM: To assess the fracture resistance
      of endodontically treated premolars restored with different techniques, including
      the new polyfiber post (Spirapost). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred superior
      premolars were distributed into 10 groups (n = 10): Sound teeth (G1-positive
      control) and experimental (G2 to G10), which received MODP cavities and canal
      treatment. Groups were restored as follows: G2 - unrestored (negative control);
      G3 - microhybrid resin (MR); G4 - flowable resin (FR) + (MR); G5 - glass fiber
      post (Reforpost) + MR; G6 - Reforpost + FR + MR; G7 - polyethylene fiber
      (Ribbond) + MR; G8 - Ribbond + FR + MR; G9 - polyfiber post (Spirapost) + MR and
      G10 - Spirapost + FR + MR. After 24 h, the specimens were loaded until fracture.
      Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey's test (P < 0.05). RESULTS: Premolars
      restored with Spirapost (G9 and G10) provided the highest fracture strength (P <
      0.05), similar to sound teeth (G1), regardless of the composite resin.
      Intermediate values were achieved by G3, G4, G5, G6, G7, and G8, which were
      similar (P > 0.05) and different from the others (P < 0.05). Inferior values were
      found in G2 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Fracture resistance of premolars with MODP
      cavities and endodontic access was recovered with the direct rehabilitation with
      Spirapost, regardless of the type of composite resin.

PMID- 26481889
TI  - Quantitative evaluation of apical extrusion of intracanal bacteria using rotary
      ProTaper, K3XF, twisted and hand K-file system: An ex vivo study.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the number of intracanal bacteria
      extruded apically during root canal preparation using rotary ProTaper, K3XF,
      twisted, and hand K-file system. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Seventy extracted single
      rooted human mandibular premolar teeth were used. Access cavities were prepared
      and the teeth were mounted in glass vials. Root canals were then contaminated
      with a pure culture of Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212) and incubated at 37
      degrees C for 24 h. The contaminated roots were divided into four experimental
      groups of 15 teeth each and one control group of 10 teeth. Group 1: ProTaper;
      Group 2: K3XF; Group 3: Twisted file; Group 4: Hand K-file; Group 5: Control
      group. Bacteria extruded from the apical foramen during instrumentation were
      collected into vials. The microbiological samples were incubated in culture media
      for 24 h. Colonies of bacteria were counted and the results were given as number
      of colony-forming units (CFU)/ml. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The obtained data
      were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance and Mann
      Whitney U-tests. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the rotary
      and hand instrumentation system related to the apically extruded intracanal
      bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: Both the rotary and hand instrumentation systems extruded
      intracanal bacteria through the apical foramen. K3XF file system showed least
      bacterial extrusion amongst all instrumentation groups.

PMID- 26481890
TI  - Bond efficacy of recycled orthodontic brackets: A comparative in vitro evaluation
      of two methods.
AB  - CONTEXT: Recycling of orthodontic brackets in developing orthodontic economies is
      an extremely common procedure. Bonding protocols and reliability of these
      brackets is, however, questionable, and still the subject of research. AIMS: The
      aim was to evaluate and compare the shear bond strength of brackets recycled with
      sandblasting and silicoating. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety extracted human
      premolars were bonded with 0.022" SS brackets (American Orthodontics, Sheboygan
      USA) and then debonded. The debonded brackets were divided into three groups of
      30 each. Group I: Sandblasting with 50-MUm aluminum oxide (control group) Group
      II: Sandblasting with 50-MUm aluminum oxide followed by metal primer application
      Group III: Silicoating with 30-MUm Cojet sand followed by silane application and
      rebonded with Transbond XT. The sandblasted brackets and silicoated brackets were
      viewed under the scanning electron microscope, immediately after surface
      conditioning before rebonding. The shear bond strength with each group was
      tested. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: One-way analysis of variance, post-hoc Scheffe
      multiple comparison tests. RESULTS: The results showed that sandblasting created
      more irregularities and deeper erosions while silica coating created superficial
      irregularities and shallow erosions.

PMID- 26481891
TI  - Effect of sodium hypochlorite as dentinal pretreatment on bonding strength of
      adhesive systems.
AB  - AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl)
      pretreatment on bond strength of adhesive systems to different dentin regions.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty human molars were randomly assigned according to
      different adhesive systems (Adper Single Bond 2; Clearfil SE Bond; Adper SE Plus;
      G-Bond), pretreatments (control and NaOCl - deproteinization) and dentin regions
      (proximal, superficial occlusal [SO] and deep occlusal [DO]), n = 5. Cylindrical
      cavities were performed at the proximal and occlusal surfaces of each sample. For
      deproteinization, 10% NaOCl was applied on conditioned dentin for 60 s before the
      adhesive systems application. Two occlusal and one proximal slice were obtained
      from each sample and submitted to the push-out test. The mode of fracture was
      analyzed. The data were subjected to three-way ANOVA and Tukey test (P < 0.05).
      RESULTS: There was statistically significant difference between the adhesive
      systems (P < 0.01) and dentin regions (P < 0.01); however, the pretreatment did
      not significantly affect the bond strength values (P > 0.05). The bond strength
      values were higher for the proximal surface, followed by SO and later by DO,
      being influenced by the adhesive system. The two-step self-etch adhesive systems
      presented the highest bond strength results. CONCLUSION: The deproteinization
      pretreatment showed similar bonding effectiveness to the conventional adhesive
      technique. The dentin region plays a rule on the bond strength values.

PMID- 26481892
TI  - Immediate implant in single rooted teeth - Study on primary stability and bone
      formation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dental implants (DI) are emerging as an alternative to dentures.
      Immediate placement of DI for esthetic concern has been always in demand. This is
      a retrospective analysis of the success rate of immediately placed DI in freshly
      extracted single-rooted tooth socket, by clinical, radiographical, soft and hard
      tissue changes in a follow-up period of 1 year. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Retrospective analysis of all cases of immediate DI placed in the single rooted
      socket was performed. Cases were selected based on previously established
      inclusion and exclusion criteria. Age, gender, tooth, jaw, cause of impending
      tooth loss, tooth diameter along the cervical margin, the width of keratinized
      gingiva (WKG), and radiographic measures were performed for up to a year.
      Descriptive statistics and comparison of means were presented. P < 0.05 was taken
      as significant. RESULTS: Of the 324 immediate DI placed in 207 patients during
      the study period, 61 fulfilled the criteria. There were 49.2% males 31.15% had
      dental caries, 61% involving maxilla. The mean age of patients was 34.82 +/- 7.97
      years. Mean extraction socket diameter was 4.6 +/- 1.78 mm. From complete
      stability of DI, the WKG decreased from baseline to 3 months period and regained
      at 12-month follow-up. The difference was statistically significant (P = 0.01).
      The same trend was noticed in the distance of the mesial and distal papilla as
      measured in the probe (P = 0.075). Radiographical changes also reflected a
      similar trend. DISCUSSION: The success of DI, in terms of clinical and
      radiographical parameters, in an immediate DI placed in a single rooted fresh
      extracted socket, gives adequate clinical results.

PMID- 26481893
TI  - Review of research designs and statistical methods employed in dental
      postgraduate dissertations.
AB  - CONTEXT: There is a need to evaluate the quality of postgraduate dissertations of
      dentistry submitted to university in the light of the international standards of
      reporting. AIMS: We conducted the review with an objective to document the use of
      sampling methods, measurement standardization, blinding, methods to eliminate
      bias, appropriate use of statistical tests, appropriate use of data presentation
      in postgraduate dental research and suggest and recommend modifications. SETTINGS
      AND DESIGN: The public access database of the dissertations from Rajiv Gandhi
      University of Health Sciences was reviewed. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Three hundred
      and thirty-three eligible dissertations underwent preliminary evaluation followed
      by detailed evaluation of 10% of randomly selected dissertations. The
      dissertations were assessed based on international reporting guidelines such as
      strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE),
      consolidated standards of reporting trials (CONSORT), and other scholarly
      resources. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The data were compiled using MS Excel and
      SPSS 10.0. Numbers and percentages were used for describing the data. RESULTS:
      The "in vitro" studies were the most common type of research (39%), followed by
      observational (32%) and experimental studies (29%). The disciplines conservative
      dentistry (92%) and prosthodontics (75%) reported high numbers of in vitro
      research. Disciplines oral surgery (80%) and periodontics (67%) had conducted
      experimental studies as a major share of their research. Lacunae in the studies
      included observational studies not following random sampling (70%), experimental
      studies not following random allocation (75%), not mentioning about blinding,
      confounding variables and calibrations in measurements, misrepresenting the data
      by inappropriate data presentation, errors in reporting probability values and
      not reporting confidence intervals. Few studies showed grossly inappropriate
      choice of statistical tests and many studies needed additional tests.
      CONCLUSIONS: Overall observations indicated the need to comply with standard
      guidelines of reporting research.

PMID- 26481894
TI  - Preformed stainless steel crown in special conditions in adults: Two case
      reports.
AB  - Stainless steel crowns (SSC) are extensively used in child patients. They are
      mainly used following the pulp therapy in deciduous teeth. They are also used in
      multi-surface restoration, as an abutment in space maintainers, correction of
      anterior tooth cross bite, restoration of hypoplasic teeth, etc. In permanent
      teeth, they are mainly used as interim restorations following root canal
      treatment in first molars prior to the eruption of permanent second molars. The
      main advantage of SSC is its limited chair side time, durability and ease of
      placement. Patients with conditions such as pregnancy and old age who cannot
      tolerate multiple and long appointments can greatly benefit from the use of SSC.
      Though SSC can be used by other dental specialties very effectively, its use
      seems to be limited to pediatric dentistry. Presented here are few adult cases in
      which SSC is given with good success. 

PMID- 26481895
TI  - Scope of photodynamic therapy in periodontics.
AB  - Periodontal disease results from inflammation of the supporting structure of the
      teeth and in response to chronic infection caused by various periodontopathic
      bacteria. The mechanical removal of this biofilm and adjunctive use of
      antibacterial disinfectants and antibiotics have been the conventional methods of
      periodontal therapy. However, the removal of plaque and the reduction in the
      number of infectious organisms can be impaired in sites with difficult access.
      Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a powerful laser-initiated photochemical reaction,
      involving the use of a photoactive dye (photosensitizer) activated by light of a
      specific wavelength in the presence of oxygen. Application of PDT in periodontics
      such as pocket debridement, gingivitis, and aggressive periodontitis continue to
      evolve into a mature clinical treatment modality and is considered as a promising
      novel approach for eradicating pathogenic bacteria in periodontitis. 

PMID- 26481896
TI  - A word of caution on the new scam on authorship.

PMID- 26481897
TI  - Mechanical insights of oxythiamine compound as potent inhibitor for human
      transketolase-like protein 1 (TKTL1 protein).
AB  - Transketolase is a connecting link between glycolytic and pentose phosphate
      pathway, which is considered as the rate-limiting step due to synthesis of large
      number of ATP molecule and it can be proposed as a plausible target facilitating
      the growth of cancerous cells suggesting its potential role in cancer.
      Oxythiamine, an antimetabolite has been proved to be an efficient anticancerous
      compound in vitro, but its structural elucidation of the inhibitory mechanism has
      not yet been done against the human transketolase-like 1 protein (TKTL1). The
      three-dimensional (3D) structure of TKTL1 protein was modeled and subjected for
      refinement, stability and validation. Based on the reported homologs of
      transketolase (TKT), the active site residues His46, Ser49, Ser52, Ser53, Ile56,
      Leu82, Lys84, Leu123, Ser125, Glu128, Asp154, His160, Thr216 and Lys218 were
      identified and considered for molecular-modeling studies. Docking studies reveal
      the H-bond interactions with residues Ser49 and Lys218 that could play a major
      role in the activity of TKTL1. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study was
      performed to reveal the comparative stability of both native and complex forms of
      TKTL1. MD trajectory at 30 ns, confirm the role of active site residues Ser49,
      Lys84, Glu128, His160 and Lys218 in suppressing the activity of TKTL1. Glu128 is
      observed to be the most important residue for deprotonation state of the
      aminopyrimidine moiety and preferred to be the site of inhibitory action. Thus,
      the proposed mechanism of inhibition through in silico studies would pave the way
      for structure-oriented drug designing against cancer. 

PMID- 26481898
TI  - Reverse second dorsal metacarpal artery vascularized bone flap for index distal
      bone loss: A case report.
AB  - Fingertip trauma with resultant bony loss is optimally reconstructed with an
      autologous bone substitute, offering a unique opportunity for use of a local
      vascularized bone graft. The second dorsal metacarpal artery is well-described
      for use in soft tissue and bony reconstruction, with recent cadaveric studies
      suggesting a reverse-flow second dorsal metacarpal artery bone flap could reach
      defects in the distal phalanx. The aim of the current report is to illustrate the
      use of this technique in reconstructing the distal digit in a traumatized index
      finger with bony loss of the middle third of the distal phalanx. A 49-year-old
      man presented with a traumatic circular saw injury to his left index finger, with
      the unique finding of distal phalanx bony loss to the middle third of this bone,
      with no associated disruption of palmar or dorsal structures. Reconstructive
      goals were solely that of bony reconstruction, with no soft tissue coverage
      required. A reverse SDMA vascularized bone flap was successfully used for
      reconstruction, with the vascularized bone flap mobilized on its reverse SDMA
      pedicle and pivoted at the level of the distal anastomoses between the palmar and
      dorsal metacarpal arteries. There was uncomplicated donor and recipient site
      closures, and good functional outcomes with the ability to retain full distal
      interphalangeal joint motion and force on distal pinch grip. This case shows that
      the reverse second dorsal metacarpal artery vascularized bone flap may be
      undertaken to reconstruct bony loss in the distal phalanx.

PMID- 26481899
TI  - Transmission of the PabI family of restriction DNA glycosylase genes: mobility
      and long-term inheritance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: R.PabI is an exceptional restriction enzyme that functions as a DNA
      glycosylase. The enzyme excises an unmethylated base from its recognition
      sequence to generate apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites, and also displays AP lyase
      activity, cleaving the DNA backbone at the AP site to generate the 3'-phospho
      alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehyde end in addition to the 5'-phosphate end. The
      resulting ends are difficult to religate with DNA ligase. The enzyme was
      originally isolated in Pyrococcus, a hyperthermophilic archaeon, and additional
      homologs subsequently identified in the epsilon class of the Gram-negative
      bacterial phylum Proteobacteria, such as Helicobacter pylori. RESULTS: Systematic
      analysis of R.PabI homologs and their neighboring genes in sequenced genomes
      revealed co-occurrence of R.PabI with M.PabI homolog methyltransferase genes.
      R.PabI and M.PabI homolog genes are occasionally found at corresponding
      (orthologous) loci in different species, such as Helicobacter pylori,
      Helicobacter acinonychis and Helicobacter cetorum, indicating long-term
      maintenance of the gene pair. One R.PabI and M.PabI homolog gene pair is observed
      immediately after the GMP synthase gene in both Campylobacter and Helicobacter,
      representing orthologs beyond genera. The mobility of the PabI family of
      restriction-modification (RM) system between genomes is evident upon comparison
      of genomes of sibling strains/species. Analysis of R.PabI and M.PabI homologs in
      H. pylori revealed an insertion of integrative and conjugative elements (ICE),
      and replacement with a gene of unknown function that may specify a membrane
      associated toxin (hrgC). In view of the similarity of HrgC with toxins in type I
      toxin-antitoxin systems, we addressed the biological significance of this
      substitution. Our data indicate that replacement with hrgC occurred in the common
      ancestor of hspAmerind and hspEAsia. Subsequently, H. pylori with and without
      hrgC were intermixed at this locus, leading to complex distribution of hrgC in
      East Asia and the Americas. In Malaysia, hrgC was horizontally transferred from
      hspEAsia to hpAsia2 strains. CONCLUSIONS: The PabI family of RM system behaves as
      a mobile, selfish genetic element, similar to the other families of Type II RM
      systems. Our analysis additionally revealed some cases of long-term inheritance.
      The distribution of the hrgC gene replacing the PabI family in the subpopulations
      of H. pylori, hspAmerind, hspEAsia and hpAsia2, corresponds to the two human
      migration events, one from East Asia to Americas and the other from China to
      Malaysia.

PMID- 26481900
TI  - Effects of Long-Term Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents on Iron Metabolism in
      Patients on Hemodialysis.
AB  - Continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA) and darbepoetin-alpha (DA)
      might differently affect iron metabolism and erythropoiesis in patients on
      hemodialysis (HD). This prospective study examined a cohort of patients on HD who
      had received either intravenous CERA every 2 or 4 weeks (N = 25) or DA once each
      week (N = 47). Blood was sampled before HD sessions on days 0, 2, 4, 7 and 14,
      and on days 0, 3, 5, 7 and 14 from patients who were injected with ESA at the
      beginning and end of the dialysis week, respectively. Changes in factors
      indicating erythropoiesis and biomarkers of iron metabolism were examined.
      Hemoglobin levels were maintained in the target range between 10.0 and 11.0 g/dL
      and ferritin levels at baseline and during the study period were similar between
      the DA and CERA groups. Levels of hepcidin 25 decreased from days 2-3 to day 5
      and returned to the baseline at day 7 in the DA group, whereas those and
      transferrin saturation were serially suppressed from days 2-3 to day 14 in the
      CERA group. Levels of soluble transferrin receptor and reticulocyte counts were
      significantly elevated from days 4-5 to day 14 by CERA. Both DA and CERA
      stabilized erythropoiesis, but CERA might mobilize iron from body stores more
      effectively than DA in patients on HD. 

PMID- 26481901
TI  - An Optically Driven Bistable Janus Rotor with Patterned Metal Coatings.
AB  - Bistable rotation is realized for a gold-coated Janus colloidal particle in an
      infrared optical trap. The metal coating on the Janus particles are patterned by
      sputtering gold on a monolayer of closely packed polystyrene particles. The Janus
      particle is observed to stably rotate in an optical trap. Both the direction and
      the rate of rotation can be experimentally controlled. Numerical calculations
      reveal that the bistable rotation is the result of spontaneous symmetry breaking
      induced by the uneven curvature of the coating patterns on the Janus sphere. Our
      results thus provide a simple method to construct large quantities of fully
      functional rotary motors for nano- or microdevices. 

PMID- 26481902
TI  - High-temperature superconductivity in space-charge regions of lanthanum cuprate
      induced by two-dimensional doping.
AB  - The exploitation of interface effects turned out to be a powerful tool for
      generating exciting material properties. Such properties include magnetism,
      electronic and ionic transport and even superconductivity. Here, instead of using
      conventional homogeneous doping to enhance the hole concentration in lanthanum
      cuprate and achieve superconductivity, we replace single LaO planes with SrO
      dopant planes using atomic-layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy (two-dimensional
      doping). Electron spectroscopy and microscopy, conductivity measurements and zinc
      tomography reveal such negatively charged interfaces to induce layer-dependent
      superconductivity (Tc up to 35 K) in the space-charge zone at the side of the
      planes facing the substrate, where the strontium (Sr) profile is abrupt. Owing to
      the growth conditions, the other side exhibits instead a Sr redistribution
      resulting in superconductivity due to conventional doping. The present study
      represents a successful example of two-dimensional doping of superconducting
      oxide systems and demonstrates its power in this field. 

PMID- 26481904
TI  - Quantification of mass fat fraction in fish using water-fat separation MRI.
AB  - Selection of fish with appropriate fat content and anatomic distribution is
      searched in fish industry. This necessitates fast and accurate measurements of
      mass fat fraction maps on a large number of fish. The objective of this work is
      to assess the relevance of MRI water-fat separation for this purpose. For the
      separation of the water and fat images we rely on a single T2(*) and a multiple
      peak fat spectrum model, the parameters of which are estimated using the "Varpro"
      method. The difference of proton density between fat and water and the lack of
      the signal from the macromolecules are taken into account to convert the obtained
      proton density fat fraction into mass fat fraction. We used 0.23T NMR to validate
      the method on 30 salmon steaks. The fat fraction values were in the range of 5%
      to 25%. Very good accordance was found between 1.5T MRI and NMR although MRI
      slightly overestimated the mass fat fraction. The R(2) of the linear regression
      was equal to 0.96 (P<10(-5)), the slope to 1.12 (CI.95=0.03). These results
      demonstrate that a good accuracy can be achieved. We also show that high
      throughput can be achieved since the measurements do not depend on the position
      and we conclude that, for example, it is feasible to quantify the mass fat
      fraction in fish steaks within about one minute per sample. 

PMID- 26481903
TI  - Wavelet-based clustering of resting state MRI data in the rat.
AB  - While functional connectivity has typically been calculated over the entire
      length of the scan (5-10min), interest has been growing in dynamic analysis
      methods that can detect changes in connectivity on the order of cognitive
      processes (seconds). Previous work with sliding window correlation has shown that
      changes in functional connectivity can be observed on these time scales in the
      awake human and in anesthetized animals. This exciting advance creates a need for
      improved approaches to characterize dynamic functional networks in the brain.
      Previous studies were performed using sliding window analysis on regions of
      interest defined based on anatomy or obtained from traditional steady-state
      analysis methods. The parcellation of the brain may therefore be suboptimal, and
      the characteristics of the time-varying connectivity between regions are
      dependent upon the length of the sliding window chosen. This manuscript describes
      an algorithm based on wavelet decomposition that allows data-driven clustering of
      voxels into functional regions based on temporal and spectral properties.
      Previous work has shown that different networks have characteristic frequency
      fingerprints, and the use of wavelets ensures that both the frequency and the
      timing of the BOLD fluctuations are considered during the clustering process. The
      method was applied to resting state data acquired from anesthetized rats, and the
      resulting clusters agreed well with known anatomical areas. Clusters were highly
      reproducible across subjects. Wavelet cross-correlation values between clusters
      from a single scan were significantly higher than the values from randomly
      matched clusters that shared no temporal information, indicating that wavelet
      based analysis is sensitive to the relationship between areas. 

PMID- 26481907
TI  - Resting state connectivity in alcohol dependent patients and the effect of
      repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.
AB  - Alcohol dependence is thought to result from an overactive neural motivation
      system and a deficient cognitive control system, and rebalancing these systems
      may mitigate excessive alcohol use. This study examines the differences in
      functional connectivity of the fronto-parietal cognitive control network (FPn)
      and the motivational network (striatum and orbitofrontal cortex) between alcohol
      dependent patients (ADPs) and healthy controls (HCs), and the effect of
      repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on these networks. This
      randomized controlled trial included 38 ADPs and 37 HCs, matched on age, gender
      and education. Participants were randomly assigned to sham or right dorsolateral
      prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) stimulation with rTMS. A 3T resting state functional
      Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scan was acquired before and after active or
      sham 10Hz rTMS. Group differences of within and between network connectivity and
      the effect of rTMS on network connectivity was assessed using independent
      component analysis. Results showed higher connectivity within the left FPn
      (p=0.012) and the left fronto-striatal motivational network (p=0.03) in ADPs
      versus HCs, and a further increase in connectivity within the left FPn after
      active stimulation in ADPs. ADPs also showed higher connectivity between the left
      and the right FPns (p=0.025), and this higher connectivity was related to fewer
      alcohol related problems (r=0.30, p=0.06). The results show higher within and
      between network connectivity in ADPs and a further increase in fronto-parietal
      connectivity after right dlPFC rTMS in ADPs, suggesting that frontal rTMS may
      have a beneficial influence on cognitive control and may result in lower relapse
      rates. 

PMID- 26481905
TI  - Endocytosis of Ligand-Activated Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptor 1 Mediated by
      the Clathrin-Pathway.
AB  - The sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) is one of five G protein-coupled
      receptors activated by the lipid sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P). Stimulation of
      S1PR1 by binding S1P or the synthetic agonist FTY720P results in rapid
      desensitization, associated in part with depletion of receptor from the cell
      surface. We report here combining spinning disc confocal fluorescence microscopy
      and flow cytometry to show that rapid internalization of activated S1PR1 relies
      on a functional clathrin-mediated endocytic pathway. Uptake of activated S1PR1
      was strongly inhibited in cells disrupted in their clathrin-mediated endocytosis
      by depleting clathrin or AP-2 or by treating cells with dynasore-OH. The uptake
      of activated S1P1R was strongly inhibited in cells lacking both beta-arrestin 1
      and beta-arrestin 2, indicating that activated S1PR1 follows the canonical route
      of endocytosis for G-protein coupled receptor's (GPCR)'s.

PMID- 26481906
TI  - Prescription Tablets in the Digital Age: A Cross-Sectional Study Exploring
      Patient and Physician Attitudes Toward the Use of Tablets for Clinic-Based
      Personalized Health Care Information Exchange.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To reduce the cost of health care while increasing efficiency and
      quality, health systems are seeking innovative means to engage and empower
      patients. Improved use of information technology and electronic health record
      (EHR) infrastructure is essential, and required for "meaningful use" as mandated
      by the federal government. Providing personalized health information using
      tablets at the point of care could enhance the clinical experience and enable
      efficient collection of patient reported outcome measures to guide clinical
      decision making. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore patient and
      provider attitudes and interest in a proposed clinic-based tablet system for
      personal health information exchange. To provide a context to understand
      patients' use of tablets during their clinic visit, we also examine patients'
      current activities and time spent in the waiting room, and their use of health
      information resources. METHODS: Surveys were administered to 84 patients in the
      waiting room of a community health center affiliated with Massachusetts General
      Hospital (MGH) in Boston, MA. This survey included a vignette and illustration
      describing a proposed tablet-based system in which the patient, upon sign in at
      the clinic, receives a tablet loaded with personalized information tailored to
      their specific medical conditions and preferences. Patients were queried about
      their interest in such a system in comparison to traditional forms of patient
      education as well as their current health information seeking behaviors and
      activities and time spent in the waiting room. Interviews with five MGH
      affiliated health care providers were conducted to assess their opinions
      regarding the proposed tablet system. RESULTS: The majority (>60%) of patients
      were "very" or "extremely" interested in the proposed tablet system and thought
      it would improve their knowledge about their medical condition (60%), assist them
      in making healthy choices (57%), and help them to feel more comfortable talking
      with their provider (55%). Patients thought the system would be more motivating,
      informative, and engaging than traditional printed health education materials.
      The tablet system was not considered more effective than face-to-face interaction
      with providers, though 44% thought it would improve their relationship with their
      physician. Overall, 91% of respondents were willing to learn how to use a tablet
      and 75% reported being "very" or "extremely" confident they could use one. Four
      of the five providers believed that the proposed tablet system would improve
      clinical workflow and patient education. Patients and providers were concerned
      about privacy and security of data collected using the tablets. CONCLUSIONS: Both
      patients and providers were highly amenable to integrating tablets into the
      clinical experience, and tablets may be useful in improving patients' health
      knowledge, the collection of patient reported outcome measures, and improved
      patient-provider communication. Further research into operationalizing such
      systems and their validation is necessary before integration into standard
      clinical practice.

PMID- 26481908
TI  - Contribution of genes and unique environment to cross-sectional and longitudinal
      measures of subcortical volumes in bipolar disorder.
AB  - The influence of genes and environment on the association between bipolar
      disorder (BD) and volumes of subcortical brain regions involved in emotion
      processing has rarely been studied. Furthermore, as far as we know, longitudinal
      twin studies of subcortical brain volume change in BD have not been carried out
      at all. In this study, we focused on the genetic and environmental contributions
      to cross-sectional and longitudinal measures of subcortical brain volumes in BD.
      A total of 99 twins from monozygotic and dizygotic pairs concordant or discordant
      for BD and 129 twins from monozygotic and dizygotic healthy control pairs
      underwent magnetic resonance imaging at baseline. Longitudinal assessment was
      carried out in 48 twins from monozygotic and dizygotic patient pairs and 52 twins
      from monozygotic and dizygotic control pairs. Subcortical volume measures were
      obtained with Freesurfer software and analyzed with structural equation modeling
      software OpenMx. At baseline, BD was phenotypically and genetically associated
      with smaller volumes of the thalamus, putamen and nucleus accumbens. BD was not
      associated with subcortical brain volume change over time in any of the examined
      regions. Heritability of subcortical volumes at baseline was high, whereas
      subcortical volume change had low heritability. Genes contributing to BD showed
      overlap with those associated with smaller volumes of the thalamus, putamen and
      nucleus accumbens at baseline. Further evaluation of genetic contributions to
      abnormalities in subcortical brain regions assumed to be involved in emotion
      processing is recommended. 

PMID- 26481909
TI  - Exploration of the nature of a unique natural polymer-based thermosensitive
      hydrogel.
AB  - The chitosan (CS)/beta-glycerol phosphate (GP) system is a heat induced gelling
      system with a promising potential application, such as an injectable biomedical
      material. Unlike most thermosensitive gelling systems, the CS/GP system is only
      partially reversible. That is once the hydrogel is fully matured, it only softens
      but cannot go back to its initial liquid state when cooled down. Here, we perform
      both the small and large amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS and LAOS) tests on the
      fully matured CS/GP hydrogel samples at a variety of temperatures within the
      cooling process. The purpose of such tests is to investigate the structural
      change of the hydrogel network and thus to understand the possible gelation
      mechanism of this unique thermosensitive hydrogel. From the LAOS results and the
      further analysis with the Chebyshev expansion method, it shows that the CS/GP
      hydrogel is composed of a colloidal network dominated by hydrophobic interactions
      at high temperature, and gradually turns into a flexible network dominated by
      hydrogen bonding when the temperature goes down. Therefore, we may conclude that
      LOAS is a powerful tool to study the nonlinear behaviour of a polymer system that
      is closely related to its structure, and as a practical example, we achieve a
      clearer vision on the gelation mechanism of the unique CS/GP thermosensitive
      hydrogel on the basis of considerable previous studies and assumptions in this
      laboratory and other research groups. 

PMID- 26481910
TI  - Relevance of graph literacy in the development of patient-centered communication
      tools.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the literacy skill sets of patients in the context of
      graphical interpretation of interactive dashboards. METHODS: We assessed literacy
      characteristics of prostate cancer patients and assessed comprehension of quality
      of life dashboards. Health literacy, numeracy and graph literacy were assessed
      with validated tools. We divided patients into low vs. high numeracy and graph
      literacy. We report descriptive statistics on literacy, dashboard comprehension,
      and relationships between groups. We used correlation and multiple linear
      regressions to examine factors associated with dashboard comprehension. RESULTS:
      Despite high health literacy in educated patients (78% college educated), there
      was variation in numeracy and graph literacy. Numeracy and graph literacy scores
      were correlated (r=0.37). In those with low literacy, graph literacy scores most
      strongly correlated with dashboard comprehension (r=0.59-0.90). On multivariate
      analysis, graph literacy was independently associated with dashboard
      comprehension, adjusting for age, education, and numeracy level. CONCLUSIONS:
      Even among higher educated patients; variation in the ability to comprehend
      graphs exists. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Clinicians must be aware of these
      differential proficiencies when counseling patients. Tools for patient-centered
      communication that employ visual displays need to account for literacy
      capabilities to ensure that patients can effectively engage these resources.

PMID- 26481911
TI  - Chemical constituents from Hericium erinaceus and their ability to stimulate NGF
      mediated neurite outgrowth on PC12 cells.
AB  - One new meroterpenoid, named hericenone K (11), along with 10 known compounds (1
      10), ergosterol peroxide (1), cerevisterol (2), 3beta,5alpha,9alpha-trihydroxy
      ergosta-7,22-dien-6-one (3), inoterpene A (4), astradoric acid C (5), betulin
      (6), oleanolic acid (7), ursolic acid (8), hemisceramide (9), and 3,4-dihydro-5
      methoxy-2-methyl-2-(4'-methyl-2'-oxo-3'-pentenyl)-9(7H)-oxo-2H-furo[3,4
      h]benzopyran (10), was isolated from the fruiting bodies of the mushroom Hericium
      erinaceus. Their structures were characterized on the basis of spectroscopic
      methods, as well as through comparison with previously reported data. Compounds 3
      6, 8, and 9 were isolated from Hericium species for the first time. Compounds 10
      and 11 was suggested to be racemic by the CD spectrum data and specific
      rotations, which ware resolved by chiral HPLC into respective enantiomers.
      Compounds 1-3, (+/-)-10, (-)-10 and (+)-10 in the presence of NGF (20 ng/mL)
      exerted a significant increase in neurite-bearing cells.

PMID- 26481912
TI  - Erratum to: Impact of PET/CT image reconstruction methods and liver uptake
      normalization strategies on quantitative image analysis.

PMID- 26481914
TI  - Immunology and cartilage regeneration.
AB  - The intrinsic regenerative capacity of avascular cartilage is limited. Cartilage
      injuries result in chronic, non-healing lesions requiring surgical management.
      Frequently, these surgical techniques make use of allogeneic cells and tissues.
      This review discusses the immune status of these materials. Cartilage allografts,
      often used in orthopedic and plastic surgeries, have rarely provoked a
      significant immune response. In whole cartilage transplants, the dense matrix
      produced by chondrocytes inhibits lymphocyte migration, preventing immune
      detection rendering them "antigen sequestered." It is unclear whether isolated
      chondrocytes are immune-privileged; chondrocytes express immune inhibitory B7
      molecules, indicating that they have some ability to modulate immune reactions.
      Allogeneic cartilage grafts often involve a bony portion often retaining
      immunogenic cells and proteins-to facilitate good surgical attachment and concern
      that this may enhance inflammation and immune rejection. However, studies of
      failed cartilage grafts have not found immune responses to be a contributing
      factor. Meniscus allografts, which also retain a bony portion, raise similar
      concerns as cartilage allografts. Despite this, the plugs improved patient
      outcomes, indicating that the immunological effects were not clinically
      significant. Finally, allogeneic mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) also are being
      investigated as a treatment for cartilage damage. MSCs have been demonstrated to
      have unique immunomodulatory properties including their ability to reduce immune
      cell infiltration and to modulate inflammation. In summary, the immunogenic
      properties of cartilage vary with the type of allograft used: Cartilage
      allografts demonstrate active immune-suppressive mechanisms as evidenced by lack
      of allograft rejection, while MSC allografts appear to be safe for
      transplantation. 

PMID- 26481915
TI  - Heart-focused anxiety in patients with chronic heart failure before implantation
      of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator: baseline findings of the Anxiety
      CHF Study.
AB  - AIMS: We analysed heart-focused anxiety (HFA) and its predictors in patients with
      heart failure before implantation of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator
      (ICD). Herein, we report the baseline data of the Anxiety-CHF Study which
      investigates HFA before and after ICD implantation. METHODS AND RESULTS: HFA,
      general anxiety and depression, perceived quality of life (QoL) and type D
      personality were measured with validated psychological instruments. Clinical
      parameters such as severity of heart failure measured by NYHA class and left
      ventricular ejection fraction (EF) were determined. One hundred and ten patients
      were interrogated before ICD implantation (70 % male, mean age = 60.5 +/- 14.9
      years, mean EF = 31 % +/- 9 %, 91 % NYHA II-III, 92 % primary prevention). HFA
      was present in 53 patients (48.6 %); 37 participants (33.9 %) showed increased
      levels of general anxiety and 33 patients (30.3 %) showed increased levels of
      depression with clinical significant levels in 16 subjects (14.7 %) for general
      anxiety and 13 subjects (11.9 %) for depression. Poor QoL was reported in 30
      patients (27.5 %). HFA was correlated with QoL, general anxiety, depression, type
      D personality, myocardial infarction (MI), and systolic blood pressure. QoL,
      general anxiety and former MI were significant predictors of HFA (R (2) = 0.453).
      CONCLUSION: Heart-focused anxiety is highly prevalent in heart failure patients
      prior to ICD implantation. Measures of disease severity such as EF or NYHA class
      do not predict HFA, neither does Type D personality. HFA is predicted by a
      history of MI and psychological parameters such as general anxiety and impaired
      QoL. CLINICALTRIALS. GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT02226770.

PMID- 26481913
TI  - Lupus brain fog: a biologic perspective on cognitive impairment, depression, and
      fatigue in systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - Cognitive disturbances, mood disorders and fatigue are common in SLE patients
      with substantial adverse effects on function and quality of life. Attribution of
      these clinical findings to immune-mediated disturbances associated with SLE
      remains difficult and has compromised research efforts in these areas. Improved
      understanding of the role of the immune system in neurologic processes essential
      for cognition including synaptic plasticity, long term potentiation and adult
      neurogenesis suggests multiple potential mechanisms for altered central nervous
      system function associated with a chronic inflammatory illness such as SLE. This
      review will focus on the biology of cognition and neuroinflammation in normal
      circumstances and potential biologic mechanisms for cognitive impairment,
      depression and fatigue attributable to SLE. 

PMID- 26481916
TI  - Three-dimensional electroanatomic voltage mapping to guide biopsy sampling in
      unexplained cardiomyopathies: a proof-of-principle case series.

PMID- 26481917
TI  - Management of central giant cell granuloma of the jaws with intralesional steroid
      injection and review of the literature.
AB  - PURPOSE: We report the results of the intralesional steroid injections for the
      management of central giant cell granuloma (CGCG) of the jaws. METHODS: Seven
      CGCGs were treated with intralesional injection of corticosteroids. To accomplish
      this, 3.5 mL of triamcinolone and 3.5 mL of 0.5 % marcaine with 1/200,000
      epinephrine (total 7 mL) were mixed. An adequate amount of steroid was injected
      into different areas of the lesion. This procedure was repeated on a weekly basis
      for 6 weeks. RESULTS: Clinical and radiological examination showed complete
      resolution and ossification of the lesions in four patients. Partial recovery was
      achieved in two patients. One patient did not respond to the treatment and
      underwent surgical curettage. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that intralesional steroid
      injection is safe and effective for the treatment of CGCG, especially in non
      aggressive lesions.

PMID- 26481918
TI  - Role of propranolol in ulcerated haemangioma of head and neck: a prospective
      comparative study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Infantile haemangiomas comprise the majority of vascular anomalies and
      are considered the predominant vascular tumour type 1. We performed this
      prospective study to evaluate the therapeutic response and propranolol tolerance
      in infants with ulcerated infantile haemangioma of head and neck region. METHODS:
      Sixty-four patients with ulcerated infantile haemangiomas (IHs) of head and neck
      region, without any prior treatment and with age older than 1 month, were
      included in the study, after informed consent was obtained, and were randomly
      divided into groups A and B. Group A patients were given oral propranolol at a
      dose of 2 mg/kg per day in three divided doses as outpatients. Group B patients
      were given oral ibuprofen at a dose of 10 mg/kg 8-hourly and paracetamol at dose
      of 16.2 mg/kg 8-hourly. Documentation of gender, age, haemangioma location,
      duration of ulceration and pain was measured on the second and fifth day after
      commencement of treatment in both groups using the Children's Hospital of Eastern
      Ontario Pain Scale. RESULTS: There was no difference in pain score between the
      two groups (P value 0.074). Mean duration of healing of ulceration in group A was
      17.93 +/- 2.22 days and in group B was 27.71 +/- 2.33 days (P value <0.001). In
      group A, out of 28 patients, 8 (28.5 %) were complete responders, 16 (57.1 %)
      were partial responders and 4 (14.2 %) were non-responders. CONCLUSION:
      Propranolol is a valuable therapeutic alternative for treatment of ulcerated
      haemangiomas and effectively reduces pain.

PMID- 26481919
TI  - Effect of temperature on replicative aging of the budding yeast Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae.
AB  - The use of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in gerontological studies
      was based on the assumption that the reproduction limit of a single cell
      (replicative aging) is a consequence of accumulation of a hypothetical universal
      "senescence factor" within the mother cell. However, some evidence suggests that
      molecules or structures proposed as the "aging factor", such as rDNA circles,
      oxidatively damaged proteins (with carbonyl groups) or mitochondria, have little
      effect on replicative lifespan of yeast cells. Our results also suggest that
      protein aggregates associated with Hsp104, treated as a marker of yeast aging, do
      not seem to affect the numeric value of replicative lifespan of yeast. What these
      results indicate, however, is the need for finding a different way of expressing
      age and longevity of yeast cells instead of the commonly used number of daughters
      produced over units of time, as in the case of other organisms. In this paper, we
      show that the temperature has a stronger influence on the time of life (the total
      lifespan) than on the reproductive potential of yeast cells. 

PMID- 26481921
TI  - Biodiesel production potential of mixed microalgal culture grown in domestic
      wastewater.
AB  - In this study, a mixed microalgal culture grown in secondarily treated domestic
      wastewater effluent was investigated for biodiesel production using in situ
      transesterification method with conventional heating. The total lipid content of
      the mixed culture was found as 26.2% +/- 0.6 by weight of dry biomass, and 74% of
      the lipids were contributed by total glycerides. In situ transesterification with
      conventional heating process under acidic conditions produced higher biodiesel
      yield with chloroform as the co-solvent (82.1% +/- 3.9) compared to hexane (55.3%
      +/- 3.9) under the same reaction conditions. The gas chromatography analysis
      showed that FAME composition was mainly composed of palmitic, palmitoleic,
      stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic acid methyl esters., and thus the mixed
      microalgal culture fed by domestic wastewaters has had comparable biodiesel
      conversion yields and FAME composition to mono-culture and pure cultures fed by
      synthetic culture media. Hence, this study showed that secondarily treated
      domestic wastewater could potentially be a suitable and sustainable medium for
      microalgae grown to be used as biodiesel feedstock.

PMID- 26481920
TI  - Essential Oils for Treatment for Onychomycosis: A Mini-Review.
AB  - Onychomycosis are fungal infections affecting finger and toenails mainly caused
      by dermatophyte fungi and some Candida species. Low cure rates and frequent
      recurrence, development of a fungal resistance front to various antimicrobial
      agents topical and systemic, and an ineffective topical treatment make
      onychomycosis difficult to treat. Essential oils are excellent candidates for the
      topical treatment for onychomycosis because the development of resistance by
      fungi is rare, and the presence of side effects is low. They are composed of a
      complex variety of compounds, mainly terpenes, with low molecular weight, which
      may easily penetrate into the nail plate, finding the fungi elements. The complex
      mixture confers a broad antifungal spectrum of action, through interaction with
      biological membranes, interference in radical and enzymatic reaction of fungi
      cells. Essential oils may become the source of new therapeutic molecules, and the
      use of an essential oil incorporated into a topical formulation is an
      interesting, safe, and effective alternative for the treatment for onychomycosis.
      However, studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of essential oils in the
      treatment for onychomycosis in vivo. This mini-review aims to present the
      potential use of essential oils for the treatment for onychomycosis, focusing on
      the last decade. 

PMID- 26481923
TI  - How precise are precision injections and how can we improve?

PMID- 26481922
TI  - Development of a two-step process for production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid from
      glycerol using Klebsiella pneumoniae and Gluconobacter oxydans.
AB  - In this work, a two-step process was developed for the production of 3
      hydroxypropionic acid from glycerol. In the first step, glycerol was converted to
      1,3-propanediol by Klebsiella pneumonia. In the second step, the 1,3-propanediol
      was converted into 3-hydroxypropionic acid by Gluconobacter oxydans. In a 7.0 L
      bioreactor, the whole process took 54 h, consumed 480 g glycerol and produced 242
      g 3-hydroxypropionic acid. The conversion rate of glycerol to 3-hydroxypropionic
      acid was 50.4 % (g g(-1)). The final concentration of 3-hydroxypropionic acid
      arrived 60.5 g L(-1). The process was effective for 3-HP production from glycerol
      and it might provide a new approach to the biosynthesis of 3-HP from a cheap
      starting material. Moreover, in this paper, it was first reported that the by
      product of 3-hydroxypropionic acid production from 1,3-propandeiol was acrylic
      acid.

PMID- 26481924
TI  - Using radiological markers for Kirschner wire fixation of phalangeal fractures.

PMID- 26481925
TI  - Near-infrared fluorescent swallow test for detection of the alimentary tract
      anastomotic leakage.

PMID- 26481926
TI  - Are overweight and obese patients who receive autologous free-flap breast
      reconstruction satisfied with their postoperative outcome? A single-centre study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Obese and overweight patients represent a challenging surgical
      group for autologous free-flap breast reconstruction. There is a paucity of
      information regarding post-operative patient-reported satisfaction in this
      increasingly prevalent cohort. This retrospective study aimed to determine using
      BREAST-Q patient-reported satisfaction amongst normal, overweight and obese
      patients receiving autologous free-flap breast reconstruction. METHODS: BREAST-Q
      (post-reconstruction) module was sent to 174 autologous breast free flap
      reconstruction patients between 2001 and 2012. Clinical data were collated for
      patients who returned questionnaires. Post-operative complications and
      satisfaction scores were compared between normal versus overweight and obese
      patients. RESULTS: A total of 101 patients (normal body mass index (BMI) = 27;
      overweight BMI = 48 and obese BMI = 25) completed BREAST-Q (response rate 66%).
      Obese and overweight patients are significantly more likely to develop major
      (44.8% and 31.1% vs. 29.6%) and minor (34.4% and 20% vs. 7.4%) complications in
      comparison to normal BMI patients (p < 0.02). Overweight and obese patients
      demonstrated similar levels of satisfaction compared with normal patients with
      the shape of their reconstructed breasts (73.2 and 72.1 vs. 71.2; p > 0.05) and
      overall surgical outcome (75.8 and 78.9 vs. 75.4; p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patient
      post-operative satisfaction is gaining increasing relevance in assessing the
      outcomes from autologous breast reconstruction. Overweight and obese women
      benefit from autologous breast reconstruction, despite being at increased risk of
      post-operative complications, and eventually achieve comparable levels of post
      operative satisfaction. This should be reflected in pre-operative counselling.

PMID- 26481927
TI  - CHAPAS-3 fills the gap.

PMID- 26481929
TI  - Picturing the torment of cluster headache.

PMID- 26481930
TI  - Evidence-based guideline summary: Evaluation, diagnosis, and management of
      congenital muscular dystrophy: Report of the Guideline Development Subcommittee
      of the American Academy of Neurology and the Practice Issues Review Panel of the
      American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine.

PMID- 26481928
TI  - Abacavir, zidovudine, or stavudine as paediatric tablets for African HIV-infected
      children (CHAPAS-3): an open-label, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: WHO 2013 guidelines recommend universal treatment for HIV-infected
      children younger than 5 years. No paediatric trials have compared nucleoside
      reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) in first-line antiretroviral therapy
      (ART) in Africa, where most HIV-infected children live. We aimed to compare
      stavudine, zidovudine, or abacavir as dual or triple fixed-dose-combination
      paediatric tablets with lamivudine and nevirapine or efavirenz. METHODS: In this
      open-label, parallel-group, randomised trial (CHAPAS-3), we enrolled children
      from one centre in Zambia and three in Uganda who were previously untreated (ART
      naive) or on stavudine for more than 2 years with viral load less than 50 copies
      per mL (ART experienced). Computer-generated randomisation tables were
      incorporated securely within the database. The primary endpoint was grade 2-4
      clinical or grade 3/4 laboratory adverse events. Analysis was intention to treat.
      This trial is registered with the ISRCTN Registry number, 69078957. FINDINGS:
      Between Nov 8, 2010, and Dec 28, 2011, 480 children were randomised: 156 to
      stavudine, 159 to zidovudine, and 165 to abacavir. After two were excluded due to
      randomisation error, 156 children were analysed in the stavudine group, 158 in
      the zidovudine group, and 164 in the abacavir group, and followed for median 2.3
      years (5% lost to follow-up). 365 (76%) were ART naive (median age 2.6 years vs
      6.2 years in ART experienced). 917 grade 2-4 clinical or grade 3/4 laboratory
      adverse events (835 clinical [634 grade 2]; 40 laboratory) occurred in 104 (67%)
      children on stavudine, 103 (65%) on zidovudine, and 105 (64%), on abacavir
      (p=0.63; zidovudine vs stavudine: hazard ratio [HR] 0.99 [95% CI 0.75-1.29];
      abacavir vs stavudine: HR 0.88 [0.67-1.15]). At 48 weeks, 98 (85%), 81 (80%) and
      95 (81%) ART-naive children in the stavudine, zidovudine, and abacavir groups,
      respectively, had viral load less than 400 copies per mL (p=0.58); most ART
      experienced children maintained suppression (p=1.00). INTERPRETATION: All NRTIs
      had low toxicity and good clinical, immunological, and virological responses.
      Clinical and subclinical lipodystrophy was not noted in those younger than 5
      years and anaemia was no more frequent with zidovudine than with the other drugs.
      Absence of hypersensitivity reactions, superior resistance profile and once-daily
      dosing favours abacavir for African children, supporting WHO 2013 guidelines.
      FUNDING: European Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership.

PMID- 26481931
TI  - Neuropsychological outcome after deep brain stimulation for Parkinson disease.

PMID- 26481932
TI  - Clinical Reasoning: A 58-year-old man with right facial numbness.

PMID- 26481933
TI  - Teaching NeuroImages: Dyke-Davidoff-Masson in Sturge-Weber syndrome.

PMID- 26481934
TI  - Is allopurinol use associated with an excess risk of osteoporotic fracture? A
      National Prescription Registry study.
AB  - Using a Danish Register cohort of 86,039 adult new allopurinol users and
      propensity score matched controls, we found that gout requiring allopurinol
      prescription was associated with an increased fracture risk. PURPOSE: Gout, an
      acute inflammatory arthritis, is common and associated with elevated serum urate,
      obesity and high alcohol consumption. The mainstay of therapy is the urate
      lowering agent, allopurinol. Here, we report the relationship between allopurinol
      prescription and fracture in a large registry population. METHODS: We established
      a Danish Register cohort of 86,039 adult cases (new allopurinol users) and 86,039
      age, sex and propensity score matched controls (not exposed to allopurinol or
      with a gout diagnosis), with no diagnosis of malignancy in the year prior.
      RESULTS: We found a modest adjusted effect of allopurinol prescription on major
      osteoporotic fractures (hazard ratio (HR) 1.09, 95 % confidence interval (CI)
      1.05-1.14, p = 0.04) and on hip fractures (HR 1.07, 95 % CI 1.11-1.14, p <
      0.001), robust to adjustment for confounding factors (age, sex, comorbidity,
      medication use). Associations were stronger in men than women, and among incident
      allopurinol users whose gout diagnosis had been confirmed by at least one
      hospital contact. Prespecified subanalyses by filled dose of allopurinol (mg/day
      in first year of prescription) showed increased hip and major fracture risk in
      women in the highest allopurinol dose grouping only, while a less strong dose
      effect was evident for fracture rates in men. CONCLUSION: Gouty arthritis
      requiring allopurinol is associated with an excess risk of major or hip fracture,
      with an allopurinol dose effect evident in women such that women taking the
      highest doses of allopurinol--suggestive of more severe disease--were at
      increased risk relative to women taking lower doses.

PMID- 26481936
TI  - Potential strategies for preventing chronic postoperative pain: a practical
      approach: Continuing Professional Development.
AB  - PURPOSE: This manuscript proposes pharmacological strategies that might decrease
      persistent postsurgical pain (PPSP). These recommendations are based on a review
      of current publications available in the literature. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:
      Persistent postsurgical pain has been defined by the International Association
      for the Study of Pain as clinical discomfort that lasts more than two months
      after surgery. Recent reviews reported that 10-50% of patients develop chronic
      pain after surgery, 2-10% with disabling chronic pain at six months. Preventive
      interventions should target all types of surgery, but specific attention should
      be placed on surgical insults that carry a high risk of pain chronicization.
      Regional anesthesia (RA) should be used whenever feasible, and a continuous
      perineural/epidural local anesthetic infusion is preferred over a single-shot
      technique. The RA should be initiated prior to the surgical incision and then
      continued for at least 24-72 hr after the surgery. Perioperative opioids should
      be used for nociceptive stimuli not managed by the RA. An intravenous infusion of
      ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA) antagonist, might be added for
      a further decrease in neuronal sensitization, especially when the procedure is
      extensive or when RA is not feasible or contraindicated. A multimodal approach is
      always suggested. The literature still does not strongly support the use of
      gabapentinoids for PPSP prevention; however, they might be maintained in patients
      who use them preoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: A winning strategy to reduce the
      incidence of PPSP may well involve performing minimally invasive surgery,
      providing adequate perioperative analgesia based on RA, and using a multimodal
      approach with NMDA antagonists.

PMID- 26481938
TI  - Perioperative management of patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a survey of
      Canadian anesthesiologists.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may increase the incidence of
      postoperative complications when undiagnosed. The purpose of this study was to
      evaluate the perspectives of Canadian anesthesiologists regarding the
      perioperative management of patients with diagnosed or suspected OSA. METHODS:
      This study was conducted as a survey of Canadian anesthesiologists using a self
      administered scenario-based questionnaire. We initially mailed the survey
      questionnaire and then mailed it again to non-respondents six weeks later.
      Subsequently, we e-mailed the online version of our survey to active members of
      the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society. RESULTS: The response rates were 35% and
      26% for the postal and online modes of administration, respectively. About 50% of
      the respondents relied on clinical suspicion rather than on a systematic
      screening to identify patients who may have undiagnosed OSA preoperatively. Forty
      seven percent of all respondents either did not know of any institutional policy
      to guide their perioperative management of patients with OSA or reported an
      absence of an institutional policy. Fifteen percent of the respondents would
      discharge diagnosed OSA inpatients with compliant use of continuous positive
      airway pressure (CPAP) to the ward without monitoring. Nevertheless, a more
      conservative approach was observed for CPAP non-compliant inpatients. We indeed
      observed that more than 40% of respondents would send an ambulatory OSA patient
      home, while another 60% would favour hospital admission. CONCLUSIONS: The
      majority of anesthesiologists continue to rely on clinical suspicion alone to
      identify OSA. Moreover, the lack of institutional policy is concerning. A
      concerted effort to develop an evidence-based guideline may be the next step to
      assist institutions.

PMID- 26481939
TI  - Mismanagement of obstructive sleep apnea may result in finding these patients
      dead in bed.

PMID- 26481940
TI  - FDA Draft Guidance on the Naming of Biosimilars.

PMID- 26481941
TI  - Selective Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors for Psoriasis: Focus  on Apremilast.
AB  - Phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 participates in regulating the inflammatory response by
      degrading cyclic adenosine 3'5'-monophosphate (cAMP), a key second messenger.
      Inhibition of PDE4 increases the intracellular cAMP level, which in turn results
      in a reduction in inflammatory mediators and an increase in anti-inflammatory
      mediators. Immune-modulating effects of PDE4 inhibitors have been investigated in
      a number of inflammatory conditions, such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease, Behcet's disease, psoriasis, and psoriatic
      arthritis. Apremilast, a selective PDE4 inhibitor, has been shown to block the
      production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor
      alpha, interleukin [IL]-12, IL-17, and IL-23), which are the key players in the
      pathogenesis of psoriasis. Increased intracellular cAMP levels result in a range
      of anti-inflammatory effects on numerous cell lines. A decrease in
      proinflammatory activity has been shown to result in a reduced psoriasiform
      response in preclinical in vivo models of psoriasis, and reduction of biologic
      activity in a pilot study in humans. The efficacy and safety of apremilast in the
      treatment of psoriasis have been demonstrated in phase II and III clinical
      trials. Apremilast demonstrated efficacy in reducing the severity of moderate to
      severe plaque psoriasis. Treatment with apremilast was well tolerated, with
      generally mild gastrointestinal complaints, which occurred early in the course of
      the treatment and resolved over time, and there was no requirement for laboratory
      test monitoring. These results make apremilast an attractive therapeutic option
      for plaque psoriasis.

PMID- 26481942
TI  - Lessons Learned Designing and Using an Online Discussion Forum for Care
      Coordinators in Primary Care.
AB  - While an increasing number of researchers are using online discussion forums for
      qualitative research, few authors have documented their experiences and lessons
      learned to demonstrate this method's viability and validity in health services
      research. We comprehensively describe our experiences, from start to finish, of
      designing and using an asynchronous online discussion forum for collecting and
      analyzing information elicited from care coordinators in Patient-Centered Medical
      Homes across the United States. Our lessons learned from each phase, including
      planning, designing, implementing, using, and ending this private online
      discussion forum, provide some recommendations for other health services
      researchers considering this method. An asynchronous online discussion forum is a
      feasible, efficient, and effective method to conduct a qualitative study,
      particularly when subjects are health professionals.

PMID- 26481943
TI  - Stepping Back and Listening: Staff Experiences of Using a Coaching Approach in an
      Acute Rehabilitation Ward for Older Adults.
AB  - Previous research has highlighted that acute care provision can lead to a loss of
      confidence, control, and independent functioning in older adult patients. In
      addition, it is recognized that interactions between patients and health care
      staff are central to the prevention of functional decline in patients. In this
      study, we aimed to affect the staff-patient relationship by implementing a
      coaching intervention in an older adult acute care setting. Here, we report on
      staff experiences of this coaching approach. Data were collected from 16 members
      of staff via semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using thematic
      analysis. Four themes were identified: Putting a Label on It, Stepping Back and
      Listening, Identifying the Opportunities, and Working as Team. Our findings show
      that a coaching approach can be successful in getting staff to reconsider their
      interactions with patients and to focus on strategies that foster the
      independence and autonomy of older adult patients.

PMID- 26481944
TI  - Toward an Understanding of the Poor Health Status of Indigenous Australian Men.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of health and health
      behaviors among Indigenous Australian men. Using a participatory action research
      (PAR) framework, we conducted two focus groups and 40 individual semi-structured
      interviews with men between the ages of 18 and 35 years in each of three
      locations across Australia. We used the health beliefs model to provide a
      framework for the analyses. Participants recognized that their Indigenous status
      placed them in a vulnerable position with regard to health, and that there might
      be serious consequences of failing to follow a good diet and engage in
      appropriate exercise. However, they delineated a number of barriers to engaging
      in such health behaviors. These perceived barriers require addressing at a range
      of policy levels within government, with a focus on social structures and
      institutionalized discrimination, as well as unemployment, poverty,
      dispossession, and cultural oppression.

PMID- 26481945
TI  - Communication and Culture in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit: Boundary
      Production and the Improvement of Patient Care.
AB  - This ethnography explores communication around critically ill surgical patients
      in three surgical intensive care units (ICUs) in Canada. A boundary framework is
      used to articulate how surgeons', intensivists', and nurses' communication
      practices shape and are shaped by their respective disciplinary perspectives and
      experiences. Through 50 hours of observations and 43 interviews, these health
      care providers are found to engage in seven communication behaviors that either
      mitigate or magnify three contested symbolic boundaries: expertise, patient
      ownership, and decisional authority. Where these boundaries are successfully
      mitigated, experiences of collaborative, high-quality patient care are produced;
      by contrast, boundary magnification produces conflict and perceptions of unsafe
      patient care. Findings reveal that high quality and safe patient care are
      produced through complex social and cultural interactions among surgeons,
      intensivists, and nurses that are also expressions of knowledge and power. This
      enhances our understanding of why current quality improvement efforts targeting
      communication may be ineffective.

PMID- 26481946
TI  - The aqueous extract of Albizia adianthifolia leaves attenuates 6-hydroxydopamine
      induced anxiety, depression and oxidative stress in rat amygdala.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While the Albizia adianthifolia (Schumach.) W. Wright (Fabaceae) is a
      traditional herb largely used in the African traditional medicine as analgesic,
      purgative, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, memory-enhancer,
      anxiolytic and antidepressant drug, there are no scientific data that clarify the
      anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned
      animal model of Parkinson's disease. This study was undertaken in order to
      identify the effects of aqueous extract of A. adianthifolia leaves on 6
      hydroxydopamine-induced anxiety, depression and oxidative stress in the rat
      amygdala. METHODS: The effect of the aqueous extract of A. adianthifolia leaves
      (150 and 300 mg/kg, orally, daily, for 21 days) on anxiety and depression was
      assessed using elevated plus-maze and forced swimming tests, as animal models of
      anxiety and depression. Also, the antioxidant activity in the rat amygdala was
      assessed using assessed using superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and
      catalase specific activities, the total content of the reduced glutathione,
      protein carbonyl and malondialdehyde levels. Statistical analyses were performed
      using by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Significant differences were
      determined by Tukey's post hoc test. F values for which p < 0.05 were regarded as
      statistically significant. Pearson's correlation coefficient and regression
      analysis were used in order to evaluate the connection between behavioral
      measures, the antioxidant defence and lipid peroxidation. RESULTS: 6-OHDA
      lesioned rats exhibited the following: decrease of the exploratory activity, the
      percentage of the time spent and the number of entries in the open arm within
      elevated plus-maze test and decrease of swimming time and increase of immobility
      time within forced swimming test. Administration of the aqueous extract
      significantly exhibited anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects and also
      antioxidant potential in the rat amygdala. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that
      the aqueous extract ameliorates 6-OHDA-induced anxiety and depression by
      attenuation of the oxidative stress in the rat amygdala. These pieces of evidence
      accentuate its use in traditional medicine.

PMID- 26481947
TI  - Tentative nil per os leads to poor outcomes in older adults with aspiration
      pneumonia.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Patients with aspiration pneumonia (AP) may experience
      swallowing function declines during treatment, necessitating artificial feeding
      methods. Proper AP treatment contributes to maintaining activities of daily
      living. The aim was to assess the effect of tentative nil per os (NPO) status on
      the recovery of AP patients and declines in their swallowing abilities. METHODS:
      In this retrospective cohort study, 331 patients with AP having oral food intake
      in premorbid status were included after exclusions for reasons such as vomiting
      or respiratory insufficiency. We divided subjects into 2 groups: an early oral
      intake (EOI) group and a tentative NPO group according to the directions by the
      attending doctors at admission. We created a population model related to
      groupings from all subjects, which was a homoscedastic model without statistical
      differences by the inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPTW) method and
      compared outcomes between the groups. RESULTS: In the IPTW model, tentative NPO
      status resulted in poorer nutritional intake every day for 1 week from the date
      of admission (p < 0.05), a significantly longer treatment duration (50% treatment
      length: NPO group, 13 days [95% confidence interval (CI), 12.04-13.96] and EOI
      group, 8 days [95% CI, 7.69-8.31 [log-rank test, p < 0.001]) and greater decline
      in swallowing ability over the course of treatment (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Tentative NPO status with AP at hospital admission resulted in adverse effects on
      patients, including prolonged treatment duration and declines in swallowing
      ability. Avoiding unnecessary NPO might be another method to treat AP and
      contribute to the patient's outcomes in addition to medication administration.

PMID- 26481948
TI  - Should significant weight loss mandated to be "unintentional" for resulting in
      and regarded as malnutrition?

PMID- 26481949
TI  - Nut consumption is associated with better nutrient intakes: results from the
      2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey.
AB  - A limited number of studies have examined associations between nut consumption
      and nutrient intakes or diet quality. None has investigated these associations in
      the Southern Hemisphere. The purpose of this study was to examine associations
      between nut consumption and nutrient intakes among adult New Zealanders. Data
      from the 24-h recalls of 4721 participants from the cross-sectional 2008/09 New
      Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey (2008/09 NZANS) were used to determine whole nut
      intake and total nut intake from all sources as well as nutrient intakes.
      Regression models, both unadjusted and adjusted for potential confounders, were
      used to estimate differences in nutrient intakes between those consuming and
      those not consuming nuts. From adjusted models, compared with non-whole nut
      consumers, whole nut consumers had higher intakes of energy and percentage of
      energy from total fat, MUFA and PUFA, whereas percentage of energy from SFA and
      carbohydrate was lower (all P<=0.025). After the additional adjustment for energy
      intake, whole nut consumers had higher intakes of dietary fibre, vitamin E,
      folate, Cu, Mg, K, P and Zn (all P<=0.044), whereas cholesterol and vitamin B12
      intakes were significantly lower (both P<=0.013). Total nut consumption was
      associated with similar nutrient profiles as observed in whole nut consumers,
      albeit less pronounced. Nut consumption was associated with better nutrient
      profiles, especially a lower intake of SFA and higher intakes of unsaturated fats
      and a number of vitamins and minerals that could collectively reduce the risk for
      chronic disease, in particular for CVD. 

PMID- 26481950
TI  - Anticancer treatment and fertility: Effect of therapeutic modalities on
      reproductive system and functions.
AB  - The significant improvement of cancer treatments entailed a longer life in cancer
      survivors and raised expectations for higher quality of life with minimized long
      term toxicity. Infertility and gonadal dysfunction are adverse effects of
      anticancer therapy or may be related to specific tumors. In female cancer
      survivors, premature ovarian failure is common after antineoplastic treatments
      resulting in infertility and other morbidities related to oestrogen deficiency
      such as osteoporosis. In male cancer survivors, infertility and persistent a
      zoospermia is a more common long-term adverse effect than hypogonadism because
      germ cells are more sensitive to chemotherapy and radiotherapy than leydig cells.
      Gonadal toxicity and compromise of reproductive functions will be more
      efficiently prevented and treated if addressed before treatment initiation. This
      review focuses on these issues in young cancer survivors of childbearing age,
      where methods of protecting or restoring endocrine function and fertility need to
      be considered. 

PMID- 26481951
TI  - Exploring miRNA based approaches in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a highly conserved class of tissue specific, small non
      protein coding RNAs maintain cell homeostasis by negative gene regulation. Proper
      controlling of miRNA expression is required for a balanced physiological
      environment, as these small molecules influence almost every genetic pathway from
      cell cycle checkpoint, cell proliferation to apoptosis, with a wide range of
      target genes. Deregulation in miRNAs expression correlates with various cancers
      by acting as tumor suppressors and oncogenes. Although promising therapies exist
      to control tumor development and progression, there is a lack of efficient
      diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for delineating various types of cancer.
      The molecularly different tumors can be differentiated by specific miRNA
      profiling as their phenotypic signatures, which can hence be exploited to
      surmount the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Present review discusses the
      involvement of miRNAs in oncogenesis with the analysis of patented research
      available on miRNAs. 

PMID- 26481952
TI  - Second-line treatment in inoperable pancreatic adenocarcinoma: A systematic
      review and synthesis of all clinical trials.
AB  - There remains uncertainty regarding the optimal second-line chemotherapy in
      advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The current recommendation of 5
      fluorouracil and oxaliplatin may not be relevant in current practice, as
      FOLFIRINOX (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan and oxaliplatin) has become a
      more popular first line therapy in fit patients. The majority of studies in this
      setting are single-arm Phase II trials with significant heterogeneity of patient
      populations, treatments and outcomes. In this review, we sought to systematically
      review and synthesise all prospective data available for the second-line
      treatment of advanced PDAC. 

PMID- 26481953
TI  - Combination or single-agent chemotherapy as adjuvant treatment of gastric cancer:
      A systematic review and meta-analysis of published trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy is standard care in resected gastric cancer (GC).
      Despite the evidence that combination chemotherapy (CT) increases overall
      survival (OS) as compared to single agent therapy in metastatic disease, no study
      proved this benefit in the adjuvant setting. We performed a systematic review and
      meta-analysis based on trial data on the role of combination over single agent CT
      as adjuvant treatment of GC. METHODS: MEDLINE/PubMed and Cochrane Library were
      searched for randomized phase III trials that compared combination vs. single
      agent CT in patients treated with radical surgery for non-metastatic GC. Data
      extraction was conducted according to the PRISMA statement. Statistical analyses
      were conducted to calculate the summary hazard ratio (HR) for OS and disease free
      survival (DFS) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) by using random-effects or
      fixed effects models based on the heterogeneity of included studies. A subgroup
      analysis was performed in patients treated with D2 lymphadenectomy. RESULTS: A
      total of 3572 patients were available for this analysis, 1857 received D2
      lymphadenectomy, and fluoropyrimidine was given in 97% of patients of the control
      arm. In the overall population, the combined therapy decrease the risk of death
      by 13% (HR=0.87; 95%CI, 0.79-0.95; p=0.004) with fixed effect and by 19%
      (HR=0.81; 95%CI, 0.68-0.97; p=0.02) with random effect; significant heterogeneity
      was found. When analysis was limited to studies that required D2 lymphadenectomy
      a significant reduction of the risk of death was found in favor of combination CT
      (HR=0.86; 95%CI, 0.76-0.98; p=0.02). In the 3487 patients valuable for DFS,
      combination CT decreased the risk of relapse by 23% (HR=0.77; 95%CI, 0.70-0.84;
      p<0.001) with fixed effect and by 27% (HR=0.73; 95%CI, 0.49-1.09; p=0.12) with
      random effect; significant heterogeneity was found. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis
      reported that adjuvant combination CT decreases the risk of death over single
      agent therapy in patients with non-metastatic GC.

PMID- 26481954
TI  - Cancer specific risk in multiple sclerosis patients.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic central nervous system (CNS) autoimmune
      disease. Studies of cancer risk in MS patients have shown inconsistent findings.
      A pubmed search of the literature on cancer risk in patients with MS was
      conducted and found published relative studies. The majority of these studies
      concluded that there was overall either reduced or no increased risk of
      developing malignancies between patients with MS compared to the general
      population. However, several studies suggested that patients with MS may have
      reduced risk in specific cancers such as of the digestive and respiratory organs,
      prostate, ovary, or increased risk in breast, brain and bladder tumors. At
      present it is uncertain if the immunologic profile of MS patients may be related
      to the increased or reduced frequency of some cancers and warrants further
      investigation. 

PMID- 26481955
TI  - [Prevention of drink driving at academic festivals: "Tu decides" project].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Alcohol consumption among university students has reached worrying
      levels, its effects on driving being highly dangerous. This aspect emphasizes the
      need to develop prevention programs, intended to raise subjects' awareness about
      the effects of alcohol on driving. The aim of the present research is to evaluate
      the effectiveness of the intervention program "Tu decides", implemented at the
      Algarve University during several students festivals, between 2010-2014. METHOD:
      Quasi-experimental study, pre-post test without control group. A total of 5,079
      participants were inquired. They were asked, at two different moments, before and
      after the measurement of the blood alcohol level and giving an information
      session with technical recommendations to prevent driving under alcohol effects.
      One factor ANOVA test used, in order to perform a mean comparison, as well as the
      Chi-square statistics, to perform a proportion comparison (p<.05). RESULTS: It
      was found that the intention to drive was lower at the second moment (42.1%)
      (chi(2)=2078.71; p=.000). This intention was influenced by blood alcohol level
      different levels (chi(2)=338.252; p=.000), gender (chi(2)=35.718; p=.000), age
      (chi(2)=62.805; p=.000) and professional situation of the participants
      (chi(2)=27.397; p=.001). CONCLUSIONS: We can affirm that the main objective of
      this intervention was achieved, since the participants followed the technical
      recommendations based on the blood alcohol level results.

PMID- 26481956
TI  - [Dermatological diseases and sexuality. How to proceed?].
AB  - A variety of dermatological diseases is associated with male or female sexual
      dysfunction. Some sexual disorders are caused organically; erectile dysfunction
      in men with systemic sclerosis may be due to penile vascular alterations and
      corporal fibrosis. Other dermatoses such as psoriasis are associated with risk
      factors (metabolic syndrome) for sexual disorders and may therefore indirectly
      induce erectile dysfunction. However, the majority of sexual dysfunctions in
      dermatological patients is caused by reduced self confidence and sexual self
      esteem leading to affected partnership and sexuality. Dermatologists should be
      trained in basic sexual medicine and ask their patients for sexual problems. They
      may not treat sexual disorders, but they should be identified as sympathetic
      physicians for these problems and should be able to refer the patient to
      specialists in sexual medicine.

PMID- 26481957
TI  - [Trauma and psychological distress in dermatological patients].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although seldom diagnosed, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has
      a high prevalence in primary and tertiary care. In a consecutive cross-sectional
      study, the prevalence of traumatic experiences and the severity of post-traumatic
      symptoms as well as specific characteristics of traumatized patients in the
      context of the dermatological treatment were examined. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Standardized questionnaires for assessing general psychopathology (Brief Symptom
      Inventory, BSI), coping with dermatological diseases (Adjustment to Chronic Skin
      Diseases Questionnaire, MHF) and diagnosis of trauma (Essen Trauma-Inventory,
      ETI) were used in 221 patients with different skin diseases. RESULTS: In total,
      85.1 % of the patients reported at least one potentially traumatic event in their
      lives, whereby psychometrically in 8.6 % of the cases the diagnostic criteria for
      a PTSD were met. Patients with suspected PTSD were more impacted by
      psychopathology, had more problems in coping with their skin diseases and
      attributed mental stress as having a greater influence on their skin disease than
      nontraumatized patients or traumatized patients without suspected PTSD. In
      addition, cumulative traumatization also leads to increased trauma symptomatology
      and greater difficulties in coping with skin diseases. CONCLUSION: The results
      emphasize the impact of a comorbid PTSD on a patient's ability to cope with skin
      diseases and underline the need for the inclusion of the differential diagnosis
      PTSD in dermatological treatment settings.

PMID- 26481958
TI  - Tobacco Use and Cryptogenic Stroke in Young Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cryptogenic stroke is the leading subtype of ischemic stroke in the
      young. We sought to evaluate the association between traditional cardiovascular
      risk factors and cryptogenic stroke by using a case-control study. METHODS:
      Patients aged 18-54 years, consecutively treated for first-ever cryptogenic
      ischemic stroke in an academic stroke unit, were compared with subjects from the
      general population living in the same geographic area. Control subjects were
      matched for age and sex with patients. We further evaluated the association
      between significant risk factors and nonobstructive (<50% stenosis) carotid
      plaque and thrombus among patients with cryptogenic stroke. Odds ratios [OR] were
      calculated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 155 patients
      with cryptogenic stroke (66.4% men, mean age 43.5 years [SD 8.4]) were included
      in the study. Cryptogenic stroke was associated with current tobacco use (42.6%
      in patients versus 23.9% in control subjects; OR = 2.38, 95% confidence interval
      [CI] 1.40-4.05, P = .002). Current tobacco use was associated with nonobstructive
      carotid plaque (OR = 6.22; 95% CI, 2.43-15.9; P = .001) and nonobstructive
      carotid thrombus (OR = 13.7; 95% CI, 1.42-132.7; P = .03) among the patients.
      CONCLUSION: Our case-control study showed a strong link between current tobacco
      use and cryptogenic stroke in young adults.

PMID- 26481960
TI  - "Walking the Walk": Decisional Capacity Deficits After Right Hemisphere Subdural
      Hematoma.

PMID- 26481959
TI  - Psychosocial Evaluation in Patients Undergoing Left Ventricular Assist Device
      Implantation Using the Transplant Evaluation Rating Scale.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been recommended that all candidates for left ventricular
      assist device (LVAD) implantation undergo preoperative psychologic evaluation for
      risk assessment. OBJECTIVE: We used the transplant evaluation rating scale (TERS)
      that was established for pretransplant evaluation to investigate the psychosocial
      assessment of patients undergoing LVAD implantation. METHODS: This study
      retrospectively analyzed data from 125 patients with advanced heart failure who
      were evaluated by the TERS before LVAD implantation. Postoperative follow-up
      included survival, total length of hospital stay, readmissions, and post-LVAD out
      of-hospital days after discharge. The cohort was stratified according to the TERS
      scores into low-, moderate-, and high-risk groups. The outcomes were analyzed to
      evaluate whether the TERS score was associated with post-LVAD adverse events.
      RESULTS: The TERS, when stratified into 3 risk groups showed significant
      difference in 8 of the 10 psychosocial domains (p < 0.001). The mean number of
      outpatient days after discharge was significantly different between the low-,
      moderate-, and high-risk groups (p < 0.001). All other outcomes were not
      significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the TERS is
      successful in stratifying our patients with an LVAD into 3 risk groups,
      indicating the internal validity of this test. The number of out-of-hospital
      (outpatient) days after discharge was significantly shorter in the TERS high-risk
      group, which may affect the quality of life and cost of post-LVAD care.

PMID- 26481961
TI  - Depressive Symptom Clusters Differentially Predict Cardiovascular Hospitalization
      in People With Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression has been associated with the development of cardiovascular
      disease in people with type 2 diabetes. OBJECTIVE: We examined whether symptoms
      related to the 2 core features of depression--dysphoria and anhedonia--and
      anxiety were differentially associated with cardiovascular hospitalization and
      whether there were symptom-specific mechanisms (alcohol, smoking, physical
      activity, body mass index, glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure) in play.
      METHOD: A total of 1465 people in Dutch primary care completed the Edinburgh
      Depression Scale in 2005 and were followed up until first cardiovascular
      hospitalization during follow-up (event) or December 31, 2010 (study end). Cox
      regression analyses examined (1) differences in time to hospitalization for a
      cardiovascular event between people with a low vs a high baseline
      dysphoria/anhedonia/anxiety score (adjusting for demographic and clinical
      confounders) and (2) mediating mechanisms. RESULTS: A total of 191 people were
      hospitalized for a cardiovascular event. In univariable analysis, dysphoria
      predicted a shorter time to cardiovascular hospitalization (hazard ratio = 1.49,
      95% CI: 1.02-2.17). After adjustment for confounders, neither dysphoria (hazard
      ratio = 1.55, 95% CI: 0.91-2.64) nor anhedonia (hazard ratio = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.47
      1.48) was significantly associated with time to cardiovascular hospitalization.
      Anxiety was associated with a longer time to cardiovascular hospitalization
      (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.27-0.89). However, none of the selected
      factors qualified as a mediator for the (adjusted) association between anxiety
      and time to cardiovascular hospitalization. DISCUSSION: Dysphoria was associated
      with a shorter time to cardiovascular hospitalization in unadjusted analyses
      only, whereas anxiety predicted later hospitalization after confounder
      adjustment. Anhedonia did not show a significant association. Mechanistic
      pathways remain unclear.

PMID- 26481962
TI  - Delay in Diagnosis of Wilson Disease in Children With Insidious Psychiatric
      Symptoms: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

PMID- 26481963
TI  - Delusional Parasitosis as a Treatment Complication of Parkinson Disease.

PMID- 26481965
TI  - Ulinastatin inhibits the inflammation of LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice
      via regulation of AMPK/NF-kappaB pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ulinastatin (ULI), a serine protease inhibitor, had been widely used
      as a drug for patients with acute inflammatory disorders. However, evidence
      regarding the anti-inflammatory effect of ulinastatin was still lacking. In this
      study, we investigated the protective mechanisms of ULI in LPS-induced acute lung
      injury (ALI). METHODS: ALI was induced in mice by intratracheal instillation of
      LPS. The cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were counted. The
      degree of animal lung edema was evaluated by measuring the wet/dry weight ratio
      and oxygenation index. The levels of inflammatory mediators, tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, and interleukin-6, were assayed by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. Pathological changes of lung tissues were observed by HE
      staining. The levels of NF-kappaB p65, AMPK, p-AMPK and IkappaBalpha expression
      were detected by Western blotting. Then, selective AMPK inhibitor Compound C was
      used to test whether AMPK activation was critical in protection process of ULI
      against LPS-induced ALI. RESULTS: Ulinastatin pretreatment at doses of 15, 30 and
      45mg/kg decreased LPS-induced evident lung histopathological changes, lung wet-to
      dry weight ratio, and oxygenation index. Expression of IL-6, IL-1beta, and TNF
      alpha was suppressed by ULI at protein level in BALF. Additionally, the
      attenuation of inflammatory responses by ULI was closely associated with AMPK/NF
      kappaB pathway and this effect was significantly inhibited by treatment with the
      AMPK inhibitor, Compound C. CONCLUSIONS: The results presented here indicated
      that ULI has a protective effect against LPS-induced ALI and this effect may be
      attributed partly to decreased production of proinflammatory cytokines through
      the regulation of AMPK/NF-kappaB signaling pathway.

PMID- 26481964
TI  - A novel Lactobacillus plantarum strain P-8 activates beneficial immune response
      of broiler chickens.
AB  - To investigate whether Lactobacillus plantarum P-8 may be used as an alternative
      to antibiotics in the broiler chicken diet, we compared P-8 and antibiotics for
      their immunobiotic properties and their effect on growth performance of broiler
      chickens in a 42-day trial. The results showed that P-8 provided similar benefits
      in weight gain, feed intake and feed efficiency as antibiotics did. Importantly,
      P-8 activated protective immune responses of the broilers while antibiotics
      lacked this effect. P-8 induced higher fecal secretory IgA (sIgA) levels on day
      42 (P<=0.027) and IgA(+) lymphocytes in the jejunum and Peyer's patches (PP)
      (P<0.001) compared to antibiotic treatment. Antibiotics reduced the IgA(+)
      lymphocytes in jejunum and PP on day 42 compared to the control. P-8 increased
      CD3(+) T cells in the small intestinal tissues in most test situations whereas
      antibiotics had fewer CD3(+) cells in PP and cecal tonsil compared with the
      control broilers at the end of the trial. In addition, P-8 increased CD4(+) T
      cells significantly in the intestinal tissues compared to both antibiotics and
      the control (P<0.0052). Both Th1 and Th2 cytokine expression were enhanced by P-8
      on day 14, consistent with the clinical trial results showing probiotic benefits
      in diseases. Antibiotics up- and down-regulated interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4 and IL
      10 transcripts in an age-dependent manner, and showed anti-inflammatory
      potential. These data indicate that P-8 may provide protective immune response to
      broilers while maintaining similar growth performance and may be a potential
      alternative to antibiotics supplemented in chicken feeds. 

PMID- 26481966
TI  - Slim by Design: Kitchen Counter Correlates of Obesity.
AB  - Background The home is one place where people can control what foods are
      available and how the environment is arranged. Given the impact of environments
      on health, the objective of this study is to determine whether the presence of
      foods on a person's kitchen counter are associated with their body mass index
      (BMI). Method In Study 1, a nationwide sample of 500 households was asked to
      inventory their kitchen and provide their height and weight. In Study 2,
      researchers photographed and catalogued 210 households in Syracuse, New York, and
      measured the occupants' height and weight. Main outcome measures for the study
      were BMI differences between households that had various foods visible on the
      counter compared with those that did not. Findings The presence of fruit on the
      counter was associated with lower BMI in both studies, but the presence of foods
      such as candy, cereal, soft drinks, and dried fruit were associated with weight
      differences that ranged from 9.4 to 14.4 kg. Interpretations Although
      correlational, the findings from these two studies suggest that when counseling
      patients regarding their weight, physicians also suggest they clear their kitchen
      counter of all food except a fruit bowl.

PMID- 26481967
TI  - Exposure-Reducing Behaviors Among Residents Living Near a Coal Ash Storage Site.
AB  - Coal ash, a waste product generated from burning coal for energy, is composed of
      highly respirable particles containing heavy metals, radioactive elements, and
      polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons. Coal ash is stored in landfills and surface
      impoundments frequently located near neighborhoods. Fugitive dust from the
      storage sites exposes neighborhoods, affecting the health and welfare of
      residents. The research questions of interest were (1) are community members
      concerned about coal ash exposure from the storage site; (2) what, if any,
      behaviors do community members engage in to reduce exposure; and (3) do exposure
      reducing behaviors differ by level of concern about coal ash. A community-based
      mixed-methods approach was used. Focus groups (n = 26) were conducted in 2012,
      and a cross-sectional survey was administered in 2013 (n = 231). The majority of
      survey respondents (62%) worried "a lot" about being exposed to coal ash;
      however, most did not engage in exposure-reducing behaviors, such as wearing
      protective equipment when doing chores. Compared with respondents who worry
      "some, very little, or none," or responded "I don't know," respondents who
      worried "a lot" about being exposed to coal ash did more exposure-reducing
      behaviors outdoors (p < .001) and indoors (p = .01). For people living near
      environmental hazards, reducing exposure is a priority. Although challenging
      because of the chronic nature of exposure, some behaviors can be useful in
      reducing exposure, such as wearing a particle-specific respirator when mowing the
      lawn. Communities at risk for chronic exposure to environmental toxins could
      benefit from education about exposure-reducing behaviors.

PMID- 26481968
TI  - Mosaic gene network modelling identified new regulatory mechanisms in HCV
      infection.
AB  - Modelling of gene networks is widely used in systems biology to study the
      functioning of complex biological systems. Most of the existing mathematical
      modelling techniques are useful for analysis of well-studied biological
      processes, for which information on rates of reactions is available. However,
      complex biological processes such as those determining the phenotypic traits of
      organisms or pathological disease processes, including pathogen-host
      interactions, involve complicated cross-talk between interacting networks.
      Furthermore, the intrinsic details of the interactions between these networks are
      often missing. In this study, we developed an approach, which we call mosaic
      network modelling, that allows the combination of independent mathematical models
      of gene regulatory networks and, thereby, description of complex biological
      systems. The advantage of this approach is that it allows us to generate the
      integrated model despite the fact that information on molecular interactions
      between parts of the model (so-called mosaic fragments) might be missing. To
      generate a mosaic mathematical model, we used control theory and mathematical
      models, written in the form of a system of ordinary differential equations
      (ODEs). In the present study, we investigated the efficiency of this method in
      modelling the dynamics of more than 10,000 simulated mosaic regulatory networks
      consisting of two pieces. Analysis revealed that this approach was highly
      efficient, as the mean deviation of the dynamics of mosaic network elements from
      the behaviour of the initial parts of the model was less than 10%. It turned out
      that for construction of the control functional, data on perturbation of one or
      two vertices of the mosaic piece are sufficient. Further, we used the developed
      method to construct a mosaic gene regulatory network including hepatitis C virus
      (HCV) as the first piece and the tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-induced apoptosis
      and NF-kappaB induction pathways as the second piece. Thus, the mosaic model
      integrates the model of HCV subgenomic replicon replication with the model of TNF
      induced apoptosis and NF-kappaB induction. Analysis of the mosaic model revealed
      that the regulation of TNF-induced signaling by the HCV network is crucially
      dependent on the RIP1, TRADD, TRAF2, FADD, IKK, IkappaBalpha, c-FLIP, and BAR
      genes. Overall, the developed mosaic gene network modelling approach demonstrated
      good predictive power and allowed the prediction of new regulatory nodes in HCV
      action on apoptosis and the NF-kappaB pathway. Those theoretical predictions
      could be a basis for further experimental verification.

PMID- 26481969
TI  - Flagellar motility of the pathogenic spirochetes.
AB  - Bacterial pathogens are often classified by their toxicity and invasiveness. The
      invasiveness of a given bacterium is determined by how capable the bacterium is
      at invading a broad range of tissues in its host. Of mammalian pathogens, some of
      the most invasive come from a group of bacteria known as the spirochetes, which
      cause diseases, such as syphilis, Lyme disease, relapsing fever and
      leptospirosis. Most of the spirochetes are characterized by their distinct shapes
      and unique motility. They are long, thin bacteria that can be shaped like flat
      waves, helices, or have more irregular morphologies. Like many other bacteria,
      the spirochetes use long, helical appendages known as flagella to move; however,
      the spirochetes enclose their flagella in the periplasm, the narrow space between
      the inner and outer membranes. Rotation of the flagella in the periplasm causes
      the entire cell body to rotate and/or undulate. These deformations of the
      bacterium produce the force that drives the motility of these organisms, and it
      is this unique motility that likely allows these bacteria to be highly invasive
      in mammals. This review will describe the current state of knowledge on the
      motility and biophysics of these organisms and provide evidence on how this
      knowledge can inform our understanding of spirochetal diseases. 

PMID- 26481970
TI  - Feedback regulation in cell signalling: Lessons for cancer therapeutics.
AB  - The notion of feedback is fundamental for understanding signal transduction
      networks. Feedback loops attenuate or amplify signals, change the network
      dynamics and modify the input-output relationships between the signal and the
      target. Negative feedback provides robustness to noise and adaptation to
      perturbations, but as a double-edged sword can prevent effective pathway
      inhibition by a drug. Positive feedback brings about switch-like network
      responses and can convert analog input signals into digital outputs, triggering
      cell fate decisions and phenotypic changes. We show how a multitude of protein
      protein interactions creates hidden feedback loops in signal transduction
      cascades. Drug treatments that interfere with feedback regulation can cause
      unexpected adverse effects. Combinatorial molecular interactions generated by
      pathway crosstalk and feedback loops often bypass the block caused by targeted
      therapies against oncogenic mutated kinases. We discuss mechanisms of drug
      resistance caused by network adaptations and suggest that development of
      effective drug combinations requires understanding of how feedback loops modulate
      drug responses. 

PMID- 26481972
TI  - Ovarian development and disease: The known and the unexpected.
AB  - The idea that the female sexual development happens by default was born in the
      middle of the last century after Jost carried out his innovative experiments to
      study the bases of differentiation of the reproductive tract, and found that the
      female reproductive tract develops even in the absence of any gonad. The term
      default (passive) attributed to the whole female developmental pathway therefore
      established itself, even if it was not originally so intended. However, recent
      developments have demonstrated that ovarian development is an active process.
      WNT4, one of a few factors with a demonstrated function in the ovarian
      determination pathway, has been found to be involved in sexual differentiation by
      suppressing male sexual differentiation, promoting Mullerian ducts
      differentiation and maintaining oocyte health. WNT4 expression in the ovary seems
      to be regulated by R-spondin 1 (RSPO1), a thrombospondin family member protein.
      The role and interactions of WNT4, RSPO1 and other factors, such as FOXL2 as well
      as the possible role of chromatin modifiers such as the polycomb protein CBX2 in
      ovarian development and function will be discussed. 

PMID- 26481971
TI  - Mediators of inflammation and bone remodeling in rheumatic disease.
AB  - Remodeling of bone is a continuous process that occurs throughout life. Under
      normal physiologic conditions, bone-resorbing osteoclasts and bone-forming
      osteoblasts are tightly coupled and regulated to ensure proper balance, such that
      there is no net change in bone mass. However, inflammation perturbs normal bone
      homeostasis. The impact of inflammation on bone is dependent upon the anatomic
      site affected, cell types, factors and cytokines present in the local
      microenvironment, and local mechanical forces. Cytokines are central to the
      pathogenesis of inflammation-induced bone loss and contribute to the uncoupling
      of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption and osteoblast-mediated bone formation,
      thereby disrupting normal remodeling. In this review, we will discuss the effects
      of cytokines on bone in two settings, rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis,
      a disease category that includes ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis,
      reactive arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and juvenile onset
      spondyloarthropathy. The outcome for bone in these disease settings is quite
      different, and an understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms leading to the net
      impact on bone has been essential in developing new therapeutic approaches to
      bone health in these diseases. 

PMID- 26481974
TI  - Defying death: Cellular survival strategies following plasmalemmal injury by
      bacterial toxins.
AB  - The perforation of the plasmalemma by pore-forming toxins causes an influx of
      Ca(2+) and an efflux of cytoplasmic constituents. In order to ensure survival,
      the cell needs to identify, plug and remove lesions from its membrane.
      Quarantined by membrane folds and isolated by membrane fusion, the pores are
      removed from the plasmalemma and expelled into the extracellular space. Outward
      vesiculation and microparticle shedding seem to be the strategies of choice to
      eliminate toxin-perforated membrane regions from the plasmalemma of host cells.
      Depending on the cell type and the nature of injury, the membrane lesion can also
      be taken up by endocytosis and degraded internally. Host cells make excellent use
      of an initial, moderate rise in intracellular [Ca(2+)], which triggers
      containment of the toxin-inflicted damage and resealing of the damaged
      plasmalemma. Additional Ca(2+)-dependent defensive cellular actions range from
      the release of effector molecules in order to warn neighbouring cells, to the
      activation of caspases for the initiation of apoptosis in order to eliminate
      heavily damaged, dysregulated cells. Injury to the plasmalemma by bacterial
      toxins can be prevented by the early sequestration of bacterial toxins.
      Artificial liposomes can act as a decoy system preferentially binding and
      neutralizing bacterial toxins. 

PMID- 26481973
TI  - Cytokinesis: Robust cell shape regulation.
AB  - Cytokinesis, the final step of cell division, is a great example of robust cell
      shape regulation. A wide variety of cells ranging from the unicellular
      Dictyostelium to human cells in tissues proceed through highly similar,
      stereotypical cell shape changes during cell division. Typically, cells first
      round up forming a cleavage furrow in the middle, which constricts resulting in
      the formation of two daughter cells. Tight control of cytokinesis is essential
      for proper segregation of genetic and cellular materials, and its failure is
      deleterious to cell viability. Thus, biological systems have developed elaborate
      mechanisms to ensure high fidelity of cytokinesis, including the existence of
      multiple biochemical and mechanical pathways regulated through feedback. In this
      review, we focus on the built-in redundancy of the cytoskeletal machinery that
      allows cells to divide successfully in a variety of biological and mechanical
      contexts. Using Dictyostelium cytokinesis as an example, we demonstrate that the
      crosstalk between biochemical and mechanical signaling through feedback ensures
      correct assembly and function of the cell division machinery.

PMID- 26481975
TI  - Odontogenic sinusitis, oro-antral fistula and surgical repair by Bichat's fat
      pad: Literature review.
AB  - Odontogenic sinusitis accounts for 10-12% of maxillary sinusitis. It occurs due
      to an interruption of the mucoperiosteum in response to a series of conditions,
      most frequently the extraction of a superior tooth. Its treatment has two bases:
      treating the infection and managing the oroantral fistula that perpetuates the
      infection. Communications smaller than 5mm can resolve spontaneously; bigger ones
      must be closed by a flap. Bichat's fat pad flap was first used in 1977 to close
      an oroantral fistula. It is a pedicled flap that has been shown to be successful,
      with advantages that make it the best option in oroantral fistula treatment. Its
      location allows easy access, minimum dissection, great versatility, good
      mobility, good blood supply, low rate of complications, no morbidity in the donor
      site, low risk of infection, shortened surgical time and fast cover by
      epithelium, and it leaves no visible scar, amongst other benefits. That is why we
      encourage the use of this technique and choose it as the best option for
      management of our patients. 

PMID- 26481976
TI  - Clinical Image In Gastroenterology: Epiploic appendagitis in an 80-year-old
      woman, an uncommon cause of acute abdominal pain in the elderly.

PMID- 26481977
TI  - Clinical Image In Gastroenterology: Disseminated gastrointestinal
      strongyloidiasis.

PMID- 26481978
TI  - The effect of a muscarinic receptor 1 gene variant on grey matter volume in
      schizophrenia.
AB  - Previous research has demonstrated that individuals with schizophrenia who are
      homozygous at the c.267C>A single nucleotide polymorphism (rs2067477) within the
      cholinergic muscarinic M1 receptor (CHRM1) perform less well on the Wisconsin
      Card Sorting Test (WCST) than those who are heterozygous. This study sought to
      determine whether variation in the rs2067477 genotype was associated with
      differential changes in brain structure. Data from 227 patients with established
      schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were obtained from the Australian
      Schizophrenia Research Bank. Whole-brain voxel-based morphometry was performed to
      compare regional grey matter volume (GMV) between the 267C/C (N=191) and 267C/A
      (N=36) groups. Secondary analyses tested for an effect of genotype on cognition
      (the WCST was not available). Individuals who were homozygous (267C/C)
      demonstrated significantly reduced GMV in the right precentral gyrus compared to
      those who were heterozygous (267C/A). These preliminary results suggest that the
      rs2067477 genotype is associated with brain structure in the right precentral
      gyrus in individuals with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder. Future studies
      are required to replicate these results and directly link the volumetric
      reductions with specific cognitive processes. 

PMID- 26481980
TI  - GP says "pointless" tendering of his practice caused staff to leave.

PMID- 26481979
TI  - Intact error monitoring in combat Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
AB  - The error-related negativity (ERN) is a neuroelectric signature of performance
      monitoring during speeded response time tasks. Previous studies indicate that
      individuals with anxiety disorders show ERN enhancements that correlate with the
      degree of clinical symptomology. Less is known about the error monitoring system
      in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is characterized by impairments in
      the regulation of fear and other emotional responses, as well as deficits in
      maintaining cognitive control. Here, combat Veterans with PTSD were compared to
      control Veterans in two different versions of the flanker task (n=13 or 14 per
      group). Replicating and extending previous findings, PTSD patients showed an
      intact ERN in both experiments. In addition, task performance and error
      compensation behavior were intact. Finally, ERN amplitude showed no relationship
      with self-reported PTSD, depression, or post-concussive symptoms. These results
      suggest that error monitoring represents a relative strength in PTSD that can
      dissociate from cognitive control functions that are impaired, such as response
      inhibition and sustained attention. A healthy awareness of errors in external
      actions could be leveraged to improve interoceptive awareness of emotional state.
      The results could have positive implications for PTSD treatments that rely on
      self-monitoring abilities, such as neurofeedback and mindfulness training. 

PMID- 26481981
TI  - Bedside Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter Assessment in the Identification of Increased
      Intracranial Pressure in Suspected Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We determined whether the bedside assessment of the optic nerve sheath
      diameter could identify elevated intracranial pressure in individuals with
      suspected idiopathic intracranial hypertension. METHODS: This was a single
      center, prospective, rater-blinded study performed in a freestanding pediatric
      teaching hospital. Patients aged 12 to 18 years scheduled for an elective lumbar
      puncture with the suspicion of idiopathic intracranial hypertension were eligible
      to participate. Optic nerve sheath diameter was measured via ultrasonography
      before performing a sedated lumbar puncture for measuring cerebrospinal fluid
      opening pressure. Abnormal measurements were predefined as optic nerve sheath
      diameter >=4.5 mm and a cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure greater than 20
      cmH2O. RESULTS: Thirteen patients participated in the study, 10 of whom had
      elevated intracranial pressure. Optic nerve sheath diameter was able to predict
      or rule out elevated intracranial pressure in all patients. CONCLUSIONS:
      Noninvasive assessment of the optic nerve sheath diameter could help to identify
      patients with elevated intracranial pressure when idiopathic intracranial
      hypertension is suspected.

PMID- 26481982
TI  - Recurrent Optic Neuritis in Children.

PMID- 26481983
TI  - Symptomatic diffuse adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder with subserosal
      inflammatory sclerolipomatosis: Imaging findings.

PMID- 26481984
TI  - ISIDORE, a probe for in situ trace metal speciation based on Donnan membrane
      technique with related electrochemical detection part 1: Equilibrium
      measurements.
AB  - This work presents the development of a new probe (ISIDORE probe) based on the
      hyphenation of a Donnan Membrane Technique device (DMT) to a screen-printed
      electrode through a flow-cell to determine the free zinc, cadmium and lead ion
      concentration in natural samples, such as a freshwater river. The probe displays
      many advantages namely: (i) the detection can be performed on-site, which avoids
      all problems inherent to sampling, transport and storage; (ii) the low volume of
      the acceptor solution implies shorter equilibration times; (ii) the
      electrochemical detection system allows monitoring the free ion concentration in
      the acceptor solution without sampling. 

PMID- 26481985
TI  - A critical review on photochemical conversions in flow analysis.
AB  - Photochemical conversions are cost-effective and environmental friendly processes
      that require mild experimental conditions and avoid generation of highly acidic
      wastes. Treated samples are then compatible with most of the analytical
      techniques. These characteristics become more relevant when the photoconversions
      are accomplished to flow analysis, thus allowing exploitation of incomplete
      reactions, the effective use of the photogenerated unstable radicals and in-line
      sample treatment. Decreasing of reagent consumption and waste generation, sample
      processing in a closed environment, and improvement of efficiency of the
      photochemical processes are other inherent advantages. These aspects are
      critically reviewed in this article, which emphasizes applications to
      fractionation and speciation analysis, photo-induced luminescence,
      miniaturization, and in-line waste treatment. Design of flow-through
      photochemical cells, use of auxiliary reagents in homogeneous and heterogeneous
      media, and configurations of flow manifolds are also discussed. 

PMID- 26481986
TI  - Hyperspectral image analysis. A tutorial.
AB  - This tutorial aims at providing guidelines and practical tools to assist with the
      analysis of hyperspectral images. Topics like hyperspectral image acquisition,
      image pre-processing, multivariate exploratory analysis, hyperspectral image
      resolution, classification and final digital image processing will be exposed,
      and some guidelines given and discussed. Due to the broad character of current
      applications and the vast number of multivariate methods available, this paper
      has focused on an industrial chemical framework to explain, in a step-wise
      manner, how to develop a classification methodology to differentiate between
      several types of plastics by using Near infrared hyperspectral imaging and
      Partial Least Squares - Discriminant Analysis. Thus, the reader is guided through
      every single step and oriented in order to adapt those strategies to the user's
      case. 

PMID- 26481987
TI  - Water revealed as molecular mirror when measuring low concentrations of sugar
      with near infrared light.
AB  - Near infrared spectroscopy is an overtone spectroscopy regarded as a quick and
      non-destructive method that provides analytical solutions for components that
      represent approximately 1% or more of the total mass of the investigated
      composite samples. Aquaphotomics offers the possibility for disentanglement of
      information remaining hidden in the spectra when conventional data evaluation
      methods are used, since this concept utilizes changes of the water structure
      induced by the measured solute as specific molecular vibrations at water bands.
      Here, near infrared technique and aquaphotomics are applied for non-destructive
      identification and quantification of mono- and di-saccharide solutes at 100-0.02
      mM concentration that is accepted as unachievable with near infrared
      spectroscopy. The results presented in this study support the aquaphotomics'
      water molecular mirror concept that explores spectral changes related to water
      molecular rearrangements caused by minute changes of the solutes in the aqueous
      systems. The method provides quick and accurate alternative for classical
      analytical measurements of saccharides even at millimolar concentration levels. 

PMID- 26481988
TI  - Calibration graphs in isotope dilution mass spectrometry.
AB  - Isotope-based quantitation is routinely employed in chemical measurements.
      Whereas most analysts seek for methods with linear theoretical response
      functions, a unique feature that distinguishes isotope dilution from many other
      analytical methods is the inherent possibility for a nonlinear theoretical
      response curve. Most implementations of isotope dilution calibration today either
      eliminate the nonlinearity by employing internal standards with markedly
      different molecular weight or they employ empirical polynomial fits. Here we show
      that the exact curvature of any isotope dilution curve can be obtained from three
      parameter rational function, y = f(q) = (a0 + a1q)/(1 + a2q), known as the
      Pade[1,1] approximant. The use of this function allows eliminating an unnecessary
      source of error in isotope dilution analysis when faced with nonlinear
      calibration curves. In addition, fitting with Pade model can be done using linear
      least squares. 

PMID- 26481989
TI  - Molecularly imprinted ultrathin graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets-Based
      electrochemiluminescence sensing probe for sensitive detection of
      perfluorooctanoic acid.
AB  - Driven by the urgent demand for the determination of low level perfluorooctanoic
      acid (PFOA) present in environment, a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor
      has been first developed for the detection of PFOA using the molecularly
      imprinted polypyrrole modified two-dimensional ultrathin g-C3N4 (utg-C3N4)
      nanosheets as a cathodic ECL emitter with S2O8(2-) as coreactant. The prepared
      molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) functionalized utg-C3N4 nanosheets (MIP@utg
      C3N4) exhibit a stable and significantly amplified ECL signal. It is found that
      the targets of PFOA could be efficiently oxidized by the electro-generated strong
      oxidants of SO4(-) (from the reduction of coreactant S2O8(2-)), thus leading to a
      low yield of the excited utg-C3N4 (g-C3N4*) and finally a decrease in ECL signal.
      Based on this, a highly sensitive and selective MIP@utg-C3N4-based signal-off ECL
      sensor is developed for sensing PFOA. Such a newly designed ECL sensor exhibits
      highly linear over the PFOA concentration in two ranges, from 0.02 to 40.0 ng mL(
      1) and 50.0-400.0 ng mL(-1). The detection limit (S/N = 3) is estimated to be
      0.01 ng mL(-1) (i.e. 0.01 ppb), comparable to the results obtained by using well
      established liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Toward
      practical applications, this low-cost and sensitive assay was successfully
      applied to measure PFOA in real water samples, showing fine applicability for the
      detection of PFOA in real samples. 

PMID- 26481990
TI  - Fluorescent determination of graphene quantum dots in water samples.
AB  - This work presents a simple, fast and sensitive method for the preconcentration
      and quantification of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) in aqueous samples. GQDs are
      considered an object of analysis (analyte) not an analytical tool which is the
      most frequent situation in Analytical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. This
      approach is based on the preconcentration of graphene quantum dots on an anion
      exchange sorbent by solid phase extraction and their subsequent elution prior
      fluorimetric analysis of the solution containing graphene quantum dots.
      Parameters of the extraction procedure such as sample volume, type of solvent,
      sample pH, sample flow rate and elution conditions were investigated in order to
      achieve extraction efficiency. The limits of detection and quantification were
      7.5 MUg L(-1) and 25 MUg L(-1), respectively. The precision for 200 MUg L(-1),
      expressed as %RSD, was 2.8%. Recoveries percentages between 86.9 and 103.9% were
      obtained for two different concentration levels. Interferences from other
      nanoparticles were studied and no significant changes were observed at the
      concentration levels tested. Consequently, the optimized procedure has great
      potential to be applied to the determination of graphene quantum dots at trace
      levels in drinking and environmental waters. 

PMID- 26481991
TI  - The role of proton mobility in determining the energy-resolved vibrational
      activation/dissociation channels of N-glycopeptide ions.
AB  - Site-specific glycoproteomic analysis largely hinges on the use of tandem mass
      spectrometry (MS/MS) to identify glycopeptides. Experiments of this type are
      usually aimed at drawing connections between individual oligosaccharide
      structures and their specific sites of attachment to the polypeptide chain. These
      determinations inherently require ion dissociation methods capable of
      interrogating both the monosaccharide and amino acid connectivity of the
      glycopeptide. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) shows potential to satisfy
      this requirement, as the vibrational activation/dissociation of protonated N
      glycopeptides has been observed to access cleavage of either glycosidic bonds of
      the glycan or amide bonds of the peptide in an energy-resolved manner.
      Nevertheless, the relative energy requirement for these fragmentation pathways
      varies considerably among analytes. This research addresses the influence of
      proton mobility on the vibrational energy necessary to achieve either glycan or
      peptide cleavage in a collection of protonated N-glycopeptide ions. While greater
      proton mobility of the precursor ion was found to correlate with lower energy
      requirements for precursor ion depletion and appearance of glycosidic fragments,
      the vibrational energy deposition necessary for appearance of peptide backbone
      fragments showed no relation to the precursor ion proton mobility. These results
      are consistent with observations suggesting that peptide fragments arise from an
      intermediate fragment which is generally of lower proton mobility than the
      precursor ion. Such findings have potential to facilitate the rational selection
      of CID conditions which are best suited to provide either glycan or peptide
      cleavage products in MS/MS based N-glycoproteomic analysis. 

PMID- 26481992
TI  - Detection of cysteine- and lysine-based protein adductions by reactive
      metabolites of 2,5-dimethylfuran.
AB  - Many furan-containing compounds are known to be toxic and/or carcinogenic.
      Metabolic activation of toxic furans to cis-enediones (cis-enedials or gamma
      ketoenals) is generally considered as the initial step towards the processes of
      their toxicities. Sequential modification of key proteins by the electrophilic
      reactive intermediates is suggested to be an important mechanism of the toxic
      actions. In the present study, we developed a novel and simple analytical
      platform to detect protein modification resulting from metabolic activation of
      model compound 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF). 4-Bromobenzylamine and 4
      bromobenzylmercaptan were employed to trap protein adductions at cysteine and
      lysine residues, respectively. The resulting protein samples were proteolytically
      digested by chymotrypsin and Pronase E, followed by LC-MS/MS analysis.
      Modifications of cysteine and lysine residues of proteins were observed in
      microsomal incubations and animals after exposure to DMF. In conclusion, the
      approach established has been proven highly selective and reliable. This advance
      allows us not only to detect the protein adductions but also to define the
      structural identities of amino acid residues modified. This technique provides a
      unique platform to assess protein modifications arising from metabolic activation
      of potentially harmful furan-containing compounds. Hepatic protein adductions
      were found to be proportional to the hepatotoxicity of DMF. 

PMID- 26481993
TI  - Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry analysis of glycans
      with co-derivatization of asparaginyl-oligosaccharides.
AB  - As one of the most prevalent and complex post-translational modifications in
      biological systems, proteins glycosylation has drawn considerable attention in
      recent decades. Dissociation of the carbohydrates from glycoproteins may be the
      prerequisite step of glycomics experiments, which commonly performed by specific
      proteolysis. In this study, an alternative strategy was reported with nonspecific
      proteolysis in coupling with co-derivatization of TMPP-Ac and methylamidation for
      glycan moieties analysis by MALDI-MS. With the co-derivatization, a permanent
      positive charge was introduced to the Asn-glycans and the carboxylic groups were
      neutralized by methylamidation simultaneously. As a result, approximately 20 and
      50-fold enhancement in the detection sensitivity was achieved for asialo-Asn and
      disialo-Asn respectively in comparison to their native counterparts. Ultimately,
      this developed strategy was successfully validated using three model
      glycoproteins, including ribonuclease B, ovalbumin and transferrin. 

PMID- 26481994
TI  - Planar monolithic porous polymer layers functionalized with gold nanoparticles as
      large-area substrates for sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensing of
      bacteria.
AB  - For the first time, large-area surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensing active
      substrates using porous polymer monolithic layers have been successfully
      prepared. Our approach includes a simple photoinitiated polymerization process
      using glycidyl methacrylate and ethylene dimethacrylate in a glass mold, followed
      by a chemical reaction of the epoxy functionalities leading to thiols, and the
      attachment of preformed gold nanoparticles. We demonstrated that this very simple
      process produced uniform and reproducible large area surfaces that significantly
      enhance sensitivity of Raman spectroscopy. Experiments were also carried out that
      confirmed preferential adsorption of living bacteria Escherichia coli from a very
      dilute solution on the surface of the monolithic layer, and immediate detection
      of the captured microorganisms using the SERS spectrum. 

PMID- 26481995
TI  - The nature of the salt error in the Sn(II)-reduced molybdenum blue reaction for
      determination of dissolved reactive phosphorus in saline waters.
AB  - Sn(II) is a well-known reductant used in the formation of phosphomolybdenum blue
      for the determination of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) in waters because it
      provides rapid and quantitative reduction. However, in saline waters, this method
      suffers from a salt error which causes a significant decrease in sensitivity.
      This phenomenon has never been adequately explained in the literature. The Murphy
      and Riley method, which uses Sb(III) and ascorbic acid for the reduction step, is
      preferred for DRP determination in saline waters because it is unaffected by
      salinity, but it exhibits a sensitivity approximately 30% lower than that when
      Sn(II) is used as the reductant without Cl(-) interference. This study
      investigates the processes causing the salt error and possible ways of minimizing
      it, so that the benefits of Sn(II) reduction on the molybdenum blue reaction rate
      and sensitivity may be exploited in the determination of low levels of DRP in
      marine and estuarine waters. It has been established that the salt error is
      caused by the formation of Sn(IV) chloro-complexes which compete with the
      formation of Sn(IV)-substituted phosphomolybdenum blue, forcing the reaction to
      proceed via the much slower, less favourable process of direct reduction that
      occurs in methods using organic reductants such as ascorbic acid. 

PMID- 26481996
TI  - Sensitive and rapid detection of endogenous hydrogen sulfide distributing in
      different mouse viscera via a two-photon fluorescent probe.
AB  - Development of efficient methods for detection of endogenous H2S in living cells
      and tissues is of considerable significance for better understanding the
      biological and pathological functions of H2S. Two-photon (TP) fluorescent probes
      are favorable as powerful molecular tools for studying physiological process due
      to its non-invasiveness, high spatiotemporal resolution and deep-tissues imaging.
      Up to date, several TP probes for intracellular H2S imaging have been designed,
      but real-time imaging of endogenous H2S-related biological processes in tissues
      is hampered due to low sensitivity, long response time and interference from
      other biothiols. To address this issue, we herein report a novel two-photon
      fluorescent probe (TPP-H2S) for highly sensitive and fast monitoring and imaging
      H2S levels in living cells and tissues. In the presence of H2S, it exhibits
      obviously improved sensitivity (LOD: 0.12 MUM) and fast response time (about 2
      min) compared with the reported two-photon H2S probes. With two-photon
      excitation, TPP-H2S displays high signal-to-noise ratio and sensitivity even no
      interference in cell growth media. As further application, TPP-H2S is applied for
      fast imaging of H2S in living cells and different fresh tissues by two-photon
      confocal microscope. Most importantly we first measured the endogenous H2S level
      in different viscera by vivisection and found that the distribution of endogenous
      H2S mostly in brain, liver and lung. The excellent sensing properties of TPP-H2S
      make it a practically useful tool for further studying biological roles of H2S. 

PMID- 26481997
TI  - Immobilization of Ni-Pd/core-shell nanoparticles through thermal polymerization
      of acrylamide on glassy carbon electrode for highly stable and sensitive
      glutamate detection.
AB  - The preparation of a persistently stable and sensitive biosensor is highly
      important for practical applications. To improve the stability and sensitivity of
      glutamate sensors, an electrode modified with glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH)/Ni
      Pd/core-shell nanoparticles was developed using the thermal polymerization of
      acrylamide (AM) to immobilize the synthesized Ni-Pd/core-shell nanoparticles onto
      a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The modified electrode was characterized by
      scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)
      spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
      (EIS). Electrochemical data showed that the prepared biosensor had remarkably
      enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward glutamate. Moreover, superior
      reproducibility and excellent stability were observed (relative average deviation
      was 2.96% after continuous use of the same sensor for 60 times, and current
      responses remained at 94.85% of the initial value after 60 d). The sensor also
      demonstrated highly sensitive amperometric detection of glutamate with a low
      limit of detection (0.052 MUM, S/N = 3), high sensitivity (4.768 MUA MUM(-1) cm(
      2)), and a wide, useful linear range (0.1-500 MUM). No interference from
      potential interfering species such as l-cysteine, ascorbic acid, and l-aspartate
      were noted. The determination of glutamate levels in actual samples achieved good
      recovery percentages. 

PMID- 26481998
TI  - Assessment of terbium (III) as a luminescent probe for the detection of
      tuberculosis biomarkers.
AB  - A detection method for nicotinic acid, a specific metabolite marker of
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis present in cultures and patients' breath, is studied
      in complex solutions containing other metabolites and in biological media such as
      urine, saliva and breath condensate. The method is based on the analysis of the
      luminescence increase of Tb(3+) complexes in the presence of nicotinic acid due
      to the energy transfer from the excited ligand to the lanthanide ion. It is shown
      that other potential markers found in M. tuberculosis culture supernatant, such
      as methyl phenylacetate, p-methyl anisate, methyl nicotinate and 2-methoxy
      biphenyl, can interfere with nicotinic acid via a competitive absorption of the
      excitation photons. A new strategy to circumvent these interferences is proposed
      with an upstream trapping of volatile markers preceding the detection of
      nicotinic acid in the liquid phase via the luminescence of Tb(3+) complexes. The
      cost of the method is evaluated and compared with the Xpert MTB/RIF test endorsed
      by the World Health Organization. 

PMID- 26481999
TI  - Paper-based scanometric assay for lead ion detection using DNAzyme.
AB  - A facile and simple paper-based scanometric assay was developed to detect Pb(2+)
      using GR5-DNAzyme. Magnetic beads (MBs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were used
      as a signal collector and a signal indicator, respectively. They were linked
      together by GR5-DNAzyme, comprising an enzyme and a substrate strand pairing up
      with each other. In the presence of Pb(2+), the substrate strand is cut into two
      pieces, resulting in the disassembly of AuNPs from the MBs. These AuNPs were
      spotted on predefined areas on a chromatography paper, where signal is amplified
      through silver reduction. This sensing platform exhibits high sensitivity and
      selectivity toward Pb(2+), giving a detection limit of 0.3 nM and a linear
      fitting range from 0.1 to 1000 nM. Testing of this biosensor in river water and
      synthetic urine samples also showed satisfying results. Besides offering
      simultaneous and multi-sample analysis, this paper-based sensing platform
      presented here could be potentially applied and served as a general platform for
      on-site, naked eyes, and low-cost monitoring of other heavy metal ions in
      environmental and body fluid samples. 

PMID- 26482000
TI  - Lanthanide complexes as luminogenic probes to measure sulfide levels in
      industrial samples.
AB  - A series of lanthanide-based, azide-appended complexes were investigated as
      hydrogen sulfide-sensitive probes. Europium complex 1 and Tb complex 3 both
      displayed a sulfide-dependent increase in luminescence, while Tb complex 2
      displayed a decrease in luminescence upon exposure to NaHS. The utility of the
      complexes for monitoring sulfide levels in industrial oil and water samples was
      investigated. Complex 3 provided a sensitive measure of sulfide levels in
      petrochemical water samples (detection limit ~ 250 nM), while complex 1 was
      capable of monitoring MUM levels of sulfide in partially refined crude oil. 

PMID- 26482001
TI  - Miniaturised medium pressure capillary liquid chromatography system with flexible
      open platform design using off-the-shelf microfluidic components.
AB  - Trends towards portable analytical instrumentation of the last decades have not
      been equally reflected in developments of portable liquid chromatography (LC)
      instrumentation for rapid on-site measurements. A miniaturised medium pressure
      capillary LC (MPLC) system with gradient elution capability has been designed
      based on a flexible modular microfluidic system using primarily off-the-shelf low
      cost components to ensure wide accessibility to other analysts. The microfluidic
      platform was assembled on a breadboard and contained microsyringe pumps and
      switch valves, complemented with an injection valve and on-capillary detectors,
      all controlled by a PC. Four miniaturised microsyringe pumps, with 5, 20 and 100
      MUL syringe volume options, formed the basis of the pumping system. Two pairs of
      pumps were used for each mobile phase to create gradient elution capability. The
      two microsyringe pumps in each pairs were linked by two electrically operated
      microfluidic switching valves and both pairs of pumps were connected through a
      zero void volume cross-connector, thus providing a low hold-up volume for
      gradient formation. Sample was injected by a 20 nL nano-LC sampling valve,
      directly connected to a 18 cm long 100 MUm i.d. Chromolith CapRod RP-18
      monolithic capillary column. On-capillary LED-based UV-vis photometric detection
      was conducted through a piece of equal diameter fused silica capillary connected
      after the column. The performance of the portable LC system was evaluated
      theoretically and experimentally, including the maximum operating pressure,
      gradient mixing performance, and the performance of the detectors. The 5 MUL
      microsyringe pump offered the best performance, with typical maximum operating
      pressures up to 11.4 +/- 0.4 MPa (water) and gradient pumping repeatability of
      between 4 and 9% for gradients between 0.10% s(-1) and 0.33% s(-1). Test analytes
      of charged and uncharged dyes and pharmaceuticals of varying hydrophobicity
      showed typical RSD values of 0.7-1.4% and 3.3-4.8% in isocratic mode and 1.2-4.6%
      and 3.2-6.4% in gradient mode, respectively for retention time and peak area
      repeatability. 

PMID- 26482002
TI  - Novel application of liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry for the
      characterization of drying oils in art: Elucidation on the composition of
      original paint materials used by Edvard Munch (1863-1944).
AB  - Modern oil paints, introduced at the beginning of the 20th century, differ from
      those classically used in antiquity in their chemical and compositional features.
      The main ingredients were still traditional drying oils, often used in mixtures
      with less expensive oils and added with several classes of additives.
      Consequently, detailed lipid profiling, together with the study of lipid
      degradation processes, is essential for the knowledge and the conservation of
      paint materials used in modern and contemporary art. A multi-analytical approach
      based on mass spectrometry was used for the study of original paint materials
      from Munch's atelier, owned by the Munch Museum in Oslo. The results obtained in
      the analysis of paint tubes were compared with those obtained by characterizing a
      paint sample collected from one of the artist's sketches for the decoration of
      the Festival Hall of the University of Oslo (1909-1916). Py-GC/MS was used as
      screening method to evaluate the presence of lipid, proteic or polysaccaridic
      materials. GC/MS after hydrolysis and derivatization allowed us to determine the
      fatty acid profile of the paint tubes, and to evaluate the molecular changes
      associated to curing and ageing. The determination of the fatty acid profile is
      not conclusive for the characterization of complex mixtures of lipid materials,
      thus the characterization of the triglyceride profiles was performed using an
      analytical procedure based on HPLC-ESI-Q-ToF. This paper describes the first
      application of HPLC-ESI-Q-ToF for the acquisition of the triglyceride profile in
      a modern paint sample, showing the potentialities of liquid chromatography in the
      field of lipid characterization in modern paint materials. Moreover, our results
      highlighted that the application of this approach can contribute to address
      dating, authenticity and conservation issues relative to modern and contemporary
      artworks. 

PMID- 26482003
TI  - Symptoms and self-care strategies during and six months after radiotherapy for
      prostate cancer - Scoping the perspectives of patients, professionals and
      literature.
AB  - PURPOSE: Under-diagnosed and uncontrolled symptoms in patients with prostate
      cancer during radiotherapy can have a negative impact on the individual's quality
      of life. An opportunity for patients to report their symptoms systematically,
      communicate these symptoms to cancer nurses and to receive self-care advice via
      an application in an Information and Communication Technology-platform could
      overcome this risk. The content in the application must precisely capture
      symptoms that are significant to both patients and health care professionals.
      Therefore, the aim of the study was to map and describe symptoms and self-care
      strategies identified by patients with prostate cancer undergoing radiotherapy,
      by health care professionals caring for these patients, and in the literature.
      METHODS: The study combines data from interviews with patients (n = 8) and health
      care professionals (n = 10) and a scoping review of the literature (n = 26)
      focusing on the period during and up to 6 months after radiotherapy. RESULTS:
      There was a concordance between the patients, health care professionals, and the
      literature on symptoms during and after radiotherapy. Urinary symptoms, bowel
      problems, pain, sexual problems, fatigue, anxiety, depression, cognitive
      impairment and irregular symptoms were commonly described during the initial
      treatment period. Self-care strategies were rarely described in all three of the
      sources. CONCLUSIONS: The results show which symptoms to regularly assess using
      an Information and Communication Technology-platform for patients with newly
      diagnosed prostate cancer during radiotherapy. The next step is to evaluate the
      efficacy of using the platform and the accuracy of the selected symptoms and self
      care advice included in a smartphone application.

PMID- 26482004
TI  - A home-based, nurse-led health program for postoperative patients with early
      stage cervical cancer: A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of a home-based, nurse-led health program on
      quality of life and family function for postoperative patients with early-stage
      cervical cancer. METHOD: 226 cervical cancer patients, from two hospitals between
      December 2012 and April 2014, were randomly divided into intervention and control
      groups. Patients in the intervention group received an individual home-based,
      nurse-led health program (family-care team provision, physiological
      rehabilitation, emotion-release management, informal social support system, and
      follow-up monitoring), in addition to conventional nursing education. Patients in
      the control group only received conventional nursing education. The Functional
      Assessment Cancer Therapy-Cervix, Female Sexual Function Index, and the Family
      Adaptability and Cohesion Scale were used for assessment before and after the
      intervention. RESULTS: After the intervention, significant improvements were
      found for the quality of life total scores (t=-7.650, p=0.000), sexual function
      scores (t=-6.465, p=0.000), cohesion scores (t=-8.417, p=0.001) and adaptability
      scores (t=-10.735, p=0.000) in the intervention group. Moreover, proportions of
      family types were also improved (chi2 = 17.77, p=0.000). However, for the control
      group, no significant differences were found except for a decrease in sexual
      function scores (t = -4.035, p=0.000). Significant differences in change scores
      between groups were also found for quality of life (F=41.980, p=0.000), Sexual
      function (F=37.380, p=0.000), cohesion (F=15.268, p=0.000) and adaptability
      (F=16.998, p=0.000). CONCLUSION: A home-based, nurse-led health promotion program
      improves the quality of life, sexual function and family function in
      postoperative patients with early-stage cervical cancer.

PMID- 26482005
TI  - Effects of random rewiring on the degree correlation of scale-free networks.
AB  - Random rewiring is used to generate null networks for the purpose of analyzing
      the topological properties of scale-free networks, yet the effects of random
      rewiring on the degree correlation are subject to contradicting interpretations
      in the literature. We comprehensively analyze the degree correlation of randomly
      rewired scale-free networks and show that random rewiring increases
      disassortativity by reducing the average degree of the nearest neighbors of high
      degree nodes. The effect can be captured by the measures of the degree
      correlation that consider all links in the network, but not by analogous measures
      that consider only links between degree peers, hence the potential for
      contradicting interpretations. We furthermore find that random and directional
      rewiring affect the topology of a scale-free network differently, even if the
      degree correlation of the rewired networks is the same. Consequently, the network
      dynamics is changed, which is proven here by means of the biased random walk. 

PMID- 26482006
TI  - Molecular characterization and expression profile of the melatonin receptor MT1
      in the ovary of Tianzhu white yak (Bos grunniens).
AB  - Melatonin plays crucial roles in a wide range of ovarian physiological functions
      via the melatonin receptors (MRs). Structure and function of MRs have been well
      studied in sheep, cattle, and humans, but little information exists on the
      genetic characterization and function of these receptors in the ovary of the
      white yak. In the present study, the melatonin receptor MT1 was cloned by RT-PCR
      in the ovary of white yak; the MT1 cDNA fragment obtained (843bp) comprised an
      open reading frame (827bp) encoding a protein containing 275 residues,
      characterized by seven transmembrane regions and an NRY motif, two distinct amino
      acid replacements were found. The white yak MT1 had a 83.9-98.6% protein sequence
      identity with that of nine other mammals. Using RT-PCR, the expression levels of
      MT1, MT2, and LHR in the ovary of pregnant and non-pregnant white yaks were
      compared, revealing higher levels of all genes in pregnant yaks: 3.83-fold
      increase for MT1 (P<0.05), 1.39-fold increase for MT2, and 15.32-fold increase
      for LHR (P<0.05). The distribution of MT1 in yak ovaries was observed using
      immunohistochemistry on paraffin embedded ovarian sections: MT1 was mainly
      present on primordial follicles (PF), granulosa cells (GCs), oocytes, and corpus
      luteum (CL) cells; MT1 expression showed an increasing tendency from PF to GCs to
      oocytes and to large CL cells. It is suggested that melatonin and MT1 are
      associated with the corpus luteum function of pregnancy maintenance and
      follicular development during oocyte maturation in the white yak.

PMID- 26482007
TI  - Surgical anatomy and pathology of the middle ear.
AB  - Middle ear surgery is strongly influenced by anatomical and functional
      characteristics of the middle ear. The complex anatomy means a challenge for the
      otosurgeon who moves between preservation or improvement of highly important
      functions (hearing, balance, facial motion) and eradication of diseases. Of
      these, perforations of the tympanic membrane, chronic otitis media,
      tympanosclerosis and cholesteatoma are encountered most often in clinical
      practice. Modern techniques for reconstruction of the ossicular chain aim for
      best possible hearing improvement using delicate alloplastic titanium prostheses,
      but a number of prosthesis-unrelated factors work against this intent. Surgery is
      always individualized to the case and there is no one-fits-all strategy. Above
      all, both middle ear diseases and surgery can be associated with a number of
      complications; the most important ones being hearing deterioration or deafness,
      dizziness, facial palsy and life-threatening intracranial complications. To
      minimize risks, a solid knowledge of and respect for neurootologic structures is
      essential for an otosurgeon who must train him- or herself intensively on
      temporal bones before performing surgery on a patient. 

PMID- 26482008
TI  - Pretreatment with beta-Boswellic Acid Improves Blood Stasis Induced Endothelial
      Dysfunction: Role of eNOS Activation.
AB  - Vascular endothelial cells play an important role in modulating anti-thrombus and
      maintaining the natural function of vascular by secreting many active substances.
      beta-boswellic acid (beta-BA) is an active triterpenoid compound from the extract
      of boswellia serrate. In this study, it is demonstrated that beta-BA ameliorates
      plasma coagulation parameters, protects endothelium from blood stasis induced
      injury and prevents blood stasis induced impairment of endothelium-dependent
      vasodilatation. Moreover, it is found that beta-BA significantly increases nitric
      oxide (NO) and cyclic guanosine 3', 5'-monophosphate (cGMP) levels in carotid
      aortas of blood stasis rats. To stimulate blood stasis-like conditions in vitro,
      human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were exposed to transient oxygen
      and glucose deprivation (OGD). Treatment of beta-BA significantly increased
      intracellular NO level. Western blot and immunofluorescence as well as
      immunohistochemistry reveal that beta-BA increases phosphorylation of enzyme
      nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) at Ser1177. In addition, beta-BA mediated
      endothelium-dependent vasodilatation can be markedly blocked by eNOS inhibitor L
      NAME in blood stasis rats. In OGD treated HUEVCs, the protective effect of beta
      BA is attenuated by knockdown of eNOS. In conclusion, the above findings provide
      convincing evidence for the protective effects of beta-BA on blood stasis induced
      endothelial dysfunction by eNOS signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26482010
TI  - Health care experiences and perceptions among people with and without
      disabilities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about health care experiences among people with and
      without disabilities. OBJECTIVE: We sought to explore perceptions of people with
      and without disabilities related to their health care experiences. METHODS:
      Nineteen persons with and without disabilities participated in one of four focus
      groups. Focus groups were conducted in the physical world in Milwaukee, WI and in
      the virtual world in Second Life((r)) with Virtual Ability, a well-established
      community designed by and for people with a wide range of disabilities. A
      grounded theory methodology was employed to analyze focus group data. Inclusion
      of physical and virtual world focus groups enabled people with a wide range of
      disabilities to participate. RESULTS: While some participants described instances
      of receiving good care, many discussed numerous barriers. The main themes that
      emerged in focus groups among both persons with and without disabilities related
      to their health care experiences including poor coordination among providers;
      difficulties with insurance, finances, transportation and facilities; short
      duration of visits with physicians; inadequate information provision; feelings of
      being diminished and deflated; and self-advocacy as a tool. Transportation was a
      major concern for persons with disabilities influencing mobility. Persons with
      disabilities described particularly poignant experiences wherein they felt
      invisible or were viewed as incompetent. CONCLUSIONS: Both persons with and
      without disabilities experienced challenges in obtaining high quality health
      care. However, persons with disabilities experienced specific challenges often
      related to their type of disability. Participants stressed the need for improving
      health care coordination and the importance of self-advocacy.

PMID- 26482011
TI  - Effect of enamel morphology on nanoscale adhesion forces of streptococcal
      bacteria : An AFM study.
AB  - We explore the influence of enamel surface morphology on nanoscale bacterial
      adhesion forces. Three dimensional morphology characteristics of enamel slices,
      which were treated with phosphoric acid (for 0 s, 5 s, 10 s, 20 s, and 30 s),
      were acquired. Adhesion forces of three initial colonizers (Streptococcus oralis,
      Streptococcus sanguinis, and Streptococcus mitis) and two cariogenic bacterial
      strains (Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus) with etched enamel
      surfaces were determined. Comparison of the forces was made by using bacterial
      probe method under atomic force microscope (AFM) in adhesion buffer. The results
      showed that enamel morphology was significantly altered by etching treatment. The
      roughness, peak-to-valley height, and valley-to-valley width of the depth
      profile, surface area, and volume increased linearly with acid exposure time, and
      reached the maximum at 30s, respectively. The adhesion forces of different
      strains increased accordingly with etching time. Adhesion forces of S. oralis, S.
      mitis, S. mutans, and S. sobrinus reached the maximum values of 0.81 nN, 0.84 nN,
      0.73 nN, and 0.64 nN with enamel treated for 20s, respectively, whereas that of
      S. sanguinis at 10s (1.28nN), and dropped on coarser enamel surfaces. In
      conclusion, enamel micro-scale morphology may significantly alter the direct
      adhesion forces of bacteria. And there may be a threshold roughness for bacterial
      adhesion on enamel surface.

PMID- 26482012
TI  - Quantifying the Establishment Likelihood of Invasive Alien Species Introductions
      Through Ports with Application to Honeybees in Australia.
AB  - The cost of an uncontrolled incursion of invasive alien species (IAS) arising
      from undetected entry through ports can be substantial, and knowledge of port
      specific risks is needed to help allocate limited surveillance resources.
      Quantifying the establishment likelihood of such an incursion requires
      quantifying the ability of a species to enter, establish, and spread. Estimation
      of the approach rate of IAS into ports provides a measure of likelihood of entry.
      Data on the approach rate of IAS are typically sparse, and the combinations of
      risk factors relating to country of origin and port of arrival diverse. This
      presents challenges to making formal statistical inference on establishment
      likelihood. Here we demonstrate how these challenges can be overcome with
      judicious use of mixed-effects models when estimating the incursion likelihood
      into Australia of the European (Apis mellifera) and Asian (A. cerana) honeybees,
      along with the invasive parasites of biosecurity concern they host (e.g., Varroa
      destructor). Our results demonstrate how skewed the establishment likelihood is,
      with one-tenth of the ports accounting for 80% or more of the likelihood for both
      species. These results have been utilized by biosecurity agencies in the
      allocation of resources to the surveillance of maritime ports. 

PMID- 26482009
TI  - Selector function of MHC I molecules is determined by protein plasticity.
AB  - The selection of peptides for presentation at the surface of most nucleated cells
      by major histocompatibility complex class I molecules (MHC I) is crucial to the
      immune response in vertebrates. However, the mechanisms of the rapid selection of
      high affinity peptides by MHC I from amongst thousands of mostly low affinity
      peptides are not well understood. We developed computational systems models
      encoding distinct mechanistic hypotheses for two molecules, HLA-B*44:02 (B*4402)
      and HLA-B*44:05 (B*4405), which differ by a single residue yet lie at opposite
      ends of the spectrum in their intrinsic ability to select high affinity peptides.
      We used in vivo biochemical data to infer that a conformational intermediate of
      MHC I is significant for peptide selection. We used molecular dynamics
      simulations to show that peptide selector function correlates with protein
      plasticity, and confirmed this experimentally by altering the plasticity of MHC I
      with a single point mutation, which altered in vivo selector function in a
      predictable way. Finally, we investigated the mechanisms by which the co-factor
      tapasin influences MHC I plasticity. We propose that tapasin modulates MHC I
      plasticity by dynamically coupling the peptide binding region and alpha3 domain
      of MHC I allosterically, resulting in enhanced peptide selector function. 

PMID- 26482013
TI  - Normal-to-Abnormal NHC Rearrangement of Al(III) , Ga(III) , and In(III) Trialkyl
      Complexes: Scope, Mechanism, Reactivity Studies, and H2 Activation.
AB  - The present contribution reports experimental and theoretical mechanistic
      investigations on a normal-to-abnormal (C2-to-C4-bonded) NHC rearrangement
      processes occurring with bulky group 13 metal NHC adducts, including the scope of
      such a reactivity for Al compounds. The sterically congested adducts (nItBu)MMe3
      (nItBu=1,3-di-tert-butylimidazol-2-ylidene; M=Al, Ga, In; 1 a-c) readily
      rearrange to quantitatively afford the corresponding C4-bonded complexes
      (aItBu)MMe3 (4 a-c), a reaction that may be promoted by THF. Thorough
      experimental data and DFT calculations were performed on the nNHC-to-aNHC process
      converting the Al-nNHC (1 a) to its aNHC analogue 4 a. A nItBu/aItBu
      isomerization is proposed to account for the formation of the thermodynamic
      product 4 a through reaction of transient aItBu with THF-AlMe3 . The reaction of
      benzophenone with (nItBu)AlMe3 afforded the zwitterionic species (aItBu)(CPh2 -O
      AlMe3 ) (6), reflecting the unusual reactivity that such bulky adducts may
      display. Interestingly, the nItBu/Al(iBu)3 Lewis pair behaves like a frustrated
      Lewis pair (FLP) since it readily reacts with H2 under mild conditions. This may
      open the way to future reactivity developments involving commonly used
      trialkylaluminum precursors. 

PMID- 26482014
TI  - Recurrent lupus nephritis after transplantation: Clinicopathological evaluation
      with protocol biopsies.
AB  - AIM: Lupus nephritis (LN) is an important complication of systemic lupus
      erythematosus (SLE). The aim is to use indication and protocol biopsies to
      determine clinicopathological findings and outcomes of patients with LN
      undergoing kidney transplantation (KTx). METHODS: Patients who underwent KTx due
      to LN were retrospectively analyzed. Recurrent LN (RLN) was diagnosed by
      transplant kidney biopsy. RESULTS: Among 955 KTx patients, 12 patients with LN as
      the cause of end-stage renal disease were enrolled. Five patients were male. Mean
      follow-up time was 63 +/- 34 months. At the last follow-up visit, mean levels of
      serum creatinine and proteinuria were 137.0 +/- 69.0 umol/L and 0.26 +/- 0.26
      g/day, respectively. Eighteen indication and 22 protocol biopsies were performed;
      27 biopsies were additionally evaluated by immunofluorescence. In two recipients,
      subclinical RLN was confirmed by protocol biopsies. Clinical recurrence occurred
      in four patients. Among patients with RLN, time from diagnosis of LN to KTx was
      significantly shorter and use of ATG as induction treatment was significantly
      lower. Graft loss occurred in two recipients who had clinical RLN. Five-year
      overall graft survival was 85.7%. CONCLUSION: Kidney transplantation is a
      reasonable option for patients with ESRD secondary to SLE. However, recurrence of
      LN is common if protocol biopsies are included in post-transplantation
      surveillance.

PMID- 26482015
TI  - The need for evidence-based responses to address intimate partner violence
      perpetration among male substance misusers.

PMID- 26482016
TI  - Anger, problematic alcohol use, and intimate partner violence victimisation and
      perpetration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anger and problematic alcohol use have been established as individual
      risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) victimisation and perpetration,
      but it is unknown how these factors convey risk for IPV perpetration for men and
      women within the context of mutually violent relationships. HYPOTHESES: Anger and
      problematic alcohol use were hypothesised to mediate the association between IPV
      victimisation and perpetration for men and women, with direct and indirect
      influences from partner variables. METHODS: Heterosexual couples (N = 215) at
      high-risk for IPV completed questionnaires indexing trait anger, problematic
      alcohol use and extent of past-year IPV perpetration and victimisation. An actor
      partner interdependence modelling (APIM) framework was used to evaluate these
      cross-sectional data for two hypothesised models and one parsimonious
      alternative. RESULTS: The best-fitting model indicated that IPV victimisation
      showed the strongest direct effect on physical IPV perpetration for both men and
      women. For women, but not men, the indirect effect of IPV victimisation on
      physical IPV perpetration through anger approached significance. For men, but not
      women, the victimisation-perpetration indirect effect through problematic
      drinking approached significance. IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: The results
      suggest that anger and problem drinking patterns play different yet important
      roles for men and women in mutually violent relationships.

PMID- 26482017
TI  - Dyadic violence and readiness to change among male intimate partner violence
      offenders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although readiness to change is associated with mandated partner
      violence treatment compliance and subsequent violent behaviour among male
      offenders (e.g. Scott and Wolfe, 2003; Eckhardt et al., 2004), our understanding
      of the factors associated with pretreatment change remains limited. Offender
      research indicates that individual and dyadic violent behaviour are highly
      variable and that such variability may provide insight into levels of
      pretreatment change (Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart, 1994; Archer, 2002).
      AIMS/HYPOTHESES: We sought to examine the associations between indicators of
      change and individual as well as dyadic violence frequency in a sample of male
      partner violence offenders. METHOD: To determine whether severity and perceived
      concordance in the use of violence among male offenders and their female partners
      influenced readiness to change at pretreatment, 82 recently adjudicated male
      perpetrators of intimate partner violence were recruited into the current study
      and administered measures of readiness to change violent behaviour (Revised Safe
      at Home Scale; Begun et al., 2008) as well as partner violence experiences
      (Revised Conflict Tactics Scale; Straus et al., 1996). RESULTS: Analyses revealed
      an interaction between offender-reported male and female violence in the
      prediction of pretreatment readiness to change such that greater male violence
      was associated with greater readiness to change among males who reported that
      their female partners perpetrated low, but not high, levels of violence.
      Consistently, greater female violence was associated with lower readiness to
      change only among the most violent male offenders. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
      FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: Results provide support for the assertion that the most
      violent offenders may be the most resistant to partner violence intervention
      efforts, particularly when they perceive themselves to be victims as well.
      Enhanced motivational and couples programming may facilitate treatment engagement
      among the high-risk group of male offenders who report concordant relationship
      violence.

PMID- 26482018
TI  - Mentoring serial and high-risk perpetrators of intimate partner violence in the
      community: Engagement and initiating change.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mentoring has typically been used with young offenders. A pilot
      mentoring project has been introduced in the UK for high-risk intimate partner
      violence (IPV) offenders. AIMS: The aim of the study was to evaluate how serial
      and high-risk IPV men engaged with mentoring and how change was initiated for
      this population. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with two mentors, six mentees
      and four support workers, and file notes for 16 mentees were examined. Thematic
      analysis was employed to analyse the data. RESULTS: The global theme, tools and
      techniques that facilitate engagement comprised two organising themes, building
      relationships and tenacity of the mentor, which explained how engagement was
      initiated and driven. Catalysts to initiate change with its two organising
      themes, hooks and focus on the future, captured factors that act as potential
      turning points or triggers for the mentees to address their use of IPV and start
      the process of change. CONCLUSIONS: Mentoring is an innovative and alternative
      approach for engaging intervention-resistant serial and high-risk IPV
      perpetrators, enabling them to identify their need to change and laying down the
      foundation that could facilitate this change.

PMID- 26482019
TI  - Project WINGS (Women Initiating New Goals of Safety): A randomised controlled
      trial of a screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT)
      service to identify and address intimate partner violence victimisation among
      substance-using women receiving community supervision.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The high rate of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimisation found
      among substance-using women receiving community supervision underscores the need
      for effective IPV victimisation screening, brief intervention and referral to
      treatment services (SBIRT) for this population. AIMS: This randomised controlled
      trial (RCT) aims to assess the feasibility, safety and efficacy of a single
      session computerised self-paced IPV SBIRT (Computerised WINGS) in identifying IPV
      victimisation among women under community supervision and increasing access to
      IPV services, compared to the same IPV SBIRT service delivered by a case manager
      (Case Manager WINGS). METHODS: This RCT was conducted with 191 substance-using
      women in probation and community court sites in New York City. RESULTS: No
      significant differences were found between Computerised and Case Manager WINGS
      arms on any outcomes. Both arms reported identical high rates of any physical,
      sexual or psychological IPV victimisation in the past year (77% for both arms)
      during the intervention. Both arms experienced significant increases from
      baseline to the 3-month follow-up in receipt of IPV services, social support, IPV
      self-efficacy and abstinence from drug use. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that
      both modalities of WINGS show promise in identifying and addressing IPV
      victimisation among substance-using women receiving community supervision.

PMID- 26482020
TI  - Embolic protection device use and its association with procedural safety and long
      term outcomes following saphenous vein graft intervention: An analysis from the
      British Columbia Cardiac registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Embolic protection devices (EPDs) have been designed and introduced
      to reduce distal embolization and peri-procedural myocardial infarction during
      saphenous vein graft (SVG) intervention. Current guidelines give a class I
      recommendation to EPD use during SVG intervention when technically feasible.
      However, the routine use of these devices has recently been debated. METHODS: We
      analyzed 1,359 patients undergoing isolated SVG intervention between 2008 and
      2013 in the British Columbia Cardiac Registry. We analyzed (a) post-procedural
      TIMI flow; and (b) target vessel revascularization (TVR) and mortality at 1 and 2
      years. RESULTS: EPD use was an independent predictor of post-procedural TIMI 2/3
      flow (OR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.51-3.74, P < 0.001). At 1 year, EPD use was an
      independent predictor for lower TVR (HR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.14-0.85, P = 0.021) and
      a trend towards lower mortality (HR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.18-1.10, P = 0.082). These
      associations were lost at 2 years where EPD use was not predictive of mortality
      (HR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.33-1.17, P = 0.144) or TVR (HR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.41-1.17, P
      = 0.176). These findings were confirmed in propensity-matched and inverse
      probability treatment weighted analyses. CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis of
      patients undergoing SVG intervention, EPD use was a strong predictor for improved
      post-procedural TIMI flow. Whilst EPD use was associated with lower TVR and a
      trend for lower mortality at 1 year, these associations were lost at 2 years.
      These findings would appear to support the use of EPD for SVG intervention. (c)
      2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26482021
TI  - Remarkable Differences in Reactivity between Benzothiazoline and Hantzsch Ester
      as a Hydrogen Donor in Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Asymmetric Reductive
      Amination of Ketones.
AB  - Described herein are differences in behavior between a Hantzsch ester and a
      benzothiazoline as hydrogen donors in the chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed
      asymmetric reductive amination of ketones with p-anisidine. The asymmetric
      reductive amination of ketones with a Hantzsch ester as a hydrogen donor provided
      the corresponding chiral amines exclusively, regardless of the structures of the
      ketones, whereas a similar transformation with a benzothiazoline provided chiral
      amines and p-methoxyphenyl-protected primary amines in variable yields, depending
      on the structures of both the ketones and benzothiazolines. Because a
      benzothiazoline has an N,S-acetal moiety that is vulnerable to p-anisidine, the
      primary amine can be formed through transimination of the benzothiazoline with p
      anisidine followed by reduction of the resulting aldimine with remaining
      benzothiazoline. 

PMID- 26482022
TI  - Authors' reply.

PMID- 26482023
TI  - Authors' reply.

PMID- 26482024
TI  - Potential signaling pathway of hypoxia-inducible factor in lung cancer and its
      gene polymorphism with lung cancer risk.
AB  - Lung cancer is becoming the leading cause of cancer death worldwide with highest
      morbidity and mortality, and knowing the pathogenesis and signaling pathway is
      very important and advances in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease are
      urgently needed. Gene polymorphism was reported to be associated with the lung
      cancer risk. We reviewed the potential signaling pathway of hypoxia-inducible
      factor in lung cancer and conducted a meta-analysis to explore its gene
      polymorphism with lung cancer risk. In the meta-analysis, hypoxia-inducible
      factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) G1790A A allele, AA genotype and GG genotype were
      associated with lung cancer risk (A allele: OR = 2.31, 95% CI: 1.77-3.02, p <
      0.00001; AA genotype: OR = 4.52, 95% CI: 2.31-8.83, p < 0.0001; GG genotype: OR =
      0.45, 95% CI: 0.33-0.63, p < 0.00001). Furthermore, HIF-1alpha C1772 TT genotype
      and CC genotype were associated with lung cancer risk, but the T allele was not.
      In conclusion, HIF-1alpha G1790A A allele, AA genotype and GG genotype, HIF
      1alpha C1772 TT genotype and CC genotype were associated with lung cancer risk.
      However, more studies should be performed to confirm it. 

PMID- 26482025
TI  - Role of high-mobility group box-1 protein in disruption of vascular barriers and
      regulation of leukocyte-endothelial interactions.
AB  - High-mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1) is a highly conserved non-histone DNA
      binding protein present in the nuclei and cytoplasm of nearly all cell types. The
      results from recent research provide evidence that HMGB1 is secreted into the
      extracellular milieu and acts as a pro-inflammatory cytokine and exhibits
      angiogenic effects to fire the immunological response against the pathological
      effects. Recently, a great deal of evidence has indicated the critical importance
      of HMGB1 in mediating vascular barriers dysfunction by modulating the expression
      of adhesion molecules, such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell
      adhesion protein 1 and E-selectin on the surface of endothelial cells. Such
      process promotes the adhesion and migration of leukocytes across the endothelium,
      leading to breakdown of vascular barriers (blood-brain barrier and blood-retinal
      barrier) via modulating the expression, content, phosphorylation, and
      distribution of tight junction proteins. Therefore, here we give an abridged
      review to understand the mechanistic link between HMGB1 and vascular barriers
      dysfunction, including interaction with cell-surface receptors and intracellular
      signaling pathways. 

PMID- 26482027
TI  - One-hour plasma glucose as a predictor of the development of Type 2 diabetes in
      Japanese adults.
AB  - AIMS: To test the hypothesis that 1-h plasma glucose in an oral glucose tolerance
      test is a better predictor of the development of diabetes than 2-h plasma
      glucose, independently of indices of insulin secretion or action in Japanese
      adults. METHODS: A historical cohort study was conducted in 1445 Japanese workers
      who did not have diabetes. The association between 1-h plasma glucose and the
      development of Type 2 diabetes was analysed. RESULTS: Overall, 95 of the study
      participants developed Type 2 diabetes during a mean follow-up of 4.5 years. The
      area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for 1-h plasma glucose for
      future diabetes [0.88 (95% CI 0.84-0.91)] was greater than that for 2-h plasma
      glucose [0.79 (95% CI 0.74-0.84)], and for insulinogenic [0.73 (95% CI 0.68
      0.78)] and disposition indices [0.79 (95% CI 0.74-0.84); P < 0.05]. Compared with
      the first quartile, the hazard ratio for future diabetes in the fourth quartile
      of 1-h plasma glucose was 42.5 [95% CI 5.7-315.2 (P < 0.05)] and the hazard ratio
      in the fourth quartile of 2-h plasma glucose was 4.4 [95% CI 1.8-10.8 (P <
      0.05)], after adjustments for covariates including fasting plasma glucose. The
      significance of the elevated hazard ratio in the fourth quartile of 1-h plasma
      glucose was maintained after adjustments for 2-h plasma glucose, insulinogenic
      index or disposition index, whereas the elevation of the hazard ratio in the
      fourth quartile of 2-h plasma glucose was diminished and was no longer
      significant after adjustments for 1-h plasma glucose. CONCLUSIONS: One-hour
      plasma glucose had a greater association with the future development of Type 2
      diabetes than did 2-h plasma glucose, independently of oral glucose tolerance
      test-derived indices of insulin action in a Japanese population.

PMID- 26482026
TI  - Graphene oxide as a protein matrix: influence on protein biophysical properties.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study provides fundamental information on the influence of
      graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and glycans on protein catalytic activity,
      dynamics, and thermal stability. We provide evidence of protein stabilization by
      glycans and how this strategy could be implemented when GO nanosheets is used as
      protein immobilization matrix. A series of bioconjugates was constructed using
      two different strategies: adsorbing or covalently attaching native and
      glycosylated bilirubin oxidase (BOD) to GO. RESULTS: Bioconjugate formation was
      followed by FT-IR, zeta-potential, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
      measurements. Enzyme kinetic parameters (k(m) and k(cat)) revealed that the
      substrate binding affinity was not affected by glycosylation and immobilization
      on GO, but the rate of enzyme catalysis was reduced. Structural analysis by
      circular dichroism showed that glycosylation did not affect the tertiary or the
      secondary structure of BOD. However, GO produced slight changes in the secondary
      structure. To shed light into the biophysical consequence of protein
      glycosylation and protein immobilization on GO nanosheets, we studied structural
      protein dynamical changes by FT-IR H/D exchange and thermal inactivation.
      CONCLUSIONS: It was found that glycosylation caused a reduction in structural
      dynamics that resulted in an increase in thermostability and a decrease in the
      catalytic activity for both, glycoconjugate and immobilized enzyme. These results
      establish the usefulness of chemical glycosylation to modulate protein structural
      dynamics and stability to develop a more stable GO-protein matrix.

PMID- 26482028
TI  - A retrospective, longitudinal study of factors associated with new antipsychotic
      medication use among recently admitted long-term care residents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Use of antipsychotic (AP) medications is high and often inappropriate
      among institutionalized populations. Little is known about the correlates of new
      AP drug use following admission to long-term care (LTC) settings. This study
      investigated the frequency and correlates of new AP drug use among newly admitted
      LTC residents. METHODS: This longitudinal, retrospective study used data from the
      interRAI - Nursing Home Minimum Data Set version 2.0 (MDS 2.0) instrument. Data
      about demographic, clinical and social characteristics, and medication use, were
      collected in Ontario, Canada, from 2003-2011 by trained nurses. Residents with
      complete admission and 3-6 month follow-up data were included (N = 47,768).
      Multivariate logistic regression analyses, stratified by gender, explored
      correlates of new AP drug use upon admission to LTC. RESULTS: New AP drug users
      comprised 7 % of the final cohort. Severe cognitive impairment, dementia, and
      motor agitation were significantly associated with new AP drug use among both
      sexes. Additionally, behavioural problems, conflicts with staff and reduced
      social engagement were strong correlates of new AP drug use. CONCLUSIONS: Social
      factors were as strongly associated with new AP drug use after LTC admission as
      clinical factors. Strategies to prevent the potential misuse of AP drugs upon LTC
      admission should consider the social determinants of such prescribing.

PMID- 26482029
TI  - Ursodeoxycholic Acid for Treatment of Enlarged Polycystic Liver.
AB  - Patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and polycystic liver
      disease (PLD) often have elevated serum levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and
      gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT). Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is used to treat
      biliary tract diseases, but its effect on PLD remains unclear. UDCA was
      administered for 1 year at a dose of 300 mg daily to seven PLD patients with
      elevated ALP or GGT levels who were selected for this treatment by experienced
      clinicians. Laboratory data and liver volumes were compared among three time
      points: 1 year before UDCA treatment, at the start of UDCA therapy, and 1 year
      after the start of therapy. Median GGT did not show a significant change between
      1 year before UDCA (180 IU/L) and the start of UDCA therapy (209 IU/L), but it
      decreased significantly to 98 IU/L after 1 year of UDCA therapy (P = 0.015 vs.
      the start of therapy). ALP showed a significant increase from 1 year before UDCA
      (456 IU/L) to the start of UDCA therapy (561 IU/L), and then decreased
      significantly after 1 year of UDCA therapy (364 IU/L). Median liver volume did
      not show any significant changes among these three time points of assessment.
      UDCA may be effective for reducing biliary enzyme levels and inhibiting the
      growth of liver cysts in patients with PLD. 

PMID- 26482030
TI  - Dual-Function Metal-Organic Framework as a Versatile Catalyst for Detoxifying
      Chemical Warfare Agent Simulants.
AB  - The nanocrystals of a porphyrin-based zirconium(IV) metal-organic framework (MOF)
      are used as a dual-function catalyst for the simultaneous detoxification of two
      chemical warfare agent simulants at room temperature. Simulants of nerve agent
      (such as GD, VX) and mustard gas, dimethyl 4-nitrophenyl phosphate and 2
      chloroethyl ethyl sulfide, have been hydrolyzed and oxidized, respectively, to
      nontoxic products via a pair of pathways catalyzed by the same MOF.
      Phosphotriesterase-like activity of the Zr6-containing node combined with
      photoactivity of the porphyrin linker gives rise to a versatile MOF catalyst. In
      addition, bringing the MOF crystals down to the nanoregime leads to acceleration
      of the catalysis. 

PMID- 26482031
TI  - Postoperative negative-pressure incision therapy following open colorectal
      surgery (Poniy): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative surgical site infections cause substantial morbidity,
      prolonged hospitalization, costs and even mortality, and remain one of the most
      frequent surgical complications. In prospective trials with adequate follow-up,
      more than 20 % of patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery are affected
      and methods to reduce surgical site infections are urgently needed. Negative
      pressure incision therapy is a novel intervention that holds promise to reduce
      postoperative wound infection rates, but has not yet been rigorously tested in a
      randomized controlled trial. METHODS/DESIGN: The aim is to investigate whether
      the postoperative application of a negative-pressure incision therapy device for
      5-7 days reduces the rate of surgical site infections following open elective
      colorectal surgery by 50 %. This is a randomized, controlled, observer-blinded
      multicentre clinical trial with two parallel study groups. The primary outcome
      measure will be the rate of surgical site infections within 30 days
      postoperatively. Surgical site infections are defined according to criteria of
      the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Statistical analysis of the
      primary endpoint measure will be based on the intention-to-treat population. The
      global level of significance is set at 5 % (two-sided) and the sample size (n =
      170 per group) is determined to assure a power of 80 %. DISCUSSION: The Poniy
      trial will explore whether the rate of surgical site infections can be reduced by
      the application of a negative-pressure incision therapy device in patients
      undergoing open elective colorectal surgery. Its pragmatic design guarantees high
      external validity and clinical relevance. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Deutsches Register
      Klinischer Studien DRKS00006199 .

PMID- 26482032
TI  - Follicular regulatory T cells impair follicular T helper cells in HIV and SIV
      infection.
AB  - Human and simian immunodeficiency viruses (HIV and SIV) exploit follicular
      lymphoid regions by establishing high levels of viral replication and
      dysregulating humoral immunity. Follicular regulatory T cells (TFR) are a
      recently characterized subset of lymphocytes that influence the germinal centre
      response through interactions with follicular helper T cells (TFH). Here,
      utilizing both human and rhesus macaque models, we show the impact of HIV and SIV
      infection on TFR number and function. We find that TFR proportionately and
      numerically expand during infection through mechanisms involving viral entry and
      replication, TGF-beta signalling, low apoptosis rates and the presence of
      regulatory dendritic cells. Further, TFR exhibit elevated regulatory phenotypes
      and impair TFH functions during HIV infection. Thus, TFR contribute to
      inefficient germinal centre responses and inhibit HIV and SIV clearance. 

PMID- 26482033
TI  - Changes of choroidal structure after treatment for primary intraocular lymphoma:
      retrospective, observational case series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We report changes of choroidal structure determined by binarization
      of enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomographic (EDI-OCT) images after
      treatment for primary intraocular lymphoma (PIOL). METHODS: Five eyes of four
      patients with PIOL were examined by EDI-OCT before and 6 months after
      intravitreal methotrexate injections. In addition, 15 eyes of 15 normal
      individuals controlled by age and refractive error were examined by EDI-OCT.
      Binarization of the EDI-OCT images was performed using publicly accessible
      software (ImageJ). The examined area of the subfoveal choroid was 1,500 MUm wide,
      and the dark areas that represented the luminal areas were traced by the Niblack
      method. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to determine the significance of
      changes in the subfoveal choroidal thickness, interstitial area, and luminal
      area. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the parameters in the eyes with
      pretreatment PIOL and normal control eyes. RESULTS: The subfoveal choroidal
      thickness was significantly decreased after treatment (P = 0.0431). In the
      binarized images, the interstitial area was significantly decreased after
      treatment (P = 0.0431), while the luminal area was not significantly changed (P =
      0.8927). After delayed onset of PIOL, increased interstitial area, thickened
      choroid and unchanged luminal area were observed in one eye. The interstitial
      area and choroidal thickness were significantly increased in the eyes with
      pretreatment PIOL compared with the normal control eyes (P = 0.0207, P = 0.0495,
      respectively), while the luminal area was not significantly different (P =
      0.2752). CONCLUSIONS: After treatment for PIOL, the EDI-OCT images showed a
      thinner choroid, and binarization of the EDI-OCT images showed significantly
      decreased interstitial areas compared with the luminal areas. The binarized EDI
      OCT images can provide useful information on choroidal structure in eyes with
      PIOL, and combining these images with intraocular interleukin levels or fundus
      autofluorescence images should provide valuable information for determining the
      PIOL activity.

PMID- 26482034
TI  - Modern affinity reagents: Recombinant antibodies and aptamers.
AB  - Affinity reagents are essential tools in both basic and applied research;
      however, there is a growing concern about the reproducibility of animal-derived
      monoclonal antibodies. The need for higher quality affinity reagents has prompted
      the development of methods that provide scientific, economic, and time-saving
      advantages and do not require the use of animals. This review describes two types
      of affinity reagents, recombinant antibodies and aptamers, which are non-animal
      technologies that can replace the use of animal-derived monoclonal antibodies.
      Recombinant antibodies are protein-based reagents, while aptamers are nucleic
      acid-based. In light of the scientific advantages of these technologies, this
      review also discusses ways to gain momentum in the use of modern affinity
      reagents, including an update to the 1999 National Academy of Sciences monoclonal
      antibody production report and federal incentives for recombinant antibody and
      aptamer efforts. In the long-term, these efforts have the potential to improve
      the overall quality and decrease the cost of scientific research. 

PMID- 26482035
TI  - Evidence for Degradation of the Chrome Yellows in Van Gogh's Sunflowers: A Study
      Using Noninvasive In Situ Methods and Synchrotron-Radiation-Based X-ray
      Techniques.
AB  - This paper presents firm evidence for the chemical alteration of chrome yellow
      pigments in Van Gogh's Sunflowers (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam). Noninvasive in
      situ spectroscopic analysis at several spots on the painting, combined with
      synchrotron-radiation-based X-ray investigations of two microsamples, revealed
      the presence of different types of chrome yellow used by Van Gogh, including the
      lightfast PbCrO4 and the sulfur-rich PbCr1-x Sx O4 (x~0.5) variety that is known
      for its high propensity to undergo photoinduced reduction. The products of this
      degradation process, i.e., Cr(III) compounds, were found at the interface between
      the paint and the varnish. Selected locations of the painting with the highest
      risk of color modification by chemical deterioration of chrome yellow are
      identified, thus calling for careful monitoring in the future.

PMID- 26482037
TI  - Dewetting transition induced by surfactants in sessile droplets at the early
      evaporation stage.
AB  - As surfactants are employed to control the wettability of solutions, we observe
      that the sessile droplet dewetting induced by autophobing exhibits a unique
      relation with the surfactant concentration. Below the critical micelle
      concentration (cmc) of the surfactant, the autophobic effect makes the droplet go
      through a rapid depinning at first (Phase 1) and then a relatively slower
      shrinkage (Phase 2). Unexpectedly, the rapid velocity of the three-phase contact
      line in Phase 1 shows a transition as the surfactant concentration increases
      above 0.043 cmc, while such a transition is absent for the velocity in Phase 2.
      The spreading of the sessile droplets as they form before retraction, the maximum
      contact angle led by dewetting, and the droplet lifetime are regularly sensitive
      to the surfactant concentration as well. These phenomena are correlated with the
      assembling structure and the adsorbed amount at different interfaces with the
      loading of surfactant inventory. 

PMID- 26482036
TI  - Comparative analysis of microRNA expression in mouse and human brown adipose
      tissue.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In small mammals brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a predominant role
      in regulating energy expenditure (EE) via adaptive thermogenesis. New-born babies
      require BAT to control their body temperature, however its relevance in adults
      has been questioned. Active BAT has recently been observed in adult humans,
      albeit in much lower relative quantities than small mammals. Comparing and
      contrasting the molecular mechanisms controlling BAT growth and development in
      mice and humans will increase our understanding or how human BAT is developed and
      may identify potential therapeutic targets to increase EE. MicroRNAs are
      molecular mechanisms involved in mouse BAT development however, little is known
      about the miRNA profile in human BAT. The aims of this study were to establish a
      mouse BAT-enriched miRNA profile and compare this with miRNAs measured in human
      BAT. To achieve this we firstly established a mouse BAT enriched-miRNA profile by
      comparing miRNAs expressed in mouse BAT, white adipose tissue and skeletal
      muscle. Following this the BAT-enriched miRNAs predicted to target genes
      potentially involved in growth and development were identified. METHODS: MiRNA
      levels were measured using PCR-based miRNA arrays. Results were analysed using
      ExpressionSuite software with the global mean expression value of all expressed
      miRNAs in a givensample used as the normalisation factor. Bio-informatic analyses
      was used to predict gene targets followed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. RESULTS:
      We identified 35 mouse BAT-enriched miRNAs that were predicted to target genes
      potentially involved in growth and development. We also identified 145 miRNAs
      expressed in both mouse and human BAT, of which 25 were enriched in mouse BAT. Of
      these 25 miRNAs, miR-20a was predicted to target MYF5 and PPARgamma, two
      important genes involved in brown adipogenesis, as well as BMP2 and BMPR2, genes
      involved in white adipogenesis. For the first time, 69 miRNAs were identified in
      human BAT but absent in mouse BAT, and 181 miRNAs were expressed in mouse but not
      in human BAT. CONCLUSION: The present study has identified a small sub-set of
      miRNAs common to both mouse and human BAT. From this sub-set bioinformatics
      analysis suggested a potential role of miR-20a in the control of cell fate and
      this warrants further investigation. The large number of miRNAs found only in
      mouse BAT or only in human BAT highlights the differing molecular profile between
      species that is likely to influence the functional role of BAT across species.
      Nevertheless the BAT-enriched miRNA profiles established in the present study
      suggest targets to investigate in the control BAT development and EE.

PMID- 26482038
TI  - Missed Opportunities and Lost Lives: Consequences of Some Proposed Changes to
      Regulations on Research with Human Tissues--Letter.

PMID- 26482039
TI  - Chemotherapy Resistance in Diffuse-Type Gastric Adenocarcinoma Is Mediated by
      RhoA Activation in Cancer Stem-Like Cells.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Lauren diffuse type of gastric adenocarcinoma (DGA), as opposed to
      the intestinal type (IGA), often harbors mutations in RHOA, but little is known
      about the role of RhoA in DGA. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We examined RhoA activity and
      RhoA pathway inhibition in DGA cell lines and in two mouse xenograft models. RhoA
      activity was also assessed in patient tumor samples. RESULTS: RhoA activity was
      higher in DGA compared with IGA cell lines and was further increased when grown
      as spheroids to enrich for cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) or when sorted using the
      gastric CSC marker CD44. RhoA shRNA or the RhoA inhibitor Rhosin decreased
      expression of the stem cell transcription factor, Sox2, and decreased spheroid
      formation by 78% to 81%. DGA spheroid cells had 3- to 5-fold greater migration
      and invasion than monolayer cells, and this activity was Rho-dependent. Diffuse
      GA spheroid cells were resistant in a cytotoxicity assay to 5-fluorouracil and
      cisplatin chemotherapy, and this resistance could be reversed with RhoA pathway
      inhibition. In two xenograft models, cisplatin inhibited tumor growth by 40% to
      50%, RhoA inhibition by 32% to 60%, and the combination by 77% to 83%. In 288
      patient tumors, increased RhoA activity correlated with worse overall survival in
      DGA patients (P = 0.017) but not in IGA patients (P = 0.612). CONCLUSIONS: RhoA
      signaling promotes CSC phenotypes in DGA cells. Increased RhoA activity is
      correlated with worse overall survival in DGA patients, and RhoA inhibition can
      reverse chemotherapy resistance in DGA CSC and in tumor xenografts. Thus, the
      RhoA pathway is a promising new target in DGA patients.

PMID- 26482040
TI  - A Phase I/II Multicenter, Open-Label Study of the Oral Histone Deacetylase
      Inhibitor Abexinostat in Relapsed/Refractory Lymphoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Additional targeted therapeutics are needed for the treatment of
      lymphoma. Abexinostat is an oral pan-histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi)
      displaying potent activity in preclinical models. We conducted a multicenter
      phase I/II study (N = 55) with single-agent abexinostat in relapsed/refractory
      lymphoma. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: In phase I, 25 heavily pretreated patients with
      any lymphoma subtype received oral abexinostat ranging from 30 to 60 mg/m(2)
      twice daily 5 days/week for 3 weeks or 7 days/week given every other week. Phase
      II evaluated abexinostat at the maximum tolerated dose in 30 patients with
      relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma or mantle cell lymphoma. RESULTS: The
      recommended phase II dose was 45 mg/m(2) twice daily (90 mg/m(2) total), 7
      days/week given every other week. Of the 30 follicular lymphoma and mantle cell
      lymphoma patients enrolled in phase II, 25 (14 follicular lymphoma, 11 mantle
      cell lymphoma) were response-evaluable. Tumor size was reduced in 86% of
      follicular lymphoma patients with an investigator-assessed ORR of 64.3% for
      evaluable patients [intent-to-treat (ITT) ORR 56.3%]. Median duration of response
      was not reached, and median progression-free survival (PFS) was 20.5 months (1.2
      22.3+). Of responding follicular lymphoma patients, 89% were on study/drug >8
      months. In mantle cell lymphoma, the ORR was 27.3% for evaluable patients (ITT
      ORR 21.4%), and median PFS was 3.9 months (range, 0.1-11.5). Grade 3-4 treatment
      related adverse events (phase II) with >= 10% incidence were thrombocytopenia
      (20%), fatigue (16.7%), and neutropenia (13.3%) with rare QTc prolongation and no
      deaths. CONCLUSIONS: The pan-HDACi, abexinostat, was overall well tolerated and
      had significant clinical activity in follicular lymphoma, including highly
      durable responses in this multiply relapsed patient population.

PMID- 26482042
TI  - Transthoracic Needle Biopsies: It's More than Just Hitting the Bull's-eye.
AB  - Spectroscopy has shown to be of value in determining benign from malignant
      tissue. Incorporation of spectroscopic measurements may increase the diagnostic
      yield of transthoracic needle biopsies. Given the increasing amount of
      incidentally found lung lesions, such a technique may prevent unnecessary
      invasive procedures and uncertainty for the patient.

PMID- 26482041
TI  - Preclinical Efficacy of the MDM2 Inhibitor RG7112 in MDM2-Amplified and TP53 Wild
      type Glioblastomas.
AB  - PURPOSE: p53 pathway alterations are key molecular events in glioblastoma (GBM).
      MDM2 inhibitors increase expression and stability of p53 and are presumed to be
      most efficacious in patients with TP53 wild-type and MDM2-amplified cancers.
      However, this biomarker hypothesis has not been tested in patients or patient
      derived models for GBM. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We performed a preclinical
      evaluation of RG7112 MDM2 inhibitor, across a panel of 36 patient-derived GBM
      cell lines (PDCL), each genetically characterized according to their P53 pathway
      status. We then performed a pharmacokinetic (PK) profiling of RG7112 distribution
      in mice and evaluated the therapeutic activity of RG7112 in orthotopic and
      subcutaneous GBM models. RESULTS: MDM2-amplified PDCLs were 44 times more
      sensitive than TP53-mutated lines that showed complete resistance at
      therapeutically attainable concentrations (avg. IC50 of 0.52 MUmol/L vs. 21.9
      MUmol/L). MDM4-amplified PDCLs were highly sensitive but showed intermediate
      response (avg. IC50 of 1.2 MUmol/L), whereas response was heterogeneous in TP53
      wild-type PDCLs with normal MDM2/4 levels (avg. IC50 of 7.7 MUmol/L). In MDM2
      amplified lines, RG7112 restored p53 activity inducing robust p21 expression and
      apoptosis. PK profiling of RG7112-treated PDCL intracranial xenografts
      demonstrated that the compound significantly crosses the blood-brain and the
      blood-tumor barriers. Most importantly, treatment of MDM2-amplified/TP53 wild
      type PDCL-derived model (subcutaneous and orthotopic) reduced tumor growth, was
      cytotoxic, and significantly increased survival. CONCLUSIONS: These data strongly
      support development of MDM2 inhibitors for clinical testing in MDM2-amplified GBM
      patients. Moreover, significant efficacy in a subset of non-MDM2-amplified models
      suggests that additional markers of response to MDM2 inhibitors must be
      identified.

PMID- 26482044
TI  - Well-Differentiated Neuroendocrine Tumors with a Morphologically Apparent High
      Grade Component: A Pathway Distinct from Poorly Differentiated Neuroendocrine
      Carcinomas.
AB  - PURPOSE: Most well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (WD-NET) of the
      enteropancreatic system are low-intermediate grade (G1, G2). Elevated
      proliferation demonstrated by either a brisk mitotic rate (>20/10 high power
      fields) or high Ki-67 index (>20%) defines a group of aggressive neoplasms
      designated as high-grade (G3) neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC). High-grade NEC is
      equated with poorly differentiated NEC (PD-NEC) and is associated with a dismal
      outcome. Progression of WD-NETs to a high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasm very
      rarely occurs and their clinicopathologic and molecular features need to be
      characterized. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We investigated 31 cases of WD-NETs with
      evidence of a component of a high-grade neoplasm. The primary sites included
      pancreas, small bowel, bile duct, and rectum. Histopathology of the cases was
      retrospectively reviewed and selected IHC and gene mutation analyses performed.
      RESULTS: The high-grade component occurred either within the primary tumor (48%)
      or at metastatic sites (52%). The clinical presentation, radiographic features,
      biomarkers, and the genotype of these WD-NETs with high-grade component remained
      akin to those of G1-G2 WD-NETs. The median disease-specific survival (DSS) was 55
      months (16-119 months), and 2-year and 5-year DSS was 88% and 49%, respectively
      significantly better than that of a comparison group of true PD-NEC (DSS 11
      months). CONCLUSIONS: Mixed grades can occur in WD-NETs, which are distinguished
      from PD-NECs by their unique phenotype, proliferative indices, and the genotype.
      This phenomenon of mixed grade in WD-NET provides additional evidence to the
      growing recognition that the current WHO G3 category contains both WD-NETs as
      well as PD-NECs.

PMID- 26482043
TI  - MAPK Activation Predicts Poor Outcome and the MEK Inhibitor, Selumetinib,
      Reverses Antiestrogen Resistance in ER-Positive High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although 67% of high-grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSOC) express the
      estrogen receptor (ER), most fail antiestrogen therapy. Because MAPK activation
      is frequent in ovarian cancer, we investigated if estrogen regulates MAPK and if
      MEK inhibition (MEKi) reverses antiestrogen resistance. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:
      Effects of MEKi (selumetinib), antiestrogen (fulvestrant), or both were assayed
      in ER-positive HGSOC in vitro and in xenografts. Response biomarkers were
      investigated by gene expression microarray and reverse phase protein array
      (RPPA). Genes differentially expressed in two independent primary HGSOC datasets
      with high versus low pMAPK by RPPA were used to generate a "MAPK-activated gene
      signature." Gene signature components that were reversed by MEKi were then
      identified. RESULTS: High intratumor pMAPK independently predicts decreased
      survival (HR, 1.7; CI > 95%,1.3-2.2; P = 0.0009) in 408 HGSOC from The Cancer
      Genome Atlas. A differentially expressed "MAPK-activated" gene subset was also
      prognostic. "MAPK-activated genes" in HGSOC differ from those in breast cancer.
      Combined MEK and ER blockade showed greater antitumor effects in xenografts than
      monotherapy. Gene set enrichment analysis and RPPA showed that dual therapy
      downregulated DNA replication and cell-cycle drivers, and upregulated lysosomal
      gene sets. Selumetinib reversed expression of a subset of "MAPK-activated genes"
      in vitro and/or in xenografts. Three of these genes were prognostic for poor
      survival (P = 0.000265) and warrant testing as a signature predictive of MEKi
      response. CONCLUSIONS: High pMAPK is independently prognostic and may underlie
      antiestrogen failure. Data support further evaluation of fulvestrant and
      selumetinib in ER-positive HGSOC. The MAPK-activated HGSOC signature may help
      identify MEK inhibitor responsive tumors.

PMID- 26482046
TI  - Human papillomavirus-associated neoplasms of the sinonasal tract and nasopharynx.
AB  - It is now well established that human papillomavirus (HPV) is an important
      causative factor in a subgroup of head and neck cancer. In the head and neck,
      while HPV is strongly associated with squamous cell carcinoma arising in the
      oropharynx, there is a growing interest in HPV-associated neoplasms of non
      oropharyngeal origin including those which arise within sinonasal and
      nasopharyngeal mucosa. This article reviews current literature on the association
      of HPV with Scheiderian papillomas, sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma, sinonasal
      undifferentiated carcinoma, carcinoma with adenoid cystic-like features, and
      nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Several clinical implications of HPV detection in
      sinonasal and nasopharyngeal carcinomas are briefly discussed. 

PMID- 26482045
TI  - Is It Better to Be Rich or Relaxed? Sociobiology Meets Bone Marrow Transplant.
AB  - Low socioeconomic status in hematopoietic cell transplant recipients is
      associated with increased treatment-related mortality and relapse, resulting in
      reduced survival. No biologic mechanism has been identified for these
      associations. The stress-related gene expression profile, termed the "conserved
      transcriptional response to adversity," may be a predictor of these negative
      outcomes.

PMID- 26482047
TI  - Fast-twitch skeletal muscle fiber adaptation to SERCA1 deficiency in a Dutch
      Improved Red and White calf pseudomyotonia case.
AB  - Missense mutations in ATP2A1 gene, encoding SERCA1 protein, cause a muscle
      disorder designed as congenital pseudomyotonia (PMT) in Chianina and Romagnola
      cattle or congenital muscular dystonia1 (CMD1) in Belgian Blue cattle. Although
      PMT is not life-threatening, CMD1 affected calves usually die within a few weeks
      of age as a result of respiratory complication. We have recently described a
      muscular disorder in a double muscle Dutch Improved Red and White cross-breed
      calf. Mutation analysis revealed an ATP2A1 mutation identical to that described
      in CMD1, even though clinical phenotype was quite similar to that of PMT. Here,
      we provide evidence for a deficiency of mutated SERCA1 in PMT affected muscles of
      Dutch Improved Red and White calf, but not of its mRNA. The reduced expression of
      SERCA1 is selective and not compensated by the SERCA2 isoform. By contrast,
      pathological muscles are characterized by a broad distribution of mitochondrial
      markers in all fiber types, not related to intrinsic features of double muscle
      phenotype and by an increased expression of sarcolemmal calcium extrusion pump.
      Calcium removal mechanisms, operating in muscle fibers as compensatory response
      aimed at lowering excessive cytoplasmic calcium concentration caused by SERCA1
      deficiency, could explain the difference in severity of clinical signs. 

PMID- 26482048
TI  - How the radiologist can add value in the evaluation of the pre- and post-surgical
      pancreas.
AB  - Disease involving the pancreas can be a significant diagnostic challenge to the
      interpreting radiologist. Moreover, the majority of disease processes involving
      the pancreas carry high significant morbidity and mortality either due to their
      natural process or related to their treatment options. As such, it is critical
      for radiologists to not only provide accurate information from imaging to guide
      patient management, but also deliver that information in a clear manner so as to
      aid the referring physician. This is no better exemplified than in the case of
      pre-operative staging for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, with the
      changing healthcare landscape, it is now more important than ever to ensure that
      the value of radiology service to other providers is high. In this review, we
      will discuss how the radiologist can add value to the referring physician by
      employing novel imaging techniques in the pre-operative evaluation as well as how
      the information can be conveyed in the most meaningful manner through the use of
      structured reporting. We will also familiarize the radiologist with the imaging
      appearance of common complications that occur after pancreatic surgery.

PMID- 26482049
TI  - Serum osteocalcin in subjects with metabolic syndrome and central obesity.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine if osteocalcin is related to
      adiposity and hyperglycaemia in metabolic syndrome irrespective of the presence
      of diabetes mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross sectional study of
      90 patients (59 men and 31 women) with metabolic syndrome as defined by the
      International Diabetes Federation criteria. Based on medical history 50 out of 90
      patients had a diabetes. Anthropometric data were collected and blood taken for
      measurement of osteocalcin, fasting lipids, fasting glucose and insulin
      resistance (using homeostatic model assessment index, HOMA-IR). RESULTS:
      Osteocalcin correlated negatively with fasting glucose (r=-0.366, p<0.001) and
      HOMA-IR (r=-0.305, p<0.05) but not with waist circumference (r=0.079), body mass
      index (r=0.028), total cholesterol (r=0.061) or triglycerides (r=0.009).
      Diabetics had higher HOMA-IR (p<0.01) and lower osteocalcin levels (p<0.01) than
      non-diabetics. Among diabetics, osteocalcin correlated with glucose only (r=
      0.341, p=0.015). In non-diabetics, osteocalcin correlated with HOMA-IR (r=-0.359,
      p=0.023) via insulin (r=-0.402, p=0.010). Patients with impaired fasting glucose
      levels (5.6-6.9mmol/L) had the same HOMA-IR as diabetics (p=0.076) but not low
      osteocalcin (p=0.025). CONCLUSIONS: In this cross-sectional study of subjects
      with metabolic syndrome and central obesity, low osteocalcin was associated with
      diabetes but not adiposity.

PMID- 26482050
TI  - Comprehensive assessment of variables affecting metabolic control in patients
      with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Jordan.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of the study was to identify variables affecting metabolic control
      among diabetic patients treated at diabetes and endocrine clinic in Jordan.
      METHODS: A total of 200 patients were studied by using a cross sectional study
      design. Data were collected from patients' medical records, glycemic control
      tests and prestructured questionnaires about variables that were potentially
      important based on previous researches and clinical judgment: Adherence
      evaluation, Patients' knowledge about drug therapy and non-pharmacological
      therapy, Anxiety and depression, Beliefs about diabetes treatment (benefits and
      barriers of treatment), Knowledge about treatment goals, Knowledge about
      diabetes, Self efficacy, and Social support. RESULTS: The mean (+/-SD) age was
      53.5 (+/-10.38) years and mean HbA1c was 8.4 (+/-1.95). In the multivariate
      analysis, education level, and self efficacy found to have significantly
      independent association with metabolic control (P<0.03). CONCLUSION: Adequate
      knowledge and high self efficacy was significant in patients with good metabolic
      control. Emphasizing the importance of continuous educational programs and
      improving the self efficacy as well, could warrant achieving good metabolic
      control.

PMID- 26482051
TI  - The association between Metabolic Syndrome and serum levels of lipid peroxidation
      and interleukin-6 in Gorgan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are limited studies on the relationship between inflammatory
      marker such as IL-6 and lipid peroxidation and metabolic syndrome. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim of present study was to assess IL-6 and lipid peroxidation in subjects with
      and without the metabolic syndrome and their association with metabolic syndrome
      components. METHODS: Age and gender matched 40 subjects with metabolic syndrome
      and 40 control groups took part in this study. RESULTS: The mean malondialdehyde
      level was significantly higher in overweight and obese subjects with metabolic
      syndrome than control groups (P<0.05). The mean level of IL-6 in men and the mean
      level of malondialdehyde in women with metabolic syndrome was significantly
      higher than control groups (p<0.05). There were significant positive correlation
      between malondialdehyde and fasting blood glucose, triglyceride and systolic
      blood pressure (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that higher levels of
      IL-6 and malondialdehyde may cause insulin resistance and metabolic disorders in
      all subjects with metabolic syndrome. Malondialdehyde level shows strong
      association with some metabolic syndrome components. This means the greater risk
      of metabolic syndrome.

PMID- 26482052
TI  - Mechanisms of diabetic autoimmunity: II--Is diabetes a central or peripheral
      disorder of effector and regulatory cells?
AB  - Two competing hypotheses aiming to explain the onset of autoimmune reactions are
      discussed in the context of genetic and environmental predisposition to type 1
      diabetes (T1D). The first hypothesis has evolved along characterization of the
      mechanisms of self-discrimination and attributes diabetic autoimmunity to escape
      of reactive T cells from central regulation in the thymus. The second considers
      frequent occurrence of autoimmune reactions within the immune homunculus, which
      are adequately suppressed by regulatory T cells originating from the thymus, and
      occasionally, insufficient suppression results in autoimmunity. Besides thymic
      dysfunction, deregulation of both effector and suppressor cells can in fact
      result from homeostatic aberrations at the peripheral level during initial stages
      of evolution of adaptive immunity. Pathogenic cells sensitized in the islets are
      efficiently expanded in the target tissue and pancreatic lymph nodes of
      lymphopenic neonates. In parallel, the same mechanisms of peripheral
      sensitization contribute to tolerization through education of naive/effector T
      cells and expansion of regulatory T cells. Experimental evidence presented for
      each individual mechanism implies that T1D may result from a primary effector or
      suppressor immune abnormality. Disturbed self-tolerance leading to T1D may well
      result from peripheral deregulation of innate and adaptive immunity, with
      variable contribution of central thymic dysfunction.

PMID- 26482053
TI  - A disparate subset of double-negative T cells contributes to the outcome of
      murine fulminant viral hepatitis via effector molecule fibrinogen-like protein 2.
AB  - The underlying immune-mediated mechanisms involved in virus-induced severe
      hepatitis have not been well elucidated. In this study, we investigated the role
      of CD3(+)CD4(-)CD8(-) double-negative T (DN T) cells in the pathogenesis of
      fulminant viral hepatitis (FVH) induced by murine hepatitis virus strain 3 (MHV
      3). After MHV-3 infection, the proportions of DN T cells increased significantly
      in BALB/cJ mice, and splenic DN T cells expressing high levels of CD69 were
      recruited by MHV-3-infected hepatocytes to the liver. Serum levels of alanine
      aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin increased,
      accompanied by massive hepatocyte necrosis. These DN T cells were predominantly
      consisted of a TCRalphabeta(+) subset expressing high levels of CD44 and did not
      produce cytokine except IL-2. Adoptive transfer of this subset of DN T cells to
      the MHV-3-infected mice resulted in an increase in murine fibrinogen-like protein
      2 (mfgl2) expressions in association with massive fibrin deposition in the liver.
      Following MHV-3 infection, membrane mfgl2 expression and functional procoagulant
      activity increased remarkably in the DN T cells. Introduction of a recombinant
      adenovirus which encoded a microRNA specifically targeting mfgl2 gene (Ad-mfgl2
      miRNA) in vivo significantly inhibited the hepatic expression of mfgl2 and
      improved survival in mice. However, under this condition, adoptive transfer of
      the DN T cells accelerated the disease progression and reversed the benefit from
      mfgl2 gene silence, leading to a 100 % death rate. Our results demonstrate that
      DN T cells contribute to the outcome of MHV-3-induced FVH via an important
      effector molecule mfgl2.

PMID- 26482055
TI  - Social Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults as a Risk Factor for
      Disability.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine social frailty status using simple questions and to
      examine the association between social frailty and disability onset among
      community-dwelling older adults. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING:
      Japanese community. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 4304 adults age >=65 years living in
      the community participated in a baseline assessment from 2011 to 2012. They were
      followed monthly for incident certification of care needs during the 2 years
      after the baseline assessment. MEASUREMENTS: Care-needs certification in the
      national long-term care insurance system of Japan; a self-reported questionnaire
      including 7 items to define social frailty status, adjustment for several
      potential confounders such as demographic characteristics; and Kaplan-Meier
      survival curves for disability incidence by social frailty. RESULTS: During the 2
      years, 144 participants (3.3%) were certified as requiring long-term care
      insurance in accordance with incident disability. Five of the 7 items in the self
      reported questionnaire were significantly associated with disability incidence.
      In the adjusted model including potential covariates, participants who were
      defined as having social frailty (>=2/5) (hazard ratio 1.66, 95% confidence
      interval 1.00-2.74) and prefrailty (=1/5) (hazard ratio 1.53, 95% confidence
      interval 1.02-2.531), based on 5 items at the baseline assessment, had an
      increased risk of disability compared with nonfrail participants (=0/5).
      CONCLUSIONS: Social frailty, assessed using simple questions regarding living
      alone, going out less frequently compared with the prior year, visiting friends
      sometimes, feeling helpful to friends or family, and talking with someone every
      day, has a strong impact on the risk of future disability among community
      dwelling older people.

PMID- 26482054
TI  - Cargo trafficking in Alzheimer's disease: the possible role  of retromer.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) as one of the on going neurological disorders is
      initiated and progressed by multiple pathological pathways. Cargoes trafficking
      pathways,such as recycling, play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of AD. One of
      the major constituents of this trafficking system in neurons is retromer which
      acts in endosomal sorting machinery. Defective retromer disrupts recycling of
      cargoes from endosomes to Golgi and leads to its mis-trafficking which may
      subsequently leads to AD. Also, retromer-related cargo trafficking could trigger
      amyloidogenic pathway and beta-amyloid production. Wingless is another cargo in
      Wnt pathways and its trafficking is mediated by retromer. Retromer malfunction
      leads to lack of Wnt and subsequent AD-related pathogenesis. Also, retromer plays
      role in synaptic receptor trafficking in physiologic and pathologic conditions.
      This review is brief survey on the recent published literatures about
      pathogenesis of retromer-related trafficking in amyloid precursor protein
      pathways, Wnt signaling, synaptic function, and also revised the structural role
      of retromer in AD progression.

PMID- 26482056
TI  - A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Discontinuation Study of Cholinesterase
      Inhibitors in Institutionalized Patients With Moderate to Severe Alzheimer
      Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) offer modest benefits in Alzheimer
      disease (AD), which must be balanced against risks. Relatively few data delineate
      the benefits and risks of long-term ChEI administration in institutionalized
      patients with advanced AD. This study investigated the effects of ChEI
      discontinuation in institutionalized patients with AD. DESIGN: Institutionalized
      patients with moderate to severe AD (standardized Mini- Mental Status Examination
      <=15) and treated with a ChEI for >=2 years were randomized, double-blind, to
      ChEI continuation or placebo, with a 2-week tapering phase, for 8-weeks.
      MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome of this pilot study was change on the
      Clinician's Global Impression of Change (CGI-C) scale. Secondary outcomes
      included safety, efficacy, and tolerability. Baseline (BL) predictors of clinical
      deterioration were also determined. RESULTS: Forty patients (mean +/- standard
      deviation age = 89.3 +/- 3.5 years, standardized Mini-Mental Status Examination =
      8.1 +/- 5.2, Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Nursing Home version total score = 21.1
      +/- 15.9, 80% male) were randomized to ChEI continuation (n = 21) or placebo (n =
      19). There was no significant difference in clinical worsening in the ChEI
      continuation (28.6%) and placebo groups (36.8%) on CGI-C (odds ratio for
      worsening 1.58, 95% confidence interval .38-6.55, P = .53). The occurrence of
      adverse events was similar in both groups. There were no significant differences
      in any of the secondary outcome measures. In the placebo group, BL hallucinations
      predicted CGI-C worsening [F(1,17) = 6.4, P = .02], and there was a trend for BL
      delusions to predict CGI-C worsening [F(1,15) = 3.5, P = .08]. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results suggest that ChEI discontinuation is safe and well tolerated in the
      majority of institutionalized patients with moderate to severe AD. When
      discontinuing ChEI, the presence of hallucinations and delusions may predict
      clinical deterioration, suggesting the need for increased caution.

PMID- 26482057
TI  - Examining Time Use of Dutch Nursing Staff in Long-Term Institutional Care: A Time
      Motion Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Increasing residents' acuity levels and available resources in long
      term institutional care requires insight into the care provided by nursing staff
      so as to guide task allocation and optimal use of resources, and enhance quality
      of care. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between time
      use and type of nursing staff, residents' acuity levels, and unit type by using a
      standardized nursing intervention classification. DESIGN: A multicenter cross
      sectional observational study was performed using time-motion technique. SETTING:
      Five Dutch long-term institutional care facilities participated. In total, 4
      residential care units, 3 somatic units, and 6 psycho-geriatric units were
      included. PARTICIPANTS: Data were collected from 136 nursing staff members: 19
      registered nurses, 89 nursing assistants, 9 primary caregivers, and 19 health
      care assistants. MEASUREMENTS: A structured observation list was used based on
      the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC). Residents' acuity levels,
      representing residents' needs, were based on the Dutch Care Severity Index.
      Medians and interquartile ranges were calculated for time spent on interventions
      per type of nursing staff and units. Linear mixed models were used to examine the
      relationship between time spent on nursing interventions and the type of nursing
      staff, residents' acuity levels, and unit type. RESULTS: Observations resulted in
      52,628 registered minutes for 102 nursing interventions categorized into 6 NIC
      domains for 335 residents. Nursing staff spent the most time on direct care
      interventions, particularly in the domain of basic physiological care. Variances
      in time spent on interventions between types of nursing staff were minimal. Unit
      type was more significantly (P < .05) associated with time spent on interventions
      in domains than the type of nursing staff. Residents' acuity levels did not
      affect time spent by nursing staff (P > .05). CONCLUSION: The current study found
      limited evidence for task allocation between the types of nursing staff, which
      may suggest a blurring of role differentiation. Also, findings suggest that
      residents received similar care regardless of their needs, implying that care is
      predominantly task-oriented instead of person-centered. Managers may reconsider
      whether the needs of residents are adequately met by qualified nursing staff,
      considering the differences in education and taking into account increasing
      acuity levels of residents and available resources.

PMID- 26482058
TI  - Rapid extraction and purification of lumbrokinase from Lumbricus rubellus using a
      hollow fiber membrane and size exclusion chromatography.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To develop a purification process using hollow fiber membrane
      separation combined with size exclusion chromatography for the extraction of
      lumbrokinase from earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus). RESULTS: To extract the
      protein, the earthworms were first homogenized for 10 min, to produce ultrafine
      particles. Polyether sulfone hollow fiber membranes with MW cut offs of 50 and 6
      kDa were used for initial purification of the crude extract. Further purification
      was carried out on a Sephadex G-75 column, and yielded three fractions of high
      purity protein. One of these fractions showed fibrinolytic activity. CONCLUSIONS:
      Three samples of high purity protein were obtained and one protein (LK1) showed
      strong fibrinolytic activity. The method has higher purification efficiency in
      comparison with existing methods.

PMID- 26482059
TI  - Quantification of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in North American plants and honey by
      LC-MS: single laboratory validation.
AB  - Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are a class of naturally occurring compounds
      produced by many flowering plants around the World. Their presence as
      contaminants in food systems has become a significant concern in recent years.
      For example, PAs are often found as contaminants in honey through pollen
      transfer. A validated method was developed for the quantification of four
      pyrrolizidine alkaloids and one pyrrolizidine alkaloid N-oxide in plants and
      honey grown and produced in British Columbia. The method was optimised for
      extraction efficiency from the plant materials and then subjected to a single
      laboratory validation to assess repeatability, accuracy, selectivity, LOD, LOQ
      and method linearity. The PA content in plants ranged from1.0 to 307.8 ug/g with
      repeatability precision between 3.8 and 20.8% RSD. HorRat values were within
      acceptable limits and ranged from 0.62 to 1.63 for plant material and 0.56-1.82
      for honey samples. Method accuracy was determined through spike studies with
      recoveries ranging from 84.6 to 108.2% from the raw material negative control and
      from 82.1-106.0 % for the pyrrolizidine alkaloids in corn syrup. Based on the
      findings in this single-laboratory validation, this method is suitable for the
      quantitation of lycopsamine, senecionine, senecionine N-oxide, heliosupine and
      echimidine in common comfrey (Symphytum officinale), tansy ragwort (Senecio
      jacobaea), blueweed (Echium vulgare) and hound's tongue (Cynoglossum officinale)
      and for PA quantitation in honey and found that PA contaminants were present at
      low levels in BC honey.

PMID- 26482060
TI  - Swallowing Disorders in Sjogren's Syndrome: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Effects
      on Quality of Life.
AB  - This epidemiological investigation examined the prevalence, risk factors, and
      quality-of-life effects of swallowing disorders in Sjogren's syndrome (SS). One
      hundred and one individuals with primary or secondary SS (94 females, 7 males;
      mean age 59.4, SD = 14.1) were interviewed regarding the presence, nature, and
      impact of swallowing disorders and symptoms. Associations among swallowing
      disorders and symptoms, select medical and social history factors, SS disease
      severity, and the M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) and Short Form 36
      Health Survey (SF-36) were examined. The prevalence of a current self-reported
      swallowing disorder was 64.4 %. SS disease severity was the strongest predictor
      of swallowing disorders, including significant associations with the following
      swallow symptoms: taking smaller bites, thick mucus in the throat, difficulty
      placing food in the mouth, and wheezing while eating (p < .05). Additional
      swallowing disorder risk factors included the presence of a self-reported voice
      disorder, esophageal reflux, current exposure to secondary tobacco smoke,
      frequent neck or throat tension, frequent throat clearing, chronic post-nasal
      drip, and stomach or duodenal ulcers. Swallowing disorders did not differ on the
      basis of primary or secondary SS. Swallowing disorders and specific swallowing
      symptoms were uniquely associated with reduced quality of life. Among those with
      swallowing disorders, 42 % sought treatment, with approximately half reporting
      improvement. Patient-perceived swallowing disorders are relatively common in SS
      and increase with disease severity. Specific swallowing symptoms uniquely and
      significantly reduce swallow and health-related quality of life, indicating the
      need for increased identification and management of dysphagia in this population.

PMID- 26482061
TI  - Tobacco Withdrawal Amongst African American, Hispanic, and White Smokers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Persistent tobacco use among racial and ethnic minority populations
      in the United States is a critical public health concern. Yet, potential sources
      of racial/ethnic disparities in tobacco use remain unclear. The present study
      examined racial/ethnic differences in tobacco withdrawal-a clinically-relevant
      underpinning of tobacco use that has received sparse attention in the disparities
      literature-utilizing a controlled laboratory design. METHODS: Daily smokers (non
      Hispanic African American [n = 178], non-Hispanic white [n = 118], and Hispanic
      [n = 28]) attended two counterbalanced sessions (non-abstinent vs. 16-hour
      abstinent). At both sessions, self-report measures of urge, nicotine withdrawal,
      and affect were administered and performance on an objective behavioral task that
      assessed motivation to reinstate smoking was recorded. Abstinence-induced changes
      (abstinent scores vs. non-abstinent scores) were analyzed as a function of
      race/ethnicity. RESULTS: Non-Hispanic African American smokers reported greater
      abstinence-induced declines in several positive affect states in comparison to
      other racial/ethnic groups. Relative to Hispanic smokers, non-Hispanic African
      American and non-Hispanic white smokers displayed larger abstinence-provoked
      increases in urges to smoke. No racial/ethnic differences were detected for a
      composite measure of nicotine withdrawal symptomatology, negative affect states,
      and motivation to reinstate smoking behavior. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest
      qualitative differences in the expression of some components of tobacco
      withdrawal across three racial/ethnic groups. This research helps shed light on
      bio-behavioral sources of tobacco-related health disparities, informs the
      application of smoking cessation interventions across racial/ethnic groups, and
      may ultimately aid the overall effort towards reducing the public health burden
      of tobacco addiction in minority populations. IMPLICATIONS: The current study
      provides some initial evidence that there may be qualitative differences in the
      types of tobacco withdrawal symptoms experienced among non-Hispanic African
      American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white smokers. Extending this line of
      inquiry may elucidate mechanisms involved in tobacco-related health disparities
      and ultimately aid in reducing the public health burden of smoking in
      racial/ethnic minority populations.

PMID- 26482062
TI  - Structures of the reduced and oxidized state of the mutant D24A of yeast
      thioredoxin 1: insights into the mechanism for the closing of the water cavity.

PMID- 26482063
TI  - The case for ILI surveillance.

PMID- 26482064
TI  - Specific serum carotenoids are inversely associated with breast cancer risk among
      Chinese women: a case-control study.
AB  - Previous epidemiological studies have revealed the anti-cancer effect of dietary
      circulating carotenoids. However, the protective role of specific individual
      circulating carotenoids has not been elucidated. The purpose of this study was to
      examine whether serum carotenoids, including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta
      cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lutein/zeaxanthin, could lower the risk for breast
      cancer among Chinese women. A total of 521 women with breast cancer and age
      matched controls (5-year interval) were selected from three teaching hospitals in
      Guangzhou, China. Concentrations of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta
      cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lutein/zeaxanthin were measured using HPLC.
      Unconditional logistic regression models were used to calculate OR and 95% CI
      using quartiles defined in the control subjects. Significant inverse associations
      were observed between serum alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene,
      lutein/zeaxanthin and the risk for breast cancer. The multivariate OR for the
      highest quartile of serum concentration compared with the lowest quartile were
      0.44 (95% CI 0.30, 0.65) for alpha-carotene, 0.27 (95% CI 0.18, 0.40) for beta
      carotene, 0.41 (95% CI 0.28, 0.61) for lycopene and 0.26 (95% CI 0.17, 0.38) for
      lutein/zeaxanthin. However, no significant association was found between serum
      beta-cryptoxanthin and the risk for breast cancer. Stratified analysis by
      menopausal status and oestrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR) showed
      that serum alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene and lutein/zeaxanthin were
      inversely associated with breast cancer risk among premenopausal women and among
      all subtypes of ER or PR status. The results suggest a protective role of alpha
      carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene and lutein/zeaxanthin, but not beta
      cryptoxanthin, in breast cancer risk.

PMID- 26482065
TI  - Bile duct injury repair -- earlier is not better.
AB  - Bile duct injury is a common complication of cholecystectomy. The timing of bile
      duct injury repair remains controversial. A recent review conducted in France
      reported 39% complications and 64% failure after immediate repair in 194 patients
      compared with 14% complications and 8%failure after late repair in 133 patients.
      A national review of 139 consecutive early repairs conducted at five
      hepatopancreaticobiliary centers in Denmark reported 4% mortality, 36% morbidity,
      and 42 restrictures (30%) at a median follow-up of 102 months, and only 64
      patients (46%) demonstrated uneventful short-term and long-term outcomes. Most
      patients with bile duct injury present with bile leak and sepsis; thus, early
      repair is not recommended. Percutaneous drainage of bile and endoscopic stenting
      are the mainstays of treatment of bile leak because they convert acute bile duct
      injury into a controlled external biliary fistula. The ensuing benign biliary
      stricture should be repaired by a biliary surgeon after a delay of 4-6 weeks once
      the external biliary fistula has closed.

PMID- 26482066
TI  - Progress and perspectives of neural tissue engineering.
AB  - Traumatic injuries to the nervous system lead to a common clinical problem with a
      quite high incidence and affect the patient's quality of life. Based on a major
      challenge not yet addressed by current therapeutic interventions for these
      diseases, a novel promising field of neural tissue engineering has emerged,
      grown, and attracted increasing interest. This review provides a brief summary of
      the recent progress in the field, especially in combination with the research
      experience of the author's group. Several important aspects related to tissue
      engineered nerves, including the theory on their construction, translation into
      the clinic, improvements in fabrication technologies, and the formation of a
      regenerative environment, are delineated and discussed.Furthermore, potential
      research directions for the future development of neural tissue engineering are
      suggested.

PMID- 26482068
TI  - Loudness and acoustic parameters of popular children's toys.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This project was conducted to evaluate the loudness and acoustic
      parameters of toys designed for children. In addition, we investigated whether
      occluding the toys' speaker with tape would result in a significant loudness
      reduction; thereby potentially reducing the risk of noise induced hearing loss.
      METHODS: Twenty-six toys were selected after an initial screening at two national
      retailers. Noise amplitudes at 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8kHz were measured using a
      digital sound level meter at a distance of 0 and 30cm. The toys' speakers were
      then occluded using adhesive tape and the same acoustic parameters were re
      measured. RESULTS: Mean maximum noise amplitude of the toys at 0cm and 30cm was
      104dBA (range, 97-125dBA) and 76dBA (range, 67-86dBA), respectively. Mean maximum
      noise amplitude after occlusion at 0cm and 30cm distances was 88dBA (range, 73
      110dBA) and 66dBA (range, 55-82dBA), respectively, with a p-value <0.001.
      CONCLUSIONS: Proper use of the loudest toys at a distant of 30cm between the
      speaker and the child's ear will likely not pose a risk of noise-induced hearing
      loss. However, since most toys are used at closer distances, use of adhesive tape
      is recommended as an effective modification to decrease the risk of hearing loss.

PMID- 26482067
TI  - Mutant DNA methylation regulators endow hematopoietic stem cells with the
      preleukemic stem cell property, a requisite of leukemia initiation and relapse.
AB  - Genetic mutations are considered to drive the development of acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML). With therapid progress in sequencing technologies, many newly
      reported genes that are recurrently mutated in AML have been found to govern the
      initiation and relapse of AML. These findings suggest the need to distinguish the
      driver mutations, especially the most primitive single mutation, from the
      subsequent passenger mutations. Recent research on DNA methyltransferase 3A
      (DNMT3A) mutations provides the first proof-of-principle investigation on the
      identification of preleukemic stem cells (pre-LSCs) in AML patients. Although
      DNMT3A mutations alone may only transform hematopoietic stem cells into pre-LSCs
      without causing the full-blown leukemia, the function of this driver mutation
      appear to persist from AML initiation up to relapse. Therefore, identifying and
      targeting preleukemic mutations, such as DNMT3A mutations, in AML is a promising
      strategy for treatment and reduction of relapse risk.

PMID- 26482069
TI  - Laryngeal mask airway may result in false negative imaging for carotid
      medialization: A case report.
AB  - Chromosome 22q11.2 microdeletions result in multiple congenital abnormalities,
      including an increased risk of carotid medialization, which is an important
      consideration for preoperative planning in children with velopharyngeal
      insufficiency. Preoperative imaging of the neck vasculature is recommended. Here
      we describe a case in which a child had negative imaging studies despite the
      presence of a medialized carotid artery on physical examination, likely secondary
      to the supraglottic airway use during sedated imaging, which displaced the
      carotid laterally. The type of airway used should be a consideration for children
      undergoing sedated imaging prior to pharyngeal procedures. 

PMID- 26482070
TI  - Prevalence of 35delG and Met34Thr GJB2 variants in Portuguese samples.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of 35delG and Met34Thr variants in a
      Portuguese children's community sample and to compare these frequencies with
      nonsyndromic hearing-loss patients. METHODS: 502 children were randomly selected
      among the 8647 participants of the Portuguese birth cohort Generation XXI, and
      screened for Met34Thr and 35delG variants in the GJB2 gene. These variants were
      also studied on 89 index-cases, observed in the Clinic of "Hereditary Hearing
      loss" in Saint John's Hospital Center, presenting a mild to profound nonsyndromic
      hearing-loss. RESULTS: Among the 502 children from Generation XXI, 10 were
      heterozygous for the 35delG variant (95% Confidence Interval 1.03-3.68) and 1
      homozygous (95% Confidence Interval 0.01-1.24). Other 10 children presented
      heterozygosity for the Met34Thr variant (95% Confidence Interval 1.03-3.68). No
      homozygous for the Met34Thr or compound heterozygotes (35delG/Met34Thr) were
      found. In the total of 89 nonsyndromic hearing-loss patients, 5 (95% Confidence
      Interval 2.11-12.8) were heterozygous and 7 (95% Confidence Interval 3.61-15.6)
      were homozygous for the 35delG variant. The Met34Thr variant was found in 4
      patients, 2 heterozygous (95% Confidence Interval 0.13-8.31) and 2 homozygous
      (95% Confidence Interval 0.13-8.31). CONCLUSION: The carrier frequency of 35delG
      and Met34Thr variants in a Portuguese sample was 1 in 50. Our data suggests that
      the 35delG mutation has an association with deafness. For the Met34Thr variant,
      no association was observed. However, Met34Thr seemed to conform to an additive
      model in hearing-loss.

PMID- 26482071
TI  - Effect of Febuxostat, a Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitor, on Cardiovascular Risk in
      Hyperuricemic Patients with Hypertension: A Prospective, Open-label, Pilot Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: There is growing evidence of an association between
      high uric acid (UA) levels and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We hypothesized that
      febuxostat, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, may be associated with suppressing the
      renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and improving renal function in
      hyperurecemic patients with hypertension. METHODS: We conducted a 6-month
      prospective study in which we randomized hypertensive hyperuricemic patients to
      either a febuxostat group (n = 30) or a control group (n = 30). The dose of
      febuxostat was adjusted to maintain the serum UA level at <6.0 mg/dL. RESULTS: In
      the febuxostat group, the plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma aldosterone
      concentration (PAC), and serum UA level significantly decreased by 33 % (p =
      0.0012), 14 % (p = 0.001), and 29 % (p < 0.0001), respectively. The estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) significantly increased by 5.5 % (p = 0.001).
      Similar changes were not observed in the control group. Furthermore, a
      significant correlation was observed between the percent changes in the serum UA
      levels and the percent changes in the PRA (r = 0.277, p = 0.033), PAC (r = 0.310,
      p = 0.016), serum blood urea nitrogen levels (r = 0.434, p = 0.0005), serum
      creatinine levels (r = 0.413, p = 0.002), and eGFR (r = -0.474, p = 0.0001).
      CONCLUSIONS: These results support the hypothesis that febuxostat might not only
      reduce serum UA levels but also suppress RAAS and improve renal function in
      hyperuricemic patients with hypertension, possibly leading to prevention of CVD.

PMID- 26482073
TI  - HIV Orphanhood Research and the Representation of Older Orphans in Sub-Saharan
      Africa: A Literature Review.
AB  - One impact of incurable HIV infection is the large number of orphans and
      vulnerable children (OVC) who are affected by HIV. The age-based criteria used to
      determine support eligibility for HIV orphans, however, exclude older orphans
      (>=18 years of age) from support. We conducted a literature survey in order to
      explore possible inclusion of older orphans (ages 18-24 years) in HIV orphanhood
      research. We found 17 studies conducted in eight countries that met the review
      inclusion criteria. Findings from the review revealed that older HIV orphans are
      underrepresented in the OVC literature. The emerging, but limited, evidence
      suggests that older orphans are at risk for poorer psychosocial and reproductive
      outcomes. We recommend increasing inclusion of older orphans in HIV orphan
      research because of their complex physical, reproductive, and psychosocial needs.
      This inclusion is necessary to allow their experiences and needs to become
      clearer.

PMID- 26482074
TI  - What is the point of public health in the 21st century?

PMID- 26482072
TI  - Aegle marmelos fruit extract attenuates Helicobacter pylori Lipopolysaccharide
      induced oxidative stress in Sprague Dawley rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bael (Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr.) has been widely used in indigenous
      systems of Indian medicine to exploit its medicinal properties including
      astringent, antidiarrheal, antidysenteric, demulcent, antipyretic, antiulcer,
      anti-inflammatory and anti cancer activities. The present study aims to evaluate
      the antioxidative and antiulcer effect of methanolic extract of unripe fruit of
      Aegle marmelos (MEAM) against Helicobacter pylori-Lipopolysaccharide (HP-LPS)
      induced gastric ulcer in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. METHODS: Dose and duration of
      HP-LPS and MEAM were fixed based on ulcer index of gastric tissue of experimental
      animals. Various gastric secretory parameters such as volume of gastric juice,
      free and total acidity, acid output, pepsin concentration were analyzed. The
      activities of enzymatic antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione
      peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glutathione transferase), non-enzymatic
      antioxidants (reduced glutathione, vitamin C and vitamin E) and the levels of
      lipid peroxidation products were measured. Histological analysis was performed to
      evaluate the effect of Aegle marmelos on HP-LPS induced gastric ulcer. RESULTS:
      Oral administration of HP-LPS (50 MUg per animal) for four consecutive days
      resulted in induction of ulcer with the increase in gastric secretory parameters
      such as volume of gastric juice, free and total acidity, acid output, pepsin
      concentration. Oral administration of methanolic extract of Aegle marmelos fruit
      (MEAM) (25, 50, 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg) reduced the gastric ulcer by 2.8 %, 52.4
      %, 73 %, 93 % and 93.98 %, respectively, compared to 89.2 % reduction by
      sucralfate (100 mg/kg). MEAM treatment significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited the
      increase in gastric secretory parameters in ulcerated rats, and it also prevented
      the reduction of enzymatic (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione
      peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glutathione transferase) and non-enzymatic
      antioxidants (reduced glutathione, vitamin C and vitamin E) after HP-LPS
      induction. In addition, lipid peroxidation was inhibited by MEAM in HP-LPS
      induced rats. Results of histological analysis correlated well with biochemical
      parameters. CONCLUSION: These observations explored the antioxidant properties of
      MEAM contributing to the gastroprotective effect in HP-LPS induced gastric ulcer
      model.

PMID- 26482075
TI  - Adult Children's Problems and Mothers' Well-Being.
AB  - This article explores whether understanding of the effects of children's problems
      on older parents' well-being can be advanced by exploring differences in parent
      child relationships within families. Using data from a study in which mothers
      reported on all adult children, we addressed the question: Do patterns of
      maternal favoritism moderate the impact of children's problems on psychological
      well-being? Based on the literature on the effects of children's problems and on
      parental favoritism, we hypothesized that problems in the lives of favored adult
      children will have a more detrimental impact than when they affect unfavored
      offspring. Results revealed strong and detrimental effects of any offspring's
      problems on mothers' well-being; these effects occurred, however, regardless of
      parental preference for an adult child. The findings suggest that the well
      documented effects of parental preference may be limited in domains such as
      problems and difficult transitions in adult children's lives.

PMID- 26482076
TI  - Resolution of severe hemolysis and paravalvular aortic regurgitation employing an
      Amplatzer Vascular Plug 4: the importance of detailed pre-procedural planning
      using CT angiography.
AB  - A 76-year-old woman presented with progressive heart failure and transfusion
      dependent hemolytic anemia due to severe paravalvular aortic regurgitation 4
      years after bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement. She was deemed not to be a
      candidate for redo cardiac surgery due to a porcelain aorta and multiple comorbid
      medical conditions. We describe the role of pre-procedure contrast-enhanced, ECG
      gated computed tomographic angiography to characterize the anatomy of the
      paravalvular leak connection for appropriate occluder device selection leading to
      successful percutaneous closure and resolution of the paravalvular regurgitation
      and hemolytic anemia.

PMID- 26482077
TI  - [Acute kidney failure and renal replacement therapy after colonoscopy in a 63
      year-old woman].
AB  - A 63-year-old woman presented with intestinal disorder, alternating between
      obstipation and diarrhoea. Sodium phosphate/diphosphate (Fleet(r)) was used in
      preparation for colonoscopy. Within 24 h the patient developed severe
      hyperphosphatemia and oliguric acute kidney failure with the need of renal
      replacement therapy. This case illustrates the rare event of phosphate
      nephropathy after colonoscopy.

PMID- 26482078
TI  - [Antibiotic stewardship: Measures for optimization of antibacterial therapy].
AB  - Because the development of resistance is steadily increasing, especially among
      Gram-negative pathogens and new developments in antibiotics are lacking, a
      rational antibiotic therapy is necessary now more than ever. A continuing
      uncritical and non-guideline-conform use of antibiotics leads to selection of
      multidrug-resistant pathogens, which can colonize patients and as instigators of
      infections make treatment more difficult. A prerequisite for targeted antibiotic
      therapy is a critical testing of the suspected infection diagnosis based on a
      guideline-conform microbiological preanalytical procedure. To promote a guideline
      conform antibiotic therapy in hospitals with respect to choice of substance,
      dosage and duration, in December 2013 so-called antibiotic stewardship (ABS)
      measures were summarized in a so-called S3-guideline from the Association of the
      Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) under the auspices of the German
      Society for Infectious Diseases (DGI). With a strategy of targeted antibiotic
      therapy and infection prevention it is possible to achieve optimum treatment
      results and to minimize the development of resistance.

PMID- 26482079
TI  - [Ecology of antimicrobial resistance: Special aspects of extended-spectrum beta
      lactamases].
AB  - Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Enterobacteriaceae were
      detected shortly after the introduction of broad spectrum cephalosporins in
      hospitals. Today, they are prevalent in the community, in animals, foods, and the
      environment. Many factors contribute to the broad distribution, especially the
      usage of antimicrobials in humans and animals, and due to multiple resistances,
      not only the usage of beta-lactams and cephalosporins.This broad distribution of
      ESBLs cannot be fully explained by clonal spread of successful strains.
      Horizontal transmission of resistance genes, located on transmissible elements,
      probably plays a much greater role. This gene transfer also enables new
      combinations of resistance genes which causes therapeutic problems.The complex
      interactions make it difficult to estimate the relative contribution of the
      different sources. Resistance genes are broadly distributed in humans, animals,
      and the environment and the distribution pattern seems to become more similar. It
      is also evident that two major transmission pathways have to be considered, human
      to-human transmission, frequently in hospitals and the exchange of resistance
      genes between humans, animals, food, and the environment. For the latter, the
      transfer can go in both directions.Further studies are necessary to understand
      the pathways between the different reservoirs, the bacterial concentration
      needed, and the factors having an impact on colonization and transmission.
      Multiple measures on both the human and veterinary side have to complement each
      other and interact. A One Health approach needs to be developed and rigorously
      established.

PMID- 26482081
TI  - Delivery of drugs and macromolecules to the mitochondria for cancer therapy.
AB  - Mitochondria are organelles that have pivotal functions in producing the energy
      necessary for life and executing the cell death pathway. Targeting drugs and
      macromolecules to the mitochondria may provide an effective means of inducing
      cell death for cancer therapy, and has been actively pursued in the last decade.
      This review will provide a brief overview of mitochondrial structure and
      function, how it relates to cancer, and importantly, will discuss different
      strategies of mitochondrial delivery including delivery using small molecules,
      peptides, genes encoding proteins and MTSs, and targeting polymers/nanoparticles
      with payloads to the mitochondria. The advantages and disadvantages for each
      strategy will be discussed. Specific examples using the latest strategies for
      mitochondrial targeting will be evaluated, as well as potential opportunities for
      specific mitochondrial compartment localization, which may lead to improvements
      in mitochondrial therapeutics. Future perspectives in mitochondrial targeting of
      drugs and macromolecules will be discussed. Currently this is an under-explored
      area that is prime for new discoveries in cancer therapeutics.

PMID- 26482080
TI  - Programmable insect cell carriers for systemic delivery of integrated cancer
      biotherapy.
AB  - Due to cancer's genetic complexity, significant advances in the treatment of
      metastatic disease will require sophisticated, multi-pronged therapeutic
      approaches. Here we demonstrate the utility of a Drosophila melanogaster cell
      platform for the production and in vivo delivery of multi-gene biotherapeutic
      systems. We show that cultured Drosophila S2 cell carriers can stably propagate
      oncolytic viral therapeutics that are highly cytotoxic for mammalian cancer cells
      without adverse effects on insect cell viability or gene expression. Drosophila
      cell carriers administered systemically to immunocompetent animals trafficked to
      tumors to deliver multiple biotherapeutics with little apparent off-target tissue
      homing or toxicity, resulting in a therapeutic effect. Cells of this Dipteran
      invertebrate provide a genetically tractable platform supporting the integration
      of complex, multi-gene biotherapies while avoiding many of the barriers to
      systemic administration of mammalian cell carriers. These transporters have
      immense therapeutic potential as they can be modified to express large banks of
      biotherapeutics with complementary activities that enhance anti-tumor activity. 

PMID- 26482082
TI  - Amphiphilic drugs as surfactants to fabricate excipient-free stable
      nanodispersions of hydrophobic drugs for cancer chemotherapy.
AB  - Nanoformulations have been extensively explored to deliver water-insoluble drugs,
      but they generally use exotic new materials, for instance, amphiphilic block
      copolymers, which must first go through extensively clinical trials and be
      approved as drug excipients before any clinical uses. We hypothesize that using
      clinical amphiphilic drugs as surfactants to self-assemble with and thus
      solubilize hydrophobic drugs will lead to readily translational nanoformulations
      as they contain no new excipients. Herein, we show the first example of such
      excipient-free nanodispersions using an amphiphilic anti-tumor drug, irinotecan
      hydrochloride (CPT11). CPT11 self-assembles with its insoluble active parent
      drug, 7-ethyl-10-hydroxy camptothecin (SN38), into stable and water-dispersible
      nanoparticles, increasing SN38's water solubility by thousands of times up to 25
      mg/mL with a loading efficiency close to 100%. The versatility of this approach
      is also demonstrated by fabricating nanodispersions of CPT11 with other water
      insoluble drugs including paclitaxel (PTX) and camptothecin (CPT). These
      nanodispersions have much increased bioavailability and thereby improved anti
      cancer activities. Thus, this strategy, using clinically proven amphiphilic drugs
      as excipients to fabricate nanodispersions, avoids new materials and makes
      readily translational nanoformulations of hydrophobic drugs.

PMID- 26482083
TI  - Micellar formulation of indocyanine green for phototherapy of melanoma.
AB  - Phototherapy (PT), a light activated treatment modality, is a potential
      therapeutic option for the treatment of melanoma. In spite of the excellent
      safety profile and absorption in the near infrared (NIR) range, clinical
      potential of indocyanine green (ICG) as PT is limited by its short half-life and
      inefficient tumor accumulation. In this study, we have covalently conjugated ICG
      NH2 to the pendant carboxyl groups of poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly(2-methyl
      2-carboxyl-propylene carbonate) (PEG-PCC) copolymer using carbodiimide coupling,
      which self-assembled into micelles with a particle size of 30-50 nm and high ICG
      loading. These ICG conjugated micelles exhibited significant in vitro
      photodynamic cytotoxicity. Use of sodium azide and NIR radiate on at 4  degrees C
      revealed photodynamic and photothermal as mechanism of cytotoxicity of ICG
      solution and ICG conjugated micelles, respectively. In vivo NIR imaging
      demonstrated that ICG conjugated micelles prolonged its circulation and increased
      tumor accumulation through enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect.
      Enhanced tumor accumulation improved therapeutic efficacy with complete tumor
      regression in NIR irradiated ICG conjugated micelles compared to ICG solution and
      control in a A375 human melanoma tumor model in athymic nude mice. These results
      suggest that ICG conjugated micelles can be potentially utilized for PT and
      imaging of melanoma.

PMID- 26482085
TI  - Characterization of the three zebrafish orthologs of the mitochondrial GTPase
      Miro/Rhot.
AB  - Mitochondria exhibit dynamic locomotion and spatial rearrangement. This movement
      is necessary for a cell to maintain basic metabolic functions, and disruption of
      motility often results in cell death. Miro is a mitochondrial outer membrane Rho
      GTPase essential for mitochondrial movement and distribution in diverse systems,
      including yeast, animals, and plants. We sought to study the previously
      uncharacterized Miro protein family in zebrafish. We confirmed that, like human
      Miro, the zebrafish Miro proteins (Rhot1a, Rhot1b, and Rhot2) localize to
      mitochondria in mammalian tissue culture cells by both biochemical fractionation
      and immunofluorescent colocalization. In addition, using whole mount in situ
      hybridization, we observed ubiquitous expression of all three mRNAs throughout
      development. By microinjecting three antisense morpholino oligonucleotides
      targeted to each of the rhot genes, we knocked down all three proteins
      simultaneously in developing zebrafish embryos. The triple morphants demonstrated
      a dose-dependent defect in posterior body-axis elongation, while a single
      knockdown of each protein at the same dose produced no effect. This phenotype
      could be rescued with human Miro1 mRNA and is most likely due to increased cell
      death. Taken altogether, this research demonstrates the importance of the Rhot
      proteins during vertebrate development. 

PMID- 26482084
TI  - Post-traumatic stress disorder amongst surgical trainees: An unrecognised risk?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Experiences of actual/threatened death or serious injury to patients
      are commonplace in surgery. Pathological symptoms following stress may lead to
      Acute Stress Reaction (ASR) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD
      symptoms of insomnia, anger, poor concentration, hyper-vigilance and exaggerated
      startle have implications for patient safety. The current study investigates the
      prevalence of occult, untreated psychological morbidity amongst surgical
      trainees. METHODS: A web-based survey of UK surgical trainees based upon the
      Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) was distributed using social media
      platforms and email. A score of >=33 was indicative of ASR or PTSD (the former
      lasting <1 month, the latter >1 month). Additional questions concerned chronicity
      of symptoms, mentorship, team-working and access to support. RESULTS: For 167
      returned surveys the mean age was 32.7 (SD 3.6) years; 102/167 (61%) were male.
      Mean years in training were 6.1 (SD 3.6). Median IES-R score was 14 (IQR 7-23.5).
      Of 144 respondents who answered about stress symptoms, 23/144 (16%) had IES-R
      score >= 33; 6 of these had symptoms < 1 month (suggesting ASR); 17 had symptoms
      lasting >1 month (suggesting PTSD). Those with IES-R >= 33 group were more likely
      to have repeated years of training, and have witnessed severe pain, traumatic
      injury, and acute haemorrhage. Seven with score >= 33 had sought support.
      CONCLUSION: Occult psychological morbidity amongst surgical trainees may be
      higher than in the general population. Recognition and management of this risk is
      important for the mental health of trainees and the safety of patients.

PMID- 26482086
TI  - Adrenergic signaling in teleost fish liver, a challenging path.
AB  - Adrenergic receptors or adrenoceptors (ARs) belong to the huge family of G
      protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) that have been well characterized in mammals
      primarily because of their importance as therapeutic drug targets. ARs are found
      across vertebrates and this review examines the path to identify and characterize
      these receptors in fish with emphasis on hepatic metabolism. The absence of
      reliable and specific pharmacological agents led investigators to define the fish
      hepatic AR system as relying solely on a beta2-AR, cAMP-dependent signaling
      transduction pathway. The use of calcium-radiometric imaging, purified membranes
      for ligand-binding studies, and perifused rather than static cultured fish
      hepatocytes, unequivocally demonstrated that both alpha1- and beta2-AR signaling
      systems existed in the fish liver consistent with studies in mammals.
      Additionally, the use of molecular tools and phylogenetic analysis clearly
      demonstrated the existence of multiple AR-types and -subtypes in hepatic and
      other tissues of a number of fish species. This review also examines the use of
      beta-blockers as pharmaceuticals and how these drugs that are now in the aquatic
      environment may be impacting aquatic species including fish and some
      invertebrates. Clearly there is a large conservation of structure and function
      within the AR system of vertebrates but there remain a number of key questions
      that need to be addressed before a clear understanding of these systems can be
      resolved. 

PMID- 26482087
TI  - Strategies on improving the micro-fluidic devices using the nonlinear electro-
      and thermo-kinetic phenomena.
AB  - Surface science is key to innovations on microfluidics, smart materials, and
      future non-equilibrium systems. However, challenging issues still exist in this
      field. In this article, from the viewpoint of the fundamental design, we will
      briefly review our strategies on improving the micro-fluidic devices using the
      nonlinear electro- and thermo-kinetic phenomena. In particular, we will review
      the microfluidic applications using ICEO, the correction based on the ion
      conserving Poisson-Boltzmann theory, the direct simulation on ICEO, and the new
      horizon such as nonlinear thermo-kinetic phenomena and the artificial cilia. 

PMID- 26482088
TI  - Nucleic acid polymeric properties and electrostatics: Directly comparing theory
      and simulation with experiment.
AB  - Nucleic acids are biopolymers that carry genetic information and are also
      involved in various gene regulation functions such as gene silencing and protein
      translation. Because of their negatively charged backbones, nucleic acids are
      polyelectrolytes. To adequately understand nucleic acid folding and function, we
      need to properly describe its i) polymer/polyelectrolyte properties and ii)
      associating ion atmosphere. While various theories and simulation models have
      been developed to describe nucleic acids and the ions around them, many of these
      theories/simulations have not been well evaluated due to complexities in
      comparison with experiment. In this review, I discuss some recent experiments
      that have been strategically designed for straightforward comparison with
      theories and simulation models. Such data serve as excellent benchmarks to
      identify limitations in prevailing theories and simulation parameters.

PMID- 26482089
TI  - Next generation of novel psychoactive substances on the horizon - A complex
      problem to face.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The last decade has seen a rapid and continuous growth in the
      availability and use of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) across the world.
      Although various products are labeled with warnings "not for human consumption",
      they are intended to mimic psychoactive effects of illicit drugs of abuse. Once
      some compounds become regulated, new analogues appear in order to satisfy
      consumers' demands and at the same time to avoid criminalization. This review
      presents updated information on the second generation of NPS, introduced as
      replacements of the already banned substances from this class, focusing on their
      pharmacological properties and metabolism, routes of administration, and effects
      in humans. METHODS: Literature search, covering years 2013-2015, was performed
      using the following keywords alone or in combination: "novel psychoactive
      substances", "cathinones", "synthetic cannabinoids", "benzofurans",
      "phenethylamines", "2C-drugs", "NBOMe", "methoxetamine", "opioids", "toxicity",
      and "metabolism". RESULTS: More than 400 NPS have been reported in Europe, with
      255 detected in 2012-2014. The most popular are synthetic cannabimimetics and
      psychostimulant cathinones; use of psychedelics and opioids is less common.
      Accumulating experimental and clinical data indicate that potential harms
      associated with the use of second generation NPS could be even more serious than
      those described for the already banned drugs. CONCLUSIONS: NPS are constantly
      emerging on the illicit drug market and represent an important health problem. A
      significant amount of research is needed in order to fully quantify both the
      short and long term effects of the second generation NPS, and their interaction
      with other drugs of abuse.

PMID- 26482090
TI  - Evaluation of a brief intervention to reduce the negative consequences of drug
      misuse among adult emergency department patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Determine if a brief intervention (BI) reduces the negative
      consequences of drug use/misuse among adult emergency department (ED) patients,
      and identify patients more likely to benefit from the BI. METHODS: This
      randomized, controlled trial enrolled 1026 18-64 year-old ED patients whose drug
      misuse indicated a needed for a BI. Differences in total Inventory of Drug Use
      Consequences (InDUC) scores between the treatment (BI) and control arms (no BI)
      were assessed every 90 days over a one-year period. Regression models were
      constructed to identify demographic and clinical factors associated with greater
      reductions in total InDUC scores. RESULTS: Although total InDUC scores decreased
      for both the treatment and control arms, there were no differences in scores
      between the treatment and the control arms at baseline at each follow-up. In the
      regression analyses, participants who were not using drugs or received drug
      treatment in the past 90 days generally had lower InDUC scores at each follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although negative consequences decreased in both study arms over
      time, receiving a BI did not lead to a greater reduction in the negative
      consequences of drug misuse than not receiving a BI. Of importance in the design
      of future ED drug misuse interventions, participants who were successful in
      stopping their drug misuse or receiving drug treatment did show fewer negative
      consequences of drug use/misuse.

PMID- 26482092
TI  - A lifetime history of alcohol use disorder increases risk for chronic medical
      conditions after stable remission.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The long-term impact of a past alcohol use disorder (AUD) among those
      who are currently in stable remission has not been well-explored. This study
      examined whether a past history of AUD was associated with increased risk for
      chronic medical conditions in a large U.S. nationally representative sample of
      adults >=30 years old. METHODS: Using 25,840 participants from Wave 1 and Wave 2
      surveys of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Condition
      (NESARC), multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to compare the risk
      for reporting metabolic, cardiovascular, liver, gastrointestinal, and
      inflammatory conditions between those in full-remission from AUD for longer than
      5 years and those without a history of AUD diagnosis. RESULTS: Compared with a
      model adjusting only for age, a model adjusting for other potential psychosocial
      confounders revealed fewer significant associations between AUD history and
      chronic medical conditions, particularly for the middle-aged population and for
      men. For the elderly, AUD history was associated with more chronic medical
      conditions in fully adjusted models. AUD history was associated with severe
      medical conditions such as liver diseases and myocardial infarction in women. In
      general, longer AUD exposure and shorter remission were also associated with the
      risk for chronic medical conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest
      associations between past AUD diagnosis and chronic medical conditions,
      particularly for the elderly individuals. Screening for past alcohol use problems
      and associated health risks are important for the promotion of aging and
      prevention of chronic medical conditions even when an individual presents no
      current symptoms of AUD.

PMID- 26482093
TI  - Three-dimensional simulation of orthognathic surgery-surgeon's perspective.

PMID- 26482091
TI  - Genetic and environmental contributions to initiation of cigarette smoking in
      young African-American and European-American women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Distinctions in the relative contributions of genetic and
      environmental factors to initiation of cigarette smoking may explain, in part,
      the differences between African Americans and European Americans in the
      prevalence of smoking. The current investigation is the first to compare
      heritable and environmental influences on smoking initiation between African
      American and European-American women. METHODS: Data were drawn from Missouri
      Adolescent Female Twin Study participants and female Missouri Family Study
      participants (n=4498; 21% African-American, the remainder European-American).
      Mean ages at first and last assessments were 17.0 (SD=3.5) and 24.0 (SD=3.2),
      respectively. Twin-sibling modeling was conducted to estimate the proportion of
      variance in smoking initiation (i.e., ever trying a cigarette) attributable to
      additive genetic, shared environmental, special twin environmental, and unique
      environmental factors. RESULTS: Additive genetic influences accounted for
      approximately half of the variance in smoking initiation in both African-American
      and European-American women. In the African-American subsample, the remaining
      variance was attributable primarily to unique environmental factors (46%; 95% CI:
      28-71%). In the European-American subsample, only 12% (95% CI: 8-16%) of the
      variance was attributable to unique environmental factors, with the remainder
      accounted for by shared environmental (13%; 95% CI: 0-41%) and special twin
      environmental (24%; 95% CI: 0-52%) factors. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated
      heritability of smoking initiation is substantial and nearly identical for
      African-American and European-American women, but the type of environmental
      factors that contribute to risk differ by race/ethnicity. Whereas the primary
      environmental influences on European-American women's smoking initiation are at
      the family level, those that impact African-American women's smoking initiation
      are primarily individual-specific.

PMID- 26482094
TI  - Factors Related to the Accuracy of Self-Reported Dietary Intake of Children Aged
      6 to 12 Years Elicited with Interviews: A Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding the relationship between children's dietary consumption
      and health is important. As such, it is crucial to explore factors related to the
      accuracy of children's reports of what they consumed. OBJECTIVE: The objective
      was to evaluate factors related to the accuracy of self-reported dietary intake
      information elicited by interview methods from children aged 6 to 12 years.
      METHODS: A systematic review of English articles using PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES,
      PsycEXTRA, PsycBOOKS, CINAHL Complete, Global Health, and MEDLINE Complete was
      performed. Search terms included interview, diet, children, and recall; studies
      were limited to those published from 1970 onward. Additional studies were
      identified using the reference lists of published articles. Studies that assessed
      children's dietary intake using direct observation, doubly labeled water, or the
      double-portion method and compared it with their recall of that intake
      (unassisted by parents) using an interview were included. RESULTS: The 45 studies
      that met the inclusion criteria showed that specific interview techniques
      designed to enhance children's recall accuracy had little effect. Rather, the
      timing of the interview appeared most important: The shorter the retention
      interval between children's consumption and their recall, the more accurate their
      memories. Children's age, body mass index, social desirability, food preferences,
      and cognitive ability were also related to accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Factors related
      to the accuracy of children's dietary reporting should be taken into
      consideration when asking about consumption. Further research is required to
      examine whether other interview techniques, such as those developed to enhance
      children's recall of repeated staged events, can improve children's dietary
      reporting accuracy.

PMID- 26482096
TI  - Comparison of serum and urine lead levels in opium addicts with healthy control
      group.
AB  - CONTEXT: Lead-contaminated opium is one of the new sources of lead exposure in
      our region. As far as the literature review is concerned, there are limited
      comparative studies about comparison of blood lead level (BLL) in addict patients
      with healthy controls. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare BLL and urine lead level
      (ULL) between opium addicts with the healthy control group. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Forty opium addict subjects (mean age: 43 +/- 10 years) as the patient
      group and 40 healthy subjects (mean age: 41 +/- 9 years) as the control group
      participated. Three milliliter of whole blood and urine was obtained from both
      groups and lead level was assessed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry.
      RESULTS: The mean value of BLL in patient group was 7.14 +/- 1.41 mcg/dL and that
      in the healthy control group was 5.42 +/- 1.46 mcg/dL. The mean value of ULL was
      2.62 +/- 0.83 mcg/dL in the patient group and 2.50 +/- 0.76 mcg/dL in the healthy
      control group.BLL was different in the two groups (p < 0.001), but ULL was not (p
      = 0.5). There was a significant correlation between BLL with duration of opium
      addiction in the patient group (r = -0.403, p = 0.01). BLL and ULL were
      significantly correlated in controls (r = 0.436, p = 0.005) and not in patients.
      DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: It was observed that the BLL in opium addicts was
      significantly higher than that in the healthy control group. This can be due to
      use of adulterated opium with lead. Therefore, screening of blood lead
      concentration is helpful for opium-addict patients especially with nonspecific
      symptoms.

PMID- 26482095
TI  - Secular Trends in Meal and Snack Patterns among Adolescents from 1999 to 2010.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Linkages between snack patterns, diet, and obesity in adolescents
      likely depend on the consumption of main meals, how often snacks are prepared
      away from home, and whether energy-dense, nutrient-poor snack foods and sugary
      drinks are frequently consumed. Nutrition-based interventions need to be informed
      by an understanding of how secular changes in the contribution of snacks to
      dietary intake may be related to changes in meal frequency as well as how these
      trends differ by sociodemographic characteristics. OBJECTIVES: To examine secular
      trends from 1999 to 2010 in meal and snack patterns among adolescents. DESIGN: A
      repeated cross-sectional design was used. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Participants from
      Minneapolis/St Paul, MN, secondary schools completed classroom-administered
      surveys and food frequency questionnaires in 1999 (n=2,598) and 2010 (n=2,540).
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Weekly meal frequencies; number of snacks consumed on
      school and vacation/weekend days; frequent consumption of snacks prepared away
      from home (>=3 times/week); and daily servings of energy-dense, nutrient-poor
      food/drinks that are commonly consumed at snack occasions. STATISTICAL ANALYSES
      PERFORMED: Trends from 1999 to 2010 were examined using inverse probability
      weighting to control for differences in sociodemographic characteristics in the
      two samples. RESULTS: Mean frequencies of breakfast and lunch increased modestly
      in the overall population (both P values <0.001), and there were decreases in the
      number of snacks consumed on schools days (P<0.001) and vacation/weekend days
      (P=0.003). Although there was no change in the proportion of adolescents who
      reported frequent consumption of snacks prepared away from home, there was a
      secular decrease in energy-dense, nutrient-poor food/drink consumption (P<0.001).
      Sociodemographic differences in the identified trends were evident. CONCLUSIONS:
      The observed pattern of sociodemographic characteristic differences in meal and
      snack trends among adolescents suggests the need for targeted efforts to ensure
      public health messages reach low-income and ethnic/racial minority population
      subgroups most vulnerable to poor nutrition and the development of obesity.

PMID- 26482097
TI  - CD180 overexpression in follicular lymphoma is restricted to the lymph node
      compartment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Altered Toll-like receptor (TLR) expression levels and/or mutations
      in its signaling pathway (such as MyD88 mutation) contribute to the pathogenesis
      of lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD). CD180 is an orphan member of the TLR
      family that modulates the signaling of several TLRs, but only limited studies
      have evaluated its expression by flow cytometry (FCM) in LPD. METHODS: Using a
      multiparameter FCM approach, we have assessed CD180 mean fluorescence intensity
      (MFI) in lymph nodes (LNs) and peripheral blood (PB) samples obtained from
      patients with follicular lymphoma (FL; LN/PB, n = 44/n = 15), chronic lymphocytic
      leukemia (CLL, n = 26/n = 21), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL, n = 13/n = 17), and
      marginal zone lymphoma (MZL, n = 16/n = 12). Specimens from non-tumoral PB and LN
      (n = 8/n = 12) were used as controls. RESULTS: In the LN specimens, FL and
      control B-cells showed similar CD180 expression (MFI = 1,049 vs. 1,381, P > 0.05;
      Mann-Whitney U-test). This level was markedly lower in the other LPDs, MCL (MFI =
      396, P < 0.05), or CLL (MFI = 502 P < 0.05), and similar to MZL (MFI = 858, P >
      0.05). However, the CD180 expression of FL B-cells assessed in PB was dim and/or
      negative, in the same range as MCL and CLL (FL MFI = 453, MCL MFI = 305, CLL MFI
      = 420, P > 0.05) but lower than in MZL (MFI = 895, P < 0.05). Therefore, these
      results suggest a modulation of CD180 expression by neoplastic FL B-cells based
      on the anatomical compartment. CONCLUSION: These FCM data confirm the usefulness
      of CD180 in the accurate diagnosis of LPDs and emphasize the need to interpret
      this marker according to the origin of the sample. (c) 2015 Clinical Cytometry
      Society.

PMID- 26482098
TI  - Short term effectiveness of neural sliders and neural tensioners as an adjunct to
      static stretching of hamstrings on knee extension angle in healthy individuals: A
      randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the added benefit of nerve-biased interventions over
      static stretching in hamstring flexibility and to compare the effectiveness of
      two types of nerve-biased interventions over a week. DESIGN: Three-arm assessor
      blinded randomized controlled trial. SETTING: University Laboratory.
      PARTICIPANTS: Sixty healthy individuals (mean age = 22 +/- 2.4 years) with
      reduced hamstring flexibility were randomized to three groups who received static
      stretching and neurodynamic sliders (NS-SS); static stretching with neurodynamic
      tensioner (NT-SS) and static stretching (SS) alone. OUTCOME MEASURE: Knee
      extension angle (KEA) in degrees. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics including
      demographic, anthropomorphic and KEA between groups were comparable. A
      significant interaction was observed between group (intervention) and time, [F
      (2,114) = 3.595; p = 0.031]. Post-hoc pairwise comparisons analyses revealed
      significant differences at post-intervention measurement time point between NS-SS
      and SS (mean difference: -6.8; 95%CI = -12, -1.5; p = 0.011) and NT-SS and SS
      (mean difference: -11.6; 95%CI = -16.7, -6.3; p < 0.001). However there was no
      significant difference between NS-SS and NT-SS groups (mean difference: 4.8;
      95%CI = 0.4, 9.9; p = 0.074). CONCLUSIONS: Neural sliders and tensioners are both
      effective in increasing hamstring flexibility as an adjunct to static hamstring
      stretching when compared to static stretching alone. No neural mobilization
      technique proved to be superior over another. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: This
      clinical trial is registered in Clinical Trials Registry- India (CTRI) with
      registration number CTRI/2012/05/002619.

PMID- 26482099
TI  - Endogenous vs Exogenous Allosteric Modulators in GPCRs: A dispute for shuttling
      CB1 among different membrane microenvironments.
AB  - A Cannabinoid Receptor 1 (CB1) binding site for the selective allosteric
      modulator ORG27569 is here identified through an integrate approach of consensus
      pocket prediction, mutagenesis studies and Mass Spectrometry. This unprecedented
      ORG27569 pocket presents the structural features of a Cholesterol Consensus
      Motif, a cholesterol interacting region already found in other GPCRs. ORG27569
      and cholesterol affects oppositely CB1 affinity for orthosteric ligands.
      Moreover, the rise in cholesterol intracellular level results in CB1 trafficking
      to the axonal region of neuronal cells, while, on the contrary, ORG27568 binding
      induces CB1 enrichment at the soma. This control of receptor migration among
      functionally different membrane regions of the cell further contributes to
      downstream signalling and adds a previously unknown mechanism underpinning CB1
      modulation by ORG27569 , that goes beyond a mere control of receptor affinity for
      orthosteric ligands. 

PMID- 26482101
TI  - HSFs, Stress Sensors and Sculptors of Transcription Compartments and Epigenetic
      Landscapes.
AB  - Starting as a paradigm for stress responses, the study of the transcription
      factor (TF) family of heat shock factors (HSFs) has quickly and widely expanded
      these last decades, thanks to their fascinating and significant involvement in a
      variety of pathophysiological processes, including development, reproduction,
      neurodegeneration and carcinogenesis. HSFs, originally defined as classical TFs,
      strikingly appeared to play a central and often pioneering role in reshaping the
      epigenetic landscape. In this review, we describe how HSFs are able to sense the
      epigenetic environment, and we review recent data that support their role as
      sculptors of the chromatin landscape through their complex interplay with
      chromatin remodelers, histone-modifying enzymes and non-coding RNAs. 

PMID- 26482102
TI  - GMC asks for child pornography case to be referred to High Court.

PMID- 26482100
TI  - Hsp70 and Hsp90 of E. coli Directly Interact for Collaboration in Protein
      Remodeling.
AB  - Hsp90 is a highly conserved molecular chaperone that remodels hundreds of client
      proteins, many involved in the progression of cancer and other diseases. It
      functions with the Hsp70 chaperone and numerous cochaperones. The bacterial Hsp90
      functions with an Hsp70 chaperone, DnaK, but is independent of Hsp90
      cochaperones. We explored the collaboration between Escherichia coli Hsp90 and
      DnaK and found that the two chaperones form a complex that is stabilized by
      client protein binding. A J-domain protein, CbpA, facilitates assembly of the
      Hsp90Ec-DnaK-client complex. We identified E. coli Hsp90 mutants defective in
      DnaK interaction in vivo and show that the purified mutant proteins are defective
      in physical and functional interaction with DnaK. Understanding how Hsp90 and
      Hsp70 collaborate in protein remodeling will provide the groundwork for the
      development of new therapeutic strategies targeting multiple chaperones and
      cochaperones. 

PMID- 26482103
TI  - Functional communication training during reinforcement schedule thinning: An
      analysis of 25 applications.
AB  - Two principal goals of functional communication training (FCT) are (a) to
      eliminate destructive behavior and (b) to establish a more acceptable, yet
      functionally equivalent, communication response (FCR). A related and critically
      important goal is to thin the schedule of reinforcement for the FCR to levels
      that can be reasonably managed by caregivers. Researchers have described several
      approaches to thinning FCT reinforcement schedules. We summarize the results of
      25 consecutive applications (among 20 cases) in which schedule-thinning
      procedures employed discriminative stimuli to signal when the FCR would and would
      not produce reinforcement (i.e., using multiple schedules, response restriction,
      or chained schedules). Results suggest that schedule-thinning procedures that use
      discriminative stimuli can maintain the effectiveness of FCT while they minimize
      the need for punishment or other supplemental procedures. 

PMID- 26482104
TI  - The Use of Medical Expulsive Therapy During Pregnancy: A Worldwide Perspective
      Among Experts.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Medical expulsive therapy (MET) is a pharmacologic approach thought
      to augment the spontaneous passage of ureteral calculi. The usage of MET
      pharmacologics for presumed ureteral calculi during pregnancy has not been
      studied and their safety and utility are unknown. We sought to characterize the
      worldwide usage of MET in the setting of pregnancy with presumed ureteral
      calculus (P-MET), as well as factors associated with physician use. Experts in
      stone management were specifically sought. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A nine-question
      survey was delivered through society-administered e-mail. Questions gathered
      physician's worldwide region, degree of specialization in stone disease, practice
      type, interval since training, and willingness to use both MET and P-MET. We
      assessed drugs of choice in those using P-MET and reasons for avoidance in non-P
      MET users. Finally, we assessed the impact of physician-perceived medicolegal
      risk on usage of P-MET. RESULTS: Five hundred sixty-five responses were recorded.
      Sixty-three percent were US-based practitioners and the remaining represented a
      worldwide distribution. Worldwide usage of MET was 97.6%, and tamsulosin was
      globally preferred by over 90% of urologists. P-MET was endorsed by only 44.3%.
      23.6% of European practitioners used this strategy compared with 51.1% of US
      physicians. Time from training and practice type did not significantly interact
      with adoption of P-MET; experts were less likely to use P-MET. Physician nonuse
      of MET during pregnancy was adverse outcome related: 76.7% reported either the
      fear of legal risk (52.8%) or concerns about safety (23.9%). CONCLUSION:
      Respondents report impressive worldwide adoption of MET. P-MET is less trusted,
      and fears of legal risk and safety far outweigh questions about effectiveness.
      The effectiveness of drugs during pregnancy-induced ureteral dilation is unknown.
      Still, 44% of global respondents embrace usage of this drug strategy despite a
      paucity of evidence supporting either safety or effectiveness during pregnancy.

PMID- 26482105
TI  - 'Visual' parsing can be taught quickly without visual experience during critical
      periods.
AB  - Cases of invasive sight-restoration in congenital blind adults demonstrated that
      acquiring visual abilities is extremely challenging, presumably because visual
      experience during critical-periods is crucial for learning visual-unique concepts
      (e.g. size constancy). Visual rehabilitation can also be achieved using sensory
      substitution-devices (SSDs) which convey visual information non-invasively
      through sounds. We tested whether one critical concept--visual parsing, which is
      highly-impaired in sight-restored patients--can be learned using SSD. To this
      end, congenitally blind adults participated in a unique, relatively short (~70
      hours), SSD-'vision' training. Following this, participants successfully parsed
      2D and 3D visual objects. Control individuals naive to SSDs demonstrated that
      while some aspects of parsing with SSD are intuitive, the blind's success could
      not be attributed to auditory processing alone. Furthermore, we had a unique
      opportunity to compare the SSD-users' abilities to those reported for sight
      restored patients who performed similar tasks visually, and who had months of
      eyesight. Intriguingly, the SSD-users outperformed the patients on most criteria
      tested. These suggest that with adequate training and technologies, key high
      order visual features can be quickly acquired in adulthood, and lack of visual
      experience during critical-periods can be somewhat compensated for. Practically,
      these highlight the potential of SSDs as standalone-aids or combined with
      invasive restoration approaches.

PMID- 26482106
TI  - Predictive analytics of environmental adaptability in multi-omic network models.
AB  - Bacterial phenotypic traits and lifestyles in response to diverse environmental
      conditions depend on changes in the internal molecular environment. However,
      predicting bacterial adaptability is still difficult outside of laboratory
      controlled conditions. Many molecular levels can contribute to the adaptation to
      a changing environment: pathway structure, codon usage, metabolism. To measure
      adaptability to changing environmental conditions and over time, we develop a
      multi-omic model of Escherichia coli that accounts for metabolism, gene
      expression and codon usage at both transcription and translation levels. After
      the integration of multiple omics into the model, we propose a multiobjective
      optimization algorithm to find the allowable and optimal metabolic phenotypes
      through concurrent maximization or minimization of multiple metabolic markers. In
      the condition space, we propose Pareto hypervolume and spectral analysis as
      estimators of short term multi-omic (transcriptomic and metabolic) evolution,
      thus enabling comparative analysis of metabolic conditions. We therefore compare,
      evaluate and cluster different experimental conditions, models and bacterial
      strains according to their metabolic response in a multidimensional objective
      space, rather than in the original space of microarray data. We finally validate
      our methods on a phenomics dataset of growth conditions. Our framework, named
      METRADE, is freely available as a MATLAB toolbox. 

PMID- 26482107
TI  - Relationship Between Carfilzomib Dose and Efficacy Outcomes in Patients With
      Relapsed and/or Refractory Multiple Myeloma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Carfilzomib is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for
      the treatment of patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (MM) who
      have received at least 2 previous treatments. The approval was based on phase II
      trials that used a starting dose of 20 mg/m(2) escalated to a target dose of 27
      mg/m(2) in cycle 2. We examined dose-outcome relationships in MM patients who
      received these 2 carfilzomib doses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patient data from 4
      cohorts of MM patients treated with single-agent carfilzomib in phase II trials
      were examined post hoc. The relationship between administered doses and overall
      response rate (ORR) was assessed using logistic regression models. Secondary
      analyses were performed using Cox regression models to assess the association
      between administered doses and time to event outcomes and using generalized
      estimating equations for cycle-specific response status (CSRS). RESULTS: A total
      of 476 intention to treat patients were enrolled, 461 of whom were evaluable for
      efficacy. In the primary analysis, adjustment for cohort and baseline covariates
      yielded an odds ratio for ORR of 1.28 (95% confidence interval, 1.16-1.41; P <
      .001) for each 1 mg/m(2) increase in the average administered dose of carfilzomib
      per patient (up to 27 mg/m(2)). Qualitatively similar and statistically
      significant results were seen for the association between administered dose and
      CSRS, duration of response, time to progression, progression-free survival, and
      overall survival when adjusted for cohort and baseline covariates. CONCLUSION:
      This post hoc analysis provides evidence for a dose-response relationship between
      the administered dose of carfilzomib and efficacy.

PMID- 26482108
TI  - Prognostic Significance of Monosomal Karyotype in Adult Patients With Acute
      Myeloid Leukemia Treated With Risk-Adapted Protocols.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The monosomal karyotype (MK) is a well-known adverse prognostic
      factor and has been found to be related to poor outcome in patients with acute
      myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the outcome in MK-positive AML patients
      undergoing different therapies has not been well investigated. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed clinical and laboratory features in 225 MK
      positive AML patients. Clinical outcome of overall survival (OS) and disease-free
      survival (DFS) was evaluated in patients according to age group and in patients
      who received different therapy protocols. RESULTS: The proportion of MK-positive
      patients increased along with age. Also, patients who were treated with high-dose
      cytarabine (HD-Ara-C) as consolidation therapy followed by allogeneic
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) demonstrated longer OS and
      DFS compared to allo-HSCT or HD-Ara-C alone. Patients treated with allo-HSCT
      alone exhibited longer DFS compared to patients treated with HD-Ara-C alone. No
      difference in OS was discovered between these 2 single protocols. CONCLUSION: MK
      was associated with a lower complete remission rate. HD-Ara-C therapy followed by
      allo-HSCT could improve the prognosis of MK-positive AML patients.

PMID- 26482109
TI  - Adverse Events During Hematopoietic Stem Cell Infusion: Analysis of the Infusion
      Product.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stem cell transplantation is a treatment option for patients with
      cancer. However, a risk of adverse events might be associated with the infusion
      itself. An understanding of the types and grades of adverse events occurring
      during infusion and the patient and infusion characteristics that might be
      associated with these events could allow for interventions to minimize these
      complications. The risk factors associated with transplant-related adverse events
      are not well understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the
      adverse events occurring within 1 hour after infusion in 460 patients with cancer
      undergoing stem cell transplantation at the Northwestern University Robert H.
      Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center from January 1, 2008 and May 1, 2011. Of the
      460 patients, 382 received autologous transplants and 78 allogeneic transplants.
      The incidence, types, and National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria
      grade of toxicity for adverse events were noted (primary objective). Univariate
      analyses were performed to study which patient and infusion characteristics might
      be associated with the occurrence of adverse events (secondary objectives).
      RESULTS: Of the 460 patients, 261 (56.7%) experienced adverse events (66.7%
      during allogeneic infusion and 54.7% during autologous infusion). Most events
      were cardiopulmonary. Univariate analysis of the infusion and patient
      characteristics revealed that a second transplant (P = .005) was associated with
      more adverse events for autologous transplant patients. For allogeneic transplant
      patients, a higher infusion red blood cell volume (P = .01) was associated with
      more adverse events. CONCLUSION: Adverse events are common during stem cell
      infusion and are generally cardiopulmonary.

PMID- 26482110
TI  - Intermittent oral iron supplementation during pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anaemia is a frequent condition during pregnancy, particularly among
      women in low- and middle-income countries. Traditionally, gestational anaemia has
      been prevented with daily iron supplements throughout pregnancy, but adherence to
      this regimen due to side effects, interrupted supply of the supplements, and
      concerns about safety among women with an adequate iron intake, have limited the
      use of this intervention. Intermittent (i.e. two or three times a week on non
      consecutive days) supplementation has been proposed as an alternative to daily
      supplementation. OBJECTIVES: To assess the benefits and harms of intermittent
      supplementation with iron alone or in combination with folic acid or other
      vitamins and minerals to pregnant women on neonatal and pregnancy outcomes.
      SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials
      Register (31 July 2015), the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform
      (ICTRP) (31 July 2015) and contacted relevant organisations for the
      identification of ongoing and unpublished studies (31 July 2015). SELECTION
      CRITERIA: Randomised or quasi-randomised trials. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We
      assessed the methodological quality of trials using standard Cochrane criteria.
      Two review authors independently assessed trial eligibility, extracted data and
      conducted checks for accuracy. MAIN RESULTS: This review includes 27 trials from
      15 countries, but only 21 trials (with 5490 women) contributed data to the
      review. All studies compared daily versus intermittent iron supplementation. The
      methodological quality of included studies was mixed and most had high levels of
      attrition.The overall assessment of the quality of the evidence for primary
      infant outcomes was low and for maternal outcomes very low.Of the 21 trials
      contributing data, three studies provided intermittent iron alone, 14
      intermittent iron + folic acid and four intermittent iron plus multiple vitamins
      and minerals in comparison with the same composition of supplements provided in a
      daily regimen.Overall, for women receiving any intermittent iron regimen (with or
      without other vitamins and minerals) compared with a daily regimen there was no
      clear evidence of differences between groups for any infant primary outcomes: low
      birthweight (average risk ratio (RR) 0.82; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.55 to
      1.22; participants = 1898; studies = eight; low quality evidence), infant
      birthweight (mean difference (MD) 5.13 g; 95% CI -29.46 to 39.72; participants =
      1939; studies = nine; low quality evidence), premature birth (average RR 1.03;
      95% CI 0.76 to 1.39; participants = 1177; studies = five; low quality evidence),
      or neonatal death (average RR 0.49; 95% CI 0.04 to 5.42; participants = 795;
      studies = one; very low quality). None of the studies reported congenital
      anomalies.For maternal outcomes, there was no clear evidence of differences
      between groups for anaemia at term (average RR 1.22; 95% CI 0.84 to 1.80;
      participants = 676; studies = four; I2 = 10%; very low quality). Women receiving
      intermittent supplementation had fewer side effects (average RR 0.56; 95% CI 0.37
      to 0.84; participants = 1777; studies = 11; I2 = 87%; very low quality) and were
      at lower risk of having high haemoglobin (Hb) concentrations (greater than 130
      g/L) during the second or third trimester of pregnancy (average RR 0.53; 95% CI
      0.38 to 0.74; participants = 2616; studies = 15; I2 = 52%; (this was not a
      primary outcome)) compared with women receiving daily supplements. There were no
      significant differences in iron-deficiency anaemia at term between women
      receiving intermittent or daily iron + folic acid supplementation (average RR
      0.71; 95% CI 0.08 to 6.63; participants = 156; studies = one). There were no
      maternal deaths (six studies) or women with severe anaemia in pregnancy (six
      studies). None of the studies reported on iron deficiency at term or infections
      during pregnancy.Most of the studies included in the review (14/21 contributing
      data) compared intermittent oral iron + folic acid supplementation compared with
      daily oral iron + folic acid supplementation (4653 women) and findings for this
      comparison broadly reflect findings for the main comparison (any intermittent
      versus any daily regimen).Three studies with 464 women examined supplementation
      with intermittent oral iron alone compared with daily oral iron alone. There were
      no clear differences between groups for mean birthweight, preterm birth, maternal
      anaemia or maternal side effects. Other primary outcomes were not reported.Four
      studies with a combined sample size of 412 women compared intermittent oral iron
      + vitamins and minerals supplementation with daily oral iron + vitamins and
      minerals supplementation. Results were not reported for any of the review's
      infant primary outcomes. One study reported fewer maternal side effects in the
      intermittent iron group, and two studies that more women were anaemic at term
      compared with those receiving daily supplementation.Where sufficient data were
      available for primary outcomes, we set up subgroups to look for possible
      differences between studies in terms of earlier or later supplementation; women's
      anaemia status at the start of supplementation; higher and lower weekly doses of
      iron; and the malarial status of the region in which the trials were conducted.
      There was no clear effect of these variables on results. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS:
      This review is the most comprehensive summary of the evidence assessing the
      benefits and harms of intermittent iron supplementation in pregnant women on
      haematological and pregnancy outcomes. Findings suggest that intermittent
      regimens produced similar maternal and infant outcomes as daily supplementation
      but were associated with fewer side effects and reduced the risk of high levels
      of Hb in mid and late pregnancy, although the risk of mild anaemia near term was
      increased. While the quality of the evidence was assessed as low or very low,
      intermittent may be a feasible alternative to daily iron supplementation among
      those pregnant women who are not anaemic and have adequate antenatal care.

PMID- 26482111
TI  - Safety of Anti-TNF Therapies in Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: Focus on
      Infections and Malignancy.
AB  - Preclinical Research The efficacy of anti-TNF agents in the treatment of multiple
      immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) has increased their daily use.
      However, concerns remain regarding their long-term safety profile. Using a
      literature-based review of the infectious and malignant complications of anti-TNF
      biologics in IMIDs including psoriasis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and inflammatory
      bowel disease, this review presents current evidence relative to the safety of
      anti-TNF agents in the context infections and malignancy in adults with IMIDs.
      Treatment with anti-TNF biologics is an effective treatment option with known
      risks that can be mitigated by appreciating the safety aspects and via a thorough
      screening and continuous monitoring of the patient.

PMID- 26482112
TI  - Electrophysiological correlates of emotional meaning in context in relation to
      facets of schizotypal personality traits: A dimensional study.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the neurocognitive processes
      mediating the processing of emotional information during the integration of
      contextual and social information in a schizotypal population. METHODS: One
      hundred and thirty-one healthy participants were evaluated using the Schizotypal
      Personality Questionnaire and event-related potentials were recorded during a
      linguistic task in which participants read sentence pairs describing short social
      situations to themselves. The first sentence implicitly conveyed the positive or
      negative emotional state of a character. The second sentence was emotionally
      congruent or incongruent with the first sentence. RESULTS: Across our overall
      sample, our results revealed a greater N400 effect at right sites than left
      sites, whereas the late positive component effect was only observed at left
      sites. Concerning the correlation results, we observed a negative link between
      positive and global schizotypy and N400 modulation in response to congruent
      targets for positive context sentences. Results also showed a positive
      correlation between negative schizotypy and late positive component modulation in
      response to congruent targets for negative context sentences. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results suggest that the different facets of the schizotypal personality traits
      influenced the integration of emotional context at the level of both early and
      later-mobilized neurocognitive processes.

PMID- 26482113
TI  - Ring Expansions of Boroles with Diazo Compounds: Steric Control of C or N
      Insertion and Aromatic/Nonaromatic Products.
AB  - Access to novel imine-substituted 1,2-azaborinines, as well as highly arylated
      boracyclohexa-3,5-dienes has been developed by ring expansion of boroles with
      diazoalkanes with varying degrees of steric bulk. The formation of a diazoalkane
      intermediate is also discussed for the reaction of ortho-brominated p-tolyl-azide
      with 1,2,3,4,5-pentaphenylborole. Structural details as well as UV/Vis
      spectroscopic and cyclic voltammetric data are provided. These boron-containing
      heterocycles have the potential to serve as building blocks for boron-containing
      materials. 

PMID- 26482114
TI  - A novel fluorescent probe based on rhodamine hydrazone derivatives bearing a
      thiophene group for Al3+.
AB  - In the present work, a novel 5-methyl-thiophene-carbaldehyde-functionalized
      rhodamine 6G Schiff base (RA) was designed and easily prepared as an Al(3+)
      fluorescent and colorimetric probe, which could selectively and sensitively
      detect Al(3+) by showing enhanced fluorescence emission. Meanwhile distinct color
      variation from colorless to pink also provided 'naked eye' detection of Al(3+),
      due to the ring spirolactam opening of the rhodamine derivative. Other metal ions
      (including K(+), Mg(2+), Na(+), Ba(2+), Mn(2+), Cd(2+), Fe(2+), Ni(2+), Pb(2+),
      Zn(2+), Hg(2+), Co(2+), Li(+), Sr(2+) and Cu(2+)) could only induce limited
      interference. The detection limit of the fluorescent probe was estimated to be
      4.17 * 10(-6) M, the binding constant of the RA-Al(3+) complex was 1.4 * 10(6) 
      M(-1). Moreover, this fluorescent probe RA possessed high reversibility. As
      aluminum is a ubiquitous metal in nature and plays vital roles in many biological
      processes, this chemosensor could be explored for biological study applications.

PMID- 26482115
TI  - Effect of Cross-Link Density on Carbon Dioxide Separation in Polydimethylsiloxane
      Norbornene Membranes.
AB  - The development of high-performance materials for carbon dioxide separation and
      capture will significantly contribute to a solution for climate change. Herein,
      (bicycloheptenyl)ethyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMSPNB) membranes with
      varied cross-link densities were synthesized via ring-opening metathesis
      polymerization. The developed polymer membranes show higher permeability and
      better selectivity than those of conventional cross-linked PDMS membrane. The
      achieved performance (CO2 permeability~6800 Barrer; CO2 /N2 selectivity~14) is
      very promising for practical applications. The key to achieving this high
      performance is the use of an in situ cross-linking method for difunctional PDMS
      macromonomers, which provides lightly cross-linked membranes. By combining
      positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, broadband dielectric spectroscopy,
      and gas solubility measurements, key parameters necessary for achieving excellent
      performance have been elucidated.

PMID- 26482116
TI  - Is anxiety more common in school students with newly diagnosed specific learning
      disabilities? A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study in Mumbai, Maharashtra,
      India.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: School students with specific learning disabilities
      (SpLDs) experience chronic academic underachievement and resultant stress. The
      present study aimed to determine if school students with newly diagnosed SpLD
      were more likely to have anxiety than their regular peers. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The study cases (aged 8-15 years) were recruited from our institute's learning
      disability clinic. The matched controls were recruited from four schools in
      Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Anxiety was measured using the Spence Children's
      Anxiety Scale (SCAS)-child self-report version questionnaire. Median SCAS scores
      and the proportion of students with an SCAS score in the "clinical anxiety" range
      were compared between the groups. RESULTS: SCAS scores were significantly higher
      in 8-11-year-old learning-disabled male and female students (P < 0.0001 for both
      groups) and 12-15-year-old female students (P = 0.004), as compared with matched
      controls. A significantly higher number of learning-disabled students were found
      to have "clinical anxiety" [24.64% vs. 4.35%, crude odds ratio (OR) = 7.19, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 2.91-17.78, P = 0.0001], as compared with the controls
      regardless of gender, age group, presence of comorbid attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or associated medical conditions. A
      significantly higher proportion of 8-11-year-old learning-disabled students,
      especially males, were found to have "clinical anxiety" as compared with 12-15
      year-old learning-disabled students (crude OR = 4.38, 95% CI 1.94-9.92, P =
      0.0004). Gender, presence of comorbid ADHD or associated medical conditions, and
      type of school attended or curriculum did not impact the prevalence of "clinical
      anxiety" in learning-disabled students. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: Students
      with newly diagnosed SpLD have greater odds of being "clinically anxious"
      relative to their regular peers. We recommend screening for anxiety in children
      with SpLD immediately after diagnosis so that their optimum rehabilitation can be
      facilitated.

PMID- 26482118
TI  - Response to Andriy Danyliv.

PMID- 26482119
TI  - Skin Perfusion Pressure and the Prevalence of Atherothrombosis in Hemodialysis
      Patients.
AB  - End-stage renal disease is associated with atherothrombosis (ATIS), which, in
      turn, can promote peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD), coronary artery
      disease (CAD), and/or cerebrovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to
      determine whether low plantar skin perfusion pressure (SPP) was related to ATIS
      among 122 patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis (HD) from March to November
      2013 at our outpatient facility. We routinely measured SPP and used the value for
      analysis. In addition, we retrospectively evaluated the prevalence of ATIS with
      patients categorized to CAD, CVD, or PAOD groups. Of the 122 outpatients, ATIS
      was diagnosed in about half (N = 60, 49.2% vs. 62, 50.8%; average SPP, 56.6 vs.
      72.9 mm Hg, respectively). These data show that SPP was significantly lower in
      patients with ATIS (difference, 16.3 mm Hg; P < 0.001) and there was a negative
      relationship between average SPPs and past history of ATIS complications. When
      the patients were stratified by the presence of diabetes mellitus, this trend was
      stronger. Particularly, receiver operating characteristic analysis of HD patients
      with diabetes revealed a cutoff point of 53.0 mm Hg and an area under the curve
      value of 0.84, with a sensitivity of 77.0% and specificity of 91.3%. Therefore,
      we concluded that SPP enables the evaluation of not only local PAOD, but also
      systemic ATIS. Moreover, we found that a cutoff point of 53.0 mm Hg was useful
      for detection of ATIS in HD patients. 

PMID- 26482120
TI  - Application of Transmitted Kikuchi Diffraction in Studying Nano-oxide and
      Ultrafine Metallic Grains.
AB  - Transmitted Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) is an emerging SEM-based technique that
      enables investigation of highly refined grain structures. It offers higher
      spatial resolution by utilizing conventional electron backscattered diffraction
      equipment on electron-transparent samples. A successful attempt has been made to
      reveal nano-oxide grain structures as well as ultrafine severely deformed
      metallic grains. The effect of electron beam current was studied. Higher beam
      currents enhance pattern contrast and intensity. Lower detector exposure times
      could be employed to accelerate the acquisition time and minimize drift and
      carbon contamination. However, higher beam currents increase the electron
      interaction volume and compromise the spatial resolution. Lastly, TKD results
      were compared to orientation mapping results in TEM (ASTAR). Results indicate
      that a combination of TKD and EDS is a capable tool to characterize nano-oxide
      grains such as Al2O3 and Cr2O3 with similar crystal structures. 

PMID- 26482121
TI  - Quantifying randomness in real networks.
AB  - Represented as graphs, real networks are intricate combinations of order and
      disorder. Fixing some of the structural properties of network models to their
      values observed in real networks, many other properties appear as statistical
      consequences of these fixed observables, plus randomness in other respects. Here
      we employ the dk-series, a complete set of basic characteristics of the network
      structure, to study the statistical dependencies between different network
      properties. We consider six real networks--the Internet, US airport network,
      human protein interactions, technosocial web of trust, English word network, and
      an fMRI map of the human brain--and find that many important local and global
      structural properties of these networks are closely reproduced by dk-random
      graphs whose degree distributions, degree correlations and clustering are as in
      the corresponding real network. We discuss important conceptual, methodological,
      and practical implications of this evaluation of network randomness, and release
      software to generate dk-random graphs.

PMID- 26482122
TI  - Locomotor response to acute nicotine in adolescent mice is altered by maternal
      undernutrition during lactation.
AB  - Undernutrition during brain development causes long lasting alterations in
      different neurotransmitter systems that may alter responses to psychoactive
      drugs. Despite the recognized effects of early undernutrition on the cholinergic
      system, no evidence that demonstrates the influence of this insult on nicotine
      susceptibility has been reported. We investigated the effects of protein/calorie
      restriction during lactation on the susceptibility to nicotine in adolescent
      mice. Dams were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: Control (C, 20
      litters)--free access to standard laboratory diet (23% protein); Protein
      Restricted (PR, 12 litters)--free access to a isoenergetic, 8% protein diet;
      Calorie Restricted (CR, 12 litters)--access to standard laboratory diet in
      restricted quantities (mean ingestion of PR: pair-fed group). Undernutrition
      extended from postnatal day 2 (PN2) to weaning (PN21). At PN30, animals either
      received an i.p. injection of nicotine (0.5mg/Kg) or saline and were immediately
      placed in open field (OF). After the OF, adrenal glands and serum were collected
      for the analyses of stress-related endocrine parameters and leptin concentration.
      PR and CR offspring showed less body mass gain and visceral fat mass. PR
      offspring presented reduced serum leptin concentration. In the OF, nicotine
      increased locomotor activity of C and PR, but not of CR. CR and PR offspring
      showed decreased adrenal catecholamine content, which was not dependent on
      nicotine exposure. Our results indicate that early undernutrition interferes with
      nicotine-elicited locomotor effects in adolescent mice and suggest that endocrine
      parameters alterations in malnourished animals do not influence the behavioral
      response to nicotine.

PMID- 26482124
TI  - The copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidative amidation of tertiary amines.
AB  - A general and efficient method for the synthesis of tertiary amides has been
      developed via the copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidative amidation of tertiary
      amines. Due to the use of the O2 oxidant, various functional groups were well
      tolerated under the present conditions. Extensive substrates studies demonstrated
      its potential as a practical approach for the synthesis of tertiary amides. 

PMID- 26482123
TI  - Understanding the molecular aspects of oriental obesity pattern differentiation
      using DNA microarray.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human constitution, the fundamental basis of oriental medicine, is
      categorized into different patterns for a particular disease according to the
      physical, physiological, and clinical characteristics of the individuals.
      Obesity, a condition of metabolic disorder, is classified according to six
      patterns in oriental medicine, as follows: spleen deficiency syndrome, phlegm
      fluid syndrome, yang deficiency syndrome (YDS), food accumulation syndrome (FAS),
      liver depression syndrome (LDS), and blood stasis syndrome. In oriental medicine,
      identification of the disease pattern for individual obese patients is performed
      on the basis of differentiation in obesity syndrome index and, accordingly,
      personalized treatment is provided to the patients. The aim of the current study
      was to understand the obesity patterns in oriental medicine from the genomic
      point of view via determining the gene expression signature of obese patients
      using peripheral blood mononuclear cells as the samples. METHODS: The study was
      conducted in 23 South Korean obese subjects (19 female and four male) with BMI
      >=25 kg/m(2). Identification of oriental obesity pattern was based on the
      software-guided evaluation of the responses of the subjects to a questionnaire
      developed by the Korean Institute of Oriental Medicine. The expression profiles
      of genes were determined using DNA microarray and the level of transcription of
      genes of interest was further evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT
      PCR). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Gene clustering analysis of the microarray data
      from the FAS, LDS, and YDS subjects exhibited disease pattern-specific
      upregulation of expression of several genes in a particular cluster. Further
      analysis of transcription of selected genes using qRT-PCR led to identification
      of specific genes, including prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase 2, G0/G1 switch
      2, carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 3, cystein-serine-rich
      nuclear protein 1, and interleukin 8 receptor, alpha which were highly expressed
      in LDS obesity constitution. Our current study can be considered as a valuable
      contribution to the understanding of possible explanation for obesity pattern
      differentiation in oriental medicine. Further studies can address a novel
      possibility that the genomic and oriental empirical approaches can be combined
      and implemented in systematic and synergistic development of personalized
      medicine. This clinical trial was registered in Clinical Research Information
      Service of Korea National Institute of Health (
      https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/index.jsp ). REGISTRATION NUMBER: KCT0000387.

PMID- 26482125
TI  - Reversible Dimerization of Phosphine-Stabilized Silylenes by Silylene Insertion
      into Si(II) -H and Si(II) -Cl sigma-Bonds at Room Temperature.
AB  - Contrary to the classical silylene dimerization leading to a disilene structure,
      phosphine stabilized hydro- and chloro-silylenes (2 a,b) undergo an unique
      dimerization via silylene insertion into Si?X sigma-bonds (X=H, Cl), which is
      reversible at room temperature. DFT calculations indicate that the insertion
      reaction proceeds in one step in a concerted manner. 

PMID- 26482126
TI  - A recommended workflow methodology in the creation of an educational and training
      application incorporating a digital reconstruction of the cerebral ventricular
      system and cerebrospinal fluid circulation to aid anatomical understanding.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of computer-aided learning in education can be advantageous,
      especially when interactive three-dimensional (3D) models are used to aid
      learning of complex 3D structures. The anatomy of the ventricular system of the
      brain is difficult to fully understand as it is seldom seen in 3D, as is the flow
      of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This article outlines a workflow for the creation
      of an interactive training tool for the cerebral ventricular system, an
      educationally challenging area of anatomy. This outline is based on the use of
      widely available computer software packages. METHODS: Using MR images of the
      cerebral ventricular system and several widely available commercial and free
      software packages, the techniques of 3D modelling, texturing, sculpting, image
      editing and animations were combined to create a workflow in the creation of an
      interactive educational and training tool. This was focussed on cerebral
      ventricular system anatomy, and the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. RESULTS: We have
      successfully created a robust methodology by using key software packages in the
      creation of an interactive education and training tool. This has resulted in an
      application being developed which details the anatomy of the ventricular system,
      and flow of cerebrospinal fluid using an anatomically accurate 3D model. In
      addition to this, our established workflow pattern presented here also shows how
      tutorials, animations and self-assessment tools can also be embedded into the
      training application. CONCLUSIONS: Through our creation of an established
      workflow in the generation of educational and training material for demonstrating
      cerebral ventricular anatomy and flow of cerebrospinal fluid, it has enormous
      potential to be adopted into student training in this field. With the digital age
      advancing rapidly, this has the potential to be used as an innovative tool
      alongside other methodologies for the training of future healthcare practitioners
      and scientists. This workflow could be used in the creation of other tools, which
      could be developed for use not only on desktop and laptop computers but also
      smartphones, tablets and fully immersive stereoscopic environments. It also could
      form the basis on which to build surgical simulations enhanced with haptic
      interaction.

PMID- 26482127
TI  - Resolving ambiguities in nanowire field-effect transistor characterization.
AB  - We have modeled InAs nanowires using finite element methods considering the
      actual device geometry, the semiconducting nature of the channel and surface
      states, providing a comprehensive picture of charge distribution and gate action.
      The effective electrostatic gate width and screening effects are taken into
      account. A pivotal aspect is that the gate coupling to the nanowire is
      compromised by the concurrent coupling of the gate electrode to the
      surface/interface states, which provide the vast majority of carriers for undoped
      nanowires. In conjunction with field-effect transistor (FET) measurements using
      two gates with distinctly dissimilar couplings, the study reveals the density of
      surface states that gives rise to a shallow quantum well at the surface. Both
      gates yield identical results for the electron concentration and mobility only at
      the actual surface state density. Our method remedies the flaws of conventional
      FET analysis and provides a straightforward alternative to intricate Hall effect
      measurements on nanowires. 

PMID- 26482130
TI  - The effect of a broad activation energy distribution on deuteron spin-lattice
      relaxation.
AB  - Deuteron NMR spectra and spin-lattice relaxation were studied experimentally in
      zeolite NaY(2.4) samples containing 100% or 200% of CD3OH or CD3OD molecules of
      the total coverage of Na atoms in the temperature range 20-150K. The activation
      energies describing the methyl and hydroxyl motions show broad distributions. The
      relaxation data were interpreted by improving a recent model (Stoch et al., 2013
      [16]) in which the nonexponential relaxation curves are at first described by a
      sum of three exponentials with adjustable relaxation rates and weights. Then a
      broad distribution of activation energies (the mean activation energy A0 and the
      width sigma) was assumed for each essentially different methyl and hydroxyl
      position. The correlation times were calculated from the Arrhenius equation
      (containing the pre-exponential factor tau0), individual relaxation rates
      computed and classified into three classes, and finally initial relaxation rates
      and weights for each class formed. These were compared with experimental data,
      motional parameters changed slightly and new improved rates and weights for each
      class calculated, etc. This method was improved by deriving for the deuterons of
      the A and E species methyl groups relaxation rates, which depend explicitly on
      the tunnel frequency omegat. The temperature dependence of omegat and of the low
      temperature correlation time were obtained by using the solutions of the Mathieu
      equation for a threefold potential. These dependencies were included in the
      simulations and as the result sets of A0, sigma and tau0 obtained, which describe
      the methyl and hydroxyl motions in different positions in zeolite. 

PMID- 26482128
TI  - Screen-and-treat program by point-of-care of Atopobium vaginae and Gardnerella
      vaginalis in preventing preterm birth (AuTop trial): study protocol for a
      randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: International recommendations in favor of screening for vaginal
      infection in pregnancy are based on heterogeneous criteria. In most developed
      countries, the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis is only recommended for women
      with high-risk of preterm birth. The Nugent score is currently used, but
      molecular quantification tools have recently been reported with a high
      sensitivity and specificity. Their value for reducing preterm birth rates and
      related complications remains unexplored. This trial was designed to assess the
      cost-effectiveness of a systematic screen-and-treat program based on a point-of
      care technique for rapid molecular diagnosis, immediately followed by an
      appropriate antibiotic treatment, to detect the presence of abnormal vaginal
      flora (specifically, Atopobium vaginae and Gardnerella vaginalis) before 20 weeks
      of gestation in pregnant women in France. We hypothesized that this program would
      translate into significant reductions in both the rate of preterm births and the
      medical costs associated with preterm birth. METHODS/DESIGN: A multicenter, open
      label randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted in which 20 French
      obstetrics and gynecology centers will recruit eligible pregnant women at less
      than 20 weeks gestation with singleton pregnancy and with a low-risk factor for
      preterm birth. Interventions will include a) an experimental group that will
      receive a systematic rapid screen-and-treat program from a point-of-care analysis
      using a molecular quantification method and b) a control group that will receive
      usual care management. Randomization will be in a 1:1 allocation ratio. The
      primary endpoint that will be assessed over a period of 12 months will be the
      incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) expressed as cost per avoided preterm
      birth before 37 weeks. Secondary endpoints will include ICER per avoided preterm
      birth before 24, 28 and 32 weeks, obstetrical outcomes, neonatal outcomes, rates
      of treatment failure and recurrence episodes for positive women. Uncertainty
      surrounding these estimates will be addressed using nonparametric bootstrapping
      and represented using cost-effectiveness acceptability curves. A total of 6,800
      pregnant women will be included. DISCUSSION: This appropriate randomized
      controlled design will provide insight into the cost-effectiveness and therefore
      the potential cost savings of a rapid screen-and-treat strategy for molecular
      abnormal vaginal flora in pregnant women. National and international
      recommendations could be updated based on the findings of this study. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02288832 (registration date: 30 October
      2014); Eudract: 2014-001559-22.

PMID- 26482129
TI  - Fever phobia: a comparison survey between caregivers in the inpatient ward and
      caregivers at the outpatient department in a children's hospital in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fever in children is one of the most common clinical symptoms and a
      chief complaint and a main reason that caregivers took the children to the
      outpatient service or admitted to hospital. Studies have found that the majority
      of parents surveyed at a hospital pediatric clinic held unrealistic and
      unwarranted concerns about fevers, first termed as 'fever phobia' by Schmitt in
      1980. In the present study, we explore whether 'fever phobia' exists in Chinese
      caregivers and investigate whether such phobia is alleviated when admitted to
      hospital after propaganda of fever related knowledge by doctors and nurses.
      METHODS: A questionnaire was distributed to caregivers of children who visited
      the pediatric outpatient department and those with caregivers in the wards
      between June 2012 and Feb 2013 in Wenzhou, China. RESULTS: Data were obtained
      from 621 caregivers, 305(49%) from the OPD and 316(51%) from the ward. Most
      caregivers of the two groups (OPD vs. ward group, 75.1 vs. 74.4%) believed fever
      could cause brain damage. 77.7% (76.0 vs. 81.3%) caregivers were very worried
      when their children had fever and 12.8% (14.1 vs. 11.4%) caregivers would check
      the temperature within 30 min. Moreover, 68.0% (63.0 vs. 72.8%, P < 0.05)
      caregivers would give their children antipyretics during sleep and 39.9% (40.3
      vs. 39.6%) would administrate antipyretics when temperature was above 38  degrees
      C. After admitted to hospital, 83.9% caregivers stated to have received education
      about fever and 96.5% felt relieved. Less caregivers (ward group vs. OPD, 42.4
      vs. 46.9%, P < 0.05) from ward group would give antipyretics with a temperature
      under 38.5  degrees C and less (0.6 vs. 4.9%, P < 0.05) preferred cold sponging
      as physical cooling method compared to the OPD caregivers. Alarmingly, more
      caregivers (42.7 vs. 34.3%, P < 0.05) in the ward group believed fever could lead
      to death or/and deafness (17.4 vs. 10.5%, P < 0.05) and even 0.6% caregivers in
      the ward group chose aspirin when the children had fever. CONCLUSION: 'Fever
      phobia' also exists in Chinese caregivers. Fever related knowledge propaganda
      after admitted to hospital did not work effectively to improve the caregivers'
      understanding and management of fever and an effective way to alleviate 'Fever
      phobia'.

PMID- 26482131
TI  - Frequency swept microwaves for hyperfine decoupling and time domain dynamic
      nuclear polarization.
AB  - Hyperfine decoupling and pulsed dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) are promising
      techniques to improve high field DNP NMR. We explore experimental and theoretical
      considerations to implement them with magic angle spinning (MAS). Microwave field
      simulations using the high frequency structural simulator (HFSS) software suite
      are performed to characterize the inhomogeneous phase independent microwave field
      throughout a 198GHz MAS DNP probe. Our calculations show that a microwave power
      input of 17W is required to generate an average EPR nutation frequency of
      0.84MHz. We also present a detailed calculation of microwave heating from the
      HFSS parameters and find that 7.1% of the incident microwave power contributes to
      dielectric sample heating. Voltage tunable gyrotron oscillators are proposed as a
      class of frequency agile microwave sources to generate microwave frequency sweeps
      required for the frequency modulated cross effect, electron spin inversions, and
      hyperfine decoupling. Electron spin inversions of stable organic radicals are
      simulated with SPINEVOLUTION using the inhomogeneous microwave fields calculated
      by HFSS. We calculate an electron spin inversion efficiency of 56% at a spinning
      frequency of 5kHz. Finally, we demonstrate gyrotron acceleration potentials
      required to generate swept microwave frequency profiles for the frequency
      modulated cross effect and electron spin inversions. 

PMID- 26482133
TI  - Molecular assembly of highly symmetric molecules under a hydrogen bond framework
      controlled by alkyl building blocks: a simple approach to fine-tune nanoscale
      structures.
AB  - To date, molecular assemblies under the contribution of hydrogen bond in
      combination with weak interactions and their consequent morphologies have been
      variously reported; however, how the systematic variation of the structure can
      fine-tune the morphologies has not yet been answered. The present work finds an
      answer through highly symmetric molecules, i.e. diamine-based benzoxazine dimers.
      This type of molecule develops unique molecular assemblies with their networks
      formed by hydrogen bonds at the terminal, while, at the same time, their hydrogen
      bonded frameworks are further controlled by the hydrophobic segment at the center
      of the molecule. When this happens, slight differences in hydrophobic alkyl chain
      lengths (, , and ) bring a significant change to the molecular assemblies, thus
      resulting in tunable morphologies, i.e. spheres, needles and dendrites. The
      superimposition between the crystal lattice obtained from X-ray single crystal
      analysis and the electron diffraction pattern obtained from transmission electron
      microscopy allows us to identify the molecular alignment from single molecules to
      self-assembly until the morphologies developed. The present work, for the first
      time, shows the case of symmetric molecules, where the hydrophobic building block
      controls the hydrogen bond patterns, leading to the variation of molecular
      assemblies with tunable morphologies. 

PMID- 26482132
TI  - Weevil endosymbiont dynamics is associated with a clamping of immunity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Insects subsisting on nutritionally unbalanced diets have evolved
      long-term mutualistic relationships with intracellular symbiotic bacteria
      (endosymbionts). The endosymbiont population load undergoes changes along with
      insect development. In the cereal weevil Sitophilus oryzae, the midgut
      endosymbionts Sodalis pierantonius drastically multiply following adult
      metamorphosis and rapidly decline until total elimination when the insect
      achieves its cuticle synthesis. Whilst symbiont load was shown to timely meet
      insect metabolic needs, little is known about the host molecular and immune
      processes underlying this dynamics. METHODS: We performed RNA sequencing analysis
      on weevil midguts at three representative phases of the endosymbiont dynamics
      (i.e. increase, climax and decrease). To screen genes which transcriptional
      changes are specifically related to symbiont dynamics and not to the intrinsic
      development of the midgut, we further have monitored by RT-qPCR sixteen gene
      transcript levels in symbiotic and artificially non-symbiotic (aposymbiotic)
      weevils. We also localized the endosymbionts during the elimination process by
      fluorescence microscopy. RESULTS: Functional analysis of the host differentially
      expressed genes by RNA sequencing showed that the main transcriptional changes
      occur during endosymbiont growth phase and affect cell proliferation, apoptosis,
      autophagy, phagocytosis, and metabolism of fatty acids and nucleic acids. We also
      showed that symbiont dynamics alters the expression of several genes involved in
      insect development. Our results strengthened the implication of apoptosis and
      autophagy processes in symbiont elimination and recycling. Remarkably, apart from
      the coleoptericin A that is known to target endosymbionts and controls their
      division and location, no gene coding antimicrobial peptide was upregulated
      during the symbiont growth and elimination phases. CONCLUSION: We show that
      endosymbiont dynamics parallels numerous transcriptional changes in weevil
      developing adults and affects several biological processes, including metabolism
      and development. It also triggers cell apoptosis, autophagy and gut epithelial
      cell swelling and delamination. Strikingly, immunity is repressed during the
      whole process, presumably avoiding tissue inflammation and allowing insects to
      optimize nutrient recovery from recycled endosymbiont.

PMID- 26482134
TI  - A Systematic Review on the Effectiveness of Brief Interventions for Alcohol
      Misuse among Adults in Emergency Departments.
AB  - Given the frequency with which individuals seek treatment for alcohol-related
      consequences in emergency departments (EDs), they may be the optimal setting to
      deliver brief interventions (BIs) for alcohol misuse. Studies examining the
      effectiveness of BIs for alcohol misuse conducted in EDs have yielded mixed
      results, and new articles have been published since the last review in 2008. The
      aim of this study was to provide an updated systematic review on the
      effectiveness of BIs for alcohol misuse delivered to adults in EDs. Articles
      published in June 2014 and earlier were identified from online databases
      (PsycInfo, Healthstar, CINAHL, Medline, Nursing and Allied Health). Search terms
      included (1) alcohol, (2) "alcohol screening", "brief intervention", "brief
      alcohol intervention" or feedback and (3) "emergency department" or "emergency
      room". Once duplicates were removed, 171 abstracts were identified for review.
      Thirty-four studies were included in the systematic review. All studies reported
      a significant reduction in alcohol consumption at 3 months post-BI, with some
      studies finding significant differences between the BI and control groups, and
      other studies finding significant decreases in both conditions but no between
      groups differences. The majority of studies did not find significant between
      group differences at 6 and 12 months post-BI with regard to decreases in alcohol
      consumption. Individuals who received a BI were significantly less likely to have
      an alcohol-related injury at 6 or 12 months post-BI than individuals who did not
      receive a BI. BIs are unlikely to reduce subsequent hospitalizations however,
      they may be effective in reducing risky driving and motor vehicle crashes
      associated with alcohol use, which can result in hospitalization. Beyond the
      effects generated by visiting EDs, BIs delivered in EDs may not be effective in
      reducing alcohol consumption, or in reducing subsequent hospitalizations. BIs may
      be effective in reducing some alcohol-related consequences. Future studies ought
      to investigate for whom BIs are most effective, and the processes that lead to
      decreases in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences.

PMID- 26482135
TI  - Six Month Outcomes of a Peer-Enhanced Community Reinforcement Approach for
      Emerging Adults with Substance Misuse: A Preliminary Study.
AB  - Little substance use disorder (SUD) treatment research with emerging adults ages
      18-25 has been done in community settings, and it is well-known that peers
      influence emerging adult substance use. The purpose of this study was to develop
      and test the feasibility of a peer-enhanced behavioral treatment for emerging
      adults with substance use problems. Emerging adults (n=35) received a peer
      enhanced version of the Community Reinforcement Approach (Peer-CRA), in which
      their peers (n=34) were trained to provide alcohol-specific social support. Both
      identified clients and peers were interviewed at treatment intake, and again
      three and six months later. Six month outcomes included days of abstinence
      adjusted for controlled environment days, social costs due to substance use, and
      binge drinking days in the past 90 days. Treatments were delivered with high
      fidelity, and a high proportion of participants were retained in treatment and
      follow-up assessments. Growth curve analyses revealed that emerging adults and
      their peers significantly increased their days of abstinence and reduced their
      binge drinking over time. Larger randomized trials should a) test whether peer
      enhanced treatments are efficacious relative to treatment as usual, b)
      investigate whether secondary benefits exist for non-treatment seeking peers
      supporting another's treatment, and c) examine whether proposed mechanisms of
      change (i.e., peer support and peer reductions in substance use) account for any
      differences in outcomes.

PMID- 26482136
TI  - Contingency Management Abstinence Incentives: Cost and Implications for Treatment
      Tailoring.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine prize-earning costs of contingency management (CM)
      incentives in relation to participants' pre-study enrollment drug use status
      (baseline (BL) positive vs. BL negative) and relate these to previously reported
      patterns of intervention effectiveness. METHODS: Participants were 255 substance
      users entering outpatient treatment who received the therapeutic educational
      system (TES), in addition to usual care counseling. TES included a CM component
      such that participants could earn up to $600 in prizes on average over 12-weeks
      for providing drug negative urines and completing web-based cognitive behavior
      therapy modules. We examined distribution of prize draws and value of prizes
      earned for subgroups that were abstinent (BL negative; N=136) or not (BL
      positive; N=119) at study entry based on urine toxicology and breath alcohol
      screen. RESULTS: Distribution of draws earned (median=119 vs. 17; p<.0001) and
      prizes redeemed (median=54 vs. 9; p<.001) for drug abstinence differed
      significantly for BL negative compared to BL positive participants. BL negative
      earned on average twice as much in prizes as BL positive participants ($245 vs.
      $125). Median value of prizes earned was 5.4 times greater for BL negative
      compared to BL positive participants ($237 vs. $44; p<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Two
      thirds of expenditures in an abstinence incentive program were paid to BL
      negative participants. These individuals had high rates of drug abstinence during
      treatment and did not show improved abstinence outcomes with TES versus usual
      care (Campbell et al., 2014). Effectiveness of the abstinence-focused CM
      intervention included in TES may be enhanced by tailoring delivery based on
      patients' drug use status at treatment entry.

PMID- 26482137
TI  - Regulation of intrinsic apoptosis in cycloheximide-treated macrophages by the
      Sichuan human strain of Chinese Leishmania isolates.
AB  - Leishmania spp. are able to survive and proliferate inside mammals' mononuclear
      phagocytes, causing Leishmaniasis. Previous studies have noted that the
      regulation of apoptosis in host cells by these parasites may contribute to their
      ability to evade the immune system. However, current results remain unclear about
      whether the parasites can promote or delay the apoptotic process in host cells,
      because the regulatory effect of Leishmania was assumed to be strain-, species-
      and even infection time-dependent. The aim of this study was to investigate
      whether the Sichuan isolates of Chinese Leishmania (SC10H2) can alter the process
      of intrinsic apoptosis induced by cycloheximide in different types of macrophage
      cell lines and to determine in which steps of the signaling pathway the parasites
      were involved. Human THP-1 and mouse RAW264.7 macrophages were infected by SC10H2
      promastigotes followed by cycloheximide stimulation to assess the alteration of
      intrinsic apoptosis in these cells. The results indicated that SC10H2 infection
      of human THP-1 macrophages could promote the initiation of intrinsic apoptosis,
      but completely opposite results were found in mouse RAW264.7 macrophages.
      Nevertheless, the expression of Bcl-2 and the DNA fragmentation rates were not
      altered by SC10H2 infection in the cell lines used in the experiments. This study
      suggests that SC10H2 promastigote infection is able to promote and delay the
      transduction of early apoptotic signals induced by cycloheximide in THP-1 and
      RAW264.7 macrophages, revealing that the regulation of intrinsic apoptosis in
      host cells by SC10H2 in vitro occurs in a host cell-dependent manner. The data
      from this study might play a significant role in further understanding the
      relationship between Leishmania and different host cells. 

PMID- 26482138
TI  - The preoperative plasma fibrinogen level is an independent prognostic factor for
      overall survival of breast cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that plasma fibrinogen contributes to
      tumor cell proliferation, progression and metastasis. The current study was
      performed to evaluate the prognostic relevance of preoperative plasma fibrinogen
      in breast cancer patients. METHOD: Data of 2073 consecutive breast cancer
      patients, who underwent surgery between January 2002 and December 2008 at the Sun
      Yat-sen University Cancer Center, were retrospectively evaluated. Plasma
      fibrinogen levels were routinely measured before surgeries. Participants were
      grouped by the cutoff value estimated by the receiver operating characteristic
      (ROC) curve analysis. Overall survival (OS) was assessed using Kaplan-Meier
      analysis, and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model was
      performed to evaluate the independent prognostic value of plasma fibrinogen
      level. RESULTS: The optimal cutoff value of preoperative plasma fibrinogen was
      determined to be 2.83 g/L. The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with
      high fibrinogen levels had shorter OS than patients with low fibrinogen levels (p
      < 0.001). Multivariate analysis suggested preoperative plasma fibrinogen as an
      independent prognostic factor for OS in breast cancer patients (HR = 1.475, 95%
      confidence interval (CI): 1.177-1.848, p = 0.001). Subgroup analyses revealed
      that plasma fibrinogen level was an unfavorable prognostic parameter in stage II
      III, Luminal subtypes and triple-negative breast cancer patients. CONCLUSION:
      Elevated preoperative plasma fibrinogen was independently associated with poor
      prognosis in breast cancer patients and may serve as a valuable parameter for
      risk assessment in breast cancer patients.

PMID- 26482139
TI  - Regulating BETs at central station.

PMID- 26482140
TI  - A phospholipase linkAGE to SARS susceptibility.

PMID- 26482141
TI  - ILC3s protect intestinal stem cells from chemotherapy.

PMID- 26482142
TI  - IL-27 shakes up the establishment of ectopic lymphoid structures.

PMID- 26482143
TI  - Peripheral macrophages not ADept at amyloid clearance.

PMID- 26482144
TI  - Confirmation of the progesterone receptor as an efficient marker of treatment
      with 17beta-estradiol in veal calves.
AB  - Under current European Union legislation the use of anabolic steroids in food
      producing livestock is banned because of their long-term adverse effects on human
      health. We examined the expression profile of the immunohistochemical marker
      progesterone receptor in veal calves' sex accessory glands following experimental
      administration of anabolic compounds. The aim was to confirm the accuracy of the
      immunohistochemical approach in the detection of the over-expression of the
      progesterone receptor induced by the administration of sexual steroids at low
      levels (17beta-estradiol and nandrolone alone or in combination). A total of 217
      male veal calves were randomly divided into four groups: group A (104 calves)
      treated with 17beta-estradiol (5 mg/head; 4 weekly injections); group B (20
      calves) treated with nandrolone (50 mg/head; 4 weekly injections); group C (20
      calves) treated with the association of the two steroids (5 mg estradiol + 50 mg
      nandrolone; 4 weekly injections); and group K (73 calves) kept as a control. All
      the sexual accessory glands were collected at the slaughterhouse (15 days after
      the last administration) and subjected to immunohistochemical staining with anti
      progesterone receptor antibody. All the calves treated with 17beta-estradiol
      alone or in association with nandrolone (groups A and C) showed strong
      positivity, while nandrolone-treated calves and controls (groups B and K) gave
      negative results to the immunohistochemical investigation. The statistical
      analysis showed that the progesterone receptor is a significant predictor of
      17beta-estradiol treatment alone or in association with nandrolone (p < 0.001):
      the immunohistochemical study resulted in 100% sensitivity (CI = 95%: 97.1-100%)
      and specificity (CI = 95%: 95.1-100%) for prostate and 99% sensitivity (CI = 95%:
      95.6-100%) and 100% specificity (CI = 95%: 95.1-100%) for bulbo-urethral glands.
      The data confirm that this innovative biological approach offers a reliable tool
      to enhance the efficacy of the histological test to detect illegal treatments
      with estrogens alone or in association with androgens. 

PMID- 26482145
TI  - Onset Manifestations of Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy (Kennedy's Disease).
AB  - Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is regarded as a disorder with adult
      onset between third and fifth decade of life. However, there is increasing
      evidence that SBMA may start already before adulthood. The present study
      investigated the following: (1) Which clinical manifestations have been described
      so far in the literature as initial manifestations? (2) Which was the age at
      onset of these manifestations? and (3) Is age at onset dependent on the CAG
      repeat length if non-motor manifestations are additionally considered? Data for
      this review were identified by searches of MEDLINE using appropriate search
      terms. Onset manifestations in SBMA can be classified as frequent, rare, motor,
      non-motor, or questionable. Frequent are muscle weakness, cramps,
      fasciculations/twitching, tremor, dysarthria, dysphagia, or gynecomastia. Rare
      are myalgia, easy fatigability, exercise intolerance, polyneuropathy, hyper
      CKemia, under-masculinized genitalia, scrotal hypospadias, microphallus,
      laryngospasm, or oligospermia. Questionable manifestations include sensory
      disturbances, cognitive impairment, increased pituitary volume, diabetes, reduced
      tongue pressure, elevated creatine-kinase, or low androgens/high estrogens. Age
      at onset is highly variable ranging from 4-76 years. Non-motor manifestations
      develop usually before motor manifestations. Age at onset depends on what is
      considered as an onset manifestation. Considering non-motor onset manifestations,
      age at onset is independent of the CAG-repeat size. In conclusion, age at onset
      of SBMA depends on what is regarded as onset manifestation. If non-motor
      manifestations are additionally considered, age at onset is independent of the
      CAG-repeat length. Since life expectancy is hardly reduced in SBMA, re
      investigation of patients from published studies with regard to their initial
      disease profiles is recommended.

PMID- 26482146
TI  - Individual level determinants for not receiving immunization, receiving
      immunization with delay, and being severely underimmunized among rural western
      Kenyan children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Estimating vaccination coverage and delays are important because
      these measures can identify at risk sub-populations who can be targeted with
      interventions and public health policies. This paper sought to determine
      estimates and risk factors for children in rural western Kenya who did not
      receive immunization, received immunization with delay, or were severely
      underimmunized. METHODS: Caregivers of children aged 12-23 months old were
      surveyed for immunization history using written records from the immunization
      booklet. Risk factors for not receiving immunization, delayed immunization, and
      severe underimmunization were calculated using log-binomial regression. Children
      were categorized as delayed if a given immunization was received greater than
      four weeks from the age-appropriate scheduled date. Severely underimmunized
      children were those who were fully unvaccinated for more than 90 days and had
      three or more vaccines delayed or not given. RESULTS: Immunization coverage for
      pentavalent1, pentavalent3, measles, and fully immunized child (FIC; BCG, three
      doses of polio, three doses of pentavalent, and measles vaccines) were 99%, 94%,
      83%, and 80%, respectively. Approximately, 10%, 24%, and 29%, of children were
      delayed for pentavalent1, pentavalent3, and measles, respectively. Each model
      produced a unique combination of risk factors with only advanced maternal age as
      a risk factor common to all models. Children with delayed receipt of pentavalent1
      were at risk for not receiving pentavalent3 (RR: 5.20; 95%CI 3.48, 7.77), measles
      vaccine (RR: 1.48; 95%CI 1.12, 1.95), and not achieving FIC (RR: 1.88; 95%CI
      1.51, 2.34) compared with children who received pentavalent1 on time.
      CONCLUSIONS: Immunization coverage among 12-23 month old children was high, yet a
      substantial proportion of children were vaccinated with delay. Although vaccine
      coverage and timeliness are often conceptualized as separate measures, the
      finding that delayed pentavalent1 receipt was a strong risk factor for not
      receiving future immunizations indicates the two measures are intertwined.

PMID- 26482147
TI  - Checkpoint blockade in combination with cancer vaccines.
AB  - Checkpoint blockade, prevention of inhibitory signaling that limits activation or
      function of tumor antigen-specific T cells responses, is revolutionizing the
      treatment of many poor prognosis malignancies. Indeed monoclonal antibodies that
      modulate signaling through the inhibitory molecules CTLA-4 and PD-1 are now
      clinically available; however, many tumors, demonstrate minimal response
      suggesting the need for combinations with other therapeutic strategies. Because
      an inadequate frequency of activated tumor antigen-specific T cells in the tumor
      environment, the so-called non-inflamed phenotype, is observed in some
      malignancies, other rationale partners are modalities that lead to enhanced T
      cell activation (vaccines, cytokines, toll-like receptor agonists, and other
      anticancer therapies such as chemo-, radio- or targeted therapies that lead to
      release of antigen from tumors). This review will focus on preclinical and
      clinical data supporting the use of cancer vaccines with anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD
      1/PD-L1 antibodies. Preliminary preclinical data demonstrate enhanced antitumor
      activity although the results in human studies are less clear. Broader
      combinations of multiple immune modulators are now under study. 

PMID- 26482148
TI  - Consumption of anthocyanin-rich cherry juice for 12 weeks improves memory and
      cognition in older adults with mild-to-moderate dementia.
AB  - PURPOSE: Dietary flavonoids, including anthocyanins, may positively influence
      cognition and may be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of dementia. We
      aimed to assess whether daily consumption of anthocyanin-rich cherry juice
      changed cognitive function in older adults with dementia. Blood pressure and anti
      inflammatory effects were examined as secondary outcomes. METHODS: A 12-week
      randomised controlled trial assessed cognitive outcomes in older adults (+70
      year) with mild-to-moderate dementia (n = 49) after consumption of 200 ml/day of
      either a cherry juice or a control juice with negligible anthocyanin content.
      Blood pressure and inflammatory markers (CRP and IL-6) were measured at 6 and 12
      weeks. ANCOVA controlling for baseline and RMANOVA assessed change in cognition
      and blood pressure. RESULTS: Improvements in verbal fluency (p = 0.014), short
      term memory (p = 0.014) and long-term memory (p <= 0.001) were found in the
      cherry juice group. A significant reduction in systolic (p = 0.038) blood
      pressure and a trend for diastolic (p = 0.160) blood pressure reduction was
      evident in the intervention group. Markers of inflammation (CRP and IL-6) were
      not altered. CONCLUSION: Inclusion of an anthocyanin-rich beverage may be a
      practical and feasible way to improve total anthocyanin consumption in older
      adults with mild-to-moderate dementia, with potential to improve specific
      cognitive outcomes.

PMID- 26482149
TI  - Estimation of salt intake assessed by urinary excretion of sodium over 24 h in
      Spanish subjects aged 7-11 years.
AB  - PURPOSE: High intake of salt is associated with early development of
      cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., hypertension, obesity). In "developed"
      countries, individuals frequently exceed dietary recommendations for salt intake.
      Taking into account the limited data on sodium intake by 24-h excretion in urine
      in schoolchildren, we wished to determine baseline salt intake in Spanish
      subjects aged 7-11 years. METHODS: The present study was an observational study
      involving 205 schoolchildren (109 boys and 96 girls) selected from various
      Spanish provinces. Sodium intake was ascertained by measuring sodium excretion in
      urine over 24 h. Creatinine was used to validate completeness of urine
      collections. The correlation between fat-free mass determined by anthropometry
      and that determined via urinary excretion of creatinine was calculated (r =
      0.651; p < 0.001). RESULTS: Mean 24-h urinary excretion of sodium was 132.7 +/-
      51.4 mmol/24 h (salt equivalent: 7.8 +/- 3.1 g/day). Hence, 84.5 % of subjects
      aged <=10 years had intakes of >4 g salt/day, and 66.7 % of those aged >10 years
      had intakes of >5 g salt/day. Urinary excretion of sodium was correlated with
      systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.1574 and r = 0.1400,
      respectively). Logistic regression analyses, adjusted by sex, showed that a high
      body mass index (odds ratio = 1.159; 95 % CI 1.041-1.290; p < 0.05) was
      associated with an increased likelihood of high urinary excretion of sodium.
      CONCLUSIONS: Sodium intake, as estimated by 24-h urinary excretion, was (on
      average) higher than recommended. Reducing the sodium content children's diet is
      a sound policy to reduce cardiovascular risk.

PMID- 26482151
TI  - A Hercule Poirot of clinical research.

PMID- 26482150
TI  - Associations between intake of fish and n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty
      acids and plasma metabolites related to the kynurenine pathway in patients with
      coronary artery disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: Enhanced tryptophan degradation via the kynurenine pathway has been
      related to several pathological conditions. However, little is known about the
      effect of diet on individual metabolites of this pathway. We investigated cross
      sectional associations between reported intake of fish and omega-3 (n-3) long
      chain PUFA (LC-PUFA) and plasma metabolites related to the kynurenine pathway.
      METHODS: Participants were 2324 individuals with coronary artery disease from the
      Western Norway B Vitamin Intervention Trial. Fish and n-3 LC-PUFA intakes were
      assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Plasma concentrations of
      tryptophan, kynurenine, kynurenic acid, anthranilic acid, 3-hydroxykynurenine,
      xanthurenic acid, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, neopterin, and kynurenine-to
      tryptophan ratio (KTR) were analyzed. Associations were investigated using
      partial Spearman's rank correlations and multiple linear regressions. RESULTS:
      Median age at inclusion was 62 years (80 % males), and 84 % had stable angina
      pectoris. Intake of fatty fish and n-3 LC-PUFA was inversely associated with
      plasma 3-hydroxykynurenine. Consumption of total fish, lean fish, and n-3 LC-PUFA
      was inversely associated with plasma neopterin. Intake of total fish, fatty fish,
      and n-3 LC-PUFA was inversely associated with KTR. All these correlations were
      weak (rho between -0.12 and -0.06, P < 0.01). In 306 patients with diabetes, lean
      fish intake was positively associated with plasma 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (rho
      = 0.22, P < 0.001, P for interaction = 0.01), and total fish intake was inversely
      associated with KTR (rho = -0.17, P < 0.01, P for interaction = 0.02).
      CONCLUSION: Fish intake was not an important determinant of individual
      metabolites in the kynurenine pathway. However, some correlations were stronger
      in patients with diabetes. The inverse associations of fish or n-3 LC-PUFA with
      neopterin and KTR may suggest a slightly lower IFN-gamma-mediated immune
      activation with a higher intake.

PMID- 26482152
TI  - Risk factors for relapse of middle-stage squamous cell carcinoma of the
      submandibular region and floor of mouth: the importance of en bloc resection.
AB  - Our aim was to investigate retrospectively the rate of recurrence in the
      intervening region for middle-stage squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue
      and identify the factors that predict relapse and prognosis. A total of 204
      patients were included, 96 in the en bloc group and 108 in the control group. The
      groups were comparable. Two patients in the en bloc group (2%) and 12 in the
      control group (11%) developed recurrences in the intervening region. Kaplan-Meier
      analysis showed a reduction in the 5-year disease-specific survival once a
      recurrence had developed after the primary operation (77% compared with 14%,
      p<0.001). The en bloc group developed significantly fewer recurrences (2%) than
      the control group (11%) during the five years; p=0.037), and also had better 5
      year disease-specific survival (80% compared with 66%, p=0.04). Cox's
      multivariate regression indicated that the pathological nodal status (p=0.016)
      and surgical technique (p=0.037) were independent predictive factors for the 5
      year recurrence rate, as well as of 5-year disease-specific survival (p=0.001 and
      p=0.050, respectively). Recurrence in the intervening region is a negative
      prognostic factor for these patients, and we recommend en bloc resection as the
      management of choice for middle-stage SCC of the tongue. 

PMID- 26482153
TI  - In Vitro Metabolomic Approach to Hippocampal Neurodegeneration Induced by
      Trimethyltin.
AB  - Search for indicators of neurodegenerative disorders is a hot topic where much
      research remains to be done. Our aim was to determine proton nuclear magnetic
      resonance ((1)H-NMR) spectra of brain metabolites in the trimethyltin (TMT) model
      of neurodegeneration. Male Wistar rats were subjected to TMT or saline and were
      sacrificed on day 3 or 24 after administration. (1)H-NMR spectrum was measured on
      the 600 MHz Varian VNMRS spectrometer in nano-probe in the volume of 40 MUl of
      hippocampal extracts. TMT administration resulted in reduction of the hippocampal
      weight on day 24. Of the sixteen identified metabolite spectra, decreased
      aspartate and increased glutamine contents were observed in the initial
      asymptomatic stage of neurodegeneration on day 3 in hippocampal extracts of TMT
      exposed rats compared to sham animals. Increased myo-inositol content was
      observed on day 24. The presented data provide further knowledge about this
      experimental model and putative indicators of neuronal damage.

PMID- 26482154
TI  - A simple microfluidic device for the deformability assessment of blood cells in a
      continuous flow.
AB  - Blood flow presents several interesting phenomena in microcirculation that can be
      used to develop microfluidic devices capable to promote blood cells separation
      and analysis in continuous flow. In the last decade there have been numerous
      microfluidic studies focused on the deformation of red blood cells (RBCs) flowing
      through geometries mimicking microvessels. In contrast, studies focusing on the
      deformation of white blood cells (WBCs) are scarce despite this phenomenon often
      happens in the microcirculation. In this work, we present a novel integrative
      microfluidic device able to perform continuous separation of a desired amount of
      blood cells, without clogging or jamming, and at the same time, capable to assess
      the deformation index (DI) of both WBCs and RBCs. To determine the DI of both
      WBCs and RBCs, a hyperbolic converging microchannel was used, as well as a
      suitable image analysis technique to measure the DIs of these blood cells along
      the regions of interest. The results show that the WBCs have a much lower
      deformability than RBCs when subjected to the same in vitro flow conditions,
      which is directly related to their cytoskeleton and nucleus contents. The
      proposed strategy can be easily transformed into a simple and inexpensive
      diagnostic microfluidic system to simultaneously separate and assess blood cells
      deformability. 

PMID- 26482155
TI  - Molecular analysis of selected paramphistome isolates from cattle in southern
      Africa.
AB  - Paramphistomes are parasites of domestic and wild ruminants, the effects of which
      in animal health remain underestimated. Very few studies in Africa have been done
      using molecular techniques to resolve situations associated with taxonomical
      groupings and epidemiology of these parasites. In this study, the genetic
      variability of nine representative paramphistome isolates collected from southern
      African countries, namely Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, was
      assessed using both morphological and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) rDNA
      sequence data. Morphological characterization and identification were carried out
      using median sagittal sections of the paramphistomes. DNA of the individual
      paramphistomes was isolated, the ITS2 rDNA was amplified, purified and sequenced.
      The sequences were submitted to GenBank, which assigned them the following
      accession numbers: KP639631, KP639630, KP639632, KP639633, KP639634, KP639635,
      KP639636, KP639637 and KP639638. These sequences were used for phylogenetic
      analysis using MEGA 6. Morphological characterization revealed three species of
      paramphistomes belonging to three different sub-families: one Stephanopharynx
      compactus isolate, a member of the Stephanopharyngidae sub-family; one Carmyerius
      dollfusi isolate, a member of the Gastrothylacidae sub-family; and seven
      Calicophoron microbothrium isolates belonging to the Paramphistomidae sub-family.
      ITS2 sequence analysis using BlastN results indicated that this is the first
      report of S. compactus (KP639630) and C. dollfusi (KP639636). Phylogenetic
      reconstruction of the paramphistome isolates revealed three separate clades
      representing the three species. However, the clade with all the C. microbothrium
      isolates was the only one that was supported by a higher bootstrap value of 92%,
      although there was no differentiation of the isolates according to geographical
      locations. The low divergence values on the ITS2 sequences of the C.
      microbothrium isolates indicate that ITS rDNA sequences can be used as a
      molecular tool to infer knowledge for resolving taxonomic groupings.

PMID- 26482157
TI  - Evaluating the impact of a minimally invasive pediatric surgeon on hospital
      practice: comparison of two children's hospitals.
AB  - PURPOSE: Widespread adoption of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques in
      pediatric surgery has progressed slowly, and the shift in practice patterns has
      been variable among surgeons. We hypothesized that a pediatric surgeon committed
      to MIS could effectively change surgical practice by creating an emphasis on MIS.
      METHODS: Annual case volumes from 2000 to 2009 at two tertiary care pediatric
      hospitals, one with a dedicated minimally invasive pediatric surgeon, were
      evaluated for trends in MIS for ten different operations. Univariate analyses of
      the differences between hospitals in the use of the open versus laparoscopic
      approach were performed. The Breslow-Day test was used to examine differences in
      use of laparoscopic procedures across hospitals in early versus middle and middle
      versus late time periods. RESULTS: Between the two hospitals, for 9 of the 10
      types of surgery, the number of laparoscopic and open procedures differed
      significantly (p values ranged from <0.0001 to 0.003). Over the 10-year period,
      the hospital with a dedicated MIS surgeon had a larger proportion of procedures
      done laparoscopically for all years. This difference reached statistical
      significance for appendectomy (p < 0.0001), congenital diaphragmatic hernia (p <
      0.0002), chest wall reconstruction (p < 0.0001), cholecystectomy (p = <0.0001),
      gastrostomy (p < 0.0001), nissen fundoplication (p < 0.0001) oophorectomy (p <
      0.0001), pyloromyotomy (p < 0.0001) and splenectomy (p = 0.0006). After grouping
      the years into early (2000-2003), middle (2004-2006) and late (2007-2009)
      categories, the hospital with a dedicated MIS surgeon had a significantly higher
      rate of increase in use of laparoscopic surgery between the early and middle
      years for four procedures: diaphragmatic hernia repair (p = 0.003), chest wall
      reconstruction (p = 0.0086), cholecystectomy (0.0083) and endorectal pull-through
      (p = 0.025). CONCLUSION: The presence of a dedicated minimally invasive pediatric
      surgeon led to a significant change in surgical practice with an overall trend of
      increasing MIS several years in advance of a hospital that did not have a
      dedicated MIS surgeon. This has implications for resident training in academic
      medical centers and potential patient care outcomes.

PMID- 26482156
TI  - Efficacy and safety of a resorbable collagen membrane COVA+TM for the prevention
      of postoperative adhesions in abdominal surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This clinical study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of
      COVA+TM, a collagen membrane (CM), for the prevention of postoperative adhesions
      in abdominal surgery. METHODS: This prospective multicenter study concerned one
      hundred and thirteen patients undergoing two-stage abdominal surgeries between
      2011 and 2014: either bariatric surgery (BS) or reversal of a diverting stoma
      (DS). They were divided into two groups, according to whether a CM was placed at
      the end of the first procedure or not. The primary endpoint was the evaluation of
      adhesions (incidence, severity, and extent) on the operative site during the
      second surgery using standard grading scales and a combined adhesion score.
      Secondary endpoints were the duration of reoperation and the overall
      postoperative morbidity. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients were included in the BS
      group, and forty-eight patients in the DS group. Mean time interval between
      surgeries was 33.2 +/- 51.1 weeks for BS and 14.1 +/- 10 weeks for DS. In both
      indications, results in the CM group were better compared to the control group
      regarding incidence, severity, and extent of adhesions. Mean combined adhesion
      scores were lower in the CM group: respectively, 2.1 +/- 1.6 versus 3.6 +/- 1.7
      (p < 0.001) for BS and 1.1 +/- 1.7 versus 3.1 +/- 2.2 (p < 0.005) for DS. In BS
      group, the operative duration at reoperation was significantly shorter if a CM
      was used: 56 +/- 34 versus 77 +/- 47 min (p < 0.03). No adverse events related to
      the use of the CM were observed. Overall complication rate was 13.5 % in the CM
      group versus 27.9 % in the control group. Ease of handling and application of the
      CM were rated as satisfying or very satisfying in the great majority of cases.
      CONCLUSIONS: In abdominal surgery, COVA+TM acts efficiently on the prevention of
      postoperative adhesions with lower incidence, severity, and extent levels. The CM
      can be used safely and might render reoperations less difficult.

PMID- 26482158
TI  - Early hospital readmission after bariatric surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With the rise in bariatric procedures being performed nationwide and
      the growing focus on quality and outcome measures, reducing early hospital
      readmission (EHR) rates has garnered great clinical interest. The aim of this
      study was to identify the incidence, reasons, and risk factors for EHR after
      bariatric surgery. METHODS: Using American College of Surgeons National Surgical
      Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) dataset (2012-2013), patients with a
      diagnosis of obesity and body mass index >=35 who underwent bariatric surgery
      were identified. EHR was defined as at least one hospitalization within 30 days
      of bariatric procedure. The association between readmission and patient factors
      was assessed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. In addition,
      reasons for readmission were sought. RESULTS: A total of 36,042 patients were
      identified. The overall EHR rate was 4.70 % [laparoscopic (lap) adjustable band
      1.87 %, lap gastric bypass (GBP) 5.94 %, open GBP 7.86 %, and sleeve gastrectomy
      3.73 %], and it occurred at the median of 11 days postoperatively. The rate of
      EHR significantly decreased from 2012 to 2013 (5.15 vs. 4.32 %, p < 0.001). The
      median age and BMI were 44 years and 44.7 kg/m(2), respectively, 78.99 % were
      female, and 70.78 % were white. The most common reason for readmission was
      nausea/vomiting (12.95 %), followed by abdominal pain (11.75 %) and dehydration
      (10.54 %). On multivariable analysis, factors most strongly associated with
      readmission were procedure type (lap band: reference; open GBP: OR 3.78, 95 % CI
      2.47-5.80; lap GBP 3.18, 2.39-4.22; sleeve gastrectomy: 2.03, 1.52-2.71; all p <
      0.001), steroid use (1.82, 1.33-2.48, p < 0.001), pre-discharge complication
      (1.64, 1.20-2.24, p < 0.001), and black population (1.51, 1.34-1.71, p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Bariatric centers should consider implementing standardized
      protocols for outpatient monitoring of patients identified to be at high risk of
      experiencing early readmission, which in turn would decrease overall costs and
      improve quality of care.

PMID- 26482159
TI  - Should high-frequency electrosurgery be discouraged  during laparoscopic surgery?

PMID- 26482160
TI  - Planar Functionalized Surfaces for Direct Immunoaffinity Desorption/Ionization
      Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies show that the haptoglobin phenotype in individuals
      with diabetes mellitus is an important factor for predicting the risk of
      myocardial infarction, cardiovascular death, and stroke. Current methods for
      haptoglobin phenotyping include PCR and gel electrophoresis. A need exists for a
      reliable method for high-throughput clinical applications. Mass spectrometry (MS)
      can in principle provide fast phenotyping because haptoglobin alpha 1 and alpha
      2, which define the phenotype, have different molecular masses. Because of the
      complexity of the serum matrix, an efficient and fast enrichment technique is
      necessary for an MS-based assay. METHODS: MALDI plates were functionalized by
      ambient ion landing of electrosprayed antihaptoglobin antibody. The array was
      deposited on standard indium tin oxide slides. Fast immunoaffinity enrichment was
      performed in situ on the plate, which was further analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. The
      haptoglobin phenotype was determined from the spectra by embedded software
      script. RESULTS: The MALDI mass spectra showed ion signals of haptoglobin alpha
      subunits at m/z 9192 and at m/z 15 945. A cohort of 116 sera was analyzed and the
      reliability of the method was confirmed by analyzing the identical samples by
      Western blot. One hundred percent overlap of results between the direct
      immunoaffinity desorption/ionization MS and Western Blot analysis was found.
      CONCLUSIONS: MALDI plates modified by antihaptoglobin antibody using ambient ion
      landing achieve low nonspecific interactions and efficient MALDI ionization and
      are usable for quick haptoglobin phenotyping.

PMID- 26482162
TI  - Comparison Between Banded and Nonbanded Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass with 2-Year
      Follow-Up: a Preliminary Retrospective Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is one of the most widely used
      bariatric surgeries for treatment of moderate and severe obesity. Placing a band
      around the pouch to band the gastric bypass operation has been reported to
      increase the restriction resulting in better weight loss and weight loss
      maintenance. A retrospective comparative study of banded versus nonbanded gastric
      bypass was done to see if banding the pouch made a difference in the weight loss
      and quality of life outcome in the patients. METHODS: Data from all patients who
      had a gastric bypass in the year 2012 at our centre were reviewed. They were
      divided into two groups the banded and the nonbanded groups. Patients with
      complete 2-year follow-up were analysed in terms of weight loss, weight regain
      and quality of life changes. RESULTS: Two hundred ten patients had gastric bypass
      in 2012; 165 had complete 2-year follow-up; 64 were banded and 101 nonbanded. The
      preoperative patient profile in terms of weight, gender and comorbid conditions
      was similar in both groups except the body mass index (BMI) was significantly
      higher in the banded group. The perioperative and postoperative complication
      rates were similar. The weight, BMI and percentage excess weight loss (PEWL) at 2
      years were 80.93 kg, 29.45 kg/m2 and 60.76 % in the nonbanded group and 77.06 kg,
      27.66 kg/m2 and 71.45 % in the banded group, respectively. Resolution of comorbid
      conditions was the same in both groups. The overall Gastrointestinal Quality of
      Life Index went from 88.98 preoperatively to 109.33 postoperatively in the
      nonbanded group and 92.5 to 112.81 in the banded group, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: The patients with banded gastric bypass had significantly better
      results in terms of weight loss, weight stability and Gastrointestinal Quality of
      Life Index scores at 2 years.

PMID- 26482161
TI  - Pitfalls in Erythrocyte Protoporphyrin Measurement for Diagnosis and Monitoring
      of Protoporphyrias.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laboratory diagnosis of erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) requires
      a marked increase in total erythrocyte protoporphyrin (300-5000 MUg/dL
      erythrocytes, reference interval <80 MUg/dL) and a predominance (85%-100%) of
      metal-free protoporphyrin [normal, mostly zinc protoporphyrin (reference
      intervals for the zinc protoporphyrin proportion have not been established)];
      plasma porphyrins are not always increased. X-linked protoporphyria (XLP) causes
      a similar increase in total erythrocyte protoporphyrin with a lower fraction of
      metal-free protoporphyrin (50%-85% of the total). CONTENT: In studying more than
      180 patients with EPP and XLP, the Porphyrias Consortium found that erythrocyte
      protoporphyrin concentrations for some patients were much higher (4.3- to 46.7
      fold) than indicated by previous reports provided by these patients. The
      discrepant earlier reports, which sometimes caused the diagnosis to be missed
      initially, were from laboratories that measure protoporphyrin only by
      hematofluorometry, which is intended primarily to screen for lead poisoning.
      However, the instrument can calculate results on the basis of assumed hematocrits
      and reports results as "free" and "zinc" protoporphyrin (with different reference
      intervals), implying separate measurements of metal-free and zinc protoporphyrin.
      Such misleading reports impair diagnosis and monitoring of patients with
      protoporphyria. SUMMARY: We suggest that laboratories should prioritize testing
      for EPP and XLP, because accurate measurement of erythrocyte total and metal-free
      protoporphyrin is essential for diagnosis and monitoring of these conditions, but
      less important for other disorders. Terms and abbreviations used in reporting
      erythrocyte protoporphyrin results should be accurately defined.

PMID- 26482163
TI  - Conversion of Vertical Banded Gastroplasty to Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass: a Step
      By-Step Teaching Video.
AB  - PURPOSE: Vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) has been demonstrated to be
      disappointing for long-term weight loss and quality of life (Br J Surg 100:222
      230, 2013). Laparoscopic revisional gastric bypass has been found to be feasible,
      but this procedure in case of prior VBG is deemed both challenging and difficult
      and should be performed by experienced surgeons (Obes Surg 22:1554-1561, 2012;
      Surg Endosc 27:558-564, 2013). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We present the case of a 56
      year-old man with a body mass index (BMI) of 39.6 kg/m2 who had undergone open
      VBG, 11 years ago (initial BMI 39.2 kg/m2). He was referred to our tertiary care
      center for weight regain and daily vomiting. RESULTS: In this high definition
      multimedia video, we present a step-by-step laparoscopic conversion of VBG to
      gastric bypass. After careful adhesiolysis, key points of such procedure are
      resizing of the small gastric pouch and resection of the enlarged gastric pouch
      with the band and the upper portion of the remnant fundus, in order to avoid
      leakage or blind stomach pouch. No adverse outcomes occurred during the
      postoperative period. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic conversion of previous open VBG to
      gastric bypass is a challenging procedure. Learning the key points of such
      procedure is mandatory to limit postoperative complications.

PMID- 26482164
TI  - Laparoscopic Conversion of Sleeve Gastrectomy to Gastric Bypass for Super-Obesity
      (BMI >= 50 kg/m2) and Incisional Hernia: a Video Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is the most frequently
      performed procedure for morbid obesity in France. However, in case of de novo
      gastroesophageal reflux disease or of insufficient weight loss, LSG could be
      converted in rare cases to laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). In case
      of voluminous incisional hernia (IH) associated, this procedure could be
      technically challenging, especially in cases of super-obesity (body mass index
      (BMI) >=50 kg/m2). Furthermore, IH should be repaired in order to avoid life
      threatening post-operative small bowel obstruction. METHODS: We present the case
      of a 30-year-old woman (125 kg, 1.55 m) with a BMI of 52.1 kg/m2. She was
      referred to our tertiary care center for weight regain (Nadir 100 kg), 4 years
      after a LSG was performed for super-super obesity (BMI = 68.7 kg/m2). She also
      had a history of epigastric IH (single-incision LSG; diameter = 10 cm). The
      strategy adopted was to repair hernia with raphy. In case of hernia recurrence
      and of sustainable weight loss, use of prothetic mesh would be mandatory in the
      future. RESULTS: In this multimedia video, we present a step-by-step laparoscopic
      conversion of sleeve gastrectomy to LRYGB for super-obesity (BMI >=50 kg/m2) and
      incisional hernia. Laparoscopic procedure included adhesiolysis, dissection, and
      resection of the low part of the remnant stomach, gastro-jejunal circular
      anastomosis, and closure of aponeurosis defect. CONCLUSIONS: Incisional hernia
      and morbid obesity are often entangled problems. Revisional procedure of
      bariatric surgery with incisional hernia associated should be performed
      laparoscopically.

PMID- 26482165
TI  - Predictors of Perioperative Acute Kidney Injury in Obese Patients Undergoing
      Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery: a Single-Centre Retrospective Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity has been associated with increased risk of perioperative
      acute kidney injury (AKI). We aim to establish the incidence of AKI among
      patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery and identify potential risk
      factors. METHODS: Records of 1230 patients who underwent laparoscopic bariatric
      surgery in a tertiary centre from 1 December 2009 to 31 January 2014 were
      retrospectively studied. AKI diagnosis was made by comparing the baseline and
      post-operative serum creatinine to determine the presence of predefined
      significant change based on the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO)
      definition. Univariate analyses were performed to determine significant clinical
      factors, and multiple logistic regression analysis was subsequently done to
      determine independent predictors of AKI. RESULTS: Thirty-five (2.9 %) patients
      developed AKI during the first 72 h post-surgery. Multivariate logistic
      regression analysis revealed impaired renal function (OR 10.429, 95 % CI 3.560 to
      30.552), use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II
      receptor blockers (OR 3.038, 95 % CI 1.352 to 6.824), and body mass index (OR
      1.048, 95 % CI 1.005 to 1.093) as independent predictors of perioperative acute
      kidney injury in the obese patients who underwent laparoscopic bariatric surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS: We found that the incidence of perioperative AKI among patients who
      underwent laparoscopic bariatric surgery is at 2.9 %. Impaired renal function,
      use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor
      blockers and raised body mass index were found to be independent predictors of
      AKI. Patients with these risk factors could be considered at risk for developing
      perioperative AKI, and extra perioperative vigilance should be undertaken.

PMID- 26482166
TI  - Laparoscopic Gastric Plication (LGP) as an Alternative to Laparoscopic Sleeve
      Gastrectomy (LSG) in Patients with Morbid Obesity: A Preliminary, Short-Term,
      Case-Control Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Based on short-term outcome, gastric plication (LGP) could be
      considered as an alternative to sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in patients with severe
      obesity. However, long-term follow-up of weight loss and comorbidity are yet to
      be available. Theoretical advantages include reduced fistula rate, no implantable
      device, preservation of the alimentary pathway, and no gastric resection. We
      report a case-control study comparing short-term outcome in two groups of
      patients who had either LGP or LSG, respectively. METHODS: From January 2012 to
      June 2013, 40 patients had LGP, matched with 40 patients who had LSG. RESULTS: No
      postoperative mortality was observed. Overall morbidity rate reached 22.5 % in
      the LGP Group and 10 % in the LSG Group (P = 0.04). The most common complication
      was nausea and vomiting occurring in 20 % of patients with LGP and 5 % of
      patients with LSG, respectively (P < 0.001). No clinical or radiological leak
      occurred. Mean operative time was 91.5 +/-18.6 min in the LGP group and 81 min +/
      16.8 min in the LSG group, respectively (P = 0.104). Mean hospital stay was 3.4
      +/-1.1 days in the LGP Group and 3.2 +/-1.2 days the LSG group, respectively (P =
      0.614). Average total operating room (OR) cost was 1736 euros for LGP as compared
      to 2842 euros for LSG, respectively (P < 0.001). At 18-month follow-up, mean
      excess weight loss (EWL) was 56.5 % +9.8 in LGP patients and 71.3 % +10.4 in
      patients who had LSG (P = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: LGP for patients with severe
      obesity is safe and feasible with low rates of serious complications. As compared
      to LSG, LGP is associated to higher postoperative rate of nausea, lower operative
      cost, and lower EWL at 18-month follow-up (P = 0.041).

PMID- 26482167
TI  - Asthma in furniture and wood processing workers: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wood dust is a common cause of occupational asthma. There is
      potential for high exposure to wood dust during furniture and wood manufacturing
      processes. AIMS: To evaluate the evidence for non-neoplastic respiratory ill
      health associated with work in the furniture and wood manufacturing sector.
      METHODS: A systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines.
      Articles were graded using SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network) and
      MERGE (Methods for Evaluating Research Guidelines and Evidence) criteria, with
      data grouped by study outcome. RESULTS: Initial searches identified 1328
      references, from which 55 articles were included in the review. Fourteen studies
      were graded A using MERGE or >2++ using SIGN. All but one paper describing airway
      symptoms reported an increased risk in higher wood dust exposed workers in
      comparison to lower or non-exposed groups. Five studies reporting asthma examined
      dose response; three found a positive effect. The relative risk for asthma in
      exposed workers in the single meta-analysis was 1.5 (95% CI 1.25-1.87). Two
      studies reported more obstructive lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 s
      [FEV1]/forced vital capacity < 0.7) in exposed populations. Excess longitudinal
      FEV1 decline was reported in female smokers with high wood dust exposures in one
      study population. Where measured, work-related respiratory symptoms did not
      clearly relate to specific wood immunoglobulin E positivity. CONCLUSIONS: Work in
      this sector was associated with a significantly increased risk of respiratory
      symptoms and asthma. The evidence for wood dust exposure causing impaired lung
      function is less clearly established. Further study is required to better
      understand the prevalence, and causes, of respiratory problems within this
      sector.

PMID- 26482168
TI  - [Overall treatment time assessment of radiotherapy delivered in a curative
      intent: A prospective study].
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the overall treatment time of radiotherapy delivered with
      curative intent in a cohort of 185 consecutive patients and the causes of this
      possible delay. If delay, to propose corrective actions. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      We report a single-center prospective study including all consecutive patients
      receiving a radiation therapy with curative intent, from 1st December 2013 to
      28th February 2014, on the three linear accelerators of the radiotherapy
      department. For each fraction missed, the causes of non-completion were
      prospectively collected. This analysis took into account the following
      parameters: age, sex, occupation, transport type and duration, tumour
      localization, radiation dose, concomitant chemotherapy, hospitalization, type of
      linear accelerator. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-five patients were included in
      the study (183 evaluable, two did not complete treatment). The overall treatment
      time was respected for 31 patients (17%). It was lengthened on 4.6 days (d) (0-29
      d; median: 3d). The mean number of delayed fractions was 3.4 (0-17; median: 2).
      The reasons of delay were: breakdown 32.2%; maintenance 29.3%; holiday 11%;
      treatment toxicity 9.4%; inadequate planning 8.6%; other disease 3.9%; treatment
      refusal 2.1%; unspecified personal reasons 1.5%; refusal to wait 0.8%;
      transportation 0.3%; error of communication 0.3%; other 0.6%. Two parameters had
      a significant impact on the overall treatment time: the type of linear
      accelerator in relation to breakdown occurrence (P<0.001) and transportation
      duration (more or less than 40 min, P=0.022). One hundred and thirty-eight
      patients (75%) and 79 patients (43%) were treated on one or more than two
      Saturdays. Treatment on Saturday significantly reduced the overall treatment time
      (median, 1.9 d; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The overall treatment time was globally
      respected excluding break down and maintenance. Their impact on the overall
      treatment time is minimized by the systematic opening of the department on
      Saturdays.

PMID- 26482169
TI  - Comment on: "Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Modelling of
      Filgotinib (GLPG0634), a Selective JAK1 Inhibitor, in Support of Phase IIB Dose
      Selection".

PMID- 26482170
TI  - Author's Reply to Srinivas: "Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic
      Modeling of Filgotinib (GLPG0634), a Selective JAK1 Inhibitor, in Support of
      Phase IIB Dose Selection".

PMID- 26482172
TI  - New Lives for Seven Transmembrane Receptors as Drug Targets.

PMID- 26482171
TI  - Evasion of "mandatory" social health insurance for the formal sector: evidence
      from Lao PDR.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the last decade, almost every low- or middle-income country in the
      world has expressed support for universal health coverage (UHC). While at the
      beginning of the UHC movement, country strategies focused on increasing access to
      the formal sector as the first step of UHC, there is now consensus that countries
      should cover the entire population, with particular attention to covering the
      poor. However, it is often assumed that mandatory schemes will automatically
      cover their target populations, and consequently little is known about why firms
      comply or do not comply with enrolment requirements. Using the experience of Lao
      PDR, where the enrolment rate in the mandatory social security scheme is low and
      the capacity for regulation is weak, we conducted this study to better understand
      the determinants of enrolment of private sector firms in mandatory social
      security. METHODS: We used a cross-sectional case-comparison design, surveying
      130 firms. We applied a structured questionnaire to explore determinants of
      enrolment, specifically looking at firm characteristics (e.g., industry category,
      ownership); sociodemographic characteristics of company heads; firms' risk
      perceptions; details of employment contracts; employee benefits; and exposure to
      social security. Closed ended questions were analysed quantitatively, while
      content analysis was applied to open-ended questions. Logistic regression was
      used to examine the determinants of enrolment. RESULTS: Smaller privately owned
      firms in the services industry were the least likely to enrol in social security,
      while firms in the trade industry were more likely to enrol than firms in
      manufacturing, construction, or services. The main reason for not enrolling was
      that firms offered a better package of benefits to their employees, although
      further investigation of company benefits showed that this was not the case in
      practice. Additional reasons for non-compliance were lack of knowledge and poor
      quality of care at government hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: The study contributes to
      the dialogue on how best to increase coverage in the formal sector, which is an
      important element of achieving UHC. It also provides much needed information
      about the motivation of private sector firms to comply with mandatory schemes.

PMID- 26482173
TI  - Eye-tracking devices in intensive care.

PMID- 26482174
TI  - Editorial: Parathyroidectomy is safe and beneficial for patients with tertiary
      hyperparathyroidism, and should be the preferred therapy.

PMID- 26482175
TI  - WT1 expression is inversely correlated with MYCN amplification or expression and
      associated with poor survival in non-MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma.
AB  - Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extra cranial solid tumor in childhood and
      the most frequently diagnosed neoplasm during infancy. A striking feature of this
      tumor is its clinical heterogeneity. Several tumor progression markers have been
      delineated so far, among which MYCN amplification, which occurs in about 25% of
      total NB cases, with the percentage increasing to 30% in advanced stage NB.
      Although MYCN amplification is strongly correlated with NB of poor outcome, the
      MYCN status cannot alone predict all cases of poor survival in NB. Indeed NB
      without MYCN amplification (about 70-80% of NB) are not always favorable. WT1 was
      initially identified as a tumor suppressor gene involved in the development of a
      pediatric renal tumor (Wilms' tumor). Here, we describe an inverse correlation
      between WT1 expression and MYCN amplification and expression. However and most
      notably, our results show that WT1 gene expression is associated with a poor
      outcome for patients showing non-MYCN-amplified tumors. Thus WT1 expression is
      clinically significant in NB and may be a prognostic marker for better risk
      stratification and for an optimized therapeutic management of NB. 

PMID- 26482176
TI  - Translating G-CSF as an Adjunct Therapy to Stem Cell  Transplantation for Stroke.
AB  - Among recently investigated stroke therapies, stem cell treatment holds great
      promise by virtue of their putative ability to replace lost cells, promote
      endogenous neurogenesis,and produce behavioral and functional improvement through
      their "bystander effects." Translating stem cell in the clinic, however, presents
      a number of technical difficulties. A strategy suggested to enhance therapeutic
      utility of stem cells is combination therapy, i.e., co-transplantation of stem
      cells or adjunct treatment with pharmacological agents and substrates,which is
      assumed to produce more profound therapeutic benefits by circumventing
      limitations of individual treatments and facilitating complementary brain repair
      processes. We previously demonstrated enhanced functional effects of cotreatment
      with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (GCSF)and human umbilical cord blood
      cell (hUCB) transplantation in animal models of traumatic brain injury (TBI).
      Here,we suggest that the aforementioned combination therapy may also produce
      synergistic effects in stroke. Accordingly, G-CSF treatment may reduce expression
      of pro-inflammatory cytokines and enhance neurogenesis rendering a receptive
      microenvironment for hUCB engraftment. Adjunct treatment of GCSF with hUCB may
      facilitate stemness maintenance and guide neural lineage commitment of hUCB
      cells. Moreover, regenerative mechanisms afforded by G-CSF-mobilized endogenous
      stem cells, secretion of growth factors by hUCB grafts and G-CSF-recruited
      endothelial progenitor cells(EPCs), as well as the potential graft-host
      integration that may promote synaptic circuitry re-establishment could altogether
      produce more pronounced functional improvement in stroked rats subjected to a
      combination G-CSF treatment and hUCB transplantation. Nevertheless, differences
      in pathology and repair processes underlying TBI and stroke deserve consideration
      when testing the effects of combinatorial G-CSF and hUCB cell transplantation for
      stroke treatment. Further studies are also required to determine the safety and
      efficacy of this intervention in both preclinical and clinical stroke studies.

PMID- 26482177
TI  - High prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed polyneuropathy in subjects with and
      without diabetes participating in a nationwide educational initiative (PROTECT
      study).
AB  - AIMS: Since neuropathy screening may be underutilized in primary care practice,
      we conducted a nationwide educational initiative to determine the prevalence of
      diagnosed and previously undiagnosed polyneuropathy. METHODS: Among 1017
      individuals participating in the initiative, 983 with complete data were
      analyzed, 359 of whom had no diabetes by history (ND), 80 had type 1 diabetes,
      and 544 had type 2 diabetes. Polyneuropathy was assessed by history and foot
      examination including pressure, temperature, and vibration perception and was
      classified as possible, probable, and severe. Foot pulses and HbA1c were
      determined in subsets of participants. RESULTS: Polyneuropathy was detected in
      53.8% of ND, 43.8% of type 1, and 55.6% of type 2 diabetes subjects and was
      associated with higher age. In a subset of participants with polyneuropathy, the
      latter was declared as previously undiagnosed by 79.1% of ND, 35.7% of type 1,
      and 61.5% of type 2 diabetes participants. After adjustment for age and sex,
      prevalent polyneuropathy was associated with peripheral arterial disease.
      CONCLUSIONS: More than half of subjects with and without diabetes participating
      in an educational initiative had polyneuropathy which was reported as previously
      undiagnosed by two thirds. Effective strategies to avoid underdiagnosis of
      neuropathy and to improve preventive foot care should be implemented.

PMID- 26482178
TI  - Lysophosphatidic acid modulates prostaglandin signalling in bovine steroidogenic
      luteal cells.
AB  - We examined whether lysophosphatidic acid affects prostaglandin biosynthesis,
      transport, and signalling in bovine steroidogenic luteal cells. The aim of the
      present study was to determine the influence of LPA on PGE2 and PGF2alpha
      synthesis and on the expression of enzymes involved in PG biosynthesis (PTGS2,
      mPGES-1, cPGES, mPGES-2, PGFS and 9-KPR), prostaglandin transporter (PGT), and
      prostaglandin receptors (EP1, EP2, EP3, EP4 and FP) in bovine steroidogenic
      luteal cells. We found that LPA inhibited PGF2alpha synthesis in steroidogenic
      luteal cells. Moreover, LPA increased mPGES1 and cPGES and decreased PGFS
      expression in cultured bovine steroidogenic luteal cells. Additionally, LPA
      stimulated EP2 and EP4 receptor and PGT expression. This study suggests that LPA
      activity in the bovine CL directs the physiological intraluteal balance between
      the two main prostanoids towards luteotropic PGE2. 

PMID- 26482179
TI  - [History of vertebral body replacement].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vertebral body replacement after corpectomy is nowadays a standard
      procedure in spinal surgery. OBJECTIVE: Description of the developmental process
      of vertebral body replacement. METHOD: Historical description of the innovations
      in vertebral body replacement. RESULTS: The first serious attempts to perform
      vertebral body replacement were initiated approximately 50 years ago. Over
      several decades spinal surgeons used bone grafts, polymethyl methacrylate,
      titanium and glass-ceramics containing apatite and wollastonite. Known vertebral
      surgeons, including Scoville, Polster, Kaneda and Harms, to name but a few, were
      involved in the continuous development of vertebral body replacement. CONCLUSION:
      Many different expandable and non-expandable implants are now available and both
      types of implant can still be justified. This article describes the historical
      development of these implants and shows how this innovational process has
      significantly increased the therapy options for surgeons.

PMID- 26482180
TI  - Prognostic Contribution of Exercise Capacity, Heart Rate Recovery, Chronotropic
      Incompetence, and Myocardial Perfusion Single-Photon Emission Computerized
      Tomography in the Prediction of Cardiac Death and All-Cause Mortality.
AB  - Chronotropic incompetence, measured by the percentage (%) of heart rate (HR)
      reserve achieved (%HR reserve), abnormal HR recovery, reduced exercise capacity
      (EC), and myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computerized tomography
      (SPECT MPS) abnormalities are known predictors of all-cause mortality (ACM) and
      cardiac death (CD). The aim of this study was to determine if EC, %HR reserve,
      and HR recovery add incremental value to MPS in the prediction of ACM and CD. A
      total of 11,218 patients without valvular disease and not on beta blockers
      underwent symptom-limited exercise MPS. %HR reserve was (peak HR - rest HR)/(220 
      age - rest HR) * 100, with %HR reserve <80 defined as low. HR recovery was peak
      HR - recovery HR. An HR recovery <22 beats/min at 2 minutes after peak exercise
      was considered abnormal. Poor EC was defined as exercise duration <=6 minutes (7
      metabolic equivalents). Summed stress scores (SSSs) were calculated using a 20
      segment, 5-point MPS model. Statistical analysis was performed using Cox
      regression models. There were 445 deaths (148 CD) during a mean follow-up of 3.2
      +/- 2.5 years. In multivariate analysis, the independent predictors of ACM were
      age, chi(2) = 154.81; EC, chi(2) = 74.00; SSS, chi(2) = 32.99; %HR reserve,
      chi(2) = 24.74; abnormal electrocardiogram at rest, chi(2) = 23.13; HR recovery,
      chi(2) = 18.45; diabetes, chi(2) = 17.75; and previous coronary artery disease,
      chi(2) = 11.85 (p <=0.0006). The independent predictors of CD were SSS, chi(2) =
      54.25; EC, chi(2) = 49.34; age, chi(2) = 46.45; abnormal electrocardiogram at
      rest, chi(2) = 30.60; previous coronary artery disease, chi(2) = 20.69; Duke
      treadmill score, chi(2) = 19.50; %HR reserve, chi(2) = 11.43; diabetes, chi(2) =
      10.23 (all p <=0.0014); and HR recovery, chi(2) = 5.30 (p = 0.0214). The exercise
      variables showed increases in Harrell's C static and net improvement
      reclassification, with EC showing the strongest incremental improvement in
      predicting ACM and CD (respective C-index 76.5% and 83.3% and net
      reclassification index 0.3201 and 0.4996). In conclusion, EC, %HR reserve, and HR
      recovery are independent predictors of ACM and CD and add incremental prognostic
      value to extent and severity of MPS.

PMID- 26482181
TI  - Clinical and Biochemical Markers of Cardiovascular Structure and Function in
      Women With the Metabolic Syndrome.
AB  - The pathobiological impact of individual components of the metabolic syndrome
      (MS) on cardiac structural and functional parameters in women with isolated MS is
      not known. The objectives of this study were (1) to compare biochemical
      (prothrombotic, lipogenic, and inflammatory) and imaging (carotid intima-media
      thickening and basic cardiac structural measurements) markers in women with and
      without MS and (2) to examine if any of these markers associated or predicted
      cardiac structural differences between the 2 groups. This cross-sectional pilot
      study included 88 women with MS and 35 women without it. MS was defined according
      to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria.
      Patients with diagnosis of diabetes were excluded. Compared with healthy
      subjects, women with MS had higher levels of intercellular adhesion molecule,
      myeloperoxidase, C-reactive protein, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, leptin,
      apolipoprotein-B, and lower levels of apolipoprotein-A1 (p <0.001 for all). They
      also had higher mean ventricular septum, posterior wall thickness, left
      ventricular (LV) mass, carotid intima-media thickness (p <0.001 for all), and
      left atrial diameter (p = 0.015). In multivariable regression models, waist
      circumference and systolic blood pressure (BP) were significant predictors of:
      ventricular septum (p = 0.005 and p = 0.001, respectively), posterior wall
      thickness (p = 0.008 and p = 0.040, respectively), and LV mass (p <0.001 and p =
      0.013, respectively). Significant predictors for carotid intima-media thickness
      were systolic BP, glucose, and leptin (p <0.0001, p = 0.034, and p = 0.002,
      respectively). In conclusion, there are significant clinical, biochemical, and
      cardiovascular structural differences in women with isolated MS compared with
      those without. Waist circumference and systolic BP had the strongest association
      with cardiac structural differences in this group of women.

PMID- 26482183
TI  - [Encouraging comments and controversies].

PMID- 26482182
TI  - Meta-Analysis of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure as a Therapy of Atrial
      Fibrillation in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
AB  - Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a significant health care problem for patients with
      obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) as a
      therapy for OSA is underused, and it is unknown if CPAP might reduce rates of AF.
      We systematically reviewed the published reports on CPAP use and risk of AF.
      MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, meeting abstracts, and Cochrane
      databases were searched from inception to June 2015. Studies needed to report the
      rates of AF in participants who were and were not on CPAP. Data were extracted by
      2 authors. A total of 8 studies on OSA were identified (1 randomized controlled
      trial) with 698 CPAP users and 549 non-CPAP users. In a random effects model,
      patients treated with CPAP had a 42% decreased risk of AF (pooled risk ratio,
      0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.47 to 0.70; p <0.001). There was low
      heterogeneity in the results (I(2) = 30%). In metaregression analysis, benefits
      of CPAP were stronger for younger, obese, and male patients (p <0.05). An inverse
      relationship between CPAP therapy and AF recurrence was observed. Results suggest
      that more patients with AF also should be tested for OSA. 

PMID- 26482184
TI  - Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Wharton's Jelly and Amniotic Fluid.
AB  - The discovery of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in perinatal sources, such as the
      amniotic fluid (AF) and the umbilical connective tissue, the so-called Wharton's
      jelly (WJ), has transformed them into promising stem cell grafts for the
      application in regenerative medicine. The advantages of AF-MSCs and WJ-MSCs over
      adult MSCs, such as bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs), include
      their minimally invasive isolation procedure, their more primitive cell character
      without being tumourigenic, their low immunogenicity and their potential
      autologous application in congenital disorders and when cryopreserved in
      adulthood. This chapter gives an overview of the biology of AF-MSCs and WJ-MSCs,
      and their regenerative potential based on the results of recent preclinical and
      clinical studies. In the end, open questions concerning the use of WJ-MSCs and AF
      MSCs in regenerative medicine will be emphasized. 

PMID- 26482185
TI  - [Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in children aged 5-10 years in western
      Brittany].
AB  - French guidelines do not recommend systematic supplementation of vitamin D in
      children aged 5-10 years old owing to the lack of data on vitamin D status in
      this age group. Our objective was to assess the prevalence of vitamin D
      deficiency in these children. METHODOLOGY: Single-center, prospective,
      epidemiological study including 358 children aged 0-15 years. The endpoint was
      the concentration of vitamin D. RESULTS: In all, 316 children were divided into
      four groups according to age: 0-18 months (n=113); 18 months to 5 years (n=103);
      5-10 years (n=62); and 10-15 years (n=38). The median concentration of vitamin D
      decreased with age (P<0.001): 90.2 nmol/L in the group aged 0-18 months; 56.7
      nmol/L in the group aged 18 months to 5 years; 49.05 nmol/L in the group aged 5
      10 years; and 42.45 nmol/L in the group aged 10-15 years. This corresponds to an
      increase in the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in children aged 5-10 years
      (51.6% vs. 8.8% in the group aged 0-18 months, P<0.001). For children aged 5-10
      years, the prevalence of deficiency was greater in the non-supplementation group
      (75%) compared with the supplementation group (13%; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: This
      study demonstrates the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in children aged 5
      10 years and the relationship between supplementation and vitamin D status. It
      provides an argument in favor of supplementation in children aged 5-10 years in
      this region and a reconsideration of the French recommendations.

PMID- 26482186
TI  - Targeted delivery to bone and mineral deposits using bisphosphonate ligands.
AB  - The high concentration of mineral present in bone and pathological calcifications
      is unique compared with all other tissues and thus provides opportunity for
      targeted delivery of pharmaceutical drugs, including radiosensitizers and imaging
      probes. Targeted delivery enables accumulation of a high local dose of a
      therapeutic or imaging contrast agent to diseased bone or pathological
      calcifications. Bisphosphonates (BPs) are the most widely utilized bone-targeting
      ligand due to exhibiting high binding affinity to hydroxyapatite mineral. BPs can
      be conjugated to an agent that would otherwise have little or no affinity for the
      sites of interest. This article summarizes the current state of knowledge and
      practice for the use of BPs as ligands for targeted delivery to bone and mineral
      deposits. The clinical history of BPs is briefly summarized to emphasize the
      success of these molecules as therapeutics for metabolic bone diseases.
      Mechanisms of binding and the relative binding affinity of various BPs to bone
      mineral are introduced, including common methods for measuring binding affinity
      in vitro and in vivo. Current research is highlighted for the use of BP ligands
      for targeted delivery of BP conjugates in various applications, including (1)
      therapeutic drug delivery for metabolic bone diseases, bone cancer, other bone
      diseases, and engineered drug delivery platforms; (2) imaging probes for
      scintigraphy, fluorescence, positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance
      imaging, and computed tomography; and (3) radiotherapy. Last, and perhaps most
      importantly, key structure-function relationships are considered for the design
      of drugs with BP ligands, including the tether length between the BP and drug,
      the size of the drug, the number of BP ligands per drug, cleavable tethers
      between the BP and drug, and conjugation schemes. 

PMID- 26482187
TI  - Current advances in self-assembled nanogel delivery systems for immunotherapy.
AB  - Since nanogels (nanometer-sized gels) were developed two decades ago, they were
      utilized as carriers of innovative drug delivery systems. In particular,
      immunological drug delivery via self-assembled nanogels (self-nanogels) owing to
      their nanometer size and molecular chaperon-like ability to encapsulate large
      biomolecules is one of the most well studied and successful applications of
      nanogels. In the present review, we focus on self-nanogel applications as
      immunological drug delivery systems for cancer vaccines, cytokine delivery, nasal
      vaccines, and nucleic acid delivery, including several clinical trials. Cancer
      vaccines were the first practical application of self-nanogels as vehicles for
      drug delivery. After successful pre-clinical studies, phase I clinical trials
      were conducted, and it was found that vaccines consisting of self-nanogels could
      be administered repeatedly to humans without serious adverse effects, and self
      nanogel vaccines induced antigen-specific cellular and humoral immunity. Cytokine
      delivery via self-nanogels led to the sustained release of IL-12, suppressed
      tumor growth, and increased Th1-type immune responses. Cationic self-nanogels
      were effective in penetrating the nasal mucosa and resulted in successful nasal
      vaccines in mice and nonhuman primates. Cationic self-nanogels were also used for
      the intracellular delivery of proteins and nucleic acids, and were successfully
      used to knockdown tumor growth factor expression using short interfering RNA with
      the immunological effect. These studies suggest that self-nanogels are currently
      one of the most unique and attractive immunological drug delivery systems and are
      edging closer to practical use. 

PMID- 26482188
TI  - Development of a virus-mimicking nanocarrier for drug delivery systems: The bio
      nanocapsule.
AB  - As drug delivery systems, nanocarriers should be capable of executing the
      following functions: evasion of the host immune system, targeting to the diseased
      site, entering cells, escaping from endosomes, and releasing payloads into the
      cytoplasm. Since viruses perform some or all of these functions, they are
      considered naturally occurring nanocarriers. To achieve biomimicry of the
      hepatitis B virus (HBV), we generated the "bio-nanocapsule" (BNC)-which deploys
      the human hepatocyte-targeting domain, fusogenic domain, and polymerized-albumin
      receptor domain of HBV envelope L protein on its surface-by overexpressing the L
      protein in yeast cells. BNCs are capable of delivering various payloads to the
      cytoplasm of human hepatic cells specifically in vivo, which is achieved via
      formation of complexes with various materials (e.g., drugs, nucleic acids, and
      proteins) by electroporation, fusion with liposomes, or chemical modification. In
      this review, we describe BNC-related technology, discuss retargeting strategies
      for BNCs, and outline other virus-inspired nanocarriers. 

PMID- 26482189
TI  - A novel platform for cancer therapy using extracellular vesicles.
AB  - Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanometer-sized membranous vesicles and are
      involved in cell-to-cell communication. EVs contain several types of functional
      molecules, such as proteins, mRNAs, and microRNAs (miRNAs). Over the past several
      years, EVs have emerged as potential tools for a drug delivery system (DDS) that
      can target organs or cells. EVs have a function of organ tropism and are
      naturally occurring from cells. Therefore, EVs have expected as naturally DDSs,
      which have the organ tropism and a low side effect. Actually, some reports showed
      that EVs delivered drugs to specific organ. However, despite observed the organ
      tropism, the mechanisms of organ tropism of EVs are still unclear. Moreover,
      preservation and efficient collection of EVs are desired to be investigated.
      Here, we provide an overview of the methods for using EVs as DDSs. 

PMID- 26482190
TI  - "Role of intraoral color Doppler sonography in predicting delayed cervical lymph
      node metastasis in patients with early-stage tongue cancer"--a commentary.

PMID- 26482191
TI  - Influence of orthognathic surgery for symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of orthognathic surgery on the clinical
      signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). STUDY DESIGN: In a
      cohort study, 54 patients undergoing orthognathic surgery were evaluated with
      regard to the signs and symptoms of TMDs through subjective and objective
      assessments. These evaluations were performed 1 week preoperatively (T1), 1 month
      postoperatively (T2), and 6 months postoperatively (T3). The evaluations included
      patient variables and surgery. Univariate analyzes were performed to verify the
      association of the variables (P < .05). RESULTS: The incidence of TMD 6 months
      after orthognathic surgery was significantly lower (P < .001). TMD intensity
      decreases significantly in the postoperative period. Females had a higher
      prevalence of TMD (P = .003) and muscular disorders preoperatively (P = .001).
      There was a decrease in clicks between T1 and T3 (P = .013). Mouth opening
      without pain worsened from T1 to T2 (P < .001) and improved from T1 to T3 (P =
      .015) and T2 to T3 (P < .001). The results were similar for mouth opening with
      pain (P < .001). In patients undergoing jaw fixation with bicortical screws,
      mouth opening without pain was significantly less in T3 patients than in patients
      undergoing fixation with plate and monocortical screws (P = .048). CONCLUSIONS:
      Orthognathic surgery reduces the clinical signs and symptoms of TMD.

PMID- 26482192
TI  - An elderly man with a gingival mass that spontaneously regressed.

PMID- 26482193
TI  - RNAi knockdown of acetyl-CoA carboxylase gene eliminates jinggangmycin-enhanced
      reproduction and population growth in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens.
AB  - A major challenge in ecology lies in understanding the coexistence of intraguild
      species, well documented at the organismal level, but not at the molecular level.
      This study focused on the effects of the antibiotic, jinggangmycin (JGM), a
      fungicide widely used in Asian rice agroecosystems, on reproduction of insects
      within the planthopper guild, including the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata
      lugens and the white-backed planthopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera, both serious
      resurgence rice pests. JGM exposure significantly increased BPH fecundity and
      population growth, but suppressed both parameters in laboratory and field WBPH
      populations. We used digital gene expression and transcriptomic analyses to
      identify a panel of differentially expressed genes, including a set of up
      regulated genes in JGM-treated BPH, which were down-regulated in JGM-treated
      WBPH. RNAi silencing of Acetyl Co-A carboxylase (ACC), highly expressed in JGM
      treated BPH, reduced ACC expression (by > 60%) and eliminated JGM-induced
      fecundity increases in BPH. These findings support our hypothesis that
      differences in ACC expression separates intraguild species at the molecular
      level. 

PMID- 26482194
TI  - Constitutional de novo deletion of the FBXW7 gene in a patient with focal
      segmental glomerulosclerosis and multiple primitive tumors.
AB  - Multiple primary malignant neoplasms are rare entities in the clinical setting,
      but represent an important issue in the clinical management of patients since
      they could be expression of a genetic predisposition to malignancy. A high
      resolution genome wide array CGH led us to identify the first case of a de novo
      constitutional deletion confined to the FBXW7 gene, a well known tumor
      suppressor, in a patient with a syndromic phenotype characterized by focal
      segmental glomerulosclerosis and multiple primary early/atypical onset tumors,
      including Hodgkin's lymphoma, Wilms tumor and breast cancer. Other genetic
      defects may be associated with patient's phenotype. In this light, constitutional
      mutations at BRCA1, BRCA2, TP53, PALB2 and WT1 genes were excluded by performing
      sequencing and MLPA analysis; similarly, we ruled out constitutional
      abnormalities at the imprinted 11p15 region by methylation specific -MLPA assay.
      Our observations sustain the role of FBXW7 as cancer predisposition gene and
      expand the spectrum of its possible associated diseases. 

PMID- 26482195
TI  - Derivation of Ethnically Diverse Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines.
AB  - The human genome with all its ethnic variations contributes to differences in
      human development, aging, disease, repair, and response to medical treatments and
      is an exciting area of research and clinical study. The availability of well
      characterized ethnically diverse stem cell lines is limited and has not kept pace
      with other advances in stem cell research. Here we derived xenofree ethnically
      diverse-human induced pluripotent stem cell (ED-iPSC) lines from fibroblasts
      obtained from individuals of African American, Hispanic-Latino, Asian, and
      Caucasian ethnic origin and have characterized the lines under a uniform platform
      for comparative analysis. Derived ED-iPSC lines are low passage number and
      evaluated in vivo by teratoma formation and in vitro by high throughput
      microarray analysis of EB formation and early differentiation for tri-lineage
      commitment to endoderm, ectoderm and mesoderm. These new xenofree ED-iPSC lines
      represent a well-characterized valuable resource with potential for use in future
      research in drug discovery or clinical investigations. 

PMID- 26482196
TI  - 3D scaffold alters cellular response to graphene in a polymer composite for
      orthopedic applications.
AB  - Graphene-based polymer nanocomposites are being studied for biomedical
      applications. Polymer nanocomposites can be processed differently to generate
      planar two-dimensional (2D) substrates and porous three-dimensional (3D)
      scaffolds. The objective of this work was to investigate potential differences in
      biological response to graphene in polymer composites in the form of 2D
      substrates and 3D scaffolds. Polycaprolactone (PCL) nanocomposites were prepared
      by incorporating 1% of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO). GO
      increased modulus and strength of PCL by 44 and 22% respectively, whereas RGO
      increased modulus and strength by 22 and 16%, respectively. RGO increased the
      water contact angle of PCL from 81 degrees  to 87 degrees  whereas GO decreased
      it to 77 degrees . In 2D, osteoblast proliferated 15% more on GO composites than
      on PCL whereas RGO composite showed 17% decrease in cell proliferation, which may
      be attributed to differences in water wettability. In 3D, initial cell
      proliferation was markedly retarded in both GO (36% lower) and RGO (55% lower)
      composites owing to increased roughness due to the presence of the protruding
      nanoparticles. Cells organized into aggregates in 3D in contrast to spread and
      randomly distributed cells on 2D discs due to the macro-porous architecture of
      the scaffolds. Increased cell-cell contact and altered cellular morphology led to
      significantly higher mineralization in 3D. This study demonstrates that the
      cellular response to nanoparticles in composites can change markedly by varying
      the processing route and has implications for designing orthopedic implants such
      as resorbable fracture fixation devices and tissue scaffolds using such
      nanocomposites.

PMID- 26482202
TI  - Thousands of junior doctors march against new contract.

PMID- 26482203
TI  - Reduced toxicological manifestations of cisplatin following encapsulation in
      folate grafted albumin nanoparticles.
AB  - AIMS: Cisplatin is one of the most potent chemotherapeutic agents acting against
      a variety of tumors, however, its use is mainly limited due to the dose limiting
      toxicities and acquired resistance to cisplatin. Folate functionalized albumin
      nanoparticles were developed for targeted delivery of drug to limit the adverse
      effects of cisplatin. MAIN METHODS: Cisplatin loaded nanoparticles functionalized
      with folate (CP-FA-BSA-NPs) were developed and characterized for various
      parameters. In order to investigate the targeting ability of folate conjugated
      nanoparticles, in vitro cellular uptake study was performed in folate receptor
      over expressing cells (MCF-7). Further, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level, plasma
      creatinine level, body weight and kidney weight of the mice were measured
      followed by histopathological examination of various tissues to have an insight
      into the potential of developed formulation in the reduction of drug associated
      adverse effects. KEY FINDINGS: The cellular uptake studies demonstrated higher
      internalization of folate conjugated nanoparticles as compared to plain
      counterpart (CP-BSA-NPs). Following two cycles of cisplatin treatment, a week
      apart, BUN and plasma creatinine level were found to be significantly higher in
      case of free cisplatin as compared to saline, CP-BSA-NPs and CP-FA-BSA-NPs
      treated groups. Body weight and kidney weight of free cisplatin treated mice were
      significantly reduced as compared to other group. Histopathological examination
      of kidney from CP-BSA-NPs and CP-FA-BSA-NPs treated groups revealed no kidney
      damage, however, a sign of nephrotoxicity was observed in the case of free
      cisplatin. SIGNIFICANCE: The results demonstrated the potential of developed
      formulation in reducing the adverse effects of cisplatin.

PMID- 26482204
TI  - Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate ameliorates experimental coronary no-reflow
      phenomenon through down-regulation of FGL2.
AB  - AIMS: The effects of sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (STS) on coronary no-reflow
      (CNR) relevant to microvascular obstruction (MVO) remain unknown. Studies had
      shown that fibrinogen-like protein 2 (FGL2) expressed in microvascular
      endothelial cells (MECs) is a key mediator in MVO. Thus, we aimed to elucidate
      the roles of STS in CNR and relations between STS and FGL2. MAIN METHODS:
      Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion was selected to represent CNR model. The no
      reflow zone and infarct area were assessed using Thioflavin S and TTC staining,
      and cardiac functional parameters were detected using echocardiography. Western
      blot was used to detected FGL2 level, fibrin level, protease-activated receptor-1
      (PAR-1) activation and inflammation cells infiltration. FGL2 and inflammation
      cells were also identified by IHC. Microthrombus was detected by Carstairs' and
      MSB staining. We also detected the roles of STS on FGL2 expression, thrombin
      generation, phospho-Akt and NF-kappaB levels in MECs. KEY FINDINGS: Upon
      treatment with STS in CNR model, the no-reflow and infarct areas decreased
      significantly and cardiac function improved. The FGL2 expression was inhibited by
      STS in vivo as well as in vitro with thrombin generation inhibition. In addition,
      STS up-regulates Akt phosphorylation and suppressed NF-kappaB expression in
      activated MECs. Furthermore, fibrin deposition, PAR-1 activation and inflammatory
      response were inhibited with STS administration in CNR model. SIGNIFICANCE: Our
      results displayed a novel pharmacological action of STS on CNR. STS is able to
      ameliorate CNR through inhibition of FGL2 expression mediated by Akt and NF
      kappaB pathways as well as prevention of MVO by suppressing fibrin deposition and
      inflammation.

PMID- 26482205
TI  - Long-term clinical effects of aspirin-desensitization therapy among patients with
      poorly controlled asthma and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
      hypersensitivity: An exploratory study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: According to the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), the levels of
      asthma symptom control can be divided into controlled, partially controlled and
      uncontrolled asthma. Optional therapy for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
      (NSAIDs)-hypersensitive asthmatics uses aspirin desensitization, but until now,
      this therapy is not established in difficult to treat cases. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the efficacy of aspirin desensitization in patients with
      poorly controlled asthma. METHODS: Patients with poorly controlled asthma, NDAIDs
      hypersensitivity and aspirin desensitization were included in the retrospective
      study. The data were compared to those obtained from patients with controlled
      asthma and aspirin therapy. Lung function, levels of asthma symptom control,
      asthma medication, the size of nasal polyps (NP) and smell function were
      evaluated over 18 months. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients were included in the study
      (uncontrolled/partially controlled asthma n=12; controlled asthma n=20). After 18
      months of follow-up, the patients with poorly controlled asthma had significantly
      increased forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1) values, as compared to the
      baseline (66-82%; p=0.02), the levels of asthma control improved significantly
      (p<0.01). The asthma medication was reduced. In the group of controlled asthma
      the FEV1 values did not increase significantly (91.9-92.4%; p>0.05) and the
      asthma medication was constant. In relation to nasal parameters the sense of
      smell improved significantly in both groups, NP-scores did not differ
      significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a poorly controlled asthma and NSAIDs
      hypersensitivity profit from an add-on aspirin therapy.

PMID- 26482206
TI  - The hyper-fluorescent transitional bands in ultra-late phase of indocyanine green
      angiography in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is
      regarded as a type of severe diffuse retinal pigment epitheliopathy. There is an
      atrophic tract at level of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) due to hyper
      permeability of choroidal vessels, along with photoreceptor (PR) atrophy.
      Indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) is considered a gold standard for diagnosis.
      The purpose of this work is to investigate the hyper-fluorescent transitional
      bands (HFTB) between hypo-fluorescent and normal regions of the retina in the
      ultra-late phase of ICGA in CSCR. METHODS: 26 chronic CSCR eyes and 12 relative
      normal eyes received spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and
      ICGA at the 24th hour after indocyanine green (ICG) intravenous injection.
      RESULTS: In the ultra-late phase, images showed homogenous fluorescence in all
      normal eyes. On the contrary, geographical hypofluorescent lesions with atrophy
      of RPE was noted in 26 chronic CSCR eyes. Moreover, HFTB with intact RPE and
      disrupted PR was detected in 20 out of 26 chronic CSCR eyes (76.9%). CONCLUSIONS:
      The HFTB may indicate the early damage in chronic CSCR. Ultra-late ICGA can
      monitor not only metabolic status by endogenous melanin, but also membrane
      function in RPE by exogenous ICG molecule.

PMID- 26482207
TI  - Cathepsin Protease Inhibition Reduces Endometriosis Lesion Establishment.
AB  - Endometriosis is a gynecologic disease characterized by the ectopic presence of
      endometrial tissue on organs within the peritoneal cavity, causing debilitating
      abdominal pain and infertility. Current treatments alleviate moderate pain
      symptoms associated with the disorder but exhibit limited ability to prevent new
      or recurring lesion establishment and growth. Retrograde menstruation has been
      implicated for introducing endometrial tissue into the peritoneal cavity, but
      molecular mechanisms underlying attachment and invasion are not fully understood.
      We hypothesize that cysteine cathepsins, a group of powerful extracellular matrix
      proteases, facilitate endometrial tissue invasion and endometriosis lesion
      establishment in the peritoneal wall and inhibiting this activity would decrease
      endometriosis lesion implantation. To test this, we used an immunocompetent
      endometriosis mouse model and found that endometriotic lesions exhibited a
      greater than 5-fold increase in active cathepsins compared to tissue from
      peritoneal wall or eutopic endometrium, with cathepsins L and K specifically
      implicated. Human endometriosis lesions also exhibited greater cathepsin activity
      than adjacent peritoneum tissue, supporting the mouse results. Finally, we tested
      the hypothesis that inhibiting cathepsin activity could block endometriosis
      lesion attachment and implantation in vivo. Intraperitoneal injection of the
      broad cysteine cathepsin inhibitor, E-64, significantly reduced the number of
      attached endometriosis lesions in our murine model compared to vehicle-treated
      controls demonstrating that cathepsin proteases contribute to endometriosis
      lesion establishment, and their inhibition may provide a novel, nonhormonal
      therapy for endometriosis. 

PMID- 26482208
TI  - Lactational Exposure to Di (2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate Impairs the Ovarian and
      Uterine Function of Adult Offspring Rat.
AB  - Phthalates, a class of chemicals used as plasticizers, are economically important
      due to several industrial applications. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is the
      most commonly used phthalate plasticizer, and it has been described as a potent
      antiandrogen in males. In this study, lactating dams were exposed via oral gavage
      to corn oil (vehicle) and DEHP (1, 10, and 100 mg/kg body weight) from postnatal
      day 1 to 21, and the effects were evaluated in the ovary and uterus of F(1)
      progeny. DEHP exposure significantly decreased the body weight and organ weight
      in a dose-dependent manner. Serum levels of estradiol, testosterone, and
      progesterone were decreased but anogenital distance was unaffected. The mRNA
      expressions of luteinizing hormone receptor, follicle-stimulating hormone
      receptor, androgen receptor, estrogen receptor (ERalpha and ERbeta), progesterone
      receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, 3beta hydroxysteroid
      dehydrogenase, aromatase, and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein were altered
      in the ovary of F1 progeny rats. Our finding suggest that lactational exposure to
      DEHP has transgenerational effect on female reproductive system.

PMID- 26482209
TI  - Hypoxia Promotes Invasion of Endometrial Stromal Cells via Hypoxia-Inducible
      Factor 1alpha Upregulation-Mediated beta-Catenin Activation in Endometriosis.
AB  - Endometriosis is a common benign gynecological disease defined as the presence of
      endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. The aim of this study was to
      identify the molecular mechanism underlying hypoxia-induced increases in invasive
      ability of human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs). Herein, we show that the
      expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor lalpha (HIF-1alpha) and beta
      catenin were greater in ectopic endometriotic tissue compared with eutopic tissue
      from controls. Exposure of eutopic endometrial stromal cells under hypoxic
      conditions or treated with desferrioxamine (DFO, chemical hypoxia) resulted in a
      time-dependent increase in beta-catenin expression and its dephosphorylation.
      Hypoxia/HIF-1alpha also activated the beta-catenin/T-cell factor (TCF) signaling
      pathway and the expression of target genes, vascular endothelial growth factor
      and matrix metalloproteinase 9, and knockdown of HIF-1alpha or beta-catenin
      abrogated hypoxia-induced increases in HESC invasiveness. These results suggest
      that HIF-1alpha interacting with beta-catenin/TCF signaling pathway, which is
      activated by hypoxia, may provide new insights into the etiology of
      endometriosis. 

PMID- 26482210
TI  - Antiepileptic drugs for the treatment of infants with severe myoclonic epilepsy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review published
      in Issue 11, 2013.Severe myoclonic epilepsy in infants (SMEI), also known as
      Dravet syndrome, is a rare, refractory form of epilepsy, for which stiripentol
      (STP) has been recently licensed as add-on therapy. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the
      efficacy and tolerability of STP and other antiepileptic drug treatments
      (including ketogenic diet) for patients with SMEI. SEARCH METHODS: We searched
      the Cochrane Epilepsy Group Specialised Register (27 April 2015), the Cochrane
      Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 27 April 2015) and MEDLINE (1946
      to 27 April 2015). We systematically searched the online trials registry
      ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical
      Trials Registry Platform and the bibliographies of identified studies for
      additional references. We handsearched selected journals and conference
      proceedings and imposed no language restrictions. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised
      controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-randomised controlled trials; double- or single
      blinded or unblinded trials; and parallel-group studies. Administration of at
      least one antiepileptic drug therapy given singly (monotherapy) or in combination
      (add-on therapy) compared with add-on placebo or no add-on treatment. DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Review authors independently selected trials for
      inclusion according to predefined criteria, extracted relevant data and evaluated
      the methodological quality of trials. We assessed the following outcomes: 50% or
      greater seizure reduction, seizure freedom, adverse effects, proportion of
      dropouts and quality of life. We assessed outcomes by using a Mantel-Haenszel
      meta-analysis to calculate risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95%
      CIs). MAIN RESULTS: In the updated search, we identified no additional studies
      suitable for inclusion. We found no RCTs assessing drugs other than STP. The
      previous version of this review included two RCTs evaluating use of STP (total of
      64 children). Both studies were generally at unclear risk of bias. A
      significantly higher proportion of participants had 50% or greater reduction in
      seizure frequency in the STP group compared with the placebo group (22/33 vs
      2/31; RR 10.40, 95% CI 2.64 to 40.87). A significantly higher proportion of
      participants achieved seizure freedom in the STP group compared with the placebo
      group (12/33 vs 1/31; RR 7.93, 95% CI 1.52 to 41.21). Investigators found no
      significant differences in proportions of dropouts from the STP group compared
      with the placebo group (2/33 vs 8/31; RR 0.24, 95% CI 0.06 to 1.03). Only one
      study explicitly reported the occurrence of side effects, noting that higher
      proportions of participants in the STP group experienced side effects than in the
      placebo group (100% vs 25%; RR 3.73, 95% CI 1.81 to 7.67). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS:
      Data derived from two small RCTs indicate that STP is significantly better than
      placebo with regards to 50% or greater reduction in seizure frequency and seizure
      freedom. Adverse effects occurred more frequently with STP. Additional adequately
      powered studies with long-term follow-up should be conducted to unequivocally
      establish the long-term efficacy and tolerability of STP in the treatment of
      patients with SMEI.

PMID- 26482211
TI  - Estimating causal effects for multivalued treatments: a comparison of approaches.
AB  - Interventions with multivalued treatments are common in medical and health
      research, such as when comparing the efficacy of competing drugs or
      interventions, or comparing between various doses of a particular drug. In recent
      years, there has been a growing interest in the development of multivalued
      treatment effect estimators using observational data. In this paper, we compare
      the performance of commonly used regression-based methods that estimate
      multivalued treatment effects based on the unconfoundedness assumption. These
      estimation methods fall into three general categories: (i) estimators based on a
      model for the outcome variable using conventional regression adjustment; (ii)
      weighted estimators based on a model for the treatment assignment; and (iii)
      'doubly-robust' estimators that model both the treatment assignment and outcome
      variable within the same framework. We assess the performance of these models
      using Monte Carlo simulation and demonstrate their application with empirical
      data. Our results show that (i) when models estimating both the treatment and
      outcome are correctly specified, all adjustment methods provide similar unbiased
      estimates; (ii) when the outcome model is misspecified, regression adjustment
      performs poorly, while all the weighting methods provide unbiased estimates;
      (iii) when the treatment model is misspecified, methods based solely on modeling
      the treatment perform poorly, while regression adjustment and the doubly robust
      models provide unbiased estimates; and (iv) when both the treatment and outcome
      models are misspecified, all methods perform poorly. Given that researchers will
      rarely know which of the two models is misspecified, our results support the use
      of doubly robust estimation.

PMID- 26482213
TI  - Facile Alder-Ene Reactions of Silylallenes Involving an Allenic C(sp(2) )-H Bond.
AB  - Facile and selective Alder-ene reactions of silylallenes involving the activation
      of an allenic C(sp(2) )?H over an allylic C(sp(3) )?H bond is described. In this
      ene reaction, the presence of a silyl substituent was found to be critical for
      the observed reactivity and selectivity since the corresponding alkyl-substituted
      allenes show different reaction profiles. Computational studies show that the
      origin of this unusual reactivity is the lower bond dissociation energy of the
      alpha-C(sp(2) )?H bond in silylallenes compared to the corresponding nonsilylated
      allenes. 

PMID- 26482214
TI  - Follow-Up of the Sinus Membrane Elevation Technique for Maxillary Sinus Implants
      without the Use of Graft Material.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a limited amount of studies evaluating long-term results of
      the sinus membrane elevation technique for bone formation around implants in the
      maxillary sinus floor without the use of bone graft material. PURPOSE: To
      investigate the long-term results of this technique with regard to implant
      survival and bone gain in the maxillary sinus floor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      retrospective study was conducted on patients who had undergone the surgical
      procedure from November 2001 to August 2008. Thirty-six patients with a total of
      87 implants (ASTRA TECH Implant SystemTM) in 53 sinuses were examined. After a
      submerged healing period of 6 months and at least 12 months of loading, the
      patients were examined clinically and radiologically. Implant stability was
      measured using resonance frequency analysis (RFA). RESULTS: The mean follow-up
      time was 4.6 years (range 1.5-7 years). Five implants were lost giving a survival
      rate of 94.3%.Subantral preoperative vertical bone levels were in the range of 1
      to 10 mm. The average bone gain at the sinus floor was 6 mm. The 55 fixtures
      eligible for RFA displayed a mean implant stability quotient of 77 (range 56
      85.5). CONCLUSION: The present study illustrates the long-term reliability of the
      technique.

PMID- 26482212
TI  - Impact of age-related macular degeneration in patients with glaucoma:
      understanding the patients' perspective.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is to measure the impact of age-related macular
      degeneration on vision-related activity limitation and preference-based status
      for glaucoma patients. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS:
      Two-hundred glaucoma patients of whom 73 had age-related macular degeneration
      were included in the research. METHODS: Sociodemographic information, visual
      field parameters and visual acuity were collected. Age-related macular
      degeneration was scored using the Age-Related Eye Disease Study system. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: The Rasch-analysed Glaucoma Activity Limitation-9 and the
      Visual Function Questionnaire Utility Index measured vision-related activity
      limitation and preference-based status, respectively. Regression models
      determined factors predictive of vision-related activity limitation and
      preference-based status. Differential item functioning compared Glaucoma Activity
      Limitation-9 item difficulty for those with and without age-related macular
      degeneration. RESULTS: Mean age was 73.7 (+/-10.1) years. Lower better eye mean
      deviation (beta: 1.42, 95% confidence interval: 1.24-1.63, P < 0.001) and age
      related macular degeneration (beta: 1.26 95% confidence interval: 1.10-1.44, P =
      0.001) were independently associated with worse vision-related activity
      limitation. Worse eye visual acuity (beta: 0.978, 95% confidence interval: 0.961
      0.996, P = 0.018), high risk age-related macular degeneration (beta: 0.981, 95%
      confidence interval: 0.965-0.998, P = 0.028) and severe glaucoma (beta: 0.982,
      95% confidence interval: 0.966-0.998, P = 0.032) were independently associated
      with worse preference-based status. Glaucoma patients with age-related macular
      degeneration found using stairs, walking on uneven ground and judging distances
      of foot to step/curb significantly more difficult than those without age-related
      macular degeneration. CONCLUSIONS: Vision-related activity limitation and
      preference-based status are negatively impacted by severe glaucoma and age
      related macular degeneration. Patients with both conditions perceive increased
      difficulty walking safely compared with patients with glaucoma alone.

PMID- 26482215
TI  - High-performance Polymer Membranes with Multi-functional Amphiphilic Micelles for
      CO2 Capture.
AB  - Herein, we report a high performance polymer membrane with simultaneously large
      improvements in the CO2 permeability and CO2/N2 selectivity. These improvements
      are obtained by incorporation of a multi-functional amphiphilic comb copolymer
      micelle, that is, poly(dimethylsiloxane)-g-poly(oxyethylene methacrylate) (PDMS-g
      POEM), into a poly(amide-b-ethylene oxide) (Pebax) matrix. Both CO2 and N2
      permeabilities continuously increased with PDMS-g-POEM content, whereas the
      CO2/N2 selectivity increased up to 40 wt % of PDMS-g-POEM, which enabled the
      maximum performance to approach the upper bound limit (2008). The membranes with
      PDMS-g-POEM exhibited greater CO2 permeability and CO2/N2 selectivity than those
      with a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8), a well-known expensive inorganic
      filler, indicating the effectiveness of PDMS-g-POEM micelles for CO2 capture.

PMID- 26482216
TI  - Performance of three glomerular filtration rate estimation equations in a
      population of sub-Saharan Africans with Type 2 diabetes.
AB  - AIM: We evaluated the performance of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease
      (MDRD), Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) and Cockcroft
      Gault (CG) equations against creatinine clearance (CrCl) to estimate glomerular
      filtration rate (GFR) in 51 patients with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: The CrCl
      value was obtained from the average of two consecutive 24-h urine samples.
      Results were adjusted for body surface area using the Dubois formula. Serum
      creatinine was measured using the kinetic Jaffe method and was calibrated to
      standardized levels. Bland-Altman analysis and kappa statistic were used to
      examine agreement between measured and estimated GFR. RESULTS: Estimates of GFR
      from the CrCl, MDRD, CKD-EPI and CG equations were similar (overall P = 0.298),
      and MDRD (r = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.36-0.74), CKD-EPI (r = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.33-0.72) and
      CG (r = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.39-0.75) showed modest correlation with CrCl (all P <
      0.001). Bias was -0.3 for MDRD, 1.7 for CKD-EPI and -5.4 for CG. All three
      equations showed fair-to-moderate agreement with CrCl (kappa: 0.38-0.51). The c
      statistic for all three equations ranged between 0.75 and 0.77 with no
      significant difference (P = 0.639 for c-statistic comparison). CONCLUSIONS: The
      MDRD equation seems to have a modest advantage over CKD-EPI and CG in estimating
      GFR and detecting impaired renal function in sub-Saharan African patients with
      Type 2 diabetes. The overall relatively modest correlation with CrCl, however,
      suggests the need for context-specific estimators of GFR or context adaptation of
      existing estimators.

PMID- 26482217
TI  - Future Blood Vessel Puncture Procedure With Use of Head Mount Display.

PMID- 26482218
TI  - Molecular Self-Assembly in a Poorly Screened Environment: F4TCNQ on Graphene/BN.
AB  - We report a scanning tunneling microscopy and noncontact atomic force microscopy
      study of close-packed 2D islands of tetrafluorotetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ)
      molecules at the surface of a graphene layer supported by boron nitride. While
      F4TCNQ molecules are known to form cohesive 3D solids, the intermolecular
      interactions that are attractive for F4TCNQ in 3D are repulsive in 2D. Our
      experimental observation of cohesive molecular behavior for F4TCNQ on graphene is
      thus unexpected. This self-assembly behavior can be explained by a novel solid
      formation mechanism that occurs when charged molecules are placed in a poorly
      screened environment. As negatively charged molecules coalesce, the local work
      function increases, causing electrons to flow into the coalescing molecular
      island and increase its cohesive binding energy. 

PMID- 26482219
TI  - Prendre le virage des partenariats.
AB  - Deux projets demontrent que la mise en oeuvre de donnees colligees sur le terrain
      peut contribuer a regler des problemes dans le milieu de la sante pour favoriser
      de meilleurs resultats et de plus grandes efficiences. Dans le premier exemple,
      une vaste coalition de partenaires publics et prives de l'Alberta recourt aux
      techniques de mesures ameliorees et a la methodologie du Triple objectif pour
      ameliorer les resultats cliniques de populations de cas complexes et lourds du
      quartier Eastwood d'Edmonton. On espere que les conclusions novatrices qui en
      sont tirees seront adaptees a d'autres regions de la province. Dans le deuxieme
      exemple, la Childhood Obesity Foundation s'associe a Merck au Canada et a Ayogo
      (une societe de therapies numeriques situee a Vancouver) et utilise le concept
      novateur de la " ludification " pour mobiliser les jeunes de plus en plus
      sedentaires du Canada et modifier leurs comportements. 

PMID- 26482220
TI  - "Moving the needle" through partnerships.
AB  - Two projects illustrate how the application of real-world evidence can help to
      address healthcare challenges to generate better outcomes and efficiencies. In
      the first example, a broad coalition of public and private partners in Alberta is
      applying enhanced measurement techniques and the Triple Aim methodology to
      improve health outcomes among complex care, high needs patients in Edmonton's
      Eastwood community. The innovative findings, it is hoped, will be scaled to other
      areas of the province. In the second example, the Childhood Obesity Foundation,
      with support from Merck in Canada, and Ayogo (a Vancouver-based digital
      therapeutics company) are partnering to use innovative "gamification" to build
      engagement and change behaviours among Canada's increasingly sedentary youth. 

PMID- 26482221
TI  - Trois points de vue sur les partenariats pour corriger les lacunes en matiere de
      soins de sante.
AB  - Puisqu'ils sont en premiere ligne aupres des patients, les pharmaciens
      communautaires jouent un role essentiel au sein du systeme de sante. Le present
      article propose trois points de vue sur la maniere dont une approche concertee,
      qui inclut le pharmacien communautaire, peut ameliorer les soins aux patients et
      reduire les couts pour le systeme. C'est la reussite de ces modeles de
      partenariat qui contribue a susciter des changements systemiques. L'article
      presente les reflexions du docteur Ross Tsuyuki, l'un des chercheurs canadiens de
      pointe sur le sujet, et quelques decouvertes realisees tout au long de son
      partenariat avec Merck au Canada depuis 20 ans. La majeure partie des etudes
      revisees par des pairs du docteur Tsuyuki sont menees en Alberta, ou la portee de
      la pratique des pharmaciens est elargie. 

PMID- 26482222
TI  - Degradation of the ABA co-receptor ABI1 by PUB12/13 U-box E3 ligases.
AB  - Clade A protein phosphatase 2Cs (PP2Cs) are abscisic acid (ABA) co-receptors that
      block ABA signalling by inhibiting the downstream protein kinases. ABA signalling
      is activated after PP2Cs are inhibited by ABA-bound PYR/PYL/RCAR ABA receptors
      (PYLs) in Arabidopsis. However, whether these PP2Cs are regulated by other
      factors remains unknown. Here, we report that ABI1 (ABA-INSENSITIVE 1) can
      interact with the U-box E3 ligases PUB12 and PUB13, but is ubiquitinated only
      when it interacts with ABA receptors in an in vitro assay. A mutant form of ABI1
      1 that is unable to interact with PYLs is more stable than the wild-type protein.
      Both ABI1 degradation and all tested ABA responses are reduced in pub12 pub13
      mutants compared with the wild type. Introducing the abi1-3 loss-of-function
      mutation into pub12 pub13 mutant recovers the ABA-insensitive phenotypes of the
      pub12 pub13 mutant. We thus uncover an important regulatory mechanism for
      regulating ABI1 levels by PUB12 and PUB13. 

PMID- 26482224
TI  - A trifunctional cyclooctyne for modifying azide-labeled biomolecules with
      photocrosslinking and affinity tags.
AB  - A bicyclo[6.1.0]nonyne (BCN)-based cyclooctyne reagent bearing a
      photocrosslinking diazirine (DAz) group and a biotin affinity handle, BCN-DAz
      Biotin, is reported. BCN-DAz-Biotin is capable of simultaneously delivering
      photocrosslinking and affinity tags to azide-labeled biomolecules, enabling
      photoactivated capture and enrichment/detection of interacting species in native
      contexts. 

PMID- 26482225
TI  - Closing the Nanographene Gap: Surface-Assisted Synthesis of Peripentacene from
      6,6'-Bipentacene Precursors.
AB  - The thermally induced cyclodehydrogenation reaction of 6,6'-bipentacene
      precursors on Au(111) yields peripentacene stabilized by surface interactions
      with the underlying metallic substrate. STM and atomic-resolution non-contact AFM
      imaging reveal rectangular flakes of nanographene featuring parallel pairs of zig
      zag and armchair edges resulting from the lateral fusion of two pentacene
      subunits. The synthesis of a novel molecular precursor 6,6'-bipentacene, itself a
      synthetic target of interest for optical and electronic applications, is also
      reported. The scalable synthetic strategy promises to afford access to a
      structurally diverse class of extended periacenes and related polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons as advanced materials for electronic, spintronic, optical, and
      magnetic devices. 

PMID- 26482223
TI  - Minimal Clinically Important Difference in the Physical, Emotional, and Total
      Symptom Distress Scores of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System.
AB  - CONTEXT: The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) is one of the most
      commonly used symptom batteries in clinical practice and research. OBJECTIVES: We
      used the anchor-based approach to identify the minimal clinically important
      difference (MCID) for improvement and deterioration for ESAS physical, emotional,
      and total symptom distress scores. METHODS: In this multicenter prospective
      study, we asked patients with advanced cancer to complete their ESAS at the first
      clinic visit and at a second visit three weeks later. The anchor for MCID
      determination was Patient's Global Impression regarding their physical,
      emotional, and overall symptom burden ("better," "about the same," or "worse").
      We identified the optimal sensitivity/specificity cutoffs for both improvement
      and deterioration for the three ESAS scores and also determined the within
      patient changes. RESULTS: A total of 796 patients were enrolled from six centers.
      The ESAS scores had moderate responsiveness, with area under the receiver
      operating characteristic curve between 0.69 and 0.76. Using the sensitivity
      specificity approach, the optimal cutoffs for ESAS physical, emotional, and total
      symptom distress scores were >=3/60, >=2/20, and >=3/90 for improvement, and <=
      4/60, <=-1/20, and <=-4/90 for deterioration, respectively. These cutoffs had
      moderate sensitivities (59%-68%) and specificities (62%-80%). The within-patient
      change approach revealed the MCID cutoffs for improvement/deterioration to be 3/
      4.3 for the physical score, 2.4/-1.8 for the emotional score, and 5.7/-2.9 for
      the total symptom distress score. CONCLUSION: We identified the MCIDs for
      physical, emotional, and total symptom distress scores, which have implications
      for interpretation of symptom response in clinical trials.

PMID- 26482226
TI  - Rational fabrication of a gold-coated AFM TERS tip by pulsed electrodeposition.
AB  - Reproducible fabrication of sharp gold- or silver-coated tips has become the
      bottleneck issue in tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, especially for atomic force
      microscopy (AFM)-based TERS. Herein, we developed a novel method based on pulsed
      electrodeposition to coat a thin gold layer over atomic force microscopy (AFM)
      tips to produce plasmonic TERS tips with high reproducibility. We systematically
      investigated the influence of the deposition potential and step time on the
      surface roughness and sharpness. This method allows the rational control of the
      radii of gold-coated TERS tips from a few to hundreds of nanometers, which allows
      us to systematically study the dependence of the TERS enhancement on the radius
      of the gold-coated AFM tip. The maximum TERS enhancement was achieved for the tip
      radius in the range of 60-75 nm in the gap mode. The coated gold layer has a
      strong adhesion with the silicon tip surface, which is highly stable in water,
      showing the great potential for application in the aqueous environment. 

PMID- 26482227
TI  - Tumor size, stage and grade alterations of urinary peptidome in RCC.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several promising biomarkers have been found for RCC, but none of
      them has been used in clinical practice for predicting tumour progression. The
      most widely used features for predicting tumour aggressiveness still remain the
      cancer stage, size and grade. Therefore, the aim of our study is to investigate
      the urinary peptidome to search and identify peptides whose concentrations in
      urine are linked to tumour growth measure and clinical data. METHODS: A proteomic
      approach applied to ccRCC urinary peptidome (n = 117) based on prefractionation
      with activated magnetic beads followed by MALDI-TOF profiling was used. A
      systematic correlation study was performed on urinary peptide profiles obtained
      from MS analysis. Peptide identity was obtained by LC-ESI-MS/MS. RESULTS:
      Fifteen, twenty-six and five peptides showed a statistically significant
      alteration of their urinary concentration according to tumour size, pT and grade,
      respectively. Furthermore, 15 and 9 signals were observed to have urinary levels
      statistically modified in patients at different pT or grade values, even at very
      early stages. Among them, C1RL, A1AGx, ZAG2G, PGBM, MMP23, GP162, ADA19, G3P,
      RSPH3, DREB, NOTC2 SAFB2 and CC168 were identified. CONCLUSIONS: We identified
      several peptides whose urinary abundance varied according to tumour size, stage
      and grade. Among them, several play a possible role in tumorigenesis, progression
      and aggressiveness. These results could be a useful starting point for future
      studies aimed at verifying their possible use in the managements of RCC patients.

PMID- 26482229
TI  - Circular flow formation triggered by Marangoni convection in nematic liquid
      crystal films with a free surface.
AB  - We demonstrate circular flow formation at a surface in homeotropically oriented
      nematic liquid crystals with a free surface using focused laser beam irradiation.
      Under a weak laser power, a pit together with an associated circular bulge is
      formed: the Marangoni effect. Here a diverging molecular flow from the pit
      (thermocapillary flow) also induces director tilt in the radial direction. Upon
      increasing the laser power, the pit becomes deeper, and eventually evolves into a
      circular flow associated with a deeper pit and a subsidiary circular bulge or
      valley structure. This phenomenon is induced by escaping from excess deformation
      energy due to a bend deformation of the director. Actually, we confirmed that the
      circular flow is never formed in the isotropic phase. The handedness of the
      vortex cannot be controlled by circular polarisation, but is controllable by
      doping with chiral molecules. This rotational motion (a nematic micro-rotor) is a
      unique phenomenon only exhibited by anisotropic liquids, and is expected to be
      applied for novel devices. 

PMID- 26482228
TI  - Multifocal leukoencephalopathy in cocaine users: a report of two cases and review
      of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cocaine abuse is associated with several mechanisms of brain injury
      including ischemic, hemorrhagic and metabolic. Recently two case reports of
      leukoencephalopathy in cocaine users implicated a commonly used cocaine
      adulterant, levamisole. One well-documented adverse effect of levamisole, when
      used alone as antihelminthic or immunomodulatory drug, is multifocal inflammatory
      leukoencephalopathy. Therefore, immune mechanisms may also contribute to cocaine
      induced brain injury. CASE PRESENTATIONS: Two cocaine users with multifocal
      leukoencephalopathy, treated with steroids and plasmapheresis, are described. The
      first is a 25-year-old man who presented with unilateral motor and sensory
      impairment progressing to bilateral deficits, dysphagia, dysarthria and confusion
      over several days. Serial MRI showed increasing abnormal FLAIR signal lesions
      with patchy restricted diffusion and heterogenous enhancement deep in the right
      and left hemispheres, including periventricular white matter as well as in the
      pons and cerebellar peduncle. The second patient is a 41-year-old woman who
      presented with confusion and impaired balance. MRI showed bilateral
      periventricular FLAIR lesions with scattered restricted diffusion and subtle
      gadolinium enhancement of some of the lesions. She initially stabilized with
      supportive care only, but after further cocaine use was re-admitted six weeks
      later with marked neurological deterioration and MRI showed prominent worsening
      of the lesions. Both patients received steroid and plasma exchange and showed
      substantial improvement clinically and on imaging, which was sustained during out
      patient follow-up. CONCLUSION: Multifocal leukoencephalopathy associated with
      cocaine use may have an inflammatory/immune basis, possibly related to levamisole
      contamination, at least in some patients. Three cases, including the present two,
      have been described wherein good neurological improvement was seen in association
      with steroid treatment. However, in the absence of appropriate clinical trials,
      it remains unknown whether immunotherapy is truly beneficial for these patients.

PMID- 26482230
TI  - Conformational control of cofactors in nature - the influence of protein-induced
      macrocycle distortion on the biological function of tetrapyrroles.
AB  - Tetrapyrrole-containing proteins are one of the most fundamental classes of
      enzymes in nature and it remains an open question to give a chemical rationale
      for the multitude of biological reactions that can be catalyzed by these pigment
      protein complexes. There are many fundamental processes where the same (i.e.,
      chemically identical) porphyrin cofactor is involved in chemically quite distinct
      reactions. For example, heme is the active cofactor for oxygen transport and
      storage (hemoglobin, myoglobin) and for the incorporation of molecular oxygen in
      organic substrates (cytochrome P450). It is involved in the terminal oxidation
      (cytochrome c oxidase) and the metabolism of H2O2 (catalases and peroxidases) and
      catalyzes various electron transfer reactions in cytochromes. Likewise, in
      photosynthesis the same chlorophyll cofactor may function as a reaction center
      pigment (charge separation) or as an accessory pigment (exciton transfer) in
      light harvesting complexes (e.g., chlorophyll a). Whilst differences in the
      apoprotein sequences alone cannot explain the often drastic differences in
      physicochemical properties encountered for the same cofactor in diverse protein
      complexes, a critical factor for all biological functions must be the close
      structural interplay between bound cofactors and the respective apoprotein in
      addition to factors such as hydrogen bonding or electronic effects. Here, we
      explore how nature can use the same chemical molecule as a cofactor for
      chemically distinct reactions using the concept of conformational flexibility of
      tetrapyrroles. The multifaceted roles of tetrapyrroles are discussed in the
      context of the current knowledge on distorted porphyrins. Contemporary analytical
      methods now allow a more quantitative look at cofactors in protein complexes and
      the development of the field is illustrated by case studies on hemeproteins and
      photosynthetic complexes. Specific tetrapyrrole conformations are now used to
      prepare bioengineered designer proteins with specific catalytic or photochemical
      properties. 

PMID- 26482231
TI  - Projection of participant recruitment to primary care research: a qualitative
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recruitment to clinical trials remains a challenge, particularly in
      primary care settings. Initial projections of participant recruitment need to be
      as accurate as possible in order to avoid the financial, clinical and ethical
      costs of trial extensions or failures. However, estimation of recruitment rates
      is challenging and often poorly executed, if attempted at all. We used
      qualitative methods to explore the experiences and views of researchers on the
      planning of recruitment in this setting. METHODS: Participants had registered
      accrual to a UK-based primary care research study between April 2009 and March
      2012. We conducted nine interviews with chief investigators or study managers,
      using a semi-structured topic guide. Analysis was conducted using the framework
      approach. RESULTS: Three themes are presented: 1) the factors affecting
      recruitment rates, 2) the use of planning techniques, and 3) influences on poor
      estimation. 1) A large number of factors affecting recruitment rates were
      discussed, including those relating to the study protocol, the clinical setting
      and the research setting. Use of targeted mail-outs to invite apparently eligible
      individuals to participate was preferred in order to eliminate some of the
      uncertainty in the recruitment rate associated with opportunistic clinician
      referrals. 2) The importance of pilot work was stressed. We identified
      significant uncertainty as to how best to schedule trial timelines to maximise
      efficiency. 3) Several potential sources of bias involved in the estimation of
      recruitment rates were explored and framed as technological, psychological or
      political factors. CONCLUSIONS: We found a large number of factors that
      interviewees felt impact recruitment rates to primary care research and
      highlighted the complexity of realistic estimation. Suitable early planning of
      the recruitment process is essential, and there may be potential to improve the
      projection of trial timelines by reducing biases involved in the process. Further
      research is needed to develop formal approaches that would be suitable for use in
      this setting.

PMID- 26482232
TI  - Reduced middle ear infection with non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae, but not
      Streptococcus pneumoniae, after transition to 10-valent pneumococcal non-typeable
      H. influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In October 2009, 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7:
      Prevenar(TM) Pfizer) was replaced in the Northern Territory childhood vaccination
      schedule by 10-valent pneumococcal Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate
      vaccine (PHiD-CV10; Synflorix(TM) GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines). This analysis aims
      to determine whether the reduced prevalence of suppurative otitis media measured
      in the PHiD-CV10 era was associated with changes in nasopharyngeal (NP) carriage
      and middle ear discharge (ED) microbiology in vaccinated Indigenous children.
      METHODS: Swabs of the NP and ED were collected in remote Indigenous communities
      between September 2008 and December 2012. Swabs were cultured using standardised
      methods for otitis media pathogens. Children less than 3 years of age and having
      received a primary course of 2 or more doses of one PCV formulation and not more
      than one dose of another PCV formulation were included in the primary analysis;
      children with non-mixed single formulation PCV schedules were also compared.
      RESULTS: NP swabs were obtained from 421 of 444 (95%) children in the PCV7 group
      and 443 of 451 (98%) children in the PHiD-CV10 group. Non-mixed PCV schedules
      were received by 333 (79%) and 315 (71%) children, respectively. Pneumococcal
      (Spn) NP carriage was 76% and 82%, and non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi)
      carriage was 68% and 73%, respectively. ED was obtained from 60 children (85
      perforations) in the PCV7 group and from 47 children (59 perforations) in the
      PHiD-CV10 group. Data from bilateral perforations were combined. Spn was cultured
      from 25% and 18%, respectively, and NTHi was cultured from 61% and 34%
      respectively (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: The observed reduction in the prevalence
      of suppurative OM in this population was not associated with reduced NP carriage
      of OM pathogens. The prevalence of NTHi-infected ED was lower in PHiD-CV10
      vaccinated children compared to PCV7 vaccinated children. Changes in clinical
      severity may be explained by the action of PHiD-CV10 on NTHi infection in the
      middle ear. Randomised controlled trials are needed to answer this question.

PMID- 26482233
TI  - Evaluation of the HAS-BLED, ATRIA, and ORBIT Bleeding Risk Scores in Patients
      with Atrial Fibrillation Taking Warfarin.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Various bleeding risk prediction schemes, such as the Hypertension,
      Abnormal renal/liver function, Stroke, Bleeding history or predisposition, Labile
      international normalized Ratio, Elderly, Drugs/alcohol (HAS-BLED),
      Anticoagulation and Risk Factors in Atrial Fibrillation (ATRIA), and Outcomes
      Registry for Better Informed Treatment (ORBIT) scores, have been proposed in
      patients with atrial fibrillation. We compared the relative predictive values of
      these bleeding risk scores for clinically relevant bleeding and the relationship
      of ATRIA and ORBIT scores to the quality of anticoagulation control on warfarin,
      as reflected by time in therapeutic range. METHODS: We conducted a post hoc
      ancillary analysis of clinically relevant bleeding and major bleeding events
      among 2293 patients receiving warfarin therapy in the AMADEUS trial. RESULTS:
      Only HAS-BLED was significantly predictive for clinically relevant bleeding, and
      all 3 risk scores were predictive for major bleeding. The predictive performance
      of HAS-BLED was modest, as reflected by c-indexes of 0.59 (P < .001) and 0.65 (P
      < .002) for clinically relevant bleeding and major bleeding, respectively. The
      HAS-BLED score performed better than the ATRIA (P = .002) or ORBIT (P = .001)
      score in predicting any clinically relevant bleeding. Only the HAS-BLED score was
      significantly associated with the risk for both bleeding outcomes on Cox
      regression analysis (any clinically relevant bleeding: hazard ratio, 1.85; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.43-2.40, P < .001; major bleeding: hazard ratio, 2.40; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.28-4.52; P = .007). There were strong inverse correlations
      of ATRIA and ORBIT scores to time in therapeutic range as a continuous variable
      (low risk ATRIA, r = -0.96; P = .003; ORBIT, r = -0.96; P = .003). Improvement in
      the predictive performance for both ATRIA and ORBIT scores for any clinically
      relevant bleeding was achieved by adding time in therapeutic range to both
      scores, with significant differences in c-indexes (P = .001 and P = .002,
      respectively), net reclassification improvement, and integrated discriminant
      improvement (both P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: All 3 bleeding risk prediction scores
      demonstrated modest predictive ability for bleeding outcomes, although the HAS
      BLED score performed better than the ATRIA or ORBIT score. Significant
      improvements in both ATRIA and ORBIT score prediction performances were achieved
      by adding time in therapeutic range to both scores.

PMID- 26482234
TI  - Relationships between fear of falling, balance confidence, and control of
      balance, gait, and reactive stepping in individuals with sub-acute stroke.
AB  - Fear of falling is common in individuals with stroke; however, the associations
      between fear of falling, balance confidence, and the control of balance and gait
      are not well understood for this population. This study aimed to determine
      whether, at the time of admission to in-patient rehabilitation, specific features
      of balance and gait differed between individuals with stroke who did and did not
      report fear of falling, and whether these features were related to balance
      confidence. Individuals with stroke entering in-patient rehabilitation were asked
      if they were afraid of falling, and completed the Activities-Specific Balance
      Confidence Scale. Participants performed quiet standing, gait, and reactive
      stepping tasks, and specific measures were extracted for each (quiet standing:
      centre of pressure amplitude, between-limb synchronization, and Romberg
      quotients; gait: walking velocity, double support time, and variability measures;
      reactive stepping: number of steps, frequency of grasp reactions, and frequency
      of assists). No significant differences were identified between individuals with
      and without fear of falling. Balance confidence was negatively related to centre
      of pressure amplitude, double support time, and step time variability, and
      positively related to walking velocity. Low balance confidence was related to
      poor quiet standing balance control and cautious behavior when walking in
      individuals with sub-acute stroke. While the causal relationship between balance
      confidence and the control of balance and gait is unclear from the current work,
      these findings suggest there may be a role for interventions to increase balance
      confidence among individuals with stroke, in order to improve functional
      mobility. 

PMID- 26482235
TI  - Defining the nitrogen regulated transcriptome of Mycobacterium smegmatis using
      continuous culture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nitrogen is essential for microbial growth and its importance is
      demonstrated by the complex regulatory systems used to control the transport,
      assimilation and metabolism of nitrogen. Recent studies are beginning to shed
      light on how mycobacteria respond to nitrogen limitation and several regulators
      (e.g., GlnR, PII) have been characterized at a molecular level. However, despite
      this progress, our knowledge of the transcriptional response of mycobacteria to
      nitrogen limitation and its regulation is confined to batch culture. METHODS: To
      gain further insight into the response of mycobacteria to nitrogen limitation, we
      developed a nitrogen-limited chemostat. We compared the transcriptional response
      of nitrogen-limited cells to carbon-limited cells using RNA-seq analysis in a
      continuous culture model at a constant growth rate. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings
      revealed significant changes in the expression of 357 genes (208 upregulated, 149
      downregulated; >2-fold change, false discovery rate <5 %) in response to nitrogen
      limitation in continuous culture. The vast majority of the GlnR regulon (68 %)
      was differentially expressed under nitrogen limitation in continuous culture and
      approximately 52 % of the 357 genes overlapped with a previously published study
      investigating the response of M. smegmatis to nitrogen limitation in batch
      culture, while expression of only 17 % of the genes identified in batch culture
      were affected in our chemostat model. Moreover, we identified a unique set of 45
      genes involved in the uptake and metabolism of nitrogen that were exclusive to
      our chemostat model. We observed strong downregulation of pathways for amino acid
      catabolism (i.e., alanine, aspartate, valine, proline and lysine), suggesting
      preservation of these amino acids for critical cellular function. We found 16
      novel transcriptional regulators that were directly or indirectly involved in the
      global transcriptomic response of M. smegmatis to nitrogen limitation and
      identified several non-coding RNAs that might be involved in the transcriptional
      or post-transcriptional regulation of nitrogen-regulated gene expression.
      RESULTS: Using nitrogen-limited continuous culture we identified the nitrogen
      responsive transcriptome of M. smegmatis, including a number of small non-coding
      RNAs implicated in controlling nitrogen-regulated gene expression.

PMID- 26482236
TI  - [Outcomes evaluation after the implementation of a pre-hospital thrombolysis
      protocol in rural areas].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim is to evaluate the outcomes obtained from the
      implementation of a pre-hospital thrombolysis protocol in 3 rural emergency care
      teams, as well as delays and strategies of reperfusion applied in the treatment
      of the ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Retrospective cohort study (n=52) with historical control (n=20) of the patients
      assisted for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Medical emergency care
      teams, hospital, computerized medical history and ARIAM register reports were
      revised, obtaining epidemiological and clinical features, off-hospital
      management, reperfusion, time intervals and mortality. RESULTS: The baseline
      features in both groups were not significantly different. There was a non
      significant improvement of emergency care teams-hospital diagnostic concordance
      (85.3 versus 76.9%). We found a similar use of nitroglycerin, morphine and
      aspirin; significant increase (P<0.0001) of clopidogrel/prasugrel (55 versus
      90.4%) and enoxaparin/fondaparinux (35 versus 76.9%), as well as pre-hospital
      thrombolysis (5 versus 30,8%, P<0.03), that was applied within the first 2h to
      71.4%, with a median door-needle of 40min, whereas in-hospital thrombolysis and
      primary angioplasty were performed after 3h from the symptoms onset (P<0.01).
      Delays are associated with the patient's own lateness (P<0.02). Pharmaco-invasive
      strategy increases (62.5 versus 84.6%) more than primary angioplasty (15 versus
      17.3%), reducing in-hospital thrombolysis (35 versus 19.2%), all of them non
      significant. Complications are similar and one-year mortality is reduced
      (P<0.67). CONCLUSIONS: The protocol is effective, safe, and reliable. It reduces
      delays and improves pre-hospital attention. The pharmaco-invasive strategy is a
      valid option.

PMID- 26482237
TI  - [What you need to know about "female viagra"].

PMID- 26482238
TI  - [Onychomycosis by yeast not common in diabetics of a health center].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mexican diabetic population frequently presents mycosis under foot
      hyperkeratosis; however, in another type of onychomycosis as the ones that is
      assumed Candida albicans is the causal agent, it is unknown the frequency, the
      prevalence and if another Candida species or other yeasts are found. OBJECTIVE:
      Evaluate the frequency of yeasts causing onychomycosis in diabetic patients
      looked after in public institutions of health of the State of Hidalgo, Mexico,
      and its association with clinical epidemiological variables. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: An observational, descriptive and transversal study was made on 261
      patients, from which one nail sample of each one was obtained, used to isolate
      and identify dermatophytes and yeasts; the results were statistically correlated
      with 24 epidemiological parameters. The clinical study was done through
      interrogation and by medical exploration in order to evaluate Tinea pedis and
      onychomycosis. RESULTS: Onychomycosis were caused by Candida guilliermondii,
      Candida parapsilosis, Candida glabrata, Candida krusei, Candida spp., Kodamaea
      ohmeri, Prototheca wickerhamii and unidentified yeasts. The prevalence for
      general onychomycosis, by dermatophytes, mixed onychomycosis and by yeasts were:
      24.1, 19.5, 2.3 and 14.6%, respectively. Patients with significant probability to
      be diagnosed as having onychomycosis by yeasts are those wearing open shoes
      (2.59%); technicians and professionals (10.49%) and alcohol drinkers (3.72%).
      CONCLUSION: The fact that Candida albicans is not present in this study as causal
      agent of onychomycosis, and emerging and non-common yeasts were indeed isolated,
      creates new challenges. It is remarked the clinical criterion that when
      onychomycosis is suspected in diabetics, the diagnosis for culturing
      dermatophytes and yeasts should be included.

PMID- 26482239
TI  - Dislocation and its recurrence after revision total hip arthroplasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: Dislocation is a leading cause of failure after revision total hip
      arthroplasty (THA). This study was conducted to examine the risk factors for
      dislocation as well as their recurrence after revision THA. METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed 178 revision THAs in 162 patients between 1998 and 2013.
      The mean patient age was 65.2 years at operation and the mean follow-up period
      was 6.7 years. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify risk
      factors for dislocation, and further comparison was made between patients with
      single and recurrent dislocations. RESULTS: Sixteen hips in 15 patients (9.0 %)
      dislocated at a mean of 9.1 months (range, 0-83 months) after revision THA.
      Multivariate analysis identified advanced age (odds ratio [OR] = 2.94/10 years)
      and osteonecrosis of the femoral head (OR = 7.71) as the independent risk factors
      for any dislocations. Risk factors for recurrent dislocations, which were
      observed in eight hips (50 %), were later dislocations (>=4 months) and lower
      BMI. CONCLUSION: Dislocation is a serious problem after revision THA with
      multiple risk factors. Although our findings were limited to revision THAs done
      through posterolateral approach, recognition of these factors is helpful in
      patient education and surgical planning.

PMID- 26482240
TI  - Antiglide plating of vertical medial malleolus fractures provides stiffer initial
      fixation than bicortical or unicortical screw fixation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vertical shear fractures of the medial malleolus (44-A2 ankle
      fractures) occur through a supination-adduction mechanism. There are numerous
      methods of internal fixation for this fracture pattern. METHODS: Vertical medial
      malleolus osteotomies were created in synthetic distal tibiae. The models were
      divided into four fixation groups: two parallel unicortical cancellous screws,
      two divergent unicortical cancellous screws, two parallel bicortical cortical
      screws, or an antiglide plate construct. Specimens were subjected to offset axial
      loading and tracked using high-resolution video. FINDINGS: The antiglide plate
      construct was stiffer (P<0.05) than each of the other three constructs, and the
      bicortical screw construct was stiffer (P<0.05) than both unicortical screw
      constructs. The mean stiffness (standard deviation) was 111 (SD 35) N/mm for the
      parallel unicortical screw construct, 173 (SD 57) N/mm for the divergent
      unicortical screw construct, 279 (SD 30) N/mm for the bicortical screw construct,
      and 463 (SD 91) N/mm for the antiglide plate construct. The antiglide plate
      construct resisted displacement better (P<0.05) than each of the other three
      constructs. The mean force for 2mm of articular displacement was 284 (SD 51) N
      for the parallel unicortical screw construct, 339 (SD 46) N for the divergent
      unicortical screw construct, 429 (SD 112) N for the bicortical construct, and 922
      (SD 297) N for the antiglide plate construct. INTERPRETATION: An antiglide plate
      construct provides the stiffest initial fixation while withstanding higher load
      to failure for vertical medial malleolus fractures when compared to unicortical
      and bicortical screw fixation.

PMID- 26482241
TI  - Molecular Cloning and Characterization of a (Lys)6-Tagged Sulfide-Reactive
      Hemoglobin I from Lucina pectinata.
AB  - A poly-Lys tag was fused to the Lucina pectinata hemoglobin I (HbI) coding
      sequence and purified using an efficient and fast process. HbI is a hemeprotein
      that binds hydrogen sulfide (H2S) with high affinity and it has been used to
      understand physiologically relevant reactions of this signaling molecule. The
      (Lys)6-tagged rHbI construct was expressed in E. coli and purified by
      immobilization on a cation exchange matrix, followed by size-exclusion
      chromatography. The identity, structure, and function of the (Lys)6-tagged rHbI
      were assessed by mass spectrometry, small and wide X-ray scattering, optical
      spectroscopy, and kinetic analysis. The scattering and spectroscopic results
      showed that the (Lys)6-tagged rHbI is structurally and functionally analogous to
      the native protein as well as to the (His)6-tagged rHbI. Kinetics studies with
      H2S indicated that the association (k on) and dissociation (k off) rate constants
      were 1.4 * 10(5)/M/s and 0.1 * 10(-3)/s, respectively. This results confirmed
      that the (Lys)6-tagged rHbI binds H2S with the same high affinity as its
      homologue.

PMID- 26482242
TI  - Plant chlorophyll fluorescence: active and passive measurements at canopy and
      leaf scales with different nitrogen treatments.
AB  - Most studies assessing chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) have examined leaf
      responses to environmental stress conditions using active techniques.
      Alternatively, passive techniques are able to measure ChlF at both leaf and
      canopy scales. However, the measurement principles of both techniques are
      different, and only a few datasets concerning the relationships between them are
      reported in the literature. In this study, we investigated the potential for
      interchanging ChlF measurements using active techniques with passive measurements
      at different temporal and spatial scales. The ultimate objective was to determine
      the limits within which active and passive techniques are comparable. The results
      presented in this study showed that active and passive measurements were highly
      correlated over the growing season across nitrogen treatments at both canopy and
      leaf-average scale. At the single-leaf scale, the seasonal relation between
      techniques was weaker, but still significant. The variability within single-leaf
      measurements was largely related to leaf heterogeneity associated with variations
      in CO2 assimilation and stomatal conductance, and less so to variations in leaf
      chlorophyll content, leaf size or measurement inputs (e.g. light reflected and
      emitted by the leaf and illumination conditions and leaf spectrum). This
      uncertainty was exacerbated when single-leaf analysis was limited to a particular
      day rather than the entire season. We concluded that daily measurements of active
      and passive ChlF at the single-leaf scale are not comparable. However, canopy and
      leaf-average active measurements can be used to better understand the daily and
      seasonal behaviour of passive ChlF measurements. In turn, this can be used to
      better estimate plant photosynthetic capacity and therefore to provide improved
      information for crop management. 

PMID- 26482243
TI  - A model for the central control of airflow patterns within the human nasal cycle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The nasal cycle exhibits mainly reciprocal changes in nasal airflow
      that may be controlled from centres in the hypothalamus and brainstem. This study
      aims to gather new knowledge about the nasal cycle to help develop a control
      model. METHOD: Right and left nasal airflow was measured in healthy human
      subjects by rhinomanometry. This was performed over 7-hour periods on 2 study
      days separated by approximately 1 week. The correlation coefficient for nasal
      airflow was calculated for day 1 and day 2. RESULTS: Thirty subjects (mean age,
      22.7 years) completed the study. The correlation coefficient for nasal airflow
      varied between r = 0.97 with in-phase changes in airflow and r = -0.89 with
      reciprocal changes in airflow. The majority of r values were negative, indicating
      reciprocal changes in airflow (50 out of 60). There was a tendency for r values
      to become more negative between day 1 and day 2 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A
      control model involving a hypothalamic centre and two brainstem half centres is
      proposed to explain both the in-phase and reciprocal changes in airflow
      associated with the nasal cycle.

PMID- 26482244
TI  - Higher plasma quercetin levels following oral administration of an onion skin
      extract compared with pure quercetin dihydrate in humans.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the plasma kinetics of quercetin derived from hard
      capsules filled with onion skin extract powder or quercetin dihydrate in humans.
      METHODS: In a randomized, single-blind, diet-controlled crossover study, 12
      healthy subjects (six men and six women) aged 21-33 years were administered a
      single oral supra-nutritional dose of approximately 163 mg quercetin derived from
      onion skin extract powder (containing 95.3 % of total flavonoids as quercetin
      aglycone) or quercetin dihydrate (134 mg quercetin aglycone equivalent). Blood
      samples were collected before and during a 24-h period after quercetin
      administration. The concentrations of quercetin and its two monomethylated
      derivatives, isorhamnetin (3'-O-methyl quercetin), and tamarixetin (4'-O-methyl
      quercetin), were measured using HPLC with fluorescence detection after plasma
      enzymatic treatment. RESULTS: The systemic availability, determined by comparing
      the plasma concentration-time curves of quercetin, was 4.8 times higher, and the
      maximum plasma concentration (C max) was 5.4 times higher after ingestion of the
      onion skin extract than after ingestion of pure quercetin dihydrate. By contrast,
      t max did not differ significantly between the two formulations. The C max values
      for isorhamnetin and tamarixetin were 3.8 and 4.4 times higher, respectively,
      after administration of onion skin extract than after pure quercetin dihydrate.
      The plasma kinetics of quercetin were not significantly different in men and
      women. CONCLUSION: Quercetin aglycone derived from onion skin extract powder is
      significantly more bioavailable than that from quercetin dihydrate powder filled
      hard capsules.

PMID- 26482245
TI  - Traumatic and non-traumatic adrenal emergencies.
AB  - Multiple traumatic and non-traumatic adrenal emergencies are occasionally
      encountered during the cross-sectional imaging of emergency department patients.
      Traumatic adrenal hematomas are markers of severe polytrauma, and can be easily
      overlooked due to multiple concomitant injuries. Patients with non-traumatic
      adrenal emergencies usually present to an emergency department with a non
      specific clinical picture. The detection and management of adrenal emergencies is
      based on cross-sectional imaging. Adrenal hemorrhage, adrenal infection, or
      rupture of adrenal neoplasm require immediate detection to avoid dire
      consequences. More often however, adrenal emergencies are detected incidentally
      in patients being investigated for non-specific acute abdominal pain. A high
      index of suspicion is required for the establishment of timely diagnosis and to
      avert potentially life-threatening complications. We describe cross-sectional
      imaging findings in patients with traumatic and non-traumatic adrenal hemorrhage,
      adrenal infarctions, adrenal infections, and complications of adrenal masses. 

PMID- 26482246
TI  - Lean Body Mass and Survival in Hemodialysis Patients and the Roles of Race and
      Ethnicity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lean body mass (LBM) represents the "fat-free" muscle mass in
      hemodialysis (HD) patients and is an important nutritional measure. Previous
      studies have found that both higher LBM and body mass index (BMI) were related to
      greater survival in HD patients. Additional studies have shown differences in
      survival across racial-ethnic groups of HD patients. However, the association of
      LBM and mortality across racial-ethnic subgroups has not been examined.
      OBJECTIVE: We hypothesize that racial differences in LBM affect the mortality in
      HD patients. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Chronic HD patients from a large dialysis
      organization in the United States. PREDICTORS: Estimated LBM (eLBM), self
      identified racial subgroups. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: 5-year survival. STUDY DESIGN:
      We examined the association between baseline eLBM and survival using Cox
      proportional hazard models adjusted for demographics, comorbidities, and
      laboratory measures. Associations were examined across subgroups of race
      ethnicity (non-Hispanic white, African American, and Hispanic) and BMI. RESULTS:
      The final cohort included 117,683 HD patients, who were 62 +/- 15 (mean +/-
      standard deviation) years old, 43% women and 59% with diabetes mellitus. Higher
      eLBM was linearly associated with lower mortality. Compared with the reference
      group (48.4-<50.5 kg), patients with the lowest eLBM (<41.3 kg) had a 1.4-fold
      higher risk of mortality (hazard ratio: 1.37; 95% confidence interval: 1.30-1.44)
      in the fully adjusted model. A similar linear association was seen among patients
      with BMI < 35 kg/m(2) and in non-Hispanic whites and African American subgroups.
      However, higher eLBM was not associated with improved survival in Hispanic
      patients or patients with BMI >= 35 kg/m(2). LIMITATION: Potential residual
      confounding. CONCLUSIONS: Higher eLBM is associated with a lower mortality risk
      in HD patients, especially among non-Hispanic white and African American groups.
      Hispanic patients do not demonstrate a similar inverse relationship. The
      association between LBM and mortality among different racial groups of HD
      patients deserves additional study.

PMID- 26482247
TI  - Increasing Dialysis Sodium Removal on Arterial Stiffness and Left Ventricular
      Hypertrophy in Hemodialysis Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of a mild
      increase in dialysis sodium removal on cardiovascular system in hypertensive
      hemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS: Sixty four HD patients with pre-HD plasma
      sodium level higher than 138mmol/l, were randomly assigned into 2 groups. The
      dialysate sodium was reduced from 138mmol/l to 136mmol/l in the intervention
      group, while remained at 138mmol/l in the control group. During the study course,
      home systolic blood pressure (BP) target of 140mmHg was used in all patients, and
      bioimpedance measurements to guide ultrafiltration were performed monthly. 44
      hour ambulatory BP, aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), left ventricular mass index
      (LVMI), pre-HD plasma sodium concentration, interdialytic weight gain, and
      dietary sodium intake, were measured. RESULTS: Better BP control was achieved by
      2 groups, with no significant differences. However, less annual averages of
      antihypertensives were used in the intervention group. The PWV values
      significantly decreased from 11.8+/-2.4 to 10.9+/-2.6m/s in the intervention
      group (P<0.001), and from 11.6+/-2.5 to 11.1+/-2.2m/s in the control group
      (P=0.012). LVMI regressed from 151+/-19 to 139+/-16 g/m2 (P<0.001) in the
      intervention group only. In addition, values for interdialytic weight gain and
      pre-HD plasma sodium decreased in the intervention group only. There were no
      significant differences in annual averages of dietary sodium intake and the
      frequency of adverse events between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing
      dialysis sodium removal was associated with improvements in arterial stiffness,
      left ventricular hypertrophy, and better BP control in hypertensive HD patients.

PMID- 26482249
TI  - Osteopontin promotes aromatase expression and estradiol production in human
      adipocytes.
AB  - Breast and endometrial cancer are often estrogen dependent, and their incidence
      and mortality are increased by obesity in postmenopausal women. Osteopontin (OPN)
      is a cytokine strongly upregulated in adipose tissue (AT) in obesity. OPN
      function is potentiated by cleavage by matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). OPN and
      MMPs play a role in cancer development and are prognostic markers in breast
      cancer progression. While induction of the estrogen-synthesizing enzyme aromatase
      by TNFa and IL1 has been shown in preadipocytes, an impact of OPN on aromatase
      expression in AT has not been investigated yet. Gene expression was determined in
      AT samples of 21 morbidly obese and matched non-obese subjects. Primary human
      adipocytes were treated with full-length OPN or MMP-cleaved OPN (cOPN). Protein
      and mRNA expressions were analyzed from cell lysates, or cells were subsequently
      supplied with testosterone to determine estradiol production and for indirect co
      culture with the estrogen-dependent MCF-7 cell line. Aromatase expression
      strongly correlated with gene expression of OPN and various MMPs in visceral and
      MMPs in subcutaneous AT, but not with TNFalpha expression in both tissues. In
      vitro, cOPN more effectively than full-length OPN upregulated aromatase mRNA in
      adipocytes and significantly increased aromatase protein level and estradiol
      production, leading to increased MCF-7 growth in indirect co-culture. OPN and
      MMPs are upregulated in AT in obesity, and MMP-cleaved OPN is particularly
      effective in inducing aromatase activity in human adipocytes. Thereby, obesity
      induced OPN expression in AT may contribute to estradiol production and thus to
      the association of obesity with estrogen-dependent cancers. 

PMID- 26482248
TI  - A Comparison of Structural Brain Imaging Findings in Autism Spectrum Disorder and
      Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
AB  - ASD and ADHD are regarded as distinct disorders in the current DSM-5. However,
      recent research and the RDoC initiative are recognizing considerable overlap in
      the clinical presentation of ASD, ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
      In spite of numerous neuroimaging findings in ASD and ADHD, the extent to which
      either of the above views are supported remains equivocal. Here we compare
      structural MRI and DTI literature in ASD and ADHD. Our main findings reveal both
      distinct and shared neural features. Distinct expressions were in total brain
      volume (ASD: increased volume, ADHD: decreased volume), amygdala (ASD:
      overgrowth, ADHD: normal), and internal capsule (ASD: unclear, ADHD: reduced FA
      in DTI). Considerable overlap was noted in the corpus callosum and cerebellum
      (lower volume in structural MRI and decreased FA in DTI), and superior
      longitudinal fasciculus (reduced FA in DTI). In addition, we identify brain
      regions which have not been studied in depth and require more research. We
      discuss relationships between brain features and symptomatology. We conclude by
      addressing limitations of current neuroimaging research and offer approaches that
      account for clinical heterogeneity to better distinguish brain-behavior
      relationships. 

PMID- 26482250
TI  - Sleep disorders in pediatric chronic kidney disease patients.
AB  - The prevalence of sleep disorders during childhood has been estimated to range
      from 25 to 43 %. The aim of this review is to determine the prevalence of sleep
      disorders and possible associations with chronic kidney disease (CKD)-related
      factors and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children with CKD. An
      electronic systematic literature search for sleep disorders in children with CKD
      in Pubmed, Embase and the Cochrane Library Databases identified seven relevant
      articles for review, all of which reported an increased prevalence of sleep
      disorders in children with CKD. Five studies included children with CKD
      undergoing dialysis, and two studies included only non-dialysis patients. In all
      studies the presence of sleep disturbances was assessed by questionnaires; only
      one study compared the results of a validated questionnaire with laboratory-based
      polysomnography. The prevalence of any sleep disorder ranged from 77 to 85 % in
      dialysis patients, to 32-50 % in transplanted patients and 40-50 % in non
      dialysis patients. The most commonly studied disorder was restless legs syndrome,
      which presented at a prevalence of 10-35 %. Three studies showed significant
      associations between presence of sleep disorders and HRQOL. We found consistent
      evidence of an increased prevalence of sleep disturbances in children with CKD,
      and these seemed to play a critical role in HRQOL.

PMID- 26482251
TI  - A systems-based approach to managing blood pressure in children following kidney
      transplantation.
AB  - Hypertension is one of the most common and well-known complications following
      kidney transplantation in children. Yet, despite numerous available therapies
      many pediatric kidney transplant recipients continue to have poorly controlled
      blood pressure, suggesting that traditional approaches to blood pressure
      management in this population might be inadequate. Over the last two decades, the
      Chronic Care Model has been developed to improve chronic illness outcomes through
      delivery system design and clinical information systems that support patient self
      management and provider decision-making. In this educational review we discuss
      key elements of managing blood pressure following pediatric kidney
      transplantation and suggest ways that they may be reliably implemented into
      clinical practice using principles from the Chronic Care Model.

PMID- 26482252
TI  - Safety and usage of darbepoetin alfa in children with chronic kidney disease:
      prospective registry study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Limited prospective data are available on the long-term safety of
      darbepoetin alfa (DA) for treating anemia in children with chronic kidney disease
      (CKD). METHODS: In this prospective, phase IV, observational registry study,
      children <=16 years of age with CKD anemia and receiving DA were observed for <=2
      years. Adverse events (AEs), DA dosing, hemoglobin (Hb) concentrations, and
      transfusions were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 319 patients were included in the
      analysis (mean age, 9.1 years), 158 (49.5%) of whom were on dialysis at study
      entry. Of 434 serious AEs reported in 162 children, the most common were
      peritonitis (10.0%), gastroenteritis (6.0%), and hypertension (4.1%). Six
      patients (1.9%) died (unrelated to DA). Four patients (1.3%) experienced six
      serious adverse drug reactions. The geometric mean DA dose range was 1.4-2.0
      MUg/kg/month. Mean baseline Hb concentration was 11.1 g/dl; mean values for
      children receiving and not receiving dialysis at baseline ranged between 10.9 and
      11.5 g/dl and 11.2-11.7 g/dl, respectively. Overall, 48 patients (15.0%) received
      >=1 transfusion. CONCLUSIONS: No new safety signals for DA were identified in
      children receiving DA for CKD anemia for <=2 years. Based on Hb concentrations
      and transfusion requirements, DA was effective at managing anemia in these
      patients.

PMID- 26482253
TI  - Long-term follow-up of blood pressure and glomerular filtration rate in patients
      with a solitary functioning kidney: a comparison between Wilms tumor survivors
      and nephrectomy for other reasons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children with unilateral Wilms tumor (WT) treated with chemotherapy
      and/or radiotherapy and nephrectomy have excellent survival rates. A solitary
      functioning kidney (SFK) is associated with progressive renal injury. This study
      aims to investigate the additional effect of Wilms tumor treatment on renal
      function compared with children with an SFK for non-oncological reasons. METHODS:
      A single-center retrospective cohort study on the renal injury markers of 79
      survivors of unilateral WT was performed and compared with a matched group of
      children with an SFK for non-oncological reasons. Mean age at follow-up was 12.4
      (SD 5.9) years. RESULTS: During follow-up, mean estimated glomerular filtration
      rate (eGFR) and blood pressure z-scores remained stable at an acceptable level.
      However, in the group of 31 WT patients with a follow-up of 15 years, 23% showed
      signs of renal injury. This proportion was smaller than the 54% in a group of SFK
      patients based on non-oncological causes (p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: A significant
      proportion of WT survivors develop renal injury during follow-up. Our data may be
      an underestimation of the true frequency of progressive renal injury, due to a
      lack of information on proteinuria. As with patients with a non-oncological SFK,
      long-term follow-up is essential to monitor WT survivors.

PMID- 26482254
TI  - Effect of plasma NOx values on cardiac function in obese hypertensive and
      normotensive pediatric patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypertension (HT) is a major comorbidity of obesity that is
      associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and higher mortality.
      The aim of our study was to evaluate cardiac function in obese hypertensive (OHT)
      and obese normotensive (ONT) pediatric patients and determine the effects of
      plasma nitric oxide (NOx) values on cardiac function, while demonstrating the
      role of plasma NOx in HT in obese pediatric patients. METHODS: The study
      population consisted of 62 patients (27 boys, 35 girls), aged 13-18 years and 21
      age-matched healthy controls. All subjects enrolled in the study underwent
      echocardiography (Echo) evaluation and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring for
      HT. Plasma NOx and biochemical values were studied in both patient groups
      separately. RESULTS: Plasma NOx levels were found to be lower in the OHT group
      than in the ONT and control groups (p < 0.001) and to be negatively correlated
      with left ventricular mass index values (p < 0.05). Both the OHT and ONT groups
      had concentric hypertrophy of the heart. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma NOx plays an
      essential role in obesity-induced HT. Concentric hypertrophy of the left
      ventricle was found in both the OHT and ONT groups, indicating structural
      deformation of the heart.

PMID- 26482255
TI  - Urinary fibrogenic cytokines ET-1 and TGF-beta1 are associated with urinary
      angiotensinogen levels in obese children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fibrogenic cytokines are recognized as putative drivers of disease
      activity and histopathological deterioration in various kidney diseases. We
      compared urinary transforming growth factor beta1 (U-TGF-beta1) and endothelin 1
      (U-ET-1) levels across body mass index classes and assessed their association
      with the level of urinary angiotensinogen (U-AGT), a biomarker of intrarenal
      renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). METHODS: The was a cross-sectional
      evaluation of 302 children aged 8-9 years. Ambulatory blood pressure (BP),
      insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), aldosterone level and renal function were
      evaluated. U-ET-1, U-TGF-beta1 and U-AGT levels were determined by
      immunoenzymatic methods. RESULTS: Obese children presented with the lowest levels
      of U-ET-1 and U-TGF-beta1, but the difference was only significant for U-ET-1. In
      obese children, the median levels of both U-ET-1 and U-TGF-beta1 tended to
      increase across tertiles (T1-T3) of U-AGT (U-ET-1: T1, 19.9 (14.2-26.3); T2, 32.5
      (23.3-141.6); T3, 24.8 (18.7-51.5) ng/g creatinine, p = 0.007; U-TGF-beta1: T1,
      2.2 (1.8-4.0); T2, 4.3 (2.7-11.7); T3, 4.9 (3.8-10.1) ng/g creatinine, p =
      0.004]. In multivariate models, in the obese group, U-ET-1 was associated with
      HOMA-IR and aldosterone and U-AGT levels, and U-TGF-beta1 was associated with U
      AGT levels and 24 h-systolic BP. CONCLUSIONS: Whereas the initial hypothesis of
      higher levels of urinary fibrogenic cytokines in obese children was not confirmed
      in our study, both TGF-beta1 and U-ET-1 levels were associated with U-AGT level,
      which likely reflects an early interplay between tissue remodeling and RAAS in
      obesity-related kidney injury.

PMID- 26482256
TI  - Inequality in pediatric kidney transplantation in Brazil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe the access and factors
      associated with kidney transplantation for children in different regions of
      Brazil. METHODS: We analyzed a cohort of 1211 children enrolled on the transplant
      list from January 2011 to December of 2013. We fitted regression models to
      investigate factors associated with: (a) undergoing kidney transplantation from a
      deceased donor, and (b) being removed from the waiting list. RESULTS: The
      incidence of transplantation was uneven across regions, with the lowest rate at
      0.4 per million age-related population (pmarp) in the Midwest and the highest
      incidence rate of 8.3 cases pmarp in the South. Children from the North and the
      Midwest regions had a 3-4 times lower probability of undergoing a deceased donor
      transplant (p < 0.05). Apart from the geographic region, age of recipients and
      GDP influenced the outcome. The likelihood of undergoing transplantation was very
      low in the youngest children in the North and Midwest. The number of transplant
      centers was not associated with either outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Factors of
      inequality in transplantation in Brazil are of macroeconomic origin, but there is
      room to reduce inequalities. Training existing transplant center professionals in
      the care of children could diminish the discrepancies.

PMID- 26482257
TI  - Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases: an Update on the Classification from the
      International Union of Immunological Societies Expert Committee for Primary
      Immunodeficiency 2015.
AB  - We report the updated classification of primary immunodeficiencies compiled by
      the Primary Immunodeficiency Expert Committee (PID EC) of the International Union
      of Immunological Societies (IUIS). In the two years since the previous version,
      34 new gene defects are reported in this updated version. For each disorder, the
      key clinical and laboratory features are provided. In this new version we
      continue to see the increasing overlap between immunodeficiency, as manifested by
      infection and/or malignancy, and immune dysregulation, as manifested by auto
      inflammation, auto-immunity, and/or allergy. There is also an increased number of
      genetic defects that lead to susceptibility to specific organisms which reflects
      the finely tuned nature of immune defense systems. This classification is the
      most up to date catalogue of all known and published primary immunodeficiencies
      and acts as a current reference of the knowledge of these conditions and is an
      important aid for the genetic and molecular diagnosis of patients with these rare
      diseases. 

PMID- 26482259
TI  - Clinical features of colorectal cancer patients in advanced age: a population
      based approach.
AB  - In the immediate future, the number of geriatric patients will continue to rise;
      consequently we should expect an increase of colorectal cancer, a disease of the
      elderly population. Through the data of a Cancer Registry, we examined (a) the
      effect of ageing on the main features of colorectal cancer; (b) changes in
      management, especially for individuals older than 80 years; and (c) changes in
      prognosis and survival in subgroups of patients with different age. The Registry
      provided information on colorectal cancer up to 2010 (27 years). A total of 5293
      patients were registered; these were divided into three groups: A (0-64 years), B
      (65-79) and C (80 or more). Three periods of observation were chosen: 1 (1984
      1992), 2 (1993-2001) and 3 (2001-2010). Group A included 1571 patients (29 %),
      Group B 2539 (48 %) and Group C 1183 (22.3 %). The fraction of old individuals
      increased during the 27 years of the investigation. In these patients, tumours
      were predominantly localized to the right colon (42.6 %). The rate of surgery and
      ratio between curative and palliative approaches were similar among the three
      groups (p < 0.38). There was disparity (p < 0.002) in the administration of
      chemotherapy (5.8 % of the elderly vs 34.4 % in remaining patients). Survival
      increased over time in all three groups. In the elderly, average 5-year survival
      was 31 % in period 1 and 55 % in period 3. These data show that in Western
      countries, the standard of care for colorectal cancer diagnosed in geriatric
      patients has improved over the last 30 years. 

PMID- 26482258
TI  - BP and Renal Outcomes in Diabetic Kidney Disease: The Veterans Affairs
      Nephropathy in Diabetes Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Proteinuric diabetic kidney disease frequently
      progresses to ESRD. Control of BP delays progression, but the optimal BP to
      improve outcomes remains unclear. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate
      the relationship between BP and renal outcomes in proteinuric diabetic kidney
      disease. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: BP data from all 1448
      randomized participants in the Veterans Affairs Nephropathy in Diabetes Trial
      were included in a post hoc analysis. The associations of mean on-treatment BP
      with the primary end point (decline in eGFR, ESRD, or death), renal end point
      (decline in eGFR or ESRD), rate of eGFR decline, and mortality were measured.
      RESULTS: The median (25th, 75th percentile) follow-up time was 2.2 (1.2, 3.0)
      years. There were 284 primary end points. In univariate analyses, both mean
      systolic and mean diastolic BPs were strongly associated (P<0.001) with the
      primary end point. After multivariate adjustment, the hazard of developing the
      primary end point became progressively higher as mean systolic BP rose from <120
      to >= 150 mmHg (P=0.02), with a significantly higher hazard ratio for 140-149
      versus 120-129 mmHg (1.51 [1.06, 2.15]; P=0.02). There was also a significant
      association of mean diastolic BP with the hazard of developing the primary end
      point (P<0.01), with a significantly higher hazard ratio when mean diastolic BP
      was 80-89 versus 70-79 mmHg (1.54 [1.05, 2.25]; P=0.03); there was also a strong
      trend when mean diastolic BP was <60 mmHg. Associations between BP and both renal
      end point and rate of eGFR decline were similar to those with the primary end
      point. No association of BP with mortality was observed, possibly because of the
      limited number of mortality events. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with proteinuric
      diabetic kidney disease, mean systolic BP >= 140 mmHg and mean diastolic BP >= 80
      mmHg were associated with worse renal outcomes.

PMID- 26482260
TI  - A Postulate on the Brain's Basic Wiring Logic.
AB  - How should evolution and development build the brain to be capable of flexible
      and generative cognition? I wish to put forth a 'power-of-two'-based wiring logic
      that provides the basic computational principle in organizing the
      microarchitecture of cell assemblies that would readily enable knowledge and
      adaptive behaviors to emerge upon learning. 

PMID- 26482262
TI  - Noninfectious Generalized Bronchiolitis in the Setting of Allogeneic Stem Cell
      Transplantation: A Potential Mimic of Lower Respiratory Tract Infection.
AB  - RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To describe a little-known therapy-related small-airway
      phenomenon presumably caused by mucosal irritation in patients undergoing
      allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Retrospective database search at our institution identified 739 hematologic
      patients who underwent chemotherapy + allo-SCT between September 2004 and March
      2014. After infectious pulmonary complications were excluded, 75 patients (female
      = 24; male = 51; median age = 47 years) with signs of generalized bronchiolitis
      (GB) on chest high-resolution computed tomography were identified. Computed
      tomography (CT) was performed proximate to chemotherapy onset; 92% had follow-up
      CT (mean, 1.9 weeks). The presence of centrilobular nodules, bronchial wall
      thickening (BWT), tree-in-bud (distributed diffuse vs. focal), ground-glass
      opacity, airspace opacification, luminal impactions, and air trapping was
      correlated with occurrence and duration of oral mucositis and therapy
      characteristics. Intensity of tree-in-bud and centrilobular nodules was graded
      absent (grade = 0), moderate (grade = 1), or marked (grade = 2). RESULTS: Overall
      incidence of GB among allo-SCT patients was 10.14%. GB was diagnosed at the time
      point of transplantation with a mean duration of CT findings of 4 weeks (+/-2.7).
      Tree-in-bud (17% [grade 2] and 83% [grade 1]) and BWT were present in 100% of the
      patients. Centrilobular nodules diffusely distributed were found in 45.5% of
      patients (20% [grade 2], 24% [grade 1], and 56% [none]). Air trapping and mosaic
      pattern were found in 13% and 16% of the patients, respectively. Resolution of GB
      was spontaneous. GB and its severity correlated with the temporal course and
      grade of oral mucositis; frequency and degree were not significantly influenced
      by the chemotherapy regimen. The incidence of GB in high-resolution computed
      tomography was statistically and significantly higher in patients with oral
      mucositis (P < 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: GB is frequent during chemotherapy for allo
      SCT and is characterized by an even distribution of tree-in-bud, BWT,
      centrilobular nodules, mild clinical symptoms, and spontaneous resolution.

PMID- 26482261
TI  - Anxiety in Patients with Schizophrenia: Epidemiology and Management.
AB  - Anxiety symptoms can occur in up to 65 % of patients with schizophrenia, and may
      reach the threshold for diagnosis of various comorbid anxiety disorders,
      including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder
      (PTSD). We review the clinical presentation, diagnosis, neurobiology, and
      management of anxiety in patients with schizophrenia, with a particular focus on
      pharmacotherapy. The prevalence of any anxiety disorder (at syndrome level) in
      schizophrenia is estimated to be up to 38 %, with social anxiety disorder (SAD)
      being the most prevalent. Severity of positive symptoms may correlate with
      severity of anxiety symptoms, but anxiety can occur independently of psychotic
      symptoms. While anxiety may be associated with greater levels of insight, it is
      also associated with increased depression, suicidality, medical service
      utilization, and cognitive impairment. Patients with anxiety symptoms are more
      likely to have other internalizing symptoms as opposed to externalizing symptoms.
      Diagnosis of anxiety in schizophrenia may be challenging, with positive symptoms
      obscuring anxiety, lower levels of emotional expressivity and communication
      impeding diagnosis, and conflation with akathisia. Higher diagnostic yield may be
      achieved by assessment following the resolution of the acute phase of psychosis
      as well as by the use of screening questions and disorder-specific self-report
      instruments. In schizophrenia patients with anxiety, there is evidence of
      underactive fear circuitry during anxiety-provoking stimuli but increased
      autonomic responsivity and increased responsiveness to neutral stimuli. Recent
      findings implicate the serotonin transporter (SERT) genes, brain-derived
      neurotropic factor (BDNF) genes, and the serotonin 1a (5HT1a) receptor, but are
      preliminary and in need of replication. There are few randomized controlled
      trials (RCTs) of psychotherapy for anxiety symptoms or disorders in
      schizophrenia. For pharmacotherapy, data from a few randomized and open trials
      have shown that aripiprazole and risperidone may be efficacious for obsessive
      compulsive and social anxiety symptoms, and quetiapine and olanzapine for
      generalized anxiety. Older agents such as trifluoperazine may also reduce
      comorbid anxiety symptoms. Alternative options include selective serotonin re
      uptake inhibitor (SSRI) augmentation of antipsychotics, although evidence is
      based on a few randomized trials, small open trials, and case series, and caution
      is needed with regards to cytochrome P450 interactions and QTc interval
      prolongation. Buspirone and pregabalin augmentation may also be considered.
      Diagnosis and treatment of anxiety symptoms and disorders in schizophrenia is an
      important and often neglected aspect of the management of schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26482263
TI  - Prognostic Value of the Diverticular Disease Severity Score Based on CT
      Colonography: Follow-up in Patients Recovering from Acute Diverticulitis.
AB  - RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the prognostic value of a diverticular
      disease severity score (DDSS) based on computed tomography colonography (CTC)
      after acute diverticulitis (AD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 252 patients who had
      an AD episode, we finally selected 46 patients who underwent both conventional CT
      at the acute event and CTC after 9 +/- 7 weeks. Of these 46 patients, 17
      underwent elective surgery after CTC. Disease severity was assessed with a 0-4
      modified Hinchey CT-based score and a 1-4 CTC-based DDSS. A phone survey was
      performed 27 months later (range 4-52) for the 29 patients not surgically
      treated. RESULTS: Significant correlation was found between CTC-based DDSS and
      clinical follow-up (P = 0.022) or elective surgery (P = 0.007), but not between
      clinical follow-up and CT-based score, extraluminal gas, C-reactive protein serum
      level, age, gender, or first versus recurrent AD episode. CTC demonstrated
      relevant additional findings in five of 46 (11%) patients: two AD complications
      (enterocolic and enterotubal fistulae), two colon cancers, and one extracolonic
      (lung) cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The CTC-based DDSS showed a prognostic value and
      correlated with the risk of undergoing surgery, and clinically relevant
      additional findings were found in more than 10% of patients. CTC could be the
      preferred test in patients recovering after AD.

PMID- 26482264
TI  - Measures to eradicate multidrug-resistant organism outbreaks: how much do they
      cost?
AB  - This study aimed to assess the economic burden of infection control measures that
      succeeded in eradicating multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) in emerging
      epidemic contexts in hospital settings. The MEDLINE, EMBASE and Ovid databases
      were systematically interrogated for original English-language articles detailing
      costs associated with strict measures to eradicate MDROs published between 1
      January 1974 and 2 November 2014. This study was conducted in accordance with the
      Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines.
      Overall, 13 original articles were retrieved reporting data on several MDROs,
      including glycopeptide-resistant enterococci (n = 5), carbapenemase-producing
      Enterobacteriacae (n = 1), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (n = 5),
      and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (n = 2). Overall, the cost of
      strict measures to eradicate MDROs ranged from ?285 to ?57 532 per positive
      patient. The major component of these overall costs was related to interruption
      of new admissions, representing ?2466 to ?47 093 per positive patient (69% of the
      overall mean cost; range, 13-100%), followed by mean laboratory costs of ?628 to
      ?5849 (24%; range, 3.3-56.7%), staff reinforcement costs of ?6204 to ?148 381
      (22%; range, 3.3-52%), and contact precautions costs of ?166 to ?10 438 per
      positive patient (18%; range, 0.7-43.3%). Published data on the economic burden
      of strict measures to eradicate MDROs are limited, heterogeneous, and weakened by
      several methodological flaws. Novel economic studies should be performed to
      assess the financial impact of current policies, and to identify the most cost
      effective strategies to eradicate emerging MDROs in healthcare facilities.

PMID- 26482265
TI  - The influence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on the gut microbiome.
AB  - The composition of the gut microbiome with the use of non-steroidal anti
      inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has not been fully characterized. Drug use within the
      past 30 days was ascertained in 155 adults, and stool specimens were submitted
      for analysis. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was
      calculated in logit models to distinguish the relative abundance of operational
      taxonomic units (OTUs) by medication class. The type of medication had a greater
      influence on the gut microbiome than the number of medications. NSAIDs were
      particularly associated with distinct microbial populations. Four OTUs
      (Prevotella species, Bacteroides species, family Ruminococcaceae, and Barnesiella
      species) discriminated aspirin users from those using no medication (AUC = 0.96;
      95% CI 0.84-1.00). The microbiome profile of celecoxib users was similar to that
      of ibuprofen users, with both showing enrichment of Acidaminococcaceae and
      Enterobacteriaceae. Bacteria from families Propionibacteriaceae,
      Pseudomonadaceae, Puniceicoccaceae and Rikenellaceae were more abundant in
      ibuprofen users than in controls or naproxen users. Bacteroides species and
      Erysipelotrichaceae species discriminated individuals using NSAIDs plus proton
      pump inhibitors from those using NSAIDs alone (AUC = 0.96; 95% CI 0.87-1.00).
      Bacteroides species and a bacterium of family Ruminococcaceae discriminated
      individuals using NSAIDs in combination with antidepressants and laxatives from
      those using NSAIDs alone (AUC = 0.98; 95% CI 0.93-1.00). In conclusion, bacteria
      in the gastrointestinal tract reflect the combinations of medications that people
      ingest. The bacterial composition of the gut varied with the type of NSAID
      ingested.

PMID- 26482266
TI  - Contribution of APOBEC3G/F activity to the development of low-abundance drug
      resistant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 variants.
AB  - Plasma drug-resistant minority human immunodeficiency virus type 1 variants
      (DRMVs) increase the risk of virological failure to first-line non-nucleoside
      reverse transcriptase inhibitor antiretroviral therapy (ART). The origin of DRMVs
      in ART-naive patients, however, remains unclear. In a large pan-European case
      control study investigating the clinical relevance of pre-existing DRMVs using
      454 pyrosequencing, the six most prevalent plasma DRMVs detected corresponded to
      G-to-A nucleotide mutations (V90I, V106I, V108I, E138K, M184I and M230I). Here,
      we evaluated if such DRMVs could have emerged from apolipoprotein B mRNA editing
      enzyme, catalytic polypeptide 3G/F (APOBEC3G/F) activity. Out of 236 ART-naive
      subjects evaluated, APOBEC3G/F hypermutation signatures were detected in plasma
      viruses of 14 (5.9%) individuals. Samples with minority E138K, M184I, and M230I
      mutations, but not those with V90I, V106I or V108I, were significantly associated
      with APOBEC3G/F activity (Fisher's P < 0.005), defined as the presence of > 0.5%
      of sample sequences with an APOBEC3G/F signature. Mutations E138K, M184I and
      M230I co-occurred in the same sequence as APOBEC3G/F signatures in 3/9 (33%),
      5/11 (45%) and 4/8 (50%) of samples, respectively; such linkage was not found for
      V90I, V106I or V108I. In-frame STOP codons were observed in 1.5% of all clonal
      sequences; 14.8% of them co-occurred with APOBEC3G/F signatures. APOBEC3G/F
      associated E138K, M184I and M230I appeared within clonal sequences containing in
      frame STOP codons in 2/3 (66%), 5/5 (100%) and 4/4 (100%) of the samples. In a re
      analysis of the parent case control study, the presence of APOBEC3G/F signatures
      was not associated with virological failure. In conclusion, the contribution of
      APOBEC3G/F editing to the development of DRMVs is very limited and does not
      affect the efficacy of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor ART.

PMID- 26482267
TI  - Acute hepatitis C in the Netherlands: characteristics of the epidemic in 2014.
AB  - Within the Dutch Acute HCV in HIV Study, a surveillance system was initiated to
      estimate the incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in 2014. Following
      the Dutch HIV treatment guidelines, HIV-positive men having sex with men (MSM) in
      19 participating centers were screened. Ninety-nine acute HCV infections were
      reported, which resulted in a mean incidence of 11 per 1000 patient-years of
      follow-up. Unfortunately, the HCV epidemic among Dutch HIV-positive MSM is not
      coming to a halt.

PMID- 26482268
TI  - Automated categorization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clinical
      isolates into different clonal complexes by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.
AB  - Early identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
      dominant clones involved in infection and initiation of adequate infection
      control measures are essential to limit MRSA spread and understand MRSA
      population dynamics. In this study we evaluated the use of matrix-assisted laser
      desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) for the
      automated discrimination of the major MRSA lineages (clonal complexes, CC)
      identified in our hospital during a 20-year period (1990-2009). A collection of
      82 well-characterized MRSA isolates belonging to the four main CCs (CC5, CC8,
      CC22 and CC398) was split into a reference set (n = 36) and a validation set (n =
      46) to generate pattern recognition models using the ClinProTools software for
      the identification of MALDI-TOF/MS biomarker peaks. The supervised neural network
      (SNN) model showed the best performance compared with two other models, with
      sensitivity and specificity values of 100% and 99.11%, respectively. Eleven peaks
      (m/z range: 3278-6592) with the highest separation power were identified and used
      to differentiate all four CCs. Validation of the SNN model using ClinProTools
      resulted in a positive predictive value (PPV) of 99.6%. The specific contribution
      of each peak to the model was used to generate subtyping reference signatures for
      automated subtyping using the BioTyper software, which successfully classified
      MRSA isolates into their corresponding CCs with a PPV of 98.9%. In conclusion, we
      find this novel automated MALDI-TOF/MS approach to be a promising, powerful and
      reliable tool for S. aureus typing.

PMID- 26482269
TI  - Interference between respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus in respiratory
      tract infections in children.
AB  - An acute viral respiratory tract infection might prevent infections by other
      viruses because of the antiviral innate immune response. However, with the use of
      PCR methods, simultaneous detection of two or more respiratory viruses is
      frequent. We analysed the effect of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection
      on the occurrence of simultaneous rhinovirus (RV) infection in children within a
      birth cohort study setting. We used PCR for virus detection in nasal swabs
      collected from children with an acute respiratory tract infection at the age of 0
      24 months and from healthy control children, who were matched for age and date of
      sample collection. Of 226 children with RSV infections, 18 (8.0%) had co
      infections with RV, whereas RV was detected in 31 (14%) of 226 control children
      (p 0.049 by chi-square test). Adjustment for sex, number of siblings and socio
      economic status strengthened the negative association between RSV and RV (OR
      0.46, 95% CI 0.24-0.90; p 0.02). The median durations of symptoms (cough,
      rhinorrhoea, or fever) were 11 days in children with single RSV infections and 14
      days in children with RSV-RV co-infections (p 0.02). Our results suggest that the
      presence of RSV reduces the probability of RV infection, but that, if a co
      infection occurs, both viruses cause clinical symptoms.

PMID- 26482270
TI  - Individuals with inherited chromosomally integrated human herpes virus 6 (ciHHV
      6) have functionally active HHV-6 specific T-cell immunity.
AB  - To evaluate the human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) -specific immune response in
      individuals with chromosomally integrated HHV-6 (ciHHV-6), we measured HHV-6
      antigen-specific cytokine responses (interferon-gamma, interleukin-2, tumour
      necrosis factor-alpha) in T cells by flow cytometry in 12 and 16 individuals with
      and without ciHHV-6, respectively. All individuals with ciHHV-6 showed HHV-6
      specific T cells with higher frequencies of HHV-6-specific CD8(+) cells (0.03
      14.93, median 2.15% of CD8(+) cells) compared with non-ciHHV-6 (0.0-10.67, median
      0.36%, p 0.026). The observed increased HHV-6-specific functionally active
      responses in individuals with ciHHV-6 clearly disprove speculations on immune
      tolerance in ciHHV-6 and indicate clinical and immunological implications of
      ciHHV-6.

PMID- 26482271
TI  - A systematic review comparing the costs of chiropractic care to other
      interventions for spine pain in the United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although chiropractors in the United States (US) have long suggested
      that their approach to managing spine pain is less costly than other health care
      providers (HCPs), it is unclear if available evidence supports this premise.
      METHODS: A systematic review was conducted using a comprehensive search strategy
      to uncover studies that compared health care costs for patients with any type of
      spine pain who received chiropractic care or care from other HCPs. Only studies
      conducted in the US and published in English between 1993 and 2015 were included.
      Health care costs were summarized for studies examining: 1. private health plans,
      2. workers' compensation (WC) plans, and 3. clinical outcomes. The quality of
      studies in the latter group was evaluated using a Consensus on Health Economic
      Criteria (CHEC) list. RESULTS: The search uncovered 1276 citations and 25
      eligible studies, including 12 from private health plans, 6 from WC plans, and 7
      that examined clinical outcomes. Chiropractic care was most commonly compared to
      care from a medical physician, with few details about the care received.
      Heterogeneity was noted among studies in patient selection, definition of spine
      pain, scope of costs compared, study duration, and methods to estimate costs.
      Overall, cost comparison studies from private health plans and WC plans reported
      that health care costs were lower with chiropractic care. In studies that also
      examined clinical outcomes, there were few differences in efficacy between
      groups, and health care costs were higher for those receiving chiropractic care.
      The effects of adjusting for differences in sociodemographic, clinical, or other
      factors between study groups were unclear. CONCLUSIONS: Although cost comparison
      studies suggest that health care costs were generally lower among patients whose
      spine pain was managed with chiropractic care, the studies reviewed had many
      methodological limitations. Better research is needed to determine if these
      differences in health care costs were attributable to the type of HCP managing
      their care.

PMID- 26482272
TI  - Can thermogenic adipocytes protect from obesity?
AB  - The role of brown adipocytes and adipocytes of a new beige type in the energy
      metabolism of a healthy person and in the pathogenesis of obesity has extensively
      been discussed in recent years. The interest to these cells has been stimulated
      owing to the application of new noninvasive methods for studying the metabolic
      activity of tissues. Using these methods, the presence of thermogenically active
      adipocytes in adults and their reactivity to cold stimuli have been proved. These
      data, together with the results of animal experiments support the idea of
      thermogenic fat being a direct regulator of the energy balance of man. However,
      for several reasons there are some objections to this viewpoint. The main
      objection is that the total activity of the human thermogenic adipocytes is about
      100 kJ/day, i.e., it is negligible. In addition, the burn of excessive nutrients
      is biologically inappropriate for an organism. Therefore, the idea that obesity
      is caused by the decreased activity of thermogenic adipocytes is erroneous. The
      statement that the causes of obesity are associated with the increased efficiency
      of energy-dependent processes seems more reasonable. The consequence is a
      reduction in energy expenditure to perform a unit of biological work. This
      results in excess of nutrients deposited in the form of fat.

PMID- 26482274
TI  - Urgent referral pathway alters cancer survival.

PMID- 26482273
TI  - Reducing tobacco smoking and smoke exposure to prevent preterm birth and its
      complications.
AB  - Tobacco smoking and smoke exposure during pregnancy are associated with a range
      of adverse health outcomes, including preterm birth. Also, children born preterm
      have a higher risk of complications including bronchopulmonary dysplasia and
      asthma when their mothers smoked during pregnancy. Smoking cessation in early
      pregnancy can help reduce the adverse impact on offspring health. Counselling
      interventions are effective in promoting smoking cessation and reducing the
      incidence of preterm birth. Peer support and incentive-based approaches are
      likely to be of additional benefit, whereas the effectiveness of pharmacological
      interventions, including nicotine replacement therapy, has not definitely been
      established. Smoke-free legislation can help reduce smoke exposure as well as
      maternal smoking rates at a population level, and is associated with a reduction
      in preterm birth. Helping future mothers to stop smoking and protect their
      children from second hand smoke exposure must be a key priority for health care
      workers and policy makers alike.

PMID- 26482275
TI  - Combination therapy in kidney cancer: the next revolution?

PMID- 26482276
TI  - Palliative chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer.

PMID- 26482277
TI  - Laparoscopic resection not better in rectal cancer.

PMID- 26482278
TI  - Etirinotecan pegol (NKTR-102) versus treatment of physician's choice in women
      with advanced breast cancer previously treated with an anthracycline, a taxane,
      and capecitabine (BEACON): a randomised, open-label, multicentre, phase 3 trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: New options are needed for patients with heavily pretreated breast
      cancer. Etirinotecan pegol is a long-acting topoisomerase-I inhibitor that
      prolongs exposure to, but reduces the toxicity of, SN38 (the active metabolite of
      irinotecan). We assessed whether etirinotecan pegol is superior to currently
      available treatments for patients with previously treated, locally recurrent or
      metastatic breast cancer. METHODS: In this open-label, multicentre, randomised
      phase 3 study (BEACON; BrEAst Cancer Outcomes with NKTR-102), conducted at 135
      sites in 11 countries, patients with locally recurrent or metastatic breast
      cancer previously treated with an anthracycline, a taxane, and capecitabine (and
      two to five previous regimens for advanced disease) were randomly assigned (1:1)
      centrally via an interactive response system to etirinotecan pegol (145 mg/m(2)
      as a 90-min intravenous infusion every 3 weeks) or single-drug treatment of
      physician's choice. Patients with stable brain metastases and an Eastern
      Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-1 were eligible. Randomisation
      was stratified with a permuted block scheme by region, previous eribulin, and
      receptor status. After randomisation, patients and investigators were aware of
      treatment assignments. The primary endpoint was overall survival in the intention
      to-treat population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number
      NCT01492101. FINDINGS: Between Dec 19, 2011, and Aug 20, 2013, 852 patients were
      randomly assigned; 429 to etirinotecan pegol and 423 to treatment of physician's
      choice. There was no significant difference in overall survival between groups
      (median 12.4 months [95% CI 11.0-13.6] for the etirinotecan pegol group vs 10.3
      months [9.0-11.3] for the treatment of physician's choice group; hazard ratio
      0.87 [95% CI 0.75-1.02]; p=0.084). The safety population includes the 831
      patients who received at least one dose of assigned treatment (425 assigned to
      etirinotecan pegol and 406 to treatment of physician's choice). Serious adverse
      events were recorded for 128 (30%) patients treated with etirinotecan pegol and
      129 (32%) treated with treatment of physician's choice. Fewer patients in the
      etirinotecan pegol group had grade 3 or worse toxicity than those in the
      treatment of physician's choice group (204 [48%] vs 256 [63%]; p<0.0001). The
      most common grade 3 or worse adverse events were diarrhoea (41 [10%] in the
      experimental group vs five [1%] in the control group), neutropenia (41 [10%] vs
      125 [31%]), and peripheral neuropathy (two [<1%] vs 15 [4%]). Three patients in
      the etirinotecan pegol group died of treatment-related adverse events (pneumonia,
      myelodysplastic syndrome, and acute renal failure) and two in the treatment of
      physician's choice group (neutropenic sepsis and septic shock). INTERPRETATION:
      This trial did not demonstrate an improvement in overall survival for
      etirinotecan pegol compared to treatment of physician's choice in patients with
      heavily pre-treated advanced breast cancer. The toxicity profile noted in the
      etirinotecan pegol group differed from that in the control group. In view of the
      frequency of cross-resistance and overlapping toxicities noted with many
      available drugs and the need for effective drugs in highly refractory disease,
      etirinotecan pegol may warrant further research in some subgroups of patients.
      FUNDING: Nektar Therapeutics.

PMID- 26482280
TI  - Variation in palliative care standards worldwide.

PMID- 26482279
TI  - Lenvatinib, everolimus, and the combination in patients with metastatic renal
      cell carcinoma: a randomised, phase 2, open-label, multicentre trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Currently, metastatic renal cell carcinoma is treated with sequential
      single agents targeting VEGF or mTOR. Here, we aimed to assess lenvatinib,
      everolimus, or their combination as second-line treatment in patients with
      metastatic renal cell carcinoma. METHODS: We did a randomised, phase 2, open
      label, multicentre trial at 37 centres in five countries and enrolled patients
      with advanced or metastatic, clear-cell, renal cell carcinoma. We included
      patients who had received treatment with a VEGF-targeted therapy and progressed
      on or within 9 months of stopping that agent. Patients were randomised via an
      interactive voice response system in a 1:1:1 ratio to either lenvatinib (24
      mg/day), everolimus (10 mg/day), or lenvatinib plus everolimus (18 mg/day and 5
      mg/day, respectively) administered orally in continuous 28-day cycles until
      disease progression or unacceptable toxic effects. The randomisation procedure
      dynamically minimised imbalances between treatment groups for the stratification
      factors haemoglobin and corrected serum calcium. The primary objective was
      progression-free survival in the intention-to-treat population. This study is
      closed to enrolment but patients' treatment and follow-up is ongoing. This study
      is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01136733. FINDINGS: Between
      March 16, 2012, and June 19, 2013, 153 patients were randomly allocated to
      receive either the combination of lenvatinib plus everolimus (n=51), single-agent
      lenvatinib (n=52), or single-agent everolimus (n=50). Lenvatinib plus everolimus
      significantly prolonged progression-free survival compared with everolimus alone
      (median 14.6 months [95% CI 5.9-20.1] vs 5.5 months [3.5-7.1]; hazard ratio [HR]
      0.40, 95% CI 0.24-0.68; p=0.0005), but not compared with lenvatinib alone (7.4
      months [95% CI 5.6-10.2]; HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.30-1.10; p=0.12). Single-agent
      lenvatinib significantly prolonged progression-free survival compared with
      everolimus alone (HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.38-0.98; p=0.048). Grade 3 and 4 events
      occurred in fewer patients allocated single-agent everolimus (25 [50%]) compared
      with those assigned lenvatinib alone (41 [79%]) or lenvatinib plus everolimus (36
      [71%]). The most common grade 3 or 4 treatment-emergent adverse event in patients
      allocated lenvatinib plus everolimus was diarrhoea (ten [20%]), in those assigned
      single-agent lenvatinib it was proteinuria (ten [19%]), and in those assigned
      single-agent everolimus it was anaemia (six [12%]). Two deaths were deemed
      related to study drug, one cerebral haemorrhage in the lenvatinib plus everolimus
      group and one myocardial infarction with single-agent lenvatinib. INTERPRETATION:
      Lenvatinib plus everolimus and lenvatinib alone resulted in a progression-free
      survival benefit for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who have
      progressed after one previous VEGF-targeted therapy. Further study of lenvatinib
      is warranted in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. FUNDING: Eisai
      Inc.

PMID- 26482281
TI  - Aldehyde dehydrogenase induction in arsenic-exposed rat bladder epithelium.
AB  - Arsenic is widely distributed in the environment. Many human cancers, including
      urothelial carcinoma (UC), show a dose-dependent relationship with arsenic
      exposure in the south-west coast of Taiwan (also known as the blackfoot disease
      (BFD) areas). However, the molecular mechanisms of arsenic-mediated UC
      carcinogenesis has not yet been defined. In vivo study, the rat bladder
      epithelium were exposed with arsenic for 48 h. The proteins were extracted from
      untreated and arsenic-treated rat bladder cells and utilized two-dimensional gel
      electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Selected peptides were extracted from the
      gel and identified by quadrupole-time of flight (Q-TOF) Ultima-Micromass spectra.
      The significantly difference expression of proteins in arsenic-treated groups as
      compared with untreated groups was confirmed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and
      western blotting. We found that thirteen proteins were down-regulated and nine
      proteins were up-regulated in arsenic-treated rat bladder cells when compared
      with untreated groups. The IHC and western blotting results confirmed that
      aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) protein was up-regulated in arsenic-treated rat
      bladder epithelium. Expression of ALDH protein was significantly higher in UC
      patients from BFD areas than those from non-BFD areas using IHC (p=0.018). In
      conclusion, the ALDH protein expression could be used as molecular markers for
      arsenic-induced transformation.

PMID- 26482282
TI  - An associative account of how the obesogenic environment biases adolescents' food
      choices.
AB  - Adolescents and children are the targets of much food advertising, the majority
      of which is for unhealthy snacks. Although the effects of advertising on food
      preferences and consummatory behavior are well documented, our understanding of
      the underlying mechanisms is still limited. The present study investigates an
      associative (ideomotor) mechanism by which exposure to rewarding (snack) outcomes
      may activate behavior that previously resulted in these rewards. Specifically, we
      used a computerized task to investigate whether exposing adolescents to food
      pictures directly, or to Pavlovian cues predictive of those food pictures, would
      bias their subsequent responses towards the presented/signaled food. Furthermore,
      we assessed whether this effect was particularly pronounced with palatable, high
      calorie snacks (crisps and chocolate) relative to low-calorie snacks (tomatoes
      and cucumber). In two experiments, adolescents learnt that certain key presses
      would yield particular food pictures - some high calorie and others low calorie -
      before learning Pavlovian associations between cues (cartoon monsters) and these
      same food pictures. Subsequently, in a response-priming test, we examined the
      extent to which the food pictures and Pavlovian cues spontaneously primed the
      previously associated response. The results show that we replicated, in
      adolescents, previous demonstrations of ideomotor response priming in adults:
      food pictures biased responding towards the response that previously yielded
      them, and this effect transferred to the Pavlovian cues. Furthermore, the priming
      effect was significantly stronger for high-calorie rewards than for low-calorie.
      These findings indicate that the ideomotor mechanism plays an important role in
      the detrimental effect of our obesogenic environment, with its plethora of
      unhealthy food reminders, on adolescents' food-related choices. 

PMID- 26482283
TI  - In the eye of the beholder: Visual biases in package and portion size
      perceptions.
AB  - As the sizes of food packages and portions have changed rapidly over the past
      decades, it has become crucial to understand how consumers perceive and respond
      to changes in size. Existing evidence suggests that consumers make errors when
      visually estimating package and portion sizes, and these errors significantly
      influence subsequent food choices and intake. We outline four visual biases
      (arising from the underestimation of increasing portion sizes, the dimensionality
      of the portion size change, labeling effects, and consumer affect) that shape
      consumers' perceptions of package and portion sizes. We discuss the causes of
      these biases, review their impact on food consumption decisions, and suggest
      concrete strategies to reduce them and to promote healthier eating. We conclude
      with a discussion of important theoretical and practical issues that should be
      addressed in the future.

PMID- 26482284
TI  - The stability of 'food addiction' as assessed by the Yale Food Addiction Scale in
      a non-clinical population over 18-months.
AB  - The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) is a widely used tool to assess the
      behavioural indicators of addictive-like eating. No studies, however, have used a
      longitudinal design to determine whether these addictive-like eating behaviours
      are a stable or transient phenomenon in a community-based population. This study
      aimed to evaluate whether food addiction Diagnosis and Symptom scores as assessed
      by the YFAS remain stable over 18-months in a non-clinical population. Young
      adults aged 18-35 years were recruited from the community to a web-based survey
      in 2013. The survey included demographics, anthropometrics and the YFAS.
      Participants who volunteered to be recontacted for future research were invited
      to complete the same survey 18-months later. The YFAS scoring outputs Diagnosis
      and Symptom scores were tested for agreement and reliability between the two time
      points. Of the 303 participants who completed the original survey and agreed to
      be recontacted, 69 participants (22.8% of those recontacted, 94% female, 67%
      normal weight at baseline) completed the 18-month follow-up survey. At baseline,
      thirteen participants met the YFAS predefined criteria for Diagnosis, while
      eleven participants met these criteria at the 18-month follow-up. YFAS Diagnosis
      was found to have moderate agreement [K = .50, 95% CI (.23, .77)] between the two
      time points while Symptom scores had good agreement [K = .70, 95% CI (.54, .83)].
      Intraclass correlation coefficients were interpreted as moderate over the 18
      month period for both the Diagnosis [ICC = .71, 95% CI (.45, .88)] and Symptom
      scores [ICC = .72, 95% CI (.58, .82)]. YFAS assessed food addiction Diagnosis and
      Symptom scores were found to be relatively stable over 18-months in a non
      clinical population of predominantly female, young adults. Future research is
      required to determine the impact of behavioural weight loss interventions on YFAS
      assessed addictive-like eating. 

PMID- 26482285
TI  - Correction.
AB  - Garcia-Bournissen F, Rokach B, Karaskov T, et al. Methamphetamine detection in
      maternal and neonatal hair: implications for fetal safety (Arch Dis Child Fetal
      Neonatal Ed 2007;92:351-5). This paper states that positive results were
      confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The authors have clarified
      that some, but not all, samples that were positive by ELISA were confirmed with
      GC/MS; they further confirm that this fact had no impact on the results of
      comparing maternal to neonatal hair levels in the paper, so that the paper's
      conclusions remain the same.

PMID- 26482286
TI  - [The treatment terminology depends on the context].

PMID- 26482287
TI  - [Fixation is not treatment].

PMID- 26482288
TI  - [Coercive procedures in forensic psychiatry : Current treatment practice in
      forensic psychiatric hospitals from a medical ethics perspective].
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2011 the legal foundations of coercive treatment in German
      forensic psychiatric clinics were declared to be unconstitutional. In the present
      study we analyzed the frequency of coercive procedures in forensic psychiatric
      hospitals before and after 2011, the consequences for medical care as well as the
      ethical assessments by attending chief physicians. METHODS: By a questionnaire
      based survey of views of attending chief physicians in forensic psychiatric
      clinics in 2013, data on the current state of patient care were collected and
      analyzed from an ethical perspective. These were compared with treatment data
      from a large forensic psychiatric clinic collected over the period 2007-2013.
      RESULTS: Even after 2011 coercive forms of treatment were applied in forensic
      psychiatric hospitals. In practice, there is a high degree of legal uncertainty
      regarding the limits of coercive treatment. Of all patients treated in forensic
      psychiatric clinics in 2012, on average 13 % had been in isolation at least once,
      approximately 3 % had been treated under fixation at least once and 2.2 % had
      been subjected to coercive medical treatment at least once. CONCLUSION: From an
      ethical perspective an open debate about the practice of coercive treatment is
      urgently required. Legal regulations, ethical guidelines and treatment standards
      have to be developed for the special situation of patient care in forensic
      psychiatric hospitals.

PMID- 26482289
TI  - Molecular and antigenic characteristics of Massachusetts genotype infectious
      bronchitis coronavirus in China.
AB  - In this study, 418 IBVs were isolated in samples from 1717 chicken flocks. Twenty
      nine of the isolates were classified as the Massachusetts genotype. These 29
      isolates, as well as two previously isolated Massachusetts genotype IBV strains,
      were studied further. Of the 31 strains, 24 were H120-like and two were M41-like
      isolates as determined by complete genomic sequence analysis, indicating that
      most of the IBV isolates were likely the reisolated vaccine virus. The remaining
      five IBV isolates, ck/CH/LHB/111172, ck/CH/LSD/111219, ck/CH/LHB/130598,
      ck/CH/LDL/110931, and ck/CH/LHB/130573, were shown to have originated from
      natural recombination events between an H120-like vaccine strain and other types
      of viruses. The virus cross-neutralization test found that the antigenicity of
      ck/CH/LHB/111172, ck/CH/LSD/111219, and ck/CH/LHB/130598 was similar to that of
      H120. Vaccination with the H120 vaccine offered complete protection against
      challenge with these isolates. However, isolates ck/CH/LDL/110931 and
      ck/CH/LHB/130573 were serotypically different from their parental viruses and
      from other serotypes in this study. Furthermore, vaccination with the H120
      vaccine did not provide protection against challenge with these two isolates. The
      results of this study demonstrated that recombination is the mechanism that is
      responsible for the emergence of new serotype strains, and it has the ability to
      alter virus serotypes. Therefore, IBV surveillance of chicken flocks vaccinated
      with IBV live vaccines, as well as the consideration of new strategies to
      effectively control IBV infection using inactivated or/and genetically engineered
      vaccines, is of great importance. 

PMID- 26482290
TI  - Time-resolved FRET reports FGFR1 dimerization and formation of a complex with its
      effector PLCgamma1.
AB  - In vitro and in vivo imaging of protein tyrosine kinase activity requires
      minimally invasive, molecularly precise optical probes to provide spatiotemporal
      mechanistic information of dimerization and complex formation with downstream
      effectors. We present here a construct with genetically encoded, site
      specifically incorporated, bioorthogonal reporter that can be selectively
      labelled with exogenous fluorogenic probes to monitor the structure and function
      of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR). GyrB.FGFR1KD.TC contains a
      coumermycin-induced artificial dimerizer (GyrB), FGFR1 kinase domain (KD) and a
      tetracysteine (TC) motif that enables fluorescent labelling with biarsenical dyes
      FlAsH-EDT2 and ReAsH-EDT2. We generated bimolecular system for time-resolved FRET
      (TR-FRET) studies, which pairs FlAsH-tagged GyrB.FGFR1KD.TC and N-terminal Src
      homology 2 (nSH2) domain of phospholipase Cgamma (PLCgamma), a downstream
      effector of FGFR1, fused to mTurquoise fluorescent protein (mTFP). We
      demonstrated phosphorylation-dependent TR-FRET readout of complex formation
      between mTFP.nSH2 and GyrB.FGFR1KD.TC. By further application of TR-FRET, we also
      demonstrated formation of the GyrB.FGFR1KD.TC homodimer by coumermycin-induced
      dimerization. Herein, we present a spectroscopic FRET approach to facilitate and
      propagate studies that would provide structural and functional insights for FGFR
      and other tyrosine kinases. 

PMID- 26482291
TI  - Why always lysine? The ongoing tale of one of the most modified amino acids.
AB  - The complex physiology of living organisms must be finely-tuned to permit the
      flexibility required to respond to the changing environment. Evolution has
      provided an interconnected and intricate array of regulatory mechanisms to
      facilitate this fine-tuning. The number of genes cannot alone explain the
      complexity of these mechanisms. Rather, signalling is regulated at multiple
      levels, from genomic to transcriptional, translational and post-translational.
      Post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins offers an additional level of
      regulation after protein synthesis that allows a rapid, controlled and reversible
      response to environmental cues. Many amino acid side chains are post
      translationally modified. These modifications can either be enzymatic, such as
      the phosphorylation of serine, threonine and tyrosine residues, or non-enzymatic,
      such as the nitrosylation of cysteine residues. Strikingly, lysine residues are
      targeted by a particularly high number of PTMs including acetylation,
      methylation, ubiquitination and sumoylation. Additionally, lysines have recently
      been identified as the target of the non-enzymatic PTM polyphosphorylation. This
      novel PTM sees linear chains of inorganic polyphosphates (polyP) covalently
      attached to lysine residues. Interestingly, polyphosphorylation is indirectly
      dependent on inositol pyrophosphates, a class of cellular messengers. The
      attachment of polyP to lysine occurs through the phosphoramidate bond, which,
      unlike the phosphester bond, is unstable under the conditions used in common mass
      spectroscopy. This characteristic, together with the diversity of lysine PTMs,
      suggests that many other lysine modifications may still remain unidentified,
      raising the intriguing possibility that lysine PTMs may be the major means by
      which signalling pathways modify protein behaviour. 

PMID- 26482292
TI  - Evaluation of maternal serum progranulin levels in normotensive pregnancies, and
      pregnancies with early- and late-onset preeclampsia.
AB  - AIMS: To investigate the possible pathophysiological associations between
      progranulin (PGRN) and preeclampsia (PE), early-onset PE (EOPE) and late-onset PE
      (LOPE). STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was designed to include consecutive
      patients with uncomplicated pregnancy (n = 28), EOPE (n = 30) and LOPE (n = 22).
      Maternal levels of serum PGRN were measured with the use of an enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay kit. RESULTS: The mean serum PGRN level was significantly
      higher in women with PE compared to the control group (54.17 +/- 4.20 pg/ml
      versus 42.37 +/- 5.64 pg/ml, p < 0.001), in the LOPE group compared to the
      control group (51.63 +/- 4.61 pg/ml versus 42.37 +/- 5.64 pg/ml, p < 0.001) and
      also in women with EOPE compared to women with LOPE (56.03 +/- 2.68 pg/ml versus
      51.63 +/- 4.61 pg/ml, p < 0.001). Serum PGRN was negatively correlated with
      gestational age at birth (r = -0.669, p = 0.001) and birth weight (r = -0.653, p
      = 0.001); and positively correlated with systolic (r = 0.653, p = 0.001) and
      diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.601, p = 0.001), C-reactive protein (r = 0.519, p
      = 0.001), uterine artery pulsatility (r = 0.441, p = 0.001) and resistance
      indices (r = 0.441, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Serum PGRN levels increase
      significantly in women with PE as an indirect sign of placental dysfunction. This
      increase is even more prominent in women with EOPE. The serum PGRN in the third
      trimester is positively correlated with gestational age at birth and birth
      weight.

PMID- 26482293
TI  - Species extinction thresholds in the face of spatially correlated periodic
      disturbance.
AB  - The spatial correlation of disturbance is gaining attention in landscape ecology,
      but knowledge is still lacking on how species traits determine extinction
      thresholds under spatially correlated disturbance regimes. Here we develop a pair
      approximation model to explore species extinction risk in a lattice-structured
      landscape subject to aggregated periodic disturbance. Increasing disturbance
      extent and frequency accelerated population extinction irrespective of whether
      dispersal was local or global. Spatial correlation of disturbance likewise
      increased species extinction risk, but only for local dispersers. This indicates
      that models based on randomly simulated disturbances (e.g., mean-field or non
      spatial models) may underestimate real extinction rates. Compared to local
      dispersal, species with global dispersal tolerated more severe disturbance,
      suggesting that the spatial correlation of disturbance favors long-range
      dispersal from an evolutionary perspective. Following disturbance, intraspecific
      competition greatly enhanced the extinction risk of distance-limited dispersers,
      while it surprisingly did not influence the extinction thresholds of global
      dispersers, apart from decreasing population density to some degree. As species
      respond differently to disturbance regimes with different spatiotemporal
      properties, different regimes may accommodate different species. 

PMID- 26482294
TI  - Effects of Scorpion venom peptide B5 on hematopoietic recovery in irradiated mice
      and the primary mechanisms.
AB  - Scorpion venom peptide B5 (SVP-B5) stimulates recovery of hematopoiesis after
      exposure to radiation. However, its radioprotective effects and mechanisms are
      still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of SVP-B5 on
      hematopoietic recovery in mice after total body irradiation (TBI) at a dose of
      7.5 Gy and 6 Gy and to explore the possible primary mechanisms. SVP-B5 at a dose
      of 2.63 MUg/kg significantly reduced the mortality rate of mice after TBI (p <
      0.05). It showed markedly protective effects against radiation injury. SVP-B5
      also significantly increased the number of bone marrow nucleated cells (BMNCs)
      and increased the colony forming unit (CFU) number in irradiated mice,
      accelerated the post-irradiation recovery of peripheral blood leukocytes and
      platelets in mice. SVP-B5 treatment markedly reduced the Reactive Oxygen Species
      (ROS) levels in BMNCs after TBI, reduced gammaH2AX levels, and decreased the
      relative expression levels of p16 and p21 mRNA at day 14 (d14) after irradiation.
      Our study indicated that SVP-B5 could partially mitigate radiation-induced DNA
      damage, enhance the post-radiation hematopoietic recovery, and improve the
      survival rate probably through the ROS-p16/p21 pathway.

PMID- 26482296
TI  - Air pollution control through biotrickling filters: a review considering
      operational aspects and expected performance.
AB  - The biological removal of pollutants, especially through biotrickling filters
      (BTFs), has recently become attractive for the low investment and operational
      costs and the low secondary pollution. This paper is intended to investigate the
      state of the art on BTF applications. After an overview on the biodegradation
      process and the typical parameters involved, this paper presents the analysis of
      a group of 16 literature studies chosen as the references for this sector. The
      reference studies differ from one another by the pollutants treated (volatile
      organic compounds [VOC], hydrogen sulphide, nitrogen oxides and trimethylamine),
      the geometry and size of the BTFs, and the procedures of the tests. The reference
      studies are analyzed and discussed in terms of the operational conditions and the
      results obtained, especially with respect to the removal efficiencies (REs) and
      the elimination capacities (ECs) of the pollutants considered. Empty bed
      residence time (EBRT), pollutant loading rate, temperature, pH, oxygen
      availability, trickling liquid flow rate, inoculum selection and biomass control
      strategies revealed to be the most important operational factors influencing the
      removal performance of a BTF.

PMID- 26482295
TI  - Substitute sweeteners: diverse bacterial oligosaccharyltransferases with unique N
      glycosylation site preferences.
AB  - The central enzyme in the Campylobacter jejuni asparagine-linked glycosylation
      pathway is the oligosaccharyltransferase (OST), PglB, which transfers
      preassembled glycans to specific asparagine residues in target proteins. While C.
      jejuni PglB (CjPglB) can transfer many diverse glycan structures, the acceptor
      sites that it recognizes are restricted predominantly to those having a
      negatively charged residue in the -2 position relative to the asparagine. Here,
      we investigated the acceptor-site preferences for 23 homologs with natural
      sequence variation compared to CjPglB. Using an ectopic trans-complementation
      assay for CjPglB function in glycosylation-competent Escherichia coli, we
      demonstrated in vivo activity for 16 of the candidate OSTs. Interestingly, the
      OSTs from Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter upsaliensis, Desulfovibrio
      desulfuricans, Desulfovibrio gigas, and Desulfovibrio vulgaris, exhibited
      significantly relaxed specificity towards the -2 position compared to CjPglB.
      These enzymes glycosylated minimal N-X-T motifs in multiple targets and each
      followed unique, as yet unknown, rules governing acceptor-site preferences. One
      notable example is D. gigas PglB, which was the only bacterial OST to glycosylate
      the Fc domain of human immunoglobulin G at its native 'QYNST' sequon. Overall, we
      find that a subset of bacterial OSTs follow their own rules for acceptor-site
      specificity, thereby expanding the glycoengineering toolbox with previously
      unavailable biocatalytic diversity. 

PMID- 26482297
TI  - Traumatic dental injuries among 12- and 15-year-old adolescents in Georgia:
      results of the pathfinder study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic dental injuries (TDI) are a widespread pathology with
      serious dental public health concerns. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this pathfinder
      study was to collect initial epidemiological data on oral health in Republic of
      Georgia. As part of this study, the prevalence and severity of TDI in permanent
      teeth among seventh- and tenth-grade schoolchildren were evaluated. METHODS:
      Schoolchildren were examined in four schools in the capital city of Tbilisi, two
      schools in two other major cities, and one school in four additional villages. In
      addition to demographical data, the following parameters were collected and
      recorded: Overjet (OJ), lip competence, number and type/location of the teeth
      with TDI and Type of TDI. The study population comprised of children aged 12
      (seventh grade) and 15 years old (10th grade). RESULTS: A total of 823 7th- and
      10th-grade schoolchildren were examined. The overall prevalence of TDI among
      Georgian population was found to be 10.4% (86 children). The prevalence of TDI
      was greater in the older age cohort (P < 0.05). Lip posture did not seem to have
      a marked effect on TDI. Children with an OJ greater than 5 mm were more likely to
      present with dental injuries compared to children with an OJ equal to or smaller
      than 5 mm (P < 0.05). Children from rural areas presented with greater prevalence
      of TDI compared to their urban counterparts (P < 0.05). The maxillary central
      incisors were the most common teeth to be affected by trauma accounting for 85.2%
      of the TDI cases. Enamel fracture was the main type of TDI (91.3%). CONCLUSIONS:
      The prevalence of TDI in Georgian schoolchildren, as presented in this survey,
      population was found to be rather moderate and involved mainly minor superficial
      injuries. Rural communities have shown in this report substantial higher rates;
      thus, educational program might be directed mostly to these regions to children,
      teachers, and healthcare providers.

PMID- 26482298
TI  - Molecule Targeting Glucosyltransferase Inhibits Streptococcus mutans Biofilm
      Formation and Virulence.
AB  - Dental plaque biofilms are responsible for numerous chronic oral infections and
      cause a severe health burden. Many of these infections cannot be eliminated, as
      the bacteria in the biofilms are resistant to the host's immune defenses and
      antibiotics. There is a critical need to develop new strategies to control
      biofilm-based infections. Biofilm formation in Streptococcus mutans is promoted
      by major virulence factors known as glucosyltransferases (Gtfs), which synthesize
      adhesive extracellular polysaccharides (EPS). The current study was designed to
      identify novel molecules that target Gtfs, thereby inhibiting S. mutans biofilm
      formation and having the potential to prevent dental caries. Structure-based
      virtual screening of approximately 150,000 commercially available compounds
      against the crystal structure of the glucosyltransferase domain of the GtfC
      protein from S. mutans resulted in the identification of a quinoxaline
      derivative, 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-N-(3-{[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]imino}-1,4
      dihydro-2-quinoxalinylidene)ethanamine, as a potential Gtf inhibitor. In vitro
      assays showed that the compound was capable of inhibiting EPS synthesis and
      biofilm formation in S. mutans by selectively antagonizing Gtfs instead of by
      killing the bacteria directly. Moreover, the in vivo anti-caries efficacy of the
      compound was evaluated in a rat model. We found that the compound significantly
      reduced the incidence and severity of smooth and sulcal-surface caries in vivo
      with a concomitant reduction in the percentage of S. mutans in the animals'
      dental plaque (P < 0.05). Taken together, these results represent the first
      description of a compound that targets Gtfs and that has the capacity to inhibit
      biofilm formation and the cariogenicity of S. mutans.

PMID- 26482299
TI  - Impact of a Cross-Kingdom Signaling Molecule of Candida albicans on Acinetobacter
      baumannii Physiology.
AB  - Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic human
      pathogen that has become highly problematic in the clinical environment. Novel
      therapies are desperately required. To assist in identifying new therapeutic
      targets, the antagonistic interactions between A. baumannii and the most common
      human fungal pathogen, Candida albicans, were studied. We have observed that the
      C. albicans quorum-sensing molecule, farnesol, has cross-kingdom interactions,
      affecting the viability of A. baumannii. To gain an understanding of its
      mechanism, the transcriptional profile of A. baumannii exposed to farnesol was
      examined. Farnesol caused dysregulation of a large number of genes involved in
      cell membrane biogenesis, multidrug efflux pumps (AcrAB-like and AdeIJK-like),
      and A. baumannii virulence traits such as biofilm formation (csuA, csuB, and
      ompA) and motility (pilZ and pilH). We also observed a strong induction in genes
      involved in cell division (minD, minE, ftsK, ftsB, and ftsL). These
      transcriptional data were supported by functional assays showing that farnesol
      disrupts A. baumannii cell membrane integrity, alters cell morphology, and
      impairs virulence characteristics such as biofilm formation and twitching
      motility. Moreover, we showed that A. baumannii uses efflux pumps as a defense
      mechanism against this eukaryotic signaling molecule. Owing to its effects on
      membrane integrity, farnesol was tested to see if it potentiated the activity of
      the membrane-acting polymyxin antibiotic colistin. When coadministered, farnesol
      increased sensitivity to colistin for otherwise resistant strains. These data
      provide mechanistic understanding of the antagonistic interactions between
      diverse pathogens and may provide important insights into novel therapeutic
      strategies.

PMID- 26482300
TI  - Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics of Peptide Deformylase Inhibitor GSK1322322
      against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Staphylococcus
      aureus in Rodent Models of Infection.
AB  - GSK1322322 is a novel inhibitor of peptide deformylase (PDF) with good in vitro
      activity against bacteria associated with community-acquired pneumonia and skin
      infections. We have characterized the in vivo pharmacodynamics (PD) of GSK1322322
      in immunocompetent animal models of infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae and
      Haemophilus influenzae (mouse lung model) and with Staphylococcus aureus (rat
      abscess model) and determined the pharmacokinetic (PK)/PD index that best
      correlates with efficacy and its magnitude. Oral PK studies with both models
      showed slightly higher-than-dose-proportional exposure, with 3-fold increases in
      area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) with doubling doses. GSK1322322
      exhibited dose-dependent in vivo efficacy against multiple isolates of S.
      pneumoniae, H. influenzae, and S. aureus. Dose fractionation studies with two S.
      pneumoniae and S. aureus isolates showed that therapeutic outcome correlated best
      with the free AUC/MIC (fAUC/MIC) index in S. pneumoniae (R(2), 0.83), whereas
      fAUC/MIC and free maximum drug concentration (fCmax)/MIC were the best efficacy
      predictors for S. aureus (R(2), 0.9 and 0.91, respectively). Median daily
      fAUC/MIC values required for stasis and for a 1-log10 reduction in bacterial
      burden were 8.1 and 14.4 for 11 S. pneumoniae isolates (R(2), 0.62) and 7.2 and
      13.0 for five H. influenzae isolates (R(2), 0.93). The data showed that for eight
      S. aureus isolates, fAUC correlated better with efficacy than fAUC/MIC (R(2),
      0.91 and 0.76, respectively), as efficacious AUCs were similar for all isolates,
      independent of their GSK1322322 MIC (range, 0.5 to 4 MUg/ml). Median fAUCs of 2.1
      and 6.3 MUg . h/ml were associated with stasis and 1-log10 reductions,
      respectively, for S. aureus.

PMID- 26482301
TI  - Effect of SLCO1B1 Polymorphisms on Rifabutin Pharmacokinetics in African HIV
      Infected Patients with Tuberculosis.
AB  - Rifabutin, used to treat HIV-infected tuberculosis, shows highly variable drug
      exposure, complicating dosing. Effects of SLCO1B1 polymorphisms on rifabutin
      pharmacokinetics were investigated in 35 African HIV-infected tuberculosis
      patients after multiple doses. Nonlinear mixed-effects modeling found that
      influential covariates for the pharmacokinetics were weight, sex, and a 30%
      increased bioavailability among heterozygous carriers of SLCO1B1 rs1104581
      (previously associated with low rifampin concentrations). Larger studies are
      needed to understand the complex interactions of host genetics in HIV-infected
      tuberculosis patients. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov
      under registration no. NCT00640887.).

PMID- 26482302
TI  - Genomic Characteristics of NDM-Producing Enterobacteriaceae Isolates in Australia
      and Their blaNDM Genetic Contexts.
AB  - blaNDM has been reported in different Enterobacteriaceae species and on numerous
      plasmid replicon types (Inc). Plasmid replicon typing, in combination with
      genomic characteristics of the bacterial host (e.g., sequence typing), is used to
      infer the spread of antimicrobial resistance determinants between genetically
      unrelated bacterial hosts. The genetic context of blaNDM is heterogeneous. In
      this study, we genomically characterized 12 NDM-producing Enterobacteriaceae
      isolated in Australia between 2012 and 2014: Escherichia coli (n = 6), Klebsiella
      pneumoniae (n = 3), Enterobacter cloacae (n = 2) and Providencia rettgeri (n =
      1). We describe their blaNDM genetic contexts within Tn125, providing insights
      into the acquisition of blaNDM into Enterobacteriaceae. IncFII-type (n = 7) and
      IncX3 (n = 4) plasmids were the most common plasmid types found. The IncHI1B (n =
      1) plasmid was also identified. Five different blaNDM genetic contexts were
      identified, indicating four particular plasmids with specific blaNDM genetic
      contexts (NGCs), three of which were IncFII plasmids (FII-A to -C). Of note, the
      blaNDM genetic context of P. rettgeri was not conjugative. Epidemiological links
      between our NDM-producing Enterobacteriaceae were established by their
      acquisition of these five particular plasmid types. The combination of different
      molecular and genetic characterization methods allowed us to provide insight into
      the spread of plasmids transmitting blaNDM.

PMID- 26482303
TI  - Structural Basis of Metallo-beta-Lactamase Inhibition by Captopril Stereoisomers.
AB  - beta-Lactams are the most successful antibacterials, but their effectiveness is
      threatened by resistance, most importantly by production of serine- and metallo
      beta-lactamases (MBLs). MBLs are of increasing concern because they catalyze the
      hydrolysis of almost all beta-lactam antibiotics, including recent-generation
      carbapenems. Clinically useful serine-beta-lactamase inhibitors have been
      developed, but such inhibitors are not available for MBLs. l-Captopril, which is
      used to treat hypertension via angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition, has been
      reported to inhibit MBLs by chelating the active site zinc ions via its
      thiol(ate). We report systematic studies on B1 MBL inhibition by all four
      captopril stereoisomers. High-resolution crystal structures of three MBLs (IMP-1,
      BcII, and VIM-2) in complex with either the l- or d-captopril stereoisomer reveal
      correlations between the binding mode and inhibition potency. The results will be
      useful in the design of MBL inhibitors with the breadth of selectivity required
      for clinical application against carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and
      other organisms causing MBL-mediated resistant infections.

PMID- 26482304
TI  - Population Pharmacokinetics of Doripenem in Critically Ill Patients with Sepsis
      in a Malaysian Intensive Care Unit.
AB  - Doripenem has been recently introduced in Malaysia and is used for severe
      infections in the intensive care unit. However, limited data currently exist to
      guide optimal dosing in this scenario. We aimed to describe the population
      pharmacokinetics of doripenem in Malaysian critically ill patients with sepsis
      and use Monte Carlo dosing simulations to develop clinically relevant dosing
      guidelines for these patients. In this pharmacokinetic study, 12 critically ill
      adult patients with sepsis receiving 500 mg of doripenem every 8 h as a 1-hour
      infusion were enrolled. Serial blood samples were collected on 2 different days,
      and population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using a nonlinear mixed
      effects modeling approach. A two-compartment linear model with between-subject
      and between-occasion variability on clearance was adequate in describing the
      data. The typical volume of distribution and clearance of doripenem in this
      cohort were 0.47 liters/kg and 0.14 liters/kg/h, respectively. Doripenem
      clearance was significantly influenced by patients' creatinine clearance
      (CL(CR)), such that a 30-ml/min increase in the estimated CL(CR) would increase
      doripenem CL by 52%. Monte Carlo dosing simulations suggested that, for pathogens
      with a MIC of 8 mg/liter, a dose of 1,000 mg every 8 h as a 4-h infusion is
      optimal for patients with a CL(CR) of 30 to 100 ml/min, while a dose of 2,000 mg
      every 8 h as a 4-h infusion is best for patients manifesting a CL(CR) of >100
      ml/min. Findings from this study suggest that, for doripenem usage in Malaysian
      critically ill patients, an alternative dosing approach may be meritorious,
      particularly when multidrug resistance pathogens are involved.

PMID- 26482306
TI  - In Vitro Pharmacodynamics of Human Simulated Exposures of Telavancin against
      Methicillin-Susceptible and -Resistant Staphylococcus aureus with and without
      Prior Vancomycin Exposure.
AB  - Telavancin is a lipoglycopeptide with potent activity against methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus
      (MSSA). The activity of telavancin against MRSA and MSSA after prior vancomycin
      exposure was studied in an in vitro pharmacodynamic model. Two clinical MRSA and
      two MSSA isolates, all with vancomycin MICs of 2 MUg/ml, were subjected to
      humanized free drug exposures of vancomycin at 1 g every 12 h (q12h) for 96 h,
      telavancin at 750 mg q24h for 96 h, and vancomycin at 1 g q12h for 72 h followed
      by telavancin at 750 mg q24h for 48 h (120 h total). The microbiological
      responses were measured by changes from 0 h in log10 CFU/ml at the end of
      experiments and area under the bacterial killing and regrowth curves over 96 h
      (AUBC0-96). The control isolates grew to 8.8 +/- 0.3 log10 CFU/ml. Initially, all
      regimens caused -4.5 +/- 0.9 reductions in log10 CFU/ml by 48 h followed by
      slight regrowth over the following 48 to 72 h. After 96 h, vancomycin and
      telavancin achieved -3.7 +/- 0.9 and -3.8 +/- 0.8 log10 CFU/ml changes from
      baseline, respectively (P = 0.74). Sequential exposure to telavancin after
      vancomycin did not result in additional CFU reductions or increases, with
      ultimate log10 CFU/ml reductions of -4.3 +/- 1.1 at 96 h and -4.2 +/- 1.3 at 120
      h (P > 0.05 for all comparisons at 96 h). The AUBC0-96 was significantly smaller
      for the regimen of telavancin for 96 h than for the regimens of vancomycin for 96
      h and vancomycin followed by telavancin (P <= 0.04). No resistance was observed
      throughout the experiment. Against these MRSA and MSSA isolates with vancomycin
      MICs of 2 MUg/ml, telavancin was comparable with vancomycin and its activity was
      unaffected by prior vancomycin exposure.

PMID- 26482305
TI  - Antiretrovirals, Methamphetamine, and HIV-1 Envelope Protein gp120 Compromise
      Neuronal Energy Homeostasis in Association with Various Degrees of Synaptic and
      Neuritic Damage.
AB  - HIV-1 infection frequently causes HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND)
      despite combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Evidence is accumulating that
      components of cART can themselves be neurotoxic upon long-term exposure. In
      addition, abuse of psychostimulants, such as methamphetamine, seems to aggravate
      HAND and compromise antiretroviral therapy. However, the combined effect of virus
      and recreational and therapeutic drugs on the brain is poorly understood.
      Therefore, we exposed mixed neuronal-glial cerebrocortical cells to
      antiretrovirals (ARVs) (zidovudine [AZT], nevirapine [NVP], saquinavir [SQV], and
      118-D-24) of four different pharmacological categories and to methamphetamine
      and, in some experiments, the HIV-1 gp120 protein for 24 h and 7 days.
      Subsequently, we assessed neuronal injury by fluorescence microscopy, using
      specific markers for neuronal dendrites and presynaptic terminals. We also
      analyzed the disturbance of neuronal ATP levels and assessed the involvement of
      autophagy by using immunofluorescence and Western blotting. ARVs caused
      alterations of neurites and presynaptic terminals primarily during the 7-day
      incubation and depending on the specific compounds and their combinations with
      and without methamphetamine. Similarly, the loss of neuronal ATP was context
      specific for each of the drugs or combinations thereof, with and without
      methamphetamine or viral gp120. Loss of ATP was associated with activation of AMP
      activated protein kinase (AMPK) and autophagy, which, however, failed to restore
      normal levels of neuronal ATP. In contrast, boosting autophagy with rapamycin
      prevented the long-term drop of ATP during exposure to cART in combination with
      methamphetamine or gp120. Our findings indicate that the overall positive effect
      of cART on HIV infection is accompanied by detectable neurotoxicity, which in
      turn may be aggravated by methamphetamine.

PMID- 26482307
TI  - Molecular Characterization of Carbapenem-Nonsusceptible Enterobacterial Isolates
      Collected during a Prospective Interregional Survey in France and Susceptibility
      to the Novel Ceftazidime-Avibactam and Aztreonam-Avibactam Combinations.
AB  - An interregional surveillance program was conducted in the northwestern part of
      France to determine the prevalence of carbapenem-nonsusceptible
      Enterobacteriaceae (CNSE) isolates and their susceptibility to ceftazidime
      avibactam and aztreonam-avibactam combinations. Nonduplicate CNSE clinical
      isolates were prospectively collected from six hospitals between June 2012 and
      November 2013. MICs of ceftazidime and aztreonam, alone or combined with a fixed
      concentration of avibactam (4 MUg/ml), and those of carbapenems (comparator
      agents) were determined. MICs of ertapenem in combination with phenylalanine
      arginine-naphthylamide dihydrochloride (PAbetaN) were also determined to assess
      active efflux. Genes encoding carbapenemases, plasmid-mediated AmpC enzymes,
      extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), and major outer membrane proteins
      (OMPs) were amplified and sequenced. OMPs were also extracted for SDS-PAGE
      analysis. Among the 139 CNSE isolates, mainly Enterobacter spp. and Klebsiella
      pneumoniae, 123 (88.4%) were ertapenem nonsusceptible, 12 (8.6%) exhibited
      reduced susceptibility to all carbapenems, and 4 Proteeae isolates (2.9%) were
      resistant to imipenem. Carbapenemase production was detected in only two isolates
      (producing OXA-48 and IMI-3). In contrast, OMP deficiency, in association with
      AmpCs and/or ESBLs (mainly CTX-M-9, SHV-12, and CTX-M-15), was largely identified
      among CNSE isolates. The ceftazidime-avibactam and aztreonam-avibactam
      combinations exhibited potent activity against CNSE isolates (MIC50/MIC90, 1/1
      MUg/ml and 0.5/0.5 MUg/ml, respectively) compared to that of ceftazidime and
      aztreonam alone (MIC50/MIC90, 512/512 MUg/ml and 128/512 MUg/ml, respectively).
      This study reveals the in vitro activity of ceftazidime-avibactam and aztreonam
      avibactam combinations against a large collection of porin-deficient
      enterobacterial isolates that are representative of the CNSE recovered in the
      northern part of France.

PMID- 26482308
TI  - Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Aerobic and Facultative Gram-Negative Bacilli
      from Intra-abdominal Infections in Patients from Seven Regions in China in 2012
      and 2013.
AB  - To evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility of Gram-negative bacilli that caused
      hospital-acquired and community-acquired intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) in
      China between 2012 and 2013, we determined the susceptibilities to 12
      antimicrobials and the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) statuses of 3,540
      IAI isolates from seven geographic areas in China in a central laboratory using
      CLSI broth microdilution and interpretive standards. Most infections were caused
      by Escherichia coli (46.3%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (19.7%). Rates of ESBL
      producing E. coli (P = 0.031), K. pneumoniae (P = 0.017), and Proteus mirabilis
      (P = 0.004) were higher in hospital-acquired IAIs than in community-acquired
      IAIs. Susceptibilities of enterobacteriaceae to ertapenem, amikacin, piperacillin
      tazobactam, and imipenem were 71.3% to 100%, 81.3% to 100%, 64.7% to 100%, and
      83.1% to 100%, respectively, but imipenem was ineffective against P. mirabilis
      (<20%). Although most ESBL-positive hospital-acquired isolates were resistant to
      third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins, the majority were susceptible to
      cefoxitin (47.9% to 83.9%). Susceptibilities of ESBL-positive isolates to
      ampicillin-sulbactam (<10%) were low, whereas susceptibilities to ciprofloxacin
      (0% to 54.6%) and levofloxacin (0% to 63.6%) varied substantially. The
      prevalences of cephalosporin-susceptible E. coli and K. pneumoniae were higher in
      the northeastern and southern regions than in the central and eastern regions,
      reflecting the ESBL-positive rates in these areas, and were lowest in the Jiangsu
      Zhejiang (Jiang-Zhe) area where the rates of carbapenem resistance were also
      highest. Ertapenem, amikacin, piperacillin-tazobactam, and imipenem are the most
      efficacious antibiotics for treating IAIs in China, especially those caused by E.
      coli or K. pneumoniae. Resistance to cephalosporins and carbapenems is more
      common in the Jiang-Zhe area than in other regions in China.

PMID- 26482309
TI  - Alkyl Amine Bevirimat Derivatives Are Potent and Broadly Active HIV-1 Maturation
      Inhibitors.
AB  - Concomitant with the release of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)
      particles from the infected cell, the viral protease cleaves the Gag polyprotein
      precursor at a number of sites to trigger virus maturation. We previously
      reported that a betulinic acid-derived compound, bevirimat (BVM), blocks HIV-1
      maturation by disrupting a late step in protease-mediated Gag processing: the
      cleavage of the capsid-spacer peptide 1 (CA-SP1) intermediate to mature CA. BVM
      was shown in multiple clinical trials to be safe and effective in reducing viral
      loads in HIV-1-infected patients. However, naturally occurring polymorphisms in
      the SP1 region of Gag (e.g., SP1-V7A) led to a variable response in some BVM
      treated patients. The reduced susceptibility of SP1-polymorphic HIV-1 to BVM
      resulted in the discontinuation of its clinical development. To overcome the loss
      of BVM activity induced by polymorphisms in SP1, we carried out an extensive
      medicinal chemistry campaign to develop novel maturation inhibitors. In this
      study, we focused on alkyl amine derivatives modified at the C-28 position of the
      BVM scaffold. We identified a set of derivatives that are markedly more potent
      than BVM against an HIV-1 clade B clone (NL4-3) and show robust antiviral
      activity against a variant of NL4-3 containing the V7A polymorphism in SP1. One
      of the most potent of these compounds also strongly inhibited a multiclade panel
      of primary HIV-1 isolates. These data demonstrate that C-28 alkyl amine
      derivatives of BVM can, to a large extent, overcome the loss of susceptibility
      imposed by polymorphisms in SP1.

PMID- 26482310
TI  - Activity of Isavuconazole and Other Azoles against Candida Clinical Isolates and
      Yeast Model Systems with Known Azole Resistance Mechanisms.
AB  - Isavuconazole is a novel, broad-spectrum, antifungal azole. In order to evaluate
      its interactions with known azole resistance mechanisms, isavuconazole
      susceptibility among different yeast models and clinical isolates expressing
      characterized azole resistance mechanisms was tested and compared to those of
      fluconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole. Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae expressing the Candida albicans and C. glabrata ATP binding cassette
      (ABC) transporters (CDR1, CDR2, and CgCDR1), major facilitator (MDR1), and
      lanosterol 14-alpha-sterol-demethylase (ERG11) alleles with mutations were used.
      In addition, pairs of C. albicans and C. glabrata strains from matched clinical
      isolates with known azole resistance mechanisms were investigated. The expression
      of ABC transporters increased all azole MICs, suggesting that all azoles tested
      were substrates of ABC transporters. The expression of MDR1 did not increase
      posaconazole, itraconazole, and isavuconazole MICs. Relative increases of azole
      MICs (from 4- to 32-fold) were observed for fluconazole, voriconazole, and
      isavuconazole when at least two mutations were present in the same ERG11 allele.
      Upon MIC testing of azoles with clinical C. albicans and C. glabrata isolates
      with known resistance mechanisms, the MIC90s of C. albicans for fluconazole,
      voriconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, and isavuconazole were 128, 2, 1, 0.5,
      and 2 MUg/ml, respectively, while in C. glabrata they were 128, 2, 4, 4, and 16
      MUg/ml, respectively. In conclusion, the effects of azole resistance mechanisms
      on isavuconazole did not differ significantly from those of other azoles.
      Resistance mechanisms in yeasts involving ABC transporters and ERG11 decreased
      the activity of isavuconazole, while MDR1 had limited effect.

PMID- 26482311
TI  - Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Model for the Effect of l-Arginine on Endothelial
      Function in Patients with Moderately Severe Falciparum Malaria.
AB  - Impaired organ perfusion in severe falciparum malaria arises from microvascular
      sequestration of parasitized cells and endothelial dysfunction. Endothelial
      dysfunction in malaria is secondary to impaired nitric oxide (NO)
      bioavailability, in part due to decreased plasma concentrations of l-arginine,
      the substrate for endothelial cell NO synthase. We quantified the time course of
      the effects of adjunctive l-arginine treatment on endothelial function in 73
      patients with moderately severe falciparum malaria derived from previous studies.
      Three groups of 10 different patients received 3 g, 6 g, or 12 g of l-arginine as
      a half-hour infusion. The remaining 43 received saline placebo. A pharmacokinetic
      pharmacodynamic (PKPD) model was developed to describe the time course of changes
      in exhaled NO concentrations and reactive hyperemia-peripheral arterial tonometry
      (RH-PAT) index values describing endothelial function and then used to explore
      optimal dosing regimens for l-arginine. A PK model describing arginine
      concentrations in patients with moderately severe malaria was extended with two
      pharmacodynamic biomeasures, the intermediary biochemical step (NO production)
      and endothelial function (RH-PAT index). A linear model described the
      relationship between arginine concentrations and exhaled NO. NO concentrations
      were linearly related to RH-PAT index. Simulations of dosing schedules using this
      PKPD model predicted that the time within therapeutic range would increase with
      increasing arginine dose. However, simulations demonstrated that regimens of
      continuous infusion over longer periods would prolong the time within the
      therapeutic range even more. The optimal dosing regimen for l-arginine is likely
      to be administration schedule dependent. Further studies are necessary to
      characterize the effects of such continuous infusions of l-arginine on NO and
      microvascular reactivity in severe malaria.

PMID- 26482312
TI  - Case-Control Study of Telavancin as an Alternative Treatment for Gram-Positive
      Bloodstream Infections in Patients with Cancer.
AB  - Gram-positive bacterial infections are an important cause of morbidity and death
      among cancer patients, despite current therapy. In this case-control study, we
      evaluated the clinical outcomes and safety of telavancin in cancer patients with
      uncomplicated Gram-positive bloodstream infections (BSIs). Between March 2011 and
      May 2013, we enrolled cancer patients with uncomplicated Gram-positive BSIs to
      receive intravenous telavancin therapy for at least 14 days for Staphylococcus
      aureus and 7 days for other Gram-positive cocci. Patients with baseline
      creatinine clearance (CLCR) values of >50 ml/min received 10 mg/kg/day of
      telavancin, and those with CLCR values between 30 and 49 ml/min received 7.5
      mg/kg/day. Patients were compared with a retrospective cohort of 39 historical
      patients with Gram-positive BSIs, matched for underlying malignancy, infecting
      organism, and neutropenia status, who had been treated with vancomycin. A total
      of 78 patients were analyzed, with 39 in each group. The most common pathogen
      causing BSIs was S. aureus (51%), followed by alpha-hemolytic streptococci (23%),
      Enterococcus spp. (15%), coagulase-negative staphylococci (8%), and beta
      hemolytic streptococci (3%). Sixty-two percent of patients had hematological
      malignancies, and 38% had solid tumors; 51% of the patients were neutropenic. The
      overall response rate determined by clinical outcome and microbiological
      eradication at 72 h following the initiation of therapy, in the absence of
      relapse, deep-seated infections, and/or infection-related death, was better with
      telavancin than with vancomycin (86% versus 61%; P = 0.013). Rates of drug
      related adverse events were similar in the two groups (telavancin, 31%;
      vancomycin, 23%; P = 0.79), with similar rates of renal adverse events.
      Telavancin may provide a useful alternative to standard vancomycin therapy for
      Gram-positive BSIs in cancer patients. (This study has been registered at
      ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT01321879.). 

PMID- 26482313
TI  - Multidrug-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates from Nanjing, China, Are
      Sensitive to Killing by a Novel DNA Gyrase Inhibitor, ETX0914 (AZD0914).
AB  - We tested the activity of ETX0914 against 187 Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from
      men with urethritis in Nanjing, China, in 2013. The MIC50, MIC90, and MIC range
      for ETX0914 were 0.03 MUg/ml, 0.06 MUg/ml, and <=0.002 to 0.125 MUg/ml,
      respectively. All isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, and 36.9% (69/187)
      were resistant to azithromycin. Of the isolates, 46.5% were penicillinase
      producing N. gonorrhoeae (PPNG), 36% were tetracycline-resistant N. gonorrhoeae
      (TRNG), and 13% (24 isolates) had an MIC of 0.125 MUg/ml for ceftriaxone. ETX0914
      may be an effective treatment option for gonorrhea.

PMID- 26482314
TI  - The Soil Microbiota Harbors a Diversity of Carbapenem-Hydrolyzing beta-Lactamases
      of Potential Clinical Relevance.
AB  - The origin of carbapenem-hydrolyzing metallo-beta-lactamases (MBLs) acquired by
      clinical bacteria is largely unknown. We investigated the frequency, host range,
      diversity, and functionality of MBLs in the soil microbiota. Twenty-five soil
      samples of different types and geographical origins were analyzed by
      antimicrobial selective culture, followed by phenotypic testing and expression of
      MBL-encoding genes in Escherichia coli, and whole-genome sequencing of MBL
      producing strains was performed. Carbapenemase activity was detected in 29
      bacterial isolates from 13 soil samples, leading to identification of seven new
      MBLs in presumptive Pedobacter roseus (PEDO-1), Pedobacter borealis (PEDO-2),
      Pedobacter kyungheensis (PEDO-3), Chryseobacterium piscium (CPS-1),
      Epilithonimonas tenax (ESP-1), Massilia oculi (MSI-1), and Sphingomonas sp. (SPG
      1). Carbapenemase production was likely an intrinsic feature in Chryseobacterium
      and Epilithonimonas, as it occurred in reference strains of different species
      within these genera. The amino acid identity to MBLs described in clinical
      bacteria ranged between 40 and 69%. Remarkable features of the new MBLs included
      prophage integration of the encoding gene (PEDO-1), an unusual amino acid residue
      at a key position for MBL structure and catalysis (CPS-1), and overlap with a
      putative OXA beta-lactamase (MSI-1). Heterologous expression of PEDO-1, CPS-1,
      and ESP-1in E. coli significantly increased the MICs of ampicillin, ceftazidime,
      cefpodoxime, cefoxitin, and meropenem. Our study shows that MBL producers are
      widespread in soil and include four genera that were previously not known to
      produce MBLs. The MBLs produced by these bacteria are distantly related to MBLs
      identified in clinical samples but constitute resistance determinants of clinical
      relevance if acquired by pathogenic bacteria.

PMID- 26482317
TI  - Influence of Different Protocols of Urethral Catheterization after
      Pharmacological Induction (Ur.Ca.P.I.) on Semen Quality in the Domestic Cat.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence that different protocols of
      urethral catheterization after pharmacological induction (Ur.Ca.P.I.) may have on
      the semen quality of the domestic cat. The study has been divided into two
      experiments: one in which different dosages of medetomidine administrated are
      evaluated and the second one in which the timing of the catheterization after
      pharmacological induction is tested. In the first experiment, 18 cats were
      sedated with the recommended dosage of medetomidine (130 MUg/kg i.m.) while the
      other 18 were sedated with a lower dose of the same drug (50 MUg/kg i.m.). In the
      second experiment, three groups were implemented, each containing 25 subjects. In
      group 1, the semen collection was performed immediately once the pharmacological
      effect of the drug was reached; in group 2, the semen collection was performed
      three times every 5 min after the pharmacological effect was reached; finally, in
      group 3, Ur.Ca.P.I. was performed 20 min after the pharmacological effect was
      reached. All the different protocols permitted sperm collection, nevertheless the
      first experiment showed a better quality in terms of volume, concentration, total
      number of spermatozoa (p < 0.01) and quality of the movement (motility p < 0.05
      and forward progressive motility p < 0.01), using a high medetomidine dosage
      rather than 50 MUg/kg i.m. In the second experiment, forward motility was
      statistically higher (p < 0.01) in the first group and total volume was higher (p
      < 0.01) in the second and third group, while other parameters were statistically
      not different. Results suggest that a single catheterization immediately after
      the onset of the pharmacological effect leads to a good-quality semen with the
      lowest possibility of damaging the urethra and that a sedation with 130 MUg/kg of
      medetomidine leads to a better quality sperm collection than 50 MUg/kg does.

PMID- 26482315
TI  - Risk Factors and Outcomes for Bloodstream Infections Secondary to Clostridium
      difficile Infection.
AB  - We determined the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of bloodstream infections
      (BSI) subsequent to Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). We performed a
      retrospective study of all patients with definite diagnosis of CDI admitted from
      January 2014 to December 2014 in two large hospitals in Rome. Two groups of
      patients were analyzed: those with CDI and subsequent BSI (CDI/BSI(+)) and those
      with CDI and no evidence of primary BSI (CDI/BSI(-)). Data about clinical
      features, microbiology, treatments, and mortality were obtained. Overall, 393
      cases of CDI were included in the final analysis: 72 developed a primary
      nosocomial BSI, while 321 had CDI without microbiological and clinical evidence
      of BSI. Etiologic agents of BSI were Candida species (47.3%), Enterobacteriaceae
      (19.4%), enterococci (13.9%), and mixed infections (19.4%). In multivariate
      analysis, ribotype 027 status (odds ratio [OR], 6.5), CDI recurrence (OR, 5.5),
      severe CDI infection (OR, 8.3), and oral vancomycin at >500 mg/day (OR, 3.1) were
      recognized as factors independently associated with the development of nosocomial
      BSI. Thirty-day mortality from CDI diagnosis was higher for patients of the
      CDI/BSI(+) group than for the controls (38.9 versus 13.1%; P < 0.001). Among
      patients of the CDI/BSI(+) group, mortality attributable to primary BSI was as
      high as 57%. Our findings suggest that severe CDI is complicated by the
      development of nosocomial BSI. Candida species and enteric bacteria appear to be
      the leading causative pathogens and are associated with poor outcomes.

PMID- 26482318
TI  - Shapes of topological RNA structures.
AB  - A topological RNA structure is derived by fattening the edges of a contact
      structure into ribbons. The shape of a topological RNA structure is obtained by
      collapsing the stacks of the structure into single arcs and by removing any arcs
      of length one, as well as isolated vertices. A shape contains the key topological
      information of the molecular conformation and for fixed topological genus there
      exist only finitely many such shapes. In this paper we compute the generating
      polynomial of shapes of fixed topological genus g. We furthermore derive an
      algorithm having O(glog g) time complexity uniformly generating shapes of genus g
      and discuss some applications in the context of databases of RNA pseudoknot
      structures. 

PMID- 26482319
TI  - The enterovirus D68 epidemic.

PMID- 26482321
TI  - Genetic heterogeneity in rhabdomyosarcoma revealed by SNP array analysis.
AB  - Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children and
      adolescents. Alveolar (ARMS) and embryonal (ERMS) histologies predominate, but
      rare cases are classified as spindle cell/sclerosing (SRMS). For treatment
      stratification, RMS is further subclassified as fusion-positive (FP-RMS) or
      fusion-negative (FN-RMS), depending on whether a gene fusion involving PAX3 or
      PAX7 is present or not. We investigated 19 cases of pediatric RMS using high
      resolution single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. FP-ARMS displayed, on
      average, more structural rearrangements than ERMS; the single FN-ARMS had a
      genomic profile similar to ERMS. Apart from previously known amplification (e.g.,
      MYCN, CDK4, and MIR17HG) and deletion (e.g., NF1, CDKN2A, and CDKN2B) targets,
      amplification of ERBB2 and homozygous loss of ASCC3 or ODZ3 were seen. Combining
      SNP array with cytogenetic data revealed that most cases were polyploid, with at
      least one case having started as a near-haploid tumor. Further bioinformatic
      analysis of the SNP array data disclosed genetic heterogeneity, in the form of
      subclonal chromosomal imbalances, in five tumors. The outcome was worse for
      patients with FP-ARMS than ERMS or FN-ARMS (6/8 vs. 1/9 dead of disease), and the
      only children with ERMS showing intratumor diversity or with MYOD1 mutation
      positive SRMS also died of disease. High resolution SNP array can be useful in
      evaluating genomic imbalances in pediatric RMS.

PMID- 26482320
TI  - Severe respiratory illness associated with a nationwide outbreak of enterovirus
      D68 in the USA (2014): a descriptive epidemiological investigation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) has been infrequently reported historically,
      and is typically associated with isolated cases or small clusters of respiratory
      illness. Beginning in August, 2014, increases in severe respiratory illness
      associated with EV-D68 were reported across the USA. We aimed to describe the
      clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory features of this outbreak, and to
      better understand the role of EV-D68 in severe respiratory illness. METHODS: We
      collected regional syndromic surveillance data for epidemiological weeks 23 to
      44, 2014, (June 1 to Nov 1, 2014) and hospital admissions data for
      epidemiological weeks 27 to 44, 2014, (June 29 to Nov 1, 2014) from three states:
      Missouri, Illinois and Colorado. Data were also collected for the same time
      period of 2013 and 2012. Respiratory specimens from severely ill patients
      nationwide, who were rhinovirus-positive or enterovirus-positive in hospital
      testing, were submitted between Aug 1, and Oct 31, 2014, and typed by molecular
      sequencing. We collected basic clinical and epidemiological characteristics of EV
      D68 cases with a standard data collection form submitted with each specimen. We
      compared patients requiring intensive care with those who did not, and patients
      requiring ventilator support with those who did not. Mantel-Haenszel chi(2) tests
      were used to test for statistical significance. FINDINGS: Regional and hospital
      level data from Missouri, Illinois, and Colorado showed increases in respiratory
      illness between August and September, 2014, compared with in 2013 and 2012.
      Nationwide, 699 (46%) of 1529 patients tested were confirmed as EV-D68. Among the
      614 EV-D68-positive patients admitted to hospital, age ranged from 3 days to 92
      years (median 5 years). Common symptoms included dyspnoea (n=513 [84%]), cough
      (n=500 [81%]), and wheezing (n=427 [70%]); 294 (48%) patients had fever. 338
      [59%] of 574 were admitted to intensive care units, and 145 (28%) of 511 received
      ventilator support; 322 (52%) of 614 had a history of asthma or reactive airway
      disease; 200 (66%) of 304 patients with a history of asthma or reactive airway
      disease required intensive care compared with 138 (51%) of 270 with no history of
      asthma or reactive airway disease (p=0.0004). Similarly, 89 (32%) of 276 patients
      with a history of asthma or reactive airway disease required ventilator support
      compared with 56 (24%) of 235 patients with no history of asthma or reactive
      airway disease (p=0.039). INTERPRETATION: In 2014, EV-D68 caused widespread
      severe respiratory illness across the USA, disproportionately affecting those
      with asthma. This unexpected event underscores the need for robust surveillance
      of enterovirus types, enabling improved understanding of virus circulation and
      disease burden. FUNDING: None.

PMID- 26482322
TI  - Introduction of macarpine as a novel cell-permeant DNA dye for live cell imaging
      and flow cytometry sorting.
AB  - BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Macarpine (MA) is a quaternary benzophenanthridine plant
      alkaloid isolated from Macleaya microcarpa or Stylophorum lasiocarpum.
      Benzophenanthridine alkaloids are interesting natural products that display
      antiproliferative, antimicrobial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory activities,
      and also fluorescence properties. In a previous study, we demonstrated that
      thanks to its ability to interact with DNA and its spectral properties MA could
      be used as a supravital DNA probe for fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry
      including analyses of the cell cycle. In this study, we evaluated the suitability
      of MA as a DNA dye for time-lapse microscopy and flow-cytometric cell sorting.
      RESULTS: Living A-375 and MEF cells stained with MA were monitored by time-lapse
      microscopy for 24 h. Mitoses were observed at MA concentrations up to 0.5 MUg/ml
      during the first 2-3 h. After this period of time, cells treated with MA at
      concentrations of 0.75 and 0.5 MUg/ml underwent apoptosis. Cells cultivated with
      MA at concentration of 0.25 MUg/ml or lower survived throughout the 24 h period.
      Toxicity of MA was dependent on light wavelength and frequency of image
      capturing. The intensity of MA fluorescence decreased during the incubation. MA
      concentration of 0.1 MUg/ml was identified as the most suitable for live cell
      imaging with respect to fluorescence intensity and toxicity. MA at the
      concentration 10 MUg/ml was used for sorting of enhanced green fluorescent
      protein (EGFP)-labelled neurons and fibroblasts yielding profiles similar to
      those obtained with DRAQ5. Contrary to DRAQ5, MA-stained cells survived in
      culture, and the sorted cells lost the MA signal suggesting reversible binding of
      the dye to the DNA. CONCLUSION: The results proved that MA may readily be used
      for chromosomes depicting and mitosis monitoring by time-lapse microscopy. In
      addition, MA has shown to be a suitable probe for sorting of EGFP-labelled cells,
      including neurons, that survived the labelling process. SIGNIFICANCE: In
      consideration of the results, we highly anticipate an onward use of MA in a broad
      range of applications based on live cell sorting and imaging, for example, cell
      synchronisation and monitoring of proliferation as an important experimental
      and/or diagnostic utility.

PMID- 26482323
TI  - Associations between statin use and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) risk and survival:
      a meta-analysis.
AB  - Evidence on the effect of statin use on non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is not clear.
      We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the associations
      between statin use and NHL risk and survival. We searched multiple literature
      sources up to October 2014 and identified 10 studies on the risk of diagnosis
      with NHL and 9 studies on survival. Random effects model was used to calculate
      pooled odds ratio (PORs) for risk and pooled hazard ratio (PHR) for survival.
      Heterogeneity among studies was examined using the Tau-squared and the I-squared
      (I2 ) tests. Statin use was associated with reduced risk for total NHL (POR =
      0.82, 95% CI 0.69-0.99). Among statin users, there was a lower incidence risk for
      marginal zone lymphoma (POR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.31-0.94), but this was not observed
      for other types of NHL. However, statin use did not affect overall survival (PHR
      = 1.02, 95% CI 0.99-1.06) or event-free survival (PHR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.87-1.12)
      in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. There is suggestive epidemiological evidence
      that statins decrease the risk of NHL, but they do not influence survival in NHL
      patients. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26482324
TI  - Leukotriene receptor antagonists as maintenance and intermittent therapy for
      episodic viral wheeze in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Episodic viral wheeze (EVW) associated with viral respiratory tract
      infections is a common reason for pre-school children to utilise health care
      resources and for carers to take time away from employment. About a third of
      children experience a wheezing episode before the age of five years. EVW
      therefore represents a significant public health problem. Many pre-school
      children only wheeze in association with viral infections and in such cases EVW
      appears to be a separate entity from atopic asthma. Some trials have explored the
      effectiveness of leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) as regular
      (maintenance) or episodic (intermittent) treatment in this context. OBJECTIVES:
      To evaluate the evidence for the efficacy and safety of maintenance and
      intermittent LTRAs in the management of EVW in children aged one to six years.
      SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Airways Group register of trials with
      pre-specified terms. We performed additional searches by consulting the authors
      of identified trials, online trial registries of manufacturers' web sites, and
      reference lists of identified primary papers and reviews. Search results are
      current to June 2015. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled
      trials with a parallel-group or cross-over (for intermittent LTRA only) design.
      Maintenance was considered as treatment for more than two months and intermittent
      as less than 14 days. EVW was defined as a history of at least one previous
      episode of wheezing in association with a viral respiratory tract infection in
      the absence of symptoms between episodes. As far as possible, relevant specific
      data were obtained from authors of studies that included children of a wider age
      group or phenotype.   DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently
      assessed studies for inclusion in the review and assessed risk of bias. The
      primary outcome was number of children with one or more viral-induced episodes
      requiring one or more treatments with rescue oral corticosteroids. We analysed
      combined continuous data outcomes with the mean difference and dichotomous data
      outcomes with an odds ratio (OR). MAIN RESULTS: We identified five studies
      eligible for inclusion in the review (one investigated maintenance treatment,
      three intermittent therapy and one had both maintenance and intermittent
      treatment arms) these included 3741 participants. Each study involved oral
      montelukast and was of good methodological quality, but differed in choice of
      outcome measures thus limiting our ability to aggregate data across studies. Only
      primary outcome and adverse event data are reported in this abstract.For
      maintenance treatment, specific data obtained from a single study, pertaining to
      children with only an EVW phenotype, showed no statistically significant group
      reduction in the number of episodes requiring rescue oral corticosteroids
      associated with daily montelukast versus placebo (OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.70 to 2.06,
      moderate quality evidence).For intermittent LTRA, pooled data showed no
      statistically significant reduction in the number of episodes requiring rescue
      oral steroids in children treated with LTRA versus placebo (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.48
      to 1.25, moderate quality evidence). Specific data for children with an EVW
      phenotype obtained from a single study of intermittent montelukast treatment
      showed a small, but statistically significant reduction in unscheduled medical
      attendances due to wheeze (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.98).For maintenance compared
      to intermittent LTRA treatment no data relating to the primary outcome of the
      review were identified.There were no other significant group differences
      identified in other secondary efficacy outcomes for maintenance or intermittent
      LTRA treatment versus placebo, or maintenance versus intermittent LTRA treatment.
      We collected descriptive data on adverse events as reported by four of the five
      included studies, and rates were similar between treatment and placebo
      groups.Potential heterogeneity in the phenotype of participants within and across
      trials is a limitation of the evidence. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: In pre-school
      children with EVW, there is no evidence of benefit associated with maintenance or
      intermittent LTRA treatment, compared to placebo, for reducing the number of
      children with one or more viral-induced episodes requiring rescue oral
      corticosteroids, and little evidence of significant clinical benefit for other
      secondary outcomes. Therefore until further data are available, LTRA should be
      used with caution in individual children. When used, we suggest a therapeutic
      trial is undertaken, during which efficacy should be carefully monitored. It is
      likely that children with an apparent EVW phenotype are not a homogeneous group
      and that subgroups may respond to LTRA treatment depending on the exact patho
      physiological mechanisms involved.

PMID- 26482325
TI  - Remove policies that restrict access to opioids in developing countries, says
      report.

PMID- 26482326
TI  - Influenza A H1N1 pdm09-associated myocarditis during zanamivir therapy.
AB  - A 9-year-old girl developed influenza A H1N1 pdm09-associated myocarditis and
      pericarditis 2 days after starting zanamivir therapy. The virus was detected in
      the respiratory tract but not in the serum or pericardial effusion. The virus
      sampled from the respiratory tract had normal susceptibility to neuraminidase
      inhibitors. Although no differences in interferon-gamma, interleukin (IL)-1beta,
      and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were observed between the plasma and pericardial
      effusion, some inflammatory cytokines or chemokines (IL-6 and IL-8) and vascular
      endothelial growth factor were remarkably elevated in the pericardial effusion
      compared with the plasma. This suggested that the influenza virus, after
      infecting the respiratory tract, affected the myocardium, causing myocarditis to
      gradually develop, which might have been followed by an autoreactive pericarditis
      causing increased pericardial effusion. Therefore, influenza-associated
      myocarditis should be considered when influenza patients have respiratory and
      cardiac involvement, even during treatment with a neuraminidase inhibitor. 

PMID- 26482327
TI  - Erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular risk factors in a Mediterranean diet
      cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Erectile dysfunction affects more than 100 million men worldwide,
      with a wide variability in prevalence. An overall association of cardiovascular
      risk factors, lifestyle and diet in the context of ED in a Mediterranean
      population is lacking. AIM: To assess ED prevalence and associated factors in a
      Mediterranean cohort of non-diabetic patients with cardiovascular risk factors.
      METHODS: Observational, cross-sectional study of patients aged over 40 treated at
      cardiovascular risk units in Catalonia. Anthropometric data, risk factors,
      lifestyle and diet habits were recorded. ED was assessed using the International
      Index of Erectile Function. RESULTS: Four hundred and forty patients included,
      186 (42.3%) with ED (24.8% mild, 6.8% moderate and 10.7% severe). ED presence and
      severity were associated with age, obesity, waist circumference, hypertension,
      antihypertensive treatment and ischaemic disease. Patients with ED were more
      frequently smokers, sedentary and consumed more alcohol. In multivariate
      analysis, consumption of nuts (> twice a week) (OR 0.41 (95% CI 0.25 to 0.67) and
      vegetables (>= once a day) (OR 0.47 (95% CI 0.28-0,77)), were inversely related
      to ED. Obesity (as BMI >= 30 kg/m(2) ) (OR 2.49 (95% CI 1.48-4.17)), ischaemic
      disease (OR 2.30 (95% CI 1.22 to 4.33), alcohol consumption (alcohol-units a day)
      (OR 1.14 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.26), and age (year) (OR = 1.07 (95% CI 1.04-1.10) were
      directly related to ED. CONCLUSION: Erectile dysfunction is a common disorder in
      patients treated in lipid units in Catalonia for cardiovascular risk factors.
      This condition is associated with age, obesity, ischaemic disease and unhealthy
      lifestyle habits.

PMID- 26482328
TI  - Prevalence and determinants of HIV in tuberculosis patients in Wuxi City, Jiangsu
      province, China: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - At least one-third of the 34 million people living with human immunodeficiency
      virus (HIV) worldwide are infected with latent tuberculosis (TB). The aim of this
      study was to determine the rate of HIV infection in TB patients and its
      determinants in Wuxi City, China. TB patients attending health institutions (12
      selected sites) for TB diagnosis and treatment were enrolled in this study. TB
      diagnosis, treatment and HIV testing were done according to the national
      guidelines. Blood samples were collected for anonymous HIV testing. Among the TB
      patients, the HIV prevalence was 13.66% (1493/10,926). Multivariate analysis
      showed that gender, age, education, marital status, per capita monthly income,
      patient residence, family size, distance from a health institution, knowledge of
      HIV-TB co-infection, and knowledge of HIV may be risk factors for HIV-TB co
      infection (all: odds ratio > 1, p < 0.05). The prevalence of TB in those with HIV
      was higher among the study participants. Improving public awareness of HIV-TB co
      infection, regularly screening and improving follow-up can reduce the occurrence
      of HIV-TB co-infection.

PMID- 26482329
TI  - Hydrothermal Formation of Calcium Copper Tetrasilicate.
AB  - We describe the first hydrothermal synthesis of CaCuSi4 O10 as micron-scale
      clusters of thin platelets, distinct from morphologies generated under salt-flux
      or solid-state conditions. The hydrothermal reaction conditions are surprisingly
      specific: too cold, and instead of CaCuSi4 O10 , a porous calcium copper silicate
      forms; too hot, and calcium silicate (CaSiO3 ) forms. The precursors also
      strongly impact the course of the reaction, with the most common side product
      being sodium copper silicate (Na2 CuSi4 O10 ). Optimized conditions for
      hydrothermal CaCuSi4 O10 formation from calcium chloride, copper(II) nitrate,
      sodium silicate, and ammonium hydroxide are 350  degrees C at 3000 psi for 72 h;
      at longer reaction times, competitive delamination and exfoliation causes crystal
      fragmentation. These results illustrate that CaCuSi4 O10 is an even more unique
      material than previously appreciated. 

PMID- 26482330
TI  - Transcrestal Sinus Lift Using Platelet Concentrates in Association to Short
      Implant Placement: A Retrospective Study of Augmented Bone Height Remodeling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: No evidence has been reported yet about dimensional changes in
      maxillary sinuses grafted with autologous platelet concentrate. PURPOSE: This
      study aimed to analyze the augmented height alterations around short implants
      (length <= 8.5 mm) placed after transcrestal sinus lift surgery in association
      with plasma rich in growth factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective design
      was used. Patients with atrophic posterior maxilla were treated by inserting
      short implants in combination with transalveolar maxillary sinus floor
      augmentation. Radiographic bone level alterations over time were assessed on
      panoramic radiographs. RESULTS: Transalveolar sinus augmentation was performed to
      place 41 implants in 26 patients with a residual bone height of 4.7 +/- 1.3 mm.
      The alveolar bone height was increased by 3.7 +/- 1.7 mm and 4.2 +/- 2.0 mm after
      12 +/- 3 months and 35 +/- 11 months of surgery, respectively, whereas the apical
      augmented height (beyond the implant) apex was stable around 34 implants during
      the follow-up. It was increasing around seven implants that were not covered by
      the endo-sinus augmented height at the 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS:
      Transalveolar sinus floor augmentation in association with plasma rich in growth
      factors and short implants resulted in a stable augmented height gain after 3
      years follow-up. Atrophic posterior maxilla could be treated by transalveolar
      sinus lift in association with plasma rich in growth factors and the placement of
      short implants.

PMID- 26482331
TI  - Base-Free Aqueous-Phase Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural over Ruthenium
      Catalysts Supported on Covalent Triazine Frameworks.
AB  - The base-free aqueous-phase oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5
      furandicarboxilic acid (FDCA) was performed at 140  degrees C and 20 bar of
      synthetic air as the oxidant. Ru clusters supported on covalent triazine
      frameworks (CTFs) enabled superior conversion (99.9%) and FDCA yields in
      comparison to other support materials such as activated carbon and gamma-Al2O3
      after only 1 h. The properties of the CTFs such as pore volume, specific surface
      area, and polarity could be tuned by using different monomers. These material
      properties influence the catalytic activity of Ru/CTF significantly as mesoporous
      CTFs showed superior activity compared to microporous materials, whereas high
      polarities provide further beneficial effects. The recyclability of the prepared
      Ru/CTF catalysts was comparable to that of Ru/C at high conversions and product
      yields. Nevertheless, minor deactivation in five successive recycling experiments
      was observed.

PMID- 26482332
TI  - Post-traumatic stress avoidance is attenuated by corticosterone and associated
      with brain levels of steroid receptor co-activator-1 in rats.
AB  - Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) avoid trauma-related
      stimuli and exhibit blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation
      at the time of stress. Our rodent model of stress mimics the avoidance symptom
      cluster of PTSD. Rats are classified as "Avoiders" or "Non-Avoiders" post-stress
      based on the avoidance of a predator-odor paired context. Previously, we found
      Avoiders exhibit an attenuated HPA stress response to predator odor. We
      hypothesized that corticosterone administration before stress would reduce the
      magnitude and incidence of stress-paired context avoidance. Furthermore, we also
      predicted that Avoiders would exhibit altered expression of glucocorticoid
      receptor (GR) signaling machinery elements, including steroid receptor co
      activator (SRC)-1. Male Wistar rats (n = 16) were pretreated with corticosterone
      (25 mg/kg) or saline and exposed to predator-odor stress paired with a context
      and tested for avoidance 24 h later. A second group of corticosterone-naive rats
      (n = 24) were stressed (or not), indexed for avoidance 24 h later, and killed 48
      h post-odor exposure to measure phosphorylated GR, FKBP51 and SRC-1 levels in the
      paraventricular nucleus (PVN), central amygdala (CeA) and ventral hippocampus
      (VH), all brain sites that highly express GRs and regulate HPA function.
      Corticosterone pretreatment reduced the magnitude and incidence of avoidance. In
      Avoiders, predator-odor exposure led to lower SRC-1 expression in the PVN and
      CeA, and higher SRC-1 expression in the VH. SRC-1 expression in PVN, CeA and VH
      was predicted by prior avoidance behavior. Hence, a blunted HPA stress response
      may contribute to stress-induced neuroadaptations in central SRC-1 levels and
      behavioral dysfunction in Avoider rats. 

PMID- 26482333
TI  - Financial costs for families of children with Type 1 diabetes in lower-income
      countries.
AB  - AIMS: To assess the direct costs of necessary consumables for minimal care of a
      child with Type 1 diabetes in countries where the public health system does not
      regularly provide such care. METHODS: Supply costs were collected between January
      2013 and February 2015 from questionnaires submitted by centres requesting
      International Diabetes Federation Life for a Child Program support. All 20
      centres in 15 countries agreed to the use of their responses. Annual costs for
      minimal care were estimated for: 18 * 10 ml 100 IU/ml insulin, 1/3 cost of a
      blood glucose meter, two blood glucose test strips/day, two syringes/week, and
      four HbA1c tests/year. Costs were expressed in US dollars, and as % of gross
      national income (purchasing power parity) per capita. RESULTS: The ranges
      (median) for the minimum supply costs through the private system were: insulin 10
      ml 100 IU/ml equivalent vial: $5.10-$25 ($8.00); blood glucose meter: $15-$121
      ($33.33); test strip: $0.15-$1.20 ($0.50); syringe: $0.10-$0.56 ($0.20); and
      HbA1c : $4.90-$20 ($9.75). Annual costs ranged from $255 (Pakistan) to $1,185
      (Burkina Faso), with a median of $553. Annual % gross national income costs were
      12-370% (median 56%). For the lowest 20% income earners the annual cost ranged 20
      1535% (median 153%). St Lucia and Mongolia were the only countries whose
      governments consistently provided insulin. No government provided meters and
      strips, which were the most expensive supplies (62% of total cost). CONCLUSIONS:
      In less-resourced countries, even minimal care is beyond many families' means. In
      addition, families face additional costs such as consultations, travel and
      indirect costs. Action to prevent diabetes-related death and morbidity is needed.

PMID- 26482334
TI  - Effects of Lowering Dialysate Calcium Concentration on Mineral and Bone Disorders
      in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients: Conversion from 3.0 mEq/L to 2.75 mEq/L.
AB  - Selection of a lower dialysate calcium concentration (DCa) can reduce calcium
      burden and prevent vascular calcification in hemodialysis patients. However,
      decreased DCa can worsen mineral and bone disorders. This 1-year retrospective
      observational study evaluated 121 hemodialysis patients at Fukuoka Renal Clinic
      who underwent conversion of DCa from 3.0 mEq/L to 2.75 mEq/L. The primary
      outcomes were changes in serum levels of calcium, phosphate, and parathyroid
      hormone (PTH). The effects of baseline serum calcium and PTH levels on changes in
      biochemical parameters were also determined. One year after DCa conversion, mean
      serum calcium level decreased, while serum phosphate, alkaline phosphatase, and
      PTH concentrations increased. The rate of achievement of target PTH was higher in
      patients with lower serum PTH level at baseline, while patients with higher
      baseline serum PTH level tended to exceed the upper limit of the PTH target
      range. Patients with higher baseline serum calcium concentration showed a greater
      decrease in serum calcium level and a greater increase in serum PTH level at 1
      year. Patients with a lower baseline serum PTH level can benefit from optimal PTH
      control following conversion of DCa from 3.0 mEq/L to 2.75 mEq/L. However,
      secondary hyperparathyroidism may be exacerbated in some patients with higher
      baseline serum calcium (Ca) and PTH levels. These results indicate that an
      individualized approach can maximize the benefits of Ca unloading after
      conversion to lower DCa. 

PMID- 26482335
TI  - Nanoflow LC-MS for High-Performance Chemical Isotope Labeling Quantitative
      Metabolomics.
AB  - Nanoflow liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (nLC-MS) is frequently used in
      the proteomics field to analyze a small amount of protein and peptide samples.
      However, this technique is currently not widespread in the metabolomics field. We
      report a detailed investigation on the development of an nLC-MS system equipped
      with a trap column for high-performance chemical isotope labeling (CIL)
      metabolomic profiling with deep coverage and high sensitivity. Experimental
      conditions were optimized for profiling the amine/phenol submetabolome with (13)C
      /(12)C-dansylation labeling. Comparison of analytical results from nLC-MS and
      microbore LC-MS (mLC-MS) was made in the analysis of metabolite standards and
      labeled human urine and sweat samples. It is shown that, with a 5-MUL loop
      injection, 7 labeled amino acid standards could be detected with S/N ranging from
      7 to 150 by nLC-MS with an injection of 5 nM solution containing a total of 25
      fmol labeled analyte. For urine metabolome profiling where the sample amount was
      not limited, nLC-MS detected 13% more metabolites than mLC-MS under optimal
      conditions (i.e., 4524 +/- 37 peak pairs from 26 nmol injection in triplicate vs
      4019 +/- 40 peak pairs from 52 nmol injection). This gain was attributed to the
      increased dynamic range of peak detection in nLC-MS. In the analysis of human
      sweat where the sample amount could be limited, nLC-MS offered the advantage of
      providing much higher coverage than mLC-MS. Injecting 5 nmol of dansylated sweat,
      3908 +/- 62 peak pairs or metabolites were detected by nLC-MS, while only 1064 +/
      6 peak pairs were detected by mLC-MS. Because dansyl labeled metabolites can be
      captured on a reversed phase (RP) trap column for large volume injection and are
      well separated by RPLC, the CIL platform can be readily implemented in existing
      nLC-MS instruments such as those widely used in shotgun proteomics. 

PMID- 26482336
TI  - Skin sensitizer identification by IL-8 secretion and CD86 expression on THP-1
      cells.
AB  - Substantial progress has been made in the development of alternative methods for
      skin sensitization in the last decade in several countries around the world.
      Brazil is experiencing an increasing concern about using animals for product
      development, since the publication of the Law 9605/1998, which prohibits the use
      of animals when an alternative method is available. In this way, an in vitro test
      to evaluate allergenic potential is a pressing need.This preliminary study
      started setting the use of myelomonocytic THP-1 cell line, according to the human
      cell line activation test (h-CLAT), already under validation process. We found
      that 48-h chemical exposure was necessary to identify 22 out of 23 sensitizers by
      the analyses of CD86 expression. In addition, the CD54 expression analyses
      presented a poor efficiency to discriminate sensitizers from non-sensitizers in
      our conditions. In view of these results, we looked for changes of pro
      inflammatory interleukin profile. The IL-8 secretion analyses after 24-h chemical
      incubation seemed to be an alternative for CD54 expression assessing.Altogether,
      our findings showed that the combination of the analyses of CD86 expression and
      IL-8 secretion allowed predicting allergenicity.

PMID- 26482337
TI  - Structural analysis of hierarchically organized zeolites.
AB  - Advances in materials synthesis bring about many opportunities for technological
      applications, but are often accompanied by unprecedented complexity. This is
      clearly illustrated by the case of hierarchically organized zeolite catalysts, a
      class of crystalline microporous solids that has been revolutionized by the
      engineering of multilevel pore architectures, which combine unique chemical
      functionality with efficient molecular transport. Three key attributes, the
      crystal, the pore and the active site structure, can be expected to dominate the
      design process. This review examines the adequacy of the palette of techniques
      applied to characterize these distinguishing features and their catalytic impact.

PMID- 26482338
TI  - Lipid Fraction and Intracellular Metabolite Analysis Reveal the Mechanism of
      Arachidonic Acid-Rich Oil Accumulation in the Aging Process of Mortierella
      alpina.
AB  - The mechanism of arachidonic acid (ARA) content increase during aging of
      Mortierella alpina was elucidated. Lipid fraction analysis showed that ARA
      content increased from 46.9% to 66.4% in the triacylglycerol (TAG) molecule, and
      ARA residue occupation increased in the majority of TAG molecules during the
      aging process. For the first time, intracellular metabolite analysis was
      conducted to reveal the pathways closely associated with ARA biosynthesis during
      aging. The main reason for the increased ARA content was not only at the expense
      of other fatty acids degradation but also at the expense of further ARA
      biosynthesis during aging. Furthermore, translocation played a vital role in ARA
      redistribution among the glycerol moiety, and mycelium did not die immediately
      with key pathways activated to maintain a relatively stable intracellular
      environment. This study lays a foundation for further improvement of ARA content
      in the oil product obtained from M. alpina. 

PMID- 26482339
TI  - Oral delivery of a platinum anticancer drug using lipid assisted polymeric
      nanoparticles.
AB  - Self-assembled cholesterol-asplatin-incorporated nanoparticles (SCANs) were
      prepared for oral delivery of a Pt(IV) prodrug. SCANs exhibit high
      gastrointestinal stability, sustained drug release and enhanced cell uptake. The
      oral bioavailability of SCANs was 4.32-fold higher than that of free Pt(IV)
      prodrugs. The oral administration of SCANs efficaciously inhibits tumor growth
      with negligible toxicity.

PMID- 26482340
TI  - Global and Local Conformation of Human IgG Antibody Variants Rationalizes Loss of
      Thermodynamic Stability.
AB  - Immunoglobulin G (IgG) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are a major class of
      medicines, with high specificity and affinity towards targets spanning many
      disease areas. The antibody Fc (fragment crystallizable) region is a vital
      component of existing antibody therapeutics, as well as many next generation
      biologic medicines. Thermodynamic stability is a critical property for the
      development of stable and effective therapeutic proteins. Herein, a combination
      of ion-mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS) and hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass
      spectrometry (HDX-MS) approaches have been used to inform on the global and local
      conformation and dynamics of engineered IgG Fc variants with reduced
      thermodynamic stability. The changes in conformation and dynamics have been
      correlated with their thermodynamic stability to better understand the
      destabilising effect of functional IgG Fc mutations and to inform engineering of
      future therapeutic proteins. 

PMID- 26482342
TI  - Keratin debris-filled ruptured salivary duct cyst.

PMID- 26482341
TI  - Anti-cytokine autoantibodies in postherpetic neuralgia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mechanisms by which varicella zoster virus (VZV) reactivation
      causes postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a debilitating chronic pain condition, have
      not been fully elucidated. Based on previous studies identifying a causative role
      for anti-cytokine autoantibodies in patients with opportunistic infections, we
      explored this possibility in PHN. METHODS: Sera from herpes zoster (HZ) patients
      without and with PHN (N = 115 and 83, respectively) were examined for the
      presence of autoantibodies against multiple cytokines, and other known
      autoantigens. In addition, a cohort of patients with complex regional pain
      syndrome or neuropathic pain was tested for autoantibodies against selected
      cytokines. Antibody levels against VZV, Epstein Barr virus, and herpes simplex
      virus-2 were also measured in the HZ and PHN patients. Patient sera with high
      levels of anti-cytokine autoantibodies were functionally tested for in vitro
      neutralizing activity. RESULTS: Six PHN subjects demonstrated markedly elevated
      levels of single, autoantibodies against interferon-alpha, interferon-gamma, GM
      CSF, or interleukin-6. In contrast, the HZ and the pain control group showed low
      or no autoantibodies, respectively, against these four cytokines. Further
      analysis revealed that one PHN patient with high levels of anti-interleukin-6
      autoantibodies had a markedly depressed antibody level to VZV, potentially
      reflecting poor T cell immunity against VZV. In vitro functional testing revealed
      that three of the five anti-cytokine autoantibody positive PHN subjects had
      neutralizing autoantibodies against interferon-alpha, GM-CSF or interleukin-6. In
      contrast, none of the HZ patients without PHN had neutralizing autoantibodies.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest the possibility that sporadic anti-cytokine
      autoantibodies in some subjects may cause an autoimmune immunodeficiency syndrome
      leading to uncontrolled VZV reactivation, nerve damage and subsequent PHN.

PMID- 26482343
TI  - Heterogeneous vesicles: an analytical approach to equilibrium shapes.
AB  - We develop an analytical model to predict equilibrium shapes of two-component
      heterogeneous vesicles or capsules. Using a free energy functional including the
      bending energies of the two components and line tension contributions, the model
      describes shape transitions between spherical and polyhedral (faceted) states,
      complementing and extending results of previous numerical simulations. In the
      parameter space of relative area fraction, bending modulus ratio, and line
      tension, a region of polyhedral shapes occurs for weak line tension and large
      bending modulus ratio and is very robust towards changes in the modeling
      assumptions. At large enough line tension, the spherical shape fragments into two
      components. Within the polyhedral region, we compare the energies of all regular
      and semiregular polyhedra, as well as those of arbitrary prismatic shapes. We
      find that the largest bending modulus contrasts together with larger line tension
      favor polyhedra with small face number as optimal shapes. In this region, we also
      demonstrate the counter-intuitive result that the most symmetric polyhedra are
      not energetically optimal, with specific Archimedean solids and specific
      prismatic shapes beating more isotropic (e.g. Platonic) polyhedra. Furthermore,
      all polyhedra of lowest energy are found to be three-fold coordinated. The shape
      transition boundary for polyhedra can be computed analytically. The model can be
      utilized to predict heterogeneous vesicle shapes and to estimate physical
      properties of the components constituting observed vesicles. 

PMID- 26482344
TI  - Client Experiences With Dietary, Exercise, and Behavioral Services in a Community
      Based Weight Management Program.
AB  - Compared with randomized trials, community-based interventions are delivered by a
      wider variety of professionals with varied training backgrounds. When evidence
      based programs are scaled into larger formats and disseminated to a wider
      audience, little is understood about how clients experience these interventions.
      To understand the experience of clients after meetings with nutrition, exercise,
      and health behavior professionals, researchers surveyed participants after 6
      months in a weight management program. A total of 958 participants were recruited
      in monthly cohorts beginning September 2011 to complete a program evaluation
      survey. Qualitative inductive analysis was completed on several open-text items
      querying respondents as to what they found helpful from meetings with a
      registered dietitian, personal trainer, and health behavior counselor. Results
      indicate participants benefitted from gaining knowledge, learning new behavioral
      skills, or from interpersonal interactions. Findings suggest that the various
      professional services are valued by clients and that professionals appear to stay
      within their scope of practice. Implications for those working in weight
      management are discussed. 

PMID- 26482345
TI  - Pentraxins and Collectins: Friend or Foe during Pathogen Invasion?
AB  - Innate immunity serves as the frontline defence against invading pathogens.
      Despite decades of research, new insights are constantly challenging our
      understanding of host-elicited immunity during microbial infections. Recently,
      two families of humoral innate immune proteins, pentraxins and collectins, have
      become a major focus of research in the field of innate immunity. Pentraxins and
      collectins are key players in activating the humoral arm of innate immunity,
      taking centre stage in immunoregulation and disease modulation. However,
      increasing evidence suggests that pentraxins and collectins can also mediate
      pathogenic effects during some infections. Herein, we discuss the protective and
      pathogenic effects of pentraxins and collectins, as well as their therapeutic
      significance. 

PMID- 26482346
TI  - Effects of home call on obstetrics and gynecology resident sleep patterns.

PMID- 26482347
TI  - Impact of esophagectomy for cancer on patients' occupational status.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of esophagectomy
      for cancer on patients' occupational status. METHODS: All 109 consecutive
      patients presenting with esophageal cancer to the Surgical Oncology Unit of the
      Veneto Institute of Oncology Padua (Italy) between November 1, 2009 and March 15,
      2012, were included in the study. Information on occupational status at diagnosis
      and at 1 year after esophagectomy was retrieved. Health-related quality of life
      was evaluated at discharge after surgery using selected aspects of the EORTC QLQ
      C30 questionnaire. Non parametric statistics were used. RESULTS: Sixty-one
      patients (49.6%) were active workers at diagnosis and 50 of them (82.0%)
      underwent esophagectomy. Eighteen active workers (18/50, 36.0%) quit their job
      within one year from esophagectomy. They received jejunostomy more often than
      patients still working after surgery (50.0% vs. 18.8%, respectively; p = 0.03)
      and reported lower social functioning at discharge (mean +/- SD 63.6 +/- 16.4 vs.
      80.2 +/- 25.6 in others, p = 0.02). Multivariable analysis identified jejunostomy
      as independent predictor of job-quitting at 1 year after esophagectomy (p = 0.03;
      OR 4.75, 95% C.I. 1.11-20.39) but not social functioning at discharge (p = 0.21).
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients should be informed that they may experience social and work
      disability due to cancer treatment and adequate interventions of return-to-work
      support should be provided. Adequate welfare strategy should be implemented for
      esophageal cancer survivors, enhancing their role competences and contributing to
      precision care medicine.

PMID- 26482349
TI  - The Early Functional Abilities (EFA) scale to assess neurological and
      neurosurgical early rehabilitation patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is difficult to assess neurological and neurosurgical early
      rehabilitation patients comprehensively. Available scales focus on activities of
      daily living (Barthel (BI) and Early Rehabilitation Barthel Index (ERBI)) or
      wakefulness (Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Coma Remission Scale (CRS)) while
      cognitive items are missing. METHODS: The Early Functional Abilities (EFA) scale
      comprises 20 items referring to activities of daily living (ADL), wakefulness and
      cognitive abilities. To evaluate its validity, n = 623 early neurological and
      neurosurgical rehabilitation patients (most of them after ischemic stroke or
      cerebral bleeding) were assessed on admission using the EFA, ERBI, GCS, CRS and
      measures of morbidity (co-diagnoses). RESULTS: The more co-diagnoses the lower
      EFA sum scores were obtained (Spearman-Rho rs = -0.509, p < 0.001). EFA predicted
      length of stay (LOS, rs = -0.565, p < 0.001) and BI at discharge (rs = 0.571, p <
      0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that EFA is a valid instrument to assess
      critically ill neurological and neurosurgical early rehabilitation patients. It
      may be used as a measure of morbidity and a predictor of LOS and outcome. Further
      studies are strongly encouraged.

PMID- 26482348
TI  - French current management and oncological results of locally recurrent rectal
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a significant worldwide variation in practice regarding the
      criteria for operative intervention and overall management in patients with
      locally recurrent rectal cancer (LRRC). A survival benefit has been described for
      patients with clear resection margins in patients undergoing surgery for LRRC
      which is seen as an important surgical quality indicator. METHODS: A prospective
      French national database was established in 2008 which recorded procedures
      undertaken for locally recurrent rectal cancer (LRRC). Overall and Disease-Free
      Survival (OS, DFS) were assessed retrospectively. We report the variability and
      the heterogeneity of LRRC management in France as well as 5-year oncological
      outcomes. RESULTS: In this national report, 104 questionnaires were completed at
      29 French surgical centres with a high variability of cases-loaded. Patients had
      preoperative treatment in 86% of cases. Surgical procedures included APER (36%),
      LAR (25%), Hartmann's procedure (21%) and pelvic exenterations (15.5%). Four
      patients had a low sacrectomy (S4/S5). There were no postoperative deaths and
      overall morbidity was 41%. R0 was achieved in 60%, R1 and R2 in 29% and 11%,
      respectively. R0 resection resulted in a 5-year OS of 35% compared to 12% and 0%
      for respectively R1 and R2 (OR = 2.04; 95% CI: 1.4-2.98; p < 0.001). OS was
      similar between R2 and non-resected patients (OR = 1.47; 95% CI: 0.58-3.76; p =
      0.418). CONCLUSIONS: Our data is in accordance with the literature except the
      rate of extended resection procedures. This underlines the selective character of
      operative indications for LRRC in France as well as the care variability and the
      absence of optimal clinical pathway regarding these patients.

PMID- 26482350
TI  - The Role of Medical Air Rescue Services in Medical Transport of Organ Recipients
      in Poland: Organizational Solutions Supporting Transplantation Medicine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the use of fixed-wing air
      ambulance (FWAA) services in Poland during the period 2012-2013, with particular
      emphasis on air transport of organ recipients to transplantation centers.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of data
      derived from standard FWAA medical documentation. RESULTS: In the years 2012-2013
      there were 500 emergency (52.7%) and 447 elective (47.3%) missions. Children who
      were 1-10 years old comprised the single largest group in both emergency (EM) and
      elective (EL) missions, accounting for 17% of all flights. EM transports carried
      mainly patients aged 49-59 (18.5%), and 35.1% of all EM transports concerned
      patients with end-stage renal disease qualified as organ recipients who were
      transported to transplantation centers. With a total of 2278 kidney
      transplantations performed in Poland within the period analyzed, up to 7.8%
      recipients were transported by air medical services. For EL flights, the most
      numerous group were patients aged 1-10 (25.4%) and this group comprised mainly
      patients with congenital disorders (17.9%) and cardiovascular diseases (15.8%).
      The average flight duration was similar for both EM and EL groups (41.7+/-10.5
      min vs. 40.4+/-8.7 min, respectively) (p=NS), as was the average distance covered
      (321.8+/-99.4 km vs. 310.5+/-87.4 km, respectively) (p=NS). In the case of
      patients with end-stage renal disease, the average distance and flight time were
      significantly longer than those for all other groups in total: 382.5+/-96.4 km
      vs. 302.6+/-87.3 km (p<0.001) and 74.9+/-10.2 min vs. 39.7+/-8.8 min (p<0.001),
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The most frequent clinical indication for FWAA
      transport was end-stage renal disease and most of those flights were carried out
      as EM. The FWAA service plays a vital role in the organization of pre
      transplantation transport to referral centers in Poland. This analysis supports
      the data for evaluation and potential changes in the Polish distribution and
      allocation rules for kidney transplantation.

PMID- 26482352
TI  - Anemia, diet and therapeutic iron among children living with HIV: a prospective
      cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children living with HIV have higher-than-normal prevalence of
      anemia. The beneficial effect of therapeutic iron has been questioned in the
      setting of high prevalence of infections. This study examines anemia prevalence
      and effect of standard therapeutic iron on HIV disease progression among
      children. METHODS: Perinatally-infected children aged 2-12 years were enrolled at
      three sites in southern India, and were followed for 1 year with clinical
      assessments, dietary recall and anthropometry. Laboratory parameters included
      iron markers (ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor) and other micronutrient
      levels (vitamin A, B12, folate). Iron was given to anemic children based on WHO
      guidelines. Statistical analyses including frequency distributions, chi square
      tests and multivariate logistic regression were performed using Stata v13.0.
      RESULTS: Among 240 children enrolled (mean age 7.7 years, 54.6% males), median
      CD4 was 25%, 19.2% had advanced disease, 45.5% had malnutrition, and 43.3% were
      on antiretroviral treatment (ART) at baseline. Anemia was prevalent in 47.1%
      (113/240) children. Iron deficiency was present in 65.5%; vitamin A and vitamin
      B12 deficiency in 26.6% and 8.0% respectively; and anemia of inflammation in
      58.4%. Independent risk factors for anemia were stunting, CD4 < 25%, detectable
      viral load >= 400 copies/ml and vitamin A deficiency. Inadequate dietary iron was
      prominent; 77.9% obtained less than two-thirds of recommended daily iron. Among
      clinically anemic children who took iron, overall adherence to iron therapy was
      good, and only minor self-limiting adverse events were reported. Median
      hemoglobin rose from 10.4 g/dl to 10.9 mg/dl among those who took iron for 3
      months, and peaked at 11.3 mg/dl with iron taken for up to 6 months. Iron was
      also associated with a greater fall in clinical severity of HIV stage; however
      when adjusted for use of ART, was not associated with improvement in growth,
      inflammatory and CD4 parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Children living with HIV in India
      have a high prevalence of anemia mediated by iron deficiency, vitamin A
      deficiency and chronic inflammation. The use of therapeutic iron for durations up
      to 6 months appears to be safe in this setting, and is associated with beneficial
      effects on anemia, iron deficiency and HIV disease progression.

PMID- 26482354
TI  - Chronic rhinofacial basidiobolomycosis caused by Basidiobolus ranarum: Report of
      a case from Aseer Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
AB  - We present a case of fungal sinusitis caused by Basidiobolus ranarum in a 22-year
      old male patient with chronic rhinosinusitis in Aseer region, Kingdom of Saudi
      Arabia. The patient was admitted with nasal obstruction accompanied by itching,
      sneezing, rhinorrhea, epistaxis and recurrent headache. Axial computed tomography
      (CT) scan of the paranasal sinuses showed a clear left facial swelling chronic
      inflammation and granulomata. Basidiobolus ranarum fungus was isolated on
      Sabouraud dextrose agar from a biopsy specimen. The organism was characterized by
      flat, yellowish-grey, glabrous, becoming radially folded fungus that under the
      microscope showed broad vegetative hyaline hyphae that bear zygospores with
      protuberances. The patient made good recovery and was discharged home with no
      recurrences after receiving oral itraconazole and removal of the polyps
      surgically. 

PMID- 26482353
TI  - Cyclosporin A induced toxicity in mouse liver slices is only slightly aggravated
      by Fxr-deficiency and co-occurs with upregulation of pro-inflammatory genes and
      downregulation of genes involved in mitochondrial functions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The transcription factor farnesoid X receptor (FXR) governs bile acid
      and energy homeostasis, is involved in inflammation, and has protective functions
      in the liver. In the present study we investigated the effect of Fxr deficiency
      in mouse precision cut liver slices (PCLS) exposed to a model hepatotoxicant
      cyclosporin A (CsA). It was anticipated that Fxr deficiency could aggravate
      toxicity of CsA in PCLS and pinpoint to novel genes/processes regulated by FXR.
      METHODS: To test this hypothesis, PCLS obtained from livers of wild type mice (WT
      PCLS) and Fxr-knockout mice (FXRKO-PCLS) were treated with 40 MUM CsA for 24 h
      and 48 h. ATP and histological assays were applied to assess the viability of
      PCLS. DNA microarrays combined with bioinformatics analysis were used to identify
      genes and processes that were affected by CsA in WT-PCLS and/or FXRKO-PCLS. In
      addition, WT-PCLS and FXRKO-PCLS were exposed to the endogenous FXR ligand
      chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) and subjected to q-PCR to determine whether subsets
      of known FXR-targets and the identified genes were regulated upon FXR activation
      in an FXR-dependent manner. RESULTS: No difference in viability was observed
      between WT-PCLS and FXRKO-PCLS upon CsA treatment. Transcriptomics data analysis
      revealed that CsA significantly upregulated stress-response and inflammation and
      significantly downregulated processes involved in lipid and glucose metabolism in
      WT-PCLS and FXRKO-PCLS. However, only in FXRKO-PCLS, CsA upregulated additional
      pro-inflammatory genes and downregulated genes related to mitochondrial
      functions. Furthermore, only in WT-PCLS, CDCA upregulated a subset of known FXR
      target genes as well as the regulator of inflammation and mitochondrial functions
      peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor delta (Ppar delta). CONCLUSIONS:
      Although FXR governs energy metabolism, no major differences in response to CsA
      could be observed between WT-PCLS and FXRKO-PCLS in regulation of processes
      involved in lipid and glucose metabolism. This finding indicates that CsA does
      not directly affect FXR functions in relation to the above mentioned processes.
      However, the more pronounced induction of pro-inflammatory genes and the
      downregulation of genes involved in mitochondrial functions only in FXRKO-PCLS
      suggest that FXR deficiency aggravates CsA-induced inflammation and impairs
      mitochondrial functions. Therefore, FXR can exert its hepatoprotective functions
      by controlling inflammation and mitochondrial functions, possibly involving an
      FXR-PPAR delta cross-talk.

PMID- 26482351
TI  - The importance of multiparasitism: examining the consequences of co-infections
      for human and animal health.
AB  - Most parasites co-occur with other parasites, although the importance of such
      multiparasitism has only recently been recognised. Co-infections may result when
      hosts are independently infected by different parasites at the same time or when
      interactions among parasite species facilitate co-occurrence. Such interactions
      can have important repercussions on human or animal health because they can alter
      host susceptibility, infection duration, transmission risks, and clinical
      symptoms. These interactions may be synergistic or antagonistic and thus produce
      diverse effects in infected humans and animals. Interactions among parasites
      strongly influence parasite dynamics and therefore play a major role in
      structuring parasite populations (both within and among hosts) as well as host
      populations. However, several methodological challenges remain when it comes to
      detecting parasite interactions. The goal of this review is to summarise current
      knowledge on the causes and consequences of multiparasitism and to discuss the
      different methods and tools that researchers have developed to study the factors
      that lead to multiparasitism. It also identifies new research directions to
      pursue. 

PMID- 26482355
TI  - Transnational issue-specific expert networking: A pathway to local policy change.
AB  - This article reports on key findings from a study of subnational governments in
      Mexico and Nigeria (O'Brien, 2013). With empirical richness of the case study
      method and small-n statistical analysis across the subnational units for each
      country, this study asks: How can we push the needle toward more progressive
      policy change on violence against women in developing and democratizing contexts?
      This study finds that issue-specific expert networking is a civic pathway to
      subnational policy responsiveness in Mexico and Nigeria. The dynamics of this
      pathway illuminate local-global political connections, and this study shows how
      issue-specific expert networking is important for the diffusion of an
      international norm and policies on violence against women.

PMID- 26482356
TI  - Reply to Coburn's income inequality, welfare, class and health.

PMID- 26482357
TI  - Preventing gender-based violence engendered by conflict: The case of Cote
      d'Ivoire.
AB  - Despite a growing awareness of the increased prevalence of intimate partner
      violence and sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict settings, much less is
      known about the dynamics, as well as the interventions that would be effective at
      individual, relational, and structural levels. In addition to the human capital
      lost by conflict violence, gender-based violence (GBV) poses a grave threat to
      the post-conflict rehabilitation process. With regard to violence that occurs
      during and post conflict, research must take into consideration the different
      types of violence that share similar causes as the larger conflict as well as
      become widespread as a result of the conflict and use existing frameworks to
      build future interventions. Researchers are trying to understand the interplay of
      personal, situational, and socio-cultural factors in conflict settings that
      combine to cause GBV and lead to guidelines for program planning to address the
      health and social needs of survivors as well as to prevent further GBV. These
      actions result from a growing recognition that violence represents a serious
      public health problem, is an important cause of many physical and psychological
      illnesses, and can cause social disruptions that impede reconstruction efforts
      for generations. This review studies the manifestations of GBV during and
      following the Ivoirian Civil War, juxtaposes them against narratives, as well as
      lists relevant interventions at the individual, relational, community, and
      institutional levels. Part of a growing literature that aims to better understand
      the nature of violence during and after conflict and to plan effective responses
      to it, this study hopes to suggest solutions for the situation of Cote d'Ivoire
      and elsewhere.

PMID- 26482358
TI  - The second wave of violence scholarship: South African synergies with a global
      research agenda.
AB  - Violence is a serious public health and human rights challenge with global
      psychosocial impacts across the human lifespan. As a middle-income country (MIC),
      South Africa experiences high levels of interpersonal, self-directed and
      collective violence, taking physical, sexual and/or psychological forms. Careful
      epidemiological research has consistently shown that complex causal pathways bind
      the social fabric of structural inequality, socio-cultural tolerance of violence,
      militarized masculinity, disrupted community and family life, and erosion of
      social capital, to individual-level biological, developmental and personality
      related risk factors to produce this polymorphic profile of violence in the
      country. Engaging with a concern that violence studies may have reached something
      of a theoretical impasse, 'second wave' violence scholars have argued that the
      future of violence research may not lie primarily in merely amassing more data on
      risk but rather in better theorizing the mechanisms that translate risk into
      enactment, and that mobilize individual and collective aspects of subjectivity
      within these enactments. With reference to several illustrative forms of violence
      in South Africa, in this article we suggest revisiting two conceptual
      orientations to violence, arguing that this may be useful in developing thinking
      in line with this new global agenda. Firstly, the definition of our object of
      enquiry requires revisiting to fully capture its complexity. Secondly, we
      advocate for the utility of specific incident analyses/case studies of violent
      encounters to explore the mechanisms of translation and mobilization of multiple
      interactive factors in enactments of violence. We argue that addressing some of
      the moral and methodological challenges highlighted in revisiting these
      orientations requires integrating critical social science theory with insights
      derived from epidemiology and, that combining these approaches may take us
      further in understanding and addressing the recalcitrant range of forms and
      manifestations of violence. 

PMID- 26482359
TI  - Men's violence against women and men are inter-related: Recommendations for
      simultaneous intervention.
AB  - Men are more likely than women to perpetrate nearly all types of interpersonal
      violence (e.g. intimate partner violence, murder, assault, rape). While public
      health programs target prevention efforts for each type of violence, there are
      rarely efforts that approach the prevention of violence holistically and attempt
      to tackle its common root causes. Drawing upon theories that explain the drivers
      of violence, we examine how gender norms, including norms and social
      constructions of masculinity, are at the root of most physical violence
      perpetration by men against women and against other men. We then argue that
      simply isolating each type of violence and constructing separate interventions
      for each type is inefficient and less effective. We call for recognition of the
      commonalities found across the drivers of different types of violence and make
      intervention recommendations with the goal of seeking more long-standing
      solutions to violence prevention. 

PMID- 26482360
TI  - GWAS analyses reveal QTL in egg layers that differ in response to diet
      differences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The genetic architecture of egg production and egg quality traits,
      i.e. the quantitative trait loci (QTL) that influence these traits, is still
      poorly known. To date, 33 studies have focused on the detection of QTL for laying
      traits in chickens, but less than 10 genes have been identified. The availability
      of a high-density SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) chicken array developed by
      Affymetrix, i.e. the 600K Affymetrix((r)) Axiom((r)) HD genotyping array offers
      the possibility to narrow down the localization of previously detected QTL and to
      detect new QTL. This high-density array is also anticipated to take research
      beyond the classical hypothesis of additivity of QTL effects or of QTL and
      environmental effects. The aim of our study was to search for QTL that influence
      laying traits using the 600K SNP chip and to investigate whether the effects of
      these QTL differed between diets and age at egg collection. RESULTS: One hundred
      and thirty-one QTL were detected for 16 laying traits and were spread across all
      marked chromosomes, except chromosomes 16 and 25. The percentage of variance
      explained by a QTL varied from 2 to 10 % for the various traits, depending on
      diet and age at egg collection. Chromosomes 3, 9, 10 and Z were overrepresented,
      with more than eight QTL on each one. Among the 131 QTL, 60 had a significantly
      different effect, depending on diet or age at egg collection. For egg production
      traits, when the QTL * environment interaction was significant, numerous
      inversions of sign of the SNP effects were observed, whereas for egg quality
      traits, the QTL * environment interaction was mostly due to a difference of
      magnitude of the SNP effects. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that numerous QTL
      influence egg production and egg quality traits and that the genomic regions,
      which are involved in shaping the ability of layer chickens to adapt to their
      environment for egg production, vary depending on the environmental conditions.
      The next question will be to address what the impact of these genotype *
      environment interactions is on selection.

PMID- 26482361
TI  - Global Surgical Care in the U.N. Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda.

PMID- 26482362
TI  - Evaluating Mind Fitness Training and Its Potential Effects   on Surgical
      Residents' Well-Being: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Residents' well-being is essential for both the individual physician
      and the quality of patient care they deliver. Therefore, it is important to
      maintain or possibly enhance residents' well-being. We investigated (i) the
      influence of mind fitness training (MFT) on quality of care-related well-being
      characteristics: work engagement, empathy, work satisfaction and stress
      perception and explored (ii) residents' perceptions of MFT. METHODS: A
      multicenter study was conducted in eight Dutch teaching hospitals, from September
      2012 to February 2014, using mixed methods-that is, quantitative and qualitative
      approaches to data collection and analysis. Eighty-nine surgical residents were
      invited to participate in pre- and post-intervention questionnaire surveys.
      Twenty-two residents participated in MFT and were additionally invited to
      evaluate the training by post-intervention interviews including open questions.
      RESULTS: At baseline 22 (100%) residents in intervention group and 47 (70.2%)
      residents in control group, and postintervention 20 (90.9 %) residents in
      intervention group and 41 (66.1%) residents in control group completed the
      questionnaires. In intervention-group, residents' specialty satisfaction
      increased by 0.23 point on 5-point Likert scale (95% CI 0.23-0.24, P < 0.001)
      while stress scores decreased by -0.94 point on 10-point scale (95% CI -1.77 to 
      0.12, P = 0.026). No substantial changes were observed in control group.
      Participation in MFT was positively associated with residents' empathy (b = 7.22;
      95% CI 4.33-10.11; P < 0.001) and specialty satisfaction scores (b = 0.42; 95% CI
      0.18-0.65; P = 0.001). Residents positively evaluated MFT with median scores of
      6.80 for training design and 7.21 for outcome (10-point scale). Residents
      perceived improvement in focusing skills and reported being more aware of their
      own state of mind and feeling calmer and more in control. CONCLUSION: Mind
      fitness training could improve residents' empathy, specialty satisfaction, stress
      perception, and focusing skills, and was positively received by surgical
      residents.

PMID- 26482363
TI  - Severe Complications of Laparoscopic and Conventional Appendectomy Reported to
      the Finnish Patient Insurance Centre.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Appendectomy is considered a safe operation, the related
      complications being minor. Negative exploration is an accepted procedure to avoid
      complications of appendicitis. Treatment with antibiotics is under debate as a
      primary treatment for appendicitis. The aim of this study was to collect and
      analyze detailed information on complications and morbidity related to
      appendectomy using the information of the nationwide Patient Insurance
      Association (PIA) database and to study the incidence of patient claims and
      compensated injuries related to appendectomy in Finland. METHODS: Patients'
      claims from 1990 to 2010 were collected from the PIA register. Complications were
      classified using the accordion severity grading system. Severe complications were
      selected for more detailed analyses. Laparoscopic and open surgeries were
      compared. Factors related to compensated claims were assessed. For statistical
      analysis, Fisher's exact test, logistic multivariate regression, and the Mann
      Kendall function were used. RESULTS: Appendectomy complications leading to a
      patient insurance claim in Finland are rare (0.2 %). The rate of patients' claims
      after laparoscopic surgery was higher than after open surgery (p < 0.001), but
      the rate of compensated claims was equal. During the study period, complications
      after laparoscopic procedures more often led to additional surgery or organ
      failure (p = 0.03). Of the patients with a compensated injury, only 57 % had
      appendicitis. Preoperative computed tomography was used in only 6 % of these
      cases. CONCLUSIONS: Patient injuries and claims regarding severe complications
      after appendectomy are rare. The complications related to laparoscopic
      appendectomy were more severe than those of open surgery.

PMID- 26482364
TI  - The Bare Minimum Requires Caution.

PMID- 26482365
TI  - Clinical Usefulness of 5-FU Metabolic Enzymes as Predictive Markers of Response
      to Chemotherapy in Colorectal Cancer.

PMID- 26482366
TI  - Involving Medical Students in Informed Consent: A Pilot Study.

PMID- 26482367
TI  - The Establishment and Development of Neurosurgery Services in Papua New Guinea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a developing Pacific Nation of 7.3 million
      people. Although neurosurgery training was introduced to PNG in the year 2000, it
      was in 2003 that a neurosurgery service was established. Prior to this time,
      neurosurgery in PNG was performed by general surgeons, with some assistance from
      visiting Australian neurosurgeons. Neurosurgical training was introduced to PNG
      in 2000. The model involved a further 3 years of training for a surgeon who had
      already completed 4 years of general surgical training. We aim to review the
      output, outcomes and impact achieved by training the first national neurosurgeon.
      METHODS: The data on activity (output) and outcomes were collected prospectively
      from 2003-2012. Ongoing mentoring and continuing professional development were
      provided through annual neurosurgical visits from Australia. There were serious
      limitations in the provision of equipment, with a lack of computerized
      tomographic or MR imaging, and adjuvant oncological services. RESULTS: There were
      1618 neurosurgery admissions, 1020 neurosurgical procedures with a 5.74 % overall
      mortality. Seventy percent of cases presented as emergencies. There were improved
      outcomes, particularly for head injuries, whilst hydrocephalus was managed with
      an acceptable morbidity and revision rate. CONCLUSIONS: The training of a
      neurosurgeon resulted in PNG patients receiving a better range of surgical
      services, with a lower mortality. The outcomes able to be delivered were limited
      by late presentations of patients and lack of resources including imaging. These
      themes are familiar to all low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and this may
      serve as a model for other LMIC neurosurgical services to adopt as they consider
      whether to establish and develop neurosurgical and other sub-specialist surgical
      services.

PMID- 26482368
TI  - Personality disorder in DSM-5: an oral history.
AB  - As the revision process leading to DSM-5 began, the domain of personality
      disorder embodied the highest aspirations for major change. After an initial
      prototype-based proposal failed to gain acceptance, the Personality and
      Personality Disorders Work Group (P&PDWG) developed a hybrid model containing
      categorical and dimensional components. A clash of perspectives both within the
      P&PDWG and between the P&PDWG and DSM-5 oversight committees led to the rejection
      of this proposal from the main body of DSM-5. Major issues included conflicting
      ways of conceptualizing validation, differences of opinion from personality
      disorder experts outside the P&PDWG, divergent concepts of the magnitude of
      evidence needed to support substantial changes, and the disagreements about
      clinical utility of the hybrid model. Despite these setbacks, the 'Alternative
      DSM-5 Model of Personality Disorder' is presented in Section III of the DSM-5.
      Further research should clarify its performance relative to the DSM-IV criteria
      reprinted in the main DSM-5 text. 

PMID- 26482369
TI  - Net Clinical Benefits of Guidelines and Decision Tool Recommendations for Oral
      Anticoagulant Use among Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 2012 American College of Chest Physicians' Evidence-Based
      Clinical Practice (CHEST), the 2012 European Society of Cardiology, and the 2014
      American Heart Association guidelines and published decision tools by LaHaye and
      Casciano offer oral anticoagulant (OAC) recommendations for patients with atrial
      fibrillation (AF). The aim of our study was to compare the net clinical benefit
      (NCB) of OAC prescribing that was concordant with these decision aids. METHODS: A
      cohort study of the 2001-2013 LifeLink claims data was used. NCB in concordance
      with each decision aid was defined as adverse events (thromboembolic and major
      bleed events) prevented per 10,000 person-years. Cox proportional hazard models
      were used to assess the relative risk of AF adverse events associated in
      concordance with each decision aid adjusted for potential confounders. FINDINGS:
      The study included 15,129 patients with AF, contributing 33,512 person-years. The
      NCB of the CHEST guidelines was the highest (NCB = 30.07; 95% confidence interval
      [CI] = 28.66, 31.49) and the European Society of Cardiology guidelines the lowest
      (NCB = 7.38; 95% CI = 5.97, 8.80). Significant unadjusted decreases in the risk
      of AF adverse events associated with concordant OAC use/nonuse were found for the
      CHEST guidelines (hazard ratio [HR] = .825; 95% CI = .695, .979), Casciano tool
      (HR = .838; 95% CI = .706, .995), and LaHaye tool (HR = .841; 95% CI = .709,
      .999); however, none were significant after multivariate adjustment. CONCLUSION:
      Concordant OAC use with any of the decision aids except for the aggressive LaHaye
      tool led to a positive NCB. The decision aids based on the CHA2DS2-VASc algorithm
      did not consistently improve the NCB compared to CHADS2-based aids. Recommending
      OAC use when CHA2DS2-VASc score = 1 resulted in a lower NCB when all other
      factors guiding recommendations were held constant.

PMID- 26482370
TI  - Erratum to: Tonic GABAA Receptors as Potential Target for the Treatment of
      Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

PMID- 26482371
TI  - Netrin-1 Contributes to Myelinated Afferent Fiber Sprouting and Neuropathic Pain.
AB  - Netrin-1 is a neuronal guidance molecule implicated in the development of spinal
      cord neurons and cortical neurons. In the adult spinal cord, UNC5H (repulsive
      receptor of netrin-1), but not deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC) (attractive
      receptor of netrin-1), constitutes a major mode of netrin-1 signal transduction,
      which may be involved in axon repulsion and inhibits neurite outgrowth. Abnormal
      sprouting of myelinated afferent fibers in the spinal dorsal horn can cause
      mechanical allodynia associated with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN, Shingles) and
      other neuropathic pains. However, whether netrin-1 participates in sprouting of
      myelinated afferent fibers and mechanical allodynia remains unknown. In an
      ultropotent TRPV1 agonist resiniferatoxin (RTX)-induced PHN-like model, RTX
      treatment for 6 weeks increased netrin-1 expression in dorsal horn neurons,
      including NK-1-positive projection neurons. In human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells,
      we found that TRPV1 antagonist capsazepine antagonized RTX-induced upregulation
      of netrin-1. After RTX treatment, UNC5H2 expression was gradually decreased,
      whereas DCC expression was significantly increased. Silencing netrin-1 in the
      spinal dorsal horn significantly attenuated RTX-induced mechanical allodynia and
      sprouting of myelinated fibers into the spinal lamina II. Our results suggest
      that RTX treatment upregulates netrin-1 expression through activation of TRPV1
      receptors and change UNC5H2-rich spinal dorsal horn into a growth-permissive
      environment by increasing DCC expression, thus enhancing the sprouting of
      myelinated afferent nerves. Netrin-1 may be targeted for reducing primary
      afferent sprouting and mechanical allodynia in PHN and other neuropathic pain
      conditions.

PMID- 26482373
TI  - Clinical characteristics and risk factors for community-acquired Clostridium
      difficile infection: A retrospective, case-control study in a tertiary care
      hospital in Japan.
AB  - The epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has changed in the past
      decade. The incidence, prevalence, and severity of community-acquired CDI (CA
      CDI) have increased. However, the epidemiology of CA-CDI in Japan has not been
      investigated. To evaluate the clinical characteristics and risk factors for CA
      CDI in Japan, we conducted a retrospective, case-control study of CA-CDI at the
      National Hospital Organization Tokyo Medical Center between January 2010 and
      December 2014. Two age- and sex-matched C. difficile toxin- and culture-negative
      controls were assigned for each case. A total of 26 patients were identified with
      CA-CDI were identified. The incidence rate for CA-CDI was 1.4 per 100,000 patient
      years. Of the CA-CDI patients, 6 (23.1%) had no underlying comorbidity, 22
      (84.6%) had prior exposure to antimicrobials, and 5 (19.2%) had prior exposure to
      antacids. Although 5 patients (19.2%) required hospitalization, none required
      intensive care or died. Recurrence was observed in 1 patient (3.8%). Patients
      with CA-CDI cases were more likely to have been recently exposed to
      antimicrobials compared to controls (odds ratio [OR]: 8.12, 95% confidence
      interval [CI]: 2.43-26.98). However, exposure to antacids was not associated with
      CA-CDI (OR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.19-1.85). Our findings indicate that the incidence
      rate for CA-CDI in Japan is relatively low compared to the US and Europe, and
      that CA-CDI is usually not severe. Previous antimicrobial exposure was the main
      risk factor for CA-CDI, suggesting that clinicians should consider CDI in
      patients presenting with diarrhea who have recently received antimicrobials.

PMID- 26482372
TI  - Intranasal Delivery of RGD Motif-Containing Osteopontin Icosamer Confers
      Neuroprotection in the Postischemic Brain via alphavbeta3 Integrin Binding.
AB  - Osteopontin (OPN) is a phosphorylated glycoprotein possessing an arginine-glycine
      aspartate (RGD)-motif, which binds to several cell surface integrins and mediates
      a wide range of cellular processes. Inductions of OPN have been reported in the
      postischemic brain, and the neuroprotective effects of OPN have been demonstrated
      in animal models of stroke. In the present study, we showed a robust
      neuroprotective effect of RGD-containing icosamer OPN peptide (OPNpt20) in a rat
      model of focal cerebral ischemia (middle cerebral artery occlusion, MCAO).
      Intranasally administered OPNpt20 reduced mean infarct volume by 79.7 % compared
      to the treatment-naive MCAO control animals and markedly ameliorated neurological
      deficits. In addition, OPNpt20 significantly suppressed the inductions of iNOS
      and of inflammatory markers in postischemic brains and in primary microglial
      cultures, demonstrating anti-inflammatory effects. Administration of a mutant
      peptide, in which RGD was replaced by arginine-alanine-alanine (RAA), failed to
      suppress infarct volumes in MCAO animals and co-administration of OPNpt20 with
      anti-alphavbeta3 integrin antibody failed to suppress iNOS induction in primary
      microglia culture, indicating that the RGD motif in OPNpt20 and endogenous
      alphavbeta3 integrin play critical roles. Furthermore, pull-down assay revealed a
      direct binding between OPNpt20 and alphavbeta3 integrin in primary microglia
      culture. Together, these results indicate that RGD-containing OPN icosamer has
      therapeutic potential in the postischemic brain and alphavbeta3 integrin-mediated
      anti-inflammatory effect might be an underlying mechanism.

PMID- 26482376
TI  - Rationale and Design of Sodium Tanshinone IIA Sulfonate in Left Ventricular
      Remodeling Secondary to Acute Myocardial Infarction (STAMP-REMODELING) Trial: A
      Randomized Controlled Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Left ventricular (LV) remodeling in ischemic cardiomyopathy is the
      leading cause of heart failure and is an established prognostic factor for
      adverse cardiovascular events. Experimental studies suggest that sodium
      tanshinone IIA sulfonate attenuates cardiac remodeling in animal models of acute
      myocardial infarction (AMI). However, the effects of this drug in the clinical
      setting remain unclear. Therefore, the STAMP-REMODELING trial is set up to
      investigate whether treatment with sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate would prevent
      the maladaptive progression to adverse LV remodeling in patients following ST
      segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS: Approximately 80
      patients with STEMI successfully treated with primary percutaneous coronary
      intervention (PCI) will be enrolled and randomized to receive sodium tanshinone
      IIA sulfonate (80 mg q.d. for 7 days) in addition to standard therapy or the same
      volume of hydration per day. The primary endpoint is the variation in LV end
      diastolic volume index (LVEDVi) assessed with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
      (CMR) at baseline and 6 months. CONCLUSION: This study will provide important
      clinical evidence on the efficacy of sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate treatment in
      patients with STEMI when used in combination with current therapies that may
      significantly reduce adverse LV remodeling and potentially improve clinical
      outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials.gov: NCT02524964.

PMID- 26482374
TI  - Prognostic impact of a single-nucleotide polymorphism near the CTSO gene in
      hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tamoxifen can reduce the occurrence of breast cancer by a half in
      high-risk women. Recently, a genome-wide association study identified two single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near or in the CTSO and ZNF423 genes that were
      associated with breast cancer risk during tamoxifen therapy. We hypothesized that
      these two SNPs could be associated with increased recurrence in breast cancer
      patients who received adjuvant tamoxifen therapy. METHODS: A total of 586 breast
      carcinomas were available for SNP genotyping assays. TaqMan pre-designed SNP
      genotyping assays were used to identify the presence of CTSO rs10030044 and
      ZNF423 rs8060157. We then investigated the relationship between CTSO rs10030044
      genotypes and mRNA expression levels of CTSO and BRCA1 in 290 breast cancer
      patients. RESULTS: We found a positive correlation between the variant GG
      genotype of CTSO rs10030044 and shorter disease-free survival, or overall
      survival in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant
      tamoxifen therapy. In contrast, this genotype was not associated with prognosis
      in hormone receptor-negative breast cancer patients. Multivariate Cox regression
      analysis revealed that this genotype was an independent factor indicating a poor
      prognosis in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant
      tamoxifen therapy. No association was found between CTSO genotype and mRNA
      expression of CTSO and BRCA1. ZNF423 rs8060157 genotype was not associated with
      prognosis in this study. CONCLUSION: We show that a SNP near the CTSO gene is a
      poor prognostic factor in breast cancer although further research might help to
      reveal the factors linking this genotype and prognosis.

PMID- 26482377
TI  - Exogenous SDF-1alpha Protects Human Myocardium from Hypoxia-Reoxygenation Injury
      via CXCR4.

PMID- 26482379
TI  - Erratum to: Safety of long-term denosumab therapy: results from the open label
      extension phase of two phase 3 studies in patients with metastatic breast and
      prostate cancer.

PMID- 26482380
TI  - Erratum to: Treatment patterns and outcomes in the prophylaxis of chemotherapy
      induced (febrile) neutropenia with biosimilar filgrastim (the MONITOR-GCSF
      study).

PMID- 26482381
TI  - Effects of aerobic exercise on cancer-related fatigue: a meta-analysis of
      randomized controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most commonly reported and most
      distressing symptom in cancer patients. Currently, there are no effective
      strategies for managing this condition. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is
      to compare the effects of aerobic exercise on CRF with the standard of care.
      METHODS: A systematic search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was
      performed using the Cochrane Library, JBI Library, Embase, MEDLINE, Web of
      Science, China Biology Medicine (CBM), and China National Knowledge
      Infrastructure (CNKI). The risk of bias was critically evaluated, and data were
      independently extracted by two reviewers. All of the analyses were performed
      using Review Manager 5. RESULTS: A total of 26 qualified studies that included
      2830 participants (aerobic exercise, 1426; control, 1404) were included in the
      meta-analysis. Cancer patients who completed adjuvant therapy in the aerobic
      exercise group reported reduced CRF levels relative to patients undergoing the
      standard of care. Aerobic exercise had a moderate effect on CRF for patients not
      currently undergoing anticancer treatment. Supervised aerobic exercise, exercise
      for 20-30 min/session, or exercise three times/week had a small effect on CRF.
      Exercise for 50 min/session or exercise two sessions/week had a significant
      effect on patient CRF, whereas 8 weeks of exercise had a moderate effect.
      CONCLUSIONS: Aerobic exercise is effective for the management of CRF, especially
      for patients who have completed adjuvant therapy. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:
      Cancer patients can make more informed choices regarding their cancer-related
      fatigue management based on the best available evidence.

PMID- 26482382
TI  - Effects of the lipid regulator drug gemfibrozil: A toxicological and behavioral
      perspective.
AB  - Pharmaceuticals are emerging contaminants as their worldwide consumption
      increases. Fibrates such as gemfibrozil (GEM) are used in human medicine to
      reduce blood concentrations of cholesterol and triacylglycerol and also are some
      of the most frequently reported pharmaceuticals in waste waters and surface
      waters. Despite some studies have already demonstrated the negative impact in
      physiological and/or reproductive endpoints in adult fish, data on survival and
      behavioral effects in fish larvae are lacking. This study aimed to assess the
      effects of GEM on zebrafish eleutheroembryo development and locomotor behavior. A
      fish embryo toxicity (FET) test was undertaken to evaluate GEM acute toxicity by
      exposing embryos to 0, 6.58, 9.87, 14.81, 22.22, 33.33 and 50mg/L. Developmental
      endpoints such as hatching success, edemas and malformations were recorded. A
      second test was undertaken by exposing embryos to 0, 1.5, 3 and 6mg/L in order to
      evaluate the effects of GEM on 120 and 144h post fertilization (hpf) larvae
      locomotor activity by video tracking, using a Zebrabox((r)) (Viewpoint, France)
      device. From the data recorded, several parameters such as total swimming
      distance (TSD) and total swimming time (TST) in each 120s integration time were
      calculated. Data showed that this compound has a moderate toxic effect on fish
      embryo development, affecting both survival and hatching success with a
      calculated 96h LC50 of 11.01mg/L and no effects at the developmental level at
      6mg/L. GEM seems to impair locomotor activity, even at concentrations where
      developmental abnormalities were unperceived, at concentrations as low as
      1.5mg/L. Both TSD and TST were sensitive to GEM exposure. These effects do not
      seem to be independent of the developmental stage as 120hpf larvae seem to
      present a development bias with repercussions in locomotor behavior. This study
      highlights the need to include behavioral endpoints in ecotoxicological assays as
      this seems to be a more sensitive endpoint often disregarded. 

PMID- 26482383
TI  - Determination of the Absolute Configuration of Female-Produced Contact Sex
      Pheromone Components of the Longhorned Beetle, Neoclytus acuminatus acuminatus
      (F).
AB  - Cuticular hydrocarbons play important roles in contact chemical communication in
      insects. Many of these compounds are methyl-branched hydrocarbons with one or
      more chiral centers, which can exist in two or more stereoisomeric forms.
      Although the importance of chirality for the volatile semiochemicals that insects
      use for long-range communication is well established, almost nothing is known
      about the role of chirality in insect contact chemoreception. Here, we used
      reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and digital
      polarimetry to isolate and determine the absolute configuration of a component of
      the female-produced contact sex pheromone of the cerambycid beetle, Neoclytus
      acuminatus acuminatus (F.). The pheromone consists of 7-methylpentacosane (7
      MeC25), 7-methylheptacosane (7-MeC27), and 9-methylheptacosane (9-MeC27). The
      absolute configuration of the most abundant pheromone component, 7-MeC25, was
      found to be (R). We then utilized enantiomerically pure synthetic pheromone
      components to test the hypothesis that males would respond more strongly to (R)-
      than to (S)-enantiomers of the three pheromone components. We also tested blends
      of (R)-7-MeC27, the most bioactive component, with the (S)-enantiomers of the
      minor components and vice versa to determine if unnatural stereoisomers might
      decrease behavioral responses. Males responded most strongly to solvent-washed
      females treated with the blend of (R)-pheromone components, and to a lesser
      extent to (R)-7-MeC27 alone. A blend of (R)-7-MeC27 with the (S)-minor components
      elicited an intermediate response. Together, these findings suggest that the
      insects can discriminate the absolute configuration of the major and minor
      pheromone components, and that the configuration of all three components is
      likely to be (R).

PMID- 26482386
TI  - WITHDRAWN: Moxifloxacin is an effective and safe candidate agent for tuberculosis
      treatment: a meta-analysis.
AB  - This article has been withdrawn at the request of the author(s) and/or editor.
      The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier
      Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at
      http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy.

PMID- 26482385
TI  - Testosterone Replacement Therapy and Mortality in Older Men.
AB  - While US testosterone prescriptions have tripled in the last decade with lower
      trends in Europe, debate continues over the risks, benefits and appropriate use
      of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Several authors blame advertising and
      the availability of more convenient formulations, whilst others have pointed out
      that the routine testing of men with erectile dysfunction (ED) (a significant
      marker of cardiovascular risk) and those with diabetes would inevitably increase
      the diagnosis of hypogonadism and lead to an increase in totally appropriate
      prescribing. They commented that this was merely an appropriate correction of
      previous under-diagnosis and under-treatment in line with evidence based
      guidelines. It is unlikely that persuasive advertising or convenient formulations
      could grow a market over such a sustained period if the treatment was not
      effective. Urologists and primary care physicians are the most frequent
      initiators of TRT usually for ED. Benefits are clearly established for sexual
      function, increase in lean muscle mass and strength, mood and cognitive function,
      with a possible reduction in frailty and osteoporosis. There remains no evidence
      that TRT is associated with increased risk of prostate cancer or symptomatic
      benign prostatic hyperplasia, yet the decision to initiate and continue therapy
      is often decided by urologists. The cardiovascular issues associated with TRT
      have been clarified by recent studies showing that therapy associated with clear
      increases in serum testosterone levels to the normal range is associated with
      reduced all-cause mortality. Studies reporting to show increased risk have been
      subject to flawed designs with inadequate baseline diagnosis and follow-up
      testing. Effectively, they have compared non-treated patients with under-treated
      or non-compliant subjects involving a range of different therapy regimes. Recent
      evidence suggests long-acting injections may be associated with decreased
      cardiovascular risk, but the transdermal route may be associated with potentially
      relatively greater risk because of conversion to dihydrotestosterone by the
      effect of 5-alpha reductase in skin. The multiple effects of TRT may add up to a
      considerable benefit to the patient that might be underestimated by the physician
      primarily concerned with his own specialty. In a response to concerns about the
      possible risks associated with inappropriate prescribing expressed by Public
      Citizen, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a complete refutation
      of all the concerns, only to issue a subsequent bulletin of concern over
      inappropriate use, whilst confirming the benefits in treating men with
      established testosterone deficiency. No additional evidence was provided for this
      apparent change of opinion, but longer term safety data on testosterone products
      were strongly suggested. In contrast, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), in
      November 2014, concluded that "there is no consistent evidence of increased
      cardiovascular risk with testosterone products". This paper explores the most
      recent evidence surrounding the benefits and risks associated with TRT.

PMID- 26482387
TI  - Diagnosis of bacteraemia and growth times.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to predict the diagnosis of
      bacteraemia as a function of the time at which the automated BacT/Alert system
      continuously detects microorganism growth. METHODS: A retrospective study of a
      database of 1334 patients with a positive blood culture between January 2011 and
      June 2013 was conducted. Together with the final blood culture results and the
      patient's history, growth was then analysed to assess whether it represented true
      bacteraemia or bacterial contamination. The earliest detection times of bacterial
      growth in each batch of blood cultures were analysed in a blinded fashion after
      classification. RESULTS: In total, 590 batches of blood cultures corresponded to
      true bacteraemia and 744 to bacterial contamination. In the bacteraemia group,
      the median growth time was 12.72 h (interquartile range (IQR) 10.08-17.58 h). In
      the contaminated blood culture group, the median growth time was 20.6h (IQR 17.04
      32.16 h) (p<0.001). Analysis of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC)
      curve (area under the curve 0.80, 95% confidence interval 0.771-0.826) showed
      that 90% of the contaminants grew after 14.7h (sensitivity 90.5%, specificity
      63.4%, positive predictive value (PPV) 65.9%, negative predictive value (NPV)
      90.7%). Forty-five percent of the bacteraemia organisms grew in under 12h
      (sensitivity 45.3%, specificity 95%, PPV 87.8%, NPV 68.7%). Microorganisms such
      as Candida sp and Bacteroides sp presented median growth times significantly
      longer than those of the other microorganisms. The administration of antibiotics
      in the week prior to bacteraemia was found to delay the growth time of
      microorganisms (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Knowing the time to detection of
      microorganism growth can help to distinguish between true bacteraemia and
      bacterial contamination, thus allowing more timely clinical decisions to be made,
      before definitive microorganism identification.

PMID- 26482384
TI  - The influence of high-intensity compared with moderate-intensity exercise
      training on cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition in colorectal cancer
      survivors: a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: Following colorectal cancer diagnosis and anti-cancer therapy, declines
      in cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition lead to significant increases
      in morbidity and mortality. There is increasing interest within the field of
      exercise oncology surrounding potential strategies to remediate these adverse
      outcomes. This study compared 4 weeks of moderate-intensity exercise (MIE) and
      high-intensity exercise (HIE) training on peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) and
      body composition in colorectal cancer survivors. METHODS: Forty seven post
      treatment colorectal cancer survivors (HIE = 27 months post-treatment; MIE = 38
      months post-treatment) were randomised to either HIE [85-95 % peak heart rate
      (HRpeak)] or MIE (70 % HRpeak) in equivalence with current physical activity
      guidelines and completed 12 training sessions over 4 weeks. RESULTS: HIE was
      superior to MIE in improving absolute (p = 0.016) and relative (p = 0.021)
      VO2peak. Absolute (+0.28 L.min(-1), p < 0.001) and relative (+3.5 ml.kg(-1).min(
      1), p < 0.001) VO2 peak were increased in the HIE group but not the MIE group
      following training. HIE led to significant increases in lean mass (+0.72 kg, p =
      0.002) and decreases in fat mass (-0.74 kg, p < 0.001) and fat percentage (-1.0
      %, p < 0.001), whereas no changes were observed for the MIE group. There were no
      severe adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: In response to short-term training, HIE is a
      safe, feasible and efficacious intervention that offers clinically meaningful
      improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition for colorectal
      cancer survivors. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: HIE appears to offer
      superior improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition in
      comparison to current physical activity recommendations for colorectal cancer
      survivors and therefore may be an effective clinical utility following treatment.

PMID- 26482388
TI  - First report of New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 5 (NDM-5)-producing Escherichia
      coli from blood cultures of three leukemia patients.
AB  - We report the first occurrence of New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 5 (NDM-5) in
      carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli isolated from blood cultures of three
      leukemia patients in northern China. These patients had at some time been
      hospitalized in the hematology department of the same hospital. All isolates were
      ST167 with identical pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns, suggesting a
      likely hospital transmission. 

PMID- 26482389
TI  - Successful treatment of avian-origin influenza A (H7N9) infection using
      convalescent plasma.
AB  - In January 2015, there was an outbreak of avian-origin influenza A (H7N9) virus
      in Zhejiang Province, China. A 45-year-old man was admitted to the First
      Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University with a high fever that had lasted 7
      days, chills, and a cough with yellow sputum. Laboratory testing confirmed
      infection with the H7N9 virus, likely obtained from contact with poultry at a
      local live poultry market. A large dense shadow was apparent in the patient's
      left lung at the time of admission. Treatment with oseltamivir (75mg twice daily)
      did not improve the patient's condition. The decision was made to try using
      convalescent plasma to treat the infection. Convalescent plasma was administered
      3 days after the patient was admitted to the hospital and led to a marked
      improvement. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the successful use of
      convalescent plasma to treat a case of H7N9 infection in China. These results
      suggest that the combination of convalescent plasma and antiviral drugs may be
      effective for the treatment of avian-origin H7N9 infection. 

PMID- 26482390
TI  - Seroprevalence of arboviruses among blood donors in French Polynesia, 2011-2013.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: French Polynesia is a high epidemic/endemic area for arthropod-borne
      viruses (arboviruses). We recently reported the silent circulation of Ross River
      virus and absence of active transmission of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) among blood
      donors sampled before the emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) and CHIKV in French
      Polynesia. In this study, the prevalence of the four serotypes of dengue virus
      (DENV) and the occurrence of circulation of other arboviruses were investigated
      in blood donors in French Polynesia. METHODS: Serum samples from 593 blood donors
      collected between July 2011 and October 2013 were tested by ELISA for the
      presence of immunoglobulin G antibodies against each of the four DENV serotypes,
      ZIKV, Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), and West Nile virus (WNV). RESULTS: It
      was found that 80.3%, 0.8%, 1.3%, and 1.5% of blood donors were seropositive for
      at least one DENV serotype, ZIKV, JEV, and WNV, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results corroborate the expected high transmission of DENV and conversely suggest
      that no active circulation of ZIKV, JEV, and WNV occurred in French Polynesia
      before 2011. Information provided by this study may be useful for public health
      authorities to improve surveillance and implement strategies to prevent the
      transmission of arboviruses.

PMID- 26482391
TI  - Effect on postoperative survival of the status of distal ureteral margin: The
      necessity to achieve negative margins at the time of radical cystectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite several studies, the adequate management of positive distal
      ureter margins at the time of radical cystectomy (RC) remains controversial.
      Particularly, it is not clear whether the achievement of negative distal ureter
      margins at the intraoperative frozen sections (IFS) affects postoperative cancer
      specific mortality (CSM). METHODS: In all, 1,447 consecutive patients treated
      with RC at a single center between January 1987 and August 2014 were considered.
      Multivariable (MVA) logistic regression analyses were used to determine
      predictors of positive IFS. MVA Cox regression analyses were used to test the
      effect on CSM of intraoperative conversion to negative margins. RESULTS: At IFS,
      368 patients (25%) experienced at least 1 positive margin. Of these, a negative
      conversion of the margin at IFS occurred in 178 (48%) whereas 190 (52%) had a
      positive final ureteral margin. The mean follow-up was 95 months (median = 102).
      At MVA, history of carcinoma in situ (odds ratio = 6.40, P<0.001) was predictors
      of positive margin at IFS. At MVA, ureteral margins that were not converted to
      negative (hazard ratio = 1.92, P = 0.01) were associated with CSM but only in
      patients with negative soft tissue margin and without node metastases.
      CONCLUSIONS: Achieving negative IFS margins may be associated with survival
      benefit in patients without residual bladder cancer after RC. Patients who
      recorded a history of carcinoma in situ before RC are at higher risk to incur
      positive ureteral margin at IFS and should be investigated during RC.

PMID- 26482393
TI  - Propagation of ultrasonic Love waves in nonhomogeneous elastic functionally
      graded materials.
AB  - This paper presents a theoretical study of the propagation behavior of ultrasonic
      Love waves in nonhomogeneous functionally graded elastic materials, which is a
      vital problem in the mechanics of solids. The elastic properties (shear modulus)
      of a semi-infinite elastic half-space vary monotonically with the depth (distance
      from the surface of the material). The Direct Sturm-Liouville Problem that
      describes the propagation of Love waves in nonhomogeneous elastic functionally
      graded materials is formulated and solved by using two methods: i.e., (1) Finite
      Difference Method, and (2) Haskell-Thompson Transfer Matrix Method. The
      dispersion curves of phase and group velocity of surface Love waves in
      inhomogeneous elastic graded materials are evaluated. The integral formula for
      the group velocity of Love waves in nonhomogeneous elastic graded materials has
      been established. The effect of elastic non-homogeneities on the dispersion
      curves of Love waves is discussed. Two Love wave waveguide structures are
      analyzed: (1) a nonhomogeneous elastic surface layer deposited on a homogeneous
      elastic substrate, and (2) a semi-infinite nonhomogeneous elastic half-space.
      Obtained in this work, the phase and group velocity dispersion curves of Love
      waves propagating in the considered nonhomogeneous elastic waveguides have not
      previously been reported in the scientific literature. The results of this paper
      may give a deeper insight into the nature of Love waves propagation in elastic
      nonhomogeneous functionally graded materials, and can provide theoretical
      guidance for the design and optimization of Love wave based devices. 

PMID- 26482392
TI  - Optimizing systemic therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma beyond the first
      line setting.
AB  - The introduction of molecularly targeted therapies (TTs) has transformed the
      management of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Within a relatively short
      period of time, systemic treatment of mRCC has evolved from a disease treated
      only by cytokines to a disease where TT is the cornerstone of patient management.
      Since the approval of sorafenib, an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth
      factor receptor (VEGFR), in December 2005, 7 drugs have been introduced that have
      provided a high level of clinical efficacy in patients with mRCC, with a median
      survival of ~30 months in an unselected patient population that generally fits
      trials eligibility. Despite such success, advancements in therapies have reached
      a plateau: different combinations of targeted agents have not demonstrated
      additional benefit mainly owing to toxicity concerns, and some novel agents have
      failed to show benefit over approved drugs in clinics. In this review, we aim to
      focus on optimizing selection of agents in mRCC after progression on first-line
      TT. We also review how new drugs may transform existing guidelines and break
      through the current plateau reached with approved agents. 

PMID- 26482394
TI  - Analytical and numerical modeling of non-collinear shear wave mixing at an
      imperfect interface.
AB  - Non-collinear shear wave mixing at an imperfect interface between two solids can
      be exploited for nonlinear ultrasonic assessment of bond quality. In this study
      we developed two analytical models for nonlinear imperfect interfaces. The first
      model uses a finite nonlinear interfacial stiffness representation of an
      imperfect interface of vanishing thickness, while the second model relies on a
      thin nonlinear interphase layer to represent an imperfect interface region. The
      second model is actually a derivative of the first model obtained by calculating
      the equivalent interfacial stiffness of a thin isotropic nonlinear interphase
      layer in the quasi-static approximation. The predictions of both analytical
      models were numerically verified by comparison to COMSOL finite element
      simulations. These models can accurately predict the additional nonlinearity
      caused by interface imperfections based on the strength of the reflected and
      transmitted mixed longitudinal waves produced by them under non-collinear shear
      wave interrogation. 

PMID- 26482395
TI  - Sonodynamic action of hypocrellin B on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
      aureus.
AB  - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) commonly causes refractory
      infections and has recently become a serious public health concern. The present
      study was designed to investigate sonodynamic action of hypocrellin B on MRSA. A
      MRSA strain (ATCC BAA-43) was used in the present study. The dark toxicity of
      hypocrellin B on MRSA and its uptake in MRSA first were measured. And then
      bacteria were incubated with hypocrellin B and exposed to ultrasound. After
      sonodynamic treatment, colony forming unit assay and bacterial viability assay
      were conducted. Membrane permeability assay, DNA fragmentation assay, and DNA
      synthesis assay were also performed to examine the underlying mechanism. The
      results showed that hypocrellin B at concentrations of up to 500 MUM had no
      toxicity to MRSA in the dark. After incubation for 50 min, hypocrellin B could be
      maximally absorbed by MRSA, and exhibited significant sonodynamic activity in a
      dose-dependent manner. The 5-log reduction in colony forming unit (CFU) was
      observed after hypocrellin B (40 MUM) treatment at an intensity of 1.38 W/cm(2)
      ultrasound for 5 min. Compared to the control, hypocrellin B alone and ultrasound
      sonication alone group, more dead cells were found and bacterial membrane
      integrity was notably damaged after sonodynamic treatment of hypocrellin B.
      However, no remarkable DNA damage was found in MRSA after sonodynamic treatment
      of hypocrellin B. All the findings demonstrated that hypocrellin B could serve as
      a potential antibacterial sonosensitizer to significantly cause damage to the
      membrane integrity of MRSA and inhibit its growth under ultrasound sonication.

PMID- 26482396
TI  - Role of healthcare workers in early epidemic spread of Ebola: policy implications
      of prophylactic compared to reactive vaccination policy in outbreak prevention
      and control.
AB  - Ebola causes severe illness in humans and has epidemic potential. How to deploy
      vaccines most effectively is a central policy question since different strategies
      have implications for ideal vaccine profile. More than one vaccine may be needed.
      A vaccine optimised for prophylactic vaccination in high-risk areas but when the
      virus is not actively circulating should be safe, well tolerated, and provide
      long-lasting protection; a two- or three-dose strategy would be realistic.
      Conversely, a reactive vaccine deployed in an outbreak context for ring
      vaccination strategies should have rapid onset of protection with one dose, but
      longevity of protection is less important. In initial cases, before an outbreak
      is recognised, healthcare workers (HCWs) are at particular risk of acquiring and
      transmitting infection, thus potentially augmenting early epidemics. We
      hypothesise that many early outbreak cases could be averted, or epidemics
      aborted, by prophylactic vaccination of HCWs. This paper explores the potential
      impact of prophylactic versus reactive vaccination strategies of HCWs in
      preventing early epidemic transmissions. To do this, we use the limited data
      available from Ebola epidemics (current and historic) to reconstruct transmission
      trees and illustrate the theoretical impact of these vaccination strategies. Our
      data suggest a substantial potential benefit of prophylactic versus reactive
      vaccination of HCWs in preventing early transmissions. We estimate that
      prophylactic vaccination with a coverage >99% and theoretical 100% efficacy could
      avert nearly two-thirds of cases studied; 75% coverage would still confer clear
      benefit (40% cases averted), but reactive vaccination would be of less value in
      the early epidemic. A prophylactic vaccination campaign for front-line HCWs is
      not a trivial undertaking; whether to prioritise long-lasting vaccines and
      provide prophylaxis to HCWs is a live policy question. Prophylactic vaccination
      is likely to have a greater impact on the mitigation of future epidemics than
      reactive strategies and, in some cases, might prevent them. However, in a
      confirmed outbreak, reactive vaccination would be an essential humanitarian
      priority. The value of HCW Ebola vaccination is often only seen in terms of
      personal protection of the HCW workforce. A prophylactic vaccination strategy is
      likely to bring substantial additional benefit by preventing early transmission
      and might abort some epidemics. This has implications both for policy and for the
      optimum product profile for vaccines currently in development.

PMID- 26482397
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 26482398
TI  - The Effects of a Voice Education Program on VHI Scores of Elementary School
      Teachers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Teachers seem to be vulnerable to voice disorders because of
      excessive use of their voice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the
      effects of a voice education program on the Vocal Handicap Index (VHI) scores of
      elementary school teachers in the Persian education system. METHOD: This was a
      semi-experimental study, performed in Shiraz public schools. Ten schools were
      selected on their similarity in number of students and teachers, and allocated at
      random to training or control groups. Sixty-one teachers in the training group
      and 66 teachers in the control group completed the VHI in the first week.
      Teachers in the trained group received voice education for 4 weeks, and then
      continued to follow the program for a further 4 weeks. The control group received
      no training. After 8 weeks, all subjects completed the questionnaire again.
      RESULTS: Compliance was good for all practices except "breathing exercises" and
      "using amplifiers" where it was exceptionally poor. Teachers in the training
      group improved significantly in total VHI score (from 14.2 to 6.8), whereas the
      control group showed a significant worsening (from 10.1 to 13.7). These effects
      were significant (P < 0.05) for total VHI score and for all subscales. The
      corresponding effect sizes for the training group range from -0.53 to -0.84 (
      0.83 in the overall VHI). CONCLUSION: A voice education program can have positive
      effects on the voice of teachers, even without dysphonia, in the middle of their
      teaching. Such a program may have a place in the Persian education system.

PMID- 26482399
TI  - Lung Vital Capacity of Choir Singers and Nonsingers: A Comparative Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The popularity of choir singing among Indonesian university students
      as an extracurricular activity has increased in the last few years. Choir singers
      use physiology principles especially respiration roles in the voice production
      process. This research aims to determine the lung vital capacity difference
      between singers and nonsingers. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study which
      uses primary data collected from spirograms of 20 university students. Half of
      the students were Airlangga University choir singers, and the other half were
      students who are not members of the choir. The spirometry tests were performed to
      obtain inspiratory capacity, vital capacity, and forced vital capacity of both
      groups. RESULTS: The average lung vital capacity of choir singers was higher
      (3.12 L) than that of the nonsingers (2.73 L). The average inspiratory capacity
      of the singer group was 1.79 L, and the average inspiratory capacity of the
      nonsinger group was 1.71 L. The lung vital capacity difference between singers
      and nonsingers group was statistically significant (P = 0.02). There was no
      significant inspiratory capacity difference between singers and nonsingers group
      in this study (P = 0.611). The forced vital capacity measurement showed a
      significant difference (P = 0.01) between singers (75.28%) and nonsingers
      (68.14%). CONCLUSION: It can be understood that the increasing vital capacity in
      choir singers is most likely from the expiration phase of the respiration.
      Further studies need to be conducted to confirm the causes of the increasing
      vital capacity in singers.

PMID- 26482400
TI  - Egg-hatching synchrony and larval cannibalism in the dock leaf beetle Gastrophysa
      viridula (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).
AB  - Females of leaf beetles and many other herbivorous insects lay eggs in coherent
      batches. Hatchlings emerge more or less simultaneously and often prey on their
      late-hatching clutchmates. It is not certain, however, whether this synchrony of
      hatching is a mere by-product of cannibalism or whether an additional
      synchronizing factor exists. The following simple experiment was aimed at
      determining the causal relationship between cannibalism and simultaneous larval
      emergence. Egg clutches of the dock leaf beetle Gastrophysa viridula were split
      into two halves. These halves were either kept as coherent groups in two separate
      dishes or, alternatively, only one half remained whole, whereas the other one was
      divided into single eggs, each of which was incubated in a separate dish. Halving
      of a clutch into coherent groups only slightly disrupted the synchrony of
      emergence. The consequence of individual isolation was more dramatic. Half
      clutches consisting of disconnected solitary eggs required almost twice as much
      time for complete emergence of all larvae, which was significantly more than
      cannibalism as a sole synchronizing factor might explain. Moreover, survival
      rates were the same in coherent half-clutches (in the presence of cannibalism)
      and among isolated individuals. This group effect and the small contribution of
      cannibalism suggest the existence of an additional synchronizing factor. Possible
      mechanisms underpinning this phenomenon are discussed. 

PMID- 26482401
TI  - Assessing progression of clinical reasoning through virtual patients: An
      exploratory study.
AB  - To avoid test-driven learning, there have been discussions regarding the use of
      more formative assessments in health care education to promote students' deep
      learning. Feedback is important in formative assessment, but many students ignore
      it; therefore, interventions should be introduced which stimulate them to reflect
      on the new knowledge. The aim for this study was to explore if Virtual Patient
      (VP)-based formative assessments, in connection with self-evaluations, had an
      impact on postgraduate pediatric nursing students' development of clinical
      reasoning abilities. Students' self-evaluations served as the basis for measuring
      progress. Data was analysed using deductive content analysis. The findings showed
      a clear progression of the clinical reasoning ability of the students. After the
      first assessment, the students described feelings of uncertainty and that their
      knowledge gaps were exposed. At the mid-course assessment the awareness of
      improved clinical reasoning was obvious and the students were more certain of
      knowing how to solve the VP cases. In the final assessment, self-efficacy was
      expressed. VP-based assessments, in connection with self-evaluations, early in
      the education resulted in a gain of students' own identification of the concept
      of clinical reasoning, awareness of what to focus on during clinical practice and
      visualised expected clinical competence. 

PMID- 26482402
TI  - The effect of clinical nursing instructors on student self-efficacy.
AB  - Clinical practicum experiences for nursing students provides the students an
      opportunity to apply concepts learned in class, practice skills learned in lab,
      and interact with patients, families, and other nurses. Although students look
      forward to these experiences, they often feel intimated and anxious about them.
      Clinical instructors play an important role in this experience and can either
      help or hinder student learning and self-efficacy. Using Bandura's Social
      Learning Theory as foundation, this descriptive study examined the relationship
      between perceived instructor effectiveness and student self-efficacy. Data were
      collected from a BSN school of nursing at a Midwestern USA comprehensive masters
      university. The instruments used were the Nursing Clinical Teacher Effectiveness
      Inventory (NCTEI) and the student self-efficacy (SSE) questionnaire. Participants
      (n = 236) were from a traditional nursing program with 86% female and 14% male.
      Data was analyzed using Pearson's correlation and MANCOVA. Results indicated: Out
      of the five areas of attributes, one area showed significant (p < .01) difference
      between the lower and higher self-efficacy groups and with specific teacher
      behaviors within the Evaluation category. Students with high self-efficacy
      reported faculty who suggested ways to improve, identified strengths and
      weaknesses, observed frequently, communicated expectations, gives positive
      reinforcement ad corrects without belittling. This can help faculty develop
      behaviors that increases student learning and student self-efficacy.

PMID- 26482403
TI  - Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS)--Opinion on the
      safety of the use of beta-arbutin in cosmetic products.
AB  - CONCLUSION OF THE OPINION: The SCCS considers the use of beta-arbutin to be safe
      for consumers in cosmetic products in a concentration up to 7% in face creams
      provided that the contamination of hydroquinone in the cosmetic formulations
      remain below 1 ppm. A potential combined use of beta-arbutin and other
      hydroquinone releasing substances in cosmetic products has not been evaluated in
      this Opinion.

PMID- 26482404
TI  - Adverse food-drug interactions.
AB  - Food supplements and herbal products are increasingly popular amongst consumers.
      This leads to increased risks of interactions between prescribed drugs and these
      products containing bioactive ingredients. From 1991 up to 2014, 55 cases of
      suspected adverse drug reactions due to concomitant intake of health-enhancing
      products and drugs were reported to Lareb, the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance
      Centre. An overview of these suspected interactions is presented and their
      potential mechanisms of action are described. Mainly during the metabolism of
      xenobiotics and due to the pharmacodynamics effects interactions seem to occur,
      which may result in adverse drug reactions. Where legislation is seen to distinct
      food and medicine, legislation concerning these different bioactive products is
      less clear-cut. This can only be resolved by increasing the molecular knowledge
      on bioactive substances and their potential interactions. Thereby potential
      interactions can be better understood and prevented on an individual level. By
      considering the dietary pattern and use of bioactive substances with prescribed
      medication, both health professionals and consumers will be increasingly aware of
      interactions and these interactive adverse effects can be prevented. 

PMID- 26482405
TI  - Effects of dimethoate in male mice reproductive parameters.
AB  - The aim of the current study was to investigate the ability of dimethoate (DMT)
      to induce reprotoxicity in male mice. The dose (20 mg/kg/day) was given orally
      for 30 days. A significant decrease in sperm count, motility and viability and a
      significant increase of morphologically abnormal spermatozoa percent in DMT
      treated mice was observed. Testicular Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and
      Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activities were inhibited. Also, a significant
      increase in lipid peroxidation level and a significant decrease in the activities
      of antioxidant enzymes were observed in testis of DMT mice. In addition, gene
      expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4) was quantified in RNA samples
      extracted from the testis by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain
      reaction (RT-PCR). Compared with control, mRNA expression of GPx4 was slightly
      decreased after DMT-exposure.

PMID- 26482406
TI  - Health and human rights in Canada: a global concern.

PMID- 26482407
TI  - The effect of chorionic villus sampling on the fraction of cell-free fetal DNA in
      maternal plasma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess whether the fraction of cell-free fetal DNA
      (cffDNA) is different at 24 h or 7 days after chorionic villus sampling (CVS),
      compared to subjects that do not undergo CVS. METHODS: Pregnant women undergoing
      CVS for genetic testing and matched subjects undergoing first trimester combined
      screening alone were enrolled between 11(0/7) and 13(6/7) weeks gestation. The
      fractions of cffDNA were compared before the procedure, 24 h after and 7 days
      after between CVS patients and ultrasound-only patients. RESULTS: Forty-five
      women underwent CVS and 45 had ultrasound alone. The women undergoing CVS were,
      on average, older (36.8 years versus 28.5 years, p=0.001) and had a higher
      baseline fraction of cffDNA than women in the comparison group (11.4% versus
      9.8%, p=0.033). Both groups had a decrease in the mean fraction of cffDNA after
      24 h. After 7 days, the trend of the mean fraction of cffDNA continued to decline
      in the CVS group but began to trend toward an increase in the ultrasound only
      group. CONCLUSIONS: CVS does not significantly increase the fraction of cell free
      fetal (placental) DNA in the maternal plasma. A downward trend in cffDNA in
      maternal plasma is seen at 24 h and 7 days following CVS compared to baseline.

PMID- 26482408
TI  - Oral Immunization with a Recombinant Lactococcus lactis-Expressing HIV-1 Antigen
      on Group A Streptococcus Pilus Induces Strong Mucosal Immunity in the Gut.
AB  - The induction of a potent humoral and cellular immune response in mucosal tissue
      is important for the development of an effective HIV vaccine. Most of the current
      HIV vaccines under development use the i.m. route for immunization, which is
      relatively poor in generating potent and long-lived mucosal immune responses. In
      this article, we explore the ability of an oral vaccination with a probiotic
      organism, Lactococcus lactis, to elicit HIV-specific immune responses in the
      mucosal and systemic compartments of BALB/c mice. We expressed the HIV-1 Gag-p24
      on the tip of the T3 pilus of Streptococcus pyogenes as a fusion to the Cpa
      protein (LL-Gag). After four monthly LL-Gag oral immunizations, we observed
      strong Gag-specific IgG and IgA responses in serum, feces, and vaginal
      secretions. However, the Gag-specific CD8 T cell responses in the blood were at
      or below our detection limit. After an i.m. modified vaccinia Ankara/Gag boost,
      we observed robust Gag-specific CD8 T cell responses both in systemic and in
      mucosal tissues, including intraepithelial and lamina propria lymphocytes of the
      small intestine, Peyer's patches, and mesenteric lymph nodes. Consistent with
      strong immunogenicity, the LL-Gag induced activation of CD11c(+) CD11b(+)
      dendritic cells in the Peyer's patches after oral immunization. Our results
      demonstrate that oral immunization with L. lactis expressing an Ag on the tip of
      the group A Streptococcus pilus serves as an excellent vaccine platform to induce
      strong mucosal humoral and cellular immunity against HIV. 

PMID- 26482409
TI  - Combination Therapy Using IL-2/IL-2 Monoclonal Antibody Complexes, Rapamycin, and
      Islet Autoantigen Peptides Increases Regulatory T Cell Frequency and Protects
      against Spontaneous and Induced Type 1 Diabetes in Nonobese Diabetic Mice.
AB  - Regulatory T cells (Treg) play a crucial role in the maintenance of self
      tolerance. In this study, we sought to expand Ag-specific Tregs in vivo and
      investigate whether the expanded Tregs can prevent or delay the development of
      type 1 diabetes (T1D) in the NOD mouse model. NOD mice were treated with a
      combination of IL-2/anti-IL-2 Ab complex, islet Ag peptide, and rapamycin. After
      the combined treatment, CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) Tregs were significantly expanded
      in vivo, they expressed classical Treg markers, exerted enhanced suppressive
      functions in vitro, and protected against spontaneous development of T1D in NOD
      mice. Moreover, treated mice were almost completely protected from the adoptively
      transferred, aggressive form of T1D caused by in vitro-activated cytotoxic islet
      Ag-specific CD8 T cells. Protection from T1D was transferrable by Tregs and could
      be attributed to reduced islet infiltration of immune cells as well as the
      skewing of the immune response toward a Th2 cytokine profile. This new method of
      peripheral immune regulation could potentially contribute to development of novel
      immunotherapeutic strategies to prevent the development of T1D or to promote
      tolerance to islet transplants without using immunosuppressive drugs for long
      terms. 

PMID- 26482410
TI  - Erratum to: Intensive care medicine curricula in Europe: docendo discimus.

PMID- 26482411
TI  - Citrate versus heparin anticoagulation for continuous renal replacement therapy:
      an updated meta-analysis of RCTs.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect and safety of
      citrate versus heparin anticoagulation for continuous renal replacement therapy
      (CRRT) in critically ill patients by performing a meta-analysis of updated
      evidence. METHODS: Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched for
      eligible studies, and manual searches were also performed to identify additional
      trials. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of citrate
      versus heparin anticoagulation for CRRT were considered eligible for inclusion.
      RESULTS: Eleven RCTs with 992 patients and 1998 circuits met the inclusion
      criteria. Heparin was regionally delivered in two trials and systemically
      delivered in nine trials. Citrate for CRRT significantly reduced the risk of
      circuit loss compared to regional (HR 0.52, 95 % CI 0.35-0.77, P = 0.001) and
      systemic (HR 0.76, 95 % CI 0.59-0.98, P = 0.04) heparin. Citrate also reduced the
      incidence of filter failure (RR 0.70, 95 % CI 0.50-0.98, P = 0.04). The citrate
      group had a significantly lower bleeding risk than the systemic heparin group (RR
      0.36, 95 % CI 0.21-0.60, P < 0.001) and a similar bleeding risk to the regional
      heparin group (RR 0.34, 95 % CI 0.01-8.24, P = 0.51). The incidences of heparin
      induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) and hypocalcemia were increased in the heparin and
      citrate groups, respectively. No significant survival difference was observed
      between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Given the lower risk of circuit loss, filter
      failure, bleeding, and HIT, regional citrate should be considered a better
      anticoagulation method than heparin for CRRT in critically ill patients without
      any contraindication.

PMID- 26482412
TI  - Neonatal withdrawal syndrome: reaching epidemic proportions across the globe.

PMID- 26482413
TI  - Vaccination Programs for Endemic Infections: Modelling Real versus Apparent
      Impacts of Vaccine and Infection Characteristics.
AB  - Vaccine effect, as measured in clinical trials, may not accurately reflect
      population-level impact. Furthermore, little is known about how sensitive
      apparent or real vaccine impacts are to factors such as the risk of re-infection
      or the mechanism of protection. We present a dynamic compartmental model to
      simulate vaccination for endemic infections. Several measures of effectiveness
      are calculated to compare the real and apparent impact of vaccination, and assess
      the effect of a range of infection and vaccine characteristics on these measures.
      Although broadly correlated, measures of real and apparent vaccine effectiveness
      can differ widely. Vaccine impact is markedly underestimated when primary
      infection provides partial natural immunity, when coverage is high and when post
      vaccination infectiousness is reduced. Despite equivalent efficacy, 'all or
      nothing' vaccines are more effective than 'leaky' vaccines, particularly in
      settings with high risk of re-infection and transmissibility. Latent periods
      result in greater real impacts when risk of re-infection is high, but this effect
      diminishes if partial natural immunity is assumed. Assessments of population
      level vaccine effects against endemic infections from clinical trials may be
      significantly biased, and vaccine and infection characteristics should be
      considered when modelling outcomes of vaccination programs, as their impact may
      be dramatic. 

PMID- 26482414
TI  - Coupling and electrical control of structural, orbital and magnetic orders in
      perovskites.
AB  - Perovskite oxides are already widely used in industry and have huge potential for
      novel device applications thanks to the rich physical behaviour displayed in
      these materials. The key to the functional electronic properties exhibited by
      perovskites is often the so-called Jahn-Teller distortion. For applications, an
      electrical control of the Jahn-Teller distortions, which is so far out of reach,
      would therefore be highly desirable. Based on universal symmetry arguments, we
      determine new lattice mode couplings that can provide exactly this paradigm, and
      exemplify the effect from first-principles calculations. The proposed mechanism
      is completely general, however for illustrative purposes, we demonstrate the
      concept on vanadium based perovskites where we reveal an unprecedented orbital
      ordering and Jahn-Teller induced ferroelectricity. Thanks to the intimate
      coupling between Jahn-Teller distortions and electronic degrees of freedom, the
      electric field control of Jahn-Teller distortions is of general relevance and may
      find broad interest in various functional devices. 

PMID- 26482415
TI  - Morphology-controlled construction of hierarchical hollow hybrid SnO2@TiO2
      nanocapsules with outstanding lithium storage.
AB  - A novel synthesis containing microwave-assisted HCl etching reaction and
      precipitating reaction is employed to prepare hierarchical hollow SnO2@TiO2
      nanocapsules for anode materials of Li-ion batteries. The intrinsic hollow
      nanostructure can shorten the lengths for both ionic and electronic transport,
      enlarge the electrode surface areas, and improving accommodation of the anode
      volume change during Li insertion/extraction cycling. The hybrid multi-elements
      in this material allow the volume change to take place in a stepwise manner
      during electrochemical cycling. In particular, the coating of TiO2 onto SnO2 can
      enhance the electronic conductivity of hollow SnO2 electrode. As a result, the as
      prepared SnO2@TiO2 nanocapsule electrode exhibits a stably reversible capacity of
      770 mA hg(-1) at 1 C, and the capacity retention can keep over 96.1% after 200
      cycles even at high current rates. This approach may shed light on a new avenue
      for the fast synthesis of hierarchical hollow nanocapsule functional materials
      for energy storage, catalyst and other new applications. 

PMID- 26482416
TI  - Bioremediation techniques applied to aqueous media contaminated with mercury.
AB  - In recent years, the environmental and human health impacts of mercury
      contamination have driven the search for alternative, eco-efficient techniques
      different from the traditional physicochemical methods for treating this metal.
      One of these alternative processes is bioremediation. A comprehensive analysis of
      the different variables that can affect this process is presented. It focuses on
      determining the effectiveness of different techniques of bioremediation, with a
      specific consideration of three variables: the removal percentage, time needed
      for bioremediation and initial concentration of mercury to be treated in an
      aqueous medium.

PMID- 26482418
TI  - Uptake of a newly implemented advance care planning program in a dementia
      diagnostic service.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advance care planning (ACP) provides a framework for discussion and
      documentation of future care preferences when a person loses cognitive capacity.
      It can assist people in the early stages of dementia to document their
      preferences for care at later stages of the illness. METHOD: A three-stage
      project introduced ACP to clients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or
      recently diagnosed dementia and their families through a specialist memory
      clinic. Over 8 months, all English-speaking clients (n = 97) and carers (n = 92)
      were mailed a survey assessing completed documentation for future care;
      understanding of the principles of ACP and willingness to get further information
      about ACP (Stage 1). Participants wanting more information were invited to a
      seminar introducing the ACP program and service (Stage 2). Participants wanting
      to complete ACP documentation could make an appointment with the ACP clinicians
      (Stage 3). RESULTS: Forty-eight (52.2%) carers and 34 clients (35.1%) responded
      to the survey. Most clients (62.1%) and carers (79.1%) expressed interest in ACP,
      and 78.6% of clients and 63.6% of carers believed that clients should be involved
      in their future medical decisions. Nine clients (26.5%; diagnoses: MCI = 5; AD =
      3; mixed dementia = 1) and 9 carers (18.8%) attended the seminars, and 2/48 (4%)
      carers and 3/34 (8.8%) clients (diagnoses: MCI = 2; AD = 1) completed ACP.
      CONCLUSION: Despite initial interest, ACP completion was low. The reasons for
      this need to be determined. Approaches that may better meet the needs of people
      newly diagnosed with MCI and dementia are discussed.

PMID- 26482417
TI  - Integration of genome-wide association and extant brain expression QTL identifies
      candidate genes influencing prepulse inhibition in inbred F1 mice.
AB  - Genetic association mapping in structured populations of model organisms can
      offer a fruitful complement to human genetic studies by generating new biological
      hypotheses about complex traits. Here we investigated prepulse inhibition (PPI),
      a measure of sensorimotor gating that is disrupted in a number of psychiatric
      disorders. To identify genes that influence PPI, we constructed a panel of half
      sibs by crossing 30 females from common inbred mouse strains with inbred C57BL/6J
      males to create male and female F1 offspring. We used publicly available single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype data from these inbred strains to perform
      a genome-wide association scan using a dense panel of over 150,000 SNPs in a
      combined sample of 604 mice representing 30 distinct F1 genotypes. We identified
      two independent PPI-associated loci on Chromosomes 2 and 7, each of which
      explained 12-14% of the variance in PPI. Searches of available databases did not
      identify any plausible causative coding polymorphisms within these loci. However,
      previously collected expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) data from
      hippocampus and striatum indicated that the SNPs on Chromosomes 2 and 7 that
      showed the strongest association with PPI were also strongly associated with
      expression of several transcripts, some of which have been implicated in human
      psychiatric disorders. This integrative approach successfully identified a
      focused set of genes which can be prioritized for follow-up studies. More
      broadly, our results show that F1 crosses among common inbred strains can be used
      in combination with other informatics and expression datasets to identify
      candidate genes for complex behavioral traits.

PMID- 26482419
TI  - Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) Reduces Rotenone Effect on Stallion Sperm-Zona
      Pellucida Heterologous Binding.
AB  - Stallion spermatozoa are highly dependent on oxidative phosphorylation for ATP
      production to achieve normal sperm function and to fuel the motility. The aim of
      this study was to evaluate the response of equine sperm under capacitating
      conditions to the inhibition of mitochondrial complex I by rotenone and to test
      whether epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a natural polyphenol component of
      green tea, could counteract this effect. After 2-h incubation of stallion
      spermatozoa in modified Tyrode's medium, rotenone (100 nm, 500 nm and 5 MUm) and
      EGCG (10, 20 and 60 MUm), alone or in combination, did not induce any significant
      difference on the percentage of viable cells, live sperm with active mitochondria
      and spermatozoa with intact acrosome. The inhibition of complex I of
      mitochondrial respiratory chain of stallion sperm with rotenone exerted a
      negative effect on heterologous ZP binding ability. EGCG at the concentrations of
      10 and 20 MUm (but not of 60 MUm) induced a significant increase in the number of
      sperm bound to the ZP compared with that for control. Moreover, when stallion
      sperm were treated with rotenone 100 nm, the presence of EGCG at all the
      concentrations tested (10, 20 and 60 MUm) significantly increased the number of
      sperm bound to the ZP up to control levels, suggesting that this green tea
      polyphenol is able to reduce the toxicity of rotenone.

PMID- 26482420
TI  - An introduction to the partial least squares approach to structural equation
      modelling: a method for exploratory psychiatric research.
AB  - In psychiatry and psychology, relationship patterns connecting disorders and risk
      factors are always complex and intricate. Advanced statistical methods have been
      developed to overcome this issue, the most common being structural equation
      modelling (SEM). The main approach to SEM (CB-SEM for covariance-based SEM) has
      been widely used by psychiatry and psychology researchers to test whether a
      comprehensive theoretical model is compatible with observed data. While the
      validity of this approach method has been demonstrated, its application is
      limited in some situations, such as early-stage exploratory studies using small
      sample sizes. The partial least squares approach to SEM (PLS-SEM) has risen in
      many scientific fields as an alternative method that is especially useful when
      sample size restricts the use of CB-SEM. In this article, we aim to provide a
      comprehensive introduction to PLS-SEM intended to CB-SEM users in psychiatric and
      psychological fields, with an illustration using data on suicidality among
      prisoners. Researchers in these fields could benefit from PLS-SEM, a promising
      exploratory technique well adapted to studies on infrequent diseases or specific
      population subsets. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26482421
TI  - The 5-HT7 receptor triggers cerebellar long-term synaptic depression via PKC
      MAPK.
AB  - The 5-HT7 receptor (5-HT7R) mediates important physiological effects of
      serotonin, such as memory and emotion, and is emerging as a therapeutic target
      for the treatment of cognitive disorders and depression. Although previous
      studies have revealed an expression of 5-HT7R in cerebellum, particularly at
      Purkinje cells, its functional role and signaling mechanisms have never been
      described. Using patch-clamp recordings in cerebellar slices of adult mice, we
      investigated the effects of a selective 5-HT7R agonist, LP-211, on the main
      plastic site of the cerebellar cortex, the parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapse.
      Here we show that 5-HT7R activation induces long-term depression of parallel
      fiber-Purkinje cell synapse via a postsynaptic mechanism that involves the PKC
      MAPK signaling pathway. Moreover, a 5-HT7R antagonist abolished the expression of
      PF-LTD, produced by pairing parallel fiber stimulation with Purkinje cell
      depolarization; whereas, application of a 5-HT7R agonist impaired LTP induced by
      1 Hz parallel fiber stimulation. Our results indicate for the first time that 5
      HT7R exerts a fine regulation of cerebellar bidirectional synaptic plasticity
      that might be involved in cognitive processes and neuropsychiatric disorders
      involving the cerebellum.

PMID- 26482422
TI  - Milnacipran for pain in fibromyalgia in adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review published
      in Issue 3, 2012. That review considered both fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain,
      but the efficacy of milnacipran for neuropathic pain is now dealt with in a
      separate review.Milnacipran is a serotonin-norepinephrine (noradrenaline)
      reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) that is licensed for the treatment of fibromyalgia in
      some countries, including Canada, Russia, and the United States. OBJECTIVES: To
      assess the analgesic efficacy of milnacipran for pain in fibromyalgia in adults
      and the adverse events associated with its use in clinical trials. SEARCH
      METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials
      (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, and EMBASE to 18 May 2015, together with reference lists of
      retrieved papers and reviews, and two clinical trial registries. For the earlier
      review, we also contacted the manufacturer. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included
      randomised, double-blind studies of eight weeks' duration or longer, comparing
      milnacipran with placebo or another active treatment in fibromyalgia in adults.
      DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We extracted efficacy and adverse event data, and
      two review authors examined issues of study quality independently. MAIN RESULTS:
      We identified one new study with 100 participants for the pooled analysis. We
      identified two additional reports of a study using an enriched enrolment
      randomised withdrawal (EERW) design that included participants from earlier
      randomised controlled trials and an open-label study. Because this study used the
      same participants already included in our main analysis, and a different design,
      we dealt with it separately.The main analysis included six studies (five from the
      earlier review; 4238 participants in total), all of which were placebo
      controlled, and used titration to a target dose of milnacipran 100 or 200 mg,
      with assessment after 8 to 24 weeks of stable treatment. There were no studies
      with active comparators. Study quality was generally good, although the
      imputation method used in analyses of the primary outcomes could overestimate
      treatment effect.Both doses of milnacipran provided moderate levels of pain
      relief (at least 30% pain intensity reduction) to about 40% of participants
      treated, compared to 30% with placebo, giving a number needed to treat for an
      additional beneficial outcome (NNT) of 6 to 10 (high quality evidence). Using a
      stricter definition for responder and a more conservative method of analysis gave
      lower levels of response (while maintaining a 10% difference between milnacipran
      and placebo) and increased the NNT to 11 (high quality evidence). One EERW study
      was broadly supportive.Adverse events were common in both milnacipran (86%) and
      placebo (78%) groups (high quality evidence), but serious adverse events did not
      differ between groups (less than 2%) (low quality evidence). Nausea,
      constipation, and headache were the most common events showing the greatest
      difference between groups (number needed to treat for an additional harmful
      outcome (NNH) of 5.7 for nausea, 13 for constipation, and 29 for headache)
      (moderate quality evidence).Withdrawals for any reason were more common with
      milnacipran than placebo, and more common with 200 mg (NNH 9) than 100 mg (NNH
      23), compared with placebo. This was largely driven by adverse event withdrawals,
      where the NNH compared with placebo was 14 for 100 mg and 7.0 for 200 mg (high
      quality evidence). Withdrawals due to lack of efficacy were less common with
      milnacipran than placebo but did not differ between doses (number needed to treat
      to prevent an additional unwanted outcome (NNTp) of 41) (moderate quality
      evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The evidence available indicates that
      milnacipran 100 mg or 200 mg is effective for a minority in the treatment of pain
      due to fibromyalgia, providing moderate levels of pain relief (at least 30%) to
      about 40% of participants, compared with about 30% with placebo. There were
      insufficient data to assess substantial levels of pain relief (at least 50%), and
      the use of last observation carried forward imputation may overestimate drug
      efficacy. Using stricter criteria for 'responder' and a more conservative method
      of analysis gave lower response rates (about 26% with milnacipran versus 17% with
      placebo). Milnacipran was associated with increased adverse events and adverse
      event withdrawals, which were significantly greater for the higher dose.

PMID- 26482423
TI  - Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Romania: a single-centre experience.
AB  - Epidemiologic studies of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in Eastern Europe are scarce
      in the literature. We report the experience of the "Ion Chiricuta" Institute of
      Oncology in Cluj-Napoca (IOCN), Romania, in the diagnosis and outcome of patients
      with NHL. We studied 184 consecutive NHL patients diagnosed in the Pathology
      Department of IOCN during the years 2004-2006. We also obtained epidemiological
      data from the Northwestern (NW) Cancer Registry. In the IOCN series, the most
      common lymphoma subtype was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (43.5%), followed by
      the chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (21.2%). T-cell
      lymphomas represented a small proportion (8.2%). The median age of the patients
      was 57 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 0.94. Patients with indolent B-cell
      lymphomas had the best overall survival, whereas those with mantle cell lymphoma
      had the worst survival. The NW Cancer Registry data showed that the occurrence of
      NHL in the NW region of Romania was higher in men [world age-standardized
      incidence rate/100 000 (ASR)-5.9; 95% CI 5.1-6.6] than in women (ASR-4.1; 95% CI
      3.5-4.7) with age-standardized male-to-female ratio of 1.44 (p = 0.038). Chronic
      lymphocytic leukaemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma was the most common NHL in the
      NW region of Romania, accounting for 43% of all cases, followed by diffuse large
      B-cell lymphoma (36%). The 5-year, age-standardized cumulative relative survival
      for NHL in the County of Cluj in NW Romania, for the period of 2006-2010, was
      51.4%, with 58.4% survival for men and 43.2% for women. Additional studies of NHL
      in Eastern Europe are needed. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26482424
TI  - Distinct kinetics of DNA repair protein accumulation at DNA lesions and cell
      cycle-dependent formation of gammaH2AX- and NBS1-positive repair foci.
AB  - BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The DNA damage response is a fundamental, well-regulated
      process that occurs in the genome to recognise DNA lesions. Here, we studied
      kinetics of proteins involved in DNA repair pathways and their recruitment to DNA
      lesions during the cell cycle. In non-irradiated and irradiated cells, we
      analysed the distribution pattern and spatiotemporal dynamics of gammaH2AX,
      53BP1, BMI1, MDC1, NBS1, PCNA, coilin and BRCA1 proteins. RESULTS: We observed
      that spontaneous and irradiation-induced foci (IRIF) demonstrated a high
      abundance of phosphorylated H2AX, which was consistent with 53BP1 and BMI1
      protein accumulation. However, NBS1 and MDC1 proteins were recruited to nuclear
      bodies (NBs) to a lesser extent. Irradiation by gamma-rays significantly
      increased the number of 53BP1- and gammaH2AX-positive IRIF, but cell cycle
      dependent differences were only observed for gammaH2AX-positive foci in both non
      irradiated and gamma-irradiated cells. In non-irradiated cells, the G2 phase was
      characterised by an increased number of spontaneous gammaH2AX-foci; this increase
      was more pronounced after gamma-irradiation. Cells in G2 phase had the highest
      number of gammaH2AX-positive foci. Similarly, gamma-irradiation increased the
      number of NBS1-positive NBs only in G2 phase. Moreover, NBS1 accumulated in
      nucleoli after gamma-irradiation showed the slowest recovery after
      photobleaching. Analysis of protein accumulation kinetics at locally induced DNA
      lesions showed that in HeLa cells, BMI1, PCNA and coilin were rapidly recruited
      to the lesions, 10-15 s after UVA-irradiation, whereas among the other proteins
      studied, BRCA1 demonstrated the slowest recruitment: BRCA1 appeared at the lesion
      20 min after local micro-irradiation by UVA laser. CONCLUSION: We show that the
      kinetics of the accumulation of selected DNA repair-related proteins is protein
      specific at locally induced DNA lesions, and that the formation of gammaH2AX- and
      NBS1-positive foci, but not 53BP1-positive NBs, is cell cycle dependent in HeLa
      cells. Moreover, gammaH2AX is the most striking protein present not only at DNA
      lesions, but also spreading out in their vicinity. SIGNIFICANCE: Our conclusions
      highlight the significant role of the spatiotemporal dynamics of DNA repair
      related proteins and their specific assembly/disassembly at DNA lesions, which
      can be cell type- and cell cycle dependent.

PMID- 26482425
TI  - Does metabolic syndrome impact cognition and emotion in Alzheimer's disease?

PMID- 26482426
TI  - Outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve implantation in high surgical risk and
      inoperable patients with aortic stenosis: a single Australian Centre experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Degenerative aortic stenosis is the most common valvular heart
      disease in the elderly, and many patients are not suitable for aortic valve
      replacement surgery. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a new
      therapeutic option for selected patients at high risk for surgery. AIM: To
      evaluate the safety and efficacy of TAVI in Australian patients. METHODS: This is
      a prospective study of patients undergoing TAVI for severe symptomatic aortic
      stenosis at The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Australia between August 2008
      and July 2013. Patients were at high risk of surgical aortic valve replacement,
      or inoperable, as deemed by a multidisciplinary 'heart team'. Outcomes include
      procedural success and complications, 30-day and 1-year mortality and stroke,
      combined end-points as outlined by the Valve Academic Research Consortium 2
      consensus document. RESULTS: Two hundred and nine patients underwent TAVI during
      the study period. The mean age was 83.7 +/- 6.7 years, and 101 (48%) were men.
      The valve systems utilised were as follows: Edwards-SAPIEN valve in 104 (49.5%),
      Medtronic CoreValve in 86 (41.2%) and Boston Scientific Lotus valve in 19 (9.3%)
      patients. Thirty-day and 1-year mortality rates were 5.7% and 11.5% respectively.
      Thirty-day and 1-year stroke rates were 4.3% and 6.2% respectively. The composite
      end-points of device success, early safety and clinical efficacy occurred in
      80.4%, 27.3% and 68.4%. CONCLUSIONS: TAVI with various valve systems, delivered
      through several approaches, is feasible in high surgical risk and inoperable
      patients with severe aortic stenosis, with acceptable outcomes at short-term and
      intermediate-term follow up.

PMID- 26482427
TI  - Initiative is launched to map state level disease burden in India.

PMID- 26482428
TI  - Evaluation of illness severity scoring systems and risk prediction in vascular
      intensive care admissions.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study examines the predictive value of intensive care unit
      (ICU) scoring systems in a vascular ICU population. METHODS: From April 2005 to
      September 2011, we examined 363 consecutive ICU admissions. Simplified Acute
      Physiology Score II (SAPS II), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II
      (APACHE II), APACHE IV, Multiple Organ Dysfunction Score (MODS), organ
      dysfunctions and/or infection (ODIN), mortality prediction model (MPM) and
      physiologic and operative severity score for the enumeration of mortality and
      morbidity (POSSUM) were calculated. The Glasgow Aneurysm Score (GAS) was
      calculated for patients with aneurysm-related admissions. RESULTS: Overall
      mortality for complex vascular intervention was 11.6%. At admission, the areas
      under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) was 0.884 for SAPS II,
      0.894 for APACHE II, 0.895 for APACHE IV, 0.902 for MODS, 0.891 for ODIN and
      0.903 for MPM. At 24 h, model discrimination was best for POSSUM (AUC = 0.906)
      and MPM (AUC = 0.912). CONCLUSION: The good discrimination of these scoring
      systems indicates their value as an adjunct to clinical assessment but should not
      be used on an individual basis as a clinical decision-making tool.

PMID- 26482430
TI  - A probable case of congenital syphilis from pre-Columbian Austria.
AB  - This study examines the skeletal remains of a subadult from an archeological site
      in Austria. Radiocarbon dating and archeological attribution indicate that this
      individual is of pre-Columbian origin. Most of the skeleton was recovered, and
      only the teeth and the orbital roofs show changes. Dental defects such as the
      mulberry molar and a tapered, fang-like canine suggest a diagnosis of congenital
      syphilis. This is the first probable case of congenital syphilis from pre
      Columbian Central Europe. Our findings contribute to the pre-Columbian theory,
      offering counter evidence to the assumption that syphilis was carried from
      Columbus' crew from the New to the Old World.

PMID- 26482429
TI  - Biceps femoris late latency responses and the "notching sign" in spasticity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spasticity is a motor impairment due to lesions in the brain and
      spinal cord. Despite being a well-known problem, difficulties remain in the
      assessment of the condition. The electrophysiological and kinesiological
      characteristics of the patellar pendulum changes during the movement triggered by
      the patellar T reflex could be used to assess spasticity. METHODS: Features of
      the patellar pendulum during the patellar T reflex were considered using a
      goniometric approach in spastic patients evaluated with the Ashworth scale.
      Medium and late latency responses in the rectus and biceps femoris muscles were
      examined electrophysiologically. For each pendulum, the maximum angle extension
      during an oscillation of the knee joint, maximal extension time, angular
      velocities of extensions of the knee joint and frequency of motion due to the
      patellar reflex were calculated. The damping of the amplitude in the pendulum was
      calculated. RESULTS: The spasticity group consisted of 65 patients (38 males and
      27 females) with a mean age of 47.6 +/- 14.0 years. The normal control group
      consisted of 25 individuals (19 males and six females) with a mean age of 32.1 +/
      10 years. The biceps and rectus femoris long latency late responses were not
      observed in the normal cases. The biceps femoris medium latency response was
      observed only in 24 % of healthy individuals; conversely, late responses were
      observed in 84 % of patients. Activation of the antagonist muscles at a certain
      level of spasticity created a notching phenomenon. Amplitude of the reflex
      response and mean angular velocity of the first oscillation present in a
      dichotomic nature in the spasticity groups. Frequency of the first pendular
      oscillation increased with the increase of the Ashworth scale, while the damping
      ratio decreased with increasing scale. The Ashworth scale showed a correlation
      with the damping ratio. The damping ratio strongly distinguished the spastic
      subgroups and showed a strong negative correlation with the Ashworth scale.
      CONCLUSIONS: The Ashworth scale presents a good correlation with kinesiological
      parameters, but it is only possible to differentiate normal and spastic cases
      with electrophysiologic parameters. Furthermore, the notching phenomenon could be
      evaluated as a determinant of spasticity.

PMID- 26482432
TI  - Inhalation of Talc Induces Infiltration of Macrophages and Upregulation of
      Manganese Superoxide Dismutase in Rats.
AB  - Talc is a mineral that is widely used in cosmetic products, antiseptics, paints,
      and rubber manufacturing. Although the toxicological effects of talc have been
      studied extensively, until now no detailed inhalation study of talc focusing on
      oxidative stress has been done. This repeated 4 weeks whole-body inhalation
      toxicity study of talc involved Sprague-Dawley rats. Male and female groups of
      rats were exposed to inhaled talc at 0, 5, 50, and 100 mg/m(3) for 6 hours daily,
      5 days/week for 4 weeks. The objective was to identify the 4-week inhalation
      toxicity of talc and investigate antioxidant activity after exposure to talc.
      There were no treatment-related symptoms or mortality in rats treated with talc.
      Glucose (GLU) was decreased significantly in male rats exposed to 50 and 100
      mg/m(3) of talc. Histopathological examination revealed infiltration of
      macrophages on the alveolar walls and spaces near the terminal and respiratory
      bronchioles. In male and female rats exposed to 100 mg/m(3) talc, expression of
      superoxide dismutase 2, a typical biological indicator of oxidative damage, was
      significantly increased. Thus, inhalation of talc induces macrophage aggregations
      and oxidative damage in the lung. 

PMID- 26482431
TI  - Infant adrenocortical reactivity and behavioral functioning: relation to early
      exposure to maternal intimate partner violence.
AB  - Prenatal stress negatively affects fetal development, which in turn may affect
      infant hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation and behavioral
      functioning. We examined effects of exposure to a traumatic stressor in families
      [intimate partner violence (IPV)] on both infants' HPA axis reactivity to stress
      and their internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Infants (n = 182, 50% girls,
      x age = 11.77 months) were exposed to a laboratory challenge task designed to
      induce frustration and anger (i.e. arm restraint). Saliva samples were taken pre
      task and 20 and 40 min post-task and then assayed for cortisol. Mothers reported
      on their pregnancy and postpartum IPV history, current mental health, substance
      use and their infants' behaviors. Structural equation modeling revealed that
      prenatal, but not postnatal, IPV was independently associated with infant
      cortisol reactivity and problem behavior. Maternal mental health predicted infant
      behavioral functioning but not infant HPA axis reactivity. These findings are
      consistent with the prenatal programing hypothesis; that is, early life stress
      affects later risk and vulnerability for altered physiological and behavioral
      regulation. 

PMID- 26482434
TI  - Occurrence of partial RhD alleles in the Tunisian population.

PMID- 26482433
TI  - DNA hypermethylation and decreased mRNA expression of MAL, PRIMA1, PTGDR and
      SFRP1 in colorectal adenoma and cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) development is accompanied by changes in
      expression for several genes; but the details of the underlying regulatory
      procesess remain unknown. Our aims were to assess the role of epigenetic
      processes in tumour formation and to identify characteristic DNA methylation and
      miRNA alterations in the colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence. METHODS: Whole
      genome expression profiling was performed on colonic biopsy samples (49 healthy
      normal, 49 colorectal adenoma (AD), 49 CRC); on laser capture microdissected
      (LCM) epithelial and stromal cells from 6 CRC-normal adjacent tissue (NAT)
      samples pairs, and on demethylated human CRC cell lines using HGU133 Plus 2.0
      microarrays (Affymetrix). Methylation status of genes with gradually altering
      expression along the AD-CRC sequence was further analysed on 10-10 macrodissected
      and 5-5 LCM samples from healthy colon, from adenoma and from CRC biopsy samples
      using bisulfite-sequencing PCR (BS-PCR) followed by pyrosequencing. In silico
      miRNA prediction for the selected genes was performed with miRWALK algorithm,
      miRNA expression was analysed on 3 CRC-NAT sample pairs and 3 adenoma tissue
      samples using the Human Panel I + II (Exiqon). SFRP1 immunohistochemistry
      experiments were performed. RESULTS: A set of transcripts (18 genes including
      MAL, SFRP1, SULT1A1, PRIMA1, PTGDR) showed decreasing expression (p < 0.01) in
      the biopsy samples along the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. Three of those (COL1A2,
      SFRP2, SOCS3) showed hypermethylation and THBS2 showed hypomethylation both in AD
      and in CRC samples compared to NAT, while BCL2, PRIMA1 and PTGDR showed
      hypermethylation only in the CRC group. miR-21 was found to be significantly (p <
      0.01) upregulated in adenoma and tumour samples compared to the healthy colonic
      tissue controls and could explain the altered expression of genes for which DNA
      methylation changes do not appear to play role (e.g. BCL2, MAL, PTGS2).
      Demethylation treatment could upregulate gene expression of genes that were found
      to be hypermethylated in human CRC tissue samples. Decreasing protein levels of
      SFRP1 was also observed along the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. CONCLUSION:
      Hypermethylation of the selected markers (MAL, PRIMA1, PTGDR and SFRP1) can
      result in reduced gene expression and may contribute to the formation of
      colorectal cancer.

PMID- 26482435
TI  - New insights into the genetic diversity of Schistosoma mansoni and S.
      haematobiumin Yemen.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease of great
      importance that remains highly prevalent in Yemen, especially amongst rural
      communities. In order to investigate the genetic diversity of human Schistosoma
      species, a DNA barcoding study was conducted on S. mansoni and S. haematobium in
      Yemen. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect urine and faecal
      samples from 400 children from five provinces in Yemen. The samples were examined
      for the presence of Schistosoma eggs. A partial fragment of the schistosome cox1
      mitochondrial gene was analysed from each individual sample to evaluate the
      genetic diversity of the S. mansoni and S. haematobium infections. The data was
      also analysed together with previous published cox1 data for S. mansoni and S.
      haematobium from Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. RESULTS: Overall, 31.8 % of
      participants were found to be excreting schistosome eggs in either the urine or
      faeces (8.0 % S. mansoni and 22.5 % S. haematobium). Nineteen unique haplotypes
      of S. mansoni were detected and split into four lineages. Furthermore, nine
      unique haplotypes of S. haematobium were identified that could be split into two
      distinct groups. CONCLUSION: This study provides novel and interesting insights
      into the population diversity and structure of S. mansoni and S. haematobium in
      Yemen. The data adds to our understanding of the evolutionary history and
      phylogeography of these devastating parasites whilst the genetic information
      could support the control and monitoring of urogenital and intestinal
      schistosomiasis in these endemic areas.

PMID- 26482436
TI  - Variation by ethnic group in premature mortality risk following self-harm: a
      multicentre cohort study in England.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Incidence and risk factors for self-harm vary according to ethnicity.
      People who self-harm have been shown to have increased risk of premature death,
      but little is known about mortality following self-harm in ethnic minority
      groups. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of self-harm presentations to three
      English cities (Derby, Manchester, Oxford) between 2000 and 2010. We linked to a
      national mortality dataset to investigate premature death in South Asian and
      Black people in comparison with White people to the end of 2012. RESULTS:
      Ethnicity was known for 72% of the 28,512 study cohort members: 88% were White,
      5% were South Asian, and 3% were Black. After adjusting for age, gender and area
      level socioeconomic deprivation, the risk of all-cause mortality was lower in
      South Asian (hazard ratio [HR] 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.42 - 0.62)
      and Black people (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.39 - 0.55) versus White people. Suicide risk
      was significantly lower in Black people (HR 0.43, 95% CI 0.19 - 0.97) than in
      White people. Prevalence of risk factors for premature death, such as previous
      self-harm, psychiatric treatment or concurrent alcohol misuse, was lower in South
      Asian and Black people than in White people. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of death
      following self-harm is lower in South Asian and Black people than White people in
      the UK, and they also have lower prevalence of risk factors for premature death.
      Awareness of both protective and risk factors might help to inform clinical
      decisions following assessment.

PMID- 26482438
TI  - A straightforward method to compute average stochastic oscillations from data
      samples.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many biological systems exhibit sustained stochastic oscillations in
      their steady state. Assessing these oscillations is usually a challenging task
      due to the potential variability of the amplitude and frequency of the
      oscillations over time. As a result of this variability, when several stochastic
      replications are averaged, the oscillations are flattened and can be overlooked.
      This can easily lead to the erroneous conclusion that the system reaches a
      constant steady state. RESULTS: This paper proposes a straightforward method to
      detect and asses stochastic oscillations. The basis of the method is in the use
      of polar coordinates for systems with two species, and cylindrical coordinates
      for systems with more than two species. By slightly modifying these coordinate
      systems, it is possible to compute the total angular distance run by the system
      and the average Euclidean distance to a reference point. This allows us to
      compute confidence intervals, both for the average angular speed and for the
      distance to a reference point, from a set of replications. CONCLUSIONS: The use
      of polar (or cylindrical) coordinates provides a new perspective of the system
      dynamics. The mean trajectory that can be obtained by averaging the usual
      cartesian coordinates of the samples informs about the trajectory of the center
      of mass of the replications. In contrast to such a mean cartesian trajectory, the
      mean polar trajectory can be used to compute the average circular motion of those
      replications, and therefore, can yield evidence about sustained steady state
      oscillations. Both, the coordinate transformation and the computation of
      confidence intervals, can be carried out efficiently. This results in an
      efficient method to evaluate stochastic oscillations.

PMID- 26482437
TI  - beta-Catenin is required for the differentiation of iNKT2 and iNKT17 cells that
      augment IL-25-dependent lung inflammation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cells have been implicated in lung
      inflammation in humans and also shown to be a key cell type in inducing allergic
      lung inflammation in mouse models. iNKT cells differentiate and acquire
      functional characteristics during development in the thymus. However, the
      correlation between development of iNKT cells in the thymus and role in lung
      inflammation remains unknown. In addition, transcriptional control of
      differentiation of iNKT cells into iNKT cell effector subsets in the thymus
      during development is also unclear. In this report we show that beta-catenin
      dependent mechanisms direct differentiation of iNKT2 and iNKT17 subsets but not
      iNKT1 cells. METHODS: To study the role for beta-catenin in lung inflammation we
      utilize mice with conditional deletion and enforced expression of beta-catenin in
      a well-established mouse model for IL-25-dependen lung inflammation. RESULTS:
      Specifically, we demonstrate that conditional deletion of beta-catenin permitted
      development of mature iNKT1 cells while impeding maturation of iNKT2 and 17
      cells. A role for beta-catenin expression in promoting iNKT2 and iNKT17 subsets
      was confirmed when we noted that enforced transgenic expression of beta-catenin
      in iNKT cell precursors enhanced the frequency and number of iNKT2 and iNKT17
      cells at the cost of iNKT1 cells. This effect of expression of beta-catenin in
      iNKT cell precursors was cell autonomous. Furthermore, iNKT2 cells acquired
      greater capability to produce type-2 cytokines when beta-catenin expression was
      enhanced. DISCUSSION: This report shows that beta-catenin deficiency resulted in
      a profound decrease in iNKT2 and iNKT17 subsets of iNKT cells whereas iNKT1 cells
      developed normally. By contrast, enforced expression of beta-catenin promoted the
      development of iNKT2 and iNKT17 cells. It was important to note that the majority
      of iNKT cells in the thymus of C57BL/6 mice were iNKT1 cells and enforced
      expression of beta-catenin altered the pattern to iNKT2 and iNKT17 cells
      suggesting that beta-catenin may be a major factor in the distinct pathways that
      critically direct differentiation of iNKT effector subsets. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, we
      demonstrate that beta-catenin expression in iNKT cell precursors promotes
      differentiation toward iNKT2 and iNKT17 effector subsets and supports enhanced
      capacity to produce type 2 and 17 cytokines which in turn augment lung
      inflammation in mice.

PMID- 26482439
TI  - Sandmeyer-Type Trifluoromethylthiolation and Trifluoromethylselenolation of
      (Hetero)Aromatic Amines Catalyzed by Copper.
AB  - Aromatic and heteroaromatic diazonium salts were efficiently converted into the
      corresponding trifluoromethylthio- or selenoethers by reaction with Me4 NSCF3 or
      Me4 NSeCF3 , respectively, in the presence of catalytic amounts of copper
      thiocyanate. These Sandmeyer-type reactions proceed within one hour at room
      temperature, are applicable to a wide range of functionalized molecules, and can
      optionally be combined with the diazotizations into one-pot protocols. 

PMID- 26482440
TI  - Impaired perception of sincerity after severe traumatic brain injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: People with a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) often experience
      problems understanding non-literal utterances such as sarcasm and lies in dyadic
      exchanges. This study aimed to investigate whether these problems extend to
      settings where speakers vary in their degree of sincerity and whether such
      problems are associated with deficits in social cognitive abilities (emotion
      perception, theory of mind, and self-reported empathy) or cognitive abilities
      (abstract reasoning, working memory, processing speed, attentional switching).
      METHODS: Thirty-one adults with severe TBI (24 males) and 25 demographically
      matched controls (20 males) participated. They watched video vignettes depicting
      four actors volunteering for additional duties. Each speaker made a limited
      verbal response which literally suggested a willingness to be involved, but the
      sincerity with which the response was made was tempered by the actor's emotional
      demeanour. Participants rated each speaker in the vignettes for degree of
      sincerity (0-100%). Standardized measures of cognitive and social cognitive
      function were also taken. RESULTS: Control participants had excellent agreement
      (alpha = .90) in their rankings of actors according to sincerity. TBI
      participants were less consistent (alpha = .65). Overall, they were sensitive to
      decreasing sincerity but generally less accurate than control participants. They
      were poorer at differentiating between levels of sincerity and rated insincere
      expressions as more sincere, although they rated sincere expressions similarly.
      Poorer working memory and poorer social cognition were associated with poorer
      sincerity/sarcasm detection in the participants with TBI, but only social
      cognition was uniquely associated. CONCLUSIONS: Some adults with TBI have
      difficulty assessing the level of sincerity of speakers. Moreover, poorer social
      cognition abilities are associated with this difficulty.

PMID- 26482441
TI  - Chemo-Enzymatic Synthesis of (13)C Labeled Complex N-Glycans As Internal
      Standards for the Absolute Glycan Quantification by Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Methods for the absolute quantification of glycans are needed in glycoproteomics,
      during development and production of biopharmaceuticals and for the clinical
      analysis of glycan disease markers. Here we present a strategy for the chemo
      enzymatic synthesis of (13)C labeled N-glycan libraries and provide an example
      for their use as internal standards in the profiling and absolute quantification
      of mAb glycans by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight
      (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. A synthetic biantennary glycan precursor was (13)C
      labeled on all four amino sugar residues and enzymatically derivatized to produce
      a library of 15 glycan isotopologues with a mass increment of 8 Da over the
      natural products. Asymmetrically elongated glycans were accessible by performing
      enzymatic reactions on partially protected UV-absorbing intermediates, subsequent
      fractionation by preparative HPLC, and final hydrogenation. Using a preformulated
      mixture of eight internal standards, we quantified the glycans in a monoclonal
      therapeutic antibody with excellent precision and speed. 

PMID- 26482443
TI  - Fluorinated counterion-enhanced emission of rhodamine aggregates: ultrabright
      nanoparticles for bioimaging and light-harvesting.
AB  - The key to ultrabright fluorescent nanomaterials is the control of dye emission
      in the aggregated state. Here, lipophilic rhodamine B derivatives are assembled
      into nanoparticles (NPs) using tetraphenylborate counterions with varied
      fluorination levels that should tune the short-range dye ordering. Counterion
      fluorination is found to drastically enhance the emission characteristics of
      these NPs. Highly fluorinated counterions produce 10-20 nm NPs containing >300
      rhodamine dyes with a fluorescence quantum yield of 40-60% and a remarkably
      narrow emission band (34 nm), whereas, for other counterions, aggregation caused
      quenching with a weak broad-band emission is observed. NPs with the most
      fluorinated counterion (48 fluorines) are ~40-fold brighter than quantum dots
      (QD585 at 532 nm excitation) in single-molecule microscopy, showing improved
      photostability and suppressed blinking. Due to exciton diffusion, revealed by
      fluorescence anisotropy, these NPs are efficient FRET donors to single cyanine-5
      acceptors with a light-harvesting antenna effect reaching 200. Finally, NPs with
      the most fluorinated counterion are rather stable after entry into living cells,
      in contrast to their less fluorinated analogue. Thus, the present work shows the
      crucial role of counterion fluorination in achieving high fluorescence brightness
      and photostability, narrow-band emission, efficient energy transfer and high
      intracellular stability of nanomaterials for light harvesting and bioimaging
      applications. 

PMID- 26482442
TI  - Sex-specific regulation of follicle-stimulating hormone secretion by
      synaptotagmin 9.
AB  - The anterior pituitary releases six different hormones that control virtually all
      aspects of vertebrate physiology, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying their
      Ca(2+)-triggered release remain unknown. A subset of the synaptotagmin (syt)
      family of proteins serve as Ca(2+) sensors for exocytosis in neurons and
      neuroendocrine cells, and are thus likely to regulate pituitary hormone
      secretion. Here we show that numerous syt isoforms are highly expressed in the
      pituitary gland in a lobe, and sex-specific manner. We further investigated a
      Ca(2+)-activated isoform, syt-9, and found that it is expressed in a
      subpopulation of anterior pituitary cells, the gonadotropes. Follicle-stimulating
      hormone (FSH) and syt-9 are highly co-localized in female, but not male, mice.
      Loss of syt-9 results in diminished basal and stimulated FSH secretion only in
      females, resulting in alterations in the oestrus cycle. This work uncovers a new
      function for syt-9 and reveals a novel sex difference in reproductive hormone
      secretion. 

PMID- 26482444
TI  - Have a nice trip.

PMID- 26482445
TI  - Election 2015: Vote for public health, says CPHA.

PMID- 26482446
TI  - Rapid endovascular treatment for stroke.

PMID- 26482447
TI  - Ukraine struggles with rise in PTSD.

PMID- 26482448
TI  - Food introduction and allergy prevention in infants.

PMID- 26482449
TI  - Convulsions in a 17-year-old boy after a head injury sustained while playing
      hockey.

PMID- 26482450
TI  - The health legacy of hosting major sporting events.

PMID- 26482451
TI  - Election 2015: party platforms on health issues.

PMID- 26482453
TI  - Prostate Dose-painting Radiotherapy and Radiobiological Guided Optimisation
      Enhances the Therapeutic Ratio.
AB  - AIMS: To describe the treatment of 11 patients with radiobiologically guided dose
      painting radiotherapy and report on toxicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Boost
      volumes were identified with functional magnetic resonance imaging scans in 11
      patients with high-risk prostate cancer. Patients were treated using a dose
      painting approach; the boost dose was limited to 86 Gy in 37 fractions, while
      keeping the rectal normal tissue complication probability to 5-6%. Rotational
      intensity-modulated radiotherapy was used with daily image guidance and fiducial
      markers. RESULTS: The median dose to the prostate (outside the boost volume) and
      urethra was 75.4 Gy/37 fractions (range 75.1-75.8 Gy), whereas the median boost
      dose was 83.4 Gy (range 79.0-87.4 Gy). The tumour control probability (TCP)
      (Marsden model) increased from 71% for the standard plans to 83.6% [76.6-86.8%]
      for the dose-painting boost plans. The mean (Lyman-Kutcher-Burman) normal tissue
      complication probability for rectal bleeding was 5.2% (range 3.3-6.2%) and 5.2%
      for faecal incontinence (range 3.6-7.8%). All patients tolerated the treatment
      well, with a low acute toxicity profile. At a median follow-up of 36 months
      (range 24-50) there was no grade 3 late toxicity. Two patients had grade 2 late
      urinary toxicity (urethral stricture, urinary frequency and urgency), one patient
      had grade 1 and one grade 2 late rectal toxicity. The mean prostate-specific
      antigen at follow-up was 0.81 ng/ml after stopping hormone therapy; one patient
      relapsed biochemically at 32 months (2.70 ng/ml). CONCLUSIONS: The toxicity for
      this radiobiological guided dose-painting protocol was low, but we have only
      treated a small cohort with limited follow-up time. The advantages of this
      treatment approach should be established in a clinical trial.

PMID- 26482452
TI  - Post-radiation Plasma Epstein-Barr Virus DNA and Local Clinical Remission After
      Radical Intensity-modulated Radiation Therapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.
AB  - AIMS: We studied if post-radiation plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA predicted
      local clinical remission after radical intensity-modulated radiation therapy
      (IMRT) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with non
      metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma with baseline and serial plasma EBV DNA were
      treated with radical IMRT +/- adjunct chemotherapy. Eight weeks after IMRT, they
      had plasma EBV DNA and routine six-site random nasopharyngeal biopsies on the
      same day. A repeat biopsy was carried out every 2 weeks if residual tumours were
      noted in previous biopsies until 12 weeks after IMRT when local persistence was
      defined. Correlation of undetectable plasma EBV DNA with local clinical remission
      was carried out. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixty patients with serial plasma EBV
      DNA completed IMRT, after a median follow-up of 3.1 years. Only one (0.4%)
      suffered from local persistence. Area under the curve values of receiver
      operating characteristics of undetectable plasma EBV DNA for negative biopsy at 8
      weeks and local persistence were 0.642 and 0.439, respectively. They increased to
      0.856 (P = 0.007) and 0.952 (P = 0.119), respectively, when combined with age <65
      years and T1/T2 stage. CONCLUSIONS: Post-treatment plasma EBV DNA was not useful
      to predict local clinical remission in this study, probably because of excellent
      local control after IMRT. However, it may serve as a reference for high-risk
      patients treated with older radiation techniques.

PMID- 26482454
TI  - Should Elderly Prostate Cancer Patients with Comorbidity be Spared from Prostate
      Radiation Dose Escalation?

PMID- 26482455
TI  - Suppression of Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, using a 'hot spot'
      approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent changes in climate and human behavior have led to dramatic
      increases in the abundance and geographic expansion of invasive mosquito vectors
      such as Aedes albopictus. Although source reduction has been shown to be
      effective in reducing mosquito populations, thousands of backyards need to be
      inspected during door-to-door campaigns, which is labor intensive and expensive.
      We identified 'hot spots' as high (five or more female or male Ae. albopictus)
      adult mosquito populations at very focal locations. We tested whether hot spot
      source reduction efforts were effective in reducing mosquito populations in the
      early summer season (June to July). RESULTS: Analysis of historical data from the
      study sites indicated the proportion of hot spots in the control site relative to
      the intervention site was much greater in 2011, when hot spot treatments were
      applied to the intervention site, than in 2012, 2013 and 2014 combined, when no
      sites were treated [OR (95% CI) = 3.9 (1.8, 8.5), Z = 3.39, P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: Hot spot treatments can be incorporated into existing integrated
      mosquito management programs to increase effectiveness while reducing the time,
      cost and effort spent on methods such as door-to-door source reduction. Published
      2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the
      USA.

PMID- 26482456
TI  - [Prognostic factors for severe infection after flexible ureteroscopy: Clinical
      interest of urine culture the day before surgery?].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study have been to determine prognostic
      factors for acute pyelonephritis (AP) after flexible ureteroscopy (FU), to assess
      the frequency of readmission for AP and to study the usefulness of urinalysis the
      day before surgery. METHODS: Between 2010 and 2013, 266 patients have had at
      least one ureteroscopy (n=325). All infectious complications and unplanned
      readmissions within the month after FU were retrospectively evaluated. Several
      data have been collected: age, sex, BMI, surgical indication (calculis or tumor),
      number of previous ureteroscopies, number of previous surgeries for calculis,
      stones number, size and location, bilateral interventions, operating time,
      preoperative ureteral stenting, postoperative stenting, hospitalization stay,
      urine culture the day before surgery (j-1) and prescription of antibiotic therapy
      the week before FU. Correlation between these variables and acute pyelonephritis
      (AP) the month following the USSR was tested (StatView 4.5, SAS Institute)
      (P<0.05 significant). RESULTS: We observed 24 postoperative APs (7.4%), 17 prior
      to hospital discharge and 7 requiring rehospitalization. In univariate analysis,
      the significant prognostic factors of postoperative AP have been: stone size (>14
      mm) (P=0.03); operating time (70 minutes) (P<0.005); positive day - 1 urine
      culture (P<0.001); antibiotics treatment the week before FU (P<0.001). In
      multivariate analysis, antibiotics prescription during the week before USSR
      remained significant (P<0.002; RR 5.8 [1.9-15]). CONCLUSION: Acute pyelonephritis
      requiring unplanned admission after ureteroscopy is a rare complication (2.4%).
      Urinalysis one day before ureteroscopy could allow early antibiotic therapy and
      may reduce 63% of unplanned hospital admissions for acute pyelonephritis. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: 5.

PMID- 26482457
TI  - Fat graft-assisted internal auditory canal closure after retrosigmoid transmeatal
      resection of acoustic neuroma: Technique for prevention of cerebrospinal fluid
      leakage.
AB  - The retrosigmoid transmeatal approach remains an important strategy in the
      surgical management of acoustic neuromas. Gross total resection of acoustic
      neuromas requires removal of tumor within the cerebellopontine angle as well as
      tumor involving the internal auditory canal (IAC). Drilling into the petrous bone
      of the IAC can expose petrous air cells, which can potentially result in a
      fistulous tract to the nasopharynx manifesting as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
      rhinorrhea. We describe our method of IAC closure using autologous fat graft and
      assessed the rates of postoperative CSF leakage. We performed a retrospective
      study of 24 consecutive patients who underwent retrosigmoid transmeatal resection
      of acoustic neuroma who underwent our method of fat graft-assisted IAC closure.
      We assessed rates of postoperative CSF leak (incisional leak, rhinorrhea, or
      otorrhea), pseudomeningocele formation, and occurrence of meningitis. Twenty-four
      patients (10 males, 14 females) with a mean age of 47 years (range 18-84)
      underwent fat graft-assisted IAC closure. No lumbar drains were used
      postoperatively. There were no instances of postoperative CSF leak (incisional
      leak, rhinorrhea, or otorrhea), pseudomeningocele formation, or occurrence of
      meningitis. There were no graft site complications. Our results demonstrate that
      autologous fat grafts provide a safe and effective method of IAC defect closure
      to prevent postoperative CSF leakage after acoustic tumor removal via a
      retrosigmoid transmeatal approach. The surgical technique and operative nuances
      are described.

PMID- 26482458
TI  - Isolated bilateral abducens nerve palsy due to an inflammatory process within the
      sella and parasellar regions.
AB  - Isolated bilateral abducens nerve palsy raises concern about a serious
      intracranial condition. Abducens nerve palsy is a common isolated palsy due to
      its susceptibility to injury along its long course. Non-traumatic isolated
      abducens nerve palsy is often caused by a mass that indirectly stretches and
      compresses the nerve. Pathological processes directly causing bilateral isolated
      involvement of the abducens nerve are rare. We describe a 24-year-old man who
      presented with isolated bilateral abducens nerve palsy. Radiological imaging and
      laboratory tests were consistent with an aggressive bacterial infectious process
      located in the sellar region with parasellar extension. If promptly addressed,
      sixth cranial nerve palsy appears to be reversible with aggressive medical
      therapy and endoscopic sinus surgery. 

PMID- 26482459
TI  - Early complications after instrumentation of the lumbar spine using cortical bone
      trajectory technique.
AB  - This retrospective chart review aimed to identify and report on a series of early
      complications that resulted from instrumentation of the lumbar spine using the
      cortical bone trajectory (CBT) technique. CBT technique is a novel method for
      fixation of the lumbar spine. Since it was first described in 2009 this technique
      has gained significant popularity. Here we report a series of early complications
      that have developed in patients who had lumbar spine fusion using the CBT
      technique. A retrospective chart review was performed in which all cases
      utilizing the CBT technique for instrumentation of the lumbar spine by two
      fellowship trained spine surgeons at our institution between July 2012 and May
      2014 were reviewed. Medical records were reviewed to determine the number of
      patients who went on to develop an early complication after instrumentation with
      this technique. An early complication was defined as any of the following
      occurring within 3 months of surgery: (1) early screw loosening confirmed by post
      operative CT scan, (2) evidence of fracture development confirmed by post
      operative CT scan, (3) intra-operatively identified durotomy, (4) superficial or
      deep post-operative infection and (5) neurological injury. A total of 22 cases
      using the CBT technique were performed in our department. Of these cases two
      patients went onto develop early screw loosening, one developed an intra
      operative pars fracture, one developed a dural tear and lastly, one patient
      developed both a pedicle fracture and early screw loosening. At our institution a
      total of five patients thus far have developed early complications after
      undergoing instrumentation of the lumbar spine using the CBT technique between
      2012-2014.

PMID- 26482460
TI  - Successful anterior fusion following posterior cervical fusion for revision of
      anterior cervical discectomy and fusion pseudarthrosis.
AB  - Pseudarthrosis occurs after approximately 2-20% of anterior cervical discectomy
      and fusion (ACDF) procedures; it is unclear if posterior or anterior revision
      should be pursued. In this study, we retrospectively evaluate the outcomes in 22
      patients with pseudarthrosis following ACDF and revision via posterior cervical
      fusion (PCF). Baseline demographics, preoperative symptoms, operative data, time
      to fusion failure, symptoms of pseudarthrosis, and revision method were assessed.
      Fusion outcome and clinical outcome were determined at last follow-up (LFU).
      Thirteen females (59%) and 9 (41%) males experienced pseudarthrosis at a median
      of 11 (range: 3-151)months after ACDF. Median age at index surgery was 51 (range:
      33-67)years. All patients with pseudarthrosis presented with progressive neck
      pain, with median visual analog scale (VAS) score of 8 (range: 0-10), and/or
      myeloradiculopathy. Patients with pseudarthrosis <12 months compared to >12
      months after index surgery were older (p=0.013), had more frequent preoperative
      neurological deficits (p=0.064), and lower baseline VAS scores (p=0.006). Fusion
      was successful after PCF in all patients, with median time to fusion of 10
      (range: 2-14)months. Eighteen patients fused both anteriorly and posteriorly, two
      patients fused anteriorly only, and two patients fused posteriorly only. Median
      VAS neck score at LFU significantly improved from the time of pseudarthrosis
      (p=0.012). While uncommon, pseudarthrosis may occur after ACDF. All patients
      achieved successful fusion after subsequent posterior cervical fusion, with 91%
      fusing a previous anterior pseudarthrosis after posterior stabilization. Neck
      pain significantly improved by LFU in the majority of patients in this study.

PMID- 26482461
TI  - Erythropoietin Attenuates the Memory Deficits in Aging Rats by Rescuing the
      Oxidative Stress and Inflammation and Promoting BDNF Releasing.
AB  - Aging is a natural process accompanied with many disorders, including the memory
      decline. The underlying mechanisms for the age-related memory decline are
      complicated. Previous work suggested that oxidative stress, inflammatory
      disturbance, and the neurotropic absence play important roles in the age-related
      disorders. Thus, to seek a drug to target those abnormalities might be a possible
      protective approach for aging. Here, we reported that supplements with exogenous
      erythropoietin (EPO) for 4 weeks could partially rescue the spatial and fear
      memory impairments in aged rats. The EPO treatment also suppresses the oxidative
      stress and inflammatory response. Most importantly, EPO supplement restores the
      mRNA and protein levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the critical
      neurotropic factor for synaptic plasticity and memory. Our study strongly
      suggests the potential usage of EPO in an anti-aging agent clinically.

PMID- 26482463
TI  - The first case of antithrombin-resistant prothrombin Belgrade mutation in
      Japanese.

PMID- 26482462
TI  - Association of XPD (Lys751Gln) and XRCC1 (Arg280His) gene  polymorphisms in
      myelodysplastic syndrome.
AB  - Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) are heterogeneous hematopoietic disease
      characterized by ineffective haematopoiesis that frequently transforms into acute
      leukaemia. Alterations in many individual biologic pathways have been reported in
      MDS pathophysiology. Disease progression along the MDS, acute myeloid leukemia
      (AML) continuum is believed to be a consequence of stepwise accumulation of DNA
      mutations which infers a defect in DNA repair. The present study investigated the
      association between DNA repair genes (XRCC1, XRCC3, OGG1, XPD and RAD51) and the
      risk of developing MDS. The study was carried out in 92 primary MDS patients. The
      genotyping study was carried out by PCR-RFLP technique. We have studied seven
      single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of five DNA repair genes (XRCC1
      (Arg194Trp, Arg280His, Arg399Gln), XRCC3, XPD, RAD51 and OGG1). Significantly, a
      high frequency of DNA repair gene XRCC1 (Arg280His) (p=0.05) and XPD (Lys751Gln)
      (p=0.01) polymorphism was observed in MDS patients compared to controls. The
      distribution of polymorphisms in MDS subgroups showed a significant association
      of XRCC1 with RAEB I compared to other subgroup. Though a high frequency of XRCC1
      gene polymorphism was observed in farmers and tobacco chewers, it was not
      statistically significant. Our study suggests that XRCC1 (Arg280His) and XPD
      polymorphisms are associated with risk of MDS and XRCC1 polymorphism strongly
      associated with advanced MDS subgroup. Hence, these polymorphisms can be used as
      a prognostic marker in MDS.

PMID- 26482464
TI  - Integrity of blood-brain barrier in primary CNS NK/T cell lymphoma: implications
      in the treatment of other primary CNS lymphomas.

PMID- 26482465
TI  - Angiotensinogen gene polymorphisms and progression of chronic kidney disease in
      ADPKD patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a
      multisystemic and progressive disorder characterized by cyst formation and kidney
      enlargement and ultimately renal failure. Reduction of CKD progression in the
      ADPKD by pharmacological blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system
      (RAAS) using ACE inhibitors indicated the involvement of RAAS pathway in the
      progression of CKD. The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of
      angiotensinogen tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms (AGT tag-SNPs) in progression
      of CKD. METHODS: Twelve AGT tag-SNPs were genotyped in 102 ADPKD patients and 106
      non-ADPKD subjects using FRET-based KASPar method. Genotypes and haplotypes were
      compared between ADPKD and controls. The effect of genotypes and hypertension on
      CKD progression was assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic
      regression. Mantel-Haenszel (M-H) stratified analysis was performed to study the
      interaction between CKD stages and hypertension. RESULTS: Of the twelve tag-SNPs
      analyzed, only rs11122578 SNP deviated Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in controls.
      Significant association between two AGT polymorphisms (rs11122577 and rs4762) and
      ADPKD was observed. Analysis of linkage disequilibrium revealed two haplotype
      blocks and haplotypes are not associated with ADPKD. The univariate analysis
      revealed that the age, hypertension, family history of diabetes and AGT rs4762
      contributed to the progression of CKD in ADPKD. The modifier effect of these
      factors remained even after controlling other variables in multivariate analysis.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study suggest significant association between
      Thr207Met polymorphism of AGT and CKD progression and acts as an effect modifier
      of renal disease progression in ADPKD.

PMID- 26482466
TI  - Magnesium Corrosion Triggered Spontaneous Generation of H2O2 on Oxidized Titanium
      for Promoting Angiogenesis.
AB  - Although the use of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been extensively studied,
      current systems employ external stimuli such as light or electrical energy to
      produce ROS, which limits their practical usage. In this report, biocompatible
      metals were used to construct a novel electrochemical system that can
      spontaneously generate H2O2 without any external light or voltage. The corrosion
      of Mg transfers electrons to Au-decorated oxidized Ti in an energetically
      favorable process, and the spontaneous generation of H2O2 in an oxygen reduction
      reaction was revealed to occur at titanium by combined spectroscopic and
      electrochemical analyses. The controlled release of H2O2 noticeably enhanced in
      vitro angiogenesis even in the absence of growth factors. Finally, a new titanium
      implant prototype was developed by Mg incorporation, and its potential for
      promoting angiogenesis was demonstrated.

PMID- 26482467
TI  - Outcomes of Repeat Boston Type 1 Keratoprosthesis Implantation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the outcomes and prognostic characteristics of patients who
      had a repeat Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis (KPro) implantation. DESIGN:
      Retrospective case series. METHODS: setting: Data regarding preoperative clinical
      and demographic characteristics and postoperative course during initial and
      repeat KPro placement were collected at multiple centers across the country.
      PATIENTS: Forty-eight eyes underwent explantation of KPro owing to complications
      between September 2003 and August 2014 at 5 participating tertiary eye care
      centers in the United States. Of those, 36 eyes that received a subsequent
      replacement device were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual acuity (VA)
      outcomes and postoperative complications. RESULTS: Ocular surface disease was
      significantly more common in eyes that required a device explantation, compared
      to those that retained the device (P < .001). Sixty-seven percent of eyes (24/36)
      achieved VA >= 20/200 vision after the repeat KPro. The probability of these 24
      eyes maintaining VA >= 20/200 after the repeat KPro was 87% at 1 year and 75% at
      2 years. Predictors of the ability to maintain vision >= 20/200 following surgery
      were a better last-recorded vision before explantation (P = .0002) and better
      vision immediately after repeat KPro (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Ocular surface
      disease and its complications were associated with more frequent device removal.
      In these patients, repeat KPro resulted in restoration of vision. A reasonable
      visual acuity prior to device removal was associated with favorable long-term
      postoperative visual acuity and retention.

PMID- 26482468
TI  - Successful Hepatitis C Antiviral Therapy Induces Remission of Type 2 Diabetes: A
      Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is a well described extra-hepatic manifestation of
      hepatitis C infection (HCV). Eradication of HCV has led to improvements in
      insulin resistance but to date has not been shown to induce remission of
      diabetes. CASE REPORT: We report a case of a 49-year-old man with HCV and a 2
      year history of T2DM on oral agents. He was initially treated with peg
      interferon/ribavirin (peg-IFN/rib) but did not achieve a HCV treatment response.
      Four years later he was retreated with peg-IFN/rib plus an HCV protease inhibitor
      (boceprevir). His HbA1c at the start of treatment was 7.9%. Antiviral response to
      HCV-therapy correlated with a significant improvement in glucose control without
      a change in diabetes therapy or improvement in adherence. He achieved a sustained
      virological response and within a year of completing antiviral therapy he no
      longer required medical therapy for diabetes. Two years after the completion of
      HCV treatment, the patient has maintained an HbA1c of 5.8% without any diabetes
      medications. CONCLUSIONS: This case provides evidence of the important
      relationship between HCV and diabetes and highlights the potential reversibility
      of glucose abnormalities with successful eradication of HCV. Increased awareness
      of this association may improve detection of undiagnosed HCV infection, identify
      patients with reversible causes of diabetes, guide therapeutic decisions for HCV
      treatment, and improve outcomes in patients with both diseases.

PMID- 26482469
TI  - Exploring attitudes and opinions of pharmacists toward delivering prescribing
      error feedback: A qualitative case study using focus group interviews.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prescribing error (PE) rates have been extensively reported in the
      literature. Various interventions at reducing PEs have been studied with some
      success, yet PEs continue to be a challenge for the health care system.
      Prescriber feedback has been proposed as one mechanism to reduce PEs in seminal
      studies. Pharmacists are viewed as an integral safety net in intercepting PEs and
      have been suggested as best placed to deliver feedback. However, there is very
      limited literature considering pharmacists; attitudes, views and opinions on
      facilitating PE feedback. OBJECTIVES: To explore the attitudes and views of
      hospital pharmacists in delivering feedback on PEs to prescribers. METHODS:
      Twenty-four pharmacists were recruited for one of four focus groups in a large
      district general hospital in the Northwest of England to explore the views of
      pharmacists to delivering feedback on PEs. Focus groups were transcribed verbatim
      and analyzed using a thematic framework approach to identify current practices,
      beliefs and attitudes of pharmacists toward delivering PE feedback. Transcripts
      were independently analyzed by the research team. RESULTS: Pharmacists' views on
      providing feedback on PEs were organized into eight major themes; Delivery of
      feedback, impact of feedback, prescription error, work environment, feedback
      facilitator, working relationships, education and training, and system
      improvements. Pharmacists recognized that timely feedback on PEs was essential
      for prescribers to learn from their mistakes and to reduce PEs. However, delivery
      of feedback appeared to be inconsistent, influenced by time pressures, workload,
      rapport and PE severity and prescriber availability. Pharmacists reported that
      ward-based pharmacists in particular, were suitable to facilitate PE feedback,
      but expressed concern that the process may adversely affect prescriber-pharmacist
      rapport. Pharmacists reported limited training on delivery of feedback with
      formalized training required for improved consistency, and quality, of
      constructive feedback. CONCLUSIONS: PE feedback should be delivered to
      prescribers with ward-based pharmacists best suited to the role. Both direct and
      indirect benefits of PE feedback were reported, although potential barriers to
      delivering PE feedback were also identified. Pharmacists reported additional
      anxieties that feedback could create tensions and compromise working
      relationships with prescribers. PE feedback could be considered an extension of a
      pharmacist's role and pharmacists welcomed formalization of feedback, but were
      cognizant of the potential impact on their workload and expressed the need for
      training in the delivery of feedback.

PMID- 26482470
TI  - Effect of temperature, food availability, and estradiol injection on
      gametogenesis and gender in the pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera.
AB  - The black-lip pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera is a protandrous hermaphrodite
      species. Its economic value has led to the development of controlled hatchery
      reproduction techniques, although many aspects remain to be optimized. In order
      to understand reproductive mechanisms and their controlling factors, two
      independent experiments were designed to test hypotheses of gametogenesis and sex
      ratio control by environmental and hormonal factors. In one, pearl oysters were
      exposed under controlled conditions at different combinations of temperature (24
      and 28 degrees C) and food level (10,000 and 40,000 cells mL(-1) ); whereas in
      the other, pearl oysters were conditioned under natural conditions into the
      lagoon and subjected to successive 17beta-estradiol injections (100 MUg per
      injection). Gametogenesis and sex ratio were assessed by histology for each
      treatment. In parallel, mRNA expressions of nine marker genes of the sexual
      pathway (pmarg-foxl2, pmarg-c43476, pmarg-c45042, pmarg-c19309, pmarg-c54338,
      pmarg-vit6, pmarg-zglp1, pmarg-dmrt, and pmarg-fem1-like) were investigated.
      Maximum maturation was observed in the treatment combining the highest
      temperature (28 degrees C) and the highest microalgae concentration (40,000 cells
      mL(-1) ), where the female sex tended to be maintained. Injection of 17beta
      estradiol induced a significant increase of undetermined stage proportion 2 weeks
      after the final injection. These results suggest that gametogenesis and gender in
      adult pearl oysters can be controlled by environmental factors and estrogens.
      While there were no significant effects on relative gene expression, the 3-gene
      pair expression ratio model of the sexual pathway of P. margaritifera, suggest a
      probable dominance of genetic sex determinism without excluding a mixed sex
      determination mode (genetic + environmental). J. Exp. Zool. 325A:13-24, 2016. (c)
      2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26482471
TI  - Analysis of the vomeronasal receptor repertoire, expression and allelic diversity
      in swine.
AB  - Here we report a comprehensive analysis of the vomeronasal receptor repertoire in
      pigs. We identified a total of 25 V1R sequences consisting of 10 functional
      genes, 3 pseudogenes, and 12 partial genes, while functional V2R and FPR genes
      were not present in the pig genome. Pig V1Rs were classified into three
      subfamilies, D, F, and J. Using direct high resolution sequencing-based typing of
      all functional V1Rs from 10 individuals of 5 different breeds, a total of 24 SNPs
      were identified, indicating that the allelic diversity of V1Rs is much lower than
      that of the olfactory receptors. A high expression level of V1Rs was detected in
      the vomeronasal organ (VNO) and testes, while a low expression level of V1Rs was
      observed in all other tissues examined. Our results showed that pigs could serve
      as an interesting large animal model system to study pheromone-related
      neurobiology because of their genetic simplicity.

PMID- 26482473
TI  - Can community midwives prevent antenatal depression? An external pilot study to
      test the feasibility of a cluster randomized controlled universal prevention
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Repeated epidemiological surveys show no decline in depression
      although uptake of treatments has grown. Universal depression prevention
      interventions are effective in schools but untested rigorously in adulthood.
      Selective prevention programmes have poor uptake. Universal interventions may be
      more acceptable during routine healthcare contacts for example antenatally. One
      study within routine postnatal healthcare suggested risk of postnatal depression
      could be reduced in non-depressed women from 11% to 8% by giving health visitors
      psychological intervention training. Feasibility and effectiveness in other
      settings, most notably antenatally, is unknown. METHOD: We conducted an external
      pilot study using a cluster trial design consisting of recruitment and enhanced
      psychological training of randomly selected clusters of community midwives
      (CMWs), recruitment of pregnant women of all levels of risk of depression,
      collection of baseline and outcome data prior to childbirth, allowing time for
      women 'at increased risk' to complete CMW-provided psychological support
      sessions. RESULTS: Seventy-nine percent of eligible women approached agreed to
      take part. Two hundred and ninety-eight women in eight clusters participated and
      186 termed 'at low risk' for depression, based on an Edinburgh Perinatal
      Depression Scale (EPDS) score of <12 at 12 weeks gestation, provided baseline and
      outcome data at 34 weeks gestation. All trial protocol procedures were shown to
      be feasible. Antenatal effect sizes in women 'at low risk' were similar to those
      previously demonstrated postnatally. Qualitative work confirmed the acceptability
      of the approach to CMWs and intervention group women. CONCLUSION: A fully powered
      trial testing universal prevention of depression in pregnancy is feasible,
      acceptable and worth undertaking.

PMID- 26482474
TI  - Histologically distinct neuroepithelial tumors with histone 3 G34  mutation are
      molecularly similar and comprise a single nosologic  entity.
AB  - In contrast to the relative morphological uniformity of histone H3 K27-mutant
      high-grade gliomas, H3 G34-mutant tumors present as a histopathologically
      heterogeneous group of neoplasms, with microscopic characteristics typical of
      either glioblastoma (GBM) or central nervous system primitive neuroectodermal
      tumors (CNS-PNET). In the current study, we performed an integrative clinical,
      histopathological and molecular analysis of 81 G34-mutant CNS tumors. Routinely
      prepared tumor tissues were investigated for genomic and epigenomic alterations.
      Despite their divergent histopathological appearance, CNS tumors with H3.3 G34
      mutations displayed uniform epigenetic signatures, suggesting a single biological
      origin. Comparative cytogenetic analysis with other GBM subtypes disclosed a high
      frequency and high specificity of 3q and 4q loss across G34-mutant tumors. PDGFRA
      amplification was more common in cases with GBM than with PNET morphology (36 vs.
      5 %, respectively), while CCND2 amplifications showed the opposite trend (5 vs.
      27 %). Survival analysis revealed the presence of amplified oncogene(s) and MGMT
      methylation as independent prognostic markers for poor and favorable outcomes,
      respectively. No difference in outcome was found between morphological variants
      (GBM vs. PNET). Thus, different histological variants of G34-mutant CNS tumors
      likely comprise a single biological entity (high-grade glioma with H3 G34
      mutation, HGG_G34), which should be outlined in future diagnostic and therapeutic
      classifications. Screening for H3.3 G34 mutation should therefore be recommended
      as a routine diagnostic marker for supratentorial CNS tumors across a broad
      histological spectrum.

PMID- 26482475
TI  - Aberrant hypermethylation of RASSF2 in tumors and peripheral blood DNA as a
      biomarker for malignant progression and poor prognosis of esophageal squamous
      cell carcinoma.
AB  - As a tumor suppressor gene, RAS-association domain family 2 (RASSF2) is
      inactivated by promoter hypermethylation in different tumor cell lines and
      primary tumors. However, the role of RASSF2 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
      (ESCC) has remained uninvestigated. The aims of this study were to determine the
      role and methylation status of RASSF2 in esophageal cancer cell lines, ESCC
      tissues and white blood cells, and to evaluate the potential prognostic role of
      RASSF2 in ESCC. In the present study, we found frequent silencing of RASSF2 and
      up-regulation of the gene by 5-Aza-dC treatment in esophageal cancer cell lines.
      Aberrant methylation of the CpG sites close to the transcription start site
      induced silencing of RASSF2 expression and in vitro methylation of RASSF2 led to
      a significant decrease in luciferase activity. The results were further verified
      in clinical specimens and aberrant methylation of the CpG sites close to the
      transcription start site of RASSF2 was found in ESCC tumor tissues and peripheral
      white blood cells. Furthermore, RASSF2 hypermethylation was associated with lower
      level of RASSF2 expression. ESCC patients in stage III and IV, with negative
      expression or hypermethylation of the CpG sites close to the transcription start
      of RASSF2 demonstrated poor patient survival. Taken together, our results suggest
      that RASSF2 may function as a tumor suppressor gene that is inactivated through
      hypermethylation of CpG sites close to the transcription start site in ESCC and
      its expression or methylation may have prognostic implications for ESCC patients.

PMID- 26482476
TI  - Treatment of brain oligometastases with hypofractionated stereotactic
      radiotherapy utilising volumetric modulated arc therapy.
AB  - Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is commonly used to treat brain metastases,
      particularly in the oligometastatic setting. This study analyses our initial
      experience in treating oligometastatic brain disease using Volumetric Modulated
      Arc Therapy (VMAT) to deliver hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HFSRT).
      Sixty-one patients were treated with HFSRT with a median dose of 24 Gy (range 22
      40 Gy) in a median of three fractions (range 2-10 fractions). With a median
      follow-up of 23 months, the local control rate was 74 % for the entire cohort.
      Local control was 87 % for patients who had surgery with no radiological evidence
      of residual disease followed by HFSRT compared with 69 % in patients treated with
      HFSRT alone. The overall median time post radiotherapy to local failure was 8.6
      months and to extracranial failure was 7.9 months. The mean time to distant brain
      failure was 9.9 months. Twenty-two patients (36 %) died during the study with
      median time to death of 4.4 months. Median overall survival (OS) from treatment
      was 21 months and 12 month OS was 60 %. Our experience with HFSRT using VMAT for
      oligometastatic brain metastases in the post-operative setting demonstrates
      comparable local control and survival rates compared with international published
      data. In the intact brain metastasis setting, local control using the dose levels
      and delivery in this cohort may be inferior to radio-surgical series. Local
      control is independent of histology. Careful selection of patients remains
      critical. 

PMID- 26482477
TI  - Identification of a regulatory element responsible for salt induction of rice
      OsRAV2 through ex situ and in situ promoter analysis.
AB  - Salt is a major environmental stress factor that can affect rice growth and
      yields. Recent studies suggested that members of the AP2/ERF domain-containing
      RAV (related to ABI3/VP1) TF family are involved in abiotic stress adaptation.
      However, the transcriptional response of rice RAV genes (OsRAVs) to salt has not
      yet been fully characterized. In this study, the expression patterns of all five
      OsRAVs were examined under salt stress. Only one gene, OsRAV2, was stably induced
      by high-salinity treatment. Further expression profile analyses indicated that
      OsRAV2 is transcriptionally regulated by salt, but not KCl, osmotic stress, cold
      or ABA (abscisic acid) treatment. To elucidate the regulatory mechanism of the
      stress response at the transcriptional level, we isolated and characterized the
      promoter region of OsRAV2 (P OsRAV2 ). Transgenic analysis indicated that P
      OsRAV2 is induced by salt stress but not osmotic stress or ABA treatment. Serial
      5' deletions and site-specific mutations in P OsRAV2 revealed that a GT-1 element
      located at position -664 relative to the putative translation start site is
      essential for the salt induction of P OsRAV2 . The regulatory function of the GT
      1 element in the salt induction of OsRAV2 was verified in situ in plants with
      targeted mutations generated using the CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly
      interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9) system. Taken
      together, our results indicate that the GT-1 element directly controls the salt
      response of OsRAV2. This study provides a better understanding of the putative
      functions of OsRAVs and the molecular regulatory mechanisms of plant genes under
      salt stress. 

PMID- 26482478
TI  - Functional analysis of NtMPK2 uncovers its positive role in response to
      Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 in tobacco.
AB  - Mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades are highly conserved signaling modules
      downstream of receptors/sensors and play pivotal roles in signaling plant defense
      against pathogen attack. Extensive studies on Arabidopsis MPK4 have implicated
      that the MAP kinase is involved in multilayered plant defense pathways. In this
      study, we identified tobacco NtMPK2 as an ortholog of AtMPK4. Transgenic tobacco
      overexpressing NtMPK2 markedly enhances resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv.
      tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000) virulent and avirulent strains. Transcriptome analysis
      of NtMPK2-dependent genes shows that possibly the basal resistance system is
      activated by NtMPK2 overexpression. In addition to NtMPK2-mediated resistance,
      multiple pathways are involved in response to the avirulent bacteria based on
      analysis of Pst-responding genes, including SA and ET pathways. Notably, it is
      possible that biosynthesis of antibacterial compounds is responsible for
      inhibition of Pst DC3000 avirulent strain when programmed cell death processes in
      the host. Our results uncover that NtMPK2 positively regulate tobacco defense
      response to Pst DC3000 and improve our understanding of plant molecular defense
      mechanism. 

PMID- 26482479
TI  - Arabidopsis KLU homologue GmCYP78A72 regulates seed size in soybean.
AB  - Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the most important crops in the world, and its
      yield is largely determined by grain weight and grain size. However, the genes
      that regulate soybean seed size have not been identified. CYP78A, which is highly
      conserved within terrestrial plants, regulates organ development. In Arabidopsis,
      AtCYP78A5/KLU has been shown to determine seed size. In the present study,
      soybean CYP78A72 (GmCYP78A72), one of the orthologs of KLU, was over-expressed in
      both Arabidopsis and soybean to examine its function in plant development.
      GmCYP78A72 heterologous expression in Arabidopsis resulted in enlarged sepals,
      petals, seeds and carpel. Over-expression of GmCYP78A72 in soybean resulted in
      increased pea size, which is an extremely desirable trait for enhancing
      productivity. Moreover, knock-down of GmCYP78A72 does not reduce grain size.
      However, silencing of GmCYP78A57, GmCYP78A70 and GmCYP78A72 genes in triplet
      reduces the seed size significantly indicating functional redundancy of these
      three GmCYP78A genes. In conclusion, we investigated the role of CYP78A in
      soybean seed regulation, and our strategy can be effectively used to engineer
      large seed traits in soybean varieties as well as other crops. 

PMID- 26482481
TI  - Internal fixation of displaced inferior pole of the patella fractures using
      vertical wiring augmented with Krachow suturing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We present the surgical technique of separate vertical wiring for
      displaced inferior pole fractures of the patella combined with Krachow suture and
      report the surgical outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between September 2007 to
      May 2012, 11 consecutive patients (mean age, 54.6 years) with inferior pole
      fractures of the patella (AO/OTA 34-A1) were retrospectively enrolled in this
      study. Through longitudinal incision, all patients underwent open reduction and
      internal fixation by separate vertical wiring combined with Krackow suture. The
      range of motion, loss of fixation, and Bostman score were primary outcome
      measures. RESULTS: The union time was 10 weeks after surgery on average (range: 8
      12). No patient had nonunion, loss of reduction and wire breakage. There was no
      case of wound problem and irritation from the implant. At final follow-up, the
      average range of motion arc was 129.4 degrees  (range: 120-140). The mean Bostman
      score at last follow-up was 29.6 points (range: 28-30) and graded excellent in
      all cases. CONCLUSION: Separate vertical wiring combined with Krackow suture for
      inferior pole fractures of the patella is a useful technique that is easy to
      perform and can provide stable fixation with excellent results in knee function.

PMID- 26482480
TI  - Cystine accumulation attenuates insulin release from the pancreatic beta-cell due
      to elevated oxidative stress and decreased ATP levels.
AB  - The pancreatic beta-cell has reduced antioxidant defences making it more
      susceptible to oxidative stress. In cystinosis, a lysosomal storage disorder, an
      altered redox state may contribute to cellular dysfunction. This rare disease is
      caused by an abnormal lysosomal cystine transporter, cystinosin, which causes
      excessive accumulation of cystine in the lysosome. Cystinosis associated kidney
      damage and dysfunction leads to the Fanconi syndrome and ultimately end-stage
      renal disease. Following kidney transplant, cystine accumulation in other organs
      including the pancreas leads to multi-organ dysfunction. In this study, a Ctns
      gene knockdown model of cystinosis was developed in the BRIN-BD11 rat clonal
      pancreatic beta-cell line using Ctns-targeting siRNA. Additionally there was
      reduced cystinosin expression, while cell cystine levels were similarly elevated
      to the cystinotic state. Decreased levels of chronic (24 h) and acute (20 min)
      nutrient-stimulated insulin secretion were observed. This decrease may be due to
      depressed ATP generation particularly from glycolysis. Increased ATP production
      and the ATP/ADP ratio are essential for insulin secretion. Oxidised glutathione
      levels were augmented, resulting in a lower [glutathione/oxidised glutathione]
      redox potential. Additionally, the mitochondrial membrane potential was reduced,
      apoptosis levels were elevated, as were markers of oxidative stress, including
      reactive oxygen species, superoxide and hydrogen peroxide. Furthermore, the basal
      and activated phosphorylated forms of the redox-sensitive transcription factor NF
      kappaB were increased in cells with silenced Ctns. From this study, the
      cystinotic-like pancreatic beta-cell model demonstrated that the altered
      oxidative status of the cell, resulted in depressed mitochondrial function and
      pathways of ATP production, causing reduced nutrient-stimulated insulin
      secretion.

PMID- 26482482
TI  - Comparison of the reconstruction trochanteric antigrade nail (TAN) with the
      proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA) in the management of reverse oblique
      intertrochanteric hip fractures.
AB  - Reverse oblique intertrochanteric fractures have unique mechanical
      characteristics and are often treated with intramedullary implants. We compared
      the outcomes of the reconstruction trochanteric antegrade nail (TAN) with the
      proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA). Between July 2008 and February 2014,
      we reviewed all patients with reverse oblique intertrochanteric fractures treated
      at our hospital. Patients with pathological fractures and those who were treated
      with other than TAN and PFNA nailing systems were excluded. Preoperative
      assessment included the Abbreviated mental test score (AMT), the ASA grade, pre
      injury mobility and place of residence. Postoperative outcome measures included
      the type of implant used, time to fracture union, failures of fixation and
      revision surgeries. Fifty-eight patients were included and divided into two
      groups based on the treatment: 22 patients treated with TAN and 36 patients
      treated with PFNA systems. The two groups were well matched with regards to
      demographics and fracture type. The overall union rate was similar in both groups
      but the time to union was shorter in the TAN group. There were 8 implant failures
      in the PFNA (22.2%) group compare to none in the TAN group. Implant failure was
      associated with the severity of fracture (AO 31.A3.3) but was not related to
      fracture malreduction or screw position (Tip-apex-distance). Our study suggests
      that the use of reconstruction system with two screws such as TAN may be more
      suitable implant for reverse oblique intertrochanteric hip fractures. 

PMID- 26482483
TI  - Long-Term Consequences of Acute Kidney Injury After Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic
      Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of acute kidney injury (AKI) associated with
      cardiac surgery on long-term mortality. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta
      analysis of 9 observational studies extracted from the MEDLINE and EMBASE
      electronic databases. SETTING: Hospitals undertaking cardiac surgery.
      PARTICIPANTS: The study included 35,021 cardiac surgery patients from 9
      observational studies. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Nine
      studies including 35,021 patients reported incidence of AKI data. The median
      incidence of AKI was 27.75% (IQR, 16.3%-38.86%). There was significant variation
      in the reported incidence (range, 11.97%-54%), which can be explained by the
      different AKI definitions used in the included studies. Eight studies provided
      adjusted effect size data with 95% confidence intervals on the impact of the
      occurrence of postoperative AKI and long-term mortality outcomes. Occurrence of
      postoperative AKI is associated with a significantly increased risk of long-term
      mortality (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.45-1.95; p<0.00001). Recovery of renal function
      before hospital discharge is associated with a lower long-term mortality risk
      (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.16-1.47; p<0.00001) compared with patients who experienced
      persistent abnormal renal function on hospital discharge (HR, 2.71; 95% CI, 1.26
      5.82; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: There is wide variation in the reported incidence
      of AKI after cardiac surgery, reflecting the different AKI classification systems
      used. AKI after cardiac surgery is associated with an increased risk of long-term
      mortality. Patients with persistent renal dysfunction after hospital discharge
      carry a higher risk of AKI.

PMID- 26482484
TI  - Global Incidence and Outcomes of Adult Patients With Acute Kidney Injury After
      Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To estimate the global incidence and outcomes of acute kidney injury
      (AKI) after cardiac surgery in adult patients. DESIGN: A systematic review and
      meta-analysis. SETTING: Cardiac surgery wards. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients after
      cardiac surgery INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The authors
      searched PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, OVID, and EMBASE databases for
      all articles on cardiac surgery patients published during 2004 to 2014. Meta
      analyses were conducted to generate pooled incidence, mortality, ICU length of
      stay, and length of hospital stay. The authors also described the variations
      according to study design, criteria of AKI, surgical methods, countries,
      continents, and their economies. After a primary and secondary screen, 91
      observational studies with 320,086 patients were identified. The pooled incidence
      rates of AKI were 22.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 19.8 to 25.1) in total and
      13.6%, 3.8%, and 2.7% at stages 1, 2, and 3, respectively, whereas 2.3% of
      patients received renal replacement therapy. The pooled short-term and long-term
      mortality were 10.7% and 30%, respectively, and increased along with the severity
      of stages. The pooled unadjusted odds ratio for short-term and long-term
      mortality in patients with AKI relative to patients without AKI was 0.144 (95%
      CI, 0.108 to 0.192, p<0.001) and 0.342 (95% CI 0.287-0.407, p<0.001),
      respectively. The pooled average ICU length of stay and length of hospital stay
      in the AKI group were 5.4 and 15 days, respectively, while they were 2.2 and 10.5
      days in the no-AKI group. CONCLUSIONS: AKI is a great burden for patients
      undergoing cardiac surgery and can affect short-term and long-term prognoses of
      these patients.

PMID- 26482485
TI  - Severe Mitral Regurgitation Complicating Minimally Invasive Aortic Valve
      Replacement: Is It Functional or Organic?

PMID- 26482486
TI  - [Living Lab MACVIA. Chronic infectious diseases].

PMID- 26482488
TI  - [Living Lab CVA-LR: cerebral vascular accidents in Languedoc-Roussillon].

PMID- 26482489
TI  - [The psychiatric, psychological and addiction evaluation in bariatric surgery
      candidates: What should we assess, why and how?].
AB  - Bariatric surgery is indicated in obese patients with a BMI >= 40 kg/m(2) or >=
      35 kg/m(2) with serious comorbidities, in second intention in patients who failed
      to achieve significant weight loss after a well-managed medical, nutritional and
      psychotherapeutic treatment for 6 to 12 months, and in patients who are aware of
      the consequences of bariatric surgery and who agree with a long term medical and
      surgical follow-up. Such a treatment requires a preoperative multidisciplinary
      assessment and management, which includes a mandatory consultation with a
      psychiatrist or a psychologist that should be member of the multidisciplinary
      staff and participate in these staffs. Although one of this consultation's aim is
      to screen for the few patients who for which surgery is contra-indicated, in most
      cases, the main aim of this assessment is to screen for and manage psychiatric
      and psychopathologic disorders that could be temporary contra-indication, because
      these disorders could lead to poorer postoperative outcome when untreated. By
      explaining to the patient how these disorders could affect postoperative outcome
      and which benefits he could retrieve from their management, the patient will
      increase his motivation for change and he will be more likely to seek
      professional help for these disorders. In all cases, a systematic examination of
      the patient's personality and his/her ability to understand the postoperative
      instructions is essential before surgery because clinicians should check that the
      patient is able to be adherent to postoperative instructions. In addition to
      clinical interview, use of self-administered questionnaires before the
      consultation might help to determine which psychiatric or psychopathologic
      factors should be more closely screened during the consultation. Psychiatric
      disorders and addictions are highly prevalent in this population (e.g., mood and
      anxiety disorders, binge eating disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity
      disorder, addictions, personality disorders, pathological personality traits and
      dimensions), and when untreated, they can lead to poorer postoperative outcome
      (postoperative occurrence of psychiatric disorders, poorer quality of life, and
      sometimes to poorer weight loss or excessive weight rebound when the disorder is
      present during the postoperative period). A complementary training in addiction
      medicine is helpful given the higher risk for addictions in this population.
      Given that this evaluation is often the first meeting with a psychiatrist, an
      empathic and motivational approach is helpful to improve the patient's ability to
      request for a future psychiatric consultation during the follow-up. Some
      conditions are required for a high quality assessment: the objectives and
      expectations of the consultation should be systematically explained to the
      patient prior to the consultation by the physician who enquires for the
      assessment; it needs time; the psychiatrist should systematically be member of
      the multidisciplinary staff and should take part in regular multisciplinary staff
      meetings; patients should be seen alone to assess his/her readiness to change.
      After the consultation, a contact with the physician who enquires for the
      assessment should be systematic (e.g., use of a medical letter that sum up the
      main conclusions of the consultation; participation in regular multisciplinary
      staff meetings).

PMID- 26482487
TI  - [Living Lab MACVIA-LR. Equilibrium and the prevention of falls].

PMID- 26482490
TI  - [Epilepsy and driving].
AB  - Epilepsy contributes little to road traffic accidents (0.25% of accidents)
      compared, for instance, to alcohol abuse (at least 30 times higher). Current
      factors, such as age and sex, or other chronic medical conditions also increase
      the risk of road traffic accidents but do not carry driving restrictions. So, the
      European Commission fairly established rules permitting individuals having
      experienced one or more epileptic seizures to drive if their road accident risk
      is low. Road accident risk related to epileptic seizures in various clinical
      situations is evaluated by the driving license commission, mainly with the aid of
      criteria based on seizure-free periods. A person who has had an epileptic seizure
      should notify the authorities. He should be advised by treating physician not to
      drive before. In case of an authorisation, any new relevant event should be
      notified to the authorities in the course of legal follow-up. Improvements of the
      current regulations by European data registries are under way.

PMID- 26482491
TI  - [Living Lab MACVIA. Disability].

PMID- 26482492
TI  - Reversible improvement in severe freezing of gait from Parkinson's disease with
      unilateral interleaved subthalamic brain stimulation.
AB  - Freezing of gait causes considerable morbidity in patients with Parkinson's
      disease and is often refractory to conventional treatments. In this double-blind,
      randomized evaluation, unilateral interleaved deep brain stimulation in the
      subthalamic nucleus/substantia nigra pars reticulata region significantly
      improved freezing of gait in a patient with advanced Parkinson's disease. 

PMID- 26482493
TI  - Electrophysiological and structural MRI correlates of dystonic head rotation in
      drug-naive patients with torticollis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We tested whether a change in head/neck position initiates head
      deviation in drug-naive patients with cervical dystonia and to identify the
      electrophysiological and neuroanatomical correlates of dystonic head rotation.
      METHODS: Twenty-five consecutive drug-naive patients with cervical dystonia and
      25 healthy controls underwent the simultaneous surface electromyographic (EMG)
      recording of sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle contractions during head/neck
      position changes, blink reflex recovery cycle (BRrc), DAT-SPECT, and advanced
      structural neuroimaging analysis using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). RESULTS:
      Surface EMG recordings of SCM muscle activity during changes in head/neck
      position demonstrated an insignificant asymmetric low amplitude of the SCM muscle
      contractions in the horizontal position in both patients and controls, but an
      asymmetric high amplitude in SCM muscle contractions leading to abnormal head
      movements in vertical positions in patients with cervical dystonia. All controls
      had a symmetric low increase in amplitude of SCM muscle contractions in response
      to changes in head/neck position. VBM analysis in 19 patients showed abnormal
      decreases of gray matter (GM) volume in the bilateral motor (localized in the
      homunculus of the head) and premotor cortices when compared to controls. In
      addition, the side of these neuroanatomical changes was asymmetrically related to
      abnormal head deviations in these patients. All subjects had normal results
      during BRrc and DAT-SPECT. CONCLUSIONS: The passage from inactive horizontal
      position to active vertical head/neck posture initiates head deviation in drug
      naive patients with cervical dystonia, and the anatomical correlates of this
      dystonic head rotation is a restricted abnormal pattern of GM changes in the
      motor cortices.

PMID- 26482495
TI  - Erratum to: Severe back pain in elite athletes: a cross-sectional study on 929
      top athletes of Germany.

PMID- 26482496
TI  - Erratum to: Risks of permanent disability in low back pain patients associated
      with different job positions: a 5-year follow-up study.

PMID- 26482499
TI  - Adjunctive liposuction for optimizing surgical access in the obese patient.

PMID- 26482497
TI  - Intraoperative monitoring of somatosensory (SSEPs) and transcranial electric
      motor-evoked potentials (tce-MEPs) during surgical correction of neuromuscular
      scoliosis in patients with central or peripheral nervous system diseases.
AB  - PURPOSE: Combined intraoperative monitoring (IOM) of transcranial electric motor
      evoked potentials (tce-MEPs) and somatosensory-evoked potentials (SSEPs) is safe
      and effective for spinal cord monitoring during scoliosis surgery. However, the
      literature data regarding the reliability of spinal cord monitoring in patients
      with neuromuscular scoliosis are conflicting and need to be confirmed. METHODS:
      We reviewed IOM records of 40 consecutive patients with neuromuscular scoliosis
      related to central nervous system (CNS) (29 pts) or peripheral nervous system
      (PNS) (11 patients) diseases, who underwent posterior fusion with instrumentation
      surgery for spinal deformity. Multimodalitary IOM with SSEPs and tce-MEPs was
      performed. RESULTS: Spinal cord monitoring using at least one modality was
      attempted in 38/40 (95 %) patients. No false-negative results were present in
      either group, but a relatively high incidence of false-positive cases (4/29, 13.8
      %) was noted in the CNS group. Two patients in the CNS group and one patient in
      the PNS group presented transient postoperative motor deficits (true positive),
      related to surgical manoeuvres in two cases and to malposition in the other one.
      CONCLUSIONS: Multimodalitary IOM is safe and effective to detect impending spinal
      cord and peripheral nerves dysfunction in neuromuscular scoliosis surgery.
      However, the interpretation of neurophysiological data may be challenging in such
      patients, and the rate of false-positive results is high when pre-operatory motor
      deficits are severe.

PMID- 26482498
TI  - Spinopelvic alignment and sagittal balance of asymptomatic adults with 6 lumbar
      vertebrae.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate total spinal alignment in
      asymptomatic individuals with 6 lumbar vertebrae (LVs). METHODS: The present
      study comprised 167 Japanese adult volunteers with no spinal symptoms. In all
      individuals, standing radiographs of the entire spine were taken to measure the
      pelvic incidence (PI), sacral slope (SS), pelvic tilt (PT), lumbar lordosis (LL),
      C7 sagittal vertical axis (C7SVA), T1 slope, thoracic kyphosis (TK), C2-C7
      sagittal vertical axis (C2-C7 SVA), and C2-C7 lordosis (C2-C7L). We used these
      parameters to compare individuals with 5LVs to those with 6LVs. We performed
      additional investigations regarding the relationship between L6 morphological
      characteristics and parameters. RESULTS: Out of 167 individuals, 6LVs were
      present in 29 (17.4 %). PI was significantly greater in individuals with 6LVs
      (64.8 degrees  +/- 9.54 degrees ) than in those with 5LVs (51.3 degrees  +/- 10.1
      degrees , P < 0.0001). Individuals with 6LVs also had significantly larger SS,
      PT, and C7SVA values (SS: P = 0.0125, PT: P < 0.0001, C7SVA: P = 0.0172). LL
      tended to be nonsignificantly greater in individuals with 6LVs (P = 0.1588). All
      of these changes were more noticeable in individuals in whom the L6 vertebra was
      classified as type II and III according to the Castellvi classification.
      Meanwhile, the presence of 6LVs has little influence on the alignment of the
      superior lumber vertebrae. CONCLUSIONS: Asymptomatic individuals with 6LVs
      presented with different spinopelvic alignment compared to those with 5LVs. We
      need to establish a treatment strategy for symptomatic 6LV cases.

PMID- 26482500
TI  - Dynamic niche-specific adaptations in Neisseria meningitidis during infection.
AB  - Neisseria meningitidis is an opportunistic human pathogen that usually colonizes
      the nasopharyngeal mucosa asymptomatically. Upon invasion into the blood and
      central nervous system, this bacterium triggers a fulminant inflammatory reaction
      with the manifestations of septicemia and meningitis, causing high morbidity and
      mortality. To reveal the bacterial adaptations to specific and dynamic host
      environments, we performed a comprehensive proteomic survey of N. meningitidis
      isolated from the nasal mucosa, CSF and blood of a mouse disease model. We could
      identify 51 proteins whose expression pattern has been changed during infection,
      many of which have not yet been characterized. The abundance of proteins was
      markedly lower in the bacteria isolated from the nasal mucosa compared to the
      bacteria from the blood and CSF, indicating that initiating adhesion is the
      harshest challenge for meningococci. The high abundance of the glutamate
      dehydrogenase (GdhA) and Opa1800 proteins in all bacterial isolates suggests
      their essential role in bacterial survival in vivo. To evaluate the biological
      relevance of our proteomic findings, four candidate proteins from representative
      functional groups, such as the bacterial chaperone GroEL, IMP dehydrogenase GuaB,
      and membrane proteins PilQ and NMC0101, were selected and their impact on
      bacterial fitness was investigated by mutagenesis assays. This study provides an
      integrated picture of bacterial niche-specific adaptations during consecutive
      infection processes. 

PMID- 26482501
TI  - Intracellular bacterial pathogens: a reemerging field of research rich with
      breakthroughs and opportunities.

PMID- 26482502
TI  - Validation study for using lab-on-chip technology for Coxiella burnetii multi
      locus-VNTR-analysis (MLVA) typing: application for studying genotypic diversity
      of strains from domestic ruminants in France.
AB  - Coxiella burnetii, the etiologic bacterium of Q fever zoonosis, is still
      difficult to control. Ruminants are often carriers and involved in human
      epidemics. MLVA is a promising genotyping method for molecular epidemiology.
      Different techniques are used to resolve the MLVA band profiles such as
      electrophoresis on agarose gels, capillary electrophoresis or using the
      microfluidic Lab-on-Chip system. In this study, system based on microfluidics
      electrophoresis with Lab-on-Chip technology was assessed and applied on DNA field
      samples to investigate the genotypic diversity of C. burnetii strains circulating
      in France. The Lab-on-Chip technology was first compared to agarose gel
      electrophoresis. Subsequently, the set-up Lab-on-Chip technology was applied on
      97 samples collected from ruminants in France using the 17 markers previously
      described. A discordance rate of 27% was observed between Lab-on-Chip and agarose
      gel electrophoresis. These discrepancies were checked and resolved by sequencing.
      The cluster analysis revealed classification based on host species and/or
      geographic origin criteria. Moreover, the circulation of different genotypic
      strains within the same farm was also observed. In this study, MLVA with Lab-on
      Chip technology was shown to be more accurate, reproducible, user friendly and
      safer than gel electrophoresis. It also provides an extended data set from French
      ruminant C. burnetii circulating strains useful for epidemiological
      investigations. Finally, it raises some questions regarding the standardization
      and harmonization of C. burnetii MLVA genotyping. 

PMID- 26482503
TI  - miR-125b regulates procalcitonin production in monocytes by targeting Stat3.
AB  - Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality in clinical infection, early
      identification and intervention is critical to improve its outcomes. Nonetheless,
      it is difficult to determine whether the cause of inflammation in patients is of
      bacterial origin at early stage. Procalcitonin (PCT) is considered as a promising
      marker in clinical laboratory test of bacterial infection. But the details for
      the regulation of PCT expression are not fully understood. miR-125b is important
      to immune system development and immunological host defense, while its role in
      the regulation of PCT production remains unexplored. In this study, we
      demonstrate that the expression of PCT is regulated by miR-125b in human
      monocytes. miR-125b modulates PCT expression by manipulating the amount and
      transcriptional activity of Stat3. 

PMID- 26482504
TI  - Streptococcus pyogenes CAMP factor attenuates phagocytic activity of RAW 264.7
      cells.
AB  - Streptococcus pyogenes produces molecules that inhibit the function of human
      immune system, thus allowing the pathogen to grow and spread in tissues. It is
      known that S. pyogenes CAMP factor increases erythrocytosis induced by
      Staphylococcus aureus beta-hemolysin. However, the effects of CAMP factor for
      immune cells are unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of CAMP
      factor to macrophages. Western blotting analysis demonstrated that all examined
      strains expressed CAMP factor protein. In the presence of calcium or magnesium
      ion, CAMP factor was significantly released in the supernatant. In addition, both
      culture supernatant from S. pyogenes strain SSI-9 and recombinant CAMP factor
      dose-dependently induced vacuolation in RAW 264.7 cells, but the culture
      supernatant from Deltacfa isogenic mutant strain did not. CAMP factor formed
      oligomers in RAW 264.7 cells in a time-dependent manner. CAMP factor suppressed
      cell proliferation via G2 phase cell cycle arrest without inducing cell death.
      Furthermore, CAMP factor reduced the uptake of S. pyogenes and phagocytic
      activity indicator by RAW 264.7 cells. These results suggest that CAMP factor
      works as a macrophage dysfunction factor. Therefore, we conclude that CAMP factor
      allows S. pyogenes to escape the host immune system, and contribute to the spread
      of streptococcal infection. 

PMID- 26482505
TI  - Expression and role of the TGF-beta family in glial cells infected with Borna
      disease virus.
AB  - A previous study revealed that the expression of the Borna disease virus (BDV)
      encoding phosphoprotein in glial cells was sufficient to induce neurobehavioral
      abnormalities resembling Borna disease. To evaluate the involvement of the TGF
      beta family in BDV-induced changes in cell responses by C6 glial cells, we
      examined the expression levels of the TGF-beta family and effects of inhibiting
      the TGF-beta family pathway in BDV-infected C6 (C6BV) cells. The expression of
      activin betaA and BMP7 was markedly increased in BDV-infected cells. Expression
      of Smad7, a TGF-beta family-inducible gene, was increased by BDV infection, and
      the expression was decreased by treatment with A-83-01 or LDN-193189, inhibitors
      of the TGF-beta/activin or BMP pathway, respectively. These results suggest
      autocrine effects of activin A and BMP7 in C6BV cells. IGFBP-3 expression was
      also induced by BDV infection; it was below the detection limit in C6 cells. The
      expression level of IGFBP-3 was decreased by LDN-193189 in C6BV cells, suggesting
      that endogenous BMP activity is responsible for IGFBP-3 gene induction. Our
      results reveal the regulatory expression of genes related to the TGF-beta family,
      and the role of the enhanced BMP pathway in modulating cell responses in BDV
      infected glial cells. 

PMID- 26482506
TI  - Do IgA antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis have protective role in humoral
      immunity: a study in reactive arthritis patients.
AB  - Chlamydia trachomatis-induced genitourinary Reactive Arthritis (ReA) can serve as
      good model for host-pathogen interaction. However, due to poor antigen
      presentation, cell-mediated immunity does not contribute as anticipated. Present
      study aims to evaluate protective role of anti-C. trachomatis antibodies vis-a
      vis inflammatory chlamydial Major Outer Membrane Protein (MOMP). Prospective
      study was undertaken in 30 patients with genitourinary ReA. 30 Rheumatoid
      Arthritis (RA) and 30 osteoarthritis patients constituted controls. Subjects
      found to be PCR-positive for C. trachomatis were investigated for presence of
      MOMP in Synovial Fluid (SF) by fluorescence assay while anti-C. trachomatis
      IgA/IgM antibodies were estimated in SF/venous blood by ELISA. C. trachomatis
      MOMP was evident by the presence of elementary bodies in SF of 9 ReA PCR-positive
      patients (30%; p < 0.05 versus controls). Local secretory IgA antibodies were
      detected in 12 (40%) patients with ReA (p < 0.0001 versus controls); among 12
      patients with anti-chlamydial IgA antibodies, 9 showed the presence of both MOMP
      and IgA antibodies in SF. 58.3% ReA patients (7/12) with secretory IgA antibodies
      were also positive for circulatory IgA antibodies (p < 0.01 versus controls).
      Serum IgM antibodies were present in 4 ReA (13.3%) and in 1 RA (3.3%) patient,
      respectively. In conclusion, the present study suggests that in ReA patients with
      chronic, persistent C. trachomatis infection in synovium, the chlamydial MOMP is
      triggering factor for generating a protective immune response by inducing anti-C.
      trachomatis IgA antibodies in the SF of large number of patients. 

PMID- 26482507
TI  - Editor's Choice - Pharmaceutical Management of Small Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms:
      A Systematic Review of the Clinical Evidence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Management of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) relies on surgical
      repair of larger AAAs. Consequently medical interventions inhibiting AAA
      progression could greatly reduce the need for surgical repair. A spectrum of
      pharmaceutical strategies has been reported, albeit conclusions often appear
      contradictory. Given the longstanding interest in pharmaceutical AAA
      stabilization, a systematic review of the available literature is relevant.
      OBJECTIVES: The aim is to provide an up to date systematic review of the
      available data on pharmaceutical therapies for stabilizing or impeding AAA
      growth. METHODS: A search using Pubmed, Embase, Web of science, Cochrane, CINAHL,
      Academic Search Premier, and Science Direct identified 27 eligible papers that
      studied the clinical effect of the pharmaceutical therapy on AAA diameter growth.
      RESULTS: This review shows that there is currently no pharmaceutical strategy
      that reduces AAA growth. Most studies are of poor methodological quality. Initial
      promising reports are often not confirmed in subsequent larger studies, raising
      the possibility of selective reporting. CONCLUSION: There is currently no
      pharmaceutical means that halts AAA growth.

PMID- 26482508
TI  - Trends in Abdominal Aortic and Iliac Aneurysm Repairs in Norway from 2001 to
      2013.
AB  - OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: The objective was to examine trends in abdominal aortic and
      iliac aneurysm repairs in Norway from 2001 to 2013, and study regional variations
      and organizational developments in this type of vascular surgery. METHODS: This
      was a retrospective study on aortic and iliac aneurysm repairs using data from
      the Norwegian Patient Register. The vascular centers were categorized by yearly
      volume of repairs into small (<18), medium (18-49) and large (>=50). Incidence
      rates were assessed per 100,000 >= 60 years. The percentage of endovascular
      aneurysm repairs (EVAR) was calculated among the conducted repairs at the three
      categories of centers and the South-Eastern, Western, Central, and Northern
      Norway Regional Health Authority (NRHA). RESULTS: The national incidence rates of
      intact repairs per 100,000 >= 60 years increased from 57.4 to 65.7 (p < .01).
      Ruptured repairs decreased from 19.7 to 9.2 (p < .01). The rate of EVAR increased
      from 6.0 to 29.9 (p < .01) in intact and from 0.4 to 2.5 (p < .01) in ruptured
      repairs. The vascular centers were reduced from 25 to 16. The rate of EVAR was
      27.1% (p < .01) higher at large centers and 7.9% (p < .03) higher at medium
      centers compared with small centers, and from 11.1% to 15.7% higher (p < .01) at
      the Central, Western, and Northern NRHA compared with the South-Eastern NRHA,
      which had the most centers (also in the large category). The national increase in
      intact EVAR from 10.6% to 43.3% was less compared with many other Western
      countries. CONCLUSION: During the study period the rates of intact repairs
      increased while the ruptured repairs decreased. EVAR was associated with centers
      performing high volumes of abdominal aortic and iliac aneurysm repairs and
      regional authorities organized with few centers.

PMID- 26482509
TI  - Angiosarcoma and Dialysis-related Arteriovenous Fistulae: A Comprehensive Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: To conduct a comprehensive review of cases, presentation,
      diagnosis, and management of angiosarcoma in arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) created
      for haemodialysis. METHODS: Two authors independently conducted systematic
      searches and extraction of articles from the Embase, AMED, Health Management
      Information Consortium, and MEDLINE databases in keeping with the
      inclusion/exclusion criteria and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews
      and Meta-Analyses standards. RESULTS: Twenty-two unique patient cases were
      identified; 20 of the cases were men and mean +/- SD age of presentation was 54.9
      +/- 13.6 years. Nineteen cases were post-transplant and 18 were on antirejection
      agents. The most common presenting symptom was pain, with or without a mass. The
      initial diagnosis was most often thrombosis/infection of the AVF and the
      diagnostic interval to a correct diagnosis of angiosarcoma was between 2 and 40
      weeks. Mean +/- SD time to presentation of symptoms from fistula formation was
      118.9 +/- 57.5 months, while from transplant it was 96.9 +/- 70.0 months.
      Amputation was the most common treatment modality and mean +/- SD survival was
      8.8 +/- 3.7 months. CONCLUSION: Angiosarcoma should be suspected in previously
      quiescent AVF that presents with pain. The presence of a rapidly enlarging mass
      or bleeding/bruising should be taken as alarm indicators and warrant urgent
      investigation in accordance with local cancer guidelines. Any surgical procedure
      should involve histological samples as a matter of course.

PMID- 26482510
TI  - Does Routine Reversal of Heparin With Protamine Sulphate in Patients Undergoing
      Carotid Endarterectomy Reduce Bleeding Complications Without Leading to Increased
      Thromboembolic Complications?

PMID- 26482511
TI  - Risk factors associated with lymphedema after lymph node dissection in melanoma
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Secondary lymphedema is a frequent complication after lymphadenectomy
      in melanoma patients, although few studies in melanoma adequately characterize
      risk factors for lymphedema, and of these, sample size is limited. This study
      aims to identify risk factors associated with the lymphedema after axillary lymph
      node dissection (ALND) and inguinal lymph node dissection (ILND) in a more robust
      cohort of melanoma patients. METHODS: We identified 269 ALND or ILND melanoma
      patients treated between 2008 and 2014. Demographic, clinical, and postoperative
      data were collected by review of the electronic medical record. Univariate and
      multivariate analysis were used to determine independent predictors of
      lymphedema. RESULTS: Fifty-six (20.8%) of the patients developed lymphedema after
      lymph node dissection with a median staging group of 3. ILND (odds ratio [OR] =
      4.506, P < .001, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.289 to 8.869) and peripheral
      vascular disease (PVD; OR = 3.849, P = .020, 95% CI: 1.237 to 11.975) were
      significant predictors of lymphedema in multivariate analysis. Obese body mass
      index approached significance (OR = 1.802, P = .069, 95% CI: .955 to 3.399).
      CONCLUSIONS: PVD and ILND were the 2 factors associated with the highest risk of
      lymphedema in melanoma surgery with PVD increasing risk 2-fold in ILND patients
      and 3-fold in ALND patients. These findings may improve surgeon-patient
      communication of care goals and surgical risk assessment.

PMID- 26482512
TI  - Novel oral anticoagulants vs warfarin for the management of postoperative atrial
      fibrillation: clinical outcomes and cost analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) apixaban, rivaroxaban, and
      dabigatran are indicated for the treatment of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation,
      but their use in patients with postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is less
      well defined. METHODS: All patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass
      grafting from 2013 to 2015 (n = 598) were studied. Patients with POAF
      anticoagulated with either warfarin or NOACs were evaluated for differences in
      length of stay, blood product use, bleeding, and cost of therapy. RESULTS: There
      was no significant difference between the NOAC and warfarin group for any of the
      clinical outcomes evaluated. Time to therapeutic anticoagulation was
      significantly longer with warfarin. Neither group had a major bleeding event
      during the initial hospitalization, but 2 patients in the warfarin group had
      delayed major bleeding complications. Total costs were significantly reduced in
      patients treated with NOACs. CONCLUSIONS: Both NOACs and warfarin are safe and
      effective means of anticoagulation for POAF after coronary artery bypass
      grafting. Patients were therapeutic more rapidly and with less cost of treatment
      when NOACs were used.

PMID- 26482513
TI  - The impact of intracranial pressure monitoring on mortality after severe
      traumatic brain injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effect of intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring on mortality
      after severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) remains unclear. We hypothesized that
      ICP monitoring would not be associated with improved survival in patients with
      sTBI. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on sTBI patients, defined
      as admission Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or less with intracranial hemorrhage.
      Patients who underwent ICP monitoring were compared with patients who did not.
      The primary outcome measure was inhospital mortality. RESULTS: Of 123 sTBI
      patients meeting inclusion criteria, 40 (32.5%) underwent ICP monitoring. On
      bivariate and multivariate regression analyses, ICP monitoring was associated
      with decreased mortality (odds ratio = .32, 95% confidence interval = .10 to .99,
      P = .049). This finding persisted on propensity-adjusted analysis. CONCLUSIONS:
      ICP monitoring is associated with improved survival in adult patients with sTBI.
      In addition, significant variability exists in the use of ICP monitoring among
      patients with sTBI.

PMID- 26482514
TI  - Infectious complications in combined colon resection and ablation of colorectal
      liver metastases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The multifactorial incidence of infectious complications carries
      considerable consequences for patients undergoing more extensive surgery with
      intent to cure metastatic colorectal cancer. Advances in ablation techniques have
      emerged as an efficacious method in regional control for liver metastasis from
      colorectal cancer; however, the degree of increased risk of infectious
      complications when ablation is performed in combination with colon resection has
      not been defined. METHODS: An analysis of a single institution's prospective
      database from August 1998 to December 2012 was performed for patients undergoing
      colon resection. Patients were stratified into a colon resection combined with
      either microwave ablation (MWA) or radiofrequency ablation (RFA) compared to a
      colon resection only group. Variables included baseline clinicopathologic data,
      type of operation, complication grade, and infectious outcome. Fisher exact test,
      Student t test, and analysis of variance were used to detect significance levels
      of P values less than .05. RESULTS: A total of 132 patients with colon cancer of
      various origins were identified. The group of colon resection combined with RFA
      and/or MWA was 53 patients (34 male:19 female) and was compared to a matched
      group of 79 patients (40 male:39 female) who underwent colon resection alone.
      Median age (58 vs 60 years; P = .209), complication rate (60.7% vs 62.5%; P =
      .722), infection rate (28.7% vs 35.4%; P = 1.0), mean blood loss (352.7 vs 468.4
      mL; P = .452), mean blood transfused (1.36 vs .76 U; P = .247), and receipt of
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy (47.1% vs 51.85%; P = .724) were all similar between the
      ablation group and colon only group, respectively. Transfusion rate was higher in
      the ablation group (39.6% vs 18.9%; P = .016). Overall complication rate was
      60.6%, with 32.6% infections. One mortality was observed in each group. High
      grade (grade, III to V) complications (35.8% vs 18.9%; P = .0112) and liver
      specific complications (n = 4; P = .024) were significantly increased in the
      combined ablation group. CONCLUSIONS: Combining MWA or RFA techniques with colon
      resection for liver metastasis appears to have similar infectious and overall
      complication rates when compared to performing an isolated resection of the
      primary colon cancer alone, although there may be a higher degree of complication
      seen in the more aggressive approach for curative intent in patients with
      colorectal liver metastasis.

PMID- 26482515
TI  - A second look at the utility of serial routine repeat computed tomographic scans
      in patients with traumatic brain injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The practice of a routine repeat head computed tomographic scans in
      patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is under question. The aim of our
      study was to evaluate the utility of a more than 1 repeat head computed
      tomography (M1CT) scans in patients with TBI. METHODS: We performed a 3-year
      analysis of a prospectively collected database of all TBI patients presenting to
      our level I trauma center. Patients who received M1CT scans were included.
      Findings and reason (without neurologic decline vs after neurologic decline) for
      M1CT were recorded. Primary outcome measure was neurosurgical intervention.
      RESULTS: A total of 296 patients that underwent M1CT were included. Of those, 291
      patients (98.6%) had M1CT without a neurologic decline, and neurosurgical
      intervention was performed in 1 patient (.3%) who was inexaminable (Glasgow coma
      scale score = 6). The remaining (n = 5) had M1CT due to a neurologic decline; 4
      patients (80%) of the 5 had worsening of ICH; and neurosurgical intervention was
      performed in 3 (75%) of the 4 patients. CONCLUSIONS: The practice of multiple
      repeat head computed tomographic scans should be limited to inexaminable patients
      or patients with neurological deterioration.

PMID- 26482516
TI  - Pediatric trauma system models: do systems using adult trauma surgeons
      exclusively compare favorably with those using pediatric surgeons after initial
      resuscitation with an adult trauma surgeon?
AB  - BACKGROUND: A shortage of pediatric surgeons exists. The purpose of this study
      was to evaluate pediatric outcomes using pediatric surgeons vs adult trauma
      surgeons. METHODS: A review was conducted at 2 level II pediatric trauma centers.
      Center I provides 24-hour in-house trauma surgeons for resuscitations, with
      patient hand-off to a pediatric surgery service. Center II provides 24-hour in
      house senior surgical resident coverage with an on-call trauma surgeon. Data on
      demographics, resource utilization, and outcomes were collected. RESULTS: Center
      I patients were more severely injured (injury severity score = 8.3 vs 6.2;
      Glasgow coma scale score = 13.7 vs 14.3). Center I patients were more often
      admitted to the intensive care unit (52.2% vs 33.5%) and more often mechanically
      ventilated (12.9% vs 7.7%), with longer hospital length of stay (2.8 vs 2.3
      days). However, mortality was not different between Center I and II (3.1% vs
      2.4%). By logistic regression analyses, the only variables predictive of
      mortality were injury severity score and Glasgow coma scale score. CONCLUSION: As
      it appears that trauma surgeons' outcomes compare favorably with those of
      pediatric surgeons, utilizing adult trauma surgeons may help alleviate shortages
      in pediatric surgeon coverage.

PMID- 26482518
TI  - Maternal myasthenia gravis: a cause for arthrogryposis multiplex congenita.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) is a condition defined as
      contractures in more than two joints and in multiple body areas. The principal
      mechanism leading to the development of AMC in utero is decreased fetal movement.
      OBJECTIVE: Both fetal and maternal factors can lead to this condition, including
      maternal myasthenia gravis (MG) which is the topic of this review. MG is an
      autoimmune disease in which antibodies (immunoglobulin G) are formed against
      acetylcholine receptors. The disease can affect both genders, but women are more
      prone to develop the disease in early adulthood, a phase of life when the focus
      of many women is often directed towards founding a family. During pregnancy,
      maternal antibodies are transmitted to the fetus. RESULTS: Although the child is
      unaffected in most cases, the constant transmission of antibodies in utero can
      lead to neonatal myasthenia post-partum, a transient condition characterized by
      hypotonia and swallowing/respiratory difficulties as well as AMC. CONCLUSION: The
      maternal antibody profile in mothers with MG seems to play a key role in whether
      the child develops AMC or not. There are also indications that there may be a
      relation between neonatal MG and AMC, as well as a high recurrence rate in
      siblings.

PMID- 26482517
TI  - Outcomes of thyroidectomy from a large California state database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thyroidectomy is an operation with infrequent but potentially
      significant complications. This study aimed to determine risk factors for
      complication after thyroidectomy in California. METHODS: The California Office of
      Statewide Health Planning and Development database was retrospectively analyzed
      from 1995 to 2010. Main outcome measures were complications including death.
      Logistic regression identified risk factors for complications. RESULTS: There
      were 106,773 patients; 61% were women and 44% Caucasian; 16,287 (15%)
      thyroidectomies were performed at high-volume centers. Complication rates
      included voice change (.5%), vocal cord dysfunction (1.1%), hypocalcemia (4.5%),
      tracheostomy (1.62%), hematoma (1.75%), and death (.3%). There was significantly
      increased risk of complications for patients older than 65 compared with those
      younger than 40 years (odds ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.8 to 2.3; P <
      .01). High-volume hospitals were protective against complication (odds ratio, .8;
      95% confidence interval, .6 to .97; P = .026). CONCLUSIONS: Older age was a
      significant risk factor for complication after thyroidectomy. High-volume
      hospitals had lower risk. This information is useful in counseling patients about
      the risks of thyroid surgery.

PMID- 26482519
TI  - The hip in arthrogryposis.
AB  - PATHOLOGY: Hip dislocation is seen in approximately 30 % of children with
      amyoplasia and approximately 50 % of these will be bilateral. TREATMENT: Closed
      reduction is rarely successful. Open reduction is indicated for unilateral
      dislocations and for the majority of bilateral dislocations. Reduction is
      recommended via a medial approach. RESULTS: A long-term satisfactory outcome can
      be achieved but with some loss of hip range of movement.

PMID- 26482520
TI  - Problems with the upper limb in arthrogryposis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This short paper presents a personal view of the thinking processes
      around the assessment and development of individualised management plans for
      dealing with the problems of the upper limb in Arthrogryposis in children.
      BACKGROUND: The paper will offer a definition of arthrogryposis, its incidence
      and the range of anomalies. The problems associated with joint contractures are
      defined. The goals of treatment include improvement in function as well as
      cosmesis. PRIORITIES AND GOALS OF TREATMENT: Managing the mobility of the whole
      child is very important in deciding what should be offered surgically in the
      upper limb. Early manipulation and stretching as well as the pros and cons of
      splints are discussed. PRINCIPLES OF SURGICAL PROCEDURES: The principles of
      surgery including soft tissue release, changing the position of the arc of
      movement of a joint, fixing stiff joints, tendon transfers and muscle transfers
      are presented. The value of thumb web release and the surgical procedures
      commonly used are described.

PMID- 26482521
TI  - Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita-an update.

PMID- 26482522
TI  - Synthesis, Characterization and Photophysical Properties  of Naphtho[2,3
      b]Indolizine-6,11-Dione Derivatives.
AB  - This communication concerns the synthesis, structural characterization and
      fluorescent properties of novel naphtho[2,3-b]indolizine-6,11-dione derivatives.
      The target compound synthesized by one-pot multicomponent reaction between
      naphthoquinone, indandione and pyridine derivatives.The structures of synthesized
      compounds were characterized by IR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR analysis. The structure of
      two compounds was confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The
      photophysical properties of synthesized compounds were measured in a variety of
      organic solvents. The effects of substituents and solvents on UV-vis spectra and
      fluorescence emission were analyzed. All compounds were showed negative
      solvatochromism. The fluorescence emission of these derivatives was sensitive to
      solvent basicity and the large Stokes shifts (up to 129 nm, 4599 (cm-1)) were
      observed. The similar multicomponent reaction between naphthoquinone, bindone and
      pyridine derivatives provide the formation of stable non-fluorescent compound
      possessing zwitter-ionic structure.

PMID- 26482523
TI  - Organizing pneumonia/non-specific interstitial pneumonia overlap is associated
      with unfavorable lung disease progression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Overlapping forms of interstitial pneumonia have been recognized, but
      are likely underappreciated, and their clinical, radiologic, and histologic
      characteristics are not well-defined. METHODS: We identified 38 patients with
      surgical lung biopsy demonstrating histologic organizing pneumonia (OP) or
      histologic organizing pneumonia/non-specific interstitial pneumonia overlap
      (OP/NSIP) who met established multi-disciplinary clinical-radiologic-histologic
      criteria for OP. For each patient, radiologic and co-histologic findings were
      assessed, and clinical outcome was characterized as disease resolution (complete
      or near-complete resolution of radiologic opacities and absence of chronic
      respiratory symptoms) or unfavorable disease progression (death due to
      respiratory failure or forced vital capacity < 70% predicted > six months from
      diagnosis). RESULTS: Seven of 38 patients had clinical-radiologic-histologic
      focal OP. Focal OP was associated with histologic OP (p = 0.019), and all seven
      patients demonstrated disease resolution. In the remaining 31 patients with
      cryptogenic or autoimmune-associated OP, 21 patients had histologic OP/NSIP, and
      10 had histologic OP. Histologic OP/NSIP was associated with ground glass opacity
      (GGO, p = 0.012), reticulation (p = 0.029), traction bronchiectasis (p = 0.029),
      reactive pneumocytes (p = 0.013), and unfavorable disease progression (p <
      0.0001). Histologic OP was associated with consolidation (p = 0.028) and disease
      resolution (p < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated histologic OP/NSIP (p
      < 0.001) and radiologic GGO (p = 0.041) to be independently associated with
      unfavorable disease progression. CONCLUSIONS: OP/NSIP overlap, either idiopathic
      or autoimmune-associated and identified by histologic and radiologic findings,
      was associated with unfavorable disease progression, and should therefore be
      recognized as a characteristic clinical-radiologic-histologic entity.

PMID- 26482524
TI  - Importance of donor history of restless leg syndrome and pica to asses iron
      deficiency.
AB  - Iron deficiency is associated with neuropsychological changes such as restless
      leg syndrome (RLS), pica, hair loss, etc. Our objective was to assess usefulness
      of history of RLS and pica in relation with iron stores in blood donors. During
      medical examination, apart from routine questionnaires specific history of RLS
      and pica was elicited. Along with hemoglobin markers of iron deficiency such as
      s. iron, s. ferritin and mean corpuscular volume were analyzed. Out of 400 blood
      donors 41 had h/o pica/RLS/pagophagia. Positive and negative predictive value of
      above history is 73.17% and 80.5% respectively. We recommend the use of a
      screening question for pica and/or RLS in blood donor questionnaire. 

PMID- 26482525
TI  - Understanding Physical Developer (PD): Part II--Is PD targeting eccrine
      constituents?
AB  - Physical developer (PD) is a fingermark development technique that deposits
      silver onto fingermark ridges. It is the only technique currently in routine
      operational use that gives results on porous substrates that have been wet. There
      is a reasonable understanding of the working solution chemistry, but the chemical
      constituent(s) contained in fingermark residue that are specifically targeted by
      PD are largely unknown. A better understanding of the PD technique will permit a
      more informed selection of alternative or complementary detection methods, and
      greater usage in operational laboratories. Recent research by our group has shown
      that PD does not selectively target the lipids present in the residue. This
      research investigated the hypothesis that PD targets the eccrine constituents in
      fingermark residue. This was tested by comparison of PD and indanedione-zinc (Ind
      Zn) treated natural fingermarks that had been deposited successively, and marks
      that had been deposited with a ten second interval in between depositions. Such
      an interval allows for the regeneration of secretions from the pores located on
      the ridges of the fingers. On fingermark depletions with no time interval between
      depositions, PD and Ind-Zn treated depletions successively (and comparatively)
      decreased in development intensity as the amount of residue diminished. Short
      time intervals in between successive depletions resulted in additional secretions
      from the pores intermittently occurring, the increased development of which was
      visualised by treatment with both PD and Ind-Zn. The changes in development
      intensity were seen with both techniques on the same split depletions in a
      series, comparably and proportionately. These results indicate that the
      components targeted by PD are contained in the material excreted by the friction
      ridge pores through its mirrored development with Ind-Zn. Repetition of the
      experiments on marks that only contained eccrine material showed good Ind-Zn
      development but poor results with PD. This indicates that there are other
      constituents contained in "natural" fingermarks that are required to be present
      for PD to be able to target constituents in the eccrine sweat. It may be that the
      required constituents in the natural residues are non-water soluble, and that
      these protect the eccrine constituents from solubilisation in the aqueous washes
      employed in the PD method. Further research is being undertaken to determine
      whether PD is targeting specific compounds in the pore secretions, or a mixture
      of compounds consisting of the eccrine material, epidermal lipids and sebaceous
      lipids typically present in latent fingermark residues. 

PMID- 26482526
TI  - Alexithymia is associated with attenuated automatic brain response to facial
      emotion in clinical depression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alexithymia is a clinically relevant personality trait related to
      difficulties in recognizing and describing emotions. Previous studies examining
      the neural correlates of alexithymia have shown mainly decreased response of
      several brain areas during emotion processing in healthy samples and patients
      suffering from autism or post-traumatic stress disorder. In the present study, we
      examined the effect of alexithymia on automatic brain reactivity to negative and
      positive facial expressions in clinical depression. METHODS: Brain activation in
      response to sad, happy, neutral, and no facial expression (presented for 33 ms
      and masked by neutral faces) was measured by functional magnetic resonance
      imaging at 3 T in 26 alexithymic and 26 non-alexithymic patients with major
      depression. RESULTS: Alexithymic patients manifested less activation in response
      to masked sad and happy (compared to neutral) faces in right frontal regions and
      right caudate nuclei than non-alexithymic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our neuroimaging
      study provides evidence that the personality trait alexithymia has a modulating
      effect on automatic emotion processing in clinical depression. Our findings
      support the idea that alexithymia could be associated with functional deficits of
      the right hemisphere. Future research on the neural substrates of emotion
      processing in depression should assess and control alexithymia in their analyses.

PMID- 26482527
TI  - Interpreting a randomized trial report: evidence-based practice for the
      clinician.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to present a structured approach to help the
      reader with the objective interpretation of published randomized clinical trials.
      This process will promote an organized and critical appraisal of scientific
      evidence, which we believe to be an essential step prior to the introduction of
      published scientific findings into clinical practice. The reason to personally
      scrutinize and critically assess published reports is that the process of peer
      review is by no means perfect and methodological flaws can be uncovered, even in
      articles published in prestigious journals. The article elaborates on the
      substance of the consolidated standards of reporting trials (CONSORT) statements
      intended to facilitate the complete reporting of trials and aid in their critical
      assessment. The structure of the CONSORT guidelines was used as a basis for
      specific commentary, including cautions for the clinical interpretation,
      implications and impact of published randomized trial reports. 

PMID- 26482528
TI  - Radiation dose measurements of an on-board imager X-ray unit  using optically
      stimulated luminescence dosimeters.
AB  - Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is now widely used to image radiotherapy
      patients prior to treatment for the purpose of accurate patient setup. However
      each CBCT image delivered to a patient increases the total radiation dose that
      they receive. The measurement of the dose delivered from the CBCT images is not
      readily performed in the clinic. In this study, we have used commercially
      available optically stimulated luminescence (OSLD) dosimeters to measure the dose
      delivered by the Varian OBI on a radiotherapy linear accelerator. Calibration of
      the OSLDs was achieved by using a therapeutic X-ray unit. The dose delivered by a
      head CBCT scan was found to be 3.2 +/- 0.3 mGy which is similar in magnitude to
      the dose of a head computed tomography (CT) scan. The results of this study
      suggest that the radiation hazard associated with CBCT is of a similar nature to
      that of conventional CT scans. We have also demonstrated that the OSLDs are
      suitable for these low X-ray dose measurements.

PMID- 26482529
TI  - Reducing shield thickness and backscattered radiation using  a multilayered
      shield for 6-10 MeV electron beams.
AB  - Intraoral and external electron shields used in radiotherapy are designed to
      minimize radiation exposure to non-treatment tissue. Sites where shields are used
      include but are not limited to, the treatment of lips, cheeks and ears whilst
      shielding the underlying oral cavity, tongue, gingival or temporal region. A
      commonly known and published effect, concerns the enhancement in dose that can
      occur on the beam side on an electron shield caused by an increase in electron
      backscatter radiation. In this work a lead shield has been designed incorporating
      copper, aluminium and wax in a step down filter arrangement to minimise
      backscatter whilst minimizing overall shield thickness for better clinical setup
      and ease of use. For electron beams ranging from 6 to 10 MeV, a standard shield
      design of 4 mm lead, 0.6 mm copper, 1.0 mm aluminium and 1.5 mm wax (3.1 mm added
      filtration, 7.1 mm total thickness) provided adequate backscatter and
      transmission reduction to match a standard 4.5 mm lead and 10 mm wax (total
      thickness 14.5 mm) electron shield. Dose enhancement values of no more than 10 %
      were measured utilising this shield design with a 50 % reduction in shield
      thickness. The thinner shield will not only allow easier patient set up but
      should be tolerated better by patients when mucosal reactions occur as they place
      less physical pressure on these sites during treatment due to their smaller size.

PMID- 26482530
TI  - A rapid compression technique for 4-D functional MRI images  using data
      rearrangement and modified binary array techniques.
AB  - Compression techniques are vital for efficient storage and fast transfer of
      medical image data. The existing compression techniques take significant amount
      of time for performing encoding and decoding and hence the purpose of compression
      is not fully satisfied. In this paper a rapid 4-D lossy compression method
      constructed using data rearrangement, wavelet-based contourlet transformation and
      a modified binary array technique has been proposed for functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (fMRI) images. In the proposed method, the image slices of fMRI
      data are rearranged so that the redundant slices form a sequence. The image
      sequence is then divided into slices and transformed using wavelet-based
      contourlet transform (WBCT). In WBCT, the high frequency sub-band obtained from
      wavelet transform is further decomposed into multiple directional sub-bands by
      directional filter bank to obtain more directional information. The relationship
      between the coefficients has been changed in WBCT as it has more directions. The
      differences in parent-child relationships are handled by a repositioning
      algorithm. The repositioned coefficients are then subjected to quantization. The
      quantized coefficients are further compressed by modified binary array technique
      where the most frequently occurring value of a sequence is coded only once. The
      proposed method has been experimented with fMRI images the results indicated that
      the processing time of the proposed method is less compared to existing wavelet
      based set partitioning in hierarchical trees and set partitioning embedded block
      coder (SPECK) compression schemes [1]. The proposed method could also yield a
      better compression performance compared to wavelet-based SPECK coder. The
      objective results showed that the proposed method could gain good compression
      ratio in maintaining a peak signal noise ratio value of above 70 for all the
      experimented sequences. The SSIM value is equal to 1 and the value of CC is
      greater than 0.9 for all experiments. Subjective evaluation on the reconstructed
      images indicated that the proposed method could reproduce the diagnostic features
      of fMRI images clearly.

PMID- 26482531
TI  - Pathophysiological analyses of cortical malformation using gyrencephalic mammals.
AB  - One of the most prominent features of the cerebral cortex of higher mammals is
      the presence of gyri. Because malformations of the cortical gyri are associated
      with severe disability in brain function, the mechanisms underlying malformations
      of the cortical gyri have been of great interest. Combining gyrencephalic
      carnivore ferrets and genetic manipulations using in utero electroporation, here
      we successfully recapitulated the cortical phenotypes of thanatophoric dysplasia
      (TD) by expressing fibroblast growth factor 8 in the ferret cerebral cortex.
      Strikingly, in contrast to TD mice, our TD ferret model showed not only
      megalencephaly but also polymicrogyria. We further uncovered that outer radial
      glial cells (oRGs) and intermediate progenitor cells (IPs) were markedly
      increased. Because it has been proposed that increased oRGs and/or IPs resulted
      in the appearance of cortical gyri during evolution, it seemed possible that
      increased oRGs and IPs underlie the pathogenesis of polymicrogyria. Our findings
      should help shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation and
      malformation of cortical gyri in higher mammals. 

PMID- 26482533
TI  - Live fast die young life history in females: evolutionary trade-off between early
      life mating and lifespan in female Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - The trade-off between survival and reproduction is fundamental to life history
      theory. Sexual selection is expected to favour a 'live fast die young' life
      history pattern in males due to increased risk of extrinsic mortality associated
      with obtaining mates. Sexual conflict may also drive a genetic trade-off between
      reproduction and lifespan in females. We found significant additive genetic
      variance in longevity independent of lifetime mating frequency, and in early life
      mating frequency. There was significant negative genetic covariance between these
      traits indicating that females from families characterized by high levels of
      multiple mating early in life die sooner than females that engage in less intense
      early life mating. Thus, despite heritable variation in both traits, their
      independent evolution is constrained by an evolutionary trade-off. Our findings
      indicate that, in addition to the well-known male-driven direct costs of mating
      on female lifespan (mediated by male harassment and harmful effects of seminal
      fluids), females with a genetic propensity to mate multiply live shorter lives.
      We discuss the potential role of sexual conflict in driving the evolutionary
      trade-off between reproduction and lifespan in Drosophila. More generally, our
      data show that, like males, females can exhibit a live fast die young life
      history strategy. 

PMID- 26482532
TI  - The non-octarepeat copper binding site of the prion protein is a key regulator of
      prion conversion.
AB  - The conversion of the prion protein (PrP(C)) into prions plays a key role in
      transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Despite the importance for
      pathogenesis, the mechanism of prion formation has escaped detailed
      characterization due to the insoluble nature of prions. PrP(C) interacts with
      copper through octarepeat and non-octarepeat binding sites. Copper coordination
      to the non-octarepeat region has garnered interest due to the possibility that
      this interaction may impact prion conversion. We used X-ray absorption
      spectroscopy to study copper coordination at pH 5.5 and 7.0 in human PrP(C)
      constructs, either wild-type (WT) or carrying pathological mutations. We show
      that mutations and pH cause modifications of copper coordination in the non
      octarepeat region. In the WT at pH 5.5, copper is anchored to His96 and His111,
      while at pH 7 it is coordinated by His111. Pathological point mutations alter the
      copper coordination at acidic conditions where the metal is anchored to His111.
      By using in vitro approaches, cell-based and computational techniques, we propose
      a model whereby PrP(C) coordinating copper with one His in the non-octarepeat
      region converts to prions at acidic condition. Thus, the non-octarepeat region
      may act as the long-sought-after prion switch, critical for disease onset and
      propagation. 

PMID- 26482534
TI  - Engineered microparticles based on drug-polymer coprecipitates for ocular
      controlled delivery of Ciprofloxacin: influence of technological parameters.
AB  - Ciprofloxacin is a drug active against a broad spectrum of aerobic Gram-positive
      and Gram-negative bacteria, for the therapy of ocular infections. It requires
      frequent administrations owing to rapid ocular clearance and it is a good
      candidate for ocular controlled release formulations. The preparation of such
      drug release systems is still a challenge. Ionic interactions between
      ciprofloxacin and the polyelectrolytes chondroitin sulfate or lambda carrageenan
      result in coprecipitates that can act as microparticulate controlled release
      systems from which the drug is released after being displaced by the medium's
      ions. In some formulations, Carbopol was added to improve the mucoadhesive
      properties. The aim of this research was the study of the influence of the
      technological parameters of the preparation method of coprecipitates on their
      particle size, with the goal of achieving particles engineered with a size
      suitable for the ocular administration. Technological parameters taken into
      account were: concentration of drug and polymer solutions utilized for the
      preparation of interaction products, possible use of surfactants (kind and
      concentration), temperature of the solutions and stirring during the process of
      preparation of the coprecipitates. Preliminary stability study tests were carried
      out to further characterize the leader formulation. Particle size in suspensions
      for ocular drug delivery is a critical parameter influencing the quality of the
      formulation. The results obtained from this study show that chondroitin sulfate
      coprecipitates present the best characteristics in terms of particle size
      suitable for ocular administration. A further improvement of the particle size
      characteristics has been obtained with the addition of surfactants. 

PMID- 26482536
TI  - The lasting impact of early-life adversity on individuals and their descendants:
      potential mechanisms and hope for intervention.
AB  - The adverse effects of early-life stress are pervasive, with well-established
      mental and physical health consequences for exposed individuals. The impact of
      early adverse experiences is also highly persistent, with documented increases in
      risk for mental illness across the life span that are accompanied by stable
      alterations in neural function and hormonal responses to stress. Here, we review
      some of these 'stress phenotypes', with a focus on intermediary factors that may
      signal risk for long-term mental health outcomes, such as altered development of
      the fear regulation system. Intriguingly, recent research suggests that such
      stress phenotypes may persist even beyond the life span of the individuals, with
      consequences for their offspring and grand-offspring. Phenotypic characteristics
      may be transmitted to future generations via either the matriline or the
      patriline, a phenomenon that has been demonstrated in both human and animal
      studies. In this review, we highlight behavioral and epigenetic factors that may
      contribute to this multigenerational transmission and discuss the potential of
      various treatment approaches that may halt the cycle of stress phenotypes.

PMID- 26482535
TI  - Effects of upright weight bearing and the knee flexion angle on patellofemoral
      indices using magnetic resonance imaging in patients with patellofemoral
      instability.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study analysed the effects of upright weight bearing and the knee
      flexion angle on patellofemoral indices, determined using magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI), in patients with patellofemoral instability (PI). METHODS: Healthy
      volunteers (control group, n = 9) and PI patients (PI group, n = 16) were scanned
      in an open-configuration MRI scanner during upright weight bearing and supine non
      weight bearing positions at full extension (0 degrees  flexion) and at 15 degrees
      , 30 degrees , and 45 degrees  flexion. Patellofemoral indices included the
      Insall-Salvati Index, Caton-Deschamp Index, and Patellotrochlear Index (PTI) to
      determine patellar height and the patellar tilt angle (PTA), bisect offset (BO),
      and the tibial tubercle-trochlear groove (TT-TG) distance to assess patellar
      rotation and translation with respect to the femur and alignment of the extensor
      mechanism. RESULTS: A significant interaction effect of weight bearing by flexion
      angle was observed for the PTI, PTA, and BO for subjects with PI. At full
      extension, post hoc pairwise comparisons revealed a significant effect of weight
      bearing on the indices, with increased patellar height and increased PTA and BO
      in the PI group. Except for the BO, no such changes were seen in the control
      group. Independent of weight bearing, flexing the knee caused the PTA, BO, and TT
      TG distance to be significantly reduced. CONCLUSIONS: Upright weight bearing and
      the knee flexion angle affected patellofemoral MRI indices in PI patients, with
      significantly increased values at full extension. The observations of this study
      provide a caution to be considered by professionals when treating PI patients.
      These patients should be evaluated clinically and radiographically at full
      extension and various flexion angles in context with quadriceps engagement. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: Explorative case-control study, Level III.

PMID- 26482538
TI  - Proteomic Characterization of Zinc-Binding Proteins of Canine Seminal Plasma.
AB  - The zinc-binding proteins (ZnBPs) of the seminal plasma are implicated in
      different processes related to sperm-egg fusion. The aim of this study was to
      characterize the ZnBPs of canine seminal plasma using two-dimensional
      polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and mass spectrometry. The ZnBPs
      were isolated from the ejaculates of five dogs by affinity chromatography and
      subjected to 2D-PAGE analysis. The acquired spots, detected across the gels, were
      analysed by mass spectrometry. Using 2D-PAGE analysis, it was shown that canine
      seminal plasma comprised about 46-57 zinc-binding polypeptides, with molecular
      mass ranging from 9.3 to 138.7 kDa and pI at pH 5.2-10.0. It was found that zinc
      binding polypeptides of low molecular masses (9.3-19.0 kDa and pI at pH 6.1-10.0)
      were predominant in the seminal plasma, and seven polypeptides, with molecular
      masses ranging from 11.7 to 15.4 kDa and pI at pH 6.8-8.7, were characterized by
      high optical density values. In addition, analysis with mass spectrometry (LC-MS
      MS/MS) revealed that the identified seven polypeptides are canine prostate
      specific esterase (CPSE), which is the main proteolytic enzyme of the seminal
      plasma. The findings of this study indicate an important regulatory role of
      seminal plasma zinc ions in the functional activity of CPSE, which is of great
      significance for maintaining the normal function of canine prostate and the
      spermatozoa functions. 

PMID- 26482537
TI  - SphK1 mediates hepatic inflammation in a mouse model of NASH induced by high
      saturated fat feeding and initiates proinflammatory signaling in hepatocytes.
AB  - Steatohepatitis occurs in up to 20% of patients with fatty liver disease and
      leads to its primary disease outcomes, including fibrosis, cirrhosis, and
      increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Mechanisms that mediate this
      inflammation are of major interest. We previously showed that overload of
      saturated fatty acids, such as that which occurs with metabolic syndrome, induced
      sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1), an enzyme that generates sphingosine-1-phosphate
      (S1P). While data suggest beneficial roles for S1P in some contexts, we
      hypothesized that it may promote hepatic inflammation in the context of obesity.
      Consistent with this, we observed 2-fold elevation of this enzyme in livers from
      humans with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and also in mice with high saturated
      fat feeding, which recapitulated the human disease. Mice exhibited activation of
      NFkappaB, elevated cytokine production, and immune cell infiltration.
      Importantly, SphK1-null mice were protected from these outcomes. Studies in
      cultured cells demonstrated saturated fatty acid induction of SphK1 message,
      protein, and activity, and also a requirement of the enzyme for NFkappaB
      signaling and increased mRNA encoding TNFalpha and MCP1. Moreover, saturated fat
      induced NFkappaB signaling and elevation of TNFalpha and MCP1 mRNA in HepG2 cells
      was blocked by targeted knockdown of S1P receptor 1, supporting a role for this
      lipid signaling pathway in inflammation in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. 

PMID- 26482540
TI  - Perspective distortion in craniofacial superimposition: Logarithmic decay curves
      mapped mathematically and by practical experiment.
AB  - The superimposition of a face photograph with that of a skull for identification
      purposes necessitates the use of comparable photographic parameters between the
      two image acquisition sessions, so that differences in optics and consequent
      recording of images does not thwart the morphological analysis. Widely divergent,
      but published, speculations about the thresholds at which perspective distortion
      becomes negligible (0.5 to >13.5 m) must be resolved and perspective distortion
      (PD) relationships quantified across their full range to judge tolerance levels,
      and the suitability of commonly employed contemporary equipment (e.g., 1 m
      photographic copy-stands). Herein, basic trigonometry is employed to map PD for
      two same sized 179 mm linear lengths - separated anteroposteriorly by 127 mm - as
      a function of subject-to-camera distance (SCD; 0.2-20 m). These lengths
      approximate basic craniofacial heights (e.g., tr-n) and widths (e.g., zy-zy),
      while the latter approximates facial depth (e.g., n-t). As anticipated, PD
      decayed in logarithmic and continuous manner with increasing SCD. At SCD of 12 m,
      the within-image PD was negligible (<1%). At <2.5 m SCD, it exceeded 5% and
      increased sharply as SCD decreased. Since life size images of skulls and faces
      are commonly employed for superimposition, a relative 1% perspective distortion
      difference is recommended as the ceiling standard for craniofacial comparison
      (translates into a <=2 mm difference in physiognomical face height). Since
      superimposition depends on relative comparisons of a photographic pair (not one
      photograph), there is practically no scenario in superimposition casework where
      SCDs should be ignored and no single distance at which PD should be considered
      negligible (even if one image holds >12 m SCD).

PMID- 26482539
TI  - Study on the performance of different craniofacial superimposition approaches
      (II): Best practices proposal.
AB  - Craniofacial superimposition, although existing for one century, is still a
      controversial technique within the scientific community. Objective and unbiased
      validation studies over a significant number of cases are required to establish a
      more solid picture on the reliability. However, there is lack of protocols and
      standards in the application of the technique leading to contradictory
      information concerning reliability. Instead of following a uniform methodology,
      every expert tends to apply his own approach to the problem, based on the
      available technology and deep knowledge on human craniofacial anatomy, soft
      tissues, and their relationships. The aim of this study was to assess the
      reliability of different craniofacial superimposition methodologies and the
      corresponding technical approaches to this type of identification. With all the
      data generated, some of the most representative experts in craniofacial
      identification joined in a discussion intended to identify and agree on the most
      important issues that have to be considered to properly employ the craniofacial
      superimposition technique. As a consequence, the consortium has produced the
      current manuscript, which can be considered the first standard in the field;
      including good and bad practices, sources of error and uncertainties,
      technological requirements and desirable features, and finally a common scale for
      the craniofacial matching evaluation. Such a document is intended to be part of a
      more complete framework for craniofacial superimposition, to be developed during
      the FP7-founded project MEPROCS, which will favour and standardize its proper
      application. 

PMID- 26482541
TI  - Mossy fiber sprouting and pyramidal cell dispersion in the hippocampal CA2 region
      in a mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy.
AB  - Dentate granule cells and the hippocampal CA2 region are resistant to cell loss
      associated with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). It is known that granule
      cells undergo mossy fiber sprouting in the dentate gyrus which contributes to a
      recurrent, proepileptogenic circuitry in the hippocampus. Here it is shown that
      mossy fiber sprouting also targets CA2 pyramidal cell somata and that the CA2
      region undergoes prominent structural reorganization under epileptic conditions.
      Using the intrahippocampal kainate mouse model for MTLE and the CA2-specific
      markers Purkinje cell protein 4 (PCP4) and regulator of G-Protein signaling 14
      (RGS14), it was found that during epileptogenesis CA2 neurons survive and
      disperse in direction of CA3 and CA1 resulting in a significantly elongated CA2
      region. Using transgenic mice that express enhanced green fluorescent protein
      (eGFP) in granule cells and mossy fibers, we show that the recently described
      mossy fiber projection to CA2 undergoes sprouting resulting in aberrant large,
      synaptoporin-expressing mossy fiber boutons which surround the CA2 pyramidal cell
      somata. This opens up the potential for altered synaptic transmission that might
      contribute to epileptic activity in CA2. Indeed, intrahippocampal recordings in
      freely moving mice revealed that epileptic activity occurs concomitantly in the
      dentate gyrus and in CA2. Altogether, the results call attention to CA2 as a
      region affected by MTLE-associated pathological restructuring.

PMID- 26482542
TI  - Chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Approximately 50% of patients with newly diagnosed non-small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC) are over 70 years of age at diagnosis. Despite this fact,
      these patients are underrepresented in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). As a
      consequence, the most appropriate regimens for these patients are controversial,
      and the role of single-agent or combination therapy is unclear. In this setting,
      a critical systematic review of RCTs in this group of patients is warranted.
      OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness and safety of different cytotoxic
      chemotherapy regimens for previously untreated elderly patients with advanced
      (stage IIIB and IV) NSCLC. To also assess the impact of cytotoxic chemotherapy on
      quality of life. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the following electronic databases:
      Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2014, Issue 10), MEDLINE
      (1966 to 31 October 2014), EMBASE (1974 to 31 October 2014), and Latin American
      Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) (1982 to 31 October 2014). In
      addition, we handsearched the proceedings of major conferences, reference lists
      from relevant resources, and the ClinicalTrial.gov database. SELECTION CRITERIA:
      We included only RCTs that compared non-platinum single-agent therapy versus non
      platinum combination therapy, or non-platinum therapy versus platinum combination
      therapy in patients over 70 years of age with advanced NSCLC. We allowed
      inclusion of RCTs specifically designed for the elderly population and those
      designed for elderly subgroup analyses. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review
      authors independently assessed search results, and a third review author resolved
      disagreements. We analyzed the following endpoints: overall survival (OS), one
      year survival rate (1yOS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response
      rate (ORR), major adverse events, and quality of life (QoL). MAIN RESULTS: We
      included 51 trials in the review: non-platinum single-agent therapy versus non
      platinum combination therapy (seven trials) and non-platinum combination therapy
      versus platinum combination therapy (44 trials). Non-platinum single-agent versus
      non-platinum combination therapy Low-quality evidence suggests that these
      treatments have similar effects on overall survival (hazard ratio (HR) 0.92, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.72 to 1.17; participants = 1062; five RCTs), 1yOS
      (risk ratio (RR) 0.88, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.07; participants = 992; four RCTs), and
      PFS (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.07; participants = 942; four RCTs). Non-platinum
      combination therapy may better improve ORR compared with non-platinum single
      agent therapy (RR 1.79, 95% CI 1.41 to 2.26; participants = 1014; five RCTs; low
      quality evidence).Differences in effects on major adverse events between
      treatment groups were as follows: anemia: RR 1.10, 95% 0.53 to 2.31; participants
      = 983; four RCTs; very low-quality evidence; neutropenia: RR 1.26, 95% CI 0.96 to
      1.65; participants = 983; four RCTs; low-quality evidence; and thrombocytopenia:
      RR 1.45, 95% CI 0.73 to 2.89; participants = 914; three RCTs; very low-quality
      evidence. Only two RCTs assessed quality of life; however, we were unable to
      perform a meta-analysis because of the paucity of available data. Non-platinum
      therapy versus platinum combination therapy Platinum combination therapy probably
      improves OS (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.85; participants = 1705; 13 RCTs; moderate
      quality evidence), 1yOS (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.96; participants = 813; 13
      RCTs; moderate-quality evidence), and ORR (RR 1.57, 95% CI 1.32 to 1.85;
      participants = 1432; 11 RCTs; moderate-quality evidence) compared with non
      platinum therapies. Platinum combination therapy may also improve PFS, although
      our confidence in this finding is limited because the quality of evidence was low
      (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.93; participants = 1273; nine RCTs).Effects on major
      adverse events between treatment groups were as follows: anemia: RR 2.53, 95% CI
      1.70 to 3.76; participants = 1437; 11 RCTs; low-quality evidence;
      thrombocytopenia: RR 3.59, 95% CI 2.22 to 5.82; participants = 1260; nine RCTs;
      low-quality evidence; fatigue: RR 1.56, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.38; participants = 1150;
      seven RCTs; emesis: RR 3.64, 95% CI 1.82 to 7.29; participants = 1193; eight
      RCTs; and peripheral neuropathy: RR 7.02, 95% CI 2.42 to 20.41; participants =
      776; five RCTs; low-quality evidence. Only five RCTs assessed QoL; however, we
      were unable to perform a meta-analysis because of the paucity of available data.
      AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: In people over the age of 70 with advanced NSCLC who do not
      have significant co-morbidities, increased survival with platinum combination
      therapy needs to be balanced against higher risk of major adverse events when
      compared with non-platinum therapy. For people who are not suitable candidates
      for platinum treatment, we have found low-quality evidence suggesting that non
      platinum combination and single-agent therapy regimens have similar effects on
      survival. We are uncertain as to the comparability of their adverse event
      profiles. Additional evidence on quality of life gathered from additional studies
      is needed to help inform decision making.

PMID- 26482543
TI  - The effect of histamine on changes in mental energy and fatigue after a single
      bout of exercise.
AB  - The purpose of this research was to determine if histamine, acting on brain H1
      receptors, influences changes in feelings of energy and fatigue or cognitive test
      performance after acute exercise. Women (n=20) with low vigor and high fatigue
      were administered the H1 antagonist drug doxepin hydrocholoride (6 mg) in tomato
      juice and tomato juice alone (placebo) in a randomized, double-blinded, cross
      over experiment before performing 30 min of light intensity cycling exercise and
      completing energy, fatigue, sleepiness, and motivation scales, and cognitive
      tasks. After exercise, mental fatigue increased for the doxepin condition
      (p=0.014) but not placebo (p=0.700), while mental energy decreased for both PLA
      and DOX (p<0.001) and cognitive task performance was unaffected. It is inferred
      that histamine binding to H1 receptors in the brain has a role in exercise
      induced reductions in mental fatigue, but not increases in energy.

PMID- 26482544
TI  - Interleukin-21 Induces Proliferation and Proinflammatory Cytokine Profile of
      Fibroblast-like Synoviocytes of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
AB  - Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through aggressive proliferation and invasion, and
      certain proinflammatory cytokines may affect synoviocyte proliferation. To
      evaluate whether interleukin-21 (IL-21) could promote proliferation and
      proinflammatory cytokine production by RA-FLS, immunohistochemistry and
      immunoblotting were performed to observe the expression of IL-21 receptor (IL
      21R) in synovial tissues and FLS from RA and osteoarthritis (OA) patients. The
      MTS assay was used to analyse RA-FLS proliferation. The concentrations of IL-6
      and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in culture supernatants were
      determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The signalling pathways
      triggered by IL-21 were characterized by immunoblotting. IL-21R was upregulated
      in the synovial tissues and FLS of RA patients as compared with OA patients. IL
      21 stimulated RA-FLS proliferation and promoted the production of TNF-alpha and
      IL-6 and blockade of IL-21/IL-21R pathway with IL-21R.Fc attenuated IL-21-induced
      proliferation and secretion of TNF-alpha and IL-6. Moreover, IL-21 induced
      activation of the ERK1/2, PI3K/AKT and STAT3 pathways, and blockade of these
      pathways attenuated IL-21-induced proliferation and secretion of TNF-alpha and IL
      6. These results suggest that IL-21 could promote RA-FLS proliferation and
      production of proinflammatory cytokines. Therefore, therapeutic strategies
      targeting IL-21 might be effective for the treatment of RA. 

PMID- 26482545
TI  - Perianchor Cyst Formation Around Biocomposite Biodegradable Suture Anchors After
      Rotator Cuff Repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biodegradable anchors may lead to perianchor cyst formation or
      osteolysis. A new generation of anchors containing osteoconductive material was
      recently presented, but there is currently no solid evidence that this concept
      decreases cyst formation around anchors. HYPOTHESIS: The null hypothesis was that
      the prevalence and severity of cyst formation around anchors would be similar for
      all 3 anchor types. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: To
      evaluate differences between anchor behaviors postoperatively, this study
      included 2 groups of patients who underwent rotator cuff repair. In group 1 (n =
      38), transosseous-equivalent rotator cuff repair was performed in all patients.
      At the time of repair, 2 different anchors (anchor A: 23% microstructured beta
      tricalcium phosphate plus 77% polylactic acid enantiomers [PLLA]; and anchor B:
      30% hydroxyapatite plus 70% PLLA) were used for medial-row repair. Insertion
      locations (anterior or posterior) were randomly assigned. In group 2 (n = 38),
      the same procedure was performed; however, 1 of the anchors used in group 1 was
      changed (anchor A: as above; and anchor C: 30% beta-tricalcium phosphate plus 70%
      faster absorbing polylactic-co-glycolic acid copolymer [85% PLLA plus 15%
      polyglycolic acid]). The presence and severity of fluid collection around the
      anchors was evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging at approximately 1 year after
      rotator cuff repair (12.7 +/- 0.9 months for group 1 and 12.6 +/- 1.8 months for
      group 2). RESULTS: In group 1, a fluid signal was observed in 14 patients (36.8%)
      for anchor A and in 12 patients (31.6%) for anchor B (P > .05). The severity of
      perianchor cyst formation was no different for the 2 anchors (respective fluid
      signal grades [0-4]: 24, 3, 9, 1, and 1 for anchor A; and 26, 4, 7, 1, and 0 for
      anchor B; P > .05). However, in group 2, cysts were observed in 19 patients (50%)
      for anchor A and in 3 patients (7.9%) for anchor C (P < .001). For anchor C, only
      2 cases of grade 1 and 1 case of grade 2 fluid collection were observed.
      Intergroup analysis of anchor A revealed no significant differences in the
      prevalence or severity of perianchor cyst formation (P > .05). Healing failure
      was observed in 12 patients (31.6%) in group 1 and 10 patients (26.3%) in group 2
      (P > .05). CONCLUSION: New-generation biodegradable suture anchors seem to
      decrease the severity of perianchor cyst formation. Future research is required
      to optimize the compositions and proportions of osteoconductive materials and
      polymers to improve adverse reactions. Nevertheless, controlling the properties
      of polymers and adding osteoconductive material both appear to enhance
      biocompatibility.

PMID- 26482546
TI  - Development of a nano-particle-assisted PCR assay for detection of duck tembusu
      virus.
AB  - Duck tembusu virus (DTMUV) has caused significant economic losses to the poultry
      industry in China since the spring of 2010. In this study, a nano-PCR assay
      targeting E gene of DTMUV was developed and their sensitivities and specificities
      were investigated. Under the optimized conditions of nano-PCR assay for detection
      of DTMUV, the nano-PCR assay was 10-fold more sensitive than a conventional PCR
      assay. The lower detection limit of the nano-PCR assay was 1.8 * 10(2)  copies
      MUl(-1) of DTMUV RNA, as no cross-reaction was observed with other viruses. This
      is the first report to demonstrate the application of a nano-PCR assay for the
      detection of DTMUV. The sensitive, and specific nano-PCR assay developed in this
      study can be applied widely in clinical diagnosis and field surveillance of DTMUV
      infection. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: A nanoparticle-assisted
      polymerase chain reaction (nano-PCR) assay was developed in this study for the
      rapid detection of duck tembusu virus (DTMUV) with high sensitivity and
      specificity. This technique has potential application in both clinical diagnosis
      and field surveillance of DTMUV-infection.

PMID- 26482547
TI  - Memory re-differentiation and reduced lymphocyte activation in chronic HCV
      infected patients receiving direct-acting antivirals.
AB  - Recently, the treatment of HCV has advanced significantly due to the introduction
      of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Studies using interferon (IFN)-containing
      regimens failed to consistently show restoration of immunologic responses.
      Therefore, IFN-free DAA formulations provide a unique opportunity to dissect the
      immunologic effect of HCV cure. This study investigates the restoration of the
      immune compartment as a consequence of rapid viral clearance in patients
      successfully treated with DAAs and in the absence of IFN and ribavirin. Here, we
      evaluate the immunologic changes that occurred following DAA-mediated HCV cure.
      Peripheral blood from nineteen previously treatment-naive patients with chronic
      HCV genotype 1a/1b who received an IFN and ribavirin-free regimen of daclatasvir,
      asunaprevir and BMS-791325 was evaluated. Immune reconstitution occurs in
      patients in whom HCV was successfully eradicated via DAA therapy. Restoration of
      the CD4(+) T-cell compartment in the peripheral blood and a re-differentiation of
      the T lymphocyte memory compartment resulted in a more effector memory cell
      population and a reduction in expression in the co-inhibitory molecule TIGIT in
      bulk T lymphocytes. Furthermore, we observed a partial reversal of the exhausted
      phenotype in HCV-specific CD8(+) T cells and a dampening of the activation state
      in peripheral NK cells. Collectively, our data provide the groundwork for
      dissecting the effect of DAA therapy on the immune system and identifying novel
      mechanisms by which chronic HCV infection exerts immunosuppressive effects on T
      cells through the recently described co-inhibitory molecule TIGIT. 

PMID- 26482548
TI  - Systematic review of the barriers affecting medication adherence in older adults.
AB  - Medication adherence is a crucial part in the management of chronic diseases. As
      older adults form a greater proportion of the population with chronic diseases
      and multiple morbidities, understanding medication adherence in older adults
      becomes important. In the present article, we aimed to systematically review the
      literature for the factors associated with medication adherence in the geriatric
      population. We carried out a literature search using electronic databases and
      related keywords. 17 391 articles were reviewed in total. 65 articles were found
      to be relevant to our objective. A total of 80 factors of five different
      categories were found to be associated with medication adherence in older adults.
      The factors, the types of studies and the number of studies that agreed or
      disagreed were presented. A flower model for medication adherence was also
      presented to allow clinicians to better understand the complex nature of
      medication adherence in this population. The 80 factors reviewed were categorized
      into five main categories; namely, patient factors, medication factors, physician
      factors, system-based factors and other factors as factors affecting poor
      medication adherence in older adults. Clinicians need to be mindful of the
      complex nature of factors affecting medication adherence in this population to
      optimize therapeutic outcomes. Clinicians have to be more skillful to discover
      and to optimize the medication adherence factors in geriatric patients. The
      flower model is presented as a framework for clinicians to better understand the
      various factors affecting medication adherence in older adults. Geriatr Gerontol
      Int 2016; 16: 1093-1101.

PMID- 26482549
TI  - A review of exposure and toxicological aspects of carbon nanotubes, and as
      additives to fire retardants in polymers.
AB  - Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted considerable interest due to their unique
      physical, chemical, optical and electrical properties opening avenues for a large
      number of industrial applications. They have shown potential as fire retardant
      additives in polymers, reducing heat release rate and increasing time to ignition
      in a number of polymers. Relevant work on the types, properties and applications
      has been reviewed particularly considering their application in fire situations.
      There are concerns over the health risks associated with CNTs and many papers
      have likened CNTs to the health problems associated with asbestos. There are
      contradictions relating to the toxicity of CNTs with some papers reporting that
      they are toxic while others state the opposite. Directly comparing various
      studies is difficult because CNTs come in many combinations of size, type, purity
      levels and source. CNTs can potentially be released from polymers during the
      combustion process where human exposure may occur. While this review has shed
      some light regarding issues relating to toxicity under different fire scenarios
      much more thorough work is needed to investigate toxicity of CNTs and their
      evolution from CNT-polymer nanocomposites in order to reach firm conclusions. 

PMID- 26482550
TI  - In vitro susceptibility of contagious ovine digital dermatitis associated
      Treponema spp. isolates to antimicrobial agents in the UK.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) is an important cause of
      infectious lameness in sheep in the UK and Ireland and has a severe impact on the
      welfare of affected individuals. The three treponemal phylogroups Treponema
      medium/Treponema vincentii-like, Treponema phagedenis-like and Treponema pedis
      spirochaetes have been associated with clinical CODD lesions and are considered
      to be a necessary cause of disease. There are scant data on the antimicrobial
      susceptibility of the treponemes cultured from CODD lesions. OBJECTIVE: The aim
      of this study was to determine in vitro the miniumum inhibitory concentration/
      minimum bactericidal concentration (MIC/MBC) of antimicrobials used in the sheep
      industry for isolates of the three CODD associated treponeme phylogroups T.
      medium/T. vincentii-like, T. phagedenis-like and T. pedis. ANIMALS: Twenty
      treponeme isolates; from 19 sheep with clinical CODD lesions. METHODS: A
      microdilution method was used to determine in vitro the MIC/MBC of 10
      antimicrobial agents for 20 treponeme isolates (five T. medium/T. vincentii-like,
      10 T. phagedenis-like and five T. pedis). The antimicrobials tested were
      penicillin G, amoxicillin, oxytetracycline, tilmicosin, lincomycin,
      spectinomycin, tylosin, tildipirosin, tulathromycin and gamithromycin. RESULTS:
      The treponeme isolates tested showed low MICs and MBCs to all 10 antimicrobials
      tested. They were most susceptible to gamithromycin and tildipirosin (MIC90:
      0.0469 mg/L), and were least susceptible to lincomycin, spectinomycin and
      oxytetracycline (MIC90: 48 mg/L, 24 mg/L and 3 mg/L, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:
      These data are comparable to in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility data for
      treponemes cultured from bovine digital dermatitis lesions. Dependent on local
      licensing, penicillin and tilmicosin appear to be the best candidates for future
      in vivo studies.

PMID- 26482552
TI  - Activity-related sexual dimorphism in Alaskan foragers from Point Hope: Evidences
      from the upper limb.
AB  - Ipiutak (100BCE-500CE) and Tigara (1200 - 1700CE) are two populations from Point
      Hope, Alaska. As commonly observed in forager communities, it may be expected
      males and females to have been involved in markedly different daily activities.
      Nevertheless, activity-related sexual dimorphism in these populations has been
      scarcely studied. Using humeral diaphyseal cross-sectional properties and forearm
      rotational efficiency, which are activity-dependent characteristics, we aim to
      assess differences between sexes and discuss what activities could have triggered
      them. Our results suggest that in Ipiutak males and females did not differ
      meaningfully in their cross-sectional properties. Conversely, in Tigara males had
      a greater rigidity of the entire humeral diaphysis than females, which suggests
      the existence of greater relative activity levels and more physically demanding
      tasks, possibly related to hunting activities. Concerning the differences between
      sexes in the forearm rotational efficiency, in Tigara females rotational
      efficiency in elbow flexion is maximal in a more supinated position than in
      males, which leads to an improvement of efficiency in those stages related to
      manipulation, and so improves the manipulative capacities of the upper limb.
      These differences in efficiency are caused by a more proximally oriented humeral
      medial epicondyle in females, which is thus confirmed to be a good feature to
      assess differences in labor. Therefore females in Tigara probably performed in a
      daily basis household activities, such as hide processing and other manipulative
      labors. In Ipiutak, the analysis of forearm rotational efficiency did not reveal
      differences between sexes. Overall, the results suggest that division of labor in
      Ipiutak was not as marked as in Tigara, where upper limb skeletal structure
      supports the idea that both sexes were involved in different daily activities.
      Nevertheless, the generalized lack of results in Ipiutak could be due to the
      small sample size, and thus interpretations should be considered with caution. 

PMID- 26482551
TI  - A highly effective and versatile technology for the isolation of RNAs from
      grapevines and other woody perennials for use in virus diagnostics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Isolation of pure RNA from woody perennials, especially fruit crops
      such as grapevine rich in complex secondary metabolites, has remained very
      challenging. Lack of effective RNA isolation technology has resulted in
      difficulties in viral diagnosis and discovery as well as studies on many
      biological processes of these highly important woody plants. It is imperative to
      develop and refine methodologies with which large amounts of pure nucleic acids
      can be readily isolated from woody perennials. METHODS: We compared five commonly
      used RNA isolation kits in isolating total RNA from twelve species of woody
      perennials. We made modifications to select RNA isolation systems to simplify and
      improve their efficiency in RNA isolation. The yield and quality of isolated RNAs
      were assessed via gel electrophoresis and spectrophotometric measurement. We also
      performed RT-PCR and RT-qPCR to detect several major viruses from grapevines.
      RESULTS: Two of the kits were shown to be the best in both the yield and quality
      of the isolated RNA from all twelve woody species. Using disposable extraction
      bags for tissue homogenization not only improved the yield without affecting
      quality, but also made the RNA isolation technology simpler, less costly, and
      suitable for adoption by many potential users with facility limitations. This
      system was successfully applied to a wide range of woody plants, including fruit
      crops, ornamentals and timber trees. Inclusion of polyvinylpyrrolidone in the
      extraction buffer drastically improved the performance of the system in isolating
      total RNA from old grapevine leaves collected later in the season. This
      modification made our system highly effective in isolating quality RNA from
      grapevine leaves throughout the entire growing season. We further demonstrated
      that the resulting nucleic acid preparations are suitable for detection of
      several major grapevine viruses with RNA or DNA genomes using PCR, RT-PCR and
      qPCR as well as for assays on plant microRNAs. CONCLUSIONS: This improved RNA
      isolation system would have wide applications in viral diagnostics and discovery,
      studies on gene expression and regulation, transcriptomics, and small RNA biology
      in grapevines. We believe this system will also be useful in diverse applications
      pertaining to research on many other woody perennials and recalcitrant plant
      species.

PMID- 26482553
TI  - Cost-Effectiveness of a Biopsy-Based 8-Protein Prostate Cancer Prognostic Assay
      to Optimize Treatment Decision Making in Gleason 3 + 3 and 3 + 4 Early Stage
      Prostate Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many patients with Gleason 3 + 3 and 3 + 4 early stage prostate
      cancer receive invasive treatment but likely derive little or no benefit. A novel
      8-protein prognostic assay generates a risk score at time of biopsy that is
      predictive of prostate cancer aggressiveness and can inform treatment decisions.
      The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of using the
      assay to inform treatment decisions compared with usual care. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: We developed a simulation model to estimate quality-adjusted life-year
      (QALY) and cost outcomes for the 8-protein assay and usual care strategies. Risk
      classification outcomes, treatment distributions, costs, health state utilities,
      and mortality rates were derived from the assay's validation study and the peer
      reviewed literature. Outcomes included incremental QALYs, costs, and cost
      effectiveness ratios. We conducted one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses
      to evaluate the most influential inputs and to explore joint uncertainty in
      outcomes, respectively. RESULTS: The 8-protein assay strategy resulted in 0.04
      more QALY and $700 less in costs compared with usual care (and thus was
      "dominant"). The cost-effectiveness of the assay strategy was most sensitive to
      the assay cost, the active surveillance health state utility, and the proportion
      of low-risk patients receiving active surveillance (vs. treatment) in usual care.
      In the probabilistic sensitivity analyses, the assay strategy decreased cost and
      increased QALYs in 86.9% and 58.3% of simulations, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      Assuming that ongoing prospective studies support the results of retrospective
      validation studies, the 8-protein prognostic assay strategy for prostate cancer
      is likely to be a cost-effective alternative to usual guideline-based care in
      biopsy Gleason 3 + 3 and 3 + 4 early stage prostate cancer.

PMID- 26482554
TI  - Facile Synthesis of Size-Tunable Functional Polyimidazolium Macrocycles through a
      Photochemical Closing Strategy.
AB  - A synthetic strategy for the preparation of a series of polyimidazolium
      macrocycles from the corresponding dicarbene-derived metallacycles is described.
      Photodimerization of terminal cinnamic esters (UV-irradiation, lambda=365 nm)
      produces the closed metallacycles with perfect stereoselectivity and high yields.
      Subsequent removal of the template from the photodimerization product results in
      polyimidazolium macrocycles. The size and shape of the receptor can be tuned
      easily by changing the length and breadth of the internal bridging groups of the
      ligands. Preliminary investigation shows the potential of the macrocycle as
      iodide sensor. 

PMID- 26482555
TI  - Genomic profile predicts the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for cervical
      cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) using platinum and irinotecan (CPT-11)
      followed by radical excision has been shown to be a valid treatment for locally
      advanced squamous cervical cancer (SCC) patients. However, in NAC-resistant or
      NAC-toxic cases, surgical treatment or radiotherapy might be delayed and the
      prognosis may be adversely affected. Therefore, it is important to establish a
      method to predict the efficacy of NAC. METHODS: Gene expression microarrays of
      SCC tissue samples (n = 12) and UGT1A1 genotyping of blood samples (n = 23) were
      investigated in terms of their association with NAC sensitivity. Gene expression
      and drug sensitivity of SCC cell lines were analyzed for validation. RESULTS:
      Microarray analysis revealed that the glutathione metabolic pathway (GMP) was
      significantly up-regulated in NAC-resistant patients (p < 0.01), and there was a
      positive correlation between 50 % growth inhibitory concentrations of CPT-11 and
      predictive scores of GMP activation in SCC cells (r = 0.32, p < 0.05). The
      intracellular glutathione (GSH) concentration showed a highly positive
      correlation with GMP scores among 4 SCC cell lines (r = 0.72). UGT1A1 genotyping
      revealed that patients with UGT1A1 polymorphisms exhibited significantly higher
      response rates to NAC than those with the wild-type (79.5 vs. 49.5 %,
      respectively, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that GMP scores of
      cancerous tissue combined with UGT1A1 genotyping of blood samples may serve as
      highly potent markers for predicting the efficacy of NAC for individual SCC
      patients.

PMID- 26482557
TI  - Visualization of in Vivo Hydrogen Sulfide Production by a Bioluminescence Probe
      in Cancer Cells and Nude Mice.
AB  - Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has emerged as an exciting endogenous gasotransmitter in
      addition to nitric oxide and carbon monoxide. However, its precise measurement in
      living cells and animals remains a challenge. In this study, a novel
      bioluminescence H2S probe was designed and synthesized by modifying the 6'-amino
      group of d-aminoluciferin into a 6'-azido group, which was highly selective
      against other reactive sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen species. Our H2S probe
      azidoluciferin sensitively reacted with H2S to release d-aminoluciferin with a
      strong bioluminescence signal. On the basis of its high selectivity and
      sensitivity, the H2S probe was used to detect H2S production in live cancer cells
      and nude mice. The bioluminescence signal decreased in mice treated with
      propargylglycine, an inhibitor of H2S, suggesting that our H2S probe can detect
      endogenous H2S in real time, in vivo. Overall, the excellent sensing properties
      of the probe combined with its bioimaging capability make it a useful tool to
      study H2S biological roles. 

PMID- 26482556
TI  - An integrative systems genetics approach reveals potential causal genes and
      pathways related to obesity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is a multi-factorial health problem in which genetic factors
      play an important role. Limited results have been obtained in single-gene studies
      using either genomic or transcriptomic data. RNA sequencing technology has shown
      its potential in gaining accurate knowledge about the transcriptome, and may
      reveal novel genes affecting complex diseases. Integration of genomic and
      transcriptomic variation (expression quantitative trait loci [eQTL] mapping) has
      identified causal variants that affect complex diseases. We integrated
      transcriptomic data from adipose tissue and genomic data from a porcine model to
      investigate the mechanisms involved in obesity using a systems genetics approach.
      METHODS: Using a selective gene expression profiling approach, we selected 36
      animals based on a previously created genomic Obesity Index for RNA sequencing of
      subcutaneous adipose tissue. Differential expression analysis was performed using
      the Obesity Index as a continuous variable in a linear model. eQTL mapping was
      then performed to integrate 60 K porcine SNP chip data with the RNA sequencing
      data. Results were restricted based on genome-wide significant single nucleotide
      polymorphisms, detected differentially expressed genes, and previously detected
      co-expressed gene modules. Further data integration was performed by detecting co
      expression patterns among eQTLs and integration with protein data. RESULTS:
      Differential expression analysis of RNA sequencing data revealed 458
      differentially expressed genes. The eQTL mapping resulted in 987 cis-eQTLs and 73
      trans-eQTLs (false discovery rate < 0.05), of which the cis-eQTLs were associated
      with metabolic pathways. We reduced the eQTL search space by focusing on
      differentially expressed and co-expressed genes and disease-associated single
      nucleotide polymorphisms to detect obesity-related genes and pathways. Building a
      co-expression network using eQTLs resulted in the detection of a module strongly
      associated with lipid pathways. Furthermore, we detected several obesity
      candidate genes, for example, ENPP1, CTSL, and ABHD12B. CONCLUSIONS: To our
      knowledge, this is the first study to perform an integrated genomics and
      transcriptomics (eQTL) study using, and modeling, genomic and subcutaneous
      adipose tissue RNA sequencing data on obesity in a porcine model. We detected
      several pathways and potential causal genes for obesity. Further validation and
      investigation may reveal their exact function and association with obesity.

PMID- 26482558
TI  - Remission of irreversible aripiprazole-induced tardive dystonia with clozapine: a
      case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aripiprazole can cause irreversible tardive dystonia in some
      individuals, and additional intervention is sometimes needed. Here, we report the
      first case of aripiprazole-induced irreversible tardive dystonia in which
      complete recovery of motor function was achieved using the antipsychotic drug
      clozapine. CASE PRESENTATION: A 24-year-old man with bipolar disorder was treated
      with aripiprazole and gradually developed tardive dystonia. Thorough medical and
      neurological examinations were performed to rule out other possible causes of
      tardive dystonia. Clozapine was administered when the patient did not improve
      following long-term withdrawal of aripiprazole or adjuvant medications. Before
      administration of clozapine, the patient was experiencing severe dystonia as
      assessed by the Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale. Dystonic symptoms began to
      improve about 1 month after starting administration of clozapine and were
      completely resolved 3 months after clozapine administration. CONCLUSIONS:
      Clinicians should note the risk of aripiprazole-induced tardive dystonia and
      consider clozapine as an alternative and effective treatment modality in cases of
      irreversible tardive dystonia, particularly when concomitant treatment of
      psychotic symptoms is required.

PMID- 26482560
TI  - Farewell Wilfred.

PMID- 26482559
TI  - Extremely durable biofouling-resistant metallic surfaces based on
      electrodeposited nanoporous tungstite films on steel.
AB  - Formation of unwanted deposits on steels during their interaction with liquids is
      an inherent problem that often leads to corrosion, biofouling and results in
      reduction in durability and function. Here we report a new route to form anti
      fouling steel surfaces by electrodeposition of nanoporous tungsten oxide (TO)
      films. TO-modified steels are as mechanically durable as bare steel and highly
      tolerant to compressive and tensile stresses due to chemical bonding to the
      substrate and island-like morphology. When inherently superhydrophilic TO
      coatings are converted to superhydrophobic, they remain non-wetting even after
      impingement with yttria-stabilized-zirconia particles, or exposure to ultraviolet
      light and extreme temperatures. Upon lubrication, these surfaces display
      omniphobicity against highly contaminating media retaining hitherto unseen
      mechanical durability. To illustrate the applicability of such a durable coating
      in biofouling conditions, we modified naval construction steels and surgical
      instruments and demonstrated significantly reduced marine algal film adhesion,
      Escherichia coli attachment and blood staining. 

PMID- 26482561
TI  - Plastic waste as a novel substrate for industrial biotechnology.

PMID- 26482562
TI  - NMR-based analysis of the chemical composition of Japanese persimmon aqueous
      extracts.
AB  - Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) is recognized as an outstanding source of
      biologically active compounds relating to many health benefits. In the present
      study, NMR spectroscopy provided a comprehensive metabolic overview of Japanese
      persimmon juice. Detailed signal assignments of Japanese persimmon juice were
      carried out using various 2D NMR techniques incorporated with broadband water
      suppression enhanced through T1 effects (BB-WET) or WET sequences, and 26
      components, including minor components, were identified. In addition, most
      components were quantitatively evaluated by the integration of signals using
      conventional (1) H NMR and BB-WET NMR. This is the first detailed analysis
      combined with quantitative characterization of chemical components using NMR for
      Japanese persimmon. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 

PMID- 26482563
TI  - Conductance tomography of conductive filaments in intrinsic silicon-rich silica
      RRAM.
AB  - We present results from an imaging study of filamentary conduction in silicon
      suboxide resistive RAM devices. We used a conductive atomic force microscope to
      etch through devices while measuring current, allowing us to produce tomograms of
      conductive filaments. To our knowledge this is the first report of such
      measurements in an intrinsic resistance switching material. 

PMID- 26482565
TI  - The lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio: an added value for death prediction in heart
      failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Leukocytes and their subpopulation have been long implicated
      in the progression of the syndrome of heart failure (HF), especially heart
      infiltration cells. Previous reports have suggested that they can predict worse
      outcome in patients with HF, and can also affect the function of other cells and
      myocardial extracellular matrix remodeling process. However, the lymphocyte-to
      monocyte ratio (LMR) and its possible value as prognostic marker have not been
      evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 390 patients with acute HF were
      recruited and followed for 6 months. Their total blood count with leukocyte
      differential was obtained. Two groups were formed according to the endpoints of
      HF death and optimal cut-off value of LMR, and were compared. A multivariate Cox
      regression model was used to establish the prognostic value with the endpoints of
      HF and all-cause mortality. Median age of the patients was 78 years and 48.5% of
      them were men. No major difference was observed between the clinical
      characteristics of the two groups. Patients who died of HF had significantly
      higher values of B-type natriuretic peptide and lower values of LMR. Leukocyte
      and monocyte counts revealed a multivariate-adjusted risk for both endpoints,
      whereas relative lymphocyte counts had only significant value for all-cause
      mortality. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios for the 6-month HF and all
      cause mortality in patients with LMR values < 2.0 were, respectively, 2.28 (95%
      CI: 1.25-4.15) and 2.39 (95% CI: 1.39-4.10). CONCLUSION: Our results show that,
      upon discharge from hospital after an episode of acute HF, a lower value of LMR
      is independently associated with a higher risk of mortality within 6 months.

PMID- 26482564
TI  - Evolutionary history of phosphatidylinositol- 3-kinases: ancestral origin in
      eukaryotes and complex duplication patterns.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases (PI3Ks) are a family of eukaryotic
      enzymes modifying phosphoinositides in phosphatidylinositols-3-phosphate. Located
      upstream of the AKT/mTOR signalling pathway, PI3Ks activate secondary messengers
      of extracellular signals. They are involved in many critical cellular processes
      such as cell survival, angiogenesis and autophagy. PI3K family is divided into
      three classes, including 14 human homologs. While class II enzymes are composed
      of a single catalytic subunit, class I and III also contain regulatory subunits.
      Here we present an in-depth phylogenetic analysis of all PI3K proteins. RESULTS:
      We confirmed that PI3K catalytic subunits form a monophyletic group, whereas
      regulatory subunits form three distinct groups. The phylogeny of the catalytic
      subunits indicates that they underwent two major duplications during their
      evolutionary history: the most ancient arose in the Last Eukaryotic Common
      Ancestor (LECA) and led to the emergence of class III and class I/II, while the
      second - that led to the separation between class I and II - occurred later, in
      the ancestor of Unikonta (i.e., the clade grouping Amoebozoa, Fungi, and
      Metazoa). These two major events were followed by many lineage specific
      duplications in particular in vertebrates, but also in various protist lineages.
      Major loss events were also detected in Vidiriplantae and Fungi. For the
      regulatory subunits, we identified homologs of class III in all eukaryotic groups
      indicating that, for this class, both the catalytic and the regulatory subunits
      were presents in LECA. In contrast, homologs of the regulatory class I have a
      more recent origin. CONCLUSIONS: The phylogenetic analysis of the PI3K shed a new
      light on the evolutionary history of these enzymes. We found that LECA already
      contained a PI3K class III composed of a catalytic and a regulatory subunit.
      Absence of class II regulatory subunits and the recent origin of class I
      regulatory subunits is puzzling given that the class I/II catalytic subunit was
      present in LECA and has been conserved in most present-day eukaryotic lineages.
      We also found surprising major loss and duplication events in various eukaryotic
      lineages. Given the functional specificity of PI3K proteins, this suggests
      dynamic adaptation during the diversification of eukaryotes.

PMID- 26482566
TI  - Prospective association between the dietary inflammatory index and metabolic
      syndrome: findings from the SU.VI.MAX study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The prevention of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) is of major
      concern and nutrition has been shown to modulate at least partly MetS risk. Our
      objective was to investigate whether a pro-inflammatory diet was associated with
      a higher risk of MetS and its components in a large cohort of French adults.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 3726 participants from the Supplementation en
      Vitamines et Mineraux AntioXydants (SU.VI.MAX) cohort were included in this
      study. The MetS status was identified at baseline and after 13 years of follow-up
      using self-reported medication, data from clinical investigations and biological
      measurements. The dietary inflammatory index (DII) was computed using repeated 24
      h-dietary records (n = 10.1 +/- 3.1). Logistic and linear regression analyses
      were conducted to assess the prospective association of the DII (as Q, quartiles)
      with the incidence of MetS and with the traits contributing to the MetS
      definition (blood pressure, glycaemia, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, waist
      circumference). A diet with pro-inflammatory properties, as expressed by higher
      DII scores, was significantly associated with a higher risk of developing the
      MetS (OR comparing Q4 to Q1: 1.39, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.92, P = 0.047).
      Moreover, higher DII scores were associated with higher systolic and diastolic
      blood pressure (Ptrend across quartiles = 0.03 and 0.05, respectively) and
      triglycerides (Ptrend = 0.01), and with lower HDL-cholesterol (Ptrend = 0.03).
      CONCLUSION: A higher DII score was prospectively associated with a higher risk of
      MetS, with associations with blood pressure, triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol.
      Promotion of a healthy diet exhibiting anti-inflammatory properties may
      contribute to prevent cardio-metabolic disorders.

PMID- 26482568
TI  - DNA Backbone BI/BII Distribution and Dynamics in E2 Protein-Bound Environment
      Determined by Molecular Dynamics Simulations.
AB  - BI and BII conformational substates in the DNA backbone typify canonical B-form
      DNA. The BI and BII substates are important for structural variation of DNA and
      have been implicated in protein-nucleic acid recognition mechanisms. Recent
      refinements have been made to nucleic acid force fields employed in molecular
      dynamics simulations that demonstrate a better ability to model the BI and BII
      states, leading to overall improved modeling of DNA structure and dynamics. These
      force field improvements have yet to be significantly demonstrated in the context
      of a protein-DNA system extended to long time scales. Our plan was to run
      molecular dynamics simulations of a well-studied protein-DNA system (E2-DNA) into
      the microsecond time scale and determine the ability of the force field to
      populate BII states in the DNA backbone consistent with dinucleotide steps
      crystallized in the BII conformation. The results showed that the dinucleotide
      steps in the E2-DNA complex with the highest BII populations from simulation
      trajectories corresponded to the dinucleotide steps crystallized in the BII state
      and that decoy BI and BII states converge to the same results within
      approximately one microsecond. 

PMID- 26482567
TI  - Impact of Spodoptera frugiperda neonate pretreatment conditions on Vip3Aa19
      insecticidal protein activity and laboratory bioassay variation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Variation in response to insecticidal proteins is common upon
      repetition of insect bioassays. Understanding this variation is a prerequisite to
      detecting biologically important differences. We tracked neonate Spodoptera
      frugiperda (J.E. Smith) susceptibility to Vip3Aa19 over 17 generations using
      standardized bioassay methods. Five larval pretreatment conditions and one
      bioassay condition were tested to determine whether susceptibility was affected.
      These included: storage time; prefeeding; storage at reduced temperature; storage
      at reduced humidity; colony introgression of field-collected individuals.
      Extremes of photoperiod during the bioassay itself were also examined. RESULTS:
      LC50 values for two strains of S. frugiperda varied 6.6-fold or 8.8-fold over 17
      generations. Storage time and humidity had no impact on Vip3Aa19 susceptibility,
      whereas prefeeding significantly reduced subsequent mortality (by 27%). Storage
      at reduced temperature increased mortality for one colony (from 45.6 to 73.0%)
      but not for the other. Introgression of field-collected individuals affected
      susceptibility at the first generation but not for subsequent generations. A 24 h
      bioassay photophase significantly reduced susceptibility (by 26%) for both
      colonies. CONCLUSION: Certain pretreatment and bioassay conditions were
      identified that can affect S. frugiperda Vip3Aa19 susceptibility, but innate
      larval heterogeneity was also present. Our observations should help to increase
      the consistency of insecticidal protein bioassay results.

PMID- 26482569
TI  - Synthesis and evaluation of C-5 modified 2'-deoxyuridine monophosphates as
      inhibitors of M. tuberculosis thymidylate synthase.
AB  - A series of 5'-monophosphates of 5-substituted 2'-deoxyuridine analogs, which
      recently demonstrated in vitro substantial suppression of two strains of
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth (virulent laboratory H37Rv and multiple
      resistant MS-115), has been synthesized and evaluated as potential inhibitors of
      M. tuberculosis thymidylate synthases: classical (ThyA) and flavin dependent
      thymidylate synthase (ThyX). A systematic SAR study and docking revealed 5
      undecyloxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine 5'-monophosphate 3b, displaying an IC50 value
      against ThyX of 8.32 MUM. All derivatives lack activity against the ThyA. It can
      be assumed that the mechanism of action of 3b may be partially associated with
      the inhibition of the ThyX.

PMID- 26482570
TI  - Design, synthesis and biological activity of phenoxyacetic acid derivatives as
      novel free fatty acid receptor 1 agonists.
AB  - The free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFA1) is a novel antidiabetic target for the
      treatment of type 2 diabetes based on particular mechanism in amplifying glucose
      stimulated insulin secretion. We have previously identified a series of
      phenoxyacetic acid derivatives. Herein, we describe the further chemical
      modification of this series directed by ligand efficiency and ligand
      lipophilicity efficiency. All of these efforts lead to the discovery of the
      promising candidate 16, an excellent FFA1 agonist with robust agonistic activity
      (43.6 nM), desired LE and LLE values. Moreover, compound 16 revealed a great
      potential for improving the hyperglycemia levels in both normal and type 2
      diabetic mice without the risk of hypoglycemia even at the high dose of 40 mg/kg.

PMID- 26482571
TI  - Dimeric [Mo2 S12 ](2-) Cluster: A Molecular Analogue of MoS2 Edges for Superior
      Hydrogen-Evolution Electrocatalysis.
AB  - Proton reduction is one of the most fundamental and important reactions in
      nature. MoS2 edges have been identified as the active sites for hydrogen
      evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysis. Designing molecular mimics of MoS2
      edge sites is an attractive strategy to understand the underlying catalytic
      mechanism of different edge sites and improve their activities. Herein we report
      a dimeric molecular analogue [Mo2 S12 ](2-) , as the smallest unit possessing
      both the terminal and bridging disulfide ligands. Our electrochemical tests show
      that [Mo2 S12 ](2-) is a superior heterogeneous HER catalyst under acidic
      conditions. Computations suggest that the bridging disulfide ligand of [Mo2 S12
      ](2-) exhibits a hydrogen adsorption free energy near zero (-0.05 eV). This work
      helps shed light on the rational design of HER catalysts and biomimetics of
      hydrogen-evolving enzymes. 

PMID- 26482572
TI  - Hemocompatibility evaluation for peptide fragments of human serum albumin cleaved
      by cyanogens bromide.
AB  - We have previously demonstrated that peptide fragments of human serum albumin can
      be developed into potential renal targeting drug carriers. However, the
      interactions of these peptide fragments with red blood cells and plasma
      components are not evaluated well and there is yet no report on the evaluation of
      the hemocompatibility of peptide fragments. In this study, three kinds of peptide
      fragments were prepared and identified by amino acid analysis, and the blood
      compatibility of the peptide fragments was investigated by measuring blood
      coagulation, platelet and complement activation and hemolysis activity. Results
      indicated that all the peptide fragments prepared were highly hemocompatible
      without causing any clot formation, red blood cell aggregation or immune
      response. In addition, data from the cytotoxicity assay using HeLa cells and
      Madin-Darby canine kidney cells suggested that these peptide fragments do not
      induce toxicity towards either cell lines at concentrations up to 5 mg/ml.
      Therefore, it can be concluded that peptide fragments exhibit good
      hemocompatibility with no unwanted effect on the viability of renal cells,
      preliminarily demonstrating that it is safe to use peptide fragments as renal
      targeting drug carriers. 

PMID- 26482573
TI  - Intermittent administration of human parathyroid hormone (1-34) increases
      fixation of strontium-doped hydroxyapatite coating titanium implants via
      electrochemical deposition in ovariectomized rat femur.
AB  - Previous studies have demonstrated the effect of human parathyroid hormone (1-34)
      (PTH) or strontium-doped hydroxyapatite coating (Sr-HA) on osteoporotic bone
      implantation. However, reports about effects of PTH plus Sr-HA on bone
      osseointegration of titanium implants in a state of osteoporosis were limited.
      This study was designed to investigate the effects of intermittent administration
      of human parathyroid hormone (1-34) on strontium-doped hydroxyapatite coating (Sr
      HA) implant fixation in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Twelve weeks after bilateral
      ovariectomy, all animals were randomly divided into four groups including control
      group, Sr group, PTH group and PTH+Sr group. Forty OVX rats accepted implant
      insertion in the distal femurs, control group, and PTH group with HA implants and
      the Sr group and PTH+Sr group with Sr-HA implants. Animals from PTH group and
      PTH+Sr group then randomly received PTH (60 ug/kg, 3 times a week) until death at
      12 weeks. After 12-week healing period, implants from group PTH+Sr revealed
      improved osseointegration compared with other treatment groups, which is
      manifested by the exceeding increase of bone area ratio and bone-to-implant
      contact, the trabecular microarchitecture and the maximal push-out force
      displayed by tests like histomorphometry, micro-CT, and biomechanics evaluation.
      These results demonstrated that PTH+ Sr-HA coatings could enhance implant
      osseointegration in OVX rats, and suggested the feasibility of using this method
      to improve implant fixation in osteoporotic bone. 

PMID- 26482574
TI  - Effects of Person-Centered Physical Therapy on Fatigue-Related Variables in
      Persons With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine effects of person-centered physical therapy on fatigue and
      related variables in persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). DESIGN: Randomized
      controlled trial. SETTING: Hospital outpatient rheumatology clinic. PARTICIPANTS:
      Persons with RA aged 20 to 65 years (N=70): intervention group (n=36) and
      reference group (n=34). INTERVENTIONS: The 12-week intervention, with 6-month
      follow-up, focused on partnership between participant and physical therapist and
      tailored health-enhancing physical activity and balancing life activities. The
      reference group continued with regular activities; both groups received usual
      health care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome was general fatigue (visual
      analog scale). Secondary outcomes included multidimensional fatigue (Bristol
      Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue Multi-Dimensional Questionnaire) and fatigue-related
      variables (ie, disease, health, function). RESULTS: At posttest, general fatigue
      improved more in the intervention group than the reference group (P=.042).
      Improvement in median general fatigue reached minimal clinically important
      differences between and within groups at posttest and follow-up. Improvement was
      also observed for anxiety (P=.0099), and trends toward improvements were observed
      for most multidimensional aspects of fatigue (P=.023-.048), leg
      strength/endurance (P=.024), and physical activity (P=.023). Compared with the
      reference group at follow-up, the intervention group improvement was observed for
      leg strength/endurance (P=.001), and the trends toward improvements persisted for
      physical (P=.041) and living-related (P=.031) aspects of fatigue, physical
      activity (P=.019), anxiety (P=.015), self-rated health (P=.010), and self
      efficacy (P=.046). CONCLUSIONS: Person-centered physical therapy focused on
      health-enhancing physical activity and balancing life activities showed
      significant benefits on fatigue in persons with RA.

PMID- 26482575
TI  - C57BL/6N Mice Are More Resistant to Ehrlich Ascites Tumors Than C57BL/6J Mice:
      The Role of Macrophage Nitric Oxide.
AB  - BACKGROUND Effectiveness of the immune defense formed by the genotype often
      determines the predisposition to cancer. Nitric oxide (NO) produced by
      macrophages is an important element in this defense. MATERIAL AND METHODS We
      hypothesized that genetic characteristics of NO generation systems can
      predetermine the vulnerability to tumor development. The study was conducted on
      mice of 2 genetic substrains - C57BL/6J and C57BL/6N - with Ehrlich ascites
      carcinoma (EAC). NO production in the tumor was changed using ITU, an iNOS
      inhibitor; c-PTIO, a NO scavenger; and SNP, a NO donor. Macrophage NO production
      was estimated by nitrite concentration in the culture medium. iNOS content was
      measured by Western blot analysis. Macrophage phenotype was determined by changes
      in NO production, iNOS level, and CD markers of the phenotype. RESULTS The
      lifespan of C57BL/6N mice (n=10) with EAC was 25% longer (p<0.01) than in
      C57BL/6J mice (n=10). Decreased NO production 23% reduced the survival duration
      of C57BL/6N mice (p<0.05), which were more resistant to tumors. Elevated NO
      production 26% increased the survival duration of C57BL/6J mice (p<0.05), which
      were more susceptible to EAC. Both the NO production and the iNOS level were 1.5
      times higher in C57BL/6N than in C57BL/6J mice (p<0.01). CD markers confirmed
      that C57BL/6N macrophages had the M1 and C57BL/6J macrophages had the M2
      phenotype. CONCLUSIONS The vulnerability to the tumor development can be
      predetermined by genetic characteristics of the NO generation system in
      macrophages. The important role of NO in anti-EAC immunity should be taken into
      account in elaboration of new antitumor therapies.

PMID- 26482576
TI  - The effect of plasma exchange on entecavir-treated chronic hepatitis B patients
      with hepatic de-compensation and acute-on-chronic liver failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Various studies showed that entecavir (ETV) failed to
      improve the short-term survival in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with severe
      acute exacerbation (SAE) and hepatic de-compensation or acute-on-chronic liver
      failure (ACLF). One study concluded that plasma exchange (PE) significantly
      decreased the short-term mortality of CHB patients with ACLF who were treated
      with lamivudine (LAM). Our study was designed to examine the effect of PE on CHB
      patients with ACLF who were treated with ETV. METHODS: From August 2010 to
      January 2015, 38 (PE group) and 120 (control group) consecutive CHB-naive
      patients with hepatic de-compensation and ACLF treated with PE plus ETV and ETV,
      respectively, were recruited. The primary endpoint was liver-related mortality at
      week 12. Biochemical and virological responses were also studied. RESULTS: At
      baseline, the PE group had higher serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and
      model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores, and had lower albumin levels
      than the control group. The cumulative survival rate at week 4 and week 12 in the
      PE group and control group were, respectively, 37 and 18 %, and 29 and 14 % (p <
      0.001, by log rank test). While the bilirubin levels in the PE group were more
      quickly lowered by PE therapy (p < 0.001), the decrease of ALT levels and
      virological response were similar in the two groups (p > 0.05). Univariate
      analysis showed that the control group had a higher liver-related mortality (p =
      0.038) at week 12 than the PE group. Multivariate analysis showed that hepatic
      encephalopathy, ascites, PE treatment, and MELD scores were independent factors
      for liver-related mortality at week 12. CONCLUSIONS: PE significantly improved
      the short-term survival of CHB patients with hepatic de-compensation and ACLF who
      were treated with ETV. Hepatic encephalopathy, ascites, PE treatment, and MELD
      scores were independent factors for liver-related mortality at week 12.

PMID- 26482577
TI  - Systematic review and meta-analysis on the prognostic value  of complete
      remission status at FDG-PET in Hodgkin lymphoma  after completion of first-line
      therapy.
AB  - This study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the prognostic value
      of complete remission status at 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission
      tomography (FDG-PET) in Hodgkin lymphoma after completion of first-line therapy.
      A systematic literature search was performed in the MEDLINE database for suitable
      original articles. The included studies were methodologically assessed using the
      Quality In Prognosis Studies tool. The proportion of patients who developed
      disease relapse during follow-up, among those patients who were in complete
      remission according to FDG-PET at the completion of first-line therapy, was
      calculated for each included study. Heterogeneity in disease relapse proportions
      across individual studies was assessed using the I2 statistic, with heterogeneity
      regarded present if I2<50 %. Weighted summary disease relapse proportion was
      calculated using either a random effects model (if I2>50) or a fixed effects
      model (if I2<=50). Ten studies comprising a total number of 1137 Hodgkin lymphoma
      patients with complete remission status according to FDG-PET after completion of
      first-line therapy were included. Overall methodological quality of included
      studies was reasonably good. The disease relapse rate during follow-up among all
      patients with complete remission status at end-of-treatment FDG-PET ranged from 0
      to 26.7 %, with a weighted summary proportion of 7.5 % (95 % confidence interval
      3.9-13.8 %) using the random effects model (I2=88.3 %). In conclusion, although
      the disease relapse rate in Hodgkin lymphoma patients who achieve an FDG-PET
      based complete remission after first-line therapy is low from an absolute point
      of view, it is actually high when considering the generally favorable outcome of
      Hodgkin lymphoma.

PMID- 26482578
TI  - Enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium in pediatric lupus nephritis: a retrospective
      cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to examine the long-term efficacy and
      complications associated with use of enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS)
      for treatment of pediatric lupus nephritis (LN). METHODS: This was a
      retrospective analysis of pediatric patients treated between 1995 and 2008.
      Comparisons were made between patients with LN who were and were not treated with
      EC-MPS (MPS and non-MPS groups). The primary endpoint was survival. The secondary
      endpoint was time to stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD). Response rates,
      laboratory parameters, and complications were determined. RESULTS: There were 33
      patients in the MPS group and 19 patients in the non-MPS group. The MPS group had
      more patients with complete/partial response (72.7 vs. 31.6 %; P < 0.001) and a
      significantly higher survival rate (0.0 vs. 42.1 %, P < 0.001), but the groups
      had similar rates of stage 3 CKD. The rebound of complement 3 was more rapid in
      the MPS group. There were no significant between-group differences in the
      incidence of complications, including gastrointestinal complications. CONCLUSION:
      A limitation of this study is the heterogeneity in the timing of treatment and in
      the duration of follow-up. Nonetheless, our findings suggest that EC-MPS can be
      an effective treatment for pediatric LN.

PMID- 26482579
TI  - Transitional Hemodynamics in Preterm Neonates: Clinical Relevance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Each newborn enters this world facing tremendous respiratory,
      hemodynamic and neuroendocrine challenges while going through drastic
      physiological changes during the process of adaption from fetal to postnatal
      life. Even though the vast majority of term infants transition smoothly without
      apparent consequences, this task becomes increasingly arduous for the extremely
      preterm infant. METHODS & RESULTS: This article reviews the physiology and
      pathophysiology of cardiovascular adaptation of the very preterm neonate. In
      particular it describes the physiology of fetal circulation, summarizes the
      hemodynamic changes occurring during preterm births and discusses the impact of
      the most frequently seen clinical scenarios that place additional burden on the
      premature infant during immediate transition. Finally an emphasis is placed on
      discussing common clinical dilemmas and practical aspects of developmental
      hemodynamics such as neonatal hypotension and patent ductus arteriosus; clinical
      presentations the neonatologist encounters on a daily basis. CONCLUSION: The
      review provides a physiology-based view on the hemodynamics of the immediate
      postnatal transitional period.

PMID- 26482580
TI  - Usefulness of Adenosinetriphosphate Bioluminescence Assay (ATPmetry) for
      Monitoring the Reprocessing of Endoscopes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic value of an adenosinetriphosphate
      bioluminescence assay (ATPmetry) to monitor the effectiveness of the reprocessing
      of endoscopes compared with microbiologic sampling. DESIGN: Diagnostic study.
      SETTING: A 2,200-bed teaching hospital performing 5,000 to 6,000 endoscopic
      procedures annually. INCLUSION CRITERIA: All samples from bronchial or
      gastrointestinal endoscopes whatever the context. METHODS: Samples for
      microbiologic analysis and ATPmetry measurements were taken when each endoscope
      was inspected following reprocessing. Sampling was performed by flushing each
      endoscope with 300 mL Neutralizing Pharmacopeia Diluent thiosulfate rinsing
      solution divided equally between the endoscope channels. For each endoscope a
      series of 3 ATPmetry measurements were made on a vial containing the first jet
      from each channel and a second series on the whole sample. RESULTS: Of 165
      samples from endoscopes, 11 exceeded the acceptability threshold of 25 colony
      forming units/endoscope. In the first jet collected, the median (interquartile
      range) level of ATPmetry was 30.5 (15.3-37.7) relative light units (RLU) for
      samples with 25 or fewer colony-forming units compared with 37.0 (34.7-39.3) RLU
      for samples with more than 25 colony-forming units (P=.008). For the whole
      sample, the median (interquartile range) level of ATPmetry was 24.8 (14.3-36.3)
      RLU and 36.3 (36.0-38.3) RLU (P=.006), respectively. After adjusting on the batch
      of cleansing solution used, no difference in ATPmetry values was found between
      microbiologically acceptable and unacceptable samples. CONCLUSION: ATPmetry
      cannot be used as an alternative or complementary approach to microbiologic tests
      for monitoring the reprocessing of endoscopes in France.

PMID- 26482581
TI  - The redox state of the alarmin HMGB1 is a pivotal factor in neuroinflammatory and
      microglial priming: A role for the NLRP3 inflammasome.
AB  - The alarmin high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) has been implicated as a key factor
      mediating neuroinflammatory processes. Recent findings suggest that the redox
      state of HMGB1 is a critical molecular feature of HMGB1 such that the reduced
      form (fr-HMGB1) is chemotactic, while the disulfide form (ds-HMGB1) is pro
      inflammatory. The present study examined the neuroinflammatory effects of these
      molecular forms as well as the ability of these forms to prime the
      neuroinflammatory and microglial response to an immune challenge. To examine the
      neuroinflammatory effects of these molecular forms in vivo, animals were
      administered intra-cisterna magna (ICM) a single dose of fr-HMGB1 (10MUg), ds
      HMGB1 (10MUg) or vehicle and basal pro-inflammatory effects were measured 2 and
      24h post-injection in hippocampus. Results of this initial experiment
      demonstrated that ds-HMGB1 increased hippocampal pro-inflammatory mediators at 2h
      (NF-kappaBIalpha mRNA, NLRP3 mRNA and IL-1beta protein) and 24h (NF-kappaBIalpha
      mRNA, TNFalpha mRNA, and NLRP3 protein) after injection. fr-HMGB1 had no effect
      on these mediators. These neuroinflammatory effects of ds-HMGB1 suggested that ds
      HMGB1 may function to prime the neuroinflammatory response to a subsequent immune
      challenge. To assess the neuroinflammatory priming effects of these molecular
      forms, animals were administered ICM a single dose of fr-HMGB1 (10MUg), ds-HMGB1
      (10MUg) or vehicle and 24h after injection, animals were challenged with LPS
      (10MUg/kg IP) or vehicle. Neuroinflammatory mediators and the sickness response
      (3, 8 and 24h after injection) were measured 2h after immune challenge. We found
      that ds-HMGB1 potentiated the neuroinflammatory (NF-kappaBIalpha mRNA, TNFalpha
      mRNA, IL-1beta mRNA, IL-6 mRNA, NLRP3 mRNA and IL-1beta protein) and sickness
      response (reduced social exploration) to LPS challenge. fr-HMGB1 failed to
      potentiate the neuroinflammatory response to LPS. To examine whether these
      molecular forms of HMGB1 directly induce neuroinflammatory effects in isolated
      microglia, whole brain microglia were isolated and treated with fr-HMGB1 (0, 1,
      10, 100, or 1000ng/ml) or ds-HMGB1 (0, 1, 10, 100, or 1000ng/ml) for 4h and pro
      inflammatory mediators measured. To assess the effects of these molecular forms
      on microglia priming, whole brain microglia were pre-exposed to these forms of
      HMGB1 (0, 1, 10, 100, or 1000ng/ml) and subsequently challenged with LPS
      (10ng/ml). We found that ds-HMGB1 increased expression of NF-kappaBIalpha mRNA
      and NLRP3 mRNA in isolated microglia, and potentiated the microglial pro
      inflammatory response (TNFalpha mRNA, IL-1beta mRNA and IL-1beta protein) to LPS.
      fr-HMGB1 failed to potentiate the microglial pro-inflammatory response to LPS.
      Consistent with prior reports, the present findings demonstrate that the
      disulfide form of HMGB1 not only potentiates the neuroinflammatory response to a
      subsequent immune challenge in vivo, but also potentiates the sickness response
      to that challenge. Moreover, the present findings demonstrate for the first time
      that ds-HMGB1 directly potentiates the microglia pro-inflammatory response to an
      immune challenge, a finding that parallels the effects of ds-HMGB1 in vivo. In
      addition, ds-HMGB1 induced expression of NLRP3 and NF-kappaBIalpha in vivo and in
      vitro suggesting that the NLRP3 inflammasome may play role in the priming effects
      of ds-HMGB1. Taken together, the present results suggest that the redox state of
      HMGB1 is a critical determinant of the priming properties of HMGB1 such that the
      disulfide form of HMGB1 induces a primed immunophenotype in the CNS, which may
      result in an exacerbated neuroinflammatory response upon exposure to a subsequent
      pro-inflammatory stimulus.

PMID- 26482583
TI  - Salvage of the proximal femur following pathological fractures involving benign
      bone tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To describe the surgical treatment of patients with a
      pathologic fracture through a benign tumor of the proximal femur to determine if
      there is a difference in local recurrence, complications or functional outcome
      compared to patients with tumors in the same location without pathologic
      fractures. METHODS: From 1989-2010, of 97 patients, 29 presented with a
      pathologic fracture (PF) through a proximal femoral benign bone tumor and 68
      presented without a pathologic fracture (NPF). Outcomes of the two groups were
      compared in terms of surgical management, postoperative complications, local
      recurrence and functional scores. RESULTS: Fibrous dysplasia, giant cell tumor of
      bone and chondroblastoma were the most common subtypes. Most patients were
      managed with joint preservation in both PF (86.2%) and NPF (98.5%) groups (P =
      0.03). Local recurrence risk was similar for patients in the PF (10.3%) and NPF
      (8.8%) groups. Mean follow-up was 105.7 months (P = 0.8). Functional outcome
      scores were high in both groups and not statistically significantly different.
      CONCLUSIONS: The majority of pathologic fractures through a benign bone tumor of
      the proximal femur can be successfully treated with curettage, burring, bone
      grafting and internal fixation without increasing the risk of local recurrence or
      negatively impacting functional outcome.

PMID- 26482584
TI  - Sonographic fetal weight estimation in normal and overweight/obese healthy term
      pregnant women by gestation-adjusted projection (GAP) method.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to assess the ultrasound accuracy in
      fetal weight estimation related to the time distance between the actual weight
      recorded at delivery and the period of sonography among normal and
      overweight/obese pregnant women within 3 weeks prior birth at term. METHODS: Four
      hundred and ninety patients with healthy pregnancy were studied in a cohort
      study. The absolute percent error in estimation was achieved by gestation
      adjusted projection method from Hadlock model for weight calculation as measure
      of accuracy. The mean percentage error variation over the weeks was correlated to
      maternal body mass index (BMI, Kg/m(2)) at ultrasound. The relationship between
      BMI and ultrasound performance was assessed by linear regression. RESULTS: The
      overall proportion of supposed sonographic estimated fetal weight at birth within
      +/-10 % of the birth weight significantly declines over the weeks (P = .016). The
      trend toward a progressive deterioration in ultrasound accuracy is not
      statistically significant for normal weight women (P = .272) but it is for over
      weight/obese (P = .044). On univariate analysis, the absolute percent error and
      absolute error are positively related to BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Accuracy is related to
      the week at ultrasound scan with a gradual deterioration over the time and it
      worsens with increasing distance in days between the date of ultrasounds and
      delivery. The deterioration is greater for BMI >= 25.

PMID- 26482585
TI  - Risk factors for clavicle fracture concurrent with brachial plexus injury.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for clavicle
      fracture concurrent with brachial plexus injuries. METHODS: A retrospective study
      was conducted at a tertiary centre. The hospital records of 62,288 vaginal
      deliveries were evaluated retrospectively. There were 35 cases of brachial plexus
      injury. Of these patients, nine had brachial plexus injuries with clavicle
      fracture and 26 without clavicle fracture. The analysed risk factors for clavicle
      fracture concurrent with brachial plexus injury were gestational diabetes, labour
      induction and augmentation, prolonged second stage of labour, estimated foetal
      weight above 4000 g, birth weight above 4000 g, risky working hours, and the
      requirement of manoeuvres to free the impacted shoulder from behind the symphysis
      pubis. RESULTS: Labour augmentation with oxytocin increased the risk of clavicle
      fracture in cases of brachial plexus injury (OR 6.67; 95% CI 1.26-35.03). A birth
      weight higher than 4000 g also increased the risk of clavicle fracture. Risky
      working hours, gestational diabetes, estimated foetal weight higher than 4000 g,
      and requirement of shoulder dystocia manoeuvres did not increase the risk of
      clavicle fracture. CONCLUSIONS: Labour augmentation and actual birth weight
      higher than 4000 g were identified as risk factors for clavicle fracture in cases
      of brachial plexus injury.

PMID- 26482586
TI  - Unmet Needs of Adults in Community Mental Health Care With and Without
      Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - The cross-sectional study compared the clinical and need profiles for clients
      with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in seven
      mental health case management programs in Toronto, Canada on March 31, 2013.
      Unmet needs in domains within four broad clusters were measured by staff using an
      internationally utilized tool, the Camberwell Assessment of Need. Among the 2560
      clients, 8.3 % had a co-occurring IDD. For most assessed domains rates of unmet
      need were not different for persons with and without IDD. However, the IDD group
      had greater unmet needs for adaptive functioning/skills and cognitive needs [self
      care (p = 0.023), education (p < 0.001), transportation (p < 0.001), and
      information on condition (p = 0.038)]. While clients with IDD and psychiatric
      diagnoses often receive poor quality care, in the case management programs
      examined their rates of unmet need were similar to individuals without IDD across
      most assessed domains, including in the areas of addictions and physical health
      care.

PMID- 26482587
TI  - Community Resilience of Civilians at War: A New Perspective.
AB  - A new concept of community resilience pertaining to the community's post
      adversity strength to vulnerability ratio was associated with five determinants:
      individual resilience, national resilience, well-being, community size, and sense
      of coherence. The data was collected four months after Israel's war in the Gaza
      Strip in 2014. Participants were 251 adult civilians living in southern Israel
      who have recently been threatened by massive missile attacks, and 259 adults
      living in northern Israel, which has not been under missile fire recently. The
      investigated variables predicted community resilience, and their effects were
      mediated by sense of coherence. Results which were similar for both samples were
      discussed in terms of the nature of resilience and in terms of proximal and
      distal exposure to war. 

PMID- 26482588
TI  - Formation of photosystem II reaction centers that work as energy sinks in lichen
      symbiotic Trebouxiophyceae microalgae.
AB  - Lichens are poikilohydric symbiotic organisms that can survive in the absence of
      water. Photosynthesis must be highly regulated in these organisms, which live
      under continuous desiccation-rehydration cycles, to avoid photooxidative damage.
      Analysis of chlorophyll a fluorescence induction curves in the lichen microalgae
      of the Trebouxiophyceae Asterochloris erici and in Trebouxia jamesii (TR1) and
      Trebouxia sp. (TR9) phycobionts, isolated from the lichen Ramalina farinacea,
      shows differences with higher plants. In the presence of the photosynthetic
      electron transport inhibitor DCMU, the kinetics of Q(A) reduction is related to
      variable fluorescence by a sigmoidal function that approaches a horizontal
      asymptote. An excellent fit to these curves was obtained by applying a model
      based on the following assumptions: (1) after closure, the reaction centers (RCs)
      can be converted into "energy sink" centers (sRCs); (2) the probability of energy
      leaving the sRCs is very low or zero and (3) energy is not transferred from the
      antenna of PSII units with sRCs to other PSII units. The formation of sRCs units
      is also induced by repetitive light saturating pulses or at the transition from
      dark to light and probably requires the accumulation of reduced Q(A), as well as
      structural changes in the reaction centers of PSII. This type of energy sink
      would provide a very efficient way to protect symbiotic microalgae against abrupt
      changes in light intensity.

PMID- 26482589
TI  - The variability of light-harvesting complexes in aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs.
AB  - Light-harvesting capacity was investigated in six species of aerobic anoxygenic
      phototrophic (AAP) bacteria using absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence emission
      spectroscopy, and pigment analyses. Aerobically grown AAP cells contained approx.
      140-1800 photosynthetic reaction centers per cell, an order of magnitude less
      than purple non-sulfur bacteria grown semiaerobically. Three of the studied AAP
      species did not contain outer light-harvesting complexes, and the size of their
      reaction center core complexes (RC-LH1 core complexes) varied between 29 and 36
      bacteriochlorophyll molecules. In AAP species containing accessory antennae, the
      size was frequently reduced, providing between 5 and 60 additional
      bacteriochlorophyll molecules. In Roseobacter litoralis, it was found that cells
      grown at a higher light intensity contained more reaction centers per cell, while
      the size of the light-harvesting complexes was reduced. The presented results
      document that AAP species have both the reduced number and size of light
      harvesting complexes which is consistent with the auxiliary role of phototrophy
      in this bacterial group. 

PMID- 26482590
TI  - Clinical comparison of postoperative results of balloon  kyphoplasty (BKP) versus
      radiofrequency-targeted vertebral  augmentation (RF-TVA): a prospective clinical
      study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are a frequent occurrence in
      geriatric traumatology. Differences in the achievement of pain reduction and
      restoration of the height of the vertebral body after balloon kyphoplasty (BKP)
      or radiofrequency-targeted vertebral augmentation (RF-TVA) were to be tested on a
      randomized population. METHODS: A total of 80 patients (f = 59; m = 21) with
      osteoporotic fractures of vertebral bodies were assigned to the groups BKP (n =
      44) or RF-TVA (n = 36). The clinical analyses were compared peri- and
      postoperatively in a prospective study with an additional follow-up examination
      after 1 year. RESULTS: The operations for BKP were bipedicular in all cases; for
      RF-TVA, a bipedicular access was required in only five cases (14 %) (p>0.0001).
      There were confirmed differences with respect to the amount of cement used (ml)
      between the two groups (BKP = 4.9 +/- 1 vs. RFTVA= 3.4 +/- 1; p<0.001). In the
      BKP group, the angle of kyphosis was reduced by an average of 1.65 degrees  and
      in the RF-TVA group by an average of 2.8 degrees  by the operation. The analysis
      of the maximum VAS data showed a clear postoperative reduction in the intensity
      of pain of approximately 4.5 cm in each of the groups with no discernible
      difference. After 12 months, the majority of patients in both groups (BKP = 61 %
      vs. RF-TVA = 83 %) reported being free of pain when at rest without a significant
      difference(p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A certain superiority of RF-TVA with respect
      to pain relief, amount of cement required, savings of operating time and
      personnel, and greater safety with respect to cement leakage noted in this study
      are consistent with other published literature. The differences between the two
      methods in the frequency of subsequent postoperative fractures and the secondary
      loss of high restoration were encouraging regarding RF-TVA.

PMID- 26482591
TI  - Results of sling surgery in a non-selected population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate sling surgery in terms of effectiveness and quality of
      life, and describe the effects of confounding variables on outcomes. METHODS: A
      retrospective cohort study using multiple validated questionnaires was conducted
      in a specialized pelvic floor center in the Netherlands. Women were enrolled
      after undergoing sling surgery between January 1, 2010, and January 31, 2012. In
      addition to the preoperative questionnaire, participants completed a
      questionnaire a minimum of 6weeks after surgery to assess outcomes. RESULTS: Of
      255 eligible participants, 228 (89.4%) returned the postoperative questionnaire
      after a mean follow-up of 14.9months (range 2-32). At the time of follow-up, 158
      (69.3%) patients considered themselves cured, and an improvement was observed in
      155 (68.9%) patients; 70 (31.1%) patients rated their postoperative situation as
      little improved, unchanged, or deteriorated. Compared with patients who had no
      history of previous related surgery, patients with prior sling surgery benefited
      significantly less from surgery, whereas those with concomitant vaginal surgery
      showed similar scores in all outcome parameters. A high body mass index was found
      to have a negative effect on the results of surgery. CONCLUSION: midurethral
      sling surgery is both efficient and effective in curing stress urinary
      incontinence. However, patient characteristics and confounding variables can
      influence the outcome of surgery and should therefore always be discussed with
      the patient.

PMID- 26482592
TI  - Structurally Characterized Zn2+ Selective Ratiometric  Fluorescence Probe in 100
      % Water for HeLa Cell Imaging:  Experimental and Computational Studies.
AB  - Fluorescence recognition of Zn2+ in 100% aqueous medium using 2-((1, 3 dihydroxy
      2-(hydroxymethyl)propan-2 ylimino) methyl) phenol (SALTM) as ratiometric probe is
      reported. Moreover, SALTM can discriminate Zn2+ from Cd2+very effectively. The
      binding constant and detection limit of the probe for Zn2+ is 2.2*10(4) M(-1/2)
      and 2.79*10(-8) M respectively.Interestingly, corresponding naphthalene
      derivative(HNTM) having less water solubility fails to be a ratiometric sensor.
      SALTM can detect intracellular Zn2+ in HeLa cervical cancer cells under
      fluorescence microscope. Moreover, DFT and TD-DFT studies support experimental
      findings.

PMID- 26482593
TI  - Study of Binding Properties Between Two New Ibuprofen  and Naproxen Based Acyl
      Hydrazone Derivatives and Trypsin.
AB  - Two acyl hydrazone derivatives, AHI and AHN,made from ibuprofen and naproxen
      derived hydrazides, were prepared and studied of binding properties with serine
      protease trypsin by UV-vis absorption and fluorescence quenching at pH 7.4. The
      results suggest that both hydrazones can interact strongly with trypsin and there
      are the formation of trypsin-hydrazone complexes. The Stern-Volmer constants,
      binding constants,binding sites and the corresponding thermodynamic parameters
      DeltaH degrees , DeltaS degrees  and DeltaG degrees  were calculated at different
      temperatures.The effect of common metal ions on the constants was also discussed.
      The binding modes can be explained on the basis of hydrogen bonds and van der
      Waals forces. The binding distance(r) ~3 nm between the donor (trypsin) and
      acceptors (AHI and AHN) was obtained according to Forster's non-radiative energy
      transfer theory. Moreover, LOD and LOQ of hydrazones were calculated in the
      presence of trypsin.

PMID- 26482594
TI  - A nonlinear-elastic constitutive model for soft connective tissue based on a
      histologic description: Application to female pelvic soft tissue.
AB  - To understand the mechanical behavior of soft tissues, two fields of science are
      essential: biomechanics and histology. Nonetheless, those two fields have not yet
      been studied together often enough to be unified by a comprehensive model. This
      study attempts to produce such model. Biomechanical uniaxial tension tests were
      performed on vaginal tissues from 7 patients undergoing surgery. In parallel,
      vaginal tissue from the same patients was histologically assessed to determine
      the elastic fiber ratio. These observations demonstrated a relationship between
      the stiffness of tissue and its elastin content. To extend this study, a
      mechanical model, based on an histologic description, was developed to
      quantitatively correlate the mechanical behavior of vaginal tissue to its elastic
      fiber content. A satisfactory single-parameter model was developed assuming that
      the mechanical behavior of collagen and elastin was the same for all patients and
      that tissues are only composed of collagen and elastin. This single-parameter
      model showed good correlation with experimental results. The single-parameter
      mechanical model described here, based on histological description, could be very
      useful in helping to understand and better describe soft tissues with a view to
      their characterization. The mechanical behavior of a tissue can thus be
      determined thanks to its elastin content without introducing too many
      unidentified parameters.

PMID- 26482595
TI  - Overcoming translational challenges - The delivery of mechanical stimuli in vivo.
AB  - Despite major medical advances, non-union bone fractures and skeletal defects
      continue to place significant burden on the patient, the clinicians and the
      healthcare system as a whole. Current bone substitute approaches are still
      limited in effectiveness and to date no adequate bone substitute material has
      been developed for routine clinical application. Tissue engineering presents a
      novel approach to tackling this clinical burden and developing an acceptable
      solution for the treatment of skeletal defects. Over the past three decades the
      field has evolved to appreciate the key biological, material and physical
      parameters influencing the development of a cell-based tissue engineered therapy
      and to create associated technologies to exploit such parameters. In recent years
      a number of therapies have started progressing along the pre-clinical pipeline to
      build a case for regulatory approval and ultimately clinical adoption. However,
      little emphasis has been given to the translational challenges faced when moving
      from "bench-to-bedside". One particular challenge lies in the delivery of
      functional mechanical stimuli to implanted cell populations to activate and
      promote osteogenic activities. This review introduces novel bio-magnetic
      approaches to overcoming this challenge. 

PMID- 26482596
TI  - Inhibition of MEF2A prevents hyperglycemia-induced extracellular matrix
      accumulation by blocking Akt and TGF-beta1/Smad activation in cardiac
      fibroblasts.
AB  - Myocyte enhancer factor 2A (MEF2A) functions in muscle-specific and/or growth
      factor-related transcription and is involved in cell growth, survival, and
      apoptosis. To evaluate the role of this transcription factor in cardiac
      fibroblasts (CFs) in diabetes mellitus, we performed a series of in vitro and in
      vivo experiments. We used short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to inhibit the expression of
      MEF2A in CFs in vitro. Inhibition of MEF2A significantly reduced hyperglycemia
      induced CF proliferation and migration, myofibroblast differentiation, matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP) activities, and collagen production. Furthermore, MEF2A
      inhibition attenuated HG-induced activation of the mitogen-activated protein
      kinase (MAPK), Akt, and TGF-beta1/Smad signaling pathways. For in vivo analysis
      in a mouse model, type-1 diabetes was induced by streptozotocinand MEF2A
      expression was knocked down by myocardial injection with lentivirus carrying
      shRNA-MEF2A. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography. Total collagen
      deposition was assessed by Masson's trichrome and Picrosirius red staining.
      Knockdown of MEF2A ameliorated diabetes-induced cardiac dysfunction and collagen
      deposition. Our study suggests that inhibition of MEF2A could alleviate HG
      induced extracellular matrix accumulation by blocking the activation of Akt and
      TGF-beta1/Smad signaling pathway in CFs. Thus, inhibition of MEF2A has
      therapeutic potential in the treatment of diabetic-induced cardiac remodeling. 

PMID- 26482598
TI  - Antibiotic resistance threatens the efficacy of prophylaxis.

PMID- 26482597
TI  - Potential burden of antibiotic resistance on surgery and cancer chemotherapy
      antibiotic prophylaxis in the USA: a literature review and modelling study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The declining efficacy of existing antibiotics potentially
      jeopardises outcomes in patients undergoing medical procedures. We investigated
      the potential consequences of increases in antibiotic resistance on the ten most
      common surgical procedures and immunosuppressing cancer chemotherapies that rely
      on antibiotic prophylaxis in the USA. METHODS: We searched the published
      scientific literature and identified meta-analyses and reviews of randomised
      controlled trials or quasi-randomised controlled trials (allocation done on the
      basis of a pseudo-random sequence-eg, odd/even hospital number or date of birth,
      alternation) to estimate the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in preventing
      infections and infection-related deaths after surgical procedures and
      immunosuppressing cancer chemotherapy. We varied the identified effect sizes
      under different scenarios of reduction in the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis
      (10%, 30%, 70%, and 100% reductions) and estimated the additional number of
      infections and infection-related deaths per year in the USA for each scenario. We
      estimated the percentage of pathogens causing infections after these procedures
      that are resistant to standard prophylactic antibiotics in the USA. FINDINGS: We
      estimate that between 38.7% and 50.9% of pathogens causing surgical site
      infections and 26.8% of pathogens causing infections after chemotherapy are
      resistant to standard prophylactic antibiotics in the USA. A 30% reduction in the
      efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis for these procedures would result in 120,000
      additional surgical site infections and infections after chemotherapy per year in
      the USA (ranging from 40,000 for a 10% reduction in efficacy to 280,000 for a 70%
      reduction in efficacy), and 6300 infection-related deaths (range: 2100 for a 10%
      reduction in efficacy, to 15,000 for a 70% reduction). We estimated that every
      year, 13,120 infections (42%) after prostate biopsy are attributable to
      resistance to fluoroquinolones in the USA. INTERPRETATION: Increasing antibiotic
      resistance potentially threatens the safety and efficacy of surgical procedures
      and immunosuppressing chemotherapy. More data are needed to establish how
      antibiotic prophylaxis recommendations should be modified in the context of
      increasing rates of resistance. FUNDING: DRIVE-AB Consortium.

PMID- 26482599
TI  - Antiepileptic drug use improves overall survival in breast cancer patients with
      brain metastases in the setting of whole brain radiotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is mounting evidence that histone deacetylase
      (HDAC) inhibitors, e.g. valproic acid (VPA), synergize with radiation to improve
      outcomes in several cancers. This study was conducted to ascertain whether VPA
      affected outcomes in breast cancer patients with brain metastases treated with
      whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records from 253 breast
      cancer patients with brain metastases treated with WBRT were reviewed. Data
      regarding use of all antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were extracted. Kaplan-Meier
      survival times were calculated using the date of brain involvement as time zero.
      Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine the association between
      patient and tumor characteristics and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Median OS
      for the entire patient cohort was 6 months. Patients receiving VPA (n=20) had a
      median OS of 11 months versus 5 months for those not receiving VPA (p=0.028).
      Median OS was 9 months for patients taking any AED (n=101) versus 4 months for
      those not taking AEDs (p=0.0003). On multivariate analysis both VPA and AED use
      were associated with improved OS (HR 0.61, p=0.0419; HR 0.59, p=0.0002,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the use of AEDs, including VPA,
      is associated with improved OS in breast cancer patients with brain metastases
      following WBRT.

PMID- 26482600
TI  - Temporal trends in perinatal mortality and cerebral palsy: A regional population
      based study in southern Japan.
AB  - AIM: The prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) has not decreased in developed
      countries over the past 30 years. We examined gestational age-specific trends in
      the prevalence of CP. METHODS: This unselected, population-based study was
      conducted in Miyazaki prefecture, Japan (10,000 deliveries annually), where
      102,999 deliveries were registered between 2001 and 2010. Of these, 312 were
      stillbirths (?22 weeks of gestation), 126 were neonatal deaths (<28 days of
      birth), and 214 infants were determined to be at risk of CP at peer-review
      conferences. Survival and neurological damage were compared for two 5-year
      periods, 2001-2005 and 2006-2010, and infants were classified according to
      gestational ages. RESULTS: Stillbirths and neonatal deaths decreased
      significantly during both periods. Likewise, the number of registered high-risk
      cases of CP decreased by 30.2%, from 126 to 88 cases. After excluding congenital
      anomalies, the corrected CP prevalence was 1.5 per 1000 (78/51,889) and 1.3 per
      1000 (67/51,110), for the two periods, which was not a significant difference.
      The number of extremely preterm infants (22-25 weeks) did not change over the 10
      year period, whereas that of moderately preterm infants (26-36 weeks) increased,
      and that of term infants significantly decreased (p<0.01). In term infants,
      asphyxia decreased from 18 to 7 cases (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Perinatal deaths and
      CP decreased in prevalence during both 5-year periods, and the CP prevalence was
      2.1 per 1000 births. Furthermore, fewer term infants were at high risk for CP
      mainly because of the reduced prevalence of asphyxia.

PMID- 26482601
TI  - High prevalence of genetic alterations in early-onset epileptic encephalopathies
      associated with infantile movement disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have elucidated causative roles for genetic
      abnormalities in early-onset epileptic encephalopathies (EOEE). Accompanying
      characteristic features, in addition to seizures, have also been suggested to
      provide important clues for an early and accurate genetic diagnosis of affected
      patients. In this study, we investigated the underlying genetic causes in
      patients with EOEE associated with infantile movement disorders. METHODS: We
      examined 11 patients with EOEE and involuntary movements (nine with West syndrome
      and two with nonsyndromic epileptic encephalopathy). All showed severe
      developmental delay, cognitive impairment, and involuntary movements such as
      chorea, ballism, dyskinesia or myoclonus, and hand stereotypies. We performed
      whole-exome sequencing of 10 patients, while the other patient underwent high
      resolution melting analysis of candidate EOEE genes. RESULTS: We identified
      mutations in CDKL5, SCN2A, SETD5, ALG13, and TBL1XR1 in seven patients with West
      syndrome, and in SCN1A and GRIN1 in the two patients with unclassified epileptic
      encephalopathy. All mutations were validated as de novo events. The genetic cause
      was undetermined in the remaining two patients. CONCLUSIONS: We found pathogenic
      mutations in seven genes, in nine of 11 patients with EOEE and involuntary
      movements. Although the results of our study are preliminary because of the small
      number of patients, they nevertheless suggest that specific accompanying
      phenotypes such as hyperkinetic movements or hand stereotypies could be important
      in narrowing the disease spectrum and identifying causative genetic
      abnormalities.

PMID- 26482602
TI  - The long-term health impact and potential predictors of cardiopulmonary arrest in
      patients with childhood-onset psychomotor impairments.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the study was to understand the long-term health issues and
      potential predictors of cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) in patients with severe
      childhood-onset psychomotor impairments. METHOD: In this single-center,
      retrospective observational study, the medical records of 140 patients with
      severe childhood-onset psychomotor impairments were reviewed. The medical
      interventions and functional status of patients with a history of CPA (n=22: 14
      M/8 F; mean+/-SD age: 26.6+/-12.4 years) were compared with age- and sex-matched
      patients without a history of CPA (n=44: 28 M/16 F; mean+/-SD age: 26.5+/-12.3
      years). RESULTS: The prevalence of CPA was 15.7%. The most frequent cause was
      respiratory issues, and CPA occurred most frequently between 0 and 5 years old.
      The patients who had a history of CPA were more likely to have required a feeding
      tube (p=0.0007), tracheostomy (p<0.0001), and ventilator (p=0.002) compared to
      the non-CPA patients, while the prevalence of tracheostomy or ventilator
      treatment during early infancy was comparable between both groups. Although
      statistically non-significant, patients who used antiepileptics or feeding tubes
      during the neonatal period had higher odds of a future CPA. INTERPRETATION: This
      single-center study indicated that the prevalence of CPA could be high among
      individuals with severe childhood-onset psychomotor impairments, and patients who
      experience CPA have more health issues. The potential predictors for a future CPA
      are young age (0-5 years), respiratory issues, and antiepileptic or feeding tube
      usage during the neonatal period. These patients may require extra attention in
      medical managements.

PMID- 26482603
TI  - Long-term weekly ACTH therapy for relapsed West syndrome in tuberous sclerosis
      complex: A case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Japan, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) therapy has been the
      mainstay of treatment of West syndrome. Conventional ACTH therapy is administered
      short-term with efficacy, yet the relapse rate is high. Relapse after initial
      ACTH therapy is a poor prognostic factor for long-term seizure control and
      outcome of cognitive function. Here, we report successful long-term weekly ACTH
      therapy for relapsed WS in a tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) child after
      conventional ACTH therapy. PATIENT: The patient had a series of epileptic spasms
      (ES) and hypsarrhythmia at age 3 months. She was diagnosed with WS associated
      with TSC, and was treated with conventional ACTH therapy at age 4 months, and a
      second course of ACTH therapy at age 8 months. Both courses of therapy were
      transiently effective. A third course of ACTH therapy was started at age 1 year
      and 2 months, and long-term weekly ACTH therapy was continued thereafter. During
      this therapy, both ES and hypsarrhythmia remained completely resolved. Therapy
      was continued, and dose reduction was started when the patient was 2 years and 10
      months old. No serious adverse events had occurred during this therapy.
      CONCLUSION: This case demonstrated that long-term weekly ACTH may be safe and
      effective. Although at present, this therapy may only be considered for relapsed
      symptomatic WS patients, it may be a good alternative therapy when frequent
      relapses occur after favorable response to conventional ACTH therapy.

PMID- 26482604
TI  - Conditional robustness analysis for fragility discovery and target identification
      in biochemical networks and in cancer systems biology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The study of cancer therapy is a key issue in the field of oncology
      research and the development of target therapies is one of the main problems
      currently under investigation. This is particularly relevant in different types
      of tumor where traditional chemotherapy approaches often fail, such as lung
      cancer. RESULTS: We started from the general definition of robustness introduced
      by Kitano and applied it to the analysis of dynamical biochemical networks,
      proposing a new algorithm based on moment independent analysis of input/output
      uncertainty. The framework utilizes novel computational methods which enable
      evaluating the model fragility with respect to quantitative performance measures
      and parameters such as reaction rate constants and initial conditions. The
      algorithm generates a small subset of parameters that can be used to act on
      complex networks and to obtain the desired behaviors. We have applied the
      proposed framework to the EGFR-IGF1R signal transduction network, a crucial
      pathway in lung cancer, as an example of Cancer Systems Biology application in
      drug discovery. Furthermore, we have tested our framework on a pulse generator
      network as an example of Synthetic Biology application, thus proving the
      suitability of our methodology to the characterization of the input/output
      synthetic circuits. CONCLUSIONS: The achieved results are of immediate practical
      application in computational biology, and while we demonstrate their use in two
      specific examples, they can in fact be used to study a wider class of biological
      systems.

PMID- 26482605
TI  - Prognostic impact of extent of vascular invasion in low-grade encapsulated
      follicular cell-derived thyroid carcinomas: a clinicopathologic study of 276
      cases.
AB  - Continuous controversy surrounds the predictive value of the degree of vascular
      invasion (VI) in low-grade encapsulated follicular cell-derived thyroid
      carcinomas (LGEFCs). Some guidelines advocate conservative therapy in LGEFCs with
      focal VI. There is therefore a need to assess the survival rates of LGEFC
      patients with various degrees of VI to better stratify patients for subsequent
      therapy. Furthermore, the prognostic effect of VI within the different histotypes
      of LGEFCs is not well known. A total of 276 patients with LGEFCs were subjected
      to a meticulous histopathologic analysis. They were classified as encapsulated
      papillary thyroid carcinoma, encapsulated follicular carcinoma (EFC), and
      encapsulated Hurthle cell carcinoma (EHCC). Of the 276 patients, 24 had extensive
      VI (EVI) (>=4 foci) and 28 displayed focal (<4 foci) VI. EHCC and EFC showed a
      much higher rate of EVI than encapsulated papillary thyroid carcinoma. Median
      follow-up was 6 years. All 14 tumors with adverse behavior harbored distant
      metastases (DMs), of which 9 had DMs at presentation. All 3 patients without EVI
      who had aggressive carcinomas harbored DMs at presentation. EVI was an
      independent predictor of poor recurrence-free survival. Excluding cases with DMs
      at presentation, only patients with EVI had recurrence, and all relapsed cases
      were EHCC. EVI is an independent predictor of recurrence-free survival in LGEFCs.
      EHCC with EVI has a particularly high risk of recurrence. When DMs are not found
      at presentation, patients with focal VI are at a very low risk of recurrence even
      if not treated with radioactive iodine. 

PMID- 26482606
TI  - Sixty-five thousand shades of gray: importance of color in surgical pathology
      diagnoses.
AB  - Digital whole slide imaging (WSI) is a diagnostic modality that has gained
      acceptance as a tool for use in some areas of surgical pathology such as remote
      consultations. Accurate control of color representation of digitally rendered
      images of histologic sections is considered an important parameter of WSI.
      Currently, professional societies, physicians, and other stakeholders are in the
      process of establishing clinical guidelines outlining the use of these devices,
      which include color integrity and color calibration of scanners and viewing
      devices. Although color is a component of surgical pathology diagnoses, it was
      posited that pathologists could accurately diagnose surgical specimens without
      color. To test this hypothesis, 5 pathologists were presented breast biopsy
      specimens from 20 patients consisting of 22 separate tissue specimens and WSI of
      158 hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides imaged at *20. No special stains were
      included. The pathologists reviewed each case using a 16-bit grayscale monitor
      and rendered a diagnosis for each case. Diagnoses were compared to the original
      light microscopy diagnoses and scored for concordance. A 92.7% concordance was
      observed. Discordant diagnoses represented well-known areas of diagnostic
      disagreement in breast pathology as well as known limitations of WSI. The
      research demonstrated that surgical pathologists did not rely primarily on color
      to render accurate diagnoses of breast biopsy cases but rather used architectural
      features of tissue and cellular morphology to reach a diagnostic conclusion. This
      research did not suggest that color is an unimportant factor in pathology
      diagnosis, but its importance may be overstated. 

PMID- 26482607
TI  - Using exit competencies to integrate pathology into the undergraduate clinical
      clerkships.

PMID- 26482608
TI  - Insulinoma-Associated Protein 1 Is a Crucial Regulator of Neuroendocrine
      Differentiation in Lung Cancer.
AB  - Insulinoma-associated protein 1 (INSM1) is expressed exclusively in embryonic
      developing neuroendocrine (NE) tissues. INSM1 gene expression is specific for
      small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), along with achaete-scute homolog-like 1 (ASCL1)
      and several NE molecules, such as chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and neural cell
      adhesion molecule 1. However, the underlying biological role of INSM1 in lung
      cancer remains largely unknown. We first showed that surgically resected SCLC
      samples specifically expressed INSM1. Forced expression of the INSM1 gene in
      adenocarcinoma cell lines (H358 and H1975) induced the expression of ASCL1, brain
      2 (BRN2), chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and neural cell adhesion molecule 1; in
      contrast, knockdown of the INSM1 gene by siRNA in SCLC (H69 and H889) decreased
      their expression. However, forced/knockdown expression of ASCL1 and BRN2 did not
      affect INSM1 expression. A chromatin immunoprecipitation study revealed that
      INSM1 bound to the promoter region of the ASCL1 gene. A xenotransplantation assay
      using tet-on INSM1 gene-transfected adenocarcinoma cell lines demonstrated that
      INSM1 induced NE differentiation and growth inhibition. Furthermore, we found
      that INSM1 was not expressed in non-small-cell lung cancer and some SCLC cell
      lines expressing Notch1-Hes1. By forced/knockdown expression of Notch1 or Hes1
      genes, we revealed that Notch1-Hes1 signaling suppressed INSM1, as well as ASCL1
      and BRN2. INSM1, expressed exclusively in SCLC, is a crucial regulator of NE
      differentiation in SCLCs, and is regulated by the Notch1-Hes1 signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26482610
TI  - Skp2 regulates non-small cell lung cancer cell growth by Meg3 and miR-3163.
AB  - Maternally expressed gene 3 (Meg3) encodes a long non-coding RNA that has been
      shown to play a role in tumorigenesis. Skp2 is a component of the E3 ubiquitin
      ligase SCF that specifically promotes the ubiquitination-associated degradation
      of CDK inhibitor p27, and has been shown to promote cancer cell growth in
      different types of cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
      Nevertheless, a regulatory relationship between Meg3 and Skp2 has not been
      acknowledged. Here, we showed that NSCLC specimens had significant higher levels
      of Skp2 and significantly lower levels of Meg3, compared to paired non-tumor lung
      tissue. The levels of Meg3 and Skp2 were inversely correlated in NSCLC specimens.
      Patients with low Meg3 levels had a poor survival. Overexpression of Meg3
      decreased Skp2 protein and increased p27 protein, while depletion of Meg3
      increased Skp2 protein and decreased p27 protein in NSCLC cells, without altering
      Skp2 mRNA. These data suggest that the Skp2 may be regulated by Meg3 at post
      transcriptional level. Bioinformatics analyses showed that miR-3163 bound to 3'
      UTR of Skp2 mRNA in NSCLC cells to inhibit its translation, which was supported
      by luciferase reporter assay. Meg3 augmented the effects of miR-3163 on Skp2
      mRNA, possibly through binding-induced function enhancement, which was supported
      by the double fluorescent in situ hybridization showing co-localized
      intracellular Meg3 and miR-3163 signals in NSCLC cells. The miR-3163 levels in
      NSCLC were not different from in NT, suggesting that the regulation of Skp2 in
      NSCLC by miR-3163 may require coordination of Meg3. Thus, our data suggest that
      Meg3 and miR-3163 may coordinate suppression of translation of Skp2 mRNA in NSCLC
      cells to inhibit NSCLC cell growth. 

PMID- 26482609
TI  - Effects of silibinin on growth and invasive properties of human ovarian carcinoma
      cells through suppression of heregulin/HER3 pathway.
AB  - Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most fatal gynecological malignancy due to
      its high proliferative and invasive capacities. A heregulin (HRG)/HER3 autocrine
      loop increases proliferative and metastatic properties of EOC cells, suggesting
      that modulators of this signaling pathway may prove effective to trammel growth
      and motility of these cells. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of multi
      tyrosine kinase inhibitor silibinin on proliferative and invasive characteristics
      of EOC cell lines OVCAR8 and SKOV3 through suppression of the HRG/HER3 pathway.
      To achieve this, the effects of silibinin on proliferation, DNA synthesis,
      clonogenicity, cell cycle progression, cathepsin B enzymatic activity, and
      migration and invasion were explored in vitro. Silibinin suppressed
      proliferation, DNA synthesis, and clonogenic abilities of OVCAR8 and SKOV3 cells
      through inhibition of the autocrine HRG/HER3 circuit. Silibinin-mediated
      attenuation of the HER3 signaling disabled the HER3/AKT/survivin axis and
      thereby, induced G1/S cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, silibinin reduced invasive
      potentials of the EOC cells through quelling the HRG/HER3 pathway and suppression
      of cathepsin B activity. Altogether, these results suggest that silibinin is a
      potential anti-cancer drug to inhibit proliferative and invasive characteristics
      of the EOC cells that exhibit an autocrine HRG/HER3 pathway. 

PMID- 26482611
TI  - Downregulation of lncRNA-ATB correlates with clinical progression and unfavorable
      prognosis in pancreatic cancer.
AB  - Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play critical roles in the
      development and progression of diseases. lncRNA activated by transforming growth
      factor beta (TGF-beta) (lncRNA-ATB) was discovered as a prognostic factor in
      hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer. However, little
      is known about the role of lncRNA-ATB in pancreatic cancer. This study aimed to
      assess lncRNA-ATB expression in pancreatic cancer and explore its role in
      pancreatic cancer pathogenesis. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction
      was performed to detect lncRNA-ATB expression in 150 pancreatic cancer tissues
      and five pancreatic cancer cell lines compared to paired adjacent normal tissues
      and normal human pancreatic ductal epithelial cell line HPDE6c-7. The
      correlations between lncRNA-ATB expression and clinicopathological
      characteristics and prognosis were also analyzed. We found that lncRNA-ATB
      expression was decreased in pancreatic cancer tissues and pancreatic cancer cell
      lines. Low lncRNA-ATB expression levels were significantly correlated with lymph
      node metastases (yes vs. no, P = 0.009), neural invasion (positive vs. negative,
      P = 0.049), and clinical stage (early stage vs. advanced stage, P = 0.014).
      Moreover, patients with low lncRNA-ATB expression levels exhibited markedly worse
      overall survival prognoses (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis indicated that
      decreased lncRNA-ATB expression was an independent predictor of poor prognosis in
      pancreatic cancer patients (P = 0.005). In conclusion, lncRNA-ATB may play a
      critical role in pancreatic cancer progression and prognosis and may serve as a
      potential prognostic biomarker in pancreatic cancer patients. 

PMID- 26482612
TI  - MicroRNA-221 targets PTEN to reduce the sensitivity of cervical cancer cells to
      gefitinib through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
AB  - Patients with cervical cancer show minimal clinical response to the tyrosine
      kinase inhibitor gefitinib, which targets the epidermal growth factor receptor
      (EGFR). The molecular mechanisms underlying sensitivity to gefitinib are unknown.
      The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible mechanism by which
      microRNA-221 (miR-221) affects sensitivity to gefitinib. We showed that miR-221
      expression was significantly increased in cervical cancer tissues compared with
      adjacent normal tissues. Upregulation of miR-221 expression in cervical cancer
      cells decreased PTEN expression levels, resulting in increased pAkt and BCL-2
      expression. Importantly, gefitinib sensitivity was decreased by the upregulation
      of miR-221, which was blocked by pcDNA-PTEN co-transfection or by the
      phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002. These data suggest that
      miR-221 can reduce the sensitivity of cervical cancer cells to gefitinib through
      the PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. miR-221 represents a potential target to
      increase the sensitivity to gefitinib in cervical cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26482613
TI  - Ovarian carcinoma-infiltrating regulatory T cells were more potent suppressors of
      CD8(+) T cell inflammation than their peripheral counterparts, a function
      dependent on TIM3 expression.
AB  - Ovarian carcinoma is one of the most severe cancers in women, with a high relapse
      rate and limited secondary treatment options. To assist research in novel
      treatment technologies, including CD8(+) T cell-base immunotherapy, we examined
      the effect of tumor-infiltrating regulatory T cells (Tregs) in inhibiting CD8(+)
      T cell inflammation. We found that compared to their peripheral blood
      counterparts, tumor-infiltrating Tregs exhibited more potent inhibitory function,
      which was associated with higher interleukin 10 (IL-10) production in tumor
      infiltrating Tregs. Blockade of T cell immunoglobulin mucin 3 (TIM3), a
      regulatory molecule overrepresented on tumor-infiltrating Tregs, had
      significantly reverted Treg-mediated suppression. Moreover, expression of TIM3 on
      tumor-infiltrating Tregs was directly correlated with tumor size. Together, our
      results demonstrated that ovarian tumor-infiltrating Treg cells were more
      immunosuppressive than their peripheral blood counterparts in a TIM3-dependent
      fashion. 

PMID- 26482614
TI  - The long non-coding RNA HOTAIR affects the radiosensitivity of pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma by regulating the expression of Wnt inhibitory factor 1.
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is seriously resistant to radiotherapy
      and the mechanism is largely unknown. HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA
      (HOTAIR) is overexpressed in PDAC. However, the function of HOTAIR has never been
      related to the radiosensitivity of PDAC. In this present study, the expression of
      HOTAIR in the PDAC cell lines and tissues was measured by quantitative real-time
      PCR (qRT-PCR), and the association between HOTAIR expression levels and X-ray
      treatment in PDAC cell lines was investigated. Additionally, the influence of
      HOTAIR knockdown on radiosensitivity, proliferation, and apoptosis of PDAC cells
      after radiation was evaluated by colony formation assays, Cell Counting Kit-8
      (CCK-8) assays, and flow cytometry, respectively. Furthermore, the correlation
      between HOTAIR and Wnt inhibitory factor 1 (WIF-1) expression in PDAC cell lines
      and tissues was studied to assess the role of HOTAIR and WIF-1 in the
      radiosensitivity of PDAC. The results confirmed that HOTAIR expression was
      significantly increased in the PDAC cell lines and tissues (n = 90) compared with
      human normal pancreatic ductal epithelial cell line (HPDE) and matched adjacent
      normal tissues (n = 90). Functionally, HOTAIR knockdown enhanced the
      radiosensitivity of PDAC cells, reduced the proliferation, and increased the
      apoptosis of cells after radiation. And HOTAIR silencing increased the expression
      of WIF-1. Furthermore, the overexpression of WIF-1 revealed that HOTAIR modulated
      the radiosensitivity of PDAC cells by regulating the expression of WIF-1. These
      data reveals that HOTAIR can affect the radiosensitivity of PDAC cells partly via
      regulating the expression of WIF-1, and HOTAIR-WIF-1 axis is a potential target
      for PDAC radiotherapy. 

PMID- 26482615
TI  - Different roles of myofibroblasts in the tumorigenesis of nonsmall cell lung
      cancer.
AB  - Myofibroblasts play a critical role in the cancer cell growth, invasion, and
      tumor-associated vascularization during the carcinogenesis of nonsmall cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC), whereas the underlying molecular bases are not completely
      understood. We isolated Lin-negative, Sca1-low, and CD49e-high myofibroblasts
      from the NSCLC tissues of the patients and modified the levels of either
      transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFbeta1) or vascular endothelial growth
      factor A (VEGF-A) in these cells. We found that coculture with TGFbeta1
      overexpressing myofibroblasts significantly decreased the NSCLC cell growth in an
      MTT assay through proliferation suppression rather than modulation of cell
      apoptosis, while significantly increased the NSCLC cell invasiveness in either a
      transwell migration assay or a scratch wound healing migration assay. However,
      modulation of TGFbeta1 levels in myofibroblasts did not significantly alter
      vessel formation in a human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) transwell
      collagen gel assay. On the other hand, overexpression of VEGF-A in myofibroblasts
      significantly increased vessel formation in the HUVECs transwell collagen gel
      assay. Together, these data suggest that myofibroblasts may regulate cancer cell
      growth and invasion through TGFbeta1 but modulate cancer-associated
      neovascularization through VEGF-A. Hence, targeting different signaling pathways
      in myofibroblasts may delicately control NSCLC growth and invasion.

PMID- 26482616
TI  - Do circulating long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) (LincRNA-p21, GAS 5, HOTAIR)
      predict the treatment response in patients with head and neck cancer treated with
      chemoradiotherapy?
AB  - Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to be aberrantly expressed in head
      and neck cancer (HNC). The aim of the present study was to evaluate plasma levels
      of three lncRNA molecules (lincRNA-p21, GAS5, and HOTAIR) in the treatment
      response in HNC patients treated with radical chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Forty-one
      patients with HNC were enrolled in the study. Most of the patients had
      nasopharyngeal carcinoma (n = 27, 65.9 %) and locally advanced disease. Blood was
      drawn at baseline and treatment evaluation 4.5 months after therapy. lncRNAs in
      plasma were measured by semiquantitative PCR. Treatment response was evaluated
      according to clinical examination, RECIST and PERCIST criteria based on magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography with computed
      tomography (PET/CT) findings. Complete response (CR) rates were 73.2, 36.6, and
      50 % for clinical investigation, PET/CT-, or MRI-based response evaluation,
      respectively. Predictive value of lncRNAs was investigated in patients with CR
      vs. those with partial response (PR)/progressive disease (PD). We found that post
      treatment GAS5 levels in patients with PR/PD were significantly higher compared
      with patients with CR based on clinical investigation (p = 0.01). Receiver
      operator characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that at a cutoff value of 0.3 of
      GAS5, sensitivity and specificity for clinical tumor response were 82 and 77 %,
      respectively. Interestingly, pretreatment GAS5 levels were significantly
      increased in patients with PR/PD compared to those with CR upon MRI-based
      response evaluation (p = 0.042). In contrast to GAS5, pretreatment or post
      treatment lincRNA-p21 and HOTAIR levels were not informative for treatment
      response. Our results suggest that circulating GAS5 could be a biomarker in
      predicting treatment response in HNC patients. 

PMID- 26482617
TI  - The hedgehog antagonist HHIP as a favorable prognosticator in glioblastoma.
AB  - Inactivation of hedgehog-interacting protein (HHIP) and overexpression of Gli1
      play vital roles in the development of diverse human cancers. The aim of this
      study is to examine the association of HHIP and Gli1 with the clinicopathologic
      features and prognosis of patients with glioblastoma (GBM). The expression of
      HHIP and Gli1 in 103 patients with GBM and 32 control patients was investigated
      by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was utilized to evaluate the
      association of HHIP as well as Gli1 with clinicopathological characteristics and
      prognosis of patients. HHIP and Gli1 were dysregulated in GBM. Spearman's rank
      analysis showed that HHIP and Gli1 had an inverse correlation (r = -0.386, P =
      0.000). Expression of HHIP was significantly correlated with age (P = 0.000),
      gender (P = 0.003), seizure (P = 0.013), resection degree (P = 0.033), adjuvant
      treatment (P = 0.030), and O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT)
      methylation (P = 0.021), while Gli1 expression was significantly correlated with
      age (P = 0.002), gender (P = 0.033), Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score (P
      = 0.028), resection degree (P = 0.000), adjuvant treatment (P = 0.014), and MGMT
      methylation (P = 0.030). Kaplan-Meier method showed that patients with low Gli1
      expression had longer overall survival (OS) than those with high Gli1 expression
      (P = 0.000) and the OS of the patients with HHIP-positive GBM was significantly
      longer than that of the patients with HHIP-negative GBM (P = 0.000). Univariate
      and multivariate analyses confirmed that HHIP expression and Gli1 expression were
      independent prognostic factors. Our data suggested that expression of HHIP could
      be considered as significant prognostic marker for patients with GBM. 

PMID- 26482618
TI  - miR-29a suppresses growth and metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma by
      targeting AKT3.
AB  - MicroRNA-29a (miR-29a) has been reported to play important roles in tumor
      initiation, development, and metastasis in various cancers. However, the
      biological function and potential mechanisms of miR-29a in papillary thyroid
      carcinoma (PTC) remain unclear. In the present study, we discovered that miR-29a
      was frequently downregulated in PTC tissues, and its expression was significantly
      associated with tumor size, TNM stage, and lymph node metastasis. Functional
      assays showed that overexpression of miR-29a markedly suppressed PTC cell
      proliferation, migration, and invasion and promoted PTC apoptosis and cell cycle
      arrest at G0/G1 phase. In vivo, miR-29a overexpression decreased tumor growth in
      a xenograft mouse model. Luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-29a can
      directly bind to the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of AKT3 in PTC cells.
      Overexpreesion of miR-29a obviously decreased AKT3 expression, thereby
      suppressing phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway activation. We also
      confirmed that AKT3 expression was increased in PTC tissue and was inversely
      correlated miR-29a expression in PTC tissues. In addition, downregulation of AKT3
      by siRNA mimicked the effects of miR-29a overexpression, and upregulation of AKT3
      partially reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-29a. These results suggested
      that miR-29a could act as a tumor suppressor in PTC by targeting AKT3 and that
      miR-29a may potentially serve as an anti-tumor agent in the treatment of PTC. 

PMID- 26482619
TI  - Low cytoplasmic casein kinase 1 epsilon expression predicts poor prognosis in
      patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Casein kinase 1 epsilon (CK1epsilon) is a member of the casein kinase 1 (CK1)
      family, which comprises highly conserved and ubiquitous serine/threonine protein
      kinases. Recent studies have demonstrated that CK1epsilon plays a role in human
      cancers; however, the role of CK1epsilon in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
      remains unclear. The study used immunohistochemistry to examine CK1epsilon
      expression in 230 HCC specimens by tissue microarray (TMA) and assessed the
      effect of CK1epsilon knockdown on migration of human hepatoma cells in vitro. The
      immunohistochemical analyses showed that low CK1epsilon expression was
      significantly correlated with tumor differentiation (p = 0.008), T classification
      (p = 0.016), tumor vascular invasion (p = 0.002), and cancer stage (p = 0.010).
      The univariate and multivariate analyses showed that patients with low CK1epsilon
      expression had a considerably lower OS rate than that of the patients with high
      CK1epsilon expression (p = 0.041, hazard ratio = 1.4; p = 0.039, hazard ratio =
      1.4). Moreover, CK1epsilon small interfering RNA (siRNA) treatment exerted an
      invasion-promoting effect in human hepatoma cells. In conclusion, our data
      indicated that low CK1epsilon expression is correlated with a low survival rate
      and CK1epsilon may play a role as a tumor suppressor in hepatocarcinogenesis. 

PMID- 26482620
TI  - Human topoisomerase II alpha as a prognostic biomarker in cancer chemotherapy.
AB  - Topoisomerases are nuclear enzymes that regulate topology of DNA by facilitating
      the temporary cleavage and ligation cycle of DNA. Among all forms of
      topoisomerases, TOP-IIA is extensively associated with cell proliferation and
      therefore is an important therapeutic target in diseases that involved cellular
      proliferation such as cancers. Nearly half of present-day antitumor regimens
      contain at least one prescription that act as a topoisomerase inhibitor.
      Generally, tumor cells show divergent expression of TOP-IIA compared to normal
      cells. The remarkable expression of TOP-IIA in various carcinomas provides a
      significant biomarker toward understanding the nature of malignancy. TOP-IIA
      expression and amplification studies help in diagnosing cancer and to observe the
      disease progression, overall survival (OS) of patients, and response to therapy.
      This review highlights the research output and analysis in exploring the standing
      of TOP-IIA in various carcinomas. As some reports show contradiction within the
      same field of interest, the outline of that may help to induce researchers for
      further investigation and clarification. To the best of our knowledge, this is
      the first overview briefly summarizing the prognostic feature of TOP-IIA in
      various types of cancer. 

PMID- 26482621
TI  - c-Myc-regulated long non-coding RNA H19 indicates a poor prognosis and affects
      cell proliferation in non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - Recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play important roles
      in human cancer biology. The purpose of this study was to assess the biological
      role of lncRNA H19 in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Quantitative reverse
      transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of H19 in tumor
      tissues and corresponding non-tumor NSCLC tissues from 70 patients. The higher
      expression of H19 was positively correlated with advanced tumor-node-metastasis
      (TNM) stage and tumor size. Multivariate analyses found that H19 expression could
      serve as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival of NSCLC.
      Moreover, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays revealed that H19 was a
      direct transcriptional target of c-Myc. And, knockdown of H19 significantly
      inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, our
      study demonstrated that H19 is involved in the oncogenesis of NSCLC, and H19 may
      be a potential diagnostic and target for new therapies in patients with NSCLC. 

PMID- 26482622
TI  - Association of cytoplasmic p27 expression with an unfavorable response to
      cisplatin-based chemotherapy and poor outcomes in non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - Reduced nuclear p27 expression is associated with a poor outcome in various
      cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Cytoplasmic p27 expression
      was shown to be associated with an unfavorable response to chemotherapy and poor
      outcomes in some carcinomas, but it has not been well studied in NSCLC. Herein,
      p27 expression in 219 tumors surgically resected from NSCLC patients was
      evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The most common of p27 immunostaining in
      lung tumors was observed in the cytoplasm (N-/C+, 32 %), followed by negative (N
      /C-, 29 %), nucleus (N+/C-, 24 %), and nucleus plus cytoplasm (N+/C+, 15 %).
      Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models showed that p27 N-/C+ tumors exhibited the
      worst overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) among the four
      categories of tumors. Among 135 of 219 patients who received cisplatin-based
      chemotherapy, p27 N-/C+ tumors most commonly showed an unfavorable response to
      cisplatin-based chemotherapy, followed by p27 N-/C- tumors when p27 N+/C- tumors
      were used as a reference. IHC analysis for phosphorylated extracellular signal
      regulated kinase (p-ERK) and Bcl-2 expression in the lung tumors was performed to
      test whether ERK activation could enhance p27 nuclear export and the expression
      of Bcl-2 to test whether ERK activation could enhance p27 nuclear export and Bcl
      2 expression. The data showed that p-ERK expression was positively correlated
      with cytoplasmic p27 (N-/C+) and Bcl-2 expression in the lung tumors. Patients
      with high Bcl-2-expressing tumors treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy
      showed unfavorable predictive values in a subset of this study population.
      Therefore, we suggest that cytoplasmic p27 (N-/C+) via ERK-activated Bcl-2
      expression may predict an unfavorable response to cisplatin-based chemotherapy
      and poor outcomes in NSCLC. 

PMID- 26482623
TI  - [Non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants and cardioversion].
AB  - Direct oral anticoagulants are now frequently used in patients experiencing
      atrial fibrillation. Some of these patients may need a cardioversion. How to
      manage the procedure in these patients? Can we perform the procedure in patients
      taking the direct oral anticoagulant? Should we switch the treatment to a vitamin
      K antagonist? When do we need to perform a transesophageal echocardiography? All
      these questions justify this review article.

PMID- 26482624
TI  - [Diagnosis of a systolic murmur among young asymptomatic patient: An assessment
      of professional practices for the expertise in military medicine].
AB  - The finding of a systolic heart murmur is common in medical military practice.
      Albeit often benign among young healthy adults, it can reveal a valvular or a
      cardiac disease, which could worsen during workout or expose to risk of a sudden
      death. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the military
      general practitioner when discovering a systolic murmur among young asymptomatic
      patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During one year, this study involved all the
      general practitioners of the medical military centres of Brittany and the
      cardiologists of the military hospital in Brest. It prospectively enrolled a
      cohort of all military asymptomatic patients under 40, without any underlying
      known heart condition. Military general practitioners listed, thanks to an
      anonymous form, the main features of the systolic murmur and of the ECG and
      proposed an auscultatory diagnosis: innocent or organic murmur. Then
      cardiologists did the same and finally performed a transthoracic echocardiography
      giving the diagnosis. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients were referred, 5 not meeting
      the inclusion criteria. Of the 53 patients included, military general
      practitioners found 46 innocent murmurs and 7 organic ones. Cardiologists found
      51 innocent murmurs and 2 organic. Transthoracic echocardiography just took on
      one organic murmur (linked with a bicuspid aortic valve), spotted by the
      specialist, though judged innocent by the general practitioner. DISCUSSION: Most
      of innocent murmurs diagnosed by general practitioners (45/46) were confirmed.
      Regarding the seven organic murmurs, the main selected criteria (intensity over
      3, orthostatic persistence, diffuse irradiation) are mostly in accordance with
      the literature, proving right medical instincts. Authors propose a practical
      management of systolic murmurs among asymptomatic young patients. CONCLUSION:
      Military general practitioners seem to master symptoms of organic murmur. This
      assessment argues for a promotion of a holistic clinical examination, which will
      help not only to rationalize the use of transthoracic echocardiography in
      economic terms but also to value the medical expertise.

PMID- 26482625
TI  - [Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return in a 64-year-old woman].
AB  - Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) represents 3 % of the
      congenital cardiopathies. Diagnosis in adults is challenging as clinical
      symptomatology is non-specific and echocardiographic signs are discrete and
      misleading potentially confusing with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension. We
      report the case of a 64-year-old woman in whom we diagnosed PAPVR associated with
      sinus venosus atrial septal defect. We describe medical history, clinical signs,
      investigations and postoperative evolution.

PMID- 26482626
TI  - [Mechanical cardiac-assist devices in ST segment elevation myocardial
      infarction].
AB  - A 49-year-old woman was admitted for an anterior ST segment elevation myocardial
      infarction (STEMI). At hospital arrival, she presented with cardiogenic shock. An
      immediate coronary angiogram showed an occluded ostial left anterior descending
      artery. During percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), ventricular fibrillation
      occurred requiring multiple electrical counter-shocks. The coronary artery was
      opened during cardiopulmonary resuscitation and two drug-eluting stents were
      implanted. At the end of the procedure, an Impella CP(r) mechanical cardiac
      assist device was inserted. Rapid and marked improvement in the hemodynamic
      status was noted in the following days. The Impella CP(r) was withdrawn after
      five days and the patient was discharged two weeks later. Despite limited data,
      mechanical cardiac assistance is recommended in cardiogenic shock. Several
      devices are currently available; the choice of the system is based on the
      clinical presentation and the experience of each center. The Impella CP(r) is a
      microaxial pump which is inserted percutaneously and delivers up to 3.5L/min of
      continuous flow. In cardiogenic shock due to STEMI, this device allows temporary
      support while awaiting left ventricular recovery after primary PCI.

PMID- 26482627
TI  - [ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in patients aged 85 and over.
      Invasive management versus exclusive medical treatment: Departmental study].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and/or fibrinolysis for
      management of an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are at high risk in
      the elderly. Is there any place for an invasive management in this particular
      population? METHODS: It is a single-center retrospective study (CHD Vendee, La
      Roche-sur-Yon) including patients aged 85 and over who had STEMI between January
      2008 and December 2013, divided into two groups: coronary angiogram/fibrinolysis
      ("invasive") versus exclusive medical treatment ("non-invasive"), comparing
      mortality, morbidity, complications and loss of independence. RESULTS: Among the
      1373 patients hospitalized for STEMI, 118 (8.6%) were included: 71 (60.2%)
      underwent an invasive procedure for reperfusion whereas 47 had "non-invasive"
      management. All cause mortality rate was higher in the "non-invasive" group (28%
      versus 45%; P=0.077 NS). The identified pejorative criteria are age, female
      gender, past history of severe valvular disease, and delay for primary care. No
      difference was found in intrahospital complication rate (23 vs 21; P=0.21) nor in
      loss of independence. CONCLUSION: The invasive management of STEMI in the elderly
      may reduce the one-year mortality rate without increasing morbidity.

PMID- 26482628
TI  - [Intracardiac mass: Why not a liquefaction necrosis of a mitral annulus
      calcification?].
AB  - We report the case of an asymptomatic 70-year-old woman with a liquefaction
      necrosis of mitral annulus calcification. This mass was discovered incidentally
      during an echocardiographic examination. Additional treatment was not performed
      because liquefaction necrosis of mitral calcification usually has a benign
      prognosic. A scheduled clinical review with an echocardiographic examination and
      cardiac MRI was planified. The patient is actually healthy without any
      complication.

PMID- 26482629
TI  - Systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve in tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy: Still
      a matter of debate?
AB  - We present a case which developed a typical tako-tsubo-like cardiomyopathy (TTC)
      during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE). Its originality is related to
      several findings, which have never been described simultaneously in the same
      patient. This 63-year-old woman with normal coronary angiography and no evidence
      of coronary vasospasm had a biphasic response to DSE, a finding which usually
      occurs in coronary artery disease. Moreover, the symmetric extensive wall motion
      abnormalities (WMA) occurred simultaneously with the development of a systolic
      anterior motion of the mitral valve (SAM) and left ventricular obstruction, and
      was clinically asymptomatic. Although in TTC the stunning usually occurs for
      several days, WMA and SAM resolved within few minutes after cessation of
      dobutamine and administration of a beta-blocker. And finally, exercise echo
      performed at the same target heart rate few days later did not induce neither a
      SAM nor WMA, which suggests that left ventricular obstruction could have played a
      role in the pathogenesis of this case by supply-demand mismatch. Concomitant
      coronary microvascular dysfunction was also demonstrated by a reduction of the
      non-invasive coronary flow reserve in the distal part of the left anterior
      descending artery.

PMID- 26482630
TI  - [Free floating thrombus in right cardiac chambers and thrombolysis].
AB  - Free-floating thrombi in the right heart chambers is a rare phenomenon. Nearly
      99% of detected cases are associated with the presence of proven pulmonary
      embolism. Its presence is associated with a poor outcome with a mortality between
      27 to 44% according to studies. Despite the emergency of treatment, optimal
      management of free floating right heart thrombus remains controversial with no
      clear consensus. We present the case of a 84-year-old man hospitalised for acute
      decompensated heart failure. After an initial favourable evolution, a degradation
      of respiratory occurred with dyspnea and desaturation. A bedside transthoracic
      echocardiography showed a mobile serpiginous thrombus, 7cm size, moving to and
      across the tricuspid valve. A computed tomography of the chest demonstrated
      massive bilateral pulmonary embolism. After persistence of the thrombus and seven
      days of heparinotherapy, thrombolysis therapy was initiated. The thrombus
      disappeared 24h after thrombolysis. Without contra-indication, thrombolysis is a
      faster, readily available treatment for the management of floating thrombus in
      the right heart chambers associated with pulmonary embolism.

PMID- 26482631
TI  - [A case, a review: We have to promote radial approach for acute coronary
      syndrome].
AB  - This overweight woman's case, who underwent a primary coronary intervention for
      STEMI, reminds us how much the trans-radial angioplasty is interesting in this
      particular case leaning on the recent literature, randomized trials and
      registries, in terms of major adverse events reduction including mortality. We
      are going to debate about hesitation of using radial approach whose only
      everyday's practising could make this approach a STEMI one. 

PMID- 26482632
TI  - [Acute coronary syndromes with ST-segment elevation and anomalous connections of
      the coronary arteries].
AB  - Acute coronary syndrome with ST-segment elevation associated with an anomalous
      connection of a coronary artery, when the latter is the culprit, may be
      problematic. Anatomic and radiologic knowledge of major congenital coronary
      abnormalities and some catheterization skills can help the operators not to delay
      a beneficial coronary reperfusion. The relationship between acute coronary
      syndromes with ST-segment elevation and anomalous connections of the coronary
      arteries needs to be analyzed with a large number of cases because the coronary
      artery disease frequency may vary with the type of coronary anomaly. 

PMID- 26482633
TI  - [What is the place of bioresorbable vascular scaffolds in setting of ST-segment
      elevation myocardial infarction?].
AB  - A 50-year-old woman was admitted for an inferior ST-segment elevation myocardial
      infarction; immediate coronary angiogram revealed a subocclusive stenosis of the
      right coronary artery. After optimal antithrombotic treatment, the type of stent
      could be discussed. The latest generation of drug-eluting stents showed excellent
      efficacy and safety in the long-term but has limitations such as potential
      chronic inflammation of the arterial wall and no recovery of vasoactive function.
      Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds, with complete resorption within several months,
      may reduce these limitations. Implantation of bioresorbable scaffold in the
      context of myocardial infarction may be interesting. However, very few studies
      are currently available in this setting. Preliminary results and perspectives are
      presented in this review. 

PMID- 26482634
TI  - [Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome: A case of hypoxemia associated with a patent
      foramen ovale].
AB  - Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome is a rare disease characterized by dyspnea and
      oxygen desaturation in the upright position with improvement in the supine
      position. We report a case of an 87-year-old woman with a recent history of
      traumatic hip, spine deformity and vertebral compression fracture, referred due
      to dyspnea oxygen desaturation. Thoracic tomodensitometry excluded the diagnosis
      of pulmonary embolism. Transthoracic echocardiography, with intravenous
      administration of agitated saline contrast solution, revealed the presence of
      atrial septal defect associated with a right to left shunting and mild
      enlargement of aortic root. Surgical closure of atrial septal defect resulted in
      resolution of the syndrome.

PMID- 26482635
TI  - [Medico-economic impact of an innovative management of CHF by HF unit].
AB  - Chronic heart failure remains a frequent, severe and costly disease. Despite
      encouraging data from different countries, heart failure clinics are scarce in
      France. We have analyzed the impact of a heart failure clinic (UTIC of Pontoise)
      in terms of reduction of rehospitalizations and in hospitalization costs in 4855
      consecutive patients. In our study, heart failure clinic management dramatically
      reduces HF related hospitalizations (RRR: -28 %, P=0.001) and HF related costs
      (55% reduction, P<0.001) regardless of comorbidities or disease severity. HF
      clinics have to be developed in France in order to optimize management of CHF and
      reduce the HF related costs.

PMID- 26482636
TI  - [The daily living activities of the cardiac patient: Monocentre study].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The main aim of cardiac rehabilitation is for the patient to sustain
      physical activity at home. The daily living activities (DLA) are important to
      take into account. AIM OF THE STUDY: Analyze the DLA of patients in CR. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: One thousand seven hundred and eighty patients (mean age: 60.9+/-11
      years) followed a CR programme between 2010 and 2015. They were tested for
      several DLA with their cardiac frequency (CF). The observed CF was included in
      the Karvonen's formula, used for the prescription of physical activity. RESULTS:
      The coefficient of Karvonen was situated between 0.54 to 0.69, which was
      compatible with the prescribed physical training. Nevertheless, when the maximal
      exercise capacity was less than 5 METs, the coefficients were higher (0.53-0.89).
      CONCLUSION: It was useful to test the cardiac patients for DLA during a CR
      programme. The use of Karvonen's formula allowed to compare these exercises with
      recommended physical training. We must be prudent when the maximal physical
      capacity is less than 5 METs.

PMID- 26482637
TI  - Birth plans and health insurance enrolment of pregnant women: a cross-sectional
      survey at two secondary health facilities in Lagos, Nigeria.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated birth plans and health insurance enrolment of pregnant
      women at secondary health care level as a strategy for post-2015 goals. METHODS:
      This was a cross-sectional study at two secondary health facilities in Lagos
      state, Nigeria. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data that were
      analysed and results presented with frequencies. An overall estimate with 95%
      confidence interval was used at significant p values of less than 0.05. RESULTS:
      Five hundred and twenty-four women, with a mean age of 3 0 +/- 4.1 years,
      participated. Most women chose hospital delivery (84%) and had plan for
      transportation (86.3%) during labour. Few women were well prepared for birth
      (9.7%) and had health insurance (10.1%). Compared with women without insurance,
      more health-insured women had plans for transport in labour (p = 0.1383) and
      identified a place of birth (p = 0.2294), but did not have as much plan for
      someone to accompany them in the case of an emergency (p = 0.3855) and donate
      blood (p = 0.5065). Few health insured women saved money for delivery (p =
      0.7439). CONCLUSION: Health insured women did not have better birth plans and
      expanding pregnant women's access to health insurance may be an insufficient
      strategy to achieve post MDG 2015 goals.

PMID- 26482638
TI  - Homogenous demineralized dentin matrix and platelet-rich plasma for bone tissue
      engineering in cranioplasty of diabetic rabbits: biochemical, radiographic, and
      histological analysis.
AB  - This study evaluated the effects of homogenous demineralized dentin matrix (HDDM)
      slices and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in surgical defects created in the parietal
      bones of alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits, treated with a guided bone
      regeneration technique. Biochemical, radiographic, and histological analyses were
      performed. Sixty adult New Zealand rabbits were divided into five groups of 12:
      normoglycaemic (control, C), diabetic (D), diabetic with a PTFE membrane (DM),
      diabetic with a PTFE membrane and HDDM slices (DM-HDDM), and diabetic with PTFE
      membrane and PRP (DM-PRP). The quantity and quality of bone mass was greatest in
      the DM-HDDM group (respective radiographic and histological analyses: at 15 days,
      71.70 +/- 16.50 and 50.80 +/- 1.52; 30 days, 62.73 +/- 16.51 and 54.20 +/- 1.23;
      60 days, 63.03 +/- 11.04 and 59.91 +/- 3.32; 90 days, 103.60 +/- 24.86 and 78.99
      +/- 1.34), followed by the DM-PRP group (respective radiographic and histological
      analyses: at 15 days 23.00 +/- 2.74 and 20.66 +/- 7.45; 30 days 31.92 +/- 6.06
      and 25.31 +/- 5.59; 60 days 25.29 +/- 16.30 and 46.73 +/- 2.07; 90 days 38.10 +/-
      14.04 and 53.38 +/- 9.20). PRP greatly enhanced vascularization during the bone
      repair process. Abnormal calcium metabolism was statistically significant in the
      DM-PRP group (P<0.001) for all four time intervals studied, especially when
      compared to the DM-HDDM group. Alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly
      higher in the DM-HDDM group (P<0.001) in comparison to the C, D, and DM-PRP
      groups, confirming the findings of intense osteoblastic activity and increased
      bone mineralization. Thus, HDDM promoted superior bone architectural
      microstructure in bone defects in diabetic rabbits due to its effective
      osteoinductive and osteoconductive activity, whereas PRP stimulated angiogenesis
      and red bone marrow formation.

PMID- 26482639
TI  - Can we predict the insertion torque using the bone density around the implant?
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between initial
      stability and bone density in patients undergoing implant treatment. Twenty-five
      screw-type dental implants were inserted in 12 patients. All patients underwent
      multi-detector computed tomography (CT) examination prior to implant insertion.
      The implant sockets were prepared according to the drilling protocol, and peak
      insertion torque values were measured. CT values around the implants were
      measured using preoperatively scanned CT data, which were combined with actual
      implant positions. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to
      investigate the correlation between insertion torque values and CT values (in
      Hounsfield units, HU). Twenty-three implants (8 or 10 mm in length) were inserted
      in the mandibular molar region and two (10mm length) in the maxillary molar
      region. The mean CT value of the 8-mm implants was 508.6 +/- 187.0 HU and mean
      insertion torque was 27.2 +/- 12.1 N.cm; for the 10-mm implants, these values
      were 579.6 +/- 224.3 HU and 28.1 +/- 14.6 N.cm, respectively. Statistical
      analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between the insertion torque and
      mean CT values (r=0.699, 8 mm; r=0.771, 10 mm). The results revealed that bone
      density around the implant is a useful index. This study indicates that
      preoperative CT may enable the prediction of initial implant stability.

PMID- 26482640
TI  - Safety assessment for octadecyl 3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)-propionate
      (CAS Reg. No. 2082-79-3) from use in food contact applications.
AB  - Octadecyl 3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate (CAS Reg. No. 2082-79
      3), currently marketed as Irganox 1076 (I-76), is a sterically hindered phenolic
      antioxidant used in a variety of organic substrates, including those used in the
      manufacture of food contact articles. In 2012, the US Food and Drug
      Administration (USFDA), Office of Food Additive Safety (OFAS), initiated a post
      market re-evaluation of the food contact applications of I-76. This project aimed
      to ensure that current dietary exposures from the use of I-76 in food contact
      articles are accurately captured and the safety assessment considered all
      relevant and available toxicological information. To accomplish these aims, the
      USFDA reviewed the available toxicological studies and chemistry information on
      food contact applications of I-76. Based on this in-depth analysis, a NOAEL of 64
      mg/kg-bw/d (female rats) from a chronic rat study and a cumulative estimated
      dietary intake (CEDI) of 4.5 mg/p/d, was used to calculate a margin of exposure
      (MOE) of ~850. We concluded that the previous and current exposure levels provide
      an adequate margin of safety (MOS) and remain protective of human health for the
      regulated uses. 

PMID- 26482641
TI  - Toxic trace elements at gastrointestinal level.
AB  - Many trace elements are considered essential [iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu)],
      whereas others may be harmful [lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), arsenic
      (As)], depending on their concentration and chemical form. In most cases, the
      diet is the main pathway by which they enter our organism. The presence of toxic
      trace elements in food has been known for a long time, and many of the food
      matrices that carry them have been identified. This has led to the appearance of
      legislation and recommendations concerning consumption. Given that the main route
      of exposure is oral, passage through the gastrointestinal tract plays a
      fundamental role in their entry into the organism, where they exert their toxic
      effect. Although the digestive system can be considered to be of crucial
      importance in their toxicity, in most cases we do not know the events that occur
      during the passage of these elements through the gastrointestinal tract and of
      ascertaining whether they may have some kind of toxic effect on it. The aim of
      this review is to summarize available information on this subject, concentrating
      on the toxic trace elements that are of greatest interest for organizations
      concerned with food safety and health: Pb, Cd, Hg and As. 

PMID- 26482642
TI  - A bright future ahead for Journal of Molecular Endocrinology.

PMID- 26482643
TI  - VASA (DDX4) is a Putative Marker for Spermatogonia, Spermatocytes and Round
      Spermatids in Stallions.
AB  - Expression of the protein DDX4/MVH, or VASA, has been reported in germ cells of
      several species. The main objectives of this study were to (i) investigate VASA
      expression patterns in testicular cells of stallions at two different
      reproductive stages (pre-pubertal and post-pubertal) and (ii) evaluate the use of
      VASA antibody as a molecular marker for single germ cells from stallions.
      Testicular tissues were obtained from stallions and categorized as pre-pubertal
      and post-pubertal based on the formation of lumen and status of spermatogenesis
      on the cross section of seminiferous tubules. The results of Western blot showed
      a VASA protein band located at 76 kDa, indicating that the rabbit antibody has a
      cross-reactivity with horse testicular tissues. The result of immunolabelling
      showed that VASA was expressed in the cytoplasm of spermatogonia at both
      reproductive stages and in spermatocytes and round spermatids at the post
      pubertal stage. GATA4-positive Sertoli cells and Leydig cells located in the
      interstitial space were not immunolabelled with VASA. These results suggest that
      VASA can be utilized as a molecular marker for germ cells of stallions at pre
      pubertal and post-pubertal stages. Interestingly, immunolabelling intensity was
      significantly higher in pachytene spermatocytes compared to spermatogonia and
      round spermatid. VASA antibody was also effective for staining of single germ
      cell preparations. In conclusion, VASA protein expression can be used as a marker
      for identification of spermatogonia, spermatocytes and round spermatids in
      testicular tissues of stallions.

PMID- 26482644
TI  - A Novel Physical Approach for Cationic-Thiolate Protected Fluorescent Gold
      Nanoparticles.
AB  - Knowledge on the synthesis of cationically charged fluorescent gold nanoparticles
      (Au NPs) is limited because the electrostatic repulsion between cationic ligands
      on the surface of NP hinders the formation of small Au NPs (usually less than ca.
      2 nm) during nucleation in solvents. We herein propose a novel methodology for a
      synthesis of water-dispersible, cationic-thiolate protected fluorescent Au NPs by
      the sputtering of Au into liquid matrix containing thiolate ligands. By
      controlling mercaptan concentration the size and photophysical characteristics of
      Au NPs were directly controlled, resulting in near IR fluorescence with a 0.9% of
      absolute quantum yield. Cationically charged fluorescent metal NPs are promising,
      especially in biological fields, and this work provides a novel methodology
      towards the synthesis of a new series of functional metal NPs. 

PMID- 26482645
TI  - AUDIT-C score and its association with risky behaviours among professional
      drivers.

PMID- 26482646
TI  - Assisted normality--a grounded theory of adolescent's experiences of living with
      personal assistance.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to explore how adolescents with
      disabilities experience everyday life with personal assistants. METHOD: In this
      qualitative study, individual interviews were conducted at 35 occasions with 16
      Swedish adolescents with disabilities, in the ages 16-21. Data were analyzed
      using grounded theory methodology. RESULTS: The adolescents' main concern was to
      achieve normality, which is about doing rather than being normal. They try to
      resolve this by assisted normality utilizing personal assistance. Assisted
      normality can be obtained by the existing relationship, the cooperation between
      the assistant and the adolescent and the situational placement of the assistant.
      Normality is obstructed by physical, social and psychological barriers.
      CONCLUSION: This study is from the adolescents' perspective and has implications
      for understanding the value of having access to personal assistance in order to
      achieve assisted normality and enable social interaction in everyday life.
      IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Access to personal assistance is important to
      enable social interaction in everyday life. A good and functional relationship is
      enabled through the existing relation, co-operation and situational placement of
      the assistant. If the assistant is not properly sensitized, young people risk
      turning into objects of care. Access to personal assistants cannot compensate for
      disabling barriers in the society as for example lack of acceptance.

PMID- 26482647
TI  - In search of predictive endophenotypes in addiction: insights from preclinical
      research.
AB  - Drug addiction is widely recognized to afflict some but not all individuals by
      virtue of underlying risk markers and traits involving multifaceted interactions
      between polygenic and external factors. Remarkably, only a small proportion of
      individuals exposed to licit and illicit drugs develop compulsive drug-seeking
      behavior, maintained in the face of adverse consequences and associated
      detrimental patterns of drug intake involving extended and repeated bouts of
      binge intoxication, withdrawal and relapse. As a consequence, research has
      increasingly endeavored to identify distinctive neurobehavioral mechanisms and
      endophenotypes that predispose individuals to compulsive drug use. However,
      research in active drug users is hampered by the difficulty in categorizing
      putatively causal behavioral traits prior to the initiation of drug use. By
      contrast, research in experimental animals is often hindered by the validity of
      approaches used to investigate the neural and psychological mechanisms of
      compulsive drug-seeking habits in humans. Herein, we survey and discuss the
      principal findings emanating from preclinical animal research on addiction and
      highlight how specific behavioral endophenotypes of presumed genetic origin (e.g.
      trait anxiety, novelty preference and impulsivity) differentially contribute to
      compulsive forms of drug seeking and taking and, in particular, how these
      differentiate between different classes of stimulant and non-stimulant drugs of
      abuse.

PMID- 26482648
TI  - The regulatory and predictive functions of miR-17 and miR-92 families on
      cisplatin resistance of non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy is an important therapeutic approach for non-small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC). However, a successful long-term treatment can be prevented
      by the occurring of chemotherapy resistance frequently, and the molecular
      mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance in NSCLC remain unclear. In this study,
      abnormal expressions of miR-17 and miR-92 families are observed in cisplatin
      resistant cells, suggesting that miR-17 and miR-92 families are involved in the
      regulation of cisplatin resistance in NSCLC. METHODS: miRNA microarray shows that
      miR-17 and miR-92 families are all down-regulated in cisplatin-resistant A549/DDP
      cells compared with cisplatin-sensitive A549 cells. The aim of this study is to
      investigate the regulatory functions of miR-17 and miR-92 families on the
      formation of cisplatin resistance and the predictive functions of them as
      biomarkers of platinum-based chemotherapy resistance in NSCLC. RESULTS: The low
      expressions of miR-17 and miR-92 families can maintain cisplatin resistance
      through the regulation of CDKN1A and RAD21. As a result of high expressions of
      CDKN1A and RAD21, the inhibition of DNA synthesis and the repair of DNA damage
      are achieved and these may be two major contributing factors to cisplatin
      resistance. Moreover, we demonstrate that the expressions of miR-17 and miR-92
      families in NSCLC tissues are significantly associated with platinum-based
      chemotherapy response. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that miR-17 and miR-92
      families play important roles in cisplatin resistance and can be used as
      potential biomarkers for better predicting the clinical response to platinum
      based chemotherapy in NSCLC.

PMID- 26482649
TI  - Inconclusive flow cytometric surface light chain results; can cytoplasmic light
      chains, Bcl-2 expression and PCR clonality analysis improve accuracy of
      cytological diagnoses in B-cell lymphomas?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Flow cytometric immunophenotyping (FCI), is widely used in cytology
      for distinguishing between B-cell lymphoma (BCL) and reactive lymphocytic
      proliferations (RLP), mainly by identifying monotypic B-cell populations. Since
      this cannot always be determined by ratios of surface immunoglobulin light chains
      (sIg LCs) we wanted to assess if cytoplasmic immunoglobulin (cIg) LCs, Bcl-2 and
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based clonality analysis can improve accuracy of
      cytological diagnoses of BCL. METHODS: Our study included 98 fine needle
      aspiration biopsies from lymph nodes suspicious for BCL with inconclusive sIg
      LCs. In all cases PCR clonality analysis was performed in order to determine
      immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) gene and T-cell receptor (TRC) gene
      rearrangement. In selected cases expression of Bcl-2 and cIg LC were determined
      by FC. RESULTS: Thirty patients had lymphoma and 68 had reactive lymphocytic
      proliferations. Three patterns of sIg LCs staining were found: negative, dual
      positive and difficult to interpret. Percentage of lymphomas was highest in the
      dual positive group (75 %). Morphology coupled with cIg LCs determination and/or
      Bcl-2 expression was able to give a correct diagnosis in 83 % of cases. Molecular
      tests would have been misleading in 15 % of cases because 7/30 BCL were
      polyclonal and 8/68 RLP were monoclonal. CONCLUSIONS: Determination of cIg LCs,
      Bcl-2 expression and PCR clonality analysis of B cells improved accuracy of
      cytological diagnoses in BCL with inconclusive sIg LC. However, clonality
      determined by PCR was misleading in some cases.

PMID- 26482650
TI  - Effect of Electron Energy Distribution on the Hysteresis of Plasma Discharge:
      Theory, Experiment, and Modeling.
AB  - Hysteresis, which is the history dependence of physical systems, is one of the
      most important topics in physics. Interestingly, bi-stability of plasma with a
      huge hysteresis loop has been observed in inductive plasma discharges. Despite
      long plasma research, how this plasma hysteresis occurs remains an unresolved
      question in plasma physics. Here, we report theory, experiment, and modeling of
      the hysteresis. It was found experimentally and theoretically that evolution of
      the electron energy distribution (EED) makes a strong plasma hysteresis. In
      Ramsauer and non-Ramsauer gas experiments, it was revealed that the plasma
      hysteresis is observed only at high pressure Ramsauer gas where the EED deviates
      considerably from a Maxwellian shape. This hysteresis was presented in the plasma
      balance model where the EED is considered. Because electrons in plasmas are
      usually not in a thermal equilibrium, this EED-effect can be regarded as a
      universal phenomenon in plasma physics. 

PMID- 26482651
TI  - The age factor in Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, and it is characterized
      by a decline in memory or other thinking skills. The greatest risk factor for
      Alzheimer's disease is advanced age. A recent genome-wide study identified a
      locus on chromosome 17 associated with the age at onset, and a specific variant
      in CCL11 is probably responsible for the association. The association of a
      protective haplotype with a 10-year delay in the onset of Alzheimer's disease and
      the identification of a CCL11 variant with possible functional roles in this
      association might allow the future development of immunomodulators with the
      potential to halve disease incidence. 

PMID- 26482652
TI  - Paradoxical effects of VEGF on synaptic activity partially involved in notch1
      signaling in the mouse hippocampus.
AB  - It is well known that the neuronal effects of vascular endothelial growth factor
      (VEGF) include modulating learning and memory, plasticity of mature neurons, and
      synaptic transmission in addition to neurogenesis. However, there is conflicting
      evidence particularly of its role in the regulation of excitatory synaptic
      activity. In this study, application of the patch-clamp technique revealed that
      lower doses (10 and 50 ng/mL) of VEGF enhanced excitatory neurotransmission in
      hippocampal slices of mice through both presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms.
      However, the effects were reversed by higher doses of VEGF (>100 ng/mL), which
      inhibited excitatory neurotransmission via a presynaptic mechanism. These
      competing, concentration-dependent effects of VEGF suggested that different
      pathways were involved. The involvement of the Notch1 receptor was tested in the
      modulation of VEGF on synaptic activity by using heterozygous Notch1(+/-) mice.
      Notch1 knockdown did not influence the inhibitory effect of high VEGF doses (200
      ng/mL) but reduced the enhancement effects of low concentration of VEGF (50
      ng/mL) at the postsynaptic level, which might be due to the decreased level of
      VEGF receptor. The results indicate that the Notch1 receptor plays a role in VEGF
      induced modulation of synaptic activity, which provides new insights into a
      complex VEGF/Notch signaling cross-talk. These findings set the groundwork for
      understanding new mechanisms of Notch signaling and the neurotrophic effects of
      VEGF, which is beneficial to develop new therapeutic targets to the VEGF/Notch
      axis and improve current treatments for neural diseases.

PMID- 26482653
TI  - Effects of nectar robbing on male and female reproductive success of a pollinator
      dependent plant.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Nectar robbers affect host fitness in different ways and by
      different magnitudes, both directly and indirectly, and potentially constitute an
      important part of pollination interactions. The aim of this study was to assess
      the effect of nectar robbing on several variables that characterize the
      reproductive success of Lonicera etrusca, a pollinator-dependent plant with long,
      tubular flowers that produce abundant nectar. METHODS: Using fluorescent powder
      dye as a proxy for pollen, the distance of pollen dispersal was compared for
      robbed and non-robbed flowers. Artificial nectar robbing treatments were applied
      to test its effects on four additional measures of reproductive success, namely
      the quantity of pollen exported, fruit set, seed/ovule ratio and seed weight. KEY
      RESULTS: Nectar robbing was not found to have any significant negative
      consequences on female and male components of reproductive success as determined
      through the five variables that were measured. CONCLUSIONS: Although L. etrusca
      exhibits high levels of nectar robbing and nectar robbers are common floral
      visitors, no evidence was found of detrimental changes in the components of
      reproductive success. A combination of morphological and ecological mechanisms is
      proposed to explain how plants may compensate for the energetic loss caused by
      the nectar robbers.

PMID- 26482654
TI  - Differential pollen placement on an Old World nectar bat increases pollination
      efficiency.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Plant species that share pollinators are potentially subject
      to non-adaptive interspecific pollen transfer, resulting in reduced reproductive
      success. Mechanisms that increase pollination efficiency between conspecific
      individuals are therefore highly beneficial. Many nocturnally flowering plant
      species in Thailand are pollinated by the nectar bat Eonycteris spelaea
      (Pteropodidae). This study tested the hypothesis that plant species within a
      community reduce interspecific pollen movement by placing pollen on different
      areas of the bat's body. METHODS: Using flight cage trials, pollen transfer by E.
      spelaea was compared between conspecific versus heterospecific flowers across
      four bat-pollinated plant genera. Pollen from four locations on the bat's body
      was also quantified to determine if pollen placement varies by plant species. KEY
      RESULTS: It was found that E. spelaea transfers significantly more pollen between
      conspecific than heterospecific flowers, and that diverse floral designs produce
      significantly different patterns of pollen deposition on E. spelaea. CONCLUSIONS:
      In the Old World tropics, differential pollen placement is a mechanism that
      reduces competition among bat-pollinated plant species sharing a common
      pollinator.

PMID- 26482655
TI  - Health and Employment after Fifty (HEAF): a new prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Demographic trends in developed countries have prompted governmental
      policies aimed at extending working lives. However, working beyond the
      traditional retirement age may not be feasible for those with major health
      problems of ageing, and depending on occupational and personal circumstances,
      might be either good or bad for health. To address these uncertainties, we have
      initiated a new longitudinal study. METHODS/DESIGN: We recruited some 8000 adults
      aged 50-64 years from 24 British general practices contributing to the Clinical
      Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). Participants have completed questionnaires
      about their work and home circumstances at baseline, and will do so regularly
      over follow-up, initially for a 5-year period. With their permission, we will
      access their primary care health records via the CPRD. The inter-relation of
      changes in employment (with reasons) and changes in health (e.g., major new
      illnesses, new treatments, mortality) will be examined. DISCUSSION: CPRD linkage
      allows cost-effective frequent capture of detailed objective health data with
      which to examine the impact of health on work at older ages and of work on
      health. Findings will inform government policy and also the design of work for
      older people and the measures needed to support employment in later life,
      especially for those with health limitations.

PMID- 26482656
TI  - CGGBP1--an indispensable protein with ubiquitous cytoprotective functions.
AB  - The human genome contains multiple stretches of CGG trinucleotide repeats, which
      act as transcription- and translation-regulatory elements but at the same time
      form secondary structures that impede replication and give rise to sites of
      chromosome fragility. Proteins binding to such DNA elements may be involved in
      divergent cellular processes such as transcription, DNA damage, and epigenetic
      state of the chromatin. We review here the work done on CGG repeats and
      associated proteins with special focus on a factor called CGGBP1. CGGBP1 presents
      with an interesting example of factors that do not have any single dedicated
      function, but participate indispensably in multiple processes. Both experimental
      results and data from cancer genome sequencing have revealed that any alteration
      in CGGBP1 that compromises its function is not tolerated by normal or cancer
      cells alike. Based upon a large amount of published data, information from
      databases, and unpublished results, we decipher in this review how CGGBP1 is a
      classic example of the 'one factor, divergent functions' paradigm of
      cytoprotection. By taking cues from the studies on CGGBP1, more such factors can
      be discovered for a better understanding of the evolution of mechanisms of
      cellular survival. 

PMID- 26482657
TI  - Head and neck cancer patients' perceptions of quality of life and how it is
      affected by the disease and enteral tube feeding during treatment.
AB  - AIM: To explore individual quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer
      from diagnosis up to 3 months after termination of radiotherapy. RESEARCH
      QUESTIONS: 1) Which areas in life are important to quality of life, and which are
      influenced by the disease and by having oral or enteral nutrition; and 2) Which
      areas in life are influenced by having a nasogastric feeding tube (NGT) or a
      percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube? MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were
      collected in 36 patients. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using an
      extended version of the Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life
      (SEIQoL) and analysed with content analysis. RESULTS: Negative and positive
      experiences of quality of life in general were about relation to family, own
      health, and leisure activities. Negative impacts on physical, psychological,
      existential and social problems, but also positive experiences are described by
      the patients related to the disease. More than half expressed eating-related
      problems. Enteral nutrition entailed negative and positive experiences, and no
      greater variations were described by the patients with NGT or PEG tube. Overall,
      there were interindividual variations. CONCLUSIONS: The patients' perception of
      general or disease-related quality of life was not affected by whether they had
      enteral nutrition or not. From the patients' perspective neither of the two
      feeding tubes (NGT or PEG) was clearly in favour. We suggest that more studies
      are needed on how the choice of enteral feeding tube can be evidence-based, and
      incorporating the patients' perspective.

PMID- 26482659
TI  - Pulmonary vascular dysfunction in refractory acute respiratory distress syndrome
      before veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary vascular dysfunction has been described in patients with
      acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane
      oxygenation (VV-ECMO) is a well-established treatment for these patients. We
      hypothesized that severe pulmonary vascular dysfunction and cor pulmonale
      identified by echocardiography before cannulation in these patients were
      associated with worse survival. METHODS: Echocardiography was used to identify
      pulmonary hypertension in 21 patients with refractory ARDS just before ECMO
      implantation. Survival was compared for those with and without cor pulmonale.
      RESULTS: In our series, the overall mortality rate was 57.1% (12/21).
      Echocardiographic exams were transthoracic in 5 patients (23.8%), transesophageal
      in 4 patients (19%), and both (transthoracic and transesophageal) in the
      remaining 12 patients (57.1%). In our series, six patients (28.5%) showed LV
      dysfunction. Acute cor pulmonale was detectable in 2 patients (9.5%), while the
      remaining 19 patients showed moderate pulmonary dysfunction. Survivors had a
      higher pre-cannulation LV ejection fraction (EF) (P = 0.02) and tricuspid annular
      plane excursion (P = 0.04), and lower peak systolic pulmonary artery pressures (P
      = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with refractory ARDS immediately before ECMO
      implantation, the prevalence of acute cor pulmonale is low (9.5%). Survival is
      associated with higher LVEF and lower systolic pulmonary arterial pressure. These
      findings support the idea that echocardiographic assessment of pulmonary artery
      pressure in patients with refractory ARDS before VV-ECMO implantation may have
      value for risk-stratification.

PMID- 26482660
TI  - Quantum Rabi Model with Trapped Ions.
AB  - We propose the quantum simulation of the quantum Rabi model in all parameter
      regimes by means of detuned bichromatic sideband excitations of a single trapped
      ion. We show that current setups can reproduce, in particular, the ultrastrong
      and deep strong coupling regimes of such a paradigmatic light-matter interaction.
      Furthermore, associated with these extreme dipolar regimes, we study the
      controlled generation and detection of their entangled ground states by means of
      adiabatic methods. Ion traps have arguably performed the first quantum simulation
      of the Jaynes-Cummings model, a restricted regime of the quantum Rabi model where
      the rotating-wave approximation holds. We show that one can go beyond and
      experimentally investigate the quantum simulation of coupling regimes of the
      quantum Rabi model that are difficult to achieve with natural dipolar
      interactions. 

PMID- 26482662
TI  - Safety of Botulinum Toxin Type A for Children With Nonambulatory Cerebral Palsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine safety of intramuscular botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A)
      injections to reduce spasticity and improve care and comfort of nonambulatory
      children with cerebral palsy (CP). METHODS: Nonambulatory children with CP were
      randomly allocated to receive either BoNT-A (n = 23) or sham procedure (n = 18)
      in Cycle 1. In Cycle 2, the BoNT-A group received a second episode of BoNT-A (n =
      20) and sham group received their first episode of BoNT-A (n = 17). A pediatric
      rehabilitation specialist masked to group allocation graded each adverse event
      (AE) according to system, severity (mild, moderate, serious, sentinel) and
      causality (unlikely/unrelated; possible; probable/definite). RESULTS: There was
      no difference for all moderate/serious AEs between the BoNT-A and sham/control
      groups in either Cycle 1 (incident rate ratio = 1.30, 95% confidence interval =
      0.43-4.00; P = .64) or Cycle 2 (incident rate ratio = 0.72, 95% confidence
      interval = 0.30-1.75; P = .47). In Cycle 2, 1 serious, 3 moderate (single-episode
      group), and 24 mild (single-episode group n = 10; 2 episode group n = 14) AEs
      were probably/definitely related to BoNT-A. CONCLUSIONS: Children receiving BoNT
      A were at no greater risk of moderate/serious AEs compared with a sham control
      procedure. There was no increased risk of moderate/serious AEs between one and
      two episodes of BoNT-A.

PMID- 26482663
TI  - Ensuring the Health of Children in Disasters.
AB  - Infants, children, adolescents, and young adults have unique physical, mental,
      behavioral, developmental, communication, therapeutic, and social needs that must
      be addressed and met in all aspects of disaster preparedness, response, and
      recovery. Pediatricians, including primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical
      subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists, have key roles to play in
      preparing and treating families in cases of disasters. Pediatricians should
      attend to the continuity of practice operations to provide services in time of
      need and stay abreast of disaster and public health developments to be active
      participants in community planning efforts. Federal, state, tribal, local, and
      regional institutions and agencies that serve children should collaborate with
      pediatricians to ensure the health and well-being of children in disasters. 

PMID- 26482661
TI  - Lignocellulose-converting enzyme activity profiles correlate with molecular
      systematics and phylogeny grouping in the incoherent genus Phlebia (Polyporales,
      Basidiomycota).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The fungal genus Phlebia consists of a number of species that are
      significant in wood decay. Biotechnological potential of a few species for enzyme
      production and degradation of lignin and pollutants has been previously studied,
      when most of the species of this genus are unknown. Therefore, we carried out a
      wider study on biochemistry and systematics of Phlebia species. METHODS: Isolates
      belonging to the genus Phlebia were subjected to four-gene sequence analysis in
      order to clarify their phylogenetic placement at species level and evolutionary
      relationships of the genus among phlebioid Polyporales. rRNA-encoding (5.8S,
      partial LSU) and two protein-encoding gene (gapdh, rpb2) sequences were adopted
      for the evolutionary analysis, and ITS sequences (ITS1+5.8S+ITS2) were aligned
      for in-depth species-level phylogeny. The 49 fungal isolates were cultivated on
      semi-solid milled spruce wood medium for 21 days in order to follow their
      production of extracellular lignocellulose-converting oxidoreductases and
      carbohydrate active enzymes. RESULTS: Four-gene phylogenetic analysis confirmed
      the polyphyletic nature of the genus Phlebia. Ten species-level subgroups were
      formed, and their lignocellulose-converting enzyme activity profiles coincided
      with the phylogenetic grouping. The highest enzyme activities for lignin
      modification (manganese peroxidase activity) were obtained for Phlebia radiata
      group, which supports our previous studies on the enzymology and gene expression
      of this species on lignocellulosic substrates. CONCLUSIONS: Our study implies
      that there is a species-level connection of molecular systematics (genotype) to
      the efficiency in production of both lignocellulose-converting carbohydrate
      active enzymes and oxidoreductases (enzyme phenotype) on spruce wood. Thus, we
      may propose a similar phylogrouping approach for prediction of lignocellulose
      converting enzyme phenotypes in new fungal species or genetically and
      biochemically less-studied isolates of the wood-decay Polyporales.

PMID- 26482664
TI  - Incidence and Characteristics of Autoimmune Hepatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a progressive
      inflammatory liver disease of unknown etiology, with limited population-based
      estimates of pediatric incidence. We reported the incidence of pediatric AIH in
      Canada and described its clinical characteristics. METHODS: We conducted a
      retrospective cohort study of patients aged <18 years diagnosed with AIH between
      2000-2009 at all pediatric centers in Canada. RESULTS: A total of 159 children
      with AIH (60.3% female, 13.2% type 2 AIH) were identified. Annual incidence was
      0.23 per 100000 children. Median age at presentation for type 1 was 12 years
      (interquartile range: 11-14) versus 10 years for type 2 (interquartile range: 4.5
      13) (P = .03). Fatigue (58%), jaundice (54%), and abdominal pain (49%) were the
      most common presenting symptoms. Serum albumin (33 vs 38 g/L; P = .03) and
      platelet count (187 000 vs 249 000; P <.001) were significantly lower and the
      international normalized ratio (1.4 vs 1.2; P <.001) was higher in cirrhotic
      versus noncirrhotic patients. Initial treatment included corticosteroids (80%),
      azathioprine (32%), and/or cyclosporine (13%). Response to treatment at 1 year
      was complete in 90%, and partial in 3%. 3% of patients had no response, and 3%
      responded and later relapsed. Nine patients underwent liver transplantation, and
      4 patients died at a mean follow-up of 4 years. CONCLUSIONS: AIH is uncommon in
      children and adolescents in Canada. Type 1 AIH was diagnosed 5.5 times more
      frequently than type 2 AIH. Most patients respond well to conventional therapy,
      diminishing the need for liver transplantation.

PMID- 26482665
TI  - Maternal Gestational and Postdelivery Weight Gain and Child Weight.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maternal gestational weight gain (GWG) is a risk factor for the
      development of overweight in her child. It is unknown whether GWG programs the
      child's health or whether GWG indicates a shared familial lifestyle during
      childhood. To disentangle these influences, we studied the association of GWG and
      postdelivery maternal weight change simultaneously with child's weight
      development. METHODS: We used data from 3367 children participating in a birth
      cohort that started in 1996 in the Netherlands. Weight and height were self
      reported. GWG was categorized as "inadequate," "adequate," and "excessive."
      Multivariable regression and mixed models were used to study maternal and child
      weight changes. RESULTS: Children of mothers with excessive GWG had a higher BMI
      z score and overweight prevalence (odds ratio [OR] 1.20; 95% confidence interval
      [CI], 0.99 to 1.46) throughout childhood. Children of mothers with a high (>=1
      kg/year) postdelivery weight gain had a 0.14 (95% CI, -0.08 to 0.36) higher
      change in BMI z score between age 1 and 14 years than children of mothers with a
      low (<0.5 kg/year) postdelivery weight gain. Children of mothers with excessive
      GWG in combination with a high postdelivery weight gain had the highest BMI z
      score and overweight risk at age 14 years (OR 3.53; 95% CI, 1.70 to 7.33).
      CONCLUSIONS: Maternal GWG and postdelivery weight gain contribute to child's
      weight development up to adolescence independently.

PMID- 26482666
TI  - Derivation of Candidate Clinical Decision Rules to Identify Infants at Risk for
      Central Apnea.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Central apnea complicates, and may be the presenting
      complaint in, bronchiolitis. Our objective was to prospectively derive candidate
      clinical decision rules (CDRs) to identify infants in the emergency department
      (ED) who are at risk for central apnea. METHODS: We conducted a prospective
      observational study over 8 years. The primary outcome was central apnea
      subsequent to the initial ED visit. Infants were enrolled if they presented with
      central apnea or bronchiolitis. We excluded infants with obstructive apnea,
      neonatal jaundice, trauma, or suspected sepsis. We developed 3 candidate CDRs by
      using 3 techniques: (1) Poisson regression clustered on the individual, (2)
      classification and regression tree analysis (CART), and (3) a random forest (RF).
      RESULTS: We analyzed 990 ED visits for 892 infants. Central apnea subsequently
      occurred in the hospital in 41 (5%) patients. Parental report of apnea, previous
      history of apnea, congenital heart disease, birth weight <=2.5 kg, lower weight,
      and age <=6 weeks all identified a group at high risk for subsequent central
      apnea. All CDRs and RFs were 100% sensitive (95% confidence interval [CI] 91%
      100%) and had a negative predictive value of 100% (95% CI 99%-100%) for the
      subsequent apnea. Specificity ranged from 61% to 65% (95% CI 58%-68%) for CDRs
      based on Poisson models; 65% to 77% (95% CI 62%-90%) for CART; and 81% to 91%
      (95% CI 78%-92%) for RF models. CONCLUSIONS: All candidate CDRs had a negative
      predictive value of 100% for subsequent central apnea.

PMID- 26482667
TI  - Polysomnographic Markers in Children With Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Children with cystic fibrosis (CF) often report poor
      sleep, increased daytime sleepiness, and fatigue. The purpose of this study was
      to identify respiratory patterns over the spectrum of disease severity in
      children with CF. The overall hypothesis for the current study is that children
      with CF compared with snoring control subjects demonstrate gas exchange
      abnormalities and increased respiratory loads during sleep that are not reported
      or recognized by conventional polysomnography (PSG). METHODS: Analysis of
      breathing patterns and gas exchange on PSG was performed in children with CF and
      healthy controls matched by age and BMI. For all CF and control subjects, the
      indication for PSG was evaluation for obstructive sleep apnea based on a history
      of snoring. RESULTS: Children with CF, compared with age- and BMI-matched snoring
      controls, demonstrated lower oxyhemoglobin saturation (95% +/- 1.6% vs 98% +/-
      0.6%, P = .005), higher respiratory rate (19.5 +/- 4.9 vs 16.5 +/- 1.2 breaths
      per minute, P = .03), and a higher proportion of inspiratory flow limitation
      (44.1% +/- 24.7% vs 12.1% +/- 13.5%, P = .007) during non-rapid eye movement
      sleep. The respiratory disturbance index did not differ between CF and snoring
      control groups (1.5 +/- 2.7 vs 0.6 +/- 0.6 events per hour, P = .11).
      CONCLUSIONS: Children with CF exhibited abnormalities in gas exchange and
      increased respiratory load during sleep compared with normal age- and BMI-matched
      snoring controls. Because these abnormalities were independent of weight and lung
      function, sleep state may serve as an opportunity for early detection of
      breathing abnormalities and possibly CF lung disease progression.

PMID- 26482669
TI  - Videolaryngoscopy to Teach Neonatal Intubation: A Randomized Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neonatal endotracheal intubation is a necessary skill. However,
      success rates among junior doctors have fallen to <50%, largely owing to
      declining opportunities to intubate. Videolaryngoscopy allows instructor and
      trainee to share the view of the pharynx. We compared intubations guided by an
      instructor watching a videolaryngoscope screen with the traditional method where
      the instructor does not have this view. METHODS: A randomized, controlled trial
      at a tertiary neonatal center recruited newborns from February 2013 to May 2014.
      Eligible intubations were performed orally on infants without facial or airway
      anomalies, in the delivery room or neonatal intensive care, by doctors with <6
      months' tertiary neonatal experience. Intubations were randomized to having the
      videolaryngoscope screen visible to the instructor or covered (control). The
      primary outcome was first-attempt intubation success rate confirmed by
      colorimetric detection of expired carbon dioxide. RESULTS: Two hundred six first
      attempt intubations were analyzed. Median (interquartile range) infant gestation
      was 29 (27 to 32) weeks, and weight was 1142 (816 to 1750) g. The success rate
      when the instructor was able to view the videolaryngoscope screen was 66%
      (69/104) compared with 41% (42/102) when the screen was covered (P < .001, OR
      2.81, 95% CI 1.54 to 5.17). When premedication was used, the success rate in the
      intervention group was 72% (56/78) compared with 44% (35/79) in the control group
      (P < .001, OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.6 to 6.6). CONCLUSIONS: Intubation success rates of
      inexperienced neonatal trainees significantly improved when the instructor was
      able to share their view on a videolaryngoscope screen.

PMID- 26482668
TI  - Psychosocial Adjustment in School-age Girls With a Family History of Breast
      Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Understanding how young girls respond to growing up with breast cancer
      family histories is critical given expansion of genetic testing and breast cancer
      messaging. We examined the impact of breast cancer family history on psychosocial
      adjustment and health behaviors among >800 girls in the multicenter LEGACY Girls
      Study. METHODS: Girls aged 6 to 13 years with a family history of breast cancer
      or familial BRCA1/2 mutation (BCFH+), peers without a family history (BCFH-), and
      their biological mothers completed assessments of psychosocial adjustment
      (maternal report for 6- to 13-year-olds, self-report for 10- to 13-year-olds),
      breast cancer-specific distress, perceived risk of breast cancer, and health
      behaviors (10- to 13-year-olds). RESULTS: BCFH+ girls had better general
      psychosocial adjustment than BCFH- peers by maternal report. Psychosocial
      adjustment and health behaviors did not differ significantly by self-report among
      10- to 13-year-old girls. BCFH+ girls reported higher breast cancer-specific
      distress (P = .001) and were more likely to report themselves at increased breast
      cancer risk than BCFH- peers (38.4% vs 13.7%, P < .001), although many girls were
      unsure of their risk. In multivariable analyses, higher daughter anxiety was
      associated with higher maternal anxiety and poorer family communication. Higher
      daughter breast cancer-specific distress was associated with higher maternal
      breast cancer-specific distress. CONCLUSIONS: Although growing up in a family at
      risk for breast cancer does not negatively affect general psychosocial adjustment
      among preadolescent girls, those from breast cancer risk families experience
      greater breast cancer-specific distress. Interventions to address daughter and
      mother breast cancer concerns and responses to genetic or familial risk might
      improve psychosocial outcomes of teen daughters.

PMID- 26482670
TI  - Severe Central Sleep Apnea in Vici Syndrome.
AB  - Vici syndrome is a rare congenital multisystem disorder due to recessive
      mutations in the key autophagy regulator EPG5. Vici syndrome is characterized by
      agenesis of the corpus callosum, hypopigmentation, immunodeficiency, cataracts,
      and cardiomyopathy, with variable additional multisystem involvement. Here we
      report on a 5-year-old girl who presented with global developmental delay,
      seizures, callosal agenesis, cataracts, sensorineural hearing loss,
      hypopigmentation, and immunodeficiency with a low CD4 count and recurrent
      infections. EPG5 sequencing (prompted by suggestive clinical features) revealed a
      homozygous missense mutation, c.1007A>G (p.Gln336Arg). The patient was referred
      to our center for evaluation of nocturnal apnea. Overnight polysomnography showed
      severe central sleep apnea (CSA) with an overall apnea-hypopnea index of 100.5
      events per hour of sleep (central apnea index of 97.5, mixed apnea index of 2,
      and obstructive hypopnea index of 1). The patient responded to bilevel positive
      airway pressure therapy with a backup rate with normalization of the apnea
      hypopnea index and maintenance of oxygen saturation >90%. Despite successful
      control of the severe CSA, the patient was eventually started on nocturnal oxygen
      therapy due to excessive upper airway secretions and the high risk of possible
      aspiration with positive airway pressure therapy. This is the first report of
      EPG5-related Vici syndrome associated with CSA. We discuss the polysomnographic
      findings in our patient in the context of a brief literature review of the
      reported sleep abnormalities in Vici syndrome.

PMID- 26482671
TI  - Atypical Cutaneous Blastomycosis in a Child With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis on
      Infliximab.
AB  - Blastomyces dermatitidis is a dimorphic fungus endemic to much of North America,
      particularly the soils of the midwestern and southeastern United States. Human
      infection typically occurs through inhalation of airborne conidia, which can be
      followed occasionally by dissemination to the skin, bone, genitourinary system,
      and central nervous system. A hallmark of the pathogen is that it can cause
      disease in both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed populations. Blastomycosis
      is rare in pediatric patients, with cutaneous manifestations occurring even less
      frequently. Here, we report the case of a 9-year-old boy on iatrogenic
      immunosuppression with infliximab and methotrexate for juvenile idiopathic
      arthritis who presented with a nonhealing, indurated plaque of his right ear with
      significant superficial yellow crusting in the absence of constitutional
      symptoms. After failing a prolonged course of topical and oral antibiotic
      therapy, biopsy and tissue culture revealed Blastomyces dermatitidis infection.
      The area cleared after treatment with oral fluconazole and withdrawal of
      infliximab. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a pediatric patient
      developing an infection with B dermatitidis after initiation of therapy with a
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor. This case also highlights an unusual
      morphology of cutaneous blastomycosis in an iatrogenically immunosuppressed
      child.

PMID- 26482672
TI  - Psychosocial Interventions for Child Disruptive Behaviors: A Meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disruptive behavior disorders are among the most common child and
      adolescent psychiatric disorders and associated with significant impairment.
      OBJECTIVE: Systematically review studies of psychosocial interventions for
      children with disruptive behavior disorders. METHODS: We searched Medline (via
      PubMed), Embase, and PsycINFO. Two reviewers assessed studies against
      predetermined inclusion criteria. Data were extracted by 1 team member and
      reviewed by a second. We categorized interventions as having only a child
      component, only a parent component, or as multicomponent interventions. RESULTS:
      Sixty-six studies were included. Twenty-eight met criteria for inclusion in our
      meta-analysis. The effect size for the multicomponent interventions and
      interventions with only a parent component had the same estimated value, with a
      median of -1.2 SD reduction in outcome score (95% credible interval, -1.6 to 
      0.9). The estimate for interventions with only a child component was -1.0 SD (95%
      credible interval, -1.6 to -0.4). LIMITATIONS: Methodologic limitations of the
      available evidence (eg, inconsistent or incomplete outcome reporting, inadequate
      blinding or allocation concealment) may compromise the strength of the evidence.
      Population and intervention inclusion criteria and selected outcome measures
      eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis may limit applicability of the
      results. CONCLUSIONS: The 3 intervention categories were more effective than the
      control conditions. Interventions with a parent component, either alone or in
      combination with other components, were likely to have the largest effect.
      Although additional research is needed in the community setting, our findings
      suggest that the parent component is critical to successful intervention.

PMID- 26482673
TI  - Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
AB  - Prenatal exposure to alcohol can damage the developing fetus and is the leading
      preventable cause of birth defects and intellectual and neurodevelopmental
      disabilities. In 1973, fetal alcohol syndrome was first described as a specific
      cluster of birth defects resulting from alcohol exposure in utero. Subsequently,
      research unequivocally revealed that prenatal alcohol exposure causes a broad
      range of adverse developmental effects. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is
      the general term that encompasses the range of adverse effects associated with
      prenatal alcohol exposure. The diagnostic criteria for fetal alcohol syndrome are
      specific, and comprehensive efforts are ongoing to establish definitive criteria
      for diagnosing the other FASDs. A large and growing body of research has led to
      evidence-based FASD education of professionals and the public, broader prevention
      initiatives, and recommended treatment approaches based on the following
      premises:? Alcohol-related birth defects and developmental disabilities are
      completely preventable when pregnant women abstain from alcohol use.?
      Neurocognitive and behavioral problems resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure
      are lifelong.? Early recognition, diagnosis, and therapy for any condition along
      the FASD continuum can result in improved outcomes.? During pregnancy:?no amount
      of alcohol intake should be considered safe;?there is no safe trimester to drink
      alcohol;?all forms of alcohol, such as beer, wine, and liquor, pose similar risk;
      and?binge drinking poses dose-related risk to the developing fetus.

PMID- 26482674
TI  - Promoting HPV Vaccination in Safety-Net Clinics: A Randomized Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Evaluate effects of a multicomponent intervention (human
      papillomavirus [HPV] vaccine-specific brochure and recalls) on HPV vaccination
      and secondarily examine if race/ethnicity moderates effects. METHODS:
      Unvaccinated girls aged 11 to 18 years attending 4 safety-net pediatric clinics
      and their parent/guardian (n = 814 dyads) were randomized to (1) active
      comparison (general adolescent vaccine brochure), or (2) intervention consisting
      of a HPV vaccine-specific brochure, telephone recalls to parents who declined,
      and recalls to patients overdue for doses 2 and 3. HPV 1-dose and 3-dose
      coverages were assessed via electronic health records 12 months after
      randomization. Multivariate logistic regressions estimated adjusted odds and
      marginal predicted vaccine coverage by study arm and race/ethnicity. RESULTS:
      Intent-to-treat analyses found no main effect of the HPV vaccine-specific
      brochure on 1-dose coverage (42.0% vs 40.6%); however, secondary analyses found
      race/ethnicity was a significant moderator such that the intervention was
      effective only for Hispanic individuals (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.43; 95%
      confidence interval [CI] 1.02-2.02), and not effective for black individuals (AOR
      0.64; 95% CI 0.41-1.13). Recalls to parents who declined the vaccine during the
      index visit were not effective, but recalls to patients overdue for doses 2 and 3
      were effective at increasing 3-dose coverage regardless of race/ethnicity (AOR
      1.99; 95% CI 1.16-3.45). CONCLUSIONS: Educational materials describing only the
      HPV vaccine were effective for Hispanic but not black individuals. Future
      research should test mechanisms that may mediate intervention effects for
      different racial/ethnic groups, such as different informational needs or vaccine
      schemas (experiences, beliefs, norms).

PMID- 26482675
TI  - Treating EEG Seizures in Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Randomized Controlled
      Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact of treating electrographic seizures in hypoxic ischemic
      encephalopathy (HIE) is unknown. METHODS: Neonates >=36 weeks with moderate or
      severe HIE were randomly assigned to either treatment of electrographic seizures
      alone (ESG) or treatment of clinical seizures (CSG). Conventional EEG video was
      monitored in both groups for up to 96 hours. Cumulative electrographic seizure
      burden (SB) was calculated in seconds and converted to log units for analysis.
      MRI scans were scored for severity of brain injury. Infants underwent
      neurodevelopmental evaluation at 18 to 24 months. Statistical analyses were
      performed by using SAS 9.3 version (SAS Institute, Inc, Cary, NC). RESULTS:
      Thirty-five of 69 neonates (51%) who were randomly assigned and included in the
      study developed seizures (15 in ESG and 20 in CSG). Excluding infants with status
      epilepticus, median SB (interquartile range) in seconds in ESG (n = 10) was lower
      than in CSG (n = 16) (449 [113-2070] vs 2226 [760-7654]; P = .02). ESG had fewer
      seizures with shorter time to treatment (P = .04). Twenty-four of 30 (80%)
      surviving infants with seizures underwent neurodevelopmental evaluation at 18 to
      24 months. Increasing SB in the combined cohort was significantly associated with
      higher brain injury scores (P < .03) and lower performance scores across all 3
      domains on BSID III (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: In neonates with HIE, EEG monitoring
      and treatment of electrographic seizures results in significant reduction in SB.
      SB is associated with more severe brain injury and significantly lower
      performance scores across all domains on BSID III.

PMID- 26482676
TI  - Eigenanalysis of SNP data with an identity by descent interpretation.
AB  - Principal component analysis (PCA) is widely used in genome-wide association
      studies (GWAS), and the principal component axes often represent perpendicular
      gradients in geographic space. The explanation of PCA results is of major
      interest for geneticists to understand fundamental demographic parameters. Here,
      we provide an interpretation of PCA based on relatedness measures, which are
      described by the probability that sets of genes are identical-by-descent (IBD).
      An approximately linear transformation between ancestral proportions (AP) of
      individuals with multiple ancestries and their projections onto the principal
      components is found. In addition, a new method of eigenanalysis "EIGMIX" is
      proposed to estimate individual ancestries. EIGMIX is a method of moments with
      computational efficiency suitable for millions of SNP data, and it is not subject
      to the assumption of linkage equilibrium. With the assumptions of multiple
      ancestries and their surrogate ancestral samples, EIGMIX is able to infer
      ancestral proportions (APs) of individuals. The methods were applied to the SNP
      data from the HapMap Phase 3 project and the Human Genome Diversity Panel. The
      APs of individuals inferred by EIGMIX are consistent with the findings of the
      program ADMIXTURE. In conclusion, EIGMIX can be used to detect population
      structure and estimate genome-wide ancestral proportions with a relatively high
      accuracy. 

PMID- 26482677
TI  - Response to the Comment by J. Grunenberg on "The Nature of the Fourth Bond in the
      Ground State of C2: The Quadruple Bond Conundrum''.
AB  - The quadruple bond structure in C2 emerges from solid quantum-chemical
      calculations and won't go away! There is no mystery in the rather small bond
      dissociation energy, and this cannot constitute the reason to reconsider the
      whole concept of quadruple bonding. 

PMID- 26482678
TI  - Analysis of 5' gene regions reveals extraordinary conservation of novel non
      coding sequences in a wide range of animals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Phylogenetic footprinting is a comparative method based on the
      principle that functional sequence elements will acquire fewer mutations over
      time than non-functional sequences. Successful comparisons of distantly related
      species will thus yield highly important sequence elements likely to serve
      fundamental biological roles. RNA regulatory elements are less well understood
      than those in DNA. In this study we use the emerging model organism Nasonia
      vitripennis, a parasitic wasp, in a comparative analysis against 12 insect
      genomes to identify deeply conserved non-coding elements (CNEs) conserved in
      large groups of insects, with a focus on 5' UTRs and promoter sequences. RESULTS:
      We report the identification of 322 CNEs conserved across a broad range of insect
      orders. The identified regions are associated with regulatory and developmental
      genes, and contain short footprints revealing aspects of their likely function in
      translational regulation. The most ancient regions identified in our analysis
      were all found to overlap transcribed regions of genes, reflecting stronger
      conservation of translational regulatory elements than transcriptional elements.
      Further expanding sequence analyses to non-insect species we also report the
      discovery of, to our knowledge, the two oldest and most ubiquitous CNE's yet
      described in the animal kingdom (700 MYA). These ancient conserved non-coding
      elements are associated with the two ribosomal stalk genes, RPLP1 and RPLP2, and
      were very likely functional in some of the earliest animals. CONCLUSIONS: We
      report the identification of the most deeply conserved CNE's found to date, and
      several other deeply conserved elements which are without exception, part of 5'
      untranslated regions of transcripts, and occur in a number of key translational
      regulatory genes, highlighting translational regulation of translational
      regulators as a conserved feature of insect genomes.

PMID- 26482679
TI  - A peptide mimic blocks the cross-reaction of anti-DNA antibodies with glomerular
      antigens.
AB  - Anti-DNA antibodies play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis by
      cross-reacting with renal antigens. Previously, we demonstrated that the binding
      affinity of anti-DNA antibodies to self-antigens is isotype-dependent.
      Furthermore, significant variability in renal pathogenicity was seen among a
      panel of anti-DNA isotypes [derived from a single murine immunoglobulin (Ig)G3
      monoclonal antibody, PL9-11] that share identical variable regions. In this
      study, we sought to select peptide mimics that effectively inhibit the binding of
      all murine and human anti-DNA IgG isotypes to glomerular antigens. The PL9-11
      panel of IgG anti-DNA antibodies (IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b and IgG3) was used for
      screening a 12-mer phage display library. Binding affinity was determined by
      surface plasmon resonance. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), flow
      cytometry and glomerular binding assays were used for the assessment of peptide
      inhibition of antibody binding to nuclear and kidney antigens. We identified a 12
      amino acid peptide (ALWPPNLHAWVP, or 'ALW') which binds to all PL9-11 IgG
      isotypes. Preincubation with the ALW peptide reduced the binding of the PL9-11
      anti-DNA antibodies to DNA, laminin, mesangial cells and isolated glomeruli
      significantly. Furthermore, we confirmed the specificity of the amino acid
      sequence in the binding of ALW to anti-DNA antibodies by alanine scanning.
      Finally, ALW inhibited the binding of murine and human lupus sera to dsDNA and
      glomeruli significantly. In conclusion, by inhibiting the binding of polyclonal
      anti-DNA antibodies to autoantigens in vivo, the ALW peptide (or its derivatives)
      may potentially be a useful approach to block anti-DNA antibody binding to renal
      tissue. 

PMID- 26482680
TI  - Impact of eradicating hepatitis C virus on the work productivity of chronic
      hepatitis C (CH-C) patients: an economic model from five European countries.
AB  - CH-C negatively affects work productivity (WP), creating a large economic burden.
      The aim of this study was to model the impact of sustained virologic response
      (SVR) on WP in CHC genotype 1 (GT1) patients in five European countries (EU5).
      Work Productivity and Activity Index-Specific Health Problem questionnaire was
      administered to patients across the ION clinical trials (n = 629 European
      patients). The analysis modelled a population of GT1 CHC patients over one year,
      who had been either not treated or treated with LDV/SOF. Sensitivity analyses
      assessed the possibility that CHC patients' labour costs were lower than the
      general population's and presented results by fibrosis stage. Before initiation
      of treatment, EU patients with CHC GT1 exhibited absenteeism and presenteeism
      impairments of 3.54% and 9.12%, respectively. About 91.8% of EU patients in the
      ION trials achieved SVR and improved absenteeism and presenteeism impairments by
      16.3% and 19.5%, respectively. Monetizing these data, treatment with LDV/SOF
      resulted in an annual productivity gain of ?435 million and a weighted average
      per-employed patient (PEP) gain of ?900 in the EU5. PEP gains from treatment are
      projected to be higher in cirrhotic than in noncirrhotic patients. If CHC
      patients are assumed to earn 20% less than the general population, gains of ?348
      million (?720 PEP) annually are projected. CHC results in a significant economic
      burden to European society. Due to improvements in WP, SVR with treatment could
      provide substantial economic gains, partly offsetting the direct costs related to
      its widespread use. 

PMID- 26482681
TI  - Bifidobacteria possess inhibitory activity against dipeptidyl peptidase-IV.
AB  - The incretin hormones are extremely rapidly metabolized by the ubiquitous enzyme
      dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV). Therefore, DPP-IV inhibitors which can prolong
      the incretin effect are the newest and promising drugs for management of type 2
      diabetes. In this study, we investigated whether Bifidobacteria colonizing the
      human gut possess DPP-IV inhibitory activity. Cell-free intracellular extracts of
      13 Bifidobacterium strains isolated from breast-fed infant faecal samples were
      prepared and screened for DPP-IV inhibitory activity, and two Bifidobacterium
      strains-Bif. longum BBMN68 and Bif. lactis Bb12-were used as reference strains.
      Most of the strains showed varying levels of DPP-IV inhibitory property (7-27%).
      Strains of Bifidobacterium adolescentis IF1-11 and Bifidobacterium bifidum IF3
      211 showed the greatest DPP-IV inhibitory activity (27 and 25%) as well as good
      in vitro probiotic properties. This initial finding suggested that new beneficial
      function of Bifidobacteria is strain-dependent and the strains or their
      components may have the potential application for management of type 2 diabetes
      via inhibiting gastrointestinal DPP-IV activity. Further investigations into the
      isolation and identification of the bioactive components of Bifidobacteria are
      warranted. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Our results show that
      Bifidobacteria isolated from breast-fed infants' faecal samples possess DPP-IV
      inhibitory activity. Strains of Bifidobacterium bifidum IF3-211 and
      Bifidobacterium adolescentis IF1-11, which showed excellent DPP-IV inhibitory
      properties as well as good in vitro probiotic properties, are expected to be
      beneficial for application as anti-diabetic probiotics.

PMID- 26482682
TI  - Large Metal Heads and Vitamin E Polyethylene Increase Frictional Torque in Total
      Hip Arthroplasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: Trunnionosis has reemerged in modern total hip arthroplasty for reasons
      that remain unclear. Bearing frictional torque transmits forces to the modular
      head-neck interface, which may contribute to taper corrosion. The purpose of this
      study is to compare frictional torque of modern bearing couples in total hip
      arthroplasty. METHODS: Mechanical testing based on in vivo loading conditions was
      used to measure frictional torque. All bearing couples were lubricated and tested
      at 1 Hz for more than 2000 cycles. The bearing couples tested included
      conventional, highly crosslinked (XLPE) and vitamin E polyethylene, CoCr, and
      ceramic femoral heads and dual-mobility bearings. Statistical analysis was
      performed using Student t test for single-variable and analysis of variance for
      multivariant analysis. P <= .05 was considered statistically significant.
      RESULTS: Large CoCr metal heads (>=36 mm) substantially increased frictional
      torque against XLPE liners (P = .01), a finding not observed in ceramic heads.
      Vitamin E polyethylene substantially increased frictional torque compared with
      XLPE in CoCr and ceramic heads (P = .001), whereas a difference between
      conventional and XLPE was not observed (P = .69) with the numbers available. Dual
      mobility bearing with ceramic inner head demonstrated the lowest mean frictional
      torque of all bearing couples. CONCLUSION: In this simulated in vivo model, large
      diameter CoCr femoral heads and vitamin E polyethylene liners are associated with
      increased frictional torque compared with smaller metal heads and XLPE,
      respectively. The increased frictional torque of vitamin E polyethylene and
      larger-diameter femoral heads should be considered and further studied, along
      with reported benefits of these modern bearing couples.

PMID- 26482683
TI  - Down Syndrome Increases the Risk of Short-Term Complications After Total Hip
      Arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal abnormality and is
      associated with degenerative hip disease. Because of the recent increase in life
      expectancy for patients with this syndrome, orthopaedic surgeons are likely to
      see an increasing number of these patients who are candidates for total hip
      arthroplasty (THA). METHODS: Using Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) data from
      1998 to 2010, we compared the short-term adverse outcomes of THA among 241
      patients with Down syndrome and a matched 723-patient cohort. Specifically, we
      assessed: (1) incidence of THA; (2) perioperative medical and surgical
      complications during the primary hospitalization; (3) length of stay; and (4)
      hospital charges. RESULTS: The annual mean number of patients with Down syndrome
      undergoing THA was 19. Compared to matched controls, Down syndrome patients had
      an increased risk of perioperative (OR, 4.33; P<.001), medical (OR, 4.59; P<.001)
      and surgical (OR, 3.51; P<.001) complications during the primary hospitalization.
      Down syndrome patients had significantly higher incidence rates of pneumonia
      (P=.001), urinary tract infection (P<.001), and wound hemorrhage (P=.027). The
      mean lengths of stay for Down syndrome patients were 26% longer (P<.001), but
      there were no differences in hospital charges (P=.599). CONCLUSION: During the
      initial evaluation and pre-operative consultation for a patient with Down
      syndrome who is a candidate for THA, orthopaedic surgeons should educate the
      patient, family and their clinical decision makers about the increased risk of
      medical complications (pneumonia and urinary tract infections), surgical
      complications (wound hemorrhage), and lengths of stay compared to the general
      population.

PMID- 26482684
TI  - Periarticular Injection After Total Knee Arthroplasty Using Liposomal Bupivacaine
      vs a Modified Ranawat Suspension: A Prospective, Randomized Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to compare liposomal bupivacaine to a
      modified (Ranawat) local injection for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS:
      This is a prospective, randomized study of 105 consecutive patients undergoing
      primary TKA. Group A patients received a periarticular injection with liposomal
      bupivacaine and group B with a mixture of ropivacaine, epinephrine, ketorolac,
      and clonidine. There were 54 patients in the group A (liposomal bupivacaine) and
      51 in group B. RESULTS: There were no differences in the groups with respect to
      age, sex, and preoperative knee scores. There were no differences with respect to
      postoperative narcotic usage and knee range of motion. CONCLUSION: Liposomal
      bupivacaine as a periarticular injection after TKA demonstrated similar pain
      levels, narcotic usage, and range of motion compared to a modified Ranawat
      suspension but improved walking distance.

PMID- 26482685
TI  - Comparison of Midterm Clinical and Radiographic Results Between Total Knee
      Arthroplasties Using Medial Pivot and Posterior-Stabilized Prosthesis-A Matched
      Pair Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the theoretical advantage of a knee design that can more
      reliably replicate the medial pivot (MP) of the natural knee, only a few clinical
      studies have compared the clinical results between the MP prosthesis and another
      design of prosthesis. We compared the midterm results of total knee arthroplasty
      (TKA) using an MP prosthesis vs a posterior-stabilized prosthesis via a matched
      pair analysis; we included results related to patellofemoral joint symptoms.
      METHODS: The midterm clinical and radiographic results of 125 consecutive
      patients (150 knees) who underwent a TKA with the ADVANCE MP prosthesis were
      compared with those of a control group who had undergone a primary TKA with a
      posterior-stabilized prosthesis. RESULTS: Values of the Knee Society's Knee
      Scoring System, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index,
      and Kujala and Feller scoring systems, as well as the range of motion after TKA,
      did not significantly differ between the 2 groups. No differences in femorotibial
      angle and component position, including the patella component, were observed
      between the 2 groups. No significant differences in the change of patella tilt
      angle and the postoperative patellar translation were observed between the 2
      groups. CONCLUSION: Patients with the MP prosthesis experienced satisfactory pain
      relief and a functional recovery, providing results similar to those of the
      posterior-stabilized prosthesis, including the resolution of patellofemoral joint
      symptoms.

PMID- 26482686
TI  - Effective prevention of posttraumatic tattoo using hydrosurgical debridement in
      the ED.
AB  - Traumatic tattoos can result from the accidental deposition of foreign particles
      in the dermis. These pigmented particles can become permanently lodged in the
      dermis after wound re-epithelialization and lead to irregular black or blue skin
      discoloration. Different methods exist for tattoo removal. The best strategy is
      to prevent traumatic tattoo formation by immediately removing the foreign
      particles before the healing process begins. Here, we present a fine-tuned,
      hydrosurgical debridement system to selectively debride wounds and preserve as
      much viable tissue as possible.

PMID- 26482687
TI  - Improved Health-Related Quality of Life, and More Days out of Hospital with
      Supplementation with Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 Combined. Results from a Double
      Blind, Placebo-Controlled Prospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact of supplementation with selenium and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
      on health-care usage and health-related quality of life (Hr-QoL) in community
      dwelling elderly people has, to our knowledge, not previously been investigated.
      AIM: To investigate the effect of 48 months supplementation with CoQ10 and
      selenium on community-dwelling elderly as regards: (I) the number of days out of
      hospital, and (II) the effect on Hr-QoL. METHODS: A 48-month double-blind
      randomized placebo-controlled trial was carried out. A total of 443 participants
      were given CoQ10 and organic selenium yeast combined, or a placebo. All
      admissions to the Department of Internal Medicine or Cardiology were evaluated.
      Hr-QoL were measured with the Short Form-36 (SF-36), the Cardiac Health Profile
      (CHP) and one item overall-quality of life (overall-QoL). RESULTS: A total of 206
      participants were evaluated after 48 months. No changes were found in the number
      of days out of hospital or Hr-QoL. A sub-analysis of participants matched for
      age, gender and baseline cardiac wall tension as measured by NT-proBNP was
      performed. The mean number of days out of hospital was 1779 for those taking the
      active substance compared to 1533 for those taking the placebo (p=0.03). Those
      with active substance declined significantly less in the HR-QoL domains of
      physical role performance (p=0.001), vitality (p=0.001), physical component score
      (p=0.001), overall QoL (p=0.001), somatic dimension (p=0.001), conative dimension
      (p=0.001) and global function (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: In a match-group analysis
      selenium and CoQ10 increased the number of days out of hospital and slowed the
      deterioration in Hr-QoL.

PMID- 26482688
TI  - Association Strength of Three Adiposity Measures with Autonomic Nervous System
      Function in Apparently Healthy Employees.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association of different measures of central
      (abdominal) and overall adiposity with autonomic nervous system (ANS) function,
      indexed by heart rate variability (HRV), in apparently healthy human adults.
      DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS: Cross-sectional data of 8,538 participants (20% female,
      age: 41 +/- 11 years, body mass index (BMI): 24 +/- 4 kg/m2, waist circumference
      (WC): 91 +/- 12 cm, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR): 0.45 +/- 0.08) were available
      for analysis. RESULTS: All measures of adiposity were inversely correlated with
      vagally-mediated HRV indexed by RMSSD (all p<0.001). Strongest associations were
      found with WC and RMSSD (r = -0.29). Associations were stronger in males (WC r = 
      0.32) than in females (WC r = -0.23). Partial correlations revealed the same
      pattern for RMSSD (WC all pcc = -0.12 p<0.001; WC male pcc = -0.14 p<0.001; WC
      female pcc = -0.06 p<0.05). Correlation strength of BMI and WHtR with RMSSD were
      similar and significantly weaker compared to WC (p < .001) in unadjusted
      analysis. Overall, nonparametric Kendall's taub led to the same conclusions.
      CONCLUSION: The present data supports previous findings, that HRV is related to
      measures of adiposity in healthy individuals. In line with previous research, we
      found that WC is more strongly related to measures of HRV, indicating that WC
      best captures adiposity related risk.

PMID- 26482689
TI  - Soybeans or Soybean Products Consumption and Depressive Symptoms in Older
      Residents in Rural Northeast China: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Depression is one of the most common mental disorders among elderly
      subjects. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of depressive
      symptoms and the association between soybeans consumption and depressive symptoms
      among older residents in rural Northeast China. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.
      SETTING: A representative sample of the rural Northeast residents. PARTICIPANTS:
      This survey was conducted from July 2012 to August 2013 which randomly selected
      and examined a total of 1717 residents aged >= 65 years from the rural Northeast
      China. MEASUREMENTS: All participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire
      9 (PHQ-9). Information on demographic and lifestyle characteristics and blood
      biochemical indexes were collected by well-trained personnel. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of depressive symptoms in the elderly was 8.9%. Women had
      significantly higher prevalence of depressive symptoms than men (13.3% vs.4.6%,
      P<0.001). Individuals consuming soybeans >=4times/week had statically lower
      possibility to have depressive symptoms than those rarely consuming (3.6%vs.
      12.5%, P<0.05). In addition to some conventional risk factors like sex, annual
      income, educational status, current smoking and chronic diseases status were
      associated with depressive symptoms, proper sleep duration (7-8h/d)
      [OR(95%CI):0.28(0.15,0.53)] and frequently consumption of soybeans or soybean
      products [OR (95%CI): 0.36 (0.15,0.87) for 2-3times/week and OR (95%CI):0.50
      (0.34,0.74) for >=4times/week] significantly decreased the risk of depressive
      symptoms among elderly in rural Northeast China. CONCLUSION: Women had
      significantly higher prevalence of depressive symptoms than men in rural China.
      Individuals who rarely consume soybeans or soybean products are more likely to
      suffer depressive symptoms. Rural elderly residents should be cautiously screened
      to prevent or treat depression.

PMID- 26482690
TI  - Olfactory Function, Eating Ability, and Visceral Obesity Associated with MMSE
      Three Years after Parkinson's Disease Diagnosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study examines whether risk factors for poor nutrition are
      associated with global cognitive function three years after confirmed Parkinson's
      disease (PD) diagnosis. DESIGN: The follow-up investigations for this prospective
      community-based study were conducted three years after PD diagnosis. SETTING: The
      study participants lived in Vasterbotten County, a region in northern Sweden with
      142,000 inhabitants. PARTICIPANTS: This study population consisted of 118 PD
      outpatients from the study of Newly Diagnosed PD in Umea (NYPUM). MEASUREMENTS:
      Global cognition was assessed with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) at
      baseline and at follow-up. Anthropometry, nutrition (Mini Nutritional Assessment,
      MNA, 3-day food registration, 3-FDR), olfactory function (Brief Smell
      Identification Test, B-SIT), and swallowing, cutting food, and salivation (single
      questions from the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, UPDRS) were used as
      markers for nutritional status. RESULTS: The MMSE score decreased over three
      years (-1.06+/-3.38, p=0.001). Olfactory function at baseline was associated to
      MMSE at three years (B=0.365, p=0.004). Changes in waist/hip ratio (B=113.29,
      p=0.017), swallowing (B=1.18, P=0.033), and cutting food (B=-1.80, p=0.000) were
      associated with MMSE at follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that
      olfactory function, cutting food, swallowing, and visceral obesity are associated
      with MMSE three years after PD diagnosis.

PMID- 26482691
TI  - Nutritional Guidance Improves Nutrient Intake and Quality of Life, and May
      Prevent Falls in Aged Persons with Alzheimer Disease Living with a Spouse (NuAD
      Trial).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim was to examine the effect of tailored nutritional guidance on
      nutrition, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and falls in persons with
      Alzheimer disease (AD). DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial. SETTING AND
      PARTICIPANTS: Persons with AD living with a spouse. INTERVENTION: Tailored
      nutritional guidance with home visits during one year. The control group received
      a written guide about nutrition in older adults and all community-provided normal
      care. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome measure was weight change, and secondary
      outcomes included changes in protein and micronutrient intakes from three-day
      food records, HRQoL (15D) and rate of falls. RESULTS: Of the participants (n =
      78) with AD (mean age 77.4, 69% males), 40% were at risk for malnutrition, 77%
      received < 1.2 g/bodyweight (kg) of protein at baseline. We found no difference
      in weight change between the groups. At 12 months, the mean change in protein
      intake was 0.05 g/bodyweight (kg) (95% CI -0.06 to 0.15) in the intervention
      group (IG), and -0.06 g/kg (95% CI -0.12 to 0.02) in the control group (CG) (p =
      0.031, adjusted for baseline value, age, sex, MMSE and BMI). Participants' HRQoL
      improved by 0.006 (95% CI -0.016 to 0.028) in the IG, but declined by -0.036 (95%
      CI -0.059 to 0.013) in the CG (p = 0.007, adjusted for baseline value, age, sex,
      MMSE and BMI). Dimensions that differed included mental functioning, breathing,
      usual activities and depression. The fall rate was 0.55 falls/person per year
      (95% CI 0.34 to 0.83) in the IG, and 1.39 falls/person per year (95% CI 1.04 to
      1.82) in the CG (IRR 0.55; 95% CI 2.16 to 6.46; p < 0.001 adjusted for age, sex
      and MMSE). CONCLUSIONS: Tailored nutritional guidance improves nutrition and
      HRQoL, and may prevent falls among AD people living with a spouse.

PMID- 26482692
TI  - Vitamin K Status Is not Associated with Cognitive Decline in Middle Aged Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the association between
      dephospho-uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein (dp-ucMGP), an indicator of vitamin K
      status, and cognitive decline, and the modifying role of 25(OH)D. DESIGN:
      Longitudinal study with six years follow-up. SETTING: Community based.
      PARTICIPANTS: 599 participants of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (aged 55
      65 years). MEASUREMENTS: Information processing speed and a composite Z-score by
      combining three domains of cognition reflecting general cognitive functioning.
      RESULTS: Generalized estimating equations (GEE) showed no significant
      associations between dp-ucMGP and decline in general cognitive functioning.
      Vitamin D modified the association between dp-ucMGP and speed of information
      processing (p<0.05). In the group with a 25(OH)D concentration > 50 nmol/l, the
      highest tertile of dp-ucMGP (>406 pmol/l), which corresponds to lower vitamin K
      levels, was associated with 1.5 higher score on information processing speed
      (p=0.023) as compared to the lowest tertile of dp-ucMGP. CONCLUSION: In contrast
      to our hypothesis, a suboptimal vitamin K was not associated with cognitive
      decline in middle-aged adults.

PMID- 26482693
TI  - Effects of Changes in Regional Body Composition on Physical Function in Older
      Adults: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Obesity exacerbates age-related physical disability;
      however, observational studies show that any weight loss in old age is associated
      with greater risk of mortality. Conversely, randomized controlled trials in older
      adults show that weight loss is beneficial. The discrepancy may be due to weight
      loss intention and differential changes to regional body composition. The purpose
      of this research was to evaluate the independent role of regional body
      composition remodeling in improving physical function. DESIGN: Pilot Randomized
      Controlled Trial. SETTING: Community based research center. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty
      six community dwelling, overweight to moderately obese (BMI 28.0-39.9 kg/m2)
      older adults (age 70.6+/-6.1 yrs). INTERVENTION: Physical activity plus weight
      loss (PA+WL, n=21) or PA plus successful aging (SA) education. PA consisted
      primary of treadmill walking supplemented with lower extremity resistance and
      balance training. The WL program was based on the Diabetes Prevention Project and
      aimed at achieving a 7% weight loss by cutting calories, specifically those from
      fat. MEASUREMENTS: At baseline, 6- and 12-months, body composition was measured
      using computerized tomography and dual x-ray absorptiometry. Abdominal visceral
      (VAT) and thigh intermuscular (IMAT) adipose tissue were quantified. Physical
      function was assessed using the short physical performance battery (SPPB).
      RESULTS: Separate multivariable linear regression models with both groups
      combined demonstrated that decreases in IMAT and VAT were significantly
      associated with improvements in SPPB (P<0.05) independent of change in total fat
      mass. PA+WL improved SPPB scores from baseline (0.8+/-1.4, P<0.05), whereas PA+SA
      did not; however no intergroup difference was detected. Of note, these effects
      were mainly achieved during the intensive intervention phase. CONCLUSION:
      Decreases in IMAT and VAT are important mechanisms underlying improved function
      following intentional weight loss plus physical activity.

PMID- 26482695
TI  - Preliminary Findings of the Brief Everyday Activities Measurement (BEAM) in Older
      Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Functional losses are common in healthy and cognitively impaired
      older adults. However, subtle declines in instrumental activities of daily living
      (IADLs) are not always detected in self-reports. Performance IADL measurements
      are financially and time burdensome, restricting their use in varied settings. To
      address these limitations, we developed the Brief Everyday Activities Measure
      (BEAM), a short (< 5 minutes) objective IADL measure that assesses medication and
      finance management. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: The BEAM was administered to 209
      cognitively non-demented community-dwellers (ages 65 - 95 years). MEASUREMENTS:
      Participants completed standardized motor, neuropsychological, psychological, and
      self-report functional assessments. RESULTS: BEAM completion time ranged from
      54.16 to 259.31 seconds. Interclass correlations (ICC) for total BEAM completion
      time was moderate (0.65, 95% CI [.43 -.78]). Accuracy for total BEAM performance
      was in the low-moderate range (Kappa = 0.38, p < .001, 95% CI [.18 -.54]). As
      predicted, lower accuracy and longer time to complete the BEAM were both
      associated with worse executive functions, attention, and processing speed.
      CONCLUSIONS: Medication and finance management can be efficiently assessed within
      five minutes. The BEAM may be a valuable screening tool to evaluate these
      functional abilities.

PMID- 26482694
TI  - Effects of a One-Year Physical Activity Program on Serum C-Terminal Agrin
      Fragment (CAF) Concentrations among Mobility-Limited Older Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: C-terminal Agrin Fragment (CAF) has been proposed as a potential
      circulating biomarker for predicting changes in physical function among older
      adults. To determine the effect of a one-year PA intervention on changes in CAF
      concentrations and to evaluate baseline and longitudinal associations between CAF
      concentrations and indices of physical function. DESIGN: Ancillary study to the
      Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders Pilot (LIFE-P), a multi-site
      randomized clinical trial designed to evaluate the effects of chronic exercise on
      the physical function of older adults at risk for mobility disability. SETTING:
      Four academic research centers within the U.S. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred thirty
      three older adults aged 70 to 89 with mild to moderate impairments in physical
      function. INTERVENTION: A 12-month intervention of either structured physical
      activity (PA) or health education promoting successful aging (SA). MEASUREMENTS:
      Serum CAF concentrations and objectives measures of physical function - i.e. gait
      speed and performance on the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). RESULTS:
      The group*time interaction was not significant for serum CAF concentrations
      (p=0.265), indicating that the PA intervention did not significantly reduce serum
      CAF levels compared to SA. Baseline gait speed was significantly correlated with
      baseline CAF level (r = -0.151, p= 0.006), however the association between CAF
      and SPPB was not significant. Additionally, neither baseline nor the change in
      CAF concentrations strongly predicted the change in either performance measure
      following the PA intervention. CONCLUSION: In summary, the present study shows
      that a one-year structured PA program did not reduce serum CAF levels among
      mobility-limited older adults. However, further study is needed to definitively
      determine the utility of CAF as a biomarker of physical function.

PMID- 26482696
TI  - The Relationship between Anemia, Hemoglobin Concentration and Frailty in
      Brazilian Older Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to explore the relationship between anemia, hemoglobin concentration
      and frailty syndrome in older adults. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: This was a
      cross-sectional population-based study, with adults >=60 years (n=1,256) from the
      third wave of the SABE Cohort Study (Health, Well-being and Aging) conducted in
      2010 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Frailty syndrome was evaluated according to Fried's
      phenotype. Anemia was defined using the WHO criteria (hemoglobin concentration
      <12 g/dL for women and <13 g/dL for men). Four approaches were used to verify the
      associations between anemia, hemoglobin concentration and frailty status or
      number of frailty criteria. We used logistic regression and Poisson regression in
      the analyses, and they were adjusted in three hierarchical models using three
      blocks of variables: basic characteristics; clinical characteristics; cognitive
      status. RESULTS: Mean hemoglobin concentration was significantly lower in frail
      elderly (13.3g/dL, versus 14.3g/dL in non-frail; p<0.001). Prevalence of anemia
      was also significantly higher in frail when compared to non-frail elderly (24.2%
      and 3.8%; p<0.001). Anemia was significantly associated to low physical activity,
      weakness and slowness. In the fully adjusted regression models, anemia was
      strongly associated to frailty (OR=3.27, 95%IC=1.89,5.65; p<0.001), and lower
      levels of hemoglobin were associated to higher number of frailty criteria.
      CONCLUSIONS: We found important associations between anemia, hemoglobin
      concentration and frailty; anemic older adults were more likely to be frail, and
      lower levels of hemoglobin were associated to higher number of frailty criteria
      showing a clear dose-response effect.

PMID- 26482697
TI  - A Review of Frailty in Developing Countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As the population ages, the prevalence and clinical importance of
      frailty are increasing. There have been few published studies about frailty in
      developing world. This study aims to review the evidence from developing
      countries on the prevalence of frailty, definition of frailty and factors
      associated with frailty. METHOD: A literature search was conducted via MEDLINE
      and EMBASE. Keywords included "frail", "frailty", "prevalence", "criteria",
      "definition", "risk factors", "outcomes", "developing country", "developing
      world", and names of low and middle income countries according to the
      classification of the World Bank. RESULT: A total of 14 articles were reviewed
      from Brazil (n=6), China (n=3), Mexico (n=2), and one each from Russia, India,
      and Peru. There were 9 articles from community-based studies and 5 articles from
      hospital-based studies. Fried's phenotype for frailty was used to define frailty
      in the majority of studies. The prevalence of frailty in community-dwelling older
      people was 17%-31% in Brazil, 15% in Mexico, 5%-31% in China, and 21%-44% in
      Russia. The prevalence of frailty was 49% in institutionalized older patients in
      Brazil and 32% in hospitalized older patients in India. The prevalence of frailty
      in outpatient clinics was 55%-71% in Brazil and 28% in Peru. Frailty was
      associated with increased mortality and comorbidities, decreased physical and
      cognitive function, and poor perceptions of health. CONCLUSION: The limited
      studies available suggest that frailty occurs frequently in older people in the
      developing world and it appears to be associated with adverse outcomes. This has
      implications for policy and health care provision for these ageing populations.

PMID- 26482698
TI  - Nutritional Care Needs in Elderly Residents of Long-Term Care Institutions:
      Potential Implications for Policies.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To collect information on actual nutritional intervention
      requirements in long-term care institutions and on the role of institutional
      factors in nutritional care. DESIGN: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data
      (collected between September 2011 and September 2013) within the context of a
      multicenter prospective cohort study. SETTING: Nineteen long-term care
      institutions. PARTICIPANTS: Thirteen hundred and ninety-four resident elderly
      (age >=60 years). MEASUREMENTS: The prevalence of nutritional derangements (MNA
      Short Form) and the need to introduce nutritional interventions on the residents.
      RESULTS: Prevalence of malnutrition and risk of malnutrition were 35.2% [95%CI,
      32.8-37.8] and 52.6% [95%CI, 50.0-55.2], respectively. Malnutrition was more
      frequent upon admission and in larger institutions (>=50 beds). Overall, 50% of
      the residents requiring an individualized nutritional care plan (any type) were
      not receiving it. Oral diet, the use of fluid thickeners and oral nutritional
      supplements had to be introduced in 306 (22.5%), 201 (15%) and 175 (13%)
      residents, respectively. The need to implement the oral diet was mainly due to
      inadequacy of texture according to chewing and swallowing capabilities. In gender
      and age-adjusted multivariable logistic regression models, nutritional
      interventions were associated with worse nutritional status (P<0.001 for all).
      Moreover, while the duration of stay was unrelated to the need for nutritional
      interventions, we observed that residents living in larger long-term care
      institutions (>=50 beds) were more likely to require improvement in nutrition
      care. CONCLUSIONS: In long-term care elderly residents nutritional derangements
      are very common, underdiagnosed and undertreated. Nutritional screening should be
      part of routine care. However, also the systematic involvement of a nutritional
      care specialist appears to be an urgent need, particularly in larger institutions
      where the standards of care are likely to be lower.

PMID- 26482700
TI  - Novel Method for Calculating a Nonsubjective Informative Prior for a Bayesian
      Model in Toxicology Screening: A Theoretical Framework.
AB  - In toxicology screening (forensic, food-safety), due to several analytical errors
      (e.g., retention time shift, lack of repeatability in m/z scans, etc.), the
      ability to confidently identify/confirm a compound remains a challenge. Due to
      these uncertainties, a probabilistic approach is currently preferred. However, if
      a probabilistic approach is followed, the only statistical method that is capable
      of estimating the probability of whether the compound of interest (COI) is
      present/absent in a given sample is Bayesian statistics. Bayes' theorem can
      combine prior information (prior probability) with data (likelihood) to give an
      optimal probability (posterior probability) reflecting the presence/absence of
      the COI. In this work, a novel method for calculating an informative prior
      probability for a Bayesian model in targeted toxicology screening is introduced.
      In contrast to earlier proposals making use of literature citation rates and the
      prior knowledge of the analyst, this method presents a thorough and nonsubjective
      approach. The formulation approaches the probability calculation as a clustering
      and random draw problem that incorporates few analytical method parameters
      meticulously estimated to reflect sensitivity and specificity of the system. The
      practicality of the method has been demonstrated and validated using real data
      and simulated analytical techniques. 

PMID- 26482701
TI  - Changes in dental fear among Finnish adults: a national survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in dental fear among
      adult Finns aged 19 years and over at the beginning of the study in 2000-2011 in
      a nationally representative sample. METHODS: The study was based on Health 2000
      and 2011 Surveys by the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland. The
      Health 2000 Survey used a stratified two-stage cluster sampling design (N = 9
      922). Those who participated in 2000 (n = 7 964) were invited to participate in
      2011. The number of participants was 3 961. Dental fear was assessed by a single
      question: 'How afraid are you of visiting a dentist?' (not at all, somewhat, very
      much). Background variables included were age (categories 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45
      54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+ years), gender, marital status (nonsingle, single), and
      education (basic, secondary, higher). To match the population sizes in different
      areas and thus forming a nationally representative data, the data were weighted
      based on age, gender, and area. General linear modeling for repeated measures was
      used to evaluate changes in dental fear and associations with background
      variables. RESULTS: Between 2000 and 2011, dental fear decreased more often than
      increased among adults in Finland. Change from being very afraid to not at all
      afraid of visiting a dentist was most common in the oldest group. For most
      participants, dental fear remained stable; being very afraid of visiting a
      dentist was more stable among participants from 35 to 54 years of age than among
      younger or older participants. CONCLUSIONS: Dental fear is still common among
      adult Finns and it seems to depend on age. As the most obvious consequence of
      dental fear is avoidance of dental care, reducing dental fear should be taken
      into account when planning and reorienting oral healthcare services.

PMID- 26482699
TI  - Operational Definition of Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA): A Conceptual
      Framework.
AB  - Health is a multi-dimensional concept, capturing how people feel and function.
      The broad concept of Active and Healthy Ageing was proposed by the World Health
      Organisation (WHO) as the process of optimizing opportunities for health to
      enhance quality of life as people age. It applies to both individuals and
      population groups. A universal Active and Healthy Ageing definition is not
      available and it may differ depending on the purpose of the definition and/or the
      questions raised. While the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy
      Ageing (EIP on AHA) has had a major impact, a definition of Active and Healthy
      Ageing is urgently needed. A meeting was organised in Montpellier, France,
      October 20-21, 2014 as the annual conference of the EIP on AHA Reference Site
      MACVIA-LR (Contre les Maladies Chroniques pour un Vieillissement Actif en
      Languedoc Roussillon) to propose an operational definition of Active and Healthy
      Ageing including tools that may be used for this. The current paper describes the
      rationale and the process by which the aims of the meeting will be reached. 

PMID- 26482702
TI  - Can genetically based clines in plant defence explain greater herbivory at higher
      latitudes?
AB  - Greater plant defence is predicted to evolve at lower latitudes in response to
      increased herbivore pressure. However, recent studies question the generality of
      this pattern. In this study, we tested for genetically based latitudinal clines
      in resistance to herbivores and underlying defence traits of Oenothera biennis.
      We grew plants from 137 populations from across the entire native range of O.
      biennis. Populations from lower latitudes showed greater resistance to multiple
      specialist and generalist herbivores. These patterns were associated with an
      increase in total phenolics at lower latitudes. A significant proportion of the
      phenolics were driven by the concentrations of two major ellagitannins, which
      exhibited opposing latitudinal clines. Our analyses suggest that these findings
      are unlikely to be explained by local adaptation of herbivore populations or
      genetic variation in phenology. Rather greater herbivory at high latitudes can be
      explained by latitudinal clines in the evolution of plant defences. 

PMID- 26482703
TI  - Effects of graphene oxide nanosheets on the ultrastructure and biophysical
      properties of the pulmonary surfactant film.
AB  - Graphene oxide (GO) is the most common derivative of graphene and has been used
      in a large range of biomedical applications. Despite considerable progress in
      understanding its cytotoxicity, its potential inhalation toxicity is still
      largely unknown. As the pulmonary surfactant (PS) film is the first line of host
      defense, interaction with the PS film determines the fate of the inhaled
      nanomaterials and their potential toxicity. Using a coarse-grained molecular
      dynamics model, we reported, for the first time, a novel mechanism of toxicity
      caused by the inhaled GO nanosheets. Upon deposition, the GO nanosheets induce
      pores in the PS film and thus have adverse effects on the ultrastructure and
      biophysical properties of the PS film. Notably, the pores induced by GO
      nanosheets result in increasing the compressibility of the PS film, which is an
      important indication of surfactant inhibition. In vitro experiments have also
      been conducted to study the interactions between GO and animal-derived natural PS
      films, qualitatively confirming the simulation results. 

PMID- 26482704
TI  - Structural isomerism in gold nanoparticles revealed by X-ray crystallography.
      [Corrected].
AB  - Revealing structural isomerism in nanoparticles using single-crystal X-ray
      crystallography remains a largely unresolved task, although it has been
      theoretically predicted with some experimental clues. Here we report a pair of
      structural isomers, Au38T and Au38Q, as evidenced using electrospray ionization
      mass spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis
      and indisputable single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The two isomers show
      different optical and catalytic properties, and differences in stability. In
      addition, the less stable Au38T can be irreversibly transformed to the more
      stable Au38Q at 50  degrees C in toluene. This work may represent an important
      advance in revealing structural isomerism at the nanoscale. 

PMID- 26482705
TI  - Omega-3 fatty acids are able to modulate the painful symptoms associated to
      cyclophosphamide-induced-hemorrhagic cystitis in mice.
AB  - This study investigated the effects of the long-term dietary fish oil
      supplementation or the acute administration of the omega-3 fatty acid
      docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the mouse hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) induced by the
      anticancer drug cyclophosphamide (CYP). HC was induced in mice by a single CYP
      injection (300mg/kg ip). Animals received four different diets containing 10% and
      20% of corn or fish oil, during 21days. Separated groups received DHA by ip
      (1MUmol/kg) or intrathecal (i.t.; 10MUg/site) routes, 1h or 15min before CYP. The
      behavioral tests (spontaneous nociception and mechanical allodynia) were carried
      out from 1h to 6h following CYP injection. Bladder inflammatory changes, blood
      cell counts and serum cytokines were evaluated after euthanasia (at 6h).
      Immunohistochemistry analysis was performed for assessing spinal astrocyte and
      microglia activation or GPR40/FFAR1 expression. Either fish oil supplementation
      or DHA treatment (ip and i.t.) markedly prevented visceral pain, without
      affecting CYP-evoked bladder inflammatory changes. Moreover, systemic DHA
      significantly prevented the neutrophilia/lymphopenia caused by CYP, whereas this
      fatty acid did not significantly affect serum cytokines. DHA also modulated the
      spinal astrocyte activation and the GPR40/FFAR1 expression. The supplementation
      with fish oil enriched in omega-3 fatty acids or parenteral DHA might be
      interesting nutritional approaches for cancer patients under chemotherapy schemes
      with CYP. 

PMID- 26482706
TI  - Depletion of the "gamma-type carbonic anhydrase-like" subunits of complex I
      affects central mitochondrial metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - "Gamma-type carbonic anhydrase-like" (CAL) proteins form part of complex I in
      plants. Together with "gamma carbonic anhydrase" (CA) proteins they form an extra
      domain which is attached to the membrane arm of complex I on its matrix exposed
      side. In Arabidopsis two CAL and three CA proteins are present, termed CAL1,
      CAL2, CA1, CA2 and CA3. It has been proposed that the carbonic anhydrase domain
      of complex I is involved in a process mediating efficient recycling of
      mitochondrial CO2 for photosynthetic carbon fixation which is especially
      important during growth conditions causing increased photorespiration. Depletion
      of CAL proteins has been shown to significantly affect plant development and
      photomorphogenesis. To better understand CAL function in plants we here
      investigated effects of CAL depletion on the mitochondrial compartment. In mutant
      lines and cell cultures complex I amount was reduced by 90-95% but levels of
      complexes III and V were unchanged. At the same time, some of the CA transcripts
      were less abundant. Proteome analysis of CAL depleted cells revealed significant
      reduction of complex I subunits as well as proteins associated with
      photorespiration, but increased amounts of proteins participating in amino acid
      catabolism and stress response reactions. Developmental delay of the mutants was
      slightly alleviated if plants were cultivated at high CO2. Profiling of selected
      metabolites revealed defined changes in intermediates of the citric acid cycle
      and amino acid catabolism. It is concluded that CAL proteins are essential for
      complex I assembly and that CAL depletion specifically affects central
      mitochondrial metabolism. 

PMID- 26482707
TI  - The effect of a C298D mutation in CaHydA [FeFe]-hydrogenase: Insights into the
      protein-metal cluster interaction by EPR and FTIR spectroscopic investigation.
AB  - A conserved cysteine located in the signature motif of the catalytic center (H
      cluster) of [FeFe]-hydrogenases functions in proton transfer. This residue
      corresponds to C298 in Clostridium acetobutylicum CaHydA. Despite the chemical
      and structural difference, the mutant C298D retains fast catalytic activity,
      while replacement with any other amino acid causes significant activity loss.
      Given the proximity of C298 to the H-cluster, the effect of the C298D mutation on
      the catalytic center was studied by continuous wave (CW) and pulse electron
      paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)
      spectroscopies. Comparison of the C298D mutant with the wild type CaHydA by CW
      and pulse EPR showed that the electronic structure of the center is not altered.
      FTIR spectroscopy confirmed that absorption peak values observed in the mutant
      are virtually identical to those observed in the wild type, indicating that the H
      cluster is not generally affected by the mutation. Significant differences were
      observed only in the inhibited state Hox-CO: the vibrational modes assigned to
      the COexo and Fed-CO in this state are shifted to lower values in C298D,
      suggesting different interaction of these ligands with the protein moiety when
      C298 is changed to D298. More relevant to the catalytic cycle, the redox
      equilibrium between the Hox and Hred states is modified by the mutation, causing
      a prevalence of the oxidized state. This work highlights how the interactions
      between the protein environment and the H-cluster, a dynamic closely
      interconnected system, can be engineered and studied in the perspective of
      designing bio-inspired catalysts and mimics. 

PMID- 26482709
TI  - Genome-Wide Screen Reveals Rhythmic Regulation of Genes Involved in Odor
      Processing in the Olfactory Epithelium.
AB  - Odor discrimination behavior displays circadian fluctuations in mice, indicating
      that mammalian olfactory function is under control of the circadian system. This
      is further supported by the facts that odor discrimination rhythms depend on the
      presence of clock genes and that olfactory tissues contain autonomous circadian
      clocks. However, the molecular link between circadian function and olfactory
      processing is still unknown. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying
      this link, we focused on the olfactory epithelium (OE), the primary target of
      odors and the site of the initial events in olfactory processing. We asked
      whether olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) within the OE possess an autonomous
      circadian clock and whether olfactory pathways are under circadian control.
      Employing clock gene-driven bioluminescence reporter assays and time-dependent
      immunohistochemistry on OE samples, we found robust circadian rhythms of core
      clock genes and their proteins in OSNs, suggesting that the OE indeed contains an
      autonomous circadian clock. Furthermore, we performed a circadian transcriptome
      analysis and identified several OSN-specific components that are under circadian
      control, including those with putative roles in circadian olfactory processing,
      such as KIRREL2-an established factor involved in short-term OSN activation. The
      spatiotemporal expression patterns of our candidate proteins suggest that they
      are involved in short-term anabolic processes to rhythmically prepare the cell
      for peak performances and to promote circadian function of OSNs.

PMID- 26482708
TI  - Specific degradation of phosphatidylglycerol is necessary for proper
      mitochondrial morphology and function.
AB  - In yeast, phosphatidylglycerol (PG) is a minor phospholipid under standard
      conditions; it can be utilized for cardiolipin (CL) biosynthesis by CL synthase,
      Crd1p, or alternatively degraded by the phospholipase Pgc1p. The Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae deletion mutants crd1Delta and pgc1Delta both accumulate PG. Based on
      analyses of the phospholipid content of pgc1Delta and crd1Delta yeast, we
      revealed that in yeast mitochondria, two separate pools of PG are present, which
      differ in their fatty acid composition and accessibility for Pgc1p-catalyzed
      degradation. In contrast to CL-deficient crd1Delta yeast, the pgc1Delta mutant
      contains normal levels of CL. This makes the pgc1Delta strain a suitable model to
      study the effect of accumulation of PG per se. Using fluorescence microscopy, we
      show that accumulation of PG with normal levels of CL resulted in increased
      fragmentation of mitochondria, while in the absence of CL, accumulation of PG led
      to the formation of large mitochondrial sheets. We also show that pgc1Delta
      mitochondria exhibited increased respiration rates due to increased activity of
      cytochrome c oxidase. Taken together, our results indicate that not only a lack
      of anionic phospholipids, but also excess PG, or unbalanced ratios of anionic
      phospholipids in mitochondrial membranes, have harmful consequences on
      mitochondrial morphology and function. 

PMID- 26482711
TI  - In vivo imaging of porcine gastric enteric nervous system using confocal laser
      endomicroscopy &molecular neuronal probe.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: The gastric enteric nervous system (GENS) is organized into
      the submucosal plexus and the myenteric plexus that regulate muscle activity and
      mucosal functions, respectively. A non-invasive, in vivo visualization of GENS
      was not possible until recent introduction of needle-based confocal laser
      endomicroscopy (nCLE). Our aim was to determine the feasibility of in vivo
      visualization of GENS in the porcine stomach using endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)
      guided nCLE and local injection of molecular neuronal probe NeuroTrace. METHODS:
      In anesthetized pigs during endoscopy, NeuroTrace was injected into the submucosa
      and muscularis propria of distal, and proximal stomach under EUS guidance and
      nCLE imaging was performed using the Cellvizio AQ Flex probe. After euthanasia,
      transmural gastric specimens from the areas of NeuroTrace injection were obtained
      for histology. We performed quantitative analysis of nCLE images recorded during
      in vivo studies: histologic evaluation of unstained specimens under fluorescence
      microscope for NeuroTrace localization. We also performed immunostaining of these
      specimens for nerve growth factor (NGF). In in vitro studies, we examined the
      uptake of NeuroTrace by glial cells. RESULTS: The nCLE imaging successfully
      visualized neuronal cells and nerve fibers in distinctive image patterns.
      Fluorescence microscopy of mucosal sections showed that in vivo-injected
      NeuroTrace was retained in GENS components. NGF was strongly expressed in neural
      and glial cells, and the pattern of NGF staining was similar to that of
      NeuroTrace staining. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates for the first time that
      combined use of EUS-guided nCLE and NeuroTrace is capable to visualize GENS.

PMID- 26482712
TI  - OnabotulinumtoxinA in the treatment of overactive bladder: a cost-effectiveness
      analysis versus best supportive care in England and Wales.
AB  - The cost-effectiveness of onabotulinumtoxinA (BOTOX((r))) 100 U + best supportive
      care (BSC) was compared with BSC alone in the management of idiopathic overactive
      bladder in adult patients who are not adequately managed with anticholinergics.
      BSC included incontinence pads and, for a proportion of patients,
      anticholinergics and/or occasional clean intermittent catheterisation. A five
      state Markov model was used to estimate total costs and outcomes over a 10-year
      period. The cohort was based on data from two placebo-controlled trials and a
      long-term extension study of onabotulinumtoxinA. After discontinuation of initial
      treatment, a proportion of patients progressed to downstream sacral nerve
      stimulation (SNS). Cost and resource use was estimated from a National Health
      Service perspective in England and Wales using relevant reference sources for
      2012 or 2013. Results showed that onabotulinumtoxinA was associated with lower
      costs and greater health benefits than BSC in the base case, with probabilistic
      sensitivity analysis indicating an 89 % probability that the incremental cost
      effectiveness ratio would fall below L20,000. OnabotulinumtoxinA remained
      dominant over BSC in all but two scenarios tested; it was also economically
      dominant when compared directly with SNS therapy. In conclusion,
      onabotulinumtoxinA appears to be a cost-effective treatment for overactive
      bladder compared with BSC alone. 

PMID- 26482713
TI  - Toward an Enhanced Sampling Molecular Dynamics Method for Studying Ligand-Induced
      Conformational Changes in Proteins.
AB  - Current enhanced sampling molecular dynamics methods for studying large
      conformational changes in proteins suffer from certain limitations. These
      include, among others, the need for user defined collective variables, the
      prerequisite of both start and end point structures of the conformational change,
      and the need for a priori knowledge of the amount by which to boost specific
      parts of the potential. In this paper, a framework is proposed for a molecular
      dynamics method for studying ligand-induced conformational changes, in which the
      nonbonded interactions between the ligand and the protein are used to calculate a
      biasing force. The method requires only a single input structure, and does not
      entail the use of collective variables. We provide a proof-of-concept for
      accelerating conformational changes in three simple test molecules, as well as
      promising results for two proteins known to undergo domain closure upon ligand
      binding. For the ribose-binding protein, backbone root-mean-square deviations as
      low as 0.75 A compared to the crystal structure of the closed conformation are
      obtained within 50 ns simulations, whereas no domain closures are observed in
      unbiased simulations. A skewed closed structure is obtained for the glutamine
      binding protein at high bias values, indicating that specific protein-ligand
      interactions might suppress important protein-protein interactions. 

PMID- 26482714
TI  - Rare Earth Ion Mediated Fluorescence Accumulation on a Single Microbead: An
      Ultrasensitive Strategy for the Detection of Protein Kinase Activity at the
      Single-Cell Level.
AB  - A single microbead-based fluorescence imaging (SBFI) strategy that enables
      detection of protein kinase activity from single cell lysates is reported. We
      systematically investigated the ability of various rare earth (RE) ions,
      immobilized on the microbead, for specific capturing of kinase-induced
      phosphopeptides, and Dy(3+) was found to be the most prominent one. Through the
      efficient concentration of kinase-induced fluorescent phosphopeptides on a Dy(3+)
      -functionalized single microbead, kinase activity can be detected and quantified
      by reading the fluorescence on the microbead with a confocal fluorescence
      microscope. Owing to the extremely specific recognition of Dy(3+) towards
      phosphopeptides and the highly-concentrated fluorescence accumulation on only one
      microbead, ultrahigh sensitivity has been achieved for the SBFI strategy which
      allows direct kinase analysis at the single-cell level. 

PMID- 26482715
TI  - Surgical Treatments for Infantile Purulent Meningitis Complicated by Subdural
      Effusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infantile purulent meningitis (PM) is a commonly severe intracranial
      infectious disease in infants under age 1 year. In recent years, several
      diagnostic and treatment methods were reported, but in these cases the
      neurological complications and sequel were often observed, among which subdural
      effusion (SE) is the most common complication in PM. Timely diagnosis and early
      intervention are vital for better outcomes. In this study, the surgical
      treatments for infantile PM complicated by SE were investigated. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Patients who had PM complicated by SE in the Children's Hospital of
      Hebei Province from June 2000 to June 2012 were retrospectively analyzed and 170
      patients were enrolled in the study. Surgical treatment for each patient was
      adopted according to producing effusion time, leucocyte count, protein content,
      intracranial pressure, and bacteria culture, coupled with cranial ultrasound
      examination, CT, and MRI scans. RESULTS: Nearly, 15 patients were cured using
      serial taps, with a 50% cure rate. Seventeen out of 30 (56.6%) patients receiving
      subcutaneous reservoir drainage had better outcome. Nearly 80% of patients
      (55/69) who underwent minimally invasive trepanation and drainage were positive.
      Surgical procedure of minimally invasive trepanation and drainage combined with
      drug douche was effective in 63% of patients (19/30). In addition, 6 patients
      were cured with subdural-peritoneal shunt. Only 1 patient died, after the
      recurrence of meningitis, and the remaining 4 patients were cured by craniotomy.
      CONCLUSIONS: For infantile PM complicated with SE, treatment needs be chosen
      according to the specific situation. Surgical procedure of minimally invasive
      trepanation and drainage is a very effective treatment in curing PM complicated
      by SE. The treatment was highly effective with the use of drug douche. Subdural
      peritoneal shunt and craniotomy were as effective as in refractory cases.

PMID- 26482716
TI  - Low-dose capecitabine plus trastuzumab as first-line treatment in patients 75
      years of age or older with HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer: a pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Single-agent chemotherapy is considered a good and safe treatment
      option for elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). We investigated
      the efficacy and safety of trastuzumab plus low-dose capecitabine in elderly
      patients with previously untreated human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
      (HER2)-positive AGC. METHODS: Patients aged 75 years or older with tumors having
      HER2 overexpression defined as either immunohistochemistry (IHC) 3+ or IHC 2+ and
      in situ hybridization-positive were eligible for inclusion. Patients received
      capecitabine (1000 mg/m(2)) orally twice daily on days 1-14 and trastuzumab (8
      mg/kg for cycle 1, followed by 6 mg/kg) intravenously on day 1 of a 21-day cycle.
      The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: Twenty
      patients were enrolled. The median age was 79 years (range 75-91). Nine patients
      (45 %) had ECOG performance status 2. Median PFS was 5.2 months (95 % CI 1.9-8.4
      months), and median overall survival was 9.3 months (95 % CI 4.0-14.6 months).
      The confirmed response rate was 40 % (95 % CI 19-64 %) with disease control rate
      of 80 %. Grade 3-4 toxicities were anorexia (10 %), fatigue (5 %), stomatitis (5
      %), and anemia (5 %). No treatment-related deaths or symptomatic congestive heart
      failure were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Low-dose capecitabine plus trastuzumab is
      effective and well tolerated in elderly patients with HER2-positive AGC.

PMID- 26482718
TI  - Gender difference in lipid profile in bipolar disorder: Indian scenario.

PMID- 26482717
TI  - Comparing the harmful effects of nontuberculous mycobacteria and Gram negative
      bacteria on lung function in patients with cystic fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To better understand the relative effects of infection with
      nontuberculous mycobacteria and Gram negative bacteria on lung function decline
      in cystic fibrosis, we assessed the impact of each infection in a Danish setting.
      METHODS: Longitudinal registry study of 432 patients with cystic fibrosis
      contributing 53,771 lung function measures between 1974 and 2014. We used a mixed
      effects model with longitudinally structured correlation, while adjusting for
      clinically important covariates. RESULTS: Infections with a significant impact on
      rate of decline in %FEV1 were Mycobacterium abscessus complex with -2.22% points
      per year (95% CI -3.21 to -1.23), Burkholderia cepacia complex -1.95% (95% CI 
      2.51 to -1.39), Achromobacterxylosoxidans -1.55% (95% CI -2.21 to -0.90), and
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa -0.95% (95% CI -1.24 to -0.66). Clearing M. abscessus
      complex was associated with a change to a slower decline, similar in magnitude to
      the pre-infection slope. CONCLUSIONS: In a national population we have
      demonstrated the impact on lung function of each chronic CF pathogen. M.
      abscessus complex was associated with the worst impact on lung function.
      Eradication of M. abscessus complex may significantly improve lung function.

PMID- 26482719
TI  - Frontotemporal dementia mimicking bipolar affective disorder, normal pressure
      hydrocephalus and Kluver-Bucy syndrome.

PMID- 26482720
TI  - Non-suicidal self-injury and other self-directed violent behaviors in India: A
      review of definitions and research.
AB  - The interpersonal theory of suicide suggests that most forms of self-directed
      violent behaviors lie on a continuum, with each behavior successively increasing
      the capability of committing suicide. There is increasing evidence to suggest
      that the continuum may begin with Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI). This theory
      can be important in developing interventions for suicide prevention. However, in
      India, consistent usage of definitions of various forms of self-directed violent
      behaviors is lacking. In the present study, we reviewed definitions of various
      forms of self-directed violent behaviors that have been investigated in India.
      Further, we compared the usage of these definitions with the usage by WHO.
      Additionally, we reviewed NSSI research in India. Thirty-eight publications were
      identified by a comprehensive electronic search undertaken in Indian psychiatry,
      psychology, and mental health-related databases. Inconsistent definitions of
      eight self-directed violent behaviors were observed in Indian literature.
      Agreement on consistent definitions of various forms of self-directed behaviors
      is essential. Based on the findings of the current review, it can be suggested
      that culturally relevant large-scale research on NSSI in India is required to
      confirm the limited evidence that suggests high prevalence of NSSI in India. 

PMID- 26482721
TI  - Increasing herd immunity with influenza revaccination.
AB  - Seasonal influenza is a significant public health concern globally. While
      influenza vaccines are the single most effective intervention to reduce influenza
      morbidity and mortality, there is considerable debate surrounding the merits and
      consequences of repeated seasonal vaccination. Here, we describe a two-season
      influenza epidemic contact network model and use it to demonstrate that
      increasing the level of continuity in vaccination across seasons reduces the
      burden on public health. We show that revaccination reduces the influenza attack
      rate not only because it reduces the overall number of susceptible individuals,
      but also because it better protects highly connected individuals, who would
      otherwise make a disproportionately large contribution to influenza transmission.
      We also demonstrate that our results hold on an empirical contact network, in the
      presence of assortativity in vaccination status, and are robust for a range of
      vaccine coverage and efficacy levels. Our work contributes a population-level
      perspective to debates about the merits of repeated influenza vaccination and
      advocates for public health policy to incorporate individual vaccine histories. 

PMID- 26482722
TI  - Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) delays the emergence of castration
      resistance in patients with oligometastatic prostate cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate whether bon e metastases-directed stereotactic body
      radiation therapy (SBRT) delays the emergence of castration resistance in
      patients with oligometastatic prostate cancer (OPC). METHODS AND MATERIAL: OPC is
      usually managed with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Migration to castration
      resistant prostate cancer will inevitably occur in the majority of these
      patients. There are several strategies aimed to delay the emergence of castration
      resistance including intermittent ADT, second generation antiandrogens
      (abiraterone, enzalutamide) or metastases-directed SBRT. The present report
      describes two cases of patients with OPC that received SBRT 24 Gy/3Rx to the
      solitary bony lesion after ADT failure. RESULTS: Both cases showed complete and
      durable biochemical response for 13 and 17 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      SBRT can be used to delay the emergence of castration resistance and the need for
      systemic therapy when used after ADT failure.

PMID- 26482723
TI  - S-l combined with cisplatin plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy versus cisplatin
      plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy for Chinese patients with advanced gastric
      cancer: a multi-centre randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of S-l
      combined with cisplatin plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy (SCCC) versus cisplatin
      plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCC) for Chinese patients with advanced
      gastric cancer (AGC). METHODS: Between April 2008 and June 2010, 144 eligible
      patients with AGC were included and divided randomly into 2 groups. Seventy-two
      patients in the SCCC group received with S-1 on days 1-14 of a 21-day cycle, 24-h
      cisplatin infusion (70 mg/m(2) on day 1) every 4 weeks for 2 cycles, and
      concurrent chemoradiotherapy (30-Gy radiotherapy over 4 weeks) beginning on day
      1. The other 72 patients in the CCC group were administered cisplatin and
      concurrent chemoradiotherapy as for SCCC. The primary outcome was overall
      survival. Secondary outcomes were progression-free survival and adverse events.
      RESULTS: The median overall survival durations were 11.7 months (range 1.7-29.7
      months) and 9.5 months (range 1.2-25.4 months) in SCCC and CCC groups,
      respectively (P = 0.041). The median progression-free survival durations were
      10.6 months for SCCC (range 1.3-24.7 months) and 8.8 months (range 0.7-22.3
      months) for CCC (P = 0.046). The toxicity profile was similar in both groups.
      CONCLUSION: In summary, SCCC showed more promising safety and efficacy than CCC
      in Chinese patients with AGC. In addition, the toxicities were also acceptable in
      both groups.

PMID- 26482724
TI  - Molecular biology of testicular germ cell tumors.
AB  - Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are the most common solid tumors in young
      adult men. They constitute a unique pathology because of their embryonic and germ
      origin and their special behavior. Genetic predisposition, environmental factors
      involved in their development and genetic aberrations have been under study in
      many works throughout the last years trying to explain the susceptibility and the
      transformation mechanism of TGCTs. Despite the high rate of cure in this type of
      tumors because its particular sensitivity to cisplatin, there are tumors
      resistant to chemotherapy for which it is needed to find new therapies. In the
      present work, it has been carried out a literature review on the most important
      molecular aspects involved in the onset and development of such tumors, as well
      as a review of the major developments regarding prognostic factors, new
      prognostic biomarkers and the possibility of new targeted therapies. 

PMID- 26482725
TI  - Use of tramadol in early pregnancy and congenital malformation risk.
AB  - Only few studies exist regarding the risk of a teratogenic effect of tramadol
      when used in early pregnancy. Using the Swedish Medical Birth Register, women
      (deliveries in 1997-2013) who had reported the use of tramadol in early pregnancy
      were identified. Maternal characteristics and concomitant drug use were analyzed.
      Among 1,682,846 women (1,797,678 infants), 1751 (1776 infants) had used tramadol,
      96 of the infants had a congenital malformation and 70 of them were relatively
      severe. The adjusted odds ratio for a relatively severe malformation was 1.33
      (95% CI 1.05-1.70). The odds ratios for cardiovascular defects (1.56, 95% CI 1.04
      2.29) and for pes equinovarus (3.63, 95% CI 1.61-6.89) were significantly
      increased. The study suggests a teratogenic effect of tramadol but the risk
      increase is moderate. 

PMID- 26482726
TI  - Assessment of ixekizumab, an interleukin-17A monoclonal antibody, for potential
      effects on reproduction and development, including immune system function, in
      cynomolgus monkeys.
AB  - The reproductive and developmental toxicity of ixekizumab, a selective inhibitor
      of interleukin-17A (IL-17A), was assessed in the following studies in cynomolgus
      monkeys: fertility (3-month dosing), embryo-fetal development (EFD; dosing from
      gestation day (GD) 20 through 139), and pre-postnatal development (PPND; dosing
      from GD 20 through parturition). Because IL-17A has functional roles in innate
      and humoral immunity, immune system modulation was evaluated in the EFD and PPND
      studies; immunological evaluations in infants comprised peripheral blood
      immunophenotyping, Natural Killer cell cytolytic activity, and T-cell-dependent
      antibody (IgG and IgM) primary and secondary responses to antigen challenge.
      Ixekizumab exposure was sustained during the dosing periods in most adult
      monkeys. Fetal exposure at Cesarean section (GD 140-142; EFD study) was 18-25% of
      maternal exposure and ixekizumab was present in infants for up to 29 weeks
      postpartum. There were no adverse effects attributed to ixekizumab in any study.
      Importantly, immune system development and maturation were unaffected. 

PMID- 26482729
TI  - Referral patterns, treatment and outcome of high-grade malignant bone sarcoma in
      Scandinavia--SSG Central Register 25 years' experience.
AB  - AIMS: The objectives of this study were to present changes in referral patterns,
      treatment and survival in patients with high-grade malignant bone sarcoma in
      Sweden and Norway based on data in the Scandinavian Sarcoma Group (SSG) Central
      Register. METHOD: Data on 1,437 patients with diagnosis 1986-2010 was analyzed.
      RESULTS: Osteosarcoma was the most frequentl diagnosis (45%), followed by Ewing
      sarcoma (21%) and chondrosarcoma (17%). Thirty-one percent of Swedish and 41% of
      Norwegian patients had tumors in the axial skeleton. Eighty-six percent of
      extremity tumors and 66% of axial tumors were referred to a sarcoma center prior
      to unplanned surgery or biopsy. During the past decade, limb salvage surgery has
      risen from under 50% to over 80%. Five-year overall survival in non-metastatic
      osteosarcoma was 70% for extremity tumors, and 35% for axial tumors. No
      improvement in osteosarcoma survival was observed during the last decade. Five
      year survival in Ewing sarcoma improved from 50% to 69%. CONCLUSION: Referral
      patterns in bone sarcomas have improved. However, greater efforts should be
      dedicated to improving referral of patients with possible tumors in the axial
      skeleton to multidisciplinary teams (MDTs). Overall survival of patients with
      high-grade malignant bone sarcomas in Sweden and Norway is in line with other
      reports.

PMID- 26482727
TI  - Cigarette smoke induces proteasomal-mediated degradation of DNA
      methyltransferases and methyl CpG-/CpG domain-binding proteins in embryonic
      orofacial cells.
AB  - Orofacial clefts, the most prevalent of developmental anomalies, occur with a
      frequency of 1 in 700 live births. Maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy
      represents a risk factor for having a child with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate.
      Using primary cultures of first branchial arch-derived cells (1-BA cells), which
      contribute to the formation of the lip and palate, the present study addressed
      the hypothesis that components of cigarette smoke alter global DNA methylation,
      and/or expression of DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) and various methyl CpG
      binding proteins. Primary cultures of 1-BA cells, exposed to 80MUg/mL cigarette
      smoke extract (CSE) for 24h, exhibited a >13% decline in global DNA methylation
      and triggered proteasomal-mediated degradation of Dnmts (DNMT-1 and -3a), methyl
      CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) and methyl-CpG binding domain protein 3 (MBD-3).
      Pretreatment of 1-BA cells with the proteasomal inhibitor MG-132 completely
      reversed such degradation. Collectively, these data allow the suggestion of a
      potential epigenetic mechanism underlying maternal cigarette smoke exposure
      induced orofacial clefting. 

PMID- 26482730
TI  - Ovarian endometriosis during pregnancy: a series of 53 endometriomas.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The sonographic features of endometriomas and their natural history
      during pregnancy remain poorly known. The objective of our study was to report
      our experience concerning the diagnosis, spontaneous progression and management
      of endometriomas during pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective observational
      study in 46 patients (53 cysts) presenting with an ovarian endometrioma diagnosed
      during ultrasound examination at the first trimester of pregnancy. Sonographic
      findings (according to the criteria of the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis
      (IOTA) group and how they changed for each cyst during pregnancy and postpartum
      were reviewed, together with cyst management. The median follow-up was 4 years
      [IQR: 3-6]. Median age at diagnosis was 31 years [IQR: 27-35]. RESULTS: Among the
      53 cysts identified as "endometriomas" on the first-trimester ultrasound
      examination, 49 (92%) were described like "cyst fluid with ground-glass
      echogenicity". Fifty-two cysts (98%) had a maximum diameter<100mm, only one cyst
      (2%) presented papillary projection and 5 cysts (9%) were multiloculated. During
      the second-trimester ultrasound monitoring of these cysts, of the 33 cysts that
      we monitored, 8 (24%) increased in size, 11 (34%) decreased in size, 5 (15%)
      disappeared and 9 (27%) did not change. During the third-trimester ultrasound
      monitoring of these cysts, of the 13 cysts that we monitored, 5 (39%) increased
      in size, 5 (39%) decreased in size, 2 (15%) disappeared and 1 (7%) did not
      change. All children (48 newborns) were born alive at a median gestational age of
      39 weeks [IQR=39-40]. Only 10 cysts (19%) required surgical treatment. In all
      cases, surgery consisted of cystectomy. Two cysts were operated on during
      pregnancy (between 14 and 17 weeks of gestation) because of symptoms of adnexal
      torsion, 3 during cesarean section, and 5 postpartum. Four of the 10 (40%) cysts
      operated on were histopathologically "endometriomas", and one of them was
      decidualized. Four cysts were mucinous cystadenomas, one was a serous cystadenoma
      and one cyst was a dermoid cyst. CONCLUSION: This study underscores the
      difficulty of diagnosing endometriomas during pregnancy and the absolute
      necessity of surgical removal when ultrasonographic findings are doubtful.

PMID- 26482731
TI  - Computation of ground reaction force using Zero Moment Point.
AB  - Motion analysis is a common clinical assessment and research tool that uses a
      camera system or motion sensors and force plates to collect kinematic and kinetic
      information of a subject performing an activity of interest. The use of force
      plates can be challenging and sometimes even impossible. Over the past decade,
      several computational methods have been developed that aim to preclude the use of
      force plates. Useful in particular for predictive simulations, where a new motion
      or change in control strategy inherently means different external contact loads.
      These methods, however, often depend on prior knowledge of common observed ground
      reaction force (GRF) patterns, are computationally expensive, or difficult to
      implement. In this study, we evaluated the use of the Zero Moment Point as a
      computationally inexpensive tool to obtain the GRFs for normal human gait. The
      method was applied on ten healthy subjects walking in a motion analysis
      laboratory and predicted GRFs are evaluated against the simultaneously measured
      force plate data. Apart from the antero-posterior forces, GRFs are well-predicted
      and errors fall within the error ranges from other published methods. Joint
      extension moments were underestimated at the ankle and hip but overestimated at
      the knee, attributable to the observed discrepancy in the predicted application
      points of the GRFs. The computationally inexpensive method evaluated in this
      study can reasonably well predict the GRFs for normal human gait without using
      prior knowledge of common gait kinetics. 

PMID- 26482732
TI  - Molecular transport in collagenous tissues measured by gel electrophoresis.
AB  - Molecular transport in tissues is important for drug delivery, nutrient supply,
      waste removal, cell signaling, and detecting tissue degeneration. Therefore, the
      objective of this study was to investigate gel electrophoresis as a simple method
      to measure molecular transport in collagenous tissues. The electrophoretic
      mobility of charged molecules in tissue samples was measured from relative
      differences in the velocity of a cationic dye passing through an agarose gel in
      the absence and presence of a tissue section embedded within the gel. Differences
      in electrophoretic mobility were measured for the transport of a molecule through
      different tissues and tissue anisotropy, or the transport of different sized
      molecules through the same tissue. Tissue samples included tendon and
      fibrocartilage from the proximal (tensile) and distal (compressive) regions of
      the bovine flexor tendon, respectively, and bovine articular cartilage. The
      measured electrophoretic mobility was greatest in the compressive region of the
      tendon (fibrocartilage), followed by the tensile region of tendon, and lowest in
      articular cartilage, reflecting differences in the composition and organization
      of the tissues. The anisotropy of tendon was measured by greater electrophoretic
      mobility parallel compared with perpendicular to the predominate collagen fiber
      orientation. Electrophoretic mobility also decreased with increased molecular
      size, as expected. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that gel
      electrophoresis may be a useful method to measure differences in molecular
      transport within various tissues, including the effects of tissue type, tissue
      anisotropy, and molecular size. 

PMID- 26482733
TI  - Fusion of clinical and stochastic finite element data for hip fracture risk
      prediction.
AB  - Hip fracture affects more than 250,000 people in the US and 1.6 million worldwide
      per year. With an aging population, the development of reliable fracture risk
      models is therefore of prime importance. Due to the complexity of the hip
      fracture phenomenon, the use of clinical data only, as it is done traditionally,
      might not be sufficient to ensure an accurate and robust hip fracture prediction
      model. In order to increase the predictive ability of the risk model, the authors
      propose to supplement the clinical data with computational data from finite
      element models. The fusion of the two types of data is performed using
      deterministic and stochastic computational data. In the latter case,
      uncertainties in loading and material properties of the femur are accounted for
      and propagated through the finite element model. The predictive capability of a
      support vector machine (SVM) risk model constructed by combining clinical and
      finite element data was assessed using a Women's Health Initiative (WHI) dataset.
      The dataset includes common factors such as age and BMD as well as geometric
      factors obtained from DXA imaging. The fusion of computational and clinical data
      systematically leads to an increase in predictive ability of the SVM risk model
      as measured by the AUC metric. It is concluded that the largest gains in AUC are
      obtained by the stochastic approach. This gain decreases as the dimensionality of
      the problem increases: a 5.3% AUC improvement was achieved for a 9 dimensional
      problem involving geometric factors and weight while a 1.3% increase was obtained
      for a 20 dimensional case including geometric and conventional factors. 

PMID- 26482734
TI  - Development of a hyperelastic material model of subsynovial connective tissue
      using finite element modeling.
AB  - Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of the most common disorders of the hand.
      Assessment of carpal tunnel tissue mechanical behavior, especially that of the
      subsynovial connective tissue (SSCT), is important to better understand the
      mechanisms of CTS. The aim of this study was to develop a hyperelastic material
      model of human SSCT using mechanical test data and finite element modeling (FEM).
      Experimental shear test data of SSCT from 7 normal subjects and 7 CTS patients
      collected in a prior study was used to define material response. Hyperelastic
      coefficients (MU and alpha) from the first-order Ogden material property
      definition were iteratively solved using specimen-specific FEM models simulating
      the mechanical test conditions. A typical Ogden hyperelastic response for the
      normal and CTS SSCT was characterized by doing the same with data from all
      samples averaged together. The mean Ogden coefficients (MU/alpha) for the normal
      cadaver and CTS patient SSCT were 1.25*10(-5)MPa/4.51 and 1.99*10(-6)MPa/10.6,
      respectively when evaluating coefficients for individual specimens. The Ogden
      coefficients for the typical (averaged data) model for normal cadaver and CTS
      patient SSCT were 1.63*10(-5)MPa/3.93 and 5.00*10(-7)MPa/9.55, respectively.
      Assessment of SSCT mechanical response with a hyperelastic material model
      demonstrated significant differences between patient and normal cadaver. The
      refined assessment of these differences with this model may be important for
      future model development and in understanding clinical presentation of CTS.

PMID- 26482735
TI  - Human arm posture prediction in response to isometric endpoint forces.
AB  - The ability to predict the musculoskeletal response to external loads has
      multiple applications for the design of machines with a human interface and for
      the prediction of outcomes of musculoskeletal interventions. In this study, we
      applied an inverse-inverse dynamics technique to investigate its ability to
      predict arm posture in response to isometric hand forces. For each subject, we
      made a three-dimensional musculoskeletal model using the AnyBody Modelling System
      (AMS). Then, we had each subject-specific model hold a weight anteriorly to the
      right shoulder joint at a distance of half of the arm length. We selected the
      glenohumeral abduction angle (GHAA) as the only free parameter. Subsequently, we
      used inverse-inverse dynamics to find the optimal GHAA that minimised a
      performance criterion with physiological constraints. In this study, we
      investigated the performance of two different objective functions: summation of
      squared muscle activity (SSMA) and summation of squared normalised joint torques
      (SSNJT). To validate the simulation results, arm posture responses to different
      isometric downward hand forces were measured for six healthy male subjects. Five
      trials were performed for each loading condition. The results showed that, with
      an increase in hand load, there was a reduced GHAA in all subjects. Another
      interesting finding was that self-selected postures for lighter tasks varied more
      than postures for heavier tasks for all subjects. To understand this, we
      investigated the curvature of the objective function as a function of the load
      and observed an increased curvature with increased load. This may explain the
      reduced intra-subject variations observed for increasing loads. 

PMID- 26482736
TI  - Minocycline exacerbates apoptotic neurodegeneration induced by the NMDA receptor
      antagonist MK-801 in the early postnatal mouse brain.
AB  - NMDA receptor (NMDAR) antagonists induce in perinatal rodent cortical apoptosis
      and protracted schizophrenia-like alterations ameliorated by antipsychotic
      treatment. The broad-spectrum antibiotic minocycline elicits antipsychotic and
      neuroprotective effects. Here we tested, if minocycline protects also against
      apoptosis triggered by the NMDAR antagonist MK-801 at postnatal day 7.
      Surprisingly, minocycline induced widespread cortical apoptosis and exacerbated
      MK-801-triggered cell death. In some areas such as the subiculum, the pro
      apoptotic effect of minocycline was even more pronounced than that elicited by MK
      801. These data reveal among antipsychotics unique pro-apoptotic properties of
      minocycline, raising concerns regarding consequences for brain development and
      the use in children. 

PMID- 26482737
TI  - Immunostimulatory activity of snake fruit peel extract on murine macrophage-like
      J774.1 cells.
AB  - Snake fruit (Salacca edulis Reinw.) is a tropical fruit produced in Indonesia.
      Snake fruit peel is normally discarded as waste. In the present study, it was
      revealed that snake fruit peel has high bioactivities on stimulation of the
      immune system. Snake fruit peel extract (SFPE) was prepared by extracting snake
      fruit peel powder in water for 15 h at 4  degrees C. SFPE enhanced phagocytotic
      activity of murine macrophage-like J774.1 cells. Production of cytokine such as
      tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-6 was also stimulated by
      SFPE. The gene expression levels for these cytokines were elevated. Immunoblot
      analysis revealed that SFPE enhanced not only nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB but also
      mitogen-activated protein kinases signalling cascades such as JNK and p38 in
      macrophage. Overall findings suggested that SFPE has a potential beneficial
      effect to promote our body health through the stimulation of macrophage. 

PMID- 26482738
TI  - Contribution of Macromolecular Antioxidants to Dietary Antioxidant Capacity: A
      Study in the Spanish Mediterranean Diet.
AB  - Epidemiological and clinical studies show that diets with a high antioxidant
      capacity, such us those rich in plant food and beverages, are associated with
      significant decreases in the overall risk of cardiovascular disease or colorectal
      cancer. Current studies on dietary antioxidants and dietary antioxidant capacity
      focus exclusively on low molecular weight or soluble antioxidants (vitamins C and
      E, phenolic compounds and carotenoids), ignoring macromolecular antioxidants.
      These are polymeric phenolic compounds or polyphenols and carotenoids linked to
      plant food macromolecules that yield bioavailable metabolites by the action of
      the microbiota with significant effects either local and/or systemic after
      absorption. This study determined the antioxidant capacity of the Spanish
      Mediterranean diet including for the first time both soluble and macromolecular
      antioxidants. Antioxidant capacity and consumption data of the 54 most consumed
      plant foods and beverages were used. Results showed that macromolecular
      antioxidants are the major dietary antioxidants, contributing a 61% to the diet
      antioxidant capacity (8000 MUmol Trolox, determined by ABTS method). The
      antioxidant capacity data for foods and beverages provided here may be used to
      estimate the dietary antioxidant capacity in different populations, where similar
      contributions of macromolecular antioxidants may be expected, and also to design
      antioxidant-rich diets. Including macromolecular antioxidants in mechanistic,
      intervention and observational studies on dietary antioxidants may contribute to
      a better understanding of the role of antioxidants in nutrition and health.

PMID- 26482739
TI  - Is time an extra dimension in 3D cell culture?
AB  - Time or the temporal microenvironment is a parameter that is often overlooked in
      3D cell culture. However, given that the 3D system is a dynamic entity, there
      exists bidirectional signaling between the cells and their microenvironment and,
      in time, cells can develop the capacity to modulate their environment. We make
      this case here by illustrating the relation between the temporal dimension and
      other microenvironmental parameters and demonstrate how the exogenously
      incorporated microenvironmental factors (MEFs) can be rendered less significant
      with time. Such knowledge can guide construct design to make 3D platforms
      architecturally simpler by eliminating redundancy. We further show that there is
      a need to establish the point at which the construct is complex enough such that
      its use yields responses that more closely emulate in vivo outcomes. 

PMID- 26482740
TI  - Precision medicine in oncology drug development: a pharma perspective.
AB  - A rapid expansion in precision medicine founded on the potential for durable
      clinical benefit through matching a drug to a predictive marker used to select
      patients has driven the development of targeted drugs with accompanied companion
      diagnostics for patient selection. Oncology has been at the forefront, with the
      improvements in patient survival notable. Increasing numbers of molecular
      subgroups require an equally increasing number (and new generation) of highly
      selective agents targeting inevitably lower incidence molecular segments, posing
      significant challenges for drug development. Innovative trial designs (umbrella
      or basket studies) are emerging as patient-centric approaches and public-private
      partnerships, cross-industry, government and non-profit sector collaborations are
      enabling implementation. Success will require continued innovation, new paradigms
      in oncology drug development and market approval and continued collaboration. 

PMID- 26482741
TI  - Development of a simple tool to predict the risk of postpartum diabetes in women
      with gestational diabetes mellitus.
AB  - AIMS: Women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have an increased risk of
      diabetes postpartum. We developed a score to predict the long-term risk of
      postpartum diabetes using clinical and anamnestic variables recorded during or
      shortly after delivery. METHODS: Data from 257 GDM women who were prospectively
      followed for diabetes outcome over 20 years of follow-up were used to develop and
      validate the risk score. Participants were divided into training and test sets.
      The risk score was calculated using Lasso Cox regression and divided into four
      risk categories, and its prediction performance was assessed in the test set.
      RESULTS: Postpartum diabetes developed in 110 women. The computed training set
      risk score of 5 * body mass index in early pregnancy (per kg/m(2)) + 132 if GDM
      was treated with insulin (otherwise 0) + 44 if the woman had a family history of
      diabetes (otherwise 0) - 35 if the woman lactated (otherwise 0) had R (2) values
      of 0.23, 0.25, and 0.33 at 5, 10, and 15 years postpartum, respectively, and a C
      Index of 0.75. Application of the risk score in the test set resulted in observed
      risk of postpartum diabetes at 5 years of 11 % for low risk scores <=140, 29 %
      for scores 141-220, 64 % for scores 221-300, and 80 % for scores >300.
      CONCLUSIONS: The derived risk score is easy to calculate, allows accurate
      prediction of GDM-related postpartum diabetes, and may thus be a useful
      prediction tool for clinicians and general practitioners.

PMID- 26482742
TI  - Health risks facing travelers to Russia with special reference to natural-focal
      diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Russia, an enormous country almost completely located within
      temperate latitudes, has a broad spectrum of natural landscapes which attract
      increasing numbers of tourists, from arctic deserts in the north to steppes and
      deserts in the south. Currently, tourism is undergoing active development in
      Russia: new travel routes, including ones that involve visiting the wilderness,
      are steadily appearing. Among the multitude of infectious diseases that can
      endanger travelers, natural-focal diseases, whose agents and/or carriers are
      integral to natural landscapes, are especially prominent. Some of the results of
      the study of natural-focal infections and parasitoses, which are necessary to
      evaluate the recreational and travel potential of the Russian Federation, are
      presented and discussed in this article. METHOD: A cartographical and statistical
      analysis of infectious and parasitic natural-focal diseases, spanning more than a
      decade (1997-2013), is the basis of this article. RESULTS: This analysis, along
      with that of additional cartographical and textual sources, reveals that natural
      focal infections are most diverse between 48 degrees  N and 60 degrees  N and
      least diverse in the northern regions of the Far East of Russia. Different
      regions have different numbers of nosoforms and different morbidity level, which
      signifies an irregularity in the distribution of parasitic diseases. CONCLUSIONS:
      This medico-geographical information may be useful both for individual tourists
      planning trips to Russia and tour agencies organizing tour groups. It also can be
      used by health advisers when they consult people before a trip, to assess the
      actual risks, suggest a number of precautions and pick the particular diseases
      out of those listed that actually constitute a risk in certain regions, and
      suggest a suitable preventative treatment if needed.

PMID- 26482743
TI  - Genetic Test Results and Disclosure to Family Members: Qualitative Interviews of
      Healthcare Professionals' Perceptions of Ethical and Professional Issues in
      France.
AB  - The benefit of disclosing test results to next of kin is to improve prognosis and
      in some cases-even prevent death though earlier monitoring or preventive
      therapies. Research on this subject has explored the question of intra-familial
      communication from the standpoint of patients and relatives but rarely, from the
      standpoint of healthcare professionals. The purpose of this study was to
      interview relevant healthcare professionals in France, where legislation framing
      the issue was recently passed. A qualitative study consisting of semi-structured
      interviews was set up to get a clearer picture of the challenges arising from
      this issue, its consequences in terms of medical care-service practices, and the
      positions that frontline professionals have taken in response to this new legal
      framework. The findings from eight interviews with 7 clinical geneticists and 1
      genetic counselor highlight very different patterns of practices among care
      services and among the genetic diseases involved. It is equally crucial to
      investigate other issues such as the nature of genetic testing and its
      consequences in terms of disclosing results to kin, the question of the role of
      genetic counseling in the disclosure process, the question of prescription by non
      geneticist clinicians, and practical questions linked to information content,
      consent and medical follow-up for patients and their relatives.

PMID- 26482744
TI  - Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: a Survey of Perspectives on Carrier Testing and
      Communication Within the Family.
AB  - Carrier testing is widely available for multiple genetic conditions, and several
      professional organizations have created practice guidelines regarding appropriate
      clinical application and the testing of minors. Previous research has focused on
      carrier screening, predictive testing, and testing for X-linked conditions.
      However, family perspectives on carrier testing for X-linked lethal diseases have
      yet to be described. In this study, we explored communication within the family
      about carrier testing and the perspectives of mothers of sons with an X-linked
      lethal disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Twenty-five mothers of sons
      with DMD participated in an anonymous online survey. Survey questions included
      multiple choice, Likert scale, and open ended, short answer questions. Analysis
      of the multiple choice and Likert scale questions revealed that most mothers
      preferred a gradual style of communication with their daughters regarding risk
      status. In addition, most participants reported having consulted with a genetic
      counselor and found it helpful. Comparisons between groups, analyzed using
      Fisher's exact tests, found no differences in preferred style due to mother's
      carrier status or having a daughter. Thematic analysis was conducted on responses
      to open ended questions. Themes identified included the impact of family
      implications, age and maturity, and a desire for autonomy regarding the decision
      to discuss and undergo carrier testing with at-risk daughters, particularly
      timing of these discussions. Implications for genetic counseling practice are
      discussed.

PMID- 26482745
TI  - Factors associated with orthostatic hypotension in hospitalized elderly patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the factors associated with orthostatic hypotension (OH) in
      hospitalized elderly patients. DESIGN: Prospective observational single center
      study. SETTING: A French academic center. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and thirty
      one patients without OH symptoms who underwent OH testing. MEASUREMENTS: The OH
      test was performed when the patient was able to get out of the bed and was no
      longer receiving parenteral fluids. The blood pressure was measured after a 10
      min rest while the patients were sitting and then standing at 1 and 3 min.
      Demographic data, co-morbidities, current medications and biological parameters
      were recorded. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 84.3 +/- 7 years. The mean CIRS
      G score was 10.6 +/- 3.8. The OH test was performed 6.3 +/- 3.9 days after
      admission and was positive in 39 (29.8 %) patients (95 % confidence interval (CI)
      22, 38) and positive at 1 min in 87.2 % of the cases. Multivariate analysis
      showed that OH prevalence correlated with diabetes (odds ratio (OR) = 4.23; 95 %
      CI 1.10, 16.24; P = 0.03), serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D <20 ng/ml (OR = 3.38; 95 %
      CI 1.36, 8.42; P = 0.008), use of tranquilizers (anxiolytic and hypnotic) (OR =
      2.96; 95 % CI 1.18, 7.4; P = 0.02), CIRS-G score (OR = 1.15; 95 % CI 1.01, 1.31;
      P = 0.03) and lack of diuretics (OR = 0.20; 95 % CI 0.06, 0.63; P = 0.005).
      CONCLUSION: In older adults, OH is often misdiagnosed because it is asymptomatic.
      As practitioners may be reluctant to perform the OH test because of time
      constraints, targeting a subgroup of patients with a higher risk of OH should be
      worthwhile to prevent further OH complications.

PMID- 26482746
TI  - Effects of calpain on sevoflurane-induced aged rats hippocampal neuronal
      apoptosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sevoflurane is one of the most commonly used volatile anesthetics and
      it has been shown to induce widespread apoptotic neurodegeneration in aged rat.
      Calpain is also activated during apoptosis in several types of cells. We
      hypothesized that calpain resulted in apoptosis under long time sevoflurane
      exposure, and it might play a role in the sevoflurane-induced memory impairment
      in aged rats. METHODS: Seventy-two 18-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were
      randomly divided into three groups (n = 24): Control group rats were exposed to
      simply humid 50 % O2 balanced by N2 for 3 h; While M group rats received calpain
      inhibitor 10 mg/kg via the tail vein intravenously at 30 min before the animals
      inhaled 3 % sevoflurane for 3 h, subsequently received MDL 28170 3.33 mg/kg/h for
      3 h. Sev group rats were only exposed to 3 % sevoflurane for 3 h without calpain
      inhibitor. Morris Water Maze was used to test the ability of learning and memory.
      Cytosolic calcium concentration was measured by using flow cytometry. Annexin-V
      labeled with a fluorophore or biotin can identify apoptotic cells by binding to
      PS. The expression of calpain in the hippocampus of rats was tested by Western
      blots. RESULTS: The results showed that the M group had a shorter latency and had
      a larger number of times crossing over the previous platform site than that of
      the Sev group. Compared with Sev group, apoptosis rate and 76/80 kDa ratio of MU
      calpain were significantly decreased in M group on the 1st day. CONCLUSIONS:
      Sevoflurane might induce apoptosis through increasing [Ca(2+)]c and the activity
      of MU-calpain, which might be identified at least partially the molecular
      mechanism by which sevoflurane induces apoptosis.

PMID- 26482747
TI  - Differentiation of high-grade-astrocytomas from solitary-brain-metastases:
      Comparing diffusion kurtosis imaging and diffusion tensor imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the value of MRI diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and
      diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in differentiating high-grade-astrocytomas from
      solitary-brain-metastases. METHODS: Thirty-one high-grade-astrocytomas and twenty
      solitary-brain-metastases were retrospectively identified. DKI parameters [mean
      kurtosis (MK), radial kurtosis (Kr), and axial kurtosis (Ka)] and DTI parameters
      [fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD)] values with and without
      correction by contralateral normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) in the tumoral
      solid part and peritumoral edema, were compared using the t-test. Receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to test for the best parameters.
      RESULTS: The DKI values (MK, Kr, and Ka) and DTI values (FA and MD) in tumoral
      solid parts did not show significant differences between the two groups.
      Corrected and uncorrected MK, Kr, and Ka values in peritumoral edema were
      significantly higher in high-grade-astrocytomas than solitary-brain-metastases,
      and MD values without correction were lower in high-grade astrocytomas than
      solitary-brain-metastases. The areas under curve (AUC) of corrected Ka (1.000),
      MK (0.889), and Kr (0.880) values were significantly higher than those of MD
      (0.793) and FA (0.472) values. The optimal thresholds for corrected MK, Kr, Ka,
      and MD were 0.369, 0.405, 0.483, and 2.067, respectively. CONCLUSION: DKI and
      directional analysis could lead to improved differentiation with better
      sensitivity and directional specificity than DTI.

PMID- 26482748
TI  - [Road traffic injuries: an example of public health].

PMID- 26482749
TI  - [Road traffic injuries: an example of public health].

PMID- 26482750
TI  - Management of Hypertension in Children and Adolescents.
AB  - Hypertension in children and adolescents is becoming a greater problem in the
      developed world. Although traditionally thought of as usually secondary to renal,
      vascular, or endocrine causes, primary hypertension is becoming the most common
      form seen in childhood. This changing epidemiology is related to the recent
      obesity epidemic. The evaluation of high blood pressure in children is more
      involved than in adults and is aimed both at identifying secondary causes and to
      identify other co-morbidities of cardiovascular risk. Treatment of hypertension
      in childhood and adolescence is aimed at reducing cardiovascular risk. While
      there are a growing number of antihypertensive agents with FDA labeling for
      children, there remain far fewer options than for adults. This paper reviews the
      epidemiology, definitions, evaluations, and management of elevated blood pressure
      in children and adolescents. 

PMID- 26482751
TI  - Management of Hypertension in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is considered to be a secondary form of
      hypertension and in clinical practice OSA is frequently associated with
      hypertension, even if proof of causality cannot be established. Growing evidence
      suggests that OSA is associated with worse blood pressure control, alterations in
      night-time blood pressure dipping, increased target organ damage, and arterial
      stiffness in patients with hypertension. This review summarizes the current
      evidence for managing hypertension in patients with OSA. Particular focus will be
      devoted to discuss the impact of lifestyle changes, preferences for anti
      hypertensive treatment in patients with OSA, and the effects of OSA treatment
      with continuous positive airway pressure on blood pressure. 

PMID- 26482752
TI  - New Approaches in Detection and Treatment of Familial Hypercholesterolemia.
AB  - Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that
      clinically leads to increased low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels.
      As a consequence, FH patients are at high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
      Mutations are found in genes coding for the LDLR, apoB, and PCSK9, although FH
      cannot be ruled out in the absence of a mutation in one of these genes. It is
      pivotal to diagnose FH at an early age, since lipid lowering results in a
      decreased risk of cardiovascular complications especially if initiated early, but
      unfortunately FH is largely underdiagnosed. While a number of clinical criteria
      are available, identification of a pathogenic mutation in any of the three
      aforementioned genes is seen by many as a way to establish a definitive diagnosis
      of FH. It should be remembered that clinical treatment is based on LDL-C levels
      and not solely on presence or absence of genetic mutations as LDL-C is what
      drives risk. Traditionally, mutation detection has been done by means of dideoxy
      sequencing. However, novel molecular testing methods are gradually being
      introduced. These next generation sequencing-based methods are likely to be
      applied on broader scale once their efficacy and effect on cost are being
      established. Statins are the first-line therapy of choice for FH patients as they
      have been proven to reduce CVD risk across a range of conditions including
      hypercholesterolemia (though not specifically tested in FH). However, in a
      significant proportion of FH patients LDL-C goals are not met, despite the use of
      maximal statin doses and additional lipid-lowering therapies. This underlines the
      need for additional therapies, and inhibition of PCSK9 and CETP is among the most
      promising new therapeutic options. In this review, we aim to provide an overview
      of the latest information about the definition, diagnosis, screening, and current
      and novel therapies for FH. 

PMID- 26482753
TI  - Risk Stratification for Primary Prevention of Coronary Artery Disease: Roles of C
      Reactive Protein and Coronary Artery Calcium.
AB  - Risk stratification of individuals at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular
      disease (ASCVD) plays an important role in primary prevention of cardiovascular
      disease. In addition to risk scores derived from conventional cardiovascular risk
      factors, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and coronary artery calcium
      (CAC) have emerged as two of the widely accepted non traditional risk factors for
      atherosclerotic disease that have shown incremental prognostic value in
      predicting cardiovascular events. This review systematically assesses the role of
      hs-CRP and CAC in various studies and demonstrates meta-analyses of the
      incremental prognostic value of hs-CRP and CAC in identifying patients at risk of
      future CVD events. Compared with this, CAC showed better incremental prognostic
      value and might be a better indicator of ASCVD risk in asymptomatic adults. 

PMID- 26482756
TI  - Implantable Hemodynamic Monitoring in Ambulatory Heart Failure: Who, When, Why,
      How?
AB  - Despite considerable advances in therapeutics, the risk of hospitalization for
      patients with heart failure remains high. Since many hospitalizations in heart
      failure patients are driven by congestive exacerbations, optimal management of
      congestion is a key goal of longitudinal heart failure disease management.
      Existing strategies for hemodynamic optimization in heart failure patients rely
      heavily on remote monitoring of weights and symptoms, augmented in selected cases
      by data from implanted cardiac devices. When they have been systematically
      studied, however, none of these approaches has been demonstrated to consistently
      improve clinical outcomes. Recent data suggests that implantable hemodynamic
      monitors may facilitate early detection and treatment of worsening congestion,
      thereby reducing the need for hospital admission. In this review, we explore the
      rationale and evidence supporting the use of these novel devices as an adjunct to
      routine heart failure management and the strategies for appropriate patient
      selection. 

PMID- 26482755
TI  - Mindfulness and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: State of the Evidence, Plausible
      Mechanisms, and Theoretical Framework.
AB  - The purpose of this review is to provide (1) a synopsis on relations of
      mindfulness with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and major CVD risk factors, and (2)
      an initial consensus-based overview of mechanisms and theoretical framework by
      which mindfulness might influence CVD. Initial evidence, often of limited
      methodological quality, suggests possible impacts of mindfulness on CVD risk
      factors including physical activity, smoking, diet, obesity, blood pressure, and
      diabetes regulation. Plausible mechanisms include (1) improved attention control
      (e.g., ability to hold attention on experiences related to CVD risk, such as
      smoking, diet, physical activity, and medication adherence), (2) emotion
      regulation (e.g., improved stress response, self-efficacy, and skills to manage
      craving for cigarettes, palatable foods, and sedentary activities), and (3) self
      awareness (e.g., self-referential processing and awareness of physical sensations
      due to CVD risk factors). Understanding mechanisms and theoretical framework
      should improve etiologic knowledge, providing customized mindfulness intervention
      targets that could enable greater mindfulness intervention efficacy. 

PMID- 26482757
TI  - Coagulopathy in Mechanical Circulatory Support: A Fine Balance.
AB  - Therapeutic intervention with mechanical circulatory support has revolutionized
      the medical care of individuals living with advanced heart failure. Left
      ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have enabled patients to live longer while
      providing improved quality of life and functional status. However, intervention
      is not without risk. Over the last decade, clinicians have identified common
      mechanical assist device-associated complications. This appears to be multi
      factorial with relation to patient variables, inherent device technology, and
      nuances of concurrent medical management. This review will discuss the impact of
      adverse hematologic complications: bleeding, pump thrombosis, and hemolysis in
      continuous flow LVAD patients. These obstacles continue to pose a clinical
      challenge with regard to both diagnosis and optimal management. Heightened
      awareness and understanding of heterogeneous clinical presentations is essential
      for preventive management and early detection with intervention. 

PMID- 26482754
TI  - Psychological Aspects of Cardiac Care and Rehabilitation: Time to Wake Up to
      Sleep?
AB  - Psychological and psychosocial factors have long been linked to cardiovascular
      disease. These psychosocial factors, including low socioeconomic status, social
      support/isolation, stress and distress, personality, and sleep disturbance
      increase risk of cardiovascular events and negatively impact quality of life.
      These factors may have direct effects on cardiovascular disease via immune or
      neuroendocrine pathways, or more indirect effects, by, for example, limiting
      adherence to recommended therapies and cardiac rehabilitation. Most psychosocial
      risk factors can be assessed relatively easily using standardised tools. Sleep
      disturbance, in particular, is gaining evidence for its importance and may be
      crucial to address. While the management of certain psychosocial risk factors is
      an ethical requirement for care and improves quality of life, unfortunately there
      is little evidence that such strategies impact on 'hard' endpoints such as
      recurrent myocardial infarction. A comprehensive biopsychosocial approach to
      management of these psychosocial factors is required to maximise the benefits
      patients derive from cardiac care. 

PMID- 26482758
TI  - Healthcare Professional Shortage and Task-Shifting to Prevent Cardiovascular
      Disease: Implications for Low- and Middle-Income Countries.
AB  - Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) account for 18 million of annual global deaths with
      more than three quarters of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income
      countries (LMIC). In LMIC, the distribution of risk factors is heterogeneous,
      with urban areas being the worst affected. Despite the availability of effective
      CVD interventions in developed countries, many poor countries still struggle to
      provide care due to lack of resources. In addition, many LMIC suffer from staff
      shortages which pose additional burden to the healthcare system. Regardless of
      these challenges, there are potentially effective strategies such as task
      shifting which have been used for chronic conditions such as HIV to address the
      human resource crisis. We propose that through task-shifting, certain tasks
      related to prevention be shifted to non-physician health workers as well as non
      nurse health workers such as community health workers. Such steps will allow
      better coverage of segments of the underserved population. We recognise that for
      task-shifting to be effective, issues such as clearly defined roles, evaluation,
      on-going training, and supervision must be addressed. 

PMID- 26482759
TI  - Renal Denervation: Where to Now?
AB  - Resistant hypertension remains a growing problem worldwide. Renal sympathetic
      denervation was thought to be a new method for the treatment for resistant
      hypertension. Early studies demonstrated a marked benefit in patients who
      underwent renal denervation procedures, but the pivotal SYMPLICITY 3-HTN trial,
      the only sham-controlled randomized trial performed, did not show a benefit for
      patients treated with the procedure compared to sham. There is still much to
      learn about the physiology and anatomy of renal sympathetic pathways as well as
      careful attention to medication adherence in order to understand the role of
      renal sympathetic denervation in treating hypertensive patients. While renal
      denervation technology remains available in clinical practice outside of the USA,
      we expect further development of this technology in the upcoming years and the
      continued evaluation of this technology in patients with hypertension as well as
      other disease states to fully understand its role.

PMID- 26482760
TI  - Radial Versus Femoral Access for Acute Coronary Syndromes.
AB  - The feasibility and safety of transradial coronary intervention was demonstrated
      soon after the description of the transfemoral approach, despite which the use of
      the femoral artery still dominates in acute coronary syndrome intervention. The
      advantages of using the radial artery are virtual elimination of access site
      complications and an important reduction in bleeding, both of which are of utmost
      importance to the patient with myocardial infarction. Randomised controlled
      trials have now documented what seems inherent; that transradial intervention
      should bring with it an advantage in terms of morbidity and mortality in this
      cohort. The potential disadvantages in terms of speed of procedure and radiation
      exposure are negated by operator experience. Registries have illustrated that
      conversion on a large scale from the femoral to the transradial approach is safe
      and saves lives, most convincingly so in acute coronary syndrome intervention.
      This review discusses the potential benefits and risks of the alternative access
      sites in acute patients and explores how these are borne out in the published
      data.

PMID- 26482761
TI  - Atrial Fibrillation Monitoring in Cryptogenic Stroke: the Gaps Between Evidence
      and Practice.
AB  - Identifying occult paroxysmal atrial fibrillation as the etiology of cryptogenic
      stroke has been a top research priority in the past decade. This is because
      prompt initiation of anticoagulation has significantly decreased subsequent
      stroke risk. Available evidence suggests that prolonged cardiac monitoring after
      stroke increases the likelihood of detecting atrial fibrillation. However,
      further research is required to fill in the gaps in regard to the optimal period
      of monitoring, candidates for monitoring, etc. Here, we review the current
      evidence supporting the use of prolonged monitoring for cryptogenic stroke
      patients and discuss the directions of future research. 

PMID- 26482762
TI  - Management of Hypertension in Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease.
AB  - Ischemic heart disease (IHD) affects about 16 million adults in the USA. Many
      more individuals likely harbor subclinical coronary disease. Hypertension (HTN)
      continues to be a potent and widespread risk factor for IHD. Among other
      Framingham risk factors of tobacco use, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and left
      ventricular hypertrophy, HTN plays an independent role in augmenting IHD risk, as
      well as a multiplicative role with respect to adverse outcomes when HTN is
      present concurrently with the other major IHD risk factors listed above. Over the
      past two decades, numerous studies and guideline reports have been presented with
      the aims of (a) elucidating the pathophysiology of IHD, (b) delineating an ideal
      blood pressure (BP) threshold at which to institute pharmacotherapy, and (c)
      defining the optimal pharmacologic elements of a therapeutic regimen. While there
      are active debates surrounding the existence and relevance of the J curve in IHD
      patients who have HTN, as well as the numerical level of the BP cutoff justifying
      drug therapy in the general population, there is a general consensus that the BP
      target in IHD patients should be lower than 140/90 mmHg. The most appropriate
      class (or classes) of medication recommended will depend on the comorbid
      conditions associated with each individual patient. Overall, however, there is no
      major evidence underscoring a significant difference between drug classes,
      provided the target BP is achieved, although it should be pointed out that the
      most recent (2015) American Heart Association (AHA)/American College of
      Cardiology (ACC)/American Society of Hypertension (ASH) guideline statement now
      elevates beta-blockers (BB) to the same level of recommendation as other classes
      of hypertension drugs in the treatment of patients who have hypertension and
      ischemic heart disease. Although most agents that reduce blood pressure will
      correspondingly lower myocardial workload, BB may exhibit a special advantage in
      IHD patients because BB (as well as verapamil and diltiazem subclasses of calcium
      channel blockers or CCB) act to lower HR as well as cardiac inotropy. Moreover,
      BB will remain an integral if not indispensable part of the management of IHD,
      especially in those with history of angina pectoris or MI, based on decades of
      favorable clinical as well as trial experience. This extensive salutary
      historical background has served as a foundation for the 2015 committee's
      decision to bring BB into the front rank of BP agents for those hypertensive
      individuals suffering simultaneously from IHD.

PMID- 26482764
TI  - Scylla and Charybdis--Stent thrombosis and major bleeding with bivalirudin and
      heparin.

PMID- 26482763
TI  - Deposition of fibrinogen on the surface of in vitro thrombi prevents platelet
      adhesion.
AB  - The initial accumulation of platelets after vessel injury is followed by thrombin
      mediated generation of fibrin which is deposited around the plug. While numerous
      in vitro studies have shown that fibrin is highly adhesive for platelets, the
      surface of experimental thrombi in vivo contains very few platelets suggesting
      the existence of natural anti-adhesive mechanisms protecting stabilized thrombi
      from platelet accumulation and continuous thrombus propagation. We previously
      showed that adsorption of fibrinogen on pure fibrin clots results in the
      formation of a nonadhesive matrix, highlighting a possible role of this process
      in surface-mediated control of thrombus growth. However, the deposition of
      fibrinogen on the surface of blood clots has not been examined. In this study, we
      investigated the presence of intact fibrinogen on the surface of fibrin-rich
      thrombi generated from flowing blood and determined whether deposited fibrinogen
      is nonadhesive for platelets. Stabilized fibrin-rich thrombi were generated using
      a flow chamber and the time that platelets spend on the surface of thrombi was
      determined by video recording. The presence of fibrinogen and fibrin on the
      surface of thrombi was analyzed by confocal microscopy using specific antibodies.
      Examination of the spatial distribution of two proteins revealed the presence of
      intact fibrinogen on the surface of stabilized thrombi. By manipulating the
      surface of thrombi to display either fibrin or intact fibrinogen, we found that
      platelets adhere to fibrin- but not to fibrinogen-coated thrombi. These results
      indicate that the fibrinogen matrix assembled on the outer layer of stabilized in
      vitro thrombi protects them from platelet adhesion. 

PMID- 26482765
TI  - Unplanned admissions and the organisational management of heart failure: a
      multicentre ethnographic, qualitative study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Heart failure is a common cause of unplanned hospital admissions but
      there is little evidence on why, despite evidence-based interventions, admissions
      occur. This study aimed to identify critical points on patient pathways where
      risk of admission is increased and identify barriers to the implementation of
      evidence-based interventions. DESIGN: Multicentre, longitudinal, patient-led
      ethnography. SETTING: National Health Service settings across primary, community
      and secondary care in three geographical locations in England, UK. PARTICIPANTS:
      31 patients with severe or difficult to manage heart failure followed for up to
      11 months; 9 carers; 55 healthcare professionals. RESULTS: Fragmentation of
      healthcare, inequitable provision of services and poor continuity of care
      presented barriers to interventions for heart failure. Critical points where a
      reduction in the risk of current or future admission occurred throughout the
      pathway. At the beginning some patients did not receive a formal clinical
      diagnosis, in addition patients lacked information about heart failure, self-care
      and knowing when to seek help. Some clinicians lacked knowledge about diagnosis
      and management. Misdiagnoses of symptoms and discontinuity of care resulted in
      unplanned admissions. Approaching end of life, patients were admitted to hospital
      when other options including palliative care could have been appropriate.
      CONCLUSIONS: Findings illustrate the complexity involved in caring for people
      with heart failure. Fragmented healthcare and discontinuity of care added
      complexity and increased the likelihood of suboptimal management and unplanned
      admissions. Diagnosis and disclosure is a vital first step for the patient in a
      journey of acceptance and learning to self-care/monitor. The need for clinician
      education about heart failure and specialist services was acknowledged. Patient
      education should be seen as an ongoing 'conversation' with trusted clinicians and
      end-of-life planning should be broached within this context.

PMID- 26482766
TI  - Adherence to oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation-a
      population-based retrospective cohort study linking health information systems in
      the Valencia region, Spain: a study protocol.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Adherence to oral anticoagulation (OAC) treatment, vitamin K
      antagonists or new oral anticoagulants, is an essential element for
      effectiveness. Information on adherence to OAC in atrial fibrillation (AF) and
      the impact of adherence on clinical outcomes using real-world data barely exists.
      We aim to describe the patterns of adherence to OAC over time in patients with
      AF, estimate the associated factors and their impact on clinical events, and
      assess the same issues with conventional measures of primary and secondary
      adherence-proportion of days covered (PDC) and persistence-in routine clinical
      practice. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a population-based retrospective cohort
      study including all patients with AF treated with OAC from 2010 to date in
      Valencia, Spain; data will be obtained from diverse electronic records of the
      Valencia Health Agency. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: adherence trajectories.
      SECONDARY OUTCOMES: (1) primary non-adherence; (2) secondary adherence: (a) PDC,
      (b) persistence. Clinical outcomes: hospitalisation for haemorrhagic or
      thromboembolic events and death during follow-up. ANALYSIS: (1) description of
      baseline characteristics, adherence patterns (trajectory models or latent class
      growth analysis models) and conventional adherence measures; (2) logistic or Cox
      multivariate regression models, to assess the associations between adherence
      measures and the covariates, and logistic multinomial regression models, to
      identify characteristics associated with each trajectory; (3) Cox proportional
      hazard models, to assess the relationship between adherence and clinical
      outcomes, with propensity score adjustment applied to further control for
      potential confounders; (4) to estimate the importance of different healthcare
      levels in the variations of adherence, logistic or Cox multilevel regression
      models. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the
      corresponding Clinical Research Ethics Committee. We plan to disseminate the
      project's findings through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at
      relevant health conferences. Policy reports will also be prepared in order to
      promote the translation of our findings into policy and clinical practice.

PMID- 26482767
TI  - Insights into the experiences of patients with cancer in London: framework
      analysis of free-text data from the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey
      2012/2013 from the two London Integrated Cancer Systems.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To shed light on experiences of patients with cancer in London
      National Health Service (NHS) trusts that may not be fully captured in national
      survey data, to inform improvement action plans by these trusts. DESIGN:
      Framework analysis of free-text data from 2012/2013 National Cancer Patient
      Experience Survey (NCPES) from the 2 London Integrated Cancer Systems. SETTING
      AND PARTICIPANTS: Patients with a cancer diagnosis treated by the NHS across 27
      trusts in London. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Free-text data received from patients
      categorised into what patients found good about their cancer care and what could
      be improved. METHODS: Using Framework analysis, a thematic framework was created
      for 15,403 comments from over 6500 patients. Themes were identified across the
      London data set, by tumour group and by trust. RESULTS: Two-thirds of free-text
      comments from patients in London were positive and one-third of those related to
      the good quality of care those patients received. However, the majority of
      comments for improvement related to quality of care, with a focus on poor care,
      poor communication and waiting times in outpatient departments. Additionally, 577
      patients (9% of those who returned free-text data in London) commented on issues
      pertaining to the questionnaire itself. Some patients who experienced care from
      multiple trusts were unclear on how to complete the questionnaire for the single
      trust whose care they were asked to comment on, others said the questions did not
      fit their experiences. CONCLUSIONS: NCPES free-text analysis can shed light on
      the experiences of patients that closed questions might not reveal. It further
      indicates that there are issues with the survey itself, in terms of ambiguities
      in the questionnaire and difficulties in identifying patients within specific
      trusts. Both of these issues have the potential to contribute to knowledge and
      understanding of the uses and limitations of free-text data in improving cancer
      services.

PMID- 26482768
TI  - Decision analytic cost-effectiveness model to compare prostate cryotherapy to
      androgen deprivation therapy for treatment of radiation recurrent prostate
      cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the cost-effectiveness of salvage cryotherapy (SC) in men
      with radiation recurrent prostate cancer (RRPC). DESIGN: Cost-utility analysis
      using decision analytic modelling by a Markov model. SETTING AND METHODS:
      Compared SC and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in a cohort of patients with
      RRPC (biopsy proven local recurrence, no evidence of metastatic disease). A
      literature review captured published data to inform the decision model, and
      resource use data were from the Scottish Prostate Cryotherapy Service. The model
      was run in monthly cycles for RRPC men, mean age of 70 years. The model was run
      over the patient lifetime, to assess changes in patient health states and the
      associated quality of life, survival and cost impacts. Results are reported in
      terms of the discounted incremental costs and discounted incremental quality
      adjusted life years (QALYs) gained between the 2 alternative interventions.
      Probabilistic sensitivity analysis used a 10,000 iteration Monte Carlo
      simulation. RESULTS: SC has a high upfront treatment cost, but delays the ongoing
      monthly cost of ADT. SC is the dominant strategy over the patient lifetime; it is
      more effective with an incremental 0.56 QALY gain (95% CI 0.28 to 0.87), and less
      costly with a reduced lifetime cost of L29,719 (?37,619) (95% CI -51,985 to 
      9243). For a ceiling ratio of L30,000, SC has a 100% probability to be cost
      effective. The cost neutral point was at 3.5 years, when the upfront cost of SC
      (plus any subsequent cumulative cost of side effects and ADT) equates the
      cumulative cost in the ADT arm. Limitations of our model may arise from its
      insensitivity to parameter or structural uncertainty. CONCLUSIONS: The platform
      for SC versus ADT cost-effective analysis can be employed to evaluate other
      treatment modalities or strategies in RRPC. SC is the dominant strategy, costing
      less over a patient's lifetime with improvements in QALYs. TRIAL REGISTRATION
      NUMBER: This economic analysis was undertaken as part of the CROP RCT study
      ISRCTN: 72677390; it was a pre-trial economic model developed and analysed during
      the pre-results stage of the RCT.

PMID- 26482770
TI  - The mental health of US Black women: the roles of social context and severe
      intimate partner violence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Black women continue to have rates of mental health conditions that
      can be negative for their well-being. This study examined the contribution of
      social and contextual factors and severe physical intimate partner violence on
      the mental health of US Black women (African-American and Caribbean Black).
      SETTING: Data were largely collected via in-person community interviews at
      participants' homes. PARTICIPANTS: We studied 3277 African-American and Black
      Caribbean women from the 2001-2003 National Survey of American Life (NSAL), the
      largest and most complete sample of Blacks residing in the USA. PRIMARY AND
      SECONDARY OUTCOMES: Key outcomes included an array of psychiatric disorders based
      on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). RESULTS:
      Bivariate results revealed noticeably high rates of any anxiety disorder, post
      traumatic stress disorder, any substance disorder, alcohol abuse disorder,
      suicide ideation and attempts, and any overall mental disorder among African
      American women relative to Caribbean Black women. Multiple social and contextual
      factors were associated with various mental disorders among both sets of Black
      women in multivariate models, with the most consistent associations found for
      severe physical intimate partner violence. Everyday discrimination was associated
      with anxiety disorders (95% AOR=2.08 CI 1.23 to 3.51), eating disorders (95%
      AOR=2.69 CI 1.38 to 5.22), and any disorder (95% AOR=2.18 CI 1.40 to 3.40), while
      neighbourhood drug problems contributed to mood (95% AOR=1.19 CI 1.04 to 1.36),
      substance disorders (95% AOR=1.37 CI 1.11 to 1.69) and any disorder (95% AOR=1.18
      CI 1.03 to 1.34). CONCLUSIONS: Severe physical intimate partner violence,
      discrimination, and to a lesser extent, neighbourhood problems are important
      predictors of Black women's health, findings that inform intervention and
      clinical services tailored to meet the needs of Black women from diverse ethnic
      and cultural backgrounds.

PMID- 26482769
TI  - Robotic, laparoscopic and open surgery for gastric cancer compared on surgical,
      clinical and oncological outcomes: a multi-institutional chart review. A study
      protocol of the International study group on Minimally Invasive surgery for
      GASTRIc Cancer-IMIGASTRIC.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Gastric cancer represents a great challenge for healthcare
      providers and requires a multidisciplinary treatment approach in which surgery
      plays a major role. Minimally invasive surgery has been progressively developed,
      first with the advent of laparoscopy and recently with the spread of robotic
      surgery, but a number of issues are currently being debated, including the
      limitations in performing an effective extended lymph node dissection, the real
      advantages of robotic systems, the role of laparoscopy for Advanced Gastric
      Cancer, the reproducibility of a total intracorporeal technique and the
      oncological results achievable during long-term follow-up. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:
      A multi-institutional international database will be established to evaluate the
      role of robotic, laparoscopic and open approaches in gastric cancer, comprising
      of information regarding surgical, clinical and oncological features. A chart
      review will be conducted to enter data of participants with gastric cancer,
      previously treated at the participating institutions. The database is the first
      of its kind, through an international electronic submission system and a HIPPA
      protected real time data repository from high volume gastric cancer centres.
      ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study is conducted in compliance with ethical
      principles originating from the Helsinki Declaration, within the guidelines of
      Good Clinical Practice and relevant laws/regulations. A multicentre study with a
      large number of patients will permit further investigation of the safety and
      efficacy as well as the long-term outcomes of robotic, laparoscopic and open
      approaches for the management of gastric cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:
      NCT02325453; Pre-results.

PMID- 26482772
TI  - Prevalence and severity of asthmatic symptoms in Grenadian school children: the
      Grenada National Asthma Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of asthma in
      school children in the tri-island Caribbean nation of Grenada. SETTING,
      PARTICIPANTS AND OUTCOMES: This was a self-report study provided to the guardians
      of all primary school children between ages 6 and 7 throughout Grenada, Carriacou
      and Petite Martinique in 2013. Of the 2362 surveys provided, 1374 were returned,
      resulting in a response rate of 58.2%. Only responders listing birthdays between
      1 January 2006 and 31 December 2007 were included in the analysis, resulting in
      1165 qualifying responders. Asthma diagnosis was based on previous physician
      diagnosed asthma and/or self-reported presence of wheeze in the past 12 months
      (current wheeze). Severity of asthma, medication usage, environmental exposures,
      physician and emergency department visits were compared among respondents.
      RESULTS: The prevalence of wheezing in the past year was 30.5+/-1.8%, and of
      these 68.4% were previously diagnosed with asthma. Of the current wheeze
      participants, 39.9+/-9.2% reported moderate to severe asthma symptoms and
      increased exposure to cigarette smoke, excessive dust, burning brush and
      landfills. Carriacou and Petite Martinique, the two smaller islands, had a lower
      incidence of current wheeze (14.1+/-7.7%) and exposure rates to cigarette smoke
      and burning brush as compared to the larger, denser island of Grenada. Although
      65.7% of respondents diagnosed with asthma reported taking medication, the number
      of annual doctor and emergency department visits were high (2.82 and 0.86,
      respectively). Respondents with the most severe asthma symptoms reported the most
      emergency department visits with an average of 1.05 visits annually, whereas
      respondents with moderate asthma symptoms had the most doctor visits with an
      average of 3.33 visits annually. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the
      prevalence of childhood asthma in Grenada is very high and warrants policy
      consideration in public health and education to decrease its morbidity.

PMID- 26482771
TI  - A cross-sectional study on the relationship of age, gestational age and HIV
      infection to bacterial vaginosis and genital mycoplasma infection.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pregnant women are especially at risk of developing complications
      when infected with reproductive tract infections (RTIs). The objective of this
      study was to determine the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis (BV) and genital
      mycoplasmas in pregnant women and investigate the associations between BV,
      genital mycoplasmas, HIV infection, age and gestational age. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional study with descriptive and analytical components. SETTING: Antenatal
      clinic of a tertiary academic hospital in South Africa. PARTICIPANTS: 220
      pregnant women older than 18 were included in the study and provided self
      collected vaginal swabs. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES: BV and genital
      mycoplasma colonisation and/or infection in women of differing age, gestational
      period and HIV status. RESULTS: The prevalence of BV was 17.7% (39/220) (95% CI
      12.9 to 23.4), intermediate vaginal flora (IVF) 15% (33/220) (95% CI 10.56 to
      20.42), and the overall prevalence of genital mycoplasmas was 84% (185/220) (95%
      CI 78.47 to 88.58). BV was significantly associated with HIV infection with an OR
      of 2.84 (95% CI 1.08 to 7.46 and p value=0.034). However, BV was inversely
      associated with gestational age with an OR of 0.08 (95% CI 0.01 to 0.42 and p
      value=0.003) for second trimester pregnancies and an OR of 0.03 (95% CI 0.01 to
      0.17 and p value<0.001) for third trimester pregnancies using the first trimester
      as reference. IVF was significantly associated with HIV infection with an OR of
      2.7 (95% CI 1.07 to 6.79 and p value=0.035) but not with age or gestational age.
      Genital mycoplasmas were not significantly associated with age, gestational age,
      HIV status, BV flora or IVF. CONCLUSIONS: The high infection rate of genital
      mycoplasmas and the association of BV with HIV found in this study reiterate the
      importance of screening for these RTIs in high-risk groups such as pregnant
      women.

PMID- 26482773
TI  - Beliefs underlying pain-related fear and how they evolve: a qualitative
      investigation in people with chronic back pain and high pain-related fear.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The fear-avoidance model describes how the belief that pain is a sign
      of damage leads to pain-related fear and avoidance. But other beliefs may also
      trigger the fear and avoidance responses described by the model. Experts have
      called for the next generation of fear avoidance research to explore what beliefs
      underlie pain-related fear and how they evolve. We have previously described
      damage beliefs and suffering/functional loss beliefs underlying high pain-related
      fear in a sample of individuals with chronic back pain. The aim of this study is
      to identify common and differential factors associated with the beliefs in this
      sample. DESIGN: A qualitative study employing semistructured interviews. SETTING:
      Musculoskeletal clinics in Western Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 36 individuals with
      chronic back pain and high scores on the Tampa Scale (mean 47/68). RESULTS: The
      overarching theme was a pain experience that did not make sense to the
      participants. The experience of pain as unpredictable, uncontrollable and intense
      made it threatening. Attempting to make sense of the threatening pain,
      participants with damage beliefs drew on past personal experiences of pain,
      societal beliefs, and sought diagnostic certainty. Met with diagnostic
      uncertainty, or diagnoses of an underlying pathology that could not be fixed,
      they were left fearful of damage and confused about how to 'fix' it. Participants
      with suffering/functional loss beliefs drew on past personal experiences of pain
      and sought help from healthcare professionals to control their pain. Failed
      treatments and the repeated failure to achieve functional goals left them unable
      to make 'sensible' decisions of what to do about their pain. CONCLUSIONS: The
      findings raise the suggestion that sense-making processes may be implicated in
      the fear-avoidance model. Future research is needed to explore whether fear
      reduction may be enhanced by considering beliefs underlying fear and providing
      targeted intervention to help individuals make sense of their pain.

PMID- 26482774
TI  - Interrupting transmission of soil-transmitted helminths: a study protocol for
      cluster randomised trials evaluating alternative treatment strategies and
      delivery systems in Kenya.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In recent years, an unprecedented emphasis has been given to the
      control of neglected tropical diseases, including soil-transmitted helminths
      (STHs). The mainstay of STH control is school-based deworming (SBD), but
      mathematical modelling has shown that in all but very low transmission settings,
      SBD is unlikely to interrupt transmission, and that new treatment strategies are
      required. This study seeks to answer the question: is it possible to interrupt
      the transmission of STH, and, if so, what is the most cost-effective treatment
      strategy and delivery system to achieve this goal? METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Two
      cluster randomised trials are being implemented in contrasting settings in Kenya.
      The interventions are annual mass anthelmintic treatment delivered to preschool-
      and school-aged children, as part of a national SBD programme, or to entire
      communities, delivered by community health workers. Allocation to study group is
      by cluster, using predefined units used in public health provision-termed
      community units (CUs). CUs are randomised to one of three groups: receiving
      either (1) annual SBD; (2) annual community-based deworming (CBD); or (3)
      biannual CBD. The primary outcome measure is the prevalence of hookworm
      infection, assessed by four cross-sectional surveys. Secondary outcomes are
      prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura, intensity of species
      infections and treatment coverage. Costs and cost-effectiveness will be
      evaluated. Among a random subsample of participants, worm burden and proportion
      of unfertilised eggs will be assessed longitudinally. A nested process
      evaluation, using semistructured interviews, focus group discussions and a
      stakeholder analysis, will investigate the community acceptability, feasibility
      and scale-up of each delivery system. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Study protocols
      have been reviewed and approved by the ethics committees of the Kenya Medical
      Research Institute and National Ethics Review Committee, and London School of
      Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The study has a dedicated web site. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02397772.

PMID- 26482775
TI  - Preparation, characterization and immunological evaluation: canine parvovirus
      synthetic peptide loaded PLGA nanoparticles.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2) remains a significant worldwide canine
      pathogen and the most common cause of viral enteritis in dogs. The 1 L15 and 7
      L15 peptides overlap each other with QPDGGQPAV residues (7-15 of VP2 capsid
      protein of CPV) is shown to produce high immune response. PLGA nanoparticles were
      demonstrated to have special properties such as; controlled antigen release,
      protection from degradation, elimination of booster-dose and enhancing the
      cellular uptake by antigen presenting cells. Nevertheless, there is no study
      available in literature, about developing vaccine based on PLGA nanoparticles
      with adjuvant properties against CPV. Thus, the aim of the present study was to
      synthesize and characterize high immunogenic W-1 L19 peptide (from the VP2 capsid
      protein of CPV) loaded PLGA nanoparticle and to evaluate their in vitro
      immunogenic activity. RESULTS: PLGA nanoparticles were produced with 5.26 +/-
      0.05 % loading capacity and high encapsulation efficiency with 81.2 +/- 3.1 %.
      Additionally, it was evaluated that free NPs and W-1 L19 peptide encapsulated
      PLGA nanoparticles have Z-ave of 183.9 +/- 12.1 nm, 221.7 +/- 15.8 nm and
      polydispersity index of 0.107 +/- 0.08, 0.135 +/- 0.12 respectively. It was
      determined that peptide loaded PLGA nanoparticles were successfully phagocytized
      by macrophage cells and increased NO production at 2-folds (*P < 0.05) in
      contrast to free peptide, and 3-folds (*P < 0.01) in contrast to control.
      CONCLUSION: In conclusion, for the first time, W-1 L19 peptide loaded PLGA
      nanoparticles were successfully synthesized and immunogenic properties evaluated.
      Obtained results showed that PLGA nanoparticles enhanced the capacity of W-1 L19
      peptide to induce nitric oxide production in vitro due to its adjuvant
      properties. Depend on the obtained results, these nanoparticles can be accepted
      as potential vaccine candidate against Canine Parvovirus. Studies targeting PLGA
      nanoparticles based delivery system must be maintained in near future in order to
      develop new and more effective nano-vaccine formulations.

PMID- 26482776
TI  - The role of MALAT1/miR-1/slug axis on radioresistance in nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma.
AB  - Recent studies demonstrated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have a critical
      role in the regulation of cancer progression and metastasis. However, little is
      known whether lncRNA regulated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell
      radioresistance. In the present study, we found that MALAT1 was significantly
      upregulated in NPC cell lines and tissues. Knockdown of MALAT1 could sensitize
      NPC cells to radiation both in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, we found that
      MALAT1 regulated radioresistance by modulating cancer stem cell (CSC) activity.
      Furthermore, we found that there was reciprocal repression between MALAT1 and miR
      1, and slug was identified as a downstream target of miR-1. Taking these
      observations into consideration, we proposed that MALAT1 regulated CSC activity
      and radioresistance by modulating miR-1/slug axis, which indicated that MALAT1
      could act as a therapeutic target for NPC patients. 

PMID- 26482777
TI  - Leu/Val SNP polymorphism of CYP1B1 and risk of uterine leiomyoma in a Black
      population.
AB  - Uterine leiomyoma (UL) is the most commonly occurring benign tumor that affects
      women of reproductive ages. Studies strongly suggest that ULs are hormonally
      dependent and that genes acting in estrogen metabolism might be involved in their
      development. The focus of this case-control study was to determine whether the
      Leucine432Valine single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the gene encoding
      cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) was associated with an increased risk of UL in Black
      Barbadian women. The investigation comprised 37 women clinically diagnosed with
      UL and 52 controls. The CYP1B1 Leu432Val polymorphism (Leu/Val) was analyzed
      using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism
      method. The homozygous Valine432 variant (Val/Val) was predominant in both cases
      and controls for this population (89 and 83 %, respectively). The odds ratio for
      risk of developing the disease was 1.33, but this was not statistically
      significant. We discuss a possible protective function for CYP1B1 based on the
      high prevalence of this mutant SNP and its lack of association with UL. 

PMID- 26482778
TI  - Clinical characteristics of mirror syndrome: a comparison of 10 cases of mirror
      syndrome with non-mirror syndrome fetal hydrops cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate clinical features of mirror syndrome. METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed 71 cases of fetal hydrops with or without mirror
      syndrome, and compared with respect to maternal age, the body mass index, the
      primipara rate, the gestational age at delivery, the timing of fetal hydrops
      onset, the severity of fetal edema, placental swelling, the laboratory data and
      the fetal mortality. The data are expressed as the medians. RESULTS: Mirror
      syndrome developed in 29% (10/35) of the cases with fetal hydrops. In mirror
      group, the onset time of fetal hydrops was significantly earlier (29 weeks versus
      31 weeks, p = 0.011), and the severity of fetal hydrops (fetal edema/biparietal
      diameter) was significantly higher than non-mirror group (0.23 versus 0.16, p <
      0.001). There was significantly higher serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)
      (453,000 IU/L versus 80,000 IU/L, p < 0.001) and lower hemoglobin (8.9 g/dL
      versus 10.1 g/dL, p =0.002), hypoalbuminemia (2.3 mg/dL versus 2.7 mg/dL, p =
      0.007), hyperuricemia (6.4 mg/dL versus 5.0 mg/dL, p = 0.043) in mirror group.
      CONCLUSION: Mirror syndrome is occurred frequently in early and severe fetal
      hydrops and cause hemodilution and elevation of serum hCG.

PMID- 26482779
TI  - Electroencephalography During Hemiarch Replacement With Moderate Hypothermic
      Circulatory Arrest.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to characterize intraoperative
      electroencephalography (EEG) during moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest
      (MHCA) with selective antegrade cerebral perfusion (SACP), which has not been
      described previously. METHODS: This was a single-institution retrospective study
      of patients undergoing aortic hemiarch replacement using MHCA (temperatures <28
      degrees C at circulatory arrest [CA]) and unilateral SACP with EEG monitoring
      from July 1, 2013 to November 1, 2014. The EEG pattern was determined before and
      immediately after CA, as well as after establishment of SACP. Patient and
      procedural characteristics and outcomes were determined and compared after
      stratification by the presence of ischemic EEG changes. RESULTS: The study
      included 71 patients. Before CA, 47 patients (66%) demonstrated a continuous EEG
      pattern, with or without periodic complexes, and 24 (34%) had a burst suppression
      EEG pattern. Immediately after CA, abrupt loss of electrocerebral activity
      occurred in 32 patients (45%), suggestive of cerebral ischemia. Establishment of
      unilateral SACP rapidly restored electrocerebral activity in all but 2 patients.
      One patient had persistent loss of left-sided activity, which resolved after
      transition to bilateral SACP. Another patient had persistent global loss of
      activity and was placed back on cardiopulmonary bypass for further cooling before
      reinitiation of CA. No significant differences in characteristics or outcomes
      were assessed between patients with and without loss of EEG activity.
      CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of patients undergoing hemiarch replacement with
      MHCA/SACP experience abrupt loss of electrocerebral activity after CA is
      initiated. Although unilateral SACP usually restores prearrest electrocerebral
      activity, intraoperative EEG may be particularly valuable for the identification
      of patients with persistent cerebral ischemia even after SACP.

PMID- 26482780
TI  - Predicted Risk of Mortality, Transfusion, and Postoperative Outcomes in Isolated
      Primary Valve Operations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transfusion has been linked with increased postoperative morbidity
      and death after cardiac operations. The purpose of this study was to determine
      the associations among The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of
      Mortality (PROM), transfusion, and postoperative outcomes in patients who
      underwent isolated primary valve operations. METHODS: A retrospective review of
      the local Society of Thoracic Surgeons database of 1,575 adults undergoing
      isolated primary valve operations from 2003 to 2013 at a United States academic
      center was performed. Patients were compared by their postoperative transfusion
      status (NONE vs TRANS) and by PROM. Taking into account procedure type and
      preoperative hemoglobin, three-step multiple linear or logistic regression
      analyses were performed to assess (1) the influence of PROM on postoperative
      outcomes, (2) influence of PROM on transfusion, and (3) influence of PROM and
      transfusion on postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: Of 1,575 patients studied, 1,245
      (79%) received transfusions. The mean PROM was 1.2% (95% confidence interval
      [CI], 1.1 to 1.3) for patients in the NONE group, and was 2.7% (95% CI, 2.6 to
      2.9) for the TRANS group. The correlation between PROM and total red blood cell
      units transfused was r = 0.31 (p < 0.0001). Patients with a PROM of 4% to 8%
      (odds ratio [OR], 2.10; 95% CI, 1.28 to 3.45) and exceeding 8% (OR 3.80, 95% CI,
      1.35 to 10.68) were more likely to receive transfusions than the low-risk (<4%)
      PROM stratum. For each percentage increase in PROM, the odds of transfusion
      increased by 27% (95% CI, 16% to 39%), controlling for procedure type and
      preoperative hemoglobin. There were no 30-day deaths in the NONE group, and rates
      of stroke, renal failure, and mediastinitis were lower. Composite event rates
      increased with increasing PROM (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.19 to 1.63), with TRANS
      patients consistently showing a higher risk of major adverse cardiac events than
      NONE patients (OR, 7.47; 95% CI, 2.08 to 26.80). CONCLUSIONS: Increased PROM
      yielded higher risks of transfusion. Postoperative outcomes were worse in
      patients who received a transfusion. This study suggests that the association
      between transfusion and clinical outcomes may be partly explained by the higher
      PROM among patients who ultimately received transfusions.

PMID- 26482781
TI  - Nineteen-Millimeter Bioprosthetic Aortic Valves Are Safe and Effective for
      Elderly Patients With Aortic Stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Replacing a stenotic aortic valve with 19-mm bioprostheses remains
      controversial owing to potential patient-prosthesis mismatch concerns. We report
      a single-center 10 year experience with 19-mm bioprosthetic valves implanted in
      elderly patients. We hypothesized patients would have acceptable in-hospital and
      long-term outcomes. METHODS: Between January 2002 and December 2011, 257 patients
      underwent aortic valve replacement with a 19-mm prosthesis, of whom 182 had
      available follow-up echocardiographic studies. Mean age was 77.4 +/- 8.4 years,
      and 10 of 257 (4%) were male. Outcomes of interest included early and late
      mortality, peak and mean aortic valve gradients, and left ventricular mass
      regression. RESULTS: Operative mortality was 3.5% (9 of 257). Median
      postoperative echocardiographic time was 16 months. On follow-up
      echocardiography, mean peak aortic valve gradient decreased from 76 +/- 27 mm Hg
      preoperatively to 32 +/- 13 mm Hg and the mean gradient decreased from 46 +/- 17
      mm Hg to 18 +/- 8 mm Hg (both p < 0.001) Mean left ventricular mass decreased
      from 191 g to 162 g (p < 0.001). Postoperative survival did not differ
      significantly between patients who met the criteria for patient-prosthesis
      mismatch and those who did not (p = 0.607). CONCLUSIONS: In a series of elderly
      patients with aortic stenosis who were implanted with 19-mm bioprosthetic valves,
      long-term follow-up showed significant left ventricular mass regression and peak
      and mean aortic valve gradient reductions. The use of 19-mm aortic valves is safe
      and efficacious for elderly patients with a small aortic root.

PMID- 26482782
TI  - Sequentially Updated Discharge Model for Optimizing Hospital Resource Use and
      Surgical Patients' Satisfaction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ability to estimate cardiac surgical patients' length of stay
      (LOS) and discharge to a continuing care facility (nonhome discharge) may allow
      earlier discharge planning and optimal use of limited hospital resources. We
      developed a sequentially updated tool for postoperative discharge planning.
      METHODS: Using preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative day (POD) 2 and
      POD 4 variables, we created and validated a model to predict early discharge
      (less than 4 days), standard discharge (5 to 8 days), delayed discharge (9 to 14
      days), late discharge (more than 15 days), and nonhome discharge. RESULTS: When
      predicting LOS, model accuracy using preoperative variables alone had a C
      statistic of 0.80, but improved with sequential addition of intraoperative and
      POD 2 (0.87) and POD 4 variables (0.89). At 48 hours, the strongest predictors of
      longer LOS were higher preoperative creatinine, elevated blood urea nitrogen,
      lower postoperative albumin, atrial fibrillation, and longer intensive care unit
      stay. On POD 4, the strongest predictors were red blood cell transfusion, lower
      postoperative albumin, white blood cell transfusion, longer intensive care unit
      stay, and readmission to the intensive care unit. For nonhome discharge, however,
      preoperative variables alone produced a highly predictive model (C-statistic
      0.88), and sequential addition of intraoperative and POD 2 (C-statistic 0.91) and
      POD 4 data (C-statistic 0.90) did not significantly improve it. CONCLUSIONS: This
      sequentially updated model of postoperative LOS can be used by the discharge
      planning team to identify both patients imminently ready for discharge and
      patients with a high likelihood of nonhome discharge, with the goals of
      decreasing unnecessary hospital days, managing patients' expectations, and
      engaging patients early in the discharge process.

PMID- 26482783
TI  - Aortic Root Replacement in Octogenarians Offers Acceptable Perioperative and Late
      Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As the proportion of the population more than 80 years of age
      increases, cardiac surgeons will increasingly be consulted to operate on this
      high-risk patient group. The aim of this study is to evaluate the perioperative
      and late outcomes of octogenarians undergoing aortic root replacement in
      comparison with younger patients. METHODS: All patients undergoing aortic root
      replacement at our institution between 2005 and 2012 (n = 592) were
      retrospectively reviewed. Patients were stratified according to their age at
      surgery: patients less than 80 years old (group LT80, n = 558) and octogenarians
      (group OG, n = 34). Primary outcomes of interest were inhospital mortality and
      perioperative complication rate. RESULTS: Patients in the OG group had
      significantly higher rates of preoperative stroke history, atrial fibrillation,
      and coronary artery disease. Indication for surgery was type A aortic dissection
      in 62 (10.5%), thoracic aortic aneurysm in 514 (86.8%), and endocarditis in 11
      (1.9%), with no intergroup differences. Inhospital mortality was not
      significantly different between groups (5.9% OG versus 2.3% LT80, p = 0.21), and
      postoperative atrial fibrillation was more common in OG (60.6% OG versus 38.5%
      LT80, p = 0.01). Type A dissection, diabetes mellitus, and prior cardiac surgery
      were independent predictors of inhospital mortality or postoperative stroke.
      CONCLUSIONS: Octogenarians can safely undergo aortic root replacement with
      moderately worse but acceptable perioperative mortality and late survival.
      Further studies are necessary to determine which subset of octogenarians are at
      the highest operative risk and may benefit from a conservative approach.

PMID- 26482784
TI  - Is Thymomectomy Alone Appropriate for Stage I (T1N0M0) Thymoma? Results of a
      Propensity-Score Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The optimal mode of resection for thymoma in nonmyasthenic patients
      remains unclear. The aim of this study was to explore whether or not thymomectomy
      alone is a relevant option for patients with stage I (T1N0M0) thymoma in the
      proposed TNM classification. METHODS: We investigated 2,835 patients with thymic
      epithelial tumors treated at 32 institutions participating in the Japanese
      Association for Research on the Thymus (JART). A total of 1286 patients with
      thymomectomy: resection of thymoma with partial thymectomy (n = 289) or
      thymothymomectomy: resection of thymoma with total thymectomy (n = 997) for stage
      I thymoma were included. Surgical and oncologic outcomes were compared between
      the 2 groups. RESULTS: Patients who underwent thymomectomy were older (61.1
      versus 57.0 years; p = 0.000) and had smaller tumors (4.77 versus 5.99 cm; p =
      0.000) than those who underwent thymothymomectomy. There was a significant
      difference in the distribution of histologic subtype (p = 0.007). After
      propensity-score matching, the matched cohort consisted of 276 patients in each
      group. Postoperative complications were seen more frequently in the
      thymothymomectomy group than in the thymomectomy group (8.3% versus 4.3%; p =
      0.0397). The 5-year overall survival rate was 97.3% in the thymomectomy group and
      96.9% in the thymothymomectomy group (p = 0.487). Patients who underwent
      thymomectomy tended to have local recurrence more frequently than did those who
      underwent thymothymomectomy (2.2% versus 0.4%; p = 0.0613). CONCLUSIONS:
      Thymomectomy alone is acceptable for stage I thymoma in regard to postoperative
      complications and prognosis. Further studies are needed to evaluate long-term
      outcomes.

PMID- 26482785
TI  - Heparan sulfate proteoglycans undergo differential expression alterations in
      right sided colorectal cancer, depending on their metastatic character.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are complex molecules involved
      in the growth, invasion and metastatic properties of cancerous cells. This study
      analyses the alterations in the expression patterns of these molecules in right
      sided colorectal cancer (CRC), both metastatic and non-metastatic. METHODS:
      Twenty right sided CRCs were studied. A transcriptomic approach was used,
      employing qPCR to analyze both the expression of the enzymes involved in heparan
      sulfate (HS) chains biosynthesis, as well as the proteoglycan core proteins.
      Since some of these proteoglycans can also carry chondroitin sulfate (CS) chains,
      we include the study of the genes involved in the biosynthesis of these
      glycosaminoglycans. Immunohistochemical techniques were also used to analyze
      tissue expression of particular genes showing significant expression differences,
      of potential interest. RESULTS: Changes in proteoglycan core proteins differ
      depending on their location; those located intracellularly or in the
      extracellular matrix show very similar alteration patterns, while those located
      on the cell surface vary greatly depending on the nature of the tumor: glypicans
      1, 3, 6 and betaglycan are affected in the non-metastatic tumors, whereas in the
      metastatic, only glypican-1 and syndecan-1 are modified, the latter showing
      opposing alterations in levels of RNA and of protein, suggesting post
      transcriptional regulation in these tumors. Furthermore, in non-metastatic
      tumors, polymerization of glycosaminoglycan chains is modified, particularly
      affecting the synthesis of the tetrasaccharide linker and the initiation and
      elongation of CS chains, HS chains being less affected. Regarding the enzymes
      responsible for the modificaton of the HS chains, alterations were only found in
      non-metastatic tumors, affecting N-sulfation and the isoforms HS6ST1, HS3ST3B and
      HS3ST5. In contrast, synthesis of the CS chains suggests changes in epimerization
      and sulfation of the C4 and C2 in both types of tumor. CONCLUSIONS: Right sided
      CRCs show alterations in the expression of HSPGs, including the expression of the
      cell surface core proteins, many glycosiltransferases and some enzymes that
      modify the HS chains depending on the metastatic nature of the tumor, resulting
      more affected in non-metastatic ones. However, matrix proteoglycans and enzymes
      involved in CS fine structure synthesis are extensively modified independetly of
      the presence of lymph node metastasis.

PMID- 26482786
TI  - Testing antismoking messages for Air Force trainees.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Young adults in the military are aggressively targeted by tobacco
      companies and are at high risk of tobacco use. Existing antismoking
      advertisements developed for the general population might be effective in
      educating young adults in the military. This study evaluated the effects of
      different themes of existing antismoking advertisements on perceived harm and
      intentions to use cigarettes and other tobacco products among Air Force trainees.
      METHODS: In a pretest-post-test experiment, 782 Airmen were randomised to view
      antismoking advertisements in 1 of 6 conditions: anti-industry, health
      effects+anti-industry, sexual health, secondhand smoke, environment+anti-industry
      or control. We assessed the effect of different conditions on changes in
      perceived harm and intentions to use cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, smokeless
      tobacco, hookah and cigarillos from pretest to post-test with multivariable
      linear regression models (perceived harm) and zero-inflated Poisson regression
      model (intentions). RESULTS: Antismoking advertisements increased perceived harm
      of various tobacco products and reduced intentions to use. Advertisements
      featuring negative effects of tobacco on health and sexual performance coupled
      with revealing tobacco industry manipulations had the most consistent pattern of
      effects on perceived harm and intentions. CONCLUSIONS: Antismoking advertisements
      produced for the general public might also be effective with a young adult
      military population and could have spillover effects on perceptions of harm and
      intentions to use other tobacco products besides cigarettes. Existing antismoking
      advertising may be a cost-effective tool to educate young adults in the military.

PMID- 26482787
TI  - Study protocol: identifying and delivering point-of-care information to improve
      care coordination.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The need for deliberately coordinated care is noted by many national
      level organizations. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently
      transitioned primary care clinics nationwide into Patient Aligned Care Teams
      (PACTs) to provide more accessible, coordinated, comprehensive, and patient
      centered care. To better serve this purpose, PACTs must be able to successfully
      sequence and route interdependent tasks to appropriate team members while also
      maintaining collective situational awareness (coordination). Although conceptual
      frameworks of care coordination exist, few explicitly articulate core behavioral
      markers of coordination or the related information needs of team members
      attempting to synchronize complex care processes across time for a shared patient
      population. Given this gap, we partnered with a group of frontline primary care
      personnel at ambulatory care sites to identify the specific information needs of
      PACT members that will enable them to coordinate their efforts to provide
      effective, coordinated care. The study has three objectives: (1) development of
      measurable, prioritized point-of-care criteria for effective PACT coordination;
      (2) identifying the specific information needed at the point of care to optimize
      coordination; and (3) assessing the effect of adopting the aforementioned
      coordination standards on PACT clinicians' coordination behaviors.
      METHODS/DESIGN: The study consists of three phases. In phase 1, we will employ
      the Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System (ProMES), a structured
      approach to performance measure creation from industrial/organizational
      psychology, to develop coordination measures with a design team of 6-10 primary
      care personnel; in phase 2, we will conduct focus groups with the phase 1 design
      team to identify point-of-care information needs. Phase 3 is a two-arm field
      experiment (n PACT = 28/arm); intervention arm PACTs will receive monthly
      feedback reports using the measures developed in phase 1 and attend brief monthly
      feedback sessions. Control arm PACTs will receive no intervention. PACTs will be
      followed prospectively for up to 1 year. DISCUSSION: This project combines both
      action research and implementation science methods to address important gaps in
      the existing care coordination literature using a partnership-based research
      design. It will provide an evidence-based framework for care coordination by
      employing a structured methodology for a systematic approach to care coordination
      in PACT settings and identifying the information needs that produce the most
      successful coordination of care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN15412521.

PMID- 26482788
TI  - Depression among people with epilepsy in Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional
      institution based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is the world's most common neurological disorder, affecting
      approximately 50 million people worldwide and contributed to different
      psychiatric illness. Depression is one of the most frequent co morbid psychiatric
      disorders that affects the life of the patients'. This study aimed to assess the
      prevalence of depression and associated factors among epileptic patients
      attending the outpatient department of the University of Gondar Hospital,
      Northwest Ethiopia, 2014. METHODS: Institution based quantitative cross-
      sectional study was conducted among 405 individual with epilepsy. The
      participants were selected using systematic random sampling technique.
      Semistructured questionnaires were used to obtain socio-demographic and clinical
      data. Depression was measured using Beck's Depression Inventory Binary logistic
      regression used for analysis. RESULTS: The estimated, prevalence of depression
      was found to be 45.2 %. Out of these (29.6 %) were classified as mild, (14.8 %)
      as moderate and (0.8 %) were severely depressed. A lower educational status was
      associated with an increased prevalence of depression and the adjusted odds ratio
      (AOR) for the illiterate [can't read and write] was 8.32 [95 % Confidence
      Interval (CI): 4.83, 14.29]. Perceived stress (AOR = 6.21, CI 3.69, 10.44), onset
      of illness <6 years (AOR = 5.29, CI 4.09, 15.89), seizure frequency of [1-11 per
      year (AOR = 1.34, CI 1.41, 4.36), >=1 per month (AOR = 7.83, CI 3.52, 17.40)],
      poly-pharmacy (AOR = 7.63, CI 2.74, 21.26)] and difficulties of adherence to
      antiepileptic drugs (AOR = 4.80, CI 2.57, 8.96) were also found to be
      independently associated with depression. CONCLUSION: Overall, the prevalence of
      depression was found to be high. Lower educational status, early onset of
      illness, seizure frequency, poly-pharmacy and difficulties of adherence to anti
      epileptic drugs (AEDs) were factors statistically associated with depression.
      Strengthening the educational status of the patients on the effect of early onset
      of the illness, frequent seizure occurrence and difficulty of adherence to AEDs
      as a contributing factors for other co-morbid psychiatric disorder are suggested
      in the clinical care setting.

PMID- 26482789
TI  - The effect of mother's educational status on early initiation of breastfeeding:
      further analysis of three consecutive Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recommends initiating breastfeeding
      within the first hour of birth. This study is aimed at assessing the effect of
      the mother's education on early initiation of breastfeeding. METHODS: Data from
      the Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS) 2001, 2006 and 2011 were used
      which included 12,845 last born children born within 5 years before the surveys.
      Early initiation of breastfeeding was defined as the initiation of breastfeeding
      within the first hour after birth. Hierarchical modelling was used to ascertain
      the association of maternal education and early initiation of breastfeeding,
      after controlling for other covariates in a multiple logistic regression.
      RESULTS: Maternal education was associated with a higher likelihood of early
      initiation of breastfeeding in each survey. Pooled data analysis revealed higher
      odds of early initiation of breastfeeding among the mothers with primary
      education (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.24, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.09,
      1.42) and secondary or higher education (OR: 1.63 95 % CI: 1.42, 1.88). In the
      most recent NDHS 2011 survey, odds of early initiation of breastfeeding was
      higher among mothers with primary education (OR: 1.52; 95 % CI: 1.21, 1.91) and
      mothers with secondary or higher education (OR: 2.20; 95 % CI: 1.76, 2.76)
      compared to mothers with no education. Similarly, the odds of early initiation of
      breastfeeding was higher among mothers with secondary and higher education in the
      2006 data (OR: 1.66; 95 % CI: 1.30, 2.12) and in 2001 (OR = 1.30; 95 % CI: 1.00,
      1.67). CONCLUSIONS: As the association between a mother's educational status and
      her likelihood of early initiation of breastfeeding increases, long-term
      approaches to prioritising education for women and girls should be explored. In
      the short term, uneducated mothers should be targeted with breastfeeding
      promotion strategies such as counselling and peer education.

PMID- 26482790
TI  - Paramutation in Drosophila Requires Both Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Actors of the
      piRNA Pathway and Induces Cis-spreading of piRNA Production.
AB  - Transposable element activity is repressed in the germline in animals by PIWI
      interacting RNAs (piRNAs), a class of small RNAs produced by genomic loci mostly
      composed of TE sequences. The mechanism of induction of piRNA production by these
      loci is still enigmatic. We have shown that, in Drosophila melanogaster, a
      cluster of tandemly repeated P-lacZ-white transgenes can be activated for piRNA
      production by maternal inheritance of a cytoplasm containing homologous piRNAs.
      This activated state is stably transmitted over generations and allows trans
      silencing of a homologous transgenic target in the female germline. Such an
      epigenetic conversion displays the functional characteristics of a paramutation,
      i.e., a heritable epigenetic modification of one allele by the other. We report
      here that piRNA production and trans-silencing capacities of the paramutated
      cluster depend on the function of the rhino, cutoff, and zucchini genes involved
      in primary piRNA biogenesis in the germline, as well as on that of the aubergine
      gene implicated in the ping-pong piRNA amplification step. The 21-nt RNAs, which
      are produced by the paramutated cluster, in addition to 23- to 28-nt piRNAs are
      not necessary for paramutation to occur. Production of these 21-nt RNAs requires
      Dicer-2 but also all the piRNA genes tested. Moreover, cytoplasmic transmission
      of piRNAs homologous to only a subregion of the transgenic locus can generate a
      strong paramutated locus that produces piRNAs along the whole length of the
      transgenes. Finally, we observed that maternally inherited transgenic small RNAs
      can also impact transgene expression in the soma. In conclusion, paramutation
      involves both nuclear (Rhino, Cutoff) and cytoplasmic (Aubergine, Zucchini)
      actors of the piRNA pathway. In addition, since it is observed between nonfully
      homologous loci located on different chromosomes, paramutation may play a crucial
      role in epigenome shaping in Drosophila natural populations. 

PMID- 26482791
TI  - Associating Multivariate Quantitative Phenotypes with Genetic Variants in Family
      Samples with a Novel Kernel Machine Regression Method.
AB  - The recent development of sequencing technology allows identification of
      association between the whole spectrum of genetic variants and complex diseases.
      Over the past few years, a number of association tests for rare variants have
      been developed. Jointly testing for association between genetic variants and
      multiple correlated phenotypes may increase the power to detect causal genes in
      family-based studies, but familial correlation needs to be appropriately handled
      to avoid an inflated type I error rate. Here we propose a novel approach for
      multivariate family data using kernel machine regression (denoted as MF-KM) that
      is based on a linear mixed-model framework and can be applied to a large range of
      studies with different types of traits. In our simulation studies, the usual
      kernel machine test has inflated type I error rates when applied directly to
      familial data, while our proposed MF-KM method preserves the expected type I
      error rates. Moreover, the MF-KM method has increased power compared to methods
      that either analyze each phenotype separately while considering family structure
      or use only unrelated founders from the families. Finally, we illustrate our
      proposed methodology by analyzing whole-genome genotyping data from a lung
      function study. 

PMID- 26482792
TI  - The Roles of Two miRNAs in Regulating the Immune Response of Sea Cucumber.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key regulators in many pathological processes
      by suppressing the transcriptional and post-transcriptional expression of target
      genes. MiR-2008 was previously found to be significantly up-regulated in diseased
      sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus by high-through sequencing, whereas the reads
      of miR-137, a well-documented tumor repressor, displayed no significant change.
      In the present study, we found that miR-137 expression was slightly attenuated
      and miR-2008 was significantly enhanced after Vibrio splendidus infection or
      Lipopolysaccharides application. Further target screening and dual-luciferase
      reporter assay revealed that the two important miRNAs shared a common target gene
      of betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase (AjBHMT), which exhibited
      noncorrelated messenger RNA and protein expression patterns after bacterial
      challenge. In order to fully understand their regulatory mechanisms, we conducted
      the functional experiments in vitro and in vivo. The overexpression of miR-137 in
      sea cucumber or primary coelomocytes significantly decreased, whereas the
      inhibition of miR-137 increased the mRNA and protein expression levels of AjBHMT.
      In contrast, miR-2008 overexpression and inhibition showed no effect on AjBHMT
      mRNA levels, but the concentration of AjBHMT protein displayed significant
      changes both in vitro and in vivo. Consistently, the homocysteine (Hcy) contents
      were also accordingly altered in the aberrant expression analysis of both miRNAs,
      consistent with the results of the AjBHMT silencing assay in vitro and in vivo.
      More importantly, small interfering RNA mediated AjBHMT knockdown and Hcy
      exposure analyses both significantly increased reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      production and decreased the number of surviving invasive pathogen in sea
      cucumber coelomocytes. Taken together, these findings confirmed the differential
      roles of sea cucumber miR-137 and miR-2008 in regulating the common target AjBHMT
      to promote ROS production and the clearance of pathogenic microorganisms through
      Hcy accumulation. 

PMID- 26482793
TI  - Targeted Chromosomal Translocations and Essential Gene Knockout Using CRISPR/Cas9
      Technology in Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - Many genes play essential roles in development and fertility; their disruption
      leads to growth arrest or sterility. Genetic balancers have been widely used to
      study essential genes in many organisms. However, it is technically challenging
      and laborious to generate and maintain the loss-of-function mutations of
      essential genes. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology has been successfully applied for
      gene editing and chromosome engineering. Here, we have developed a method to
      induce chromosomal translocations and produce genetic balancers using the
      CRISPR/Cas9 technology and have applied this approach to edit essential genes in
      Caenorhabditis elegans. The co-injection of dual small guide RNA targeting genes
      on different chromosomes resulted in reciprocal translocation between
      nonhomologous chromosomes. These animals with chromosomal translocations were
      subsequently crossed with animals that contain normal sets of chromosomes. The F1
      progeny were subjected to a second round of Cas9-mediated gene editing. Through
      this method, we successfully produced nematode strains with specified chromosomal
      translocations and generated a number of loss-of-function alleles of two
      essential genes (csr-1 and mes-6). Therefore, our method provides an easy and
      efficient approach to generate and maintain loss-of-function alleles of essential
      genes with detailed genetic background information. 

PMID- 26482794
TI  - The Nature of Genetic Variation for Complex Traits Revealed by GWAS and Regional
      Heritability Mapping Analyses.
AB  - We use computer simulations to investigate the amount of genetic variation for
      complex traits that can be revealed by single-SNP genome-wide association studies
      (GWAS) or regional heritability mapping (RHM) analyses based on full genome
      sequence data or SNP chips. We model a large population subject to mutation,
      recombination, selection, and drift, assuming a pleiotropic model of mutations
      sampled from a bivariate distribution of effects of mutations on a quantitative
      trait and fitness. The pleiotropic model investigated, in contrast to previous
      models, implies that common mutations of large effect are responsible for most of
      the genetic variation for quantitative traits, except when the trait is fitness
      itself. We show that GWAS applied to the full sequence increases the number of
      QTL detected by as much as 50% compared to the number found with SNP chips but
      only modestly increases the amount of additive genetic variance explained. Even
      with full sequence data, the total amount of additive variance explained is
      generally below 50%. Using RHM on the full sequence data, a slightly larger
      number of QTL are detected than by GWAS if the same probability threshold is
      assumed, but these QTL explain a slightly smaller amount of genetic variance. Our
      results also suggest that most of the missing heritability is due to the
      inability to detect variants of moderate effect (~0.03-0.3 phenotypic SDs)
      segregating at substantial frequencies. Very rare variants, which are more
      difficult to detect by GWAS, are expected to contribute little genetic variation,
      so their eventual detection is less relevant for resolving the missing
      heritability problem. 

PMID- 26482795
TI  - Regulation of CTP Synthase Filament Formation During DNA Endoreplication in
      Drosophila.
AB  - CTP synthase (CTPsyn) plays an essential role in DNA, RNA, and lipid synthesis.
      Recent studies in bacteria, yeast, and Drosophila all reveal a polymeric CTPsyn
      structure, which dynamically regulates its enzymatic activity. However, the
      molecular mechanism underlying the formation of CTPsyn polymers is not completely
      understood. In this study, we found that reversible ubiquitination regulates the
      dynamic assembly of the filamentous structures of Drosophila CTPsyn. We further
      determined that the proto-oncogene Cbl, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, controls CTPsyn
      filament formation in endocycles. While the E3 ligase activity of Cbl is required
      for CTPsyn filament formation, Cbl does not affect the protein levels of CTPsyn.
      It remains unclear whether the regulation of CTPsyn filaments by Cbl is through
      direct ubiquitination of CTPsyn. In the absence of Cbl or with knockdown of
      CTPsyn, the progression of the endocycle-associated S phase was impaired.
      Furthermore, overexpression of wild-type, but not enzymatically inactive CTPsyn,
      rescued the endocycle defect in Cbl mutant cells. Together, these results suggest
      that Cbl influences the nucleotide pool balance and controls CTPsyn filament
      formation in endocycles. This study links Cbl-mediated ubiquitination to the
      polymerization of a metabolic enzyme and reveals a role for Cbl in endocycles
      during Drosophila development. 

PMID- 26482796
TI  - Genome-Wide Scan for Adaptive Divergence and Association with Population-Specific
      Covariates.
AB  - In population genomics studies, accounting for the neutral covariance structure
      across population allele frequencies is critical to improve the robustness of
      genome-wide scan approaches. Elaborating on the BayEnv model, this study
      investigates several modeling extensions (i) to improve the estimation accuracy
      of the population covariance matrix and all the related measures, (ii) to
      identify significantly overly differentiated SNPs based on a calibration
      procedure of the XtX statistics, and (iii) to consider alternative covariate
      models for analyses of association with population-specific covariables. In
      particular, the auxiliary variable model allows one to deal with multiple testing
      issues and, providing the relative marker positions are available, to capture
      some linkage disequilibrium information. A comprehensive simulation study was
      carried out to evaluate the performances of these different models. Also, when
      compared in terms of power, robustness, and computational efficiency to five
      other state-of-the-art genome-scan methods (BayEnv2, BayScEnv, BayScan, flk, and
      lfmm), the proposed approaches proved highly effective. For illustration
      purposes, genotyping data on 18 French cattle breeds were analyzed, leading to
      the identification of 13 strong signatures of selection. Among these, four
      (surrounding the KITLG, KIT, EDN3, and ALB genes) contained SNPs strongly
      associated with the piebald coloration pattern while a fifth (surrounding PLAG1)
      could be associated to morphological differences across the populations. Finally,
      analysis of Pool-Seq data from 12 populations of Littorina saxatilis living in
      two different ecotypes illustrates how the proposed framework might help in
      addressing relevant ecological issues in nonmodel species. Overall, the proposed
      methods define a robust Bayesian framework to characterize adaptive genetic
      differentiation across populations. The BayPass program implementing the
      different models is available at
      http://www1.montpellier.inra.fr/CBGP/software/baypass/. 

PMID- 26482797
TI  - Sensitive quantification of Clostridium perfringens in human feces by
      quantitative real-time PCR targeting alpha-toxin and enterotoxin genes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clostridium perfringens is a widespread pathogen, but the precise
      quantification of this subdominant gut microbe remains difficult due to its low
      fecal count (particularly in asymptomatic subjects) and also due to the presence
      of abundant polymerase-inhibitory substances in human feces. Also, information on
      the intestinal carriage of toxigenic C. perfringens strains in healthy subjects
      is sparse. Therefore, we developed a sensitive quantitative real-time PCR assays
      for quantification of C. perfringens in human feces by targeting its alpha-toxin
      and enterotoxin genes. To validate the assays, we finally observed the occurrence
      of alpha-toxigenic and enterotoxigenic C. perfringens in the fecal microbiota of
      healthy Japanese infants and young adults. METHODS: The plc-specific qPCR assay
      was newly validated, while primers for 16S rRNA and cpe genes were retrieved from
      literature. The assays were validated for specificity and sensitivity in pre
      inoculated fecal samples, and were finally applied to quantify C. perfringens in
      stool samples from apparently healthy infants (n 124) and young adults (n 221).
      RESULTS: The qPCR assays were highly specific and sensitive, with a minimum
      detection limit of 10(3) bacterial cells/g feces. Alpha-toxigenic C. perfringens
      was detected in 36% infants and 33% adults, with counts ranging widely (10(3)
      10(7) bacterial cells/g). Intriguingly, the mean count of alpha-toxigenic C.
      perfringens was significantly higher in infants (6.0+/-1.5 log10 bacterial
      cells/g), as compared to that in adults (4.8+/-1.2). Moreover, the prevalence of
      enterotoxigenic C. perfringens was also found to be significantly higher in
      infants, as compared to that in adults. The mean enterotoxigenic C. perfringens
      count was 5.9+/-1.9 and 4.8+/-0.8 log10 bacterial cells/g in infants and adults,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that some healthy infants and
      young adults carry alpha-toxigenic and enterotoxigenic C. perfringens at
      significant levels, and may be predisposed to related diseases. Thus, high fecal
      carriage of toxigenic C. perfringens in healthy children warrants further
      investigation on its potential sources and clinical significance in these
      subjects. In summary, we present a novel qPCR assay for sensitive and accurate
      quantification of alpha-toxigenic and enterotoxigenic C. perfringens in human
      feces, which should facilitate prospective studies of the gut microbiota.

PMID- 26482800
TI  - Effect of Different Media and Protein Source on Equine Gametes: Potential Impact
      During In Vitro Fertilization.
AB  - Equine in vitro fertilization (IVF) is still inconsistent. In the present work,
      we studied how modified Whitten's (MW) medium and Tissue Culture Medium 199 (TCM)
      added with Foetal Bovine Serum (FBS; 10% v/v) or Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA; 7
      mg/ml) affected equine gametes to subsequently run IVF trials. Compact (Cp) and
      expanded (Ex) cumuli equine oocytes were matured and placed in TCM or MW
      supplemented with BSA or FBS for 18-20 h (no sperm added). In Ex oocytes, TCM-199
      added with FBS or BSA resulted in higher metaphase II (MII) rates (75.7% and
      62.7%, respectively) than MW added with BSA (54%) or FBS (52.2%; p < 0.05); this
      was not observed for Cp oocytes. Equine sperm were capacitated in the same media
      at 10 * 10(6) sperm/ml for 4 h at 37 degrees C; total motility and protein
      tyrosine phosphorylation (PY) were evaluated. While motility remained unchanged,
      TCM or MW added with FBS enhanced the number of sperm showing PY-stained tails
      (25 +/- 4.8% and 31 +/- 6.6%; mean +/- SEM, respectively) over BSA supplemented
      media (3 +/- 1.2% and 11.7 +/- 1.1%) for TCM and MW (p < 0.05). In view of the
      previous results, sperm were capacitated in TCM + FBS and MW + BSA (control); IVF
      trials were run in the same media supplemented with 200 ng/ml of progesterone,
      but no fertilization occurred. Our results show that TCM + FBS enhances Ex equine
      oocyte's meiotic competence over MW + BSA and TCM or MW added with FBS
      successfully induce equine PY over media supplemented with BSA.

PMID- 26482799
TI  - MC1R diversity in Northern Island Melanesia has not been constrained by strong
      purifying selection and cannot explain pigmentation phenotype variation in the
      region.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Variation in human skin pigmentation evolved in response to the
      selective pressure of ultra-violet radiation (UVR). Selection to maintain darker
      skin in high UVR environments is expected to constrain pigmentation phenotype and
      variation in pigmentation loci. Consistent with this hypothesis, the gene MC1R
      exhibits reduced diversity in African populations from high UVR regions compared
      to low-UVR non-African populations. However, MC1R diversity in non-African
      populations that have evolved under high-UVR conditions is not well
      characterized. METHODS: In order to test the hypothesis that MC1R variation has
      been constrained in Melanesians the coding region of the MC1R gene was sequenced
      in 188 individuals from Northern Island Melanesia. The role of purifying
      selection was assessed using a modified McDonald Kreitman's test. Pairwise FST
      was calculated between Melanesian populations and populations from the 1000
      Genomes Project. The SNP rs2228479 was genotyped in a larger sample (n = 635) of
      Melanesians and tested for associations with skin and hair pigmentation. RESULTS:
      We observe three nonsynonymous and two synonymous mutations. A modified McDonald
      Kreitman's test failed to detect a significant signal of purifying selection.
      Pairwise FST values calculated between the four islands sampled here indicate
      little regional substructure in MC1R. When compared to African, European, East
      and South Asian populations, Melanesians do not exhibit reduced population
      divergence (measured as FST) or a high proportion of haplotype sharing with
      Africans, as one might expect if ancestral haplotypes were conserved across high
      UVR populations in and out of Africa. The only common nonsynonymous polymorphism
      observed, rs2228479, is not significantly associated with skin or hair
      pigmentation in a larger sample of Melanesians. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of
      sequence diversity here does not support a model of strong selective constraint
      on MC1R in Northern Island Melanesia This absence of strong constraint, as well
      as the recent population history of the region, may explain the observed
      frequencies of the derived rs2228479 allele. These results emphasize the complex
      genetic architecture of pigmentation phenotypes, which are controlled by
      multiple, possibly interacting loci. They also highlight the role that population
      history can play in influencing phenotypic diversity in the absence of strong
      natural selection.

PMID- 26482798
TI  - Alcohol consumption induces global gene expression changes in VTA dopaminergic
      neurons.
AB  - Alcoholism is associated with dysregulation in the neural circuitry that mediates
      motivated and goal-directed behaviors. The dopaminergic (DA) connection between
      the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the nucleus accumbens is viewed as a
      critical component of the neurocircuitry mediating alcohol's rewarding and
      behavioral effects. We sought to determine the effects of binge alcohol drinking
      on global gene expression in VTA DA neurons. Alcohol-preferring C57BL/6J * FVB/NJ
      F1 hybrid female mice were exposed to a modified drinking in the dark (DID)
      procedure for 3 weeks, while control animals had access to water only. Global
      gene expression of laser-captured tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive VTA DA
      neurons was measured using microarrays. A total of 644 transcripts were
      differentially expressed between the drinking and nondrinking mice, and 930
      transcripts correlated with alcohol intake during the last 2 days of drinking in
      the alcohol group. Bioinformatics analysis of alcohol-responsive genes identified
      molecular pathways and networks perturbed in DA neurons by alcohol consumption,
      which included neuroimmune and epigenetic functions, alcohol metabolism and brain
      disorders. The majority of genes with high and specific expression in DA neurons
      were downregulated by or negatively correlated with alcohol consumption,
      suggesting a decreased activity of DA neurons in high drinking animals. These
      changes in the DA transcriptome provide a foundation for alcohol-induced
      neuroadaptations that may play a crucial role in the transition to addiction.

PMID- 26482801
TI  - Evidence Supports Specific Braking Function for Inferior PFC.

PMID- 26482802
TI  - Synthesis of some new amide-linked bipyrazoles and their evaluation as anti
      inflammatory and analgesic agents.
AB  - Four series of new bipyrazoles comprising the N-phenylpyrazole scaffold linked to
      polysubstituted pyrazoles or to antipyrine moiety through different amide
      linkages were synthesized. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their
      anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. In vitro COX-1/COX-2 inhibition study
      revealed that compound 16b possessed the lowest IC50 value against both COX-1 and
      COX-2. Moreover, the effect of the most promising compounds on inducible nitric
      oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX-2) protein expression in
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated rat monocytes was also investigated. The
      results revealed that some of the synthesized compounds showed anti-inflammatory
      and/or analgesic activity with less ulcerogenic potential than the reference drug
      diclofenac sodium and are well tolerated by experimental animals. Moreover, they
      significantly inhibited iNOS and COX-2 protein expression induced by LPS
      stimulation. Compounds 16b and 18 were proved to display anti-inflammatory
      activity superior to diclofenac sodium and analgesic activity equivalent to it
      with minimal ulcerogenic potential. 

PMID- 26482803
TI  - Establishment of a Human Neuronal Network Assessment System by Using a Human
      Neuron/Astrocyte Co-Culture Derived from Fetal Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells.
AB  - Using human cell models mimicking the central nervous system (CNS) provides a
      better understanding of the human CNS, and it is a key strategy to improve
      success rates in CNS drug development. In the CNS, neurons function as networks
      in which astrocytes play important roles. Thus, an assessment system of neuronal
      network functions in a co-culture of human neurons and astrocytes has potential
      to accelerate CNS drug development. We previously demonstrated that human
      hippocampus-derived neural stem/progenitor cells (HIP-009 cells) were a novel
      tool to obtain human neurons and astrocytes in the same culture. In this study,
      we applied HIP-009 cells to a multielectrode array (MEA) system to detect
      neuronal signals as neuronal network functions. We observed spontaneous firings
      of HIP-009 neurons, and validated functional formation of neuronal networks
      pharmacologically. By using this assay system, we investigated effects of several
      reference compounds, including agonists and antagonists of glutamate and gamma
      aminobutyric acid receptors, and sodium, potassium, and calcium channels, on
      neuronal network functions using firing and burst numbers, and synchrony as
      readouts. These results indicate that the HIP-009/MEA assay system is applicable
      to the pharmacological assessment of drug candidates affecting synaptic functions
      for CNS drug development.

PMID- 26482805
TI  - Taxifolin curbs NF-kappaB-mediated Wnt/beta-catenin signaling via up-regulating
      Nrf2 pathway in experimental colon carcinogenesis.
AB  - Aberrations in homeostasis mechanisms including Nrf2, inflammatory, and Wnt/beta
      catenin signaling are the major causative factors implicated in colon cancer
      development. Hence blocking these pathways through natural interventions pave a
      new channel for colon cancer prevention. Earlier, we reported the chemopreventive
      effect of taxifolin (TAX) against colon carcinogenesis. In this study, we aimed
      to understand the ability of TAX, to modulate the Nrf2, inflammatory and Wnt/beta
      catenin cascades on 1, 2-dimethyl hydrazine (DMH)-induced mouse colon
      carcinogenesis. In addition, in silico molecular docking studies were performed
      to evaluate the binding affinity between TAX and target proteins (Nrf2, beta
      catenin, and TNF-alpha). We perceived that the increase of serum marker enzyme
      levels (CEA and LDH) and mast cell infiltration that occurs in the presence of
      DMH is inverted after TAX treatment. Immunoblot expression and docking analysis
      revealed that TAX could induce antioxidant response pathway, confirming the
      enhanced level of Nrf2 protein. It also inhibited NF-kappaB and Wnt signaling by
      down-regulating the levels of regulatory metabolites such as TNF-alpha, COX-2,
      beta-catenin, and Cyclin-D1. Collectively, results of our hypothesis shown that
      TAX is an effective chemopreventive agent capable of modulating inflammatory, Wnt
      and antioxidant response pathway proteins in tumor microenvironment which
      explicating its anticancer property. 

PMID- 26482806
TI  - Free RNA polymerase in Escherichia coli.
AB  - The frequencies of transcription initiation of regulated and constitutive genes
      depend on the concentration of free RNA polymerase holoenzyme [Rf] near their
      promoters. Although RNA polymerase is largely confined to the nucleoid, it is
      difficult to determine absolute concentrations of [Rf] at particular locations
      within the nucleoid structure. However, relative concentrations of free RNA
      polymerase at different growth rates, [Rf]rel, can be estimated from the
      activities of constitutive promoters. Previous studies indicated that the rrnB P2
      promoter is constitutive and that [Rf]rel in the vicinity of rrnB P2 increases
      with increasing growth rate. Recently it has become possible to directly
      visualize Rf in growing Escherichia coli cells. Here we examine some of the
      important issues relating to gene expression based on these new observations. We
      conclude that: (i) At a growth rate of 2 doublings/h, there are about 1000 free
      and 2350 non-specifically DNA-bound RNA polymerase molecules per average cell (12
      and 28%, respectively, of 8400 total) which are in rapid equilibrium. (ii) The
      reversibility of the non-specific binding generates more than 1000 free RNA
      polymerase molecules every second in the immediate vicinity of the DNA. Of these,
      most rebind non-specifically to the DNA within a few ms; the frequency of non
      specific binding is at least two orders of magnitude greater than specific
      binding and transcript initiation. (iii) At a given amount of RNA polymerase per
      cell, [Rf] and the density of non-specifically DNA-bound RNA polymerase molecules
      along the DNA both vary reciprocally with the amount of DNA in the cell. (iv) At
      2 doublings/h an E. coli cell contains, on the average, about 1 non-specifically
      bound RNA polymerase per 9 kbp of DNA and 1 free RNA polymerase per 20 kbp of
      DNA. However some DNA regions (i.e. near active rRNA operons) may have
      significantly higher than average [Rf]. 

PMID- 26482807
TI  - Quantitative analysis and reduction of the eco-toxicity risk of heavy metals for
      the fine fraction of automobile shredder residue (ASR) using H2O2.
AB  - Automobile shredder residue (ASR) fraction (size <0.25mm) can be considered as
      hazardous due to presence of high concentrations of heavy metals. Hydrogen
      peroxide combined with nitric acid has been used for the recovery of heavy metals
      (Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe, Ni, Pb, Cd and Cr) from the fine fraction of ASR. A sequential
      extraction procedure has also been used to determine the heavy metal speciation
      in the fine fraction of ASR before and after treatment. A risk analysis of the
      fine fraction of ASR before and after treatment was conducted to assess the
      bioavailability and eco-toxicity of heavy metals. These results showed that the
      recovery of heavy metals from ASR increased with an increase in the hydrogen
      peroxide concentration. A high concentration of heavy metals was found to be
      present in Cbio fractions (the sum of the exchangeable and carbonate fractions)
      in the fine fraction of ASR, indicating high toxicity risk. The Cbio rate of all
      selected heavy metals was found to range from 8.6% to 33.4% of the total metal
      content in the fine fraction of ASR. After treatment, Cbio was reduced to 0.3
      3.3% of total metal upon a treatment with 2.0% hydrogen peroxide. On the basis of
      the risk assessment code (RAC), the environmental risk values for heavy metals in
      the fine fraction of ASR reflect high risk/medium risk. However, after treatment,
      the heavy metals would be categorized as low risk/no risk. The present study
      concludes that hydrogen peroxide combined with nitric acid is a promising
      treatment for the recovery and reduction of the eco-toxicity risk of heavy metals
      in ASR. 

PMID- 26482808
TI  - Assessing the variables affecting on the rate of solid waste generation and
      recycling: An empirical analysis in Prespa Park.
AB  - Economic development, urbanization, and improved living standards increase the
      quantity and complexity of generated solid waste. Comprehensive study of the
      variables influencing household solid waste production and recycling rate is
      crucial and fundamental for exploring the generation mechanism and forecasting
      future dynamics of household solid waste. The present study is employed in the
      case study of Prespa Park. A model, based on the interrelationships of economic,
      demographic, housing structure and waste management policy variables influencing
      the rate of solid waste generation and recycling is developed and employed. The
      empirical analysis is based on the information derived from a field questionnaire
      survey conducted in Prespa Park villages for the year 2014. Another feature of
      this study is to test whether a household's waste generation can be decoupled
      from its population growth. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation
      analysis and F-tests are used to know the relationship between variables. One-way
      and two-way fixed effects models data analysis techniques are used to identify
      variables that determine the effectiveness of waste generation and recycling at
      household level in the study area. The results reveal that households with
      heterogeneous characteristics, such as education level, mean building age and
      income, present different challenges of waste reduction goals. Numerically, an
      increase of 1% in education level of population corresponds to a waste reduction
      of 3kg on the annual per capita basis. A village with older buildings, in the
      case of one year older of the median building age, corresponds to a waste
      generation increase of 12kg. Other economic and policy incentives such as the
      mean household income, pay-as-you-throw, percentage of population with access to
      curbside recycling, the number of drop-off recycling facilities available per
      1000 persons and cumulative expenditures on recycling education per capita are
      also found to be effective measures in waste reduction. The mean expenditure for
      recycling education spent on a person for years 2010 and 2014 is 12 and 14 cents,
      respectively and it vary from 0 to ?1. For years 2010 and 2014, the mean
      percentage of population with access to curbside recycling services is 38.6% and
      40.3%, and the mean number of drop-off recycling centers per 1000 persons in the
      population is 0.29 and 0.32, respectively. Empirical evidence suggests that
      population growth did not necessarily result in increases in waste generation.
      The results provided are useful when planning, changing or implementing
      sustainable municipal solid waste management. 

PMID- 26482809
TI  - Verifying the performance of artificial neural network and multiple linear
      regression in predicting the mean seasonal municipal solid waste generation rate:
      A case study of Fars province, Iran.
AB  - Predicting the mass of solid waste generation plays an important role in
      integrated solid waste management plans. In this study, the performance of two
      predictive models, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Multiple Linear Regression
      (MLR) was verified to predict mean Seasonal Municipal Solid Waste Generation
      (SMSWG) rate. The accuracy of the proposed models is illustrated through a case
      study of 20 cities located in Fars Province, Iran. Four performance measures,
      MAE, MAPE, RMSE and R were used to evaluate the performance of these models. The
      MLR, as a conventional model, showed poor prediction performance. On the other
      hand, the results indicated that the ANN model, as a non-linear model, has a
      higher predictive accuracy when it comes to prediction of the mean SMSWG rate. As
      a result, in order to develop a more cost-effective strategy for waste management
      in the future, the ANN model could be used to predict the mean SMSWG rate. 

PMID- 26482810
TI  - The Men's Health Special Sauce: Ingredients Revealed.

PMID- 26482811
TI  - Introducing First-Year Radiology Residents to the ACR at the AMCLC From 2009 to
      2013: Summary of Experiences and Five-Year First-Cohort Follow-Up.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this report is to provide a five-year summary of the
      Minnesota Radiological Society's initiative to send first-year radiology
      residents to the ACR at the AMCLC. The authors provide an update of the survey
      data for the first five years (2009-2013) and a report of the ACR membership
      status of the original 2009 cohort (class of 2012) five years after their
      conference experience. METHODS: Participating residents from 2009 to 2013
      completed pre- and postconference surveys assessing their knowledge of ACR
      related topics, conference satisfaction, and intention to join the ACR. ACR
      membership status of the first cohort was determined using the ACR membership
      database and compared with both the previous five graduating classes and the
      national average for practicing radiologists. RESULTS: Seventy first-year
      Minnesota radiology residents attended the conference from 2009 to 2013.
      Knowledge of the ACR significantly increased after the conference. Most residents
      were highly satisfied or satisfied with their conference experience and highly
      likely or likely to join the ACR in the future. Two years after residency, 87% of
      the first cohort (13 of 15) were ACR members, compared with an average membership
      rate of 57% (63 of 110) for the previous five graduating classes. CONCLUSIONS:
      Exposing radiology residents early to the ACR at the AMCLC leads to a significant
      increase in knowledge pertaining to the professional organization. This exposure
      likely leads to increased ACR membership when residents enter practice. This
      early engagement in radiology affairs can lead to a higher rate of ACR membership
      and to a better informed membership.

PMID- 26482812
TI  - Direct Interactive Public Education by Breast Radiologists About Screening
      Mammography: Impact on Anxiety and Empowerment.
AB  - PURPOSE: Anxiety has been called a "harm" of screening mammography. The authors
      provided direct, interactive education to lay audiences and measured these
      sessions' impact on anxiety and any increased understanding of breast cancer
      screening. METHODS: Academic breast radiologist provided seven 1-hour sessions of
      structured lectures and question-and-answer periods. Lay language and radiologic
      images were used to discuss disease background, screening guidelines, and areas
      of debate. One hundred seventeen participants (mean age, 45 +/- 15 years)
      completed voluntary, anonymous, institutional review board-approved pre and
      postsession questionnaires relaying their attitudes regarding screening and the
      impact of the sessions. Results are summarized descriptively. RESULTS: Mean
      reported anxiety regarding screening (on a scale ranging from 1-5; 1 = no
      anxiety) was 2.5 +/- 1.3. Anxiety was attributed to unknown results (56.4%),
      anticipation of pain (21.8%), known risk factors (14.5%), general uncertainty
      (12.7%), waiting for results (9.1%), possibility of more procedures (3.6%), and
      personal breast cancer history (3.6%). Ninety-seven percent reported that
      immediate results would lower anxiety (78% of those women indicated a 75%-100%
      decrease in anxiety); 93% reported that radiologist consultation with images
      would lower anxiety (75.6% indicated a 75%-100% decrease in anxiety). After the
      lecture, women reported (on a scale ranging from 1-5) increased understanding of
      the topic (4.7 +/- 0.6), encouragement to screen (4.6 +/- 0.7), and reduced
      anxiety (4.0 +/- 1.1). Ninety-seven percent to 100% provided correct responses to
      these questions: rationale for screening in the absence of family history, recall
      does not equate to cancer diagnosis, benefit of prior films, and continued
      importance of physical examination. CONCLUSION: Attendees of radiologist-provided
      direct public lectures reported decreased anxiety and improved knowledge
      regarding screening mammography. The resultant reduced anxiety ("harm") and
      educational empowerment help enable informed decision making and may promote
      screening attendance.

PMID- 26482813
TI  - Residents and Fellows Make Significant Contributions to Radiological
      Organizations.

PMID- 26482814
TI  - Exploring the Usability of Mobile Apps Supporting Radiologists' Training in
      Diagnostic Decision Making.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to conduct a usability evaluation of
      mobile apps for supporting education and training in radiologic diagnostic
      decision-making processes. METHODS: Of 381 mobile apps available at two major
      stores (Google Play and iTunes), eight iOS apps were selected for laboratory
      based usability tests. Six staff radiologists completed eight app-specific task
      sets, using a think-aloud strategy. The triangular methods approach included
      quantitative performance measures, System Usability Scale (SUS), and qualitative
      thematic analysis using heuristic usability principles of usability issues.
      RESULTS: Overall, radiologists achieved higher than 70% success, with favorable
      SUS scores, in completing the tasks for seven of the eight apps. However, task
      success rate and SUS score had a weak relation (r = 0.23), indicating that the
      perceived usability may not reflect the holistic usability of the app. Task
      analysis and self-report revealed 108 usability issues, which were condensed to
      55 unique issues and categorized by nine usability themes and mapped to ten
      usability heuristics. Nonintuitive functionality (eg, nonintuitive or misleading
      labels) was the most frequent theme observed, leading to inefficient navigation.
      These usability findings were consistent with the 13 improvements the
      radiologists suggested. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the feasibility of
      usability evaluation of radiology mobile apps and suggests potential improvements
      in the development of radiology mobile apps. This study also suggests that
      proficiency with mobile devices may not be equivalent to being an expert user,
      proficient in using the apps.

PMID- 26482815
TI  - Radiology in Medical Education: A Pediatric Radiology Elective as a Template for
      Other Radiology Courses.
AB  - PURPOSE: Traditionally, the pediatric radiology elective for medical students and
      pediatric residents constituted a morning teaching session focused mainly on
      radiography and fluoroscopy. A more structured elective was desired to broaden
      the exposure to more imaging modalities, create a more uniform educational
      experience, and include assessment tools. METHODS: In 2012, an introductory e
      mail and formal syllabus, including required reading assignments, were sent to
      participants before the start date. A rotating weekly schedule was expanded to
      include cross-sectional imaging (ultrasound, CT, MR) and nuclear medicine. The
      schedule could accommodate specific goals of the pediatric resident or medical
      student, as requested. Starting in 2013, an online pre-test and post-test were
      developed, as well as an online end-of-rotation survey specific to the pediatric
      radiology elective. Taking the Image Gently pledge was required. A scavenger hunt
      tool, cue cards, and electronic modules were added. RESULTS: Pre-test and post
      test scores, averaged over 2 years, showed improvement in radiology knowledge,
      with scores increasing by 27% for medical students and 21% for pediatric
      residents. Surveys at the end of the elective were overwhelmingly positive, with
      constructive criticism and complimentary comments. CONCLUSIONS: We have
      successfully created an elective experience in radiology that dedicates time to
      education while preserving the workflow of radiologists. We have developed tools
      to provide a customized experience with many self-directed learning
      opportunities. Our tools and techniques are easily translatable to a general or
      adult radiology elective.

PMID- 26482816
TI  - ACR White Paper-Based Comprehensive Dose Reduction Initiative Is Associated With
      a Reversal of the Upward Trend in Radiation Dose for Chest CT.
AB  - PURPOSE: In 2010, the authors' department implemented a comprehensive dose
      reduction strategy based on the ACR white paper on radiation dose in medicine.
      The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the dose reduction
      program. METHODS: In total, 1,234 adult chest CT scans from 2007 to 2012 were
      analyzed retrospectively, with institutional review board approval and a waiver
      of the requirement for informed consent. The primary outcome was effective dose
      in millisieverts during the three-year periods before (2007-2009) and after (2010
      2012) dose reduction implementation. Dose trends were analyzed by fitted linear
      modeling. The use and effects on total exposure of dose reduction strategies
      (high pitch, adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction [ASIR], and low tube
      voltage) were analyzed. RESULTS: The overall mean dose for chest CT was 7.3 +/-
      5.1 mSv. The mean dose decreased by 30%, from 9.2 mSv (2007-2009) to 6.5 mSv
      (2010-2012) (P < .001). From 2007 to 2009, the mean dose increased by 1.2 mSv per
      year (P < .01). From 2010 to 2012, the mean dose decreased by 1.1 mSv per year (P
      < 0.01). High-pitch technique, ASIR, and low tube voltage increased significantly
      after dose reduction implementation. High pitch and ASIR were significantly
      associated with a reduced dose, whereas the effect of reduced voltage was not
      significant. CONCLUSIONS: Reductions in radiation exposure from medical imaging
      rely on ongoing technical developments and consistent, vigilant use of dose
      reduction strategies. This comprehensive dose reduction strategy significantly
      reduced radiation exposure from chest CT. Annual increases in radiation dose
      reversed after the strategy was implemented and continued to decline over the
      study period.

PMID- 26482817
TI  - Reducing Radiation Dose in Pediatric Diagnostic Fluoroscopy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess radiation dose in common pediatric diagnostic fluoroscopy
      procedures and determine the efficacy of dose tracking and dose reduction
      training to reduce radiation use. METHODS: Fluoroscopy time and radiation dose
      area product (DAP) were recorded for upper GIs (UGI), voiding cystourethrograms
      (VCUGs), and barium enemas (BEs) during a six-month period. The results were
      presented to radiologists followed by a 1-hour training session on radiation dose
      reduction methods. Data were recorded for an additional six months. DAP was
      normalized to fluoroscopy time, and Wilcoxon testing was used to assess for
      differences between groups. RESULTS: Data from 1,479 cases (945 pretraining and
      530 post-training) from 9 radiologists were collected. No statistically
      significant difference was found in patient age, proportion of examination types,
      or fluoroscopy time between the pre- and post-training groups (P >= .1), with the
      exception of a small decrease in median fluoroscopy time for VCUGs (1.0 vs 0.9
      minutes, P = .04). For all examination types, a statistically significant
      decrease was found in the median normalized DAP (P < .05) between pre- and post
      training groups. The median (quartiles) for pretraining and post-training
      normalized DAPs (MUGy.m(2) per minute) were 14.36 (5.00, 38.95) and 6.67 (2.67,
      17.09) for UGIs; 13.00 (5.34, 32.71) and 7.16 (2.73, 19.85) for VCUGs; and 33.14
      (9.80, 85.26) and 17.55 (7.96, 46.31) for BEs. CONCLUSIONS: Radiation dose
      tracking with feedback, paired with dose reduction training, can reduce radiation
      dose during diagnostic pediatric fluoroscopic procedures by nearly 50%.

PMID- 26482818
TI  - Interactive Volumetry Of Liver Ablation Zones.
AB  - Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive technique that
      destroys cancer cells by heat. The heat results from focusing energy in the
      radiofrequency spectrum through a needle. Amongst others, this can enable the
      treatment of patients who are not eligible for an open surgery. However, the
      possibility of recurrent liver cancer due to incomplete ablation of the tumor
      makes post-interventional monitoring via regular follow-up scans mandatory. These
      scans have to be carefully inspected for any conspicuousness. Within this study,
      the RF ablation zones from twelve post-interventional CT acquisitions have been
      segmented semi-automatically to support the visual inspection. An interactive,
      graph-based contouring approach, which prefers spherically shaped regions, has
      been applied. For the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the algorithm's
      results, manual slice-by-slice segmentations produced by clinical experts have
      been used as the gold standard (which have also been compared among each other).
      As evaluation metric for the statistical validation, the Dice Similarity
      Coefficient (DSC) has been calculated. The results show that the proposed tool
      provides lesion segmentation with sufficient accuracy much faster than manual
      segmentation. The visual feedback and interactivity make the proposed tool well
      suitable for the clinical workflow. 

PMID- 26482819
TI  - Increased extracellular clusterin in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia.
AB  - The expression of the gene that encodes clusterin, a glycoprotein that has been
      implicated in the regulation of many cellular processes, has previously been
      found in gene expression profiling studies to be among the most significantly
      differentially expressed genes in pyramidal and parvalbumin-containing inhibitory
      neurons in the cerebral cortex in subjects with schizophrenia. In this study, we
      investigated whether clusterin may also be dysregulated at the protein level in
      schizophrenia subjects. We found that, although the intracellular amount of
      clusterin may be unchanged, the level of extracellular, secreted clusterin
      appears to be significantly increased in schizophrenia subjects. It is speculated
      that this finding may represent a neuroprotective response to pathophysiological
      events that underlie schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26482820
TI  - Erlotinib-related rhabdomyolysis: the role of pharmacogenetics and drug-drug
      interaction.

PMID- 26482821
TI  - Does the severity of disability matter? The opinion of parents about professional
      support in residential facilities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Researchers have shown that the characteristics of a person with an
      intellectual disability (ID), in particular the severity of the disability, are
      related to the outcomes of professional support. Hardly any studies have asked
      parents and/or legal guardians for their own opinion about the quality of support
      given to their child/family member with ID. Therefore, this study examined the
      relationship between the severity of a person's disability and the opinions
      voiced by the parents and/or other legal guardians of that person concerning
      several aspects of the quality of support received in residential care. METHOD:
      Questionnaires were completed by 1058 parents and/or legal guardians of people
      with ID living in residential facilities. A multiple covariance analysis was
      conducted to explore the relationship between the severity of the disability and
      the parents' and/or legal guardians' opinions. RESULTS: Only small differences in
      the opinions about the quality of support were observed between parents and/or
      legal guardians of people with mild to moderate ID and those of people with
      severe to profound ID. CONCLUSION: This study showed that there are differences
      in parental opinions about the quality of support, but that most of these
      differences are not related to the severity of disability. The only significant
      difference related to the severity of disability is on the leisure activities
      domain. Parents and/or legal guardians of a person with severe/profound ID were
      less satisfied with leisure activities than parents and/or legal guardians of
      persons with mild/moderate ID. It is important to determine to what other factors
      parental opinions are related, as these opinions concerning the quality of
      support are important measures alongside client self-reports and measures of the
      facility itself. The quality of support should be measured using a combination of
      methods for different stakeholders.

PMID- 26482822
TI  - Phacoemulsification combined with a new ab interno gel stent to treat open-angle
      glaucoma: Pilot study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To study the effect on intraocular pressure (IOP) of implanting a new
      gelatin stent at the time of cataract surgery in the treatment of open-angle
      glaucoma (OAG). SETTING: Multicenter university and private-practice settings.
      DESIGN: Nonrandomized prospective clinical trial. METHODS: The implantation of 2
      models of a gelatin stent (Xen140 and Xen63) was performed at the time of
      cataract surgery without mitomycin-C. Complete success was defined as a
      postoperative IOP of less than 18 mm Hg and more than a 20% reduction in IOP at
      12 months without glaucoma medication. Failure was defined as loss of light
      perception vision or worse, a need for additional glaucoma surgery, or less than
      a 20% reduction in the IOP from baseline. RESULTS: The study included 37 eyes of
      37 patients. The mean preoperative IOP was 22.4 mm Hg +/- 4.2 (SD) on 2.5 +/- 1.4
      medication classes. Twelve months postoperatively, the mean IOP was reduced to
      15.4 +/- 3.0 mm Hg on 0.9 +/- 1.0 medication classes (P < .0001). This resulted
      in a qualified success of 85.3% and a complete success rate off medications of
      47.1%. There were no failures. CONCLUSION: Cataract surgery combined with
      implantation of the gelatin stent resulted in a significant reduction in IOP in
      eyes with OAG. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: Dr. Sheybani has received travel
      reimbursement from Aquesys, Inc. Dr. Ahmed is a paid consultant to Aquesys, Inc.
      No other author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method
      mentioned.

PMID- 26482823
TI  - Climate-driven changes to the spatio-temporal distribution of the parasitic
      nematode, Haemonchus contortus, in sheep in Europe.
AB  - Recent climate change has resulted in changes to the phenology and distribution
      of invertebrates worldwide. Where invertebrates are associated with disease,
      climate variability and changes in climate may also affect the spatio-temporal
      dynamics of disease. Due to its significant impact on sheep production and
      welfare, the recent increase in diagnoses of ovine haemonchosis caused by the
      nematode Haemonchus contortus in some temperate regions is particularly
      concerning. This study is the first to evaluate the impact of climate change on
      H. contortus at a continental scale. A model of the basic reproductive quotient
      of macroparasites, Q0 , adapted to H. contortus and extended to incorporate
      environmental stochasticity and parasite behaviour, was used to simulate Pan
      European spatio-temporal changes in H. contortus infection pressure under
      scenarios of climate change. Baseline Q0 simulations, using historic climate
      observations, reflected the current distribution of H. contortus in Europe. In
      northern Europe, the distribution of H. contortus is currently limited by
      temperatures falling below the development threshold during the winter months and
      within-host arrested development is necessary for population persistence over
      winter. In southern Europe, H. contortus infection pressure is limited during the
      summer months by increased temperature and decreased moisture. Compared with this
      baseline, Q0 simulations driven by a climate model ensemble predicted an increase
      in H. contortus infection pressure by the 2080s. In northern Europe, a temporal
      range expansion was predicted as the mean period of transmission increased by 2-3
      months. A bimodal seasonal pattern of infection pressure, similar to that
      currently observed in southern Europe, emerges in northern Europe due to
      increasing summer temperatures and decreasing moisture. The predicted patterns of
      change could alter the epidemiology of H. contortus in Europe, affect the future
      sustainability of contemporary control strategies, and potentially drive local
      adaptation to climate change in parasite populations. 

PMID- 26482824
TI  - EUS-Guided Drainage of Liver Abscesses: Ultra Uncertain or Sound Practice?

PMID- 26482825
TI  - Normative values of EQ-5D-5L: in a Spanish representative population sample from
      Spanish Health Survey, 2011.
AB  - PURPOSE: To derive EQ-5D-5L Spanish population norms based on a national
      representative sample adjusted by age, gender and region. METHODS: A
      representative sample of the Spanish general population (n = 21,007) was used in
      a cross-sectional study. The source of data was the Spanish National Health
      Survey 2011-2012. All socio-demographic factors and clinical characteristics were
      carried to a descriptive analysis. All variables were stratified by region,
      gender and age-group. RESULTS: The utility value 1 is the most repeated (62%) in
      this representative population sample. This study showed a deterioration of
      health states as age increases. Overall, men reported better health status than
      women. In relation to ceiling effect by regions, there was little difference with
      the highest scores. Conversely, the lowest score corresponds to Galicia.
      CONCLUSIONS: The paper reports EQ-5D-5L normative data for Spanish general
      population, based on a national representative sample adjusted by region, gender
      and age-group. These results may serve as reference data of the population health
      status. A regional difference in health status could be observed, which might
      suggest that policies aiming to reduce regional inequalities are important.

PMID- 26482826
TI  - The Hartford Consensus on Active Shooters: Implementing the Continuum of
      Prehospital Trauma Response.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Active shooter incidents have led to the recognition that the
      traditional response paradigm of sequential response and scene entry by law
      enforcement, first responders, and emergency medical service (EMS) personnel
      produced delays in care and suboptimal victim outcomes. The Hartford Consensus
      Group developed recommendations to improve the response to and outcomes from
      active shooter events and urged that a continuum of care be implemented that
      incorporates not only EMS response, but also the initiation of care by law
      enforcement officers and potentially by lay bystanders. OBJECTIVE: To develop and
      implement tiered educational programs designed to teach police officers and lay
      bystanders the principles of initial trauma care and bleeding control using as a
      foundation the U.S. military's Tactical Combat Casualty Care course and the
      guidelines of the Committee on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care. DISCUSSION: The
      Tactical Casualty Care for Law Enforcement and First Responders course is a 1-day
      program combining didactic lecture, hands-on skills stations, and clinical
      scenarios designed primarily for police officers. The Bleeding Control for the
      Injured is a 2- to 3-h program for the potential citizen responder in the skills
      of hemorrhage control. In addition, we document the application of these skills
      by law enforcement officers and first responders in several real-life incidents
      involving major hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: Developing and implementing tiered
      educational programs for hemorrhage control will improve response by police
      officers and the lay public. Educating law enforcement officers in these skills
      has been demonstrated to improve trauma victim survival.

PMID- 26482827
TI  - A Case of 5-Fluorouracil-Induced Cardiac Arrest.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Coronary artery vasospasm after administration of fluorouracil (5-FU)
      is a rare complication. Commonly presenting as chest pain during or shortly after
      5-FU infusions, vasospasm can place patients at risk for ventricular dysrhythmia,
      myocardial ischemia, and infarction. Although not fully understood, any 5-FU
      cardiotoxicity seems to be multifactorial, and patients with coronary artery
      disease and renal dysfunction may be at particular risk. CASE REPORT: A 46-year
      old woman with no prior cardiovascular disease history presented with sudden
      onset chest pain after initial administration of 5-FU continuous infusion
      therapy. The patient subsequently developed ventricular fibrillation arrest and
      underwent successful electrocardioversion. Coronary angiography was unremarkable
      for coronary stenosis or vasospasm. The presumed etiology was secondary to 5-FU
      cardiac toxicity. The patient was re-challenged with 5-FU therapy and developed
      repeat chest pain. The 5-FU was completely stopped and the patient's symptoms
      resolved, with no further dysrhythmic events 9 months after initial presentation.
      WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Patients who develop chest
      pain during or after 5-FU infusion should warrant strong consideration for
      admission and continuous cardiac monitoring for potential ventricular
      dysrhythmias and cardiac ischemia.

PMID- 26482828
TI  - Point-of-Care Ultrasound Diagnosis of Deep Space Hand Infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Point-of-care ultrasound is emerging as an important imaging modality
      for characterizing soft-tissue infections and provides advantages over physical
      examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). CASE REPORT: A 30-year-old man
      presented to the emergency department with extensive left upper extremity
      cellulitis. Magnetic resonance imaging of the left arm was preliminarily
      interpreted as soft-tissue swelling without evidence of deep-space infection.
      Point-of-care ultrasound revealed pockets of fluid with sonographic fluctuance
      tracking along the tendon sheath that were concerning for deep abscesses. Based
      on the ultrasound findings, the patient was taken emergently to the operating
      room, where multiple left hand and wrist loculated deep-space abscesses were
      decompressed. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: This case
      report highlights the significant advantages and easy-to-learn findings present
      in point-of-care ultrasound of musculoskeletal infections.

PMID- 26482829
TI  - Pediatric Urinary Retention in the Emergency Department: A Concerning Symptom
      with Etiology Outside the Bladder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urinary retention in an otherwise healthy adolescent is a concerning
      symptom, in which etiology can range from an extracystic mass to central nervous
      system involvement (CNS). One possibility is acute disseminated encephalomyelitis
      (ADEM), a rare inflammatory autoimmune disease that affects the CNS via
      demyelination. The disease usually is preceded by an acute viral infection, and
      commonly presents with multifocal neurological deficits. The diagnosis for ADEM
      is made based on clinical presentation, correlating with findings characterized
      on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the CNS. CASE REPORT: Our case involves a
      16-year-old boy who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with urinary
      retention. The patient was an otherwise healthy adolescent who was experiencing
      intermittent fevers for 1 week, and was found to be monospot positive when seen
      by his pediatrician. When presenting to the ED, the patient's primary complaint
      was urinary retention, which he experienced acutely in the middle of the night.
      Due to the suspicious nature of the patient's symptoms and history of present
      illness, the patient received a thorough workup including magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) of the patient's brain and spinal cord, which demonstrated findings
      consistent with ADEM. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: There
      is very little literature describing a case of ADEM in the ED where the primary
      manifesting symptom was urinary retention. In addition, it is important that
      clinicians address acute urinary retention in an otherwise healthy adolescent as
      a red flag, with the need to rule out concerning etiology.

PMID- 26482830
TI  - Characteristics of Medicaid-Covered Emergency Department Visits Made by
      Nonelderly Adults: A National Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Affordable Care Act has added millions of new Medicaid enrollees
      to the health care system. These patients account for a large proportion of
      emergency department (ED) utilization. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to characterize
      this population and their ED use at a national level. METHODS: We used the 2010
      National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) to describe
      demographics and clinical characteristics of nonelderly adults (>=18 years old
      and <=64 years old) with Medicaid-covered ED visits. We defined frequent ED users
      as individuals who make >=4 ED visits/year and business hours as 8 am to 5 pm. We
      used descriptive statistics to describe the epidemiology of Medicaid-covered ED
      visits. RESULTS: NHAMCS included 21,800 ED visits by nonelderly adults in 2010,
      of which 5,659 (24.09%) were covered by Medicaid insurance. Most ED visits
      covered by Medicaid were made by patients who are young (25 and 44 years old) and
      female (67.95%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 66.00-69.89). A large proportion of
      the ED visits covered by Medicaid were revisits within 72 h (14.66%; 95% CI 9.13
      20.19) and from frequent ED users (32.32%; 95% CI 24.29-40.35). Almost half of
      all ED visits covered by Medicaid occurred during business hours (45.44%; 95% CI
      43.45-47.43). CONCLUSIONS: The vast majority of Medicaid enrollees who used the
      ED were young females, with a large proportion of visits occurring during
      business hours. Almost one-third of all visits were from frequent ED users.

PMID- 26482831
TI  - Rhabdomyolysis Secondary to Clenbuterol Use and Exercise.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The literature regarding rhabdomyolysis secondary to illicit drug use
      is sparse. Clenbuterol is a bronchodilator approved for veterinary use, which in
      high doses can increase protein deposition and lipolysis similarly to anabolic
      steroids, and is thereby abused for bodybuilding and weight loss effects.
      Clenbuterol has previously been described in case reports to be cardiotoxic, with
      patient presentations similar to overdoses of sympathomimetic substances, but
      reports of rhabdomyolysis are limited to a single case series in horses. CASE
      REPORT: We report the first case of rhabdomyolysis secondary to clenbuterol in a
      human. Our patient used clenbuterol for muscle-building effects in addition to
      exercise for multiple days prior to presentation. The patient's chief complaint
      at Emergency Department (ED) presentation was discolored urine. Workup for
      rhabdomyolysis was initiated, and an initial creatine kinase was measured at
      122,933 units/L. Our patient's rhabdomyolysis was successfully treated with
      supportive therapy, and the patient was eventually discharged to home with no
      identifiable disability. The patient's kidney function remained at baseline, and
      no acute kidney injury was experienced secondary to rhabdomyolysis. WHY SHOULD AN
      EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Patients presenting to the ED may have
      been unintentionally exposed through cutting of illicit substances or through
      intentional use in bodybuilding. Clenbuterol has well-described cardiotoxic
      effects, and we report the additional toxicity of rhabdomyolysis with its use.

PMID- 26482832
TI  - DNA binding protein identification by combining pseudo amino acid composition and
      profile-based protein representation.
AB  - DNA-binding proteins play an important role in most cellular processes.
      Therefore, it is necessary to develop an efficient predictor for identifying DNA
      binding proteins only based on the sequence information of proteins. The
      bottleneck for constructing a useful predictor is to find suitable features
      capturing the characteristics of DNA binding proteins. We applied PseAAC to DNA
      binding protein identification, and PseAAC was further improved by incorporating
      the evolutionary information by using profile-based protein representation.
      Finally, Combined with Support Vector Machines (SVMs), a predictor called iDNAPro
      PseAAC was proposed. Experimental results on an updated benchmark dataset showed
      that iDNAPro-PseAAC outperformed some state-of-the-art approaches, and it can
      achieve stable performance on an independent dataset. By using an ensemble
      learning approach to incorporate more negative samples (non-DNA binding proteins)
      in the training process, the performance of iDNAPro-PseAAC was further improved.
      The web server of iDNAPro-PseAAC is available at
      http://bioinformatics.hitsz.edu.cn/iDNAPro-PseAAC/. 

PMID- 26482833
TI  - [Lobular invasive breast cancer prognostic factors: About 940 patients].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the prognostic factors of T1 and T2 infiltrating lobular
      breast cancers, and to investigate predictive factors of axillary lymph node
      involvement. METHODS: This is a retrospective multicentric study, conducted from
      1999 to 2008, among 13 french centers. All data concerning patients with breast
      cancer who underwent a primary surgical treatment including a sentinel lymph node
      procedure have been collected (tumors was stage T1 or T2). Patients underwent
      partial or radical mastectomy. Axillary lymph node dissection was done
      systematically (at the time of sentinel procedure evaluation), or in case of
      sentinel lymph node involvement. Among all the 8100 patients, 940 cases of
      lobular infiltrating tumors were extracted. Univariate analysis was done to
      identify significant prognosis factors, and then a Cox regression was applied.
      Analysis interested factors that improved disease free survival, overall survival
      and factors that influenced the chemotherapy indication. Different factors that
      may be related with lymph node involvement have been tested with univariate than
      multivariate analysis, to highlight predictive factors of axillary involvement.
      RESULTS: Median age was 60 years (27-89). Most of patients had tumours with a
      size superior to 10mm (n=676, 72%), with a minority of high SBR grade (n=38, 4%),
      and a majority of positive hormonal status (n = 880, 93, 6%). The median duration
      of follow-up was 59 months (1-131). Factors significantly associated with
      decreased disease free survival was histological grade 3 (hazard ratio [HR]:
      3,85, IC 1,21-12,21), tumour size superior to 2cm (HR: 2,85, IC: 1,43-5,68) and
      macrometastatic lymph node status (HR: 3,11, IC: 1,47-6,58). Concerning overall
      survival, multivariate analysis demonstrated a significant impact of age less
      than 50 years (HR: 5,2, IC: 1,39-19,49), histological grade 3 (HR: 5,03, IC: 1,19
      21,25), tumour size superior to 2cm (HR: 2,53, IC: 1,13-5,69). Analysis
      concerning macrometastatic lymph node status nearly reached significance (HR:
      2,43, IC: 0,99-5,93). There was no detectable effect of chemotherapy regarding
      disease free survival (odds ratio [OR] 0,8, IC: 0,35-1,80) and overall survival
      (OR: 0,72, IC: 0,28-1,82). Disease free survival was similar between no axillary
      invasion (pN0) and isolated tumor cells (pNi+), or micrometastatic lymph nodes
      (pNmic). There were no difference neither between one or more than one
      macromatastatic lymph node. But disease free survival was statistically worse for
      pN1 compared to other lymph node status (pN0, pNi+ or pNmic). Factors associated
      with lymph node involvement after logistic regression was: age from 51 to 65
      years (OR: 2,1, IC 1,45-3,04), age inferior to 50 years (OR 3,2, IC: 2,05-5,03),
      Tumour size superior to 2cm (OR 4,4, IC: 3,2-6,14), SBR grading 2 (OR 1,9, IC:
      1,30-2,90) and SBR grade 3 (OR 3,5, IC: 1,61-7,75). CONCLUSION: The analysis of
      this series of 940 T1 and T2 lobular invasive breast carcinomas offers several
      information: factors associated with axillary lymph node involvement are age
      under 65 years, tumor size greater than 20mm, and a SBR grade 2 or 3. The same
      factors were significantly associated with the OS and DFS. The macrometastatic
      lymph node involvement has a significant impact on DFS and OS, which is not true
      for isolated cells and micrometastases, which seem to have the same prognosis as
      pN0.

PMID- 26482834
TI  - [Thierry's spatulas or forceps--a comparison between maternal-fetal morbidities].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare maternal and fetal morbidity during forceps or Thierry
      spatulas operative deliveries. METHODS: Retrospective and descriptive study in a
      one center from 2006 to 2012. Operative deliveries were performed with forceps or
      spatulas, in case of no mobile fetal progression, on singleton term pregnancies
      with cephalic presentation, no abnormal heart rate and without any pregnancy
      pathology. RESULTS: Our studies included 65 operative deliveries with spatulas
      versus 77 with forceps, among a scientifically comparable population. At maternal
      level, when comparing spatulas versus forceps, there were more intact perineum
      (5.19% vs 15.38%; P=0.04), the same rate of vaginal tears and less severe
      perineal injuries (0 vs 6; P=0.05) in favor of spatulas. Extractions performed in
      "unfavorable" conditions were mostly conducted with forceps. In 50% of the case,
      an episiotomy was associated with severe perineal lesions. As far as fetal
      morbidity is concerned, there were more newborn's facial injuries using the
      forceps tool (18.18% vs 3.08%; P=0.0046). The remaining data were comparable.
      CONCLUSIONS: Thierry spatulas are less harmful than forceps to maternal tissues
      and reduce facial injuries of the newborn. Consequently, spatulas could benefit
      from a wider use. However, a prospective study will be needed to confirm our
      results.

PMID- 26482835
TI  - Our experience with long-term triptorelin therapy in a large endometriosis nodule
      arising in an episiotomy scar.

PMID- 26482836
TI  - Combinatorial RNA Interference Therapy Prevents Selection of Pre-existing HBV
      Variants in Human Liver Chimeric Mice.
AB  - Selection of escape mutants with mutations within the target sequence could
      abolish the antiviral RNA interference activity. Here, we investigated the impact
      of a pre-existing shRNA-resistant HBV variant on the efficacy of shRNA therapy.
      We previously identified a highly potent shRNA, S1, which, when delivered by an
      adeno-associated viral vector, effectively inhibits HBV replication in HBV
      transgenic mice. We applied the "PICKY" software to systemically screen the HBV
      genome, then used hydrodynamic transfection and HBV transgenic mice to identify
      additional six highly potent shRNAs. Human liver chimeric mice were infected with
      a mixture of wild-type and T472C HBV, a S1-resistant HBV variant, and then
      treated with a single or combined shRNAs. The presence of T472C mutant
      compromised the therapeutic efficacy of S1 and resulted in replacement of serum
      wild-type HBV by T472C HBV. In contrast, combinatorial therapy using S1 and P28,
      one of six potent shRNAs, markedly reduced titers for both wild-type and T472C
      HBV. Interestingly, treatment with P28 alone led to the emergence of escape
      mutants with mutations in the P28 target region. Our results demonstrate that
      combinatorial RNAi therapy can minimize the escape of resistant viral mutants in
      chronic HBV patients. 

PMID- 26482837
TI  - Electroconvulsive therapy and cognitive functions in treatment-resistant
      depression.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective treatment for
      drug-resistant depression (DRD). We estimated the short- and long-term effects of
      ECT on cognitive functions in patients with unipolar and bipolar DRD. METHODS: We
      investigated 63 patients (18 male, 45 female), aged 34-75 years. Cognitive
      assessments were performed before, immediately after 6-12 ECT sessions, and 3
      months thereafter, using the Benton Visual Retention, Trail Making (TMT), Rey
      Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) tests, the Digit Span of the Wechsler Adult
      Intelligence Scale, and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning (RAVLT), verbal fluency
      and Stroop tests. RESULTS: Immediately after ECT, a significant worsening was
      noted in some indices of memory and verbal fluency. However, 3 months after ECT,
      the indices of both RAVLT and verbal fluency significantly improved compared to
      baseline, and those of the Benton and ROCF were significantly better than before
      ECT. The Digit Span, Stroop and TMT were not affected by the treatment.
      CONCLUSIONS: The negative effects of ECT on the reported measures of cognition
      are transient. After 3 months, the indices of memory were significantly better
      than before the treatment. In addition to its antidepressant effect in DRD, ECT
      may also exert a long-term favourable influence on some cognitive functions.

PMID- 26482838
TI  - Response to Evans et al.

PMID- 26482839
TI  - Response to the article by Jamsa. Leukocyte receptor expression as a biomarker
      for severe sepsis.

PMID- 26482840
TI  - Recent strategies for efficient production of polyhydroxyalkanoates by micro
      organisms.
AB  - Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polyesters accumulated by many bacteria under
      unbalanced growth conditions, and have been used to meet the various demands in
      areas of agriculture, medicine, and materials especially belong to a rapidly
      expanding area of biomedical research. Unfortunately, the high production cost
      than the traditional synthetic materials has greatly limited the wide application
      of PHA. Here, we systematically summarized recent progress in production of PHAs
      and a series of optimization strategies such as supplying renewable carbon
      substrates, developing better bacterial strains, optimization of fermentation
      processes, engineering new pathways and etc., were applied to reduce production
      cost, therefore providing many new ideas and methods for the production of PHAs
      in economically viable processes. This is believed to be a comprehensive report
      to show different strategies and methods for low-cost production of PHAs. Further
      studies are still needed to make PHAs more and more economically viable to meet a
      wide range of applicability. 

PMID- 26482841
TI  - Application of electroretinography (ERG) in early drug development for assessing
      retinal toxicity in rats.
AB  - Retinal ocular toxicity is among the leading causes of drug development attrition
      in the pharmaceutical industry. Electroretinography (ERG) is a non-invasive
      functional assay used to assess neuro-retinal physiological integrity by
      measuring the electrical responses. To directly assess the utility of ERG, a
      series of studies was conducted following intravitreal and/or iv administration
      of pan-cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors: AG-012,986 and AG-024,322 in rats.
      Both compounds have previously shown to induce retinal toxicity. Retinal injury
      was evaluated by ERG, histopathology and TUNEL staining. Intravitreal injection
      of AG-012,986 at >= 10 MUg/eye resulted in decreases (60%) in ERG b-wave and
      microscopic changes of mild to moderate retinal degeneration, and at 30 MUg/eye
      led to additional ophthalmic findings. Intravenous administration of AG-012,986
      daily at >= 5 mg/kg resulted in dose-related decreases (25 to 40%) in b-wave and
      sporadic to intense positive TUNEL staining. Intravitreal injection of AG-024,322
      at 30 MUg/eye also resulted in decreases (50 to 60%) in b-wave, mild to marked
      retinal degeneration and mild vitreous debris. These experiments demonstrate that
      ERG can be used as a sensitive and reliable functional tool to evaluate retinal
      toxicity induced by test compounds in rats complementing other classical ocular
      safety measurements.

PMID- 26482842
TI  - On-Chip Sequence-Specific Immunochemical Epigenomic Analysis Utilizing Outward
      Turned Cytosine in a DNA Bulge with Handheld Surface Plasmon Resonance Equipment.
AB  - This paper reports a sequence-specific immunoassay chip for DNA methylation
      assessment by microfluidic-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) detection. This
      was achieved by utilizing an affinity measurement involving the target,
      (methyl)cytosine, in a single-base bulge region and an anti-methylcytosine
      antibody in a microchannel, following hybridization with a biotinylated bulge
      inducing DNA probe. The probe alters the target cytosine in a looped-out state
      because of the pi-pi stacking between flanking bases of the target. The probe
      design is simple and consists of the elimination of guanine paired with the
      target cytosine from a fragmented full-match sequence. We obtained the single
      methylation status in 6 amol (48 fg) of synthesized oligo DNA in 45 min, which is
      the fastest DNA methylation assessment yet reported, without employing a
      conventional bisulfite reaction, PCR, or sequencing. We also succeeded in
      discrimination of the methylation status of single cytosine in genomic lambda DNA
      and HCT116 human colon cancer cells. The advantages of the proposed method are
      its small equipment, simple microfluidics design, ease of handling (two
      injections of DNA and antibody), lack of need for a methylation-sensitive enzyme,
      and neutral buffer conditions. 

PMID- 26482843
TI  - p73 is required for ependymal cell maturation and neurogenic SVZ
      cytoarchitecture.
AB  - The adult subventricular zone (SVZ) is a highly organized microenvironment
      established during the first postnatal days when radial glia cells begin to
      transform into type B-cells and ependymal cells, all of which will form
      regenerative units, pinwheels, along the lateral wall of the lateral ventricle.
      Here, we identify p73, a p53 homologue, as a critical factor controlling both
      cell-type specification and structural organization of the developing mouse SVZ.
      We describe that p73 deficiency halts the transition of the radial glia into
      ependymal cells, leading to the emergence of immature cells with abnormal
      identities in the ventricle and resulting in loss of the ventricular integrity.
      p73-deficient ependymal cells have noticeably impaired ciliogenesis and they fail
      to organize into pinwheels, disrupting SVZ niche structure and function.
      Therefore, p73 is essential for appropriate ependymal cell maturation and the
      establishment of the neurogenic niche architecture. Accordingly, lack of p73
      results in impaired neurogenesis. Moreover, p73 is required for translational
      planar cell polarity establishment, since p73 deficiency results in profound
      defects in cilia organization in individual cells and in intercellular patch
      orientation. Thus, our data reveal a completely new function of p73, independent
      of p53, in the neurogenic architecture of the SVZ of rodent brain and in the
      establishment of ependymal planar cell polarity with important implications in
      neurogenesis. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 730-747,
      2016.

PMID- 26482844
TI  - Laparoscopic lymphadenectomy around the left renal vein (16a2lat) by tunneling
      under the pancreas for advanced Siewert type II adenocarcinoma.
AB  - The para-aortic lymph nodes around the left renal vein (16a2lat) are now
      considered important to target in the treatment of advanced adenocarcinoma of the
      esophagogastric junction. We describe a laparoscopic approach for resecting these
      nodes. This new tunneling approach starts from the ligament of Treitz and then
      enters the retroperitoneal space. The left renal vein and left adrenal vein are
      dissected to identify the anatomy of the 16a2lat area. After this dissection, the
      16a2lat nodes are retrieved through the suprapancreatic area. Six patients with
      advanced type II junctional cancer underwent laparoscopic 16a2lat lymph node
      dissection. The median operative time and estimated blood loss were 479 (390-750)
      min and 250 (130-500) ml, respectively. The median hospital stay was 22 (17-54)
      days and there were no deaths or serious complications. Although this series was
      relatively small, our technique proved effective and feasible. 

PMID- 26482845
TI  - Robotic-assisted vs. conventional laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer: short
      term outcomes at a single center.
AB  - PURPOSES: Several retrospective studies have demonstrated the safety and
      technical feasibility of robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery (RALS). The aim of
      the present study was to clarify the advantages of RALS for rectal cancer by
      comparing its short-term outcomes with those of conventional laparoscopic surgery
      (CLS). METHODS: Between April, 2010 and April, 2015, a total of 974 patients
      underwent proctectomy for rectal cancer. After the exclusion of those who
      underwent open surgery, high anterior resection, lateral lymph node dissection,
      or multiple resection, 442 patients were enrolled in this study, including 203
      who underwent RALS and 239 who underwent CLS. We compared the short-term outcomes
      of these two groups. RESULTS: There was no case of conversion to open surgery in
      the RALS group, but 8 (3.3 %) cases in the CLS group (p = 0.009). Operative time
      was not significantly different, but blood loss was significantly less in the
      RALS group than in the CLS group (p < 0.001). The postoperative hospital stay was
      shorter in the RALS group than in the CLS group (p < 0.001). The rate of urinary
      retention was significantly lower in the RALS group than in the CLS group (p =
      0.018). CONCLUSION: The short-term outcomes in this series provide further
      evidence that RALS may be superior to CLS for rectal cancer.

PMID- 26482847
TI  - Microtubule-bundling activity of the centrosomal protein, Cep169, and its binding
      to microtubules.
AB  - CDK5RAP2 is a centrosomal protein that regulates the recruitment of a gamma
      tubulin ring complex (gamma-TuRC) onto centrosomes and microtubules (MTs)
      dynamics as a member of MT plus-end-tracking proteins (+TIPs). In our previous
      report, we found mammalian Cep169 as a CDK5RAP2 binding partner, and Cep169
      accumulates at the distal ends of MTs and centrosomes, and coincides with
      CDK5RAP2. Depletion of Cep169 induces MT depolymerization, indicating that Cep169
      targets MT tips and regulates stability and dynamics of MTs. However, how Cep169
      contributes to the stabilization of MT remains unclear. Here we show that Cep169
      is able to stabilize MTs and induces formation of long MT bundles with intense
      acetylation of MTs with CDK5RAP2, when expressed at higher levels in U2OS cells.
      In addition, we demonstrated that Cep169 forms homodimers through its N-terminal
      domain and directly interacts with MTs through its C-terminal domain.
      Interestingly, Cep169 mutants, which lack each domains, completely abolished the
      activity, respectively. Therefore, Cep169 bundles MTs and induces solid structure
      of MTs by crosslinking each adjacent MTs as a homodimer. 

PMID- 26482846
TI  - Learning by subtraction: Hippocampal activity and effects of ethanol during the
      acquisition and performance of response sequences.
AB  - Learning is believed to be reflected in the activity of the hippocampus. However,
      neural correlates of learning have been difficult to characterize because
      hippocampal activity is integrated with ongoing behavior. To address this issue,
      male rats (n = 5) implanted with electrodes (n = 14) in the CA1 subfield
      responded during two tasks within a single test session. In one task, subjects
      acquired a new 3-response sequence (acquisition), whereas in the other task,
      subjects completed a well-rehearsed 3-response sequence (performance). Both tasks
      though could be completed using an identical response topography and used the
      same sensory stimuli and schedule of reinforcement. More important, comparing
      neural patterns during sequence acquisition to those during sequence performance
      allows for a subtractive approach whereby activity associated with learning could
      potentially be dissociated from the activity associated with ongoing behavior. At
      sites where CA1 activity was closely associated with behavior, the patterns of
      activity were differentially modulated by key position and the serial position of
      a response within the schedule of reinforcement. Temporal shifts between peak
      activity and responding on particular keys also occurred during sequence
      acquisition, but not during sequence performance. Ethanol disrupted CA1 activity
      while producing rate-decreasing effects in both tasks and error-increasing
      effects that were more selective for sequence acquisition than sequence
      performance. Ethanol also produced alterations in the magnitude of modulations
      and temporal pattern of CA1 activity, although these effects were not selective
      for sequence acquisition. Similar to ethanol, hippocampal micro-stimulation
      decreased response rate in both tasks and selectively increased the percentage of
      errors during sequence acquisition, and provided a more direct demonstration of
      hippocampal involvement during sequence acquisition. Together, these results
      strongly support the notion that ethanol disrupts sequence acquisition by
      disrupting hippocampal activity and that the hippocampus is necessary for the
      conditioned associations required for sequence acquisition.

PMID- 26482848
TI  - Identification of protein arginine N-methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) as a novel
      interacting protein with the tumor suppressor protein RASSF1A.
AB  - The candidate tumor suppressor gene RASSF1A (Ras-association domain family 1,
      isoform A) is inactivated in many types of adult and childhood cancers. However,
      the mechanisms by which RASSF1A exerts tumor suppressive functions have yet to be
      elucidated. In this report, we sought to identify candidate proteins that
      interact with RASSF1A using proteomic screening. Using peptide mass
      fingerprinting, we identified protein arginine N-methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), a
      type II protein arginine N-methyltransferase that monomethylates and
      symmetrically dimethylates arginine residues, as a novel protein that interacts
      with RASSF1A. The association between the two proteins was confirmed by co
      immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence staining. Co-expressing RASSF1A and
      PRMT5 led to a redistribution of PRMT5 from the cytosol to stabilized
      microtubules, where RASSF1A and PRMT5 became co-localized. Our results
      demonstrate that PRMT5 translocates to bundled microtubules on stabilization by
      RASSF1A expression. Our results show that the tumor suppressor RASSF1A interacts
      with PRMT5 in vivo and in vitro. Notably, this is the first demonstration of
      RASSF1A-dependent microtubule recruitment of PRMT5, suggesting a novel role for
      RASSF1A in the anchoring of cytosolic PRMT5 to microtubules. 

PMID- 26482849
TI  - Balanced cortical stiffness is important for efficient migration of Dictyostelium
      cells in confined environments.
AB  - Dictyostelium discoideum cells resemble in many aspects human leukocytes and
      serve as a model to study actin cytoskeleton dynamics and cell migration of
      highly motile cells. Dictyostelium cells deficient in the actin-binding protein
      filamin (ddFLN) showed a surprisingly subtle change in phenotype with no or only
      minor effects in single cell motility. These findings were in contrast to the
      strong actin-crosslinking activities measured for filamin in vitro. In the
      present study, we set out to revisit the role of ddFLN in cell migration. For
      this purpose, we examined migration of wild-type, ddFLN-null and ddFLN
      overexpressing cells under different conditions. In addition to cyclic-AMP
      chemotaxis assays using micropipettes, we explored cell migration under more
      confined conditions: an under-agarose 2D assay and a 3D assay employing a
      collagen matrix that was adapted from assays for leukocytes. Using 3D migration
      conditions, cells deficient in ddFLN displayed only a minor impairment of
      motility, similar to the results obtained for migration in 2D. However, cells
      overexpressing ddFLN showed a remarkable decrease in the speed of migration in
      particular in 3D environments. We suggest that these results are in line with an
      increased stiffening of the cortex due to the crosslinking activity of
      overexpressed ddFLN. Our conclusion is that the absolute level of ddFLN is
      critical for efficient migration. Furthermore, our results show that under
      conditions of increased mechanical stress, Dictyostelium cells, like leukocytes,
      switch to a bleb-based mode of movement. 

PMID- 26482850
TI  - Quantitative assessment of cellular uptake and cytosolic access of antibody in
      living cells by an enhanced split GFP complementation assay.
AB  - Considering the number of cytosolic proteins associated with many diseases,
      development of cytosol-penetrating molecules from outside of living cells is
      highly in demand. To gain access to the cytosol after cellular uptake, cell
      penetrating molecules should be released from intermediate endosomes prior to the
      lysosomal degradation. However, it is very challenging to distinguish the pool of
      cytosolic-released molecules from those trapped in the endocytic vesicles. Here
      we describe a method to directly demonstrate the cytosolic localization and
      quantification of cytosolic amount of a cytosol-penetrating IgG antibody, TMab4,
      based on enhanced split GFP complementation system. We generated TMab4
      genetically fused with one GFP fragment and separately established HeLa cells
      expressing the other GFP fragment in the cytosol such that the complemented GFP
      fluorescence is observed only when extracellular-treated TMab4 reaches the
      cytosol after cellular internalization. The high affinity interactions between
      streptavidin-binding peptide 2 and streptavidin was employed as respective fusion
      partners of GFP fragments to enhance the sensitivity of GFP complementation. With
      this method, cytosolic concentration of TMab4 was estimated to be about 170 nM
      after extracellular treatment of HeLa cells with 1 MUM TMab4 for 6 h. We also
      found that after cellular internalization into living cells, nearly 1.3-4.3% of
      the internalized TMab4 molecules escaped into the cytosol from the endocytic
      vesicles. Our enhanced split GFP complementation assay provides a useful tool to
      directly quantify cytosolic amount of cytosol-penetrating agents and allows cell
      based high-throughput screening for cytosol-penetrating agents with increased
      endosomal-escaping activity. 

PMID- 26482851
TI  - HmuY is an important virulence factor for Porphyromonas gingivalis growth in the
      heme-limited host environment and infection of macrophages.
AB  - Porphyromonas gingivalis, the main etiologic agent and key pathogen responsible
      for initiation and progression of chronic periodontitis, is a haem auxotroph, and
      the uptake of this compound is essential for its survival and the ability to
      establish an infection. The aim of this study was to examine the role of a
      hemophore-like HmuY protein in P. gingivalis growth and infection of macrophages.
      Inactivation of the hmuY gene caused reduced P. gingivalis growth in vitro in the
      presence of serum as a heme sole source, as well as in vivo co-cultures with THP
      1-derived macrophages. This resulted in diminished invasion efficiency of
      macrophages by live bacteria lacking functional hmuY gene. Both features were
      partially restored after addition of the purified HmuY protein, which was
      internalized when added either together with the hmuY mutant strain or alone to
      macrophage cultures. We conclude that HmuY is an important virulence factor of P.
      gingivalis for infection of macrophages in a heme-limited host environment. 

PMID- 26482852
TI  - The role of HOXB2 and HOXB3 in acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous aggressive disease and the most
      common form of adult leukemia. Mutations in the type III receptor tyrosine kinase
      FLT3 are found in more than 30% of AML patients. Drugs against FLT3 have been
      developed for the treatment of AML, but they lack specificity, show poor response
      and lead to the development of a resistant phenotype upon treatment. Therefore, a
      deeper understanding of FLT3 signaling will facilitate identification of
      additional pharmacological targets in FLT3-driven AML. In this report, we
      identify HOXB2 and HOXB3 as novel regulators of oncogenic FLT3-ITD-driven AML. We
      show that HOXB2 and HOXB3 expression is upregulated in a group of AML patients
      carrying FLT3-ITD. Overexpression of HOXB2 or HOXB3 in mouse pro-B cells resulted
      in decreased FLT3-ITD-dependent cell proliferation as well as colony formation
      and increased apoptosis. Expression of HOXB2 or HOXB3 resulted in a significant
      decrease in FLT3-ITD-induced AKT, ERK, p38 and STAT5 phosphorylation. Our data
      suggest that HOXB2 and HOXB3 act as tumor suppressors in FLT3-ITD driven AML. 

PMID- 26482853
TI  - A polymeric nanoparticle formulation of curcumin in combination with sorafenib
      synergistically inhibits tumor growth and metastasis in an orthotopic model of
      human hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Curcumin, a yellow polyphenol extracted from the rhizome of turmeric root
      (Curcuma longa) has potent anti-cancer properties in many types of tumors with
      ability to reverse multidrug resistance of cancer cells. However, widespread
      clinical application of this agent in cancer and other diseases has been limited
      due to its poor aqueous solubility. The recent findings of polymeric nanoparticle
      formulation of curcumin (NFC) have shown the potential for circumventing the
      problem of poor solubility, however evidences for NFC's anti-cancer and reverse
      multidrug resistance properties are lacking. Here we provide models of human
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of primary liver cancer, in
      vitro and in vivo to evaluate the efficacy of NFC alone and in combination with
      sorafenib, a kinase inhibitor approved for treatment of HCC. Results showed that
      NFC not only inhibited the proliferation and invasion of HCC cell lines in vitro,
      but also drastically suppressed primary tumor growth and lung metastases in vivo.
      Moreover, in combination with sorafenib, NFC induced HCC cell apoptosis and cell
      cycle arrest. Mechanistically, NFC and sorafenib synergistically down-regulated
      the expression of MMP9 via NF-kappaB/p65 signaling pathway. Furthermore, the
      combination therapy significantly decreased the population of CD133-positive HCC
      cells, which have been reported as cancer initiating cells in HCC. Taken
      together, NanoCurcumin provides an opportunity to expand the clinical repertoire
      of this agent. Additional studies utilizing a combination of NanoCurcumin and
      sorafenib in HCC are needed for further clinical development. 

PMID- 26482854
TI  - Identification of AcMNPV GP64-binding proteins through a combinational use of a
      self-biotinylated virus and the cross-linking method.
AB  - Baculoviruses are potential vectors of gene therapy for the ability to transfer
      gene high efficiently into mammalian cells. However, cell membrane proteins which
      interact with baculoviral glycoproteins have not been identified. In this study,
      we developed a self-biotinylated AcMNPV bearing biotinylated GP64 glycoproteins.
      This recombinant virus demonstrated the capability to infect insect cells and to
      transduct mammalian cells. Using this biotinylated virus, a protein >170Kda which
      could specifically interact with GP64 proteins was identified from virus
      transducted BHK-21 cells through cross-linking and streptavidin purification. Our
      study provides a useful approach for identifying cell membrane proteins that
      interact with baculovirus surface proteins or proteins involved in virus
      attachment. 

PMID- 26482855
TI  - Electrical breakdown in tissue electroporation.
AB  - Electroporation, the permeabilization of the cell membrane by brief, high
      electric fields, has become an important technology in medicine for diverse
      application ranging from gene transfection to tissue ablation. There is ample
      anecdotal evidence that the clinical application of electroporation is often
      associated with loud sounds and extremely high currents that exceed the devices
      design limit after which the devices cease to function. The goal of this paper is
      to elucidate and quantify the biophysical and biochemical basis for this
      phenomenon. Using an experimental design that includes clinical data, a tissue
      phantom, sound, optical, ultrasound and MRI measurements, we show that the
      phenomenon is caused by electrical breakdown across ionized electrolysis produced
      gases near the electrodes. The breakdown occurs primarily near the cathode.
      Electrical breakdown during electroporation is a biophysical phenomenon of
      substantial importance to the outcome of clinical applications. It was ignored,
      until now. 

PMID- 26482856
TI  - Comments on: Acetabular component navigation in lateral decubitus based on EOS
      imaging: A preliminary study of 13 cases of A. Billaud, N. Verdier, R. de
      Bartolo, N. Lavoine, D. Chauveaux, T. Fabre. Published in Orthop Traumatol Surg
      Res 2015;101(3):271-5.

PMID- 26482857
TI  - Morbid Obesity Is Associated With Adverse Clinical Outcomes in Acute
      Pancreatitis: A Propensity-Matched Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Morbid obesity may adversely affect the clinical course of acute
      pancreatitis (AP); however, there are no inpatient, population-based studies
      assessing the impact of morbid obesity on AP-related outcomes. We sought to
      evaluate the impact of morbid obesity on AP-related clinical outcomes and health
      care utilization. METHODS: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2007-2011) was
      reviewed to identify all adult inpatients (>=18 years) with a principal diagnosis
      of AP. The primary clinical outcomes (mortality, renal failure, and respiratory
      failure) and secondary resource outcomes (length of stay and hospital charges)
      were analyzed using univariate and multivariate comparisons. Propensity score
      matched analysis was performed to compare the outcomes in patients with and
      without morbid obesity. RESULTS: Morbid obesity was associated with 3.9%
      (52,297/1,330,302) of all AP admissions. Whereas the mortality rate decreased
      overall (0.97%->0.83%, P<0.001), it remained unchanged in those with morbid
      obesity (1.02%->1.07%, P=1.0). Multivariate analysis revealed that morbid obesity
      was associated with increased mortality (odds ratio (OR) 1.6; 95% confidence
      interval (CI) 1.3, 1.9), prolonged hospitalization (0.4 days; P<0.001), and
      higher hospitalization charges ($5,067; P<0.001). A propensity score-matched
      cohort analysis demonstrated that the primary outcomes, acute kidney failure
      (10.8 vs. 8.2%; P<0.001), respiratory failure (7.9 vs. 6.4%; P<0.001), and
      mortality (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2, 2.1) were more frequent in morbid obesity.
      CONCLUSIONS: Morbid obesity negatively influences inpatient hospitalization and
      is associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including mortality, organ failure,
      and health-care resource utilization. These observations and the increasing
      global prevalence of obesity justify ongoing efforts to understand the role of
      obesity-induced inflammation in the pathogenesis and management of AP.

PMID- 26482859
TI  - Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients' Willingness to Accept Medication Risk to
      Avoid Future Disease Relapse.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Biomarkers, endoscopy and imaging tests can identify patients at
      increased risk for early recurrence of symptomatic inflammatory bowel disease
      (IBD). However, patients may be unwilling to accept additional medical therapy
      risks related to therapy escalation to avoid a future disease relapse. We sought
      to quantify IBD patients' willingness to accept medication risk to avoid future
      disease relapse. METHODS: We conducted a discrete-choice experiment among 202
      patients with IBD who were offered choices of therapies with varying risks of
      lymphoma and infection, and varying time to next IBD relapse. Random parameters
      logit was used to estimate patients' willingness to accept tradeoffs among
      treatment features in selecting medication therapy to avoid future disease
      relapse. RESULTS: To avoid a disease relapse over the next 5 years, IBD patients
      were willing to accept an average of a 28% chance of a serious infection; and an
      average of 1.8% chance of developing lymphoma. These results did not
      significantly change when patients were offered 10 years until their next disease
      relapse, but were lower (11 and 0.7%, respectively) when offered 1.5 years until
      the next disease relapse. Patients with active disease symptoms were
      significantly less willing to accept medication risk for time in remission.
      CONCLUSIONS: IBD patients are willing to accept high levels of lymphoma and
      serious infection risk to maintain disease remission. These preferences are
      congruent with the treatment paradigms emphasizing mucosal healing and early
      aggressive therapy and highlight patients' strong preferences for therapies
      resulting in durable remission of at least 5 years.

PMID- 26482858
TI  - Evolution of Screen-Detected Small (6-9 mm) Polyps After a 3-Year Surveillance
      Interval: Assessment of Growth With CT Colonography Compared With Histopathology.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Volumetric growth assessment has been proposed for predicting
      advanced histology at surveillance computed tomography (CT) colonography (CTC).
      We examined whether is it possible to predict which small (6-9 mm) polyps are
      likely to become advanced adenomas at surveillance by assessing volumetric
      growth. METHODS: In an invitational population-based CTC screening trial, 93
      participants were diagnosed with one or two 6-9 mm polyps as the largest
      lesion(s). They were offered a 3-year surveillance CTC. Participants in whom
      surveillance CTC showed lesion(s) of >=6 mm were offered colonoscopy. Volumetric
      measurements were performed on index and surveillance CTC, and polyps were
      classified into growth categories according to +/-30% volumetric change (>30%
      growth as progression, 30% growth to 30% decrease as stable, and >30% decrease as
      regression). Polyp growth was related to histopathology. RESULTS: Between July
      2012 and May 2014, 70 patients underwent surveillance CTC after a mean
      surveillance interval of 3.3 years (s.d. 0.3; range 3.0-4.6 years). In all, 33
      (35%) of 95 polyps progressed, 36 (38%) remained stable, and 26 (27%) regressed,
      including an apparent resolution in 13 (14%) polyps. In 68 (83%) of the 82 polyps
      at surveillance, histopathology was obtained; 15 (47%) of 32 progressing polyps
      were advanced adenomas, 6 (21%) of 28 stable polyps, and none of the regressing
      polyps. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of 6-9 mm polyps will not progress to advanced
      neoplasia within 3 years. Those that do progress to advanced status can in
      particular be found among the lesions that increased in size on surveillance CTC.

PMID- 26482860
TI  - Surface nanostructures for fluorescence probing of supported lipid bilayers on
      reflective substrates.
AB  - The fluorescence interference contrast (FLIC) effect prevents the use of
      fluorescence techniques to probe the continuity and fluidity of supported lipid
      bilayers on reflective materials due to a lack of detectable fluorescence. Here
      we show that adding nanostructures onto reflective surfaces to locally confer a
      certain distance between the deposited fluorophores and the reflecting surface
      enables fluorescence detection on the nanostuctures. The nanostructures consist
      of either deposited nanoparticles or epitaxial nanowires directly grown on the
      substrate and are designed such that they can support a lipid bilayer. This
      simple method increases the fluorescence signal sufficiently to enable bilayer
      fluorescence detection and to observe the recovery of fluorescence after
      photobleaching in order to assess lipid bilayer formation on any reflective
      surface. 

PMID- 26482862
TI  - In Situ Solid-State Generation of (BN)2 -Pyrenes and Electroluminescent Devices.
AB  - New BN-heterocyclic compounds have been found to undergo double arene
      photoelimination, forming rare yellow fluorescent BN-pyrenes that contain two B?N
      units. Most significant is the discovery that the double arene elimination can
      also be driven by excitons generated electrically within electroluminescent (EL)
      devices, enabling the in situ solid-state conversion of BN-heterocycles to BN
      pyrenes and the use of BN-pyrenes as emitters for EL devices. The in situ exciton
      driven elimination (EDE) phenomenon has also been observed for other BN
      heterocycles. 

PMID- 26482863
TI  - Towards a Computational Comparative Neuroprimatology: Framing the language-ready
      brain.
AB  - We make the case for developing a Computational Comparative Neuroprimatology to
      inform the analysis of the function and evolution of the human brain. First, we
      update the mirror system hypothesis on the evolution of the language-ready brain
      by (i) modeling action and action recognition and opportunistic scheduling of
      macaque brains to hypothesize the nature of the last common ancestor of macaque
      and human (LCA-m); and then we (ii) introduce dynamic brain modeling to show how
      apes could acquire gesture through ontogenetic ritualization, hypothesizing the
      nature of evolution from LCA-m to the last common ancestor of chimpanzee and
      human (LCA-c). We then (iii) hypothesize the role of imitation, pantomime,
      protosign and protospeech in biological and cultural evolution from LCA-c to Homo
      sapiens with a language-ready brain. Second, we suggest how cultural evolution in
      Homo sapiens led from protolanguages to full languages with grammar and
      compositional semantics. Third, we assess the similarities and differences
      between the dorsal and ventral streams in audition and vision as the basis for
      presenting and comparing two models of language processing in the human brain: A
      model of (i) the auditory dorsal and ventral streams in sentence comprehension;
      and (ii) the visual dorsal and ventral streams in defining "what language is
      about" in both production and perception of utterances related to visual scenes
      provide the basis for (iii) a first step towards a synthesis and a look at
      challenges for further research.

PMID- 26482864
TI  - The effects of hexafluoroisopropanol on guest binding by water-soluble capsule
      and cavitand hosts.
AB  - Encapsulation of amphiphilic guests in a water-soluble cavitand is enhanced by
      the addition of hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP). While binding of n-alkanes in
      cavitands in HFIP/D2O mixtures was similar to that observed in 100% D2O, the
      binding of guests with terminal polar groups was quite different. Several
      alpha,omega-bolaamphiphiles: alkyldiols (C10-C12), a dinitrile (C14) and a diacid
      (C16) became encapsulated in HFIP/D2O solutions. As little as 15% HFIP v/v in D2O
      moves the guest from cavitand to the dimeric capsule. The unusual binding of
      polar functional groups inside the confined space is deduced from NMR COSY
      spectra and supported by DFT calculations. Alkane guests are also encapsulated in
      100% HFIP. 

PMID- 26482865
TI  - Vitamin C and E supplementation prevents some of the cellular adaptations to
      endurance-training in humans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is clear that reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced during
      skeletal muscle contraction have a regulatory role in skeletal muscle adaptation
      to endurance exercise. However, there is much controversy in the literature
      regarding whether attenuation of ROS by antioxidant supplementation can prevent
      these cellular adaptations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine
      whether vitamin C and E supplementation attenuates performance and cellular
      adaptations following acute endurance exercise and endurance training. METHODS: A
      double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized control trial was conducted in
      eleven healthy young males. Participants were matched for peak oxygen consumption
      (VO 2peak) and randomly allocated to placebo or antioxidant (vitamin C (2 * 500
      mg/day) and E (400 IU/day)) groups. Following a four-week supplement loading
      period, participants completed acute exercise (10 * 4 min cycling at 90% VO
      2peak, 2 min active recovery). Vastus lateralis muscle samples were collected pre
      , immediately-post- and 3h-post-exercise. Participants then completed four weeks
      of training (3 days/week) using the aforementioned exercise protocol while
      continuing supplementation. Following exercise training, participants again
      completed an acute exercise bout with muscle biopsies. RESULTS: Acute exercise
      tended to increase skeletal muscle oxidative stress as measured by oxidized
      glutathione (GSSG) (P=0.058) and F2-isoprostanes (P=0.056), with no significant
      effect of supplementation. Acute exercise significantly increased mRNA levels of
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1alpha (PGC-1alpha),
      mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) and PGC related coactivator (PRC),
      with no effect of supplementation. Following endurance training, supplementation
      did not prevent significantly increased VO 2peak, skeletal muscle levels of
      citrate synthase activity or mRNA or protein abundance of cytochrome oxidase
      subunit 4 (COX IV) (P<0.05). However, following training, vitamin C and E
      supplementation significantly attenuated increased skeletal muscle superoxide
      dismutase (SOD) activity and protein abundance of SOD2 and TFAM. CONCLUSION:
      Following acute exercise, supplementation with vitamin C and E did not attenuate
      skeletal muscle oxidative stress or increased gene expression of mitochondrial
      biogenesis markers. However, supplementation attenuated some (SOD, TFAM) of the
      increased skeletal muscle adaptations following training in healthy young men.

PMID- 26482866
TI  - 1-Methylnicotinamide ameliorates lipotoxicity-induced oxidative stress and cell
      death in kidney proximal tubular cells.
AB  - Free fatty acid-bound albumin (FFA-albumin)-related oxidative stress is involved
      in the pathogenesis of proximal tubular cell (PTC) damage and subsequent renal
      dysfunction in patients with refractory proteinuria. Nicotinamide adenine
      dinucleotide (NAD) metabolism has recently been focused on as a novel therapeutic
      target for several modern diseases, including diabetes. This study was designed
      to identify a novel molecule in NAD metabolism to protect PTCs from lipotoxicity
      related oxidative stress. Among 19 candidate enzymes involved in mammalian NAD
      metabolism, the mRNA expression level of nicotinamide n-methyltransferase (NNMT)
      was significantly increased in both the kidneys of FFA-albumin-overloaded mice
      and cultured PTCs stimulated with palmitate-albumin. Knockdown of NNMT
      exacerbated palmitate-albumin-induced cell death in cultured PTCs, whereas
      overexpression of NNMT inhibited it. Intracellular concentration of 1
      Methylnicotinamide (1-MNA), a metabolite of NNMT, increased and decreased in
      cultured NNMT-overexpressing and -knockdown PTCs, respectively. Treatment with 1
      MNA inhibited palmitate-albumin-induced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species
      generation and cell death in cultured PTCs. Furthermore, oral administration of 1
      MNA ameliorated oxidative stress, apoptosis, necrosis, inflammation, and fibrosis
      in the kidneys of FFA-albumin-overloaded mice. In conclusion, NNMT-derived 1-MNA
      can reduce lipotoxicity-mediated oxidative stress and cell damage in PTCs.
      Supplementation of 1-MNA may have potential as a new therapy in patients with
      refractory proteinuria. 

PMID- 26482867
TI  - Resveratrol inhibits collagen-induced platelet stimulation through suppressing
      NADPH oxidase and oxidative inactivation of SH2 domain-containing protein
      tyrosine phosphatase-2.
AB  - Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced upon collagen stimulation are implicated
      in propagating various platelet-activating pathways. Among ROS-producing enzymes,
      NADPH oxidase (NOX) is largely responsible for collagen receptor-dependent ROS
      production. Therefore, NOX has been proposed as a novel target for the
      development of antiplatelet agent. We here investigate whether resveratrol
      inhibits collagen-induced NOX activation and further examine the effects of
      resveratrol on ROS-dependent signaling pathways in collagen-stimulated platelets.
      Collagen-induced superoxide anion production in platelets was inhibited by
      resveratrol. Resveratrol suppressed collagen-induced phosphorylation of
      p47(phox), a major regulatory subunit of NOX. Correlated with the inhibitory
      effects on NOX, resveratrol protected SH2 domain-containing protein tyrosine
      phosphatase-2 (SHP-2) from ROS-mediated inactivation and subsequently attenuated
      the specific tyrosine phosphorylation of key components (spleen tyrosine kinase,
      Vav1, Bruton's tyrosine kinase, and phospholipase Cgamma2) for collagen receptor
      signaling cascades. Resveratrol also inhibited downstream responses such as
      cytosolic calcium elevation, P-selectin surface exposure, and integrin
      alphaIIbbeta3 activation. Furthermore, resveratrol inhibited platelet aggregation
      and adhesion in response to collagen. The antiplatelet effects of resveratrol
      through the inhibition of NOX-derived ROS production and subsequent oxidative
      inactivation of SHP-2 suggest that resveratrol is a potential compound for
      prevention and treatment of thrombovascular diseases. 

PMID- 26482868
TI  - Zeaxanthin and alpha-tocopherol reduce the inhibitory effects of photodynamic
      stress on phagocytosis by ARPE-19 cells.
AB  - Zeaxanthin and alpha-tocopherol have been previously shown to efficiently protect
      liposomal membrane lipids against photosensitized peroxidation, and to protect
      cultured RPE cells against photodynamic killing. Here the protective action of
      combined zeaxanthin and alpha-tocopherol was analyzed in ARPE-19 cells subjected
      to photodynamic (PD) stress mediated by rose Bengal (RB) or merocyanine-540 (MC
      540) at sub-lethal levels. Stress-induced cytotoxicity was analyzed by the MTT
      assay. The peroxidation of membrane lipids was determined by HPLC-EC (Hg)
      measurements of cholesterol hydroperoxides using cholesterol as a mechanistic
      reporter molecule. The specific phagocytosis of FITC-labeled photoreceptor outer
      segments (POS) isolated from bovine retinas was measured by flow cytometry, and
      the levels of phagocytosis receptor proteins alphav integrin subunit, beta5
      integrin subunit and MerTK were quantified by Western blot analysis. Cytotoxicity
      measures confirmed that PD stress levels used for phagocytosis analysis were sub
      lethal and that antioxidant supplementation protected against higher, lethal PD
      doses. Sub-lethal PD stress mediated by both photosensitizers induced the
      accumulation of 5alpha-OOH and 7alpha/beta-OOH cholesterol hydroperoxides and the
      addition of the antioxidants substantially inhibited their accumulation.
      Antioxidant delivery prior to PD stress also reduced the inhibitory effect of
      stress on POS phagocytosis and partially reduced the stress-induced diminution of
      phagocytosis receptor proteins. The use of a novel model system where oxidative
      stress was induced at sub-lethal levels enable observations that would not be
      detectable using lethal stress models. Moreover, novel observations about the
      protective effects of zeaxanthin and alpha-tocopherol on photodynamic damage to
      ARPE-19 cell membranes and against reductions in the abundance of receptor
      proteins involved in POS phagocytosis, a process essential for photoreceptor
      survival, supports the importance of the antioxidants in protecting of the retina
      against photooxidative injury. 

PMID- 26482869
TI  - Comprehensive geriatric assessment in patients with gastric and gastroesophageal
      adenocarcinoma undergoing gastrectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify clinical and geriatric
      assessment variables associated with outcome in patients with gastric
      adenocarcinoma who have undergone gastrectomy. METHODS: We reviewed demographic,
      clinical, and geriatric assessment variables, including recent falls, pain,
      performance status, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, assistive device
      use, comorbidity, polypharmacy, and weight change, for patients undergoing
      gastrectomy between 2005 and 2014. Outcome variables included morbidity,
      mortality, hospital length of stay, and readmission. RESULTS: Of 279 patients,
      133 (48%) underwent total gastrectomy. The 90-day major morbidity rate was 24%
      and the mortality rate was 1%. Length of hospital stay >= 14 days occurred in
      38%, with readmission within 30 days in 13%. On multivariate analysis,
      gastroesophageal junction involvement, (odds ratio [OR] 2.5, 95% confidence
      interval [1.1-5.8]), additional organ resection, (OR 3.2, [1.6-6.3]), pain score
      >0 (OR 3.8, [1.6-8.7]), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status >0,
      (OR 2.3, [1.2-4.6]), and polypharmacy (OR 2.4, [1.1-5.2]) were associated with
      major morbidity. Hospital stay >= 14 days was associated with age >= 75 years (OR
      3.9, [1.7-9.2]), total gastrectomy (OR 3.5, [2.0-6.3]), performance status >0 (OR
      1.8, [1.0-3.2]), and preoperative chemotherapy (OR 0.3, [0.2-0.7]). CONCLUSIONS:
      Future studies are needed to identify methods to improve performance status, as
      this may improve postoperative complications and resource utilization.

PMID- 26482870
TI  - The Portuguese version of the RhinoQOL Questionnaire: validation and clinical
      application.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rhinosinusitis constitutes an important health problem, with
      significant interference in personal, professional, and social functioning. This
      study presents the validation process of the Portuguese version of the RhinoQOL,
      to be used as a routine procedure in the assessment of patients with chronic
      rhinosinusitis. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that the Portuguese version of the
      RhinoQOL is as valid as the English version to measure symptoms and health
      related quality of life in chronic rhinosinusitis. METHODS: The Portuguese
      version of the RhinoQOL was administered consecutively to 58 patients with
      chronic rhinosinusitis with and without nasal polyps, assessed for endoscopic
      sinus surgery. A follow-up survey was completed three months after surgery.
      Statistical analysis was performed to determine its psychometric properties.
      RESULTS: Face and content validity were confirmed by similar internal consistency
      as the original questionnaire for each sub-scale, and strong correlation between
      individual items and total score. The questionnaire was easy and quick to
      administer (5.5min). At three months, there was a significant decrease from
      baseline for all sub-scale scores, indicating clinical improvement, with an
      effect size considered as large. CONCLUSION: This study provides a questionnaire
      that is equivalent to the original English version, with good responsiveness to
      change, which can be especially valuable to measure the outcome of surgery.

PMID- 26482871
TI  - Susceptibility to infections, without concomitant hyper-IgE, reported in 1976, is
      caused by hypomorphic mutation in the phosphoglucomutase 3 (PGM3) gene.
AB  - Phosphoglucomutase 3 (PGM3) is an enzyme converting N-acetyl-glucosamine-6
      phosphate to N-acetyl-glucosamine-1-phosphate, a precursor important for
      glycosylation. Mutations in the PGM3 gene have recently been identified as the
      cause of novel primary immunodeficiency with a hyper-IgE like syndrome. Here we
      report the occurrence of a homozygous mutation in the PGM3 gene in a family with
      immunodeficient children, described already in 1976. DNA from two of the
      immunodeficient siblings was sequenced and shown to encode the same homozygous
      missense mutation, causing a destabilized protein with reduced enzymatic
      capacity. Affected individuals were highly prone to infections, but lack the
      developmental defects in the nervous and skeletal systems, reported in other
      families. Moreover, normal IgE levels were found. Thus, belonging to the
      expanding group of congenital glycosylation defects, PGM3 deficiency is
      characterized by immunodeficiency, with or without increased IgE levels, and with
      variable forms of developmental defects affecting other organ systems.

PMID- 26482872
TI  - Feasibility of asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation as a method for
      detecting protective antigen by direct recognition of size-increased target
      captured nanoprobes.
AB  - Asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) was evaluated as a potential
      analytical method for detection of a protective antigen (PA), an Anthrax
      biomarker. The scheme was based on the recognition of altered AF4 retention
      through the generation of the size-increased Au nanoparticle probes as a result
      of PA binding, in which a PA-selective peptide was conjugated on the probe
      surface. In the visible absorption-based AF4 fractograms, the band position
      shifted to a longer retention time as the PA concentration increased due to the
      presence of probe bound with PAs. The shift was insignificant when the
      concentration was relatively low at 84.3pM. To improve sensitivity, two separate
      probes conjugated with two different peptides able to bind on different PA
      epitopes were used together. The band shift then became distinguishable even at
      84.3pM of PA sample. The formation of larger PA-probe inter-connected species
      using the dual-probe system was responsible for the enhanced band shift. In
      parallel, the feasibility of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) as a
      potential AF4 detection method was also evaluated. In the off-line SERS
      fractogram constructed using fractions collected during AF4 separation, a band
      shift was also observed for the 84.3pM PA sample, and the band intensity was
      higher when using the dual-probe system. The combination of AF4 and SERS is
      promising for the detection of PA and will become a potential tool if the
      reproducibility of SERS measurement is improved. 

PMID- 26482873
TI  - Size-exclusion simulated moving bed for separating organophosphorus flame
      retardants from a polymer.
AB  - Over 500,000t of flame retardants in electronic wastes are consigned to landfills
      each year. A room-temperature, size-exclusion simulated moving bed (SEC-SMB) was
      developed to recover high purity (>99%) flame retardants with high yield (>99%).
      The SSWD method for ternary mixtures was developed for SEC-SMB. Fourteen decision
      variables were optimized to obtain the lowest separation cost within 1min. The
      estimated cost is less than 10% of the purchase cost of the flame retardants. The
      estimated cost of the optimized SEC-SMB is less than 3% of that of a conventional
      batch SEC processes. Fast start-up methods were developed to reduce the SMB start
      up time by more than 18-fold. SEC-SMB can be an economical method for separating
      small molecules from polymers. 

PMID- 26482874
TI  - Three-dimensional anthropometric analysis of the glenohumeral joint in a normal
      Japanese population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An understanding of normal glenohumeral geometry is important for
      anatomical reconstruction in shoulder arthroplasty. Unfortunately, the details of
      the glenohumeral joint in Asian populations have not been sufficiently evaluated.
      The purpose of this study was to evaluate the 3-dimensional geometry of the
      glenohumeral joint in the normal Japanese population and to clarify its
      morphologic features. METHODS: Anthropometric analysis of the glenohumeral joint
      was performed using computed tomography scans of 160 normal shoulders from
      healthy Japanese volunteers. The glenohumeral dimensions and orientation were
      analyzed 3-dimensionally. Sex differences and correlations between sides and
      among the respective parameters in the glenohumeral dimensions were evaluated.
      RESULTS: The normal Japanese humeral head has an average width of 41.4 mm,
      thickness of 13.2 mm, diameter of 42.9 mm, retroversion of 32 degrees , and
      inclination of 135 degrees . The glenoid has an average height of 31.5 mm, width
      of 23.1 mm, diameter of 62.0 mm, retroversion of 0 degrees , and inferior
      inclination of 2 degrees . The values of the glenohumeral dimensions were uniform
      in men and women, and the humeral head and glenoid were larger in men than in
      women. The glenohumeral size was well correlated between the 2 sides, and there
      were direct correlations among the heights, humeral length, humeral head size,
      and glenoid size. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed the glenohumeral
      geometry in the normal Japanese population. The present results would be useful
      to determine the size of implants and to improve the design of shoulder
      prostheses that reflect the normal anatomy of the Asian glenohumeral joint.

PMID- 26482875
TI  - Copernicus Revisited: Overturning Ptolemy's View of the GPER Universe.
AB  - Whether aldosterone activates the G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) has
      been questioned, recently, in the name of Copernicus. However, for G-protein
      coupled receptors (GPCRs) multiple hormone activators are common. Further,
      studies in mineralocorticoid receptor (MR)-deficient systems, with
      pharmacological GPER-selective antagonists or regulation of GPER expression,
      consistently show that some aldosterone effects can be GPER mediated. 

PMID- 26482876
TI  - Neuronal Control of Brown Fat Activity.
AB  - Brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation reduces body fat and metabolic disorders by
      the enhanced combustion of lipids and glucose into heat. The thermogenic activity
      of brown adipocytes is primarily driven by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS)
      and controlled by the brain. In this review, we present recent advances in
      understanding how cues, such as temperature, light, and proteins, modulate the
      activity of brown fat by acting on the various hypothalamic nuclei. Given that
      activated BAT has a high capacity to take up and burn fatty acids (FAs) and
      glucose, pharmacological stimulation of brown fat in humans by either targeting
      the hypothalamus or mimicking outflow of the sympathetic nervous system might
      help improve glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, and also lower body fat.

PMID- 26482877
TI  - Gaining Insights into Diabetic Cardiomyopathy from Drosophila.
AB  - The high degree of genetic conservation between Drosophila melanogaster and
      mammals has helped to translate many important findings into new knowledge, and
      has led to better understanding of many biological processes in vertebrates. For
      over a century, the Drosophila model has been used in studies aimed at
      understanding the molecular mechanisms implicated in heredity, development,
      disease progression, and aging. The current epidemic of obesity and associated
      diabetic cardiomyopathy and heart failure has led to a shift in Drosophila
      research towards understanding the basic mechanisms leading to metabolic syndrome
      and associated cardiac risk factors. We discuss recent findings in Drosophila
      that highlight the importance of this organism as an excellent model for studying
      the effects of metabolic imbalance on cardiac function. 

PMID- 26482878
TI  - Poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN) mediates 3'-end maturation of the telomerase
      RNA component.
AB  - Mutations in the PARN gene (encoding poly(A)-specific ribonuclease) cause
      telomere diseases including familial idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and
      dyskeratosis congenita, but how PARN deficiency impairs telomere maintenance is
      unclear. Here, using somatic cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)
      from patients with dyskeratosis congenita with PARN mutations, we show that PARN
      is required for the 3'-end maturation of the telomerase RNA component (TERC).
      Patient-derived cells as well as immortalized cells in which PARN is disrupted
      show decreased levels of TERC. Deep sequencing of TERC RNA 3' termini shows that
      PARN is required for removal of post-transcriptionally acquired oligo(A) tails
      that target nuclear RNAs for degradation. Diminished TERC levels and the
      increased proportion of oligo(A) forms of TERC are normalized by restoring PARN,
      which is limiting for TERC maturation in cells. Our results demonstrate a new
      role for PARN in the biogenesis of TERC and provide a mechanism linking PARN
      mutations to telomere diseases. 

PMID- 26482882
TI  - Characterization of the PTW SourceCheck ionization chamber with the Valencia
      lodgment for (125)I seed verification.
AB  - In brachytherapy using (125)I seed implants, a verification of the air kerma
      strength of the sources used is required. Typically, between 40 and 100 seeds are
      implanted. Checking all of them is unaffordable, especially when seeds are
      disposed in sterile cartridges. Recently, a new procedure allowing the
      accomplishment of the international recommendations has been proposed for the
      seedSelectron system of Elekta Brachytherapy. In this procedure, the SourceCheck
      ionization chamber is used with a special lodgment (Valencia lodgment) that
      allows to measure up to 10 seeds simultaneously. In this work we analyze this
      procedure, showing the feasibility of the approximations required for its
      application, as well as the effect of the additional dependence with the air
      density that shows the chamber model used. Uncertainty calculations and the
      verification of the approximation needed to obtain a calibration factor for the
      Valencia lodgment are carried out. The results of the present work show that the
      chamber dependence with the air density is the same whether the Valencia lodgment
      is used or not. On the contrary, the chamber response profile is influenced by
      the presence of the lodgment. The determination of this profile requires various
      measurements due to the nonnegligible variability found between different
      experiments. If it is considered, the uncertainty in the determination of the air
      kerma strength increases from 0.5% to 1%. Otherwise, a systematic additional
      uncertainty of 1% would occur. This could be relevant for the comparison between
      user and manufacturer measurements that is mandatory in the case studied here. 

PMID- 26482881
TI  - NRF2 regulates serine biosynthesis in non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - Tumors have high energetic and anabolic needs for rapid cell growth and
      proliferation, and the serine biosynthetic pathway was recently identified as an
      important source of metabolic intermediates for these processes. We integrated
      metabolic tracing and transcriptional profiling of a large panel of non-small
      cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines to characterize the activity and regulation
      of the serine/glycine biosynthetic pathway in NSCLC. Here we show that the
      activity of this pathway is highly heterogeneous and is regulated by NRF2, a
      transcription factor frequently deregulated in NSCLC. We found that NRF2 controls
      the expression of the key serine/glycine biosynthesis enzyme genes PHGDH, PSAT1
      and SHMT2 via ATF4 to support glutathione and nucleotide production. Moreover, we
      show that expression of these genes confers poor prognosis in human NSCLC. Thus,
      a substantial fraction of human NSCLCs activates an NRF2-dependent
      transcriptional program that regulates serine and glycine metabolism and is
      linked to clinical aggressiveness. 

PMID- 26482880
TI  - A genome-wide association study confirms PNPLA3 and identifies TM6SF2 and MBOAT7
      as risk loci for alcohol-related cirrhosis.
AB  - Alcohol misuse is the leading cause of cirrhosis and the second most common
      indication for liver transplantation in the Western world. We performed a genome
      wide association study for alcohol-related cirrhosis in individuals of European
      descent (712 cases and 1,426 controls) with subsequent validation in two
      independent European cohorts (1,148 cases and 922 controls). We identified
      variants in the MBOAT7 (P = 1.03 * 10(-9)) and TM6SF2 (P = 7.89 * 10(-10)) genes
      as new risk loci and confirmed rs738409 in PNPLA3 as an important risk locus for
      alcohol-related cirrhosis (P = 1.54 * 10(-48)) at a genome-wide level of
      significance. These three loci have a role in lipid processing, suggesting that
      lipid turnover is important in the pathogenesis of alcohol-related cirrhosis. 

PMID- 26482884
TI  - A waterborne norovirus gastroenteritis outbreak in a school, eastern China.
AB  - In late 2014, a gastroenteritis outbreak occurred in a school in Shandong
      Province, eastern China. Hundreds of individuals developed the symptoms of
      diarrhoea and vomiting. Epidemiological investigation showed that food
      consumption was not linked to this outbreak, and unboiled direct drinking water
      was identified as the independent risk factor with a relative risk of 1.37 (95%
      confidence interval 1.03-1.83). Furthermore, examination of common bacterial and
      viral gastroenteritis pathogens was conducted on different specimens. Norovirus
      GI.1, GI.2, GI.6, GII.4, GII.6 and GII.13 were detected in clinical specimens and
      a water sample. GII.4 sequences between clinical specimens and the water sample
      displayed a close relationship and belonged to GII.4 variant Sydney 2012. These
      results indicate that direct drinking water contaminated by norovirus was
      responsible for this gastroenteritis outbreak. This study enriches our knowledge
      of waterborne norovirus outbreaks in China, and presents valuable prevention and
      control practices for policy-makers. In future, strengthened surveillance and
      supervision of direct drinking-water systems is needed. 

PMID- 26482885
TI  - Implementing Specialized Diabetes Teams in Primary Care in Southern Ontario.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study explores the implementation processes of integrating
      specialized diabetes teams into primary care in southern Ontario, Canada.
      METHODS: In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 23 patients, 20
      diabetes educators and 16 primary care physicians. In addition, group debriefing
      sessions were conducted and field notes were collected from diabetes educators
      and diabetes education program managers to further explore the day-to-day issues
      of implementation. Data were analyzed using an inductive content analysis
      approach. RESULTS: Analysis revealed 3 main themes: Right Place, Right Time,
      Right Service: the convenience and comfort of local care, timely, preventive
      management and delivering person-centred care; Creating Partnerships: generating
      intervention buy-in, formal discussion, service agreements, site orientation and
      team development; Operational Complexities and Strategies: access to electronic
      medical records and documentation, referral and scheduling procedures, and costs
      and resources. CONCLUSIONS: Because situating diabetes teams in primary care
      currently involves using existing healthcare structures and human resources,
      pragmatic methods of fostering successful implementation of this model of
      practice are required. The utility of this model was perceived as being viable,
      and benefits were visible to all study participants. Strategies to facilitate
      implementation include outlining roles and expectations by educators and the
      primary care providers' team in the beginning, investment in the intervention by
      all stakeholders, and clear channels of communication that allow educators to
      perform their roles and leverage opportunities for team collaboration in patient
      care. Further evaluation of implementation processes can serve to expand this
      model of practice, which has proven so far to be favourable to the players
      involved.

PMID- 26482886
TI  - An Innovative Home-Based Cardiovascular Lifestyle Prevention Program for Women
      With Recent Gestational Diabetes: A Pilot Feasibility Study.

PMID- 26482879
TI  - Multi-ancestry genome-wide association study of 21,000 cases and 95,000 controls
      identifies new risk loci for atopic dermatitis.
AB  - Genetic association studies have identified 21 loci associated with atopic
      dermatitis risk predominantly in populations of European ancestry. To identify
      further susceptibility loci for this common, complex skin disease, we performed a
      meta-analysis of >15 million genetic variants in 21,399 cases and 95,464 controls
      from populations of European, African, Japanese and Latino ancestry, followed by
      replication in 32,059 cases and 228,628 controls from 18 studies. We identified
      ten new risk loci, bringing the total number of known atopic dermatitis risk loci
      to 31 (with new secondary signals at four of these loci). Notably, the new loci
      include candidate genes with roles in the regulation of innate host defenses and
      T cell function, underscoring the important contribution of (auto)immune
      mechanisms to atopic dermatitis pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26482887
TI  - Nine-year Follow-up for a Study of Diffusion-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging
      in a Prospective Prostate Cancer Active Surveillance Cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In active surveillance (AS) for prostate cancer there are few data on
      long-term outcomes associated with novel imaging markers. OBJECTIVE: To determine
      long-term outcomes with respect to the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)
      derived from diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) in a
      prospective AS cohort. Early results have already been published; we now present
      findings with long-term follow-up. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A subset of
      patients (n=86) underwent pre-enrolment DW-MRI in a prospective AS study between
      2002 and 2006. Inclusion criteria were untreated prostate cancer, clinical
      T1/T2a/N0M0, Gleason <= 3+4, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) <15 ng/ml.
      Protocol follow-up was by biopsy at 18-24 mo and then every 24 mo, with regular
      PSA measurement. INTERVENTION: Men underwent baseline DW-MRI in addition to
      standard sequences. ADC was measured from the index lesion on T2-weighted images.
      To avoid influencing treatment decisions, DW-MRI sequence results were not
      available to the AS study investigators. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL
      ANALYSIS: Baseline ADC was analysed with respect to time to radical treatment
      (TRT) and time to adverse histology (TAH). Kaplan-Meier analysis and univariate
      and multivariate regression analyses were performed. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: The
      median follow-up was 9.5 yr (interquartile range 7.9-10.0 yr). On univariate
      analysis, ADC below the median was associated with shorter TAH (hazard ratio [HR]
      2.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17-3.89; p<0.014) and TRT (HR 2.54, 95% CI
      1.49-4.32; p<0.001). Median TRT was 9.3 yr (95% CI 7.0-11.6 yr) for patients with
      ADC above the median and only 2.4 yr (95% CI 1.5-6.0 yr) for ADC below the
      median. For TRT, addition of ADC to a multivariate model of baseline variables
      resulted in a significant improvement in model fit (HR 1.33, 95% CI 1.14-1.54;
      p<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis for TRT revealed an area
      under the curve of 0.80 (95% CI 0.70-0.88). The number of variables included in
      the multivariate model was limited by sample size. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term follow
      up for this study provides strong evidence that ADC is a useful marker when
      selecting patients for AS. Routine DW-MRI is now being evaluated in our ongoing
      AS study for initial assessment and as an alternative to repeat biopsy. PATIENT
      SUMMARY: Before entering a study of close monitoring for the initial management
      of prostate cancer, patients had a type of magnetic resonance imaging scan that
      looks at the movement of water within cancers. These scans may help in predicting
      whether patients should receive close monitoring or whether immediate treatment
      should be given.

PMID- 26482888
TI  - Ethylene: Traffic Controller on Hormonal Crossroads to Defense.
AB  - Ethylene (ET) is an important hormone in plant responses to microbial pathogens
      and herbivorous insects, and in the interaction of plants with beneficial
      microbes and insects. Early ET signaling events during these biotic interactions
      involve activities of mitogen-activated protein kinases and ETHYLENE RESPONSE
      FACTOR transcription factors. Rather than being the principal regulator, ET often
      modulates defense signaling pathways, including those regulated by jasmonic acid
      and salicylic acid. Hormonal signal integrations with ET steer the defense
      signaling network to activate specific defenses that can have direct effects on
      attackers, or systemically prime distant plant parts for enhanced defense against
      future attack. ET also regulates volatile signals that attract carnivorous
      enemies of herbivores or warn neighboring plants. Conversely, ET signaling can
      also be exploited by attackers to hijack the defense signaling network to
      suppress effective defenses. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the
      significant role of ET in the plants' battle against their enemies. 

PMID- 26482891
TI  - Effectiveness of an Educational Intervention on Medical Students' Knowledge About
      and Attitude Towards Electroconvulsive Therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was done to determine the effectiveness of a lecture and
      exposure to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) followed by interaction with patient,
      on medical students' knowledge about and attitude towards electroconvulsive
      therapy. METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to second year medical
      students to determine their baseline knowledge about and attitude towards
      electroconvulsive therapy. Following this, they underwent two educational
      interventions, a lecture on ECT and exposure to the procedure and interaction
      with the patient and relative, and their knowledge and attitude were reassessed
      after each intervention using the same questionnaire. RESULTS: Eighty-one
      students completed all the three assessments. Students' knowledge about ECT at
      baseline was minimal (mean 3.58 out of 12). Their knowledge increased
      significantly after the lecture (mean 10.3), and there was further increase
      following exposure to the procedure and subsequent interaction with the patient
      and relative (mean 11.1). At baseline, students had an overall negative attitude
      towards ECT. There was significant improvement on all attitude items following
      the lecture. Exposure to the procedure resulted in further improvement in
      attitude regarding whether ECT is a cruel treatment and has to be used as a last
      resort. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to ECT in lecture and clinical scenarios followed
      by interaction with the patient should be included in the undergraduate medical
      curriculum to improve students' knowledge and attitude about this safe,
      effective, and potentially lifesaving treatment modality.

PMID- 26482889
TI  - Highly Branched Xylan Made by IRREGULAR XYLEM14 and MUCILAGE-RELATED21 Links
      Mucilage to Arabidopsis Seeds.
AB  - All cells of terrestrial plants are fortified by walls composed of crystalline
      cellulose microfibrils and a variety of matrix polymers. Xylans are the second
      most abundant type of polysaccharides on Earth. Previous studies of Arabidopsis
      (Arabidopsis thaliana) irregular xylem (irx) mutants, with collapsed xylem
      vessels and dwarfed stature, highlighted the importance of this cell wall
      component and revealed multiple players required for its synthesis. Nevertheless,
      xylan elongation and substitution are complex processes that remain poorly
      understood. Recently, seed coat epidermal cells were shown to provide an
      excellent system for deciphering hemicellulose production. Using a coexpression
      and sequence-based strategy, we predicted several MUCILAGE-RELATED (MUCI) genes
      that encode glycosyltransferases (GTs) involved in the production of xylan. We
      now show that MUCI21, a member of an uncharacterized clade of the GT61 family,
      and IRX14 (GT43 protein) are essential for the synthesis of highly branched xylan
      in seed coat epidermal cells. Our results reveal that xylan is the most abundant
      xylose-rich component in Arabidopsis seed mucilage and is required to maintain
      its architecture. Characterization of muci21 and irx14 single and double mutants
      indicates that MUCI21 is a Golgi-localized protein that likely facilitates the
      addition of xylose residues directly to the xylan backbone. These unique branches
      seem to be necessary for pectin attachment to the seed surface, while the xylan
      backbone maintains cellulose distribution. Evaluation of muci21 and irx14
      alongside mutants that disrupt other wall components suggests that mucilage
      adherence is maintained by complex interactions between several polymers:
      cellulose, xylans, pectins, and glycoproteins. 

PMID- 26482890
TI  - Mixed Emotions to Near-Miss Outcomes: A Psychophysiological Study with Facial
      Electromyography.
AB  - Near-misses occur across many forms of gambling and are rated as unpleasant while
      simultaneously increasing the motivation to continue playing. On slot machines,
      the icon position relative to the payline moderates the effects of near-misses,
      with near-misses before the payline increasing motivation, and near-misses after
      the payline being rated as aversive. Near-misses are also known to increase
      physiological arousal compared to full-misses, but physiological measures to date
      have not been able to dissociate positive and negative emotional responses. The
      present study measured facial electromyography at the corrugator (brow) and
      zygomaticus (cheek) sites, as well as electrodermal activity (EDA), following
      gambling outcomes on a two-reel slot machine simulation in 77 novice gamblers.
      Behavioral data was collected using trial-by-trial ratings of motivation and
      valence. Wins were rated as more pleasant and increased motivation to continue
      playing, compared to non-win outcomes. Wins were also accompanied by increased
      EDA and zygomaticus activity. Near-misses after the payline were rated as more
      aversive than other non-wins, and this was accompanied by increased EDA and
      zygomaticus activity. Near-misses before the payline increased motivation to
      continue playing, and were accompanied by increased EDA. Thus, both subjective
      and physiological responses to near-misses differ for events falling either side
      of the payline. The 'near-miss effect' is not a unitary phenomenon. Facial EMG
      has differential sensitivity to positive and negative valence and may be a useful
      measure for future studies of gambling behavior. 

PMID- 26482892
TI  - Factors associated with latency period in preterm prelabor rupture of membranes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors associated with prolonged latency periods in
      preterm prelabor rupture of membrane (PPROM). METHODS: This retrospective study
      analyzed data from singleton pregnant women with gestational age between 28 and
      34 weeks suffering from PROM. Multivariate regression analysis was used to
      evaluate the association between the factors and latency period >= 2 and >= 7
      days. RESULTS: A total of 231 cases of PPROM were included. Prolong latency
      period >=2 and 7 days were achieved in 141 (61%) and 54 (23.4%) cases. Higher
      gestational age at PPROM and cervical dilatation >2 cm were associated with a
      shorter latency period <2 days. Multiparity and presence of uterine contraction
      at admission were associated with a shorter latency period <7 days. Prophylactic
      antibiotics [odds ratio (ORs) 6.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.0-14.89], and
      tocolysis (ORs 2.74, 95%CI 1.25-6.02) were factors associated with latency period
      >= 2 days. Only prophylactic antibiotics (ORs 7.7, 95%CI 2.54-23.34) was a factor
      associated with latency period >=7 days. CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic antibiotics
      and tocolysis are two major factors associated with latency period >=2 days in
      PPROM, where prophylactic antibiotics is the main factor associated with latency
      period >=7 days in PPROM.

PMID- 26482893
TI  - Effects of mild hypoxia in aviation on mood and complex cognition.
AB  - Thirty six volunteer air force personnel were sequentially exposed in a
      randomized balanced order in a hypobaric chamber to 30 min of baseline (sea
      level) and mild hypoxia induced by a specified altitude (sea level, 8000 ft and
      12,000 ft), followed immediately by breathing 100% oxygen from an oro-nasal mask.
      Mood and complex cognition were assessed. Analysis of variance indicated that
      mood (fatigue and vigour) remained the same at 8000 ft but fatigue was increased
      (p = 0.001) and vigour reduced (p = 0.035) at 12,000 ft and was restored by
      supplementary oxygen. Complex cognition was not significantly altered by the test
      conditions. The results of this study do not support prior evidence that mild
      hypoxia equivalent to either 8000 or 12,000 ft, impairs complex cognition, but
      suggests that some aspects of mood may be affected at 12,000 ft and can be
      restored by breathing 100% oxygen.

PMID- 26482894
TI  - Designing Fatigue Warning Systems: The perspective of professional drivers.
AB  - Professional drivers have been characterized as experiencing heavy fatigue
      resulting from long driving time in their daily work. This study aimed to explore
      the potential demand of Fatigue Warning Systems (FWSs) among professional drivers
      as a means of reducing the danger of fatigue driving and to examine their
      opinions regarding the design of FWSs. Six focus groups with 35 participants and
      a questionnaire survey with 600 respondents were conducted among Chinese truck
      and taxi drivers to collect qualitative and quantitative data concerning the
      current situation of fatigue driving and opinions regarding the design of FWSs.
      The results revealed that both truck and taxi drivers had a positive attitude
      toward FWSs, and they hoped this system could not only monitor and warn them
      regarding their fatigue but also somewhat relieve their fatigue before they could
      stop and rest. As for warning signals, participants preferred auditory warnings,
      as opposed to visual, vibrotactile or electric stimuli. Interestingly, it was
      proposed that verbal warnings involving the information regarding consequences of
      fatigue driving or the wishes of drivers' family members would be more effective.
      Additionally, different warning patterns, including graded, single and continuous
      warnings, were discussed in the focus group. Finally, the participants proposed
      many other suggestions, as well as their concerns regarding FWSs, which will
      provide valuable information for companies who wish to develop FWSs for
      professional drivers.

PMID- 26482895
TI  - Predictors of Renal Denervation Efficacy in the Treatment of Resistant
      Hypertension.
AB  - The aims of the study were to evaluate the effects of renal sympathetic
      denervation (RSD) on the heart and to identify the predictors of RSD efficacy in
      patients with resistant arterial hypertension. The study comprised 60 RSD
      patients (54.6 +/- 9.5 years) who received full-dose antihypertensive therapy
      (4.1 drugs) including diuretics. Initially, 58.6% of patients had abnormal left
      ventricular (LV) diastolic function. All patients received echocardiography
      before and 24 weeks after RSD. Renal sympathetic denervation was achieved through
      the endovascular radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the renal arteries. Drug
      therapy continued for the entire period of observation. After RSD, all patients
      were retrospectively assigned to two groups: group 1 comprised patients (n = 22;
      36.7%) in whom the myocardial mass (MM) of the left ventricle decreased by more
      than 10 g after RSD; group 2 comprised patients (n = 38; 63.3%) in whom LV MM
      increased or decreased by less than 10 g. Anthropometry, arterial blood pressure,
      heart rate, therapy, and LV end-diastolic dimensions (EDD) were comparable in
      these groups. After RSD, the values of office blood pressure significantly
      decreased and MM regressed by more than 10 g in 36.7% of patients; LV diastolic
      function normalized in 31% of patients, and diastolic dysfunction improved in 14%
      of patients. The study found the associations between the initial LV wall
      dimensions and LV MM changes. Unlike LV EDD, arterial blood pressure, or heart
      rate, the initial values of LV wall thickness predicted LV MM regress. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: #NCT01499810 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01499810.

PMID- 26482897
TI  - Comment on "The Nature of the Fourth Bond in the Ground State of C2: The
      Quadruple Bond Conundrum".
AB  - Is it time to reconsider the whole concept of quadruple bonding? Contrary to the
      conclusion of Shaik and co-workers in Chem. Eur. J.- 2014, 20, 6220-6232, there
      is no "deviation of C2 from the Badger Rule".

PMID- 26482896
TI  - Involvement of gelsolin in TGF-beta 1 induced epithelial to mesenchymal
      transition in breast cancer cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that transforming growth factor-beta 1
      (TGF-beta1) triggers epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and facilitates
      breast cancer stem cell differentiation. Gelsolin (GSN) is a ubiquitous actin
      filament-severing protein. However, the relationship between the expression level
      of GSN and the TGF-beta signaling for EMT progression in breast cancer cells is
      not clear. RESULTS: TGF-beta1 acted on MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells by
      decreasing cell proliferation, changing cell morphology to a fibroblast-like
      shape, increasing expressions for CD44 and GSN, and increasing EMT expression and
      cell migration/invasion. Study with GSN overexpression (GSN op) in both MDA-MB231
      and MCF-7 cells demonstrated that increased GSN expression resulted in
      alterations of cell proliferation and cell cycle progression, modification of the
      actin filament assembly associated with altering cell surface elasticity and cell
      detachment in these breast cancer cells. In addition, increased cell migration
      was found in GSN op MDA-MB231 cells. Studies with GSN op and silencing by small
      interfering RNA verified that GSN could modulate the expression of vimentin.
      Sorted by flow cytometry, TGF-beta1 increased subpopulation of CD44+/CD22- cells
      increasing their expressions for GSN, Nanog, Sox2, Oct4, N-cadherin, and vimentin
      but decreasing the E-cadherin expression. Methylation specific PCR analysis
      revealed that TGF-beta1 decreased 50 % methylation but increased 3-fold
      unmethylation on the GSN promoter in CD44+/CD22- cells. Two DNA
      methyltransferases, DNMT1 and DNMT3B were also inhibited by TGF-beta1.
      CONCLUSIONS: TGF-beta1 induced epigenetic modification of GSN could alter the EMT
      process in breast cancer cells.

PMID- 26482898
TI  - Cocaine-induced plasticity in the cerebellum of sensitised mice.
AB  - RATIONALE: Prior research has accumulated a substantial amount of evidence on the
      ability of cocaine to produce short- and long-lasting molecular and structural
      plasticity in the corticostriatal-limbic circuitry. However, traditionally, the
      cerebellum has not been included in the addiction circuitry, even though growing
      evidence supports its involvement in the behavioural changes observed after
      repeated drug experiences. OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we explored the
      ability of seven cocaine administrations to alter plasticity in the cerebellar
      vermis. METHODS: After six cocaine injections, one injection every 48 h, mice
      remained undisturbed for 1 month in their home cages. Following this withdrawal
      period, they received a new cocaine injection of a lower dose. Locomotion,
      behavioural stereotypes and several molecular and structural cerebellar
      parameters were evaluated. RESULTS: Cerebellar proBDNF and mature BDNF levels
      were both enhanced by cocaine. The high BDNF expression was associated with
      dendritic sprouting and increased terminal size in Purkinje neurons.
      Additionally, we found a reduction in extracellular matrix components that might
      facilitate the subsequent remodelling of Purkinje-nuclear neuron synapses.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although speculative, it is possible that these cocaine-dependent
      cerebellar changes were incubated during withdrawal and manifested by the last
      drug injection. Importantly, the present findings indicate that cocaine is able
      to promote plasticity modifications in the cerebellum of sensitised animals
      similar to those in the basal ganglia.

PMID- 26482899
TI  - Preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is an independent prognostic marker
      in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been shown to be associated
      with prognosis in various solid tumors. This study aimed to evaluate the
      prognostic role of NLR in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC).
      METHODS: A total of 141 LSCC patients were retrospectively reviewed. Patients'
      demographics were analyzed along with clinical and pathologic data. The optimal
      cutoff value of NLR was determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC)
      curve analysis. The impact of the NLR and other potential prognostic factors on
      disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was assessed using the
      Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: The
      optimal cutoff value of the NLR was 2.17. In the NLR <= 2.17 group, the 1-, 3-,
      and 5-year DFS rates were 88.2, 73.9 and 69.1 %, respectively, while in the NLR >
      2.17 group, the DFS rates were 83.0, 54.6 and 49.2 %, respectively.
      Correspondingly, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 98.9, 85.1 and 77.4 % in
      the NLR <= 2.17 group and 97.9, 63.8 and 53.3 % in the NLR > 2.17 group,
      respectively. The multivariate Cox proportional hazard model analysis showed that
      NLR > 2.17 was a prognostic factor for both DFS [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.869; 95 %
      confidence interval (CI) 1.078-3.243; P = 0.026] and OS (HR =2.177; 95 % CI 1.208
      3.924; P = 0.010). CONCLUSION: Our results showed that elevated preoperative NLR
      was an independent predictor of poor prognosis for patients with LSCC after
      surgical resection.

PMID- 26482900
TI  - Augmentation with an ovine forestomach matrix scaffold improves histological
      outcomes of rotator cuff repair in a rat model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rotator cuff tears can cause significant pain and functional
      impairment. Without surgical repair, the rotator cuff has little healing
      potential, and following surgical repair, they are highly prone to re-rupture.
      Augmenting such repairs with a biomaterial scaffold has been suggested as a
      potential solution. Extracellular matrix (ECM)-based scaffolds are the most
      commonly used rotator cuff augments, although to date, reports on their success
      are variable. Here, we utilize pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo assays to assess
      the efficacy of a novel biomaterial scaffold, ovine forestomach extracellular
      matrix (OFM), in augmenting rotator cuff repair. METHODS: OFM was assessed in
      vitro for primary tenocyte growth and adherence, and for immunogenicity using an
      assay of primary human dendritic cell activation. In vivo, using a murine model,
      supraspinatus tendon repairs were carried out in 34 animals. Augmentation with
      OFM was compared to sham surgery and unaugmented control. At 6- and 12-week time
      points, the repairs were analysed biomechanically for strength of repair and
      histologically for quality of healing. RESULTS: OFM supported tenocyte growth in
      vitro and did not cause an immunogenic response. Augmentation with OFM improved
      the quality of healing of the repaired tendon, with no evidence of excessive
      inflammatory response. However, there was no biomechanical advantage of
      augmentation. CONCLUSIONS: The ideal rotator cuff tendon augment has not yet been
      identified or clinically implemented. ECM scaffolds offer a promising solution to
      a difficult clinical problem. Here, we have shown improved histological healing
      with OFM augmentation. Identifying materials that offset the poorer mechanical
      properties of the rotator cuff post-injury/repair and enhance organised tendon
      healing will be paramount to incorporating augmentation into surgical treatment
      of the rotator cuff.

PMID- 26482901
TI  - Is Cronbach's alpha sufficient for assessing the reliability of the OSCE for an
      internal medicine course?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The number of medical students accepted into medical programs is
      increasing, which has made the traditional long/short case style of examination
      difficult to conduct. At Dammam University, the program is shifting to the use of
      the Objective Structural Clinical Examination (OSCE), which may solve some of
      these difficulties, including issues with reliability, validity index and exam
      duration. RESULTS: A pilot study was conducted over one semester. A total of 207
      examinees in three groups took the OSCE and written exams. The OSCE consisted of
      18 clinical stations and required 3-4.3 h/day. The written exam contained 80
      multiple-choice questions. The Cronbach's alpha for each group was 0.7, 0.8, and
      0.9. Correlations for all stations ranged from 0.7 to 0.8, which indicated good
      stability and internal consistency with minor differences in the progression of
      the indexes. The reliability of the written exam was 0.79, and the validity of
      the OSCE was 0.63, as assessed using Pearson's correlation. CONCLUSION: No single
      reliability index can be considered a perfect assessment tool to solve this
      issue. Thus, at least two to three indexes should be used to ensure the
      reliability of the OSCE.

PMID- 26482902
TI  - The safety and tolerability profile of therapies for the prevention and treatment
      of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
AB  - At a time when the prevalence of osteoporosis and related fractures is
      increasing, initiation and continuation of pharmacologic therapies for prevention
      and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis have declined. This decline has been
      at least in part attributable to concerns about safety of these agents, such as
      atypical fractures with bisphosphonates and breast cancer with estrogen/progestin
      therapy, particularly when they are used long term by older women. However, in
      many cases, absolute risk of serious adverse effects is small and should be
      balanced against the larger potential for fracture reduction. Here, we review the
      safety and tolerability of available therapies for postmenopausal osteoporosis.
      Taking into consideration their relative efficacy, we also provide strategies for
      optimization of the risk:benefit ratio. 

PMID- 26482903
TI  - Acute and short-term changes in visual function with multifocal soft contact lens
      wear in young adults.
AB  - PURPOSE: To characterise the effects on accommodation and binocular vision in
      young adults of 2 distance centre multifocal soft contact lenses (MFSCLs),
      differing in add power. METHODS: Twenty-four young adult myopes (18-28 years; 20
      females, 4 males) had baseline visual acuity, accommodation, near phoria,
      fixation disparity and stereopsis data collected with single vision (SV) SCLs.
      The same set of measurements was repeated immediately after subjects were fitted
      with each of two MFSCLs (with either +1.50 or +3.00 D add), and after 2 weeks of
      daily wear in each case. The order of testing was randomised and a one-week
      washout period was allowed between the first and second MFSCL trials. RESULTS:
      Differences in distance and near acuities with MFSCLs compared to SVSCLs were
      small and clinically insignificant. Compared to responses with SVSCLs, MFSCLs
      increased accommodative lags with this change reaching statistical significance
      for the +1.50 D add lens. Furthermore, both MFSCLs induced significant shifts in
      near phorias in the exo direction. Finally, there were no significant differences
      in stereopsis and fixation disparity with MFSCLs compared to SVSCLs. CONCLUSION:
      Differences in acuities, accommodation accuracy and binocular posture with MFSCLs
      compared to SVSCLs were clinically small and mostly not significant. These
      results predict good tolerance of MFSCLs in young patients fitted with them for
      myopia control.

PMID- 26482904
TI  - Association of hypoadiponectemia with smokeless/dipping tobacco use in young men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low levels of adiponectin, an adipocytokine with anti-diabetic,
      antiatherogenic and cardioprotective properties, is associated with increased
      risk of coronary disease in young men. Previous studies have demonstrated that
      smokeless tobacco is linked with a reduction of plasma adiponectin levels.
      However, the influence of smokeless tobacco (dipping tobacco) on plasma
      adiponectin levels still remains unknown. This study was conducted to assess the
      plasma adiponectin levels in young men who were using dipping tobacco. METHODS:
      This was a community based study, which consisted of 186 young lean healthy males
      aged 20 to 35 years. Among these, 96 men were dipping tobacco users (BMI = 23.07
      +/- 2.68) and 90 were non-dipping tobacco users (BMI = 23.67 +/- 1.46). Serum
      adiponectin levels were assessed by Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA).
      RESULTS: A statistically significant difference in the mean adiponectin level
      between tobacco dipper and non-dipper groups was observed (p = 0.0001). A
      significant difference between the two groups was also observed in baseline
      parameters including triglyceride and random blood sugar levels (p < 0.05).
      However, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in other
      clinical parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study suggest that dipping
      tobacco use was significantly associated with low level of adiponetin in
      community dwelling young males. This emphasizes the importance of developing
      community intervention to reduce the use of dipping tobacco, which will reduce
      the tobacco associated disease burden in the community and will improve public
      health.

PMID- 26482906
TI  - Limited effect of mild therapeutic hypothermia on outcome after prolonged
      resuscitation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mild therapeutic hypothermia interferes with multiple cascades of the
      ischaemia/reperfusion injury that is known as primary mechanism for brain damage
      after cardiac arrest. First resuscitation attempts and the duration of
      resuscitation efforts will initiate and aggravate this pathophysiology. Therefore
      we investigated the interaction between the duration of basic and advanced life
      support and outcome after cardiac arrest in patients treated with or without mild
      therapeutic hypothermia. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included
      patients 18 years of age or older suffering a witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac
      arrest with presumed cardiac cause, which remained comatose after restoration of
      spontaneous circulation. The basic and advanced life support 'low-flow' time,
      categorized into four quartiles (0-11, 12-17, 18-28, >= 29 min), was correlated
      with neurological outcome. RESULTS: Out of 1103 patients 613 were cooled to a
      target temperature of 33 +/- 1  degrees C for 24h. In the three quartiles with
      'low-flow' time up to 28 min cooling was associated with >2-fold odds of
      favourable neurological outcome. In the fourth quartile with 'low-flow' time of
      >= 29 min cooling had no influence on neurological outcome (OR: 0.73; 95% CI:
      0.38-1.4, test for interaction p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The duration of resuscitation
      efforts, defined as 'low-flow' time, influences the effectiveness of mild
      therapeutic hypothermia in terms of neurologic outcome. Patients with low to
      moderate 'low-flow' time benefit most from this treatment.

PMID- 26482905
TI  - Within-host microevolution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Italian cystic fibrosis
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major cause of
      morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, and a more complete
      understanding of P. aeruginosa within-host genomic evolution, transmission, and
      population genomics may provide a basis for improving intervention strategies.
      Here, we report the first genomic analysis of P. aeruginosa isolates sampled from
      Italian CF patients. RESULTS: By genome sequencing of 26 isolates sampled over 19
      years from four patients, we elucidated the within-host evolution of clonal
      lineages in each individual patient. Many of the identified mutations were
      located in pathoadaptive genes previously associated with host adaptation, and we
      correlated mutations with changes in CF-relevant phenotypes such as antibiotic
      resistance. In addition, the genomic analysis revealed that three patients shared
      the same clone. Furthermore, we compared the genomes of the Italian CF isolates
      to a panel of genome sequenced strains of P. aeruginosa from other countries.
      Isolates from two of the Italian lineages belonged to clonal complexes of P.
      aeruginosa that have previously been identified in Danish CF patients, and our
      genomic comparison showed that clonal isolates from the same country may be more
      distantly related than clonal isolates from different countries. CONCLUSIONS:
      This is the first whole-genome analysis of P. aeruginosa isolated from Italian CF
      patients, and together with both phenotypic and clinical information this dataset
      facilitates a more detailed understanding of P. aeruginosa within-host genomic
      evolution, transmission, and population genomics. We conclude that the evolution
      of the Italian lineages resembles what has been found in other countries.

PMID- 26482907
TI  - Residual position errors of lymph node surrogates in breast cancer adjuvant
      radiotherapy: Comparison of two arm fixation devices and the effect of arm
      position correction.
AB  - Residual position errors of the lymph node (LN) surrogates and humeral head (HH)
      were determined for 2 different arm fixation devices in radiotherapy (RT) of
      breast cancer: a standard wrist-hold (WH) and a house-made rod-hold (RH). The
      effect of arm position correction (APC) based on setup images was also
      investigated. A total of 113 consecutive patients with early-stage breast cancer
      with LN irradiation were retrospectively analyzed (53 and 60 using the WH and RH,
      respectively). Residual position errors of the LN surrogates (Th1-2 and clavicle)
      and the HH were investigated to compare the 2 fixation devices. The position
      errors and setup margins were determined before and after the APC to investigate
      the efficacy of the APC in the treatment situation. A threshold of 5mm was used
      for the residual errors of the clavicle and Th1-2 to perform the APC, and a
      threshold of 7mm was used for the HH. The setup margins were calculated with the
      van Herk formula. Irradiated volumes of the HH were determined from RT treatment
      plans. With the WH and the RH, setup margins up to 8.1 and 6.7mm should be used
      for the LN surrogates, and margins up to 4.6 and 3.6mm should be used to spare
      the HH, respectively, without the APC. After the APC, the margins of the LN
      surrogates were equal to or less than 7.5/6.0mm with the WH/RH, but margins up to
      4.2/2.9mm were required for the HH. The APC was needed at least once with both
      the devices for approximately 60% of the patients. With the RH, irradiated volume
      of the HH was approximately 2 times more than with the WH, without any dose
      constraints. Use of the RH together with the APC resulted in minimal residual
      position errors and setup margins for all the investigated bony landmarks. Based
      on the obtained results, we prefer the house-made RH. However, more attention
      should be given to minimize the irradiation of the HH with the RH than with the
      WH. 

PMID- 26482909
TI  - Genome-wide DNA methylation detection by MethylCap-seq and Infinium
      HumanMethylation450 BeadChips: an independent large-scale comparison.
AB  - Two cost-efficient genome-scale methodologies to assess DNA-methylation are
      MethylCap-seq and Illumina's Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChips (HM450).
      Objective information regarding the best-suited methodology for a specific
      research question is scant. Therefore, we performed a large-scale evaluation on a
      set of 70 brain tissue samples, i.e. 65 glioblastoma and 5 non-tumoral tissues.
      As MethylCap-seq coverages were limited, we focused on the inherent capacity of
      the methodology to detect methylated loci rather than a quantitative analysis.
      MethylCap-seq and HM450 data were dichotomized and performances were compared
      using a gold standard free Bayesian modelling procedure. While conditional
      specificity was adequate for both approaches, conditional sensitivity was
      systematically higher for HM450. In addition, genome-wide characteristics were
      compared, revealing that HM450 probes identified substantially fewer regions
      compared to MethylCap-seq. Although results indicated that the latter method can
      detect more potentially relevant DNA-methylation, this did not translate into the
      discovery of more differentially methylated loci between tumours and controls
      compared to HM450. Our results therefore indicate that both methodologies are
      complementary, with a higher sensitivity for HM450 and a far larger genome-wide
      coverage for MethylCap-seq, but also that a more comprehensive character does not
      automatically imply more significant results in biomarker studies. 

PMID- 26482908
TI  - Integrated analysis of the local and systemic changes preceding the development
      of post-partum cytological endometritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The regulation of endometrial inflammation has important consequences
      for the resumption of bovine fertility postpartum. All cows experience bacterial
      influx into the uterus after calving; however a significant proportion fail to
      clear infection leading to the development of cytological endometritis (CE) and
      compromised fertility. We hypothesised that early immunological changes could not
      only act as potential prognostic biomarkers for the subsequent development of
      disease but also shed light on the pathogenesis of endometritis in the postpartum
      dairy cow. METHODS: Endometrial biopsy RNA was extracted from 15 cows at 7 and 21
      days postpartum (DPP), using the Qiagen RNeasy((r)) Plus Mini kit and quality
      determined using an Agilent 2100 bioanalyser. Disease status was determined by
      histpathology based on inflammatory cell infiltrate. RNA-seq of both mRNA and
      miRNA libraries were performed on an Illumina(r) HiSeq(TM) 2000. Paired reads
      were aligned to the bovine genome with Bowtie2 and differentially expressed genes
      were identified using EdgeR. Significantly over-represented Gene Ontology terms
      were identified using GO-seq, and pathway analysis was performed using KEGG.
      Quanititative real-time PCR was also performed for validation (ABI 7500 fast).
      Haematology was assessed using an automated ADVIA 2120 analyser. Serum proteins
      were evaluated by ELISA and metabolite analysis was performed using a Beckman
      Coulter AU 400 clinical analyser. Terminal-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism (T-RFLP) was used to obtain fingerprints of the microbial
      communities present. RESULTS: Next-generation sequencing from endometrial
      biopsies taken at 7 DPP identified significant induction of inflammatory gene
      expression in all cows. Despite the common inflammatory profile and enrichment of
      the Toll-like receptor and NFkappaB pathways, 73 genes and 31 miRNAs were
      significantly differentially expressed between healthy cows (HC, n = 9) and cows
      which subsequently developed CE at 7 DPP (n = 6, FDR < 0.1). While significant
      differential expression of 4197 genes in the transcriptome of healthy cows
      between 7 and 21 DPP showed the transition from a proinflammatory to tissue
      profliferation and repair, only 31 genes were differentially expressed in cows
      with CE (FDR < 0.1), indicating the arrest of such a transition. A link betwene
      the dysregulated inflammatory response and the composition of the uterine
      microbial communities was suggested by the presence of significant differences in
      uterine bacterial tRFLP profiles between HC and CE groups. Furthermore,
      inflammatory activity was not confined to the uterus; decreased circulating
      granulocytes and increased Acute Phase Protein (SAA and HP) expression levels
      were detected in plasma at 7 DPP in cows that developed CE. CONCLUSION: Our data
      suggests that the IL1 and IL17 inflammatory cascade activated early postpartum is
      resolved thereby restoring homeostasis in healthy cows by 21 DPP, but this
      transition fails to occur in cows which develop CE. Despite a common early
      inflammatory profile, elevated and differential expression of specific immune
      genes may identify cows at risk of prolonged inflammation and the development of
      CE postpartum.

PMID- 26482910
TI  - The effects of the monoamine stabilizer (-)-OSU6162 on craving in alcohol
      dependent individuals: A human laboratory study.
AB  - Alcohol dependence is associated with a dysregulated dopamine system modulating
      reward, craving and cognition. The monoamine stabilizer (-)-OSU6162 (OSU6162) can
      counteract both hyper- and hypo-dopaminergic states and we recently demonstrated
      that it attenuates alcohol-mediated behaviors in long-term drinking rats. The
      present Phase II exploratory human laboratory study investigated to our knowledge
      for the first time the effects of OSU6162 on cue- and priming-induced craving in
      alcohol dependent individuals. Fifty-six alcohol dependent individuals were
      randomized to a 14-day-treatment period of OSU6162 or placebo after their
      baseline impulsivity levels had been determined using the Stop Signal Task. On
      Day 15, participants were subjected to a laboratory alcohol craving test
      comprised of craving sessions induced by: i) active - alcohol specific cues, ii)
      neutral stimuli and iii) priming - intake of an alcoholic beverage (0.20g
      ethanol/kg bodyweight). Subjective ratings of alcohol craving were assessed using
      the shortened version of the Desire for Alcohol Questionnaire and visual analog
      scales (VAS). OSU6162 treatment had no significant effect on cue-induced alcohol
      craving, but significantly attenuated priming-induced craving. Exploratory
      analysis revealed that this effect was driven by the individuals with high
      baseline impulsivity. In addition, OSU6162 significantly blunted the subjective
      liking of the consumed alcohol (VAS). Although the present 14-day-treatment
      period, showed that OSU6162 was safe and well tolerated, this exploratory human
      laboratory study was not designed to evaluate the efficacy of OSU6162 to affect
      alcohol consumption. Thus a larger placebo-controlled efficacyclinical trial is
      needed to further investigate the potential of OSU6162 as a novel medication for
      alcohol dependence. 

PMID- 26482911
TI  - No evidence for the presence of neuronal surface autoantibodies in plasma of
      patients with schizophrenia.
AB  - The immune system has been implicated in the etiology of schizophrenia.
      Autoimmunity by antibodies against neuronal cell surface antigens has been
      proposed as one of the pathological mechanisms. We examined plasma samples of 104
      patients diagnosed with schizophrenia for the presence of autoantibodies against
      neuronal cell surface antigens using cultured hippocampal neurons and transfected
      HeLa cells. None of the samples tested positive for the presence of these
      autoantibodies. Based on our results it seems unlikely that autoantibodies
      against neuronal cell surface antigens play a role in the pathogenesis of
      schizophrenia, although further studies using cerebrospinal fluid are needed. 

PMID- 26482912
TI  - A Survey of DICOM Viewer Software to Integrate Clinical Research and Medical
      Imaging.
AB  - The digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) protocol is the
      leading standard for image data management in healthcare. Imaging biomarkers and
      image-based surrogate endpoints in clinical trials and medical registries require
      DICOM viewer software with advanced functionality for visualization and
      interfaces for integration. In this paper, a comprehensive evaluation of 28 DICOM
      viewers is performed. The evaluation criteria are obtained from application
      scenarios in clinical research rather than patient care. They include (i)
      platform, (ii) interface, (iii) support, (iv) two-dimensional (2D), and (v) three
      dimensional (3D) viewing. On the average, 4.48 and 1.43 of overall 8 2D and 5 3D
      image viewing criteria are satisfied, respectively. Suitable DICOM interfaces for
      central viewing in hospitals are provided by GingkoCADx, MIPAV, and OsiriX Lite.
      The viewers ImageJ, MicroView, MIPAV, and OsiriX Lite offer all included 3D
      rendering features for advanced viewing. Interfaces needed for decentral viewing
      in web-based systems are offered by Oviyam, Weasis, and Xero. Focusing on open
      source components, MIPAV is the best candidate for 3D imaging as well as DICOM
      communication. Weasis is superior for workflow optimization in clinical trials.
      Our evaluation shows that advanced visualization and suitable interfaces can also
      be found in the open source field and not only in commercial products. 

PMID- 26482913
TI  - Gender and motor competence affects perceived likelihood and importance of
      physical activity outcomes among 14 year olds.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Perceptions of the effects of physical activity could facilitate or
      deter future participation. This study explored the differences between gender
      and motor competence at 14 years of age in the perceptions of likelihood and
      importance of physical activity outcomes. METHOD: The sample comprised 1582 14
      year-old adolescents (769 girls) from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort
      (Raine) Study. Four motor competence groups were formed from a standardized
      Neuromuscular Developmental Index score (McCarron 1997). Perceptions of the
      likelihood and the importance of 15 physical activity outcomes were measured by a
      questionnaire developed for the NSW Schools Fitness and Physical Activity Survey
      (Booth et al. 1997). Gender (two) * motor competence (four) analyses of variance
      and Tukey post hoc were conducted on outcome scores (P < 0.02) using SPSS version
      17. RESULTS: Gender differences were found in the perceived likelihood and
      importance of physical activity outcomes within competition, social friendships
      and injury domains. Motor competence was significant in the perceived likelihood
      of physical health (P < 0.001), psychosocial (P < 0.009) and competition (P <
      0.002) outcomes, with lower perceptions by the least competent groups.
      Significantly lower importance was perceived for academic outcomes for 14 year
      olds categorized with low compared with high motor competence (P < 0.005).
      Regardless of motor competence and gender, the same health and fun outcomes were
      ranked the highest in likelihood and the highest in importance. CONCLUSION:
      Although level of motor competence at 14 years affected the perceived likelihood
      of health, social and fun outcomes from future participation in physical
      activity, adolescents highly valued these outcomes, whereas gender affected
      competition and winning, outcomes that were less valued. Physical activity that
      promotes these key and valued outcomes may encourage young people's ongoing
      involvement in physical activity, especially for those at risk of low
      participation.

PMID- 26482914
TI  - Osteomyelitis of the hand.
AB  - Osteomyelitis of the hand is uncommon, but if not adequately and promptly treated
      the detrimental effects on hand function can be devastating. The majority of
      literature on osteomyelitis relates to the lower limb, but the principles of
      management are applicable to the hand, with good surgical debridement and culture
      guided antimicrobial therapy. For osteomyelitis in general, antibiotic therapy of
      4-6 weeks' duration (intravenous and/or oral) is typically recommended. In the
      hand, length and mode of antibiotic administration are still under study. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: V.

PMID- 26482915
TI  - What more can we learn from early learning theory? The contemporary relevance for
      behaviour change interventions.

PMID- 26482916
TI  - [Drug treatment of agitation in emergency departments: The case of elderly
      persons. Letter to the article: "Drug management of agitation in emergency
      departments: Theoretical recommendations and studies of practices"].

PMID- 26482917
TI  - Y-chromosome diversity suggests southern origin and Paleolithic backwave
      migration of Austro-Asiatic speakers from eastern Asia to the Indian
      subcontinent.
AB  - Analyses of an Asian-specific Y-chromosome lineage (O2a1-M95)--the dominant
      paternal lineage in Austro-Asiatic (AA) speaking populations, who are found on
      both sides of the Bay of Bengal--led to two competing hypothesis of this group's
      geographic origin and migratory routes. One hypothesis posits the origin of the
      AA speakers in India and an eastward dispersal to Southeast Asia, while the other
      places an origin in Southeast Asia with westward dispersal to India. Here, we
      collected samples of AA-speaking populations from mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA)
      and southern China, and genotyped 16 Y-STRs of 343 males who belong to the O2a1
      M95 lineage. Combining our samples with previous data, we analyzed both the Y
      chromosome and mtDNA diversities. We generated a comprehensive picture of the
      O2a1-M95 lineage in Asia. We demonstrated that the O2a1-M95 lineage originated in
      the southern East Asia among the Daic-speaking populations ~20-40 thousand years
      ago and then dispersed southward to Southeast Asia after the Last Glacial Maximum
      before moving westward to the Indian subcontinent. This migration resulted in the
      current distribution of this Y-chromosome lineage in the AA-speaking populations.
      Further analysis of mtDNA diversity showed a different pattern, supporting a
      previously proposed sex-biased admixture of the AA-speaking populations in India.

PMID- 26482918
TI  - The virucidal effects against murine norovirus and feline calicivirus F4 as
      surrogates for human norovirus by the different additive concentrations of
      ethanol-based sanitizers.
AB  - Since human norovirus is non-cultivable, murine norovirus and feline calicivirus
      have been used as surrogates. In this study, the virucidal effects of ethanol
      based sanitizers with different concentrations of additives (malic acid/sodium
      malate, glycerin-fatty acid ester) against murine norovirus and feline
      calicivirus F4 were examined. The ethanol-based sanitizers at pH 7 showed
      sufficient virucidal effects, but glycerin-fatty acid ester included in ethanol
      based sanitizers at pH 4 or 6 reduced the virucidal effects against murine
      norovirus. The ethanol-based sanitizers containing malic acid/sodium malate
      inactivated feline calicivirus F4 in shorter time, but there is no difference
      between ethanol-based sanitizers with and without glycerin-fatty acid ester.
      Traditionally, feline calicivirus has been used for long time as a surrogate
      virus for human norovirus. However, this study suggested that murine norovirus
      and feline calicivirus F4 had different sensitivity with the additive components
      of ethanol-based sanitizers. Therefore, using feline calicivirus alone as a
      surrogate for human norovirus may not be sufficient to evaluate the virucidal
      effect of sanitizers on food-borne infections caused by human norovirus.
      Sanitizers having virucidal effects against at least both murine norovirus and
      feline calicivirus may be more suitable to inactivate human norovirus. 

PMID- 26482919
TI  - First report of iliacus abscess caused by Salmonella enterica serovar
      Othmarschen.
AB  - The non-typhoidal bacterium Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar
      Othmarschen (Salmonella Othmarschen) is a rare human pathogen. Abscess formation
      due to non-typhoidal Salmonella infections is a very rare complication in this
      antibiotic era. We report the first case of iliacus abscess after a short period
      of gastroenteritis which was caused by non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica
      belonging to group C1, serovar Othmarschen in a patient without any underlying
      conditions. A young female presented in our hospital complaining of pain in right
      hip joint area. She gave a history of watery diarrhea 3 days before the onset of
      pain. On examination the patient was ill-looking and there was tenderness in the
      right hip joint area. S. enterica was identified using 16S rRNA gene
      amplification by PCR and serotyped to be serovar Othmarschen from the pus sample
      of iliacus abscess. This is the first reported case of iliacus abscess due to
      Salmonella serover Othmarschen infection. Our case suggests that S. enterica
      serovar Othmarschen can cause severe focal infections associated with
      gastroenteritis. The literature on the rare association of Salmonella enterica
      and abscess formation is reviewed.

PMID- 26482921
TI  - Flexible and High Performance Supercapacitors Based on NiCo2O4for Wide
      Temperature Range Applications.
AB  - Binder free nanostructured NiCo2O4 were grown using a facile hydrothermal
      technique. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the phase purity of NiCo2O4. The
      surface morphology and microstructure of the NiCo2O4 analyzed by scanning
      electron microscopy (SEM) showed flower-like morphology composed of needle-like
      structures. The potential application of binder free NiCo2O4 as an electrode for
      supercapacitor devices was investigated using electrochemical methods. The cyclic
      voltammograms of NiCo2O4 electrode using alkaline aqueous electrolytes showed the
      presence of redox peaks suggesting pseudocapacitance behavior. Quasi-solid state
      supercapacitor device fabricated by sandwiching two NiCo2O4 electrodes and
      separating them by ion transporting layer. The performance of the device was
      tested using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge and
      electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The device showed excellent flexibility
      and cyclic stability. The temperature dependent charge storage capacity was
      measured for their variable temperature applications. Specific capacitance of the
      device was enhanced by ~150% on raising the temperature from 20 to 60  degrees C.
      Hence, the results suggest that NiCo2O4 grown under these conditions could be a
      suitable material for high performance supercapacitor devices that can be
      operated at variable temperatures. 

PMID- 26482922
TI  - 1H, 15N, and 13C chemical shift assignments of cyanobacteriochrome NpR6012g4 in
      the red-absorbing dark state.
AB  - Cyanobacteriochrome (CBCR) photosensory proteins are phytochrome homologs using
      bilin chromophores for light sensing across the visible spectrum. NpR6012g4 is a
      CBCR from Nostoc punctiforme that serves as a model for a widespread CBCR
      subfamily with red/green photocycles. We report NMR chemical shift assignments
      for both the protein backbone and side-chain resonances of the red-absorbing dark
      state of NpR6012g4 (BMRB no. 26582). 

PMID- 26482923
TI  - Backbone assignment of the N-terminal 24-kDa fragment of Escherichia coli
      topoisomerase IV ParE subunit.
AB  - Bacterial DNA topoisomerases are important drug targets due to their importance
      in DNA replication and low homology to human topoisomerases. The N-terminal 24
      kDa region of E. coli topoisomerase IV E subunit (eParE) contains the ATP binding
      pocket. Structure-based drug discovery has been proven to be an efficient way to
      develop potent ATP competitive inhibitors against ParEs. NMR spectroscopy is a
      powerful tool to understand protein and inhibitor interactions in solution. In
      this study, we report the backbone assignment for the N-terminal domain of E.
      coli ParE. The secondary structural information and the assignment will aid in
      structure-based antibacterial agents development targeting eParE.

PMID- 26482920
TI  - "TRP inflammation" relationship in cardiovascular system.
AB  - Despite considerable advances in the research and treatment, the precise
      relationship between inflammation and cardiovascular (CV) disease remains
      incompletely understood. Therefore, understanding the immunoinflammatory
      processes underlying the initiation, progression, and exacerbation of many
      cardiovascular diseases is of prime importance. The innate immune system has an
      ancient origin and is well conserved across species. Its activation occurs in
      response to pathogens or tissue injury. Recent studies suggest that altered ionic
      balance, and production of noxious gaseous mediators link to immune and
      inflammatory responses with altered ion channel expression and function. Among
      plausible candidates for this are transient receptor potential (TRP) channels
      that function as polymodal sensors and scaffolding proteins involved in many
      physiological and pathological processes. In this review, we will first focus on
      the relevance of TRP channel to both exogenous and endogenous factors related to
      innate immune response and transcription factors related to sustained
      inflammatory status. The emerging role of inflammasome to regulate innate
      immunity and its possible connection to TRP channels will also be discussed.
      Secondly, we will discuss about the linkage of TRP channels to inflammatory CV
      diseases, from a viewpoint of inflammation in a general sense which is not
      restricted to the innate immunity. These knowledge may serve to provide new
      insights into the pathogenesis of various inflammatory CV diseases and their
      novel therapeutic strategies.

PMID- 26482924
TI  - Sequential backbone resonance assignments of the E. coli dihydrofolate reductase
      Gly67Val mutant: folate complex.
AB  - Occasionally, a mutation in an exposed loop region causes a significant change in
      protein function and/or stability. A single mutation Gly67Val of E. coli
      dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) in the exposed CD loop is such an example. We have
      carried out the chemical shift assignments for H(N), N(H), C(alpha) and C(beta)
      atoms of the Gly67Val mutant of E. coli DHFR complexed with folate at pH 7.0, 35 
      degrees C, and then evaluated the H(N), N(H), C(alpha) and C(beta) chemical shift
      changes caused by the mutation. The result indicates that, while the overall
      secondary structure remains the same, the single mutation Gly67Val causes site
      specific conformational changes of the polypeptide backbone restricted around the
      adenosine-binding subdomain (residues 38-88) and not in the distant catalytic
      domain. 

PMID- 26482926
TI  - Suitability of the Quality of Life after Brain Injury Instrument for Older People
      with Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - We prospectively investigated the psychometric properties of the Quality of Life
      after Brain Injury (QOLIBRI) instrument among older patients with traumatic brain
      injury (TBI). The 37-item QOLIBRI comprises six domains (cognition, self, daily
      life and autonomy, social relationships, emotions, and physical problems). We
      recruited 333 patients >=60 years of age with TBI from the neurosurgery clinics
      and emergency departments of three hospitals in Taipei, Taiwan. The ceiling and
      floor values for most QOLIBRI domains were <5%, and the internal consistency and
      test-retest reliability ranged from 0.84 to 0.97 and 0.83 to 0.96, respectively.
      For the known-groups validity, patients with TBI attained lower scores for all
      QOLIBRI domains, except physical problems, compared with those with soft-tissue
      injuries. Patients with intact cognition who had higher levels on the Glasgow
      Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE) and the Glasgow Coma Scale, fewer limitations in
      activities of daily living, and fewer chronic conditions obtained higher scores
      for almost all the QOLIBRI domains, compared with their counterparts. For
      convergent validity, the correlation coefficients for the QOLIBRI domains and the
      selected functional measures conceptually related to that domain were all >=0.4.
      A confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the original six-domain structure
      fit the data with a comparative fit index of >=0.9. Effect sizes for changes in
      the GOSE over a 6-month follow-up period were clinically meaningful (>= 0.2) for
      all the QOLIBRI domains except emotions. For older people with TBI, the use of
      the QOLIBRI is generally appropriate, and adding the domain of environment to the
      scale would be beneficial.

PMID- 26482927
TI  - Regenerative medicine legislation in Japan for fast provision of cell therapy
      products.
AB  - A new legal framework consisting of three laws for cell-based and tissue-based
      therapies went into effect in November 2014 in Japan. Among the provisions of the
      laws, the Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, and Other Therapeutic Products Act
      (PMD Act) allows conditional and time-limited approval for regenerative medical
      products based on the ensured safety and estimated efficacy in small-scale
      clinical trials. The new legislation is expected to accelerate safe and fast
      provision of the innovative products to patients with intractable diseases. 

PMID- 26482925
TI  - Mass spectrometry-based ligand binding assays on adenosine A1 and A2A receptors.
AB  - Conventional methods to measure ligand-receptor binding parameters typically
      require radiolabeled ligands as probes. Despite the robustness of radioligand
      binding assays, they carry inherent disadvantages in terms of safety precautions,
      expensive synthesis, special lab requirements, and waste disposal. Mass
      spectrometry (MS) is a method that can selectively detect ligands without the
      need of a label. The sensitivity of MS equipment increases progressively, and
      currently, it is possible to detect low ligand quantities that are usually found
      in ligand binding assays. We developed a label-free MS ligand binding (MS
      binding) assay on the adenosine A(1) and A(2A) receptors (A(1)AR and A(2A)AR),
      which are well-characterized members of the class A G protein-coupled receptor
      (GPCR) family. Radioligand binding assays for both receptors are well
      established, and ample data is available to compare and evaluate the performance
      of an MS binding assay. 1,3-Dipropyl-8-cyclopentyl-xanthine (DPCPX) and 4-(2-((7
      amino-2-(furan-2-yl)-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]-[1,3,5]triazin-5
      yl)amino)ethyl)phenol (ZM-241,385) are high-affinity ligands selective for the
      A(1)AR and A(2A)AR, respectively. To proof the feasibility of MS binding on the
      A(1)AR and A(2A)AR, we first developed an MS detection method for unlabeled DPCPX
      and ZM-241,385. To serve as internal standards, both compounds were also
      deuterium-labeled. Subsequently, we investigated whether the two unlabeled
      compounds could substitute for their radiolabeled counterparts as marker ligands
      in binding experiments, including saturation, displacement, dissociation, and
      competition association assays. Furthermore, we investigated the accuracy of
      these assays if the use of internal standards was excluded. The results
      demonstrate the feasibility of the MS binding assay, even in the absence of a
      deuterium-labeled internal standard, and provide great promise for the further
      development of label-free assays based on MS for other GPCRs.

PMID- 26482928
TI  - Restless legs syndrome and pregnancy: prevalence, possible pathophysiological
      mechanisms and treatment.
AB  - Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sleep disorder that may be associated
      with pregnancy. Studies have found that the prevalence of RLS among pregnant
      women ranged from 10 to 34%. Typically, there is complete remission of symptoms
      soon after parturition; however, in some patients, they may continue postpartum.
      RLS has been shown to be associated with a number of complications in pregnancy
      including preeclampsia and increased incidence of Cesarean sections. Although
      multiple hypotheses have been proposed to explain this association, each
      individual hypothesis cannot completely explain the whole pathogenesis. Present
      understanding suggests that a strong family history, low serum iron and ferritin
      level, and high estrogen level during pregnancy might play important roles.
      Vitamin D deficiency and calcium metabolism may also play a role. Medical
      treatment of RLS during pregnancy is difficult and challenging considering the
      risks to mother and fetus. However, in some cases, the disease may be severe
      enough to require treatment. 

PMID- 26482929
TI  - Animal and cellular models of human disease.
AB  - In this eighteenth (2016) Annual Review Issue of The Journal of Pathology, we
      present a collection of 19 invited review articles that cover different aspects
      of cellular and animal models of disease. These include genetically-engineered
      models, chemically-induced models, naturally-occurring models, and combinations
      thereof, with the focus on recent methodological and conceptual developments
      across a wide range of human diseases.

PMID- 26482933
TI  - Spider, bacterial and fungal phospholipase D toxins make cyclic phosphate
      products.
AB  - Phospholipase D (PLD) toxins from sicariid spiders, which cause disease in
      mammals, were recently found to convert their primary substrates, sphingomyelin
      and lysophosphatidylcholine, to cyclic phospholipids. Here we show that two PLD
      toxins from pathogenic actinobacteria and ascomycete fungi, which share distant
      homology with the spider toxins, also generate cyclic phospholipids. This shared
      function supports divergent evolution of the PLD toxins from a common ancestor
      and suggests the importance of cyclic phospholipids in pathogenicity. 

PMID- 26482932
TI  - Cobra venom cytotoxins; apoptotic or necrotic agents?
AB  - Organs homeostasis is controlled by a dynamic balance between cell proliferation
      and apoptosis. Failure to induction of apoptosis has been implicated in tumor
      development. Cytotoxin-I (CTX-I) and cytotoxin-II (CTX-II) are two
      physiologically active polypeptides found in Caspian cobra venom. Anticancer
      activity and mechanism of cell death induced by these toxins have been studied.
      The toxins were purified by different chromatographic steps and their
      cytotoxicity and pattern of cell death were determined by MTT, LDH release,
      acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EtBr) double staining, flow cytometric
      analysis, caspase-3 activity and neutral red assays. The IC50 of CTX-II in MCF-7,
      HepG2, DU-145 and HL-60 was 4.1 +/- 1.3, 21.2 +/- 4.4, 9.4 +/- 1.8 MUg/mL and
      16.3 +/- 1.9 respectively while the IC50 of this toxin in normal MDCK cell line
      was 54.5 +/- 3.9 MUg/mL. LDH release suddenly increase after a specific toxins
      concentrations in all cell lines. AO/EtBr double staining, flow cytometric
      analysis and caspase-3 activity assay confirm dose and time-dependent induction
      of apoptosis by both toxins. CTX-I and CTX-II treated cells lost their lysosomal
      membrane integrity and couldn't uptake neutral red day. CTX-I and CTX-II showed
      significant anticancer activity with minimum effects on normal cells and better
      IC50 compared to current anticancer drug; cisplatin. They induce their apoptotic
      effect via lysosomal pathways and release of cathepsins to cytosol. These effects
      were seen in limited rage of toxins concentrations and pattern of cell death
      rapidly changes to necrosis by increase in toxin's concentration. In conclusion,
      significant apoptogenic effects of these toxins candidate them as a possible
      anticancer agent.

PMID- 26482930
TI  - Harnessing Connectivity in a Large-Scale Small-Molecule Sensitivity Dataset.
AB  - Identifying genetic alterations that prime a cancer cell to respond to a
      particular therapeutic agent can facilitate the development of precision cancer
      medicines. Cancer cell-line (CCL) profiling of small-molecule sensitivity has
      emerged as an unbiased method to assess the relationships between genetic or
      cellular features of CCLs and small-molecule response. Here, we developed
      annotated cluster multidimensional enrichment analysis to explore the
      associations between groups of small molecules and groups of CCLs in a new,
      quantitative sensitivity dataset. This analysis reveals insights into small
      molecule mechanisms of action, and genomic features that associate with CCL
      response to small-molecule treatment. We are able to recapitulate known
      relationships between FDA-approved therapies and cancer dependencies and to
      uncover new relationships, including for KRAS-mutant cancers and neuroblastoma.
      To enable the cancer community to explore these data, and to generate novel
      hypotheses, we created an updated version of the Cancer Therapeutic Response
      Portal (CTRP v2). SIGNIFICANCE: We present the largest CCL sensitivity dataset
      yet available, and an analysis method integrating information from multiple CCLs
      and multiple small molecules to identify CCL response predictors robustly. We
      updated the CTRP to enable the cancer research community to leverage these data
      and analyses.

PMID- 26482934
TI  - Assessment of emerging biotoxins (pinnatoxin G and spirolides) at Europe's first
      marine reserve: Lough Hyne.
AB  - Active and passive sampling methods were employed over a four-month period, at a
      site off the South-West coast of Ireland, to characterise the occurrence of
      cyclic imines in the water column. The marine toxins 13-desmethyl-SPXC, 20-methyl
      SPXG toxins and pinnatoxin G were detected using active sampling from Diaion HP
      20 resin. Seven water depths were sampled to determine stratification of the
      toxins in the water column using Solid Phase Adsorption and Toxin Tracking
      (SPATT). Both 13-desmethyl-SPXC and pinnatoxin G were detected using two
      different resin types; Diaion HP-20 and Amberlite XAD761. HP-20 proved more
      effective at accumulating the toxins, with a higher percentage of positive
      samples and a higher ratio of toxin adsorbed relative to XAD761. No temporal
      variation in toxin-quantities was detected, indicating that there was no change
      in density of causative algal species in the water column. Pinnatoxin G was
      detected more frequently from surface to 30 m depth, with a similar pattern
      observed for 13-desmethyl-SPXC occurrence using XAD761. No difference in the
      occurrence of 13-desmethyl-SPXC was observed between depths using HP-20 resin.
      This is the first reported incidence of pinnatoxin G in Irish waters and
      highlights cyclic imines as emerging toxins in European waters.

PMID- 26482936
TI  - Dynamics of robust pattern separability in the hippocampal dentate gyrus.
AB  - The dentate gyrus (DG) is thought to perform pattern separation on inputs
      received from the entorhinal cortex, such that the DG forms distinct
      representations of different input patterns. Neuronal responses, however, are
      known to be variable, and that variability has the potential to confuse the
      representations of different inputs, thereby hindering the pattern separation
      function. This variability can be especially problematic for tissues such as the
      DG, in which the responses can persist for tens of seconds following stimulation:
      the long response duration allows for variability from many different sources to
      accumulate. To understand how the DG can robustly encode different input
      patterns, we investigated a recently developed in vitro hippocampal DG
      preparation that generates persistent responses to transient electrical
      stimulation. For 10-20 s after stimulation, the responses are indicative of the
      pattern of stimulation that was applied, even though the responses exhibit
      significant trial-to-trial variability. Analyzing the dynamical trajectories of
      the evoked responses, we found that, following stimulation, the neural responses
      follow distinct paths through the space of possible neural activations, with a
      different path associated with each stimulation pattern. The neural responses'
      trial-to-trial variability shifts the responses along these paths rather than
      between them, maintaining the separability of the input patterns. Manipulations
      that redistributed the variability more isotropically over the space of possible
      neural activations impeded the pattern separation function. Consequently, we
      conclude that the confinement of neuronal variability to these one-dimensional
      paths mitigates the impacts of variability on pattern encoding and, thus, may be
      an important aspect of the DG's ability to robustly encode input patterns.

PMID- 26482935
TI  - Anti-inflammatory effects of vicenin-2 and scolymoside in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - AIM AND OBJECTIVE: Two structurally related flavonoids found in Cyclopia
      subternata, namely vicenin-2 and scolymoside, were examined for its effects on
      inflammatory responses by monitoring the effects of vicenin-2 and scolymoside on
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated vascular inflammatory responses. METHODS: The
      anti-inflammatory activities of vicenin-2 and scolymoside were determined by
      measuring permeability,monocytes adhesion and migration, and activation of pro
      inflammatory proteins in LPS-activated HUVECs and mice. RESULTS: We found that
      post-treatment of each compound inhibited LPS-induced barrier disruption,
      expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), and adhesion/transendothelial
      migration of human neutrophils to human endothelial cells. Each compound induced
      potent inhibition of phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and LPS-induced
      endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR)shedding. It also suppressed LPS
      induced hyperpermeability and leukocytes migration in vivo. Furthermore,each
      compound suppressed the production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) or
      Interleukin (IL)-6 and the activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) or
      extracellular regulated kinases (ERK) 1/2 by LPS. Moreover, posttreatment with
      each compound resulted in reduced LPS-induced lethal endotoxemia. CONCLUSION:
      Vicenin-2 and scolymoside possess anti-inflammatory functions by inhibiting
      hyperpermeability,expression of CAMs, and adhesion and migration of leukocytes,
      thereby endorsing its usefulness as a therapy for vascular inflammatory diseases.

PMID- 26482937
TI  - Naringin protects human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells against hydrogen
      peroxide-induced inhibition of osteogenic differentiation.
AB  - Extensive evidence indicates that oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the
      development of osteoporosis. We show that naringin, a natural antioxidant and
      anti-inflammatory compound, effectively protects human adipose-derived
      mesenchymal stem cells (hADMSCs) against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced
      inhibition of osteogenic differentiation. Naringin increased viability of hAMDSCs
      and attenuated H2O2-induced cytotoxicity. Naringin also reversed H2O2-induced
      oxidative stress. Oxidative stress induced by H2O2 inhibits osteogenic
      differentiation by decreasing alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, calcium
      content and mRNA expression levels of osteogenesis marker genes RUNX2 and OSX in
      hADMSCs. However, addition of naringin leads to a significant recovery,
      suggesting the protective effects of naringin against H2O2-induced inhibition of
      osteogenic differentiation. Furthermore, the H2O2-induced decrease of protein
      expressions of beta-catenin and clyclin D1, two important transcriptional
      regulators of Wnt-signaling, was successfully rescued by naringin treatment.
      Also, in the presence of Wnt inhibitor DKK-1, naringin is no longer effective in
      stimulating ALP activity, increasing calcium content and mRNA expression levels
      of RUNX2 and OSX in H2O2-exposed hADMSCs. These data clearly demonstrates that
      naringin protects hADMSCs against oxidative stress-induced inhibition of
      osteogenic differentiation, which may involve Wnt signaling pathway. Our work
      suggests that naringin may be a useful addition to the treatment armamentarium
      for osteoporosis and activation of Wnt signaling may represent attractive
      therapeutic strategy for the treatment of degenerative disease of bone tissue. 

PMID- 26482938
TI  - Ginsenoside 20(s)-Rh2 as potent natural histone deacetylase inhibitors
      suppressing the growth of human leukemia cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Activation and abnormal expression of histone
      deacetylase (HDAC) which is important target for cancer therapeutics are related
      to the occurrence of human leukemia. 20(s)-Ginsenoside Rh2 (20(s)-Rh2) may be a
      potential HDAC inhibitor (HDACi) of leukemia, but the mechanism has not been
      reported. METHODS: The cell proliferation and apoptosis was assessed in cultured
      K562 and KG-1alpha cells. The protein expression was measured with
      immunoblotting. The activities of HDAC and histone acetyltransferase (HAT) were
      measured with BCA. In vivo experiments were performed on naked mice carrying K562
      cells for assessment of tumor growth, apoptosis, protein expression, and HDAC/HAT
      activities. RESULTS: 20(s)-Rh2 effectively induced cell cycle arrest at G0/G1
      phase and apoptosis in K562 and KG1-alpha cells, decreased the levels of proteins
      associated with cell proliferation (Cyclin D1, Bcl-2, ERK, p-ERK) and activated
      pro-apoptotic proteins (Bax, cleaved Caspase-3, p38, p-p38, JNK, p-JNK). 20(s)
      Rh2 down-regulated HDAC1, HDAC2, HDAC6, increased histone H3 acetylation and HAT
      activity. Moreover, 20(s)-Rh2 inhibited the growth of human leukemia xenograft
      tumors in vivo. CONCLUSION: 20(s)-Rh2 inhibited the proliferation of K562 and KG1
      alpha cell by reducing the expression and activity of HDACs, increasing histone
      acetylation, and regulating key proteins in the downstream signaling pathways.
      Therefore, 20(s)-Rh2 could become a potential natural HDACi for chemotherapy of
      leukemia.

PMID- 26482939
TI  - Comparative study of genotoxic, antigenotoxic and cytotoxic activities of
      monoterpenes camphor, eucalyptol and thujone in bacteria and mammalian cells.
AB  - Genotoxic/antigenotoxic, mutagenic/antimutagenic and cytotoxic effects of
      monoterpenes camphor, eucalyptol and thujone were determined in bacteria and
      mammalian cells using alkaline comet assay, Escherichia coli K12 reversion test
      and MTT assay, respectively. When applied in low doses (up to 200 MUM in
      bacterial assay and 50 MUM in comet assay) monoterpenes protected repair
      proficient E. coli and Vero cells against UV-induced mutagenesis and 4NQO-induced
      DNA strand breaks, respectively. Antimutagenic response was not detected in
      nucleotide excision repair (NER) deficient bacteria. When monoterpenes were
      applied in higher doses, a weak mutagenic effect was found in mismatch repair
      (MMR) and NER deficient E. coli strains, while induction of DNA strand breaks was
      evident in human fetal lung fibroblasts MRC-5, colorectal carcinoma HT-29 and HCT
      116 cells, as well as in Vero cells. Moreover, the involvement of NER, MMR and
      RecBCD pathways in repair of DNA lesions induced by monoterpenes was demonstrated
      in E. coli. Camphor, eucalyptol and thujone were cytotoxic to MRC-5, HT-29 and
      HCT 116 cells. The most susceptible cell line was HCT 116, with IC50 values of
      4.5 mM for camphor, 4 mM for eucalyptol and 1 mM for thujone. Observed effects of
      monoterpenes are consistent with hormesis response, characterized by a low dose
      beneficial effect and a high dose adverse effect of a stressor agent, and provide
      a basis for further study of both chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic potential
      of camphor, eucalyptol and thujone.

PMID- 26482940
TI  - Synergistic effects of anethole and ibuprofen in acute inflammatory response.
AB  - This study assessed the effect of the combination of anethole and ibuprofen in
      comparison with monotherapy by either drug alone, using two in vivo inflammatory
      models, namely the pleurisy and paw edema in rats. We also measured the levels of
      the TNF protein in plasma, and the ability of anethole to inhibit, in vitro, the
      activity of the cyclooxygenase 1 and cyclooxygenase 2 enzymes. The test drugs
      (anethole; ibuprofen; anethole + ibuprofen), at different doses, were
      administered once (p.o.) 60 min before the induction of the inflammatory
      response. The association of anethole + ibuprofen inhibited the development of
      the inflammatory response in both models used. This effect can be partially
      explained by the inhibitory action on the production of TNF and of COX isoforms.
      The isobologram analysis evidenced a synergistic effect between ibuprofen and
      anethole, because the combination of drugs showed a higher inhibitory potential
      than either drug alone.

PMID- 26482941
TI  - Clinical and laboratory 2-year outcome of oral immunotherapy in patients with
      cow's milk allergy.
AB  - Studies examining the long-term effect of oral immunotherapy in food-allergic
      patients are limited. We investigated cow's milk-allergic patients, >6 months
      after the completion of oral immunotherapy (n = 197). Questionnaires, skin prick
      tests, and basophil activation assays were performed. Of the 195 patients
      contacted, 180 (92.3%) were consuming milk protein regularly. Half experienced
      adverse reactions, mostly mild. Thirteen patients (6.7%) required injectable
      epinephrine. Higher reaction rate after immunotherapy was associated with more
      anaphylactic episodes before treatment and a lower starting dose (OR = 2.1, P =
      0.035 and OR = 2.3, P = 0.035, respectively). Reaction rate in patients who were
      6-15 months, 15-30 months, or >30 months post-treatment decreased from 0.28/month
      to 0.21/month to 0.15/month, respectively (P < 0.01). Milk-induced %CD63 and
      %CD203c expression was significantly lower in patients >24 months vs in patients
      <24 months post-treatment (P = 0.038 and P = 0.047, respectively). In conclusion,
      many patients experience mild adverse reactions after completing oral
      immunotherapy and some require injectable epinephrine. Progressive
      desensitization, both clinically and in basophil reactivity, occurs over time.

PMID- 26482942
TI  - Decompressive craniectomy for massive internal carotid artery infarction after
      pediatric penetrating neck trauma.
AB  - Pediatric penetrating carotid arterial trauma is a rare unreported cause of
      malignant cerebral infarction. Despite increasing evidence of benefit of
      decompressive hemicraniectomy (DCH) in pediatric malignant stroke, indications
      and predictors of outcome remain controversial. We report a 4-year-old boy with
      penetrating zone II neck trauma with laceration of the right internal carotid
      artery who developed malignant cerebral infarction requiring DCH. Impressive
      neurological recovery and excellent functional outcome was observed with good
      psychomotor development and quality of life. To our knowledge, this is the first
      reported case of pediatric malignant ICA infarction due to penetrating arterial
      trauma with good neurologic outcome after DCH. 

PMID- 26482943
TI  - Long-term outcomes in patients with pineal nongerminomatous malignant germ cell
      tumors treated by radical resection during initial treatment combined with
      adjuvant therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For pineal nongerminomatous malignant germ cell tumors (NGMGCTs), we
      mainly performed radical tumor resection during initial treatment combined with
      adjuvant therapy. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 17 patients treated for
      pineal NGMGCTs between 1986 and 2007 at the University of Niigata. RESULTS:
      Twelve patients underwent total or subtotal resection of their tumor via the
      occipital transtentorial approach. Five patients underwent partial resection, and
      four of them later underwent total resection by salvage surgery. After surgery,
      eight patients were treated with combined radiochemotherapy including whole-brain
      irradiation, two received radiation monotherapy, one had chemotherapy with local
      irradiation, and six were treated with chemotherapy alone. The median follow-up
      period for surviving patients was 179 months. The 10-year overall survival and
      progression-free survival rates for the radiochemotherapy group were both 75.0 %
      (two patients had a recurrence and died); the rates for other adjuvant therapies
      were 77.8 % (two died) and 22.2 % (seven had a recurrence), respectively.
      Radiochemotherapy was significantly associated with an increased rate of
      progression-free survival compared with the other adjuvant therapies (p =
      0.0396). CONCLUSIONS: For pineal NGMGCTs, initial treatment strategies including
      gross total resection of the tumor before or after whole-brain irradiation and
      chemotherapy provided good therapeutic outcomes. Obtaining complete remission of
      the primary tumor, irrespective of the timing of surgical resection (i.e., before
      or after adjuvant therapies), or complete response by neoadjuvant
      radiochemotherapy during an initial treatment appears to be essential for
      improving therapeutic outcomes of intracranial NGMGCTs.

PMID- 26482944
TI  - Influence of pyrolysis temperature on characteristics and phosphate adsorption
      capability of biochar derived from waste-marine macroalgae (Undaria pinnatifida
      roots).
AB  - The collected roots of Undaria pinnatifida, the main waste in farming sites,
      accounting for 40-60% of annual production, was pyrolyzed under temperature
      ranging from 200 to 800 degrees C to evaluate the influence of pyrolysis
      temperature on biochar properties and phosphate adsorption capacity. It was
      confirmed that an increase in the pyrolysis temperature led to a decrease of the
      yield of biochar, while ash content remained almost due to carbonization followed
      by mineralization. Elemental analysis results indicated an increase in
      aromaticity and decreased polarity at a high pyrolysis temperature. When the
      pyrolysis temperature was increased up to 400 degrees C, the phosphate adsorption
      capacity was enhanced, while a further increase in the pyrolysis temperature
      lowered the adsorption capacity due to blocked pores in the biochar during
      pyrolysis. Finally, a pot experiment revealed that biochar derived from waste
      marine macroalgae is a potent and eco-friendly alternative material for
      fertilizer after phosphate adsorption. 

PMID- 26482945
TI  - Influence of textile dye and decolorized metabolites on microbial fuel cell
      assisted bioremediation.
AB  - As known, decolorized metabolites (DMs) were capable to act as electron shuttles
      (ESs) to enhance color removal of textile dye(s); however, optimal manipulation
      of such advantages to microbial fuel cell (MFC)-assisted dye decolorization for
      industrial practicability were still remained open to be disclosed. The novelty
      of this work was to disclose such DMs-supplementing strategies for the most
      promising reductive decolorization in MFC-assisted bioremediation. Quantitative
      assessment clearly indicated that MFCs coupled to DMs accumulation was
      economically-feasible strategy of bioaugmentation and biostimulation. That is,
      MFC technology can be applied to select appropriate on-site dye decontamination
      in the presence of naturally-generating DMs. 

PMID- 26482946
TI  - Pretreatment of lignocellulose: Formation of inhibitory by-products and
      strategies for minimizing their effects.
AB  - Biochemical conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks to advanced biofuels and
      other commodities through a sugar-platform process involves a pretreatment step
      enhancing the susceptibility of the cellulose to enzymatic hydrolysis. A side
      effect of pretreatment is formation of lignocellulose-derived by-products that
      inhibit microbial and enzymatic biocatalysts. This review provides an overview of
      the formation of inhibitory by-products from lignocellulosic feedstocks as a
      consequence of using different pretreatment methods and feedstocks as well as an
      overview of different strategies used to alleviate problems with inhibitors. As
      technologies for biorefining of lignocellulose become mature and are transferred
      from laboratory environments to industrial contexts, the importance of management
      of inhibition problems is envisaged to increase as issues that become
      increasingly relevant will include the possibility to use recalcitrant
      feedstocks, obtaining high product yields and high productivity, minimizing the
      charges of enzymes and microorganisms, and using high solids loadings to obtain
      high product titers. 

PMID- 26482947
TI  - Delayed rotation of the cerebellar vermis: a pitfall in early second-trimester
      fetal magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - We describe two cases in which delayed rotation of the cerebellar vermis
      simulated a Dandy-Walker malformation (DWM) on early second-trimester magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI). Two pregnant women with suspected fetal posterior fossa
      anomaly on ultrasound examination underwent fetal MRI at 21 (Case 1) and 19 (Case
      2) weeks' gestation. In both cases, upward rotation of the cerebellar vermis was
      noted; on midsagittal imaging, the brainstem-vermis angle was 28 degrees  and 43
      degrees , respectively, while cerebellar morphometry showed a reduced vermian
      anteroposterior diameter compared to reference data. The posterior fossa appeared
      to be mildly enlarged, while all other findings were normal. Follow-up MRI at 28
      + 3 weeks' gestation (Case 1) and at 1 postnatal year (Case 2) showed completely
      normal findings. Both children had normal psychomotor development and
      neurological examinations at 1 year of age. Incomplete rotation of the cerebellar
      vermis can be a physiological finding on early second-trimester fetal MRI
      examination and can simulate DWM or other forms of cerebellar hypoplasia.
      Embryologically, delayed permeabilization of Blake's pouch could account for the
      delayed vermian rotation. Follow-up imaging at a later gestational age is crucial
      to ensure that this condition is not over-reported and to avoid the potential
      risk of unnecessary pregnancy interruption. Copyright (c) 2015 ISUOG. Published
      by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PMID- 26482948
TI  - Neglected tick-borne pathogens in the Czech Republic, 2011-2014.
AB  - In this study, we screened a total of 2473 questing (years 2011-2014) and 199
      engorged (years 2013 and 2014) Ixodes ricinus ticks for the presence of
      Rickettsia spp., "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis", Anaplasma phagocytophilum,
      and Babesia spp. Host-seeking ticks were collected at three study sites
      corresponding to natural woodland, urban park and pastureland ecosystem, and
      analyzed using molecular techniques. All pathogens tested were present at all
      study sites. The prevalence rates for Rickettsia spp., 'Candidatus Neoehrlichia
      mikurensis', Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia spp. ranged from 2.6% to
      9.2%, 0.8% to 11.6%, 0% to 12.1%, and 0% to 5.2%, respectively. Engorged I.
      ricinus ticks collected from sheep on pastureland in the years 2013 and 2014
      yielded prevalence rates 7.4% and 6.3%, respectively, for Rickettsia spp., 38.5%
      and 14.1% for 'Candidatus N. mikurensis', 18.5% and 12.5% for A. phagocytophilum,
      and 4.4% and 0.0% for Babesia spp. Monitoring of neglected tick-borne pathogens
      within the scope of epidemiological surveillance is an important tool for
      prevention and control of human tick-borne infections. 

PMID- 26482949
TI  - Detection of genotype-specific Ehrlichia canis exposure in Brazilian dogs by
      TRP36 peptide ELISA.
AB  - We recently characterized a novel genotype of Ehrlichia canis based on the tandem
      repeat (TR) sequence of the TRP36 gene in Brazil. The TR amino acid sequence of
      the Brazilian (Br) genotype (ASVVPEAE) was divergent from the previously
      described US genotype (TEDSVSAPA) of E. canis. In this study, we developed an
      ELISA based on TRP36 TR synthetic peptides from both Br and US E. canis TRP36
      genotypes to serologically detect and distinguish infections caused by these
      genotypes. Sera from 30 Brazilian dogs naturally infected with E. canis, sera
      from dogs experimentally infected E. canis (Jake and Cuiaba #1 strains) and E.
      chaffeensis (Arkansas strain) and 12 seronegative E. canis dogs were evaluated.
      Fifteen naturally infected Brazilian dogs had antibodies that reacted with the US
      TRP36 (n=9) or Br TRP36 (n=6) only, and 13 dogs had antibodies that reacted with
      both TPR36 peptides suggesting that these dogs were exposed to both genotypes.
      Most dogs (n=28) had antibodies that reacted with the highly conserved E. canis
      TRP19 peptide; however, two dogs had antibodies to E. canis TRP19, but did not
      have TRP36 antibodies, raising the possibility that another novel TRP36 genotype
      is circulating in Brazil. Our results demonstrate that synthetic peptides based
      on the TR region of E. canis TRP36 can be used to serologically distinguish
      infections or identify coinfections by different genotypes, and to determine the
      seroprevalence of various E. canis genotypes in Brazil. 

PMID- 26482951
TI  - Gasdermin D: the long-awaited executioner of pyroptosis.
AB  - Inflammatory caspases drive a lytic form of cell death called pyroptosis in
      response to microbial infection and endogenous damage-associated signals. Two
      studies now demonstrate that cleavage of the substrate gasdermin D by
      inflammatory caspases necessitates eventual pyroptotic demise of a cell. 

PMID- 26482952
TI  - Rational synthesis of Ni nanoparticle-embedded porous graphitic carbon nanosheets
      with enhanced lithium storage properties.
AB  - Carbon-based materials have recently received increased attention as very
      promising anode materials for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because
      of their non-toxicity, low cost, and excellent performances. Nanostructure
      engineering has been demonstrated as an effective approach to improve the
      electrochemical performance of electrode materials. Here, we present a facile and
      scalable synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) porous graphitic carbon nanosheets
      embedded by numerous homogeneously dispersed Ni nanoparticles. With both
      structural and compositional advantages, the as-synthesized nanohybrid manifests
      a very stable high reversible capacity of 740 mA h g(-1) after 100 cycles at a
      current density of 100 mA g(-1), and also excellent rate capability and cycling
      stability. We believe that the synthetic strategy outlined here can be extended
      to other rationally designed anode materials with high performances in LIBs. 

PMID- 26482950
TI  - Tuberculosis is associated with expansion of a motile, permissive and
      immunomodulatory CD16(+) monocyte population via the IL-10/STAT3 axis.
AB  - The human CD14(+) monocyte compartment is composed by two subsets based on CD16
      expression. We previously reported that this compartment is perturbed in
      tuberculosis (TB) patients, as reflected by the expansion of CD16(+) monocytes
      along with disease severity. Whether this unbalance is beneficial or detrimental
      to host defense remains to be elucidated. Here in the context of active TB, we
      demonstrate that human monocytes are predisposed to differentiate towards an anti
      inflammatory (M2-like) macrophage activation program characterized by the
      CD16(+)CD163(+)MerTK(+)pSTAT3(+) phenotype and functional properties such as
      enhanced protease-dependent motility, pathogen permissivity and immunomodulation.
      This process is dependent on STAT3 activation, and loss-of-function experiments
      point towards a detrimental role in host defense against TB. Importantly, we
      provide a critical correlation between the abundance of the
      CD16(+)CD163(+)MerTK(+)pSTAT3(+) cells and the progression of the disease either
      at the local level in a non-human primate tuberculous granuloma context, or at
      the systemic level through the detection of the soluble form of CD163 in human
      sera. Collectively, this study argues for the pathogenic role of the
      CD16(+)CD163(+)MerTK(+)pSTAT3(+) monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation program
      and its potential as a target for TB therapy, and promotes the detection of
      circulating CD163 as a potential biomarker for disease progression and monitoring
      of treatment efficacy. 

PMID- 26482953
TI  - A methoxydiphenidine-impaired driver.
AB  - Methoxydiphenidine (MXP) was first reported in 1989 as a dissociative anesthetic
      but did not enter the market for pharmaceuticals. The substance re-appeared in
      2013 as a new psychoactive substance. A case of driving under the influence of
      MXP is reported. The concentration of MXP has been determined from a serum sample
      (57 ng/mL) by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry following liquid
      liquid extraction. In addition, amphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine, and
      its major metabolite were present in concentrations of 111, 28, and 3 ng/mL,
      respectively. The subject presented with amnesia, out-of-body experiences,
      bizarre behavior, and decreased motor abilities. At present, information on human
      toxicity of MXP is not available. MXP is comparable in structure as well as in
      action at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor to phencyclidine or ketamine.
      Therefore, it is likely that MXP exerts similar severe psychotropic action in
      man. However, there is no information on the duration and intensity of MXP's
      impairing effects, the interpretation of a particular concentration in the blood
      or serum, and its detectability in routine drug screenings. Confirmation analysis
      may be confined to cases where the police has specific intelligence that points
      to MXP use.

PMID- 26482954
TI  - Internal Oxidant-Triggered Aerobic Oxygenation and Cyclization of Indoles under
      Copper Catalysis.
AB  - A concise synthesis of pyrazolo[1,5-a]indole derivatives by copper-catalyzed
      aerobic oxygenation and cyclization of indoles with oxime acetates is described.
      This protocol represents an elegant example of N-1, C-2, and C-3 tri
      functionalization of indoles in one-pot. Mechanistic studies indicate the
      reaction proceeds through a radical procedure. Oximes as an internal oxidant have
      been demonstrated to be a driver to initiate aerobic oxidation, which provides a
      new oxidative pattern for C-H functionalization even with high atom- and step
      economy. 

PMID- 26482955
TI  - Adverse event methods were heterogeneous and insufficiently reported in
      randomized trials on persistent depressive disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate adverse event (AE) reporting practices in a systematic
      review of randomized controlled trials for persistent depressive disorder (PDD).
      STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A systematic electronic database search was conducted
      up to October 2014 to identify randomized controlled trials investigating
      pharmacologic, psychotherapeutic, and combined treatments for PDD in adults. We
      calculated the number and percentage of studies that reported predefined AE
      information. All calculations were carried out including all studies and
      stratified for study type (pharmacologic, psychotherapeutic, and mixed) and
      publication year [before and after the publication of the Consolidated Standards
      of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) extension for harms in 2004], respectively.
      RESULTS: Sixty studies, reported in 126 publications, were included. Across all
      studies, reporting of AE information was insufficient. Substantial differences
      between studies that investigated different treatments emerged. Most
      pharmacologic studies (39/42) and mixed studies (7/9) reported any AE
      information, although the amount of information varied and the reported methods
      to assess and analyze AEs were heterogeneous. We found no substantial change in
      reporting practices after the publication of the CONSORT extension.
      Psychotherapeutic studies, although almost entirely published after the CONSORT
      extension, largely neglected reporting of any AE information (1/9). CONCLUSIONS:
      There is a strong need to improve the current practice of assessing, analyzing,
      and reporting AEs, especially for psychotherapeutic studies.

PMID- 26482957
TI  - Super-resolution Microscopy in Plant Cell Imaging.
AB  - Although the development of super-resolution microscopy methods dates back to
      1994, relevant applications in plant cell imaging only started to emerge in 2010.
      Since then, the principal super-resolution methods, including structured
      illumination microscopy (SIM), photoactivation localization microscopy (PALM),
      stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM), and stimulated emission
      depletion microscopy (STED), have been implemented in plant cell research.
      However, progress has been limited due to the challenging properties of plant
      material. Here we summarize the basic principles of existing super-resolution
      methods and provide examples of applications in plant science. The limitations
      imposed by the nature of plant material are reviewed and the potential for future
      applications in plant cell imaging is highlighted. 

PMID- 26482956
TI  - CO2 Sensing and CO2 Regulation of Stomatal Conductance: Advances and Open
      Questions.
AB  - Guard cells form epidermal stomatal gas-exchange valves in plants and regulate
      the aperture of stomatal pores in response to changes in the carbon dioxide (CO2)
      concentration ([CO2]) in leaves. Moreover, the development of stomata is
      repressed by elevated CO2 in diverse plant species. Evidence suggests that plants
      can sense [CO2] changes via guard cells and via mesophyll tissues in mediating
      stomatal movements. We review new discoveries and open questions on mechanisms
      mediating CO2-regulated stomatal movements and CO2 modulation of stomatal
      development, which together function in the CO2 regulation of stomatal
      conductance and gas exchange in plants. Research in this area is timely in light
      of the necessity of selecting and developing crop cultivars that perform better
      in a shifting climate. 

PMID- 26482958
TI  - Dynamic Quantitative Trait Locus Analysis of Plant Phenomic Data.
AB  - Advanced platforms have recently become available for automatic and systematic
      quantification of plant growth and development. These new techniques can
      efficiently produce multiple measurements of phenotypes over time, and introduce
      time as an extra dimension to quantitative trait locus (QTL) studies. Functional
      mapping utilizes a class of statistical models for identifying QTLs associated
      with the growth characteristics of interest. A major benefit of functional
      mapping is that it integrates information over multiple timepoints, and therefore
      could increase the statistical power for QTL detection. We review the current
      development of computationally efficient functional mapping methods which provide
      invaluable tools for analyzing large-scale timecourse data that are readily
      available in our post-genome era. 

PMID- 26482959
TI  - Serial assessment of accessory pathway antegrade conduction in children.
AB  - There is limited longitudinal data on accessory pathway (AP) antegrade conduction
      throughout childhood, with implications for risk stratification. Ten patients
      underwent serial electrophysiology study (EPS) with assessment of fastest 1:1 AP
      conduction. The median age at first and follow-up EPS was 0 (median 4 days) and
      53 months. Median fastest 1:1 AP conduction was 255 ms at initial EPS and 275 ms
      at follow-up (P=0.24). The interval of time between studies had no influence on
      stability over time, nor was there any appreciable effect following changes in
      retrograde AP conduction. In conclusion, no patient displayed any marked
      shortening of 1:1 AP conduction over time.

PMID- 26482960
TI  - Glucose intolerance and General Health Questionnaire 12-item version scores of
      male two-shift workers stratified by precariousness of work.
AB  - AIMS: This study examined the relationship between precariousness of work,
      glucose intolerance and psychological wellbeing for male workers, stratified by
      age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: I recruited 2542 manufacturing two-shift workers,
      aged from 35 to 54 years. Glucose intolerance was defined as fasting plasma
      glucose of >=100mg/dL or current medication of diabetes mellitus. The rating
      scale of General Health Questionnaire 12-item version (GHQ-12) was used for
      evaluating psychological well-being. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in
      the prevalence of glucose intolerance by aging in permanent workers. In addition,
      the prevalence of glucose intolerance except 30s and the prevalence of positive
      GHQ-12 scores except 50s of permanent workers were both significantly higher than
      that of temporary workers in each age class. CONCLUSION: Temporary workers in
      this study sign contracts for 3 years, and heather worker's effect, compared with
      permanent workers, would be reflected in this study.

PMID- 26482961
TI  - Diabetes mellitus related biomarker: The predictive role of growth
      differentiation factor-15.
AB  - Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) is a stress-responsive cytokine, which
      belongs to super family of the transforming growth factor beta. GDF-15 is widely
      presented in the various cells (macrophages, vascular smooth muscle cells,
      adipocytes, cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, fibroblasts), tissues (adipose
      tissue, vessels, tissues of central and peripheral nervous system) and organs
      (heart, brain, liver, placenta) and it plays an important role in the regulation
      of the inflammatory response, growth and cell differentiation. Elevated GDF-15
      was found in patients with established CV diseases including hypertension, stable
      coronary artery disease, acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction, ischemic
      and none ischemic-induced cardiomyopathies, heart failure, atrial fibrillation,
      as well as stroke, type two diabetes mellitus (T2DM), chronic kidney disease,
      infection, liver cirrhosis, malignancy. Therefore, aging, smoking, and various
      environmental factors, i.e. chemical pollutants are other risk factors that might
      increase serum GDF-15 level. Although GDF-15 has been reported to be involved in
      energy homoeostasis and weight loss, to have anti-inflammatory properties, and to
      predict CV diseases and CV events in general or established CV disease
      population, there is no large of body of evidence regarding predictive role of
      elevated GDF-15 in T2DM subjects. The mini review is clarified the role of GDF-15
      in T2DM subjects. 

PMID- 26482962
TI  - Amenorrhea, ptosis and high insulin requirement in a young girl.
AB  - Lipodystrophy is an uncommon condition leading to excessive insulin requirement
      and menstrual abnormalities in young girls with diabetes. Neurological symptoms
      are uncommon in patients of generalized or partial lipodystrophy. We recently
      encountered a young girl, who presented with high insulin requirement, amenorrhea
      and neurological symptoms. Detailed evaluation led to the diagnosis of congenital
      lipodystrophy and we describe the same in this report. We also highlight the
      atypical features of the congenital lipodystrophy and the reasons for the
      excessive insulin requirement in patients with diabetes mellitus. 

PMID- 26482963
TI  - Relationship between weight gain and metabolic syndrome in non-obese Japanese
      adults.
AB  - AIMS: To examine the effects of weight gain (in kg) on the parameters of
      metabolic syndrome (MetS) in non-obese Japanese adults over a period of 1 year.
      METHOD: We analyzed data on 1653 workers in a financial corporation (698 males
      and 955 females) who may have gained weight during 1 year but nevertheless
      remained non-obese. Data were collected twice: baseline data were collected
      between April 2010 and March 2011, and follow-up data were collected the next
      year. We calculated weight gains over the year and assigned all subjects into one
      of four groups according to the amount of weight gained: 0-0.99kg weight gain
      (reference), 1.00-1.99kg, 2.00-2.99kg, and more than 3.00kg. We compared changes
      in MetS parameters between the reference and other groups using Analysis of
      covariance (ANCOVA). RESULTS: Significant between-group differences were evident
      among males in terms of abdominal circumference (AC), blood pressure, and
      triglyceride (TG) levels. More weight gain was associated with worse results with
      regard to these MetS parameters. The AC changes were 0.60, 1.55, 2.86, and 4.42cm
      in the reference group, those who gained 1.00-1.99kg, those who gained 2.00
      2.99kg, and those who gained over 3.00kg, respectively; the differences between
      the reference group and all other groups were significant (all p values <0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Weight gain (in kg) is a useful index of weight change and
      influences several parameters of MetS even over the course of 1 year.

PMID- 26482964
TI  - Association of circulating adipokines with metabolic dyslipidemia in obese versus
      non-obese individuals.
AB  - AIM: Previous studies have shown that circulating adipokines may play an
      important role in the pathogenesis of some obesity related chronic disease such
      as dyslipidemia and type2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to
      investigate the association between vaspin, omentin-1 and retinol binding protein
      4 levels with metabolic dyslipidemia (MD) criteria in obese and non-obese
      individuals. METHOD: The study was conducted on 170 obese and 81 non-obese
      individuals. After collecting the blood samples, serum levels metabolic
      parameters as well as three circulating adipokines and body composition were
      measured. RESULTS: No significant difference was noted regarding the mean serum
      levels of omentin-1 and vaspin between the obese and non-obese groups, while,
      serum level of RBP4 was significantly higher in the non-obese group. We found the
      0.22 increased risk of MD in obese individuals with higher RBP4 concentration.
      After the adjustment for confounding factors, this association was still
      significant. No significant association was noted between MD and its components
      relative risks with omentin-1 and vaspin levels. CONCLUSION: Our study
      demonstrated that circulating RBP4 was significantly higher in the obese
      individuals which may increase the risk of MD in them. Further researches are
      needed to address this association.

PMID- 26482965
TI  - Gamma glutamyl transferase is an independent determinant for the association of
      insulin resistance with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in Bangladeshi adults:
      Association of GGT and HOMA-IR with NAFLD.
AB  - AIMS: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major cause of liver-related
      morbidity and is frequently associated with insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)
      syndrome. Recently serum gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) has been considered as
      surrogate marker of NAFLD leading to oxidative stress and hepatocellular damage.
      In the present study we examined the association of serum GGT and HOMA-IR with
      NAFLD in Bangladeshi adult subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Under a cross
      sectional analytical design a total of 110 subjects were recruited who came for
      their routine health check up in the BIHS Hospital, Darussalam, Dhaka,
      Bangladesh. After whole abdomen ultrasonography, 62 were diagnosed as non-NAFLD
      and 48 were NAFLD subjects. Serum glucose was measured by glucose-oxidase method,
      lipid profile and liver enzymes by enzymatic colorimetric method, glycosylated
      hemoglobin (HbA1c) was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC),
      serum insulin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. HOMA-IR was
      calculated by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). RESULTS: NAFLD subjects had
      significantly higher levels of GGT and HOMA-IR as compared to their non-NAFLD
      counterparts. Multiple linear regression analysis showed a significant positive
      association of HOMA-IR with GGT after adjusting the effects of waist
      circumference (WC) and HbA1c. In binary logistic regression analysis, HOMA-IR and
      GGT were found to be significant determinants of NAFLD after adjusting the
      effects of WC and HbA1c. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that elevated levels
      of GGT and insulin resistance are more likely to develop NAFLD and thus support a
      role of these determinants in the pathogenesis of NAFLD in Bangladeshi adult
      subjects.

PMID- 26482966
TI  - Increased C-reactive protein and decreased Interleukin-2 content in serum from
      obese individuals with or without insulin resistance: Associations with leukocyte
      count and insulin and adiponectin content.
AB  - AIMS: Chronic inflammation in obesity is associated with co-morbidities such as,
      hyperglycemia, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Leukocytes play an important role
      in this inflammation and C-reactive protein (CRP) and Interleukin-2 (IL-2) can be
      important effectors during the immune response in obesity; however, the initial
      inflammatory events in obesity remain unclear. The aim of this study was to
      determine the circulating levels of CRP, IL-2, insulin and adiponectin, their
      association and the association with leukocyte count in obese individuals without
      co-morbidities and with or without insulin resistance (IR). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Nineteen obese non-diabetic and 9 lean subjects were studied for serum
      levels of CRP, IL-2, insulin, adiponectin, lipids, glycated hemoglobin, glycemia,
      for homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), arterial
      pressure and anthropometric parameters, and for leukocyte counts.
      Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (N/L) was calculated using the loge of leukocyte
      counts. Associations were determined by Pearson's correlation. RESULTS: None of
      the studied groups presented co-morbidities and two groups of obese individuals
      with normal or high levels of insulin (IR) were found. Increased CRP
      concentration and decreased IL-2 and adiponectin concentrations in obese were
      observed. Positive correlation between leukocyte type counts with CRP in obese
      with IR was found; however, no correlations with IL-2 in obese were observed.
      Insulin in obese were positively correlated with CRP and negatively correlated
      with IL-2 in IR obese individuals. Adiponectin in obese was negatively correlated
      with CRP. CONCLUSION: CRP and IL-2 may represent two important effectors in the
      early inflammatory events in obese individuals without co-morbidities.
      Adiponectin and insulin may be involved in anti-inflammatory events.

PMID- 26482968
TI  - Reversed-polarity T(reg) cell TCRs provide a shock.

PMID- 26482969
TI  - De-Mst-ifying microbicidal killing.

PMID- 26482970
TI  - MicroRNA miR-22 drives T(H)17 responses in emphysema.

PMID- 26482971
TI  - Drosha cuts the tethers of myelopoiesis.

PMID- 26482979
TI  - An interesting combination of anterior and posterior arch defects of atlas.

PMID- 26482980
TI  - A rare case of symptomatic hemangioma of the lumbar spine involving the spinous
      process.

PMID- 26482981
TI  - Caudal regression syndrome with diplomyelia (type 2 split cord malformation),
      tethered cord, syringomyelia, and horse-shoe kidney.

PMID- 26482978
TI  - The burgeoning family of unconventional T cells.
AB  - While most studies of T lymphocytes have focused on T cells reactive to complexes
      of peptide and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins, many other types
      of T cells do not fit this paradigm. These include CD1-restricted T cells, MR1
      restricted mucosal associated invariant T cells (MAIT cells), MHC class Ib
      reactive T cells, and gammadelta T cells. Collectively, these T cells are
      considered 'unconventional', in part because they can recognize lipids, small
      molecule metabolites and specially modified peptides. Unlike MHC-reactive T
      cells, these apparently disparate T cell types generally show simplified patterns
      of T cell antigen receptor (TCR) expression, rapid effector responses and
      'public' antigen specificities. Here we review evidence showing that
      unconventional T cells are an abundant component of the human immune system and
      discuss the immunotherapeutic potential of these cells and their antigenic
      targets. 

PMID- 26482982
TI  - Tuberculous spondylitis presenting with back pain.

PMID- 26482983
TI  - Radiotherapy for acute, high-grade spinal cord compression caused by vertebral
      hemangioma.

PMID- 26482984
TI  - Complete fracture-dislocation of the lower cervical spine without permanent
      neurologic sequela: the typical imaging changes.

PMID- 26482985
TI  - Constriction band at the craniocervical junction in Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome.

PMID- 26482986
TI  - Spinal cord impairment depending on body position.

PMID- 26482987
TI  - A rare cause of back pain: warfarin-induced spontaneous iliopsoas hemorrhage.

PMID- 26482988
TI  - Management of noninfected prosthetic aortic bypass failures using femoral vein.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The use of femoral-popliteal vein as a conduit to treat infected
      aortoiliac pathologies has been described extensively and is referred to as the
      neoaortoiliac system procedure. We examined our center's outcomes after using
      deep vein as a conduit for the salvage of failed aortofemoral prosthetic bypasses
      in patients without infection. METHODS: Procedures using femoral vein as conduit
      at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences between January 2005 and July
      2013 were retrospectively reviewed (n = 110). Patients were excluded if the
      reconstruction was for infectious etiologies (n = 71) or for nonaortofemoral
      reconstructions (n = 31). Operative variables, complications, and patency rates
      were collected. RESULTS: Femoral vein was used to revascularize failed
      aortobifemoral bypasses in eight patients. Indications included rest pain (n = 7)
      and short-distance claudication (n = 1). Reconstructions identified two patients
      each with aortobifemoral bypass or aortofemoral bypass, and one patient each with
      aortofemoral bypass with femorofemoral bypass, aorotoiliac bypass, iliofemoral
      bypass with femorofemoral bypass, or ilioprofunda bypass. Mean follow up was 27.5
      months. There were no major postoperative complications. Symptoms secondary to
      deep vein harvest (swelling/dermatitis) developed in three of eight patients. The
      average ankle-brachial index improved from 0.33 to 0.73 (P = .003), with a limb
      salvage rate of 100%. Kaplan-Meier analysis found primary patency was 70% at 1
      year and 53% at 5 years, which improved to 100% and 75%, respectively, with
      secondary measures. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a need for secondary interventions and
      venous hypertension syndromes, deep vein offers good patency and excellent limb
      salvage after failed prosthetic aortoiliac bypasses.

PMID- 26482989
TI  - Antithrombin nanoparticles inhibit stent thrombosis in ex vivo static and flow
      models.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Despite significant advances in intravascular stent technology, safe
      prevention of stent thrombosis over prolonged periods after initial deployment
      persists as a medical need to decrease device failure. The objective of this
      project was to assess the potential of perfluorocarbon nanoparticles (NP)
      conjugated with the direct thrombin inhibitor D-phenylalanyl-L-prolyl-L-arginyl
      chloromethylketone (PPACK-NP) to inhibit stent thrombosis. METHODS: In a static
      model of stent thrombosis, 3 * 3-mm pieces of stainless steel coronary stents
      were cut and adsorbed with thrombin to create a procoagulant surface that would
      facilitate thrombus development. After treatment with PPACK-NP or control NP,
      stents were exposed to platelet-poor plasma (PPP) or platelet-rich plasma (PRP)
      for set time points up to 60 minutes. Measurements of final clot weight in grams
      were used for assessing the effect of NP treatment on limiting thrombosis.
      Additionally, groups of stents were exposed to flowing plasma containing various
      treatments (saline, free PPACK, control NP, and PPACK-NP) and generated thrombi
      were stained and imaged to investigate the treatment effects of PPACK-NP under
      flow conditions. RESULTS: The static model of stent thrombosis used in this study
      indicated a significant reduction in thrombus deposition with PPACK-NP treatment
      (0.00067 +/- 0.00026 g; n = 3) compared with control NP (0.0098 +/- 0.0015 g; n =
      3; P = .026) in PPP. Exposure to PRP demonstrated similar effects with PPACK-NP
      treatment (0.00033 +/- 0.00012 g; n = 3) vs control NP treatment (0.0045 +/-
      0.00012 g; n = 3; P = .000017). In additional studies, stents were exposed to
      both PRP pretreated with vorapaxar and PPACK-NP, which illustrated adjunctive
      benefit to oral platelet inhibitors for prevention of stent thrombosis.
      Additionally, an in vitro model of stent thrombosis under flow conditions
      established that PPACK-NP treatment inhibited thrombus deposition on stents
      significantly. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that antithrombin
      perfluorocarbon NPs exert marked focal antithrombin activity to prevent
      intravascular stent thrombosis and occlusion.

PMID- 26482990
TI  - Simple renal cyst and abdominal aortic aneurysm.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To summarize the association of simple renal cyst (SRC) with abdominal
      aortic aneurysm (AAA), we reviewed currently available clinical studies with a
      systematic literature search and meta-analytic evaluation. METHODS: To identify
      all case-control studies evaluating the association of SRC with AAA, databases
      including MEDLINE and Embase were searched through April 2015 using web-based
      search engines (PubMed and Ovid). For each study, data regarding SRC prevalence
      in both the AAA and control groups were used to generate unadjusted odds ratios
      (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals. When an adjusted OR (by the use of
      multivariable logistic regression) was available, we preferentially abstracted
      the adjusted OR rather than an unadjusted OR. RESULTS: Of 139 potentially
      relevant articles screened initially, 5 eligible case-control studies enrolling a
      total of 2897 participants were identified and included. A pooled analysis of
      seven estimates from the five studies demonstrated a statistically significant
      2.54-fold prevalence of SRC in patients with AAA relative to subjects without AAA
      (OR, 2.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.93-3.34; P < .00001). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta
      analytic evaluation demonstrated 2.5-fold prevalence of SRC in patients with AAA
      relative to subjects without AAA, which suggests that SRC is associated with AAA.

PMID- 26482991
TI  - Clinical effect of wound depth in critical limb ischemia with tissue loss after
      endovascular treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Wound severity is assessed mainly by the Rutherford classification for
      critical limb ischemia (CLI) with tissue loss. The Rutherford classification is
      based on the extent of tissue loss; however, its classification criteria are
      ambiguous and do not include information regarding wound depth. We investigated
      the effects of wound depth on clinical outcomes in CLI with tissue loss after
      endovascular treatment (EVT). METHODS: Between April 2007 and August 2013, we
      enrolled 210 consecutive patients (247 limbs) who received EVT for CLI with
      tissue loss. In the limbs examined, 271 individual wounds existed. We evaluated
      wound depth using the University of Texas grade (grade 1: superficial wound not
      involving the tendon, capsule, or bone, n = 97; grade 2: wound penetrating the
      tendon or capsule, n = 124; and grade 3: wound penetrating the bone or joint, n =
      50). We also investigated the wound healing rate at 12 months and limb salvage
      and major amputation-free survival rates 3 years after EVT. RESULTS: The wound
      healing rates at 12 months in Texas 1, 2, and 3 were 88%, 48%, and 24%,
      respectively (log-rank P < .001). The limb salvage and major amputation-free
      survival rates at 3 years were lower in deep wounds than in shallow wounds (limb
      salvage rates: 98%, 82%, and 67%, respectively; P < .001; major amputation-free
      survival rates: 78%, 52%, and 42%, respectively; P < .001). In only minor tissue
      loss, the wound healing rates at 12 months and the limb salvage and major
      amputation-free survival rates at 3 years were stratified according to wound
      depth (wound healing rates: 92% in Texas 1 and 51% in Texas 2 or 3; P < .001;
      limb salvage rates: 99% in Texas 1 and 86% in Texas 2 or 3; P = .001; major
      amputation-free survival rates: 79% in Texas 1 and 57% in Texas 2 or 3; P =
      .001). In only major tissue loss, deep wounds also caused poor outcomes compared
      with shallow wounds (wound healing rates: 70% in Texas 1 and 36% in Texas 2 or 3;
      P = .019; limb salvage rates: 94% in Texas 1 and 73% in Texas 2 or 3; P = .050;
      major amputation-free survival rates: 75% in Texas 1 and 45% in Texas 2 or 3; P =
      .039). CONCLUSIONS: Wound depth is an important indicator of wound status and
      affects the clinical outcomes of CLI with tissue loss.

PMID- 26482992
TI  - Outcomes of unilateral graft limb excision for infected aortobifemoral graft
      limb.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Aortobifemoral graft (ABFG) infections presenting with apparent single
      limb involvement can be managed with unilateral graft limb excision or complete
      graft removal. This study aimed to identify outcomes of unilateral graft limb
      excision for infected ABFGs and factors predictive of subsequent contralateral or
      main body graft limb infection. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients
      treated with unilateral graft limb excision for infection of an isolated limb of
      an ABFG from 2001 to July 2014 was performed. Endovascular and aortic tube graft
      infections were excluded. Outcomes were freedom from contralateral graft limb
      excision, overall survival, and factors predicting subsequent contralateral limb
      or main body infection. RESULTS: Fifteen patients underwent unilateral graft limb
      excision and revascularization for treatment of an infected ABFG isolated to one
      graft limb. Indications for the original ABFG were aortoiliac occlusive disease
      in 11 patients and aortoiliac aneurysm in 4 patients. All patients presented with
      clinical evidence consistent with unilateral graft limb infection and clinical
      findings confirmed radiographically. Unilateral graft explantation was performed
      for isolated infrainguinal graft limb infection with no retroperitoneal infection
      on exploration or if patients were too ill to tolerate total graft explantation
      despite infection in the retroperitoneum. Seven patients, all of whom underwent
      initial operation for aortoiliac occlusive disease, developed contralateral limb
      infection at a median follow-up of 23.2 months after unilateral excision. The
      remaining eight patients remained free of contralateral graft limb infection at
      median follow-up of 38.8 months. Patient demographics were similar between the
      two groups. Factors predictive of contralateral graft limb infection included an
      ABFG placed for aortoiliac occlusive disease (P = .03) and culture evidence of
      infection above the inguinal ligament (P = .07; positive predictive value of
      71%). Median duration of targeted antibiotic therapy was 42 days, and neither
      duration of antibiotics nor cultured microorganism predicted recurrent graft
      infection. Overall mortality was 40% and was similar between patients who
      developed contralateral or main body graft infection and those who did not. There
      was no limb loss, and overall median follow-up was 44.7 months. CONCLUSIONS:
      Isolated unilateral infection of an ABFG limb can be managed with single graft
      limb excision, provided the infection is isolated to the infrainguinal graft
      segment. Factors predicting subsequent contralateral or main body graft infection
      include ABFGs originally placed for aortoiliac occlusive disease and culture
      positive graft infection above the inguinal ligament.

PMID- 26482993
TI  - Intact Toll-like receptor 9 signaling in neutrophils modulates normal
      thrombogenesis in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deletion of Toll-like receptor 9 (Tlr9) signaling, which is important
      for sterile inflammatory processes, results in impaired resolution of venous
      thrombosis (VT) in mice. The purpose of this study was to determine if deletion
      of Tlr9 affected sterile necrosis, apoptosis, and neutrophil extracellular trap
      (NET) production in VT. METHODS: Stasis and nonstasis murine models of VT were
      used in wild-type (WT) and Tlr9-/- mice, with assessment of thrombus size and
      determination of NETs, necrosis, and apoptosis markers. Anti-polymorphonuclear
      neutrophil (PMN) and antiplatelet antibody strategies were used to determine the
      cellular roles and their roles in WT and Tlr9-/- mice. RESULTS: At 2 days, stasis
      thrombi in Tlr9-/- mice were 62% larger (n = 6-10), with 1.4-fold increased uric
      acid levels, 1.7-fold more apoptotic cells, 2-fold increased citrullinated
      histones, 2-fold increased peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4), and 1.5-fold
      increased elastase and a 2.4-fold reduction in tissue factor pathway inhibitor
      compared with WT mice (all n = 4-7; P < .05). In contrast, the sizes of nonstasis
      thrombi were not significantly different in Tlr9-/- mice (n = 4-6), and they did
      not have elevated necrosis or NET markers. Stasis thrombus size was not reduced
      at the 2-day time point in WT or Tlr9-/- mice that received treatment with
      deoxyribonuclease I or in PAD4-/- mice, which are incapable of forming NETs. In
      Tlr9-/- mice undergoing PMN depletion (n = 8-10), stasis thrombus size was
      reduced 18% and was associated with 29-fold decreased citrullinated histones, 1.3
      fold decreased elastase, and 1.5-fold increased tissue factor pathway inhibitor
      (all n = 6; P < .05). Last, platelet depletion (>90% reduction) did not
      significantly reduce stasis thrombus size in Tlr9-/- mice. CONCLUSIONS: These
      data suggest that the thrombogenic model affects Tlr9 thrombogenic mechanisms and
      that functional Tlr9 signaling in PMNs, but not in platelets or NETs, is an
      important mechanism in early stasis experimental venous thrombogenesis.

PMID- 26482994
TI  - Favorable outcomes of very elderly patients with critical limb ischemia who
      undergo distal bypass surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the midterm outcomes of distal bypass surgery for very
      elderly patients, and to determine the ideal candidates for this procedure.
      METHODS: Of 268 consecutive patients (328 limbs) with critical limb ischemia who
      were treated between 2006 and 2013, 106 (126 limbs) underwent distal bypass and
      were retrospectively reviewed. Nineteen patients (22 limbs) were aged >=80 years
      (very elderly group) and 87 patients (104 limbs) were aged <80 years (control
      group). RESULTS: The baseline characteristics differed between the 2 groups in
      terms of regular hemodialysis rate (very elderly group, 4 [21%] vs control group,
      60 [69%]; P = .0002) and the Charlson comorbidity index (very elderly group, 3.2
      +/- 1.7 vs control group, 5.0 +/- 2.0; P = .0005). According to the Rutherford
      category of limb ischemia (4/5/6), the very elderly and control groups were
      classified as 5/17/0 and 11/87/6, respectively (P = .18). Before the surgery, 17
      patients (77%) and 67 patients (64%) were ambulatory in the very elderly and
      control groups, respectively. At follow-up at 29 +/- 22 months, the rates of
      primary (P = .33) and secondary patency (P = .14), limb salvage (P = .50),
      survival (P = .26), amputation-free survival (P = .42), major adverse limb event
      and also perioperative death (P = .11), and major adverse cardiovascular events
      (P = .36) did not significantly differ between the groups. In multivariate
      analysis, a history of coronary artery disease (hazard ratio [HR], 2.7; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 1.3-5.9; P = .005), preoperative nonambulatory status
      (HR, 4.2; 95% CI, 2.1-8.1; P < .0001), and serum albumin levels <3 g/dL (HR, 2.7;
      95% CI, 1.3-5.4; P = .01) were significantly related to poor amputation-free
      survival. Thirteen patients (59%) remained ambulatory at the latest follow-up. In
      91 patients (110 limbs) with tissue loss, the Society for Vascular Surgery lower
      extremity threatened limb classification system: risk stratification based on
      Wound, Ischemia, and foot Infection classification stages 3 and 4 negatively
      affected complete wound healing, according to multivariate analysis (HR, 0.34;
      95% CI, 0.20-0.61; P = .0005). CONCLUSIONS: A very elderly age should not
      preclude a patient from undergoing distal bypass surgery. A history of coronary
      artery disease, a nonambulatory status, and hypoalbuminemia, along with the
      Wound, Ischemia, and foot Infection classification for patients with tissue loss,
      should be carefully considered to obtain the most benefit from distal bypass
      surgery.

PMID- 26482995
TI  - Secondary interventions in patients with autologous infrainguinal bypass grafts
      strongly improve patency rates.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the patency of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA)
      of autologous infrainguinal bypasses at risk. METHODS: This was a retrospective
      single-center cohort study of consecutive patients who underwent primary PTA of
      an infrainguinal autologous bypass at risk from January 2009 to December 2013.
      Duplex ultrasound surveillance was performed for at least 1 year after PTA. The
      primary study end point was the number of secondary interventions. Secondary end
      points were freedom from recurrent stenosis or bypass occlusion and the patency
      of the infrainguinal autologous bypass at 1 year after primary PTA. RESULTS: A
      total of 69 infrainguinal bypasses at risk in 69 patients were identified and
      treated with PTA. Technical success was achieved in 91%. The median follow-up was
      17 months (range, 1-58 months). During follow-up, 30 bypasses (43%) remained free
      of significant stenosis or bypass occlusion, 29 bypasses (42%) developed
      recurrent stenosis, and 10 bypasses (14%) occluded. Rates of primary assisted,
      and secondary patency at 1 year were 84%, and 86%. Five (7%) major amputations
      were performed, all after bypass occlusion. CONCLUSIONS: Secondary interventions
      after PTA of a bypass at risk are common. However, repeated secondary
      interventions of autologous infrainguinal bypasses at risk result in patency
      rates of more than 80% at 1 year.

PMID- 26482996
TI  - Screening results from a large United Kingdom abdominal aortic aneurysm screening
      center in the context of optimizing United Kingdom National Abdominal Aortic
      Aneurysm Screening Programme protocols.
AB  - BACKGROUND: After its introduction in six pilot centers in 2009, the National
      Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme (NAAASP) is now established across
      the United Kingdom, demonstrating significant benefit in terms of fewer emergency
      surgeries and reduced 30-day surgical mortality. However, according to
      publication of data on annual screened abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) detection,
      a lower incidence than predicted in the original screening trials has been found.
      In this audit we assessed features and risk factors of men found to have a
      positive scan result in the southwest London AAA screening program, to determine
      screening yield for subgroups of populations and assess the case for a more
      targeted screening program. METHODS: Data from the NAAASP screening database for
      England were extracted for all men who attended screening from the April 1, 2009
      through October 16, 2013 in the southwest London area. Primary outcomes were
      aneurysm prevalence, risk factors, and incidence within subgroups. Results were
      reviewed against nationally reported data and London census data. RESULTS: Of
      24,891 men who were screened in the southwest London program during this period,
      292 AAAs were identified (1.18%). Patients were asked to categorize their ethnic
      background according to classifications provided by the office of national
      statistics. Those at highest risk of AAA were white-British (1.35%), followed by
      black and black British (0.65%), and Asian/Asian British (0.23%). Number needed
      to screen to identify one AAA was calculated as 78, 154, and 431, respectively.
      The relative proportions of patients screened were similar to that described in
      the most recent United Kingdom census, except for white-British patients,
      indicating a shortfall in acceptance of screening invitations in this group.
      There were no AAA identified in Chinese men. A positive smoking history was found
      in 90%, a confirmed diagnosis of hypertension in 50%, hypercholesterolemia in
      34%, and ischemic heart disease in 21%. CONCLUSIONS: Within southwest London, AAA
      was most strongly associated with being white-British, a previous or current
      smoker, and known hypertension. Targeted education in patient groups with
      identified risk factors for AAA should be considered to improve screening yield
      without excluding any subgroup from the screening program. This could draw on
      resources released by unused scans because of lower than predicted prevalence.
      AAA diagnosis should be seen as an opportunity to address the increased all-cause
      mortality associated with aortic aneurysmal disease.

PMID- 26482998
TI  - The efficacy of salvage interventions on threatened distal bypass grafts.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Infrapopliteal bypass is an established and effective method for limb
      salvage in patients with critical limb ischemia. Secondary interventions maybe
      required to maintain graft patency. The aim of this study was to look at the
      frequency and outcomes of such interventions. METHODS: Consecutive patients
      undergoing bypasses onto the infrapopliteal vessels for critical limb ischemia
      (Rutherford 4-6) at a single institution were analyzed between 2009 and 2013. The
      primary end points were graft patency, amputation-free survival (AFS), and
      freedom from reintervention at 12 months by Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: A
      total of 114 infrapopliteal bypasses were performed in 102 patients. Distal
      anastomosis was on to the anterior tibial (n = 31), posterior tibial (n = 27),
      peroneal (n = 24), tibioperoneal trunk (n = 23), or dorsalis pedis artery (n =
      9). Primary patency, assisted primary patency, and secondary patency was 57%,
      76%, and 82%, respectively, at 12 months and 44%, 70%, and 80%, respectively, at
      36 months. AFS was 80% at 12 months and 65% at 36 months. Endovascular salvage
      interventions were performed on 58 grafts (51%) including angioplasty of
      inflow/proximal anastomosis (33%), outflow/distal anastomosis (46%), and graft
      stenosis (20%), with a further 12 grafts (11%) undergoing thrombolysis for
      occlusion. Surgical salvage interventions included jump grafts (n = 7), revision
      of anastomotic stenosis (n = 3), and thrombectomy (n = 2). AFS was similar in
      salvaged threatened and acutely occluded grafts compared with nonthreatened
      grafts (P = .064) and better in grafts requiring reintervention later (>6 months
      from bypass) compared with those requiring early reintervention (<6 months; P =
      .047). CONCLUSIONS: Secondary interventions in threatened distal bypass grafts
      are successful at maintaining graft patency and AFS when compared with
      nonthreatened grafts, and are associated with a low morbidity rate.

PMID- 26482999
TI  - Avulsion injury to the profunda femoris artery after total hip arthroplasty.
AB  - Vascular injuries are a rare complication of total hip arthroplasty (THA). We
      describe the case of 71-year-old man who underwent an elective left THA and
      developed a pseudoaneurysm from an avulsion injury to the first branch of the
      profunda femoris artery. The patient underwent urgent open primary repair of the
      pseudoaneurysm and recovered without any complications. This case demonstrates
      the importance of assessing for vascular injuries after THA and of educating
      patients about the associated signs and symptoms.

PMID- 26482997
TI  - Results of the Nellix system investigational device exemption pivotal trial for
      endovascular aneurysm sealing.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Nellix EndoVascular Aneurysm Sealing system (Endologix, Inc,
      Irvine, Calif) is a novel approach to abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)
      endovascular repair whereby biocompatible polymer is employed to exclude and to
      seal the AAA sac. We report 30-day results of the U.S. pivotal trial. METHODS:
      Consecutive, eligible, consenting patients were enrolled at 29 sites in the
      United States and Europe. Inclusion criteria required an asymptomatic infrarenal
      AAA, with aortic neck length >=10 mm and angle to the sac <=60 degrees, aortic
      neck diameter of 18 to 32 mm, aneurysm blood lumen diameter <=6 cm, common iliac
      artery lumen diameter of 9 to 35 mm, access artery diameter >=6 mm, and serum
      creatinine level <=2 mg/dL. Follow-up at 30 days included clinical assessment and
      computed tomography angiography evaluation of endoleaks and device integrity as
      assessed by a core laboratory. The primary safety end point is the incidence of
      independently adjudicated 30-day major adverse events (MAEs), with success
      defined as superiority with reference to the Society for Vascular Surgery open
      repair control group (56%). RESULTS: Between January and November 2014, 150 trial
      patients having a mean AAA diameter of 5.8 cm were enrolled and treated with the
      Nellix system with 100% procedural success. One early death (0.7%) occurred
      secondary to multisystem organ failure. All 149 surviving patients completed 30
      day follow-up. There were no aneurysm ruptures, conversions, limb thromboses,
      stent fractures, or stent kinking. Five early MAEs occurred in four patients
      (2.7%) and included one death, bowel ischemia (1), renal failure (2), and
      respiratory failure (1). One (0.7%) secondary intervention to treat inadvertent
      coverage of a renal artery was performed. The core laboratory identified nine
      (6%) endoleaks (one type I, eight type II) on 30-day computed tomography
      angiography. Freedom from MAE was 97.3% (95% confidence interval, 93.3%-99.0%).
      CONCLUSIONS: In selected patients, perioperative outcomes with the Nellix system
      for endovascular aneurysm sealing are encouraging, with very low 30-day morbidity
      and mortality and high procedural success. The primary safety end point has been
      achieved. Longer term follow-up is in progress.

PMID- 26483000
TI  - Open surgical revision provides a more durable repair than endovascular treatment
      for unfavorable vein graft lesions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Lower extremity bypass grafts that develop stenoses are commonly
      treated with either open surgical or endovascular revision. Vein graft stenoses
      with unfavorable lesions (multiple lesions, lesions >2 cm in length, lesions in
      grafts <3 months old, lesions in grafts <3 mm in diameter) fare worse than those
      with favorable lesions when treated with endovascular therapy. However, it is not
      known if unfavorable lesions fare better with surgical revision than with
      endovascular treatment or than favorable lesions treated with surgery. METHODS:
      We performed a retrospective review of 175 vein graft revisions performed at a
      single institution from 2000 to 2010. Characteristics of lesions treated with
      surgical and endovascular revision were identified. Cox proportional hazard
      models were used to identify predictors of revision failure (restenosis >75%,
      revision, or amputation). RESULTS: Ninety-one failing vein grafts (52%) were
      treated with surgical revision and 84 with endovascular treatment (48%), with a
      median follow-up of 30 months. Favorable lesions fared better than unfavorable
      lesions after endovascular treatment, with 12-month freedom from failure of 59%
      vs 34% (P < .01), but not after surgical revision (66% vs 62%; P = .90).
      Unfavorable lesions had better freedom from failure after surgery than
      endovascular treatment (62% vs 34%; P < .01), and results in favorable lesions
      were similar (66% vs 59%; P = .57). CONCLUSIONS: For the treatment of failing
      vein grafts, endovascular therapy appears adequate for favorable lesions and
      surgical revision is more durable for unfavorable lesions.

PMID- 26483001
TI  - The natural history of penetrating ulcers of the iliac arteries.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The natural history of penetrating ulcers of the iliac arteries (PUIA)
      has not been previously described. The potential for degeneration into
      pseudoanerysm and rupture are feared complications. It is hypothesized that PUIA,
      similar to their thoracic aortic counterparts, signal impending vascular
      catastrophe. METHODS: A search of computed tomography (CT) angiography reports
      for the words, "penetrating ulcer" was performed. Patients with PUIA who
      underwent CT imaging from October 2010 to August 2011 were identified. Their
      clinical course was followed through December 2014. If patients with PUIA had
      additional vascular pathology that necessitated intervention, it was performed. A
      prospective and retrospective review of the imaging was performed when possible.
      Associated iliac diameter and ulcer dimensions were measured for patients with
      repeat imaging (n = 22). Demographic characteristics were compared for patients
      who were identified as having penetrating ulcers of the abdominal aorta. Mann
      Whitney U, Fisher exact, and Pearson correlation coefficient tests were performed
      for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The calculated incidence of PUIA for patients
      who underwent CT imaging was 0.3%. The age at the time of diagnosis was 70.7 +/-
      10.0 years and the cohort included 28 male patients (82.3%). Median clinical and
      imaging follow-up was 42.0 (range, 1-82) months and 40.5 (range, 1-77) months.
      Most patients had a history of hypertension (82.4%), hyperlipidemia (76.5%), and
      tobacco use (70.6%). Twenty-one patients (61.8%) had concomitant aneurysms not
      necessarily associated with the PUIA. Although no PUIA rupture occurred, the
      population was sick because seven patients (20.6%) were deceased at the study
      end. Only one individual presented with symptoms that could possibly be
      attributed to their PUIA. Repeat imaging was performed for 22 patients (64.7%).
      The calculated median iliac artery diameter growth rate through the PUIA was 0.1
      (range, 0-4.1) mm/y. CONCLUSIONS: PUIA are generally slow-growing and are found
      incidentally. Most patients with PUIA were in their eighth decade with a history
      of hypertension and tobacco use. Patients with PUIA frequently have concurrent
      aortic aneurysm disease that requires intervention. The mortality for this
      population was high, but was not caused by rupture of a PUIA. Diameter changes
      noted in the PUIA during follow-up did not suggest ulcer treatment would improve
      survival.

PMID- 26483002
TI  - Arteriovenous fistula outcomes in the elderly.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Over several decades, there has been an increase in the number of
      elderly patients requiring hemodialysis. These older patients typically have an
      increased incidence of comorbidities including diabetes, hypertension, and
      peripheral vascular disease. We undertook a systematic review of the current
      literature to assess outcomes of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) formation in the
      elderly and to compare the results of radiocephalic AVFs vs brachiocephalic AVFs
      in older patients. METHODS: A literature search was performed using MEDLINE,
      Embase, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library. All retrieved articles published before
      December 31, 2014 (and in English) primarily describing the creation of
      hemodialysis vascular access for elderly patients were considered for inclusion.
      We report pooled AVF patency rates and a comparison of radiocephalic vs
      brachiocephalic AVF patency rates using odds ratios (ORs). RESULTS: Of 199
      relevant articles reviewed, 15 were deemed eligible for the review. The pooled 12
      month primary and secondary AVF patency rates were 53.6% (95% confidence interval
      [CI], 47.3-59.9) and 71.6% (95% CI, 59.2-82.7), respectively. Comparison of
      radiocephalic vs brachiocephalic AVF patency rates demonstrated that
      radiocephalic AVFs have inferior primary (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.55-0.93; P = .01)
      and secondary (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.58-1.00; P = .05) patency rates. CONCLUSIONS:
      This meta-analysis confirms that adequate 12-month primary and secondary AVF
      patency rates can be achieved in elderly patients. Brachiocephalic AVFs have both
      superior primary and secondary patency rates at 12 months compared with
      radiocephalic AVFs. These important data can inform clinicians' and patients'
      decision-making about suitability of attempting AVF formation in older persons.

PMID- 26483004
TI  - Results of the Valiant Mona LSA early feasibility study for descending thoracic
      aneurysms.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Stent graft coverage of the left subclavian artery (LSA) may be
      required to achieve an adequate landing zone in up to 40% of descending thoracic
      aneurysms (DTAs). The Valiant Mona LSA Thoracic Stent Graft System (Medtronic,
      Santa Rosa, Calif) consists of a main stent graft and a branch stent graft
      designed to maintain LSA patency while diverting circulation through the
      encroaching aneurysm. Participating in the United States Food and Drug
      Administration's new Innovation Pathway, this first-in-human, early feasibility
      study evaluates early clinical experience of the Valiant Mona LSA Stent Graft
      System in patients with DTAs where the proximal landing zone necessitates LSA
      coverage. METHODS: This premarket, nonrandomized, single-arm prospective study
      recruited nine patients (age 72.9 +/- 7.6 years). Primary end points were
      aneurysm-related mortality, stroke, paraplegia, left arm/hand ischemia, and
      treatment success. Neurologic events were assessed by imaging and by independent
      neurologists. Inclusion criteria required patients with a DTA or penetrating
      aortic ulcer to have a distance of >=10 mm between the left common carotid artery
      and the LSA. Mean aneurysm diameter was 53.7 +/- 10.0 mm. The indication for
      repair was for saccular DTA in five patients or fusiform DTA in four. Seven
      patients were at American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status
      Classification III/IV. RESULTS: All nine patients received one main stent graft
      (diameter 28 to 42 mm) and one branch stent graft (diameter 10 to 14 mm). To
      extend device coverage distally, a commercial Valiant Captivia device was
      implanted in seven patients. No uncorrected endoleaks were observed at the end of
      the implant procedure. Four endoleaks developed before discharge in four of eight
      evaluable patients. Two were identified as type II and two were of undetermined
      type. No endoleak resulted in a secondary intervention. Technical success,
      defined by the clinical investigational plan, was achieved in all nine patients
      intraoperatively, and treatment success was achieved in all eight evaluable
      patients at 1 month. There were no major, disabling strokes. Four minor
      nondisabling strokes were reported in three patients <=30 days (days 1, 1, 5, and
      24). To date, there have been no reports of death, left arm ischemia, paraplegia,
      rupture, conversion to open surgery, or secondary endovascular procedure. No
      patients required surgical LSA revascularization. CONCLUSIONS: The Valiant Mona
      LSA system demonstrates technical and treatment success, relative safety, and
      early durability in its initial use in DTA patients. Midterm results are expected
      as patients are monitored at regular intervals to 5 years.

PMID- 26483003
TI  - One-year outcomes of the U.S. and Japanese regulatory trial of the Misago stent
      for treatment of superficial femoral artery disease (OSPREY study).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of the
      Misago stent (Terumo Corp, Tokyo, Japan) in occlusive and stenotic superficial
      femoral artery (SFA) disease. METHODS: The safety and efficacy of the Misago SFA
      stent were evaluated prospectively in this initial collaboration trial between
      Japan and the United States. Because this trial enrolled patients mainly from
      Japan and the United States and because there is a question as to whether a race
      difference exists in SFA stent performance, the race difference on outcome was
      also analyzed. In addition, results were compared with a prior SFA stent trial.
      RESULTS: The Misago stent was implanted in 261 subjects with TransAtlantic Inter
      Society Consensus (TASC) type A and type B SFA lesions (201 subjects in the
      United States, 50 in Japan, 9 in Taiwan, 1 in South Korea). The mean age of the
      patients was 69.3 +/- 10.0 years, and the mean lesion length was 83.8 +/- 41.3
      mm. The overall 12-month primary patency rate and clinically driven target lesion
      revascularization were 82.9% and 13.0%, respectively. Regional differences within
      the Occlusive/Stenotic Peripheral Artery Revascularization Study (OSPREY) and
      outcomes between U.S. and Asian patients were similar, including primary patency
      (82.9% vs 83.0%; P = .889), clinically driven target lesion revascularization
      (13.4% vs 11.7%; P = .829), stent fracture rate (1.3% vs 0.0%; P = 1.000), and
      stent thrombosis rate (0.5% vs 0.0%; P = 1.000). CONCLUSIONS: OSPREY 12-month
      data showed satisfactory outcome of the Misago stent for the treatment of TASC
      type A and type B SFA lesions and appears to be comparable to recent stent
      trials. In addition, the lack of difference in outcome among races supports the
      value of international trials.

PMID- 26483005
TI  - Apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon4 Allele Is Associated with Increased Symptom
      Reporting Following Sports Concussion.
AB  - Exploring the relationship between genetic factors and outcome following brain
      injury has received increased attention in recent years. However, few studies
      have evaluated the influence of genes on specific sequelae of concussion. The
      purpose of this study was to determine how the epsilon4 allele of the
      apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene influences symptom expression following sports
      related concussion. Participants included 42 collegiate athletes who underwent
      neuropsychological testing, including completion of the Post-Concussion Symptom
      Scale (PCSS), within 3 months after sustaining a concussion (73.8% were evaluated
      within 1 week). Athletes provided buccal samples that were analyzed to determine
      the make-up of their APOE genotype. Dependent variables included a total symptom
      score and four symptom clusters derived from the PCSS. Mann-Whitney U tests
      showed higher scores reported by athletes with the epsilon4 allele compared to
      those without it on the total symptom score and the physical and cognitive
      symptom clusters. Furthermore, logistic regression showed that the epsilon4
      allele independently predicted those athletes who reported physical and cognitive
      symptoms following concussion. These findings illustrate that epsilon4+ athletes
      report greater symptomatology post-concussion than epsilon4- athletes, suggesting
      that the epsilon4 genotype may confer risk for poorer post-concussion outcome.
      (JINS, 2016, 22, 89-94). 

PMID- 26483006
TI  - The Effect of the Mediterranean Diet on Hypertension: A Systematic Review and
      Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The adoption of a Mediterranean diet (MD) pattern of eating is often
      described as a strategy to help prevent or manage hypertension. However, this
      dietary regimen has not been reviewed systematically for its efficacy against
      hypertension. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of
      interventions of at least 1 year duration on blood pressure (BP) values through a
      systematic review and meta-analysis. The focus was on interventions comparing an
      MD with a low-fat diet. DESIGN: The authors accessed and searched PubMed and
      Scopus databases up to March, 2015. Randomized control trials comparing MD vs low
      fat diet were included. The researchers assessed the methodological quality,
      extracted the valid data, and conducted the meta-analysis following Preferred
      Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. RESULTS: Six
      trials (more than 7,000 individuals) were identified. Meta-analysis showed that
      interventions aiming at adopting an MD pattern for at least 1 year reduced both
      the systolic BP and diastolic BP levels in individuals with normal BP or mild
      hypertension. The effect was higher for the systolic BP (-1.44 mm Hg) but also
      consistent for the diastolic BP (-0.70 mm Hg). However, the results have to be
      interpreted with caution owing to the reduced number of studies eligible for
      inclusion in this meta-analysis. This situation limited the statistical power of
      the analyses. Furthermore, in all analyses, the pooled effect estimation showed a
      high evidence of heterogeneity, which compromises the validity of the pooled
      estimates. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: A positive and significant association
      was found between the MD and BP in adults. However, in all cases the magnitude of
      the effect was small. Based on this limited group of studies and their
      heterogeneity, the authors found insufficient convincing evidence to suggest that
      the MD decreased BP. Further standardized research is urgently needed to reach
      evidence-based conclusions to clarify the role of MD in BP management,
      particularly in Europe and other societies where prevalence of cardiovascular
      diseases is increasing.

PMID- 26483007
TI  - Patient, tumor, and health system factors affecting groin node dissection rates
      in vulvar carcinoma: A population-based cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of groin node dissection (GND) for invasive
      vulvar carcinoma in a population-based cohort, and the patient, tumor, or health
      system factors associated with having this procedure. METHODS: This retrospective
      population-based cohort includes all cases of invasive squamous cell carcinoma
      identified in the provincial cancer registry from 1998 to 2007. Chart abstraction
      was completed for all clinical and pathologic factors. Descriptive analyses with
      chi-squared tests were used for comparing proportions between patient groups.
      Multivariable logistic regression analysis was implemented to determine factors
      associated with having a GND. RESULTS: Data was collected for 1109 patients; 1038
      patients were included in this analysis. 647 (62%) had a GND as part of primary
      management of their vulvar cancer, while 391 (38%) did not. When those with depth
      of invasion <=1mm and no GND were removed, the GND rate increased to 68%. Reasons
      for no GND included age, obesity, advanced disease, or comorbidities. Factors
      significantly associated with omission of GND were increasing age (OR 0.98, CI
      0.97-0.99), severe comorbidities (OR 0.57, CI 0.42-0.78), lower income quintile
      (OR 0.71, CI 0.54-0.95), and surgeon type (non-gynecologic oncologist vs
      gynecologic oncologist) (OR 0.43, CI 0.22-0.85), whereas depth of invasion >1mm
      was significantly associated with having a GND (OR 2.75, CI 2.08-3.62).
      CONCLUSION: This population-based cohort demonstrates 32% of invasive vulvar
      cancer patients did not have a GND at initial management. Vulvar cancer patients
      should be evaluated by clinicians with expertise in this rare disease to ensure
      that a GND is completed when feasible.

PMID- 26483008
TI  - The Founder Strains of the Collaborative Cross Express a Complex Combination of
      Advantageous and Deleterious Traits for Male Reproduction.
AB  - Surveys of inbred strains of mice are standard approaches to determine the
      heritability and range of phenotypic variation for biomedical traits. In
      addition, they may lead to the identification of novel phenotypes and models of
      human disease. Surprisingly, male reproductive phenotypes are among the least
      represented traits in the Mouse Phenome Database. Here we report the results of a
      broad survey of the eight founder inbred strains of both the Collaborative Cross
      (CC) and the Diversity Outbred populations, two new mouse resources that are
      being used as platforms for systems genetics and sources of mouse models of human
      diseases. Our survey includes representatives of the three main subspecies of the
      house mice and a mix of classical and wild-derived inbred strains. In addition to
      standard staples of male reproductive phenotyping such as reproductive organ
      weights, sperm counts, and sperm morphology, our survey includes sperm motility
      and the first detailed survey of testis histology. As expected for such a broad
      survey, heritability varies widely among traits. We conclude that although all
      eight inbred strains are fertile, most display a mix of advantageous and
      deleterious male reproductive traits. The CAST/EiJ strain is an outlier, with an
      unusual combination of deleterious male reproductive traits including low sperm
      counts, high levels of morphologically abnormal sperm, and poor motility. In
      contrast, sperm from the PWK/PhJ and WSB/EiJ strains had the greatest percentages
      of normal morphology and vigorous motility. Finally, we report an abnormal testis
      phenotype that is highly heritable and restricted to the WSB/EiJ strain. This
      phenotype is characterized by the presence of a large, but variable, number of
      vacuoles in at least 10% of the seminiferous tubules. The onset of the phenotype
      between 2 and 3 wk of age is temporally correlated with the formation of the
      blood-testis barrier. We speculate that this phenotype may play a role in high
      rates of extinction in the CC project and in the phenotypes associated with
      speciation in genetic crosses that use the WSB/EiJ strain as representative of
      the Mus muculus domesticus subspecies. 

PMID- 26483009
TI  - Influences of LIN-12/Notch and POP-1/TCF on the Robustness of Ventral Uterine
      Cell Fate Specification in Caenorhabditis elegans Gonadogenesis.
AB  - The prospective ventral uterus of the hermaphrodite gonad primordium consists of
      two pairs of sister cells, with each pair consisting of a proximal "alpha" cell
      and a distal "beta" cell. All four cells initially are competent to become the
      anchor cell (AC), a unique cell type that acts as the organizer of subsequent
      uterine and vulval development. However, the beta cells soon lose this competence
      and always become ventral uterine precursor cells (VUs), whereas the alpha cells
      maintain their AC competence longer, until lin-12/Notch-mediated interactions
      between them specify one as the AC and the other as a VU. Here, we investigate
      this asymmetry in developmental potential and VU fate specification between the
      alpha and beta sister cells. We find evidence that lin-12 activity contributes to
      the robustness of betaVU fate at elevated temperature, that the Caenorhabditis
      elegans Notch paralog glp-1 is not functionally redundant with lin-12 in
      specifying betaVU fate, and that the activity of POP-1, the sole C. elegans TCF
      ortholog, influences betaVU fate. We propose a model for how Wnt and LIN-12/Notch
      signaling together lead to robust specification of the betaVU fate. 

PMID- 26483010
TI  - Identification of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Genes Whose Deletion Causes Synthetic
      Effects in Cells with Reduced Levels of the Nuclear Pif1 DNA Helicase.
AB  - The multifunctional Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pif1 DNA helicase affects the
      maintenance of telomeric, ribosomal, and mitochondrial DNAs, suppresses DNA
      damage at G-quadruplex motifs, influences the processing of Okazaki fragments,
      and promotes breakage induced replication. All of these functions require the
      ATPase/helicase activity of the protein. Owing to Pif1's critical role in the
      maintenance of mitochondrial DNA, pif1Delta strains quickly generate respiratory
      deficient cells and hence grow very slowly. This slow growth makes it difficult
      to carry out genome-wide synthetic genetic analysis in this background. Here, we
      used a partial loss of function allele of PIF1, pif1-m2, which is mitochondrial
      proficient but has reduced abundance of nuclear Pif1. Although pif1-m2 is not a
      null allele, pif1-m2 cells exhibit defects in telomere maintenance, reduced
      suppression of damage at G-quadruplex motifs and defects in breakage induced
      replication. We performed a synthetic screen to identify nonessential genes with
      a synthetic sick or lethal relationship in cells with low abundance of nuclear
      Pif1. This study identified eleven genes that were synthetic lethal (APM1, ARG80,
      CDH1, GCR1, GTO3, PRK1, RAD10, SKT5, SOP4, UMP1, and YCK1) and three genes that
      were synthetic sick (DEF1, YIP4, and HOM3) with pif1-m2. 

PMID- 26483011
TI  - Multilocus Sex Determination Revealed in Two Populations of Gynodioecious Wild
      Strawberry, Fragaria vesca subsp. bracteata.
AB  - Gynodioecy, the coexistence of females and hermaphrodites, occurs in 20% of
      angiosperm families and often enables transitions between hermaphroditism and
      dioecy. Clarifying mechanisms of sex determination in gynodioecious species can
      thus illuminate sexual system evolution. Genetic determination of gynodioecy,
      however, can be complex and is not fully characterized in any wild species. We
      used targeted sequence capture to genetically map a novel nuclear contributor to
      male sterility in a self-pollinated hermaphrodite of Fragaria vesca subsp.
      bracteata from the southern portion of its range. To understand its interaction
      with another identified locus and possibly additional loci, we performed crosses
      within and between two populations separated by 2000 km, phenotyped the progeny
      and sequenced candidate markers at both sex-determining loci. The newly mapped
      locus contains a high density of pentatricopeptide repeat genes, a class commonly
      involved in restoration of fertility caused by cytoplasmic male sterility.
      Examination of all crosses revealed three unlinked epistatically interacting loci
      that determine sexual phenotype and vary in frequency between populations.
      Fragaria vesca subsp. bracteata represents the first wild gynodioecious species
      with genomic evidence of both cytoplasmic and nuclear genes in sex determination.
      We propose a model for the interactions between these loci and new hypotheses for
      the evolution of sex determining chromosomes in the subdioecious and dioecious
      Fragaria. 

PMID- 26483013
TI  - Using RNA-seq for Analysis of Differential Gene Expression in Fungal Species.
AB  - The ability to extract, identify and annotate large amounts of biological data is
      a key feature of the "omics" era, and has led to an explosion in the amount of
      data available. One pivotal advance is the use of Next-Generation Sequencing
      (NGS) techniques such as RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq). RNA-seq uses data from
      millions of small mRNA transcripts or "reads" which are aligned to a reference
      genome. Comparative transcriptomics analyses using RNA-seq can provide the
      researcher with a comprehensive view of the cells' response to a given
      environment or stimulus.Here, we describe the NGS techniques (based on Illumina
      technology) that are routinely used for comparative transcriptome analysis of
      fungal species. We describe the entire process from isolation of RNA to
      computational identification of differentially expressed genes. We provide
      instructions to allow the beginner to implement packages in R such as
      Bioconductor. The methods described are not limited to yeast, and can also be
      applied to other eukaryotic organisms.

PMID- 26483012
TI  - Development of INDEL Markers for Genetic Mapping Based on Whole Genome
      Resequencing in Soybean.
AB  - Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] is an important crop worldwide. In this study,
      a Chinese local soybean cultivar, Hedou 12, was resequenced by next generation
      sequencing technology to develop INsertion/DELetion (INDEL) markers for genetic
      mapping. 49,276 INDEL polymorphisms and 242,059 single nucleotide polymorphisms
      were detected between Hedou 12 and the Williams 82 reference sequence. Of these,
      243 candidate INDEL markers ranging from 5-50 bp in length were chosen for
      validation, and 165 (68%) of them revealed polymorphisms between Hedou 12 and
      Williams 82. The validated INDEL markers were also tested in 12 other soybean
      cultivars. The number of polymorphisms in the pairwise comparisons of 14 soybean
      cultivars varied from 27 to 165. To test the utility of these INDEL markers, they
      were used to perform genetic mapping of a crinkly leaf mutant, and the CRINKLY
      LEAF locus was successfully mapped to a 360 kb region on chromosome 7. This
      research shows that high-throughput sequencing technologies can facilitate the
      development of genome-wide molecular markers for genetic mapping in soybean. 

PMID- 26483014
TI  - Enhancing Structural Annotation of Yeast Genomes with RNA-Seq Data.
AB  - The number of fully sequenced genomes of yeasts is dramatically increasing but
      both structural and functional annotation quality are usually neglected, as most
      frequently based on automatic annotation transfer tools from reference genomes.
      RNA sequencing technologies offer the possibility to better characterize yeast
      transcriptomes and to correct or improve the prediction of mRNA, ncRNA, or
      miscellaneous RNA. We describe a computational approach to enhance structural
      annotation of yeast genomes based on RNA-Seq data exploitation. The proposed
      pipeline is primarily based on read mapping with TopHat2. Mapping outputs are
      then used for various applications such as: (1) validation of exon-exon junctions
      of predicted transcripts, (2) definition of new transcribed features, (3)
      prediction of 3' UTR, and (4) identification of extra features absent from the
      genome assembly. We strongly encourage curators to proceed to a manual validation
      and editing of the reference genome. Releasing genomes with high-quality
      annotation is an important issue, as they will be considered as references for
      further predictions. 

PMID- 26483015
TI  - Pathogen Gene Expression Profiling During Infection Using a Nanostring nCounter
      Platform.
AB  - NanoString nCounter is a recently developed platform that can make direct
      multiplexed measurement of gene expression using color-coded probe pairs (Geiss
      et al., Nat Biotechnol 26(3):317-325, 2008; Malkov et al., BMC Res Notes 2:80,
      2009). We have found that this platform is uniquely suitable for quantification
      of pathogen gene expression during infection, where pathogen RNA comprises a tiny
      portion of total RNA isolated from the infected tissue. Here, we describe a
      protocol that we have successfully applied to a number of pathogens across
      multiple infection models, including both invasive and mucosal infection by
      Candida albicans, and lung infection by Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus
      neoformans.

PMID- 26483016
TI  - Comparative Transcriptomics in Yeasts.
AB  - Comparative functional genomics approaches have already shed an important light
      on the evolution of gene expression that underlies phenotypic diversity. However,
      comparison across many species in a phylogeny presents several major challenges.
      Here, we describe our experimental framework for comparative transcriptomics in a
      complex phylogeny. 

PMID- 26483017
TI  - Mapping the Transcriptome-Wide Landscape of RBP Binding Sites Using gPAR-CLIP
      seq: Experimental Procedures.
AB  - An estimated 5-10 % of protein-coding genes in eukaryotic genomes encode RNA
      binding proteins (RBPs). Through dynamic changes in RNA recognition, RBPs
      posttranscriptionally regulate the biogenesis, transport, inheritance, storage,
      and degradation of RNAs. Understanding such widespread RBP-mediated
      posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms requires comprehensive discovery of the
      in vivo binding sites of RBPs. Here, we describe the experimental procedures of
      the gPAR-CLIP-seq (global photoactivatable-ribonucleoside-enhanced cross-linking
      and precipitation followed by deep sequencing) approach we recently developed for
      capturing and sequencing regions of the transcriptome bound by RBPs in budding
      yeast. Unlike the standard PAR-CLIP method, which identifies the bound RNA
      substrates for a single RBP, the gPAR-CLIP-seq method was developed to isolate
      and sequence all mRNA sites bound by the cellular "RBPome." The gPAR-CLIP-seq
      approach is readily applicable to a variety of organisms and cell lines to
      profile global RNA-protein interactions underlying posttranscriptional gene
      regulation. The complete landscape of RBP binding sites provides insights to the
      function of all RNA cis-regulatory elements in an organism and reveals
      fundamental mechanisms of posttranscriptional gene regulation.

PMID- 26483018
TI  - Mapping the Transcriptome-Wide Landscape of RBP Binding Sites Using gPAR-CLIP
      seq: Bioinformatic Analysis.
AB  - Protein-RNA interactions are integral components of posttranscriptional gene
      regulatory processes including mRNA processing and assembly of cellular
      architectures. Dysregulation of RNA-binding protein (RBP) expression or
      disruptions in RBP-RNA interactions underlie a variety of human pathologies and
      genetic diseases including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases (reviewed in
      (Cooper et al., Cell 136(4):777-793, 2009; Darnell, Cancer Res Treat 42(3):125
      129, 2010; Lukong et al., Trends Genet 24 (8):416-425, 2008)). Recent studies
      have uncovered only a small proportion of the extensive RBP-RNA interactome in
      any organism (Baltz et al., Mol Cell 46(5):674-690, 2012; Castello et al., Cell
      149(6):1393-1406, 2012; Freeberg et al., Genome Biol 14(2):R13, 2013; Hogan et
      al., PLoS Biol 6(10):e255, 2008; Mitchell et al., Nat Struct Mol Biol 20(1):127
      133, 2013; Tsvetanova et al. PLoS One 5(9): pii: e12671, 2010; Schueler et al.,
      Genome Biol 15(1):R15, 2014; Silverman et al., Genome Biol 15(1):R3, 2014). To
      expand our understanding of how RBP-RNA interactions govern RNA-related
      processes, we developed gPAR-CLIP-seq (global photoactivatable-ribonucleoside
      enhanced cross-linking and precipitation followed by deep sequencing) for
      capturing and sequencing all regions of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae
      transcriptome bound by RBPs (Freeberg et al., Genome Biol 14(2):R13, 2013). This
      chapter describes a pipeline for bioinformatic analysis of gPAR-CLIP-seq data.
      The first half of this pipeline can be implemented by running locally installed
      programs or by running the programs using the Galaxy platform (Blankenberg et
      al., Curr Protoc Mol Biol. Chapter 19:Unit 19 10 11-21, 2010; Giardine et al.,
      Genome Res 15 (10):1451-1455, 2005; Goecks et al., Genome Biol 11(8):R86, 2010).
      The second half of this pipeline can be implemented by user-generated code in any
      language using the pseudocode provided as a template.

PMID- 26483019
TI  - Translation Analysis at the Genome Scale by Ribosome Profiling.
AB  - Ribosome profiling is an emerging approach using deep sequencing of the mRNA part
      protected by the ribosome to study protein synthesis at the genome scale. This
      approach provides new insights into gene regulation at the translational level.
      In this review we describe the protocol to prepare polysomes and extract ribosome
      protected fragments before to deep sequence them. 

PMID- 26483020
TI  - Biotin-Genomic Run-On (Bio-GRO): A High-Resolution Method for the Analysis of
      Nascent Transcription in Yeast.
AB  - Transcription is a highly complex biological process, with extensive layers of
      regulation, some of which remain to be fully unveiled and understood. To be able
      to discern the particular contributions of the several transcription steps it is
      crucial to understand RNA polymerase dynamics and regulation throughout the
      transcription cycle. Here we describe a new nonradioactive run-on based method
      that maps elongating RNA polymerases along the genome. In contrast with
      alternative methodologies for the measurement of nascent transcription, the
      BioGRO method is designed to minimize technical noise that arises from two of the
      most common sources that affect this type of strategies: contamination with
      mature RNA and amplification-based technical biasing. The method is strand
      specific, compatible with commercial microarrays, and has been successfully
      applied to both yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans. BioGRO
      profiling provides powerful insights not only into the biogenesis and regulation
      of canonical gene transcription but also into the noncoding and antisense
      transcriptomes.

PMID- 26483021
TI  - Genome-Wide Probing of RNA Structures In Vitro Using Nucleases and Deep
      Sequencing.
AB  - RNA structure probing is an important technique that studies the secondary and
      tertiary conformations of an RNA. While it was traditionally performed on one RNA
      at a time, recent advances in deep sequencing has enabled the secondary structure
      mapping of thousands of RNAs simultaneously. Here, we describe the method
      Parallel Analysis for RNA Structures (PARS), which couples double and single
      strand specific nuclease probing to high throughput sequencing. Upon cloning of
      the cleavage sites into a cDNA library, deep sequencing and mapping of reads to
      the transcriptome, the position of paired and unpaired bases along cellular RNAs
      can be identified. PARS can be performed under diverse solution conditions and on
      different organismal RNAs to provide genome-wide RNA structural information. This
      information can also be further used to constrain computational predictions to
      provide better RNA structure models under different conditions. 

PMID- 26483022
TI  - Genome-Wide Chromatin Immunoprecipitation in Candida albicans and Other Yeasts.
AB  - Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments are critical to investigating the
      interactions between DNA and a wide range of nuclear proteins within a cell or
      biological sample. In this chapter we outline an optimized protocol for genome
      wide chromatin immunoprecipitation that has been used successfully for several
      distinct morphological forms of numerous yeast species, and include an optimized
      method for amplification of chromatin immunoprecipitated DNA samples and
      hybridization to a high-density oligonucleotide tiling microarray. We also
      provide detailed suggestions on how to analyze the complex data obtained from
      these experiments. 

PMID- 26483023
TI  - ChIPseq in Yeast Species: From Chromatin Immunoprecipitation to High-Throughput
      Sequencing and Bioinformatics Data Analyses.
AB  - Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) followed by high-throughput sequencing
      (ChIPseq) is a powerful technique for the genome-wide location of protein DNA
      binding sites. The ChIP experiment consists in treating living cells with a cross
      linking agent to bind proteins to their DNA substrates. After fragmentation of
      DNA, specific fractions associated with a particular protein of interest are
      purified by immunoaffinity. They are next sequenced and identified on the
      reference genome using dedicated bioinformatics programs. Several technical
      aspects are important to obtain high-quality ChIPseq results. This includes the
      quality of antibodies, the sequencing protocols, the use of accurate controls and
      the careful choice of bioinformatics tools. We present here a general protocol to
      perform ChIPseq analyses in yeast species. This protocol has been optimized to
      identify target genes of specific transcription factors but can be used for any
      other DNA binding proteins.

PMID- 26483024
TI  - Systematic Determination of Transcription Factor DNA-Binding Specificities in
      Yeast.
AB  - Understanding how genes are regulated, decoding their "regulome", is one of the
      main challenges of the post-genomic era. Here, we describe the in vitro method we
      used to associate cis-regulatory sites with cognate trans-regulators by
      characterizing the DNA-binding specificity of the vast majority of yeast
      transcription factors using Protein Binding Microarrays. This approach can be
      implemented to any given organism.

PMID- 26483025
TI  - Generation and Analysis of Chromosomal Contact Maps of Yeast Species.
AB  - Genome-wide derivatives of the chromosome conformation capture (3C) technique are
      now well-established approaches to study the multiscale average organization of
      chromosomes from bacteria to mammals. However, the experimental parameters of the
      protocol have to be optimized for different species, and the downstream
      experimental products (i.e., pair-end sequences) are influenced by these
      parameters. Here, we describe a complete pipeline to generate 3C-seq libraries
      and compute chromosomal contact maps of yeast species.

PMID- 26483026
TI  - A Versatile Procedure to Generate Genome-Wide Spatiotemporal Program of
      Replication in Yeast Species.
AB  - Here, we describe a complete protocol, comprising both the experimental and the
      analytical procedures, that allows to generate genome-wide spatiotemporal program
      of replication and to find the location of chromosomally active replication
      origins in yeast. The first step consists on synchronizing a cell population by
      physical discrimination of G1 cells according to their sedimentation coefficient.
      G1 cells are then synchronously released into S-phase and time-point samples are
      regularly taken until they reach the G2 phase. Progression through the cell cycle
      is monitored by measuring DNA content variation by flow cytometry. DNA samples,
      covering the entire S-phase, are then extracted and analyzed using deep
      sequencing. The gradual change of DNA copy number is measured to determine the
      mean replication time along the genome. A simple method of peak calling allows to
      infer from the replication profile the location of replication origins along the
      chromosomes. Our protocol is versatile enough to be applied to virtually any
      yeast species of interest and generate its replication profile. 

PMID- 26483028
TI  - Label-Free Quantitative Proteomics in Yeast.
AB  - Label-free bottom-up shotgun MS-based proteomics is an extremely powerful and
      simple tool to provide high quality quantitative analyses of the yeast proteome
      with only microgram amounts of total protein. Although the experimental design of
      this approach is rather straightforward and does not require the modification of
      growth conditions, proteins or peptides, several factors must be taken into
      account to benefit fully from the power of this method. Key factors include the
      choice of an appropriate method for the preparation of protein extracts, careful
      evaluation of the instrument design and available analytical capabilities, the
      choice of the quantification method (intensity-based vs. spectral count), and the
      proper manipulation of the selected quantification algorithm. The elaboration of
      this robust workflow for data acquisition, processing, and analysis provides
      unprecedented insight into the dynamics of the yeast proteome. 

PMID- 26483027
TI  - Single-Step Affinity Purification (ssAP) and Mass Spectrometry of Macromolecular
      Complexes in the Yeast S. cerevisiae.
AB  - Cellular functions are mostly defined by the dynamic interactions of proteins
      within macromolecular networks. Deciphering the composition of macromolecular
      complexes and their dynamic rearrangements is the key to getting a comprehensive
      picture of cellular behavior and to understanding biological systems. In the last
      decade, affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry has emerged as a
      powerful tool to comprehensively study interaction networks and their assemblies.
      However, the study of these interactomes has been hampered by severe
      methodological limitations. In particular, the affinity purification of intact
      complexes from cell lysates suffers from protein and RNA degradation, loss of
      transient interactors, and poor overall yields. In this chapter, we describe a
      rapid single-step affinity purification method for the efficient isolation of
      dynamic macromolecular complexes. The technique employs cell lysis by cryo
      milling, which ensures nondegraded starting material in the submicron range, and
      magnetic beads, which allow for dense antibody-conjugation and thus rapid complex
      isolation, while avoiding loss of transient interactions. The method is epitope
      tag-independent, and overcomes many of the previous limitations to produce large
      interactomes with almost no contamination. The protocol described here has been
      optimized for the yeast S. cerevisiae.

PMID- 26483029
TI  - Profiling of Yeast Lipids by Shotgun Lipidomics.
AB  - Lipidomics is a rapidly growing technology for identification and quantification
      of a variety of cellular lipid molecules. Following the successful development
      and application of functional genomic technologies in yeast Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae, we witness a recent expansion of lipidomics applications in this
      model organism. The applications include detailed characterization of the yeast
      lipidome as well as screening for perturbed lipid phenotypes across hundreds of
      yeast gene deletion mutants. In this chapter, we describe sample handling, mass
      spectrometry, and bioinformatics methods developed for yeast lipidomics studies. 

PMID- 26483030
TI  - Identification of Links Between Cellular Pathways by Genetic Interaction Mapping
      (GIM).
AB  - The yeast systematic deletion collection offered the basis for a number of
      different strategies that establish functional links between genes by analyzing
      the phenotype of cells that combine two different deletions or mutations. A
      distinguishing feature of the collection is the presence of molecular barcodes at
      each deleted locus, which can be used to quantify the presence and abundance of
      cells bearing a given allele in a complex mix. As a result, a large number of
      mutants can be tested in batch cultures, replacing tedious manipulation of
      thousands of individual strains with a barcode microarray readout. Barcode-based
      genetic screens like Genetic Interaction Mapping (GIM) thus require little
      investment in terms of specific equipment, are fast to perform, and allow precise
      measurements of double mutant growth rates for both aggravating (synthetic sick)
      and alleviating (epistatic) effects. We describe here protocols for preparing the
      pools of haploid double mutant S. cerevisiae cells, testing their composition
      with barcode microarrays, and analyzing the results to extract useful functional
      information.

PMID- 26483031
TI  - On the Mapping of Epistatic Genetic Interactions in Natural Isolates: Combining
      Classical Genetics and Genomics.
AB  - Genetic variation within species is the substrate of evolution. Epistasis, which
      designates the non-additive interaction between loci affecting a specific
      phenotype, could be one of the possible outcomes of genetic diversity. Dissecting
      the basis of such interactions is of current interest in different fields of
      biology, from exploring the gene regulatory network, to complex disease genetics,
      to the onset of reproductive isolation and speciation. We present here a general
      workflow to identify epistatic interactions between independently evolving loci
      in natural populations of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The idea is to
      exploit the genetic diversity present in the species by evaluating a large number
      of crosses and analyzing the phenotypic distribution in the offspring. For a
      cross of interest, both parental strains would have a similar phenotypic value,
      whereas the resulting offspring would have a bimodal distribution of the
      phenotype, possibly indicating the presence of epistasis. Classical segregation
      analysis of the tetrads uncovers the penetrance and complexity of the
      interaction. In addition, this segregation could serve as the guidelines for
      choosing appropriate mapping strategies to narrow down the genomic regions
      involved. Depending on the segregation patterns observed, we propose different
      mapping strategies based on bulk segregant analysis or consecutive backcrosses
      followed by high-throughput genome sequencing. Our method is generally applicable
      to all systems with a haplodiplobiontic life cycle and allows high resolution
      mapping of interacting loci that govern various DNA polymorphisms from single
      nucleotide mutations to large-scale structural variations. 

PMID- 26483032
TI  - Experimental Evolution and Resequencing Analysis of Yeast.
AB  - Experimental evolution of microbes is a powerful tool to study adaptation to
      strong selection, the mechanism of evolution and the development of new traits.
      The development of high-throughput sequencing methods has given researchers a new
      ability to cheaply and easily identify mutations genome wide that are selected
      during the course of experimental evolution. Here we provide a protocol for
      conducting experimental evolution of yeast using chemostats, including fitness
      measurement and whole genome sequencing of evolved clones or populations
      collected during the experiment. Depending on the number of generations
      appropriate for the experiment, the number of samples tested and the sequencing
      platform, this protocol takes from 1 month to several months to be completed,
      with the possibility of processing several strains or mutants at once. 

PMID- 26483033
TI  - Reconstruction and Analysis of the Evolution of Modular Transcriptional
      Regulatory Programs Using Arboretum.
AB  - Comparative functional genomics aims to measure and compare genome-wide
      functional data such as transcriptomes, proteomes, and epigenomes across multiple
      species to study the conservation and divergence patterns of such quantitative
      measurements. However, computational methods to systematically compare these
      quantitative genomic profiles across multiple species are in their infancy. We
      developed Arboretum, a novel algorithm to identify modules of co-expressed genes
      and trace their evolutionary history across multiple species from a complex
      phylogeny. To interpret the results from Arboretum we developed several measures
      to examine the extent of conservation and divergence in modules and their
      relationship to species lifestyle, cis-regulatory elements, and gene duplication.
      We applied Arboretum to study the evolution of modular transcriptional regulatory
      programs controlling transcriptional response to different environmental stresses
      in the yeast Ascomycota phylogeny. We found that modules of similar patterns of
      expression captured the transcriptional responses to different stresses across
      species; however, the genes exhibiting these patterns were not the same.
      Divergence in module membership was associated with changes in lifestyle and
      specific clades and that gene duplication was a major factor contributing to the
      divergence of module membership.

PMID- 26483034
TI  - Predicting Gene and Genomic Regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, using the
      YEASTRACT Database: A Step-by-Step Guided Analysis.
AB  - Transcriptional regulation is one of the key steps in the control of gene
      expression, with huge impact on the survival, adaptation, and fitness of all
      organisms. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that transcriptional
      regulation is far more complex than initially foreseen. In model organisms such
      as the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae evidence has been piling up showing that
      the expression of each gene can be controlled by several transcription factors,
      in the close dependency of the environmental conditions. Furthermore,
      transcription factors work in intricate networks, being themselves regulated at
      the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational levels, working
      in cooperation or antagonism in the promoters of their target genes.In this
      chapter, a step-by-step guide using the YEASTRACT database is provided, for the
      prediction and ranking of the transcription factors required for the regulation
      of the expression a single gene and of a genome-wide response. These analyses are
      illustrated with the regulation of the PDR18 gene and of the transcriptome-wide
      changes induced upon exposure to the herbicide 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid
      (2,4-D), respectively. The newest potentialities of this information system are
      explored, and the various results obtained in the dependency of the querying
      criteria are discussed in terms of the knowledge gathered on the biological
      responses considered as case studies.

PMID- 26483035
TI  - Participation Rates and Perceptions of Caregiving Youth Providing Home Health
      Care.
AB  - Little is known about the population of caregiving youth in the United States. We
      sought to describe the participation rates, demographics, and caregiving tasks
      among sixth graders served by the American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY)
      in its Caregiving Youth Project (CYP) in Palm Beach County, FL and evaluate the
      perceived benefit of AACY services. Sixth grade enrollment data from eight middle
      schools between 2007 and 2013 were obtained from The School District of Palm
      Beach County and the AACY. Data were obtained using a retrospective review of
      AACY program participant files. These files contained responses to evaluative
      questions from both students and family members. Overall, 2.2 % of sixth graders
      enrolled and participated in the program. Among the 396 caregiving sixth graders
      studied, care recipients were predominantly a grandparent (40.6 %) or parent
      (30.5 %). Common activities included providing company for the care recipient
      (85.6 %), emotional support (74.5 %), and assistance with mobility (46.7 %).
      Youth reported a median of 2.5 h caregiving on weekdays and 4 h on weekend days,
      while families reported fewer hours (1.6 and 2.3, respectively). At the end of
      the school year, the sixth graders reported improvement in school (85.5 %),
      caregiving knowledge (88.5 %), and self-esteem (89.5 %). Slightly over 2 % of
      sixth graders participated in the CYP. While support services may mitigate the
      negative effects of the time spent by caregiving youth, more prospective research
      is needed to better define the true prevalence, tasks, and time spent caregiving
      among this subpopulation.

PMID- 26483036
TI  - Formulation and evaluation of Adapalene-loaded  nanoparticulates for epidermal
      localization.
AB  - Adapalene (ADP), a topically administered antiacne drug, finds limitation due to
      poor penetration, limited localization, and associated incompatibility of
      photosensitization and skin irritation. To explicate an innovative and safe
      method for ADP administration and alleviating the associated limitations, solid
      lipid nanoparticles (SLN) of ADP have been fabricated and evaluated for efficacy
      in the present work. The SLN were prepared using pre-emulsion sonication method
      and incorporated into convenient topical dosage form, hydrogels. In vitro
      permeation studies of the hydrogels through HCS indicated gel containing ADP-SLN
      showed 2-fold more accumulation in skin layers as compared to conventional ADP
      gel. Rheological studies demonstrated ADP-SLN gel to possess pseudoplastic
      behavior, occlusion and hydration studies revealed permeation effectiveness of
      ADP-SLN gel over conventional ADP gel while primary skin irritation studies
      established safety of the ADP-SLN gel upon topical application. Hence, it was
      concluded that the studied ADP-SLN formulation with skin localizing ability may
      be a promising carrier for topical delivery of ADP.

PMID- 26483040
TI  - Our findings differ.

PMID- 26483041
TI  - Our findings differ.

PMID- 26483038
TI  - C-reactive protein: quantitative marker of surgical trauma and post-surgical
      complications in dogs: a systematic review.
AB  - C-reactive protein (CRP) is a major acute phase protein showing increasing serum
      concentrations in dogs with systemic inflammation following e.g., surgery,
      trauma, infections, or neoplasia. CRP is a useful diagnostic marker of systemic
      inflammation in dogs and automated assays have been validated for reliable
      measurements for routine diagnostic purposes. In the present study available
      evidence for the use of CRP as a marker of surgery related systemic inflammation
      in dogs was reviewed and assessed. Two main themes were in focus: (1) canine CRP
      as a potential marker of postsurgical infectious complications and (2) canine CRP
      as a marker of the degree of surgical trauma. As outlined in the review several
      studies suggest that CRP is a useful marker for both purposes. However, the
      evidence level is limited and studies in the field are all affected by
      considerable risks of bias. Thus, further studies are needed in order to confirm
      the assumptions from previous studies and increase the level of evidence for CRP
      as a useful marker for detecting inflammation after surgery in dogs. 

PMID- 26483037
TI  - Crosstalk between endocannabinoid and immune systems: a potential dysregulation
      in depression?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The endocannabinoid (eCB) system, an endogenous lipid signaling
      system, appears to be dysregulated in depression. The role of endocannabinoids
      (eCBs) as potent immunomodulators, together with the accumulating support for a
      chronic low-grade inflammatory profile in depression, suggests a compelling
      hypothesis for a fundamental impairment in their intercommunication, in
      depression. OBJECTIVE: We aim to review previous literature on individual
      associations between the immune and eCB systems and depression. It will focus on
      peripheral and central mechanisms of crosstalk between the eCB and immune
      systems. A potential dysregulation in this crosstalk will be discussed in the
      context of depression. RESULTS: Investigations largely report a hypoactivity of
      the eCB system and increased inflammatory markers in individuals with depression.
      Findings depict a multifaceted communication whereby immunocompetent and eCB
      related cells can both influence the suppression and enhancement of the other's
      activity in both the periphery and central nervous system. A dysregulation of the
      eCB system, as seen in depression, appears to be associated with central and
      peripheral concentrations of inflammatory agents implicated in the
      pathophysiology of this illness. CONCLUSION: The eCB and immune systems have been
      individually associated with and implicated in pathogenic mechanisms of
      depression. Both systems tightly regulate the other's activity. As such, a
      dysregulation in this crosstalk has potential to influence the onset and
      maintenance of this neuropsychiatric illness. However, few studies have
      investigated both systems and depression conjointly. This review highlights the
      demand to consider joint eCB-immune interactions in the pathoetiology of
      depression.

PMID- 26483043
TI  - The Aplidin analogs PM01215 and PM02781 inhibit angiogenesis in vitro and in
      vivo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Novel synthesized analogs of Aplidin, PM01215 and PM02781, were
      tested for antiangiogenic effects on primary human endothelial cells in vitro and
      for inhibition of angiogenesis and tumor growth in vivo. METHODS: Antiangiogenic
      activity of both derivatives was evaluated by real-time cell proliferation,
      capillary tube formation and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced
      spheroid sprouting assays. Distribution of endothelial cells in the different
      phases of the cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry. Aplidin analogs were
      tested in vivo in chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assays. RESULTS: Both
      derivatives inhibited angiogenic capacities of human endothelial cells (HUVECs)
      in vitro at low nanomolar concentrations. Antiangiogenic effects of both analogs
      were observed in the CAM. In addition, growth of human multiple myeloma
      xenografts in vivo in CAM was significantly reduced after application of both
      analogs. On the molecular level, both derivatives induced cell cycle arrest in G1
      phase. This growth arrest of endothelial cells correlated with induction of the
      cell cycle inhibitor p16(INK4A) and increased senescence-associated beta
      galactosidase activity. In addition, Aplidin analogs induced oxidative stress and
      decreased production of the vascular maturation factors Vasohibin-1 and Dickkopf
      3. CONCLUSIONS: From these findings we conclude that both analogs are promising
      agents for the development of antiangiogenic drugs acting independent on
      classical inhibition of VEGF signaling.

PMID- 26483044
TI  - Inter-rater reliability of a national acute stroke register.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical quality registers are useful sources of knowledge about
      diseases and the health services. However, there are challenges in obtaining
      valid and reliable data. This study aims to assess the reliability in a national
      medical quality register. METHODS: We randomly selected 111 patients having had a
      stroke in 2012. An experienced stroke nurse completed the Norwegian Stroke
      Register paper forms for all 111 patients by review of the medical records. We
      then extracted all registered data on the same patients from the Norwegian Stroke
      Register and calculated Cohen's kappa and Gwet's AC(1) with 95 % confidence
      intervals for 51 nominal variables and Cohen's quadratic weighted kappa and
      Gwet's AC(2) for three ordinal variables. For two time variables, we calculated
      the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient. RESULTS: Substantial to excellent
      reliability (kappa > 0.60/AC(1)> 0.80) was observed for most variables related to
      past medical history, functional status, stroke subtype and discharge
      destination. Although excellent reliability was observed for time of stroke onset
      (ICC 0.93), this variable was hampered with a substantial amount of missing
      values. Some variables related to treatment and examinations in hospital
      displayed low levels of agreement. This applies to heart rate monitoring (kappa
      0.17/AC(1) 0.46), swallowing test performed (kappa 0.19/AC(1) 0.27) and mobilized
      out of bed within 24 h after admission (kappa 0.04/AC(1) -0.11). CONCLUSION: A
      majority of the variables in The Norwegian Stroke Register have substantial to
      excellent reliability. The problem areas seem to be the lack of completeness in
      the time variable indicating stroke onset and poor reliability in some variables
      concerning examinations and treatment received in hospital.

PMID- 26483045
TI  - Comparative study of the PD-L1 status between surgically resected specimens and
      matched biopsies of NSCLC patients reveal major discordances: a potential issue
      for anti-PD-L1 therapeutic strategies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High expression of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) on tumor cells
      (TC) and/or on tumor-infiltrating immune cells (IC) is associated with a high
      response rate in patients with advanced nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated
      with PD-L1 inhibitors. The use of a PD-L1 immunohistochemical (IHC) test in
      determining the responsiveness to immunotherapy has raised the question of the
      reliability and reproducibility of its evaluation in lung biopsies compared with
      corresponding resected surgical specimens. PATIENTS AND METHODS: PD-L1 expression
      in TC and IC was assessed in 160 patients with operable NSCLC on both whole
      surgical tissue sections and matched lung biopsies, by using a highly sensitive
      SP142 IHC assay. The specimens were scored as TC 0-3 and IC 0-3 based on
      increasing PD-L1 expression. RESULTS: PD-L1 expression was frequently discordant
      between surgical resected and matched biopsy specimens (the overall discordance
      rate = 48%; 95% confidence interval 4.64-13.24) and kappa value was equal to
      0.218 (poor agreement). In all cases, the biopsy specimens underestimated the PD
      L1 status observed on the whole tissue sample. PD-L1-positive IC tumors were more
      common than PD-L1-positive TC tumors on resected specimens. The discrepancies
      were mainly related to the lack of a PD-L1-positive IC component in matched
      biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate relatively poor association of the PD
      L1 expression in TC and IC between lung biopsies and corresponding resected
      tumors. Although these results need to be further validated in larger cohorts,
      they indicate that the daily routine evaluation of the PD-L1 expression in
      diagnostic biopsies can be misleading in defining the sensitivity to treatment
      with PD-L1 targeted therapy.

PMID- 26483046
TI  - A rational approach for salvage of testicular cancer patients.

PMID- 26483047
TI  - A randomized study of KRAS-guided maintenance therapy with bevacizumab, erlotinib
      or metronomic capecitabine after first-line induction treatment of metastatic
      colorectal cancer: the Nordic ACT2 trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maintenance treatment (mt) with bevacizumab (bev) +/- erlotinib
      (erlo) has modest effect after induction chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal
      cancer (mCRC). We hypothesized the efficacy of erlo to be dependent on KRAS
      mutational status and investigated this by exploring mt strategies with bev +/-
      erlo and low-dose capecitabine (cap). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Included patients had
      mCRC scheduled for first-line therapy, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)
      0-1 and no major comorbidities. Treatment with XELOX/FOLFOX or XELIRI/FOLFIRI +
      bev was given for 18 weeks. After induction, patients without progression were
      eligible for randomization to mt; KRAS wild-type (wt) patients were randomized to
      bev +/- erlo (arms wt-BE, N = 36 versus wt-B, N = 35), KRAS mutated (mut)
      patients were randomized to bev or metronomic cap (arms mut-B, N = 34 versus mut
      C, N = 33). Primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS) rate (PFSr) at
      3 months after start of mt. A pooled analysis of KRAS wt patients from the
      previous ACT study was performed. RESULTS: We included 233 patients. Median age
      was 64 years, 62% male, 68% ECOG 0, 52% with primary tumor in situ. A total of
      138 patients started mt after randomization. PFSr was 64.7% versus 63.6% in wt-B
      versus wt-BE, P = 1.000; and 75% versus 66.7% in mut-B versus mut-C, P = 0.579,
      with no significant difference in median PFS and overall survival (OS). In the
      pooled cohort, median PFS was 3.7 months in wt-B (N = 64) and 5.7 months in wt-BE
      (N = 62) (hazard ratios 1.03, 95% confidence interval 0.70-1.50, P = 0.867). The
      frequency of any grade 3/4 toxicities during mt was: 28%/58%/18%/15% (wt-B/wt
      BE/mut-B/mut-C). CONCLUSIONS: Addition of erlo to bev as mt in KRAS wt mCRC did
      not significantly improve PFS or OS, but it did increase toxicity. KRAS status
      does not seem to influence the outcome of treatment with erlotinib. Metronomic
      cap warrants further investigation in mt strategies, given our explorative
      results. CLINICALTRIALSGOV: NCT01229813.

PMID- 26483048
TI  - Two cases of EGFR mutation-positive lung adenocarcinoma that transformed into
      squamous cell carcinoma: successful treatment of one case with rociletinib.

PMID- 26483049
TI  - The reporting of adverse events in oncology phase III trials: a comparison of the
      current status versus the expectations of the EORTC members.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Determination of drug safety and tolerability is usually based on the
      frequency of certain key adverse events (AEs) rather than the frequency of all
      grade toxicities. We assessed the reporting of key AEs in oncology randomized,
      controlled trials (RCTs) and compared that with the expectations of the European
      Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) membership. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: RCTs reports published between 2007 and 2011 were reviewed regarding
      the reporting of key AEs, namely: grade 3/4 AEs, grade 5 AEs, and AEs resulting
      in study withdrawal or in dose reduction. Study characteristics associated with
      better reporting of key AEs were investigated. Finally, a survey was conducted
      among the EORTC membership to determine their expectations on key AEs reporting.
      RESULTS: Although the frequency of grade 3/4 was reported in most reports (96%),
      only 17% of them described the reporting threshold above which grade 3/4 AEs were
      included for reporting, raising the possibility that important but less frequent
      grade 3/4 AEs might be underreported. Frequency and nature of grade 5 AEs were
      adequately reported in 161 (50%) of manuscripts; AEs leading to study withdrawal
      in 61 manuscripts (19%); and AEs leading to dose reduction in 43 manuscripts
      (13%). In contrast, most EORTC members expected a comprehensive reporting of
      grade 5 AEs (96% of EORTC member's responses), AEs leading to study withdrawal
      (86%) and AEs leading to dose reduction (70%). In multivariate analysis,
      frequencies of grade 5 AEs were less frequently reported in European trials (P =
      0.004). Frequencies of AEs leading to withdrawals were more frequently reported
      in trials funded by industry (P = 0.005) and in trials including patients with
      breast or urological cancers (P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest
      that current practice of key AEs reporting remains highly variable and sometimes
      inadequate in oncology RCTs reports. Current standards for safety reporting in
      RCTs should be revised to emphasize the importance of key AEs reporting.

PMID- 26483050
TI  - Prognostic impact and implications of extracapsular lymph node involvement in
      colorectal cancer: a systematic review with meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The extranodal extension (ENE) of nodal metastasis (i.e. the
      extension of tumor cells through the nodal capsule into the perinodal adipose
      tissue) has recently emerged as an important prognostic factor in different types
      of malignancies. However, the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system for
      colorectal cancer does not consider it as a prognostic parameter. Therefore, we
      conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prognostic role
      of ENE in patients with lymph node-positive colorectal cancer. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Two independent authors searched PubMed and SCOPUS until 7 January 2015
      without language restrictions. Prospective studies reporting data on prognostic
      parameters in subjects with colorectal cancer, comparing participants with the
      presence of ENE (ENE+) versus only intranodal extension (ENE-) were eligible.
      Data were summarized using risk ratios (RRs) for the number of deaths/recurrences
      and hazard ratios (HRs) together with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for time
      dependent risk related to ENE+, adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS:
      Thirteen studies including 1336 patients were identified with a median follow-up
      of 4.7 years. ENE was associated with a higher T stage and tumor grading. In
      addition, ENE was associated with a significantly increased risk of all-cause
      mortality (RR = 1.75; 95% CI 1.42-2.16, P < 0.0001, I(2) = 60%; HR = 1.69, 95% CI
      1.32-2.17, P < 0.0001, I(2) = 46%) and of recurrence of disease (RR = 2.07, 95%
      CI 1.65-2.61, P < 0.0001, I(2) = 47%; HR = 2.31, 95% CI 1.54-3.44, P < 0.0001,
      I(2) = 48%). CONCLUSIONS: Based of these results, in colorectal cancer, ENE
      should be considered from the gross sampling to the pathology report, as well as
      in future oncologic staging systems.

PMID- 26483051
TI  - Prognostic factors for progression-free and overall survival in advanced biliary
      tract cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biliary tract cancer is an uncommon cancer with a poor outcome. We
      assembled data from the National Cancer Research Institute (UK) ABC-02 study and
      10 international studies to determine prognostic outcome characteristics for
      patients with advanced disease. METHODS: Multivariable analyses of the final
      dataset from the ABC-02 study were carried out. All variables were simultaneously
      included in a Cox proportional hazards model, and backward elimination was used
      to produce the final model (using a significance level of 10%), in which the
      selected variables were associated independently with outcome. This score was
      validated externally by receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis using the
      independent international dataset. RESULTS: A total of 410 patients were included
      from the ABC-02 study and 753 from the international dataset. An overall survival
      (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) Cox model was derived from the ABC-02
      study. White blood cells, haemoglobin, disease status, bilirubin, neutrophils,
      gender, and performance status were considered prognostic for survival (all with
      P < 0.10). Patients with metastatic disease {hazard ratio (HR) 1.56 [95%
      confidence interval (CI) 1.20-2.02]} and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
      performance status (ECOG PS) 2 had worse survival [HR 2.24 (95% CI 1.53-3.28)].
      In a dataset restricted to patients who received cisplatin and gemcitabine with
      ECOG PS 0 and 1, only haemoglobin, disease status, bilirubin, and neutrophils
      were associated with PFS and OS. ROC analysis suggested the models generated from
      the ABC-02 study had a limited prognostic value [6-month PFS: area under the
      curve (AUC) 62% (95% CI 57-68); 1-year OS: AUC 64% (95% CI 58-69)]. CONCLUSION:
      These data propose a set of prognostic criteria for outcome in advanced biliary
      tract cancer derived from the ABC-02 study that are validated in an international
      dataset. Although these findings establish the benchmark for the prognostic
      evaluation of patients with ABC and confirm the value of longheld clinical
      observations, the ability of the model to correctly predict prognosis is limited
      and needs to be improved through identification of additional clinical and
      molecular markers.

PMID- 26483052
TI  - Editorial overview: Microbial systems biology.

PMID- 26483053
TI  - Type 2 diabetes and its correlates among adults in Bangladesh: a population based
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is one of the most prevalent non-communicable
      diseases in Bangladesh. However, the correlates of type 2 diabetes among adults
      in Bangladesh remain unknown. We aimed to investigate the correlates of type 2
      diabetes among the adults in Bangladesh. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional
      study using data from the nationally representative 2011 Bangladesh Demographic
      and Health Survey. A random sample of 7,543 (3,823 women and 3,720 men) adults of
      age 35 years and older from both urban and rural areas, who participated in the
      survey was included. Diabetes was defined as having a fasting plasma blood
      glucose level of >= 7 mm/L or taking diabetes medication during the survey.
      Hypothesized factors, e.g., age, sex, education, place of residence, social
      status, body mass index, and hypertension were considered in the analyses.
      Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify the important
      correlates of type 2 diabetes. RESULTS: Among the respondents, the overall
      prevalence of diabetes was 11 %, and the prevalence was slightly higher in women
      (11.2 %) than men (10.6 %). Respondents with the age group of 55-59 years had
      higher odds of having diabetes (odds ratios (OR) = 2.37, 95 % confidence interval
      (CI): 1.76-3.21) than the age group of 35-39 years. Moreover, respondents who had
      higher educational attainment (OR = 1.67, 95 % CI: 1.18-2.36) and higher social
      status (OR = 2.01, 95 % CI: 1.50-2.70) had higher odds of having diabetes than
      the respondents with no education and lower social status, respectively. We also
      found socioeconomic status, place of residence (rural or urban), regions of
      residence (different divisions), overweight and obesity, and hypertension as
      significant correlates of type 2 diabetes in Bangladesh. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      shows that older age, higher socioeconomic status, higher educational attainment,
      hypertension, and obesity were found to be significant correlates of type 2
      diabetes. Need-based policy program strategies including early diagnosis,
      awareness via mass media, and health education programs for changing lifestyles
      should be initiated for older age, wealthy, and/or higher educated individuals in
      Bangladesh. Moreover, area-specific longitudinal research is necessary to find
      out the underlying causes of regional variations.

PMID- 26483055
TI  - Putting an End to It!

PMID- 26483054
TI  - Molecular and functional evolution of the fungal diterpene synthase genes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Terpenes represent one of the largest and most diversified families
      of natural compounds and are used in numerous industrial applications. Terpene
      synthase (TPS) genes originated in bacteria as diterpene synthase (di-TPS) genes.
      They are also found in plant and fungal genomes. The recent availability of a
      large number of fungal genomes represents an opportunity to investigate how genes
      involved in diterpene synthesis were acquired by fungi, and to assess the
      consequences of this process on the fungal metabolism. RESULTS: In order to
      investigate the origin of fungal di-TPS, we implemented a search for potential
      fungal di-TPS genes and identified their presence in several unrelated Ascomycota
      and Basidiomycota species. The fungal di-TPS phylogenetic tree is function
      related but is not associated with the phylogeny based on housekeeping genes. The
      lack of agreement between fungal and di-TPS-based phylogenies suggests the
      presence of Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGTs) events. Further evidence for HGT was
      provided by conservation of synteny of di-TPS and neighbouring genes in distantly
      related fungi. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained here suggest that fungal di-TPSs
      originated from an ancient HGT event of a single di-TPS gene from a plant to a
      fungus in Ascomycota. In fungi, these di-TPSs allowed for the formation of
      clusters consisting in di-TPS, GGPPS and P450 genes to create functional clusters
      that were transferred between fungal species, producing diterpenes acting as
      hormones or toxins, thus affecting fungal development and pathogenicity.

PMID- 26483057
TI  - The History of NCCN and JNCCN.

PMID- 26483056
TI  - The Right Drug for the Right Patient: Navigating Systemic Therapy Options in
      Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma and Future Directions.

PMID- 26483058
TI  - Next-Generation Sequencing and In Silico Analysis Facilitate Prolonged Response
      to Pazopanib in a Patient With Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma of the Renal
      Pelvis.
AB  - With the advent of widespread tumor genetic profiling, an increased number of
      mutations with unknown significance are being identified. Often, a glut of
      uninterpretable findings may confuse the clinician and provide little or
      inappropriate guidance in therapeutic decision-making. This report describes a
      method of protein modeling by in silico analysis (ie, using computer simulation)
      that is easily accessible to the practicing clinician without need for further
      laboratory analysis, which can potentially serve as a guide in therapeutic
      decisions based on poorly characterized tumor mutations. An example of this model
      is given wherein poorly characterized KIT, PDGFRB, and ERBB2 mutations were
      discovered in a patient with treatment-refractory metastatic transitional cell
      carcinoma of the renal pelvis. The KIT and PDGFRB mutations were predicted to be
      pathogenic using in silico analysis, whereas the ERBB2 mutation was predicted to
      be benign. Based on these findings, the patient was treated with pazopanib and
      achieved a partial response that lasted for 7.5 months. We propose that in silico
      analysis be explored as a potential means to further characterize genetic
      abnormalities found by tumor profiling assays, such as next-generation
      sequencing. 

PMID- 26483059
TI  - Central Nervous System Cancers, Version 1.2015.
AB  - The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Central
      Nervous System (CNS) Cancers provide interdisciplinary recommendations for
      managing adult CNS cancers. Primary and metastatic brain tumors are a
      heterogeneous group of neoplasms with varied outcomes and management strategies.
      These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the NCCN CNS Cancers Panel's discussion
      and highlight notable changes in the 2015 update. This article outlines the data
      and provides insight into panel decisions regarding adjuvant radiation and
      chemotherapy treatment options for high-risk newly diagnosed low-grade gliomas
      and glioblastomas. Additionally, it describes the panel's assessment of new data
      and the ongoing debate regarding the use of alternating electric field therapy
      for high-grade gliomas. 

PMID- 26483060
TI  - Making Sense of Variations in Prevalence Estimates of Depression in Cancer: A Co
      Calibration of Commonly Used Depression Scales Using Rasch Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of different depression self-report scales warrants co
      calibration studies to establish relationships between scores from 2 or more
      scales. The goal of this study was to examine variations in measurement across 5
      commonly used scales to measure depression among patients with cancer: Hospital
      Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression subscale (HADS-D), Centre for
      Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Patient Health Questionnaire-9
      (PHQ-9), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and Depression Anxiety and Stress
      Scale-Depression subscale (DASS-D). METHODS: The depression scales were completed
      by 162 patients with cancer. Participants were also assessed by the major
      depressive episode module of the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and
      Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition. Rasch analysis and receiver
      operating characteristic curves were performed. RESULTS: Rasch analysis of the 5
      scales indicated that these all measured depression. The HADS and BDI-II had the
      widest measurement range, whereas the DASS-D had the narrowest range. Co
      calibration revealed that the cutoff scores across the scales were not
      equivalent. The mild cutoff score on the PHQ-9 was easier to meet than the mild
      cutoff score on the CES-D, BDI-II, and DASS-D. The HADS-D possible cutoff score
      was equivalent to cutoff scores for major to severe depression on the other
      scales. Optimal cutoff scores for clinical assessment of depression were in the
      mild to moderate depression range for most scales. CONCLUSIONS: The labels of
      depression associated with the different scales are not equivalent. Most
      markedly, the HADS-D possible case cutoff score represents a much higher level of
      depression than equivalent scores on other scales. Therefore, use of different
      scales will lead to different estimates of prevalence of depression when used in
      the same sample.

PMID- 26483061
TI  - Adoption of Gene Expression Profiling for Breast Cancer in US Oncology Practice
      for Women Younger Than 65 Years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A number of practice guidelines incorporate the use of gene
      expression profiling (GEP) tests for early-stage, hormone receptor-positive, HER2
      negative breast tumors. Few studies describe factors associated with GEP testing
      in US oncology practice. We assessed the relationship between clinical,
      demographic, and group-level socioeconomic variables and test use in women
      younger than 65 years. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from 5 state cancer registries
      were linked with insurance claims data and GEP test results. We assessed rates of
      testing and variables associated with test use in an incident cohort of 9,444
      commercially insured women younger than 65 years, newly diagnosed with stage I or
      II hormone receptor-positive breast cancer from 2006 through 2012. RESULTS: Rates
      of testing for women with N0 disease increased from 20.4% in 2006 to 35.2% in
      2011. Variables associated with higher rates of testing, beyond clinical factors
      such as nodal status (P<.001), included being diagnosed from 2008 through 2012
      versus 2006 through 2007 (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.67; 95% CI, 1.47-1.90),
      having preexisting comorbidities (adjusted OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.14-1.59), and
      higher out-of-pocket pharmacy costs (adjusted OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.40-1.97). Women
      younger than 50 years were more likely to be tested if they had stage I versus
      stage II disease (P<.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In an insured population of women
      younger than 65 years, GEP testing increased after its inclusion in clinical
      practice guidelines and mounting evidence. Additional research is needed to
      better understand oncologists' decision not to order GEP testing for their
      patients who are otherwise eligible.

PMID- 26483062
TI  - Survival in Patients With Severe Lymphopenia Following Treatment With Radiation
      and Chemotherapy for Newly Diagnosed Solid Tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The immune system plays an important role in cancer surveillance and
      therapy. Chemoradiation can cause severe treatment-related lymphopenia (TRL)
      (<500 cells/mm3) that is associated with reduced survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Data from 4 independent solid tumor studies on serial lymphocyte counts,
      prognostic factors, treatment, and survival were collected and analyzed. The data
      set included 297 patients with newly diagnosed malignant glioma (N=96), resected
      pancreatic cancer (N=53), unresectable pancreatic cancer (N=101), and non-small
      cell lung cancer (N=47). RESULTS: Pretreatment lymphocyte counts were normal in
      83% of the patient population, and no patient had severe baseline lymphopenia.
      Two months after initiating chemoradiation, 43% developed severe and persistent
      lymphopenia (P=.001). An increased risk for death was attributable to TRL in each
      cancer cohort (gliomas: hazard rate [HR], 1.8; 95% CI, 1.13-2.87; resected
      pancreas: HR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.17-4.12; unresected pancreas: HR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.53
      5.42; and lung: HR, 1.7; 95% CI, 0.8-3.61) and in the entire study population
      regardless of pathologic findings (HR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.54-2.78; P<.0001). Severe
      TRL was observed in more than 40% of patients 2 months after initiating
      chemoradiation, regardless of histology or chemotherapy regimen, and was
      independently associated with shorter survival from tumor progression.
      CONCLUSIONS: Increased attention and research should be focused on the cause,
      prevention, and reversal of this unintended consequence of cancer treatment that
      seems to be related to survival in patients with solid tumors.

PMID- 26483063
TI  - Anemia and Functional Disability in Older Adults With Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Anemia is associated with functional disability among older adults in
      general. However, the relationship between anemia and functional disability has
      not been well characterized among older adults with cancer. Therefore, we
      examined the association between anemia and functional disability in patients
      with cancer aged 65 years or older. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted cross
      sectional analysis of data derived from a multicenter prospective study of 500
      patients with cancer aged 65 years or older. The primary outcome was functional
      disability at chemotherapy initiation, defined as the need for assistance with at
      least one instrumental activity of daily living. Anemia (using WHO criteria) was
      defined as a hemoglobin (Hb) level of less than 12 g/dL in women and less than 13
      g/dL in men. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the
      association between anemia and functional disability. RESULTS: Among 491
      evaluable patients (median age, 73.1 years [range, 65-91 years]), the prevalence
      of functional disability and anemia was 43% and 51%, respectively. Compared with
      patients without anemia, patients with anemia were more likely to report
      functional disability. On multivariable analysis, adjusting for sex, stage, and
      unintentional weight loss, patients with anemia were more likely to have
      functional disability (odds ratio, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.61-3.59). CONCLUSIONS: Anemia
      was highly prevalent and independently associated with functional disability in
      this cohort of older adults with cancer. Given the importance of functional
      status in cancer treatment decision-making, longitudinal studies evaluating the
      causal relation between anemia and functional status among older patients with
      cancer are warranted to evaluate causality.

PMID- 26483064
TI  - Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Version 2.2015.
AB  - Treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) continues to advance, as
      evidenced by the improved risk stratification of patients and development of
      newer treatment options. Identification of ALL subtypes based on
      immunophenotyping and cytogenetic and molecular markers has resulted in the
      inclusion of Philadelphia-like ALL and early T-cell precursor ALL as subtypes
      that affect prognosis. Identification of Ikaros mutations has also emerged as a
      prognostic factor. In addition to improved prognostication, treatment options for
      patients with ALL have expanded, particularly with regard to relapsed/refractory
      ALL. Continued development of second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors and
      the emergence of immunotherapy, including blinatumomab and chimeric antigen
      receptor T-cell therapy, have improved survival. Furthermore, incorporation of
      minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring has shown insight into patient outcomes
      and may lead to treatment modification or alternative treatment strategies in
      select populations. This excerpt focuses on the sections of the ALL guidelines
      specific to clinical presentation and diagnosis, treatment of relapsed/refractory
      ALL, and incorporation of MRD monitoring. To view the most recent complete
      version of these guidelines, visit NCCN.org. 

PMID- 26483066
TI  - Stereotactic Radiotherapy Versus Surgery for Early-Stage Operable Lung Cancer:
      More Questions Than Answers.

PMID- 26483065
TI  - Second-Line Treatment of Advanced Gastric Cancer: Where Do We Stand?
AB  - Gastric cancer is a leading cause of cancer death and is associated with poor
      prognosis. The treatment of advanced gastric cancer is changing with the
      development of novel agents. Until recently, no standard treatment was available
      for patients with advanced gastric cancer in the second-line setting. Single
      agent chemotherapy with docetaxel or irinotecan has been shown to improve
      survival and quality of life in patients whose disease has progressed while on
      prior chemotherapy. Combination chemotherapy is associated with a modest benefit
      at the expense of increased toxicity. Recently, ramucirumab, a monoclonal
      antibody targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor-2, has been
      approved for the treatment of refractory advanced gastric cancer as a single
      agent or in combination with paclitaxel. Apatinib, a small molecule tyrosine
      kinase inhibitor targeting VEGF, has demonstrated activity in Asian populations
      whose disease has progressed on 2 lines of therapy. However, much work is still
      needed, including the development of biomarkers that could predict response to
      therapy. 

PMID- 26483068
TI  - Models of progressive neurological dysfunction originating early in life.
AB  - It is now well established that many of society's most devastating and costly
      neurological diseases and disorders arise from trauma at, or shortly after birth.
      In some cases deficits are seen in childhood and in others they are substantially
      delayed; arising in adolescence or young adulthood. In either case the initial
      insult initiates a metabolic and/or neurodegenerative cascade that proceeds,
      often undetected, for a considerable period of time before diagnosable symptoms
      appear. This affords a potential for detecting and slowing or arresting
      degenerative and/or malfunctioning processes prior to the appearance of symptoms,
      but requires an understanding of the mechanisms involved in the progressive
      dysfunction that characterizes the disease progression process. While numerous
      preclinical models of end-stage symptoms of neurological disease are established,
      animal models of progressive neurological dysfunction have received comparatively
      less attention. This review attempts to introduce the concept of modelling
      progressive dysfunction in animals and provides descriptions of the current
      status of several representative examples of models that have been developed and
      partially characterized for understanding diseases of the brain that arise either
      at or near the time of birth in rodents. It is our belief that such models are
      essential to understanding the underlying mechanisms responsible for progressive
      neurological dysfunction and hold the potential for identifying targets for early
      detection and presymptomatic therapy of these conditions.

PMID- 26483069
TI  - Revisional bariatric surgery can improve refractory metabolic disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It remains unclear if patients undergoing revisional surgery for
      inadequate weight loss/recidivism can achieve improvement of refractory metabolic
      syndrome (MetS). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate metabolic outcomes after
      reoperative bariatric surgery for unsatisfactory weight loss in patients with
      refractory MetS. SETTING: Academic Hospital. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed
      all revisional bariatric surgery cases performed for inadequate weight
      loss/recidivism at our center and analyzed all cases in which the patient had
      ongoing uncontrolled diabetes or MetS. RESULTS: In total, 121 reoperative
      bariatric cases for inadequate weight loss/recidivism were identified. Of those,
      31.4% (N = 38) had MetS and 33.9% (N = 41) were diabetic at the time of primary
      bariatric surgery. At revisional surgery, 15 (39.5%) patients still met criteria
      for MetS and 7 (17.1%) had hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)>=6.0%. Of those with refractory
      MetS (N = 15) at revisional surgery, a mean percent excess weight loss (%EWL) of
      59.4+/-21.2% at mean 40.1+/-29.9 months follow-up corresponded to a mean decrease
      in triglyceride of 65.2 mg/dL, mean increase in high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (HDL) of 12.1 mg/dL, and mean decrease in plasma glucose of 58.8
      mg/dL. Mean percent total weight loss was 27.3%. One patient still met criteria
      for MetS. Of those with HbA1c>=6.0% at reoperative surgery (N = 7), a mean %EWL
      of 63.0+/-22.9% at mean 51.6+/-36.6 months follow-up corresponded to a mean
      decrease in HbA1c of 1.6%. Three patients still had HbA1c>=6.0%, but only 1 had
      HbA1c>= 6.5%. CONCLUSION: Although further research is needed, this report
      suggests that revisional bariatric surgery is capable of treating both inadequate
      weight loss and refractory metabolic disease.

PMID- 26483071
TI  - Comment on: Early effect of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass on insulin sensitivity and
      signaling.

PMID- 26483070
TI  - Early effect of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass on insulin sensitivity and signaling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A large body of literature indicates the rapidity with which Roux-en
      Y gastric bypass (RYGB) improves glycemic control. However, the underlying
      physiologic mechanisms are still a matter of debate. SETTING: Catholic
      University, School of Medicine, Rome, Italy. METHODS: Ten morbidly obese
      patients, before and 4 weeks after RYGB, and 10 healthy controls were studied. We
      measured insulin sensitivity as the homeostasis model assessment-estimated
      insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and by the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp, and
      phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt) on Ser473 and Thr308 and of GSK3 alpha
      beta on Ser 9 and Ser21 in skeletal muscle biopsy specimens by Western blot
      analysis. RESULTS: Obese patients before RYGB displayed reduced insulin
      sensitivity (M value) and clearance and increased fasting Akt phosphorylation on
      Ser473 compared with controls. M significantly increased after surgery (from 2.6
      +/- 0.6 to 2.8 +/- 0.7 mg/kg fat free mass/min, P = .026) but remained far below
      the values in controls (10.0 +/- 3.8 mg/kg fat free mass/min, P<.001). Insulin
      clearance increased from 453.5 +/- 117.5 to 555.2 +/- 61.6 (P = .00076), becoming
      similar to that of controls 582.2 +/- 59.0 mU/m(2)/min. HOMA-IR decreased from
      4.1 +/- 0.07 to 2.3 +/- 0.5 (P = .004), becoming comparable with controls (2.2 +/
      0.9). The hyperphosphorylation of Akt on Ser473 observed at fasting before RYGB
      was significantly reduced thereafter, becoming similar to that of healthy
      controls; the other phosphorylation states remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS:
      Following RYGB, we found a prompt improvement of hepatic insulin resistance with
      normalization of hepatic insulin clearance and a small amelioration of whole-body
      insulin sensitivity. The supranormal levels of Akt Ser473 observed at fast in the
      skeletal muscle tissue at baseline were normalized after RYGB, and their changes
      correlated with those of both hepatic and peripheral insulin resistance. Although
      other mechanisms of action, such as the effect of weight loss and reduced food
      intake, cannot be excluded, the reduction of muscle Akt hyperphosphorylation on
      the serine residue can play a role in the early improvement of insulin
      sensitivity.

PMID- 26483072
TI  - Additive transcriptomic variation associated with reproductive traits suggest
      local adaptation in a recently settled population of the Pacific oyster,
      Crassostrea gigas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Originating from Northeast Asia, the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas
      has been introduced into a large number of countries for aquaculture purpose.
      Following introduction, the Pacific oyster has turned into an invasive species in
      an increasing number of coastal areas, notably recently in Northern Europe.
      METHODS: To explore potential adaptation of reproductive traits in populations
      with different histories, we set up a common garden experiment based on the
      comparison of progenies from two populations of Pacific oyster sampled in France
      and Denmark and their hybrids. Sex ratio, condition index and microarray gene
      expression in gonads, were analyzed in each progeny (n = 60). RESULTS: A female
      biased sex-ratio and a higher condition index were observed in the Danish
      progeny, possibly reflecting an evolutionary reproductive strategy to increase
      the potential success of natural recruitment in recently settled population.
      Using multifarious statistical approaches and accounting for sex differences we
      identified several transcripts differentially expressed between the Danish and
      French progenies, for which additive genetic basis is suspected (showing
      intermediate expression levels in hybrids, and therefore additivity). Candidate
      transcripts included mRNA coding for sperm quality and insulin metabolism, known
      to be implicated in coordinated control and success of reproduction. CONCLUSIONS:
      Observed differences suggest that adaptation of invasive populations might have
      occurred during expansion acting on reproductive traits, and in particular on a
      female-biased sex-ratio, gamete quality and fertility.

PMID- 26483073
TI  - Sexual coercion and courtship by male western gorillas.
AB  - Sexual coercion and courtship are possible explanations for why male primates may
      direct agonistic behavior towards females. If so, then in species where females
      exhibit mate choice by transferring between males: (a) females who are not
      lactating (potential migrants) should receive more agonistic behavior than other
      females, (b) males should exhibit more agonistic behavior towards females during
      intergroup encounters than when no rival males are nearby, and (c) males should
      show more herding behavior when their group contains potential migrant females.
      We tested those hypotheses in a population of approximately 150 western gorillas
      at Mbeli Bai, northern Congo. We also tested whether difference in male
      phenotypic traits influenced their rates of agonistic behavior towards females.
      Of the 332 observed cases of male agonistic behavior towards females, 29%
      represented feeding competition, 7 % involved interventions in conflicts between
      females, and the remaining 64 % were considered potential evidence of sexual
      coercion and/or courtship. After excluding the cases of feeding competition and
      intervention, a multivariate analysis indicated that potential migrant females
      received agonistic behavior at a statistically significantly higher rate than
      other adult females. Females also received agonistic behavior at a significantly
      higher rate during intergroup encounters than at other times. Herding occurred
      during 22% of the 292 dyadic interunit encounters, and was significantly more
      likely to occur when the group contained a potential migrant female, but was not
      influenced by the number of adult females or the type of group encountered. Males
      with shorter body lengths had significantly higher rates of aggression, but
      phenotypic traits were not significantly correlated with herding. Collectively,
      our results are consistent with sexual coercion and/or courtship as an
      explanation for male-to-female agonistic behavior, but we are unable to
      distinguish between those two male mating strategies. Both types of behavior are
      likely due to a combination of perceived risks of female transfer and opportunity
      to advertise protector ability.

PMID- 26483074
TI  - Transcutaneous bilirubinometry is a reliably conservative method of assessing
      neonatal jaundice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In order to reduce invasive testing in newborns prior to discharge, we
      tested the direction of the correlation between transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB)
      and total serum bilirubin (TSB), the likelihood of missing high TSBs with a
      raised threshold for confirmatory testing, and also calculated potential cost
      savings from fewer laboratory testing. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional
      analysis of single paired TcB and TSB results measured at 36 +/- 2 h of life in
      neonates >=37 weeks admitted only to the Level 1 nursery. TcB was measured using
      the BiliChek(r) meter. RESULTS: Of the 552 infants, 512 (92.8%) had TSB levels
      below TcB values. Correlation between TcB and TSB was 0.69. If TSB confirmation
      was to be performed at 11.7 mg/dL (medium risk threshold for phototherapy), the
      negative predictive value was 99.4%, with a potential cost savings of $6555.00
      ($1500.00 per 100 patients). Of the 495 infants with TcB <11.7 mg/dL, only 3 had
      TSB levels higher than 11.7 mg/dL, and none met phototherapy threshold for low
      risk infants. CONCLUSIONS: TcB screening at our institution has a high negative
      predictive value, and can be used as a stand-alone test until values are close to
      phototherapy threshold, thus reducing invasive testing and cost.

PMID- 26483075
TI  - Management of allergic disease in the elderly: key considerations,
      recommendations and emerging therapies.
AB  - The number of people over 65 is increasing around the world. At present, between
      5 and 10% of allergic diseases affect the elderly. In particular, rhinitis is
      increasing worldwide; the presence of high comorbidity makes the therapy of
      asthma even more complicated. With reference to dermatological allergies, the
      dryness of the skin favors the onset of allergic contact and atopic dermatitis,
      while the senescence of mucous membranes and the impaired secretion of polymeric
      IgA could be linked to food allergy. Overcoming the problem of adverse drug
      reaction is limited by the diagnostic difficulty in patients taking multiple
      drugs. In addition, some drugs, such as beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting
      enzyme (ACE)-inhibitors and NSAIDs, are relevant factors of urticaria and
      anaphylaxis. The aim of this review is to provide updated diagnostic and
      therapeutic guidelines through a better understanding of the pathophysiologic
      mechanisms, preventive measures and adherence to therapy. 

PMID- 26483076
TI  - Population pharmacokinetics of nalmefene in healthy subjects and its relation to
      MU-opioid receptor occupancy.
AB  - AIMS: The aims of this study were to develop a population pharmacokinetic (PK)
      model to describe the PK of nalmefene in healthy subjects and to relate the
      exposure of nalmefene to the MU-opioid receptor occupancy by simulations in the
      target population. METHODS: Data from nine phase I studies (243 subjects) with
      extensive blood sampling were pooled and used for the population PK model
      building. Data from four other phase I studies (85 subjects) were pooled and used
      as an external validation dataset. Eight subjects from an imaging study
      contributed occupancy data and the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD)
      relationship was modelled. Combining the population PK model and the PK/PD
      relationship enabled simulations to predict MU-opioid occupancy. RESULTS: A two
      compartment model with first order absorption best described the nalmefene PK
      data. The typical subject in the population was estimated to have a systemic
      clearance of 60.4 l h(-1) and a central volume of distribution of 266 l. Absolute
      oral bioavailability was estimated to 41% without food intake and with food about
      53%. Simulation of the MU-opioid receptor occupancy shows that the 95% confidence
      bound is within or above 60-90% occupancy for up to 22-24 h after a single dose
      of 20 mg nalmefene. CONCLUSIONS: A robust population PK model for nalmefene was
      developed. Based on the concentration-occupancy model the MU-opioid receptor
      occupancy after a single 20 mg dose of nalmefene is predicted to be above the
      target therapeutic occupancy for about 24 h in about 95% of the target
      population.

PMID- 26483077
TI  - Microhabitat locality allows multi-species coexistence in terrestrial plant
      communities.
AB  - Most terrestrial plant communities exhibit relatively high species diversity and
      many competitive species are ubiquitous. Many theoretical studies have been
      carried out to investigate the coexistence of a few competitive species and in
      most cases they suggest competitive exclusion. Theoretical studies have revealed
      that coexistence of even three or four species can be extremely difficult. It has
      been suggested that the coexistence of many species has been achieved by the fine
      differences in suitable microhabitats for each species, attributing to niche
      separation. So far there is no explicit demonstration of such a coexistence in
      mathematical and simulation studies. Here we built a simple lattice Lotka
      Volterra model of competition by incorporating the minute differences of suitable
      microhabitats for many species. By applying the site variations in species
      specific settlement rates of a seedling, we achieved the coexistence of more than
      10 species. This result indicates that competition between many species is
      avoided by the spatial variations in species-specific microhabitats. Our results
      demonstrate that coexistence of many species becomes possible by the minute
      differences in microhabitats. This mechanism should be applicable to many
      vegetation types, such as temperate forests and grasslands. 

PMID- 26483078
TI  - Biomechanical validation of computer assisted planning of periacetabular
      osteotomy: A preliminary study based on finite element analysis.
AB  - Periacetabular Osteotomy (PAO) is a joint preserving surgical intervention
      intended to increase femoral head coverage and thereby to improve stability in
      young patients with hip dysplasia. Previously, we developed a CT-based, computer
      assisted program for PAO diagnosis and planning, which allows for quantifying the
      3D acetabular morphology with parameters such as acetabular version, inclination,
      lateral center edge (LCE) angle and femoral head coverage ratio (CO). In order to
      verify the hypothesis that our morphology-based planning strategy can improve
      biomechanical characteristics of dysplastic hips, we developed a 3D finite
      element model based on patient-specific geometry to predict cartilage contact
      stress change before and after morphology-based planning. Our experimental
      results demonstrated that the morphology-based planning strategy could reduce
      cartilage contact pressures and at the same time increase contact areas. In
      conclusion, our computer-assisted system is an efficient tool for PAO planning. 

PMID- 26483079
TI  - Towards the assessment of local dynamic stability of level-grounded walking in an
      older population.
AB  - Local dynamic stability is a critical aspect of stable gait but its assessment
      for use in clinical settings has not yet been sufficiently evaluated,
      particularly with respect to inertial sensors applied on the feet and/or trunk.
      Furthermore, key questions remain as to which state-space reconstruction is most
      reliable and valid. In this study, we evaluated the reliability as well as the
      ability of different sensor placement and state-spaces to distinguish between
      local dynamic stability in young and older adults. Gait data of 19 older and 20
      young subjects were captured with inertial sensors twice within the first day as
      well as after seven days. 21 different signals (and combinations of signals) were
      used to span the system's state-space to calculate different measures of local
      dynamic stability. Our data revealed moderate or high effect sizes in 12 of the
      21 old vs. young comparisons. We also observed considerable differences in the
      reliability of these 12 results, with intra-class correlation coefficients
      ranging from 0.09 to 0.81. Our results demonstrate that in order to obtain
      reliable and valid estimates of gait stability lambda of walking time series is
      best evaluated using trunk data or 1-dimensional data from foot sensors. 

PMID- 26483080
TI  - Perceived barriers and facilitators to positive therapeutic change for people
      with intellectual disabilities: Client, carer and clinical psychologist
      perspectives.
AB  - Studies have highlighted successful outcomes of psychological therapies for
      people with intellectual disabilities. However, processes underlying these
      outcomes are uncertain. Thematic analysis was used to explore the perceptions of
      three clinical psychologists, six clients and six carers of barriers and
      facilitators to therapeutic change for people with intellectual disabilities. Six
      themes were identified relating to: what the client brings as an individual and
      with regard to their wider system; therapy factors, including the therapeutic
      relationship and adaptations; psychologists acting as a 'mental health GP' to
      coordinate care; systemic dependency; and the concept of the revolving door in
      intellectual disability services. The influence of barriers and facilitators to
      change is complex, with facilitators overcoming barriers and yet simultaneously
      creating more barriers. Given their potential impact on the psychologists' roles
      and access to therapy for people with intellectual disabilities, findings suggest
      these factors should be formulated as part of the therapeutic process. 

PMID- 26483081
TI  - Lysobacter chengduensis sp. nov. Isolated from the Air of Captive Ailuropoda
      melanoleuca Enclosures in Chengdu, China.
AB  - A novel bacterial strain, designated as CF21(T), was isolated from the air of
      Ailuropoda melanoleuca enclosures in China. Cells were gram-negative, aerobic,
      non-motile, and rod shaped. Strain CF21(T) grew at 10-40  degrees C (optimum 28
      30  degrees C) and pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum pH 7.0-8.0) and in the presence of NaCl
      concentrations ranging from 0.0% (w/v) to 2.0 % (optimum 0.0-1.0%). 16SrRNA gene
      sequence analysis indicated that strain CF21(T) belonged to genus Lysobacter
      within class Gammaproteobacteria and was most closely related to Luteimonas
      dalianensi OB44-3(T) (95.8% similarity), Lysobacter ruishenii CTN-1(T) (95.1%),
      Lysobacter spongiicola KMM329(T) (94.8 %), and Lysobacter daejeonensis GH1-9T
      (94.6%). The genomic G+C DNA content was 68.72 mol%. Major cellular fatty acids
      of CF21(T) were iso-C16:0 (30.22%), iso-C15:0 (25.70%), and the sum of 10-methyl
      C16 : 0 and/or iso-C17 : 1omega9c (21.94%). The prominent isoprenoid quinone was
      ubiquinone 8 (Q-8). Primary polar lipids included diphosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and an unknown phospholipid. DNA
      sequence relatedness between strain CF21(T) and L. ruishenii CTN-1(T) was 56%,
      which was clearly below the 70% threshold for prokaryotic species delineation.
      These analyses indicated that CF21(T) is a novel member of genus Lysobacter, for
      which the name Lysobacter chengduensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is
      CF21(T) (=CGMCC1.15145(T) = DSM 100306(T)).

PMID- 26483082
TI  - Tolerance to Ultraviolet Radiation of Psychrotolerant Yeasts and Analysis of
      Their Carotenoid, Mycosporine, and Ergosterol Content.
AB  - Yeasts colonizing the Antarctic region are exposed to a high ultraviolet
      radiation evolving mechanisms to minimize the UV radiation damages, such as the
      production of UV-absorbing or antioxidant compounds like carotenoid pigments and
      mycosporines. Ergosterol has also been suggested to play a role in this response.
      These compounds are also economically attractive for several industries such as
      pharmaceutical and food, leading to a continuous search for biological sources of
      them. In this work, the UV-C radiation tolerance of yeast species isolated from
      the sub-Antarctic region and their production of carotenoids, mycosporines, and
      ergosterol were evaluated. Dioszegia sp., Leuconeurospora sp. (T27Cd2),
      Rhodotorula laryngis, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, and Cryptococcus gastricus showed
      the highest UV-C radiation tolerance. The yeasts with the highest content of
      carotenoids were Dioszegia sp. (OHK torulene), Rh. laryngis (torulene and
      lycopene), Rh. mucilaginosa, (torulene, gamma carotene, and lycopene), and Cr.
      gastricus (2-gamma carotene). Probable mycosporine molecules and biosynthesis
      intermediates were found in Rh. laryngis, Dioszegia sp., Mrakia sp., Le.
      creatinivora, and Leuconeurospora sp. (T27Cd2). Ergosterol was the only sterol
      detected in all yeasts, and M. robertii and Le. creatinivora showed amounts
      higher than 4 mg g-1. Although there was not a well-defined relation between UV-C
      tolerance and the production of these three kinds of compounds, the majority of
      the yeasts with lower amounts of carotenoids showed lower UV-C tolerance.
      Dioszegia sp., M. robertii, and Le. creatinivora were the greatest producers of
      carotenoids, ergosterol, and mycosporines, respectively, representing good
      candidates for future studies intended to increase their production for large
      scale applications.

PMID- 26483083
TI  - Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor of the Nasal Cavity.

PMID- 26483084
TI  - The dissipation kinetics of malathion in aqueous extracts of different fruits and
      vegetables.
AB  - The dissipation of malathion in 5% aqueous extracts of some fruits and vegetables
      including bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, cantaloupe, carrot, and also buffer
      (control) was investigated at 37  degrees C for 4 h. The dissipation trend of
      malathion in the fruit/vegetable samples and buffer followed first-order double
      exponential decay (FODED) and simple first-order kinetic (SFOK) models,
      respectively. The initial dissipation rate of malathion in tomato (DT10=0.05 h),
      bell pepper (DT10=0.06 h), and carrot (DT10=0.07 h) was faster compared to the
      other samples. The slowest rate of pesticide decline belonged to cantaloupe
      (DT50=1.92 h) with a significant difference from the other samples (p<=0.01),
      whereas tomato (DT50=0.43 h) and carrot (DT50=0.53 h) showed the fastest
      dissipation rate. DT90 values derived from the models revealed no significant
      difference between the samples except for cantaloupe which had the slowest rate
      of dissipation (DT90=8.27 h) with a significant difference compared to others
      (p<=0.01). A direct correlation was observed between protein content of the
      samples and the rate of malathion decline which indicates the role of plant
      enzymes in degrading malathion residues.

PMID- 26483085
TI  - Wavelets-based clustering of air quality monitoring sites.
AB  - This paper aims at providing a variance/covariance profile of a set of 36
      monitoring stations measuring ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) hourly
      concentrations, collected over the period 2005-2013, in Portugal mainland. The
      resulting individual profiles are embedded in a wavelet decomposition-based
      clustering algorithm in order to identify groups of stations exhibiting similar
      profiles. The results of the cluster analysis identify three groups of stations,
      namely urban, suburban/urban/rural, and a third group containing all but one
      rural stations. The results clearly indicate a geographical pattern among urban
      stations, distinguishing those located in Lisbon area from those located in
      Oporto/North. Furthermore, for urban stations, intra-diurnal and daily time
      scales exhibit the highest variance. This is due to the more relevant chemical
      activity occurring in high NO2 emissions areas which are responsible for high
      variability on daily profiles. These chemical processes also explain the reason
      for NO2 and O3 being highly negatively cross-correlated in suburban and urban
      sites as compared with rural stations. Finally, the clustering analysis also
      identifies sites which need revision concerning classification according to
      environment/influence type.

PMID- 26483086
TI  - Impact of wastewater irrigation on the dynamics of metal concentrations in the
      vadose zone: monitoring: part I.
AB  - Agricultural lands in the peri-urban area of New Delhi have been irrigated with
      treated wastewater from the Keshopur Effluent Irrigation Scheme (KEIS) since
      1979. An attempt has been made to study the influence of wastewater irrigation on
      pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, and dynamics of heavy metal
      concentrations in vadose zone under KEIS. For this study, agricultural lands
      which have been receiving the sewage irrigation for 20, 10, and 5 years were
      selected. Adjacent tube well water-irrigated fields were selected and used as
      reference. Results indicate that there was a significant decrease in soil pH and
      electrical conductivity (EC) of sewage water-irrigated fields as compared to tube
      well water-irrigated fields. Organic carbon (OC) content in 20 years sewage
      irrigated soil (0-15 cm) increased by 244% over tube well water-irrigated soil.
      The increases in organic carbon content for 10 and 5 years sewage-irrigated
      surface soil (0-15 cm) were 138 and 60% over tube well water-irrigated soils. The
      second-order polynomial model suggested that there is a possibility of
      accumulation of organic carbon in soil due to sewage irrigation at 1.55 t(-1) ha(
      1) year. There was an increase in diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)
      extractable Zn content in 20, 10, and 5 years sewage-irrigated soils (0-15 cm) to
      the extent of 86, 38, and 36% over tube well water-irrigated soils, respectively,
      while only 20 years sewage-irrigated soils showed a significant increase in DTPA
      extractable Cu (289%) in surface layer (0-15 cm) over tube well-irrigated soils.
      In case of Fe, 127, 88, and 76.6% increases in available Fe content (DTPA-Fe)
      were recorded under 20, 10, and 5 years sewage-irrigated soils, respectively,
      over controls. Like Cu, DTPA-extractable Ni also exhibited a significant increase
      (42.2%) in 20 years sewage-irrigated soil over tube well-irrigated ones. It
      appears that due to sewage irrigation particularly in surface soil, DTPA-Mn
      content either remained same or showed a slight decline as compared to tube well
      irrigated soils. The assessment of contamination factor (CF) in respect of total
      metal content in soil indicated the moderate level of metal contamination even
      after such long-term of sewage irrigation.

PMID- 26483087
TI  - Lethal Neonatal Rigidity and Multifocal Seizure Syndrome--A Misnamed Disorder?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Lethal neonatal rigidity and multifocal seizure syndrome is a newly
      recognized genetic disorder associated with early onset of rigidity, multifocal
      epilepsy, developmental arrest, and early death. It is an autosomal recessive
      condition resulting from a mutation in the BRAT1 (BRCA1 [breast cancer-1]
      associated ataxia telangiectasia mutated activator 1) gene. There are few cases
      in the literature, and all patients have died before age 2 years, most within the
      first 6 months of life. The objective of this report is to expand the phenotypic
      spectrum of BRAT1 disorders and propose new nomenclature for this condition.
      RESULTS: We describe a child with compound heterozygosity for mutations in BRAT1.
      Her neonatal course was unremarkable. Over the first year of life she was noted
      to have progressive global developmental delay, visual impairment, microcephaly,
      hypertonia, hyperreflexia, and seizures. No epileptiform discharges were seen on
      electroencephalogram. Serial magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed
      progressive cerebellar and brainstem atrophy. Unlike previously described
      patients, our patient has gained a number of developmental skills and, at this
      time, is 3 years and 8 months old. CONCLUSION: Despite the name of this disorder,
      patients with lethal neonatal rigidity and multifocal seizure syndrome may not
      present until after the neonatal period and may have a much longer life span than
      previously reported. We suggest renaming the condition "BRAT1-associated
      neurodegenerative disorder" to avoid the assumptions associated with the original
      nomenclature and to encourage clinicians to consider this condition outside the
      neonatal period.

PMID- 26483089
TI  - Highly photosensitive graphene field-effect transistor with optical memory
      function.
AB  - Graphene is a promising material for use in photodetectors for the ultrawide
      wavelength region: from ultraviolet to terahertz. Nevertheless, only the 2.3%
      light absorption of monolayer graphene and fast recombination time of photo
      excited charge restrict its sensitivity. To enhance the photosensitivity,
      hybridization of photosensitive material and graphene has been widely studied,
      where the accumulated photo-excited charge adjacent to the graphene channel
      modifies the Fermi level of graphene. However, the charge accumulation process
      slows the response to around a few tens of seconds to minutes. In contrast, a
      charge accumulation at the contact would induce the efficient light-induced
      modification of the contact resistance, which would enhance its photosensitivity.
      Herein, we demonstrate a highly photosensitive graphene field-effect transistor
      with noise-equivalent power of ~3 * 10(-15) W/Hz(1/2) and with response time
      within milliseconds at room temperature, where the Au oxide on Au electrodes
      modulates the contact resistance because of the light-assisted relaxation of the
      trapped charge at the contact. Additionally, this light-induced relaxation
      imparts an optical memory function with retention time of ~5 s. These findings
      are expected to open avenues to realization of graphene photodetectors with high
      sensitivity toward single photon detection with optical memory function. 

PMID- 26483088
TI  - Comparison of [(11)C]Choline ([(11)C]CHO) and [(18)F]Bombesin (BAY 86-4367) as
      Imaging Probes for Prostate Cancer in a PC-3 Prostate Cancer Xenograft Model.
AB  - PURPOSE: Carbon-11- and fluorine-18-labeled choline derivatives are commonly used
      in prostate cancer imaging in the clinical setting for staging and re-staging of
      prostate cancer. Due to a limited detection rate of established positron emission
      tomography (PET) tracers, there is a clinical need for innovative tumor-specific
      PET compounds addressing new imaging targets. The aim of this study was to
      compare the properties of [(18)F]Bombesin (BAY 86-4367) as an innovative
      biomarker for prostate cancer imaging targeting the gastrin-releasing peptide
      receptor and [(11)C]Choline ([(11)C]CHO) in a human prostate tumor mouse
      xenograft model by small animal PET/X-ray computed tomography (CT). PROCEDURES:
      We carried out a dual-tracer small animal PET/CT study comparing [(18)F]Bombesin
      and [(11)C]CHO. The androgen-independent human prostate tumor cell line PC-3 was
      implanted subcutaneously in the flanks of nu/nu NMRI mice (n = 10) (PET/CT
      measurements of two [(11)C]Choline mice could not be analyzed due to technical
      reasons). [(18)F]Bombesin and [(11)C]CHO PET/CT imaging was performed about 3-4
      weeks after the implantation of PC-3 cells on two separate days. After the
      intravenous tail vein injection of 14 MBq [(18)F]Bombesin and 37 MBq [(11)C]CHO,
      respectively, a dynamic study over 60 min was acquired in list mode using an
      Inveon animal PET/CT scanner (Siemens Medical Solutions). The sequence of
      [(18)F]Bombesin and [(11)C]CHO was randomized. Image analysis was performed using
      summed images as well as dynamic data. To calculate static and dynamic tumor-to
      muscle (T/M), tumor-to-blood (T/B), liver-to-blood (L/B), and kidney-to-blood
      (K/B) ratios, 4 * 4 * 4 mm(3) volumes of interest (VOIs) of tumor, muscle
      (thigh), liver, kidney, and blood derived from transversal slices were used.
      RESULTS: The mean T/M ratio of [(18)F]Bombesin and [(11)C]CHO was 6.54 +/- 2.49
      and 1.35 +/- 0.30, respectively. The mean T/B ratio was 1.83 +/- 0.79 for
      [(18)F]Bombesin and 0.55 +/- 0.10 for [(11)C]CHO. The T/M ratio as well as the
      T/B ratio for [(18)F]Bombesin were significantly higher compared to those for
      [(11)C]CHO (p < 0.001, respectively). Kidney and liver uptake was statistically
      significantly lower for [(18)F]Bombesin (K/B 3.41 +/- 0.81, L/B 1.99 +/- 0.38)
      compared to [(11)C]CHO [K/B 7.91 +/- 1.85 (p < 0.001), L/B 6.27 +/- 1.99 (p <
      0.001)]. The magnitudes of the time course of T/M and T/B ratios (T/M and T/Bdyn
      ratios) were statistically significantly different (showing a higher uptake of
      [(18)F]Bombesin compared to [(11)C]CHO); additionally, also the change of the T/M
      and T/B ratios over time was significantly different between both tracers in the
      dynamic analysis (p < 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, there was a
      statistically significantly different change of the K/B and L/B ratios over time
      between the two tracers in the dynamic analysis (p = 0.026 and p < 0.001,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: [(18)F]Bombesin (BAY 86-4367) visually and semi
      quantitatively outperforms [(11)C]CHO in the PC-3 prostate cancer xenograft
      model. [(18)F]Bombesin tumor uptake was significantly higher compared to
      [(11)C]CHO. [(18)F]Bombesin showed better imaging properties compared to the
      clinically utilized [(11)C]CHO due to a higher tumor uptake as well as a lower
      liver and kidney uptake.

PMID- 26483090
TI  - Hydrodynamics of Normal Atomic Gases with Spin-orbit Coupling.
AB  - Successful realization of spin-orbit coupling in atomic gases by the NIST scheme
      opens the prospect of studying the effects of spin-orbit coupling on many-body
      physics in an unprecedentedly controllable way. Here we derive the linearized
      hydrodynamic equations for the normal atomic gases of the spin-orbit coupling by
      the NIST scheme with zero detuning. We show that the hydrodynamics of the system
      crucially depends on the momentum susceptibilities which can be modified by the
      spin-orbit coupling. We reveal the effects of the spin-orbit coupling on the
      sound velocities and the dipole mode frequency of the gases by applying our
      formalism to the ideal Fermi gas. We also discuss the generalization of our
      results to other situations. 

PMID- 26483091
TI  - Association of HO-1 (GT)n Promoter Polymorphism and Cardiovascular Disease: A
      Reanalysis of the Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heme-oxygenase 1 (HO-1), an inducible heme-degrading enzyme, has
      antiatherogenic effects through its enzymatic end products. HO-1 gene expression
      is modulated by a guanidine thymidine dinucleotide ([GT]n) repeat polymorphism in
      the promoter region. Shorter repeats with (GT)n < 25 are associated with higher
      inducibility and activity of HO-1. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of
      all literature from 1997 to 2013 on the association of the HO-1 (GT)n and
      cardiovascular disease (CVD). On the basis of predefined criteria (patient
      characteristics, genotype data format, allelic distribution, repeat length
      cutoff) 41 articles were selected. Patients were redistributed into 4 homogeneous
      subpopulations: patients with CVD (CVD group), patients without CVD (nonCVD),
      'controls' with unknown cardiovascular status (unspecified) and children younger
      than 20 years of age (unselected). Genotype distributions (homozygous short [SS]
      or long [LL], and heterozygous) of the 4 patient categories were compared and
      odds ratios (ORs) for CVD were calculated using logistic regression analysis.
      RESULTS: Overall, the proportion of the SS genotype was lower in CVD compared
      with nonCVD and unspecified. The ORs for CVD was highest in patients carrying the
      LL genotype (OR LL vs SS, 1.769 [95% confidence interval, 1.594-1.963]).
      Furthermore, genotype distribution differed between Caucasian and Asian
      individuals, the latter having a much higher proportion of the SS genotype (22%
      vs 11%). CONCLUSIONS: This review of the available literature on the
      epidemiological association between the HO-1 (GT)n repeat polymorphism and CVD
      supports the presumed protective effects of HO-1. The second but probably even
      more relevant finding of our review is that racial disparities in HO-1 (GT)n
      repeat length distribution exist and might influence the associations of the
      genotype with CVD status.

PMID- 26483092
TI  - Corticosteroids and Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection: A New Predisposing
      Factor?
AB  - We describe the case of a 39-year-old woman with spontaneous coronary artery
      dissection (SCAD) of the left circumflex artery. We postulate that her SCAD was
      precipitated by high-dose corticosteroid use for the treatment of optic neuritis.
      The epidemiology and known risk factors of SCAD are reviewed with an additional
      focus on the effect of corticosteroids on the cardiovascular system. 

PMID- 26483093
TI  - Frailty and Anticoagulation Prescription Rate for Atrial Fibrillation in the
      Elderly.

PMID- 26483096
TI  - Telomere length is not associated with frailty in older Chinese elderly: Cross
      sectional and longitudinal analysis.
AB  - Telomere shortening has been associated with biological age and several chronic
      degenerative diseases. However, less is known about telomere length and frailty,
      which is an indicator of biological age. This study examines the association
      between telomere length and frailty in a prospective study over five years of
      2006 men and women aged 65 years and older living in the community. The frailty
      status was determined by the Fried's criteria. Telomere length in leukocytes was
      measured using the quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Logistic regression
      was used to examine the association between telomere length and incidence of
      frailty. Among 2006 subjects (mean age 72.4+/-5.1 years, 51.3% women), the mean
      telomere length at baseline was 9.1+/-2.0kb and the frailty phenotype was
      detected in 127 subjects (6.3%). Male gender was related to shorter telomere
      length, with increased years of age related to a shortened telomere length
      (P<0.05). In both men and women, no statistically significant difference of
      telomere length and the frailty phenotype was observed at baseline. After 4 years
      of follow-up, 116 cases of frailty were identified. There was no association
      between telomere length and incident frailty. In conclusion, telomere length was
      not associated with frailty in this study population. 

PMID- 26483094
TI  - Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging Characterization of White Matter
      Injury Produced by Axon-Sparing Demyelination and Severe Contusion Spinal Cord
      Injury in Rats.
AB  - Alterations in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived measurements of water
      diffusion parallel (D?) and perpendicular (D?) to white matter tracts have been
      specifically attributed to pathology of axons and myelin, respectively. We test
      the hypothesis that directional diffusion measurements can distinguish between
      axon-sparing chemical demyelination and severe contusion spinal cord white matter
      injury. Adult rats received either unilateral ethidium bromide (EB)
      microinjections (chemical demyelination) into the lateral funiculus of the spinal
      cord at C5 or were subjected to unilateral severe contusion spinal cord injury
      (SCI). Diffusion MRI metrics in the lateral funiculus were analyzed at early and
      late time-points following injury and correlated with histology. Early EB
      demyelination resulted in a significant elevation in D? and significant reduction
      in D? at the injury epicenter, with histological evidence of uniform axon
      preservation. Alterations in D? and D? at the epicenter of early EB-demyelination
      were not significantly different from those observed with severe contusion at the
      epicenter, where histology demonstrated severe combined axonal and myelin injury.
      Diffusion abnormalities away from the injury epicenter were seen with contusion
      injury, but not with EB-demyelination. Chronic EB lesions underwent endogenous
      remyelination with normalization of diffusion metrics, whereas chronic contusion
      resulted in persistently altered diffusivities. In the early setting, directional
      diffusion measurements at the injury epicenter associated with chemical
      demyelination are indistinguishable from those seen with severe contusive SCI,
      despite dramatic pathologic differences between injury models. Caution is advised
      in interpretation of diffusion metrics with respect to specific white matter
      structural alterations. Diffusion analysis should not be limited to the epicenter
      of focal spinal lesions as alterations marginal to the epicenter are useful for
      assessing the nature of focal white matter injury.

PMID- 26483095
TI  - Health-related quality of life in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a
      multinational, cross-sectional study.
AB  - AIM: To estimate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with Duchenne
      muscular dystrophy (DMD). METHOD: HRQOL was assessed using the Health Utilities
      Index Questionnaire (HUI) and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL)
      neuromuscular module version 3.0 online. Results were stratified by disease stage
      (early/late ambulatory/non-ambulatory) and caregivers' perceptions of patients'
      health and mental status. RESULTS: A total of 770 patient-caregiver pairs (173
      German, 122 Italian, 191 UK, and 284 USA) participated. Most caregivers (>84%)
      perceived their patients as happy/somewhat happy and in excellent/very good/good
      health, irrespective of current ambulatory class. In contrast, mean patient
      utility (reflecting public preferences: 0, dead; 1, perfect health) deteriorated
      with disease course, from 0.75 in early ambulatory males to 0.15 in the most
      severely affected patients. Mean patient PedsQL scores (0-100, higher score
      indicating better HRQOL) decreased from 80 to 57 across ambulatory classes.
      INTERPRETATION: HRQOL in DMD, measured through public preferences, is
      substantially impaired in relation to the general population and significantly
      associated with disease progression. Still, most patients are perceived as happy
      and in good health by their caregivers, indicating that influential domains of
      HRQOL remain intact through the disease progression. Our findings emphasize the
      challenges in measuring HRQOL in a rare, progressive childhood condition such as
      DMD.

PMID- 26483097
TI  - Risk Assessment and Comparative Effectiveness of Left Ventricular Assist Device
      and Medical Management in Ambulatory Heart Failure Patients: Results From the
      ROADMAP Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data for left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) in patients with
      noninotrope-dependent heart failure (HF) are limited. OBJECTIVES: The goal of
      this study was to evaluate HeartMate II (HMII) LVAD support versus optimal
      medical management (OMM) in ambulatory New York Heart Association functional
      class IIIB/IV patients meeting indications for LVAD destination therapy but not
      dependent on intravenous inotropic support. METHODS: This was a prospective,
      multicenter (N = 41), observational study of 200 patients (97 LVAD, 103 OMM).
      Entry criteria included >=1 hospitalization for HF in the last 12 months and 6
      min walk distance (6MWD) <300 m. The primary composite endpoint was survival on
      original therapy with improvement in 6MWD >=75 m at 12 months. RESULTS: LVAD
      patients were more severely ill, with more patients classified as Interagency
      Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support profile 4 (65% LVAD vs.
      34% OMM; p < 0.001) than 5 to 7. More LVAD patients met the primary endpoint (39%
      LVAD vs. 21% OMM; odds ratio: 2.4 [95% confidence interval: 1.2 to 4.8]; p =
      0.012). On the basis of as-treated analysis, 12-month survival was greater for
      LVAD versus OMM (80 +/- 4% vs. 63 +/- 5%; p = 0.022) patients. Adverse events
      were higher in LVAD patients, at 1.89 events/patient-year (EPPY), primarily
      driven by bleeding (1.22 EPPY), than with OMM, at 0.83 EPPY, primarily driven by
      worsening HF (0.68 EPPY). Most patients (80% LVAD vs. 62% OMM; p < 0.001)
      required hospitalizations. Health-related quality of life (HRQol) and depression
      improved from baseline more significantly with LVADs than with OMM (Delta visual
      analog scale: 29 +/- 25 vs. 10 +/- 22 [p < 0.001]; Delta Patient Health
      Questionnaire-9: -5 +/- 7 vs. -1 +/- 5 [p < 0.001]). CONCLUSIONS: Survival with
      improved functional status was better with HMII LVAD compared with OMM. Despite
      experiencing more frequent adverse events, LVAD patients improved more in HRQol
      and depression. The results support HMII use in functionally limited, noninotrope
      dependent HF patients with poor HRQoL. (Risk Assessment and Comparative
      Effectiveness of Left Ventricular Assist Device [LVAD] and Medical Management
      [ROADMAP]; NCT01452802).

PMID- 26483098
TI  - Benefits and Challenges of Early Introduction of Left Ventricular Assist Device
      Placement: A Patient-Centered Perspective.

PMID- 26483100
TI  - Distal and Tributary Targets: A New Branching Point for Renal Denervation?

PMID- 26483099
TI  - Impact of Lesion Placement on Efficacy and Safety of Catheter-Based
      Radiofrequency Renal Denervation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Insufficient procedural efficacy has been proposed to explain
      nonresponse to renal denervation (RDN). OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to
      examine the impact of different patterns of lesion placements on the efficacy and
      consistency of catheter-based radiofrequency RDN in pigs. METHODS: The impact of
      increasing number of lesions versus location of RDN was investigated in a porcine
      model (Group 1; n = 51). The effect of treating the main artery, the branches,
      and the 2 combined was compared in Group 2 (n = 48). The durability of response
      and safety of combined treatment of the main artery plus branches was examined in
      Group 3 (n = 16). Renal norepinephrine (NE) tissue content and renal cortical
      axon density were assessed. RESULTS: Increasing the number of RF lesions (4, 8,
      and 12) in the main renal artery was not sufficient to yield a clear dose
      response relationship on NE content and axon density. In contrast, targeted
      treatment of the renal artery branches or distal segment of the main renal artery
      resulted in markedly less variability of response and significantly greater
      reduction of both NE and axon density than conventional treatment of only the
      main renal artery. Combination treatment (main artery plus branches) produced the
      greatest change in renal NE and axon density with the least heterogeneity. The
      changes were durable through 28 days post-treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These data
      provide the rationale for investigation of an optimized approach for RDN in
      future clinical studies. This may have profound implications for the clinical
      application of RDN, as this approach may not only achieve greater reductions in
      sympathetic activity but also reduce treatment effect variability.

PMID- 26483102
TI  - Reverse Left Ventricular Remodeling After Kidney Transplantation: Unraveling the
      Complex Autointoxication of Uremia.

PMID- 26483101
TI  - Reverse Remodeling and Prognosis Following Kidney Transplantation in Contemporary
      Patients With Cardiac Dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiac dysfunction influences candidate selection for kidney
      transplantation. There is a paucity of data regarding predictors of myocardial
      recovery following kidney transplantation and long-term outcomes. OBJECTIVES: The
      purpose of this study was to identify the extent of reverse remodeling in our
      kidney transplant population and the predictors of such changes, and to assess
      outcomes in these patients. METHODS: We reviewed 232 patients who underwent
      kidney transplantation at the Cleveland Clinic from 2003 to 2013 and who had
      baseline and post-transplant echocardiograms; patients with simultaneous heart
      transplantation were excluded. RESULTS: Post-transplantation mean left
      ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) improved in those with LV dysfunction
      (increased from 41% to 50%; p < 0.0001; n = 66). There was significant
      improvement in other parameters, including diastolic function, LV end-diastolic
      dimension, LV mass, and right ventricular systolic pressure. After adjusting for
      multiple clinical variables, increased hemoglobin following transplantation was
      associated with an improved LVEF (odds ratio: 1.50; 95% confidence interval [CI]:
      1.07 to 2.14; p = 0.016) and reduced mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.65; 95% CI:
      0.49 to 0.87; p = 0.004). An improved LVEF >=10% predicted survival independently
      of a pre-transplantation LVEF (HR: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.21 to 0.93; p = 0.031).
      CONCLUSIONS: Kidney transplantation is associated with improved cardiac structure
      and function. A rise in post-transplantation hemoglobin was a significant factor
      associated with such changes, in addition to conferring a survival advantage.

PMID- 26483104
TI  - Haptoglobin 2-2 Genotyping for Refining Standard Cardiovascular Risk Assessment:
      A Promising Proposition in Need of Validation.

PMID- 26483103
TI  - The Risk of Coronary Heart Disease Associated With Glycosylated Hemoglobin of
      6.5% or Greater Is Pronounced in the Haptoglobin 2-2 Genotype.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research targeting glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) to <6.5% to
      prevent coronary heart disease (CHD) events has conflicting results. We
      previously observed the haptoglobin (Hp) Hp2-2 genotype is associated with a ~10
      fold increased CHD risk among individuals with HbA1c >=6.5%, and thus might be
      useful in identifying those at high risk of CHD who would benefit from
      maintaining HbA1c <6.5%. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to model whether HbA1c >=
      6.5% in the Hp2-2 genotype is associated with CHD in a prospective case-control
      study nested within the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS). METHODS:
      HbA1c concentration and Hp genotype were determined for 695 incident cases of CHD
      from 1994 to 2010 and matched control participants. Logistic regression models
      calculated relative risk (RR) and 95% CI, for the first and second halves of
      follow-up, adjusting for confounding variables. A dataset from the Nurses' Health
      Study served as a replication cohort. RESULTS: The prevalence of the Hp2-2
      genotype in HPFS was 39%. Compared with HbA1c <6.5%, the RR of CHD for HbA1c
      >=6.5% for the Hp2-2 genotype over full follow-up was 3.07 (95% CI: 1.37 to 6.86)
      to 3.88 (95% CI: 1.31 to 11.52) during the first half of follow-up and 2.16 (95%
      CI: 0.61 to 7.61) in the second half. The corresponding RRs for the Hp1-1 + Hp2-1
      genotypes were: full follow-up, 2.19 (95% CI: 1.14 to 4.24); first half, 1.60
      (95% CI: 0.73 to 3.53); and second half, 4.72 (95% CI: 1.26 to 17.65).
      CONCLUSIONS: In 2 independent cohorts, the risk of CHD associated with HbA1c
      >=6.5% is pronounced in the Hp2-2 genotype, particularly in early cases. The Hp2
      2 genotype may identify individuals at greatest CHD risk from hyperglycemia.

PMID- 26483106
TI  - Team-Based Care and Quality: A Move Toward Evidence-Based Policy.

PMID- 26483105
TI  - Provider Type and Quality of Outpatient Cardiovascular Disease Care: Insights
      From the NCDR PINNACLE Registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current number of physicians will not be sufficient to
      accommodate 30 to 40 million Americans expected to secure health coverage with
      Affordable Care Act implementation. One proposed solution is to use advanced
      practice providers (APPs) (nurse practitioners and physician assistants).
      OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine whether there were clinically
      meaningful differences in the quality of care delivered by APPs versus physicians
      in a national sample of cardiology practices. METHODS: Within the American
      College of Cardiology's PINNACLE Registry, we compared quality of coronary artery
      disease (CAD), heart failure, and atrial fibrillation care delivered by
      physicians and APPs for outpatient visits between January 1, 2012, and December
      31, 2012. We performed hierarchical regression adjusting for provider sex; panel
      size; duration of participation in registry; and patient's age, sex, insurance,
      number of outpatient visits, history of hypertension, diabetes, myocardial
      infarction, and percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass
      grafting in the preceding 12 months. RESULTS: We included 883 providers (716
      physicians and 167 APPs) in 41 practices who cared for 459,669 patients. Mean
      number of patients seen by APPs (260.7) was lower compared with that seen by
      physicians (581.2). Compliance with most CAD, heart failure, and atrial
      fibrillation measures was comparable, except for a higher rate of smoking
      cessation screening and intervention (adjusted rate ratio: 1.14; 95% confidence
      interval: 1.03 to 1.26) and cardiac rehabilitation referral (rate ratio: 1.40;
      95% confidence interval: 1.16 to 1.70) among CAD patients receiving care from
      APPs. Compliance with all eligible CAD measures was low for both (12.1% and 12.2%
      for APPs and physicians, respectively) with no significant difference. Results
      were consistent when comparing practices with both physicians and APPs (n = 41)
      and physician-only practices (n = 49). CONCLUSIONS: Apart from minor differences,
      a collaborative care delivery model, using both physicians and APPs, may deliver
      an overall comparable quality of outpatient cardiovascular care compared with a
      physician-only model.

PMID- 26483107
TI  - National Institutes of Health Career Development Awards for Cardiovascular
      Physician-Scientists: Recent Trends and Strategies for Success.
AB  - Nurturing the development of cardiovascular physician-scientist investigators is
      critical for sustained progress in cardiovascular science and improving human
      health. The transition from an inexperienced trainee to an independent physician
      scientist is a multifaceted process requiring a sustained commitment from the
      trainee, mentors, and institution. A cornerstone of this training process is a
      career development (K) award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These
      awards generally require 75% of the awardee's professional effort devoted to
      research aims and diverse career development activities carried out in a mentored
      environment over a 5-year period. We report on recent success rates for obtaining
      NIH K awards, provide strategies for preparing a successful application and
      navigating the early career period for aspiring cardiovascular investigators, and
      offer cardiovascular division leadership perspectives regarding K awards in the
      current era. Our objective is to offer practical advice that will equip trainees
      considering an investigator path for success. 

PMID- 26483108
TI  - Next Steps in Primary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease: Rationale for and
      Design of the ECAD Trial.
AB  - Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events, including coronary heart
      disease and stroke, are the most frequent cause of death and major disability in
      the world. Current American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association
      primary prevention guidelines are mainly on the basis of randomized controlled
      trials of statin-based low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)-lowering
      therapy for primary prevention of ASCVD events. Despite the clear demonstration
      of statin-based LDL-C lowering, substantial 10-year and lifetime risks of
      incident ASCVD continue. Although the 10-year risk is low in young and middle
      aged adults who would not be treated according to current guidelines, they
      ultimately account for most incident ASCVD. If statin-based LDL-C lowering were
      initiated in them at an age before complex coronary plaques are common in the
      population, a substantial reduction in lifetime risk of incident coronary heart
      disease might be achieved. We examine this hypothesis and introduce the design of
      a currently recruiting trial to address it. (Eliminate Coronary Artery Disease
      [ECAD]; NCT02245087). 

PMID- 26483109
TI  - Health Care in Transition: Primary Prevention and Health Disparities in Focus.

PMID- 26483110
TI  - Academic Practice Plans for Early Career Clinician Investigators: The Fourth
      Pillar of Success.

PMID- 26483111
TI  - Deceleration of Age-Related Aortic Stiffening in a Population With High Longevity
      Rates: The IKARIA Study.

PMID- 26483112
TI  - Clinical Relevance of Exaggerated Exercise Blood Pressure.

PMID- 26483113
TI  - What Is the True Prevalence of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy?

PMID- 26483114
TI  - Reply: What Is the True Prevalence of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy?

PMID- 26483115
TI  - Reply: Hospitalizations for Endocarditis in the United States.

PMID- 26483116
TI  - Hospitalizations for Endocarditis in the United States.

PMID- 26483117
TI  - How to Control Residual Risk During the Statin Era?

PMID- 26483118
TI  - A Unique Plasmodium falciparum K13 Gene Mutation in Northwest Ethiopia.
AB  - Artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) is the first line to treat uncomplicated
      Plasmodium falciparum malaria worldwide. Artemisinin treatment failures are on
      the rise in southeast Asia. Delayed parasite clearance after ACT is associated
      with mutations of the P. falciparum kelch 13 gene. Patients (N = 148) in five
      districts of northwest Ethiopia were enrolled in a 28-day ACT trial. We
      identified a unique kelch 13 mutation (R622I) in 3/125 (2.4%) samples. The three
      isolates with R622I were from Negade-Bahir and Aykel districts close to the
      Ethiopia-Sudan border. One of three patients with the mutant strain was
      parasitemic at day 3; however, all patients cleared parasites by day 28.
      Correlation between kelch 13 mutations and parasite clearance was not possible
      due to the low frequency of mutations in this study. 

PMID- 26483119
TI  - Sustained Presence of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Urban Manaus, the Largest Human
      Settlement in the Amazon.
AB  - The Amazon is responsible for approximately 40% of the American tegumentary
      leishmaniasis (ATL) in Brazil. Herein the sustained presence of ATL in Manaus,
      the largest settlement in the Amazon, was investigated. Records of notification
      of historic cases, and data from cases prospectively enrolled in the Tropical
      Medicine Foundation of the Amazonas State were used. Geographic coordinates of
      prospective patients' living sites were used to detect inner-city clusters of
      ATL. Infecting Leishmania species was determined by polymerase chain reaction.
      Among prospectively enrolled subjects, 94.8% were infected with Leishmania
      (Viannia) guyanensis, 76.7% were male, 30.2% were 0-20 years old, and 69.8% had
      an urban residence. Historic cases showed a profile similar to that of
      prospectively enrolled subjects. Several clusters of ATL, widely distributed
      within the city of Manaus, could be detected. In conclusion, there was a high
      frequency of disease in young age groups and cases clustered in urban
      neighborhoods. It cannot be determined from these data whether transmission of
      these cases occurred within or outside the city of Manaus. 

PMID- 26483120
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Liposomal Amphotericin B for the Treatment of Mucosal
      Leishmaniasis from the New World: A Retrospective Study.
AB  - The standard treatment of mucosal leishmaniasis (ML) is pentavalent antimonials,
      agents with serious adverse effects. Alternative agents include amphotericin B
      deoxycholate and liposomal amphotericin B. We performed a retrospective study
      including 29 patients treated with liposomal amphotericin B, most of whom had
      comorbidities, history of previous treatment of ML, and contraindications to the
      use of antimonial pentavalent or amphotericin B deoxycholate. We observed a cure
      rate of 93.1%. Kidney failure was the most important side effect, reported in
      five patients (17.2%). This study showed a good efficacy and safety profile of
      liposomal amphotericin B in patients with ML and contraindications to the use of
      other agents. 

PMID- 26483121
TI  - Molecular Investigation into a Malaria Outbreak in Cusco, Peru: Plasmodium
      falciparum BV1 Lineage is Linked to a Second Outbreak in Recent Times.
AB  - In November 2013, a Plasmodium falciparum malaria outbreak of 11 cases occurred
      in Cusco, southern Peru, where falciparum malaria had not been reported since
      1946. Although initial microscopic diagnosis reported only Plasmodium vivax
      infection in each of the specimens, subsequent examination by the national
      reference laboratory confirmed P. falciparum infection in all samples. Molecular
      typing of four available isolates revealed identity as the B-variant (BV1) strain
      that was responsible for a malaria outbreak in Tumbes, northern Peru, between
      2010 and 2012. The P. falciparum BV1 strain is multidrug resistant, can escape
      detection by PfHRP2-based rapid diagnostic tests, and has contributed to two
      malaria outbreaks in Peru. This investigation highlights the importance of
      accurate species diagnosis given the potential for P. falciparum to be
      reintroduced to regions where it may have been absent. Similar molecular
      epidemiological investigations can track the probable source(s) of outbreak
      parasite strains for malaria surveillance and control purposes. 

PMID- 26483123
TI  - Successful Global Health Research Partnerships: What Makes Them Work?
AB  - There are many successful global health research partnerships, but little
      information is available about what makes them successful. We asked 14 research
      colleagues from Uganda, Kenya, and the United States who have extensive global
      health research experience about what they considered the top three factors that
      led to or impeded successful international research collaborations. Four key
      factors were identified: 1) mutual respect and benefit, 2) trust, 3) good
      communication, and 4) clear partner roles and expectations. Initial and ongoing
      assessment of these factors in global health research partnerships may prevent
      misunderstandings and foster a collaborative environment that leads to successful
      research. 

PMID- 26483122
TI  - Quantitative Kinetoplast DNA Assessment During Treatment of Mucosal Leishmaniasis
      as a Potential Biomarker of Outcome: A Pilot Study.
AB  - Mucosal leishmaniasis (ML) is a disfiguring manifestation of Leishmania (Viannia)
      infection. We evaluated parasite load (PL) over time as a potential biomarker of
      treatment outcome in ML. PL was assessed with kinetoplast DNA quantitative real
      time polymerase chain reaction (kDNA-qPCR) at enrollment, days 14 and 21-28 of
      therapy and 3, 6, 12-18, and 18-24 months after treatment of ML and correlated to
      demographic, clinical, and parasitologic factors. Forty-four patients were
      enrolled: 30 men and 14 women. Enrollment PL differed significantly by causative
      species (P < 0.001), and was higher in patients with severe ML (nasal and
      laryngeal involvement) compared with those with only isolated nasal involvement
      (median = 1,285 versus 51.5 parasites/MUg tissue DNA; P = 0.005). Two patterns of
      PL emerged: pattern 1 (N = 23) was characterized by a sequential decline in PL
      during and after therapy until kDNA was undetectable. Pattern 2 (N = 18) was
      characterized by clearance of detectable kDNA during treatment, followed by an
      increased PL thereafter. All patients who failed treatment (N = 4) demonstrated
      pattern 1. Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis was overrepresented among those with
      pattern 2 (P = 0.019). PL can be quantified by cytology brush qPCR during and
      after treatment in ML. We demonstrate that treatment failure was associated with
      undetectable PL, and L. (V.) braziliensis infection was overrepresented in those
      with rebounding PL. 

PMID- 26483124
TI  - A Potential Role for Mononuclear Phagocytes in Cutaneous Ulcer Development in
      Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Leishmania braziliensis Coinfection.
AB  - Skin ulcer development in cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania braziliensis
      infection is associated with a mononuclear cell infiltrate and high levels of
      tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Herein, we show that despite the absence of
      Leishmania-driven TNF, a cutaneous leishmaniasis patient with acquired
      immunodeficiency syndrome developed a skin ulcer. The presence of mononuclear
      phagocytes and high levels of TNF, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), and
      metalloproteinase-9 in tissue are identified as potential contributors to
      immunopathology observed in L. braziliensis-infected patients. 

PMID- 26483125
TI  - Malaria Prevention Strategies: Adherence Among Boston Area Travelers Visiting
      Malaria-Endemic Countries.
AB  - We conducted a prospective cohort study to assess adherence to malaria
      chemoprophylaxis, reasons for nonadherence, and use of other personal protective
      measures against malaria. We included adults traveling to malaria-endemic
      countries who were prescribed malaria chemoprophylaxis during a pre-travel
      consultation at three travel clinics in the Boston area and who completed three
      or more surveys: pre-travel, at least one weekly during travel, and post-travel
      (2-4 weeks after return). Of 370 participants, 335 (91%) took malaria
      chemoprophylaxis at least once and reported any missed doses; 265 (79%) reported
      completing all doses during travel. Adherence was not affected by weekly versus
      daily chemoprophylaxis, travel purpose, or duration of travel. Reasons for
      nonadherence included forgetfulness, side effects, and not seeing mosquitoes.
      Main reasons for declining to take prescribed chemoprophylaxis were peer advice,
      low perceived risk, and not seeing mosquitoes. Of 368 travelers, 79% used insect
      repellent, 46% used a bed net, and 61% slept in air conditioning at least once.
      Because travelers may be persuaded to stop taking medication by peer pressure,
      not seeing mosquitoes, and adverse reactions to medications, clinicians should be
      prepared to address these barriers and to empower travelers with strategies to
      manage common side effects of antimalarial medications. 

PMID- 26483126
TI  - Characteristics of Travel-Related Severe Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium
      falciparum Malaria in Individuals Hospitalized at a Tertiary Referral Center in
      Lima, Peru.
AB  - Severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria is uncommon in South America. Lima, Peru,
      while not endemic for malaria, is home to specialized centers for infectious
      diseases that admit and manage patients with severe malaria (SM), all of whom
      contracted infection during travel. This retrospective study describes severe
      travel-related malaria in individuals admitted to one tertiary care referral
      hospital in Lima, Peru; severity was classified based on criteria published by
      the World Health Organization in 2000. Data were abstracted from medical records
      of patients with SM admitted to Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia from 2006 to
      2011. Of 33 SM cases with complete clinical data, the mean age was 39 years and
      the male/female ratio was 2.8. Most cases were contracted in known endemic
      regions within Peru: Amazonia (47%), the central jungle (18%), and the northern
      coast (12%); cases were also found in five (15%) travelers returning from Africa.
      Plasmodium vivax was most commonly identified (71%) among the severe infections,
      followed by P. falciparum (18%); mixed infections composed 11% of the group.
      Among the criteria of severity, jaundice was most common (58%), followed by
      severe thrombocytopenia (47%), hyperpyrexia (32%), and shock (15%). Plasmodium
      vivax mono-infection predominated as the etiology of SM in cases acquired in
      Peru. 

PMID- 26483127
TI  - Rates of safety incident reporting in MRI in a large academic medical center.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe our multiyear experience in incident reporting related to
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a large academic medical center. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This was an Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved, Health
      Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant study. Incident
      report data were collected during the study period from April 2006 to September
      2012. The incident reports filed during the study period were searched for all
      reports related to MRI. Incident reports were classified with regard to the
      patient type (inpatient vs. outpatient), primary reason for the incident report,
      and the severity of patient harm resulting from the incident. RESULTS: A total of
      362,090 MRI exams were performed during the study period, resulting in 1290 MRI
      related incident reports. The rate of incident reporting was 0.35%
      (1290/362,090). MRI-related incident reporting was significantly higher in
      inpatients compared to outpatients (0.74% [369/49,801] vs. 0.29% [921/312,288], P
      < 0.001). The most common reason for incident reporting was diagnostic test
      orders (31.5%, 406/1290), followed by adverse drug reactions (19.1%, 247/1290)
      and medication/IV safety (14.3%, 185/1290). Approximately 39.6% (509/1290) of
      reports were associated with no patient harm and did not affect the patient,
      followed by no patient harm but did affect the patient (35.8%, 460/1290),
      temporary or minor patient harm (23.9%, 307/1290), permanent or major patient
      harm (0.6%, 8/1290) and patient death (0.2%, 2/1290). CONCLUSION: MRI-related
      incident reports are relatively infrequent, occur at significantly higher rates
      in inpatients, and usually do not result in patient harm. Diagnostic test orders,
      adverse drug reactions, and medication/IV safety were the most frequent safety
      incidents.

PMID- 26483128
TI  - Performance of glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) methods evaluated with EQAS studies
      using fresh blood samples: Still space for improvements.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The determination of glycated hemoglobin is a key indicator for the
      management of diabetic patients. A reference measurement system for its
      determination is available and IVD manufacturers should have aligned their assay
      to this system. METHODS: Two fresh blood samples were distributed by courier to
      206 Italian laboratories asking for the determination of their HbA1c
      concentration. Target HbA1c values were assigned by the IFCC reference
      measurement procedure. RESULTS: From 193 laboratories using analytical systems
      from five manufacturers (Bio-Rad Laboratories, A. Menarini Diagnostics, Roche
      Diagnostics, Sebia and Tosoh), we obtained a global variability of 5.3% (in terms
      of CV) and of 3.8% at an HbA1c value of 37.4 mmol/mol (sample 1) and 62.0
      mmol/mol (sample 2), respectively. With a goal for the allowable total error (TE)
      of 6.0%, 70% and 77% of the participants met this criterion for samples 1 and 2,
      respectively. Inter-laboratory CVs, were between 3.3 and 5.0% and between 2.2 and
      3.7% for samples 1 and 2, respectively. Tosoh users registered the smallest inter
      laboratory CV in sample 1, and Sebia's in sample 2. With regard to trueness, all
      methods had a mean bias of <= 2.8% with respect to the target values, with the
      exception of Tosoh (bias of + 6.1 and + 5.8%, for samples 1 and 2, respectively).
      CONCLUSION: These results are in good agreement with those obtained by the CAP
      2014 GH2-A survey, suggesting then that still there is an urgent need for
      improving a significant part of the methods currently used to measure HbA1c.

PMID- 26483129
TI  - Analytical and clinical evaluation of a rapid quantitative lateral flow
      immunoassay for measurement of soluble ST2 in human plasma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Soluble ST2 (sST2) is gaining growing interest as a biomarker in
      heart failure. So far, the ELISA-format is widely used for commercially available
      ST2 assays, which hampers their use in clinical routine. Recently, a rapid
      quantitative lateral flow immunoassay for the measurement of sST2 in human plasma
      has been developed. METHODS: We evaluated precision and linearity of the ASPECT
      PLUS ST2 test, and performed an analytical and clinical assay comparison with the
      MBL and the PRESAGE ST2 ELISAs. We measured sST2 with these three assays in a
      clinical cohort of 251 consecutive patients with acute dyspnea as the chief
      compliant (i.e., 137 patients with dyspnea attributable to heart failure and 114
      patients with dyspnea attributable to other reasons). RESULTS: Within-run and
      total coefficients of variation of the ASPECT-PLUS ST2 test were < 17% and the
      assay was linear across its measurement range. We found a constant and
      proportional bias between the MBL ST2 assay, the PRESAGE ST2 assay and the ASPECT
      PLUS ST2 test, respectively. However, at the proposed cut-off of 35 ng/mL, sST2
      results obtained with the PRESAGE ST2 assay and the ASPECT-PLUS ST2 test were
      similar. Testing clinically, the three assays deemed equally useful for the
      diagnosis of heart failure (AUC, 0.670 for the MBL ST2 assay vs. 0.626 for the
      PRESAGE ST2 assay vs. 0.630 for the ASPECT-PLUS ST2 test) and for the prediction
      of 1-year mortality in dyspnoeic patients (AUC, 0.743 for the MBL assay vs. 0.742
      for the PRESAGE ST2 assay vs. 0.752 for the ASPECT-PLUS ST2 test). CONCLUSION:
      The ASPECT-PLUS test meets the analytical requirements for point-of-care testing.
      Test results of the ASPECT-PLUS ST2 and the PRESAGE ST2 methods were comparable
      at the proposed cut-off, and the diagnostic/prognostic capabilities of the three
      methods were similar.

PMID- 26483130
TI  - Serum MiRNA panel as potential biomarkers for chronic hepatitis B with
      persistently normal alanine aminotransferase.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Circulating miRNAs, a family of miRNAs existing in plasma and serum,
      have a great potential to serve as novel biomarkers in body fluids for non
      invasive diagnosis and prognosis of many diseases. METHODS: A multistage, case
      control study was designed to establish a panel of serum miRNAs that could be
      surrogate markers for chronic hepatitis B with persistently normal alanine
      aminotransferase (ALT). A total of 295 CHB patients presenting persistently
      normal ALT levels with significant histological features (SPNALT group), 243 CHB
      patients presenting persistently normal ALT levels with no significant
      histological features (NSPNALT group), and 178 healthy controls (healthy group)
      were enrolled in the study. An initial screening of miRNAs was performed by
      Illumina sequencing using serum samples pooled from SPNALT patients and controls.
      Quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was
      performed to evaluate the expression of selected miRNAs. A logistic regression
      model was constructed using a training cohort (n=380) and validated using a
      cohort (n=258). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)
      was used to evaluate diagnostic accuracy. RESULTS: We identified 9 miRNAs (hsa
      miR-885-5p, hsa-miR-122-5p, hsa-miR-10a-5p, hsa-miR-511-5p, hsa-miR-574-5p, hsa
      miR-98-5p, hsa-miR-26a-5p, hsa-miR-192-5p, hsa-miR-30b-5p) and established 3
      miRNA panels that provided high diagnostic accuracy for SPNALT. The AUC of miRNA
      panels for SPNALT vs. healthy was 0.882 (95% CI=0.839 to 0.925), for SPNALT vs.
      NSPNALT was 0.894 (95% CI=0.857 to 0.930), and for SPNALT vs. control was 0.860
      (95% CI=0.821 to 0.899). CONCLUSIONS: We constructed serum miRNA panels with
      considerable clinical value in diagnosing PNALT.

PMID- 26483131
TI  - Increased health service use for allergy in adults: Northumbrian hospital
      episodes, 2010-2015.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known on the health service use for allergy. Therefore, the
      aim of this study was to investigate the hospital episode rates in allergy by sex
      and across age groups in order to understand whether and how the health service
      use for allergy might have changed in recent years in north-east of England.
      METHODS: Hospital episode data in mid-2010 to mid-2015 covering five full
      calendar years were extracted from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust,
      which is serving nearly half of a million population and free from central
      government control. Hospital episode rates were calculated from all admissions
      divided by annual and area-specific population size for each sex and age group,
      presented with per 100 000 person-years using Microsoft Excel. RESULTS: Health
      service use for allergy in adults for both men and women has increased, with
      large increases in young adults aged 40-49 (both male and female), 50-59 (female)
      and 60-69 (male). In children, there were decreases in those aged 0-9, but
      increases in those aged 10-19. Emergency admissions due to allergy were only
      minimal. Higher admissions were observed in spring and autumn than in summer and
      winter. CONCLUSION: Allergy admissions have increased in adults. For future
      research, local health policy could benefit from annual clinical records on
      health service use due to allergy. For clinical practice, in addition to
      increasing and improving the role of health and nursing professionals to reduce
      burden and rehabilitation, public awareness, attitude and knowledge should be
      continuously raised and improved as well.

PMID- 26483134
TI  - Pontemazines A and B, phenazine derivatives containing a methylamine linkage from
      Streptomyces sp. UT1123 and their protective effect to HT-22 neuronal cells.
AB  - New phenazine derivatives with a methylamine linker, Pontemazines A (1) and B
      (2), were isolated from the culture broth of Streptomyces sp. UT1123. The
      structures of compounds 1 and 2 were determined by NMR spectroscopy and high
      resolution mass spectrometry. These compounds consist of a 9-mehoxyphenazine
      connected to a benzamide functional group by a unique methylamine linker instead
      of the more common methyl ether. Pontemazines A and B possess a neuronal cell
      protective effect on glutamate-induced mouse hippocampal HT-22 cell damage. 

PMID- 26483135
TI  - Inhibitory effects of compounds from Styrax obassia on NO production.
AB  - Two new benzofurans, 2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-5-(1,3-dihydroxypropyl)-7
      methoxybenzofuran (1) and 2-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-5-(3-hydroxymethyletoxy-1
      hydroxypropyl)-7-methoxybenzofuran (2), a new triterpene, 3beta, 6beta, 21beta
      trihydroxyolean-12-ene (3), and eleven known compounds were isolated from the
      stem bark of Styrax obassia. The structures of the isolated compounds were
      established by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 1D and 2D NMR and
      HRMS. Their anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated against
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7
      macrophages. Compound 1 was shown to reduce LPS-induced iNOS expression in a dose
      dependent manner. In addition, pretreating cells with 1 significantly suppressed
      their LPS-induced expression of COX-2 protein. 

PMID- 26483133
TI  - The contribution of white matter lesions to Parkinson's disease motor and gait
      symptoms: a critical review of the literature.
AB  - White matter lesions (WML) associated with cerebrovascular disease (CVD) may be
      observed on magnetic resonance imaging in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. WML
      are an important factor contributing to postural, gait, and cognitive impairment
      in the elderly without PD and worsening the course of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
      Numerous articles are available on this topic. Whether WML modify and negatively
      influence the clinical symptoms, and course of PD is a subject of debate. The aim
      of this review is to examine the available literature on the contribution of WML
      to PD motor symptoms in relation to clinical characteristics and methods of
      assessing WML on MRI. After reviewing the database, we identified 19 studies
      reporting the relationship between WML and PD; ten studies focusing on the impact
      of WML on the cognitive status in PD were excluded. We analysed altogether nine
      studies reporting the relationship between WML and motor signs of PD. The review
      found association between WML severity and freezing of gait, less significant to
      responsiveness to dopaminergic treatment and postural instability; no negative
      impact on tremor and falls was observed. The impact of WML on bradykinesia and
      rigidity was inconsistent. Comorbid WML is associated with worsening axial motor
      performance, probably independently from the degree of nigrostriatal dopaminergic
      denervation in PD. Reducing the vascular risk factors that cause WML may be
      helpful in preventing the development of axial symptoms and ultimately in
      improving the quality of life of patients with PD. Given the lack of systematic
      studies, additional research in this field is needed. 

PMID- 26483136
TI  - Constituents of the seeds of Cassia tora with inhibitory activity on soluble
      expoxide hydrolease.
AB  - Efforts to extract soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitors from food sources
      through bioactivity-guided fractionation of Cassia tora seed extracts led to the
      isolation of one new compound, 1, and 15 known compounds, 2-16. Structural
      elucidations were performed using 1D/2D NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.
      Compounds 1, 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, and 13-16 exhibited inhibitory activities on sEH
      with IC50 values of 2.2+/-2.1-40.6+/-3.4 MUM. Compound 13 was particularly active
      and exhibited a reversible-uncompetitive behavior in enzyme kinetic studies. A
      binding site on the enzyme for compound 13 was also predicted by Autodock 4.2
      simulations.

PMID- 26483132
TI  - Redox regulation of vascular remodeling.
AB  - Vascular remodeling is a dynamic process of structural and functional changes in
      response to biochemical and biomechanical signals in a complex in vivo milieu.
      While inherently adaptive, dysregulation leads to maladaptive remodeling.
      Reactive oxygen species participate in homeostatic cell signaling in tightly
      regulated- and compartmentalized cellular circuits. It is well established that
      perturbations in oxidation-reduction (redox) homeostasis can lead to a state of
      oxidative-, and more recently, reductive stress. We provide an overview of the
      redox signaling in the vasculature and review the role of oxidative- and
      reductive stress in maladaptive vascular remodeling. Particular emphasis has been
      placed on essential processes that determine phenotype modulation, migration and
      fate of the main cell types in the vessel wall. Recent advances in systems
      biology and the translational opportunities they may provide to specifically
      target the redox pathways driving pathological vascular remodeling are discussed.

PMID- 26483138
TI  - Answer to letters of Vilallonga and Manenti on management of gastric fistula
      after sleeve gastrectomy.

PMID- 26483137
TI  - Chemical conjugation of 2-hexadecynoic acid to C5-curcumin enhances its
      antibacterial activity against multi-drug resistant bacteria.
AB  - The first total synthesis of a C5-curcumin-2-hexadecynoic acid (C5-Curc-2-HDA, 6)
      conjugate was successfully performed. Through a three-step synthetic route,
      conjugate 6 was obtained in 13% overall yield and tested for antibacterial
      activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains. Our
      results revealed that 6 was active against eight MRSA strains at MICs that range
      between 31.3 and 62.5 MUg/mL. It was found that the presence of 2-hexadecynoic
      acid (2-HDA, 4) in conjugate 6 increased 4-8-fold its antibacterial activity
      against MRSA strains supporting our hypothesis that the chemical connection of 4
      to C5-curcumin (2) increases the antibacterial activity of 2 against Gram
      positive bacteria. Combinational index (CIn) values that range between 1.6 and
      2.3 were obtained when eight MRSA strains were treated with an equimolar mixture
      of 2 and 4. These results demonstrated that an antagonistic effect is taking
      place. Finally, it was investigated whether conjugate 6 can affect the
      replication process of S. aureus, since this compound inhibited the supercoiling
      activity of the S. aureus DNA gyrase at minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC)
      of 250 MUg/mL (IC50=100.2+/-13.9 MUg/mL). Moreover, it was observed that the
      presence of 4 in conjugate 6 improves the anti-topoisomerase activity of 2
      towards S. aureus DNA gyrase, which is in agreement with results obtained from
      antibacterial susceptibility tests involving MRSA strains.

PMID- 26483139
TI  - Agreement and reliability of pelvic floor measurements during rest and on maximum
      Valsalva maneuver using three-dimensional translabial ultrasound and virtual
      reality imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Imaging of the levator ani hiatus provides valuable information for
      the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with pelvic organ prolapse (POP). This
      study compared measurements of levator ani hiatal volume during rest and on
      maximum Valsalva, obtained using conventional three-dimensional (3D) translabial
      ultrasound and virtual reality imaging. Our objectives were to establish their
      agreement and reliability, and their relationship with prolapse symptoms and POP
      quantification (POP-Q) stage. METHODS: One hundred women with an intact levator
      ani were selected from our tertiary clinic database. Information on clinical
      symptoms were obtained using standardized questionnaires. Ultrasound datasets
      were analyzed using a rendered volume with a slice thickness of 1.5 cm, at the
      level of minimal hiatal dimensions, during rest and on maximum Valsalva. The
      levator area (in cm(2) ) was measured and multiplied by 1.5 to obtain the levator
      ani hiatal volume (in cm(3) ) on conventional 3D ultrasound. Levator ani hiatal
      volume (in cm(3) ) was measured semi-automatically by virtual reality imaging
      using a segmentation algorithm. Twenty patients were chosen randomly to analyze
      intra- and interobserver agreement. RESULTS: The mean difference between levator
      hiatal volume measurements on 3D ultrasound and by virtual reality was 1.52 cm(3)
      (95% CI, 1.00-2.04 cm(3) ) at rest and 1.16 cm(3) (95% CI, 0.56-1.76 cm(3) )
      during maximum Valsalva (P < 0.001). Both intra- and interobserver intraclass
      correlation coefficients were >= 0.96 for conventional 3D ultrasound and > 0.99
      for virtual reality. Patients with prolapse symptoms or POP-Q Stage >= 2 had
      significantly larger hiatal measurements than those without symptoms or POP-Q
      Stage < 2. CONCLUSIONS: Levator ani hiatal volume at rest and on maximum Valsalva
      is significantly smaller when using virtual reality compared with conventional 3D
      ultrasound; however, this difference does not seem clinically important.
      Copyright (c) 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PMID- 26483140
TI  - Anthropogenic areas as incidental substitutes for original habitat.
AB  - One speaks of ecological substitutes when an introduced species performs, to some
      extent, the ecosystem function of an extirpated native species. We suggest that a
      similar case exists for habitats. Species evolve within ecosystems, but habitats
      can be destroyed or modified by natural and human-made causes. Sometimes habitat
      alteration forces animals to move to or remain in a suboptimal habitat type. In
      that case, the habitat is considered a refuge, and the species is called a
      refugee. Typically refugee species have lower population growth rates than in
      their original habitats. Human action may lead to the unintended generation of
      artificial or semiartificial habitat types that functionally resemble the
      essential features of the original habitat and thus allow a population growth
      rate of the same magnitude or higher than in the original habitat. We call such
      areas substitution habitats and define them as human-made habitats within the
      focal species range that by chance are partial substitutes for the species'
      original habitat. We call species occupying a substitution habitat adopted
      species. These are 2 new terms in conservation biology. Examples of substitution
      habitats are dams for European otters, wheat and rice fields for many steppeland
      and aquatic birds, and urban areas for storks, falcons, and swifts. Although
      substitution habitats can bring about increased resilience against the agents of
      global change, the conservation of original habitat types remains a conservation
      priority.

PMID- 26483141
TI  - Ag-NP@Ge-nanotaper/Si-micropillar ordered arrays as ultrasensitive and uniform
      surface enhanced Raman scattering substrates.
AB  - Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is considered to be an excellent
      candidate for analytical detection schemes, because of its molecular specificity,
      rapid response and high sensitivity. Here, SERS-substrates of Ag-nanoparticle (Ag
      NP) decorated Ge-nanotapers grafted on hexagonally ordered Si-micropillar
      (denoted as Ag-NP@Ge-nanotaper/Si-micropillar) arrays are fabricated via a
      combinatorial process of two-step etching to achieve hexagonal Si-micropillar
      arrays, chemical vapor deposition of flocky Ge-nanotapers on each Si-micropillar
      and decoration of Ag-NPs onto the Ge-nanotapers through galvanic displacement.
      With high density three-dimensional (3D) "hot spots" created from the large
      quantities of the neighboring Ag-NPs and large-scale uniform morphology, the
      hierarchical Ag-NP@Ge-nanotaper/Si-micropillar arrays exhibit strong and
      reproducible SERS activity. Using our hierarchical 3D SERS-substrates, both
      methyl parathion (a commonly used pesticide) and PCB-2 (one congener of highly
      toxic polychlorinated biphenyls) with concentrations down to 10(-7) M and 10(-5)
      M have been detected respectively, showing great potential in SERS-based rapid
      trace-level detection of toxic organic pollutants in the environment. 

PMID- 26483142
TI  - Integrating mRNA and Protein Sequencing Enables the Detection and Quantitative
      Profiling of Natural Protein Sequence Variants of Populus trichocarpa.
AB  - Next-generation sequencing has transformed the ability to link genotypes to
      phenotypes and facilitates the dissection of genetic contribution to complex
      traits. However, it is challenging to link genetic variants with the perturbed
      functional effects on proteins encoded by such genes. Here we show how RNA
      sequencing can be exploited to construct genotype-specific protein sequence
      databases to assess natural variation in proteins, providing information about
      the molecular toolbox driving cellular processes. For this study, we used two
      natural genotypes selected from a recent genome-wide association study of Populus
      trichocarpa, an obligate outcrosser with tremendous phenotypic variation across
      the natural population. This strategy allowed us to comprehensively catalogue
      proteins containing single amino acid polymorphisms (SAAPs), as well as
      insertions and deletions. We profiled the frequency of 128 types of naturally
      occurring amino acid substitutions, including both expected (neutral) and
      unexpected (non-neutral) SAAPs, with a subset occurring in regions of the genome
      having strong polymorphism patterns consistent with recent positive and/or
      divergent selection. By zeroing in on the molecular signatures of these important
      regions that might have previously been uncharacterized, we now provide a high
      resolution molecular inventory that should improve accessibility and subsequent
      identification of natural protein variants in future genotype-to-phenotype
      studies. 

PMID- 26483143
TI  - ANGPTL-4 correlates with vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with
      proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between angiopoietin-like protein 4
      (ANGPTL-4) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the serum and
      vitreous of eyes in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).
      METHODS: Thirty-five eyes of 35 patients with PDR, 20 eyes of 20 patients with
      non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, 20 eyes of 20 patients with diabetes but
      no diabetic retinopathy, and 14 eyes of 14 nondiabetic patients with an
      idiopathic macular hole (IMH) were recruited from Shanghai First People's
      Hospital. The ANGPTL-4 and VEGF concentrations were determined using enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assays. Group means were compared using one-way analysis of
      variance with GraphPad Prism 4.0 and SPSS ver. 17.0. The research followed the
      tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. RESULTS: The ANGPTL-4 and VEGF levels were
      significantly higher in the vitreous and serum of patients with PDR compared with
      patients with IMH. There were significant correlations between the ANGPTL-4 and
      VEGF levels in the vitreous and serum of patients with PDR. The vitreous and
      serum ANGPTL-4 levels were also significantly correlated in patients with PDR.
      The ANGPTL-4 in both the vitreous and serum correlated with the serum
      triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. CONCLUSIONS: The
      ANGPTL-4 levels were markedly elevated and the ANGPTL-4 expression was directly
      correlated with the VEGF expression in the vitreous and serum of patients with
      PDR. The vitreous and serum ANGPTL-4 levels were also significantly correlated
      with serum lipids in patients with PDR. Our results suggest that the ANGPTL-4 may
      be used as a new therapeutic target for the treatment of PDR.

PMID- 26483144
TI  - Crosslinking and corneal cryotherapy in acanthamoeba keratitis -- a histological
      study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Acanthamoeba keratitis is rare, but difficult to treat. Penetrating
      keratoplasty is performed in therapy-resistant cases. Nevertheless, subsequent
      recurrences occur in 40 % of the cases. In addition to triple-topical therapy
      (polyhexamid, propamidinisoethionat, neomycin), treatment alternatives are
      corneal cryotherapy and/or crosslinking (CXL). The aim of our present
      histological study was to analyze the persistence of acanthamoebatrophozoites and
      cysts, the persistence of bacteria, and activation of keratocytes in corneas of
      acanthamoeba keratitis patients following corneal cryotherapy and/or CXL.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed histologically corneal buttons (from
      penetrating keratoplasties) of nine patients with acanthamoeba keratitis,
      following corneal cryotherapy (two patients) or a combination of crosslinking and
      corneal cryotherapy (seven patients), using haematoxilin-eosin, periodic acid
      Schiff (PAS), Gram and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) stainings. RESULTS:
      Acanthamoeba trophozoites persisted in three corneas after cryotherapy and CXL.
      Cysts persisted in one of two corneas following corneal cryotherapy and in six of
      seven corneas after a combination of CXL and cryotherapy. One cornea showed
      positive Gram staining, but there were no alpha-SMA positive keratocytes in any
      of the corneas. CONCLUSIONS: Crosslinking and corneal cryotherapy have only
      limited impact on killing of acanthamoeba trophozoites, cysts, or bacteria.
      Corneal cryotherapy and CXL did not stimulate myofibroblastic transformation of
      keratocytes.

PMID- 26483145
TI  - Levodopa as a possible treatment of visual loss in nonarteritic anterior ischemic
      optic neuropathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the clinical effectiveness and potential neuroprotection of
      levodopa in improving visual acuity, visual field, and retinal nerve fiber layer
      (RNFL) thickness in eyes affected by NAION. METHOD: Retrospective cohort study
      involving 59 eyes of 59 participants with NAION who were evaluated within 15 days
      of NAION onset. Participants received 25 mg carbidopa/100 mg levodopa three times
      daily with meals for 12 weeks (levodopa group) or were untreated (control group).
      Best-corrected visual acuity converted to logMAR, mean deviation (MD) threshold
      sensitivity on automated perimetry, and mean RNFL thickness on optical coherence
      tomography (OCT) were assessed. The primary outcome was the categorization of
      eyes into improved visual acuity (by 0.3 logMAR difference), worsened visual
      acuity (by 0.3 logMAR difference), or no change in visual acuity. The proportions
      in each category were compared between the levodopa and control groups. RESULTS:
      Among participants with 20/60 or worse initial visual acuity, levodopa-treated
      participants had significant improvement (P < 0.0001) in the mean change from
      initial to final logMAR visual acuity of -0.74 +/- 0.56 (95 % CI, -0.98 to 
      0.50), while the mean change for the control group at -0.37 +/- 1.09 (95 %
      confidence interval estimate, -1.00 to +0.26) was not significant (P = 0.23). A
      significant difference between groups was observed (P = 0.0086) such that 19/23
      (83 %) in the levodopa group improved and none got worse, as compared with 6/14
      (43 %) in the control group improving while four (29 %) worsened. The change in
      visual field MD and RNFL thickness on OCT showed no significant difference at P =
      0.23 and P = 0.75 respectively. No levodopa-treated participant had any adverse
      event from the levodopa. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment within 15 days of onset of NAION
      with levodopa improved central visual acuity by an average of 6 lines on Snellen
      acuity chart. Levodopa may promote neuroprotection of the maculopapular retinal
      ganglion cell fibers in NAION.

PMID- 26483146
TI  - Effect of rebamipide ophthalmic suspension on the success of lacrimal stent
      intubation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of the postoperative administration of rebamipide
      ophthalmic suspension on the success rate of lacrimal stent intubation (LSI) for
      the treatment of primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (PANDO). METHODS:
      This comparative interventional cohort study investigated 110 consecutive
      patients with PANDO who were treated with LSI and followed up for 12 months
      postoperatively at one institution. LSI was performed by one surgeon, and all
      patients received identical postoperative care. Among the total 110 patients, 71
      underwent LSI with postoperative administration of rebamipide ophthalmic
      suspension, and 39 underwent LSI without administration of the suspension. Data
      related to patient age, gender, laterality, and postoperative administration of
      rebamipide ophthalmic suspension were collected and used as independent
      variables, and logistic regression analyses were performed to compare the
      anatomical success rate at 12 months postoperatively between patients with and
      without postoperative administration of the suspension. RESULTS: The anatomical
      success rate of LSI in patients with and without postoperative administration of
      rebamipide ophthalmic suspension was 90.1 and 69.2 %, respectively. A comparison
      of these success rates showed statistical significance, in that the rate of
      treatment success was higher in PANDO patients who underwent LSI with
      postoperative administration of the suspension [odds ratio (OR), 3.37; P < 0.05].
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study show that postoperative administration of
      rebamipide ophthalmic suspension increases the rate of anatomical success in
      patients who undergo LSI for the treatment of PANDO.

PMID- 26483147
TI  - Geoff Shellam (1942-2015).

PMID- 26483150
TI  - Rhodium-Catalyzed Transnitrilation of Aryl Boronic Acids with
      Dimethylmalononitrile.
AB  - An efficient transnitrilation of aryl boronic acids with dimethylmalononitrile
      (DMMN) is described. This rhodium-catalyzed electrophilic cyanation presents a
      novel approach to prepare aryl nitriles by using a carbon-bound cyanating reagent
      which undergoes cross-coupling with the aryl boronic acid. The reaction expands
      the degree of functional-group compatibility exhibited by the transnitrilation of
      aryl Grignard and aryllithium reagents. A variety of aryl boronic acid
      derivatives and dialkylmalononitriles were amenable to the transnitrilation. 

PMID- 26483151
TI  - Deciding How To Decide: Self-Control and Meta-Decision Making.
AB  - Many different situations related to self control involve competition between two
      routes to decisions: default and frugal versus more resource-intensive. Examples
      include habits versus deliberative decisions, fatigue versus cognitive effort,
      and Pavlovian versus instrumental decision making. We propose that these
      situations are linked by a strikingly similar core dilemma, pitting the
      opportunity costs of monopolizing shared resources such as executive functions
      for some time, against the possibility of obtaining a better outcome. We offer a
      unifying normative perspective on this underlying rational meta-optimization,
      review how this may tie together recent advances in many separate areas, and
      connect several independent models. Finally, we suggest that the crucial
      mechanisms and meta-decision variables may be shared across domains. 

PMID- 26483152
TI  - The Search for the Face of the Visual Homunculus.
AB  - The functional organization within face-sensitive regions in the brain is largely
      unknown. A new fMRI study provided evidence that a face-selective region contains
      neighboring patches of cortex that encode physically neighboring face features.
      We suggest that multiple mechanisms should be considered for a full understanding
      of the functional maps in face-selective cortex. 

PMID- 26483154
TI  - Acute Onset Dystonia after Infarction of Premotor and Supplementary Motor Cortex.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Poststroke dystonia is the second most common movement disorder after
      chorea and often has a delayed manifestation. Lesions of the contralateral
      lenticular nucleus, particularly the putamen, have been implicated in the
      pathogenesis of dystonia. We present an unusual case of rapid onset of focal
      dystonia of the left upper extremity, which developed after infarction of the
      right premotor cortex (PMC) and the supplementary motor area (SMA). METHOD: A
      retrospective chart review of the patient was performed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:
      We propose that disruption of the afferents from PMC and SMA in the setting of
      chronic striatal abnormality can result in acute dystonia due to disinhibition of
      the thalamocortical circuit.

PMID- 26483153
TI  - The Malleability of Intertemporal Choice.
AB  - Intertemporal choices are ubiquitous: people often have to choose between
      outcomes realized at different times. Although it is generally believed that
      people have stable tendencies toward being impulsive or patient, an emerging body
      of evidence indicates that intertemporal choice is malleable and can be
      profoundly influenced by context. How the choice is framed, or the state of the
      decision-maker at the time of choice, can induce a shift in preference. Framing
      effects are underpinned by allocation of attention to choice attributes,
      reference dependence, and time construal. Incidental affective states and
      prospection also influence intertemporal choice. We advocate that intertemporal
      choice models account for these context effects, and encourage the use of this
      knowledge to nudge people toward making more advantageous choices. 

PMID- 26483155
TI  - Telerehabilitation Approaches for Stroke Patients: Systematic Review and Meta
      analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stroke remains one of the most common causes of adult disability in
      the world. In recent years, diverse telerehabilitation programs have been
      conceived and studied to improve the abilities of the activities of daily living
      and increased independence of stroke patients living at home. The systematic
      review was conducted to determine whether telerehabilitation leads to an
      improvement in abilities of activities of daily living for stroke patients.
      METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of
      telerehabilitation in stroke survivors living at home were identified by
      searching 7 electronic databases from inception to March 2015, and by hand
      searching for conference literatures between 2000 and 2015. Assessments of risk
      bias and data extraction were conducted independently by 2 reviews. RESULTS: The
      search strategy identified 2587 records, of which 11 studies were thought to be
      eligible. Pooled results from 7 studies showed no significant differences in
      abilities of activities of daily living (Barthel Index scale: standardized mean
      difference [SMD] -.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] -.24 to .13; Berg Balance
      Scale: SMD -.05, 95% CI -.7 to .37) and motor function (Fugl-Meyer Extremity: SMD
      .05, 95% CI -.09 to 1.09) between groups. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides
      limited, moderate evidence that telerehabilitation of all approaches has equal
      effects with conventional rehabilitation in improving abilities of activities of
      daily living and motor function for stroke survivors. Further research of RCTs in
      this area (rehabilitation field of telemedicine) is ungently required to extend
      the evidence base.

PMID- 26483156
TI  - Hospital Readmission after Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the most severe form of stroke, but
      limited literature exists on readmission after ICH. We aimed to assess
      frequencies, causes, and predictors of early and late readmissions within 1 year
      after ICH. METHODS: All patients admitted to the Department of Neurology at
      Haukeland University Hospital with acute stroke were prospectively included in
      the Bergen Norwegian Stroke Research Registry (NORSTROKE) registry. Surviving
      patients diagnosed with ICH were followed by medical chart reviews for 1 year.
      The first unplanned readmission was used as final outcome, and readmitted
      patients were defined as early readmitted (<=90 days) and late readmitted (91-365
      days). Logistic regression was performed to assess predictors for early and late
      readmission. RESULTS: Of 121 patients discharged alive, 27 were early readmitted,
      and 17 were late readmitted. Within 1 year, 40.6% had at least 1 unplanned
      readmission. The most frequent cause of early readmission was infection, and the
      most frequent causes for late readmission were recurrent stroke and
      cardiovascular disease. Nursing home discharge was the only independent predictor
      of early readmission. Diabetes mellitus and increased length of the index
      admission were independent predictors of late readmission. Early readmitted
      patients were older and had more severe stroke and lower levels of fibrinogen on
      index admission compared with patients who were readmitted late. CONCLUSIONS:
      Readmission after ICH is frequent, and many patients are early readmitted. Early
      and late readmissions differed in both causes and predictors for readmission,
      reflecting different underlying mechanisms for readmission.

PMID- 26483157
TI  - Mitotic-dependent phosphorylation of leukemia-associated RhoGEF (LARG) by Cdk1.
AB  - Rho GTPases are integral to the regulation of actin cytoskeleton-dependent
      processes, including mitosis. Rho and leukemia-associated Rho guanine-nucleotide
      exchange factor (LARG), also known as ARHGEF12, are involved in mitosis as well
      as diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Since LARG has a role in mitosis
      and diverse signaling functions beyond mitosis, it is important to understand the
      regulation of the protein through modifications such as phosphorylation. Here we
      report that LARG undergoes a mitotic-dependent and cyclin-dependent kinase 1
      (Cdk1) inhibitor-sensitive phosphorylation. Additionally, LARG is phosphorylated
      at the onset of mitosis and dephosphorylated as cells exit mitosis, concomitant
      with Cdk1 activity. Furthermore, using an in vitro kinase assay, we show that
      LARG can be directly phosphorylated by Cdk1. Through expression of phosphonull
      mutants that contain non-phosphorylatable alanine mutations at potential Cdk1
      S/TP sites, we demonstrate that LARG phosphorylation occurs in both termini.
      Using phosphospecific antibodies, we confirm that two sites, serine 190 and
      serine 1176, are phosphorylated during mitosis in a Cdk1-dependent manner. In
      addition, these phosphospecific antibodies show phosphorylated LARG at specific
      mitotic locations, namely the mitotic organizing centers and flanking the
      midbody. Lastly, RhoA activity assays reveal that phosphonull LARG is more active
      in cells than phosphomimetic LARG. Our data thus identifies LARG as a
      phosphoregulated RhoGEF during mitosis. 

PMID- 26483158
TI  - Unique electrocatalytic activity of a nucleic acid-mimicking coordination polymer
      for the sensitive detection of coenzyme A and histone acetyltransferase activity.
AB  - A nucleic acid-mimicking CoA-Ag(I) coordination polymer (CP) was in situ prepared
      and its unique electrocatalytic activity to H2O2 reduction was discovered. Based
      on it, a novel, label-free electrochemical sensor has been developed for the
      sensitive detection of coenzyme A (CoA) and histone acetyltransferase (HAT)
      activity.

PMID- 26483159
TI  - RETRACTED: Association between peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, UCP3
      and lipoprotein lipase gene polymorphisms and obesity in Chinese adolescents.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma2 (PPARgamma2),
      uncoupling protein gene 3 (UCP3) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) genes were all
      related to lipometabolism and obesity. To investigate the association between
      these three gene polymorphisms and obesity, a case-control study was performed in
      Shanghai, China. METHODS: Obese adolescents and normal healthy adolescents aged
      12-18 years from Eastern China (Shanghai) were chosen in 2002. The weight, height
      and body mass index (BMI) of all these adolescents were measured by physical
      examination. Genotyping for the examined gene polymorphisms were performed by
      PCR/PCR-RFLP methods. The chi-square test and t-test tests were separately used
      for the comparison of non-continuous variable and continuous variable, and
      regression analysis was used for genetic association analyses. RESULTS: There was
      only one genotype of CC and no statistical analysis was performed for rs1805192.
      There was no significant association between rs1800849 gene polymorphism and
      obesity (TT vs. CC: OR=1.21, 95% CI=0.40-3.62, P=0.734; CT+TT vs. CC: OR=1.11,
      95% CI=0.63-1.97, P=0.712; T allele vs. C allele: OR=1.09, 95% CI=0.71-1.68,
      P=0.698). There was also no significant association between rs328 and obesity (CG
      vs. CC: OR=0.75, 95% CI=0.36-1.55, P=0.436; CG+GG vs. CC: OR=0.83, 95% CI=0.41
      1.69, P=0.604; G allele vs. C allele: OR=0.93, 95% CI=0.48-1.81, P=0.841).
      CONCLUSIONS: No significant associations were found between rs1800849 and rs328
      gene polymorphisms and obesity in Chinese adolescents.

PMID- 26483160
TI  - Association of angiotensin-converting enzyme I/D and alpha-actinin-3 R577X
      genotypes with metabolic syndrome risk factors in Korean children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study analysed the risk factors associated with metabolic
      syndrome through the interaction between ACTN3 and ACE gene polymorphism in
      Korean children. METHODS: The subjects of the study consisted of elementary
      school students (n=788, age 10.10+/-0.07 yr). The anthropometric parameters,
      blood lipid profiles, and metabolic markers were compared among groups of the ACE
      I/D or the ACTN3 R577X polymorphisms. RESULTS: The subjects with the DD genotype
      showed significantly higher systolic blood pressure than the subjects with the II
      and ID genotype of the ACE gene polymorphism. XX genotype had significantly lower
      waist-hip ratio than those with RR genotype of the ACTN3 gene polymorphism. Also,
      the subjects with XX genotype exhibited significantly higher blood HDL
      cholesterol level than those with RR or RX genotype. The interaction of ACTN3 and
      ACE gene polymorphism in subjects having both ACE DD and ACTN3 RR genotypes
      demonstrated a significantly higher metabolic syndrome score than any other
      groups. CONCLUSION: The children having both ACTN3 RR or RX genotype and ACE DD
      genotype showed high systolic blood pressure and low blood HDL cholesterol level,
      which may be considered a high-risk in metabolic syndrome.

PMID- 26483161
TI  - Do infants find snakes aversive? Infants' physiological responses to "fear
      relevant" stimuli.
AB  - In the current research, we sought to measure infants' physiological responses to
      snakes-one of the world's most widely feared stimuli-to examine whether they find
      snakes aversive or merely attention grabbing. Using a similar method to DeLoache
      and LoBue (Developmental Science, 2009, Vol. 12, pp. 201-207), 6- to 9-month-olds
      watched a series of multimodal (both auditory and visual) stimuli: a video of a
      snake (fear-relevant) or an elephant (non-fear-relevant) paired with either a
      fearful or happy auditory track. We measured physiological responses to the pairs
      of stimuli, including startle magnitude, latency to startle, and heart rate.
      Results suggest that snakes capture infants' attention; infants showed the
      fastest startle responses and lowest average heart rate to the snakes, especially
      when paired with a fearful voice. Unexpectedly, they also showed significantly
      reduced startle magnitude during this same snake video plus fearful voice
      combination. The results are discussed with respect to theoretical perspectives
      on fear acquisition. 

PMID- 26483162
TI  - Preschoolers' real-time coordination of vocal and facial emotional information.
AB  - An eye-tracking methodology was used to examine the time course of 3- and 5-year
      olds' ability to link speech bearing different acoustic cues to emotion (i.e.,
      happy-sounding, neutral, and sad-sounding intonation) to photographs of faces
      reflecting different emotional expressions. Analyses of saccadic eye movement
      patterns indicated that, for both 3- and 5-year-olds, sad-sounding speech
      triggered gaze shifts to a matching (sad-looking) face from the earliest moments
      of speech processing. However, it was not until approximately 800ms into a happy
      sounding utterance that preschoolers began to use the emotional cues from speech
      to identify a matching (happy-looking) face. Complementary analyses based on
      conscious/controlled behaviors (children's explicit points toward the faces)
      indicated that 5-year-olds, but not 3-year-olds, could successfully match happy
      sounding and sad-sounding vocal affect to a corresponding emotional face.
      Together, the findings clarify developmental patterns in preschoolers' implicit
      versus explicit ability to coordinate emotional cues across modalities and
      highlight preschoolers' greater sensitivity to sad-sounding speech as the
      auditory signal unfolds in time. 

PMID- 26483163
TI  - Toe Amputation After Minor Surgery in a Patient with Behcet's Disease: A Case
      Report.
AB  - Behcet's disease is a systemic autoimmune vasculitis. Although various clinical
      findings can be observed depending on the pathologic features caused by the blood
      vessels involved, the classic triad of the disease includes oral aphthae, genital
      ulcers, and uveitis. Although complications involving the aorta or the vena cava
      inferior can prove fatal, thrombophlebitis in the superficial veins of the lower
      extremities are more commonly observed. Some patients can remain asymptomatic for
      a long period after the diagnosis. In patients with positive pathergy test
      findings, trauma can trigger the inflammatory cascade. This case report presents
      a patient with vasculitis that occurred subsequent to minor surgery and led to
      amputation of the great toe in a female patient with a 14-year old history of
      Behcet's disease. 

PMID- 26483164
TI  - Seroprevalence survey of Babesia gibsoni infection and tick species in dogs in
      East China.
AB  - A seroprevalence survey of Babesia gibsoni infection in dogs in East China was
      conducted using an ELISA with recombinant B. gibsoni thrombospondin-related
      adhesive protein (BgTRAP). A total of 1170 dogs from East China were examined and
      the seroprevalence was 9.23%. The proportion of samples was 81.2%, 7.86% and
      10.94% from pet, working and fighting dogs, respectively. The fighting dogs
      showed highest seroprevalence (39.8%) compared with working dogs (26.1%) and pet
      dogs (3.47%). These results indicate that B. gibsoni infection of dogs has a
      widespread geographic distribution throughout East China. The dominant ticks
      collected from the dogs were identified as Rhipicephalus sanguineus (65.57%),
      Haemaphysalis longicornis (21.58%) and Rhipicephalus hemaphysaloides (10.7%).
      Besides adult, larval and nymph stages of ticks were also recorded on dogs. This
      is the first report of seroprevalence of canine B. gibsoni infection and tick
      species in dogs in China. 

PMID- 26483165
TI  - Genotyping of Echinococcus granulosus from goats and sheep indicating G7 genotype
      in goats in the Northeast of Iran.
AB  - Although cystic echinococcosis (CE) has been a human public health problem in the
      Northeast of Iran, molecular data regarding the genotypes of Echinococcus
      granulosus in goats and sheep in these regions are still scarce. In the present
      study, we determined the genotypes of E. granulosus infecting sheep and goats in
      northeast of Iran. During April 2013-June 2014, 50 and 30 hydatid cysts were
      recovered from liver tissue of sheep and goats, respectively,. Protoscoleces or
      germinal layers were collected from individual cysts, DNA was extracted, and the
      ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) gene was amplified by PCR. The
      results of PCR-RFLP and the sequence analysis showed that all the samples
      isolated from sheep (n=50) and most of samples in goats (n=24) were G1 strain,
      the most prevalent strain in livestock ruminants of Iran. Furthermore, six
      parasites isolated from goats were found to correspond to E. intermedius (G7
      genotype), here reported for the first time from Iran.

PMID- 26483166
TI  - Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Danish organic pig farms: Seasonal and age-related
      variation in prevalence, infection intensity and species/genotypes.
AB  - Although pigs are commonly infected with Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia
      duodenalis, including potentially zoonotic species or genotypes, little is known
      about age-related infection levels, seasonal differences and genetic variation in
      naturally infected pigs raised in organic management systems. Therefore, the
      current study was conducted to assess seasonal and age-related variations in
      prevalence and infection intensity of Cryptosporidium and Giardia, evaluate
      zoonotic potential and uncover correlations between species/genotypes, infection
      intensity and faecal consistency. Shedding of oocysts and cysts ((oo-)cysts) was
      monitored at quarterly intervals (September 2011-June 2012) in piglets (n = 152),
      starter pigs (n = 234), fatteners (n = 230) and sows (n = 240) from three organic
      farms in Denmark. (oo-)Cysts were quantified by immunofluorescence microscopy;
      and 56/75 subsamples from Cryptosporidium infected pigs were successfully
      analysed by PCR amplification and partial sequencing of the small subunit (SSU)
      18S rRNA and hsp70genes, while 13/67 Giardia subsamples were successfully
      analysed by amplification and partial sequencing of the 18S rRNA and the gdh
      genes. Altogether, Cryptosporidium or Giardia infections were observed in 40.9%
      (350/856) and 14.0% (120/856) of the pigs, respectively, including 8.2% (70/856)
      infected with both parasites. Prevalence, intensity of infections and presence of
      Cryptosporidium species varied significantly between age-groups; 53.3% piglets,
      72.2% starter pigs, 40.4% fatteners and 2.9% sows were infected with
      Cryptosporidium, whereas 2.0% piglets, 27.4% starter pigs, 17.8% fatteners and
      5.0% sows were infected with Giardia. The overall prevalence was stable
      throughout the year, except for dual-infections that were more prevalent in
      September and December (p < 0.05). The infection intensity was age-related for
      both parasites, and dual-infected pigs tended to excrete lower levels of oocysts
      compared to pigs harbouring only Cryptosporidium. Likewise, pigs infected with
      Cryptosporidium scrofarum excreted fewer oocysts (mean CPG: 54,848 +/- 194,508CI:
      9085-118,781) compared to pigs infected with Cryptosporidium suis (mean OPG:
      351,035 +/- 351,035CI: 67,953-634,117). No correlation between faecal consistency
      and (oo-)cyst excretion levels was observed. Of the successfully genotyped
      isolates, 38/56 (67.9%) were C. scrofarum and 18/56 (32.1%) were C. suis, while
      the livestock specific G. duodenalis Assemblage E was detected in 11/13 (84.6%)
      isolates and the potentially zoonotic Assemblage A was identified in 2/13 (15.4%)
      isolates. Piglets exclusively hosted C. suis, with one exception, while starter
      pigs and fatteners predominantly hosted C. scrofarum. As organic pigs are partly
      reared outdoors, environmental contamination with Cryptosporidium and Giardia is
      inevitable. Nevertheless, the present data indicate that the potential public
      health risk associated with both of these parasites in Danish organic pig
      production seems to be negligible.

PMID- 26483168
TI  - Diabetes diagnosis and nutrition facts label use among US adults, 2005-2010.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of diabetes diagnosis as a potential teachable
      moment in nutrition facts label use among US adults. DESIGN: Logistic regression
      analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between diabetes diagnosis
      status (diagnosed diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes, diagnosed prediabetes,
      undiagnosed prediabetes, no diabetes or prediabetes) and self-reported nutrition
      facts label use, adjusted by individual characteristics and survey design.
      SETTING: Study sample came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination
      Survey 2005-2010 waves. SUBJECTS: A total of 5110 US adults aged 20 years and
      older were included in the analyses. Diabetes/prediabetes was identified by
      fasting plasma glucose and glycated Hb testing. RESULTS: People with diagnosed
      diabetes/prediabetes were substantially more likely to report nutrition facts
      label use when making daily food purchase decisions compared with those with
      undiagnosed diabetes/prediabetes, whereas the prevalence of nutrition facts label
      use was similar between people with undiagnosed diabetes/prediabetes and those
      without diabetes/prediabetes. The adjusted prevalence (95 % CI) of any and
      regular nutrition facts label use was 85.93 (82.91, 88.95) % and 55.60 (50.04,
      61.16) % among those with diagnosed diabetes, respectively, in comparison to
      71.50 (59.64, 83.37) % and 32.88 (19.11, 46.65) % among those with undiagnosed
      diabetes. Analogously, the adjusted prevalence (95 % CI) of any and regular
      nutrition facts label use was 81.16 (75.27, 87.06) % and 45.28 (37.28, 53.29) %
      among those with diagnosed prediabetes, respectively, in comparison to 72.83
      (68.06, 77.59) % and 39.95 (34.02, 45.89) % among those with undiagnosed
      prediabetes. CONCLUSIONS: As a potential teachable moment, diabetes diagnosis may
      positively impact nutrition facts label use and motivate diabetic patients to
      manage their condition through making healthier food choices.

PMID- 26483169
TI  - High-Tensile Strength Tape Versus High-Tensile Strength Suture: A Biomechanical
      Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine which suture design, high-tensile strength tape or high
      tensile strength suture, performed better at securing human tissue across 4
      selected suture techniques commonly used in tendinous repair, by comparing the
      total load at failure measured during a fixed-rate longitudinal single load to
      failure using a biomechanical testing machine. METHODS: Matched sets of tendon
      specimens with bony attachments were dissected from 15 human cadaveric lower
      extremities in a manner allowing for direct comparison testing. With the use of
      selected techniques (simple Mason-Allen in the patellar tendon specimens, whip
      stitch in the quadriceps tendon specimens, and Krackow stitch in the Achilles
      tendon specimens), 1 sample of each set was sutured with a 2-mm braided,
      nonabsorbable, high-tensile strength tape and the other with a No. 2 braided,
      nonabsorbable, high-tensile strength suture. A total of 120 specimens were
      tested. Each model was loaded to failure at a fixed longitudinal traction rate of
      100 mm/min. The maximum load and failure method were recorded. RESULTS: In the
      whip stitch and the Krackow-stitch models, the high-tensile strength tape had a
      significantly greater mean load at failure with a difference of 181 N (P = .001)
      and 94 N (P = .015) respectively. No significant difference was found in the
      Mason-Allen and simple stitch models. Pull-through remained the most common
      method of failure at an overall rate of 56.7% (suture = 55%; tape = 58.3%).
      CONCLUSIONS: In biomechanical testing during a single load to failure, high
      tensile strength tape performs more favorably than high-tensile strength suture,
      with a greater mean load to failure, in both the whip- and Krackow-stitch models.
      Although suture pull-through remains the most common method of failure, high
      tensile strength tape requires a significantly greater load to pull-through in a
      whip-stitch and Krakow-stitch model. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The biomechanical data
      obtained in the current study indicates that high-tensile strength tape may
      provide better repair strength compared with high-tensile strength suture at time
      zero simulated testing.

PMID- 26483171
TI  - Implications of non-stationarity on predictive modeling using EHRs.
AB  - The rapidly increasing volume of clinical information captured in Electronic
      Health Records (EHRs) has led to the application of increasingly sophisticated
      models for purposes such as disease subtype discovery and predictive modeling.
      However, increasing adoption of EHRs implies that in the near future, much of the
      data available for such purposes will be from a time period during which both the
      practice of medicine and the clinical use of EHRs are in flux due to historic
      changes in both technology and incentives. In this work, we explore the
      implications of this phenomenon, called non-stationarity, on predictive modeling.
      We focus on the problem of predicting delayed wound healing using data available
      in the EHR during the first week of care in outpatient wound care centers, using
      a large dataset covering over 150,000 individual wounds and 59,958 patients seen
      over a period of four years. We manipulate the degree of non-stationarity seen by
      the model development process by changing the way data is split into training and
      test sets. We demonstrate that non-stationarity can lead to quite different
      conclusions regarding the relative merits of different models with respect to
      predictive power and calibration of their posterior probabilities. Under the non
      stationarity exhibited in this dataset, the performance advantage of complex
      methods such as stacking relative to the best simple classifier disappears.
      Ignoring non-stationarity can thus lead to sub-optimal model selection in this
      task.

PMID- 26483170
TI  - Risk Factors for Infection After Rotator Cuff Repair.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify risk factors for infection after rotator cuff repair. We
      hypothesized that patient characteristics and surgical technique would affect the
      rate of infection. METHODS: The records of 1,824 rotator cuff repairs performed
      by a single surgeon from 1995 to 2010 were reviewed retrospectively. Fourteen
      patients had an early deep postoperative wound infection that was treated with
      surgical irrigation and debridement. One hundred eighty-five control patients who
      were treated with rotator cuff repair and did not develop an infection were
      selected randomly for comparison and statistical analysis. Data regarding
      preoperative and intraoperative risk factors for infection were recorded, and a
      multiple logistic regression was conducted to investigate predictors of
      infection. RESULTS: The infection rate was 0.77% (14/1,822). On average 2.1
      (range 1 to 4) surgical debridements were performed in addition to treatment with
      intravenous antibiotics. Patients who had open or miniopen rotator cuff repair
      had a significantly greater risk of acute postoperative infection (odds ratio
      [OR] = 8.63, P = .002). Seventy-nine percent of the patients in the infection
      group had an open or miniopen repair, whereas only 28% of the control group had
      an open or miniopen repair. Male patients also had a significantly greater risk
      of acute postoperative infection (OR = 9.52, P = .042). A total of 92% of the
      infection patients were male compared with 58% of the control group. In addition,
      as body mass index increased there was a reduction in the odds of infection (OR =
      0.81, P = .023). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this case control study demonstrate
      that open or miniopen surgical technique and male sex are significant risk
      factors for infection after rotator cuff repair. In our study, arthroscopic
      rotator cuff repair reduced the risk of infection compared with open techniques.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

PMID- 26483172
TI  - A multi-ontology approach to annotate scientific documents based on a
      modularization technique.
AB  - Scientific text annotation has become an important task for biomedical
      scientists. Nowadays, there is an increasing need for the development of
      intelligent systems to support new scientific findings. Public databases
      available on the Web provide useful data, but much more useful information is
      only accessible in scientific texts. Text annotation may help as it relies on the
      use of ontologies to maintain annotations based on a uniform vocabulary. However,
      it is difficult to use an ontology, especially those that cover a large domain.
      In addition, since scientific texts explore multiple domains, which are covered
      by distinct ontologies, it becomes even more difficult to deal with such task.
      Moreover, there are dozens of ontologies in the biomedical area, and they are
      usually big in terms of the number of concepts. It is in this context that
      ontology modularization can be useful. This work presents an approach to annotate
      scientific documents using modules of different ontologies, which are built
      according to a module extraction technique. The main idea is to analyze a set of
      single-ontology annotations on a text to find out the user interests. Based on
      these annotations a set of modules are extracted from a set of distinct
      ontologies, and are made available for the user, for complementary annotation.
      The reduced size and focus of the extracted modules tend to facilitate the
      annotation task. An experiment was conducted to evaluate this approach, with the
      participation of a bioinformatician specialist of the Laboratory of Peptides and
      Proteins of the IOC/Fiocruz, who was interested in discovering new drug targets
      aiming at the combat of tropical diseases.

PMID- 26483173
TI  - High-throughput alternative splicing detection using dually constrained
      correspondence analysis (DCCA).
AB  - Alternative splicing is an important component of tumorigenesis. Recent advent of
      exon array technology enables the detection of alternative splicing at a genome
      wide scale. The analysis of high-throughput alternative splicing is not yet
      standard and methodological developments are still needed. We propose a novel
      statistical approach-Dually Constrained Correspondence Analysis-for the detection
      of splicing changes in exon array data. Using this methodology, we investigated
      the genome-wide alteration of alternative splicing in patients with non-small
      cell lung cancer treated by bevacizumab/erlotinib. Splicing candidates reveal a
      series of genes related to carcinogenesis (SFTPB), cell adhesion (STAB2, PCDH15,
      HABP2), tumor aggressiveness (ARNTL2), apoptosis, proliferation and
      differentiation (PDE4D, FLT3, IL1R2), cell invasion (ETV1), as well as tumor
      growth (OLFM4, FGF14), tumor necrosis (AFF3) or tumor suppression (TUSC3, CSMD1,
      RHOBTB2, SERPINB5), with indication of known alternative splicing in a majority
      of genes. DCCA facilitates the identification of putative biologically relevant
      alternative splicing events in high-throughput exon array data.

PMID- 26483167
TI  - Mitral valve disease--morphology and mechanisms.
AB  - Mitral valve disease is a frequent cause of heart failure and death. Emerging
      evidence indicates that the mitral valve is not a passive structure, but--even in
      adult life--remains dynamic and accessible for treatment. This concept motivates
      efforts to reduce the clinical progression of mitral valve disease through early
      detection and modification of underlying mechanisms. Discoveries of genetic
      mutations causing mitral valve elongation and prolapse have revealed that growth
      factor signalling and cell migration pathways are regulated by structural
      molecules in ways that can be modified to limit progression from developmental
      defects to valve degeneration with clinical complications. Mitral valve
      enlargement can determine left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in
      hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and might be stimulated by potentially modifiable
      biological valvular-ventricular interactions. Mitral valve plasticity also allows
      adaptive growth in response to ventricular remodelling. However, adverse cellular
      and mechanobiological processes create relative leaflet deficiency in the
      ischaemic setting, leading to mitral regurgitation with increased heart failure
      and mortality. Our approach, which bridges clinicians and basic scientists,
      enables the correlation of observed disease with cellular and molecular
      mechanisms, leading to the discovery of new opportunities for improving the
      natural history of mitral valve disease.

PMID- 26483174
TI  - In utero stem cell transplantation and gene therapy: Recent progress and the
      potential for clinical application.
AB  - Advances in prenatal diagnosis have led to the prenatal management and treatment
      of a variety of congenital diseases. Although surgical treatment has been
      successfully applied to specific anatomic defects that place the fetus at a risk
      of death or life-long disability, the indications for fetal surgical intervention
      have remained relatively limited. By contrast, prenatal stem cell and gene
      therapy await clinical application, but they have tremendous potential to treat a
      broad range of genetic disorders. If there are biological advantages unique to
      fetal development that favor fetal stem cell or gene therapy over postnatal
      treatment, prenatal therapy may become the preferred approach to the treatment of
      any disease that can be prenatally diagnosed and cured by stem cell or gene
      therapy. Here, we review the field including recent progress toward clinical
      application and imminent clinical trials for cellular and gene therapy. 

PMID- 26483175
TI  - Functional variants of 17q12-21 are associated with allergic asthma but not
      allergic rhinitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma are common allergic conditions with
      a shared genetic component to their cause. The 17q12-21 locus includes several
      genes that have been linked to asthma susceptibility, but the role of this locus
      in AR is unclear. Asthma and AR in adults of Chinese ethnicity in Singapore are
      predominately caused by sensitization against house dust mites with a nearly
      complete penetrance of the allergen, which presents a unique opportunity for
      accurately identifying genetic associations with allergic diseases. OBJECTIVE: We
      sought to define the functional role of 17q12-21 in patients with AR and allergic
      asthma. METHODS: We asked whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the
      17q12-21 locus were associated with AR or asthma in a cohort of 3460 ethnic
      Chinese subjects residing in Singapore (1435 in the discovery phase and 2025 in
      the validation phase). Full-blood mRNA gene expression data, plasma IgE levels,
      and immune cell frequencies in peripheral blood were tested against the tag SNP
      genotypes. Luciferase assays were used to measure the effect of putative promoter
      SNPs on expression of the asthma-associated orosomucoid-like 3 gene (ORMDL3).
      RESULTS: Within 17q12-21, only the tag SNP rs8076131 was significantly associated
      with asthma (P = 8.53 * 10(-10); odds ratio, 0.6715), and AR status was
      independent of SNPs in this region. C-A alleles at rs8076131 resulted in
      significantly increased ORMDL3 expression in HEK293 cells in vitro relative to T
      G alleles. Moreover, subjects with the risk genotype AA exhibited significantly
      higher total IgE levels and higher blood eosinophil counts than those with the
      lower-risk genotypes. CONCLUSION: The 17q12-21 locus has a strong genetic
      association with allergic asthma but not with AR. The polymorphic effect of this
      locus is attributed to the linkage set tagged by rs8076131, which affects the
      expression of ORMDL3, protein phosphatase 1, regulatory inhibitor subunit 1B
      (PPP1R1B), zona pellucida binding protein 2 (ZPBP2), and gasdermin B (GSDMB) and
      is correlated with high IgE levels and eosinophil counts in subjects bearing the
      risk genotype.

PMID- 26483176
TI  - Direct costs of adult chronic rhinosinusitis by using 4 methods of estimation:
      Results of the US Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammatory disease that affects
      2% to 16% of the US population. Despite its increasing prevalence, there are
      currently limited data in the literature evaluating the economic burden of this
      disease. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the direct health care costs of
      CRS from the perspective of the US government. METHODS: A prevalence-based
      approach was used to estimate cost of illness for CRS from the 2011 Medical
      Expenditure Panel Survey database by using a 4-part model: (1) an estimated sum
      of all health care expenditures, (2) an attribution model for disease-specific
      estimation of expenditures, (3) an estimation based on a propensity score model,
      and (4) estimated disease-specific expenditure by using a linear regression-based
      approach. A disease prevalence of 3.5% was used. RESULTS: The mean CRS-specific
      annual expenditure was $5955 (95% CI, $5087-$6823) by using method 1 compared
      with $5560 (95% CI, $4689-$6431) by using method 2 and $5560 (95% CI, $4653
      $6467) by using method 3. The annual expenditure, as estimated by using method 4,
      was $5589 (95% CI, $4986-$6192). Ambulatory expenses accounted for the largest
      proportion of expenditures, followed by prescription and in-hospital expenses.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study provided a range of estimates of the direct medical
      expenditures associated with CRS. We demonstrated that the economic burden
      attributable to this disease was an estimated $60.2 to $64.5 billion US dollars
      in 2011, with a wide variation in the total and incremental direct expenditures
      depending on the type of estimation model used and the prevalence assumed.

PMID- 26483177
TI  - Timing and duration of omalizumab response in patients with chronic
      idiopathic/spontaneous urticaria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few data are available that describe response patterns in patients
      with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU)/chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU)
      treated with omalizumab. OBJECTIVE: We sought to describe response patterns by
      using data from the 3 pivotal omalizumab CIU/CSU trials. METHODS: Every 4 weeks,
      randomized patients received dosing with placebo or 75, 150, or 300 mg of
      omalizumab (ASTERIA I: n = 318, 24 weeks; ASTERIA II: n = 322, 12 weeks) or
      placebo or 300 mg of omalizumab (GLACIAL: n = 335, 24 weeks). Response was
      defined as well-controlled urticaria (weekly Urticaria Activity Score [UAS7] <=
      6) or complete response (UAS7 = 0). RESULTS: Response rates were dose dependent
      and highest with 300 mg of omalizumab. Some patients responded early (before week
      4). At week 12, a higher proportion of patients treated with 300 mg of omalizumab
      reported a UAS7 <= 6 (26.0% [75 mg of omalizumab], 40.0% [150 mg of omalizumab],
      51.9% [300 mg of omalizumab], and 11.3% [placebo] for ASTERIA I; 26.8% [75 mg of
      omalizumab], 42.7% [150 mg of omalizumab], 65.8% [300 mg of omalizumab], and
      19.0% [placebo] for ASTERIA II; and 52.4% [300 mg of omalizumab] and 12.0%
      [placebo] for GLACIAL) or a UAS7 = 0 (11.7% [75 mg of omalizumab], 15.0% [150 mg
      of omalizumab], 35.8% [300 mg of omalizumab], and 8.8% [placebo] for ASTERIA I;
      15.9% [75 mg of omalizumab], 22.0% [150 mg of omalizumab], 44.3% [300 mg of
      omalizumab], and 5.1% [placebo] for ASTERIA II; and 33.7% [300 mg of omalizumab]
      and 4.8% [placebo] for GLACIAL). In patients receiving 300 mg of omalizumab with
      24 weeks of treatment, median time to achieve a UAS7 <= 6 was 6 weeks (ASTERIA I
      and GLACIAL) and median time to achieve a UAS7 = 0 was 12 or 13 weeks (ASTERIA I
      and GLACIAL, respectively). Some patients who achieved well-controlled urticaria
      or complete response sustained response throughout the treatment period.
      CONCLUSION: Benefits of omalizumab treatment were evident early (before week 4)
      in some patients and persisted to week 24. Use of 300 mg of omalizumab
      demonstrated best results in controlling CIU/CSU symptoms.

PMID- 26483178
TI  - The cough without a cause: Habit cough syndrome.

PMID- 26483179
TI  - Recent advances on D-amino acid research.

PMID- 26483180
TI  - Immunization Coverage in Migrant School Children Along the Thailand-Myanmar
      Border.
AB  - The objective of this project was to document and increase vaccine coverage in
      migrant school children on the Thailand-Myanmar border. Migrant school children
      (n = 12,277) were enrolled in a school-based immunization program in four Thai
      border districts. The children were evaluated for vaccination completion and
      timing, for six different vaccines: Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG); Oral Polio
      vaccine (OPV); Hepatitis B vaccine (HepB); Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus
      vaccine (DTP); Measles Containing Vaccine or Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine
      (MMR); Tetanus and Diphtheria containing vaccine (Td). Vaccine coverage
      proportions for BCG, OPV3, DTP3, HepB3 and measles containing vaccine were 92.3,
      85.3, 63.8, 72.2, and 90.9 % respectively. Most children were able to receive
      vaccines in a time appropriate manner. School-based immunization programs offer a
      suitable vaccine delivery mechanism for hard-to-reach populations. However, these
      data suggest overall low vaccine coverage in migrant populations. Further efforts
      toward improving appropriate vaccine coverage and methods of retaining
      documentation of vaccination in mobile migrant populations are necessary for
      improved health.

PMID- 26483183
TI  - Development and Evaluation of a Variable-Temperature  Quadrupole Ion Trap Mass
      Spectrometer.
AB  - A new, variable-temperature mass spectrometer system is described. By applying
      polyimide heating tape to the end-cap electrodes of a Bruker (Bremen, Germany)
      Esquire ion trap, it is possible to vary the effective temperature of the system
      between 40 and 100 degrees C. The modification does not impact the operation of
      the ion trap and the heater can be used for extended periods without degradation
      of the system. The accuracy of the ion trap temperatures was assessed by
      examining two gas-phase equilibrium processes with known thermochemistry. In each
      case, the variable-temperature ion trap provided data that were in good accord
      with literature data, indicating the effective temperature in the ion trap
      environment was being successfully modulated by the changes in the set-point
      temperatures on the end-cap electrodes. The new design offers a convenient and
      effective way to convert commercial ion trap mass spectrometers into variable
      temperature instruments.

PMID- 26483181
TI  - Circadian Clocks as Modulators of Metabolic Comorbidity in Psychiatric Disorders.
AB  - Psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major
      depressive disorder are often accompanied by metabolic dysfunction symptoms,
      including obesity and diabetes. Since the circadian system controls important
      brain systems that regulate affective, cognitive, and metabolic functions, and
      neuropsychiatric and metabolic diseases are often correlated with disturbances of
      circadian rhythms, we hypothesize that dysregulation of circadian clocks plays a
      central role in metabolic comorbidity in psychiatric disorders. In this review
      paper, we highlight the role of circadian clocks in glucocorticoid, dopamine, and
      orexin/melanin-concentrating hormone systems and describe how a dysfunction of
      these clocks may contribute to the simultaneous development of psychiatric and
      metabolic symptoms. 

PMID- 26483184
TI  - Neuropeptidomics Mass Spectrometry Reveals Signaling Networks Generated by
      Distinct Protease Pathways in Human Systems.
AB  - Neuropeptides regulate intercellular signaling as neurotransmitters of the
      central and peripheral nervous systems, and as peptide hormones in the endocrine
      system. Diverse neuropeptides of distinct primary sequences of various lengths,
      often with post-translational modifications, coordinate and integrate regulation
      of physiological functions. Mass spectrometry-based analysis of the diverse
      neuropeptide structures in neuropeptidomics research is necessary to define the
      full complement of neuropeptide signaling molecules. Human neuropeptidomics has
      notable importance in defining normal and dysfunctional neuropeptide signaling in
      human health and disease. Neuropeptidomics has great potential for expansion in
      translational research opportunities for defining neuropeptide mechanisms of
      human diseases, providing novel neuropeptide drug targets for drug discovery, and
      monitoring neuropeptides as biomarkers of drug responses. In consideration of the
      high impact of human neuropeptidomics for health, an observed gap in this
      discipline is the few published articles in human neuropeptidomics compared with,
      for example, human proteomics and related mass spectrometry disciplines. Focus on
      human neuropeptidomics will advance new knowledge of the complex neuropeptide
      signaling networks participating in the fine control of neuroendocrine systems.
      This commentary review article discusses several human neuropeptidomics
      accomplishments that illustrate the rapidly expanding diversity of neuropeptides
      generated by protease processing of pro-neuropeptide precursors occurring within
      the secretory vesicle proteome. Of particular interest is the finding that human
      specific cathepsin V participates in producing enkephalin and likely other
      neuropeptides, indicating unique proteolytic mechanisms for generating human
      neuropeptides. The field of human neuropeptidomics has great promise to solve new
      mechanisms in disease conditions, leading to new drug targets and therapeutic
      agents for human diseases. Graphical Abstract ?. 

PMID- 26483185
TI  - Increased S100A4 expression in the vasculature of human COPD lungs and murine
      model of smoke-induced emphysema.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) is a common cause of death in
      industrialized countries often induced by exposure to tobacco smoke. A
      substantial number of patients with COPD also suffer from pulmonary hypertension
      that may be caused by hypoxia or other hypoxia-independent stimuli - inducing
      pulmonary vascular remodeling. The Ca(2+) binding protein, S100A4 is known to
      play a role in non-COPD-driven vascular remodeling of intrapulmonary arteries.
      Therefore, we have investigated the potential involvement of S100A4 in COPD
      induced vascular remodeling. METHODS: Lung tissue was obtained from explanted
      lungs of five COPD patients and five non-transplanted donor lungs. Additionally,
      mice lungs of a tobacco-smoke-induced lung emphysema model (exposure for 3 and 8
      month) and controls were investigated. Real-time RT-PCR analysis of S100A4 and
      RAGE mRNA was performed from laser-microdissected intrapulmonary arteries. S100A4
      immunohistochemistry was semi-quantitatively evaluated. Mobility shift assay and
      siRNA knock-down were used to prove hypoxia responsive elements (HRE) and HIF
      binding within the S100A4 promoter. RESULTS: Laser-microdissection in combination
      with real-time PCR analysis revealed higher expression of S100A4 mRNA in
      intrapulmonary arteries of COPD patients compared to donors. These findings were
      mirrored by semi-quantitative analysis of S100A4 immunostaining. Analogous to
      human lungs, in mice with tobacco-smoke-induced emphysema an up-regulation of
      S100A4 mRNA and protein was observed in intrapulmonary arteries. Putative HREs
      could be identified in the promoter region of the human S100A4 gene and their
      functionality was confirmed by mobility shift assay. Knock-down of HIF1/2 by
      siRNA attenuated hypoxia-dependent increase in S100A4 mRNA levels in human
      primary pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. Interestingly, RAGE mRNA expression
      was enhanced in pulmonary arteries of tobacco-smoke exposed mice but not in
      pulmonary arteries of COPD patients. CONCLUSIONS: As enhanced S100A4 expression
      was observed in remodeled intrapulmonary arteries of COPD patients, targeting
      S100A4 could serve as potential therapeutic option for prevention of vascular
      remodeling in COPD patients.

PMID- 26483186
TI  - Digital PCR for direct quantification of viruses without DNA extraction.
AB  - DNA extraction before amplification is considered an essential step for
      quantification of viral DNA using real-time PCR (qPCR). However, this can
      directly affect the final measurements due to variable DNA yields and removal of
      inhibitors, which leads to increased inter-laboratory variability of qPCR
      measurements and reduced agreement on viral loads. Digital PCR (dPCR) might be an
      advantageous methodology for the measurement of virus concentrations, as it does
      not depend on any calibration material and it has higher tolerance to inhibitors.
      DNA quantification without an extraction step (i.e. direct quantification) was
      performed here using dPCR and two different human cytomegalovirus whole-virus
      materials. Two dPCR platforms were used for this direct quantification of the
      viral DNA, and these were compared with quantification of the extracted viral DNA
      in terms of yield and variability. Direct quantification of both whole-virus
      materials present in simple matrices like cell lysate or Tris-HCl buffer provided
      repeatable measurements of virus concentrations that were probably in closer
      agreement with the actual viral load than when estimated through quantification
      of the extracted DNA. Direct dPCR quantification of other viruses, reference
      materials and clinically relevant matrices is now needed to show the full
      versatility of this very promising and cost-efficient development in virus
      quantification. 

PMID- 26483187
TI  - A direct solid sampling analysis method for the detection of silver nanoparticles
      in biological matrices.
AB  - Engineered silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are implemented in food contact materials
      due to their powerful antimicrobial properties and so may enter the human food
      chain. Hence, it is desirable to develop easy, sensitive and fast analytical
      screening methods for the determination of AgNPs in complex biological matrices.
      This study describes such a method using solid sampling high-resolution continuum
      source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). A recently
      reported novel evaluation strategy uses the atomization delay of the respective
      GFAAS signal as significant indicator for AgNPs and thereby allows discrimination
      of AgNPs from ionic silver (Ag(+)) in the samples without elaborate sample pre
      treatment. This approach was further developed and applied to a variety of
      biological samples. Its suitability was approved by investigation of eight
      different food samples (parsley, apple, pepper, cheese, onion, pasta, maize meal
      and wheat flour) spiked with ionic silver or AgNPs. Furthermore, the migration of
      AgNPs from silver-impregnated polypropylene food storage boxes to fresh pepper
      was observed and a mussel sample obtained from a laboratory exposure study with
      silver was investigated. The differences in the atomization delays (Deltat(ad))
      between silver ions and 20-nm AgNPs vary in a range from -2.01 +/- 1.38 s for
      maize meal to +2.06 +/- 1.08 s for mussel tissue. However, the differences were
      significant in all investigated matrices and so indicative of the
      presence/absence of AgNPs. Moreover, investigation of model matrices (cellulose,
      gelatine and water) gives the first indication of matrix-dependent trends.
      Reproducibility and homogeneity tests confirm the applicability of the method.

PMID- 26483188
TI  - The Hedgehog pathway as targetable vulnerability with 5-azacytidine in
      myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Therapy and outcome for elderly acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients
      has not improved for many years. Similarly, there remains a clinical need to
      improve response rates in advanced myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients
      treated with hypomethylating agents, and few combination regimens have shown
      clinical benefit. We conducted a 5-azacytidine (5-Aza) RNA-interference (RNAi)
      sensitizer screen to identify gene targets within the commonly deleted regions
      (CDRs) of chromosomes 5 and 7, whose silencing enhances the activity of 5-Aza.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: An RNAi silencing screen of 270 genes from the CDRs of
      chromosomes 5 and 7 was performed in combination with 5-Aza treatment in four AML
      cell lines (TF-1, THP-1, MDS-L, and HEL). Several genes within the hedgehog
      pathway (HhP), specifically SHH, SMO, and GLI3, were identified as 5-Aza
      sensitizing hits. The smoothened (SMO) inhibitors LDE225 (erismodegib) and
      GDC0449 (vismodegib) showed moderate single-agent activity in AML cell lines.
      Further studies with erismodegib in combination with 5-Aza demonstrated
      synergistic activity with combination index (CI) values of 0.48 to 0.71 in seven
      AML lines. Clonogenic growth of primary patient samples was inhibited to a
      greater extent in the combination than with single-agent erismodegib or 5-Aza in
      55 % (6 of 11) primary patient samples examined. There was no association of the
      5-Aza/erismodegib sensitization potential to clinical-cytogenetic features or
      common myeloid mutations. Activation of the HhP, as determined by greater
      expression of HhP-related genes, showed less responsiveness to single-agent SMO
      inhibition, while synergy between both agents was similar regardless of HhP gene
      expression. In vitro experiments suggested that concurrent dosing showed stronger
      synergy than sequential dosing. CONCLUSIONS: Inhibition of the HhP with SMO
      inhibitors in combination with the hypomethylating agent 5-Aza demonstrates
      synergy in vitro and inhibits long-term repopulation capacity ex vivo in AML and
      MDS. A clinical trial combining 5-Aza with LDE225 (erismodegib) in MDS and AML is
      ongoing based on these results as well as additional publications suggesting a
      role for HhP signaling in myeloid disease.

PMID- 26483190
TI  - Detection of 40 bp insertion-deletion (INDEL) in mitochondrial control region
      among sambar (Rusa unicolor) populations in India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region is extensively used in
      the phylogeography of species. We examined sequence variations in the mtDNA
      control region of sambar (Rusa unicolor) populations from the South, Central and
      North India. RESULTS: Most of the samples collected from the south India
      exhibited a 40 bp insertion in the mtDNA control region. This insertion was not
      observed in the North and Central Indian populations. CONCLUSION: This study
      provided a potential marker for molecular screening and identification of sambar
      populations in the form of a distinct 40 bp insertion. Some populations in South
      India did not exhibit this insertion. It indicates that there could be an
      ecological barrier that might be preventing the expansion of insertion-positive
      sambar population.

PMID- 26483189
TI  - Expression of Oct3/4 and Nanog in the head and neck squamous carcinoma cells and
      its clinical implications for delayed neck metastasis in stage I/II oral tongue
      squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The side population (SP) of cancer cells is reportedly enriched with
      cancer stem cells (CSCs), however, the functional role and clinical relevance of
      CSC marker molecules upregulated in the SP of head and neck squamous carcinoma
      (HNSCC) cells are yet to be elucidated. Patients with clinical stage I/II (T1
      2N0M0) tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) typically undergo partial
      glossectomy; however, development of delayed neck metastasis (DNM) tends to
      reduce their survival. In the present study, we aimed to determine the CSC
      markers in the SP of HNSCC cells along with their functions in cellular
      behaviors, and to clarify the association of these markers with DNM. METHODS:
      Flow cytometry was applied to isolate SP from main population (MP) in HNSCC
      cells. The expression of the CSC markers was examined by semi-quantitative RT-PCR
      and immunocytochemistry. In vitro proliferation, migration, and invasion assays
      were performed to assess cellular behaviors. Clinicopathological factors and
      immunohistochemical expressions of Oct3/4 and Nanog were evaluated using surgical
      specimens from 50 patients with stage I/II TSCC. RESULTS: SPs were isolated in
      all three cell lines examined. Expression levels of Oct3/4 and Nanog were higher
      in SP cells than MP cells. Additionally, cell migration and invasion abilities
      were higher in SP cells than MP cells, whereas there was no difference in
      proliferation. Univariate analysis showed that expression of Oct3/4 and Nanog,
      vascular and muscular invasion, and mode of invasion were significantly
      correlated with DNM. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that Oct3/4
      expression (risk ratio = 14.78, p = 0.002) and vascular invasion (risk ratio =
      12.93, p = 0.017) were independently predictive of DNM. Regarding the diagnostic
      performance, Oct3/4 showed the highest accuracy, sensitivity, and NPV of 82.0 %,
      61.5 %, and 86.8 %, respectively, while vascular invasion showed the highest
      specificity and PPV of 94.6 % and 71.4 %, respectively. CONCLUSION: These results
      suggest that Oct3/4 and Nanog represent probable CSC markers in HNSCC, which
      contribute to the development of DNM in part by enhancing cell motility and
      invasiveness. Moreover, along with vascular invasion, expression of Oct3/4 can be
      considered a potential predictor for selecting patients at high risk of
      developing DNM.

PMID- 26483191
TI  - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and denervation alter sphingolipids and up-regulate
      glucosylceramide synthase.
AB  - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal adult-onset disease characterized
      by upper and lower motor neuron degeneration, muscle wasting and paralysis.
      Growing evidence suggests a link between changes in lipid metabolism and ALS.
      Here, we used UPLC/TOF-MS to survey the lipidome in SOD1(G86R) mice, a model of
      ALS. Significant changes in lipid expression were evident in spinal cord and
      skeletal muscle before overt neuropathology. In silico analysis also revealed
      appreciable changes in sphingolipids including ceramides and glucosylceramides
      (GlcCer). HPLC analysis showed increased amounts of GlcCer and downstream
      glycosphingolipids (GSLs) in SOD1(G86R) muscle compared with wild-type
      littermates. Glucosylceramide synthase (GCS), the enzyme responsible for GlcCer
      biosynthesis, was up-regulated in muscle of SOD1(G86R) mice and ALS patients, and
      in muscle of wild-type mice after surgically induced denervation. Conversely,
      inhibition of GCS in wild-type mice, following transient peripheral nerve injury,
      reversed the overexpression of genes in muscle involved in oxidative metabolism
      and delayed motor recovery. GCS inhibition in SOD1(G86R) mice also affected the
      expression of metabolic genes and induced a loss of muscle strength and
      morphological deterioration of the motor endplates. These findings suggest that
      GSLs may play a critical role in ALS muscle pathology and could lead to the
      identification of new therapeutic targets. 

PMID- 26483193
TI  - Psychological and behavioral differences between low back pain populations: a
      comparative analysis of chiropractic, primary and secondary care patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychological, behavioral and social factors have long been
      considered important in the development of persistent pain. Little is known about
      how chiropractic low back pain (LBP) patients compare to other LBP patients in
      terms of psychological/behavioral characteristics. METHODS: In this cross
      sectional study, the aim was to investigate patients with LBP as regards to
      psychosocial/behavioral characteristics by describing a chiropractic primary care
      population and comparing this sample to three other populations using the MPI-S
      instrument. Thus, four different samples were compared. A: Four hundred eighty
      subjects from chiropractic primary care clinics. B: One hundred twenty-eight
      subjects from a gainfully employed population (sick listed with high risk of
      developing chronicity). C: Two hundred seventy-three subjects from a secondary
      care rehabilitation clinic. D: Two hundred thirty-five subjects from secondary
      care clinics. The Swedish version of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI-S)
      was used to collect data. Subjects were classified using a cluster analytic
      strategy into three pre-defined subgroups (named adaptive copers, dysfunctional
      and interpersonally distressed). RESULTS: The data show statistically significant
      overall differences across samples for the subgroups based on psychological and
      behavioral characteristics. The cluster classifications placed (in terms of the
      proportions of the adaptive copers and dysfunctional subgroups) sample A between
      B and the two secondary care samples C and D. CONCLUSIONS: The chiropractic
      primary care sample was more affected by pain and worse off with regards to
      psychological and behavioral characteristics compared to the other primary care
      sample. Based on our findings from the MPI-S instrument the 4 samples may be
      considered statistically and clinically different. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Sample A
      comes from an ongoing trial registered at clinical trials.gov; NCT01539863 ,
      February 22, 2012.

PMID- 26483194
TI  - Xpert MTB/RIF assay for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in sputum specimens
      in remote health care facility.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Xpert MTB/RIF assay is considered as a great advance over
      conventional smear and culture in the diagnosis of TB and MDR-TB by
      simultaneously detecting M.tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance bacilli.
      However, very little information regarding the performance characteristics of
      Xpert MTB/RIF assay is available in Ethiopia. Therefore, the purpose of this
      study was to evaluate the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF assay compared to
      conventional sputum smear and culture methods for the diagnosis of pulmonary
      tuberculosis in remote health care facility. METHODS: A paired expectorated
      sputum samples were obtained from 227 consecutively recruited patients with signs
      and symptoms suggestive of tuberculosis at Karamara hospital during December 2013
      to May 2014. One of the sputum specimen was tested directly by Ziehl-Neelsen
      staining and Xpert MTB/RIF assay without NALC-NaOH decontamination. The other of
      pair of sputa specimen was cultured for isolation of TB bacilli by conventional
      methods. Diagnostic performance of Xpert MTB/RIF assay and AFB smear microscopy
      were calculated against culture as the gold standard. RESULTS: Overall 25.5%
      (58/227) samples were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) by
      MGIT and/or LJ media of which 36.2% (21/58) and 65.5% (35/58) were positive by
      AFB smear microscopy and Xpert MTB/RIF respectively. The sensitivity,
      specificity, as well as the positive and negative predictive value of Xpert
      MTB/RIF assay were 65.5% (95% CI: 53.3-77.7%), 96.3% (95% CI: 93.4-99.2%), 86.4%
      (95% CI: 76.2-96.5%), and 88.6% (95% CI: 83.9-93.3%) respectively. Eighteen of 58
      (31%) cases that were smear microscopy negative, were positive by Xpert MTB/RIF
      assay. CONCLUSIONS: Although Xpert MTB/RIF assay demonstrated high sensitivity in
      detecting MTBC in sputum specimens compared with conventional AFB smear
      microscopy, it demonstrated suboptimal sensitivity in smear negative patients
      compared to conventional culture.

PMID- 26483192
TI  - Identification of shared and unique susceptibility pathways among cancers of the
      lung, breast, and prostate from genome-wide association studies and tissue
      specific protein interactions.
AB  - Results from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have indicated that strong
      single-gene effects are the exception, not the rule, for most diseases. We
      assessed the joint effects of germline genetic variations through a pathway-based
      approach that considers the tissue-specific contexts of GWAS findings. From GWAS
      meta-analyses of lung cancer (12 160 cases/16 838 controls), breast cancer (15
      748 cases/18 084 controls) and prostate cancer (14 160 cases/12 724 controls) in
      individuals of European ancestry, we determined the tissue-specific interaction
      networks of proteins expressed from genes that are likely to be affected by
      disease-associated variants. Reactome pathways exhibiting enrichment of proteins
      from each network were compared across the cancers. Our results show that
      pathways associated with all three cancers tend to be broad cellular processes
      required for growth and survival. Significant examples include the nerve growth
      factor (P = 7.86 * 10(-33)), epidermal growth factor (P = 1.18 * 10(-31)) and
      fibroblast growth factor (P = 2.47 * 10(-31)) signaling pathways. However, within
      these shared pathways, the genes that influence risk largely differ by cancer.
      Pathways found to be unique for a single cancer focus on more specific cellular
      functions, such as interleukin signaling in lung cancer (P = 1.69 * 10(-15)),
      apoptosis initiation by Bad in breast cancer (P = 3.14 * 10(-9)) and cellular
      responses to hypoxia in prostate cancer (P = 2.14 * 10(-9)). We present the
      largest comparative cross-cancer pathway analysis of GWAS to date. Our approach
      can also be applied to the study of inherited mechanisms underlying risk across
      multiple diseases in general. 

PMID- 26483195
TI  - Risk factors for post-transplant diabetes mellitus in renal transplant: Role of
      genetic variability in the CYP450-mediated arachidonic acid metabolism.
AB  - Arachidonic acid (AA) is metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes to
      epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) and 20-hidroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE),
      which play an important role both in renal transplant and diabetes mellitus (DM).
      We searched for associations between polymorphisms in this metabolic pathway and
      the risk of post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) in kidney recipients. One
      hundred-sixty-four patients were genotyped for common SNPs in this route, namely
      CYP2C8*3, CYP2C8*4, CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3, CYP2J2*7, CYP4A11 F434S and CYP4F2 V433M.
      Demographic and clinical parameters were retrospectively collected at four time
      points in the first year after grafting. Thirty-four patients (20.73%) developed
      PTDM, which was more prevalent among older patients [OR for older age = 1.06
      (1.03-1.10), p < 0.001] and in those with higher body mass index (BMI) [OR for
      higher average BMI in the first year = 1.13 (1.04-1.23); p < 0.01]. Creatinine
      clearance [OR = 0.97 (0.95-0.99); p < 0.01] and exposure to tacrolimus [OR = 3.25
      (1.15-9.19); p < 0.05] were also relevant for PTDM risk. With regard to genetic
      variants, logistic regression analysis controlling for significant demographic
      and clinical variables showed that the V433M polymorphism in CYP4F2, responsible
      for 20-HETE synthesis, was an independent risk factor for PTDM [OR = 3.94 (1.08
      14.33); p < 0.05]. We have shown that a genetic variant in the CYP4F2 gene, the
      main gene implicated in 20-HETE synthesis, is associated with the risk for PTDM.
      Our findings suggest that genes in the metabolic pathways of AA may become good
      candidates in genetic association studies for PTDM.

PMID- 26483196
TI  - P2X7 receptor knockout prevents streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes in mice.
AB  - Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is caused by autoimmune destruction of islet of Langerhans
      beta-cells. P2X7 receptors (P2X7R) modulate proinflammatory immune responses by
      binding extracellular ATP, a classic 'danger signal'. Here, we evaluated whether
      the P2X7R has a role in T1D development. P2X7(-/-) mice are resistant to TD1
      induction by streptozotocin (STZ) treatment, with no increase in blood glucose,
      decrease in insulin-positive cells, and pancreatic islet reduction, compared to
      WT (C57BL/6) mice. Also, the levels of proinflammatory mediators (IL-1beta, IFN
      gamma and NO) did not increase after STZ treatment in P2X7(-/-) animals, with
      reduced infiltration of CD4(+), CD8(+), B220(+), CD11b(+) and CD11c(+) cells in
      the pancreatic lymph nodes. Treatment with a P2X7 antagonist mimicked the effect
      of P2X7 knockout, preventing STZ-induced diabetes. Our results show that the
      absence of the P2X7R provides resistance in the induction of diabetes in this
      model, and suggest that therapy targeting the P2X7R may be useful against
      clinical T1D. 

PMID- 26483197
TI  - Novel water-soluble methanofullerenes C60[C13H18O4(OH)4]6 and C60[C9H10O4(OH)4]6:
      Promising uncouplers of respiration and phosphorylation.
AB  - Here, we report for the first time on two novel water-soluble polyol
      methanofullerenes which uncouple respiration and oxidative phosphorylation. A
      cytofluorimetric JC-1-based ratiometric assay was used to quantify mitochondrial
      potential Psim in Yarrowia lipolytica cells exposed to the fullerenes tested.
      Both methanofullerenes significantly downregulated Psim, thereby decreasing the
      subset of cells with high mitochondrial potential compared with intact control
      cells. The Psim-low subset of Yarrowia lipolytica cells resulted from
      methanofullerenes exposure preserved physiological cell size and granularity
      patterns. 

PMID- 26483198
TI  - Synthesis and biological evaluation of 5-(fluoro-substituted-6-methylpyridin-2
      yl)-4-([1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-6-yl)imidazoles as inhibitors of
      transforming growth factor-beta type I receptor kinase.
AB  - To further optimize a clinical candidate 5 (EW-7197), a series of 5-(3-, 4-, or 5
      fluoro-substituted-6-methylpyridin-2-yl)-4-([1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-6
      yl)imidazoles 19a-l have been synthesized and evaluated for their TGF-beta type I
      receptor kinase (ALK5) and p38alpha MAP kinase inhibitory activity in an enzyme
      assay. The 5-(5-fluoro-substituted-6-methylpyridin-2-yl)-4-([1,2,4]triazolo[1,5
      a]pyridin-6-yl)imidazoles 19h-l displayed the similar level of potency to that of
      5 against both ALK5 (IC50=7.68-13.70 nM) and p38alpha MAP kinase (IC50=1240-3370
      nM). Among them, 19j inhibited ALK5 with IC50 value of 7.68 nM in a kinase assay
      and displayed 82% inhibition at 100 nM in a luciferase reporter assay.

PMID- 26483199
TI  - Dendronylation: Residue-specific chemoselective attachment of oligoglycerol
      dendrimers on proteins with noncanonical amino acids.
AB  - Polyglycerol dendrimers as an important class of polymeric materials especially
      attractive for covalent attachment to therapeutic proteins as a useful
      alternative to traditional PEGylation procedures. Herein, we combine in vivo
      noncanonical amino acid (ncAA) incorporation and chemoselective conjugation in
      vitro to produce novel hybrid protein-dendrimer conjugates with the defined
      architectures. We incorporated Azidohomoalanine (Aha) as methionine substitute in
      vivo into various protein scaffolds to allow non-invasive dendrimer conjugations
      (dendronylation). Our approach makes recombinant proteins accessible for the
      design of multivalent dendrimer conjugates since it enables the preparation of
      many sequences with various positions for regioselective dendronylation. 

PMID- 26483200
TI  - Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of piperidine (piperazine)-substituted
      benzoxazole derivatives as multi-target antipsychotics.
AB  - The present study describes the optimization of a series of novel benzoxazole
      piperidine (piperazine) derivatives combining high dopamine D2 and serotonin 5
      HT1A, 5-HT2A receptor affinities. Of these derivatives, the pharmacological
      features of compound 29 exhibited high affinities for the DA D2, 5-HT1A and 5
      HT2A receptors, but low affinities for the 5-HT2C and histamine H1 receptors and
      human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) channels. Furthermore, compound 29
      reduced apomorphine-induced climbing and 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2
      aminopropane (DOI)-induced head twitching without observable catalepsy, even at
      the highest dose tested. Thus, compound 29 is a promising candidate as a multi
      target antipsychotic treatment. 

PMID- 26483201
TI  - Discovery of an L-alanine ester prodrug of the Hsp90 inhibitor, MPC-3100.
AB  - Various types of Hsp90 inhibitors have been and continue to undergo clinical
      investigation. One development candidate is the purine-based, synthetic Hsp90
      inhibitor 1 (MPC-3100), which successfully completed a phase I clinical study.
      However, further clinical development of 1 was hindered by poor solubility and
      consequent formulation issues and promoted development of a more water soluble
      prodrug. Towards this end, numerous pro-moieties were explored in vitro and in
      vivo. These studies resulted in identification of L-alanine ester mesylate, 2i
      (MPC-0767), which exhibited improved aqueous solubility, adequate chemical
      stability, and rapid bioconversion without the need for solubilizing excipients.
      Based on improved physical characteristics and favorable PK and PD profiles, 2i
      mesylate was selected for further development. A convergent, scalable,
      chromatography-free synthesis for 2i mesylate was developed to support further
      clinical evaluation.

PMID- 26483202
TI  - Synthesis and anti-HCV determinant motif identification in pyranone carboxamide
      scaffold.
AB  - Hepatitis C Virus exhibits high genetic diversity. The current treatment for
      genotype-1 with ~80% sustained virologic responses is a combination of pegylated
      interferon, ribavirin and boceprevir/telaprevir/simeprevir which is associated
      with several side effects and need close monitoring. Therefore, novel therapies
      are invited for safer and more efficient treatment. This study was designed for
      synthesis of new alpha-pyranone carboxamide analogs for evaluation of anti-HCV
      activity to delineate structure-activity relationship (SAR) and to identify anti
      HCV determinant motif on this new scaffold. Forty four new alpha-pyranone
      carboxamide analogs were synthesized. Six potential anti-HCV candidates 11a
      (EC50=0.35 MUM), 11e (EC50=0.48 MUM), 12f (EC50=0.47 MUM), 12g (EC50=0.39 MUM),
      12h (EC50=0.20 MUM) and 12j (EC50=0.25 MUM) with lower cytotoxicity (CC50>20 MUM)
      were discovered through cell based HCV replicon system. The activity profile of
      forty four new alpha-pyranone carboxamide analogs suggests the role of an
      aromatic motif in the B region to add a synergistic effect to NHOH motif at 4
      position and revels an anti-HCV activity determinants motif under this scaffold.
      The biochemical assay against most promising HCV target protein 'NS3 protease and
      NS5B polymerase' showed no activity and open a scope to explore new mechanism
      inhibitor.

PMID- 26483203
TI  - JX06 Selectively Inhibits Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase PDK1 by a Covalent
      Cysteine Modification.
AB  - Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase PDK1 is a metabolic enzyme responsible for
      switching glucose metabolism from mitochondrial oxidation to aerobic glycolysis
      in cancer cells, a general hallmark of malignancy termed the Warburg effect.
      Herein we report the identification of JX06 as a selective covalent inhibitor of
      PDK1 in cells. JX06 forms a disulfide bond with the thiol group of a conserved
      cysteine residue (C240) based on recognition of a hydrophobic pocket adjacent to
      the ATP pocket of the PDK1 enzyme. Our investigations of JX06 mechanism suggested
      that covalent modification at C240 induced conformational changes at Arginine 286
      through Van der Waals forces, thereby hindering access of ATP to its binding
      pocket and in turn impairing PDK1 enzymatic activity. Notably, cells with a
      higher dependency on glycolysis were more sensitive to PDK1 inhibition,
      reflecting a metabolic shift that promoted cellular oxidative stress and
      apoptosis. Our findings offer new mechanistic insights including how to
      therapeutically target PDK1 by covalently modifying the C240 residue.

PMID- 26483205
TI  - TNF Receptor-2 Facilitates an Immunosuppressive Microenvironment in the Liver to
      Promote the Colonization and Growth of Hepatic Metastases.
AB  - Successful colonization by a cancer cell of a distant metastatic site requires
      immune escape in the new microenvironment. TNF signaling has been implicated
      broadly in the suppression of immune surveillance that prevents colonization at
      the metastatic site and therefore must be blocked. In this study, we explored how
      TNF signaling influences the efficiency of liver metastasis by colon and lung
      carcinoma in mice that are genetically deficient for the TNF receptor TNFR2. We
      found a marked reduction in liver metastases that correlated with a greatly
      reduced accumulation at metastatic sites of CD11b(+)GR-1(+) myeloid cells with
      enhanced arginase activity, identified as myeloid-derived suppressor cells
      (MDSC). Reduced infiltration of MDSC coincided with a reduction in the number of
      CD4(+)FoxP3(+) T regulatory cells in the tumors. Reconstitution of TNFR2
      deficient mice with normal bone marrow, or adoptive transfer of TNFR2-expressing
      MDSC into these mice, was sufficient to restore liver metastasis to levels in
      wild-type mice. Conversely, treatment with TNFR2 antisense oligodeoxynucleotides
      reduced liver metastasis in wild-type mice. Clinically, immunohistochemical
      analysis of liver metastases from chemotherapy-naive colon cancer patients
      confirmed the presence of CD33(+)HLA-DR(-)TNFR2(+) myeloid cells in the periphery
      of hepatic metastases. Overall, our findings implicate TNFR2 in supporting MDSC
      mediated immune suppression and metastasis in the liver, suggesting the use of
      TNFR2 inhibitors as a strategy to prevent metastatic progression to liver in
      colon, lung, and various other types of cancer.

PMID- 26483204
TI  - CCL9 Induced by TGFbeta Signaling in Myeloid Cells Enhances Tumor Cell Survival
      in the Premetastatic Organ.
AB  - Tumor cell survival in the hostile distant organ is a rate-limiting step in
      cancer metastasis. Bone marrow-derived myeloid cells can form a premetastatic
      niche and provide a tumor-promoting microenvironment. However, it is unclear
      whether these myeloid cells in the premetastatic site have any direct effect on
      tumor cell survival. Here, we report that chemokine CCL9 was highly induced in Gr
      1(+)CD11b(+) immature myeloid cells and in premetastatic lung in tumor-bearing
      mice. Knockdown of CCL9 in myeloid cells decreased tumor cell survival and
      metastasis. Importantly, CCL9 overexpression in myeloid cells lacking TGFbeta
      signaling rescued the tumor metastasis defect observed in mice with myeloid
      specific Tgfbr2 deletion. The expression level of CCL23, the human orthologue for
      CCL9, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells correlated with progression and
      survival of cancer patients. Our study demonstrates that CCL9 could serve as a
      good candidate for anti-metastasis treatment by targeting the rate-limiting step
      of cancer cell survival. In addition, targeting CCL9 may avoid the adverse
      effects of TGFbeta-targeted therapy.

PMID- 26483206
TI  - Merlin/NF2 Suppresses Pancreatic Tumor Growth and Metastasis by Attenuating the
      FOXM1-Mediated Wnt/beta-Catenin Signaling.
AB  - Merlin, the protein encoded by the NF2 gene, is a member of the band 4.1 family
      of cytoskeleton-associated proteins and functions as a tumor suppressor for many
      types of cancer. However, the roles and mechanism of Merlin expression in
      pancreatic cancer have remained unclear. In this study, we sought to determine
      the impact of Merlin expression on pancreatic cancer development and progression
      using human tissue specimens, cell lines, and animal models. Decreased expression
      of Merlin was pronounced in human pancreatic tumors and cancer cell lines.
      Functional analysis revealed that restored expression of Merlin inhibited
      pancreatic tumor growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, Merlin
      suppressed the expression of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling downstream genes and the
      nuclear expression of beta-catenin protein, and overexpression of Forkhead box M1
      (FOXM1) attenuated the suppressive effect of Merlin on Wnt/beta-catenin
      signaling. Mechanistically, Merlin decreased the stability of FOXM1 protein,
      which plays critical roles in nuclear translocation of beta-catenin.
      Collectively, these findings demonstrated that Merlin critically regulated
      pancreatic cancer pathogenesis by suppressing FOXM1/beta-catenin signaling,
      suggesting that targeting novel Merlin/FOXM1/beta-catenin signaling is an
      effective therapeutic strategy for pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 26483207
TI  - c-Myc alterations confer therapeutic response and acquired resistance to c-Met
      inhibitors in MET-addicted cancers.
AB  - Use of kinase inhibitors in cancer therapy leads invariably to acquired
      resistance stemming from kinase reprogramming. To overcome the dynamic nature of
      kinase adaptation, we asked whether a signal-integrating downstream effector
      might exist that provides a more applicable therapeutic target. In this study, we
      reported that the transcriptional factor c-Myc functions as a downstream effector
      to dictate the therapeutic response to c-Met inhibitors in c-Met-addicted cancer
      and derived resistance. Dissociation of c-Myc from c-Met control, likely
      overtaken by a variety of reprogrammed kinases, led to acquisition of drug
      resistance. Notably, c-Myc blockade by RNA interference or pharmacologic
      inhibition circumvented the acquired resistance to c-Met inhibition. Combining c
      Myc blockade and c-Met inhibition in MET-amplified patient-derived xenograft
      mouse models heightened therapeutic activity. Our findings offer a preclinical
      proof of concept for the application of c-Myc-blocking agents as a tactic to
      thwart resistance to kinase inhibitors.

PMID- 26483208
TI  - Protective effect of trans-delta-viniferin against high glucose-induced oxidative
      stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells through the SIRT1 pathway.
AB  - Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular
      complications. Trans-delta-viniferin (TVN), a polyphenolic compound, has recently
      attracted much attention as an antioxidant exhibiting a hypoglycemic potential.
      In the present study, we aimed at investigating the protective effect of TVN
      against high glucose-induced oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial
      cells (HUVECs) and the potential mechanism involved. We found that TVN attenuated
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, increased catalase (CAT) activity and
      decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels to ameliorate cell survival induced by 35
      mM glucose. Meanwhile, it inhibited high glucose-induced apoptosis by maintaining
      Ca(2+) and preserving mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) levels. The
      immunoblot analysis indicated that TVN efficiently regulated the cleavage of
      caspase family, p53, Bax and Bcl-2, all mediated by SIRT1. Furthermore, the
      increased level of SIRT1 induced by TVN was inhibited by nicotinamide and siRNA
      medicated SIRT1 silencing (si-SIRT1), thereby confirming the significant role of
      SIRT1 in these events. In conclusion, our results indicated that TVN efficiently
      reduced oxidative stress and maintained mitochondrial function related with
      activating SIRT1 in high glucose-treated HUVECs. It suggested that TVN is
      pharmacologically promising for treating diabetic cardiovascular complications. 

PMID- 26483209
TI  - Effects of an intervention with drinking chamomile tea on sleep quality and
      depression in sleep disturbed postnatal women: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of chamomile tea on
      sleep quality, fatigue and depression in postpartum women. BACKGROUND: Sleep
      quality is a significant issue for postnatal women. Chamomile is widely used as a
      folk remedy for its presumed sedative-hypnotic effects. DESIGN: A pretest-post
      test randomized controlled trial was used. METHODS: A total of 80 Taiwanese
      postnatal women with poor sleep quality (Postpartum Sleep Quality Scale; PSQS
      score ?16) were recruited from November 2012-August 2013. They were
      systematically assigned, with a random start, to either the experimental group (n
      = 40) or the control group (n = 40). The participants in the experimental group
      were instructed to drink chamomile tea for a period of 2 weeks. The participants
      in the control group received regular postpartum care only. The PSQS, Edinburgh
      Postnatal Depression Scale, and Postpartum Fatigue Scale were used to assess
      outcomes. Two-sample t-tests were used to examine the mean differences in outcome
      variables between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the
      experimental group demonstrated significantly lower scores of physical-symptoms
      related sleep inefficiency (t = -2.482, P = 0.015) and the symptoms of depression
      (t = -2.372, P = 0.020). However, the scores for all three instruments were
      similar for both groups at 4-week post-test, suggesting that the positive effects
      of chamomile tea were limited to the immediate term. CONCLUSION: Chamomile tea
      may be recommended to postpartum women as a supplementary approach to alleviating
      depression and sleep quality problems.

PMID- 26483211
TI  - Dach2-Hdac9 signaling regulates reinnervation of muscle endplates.
AB  - Muscle denervation resulting from injury, disease or aging results in impaired
      motor function. Restoring neuromuscular communication requires axonal regrowth
      and endplate reinnervation. Muscle activity inhibits the reinnervation of
      denervated muscle. The mechanism by which muscle activity regulates muscle
      reinnervation is poorly understood. Dach2 and Hdac9 are activity-regulated
      transcriptional co-repressors that are highly expressed in innervated muscle and
      suppressed following muscle denervation. Dach2 and Hdac9 control the expression
      of endplate-associated genes such as those encoding nicotinic acetylcholine
      receptors (nAChRs). Here we tested the idea that Dach2 and Hdac9 mediate the
      effects of muscle activity on muscle reinnervation. Dach2 and Hdac9 were found to
      act in a collaborative fashion to inhibit reinnervation of denervated mouse
      skeletal muscle and appear to act, at least in part, by inhibiting denervation
      dependent induction of Myog and Gdf5 gene expression. Although Dach2 and Hdac9
      inhibit Myog and Gdf5 mRNA expression, Myog does not regulate Gdf5 transcription.
      Thus, Myog and Gdf5 appear to stimulate muscle reinnervation through parallel
      pathways. These studies suggest that manipulating the Dach2-Hdac9 signaling
      system, and Gdf5 in particular, might be a good approach for enhancing motor
      function in instances where neuromuscular communication has been disrupted. 

PMID- 26483210
TI  - Human stem cells from single blastomeres reveal pathways of embryonic or
      trophoblast fate specification.
AB  - Mechanisms of initial cell fate decisions differ among species. To gain insights
      into lineage allocation in humans, we derived ten human embryonic stem cell lines
      (designated UCSFB1-10) from single blastomeres of four 8-cell embryos and one 12
      cell embryo from a single couple. Compared with numerous conventional lines from
      blastocysts, they had unique gene expression and DNA methylation patterns that
      were, in part, indicative of trophoblast competence. At a transcriptional level,
      UCSFB lines from different embryos were often more closely related than those
      from the same embryo. As predicted by the transcriptomic data, immunolocalization
      of EOMES, T brachyury, GDF15 and active beta-catenin revealed differential
      expression among blastomeres of 8- to 10-cell human embryos. The UCSFB lines
      formed derivatives of the three germ layers and CDX2-positive progeny, from which
      we derived the first human trophoblast stem cell line. Our data suggest
      heterogeneity among early-stage blastomeres and that the UCSFB lines have unique
      properties, indicative of a more immature state than conventional lines. 

PMID- 26483213
TI  - Women with borderline personality disorder do not show altered BOLD responses
      during response inhibition.
AB  - Impulsivity is central to borderline personality disorder (BPD). Response
      inhibition, addressing the ability to suppress or stop actions, is one aspect of
      behavioral impulse control which is frequently used to assess impulsivity. BPD
      patients display deficits in response inhibition under stress condition or
      negative emotions. We assessed whether response inhibition and its neural
      underpinnings are impaired in BPD when tested in an emotionally neutral setting
      and when co-morbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is excluded.
      To this end, we studied response inhibition in unmedicated BPD patients and
      healthy controls (HC) in two independent samples using functional magnetic
      resonance imaging during Simon-, Go/nogo-, and Stopsignal tasks. BPD patients and
      HC did not differ significantly in their performance in the Go/nogo and the
      Stopsignal tasks. Response interference in the Simon task was increased in BPD
      patients in one sample, but this could not be replicated in the second sample. In
      both samples, no significant differences in brain activation patterns during any
      of the tasks were present while the neural impulse control network was robustly
      activated during the inhibition tasks in both groups. Our results provide
      evidence that under emotionally neutral conditions response inhibition is not
      impaired in patients with BPD without co-occurring ADHD. 

PMID- 26483212
TI  - Processing of decision-making and social threat in patients with history of
      suicidal attempt: A neuroimaging replication study.
AB  - Suicidal vulnerability has been related to impaired value-based decision-making
      and increased sensitivity to social threat, mediated by the prefrontal cortex.
      Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we aimed at replicating these
      previous findings by measuring brain activation during the Iowa Gambling Task and
      an emotional faces viewing task. Participants comprised 15 euthymic suicide
      attempters (history of depression and suicidal behavior) who were compared with
      23 euthymic patient controls (history of depression without suicidal history) and
      35 healthy controls. The following five model-based regions of interest were
      investigated: the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), ventrolateral prefrontal cortex
      (VLPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), medial (MPFC) and dorsal prefrontal
      cortex (DPFC). Suicide attempters relative to patient controls showed (1)
      increased response to angry vs. neutral faces in the left OFC and the VLPFC, as
      previously reported; (2) increased response to wins vs. losses in the right OFC,
      DPFC and ACC; (3) decreased response to risky vs. safe choices in the left DPFC;
      and (4) decreased response to sad vs. neutral faces in the right ACC. This study
      links impaired valuation processing (here for signals of social threat, sadness
      and reward) to prefrontal cortex dysfunction in suicide attempters. These long
      term deficits may underlie the impaired decision-making and social difficulties
      found in suicide attempters. 

PMID- 26483214
TI  - High variability of genomic instability and gene expression profiling in
      different HeLa clones.
AB  - The HeLa cell line is one of the most popular cell lines in biomedical research,
      despite its well-known chromosomal instability. We compared the genomic and
      transcriptomic profiles of 4 different HeLa batches and showed that the gain and
      loss of genomic material varies widely between batches, drastically affecting
      basal gene expression. Moreover, different pathways were activated in response to
      a hypoxic stimulus. Our study emphasizes the large genomic and transcriptomic
      variability among different batches, to the point that the same experiment
      performed with different batches can lead to distinct conclusions and
      irreproducible results. The HeLa cell line is thought to be a unique cell line
      but it is clear that substantial differences between the primary tumour and the
      human genome exist and that an indeterminate number of HeLa cell lines may exist,
      each with a unique genomic profile. 

PMID- 26483215
TI  - [Genius between music and disease: Medical considerations on Ludwig van
      Beethoven].
AB  - Ludwig van Beethoven is nowadays considered to be one of the greatest composers
      in the history of music and his myth-like reputation is enhanced by his deafness;
      however, deafness was not the only condition which affected his genius. Due to
      the many lamentations contained in his letters about continuously recurring
      health problems, various attempts at an interpretation of Beethoven's personality
      have been undertaken. These included psychoanalytical considerations with respect
      to his father-mother relationship and also diagnostic attempts with reference to
      the symptoms of a possible borderline personality syndrome. The aim of this
      article is to comprehensively analyze the diseases of the patient Beethoven from
      the perspective of specialized medical disciplines based on new research results,
      to summarize various discipline-specific considerations and to make a
      contemporary assessment from the viewpoint of current scientific results.

PMID- 26483216
TI  - Validation of the pectoralis minor length test: A novel approach.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pectoralis minor (PM) shortness is believed to promote faulty
      shoulder mechanics including reduced scapular posterior tilt. A pectoralis minor
      length (PML) test that measures the acromion-table distance with and without
      manual pressure on the coracoid process is supposed to examine the passive
      mechanical properties of the PM. A threshold for "shortening" has been set at 2.6
      cm, but data regarding its validity are lacking. We hypothesized that, under
      conditions of good reliability, an evaluation of the effect of PM tenotomy, could
      adequately investigate the construct validity of this test. METHODS: Sixteen
      subjects with anterior shoulder instability who were undergoing open Latarjet
      procedures were recruited. We performed the PML test with and without pressure
      (1) in a clinical setting to check for intratester reliability and setting
      comparability and (2) in an intraoperative setting immediately before and after
      PM tenotomy to assess the construct validity. RESULTS: The PML test exhibited
      excellent intra-tester reliability (intracorrelation coefficients, ICC > 0.94)
      and reasonable setting comparability (ICC 0.31-0.54). The change following
      intraoperative PM tenotomy was significant (p < .008) but small (mean = 0.46-0.50
      cm) compared to the measurement variability (standard deviation 1.0-1.5 cm). In
      12 of the 16 subjects, the measurements remained above the threshold of 2.6 cm.
      CONCLUSIONS: The influence of the PM on the PML test seems to be minor compared
      to other factors that cause high measurement variability. A threshold of 2.6 cm
      cannot distinguish between short and normal PMs. Our findings suggest that the
      impact of the PM on restricted scapular posterior tilt might be smaller than
      believed.

PMID- 26483217
TI  - Effects of nosocomial infection trends on neonatal outcomes in preterm infants
      <33 weeks of gestational age in Canadian NICUs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize recent trends of nosocomial infection (NI) among
      preterm infants admitted to Canadian Level 3 NICUs during 2008-2012, and its
      association with neonatal outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective observational cohort
      study was performed including infants born <33 weeks gestational age and admitted
      to 24 NICU sites participating in the Canadian Neonatal NetworkTM during 2008
      2012. NICU sites were classified into three groups according to their baseline NI
      rates in 2008 [Low NI group (<=14%), Medium NI group (14.1%-19%) and High NI
      group (>19%)], and NICU sites were also classified according to their NI trend
      during 2008-2012 (decreased, null and increased). Trends in NI were further
      examined for each baseline-NI group. Trends for a composite outcome indicating
      mortality or severe morbidities (intraventricular hemorrhage grades>=3 or
      periventricular leukomalacia, retinopathy of prematurity stages>=3,
      bronchopulmonary dysplasia or necrotizing enterocolitis stages>=2) were examined
      for each baseline-NI and trend-NI NICU site groups using multivariable logistic
      regression analyses adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: Baseline high NI
      group showed significantly decreased trends in NI rates, while for with medium or
      low baseline NI groups showed no significant trends in NI rates. The composite
      outcome (mortality during NICU stay or any severe neonatal morbidity such as
      intraventricular hemorrhage grades 3-4, periventricular leukomalacia, retinopathy
      of prematurity stages 3-5, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and necrotizing
      enterocolitis stages 2-3) decreased significantly for sites with decreased
      (OR=0.89, 95% CI=0.85-0.93) or null (OR=0.94, 95% CI=0.90-0.98) NI trends, but no
      significant trends in the composite outcome were detected for sites with
      increased NI rates. CONCLUSIONS: The neonatal outcome is possibly influenced by
      NI rates and trend. The trend in the mortality and the risk of bronchopulmonary
      dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity stage>=3 and intraventricular hemorrhage>2
      were significantly decreased for sites with decreased NI trend, suggesting that
      these improved outcomes may be associated with effort to decrease NI rate.

PMID- 26483218
TI  - [Comparison of clinical features of purulent meningitis between small-for
      gestational-age and appropriate-for-gestational-age infants].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the differences in the clinical features of purulent
      meningitis (PM) between small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and appropriate-for
      gestational-age (AGA) infants. METHODS: The clinical data of 58 full-term infants
      with PM were analyzed retrospectively. The infants were classified into a SGA
      group (13 cases) and an AGA group (45 cases) according to their birth weight and
      gestational age. Clinical manifestations, laboratory results, and outcomes were
      compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The incidence of decreased muscle tone
      in the SGA group was significantly higher than that in the AGA group (P<0.05);
      the positive rate in the Pandy's test for cerebrospinal fluid in the SGA group
      was significantly higher than that in the SGA group (P<0.05). Brain imaging
      examination showed that the incidence of brain injuries in the SGA group was
      significantly higher than that in the AGA group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SGA
      infants with PM display a higher risk of brain injury, suggesting a poorer
      outcome, compared with AGA infants.

PMID- 26483219
TI  - [Evaluation of therapeutic effects and safety of different treatment methods for
      premature patent ductus arteriosus].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical treatment methods and their effects in the
      treatment of premature patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and to summarize the
      experience of surgical treatment for PDA. METHODS: Nineteen premature infants who
      were diagnosed with PDA and received surgical treatment betwen January 2013 and
      December 2014 were selected as the surgical group, and 19 premature infants with
      PDA who did not receive surgical treatment during the same period were selected
      as the non-surgical group. The differences in medical history, clinical
      conditions, mortality, and major complications between the two groups were
      analyzed, and the characteristics of surgical treatment and its clinical effects
      were analyzed from the aspects of preoperative preparation and surgical results.
      RESULTS: Compared with the surgical group, the gestational age and birth weight
      in the non-surgical group were significantly greater (P<0.01), and Apgar scores
      for 1 and 5 minutes after birth were significantly higher in the non-surgical
      group (P<0.05). The PDA diameter, time to confirmed ultrasonic diagnosis, and
      duration of auxiliary ventilation in the surgical group were greater than in the
      non-surgical group, and the incidence of drug therapy, left atrium/aortic root
      (LA/AO) ratio>1.3, and the square of catheter diameter/birth weight (d2/BW)
      ratio>9 mm2/kg in the surgical group was significantly higher than in the non
      surgical group (P<0.05). Compared with the non-surgical group, the surgical group
      had a significantly higher incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.01), and
      there were no significant differences in the incidence of death, cerebral white
      matter damage, intracranial hemorrhage, and necrotizing enterocolitis between the
      two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For premature infants with clinical symptoms
      and no improvement after conservative medical treatment or drug therapy, surgical
      ligation is a relatively safe and effective treatment method for PDA.

PMID- 26483220
TI  - [Clinical features, prevention and treatment of respiratory distress syndrome in
      neonates of different gestational ages in tertiary hospitals in Northwest China].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features, prevention and treatment of
      respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in neonates of different gestational ages
      (GA) in the tertiary hospitals in Northwest China. METHODS: A total of 440
      neonates diagnosed with RDS between January and December, 2011 in 12 tertiary
      hospitals in Northwest China were enrolled and classified into three groups:
      early preterm (GA<34 weeks; n=247), late preterm (GA 34-36(+6) weeks; n=131) and
      full-term (GA>=37 weeks; n=62). The clinical data, including perinatal factors,
      prevention and treatment, complications and prognosis, were comparatively
      analyzed among the three groups. RESULTS: The rate of multiple births in the
      early preterm group was higher than the other two groups. The two preterm groups
      showed a higher incidence of premature rupture of membranes than the full-term
      group. The full-term group had a higher rate of cesarean section without
      contractions than the two preterm groups. The early preterm group had the highest
      application rate of antenatal steroids. Compared with the other two groups, the
      early preterm group had a higher application rate of pulmonary surfactants (PS)
      and an earlier time of first application of PS. The full-term group had a lower
      resuscitation rate than the two preterm groups. The early preterm group showed a
      higher incidence of patent ductus arteriosus and intracranial hemorrhage than the
      other two groups. The cure rate of RDS (78.2%) was the highest in the full-term
      group, followed by the late preterm group (58.6%) and the early preterm group
      (42.9%). CONCLUSIONS: RDS infants of different GA in Northwest China have
      significant differences in perinatal factors, antenatal prevention, PS treatment,
      complications and prognosis.

PMID- 26483221
TI  - [Analgesic effect of fentanyl in neonates during mechanical ventilation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the analgesic effect and safety of fentanyl in neonates
      receiving mechanical ventilation. METHODS: Thirty neonates receiving mechanical
      ventilation between December 2010 and February 2011 were randomized into drug
      intervention group and control group (n=15 each). In addition to the conventional
      treatment for both groups, the drug intervention group received fentanyl as the
      analgesic treatment. Heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure changes, and
      premature infant pain profile (PIPP) score before treatment and at 30 minutes, 2
      hours, and 4 hours after treatment were recorded in both groups. Follow-up visits
      were performed for these infants after discharge, and the CDCC intellectual
      development scale for infants was applied to measure mental development index
      (MDI) and psychomotor development index (PDI) at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of age.
      RESULTS: The respiratory rate and heart rate decreased in the drug intervention
      group after fentanyl treatment compared with the control group (P<0.05), and the
      PIPP scores in the drug intervention group was significantly lower than in the
      control group (P<0.05). The results of follow-up visits showed no significant
      differences in MDI and PDI at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age between the drug
      intervention and control groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Fentanyl can relieve the
      pain response in neonates receiving mechanical ventilation, with no long-term
      adverse effects on neurodevelopment.

PMID- 26483222
TI  - [Expression and significance of toll-like receptors 7 and 8 in brain and lung
      tissues of death cases caused by EV71 infection].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the significance of toll-like receptors (TLR) -7 and -8 in
      the pathogenesis of infection caused by Enterovirus type 71 (EV71) through
      measuring the expression of TLR7 and TLR8 in brain and lung tissues from the
      death cases caused by EV71 infection. METHODS: Nine children who died of EV71
      infection (EV71 group) were selected as study subjects, and 7 children who died
      of accidents or non-infectious diseases were used as the control group. Brain and
      lung tissues from the death cases in both groups at autopsy were collected, and
      immunohistochemistry was applied to detect the expression of TLR7 and TLR8 in
      lung and brain tissues in both groups. Integrated optical density (IOD) was
      applied for semi-quantitative analysis of the expression of TLR7 and TLR8.
      RESULTS: Immunohistochemical results showed that the expression of TLR7 and TLR8
      in lung and brain tissues was strongly positive in the EV71 group, and the IOD
      values in the EV71 group were also significantly higher than those in the control
      group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression of TLR7 and
      TLR8 between lung and brain tissues in the EV71 group (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TLR7
      and TLR8 are highly expressed in lung and brain tissues from the patients who die
      of severe EV71 infection, suggesting that TLR7 and TLR8 may be involved in the
      pathogenesis of brain and lung damages caused by severe EV71 infection.

PMID- 26483223
TI  - [Distribution of pathogenic microorganisms and its relationship with clinical
      features in children with community-acquired pneumonia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the distribution of pathogenic microorganisms in different
      genders, age groups and seasons in children with community-acquired pneumonia
      (CAP) and the relationship between the distribution of pathogenic microorganisms
      and clinical features. METHODS: A total of 1,155 children with CAP were enrolled,
      among whom there were 670 boys and 485 girls, with a mean age of 3.1+/-2.8 years
      (range: one month to 14 years). Indirect immunofluorescence assay, particle
      agglutination test, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, colloidal gold method. and
      bacterial culture were applied to determine common respiratory pathogenic
      microorganisms in sputum, throat swabs, blood samples, bronchoalveolar lavage
      fluid, and urine. RESULTS: A total of 758 specimens (65.63%) were tested positive
      by pathogen detection. The top three dominant pathogens were Mycoplasma
      pneumoniae (MP, 43.64%), bacteria (15.12%), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV,
      9.26%), and the rate of mixed infection was 16.02%. The rates of MP infection
      between boys and girls with CAP were different (40.8% vs 47.6%; P<0.05). The MP
      detection rate was the highest in the age group of 6-14 years (77.4%) and the
      lowest in children younger than 1 year (11.2%), while the detection rates of
      bacteria and RSV were the highest in children younger than 1 year (21.2% and
      17.2%, respectively). The MP detection rate was significantly higher in summer
      and autumn than in winter and spring, while the detection rates of bacteria and
      RSV in summer and autumn were significantly lower than those in winter and
      spring. Among children who were MP positive, fever, chills, cough, crackles were
      more likely to appear; children with RSV infection were more likely to have
      wheezes; children with bacterial infection were less likely to have cough. Serum
      levels of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin were associated with bacterial
      infection (OR=1.747 and 1.418, respectively; both P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MP plays
      a more and more important role in the pathogenic microorganisms of CAP in
      children. Prevalence and outbreaks of MP infection among children should be
      alerted in summer and autumn. There are differences in the detection rate of
      various pathogenic microorganisms in CAP children with various age groups. The
      clinical features of children with CAP caused by different pathogenic
      microorganisms are different.

PMID- 26483224
TI  - [Clinical efficacy of montelukast for the treatment of bronchiolitis in infants].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of montelukast treatment on levels of serum
      leukotriene B4 and urinary leukotriene E4 in infants with bronchiolitis. METHODS:
      Seventy-five children who were diagnosed with bronchiolitis between June 2014 and
      December 2014 were randomly assigned into two groups, one with thirty-eight cases
      as the montelukast treatment group and another thirty-seven cases as the control
      group. All of the children were given routine medical treatment. The children in
      the montelukast treatment group were additionally given montelukast daily (4 mg
      once a day, for 7 days). The serum leukotriene B4 and urinary leukotriene E4
      levels were measured using ELISA before and after treatment. The relationship
      between serum leukotriene B4 and urinary leukotriene E4 levels was analyzed by
      Peason correlation analysis. RESULTS: After 7 days of treatment, the serum
      leukotriene B4 and urinary leukotriene E4 levels in the montelukast treatment and
      control groups were significantly reduced compared with before treatment
      (P<0.05). The montelukast treatment group showed significantly lower serum
      leukotriene B4 and urinary leukotriene E4 levels than the control group (P<0.05).
      The remission time of cough, wheezing and lung wheezes and the length of hospital
      stay in the montelukast treatment group were significantly shortened compared
      with the control group (P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between serum
      leukotriene B4 and urinary leukotriene E4 levels (r=0.723, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      Montelukast has a reliable clinical curative efficacy for bronchiolitis in
      infants, possibly by decreasing serum leukotriene D4 and urinary leukotriene E4
      levels.

PMID- 26483225
TI  - [Comparison of clinical application of exercise challenge test and methacholine
      challenge test in measurement of airway hyperresponsiveness].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the advantages and disadvantages between exercise challenge
      test (ECT) and methacholine challenge test (MCT) in the measurement of airway
      hyperresponsiveness (AHR), in order to identify a better and safer method to
      measure AHR. METHODS: Forty-seven children with controlled asthma after regular
      treatment were enrolled. ECT and MCT were performed for each child successively,
      and sensitivity was obtained through comparison with the golden standard (PD20).
      The occurrence of bronchospasm symptoms during the two tests was recorded.
      RESULTS: Taking PD20 as the gold standard, in children with moderate or severe
      AHR, the sensitivity of MCT (61%) for the measurement of AHR was significantly
      higher than that of ECT (9%) (P<0.05). The consistency between MCT results and
      PD20 was relatively high (kappa=0.614), while the consistency between ECT results
      and PD20 was relatively low (kappa=0.006). However, in the MCT, the incidence of
      bronchospasm symptoms was high and positively correlated with the incidence of
      cough and chest distress (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MCT has a higher sensitivity for
      the measurement of AHR, but has a higher incidence of adverse events, compared
      with ECT in children with controlled asthma after regular treatment.

PMID- 26483226
TI  - [Time-dependent heart rate variability in the head-up tilt test in children with
      postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the time-dependent heart rate (HR) variability in the head-up
      tilt test (HUTT) in children with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome
      (POTS) and to explore the HR diagnostic criteria for POTS in children. METHODS: A
      retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 105 children
      diagnosed with POTS with HR>=120 beats per minute (bpm) within the first 10
      minutes of HUTT between January 2007 and December 2014. Their HR variability
      within the first 10 minutes of HUTT was analyzed. RESULTS: The HR of children
      with POTS increased gradually from the supine position to a 60 degrees  head-up
      tilt position, and the increase in HR was 24+/-12 bpm at the beginning of HUTT,
      30+/-14 bpm at 3 minutes of HUTT, 32+/-13 bpm at 5 minutes of HUTT, and 38+/-12
      bpm at 10 minutes of HUTT. The average maximal HR increase within the first 10
      minutes of HUTT was 43+/-10 bpm. CONCLUSIONS: In children with POTS, the HR
      variability gradually increases with time, and therefore, it is suggested that HR
      increase >=40 bpm is more suitable for diagnosis of POTS in children.

PMID- 26483227
TI  - [Diagnosis of noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium by echocardiography].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of echocardiography in the diagnosis of
      noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium (NCVM) and to elucidate the
      echocardiographic characteristics of NCVM. METHODS: This study included 53
      patients (28 boys and 25 girls), with an age for initial diagnosis of 15 days to
      18 years, who were diagnosed with NCVM by echocardiography between May 2006 and
      May 2015. Transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography and color Doppler were
      performed for qualitative diagnosis, and the end-diastolic non-compacted
      layer/compacted layer (N/C) ratio measured in the parasternal ventricular short
      axis sectional view was selected as the criterion for quantitative diagnosis.
      RESULTS: The excessively prominent ventricular trabeculae and deep inter
      trabecular recesses were all seen in 53 cases, and the blood flow in the cardiac
      chambers was connected to the inter-trabecular recesses. The areas involved in
      NCVM were mainly the apex (100%) and the middle segment of the left ventricular
      lateral wall (98%), followed by the middle segment of the left ventricular
      posterior wall (49%) and the middle segment of the left ventricular inferior wall
      (42%). In 53 children with NCVM, the N/C ratio was 4.3+/-1.9 (2.1-10.0). Cardiac
      insufficiency was found in 83% (44/53) of the children with NCVM, and the left
      ventricular ejection fraction for these children was (43+/-9)%. CONCLUSIONS:
      Echocardiography can be used in the qualitative and quantitative diagnosis of
      NCVM and in the evaluation of cardiac function. The apex and the middle segment
      of the left ventricular lateral wall are often involved in NCVM, accompanied by
      decrease in the left ventricular ejection fraction.

PMID- 26483228
TI  - [Clinical characteristics of Henoch-Schonlein purpura in children].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical characteristics of Henoch-Schonlein purpura
      (HSP) in children. METHODS: The clinical data of 325 hospitalized children who
      were diagnosed with HSP between June 2012 and June 2014 were analyzed
      retrospectively. RESULTS: In the 325 children with HSP, the incidence of HSP was
      higher in winter and spring, with 33.9% and 27.4%, respectively. Infection was
      the major factor to induce HSP (57.2%). The incidence of renal damage in children
      with purpura accompanied by abdominal symptoms and children with purpura
      accompanied by abdominal and joint symptoms was 60.3% and 48.9%, respectively,
      with statistically significant differences compared with children with purpura
      alone (P<0.05). In 32 children with purpura nephritis, the pathological grades of
      IIIa and IIIb were more common, accounting for 28% and 31%, respectively. In 325
      children, an increased serum D-dimer level was observed in 260 children (80.0%),
      an increased peripheral IgA content in 101 children (46.3%), and a decreased CD4+
      cell percentage in 62 children (56.4%). CONCLUSIONS: A high incidence of HSP is
      often seen in spring and winter. HSP is often induced by upper respiratory tract
      infection. Renal damage is more likely to occur in children with digestive tract
      symptoms, with IIIa and IIIb as the common pathological grades of renal damage.

PMID- 26483229
TI  - [Roles of follicular helper T cells and follicular regulatory T cells in
      pathogenesis of Henoch-Schonlein purpura in children].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the roles of follicular helper T (Tfh) cells and follicular
      regulatory T (Tfr) cells in the pathogenesis of Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) in
      children. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were collected from 40 HSP children
      and 25 healthy controls. The percentages of Tfh and Tfr cells were measured by
      flow cytometry; the mRNA expression levels of Bcl-6, c-MAF, Blimp-1, and PD-1 in
      peripheral blood were measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS:
      Compared with the controls, the children with HSP had significantly increased
      percentage of Tfh cells and Tfh/Tfr ratio but a significantly reduced percentage
      of Tfr cells in the peripheral blood (P<0.05). Compared with the controls, the
      children with HSP had significantly increased mRNA expression of Bcl-6 and c-MAF
      but significantly reduced mRNA expression of Blimp-1 in CD4+ T cells (P<0.05),
      and had significantly increased mRNA expression of PD-1 but significantly reduced
      mRNA expression of Blimp-1 in CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      Abnormal percentages of Tfh and Tfr cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of
      HSP in children, and over-expression of Bcl-6, c-MAF, and PD-1 mRNA and inhibited
      expression of Blimp-1 mRNA may be considered as important reasons for abnormal
      percentages of Tfh and Tfr cells.

PMID- 26483230
TI  - [Efficacy of infliximab in the treatment of Crohn's disease in children].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of infliximab in the treatment of
      Crohn's disease in children. METHODS: Thirteen children who were diagnosed with
      Crohn's disease and received routine comprehensive treatment and infliximab (5
      mg/kg) between January 2011 and December 2014 were enrolled. The changes in their
      clinical manifestations, laboratory indices, and Pediatric Crohn's Disease
      Activity Index (PCDAI) after the 30-week treatment were analyzed retrospectively.
      Meanwhile, endoscopy was performed to evaluate therapeutic effects. RESULTS: The
      symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bloody stool were relieved soon
      after infliximab treatment, with no recurrence observed; after the 30-week
      treatment, the white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive
      protein, and the PCDAI decreased, while the hemoglobin increased significantly
      compared with those before treatment (P<0.05). After infliximab treatment, two
      children underwent endoscopy. The endoscopy showed that one child was cured, and
      the other child failed to respond to the treatment. No adverse drug reactions
      were seen in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Infliximab treatment has significant
      clinical effects in children with Crohn's disease, with no obvious adverse
      reactions, and therefore, it can be applied as one of the preferred alternatives
      for treatment of Crohn's disease in children.

PMID- 26483231
TI  - [Effects of HPGA suppression on predicted adult height in girls with central
      precocious puberty].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between the suppression of the hypothalamic
      pituitary-gonadal axis (HPGA) and the predicted adult height (PAH) in girls with
      central precocious puberty (CPP) during the treatment with gonadotropin-releasing
      hormone analogue (GnRHa), in order to provide guidance for individualized GnRHa
      dose adjustment in clinical practice. METHODS: The clinical data of 75 CPP girls
      were collected, and then height, bone age (BA), uterine and ovarian volumes, and
      peak luteinizing hormone (LH), peak follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and
      estradiol (E2) levels were recorded at different time points of GnRHa treatment.
      PAH at each time point was calculated. PAH improvement (DeltaPAH=PAH-target
      height) and its relationship with the degree of HPGA suppression were analyzed.
      Threshold effect analysis was applied to determine the best HPGA suppression
      range forDeltaPAH. RESULTS: After GnRHa treatment, PAHs were improved markedly
      compared with the data in the early stage of treatment. DeltaPAH showed a
      negative correlation with DeltaBA. At 24 months of treatment, DeltaPAH was also
      negatively correlated with LH. Uterine volume controlled between 2.3 and 3.0 mL,
      LH level controlled below 0.8 IU/L, and FSH controlled below 2.4 IU/L could slow
      down the growth of BA and improve PAH. CONCLUSIONS: GnRHa treatment can improve
      the PAH of CPP girls. Selection of an appropriate therapeutic dose for GnRHa to
      control uterine volume, LH and FSH levels within certain ranges can slow down the
      growth of BA and improve PAH.

PMID- 26483232
TI  - [Changes in fasting serum cortisol levels in adolescents with type 1 diabetes and
      elevated depressive symptoms].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the changes in serum cortisol levels in adolescents with type
      1 diabetes (T1DM) and elevated depressive symptoms. METHODS: Twenty-eight
      adolescents with T1DM and 31 healthy peers were assessed for depressive symptoms
      using a depression self-rating scale developed by the Epidemiological Survey
      Center. Selected subjects were classified into four groups: T1DM with elevated
      depressive symptoms group (n=15), T1DM without elevated depressive symptoms group
      (n=13), elevated depressive symptoms without T1DM group (n=15), and normal
      control group (n=16). Fasting blood samples were collected in the morning, and
      the levels of serum cortisol were compared among the four groups. The
      correlations of serum levels of cortisol and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)
      with the score of depression self-rating scale were evaluated by Pearson
      correlation analysis. RESULTS: The fasting serum cortisol levels in the 28 T1DM
      patients were significantly higher than in the 31 healthy peers (P<0.01). The
      fasting cortisol levels in the T1DM with elevated depressive symptoms group were
      significantly higher compared with those in the elevated depressive symptoms
      without T1DM group and normal control group (P<0.01). In adolescents with T1DM,
      serum HbA1c level was positively correlated with the score of depression self
      rating scale (r=0.481, P=0.010). CONCLUSIONS: The fasting serum cortisol levels
      in adolescents with T1DM and elevated depressive symptoms are significantly
      increased, suggesting that the patients with comorbidity of T1DM and depression
      develop dysfunction of the corticotropin-releasing hormone-adrenocorticotropic
      hormone-cortisol axis. The elevated depressive symptoms may be associated with a
      poor control of glucose metabolism.

PMID- 26483233
TI  - [Acute brainstem encephalitis and myelitis in a girl with isolated methylmalonic
      aciduria due to MUT gene defect].
AB  - Methylmalonyl CoA mutase deficiency due to MUT gene defect has been known as the
      main cause of isolated methylmalonic acidemia in Mainland China. This study
      reported a patient with isolated methylmalonic aciduria (MUT type) characterized
      as acute brainstem encephalitis and myelitis. The previously healthy girl
      presented with fever, lethargy and progressive weakness in her extremities at the
      age of 3 years and 2 months. Three day later, she had respiratory distress and
      consciousness. Cranial MRI revealed bilateral symmetrical lesion of pallidum,
      brain stem and spinal cord, indicating acute brainstem encephalitis and myelitis.
      Her blood propionylcarnitine (6.83 MUmol/L vs normal range 1.0 to 5.0 MUmol/L)
      and urinary methylmalonic acid (133.22 mmol/mol creatinine vs normal range 0.2 to
      3.6 mmol/mol creatinine) increased significantly. Plasma total homocysteine was
      normal. On her MUT gene, a reported mutation (c.1630_1631GG>TA) and a novel
      mutation (c.1663C>T, p.A555T) were identified, which confirmed the diagnosis of
      methylmalonic aciduria (MUT type). After cobalamin injection, protein-restricted
      diet with the supplements of special formula and L-carnitine, progressive
      improvement has been observed. The clinical manifestation of patients with
      methylmalonic aciduria is complex. Metabolic study and gene analysis are keys for
      the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder. 

PMID- 26483234
TI  - [Association of FGF23 gene polymorphism with Kawasaki disease and coronary artery
      lesions].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the distribution of polymorphism of c.212-37insC (rs3832879)
      in intron 1 of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) gene and its association with
      Kawasaki disease (KD) and coronary artery lesions (CAL). METHODS: Forty children
      with KD were enrolled in this study, among whom 16 children had concurrent CAL.
      Twenty-six age-matched healthy children were enrolled as controls. PCR and gene
      sequencing were applied to explore the distribution of polymorphism of c.212
      37insC (rs3832879) in FGF23 gene in KD patients and controls. RESULTS: Among 40
      children with KD, 14 (35%) carried the polymorphism of c.212-37insC (rs3832879)
      in FGF23 gene; among 26 controls, 6 (23%) carried such polymorphism. There was no
      significant difference in genotype distribution at this locus between the two
      groups (P=0.30). Among 16 children with CAL, 9 (56%) carried the polymorphism at
      this locus; among 24 children without CAL, 5 (21%) carried such polymorphism. As
      for the comparison of two subgroups with and without CAL, the difference in
      genotype distribution at this locus had statistical significance (P=0.02,
      OR=4.89, 95% CI: 1.21-19.71). CONCLUSIONS: The polymorphism of c.212-37insC
      (rs3832879) in FGF23 gene may not be associated with the pathogenesis of
      childhood KD, but it may be associated with the development of CAL in children
      with KD.

PMID- 26483235
TI  - [Association between CYP1A1*2A polymorphism and susceptibility to childhood acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia: a Meta analysis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between CYP1A1*2A polymorphism and
      susceptibility to childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) through a Meta
      analysis. METHODS: Inclusion and exclusion criteria were formulated and English
      and Chinese databases (PubMed, OVID Database, CBM, CNKI, and Wanfang Data) were
      searched comprehensively. The studies (from January 1999 to April 2015) related
      to the association between CYP1A1*2A polymorphism and susceptibility to childhood
      ALL were collected. STATA 12.0 Software was applied to perform the Meta analysis
      for the articles included. RESULTS: A total of 12 articles were included for
      analysis (11 English articles and 1 Chinese article), which involved 3 355 cases
      in total. The results of the Meta analysis showed a significant association
      between CYP1A1*2A polymorphism and susceptibility to childhood ALL (allele model:
      OR=1.31, 95% CI: 1.07-1.61; dominant model: OR=1.33, 95% CI: 1.13-1.56;
      codominant model: OR=1.30, 95% CI: 1.10-1.54). According to the results of a
      subgroup analysis based on ethnic origin, an increased risk of childhood ALL was
      observed in both Asian subgroup (dominant model: OR=1.57, 95% CI: 1.19-2.08;
      codominant model: OR=1.61, 95% CI: 1.20-2.17) and the Caucasian subgroup (allele
      model: OR=1.31, 95% CI: 1.04-1.63; dominant model: OR=1.22, 95% CI: 1.00-1.49).
      CONCLUSIONS: CYP1A1*2A polymorphism may be associated with the genetic
      susceptibility to childhood ALL.

PMID- 26483236
TI  - [Effects of hydrogen sulfide donor on production of adrenomedullin and atrial
      natriuretic peptide in rats with atherosclerosis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a novel gasotransmitter in
      cardiovascular regulation, plays an important protective role in the development
      and progression of atherosclerosis (AS). This study was designed to explore the
      effects of H2S donor on the production of adrenomedullin (ADM) and atrial
      natriuretic peptide (ANP) in AS rats. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were
      randomly divided into control group (n=10), AS group (n=10), and AS+NaHS group
      (n=10). Rats in the AS and AS+NaHS groups were given 3-day intraperitoneal
      injections of vitamin D3 and 8-week high-fat diet to induce AS, and the rats in
      the AS+NaHS group were intraperitoneally injected with H2S donor NaHS. Oil red O
      staining was applied to detect changes in the areas of the atherosclerotic
      plaques in the aortic root and the coronary artery; sulfide-sensitive electrode
      method was used to measure the plasma concentration of H2S. ADM and ANP levels in
      plasma were determined by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: Compared with the control
      group, marked atherosclerotic plaques were observed in the aortic root and the
      coronary artery in AS rats. Moreover, plasma H2S level decreased significantly,
      ADM level increased, and ANP level decreased significantly in AS rats (P<0.01).
      However, after the treatment with H2S donor NaHS for 8 weeks, the above changes
      in AS rats were reversed, demonstrated by significantly reduced areas of the
      atherosclerotic plaques in both the aortic root and the coronary artery,
      significantly increased plasma H2S level, significantly decreased plasma ADM
      level, and significantly increased plasma ANP level (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: H2S
      plays an important regulatory effect on vasoactive peptides ADM and ANP in AS
      rats.

PMID- 26483237
TI  - [Effects of intrauterine growth restriction and high-fat diet on serum lipid and
      transcriptional levels of related hepatic genes in rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and
      high-fat diet on the growth, lipid metabolism, and related hepatic genes in rat
      offspring. METHODS: The rat model of IUGR was established by food restriction
      during the entire pregnancy. After weaning, 32 normal rats and 24 offspring rats
      with IUGR were randomly allocated to standard diet group or high-fat diet group.
      At the age of 10 weeks, fasting plasma glucose and blood lipid were examined.
      Additionally, pathological sections for hepatic tissues were observed, and the
      transcriptional levels of related hepatic genes were measured. RESULTS: At the
      age of 10 weeks, there was a significant difference in body weight between IUGR
      rats and normal rats on standard diets, but no significant difference in body
      weight was observed between the two groups on high-fat diets. Compared with the
      normal rats, IUGR rats showed increased energy intake and increased levels of
      fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, and triglyceride on both standard and
      high-fat diets. High-fat diets reduced the concentration of serum triglyceride in
      both normal rats and IUGR rats. IUGR and high-fat diets aggravated the fat
      accumulation in the liver. Two-factor analysis of variance showed that at the age
      of 10 weeks, the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism in the liver,
      PGC-1alpha, CPT-1, SREBF-2, HMGR, LDLR and SREBF-1, differed significantly
      between IUGR and normal rats. Compared with standard diets, high-fat diets
      increased the expression of PPARalpha, SREBF-1, SREBF-2, ABCG5, and CYP7A1 in
      both normal rats and IUGR rats. IUGR and high-fat diets had an interactive effect
      on LDLR expression. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperlipidemia and fat accumulation in the liver
      observed in IUGR rats may be related to increased appetite and regulation
      disorder in genes related to fatty acid oxidation at the transcriptional level.
      High-fat diets may aggravate fat accumulation in the liver in rats, which may be
      related to increased expression of genes related to regulation of fatty acid
      synthesis at the transcriptional level and reduction in secretion of
      triglyceride.

PMID- 26483238
TI  - [Painless skin nodules and ecchymosis in a school-aged girl].
AB  - A 7-year-old girl was admitted to Xiangya Hospital due to systemic
      lymphadenectasis for 2 months and skin ecchymosis for 3 days. Nine months ago,
      the girl experienced painless nodules in the left lower extremity with no
      apparent causes. Three months later, dermatorrhagia and ecchymosis occurred in
      many regions such as the periocular areas, conjunctiva, oral mucosa, perineal
      area, and groin, with a "raccoon sign" in both eyes; superficial lymphadenectasis
      and hepatosplenomegaly were also observed in many regions. The pathological
      sections for the skin nodules showed malignant tumors in lymphohematopoietic
      cells, and in combination with clinical manifestations, immunohistochemistry, and
      positive results for CD4, CD56, and CD123 by bone marrow flow cytometry, the girl
      was diagnosed with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm. Then high-risk
      ALL regimen was applied as the chemotherapy for this girl. At present, the girl
      has been followed up for 3 months; ecchymosis has disappeared, and the enlarged
      lymph nodes have shrunk. No abnormal cells have been found in bone marrow
      morphological examination, and bone marrow flow cytometry has shown that
      primitive precursor cells account for 1.5% and express CD33, CD34, CD123, and
      CD117. 

PMID- 26483239
TI  - [Clinical characteristics and therapy of idiopathic hypoparathyroidism in 30
      infants].

PMID- 26483240
TI  - [Neurofibromatosis complicated by acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a boy].

PMID- 26483241
TI  - [Progress in management of patent ductus arterious in preterm infants with
      gestational age of <28 weeks].
AB  - Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common problem encountered in the early
      neonatal period, particularly in preterm infants. Optimal management of PDA in
      preterm infants remains controversial. Despite considerable historical and
      physiological data indicating a persistent PDA may be harmful, robust evidence of
      long-term benefits or harms from treatment is lacking. This has been equated to a
      lack of benefit but is also a reflection of the fact that many clinical trials
      were designed to assess the effects of short-term (2-8 days) rather than
      prolonged exposure to a PDA. No clinical trials have been designed to assess the
      effects of prolonged exposure of persistent PDA on morbidity and mortality of
      very premature infants. Significant changes in management of PDA, i.e., less
      treatment for PDA, have evolved in recent years. This paper reviews the current
      literature and evidence for treatment options and research progress of PDA in
      infants with gestational age of <28 weeks. 

PMID- 26483242
TI  - The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) 65th Annual
      Scientific Meeting, 29 October-1 November 2015, Adelaide, Australia.

PMID- 26483244
TI  - Lung Cancer Risk and Demographic Characteristics of Current 20-29 Pack-year
      Smokers: Implications for Screening.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Based on current recommendations, 30+ pack-years of smoking are
      required for eligibility for low-dose CT (LDCT) lung cancer screening; former
      smokers must have quit within 15 years. We investigated whether current smokers
      with 20 to 29 pack-years have similar lung cancer risks as eligible former
      smokers and also whether they have a different demographic profile. METHODS: The
      Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO) was a
      randomly assigned screening trial of subjects age 55 to 74 years with chest
      radiographs (CXR) used for lung cancer. Subjects completed a baseline
      questionnaire containing smoking history questions. Cox proportional hazards
      models, adjusted for age and sex, were utilized to estimate hazard ratios (HRs)
      for various smoking history groups. Next, we utilized the National Health
      Interview Survey (NHIS), which inquired about smoking history and race/ethnicity,
      to analyze the demographic profiles of various high-risk smoking history
      categories. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: The PLCO cohort
      included 18 114 former and 12 243 current LDCT-eligible smokers, plus 2283 20- to
      29-pack-year current smokers. The hazard ratio for 20- to 29-pack-year current
      smokers compared with eligible (30+ pack-year) former smokers was 1.07 (95%
      confidence interval [CI] = 0.75 to 1.5). Based on the NHIS, 10 million persons in
      the United States are currently LDCT eligible; an additional 1.6 million (16%,
      95% CI = 13.6% to 19.0%) are 20- to 29-pack-year current smokers. The percentage
      increase in eligibles if 20- to 29-pack-year current smokers were included was
      substantially greater for women than men (22.2%, 95% CI = 17.9% to 26.7%; vs
      12.2%, 95% CI = 9.3% to 15.3%, P < .001) and for minorities than non-Hispanic
      whites (30.0%, 95% CI = 24.2% to 36.0%; vs 14.1%, 95% CI = 11.1% to 17.0%, P <
      .001). CONCLUSION: The potential benefits and harms of recommending LDCT
      screening for 20 to 29-pack-year current smokers should be assessed.

PMID- 26483245
TI  - Lung Cancer Screening With Low-Dose Computed Tomography Beyond the National Lung
      Screening Trial.

PMID- 26483246
TI  - [Reinhard Bollmann: 24.01.1944 - 10.11.2014].

PMID- 26483247
TI  - [Report of the working group on pediatric and fetal pathology].

PMID- 26483248
TI  - [Hans-Peter Putzke. 14.05.1931 - 22.07.2015].

PMID- 26483249
TI  - [S3 guidelines on diagnostics and treatment of cervical cancer: Demands on
      pathology].
AB  - Between 2011 and the end of 2014 the former consensus S2k guidelines for the
      diagnostics and treatment of cervical cancer were updated and upgraded to S3
      level, methodologically based on the regulations of the German Cancer Society
      (DKG). The present article summarizes the relevant aspects for the sectioning,
      histopathological workup, diagnostics and reporting for the pathology of invasive
      cancer of the uterine cervix. The recommendations are based on the most recent
      World Health Organization (WHO) and TNM classification systems and consider the
      needs of the clinician for appropriate surgical and radiotherapeutic treatment of
      patients. Detailed processing rules of colposcopy-guided diagnostic biopsies,
      conization and trachelectomy as well as for radical hysterectomy specimens and
      lymph node resection (including sentinel lymph node resection) are given. In the
      guidelines deep stromal invasion in macroinvasive cervical cancer is defined for
      the first time as tumor infiltration of > 66% of the cervical stromal wall.
      Furthermore, morphological prognostic factors for microinvasive and macroinvasive
      cervical cancer are summarized.

PMID- 26483250
TI  - [Molecular and metabolic changes in human clear cell liver foci].
AB  - Activation of the AKT/mTOR and Ras/MAPK pathways and the lipogenic phenotype are
      evident both in human hepatocellular carcinoma and in the rat model of insulin
      induced hepatocarcinogenesis in the earliest preneoplastic lesions, i.e. clear
      cell foci (CCF) of altered hepatocytes. These CCFs have also been described in
      the human liver but characterization of molecular and metabolic changes are still
      pending. In this study, human sporadic CCFs were investigated in a collection of
      human non-cirrhotic liver specimens using histology, histochemistry,
      immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy and molecular pathological analysis.
      Human CCFs occurred in approximately 33 % of non-cirrhotic livers and stored
      masses of glycogen in the cytoplasm, largely due to reduced activity of glucose-6
      phosphatase. Hepatocytes revealed an upregulation of the AKT/mTOR and the
      Ras/MAPK pathways, the insulin receptor, glucose transporters and enzymes of
      glycolysis and de novo lipogenesis. Proliferative activity was 2-fold higher than
      in extrafocal tissue. The CCFs of altered hepatocytes are metabolically and
      proliferatively active lesions even in humans. They resemble the well-known
      preneoplastic lesions from experimental models in terms of morphology, glycogen
      storage, overexpression of protooncogenic signaling pathways and activation of
      the lipogenic phenotype, which are also known in human hepatocellular carcinoma.
      This suggests that hepatic CCFs also represent very early lesions of
      hepatocarcinogenesis in humans. 

PMID- 26483251
TI  - [Cytological material for molecular pathology].
AB  - Personalized therapy concepts in which the active agent is adapted to genetic
      alterations in the tumor of the patient, have in recent years led to a paradigm
      shift in oncology. A comprehensive molecular diagnostic tumor characterization is
      therefore essential before initiating therapy in order to select the optimal
      therapy for the patient. The continuously increasing number of genetic
      alterations which can be treated and known resistance mechanisms together with
      limited availability of test material represents a completely new challenge for
      molecular diagnostics. The possibility of being able to determine mutations,
      translocations and changes in the number of copies not only from paraffin
      embedded tumor tissue but also from cytological material and even circulating
      tumor DNA, substantially extends the diagnostic options.

PMID- 26483252
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26483253
TI  - Longitudinal validation of periarticular bone area and 3D shape as biomarkers for
      knee OA progression? Data from the FNIH OA Biomarkers Consortium.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To perform a longitudinal validation study of imaging bone biomarkers
      of knee osteoarthritis (OA) progression. METHODS: We undertook a nested case
      control study within the Osteoarthritis Initiative in knees (one knee per
      subject) with a Kellgren and Lawrence grade of 1-3. Cases were defined as knees
      having the combination of medial tibiofemoral radiographic progression and pain
      progression at the 24-month, 36-month or 48-month follow-up compared with
      baseline. Controls (n=406) were eligible knees that did not meet both endpoint
      criteria and included 200 with neither radiographic nor pain progression, 103
      with radiographic progression only and 103 with pain progression only. Bone
      surfaces in medial and lateral femur, tibia and patella compartments were
      segmented from MR images using active appearance models. Independent variables of
      primary interest included change from baseline to 24 months in (1) total area of
      bone and (2) position on three-dimensional (3D) bone shape vectors that
      discriminate OA versus non-OA shapes. We assessed the association of bone markers
      changes over 24 months with progression using logistic regression. RESULTS: 24
      month changes in bone area and shape in all compartments were greater in cases
      than controls, with ORs of being a case per 1 SD increase in bone area ranging
      from 1.28 to 1.71 across compartments, and per 1 SD greater change in 3D shape
      vectors ranging from 1.22 to 1.64. Bone markers were associated most strongly
      with radiographic progression and only weakly with pain progression. CONCLUSIONS:
      In knees with mild-to-moderate radiographic OA, changes in bone area and shape
      over 24 months are associated with the combination of radiographic and pain
      progression over 48 months. This finding of association with longer term clinical
      outcome underscores their potential for being an efficacy of intervention
      biomarker in clinical trials.

PMID- 26483254
TI  - Defining an optimal referral strategy for patients with a suspicion of axial
      spondyloarthritis: what is really important? Response to: 'Evaluating the ASAS
      recommendations for early referral of axial spondyloarthritis in patients with
      chronic low back pain; is one parameter present sufficient for primary care
      practice?' by van Hoeven et al.

PMID- 26483255
TI  - Prediction of disease relapses by multibiomarker disease activity and
      autoantibody status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis on tapering DMARD
      treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyse the role of multibiomarker disease activity (MBDA) score in
      predicting disease relapses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in
      sustained remission who tapered disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD)
      therapy in RETRO, a prospective randomised controlled trial. METHODS: MBDA scores
      (scale 1-100) were determined based on 12 inflammation markers in baseline serum
      samples from 94 patients of the RETRO study. MBDA scores were compared between
      patients relapsing or remaining in remission when tapering DMARDs. Demographic
      and disease-specific parameters were included in multivariate logistic regression
      analysis for defining predictors of relapse. RESULTS: Moderate-to-high MBDA
      scores were found in 33% of patients with RA overall. Twice as many patients who
      relapsed (58%) had moderate/high MBDA compared with patients who remained in
      remission (21%). Baseline MBDA scores were significantly higher in patients with
      RA who were relapsing than those remaining in stable remission (N=94; p=0.0001)
      and those tapering/stopping (N=59; p=0.0001). Multivariate regression analysis
      identified MBDA scores as independent predictor for relapses in addition to
      anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) status. Relapse rates were low (13%) in
      patients who were MBDA-/ACPA-, moderate in patients who were MBDA+/ACPA- (33.3%)
      and MBDA-ACPA+ (31.8%) and high in patients who were MBDA+/ACPA+ (76.4%).
      CONCLUSIONS: MBDA improved the prediction of relapses in patients with RA in
      stable remission undergoing DMARD tapering. If combined with ACPA testing, MBDA
      allowed prediction of relapse in more than 80% of the patients. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: EudraCT 2009-015740-42.

PMID- 26483257
TI  - Unraveling Quantum Annealers using Classical Hardness.
AB  - Recent advances in quantum technology have led to the development and
      manufacturing of experimental programmable quantum annealing optimizers that
      contain hundreds of quantum bits. These optimizers, commonly referred to as 'D
      Wave' chips, promise to solve practical optimization problems potentially faster
      than conventional 'classical' computers. Attempts to quantify the quantum nature
      of these chips have been met with both excitement and skepticism but have also
      brought up numerous fundamental questions pertaining to the distinguishability of
      experimental quantum annealers from their classical thermal counterparts.
      Inspired by recent results in spin-glass theory that recognize 'temperature
      chaos' as the underlying mechanism responsible for the computational
      intractability of hard optimization problems, we devise a general method to
      quantify the performance of quantum annealers on optimization problems suffering
      from varying degrees of temperature chaos: A superior performance of quantum
      annealers over classical algorithms on these may allude to the role that quantum
      effects play in providing speedup. We utilize our method to experimentally study
      the D-Wave Two chip on different temperature-chaotic problems and find,
      surprisingly, that its performance scales unfavorably as compared to several
      analogous classical algorithms. We detect, quantify and discuss several purely
      classical effects that possibly mask the quantum behavior of the chip. 

PMID- 26483256
TI  - Differential expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-response   proteins in
      different renal tubule subtypes of OVE26 diabetic mice.
AB  - Regulation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-response pathway during the
      course of diabetes specifically in renal tubules is unclear. Since tubule cell
      dysfunction is critical to progression of diabetic nephropathy, this study
      analyzed markers of ER stress response and ER chaperones at different stages of
      diabetes and in different renal tubule subtypes of OVE26 type-1 diabetic mice. ER
      stress-responseinduced chaperones GRP78, GRP94, and protein disulfide isomerase
      (PDI) were increased in isolated cortical tubules of older diabetic mice, while
      PDI was decreased in tubules of young diabetic mice. Immunofluorescence staining
      of kidneys from older mice showed GRP78 and PDI upregulation in all cortical
      tubule segments, with substantial induction of PDI in distal tubules. Protein
      kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) phosphorylation was increased
      in cortical tubules of young diabetic mice, with no differences between older
      diabetic and control mice. Expression of ER stress-induced PERK inhibitor p58IPK
      was decreased and then increased in all tubule subtypes of young and older mice,
      respectively. Knockdown of PERK by small interfering RNA (siRNA) increased
      fibronectin secretion in cultured proximal tubule cells. Tubules of older
      diabetic mice had significantly more apoptotic cells, and ER stress-induced
      proapoptotic transcription factor C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) was increased
      in proximal and distal tubules of diabetic mice and diabetic humans. CHOP
      induction in OVE26 mice was not altered by severity of proteinuria.
      Overexpression of CHOP in cultured proximal tubule cells increased expression of
      fibronectin. These findings demonstrate differential ER stress-response signaling
      in tubule subtypes of diabetic mice and implicate a role for PERK and CHOP in
      tubule cell matrix protein production.

PMID- 26483258
TI  - TYR as a multifunctional reporter gene regulated by the Tet-on system for
      multimodality imaging: an in vitro study.
AB  - The human tyrosinase gene TYR is a multifunctional reporter gene with potential
      use in photoacoustic imaging (PAI), positron emission tomography (PET), and
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We sought to establish and evaluate a reporter
      gene system using TYR under the control of the Tet-on gene expression system
      (gene expression induced by doxycycline [Dox]) as a multimodality imaging agent.
      We transfected TYR into human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231), naming the
      resulting cell line 231-TYR. Using non-transfected MDA-MB-231 cells as a control,
      we verified successful expression of TYR by 231-TYR after incubation with Dox
      using western blot, cellular tyrosinase activity, Masson-Fontana silver staining,
      and a cell immunofluorescence study, while the control cells and 231-TYR cells
      without Dox exposure revealed no TYR expression. Detected by its absorbance at
      405 nm, increasing concentrations of melanin correlated positively with Dox
      concentration and incubation time. TYR expression by Dox-induced transfected
      cells shortened MRI T1 and T2 relaxation times. Photoacoustic signals were easily
      detected in these cells. (18)F-5-fluoro-N-(2-[diethylamino]ethyl)picolinamide
      ((18)F-5-FPN), which targets melanin, quickly accumulated in Dox-induced 231-TYR
      cells. These show that TYR induction of melanin production is regulated by the
      Tet-on system, and TYR-containing indicator cells may have utility in
      multimodality imaging. 

PMID- 26483259
TI  - Significant Functional Improvement at 2 Years After Isolated Patellofemoral
      Arthroplasty With an Onlay Trochlear Implant, But Low Mental Health Scores
      Predispose to Dissatisfaction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We reviewed the clinical and radiographic outcomes of a consecutive
      series of patients who underwent patellofemoral arthroplasty (PFA) using a modern
      onlay-style trochlear design and all-polyethylene patellar component. An
      additional goal of the study was to elucidate, for the first time, the extent to
      which patients were satisfied with their implant and whether expectations were
      met after undergoing PFA. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We identified a consecutive
      series of 70 knees (53 patients) treated with primary isolated PFA between
      October 2007 and May 2012. For our clinical outcomes analysis, we included
      patients with a minimum follow-up of 2 years and available preoperative original
      Knee Society scores. RESULTS: At an average 4.9 years of follow-up, the mean
      range of motion and Knee Society Knee and Function scores improved significantly,
      and less than 4% of patients required revision arthroplasty. There was no
      radiographic evidence of component loosening or wear. Despite these improvements,
      new Knee Society scores indicated that fewer than two-thirds of patients were
      satisfied or had their expectations met. Dissatisfied patients and those whose
      expectations were not met had significantly lower Mental Health scores according
      to the Short Form-36 following PFA. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the clinical and
      radiographic success of this implant, patient satisfaction remained low, which
      may be partially explained by poor mental health.

PMID- 26483260
TI  - Predictors of Facility Discharge, Range of Motion, and Patient-Reported Physical
      Function Improvement After Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Prospective Cohort
      Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients are discharged to home or inpatient settings after primary
      unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Few studies have compared patient
      outcomes following these 2 rehabilitation models for TKA patients. We identified
      predictors of inpatient discharge, 3-month postoperative range of motion (ROM),
      and 3-month postoperative patient-reported physical function improvement
      (Veterans RAND 12-Item Physical Component Score [PCS]) between these discharge
      settings. METHODS: We studied prospectively collected cohort data for 738 TKAs
      between April 2011 and April 2013 at a high-volume tertiary academic medical
      center in a rural setting. All patients followed a standardized care pathway that
      involved prospective data collection as part of routine clinical care. Adjusting
      variables included age, sex, preoperative PCS, surgeon, modified Charlson
      Comorbidity Index, preoperative body mass index, laterality, and preoperative
      ROM; the 3-month models also included length of stay and discharge disposition as
      adjusters. RESULTS: Significant adjusted predictors of inpatient discharge
      included older age, female sex, surgeon, comorbidity, lower PCS, and body mass
      index greater than 40. Only lower preoperative ROM predicted postoperative ROM.
      Inpatient discharge and higher preoperative PCS predicted lower PCS improvement.
      Home-based rehabilitation was associated with greater 3-month PCS improvement and
      showed no difference with 3-month ROM. CONCLUSION: Discharge to home-based
      rehabilitation after TKA, rather than inpatient facility, is associated with
      higher physical function at 3 months postsurgery and shows no difference with 3
      month ROM. Total knee arthroplasty inpatient discharge should be based on patient
      care requirements rather than perceived benefit of improved ROM and physical
      function.

PMID- 26483262
TI  - Smartphone for smart living: Using new technologies to cope with everyday
      limitations in semantic dementia.
AB  - New technologies have considerable potential to support people with semantic
      dementia-a form of progressive aphasia-in their everyday lives, but evidence is
      still sparse. The first objective of the study was to document day-to-day
      compensation strategies, including the use of a smartphone, in ND, a 56-year-old
      man with semantic dementia. The second objective was to explore if, 5 years after
      receiving his diagnosis, ND could still learn new smartphone functions. Results
      for objective 1 showed that ND had adopted a large number of compensation
      mechanisms in his everyday life, and expanded the use of one application he had
      learned 4 years earlier. Results for objective 2 showed that, with an errorless
      learning approach, he learnt to effectively use 10 smartphone functions. He was
      also able to verbalise semantic knowledge about those functions and still used
      40% of them in daily life 6 months post-intervention. He particularly appreciated
      note-taking, and spontaneously expanded his abilities in using this function's
      features in order to reduce his semantic difficulties. This study shows the
      potential of new mobile technologies for semantic dementia, how they can be
      adapted and modified as the disease progresses, and how some patients can
      creatively use external technological aids.

PMID- 26483261
TI  - GSK-3b participates in the regulation of hepatic lipid  deposition in large
      yellow croaker (Larmichthys crocea).
AB  - In this study, the participation of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) in
      the lipid deposition was investigated in the liver of large yellow croaker
      (Larmichthys crocea) by LiCl treatment. It was found that the expression of GSK
      3beta and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) was
      inhibited, but the expression of beta-catenin was induced by LiCl treatment.
      Furthermore, the gene expression and activity of fatty acid synthetase (FAS) and
      lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in the liver was inhibited by LiCl treatment. The
      content of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and non-estesterified fatty
      acid in the liver, as well as TC, TG, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in
      plasma, was decreased by LiCl treatment. However, high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol in plasma was increased, and the number of lipid droplets in the
      liver was decreased by LiCl treatment. The results indicate that GSK-3beta/beta
      catenin may participate in regulating LPL and FAS through PPARgamma in the liver
      of large yellow croaker, which will lead to the inhibition of hepatic lipid
      deposition.

PMID- 26483263
TI  - Patient selection for upper airway stimulation: is concentric collapse in sleep
      endoscopy predictable?
AB  - PURPOSE: Upper airway stimulation is an effective treatment option for
      obstructive sleep apnea after failure of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy.
      To ensure a therapeutic effect, closed-loop hypoglossal nerve implants require
      the absence of palatal complete concentric collapse during sleep endoscopy. The
      frequency and potential predictors of this exclusion criterion are unknown.
      METHODS: Over a 2-year period, 74 consecutive patients with sleep apnea who
      sought PAP alternatives were evaluated with sleep endoscopy using propofol. The
      influence of sleep apnea severity and anthropometric characteristics as
      predictors of sleep endoscopy results was investigated. RESULTS: One-fifth of all
      patients showed a concentric collapse. Gender and age did not predict the
      presence of concentric collapse, but higher body mass and apnea hypopnea index
      values were predictive (p = 0.011; e.g., 0.026). The most commonly used body mass
      index values for upper airway stimulation indications demonstrated acceptable
      specificity (BMI 32 kg/m(2) 0.71, 95 % confidence interval = 0.57, 0.82; e.g., 35
      kg/m(2) 0.81, 95 % confidence interval = 0.69, 0.90). Despite the association
      with overweight, a significant number of severely overweight patients had no
      concentric palatal collapse. CONCLUSIONS: Concentric collapse is a somewhat
      common condition encountered in sleep endoscopy evaluations of PAP alternatives,
      and cannot be sustainably predicted with anthropometric or sleep assessments.
      Sleep surgeons should be aware of the possibility of concentric collapse,
      especially in candidates who are more overweight and have severe sleep apnea.
      Sleep endoscopy can be useful for providing information about continuous positive
      airway pressure (CPAP) alternatives or to motivate patient adherence to
      treatment.

PMID- 26483264
TI  - Obstructive sleep apnoea and non-restorative sleep induced by the interface.

PMID- 26483265
TI  - Effectiveness of oral pressure therapy in obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic
      analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Oral pressure therapy (OPT) has emerged as a novel technique to treat
      obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the past few years. Given this is a relatively
      new treatment approach, currently, little is known with respect to its clinical
      utility. The aim of this review was to explore the success rate of OPT when used
      to treat OSA. METHODS: PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane
      Library databases were searched for pertinent studies. RESULTS: The OPT treatment
      success rates varied widely between 25 and 79 % depending on the residual apnea
      hypopnea index (AHI) cut off defined for treatment success. When using standard
      definitions (at least 50 % reduction from the baseline AHI and the post-OPT
      treatment residual AHI less than or equal to 10), the success rate of OPT
      treatment varied between 25 and 37 %. CONCLUSIONS: Although there was a
      significant reduction in AHI with OPT, the baseline AHI was not suppressed in
      majority of patients to the extent to call these patients as optimally treated.
      Successful treatment with OPT did not correlate with severity of OSA; however,
      patients with retro-palatal collapse responded better to treatment. Further
      research is needed to identify OSA patients who would benefit with this treatment
      modality.

PMID- 26483266
TI  - Response to: Obstructive sleep apnoea and non-restorative sleep induced by the
      interface.

PMID- 26483267
TI  - Discotic Liquid Crystals.

PMID- 26483268
TI  - Management of Indeterminate Cystic Kidney Lesions: Review of Contrast-enhanced
      Ultrasound as a Diagnostic Tool.
AB  - Indeterminate cystic kidney lesions found incidentally are an increasingly
      prevalent diagnostic challenge. Standard workup includes Bosniak classification
      with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI). However, these tests are costly and not without risks. Contrast-enhanced
      ultrasound (CEUS) is a relatively new technique with lower risk of adverse events
      than iodine-containing contrast or gadolinium. In our review of the evidence for
      characterization of cystic kidney lesions with CEUS, CEUS displayed sensitivity
      (89%-100%) and negative predictive value (86%-100%) comparable to contrast
      enhanced CT or MRI, with no decrease in specificity compared with CT and only a
      slight decrease compared with MRI. 

PMID- 26483269
TI  - Distortion correction of echo-planar diffusion-weighted images of uterine cervix.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical utility of the reverse gradient algorithm in
      correcting distortions in diffusion-weighted images of the cervix and for
      increasing diagnostic performance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-one patients ages
      25-72 years (mean 40 +/- 11 years) with suspected or early stage cervical cancer
      were imaged at 3T using an endovaginal coil. T2 -weighted (W) and diffusion
      weighted images with right and left phase-encode gradient directions were
      obtained coronal to the cervix (b = 0, 100, 300, 500, 800 s mm(-2) ). Differences
      in angle of the endocervical canal to the x-axis between T2 W and right-gradient,
      left-gradient, and corrected images were measured. Uncorrected and corrected
      images were assessed for diagnostic performance when viewed together with T2 W
      images by two independent observers against subsequent histology. RESULTS: The
      angles of the endocervical canal relative to the x-axis were significantly
      different between the T2 W images and the right-gradient images (P = 0.007),
      approached significance for left-gradient images (P = 0.055), and were not
      significantly different after correction (P = 0.95). Corrected images enabled a
      definitive diagnosis in 34% (n = 14) of patients classified as equivocal on
      uncorrected images. Tumor volume in this subset was 0.18 +/- 0.44 cm(3) (mean +/-
      SD; sensitivity of detection 100% [8/8], specificity 50% [3/6] for an experienced
      observer). Correction did not improve diagnostic performance for the less
      experienced observer. CONCLUSION: Distortion-corrected diffusion-weighted images
      improved correspondence with T2 W images and diagnostic performance in a third of
      cases.

PMID- 26483270
TI  - Autism and social robotics: A systematic review.
AB  - Social robotics could be a promising method for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
      treatment. The aim of this article is to carry out a systematic literature review
      of the studies on this topic that were published in the last 10 years. We tried
      to address the following questions: can social robots be a useful tool in autism
      therapy? We followed the PRISMA guidelines, and the protocol was registered
      within PROSPERO database (CRD42015016158). We found many positive implications in
      the use of social robots in therapy as for example: ASD subjects often performed
      better with a robot partner rather than a human partner; sometimes, ASD patients
      had, toward robots, behaviors that TD patients had toward human agents; ASDs had
      a lot of social behaviors toward robots; during robotic sessions, ASDs showed
      reduced repetitive and stereotyped behaviors and, social robots manage to improve
      spontaneous language during therapy sessions. Therefore, robots provide
      therapists and researchers a means to connect with autistic subjects in an easier
      way, but studies in this area are still insufficient. It is necessary to clarify
      whether sex, intelligence quotient, and age of participants affect the outcome of
      therapy and whether any beneficial effects only occur during the robotic session
      or if they are still observable outside the clinical/experimental context.

PMID- 26483271
TI  - Targeted next-generation sequencing of the ATP7B gene for molecular diagnosis of
      Wilson disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In recent years, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, which
      enable high throughput sample processing at relatively lower costs, are adopted
      in both research and clinical settings. A multiplex PCR-based NGS assay to
      identify mutations in the ATP7B gene for routine molecular diagnosis of Wilson
      disease was evaluated in comparison with the gold standard direct Sanger
      sequencing. DESIGN AND METHODS: Five multiplex PCRs to amplify the partial
      promoter, 5' untranslated and the entire coding regions of the ATP7B gene were
      designed. Indexed paired-end libraries were generated from the pooled amplicons
      using Nextera XT DNA Sample Preparation Kit and subjected to NGS on the MiSeq
      platform. DNA from the peripheral blood of 12 patients with Wilson disease, 2 B
      lymphocyte cell lines and 3 external quality assurance samples were sequenced by
      the MiSeq and Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Complete coverage was achieved across
      the targeted bases without any drop-out sequences. The observed read depth in a
      single run with 20 samples was >100X. Comparison of the NGS results against
      Sanger sequencing data on a panel of clinical specimens, cell lines and European
      Molecular Genetics Quality Networks (EMQN) quality assurance samples showed 100%
      concordance in identifying pathogenic mutations. CONCLUSION: With the capability
      of generating relatively higher throughput in a short time period, the NGS assay
      is a viable alternative to Sanger sequencing for detecting ATP7B mutations
      causally linked to Wilson disease in the clinical diagnostic laboratory.

PMID- 26483272
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26483274
TI  - Neuronal nitric oxide synthase localizes to utrophin expressing intercalated
      discs and stabilizes their structural integrity.
AB  - The neuronal nitric-oxide synthase (nNOS) splice variant nNOSu is essential for
      skeletal muscle function. Its localization is dependent on dystrophin, which
      stabilizes the dystrophin glycoprotein complex (DGC) at the sarcolemma of
      skeletal muscle fibers. In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) dystrophin is absent
      and sarcolemmal nNOS is lost. This leads to functional ischemia due to a decrease
      in contraction-induced vasodilation. In cardiomyocytes, nNOSu is believed to be
      the predominant NOS isoform. However, the association of nNOS with the DGC in the
      heart is unclear. Here, we report nNOS localization at the intercalated discs
      (IDs) of cardiomyocytes, where utrophin is highly expressed. In mdx, mdx:utr,
      nNOSu knock-out (KO), and mdx:nNOSu KO mice, we observed a gradual reduction of
      nNOS at IDs and disrupted ID morphology, compared to wild-type. In mdx:nNOSu KO
      mice, but not in mdx or nNOSu KO mice, we also observed an early development of
      cardiac fibrosis. These findings suggest that nNOS localization in the heart may
      not depend exclusively on the presence of dystrophin. Additionally, the beta1
      subunit of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), responsible for the production of cGMP
      through nitric oxide (NO) signaling, was also detected at the IDs. Together, our
      results suggest a new role of nNOS at the IDs for the cGMP-dependent NO pathway
      and the maintenance of ID morphology. 

PMID- 26483273
TI  - Development and psychometric analysis of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy
      Functional Ability Self-Assessment Tool (DMDSAT).
AB  - The objective of this study was to describe the development and initial
      psychometric analysis of the UK English version of the Duchenne muscular
      dystrophy Functional Ability Self-Assessment Tool (DMDSAT), a patient-reported
      outcome (PRO) scale designed to measure functional ability in patients with
      Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Item selection was made by neuromuscular
      specialists and a Rasch analysis was performed to understand the psychometric
      properties of the DMDSAT. Instrument scores were also linked to cost of illness
      and health-related quality of life data. The administered version, completed by
      186 UK patient-caregivers pairs, included eight items in four domains: Arm
      function, Mobility, Transfers, and Ventilation status. These items together
      successfully operationalized functional ability in DMD, with excellent targeting
      and reliability (Person Separation Index: 0.95; Cronbach's alpha: 0.93), stable
      item locations, and good fit to the Rasch model (mean person/item fit residual: 
      0.21/-0.44, SD: 0.32/1.28). Estimated item difficulty was in excellent agreement
      with clinical opinion (Spearman's rho: 0.95) and instrument scores mapped well
      onto health economic outcomes. We show that the DMDSAT is a PRO instrument fit
      for purpose to measure functional ability in ambulant and non-ambulant patients
      with DMD. Rasch analysis augments clinical expertise in the development of robust
      rating scales. 

PMID- 26483275
TI  - Can third-trimester assessment of uterine scar in women with prior Cesarean
      section predict uterine rupture?

PMID- 26483276
TI  - Quinine-Based Zwitterionic Chiral Stationary Phase as a Complementary Tool for
      Peptide Analysis: Mobile Phase Effects on Enantio- and Stereoselectivity of
      Underivatized Oligopeptides.
AB  - Peptide stereoisomer analysis is of importance for quality control of therapeutic
      peptides, the analysis of stereochemical integrity of bioactive peptides in food,
      and the elucidation of the stereochemistry of peptides from a natural chiral pool
      which often contains one or more D-amino acid residues. In this work, a series of
      model peptide stereoisomers (enantiomers and diastereomers) were analyzed on a
      zwitterionic ion-exchanger chiral stationary phase (Chiralpak ZWIX(+) 5 um), in
      order to investigate the retention and separation performance for such compounds
      on this chiral stationary phase and elucidate its utility for this purpose. The
      goal of the study focused on 1) investigations of the effects of the sample
      matrix used to dissolve the peptide samples; 2) optimization of the mobile phase
      (enabling deriving information on factors of relevance for retention and
      separation); and 3) derivation of structure-selectivity relationships. It turned
      out that small di- and tripeptides can be well resolved under optimized
      conditions, typically with resolutions larger than 1.5. The optimized mobile
      phase often consisted of methanol-tetrahydrofuran-water (49:49:2; v/v/v) with 25
      mM formic acid and 12.5 mM diethylamine. This work proposes some guidance on
      which mobile phases can be most efficiently used for peptide stereoisomer
      separations on Chiralpak ZWIX. Chirality 28:5-16, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26483277
TI  - Leptospirosis acquisition following the reintroduction of wildlife.
AB  - Potential risks posed to domestic animals and human beings by zoonotic diseases
      in reintroduced animals can reduce the acceptability of reintroductions. The
      authors investigated the role of endangered water voles, Arvicola amphibius, as a
      host for leptospirosis, a waterborne zoonosis affecting a range of mammals. Based
      on samples from 112 individuals from across the UK, a 6.2 per cent exposure rate
      was found (7 animals were microscopic agglutination test (MAT) positive for serum
      antibodies), with 4 of 11 sites having positive animals. No individual was
      actively excreting leptospires in urine (PCR urine test, 0 per cent positive).
      The acquisition of Leptospira species by a cohort of 'clean' captive-bred voles
      reintroduced to one site in the wild was then examined. By four months
      postrelease the maximum exposure prevalence (by either MAT or culture) was 42.9
      per cent. Thirty-five per cent were actively excreting leptospires. The rapidity
      of leptospire acquisition and comparatively high prevalence of infectious
      individuals is notable, exceeding expectation based on wild voles. One possible
      explanation is a lack of immunocompetence in reintroduced voles. Analyses of
      haematological parameters from reintroduced voles suggest a link between prior
      condition and disease acquisition. There may be potential to select the fittest
      animals before release to maximise reintroduction success. 

PMID- 26483278
TI  - Identification of noreremophilane-based inhibitors of angiogenesis using
      zebrafish assays.
AB  - Noreremophilanes are a rare class of cis-hydrindanes produced by genus Ligularia
      herbaceous plants which are known to exhibit interesting biological activities.
      We synthesized cis-hydrindanes based on a naturally occurring noreremophilane
      scaffold using a Diels-Alder/aldol sequence and screened them for multiple
      biological activities using high-content zebrafish embryonic development assays.
      We discovered a noreremophilane that has strong anti-angiogenic effects on the
      developing zebrafish embryos as well as on tumor-induced angiogenesis in a
      zebrafish xenograft model. We synthesized several derivatives of this class of
      noreremophilanes and performed structure-activity relationship studies in
      zebrafish to identify more potent and less toxic analogs of the original
      structure. 

PMID- 26483280
TI  - Genomic characteristics of coxsackievirus A8 strains associated with hand, foot,
      and mouth disease and herpangina.
AB  - Coxsackievirus A8 (CV-A8), a member of the genus Enterovirus of the family
      Picornaviridae, can cause a variety of infectious diseases, such as hand, foot
      and mouth disease (HFMD), herpangina (HA), encephalitis, paralysis, myelitis, and
      meningitis. This is a first report of complete genome sequences of CV-A8 strains
      associated with HFMD/HA since the prototype strain Donovan was identified in
      1949. The complete genome sequences of eight new CV-A8 strains showed 19.2 %-20.6
      % nucleotide differences when compared to the prototype strain Donovan, and 81.5
      %-99.9 % similarity to each other. The topology of a polyphyletic tree based on
      complete capsid protein gene sequences indicated that the new CV-A8 strains and
      Donovan are monophyletic. However, seven CV-A8 strains clustered with CV-A10 and
      CV-A2 in the 5'UTR and P2 region, respectively. In the P3 region, three and four
      CV-A8 strains grouped with CV-A6 and CV-A2, respectively. Seven CV-A8 strains
      segregated from Donovan and grouped in a separate lineage in the 3'UTR. The
      strain CVA8/SZ266/CHN/2014 was most similar to EV71 in the nonstructural proteins
      regions. Phylogenetic analysis classified worldwide CV-A8 isolates into four
      distinct clusters, and almost all Chinese and Thai CV-A8 strains evolved
      independently in their respective lineages, which indicated geographical
      evolution of CV-A8. 

PMID- 26483281
TI  - First detection of ungulate tetraparvovirus 1 (bovine hokovirus 1) in domestic
      yaks in northwestern China.
AB  - We describe the discovery and phylogenetic analysis of ungulate tetraparvovirus 1
      (also referred to as bovine hokovirus 1, B-PARV4, or partetravirus) in domestic
      yaks (Bos grunniens) in northwestern China. The yak B-PARV4 genome was detected
      in yak blood samples by PCR, using B-PARV4 primers corresponding to conserved
      regions. Twenty-two of 370 samples were positive for a B-PARV4-related genome
      sequence, indicating an overall prevalence of 5.95 %. The prevalence in Qinghai
      Province (13/195, 6.67 %) and Gansu Province (9/175, 5.14 %) was similar, but it
      varied significantly between yaks <= 1 year old (15/177, 8.47 %) and yaks > 1
      year old (7/193, 3.6 %) (p < 0.05). An alignment of the nearly full-length genome
      sequences of all 22 strains identified six different genomic sequences. A
      phylogenetic analysis revealed 99.0-99.7 % sequence identity between these six
      genomes and all known B-PARV4 genomes, excluding JF504698 (only 88.6 % identity),
      which represents another genotype. This is the first discovery of B-PARV4-related
      viruses in domestic yaks. 

PMID- 26483282
TI  - Genetic variation, pathogenicity, and immunogenicity of highly pathogenic porcine
      reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus strain XH-GD at different passage
      levels.
AB  - Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is one of the most
      economically important infectious diseases of swine worldwide. Immunization with
      an attenuated vaccine is considered an effective method for reducing the economic
      losses resulting from porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV)
      infection. Several studies have shown that PRRSV can be attenuated by passage in
      Marc-145 cells, but it is still not clear whether this attenuation influences the
      immunogenicity of PRRSV and what the mechanism of attenuation is. In order to
      study the mechanism of attenuation and immunogenicity of highly pathogenic (HP)
      PRRSV, the HP-PRRSV strain XH-GD was serially 122 times passaged in Marc-145
      cells. Genomic sequence comparisons were made at selected passages. To explore
      the differences in pathogenicity and immunogenicity at different passages, three
      passages (P5, P62 and P122) were selected for an animal challenge experiment,
      which showed that passage in Marc-145 cells resulted in attenuation of the virus.
      After 122 passages, 35 amino acid changes were observed in the structural
      proteins and non-structural proteins. The animal challenge experiment showed that
      pathogenicity decreased with increasing passage number. The N antibody level and
      specific neutralizing (SN) antibody titers also decreased with increasing passage
      number in the late stage of the animal experiment. This study indicated that the
      virulence of XH-GD was decreased by passage in Marc-145 cells and that
      overattenuation might influence the immunogenicity of virus. These results might
      contribute to our understanding of the mechanism of attenuation. 

PMID- 26483284
TI  - A Persistent 1,2-Dihydrophosphasilene Adduct.
AB  - The reaction of the arylchlorosilylene-NHC adduct ArSi(NHC)Cl [Ar=2,6-Trip2 -C6
      H3 ; NHC=(MeC)2 (NMe)2 C] 1 with one molar equiv of LiPH2 (.) dme (dme=1,2
      dimethoxyethane) affords the first 1,2-dihydrophosphasilene adduct 2
      (ArSi(NHC)(H)?PH). The latter is labile in solution and can undergo head-to-tail
      dimerization to give [ArSi(H)PH]2 3 and "free" NHC. Further stabilization of 2 by
      complexation with {W(CO)5 } affords the isolable 1,2-dihydrophosphasilene
      tungsten complex 4 [ArSi(NHC)(H)?P(H)W(CO)5 ]. Additionally, the new 1-silyl-2
      hydrophosphasilene ArSi(NHC)(H)?PSiMe3 5 could be synthesized and structurally
      characterized. DFT studies confirmed that the Si?P bond in 2 and 4 is mostly
      zwitterionic with drastically decreased double-bond character. 

PMID- 26483283
TI  - Role of coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) expression and viral load of
      adenovirus and enterovirus in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.
AB  - Enteroviruses (EVs) and adenoviruses (AdVs) are two important etiological agents
      of viral myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Both these viruses share a
      common receptor, the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR), for their
      infection. However, the role of viral load and CAR expression in disease severity
      has not yet been completely elucidated. The present study aimed to determine
      viral load of EV and AdV in DCM patients and correlate them with the level of CAR
      expression in these patients. Sixty-three DCM cases and 30 controls, each of whom
      died of heart disease other than DCM and non-cardiac disease respectively, were
      included. Viral load was determined by TaqMan real-time PCR using primers and
      probes specific for the AdV hexon gene and the 5'UTR region of EV. The CAR mRNA
      level was semi-quantitated by RT-PCR, and antigen expression was studied by
      immunohistochemistry. A significantly high AdV load (p < 0.05) and CAR expression
      (p < 0.05) were observed in DCM cases versus controls, whereas the EV load showed
      no significant difference. The data suggests a clinical threshold of 128 AdV
      copies/500 ng of DNA for DCM, with 66.7 % sensitivity and 65 % specificity. A
      positive correlation between AdV load and CAR expression (p < 0.001) was also
      observed in DCM cases. The high adenoviral load and increased CAR expression in
      DCM and their association with adverse disease outcome indicates role of both
      virus and receptor in disease pathogenesis. Thus, the need for targeting both the
      virus and the receptor for treatment of viral myocarditis and early DCM requires
      further confirmation with larger studies. 

PMID- 26483286
TI  - [New insights into sodium in kidney and cardiovascular diseases].
AB  - Recent guidelines recommend a restriction of sodium intake below 2,4 g/day (6
      g/day of NaCl) in general population to prevent arterial hypertension and
      cardiovascular disease. Three papers published in 2014 by The New England Journal
      of Medecine confirm the association between high sodium intake and arterial
      hypertension. However, marked sodium restriction is also associated with
      increased mortality. On the other hand, a diet rich in potassium, over 1.5 g/day,
      is associated with less cardiovascular mortality, and less chronic kidney disease
      progression. 

PMID- 26483285
TI  - Colony-morphology screening uncovers a role for the Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      nitrogen-related phosphotransferase system in biofilm formation.
AB  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen whose survival is aided
      by forming communities known as biofilms, in which cells are encased in a self
      produced matrix. We devised a mutant screen based on colony morphology to
      identify additional genes with previously unappreciated roles in biofilm
      formation. Our screen, which identified most known biofilm-related genes, also
      uncovered PA14_16550 and PA14_69700, deletions of which abrogated and augmented
      biofilm formation respectively. We also identified ptsP, which encodes enzyme I
      of the nitrogen-regulated phosphotransferase (PTS(Ntr)) system, as being
      important for cyclic-di-GMP production and for biofilm formation. Further
      experiments showed that biofilm formation is hindered in the absence of
      phosphotransfer through the PTS(Ntr), but only in the presence of enzyme II
      (PtsN), the putative regulatory module of the PTS(Ntr). These results implicate
      unphosphorylated PtsN as a negative regulator of biofilm formation and establish
      one of the first known roles of the PTS(Ntr) in P. aeruginosa.

PMID- 26483287
TI  - Light transmission and ultraviolet protection of contact lenses under artificial
      illumination.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the spectral transmission of contact lenses (CLs), with and
      without an ultraviolet (UV) filter to evaluate their capacity for protection
      under UV radiation from artificial illumination (incandescent, fluorescent, xenon
      (Xe) lamps, or white LEDs (light-emitting diode)). METHODS: The transmission
      curves of nine soft CLs were obtained by using a PerkinElmer Lambda 35 UV-vis
      spectrophotometer. A CIE standard was used for the emission spectra of
      incandescent and fluorescent lamps, and Xe lamps and white LEDs were measured by
      using an International Light Technologies ILT-950 spectroradiometer. RESULTS:
      Five of the nine soft CLs analysed state that they incorporate UV filters, but
      the other four do not specify anything in this regard. The spectral transmission
      of all the CLs studied is excellent in the visible region. The CLs with UV
      filters filter out this radiation more or less effectively. Xe lamps emit a part
      in the UV region. Incandescent, fluorescent and white LEDs do not emit at all in
      the UV. CONCLUSIONS: Incorporating UV filters is important when the illumination
      is from a Xe lamp since this light source emits in the UV region. This, however,
      does not occur with incandescent and fluorescent lamps or white LEDs. The CLs
      that do incorporate UV filters meet all the standard requirements that the U.S.
      FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has for UV-blocking CLs Class II
      (OcularScience, CooperVision and Neolens), and AcuvueMoist and HydronActifresh400
      even comply with the stricter Class I. The CLs without UV filters let UVA, UVB
      and even some UVC through.

PMID- 26483288
TI  - Metabolism, excretion and avoidance of cyanogenic glucosides in insects with
      different feeding specialisations.
AB  - Cyanogenic glucosides (CNglcs) are widespread plant defence compounds releasing
      toxic hydrogen cyanide when hydrolysed by specific beta-glucosidases after plant
      tissue damage. In contrast to specialist herbivores that have mechanisms to avoid
      toxicity from CNglcs, it is generally assumed that non-adapted herbivores are
      negatively affected by CNglcs. Recent evidence, however, implies that the defence
      potential of CNglcs towards herbivores may not be as effective as previously
      anticipated. Here, performance, metabolism and excretion products of insects not
      adapted to CNglcs were analysed, including species with different degrees of
      dietary specialisation (generalists, specialists) and different feeding modes
      (leaf-snipping lepidopterans, piercing-sucking aphids). Insects were reared
      either on cyanogenic or acyanogenic plants or on an artificial cyanogenic diet.
      Lepidopteran generalists (Spodoptera littoralis, Spodoptera exigua, Mamestra
      brassicae) were compared to lepidopteran glucosinolate-specialists (Pieris rapae,
      Pieris brassicae, Plutella xylostella), and a generalist aphid (Myzus persicae)
      was compared to an aphid glucosinolate-specialist (Lipaphis erysimi). All insects
      were tolerant to cyanogenic plants; in lepidopterans tolerance was mainly due to
      excretion of intact CNglcs. The two Pieris species furthermore metabolized
      aromatic CNglcs to amino acid conjugates (Cys, Gly, Ser) and derivatives of
      these, which is similar to the metabolism of benzylglucosinolates in these
      species. Aphid species avoided uptake of CNglcs during feeding. Our results imply
      that non-adapted insects tolerate plant CNglcs either by keeping them intact for
      excretion, metabolizing them, or avoiding uptake. 

PMID- 26483289
TI  - A salivary sheath protein essential for the interaction of the brown planthopper
      with rice plants.
AB  - Salivary secretions, including gel saliva and watery saliva, play crucial roles
      in the interaction between the insect and plant during feeding. In this study, we
      identified a salivary gland-specific gene encoding a salivary sheath protein
      (NlShp) in Nilaparvata lugens. NlShp has two alternative splicing variants; both
      are expressed at high levels during the nymph and adult stages.
      Immunohistochemical staining showed that the NlShp were synthesized in the
      principal gland cells of the salivary gland. LC-MS/MS and western blot analysis
      confirmed that NlShp was one of the components of the salivary sheath.
      Simultaneously knocking down the two NlShp variants by RNA interference inhibited
      both salivary flange and salivary sheath formation and resulted in a lethal
      phenotype within four days for the brown planthopper (BPH) feeding on rice
      plants, indicating that the salivary sheath and salivary flanges were essential
      for plant-associated feeding. Despite the salivary sheath deficiency, no obvious
      phenotype was observed in the NlShp-knockdown BPHs fed on artificial diet. The
      electrical penetration graph (EPG) results showed that salivary sheath-deficient
      BPHs exhibited a prolonged nonpenetration period, scarce sap period, and
      increased stylet movement on rice plants and eventually starved to death. Our
      results provided evidence that the interaction between the salivary sheath and
      host plant might be a critical step in successful BPH feeding. According to
      present research, we propose a salivary sheath required feeding model for
      piercing-sucking insects and provide a potential target for rice planthopper
      management. 

PMID- 26483290
TI  - An approach to adjust standardized mortality ratios for competing cause of death
      in cohort studies.
AB  - PURPOSE: The calculation of standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) is a standard
      tool for the estimation of health risks in occupational epidemiology. An
      increasing number of studies deal with the analysis of the mortality in employees
      suffering from an occupational disease like silicosis or coal-worker
      pneumoconiosis (CWP). Their focus lies not on the mortality risk due to the
      occupational disease itself, but on other diseases such as lung cancer or heart
      diseases. Using population-based reference rates in these studies can cause
      misleading results because mortality rates of the general population do not
      reflect the elevated mortality due to the occupational disease investigated.
      Hence, the purpose of the present paper is to develop an approach to adjust the
      risk estimates for other causes of death with respect to the effect of an
      occupational disease as a competing cause of death in occupational mortality
      cohort studies. METHODS: To overcome the problems associated with SMRs, the paper
      makes use of proportional mortality ratios (PMR), which are a further approach
      for the estimation of health risks in occupational epidemiology. The cause
      specific SMR can be rewritten as a product of PMR times the overall SMR. The PMR
      can be adjusted by ignoring the competing cause of death. Hence, an adjusted
      cause-specific SMR can be derived by multiplying this adjusted PMR with the
      overall SMR. This approach is applied to studies concerning lung cancer risk in
      coal miners suffering from CWP. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The usual approach for
      calculating SMRs leads to an underestimation of the real lung cancer risk in
      subgroups of miners suffering from CWP. The same effect can be observed in
      workers exposed to respirable silica already suffering from silicosis. The
      presented approach results in more realistic risk estimation in mortality cohort
      studies of employees suffering from an occupational disease. It is easily
      calculable on the basis of usually published values of observed cases and the
      corresponding cause-specific SMR.

PMID- 26483291
TI  - Is Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Effective for Men With Poststroke Lower Urinary
      Tract Symptoms? A Single-Blinded Randomized, Controlled Trial.
AB  - The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of pelvic floor muscle
      training in men with poststroke lower urinary tract symptoms. Thirty-one
      poststroke men, median age 68 years, were included in this single-blinded
      randomized controlled trial. Thirty participants, 15 in each group, completed the
      study. The intervention consisted of 3 months (12 weekly sessions) of pelvic
      floor muscle training in groups and home exercises. The effect was evaluated by
      the DAN-PSS-1 (Danish Prostate Symptom Score) questionnaire, a voiding diary, and
      digital anal palpation of the pelvic floor muscle. The DAN-PSS-1, symptom score
      indicated a statistical significant improvement ( p < .01) in the treatment group
      from pretest to posttest, but not in the control group. The DAN-PSS-1, total
      score improved statistically significantly in both groups from pretest to
      posttest (treatment group: p < .01; control group: p = .03). The median voiding
      frequency per 24 hours decreased from 11 at pretest to 7 (36%; p = .04) at
      posttest and to 8 (27%; p = .02) at follow-up in treatment group, although not
      statistical significantly more than the control group. The treatment group but
      not the control group improved statistically significantly in pelvic floor muscle
      function ( p < .01) and strength ( p < .01) from pretest to posttest and from
      pretest to follow-up ( p = .03; p < .01). Compared with the control group the
      pretest to posttest was significantly better in the treatment group ( p = .03).
      The results indicate that pelvic floor muscle training has an effect for lower
      urinary tract symptoms, although statistical significance was only seen for
      pelvic floor muscle.

PMID- 26483292
TI  - The Validity and Reliability of Health Belief Scale for Testicular Cancer Self
      Examination.
AB  - This study aimed to create a measurement tool for the determination of university
      students' health beliefs about testicular cancer (TC) and self-examination. This
      is a methodological and cross-sectional study. The study sample included 425
      university students. Consents and approvals were obtained from the relevant
      institutions and the ethics committee prior to the research. The data were
      collected using an interview form that included questions about descriptive
      characteristics, family history of TC, and knowledge, beliefs, and practice of
      self-examination. The health belief model including 41 questions about self
      examination and the interview form were administered to the students in their
      classrooms at a suitable time. Principal components analysis and varimax rotation
      were used for the examination of the structures of the factors. Accordingly,
      factor patterns, self-values, and the variance percentages they explained were
      evaluated. The average age of the participants is 22.2 +/- 2.3 (min = 17; max =
      40). Of them, 98.8% of the participants are single ( n = 420). Of them, 56.2%
      have heard about TC before, and 18.4% said they were informed about TC. Factor
      loading of the items in the first factor was 0.64 to 0.89, while it was 0.48 to
      0.75 for the items in the second factor, 0.50 to 0.87 for the items in the third
      factor, 0.37 to 0.68 for the items in the fourth factor, 0.51 to 0.68 for the
      items in the fifth factor, and 0.65 to 0.79 for the items in the sixth factor.
      The health belief model scale may be used in TC screenings for males to measure
      susceptibility, seriousness, health motivation, barriers, benefits, and self
      efficacy.

PMID- 26483294
TI  - Picturing Masculinities: Using Photoelicitation in Men's Health Research.
AB  - This article explores the use of photo-elicitation methods in two men's health
      studies. Discussed are the ways that photo-elicitation can facilitate
      conversation about health issues that might be otherwise challenging to access.
      In the first study, researchers explored 35 young men's experiences of grief
      following the accidental death of a male peer. In the second study, researchers
      describe 64 fathers' perceptions about their roles and identity with respect to
      child safety and risk. Photographs and accompanying narratives were analyzed and
      results were theorized using a masculinities framework. Discussed are the
      benefits of photo-elicitation, which include facilitating conversation about
      emotions, garnering insight into the structures and identities of masculinity in
      the context of men's health. Considered also are some methodological challenges
      amid recommendations for ensuring reflexive practices. Based on the findings it
      is concluded that photo-elicitation can innovatively advance qualitative research
      in men's health.

PMID- 26483293
TI  - Masculinity, Racism, Social Support, and Colorectal Cancer Screening Uptake Among
      African American Men: A Systematic Review.
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is highly preventable when CRC screening is utilized, yet
      CRC screening completion among African American men is relatively low and their
      mortality rates remain 50% higher juxtaposed to their White counterparts. Since a
      growing body of literature indicates masculinity, racism, and social support each
      have strong influences on CRC screening uptake, this systematic review examined
      the connections between these three sociocultural factors and CRC screening
      uptake among African American men. Potential studies were retrieved from MEDLINE,
      CINAHL, EMBASE, and PsycINFO. Cited reference searching for the final sample was
      employed to identify and assess additional studies for inclusion using Scopus.
      The methodological quality of the reviewed evidence was also evaluated. Nineteen
      studies met inclusion/exclusion criteria. Thirteen studies employed
      nonexperimental research designs; a quasi-experimental design was present in
      four, and two utilized experimental designs. Studies were published between 2000
      and 2014; the majority between 2009 and 2013. Social support was most frequently
      addressed (84%) while masculinity and racism were equally studied with paucity
      (11%) for their influence on CRC screening. After evaluating conceptual and
      methodological characteristics of the studies, 42% fell below average in quality
      and rigor. The need for increased attention to the sociocultural correlates of
      CRC screening for African American men are highlighted in this systematic review,
      and important recommendations for research and practice are provided. Alongside a
      call for more rigorous research, further research examining the influence of
      masculinity and racism on CRC screening completion among African American men is
      warranted.

PMID- 26483295
TI  - mDCF--new standard-of-care?

PMID- 26483296
TI  - What can we learn from oncology surgical trials?
AB  - Conducting high-quality prospective clinical trials in surgical oncology remains
      a challenge, and many seemingly well-designed trials lack this high quality
      because of inadequate recruitment accrual, lack of clinician interest, or
      evolution of treatment strategy during the many years over which such trials are
      conducted. In this Perspectives we examine some of the failures in published
      surgical oncology trials and discuss why they failed, and we make a critical
      assessment of the established prospective trial methodology in oncological
      practice (that is, phase 0, I, II, III and IV trials, and large prospective
      comparative audits) and how these methods might be used more effectively in
      future evaluation of cancer-surgery practice. 

PMID- 26483297
TI  - Drug repurposing in oncology--patient and health systems opportunities.
AB  - In most countries, healthcare service budgets are not likely to support the
      current explosion in the cost of new oncology drugs. Repurposing the large
      arsenal of approved, non-anticancer drugs is an attractive strategy to offer more
      effective options to patients with cancer, and has the substantial advantages of
      cheaper, faster and safer preclinical and clinical validation protocols. The
      potential benefits are so relevant that funding of academically and/or
      independently driven preclinical and clinical research programmes should be
      considered at both national and international levels. To date, successes in
      oncology drug repurposing have been limited, despite strong evidence supporting
      the use of many different drugs. A lack of financial incentives for drug
      developers and limited drug development experience within the non-profit sector
      are key reasons for this lack of success. We discuss these issues and offer
      solutions to finally seize this opportunity in the interest of patients and
      societies, globally. 

PMID- 26483298
TI  - Post-transplantation malignancies: here today, gone tomorrow?
AB  - From the early days of transplantation onwards, increased cancer development in
      transplant recipients, who require immunosuppression to avoid graft rejection,
      has been recognized. Registry data indicate that approximately 10-30% of deaths
      are attributed to post-transplant malignancy, with an upward trend in this
      incidence as more patients have been exposed to chronic lifelong
      immunosuppression. In this Review, the overall incidence and most frequent types
      of cancer encountered are summarized, along with information about which
      transplant recipients are at the greatest risk of malignancy. Reasons for why
      differences exist in susceptibility to cancer in this patient population are
      examined, and approaches that might improve our understanding of the options
      available for reducing the incidence of this adverse effect of immunosuppression
      are described. Whether anti-rejection drugs have been successful in diminishing
      overall immunosuppressive burden, and consequently show any promise for
      decreasing post-transplant malignancies is also discussed. The topic shifts to
      one class of conventional anti-rejection drugs, the mammalian target of rapamycin
      (mTOR) inhibitors, which paradoxically have both immunosuppressive and anti
      neoplastic properties. The complex activities of mTOR are reviewed in order to
      provide context for how these seemingly opposing effects are possible, and the
      latest clinical data on use of mTOR inhibitors in the clinic are discussed. The
      current and future perspectives on how best to normalize these unacceptably high
      rates of post-transplantation malignancies are highlighted. 

PMID- 26483299
TI  - Nivolumab--an effective second-line treatment for NSCLC.

PMID- 26483301
TI  - Population genetic testing for cancer susceptibility: founder mutations to
      genomes.
AB  - The current standard model for identifying carriers of high-risk mutations in
      cancer-susceptibility genes (CSGs) generally involves a process that is not
      amenable to population-based testing: access to genetic tests is typically
      regulated by health-care providers on the basis of a labour-intensive assessment
      of an individual's personal and family history of cancer, with face-to-face
      genetic counselling performed before mutation testing. Several studies have shown
      that application of these selection criteria results in a substantial proportion
      of mutation carriers being missed. Population-based genetic testing has been
      proposed as an alternative approach to determining cancer susceptibility, and
      aims for a more-comprehensive detection of mutation carriers. Herein, we review
      the existing data on population-based genetic testing, and consider some of the
      barriers, pitfalls, and challenges related to the possible expansion of this
      approach. We consider mechanisms by which population-based genetic testing for
      cancer susceptibility could be delivered, and suggest how such genetic testing
      might be integrated into existing and emerging health-care structures. The
      existing models of genetic testing (including issues relating to informed
      consent) will very likely require considerable alteration if the potential
      benefits of population-based genetic testing are to be fully realized. 

PMID- 26483302
TI  - Low-dose 2D X-ray angiography enhancement using 2-axis PCA for the preservation
      of blood-vessel region and noise minimization.
AB  - Enhancing 2D angiography while maintaining a low radiation dose has become an
      important research topic. However, it is difficult to enhance images while
      preserving vessel-structure details because X-ray noise and contrast blood
      vessels in 2D angiography have similar intensity distributions, which can lead to
      ambiguous images of vessel structures. In this paper, we propose a novel and fast
      vessel-enhancement method for 2D angiography. We apply filtering in the principal
      component analysis domain for vessel regions and background regions separately,
      using assumptions based on energy compaction. First, we identify an approximate
      vessel region using a Hessian-based method. Vessel and non-vessel regions are
      then represented sparsely by calculating their optimal bases separately. This is
      achieved by identifying periodic motion in the vessel region caused by the flow
      of the contrast medium through the blood vessels when viewed on the time axis.
      Finally, we obtain noise-free images by removing noise in the new coordinate
      domain for the optimal bases. Our method was validated for an X-ray system, using
      10 low-dose sets for training and 20 low-dose sets for testing. The results were
      compared with those for a high-dose dataset with respect to noise-free images.
      The average enhancement rate was 93.11+/-0.71%. The average processing time for
      enhancing video comprising 50-70 frames was 0.80+/-0.35s, which is much faster
      than the previously proposed technique. Our method is applicable to 2D
      angiography procedures such as catheterization, which requires rapid and natural
      vessel enhancement. 

PMID- 26483300
TI  - The influence of subclonal resistance mutations on targeted cancer therapy.
AB  - Clinical oncology is being revolutionized by the increasing use of molecularly
      targeted therapies. This paradigm holds great promise for improving cancer
      treatment; however, allocating specific therapies to the patients who are most
      likely to derive a durable benefit continues to represent a considerable
      challenge. Evidence continues to emerge that cancers are characterized by
      extensive intratumour genetic heterogeneity, and that patients being considered
      for treatment with a targeted agent might, therefore, already possess resistance
      to the drug in a minority of cells. Indeed, multiple examples of pre-existing
      subclonal resistance mutations to various molecularly targeted agents have been
      described, which we review herein. Early detection of pre-existing or emerging
      drug resistance could enable more personalized use of targeted cancer therapy, as
      patients could be stratified to receive the therapies that are most likely to be
      effective. We consider how monitoring of drug resistance could be incorporated
      into clinical practice to optimize the use of targeted therapies in individual
      patients.

PMID- 26483303
TI  - Lessons learned from the implementation of remote control for the
      interoperability standard ISO/IEEE11073-20601 in a standard weighing scale.
AB  - The Point of Care (PoC) version of the interoperability standard ISO/IEEE11073
      (X73) provided a mechanism to control remotely agents through documents X73-10201
      and X73-20301. The newer version of X73 oriented to Personal Health Devices (PHD)
      has no mechanisms to do such a thing. The authors are working toward a common
      proposal with the PHD Working Group (PHD-WG) in order to adapt the remote control
      capabilities from X73PoC to X73PHD. However, this theoretical adaptation has to
      be implemented and tested to evaluate whether or not its inclusion entails an
      acceptable overhead and extra cost. Such proof-of-concept assessment is the main
      objective of this paper. For the sake of simplicity, a weighing scale with a
      configurable operation was chosen as use case. First, in a previous stage of the
      research - the model was defined. Second, the implementation methodology - both
      in terms of hardware and software - was defined and executed. Third, an
      evaluation methodology to test the remote control features was defined. Then, a
      thorough comparison between a weighing scale with and without remote control was
      performed. The results obtained indicate that, when implementing remote control
      in a weighing scale, the relative weight of such feature represents an overhead
      of as much as 53%, whereas the number of Implementation Conformance Statements
      (ICSs) to be satisfied by the manufacturer represent as much as 34% regarding the
      implementation without remote control. The new feature facilitates remote control
      of PHDs but, at the same time, increases overhead and costs, and, therefore,
      manufacturers need to weigh this trade-off. As a conclusion, this proof-of
      concept helps in fostering the evolution of the remote control proposal to extend
      X73PHD and promotes its inclusion as part of the standard, as well as it
      illustrates the methodological steps for its extrapolation to other
      specializations. 

PMID- 26483304
TI  - A novel breast ultrasound image segmentation algorithm based on neutrosophic
      similarity score and level set.
AB  - Breast ultrasound (BUS) image segmentation is a challenging task due to the
      speckle noise, poor quality of the ultrasound images and size and location of the
      breast lesions. In this paper, we propose a new BUS image segmentation algorithm
      based on neutrosophic similarity score (NSS) and level set algorithm. At first,
      the input BUS image is transferred to the NS domain via three membership subsets
      T, I and F, and then, a similarity score NSS is defined and employed to measure
      the belonging degree to the true tumor region. Finally, the level set method is
      used to segment the tumor from the background tissue region in the NSS image.
      Experiments have been conducted on a variety of clinical BUS images. Several
      measurements are used to evaluate and compare the proposed method's performance.
      The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is able to segment
      the BUS images effectively and accurately. 

PMID- 26483305
TI  - Impedance control in a wave-based teleoperator for rehabilitation motor therapies
      assisted by robots.
AB  - This paper presents an improved wave-based bilateral teleoperation scheme for
      rehabilitation therapies assisted by robot manipulators. The main feature of this
      bilateral teleoperator is that both robot manipulators, master and slave, are
      controlled by impedance. Thus, a pair of motion-based adaptive impedance
      controllers are integrated into a wave-based configuration, in order to guarantee
      a stable human-robot interaction and to compensate the position drift,
      characteristic of the available schemes of bilateral teleoperation. Moreover, the
      teleoperator stability, in the presence of time delays in the communication
      channel, is guaranteed because the wave-variable approach is included to encode
      the force and velocity signals. It should be noted that the proposed structure
      enables the implementation of several teleoperator schemes, from passive
      therapies, without the intervention of a human operator on the master side, to
      fully active therapies where both manipulators interact with humans in a stable
      manner. The suitable performance of the proposed teleoperator is verified through
      some results obtained from the simulation of the passive and active-constrained
      modes, by considering typical tasks in motor-therapy rehabilitation, where an
      improved behavior is observed when compared to implementations of the classical
      wave-based approach. 

PMID- 26483306
TI  - Occlusal plane elevation to prevent lip self-mutilation: A case report.

PMID- 26483307
TI  - The effect of temperature during liquid storage of in vitro-matured bovine
      oocytes on subsequent embryo development.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to optimize the temperature for the temporal
      storage of matured bovine oocytes. In vitro-matured bovine oocytes were preserved
      in HEPES-buffered TCM199 medium supplemented with 10% newborn calf serum at
      different temperatures (4  degrees C, 15  degrees C, 25  degrees C, and 38.5 
      degrees C) for 20 hours. Embryo development and blastocyst quality after in vitro
      fertilization, cytoplasmic ATP and glutathione levels in oocytes, and the
      frequency of apoptotic oocytes were compared among storage groups and a control
      group without storage. Among the storage groups, those at 25  degrees C and 38.5 
      degrees C showed the highest rates of blastocyst development (19.3% and 24.5%,
      respectively) compared with those stored at 4  degrees C and 15  degrees C (8.5%
      and 14.9%, respectively); however, blastocyst formation rates in all storage
      groups were lower than that in the control group (39.8%; P < 0.05). Storage at
      38.5  degrees C and 15  degrees C was associated with reduced cell numbers in
      resultant blastocysts compared with the control and the 25  degrees C storage
      groups. Storage at 4  degrees C reduced metabolic activity of oocytes
      characterized by their lower ATP levels compared with the other groups. Storage
      for 20 hours significantly reduced the glutathione content in oocytes in all
      groups in a similar manner, irrespective of the temperature. Storage at 4 
      degrees C or 15  degrees C but not at 25  degrees C and 38.5  degrees C
      significantly increased the percentage of apoptotic oocytes compared with the
      control group. In conclusion, 25  degrees C was found to be the most suitable
      temperature for the temporal storage of matured bovine oocytes regarding both the
      developmental competence of oocytes and the quality of resultant blastocysts.

PMID- 26483308
TI  - Testosterone regulates levels of cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator,
      adenylate cyclase, and cAMP in the seminal vesicles of orchidectomized rats.
AB  - Secretions of chloride (Cl(-))- and bicarbonate (HCO3(-))-rich fluid by the
      seminal vesicles could involve cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR),
      which activity can be stimulated by cAMP generated from the reaction involving
      adenylate cyclase (AC). In this study, we investigated levels of CFTR, AC, and
      cAMP in the seminal vesicles under testosterone influence. Orchidectomized adult
      male rats received 7-day treatment with 125 or 250 MUg/kg/day of testosterone
      with or without flutamide or finasteride. At the end of the treatment, animals
      were sacrificed and seminal vesicles were harvested for analyses of CFTR and AC
      protein expression level by Western blotting. Distribution of CFTR and AC in
      seminal vesicles was observed by immunohistochemistry. Levels of cAMP and
      dihydrotestosterone in seminal vesicle homogenates were measured by ELISA. Cystic
      fibrosis transmembrane regulator, AC, and cAMP levels increased with increasing
      doses of testosterone (P < 0.05 compared to nontreated orchidectomized rats).
      Cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator and AC were expressed at the apical
      membrane of the epithelium lining the seminal vesicle lumen with higher
      expression levels observed in testosterone-treated rats than in non-treated
      orchidectomized rats (P < 0.05). The inhibitory effects of flutamide or
      finasteride on these parameters were greater in 250 MUg/kg/day testosterone
      treated rats than their effects in 125 MUg/kg/day testosterone-treated rats.
      Higher dihydrotestosterone levels were observed in seminal vesicle homogenates
      after treatment with 250 MUg/kg/day than with 125 MUg/kg/day of testosterone (P <
      0.05). Increased levels of CFTR, AC, and cAMP in seminal vesicles might
      contribute toward an increase in Cl(-) and HCO3(-) concentrations in the seminal
      fluid as reported under testosterone influence. 

PMID- 26483309
TI  - Prevalence of cervicitis in dairy cows and its effect on reproduction.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine whether cervicitis in dairy cows is
      an independent disease or occurs concomitantly with inflammation of the uterus,
      and to clarify possible effects of cervicitis on reproductive performance. Dairy
      cows (n = 416) from 33 dairy farms were examined by rectal palpation and
      vaginoscopy between 42 and 50 days postpartum. Inclusion criteria for this study
      were absence of abnormal vaginal discharge and abnormalities of the uterus
      (fluctuation) at rectal palpation. Cervicitis was diagnosed when the second
      cervical fold was swollen and prolapsed with (C2) or without (C1) reddening.
      Cytobrush samples from the uterus (n = 370) and the cervix (n = 402) were
      collected, and the percentage of neutrophils in the uterus (PMNU) and the cervix
      as indicators of inflammation (threshold: >=5%) was determined. In addition,
      endometrial biopsies for histology were collected, 300 of which were suitable for
      evaluation. Cervicitis (C1/C2) was diagnosed in 253 of 416 (60.8%) of cows. Of
      these, the prolapsed cervical mucosa was hyperemic (C2) in 29.1% of cases. Of 370
      available uterine cytology samples, 221 cows had a clinical cervicitis; however,
      170 (76.9%) had PMNU less than 5%. Of 300 uterine histologic examinations, 82
      (27.3%) did not reveal any abnormalities; the remaining cows either had uterine
      inflammation and/or degenerative uterine changes such as endometriosis and
      angiosclerosis. Furthermore, of 300 biopsied animals, 184 revealed a cervicitis
      (C1/C2); however, 30.4% of these animals had no histopathologic uterine findings.
      For further analysis, only animals either without histopathologic findings and
      normal uterine cytology or with solely endometritis (defined as PMNU >= 5% and/or
      positive histopathology of the uterine tissue) were evaluated (n = 157). Of
      these, 95 cows had cervicitis. Unexpectedly, 63 of 95 (66.3%) cows had cervicitis
      without endometritis. With regard to reproductive performance, days to first
      service were not affected by cervicitis. Number of days open in animals with
      cervicitis but without endometritis tended to be lower than in cows with
      cervicitis plus endometritis (P = 0.092). Also, number of days open relative to
      percentage of neutrophils greater than 5% was lower when the cervical compared to
      the uterine mucosa was affected (P < 0.05). Total conception and pregnancy rates
      of animals 200 days into lactation decreased significantly in cows with severe
      cervical inflammation (C2). In conclusion, the results of this study suggested
      that cervicitis occurs independent of endometritis, and a higher degree of
      cervicitis is associated with poorer reproductive performance. 

PMID- 26483310
TI  - Effect of copulation on estrus duration and ovulation time in goats.
AB  - The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of copulation on
      estrus duration and ovulation in goats. During the fall season, 14 multiparous
      Boer does were estrous synchronized with controlled internal drug release (300
      mg), maintained in the vagina for 7 days, and received 50 MUg of intramuscular
      GnRH device insertion and 5 mg of natural intramuscular PGF2alpha at device
      removal. The does were randomly divided into two equal groups: a treatment group
      (TRE; n = 7) and a control group (CON; n = 7). The TRE group received two copulas
      by fertile bucks within the first 4 hours of estrus onset, and the CON group
      received only mounts by the same males equipped with canvas aprons. Estrus
      detection was performed every 12 hours after controlled internal drug release
      removal within the first 24 hours and then every 4 hours for 5 days. Estrus was
      defined when a doe accepted mounting by the bucks equipped with canvas aprons.
      Each doe in estrus got the first transrectal ultrasonography at 24 hours after
      estrus onset and then every 4 hours until all the preovulatory follicles
      ovulated. Estrus onset for the TRE and CON groups was 40.3 +/- 17.4 (mean +/-
      standard deviation) and 43.3 +/- 12.2 hours (P = 0.72), respectively. Estrus
      duration for the same groups was 28.6 +/- 5.4 and 36.7 +/- 5.3 hours (P = 0.02),
      respectively. The mean ovulation time for the TRE and CON groups was 31.4 +/- 2.2
      and 35.7 +/- 3.7 hours (P = 0.04), respectively. The proportion of ovulations
      that occurred after the end of estrus in the TRE group was higher than in the CON
      group (86% vs. 33%, respectively; P = 0.05). The number of ovulations for the TRE
      group was 2.1 +/- 0.7; for the CON group, there were 2.2 +/- 0.5 ovulations (P =
      0.92). It was concluded that copulation by a buck at the beginning of estrus
      reduced estrus duration and hastened the ovulation time in Boer goats. 

PMID- 26483311
TI  - Superovulatory response to gonadotrophin FSH/LH treatment and effect of progestin
      supplement to recipients on survival of transferred vitrified embryos in goats.
AB  - Two experiments were carried out in goats to evaluate the effects of the FSH/LH
      ratio during treatment on ovarian response and embryo production (experiment 1)
      and the efficiency of progestin supplementation on pregnancy and the survival of
      vitrified embryos (experiment 2). In experiment 1, 30 goats were synchronized and
      allocated to 2 groups (n = 15) corresponding to the following superovulatory
      treatments with p-FSH (250 IU, over 3 days) having different doses of purified
      FSH and LH: (group A) control, FSH/LH ratio of 1, kept constant during treatment;
      (group B) FSH/LH ratio of 2 and daily FSH/LH ratio of 5.0:1.0:0.3 for the first,
      second, and third days of treatment, respectively. Ovarian response and embryo
      production were assessed 7.5 days after estrus. In experiment 2, 46 vitrified
      blastocysts from p-FSH-superovulated donors were transferred to 26 recipients (2
      blastocysts per goat) 7.5 days after estrus. The recipients were synchronized
      with donors and allocated to 2 experimental groups (n = 13). Group C received
      progestin supplement as fluorgestone acetate (FGA) inserted into the vagina at
      the time of embryo transfer, replaced with a new one 16 days later, and
      maintained until the 45th day of pregnancy; group D, no treatment (control).
      Pregnancy was diagnosed by transrectal ultrasound scanning on Days 30 and 45
      after estrus and followed to term. The results indicated that the increase in
      FSH/LH ratio from 1 to 2 with decreasing daily FSH/LH (treatment B) did not
      improve the superovulatory response. Superovulatory treatment A (control)
      advanced (P < 0.05) the onset of estrus and showed a higher ovulation rate
      compared to group B (14.9 vs. 10.9; P < 0.05). Fertilization rate, embryo yield,
      and mean number of transferable embryos in group A (7.5) were higher (P < 0.05)
      than those in group B (3.2). Recipient goats receiving progestin supplementation
      (group C) showed a higher (P < 0.05) pregnancy rate and embryo survival (kids
      born per embryos transferred; 69.3% and 73.1%) than the controls (group D; 23.3%
      and 19.2%). In conclusion, regimen A with FSH/LH ratio of 1 kept constant during
      the treatment gave the best ovarian response and embryo production. The progestin
      supplementation as FGA-pessary administered at embryo transfer time to the 45th
      day of pregnancy improved the pregnancy rate, kidding rate, and embryo survival
      of transferred vitrified embryos. Intravaginal progestin supplement has the
      potential to reduce the incidence of pregnancy losses during early pregnancy. 

PMID- 26483312
TI  - Enzyme activity in energy supply of spermatozoon motility in two taxonomically
      distant fish species (sterlet Acipenser ruthenus, Acipenseriformes and common
      carp Cyprinus carpio, Cypriniformes).
AB  - As spermatozoon motility duration differs significantly among fish species, the
      mechanism of ATP generation-regeneration and its distribution along the flagellum
      may be species-dependent. The present study compared the role of creatine kinase
      (CK) with that of adenylate kinase (AK) in ATP regeneration during motility of
      demembranated spermatozoa of taxonomically distant fish species, sterlet, and
      common carp, allowing investigation for the presence of the creatine
      phosphocreatine (PCr) shuttle in sterlet spermatozoa. The flagellar beat
      frequency of demembranated spermatozoa was measured in reactivating media in the
      presence or absence of ATP, ADP, PCr, and CK and AK inhibitors. After
      demembranation, AK, CK, and total ATPase activity was measured in spermatozoon
      extracts. Beat frequency of demembranated spermatozoa was found to be positively
      correlated with ATP levels in reactivating medium and to reach a plateau at 0.8
      mM and 0.6 mM ATP for carp and sterlet, respectively. It was shown for the first
      time that sterlet axonemal dynein ATPases have a higher affinity for ATP than do
      those of carp. Supplementation of reactivating medium with ADP and PCr without
      ATP resulted in beat frequencies comparable to that measured with 0.3 to 0.5-mM
      ATP for both studied species. The presence of the PCr-CK phosphagen system and
      its essential role in ATP regeneration were first confirmed for sturgeon
      spermatozoa. The inhibition of CK exerted a high impact on spermatozoon energy
      supply in both species, whereas the inhibition of AK was more pronounced in
      sterlet than in carp. This was confirmed by the quantification of enzyme activity
      in spermatozoon extracts. We concluded that spermatozoa of these taxonomically
      distant species use similar systems to supply energy for flagella motility, but
      with different efficacy.

PMID- 26483313
TI  - Associations among Trueperella pyogenes, endometritis diagnosis, and pregnancy
      outcomes in dairy cows.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate three commonly used methods for
      endometritis diagnosis by comparing each one's association with the presence of
      intrauterine Trueperella pyogenes (TP) and reproductive performance. Lactating
      Holstein cows (n = 452) were evaluated a single time at 35 +/- 3 days postpartum
      to diagnose endometritis on the basis of three criteria: presence of purulent
      vaginal discharge (PVD) detected by a Metricheck device, presence of purulent
      uterine lavage fluid (PUL), presence of cytologic endometritis (CE) based on
      relative abundance of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in uterine lavage fluid. A
      threshold of polymorphonuclear leukocytes greater than 5% was used to diagnose
      the occurrence of CE. Also, a swab of the uterine lavage was cultured to evaluate
      the presence of TP and determine its association with endometritis diagnosis
      criteria and pregnancy outcomes. The results showed that cows positive for TP had
      increased prevalence of PVD and PUL and tended to have greater prevalence of CE.
      Median time to pregnancy was 56 days longer, and hazard of pregnancy was 34%
      lower for TP-positive cows than for TP-negative cows. Presence of PUL led to a
      35% lower hazard of pregnancy and 34-day-longer median time to pregnancy than
      cows without PUL. Likewise, cows diagnosed with PVD had a 47% lower hazard of
      pregnancy and 57-day-longer median time to pregnancy than cows without PVD. Cows
      diagnosed with CE had a 27% lower hazard of pregnancy and 42-day-longer median
      time to pregnancy than cows without CE. When the three different diagnostic
      methods were used as independent variables in a Cox's proportional hazard model
      that evaluated hazard of pregnancy, the variable PVD was the only statistically
      significant variable. Combined PUL and CE or combined PUL and PVD had no
      additional effects on hazard of pregnancy when compared with only PUL, only PVD,
      or only CE as the criterion to determine endometritis. However, combined PVD and
      CE had an additive detrimental effect on reproductive performance. The
      sensitivity and specificity of each of TP, PUL, PVD, and CE for predicting
      nonpregnancy at 300 days postpartum were all similar. In conclusion, TP-positive
      cows had impaired reproductive performance and increased likelihood of PVD and
      PUL. Additionally, TP-positive cows tended to have an increased prevalence of CE.
      Cows with PVD had the lowest reproductive performance when compared to cows with
      PUL or CE, suggesting that PVD at 35 days postpartum is a better criterion for
      the diagnosis of endometritis and reproductive failure. 

PMID- 26483314
TI  - Transrectal ultrasonographic characterization of the accessory sex glands, pelvic
      urethra, and ureters in normal geldings.
AB  - Transrectal ultrasound of the internal urogenital tract may be used to aid in the
      diagnosis of reproductive tract and urinary tract pathology in both stallions and
      geldings. Abnormalities of the accessory sex glands of geldings are uncommon,
      although prostatic masses have recently been described in adult geldings
      presenting with dysuria, stranguria, and/or hematuria. The purpose of this study
      was to describe the normal ultrasonographic features and sizes of the accessory
      sex glands, caudal ureters, and pelvic urethra in clinically normal geldings.
      Eleven healthy geldings with no history of urogenital tract pathology were
      evaluated by a single observer experienced in ultrasound of the stallion
      accessory sex glands. The ultrasonographic appearance, relative anatomic
      relationships and sizes of the accessory sex glands, caudal ureters, and pelvic
      urethra were investigated using both rectal linear array and microconvex array
      transducers. Summary statistics including mean, standard error, confidence
      intervals, and range were calculated for each structure. There were no
      statistically significant differences in measurements between the left and right
      sides of paired structures or between measurements obtained with different
      transducers. Fluid was present in the seminal vesicles of 7 of 9 subjects.
      Midline cysts of the urethra as well as bulbourethral gland and prostatic cysts
      were identified. The normal reference ranges defined in this study will be useful
      in the clinical evaluation of geldings with suspected internal urogenital tract
      pathology. 

PMID- 26483315
TI  - Influence of a 21-Gene Recurrence Score Assay on Chemotherapy Delivery in Breast
      Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We performed an analysis to determine the relative contribution of
      the Oncotype DX (ODX) recurrence score (RS) results in adjuvant therapy delivery
      compared with traditional pathologic factors. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We performed
      a retrospective review of women with stage I-IIIA breast cancer treated at the
      Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center from 2006 to 2012 with available ODX results. We
      constructed separate logistic models with the clinicopathologic factors alone and
      also integrating RS and compared these models using the likelihood ratio test and
      c-statistic to determine whether integration of the RS will result in better
      prediction of chemotherapy (CTx) delivery. RESULTS: We identified 431 women with
      a median age of 58 years. The RS was low (< 18), intermediate (18-30), and high
      (> 30) in 56%, 37%, and 7%, respectively. CTx was delivered to 30% of the
      patients. Age, differentiation, lymphovascular invasion, and progesterone
      receptor (PR) positivity < 50% were associated with CTx delivery in multivariable
      logistic regression of clinicopathologic factors alone (P < .05). In the model
      integrating the RS, an intermediate or a high RS was the most influential factor
      for CTx delivery (odds ratio, 7.87 vs. 265.35, respectively; P < .0001). The PR
      results and grade were no longer significant (P = .74 and P = .06, respectively).
      The integration of the RS resulted in improved model fit and precision, indicated
      by the likelihood ratio test (DeltaG2, 100.782; df = 2; P < .0001) and an
      improved c-statistic (0.720 vs. 0.856). CONCLUSION: Gene expression profiling
      appears to account for a substantial amount of variability in CTx delivery in
      current practice. Further work is needed to ensure appropriate test usage and
      cost-effectiveness.

PMID- 26483316
TI  - Gene expression and TB pathogenesis in rhesus macaques: TR4, CD40, CD40L, FAS
      (CD95), and TNF are host genetic markers in peripheral blood mononuclear cells
      that are associated with severity of TB lesions.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) pathologic lesions in rhesus macaques resemble those in humans.
      The expression levels of several host TB candidate genes in the peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of six rhesus macaques experimentally infected with
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis were quantified pre-infection and at several dates
      post-infection. Quantitative measures of TB histopathology in the lungs
      including: granuloma count, granuloma size, volume of granulomatous and non
      granulomatous lesions, and direct bacterial load, were used as the outcomes of a
      multi-level Bayesian regression model in which expression levels of host genes at
      various dates were used as predictors. The results indicate that the expression
      levels of TR4, CD40, CD40L, FAS (CD95) and TNF in PBMC were associated with
      quantitative measures of the severity of TB histopathologic lesions in the lungs
      of the study animals. Moreover, no reliable association between the expression
      levels of IFNE in PBMCs and the severity of TB lesions in the lungs of the study
      animals was found. In conclusion, PBMC expression profiles derived from the above
      listed host genes might be appropriate biomarkers for probabilistic diagnosis
      and/or prognosis of TB severity in rhesus macaques. 

PMID- 26483317
TI  - The spectroscopic (FT-IR, FT-Raman, dispersive Raman and NMR) study of ethyl-6
      chloronicotinate molecule by combined density functional theory.
AB  - In this study, ethyl-6-chloronicotinate (E-6-ClN) molecule is recorded in the
      region 4000-400 cm(-1) and 3500-100 cm(-1) (FT-IR, FT-Raman and dispersive Raman,
      respectively) in the solid phase. ((1))H and ((13))C nuclear magnetic resonance
      (NMR) spectra are recorded in DMSO solution. The structural and spectroscopic
      data of the molecule are obtained for two possible isomers (S1 and S2) from DFT
      (B3LYP) with 6-311++G(d,p) basis set calculations. The geometry of the molecule
      is fully optimized, vibrational spectra are calculated and fundamental vibrations
      are assigned on the basis of the potential energy distribution (PED) of the
      vibrational modes. ((1))H and ((13))C NMR chemical shifts are calculated by using
      the gauge-invariant atomic orbital (GIAO) method. The electronic properties, such
      as excitation energies, oscillator strengths, wavelengths, HOMO and LUMO
      energies, are performed by time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT).
      Total and partial density of state and overlap population density of state
      diagrams analysis are presented for E-6-ClN molecule. Furthermore, frontier
      molecular orbitals (FMO), molecular electrostatic potential, and thermodynamic
      features are performed. In addition to these, reduced density gradient of the
      molecule is performed and discussed. As a conclusion, the calculated results are
      compared with the experimental spectra of the title compound. The results of the
      calculations are applied to simulate the vibrational spectra of the molecule,
      which show excellent agreement with the observed ones. The theoretical and
      tentative results will give us a detailed description of the structural and
      physicochemical properties of the molecule. Natural bond orbital analysis is done
      to have more information stability of the molecule arising from charge
      delocalization, and to reveal the information regarding charge transfer within
      the molecules.

PMID- 26483319
TI  - Clinical outcomes of endovascular treatment of TASC-II C and D femoropopliteal
      lesions with the Viabahn endoprosthesis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes and
      patency rates using the Viabahn endoprosthesis in complex (TASC-II C and D)
      femoropopliteal lesions. BACKGROUND: Traditional treatment of symptomatic TASC-II
      C and D femoropopliteal lesions has mainly centered on open surgical options in
      patients deemed appropriate candidates. Endovascular treatment of these lesions
      with balloon angioplasty has been historically hampered by aggressive restenosis
      and relatively early clinical failure. The Viabahn endoprosthesis was developed
      with the intent of reducing restenosis while improving overall flexibility in the
      femoropopliteal segment. METHODS: Between March 2009 and July 2011 a total of 51
      limbs in 41 patients underwent implantation of one or more Viabahn endovascular
      stent grafts for the treatment of symptomatic TASC-II C or D lesions. Patients
      were followed clinically at regular intervals and also underwent routine
      surveillance duplex ultrasound at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-procedure. The
      average follow-up from the index procedure was 14.6 months (range 13-35.2
      months). RESULTS: A total of 22 TASC-II C and 29 TASC-II D lesions were treated
      (51 limbs in 41 patients). The mean lesion length was 22.4 cm. The overall 1-year
      primary patency rate was 74.8% (95% CI: 61.2%-88.4%), assisted primary patency
      rate was 87.4% (95% CI: 70.9%-95.9%), and the secondary patency rate was 94.9%
      (95% CI: 88.0%-100.0%). CONCLUSIONS: The Viabahn endoprosthesis is a safe and
      effective option for the treatment of TASC-II C and D femoropopliteal lesions.
      Patency rates are favorable despite the complexity of these lesions, although
      multiple endovascular re-interventions may be necessary to achieve an acceptable
      long-term result.

PMID- 26483318
TI  - State-of-the-Art Imaging of the Lung for Connective Tissue Disease (CTD).
AB  - Involvement of the respiratory system is common in connective tissue diseases
      (CTDs), and the resultant lung injury can affect every part of the lung: the
      pleura, alveoli, interstitium, vasculature, lymphatic tissue, and large and/or
      small airways. Most of the parenchymal manifestations of CTD are similar to those
      found in interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), especially idiopathic interstitial
      pneumonias, and can be classified using the same system. Although there is some
      overlap, each CTD is associated with a characteristic pattern of pulmonary
      involvement. For this reason, thin-section CT as well as pulmonary function tests
      and serum markers are utilized for diagnosis, disease severity assessment, and
      therapeutic efficacy evaluation of ILD associated with CTD. In addition, newly
      developed pulmonary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures have been
      recommended as useful alternative imaging options for patients with CTD. This
      review article will (1) address radiological findings for chest radiography and
      conventional or thin-section CT currently used for six major types of CTD,
      rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma (progressive systemic sclerosis),
      polymyositis/dermatomyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren syndrome and
      mixed connective tissue disease; (2) briefly deal with radiation dose reduction
      for thin-section CT examination; and (3) discuss clinically applicable or state
      of-the-art MR imaging for CTD patients. 

PMID- 26483320
TI  - Combined behavioral studies and in vivo imaging of inflammatory response and
      expression of mGlu5 receptors in schnurri-2 knockout mice.
AB  - Schnurri-2 (Shn-2) knockout (KO) mice have been proposed as a preclinical
      neuroinflammatory schizophrenia model. We used behavioral studies and imaging
      markers that can be readily translated to human populations to explore brain
      effects of inflammation. Shn-2 KO mice and their littermate control mice were
      imaged with two novel PET ligands; an inflammation marker [(11)C]PBR28 and the
      mGluR5 ligand [(18)F]FPEB. Locomotor activity was measured using open field
      exploration with saline, methamphetamine or amphetamine challenge. A
      significantly increased accumulation of [(11)C]PBR28 was found in the cortex,
      striatum, hippocampus and olfactory bulb of Shn-2 KO mice. Increased mGluR5
      binding was also observed in the cortex and hippocampus of the Shn-2 KO mice.
      Open field locomotor testing revealed a large increase in novelty-induced
      hyperlocomotion in Shn-2 KO mice with abnormal (decreased) responses to either
      methamphetamine or amphetamine. These data provide additional support to
      demonstrate that the Shn-2 KO mouse model exhibits several behavioral and
      pathological markers resembling human schizophrenia making it an attractive
      translational model for the disease. 

PMID- 26483321
TI  - Acute decrease in alkaline phosphatase after brain injury: A potential mechanism
      for tauopathy.
AB  - Dephosphorylation of phosphorylated Tau (pTau) protein, which is essential for
      the preservation of neuronal microtubule assemblies and for protection against
      trauma-induced tauopathy and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), is primarily
      achieved in brain by tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP). Paired
      helical filaments (PHFs) and Tau isolated from Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients'
      brains have been shown to form microtubule assemblies with tubulin only after
      treatment with TNAP or protein phosphatase-2A, 2B and -1, suggesting that Tau
      protein in the PHFs of neurons in AD brain is hyperphosphorylated, which prevents
      microtubule assembly. Using blast or weight drop models of traumatic brain injury
      (TBI) in rats, we observed pTau accumulation in the brain as early as 6h post
      injury and further accumulation which varied regionally by 24h post-injury. The
      pTau accumulation was accompanied by reduced TNAP expression and activity in
      these brain regions and a significantly decreased plasma total alkaline
      phosphatase activity after the weight drop. These results reveal that both blast-
      and impact acceleration-induced head injuries cause an acute decrease in the
      level/activity of TNAP in the brain, which potentially contributes to trauma
      induced accumulation of pTau and the resultant tauopathy. The regional changes in
      the level/activity of TNAP or accumulation of pTau after these injuries did not
      correlate with the accumulation of amyloid precursor protein, suggesting that the
      basic mechanism underlying tauopathy in TBI might be distinct from that
      associated with AD. 

PMID- 26483322
TI  - Blockade of high mobility group box-1 signaling via the receptor for advanced
      glycation end-products ameliorates inflammatory damage after acute intracerebral
      hemorrhage.
AB  - Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating disease with no specific
      treatment. Increasing evidence indicates that inflammatory response plays a
      critical role in ICH-induced damage. High mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1)
      may trigger inflammatory response via three putative receptors: receptor for
      advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2) and toll-like
      receptor-4 (TLR4). Which receptor participates in HMGB1-induced inflammation
      during acute ICH is unknown. Using a rat model to examine the early phase of
      injury in collagenase-induced ICH, we found that treating animals with HMGB1
      antagonist significantly reduced the expression of all three receptors. Treating
      animals with the HMGB1 antagonist EP or RAGE antagonist FPS-ZM1 significantly
      reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and expression of IL-1beta, matrix
      metalloproteinase-9 in the perihematoma after ICH. Treatment with EP or FPS-ZM1
      also led to greater neurobehavioral function and less brain edema, hemorrhage
      volume and brain damage after ICH. In contrast, treatment with TLR2/4 antagonists
      did not significantly affect these post-ICH outcomes. Our results suggest that
      RAGE may play a specific role in the acute phase of ICH, so targeting the HMGB1
      RAGE signaling pathway may be a promising therapeutic strategy. 

PMID- 26483323
TI  - Turn-taking: From perception to speech preparation.
AB  - We investigated the preparation of a spoken answer response to interrogative
      sentences by measuring response time (RT) and the response-related readiness
      potential (RP). By comparing the RT and RP results we aimed to identify whether
      the RP-onset is more related to the actual speech preparation process or the pure
      intention to speak after turn-anticipation. Additionally, we investigated if the
      RP-onset can be influenced by the syntactic structure (one or two completion
      points). Therefore, the EEG data were sorted based on two variables: the
      cognitive load required for the response and the syntactic structure of the
      stimulus questions. The results of the response utterance preparation associated
      event-related potential (ERP) and the RT suggest that the RP-onset is more
      related to the actual speech preparation process rather than the pure intention
      to speak after turn-anticipation. However, the RP-onset can be influenced by the
      syntactic structure of the question leading to an early response preparation. 

PMID- 26483324
TI  - NSAIDs or paracetamol for short-term treatment of mild to moderate knee pain in
      early osteoarthritis: are they equivalent?

PMID- 26483325
TI  - Genetic diversity and population structure of an important wild berry crop.
AB  - The success of plant breeding in the coming years will be associated with access
      to new sources of variation, which will include landraces and wild relatives of
      crop species. In order to access the reservoir of favourable alleles within wild
      germplasm, knowledge about the genetic diversity and the population structure of
      wild species is needed. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is one of the most
      important wild crops growing in the forests of Northern European countries, noted
      for its nutritional properties and its beneficial effects on human health.
      Assessment of the genetic diversity of wild bilberry germplasm is needed for
      efforts such as in situ conservation, on-farm management and development of plant
      breeding programmes. However, to date, only a few local (small-scale) genetic
      studies of this species have been performed. We therefore conducted a study of
      genetic variability within 32 individual samples collected from different
      locations in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Germany, and analysed genetic
      diversity among geographic groups. Four selected inter-simple sequence repeat
      primers allowed the amplification of 127 polymorphic loci which, based on
      analysis of variance, made it possible to identify 85 % of the genetic diversity
      within studied bilberry populations, being in agreement with the mixed-mating
      system of bilberry. Significant correlations were obtained between geographic and
      genetic distances for the entire set of samples. The analyses also highlighted
      the presence of a north-south genetic gradient, which is in accordance with
      recent findings on phenotypic traits of bilberry. 

PMID- 26483326
TI  - From Crystals to Disordered Crystals: A Hidden Order-Disorder Transition.
AB  - To distinguish between order and disorder is of fundamental importance to
      understanding solids. It becomes more significant with recent observations that
      solids with high structural order can behave like disordered solids, while
      properties of disordered solids can approach crystals under certain circumstance.
      It is then imperative to understand when and how disorder takes effect to deviate
      the properties of a solid from crystals and what the correct factors are to
      control the behaviours of solids. Here we answer these questions by reporting the
      finding of a hidden order-disorder transition from crystals to disordered
      crystals for static packings of frictionless spheres. While the geometric
      indicators are mostly blind to the transition, disordered crystals already
      exhibit properties apart from crystals. The transition approaches the close
      packing of hard spheres, giving rise to the singularity of the close packing
      point. We evidence that both the transition and properties of disordered crystals
      are jointly determined by the structural order and density. Near the transition,
      the elastic moduli and coordination number of disordered crystals show particular
      pressure dependence distinct from known behaviours of both crystals and jammed
      solids. The discovery of the transition therefore reveals some unknown aspects of
      solids. 

PMID- 26483327
TI  - Membrane vesicle-mediated release of bacterial RNA.
AB  - Many Gram-negative bacterial species release outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that
      interact with the host by delivering virulence factors. Here, we report for the
      first time that RNA is among the wide variety of bacterial components that are
      associated with OMVs. To characterize the RNA profiles of bacterial OMVs, we
      performed RNA deep sequencing analysis using OMV samples isolated from a wild
      type Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor strain. The results showed that RNAs originating
      from intergenic regions were the most abundant. Our findings reveal a hitherto
      unrecognised feature of OMVs mimicking eukaryotic exosomes and highlight a need
      to evaluate the potential role of RNA-containing bacterial membrane vesicles in
      bacteria-host interactions. 

PMID- 26483328
TI  - DQ-DRENAR with back-to-back (BABA) excitation: Measuring homonuclear dipole
      dipole interactions in multiple spin-1/2 systems.
AB  - A new pulse sequence entitled DQ-DRENAR, (Double-Quantum based Dipolar Recoupling
      Effects Nuclear Alignment Reduction) was recently described for the quantitative
      measurement of magnetic dipole-dipole interactions in homonuclear spin-1/2
      systems involving multiple nuclei. The double quantum coherences were created via
      a windowless symmetry-based pulse sequence (POST-C7). The present contribution
      evaluates the performance of the "Back-to-Back" excitation pulse scheme BABA-xy16
      in such DRENAR experiments. Using SIMPSON simulations, special attention is given
      to finite pulse length effects, dipolar truncation, and chemical shift anisotropy
      interference. Experimental results on model compounds demonstrate good stability
      up to long mixing times (>10 ms) as well as high accuracy. As its dipolar
      coupling efficiency is relatively high (the dipolar coupling scaling factor is
      4.24 times as high as that of POST-C7), DQ-DRENAR-BABA-xy16 is most appropriate
      for the measurement of relatively weak dipolar coupling strengths (<400 Hz).
      Different from POST-C7, for which the spinning rate is limited to 1/7 of the
      nutation frequency, DQ-DRENAR-BABA-xy16 experiments can take full advantage of
      ultrafast MAS experiments.

PMID- 26483329
TI  - Minimizing the effects of RF inhomogeneity and phase transients allows resolution
      of two peaks in the (1)H CRAMPS NMR spectrum of adamantane.
AB  - One of the limiting factors to achieving highly resolved (1)H NMR spectra with
      (1)H homonuclear decoupling sequences is imperfections in the applied
      radiofrequency (RF) pulses, most notably phase transients and RF inhomogeneity.
      Through a series of simulations and solid-state NMR experiments, it is
      demonstrated that the combined effects of phase transients and RF inhomogeneity
      can be minimized by a combination of (i) restricting the sample to small volume
      of the rotor, (ii) by employing a super-cycled version of the DUMBO decoupling
      sequence, and (iii) by carefully adjusting the probe tuning such that the
      asymmetric component of phase transients is minimized. Under these optimal
      conditions, it was possible to clearly resolve two signals in the (1)H CRAMPS NMR
      spectrum of adamantane arising from the CH and CH2 protons in the molecule. It is
      proposed that adamantane could be a very useful setup sample for (1)H CRAMPS NMR
      as the two peaks are only resolved when the effects of RF inhomogeneity and phase
      transients are minimized. 

PMID- 26483330
TI  - Movin' On Up: An Innovative Nurse-Led Interdisciplinary Health Care Transition
      Program.
AB  - This article provides an overview of an innovative nurse-led interdisciplinary
      health care transition (HCT) model of care entitled Movin' On Up for adolescents
      and emerging adults (AEAs) with spina bifida (SB) that was originally implemented
      in 2011. The components of the HCT service model include an HCT nursing
      specialist, who is an advanced practice nurse; interdisciplinary health care
      transition plans based on the individualized needs of AEAs; an interdisciplinary
      HCT team that meets on a weekly basis; direct HCT services provided in the weekly
      SB clinic; and telephonic follow-up with AEAs, families, and providers. The
      characteristics of this nurse-led HCT program can be described as an integrated,
      interdisciplinary, and comprehensive model of care based on a life span approach.
      To date, a total of 210 AEAs with SB, ages 10 to 20 years, have been enrolled
      into the program. An important feature of this HCT service model is that it is
      self-supporting; it generates the revenue needed for sustainability and, unlike
      other HCT programs, is not reliant on extramural programmatic support. Other
      accomplishments of Movin' On Up include the development of a transfer protocol
      wherein 35 AEAs with SB have been supported in their transfer to adult care;
      implementation of a standardized process to ensure that service referrals to
      community-based services for postsecondary education, employment, training, and
      initiation of conservatorships are made; timely performance of evaluations; close
      tracking of needs and outcomes of self-management knowledge and skills
      instruction; and attention to equipment needs prior to transfer.

PMID- 26483331
TI  - [Sequence-dependent Effect of Triptolide with Gefitinib on the Proliferation?and
      Apoptosis of Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell H1975].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors
      (TKIs) show promising therapeutic effects in patients with advanced non-small
      cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, despite an initial response to TKIs treatment
      among responsive patients, most inevitably acquire resistance after a progression
      free period of about 10 months. The percentage of T790M in TKI acquired-resistant
      patients in most studies is around 50%. The aim of this study is to assess the
      effects of the sequential administration of triptolide and geftinib on cell
      proliferation and apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma cell H1975. METHODS: A MTT
      assay was used to measure cell proliferation. The potency of the sequential
      administration of triptolide and geftinib were determined by isobolograms and
      combination index (CI). Cell apoptosis and cycle distribution were detected by
      flow cytometry. The Hoechst 33258 method was used to observe the apoptotic
      morphology. Chemical colorimetric luminescence was used to measure the caspase
      activity. RESULTS: The results of isobolograms and CI showed that the sequential
      administration of triptolide following geftinib remarkably inhibited cell
      proliferation and cell apoptosis compared with other sequential administration
      models. The cycle distribution results indicated that sequential triptolide
      administration following geftinib blocked the cells in the G2/M phase but not in
      the G0/G1 phase. The activation of the Caspase-9/Caspase-3 cascade was mainly
      involved in the apoptotic pathway of lung adenocarcinoma cell H1975 in all
      sequential administration models. CONCLUSIONS: The triptolide administration
      following geftinib might be a new therapeutic strategy for lung cancer with T790M
      mutation after having EGFR-TKIs resistance.?.

PMID- 26483332
TI  - [Regulation Mechanism of MTA3 in the Apoptosis of NSCLC Cells].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metastasis-associated protein 3 (MTA3) was originally found as a
      member of a small protein family (including MTA1, MTA2 and MTA3), and it has been
      proven that MTA3 had different roles in different types of human cancers. The aim
      of this study is to explore the function of MTA3 to regulate the cell apoptosis
      in lung cancer. METHODS: Western blot and Real-time PCR were used to detect the
      expression level of MTA3 after transfection in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      cells A549 and H157. Apoptosis analysis was used to detect the change of cell
      apoptosis with upregulated/downregulated of MTA3, and Western blot was used to
      detect the the expression of the protein related with apoptosis, while
      downregulate the expression of MTA3 in NSCLC cells A549 and H157. RESULTS:
      Downregulated of endogenous MTA3 could promote apoptosis in NSCLC cells,
      meanwhile, siMTA3 could upregulate the protein of BAX, Cleved-Caspase-3, p-PARP,
      and dowmregulate the protein of Bcl-2. CONCLUSIONS: The data we present here
      indicate that MTA3 suppress apoptosis of A549 an H157 cells by inhibiting BAX,
      PARP expression.?.

PMID- 26483333
TI  - [Clinical Efficacy of Crizotinib in Advanced ALK Positive ?Non-small Cell Lung
      Cancer].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to explore clinical efficacy of crizotinib
      in advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positive non-small cell lung cancer.
      METHODS: patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer habouring ALK positive
      were randomly divided into crizotinib group (n=14) and chemotherapy group (n=14).
      Patients in the crizotinib group were receive oral treatment with crizotinib (250
      mg) twice daily. Patients in the chemotherapy group were administrated docetaxel
      injection (75 mg/m2) every three weeks and every patient was treated at least 3
      period. Then clinical efficacy was observed after 12 mo followed-up. RESULTS:
      Effective rate of patients in the crizotinib group was 64.29%. It was
      significantly higher than that of the chemotherapy group (21.43%)(P=0.026). The
      stable rate of patients in the crizotinib group was 85.71%. It was significantly
      higher than that of the chemotherapy group 40.86% (chi2=5.600, P=0.018). Median
      progression free survival (PFS) of the crizotinib group was 7.0 mo. It was longer
      than that of the chemotherapy group (4.0 mo)(P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Crizotinib is
      superior to standard chemotherapy in patients with previously treated, advanced
      ALK positive non-small cell lung cancer. The median PFS of patients is shorter.
      It can improve the quality of life about patients.?.

PMID- 26483334
TI  - [Detection and Analysis of EGFR and KRAS Mutations ?in the Patients with Lung
      Squamous Cell Carcinomas].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Activating mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and
      KRAS are important markers in non-small cell lung cancer. However, EGFR and KRAS
      gene mutations in lung squamous cell carcinoma are rarely reported. The aim of
      this study was to analyze EGFR and KRAS gene mutation rate and their relationship
      with clinical features in patients with lung squamous cell carcinomas. METHODS: A
      total of 139 patients undergoing treatment for naive lung squamous cell
      carcinomas with tumor tissue samples available for testing were recruited. EGFR
      and KRAS mutation statuses of the tumor samples were detected using a mutant
      enriched liquid chip. RESULTS: Of the 139 cases of lung squamous cell carcinoma,
      EGFR mutations were detected in 25 cases (18%), KRAS mutations were detected in 7
      cases (5%), and the presence of both EGFR and KRAS mutations was detected in 1
      case (0.7%). EGFR mutations occurred more often in females than in males (33.3%
      vs 16.5%) and in patients that never smoked than in those who smoke (29.6% vs
      16.1%). However, the difference did not reach statistical significance (P>0.05).
      No significant differences were observed in age, stage, and different biopsy
      type. KRAS mutations occurred more often in males than in females (5.5% vs 0%),
      but the difference did not reach statistical significance (P>0.05). No
      significant differences were observed in age, stage, different biopsy type, and
      smoking status (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: EGFR and KRAS mutations were low in lung
      squamous cell carcinomas, and had no significant correlation with clinical
      features. Before using tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeted therapy, EGFR and KRAS
      mutations should be detected in patients with lung squamous cell carcinomas.

PMID- 26483335
TI  - [Diagnosis and Treatment of Leptomeningeal Metastasis in Non-small Cell Lung
      Cancer].
AB  - Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) is one of the disastrous events in managing
      advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) due to severe clinical symptoms and a
      grave prognosis. Although intrathecal (IT) chemotherapy show some effects for LM
      in advanced NSCLC, the prognosis is still poor (12 wk-14 wk). A large majority
      (84%-97%) of the patients were found to have adenocarcinoma histology. Epidermal
      growth factor receptor (EGFR) senstive mutations were detected in 43.0%-70.5%
      adenocarcinoma patients with LM. EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) showed to
      be effective for LM in selected NSCLC patients in some reseaches, and confer a
      survival benefit. Furthermore, future trials need be done to determine the effect
      of EGFR-TKIs treatment in NSCLC-LM patients. 

PMID- 26483336
TI  - [Advances in Lung Stem Cells and Lung Cancer Stem Cells].
AB  - Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are emerging as a hot topic for cancer research. Lung
      CSCs share many characteristics with normal lung stem cells (SCs), including self
      renewal and multi-potency for differentiation. Many molecular markers expressed
      in various types of CSCs were also found in lung CSCs, such as CD133, CD44,
      aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 2
      (ABCG2). Similarly, proliferation and expansion of lung CSCs are regulated not
      only by signal transduction pathways functioning in normal lung SCs, such as
      Notch, Hedgehog and Wnt pathways, but also by those acting in tumor cells, such
      as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), signal transducer and activator of
      transcription 3 (STAT3) and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) pathways. As CSC
      plays an critical role in tumor recurrence, metastasis and drug-resistance,
      understanding the difference between lung CSCs and normal lung SCs, identifying
      and targeting CSC markers or related signaling pathways may increase the efficacy
      of therapy on lung cancer and improved survival of lung cancer patients. 

PMID- 26483337
TI  - [Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Primary Lung Cancer].
AB  - Recently, the incidence and detection rates of multiple primary lung cancer
      (MPLC) are increasing. The diagnosis of MPLC depends mainly on the Martini
      Melamed criterion and ACCP criterion at present, taking all features
      (histological, genetic, radiologic and clinical) into account. It may be easy to
      diagnose cases of MPLC that exhibit different histological types, but it is
      difficult to diagnose cases that exhibit similar histological type. DNA polity,
      gene mutations, microsatellite alteration and so on provide new methods for the
      accurate diagnosis of MPLC. They can evaluate the clonal relationship and help
      differential diagnosis between MPLC and metastasis. The first therapeutic choice
      for MPLC is curative operation. The surgical approach includes lobectomy, wedge
      resection and segmentectomy. For those which cannot be resected, we can
      synthesize chemotherapy, radiotherapy, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR),
      radiofrequency ablation (RFA), molecular targeted therapy, etc. 

PMID- 26483338
TI  - [Role of HER2 in NSCLC].
AB  - The therapeutic strategy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is dramatically
      changed with the introduction of molecular targeted drugs in the last years,
      resulting in a series of results in histologic and molecular level. The discovery
      of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation, Kirsten rat sarcoma (KRAS)
      viral oncogene mutation and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement, has
      profoundly influenced the development of treatment of NSCLC. Recently, there is a
      renewed interest in the human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2), where genetic
      alteration in NSCLC is associated with the different sensetivity of EGFR tyrosine
      kinase inhibitors (TKIs), to have a prognostic effect. HER2 amplification in EGFR
      mutation tumors may become a mechanism of acquired resistance to the TKIs.
      Besides, HER2 mutation may become a novel therapeutic strategy of NSCLC. 

PMID- 26483340
TI  - [Clinical Observation of Translating to Small Cell Lung Cancer Following
      Treatment with EGFR-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Lung Adenocarcinoma].
AB  - In recent years, the chemotherapy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has
      almost been reached a platform stage, and there is no obvious progress in terms
      of response rate (RR) and overall survival (OS); With the great development of
      molecular biology, epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors
      (EGFR-TKIs) has good therapeutic effect on the NSCLC. But, almost all patients of
      EGFR-mutant lung cancers develop drug resistance to these agents. This paper
      reported a case of a 49-year-old woman with lung adenocarcinoma who had EGFR
      mutant (19-DEL) treated with EGFR-TKIs. After disease progression, histological
      examination of a secondary biopsy specimen revealed small cell lung cancer (SCLC)
      had transformed to SCLC treatment. Through the analysis of the process and effect
      of her therapy, the following is a summary of the relevant mechanism. 

PMID- 26483339
TI  - [Value of Cell Block in the Diagnosis of Malignant Pleural Effusion].
AB  - Malignant pleural effusion (MPE ) is due tumor which arises from the mesothelium
      or metastases from tumor origniating other sites. In large, for undiagnosed
      unilateral pleural effusions, the most frequent and important diagnosis to be
      established or excluded is malignancy. Cell block is prepared from residual fluid
      which is centrifuged or is naturally sedimenting to obtain clots at the bottom of
      the container. The cell block technique is simple, relatively non-invasive,
      reproducible and has a high yield for malignant plerual effusion. It plays an
      important role in the diagnosis, guiding the treatment of maligant pleural
      effusion. Herein, we summarize the technologys which make the cell block, the
      differential diagnostic value when multiple sections of the cell block are
      processed for immunhistochemistry, advantages in the diagnosis of malignant
      pleural effusion, the clinical value of gene screening in cell block. The aim of
      this article is to discuss the value of cell block in diagnosis of maligant
      pleural effusion. 

PMID- 26483341
TI  - Photoacoustic "nanobombs" fight against undesirable vesicular
      compartmentalization of anticancer drugs.
AB  - Undesirable intracellular vesicular compartmentalization of anticancer drugs in
      cancer cells is a common cause of chemoresistance. Strategies aimed at
      circumventing this problem may improve chemotherapeutic efficacy. We report a
      novel photophysical strategy for controlled-disruption of vesicular sequestration
      of the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). Single-walled carbon nanotubes
      (SWCNTs), modified with folate, were trapped in acidic vesicles after entering
      lung cancer cells. Upon irradiation by near-infrared pulsed laser, these vesicles
      were massively broken by the resulting photoacoustic shockwave, and the vesicle
      sequestered contents were released, leading to redistribution of DOX from
      cytoplasm to the target-containing nucleus. Redistribution resulted in 12-fold
      decrease of the EC50 of DOX in lung cancer cells, and enhanced antitumor efficacy
      of low-dose DOX in tumor-bearing mice. Side effects were not observed. These
      findings provide insights of using nanotechnology to improve cancer chemotherapy,
      i.e. not only for drug delivery, but also for overcoming intracellular drug
      transport hurdles. 

PMID- 26483342
TI  - Unusual Case of Severe Hypertension in a 20-Year-Old Woman.

PMID- 26483343
TI  - Hypothalamic Paraventricular and Arcuate Nuclei Contribute to Elevated
      Sympathetic Nerve Activity in Pregnant Rats: Roles of Neuropeptide Y and alpha
      Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone.
AB  - Pregnancy increases sympathetic nerve activity (SNA), but the mechanisms are
      unknown. Here, we investigated the contributions of the hypothalamic
      paraventricular and arcuate nuclei in alpha-chloralose-anesthetized pregnant and
      nonpregnant rats. Baseline arterial pressure (AP) was lower, and heart rate (HR),
      lumbar sympathetic activity, and splanchnic SNA were higher in pregnant rats
      compared with nonpregnant rats. Inhibition of the paraventricular nucleus via
      bilateral muscimol nanoinjections decreased AP and HR more in pregnant rats than
      in nonpregnant rats and decreased lumbar SNA only in pregnant rats. Similarly,
      after arcuate muscimol nanoninjections, the decreases in AP, HR, and lumbar,
      renal, and splanchnic sympathetic nerve activities were greater in pregnant rats
      than in nonpregnant rats. Major arcuate neuronal groups that project to the
      paraventricular nucleus express inhibitory neuropeptide Y (NPY) and excitatory
      alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Inhibition of paraventricular melanocortin
      3/4 receptors with SHU9119 also decreased AP, HR, and lumbar SNA in pregnant rats
      but not in nonpregnant rats. Conversely, paraventricular nucleus NPY expression
      was reduced in pregnant animals, and although blockade of paraventricular NPY Y1
      receptors increased AP, HR, and lumbar sympathetic activity in nonpregnant rats,
      it had no effects in pregnant rats. Yet, the sympathoinhibitory, depressor, and
      bradycardic effects of paraventricular NPY nanoinjections were similar between
      groups. In conclusion, the paraventricular and arcuate nuclei contribute to
      increased basal SNA during pregnancy, likely due in part to decreased tonic NPY
      inhibition and increased tonic alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone excitation of
      presympathetic neurons in the paraventricular nucleus. 

PMID- 26483344
TI  - Smad3 Couples Pak1 With the Antihypertrophic Pathway Through the E3 Ubiquitin
      Ligase, Fbxo32.
AB  - Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is regarded as a critical intermediate step
      toward the development of heart failure. Many signal transduction cascades are
      demonstrated to dictate the induction and progression of pathological
      hypertrophy; however, our understanding in regulatory mechanisms responsible for
      the suppression of hypertrophy remains limited. In this study, we showed that
      exacerbated hypertrophy induced by pressure overload in cardiac-deleted Pak1 mice
      was attributable to a failure to upregulate the antihypertrophic E3 ligase,
      Fbxo32, responsible for targeting proteins for the ubiquitin-degradation pathway.
      Under pressure overload, cardiac overexpression of constitutively active Pak1
      mice manifested strong resilience against pathological hypertrophic remodeling.
      Mechanistic studies demonstrated that subsequent to Pak1 activation, the binding
      of Smad3 on a critical singular AGAC(-286)-binding site on the FBXO32 promoter
      was crucial for its transcriptional regulation. Pharmacological upregulation of
      Fbxo32 by Berberine ameliorated hypertrophic remodeling and improved cardiac
      performance in cardiac-deficient Pak1 mice under pressure overload. Our findings
      discover Smad3 and Fbxo32 as novel downstream components of the Pak1-dependent
      signaling pathway for the suppression of hypertrophy. This discovery opens a new
      venue for opportunities to identify novel targets for the management of cardiac
      hypertrophy. 

PMID- 26483345
TI  - Endothelial Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1alpha Promotes Atherosclerosis and Monocyte
      Recruitment by Upregulating MicroRNA-19a.
AB  - Chemokines mediate monocyte adhesion to dysfunctional endothelial cells (ECs) and
      promote arterial inflammation during atherosclerosis. Hypoxia-inducible factor
      (HIF)-1alpha is expressed in various cell types of atherosclerotic lesions and is
      associated with lesional inflammation. However, the impact of endothelial HIF
      1alpha in atherosclerosis is unclear. HIF-1alpha was detectable in the nucleus of
      ECs covering murine and human atherosclerotic lesions. To study the role of
      endothelial HIF-1alpha in atherosclerosis, deletion of the Hif1a gene was induced
      in ECs from apolipoprotein E knockout mice (EC-Hif1a(-/-)) by Tamoxifen
      injection. The formation of atherosclerotic lesions, the lesional macrophage
      accumulation, and the expression of CXCL1 in ECs were reduced after partial
      carotid ligation in EC-Hif1a(-/-) compared with control mice. Moreover, the
      lesion area and the lesional macrophage accumulation were decreased in the aortas
      of EC-Hif1a(-/-) mice compared with control mice during diet-induced
      atherosclerosis. In vitro, mildly oxidized low-density lipoprotein or
      lysophosphatidic acid 20:4 increased endothelial CXCL1 expression and monocyte
      adhesion by inducing HIF-1alpha expression. Moreover, endothelial Hif1a
      deficiency resulted in downregulation of miR-19a in atherosclerotic arteries
      determined by microRNA profiling. In vitro, HIF-1alpha-induced miR-19a expression
      mediated the upregulation of CXCL1 in mildly oxidized low-density lipoprotein
      stimulated ECs. These results indicate that hyperlipidemia upregulates HIF-1alpha
      expression in ECs by mildly oxidized low-density lipoprotein-derived unsaturated
      lysophosphatidic acid. Endothelial HIF-1alpha promoted atherosclerosis by
      triggering miR-19a-mediated CXCL1 expression and monocyte adhesion, indicating
      that inhibition of the endothelial HIF-1alpha/miR-19a pathway may be a
      therapeutic option against atherosclerosis. 

PMID- 26483346
TI  - miR-342-3p regulates MYC transcriptional activity via direct repression of E2F1
      in human lung cancer.
AB  - Accumulating evidence indicates that altered miRNA expression is crucially
      involved in lung cancer development, though scant information is available
      regarding how MYC, an archetypical oncogene, is regulated by miRNAs, especially
      via a mechanism involving MYC cofactors. In this study, we attempted to identify
      miRNAs involved in regulation of MYC transcriptional activity in lung cancer. To
      this end, we utilized an integrative approach with combinatorial usage of miRNA
      and mRNA expression profile datasets of patient tumor tissues, as well as those
      of MYC-inducible cell lines in vitro. In addition to miRNAs previously reported
      to be directly regulated by MYC, including let-7 and miR-17-92, our strategy also
      helped to identify miR-342-3p as capable of indirectly regulating MYC activity
      via direct repression of E2F1, a MYC-cooperating molecule. Furthermore, miR-342
      3p module activity, which we defined as a gene set reflecting the experimentally
      substantiated influence of miR-342-3p on mRNA expression, was found to be
      inversely correlated with MYC activity reflected by MYC module activity in three
      independent datasets of lung adenocarcinoma patients obtained from the Director's
      Challenge Consortium of the United States (P = 1.94 * 10(-73)), the National
      Cancer Center of Japan (P = 9.05 * 10(-34)) and the present study (P = 1.17 * 10(
      19)). Our integrative approach appears to be useful to elucidate inter-regulatory
      relationships between miRNAs and protein coding genes of interest, even those
      present in patient tumor tissues, which remains a challenge to better understand
      the pathogenesis of this devastating disease.

PMID- 26483347
TI  - Differential expression of microRNAs in shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus in response
      to Vibrio alginolyticus infection.
AB  - Till date numerous microRNAs (miRNAs) have been discovered from various
      organisms, including mammals, plants, insects, nematodes and viruses. They are
      known to have antiviral functions in crustaceans such as shrimp Marsupenaeus
      japonicas. However, little is known about the role of miRNAs against bacterial
      infection in this shrimp caused by Vibrio alginolyticus. We performed small RNA
      sequencing to characterize the differentially expressed microRNAs in V.
      alginolyticus challenged shrimp, in comparison to that in control uninfected
      shrimp, at 24 h and 48 h. In total, 55 host miRNAs were differentially expressed
      in response to the infection and most of these were downregulated at both the
      time-points. TargetScan and miRanda algorithms showed that the target genes of
      these down-regulated miRNAs were related to innate immune functions such as
      production of phenoloxidase enzyme, apoptosis and phagocytosis. Further, gene
      ontology analysis revealed that many immune signaling pathways were mediated by
      these miRNAs. This study is one of the earliest attempts at characterizing shrimp
      miRNAs that respond to V. alginolyticus infection, and will help unravel the
      miRNA pathways involved in antibacterial action in shrimp.

PMID- 26483348
TI  - Molecular characterization and functional analysis of IRF3 in tilapia
      (Oreochromis niloticus).
AB  - Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) plays a key role in interferon (IFN)
      response and binding to the IFN stimulatory response elements (ISREs) within the
      promoter of IFN and IFN-stimulated genes followed by virus infection. In the
      current study, we discovered one IRF3 homologue in tilapia genome and analyzed
      the characterizations and functions of tilapia IRF3. Tilapia IRF3 contains 1368
      bp with an ORF of 455 aa. Structurally, tilapia IRF3 protein typically shares the
      conserved characterizations with other species' IRF3 homologues, displaying
      conserved DNA-binding domain, IRF association domain, serine-rich C terminal
      domain, and tryptophan residue cluster. Phylogenetic analysis illustrated that
      tilapia IRF3 belongs to the IRF3 subfamily. Real-time PCR revealed a broad
      expression pattern of tilapia IRF3 in various tissues. Subcellular localization
      analysis showed that tilapia IRF3 mainly resides in the cytoplasm, Western blot
      demonstrated that IRF3 was distributed in the cytoplasmic fraction. Functionally,
      IRF3 was found to be transcriptionally up-regulated by the poly I:C stimulation.
      Moreover, reporter assay elucidated that tilapia IRF3 serves as a regulator in
      mediating IFN response by increasing the activity of IFN-beta and ISRE-containing
      promoter. These data supported the view that tilapia IRF3 is a potential molecule
      in IFN immune defense system against viral infection.

PMID- 26483349
TI  - Trashing bibliometry? In defence of a unique approach for disciplinary
      development.

PMID- 26483350
TI  - On modeling and nanoanalysis of caries-affected dentin surfaces restored with Zn
      containing amalgam and in vitro oral function.
AB  - The aim of this research was to assess the influence of mechanical loading on the
      ability of Zn-free versus Zn-containing amalgams to promote remineralization at
      the dentin interface. Sound and caries-affected dentin surfaces (CAD) were
      restored using Zn-free or Zn-containing dental amalgams. Midcoronal dentin
      surfaces were studied by (1) atomic force microscopy analysis (including plot and
      phase imaging, nanoindentation test [modulus of Young (Ei), nanoroughness
      measurements, and fibril diameter assessment], (2) Raman spectroscopy/cluster
      analysis, (3) x-ray diffraction, (4) field emission electron microscope and
      energy-dispersive analysis, for morphological, mechanical, and physicochemical
      characterization. Analyses were performed before amalgam placement and after
      amalgam removal, at 24 h and 3 weeks of load cycling. Zn-free and Zn-containing
      amalgams restorations promoted an increase in the modulus of Young of CAD
      surfaces, after 3 weeks of load cycling; at this time, Zn-containing amalgams
      attained higher Ei than Zn-free restorations. Zn-containing amalgams induced
      tubular occlusion after load cycling, in both sound and CAD. Zn free-amalgams
      promoted remineralization of both intertubular and peritubular dentin in CAD
      substrata. These minerals were identified as calcium-phosphate deposits and
      crystals as hydroxyl-apatite with augmented crystallographic maturity but with
      some components of lattice distortion. Crosslinking of collagen diminished and
      secondary structure of collagen increased in CAD substrate restored with Zn
      containing amalgam after 3 weeks of load cycling, indicating an advanced
      preservation, molecular organization, and orientation of collagen fibrils after
      load cycling. Plot and phase images permitted to observe the topographical
      changes which were promoted by the mineral deposits; in general, the indexes
      related to higher remineralization gave rise to a decrease of nanoroughness and
      an augmentation of the bandwidth of the collagen fibrils. Zn-containing amalgam
      restorations submitted to mechanical stimuli promote remineralization of the
      partially mineral-depleted subjacent substrate at the caries-affected dentin.

PMID- 26483351
TI  - Rising to the challenge of preventing pediatric intensive care unit admissions.

PMID- 26483352
TI  - Reply to: Prone position in nonintubated hypoxemic respiratory failure. New tool
      to avoid endotracheal intubation?

PMID- 26483353
TI  - A comment on "Changes in end-tidal CO2 could predict fluid responsiveness in the
      passive leg raising test but not in the mini-fluid challenge test: A prospective
      and observational study".

PMID- 26483354
TI  - Association between blood alcohol concentration and mortality in critical
      illness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In animal models of renal, intestinal, liver, cardiac, and cerebral
      ischemia, alcohol exposure is shown to reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury.
      Inpatient mortality of trauma patients is shown to be decreased in a dose
      dependent fashion relative to blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at hospital
      admission. In this study, we examined the association between BAC at hospital
      admission and risk of 30-day mortality in critically ill patients. DESIGN: We
      performed a 2-center observational study of patients treated in medical and
      surgical intensive care units in Boston, Massachusetts. SETTING: Medical and
      surgical intensive care units in 2 teaching hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts.
      PATIENTS: We studied 11850 patients, 18 years or older, who received critical
      care between 1997 and 2007. The exposure of interest was the BAC determined in
      the first 24 hours of hospital admission and categorized a priori as BAC less
      than 10 mg/dL (below level of detection), 10 to 80 mg/dL, 80 to 160 mg/dL, and
      greater than 160 mg/dL. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality in the 30
      days after critical care initiation. Secondary outcomes included 90- and 365-day
      mortality after critical care initiation. Mortality was determined using the US
      Social Security Administration Death Master File, and 365-day follow-up was
      present in all cohort patients. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were estimated by
      multivariable logistic regression models with inclusion of covariate terms
      thought to plausibly interact with both BAC and mortality. Adjustment included
      age, sex, race (white or nonwhite), type (surgical vs medical), Deyo-Charlson
      index, sepsis, acute organ failure, trauma, and chronic liver disease. RESULTS:
      Thirty-day mortality of the cohort was 13.7%. Compared to patients with BAC
      levels less than 10 mg/dL, patients with levels greater than or equal to 10 mg/dL
      had lower odds of 30-day mortality; for BAC levels 10 to 79.9 mg/dL, the OR was
      0.53 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40-0.70); for BAC levels 80 to 159.9 mg/dL,
      it was 0.36 (95% CI, 0.26-0.49); and for BAC levels greater than or equal to 160
      mg/dL, it was 0.35 (95% CI, 0.27-0.44). After multivariable adjustment, the OR of
      30-day mortality was 0.97 (0.72-1.31), 0.79 (0.57-1.10), and 0.69 (0.54-0.90),
      respectively. When the cohort was analyzed with sepsis as the outcome of
      interest, the multivariable adjusted odds of sepsis in patients with BAC 80 to
      160 mg/dL or greater than 160 mg/dL were 0.72 (0.50-1.04) or 0.68 (0.51-0.90),
      respectively, compared to those with BAC less than 10 mg/dL. In a subset of
      patients with blood cultures drawn (n=4065), the multivariable adjusted odds of
      bloodstream infection in patients with BAC 80 to 160 mg/dL or greater than 160
      mg/dL were 0.53 (0.27-1.01) or 0.49 (0.29-0.83), respectively, compared to those
      with BAC less than 10 mg/dL. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of 11850 adult patients showed
      that having a detectable BAC at hospitalization was associated with significantly
      decreased odds of 30-day mortality after critical care. Furthermore, BAC greater
      than 160 mg/dL is associated with significantly decreased odds of developing
      sepsis and bloodstream infection.

PMID- 26483355
TI  - Substance use network characteristics and drug and alcohol use behaviors among
      young men who have sex with men (YMSM).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) use alcohol and other drugs at
      rates higher than their heterosexual peers. While social networks of YMSM have
      been acknowledged as an important contextual influence on their health behavior,
      studies have largely focused on social and sexual networks rather than substance
      use networks, despite the potential importance of substance use alters in shaping
      substance use behavior. METHOD: Using data collected from a diverse sample of
      YMSM (n=156), two multilevel models examined the associations between network
      (e.g., degree and transitivity), dyadic (e.g., strength of relationship), and
      individual characteristics and two alter level dependent variables: recent drug
      use (versus no recent drug use) and frequency of substance use. RESULTS: Results
      indicated that transitivity was associated with both recent drug use (OR=1.21,
      p=0.012) and more frequent substance use (b=0.08, p=0.002). Degree was not
      significantly associated with either variable. Furthermore, participants were
      also less likely to have recently used drugs (OR=0.93, p<0.001) and tended to use
      substances less frequently (b=-0.01, p=0.028) with older alters. CONCLUSIONS:
      Despite substantial interest in network influences on health, much remains
      unknown about the impact of network structures on substance use. The current
      findings suggest that structural characteristics of substance use networks may
      provide important information regarding the drug and alcohol use behavior of YMSM
      even when controlling for dyadic and individual characteristics.

PMID- 26483356
TI  - States' implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the supply of physicians
      waivered to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid dependence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is anticipated to affect
      substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, its impact on the supply of physicians
      waivered to treat opioid dependence with buprenorphine has not been considered.
      This study examined whether states more supportive of ACA, meaning those that had
      opted to expand Medicaid and establish a state-based health insurance exchange,
      experienced greater growth in physician supply than less supportive states.
      METHODS: Buprenorphine physician supply, including total physician supply, supply
      of 30-patient physicians, and supply of 100-patient physicians per 100,000 state
      residents, was measured from June 2013 to May 2015. State characteristics were
      drawn from multiple secondary sources, with states categorized as ACA-supportive,
      ACA-hybrid (where states either expanded Medicaid or established a state-based
      exchange), or ACA-resistant (where states took neither action). Mixed effects
      regression was used to estimate state-level growth curves to test whether rates
      of growth varied by states' approaches to implementing ACA. RESULTS: The supply
      of waivered physicians grew significantly over the two-year period. Rates of
      growth were significantly lower in ACA-hybrid and ACA-resistant states relative
      to growth in ACA-supportive states. Average buprenorphine physician supply at
      baseline varied by region, the percentage of residents covered by Medicaid, and
      the supply of specialty SUD treatment programs. CONCLUSIONS: This study found a
      positive impact of the ACA on growth in the supply of buprenorphine-waivered
      physicians in US states. Future research should address whether the ACA affects
      the number of patients receiving buprenorphine, Medicaid spending, and the
      quality of treatment services delivered.

PMID- 26483357
TI  - Safety of oral dronabinol during opioid withdrawal in humans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Opioid dependence remains a significant public health problem
      worldwide with only three FDA-approved treatments, all targeting the mu-opioid
      receptor. Dronabinol, a cannabinoid (CB) 1 receptor agonist, is currently under
      investigation as a novel opioid withdrawal treatment. This study reports on
      safety outcomes of dronabinol among adults in opioid withdrawal. METHODS: Twelve
      adults physically dependent on short-acting opioids participated in this 5-week
      within-subject, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled inpatient study.
      Volunteers were maintained on oral oxycodone 30 mg qid. Double-blind placebo
      substitutions occurred for 21 h before each of 7 experimental sessions in order
      to produce opioid withdrawal. A single oral test dose was administered each
      session (placebo, oxycodone 30 and 60 mg, dronabinol 5, 10, 20, and 30 mg
      [decreased from 40 mg]). Heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory outcomes and
      pupil diameter were assessed repeatedly. RESULTS: Dronabinol 40 mg produced
      sustained sinus tachycardia accompanied by anxiety and panic necessitating dose
      reduction to 30 mg. Sinus tachycardia and anxiety also occurred in one volunteer
      after dronabinol 20mg. Compared to placebo, dronabinol 20 and 30 mg produced
      significant increases in heart rate beginning 1h after drug administration that
      lasted approximately 2h (p<0.05). Dronabinol 5 and 10mg produced placebo-like
      effects. Oxycodone produced prototypic mu-opioid agonist effects (e.g., miosis).
      CONCLUSION: Dronabinol 20mg and higher increased heart rate among healthy adults
      at rest who were in a state of opioid withdrawal, raising concern about its
      safety. These results have important implications for future dosing strategies
      and may limit the utility of dronabinol as a treatment for opioid withdrawal.

PMID- 26483359
TI  - Electrical properties of doped conjugated polyelectrolytes with modulated density
      of the ionic functionalities.
AB  - We report the synthesis of a series of water-soluble anionic narrow band-gap
      conjugated polyelectrolytes with a varied density of the ionic functional groups.
      The charge density is modulated by incorporating the structural units with
      tetraethylene glycol (TEG) monomethyl ether side chains. These polymers are
      readily p-doped during dialysis in water. CPEs with TEG side chains exhibit
      tighter intermolecular packing in the solid state and higher electrical
      conductivity. 

PMID- 26483360
TI  - An internal charge transfer-dependent solvent effect in V-shaped azacyanines.
AB  - New V-shaped non-centrosymmetric dyes, possessing a strongly electron-deficient
      azacyanine core, have been synthesized based on a straightforward two-step
      approach. The key step in this synthesis involves palladium-catalysed cross
      coupling of dibromo-N,N'-methylene-2,2'-azapyridinocyanines with arylacetylenes.
      The resulting strongly polarized pi-expanded heterocycles exhibit green to orange
      fluorescence and they strongly respond to changes in solvent polarity. We
      demonstrate that differently electron-donating peripheral groups have a
      significant influence on the internal charge transfer, hence on the solvent
      effect and fluorescence quantum yield. TD-DFT calculations confirm that, in
      contrast to the previously studied bis(styryl)azacyanines, the proximity of S1
      and T2 states calculated for compounds bearing two 4-N,N
      dimethylaminophenylethynyl moieties establishes good conditions for efficient
      intersystem crossing and is responsible for its low fluorescence quantum yield.
      Non-linear properties have also been determined for new azacyanines and the
      results show that depending on peripheral groups, the synthesized dyes exhibit
      small to large two-photon absorption cross sections reaching 4000 GM. 

PMID- 26483358
TI  - Age-varying associations between substance use behaviors and depressive symptoms
      during adolescence and young adulthood.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Substance use and depression often co-occur, complicating treatment
      of both substance use and depression. Despite research documenting age-related
      trends in both substance use and depression, little research has examined how the
      associations between substance use behaviors and depression changes across the
      lifespan. METHODS: This study examines how the associations between substance use
      behaviors (daily smoking, regular heavy episodic drinking (HED), and marijuana
      use) and depressive symptoms vary from adolescence into young adulthood (ages 12
      31), and how these associations differ by gender. Using data from the National
      Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we implemented
      time-varying effect models (TVEM), an analytic approach that estimates how the
      associations between predictors (e.g., substance use measures) and an outcome
      (e.g., depressive symptoms) vary across age. RESULTS: Marijuana use and daily
      smoking were significantly associated with depressive symptoms at most ages from
      12 to 31. Regular HED was significantly associated with depressive symptoms
      during adolescence only. In bivariate analyses, the association with depressive
      symptoms for each substance use behavior was significantly stronger for females
      at certain ages; when adjusting for concurrent substance use in a multivariate
      analysis, no gender differences were observed. CONCLUSIONS: While the
      associations between depressive symptoms and both marijuana and daily smoking
      were relatively stable across ages 12-31, regular HED was only significantly
      associated with depressive symptoms during adolescence. Understanding age and
      gender trends in these associations can help tailor prevention efforts and joint
      treatment methods in order to maximize public health benefit.

PMID- 26483361
TI  - Celebrating 10 years of Nature Reviews Endocrinology.

PMID- 26483362
TI  - Language barriers may put patients at risk during daily hospital care.

PMID- 26483363
TI  - Assessing beyond vital signs to detect early patient deterioration.

PMID- 26483364
TI  - Computational and carbon-13 NMR studies of Pt-C bonds in P-C-P pincer complexes.
AB  - A (13)C{(1)H} NMR based investigation was conducted to examine the electronic
      properties of C(aryl)-M bonds and their trans influence in P-C(aryl)-P pincer
      complexes. A series of structurally related platinum pincer complexes were
      rationally designed and their corresponding (13)C-(195)Pt coupling constants were
      systematically examined. By methodical substitution of the ligand trans to the
      organometallic C(aryl)-Pt bond, this study revealed the significant influence of
      the ligands on the nature of the C(aryl)-M bonds. The single crystal X-ray
      analysis of the complexes and computational studies further confirmed the
      observations that the C-M bond exhibits significant pi-character. 

PMID- 26483366
TI  - ANATOMO-MORPHOLOGICAL FEUTURES OF THE ROOT CANAL SYSTEM IN GEORGIAN POPULATION -
      CONE-BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY STUDY.
AB  - Incomplete and superficial knowledge of morphological types and anatomical
      variations of the root canal system will become the reason leading to the failure
      of endodontic treatment. cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) - it is a
      technologically more sophisticated, interesting, reliable, non-invasive imaging
      technique with high degree of visualization, considered as a particularly
      important and useful tool to study complexity and variability of canal system.
      2753 teeth of 228 patients have been studied by CT. Ages of the patients varied
      within 25-55 years. Among them 122 men and 106 women. Maxillary teeth - 1394 and
      mandibular - 1359, respectively. The aim of our study was investigation and
      evaluation of: tooth length, number of roots and canals, type of configuration,
      root canal curvature and degree of curvature in Georgian population. The results
      of the study revealed interesting data and anatomical characteristics, those
      replicating the racial signs and differs from the data recorded by the other
      researchers, became evident. In studying of dental form variations were
      interested anatomists (description and comparison) anthropologists, biologists,
      palaeontologists and stomatologists. The field of human dental anatomy has not
      been completely explored so, the modern human teeth still remain a matter of
      continual curiosity and research. The knowledge of anatomical characteristics of
      dental root canals will help clinicians to optimize the algorithm of endodontic
      treatment. Thus, statistic data are not the universal criterias, however, basing
      on these indicators anthropometrical data of roots and canals vary according to
      the geographic zones and nationalities. The study of variations in tooth form has
      interested anatomists (description and comparison), anthropologists, biologists,
      palaeontologists and dentists. The field of human dental anatomy has not been
      completely explored and the dentition of modern man still remains a matter of
      continual curiosity and research. Thus, statistic data are not the universal
      criterias, however, basing on these indicators anthropometrical data of roots and
      canals vary according to the geographic zones and nationalities. The study of
      variations in tooth form has interested anatomists (description and comparison),
      anthropologists, biologists, palaeontologists and dentists. The field of human
      dental anatomy has not been completely explored and the dentition of modern man
      still remains a matter of continual curiosity and research. 

PMID- 26483367
TI  - [COMBINED ACRYLIC-POLYPROPYLEN REMOVABLE PROSTHESES FOR PROSTHODONTIC TREATMENT].
AB  - The article deals with the development of methods to prevent complications with
      prosthetic dentures patients with psychiatric status. The authors developed a
      method of manufacturing the denture using modern thermoplastic materials, the use
      of which in practice does not cause prosthetic stomatitis in patients with
      psychiatric status. The proposed methodology has been tested clinically. Based on
      Schiller- Pisarev and study fixation of prostheses has been shown the advantage
      of the prosthesis used for prosthetics partial dentition defects that can not be
      fixed prosthetics in this category of patients. 

PMID- 26483365
TI  - Senescent stromal cells induce cancer cell migration via inhibition of
      RhoA/ROCK/myosin-based cell contractility.
AB  - Cells induced into senescence exhibit a marked increase in the secretion of pro
      inflammatory cytokines termed senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP).
      Here we report that SASP from senescent stromal fibroblasts promote spontaneous
      morphological changes accompanied by an aggressive migratory behavior in
      originally non-motile human breast cancer cells. This phenotypic switch is
      coordinated, in space and time, by a dramatic reorganization of the actin and
      microtubule filament networks, a discrete polarization of EB1 comets, and an
      unconventional front-to-back inversion of nucleus-MTOC polarity. SASP-induced
      morphological/migratory changes are critically dependent on microtubule integrity
      and dynamics, and are coordinated by the inhibition of RhoA and cell
      contractility. RhoA/ROCK inhibition reduces focal adhesions and traction forces,
      while promoting a novel gliding mode of migration.

PMID- 26483368
TI  - [THE DATA OBTAINED FROM AN ELECTROMYOGRAPHY AT DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS OF USE OF
      COMPLETE RELATIVELY FIXED PROSTHESIS WITH DIFFERENT ABUTMENT SYSTEMS UNDER
      CONDOTIONS OF DISINTEGRATION OF ONE OF THE DISTAL IMPLANT SUPPORT].
AB  - The most effective method of providing a good fixation of complete dentures is
      the implantation. The aim of our research was the study of bioelectrical activity
      of masticatory muscles during the adaptation of patients to complete relatively
      fixed prosthesis, using rigid fixed abutments and abutments provided cushioning
      the loss of one of the supporting implants. Studies electromyographic indicators
      suggest that the process of adaptation to complete relatively fixed prostheses,
      there is better in patients who use prosthetic latching on implant systems with
      shock-absorbing abutment. These systems provide simulations micromobility teeth
      and largely negate the disintegration of one of the distal bearing implants,
      leading to better adaptation to the prosthesis patients and normalization of
      chewing function. 

PMID- 26483369
TI  - ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SHORT STATURE AND HAIR ELEMENTS.
AB  - Aim - assessment of hair elemental status, determination of elemental imbalances
      and heavy metal concentration and evaluation its impact on child liner growth.
      Case-control study involves 112 children less than 5 years old (target group - 54
      children with short stature, control - 58 children with normal physical
      development). Medical history, nutritional status, anthropological parameters
      were assessed. Patients with genetic and endocrine disorders, family short
      stature were excluded from the study. Child elemental status was detected in the
      hair, with roentgen-fluorescence spectrometer method. Statistical analysis was
      conduced using SPPS19. Assessment of the dietary history does not reveal any
      significant differences between the groups, the only exception was consumption of
      fish, that was statistically significantly lower than in control (p<0,05). The
      study revealed deficiency of some elements in both (study and control) groups,
      but there were significant difference between the groups: Zn deficiency 90%
      versus 40% (p<0,05), Ca deficiency 62 and 36 (p<0,05), Cu deficiency 50 and 16
      (p<0,05) and Mn deficiency 30 and 6 (p<0,05) accordingly. Level of some elements
      (K, S, Br, Cl, Co, Ag, V, Ni, Rb, Sr, Ti, Ba, As, Cd, Zr, Sb) have normal values.
      Some element deficiency (Fe, Mo, Se) was higher in study group but the difference
      was not significant. The study revealed high level of hair lead in both groups:
      all patients (100%) of target group have elevated level of hair lead, among them
      in 35,8% the content of lead was above so-called minimal allowed level (p<5,0
      ppm) and in 64,5% the content of lead in the hair was above so-called maximal
      allowed level (p>=5,0 ppm). In the control group, lead in the hair was detected
      in 78% of cases, though the concentration was only in 2% of cases higher than so
      called maximum allowed. Our study clearly indicated deficiency of trace elements,
      particularly essential ones and high lead contamination in children with short
      stature. Our study proves, that analyzing of trace elements and heavy metals
      levels and evaluation of its influence on health and development have great
      importance especially during early years, in the critical period of active growth
      and development.

PMID- 26483370
TI  - ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM AND CONCOMITANT CHRONIC
      CHOLECYSTITIS.
AB  - Activity of endothelial dysfunction markers in patients with hypothyroidism and
      concomitant chronic cholecystitis was investigated. In patients with
      hypothyroidism and chronic cholecystitis a increased lactate dehydrogenase and
      alkaline phosphatase activity was observed, accompanied by the manifestation of
      cholestasis. In this patients increased vascular endothelium growth factor plasma
      level and endotheliocytes number was detected, attested the accelerated severity
      of endothelium dysfunction. Inverse correlation between the vascular endothelium
      growth factor plasma concentration, desquamated endotheliocytes number in
      peripheral blood and bilirubin level was detected, that points to the protective
      role of bilirubin in the prevention of the endothelium dysfunction development. 

PMID- 26483371
TI  - [INTERRELATIONS BETWEEN MICROALBUMINURIA AND RENAL FUNCTION WITH CONTRACTILE
      ABILITY OF LEFT VENTRICLE IN CARDIORENAL SYNDROME PATIENTS].
AB  - Chronic kidney disease (CKD) increases the risk of all-cause mortality and
      cardiovascular disease as well as progression to end stage kidney failure. The
      relationship of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and albuminuria with clinical
      outcomes in the general population are revealed. This allows to present levels of
      GFR and microalbuminuria (MA), which increases the risk of mortality. Renal
      dysfunction, which revealed by the level of GFR and creatinine, can have definite
      role in hemodynamic changes and heart failure progression. For mentioning the
      interaction of cardiovascular and renal diseases the cardiorenal syndrome (CRS)
      term was introduced, with its classification on 5 types, according to the
      presence of acute/chronic heart failure and primary/secondary origination of
      heart and kidney injury. We study interrelations between echocardiographic data
      of left ventricular remodeling, MA level and degree of renal dysfunction in 115
      patients with CRS. MA was measured with diagnostic strips, contractile function
      of left ventricle (LV) - by echocardiography and GFR was assessed by Cocroft
      Gault method. The association between MA with decreased GFR and elevated
      creatinine levels and its connection with increased LV myocardial mass and
      preclinical disturbances of LV systolic function was revealed. We determined
      direct correlation between MA and myocardial mass index and indirect - between
      ejection fraction of LV and MA. Obtained data allow to mention the level of MA
      (25,4+/-5,8 ng/ml) in which there is more probability of LV contractile
      functional changes, which will allow early prediction and prevention of CRS
      progression and pathogenetically approved pharmacotherapy organization in this
      category patients. 

PMID- 26483372
TI  - [C677T AND A1298C ALLELE POLYMORPHISM GENE OF METHYLENETETRAHYDRAFOLATEREDUCTASE
      IN PATIENTS WITH NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE AND TYPE 2 DIABETES].
AB  - The article presents the results of the study C677T and A1298C polymorphisms of
      MTHFR gene and their influence on plasma homocysteine levels in patients with
      nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The study involved 100 patients with
      NAFLD and 40 apparently healthy individuals (control group). Determination of
      allelic polymorphism was performed by polymerase chain reaction with the
      detection results of hybridization by fluorescence in real-time. Determination of
      plasma homocysteine levels was performed by ELISA. As a result, studies have not
      found significant differences in the distribution of genotypes investigated C677T
      and A1298C MTHFR gene between patients with NAFLD and control group. We have
      detected statistically significant relationship between the level of homocysteine
      plasma C677T polymorphism of the MTHFR gene in patients with NAFLD and lack of
      connection with the A1298C polymorphism of the gene MTHFR. 

PMID- 26483373
TI  - [ASSOCIATION OF CYCLIC CITRULLINATED PEPTIDE ANTIBODIES LEVEL WITH RHEUMATOID
      ARTHRITIS ACTIVITY BASED ON GLUCOCORTICOID RECEPTOR GENE BBL1 POLYMORPHISM].
AB  - The ambiguity of facts on connection between glucocorticoid receptor gene (GR)
      Bcl1 polymorphism in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its activity as well as lack
      of facts on its association with serological variants of the desease, makes ir
      reasonable to investigate its connections between cyclic citrullinated peptide
      antibodiss (ACCP) concentration and clinico-laboratorial parameters of RA (DAS 28
      desease activity score, C-reactive protein concentration (CRP) and erythrocyte
      sedimentation rate (ESR) level based on GR gene Bcl1 polymorphism. Study involved
      161 RA patients aged over 40 as well as 96 healthy individuals. Routine
      examination of RA diagnostics, anthropometric and molecular genetic methods were
      used in the research. Statistical analysis of the results was performed using
      SPSS-17 program. It has been proved that there is no significant difference in GR
      gene Bcl1 polymorphism distribution based on DAS 28 RA desease activity score,
      ACCP concentration and ESR level. However, we have found out that G/G genotype
      bearers have positive correlation relationship between ACCP titre and RA activity
      by laboratorial parameters (CRP, ESR),DAS 28 score and rheumatoid factor (RF)
      which has not been found in C/C and C/G genotype bearing patients. The above
      indicates the association of G/G genotype by GR gene Bcl1 polymorphism with
      clinico-laboratorial parameters of RA inflammatory activity. In course of the
      study we have identified the existance of correlation relationship between ACCP
      concentration and DAS 28 score of RA activity, CRP concentration and ESR level in
      individuals bearing G/G gene by GR gene Bcl11 polymorphism gene. The association
      between GR gene Bcl1 polymorphism and clinico-laboratorial parameters of RA
      inflammatory activity has not been found. 

PMID- 26483374
TI  - COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF COMBINED COURSE OF CHRONIC HEPATITIS C AND HIV DEPENDING
      ON THE ROUTE OF INFECTION.
AB  - At present, an infection caused by the hepatitis C virus is common among HIV
      infected patients. The rapid growth of drug addiction, sexual route of infection
      transmission, HIV and HCV infection among young people, low efficiency of
      treatment and lack of specific means of prevention clearly means that this
      pathology is to be listed among the first in the modern infectology. The aim of
      the study was to investigate the characteristics of the course of chronic
      hepatitis C in HIV-infected patients, depending on the route of infection. Study
      design was open, non-randomized and prospective. A total of 58 HIV-infected
      patients with chronic hepatitis C registered in the dispensary at Karaganda
      Regional Center for Prevention and Control of AIDS were examined. The diagnosis
      of HIV infection was verified by immune blotting. Etiological hepatitis
      verification was performed by means of enzyme immunoassay and polymerase chain
      reaction. We present the clinical and laboratory results of HIV-infected patients
      with chronic hepatitis C, depending on the route of infection. Patients with the
      sexually transmitted infection experienced asymptomatic course of the disease. In
      comparison, injecting drug users showed greater clinical symptomatology and a
      moderate level of activity of the infectious process. These clinical and
      laboratory findings suggest that the characteristics of the course of chronic
      hepatitis C in HIV-infected patients depends on the route of infection. 

PMID- 26483375
TI  - EPIDEMIOLOGY, CLINICAL AND LABORATORY FEATURES OF CRIMEAN-CONGO HEMORRHAGIC FEVER
      IN GEORGIA.
AB  - Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus transmitted to humans by Hyalomma ticks or
      by direct contact with the blood of infected humans or domestic animals. The most
      common clinical signs of CCHF are fever, nausea, headache, diarrhea, myalgia,
      petechial rash, and bleeding. CCHF is a severe disease in humans with a fatality
      rate up to 15-85%. This study was undertaken to determine the predictors of
      fatality among patients with CCHF based on epidemiological, clinical, and
      laboratory findings. 34 patients were enrolled in the study, aged 4 to 77; 17 -
      male and 17 female. 3 of them were fatal cases. All of them were from Shua
      Kartli: Khashuri, Gori and Kaspi districts, involved in farming/handling
      livestock and the history of tick bite was present in most of patients.
      Evaluation of the epidemiological characteristics of this cases showed that the
      female to male ratio was nearly similar. The disease is common in the rural areas
      of the region, mostly in the actively working age group and almost all patients
      were farmers. The results of our study show that the most cardinal clinical and
      laboratory features of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever are - acute beginning of
      disease, high fever, intoxication and hemorrhagic symptoms, thrombocytopenia,
      high level of aminotransferases and creatine. Predictors of fatality are: an
      altered mental status, in early stage of disease dramatic decreased thrombocytes
      count and significantly high level of aspartate aminotransferase, also longer the
      mean prothrombin time and INR. 

PMID- 26483376
TI  - EPIDEMIOLOGY AND MOLECULAR TYPING OF BRUCELLA STRAINS CIRCULATING IN GEORGIA.
AB  - In 2009-2013, 851 cases of brucellosis were registered in Georgia. Most cases of
      brucellosis were found in eastern Georgia (91.3% of cases). Mainly men were
      infected with brucellosis (81.0%).The age group with the most frequent cases of
      brucellosis is 30-59 years (48.5%). Brucellosis is rarely found among children(0
      4 years - 2.0%, 5-14 years - 8.0%). Brucellosis cases were linked to professional
      activity; mainly by farmers (33.0% of those infected) and shepherds (27.0%).
      Biotyping Brucella by microbiological methods alone has limitations, so molecular
      typing was implemented in this study to confirm species. Isolates from human
      blood and ruminant milk or blood were identified by a bacteriological algorithm
      and confirmed by real-time PCR (Brucella T1, Idaho Technology). Species identity
      was confirmed using the AMOS conventional PCR assay, which differentiates four
      human pathogenic species but cannot recognize certain biovars within them. This
      gap was addressed by using more universal species-specific Single Nucleotide
      Polymorphism (SNP) assays. Real-time PCR was used to confirm 86 Brucella strains
      (48 human, 38 animal isolates) obtained 2009-2011. AMOS PCR supported the
      biochemical test results for 53 B. melitensis and four B. abortus strains, but
      not for 29 suspected B. abortus human and animal isolates. SNP typing of all 86
      isolates supported the AMOS PCR results but also confirmed the species of the 29
      strains not amplified by AMOS PCR. In 2009-2013 years the prevalence of
      brucellosis was still high. Nowadays cases of brucellosis are higher in the
      western part of Georgia than in the 1991-2005 period by a factor of 2.62.
      Brucellosis continues to be mainly an infection in males, because men are mostly
      engaged in sheep and cattle care. Combined AMOS PCR and SNP typing in this study
      provided the first genetic confirmation that both B. abortus and B. melitensis
      are actively circulating in humans and animals in Georgia. 

PMID- 26483377
TI  - COMPETENCE IN TOPIC OF PSORIASIS AMONG NURSES IN HEALTHCARE INSTITUTIONS.
AB  - Nurses in their everyday work meet patients with various diseases (including
      chronic skin diseases), and play an important role in improving patients' quality
      of life. Nurses working in dermatology clinics frequently play leading roles in
      the care of patients with skin disorders. The aim of the study was to investigate
      the knowledge about the psoriasis among nurses working in non-dermatological
      healthcare institutions. A cross-sectional study in randomly selected 16
      healthcare institutions of Kaunas city was conducted. The study included 505
      nurses. A questionnaire to assess the knowledge was developed, containing 15
      questions about signs of psoriasis. Based on the responses, the nurses' level of
      knowledge was evaluated in points. The respondents' age was 45.34+/-10.52 years,
      and the mean duration of their work experience was 23.2+/-11.42 years.
      CONCLUSION: the nurses' level of knowledge depended on their education level and
      the frequency of contacts with psoriasis patients. Nurses working in non
      dermatological healthcare institutions had insufficient knowledge about
      psoriasis, and expressed willingness to learn more.

PMID- 26483378
TI  - [LIGHT AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPY OF CELLULAR ELEMENTS IN STATOCYSTS OF TERRESTRIAL
      PULMONARY SNAIL HELIX LUCORUM].
AB  - Statocysts H. Lucorum appear to be the paired formations having a spherical form
      and locating on dorsolateral surface of pedal ganglia of subesophageal ganglionic
      complex. Using the method of reconstruction, as well as the method of scanning
      electron microscopy on paraffin and semithin slices it has been revealed that the
      epithelial lining of H. Lucorum appears to be a spatially ordered complex,
      consisting of 13 cell assemblies. in each of them one sensory cell is surrounded
      by the satellite cells. The sensory cell has a star shape on the front pole of
      statocyst because of many protoplasmic processes branching off from its body. The
      other 12 cells have polygonal shape and form three belts around the inside
      perimeter of statocyst: interior, middle or equatorial and posterior. There are 4
      cells in each belt. The sensory cells forming anterior and posterior belts turned
      out to be displaced in relation to the cells of equatorial belt and for this
      reason the whole cell structure resembles a brickwork. The distribution of
      sensory cells on the inner surfce of statocyst creates the structural
      polarization of this formtion. First of all, this is evidenced by the presence of
      the sensory cell on the anterior pole of statocyst and by the absence of those on
      opposite, posterior pole. The topography of each sensory cell on the inner
      surface of statocyst, the sizes and shapes of the nuclei, the quantity of
      nucleoli, the peculiarities of cytoplasm vacuolation and interrelation of sensory
      and supporting cells have been established. 

PMID- 26483379
TI  - CREATION OF OINTMENT COMPOSITIONS CONTAINING PHENOL COMPOUNDS FOR MEDICAL
      TREATMENT.
AB  - The research was aimed at studying the possibility of obtaining drug ointments
      with a potential anti-mycotic activity by using thick extracts obtained from the
      leaves of fustic, hazel, nut and bark of the oak. There were prepared the
      ointment compositions on different bases. As a methodology for studying the
      properties of the obtained ointments, there have been used the studies of
      colloidal stability and resorption of tanning substances in agar. The obtained
      results allow for making conclusion that the selected ointments are colloidally
      stable, and the values of movement of zones of biologically active substances in
      the agar body are large enough. These data allow for forecasting both the
      possibility of creating the similar ointment systems and their rather high
      properties. Based on the obtained data, there have been selected the ointment
      composition variants for further studies. 

PMID- 26483380
TI  - Think back.

PMID- 26483381
TI  - Sqstm1-GFP knock-in mice reveal dynamic actions of Sqstm1 during autophagy and
      under stress conditions in living cells.
AB  - Sqstm1 serves as a signaling hub and receptor for selective autophagy.
      Consequently, dysregulation of Sqstm1 causes imbalances in signaling pathways and
      disrupts proteostasis, thereby contributing to the development of human diseases.
      Environmental stresses influence the level of Sqstm1 by altering its expression
      and/or autophagic degradation, and also changes the localization of Sqstm1,
      making it difficult to elucidate the actions and roles of this protein. In this
      study, we developed knock-in mice expressing Sqstm1 fused to GFP (Sqstm1
      GFP(KI/+)). Using these Sqstm1-GFP(KI/+) mice, we revealed for the first time the
      dynamics of endogenous Sqstm1 in living cells. Sqstm1-GFP was translocated to a
      restricted area of LC3-positive structures, which primarily correspond to the
      inside of autophagosomes, and then degraded. Moreover, exposure to arsenite
      induced expression of Sqstm1-GFP, followed by accumulation of the fusion protein
      in large aggregates that were degraded by autophagy. Furthermore, suppression of
      autophagy in Sqstm1-GFP(KI/+) mouse livers caused accumulation of Sqstm1-GFP and
      formation of GFP-positive aggregate structures, leading to severe hepatic
      failure. These results indicate that Sqstm1-GFP(KI/+) mice are a useful tool for
      analyzing Sqstm1 in living cells and intact animals.

PMID- 26483383
TI  - SLAT promotes TCR-mediated, Rap1-dependent LFA-1 activation and adhesion through
      interaction of its PH domain with Rap1.
AB  - SLAT (also known as DEF6) promotes T cell activation and differentiation by
      regulating NFAT-Ca(2+) signaling. However, its role in TCR-mediated inside-out
      signaling, which induces integrin activation and T cell adhesion, a central
      process in T cell immunity and inflammation, has not been explored. Here, we show
      that SLAT is crucial for TCR-induced adhesion to ICAM-1 and affinity maturation
      of LFA-1 in CD4(+) T cells. Mechanistic studies revealed that SLAT interacts,
      through its PH domain, with a key component of inside-out signaling, namely the
      active form of the small GTPase Rap1 (which has two isoforms, Rap1A and Rap1B).
      This interaction has been further shown to facilitate the interdependent
      recruitment of Rap1 and SLAT to the T cell immunological synapse upon TCR
      engagement. Furthermore, a SLAT mutant lacking its PH domain drastically
      inhibited LFA-1 activation and CD4(+) T cell adhesion. Finally, we established
      that a constitutively active form of Rap1, which is present at the plasma
      membrane, rescues the defective LFA-1 activation and ICAM-1 adhesion in SLAT
      deficient (Def6(-/-)) T cells. These findings ascribe a new function to SLAT, and
      identify Rap1 as a target of SLAT function in TCR-mediated inside-out signaling. 

PMID- 26483382
TI  - Regulation of dendrite growth and maintenance by exocytosis.
AB  - Dendrites lengthen by several orders of magnitude during neuronal development,
      but how membrane is allocated in dendrites to facilitate this growth remains
      unclear. Here, we report that Ras opposite (Rop), the Drosophila ortholog of the
      key exocytosis regulator Munc18-1 (also known as STXBP1), is an essential factor
      mediating dendrite growth. Neurons with depleted Rop function exhibit reduced
      terminal dendrite outgrowth followed by primary dendrite degeneration, suggestive
      of differential requirements for exocytosis in the growth and maintenance of
      different dendritic compartments. Rop promotes dendrite growth together with the
      exocyst, an octameric protein complex involved in tethering vesicles to the
      plasma membrane, with Rop-exocyst complexes and exocytosis predominating in
      primary dendrites over terminal dendrites. By contrast, membrane-associated
      proteins readily diffuse from primary dendrites into terminals, but not in the
      reverse direction, suggesting that diffusion, rather than targeted exocytosis,
      supplies membranous material for terminal dendritic growth, revealing key
      differences in the distribution of materials to these expanding dendritic
      compartments. 

PMID- 26483384
TI  - In vivo tracking of phosphoinositides in Drosophila photoreceptors.
AB  - In order to monitor phosphoinositide turnover during phospholipase C (PLC)
      mediated Drosophila phototransduction, fluorescently tagged lipid probes were
      expressed in photoreceptors and imaged both in dissociated cells, and in eyes of
      intact living flies. Of six probes tested, Tb(R332H) (a mutant of the Tubby
      protein pleckstrin homology domain) was judged the best reporter for
      phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2], and the P4M domain from
      Legionella SidM for phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P). Using accurately
      calibrated illumination, we found that only ~50% of PtdIns(4,5)P2 and very little
      PtdIns4P were depleted by full daylight intensities in wild-type flies, but both
      were severely depleted by ~100-fold dimmer intensities in mutants lacking Ca(2+)
      permeable transient receptor potential (TRP) channels or protein kinase C (PKC).
      Resynthesis of PtdIns4P (t1/2 ~12 s) was faster than PtdIns(4,5)P2 (t1/2 ~40 s),
      but both were greatly slowed in mutants of DAG kinase (rdgA) or PtdIns transfer
      protein (rdgB). The results indicate that Ca(2+)- and PKC-dependent inhibition of
      PLC is required for enabling photoreceptors to maintain phosphoinositide levels
      despite high rates of hydrolysis by PLC, and suggest that phosphorylation of
      PtdIns4P to PtdIns(4,5)P2 is the rate-limiting step of the cycle.

PMID- 26483385
TI  - p114RhoGEF governs cell motility and lumen formation during tubulogenesis through
      a ROCK-myosin-II pathway.
AB  - Tubulogenesis is fundamental to the development of many epithelial organs.
      Although lumen formation in cysts has received considerable attention, less is
      known about lumenogenesis in tubes. Here, we utilized tubulogenesis induced by
      hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in MDCK cells, which form tubes enclosing a single
      lumen. We report the mechanism that controls tubular lumenogenesis and limits
      each tube to a single lumen. Knockdown of p114RhoGEF (also known as ARHGEF18), a
      guanine nucleotide exchange factor for RhoA, did not perturb the early stages of
      tubulogenesis induced by HGF. However, this knockdown impaired later stages of
      tubulogenesis, resulting in multiple lumens in a tube. Inhibition of Rho kinase
      (ROCK) or myosin IIA, which are downstream of RhoA, led to formation of multiple
      lumens. We studied lumen formation by live-cell imaging, which revealed that
      inhibition of this pathway blocked cell movement, suggesting that cell movement
      is necessary for consolidating multiple lumens into a single lumen. Lumen
      formation in tubules is mechanistically quite different from lumenogenesis in
      cysts. Thus, we demonstrate a new pathway that regulates directed cell migration
      and formation of a single lumen during epithelial tube morphogenesis.

PMID- 26483386
TI  - Carcinoma cells induce lumen filling and EMT in epithelial cells through soluble
      E-cadherin-mediated activation of EGFR.
AB  - In epithelial cancers, carcinoma cells coexist with normal cells. Although it is
      known that the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a pivotal role in cancer
      progression, it is not completely understood how the tumor influences adjacent
      normal epithelial cells. In this study, a three-dimensional co-culture system
      comprising non-transformed epithelial cells (MDCK) and transformed carcinoma
      cells (MSV-MDCK) was used to demonstrate that carcinoma cells sequentially induce
      preneoplastic lumen filling and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in
      epithelial cysts. MMP-9 secreted by carcinoma cells cleaves cellular E-cadherin
      (encoded by CDH1) from epithelial cells to generate soluble E-cadherin (sE-cad),
      a pro-oncogenic protein. We show that sE-cad induces EGFR activation, resulting
      in lumen filling in MDCK cysts. Long-term sE-cad treatment induced EMT. sE-cad
      caused lumen filling by induction of the ERK signaling pathway and triggered EMT
      through the sustained activation of the AKT pathway. Although it is known that sE
      cad induces MMP-9 release and consequent EGFR activation in tumor cells, our
      results, for the first time, demonstrate that carcinoma cells can induce sE-cad
      shedding in adjacent epithelial cells, which leads to EGFR activation and the
      eventual transdifferentiation of the normal epithelial cells. 

PMID- 26483387
TI  - CaV3.2 T-type channels mediate Ca2+ entry during oocyte maturation and following
      fertilization.
AB  - Initiation of mouse embryonic development depends upon a series of fertilization
      induced rises in intracellular Ca(2+). Complete egg activation requires influx of
      extracellular Ca(2+); however, the channels that mediate this influx remain
      unknown. Here, we tested whether the alpha1 subunit of the T-type channel CaV3.2,
      encoded by Cacna1h, mediates Ca(2+) entry into oocytes. We show that mouse eggs
      express a robust voltage-activated Ca(2+) current that is completely absent in
      Cacna1h(-/-) eggs. Cacna1h(-/-) females have reduced litter sizes, and careful
      analysis of Ca(2+) oscillation patterns in Cacna1h(-/-) eggs following in vitro
      fertilization (IVF) revealed reductions in first transient length and oscillation
      persistence. Total and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca(2+) stores were also reduced
      in Cacna1h(-/-) eggs. Pharmacological inhibition of CaV3.2 in wild-type CF-1
      strain eggs using mibefradil or pimozide reduced Ca(2+) store accumulation during
      oocyte maturation and reduced Ca(2+) oscillation persistence, frequency and
      number following IVF. Overall, these data show that CaV3.2 T-type channels have
      prev8iously unrecognized roles in supporting the meiotic-maturation-associated
      increase in ER Ca(2+) stores and mediating Ca(2+) influx required for the
      activation of development. 

PMID- 26483388
TI  - Surviving protein quality control catastrophes--from cells to organisms.
AB  - Organisms have evolved mechanisms to cope with and adapt to unexpected challenges
      and harsh conditions. Unfolded or misfolded proteins represent a threat for cells
      and organisms, and the deposition of misfolded proteins is a defining feature of
      many age-related human diseases, including the increasingly prevalent
      neurodegenerative diseases. These protein misfolding diseases are devastating and
      currently cannot be cured, but are hopefully not incurable. In fact, the
      aggregation-prone and potentially harmful proteins at the origins of protein
      misfolding diseases are expressed throughout life, whereas the diseases are late
      onset. This reveals that cells and organisms are normally resilient to disease
      causing proteins and survive the threat of misfolded proteins up to a point. This
      Commentary will outline the limits of the cellular resilience to protein
      misfolding, and discuss the possibility of pushing these limits to help cells and
      organisms to survive the threat of misfolding proteins and to avoid protein
      quality control catastrophes. 

PMID- 26483389
TI  - Intimal (spindle cell) sarcoma of the left atrium presenting with abnormal
      neurological examination.
AB  - A 43-year-old man with an unremarkable medical history presented to our hospital
      with 2 weeks of headaches, ataxia and confusion. CT of the head revealed a large
      haemorrhagic cystic lesion. A subsequent chest CT revealed a large left atrial
      mass. The mass was subsequently biopsied with positive immunohistochemistry
      staining for MDM2, FLI1 and vimentin. Real-time PCR revealed MDM2 amplification,
      confirming the diagnosis of intimal sarcoma. The patient underwent surgical
      resection and reconstruction of the atrium with subsequent discharge to short
      term rehabilitation, but his symptoms continued to progress. A repeat CT of the
      head revealed a new cerebellar mass. He underwent a second resection, but
      continued to experience worsening symptoms. He was diagnosed with stage IV
      intimal sarcoma and referred to hospice. The patient died 5 months after initial
      presentation. Autopsy was performed and revealed the cause of death as pneumonia.
      There was no involvement of the pulmonic or aortic vessels. 

PMID- 26483390
TI  - Spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus during alcoholic hepatitis: the
      alcohol killed the virus?
AB  - Spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus during chronic infection is uncommon.
      We report the case of a patient who cleared hepatitis C virus during an episode
      of presumed alcoholic hepatitis. A brief discussion on the immunological aspects
      of chronic hepatitis C and the impact of alcohol consumption on it is presented
      as well. 

PMID- 26483391
TI  - Vitamin D-dependent rickets: a resurgence of the rachitic lung in the 21st
      century.
AB  - Respiratory complications of rickets may be life-threatening particularly in
      developing countries. A 7-month-old boy presented with recurrent infections,
      seizures, failure to thrive, wheezing and respiratory distress progressing to
      global respiratory failure. Several antimicrobial regimens, bronchodilators and
      corticosteroids resulted in only short-term improvement. He was transferred from
      Cape Verde to a third-care hospital in Portugal. He was hypotonic and
      undernourished, with respiratory anguish and classical skeletal signs of rickets,
      despite vitamin D supplementation. Hypocalcaemia, normal phosphate levels and
      normal vitamin D status 25(OH)D3 and 1.25(OH)2D3) pointed to vitamin D-dependent
      rickets type II. Treatment with high doses of calcium and calcitriol allowed
      progressive respiratory, musculoskeletal and neurological recovery. Although
      respiratory manifestations of rickets were described many years ago, the present
      case raises relevant issues about the level of diagnostic support, the risk of
      complications and how they should be assessed and monitored. 

PMID- 26483392
TI  - Surgical treatment of massive mitral annular calcification.

PMID- 26483393
TI  - GLP1- and GIP-producing cells rarely overlap and differ by bombesin receptor-2
      expression and responsiveness.
AB  - The incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP1) and glucose-dependent
      insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) are secreted from intestinal endocrine cells,
      the so-called L- and K-cells. The cells are derived from a common precursor and
      are highly related, and co-expression of the two hormones in so-called L/K-cells
      has been reported. To investigate the relationship between the GLP1- and GIP
      producing cells more closely, we generated a transgenic mouse model expressing a
      fluorescent marker in GIP-positive cells. In combination with a mouse strain with
      fluorescent GLP1 cells, we were able to estimate the overlap between the two cell
      types. Furthermore, we used primary cultured intestinal cells and isolated
      perfused mouse intestine to measure the secretion of GIP and GLP1 in response to
      different stimuli. Overlapping GLP1 and GIP cells were rare (~5%). KCl, glucose
      and forskolin+IBMX increased the secretion of both GLP1 and GIP, whereas
      bombesin/neuromedin C only stimulated GLP1 secretion. Expression analysis showed
      high expression of the bombesin 2 receptor in GLP1 positive cells, but no
      expression in GIP-positive cells. These data indicate both expressional and
      functional differences between the GLP1-producing 'L-cell' and the GIP-producing
      'K-cell'. 

PMID- 26483394
TI  - Prevalence of Pathogenic Mutations in Cancer Predisposition Genes among
      Pancreatic Cancer Patients.
AB  - The prevalence of germline pathogenic mutations in a comprehensive panel of
      cancer predisposition genes is not well-defined for patients with pancreatic
      ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). To estimate the frequency of mutations in a panel
      of 22 cancer predisposition genes, 96 patients unselected for a family history of
      cancer who were recruited to the Mayo Clinic Pancreatic Cancer patient registry
      over a 12-month period were screened by next-generation sequencing. Fourteen
      pathogenic mutations in 13 patients (13.5%) were identified in eight genes: four
      in ATM, two in BRCA2, CHEK2, and MSH6, and one in BARD1, BRCA1, FANCM, and NBN.
      These included nine mutations (9.4%) in established pancreatic cancer genes.
      Three mutations were found in patients with a first-degree relative with PDAC,
      and 10 mutations were found in patients with first- or second-degree relatives
      with breast, pancreas, colorectal, ovarian, or endometrial cancers. These results
      suggest that a substantial proportion of patients with PDAC carry germline
      mutations in predisposition genes associated with other cancers and that a better
      understanding of pancreatic cancer risk will depend on evaluation of families
      with broad constellations of tumors. These findings highlight the need for
      recommendations governing germline gene-panel testing of patients with pancreatic
      cancer.

PMID- 26483395
TI  - Association of sex hormone-binding globulin and free testosterone with mortality
      in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Low circulating testosterone levels have been associated with
      increased mortality in men. We hypothesized that the prognostic role of
      testosterone in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is influenced by its
      carrier protein sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). DESIGN: We conducted a
      prospective cohort study at a tertiary referral centre. METHODS: In total, 531
      men with T2DM presenting to a diabetes clinic in 2004-2005 were followed
      prospectively until death, or July 31, 2014, and a survival analysis was
      performed. The main outcome measure was all cause mortality. RESULTS: Over a mean
      (S.D.) follow up of 7.6 years (2.6) 175 men (33%) died. In Cox proportional
      hazard models both higher SHBG (Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.012 (95% CI 1.002-1.022),
      P=0.02) and lower calculated free testosterone (cFT) (HR 0.995 (95% CI 0.993
      0.998), P=0.001) were risk factors for all cause mortality independently of age,
      BMI, presence of macro- and microvascular disease, duration of T2DM, hemoglobin,
      renal function, insulin use, C-reactive protein and homeostatic model of insulin
      resistance. By contrast, the inverse association of total testosterone (TT) with
      mortality weakened after these adjustments (P=0.11). SHBG remained associated
      with mortality (P<0.001) both if substituted for or added to TT in the
      multivariable model. In the fully adjusted model, an increase of SHBG by 17.3
      nmol/l (1 S.D.) increased mortality by 22% and a decrease in cFT by 81 pmol/l (1
      S.D.) increased mortality by 45%. CONCLUSIONS: The association of SHBG with
      mortality in men with T2DM is novel. Whether SHBG acts via regulation of
      testosterone, has intrinsic biological roles, or is a marker of poor health
      requires further study.

PMID- 26483396
TI  - Regulation of Extrasynaptic GABAA alpha4 Receptors by Ethanol-Induced Protein
      Kinase A, but Not Protein Kinase C Activation in Cultured Rat Cerebral Cortical
      Neurons.
AB  - Ethanol produces changes in GABAA receptor trafficking and function that
      contribute to ethanol dependence symptomatology. Extrasynaptic gamma-aminobutyric
      acid A receptors (GABAA-R) mediate inhibitory tonic current and are of particular
      interest because they are potentiated by physiologically relevant doses of
      ethanol. Here, we isolate GABAA alpha4delta receptors by western blotting in
      subsynaptic fractions to investigate protein kinase A (PKA) and protein kinase C
      (PKC) modulation of ethanol-induced receptor trafficking, while extrasynaptic
      receptor function is determined by measurement of tonic inhibition and responses
      evoked by 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4-c]pyridin-3-ol (THIP). Rat cerebral
      cortical neurons were grown for 18 days in vitro and exposed to ethanol and/or
      PKA/PKC modulators. Ethanol exposure (1 hour) did not alter GABAA alpha4 receptor
      abundance, but it increased tonic current amplitude, an effect that was prevented
      by inhibiting PKA, but not PKC. Direct activation of PKA, but not PKC, increased
      the abundance and tonic current of extrasynaptic alpha4delta receptors. In
      contrast, prolonged ethanol exposure (4 hours) reduced alpha4delta receptor
      abundance as well as tonic current, and this effect was also PKA dependent.
      Finally, PKC activation by ethanol or phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate (PdBu) had no
      effect on extrasynaptic alpha4delta subunit abundance or activity. We conclude
      that ethanol alters extrasynaptic alpha4delta receptor function and expression in
      cortical neurons in a PKA-dependent manner, but ethanol activation of PKC does
      not influence these receptors. These results could have clinical relevance for
      therapeutic strategies to restore normal GABAergic functioning for the treatment
      of alcohol use disorders. 

PMID- 26483397
TI  - Andrographolide Ameliorates Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Progression by Inhibiting
      Inflammatory Cell Infiltration through Downregulation of Cytokine and Integrin
      Expression.
AB  - Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), characterized by exuberant inflammation and
      tissue deterioration, is a common aortic disease associated with a high mortality
      rate. There is currently no established pharmacological therapy to treat this
      progressive disease. Andrographolide (Andro), a major bioactive component of the
      herbaceous plant Andrographis paniculata, has been found to exhibit potent anti
      inflammatory properties by inhibiting nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer
      of activated B cells (NF-kappaB) activity in several disease models. In this
      study, we investigated the ability of Andro to suppress inflammation associated
      with aneurysms, and whether it may be used to block the progression of AAA.
      Whereas diseased aortae continued to expand in the solvent-treated group, daily
      administration of Andro to mice with small aneurysms significantly attenuated
      aneurysm growth, as measured by the diminished expansion of aortic diameter
      (165.68 +/- 15.85% vs. 90.62 +/- 22.91%, P < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry analyses
      revealed that Andro decreased infiltration of monocytes/macrophages and T cells.
      Mechanistically, Andro inhibited arterial NF-kappaB activation and reduced the
      production of proinflammatory cytokines [CCL2, CXCL10, tumor necrosis factor
      alpha, and interferon-gamma] in the treated aortae. Furthermore, Andro suppressed
      alpha4 integrin expression and attenuated the ability of monocytes/macrophages to
      adhere to activated endothelial cells. These results indicate that Andro
      suppresses progression of AAA, likely through inhibition of inflammatory cell
      infiltration via downregulation of NF-kappaB-mediated cytokine production and
      alpha4 integrin expression. Thus, Andro may offer a pharmacological therapy to
      slow disease progression in patients with small aneurysms. 

PMID- 26483398
TI  - The MICA-129 dimorphism affects NKG2D signaling and outcome of hematopoietic stem
      cell transplantation.
AB  - The MHC class I chain-related molecule A (MICA) is a highly polymorphic ligand
      for the activating natural killer (NK)-cell receptor NKG2D. A single nucleotide
      polymorphism causes a valine to methionine exchange at position 129. Presence of
      a MICA-129Met allele in patients (n = 452) undergoing hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation (HSCT) increased the chance of overall survival (hazard ratio
      [HR] = 0.77, P = 0.0445) and reduced the risk to die due to acute graft-versus
      host disease (aGVHD) (odds ratio [OR] = 0.57, P = 0.0400) although homozygous
      carriers had an increased risk to experience this complication (OR = 1.92, P =
      0.0371). Overall survival of MICA-129Val/Val genotype carriers was improved when
      treated with anti-thymocyte globulin (HR = 0.54, P = 0.0166). Functionally, the
      MICA-129Met isoform was characterized by stronger NKG2D signaling, triggering
      more NK-cell cytotoxicity and interferon-gamma release, and faster co-stimulation
      of CD8(+) T cells. The MICA-129Met variant also induced a faster and stronger
      down-regulation of NKG2D on NK and CD8(+) T cells than the MICA-129Val isoform.
      The reduced cell surface expression of NKG2D in response to engagement by MICA
      129Met variants appeared to reduce the severity of aGVHD. 

PMID- 26483399
TI  - Dopamine D3 Receptor Modulates l-DOPA-Induced Dyskinesia by Targeting D1 Receptor
      Mediated Striatal Signaling.
AB  - The dopamine D3 receptor (D3R) belongs to the dopamine D2-like receptor family
      and is principally located in the ventral striatum. However, previous studies
      reported D3R overexpression in the dorsal striatum following l-DOPA treatment in
      parkinsonian animals. This fact has drawn attention in the importance of D3R in l
      DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID). Here, we used D3R knockout mice to assess the role
      of D3R in LID and rotational sensitization in the hemiparkinsonian model. Mice
      lacking D3R presented a reduction in dyskinesia without interfering with the
      antiparkinsonian l-DOPA effect and were accompanied by a reduction in the l-DOPA
      induced rotations. Interestingly, deleting D3R attenuated important molecular
      markers in the D1R-neurons such as FosB, extracellular signal-regulated kinase,
      and histone-3 (H3)-activation. Colocalization studies in D1R-tomato and D2R-green
      fluorescent protein BAC-transgenic mice indicated that l-DOPA-induced D3R
      overexpression principally occurs in D1R-containing neurons although it is also
      present in the D2R-neurons. Moreover, D3R pharmacological blockade with PG01037
      reduced dyskinesia and the molecular markers expressed in D1R-neurons. In
      addition, this antagonist further reduced dyskinetic symptoms in D1R heterozygous
      mice, indicating a direct interaction between D1R and D3R. Together, our results
      demonstrate that D3R modulates the development of dyskinesia by targeting D1R
      mediated intracellular signaling and suggest that decreasing D3R activity may
      help to ameliorate LID.

PMID- 26483400
TI  - Three-Dimensional Representations of Objects in Dorsal Cortex are Dissociable
      from Those in Ventral Cortex.
AB  - An established conceptualization of visual cortical function is one in which
      ventral regions mediate object perception while dorsal regions support spatial
      information processing and visually guided action. This division has been
      contested by evidence showing that dorsal regions are also engaged in the
      representation of object shape, even when actions are not required. The critical
      question is whether these dorsal, object-based representations are dissociable
      from ventral representations, and whether they play a functional role in object
      recognition. We examined the neural and behavioral profile of patients with
      impairments in object recognition following ventral cortex damage. In a
      functional magnetic resonanace imaging experiment, the blood oxygen level
      dependent response in the ventral, but not dorsal, cortex of the patients evinced
      less sensitivity to object 3D structure compared with that of healthy controls.
      Consistently, in psychophysics experiments, the patients exhibited significant
      impairments in object perception, but still revealed residual sensitivity to
      object-based structural information. Together, these findings suggest that,
      although in the intact system there is considerable crosstalk between dorsal and
      ventral cortices, object representations in dorsal cortex can be computed
      independently from those in ventral cortex. While dorsal representations alone
      are unable to support normal object perception, they can, nevertheless, support a
      coarse description of object structural information.

PMID- 26483401
TI  - A conformational RNA zipper promotes intron ejection during non-conventional XBP1
      mRNA splicing.
AB  - The kinase/endonuclease IRE1 is the most conserved signal transducer of the
      unfolded protein response (UPR), an intracellular signaling network that monitors
      and regulates the protein folding capacity of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER).
      Upon sensing protein folding perturbations in the ER, IRE1 initiates the
      unconventional splicing of XBP1 mRNA culminating in the production of the
      transcription factor XBP1s, which expands the ER's protein folding capacity. We
      show that an RNA-intrinsic conformational change causes the intron of XBP1 mRNA
      to be ejected and the exons to zipper up into an extended stem, juxtaposing the
      RNA ends for ligation. These conformational rearrangements are important for XBP1
      mRNA splicing in vivo. The features that point to such active participation of
      XBP1 mRNA in the splicing reaction are highly conserved throughout metazoan
      evolution, supporting their importance in orchestrating XBP1 mRNA processing with
      efficiency and fidelity. 

PMID- 26483402
TI  - RNA Helicase Important for Listeria monocytogenes Hemolytic Activity and
      Virulence Factor Expression.
AB  - RNA helicases have been shown to be important for the function of RNA molecules
      at several levels, although their putative involvement in microbial pathogenesis
      has remained elusive. We have previously shown that Listeria monocytogenes DExD
      box RNA helicases are important for bacterial growth, motility, ribosomal
      maturation, and rRNA processing. We assessed the importance of the RNA helicase
      Lmo0866 (here named CshA) for expression of virulence traits. We observed a
      reduction in hemolytic activity in a strain lacking CshA compared to the wild
      type. This phenomenon was less evident in strains lacking other RNA helicases.
      The reduced hemolysis was accompanied by lower expression of major listerial
      virulence factors in the DeltacshA strain, mainly listeriolysin O, but also to
      some degree the actin polymerizing factor ActA. Reduced expression of these
      virulence factors in the strain lacking CshA did not, however, correlate with a
      decreased level of the virulence regulator PrfA. When combining the DeltacshA
      knockout with a mutation creating a constitutively active PrfA protein (PrfA*),
      the effect of the DeltacshA knockout on LLO expression was negated. These data
      suggest a role for the RNA helicase CshA in posttranslational activation of PrfA.
      Surprisingly, although the expression of several virulence factors was reduced,
      the DeltacshA strain did not demonstrate any reduced ability to infect
      nonphagocytic cells compared to the wild-type strain. 

PMID- 26483403
TI  - Surface Polysaccharide Mutants Reveal that Absence of O Antigen Reduces Biofilm
      Formation of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.
AB  - Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is a Gram-negative bacterium belonging to the
      Pasteurellaceae family and the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, a
      highly contagious lung disease causing important economic losses. Surface
      polysaccharides, including lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and capsular polysaccharides
      (CPS), are implicated in the adhesion and virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae, but
      their role in biofilm formation is still unclear. In this study, we investigated
      the requirement for these surface polysaccharides in biofilm formation by A.
      pleuropneumoniae serotype 1. Well-characterized mutants were used: an O-antigen
      LPS mutant, a truncated core LPS mutant with an intact O antigen, a capsule
      mutant, and a poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PGA) mutant. We compared the amount of
      biofilm produced by the parental strain and the isogenic mutants using static and
      dynamic systems. Compared to the findings for the biofilm of the parental or
      other strains, the biofilm of the O antigen and the PGA mutants was dramatically
      reduced, and it had less cell-associated PGA. Real-time PCR analyses revealed a
      significant reduction in the level of pgaA, cpxR, and cpxA mRNA in the biofilm
      cells of the O-antigen mutant compared to that in the biofilm cells of the
      parental strain. Specific binding between PGA and LPS was consistently detected
      by surface plasmon resonance, but the lack of O antigen did not abolish these
      interactions. In conclusion, the absence of the O antigen reduces the ability of
      A. pleuropneumoniae to form a biofilm, and this is associated with the reduced
      expression and production of PGA. 

PMID- 26483404
TI  - Lysine11-Linked Polyubiquitination of the AnkB F-Box Effector of Legionella
      pneumophila.
AB  - The fate of the polyubiquitinated protein is determined by the lysine linkages
      involved in the polymerization of the ubiquitin monomers, which has seven lysine
      residues (K(6), K(11), K(27), K(29), K(33), K(48), and K(63)). The translocated
      AnkB effector of the intravacuolar pathogen Legionella pneumophila is a bona fide
      F-box protein, which is localized to the cytosolic side of the Legionella
      containing vacuole (LCV) and is essential for intravacuolar proliferation within
      macrophages and amoebae. The F-box domain of AnkB interacts with the host SCF1 E3
      ubiquitin ligase that triggers the decoration of the LCV with K(48)-linked
      polyubiquitinated proteins that are targeted for proteasomal degradation. Here we
      report that AnkB becomes rapidly polyubiquitinated within the host cell, and this
      modification is independent of the F-box domain of AnkB, indicating host-mediated
      polyubiquitination. We show that the AnkB effector interacts specifically with
      the host E3 ubiquitin ligase Trim21. Mass spectrometry analyses have shown that
      AnkB is modified by K(11)-linked polyubiquitination, which has no effect on its
      stability. This work shows the first example of K(11)-linked polyubiquitination
      of a bacterial effector and its interaction with the host Trim21 ubiquitin
      ligase. 

PMID- 26483405
TI  - Treatment with Interleukin-7 Restores Host Defense against Pneumocystis in CD4+ T
      Lymphocyte-Depleted Mice.
AB  - Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in
      patients with HIV infection. CD4(+) T lymphocytes are critical for host defense
      against this infection, but in the absence of CD4(+) T lymphocytes, CD8(+) T
      lymphocytes may provide limited host defense. The cytokine interleukin-7 (IL-7)
      functions to enhance lymphocyte proliferation, survival, and recruitment of
      immune cells to sites of infection. However, there is little known about the role
      of IL-7 in PCP or its potential use as an immunotherapeutic agent. We
      hypothesized that treatment with recombinant human IL-7 (rhIL-7) would augment
      host defense against Pneumocystis and accelerate pathogen clearance in CD4
      depleted mice. Control and CD4-depleted mice were infected with Pneumocystis, and
      rhIL-7 was administered via intraperitoneal injection. Our studies indicate that
      endogenous murine IL-7 is part of the normal host response to Pneumocystis murina
      and that administration of rhIL-7 markedly enhanced clearance of Pneumocystis in
      CD4-depleted mice. Additionally, we observed increased recruitment of CD8(+) T
      lymphocytes to the lungs and decreased apoptosis of pulmonary CD8(+) T
      lymphocytes in rhIL-7-treated animals compared to those in untreated mice. The
      antiapoptotic effect of rhIL-7 was associated with increased levels of Bcl-2
      protein in T lymphocytes. rhIL-7 immunotherapy in CD4-depleted mice also
      increased the number of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma)-positive CD8(+) central
      memory T lymphocytes in the lungs. We conclude that rhIL-7 has a potent
      therapeutic effect in the treatment of murine Pneumocystis pneumonia in CD4
      depleted mice. This therapeutic effect is mediated through enhanced recruitment
      of CD8(+) T cells and decreased apoptosis of lung T lymphocytes, with a
      preferential action on central memory CD8(+) T lymphocytes. 

PMID- 26483406
TI  - Bovine Immunoinhibitory Receptors Contribute to Suppression of Mycobacterium
      avium subsp. paratuberculosis-Specific T-Cell Responses.
AB  - Johne's disease (paratuberculosis) is a chronic enteritis in cattle that is
      caused by intracellular infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp.
      paratuberculosis. This infection is characterized by the functional exhaustion of
      T-cell responses to M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis antigens during late
      subclinical and clinical stages, presumably facilitating the persistence of this
      bacterium and the formation of clinical lesions. However, the mechanisms
      underlying T-cell exhaustion in Johne's disease are poorly understood. Thus, we
      performed expression and functional analyses of the immunoinhibitory molecules
      programmed death-1 (PD-1)/PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and lymphocyte activation gene 3
      (LAG-3)/major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) in M. avium subsp.
      paratuberculosis-infected cattle during the late subclinical stage. Flow
      cytometric analyses revealed the upregulation of PD-1 and LAG-3 in T cells in
      infected animals, which suffered progressive suppression of interferon gamma (IFN
      gamma) responses to the M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis antigen. In addition, PD
      L1 and MHC-II were expressed on macrophages from infected animals, consistent
      with PD-1 and LAG-3 pathways contributing to the suppression of IFN-gamma
      responses during the subclinical stages of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis
      infection. Furthermore, dual blockade of PD-L1 and LAG-3 enhanced M. avium subsp.
      paratuberculosis-specific IFN-gamma responses in blood from infected animals, and
      in vitro LAG-3 blockade enhanced IFN-gamma production from M. avium subsp.
      paratuberculosis-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells. Taken together, the present
      data indicate that M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-specific T-cell exhaustion is
      in part mediated by PD-1/PD-L1 and LAG-3/MHC-II interactions and that LAG-3 is a
      molecular target for the control of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-specific T
      cell responses. 

PMID- 26483407
TI  - Subgingival Plaque in Periodontal Health Antagonizes at Toll-Like Receptor 4 and
      Inhibits E-Selectin Expression on Endothelial Cells.
AB  - The ability of the subgingival microbial community to induce an inappropriate
      inflammatory response ultimately results in the destruction of bone and gingival
      tissue. In this study, subgingival plaque samples from both healthy and diseased
      sites in the same individual were obtained from adults with chronic periodontitis
      and screened for their ability to either activate Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) or
      TLR4 and to antagonize TLR4-specific activation by agonist, Fusobacterium
      nucleatum LPS. Subgingival plaque from diseased sites strongly activated TLR4,
      whereas matched plaque samples obtained from healthy sites were significantly
      more variable, with some samples displaying strong TLR4 antagonism, while others
      were strong TLR4 agonists when combined with F. nucleatum LPS. Similar results
      were observed when TLR4 dependent E-selectin expression by endothelial cells was
      determined. These results are the first to demonstrate TLR4 antagonism from human
      plaque samples and demonstrate that healthy but not diseased sites display a wide
      variation in TLR4 agonist and antagonist behavior. The results have identified a
      novel characteristic of clinically healthy sites and warrant further study on the
      contribution of TLR4 antagonism in the progression of a healthy periodontal site
      to a diseased one. 

PMID- 26483408
TI  - Activation of the Classical Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases Is Part of the
      Shiga Toxin-Induced Ribotoxic Stress Response and May Contribute to Shiga Toxin
      Induced Inflammation.
AB  - Infection with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) can result in severe
      disease, including hemorrhagic colitis and the hemolytic uremic syndrome. Shiga
      toxins (Stx) are the key EHEC virulence determinant contributing to severe
      disease. Despite inhibiting protein synthesis, Shiga toxins paradoxically induce
      the expression of proinflammatory cytokines from various cell types in vitro,
      including intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). This effect is mediated in large
      part by the ribotoxic stress response (RSR). The Shiga toxin-induced RSR is known
      to involve the activation of the stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs) p38 and
      JNK. In some cell types, Stx also can induce the classical mitogen-activated
      protein kinases (MAPKs) or ERK1/2, but the mechanism(s) by which this activation
      occurs is unknown. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which Stx
      activates ERK1/2s in IECs and the contribution of ERK1/2 activation to
      interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression. We demonstrate that Stx1 activates ERK1/2 in a
      biphasic manner: the first phase occurs in response to StxB1 subunit, while the
      second phase requires StxA1 subunit activity. We show that the A subunit
      dependent ERK1/2 activation is mediated through ZAK-dependent signaling, and
      inhibition of ERK1/2 activation via the MEK1/2 inhibitors U0126 and PD98059
      results in decreased Stx1-mediated IL-8 mRNA. Finally, we demonstrate that ERK1/2
      are activated in vivo in the colon of Stx2-intoxicated infant rabbits, a model in
      which Stx2 induces a primarily neutrophilic inflammatory response. Together, our
      data support a role for ERK1/2 activation in the development of Stx-mediated
      intestinal inflammation. 

PMID- 26483409
TI  - The A1 Subunit of Shiga Toxin 2 Has Higher Affinity for Ribosomes and Higher
      Catalytic Activity than the A1 Subunit of Shiga Toxin 1.
AB  - Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections can lead to life
      threatening complications, including hemorrhagic colitis (HC) and hemolytic
      uremic syndrome (HUS), which is the most common cause of acute renal failure in
      children in the United States. Stx1 and Stx2 are AB5 toxins consisting of an
      enzymatically active A subunit associated with a pentamer of receptor binding B
      subunits. Epidemiological evidence suggests that Stx2-producing E. coli strains
      are more frequently associated with HUS than Stx1-producing strains. Several
      studies suggest that the B subunit plays a role in mediating toxicity. However,
      the role of the A subunits in the increased potency of Stx2 has not been fully
      investigated. Here, using purified A1 subunits, we show that Stx2A1 has a higher
      affinity for yeast and mammalian ribosomes than Stx1A1. Biacore analysis
      indicated that Stx2A1 has faster association and dissociation with ribosomes than
      Stx1A1. Analysis of ribosome depurination kinetics demonstrated that Stx2A1
      depurinates yeast and mammalian ribosomes and an RNA stem-loop mimic of the
      sarcin/ricin loop (SRL) at a higher catalytic rate and is a more efficient enzyme
      than Stx1A1. Stx2A1 depurinated ribosomes at a higher level in vivo and was more
      cytotoxic than Stx1A1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Stx2A1 depurinated ribosomes
      and inhibited translation at a significantly higher level than Stx1A1 in human
      cells. These results provide the first direct evidence that the higher affinity
      for ribosomes in combination with higher catalytic activity toward the SRL allows
      Stx2A1 to depurinate ribosomes, inhibit translation, and exhibit cytotoxicity at
      a significantly higher level than Stx1A1. 

PMID- 26483411
TI  - Expectations and perceptions of care among victims of sexual assault who first
      seek care from emergency, primary care and gynaecological doctors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of health professionals is pivotal in providing support to
      victims of sexual assault. Our aim was to identify patient expectations of
      doctors after a sexual assault and to assess how they rated the doctors'
      responses. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study (May 2010
      December 2012) involving victims of sexual assault (age >10 years) in a
      Department of Forensic Medicine near Paris, France. The patients included were
      those who had first sought care from a doctor prior to arriving at the Department
      of Forensic Medicine. Victims were asked by questionnaire and interviewed by the
      forensic physician about medical consultations before arriving at the Department,
      their expectations about those consultations and their feelings about the quality
      of support provided. Each patient's feelings were rated on a five-point scale.
      RESULTS: Among 1112 victims reporting sexual assault, 232 previously had a
      consultation, and were included in the study. Patients expected trauma care in
      44% of cases, and received it in 40% (p=0.42), psychological support in 31% of
      cases, and received it in 21% (p=0.02), gynaecological care in 28%, and received
      it in 31% (p=0.52) and forensic support in 21%, and received it in 54% (p<0.001).
      The patients more frequently considered the provided support to be crucial when
      they received both forensic support and trauma care, psychological support or
      gynaecological care than when they only received trauma care, psychological
      support or gynaecological care (25% vs 3%, p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Physicians who
      are the first medical provider to see a patient after a sexual assault often fail
      to meet patients' expectations, particularly with regard to psychological
      support. Care received was perceived as best when physicians provided both
      forensic support and trauma care, psychological support or gynaecological care.

PMID- 26483410
TI  - Morphology-Independent Virulence of Candida Species during Polymicrobial Intra
      abdominal Infections with Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - Intra-abdominal polymicrobial infections cause significant morbidity and
      mortality. An experimental mouse model of Candida albicans-Staphylococcus aureus
      intra-abdominal infection (IAI) results in 100% mortality by 48 to 72 h
      postinoculation, while monomicrobial infections are avirulent. Mortality is
      associated with robust local and systemic inflammation without a requirement for
      C. albicans morphogenesis. However, the contribution of virulence factors
      coregulated during the yeast-to-hypha transition is unknown. This also raised the
      question of whether other Candida species that are unable to form hyphae are as
      virulent as C. albicans during polymicrobial IAI. Therefore, the purpose of this
      study was to evaluate the ability of non-albicans Candida (NAC) species with
      various morphologies and C. albicans transcription factor mutants (efg1/efg1 and
      cph1/cph1) to induce synergistic mortality and the accompanying inflammation.
      Results showed that S. aureus coinoculated with C. krusei or C. tropicalis was
      highly lethal, similar to C. albicans, while S. aureus-C. dubliniensis, S. aureus
      C. parapsilosis, and S. aureus-C. glabrata coinoculations resulted in little to
      no mortality. Local and systemic interleukin-6 (IL-6) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)
      levels were significantly elevated during symptomatic and/or lethal coinfections,
      and hypothermia strongly correlated with mortality. Coinoculation with C.
      albicans strains deficient in the transcription factor Efg1 but not Cph1 reversed
      the lethal outcome. These results support previous findings and demonstrate that
      select Candida species, without reference to any morphological requirement,
      induce synergistic mortality, with IL-6 and PGE2 acting as key inflammatory
      factors. Mechanistically, signaling pathways controlled by Efg1 are critical for
      the ability of C. albicans to induce mortality from an intra-abdominal
      polymicrobial infection. 

PMID- 26483412
TI  - MARRIED-cocaine score: validating a tool for detecting the risk of ED revisit in
      cocaine users.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: According to a previous study, 17% of patients who attended an
      emergency department (ED) following cocaine use returned to the same ED over the
      next year for a problem related to drug use. This previous study proposed a scale
      (Multicenter Assessment of the Revisit Risk In the Emergency Department (MARRIED)
      cocaine score) to quantify the risk of ED revisit. The aim of the present study
      was to validate this scale by analysing a new set of patients attending for
      cocaine use in nine Spanish EDs. METHODS: We performed a retrospective,
      multicentre, cohort study with consecutive patient inclusion, and without an
      intervention or control group. During 12 months (January-December 2010) we
      collected data from patients attending the ED after cocaine use. The MARRIED
      cocaine score, ranging from 0 to 400 points, was calculated for each patient. The
      dependent variable was the identification of further visits associated with drug
      consumption to the same ED. Further analysis was performed to define risk
      categories. RESULTS: The study included 933 patients, with a mean follow-up of
      466 (SD 189) days, and 185 patients returned to the same ED for problems related
      to drug consumption. The cumulative probability of ED revisit was 4.2%, 8.3%,
      16.8% and 21.2% at 1 month, 3 months, 12 months and 24 months, respectively. The
      area under the curve receiver operating characteristic for the MARRIED-cocaine
      scale was 0.69 (p<0.001). Four categories for ED revisit risk were defined: low
      risk (0-40 points, n=416), moderate risk (41-100 points, n=235), high risk (101
      210 points, n=71) and very high risk (210-400 points, n=211), with HRs for ED
      revisit (with respect to the low-risk group) of 1.82 (95% CI 1.18 to 2.80,
      p=0.007), 2.65 (95% CI 1.50 to 4.66, p=0.001) and 5.06 (95% CI 3.49 to 7.35,
      p<0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The MARRIED-cocaine score has a moderate
      discriminative capacity to predict revisit among patients who attend the ED for
      cocaine drug-related emergencies, and allows classification of patients according
      to the risk of ED revisit.

PMID- 26483413
TI  - Phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-Trisphosphate Phosphatase SKIP Links Endoplasmic
      Reticulum Stress in Skeletal Muscle to Insulin Resistance.
AB  - Insulin resistance is critical in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes.
      Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in liver and adipose tissues plays an important
      role in the development of insulin resistance. Although skeletal muscle is a
      primary site for insulin-dependent glucose disposal, it is unclear if ER stress
      in those tissues contributes to insulin resistance. In this study, we show that
      skeletal muscle kidney-enriched inositol polyphosphate phosphatase (SKIP), a PIP3
      (phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate) phosphatase, links ER stress to
      insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. SKIP expression was increased due to ER
      stress and was higher in the skeletal muscle isolated from high-fat-diet-fed mice
      and db/db mice than in that from wild-type mice. Mechanistically, ER stress
      promotes activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) and X-box binding protein 1
      (XBP1)-dependent expression of SKIP. These findings underscore the specific and
      prominent role of SKIP in the development of insulin resistance in skeletal
      muscle.

PMID- 26483414
TI  - NFAT2 Isoforms Differentially Regulate Gene Expression, Cell Death, and
      Transformation through Alternative N-Terminal Domains.
AB  - The NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T cells) family of transcription factors is
      composed of four calcium-responsive proteins (NFAT1 to -4). The NFAT2 (also
      called NFATc1) gene encodes the isoforms NFAT2alpha and NFAT2beta that result
      mainly from alternative initiation exons that provide two different N-terminal
      transactivation domains. However, the specific roles of the NFAT2 isoforms in
      cell physiology remain unclear. Because previous studies have shown oncogenic
      potential for NFAT2, this study emphasized the role of the NFAT2 isoforms in cell
      transformation. Here, we show that a constitutively active form of NFAT2alpha (CA
      NFAT2alpha) and CA-NFAT2beta distinctly control death and transformation in NIH
      3T3 cells. While CA-NFAT2alpha strongly induces cell transformation, CA-NFAT2beta
      leads to reduced cell proliferation and intense cell death through the
      upregulation of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). CA-NFAT2beta also
      increases cell death and upregulates Fas ligand (FasL) and TNF-alpha in CD4(+) T
      cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that differential roles of NFAT2 isoforms in
      NIH 3T3 cells depend on the N-terminal domain, where the NFAT2beta-specific N
      terminal acidic motif is necessary to induce cell death. Interestingly, the
      NFAT2alpha isoform is upregulated in Burkitt lymphomas, suggesting an isoform
      specific involvement of NFAT2 in cancer development. Finally, our data suggest
      that alternative N-terminal domains of NFAT2 could provide differential
      mechanisms for the control of cellular functions.

PMID- 26483415
TI  - Identification of Novel Death-Associated Protein Kinase 2 Interaction Partners by
      Proteomic Screening Coupled with Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation.
AB  - Death-associated protein kinase 2 (DAPK2) is a Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent
      Ser/Thr kinase that possesses tumor-suppressive functions and regulates
      programmed cell death, autophagy, oxidative stress, hematopoiesis, and motility.
      As only few binding partners of DAPK2 have been determined, the molecular
      mechanisms governing these biological functions are largely unknown. We report
      the identification of 180 potential DAPK2 interaction partners by affinity
      purification-coupled mass spectrometry, 12 of which are known DAPK binding
      proteins. A small subset of established and potential binding proteins detected
      in this screen was further investigated by bimolecular fluorescence
      complementation (BiFC) assays, a method to visualize protein interactions in
      living cells. These experiments revealed that alpha-actinin-1 and 14-3-3-beta are
      novel DAPK2 binding partners. The interaction of DAPK2 with alpha-actinin-1 was
      localized at the plasma membrane, resulting in massive membrane blebbing and
      reduced cellular motility, whereas the interaction of DAPK2 with 14-3-3-beta was
      localized to the cytoplasm, with no impact on blebbing, motility, or viability.
      Our results therefore suggest that DAPK2 effector functions are influenced by the
      protein's subcellular localization and highlight the utility of combining mass
      spectrometry screening with bimolecular fluorescence complementation to identify
      and characterize novel protein-protein interactions.

PMID- 26483417
TI  - Are children's dental panoramic tomographs and lateral cephalometric radiographs
      sufficiently optimized?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Children are especially vulnerable to harmful effects of ionizing
      radiation. Cutting down the dimensions of the X-ray beam is the most effective
      way to reduce the patient dose. We evaluated the appropriateness of field-size in
      the most frequent radiographs, dental panoramic tomographs (DPTs) and lateral
      cephalometric radiographs (LCRs) among 7- to 12-year-olds. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The image field-size of 241 DPTs and 118 LCRs was analysed. The image field was
      considered appropriate when it did not include anatomic structures beyond the
      area of clinical interest. The image field was compared with factors such as the
      age of the patient, the radiographic equipment used and the programme selected.
      Moreover, we assessed the use of thyroid shield in LCR. RESULTS: The field-size
      was too large in 70% of the DPTs horizontally and in 96% vertically. None of the
      DPTs were segmented. Every LCR showed appropriate limitation anteriorly, but the
      image field was too large in 54% posteriorly, in 86% superiorly, and in 76%
      inferiorly. A thyroid shield had been used in only 71% of cases. CONCLUSION: Most
      DPTs and LCRs had been performed sub-optimally. An abundancy of DPTs had been
      taken using an adult programme, and the field-size had not been sufficiently
      adjusted in LCRs, possibly for technical reasons. To facilitate adherence to
      radiological best practice the equipment used for DPTs and LCRs should facilitate
      the adjustment of field-size in both the vertical and horizontal planes. In
      addition, those involved in taking radiographs should maintain their skills
      through regular update courses.

PMID- 26483416
TI  - Estrogen Exhibits a Biphasic Effect on Prostate Tumor Growth through the Estrogen
      Receptor beta-KLF5 Pathway.
AB  - Estrogens are effective in the treatment of prostate cancer; however, the effects
      of estrogens on prostate cancer are enigmatic. In this study, we demonstrated
      that estrogen (17beta-estradiol [E2]) has biphasic effects on prostate tumor
      growth. A lower dose of E2 increased tumor growth in mouse xenograft models using
      DU145 and PC-3 human prostate cancer cells, whereas a higher dose significantly
      decreased tumor growth. We found that anchorage-independent apoptosis in these
      cells was inhibited by E2 treatment. Similarly, in vivo angiogenesis was
      suppressed by E2. Interestingly, these effects of E2 were abolished by knockdown
      of either estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) or Kruppel-like zinc finger
      transcription factor 5 (KLF5). Iotan addition, E2 suppressed KLF5-mediated
      transcription through ERbeta, which inhibits proapoptotic FOXO1 and proangiogenic
      PDGFA expression. Furthermore, we revealed that a nonagonistic ER ligand GS-1405
      inhibited FOXO1 and PDGFA expression through the ERbeta-KLF5 pathway and
      regulated prostate tumor growth without ERbeta transactivation. Therefore, these
      results suggest that E2 biphasically modulates prostate tumor formation by
      regulating KLF5-dependent transcription through ERbeta and provide a new strategy
      for designing ER modulators, which will be able to regulate prostate cancer
      progression with minimal adverse effects due to ER transactivation.

PMID- 26483418
TI  - Rosuvastatin Alters the Proteome of High Density Lipoproteins: Generation of
      alpha-1-antitrypsin Enriched Particles with Anti-inflammatory Properties.
AB  - Statins lower plasma cholesterol by as much as 50%, thus reducing future
      cardiovascular events. However, the physiological effects of statins are diverse
      and not all are related to low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering.
      We performed a small clinical pilot study to assess the impact of statins on
      lipoprotein-associated proteins in healthy individuals (n = 10) with normal LDL-C
      (<130 mg/dL), who were treated with rosuvastatin (20 mg/day) for 28 days.
      Proteomic analysis of size-exclusion chromatography isolated LDL, large high
      density lipoprotein (HDL-L), and small HDL (HDL-S) fractions and spectral
      counting was used to compare relative protein detection before and after statin
      therapy. Significant protein changes were found in each lipoprotein pool and
      included both increases and decreases in several proteins involved in lipoprotein
      metabolism, complement regulation and acute phase response. The most dramatic
      effect of the rosuvastatin treatment was an increase in alpha-1-antirypsin (A1AT)
      spectral counts associated with HDL-L particles. Quantitative measurement by
      ELISA confirmed an average 5.7-fold increase in HDL-L associated A1AT. Molecular
      modeling predictions indicated that the hydrophobic reactive center loop of A1AT,
      the functional domain responsible for its protease inhibitor activity, is likely
      involved in lipid binding and association with HDL was found to protect A1AT
      against oxidative inactivation. Cell culture experiments, using J774 macrophages,
      demonstrated that the association of A1AT with HDL enhances its antiprotease
      activity, preventing elastase induced production of tumor necrosis factor alpha.
      In conclusion, we show that statins can significantly alter the protein
      composition of both LDL and HDL and our studies reveal a novel functional
      relationship between A1AT and HDL. The up-regulation of A1AT on HDL enhances its
      anti-inflammatory functionality, which may contribute to the non-lipid lowering
      beneficial effects of statins. 

PMID- 26483424
TI  - Appendiceal neuroendocrine neoplasms: diagnosis and management.
AB  - Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine neoplasms (GI-NENs) are increasingly being
      recognised, while appendiceal NENs (aNENs) currently constitute the third most
      common GI-NEN. Appendiceal NENs are generally considered to follow an indolent
      course with the majority being localised at diagnosis. Thus, the initial surgical
      approach is not that of a planned oncological resection. Due to the localised
      nature of the disease in the majority of cases, subsequent biochemical and
      radiological assessment are not routinely recommended. Histopathological criteria
      (size, mesoappendiceal invasion, Ki-67 proliferation index, neuro- and angio
      invasion) are mainly used to identify those patients who are also candidates for
      a right hemicolectomy. Goblet cell carcinoids are a distinct entity and should be
      treated as adenocarcinomas. Despite the absence of any substantial prospective
      data regarding optimal management and follow-up, recent consensus statements and
      guidelines have been published. The purpose of this review is to overview the
      published studies on the diagnosis and management of appendiceal NENs and to
      suggest a possible management protocol. 

PMID- 26483423
TI  - Glucocorticoid receptor antagonism reverts docetaxel resistance in human prostate
      cancer.
AB  - Resistance to docetaxel is a major clinical problem in advanced prostate cancer
      (PCa). Although glucocorticoids (GCs) are frequently used in combination with
      docetaxel, it is unclear to what extent GCs and their receptor, the
      glucocorticoid receptor (GR), contribute to the chemotherapy resistance. In this
      study, we aim to elucidate the role of the GR in docetaxel-resistant PCa in order
      to improve the current PCa therapies. GR expression was analyzed in a tissue
      microarray of primary PCa specimens from chemonaive and docetaxel-treated
      patients, and in cultured PCa cell lines with an acquired docetaxel resistance
      (PC3-DR, DU145-DR, and 22Rv1-DR). We found a robust overexpression of the GR in
      primary PCa from docetaxel-treated patients and enhanced GR levels in cultured
      docetaxel-resistant human PCa cells, indicating a key role of the GR in docetaxel
      resistance. The capability of the GR antagonists (RU-486 and cyproterone acetate)
      to revert docetaxel resistance was investigated and revealed significant
      resensitization of docetaxel-resistant PCa cells for docetaxel treatment in a
      dose- and time-dependent manner, in which a complete restoration of docetaxel
      sensitivity was achieved in both androgen receptor (AR)-negative and AR-positive
      cell lines. Mechanistically, we demonstrated down-regulation of Bcl-xL and Bcl-2
      upon GR antagonism, thereby defining potential treatment targets. In conclusion,
      we describe the involvement of the GR in the acquisition of docetaxel resistance
      in human PCa. Therapeutic targeting of the GR effectively resensitizes docetaxel
      resistant PCa cells. These findings warrant further investigation of the clinical
      utility of the GR antagonists in the management of patients with advanced and
      docetaxel-resistant PCa. 

PMID- 26483425
TI  - "It's Back! My Remission Is Over": Online Communication of Disease Progression
      Among Adolescents With Cancer.
AB  - Cancer in adolescence presents unique challenges to patients and families due to
      the dramatic physical and psychological vulnerabilities that occur during a time
      of identity development. Additionally, adolescents who experience progression of
      their cancer, or failure of first-line therapies, represent an understudied group
      within pediatric oncology. Illness blogs offer a unique opportunity to understand
      the experience of a chronic or serious illness through a naturalistic and
      longitudinal perspective that is inherently patient centered. The purpose of this
      exploratory qualitative study was to describe the experiences of adolescents with
      cancer who experienced disease progression through analysis of their online
      illness blogs. Seven illness blogs written by adolescents with cancer diagnosed
      between the ages of 13 and 18 years were analyzed using thematic analysis.
      Several key themes were described among the adolescents, including normalizing
      the news, facing treatment failure, and reconciling chronos-the finite concept of
      time. These findings provide vital descriptive evidence for the experience of
      disease progression as described by adolescents, as well as identifying key
      points of further study and intervention development for nurse researchers and
      nurses who care for this vulnerable patient population. 

PMID- 26483426
TI  - Factors Related to Healthy Siblings' Psychosocial Adjustment to Children With
      Cancer: An Integrative Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify factors related to the psychosocial adjustment of healthy
      siblings of children with cancer (HSCC). DESIGN AND METHOD: An integrative review
      was conducted. Controlled vocabularies relevant to siblings, pediatrics,
      children, neoplasms, and psychosocial adaptation were used to search Cumulative
      Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature and PubMed. Articles that met
      inclusion criteria (eg, quantitative studies related to HSCC's psychosocial
      adjustment; had sample sizes of at least 30; and HSCC age between 1 and 19 years)
      were reviewed. Key findings of selected articles were analyzed according to
      sibling characteristics, social support, and contextual factors. RESULTS: Seven
      nonexperimental and 5 quasi-experimental studies were reviewed. HSCC's
      characteristics (eg, age, gender), perceived social support from family and
      summer camp, and perceived contextual factors (eg, role overload, family
      adaptability) were significant factors that correlated with HSCC's psychosocial
      adjustment. CONCLUSION: When caring for a child diagnosed with cancer, nurses
      need to include HSCC in the assessment of a family unit's adaptation to cancer
      distress and provide appropriate interventions to promote HSCC's psychosocial
      well-being.

PMID- 26483427
TI  - Participants' Understanding of Informed Consent in a Randomized Controlled Trial
      for Chronic Knee Pain.
AB  - This study explored participants' experiences of randomized controlled trial
      (RCT) participation to examine their understanding of the trial design and
      whether their consent was indeed informed. A nested qualitative interview study
      was conducted with 38 participants from a sample of 282 who participated in a
      complex RCT evaluating the effectiveness of laser compared with needle
      acupuncture for chronic knee pain. Overall participants had a good understanding
      of the RCT, and concepts such as randomization and placebo. Their experiences of
      being in the trial were largely positive, even if they did not experience any
      knee pain improvement. Their responses to unblinding at the end of the study were
      accepting. Participants had a good functional understanding of the RCT,
      sufficient for valid informed consent. 

PMID- 26483428
TI  - Human Invariant Natural Killer T cells possess immune-modulating functions during
      Aspergillus infection.
AB  - Aspergillus fumigatus is the most common cause for invasive fungal infections, a
      disease associated with high mortality in immune-compromised patients. CD1d
      restricted invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells compose a small subset of T
      cells known to impact the immune response toward various infectious pathogens. To
      investigate the role of human iNKT cells during A. fumigatus infection, we
      studied their activation as determined by CD69 expression and cytokine production
      in response to distinct fungal morphotypes in the presence of different CD1d(+)
      antigen presenting cells using flow cytometry and multiplex enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Among CD1d(+) subpopulations, CD1d(+)CD1c(+) mDCs
      showed the highest potential to activate iNKT cells on a per cell basis. The
      presence of A. fumigatus decreased this effect of CD1d(+)CD1c(+) mDCs on iNKT
      cells and led to reduced secretion of TNF-alpha, G-CSF and RANTES. Production of
      other Th1 and Th2 cytokines was not affected by the fungus, suggesting an immune
      modulating function for human iNKT cells during A. fumigatus infection. 

PMID- 26483429
TI  - Severe feline sporotrichosis associated with an increased population of CD8low
      cells and a decrease in CD4+ cells.
AB  - Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous mycosis with worldwide distribution, especially
      in tropical and subtropical areas. Zoonotic transmission is described with cats
      being the main animal species involved. The occurrence of severe feline
      sporotrichosis with high fungal levels demonstrates the susceptibility of cats to
      this disease and the importance of studying its pathogenesis. This study
      describes the leukocytes profile in blood of cats with sporotrichosis by flow
      cytometry and its correlation with histopathology and fungal load. The cats with
      sporotrichosis were separated into groups L1, L2, and L3 (lesions at one, two,
      and three or more noncontiguous skin locations, respectively) and were classified
      as good, fair, or poor general conditions. The highest percentage of CD4+ cells
      was associated to L1 (P = .04) and to good general condition (P = .03). The
      percentage of CD8+ cells was greater in L2 and L3 (P = .01). CD8(low) expression
      occurred in 20 animals with sporotrichosis, mainly in L3 (P = .01) and was not
      observed in healthy controls. This expression was related to macrophage
      granulomas (P = .01) and predominated in cases with high fungal load. Altogether,
      the results indicated that control over feline sporotrichosis, with maintenance
      of a good general condition, fixed lesions, well-organized response and lower
      fungal load, is associated with increased CD4+ cells percentages. In contrast, a
      poor general condition, disseminated lesions and high fungal load were related to
      increased CD8+ cell percentages and increased expression of CD8(low). As
      conclusion these results point to an important role of the CD4:CD8 balance in
      determining the clinical outcome in feline sporotrichosis. 

PMID- 26483430
TI  - Brain abscess due to Cladophialophora bantiana: a review of 124 cases.
AB  - Brain abscess caused by Cladophialophora bantiana is a rare disease associated
      with high mortality due to delay in diagnosis and absence of standardized
      therapy. We reviewed 124 culture proven C. bantiana brain abscess cases; 103
      cases published in English literature during 1952 through 2014 and 21 unpublished
      cases from our reference center. The majority (57.3%) of the patients was from
      Asian countries especially from India (62/124, 50%). The diagnosis of the cases
      was delayed with mean duration 115 days after developing symptoms. The disease
      was nearly equally distributed in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed hosts but
      associated with significantly higher mortality (77.1%) in later group. Complete
      excision of brain lesion in immunocompetent host led to significantly better
      survival (43.7%). Though all commercially available antifungal drugs have been
      used in these patients, amphotericin B deoxycholate or lipid preparations were
      most commonly (62.83%) prescribed agent. None of the drugs used was found to be
      independently associated with improved outcome. In vitro antifungal
      susceptibility testing of 13 isolates of our center, demonstrated good activity
      to voriconazole, posaconazole, and itraconazole, but these triazoles were
      prescribed in only 29.2% patients. Increased awareness with early suspicion of
      the disease, and aggressive medical and surgical approach in treating these
      patients may improve the outcome. 

PMID- 26483431
TI  - Population Structure of Candida albicans from Three Teaching Hospitals in Ghana.
AB  - Previous studies on Candida species in a clinical setting in Ghana have shown a
      prevalence of Candida albicans. Despite this, very little is known about the
      various strain types and their population genetic structure. In this study three
      microsatellite loci, CAI, CAIII and CAVI, were used to investigate the population
      genetic structure of C. albicans from clinical isolates in Ghana. In all, 240
      clinically unrelated C. albicans isolates were recovered from patients reporting
      at three teaching hospitals. All the isolates were heterozygous for at least one
      of the three loci, except for one isolate, which was homozygous for all three
      loci. Sixty-seven unique alleles and 240 different genotypes were generated by
      the three polymorphic microsatellite loci, resulting in a very high
      discriminatory potential of approximately 0.98. There was no significant
      difference in allele frequencies from the small number of anatomical sites
      sampled, regardless of the host conditions although high genotypic diversities
      were observed among the isolates. There was evidence for clonal reproduction,
      including over-expression of observed heterozygotes across the populations. The
      populations deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and pair-wise
      genotypic linkage disequilibria comparisons across the three loci were
      significant, also suggesting a clonal population. The overall Wright FIS for the
      three loci was negative, and the overall FST value was not significantly
      different from zero for the three loci analyzed, indicating a clonal and
      homogeneous population across the three sampling locations from Ghana. 

PMID- 26483432
TI  - Emergence of Magnusiomyces capitatus infections in Western Nepal.
AB  - Magnusiomyces capitatus is an emerging opportunistic yeast in the Mediterranean
      region. We report from Nepal one case of M. capitatus infection and six other
      cases of colonization/probable infection due to M. capitatus at a tertiary care
      center. Majority of the patients were immunocompromised, at extreme age,
      associated with comorbidities, and had history of close contact with livestock
      and poultry. The isolates were identified by phenotypic and genotypic (ITS and
      D1/D2 region of 26S rDNA sequence) methods. Molecular typing of the isolates was
      carried out by amplified fragment length polymorphism. Minimum inhibitory
      concentration (MIC) of the isolates for amphotericin B, caspofungin, fluconazole,
      itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, anidulafungin, and micafungin were 2,
      0.1-4, 2, 0.12-0.5, 0.12-0.5, 0.25, 1-4, and 1-4 MUg/ml, respectively. Presence
      of M. capitatus infection was not known in Nepal, and the study should alert the
      clinicians and infectious disease specialists. 

PMID- 26483433
TI  - Posaconazole plasma concentration in pediatric patients receiving antifungal
      prophylaxis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
AB  - Posaconazole has been proven to be effective for antifungal prophylaxis in adults
      after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Due to low gastrointestinal
      resorption of posaconazole suspension, bioavailability is impaired. Fatty food
      improves the uptake of posaconazole, but insufficient data on the
      pharmacokinetics of posaconazole in pediatric patients are available so far. The
      single-center analysis investigated 161 posaconazole serum concentrations in 27
      pediatric patients after HSCT receiving 12 mg.kg BW(-1).d(-1) posaconazole
      suspension depending on age, gender, and intestinal graft-versus-host (iGvHD)
      disease, and the influence of posaconazole on cyclosporine A plasma
      concentrations. To improve the uptake of posaconazole, one patient cohort
      received higher fat nutrition with the drug administration. A comparison of the
      regular nutrition and higher-fat nutrition groups revealed the following values:
      31 (27.4%) versus 8 (16.7%) < 500 ng/ml; 12 (10.6%) versus 7 (14.6%) 500-700
      ng/ml; 8 (7.1%) versus 6 (12.5%) 700-1000 ng/ml; 51 (45.1%) versus 21 (43.8%)
      1000-2000 ng/ml; and 11 (9.7%) versus 6 (12.5%) > 2000 ng/ml. The mean
      posaconazole concentrations in patients with regular nutrition was 1123 +/- 811
      ng/ml and with higher-fat nutrition was 1191 +/- 673 ng/ml. Posaconazole levels
      in patients with iGvHD were significantly lower (P = 0.0003) than in patients
      without GvHD. The majority of samples showed a sufficient posaconazole
      concentration above 700 ng/ml. Posaconazole levels were slightly higher in
      patients with higher-fat nutrition and significantly lower in patients with
      iGvHD. Cyclosporine A levels were not significantly higher during posaconazole
      administration. 

PMID- 26483434
TI  - Switching of colony morphology and adhesion activity of Trichosporon asahii
      clinical isolates.
AB  - Trichosporon asahii is a pathogenic yeast that causes trichosporonosis, a deep
      seated infection, in immunocompromised hosts. Pathogenic factors involved in this
      infection have not been investigated in detail, but morphological phenotype
      switching is thought to be important for T. asahii pathogenesis. Therefore, we
      analyzed adhesion, which may be a key early step in T. asahii infection, after
      morphological phenotype switching. T. asahii clinical isolates show several
      colony morphologies. In this study, colonies showing white-farinose (W), off
      white-smooth (O), off-white-rugose (OR), smooth (S), and yellowish-white (Y)
      morphologies were obtained from three isolates and compared in an adhesion assay
      performed in cell culture dishes. At least one type of colony morphology from
      each clinical isolate adhered strongly to the culture dish surface, although the
      colony type that displayed strong adherence varied among the strains. Thus,
      morphological phenotype switching altered the adhesion of T. asahii strains. 

PMID- 26483435
TI  - Trends in antifungal susceptibility and virulence of Candida spp. from the
      nasolacrimal duct of horses.
AB  - This was a cross-sectional study to investigate the antifungal susceptibility and
      production of virulence factors in strains of Candida isolated from the outlet
      and the lumen of the nasolacrimal duct of horses in the state of Ceara, Brazil.
      The samples were obtained from 103 horses. Sterile cotton swabs were used to
      collect the material from the outlet of the nasolacrimal duct and urethral
      probes, for the instillation of 2 ml of saline solution, were used to collect
      samples from the lumen of the nasolacrimal duct. A total of 77 Candida isolates
      were obtained, with C. famata, C. tropicalis, C. guilliermondii, and C.
      parapsilosis sensu lato as the most prevalent species. One isolate (C. glabrata)
      was resistant to caspofungin. One isolate was resistant only to fluconazole (C.
      parapsilosis sensu lato), 11 were resistant only to itraconazole (7 C.
      tropicalis, 2 C. guilliermondii, 1 C. famata, 1 C. parapsilosis sensu lato),
      while eight C. tropicalis showed resistance to both azoles. Overall, 28 isolates
      produced phospholipases and 12 produced proteases. These results highlight the
      importance of investigating the antifungal susceptibility and virulence trends of
      Candida spp. from the microbiota of the nasolacrimal duct of horses. 

PMID- 26483436
TI  - Yeast Transcriptome and In Vivo Hypoxia Detection Reveals Histoplasma capsulatum
      Response to Low Oxygen Tension.
AB  - Although there is growing understanding of the microenvironmental conditions
      fungal pathogens encounter as they colonize their host, nothing is known about
      Histoplasma capsulatum's response to hypoxia. Here we characterized hypoxia
      during murine histoplasmosis using an in vivo hypoxia detection agent,
      Hypoxyprobe-2 (HP-2); and analyzed H. capsulatum's transcriptional profile in
      response to in vitro hypoxia. Immunohistopathology and flow cytometry analyses
      revealed distinct regions of hypoxia during infection. Granuloma cells, enriched
      with macrophages and T-cells isolated from infected livers were 66-76% positive
      for HP-2, of which, 95% of macrophages and 55% of T-cells were hypoxic. Although
      inhibited, H. capsulatum was able to survive under in vitro hypoxic conditions
      (<1% O2), and restored growth when replaced in normoxia. Next-generation
      sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis after 24 hours of hypoxia demonstrated a
      significant increase in NIT50 (swirm domain DNA binding protein), a predicted ABC
      transporter (ABC), NADPH oxidoreductase (NADP/FAD), and guanine nucleotide
      exchange factor (RSP/GEF); and other genes with no known designated function.
      Computational transcription factor binding site analysis predicted human sterol
      regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) binding sites upstream of NIT50, ABC,
      NADP/FAD and RSP/GEF. Hypoxia resulted in a time-dependent increase in the H.
      capsulatum homolog of SREBP, here named Srb1. Srb1 peaked at 8 hours and returned
      to basal levels by 24 hours. Our findings demonstrate that H. capsulatum
      encounters and survives severe hypoxia during infection. Additionally, the
      hypoxic response may be regulated at the level of transcription, and these
      studies contribute to the understanding of hypoxic regulation and adaptation in
      H. capsulatum. 

PMID- 26483437
TI  - Genetic and Phenotypic analyses of Calcineurin A subunit in Arthroderma
      vanbreuseghemii.
AB  - Calcineurin is a serine/threonine protein phosphatase that consists of catalytic
      (calcineurin A) and regulatory (calcineurin B) subunits. The conserved protein
      plays important roles in various biological processes. Drug combination of
      fluconazole and the calcineurin inhibitor (FK506) showed synergistic effects
      against dermatophytes. In the current study, we identified the calcineurin A
      homologous gene (TmcanA) in the dermatophyte Arthroderma vanbreuseghemii
      (anamorph: Trichophyton mentagrophytes). Knockdown mutants were produced from A.
      vanbreuseghemii, resulting in a defection in growth properties in accordance with
      dose of the suppressing reagent. The TmcanA gene restored the ability of
      calcineurin A-deficient Cryptococcus neoformans strain to grow at elevated
      temperatures. Repression of TmcanA at 37 degrees C resulted in severely stunted
      growth, suggesting that this protein plays a role in tolerance to elevated
      temperatures. In addition, TMCANA showed an interaction with high osmolarity
      glycerol (HOG) signalling pathway by governing the secretion of a secondary
      metabolite. Moreover, expression of the hydrophobin A gene (TmHF) decreased
      significantly under the TmcanA-repressive condition, suggesting that TMCANA is
      involved in its regulation. In conclusion, calcineurin A is a multifunctional
      gene that is involved in the regulation of several biological processes and
      therefore is worth being considered as a drug target for treatment of
      dermatophytoses. 

PMID- 26483438
TI  - Towards evidence based medicine for paediatricians.

PMID- 26483439
TI  - Question 2: Unexpected neutropenia in a febrile, but immunocompetent, child.

PMID- 26483441
TI  - Exposure rate of unwrapped hydroxyapatite orbital implants in enucleation
      surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To document the long-term exposure rate of unwrapped coralline
      hydroxyapatite (HA) orbital implants and explore possible risk factors. DESIGN:
      This retrospective case series (May 2008-April 2013) reviewed the 234 patients
      with anophthalmia who underwent insertion of an unwrapped HA orbital implant by
      one of two different surgical closing techniques. RESULTS: Of the 234 cases, 151
      underwent a rectus end-to-end suturing closure technique and 83 underwent a
      rectus orthotopic suturing closure technique. The time of follow-up ranged from
      25 months to 69 months (mean 41.9 months). Implant exposure developed in 11
      cases. Three in the rectus end-to-end suturing closure group (2.0%) and eight in
      the rectus orthotopic suturing closure group (9.6%). In the rectus end-to-end
      suturing technique, a crosswise fixation of vascularised rectus muscle tissue is
      formed across the front of the implant; in this group the incidence of implant
      exposure was reduced (OR=8.11, p=0.013). Prior ocular surgery was found to be a
      factor increasing the incidence of HA exposure (OR=2.73, p=0.032). CONCLUSIONS:
      The placement of an unwrapped HA orbital implant with rectus end-to-end suturing
      in enucleation surgery was associated with a low rate of exposure in most cases.
      The end-to-end suturing creates a joint-like structure over the HA sphere,
      protecting the Tenon's capsule and conjunctiva from its rough surface and
      reducing the risk of implant exposure. Prior ocular surgery may be another risk
      factor for HA exposure.

PMID- 26483442
TI  - Retinopathy of prematurity in Korean infants with birthweight greater than 1500
      g.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence and clinical features of, and risk factors
      for, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in Korean infants with birthweight (BW)
      >1500 g. METHODS: A total of 201 consecutive infants with BW >1500 g from January
      2009 to December 2013 were included. The location and maximal stage of
      retinopathy observed were recorded for each infant. The associated systemic and
      maternal risk factors in infants with mild or absent ROP were compared with those
      in infants with treatment-requiring ROP. RESULTS: The total incidence of ROP was
      11.94% and that of treatment-requiring ROP was 3.98%. Two patients with
      gestational age (GA) >32 weeks and BW >1500 g had treatment-requiring ROP. 15
      eyes from eight infants with type I ROP required laser photocoagulation. The mean
      BWs and GAs in the treatment-requiring ROP group were significantly lower than
      those in the no or mild ROP group. Total duration of oxygen supplementation,
      surfactant usage, respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia,
      antibiotic use for more than 14 days and the number of ROP-associated risk
      factors significantly increased the likelihood of treatment-requiring ROP
      (p=0.002, p=0.008, p=0.008, p=0.000, p=0.015, and p=0.004, respectively).
      CONCLUSION: Our study confirmed that treatment-requiring ROP does occur in
      infants with BW >1500 g. To avoid overlooking infants with vision-threatening
      ROP, an evaluation of the data from larger BW preterm infants is advisable so
      that screening guidelines in neonatal care units may be refined.

PMID- 26483443
TI  - Making every contact count for physical activity--for tomorrow's patients: the
      launch of the interdisciplinary, undergraduate, resources on exercise medicine
      and health in the U.K.

PMID- 26483444
TI  - eComment. Systemic inflammation and pulmonary metastasectomy: ideas for further
      development.

PMID- 26483445
TI  - eComment. Double edge closure for reducing post-thoracotomy pain: is it the best?

PMID- 26483446
TI  - eReply re: eComment. Double edge closure for reducing post-thoracotomy pain: is
      it the best?

PMID- 26483447
TI  - eComment. Diagnostic and therapeutical considerations in post-lobectomy chronic
      pulmonary aspergillosis.

PMID- 26483448
TI  - eComment. Not all new valve technologies are meant to be used in the same way.

PMID- 26483449
TI  - eReply. Long-term follow-up data are needed in new valve technologies!

PMID- 26483452
TI  - Topographic representations of object size and relationships with numerosity
      reveal generalized quantity processing in human parietal cortex.
AB  - Humans and many animals analyze sensory information to estimate quantities that
      guide behavior and decisions. These quantities include numerosity (object number)
      and object size. Having recently demonstrated topographic maps of numerosity, we
      ask whether the brain also contains maps of object size. Using ultra-high-field
      (7T) functional MRI and population receptive field modeling, we describe tuned
      responses to visual object size in bilateral human posterior parietal cortex.
      Tuning follows linear Gaussian functions and shows surround suppression, and
      tuning width narrows with increasing preferred object size. Object size-tuned
      responses are organized in bilateral topographic maps, with similar cortical
      extents responding to large and small objects. These properties of object size
      tuning and map organization all differ from the numerosity representation,
      suggesting that object size and numerosity tuning result from distinct
      mechanisms. However, their maps largely overlap and object size preferences
      correlate with numerosity preferences, suggesting associated representations of
      these two quantities. Object size preferences here show no discernable relation
      to visual position preferences found in visuospatial receptive fields. As such,
      object size maps (much like numerosity maps) do not reflect sensory organ
      structure but instead emerge within the brain. We speculate that, as in sensory
      processing, optimization of cognitive processing using topographic maps may be a
      common organizing principle in association cortex. Interactions between object
      size and numerosity maps may associate cognitive representations of these related
      features, potentially allowing consideration of both quantities together when
      making decisions. 

PMID- 26483451
TI  - The human gene damage index as a gene-level approach to prioritizing exome
      variants.
AB  - The protein-coding exome of a patient with a monogenic disease contains about
      20,000 variants, only one or two of which are disease causing. We found that 58%
      of rare variants in the protein-coding exome of the general population are
      located in only 2% of the genes. Prompted by this observation, we aimed to
      develop a gene-level approach for predicting whether a given human protein-coding
      gene is likely to harbor disease-causing mutations. To this end, we derived the
      gene damage index (GDI): a genome-wide, gene-level metric of the mutational
      damage that has accumulated in the general population. We found that the GDI was
      correlated with selective evolutionary pressure, protein complexity, coding
      sequence length, and the number of paralogs. We compared GDI with the leading
      gene-level approaches, genic intolerance, and de novo excess, and demonstrated
      that GDI performed best for the detection of false positives (i.e., removing
      exome variants in genes irrelevant to disease), whereas genic intolerance and de
      novo excess performed better for the detection of true positives (i.e., assessing
      de novo mutations in genes likely to be disease causing). The GDI server, data,
      and software are freely available to noncommercial users from
      lab.rockefeller.edu/casanova/GDI. 

PMID- 26483453
TI  - Dystrophin-glycoprotein complex regulates muscle nitric oxide production through
      mechanoregulation of AMPK signaling.
AB  - Patients deficient in dystrophin, a protein that links the cytoskeleton to the
      extracellular matrix via the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex (DGC), exhibit
      muscular dystrophy, cardiomyopathy, and impaired muscle nitric oxide (NO)
      production. We used live-cell NO imaging and in vitro cyclic stretch of isolated
      adult mouse cardiomyocytes as a model system to investigate if and how the DGC
      directly regulates the mechanical activation of muscle NO signaling. Acute
      activation of NO synthesis by mechanical stretch was impaired in dystrophin
      deficient mdx cardiomyocytes, accompanied by loss of stretch-induced neuronal NO
      synthase (nNOS) S1412 phosphorylation. Intriguingly, stretch induced the acute
      activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in normal cardiomyocytes but
      not in mdx cardiomyocytes, and specific inhibition of AMPK was sufficient to
      attenuate mechanoactivation of NO production. Therefore, we tested whether direct
      pharmacologic activation of AMPK could bypass defective mechanical signaling to
      restore nNOS activity in dystrophin-deficient cardiomyocytes. Indeed, activation
      of AMPK with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside or salicylate increased nNOS
      S1412 phosphorylation and was sufficient to enhance NO production in mdx
      cardiomyocytes. We conclude that the DGC promotes the mechanical activation of
      cardiac nNOS by acting as a mechanosensor to regulate AMPK activity, and that
      pharmacologic AMPK activation may be a suitable therapeutic strategy for
      restoring nNOS activity in dystrophin-deficient hearts and muscle. 

PMID- 26483455
TI  - El Nino-Southern Oscillation frequency cascade.
AB  - The El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, the most pronounced feature
      of internally generated climate variability, occurs on interannual timescales and
      impacts the global climate system through an interaction with the annual cycle.
      The tight coupling between ENSO and the annual cycle is particularly pronounced
      over the tropical Western Pacific. Here we show that this nonlinear interaction
      results in a frequency cascade in the atmospheric circulation, which is
      characterized by deterministic high-frequency variability on near-annual and
      subannual timescales. Through climate model experiments and observational
      analysis, it is documented that a substantial fraction of the anomalous Northwest
      Pacific anticyclone variability, which is the main atmospheric link between ENSO
      and the East Asian Monsoon system, can be explained by these interactions and is
      thus deterministic and potentially predictable. 

PMID- 26483454
TI  - The future of airborne sulfur-containing particles in the absence of fossil fuel
      sulfur dioxide emissions.
AB  - Sulfuric acid (H2SO4), formed from oxidation of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emitted
      during fossil fuel combustion, is a major precursor of new airborne particles,
      which have well-documented detrimental effects on health, air quality, and
      climate. Another precursor is methanesulfonic acid (MSA), produced simultaneously
      with SO2 during the atmospheric oxidation of organosulfur compounds (OSCs), such
      as dimethyl sulfide. In the present work, a multidisciplinary approach is used to
      examine how contributions of H2SO4 and MSA to particle formation will change in a
      large coastal urban area as anthropogenic fossil fuel emissions of SO2 decline.
      The 3-dimensional University of California Irvine-California Institute of
      Technology airshed model is used to compare atmospheric concentrations of gas
      phase MSA, H2SO4, and SO2 under current emissions of fossil fuel-associated SO2
      and a best-case futuristic scenario with zero fossil fuel sulfur emissions. Model
      additions include results from (i) quantum chemical calculations that clarify the
      previously uncertain gas phase mechanism of formation of MSA and (ii) a
      combination of published and experimental estimates of OSC emissions, such as
      those from marine, agricultural, and urban processes, which include pet waste and
      human breath. Results show that in the zero anthropogenic SO2 emissions case,
      particle formation potential from H2SO4 will drop by about two orders of
      magnitude compared with the current situation. However, particles will continue
      to be generated from the oxidation of natural and anthropogenic sources of OSCs,
      with contributions from MSA and H2SO4 of a similar order of magnitude. This could
      be particularly important in agricultural areas where there are significant
      sources of OSCs. 

PMID- 26483456
TI  - Transgenerational epigenetic programming via sperm microRNA recapitulates effects
      of paternal stress.
AB  - Epigenetic signatures in germ cells, capable of both responding to the parental
      environment and shaping offspring neurodevelopment, are uniquely positioned to
      mediate transgenerational outcomes. However, molecular mechanisms by which these
      marks may communicate experience-dependent information across generations are
      currently unknown. In our model of chronic paternal stress, we previously
      identified nine microRNAs (miRs) that were increased in the sperm of stressed
      sires and associated with reduced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress
      axis reactivity in offspring. In the current study, we rigorously examine the
      hypothesis that these sperm miRs function postfertilization to alter offspring
      stress responsivity and, using zygote microinjection of the nine specific miRs,
      demonstrated a remarkable recapitulation of the offspring stress dysregulation
      phenotype. Further, we associated long-term reprogramming of the hypothalamic
      transcriptome with HPA axis dysfunction, noting a marked decreased in the
      expression of extracellular matrix and collagen gene sets that may reflect an
      underlying change in blood-brain barrier permeability. We conclude by
      investigating the developmental impact of sperm miRs in early zygotes with single
      cell amplification technology, identifying the targeted degradation of stored
      maternal mRNA transcripts including sirtuin 1 and ubiquitin protein ligase E3a,
      two genes with established function in chromatin remodeling, and this potent
      regulatory function of miRs postfertilization likely initiates a cascade of
      molecular events that eventually alters stress reactivity. Overall, these
      findings demonstrate a clear mechanistic role for sperm miRs in the
      transgenerational transmission of paternal lifetime experiences. 

PMID- 26483457
TI  - Transgenic expression of the proneural transcription factor Ascl1 in Muller glia
      stimulates retinal regeneration in young mice.
AB  - Muller glial cells are the source of retinal regeneration in fish and birds;
      although this process is efficient in fish, it is less so in birds and very
      limited in mammals. It has been proposed that factors necessary for providing
      neurogenic competence to Muller glia in fish and birds after retinal injury are
      not expressed in mammals. One such factor, the proneural transcription factor
      Ascl1, is necessary for retinal regeneration in fish but is not expressed after
      retinal damage in mice. We previously reported that forced expression of Ascl1 in
      vitro reprograms Muller glia to a neurogenic state. We now test whether forced
      expression of Ascl1 in mouse Muller glia in vivo stimulates their capacity for
      retinal regeneration. We find that transgenic expression of Ascl1 in adult Muller
      glia in undamaged retina does not overtly affect their phenotype; however, when
      the retina is damaged, the Ascl1-expressing glia initiate a response that
      resembles the early stages of retinal regeneration in zebrafish. The reaction to
      injury is even more pronounced in Muller glia in young mice, where the Ascl1
      expressing Muller glia give rise to amacrine and bipolar cells and
      photoreceptors. DNaseI-seq analysis of the retina and Muller glia shows
      progressive reduction in accessibility of progenitor gene cis-regulatory regions
      consistent with the reduction in their reprogramming. These results show that at
      least one of the differences between mammal and fish Muller glia that bears on
      their difference in regenerative potential is the proneural transcription factor
      Ascl1. 

PMID- 26483458
TI  - Erk signaling is indispensable for genomic stability and self-renewal of mouse
      embryonic stem cells.
AB  - Inhibition of Mek/Erk signaling by pharmacological Mek inhibitors promotes self
      renewal and pluripotency of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Intriguingly, Erk
      signaling is essential for human ESC self-renewal. Here we demonstrate that Erk
      signaling is critical for mouse ESC self-renewal and genomic stability. Erk
      depleted ESCs cannot be maintained. Lack of Erk leads to rapid telomere
      shortening and genomic instability, in association with misregulated expression
      of pluripotency genes, reduced cell proliferation, G1 cell-cycle arrest, and
      increased apoptosis. Erk signaling is also required for the activation of
      differentiation genes but not for the repression of pluripotency genes during ESC
      differentiation. Furthermore, we find an Erk-independent function of Mek, which
      may explain the diverse effects of Mek inhibition and Erk knockout on ESC self
      renewal. Together, in contrast to the prevailing view, Erk signaling is required
      for telomere maintenance, genomic stability, and self-renewal of mouse ESCs. 

PMID- 26483460
TI  - Soothing touch of CD31 protects endothelium during cellular immune responses.

PMID- 26483459
TI  - Survival of human lymphoma cells requires B-cell receptor engagement by self
      antigens.
AB  - The activated B-cell-like (ABC) subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)
      relies on chronic active B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling. BCR pathway inhibitors
      induce remissions in a subset of ABC DLBCL patients. BCR microclusters on the
      surface of ABC cells resemble those generated following antigen engagement of
      normal B cells. We speculated that binding of lymphoma BCRs to self-antigens
      initiates and maintains chronic active BCR signaling in ABC DLBCL. To assess
      whether antigenic engagement of the BCR is required for the ongoing survival of
      ABC cells, we developed isogenic ABC cells that differed solely with respect to
      the IgH V region of their BCRs. In competitive assays with wild-type cells,
      substitution of a heterologous V region impaired the survival of three ABC lines.
      The viability of one VH4-34(+) ABC line and the ability of its BCR to bind to its
      own cell surface depended on V region residues that mediate the intrinsic
      autoreactivity of VH4-34 to self-glycoproteins. The BCR of another ABC line
      reacted with self-antigens in apoptotic debris, and the survival of a third ABC
      line was sustained by reactivity of its BCR to an idiotypic epitope in its own V
      region. Hence, a diverse set of self-antigens is responsible for maintaining the
      malignant survival of ABC DLBCL cells. IgH V regions used by the BCRs of ABC
      DLBCL biopsy samples varied in their ability to sustain survival of these ABC
      lines, suggesting a screening procedure to identify patients who might benefit
      from BCR pathway inhibition. 

PMID- 26483461
TI  - Examining the effects of birth order on personality.
AB  - This study examined the long-standing question of whether a person's position
      among siblings has a lasting impact on that person's life course. Empirical
      research on the relation between birth order and intelligence has convincingly
      documented that performances on psychometric intelligence tests decline slightly
      from firstborns to later-borns. By contrast, the search for birth-order effects
      on personality has not yet resulted in conclusive findings. We used data from
      three large national panels from the United States (n = 5,240), Great Britain (n
      = 4,489), and Germany (n = 10,457) to resolve this open research question. This
      database allowed us to identify even very small effects of birth order on
      personality with sufficiently high statistical power and to investigate whether
      effects emerge across different samples. We furthermore used two different
      analytical strategies by comparing siblings with different birth-order positions
      (i) within the same family (within-family design) and (ii) between different
      families (between-family design). In our analyses, we confirmed the expected
      birth-order effect on intelligence. We also observed a significant decline of a
      10th of a SD in self-reported intellect with increasing birth-order position, and
      this effect persisted after controlling for objectively measured intelligence.
      Most important, however, we consistently found no birth-order effects on
      extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, or
      imagination. On the basis of the high statistical power and the consistent
      results across samples and analytical designs, we must conclude that birth order
      does not have a lasting effect on broad personality traits outside of the
      intellectual domain. 

PMID- 26483462
TI  - Population genomics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the Inuit.
AB  - Nunavik, Quebec suffers from epidemic tuberculosis (TB), with an incidence 50
      fold higher than the Canadian average. Molecular studies in this region have
      documented limited bacterial genetic diversity among Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      isolates, consistent with a founder strain and/or ongoing spread. We have used
      whole-genome sequencing on 163 M. tuberculosis isolates from 11 geographically
      isolated villages to provide a high-resolution portrait of bacterial genetic
      diversity in this setting. All isolates were lineage 4 (Euro-American), with two
      sublineages present (major, n = 153; minor, n = 10). Among major sublineage
      isolates, there was a median of 46 pairwise single-nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs), and the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) was in the early 20th century.
      Pairs of isolates within a village had significantly fewer SNPs than pairs from
      different villages (median: 6 vs. 47, P < 0.00005), indicating that most
      transmission occurs within villages. There was an excess of nonsynonymous SNPs
      after the diversification of M. tuberculosis within Nunavik: The ratio of
      nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution rates (dN/dS) was 0.534 before the MRCA
      but 0.777 subsequently (P = 0.010). Nonsynonymous SNPs were detected across all
      gene categories, arguing against positive selection and toward genetic drift with
      relaxation of purifying selection. Supporting the latter possibility, 28 genes
      were partially or completely deleted since the MRCA, including genes previously
      reported to be essential for M. tuberculosis growth. Our findings indicate that
      the epidemiologic success of M. tuberculosis in this region is more likely due to
      an environment conducive to TB transmission than a particularly well-adapted
      strain. 

PMID- 26483463
TI  - Cyclic deformation leads to defect healing and strengthening of small-volume
      metal crystals.
AB  - When microscopic and macroscopic specimens of metals are subjected to cyclic
      loading, the creation, interaction, and accumulation of defects lead to damage,
      cracking, and failure. Here we demonstrate that when aluminum single crystals of
      submicrometer dimensions are subjected to low-amplitude cyclic deformation at
      room temperature, the density of preexisting dislocation lines and loops can be
      dramatically reduced with virtually no change of the overall sample geometry and
      essentially no permanent plastic strain. This "cyclic healing" of the metal
      crystal leads to significant strengthening through dramatic reductions in
      dislocation density, in distinct contrast to conventional cyclic strain hardening
      mechanisms arising from increases in dislocation density and interactions among
      defects in microcrystalline and macrocrystalline metals and alloys. Our real
      time, in situ transmission electron microscopy observations of tensile tests
      reveal that pinned dislocation lines undergo shakedown during cyclic straining,
      with the extent of dislocation unpinning dependent on the amplitude, sequence,
      and number of strain cycles. Those unpinned mobile dislocations moving close
      enough to the free surface of the thin specimens as a result of such repeated
      straining are then further attracted to the surface by image forces that
      facilitate their egress from the crystal. These results point to a versatile
      pathway for controlled mechanical annealing and defect engineering in
      submicrometer-sized metal crystals, thereby obviating the need for thermal
      annealing or significant plastic deformation that could cause change in shape
      and/or dimensions of the specimen. 

PMID- 26483464
TI  - Synaptic circuits and their variations within different columns in the visual
      system of Drosophila.
AB  - We reconstructed the synaptic circuits of seven columns in the second neuropil or
      medulla behind the fly's compound eye. These neurons embody some of the most
      stereotyped circuits in one of the most miniaturized of animal brains. The
      reconstructions allow us, for the first time to our knowledge, to study
      variations between circuits in the medulla's neighboring columns. This variation
      in the number of synapses and the types of their synaptic partners has previously
      been little addressed because methods that visualize multiple circuits have not
      resolved detailed connections, and existing connectomic studies, which can see
      such connections, have not so far examined multiple reconstructions of the same
      circuit. Here, we address the omission by comparing the circuits common to all
      seven columns to assess variation in their connection strengths and the resultant
      rates of several different and distinct types of connection error. Error rates
      reveal that, overall, <1% of contacts are not part of a consensus circuit, and we
      classify those contacts that supplement (E+) or are missing from it (E-).
      Autapses, in which the same cell is both presynaptic and postsynaptic at the same
      synapse, are occasionally seen; two cells in particular, Dm9 and Mi1, form >= 20
      fold more autapses than do other neurons. These results delimit the accuracy of
      developmental events that establish and normally maintain synaptic circuits with
      such precision, and thereby address the operation of such circuits. They also
      establish a precedent for error rates that will be required in the new science of
      connectomics.

PMID- 26483465
TI  - Pressure-tuned quantum criticality in the antiferromagnetic Kondo semimetal CeNi2
      deltaAs2.
AB  - The easily tuned balance among competing interactions in Kondo-lattice metals
      allows access to a zero-temperature, continuous transition between magnetically
      ordered and disordered phases, a quantum-critical point (QCP). Indeed, these
      highly correlated electron materials are prototypes for discovering and exploring
      quantum-critical states. Theoretical models proposed to account for the strange
      thermodynamic and electrical transport properties that emerge around the QCP of a
      Kondo lattice assume the presence of an indefinitely large number of itinerant
      charge carriers. Here, we report a systematic transport and thermodynamic
      investigation of the Kondo-lattice system CeNi2-deltaAs2 (delta ~ 0.28) as its
      antiferromagnetic order is tuned by pressure and magnetic field to zero
      temperature boundaries. These experiments show that the very small but finite
      carrier density of ~0.032 E-/formular unit in CeNi2-deltaAs2 leads to unexpected
      transport signatures of quantum criticality and the delayed development of a
      fully coherent Kondo-lattice state with decreasing temperature. The small carrier
      density and associated semimetallicity of this Kondo-lattice material favor an
      unconventional, local-moment type of quantum criticality and raises the specter
      of the Nozieres exhaustion idea that an insufficient number of conduction
      electron spins to separately screen local moments requires collective Kondo
      screening.

PMID- 26483467
TI  - Solar energy development impacts on land cover change and protected areas.
AB  - Decisions determining the use of land for energy are of exigent concern as land
      scarcity, the need for ecosystem services, and demands for energy generation have
      concomitantly increased globally. Utility-scale solar energy (USSE) [i.e., >= 1
      megawatt (MW)] development requires large quantities of space and land; however,
      studies quantifying the effect of USSE on land cover change and protected areas
      are limited. We assessed siting impacts of >160 USSE installations by technology
      type [photovoltaic (PV) vs. concentrating solar power (CSP)], area (in square
      kilometers), and capacity (in MW) within the global solar hot spot of the state
      of California (United States). Additionally, we used the Carnegie Energy and
      Environmental Compatibility model, a multiple criteria model, to quantify each
      installation according to environmental and technical compatibility. Last, we
      evaluated installations according to their proximity to protected areas,
      including inventoried roadless areas, endangered and threatened species habitat,
      and federally protected areas. We found the plurality of USSE (6,995 MW) in
      California is sited in shrublands and scrublands, comprising 375 km(2) of land
      cover change. Twenty-eight percent of USSE installations are located in croplands
      and pastures, comprising 155 km(2) of change. Less than 15% of USSE installations
      are sited in "Compatible" areas. The majority of "Incompatible" USSE power plants
      are sited far from existing transmission infrastructure, and all USSE
      installations average at most 7 and 5 km from protected areas, for PV and CSP,
      respectively. Where energy, food, and conservation goals intersect, environmental
      compatibility can be achieved when resource opportunities, constraints, and trade
      offs are integrated into siting decisions.

PMID- 26483468
TI  - Structure of an RNA polymerase II preinitiation complex.
AB  - The structure of a 33-protein, 1.5-MDa RNA polymerase II preinitiation complex
      (PIC) was determined by cryo-EM and image processing at a resolution of 6-11 A.
      Atomic structures of over 50% of the mass were fitted into the electron density
      map in a manner consistent with protein-protein cross-links previously identified
      by mass spectrometry. The resulting model of the PIC confirmed the main
      conclusions from previous cryo-EM at lower resolution, including the association
      of promoter DNA only with general transcription factors and not with the
      polymerase. Electron density due to DNA was identifiable by the grooves of the
      double helix and exhibited sharp bends at points downstream of the TATA box, with
      an important consequence: The DNA at the downstream end coincides with the DNA in
      a transcribing polymerase. The structure of the PIC is therefore conducive to
      promoter melting, start-site scanning, and the initiation of transcription. 

PMID- 26483466
TI  - Molecular signatures of plastic phenotypes in two eusocial insect species with
      simple societies.
AB  - Phenotypic plasticity is important in adaptation and shapes the evolution of
      organisms. However, we understand little about what aspects of the genome are
      important in facilitating plasticity. Eusocial insect societies produce plastic
      phenotypes from the same genome, as reproductives (queens) and nonreproductives
      (workers). The greatest plasticity is found in the simple eusocial insect
      societies in which individuals retain the ability to switch between reproductive
      and nonreproductive phenotypes as adults. We lack comprehensive data on the
      molecular basis of plastic phenotypes. Here, we sequenced genomes, microRNAs
      (miRNAs), and multiple transcriptomes and methylomes from individual brains in a
      wasp (Polistes canadensis) and an ant (Dinoponera quadriceps) that live in simple
      eusocial societies. In both species, we found few differences between phenotypes
      at the transcriptional level, with little functional specialization, and no
      evidence that phenotype-specific gene expression is driven by DNA methylation or
      miRNAs. Instead, phenotypic differentiation was defined more subtly by nonrandom
      transcriptional network organization, with roles in these networks for both
      conserved and taxon-restricted genes. The general lack of highly methylated
      regions or methylome patterning in both species may be an important mechanism for
      achieving plasticity among phenotypes during adulthood. These findings define
      previously unidentified hypotheses on the genomic processes that facilitate
      plasticity and suggest that the molecular hallmarks of social behavior are likely
      to differ with the level of social complexity. 

PMID- 26483469
TI  - Metalloregulator CueR biases RNA polymerase's kinetic sampling of dead-end or
      open complex to repress or activate transcription.
AB  - Metalloregulators respond to metal ions to regulate transcription of metal
      homeostasis genes. MerR-family metalloregulators act on sigma(70)-dependent
      suboptimal promoters and operate via a unique DNA distortion mechanism in which
      both the apo and holo forms of the regulators bind tightly to their operator
      sequence, distorting DNA structure and leading to transcription repression or
      activation, respectively. It remains unclear how these metalloregulator-DNA
      interactions are coupled dynamically to RNA polymerase (RNAP) interactions with
      DNA for transcription regulation. Using single-molecule FRET, we study how the
      copper efflux regulator (CueR)--a Cu(+)-responsive MerR-family metalloregulator-
      modulates RNAP interactions with CueR's cognate suboptimal promoter PcopA, and
      how RNAP affects CueR-PcopA interactions. We find that RNAP can form two
      noninterconverting complexes at PcopA in the absence of nucleotides: a dead-end
      complex and an open complex, constituting a branched interaction pathway that is
      distinct from the linear pathway prevalent for transcription initiation at
      optimal promoters. Capitalizing on this branched pathway, CueR operates via a
      "biased sampling" instead of "dynamic equilibrium shifting" mechanism in
      regulating transcription initiation; it modulates RNAP's binding-unbinding
      kinetics, without allowing interconversions between the dead-end and open
      complexes. Instead, the apo-repressor form reinforces the dominance of the dead
      end complex to repress transcription, and the holo-activator form shifts the
      interactions toward the open complex to activate transcription. RNAP, in turn,
      locks CueR binding at PcopA into its specific binding mode, likely helping
      amplify the differences between apo- and holo-CueR in imposing DNA structural
      changes. Therefore, RNAP and CueR work synergistically in regulating
      transcription.

PMID- 26483470
TI  - Phosphorylation of the Cav3.2 T-type calcium channel directly regulates its
      gating properties.
AB  - Phosphorylation is a major mechanism regulating the activity of ion channels that
      remains poorly understood with respect to T-type calcium channels (Cav3). These
      channels are low voltage-activated calcium channels that play a key role in
      cellular excitability and various physiological functions. Their dysfunction has
      been linked to several neurological disorders, including absence epilepsy and
      neuropathic pain. Recent studies have revealed that T-type channels are modulated
      by a variety of serine/threonine protein kinase pathways, which indicates the
      need for a systematic analysis of T-type channel phosphorylation. Here, we
      immunopurified Cav3.2 channels from rat brain, and we used high-resolution MS to
      construct the first, to our knowledge, in vivo phosphorylation map of a voltage
      gated calcium channel in a mammalian brain. We identified as many as 34
      phosphorylation sites, and we show that the vast majority of these sites are also
      phosphorylated on the human Cav3.2 expressed in HEK293T cells. In patch-clamp
      studies, treatment of the channel with alkaline phosphatase as well as analysis
      of dephosphomimetic mutants revealed that phosphorylation regulates important
      functional properties of Cav3.2 channels, including voltage-dependent activation
      and inactivation and kinetics. We also identified that the phosphorylation of a
      locus situated in the loop I-II S442/S445/T446 is crucial for this regulation.
      Our data show that Cav3.2 channels are highly phosphorylated in the mammalian
      brain and establish phosphorylation as an important mechanism involved in the
      dynamic regulation of Cav3.2 channel gating properties. 

PMID- 26483471
TI  - Subdiffusive motion of bacteriophage in mucosal surfaces increases the frequency
      of bacterial encounters.
AB  - Bacteriophages (phages) defend mucosal surfaces against bacterial infections.
      However, their complex interactions with their bacterial hosts and with the mucus
      covered epithelium remain mostly unexplored. Our previous work demonstrated that
      T4 phage with Hoc proteins exposed on their capsid adhered to mucin glycoproteins
      and protected mucus-producing tissue culture cells in vitro. On this basis, we
      proposed our bacteriophage adherence to mucus (BAM) model of immunity. Here, to
      test this model, we developed a microfluidic device (chip) that emulates a
      mucosal surface experiencing constant fluid flow and mucin secretion dynamics.
      Using mucus-producing human cells and Escherichia coli in the chip, we observed
      similar accumulation and persistence of mucus-adherent T4 phage and nonadherent
      T4?hoc phage in the mucus. Nevertheless, T4 phage reduced bacterial colonization
      of the epithelium >4,000-fold compared with T4?hoc phage. This suggests that
      phage adherence to mucus increases encounters with bacterial hosts by some other
      mechanism. Phages are traditionally thought to be completely dependent on normal
      diffusion, driven by random Brownian motion, for host contact. We demonstrated
      that T4 phage particles displayed subdiffusive motion in mucus, whereas T4?hoc
      particles displayed normal diffusion. Experiments and modeling indicate that
      subdiffusive motion increases phage-host encounters when bacterial concentration
      is low. By concentrating phages in an optimal mucus zone, subdiffusion increases
      their host encounters and antimicrobial action. Our revised BAM model proposes
      that the fundamental mechanism of mucosal immunity is subdiffusion resulting from
      adherence to mucus. These findings suggest intriguing possibilities for
      engineering phages to manipulate and personalize the mucosal microbiome. 

PMID- 26483472
TI  - Genetic and socioeconomic study of mate choice in Latinos reveals novel
      assortment patterns.
AB  - Nonrandom mating in human populations has important implications for genetics and
      medicine as well as for economics and sociology. In this study, we performed an
      integrative analysis of a large cohort of Mexican and Puerto Rican couples using
      detailed socioeconomic attributes and genotypes. We found that in ethnically
      homogeneous Latino communities, partners are significantly more similar in their
      genomic ancestries than expected by chance. Consistent with this, we also found
      that partners are more closely related--equivalent to between third and fourth
      cousins in Mexicans and Puerto Ricans--than matched random male-female pairs. Our
      analysis showed that this genomic ancestry similarity cannot be explained by the
      standard socioeconomic measurables alone. Strikingly, the assortment of genomic
      ancestry in couples was consistently stronger than even the assortment of
      education. We found enriched correlation of partners' genotypes at genes known to
      be involved in facial development. We replicated our results across multiple
      geographic locations. We discuss the implications of assortment and assortment
      specific loci on disease dynamics and disease mapping methods in Latinos.

PMID- 26483473
TI  - Maternal CD4+ T cells protect against severe congenital cytomegalovirus disease
      in a novel nonhuman primate model of placental cytomegalovirus transmission.
AB  - Elucidation of maternal immune correlates of protection against congenital
      cytomegalovirus (CMV) is necessary to inform future vaccine design. Here, we
      present a novel rhesus macaque model of placental rhesus CMV (rhCMV) transmission
      and use it to dissect determinants of protection against congenital transmission
      following primary maternal rhCMV infection. In this model, asymptomatic
      intrauterine infection was observed following i.v. rhCMV inoculation during the
      early second trimester in two of three rhCMV-seronegative pregnant females. In
      contrast, fetal loss or infant CMV-associated sequelae occurred in four rhCMV
      seronegative pregnant macaques that were CD4(+) T-cell depleted at the time of
      inoculation. Animals that received the CD4(+) T-cell-depleting antibody also
      exhibited higher plasma and amniotic fluid viral loads, dampened virus-specific
      CD8(+) T-cell responses, and delayed production of autologous neutralizing
      antibodies compared with immunocompetent monkeys. Thus, maternal CD4(+) T-cell
      immunity during primary rhCMV infection is important for controlling maternal
      viremia and inducing protective immune responses that prevent severe CMV
      associated fetal disease. 

PMID- 26483474
TI  - VEGF-B-Neuropilin-1 signaling is spatiotemporally indispensable for vascular and
      neuronal development in zebrafish.
AB  - Physiological functions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-B remain an
      enigma, and deletion of the Vegfb gene in mice lacks an overt phenotype. Here we
      show that knockdown of Vegfba, but not Vegfbb, in zebrafish embryos by specific
      morpholinos produced a lethal phenotype owing to vascular and neuronal defects in
      the brain. Vegfba morpholinos also markedly prevented development of hyaloid
      vasculatures in the retina, but had little effects on peripheral vascular
      development. Consistent with phenotypic defects, Vegfba, but not Vegfaa, mRNA was
      primarily expressed in the brain of developing zebrafish embryos. Interestingly,
      in situ detection of Neuropilin1 (Nrp1) mRNA showed an overlapping expression
      pattern with Vegfba, and knockdown of Nrp1 produced a nearly identically lethal
      phenotype as Vegfba knockdown. Furthermore, zebrafish VEGF-Ba protein directly
      bound to NRP1. Importantly, gain-of-function by exogenous delivery of mRNAs
      coding for NRP1-binding ligands VEGF-B or VEGF-A to the zebrafish embryos rescued
      the lethal phenotype by normalizing vascular development. Similarly, exposure of
      zebrafish embryos to hypoxia also rescued the Vegfba morpholino-induced vascular
      defects in the brain by increasing VEGF-A expression. Independent evidence of
      VEGF-A gain-of-function was provided by using a functionally defective Vhl-mutant
      zebrafish strain, which again rescued the Vegfba morpholino-induced vascular
      defects. These findings show that VEGF-B is spatiotemporally required for
      vascular development in zebrafish embryos and that NRP1, but not VEGFR1, mediates
      the essential signaling. 

PMID- 26483475
TI  - Deciduous forest responses to temperature, precipitation, and drought imply
      complex climate change impacts.
AB  - Changes in spring and autumn phenology of temperate plants in recent decades have
      become iconic bio-indicators of rapid climate change. These changes have
      substantial ecological and economic impacts. However, autumn phenology remains
      surprisingly little studied. Although the effects of unfavorable environmental
      conditions (e.g., frost, heat, wetness, and drought) on autumn phenology have
      been observed for over 60 y, how these factors interact to influence autumn
      phenological events remain poorly understood. Using remotely sensed phenology
      data from 2001 to 2012, this study identified and quantified significant effects
      of a suite of environmental factors on the timing of fall dormancy of deciduous
      forest communities in New England, United States. Cold, frost, and wet
      conditions, and high heat-stress tended to induce earlier dormancy of deciduous
      forests, whereas moderate heat- and drought-stress delayed dormancy. Deciduous
      forests in two eco-regions showed contrasting, nonlinear responses to variation
      in these explanatory factors. Based on future climate projection over two periods
      (2041-2050 and 2090-2099), later dormancy dates were predicted in northern areas.
      However, in coastal areas earlier dormancy dates were predicted. Our models
      suggest that besides warming in climate change, changes in frost and moisture
      conditions as well as extreme weather events (e.g., drought- and heat-stress, and
      flooding), should also be considered in future predictions of autumn phenology in
      temperate deciduous forests. This study improves our understanding of how
      multiple environmental variables interact to affect autumn phenology in temperate
      deciduous forest ecosystems, and points the way to building more mechanistic and
      predictive models. 

PMID- 26483476
TI  - The evolution of parental cooperation in birds.
AB  - Parental care is one of the most variable social behaviors and it is an excellent
      model system to understand cooperation between unrelated individuals. Three major
      hypotheses have been proposed to explain the extent of parental cooperation:
      sexual selection, social environment, and environmental harshness. Using the most
      comprehensive dataset on parental care that includes 659 bird species from 113
      families covering both uniparental and biparental taxa, we show that the degree
      of parental cooperation is associated with both sexual selection and social
      environment. Consistent with recent theoretical models parental cooperation
      decreases with the intensity of sexual selection and with skewed adult sex
      ratios. These effects are additive and robust to the influence of life-history
      variables. However, parental cooperation is unrelated to environmental factors
      (measured at the scale of whole species ranges) as indicated by a lack of
      consistent relationship with ambient temperature, rainfall or their fluctuations
      within and between years. These results highlight the significance of social
      effects for parental cooperation and suggest that several parental strategies may
      coexist in a given set of ambient environment.

PMID- 26483477
TI  - Emergence of system roles in normative neurodevelopment.
AB  - Adult human cognition is supported by systems of brain regions, or modules, that
      are functionally coherent at rest and collectively activated by distinct task
      requirements. However, an understanding of how the formation of these modules
      supports evolving cognitive capabilities has not been delineated. Here, we
      quantify the formation of network modules in a sample of 780 youth (aged 8-22 y)
      who were studied as part of the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort. We
      demonstrate that the brain's functional network organization changes in youth
      through a process of modular evolution that is governed by the specific cognitive
      roles of each system, as defined by the balance of within- vs. between-module
      connectivity. Moreover, individual variability in these roles is correlated with
      cognitive performance. Collectively, these results suggest that dynamic
      maturation of network modules in youth may be a critical driver for the
      development of cognition. 

PMID- 26483479
TI  - High-speed spelling with a noninvasive brain-computer interface.
AB  - The past 20 years have witnessed unprecedented progress in brain-computer
      interfaces (BCIs). However, low communication rates remain key obstacles to BCI
      based communication in humans. This study presents an electroencephalogram-based
      BCI speller that can achieve information transfer rates (ITRs) up to 5.32 bits
      per second, the highest ITRs reported in BCI spellers using either noninvasive or
      invasive methods. Based on extremely high consistency of frequency and phase
      observed between visual flickering signals and the elicited single-trial steady
      state visual evoked potentials, this study developed a synchronous modulation and
      demodulation paradigm to implement the speller. Specifically, this study proposed
      a new joint frequency-phase modulation method to tag 40 characters with 0.5-s
      long flickering signals and developed a user-specific target identification
      algorithm using individual calibration data. The speller achieved high ITRs in
      online spelling tasks. This study demonstrates that BCIs can provide a truly
      naturalistic high-speed communication channel using noninvasively recorded brain
      activities. 

PMID- 26483478
TI  - Genome sequence of the Asian Tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, reveals insights
      into its biology, genetics, and evolution.
AB  - The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is a highly successful invasive
      species that transmits a number of human viral diseases, including dengue and
      Chikungunya fevers. This species has a large genome with significant population
      based size variation. The complete genome sequence was determined for the Foshan
      strain, an established laboratory colony derived from wild mosquitoes from
      southeastern China, a region within the historical range of the origin of the
      species. The genome comprises 1,967 Mb, the largest mosquito genome sequenced to
      date, and its size results principally from an abundance of repetitive DNA
      classes. In addition, expansions of the numbers of members in gene families
      involved in insecticide-resistance mechanisms, diapause, sex determination,
      immunity, and olfaction also contribute to the larger size. Portions of
      integrated flavivirus-like genomes support a shared evolutionary history of
      association of these viruses with their vector. The large genome repertory may
      contribute to the adaptability and success of Ae. albopictus as an invasive
      species. 

PMID- 26483480
TI  - Metabolic plasticity of central carbon metabolism protects mycobacteria.

PMID- 26483481
TI  - Potentially biogenic carbon preserved in a 4.1 billion-year-old zircon.
AB  - Evidence of life on Earth is manifestly preserved in the rock record. However,
      the microfossil record only extends to ~ 3.5 billion years (Ga), the chemofossil
      record arguably to ~ 3.8 Ga, and the rock record to 4.0 Ga. Detrital zircons from
      Jack Hills, Western Australia range in age up to nearly 4.4 Ga. From a population
      of over 10,000 Jack Hills zircons, we identified one >3.8-Ga zircon that contains
      primary graphite inclusions. Here, we report carbon isotopic measurements on
      these inclusions in a concordant, 4.10 +/- 0.01-Ga zircon. We interpret these
      inclusions as primary due to their enclosure in a crack-free host as shown by
      transmission X-ray microscopy and their crystal habit. Their delta(13)CPDB of -24
      +/- 50/00 is consistent with a biogenic origin and may be evidence that a
      terrestrial biosphere had emerged by 4.1 Ga, or ~ 300 My earlier than has been
      previously proposed.

PMID- 26483482
TI  - Preventing fibril formation of a protein by selective mutation.
AB  - The origins of formation of an intermediate state involved in amyloid formation
      and ways to prevent it are illustrated with the example of the Formin binding
      protein 28 (FBP28) WW domain, which folds with biphasic kinetics. Molecular
      dynamics of protein folding trajectories are used to examine local and global
      motions and the time dependence of formation of contacts between C(alpha)s and
      C(beta)s of selected pairs of residues. Focus is placed on the WT FBP28 WW domain
      and its six mutants (L26D, L26E, L26W, E27Y, T29D, and T29Y), which have
      structures that are determined by high-resolution NMR spectroscopy. The origins
      of formation of an intermediate state are elucidated, viz. as formation of
      hairpin 1 by a hydrophobic collapse mechanism causing significant delay of
      formation of both hairpins, especially hairpin 2, which facilitates the emergence
      of an intermediate state. It seems that three-state folding is a major folding
      scenario for all six mutants and WT. Additionally, two-state and downhill folding
      scenarios were identified in ~ 15% of the folding trajectories for L26D and L26W,
      in which both hairpins are formed by the Matheson-Scheraga mechanism much faster
      than in three-state folding. These results indicate that formation of hairpins
      connecting two antiparallel beta-strands determines overall folding. The
      correlations between the local and global motions identified for all folding
      trajectories lead to the identification of the residues making the main
      contributions in the formation of the intermediate state. The presented findings
      may provide an understanding of protein folding intermediates in general and lead
      to a procedure for their prevention.

PMID- 26483483
TI  - Theory for rates, equilibrium constants, and Bronsted slopes in F1-ATPase single
      molecule imaging experiments.
AB  - A theoretical model of elastically coupled reactions is proposed for single
      molecule imaging and rotor manipulation experiments on F1-ATPase. Stalling
      experiments are considered in which rates of individual ligand binding, ligand
      release, and chemical reaction steps have an exponential dependence on rotor
      angle. These data are treated in terms of the effect of thermodynamic driving
      forces on reaction rates, and lead to equations relating rate constants and free
      energies to the stalling angle. These relations, in turn, are modeled using a
      formalism originally developed to treat electron and other transfer reactions.
      During stalling the free energy profile of the enzymatic steps is altered by a
      work term due to elastic structural twisting. Using biochemical and single
      molecule data, the dependence of the rate constant and equilibrium constant on
      the stall angle, as well as the Bornsted slope are predicted and compared with
      experiment. Reasonable agreement is found with stalling experiments for ATP and
      GTP binding. The model can be applied to other torque-generating steps of
      reversible ligand binding, such as ADP and Pi release, when sufficient data
      become available. 

PMID- 26483484
TI  - Vertebrate community on an ice-age Caribbean island.
AB  - We report 95 vertebrate taxa (13 fishes, 11 reptiles, 63 birds, 8 mammals) from
      late Pleistocene bone deposits in Sawmill Sink, Abaco, The Bahamas. The >5,000
      fossils were recovered by scuba divers on ledges at depths of 27-35 m below sea
      level. Of the 95 species, 39 (41%) no longer occur on Abaco (4 reptiles, 31
      birds, 4 mammals). We estimate that 17 of the 39 losses (all of them birds) are
      linked to changes during the Pleistocene-Holocene Transition (PHT) (~ 15-9 ka) in
      climate (becoming more warm and moist), habitat (expansion of broadleaf forest at
      the expense of pine woodland), sea level (rising from -80 m to nearly modern
      levels), and island area (receding from ~ 17,000 km(2) to 1,214 km(2)). The
      remaining 22 losses likely are related to the presence of humans on Abaco for the
      past 1,000 y. Thus, the late Holocene arrival of people probably depleted more
      populations than the dramatic physical and biological changes associated with the
      PHT.

PMID- 26483486
TI  - Repairing hearts with AKT.

PMID- 26483485
TI  - Diverse oligomeric states of CEACAM IgV domains.
AB  - Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs) comprise a
      large family of cell surface adhesion molecules that bind to themselves and other
      family members to carry out numerous cellular functions, including proliferation,
      signaling, differentiation, tumor suppression, and survival. They also play
      diverse and significant roles in immunity and infection. The formation of CEACAM
      oligomers is caused predominantly by interactions between their N-terminal IgV
      domains. Although X-ray crystal structures of CEACAM IgV domain homodimers have
      been described, how CEACAMs form heterodimers or remain monomers is poorly
      understood. To address this key aspect of CEACAM function, we determined the
      crystal structures of IgV domains that form a homodimeric CEACAM6 complex,
      monomeric CEACAM8, and a heterodimeric CEACAM6-CEACAM8 complex. To confirm and
      quantify these interactions in solution, we used analytical ultracentrifugation
      to measure the dimerization constants of CEACAM homodimers and isothermal
      titration calorimetry to determine the thermodynamic parameters and binding
      affinities of CEACAM heterodimers. We found the CEACAM6-CEACAM8 heterodimeric
      state to be substantially favored energetically relative to the CEACAM6
      homodimer. Our data provide a molecular basis for the adoption of the diverse
      oligomeric states known to exist for CEACAMs and suggest ways in which CEACAM6
      and CEACAM8 regulate the biological functions of one another, as well as of
      additional CEACAMs with which they interact, both in cis and in trans. 

PMID- 26483487
TI  - Genetic basis of transcriptome diversity in Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Understanding how DNA sequence variation is translated into variation for complex
      phenotypes has remained elusive but is essential for predicting adaptive
      evolution, for selecting agriculturally important animals and crops, and for
      personalized medicine. Gene expression may provide a link between variation in
      DNA sequence and organismal phenotypes, and its abundance can be measured
      efficiently and accurately. Here we quantified genome-wide variation in gene
      expression in the sequenced inbred lines of the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic
      Reference Panel (DGRP), increasing the annotated Drosophila transcriptome by 11%,
      including thousands of novel transcribed regions (NTRs). We found that 42% of the
      Drosophila transcriptome is genetically variable in males and females, including
      the NTRs, and is organized into modules of genetically correlated transcripts. We
      found that NTRs often were negatively correlated with the expression of protein
      coding genes, which we exploited to annotate NTRs functionally. We identified
      regulatory variants for the mean and variance of gene expression, which have
      largely independent genetic control. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs)
      for the mean, but not for the variance, of gene expression were concentrated near
      genes. Notably, the variance eQTLs often interacted epistatically with local
      variants in these genes to regulate gene expression. This comprehensive
      characterization of population-scale diversity of transcriptomes and its genetic
      basis in the DGRP is critically important for a systems understanding of
      quantitative trait variation. 

PMID- 26483488
TI  - Antipredator defenses predict diversification rates.
AB  - The "escape-and-radiate" hypothesis predicts that antipredator defenses
      facilitate adaptive radiations by enabling escape from constraints of predation,
      diversified habitat use, and subsequently speciation. Animals have evolved
      diverse strategies to reduce the direct costs of predation, including cryptic
      coloration and behavior, chemical defenses, mimicry, and advertisement of
      unprofitability (conspicuous warning coloration). Whereas the survival
      consequences of these alternative defenses for individuals are well-studied,
      little attention has been given to the macroevolutionary consequences of
      alternative forms of defense. Here we show, using amphibians as the first, to our
      knowledge, large-scale empirical test in animals, that there are important
      macroevolutionary consequences of alternative defenses. However, the escape-and
      radiate hypothesis does not adequately describe them, due to its exclusive focus
      on speciation. We examined how rates of speciation and extinction vary across
      defensive traits throughout amphibians. Lineages that use chemical defenses show
      higher rates of speciation as predicted by escape-and-radiate but also show
      higher rates of extinction compared with those without chemical defense. The
      effect of chemical defense is a net reduction in diversification compared with
      lineages without chemical defense. In contrast, acquisition of conspicuous
      coloration (often used as warning signals or in mimicry) is associated with
      heightened speciation rates but unchanged extinction rates. We conclude that
      predictions based on the escape-and-radiate hypothesis must incorporate the
      effect of traits on both speciation and extinction, which is rarely considered in
      such studies. Our results also suggest that knowledge of defensive traits could
      have a bearing on the predictability of extinction, perhaps especially important
      in globally threatened taxa such as amphibians.

PMID- 26483489
TI  - Comprehensive analysis reveals how single nucleotides contribute to noncoding RNA
      function in bacterial quorum sensing.
AB  - Five homologous noncoding small RNAs (sRNAs), called the Qrr1-5 sRNAs, function
      in the Vibrio harveyi quorum-sensing cascade to drive its operation. Qrr1-5 use
      four different regulatory mechanisms to control the expression of ~ 20 mRNA
      targets. Little is known about the roles individual nucleotides play in mRNA
      target selection, in determining regulatory mechanism, or in defining Qrr potency
      and dynamics of target regulation. To identify the nucleotides vital for Qrr
      function, we developed a method we call RSort-Seq that combines saturating
      mutagenesis, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, high-throughput sequencing, and
      mutual information theory to explore the role that every nucleotide in Qrr4 plays
      in regulation of two mRNA targets, luxR and luxO. Companion biochemical assays
      allowed us to assign specific regulatory functions/underlying molecular
      mechanisms to each important base. This strategy yielded a regional map of
      nucleotides in Qrr4 vital for stability, Hfq interaction, stem-loop formation,
      and base pairing to both luxR and luxO, to luxR only, and to luxO only. In terms
      of nucleotides critical for sRNA function, the RSort-Seq analysis provided
      strikingly different results from those predicted by commonly used regulatory RNA
      folding algorithms. This approach is applicable to any RNA-RNA interaction,
      including sRNAs in other bacteria and regulatory RNAs in higher organisms.

PMID- 26483490
TI  - Nanopurification of silicon from 84% to 99.999% purity with a simple and scalable
      process.
AB  - Silicon, with its great abundance and mature infrastructure, is a foundational
      material for a range of applications, such as electronics, sensors, solar cells,
      batteries, and thermoelectrics. These applications rely on the purification of Si
      to different levels. Recently, it has been shown that nanosized silicon can offer
      additional advantages, such as enhanced mechanical properties, significant
      absorption enhancement, and reduced thermal conductivity. However, current
      processes to produce and purify Si are complex, expensive, and energy-intensive.
      Here, we show a nanopurification process, which involves only simple and scalable
      ball milling and acid etching, to increase Si purity drastically [up to 99.999%
      (wt %)] directly from low-grade and low-cost ferrosilicon [84% (wt %) Si;
      ~$1/kg]. It is found that the impurity-rich regions are mechanically weak as
      breaking points during ball milling and thus, exposed on the surface, and they
      can be conveniently and effectively removed by chemical etching. We discovered
      that the purity goes up with the size of Si particles going down, resulting in
      high purity at the sub-100-nm scale. The produced Si nanoparticles with high
      purity and small size exhibit high performance as Li ion battery anodes, with
      high reversible capacity (1,755 mAh g(-1)) and long cycle life (73% capacity
      retention over 500 cycles). This nanopurification process provides a
      complimentary route to produce Si, with finely controlled size and purity, in a
      diverse set of applications. 

PMID- 26483491
TI  - Genetic structure in village dogs reveals a Central Asian domestication origin.
AB  - Dogs were the first domesticated species, originating at least 15,000 y ago from
      Eurasian gray wolves. Dogs today consist primarily of two specialized groups--a
      diverse set of nearly 400 pure breeds and a far more populous group of free
      ranging animals adapted to a human commensal lifestyle (village dogs). Village
      dogs are more genetically diverse and geographically widespread than purebred
      dogs making them vital for unraveling dog population history. Using a semicustom
      185,805-marker genotyping array, we conducted a large-scale survey of autosomal,
      mitochondrial, and Y chromosome diversity in 4,676 purebred dogs from 161 breeds
      and 549 village dogs from 38 countries. Geographic structure shows both isolation
      and gene flow have shaped genetic diversity in village dog populations. Some
      populations (notably those in the Neotropics and the South Pacific) are almost
      completely derived from European stock, whereas others are clearly admixed
      between indigenous and European dogs. Importantly, many populations--including
      those of Vietnam, India, and Egypt-show minimal evidence of European admixture.
      These populations exhibit a clear gradient of short--range linkage disequilibrium
      consistent with a Central Asian domestication origin.

PMID- 26483492
TI  - Coevolutionary patterning of teeth and taste buds.
AB  - Teeth and taste buds are iteratively patterned structures that line the oro
      pharynx of vertebrates. Biologists do not fully understand how teeth and taste
      buds develop from undifferentiated epithelium or how variation in organ density
      is regulated. These organs are typically studied independently because of their
      separate anatomical location in mammals: teeth on the jaw margin and taste buds
      on the tongue. However, in many aquatic animals like bony fishes, teeth and taste
      buds are colocalized one next to the other. Using genetic mapping in cichlid
      fishes, we identified shared loci controlling a positive correlation between
      tooth and taste bud densities. Genome intervals contained candidate genes
      expressed in tooth and taste bud fields. sfrp5 and bmper, notable for roles in
      Wingless (Wnt) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling, were
      differentially expressed across cichlid species with divergent tooth and taste
      bud density, and were expressed in the development of both organs in mice.
      Synexpression analysis and chemical manipulation of Wnt, BMP, and Hedgehog (Hh)
      pathways suggest that a common cichlid oral lamina is competent to form teeth or
      taste buds. Wnt signaling couples tooth and taste bud density and BMP and Hh
      mediate distinct organ identity. Synthesizing data from fish and mouse, we
      suggest that the Wnt-BMP-Hh regulatory hierarchy that configures teeth and taste
      buds on mammalian jaws and tongues may be an evolutionary remnant inherited from
      ancestors wherein these organs were copatterned from common epithelium. 

PMID- 26483493
TI  - CG gene body DNA methylation changes and evolution of duplicated genes in
      cassava.
AB  - DNA methylation is important for the regulation of gene expression and the
      silencing of transposons in plants. Here we present genome-wide methylation
      patterns at single-base pair resolution for cassava (Manihot esculenta, cultivar
      TME 7), a crop with a substantial impact in the agriculture of subtropical and
      tropical regions. On average, DNA methylation levels were higher in all three DNA
      sequence contexts (CG, CHG, and CHH, where H equals A, T, or C) than those of the
      most well-studied model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. As in other plants, DNA
      methylation was found both on transposons and in the transcribed regions (bodies)
      of many genes. Consistent with these patterns, at least one cassava gene copy of
      all of the known components of Arabidopsis DNA methylation pathways was
      identified. Methylation of LTR transposons (GYPSY and COPIA) was found to be
      unusually high compared with other types of transposons, suggesting that the
      control of the activity of these two types of transposons may be especially
      important. Analysis of duplicated gene pairs resulting from whole-genome
      duplication showed that gene body DNA methylation and gene expression levels have
      coevolved over short evolutionary time scales, reinforcing the positive
      relationship between gene body methylation and high levels of gene expression.
      Duplicated genes with the most divergent gene body methylation and expression
      patterns were found to have distinct biological functions and may have been under
      natural or human selection for cassava traits. 

PMID- 26483495
TI  - Correction for Kowalewski et al., HLA ligandome analysis identifies the
      underlying specificities of spontaneous antileukemia immune responses in chronic
      lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

PMID- 26483494
TI  - The mitochondrial monothiol glutaredoxin S15 is essential for iron-sulfur protein
      maturation in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - The iron-sulfur cluster (ISC) is an ancient and essential cofactor of many
      proteins involved in electron transfer and metabolic reactions. In Arabidopsis,
      three pathways exist for the maturation of iron-sulfur proteins in the cytosol,
      plastids, and mitochondria. We functionally characterized the role of
      mitochondrial glutaredoxin S15 (GRXS15) in biogenesis of ISC containing aconitase
      through a combination of genetic, physiological, and biochemical approaches. Two
      Arabidopsis T-DNA insertion mutants were identified as null mutants with early
      embryonic lethal phenotypes that could be rescued by GRXS15. Furthermore, we
      showed that recombinant GRXS15 is able to coordinate and transfer an ISC and that
      this coordination depends on reduced glutathione (GSH). We found the Arabidopsis
      GRXS15 able to complement growth defects based on disturbed ISC protein assembly
      of a yeast Deltagrx5 mutant. Modeling of GRXS15 onto the crystal structures of
      related nonplant proteins highlighted amino acid residues that after mutation
      diminished GSH and subsequently ISC coordination, as well as the ability to
      rescue the yeast mutant. When used for plant complementation, one of these mutant
      variants, GRXS15K83/A, led to severe developmental delay and a pronounced
      decrease in aconitase activity by approximately 65%. These results indicate that
      mitochondrial GRXS15 is an essential protein in Arabidopsis, required for full
      activity of iron-sulfur proteins. 

PMID- 26483496
TI  - Correction for Lu et al., Label-free DNA imaging in vivo with stimulated Raman
      scattering microscopy.

PMID- 26483498
TI  - Correction for Lin et al., Induction of USP25 by viral infection promotes innate
      antiviral responses by mediating the stabilization of TRAF3 and TRAF6.

PMID- 26483497
TI  - Development of a diverse human T-cell repertoire despite stringent restriction of
      hematopoietic clonality in the thymus.
AB  - The fate and numbers of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and their progeny that
      seed the thymus constitute a fundamental question with important clinical
      implications. HSC transplantation is often complicated by limited T-cell
      reconstitution, especially when HSC from umbilical cord blood are used. Attempts
      to improve immune reconstitution have until now been unsuccessful, underscoring
      the need for better insight into thymic reconstitution. Here we made use of the
      NOD-SCID-IL-2Rgamma(-/-) xenograft model and lentiviral cellular barcoding of
      human HSCs to study T-cell development in the thymus at a clonal level. Barcoded
      HSCs showed robust (>80% human chimerism) and reproducible myeloid and lymphoid
      engraftment, with T cells arising 12 wk after transplantation. A very limited
      number of HSC clones (<10) repopulated the xenografted thymus, with further
      restriction of the number of clones during subsequent development. Nevertheless,
      T-cell receptor rearrangements were polyclonal and showed a diverse repertoire,
      demonstrating that a multitude of T-lymphocyte clones can develop from a single
      HSC clone. Our data imply that intrathymic clonal fitness is important during T
      cell development. As a consequence, immune incompetence after HSC transplantation
      is not related to the transplantation of limited numbers of HSC but to
      intrathymic events. 

PMID- 26483499
TI  - Latent hydrocarbons from cyanobacteria.

PMID- 26483501
TI  - Correction for Lee et al., RNA design rules from a massive open laboratory.

PMID- 26483500
TI  - Digoxin derivatives with selectivity for the alpha2beta3 isoform of Na,K-ATPase
      potently reduce intraocular pressure.
AB  - The ciliary epithelium in the eye consists of pigmented epithelial cells that
      express the alpha1beta1 isoform of Na,K-ATPase and nonpigmented epithelial cells
      that express mainly the alpha2beta3 isoform. In principle, a Na,K-ATPase
      inhibitor with selectivity for alpha2beta3 that penetrates the cornea could
      effectively reduce intraocular pressure, with minimal systemic or local toxicity.
      We have recently synthesized perhydro-1,4-oxazepine derivatives of digoxin by
      NaIO4 oxidation of the third digitoxose and reductive amination with various R
      NH2 substituents and identified derivatives with significant selectivity for
      human alpha2beta1 over alpha1beta1 (up to 7.5-fold). When applied topically, the
      most alpha2-selective derivatives effectively prevented or reversed
      pharmacologically raised intraocular pressure in rabbits. A recent structure of
      Na,K-ATPase, with bound digoxin, shows the third digitoxose approaching one
      residue in the beta1 subunit, Gln84, suggesting a role for beta in digoxin
      binding. Gln84 in beta1 is replaced by Val88 in beta3. Assuming that alkyl
      substituents might interact with beta3Val88, we synthesized perhydro-1,4
      oxazepine derivatives of digoxin with diverse alkyl substituents. The
      methylcyclopropyl and cyclobutyl derivatives are strongly selective for
      alpha2beta3 over alpha1beta1 (22-33-fold respectively), as determined either with
      purified human isoform proteins or intact bovine nonpigmented epithelium cells.
      When applied topically on rabbit eyes, these derivatives potently reduce both
      pharmacologically raised and basal intraocular pressure. The cyclobutyl
      derivative is more efficient than Latanoprost, the most widely used glaucoma
      drug. Thus, the conclusion is that alpha2beta3-selective digoxin derivatives
      effectively penetrate the cornea and inhibit the Na,K-ATPase, hence reducing
      aqueous humor production. The new digoxin derivatives may have potential for
      glaucoma drug therapy. 

PMID- 26483502
TI  - A distinct pathway for tetrahymanol synthesis in bacteria.
AB  - Tetrahymanol is a polycyclic triterpenoid lipid first discovered in the ciliate
      Tetrahymena pyriformis whose potential diagenetic product, gammacerane, is often
      used as a biomarker for water column stratification in ancient ecosystems.
      Bacteria are also a potential source of tetrahymanol, but neither the
      distribution of this lipid in extant bacteria nor the significance of bacterial
      tetrahymanol synthesis for interpreting gammacerane biosignatures is known. Here
      we couple comparative genomics with genetic and lipid analyses to link a protein
      of unknown function to tetrahymanol synthesis in bacteria. This tetrahymanol
      synthase (Ths) is found in a variety of bacterial genomes, including aerobic
      methanotrophs, nitrite-oxidizers, and sulfate-reducers, and in a subset of
      aquatic and terrestrial metagenomes. Thus, the potential to produce tetrahymanol
      is more widespread in the bacterial domain than previously thought. However, Ths
      is not encoded in any eukaryotic genomes, nor is it homologous to eukaryotic
      squalene-tetrahymanol cyclase, which catalyzes the cyclization of squalene
      directly to tetrahymanol. Rather, heterologous expression studies suggest that
      bacteria couple the cyclization of squalene to a hopene molecule by squalene
      hopene cyclase with a subsequent Ths-dependent ring expansion to form
      tetrahymanol. Thus, bacteria and eukaryotes have evolved distinct biochemical
      mechanisms for producing tetrahymanol. 

PMID- 26483504
TI  - Correction to Supporting Information for Jiang et al., Gene-expression analysis
      of hair cell regeneration in the zebrafish lateral line.

PMID- 26483503
TI  - Targeted binding of nucleocapsid protein transforms the folding landscape of HIV
      1 TAR RNA.
AB  - Retroviral nucleocapsid (NC) proteins are nucleic acid chaperones that play a key
      role in the viral life cycle. During reverse transcription, HIV-1 NC facilitates
      the rearrangement of nucleic acid secondary structure, allowing the
      transactivation response (TAR) RNA hairpin to be transiently destabilized and
      annealed to a cDNA hairpin. It is not clear how NC specifically destabilizes TAR
      RNA but does not strongly destabilize the resulting annealed RNA-DNA hybrid
      structure, which must be formed for reverse transcription to continue. By
      combining single-molecule optical tweezers measurements with a quantitative mfold
      based model, we characterize the equilibrium TAR stability and unfolding barrier
      for TAR RNA. Experiments show that adding NC lowers the transition state barrier
      height while also dramatically shifting the barrier location. Incorporating TAR
      destabilization by NC into the mfold-based model reveals that a subset of
      preferential protein binding sites is responsible for the observed changes in the
      unfolding landscape, including the unusual shift in the transition state. We
      measure the destabilization induced at these NC binding sites and find that NC
      preferentially targets TAR RNA by binding to specific sequence contexts that are
      not present on the final annealed RNA-DNA hybrid structure. Thus, specific
      binding alters the entire RNA unfolding landscape, resulting in the dramatic
      destabilization of this specific structure that is required for reverse
      transcription. 

PMID- 26483505
TI  - Correction for Lee et al., Development of a histone deacetylase 6 inhibitor and
      its biological effects.

PMID- 26483506
TI  - Correction to Supporting Information for Carvalho et al., Birth of a new gene on
      the Y chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster.

PMID- 26483507
TI  - Taking time to consider the causes and consequences of large wildfires.

PMID- 26483508
TI  - Reply to Kirchhoff: Homogenous and mutually exclusive conservation typologies are
      neither possible nor desirable.

PMID- 26483509
TI  - Inquiry into congruencies and trade-offs among conservation objectives requires a
      consistent typology of homogeneous types.

PMID- 26483510
TI  - Reply to Wootton and Pfister: The search for general context should include
      synthesis with laboratory model systems.

PMID- 26483511
TI  - Processes affecting extinction risk in the laboratory and in nature.

PMID- 26483513
TI  - Clinical, virological and phylogenetic characterization of a multiresistant HIV-1
      strain outbreak in naive patients in southern Spain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We describe the characteristics of an HIV-1 strain with six viral
      reverse transcriptase mutations (D67N, T69N/D, V118I, V179D, T215S and K219Q),
      which we have called the Malaga strain. This strain was detected in treatment
      naive patients from southern Spain. METHODS: The study was undertaken at the
      Virgen de la Victoria Hospital, Malaga, a reference centre for the study of HIV-1
      genotype resistance in Andalusia (the 'Costa del Sol'), Spain. Genotypic
      resistance testing was done in an automated sequencer. Phylogenetic analysis was
      performed using a 630 bp region of the reverse transcriptase with the mutations
      mentioned. RESULTS: Between 2007 and 2014, we detected the Malaga strain in 30
      treatment-naive patients. All were MSM, seen at five hospitals on the Costa del
      Sol. In all cases, the HIV-1 was subtype B with viral tropism R5. Phylogenetic
      analysis based on the reverse transcriptase sequence showed consistent grouping
      (with a bootstrap value of the common node of 100%) of the isolates that shared
      the mutation pattern mentioned. This strain has not been detected elsewhere or in
      previously treated patients. All of the patients treated with first-line
      combination ART responded. CONCLUSIONS: We report a cluster of an HIV-1 strain
      with multiple resistance mutations that was transmitted over a period of >8
      years, affecting 30 naive patients from the same geographical area. The strain
      was susceptible to first-line combination ART.

PMID- 26483514
TI  - Potential of Staphylococcus aureus isolates carrying different PBP2a alleles to
      develop resistance to ceftaroline.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Infections caused by MRSA continue to cause significant morbidity
      worldwide. Ceftaroline (the active metabolite of the prodrug ceftaroline fosamil)
      is a cephalosporin that possesses activity against MRSA due to its having high
      affinity for PBP2a while maintaining activity against the other essential PBPs.
      PBP2a sequence variations, including some outside of the transpeptidase binding
      pocket, impact ceftaroline susceptibility. This study evaluated the potential of
      ceftaroline to select for resistant Staphylococcus aureus clones in isolates
      containing a variety of PBP2a alleles and with a range of ceftaroline MIC values
      from different MLST lineages. METHODS: Direct resistance selection experiments
      were performed by plating 20 S. aureus isolates (18 MRSA and 2 MSSA) on agar
      plates containing increasing concentrations of ceftaroline. Colonies that emerged
      were tested by standard broth microdilution for changes in ceftaroline
      susceptibility and genetically characterized. RESULTS: The frequency of
      spontaneous resistance to ceftaroline was low for all isolates and, although
      resistant variants were not obtained on plates containing >=4-fold the MIC of
      ceftaroline, six MRSA isolates had a small number of colonies emerge on plates
      containing 2-fold the MIC of ceftaroline and had a 2- to 8-fold elevation of the
      ceftaroline MIC, while also impacting the MIC of methicillin compared with the
      parental isolate. Additional PBP2a mutations located in the ceftaroline-binding
      pocket, Y446N or A601S, were observed in several of the resistant isolates.
      CONCLUSIONS: These studies demonstrate that there is a low risk of generating
      ceftaroline-resistant MRSA isolates, which appears independent of any pre
      existing variation in the PBP2a protein sequence or initial ceftaroline MIC.

PMID- 26483515
TI  - Relevance of tcrYAZB operon acquisition for Enterococcus survival at high copper
      concentrations under anaerobic conditions.

PMID- 26483516
TI  - Telaprevir-based therapy in patients coinfected with chronic hepatitis C virus
      infection and HIV: INSIGHT study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: INSIGHT (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01513941) evaluated the efficacy,
      safety and pharmacokinetics of telaprevir-based therapy and specific
      antiretroviral agents in hepatitis C virus genotype 1 (HCV-1)/HIV-1-coinfected
      patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Open-label, Phase IIIb, multicentre study of
      telaprevir with pegylated-IFN (Peg-IFN) alpha2a and ribavirin in treatment-naive
      or -experienced HCV-1/HIV-1-coinfected patients on stable HIV HAART comprising
      efavirenz, atazanavir/ritonavir, darunavir/ritonavir, raltegravir, etravirine or
      rilpivirine with two nucleos(t)ide analogues. Patients received 750 mg telaprevir
      (1125 mg, if on efavirenz) every 8 h plus 180 MUg/week Peg-IFNalpha2a and 800
      mg/day ribavirin for 12 weeks, followed by Peg-IFNalpha2a and ribavirin alone for
      12 weeks (HCV treatment naive and relapsers without cirrhosis, with extended
      rapid virological response) or 36 weeks (all others). RESULTS: Overall, 162
      patients (median age of 46 years, 78% male, 92% Caucasian and mean CD4 count of
      687 cells/mm(3)) were treated; 13% had cirrhosis. One-hundred-and-thirty-two
      patients (81%) completed telaprevir; 14 (9%) discontinued due to an adverse event
      (AE). Sustained virological response (SVR) 12 rates (<25 IU/mL HCV RNA 12 weeks
      after the last planned treatment dose) in treatment-naive patients, relapsers and
      non-responders were 64% (41 of 64), 62% (18 of 29) and 49% (34 of 69),
      respectively. SVR12 rates ranged from 51% (33 of 65) (patients receiving
      efavirenz) to 77% (13 of 17) (patients receiving raltegravir). Most frequently
      reported AEs during telaprevir treatment were pruritus (43%) and rash (34%)
      special search categories. Anaemia special search category occurred in 15% of
      patients; 6% of patients reported a serious AE. CONCLUSIONS: In treatment-naive/
      experienced HCV-1/HIV-1 patients there were significantly higher SVR rates with
      telaprevir-based therapy compared with pre-specified historical controls, and
      safety comparable to that in HCV-monoinfected patients.

PMID- 26483517
TI  - Lipopolysaccharide enhances apoptosis of corpus luteum in isolated perfused
      bovine ovaries in vitro.
AB  - Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the endotoxin of Gram-negative bacteria, has
      detrimental effects on the structure and function of bovine corpus luteum (CL) in
      vivo. The objective was to investigate whether these effects were mediated
      directly by LPS or via LPS-induced release of PGF2alpha. Bovine ovaries with a
      mid-cycle CL were collected immediately after slaughter and isolated perfused for
      240 min. After 60 min of equilibration, LPS (0.5 MUg/ml) was added to the medium
      of five ovaries, whereas an additional six ovaries were not treated with LPS
      (control). After 210 min of perfusion, all ovaries were treated with 500 iu of
      hCG. In the effluent perfusate, concentrations of progesterone (P4) and PGF2alpha
      were measured every 10 and 30 min, respectively. Punch biopsies of the CL were
      collected every 60 min and used for RT-qPCR to evaluate mRNA expression of
      receptors for LPS (TLR2, -4) and LH (LHCGR); the cytokine TNFA; steroidogenic
      (STAR, HSD3B), angiogenic (VEGFA121, FGF2), and vasoactive (EDN1) factors; and
      factors of prostaglandin synthesis (PGES, PGFS, PTGFR) and apoptosis (CASP3, -8, 
      9). Treatment with LPS abolished the hCG-induced increase in P4 (P<=0.05);
      however, there was a tendency (P=0.10) for increased release of PGF2alpha at 70
      min after LPS challenge. Furthermore, mRNA abundance of TLR2, TNFA, CASP3, CASP8,
      PGES, PGFS, and VEGFA121 increased (P<=0.05) after LPS treatment, whereas all
      other factors remained unchanged (P>0.05). In conclusion, reduced P4
      responsiveness to hCG in LPS-treated ovaries in vitro was not due to reduced
      steroidogenesis, but was attributed to enhanced apoptosis. However, an impact of
      luteal PGF2alpha could not be excluded. 

PMID- 26483518
TI  - Water and Small-Molecule Permeation of Dormant Bacillus subtilis Spores.
AB  - We use a suspended microchannel resonator to characterize the water and small
      molecule permeability of Bacillus subtilis spores based on spores' buoyant mass
      in different solutions. Consistent with previous results, we found that the spore
      coat is not a significant barrier to small molecules, and the extent to which
      small molecules may enter the spore is size dependent. We have developed a method
      to directly observe the exchange kinetics of intraspore water with deuterium
      oxide, and we applied this method to wild-type spores and a panel of congenic
      mutants with deficiencies in the assembly or structure of the coat. Compared to
      wild-type spores, which exchange in approximately 1 s, several coat mutant spores
      were found to have relatively high water permeability with exchange times below
      the ~200-ms temporal resolution of our assay. In addition, we found that the
      water permeability of the spore correlates with the ability of spores to
      germinate with dodecylamine and with the ability of TbCl3 to inhibit germination
      with l-valine. These results suggest that the structure of the coat may be
      necessary for maintaining low water permeability. IMPORTANCE: Spores of Bacillus
      species cause food spoilage and disease and are extremely resistant to standard
      decontamination methods. This hardiness is partly due to spores' extremely low
      permeability to chemicals, including water. We present a method to directly
      monitor the uptake of molecules into B. subtilis spores by weighing spores in
      fluid. The results demonstrate the exchange of core water with subsecond
      resolution and show a correlation between water permeability and the rate at
      which small molecules can initiate or inhibit germination in coat-damaged spores.
      The ability to directly measure the uptake of molecules in the context of spores
      with known structural or genetic deficiencies is expected to provide insight into
      the determinants of spores' extreme resistance.

PMID- 26483519
TI  - Protein Analysis of Sapienic Acid-Treated Porphyromonas gingivalis Suggests
      Differential Regulation of Multiple Metabolic Pathways.
AB  - Lipids endogenous to skin and mucosal surfaces exhibit potent antimicrobial
      activity against Porphyromonas gingivalis, an important colonizer of the oral
      cavity implicated in periodontitis. Our previous work demonstrated the
      antimicrobial activity of the fatty acid sapienic acid (C(16:1Delta6)) against P.
      gingivalis and found that sapienic acid treatment alters both protein and lipid
      composition from those in controls. In this study, we further examined whole-cell
      protein differences between sapienic acid-treated bacteria and untreated
      controls, and we utilized open-source functional association and annotation
      programs to explore potential mechanisms for the antimicrobial activity of
      sapienic acid. Our analyses indicated that sapienic acid treatment induces a
      unique stress response in P. gingivalis resulting in differential expression of
      proteins involved in a variety of metabolic pathways. This network of
      differentially regulated proteins was enriched in protein-protein interactions (P
      = 2.98 * 10(-8)), including six KEGG pathways (P value ranges, 2.30 * 10(-5) to
      0.05) and four Gene Ontology (GO) molecular functions (P value ranges, 0.02 to
      0.04), with multiple suggestive enriched relationships in KEGG pathways and GO
      molecular functions. Upregulated metabolic pathways suggest increases in energy
      production, lipid metabolism, iron acquisition and processing, and respiration.
      Combined with a suggested preferential metabolism of serine, which is necessary
      for fatty acid biosynthesis, these data support our previous findings that the
      site of sapienic acid antimicrobial activity is likely at the bacterial membrane.
      IMPORTANCE: P. gingivalis is an important opportunistic pathogen implicated in
      periodontitis. Affecting nearly 50% of the population, periodontitis is
      treatable, but the resulting damage is irreversible and eventually progresses to
      tooth loss. There is a great need for natural products that can be used to treat
      and/or prevent the overgrowth of periodontal pathogens and increase oral health.
      Sapienic acid is endogenous to the oral cavity and is a potent antimicrobial
      agent, suggesting a potential therapeutic or prophylactic use for this fatty
      acid. This study examines the effects of sapienic acid treatment on P. gingivalis
      and highlights the membrane as the likely site of antimicrobial activity.

PMID- 26483520
TI  - Identification of the PhoB Regulon and Role of PhoU in the Phosphate Starvation
      Response of Caulobacter crescentus.
AB  - An ability to sense and respond to changes in extracellular phosphate is critical
      for the survival of most bacteria. For Caulobacter crescentus, which typically
      lives in phosphate-limited environments, this process is especially crucial. Like
      many bacteria, Caulobacter responds to phosphate limitation through a conserved
      two-component signaling pathway called PhoR-PhoB, but the direct regulon of PhoB
      in this organism is unknown. Here we used chromatin immunoprecipitation-DNA
      sequencing (ChIP-Seq) to map the global binding patterns of the phosphate
      responsive transcriptional regulator PhoB under phosphate-limited and -replete
      conditions. Combined with genome-wide expression profiling, our work demonstrates
      that PhoB is induced to regulate nearly 50 genes under phosphate-starved
      conditions. The PhoB regulon is comprised primarily of genes known or predicted
      to help Caulobacter scavenge for and import inorganic phosphate, including 15
      different membrane transporters. We also investigated the regulatory role of
      PhoU, a widely conserved protein proposed to coordinate phosphate import with
      expression of the PhoB regulon by directly modulating the histidine kinase PhoR.
      However, our studies show that it likely does not play such a role in
      Caulobacter, as PhoU depletion has no significant effect on PhoB-dependent gene
      expression. Instead, cells lacking PhoU exhibit striking accumulation of large
      polyphosphate granules, suggesting that PhoU participates in controlling
      intracellular phosphate metabolism. IMPORTANCE: The transcription factor PhoB is
      widely conserved throughout the bacterial kingdom, where it helps organisms
      respond to phosphate limitation by driving the expression of a battery of genes.
      Most of what is known about PhoB and its target genes is derived from studies of
      Escherichia coli. Our work documents the PhoB regulon in Caulobacter crescentus,
      and comparison to the regulon in E. coli reveals significant differences,
      highlighting the evolutionary plasticity of transcriptional responses driven by
      highly conserved transcription factors. We also demonstrated that the conserved
      protein PhoU, which is implicated in bacterial persistence, does not regulate
      PhoB activity, as previously suggested. Instead, our results favor a model in
      which PhoU affects intracellular phosphate accumulation, possibly through the
      high-affinity phosphate transporter.

PMID- 26483521
TI  - FleQ DNA Binding Consensus Sequence Revealed by Studies of FleQ-Dependent
      Regulation of Biofilm Gene Expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
AB  - The transcription factor FleQ from Pseudomonas aeruginosa derepresses expression
      of genes involved in biofilm formation when intracellular levels of the second
      messenger cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) are high. FleQ also
      activates transcription of flagellar genes, and the expression of these genes is
      highest at low intracellular c-di-GMP. FleQ thus plays a central role in
      mediating the transition between planktonic and biofilm lifestyles of P.
      aeruginosa. Previous work showed that FleQ controls expression of the pel operon
      for Pel exopolysaccharide biosynthesis by converting from a repressor to an
      activator upon binding c-di-GMP. To explore the activity of FleQ further, we
      carried out DNase I footprinting at three additional biofilm gene promoters,
      those of psl, cdrAB, and PA2440. The expression of cdrAB, encoding a cell surface
      adhesin, was sufficiently responsive to FleQ to allow us to carry out in vivo
      promoter assays. The results showed that, similarly to our observations with the
      pel operon, FleQ switches from a repressor to an activator of cdrAB gene
      expression in response to c-di-GMP. From the footprinting data, we identified a
      FleQ DNA binding consensus sequence. A search for this conserved sequence in
      bacterial genome sequences led to the identification of FleQ binding sites in the
      promoters of the siaABCD operon, important for cell aggregation, and the bdlA
      gene, important for biofilm dispersal, in P. aeruginosa. We also identified FleQ
      binding sites upstream of lapA-like adhesin genes in other Pseudomonas species.
      IMPORTANCE: The transcription factor FleQ is widely distributed in Pseudomonas
      species. In all species examined, it is a master regulator of flagellar gene
      expression. It also regulates diverse genes involved in biofilm formation in P.
      aeruginosa when intracellular levels of the second messenger c-di-GMP are high.
      Unlike flagellar genes, biofilm-associated genes are not always easy to recognize
      in genome sequences. Here, we identified a consensus DNA binding sequence for
      FleQ. This allowed us to survey Pseudomonas strains and find new genes that are
      likely regulated by FleQ and possibly involved in biofilm formation.

PMID- 26483522
TI  - Global and Targeted Lipid Analysis of Gemmata obscuriglobus Reveals the Presence
      of Lipopolysaccharide, a Signature of the Classical Gram-Negative Outer Membrane.
AB  - Planctomycete bacteria possess many unusual cellular properties, contributing to
      a cell plan long considered to be unique among the bacteria. However, data from
      recent studies are more consistent with a modified Gram-negative cell plan. A key
      feature of the Gram-negative plan is the presence of an outer membrane (OM), for
      which lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a signature molecule. Despite genomic evidence
      for an OM in planctomycetes, no biochemical verification has been reported. We
      attempted to detect and characterize LPS in the planctomycete Gemmata
      obscuriglobus. We obtained direct evidence for LPS and lipid A using
      electrophoresis and differential staining. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
      (GC-MS) compositional analysis of LPS extracts identified eight different 3
      hydroxy fatty acids (3-HOFAs), 2-keto 3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo),
      glucosamine, and hexose and heptose sugars, a chemical profile unique to Gram
      negative LPS. Combined with molecular/structural information collected from
      matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) MS
      analysis of putative intact lipid A, these data led us to propose a heterogeneous
      hexa-acylated lipid A structure (multiple-lipid A species). We also confirmed
      previous reports of G. obscuriglobus whole-cell fatty acid (FA) and sterol
      compositions and detected a novel polyunsaturated FA (PUFA). Our confirmation of
      LPS, and by implication an OM, in G. obscuriglobus raises the possibility that
      other planctomycetes possess an OM. The pursuit of this question, together with
      studies of the structural connections between planctomycete LPS and
      peptidoglycans, will shed more light on what appears to be a planctomycete
      variation on the Gram-negative cell plan. IMPORTANCE: Bacterial species are
      classified as Gram positive or negative based on their cell envelope structure.
      For 25 years, the envelope of planctomycete bacteria has been considered a unique
      exception, as it lacks peptidoglycan and an outer membrane (OM). However, the
      very recent detection of peptidoglycan in planctomycete species has provided
      evidence for a more conventional cell wall and raised questions about other
      elements of the cell envelope. Here, we report direct evidence of
      lipopolysaccharide in the planctomycete G. obscuriglobus, suggesting the presence
      of an OM and supporting the proposal that the planctomycete cell envelope is an
      extension of the canonical Gram-negative plan. This interpretation features a
      convoluted cytoplasmic membrane and expanded periplasmic space, the functions of
      which provide an intriguing avenue for future investigation.

PMID- 26483523
TI  - Tobramycin-Treated Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 Enhances Streptococcus
      constellatus 7155 Biofilm Formation in a Cystic Fibrosis Model System.
AB  - Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a human genetic disorder which results in a lung
      environment that is highly conducive to chronic microbial infection. Over the
      past decade, deep-sequencing studies have demonstrated that the CF lung can
      harbor a highly diverse polymicrobial community. We expanded our existing in
      vitro model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation on CF-derived airway
      cells to include this broader set of CF airway colonizers to investigate their
      contributions to CF lung disease, particularly as they relate to the antibiotic
      response of the population. Using this system, we identified an interspecies
      interaction between P. aeruginosa, a bacterium associated with declining lung
      function and worsening disease, and Streptococcus constellatus, a bacterium
      correlated with the onset of pulmonary exacerbations in CF patients. The growth
      rate and cytotoxicity of S. constellatus 7155 and P. aeruginosa PA14 were
      unchanged when grown together as mixed biofilms in the absence of antibiotics.
      However, the addition of tobramycin, the frontline maintenance therapy antibiotic
      for individuals with CF, to a mixed biofilm of S. constellatus 7155 and P.
      aeruginosa PA14 resulted in enhanced S. constellatus biofilm formation. Through a
      candidate genetic approach, we showed that P. aeruginosa rhamnolipids were
      reduced upon tobramycin exposure, allowing for S. constellatus 7155 biofilm
      enhancement, and monorhamnolipids were sufficient to reduce S. constellatus 7155
      biofilm viability in the absence of tobramycin. While the findings presented here
      are specific to a biofilm of S. constellatus 7155 and P. aeruginosa PA14, they
      highlight the potential of polymicrobial interactions to impact antibiotic
      tolerance in unanticipated ways. IMPORTANCE: Deep-sequencing studies have
      demonstrated that the CF lung can harbor a diverse polymicrobial community. By
      recapitulating the polymicrobial communities observed in the CF lung and
      identifying mechanisms of interspecies interactions, we have the potential to
      select the best therapy for a given bacterial community and reveal potential
      opportunities for novel therapeutic interventions. Using an in vitro model of
      bacterial infection on CF airway cells, we tested how a particular polymicrobial
      community grows, damages human cells, and responds to antibiotics in single and
      mixed infections. We describe here the mechanism of an interspecies interaction
      between two pathogens in the CF lung, P. aeruginosa and S. constellatus, which is
      potentiated by a commonly prescribed antibiotic, tobramycin.

PMID- 26483524
TI  - The Trk Potassium Transporter Is Required for RsmB-Mediated Activation of
      Virulence in the Phytopathogen Pectobacterium wasabiae.
AB  - Pectobacterium wasabiae (previously known as Erwinia carotovora) is an important
      plant pathogen that regulates the production of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes
      through an N-acyl homoserine lactone-based quorum sensing system and through the
      GacS/GacA two-component system (also known as ExpS/ExpA). At high cell density,
      activation of GacS/GacA induces the expression of RsmB, a noncoding RNA that is
      essential for the activation of virulence in this bacterium. A genetic screen to
      identify regulators of RsmB revealed that mutants defective in components of a
      putative Trk potassium transporter (trkH and trkA) had decreased rsmB expression.
      Further analysis of these mutants showed that changes in potassium concentration
      influenced rsmB expression and consequent tissue damage in potato tubers and that
      this regulation required an intact Trk system. Regulation of rsmB expression by
      potassium via the Trk system occurred even in the absence of the GacS/GacA
      system, demonstrating that these systems act independently and are both required
      for full activation of RsmB and for the downstream induction of virulence in
      potato infection assays. Overall, our results identified potassium as an
      essential environmental factor regulating the Rsm system, and the consequent
      induction of virulence, in the plant pathogen P. wasabiae. IMPORTANCE: Crop
      losses from bacterial diseases caused by pectolytic bacteria are a major problem
      in agriculture. By studying the regulatory pathways involved in controlling the
      expression of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes in Pectobacterium wasabiae, we
      showed that the Trk potassium transport system plays an important role in the
      regulation of these pathways. The data presented further identify potassium as an
      important environmental factor in the regulation of virulence in this plant
      pathogen. We showed that a reduction in virulence can be achieved by increasing
      the extracellular concentration of potassium. Therefore, this work highlights how
      elucidation of the mechanisms involved in regulating virulence can lead to the
      identification of environmental factors that can influence the outcome of
      infection.

PMID- 26483525
TI  - Characterization of a Unique Tetrasaccharide and Distinct Glycoproteome in the O
      Linked Protein Glycosylation System of Neisseria elongata subsp. glycolytica.
AB  - Broad-spectrum O-linked protein glycosylation is well characterized in the major
      Neisseria species of importance to human health and disease. Within strains of
      Neisseria gonorrhoeae, N. meningitidis, and N. lactamica, protein glycosylation
      (pgl) gene content and the corresponding oligosaccharide structure are fairly
      well conserved, although intra- and interstrain variability occurs. The status of
      such systems in distantly related commensal species, however, remains largely
      unexplored. Using a strain of deeply branching Neisseria elongata subsp.
      glycolytica, a heretofore unrecognized tetrasaccharide glycoform consisting of di
      N-acetylbacillosamine-glucose-di-N-acetyl hexuronic acid-N-acetylhexosamine
      (diNAcBac-Glc-diNAcHexA-HexNAc) was identified. Directed mutagenesis, mass
      spectrometric analysis, and glycan serotyping confirmed that the oligosaccharide
      is an extended version of the diNAcBac-Glc-based structure seen in N. gonorrhoeae
      and N. meningitidis generated by the successive actions of PglB, PglC, and PglD
      and glucosyltransferase PglH orthologues. In addition, a null mutation in the
      orthologue of the broadly conserved but enigmatic pglG gene precluded expression
      of the extended glycoform, providing the first evidence that its product is a
      functional glycosyltransferase. Despite clear evidence for a substantial number
      of glycoprotein substrates, the major pilin subunit of the endogenous type IV
      pilus was not glycosylated. The latter finding raises obvious questions as to the
      relative distribution of pilin glycosylation within the genus, how protein
      glycosylation substrates are selected, and the overall structure-function
      relationships of broad-spectrum protein glycosylation. Together, the results of
      this study provide a foundation upon which to assess neisserial O-linked protein
      glycosylation diversity at the genus level. IMPORTANCE: Broad-spectrum protein
      glycosylation systems are well characterized in the pathogenic Neisseria species
      N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis. A number of lines of evidence indicate that
      the glycan components in these systems are subject to diversifying selection and
      suggest that glycan variation may be driven in the context of glycosylation of
      the abundant and surface-localized pilin protein PilE, the major subunit of type
      IV pili. Here, we examined protein glycosylation in a distantly related,
      nonpathogenic neisserial species, Neisseria elongata subsp. glycolytica. This
      system has clear similarities to the systems found in pathogenic species but
      makes novel glycoforms utilizing a glycosyltransferase that is widely conserved
      at the genus level but whose function until now remained unknown. Remarkably,
      PilE pilin is not glycosylated in this species, a finding that raises important
      questions about the evolutionary trajectories and overall structure-function
      relationships of broad-spectrum protein glycosylation systems in bacteria.

PMID- 26483526
TI  - Percussive technology in human evolution: an introduction to a comparative
      approach in fossil and living primates.
AB  - Percussive technology is part of the behavioural suite of several fossil and
      living primates. Stone Age ancestors used lithic artefacts in pounding
      activities, which could have been most important in the earliest stages of stone
      working. This has relevant evolutionary implications, as other primates such as
      chimpanzees and some monkeys use stone hammer-and-anvil combinations to crack
      hard-shelled foodstuffs. Parallels between primate percussive technologies and
      early archaeological sites need to be further explored in order to assess the
      emergence of technological behaviour in our evolutionary line, and firmly
      establish bridges between Primatology and Archaeology. What are the anatomical,
      cognitive and ecological constraints of percussive technology? How common are
      percussive activities in the Stone Age and among living primates? What is their
      functional significance? How similar are archaeological percussive tools and
      those made by non-human primates? This issue of Phil. Trans. addresses some of
      these questions by presenting case studies with a wide chronological,
      geographical and disciplinary coverage. The studies presented here cover studies
      of Brazilian capuchins, captive chimpanzees and chimpanzees in the wild, research
      on the use of percussive technology among modern humans and recent hunter
      gatherers in Australia, the Near East and Europe, and archaeological examples of
      this behaviour from a million years ago to the Holocene. In summary, the breadth
      and depth of research compiled here should make this issue of Philosophical
      Transactions of the Royal Society B, a landmark step forward towards a better
      understanding of percussive technology, a unique behaviour shared by some modern
      and fossil primates. 

PMID- 26483527
TI  - Primate archaeology reveals cultural transmission in wild chimpanzees (Pan
      troglodytes verus).
AB  - Recovering evidence of past human activities enables us to recreate behaviour
      where direct observations are missing. Here, we apply archaeological methods to
      further investigate cultural transmission processes in percussive tool use among
      neighbouring chimpanzee communities in the Tai National Park, Cote d'Ivoire, West
      Africa. Differences in the selection of nut-cracking tools between neighbouring
      groups are maintained over time, despite frequent female transfer, which leads to
      persistent cultural diversity between chimpanzee groups. Through the recovery of
      used tools in the suggested natal territory of immigrants, we have been able to
      reconstruct the tool material selection of females prior to migration. In
      combination with direct observations of tool selection of local residents and
      immigrants after migration, we uncovered temporal changes in tool selection for
      immigrating females. After controlling for ecological differences between
      territories of immigrants and residents our data suggest that immigrants
      abandoned their previous tool preference and adopted the pattern of their new
      community, despite previous personal proficiency of the same foraging task. Our
      study adds to the growing body of knowledge on the importance of conformist
      tendencies in animals. 

PMID- 26483528
TI  - Perspectives on object manipulation and action grammar for percussive actions in
      primates.
AB  - The skill of object manipulation is a common feature of primates including
      humans, although there are species-typical patterns of manipulation. Object
      manipulation can be used as a comparative scale of cognitive development,
      focusing on its complexity. Nut cracking in chimpanzees has the highest
      hierarchical complexity of tool use reported in non-human primates. An analysis
      of the patterns of object manipulation in naive chimpanzees after nut-cracking
      demonstrations revealed the cause of difficulties in learning nut-cracking
      behaviour. Various types of behaviours exhibited within a nut-cracking context
      can be examined in terms of the application of problem-solving strategies,
      focusing on their basis in causal understanding or insightful intentionality.
      Captive chimpanzees also exhibit complex forms of combinatory manipulation, which
      is the precursor of tool use. A new notation system of object manipulation was
      invented to assess grammatical rules in manipulative actions. The notation system
      of action grammar enabled direct comparisons to be made between primates
      including humans in a variety of object-manipulation tasks, including percussive
      tool use. 

PMID- 26483530
TI  - Limestone percussion tools from the late Early Pleistocene sites of Barranco Leon
      and Fuente Nueva 3 (Orce, Spain).
AB  - In recent years, there is growing interest in the study of percussion scars and
      breakage patterns on hammerstones, cores and tools from Oldowan African and
      Eurasian lithic assemblages. Oldowan stone toolkits generally contain abundant
      small-sized flakes and their corresponding cores, and are characterized by their
      structural dichotomy of heavy- and light-duty tools. This paper explores the
      significance of the lesser known heavy-duty tool component, providing data from
      the late Lower Pleistocene sites of Barranco Leon and Fuente Nueva 3 (Orce,
      Spain), dated 1.4-1.2 Myr. Using quantitative and qualitative data from the large
      sized limestone industries from these two major sites, we present a new
      methodology highlighting their morpho-technological features. In the light of the
      results, we discuss the shortfalls of extant classificatory methods for
      interpreting the role of percussive technology in early toolkits. This work is
      rooted in an experimental program designed to reproduce the wide range of
      percussion marks observed on the limestone artefacts from these two sites. A
      visual and descriptive reference is provided as an interpretative aid for future
      comparative research. Further experiments using a variety of materials and
      gestures are still needed before the elusive traces yield the secrets of the
      kinds of percussive activities carried out by hominins at these, and other,
      Oldowan sites. 

PMID- 26483529
TI  - Percussive tool use by Tai Western chimpanzees and Fazenda Boa Vista bearded
      capuchin monkeys: a comparison.
AB  - Percussive tool use holds special interest for scientists concerned with human
      origins. We summarize the findings from two field sites, Tai and Fazenda Boa
      Vista, where percussive tool use by chimpanzees and bearded capuchins,
      respectively, has been extensively investigated. We describe the ecological
      settings in which nut-cracking occurs and focus on four aspects of nut-cracking
      that have important cognitive implications, namely selection of tools, tool
      transport, tool modification and modulation of actions to reach the goal of
      cracking the nut. We comment on similarities and differences in behaviour and
      consider whether the observed differences reflect ecological, morphological,
      social and/or cognitive factors. Both species are sensitive to physical
      properties of tools, adjust their selection of hammers conditionally to the
      resistance of the nuts and to transport distance, and modulate the energy of
      their strikes under some conditions. However, chimpanzees transport hammers more
      frequently and for longer distances, take into account a higher number of
      combinations of variables and occasionally intentionally modify tools. A
      parsimonious interpretation of our findings is that morphological, ecological and
      social factors account for the observed differences. Confirmation of plausible
      cognitive differences in nut-cracking requires data not yet available. 

PMID- 26483531
TI  - A new type of anvil in the Acheulian of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel.
AB  - We report here on the identification and characterization of thin basalt anvils,
      a newly discovered component of the Acheulian lithic inventory of Gesher Benot
      Ya'aqov (GBY). These tools are an addition to the array of percussive tools
      (percussors, pitted stones and anvils) made of basalt, flint and limestone. The
      thin anvils were selected from particularly compact, horizontally fissured zones
      of basalt flows. This type of fissuring produces a natural geometry of thick and
      thin slabs. Hominins at GBY had multiple acquisition strategies, including the
      selection of thick slabs for the production of giant cores and cobbles for
      percussors. The selection of thin slabs was carried out according to yet another
      independent and targeted plan. The thinness of the anvils dictated a particular
      range of functions. The use of the anvils is well documented on their surfaces
      and edges. Two main types of damage are identified: those resulting from
      activities carried out on the surfaces of the anvils and those resulting from
      unintentional forceful blows (accidents de travaille). Percussive activities that
      may have been associated with the thin anvils include nut cracking and the
      processing of meat and bones, as well as plants. 

PMID- 26483532
TI  - Identifying bipolar knapping in the Mesolithic site of Font del Ros (northeast
      Iberia).
AB  - Despite recent advances in the identification of bipolar knapping, its role in
      many sites is not well known. We propose to assess the significance of this
      technique in the context of changes that occur in the Mesolithic. A lithic
      assemblage was recovered from unit SG at Font del Ros (Catalunya, Spain) in which
      pitted stones, cores and products arising from bipolar reduction (flakes,
      fragments and splintered pieces) were identified. This study indicates that the
      bipolar technique is fundamental in the settlement. These results are key to
      defining the organization of Holocene hunter-gatherer subsistence in northeast
      Iberia. 

PMID- 26483534
TI  - Insights into early lithic technologies from ethnography.
AB  - Oldowan lithic assemblages are often portrayed as a product of the need to obtain
      sharp flakes for cutting into animal carcases. However, ethnographic and
      experimental research indicates that the optimal way to produce flakes for such
      butchering purposes is via bipolar reduction of small cryptocrystalline pebbles
      rather than from larger crystalline cores resembling choppers. Ethnographic
      observations of stone tool-using hunter-gatherers in environments comparable with
      early hominins indicate that most stone tools (particularly chopper forms and
      flake tools) were used for making simple shaft tools including spears, digging
      sticks and throwing sticks. These tools bear strong resemblances to Oldowan stone
      tools. Bipolar reduction for butchering probably preceded chopper-like core
      reduction and provides a key link between primate nut-cracking technologies and
      the emergence of more sophisticated lithic technologies leading to the Oldowan. 

PMID- 26483533
TI  - How similar are nut-cracking and stone-flaking? A functional approach to
      percussive technology.
AB  - Various authors have suggested similarities between tool use in early hominins
      and chimpanzees. This has been particularly evident in studies of nut-cracking
      which is considered to be the most complex skill exhibited by wild apes, and has
      also been interpreted as a precursor of more complex stone-flaking abilities. It
      has been argued that there is no major qualitative difference between what the
      chimpanzee does when he cracks a nut and what early hominins did when they
      detached a flake from a core. In this paper, similarities and differences between
      skills involved in stone-flaking and nut-cracking are explored through an
      experimental protocol with human subjects performing both tasks. We suggest that
      a 'functional' approach to percussive action, based on the distinction between
      functional parameters that characterize each task and parameters that
      characterize the agent's actions and movements, is a fruitful method for
      understanding those constraints which need to be mastered to perform each task
      successfully, and subsequently, the nature of skill involved in both tasks. 

PMID- 26483535
TI  - The development of plant food processing in the Levant: insights from use-wear
      analysis of Early Epipalaeolithic ground stone tools.
AB  - In recent years, the study of percussive, pounding and grinding tools has
      provided new insights into human evolution, more particularly regarding the
      development of technology enabling the processing and exploitation of plant
      resources. Some of these studies focus on early evidence for flour production, an
      activity frequently perceived as an important step in the evolution of plant
      exploitation. The present paper investigates plant food preparation in mobile
      hunter-gatherer societies from the Southern Levant. The analysis consists of a
      use-wear study of 18 tools recovered from Ohalo II, a 23 000-year-old site in
      Israel showing an exceptional level of preservation. Our sample includes a slab
      previously interpreted as a lower implement used for producing flour, based on
      the presence of cereal starch residues. The use-wear data we have obtained
      provide crucial information about the function of this and other percussive tools
      at Ohalo II, as well as on investment in tool manufacture, discard strategies and
      evidence for plant processing in the Late Pleistocene. The use-wear analysis
      indicates that the production of flour was a sporadic activity at Ohalo II,
      predating by thousands of years the onset of routine processing of plant foods. 

PMID- 26483536
TI  - Variability in an early hominin percussive tradition: the Acheulean versus
      cultural variation in modern chimpanzee artefacts.
AB  - Percussion makes a vital link between the activities of early human ancestors and
      other animals in tool-use and tool-making. Far more of the early human actions
      are preserved as archaeology, since the percussion was largely used for making
      hard tools of stone, rather than for direct access to food. Both primate tools
      and early hominin tools, however, offer a means to exploring variability in
      material culture, a strong focus of interest in recent primate studies. This
      paper charts such variability in the Acheulean, the longest-lasting tool
      tradition, extant form about 1.7 to about 0.1 Ma, and well known for its
      characteristic handaxes. The paper concentrates on the African record, although
      the Acheulean was also known in Europe and Asia. It uses principal components and
      discriminant analysis to examine the measurements from 66 assemblages (whole
      toolkits), and from 18 sets of handaxes. Its review of evidence confirms that
      there is deep-seated pattern in the variation, with variability within a site
      complex often matching or exceeding that between sites far distant in space and
      time. Current techniques of study allow comparisons of handaxes far more easily
      than for other components, stressing a need to develop common practice in
      measurement and analysis. The data suggest, however, that a higher proportion of
      traits recurs widely in Acheulean toolkits than in the chimpanzee record. 

PMID- 26483537
TI  - Experimental studies illuminate the cultural transmission of percussive
      technologies in Homo and Pan.
AB  - The complexity of Stone Age tool-making is assumed to have relied upon cultural
      transmission, but direct evidence is lacking. This paper reviews evidence bearing
      on this question provided through five related empirical perspectives. Controlled
      experimental studies offer special power in identifying and dissecting social
      learning into its diverse component forms, such as imitation and emulation. The
      first approach focuses on experimental studies that have discriminated social
      learning processes in nut-cracking by chimpanzees. Second come experiments that
      have identified and dissected the processes of cultural transmission involved in
      a variety of other force-based forms of chimpanzee tool use. A third perspective
      is provided by field studies that have revealed a range of forms of forceful,
      targeted tool use by chimpanzees, that set percussion in its broader cognitive
      context. Fourth are experimental studies of the development of flint knapping to
      make functional sharp flakes by bonobos, implicating and defining the social
      learning and innovation involved. Finally, new and substantial experiments
      compare what different social learning processes, from observational learning to
      teaching, afford good quality human flake and biface manufacture. Together these
      complementary approaches begin to delineate the social learning processes
      necessary to percussive technologies within the Pan-Homo clade. 

PMID- 26483539
TI  - Preface.

PMID- 26483540
TI  - Proceedings: Using Stem Cell Therapies to Reestablish Osteogenic Capability for
      Bone Regeneration.
AB  - The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has invested
      approximately $70 million in programs targeting various orthopedic indications,
      including osteoporosis, bone fracture healing, vertebral compression fractures,
      and several others. The present article serves to outline the current state of
      CIRM's more advanced programs, comparing and contrasting them with the current
      standard of care and several other novel approaches under development.
      SIGNIFICANCE: This report describes CIRM bone programs that are in contrast to
      current cell therapy approaches. These projects aim to enhance stem cell activity
      for bone regeneration.

PMID- 26483538
TI  - Evidence in hand: recent discoveries and the early evolution of human manual
      manipulation.
AB  - For several decades, it was largely assumed that stone tool use and production
      were abilities limited to the genus Homo. However, growing palaeontological and
      archaeological evidence, comparative extant primate studies, as well as results
      from methodological advancements in biomechanics and morphological analyses, have
      been gradually accumulating and now provide strong support for more advanced
      manual manipulative abilities and tool-related behaviours in pre-Homo hominins
      than has been traditionally recognized. Here, I review the fossil evidence
      related to early hominin dexterity, including the recent discoveries of
      relatively complete early hominin hand skeletons, and new methodologies that are
      providing a more holistic interpretation of hand function, and insight into how
      our early ancestors may have balanced the functional requirements of both
      arboreal locomotion and tool-related behaviours. 

PMID- 26483541
TI  - TatE as a Regular Constituent of Bacterial Twin-arginine Protein Translocases.
AB  - Twin-arginine translocation (Tat) systems mediate the transmembrane translocation
      of completely folded proteins that possess a conserved twin-arginine (RR) motif
      in their signal sequences. Many Tat systems consist of three essential membrane
      components named TatA, TatB, and TatC. It is not understood why some bacteria, in
      addition, constitutively express a functional paralog of TatA called TatE. Here
      we show, in live Escherichia coli cells, that, upon expression of a Tat substrate
      protein, fluorescently labeled TatE-GFP relocates from a rather uniform
      distribution in the plasma membrane into a number of discrete clusters.
      Clustering strictly required an intact RR signal peptide and the presence of the
      TatABC subunits, suggesting that TatE-GFP associates with functional Tat
      translocases. In support of this notion, site-specific photo cross-linking
      revealed interactions of TatE with TatA, TatB, and TatC. The same approach also
      disclosed a pronounced tendency of TatE and TatA to hetero-oligomerize. Under in
      vitro conditions, we found that TatE replaces TatA inefficiently. Our collective
      results are consistent with TatE being a regular constituent of the Tat
      translocase in E. coli. 

PMID- 26483542
TI  - Structural and Functional Studies of a Newly Grouped Haloquadratum walsbyi
      Bacteriorhodopsin Reveal the Acid-resistant Light-driven Proton Pumping Activity.
AB  - Retinal bound light-driven proton pumps are widespread in eukaryotic and
      prokaryotic organisms. Among these pumps, bacteriorhodopsin (BR) proteins
      cooperate with ATP synthase to convert captured solar energy into a biologically
      consumable form, ATP. In an acidic environment or when pumped-out protons
      accumulate in the extracellular region, the maximum absorbance of BR proteins
      shifts markedly to the longer wavelengths. These conditions affect the light
      driven proton pumping functional exertion as well. In this study, wild-type
      crystal structure of a BR with optical stability under wide pH range from a
      square halophilic archaeon, Haloquadratum walsbyi (HwBR), was solved in two
      crystal forms. One crystal form, refined to 1.85 A resolution, contains a trimer
      in the asymmetric unit, whereas another contains an antiparallel dimer was
      refined at 2.58 A. HwBR could not be classified into any existing subgroup of
      archaeal BR proteins based on the protein sequence phylogenetic tree, and it
      showed unique absorption spectral stability when exposed to low pH values. All
      structures showed a unique hydrogen-bonding network between Arg(82) and Thr(201),
      linking the BC and FG loops to shield the retinal-binding pocket in the interior
      from the extracellular environment. This result was supported by R82E mutation
      that attenuated the optical stability. The negatively charged cytoplasmic side
      and the Arg(82)-Thr(201) hydrogen bond may play an important role in the proton
      translocation trend in HwBR under acidic conditions. Our findings have unveiled a
      strategy adopted by BR proteins to solidify their defenses against unfavorable
      environments and maintain their optical properties associated with proton
      pumping. 

PMID- 26483543
TI  - The Hydroxyl Side Chain of a Highly Conserved Serine Residue Is Required for
      Cation Selectivity and Substrate Transport in the Glial Glutamate Transporter GLT
      1/SLC1A2.
AB  - Glutamate transporters maintain synaptic concentration of the excitatory
      neurotransmitter below neurotoxic levels. Their transport cycle consists of
      cotransport of glutamate with three sodium ions and one proton, followed by
      countertransport of potassium. Structural studies proposed that a highly
      conserved serine located in the binding pocket of the homologous GltPh
      coordinates L-aspartate as well as the sodium ion Na1. To experimentally validate
      these findings, we generated and characterized several mutants of the
      corresponding serine residue, Ser-364, of human glutamate transporter SLC1A2
      (solute carrier family 1 member 2), also known as glutamate transporter GLT-1 and
      excitatory amino acid transporter EAAT2. S364T, S364A, S364C, S364N, and S364D
      were expressed in HEK cells and Xenopus laevis oocytes to measure radioactive
      substrate transport and transport currents, respectively. All mutants exhibited
      similar plasma membrane expression when compared with WT SLC1A2, but
      substitutions of serine by aspartate or asparagine completely abolished substrate
      transport. On the other hand, the threonine mutant, which is a more conservative
      mutation, exhibited similar substrate selectivity, substrate and sodium
      affinities as WT but a lower selectivity for Na(+) over Li(+). S364A and S364C
      exhibited drastically reduced affinities for each substrate and enhanced
      selectivity for L-aspartate over D-aspartate and L-glutamate, and lost their
      selectivity for Na(+) over Li(+). Furthermore, we extended the analysis of our
      experimental observations using molecular dynamics simulations. Altogether, our
      findings confirm a pivotal role of the serine 364, and more precisely its
      hydroxyl group, in coupling sodium and substrate fluxes.

PMID- 26483544
TI  - Structural Insights into the MMACHC-MMADHC Protein Complex Involved in Vitamin
      B12 Trafficking.
AB  - Conversion of vitamin B12 (cobalamin, Cbl) into the cofactor forms methyl-Cbl
      (MeCbl) and adenosyl-Cbl (AdoCbl) is required for the function of two crucial
      enzymes, mitochondrial methylmalonyl-CoA mutase and cytosolic methionine
      synthase, respectively. The intracellular proteins MMACHC and MMADHC play
      important roles in processing and targeting the Cbl cofactor to its destination
      enzymes, and recent evidence suggests that they may interact while performing
      these essential trafficking functions. To better understand the molecular basis
      of this interaction, we have mapped the crucial protein regions required,
      indicate that Cbl is likely processed by MMACHC prior to interaction with MMADHC,
      and identify patient mutations on both proteins that interfere with complex
      formation, via different mechanisms. We further report the crystal structure of
      the MMADHC C-terminal region at 2.2 A resolution, revealing a modified
      nitroreductase fold with surprising homology to MMACHC despite their poor
      sequence conservation. Because MMADHC demonstrates no known enzymatic activity,
      we propose it as the first protein known to repurpose the nitroreductase fold
      solely for protein-protein interaction. Using small angle x-ray scattering, we
      reveal the MMACHC-MMADHC complex as a 1:1 heterodimer and provide a structural
      model of this interaction, where the interaction region overlaps with the MMACHC
      Cbl binding site. Together, our findings provide novel structural evidence and
      mechanistic insight into an essential biological process, whereby an
      intracellular "trafficking chaperone" highly specific for a trace element
      cofactor functions via protein-protein interaction, which is disrupted by
      inherited disease mutations. 

PMID- 26483545
TI  - Mechanistic and Kinetic Differences between Reverse Transcriptases of Vpx Coding
      and Non-coding Lentiviruses.
AB  - Among lentiviruses, HIV Type 2 (HIV-2) and many simian immunodeficiency virus
      (SIV) strains replicate rapidly in non-dividing macrophages, whereas HIV Type 1
      (HIV-1) replication in this cell type is kinetically delayed. The efficient
      replication capability of HIV-2/SIV in non-dividing cells is induced by a unique,
      virally encoded accessory protein, Vpx, which proteasomally degrades the host
      antiviral restriction factor, SAM domain- and HD domain-containing protein 1
      (SAMHD1). SAMHD1 is a dNTPase and kinetically suppresses the reverse
      transcription step of HIV-1 in macrophages by hydrolyzing and depleting cellular
      dNTPs. In contrast, Vpx, which is encoded by HIV-2/SIV, kinetically accelerates
      reverse transcription by counteracting SAMHD1 and then elevating cellular dNTP
      concentration in non-dividing cells. Here, we conducted the pre-steady-state
      kinetic analysis of reverse transcriptases (RTs) from two Vpx non-coding and two
      Vpx coding lentiviruses. At all three sites of the template tested, the two RTs
      of the Vpx non-coding viruses (HIV-1) displayed higher kpol values than the RTs
      of the Vpx coding HIV-2/SIV, whereas there was no significant difference in the
      Kd values of these two groups of RTs. When we employed viral RNA templates that
      induce RT pausing by their secondary structures, the HIV-1 RTs showed more
      efficient DNA synthesis through pause sites than the HIV-2/SIV RTs, particularly
      at low dNTP concentrations found in macrophages. This kinetic study suggests that
      RTs of the Vpx non-coding HIV-1 may have evolved to execute a faster kpol step,
      which includes the conformational changes and incorporation chemistry, to
      counteract the limited dNTP concentration found in non-dividing cells and still
      promote efficient viral reverse transcription. 

PMID- 26483546
TI  - The Central Region of the Drosophila Co-repressor Groucho as a Regulatory Hub.
AB  - Groucho (Gro) is a Drosophila co-repressor that regulates the expression of a
      large number of genes, many of which are involved in developmental control.
      Previous studies have shown that its central region is essential for function
      even though its three domains are poorly conserved and intrinsically disordered.
      Using these disordered domains as affinity reagents, we have now identified
      multiple embryonic Gro-interacting proteins. The interactors include protein
      complexes involved in chromosome organization, mRNA processing, and signaling.
      Further investigation of the interacting proteins using a reporter assay showed
      that many of them modulate Gro-mediated repression either positively or
      negatively. The positive regulators include components of the spliceosomal
      subcomplex U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (U1 snRNP). A co
      immunoprecipitation experiment confirms this finding and suggests that a sizable
      fraction of nuclear U1 snRNP is associated with Gro. The use of RNA-seq to
      analyze the gene expression profile of cells subjected to knockdown of Gro or
      snRNP-U1-C (a component of U1 snRNP) showed a significant overlap between genes
      regulated by these two factors. Furthermore, comparison of our RNA-seq data with
      Gro and RNA polymerase II ChIP data led to a number of insights, including the
      finding that Gro-repressed genes are enriched for promoter-proximal RNA
      polymerase II. We conclude that the Gro central domains mediate multiple
      interactions required for repression, thus functioning as a regulatory hub.
      Furthermore, interactions with the spliceosome may contribute to repression by
      Gro. 

PMID- 26483547
TI  - Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Protects Islets from Amyloid-induced Toxicity.
AB  - Deposition of human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP, also known as amylin) as
      islet amyloid is a characteristic feature of the pancreas in type 2 diabetes,
      contributing to increased beta-cell apoptosis and reduced beta-cell mass. Matrix
      metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is active in islets and cleaves hIAPP. We
      investigated whether hIAPP fragments arising from MMP-9 cleavage retain the
      potential to aggregate and cause toxicity, and whether overexpressing MMP-9 in
      amyloid-prone islets reduces amyloid burden and the resulting beta-cell toxicity.
      Synthetic hIAPP was incubated with MMP-9 and the major hIAPP fragments observed
      by MS comprised residues 1-15, 1-25, 16-37, 16-25, and 26-37. The fragments 1-15,
      1-25, and 26-37 did not form amyloid fibrils in vitro and they were not cytotoxic
      when incubated with beta cells. Mixtures of these fragments with full-length
      hIAPP did not modulate the kinetics of fibril formation by full-length hIAPP. In
      contrast, the 16-37 fragment formed fibrils more rapidly than full-length hIAPP
      but was less cytotoxic. Co-incubation of MMP-9 and fragment 16-37 ablated
      amyloidogenicity, suggesting that MMP-9 cleaves hIAPP 16-37 into non
      amyloidogenic fragments. Consistent with MMP-9 cleavage resulting in largely non
      amyloidogenic degradation products, adenoviral overexpression of MMP-9 in amyloid
      prone islets reduced amyloid deposition and beta-cell apoptosis. These findings
      suggest that increasing islet MMP-9 activity might be a strategy to limit beta
      cell loss in type 2 diabetes. 

PMID- 26483548
TI  - The Nuclear Factor (Erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 and Proteasome Maturation Protein
      Axis Mediate Bortezomib Resistance in Multiple Myeloma.
AB  - Resistance to the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib is an emerging clinical problem
      whose mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. We considered the possibility
      that this could be associated with enhanced proteasome activity in part through
      the action of the proteasome maturation protein (POMP). Bortezomib-resistant
      myeloma models were used to examine the correlation between POMP expression and
      bortezomib sensitivity. POMP expression was then modulated using genetic and
      pharmacologic approaches to determine the effects on proteasome inhibitor
      sensitivity in cell lines and in vivo models. Resistant cell lines were found to
      overexpress POMP, and while its suppression in cell lines enhanced bortezomib
      sensitivity, POMP overexpression in drug-naive cells conferred resistance.
      Overexpression of POMP was associated with increased levels of nuclear factor
      (erythroid-derived 2)-like (NRF2), and NRF2 was found to bind to and activate the
      POMP promoter. Knockdown of NRF2 in bortezomib-resistant cells reduced POMP
      levels and proteasome activity, whereas its overexpression in drug-naive cells
      increased POMP and proteasome activity. The NRF2 inhibitor all-trans-retinoic
      acid reduced cellular NRF2 levels and increased the anti-proliferative and pro
      apoptotic activities of bortezomib in resistant cells, while decreasing
      proteasome capacity. Finally, the combination of all-trans-retinoic acid with
      bortezomib showed enhanced activity against primary patient samples and in a
      murine model of bortezomib-resistant myeloma. Taken together, these studies
      validate a role for the NRF2/POMP axis in bortezomib resistance and identify NRF2
      and POMP as potentially attractive targets for chemosensitization to this
      proteasome inhibitor. 

PMID- 26483549
TI  - IL-1R/TLR2 through MyD88 Divergently Modulates Osteoclastogenesis through
      Regulation of Nuclear Factor of Activated T Cells c1 (NFATc1) and B Lymphocyte
      induced Maturation Protein-1 (Blimp1).
AB  - Toll-like receptors (TLR) and the receptor for interleukin-1 (IL-1R) signaling
      play an important role in bacteria-mediated bone loss diseases including
      periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteomyelitis. Recent studies have shown
      that TLR ligands inhibit the receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL)
      induced osteoclast differentiation from un-committed osteoclast precursors,
      whereas IL-1 potentiates RANKL-induced osteoclast formation. However, IL-1R and
      TLR belong to the same IL-1R/TLR superfamily, and activate similar intracellular
      signaling pathways. Here, we investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the
      distinct effects of IL-1 and Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (LPS-PG)
      on RANKL-induced osteoclast formation. Our results show that LPS-PG and IL-1
      differentially regulate RANKL-induced activation of osteoclast genes encoding
      Car2, Ctsk, MMP9, and TRAP, as well as expression of NFATc1, a master
      transcription factor of osteoclastogenesis. Regulation of osteoclast genes and
      NFATc1 by LPS-PG and IL-1 is dependent on MyD88, an important signaling adaptor
      for both TLR and IL-1R family members. Furthermore, LPS-PG and IL-1
      differentially regulate RANKL-costimulatory receptor OSCAR (osteoclast-associated
      receptor) expression and Ca(2+) oscillations induced by RANKL. Moreover, LPS-PG
      completely abrogates RANKL-induced gene expression of B lymphocyte-induced
      maturation protein-1 (Blimp1), a global transcriptional repressor of anti
      osteoclastogenic genes encoding Bcl6, IRF8, and MafB. However, IL-1 enhances
      RANKL-induced blimp1 gene expression but suppresses the gene expression of bcl6,
      irf8, and mafb. Our study reveals the involvement of multiple signaling molecules
      in the differential regulation of RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis by TLR2 and IL
      1 signaling. Understanding the signaling cross-talk among TLR, IL-1R, and RANK is
      critical for identifying therapeutic strategies to control bacteria-mediated bone
      loss. 

PMID- 26483550
TI  - Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 5A (EIF5A) Regulates Pancreatic Cancer
      Metastasis by Modulating RhoA and Rho-associated Kinase (ROCK) Protein Expression
      Levels.
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers with an
      overall survival rate of less than 5%. The poor patient outcome in PDAC is
      largely due to the high prevalence of systemic metastasis at the time of
      diagnosis and lack of effective therapeutics that target disseminated cells. The
      fact that the underlying mechanisms driving PDAC cell migration and dissemination
      are poorly understood have hindered drug development and compounded the lack of
      clinical success in this disease. Recent evidence indicates that mutational
      activation of K-Ras up-regulates eIF5A, a component of the cellular translational
      machinery that is critical for PDAC progression. However, the role of eIF5A in
      PDAC cell migration and metastasis has not been investigated. We report here that
      pharmacological inhibition or genetic knockdown of eIF5A reduces PDAC cell
      migration, invasion, and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Proteomic profiling and
      bioinformatic analyses revealed that eIF5A controls an integrated network of
      cytoskeleton-regulatory proteins involved in cell migration. Functional
      interrogation of this network uncovered a critical RhoA/ROCK signaling node that
      operates downstream of eIF5A in invasive PDAC cells. Importantly, eIF5A mediates
      PDAC cell migration and invasion by modulating RhoA/ROCK protein expression
      levels. Together our findings implicate eIF5A as a cytoskeletal rheostat
      controlling RhoA/ROCK protein expression during PDAC cell migration and
      metastasis. Our findings also implicate the eIF5A/RhoA/ROCK module as a potential
      new therapeutic target to treat metastatic PDAC cells. 

PMID- 26483551
TI  - Integrin alpha5 Suppresses the Phosphorylation of Epidermal Growth Factor
      Receptor and Its Cellular Signaling of Cell Proliferation via N-Glycosylation.
AB  - Integrin alpha5beta1-mediated cell adhesion regulates a multitude of cellular
      responses, including cell proliferation, survival, and cross-talk between
      different cellular signaling pathways. Integrin alpha5beta1 is known to convey
      permissive signals enabling anchorage-dependent receptor tyrosine kinase
      signaling. However, the effects of integrin alpha5beta1 on cell proliferation are
      controversial, and the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation between
      integrin alpha5beta1 and receptor tyrosine kinase remain largely unclear. Here we
      show that integrin alpha5 functions as a negative regulator of epidermal growth
      factor receptor (EGFR) signaling through its N-glycosylation. Expression of WT
      integrin alpha5 suppresses the EGFR phosphorylation and internalization upon EGF
      stimulation. However, expression of the N-glycosylation mutant integrin alpha5,
      S3-5, which contains fewer N-glycans, reversed the suppression of the EGFR
      mediated signaling and cell proliferation. In a mechanistic manner, WT but not S3
      5 integrin alpha5 forms a complex with EGFR and glycolipids in the low density
      lipid rafts, and the complex formation is disrupted upon EGF stimulation,
      suggesting that the N-glycosylation of integrin alpha5 suppresses the EGFR
      activation through promotion of the integrin alpha5-glycolipids-EGFR complex
      formation. Furthermore, consistent restoration of those N-glycans on the Calf-1,2
      domain of integrin alpha5 reinstated the inhibitory effects as well as the
      complex formation with EGFR. Taken together, these data are the first to
      demonstrate that EGFR activation can be regulated by the N-glycosylation of
      integrin alpha5, which is a novel molecular paradigm for the cross-talk between
      integrins and growth factor receptors. 

PMID- 26483552
TI  - Salt Bridge Swapping in the EXXERFXYY Motif of Proton-coupled Oligopeptide
      Transporters.
AB  - Proton-coupled oligopeptide transporters (POTs) couple the inward transport of di
      or tripeptides with an inwardly directed transport of protons. Evidence from
      several studies of different POTs has pointed toward involvement of a highly
      conserved sequence motif, E1XXE2RFXYY (from here on referred to as E1XXE2R),
      located on Helix I, in interactions with the proton. In this study, we
      investigated the intracellular substrate accumulation by motif variants with all
      possible combinations of glutamate residues changed to glutamine and arginine
      changed to a tyrosine, the latter being a natural variant found in the
      Escherichia coli POT YjdL. We found that YjdL motif variants with E1XXE2R,
      E1XXE2Y, E1XXQ2Y, or Q1XXE2Y were able to accumulate peptide, whereas those with
      E1XXQ2R, Q1XXE2R, or Q1XXQ2Y were unable to accumulate peptide, and Q1XXQ2R
      abolished uptake. These results suggest a mechanism that involves swapping of an
      intramotif salt bridge, i.e. R-E2 to R-E1, which is consistent with previous
      structural studies. Molecular dynamics simulations of the motif variants E1XXE2R
      and E1XXQ2R support this mechanism. The simulations showed that upon changing
      conformation arginine pushes Helix V, through interactions with the highly
      conserved FYING motif, further away from the central cavity in what could be a
      stabilization of an inward facing conformation. As E2 has been suggested to be
      the primary site for protonation, these novel findings show how protonation may
      drive conformational changes through interactions of two highly conserved motifs.

PMID- 26483553
TI  - NF2/Merlin mediates contact-dependent inhibition of EGFR mobility and
      internalization via cortical actomyosin.
AB  - The proliferation of normal cells is inhibited at confluence, but the molecular
      basis of this phenomenon, known as contact-dependent inhibition of proliferation,
      is unclear. We previously identified the neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) tumor
      suppressor Merlin as a critical mediator of contact-dependent inhibition of
      proliferation and specifically found that Merlin inhibits the internalization of,
      and signaling from, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in response to
      cell contact. Merlin is closely related to the membrane-cytoskeleton linking
      proteins Ezrin, Radixin, and Moesin, and localization of Merlin to the cortical
      cytoskeleton is required for contact-dependent regulation of EGFR. We show that
      Merlin and Ezrin are essential components of a mechanism whereby mechanical
      forces associated with the establishment of cell-cell junctions are transduced
      across the cell cortex via the cortical actomyosin cytoskeleton to control the
      lateral mobility and activity of EGFR, providing novel insight into how cells
      inhibit mitogenic signaling in response to cell contact. 

PMID- 26483554
TI  - The dynein cortical anchor Num1 activates dynein motility by relieving Pac1/LIS1
      mediated inhibition.
AB  - Cortically anchored dynein orients the spindle through interactions with astral
      microtubules. In budding yeast, dynein is offloaded to Num1 receptors from
      microtubule plus ends. Rather than walking toward minus ends, dynein remains
      associated with plus ends due in part to its association with Pac1/LIS1, an
      inhibitor of dynein motility. The mechanism by which dynein is switched from
      "off" at the plus ends to "on" at the cell cortex remains unknown. Here, we show
      that overexpression of the coiled-coil domain of Num1 specifically depletes
      dynein-dynactin-Pac1/LIS1 complexes from microtubule plus ends and reduces dynein
      Pac1/LIS1 colocalization. Depletion of dynein from plus ends requires its
      microtubule-binding domain, suggesting that motility is required. An enhanced
      Pac1/LIS1 affinity mutant of dynein or overexpression of Pac1/LIS1 rescues dynein
      plus end depletion. Live-cell imaging reveals minus end-directed dynein-dynactin
      motility along microtubules upon overexpression of the coiled-coil domain of
      Num1, an event that is not observed in wild-type cells. Our findings indicate
      that dynein activity is directly switched "on" by Num1, which induces Pac1/LIS1
      removal. 

PMID- 26483555
TI  - Spindle assembly checkpoint proteins regulate and monitor meiotic synapsis in C.
      elegans.
AB  - Homologue synapsis is required for meiotic chromosome segregation, but how
      synapsis is initiated between chromosomes is poorly understood. In Caenorhabditis
      elegans, synapsis and a checkpoint that monitors synapsis depend on pairing
      centers (PCs), cis-acting loci that interact with nuclear envelope proteins, such
      as SUN-1, to access cytoplasmic microtubules. Here, we report that spindle
      assembly checkpoint (SAC) components MAD-1, MAD-2, and BUB-3 are required to
      negatively regulate synapsis and promote the synapsis checkpoint response. Both
      of these roles are independent of a conserved component of the anaphase-promoting
      complex, indicating a unique role for these proteins in meiotic prophase. MAD-1
      and MAD-2 localize to the periphery of meiotic nuclei and interact with SUN-1,
      suggesting a role at PCs. Consistent with this idea, MAD-1 and BUB-3 require full
      PC function to inhibit synapsis. We propose that SAC proteins monitor the
      stability of pairing, or tension, between homologues to regulate synapsis and
      elicit a checkpoint response. 

PMID- 26483557
TI  - Cell biology of the future: Nanometer-scale cellular cartography.
AB  - Understanding cellular structure is key to understanding cellular regulation. New
      developments in super-resolution fluorescence imaging, electron microscopy, and
      quantitative image analysis methods are now providing some of the first three
      dimensional dynamic maps of biomolecules at the nanometer scale. These new maps-
      comprehensive nanometer-scale cellular cartographies--will reveal how the
      molecular organization of cells influences their diverse and changeable
      activities.

PMID- 26483556
TI  - A conserved polybasic domain mediates plasma membrane targeting of Lgl and its
      regulation by hypoxia.
AB  - Lethal giant larvae (Lgl) plays essential and conserved functions in regulating
      both cell polarity and tumorigenesis in Drosophila melanogaster and vertebrates.
      It is well recognized that plasma membrane (PM) or cell cortex localization is
      crucial for Lgl function in vivo, but its membrane-targeting mechanisms remain
      poorly understood. Here, we discovered that hypoxia acutely and reversibly
      inhibits Lgl PM targeting through a posttranslational mechanism that is
      independent of the well-characterized atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) or Aurora
      kinase-mediated phosphorylations. Instead, we identified an evolutionarily
      conserved polybasic (PB) domain that targets Lgl to the PM via electrostatic
      binding to membrane phosphatidylinositol phosphates. Such PB domain-mediated PM
      targeting is inhibited by hypoxia, which reduces inositol phospholipid levels on
      the PM through adenosine triphosphate depletion. Moreover, Lgl PB domain contains
      all the identified phosphorylation sites of aPKC and Aurora kinases, providing a
      molecular mechanism by which phosphorylations neutralize the positive charges on
      the PB domain to inhibit Lgl PM targeting. 

PMID- 26483558
TI  - Molecular control of irreversible bistability during trypanosome developmental
      commitment.
AB  - The life cycle of Trypanosoma brucei involves developmental transitions that
      allow survival, proliferation, and transmission of these parasites. One of these,
      the differentiation of growth-arrested stumpy forms in the mammalian blood into
      insect-stage procyclic forms, can be induced synchronously in vitro with cis
      aconitate. Here, we show that this transition is an irreversible bistable switch,
      and we map the point of commitment to differentiation after exposure to cis
      aconitate. This irreversibility implies that positive feedback mechanisms operate
      to allow commitment (i.e., the establishment of "memory" of exposure to the
      differentiation signal). Using the reversible translational inhibitor
      cycloheximide, we show that this signal memory requires new protein synthesis. We
      further performed stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture to
      analyze synchronized parasite populations, establishing the protein and
      phosphorylation profile of parasites pre- and postcommitment, thereby defining
      the "commitment proteome." Functional interrogation of this data set identified
      Nek-related kinase as the first-discovered protein kinase controlling the
      initiation of differentiation to procyclic forms. 

PMID- 26483559
TI  - Nup132 modulates meiotic spindle attachment in fission yeast by regulating
      kinetochore assembly.
AB  - During meiosis, the kinetochore undergoes substantial reorganization to establish
      monopolar spindle attachment. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the
      KNL1-Spc7-Mis12-Nuf2 (KMN) complex, which constitutes the outer kinetochore, is
      disassembled during meiotic prophase and is reassembled before meiosis I. Here,
      we show that the nucleoporin Nup132 is required for timely assembly of the KMN
      proteins: In the absence of Nup132, Mis12 and Spc7 are precociously assembled at
      the centromeres during meiotic prophase. In contrast, Nuf2 shows timely
      dissociation and reappearance at the meiotic centromeres. We further demonstrate
      that depletion of Nup132 activates the spindle assembly checkpoint in meiosis I,
      possibly because of the increased incidence of erroneous spindle attachment at
      sister chromatids. These results suggest that precocious assembly of the
      kinetochores leads to the meiosis I defects observed in the nup132-disrupted
      mutant. Thus, we propose that Nup132 plays an important role in establishing
      monopolar spindle attachment at meiosis I through outer kinetochore
      reorganization at meiotic prophase. 

PMID- 26483561
TI  - Elevated expression of ASCL2 is an independent prognostic indicator in lung
      squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - AIMS: ASCL2, a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor, is putatively
      involved in tumour progression. This study aimed to evaluate ASCL2 expression
      level in non-small-cell carcinoma (NSCLC) and assess its prognostic value for
      patients. METHODS: ASCL2 protein expression was detected by immunohistochemistry
      (IHC cohort) in 79 cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 67 cases of
      adenocarcinoma (AC). Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis were
      performed to evaluate the prognostic significance of ASCL2. The same analyses
      were conducted in a cohort (n=790) from The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA)
      to validate the expression pattern and prognostic value of ASCL2. RESULTS: ASCL2
      expression levels were significantly increased in SCC compared with normal lung
      tissue (p<0.001) and AC (p=0.008). High ASCL2 expression was associated with
      advanced tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (p=0.023) and worse differentiation
      status (p=0.001) in SCC, but a positive correlation between ASCL2 expression
      level and advanced TNM stage (p=0.016) was observed in AC. Kaplan-Meier analysis
      showed that ASCL2 was prognostic in SCC (p=0.004) but not in AC (p=0.183).
      Multivariable Cox regression analysis indicated that elevated expression of ASCL2
      was an independent prognostic factor (HR 2.764; p=0.030) in SCC patients. The
      expression pattern and prognostic significance of ASCL2 in SCC and AC were
      validated using the TCGA cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated expression of ASCL2 may
      identify an aggressive subgroup in SCC and serve as an independent prognostic
      indicator in these patients.

PMID- 26483562
TI  - Professor Stephen Halloran FRCPath, MBE: a career in clinical biochemistry.

PMID- 26483560
TI  - Rootletin organizes the ciliary rootlet to achieve neuron sensory function in
      Drosophila.
AB  - Cilia are essential for cell signaling and sensory perception. In many cell
      types, a cytoskeletal structure called the ciliary rootlet links the cilium to
      the cell body. Previous studies indicated that rootlets support the long-term
      stability of some cilia. Here we report that Drosophila melanogaster Rootletin
      (Root), the sole orthologue of the mammalian paralogs Rootletin and C-Nap1,
      assembles into rootlets of diverse lengths among sensory neuron subtypes. Root
      mutant neurons lack rootlets and have dramatically impaired sensory function,
      resulting in behavior defects associated with mechanosensation and
      chemosensation. Root is required for cohesion of basal bodies, but the cilium
      structure appears normal in Root mutant neurons. We show, however, that normal
      rootlet assembly requires centrioles. The N terminus of Root contains a conserved
      domain and is essential for Root function in vivo. Ectopically expressed Root
      resides at the base of mother centrioles in spermatocytes and localizes
      asymmetrically to mother centrosomes in neuroblasts, both requiring Bld10, a
      basal body protein with varied functions. 

PMID- 26483563
TI  - A simple approach to derive Z-score of reference change value involving more than
      two serial results.

PMID- 26483564
TI  - Authors' reply to the letter to Editor (Annals of Clinical Biochemistry): 'A
      simple approach to derive Z-score of reference change value involving more than
      two serial results'.

PMID- 26483565
TI  - Prognostic value of different biomarkers for cardiovascular death in unselected
      older patients in the emergency department.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Risk stratification of elderly patients presenting with heart failure
      (HF) to an emergency department (ED) is an unmet challenge. We prospectively
      investigated the prognostic performance of different biomarkers in unselected
      older patients in the ED. METHODS: We consecutively enrolled 302 non-surgical
      patients ?70 years presenting to the ED with a wide range of cardiovascular and
      non-cardiovascular comorbid conditions. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide
      (NT-proBNP), mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM), mid-regional pro-atrial
      natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP), C-terminal pro-endothelin-1 (CT-proET-1),
      ultrasensitive C-terminal pro-arginine-vasopressin (Copeptin-us) and high
      sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) were measured at admission. Two
      cardiologists independently adjudicated the final diagnosis of HF after reviewing
      all available baseline data using circulating NT-proBNP levels. A final diagnosis
      of HF was found in 120 (40%) of the 302 patients. All patients were followed up
      for cardiovascular death within the following 12 months. In order to test the
      prognostic performance of the investigated biomarkers we used boosting models
      with age and sex as mandatory covariates. Boosting is a statistical learning
      technique with built-in variable selection developed to obtain sparse and
      interpretable prediction models. RESULTS: Follow-up was 100% complete. During a
      median follow-up time of 225 days (interquartile range (IQR) 156-319 days), 30
      (9.9%) of 302 patients (aged 81+/-6 years) had cardiovascular deaths. Of these 30
      patients, 21 had HF and nine had no HF diagnosed prior to admission. The boosting
      model selected MR-proADM and hs-cTNT as predictors of cardiovascular deaths. The
      median values of MR-proADM and hs-cTnT at presentation were significantly higher
      in patients with cardiovascular deaths compared to surviving patients during
      follow-up (2.56 nmol/L (IQR 1.62-4.48) vs. 1.11 nmol/L (IQR 0.83-1.80), P<0.001
      and 81 ng/L (IQR 38-340) vs. 17 ng/L (IQR 0.9-38), P=0.004). One unit increase in
      the log-transformed MR-proADM levels was associated with a 1.99-fold risk of
      death (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.61-2.45, P<0.001). The second marker, hs
      cTnT, showed an increased predicted risk but was not significantly correlated to
      event-free survival (hazard ratio 3.22, 95% CI 0.97-10.68, P=0.056). CONCLUSION:
      Within different biomarkers, MR-proADM was the only predictor of cardiovascular
      deaths in unselected older patients presenting to the ED.

PMID- 26483566
TI  - Orchestrated Testing.
AB  - Health care quality improvement collaboratives implement care bundles to target
      critical parts of a complex system to improve a specific health outcome. The
      quantitative impact of each component of the care bundle is often unknown.
      Orchestrated testing (OT) is an application of planned experimentation that
      allows simultaneous examination of multiple practices (bundle elements) to
      determine which intervention or combination of interventions affects the outcome.
      The purpose of this article is to describe the process needed to design and
      implement OT methodology for improvement collaboratives. Examples from a
      multicenter collaborative to reduce central line-associated bloodstream
      infections highlight the practical application of this approach. The key
      components for implementation of OT are the following: (1) define current
      practice and evidence, (2) develop a factorial matrix and calculate power, (3)
      formulate structure for engagement, (4) analyze results, and (5) replicate
      findings.

PMID- 26483567
TI  - Bariatric Surgery and Decreasing Vascular Risk.

PMID- 26483568
TI  - The Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio and Behcet Disease.

PMID- 26483569
TI  - Efficacy of Drug-Eluting Balloons for Patients With In-Stent Restenosis: A Meta
      Analysis of 8 Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - The optimal treatment for in-stent restenosis (ISR) of both bare-metal stent
      (BMS) and drug-eluting stent (DES) is currently unclear. The aim of this meta
      analysis was to assess the role of drug-eluting balloon (DEB) as an optional
      treatment for ISR. We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOS, and Web of Science
      from 2005 to July 2014. Eight studies, enrolling 1413 patients were included.
      Main end points were late lumen loss (LLL), binary in-segment restenosis (BR),
      major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), target lesion revascularization (TLR),
      death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stent thrombosis (ST). When compared to
      plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA), DEB treatment significantly reduced the
      risk of MACE (risk rato [RR] 0.37, P < .01), death (RR 0.44, P = .04), TLR (RR
      0.27, P < .01), BR (RR [95% CI]: 0.23[0.12 to 0.43], P < .01) and associated with
      better outcomes of LLL ( 0.50 [ 0.65 to 0.35] mm, P < .01). However, the
      differences were not significant between DEB treatment and DES treatment in all
      primary and secondary end points. The DEB was a better option to treat ISR when
      compared to POBA. However, it had similar effects as DES.

PMID- 26483570
TI  - Delay in Revascularization and Prognosis After Myocardial Infarction.

PMID- 26483571
TI  - Relationship Between Pain and CEAP C Categories of Chronic Venous Disease.
AB  - In this study, we investigated whether the occurrence and intensity of leg pain
      are related to C class of the clinical, etiological, anatomical, and
      pathophysiological (CEAP) classification for chronic venous disease (CVeD). This
      cross-sectional study, conducted in Serbia, included 2841 patients: 2027 (71.3%)
      women and 814 (28.7%) men with CVeD diagnosed by general practitioners. For the
      first time, the Numeric Rating Scale of 0 to 5 units was used to assess the
      intensity of pain. For the analysis, univariate and multivariate logistic and
      linear regressions were applied. Pain in the legs was reported by 90.5% of the
      patients. The occurrence of pain significantly (P < .001) increased with
      increasing C class. Of the patients who reported pain in the legs, 42.0% had
      moderate pain, 23.7% had moderate to severe pain, 22.8% had light pain, 11.2% had
      severe pain, and 0.3% had very severe pain. Severity of pain differed
      significantly (P < .001) according to C class. Light and moderate pain gradually
      decreased and severe pain gradually increased from C0 to C6 class. These
      associations remained significant after adjustment for age, body mass index, and
      family history of CVeD.

PMID- 26483573
TI  - Skeptical of medical science reports?

PMID- 26483572
TI  - Comparison of Long-Term Outcomes in Real-World Patients Between Resolute
      Zotarilumus-Eluting and Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents in Small Vessel.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the long-term clinical outcomes between Resolute
      zotarolimus-eluting stent (R-ZES) and paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) in patients
      with small coronary artery disease. BACKGROUND: Patients with a small vessel
      diameter are independently associated with increased risk of adverse cardiac
      events after drug-eluting stent implantation. METHODS: A cohort of 265 patients
      treated with R-ZES (185 patients with 211 lesions) or PES (80 patients with 100
      lesions) in small vessel (<=2.5 mm) lesions were retrospectively analyzed. The
      primary end point of the study was the composite of major adverse cardiac events.
      The secondary end points included target lesion revascularization (TLR), target
      vessel revascularization (TVR), and stent thrombosis at 3 years. RESULTS: The
      baseline characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. In the R-ZES group,
      the mean stent diameter was smaller and the total stent length per lesion was
      longer. Major adverse cardiac events occurred in 8 (10%) patients who had
      received PES and in 7 (3.8%) patients who had received R-ZES (P = .07). The rates
      of 3-year TLR (2.2% vs 2.5%; P = 1.00) and TVR (5.4% vs 10.0%; P = .17) showed no
      statistically significant difference between the R-ZES and PES groups. The rate
      of stent thrombosis was 0.5% in the R-ZES group and 2.5% in the PES group (P =
      .21). CONCLUSION: The rates of major adverse cardiac events and cardiac death
      were similar in the R-ZES-treated group compared with the PES-treated group.

PMID- 26483574
TI  - An ethicist's commentary on global food shortage and animal feed.

PMID- 26483575
TI  - Abnormal changes in both mandibular salivary glands in a dog: Non-mineral
      radiopaque sialoliths.
AB  - A 10-year-old Maltese dog was presented with a firm mass on the left side of his
      neck. Physical examination confirmed a firm mass in the left and a submandibular
      swelling in the right cervical region. Sialolithiasis and associated sialocele in
      both mandibular salivary glands were suspected and bilateral sialoadenectomy was
      performed. The stones were identified as non-mineral sialoliths. 

PMID- 26483576
TI  - Failure to thrive and life-threatening complications due to inherited selective
      cobalamin malabsorption effectively managed in a juvenile Australian shepherd
      dog.
AB  - A juvenile Australian shepherd dog exhibited failure to grow, inappetence,
      weakness, nonregenerative anemia, neutropenia, and cobalamin deficiency. DNA
      testing confirmed homozygosity of an amnionless mutation (AMN c.3G > A). Clinical
      signs resolved with supportive care and parenteral cobalamin supplementation.
      Inherited selective intestinal cobalamin malabsorption requiring lifelong
      parenteral supplementation should be considered in Australian shepherds, giant
      schnauzers, border collies, and beagles that fail to thrive. 

PMID- 26483577
TI  - Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in a weimaraner.
AB  - Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) was diagnosed postmortem
      in a weimaraner dog. Syncope, ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden death in this
      patient combined with the histopathological fatty tissue infiltration affecting
      the right ventricular myocardium are consistent with previous reports of ARVC in
      non-boxer dogs. Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy has not been
      previously reported in weimaraners. 

PMID- 26483578
TI  - Presentation, treatment, and outcome of squamous cell carcinoma in the perineal
      region of 9 goats.
AB  - Nine goats were treated for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the perineal and/or
      tail region. This case series is the first detailed description of clinical
      presentation and treatment of caprine SCC in North America and characterizes the
      potential risk factors and outcomes. 

PMID- 26483579
TI  - Acute pancreatitis following granulosa cell tumor removal in a mare.
AB  - Acute pancreatitis is a rare disease in horses and is often associated with
      gastrointestinal disorders. Accurate diagnosis is challenging due to the presence
      of nonspecific clinical signs. This case represents the first documentation of
      acute pancreatitis in a horse following surgery of the reproductive tract. 

PMID- 26483580
TI  - Gastric malpositioning and chronic, intermittent vomiting following prophylactic
      gastropexy in a 20-month-old great Dane dog.
AB  - A 20-month-old castrated male great Dane dog was presented for evaluation of
      chronic intermittent vomiting of 2 months' duration. A prophylactic incisional
      gastropexy performed at 6 mo of age resulted in gastric malpositioning and
      subsequent partial gastric outflow tract obstruction. 

PMID- 26483581
TI  - Retrospective analysis of survey data relating to the employment conditions of
      Canadian veterinary graduates for the years 2008 to 2013.
AB  - Six years of survey data generated from the "Annual New Graduate Survey" were
      collated and analyzed for trends. Canadian veterinary colleges graduated 14.9%
      more veterinarians in 2013 than 2008; 79.3% of graduates were female and this
      percentage was similar across all colleges (P = 0.51). The average base salary
      for new graduates remained constant at ~$69 000/annum for the years 2011 to 2013.
      However, the mean base salary of those employed in western Canada and Ontario was
      higher than that of employees in Quebec and the Maritimes (P < 0.001). There were
      no differences in the base salaries paid to males and females (P = 0.18) nor in
      what small animal, food animal, and equine practices were paying new graduates (P
      = 0.94). The 3 most common employee benefits were: a continuing education
      allowance, paid licensing fees, and paid malpractice insurance premiums. 

PMID- 26483582
TI  - Retrospective comparison of abdominal ultrasonography and radiography in the
      investigation of feline abdominal disease.
AB  - Abdominal radiography and ultrasonography are commonly used as part of the
      initial diagnostic plan for cats with nonspecific signs of abdominal disease.
      This retrospective study compared the clinical usefulness of abdominal
      radiography and ultrasonography in 105 feline patients with signs of abdominal
      disease. The final diagnosis was determined more commonly with ultrasonography
      (59%) compared to radiography (25.7%). Ultrasonography was also able to provide
      additional clinically relevant information in 76% of cases, and changed or
      refined the diagnosis in 47% of cases. Based on these findings, ultrasonography
      may be sufficient as an initial diagnostic test for the investigation of feline
      abdominal disease. 

PMID- 26483583
TI  - Effects of administration of a synthetic low molecular weight/low molar
      substitution hydroxyethyl starch solution in healthy neonatal foals.
AB  - This study compared the effects of IV administration of isotonic fluid therapy
      and colloidal fluid therapy in healthy neonatal foals. Fifteen healthy neonatal
      foals were used in a randomized blinded prospective clinical study. Foals were
      randomly assigned to receive a bolus of 20 mL/kg of tetrastarch (TES) or balanced
      crystalloid solution. Vital parameters, colloid osmotic pressure (COP), and
      various clinicopathologic variables were assessed prior to infusion and at
      various time points up to 120 h after infusion. The treatment group (TES) had a
      significant increase in both COP and percentage increase in COP at 1 and 3 h. The
      COP was significantly lower than baseline at 3 h in the control group. No
      significant changes were observed in coagulation parameters in either group.
      Tetrastarch was effective in increasing COP for 3 h after infusion and had no
      notable adverse clinical effects in this group of healthy foals. Further studies
      are warranted regarding optimal dosing and effects in clinically ill foals. 

PMID- 26483585
TI  - Prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococci in canine pyoderma cases in
      primary care veterinary practices in Canada: A preliminary study.
AB  - Pyoderma in dogs is most commonly caused by Staphylococcus spp., and significant
      emergence of methicillin resistance in staphylococcal pyoderma has been reported.
      This preliminary study of the prevalence of methicillin resistance in canine
      pyoderma cases in Canadian primary care veterinary practices revealed that
      methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. were present in 12.1% of 149
      staphylococcal positive skin culture cases. 

PMID- 26483586
TI  - Comparison between the 2013-2014 and 2009-2012 annual porcine reproductive and
      respiratory syndrome virus epidemics in a cohort of sow herds in the United
      States.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to describe the 2013/2014 porcine reproductive and
      respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) epidemic in the United States and compare it
      with the previous 4 y of data from 2009 to 2012. A total of 371 herds
      participated in the study, representing nearly 1.2 million sows in 15 States.
      There were significantly fewer PRRSV cases during this study period and the onset
      of the annual epidemic was delayed approximately 3 wk. Cluster analysis revealed
      a pattern similar to previous years. The roles of spurious observations,
      increased awareness of PRRSV epidemics, and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus
      detection in the United States swine herd are considered. 

PMID- 26483584
TI  - Acute BVDV-2 infection in beef calves delays humoral responses to a non
      infectious antigen challenge.
AB  - Immunosuppressive effects of an intranasal challenge with non-cytopathic bovine
      viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) 2a (strain 1373) were assessed through acquired and
      innate immune system responses to ovalbumin (OVA). Concurrent BVDV infection was
      hypothesized to delay and reduce the humoral response to ovalbumin (administered
      on days 3 and 15 post-inoculation). Infected animals followed the expected
      clinical course. BVDV titers, and anti-BVDV antibodies confirmed the course of
      infection and were not affected by the administration of OVA. Both the T-helper
      (CD4(+)) and B-cell (CD20(+)) compartments were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced
      in infected animals, while the gamma-delta T-cell population (Workshop cluster
      1+, WC1(+)) decreased slightly in numbers. Infection with BVDV delayed the
      increase in OVA IgG by approximately 3 d from day 12 through day 21 post
      inoculation. Between days 25 and 37 post-inoculation following BVDV infection the
      IgM concentration in the BVDV- group decreased while the OVA IgM titer still was
      rising in the BVDV+ animals. Thus, active BVDV infection delays IgM and IgG
      responses to a novel, non-infectious antigen. 

PMID- 26483587
TI  - Suspected adverse reactions to vaccination in Canadian dogs and cats.

PMID- 26483588
TI  - Canada: Distribution of Streptococcus suis (from 2012 to 2014) and Actinobacillus
      pleuropneumoniae (from 2011 to 2014) serotypes isolated from diseased pigs.

PMID- 26483589
TI  - Accidental communication.

PMID- 26483590
TI  - Those Responsible for Approving Research Studies Have Poor Knowledge of Research
      Study Design: a Knowledge Assessment of Institutional Review Board Members.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Institutional Review Board (IRB) members have a duty to protect the
      integrity of the research process, but little is known about their basic
      knowledge of clinical research study designs. METHODS: A nationwide sample of IRB
      members from major US research universities completed a web-based questionnaire
      consisting of 11 questions focusing on basic knowledge about clinical research
      study designs. It included questions about randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
      and other observational research study designs. Potential predictors (age,
      gender, educational attainment, type of IRB, current IRB membership, years of IRB
      service, clinical research experience, and self-identification as a scientist) of
      incorrect answers were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression models.
      RESULTS: 148 individuals from 36 universities participated. The majority of
      participants, 68.9% (102/148), were holding a medical or doctoral degree.
      Overall, only 26.5% (39/148) of participants achieved a perfect score of 11. On
      the six-question subset addressing RCTs, 46.6% (69/148) had a perfect score. Most
      individual questions, and the summary model of overall quiz score (perfect vs.
      not perfect), revealed no significant predictors - indicating that knowledge
      deficits were not limited to specific subgroups of IRB members. For the RCT
      knowledge score there was one significant predictor: compared with MDs, IRB
      members without a doctoral degree were three times as likely to answer at least
      one RCT question incorrectly (Odds Ratio: 3.00, 95% CI 1.10-8.20). However, even
      among MD IRB members, 34.1% (14/41) did not achieve a perfect score on the six
      RCT questions. CONCLUSIONS: This first nationwide study of IRB member knowledge
      about clinical research study designs found significant knowledge deficits.
      Knowledge deficits were not limited to laypersons or community advocate members
      of IRBs, as previously suggested. Akin to widespread ethical training
      requirements for clinical researchers, IRB members should undergo systematic
      training on clinical research designs.

PMID- 26483591
TI  - Family Medicine Education with Virtual Patients: a Qualitative Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Virtual patients (VP) have been present within the medical education
      process for some time. Although they are assumed to be of great benefit for
      student learning, very little is know about student perception and outcomes of
      learning, especially during the pre-clerkship years. Therefore we have decided to
      investigate the use of VPs during lectures, which has never been analyzed before,
      but could present an opportunity for more effective and holistic learning.
      METHODS: This was a qualitative study among the 4th year undergraduate medical
      students at the Medical Faculty, University of Maribor, Slovenia. Students, after
      completing 4 virtual patient cases during the semester, were asked to participate
      in focus groups. Using these focus groups we asked students to provide
      information about their perceptions of VP cases, their learning, and suggestions
      for educational improvements. Data was transcribed and analyzed using the
      grounded theory-based coding method (open coding). RESULTS: Medical students
      reported having a positive attitude towards virtual patient learning. They
      perceived them as helpful for filling in knowledge gaps, learning appropriate
      patient care and clinical reasoning. However, especially within the setting of
      early clinical learning, students felt the need to discuss their questions with
      their tutors in order to achieve better learning outcomes. CONCLUSION: Students
      on teaching courses feel the need for structured instructor sessions and the
      integration of VPs in the course planning in order to maximize their learning
      outcomes.

PMID- 26483592
TI  - Scientific Production of Medical Universities in the West of Iran: a
      Scientometric Analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to compare scientific production by providing
      quantitative evaluation of science output in five Western Iranian Medical
      Universities including Hamedan, Ilam, Kermanshah, Kurdistan and Lorestan
      University of Medical Sciences using scientometrics indicators based on data
      indexed in Scopus for period between the years 2010 to 2014. METHODS: In this
      scientometric study data were collected using Scopus database. Both searching and
      analyzing features of Scopus were used to data retrieval and analysis. We used
      Scientometrics indicators including number of publications, number of citations,
      nationalization index (NI), Internationalization Index (INI), H-index, average
      number of citations per paper, and growth index. RESULTS: Five Western Iranian
      Universities produced over 3011 articles from 2010 to 2014. These articles were
      cited 7158 times with an average rate of 4.2 citations per article. H- Index of
      under study universities are varying from 14 to 30. Ilam University of Medical
      Sciences had the highest international collaboration with an INI of 0.33 compared
      to Hamedan and Kermanshah universities with INI of 0.20 and 0.16 respectively.
      The lowest international collaboration belonged to Lorestan University of Medical
      Sciences (0.07). The highest Growth Index belonged to Kurdistan University of
      Medical Sciences (69.7). CONCLUSION: Although scientific production of five
      Western Iranian Medical Universities was increasing, but this trend was not
      stable. To achieve better performance it is recommended that five Western Iranian
      Universities stabilize their budgeting and investment policies in research.

PMID- 26483593
TI  - A Map for Clinical Laboratories Management Indicators in the Intelligent
      Dashboard.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: management challenges of clinical laboratories are more complicated
      for educational hospital clinical laboratories. Managers can use tools of
      business intelligence (BI), such as information dashboards that provide the
      possibility of intelligent decision-making and problem solving about increasing
      income, reducing spending, utilization management and even improving quality.
      Critical phase of dashboard design is setting indicators and modeling causal
      relations between them. The paper describes the process of creating a map for
      laboratory dashboard. METHODS: the study is one part of an action research that
      begins from 2012 by innovation initiative for implementing laboratory intelligent
      dashboard. Laboratories management problems were determined in educational
      hospitals by the brainstorming sessions. Then, with regard to the problems key
      performance indicators (KPIs) specified. RESULTS: the map of indicators designed
      in form of three layered. They have a causal relationship so that issues measured
      in the subsequent layers affect issues measured in the prime layers. CONCLUSION:
      the proposed indicator map can be the base of performance monitoring. However,
      these indicators can be modified to improve during iterations of dashboard
      designing process.

PMID- 26483594
TI  - The Webometric Status of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Webometrics refers to the quantitative study of science production,
      application, structure and technology in the cyber environment. Impact analysis,
      website collaboration, and recognition of core websites are regarded as the most
      practical advantages of webometrics. Furthermore, webometrics is applied in
      ranking studies for universities and academic institutes. This serves as an
      internationally approved means of academic ranking worldwide. Our study aimed to
      evaluate the webometric status of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (IUMS)
      and its place in the Webometric Ranking of World Universities. We also tried to
      comment on how to improve the university's webometric rank at national, regional,
      and international levels. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a descriptive cross
      sectional study including all websites of Iranian universities. Census sampling
      was applied to cover all Iranian university websites. Then the websites were
      evaluated according to the latest criteria for the international webometric
      ranking methodology (Cyberometric Lab, July 2012) and their webometric rank at
      the international level as well as the changes in the rank between July 2012 and
      January 2013 were analyzed. The webometric rank of IUMS was compared with other
      medical universities at different levels as well. FINDINGS: According to the
      findings, from July 2012 to January 2013, IUMS webometric rank improved by 707, 5
      and 2 at international, national and ministerial levels, respectively. Moreover,
      the rank of IUMS for openness rose from 4477 to 193 during the mentioned period
      (? 4284). In excellence, the university rank did not change sensibly (1537
      /1538). In the same period, the rank in presence shifted from 1137 to 1091.
      Meanwhile, growth in website impact was negative as the university impact rank
      declined from 3369 to 3393. CONCLUSION: It seems that impact as the most
      influential ranking indicator fails to grow proportionately as other factors of
      IUMS website. This is potentially due to the content language (Farsi) which is an
      important barrier to easy retrieval of information by non-Farsi speakers.
      However, the scientific content and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) standards of
      the website need serious improvement.

PMID- 26483595
TI  - Developing an Intelligent System for Diagnosis of Asthma Based on Artificial
      Neural Network.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lack of proper diagnosis and inadequate treatment of asthma, leads
      to physical and financial complications. This study aimed to use data mining
      techniques and creating a neural network intelligent system for diagnosis of
      asthma. METHODS: The study population is the patients who had visited one of the
      Lung Clinics in Tehran. Data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical tool and
      the chi-square Pearson's coefficient was the basis of decision making for data
      ranking. The considered neural network is trained using back propagation learning
      technique. RESULTS: According to the analysis performed by means of SPSS to
      select the top factors, 13 effective factors were selected, in different
      performances, data was mixed in various forms, so the different modes was made
      for training the data and testing networks and in all different modes, the
      network was able to predict correctly 100% of all cases. CONCLUSION: Using data
      mining methods before the design structure of system, aimed to reduce the data
      dimension and the optimum choice of the data, will lead to a more accurate
      system. So considering the data mining approaches due to the nature of medical
      data is necessary.

PMID- 26483596
TI  - Electronic Health Record for Intensive Care based on Usual Windows Based
      Software.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In Intensive Care Units, the amount of data to be
      processed for patients care, the turn over of the patients, the necessity for
      reliability and for review processes indicate the use of Patient Data Management
      Systems (PDMS) and electronic health records (EHR). To respond to the needs of an
      Intensive Care Unit and not to be locked with proprietary software, we developed
      an EHR based on usual software and components. METHODS: The software was designed
      as a client-server architecture running on the Windows operating system and
      powered by the access data base system. The client software was developed using
      Visual Basic interface library. The application offers to the users the following
      functions: medical notes captures, observations and treatments, nursing charts
      with administration of medications, scoring systems for classification, and
      possibilities to encode medical activities for billing processes. RESULTS: Since
      his deployment in September 2004, the EHR was used to care more than five
      thousands patients with the expected software reliability and facilitated data
      management and review processes. Communications with other medical software were
      not developed from the start, and are realized by the use of basic
      functionalities communication engine. Further upgrade of the system will include
      multi-platform support, use of typed language with static analysis, and
      configurable interface. CONCLUSION: The developed system based on usual software
      components was able to respond to the medical needs of the local ICU environment.
      The use of Windows for development allowed us to customize the software to the
      preexisting organization and contributed to the acceptability of the whole
      system.

PMID- 26483597
TI  - Regulation by Phloroglucinol of Nrf2/Maf-Mediated Expression of Antioxidant
      Enzymes and Inhibition of Osteoclastogenesis via the RANKL/RANK Signaling
      Pathway: In Silico study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Phloroglucinol is an antioxidant compound with many positive
      effects on health. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of
      phloroglucinol in osteoclastogenesis via the RANKL/RANK signaling pathway and the
      activity of the transcription factor Nrf2. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Analysis was
      performed in silico using the primary method of docking by the use of Hex 8.0
      software and Haddock web server. Analysis of interactions was then performed to
      determine interactions between the ligand and its receptors by using the software
      LigPlus and LigandScout 3.1. RESULTS: Results indicated that phloroglucinol
      compound was thought to inhibit osteoclastogenesis via three mechanisms:
      inhibiting RANKL-RANK interaction, sustaining the RANKL-OPG bond, and increasing
      the activity of the transcription factor Nrf2.

PMID- 26483598
TI  - Inhibition on JAK-STAT3 Signaling Transduction Cascade Is Taken by Bioactive
      Peptide Alpha-S2 Casein Protein from Goat Ethawah Breed Milk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: RA is a systemic inflammatory disease that causes developing
      comorbidity conditions. This condition can cause by overproduction of pro
      inflammatory cytokine. In a previous study, we have found bioactive peptide
      CSN1S2 from Ethawah goat milk for anti-inflammatory for repair the ileum
      destruction. However, the signaling transduction cascade of bioactive peptides
      inhibits inflammation still not clear yet. Therefore, we analyzed the signaling
      transduction cascade via JAK-STAT3 pathway by in vivo and in silico. METHODS: The
      ileum was isolated DNA and amplification with specific primer. The sequence was
      analyzed using the Sanger sequencing method. Modeling 3D-structure was predicted
      by SWISS-MODEL and virtual interaction was analyzed by docking system using Pymol
      and Discovery Studio 4.0 software. RESULTS: This study showed that STAT3 has
      target gene 480bp. The normal group and normal treating- CSN1S2 of goat milk have
      similarity from gene bank. Whereas, RA group had transversion mutation that the
      purine change into pyrimidine even cause frameshift mutation. Interestingly,
      after treating with the CSN1S2 protein of goat milk shows reverse to the normal
      acid sequence group. Based on in silico study, from eight peptides, only three
      peptides of CSN1S2 protein, which carried by PePT1 to enter the small intestine.
      The fragments are PepT1-41-NMAIHPR-47; PepT1-182-KISQYYQK-189 and PepT1-214
      TNAIPYVR-221. We have found just one bioactive peptide of f182-KISQYYQK-189 is
      able bind to STAT3. The energy binding of f182-KISQYYQK-189 and RA-STAT3 amino
      acid, it was Sigma = -402.43 kJ/mol and the energy binding of f182-KISQYYQK-189
      and RAS-STAT3 amino acid is decreasing into Sigma = -407.09 kJ/mol. CONCLUSION:
      This study suggested that the fragment 182-KISQYYQK-189 peptides from Ethawah
      goat milk may act as an anti-inflammatory agent via JAK-STAT3 signal transduction
      cascade at the cellular level.

PMID- 26483599
TI  - Hemodialysis Adequacy Monitoring Information System: Minimum Data Set and
      Capabilities Required.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In dialysis centers both nephrologists and nurses are faced with
      the challenge of ensuring reliable and efficient care accordance with the
      clinical guideline. Hemodialysis adequacy monitoring information system therefore
      enable the automation of tasks, which ultimately allows doctors and nursing staff
      more time to dedicate to the individual treatment of patients. Development of the
      information systems in healthcare has made the use of the Minimum data set
      inevitable. The purpose of this study was determined MDS and capabilities
      required in hemodialysis adequacy monitoring information system. METHOD AND
      MATERIALS: This is a cross-sectional survey conducted with participation of 320
      nephrology specialists in 2015. Data were collected using an electronic
      questionnaire which was estimated as both reliable and valid. The data were
      analyzed by SPSS software descriptive statistics and analytical statistics.
      RESULTS: Overall 42 data elements were determined as final set in 4 major
      categories (patient demographics, medical history, treatment plan and
      hemodialysis adequacy). The most capabilities required of hemodialysis
      information system were related to calculate of dialysis adequacy Index (4.80),
      advice optimal dose of dialysis for each patient (4.63), Easy access to
      information system without restrictions of time and place (4.61), providing
      alerts when dialysis adequacy index below the standard (4.55) and Interchange to
      other information systems in hospitals (4.46) respectively. CONCLUSION: In design
      and implementation of information systems focus on MDS and identification IS
      capabilities based on the users' needs, due to the wide participation users and
      also the success of the information system. Therefore it is necessary that MDS
      evaluated carefully with regard to the intended uses of the data. Also
      information systems based on capabilities the ability to meet the needs of their
      users.

PMID- 26483600
TI  - Suggested Minimum Data Set for Speech Therapy Centers Affiliated to Tabriz
      University of Medical Sciences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The minimum data considered as a conceptual framework, based on the
      achievement of effectiveness indicators and it ensures to access of precise and
      clear health data. The aims of the present study were identified and proposed a
      data element set of speech therapy centers affiliated with Tabriz University of
      Medical Sciences. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study that was cross - sectional
      type, performed in 9 speech therapy clinic from medical university in 2014.
      Firstly, the minimum data elements set evaluated using the check list in these
      centers. Using the findings from the first step and survey of internal and
      external documentation forms, designed a questionnaire containing a minimum data
      speech therapy files and it shared between 36 Speech therapy experts using 5
      options of Likert scale. Validity of questionnaire was examined through its
      validity and reliability of content by retest. For data analysis, data processing
      was performed using descriptive statistics by SPSS21 software. RESULTS: The
      minimum data set for speech therapy were divided into two categories: clinical
      and administrative data. The Name and surname, date of birth, gender, address,
      telephone number, date of admission and the number of treatments, the patient's
      complaint, the time of occurrence of injury or disorder, reason and age of
      disease considered as the most important elements for management data and health
      history. For the most important elements of clinical information were selected
      Short-term and long-term aims and development of speech history. CONCLUSION: The
      design and implementation of suitable data collection of speech therapy for
      gathering of data, we recommended planning for the control and prevention of
      speech disorders to providing high quality and good care of patient in speech
      therapy centers.

PMID- 26483601
TI  - MRI Findings of Talocalcaneal Coalition: Two Case Reports.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tarsal coalition is abnormal fusion of two or more tarsal bones and
      is a common cause of foot pain. There are osseous, cartilaginous and fibrous
      subtypes. Calcaneonavicular and talocalcaneal coalitions are more frequent.
      Radiography is the primary diagnostic tool, however CT and MRI are precious
      examinations for differential diagnosis of osseous /non-osseous coalitions
      separations. Furthermore, cross-sectional imaging methods indicate the extension
      and secondary degenerative joint changes. CASE REPORTS: The detection of bone
      marrow of edema in the articulation area is valuable for diagnosis Hereby, we
      present two cases, 24 years old female and 35 years old male, with the diagnosis
      of talocalcaneal coaliation. We also discuss MRI and radiographic findings.

PMID- 26483602
TI  - The Most Influential Scientists in the Development of the Medical Informatics
      (7): Shigekoto Kaihara.

PMID- 26483603
TI  - International Joint Meeting EuroMISE 2015 Prague, Czech Republic, June 16-18,
      2015.

PMID- 26483604
TI  - 13th International Conference on Informatics, Management and Technology in
      Healthcare, Athens, Greece, 9-11 July, 2015.

PMID- 26483607
TI  - Organophosphate Hydrolase in Conductometric Biosensor for the Detection of
      Organophosphate Pesticides.
AB  - The research has developed an enzyme biosensor for the detection organophosphate
      pesticide residues. The biosensor consists of a pair of screen-printed carbon
      electrode (SPCEs). One of electrodes contains immobilized organophosphate
      hydrolase (OPH) on a chitosan membrane by cross-linking it with glutaraldehyde.
      The area of the electrodes was optimized to 3, 5, and 7 mm(2). The OPH was
      isolated from Pseudomonas putida, and was purified by the ammonium sulfate
      precipitation method, with 6444 ppm (A) and 7865 ppm (B). The organophosphate
      pesticide samples were 0-100 ppb in tris-acetate buffer 0.05 M, pH 8.5. The
      results showed that the best performance of the biosensor was achieved by the
      enzyme A with an electrode area of 5 mm(2). The sensitivity of the biosensor was
      between 3 and 32 uS/ppb, and the detection limit for the organophosphate
      pesticides was 40 ppb (diazinon), 30 ppb (malathion), 20 ppb (chlorpyrifos), and
      40 ppm (profenofos). 

PMID- 26483605
TI  - Apoptosis, Necrosis, and Necroptosis in the Gut and Intestinal Homeostasis.
AB  - Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) form a physiochemical barrier that separates
      the intestinal lumen from the host's internal milieu and is critical for
      electrolyte passage, nutrient absorption, and interaction with commensal
      microbiota. Moreover, IECs are strongly involved in the intestinal mucosal
      inflammatory response as well as in mucosal innate and adaptive immune responses.
      Cell death in the intestinal barrier is finely controlled, since alterations may
      lead to severe disorders, including inflammatory diseases. The emerging picture
      indicates that intestinal epithelial cell death is strictly related to the
      maintenance of tissue homeostasis. This review is focused on previous reports on
      different forms of cell death in intestinal epithelium. 

PMID- 26483606
TI  - More than a Decade of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in the Treatment of Solid
      Tumors: What We Have Learned and What the Future Holds.
AB  - The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in the treatment of solid tumors is
      the expected standard of care for many types of tumors. Since the description of
      signal transduction pathways, followed by the development of small molecules
      designed to inhibit those pathways, there has been significant improvement not
      only in progression-free survival and overall survival but also in aiming toward
      chemotherapy-free treatment of solid tumors to maximize quality of life. This
      article reviews available TKIs and discusses toxicity, dosing, and resistance. 

PMID- 26483608
TI  - The Interface Between Iron Metabolism and Gene-Based Iron Contrast for MRI.
AB  - Using a gene-based approach to track cellular and molecular activity with
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has many advantages. The strong correlation
      between transverse relaxation rates and total cellular iron content provides a
      basis for developing sensitive and quantitative detection of MRI reporter gene
      expression. In addition to biophysical concepts, general features of mammalian
      iron regulation add valuable context for interpreting molecular MRI predicated on
      gene-based iron labeling. With particular reference to the potential of
      magnetotactic bacterial gene expression as a magnetic resonance (MR) contrast
      agent for mammalian cell tracking, studies in different cell culture models
      highlight the influence of intrinsic iron regulation on the MRI signal. The
      interplay between dynamic regulation of mammalian iron metabolism and expression
      systems designed to sequester iron biominerals for MRI is presented from the
      perspective of their potential influence on MR image interpretation. 

PMID- 26483611
TI  - What was Glaucoma Called Before the 20th Century?
AB  - Glaucoma involves a characteristic optic neuropathy, often with elevated
      intraocular pressure. Before 1850, poor vision with a normal eye appearance, as
      occurs in primary open-angle glaucoma, was termed amaurosis, gutta serena, or
      black cataract. Few observers noted palpable hardness of the eye in amaurosis. On
      the other hand, angle-closure glaucoma can produce a green or gray pupil, and
      therefore was called, variously, glaucoma (derived from the Greek for glaucous, a
      nonspecific term connoting blue, green, or light gray) and viriditate oculi.
      Angle closure, with palpable hardness of the eye, mydriasis, and anterior
      prominence of the lens, was described in greater detail in the 18th and 19th
      centuries. The introduction of the ophthalmoscope in 1850 permitted the
      visualization of the excavated optic neuropathy in eyes with a normal or with a
      dilated greenish-gray pupil. Physicians developed a better appreciation of the
      role of intraocular pressure in both conditions, which became subsumed under the
      rubric "glaucoma". 

PMID- 26483609
TI  - Iron Oxide as an MRI Contrast Agent for Cell Tracking.
AB  - Iron oxide contrast agents have been combined with magnetic resonance imaging for
      cell tracking. In this review, we discuss coating properties and provide an
      overview of ex vivo and in vivo labeling of different cell types, including stem
      cells, red blood cells, and monocytes/macrophages. Furthermore, we provide
      examples of applications of cell tracking with iron contrast agents in stroke,
      multiple sclerosis, cancer, arteriovenous malformations, and aortic and cerebral
      aneurysms. Attempts at quantifying iron oxide concentrations and other vascular
      properties are examined. We advise on designing studies using iron contrast
      agents including methods for validation. 

PMID- 26483612
TI  - Ameloblastoma: A Review of Recent Molecular Pathogenetic Discoveries.
AB  - Ameloblastoma is an odontogenic neoplasm whose molecular pathogenesis has only
      recently been elucidated. The discovery of recurrent activating mutations in
      FGFR2, BRAF, and RAS in a large majority of ameloblastomas has implicated
      dysregulation of MAPK pathway signaling as a critical step in the pathogenesis of
      this tumor. Some degree of controversy exists regarding the role of mutations
      affecting the sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway, specifically Smoothened (SMO), which
      have been postulated to serve as either an alternative pathogenetic mechanism or
      secondary mutations. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of the
      molecular pathogenesis of ameloblastoma as well as the diagnostic, prognostic,
      and therapeutic implications of these discoveries. 

PMID- 26483610
TI  - Current State of Animal (Mouse) Modeling in Melanoma Research.
AB  - Despite the considerable progress in understanding the biology of human cancer
      and technological advancement in drug discovery, treatment failure remains an
      inevitable outcome for most cancer patients with advanced diseases, including
      melanoma. Despite FDA-approved BRAF-targeted therapies for advanced stage
      melanoma showed a great deal of promise, development of rapid resistance limits
      the success. Hence, the overall success rate of melanoma therapy still remains to
      be one of the worst compared to other malignancies. Advancement of next
      generation sequencing technology allowed better identification of alterations
      that trigger melanoma development. As development of successful therapies
      strongly depends on clinically relevant preclinical models, together with the new
      findings, more advanced melanoma models have been generated. In this article,
      besides traditional mouse models of melanoma, we will discuss recent ones, such
      as patient-derived tumor xenografts, topically inducible BRAF mouse model and
      RCAS/TVA-based model, and their advantages as well as limitations. Although mouse
      models of melanoma are often criticized as poor predictors of whether an
      experimental drug would be an effective treatment, development of new and more
      relevant models could circumvent this problem in the near future. 

PMID- 26483613
TI  - Disseminated Mycobacterium Simiae with Pelvic Malakoplakia in an AIDS Patient.
AB  - Malakoplakia in an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patient with
      disseminated Mycobacterium simiae infection presented with a large pelvic mass
      that caused organ dysfunction from mimicking a tumor. Malakoplakia is a rare,
      chronic granulomatous abnormal host response toward infectious agents, presenting
      as a tumor-like lesion. This is the first report of pelvic malakoplakia after
      disseminated M. simiae infection in an AIDS patient. 

PMID- 26483614
TI  - Beta-Adrenergic Blockade Therapy for Autonomic Dysfunction is Less Effective for
      Elderly Patients with Heart Failure and Reduced Left Ventricular Ejection
      Fraction.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Heart rate variability (HRV) has been reported to be an independent
      predictor of all-cause and sudden cardiac death in patients with heart failure.
      In the aging heart, however, both autonomic and cardiac functions appear to be
      altered. We assessed the relationship between aging and responsiveness of HRV and
      ventricular remodeling to beta-adrenergic blockade therapy in patients with heart
      failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFREF). METHODS: Twenty-eight clinically
      stable patients with chronic heart failure, sinus rhythm, and left ventricular
      ejection fraction <50% as confirmed by echocardiography were included. At
      baseline and after carvedilol treatment, 24-hour ambulatory Holter monitor
      recording was used to analyze HRV indices by the maximum entropy method. Changes
      in these parameters were compared among three age groups. RESULTS: HR decreased
      in all groups after carvedilol treatment, but was still highest in the youngest
      group despite the same treatment doses. Time and frequency domain variables
      improved. The response of time domain variables (the standard deviation of all
      normal sinus to normal sinus [NN] intervals and the standard deviation of the
      averages of NN intervals in all 5-minute or 30-minute segments) to carvedilol
      therapy significantly decreased with increasing age. Ventricular reverse
      remodeling induced by carvedilol therapy significantly decreased with increasing
      age. Increases in time domain variables and a low-frequency domain moderately
      correlated with left ventricular reverse remodeling. CONCLUSION: Beta-adrenergic
      blockade therapy improved HRV variables and ventricular remodeling in HFREF
      patients; however, the response tended to be milder in the elderly. HRV
      improvement was associated with ventricular reverse remodeling.

PMID- 26483615
TI  - Biochemical Characterisation of Phage Pseudomurein Endoisopeptidases PeiW and
      PeiP Using Synthetic Peptides.
AB  - Pseudomurein endoisopeptidases cause lysis of the cell walls of methanogens by
      cleaving the isopeptide bond Ala-epsilon-Lys in the peptide chain of
      pseudomurein. PeiW and PeiP are two thermostable pseudomurein endoisopeptidases
      encoded by phage PsiM100 of Methanothermobacter wolfei and phages PsiM1 and PsiM2
      of Methanothermobacter marburgensis, respectively. A continuous assay using
      synthetic peptide substrates was developed and used in the biochemical
      characterisation of recombinant PeiW and PeiP. The advantages of these synthetic
      peptide substrates over natural substrates are sensitivity, high purity, and
      characterisation and the fact that they are more easily obtained than natural
      substrates. In the presence of a reducing agent, purified PeiW and PeiP each
      showed similar activity under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Both enzymes
      required a divalent metal for activity and showed greater thermostability in the
      presence of Ca(2+). PeiW and PeiP involve a cysteine residue in catalysis and
      have a monomeric native conformation. The kinetic parameters, K(M) and k(cat),
      were determined, and the epsilon-isopeptide bond between alanine and lysine was
      confirmed as the bond lysed by these enzymes in pseudomurein. The new assay may
      have wider applications for the general study of peptidases and the
      identification of specific methanogens susceptible to lysis by specific
      pseudomurein endoisopeptidases.

PMID- 26483616
TI  - Peritonitis following Endoscopy in a Patient on Peritoneal Dialysis with a
      Discussion of Current Recommendations on Antibiotic Prophylaxis.
AB  - Patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) are at increased risk for peritonitis. We
      report a case of a patient with end-stage renal disease on continuous ambulatory
      PD (CAPD) who developed peritonitis within 24 h of upper endoscopy with biopsy
      and colonoscopy with polypectomy. He had a previous history of peritonitis
      unrelated to invasive procedures and eventually was transitioned to hemodialysis
      because of his recurrent peritonitis. The International Society for Peritoneal
      Dialysis (ISPD) and newly revised American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
      (ASGE) guidelines recommend prophylactic antibiotics for CAPD patients undergoing
      endoscopic procedures. Other guidelines do not address this issue, and there has
      been limited evidence to support recommendations. 

PMID- 26483617
TI  - A New Etiology for the Abdominal Compartment Syndrome: Pseudomyxoma Peritonei.
AB  - Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare diagnosis with an incidence of 1-2 per
      million. Most cases originate from an appendix which ruptures and releases mucin
      into the peritoneal cavity. The progression of the disease results in obstruction
      and cutaneous leak. Abdominal compartment syndrome is an uncommon complication of
      peritoneal pseudomyxoma. In the present article, we report the case of a patient
      with PMP and abdominal compartment syndrome. A laparotomy to decrease the
      abdominal pressure was performed. Three months later, a peritonectomy with
      hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy was performed. The patient was still
      alive 1 year after the procedure without any recurrence. In conclusion, acute
      abdominal pain and respiratory failure in patients with peritoneal PMP should
      lead to the measurement of the abdominal pressure but are not a contra indication
      for curative treatment of PMP. 

PMID- 26483619
TI  - Mitochondria-controlled signaling mechanisms of brain protection in hypoxia.
AB  - The article is focused on the role of the cell bioenergetic apparatus,
      mitochondria, involved in development of immediate and delayed molecular
      mechanisms for adaptation to hypoxic stress in brain cortex. Hypoxia induces
      reprogramming of respiratory chain function and switching from oxidation of NAD
      related substrates (complex I) to succinate oxidation (complex II). Transient,
      reversible, compensatory activation of respiratory chain complex II is a major
      mechanism of immediate adaptation to hypoxia necessary for (1) succinate-related
      energy synthesis in the conditions of oxygen deficiency and formation of urgent
      resistance in the body; (2) succinate-related stabilization of HIF-1alpha and
      initiation of its transcriptional activity related with formation of long-term
      adaptation; (3) succinate-related activation of the succinate-specific receptor,
      GPR91. This mechanism participates in at least four critical regulatory
      functions: (1) sensor function related with changes in kinetic properties of
      complex I and complex II in response to a gradual decrease in ambient oxygen
      concentration; this function is designed for selection of the most efficient
      pathway for energy substrate oxidation in hypoxia; (2) compensatory function
      focused on formation of immediate adaptive responses to hypoxia and hypoxic
      resistance of the body; (3) transcriptional function focused on activated
      synthesis of HIF-1 and the genes providing long-term adaptation to low pO2; (4)
      receptor function, which reflects participation of mitochondria in the
      intercellular signaling system via the succinate-dependent receptor, GPR91. In
      all cases, the desired result is achieved by activation of the succinate
      dependent oxidation pathway, which allows considering succinate as a signaling
      molecule. Patterns of mitochondria-controlled activation of GPR-91- and HIF-1
      dependent reaction were considered, and a possibility of their participation in
      cellular-intercellular-systemic interactions in hypoxia and adaptation was
      proved. 

PMID- 26483620
TI  - Reward processing and drug addiction: does sex matter?

PMID- 26483618
TI  - Characterizing autism spectrum disorders by key biochemical pathways.
AB  - The genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
      presents a substantial challenge for diagnosis, classification, research, and
      treatment. Investigations into the underlying molecular etiology of ASD have
      often yielded mixed and at times opposing findings. Defining the molecular and
      biochemical underpinnings of heterogeneity in ASD is crucial to our understanding
      of the pathophysiological development of the disorder, and has the potential to
      assist in diagnosis and the rational design of clinical trials. In this review,
      we propose that genetically diverse forms of ASD may be usefully parsed into
      entities resulting from converse patterns of growth regulation at the molecular
      level, which lead to the correlates of general synaptic and neural overgrowth or
      undergrowth. Abnormal brain growth during development is a characteristic feature
      that has been observed both in children with autism and in mouse models of
      autism. We review evidence from syndromic and non-syndromic ASD to suggest that
      entities currently classified as autism may fundamentally differ by underlying
      pro- or anti-growth abnormalities in key biochemical pathways, giving rise to
      either excessive or reduced synaptic connectivity in affected brain regions. We
      posit that this classification strategy has the potential not only to aid
      research efforts, but also to ultimately facilitate early diagnosis and direct
      appropriate therapeutic interventions. 

PMID- 26483622
TI  - Evolving perceptual biases for antisynchrony: a form of temporal coordination
      beyond synchrony.

PMID- 26483621
TI  - Development of social skills in children: neural and behavioral evidence for the
      elaboration of cognitive models.
AB  - Social skills refer to a wide group of abilities that allow us to interact and
      communicate with others. Children learn how to solve social situations by
      predicting and understanding other's behaviors. The way in which humans learn to
      interact successfully with others encompasses a complex interaction between
      neural, behavioral, and environmental elements. These have a role in the
      accomplishment of positive developmental outcomes, including peer acceptance,
      academic achievement, and mental health. All these social abilities depend on
      widespread brain networks that are recently being studied by neuroscience. In
      this paper, we will first review the studies on this topic, aiming to clarify the
      behavioral and neural mechanisms related to the acquisition of social skills
      during infancy and their appearance in time. Second, we will briefly describe how
      developmental diseases like Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can inform about the
      neurobiological mechanisms of social skills. We finally sketch a general
      framework for the elaboration of cognitive models in order to facilitate the
      comprehension of human social development. 

PMID- 26483623
TI  - Effects of age on electrophysiological correlates of speech processing in a
      dynamic "cocktail-party" situation.
AB  - Successful speech perception in multi-speaker environments depends on auditory
      scene analysis, comprising auditory object segregation and grouping, and on
      focusing attention toward the speaker of interest. Changes in speaker settings
      (e.g., in speaker position) require object re-selection and attention re
      focusing. Here, we tested the processing of changes in a realistic multi-speaker
      scenario in younger and older adults, employing a speech-perception task, and
      event-related potential (ERP) measures. Sequences of short words (combinations of
      company names and values) were simultaneously presented via four loudspeakers at
      different locations, and the participants responded to the value of a target
      company. Voice and position of the speaker of the target information were kept
      constant for a variable number of trials and then changed. Relative to the pre
      change level, changes caused higher error rates, and more so in older than
      younger adults. The ERP analysis revealed stronger fronto-central N2 and N400
      components in younger adults, suggesting a more effective inhibition of
      concurrent speech stimuli and enhanced language processing. The difference ERPs
      (post-change minus pre-change) indicated a change-related N400 and late positive
      complex (LPC) over parietal areas in both groups. Only the older adults showed an
      additional frontal LPC, suggesting increased allocation of attentional resources
      after changes in speaker settings. In sum, changes in speaker settings are
      critical events for speech perception in multi-speaker environments. Especially
      older persons show deficits that could be based on less flexible inhibitory
      control and increased distraction. 

PMID- 26483624
TI  - The entorhinal cortex is involved in conditioned odor and context aversions.
AB  - In a natural environment, avoidance of a particular food source is mostly
      determined by a previous intake experience during which sensory stimuli such as
      food odor, become aversive through a simple associative conditioned learning.
      Conditioned odor aversion learning (COA) is a food conditioning paradigm that
      results from the association between a tasteless scented solution (conditioned
      stimulus, CS) and a gastric malaise (unconditioned stimulus, US) that followed
      its ingestion. In the present experimental conditions, acquisition of COA also
      led to acquisition of aversion toward the context in which the CS was presented
      (conditioned context aversion, CCA). Previous data have shown that the entorhinal
      cortex (EC) is involved in the memory processes underlying COA acquisition and
      context fear conditioning, but whether EC lesion modulates CCA acquisition has
      never be investigated. To this aim, male Long-Evans rats with bilateral EC lesion
      received CS-US pairings in a particular context with different interstimulus
      intervals (ISI). The results showed that the establishment of COA with long ISI
      obtained in EC-lesioned rats is associated with altered CCA learning. Since ISI
      has been suggested to be the determining factor in the odor- and context-US
      association, our results show that the EC is involved in the processes that
      control both associations relative to ISI duration. 

PMID- 26483625
TI  - The past and the future of Alzheimer's disease CSF biomarkers-a journey toward
      validated biochemical tests covering the whole spectrum of molecular events.
AB  - This paper gives a short review on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for
      Alzheimer's disease (AD), from early developments to high-precision validated
      assays on fully automated lab analyzers. We also discuss developments on novel
      biomarkers, such as synaptic proteins and Abeta oligomers. Our vision for the
      future is that assaying a set of biomarkers in a single CSF tube can monitor the
      whole spectrum of AD molecular pathogenic events. CSF biomarkers will have a
      central position not only for clinical diagnosis, but also for the understanding
      of the sequence of molecular events in the pathogenic process underlying AD and
      as tools to monitor the effects of novel drug candidates targeting these
      different mechanisms. 

PMID- 26483627
TI  - Classifying multiple types of hand motions using electrocorticography during
      intraoperative awake craniotomy and seizure monitoring processes-case studies.
AB  - In this work, some case studies were conducted to classify several kinds of hand
      motions from electrocorticography (ECoG) signals during intraoperative awake
      craniotomy & extraoperative seizure monitoring processes. Four subjects (P1, P2
      with intractable epilepsy during seizure monitoring and P3, P4 with brain tumor
      during awake craniotomy) participated in the experiments. Subjects performed
      three types of hand motions (Grasp, Thumb-finger motion and Index-finger motion)
      contralateral to the motor cortex covered with ECoG electrodes. Two methods were
      used for signal processing. Method I: autoregressive (AR) model with burg method
      was applied to extract features, and additional waveform length (WL) feature has
      been considered, finally the linear discriminative analysis (LDA) was used as the
      classifier. Method II: stationary subspace analysis (SSA) was applied for data
      preprocessing, and the common spatial pattern (CSP) was used for feature
      extraction before LDA decoding process. Applying method I, the three-class
      accuracy of P1~P4 were 90.17, 96.00, 91.77, and 92.95% respectively. For method
      II, the three-class accuracy of P1~P4 were 72.00, 93.17, 95.22, and 90.36%
      respectively. This study verified the possibility of decoding multiple hand
      motion types during an awake craniotomy, which is the first step toward dexterous
      neuroprosthetic control during surgical implantation, in order to verify the
      optimal placement of electrodes. The accuracy during awake craniotomy was
      comparable to results during seizure monitoring. This study also indicated that
      ECoG was a promising approach for precise identification of eloquent cortex
      during awake craniotomy, and might form a promising BCI system that could benefit
      both patients and neurosurgeons. 

PMID- 26483626
TI  - Dynamic expression of long noncoding RNAs and repeat elements in synaptic
      plasticity.
AB  - Long-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic transmission is recognized as a cellular
      mechanism for learning and memory storage. Although de novo gene transcription is
      known to be required in the formation of stable LTP, the molecular mechanisms
      underlying synaptic plasticity remain elusive. Noncoding RNAs have emerged as
      major regulatory molecules that are abundantly and specifically expressed in the
      mammalian brain. By combining RNA-seq analysis with LTP induction in the dentate
      gyrus of live rats, we provide the first global transcriptomic analysis of
      synaptic plasticity in the adult brain. Expression profiles of mRNAs and long
      noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) were obtained at 30 min, 2 and 5 h after high-frequency
      stimulation of the perforant pathway. The temporal analysis revealed dynamic
      expression profiles of lncRNAs with many positively, and highly, correlated to
      protein-coding genes with known roles in synaptic plasticity, suggesting their
      possible involvement in LTP. In light of observations suggesting a role for
      retrotransposons in brain function, we examined the expression of various classes
      of repeat elements. Our analysis identifies dynamic regulation of LINE1 and SINE
      retrotransposons, and extensive regulation of tRNA. These experiments reveal a
      hitherto unknown complexity of gene expression in long-term synaptic plasticity
      involving the dynamic regulation of lncRNAs and repeat elements. These findings
      provide a broader foundation for elucidating the transcriptional and epigenetic
      regulation of synaptic plasticity in both the healthy brain and in
      neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. 

PMID- 26483628
TI  - Musical neurofeedback for treating depression in elderly people.
AB  - We introduce a new neurofeedback approach, which allows users to manipulate
      expressive parameters in music performances using their emotional state, and we
      present the results of a pilot clinical experiment applying the approach to
      alleviate depression in elderly people. Ten adults (9 female and 1 male, mean =
      84, SD = 5.8) with normal hearing participated in the neurofeedback study
      consisting of 10 sessions (2 sessions per week) of 15 min each. EEG data was
      acquired using the Emotiv EPOC EEG device. In all sessions, subjects were asked
      to sit in a comfortable chair facing two loudspeakers, to close their eyes, and
      to avoid moving during the experiment. Participants listened to music pieces
      preselected according to their music preferences, and were encouraged to increase
      the loudness and tempo of the pieces, based on their arousal and valence levels.
      The neurofeedback system was tuned so that increased arousal, computed as beta to
      alpha activity ratio in the frontal cortex corresponded to increased loudness,
      and increased valence, computed as relative frontal alpha activity in the right
      lobe compared to the left lobe, corresponded to increased tempo. Pre and post
      evaluation of six participants was performed using the BDI depression test,
      showing an average improvement of 17.2% (1.3) in their BDI scores at the end of
      the study. In addition, an analysis of the collected EEG data of the participants
      showed a significant decrease of relative alpha activity in their left frontal
      lobe (p = 0.00008), which may be interpreted as an improvement of their
      depression condition. 

PMID- 26483629
TI  - Implementation of a spike-based perceptron learning rule using TiO2-x memristors.
AB  - Synaptic plasticity plays a crucial role in allowing neural networks to learn and
      adapt to various input environments. Neuromorphic systems need to implement
      plastic synapses to obtain basic "cognitive" capabilities such as learning. One
      promising and scalable approach for implementing neuromorphic synapses is to use
      nano-scale memristors as synaptic elements. In this paper we propose a hybrid
      CMOS-memristor system comprising CMOS neurons interconnected through TiO2-x
      memristors, and spike-based learning circuits that modulate the conductance of
      the memristive synapse elements according to a spike-based Perceptron plasticity
      rule. We highlight a number of advantages for using this spike-based plasticity
      rule as compared to other forms of spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP)
      rules. We provide experimental proof-of-concept results with two silicon neurons
      connected through a memristive synapse that show how the CMOS plasticity circuits
      can induce stable changes in memristor conductances, giving rise to increased
      synaptic strength after a potentiation episode and to decreased strength after a
      depression episode. 

PMID- 26483632
TI  - Extracellular environment contribution to astrogliosis-lessons learned from a
      tissue engineered 3D model of the glial scar.
AB  - Glial scars are widely seen as a (bio)mechanical barrier to central nervous
      system regeneration. Due to the lack of a screening platform, which could allow
      in-vitro testing of several variables simultaneously, up to now no comprehensive
      study has addressed and clarified how different lesion microenvironment
      properties affect astrogliosis. Using astrocytes cultured in alginate gels and
      meningeal fibroblast conditioned medium, we have built a simple and reproducible
      3D culture system of astrogliosis mimicking many features of the glial scar.
      Cells in this 3D culture model behave similarly to scar astrocytes, showing
      changes in gene expression (e.g., GFAP) and increased extra-cellular matrix
      production (chondroitin 4 sulfate and collagen), inhibiting neuronal outgrowth.
      This behavior being influenced by the hydrogel network properties. Astrocytic
      reactivity was found to be dependent on RhoA activity, and targeting RhoA using
      shRNA-mediated lentivirus reduced astrocytic reactivity. Further, we have shown
      that chemical inhibition of RhoA with ibuprofen or indirectly targeting RhoA by
      the induction of extracellular matrix composition modification with
      chondroitinase ABC, can diminish astrogliosis. Besides presenting the
      extracellular matrix as a key modulator of astrogliosis, this simple, controlled
      and reproducible 3D culture system constitutes a good scar-like system and offers
      great potential in future neurodegenerative mechanism studies, as well as in drug
      screenings envisaging the development of new therapeutic approaches to minimize
      the effects of the glial scar in the context of central nervous system disease. 

PMID- 26483631
TI  - Neo-synthesis of estrogenic or androgenic neurosteroids determine whether long
      term potentiation or depression is induced in hippocampus of male rat.
AB  - Estrogenic and androgenic steroids synthesized in the brain may rapidly modulate
      synaptic plasticity interacting with specific membrane receptors. We explored by
      electrophysiological recordings in hippocampal slices of male rat the influence
      of 17beta-estradiol (E2) and 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) neo-synthesis on
      the synaptic changes induced in the CA1 region. Induction of long-term depression
      (LTD) and depotentiation (DP) by low frequency stimulation (LFS, 15 min-1 Hz) and
      of long-term potentiation (LTP) by high frequency stimulation (HFS, 1 s-100 Hz),
      medium (MFS, 1 s-50 Hz), or weak (WFS, 1 s-25 Hz) frequency stimulation was
      assayed under inhibitors of enzymes converting testosterone (T) into DHT (5alpha
      reductase) and T into E2 (P450-aromatase). We found that LFS-LTD depends on DHT
      synthesis, since it was fully prevented under finasteride, an inhibitor of DHT
      synthesis, and rescued by exogenous DHT, while the E2 synthesis was not involved.
      Conversely, the full development of HFS-LTP requires the synthesis of E2, as
      demonstrated by the LTP reduction observed under letrozole, an inhibitor of E2
      synthesis, and its full rescue by exogenous E2. For intermediate stimulation
      protocols DHT, but not E2 synthesis, was involved in the production of a small
      LTP induced by WFS, while the E2 synthesis was required for the MFS-dependent
      LTP. Under the combined block of DHT and E2 synthesis all stimulation frequencies
      induced partial LTP. Overall, these results indicate that DHT is required for
      converting the partial LTP into LTD whereas E2 is needed for the full expression
      of LTP, evidencing a key role of the neo-synthesis of sex neurosteroids in
      determining the direction of synaptic long-term effects. 

PMID- 26483630
TI  - Associating schizophrenia, long non-coding RNAs and neurostructural dynamics.
AB  - Several lines of evidence indicate that schizophrenia has a strong genetic
      component. But the exact nature and functional role of this genetic component in
      the pathophysiology of this mental illness remains a mystery. Long non-coding
      RNAs (lncRNAs) are a recently discovered family of molecules that regulate gene
      transcription through a variety of means. Consequently, lncRNAs could help us
      bring together apparent unrelated findings in schizophrenia; namely, genomic
      deficiencies on one side and neuroimaging, as well as postmortem results on the
      other. In fact, the most consistent finding in schizophrenia is decreased brain
      size together with enlarged ventricles. This anomaly appears to originate from
      shorter and less ramified dendrites and axons. But a decrease in neuronal
      arborizations cannot explain the complex pathophysiology of this psychotic
      disorder; however, dynamic changes in neuronal structure present throughout life
      could. It is well recognized that the structure of developing neurons is
      extremely plastic. This structural plasticity was thought to stop with brain
      development. However, breakthrough discoveries have shown that neuronal structure
      retains some degree of plasticity throughout life. What the neuroscientific field
      is still trying to understand is how these dynamic changes are regulated and
      lncRNAs represent promising candidates to fill this knowledge gap. Here, we
      present evidence that associates specific lncRNAs with schizophrenia. We then
      discuss the potential role of lncRNAs in neurostructural dynamics. Finally, we
      explain how dynamic neurostructural modifications present throughout life could,
      in theory, reconcile apparent unrelated findings in schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26483633
TI  - Pharmacological activation of CB2 receptors counteracts the deleterious effect of
      ethanol on cell proliferation in the main neurogenic zones of the adult rat
      brain.
AB  - Chronic alcohol exposure reduces endocannabinoid activity and disrupts adult
      neurogenesis in rodents, which results in structural and functional alterations.
      Cannabinoid receptor agonists promote adult neural progenitor cell (NPC)
      proliferation. We evaluated the protective effects of the selective CB1 receptor
      agonist ACEA, the selective CB2 receptor agonist JWH133 and the fatty-acid amide
      hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor URB597, which enhances endocannabinoid receptor
      activity, on NPC proliferation in rats with forced consumption of ethanol (10%)
      or sucrose liquid diets for 2 weeks. We performed immunohistochemical and
      stereological analyses of cells expressing the mitotic phosphorylation of histone
      3 (phospho-H3+) and the replicating cell DNA marker 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine
      (BrdU+) in the main neurogenic zones of adult brain: subgranular zone of dentate
      gyrus (SGZ), subventricular zone of lateral ventricles (SVZ) and hypothalamus.
      Animals were allowed ad libitum ethanol intake (7.3 +/- 1.1 g/kg/day) after a
      controlled isocaloric pair-feeding period of sucrose and alcoholic diets. Alcohol
      intake reduced the number of BrdU+ cells in SGZ, SVZ, and hypothalamus. The
      treatments (URB597, ACEA, JWH133) exerted a differential increase in alcohol
      consumption over time, but JWH133 specifically counteracted the deleterious
      effect of ethanol on NPC proliferation in the SVZ and SGZ, and ACEA reversed this
      effect in the SGZ only. JWH133 also induced an increased number of BrdU+ cells
      expressing neuron-specific beta3-tubulin in the SVZ and SGZ. These results
      indicated that the specific activation of CB2 receptors rescued alcohol-induced
      impaired NPC proliferation, which is a potential clinical interest for the risk
      of neural damage in alcohol dependence. 

PMID- 26483634
TI  - Editorial: Homeostatic and retrograde signaling mechanisms modulating presynaptic
      function and plasticity.

PMID- 26483635
TI  - Regulation of cytoskeletal dynamics by redox signaling and oxidative stress:
      implications for neuronal development and trafficking.
AB  - A proper balance between chemical reduction and oxidation (known as redox
      balance) is essential for normal cellular physiology. Deregulation in the
      production of oxidative species leads to DNA damage, lipid peroxidation and
      aberrant post-translational modification of proteins, which in most cases induces
      injury, cell death and disease. However, physiological concentrations of
      oxidative species are necessary to support important cell functions, such as
      chemotaxis, hormone synthesis, immune response, cytoskeletal remodeling, Ca(2+)
      homeostasis and others. Recent evidence suggests that redox balance regulates
      actin and microtubule dynamics in both physiological and pathological contexts.
      Microtubules and actin microfilaments contain certain amino acid residues that
      are susceptible to oxidation, which reduces the ability of microtubules to
      polymerize and causes severing of actin microfilaments in neuronal and non
      neuronal cells. In contrast, inhibited production of reactive oxygen species
      (ROS; e.g., due to NOXs) leads to aberrant actin polymerization, decreases
      neurite outgrowth and affects the normal development and polarization of neurons.
      In this review, we summarize emerging evidence suggesting that both general and
      specific enzymatic sources of redox species exert diverse effects on cytoskeletal
      dynamics. Considering the intimate relationship between cytoskeletal dynamics and
      trafficking, we also discuss the potential effects of redox balance on
      intracellular transport via regulation of the components of the microtubule and
      actin cytoskeleton as well as cytoskeleton-associated proteins, which may
      directly impact localization of proteins and vesicles across the soma, dendrites
      and axon of neurons. 

PMID- 26483636
TI  - BACE1 activity impairs neuronal glucose oxidation: rescue by beta-hydroxybutyrate
      and lipoic acid.
AB  - Glucose hypometabolism and impaired mitochondrial function in neurons have been
      suggested to play early and perhaps causative roles in Alzheimer's disease (AD)
      pathogenesis. Activity of the aspartic acid protease, beta-site amyloid precursor
      protein (APP) cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), responsible for beta amyloid peptide
      generation, has recently been demonstrated to modify glucose metabolism. We
      therefore examined, using a human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cell line, whether
      increased BACE1 activity is responsible for a reduction in cellular glucose
      metabolism. Overexpression of active BACE1, but not a protease-dead mutant BACE1,
      protein in SH-SY5Y cells reduced glucose oxidation and the basal oxygen
      consumption rate, which was associated with a compensatory increase in
      glycolysis. Increased BACE1 activity had no effect on the mitochondrial electron
      transfer process but was found to diminish substrate delivery to the mitochondria
      by inhibition of key mitochondrial decarboxylation reaction enzymes. This BACE1
      activity-dependent deficit in glucose oxidation was alleviated by the presence of
      beta hydroxybutyrate or alpha-lipoic acid. Consequently our data indicate that
      raised cellular BACE1 activity drives reduced glucose oxidation in a human
      neuronal cell line through impairments in the activity of specific tricarboxylic
      acid cycle enzymes. Because this bioenergetic deficit is recoverable by
      neutraceutical compounds we suggest that such agents, perhaps in conjunction with
      BACE1 inhibitors, may be an effective therapeutic strategy in the early-stage
      management or treatment of AD. 

PMID- 26483637
TI  - Meninges harbor cells expressing neural precursor markers during development and
      adulthood.
AB  - Brain and skull developments are tightly synchronized, allowing the cranial bones
      to dynamically adapt to the brain shape. At the brain-skull interface, meninges
      produce the trophic signals necessary for normal corticogenesis and bone
      development. Meninges harbor different cell populations, including cells forming
      the endosteum of the cranial vault. Recently, we and other groups have described
      the presence in meninges of a cell population endowed with neural differentiation
      potential in vitro and, after transplantation, in vivo. However, whether meninges
      may be a niche for neural progenitor cells during embryonic development and in
      adulthood remains to be determined. In this work we provide the first description
      of the distribution of neural precursor markers in rat meninges during
      development up to adulthood. We conclude that meninges share common properties
      with the classical neural stem cell niche, as they: (i) are a highly
      proliferating tissue; (ii) host cells expressing neural precursor markers such as
      nestin, vimentin, Sox2 and doublecortin; and (iii) are enriched in extracellular
      matrix components (e.g., fractones) known to bind and concentrate growth factors.
      This study underlines the importance of meninges as a potential niche for
      endogenous precursor cells during development and in adulthood. 

PMID- 26483638
TI  - Increased phosphorylation of Cx36 gap junctions in the AII amacrine cells of RD
      retina.
AB  - Retinal degeneration (RD) encompasses a family of diseases that lead to
      photoreceptor death and visual impairment. Visual decline due to photoreceptor
      cell loss is further compromised by emerging spontaneous hyperactivity in inner
      retinal cells. This aberrant activity acts as a barrier to signals from the
      remaining photoreceptors, hindering therapeutic strategies to restore light
      sensitivity in RD. Gap junctions, particularly those expressed in AII amacrine
      cells, have been shown to be integral to the generation of aberrant activity. It
      is unclear whether gap junction expression and coupling are altered in RD. To
      test this, we evaluated the expression and phosphorylation state of connexin36
      (Cx36), the gap junction subunit predominantly expressed in AII amacrine cells,
      in two mouse models of RD, rd10 (slow degeneration) and rd1 (fast degeneration).
      Using Ser293-P antibody, which recognizes a phosphorylated form of connexin36, we
      found that phosphorylation of connexin36 in both slow and fast RD models was
      significantly greater than in wildtype controls. This elevated phosphorylation
      may underlie the increased gap junction coupling of AII amacrine cells exhibited
      by RD retina. 

PMID- 26483639
TI  - Editorial: What can simple brains teach us about how vision works.

PMID- 26483640
TI  - Corticofugal projection patterns of whisker sensorimotor cortex to the sensory
      trigeminal nuclei.
AB  - The primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory cortices project to several
      trigeminal sensory nuclei. One putative function of these corticofugal
      projections is the gating of sensory transmission through the trigeminal
      principal nucleus (Pr5), and some have proposed that S1 and S2 project
      differentially to the spinal trigeminal subnuclei, which have inhibitory circuits
      that could inhibit or disinhibit the output projections of Pr5. Very little,
      however, is known about the origin of sensorimotor corticofugal projections and
      their patterns of termination in the various trigeminal nuclei. We addressed this
      issue by injecting anterograde tracers in S1, S2 and primary motor (M1) cortices,
      and quantitatively characterizing the distribution of labeled terminals within
      the entire rostro-caudal chain of trigeminal sub-nuclei. We confirmed our
      anterograde tracing results by injecting retrograde tracers at various rostro
      caudal levels within the trigeminal sensory nuclei to determine the position of
      retrogradely labeled cortical cells with respect to S1 barrel cortex. Our results
      demonstrate that S1 and S2 projections terminate in largely overlapping regions
      but show some significant differences. Whereas S1 projection terminals tend to
      cluster within the principal trigeminal (Pr5), caudal spinal trigeminal
      interpolaris (Sp5ic), and the dorsal spinal trigeminal caudalis (Sp5c), S2
      projection terminals are distributed in a continuum across all trigeminal nuclei.
      Contrary to the view that sensory gating could be mediated by differential
      activation of inhibitory interconnections between the spinal trigeminal
      subnuclei, we observed that projections from S1 and S2 are largely overlapping in
      these subnuclei despite the differences noted earlier. 

PMID- 26483642
TI  - Fear learning through the two visual systems, a commentary on: "A parvalbumin
      positive excitatory visual pathway to trigger fear responses in mice".

PMID- 26483641
TI  - Frequency-specific adaptation and its underlying circuit model in the auditory
      midbrain.
AB  - Receptive fields of sensory neurons are considered to be dynamic and depend on
      the stimulus history. In the auditory system, evidence of dynamic frequency
      receptive fields has been found following stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA).
      However, the underlying mechanism and circuitry of SSA have not been fully
      elucidated. Here, we studied how frequency-receptive fields of neurons in rat
      inferior colliculus (IC) changed when exposed to a biased tone sequence. Pure
      tone with one specific frequency (adaptor) was presented markedly more often than
      others. The adapted tuning was compared with the original tuning measured with an
      unbiased sequence. We found inhomogeneous changes in frequency tuning in IC,
      exhibiting a center-surround pattern with respect to the neuron's best frequency.
      Central adaptors elicited strong suppressive and repulsive changes while flank
      adaptors induced facilitative and attractive changes. Moreover, we proposed a two
      layer model of the underlying network, which not only reproduced the adaptive
      changes in the receptive fields but also predicted novelty responses to oddball
      sequences. These results suggest that frequency-specific adaptation in auditory
      midbrain can be accounted for by an adapted frequency channel and its lateral
      spreading of adaptation, which shed light on the organization of the underlying
      circuitry. 

PMID- 26483643
TI  - Corrigendum: Morphological evidence for dopamine interactions with pallidal
      neurons in primates.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 111 in vol. 9, PMID: 26321923.]. 

PMID- 26483644
TI  - Cajal and the Conceptual Weakness of Neural Sciences.
AB  - The experimental and conceptual contributions of Santiago Ramon y Cajal remain
      almost as fresh and valuable as when his original proposals were published more
      than a century ago-a rare example, contrasting with other related sciences. His
      basic concepts on the neuron as the main building block of the central nervous
      system, the dynamic polarization principle as a way to understand how neurons
      deal with ongoing active processes, and brain local structural arrangements as a
      result of the functional specialization of selected neural circuits are concepts
      still surviving in present research papers dealing with brain function during the
      performance of cognitive and/or behavioral activities. What is more, the central
      dogma of the Neuroscience of today, i.e., brain plasticity as the morpho
      functional substrate of memory and learning processes, was already proposed and
      documented with notable insights by Ramon y Cajal. From this background, I will
      try to discuss in this chapter which new functional and structural concepts have
      been introduced in contemporary Neuroscience and how we will be able to construct
      a set of basic principles underlying brain functions for the twenty-first
      century. 

PMID- 26483646
TI  - Mechanical neuroscience: Emil du Bois-Reymond's innovations in theory and
      practice.

PMID- 26483645
TI  - fMRI investigation of response inhibition, emotion, impulsivity, and clinical
      high-risk behavior in adolescents.
AB  - High-risk behavior in adolescents is associated with injury, mental health
      problems, and poor outcomes in later life. Improved understanding of the
      neurobiology of high-risk behavior and impulsivity shows promise for informing
      clinical treatment and prevention as well as policy to better address high-risk
      behavior. We recruited 21 adolescents (age 14-17) with a wide range of high-risk
      behavior tendencies, including medically high-risk participants recruited from
      psychiatric clinics. Risk tendencies were assessed using the Adolescent Risk
      Behavior Screen (ARBS). ARBS risk scores correlated highly (0.78) with
      impulsivity scores from the Barratt Impulsivity scale (BIS). Participants
      underwent 4.7 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing
      an emotional Go/NoGo task. This task presented an aversive or neutral distractor
      image simultaneously with each Go or NoGo stimulus. Risk behavior and impulsivity
      tendencies exhibited similar but not identical associations with fMRI activation
      patterns in prefrontal brain regions. We interpret these results as reflecting
      differences in response inhibition, emotional stimulus processing, and emotion
      regulation in relation to participant risk behavior tendencies and impulsivity
      levels. The results are consistent with high impulsivity playing an important
      role in determining high risk tendencies in this sample containing clinically
      high-risk adolescents. 

PMID- 26483648
TI  - Erratum: Optimal feedback control successfully explains changes in neural
      modulations during experiments with brain-machine interfaces.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 71 in vol. 9, PMID: 26042002.]. 

PMID- 26483647
TI  - Corticofugal modulation of peripheral auditory responses.
AB  - The auditory efferent system originates in the auditory cortex and projects to
      the medial geniculate body (MGB), inferior colliculus (IC), cochlear nucleus (CN)
      and superior olivary complex (SOC) reaching the cochlea through olivocochlear
      (OC) fibers. This unique neuronal network is organized in several afferent
      efferent feedback loops including: the (i) colliculo-thalamic-cortico-collicular;
      (ii) cortico-(collicular)-OC; and (iii) cortico-(collicular)-CN pathways. Recent
      experiments demonstrate that blocking ongoing auditory-cortex activity with
      pharmacological and physical methods modulates the amplitude of cochlear
      potentials. In addition, auditory-cortex microstimulation independently modulates
      cochlear sensitivity and the strength of the OC reflex. In this mini-review,
      anatomical and physiological evidence supporting the presence of a functional
      efferent network from the auditory cortex to the cochlear receptor is presented.
      Special emphasis is given to the corticofugal effects on initial auditory
      processing, that is, on CN, auditory nerve and cochlear responses. A working
      model of three parallel pathways from the auditory cortex to the cochlea and
      auditory nerve is proposed. 

PMID- 26483649
TI  - Behavioral correlates of the decision process in a dynamic environment: post
      choice latencies reflect relative value and choice evaluation.
AB  - One characteristic of natural environments is that outcomes vary across time.
      Animals need to adapt to these environmental changes and adjust their choices
      accordingly. In this experiment, we investigated the sensitivity with which rats
      could detect, and adapt to, multiple changes in the environment. Rats chose
      between two spouts which delivered 5% sucrose rewards with distinct
      probabilities. Across three phases, reward probabilities changed in size (large
      or small) and direction (increase or decrease). A discrete trial-structure was
      used, which allowed the choice process to be decomposed into three distinct
      response latency measures (choice execution latency, spout sampling duration, and
      trial-initiation latency). We found that a large decrease in reward probabilities
      rapidly produced the greatest change in choice proportions. The time taken to
      execute a choice reflected the differences in reward probabilities across the two
      spouts in some cases, but also reflected training history. By contrast, the
      amount of time rats spent responding at reward spouts in anticipation of reward
      consistently reflected the relative likelihood of reward across the two spouts
      and not the absolute probability of reward. The latency to initiate the
      subsequent trial reflected choice evaluation. These three response latencies thus
      indexed key behavioral correlates of the choice process as it unfolds in time. We
      discuss how this paradigm can be used to assess the corresponding neural
      correlates of decision-making. 

PMID- 26483651
TI  - Marvels of illusion: illusion and perception in the art of Salvador Dali.
AB  - The surrealist movement aimed to blur the distinction between the real and the
      imagined. Such lack of a border between demonstrable truth and fantasy is perhaps
      most apparent in the art of Spanish painter Salvador Dali (1904-1989). Dali
      included numerous illusions in his artworks, with the intent to challenge the
      viewers' perceptions of reality and to enable them to see beyond the surface. The
      "Marvels of Illusion" exhibit, shown at The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, FL.,
      from June 14 to October 12, 2014, showcased Dali paintings, prints and sculptures
      centered on illusory themes. Here, we review the significance of illusions in
      Dali's art, focusing on the pieces displayed at the "Marvels of Illusion"
      exhibit. 

PMID- 26483650
TI  - Event-related brain potential correlates of prospective memory in symptomatically
      remitted male patients with schizophrenia.
AB  - Prospective memory (PM) refers to the ability to remember to perform intended
      actions in the future. Although PM deficits are a prominent impairment in
      schizophrenia, little is still known about the nature of PM in symptomatically
      remitted patients with schizophrenia. To address this issue, event-related brain
      potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 20 symptomatically remitted patients with
      schizophrenia and 20 healthy controls during an event-based PM paradigm.
      Behavioral results showed that symptomatically remitted patients with
      schizophrenia performed poorly on the PM task compared with healthy controls. On
      the neural level, the N300, a component of the ERPs related to PM cue detection,
      was reliable across these two groups, suggesting a degree of functional recovery
      of processes supporting cue detection in patients with symptomatically remitted
      schizophrenia. By contrast, the amplitude of the prospective positivity, a
      component of the ERPs related to PM intention retrieval, was significantly
      attenuated in symptomatically remitted schizophrenia patients relative to healthy
      controls. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation between the amplitude
      of the prospective positivity and accuracy on the PM task was found in those
      patients, indicating that patients' poor performance on this task may result from
      the failure to recover PM cue-induced intention from memory. These results
      provide evidence for the existence of altered PM processing in patients with
      symptomatically remitted schizophrenia, which is characterized by a selective
      deficit in retrospective component (intention retrieval) of PM. Therefore, these
      findings shed new light on the neurophysiological processes underlying PM in
      schizophrenia patients during clinical remission. 

PMID- 26483652
TI  - Dysfunctional putamen modulation during bimanual finger-to-thumb movement in
      patients with Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting middle-aged
      and elderly people. PD can be viewed as "circuit disorder," indicating that large
      scale cortico-subcortical pathways were involved in its pathophysiology. The
      brain network in an experimental context is emerging as an important biomarker in
      disease diagnosis and prognosis prediction. This context-dependent network for PD
      and the underling functional mechanism remains unclear. In this paper, the brain
      network profiles in 11 PD patients without dementia were studied and compared
      with 12 healthy controls. The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data
      were acquired when the subjects were performing a pseudorandomized unimanual or
      bimanual finger-to-thumb movement task. The activation was detected and the
      network profiles were analyzed by psychophysiological interaction (PPI) toolbox.
      For the controls and PD patients, the motor areas including the primary motor and
      premotor areas, supplementary motor area, the cerebellum and parts of the
      frontal, temporal and parietal gyrus were activated. The right putamen exhibited
      significant control > PD activation and weaker activity during the bimanual
      movement relative to the unimanual movement in the control group. The decreased
      putamen modulation on some nucleus in basal ganglia, such as putamen, thalamus
      and caudate, and some cortical areas, such as cingulate, parietal, angular,
      frontal, temporal and occipital gyrus was detected in the bimanual movement
      condition relative to the unimanual movement condition. Between-group PPI
      difference was detected in cingulate gyrus, angular gyrus and precuneus (control
      > PD) and inferior frontal gyrus (PD > control). The deficient putamen activation
      and its enhanced connectivity with the frontal gyrus could be a correlate of
      impaired basal ganglia inhibition and frontal gyrus compensation to maintain the
      task performance during the motor programs of PD patients. 

PMID- 26483653
TI  - Sustained attention and prediction: distinct brain maturation trajectories during
      adolescence.
AB  - Adolescence is a key period for frontal cortex maturation necessary for the
      development of cognitive ability. Sustained attention and prediction are
      cognitive functions critical for optimizing sensory processing, and essential to
      efficiently adapt behaviors in an ever-changing world. The aim of the current
      study was to investigate the brain developmental trajectories of attentive and
      predictive processing through adolescence. We recorded EEG in 36 participants
      from the age of 12-24 years (three age groups: 12-14, 14-17, 18-24 years) to
      target development during early and late adolescence, and early adulthood. We
      chose a visual target detection task which loaded upon sustained attention, and
      we manipulated target predictability. Continued maturation of sustained attention
      after age 12 was evidenced by improved performance (hits, false alarms (FAs) and
      sensitivity) in a detection task, associated with a frontal shift in the scalp
      topographies of the Contingent Negative Variation (CNV) and P3 responses, with
      increasing age. No effect of age was observed on predictive processing, with all
      ages showing similar benefits in reaction time, increases in P3 amplitude
      (indexing predictive value encoding and memorization), increases in CNV amplitude
      (corresponding to prediction implementation) and reduction in target-P3 latency
      (reflecting successful prediction building and use), with increased predictive
      content. This suggests that adolescents extracted and used predictive information
      to generate predictions as well as adults. The present results show that
      predictive and attentive processing follow distinct brain developmental
      trajectories: prediction abilities seem mature by the age of 12 and sustained
      attention continues to improve after 12-years of age and is associated with
      maturational changes in the frontal cortices. 

PMID- 26483654
TI  - Linking unfounded beliefs to genetic dopamine availability.
AB  - Unfounded convictions involving beliefs in the paranormal, grandiosity ideas or
      suspicious thoughts are endorsed at varying degrees among the general population.
      Here, we investigated the neurobiopsychological basis of the observed inter
      individual variability in the propensity toward unfounded beliefs. One hundred
      two healthy individuals were genotyped for four polymorphisms in the COMT gene
      (rs6269, rs4633, rs4818, and rs4680, also known as val (158) met) that define
      common functional haplotypes with substantial impact on synaptic dopamine
      degradation, completed a questionnaire measuring unfounded beliefs, and took part
      in a behavioral experiment assessing perceptual inference. We found that greater
      dopamine availability was associated with a stronger propensity toward unfounded
      beliefs, and that this effect was statistically mediated by an enhanced influence
      of expectations on perceptual inference. Our results indicate that genetic
      differences in dopaminergic neurotransmission account for inter-individual
      differences in perceptual inference linked to the formation and maintenance of
      unfounded beliefs. Thus, dopamine might be critically involved in the processes
      underlying one's interpretation of the relationship between the self and the
      world. 

PMID- 26483655
TI  - Facial blindsight.
AB  - Blindsight denotes unconscious residual visual capacities in the context of an
      inability to consciously recollect or identify visual information. It has been
      described for color and shape discrimination, movement or facial emotion
      recognition. The present study investigates a patient suffering from cortical
      blindness whilst maintaining select residual abilities in face detection. Our
      patient presented the capacity to distinguish between jumbled/normal faces,
      known/unknown faces or famous people's categories although he failed to
      explicitly recognize or describe them. Conversely, performance was at chance
      level when asked to categorize non-facial stimuli. Our results provide clinical
      evidence for the notion that some aspects of facial processing can occur without
      perceptual awareness, possibly using direct tracts from the thalamus to
      associative visual cortex, bypassing the primary visual cortex. 

PMID- 26483656
TI  - Technique of Stepwise Intracranial Decompression Combined with External
      Ventricular Drainage Catheters Improves the Prognosis of Acute Post-Traumatic
      Cerebral Hemispheric Brain Swelling Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute post-traumatic cerebral hemispheric brain swelling (ACHS) is a
      serious disorder that occurs after traumatic brain injury, and it often requires
      immediate treatment. The aim of our clinical study was to assess the effects of
      stepwise intracranial decompression combined with external ventricular drainage
      (EVD) catheters on the prognosis of ACHS patients. METHODS: A retrospective study
      was performed on 172 cases of severe craniocerebral trauma patients with ACHS.
      The patients were divided into two groups: unilateral stepwise standard large
      trauma craniectomy (S-SLTC) combined with EVD catheter implants (n = 86) and
      unilateral routine frontal temporal parietal SLTC (control group, n = 86).
      RESULT: No significant differences in age, sex, or pre-operative Glasgow Coma
      Scale score were observed between groups (P < 0.05). There were no significant
      differences in the ipsilateral subdural effusion incidence rates between the S
      SLTC + EVD treatment group and the routine SLTC group. However, the incidence
      rates of intraoperative acute encephalocele and contralateral epidural and
      subdural hematoma in the S-SLTC + EVD group were significantly lower than those
      in the SLTC group (17.4 and 3.5 vs. 37.2 and 23.3%, respectively). The mean
      intracranial pressure (ICP) values of patients in the S-SLTC + EVD group were
      also lower than those in the SLTC group at days 1 through 7 (P  < 0.05). A
      positive neurological outcome [Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score 4-5, 50.0%] and
      decreased mortality (15.1%) was observed in the S-SLTC + EVD group compared to
      the neurological outcome (GOS score 4-5, 33.8%; 36.0%) in the SLTC group (P  <
      0.05). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that S-SLTC + EVD is more effective for
      controlling ICP, improving neurological outcome, and decreasing mortality rate
      compared with routine SLTC.

PMID- 26483657
TI  - Correlates of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Brain-Computer Interface Accuracy in a
      Multi-Class Personalization Framework.
AB  - Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide individuals with a means of interacting
      with a computer using only neural activity. To date, the majority of near
      infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) BCIs have used prescribed tasks to achieve binary
      control. The goals of this study were to evaluate the possibility of using a
      personalized approach to establish control of a two-, three-, four-, and five
      class NIRS-BCI, and to explore how various user characteristics correlate to
      accuracy. Ten able-bodied participants were recruited for five data collection
      sessions. Participants performed six mental tasks and a personalized approach was
      used to select each individual's best discriminating subset of tasks. The average
      offline cross-validation accuracies achieved were 78, 61, 47, and 37% for the two
      , three-, four-, and five-class problems, respectively. Most notably, all
      participants exceeded an accuracy of 70% for the two-class problem, and two
      participants exceeded an accuracy of 70% for the three-class problem.
      Additionally, accuracy was found to be strongly positively correlated (Pearson's)
      with perceived ease of session (rho = 0.653), ease of concentration (rho =
      0.634), and enjoyment (rho = 0.550), but strongly negatively correlated with
      verbal IQ (rho = -0.749). 

PMID- 26483658
TI  - It wasn't me! Motor activation from irrelevant spatial information in the absence
      of a response.
AB  - Embodied cognition postulates that perceptual and motor processes serve higher
      order cognitive faculties like language. A major challenge for embodied cognition
      concerns the grounding of abstract concepts. Here we zoom in on abstract spatial
      concepts and ask the question to what extent the sensorimotor system is involved
      in processing these. Most of the empirical support in favor of an embodied
      perspective on (abstract) spatial information has derived from so-called
      compatibility effects in which a task-irrelevant feature either facilitates (for
      compatible trials) or hinders (in incompatible trials) responding to the task
      relevant feature. This type of effect has been interpreted in terms of (task
      irrelevant) feature-induced response activation. The problem with such approach
      is that incompatible features generate an array of task-relevant and -irrelevant
      activations [e.g., in primary motor cortex (M1)], and lateral hemispheric
      interactions render it difficult to assign credit to the task-irrelevant feature
      per se in driving these activations. Here, we aim to obtain a cleaner indication
      of response activation on the basis of abstract spatial information. We employed
      transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to probe response activation of effectors
      in response to semantic, task-irrelevant stimuli (i.e., the words left and right)
      that did not require an overt response. Results revealed larger motor evoked
      potentials (MEPs) for the right (left) index finger when the word right (left)
      was presented. Our findings provide support for the grounding of abstract spatial
      concepts in the sensorimotor system. 

PMID- 26483659
TI  - Corrigendum: EEG beta suppression and low gamma modulation are different elements
      of human upright walking.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 485 in vol. 8, PMID: 25071515.]. 

PMID- 26483661
TI  - Editorial: The safety and efficacy of noninvasive brain stimulation in
      development and neurodevelopmental disorders.

PMID- 26483660
TI  - Task-related functional connectivity dynamics in a block-designed visual
      experiment.
AB  - Studying task modulations of brain connectivity using functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (fMRI) is critical to understand brain functions that support
      cognitive and affective processes. Existing methods such as psychophysiological
      interaction (PPI) and dynamic causal modeling (DCM) usually implicitly assume
      that the connectivity patterns are stable over a block-designed task with
      identical stimuli. However, this assumption lacks empirical verification on high
      temporal resolution fMRI data with reliable data-driven analysis methods. The
      present study performed a detailed examination of dynamic changes of functional
      connectivity (FC) in a simple block-designed visual checkerboard experiment with
      a sub-second sampling rate (TR = 0.645 s) by estimating time-varying correlation
      coefficient (TVCC) between BOLD responses of different brain regions. We observed
      reliable task-related FC changes (i.e., FCs were transiently decreased after task
      onset and went back to the baseline afterward) among several visual regions of
      the bilateral middle occipital gyrus (MOG) and the bilateral fusiform gyrus
      (FuG). Importantly, only the FCs between higher visual regions (MOG) and lower
      visual regions (FuG) exhibited such dynamic patterns. The results suggested that
      simply assuming a sustained FC during a task block may be insufficient to capture
      distinct task-related FC changes. The investigation of FC dynamics in tasks could
      improve our understanding of condition shifts and the coordination between
      different activated brain regions. 

PMID- 26483662
TI  - Editorial: Neural implementation of expertise.

PMID- 26483663
TI  - Corrigendum: The role of action representations in thematic object relations.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 140 in vol. 8, PMID: 24672461.]. 

PMID- 26483664
TI  - Covert preparation of a manual response in a 'go'/'no-go' saccadic task is driven
      by execution of the eye movement and not by visual stimulus occurrence.
AB  - It has been recently demonstrated that visually guided saccades are linked to
      changes in muscle excitability in the relaxed upper limb, which are compatible
      with a covert motor plan encoding a hand movement toward the gaze target. In this
      study we investigated whether these excitability changes are time locked to the
      visual stimulus, as predicted by influential attention models, or are strictly
      dependent on saccade execution. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation
      was applied to the motor cortex at eight different time delays during a 'go'/'no
      go' task, which involved overt or covert orienting of attention. By analyzing the
      time course of excitability in three hand muscles, synchronized with the onset of
      either the attentional cue or the eye movement, we demonstrated that side- and
      muscle-specific excitability changes were strictly time locked to the saccadic
      response and were not correlated to the onset of the visual attentive stimulus.
      Furthermore, muscle excitability changes were absent following a covert shift of
      attention. We conclude that a sub-threshold manual motor plan is automatically
      activated by the saccade decision-making process, as part of a covert eye-hand
      coordination program. We found no evidence for a representation of spatial
      attention within the upper limb motor map. 

PMID- 26483665
TI  - Low-dimensional attractor for neural activity from local field potentials in
      optogenetic mice.
AB  - We used optogenetic mice to investigate possible nonlinear responses of the
      medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) local network to light stimuli delivered by a 473
      nm laser through a fiber optics. Every 2 s, a brief 10 ms light pulse was applied
      and the local field potentials (LFPs) were recorded with a 10 kHz sampling rate.
      The experiment was repeated 100 times and we only retained and analyzed data from
      six animals that showed stable and repeatable response to optical stimulations.
      The presence of nonlinearity in our data was checked using the null hypothesis
      that the data were linearly correlated in the temporal domain, but were random
      otherwise. For each trail, 100 surrogate data sets were generated and both time
      reversal asymmetry and false nearest neighbor (FNN) were used as discriminating
      statistics for the null hypothesis. We found that nonlinearity is present in all
      LFP data. The first 0.5 s of each 2 s LFP recording were dominated by the
      transient response of the networks. For each trial, we used the last 1.5 s of
      steady activity to measure the phase resetting induced by the brief 10 ms light
      stimulus. After correcting the LFPs for the effect of phase resetting, additional
      preprocessing was carried out using dendrograms to identify "similar" groups
      among LFP trials. We found that the steady dynamics of mPFC in response to light
      stimuli could be reconstructed in a three-dimensional phase space with
      topologically similar "8"-shaped attractors across different animals. Our results
      also open the possibility of designing a low-dimensional model for optical
      stimulation of the mPFC local network. 

PMID- 26483666
TI  - Pycortex: an interactive surface visualizer for fMRI.
AB  - Surface visualizations of fMRI provide a comprehensive view of cortical activity.
      However, surface visualizations are difficult to generate and most common
      visualization techniques rely on unnecessary interpolation which limits the
      fidelity of the resulting maps. Furthermore, it is difficult to understand the
      relationship between flattened cortical surfaces and the underlying 3D anatomy
      using tools available currently. To address these problems we have developed
      pycortex, a Python toolbox for interactive surface mapping and visualization.
      Pycortex exploits the power of modern graphics cards to sample volumetric data on
      a per-pixel basis, allowing dense and accurate mapping of the voxel grid across
      the surface. Anatomical and functional information can be projected onto the
      cortical surface. The surface can be inflated and flattened interactively, aiding
      interpretation of the correspondence between the anatomical surface and the
      flattened cortical sheet. The output of pycortex can be viewed using WebGL, a
      technology compatible with modern web browsers. This allows complex fMRI surface
      maps to be distributed broadly online without requiring installation of complex
      software. 

PMID- 26483667
TI  - Bilateral Glaucomatous Optic Neuropathy Caused by Eye Rubbing.
AB  - In this report, we describe a particular condition of a 52-year-old man who
      showed advanced bilateral glaucomatous-like optic disc damage, even though the
      intraocular pressure resulted normal during all examinations performed. Visual
      field test, steady-state pattern electroretinogram, retinal nerve fiber layer and
      retinal tomographic evaluations were performed to evaluate the optic disc damage.
      Over a 4-year observational period, his visual acuity decreased to 12/20 in the
      right eye and counting fingers in the left eye. Visual fields were severely
      compromised, and intraocular pressure values were not superior to 14 mm Hg during
      routine examinations. An accurate anamnesis and the suspicion of this disease
      represent a crucial aspect to establish the correct diagnosis. In fact, our
      patient strongly rubbed his eyes for more than 10 h per day. Recurrent and
      continuous eye rubbing can induce progressive optic neuropathy, causing severe
      visual field damage similar to the pathology of advanced glaucoma. 

PMID- 26483668
TI  - Atypical Bilateral Fuchs Uveitis: Diagnostic Challenges.
AB  - Bilateral Fuchs uveitis associated with vitreous infiltration and posterior
      segment involvement requires a thorough diagnostic evaluation. The lack of well
      defined diagnostic criteria makes identification of this entity difficult. The
      aim of this case report was to present the characteristics of a patient with
      atypical Fuchs uveitis and the procedures needed to rule out the differential
      diagnosis with specific attention to the utility of in vivo confocal microscopy
      (IVCM). CASE REPORT: One case of chronic bilateral uveitis with severe vitreous
      opacities is presented. After extensive systemic workup, including vitrectomy,
      the case had no identifiable systemic etiology. IVCM of the cornea revealed the
      presence of dendritiform keratic precipitates. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of Fuchs
      uveitis is based on clinical findings as no confirmatory laboratory tests are
      available. A high index of suspicion is key to an early diagnosis, especially in
      the cases with vitreous opacities and posterior segment manifestations. Auxiliary
      tests such as IVCM may aid the clinician in the diagnosis of Fuchs uveitis.

PMID- 26483669
TI  - Ozurdex for the Treatment of a Patient with Birdshot Chorioretinopathy.
AB  - We report a 57-year-old patient with birdshot chorioretinopathy (BCR) who was
      treated with bilateral Ozurdex injections. The patient's vitritis resolved, and
      visual acuity improved following this treatment. This is only the second case
      report focused on the treatment of BCR with Ozurdex and the first to report its
      use for treating vitritis. A concise review of the literature on the use of
      intravitreal steroids for this disease is provided. This case serves to report
      the clinical usefulness of Ozurdex in treating posterior vitritis associated with
      BCR even in the absence of macular edema. 

PMID- 26483670
TI  - Ocular Tuberculosis with Progressive Unilateral Corneal Melting.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In this case report, we present a patient with ocular tuberculosis
      presenting with progressive unilateral corneal melting. PATIENT: A 47-year-old
      female was admitted with melting at the inferior half of the peripheral cornea
      and inferior subconjunctival nodules. Biopsy material of the nodules was negative
      for tuberculosis bacillus. However, polymerase chain reaction of the biopsy
      sample revealed the DNA of the bacillus, and the diagnosis was confirmed.
      CONCLUSION: In endemic areas, ocular tuberculosis should be kept in mind in the
      differential diagnosis of patients with chronic and atypical corneal involvement.

PMID- 26483671
TI  - Bilateral Simultaneous Retinal Detachment in Pseudophakia.
AB  - Cataract surgery is the most frequent surgical intervention, with approximately
      700,000 operations per year in Germany alone. One of the most serious
      complications is retinal detachment, with a reported incidence rate of
      pseudophakic retinal detachment of 0.75-1.65%. We report the case of a patient
      who suffered from a simultaneous bilateral pseudophakic retinal detachment.
      Interestingly, the bilateral detachments in the left and the right eye started
      with only some hours' delay. He had no acute trigger for the retinal detachment
      and no risk factors besides the cataract surgery performed on both eyes some
      weeks earlier. Simultaneous bilateral retinal detachments will be more common,
      due to increasing numbers of cataract surgeries and the demographic development.
      We conclude that funduscopy should be regularly performed in mydriasis to avoid
      sight-threatening simultaneous bilateral retinal detachments. 

PMID- 26483672
TI  - CD5-Positive Primary Intraocular B-Cell Lymphoma Arising during Methotrexate and
      Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor Treatment.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report a case of CD5+ primary intraocular B-cell lymphoma arising
      during methotrexate (MTX) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor treatment in
      a young patient with rheumatoid arthritis and uveitis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 39
      year-old woman treated with MTX and a TNF inhibitor for rheumatoid arthritis and
      uveitis had steroid-resistant vitreous opacity. A vitreous sample was obtained by
      using diagnostic vitrectomy and was categorized as class V based on cytologic
      examination. Flow cytometric analysis of the vitreous sample revealed that
      abnormal cells were CD5+, CD10-, CD19+, CD20+ and immunoglobulin light-chain
      kappa+, suggesting the diagnosis of CD5+ primary intraocular B-cell lymphoma.
      Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detected immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene
      rearrangement. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA was detected in the vitreous sample
      by using PCR, and immunohistochemistry revealed EBV latent membrane protein-1
      expression in the abnormal cells infiltrating the vitreous. Optic nerve invasion
      was observed on magnetic resonance imaging. CONCLUSION: Primary intraocular
      lymphoma (PIOL) may develop in patients receiving MTX and TNF inhibitor
      treatment. EBV infection may play an important role in the pathogenesis of PIOL
      arising during immunosuppressive therapy.

PMID- 26483673
TI  - An Unusual Case of Nasolacrimal Obstruction Caused by Foodstuffs.
AB  - Here we report a case of nasolacrimal obstruction resulting from rice grains
      ingested over many years that had formed an obstructive mass. This is a hitherto
      unreported cause of nasolacrimal obstruction. We exclusively treated the
      obstruction safely with repeated irrigation with physiological saline. Although
      there have been various reports on new techniques such as the blind insertion of
      a bougie and insertion of a silicon tube under endoscopic guidance, successful
      treatment of this condition is possible with an old-fashioned approach using the
      time-honored tools of a syringe and an irrigation needle, if utilized patiently
      and repeatedly. In Japan, we call this 'learning new lessons from the past'. This
      implies that newer techniques may not necessarily be superior and traditional
      techniques can offer advantages of safety and simplicity in treating this
      condition. 

PMID- 26483674
TI  - A Case Report of Vogt's Limbal Girdle and Retinitis Pigmentosa in a Thirteen-Year
      Old Boy: A Rare and Unusual Association.
AB  - AIM: To describe a rare case of Vogt's limbal girdle in a boy with retinitis
      pigmentosa. METHODS: A 13-year-old boy from India presented to us with
      progressive diminution of vision and nyctalopia for 5 years. On examination, he
      had the characteristic features of retinitis pigmentosa with the fundus showing
      disc pallor, bony spicules and arteriolar attenuation. His anterior segment
      examination showed Vogt's limbal girdle in both eyes. RESULTS: Vogt's limbal
      girdle is a corneal degeneration usually seen in elderly individuals. This is the
      first time it is seen in association with retinitis pigmentosa. It has also never
      been reported at such a young age. CONCLUSION: We report a rare case where Vogt's
      limbal girdle was observed in a 13-year-old boy with retinitis pigmentosa. This
      gives further insight into the pathogenesis of the disease.

PMID- 26483675
TI  - Isolated Optic Disc Tuberculosis.
AB  - We present a healthy male subject who developed progressive visual loss in the
      left eye initially diagnosed as optic neuritis. Upon suspicion of infectious
      etiology, testing was positive for tuberculosis. There were no signs or symptoms
      of active systemic tuberculosis infection. The patient responded swiftly to
      antimycobacterial therapy with return of vision and resolution of disc swelling.
      Positive purified protein derivative skin test, negative chest radiograph,
      negative systemic workup, negative workup for other causes of unilateral optic
      neuritis and quick response to mycobacterial therapy reaffirm the entity of
      isolated optic disc tuberculosis similar to isolated choroidal tuberculosis
      without systemic manifestation. 

PMID- 26483676
TI  - A 25-Year-Old Man with Exudative Retinal Detachments and Infiltrates without
      Hematological or Neurological Findings Found to Have Relapsed Precursor T-Cell
      Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Precursor T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pre-T-ALL) may cause
      ocular pathologies such as cotton-wool spots, retinal hemorrhage, and less
      commonly, retinal detachment or leukemic infiltration of the retina itself.
      However, these findings are typically accompanied by the pathognomonic
      hematological signs of acute leukemia. CASE PRESENTATION: In this case report and
      review of the literature, we describe a particularly unusual case of a 25-year
      old man who presented to our hospital with bilateral exudative retinal
      detachments associated with posterior pole thickening without any hematological
      or neurological findings. The patient, who had a history of previously treated
      pre-T-ALL in complete remission, was found to have leukemia cell infiltration on
      retinal biopsy. CONCLUSION: Our case underscores the fact that the
      ophthalmologist may be the first provider to detect the relapse of previously
      treated leukemia, and that ophthalmic evaluation is critical for detecting
      malignant ocular infiltrates.

PMID- 26483677
TI  - Macular Hole Associated with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease at the Acute Uveitic
      Stage.
AB  - We describe a case with macular hole (MH) associated with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada
      (VKH) disease. A 71-year-old Japanese woman presented with visual loss and
      headaches. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.02 in the right eye (RE)
      and 0.1 in the left eye (LE). The patient was diagnosed with VKH based on
      circumferential choroidal detachments, multiple serous retinal detachments, and
      optic disc hyperemia. The multiple serous retinal detachments improved with high
      dose corticosteroid therapy and gradual tapering. The BCVA was recovered to
      1.2/0.7 in the RE/LE. Six weeks after the initial administration of steroid,
      vitreomacular traction was found by optical coherence tomography in the LE, which
      progressed to stage 4 MH with the BCVA of 0.2 in the LE. Twenty-three weeks after
      the initial treatment, vitrectomy was performed with the standard surgical
      procedures, including inner limiting membrane peeling around the fovea and air
      tamponade. The MH was closed successfully and the BCVA was 0.4 in the LE 5 weeks
      after the vitrectomy. This is the first report of a case with MH secondary to the
      acute uveitic stage of VKH. Successful closure of MH was achieved with the
      standard surgical intervention for an idiopathic MH. To conclude, at the early
      stage of VKH, there is a possibility of MH formation due to the rapid progress of
      vitreous traction following the inflammation, and the surgical procedure could be
      effective to resolve this secondary disorder. 

PMID- 26483678
TI  - A Case Report of Nystagmus with Acute Comitant Esotropia Secondary to Heroin
      Withdrawal: A Novel Presentation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute comitant esotropia secondary to heroin withdrawal is a rarely
      reported phenomenon that has never been described with nystagmus. Adverse effects
      of heroin on eye alignment were first reported in soldiers returning from
      Vietnam, yet no theory is generally accepted as the cause of these abnormalities.
      METHOD: We present a case of a 22-year-old female who developed 40 prism diopters
      of alternating comitant esotropia with nystagmus 8 days after abrupt heroin
      cessation, review the existing literature, and propose a novel hypothesis for
      this phenomenon. RESULTS: After 76 days, her esotropia resolved, and she was left
      with 7 prism diopters of esophoria. CONCLUSION: This case demonstrates that
      acquired nystagmus can present in addition to acute-onset esotropia after abrupt
      heroin cessation. We compare and contrast the theories of this mechanism and
      review the literature.

PMID- 26483679
TI  - Astrocytic estrogen receptors and impaired neurotrophic responses in a rat model
      of perimenopause.
AB  - In a perimenopausal model of middle-aged rats, the astrocyte estrogen receptor
      alpha (ERa): ER-beta (ERb) ratio increased with the onset of acyclicity (constant
      estrus, CE) in association with impaired neurotrophic responses to estradiol
      (E2). We report additional data on irregular cycling (IR) from this study of 9
      month old perimenopausal subgroups. In particular, irregular cyclers (IR) also
      show increased ERa:ERb ratio in cerebral cortex astrocytes comparable to acyclic
      individuals in CE. In mixed glial cultures from these same cycling subgroups, the
      E2-dependent neurotrophic activity and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)
      repression by E2 were impaired in IR to the same degree as in CE-derived glia.
      The greater importance of cycling status than age during the perimenopause to
      astrocyte ERs are attributable to individual variations of the residual ovarian
      follicle pool, which determine the onset of acyclicity. The corresponding loss of
      E2-dependent GFAP repression and E2-dependent neurotrophic activity add further
      to the inverse relationship of GFAP expression and astrocyte neurotrophic
      activity across aging in both sexes. These findings are relevant to impairments
      of spatial learning and of hippocampal long-term potentiation during the onset of
      IR in middle-aged rats, and to perimenopausal factors mediating the higher risk
      of women for Alzheimer disease. 

PMID- 26483680
TI  - Comparison of regional brain atrophy and cognitive impairment between pure
      akinesia with gait freezing and Richardson's syndrome.
AB  - Pure akinesia with gait freezing (PAGF) is considered a clinical phenotype of
      progressive supranuclear palsy. The brain atrophy and cognitive deficits in PAGF
      are expected to be less prominent than in classical Richardson's syndrome (RS),
      but this hypothesis has not been explored yet. We reviewed the medical records of
      28 patients with probable RS, 19 with PAGF, and 29 healthy controls, and compared
      cortical thickness, subcortical gray matter volume, and neuropsychological
      performance among the three groups. Patients with PAGF had thinner cortices in
      frontal, inferior parietal, and temporal areas compared with controls; however,
      areas of cortical thinning in PAGF patients were less extensive than those in RS
      patients. In PAGF patients, hippocampal, and thalamic volumes were also smaller
      than controls, whereas subcortical gray matter volumes in PAGF and RS patients
      were comparable. In a comparison of neuropsychological tests, PAGF patients had
      better cognitive performance in executive function, visual memory, and
      visuospatial function than RS patients had. These results demonstrate that
      cognitive impairment, cortical thinning, and subcortical gray matter atrophy in
      PAGF patients resemble to those in RS patients, though the severity of cortical
      thinning and cognitive dysfunction is milder. Our results suggest that, PAGF and
      RS may share same pathology but that it appears to affect a smaller proportion of
      the cortex in PAGF. 

PMID- 26483682
TI  - Visual-motor embodiment of language: a few implications for the
      neuropsychological evaluation (in Alzheimer's disease).

PMID- 26483681
TI  - The Vallecas Project: A Cohort to Identify Early Markers and Mechanisms of
      Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major threat for the well-being of an
      increasingly aged world population. The physiopathological mechanisms of late
      onset AD are multiple, possibly heterogeneous, and not well understood. Different
      combinations of variables from several domains (i.e., clinical,
      neuropsychological, structural, and biochemical markers) may predict dementia
      conversion, according to distinct physiopathological pathways, in different
      groups of subjects. METHODS: We launched the Vallecas Project (VP), a cohort
      study of non-demented people aged 70-85, to characterize the social, clinical,
      neuropsychological, structural, and biochemical underpinnings of AD inception.
      Given the exploratory nature of the VP, multidimensional and machine learning
      techniques will be applied, in addition to the traditional multivariate
      statistical methods. RESULTS: A total of 1169 subjects were recruited between
      October 2011 and December 2013. Mean age was 74.4 years (SD 3.9), 63.5% of the
      subjects were women, and 17.9% of the subjects were carriers of at least one
      epsilon4 allele of the apolipoprotein E gene. Cognitive diagnoses at inclusion
      were as follows: normal cognition 93.0% and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) 7.0%
      (3.1% amnestic MCI, 0.1% non-amnestic MCI, 3.8% mixed MCI). Blood samples were
      obtained and stored for future determinations in 99.9% of the subjects and 3T
      magnetic resonance imaging study was conducted in 89.9% of the volunteers. The
      cohort is being followed up annually for 4 years after the baseline. CONCLUSION:
      We have established a valuable homogeneous single-center cohort which, by
      identifying groups of variables associated with high risk of MCI or dementia
      conversion, should help to clarify the early physiopathological mechanisms of AD
      and should provide avenues for prompt diagnosis and AD prevention.

PMID- 26483683
TI  - Brain activation during visual working memory correlates with behavioral mobility
      performance in older adults.
AB  - Functional mobility and cognitive function often decline with age. We previously
      found that functional mobility as measured by the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG) was
      associated with cognitive performance for visually-encoded (i.e., for location
      and face) working memory (WM) in older adults. This suggests a common neural
      basis between TUG and visual WM. To elucidate this relationship further, the
      present study aimed to examine the neural basis for the WM-mobility association.
      In accordance with the well-known neural compensation model in aging, we
      hypothesized that "attentional" brain activation for easy WM would increase in
      participants with lower mobility. The data from 32 healthy older adults were
      analyzed, including brain activation during easy WM tasks via functional Magnetic
      Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and mobility performance via both TUG and a simple
      walking test. WM performance was significantly correlated with TUG but not with
      simple walking. Some prefrontal brain activations during WM were negatively
      correlated with TUG performance, while positive correlations were found in
      subcortical structures including the thalamus, putamen and cerebellum. Moreover,
      activation of the subcortical regions was significantly correlated with WM
      performance, with less activation for lower WM performers. These results indicate
      that older adults with lower mobility used more cortical (frontal) and fewer
      subcortical resources for easy WM tasks. To date, the frontal compensation has
      been proposed separately in the motor and cognitive domains, which have been
      assumed to compensate for dysfunction of the other brain areas; however, such
      dysfunction was less clear in previous studies. The present study observed such
      dysfunction as degraded activation associated with lower performance, which was
      found in the subcortical regions. We conclude that a common dysfunction
      compensation activation pattern is likely the neural basis for the association
      between visual WM and functional mobility. 

PMID- 26483684
TI  - Plasmalemmal VDAC-1 corroborated as amyloid Abeta-receptor.

PMID- 26483686
TI  - From cumulative cultural transmission to evidence-based medicine: evolution of
      medicinal plant knowledge in Southern Italy.
AB  - In Mediterranean cultures written records of medicinal plant use have a long
      tradition. This written record contributed to building a consensus about what was
      perceived to be an efficacious pharmacopeia. Passed down through millennia, these
      scripts have transmitted knowledge about plant uses, with high fidelity, to
      scholars and laypersons alike. Herbal medicine's importance and the long-standing
      written record call for a better understanding of the mechanisms influencing the
      transmission of contemporary medicinal plant knowledge. Here we contextualize
      herbal medicine within evolutionary medicine and cultural evolution. Cumulative
      knowledge transmission is approached by estimating the causal effect of two
      seminal scripts about materia medica written by Dioscorides and Galen, two
      classical Greco-Roman physicians, on today's medicinal plant use in the Southern
      Italian regions of Campania, Sardinia, and Sicily. Plant-use combinations are
      treated as transmissible cultural traits (or "memes"), which in analogy to the
      biological evolution of genetic traits, are subjected to mutation and selection.
      Our results suggest that until today ancient scripts have exerted a strong
      influence on the use of herbal medicine. We conclude that the repeated empirical
      testing and scientific study of health care claims is guiding and shaping the
      selection of efficacious treatments and evidence-based herbal medicine. 

PMID- 26483687
TI  - Antinociceptive and neuropharmacological activities of methanol extract of
      Phoenix sylvestris fruit pulp.
AB  - Fruits of Phoenix sylvestris Roxb. (Arecaceae) are used to treat back pain,
      toothache, headache, arthritis, nervous debility and as sedative. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the antinociceptive and neuropharmacological activities of
      methanol extract of P. sylvestris fruit pulp (MEPS). The antinociceptive activity
      of MEPS was evaluated by heat-induced (hot plate, tail immersion test) and
      chemical-induced pain models (acetic acid-induced writhing, formalin-induced
      nociception, glutamate-induced nociception and paw edema test). The effect of
      MEPS on central nervous system (CNS) was studied using hole cross test, open
      field test, sodium thiopental-induced sleeping time and elevated plus maze test.
      MEPS showed strong, significant and dose-dependent antinociceptive activity in
      all heat-induced and chemical-induced pain models at all experimental doses.
      Involvement of opioid receptor mediated analgesia was evident from the reversal
      of analgesic effect by naloxone. MEPS also showed reduced locomotor activity in
      both hole cross and open field tests. The increase in sleeping time in sodium
      thiopental-induced sleeping test and anxiolytic activity in elevated plus maze
      test were also significant. So, it is evident that MEPS possesses strong central
      and peripheral antinociceptive activity as well as CNS depressant, sedative and
      anxiolytic activity. The results justify the ethnomedicinal use of P. sylvestris
      fruit in different painful conditions and CNS disorders. 

PMID- 26483688
TI  - Glycyrrhizic acid alleviates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats.
AB  - Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive and lethal form of interstitial
      lung disease that lacks effective therapies at present. Glycyrrhizic acid (GA), a
      natural compound extracted from a traditional Chinese herbal medicine Glycyrrhiza
      glabra, was recently reported to benefit lung injury and liver fibrosis in animal
      models, yet whether GA has a therapeutic effect on pulmonary fibrosis is unknown.
      In this study, we investigated the potential therapeutic effect of GA on
      pulmonary fibrosis in a rat model with bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary
      fibrosis. The results indicated that GA treatment remarkably ameliorated BLM
      induced pulmonary fibrosis and attenuated BLM-induced inflammation, oxidative
      stress, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and activation of transforming growth
      factor-beta signaling pathway in the lungs. Further, we demonstrated that GA
      treatment inhibited proliferation of 3T6 fibroblast cells, induced cell cycle
      arrest and promoted apoptosis in vitro, implying that GA-mediated suppression of
      fibroproliferation may contribute to the anti-fibrotic effect against BLM-induced
      pulmonary fibrosis. In summary, our study suggests a therapeutic potential of GA
      in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis. 

PMID- 26483685
TI  - Cardiac cAMP: production, hydrolysis, modulation and detection.
AB  - Cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) modulates a broad range of biological
      processes including the regulation of cardiac myocyte contractile function where
      it constitutes the main second messenger for beta-adrenergic receptors' signaling
      to fulfill positive chronotropic, inotropic and lusitropic effects. A growing
      number of studies pinpoint the role of spatial organization of the cAMP signaling
      as an essential mechanism to regulate cAMP outcomes in cardiac physiology. Here,
      we will briefly discuss the complexity of cAMP synthesis and degradation in the
      cardiac context, describe the way to detect it and review the main
      pharmacological arsenal to modulate its availability. 

PMID- 26483689
TI  - Screening for biomarkers of liver injury induced by Polygonum multiflorum: a
      targeted metabolomic study.
AB  - Heshouwu (HSW), the dry roots of Polygonum multiflorum, a classical traditional
      Chinese medicine is used as a tonic for a wide range of conditions, particularly
      those associated with aging. However, it tends to be taken overdose or long term
      in these years, which has resulted in liver damage reported in many countries. In
      this study, the indicative roles of nine bile acids (BAs) were evaluated to offer
      potential biomarkers for HSW induced liver injury. Nine BAs including cholic acid
      (CA) and chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), taurocholic acid (TCA), glycocholic acid
      (GCA), glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA), deoxycholic acid (DCA),
      glycodeoxycholic acid (GDCA), ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), and hyodeoxycholic
      acid (HDCA) in rat bile and serum were detected by a developed LC-MS method after
      42 days treatment. Partial least square-discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) was
      applied to evaluate the indicative roles of the nine BAs, and metabolism of the
      nine BAs was summarized. Significant change was observed for the concentrations
      of nine BAs in treatment groups compared with normal control; In the PLS-DA plots
      of nine BAs in bile, normal control and raw HSW groups were separately clustered
      and could be clearly distinguished, GDCA was selected as the distinguished
      components for raw HSW overdose treatment group. In the PLS-DA plots of nine BAs
      in serum, the normal control and raw HSW overdose treatment group were separately
      clustered and could be clearly distinguished, and HDCA was selected as the
      distinguished components for raw HSW overdose treatment group. The results
      indicated the perturbation of nine BAs was associated with HSW induced liver
      injury; GDCA in bile, as well as HDCA in serum could be selected as potential
      biomarkers for HSW induced liver injury; it also laid the foundation for the
      further search on the mechanisms of liver injury induced by HSW. 

PMID- 26483690
TI  - Lipid-based nano-delivery systems for skin delivery of drugs and bioactives.

PMID- 26483691
TI  - beta-Amyloid: the key peptide in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - The amyloid beta peptide (Abeta) is a critical initiator that triggers the
      progression of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) via accumulation and aggregation, of
      which the process may be caused by Abeta overproduction or perturbation
      clearance. Abeta is generated from amyloid precursor protein through sequential
      cleavage of beta- and gamma-secretases while Abeta removal is dependent on the
      proteolysis and lysosome degradation system. Here, we overviewed the biogenesis
      and toxicity of Abeta as well as the regulation of Abeta production and
      clearance. Moreover, we also summarized the animal models correlated with Abeta
      that are essential in AD research. In addition, we discussed current
      immunotherapeutic approaches targeting Abeta to give some clues for exploring the
      more potentially efficient drugs for treatment of AD. 

PMID- 26483693
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of single oral dose trazodone: a randomized, two-period, cross
      over trial in healthy, adult, human volunteers under fed condition.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the bioequivalence of single dose trazodone hydrochloride
      USP 100 mg tablets administered as an oral dose under fed condition. METHODS:
      This study was an open-label, balanced, randomized, two-sequence, two-treatment,
      two-period, single oral dose, crossover bioequivalence study in healthy, adult,
      human subjects under fed conditions. After an overnight fast of at least 10 h,
      the subjects were served a high fat and high calorie vegetarian breakfast, which
      they were required to consume within 30 min. A single oral dose (100 mg) of
      either the test or the reference product was administered to the subjects. The
      primary pharmacokinetic parameters, maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and area
      under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) from time zero to last measurable
      concentration (AUC0-t ) and extrapolated to infinity (AUC0-infinity) were
      compared by an analysis of variance using log-transformed data. Bioequivalence
      was concluded if the 90% confidence intervals (CIs) of the adjusted geometric
      mean (gMean) ratios for C max and AUC were within the predetermined range of 80
      125%, in accordance with regulatory requirements. RESULTS: For the test
      formulation, the trazodone gMean Cmax was 1480.9 ng/mL (vs. 1520.2 ng/mL for
      reference), AUC0-t was 18193.0 ng.h/mL (vs. 18209.8 ng.h/mL) and AUC0-infinity
      was 19346.3 ng.h/mL (vs. 19393.4 ng.h/mL). The 90% CIs for the ratio
      (test/reference) were 93.0-102.0% for Cmax, 96.7-103.2% for AUC0-t and 96.1
      103.5% for AUC0-infinity. There were no deaths or serious adverse events during
      the conduct of the study. CONCLUSION: Test product when compared with the
      Reference product meets the bioequivalence criteria with respect to the extent of
      absorption of trazodone under fed condition.

PMID- 26483692
TI  - Designing modulators of monoamine transporters using virtual screening
      techniques.
AB  - The plasma-membrane monoamine transporters (MATs), including the serotonin
      (SERT), norepinephrine (NET) and dopamine (DAT) transporters, serve a pivotal
      role in limiting monoamine-mediated neurotransmission through the reuptake of
      their respective monoamine neurotransmitters. The transporters are the main
      target of clinically used psychostimulants and antidepressants. Despite the
      availability of several potent and selective MAT substrates and inhibitors the
      continuing need for therapeutic drugs to treat brain disorders involving aberrant
      monoamine signaling provides a compelling reason to identify novel ways of
      targeting and modulating the MATs. Designing novel modulators of MAT function
      have been limited by the lack of three dimensional structure information of the
      individual MATs. However, crystal structures of LeuT, a bacterial homolog of
      MATs, in a substrate-bound occluded, substrate-free outward-open, and an apo
      inward-open state and also with competitive and non-competitive inhibitors have
      been determined. In addition, several structures of the Drosophila DAT have also
      been resolved. Together with computational modeling and experimental data
      gathered over the past decade, these structures have dramatically advanced our
      understanding of several aspects of SERT, NET, and DAT transporter function,
      including some of the molecular determinants of ligand interaction at orthosteric
      substrate and inhibitor binding pockets. In addition progress has been made in
      the understanding of how allosteric modulation of MAT function can be achieved.
      Here we will review all the efforts up to date that has been made through
      computational approaches employing structural models of MATs to design small
      molecule modulators to the orthosteric and allosteric sites using virtual
      screening techniques. 

PMID- 26483694
TI  - Vaginal biogenic amines: biomarkers of bacterial vaginosis or precursors to
      vaginal dysbiosis?
AB  - Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal disorder among reproductive
      age women. One clinical indicator of BV is a "fishy" odor. This odor has been
      associated with increases in several biogenic amines (BAs) that may serve as
      important biomarkers. Within the vagina, BA production has been linked to various
      vaginal taxa, yet their genetic capability to synthesize BAs is unknown. Using a
      bioinformatics approach, we show that relatively few vaginal taxa are predicted
      to be capable of producing BAs. Many of these taxa (Dialister, Prevotella,
      Parvimonas, Megasphaera, Peptostreptococcus, and Veillonella spp.) are more
      abundant in the vaginal microbial community state type (CST) IV, which is
      depleted in lactobacilli. Several of the major Lactobacillus species (L.
      crispatus, L. jensenii, and L. gasseri) were identified as possessing gene
      sequences for proteins predicted to be capable of putrescine production. Finally,
      we show in a small cross sectional study of 37 women that the BAs putrescine,
      cadaverine and tyramine are significantly higher in CST IV over CSTs I and III.
      These data support the hypothesis that BA production is conducted by few vaginal
      taxa and may be important to the outgrowth of BV-associated (vaginal dysbiosis)
      vaginal bacteria. 

PMID- 26483696
TI  - Localized nuclear and perinuclear Ca(2+) signals in intact mouse skeletal muscle
      fibers.
AB  - Nuclear Ca(2+) is important for the regulation of several nuclear processes such
      as gene expression. Localized Ca(2+) signals (LCSs) in skeletal muscle fibers of
      mice have been mainly studied as Ca(2+) release events from the sarcoplasmic
      reticulum. Their location with regard to cell nuclei has not been investigated.
      Our study is based on the hypothesis that LCSs associated with nuclei are present
      in skeletal muscle fibers of adult mice. Therefore, we carried out experiments
      addressing this question and we found novel Ca(2+) signals associated with nuclei
      of skeletal muscle fibers (with possibly attached satellite cells). We measured
      localized nuclear and perinuclear Ca(2+) signals (NLCSs and PLCSs) alongside
      cytosolic localized Ca(2+) signals (CLCSs) during a hypertonic treatment. We also
      observed NLCSs under isotonic conditions. The NLCSs and PLCSs are Ca(2+) signals
      in the range of micrometer [FWHM (full width at half maximum): 2.75 +/- 0.27 MUm
      (NLCSs) and 2.55 +/- 0.17 MUm (PLCSs), S.E.M.]. Additionally, global nuclear
      Ca(2+) signals (NGCSs) were observed. To investigate which type of Ca(2+)
      channels contribute to the Ca(2+) signals associated with nuclei in skeletal
      muscle fibers, we performed measurements with the RyR blocker dantrolene, the
      DHPR blocker nifedipine or the IP3R blocker Xestospongin C. We observed Ca(2+)
      signals associated with nuclei in the presence of each blocker. Nifedipine and
      dantrolene had an inhibitory effect on the fraction of fibers with PLCSs. The
      situation for the fraction of fibers with NLCSs is more complex indicating that
      RyR is less important for the generation of NLCSs compared to the generation of
      PLCSs. The fraction of fibers with NLCSs and PLCSs is not reduced in the presence
      of Xestospongin C. The localized perinuclear and intranuclear Ca(2+) signals may
      be a powerful tool for the cell to regulate adaptive processes as gene
      expression. The intranuclear Ca(2+) signals may be particularly interesting in
      this respect. 

PMID- 26483695
TI  - On the mathematical modeling of wound healing angiogenesis in skin as a reaction
      transport process.
AB  - Over the last 30 years, numerous research groups have attempted to provide
      mathematical descriptions of the skin wound healing process. The development of
      theoretical models of the interlinked processes that underlie the healing
      mechanism has yielded considerable insight into aspects of this critical
      phenomenon that remain difficult to investigate empirically. In particular, the
      mathematical modeling of angiogenesis, i.e., capillary sprout growth, has offered
      new paradigms for the understanding of this highly complex and crucial step in
      the healing pathway. With the recent advances in imaging and cell tracking, the
      time is now ripe for an appraisal of the utility and importance of mathematical
      modeling in wound healing angiogenesis research. The purpose of this review is to
      pedagogically elucidate the conceptual principles that have underpinned the
      development of mathematical descriptions of wound healing angiogenesis,
      specifically those that have utilized a continuum reaction-transport framework,
      and highlight the contribution that such models have made toward the advancement
      of research in this field. We aim to draw attention to the common assumptions
      made when developing models of this nature, thereby bringing into focus the
      advantages and limitations of this approach. A deeper integration of mathematical
      modeling techniques into the practice of wound healing angiogenesis research
      promises new perspectives for advancing our knowledge in this area. To this end
      we detail several open problems related to the understanding of wound healing
      angiogenesis, and outline how these issues could be addressed through closer
      cross-disciplinary collaboration. 

PMID- 26483697
TI  - Overexpression of GhWRKY27a reduces tolerance to drought stress and resistance to
      Rhizoctonia solani infection in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana.
AB  - WRKY proteins constitute transcriptional regulators involved in various
      biological processes, especially in coping with diverse biotic and abiotic
      stresses. However, in contrast to other well-characterized WRKY groups, the
      functions of group III WRKY transcription factors are poorly understood in the
      economically important crop cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). In this study, a group
      III WRKY gene from cotton, GhWRKY27a, was isolated and characterized. Our data
      indicated that GhWRKY27a localized to the nucleus and that GhWRKY27a expression
      could be strongly induced by abiotic stresses, pathogen infection, and multiple
      defense-related signaling molecules. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of
      GhWRKY27a enhanced tolerance to drought stress in cotton. In contrast, GhWRKY27a
      overexpression in Nicotiana benthamiana markedly reduced plant tolerance to
      drought stress, as determined through physiological analyses of leaf water loss,
      survival rates, and the stomatal aperture. This susceptibility was coupled with
      reduced stomatal closure in response to abscisic acid and decreased expression of
      stress-related genes. In addition, GhWRKY27a-overexpressing plants exhibited
      reduced resistance to Rhizoctonia solani infection, mainly demonstrated by the
      transgenic lines exhibiting more severe disease symptoms, accompanied by
      attenuated expression of defense-related genes in N. benthamiana. Taken together,
      these findings indicated that GhWRKY27a functions in negative responses to
      drought tolerance and in resistance to R. solani infection. 

PMID- 26483698
TI  - Therapeutic effects of LASSBio-596 in an elastase-induced mouse model of
      emphysema.
AB  - Emphysema is an intractable pulmonary disease characterized by an inflammatory
      process of the airways and lung parenchyma and ongoing remodeling process in an
      attempt to restore lung structure. There is no effective drug therapy that
      regenerates lung tissue or prevents the progression of emphysema; current
      treatment is aimed at symptomatic relief. We hypothesized that LASSBio-596, a
      molecule with potent anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, might reduce
      pulmonary inflammation and remodeling and thus improve lung function in
      experimental emphysema. Emphysema was induced in BALB/c mice by intratracheal
      administration of porcine pancreatic elastase (0.1 IU) once weekly during 4
      weeks. A control group received saline using the same protocol. After the last
      instillation of saline or elastase, dimethyl sulfoxide, or LASSBio-596 were
      administered intraperitoneally, once daily for 8 days. After 24 h, in elastase
      induced emphysema animals, LASSBio-596 yielded: (1) decreased mean linear
      intercept, hyperinflation and collagen fiber content, (2) increased elastic fiber
      content, (3) reduced number of M1 macrophages, (4) decreased tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, interleukin-6, and transforming growth factor
      beta protein levels in lung tissue, and increased vascular endothelial growth
      factor. These changes resulted in increased static lung elastance. In conclusion,
      LASSBio-596 therapy reduced lung inflammation, airspace enlargement, and small
      airway wall remodeling, thus improving lung function, in this animal model of
      elastase-induced emphysema. 

PMID- 26483700
TI  - Dietary fat overload reprograms brown fat mitochondria.
AB  - Chronic nutrient overload accelerates the onset of several aging-related diseases
      reducing life expectancy. Although the mechanisms by which overnutrition affects
      metabolic processes in many tissues are known, its role on BAT physiology is
      still unclear. Herein, we investigated the mitochondrial responses in BAT of
      female mice exposed to high fat diet (HFD) at different steps of life. Although
      adult mice showed an unchanged mitochondrial amount, both respiration and OxPHOS
      subunits were strongly affected. Differently, offspring pups exposed to HFD
      during pregnancy and lactation displayed reduced mitochondrial mass but high
      oxidative efficiency that, however, resulted in increased bioenergetics state of
      BAT rather than augmented uncoupling respiration. Interestingly, the metabolic
      responses triggered by HFD were accompanied by changes in mitochondrial dynamics
      characterized by decreased content of the fragmentation marker Drp1 both in
      mothers and offspring pups. HFD-induced inactivation of the FoxO1 transcription
      factor seemed to be the up-stream modulator of Drp1 levels in brown fat cells.
      Furthermore, HFD offspring pups weaned with normal diet only partially reverted
      the mitochondrial dysfunctions caused by HFD. Finally these mice failed in
      activating the thermogenic program upon cold exposure. Collectively our findings
      suggest that maternal dietary fat overload irreversibly commits BAT
      unresponsiveness to physiological stimuli such as cool temperature and this
      dysfunction in the early stage of life might negatively modulate health and
      lifespan. 

PMID- 26483699
TI  - The role of the renal afferent and efferent nerve fibers in heart failure.
AB  - Renal nerves contain afferent, sensory and efferent, sympathetic nerve fibers. In
      heart failure (HF) there is an increase in renal sympathetic nerve activity
      (RSNA), which can lead to renal vasoconstriction, increased renin release and
      sodium retention. These changes are thought to contribute to renal dysfunction,
      which is predictive of poor outcome in patients with HF. In contrast, the role of
      the renal afferent nerves remains largely unexplored in HF. This is somewhat
      surprising as there are multiple triggers in HF that have the potential to
      increase afferent nerve activity, including increased venous pressure and reduced
      kidney perfusion. Some of the few studies investigating renal afferents in HF
      have suggested that at least the sympatho-inhibitory reno-renal reflex is
      blunted. In experimentally induced HF, renal denervation, both surgical and
      catheter-based, has been associated with some improvements in renal and cardiac
      function. It remains unknown whether the effects are due to removal of the
      efferent renal nerve fibers or afferent renal nerve fibers, or a combination of
      both. Here, we review the effects of HF on renal efferent and afferent nerve
      function and critically assess the latest evidence supporting renal denervation
      as a potential treatment in HF. 

PMID- 26483702
TI  - RNA-seq analysis of glycosylation related gene expression in STZ-induced diabetic
      rat kidney inner medulla.
AB  - The UT-A1 urea transporter is crucial to the kidney's ability to generate
      concentrated urine. Native UT-A1 from kidney inner medulla (IM) is a heavily
      glycosylated protein with two glycosylation forms of 97 and 117 kDa. In diabetes,
      UT-A1 protein abundance, particularly the 117 kD isoform, is significantly
      increased corresponding to an increased urea permeability in perfused IM
      collecting ducts, which plays an important role in preventing the osmotic
      diuresis caused by glucosuria. However, how the glycan carbohydrate structure
      change and the glycan related enzymes regulate kidney urea transport activity,
      particularly under diabetic condition, is largely unknown. In this study, using
      sugar-specific binding lectins, we found that the carbohydrate structure of UT-A1
      is changed with increased amounts of sialic acid, fucose, and increased glycan
      branching under diabetic conditions. These changes were accompanied by altered UT
      A1 association with the galectin proteins, beta-galactoside glycan binding
      proteins. To explore the molecular basis of the alterations of glycan structures,
      the highly sensitive next generation sequencing (NGS) technology, Illumina RNA
      seq, was employed to analyze genes involved in the process of UT-A1 glycosylation
      using streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat kidney. Differential gene
      expression analysis combining with quantitative PCR revealed that expression of a
      number of important glycosylation related genes were changed under diabetic
      conditions. These genes include the glycosyltransferase genes Mgat4a, the
      sialylation enzymes St3gal1 and St3gal4 and glycan binding protein galectin-3, 
      5, -8, and -9. In contrast, although highly expressed in kidney IM, the
      glycosyltransferase genes Mgat1, Mgat2, and fucosyltransferase Fut8, did not show
      any changes. CONCLUSIONS: In diabetes, not only is UT-A1 protein abundance
      increased but the protein's glycan structure is also significantly changed. UT-A1
      protein becomes highly sialylated, fucosylated and branched. Consistently, a
      number of crucial glycosylation related genes are changed under diabetic
      conditions. The alteration of these genes may contribute to changes in the UT-A1
      glycan structure and therefore modulate kidney urea transport activity and
      alleviate osmotic diuresis caused by glucosuria in diabetes.

PMID- 26483701
TI  - Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the supplementary motor area
      modifies breathing pattern in response to inspiratory loading in normal humans.
AB  - In awake humans, breathing depends on automatic brainstem pattern generators. It
      is also heavily influenced by cortical networks. For example, functional magnetic
      resonance imaging and electroencephalographic data show that the supplementary
      motor area becomes active when breathing is made difficult by inspiratory
      mechanical loads like resistances or threshold valves, which is associated with
      perceived respiratory discomfort. We hypothesized that manipulating the
      excitability of the supplementary motor area with repetitive transcranial
      magnetic stimulation would modify the breathing pattern response to an
      experimental inspiratory load and possibly respiratory discomfort. Seven subjects
      (three men, age 25 +/- 4) were studied. Breathing pattern and respiratory
      discomfort during inspiratory loading were described before and after
      conditioning the supplementary motor area with repetitive stimulation, using an
      excitatory paradigm (5 Hz stimulation), an inhibitory paradigm, or sham
      stimulation. No significant change in breathing pattern during loading was
      observed after sham conditioning. Excitatory conditioning shortened inspiratory
      time (p = 0.001), decreased tidal volume (p = 0.016), and decreased ventilation
      (p = 0.003), as corroborated by an increased end-tidal expired carbon dioxide (p
      = 0.013). Inhibitory conditioning did not affect ventilation, but lengthened
      expiratory time (p = 0.031). Respiratory discomfort was mild under baseline
      conditions, and unchanged after conditioning of the supplementary motor area.
      This is the first study to show that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
      conditioning of the cerebral cortex can alter breathing pattern. A 5 Hz
      conditioning protocol, known to enhance corticophrenic excitability, can reduce
      the amount of hyperventilation induced by inspiratory threshold loading. Further
      studies are needed to determine whether and under what circumstances rTMS can
      have an effect on dyspnoea. 

PMID- 26483703
TI  - HEMA but not TEGDMA induces autophagy in human gingival fibroblasts.
AB  - Polymerized resin-based materials are successfully used in restorative dentistry.
      Despite their growing popularity, one drawback is the release of monomers from
      the polymerized matrix due to an incomplete polymerization or degradation
      processes. Released monomers are responsible for several adverse effects in the
      surrounding biological tissues, inducing high levels of oxidative stress.
      Reactive oxygen species are important signaling molecules that regulate many
      signal-trasduction pathways and play critical roles in cell survival, death, and
      immune defenses. Reactive oxygen species were recently shown to activate
      autophagy as a mechanism of cell survival and cell death. Although the toxicity
      induced by dental resin monomers is widely studied, the cellular mechanisms
      underlying these phenomena are still unknown. The aim of the study was to
      investigate the behavior of human gingival cells exposed to 2-hydroxy-ethyl
      methacrylate (HEMA) and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) to better
      elucidate the mechanisms of cell survival and cell death induced by resin
      monomers. Primary culture of human gingival cells were exposed to 3 mmol/L of
      HEMA or 3 mmol/L of TEGDMA for 24, 48, and 72 h. Morphological investigations
      were performed by transmission electron microscopy to analyze the ultrastructure
      of cells exposed to the monomers. The expression of protein markers for apoptosis
      (caspase - 3 and PARP) and autophagy (beclin - 1 and LC3B I/II) were analyzed by
      western blot to investigate the influence of dental resin monomers on mechanisms
      underlying cell death. Results showed that HEMA treatment clearly induced
      autophagy followed by apoptosis while the lack of any sign of autophagy
      activation is observed in HGFs exposed to TEGDMA. These data indicate that cells
      respond to monomer-induced stress by the differential induction of adaptive
      mechanisms to maintain cellular homeostasis. 

PMID- 26483705
TI  - Commentary: Interaction of the ADRB2 Gene Polymorphism with Childhood Trauma in
      Predicting Adult Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

PMID- 26483704
TI  - A 4-Year Follow-Up Study of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Symptoms,
      Comorbidities, and Psychostimulant Use in a Brazilian Sample of Children and
      Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate symptom persistence in attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the development of comorbidities, and
      psychostimulant usage patterns. Follow-up studies were conducted in 37 patients
      with ADHD and 22 healthy controls, aged 10 and 18, 4 years after their first
      assessment. The ADHD was rated as persistent if participants met all DSM-IV
      criteria for syndromic or sub-threshold persistence, or had functional
      impairments (functional persistence). Of the 37 ADHD patients we reevaluated, 75%
      had persistent symptoms, and psychiatric comorbidities with additional functional
      impairments and academic problems were more common than in controls. These follow
      up findings show a high comorbidity associated with ADHD and support the
      importance of evaluation and treatment for ADHD and comorbidities throughout
      life. 

PMID- 26483706
TI  - Computerized Cognitive Training for Major Depressive Disorder: What's Next?

PMID- 26483707
TI  - The relationship between mood state and perceived control in contingency
      learning: effects of individualist and collectivist values.
AB  - Perceived control in contingency learning is linked to psychological wellbeing
      with low levels of perceived control thought to be a cause or consequence of
      depression and high levels of control considered to be the hallmark of mental
      healthiness. However, it is not clear whether this is a universal phenomenon or
      whether the value that people ascribe to control influences these relationships.
      Here we hypothesize that values affect learning about control contingencies and
      influence the relationship between perceived control and symptoms of mood
      disorders. We tested these hypotheses with European university samples who were
      categorized as endorsing (or not) values relevant to control-individualist and
      collectivist values. Three online experimental contingency learning studies (N 1
      = 127, N 2 = 324, N 3 = 272) were carried out. Evidence suggested that
      individualist values influenced basic learning processes via an effect on
      learning about the context in which events took place. Participants who endorsed
      individualist values made control judgments that were more in line with an
      elemental associative learning model, whilst those who were ambivalent about
      individualist values made judgments that were more consistent with a configural
      process. High levels of perceived control and individualist values were directly
      associated with increased euphoric symptoms of bipolar disorder, and such values
      completely mediated the relation between perceived control and symptoms. The
      effect of low perceived control on depression was moderated by collectivist
      values. Anxiety created by dissonance between values and task may be a catalyst
      for developing mood symptoms. Conclusions are that values play a significant
      intermediary role in the relation between perceived control and symptoms of mood
      disturbance. 

PMID- 26483708
TI  - Olfaction in eating disorders and abnormal eating behavior: a systematic review.
AB  - The study provides a systematic review that explores the current literature on
      olfactory capacity in abnormal eating behavior. The objective is to present a
      basis for discussion on whether research in olfaction in eating disorders may
      offer additional insight with regard to the complex etiopathology of eating
      disorders (ED) and abnormal eating behaviors. Electronic databases (Medline,
      PsycINFO, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science) were searched using the
      components in relation to olfaction and combining them with the components
      related to abnormal eating behavior. Out of 1352 articles, titles were first
      excluded by title (n = 64) and then by abstract and fulltext resulting in a final
      selection of 14 articles (820 patients and 385 control participants) for this
      review. The highest number of existing literature on olfaction in ED were carried
      out with AN patients (78.6%) followed by BN patients (35.7%) and obese
      individuals (14.3%). Most studies were only conducted on females. The general
      findings support that olfaction is altered in AN and in obesity and indicates
      toward there being little to no difference in olfactory capacity between BN
      patients and the general population. Due to the limited number of studies and
      heterogeneity this review stresses on the importance of more research on
      olfaction and abnormal eating behavior. 

PMID- 26483710
TI  - Amplitude-modulated stimuli reveal auditory-visual interactions in brain activity
      and brain connectivity.
AB  - The temporal congruence between auditory and visual signals coming from the same
      source can be a powerful means by which the brain integrates information from
      different senses. To investigate how the brain uses temporal information to
      integrate auditory and visual information from continuous yet unfamiliar stimuli,
      we used amplitude-modulated tones and size-modulated shapes with which we could
      manipulate the temporal congruence between the sensory signals. These signals
      were independently modulated at a slow or a fast rate. Participants were
      presented with auditory-only, visual-only, or auditory-visual (AV) trials in the
      fMRI scanner. On AV trials, the auditory and visual signal could have the same
      (AV congruent) or different modulation rates (AV incongruent). Using
      psychophysiological interaction analyses, we found that auditory regions showed
      increased functional connectivity predominantly with frontal regions for AV
      incongruent relative to AV congruent stimuli. We further found that superior
      temporal regions, shown previously to integrate auditory and visual signals,
      showed increased connectivity with frontal and parietal regions for the same
      contrast. Our findings provide evidence that both activity in a network of brain
      regions and their connectivity are important for AV integration, and help to
      bridge the gap between transient and familiar AV stimuli used in previous
      studies. 

PMID- 26483711
TI  - Finding an apprenticeship: hidden curriculum and social consequences.
AB  - In Switzerland, the majority of students are oriented toward professional
      training after compulsory schooling. At this stage, one of the biggest challenges
      for them is to find an apprenticeship position. Matching supply and demand is a
      complex process that not only excludes some students from having direct access to
      professional training but also forces them to make early choices regarding their
      future sector of employment. So, how does one find an apprenticeship? And what do
      the students' descriptions of their search for apprenticeships reveal about the
      institutional determinants of social inequalities at play in the system? Based on
      29 interviews conducted in 2014 with 23 apprentices and 6 recruiters in the
      Canton of Vaud, this article interrogates how the dimensions of educational and
      social trajectories combine to affect access to apprenticeships and are
      accentuated by recruiters using a "hidden curriculum" during the recruitment
      process. A hidden curriculum consists of knowledge and skills not taught by the
      educational institution but which appear decisive in obtaining an apprenticeship.
      By analyzing the contrasting experiences of students in their search for an
      apprenticeship, we identify four types of trajectories that explain different
      types of school-to-apprenticeship transitions. We show how these determinants are
      reinforced by the "hidden curriculum" of recruitment based on the soft skills of
      feeling, autonomy, anticipation, and reflexivity that are assessed in the context
      of recruitment interactions. The discussion section debates how the criteria that
      appear to be used to identify the "right apprentice" tend to (re)produce
      inequalities between students. This not only depends on their academic results
      but also on their social and cultural skills, their ability to anticipate their
      choices and, more widely, their ability to be a subject in their recruitment
      search. "The Subject is neither the individual, nor the self, but the work
      through which an individual transforms into an actor, meaning an agent able to
      transform his/her situation instead of reproducing it." (Touraine, 1992, p. 476).

PMID- 26483712
TI  - The experience of premature birth for fathers: the application of the Clinical
      Interview for Parents of High-Risk Infants (CLIP) to an Italian sample.
AB  - AIM: The study explored fathers' experience of premature birth during the
      hospitalization of their infants, analyzing levels of depressive and anxiety
      symptoms as compared with mothers. Moreover the Italian version of the Clinical
      Interview for Parents of High-Risk Infant (CLIP) was tested through confirmatory
      factor analysis. METHODS: Couples of parents (N = 64) of preterm infants
      (gestational age < 37 weeks) were administered a socio-demographic questionnaire,
      the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and
      the CLIP after the admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). RESULTS:
      Significant levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms and high percentages of
      subjects above the corresponding risk thresholds were found among fathers and
      mothers with higher scores among the latters. Confirmatory factor analysis of the
      CLIP showed an adequate structure, with better fit for mothers than for fathers.
      CONCLUSION: RESULTS highlighted the importance for nurses and clinicians working
      in the NICU to consider not only the maternal difficulties but also the paternal
      ones, even if these are often more hidden and silent. In addition the CLIP may be
      considered an useful interview for research and clinical purposes to be used with
      parents of high-risk infants.

PMID- 26483713
TI  - The computational psychiatry of reward: broken brains or misguided minds?
AB  - Research into the biological basis of emotional and motivational disorders is in
      danger of riding roughshod over a patient-centered psychiatry and falling into
      the dualist errors of the past, i.e., by treating mind and brain as conceptually
      distinct. We argue that a psychiatry informed by computational neuroscience,
      computational psychiatry, can obviate this danger. Through a focus on the
      reasoning processes by which humans attempt to maximize reward (and minimize
      punishment), and how such reasoning is expressed neurally, computational
      psychiatry can render obsolete the polarity between biological and psychosocial
      conceptions of illness. Here, the term 'psychological' comes to refer to
      information processing performed by biological agents, seen in light of
      underlying goals. We reflect on the implications of this perspective for a
      definition of mental disorder, including what is entailed in asserting that a
      particular disorder is 'biological' or 'psychological' in origin. We propose that
      a computational approach assists in understanding the topography of mental
      disorder, while cautioning that the point at which eccentric reasoning
      constitutes disorder often remains a matter of cultural judgment. 

PMID- 26483709
TI  - The role of REM sleep theta activity in emotional memory.
AB  - While non-REM (NREM) sleep has been strongly implicated in the reactivation and
      consolidation of memory traces, the role of rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep
      remains unclear. A growing body of research on humans and animals provide
      behavioral evidence for a role of REM sleep in the strengthening and modulation
      of emotional memories. Theta activity-which describes low frequency oscillations
      in the local field potential within the hippocampus, amygdala and neocortex-is a
      prominent feature of both wake and REM sleep in humans and rodents. Theta
      coherence between the hippocampus and amygdala drives large-scale pontine
      geniculo-occipital (PGO) waves, the density of which predicts increases in
      plasticity-related gene expression. This could potentially facilitate the
      processing of emotional memory traces within the hippocampus during REM sleep.
      Further, the timing of hippocampal activity in relation to theta phase is vital
      in determining subsequent potentiation of neuronal activity. This could allow the
      emotionally modulated strengthening of novel and gradual weakening of
      consolidated hippocampal memory traces during REM sleep. Hippocampal theta
      activity is also correlated with REM sleep levels of achetylcholine - which is
      thought to reduce hippocampal inputs in the neocortex. The additional low levels
      of noradrenaline during REM sleep, which facilitate feedback within the
      neocortex, could allow the integration of novel memory traces previously
      consolidated during NREM sleep. We therefore propose that REM sleep mediates the
      prioritized processing of emotional memories within the hippocampus, the
      integration of previously consolidated memory traces within the neocortex, as
      well as the disengagement of consolidated neocortical memory traces from the
      hippocampus. 

PMID- 26483714
TI  - Early literacy experiences constrain L1 and L2 reading procedures.
AB  - Computational models of reading posit that there are two pathways to word
      recognition, using sublexical phonology or morphological/orthographic
      information. They further theorize that everyone uses both pathways to some
      extent, but the division of labor between the pathways can vary. This review
      argues that the first language one was taught to read, and the instructional
      method by which one was taught, can have profound and long-lasting effects on how
      one reads, not only in one's first language, but also in one's second language.
      Readers who first learn a transparent orthography rely more heavily on the
      sublexical phonology pathway, and this seems relatively impervious to
      instruction. Readers who first learn a more opaque orthography rely more on
      morphological/orthographic information, but the degree to which they do so can be
      modulated by instructional method. Finally, readers who first learned to read a
      highly opaque morphosyllabic orthography use less sublexical phonology while
      reading in their second language than do other second language learners and this
      effect may be heightened if they were not also exposed to an orthography that
      codes for phonological units during early literacy acquisition. These effects of
      early literacy experiences on reading procedure are persistent despite increases
      in reading ability. 

PMID- 26483715
TI  - Quantum structure of negation and conjunction in human thought.
AB  - We analyze in this paper the data collected in a set of experiments investigating
      how people combine natural concepts. We study the mutual influence of conceptual
      conjunction and negation by measuring the membership weights of a list of
      exemplars with respect to two concepts, e.g., Fruits and Vegetables, and their
      conjunction Fruits And Vegetables, but also their conjunction when one or both
      concepts are negated, namely, Fruits And Not Vegetables, Not Fruits And
      Vegetables, and Not Fruits And Not Vegetables. Our findings sharpen and advance
      existing analysis on conceptual combinations, revealing systematic deviations
      from classical (fuzzy set) logic and probability theory. And, more important, our
      results give further considerable evidence to the validity of our quantum
      theoretic framework for the combination of two concepts. Indeed, the
      representation of conceptual negation naturally arises from the general
      assumptions of our two-sector Fock space model, and this representation
      faithfully agrees with the collected data. In addition, we find a new significant
      and a priori unexpected deviation from classicality, which can exactly be
      explained by assuming that human reasoning is the superposition of an "emergent
      reasoning" and a "logical reasoning," and that these two processes are
      represented in a Fock space algebraic structure. 

PMID- 26483716
TI  - When the theory of mind would be very useful.

PMID- 26483717
TI  - Issues and advances in research methods on video games and cognitive abilities.
AB  - The impact of video game playing on cognitive abilities has been the focus of
      numerous studies over the last 10 years. Some cross-sectional comparisons
      indicate the cognitive advantages of video game players (VGPs) over non-players
      (NVGPs) and the benefits of video game trainings, while others fail to replicate
      these findings. Though there is an ongoing discussion over methodological
      practices and their impact on observable effects, some elementary issues, such as
      the representativeness of recruited VGP groups and lack of genre differentiation
      have not yet been widely addressed. In this article we present objective and
      declarative gameplay time data gathered from large samples in order to illustrate
      how playtime is distributed over VGP populations. The implications of this data
      are then discussed in the context of previous studies in the field. We also argue
      in favor of differentiating video games based on their genre when recruiting
      study samples, as this form of classification reflects the core mechanics that
      they utilize and therefore provides a measure of insight into what cognitive
      functions are likely to be engaged most. Additionally, we present the Covert
      Video Game Experience Questionnaire as an example of how this sort of
      classification can be applied during the recruitment process. 

PMID- 26483718
TI  - Becoming popular: interpersonal emotion regulation predicts relationship
      formation in real life social networks.
AB  - Building relationships is crucial for satisfaction and success, especially when
      entering new social contexts. In the present paper, we investigate whether
      attempting to improve others' feelings helps people to make connections in new
      networks. In Study 1, a social network study following new networks of people for
      a 12-week period indicated that use of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER)
      strategies predicted growth in popularity, as indicated by other network members'
      reports of spending time with the person, in work and non-work interactions. In
      Study 2, linguistic analysis of the tweets from over 8000 Twitter users from
      formation of their accounts revealed that use of IER predicted greater popularity
      in terms of the number of followers gained. However, not all types of IER had
      positive effects. Behavioral IER strategies (which use behavior to reassure or
      comfort in order to regulate affect) were associated with greater popularity,
      while cognitive strategies (which change a person's thoughts about his or her
      situation or feelings in order to regulate affect) were negatively associated
      with popularity. Our findings have implications for our understanding of how new
      relationships are formed, highlighting the important the role played by
      intentional emotion regulatory processes. 

PMID- 26483719
TI  - Female social response to male sexual harassment in poeciliid fish: a comparison
      of six species.
AB  - Sexual harassment is common among poeciliid fish. In some fishes, males show a
      high frequency of sneak copulation; such sexual activity is costly to the females
      in terms of foraging efficiency. In mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), when males
      are present, the distance between females tends to decrease, and this behavior
      has been interpreted as an adaptive strategy to dilute the costs of male sexual
      activity. In this study, the tendency to reduce distance in the presence of a
      male has been investigated in females of six poeciliid species (Girardinus
      metallicus, Girardinus falcatus, G. holbrooki, Poecilia reticulata, Xiphophorus
      hellerii, and Xiphophorus mayae) that exhibit different male mating strategies
      and different levels of sexual activity. Results revealed large interspecific
      differences in the pattern of female aggregation. Females of species with a high
      frequency of sneak copulations tended to reduce their social distance in the
      presence of a male. By contrast, species that rely mainly on courtship showed
      little or no variation in social distance. The proportion of sneak copulations
      predicts the degree of variation in female social response, but the amount of
      total sexual activity does not, suggesting that the change in females' social
      distance when a male is present may indeed serve to reduce the costs of male
      sexual harassment. 

PMID- 26483720
TI  - The segment as the minimal planning unit in speech production and reading aloud:
      evidence and implications.
AB  - Speech production and reading aloud studies have much in common, especially the
      last stages involved in producing a response. We focus on the minimal planning
      unit (MPU) in articulation. Although most researchers now assume that the MPU is
      the syllable, we argue that it is at least as small as the segment based on
      negative response latencies (i.e., response initiation before presentation of the
      complete target) and longer initial segment durations in a reading aloud task
      where the initial segment is primed. We also discuss why such evidence was not
      found in earlier studies. Next, we rebut arguments that the segment cannot be the
      MPU by appealing to flexible planning scope whereby planning units of different
      sizes can be used due to individual differences, as well as stimulus and
      experimental design differences. We also discuss why negative response latencies
      do not arise in some situations and why anticipatory coarticulation does not
      preclude the segment MPU. Finally, we argue that the segment MPU is also
      important because it provides an alternative explanation of results implicated in
      the serial vs. parallel processing debate. 

PMID- 26483721
TI  - Literacy transforms speech production.

PMID- 26483722
TI  - Understanding help-seeking amongst university students: the role of group
      identity, stigma, and exposure to suicide and help-seeking.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite a high prevalence of suicide ideation and mental health
      issues amongst university students, the stigma of help-seeking remains a barrier
      to those who are in real need of professional support. Social identity theory
      states that help received from an ingroup source is more welcome and less
      threatening to one's identity than that from a source perceived as outgroup.
      Therefore, we hypothesized that students' stigma toward seeking help from their
      university mental health service would differ based on the strength of their
      identification with the university. METHOD: An online survey including measures
      of stigma of suicide, group identification, experience with help-seeking and
      exposure to suicide was administered to Irish university students (N = 493).
      RESULTS: Group identification was a significant predictor of help-seeking
      attitudes after controlling for already known predictors. Contrary to our
      expectations, those who identified more strongly with their university
      demonstrated a higher stigma of seeking help from their university mental health
      service. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS are discussed in relation to self-categorization
      theory and the concept of normative fit. Practical implications for mental health
      service provision in universities are also addressed, specifically the need for a
      range of different mental health services both on and off-campus.

PMID- 26483723
TI  - Spontaneous recovery of effects of contrast adaptation without awareness.
AB  - Prolonged exposure to a high contrast stimulus reduces the neural sensitivity to
      subsequent similar patterns. Recent work has disclosed that contrast adaptation
      is controlled by multiple mechanisms operating over differing timescales.
      Adaptation to high contrast for a relatively longer period can be rapidly
      eliminated by adaptation to a lower contrast (or meanfield in the present study).
      Such rapid deadaptation presumably causes a short-term mechanism to signal for a
      sensitivity increase, canceling ongoing signals from long-term mechanisms. Once
      deadaptation ends, the short-term mechanism rapidly returns to baseline, and the
      slowly decaying effects in the long-term mechanisms reemerge, allowing the
      perceptual aftereffects to recover during continued testing. Although this
      spontaneous recovery effect is considered strong evidence supporting the multiple
      mechanisms theory, it remains controversial whether the effect is mainly driven
      by visual memory established during the initial longer-term adaptation period. To
      resolve this debate, we used a modified Continuous Flash Suppression (CFS) and
      visual crowding paradigms to render the adapting stimuli invisible, but still
      observed the spontaneous recovery phenomenon. These results exclude the
      possibility that spontaneous recovery found in the previous work was merely the
      consequence of explicit visual memory. Our findings also demonstrate that
      contrast adaptation, even at the unconscious processing levels, is controlled by
      multiple mechanisms. 

PMID- 26483724
TI  - Priming of conflicting motivational orientations in heavy drinkers: robust
      effects on self-report but not implicit measures.
AB  - We report results from three experimental studies that investigated the
      independence of approach and avoidance motivational orientations for alcohol,
      both of which operate within controlled and automatic cognitive processes. In
      order to prime their approach or avoidance motivational orientations,
      participants watched brief videos, the content of which (positive or negative
      depictions of alcohol, or neutral) varied by experimental group. Immediately
      after watching the videos, participants completed self-report (Approach and
      Avoidance of Alcohol Questionnaire; all studies) and implicit (visual probe task
      in study 1, stimulus-response compatibility task in studies 2 and 3) measures of
      alcohol-related approach and avoidance. In study 3, we incorporated an additional
      experimental manipulation of thought suppression in an attempt to maximize the
      influence of the videos on implicit measures. Findings were consistent across all
      three studies: increases in self-reported approach inclinations were mirrored by
      decreases in avoidance inclinations, and vice versa. However, a combined analysis
      of data from all studies demonstrated that changes in approach inclinations were
      partially independent of changes in avoidance inclinations. There were no effects
      on implicit alcohol-related processing biases, although methodological issues may
      partially account for these findings. Our findings demonstrate that subjective
      approach and avoidance inclinations for alcohol tend to fluctuate in parallel,
      but changes in approach inclinations may be partially independent from changes in
      avoidance inclinations. We discuss methodological issues that may partially
      account for our findings. 

PMID- 26483725
TI  - Theoretical pluralism in psychoanalytic case studies.
AB  - The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the scientific activity of
      different psychoanalytic schools of thought in terms of the content and
      production of case studies published on ISI Web of Knowledge. Between March 2013
      and November 2013, we contacted all case study authors included in the online
      archive of psychoanalytic and psychodynamic case studies
      (www.singlecasearchive.com) to inquire about their psychoanalytic orientation
      during their work with the patient. The response rate for this study was 45%. It
      appears that the two oldest psychoanalytic schools, Object-relations
      psychoanalysis and Ego psychology or "Classical psychoanalysis" dominate the
      literature of published case studies. However, most authors stated that they feel
      attached to two or more psychoanalytic schools of thought. This confirms that the
      theoretical pluralism in psychoanalysis stretches to the field of single case
      studies. The single case studies of each psychoanalytic school are described
      separately in terms of methodology, patient, therapist, or treatment features. We
      conclude that published case studies features are fairly similar across different
      psychoanalytic schools. The results of this study are not representative of all
      psychoanalytic schools, as some do not publish their work in ISI ranked journals.

PMID- 26483726
TI  - The conjunction of non-consciously perceived object identity and spatial position
      can be retained during a visual short-term memory task.
AB  - Although non-consciously perceived information has previously been assumed to be
      short-lived (< 500 ms), recent findings show that non-consciously perceived
      information can be maintained for at least 15 s. Such findings can be explained
      as working memory without a conscious experience of the information to be
      retained. However, whether or not working memory can operate on non-consciously
      perceived information remains controversial, and little is known about the nature
      of such non-conscious visual short-term memory (VSTM). Here we used continuous
      flash suppression to render stimuli non-conscious, to investigate the properties
      of non-consciously perceived representations in delayed match-to-sample (DMS)
      tasks. In Experiment I we used variable delays (5 or 15 s) and found that
      performance was significantly better than chance and was unaffected by delay
      duration, thereby replicating previous findings. In Experiment II the DMS task
      required participants to combine information of spatial position and object
      identity on a trial-by-trial basis to successfully solve the task. We found that
      the conjunction of spatial position and object identity was retained, thereby
      verifying that non-conscious, trial-specific information can be maintained for
      prospective use. We conclude that our results are consistent with a working
      memory interpretation, but that more research is needed to verify this
      interpretation. 

PMID- 26483727
TI  - Lucid dreams: their advantage and disadvantage in the frame of search activity
      concept.
AB  - Search activity (SA) is the behavioral and mental activity that is oriented to
      changes of the environment or of the subject's view and approach to the
      environment according to personal needs without the definite probability forecast
      of the outcomes of such activity, but with a regular consideration of the
      outcomes in the process of active behavior. Dream's lucidity (the subject's
      realization that he/she is dreaming) protects dreamer from awakenings during
      emotionally disturbing or frustrating dreams, because lucid dreams allow subject
      to feel separated from the dream events that may cause a feeling of helplessness.
      Due to such a protection from awakenings that can bring subject back to the
      frustration in wakefulness, subject can turn in the further sleep to normal non
      lucid dreams that are restoring subject's SA in the subsequent wakefulness
      (activity in the uncertain situation with the feedback between behavior and its
      outcome). It is the advantage of lucid dreams. Their disadvantage is that due to
      the separation from the dream events that are in lucid dreams accepted as
      rationalized dreams, not as real stories where the dreamer acts like in
      wakefulness, their ability to restore SA is decreased until they are not
      displaced by the normal non-lucid dreams accepted as real stories. 

PMID- 26483728
TI  - Similarities between the target and the intruder in naturally occurring repeated
      person naming errors.
AB  - The present study investigated an intriguing phenomenon that did not receive much
      attention so far: repeatedly calling a familiar person with someone else's name.
      From participants' responses to a questionnaire, these repeated naming errors
      were characterized with respect to a number of properties (e.g., type of names
      being substituted, error frequency, error longevity) and different features of
      similarity (e.g., age, gender, type of relationship with the participant, face
      resemblance and similarity of the contexts of encounter) between the bearer of
      the target name and the bearer of the wrong name. Moreover, it was evaluated
      whether the phonological similarity between names, the participants' age, the
      difference of age between the two persons whose names were substituted, and face
      resemblance between the two persons predicted the frequency of error. Regression
      analyses indicated that phonological similarity between the target name and the
      wrong name predicted the frequency of repeated person naming errors. The age of
      the participant was also a significant predictor of error frequency: the older
      the participant the higher the frequency of errors. Consistent with previous
      research stressing the importance of the age of acquisition of words on lexical
      access in speech production, results indicated that bearer of the wrong name was
      on average known for longer than the bearer of the target name. 

PMID- 26483729
TI  - Through a glass darkly: facial wrinkles affect our processing of emotion in the
      elderly.
AB  - The correct interpretation of emotional expressions is crucial for social life.
      However, emotions in old relative to young faces are recognized less well. One
      reason for this may be decreased signal clarity of older faces due to
      morphological changes, such as wrinkles and folds, obscuring facial displays of
      emotions. Across three experiments, the present research investigates how
      misattributions of emotions to elderly faces impair emotion discrimination. In a
      preliminary task, neutral expressions were perceived as more expressive in old
      than in young faces by human raters (Experiment 1A) and an automatic system for
      emotion recognition (Experiment 1B). Consequently, task difficulty was higher for
      old faces relative to young faces in a visual search task (Experiment 2).
      Specifically, participants detected old faces expressing negative emotions less
      accurately and slower among neutral faces of their peers than young faces among
      neutral faces of their peers. Thus, we argue that age-related changes in facial
      features are the most plausible explanation for the differences in emotion
      perception between young and old faces. These findings are of relevance for the
      social interchange with the elderly, especially when multiple older individuals
      are present. 

PMID- 26483730
TI  - Nonlinear response speedup in bimodal visual-olfactory object identification.
AB  - Multisensory processes are vital in the perception of our environment. In the
      evaluation of foodstuff, redundant sensory inputs not only assist the
      identification of edible and nutritious substances, but also help avoiding the
      ingestion of possibly hazardous substances. While it is known that the non
      chemical senses interact already at early processing levels, it remains unclear
      whether the visual and olfactory senses exhibit comparable interaction effects.
      To address this question, we tested whether the perception of congruent bimodal
      visual-olfactory objects is facilitated compared to unimodal stimulation. We
      measured response times (RT) and accuracy during speeded object identification.
      The onset of the visual and olfactory constituents in bimodal trials was
      physically aligned in the first and perceptually aligned in the second
      experiment. We tested whether the data favored coactivation or parallel
      processing consistent with race models. A redundant-signals effect was observed
      for perceptually aligned redundant stimuli only, i.e., bimodal stimuli were
      identified faster than either of the unimodal components. Analysis of the RT
      distributions and accuracy data revealed that these observations could be
      explained by a race model. More specifically, visual and olfactory channels
      appeared to be operating in a parallel, positively dependent manner. While these
      results suggest the absence of early sensory interactions, future studies are
      needed to substantiate this interpretation. 

PMID- 26483731
TI  - Prosodic cues enhance rule learning by changing speech segmentation mechanisms.
AB  - Prosody has been claimed to have a critical role in the acquisition of
      grammatical information from speech. The exact mechanisms by which prosodic cues
      enhance learning are fully unknown. Rules from language often require the
      extraction of non-adjacent dependencies (e.g., he plays, he sings, he speaks). It
      has been proposed that pauses enhance learning because they allow computing non
      adjacent relations helping word segmentation by removing the need to compute
      adjacent computations. So far only indirect evidence from behavioral and
      electrophysiological measures comparing learning effects after exposure to speech
      with and without pauses support this claim. By recording event-related potentials
      during the acquisition process of artificial languages with and without pauses
      between words with embedded non-adjacent rules we provide direct evidence on how
      the presence of pauses modifies the way speech is processed during learning to
      enhance segmentation and rule generalization. The electrophysiological results
      indicate that pauses as short as 25 ms attenuated the N1 component irrespective
      of whether learning was possible or not. In addition, a P2 enhancement was
      present only when learning of non-adjacent dependencies was possible. The overall
      results support the claim that the simple presence of subtle pauses changed the
      segmentation mechanism used reflected in an exogenously driven N1 component
      attenuation and improving segmentation at the behavioral level. This effect can
      be dissociated from the endogenous P2 enhancement that is observed irrespective
      of the presence of pauses whenever non-adjacent dependencies are learned. 

PMID- 26483732
TI  - An object-identity probability cueing paradigm during grasping observation: the
      facilitating effect is present only when the observed kinematics is suitable for
      the cued object.
AB  - Electrophysiological and psychophysical data indicate that grasping observation
      automatically orients attention toward the incoming interactions between the
      actor's hand and the object. The aim of the present study was to clarify if this
      effect facilitates the detection of a graspable object with the observed action
      as compared to an ungraspable one. We submitted participants to an object
      identity probability cueing experiment in which the two possible targets were of
      the same dimensions but one of them presented sharp tips at one extreme while the
      other presented flat faces. At the beginning of each trial the most probable
      target was briefly shown. After a variable interval, at the same position, the
      same (75%) or a different target (25%) was presented. Participants had to press a
      key in response to target appearance. Superimposed to the video showing cue and
      target, an agent performing the reaching and grasping of the target was
      presented. The kinematics of the action was or was not suitable for grasping the
      cued target, according to the absence or presence of the sharp tips. Results
      showed that response was modulated by the probability of target identity but only
      when the observed kinematics was suitable to grasp the attended target. A further
      experiment clarified that response modulation was never present when the
      superimposed video always showed the agent at a rest position. These findings are
      discussed at the light of neurophysiological and psychophysical literature,
      considering the relationship between the motor system and the perception of
      objects and of others' actions. We conclude that the prediction of the mechanical
      events that arise from the interactions between the hand and the attended object
      is at the basis of the capability to select a graspable object in space. 

PMID- 26483733
TI  - Frontal EEG alpha activity and obsessive-compulsive behaviors in non-clinical
      young adults: a pilot study.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that the resting electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha
      patterns of non-clinical participants who score high on measures of negative
      affect, such as depression and shyness, are different from those who score low.
      However, we know relatively little about patterns of resting EEG alpha patterns
      in a non-clinical sample of individuals with high levels of obsessive-compulsive
      behaviors indicative of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Here we measured
      resting EEG alpha activity in frontal and parietal regions of non-clinical
      participants who scored high and low on the Padua-R, a measure of the severity of
      OCD-related behaviors. We found that participants who scored high on the Padua-R
      exhibited decreased overall activity in frontal regions relative to individuals
      who scored low on the measure. We speculate that frontal hypoactivity may be a
      possible marker and/or index of risk for OCD. 

PMID- 26483734
TI  - Brief quiet ego contemplation reduces oxidative stress and mind-wandering.
AB  - Excessive self-concern increases perceptions of threat and defensiveness. In
      contrast, fostering a more inclusive and expanded sense of self can reduce stress
      and improve well-being. We developed and tested a novel brief intervention
      designed to strengthen a student's compassionate self-identity, an identity that
      values balance and growth by reminding them of four quiet ego characteristics:
      detached awareness, inclusive identity, perspective taking, and growth. Students
      (N = 32) in their first semester of college who reported greater self-protective
      (e.g., defensive) goals in the first 2 weeks of the semester were invited to
      participate in the study. Volunteers were randomly assigned to one of three
      conditions: quiet ego contemplation (QEC), QEC with virtual reality (VR) headset
      (QEC-VR), and control. Participants came to the lab three times to engage in a 15
      min exercise in a 30-days period. The 15-min QEC briefly described each quiet ego
      characteristic followed by a few minutes time to reflect on what that
      characteristic meant to them. Those in the QEC condition reported improved quiet
      ego characteristics and pluralistic thinking, decreases in a urinary marker of
      oxidative stress, and reduced mind-wandering on a cognitive task. Contrary to
      expectation, participants who wore the VR headsets while listening to the QEC
      demonstrated the least improvement. Results suggest that a brief intervention
      that reduces self-focus and strengthens a more compassionate self-view may offer
      an additional resource that individuals can use in their everyday lives. 

PMID- 26483735
TI  - The dampening effect of employees' future orientation on cyberloafing behaviors:
      the mediating role of self-control.
AB  - Previous studies on reducing employees' cyberloafing behaviors have primarily
      examined the external control factors but seldomly taken individual internal
      subjective factors into consideration. Future orientation, an important
      individual factor, is defined as the extent to which one plans for future time
      and considers future consequences of one's current behavior. To explore further
      whether and how employees' future orientation can dampen their cyberloafing
      behaviors, two studies were conducted to examine the relationship between
      employees' future orientation and cyberloafing behaviors. The mediation effect of
      employees' objective and subjective self-control between them was also examined.
      In Study 1, a set of questionnaires was completed, and the results revealed that
      the relationship between employees' future orientation and cyberloafing behaviors
      was negative, and objective self-control mediated the relationship. Next, we
      conducted a priming experiment (Study 2) to examine the causal relationship and
      psychological mechanism between employees' future orientation and cyberloafing
      behaviors. The results demonstrated that employees' future-orientation dampened
      their attitudes and intentions to engage in cyberloafing, and subjective self
      control mediated this dampening effect. Theoretical and practical implications of
      these findings are also discussed. 

PMID- 26483736
TI  - Commentary: Do motivations for using Facebook moderate the association between
      Facebook use and psychological well-being?

PMID- 26483737
TI  - Using interpersonal affect regulation in simulated healthcare consultations: an
      experimental investigation of self-control resource depletion.
AB  - Controlled Interpersonal Affect Regulation -the process of deliberately
      influencing the internal feeling states of others- occurs in a variety of
      interpersonal relationships and contexts. An incipient corpus of research shows
      that interpersonal affect regulation can be characterized as a goal-directed
      behavior that uses self-control processes which, according to the strength model
      of self-regulation, consumes a limited resource that is also used by other self
      control processes. Using interpersonal affect-improving and affect-worsening
      regulation strategies can increase agent's resource depletion but there is reason
      to think that effects will partially rely on target's feedback in response to the
      regulation. Using a healthcare paradigm, an experiment was conducted to test the
      combined effects of interpersonal affect regulation use and patient feedback on
      healthcare workers' resource depletion, measured as self-reported experienced and
      expected emotional exhaustion, and persistence on a self-regulation task. Medical
      students (N = 78) were randomly assigned to a 2(interpersonal affect regulation:
      affect-worsening vs. affect-improving) * 2(patients' feedback: positive vs.
      negative) factorial between-subjects design and given instructions to play the
      role of doctors in interactions with two professional actors trained to act as
      patients. Analysis of covariance showed that affect-worsening was more depleting
      than affect-improving for all measures, whereas the recovery effects of positive
      feedback varied depending on strategy type and measure. The findings confirm the
      characterization of interpersonal affect regulation as potentially depleting, but
      suggest that the correspondence between the agent's strategy and the target's
      response needs to be taken into consideration. Use of affect-improving and
      positive feedback showed positive effects on self-rated performance, indicating
      that interpersonal affect regulation is relevant for organizational as well as
      personal outcomes. 

PMID- 26483738
TI  - Modulation of executive attention by threat stimulus in test-anxious students.
AB  - The study examined whether test anxiety (TA) is related to impaired attentional
      networks under emotional distraction. High and low test-anxious students
      completed a modified version of the attention network test (ANT) in which
      emotional distracters, specifically threat-related or neutral words, were
      embedded in centrally presented hollow arrows in Experiment 1. Results showed a
      significant reduction in efficiency of the executive attention in test-anxious
      students compared to controls when the fillers were threat/test-related words. To
      evaluate the effect of the test adaptation, the original ANT, which utilized no
      emotional distracter, was employed as a control task in Experiment 2. We then
      consolidated the data on efficiency of attentional networks, which were derived
      from both tasks. Contrasting the two tasks showed that TA reduced executive
      attention in the revised task only, suggesting an enhanced sensitivity provided
      by the adaptation from the original task. Taken together, these findings indicate
      that the attentional deficit in test-anxious individuals represents a situation
      related defect of a single component of attention rather than an underlying
      structural and universal attentional deficit. The results support the hypothesis
      of attentional control theory and contribute to the understanding of attentional
      mechanisms in individuals with TA. 

PMID- 26483739
TI  - Cognitive foundations of organizational learning: re-introducing the distinction
      between declarative and non-declarative knowledge.
AB  - Contemporary research into socio-cognitive foundations of organizational learning
      tends to disregard the distinction between declarative and non-declarative
      knowledge. By reviewing the literature from organizational learning research and
      cognitive psychology we explain that this distinction is crucial. We describe the
      foundations of organizational learning by referring to models that consider the
      interplay between individual and collective knowledge-related processes in
      organizations. We highlight the existence of a research gap resulting from the
      finding that these approaches have widely neglected the existence of different
      types of knowledge. We then elaborate on characteristics of declarative and non
      declarative knowledge in general, consider organizations as structures of
      distributed cognition, and discuss the relationship between organizational
      knowledge and practice. Subsequently, we examine the role of declarative and non
      declarative knowledge in the context of organizational learning. Here, we analyze
      (1) the cognitive and social mechanisms underlying the development of declarative
      and non-declarative knowledge within structures of distributed cognition; and (2)
      the relationship between alterations in declarative and non-declarative types of
      knowledge on the one hand and changes in organizational practice on the other.
      Concluding, we discuss implications of our analysis for organizational learning
      research. We explain how our integrative perspective may offer starting points
      for a refined understanding of the sub-processes involved in organizational
      learning and unlearning and may support a better understanding of practical
      problems related to organizational learning and change. 

PMID- 26483740
TI  - Neural correlates of gratitude.
AB  - Gratitude is an important aspect of human sociality, and is valued by religions
      and moral philosophies. It has been established that gratitude leads to benefits
      for both mental health and interpersonal relationships. It is thus important to
      elucidate the neurobiological correlates of gratitude, which are only now
      beginning to be investigated. To this end, we conducted an experiment during
      which we induced gratitude in participants while they underwent functional
      magnetic resonance imaging. We hypothesized that gratitude ratings would
      correlate with activity in brain regions associated with moral cognition, value
      judgment and theory of mind. The stimuli used to elicit gratitude were drawn from
      stories of survivors of the Holocaust, as many survivors report being sheltered
      by strangers or receiving lifesaving food and clothing, and having strong
      feelings of gratitude for such gifts. The participants were asked to place
      themselves in the context of the Holocaust and imagine what their own experience
      would feel like if they received such gifts. For each gift, they rated how
      grateful they felt. The results revealed that ratings of gratitude correlated
      with brain activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal
      cortex, in support of our hypotheses. The results provide a window into the brain
      circuitry for moral cognition and positive emotion that accompanies the
      experience of benefitting from the goodwill of others. 

PMID- 26483741
TI  - Early developmental changes in the timing of turn-taking: a longitudinal study of
      mother-infant interaction.
AB  - To accomplish a smooth transition in conversation from one speaker to the next, a
      tight coordination of interaction between speakers is required. Recent studies of
      adult conversation suggest that this close timing of interaction may well be a
      universal feature of conversation. In the present paper, we set out to assess the
      development of this close timing of turns in infancy in vocal exchanges between
      mothers and infants. Previous research has demonstrated an early sensitivity to
      timing in interactions (e.g., Murray and Trevarthen, 1985). In contrast, less is
      known about infants' abilities to produce turns in a timely manner and existing
      findings are rather patchy. We conducted a longitudinal study of 12 mother-infant
      dyads in free-play interactions at the ages of 3, 4, 5, 9, 12, and 18 months.
      Based on existing work and the predictions made by the Interaction Engine
      Hypothesis (Levinson, 2006), we expected that infants would begin to develop the
      temporal properties of turn-taking early in infancy but that their timing of
      turns would slow down at 12 months, which is around the time when infants start
      to produce their first words. Findings were consistent with our predictions:
      infants were relatively fast at timing their turn early in infancy but slowed
      down toward the end of the first year. Furthermore, the changes observed in
      infants' turn-timing skills were not caused by changes in maternal timing, which
      remained stable across the 3-18 months period. However, the slowing down of turn
      timing started somewhat earlier than predicted: at 9 months. 

PMID- 26483742
TI  - Income, personality, and subjective financial well-being: the role of gender in
      their genetic and environmental relationships.
AB  - Increasing levels of financial inequality prompt questions about the relationship
      between income and well-being. Using a twins sample from the Survey of Midlife
      Development in the U. S. and controlling for personality as core self-evaluations
      (CSE), we found that men, but not women, had higher subjective financial well
      being (SFWB) when they had higher incomes. This relationship was due to 'unshared
      environmental' factors rather than genes, suggesting that the effect of income on
      SFWB is driven by unique experiences among men. Further, for women and men, we
      found that CSE influenced income and SFWB, and that both genetic and
      environmental factors explained this relationship. Given the relatively small and
      male-specific relationship between income and SFWB, and the determination of both
      income and SFWB by personality, we propose that policy makers focus on malleable
      factors beyond merely income in order to increase SFWB, including financial
      education and building self-regulatory capacity. 

PMID- 26483743
TI  - A crisis in comparative psychology: where have all the undergraduates gone?

PMID- 26483744
TI  - A cross-cultural study on emotion expression and the learning of social norms.
AB  - When we do not know how to correctly behave in a new context, the emotions that
      people familiar with the context show in response to the behaviors of others, can
      help us understand what to do or not to do. The present study examined cross
      cultural differences in how group emotional expressions (anger, sadness, neutral)
      can be used to deduce a norm violation in four cultures (Germany, Israel, Greece,
      and the US), which differ in terms of decoding rules for negative emotions. As
      expected, in all four countries, anger was a stronger norm violation signal than
      sadness or neutral expressions. However, angry and sad expressions were perceived
      as more intense and the relevant norm was learned better in Germany and Israel
      than in Greece and the US. Participants in Greece were relatively better at using
      sadness as a sign of a likely norm violation. The results demonstrate both
      cultural universality and cultural differences in the use of group emotion
      expressions in norm learning. In terms of cultural differences they underscore
      that the social signal value of emotional expressions may vary with culture as a
      function of cultural differences, both in emotion perception, and as a function
      of a differential use of emotions. 

PMID- 26483746
TI  - Evolution of speech-specific cognitive adaptations.
AB  - This paper argues that an evolutionary perspective is natural when investigating
      cognitive adaptations related to language. This is because there appears to be
      correspondence between traits that linguists consider interesting and traits that
      have undergone selective pressure related to language. The paper briefly reviews
      theoretical results that shed light on what kind of adaptations we can expect to
      have evolved and then reviews concrete work related to the evolution of
      adaptations for combinatorial speech. It turns out that there is as yet no strong
      direct evidence for cognitive traits that have undergone selection related to
      speech, but there is indirect evidence that indicates selection. However, the
      traits that may have undergone selection are expected to be continuously variable
      ones, rather than the discrete ones that linguists have focused on traditionally.

PMID- 26483745
TI  - Walking indoors, walking outdoors: an fMRI study.
AB  - An observation/execution matching system for walking has not been assessed yet.
      The present fMRI study was aimed at assessing whether, as for object-directed
      actions, an observation/execution matching system is active for walking and
      whether the spatial context of walking (open or narrow space) recruits different
      neural correlates. Two experimental conditions were employed. In the execution
      condition, while being scanned, participants performed walking on a rolling
      cylinder located just outside the scanner. The same action was performed also
      while observing a video presenting either an open space (a country field) or a
      narrow space (a corridor). In the observation condition, participants observed a
      video presenting an individual walking on the same cylinder on which the actual
      action was executed, the open space video and the narrow space video,
      respectively. Results showed common bilateral activations in the dorsal
      premotor/supplementary motor areas and in the posterior parietal lobe for both
      execution and observation of walking, thus supporting a matching system for this
      action. Moreover, specific sectors of the occipital-temporal cortex and the
      middle temporal gyrus were consistently active when processing a narrow space
      versus an open one, thus suggesting their involvement in the visuo-motor
      transformation required when walking in a narrow space. We forward that the
      present findings may have implications for rehabilitation of gait and sport
      training. 

PMID- 26483747
TI  - Self-construal priming selectively modulates the scope of visual attention.
AB  - Self-concept is one of the major factors to explain the cultural differences
      between East Asians and Westerners. In the field of visual attention, most
      studies have focused on the modulation of visual spatial-based attention, whereas
      possible influences of culture or self-concept on other types of visual attention
      remain largely unexplored. The present study investigated the possible modulation
      of visual feature-based attention by self-concept, using a within-group self
      construal priming design. The experiment paradigm employed visual stimuli
      consisted of two intermixing random dot clouds presented in the focal visual
      field with red and green colors. After primed with an interdependent,
      independent, or neutral self-construal, the participants were instructed to
      attend to one of the focally presented dot cloud and respond to occasional
      luminance decrement events of the attended dot cloud. The detection of the focal
      events was found to be significantly faster when exogenously cued by a peripheral
      dot cloud of either the same or different colors as the attended focal dot cloud
      (congruent/incongruent), compared to the uncued condition. More importantly, the
      self-construal priming took effect only on the reaction time (RT) differences
      between the congruent and incongruent cued conditions: the participants responded
      much slower to incongruent cued events than congruent cued events under
      interdependent self-construal priming, while the RT difference was significantly
      smaller under independent self-construal priming. A closer look on the results
      suggests that the attention scope is selectively modulated by self-construal
      priming, and the modulation is mainly reflected by varying the degree of
      suppression on the processing of the incongruent contextual stimuli that do not
      share visual features with the focal object. Our findings provide new evidences
      that could possibly extend the current understanding on the cultural influence on
      visual attention. 

PMID- 26483748
TI  - Sexual orientation and gender identity: review of concepts, controversies and
      their relation to psychopathology classification systems.
AB  - Numerous controversies and debates have taken place throughout the history of
      psychopathology (and its main classification systems) with regards to sexual
      orientation and gender identity. These are still reflected on present
      reformulations of gender dysphoria in both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
      and the International Classification of Diseases, and in more or less subtle
      micro-aggressions experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans patients in
      mental health care. The present paper critically reviews this history and current
      controversies. It reveals that this deeply complex field contributes (i) to the
      reflection on the very concept of mental illness; (ii) to the focus on subjective
      distress and person-centered experience of psychopathology; and (iii) to the
      recognition of stigma and discrimination as significant intervening variables.
      Finally, it argues that sexual orientation and gender identity have been viewed,
      in the history of the field of psychopathology, between two poles: gender
      transgression and gender variance/fluidity. 

PMID- 26483749
TI  - Activation of the intermediate sum in intentional and automatic calculations.
AB  - Most research investigating how the cognitive system deals with arithmetic has
      focused on the processing of two addends. Arithmetic that involves more addends
      has specific cognitive demands such as the need to compute and hold the
      intermediate sum. This study examines the intermediate sums activations in
      intentional and automatic calculations. Experiment 1 included addition problems
      containing three operands. Participants were asked to calculate the sum and to
      remember the digits that appeared in the problem. The results revealed an
      interference effect in which it was hard to identify that the digit representing
      the intermediate sum was not actually one of the operands. Experiment 2, further
      examined if the intermediate sum is activated automatically when a task does not
      require calculation. Here, participants were presented with a prime of an
      addition problem followed by a target number. The task was to determine whether
      the target number is odd or even, while ignoring the addition problem in the
      prime. The results suggested that the intermediate sum of the addition problem in
      the prime was activated automatically and facilitated the target. Overall, the
      implications of those findings in the context of theories that relate to
      cognitive mathematical calculation is further discussed. 

PMID- 26483751
TI  - Erratum: An other-race effect for configural and featural processing of faces:
      upper and lower face regions play different roles.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 559 in vol. 6, PMID: 26005427.]. 

PMID- 26483750
TI  - Trait rejection sensitivity is associated with vigilance and defensive response
      rather than detection of social rejection cues.
AB  - Prior studies suggest that psychological difficulties arise from higher trait
      Rejection Sensitivity (RS)-heightened vigilance and differential detection of
      social rejection cues and defensive response to. On the other hand, from an
      evolutionary perspective, rapid and efficient detection of social rejection cues
      can be considered beneficial. We conducted a survey and an electrophysiological
      experiment to reconcile this seeming contradiction. We compared the effects of RS
      and Rejection Detection Capability (RDC) on perceived interpersonal experiences
      (Study 1) and on neurocognitive processes in response to cues of social rejection
      (disgusted faces; Study 2). We found that RS and RDC were not significantly
      related, although RS was positively related to perceived social rejection
      experiences and RDC was positively related to perceived social inclusion
      experiences. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) revealed that higher RS was
      related to cognitive avoidance (i.e., P1) and heightened motivated attention
      (i.e., late positive potential: LPP), but not to facial expression encoding
      (i.e., N170) toward disgusted faces. On the other hand, higher RDC was related to
      heightened N170 amplitude, but not to P1 and LPP amplitudes. These findings imply
      that sensitivity to rejection is apparently distinct from the ability to detect
      social rejection cues and instead reflects intense vigilance and defensive
      response to those cues. We discussed an alternative explanation of the
      relationship between RS and RDC from a signal detection perspective. 

PMID- 26483752
TI  - Time to broaden the scope of research on anticipatory behavior: a case for the
      role of probabilistic information.

PMID- 26483753
TI  - Facilitating the Validation of Novel Protein Biomarkers for Dementia: An Optimal
      Workflow for the Development of Sandwich Immunoassays.
AB  - Different neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and
      frontotemporal dementia (FTD), lead to dementia syndromes. Dementia will pose a
      huge impact on society and thus it is essential to develop novel tools that are
      able to detect the earliest, most sensitive, discriminative, and dynamic
      biomarkers for each of the disorders. To date, the most common assays used in
      large-scale protein biomarker analysis are enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays
      (ELISA), such as the sandwich immunoassays, which are sensitive, practical, and
      easily implemented. However, due to the novelty of many candidate biomarkers
      identified during proteomics screening, such assays or the antibodies that
      specifically recognize the desired marker are often not available. The
      development and optimization of a new ELISA should be carried out with
      considerable caution since a poor planning can be costly, ineffective, time
      consuming, and it may lead to a misinterpretation of the findings. Previous
      guidelines described either the overall biomarker development in more general
      terms (i.e., the process from biomarker discovery to validation) or the specific
      steps of performing an ELISA procedure. However, a workflow describing and
      guiding the main issues in the development of a novel ELISA is missing. Here, we
      describe a specific and detailed workflow to develop and validate new ELISA for a
      successful and reliable validation of novel dementia biomarkers. The proposed
      workflow highlights the main issues in the development of an ELISA and covers
      several critical aspects, including production, screening, and selection of
      specific antibodies until optimal fine-tuning of the assay. Although these
      recommendations are designed to analyze novel biomarkers for dementia in
      cerebrospinal fluid, they are generally applicable for the development of
      immunoassays for biomarkers in other human body fluids or tissues. This workflow
      is designed to maximize the quality of the developed ELISA using a time- and cost
      efficient strategy. This will facilitate the validation of the dementia biomarker
      candidates ultimately allowing accurate diagnostic conclusions. 

PMID- 26483754
TI  - Circadian Phenotype Composition is a Major Predictor of Diurnal Physical
      Performance in Teams.
AB  - Team performance is a complex phenomenon involving numerous influencing factors
      including physiology, psychology, and management. Biological rhythms and the
      impact of circadian phenotype have not been studied for their contribution to
      this array of factors so far despite our knowledge of the circadian regulation of
      key physiological processes involved in physical and mental performance. This
      study involved 216 individuals from 12 different teams who were categorized into
      circadian phenotypes using the novel RBUB chronometric test. The composition of
      circadian phenotypes within each team was used to model predicted daily team
      performance profiles based on physical performance tests. Our results show that
      the composition of circadian phenotypes within teams is variable and
      unpredictable. Predicted physical peak performance ranged from 1:52 to 8:59 p.m.
      with performance levels fluctuating by up to 14.88% over the course of the day.
      The major predictor for peak performance time in the course of a day in a team is
      the occurrence of late circadian phenotypes. We conclude that circadian phenotype
      is a performance indicator in teams that allows new insight and a better
      understanding of team performance variation in the course of a day as often
      observed in different groupings of individuals. 

PMID- 26483755
TI  - Genetic Models for the Study of Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Function.
AB  - The luteinizing hormone/chorionic gonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) is essential for
      fertility in men and women. LHCGR binds luteinizing hormone (LH) as well as the
      highly homologous chorionic gonadotropin. Signaling from LHCGR is required for
      steroidogenesis and gametogenesis in males and females and for sexual
      differentiation in the male. The importance of LHCGR in reproductive physiology
      is underscored by the large number of naturally occurring inactivating and
      activating mutations in the receptor that result in reproductive disorders.
      Consequently, several genetically modified mouse models have been developed for
      the study of LHCGR function. They include targeted deletion of LH and LHCGR that
      mimic inactivating mutations in hormone and receptor, expression of a
      constitutively active mutant in LHCGR that mimics activating mutations associated
      with familial male-limited precocious puberty and transgenic models of LH and hCG
      overexpression. This review summarizes the salient findings from these models and
      their utility in understanding the physiological and pathological consequences of
      loss and gain of function in LHCGR signaling. 

PMID- 26483756
TI  - Endocrine FGFs: Evolution, Physiology, Pathophysiology, and Pharmacotherapy.
AB  - The human fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family comprises 22 structurally related
      polypeptides that play crucial roles in neuronal functions, development, and
      metabolism. FGFs are classified as intracrine, paracrine, and endocrine FGFs
      based on their action mechanisms. Paracrine and endocrine FGFs are secreted
      signaling molecules by acting via cell-surface FGF receptors (FGFRs). Paracrine
      FGFs require heparan sulfate as a cofactor for FGFRs. In contrast, endocrine
      FGFs, comprising FGF19, FGF21, and FGF23, require alpha-Klotho or beta-Klotho as
      a cofactor for FGFRs. Endocrine FGFs, which are specific to vertebrates, lost
      heparan sulfate-binding affinity and acquired a systemic signaling system with
      alpha-Klotho or beta-Klotho during early vertebrate evolution. The phenotypes of
      endocrine FGF knockout mice indicate that they play roles in metabolism including
      bile acid, energy, and phosphate/active vitamin D metabolism. Accumulated
      evidence for the involvement of endocrine FGFs in human genetic and metabolic
      diseases also indicates their pathophysiological roles in metabolic diseases,
      potential risk factors for metabolic diseases, and useful biomarkers for
      metabolic diseases. The therapeutic utility of endocrine FGFs is currently being
      developed. These findings provide new insights into the physiological and
      pathophysiological roles of endocrine FGFs and potential diagnostic and
      therapeutic strategies for metabolic diseases. 

PMID- 26483757
TI  - Interaction of drugs of abuse and microRNA with HIV: a brief review.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs), the post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, play
      key roles in modulating many cellular processes. The changes in the expression
      profiles of several specific miRNAs affect the interactions between miRNA and
      their targets in various illnesses, including addiction, HIV, cancer etc. The
      presence of anti-HIV-1 microRNAs (which regulate the level of infectivity of HIV
      1) have been validated in the cells which are the primary targets of HIV
      infection. Drugs of abuse impair the intracellular innate anti-HIV mechanism(s)
      in monocytes, contributing to cell susceptibility to HIV infection. Emerging
      evidence has implicated miRNAs are differentially expressed in response to
      chronic morphine treatment. Activation of mu opioid receptors (MOR) by morphine
      is shown to down regulate the expression of anti-HIV miRNAs. In this review, we
      summarize the results which demonstrate that several drugs of abuse related
      miRNAs have roles in the mechanisms that define addiction, and how they interact
      with HIV. 

PMID- 26483758
TI  - New drug target in protozoan parasites: the role of thioredoxin reductase.
AB  - Amebiasis causes approximately 70,000 deaths annually and is the third cause of
      death due to parasites worldwide. It is treated primarily with metronidazole,
      which has adverse side effects, is mutagenic and carcinogenic, and emergence of
      resistance is an increasing concern. Unfortunately, better therapeutic
      alternatives are lacking. Re-purposing of older FDA approved drugs is
      advantageous to drug discovery since safety and pharmacokinetic effects in humans
      are already known. In high throughput screening studies, we recently demonstrated
      that auranofin, a gold containing compound originally approved to treat
      rheumatoid arthritis, has activity against trophozoites of E. histolytica, the
      causative agent of amebiasis. Auranofin's anti-parasitic activity is attributed
      to its monovalent gold molecule that readily inhibits E. histolytica thioredoxin
      reductase. This anti-oxidant enzyme is the only thiol-dependent flavo-reductase
      present in E. histolytica. Auranofin has also shown promising activity against
      other protozoans of significant public health importance. Altogether, this
      evidence suggests that auranofin has the potential to become a broad spectrum
      alternative therapeutic agent for diseases with a large global burden. 

PMID- 26483759
TI  - Diverse and abundant multi-drug resistant E. coli in Matang mangrove estuaries,
      Malaysia.
AB  - E.coli, an important vector distributing antimicrobial resistance in the
      environment, was found to be multi-drug resistant, abundant, and genetically
      diverse in the Matang mangrove estuaries, Malaysia. One-third (34%) of the
      estuarine E. coli was multi-drug resistant. The highest antibiotic resistance
      prevalence was observed for aminoglycosides (83%) and beta-lactams (37%).
      Phylogenetic groups A and B1, being the most predominant E. coli, demonstrated
      the highest antibiotic resistant level and prevalence of integrons (integron I,
      21%; integron II, 3%). Detection of phylogenetic group B23 downstream of fishing
      villages indicates human fecal contamination as a source of E. coli pollution.
      Enteroaggregative E. coli (1%) were also detected immediately downstream of the
      fishing village. The results indicated multi-drug resistance among E. coli
      circulating in Matang estuaries, which could be reflective of anthropogenic
      activities and aggravated by bacterial and antibiotic discharges from village
      lack of a sewerage system, aquaculture farms and upstream animal husbandry. 

PMID- 26483760
TI  - Metabolomic and high-throughput sequencing analysis-modern approach for the
      assessment of biodeterioration of materials from historic buildings.
AB  - Preservation of cultural heritage is of paramount importance worldwide. Microbial
      colonization of construction materials, such as wood, brick, mortar, and stone in
      historic buildings can lead to severe deterioration. The aim of the present study
      was to give modern insight into the phylogenetic diversity and activated
      metabolic pathways of microbial communities colonized historic objects located in
      the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp in
      Oswiecim, Poland. For this purpose we combined molecular, microscopic and
      chemical methods. Selected specimens were examined using Field Emission Scanning
      Electron Microscopy (FESEM), metabolomic analysis and high-throughput Illumina
      sequencing. FESEM imaging revealed the presence of complex microbial communities
      comprising diatoms, fungi and bacteria, mainly cyanobacteria and actinobacteria,
      on sample surfaces. Microbial diversity of brick specimens appeared higher than
      that of the wood and was dominated by algae and cyanobacteria, while wood was
      mainly colonized by fungi. DNA sequences documented the presence of 15 bacterial
      phyla representing 99 genera including Halomonas, Halorhodospira, Salinisphaera,
      Salinibacterium, Rubrobacter, Streptomyces, Arthrobacter and nine fungal classes
      represented by 113 genera including Cladosporium, Acremonium, Alternaria,
      Engyodontium, Penicillium, Rhizopus, and Aureobasidium. Most of the identified
      sequences were characteristic of organisms implicated in deterioration of wood
      and brick. Metabolomic data indicated the activation of numerous metabolic
      pathways, including those regulating the production of primary and secondary
      metabolites, for example, metabolites associated with the production of
      antibiotics, organic acids and deterioration of organic compounds. The study
      demonstrated that a combination of electron microscopy imaging with metabolomic
      and genomic techniques allows to link the phylogenetic information and metabolic
      profiles of microbial communities and to shed new light on biodeterioration
      processes. 

PMID- 26483761
TI  - Trichoderma volatiles effecting Arabidopsis: from inhibition to protection
      against phytopathogenic fungi.
AB  - Trichoderma species are present in many ecosystems and some strains have the
      ability to reduce the severity of plant diseases by activating various defense
      pathways via specific biologically active signaling molecules. Hence we
      investigated the effects of low molecular weight volatile compounds of
      Trichoderma asperellum IsmT5 on Arabidopsis thaliana. During co-cultivation of T.
      asperellum IsmT5 without physical contact to A. thaliana we observed smaller but
      vital and robust plants. The exposed plants exhibit increased trichome numbers,
      accumulation of defense-related compounds such as H2O2, anthocyanin, camalexin,
      and increased expression of defense-related genes. We conclude that A. thaliana
      perceives the Trichoderma volatiles as stress compounds and subsequently
      initiates multilayered adaptations including activation of signaling cascades to
      withstand this environmental influence. The prominent headspace volatile of T.
      asperellum IsmT5 was identified to be 6-pentyl-alpha-pyrone (6PP), which was
      solely applied to A. thaliana to verify the growth and defense reactions. Most
      noticeable is that A. thaliana preexposed to 6PP showed significantly reduced
      symptoms when challenged with Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria brassicicola,
      indicating that defense-activated plants subsequently became more resistant to
      pathogen attack. Together, these results support that products that are based on
      Trichoderma volatiles have the potential being a useful biocontrol agent in
      agriculture. 

PMID- 26483762
TI  - Ranking of persister genes in the same Escherichia coli genetic background
      demonstrates varying importance of individual persister genes in tolerance to
      different antibiotics.
AB  - Despite the identification of many genes and pathways involved in the persistence
      phenomenon of bacteria, the relative importance of these genes in a single
      organism remains unclear. Here, using Escherichia coli as a model, we generated
      mutants of 21 known candidate persister genes and compared the relative
      importance of these mutants in persistence to various antibiotics (ampicillin,
      gentamicin, norfloxacin, and trimethoprim) at different times. We found that
      oxyR, dnaK, sucB, relA, rpoS, clpB, mqsR, and recA were prominent persister genes
      involved in persistence to multiple antibiotics. These genes map to the following
      pathways: antioxidative defense pathway (oxyR), global regulators (dnaK, clpB,
      and rpoS), energy production (sucB), stringent response (relA), toxin-antitoxin
      (TA) module (mqsR), and SOS response (recA). Among the TA modules, the ranking
      order was mqsR, lon, relE, tisAB, hipA, and dinJ. Intriguingly, rpoS deletion
      caused a defect in persistence to gentamicin but increased persistence to
      ampicillin and norfloxacin. Mutants demonstrated dramatic differences in
      persistence to different antibiotics at different time points: some mutants
      (oxyR, dnaK, phoU, lon, recA, mqsR, and tisAB) displayed defect in persistence
      from early time points, while other mutants (relE, smpB, glpD, umuD, and tnaA)
      showed defect only at later time points. These results indicate that varying
      hierarchy and importance of persister genes exist and that persister genes can be
      divided into those involved in shallow persistence and those involved in deep
      persistence. Our findings suggest that the persistence phenomenon is a dynamic
      process with different persister genes playing roles of variable significance at
      different times. These findings have implications for improved understanding of
      persistence phenomenon and developing new drugs targeting persisters for more
      effective cure of persistent infections. 

PMID- 26483763
TI  - Present and future medical applications of microbial exopolysaccharides.
AB  - Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS) have found outstanding medical applications
      since the mid-20th century, with the first clinical trials on dextran solutions
      as plasma expanders. Other EPS entered medicine firstly as conventional
      pharmaceutical excipients (e.g., xanthan - as suspension stabilizer, or pullulan 
      in capsules and oral care products). Polysaccharides, initially obtained from
      plant or animal sources, became easily available for a wide range of
      applications, especially when they were commercially produced by microbial
      fermentation. Alginates are used as anti-reflux, dental impressions, or as matrix
      for tablets. Hyaluronic acid and derivatives are used in surgery, arthritis
      treatment, or wound healing. Bacterial cellulose is applied in wound dressings or
      scaffolds for tissue engineering. The development of drug controlled-release
      systems and of micro- and nanoparticulated ones, has opened a new era of medical
      applications for biopolymers. EPS and their derivatives are well-suited
      potentially non-toxic, biodegradable drug carriers. Such systems concern rating
      and targeting of controlled release. Their large area of applications is
      explained by the available manifold series of derivatives, whose useful
      properties can be thereby controlled. From matrix inclusion to conjugates,
      different systems have been designed to solubilize, and to assure stable
      transport in the body, target accumulation and variable rate-release of a drug
      substance. From controlled drug delivery, EPS potential applications expanded to
      vaccine adjuvants and diagnostic imaging systems. Other potential applications
      are related to the bioactive (immunomodulator, antitumor, antiviral)
      characteristics of EPS. The numerous potential applications still wait to be
      developed into commercial pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Based on previous
      and recent results in important medical-pharmaceutical domains, one can
      undoubtedly state that EPS medical applications have a broad future ahead. 

PMID- 26483764
TI  - Evolutionary history influences the salinity preference of bacterial taxa in
      wetland soils.
AB  - Salinity is a major driver of bacterial community composition across the globe.
      Despite growing recognition that different bacterial species are present or
      active at different salinities, the mechanisms by which salinity structures
      community composition remain unclear. We tested the hypothesis that these
      patterns reflect ecological coherence in the salinity preferences of phylogenetic
      groups using a reciprocal transplant experiment of fresh- and saltwater wetland
      soils. The salinity of both the origin and host environments affected community
      composition (16S rRNA gene sequences) and activity (CO2 and CH4 production, and
      extracellular enzyme activity). These changes in community composition and
      activity rates were strongly correlated, which suggests the effect of environment
      on function could be mediated, at least in part, by microbial community
      composition. Based on their distribution across treatments, each phylotype was
      categorized as having a salinity preference (freshwater, saltwater, or none) and
      phylogenetic analyses revealed a significant influence of evolutionary history on
      these groupings. This finding was corroborated by examining the salinity
      preferences of high-level taxonomic groups. For instance, we found that the
      majority of alpha- and gamma-proteobacteria in these wetland soils preferred
      saltwater, while many beta-proteobacteria prefer freshwater. Overall, our results
      indicate the effect of salinity on bacterial community composition results from
      phylogenetically-clustered salinity preferences. 

PMID- 26483765
TI  - Prevalence, enumeration, and pheno- and genotypic characteristics of Listeria
      monocytogenes isolated from raw foods in South China.
AB  - Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen that can cause serious
      illness in immunocompromised individuals, pregnant women, the elderly, and
      newborns. The aim of this study was to: (i) evaluate the prevalence and
      contamination level [most probable number (MPN)] of L. monocytogenes in 567
      retail raw foods (fishery products, n = 154; raw/fresh meat, n = 123; frozen
      foods, n = 110; edible fungi, n = 108; vegetables, n = 72) collected from South
      China and (ii) to gain further knowledge on the phenotype and genotype
      distributions of this important foodborne pathogen. Approximately 22% of the
      samples were positive for L. monocytogenes. The contamination levels were between
      0.3 and 10 MPN/g in 75.0%, between 10 and 100 MPN/g in 11.0% and less than 100
      MPN/g in 14.0% of the countable samples. Five serogroups were identified among
      the 177 foodborne L. monocytogenes isolates, with 1/2a-3a (42.4%) and 1/2b-3b
      (26.0%) serogroups being the most dominant. Serogroups I.1 and II.2 were only
      found in the edible mushrooms, while serogroup III was dominant in the fishery
      products, suggesting that specific serogroups of L. monocytogenes may have
      distinct ecological niches. Ten (5.6%) L. monocytogenes isolates exhibited
      multidrug resistance. Genetic relatedness analysis revealed the absence of
      distinct associations between specific food types, antibiotic resistance,
      serogroups, and genetic diversity. The present study provided the first baseline
      data on the prevalence, contamination level, and characteristics of L.
      monocytogenes isolated from raw foods in South China. Some multidrug resistant
      strains belonged to the epidemiologically important serogroups (I.1 and II.1),
      implying a potential public health risk. In addition, these findings also provide
      basic information for the Chinese food safety associated authorities to draft
      appropriate standards to control L. monocytogenes contamination and improve
      microbiological safety of raw foods. 

PMID- 26483766
TI  - A unique assemblage of cosmopolitan freshwater bacteria and higher community
      diversity differentiate an urbanized estuary from oligotrophic Lake Michigan.
AB  - Water quality is impacted significantly by urbanization. The delivery of
      increased nutrient loads to waterways is a primary characteristic of this land
      use change. Despite the recognized effects of nutrient loading on aquatic
      systems, the influence of urbanization on the bacterial community composition of
      these systems is not understood. We used massively-parallel sequencing of
      bacterial 16S rRNA genes to examine the bacterial assemblages in transect samples
      spanning the heavily urbanized estuary of Milwaukee, WI to the relatively un
      impacted waters of Lake Michigan. With this approach, we found that genera and
      lineages common to freshwater lake epilimnia were common and abundant in both the
      high nutrient, urban-impacted waterways, and the low nutrient Lake Michigan.
      Although the two environments harbored many taxa in common, we identified a
      significant change in the community assemblage across the urban-influence
      gradient, and three distinct community features drove this change. First, we
      found the urban-influenced waterways harbored significantly greater bacterial
      richness and diversity than Lake Michigan (i.e., taxa augmentation). Second, we
      identified a shift in the relative abundance among common freshwater lineages,
      where acI, acTH1, Algoriphagus and LD12, had decreased representation and
      Limnohabitans, Polynucleobacter, and Rhodobacter had increased representation in
      the urban estuary. Third, by oligotyping 18 common freshwater genera/lineages, we
      found that oligotypes (highly resolved sequence clusters) within many of these
      genera/lineages had opposite preferences for the two environments. With these
      data, we suggest many of the defined cosmopolitan freshwater genera/lineages
      contain both oligotroph and more copiotroph species or populations, promoting the
      idea that within-genus lifestyle specialization, in addition to shifts in the
      dominance among core taxa and taxa augmentation, drive bacterial community change
      in urbanized waters. 

PMID- 26483768
TI  - Lassa virus isolates from Mali and the Ivory Coast represent an emerging fifth
      lineage.
AB  - Previous imported cases of Lassa fever (LF) into the United Kingdom from the
      Ivory Coast and Mali, as well as the detection of Lassa virus (LASV) among the
      Mastomys natalensis population within Mali has led to the suggestion that the
      endemic area for LF is expanding. Initial phylogenetic analyses arrange isolates
      from Mali and the Ivory Coast separately from the classical lineage IV isolates
      taken from Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. The availability of full genome
      sequences continues to increase, allowing for a more complete phylogenetic
      comparison of the isolates from Mali and the Ivory Coast to the other existing
      isolates. In this study, we utilized a Bayesian approach to infer the demographic
      histories of each LASV isolate for which the full sequence was available. Our
      results indicate that the isolates from Mali and the Ivory Coast group separately
      from the isolates of lineage IV, comprising a distinct fifth lineage. The split
      between lineages IV and V is estimated to have occurred around 200-300 years ago,
      which coincides with the colonial period of West Africa. 

PMID- 26483767
TI  - Clinical utilization of genomics data produced by the international Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa consortium.
AB  - The International Pseudomonas aeruginosa Consortium is sequencing over 1000
      genomes and building an analysis pipeline for the study of Pseudomonas genome
      evolution, antibiotic resistance and virulence genes. Metadata, including genomic
      and phenotypic data for each isolate of the collection, are available through the
      International Pseudomonas Consortium Database (http://ipcd.ibis.ulaval.ca/).
      Here, we present our strategy and the results that emerged from the analysis of
      the first 389 genomes. With as yet unmatched resolution, our results confirm that
      P. aeruginosa strains can be divided into three major groups that are further
      divided into subgroups, some not previously reported in the literature. We also
      provide the first snapshot of P. aeruginosa strain diversity with respect to
      antibiotic resistance. Our approach will allow us to draw potential links between
      environmental strains and those implicated in human and animal infections,
      understand how patients become infected and how the infection evolves over time
      as well as identify prognostic markers for better evidence-based decisions on
      patient care. 

PMID- 26483769
TI  - Turbulence-driven shifts in holobionts and planktonic microbial assemblages in
      St. Peter and St. Paul Archipelago, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Brazil.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the planktonic and the holobiont
      Madracis decactis (Scleractinia) microbial diversity along a turbulence-driven
      upwelling event, in the world's most isolated tropical island, St Peter and St
      Paul Archipelago (SPSPA, Brazil). Twenty one metagenomes were obtained for
      seawater (N = 12), healthy and bleached holobionts (N = 9) before, during and
      after the episode of high seawater turbulence and upwelling. Microbial
      assemblages differed between low turbulence-low nutrient (LLR) and high
      turbulence-high nutrient (HHR) regimes in seawater. During LLR there was a
      balance between autotrophy and heterotrophy in the bacterioplankton and the ratio
      cyanobacteria:heterotrophs ~1 (C:H). Prochlorales, unclassified
      Alphaproteobacteria and Euryarchaeota were the dominant bacteria and archaea,
      respectively. Basic metabolisms and cyanobacterial phages characterized the LLR.
      During HHR C:H < < 0.05 and Gammaproteobacteria approximated 50% of the most
      abundant organisms in seawater. Alteromonadales, Oceanospirillales, and
      Thaumarchaeota were the dominant bacteria and archaea. Prevailing metabolisms
      were related to membrane transport, virulence, disease, and defense. Phages
      targeting heterotrophs and virulence factor genes characterized HHR. Shifts were
      also observed in coral microbiomes, according to both annotation-indepent and 
      dependent methods. HHR bleached corals metagenomes were the most dissimilar and
      could be distinguished by their di- and tetranucleotides frequencies, Iron
      Acquision metabolism and virulence genes, such as V. cholerae-related virulence
      factors. The healthy coral holobiont was shown to be less sensitive to transient
      seawater-related perturbations than the diseased animals. A conceptual model for
      the turbulence-induced shifts is put forward. 

PMID- 26483770
TI  - Commentary: Incorporation of membrane-anchored flagellin or Escherichia coli heat
      labile enterotoxin B subunit enhances the immunogenicity of rabies virus-like
      particles in mice and dogs.

PMID- 26483771
TI  - Variability in subpopulation formation propagates into biocatalytic variability
      of engineered Pseudomonas putida strains.
AB  - Pivotal challenges in industrial biotechnology are the identification and
      overcoming of cell-to-cell heterogeneity in microbial processes. While the
      development of subpopulations of isogenic cells in bioprocesses is well described
      (intra-population variability), a possible variability between genetically
      identical cultures growing under macroscopically identical conditions (clonal
      variability) is not. A high such clonal variability has been found for the
      recombinant expression of the styrene monooxygenase genes styAB from Pseudomonas
      taiwanensis VLB120 in solvent-tolerant Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1E using the alk
      regulatory system from P. putida GPo1. In this study, the oxygenase subunit StyA
      fused to eGFP was used as readout tool to characterize the population structure
      in P. putida DOT-T1E regarding recombinant protein content. Flow cytometric
      analyses revealed that in individual cultures, at least two subpopulations with
      highly differing recombinant StyA-eGFP protein contents appeared (intra
      population variability). Interestingly, subpopulation sizes varied from culture
      to-culture correlating with the specific styrene epoxidation activity of cells
      derived from respective cultures (clonal variability). In addition, flow
      cytometric cell sorting coupled to plasmid copy number (PCN) determination
      revealed that detected clonal variations cannot be correlated to the PCN, but
      depend on the combination of the regulatory system and the host strain employed.
      This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first work reporting that intra
      population variability (with differing protein contents in the presented case
      study) causes clonal variability of genetically identical cultures. Respective
      impacts on bioprocess reliability and performance and strategies to overcome
      respective reliability issues are discussed. 

PMID- 26483772
TI  - Relations of microbiome characteristics to edaphic properties of tropical soils
      from Trinidad.
AB  - Understanding how community structure of Bacteria, Archaea, and Fungi varies as a
      function of edaphic characteristics is key to elucidating associations between
      soil ecosystem function and the microbiome that sustains it. In this study, non
      managed tropical soils were examined that represented a range of edaphic
      characteristics, and a comprehensive soil microbiome analysis was done by
      Illumina sequencing of amplicon libraries that targeted Bacteria (universal
      prokaryotic 16S rRNA gene primers), Archaea (primers selective for archaeal 16S
      rRNA genes), or Fungi (internal transcribed spacer region). Microbiome diversity
      decreased in the order: Bacteria > Archaea > Fungi. Bacterial community
      composition had a strong relationship to edaphic factors while that of Archaea
      and Fungi was comparatively weak. Bacterial communities were 70-80% alike, while
      communities of Fungi and Archaea had 40-50% similarity. While each of the three
      component communities differed in species turnover patterns, soils having
      relatively similar bacterial communities also housed similar archaeal
      communities. In contrast, the composition of fungal communities had no
      correlation to bacterial or archaeal communities. Bacterial and archaeal
      diversity had significant (negative) correlations to pH, whereas fungal diversity
      was not correlated to pH. Edaphic characteristics that best explained variation
      between soils in bacterial community structure were: total carbon, sodium,
      magnesium, and zinc. For fungi, the best variables were: sodium, magnesium,
      phosphorus, boron, and C/N. Archaeal communities had two sets of edaphic factors
      of equal strength, one contained sulfur, sodium, and ammonium-N and the other was
      composed of clay, potassium, ammonium-N, and nitrate-N. Collectively, the data
      indicate that Bacteria, Archaea, and Fungi did not closely parallel one another
      in community structure development, and thus microbiomes in each soil acquired
      unique identities. This divergence could in part reflect the finding that unknown
      factor(s) were stronger than edaphic characteristics in shaping fungal and
      archaeal communities. 

PMID- 26483773
TI  - Actinomycetes from the South China Sea sponges: isolation, diversity, and
      potential for aromatic polyketides discovery.
AB  - Marine sponges often harbor dense and diverse microbial communities including
      actinobacteria. To date no comprehensive investigation has been performed on the
      culturable diversity of the actinomycetes associated with South China Sea
      sponges. Structurally novel aromatic polyketides were recently discovered from
      marine sponge-derived Streptomyces and Saccharopolyspora strains, suggesting that
      sponge-associated actinomycetes can serve as a new source of aromatic
      polyketides. In this study, a total of 77 actinomycete strains were isolated from
      15 South China Sea sponge species. Phylogenetic characterization of the isolates
      based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing supported their assignment to 12 families and
      20 genera, among which three rare genera (Marihabitans, Polymorphospora, and
      Streptomonospora) were isolated from marine sponges for the first time.
      Subsequently, beta-ketoacyl synthase (KSalpha) gene was used as marker for
      evaluating the potential of the actinomycete strains to produce aromatic
      polyketides. As a result, KSalpha gene was detected in 35 isolates related to
      seven genera (Kocuria, Micromonospora, Nocardia, Nocardiopsis, Saccharopolyspora,
      Salinispora, and Streptomyces). Finally, 10 strains were selected for small-scale
      fermentation, and one angucycline compound was detected from the culture extract
      of Streptomyces anulatus strain S71. This study advanced our knowledge of the
      sponge-associated actinomycetes regarding their diversity and potential in
      producing aromatic polyketides. 

PMID- 26483775
TI  - Probing the regulatory effects of specific mutations in three major binding
      domains of the pleiotropic regulator CcpA of Bacillus subtilis.
AB  - Carbon catabolite control is required for efficient use of available carbon
      sources to ensure rapid growth of bacteria. CcpA is a global regulator of carbon
      metabolism in Gram-positive bacteria like Bacillus subtilis. In this study the
      genome-wide gene regulation of a CcpA knockout and three specific CcpA mutants
      were studied by transcriptome analysis, to further elucidate the function of
      specific binding sites in CcpA. The following three amino acids were mutated to
      characterize their function: M17(R) which is involved in DNA binding, T62(H)
      which is important for the allosteric switch in CcpA upon HPr-Ser46-P binding,
      and R304(W) which is important for binding of the coeffectors HPr-Ser46-P and
      fructose-1,6-bisphosphate. The results confirm that CcpA was also involved in
      gene regulation in the absence of glucose. CcpA-M17R showed a small relief of
      Carbon Catabolite Control; the CcpA-M17R mutant regulates fewer genes than the
      CcpA-wt and the palindromicity of the cre site is less important for CcpA-M17R.
      CcpA-T62H was a stronger repressor than CcpA-wt and also acted as a strong
      repressor in the absence of glucose. CcpA-R304W was shown here to be less
      dependent on HPr-Ser46-P for its carbon catabolite control activities. The
      results presented here provide detailed information on alterations in gene
      regulation for each CcpA-mutant. 

PMID- 26483776
TI  - Hydrological pulse regulating the bacterial heterotrophic metabolism between
      Amazonian mainstems and floodplain lakes.
AB  - We evaluated in situ rates of bacterial carbon processing in Amazonian floodplain
      lakes and mainstems, during both high water (HW) and low water (LW) phases (p <
      0.05). Our results showed that bacterial production (BP) was lower and more
      variable than bacterial respiration, determined as total respiration. Bacterial
      carbon demand was mostly accounted by BR and presented the same pattern that BR
      in both water phases. Bacterial growth efficiency (BGE) showed a wide range (0.2
      23%) and low mean value of 3 and 6%, (in HW and LW, respectively) suggesting that
      dissolved organic carbon was mostly allocated to catabolic metabolism. However,
      BGE was regulated by BP in LW phase. Consequently, changes in BGE showed the same
      pattern that BP. In addition, the hydrological pulse effects on mainstems and
      floodplains lakes connectivity were found for BP and BGE in LW. Multiple
      correlation analyses revealed that indexes of organic matter (OM) quality
      (chlorophyll-a, N stable isotopes and C/N ratios) were the strongest seasonal
      drivers of bacterial carbon metabolism. Our work indicated that: (i) the
      bacterial metabolism was mostly driven by respiration in Amazonian aquatic
      ecosystems resulting in low BGE in either high or LW phase; (ii) the hydrological
      pulse regulated the bacterial heterotrophic metabolism between Amazonian
      mainstems and floodplain lakes mostly driven by OM quality. 

PMID- 26483774
TI  - Choosing a suitable method for the identification of replication origins in
      microbial genomes.
AB  - As the replication of genomic DNA is arguably the most important task performed
      by a cell and given that it is controlled at the initiation stage, the events
      that occur at the replication origin play a central role in the cell cycle.
      Making sense of DNA replication origins is important for improving our capacity
      to study cellular processes and functions in the regulation of gene expression,
      genome integrity in much finer detail. Thus, clearly comprehending the positions
      and sequences of replication origins which are fundamental to chromosome
      organization and duplication is the first priority of all. In view of such
      important roles of replication origins, tremendous work has been aimed at
      identifying and testing the specificity of replication origins. A number of
      computational tools based on various skew types have been developed to predict
      replication origins. Using various in silico approaches such as Ori-Finder, and
      databases such as DoriC, researchers have predicted the locations of replication
      origins sites for thousands of bacterial chromosomes and archaeal genomes. Based
      on the predicted results, we should choose an effective method for identifying
      and confirming the interactions at origins of replication. Here we describe the
      main existing experimental methods that aimed to determine the replication origin
      regions and list some of the many the practical applications of these methods. 

PMID- 26483777
TI  - Emerging spatial patterns in Antarctic prokaryotes.
AB  - Recent advances in knowledge of patterns of biogeography in terrestrial
      eukaryotic organisms have led to a fundamental paradigm shift in understanding of
      the controls and history of life on land in Antarctica, and its interactions over
      the long term with the glaciological and geological processes that have shaped
      the continent. However, while it has long been recognized that the terrestrial
      ecosystems of Antarctica are dominated by microbes and their processes, knowledge
      of microbial diversity and distributions has lagged far behind that of the
      macroscopic eukaryote organisms. Increasing human contact with and activity in
      the continent is leading to risks of biological contamination and change in a
      region whose isolation has protected it for millions of years at least; these
      risks may be particularly acute for microbial communities which have, as yet,
      received scant recognition and attention. Even a matter apparently as
      straightforward as Protected Area designation in Antarctica requires robust
      biodiversity data which, in most parts of the continent, remain almost completely
      unavailable. A range of important contributing factors mean that it is now timely
      to reconsider the state of knowledge of Antarctic terrestrial prokaryotes. Rapid
      advances in molecular biological approaches are increasingly demonstrating that
      bacterial diversity in Antarctica may be far greater than previously thought, and
      that there is overlap in the environmental controls affecting both Antarctic
      prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities. Bacterial dispersal mechanisms and
      colonization patterns remain largely unaddressed, although evidence for regional
      evolutionary differentiation is rapidly accruing and, with this, there is
      increasing appreciation of patterns in regional bacterial biogeography in this
      large part of the globe. In this review, we set out to describe the state of
      knowledge of Antarctic prokaryote diversity patterns, drawing analogy with those
      of eukaryote groups where appropriate. Based on our synthesis, it is clear that
      spatial patterns of Antarctic prokaryotes can be unique at local scales, while
      the limited evidence available to date supports the group exhibiting overall
      regional biogeographical patterns similar to the eukaryotes. We further consider
      the applicability of the concept of "functional redundancy" for the Antarctic
      microbial community and highlight the requirements for proper consideration of
      their important and distinctive roles in Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems. 

PMID- 26483778
TI  - Ubiquity, diversity and physiological characteristics of Geodermatophilaceae in
      Shapotou National Desert Ecological Reserve.
AB  - The goal of this study was to gain insight into the diversity of culturable
      actinobacteria in desert soil crusts and to determine the physiological
      characteristics of the predominant actinobacterial group in these crusts. Culture
      dependent method was employed to obtain actinobacterial strains from desert soil
      samples collected from Shapotou National Desert Ecological Reserve (NDER) located
      in Tengger Desert, China. A total of 376 actinobacterial strains were isolated
      and 16S rRNA gene sequences analysis indicated that these isolates belonged to 29
      genera within 18 families, among which the members of the family
      Geodermatophilaceae were predominant. The combination of 16S rRNA gene
      information and the phenotypic data allowed these newly-isolated
      Geodermatophilaceae members to be classified into 33 "species clusters," 11 of
      which represented hitherto unrecognized species. Fermentation broths from 19.7%
      of the isolated strains showed activity in at least one of the six screens for
      antibiotic activity. These isolates exhibited bio-diversity in enzymatic
      characteristics and carbon utilization profiles. The physiological
      characteristics of the isolates from different types of crusts or bare sand
      samples were specific to their respective micro-ecological environments. Our
      study revealed that members of the family Geodermatophilaceae were ubiquitous,
      abundant, and diverse in Shapotou NDER, and these strains may represent a new
      major group of potential functional actinobacteria in desert soil. 

PMID- 26483780
TI  - Comparison of methods for the enumeration of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli
      from veal hides and carcasses.
AB  - The increased association of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) with veal
      calves has led the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and
      Inspection Service to report results of veal meat contaminated with the Top 7
      serogroups separately from beef cattle. However, detection methods that can also
      provide concentration for determining the prevalence and abundance of EHEC
      associated with veal are lacking. Here we compared the ability of qPCR and a
      molecular based most probable number assay (MPN) to detect and enumerate EHEC
      from veal hides at the abattoir and the resulting pre-intervention carcasses. In
      addition, digital PCR (dPCR) was used to analyze select samples. The qPCR assay
      was able to enumerate total EHEC in 32% of the hide samples with a range of
      approximately 34 to 91,412 CFUs/100 cm(2) (95% CI 4-113,460 CFUs/100 cm(2)).
      Using the MPN assay, total EHEC was enumerable in 48% of the hide samples and
      ranged from approximately 1 to greater than 17,022 CFUs/100 cm(2) (95% CI 0.4
      72,000 CFUs/100 cm(2)). The carcass samples had lower amounts of EHEC with a
      range of approximately 4-275 CFUs/100 cm(2) (95% CI 3-953 CFUs/100 cm(2)) from
      17% of samples with an enumerable amount of EHEC by qPCR. For the MPN assay, the
      carcass samples ranged from 0.1 to 1 CFUs/100 cm(2) (95% CI 0.02-4 CFUs/100
      cm(2)) from 29% of the samples. The correlation coefficient between the qPCR and
      MPN enumeration methods indicated a moderate relation (R (2) = 0.39) for the hide
      samples while the carcass samples had no relation (R (2) = 0.002), which was
      likely due to most samples having an amount of total EHEC below the reliable
      limit of quantification for qPCR. Interestingly, after enrichment, 81% of the
      hide samples and 94% of the carcass samples had a detectable amount of total EHEC
      by qPCR. From our analysis, the MPN assay provided a higher percentage of
      enumerable hide and carcass samples, however determining an appropriate dilution
      range and the limited throughput offer additional challenges. 

PMID- 26483781
TI  - Carbon assimilation and accumulation of cyanophycin during the development of
      dormant cells (akinetes) in the cyanobacterium Aphanizomenon ovalisporum.
AB  - Akinetes are spore-like non-motile cells that differentiate from vegetative cells
      of filamentous cyanobacteria from the order Nostocales. They play a key role in
      the survival and distribution of these species and contribute to their perennial
      blooms. Here, we demonstrate variations in cellular ultrastructure during akinete
      formation concomitant with accumulation of cyanophycin; a copolymer of aspartate
      and arginine that forms storage granules. Cyanophycin accumulation is initiated
      in vegetative cells few days post-exposure to akinete inducing conditions. This
      early accumulated cyanophycin pool in vegetative cells disappears as a nearby
      cell differentiates to an akinete and stores large pool of cyanophycin. During
      the akinete maturation, the cyanophycin pool is further increased and comprise up
      to 2% of the akinete volume. The cellular pattern of photosynthetic activity
      during akinete formation was studied by a nano-metric scale secondary ion mass
      spectrometry (NanoSIMS) analysis in (13)C-enriched cultures. Quantitative
      estimation of carbon assimilation in vegetative cells and akinetes (filament
      attached and -free) indicates that vegetative cells maintain their basal activity
      while differentiating akinetes gradually reduce their activity. Mature-free
      akinetes practically lost their photosynthetic activity although small fraction
      of free akinetes were still photosynthetically active. Additional (13)C pulse
      chase experiments indicated rapid carbon turnover during akinete formation and de
      novo synthesis of cyanophycin in vegetative cells 4 days post-induction of
      akinete differentiation. 

PMID- 26483779
TI  - NK cell function and receptor diversity in the context of HCV infection.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects over 170 million people in the world. While a
      minority of individuals are able to naturally clear this hepatotropic virus using
      their immune system, most people go on to develop a lifetime chronic infection
      that can result in severe liver pathology, potentially leading to liver cirrhosis
      and hepatic cellular carcinoma. Investigations into acute immune responses and
      spontaneous clearance of the virus are severely hampered by difficulties in
      identification of relevant patient cohorts. While the role for the adaptive
      immune response in viral clearance is well established, it is becoming clear that
      the innate immune system also impacts on HCV outcome. The innate immune response
      to infection is likely to influence the type of adaptive immune response that
      develops and will ultimately influence if the virus is cleared or develops into a
      chronic infection. Natural Killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes that have important
      anti-viral functions including direct cytotoxicity of infected cells and the
      production of inflammatory cytokines, e.g., IFN-gamma. They are generally
      considered to be cells of the innate immune system, although there is increasing
      evidence that NK cells adapt and persist in response to particular viral
      infections. NK cells are altered in patients with acute and chronic HCV
      infection. There is increasing evidence from both cellular and genetic studies
      that NK cells modulate HCV outcome. This review will describe and discuss the
      current experimental and clinical evidence of a role for NK cells in HCV
      infection and describe recent discoveries that are likely to play a role in
      future research. 

PMID- 26483783
TI  - A comparative study of infrared and microwave heating for microbial
      decontamination of paprika powder.
AB  - There is currently a need in developing new decontamination technologies for
      spices due to limitations of existing technologies, mainly regarding their
      effects on spices' sensory quality. In the search of new decontamination
      solutions, it is of interest to compare different technologies, to provide the
      industry with knowledge for taking decisions concerning appropriate
      decontamination technologies for spices. The present study compares infrared (IR)
      and microwave decontamination of naturally contaminated paprika powder after
      adjustment of water activity to 0.88. IR respectively microwave heating was
      applied to quickly heat up paprika powder to 98 degrees C, after which the
      paprika sample was transferred to a conventional oven set at 98 degrees C to keep
      the temperature constant during a holding time up to 20 min. In the present
      experimental set-up microwave treatment at 98 degrees C for 20 min resulted in a
      reduction of 4.8 log units of the total number of mesophilic bacteria, while the
      IR treatment showed a 1 log unit lower reduction for the corresponding
      temperature and treatment time. Microwave and IR heating created different
      temperature profiles and moisture distribution within the paprika sample during
      the heating up part of the process, which is likely to have influenced the
      decontamination efficiency. The results of this study are used to discuss the
      difficulties in comparing two thermal technologies on equal conditions due to
      differences in their heating mechanisms. 

PMID- 26483782
TI  - Recovering full-length viral genomes from metagenomes.
AB  - Infectious disease metagenomics is driven by the question: "what is causing the
      disease?" in contrast to classical metagenome studies which are guided by "what
      is out there?" In case of a novel virus, a first step to eventually establishing
      etiology can be to recover a full-length viral genome from a metagenomic sample.
      However, retrieval of a full-length genome of a divergent virus is technically
      challenging and can be time-consuming and costly. Here we discuss different
      assembly and fragment linkage strategies such as iterative assembly, motif
      searches, k-mer frequency profiling, coverage profile binning, and other
      strategies used to recover genomes of potential viral pathogens in a timely and
      cost-effective manner. 

PMID- 26483784
TI  - Functional characterization and stability improvement of a 'thermophilic-like'
      ene-reductase from Rhodococcus opacus 1CP.
AB  - Ene-reductases (ERs) are widely applied for the asymmetric synthesis of relevant
      industrial chemicals. A novel ER OYERo2 was found within a set of 14 putative old
      yellow enzymes (OYEs) obtained by genome mining of the actinobacterium
      Rhodococcus opacus 1CP. Multiple sequence alignment suggested that the enzyme
      belongs to the group of 'thermophilic-like' OYEs. OYERo2 was produced in
      Escherichia coli and biochemically characterized. The enzyme is strongly NADPH
      dependent and uses non-covalently bound FMNH2 for the reduction of activated
      alpha,beta-unsaturated alkenes. In the active form OYERo2 is a dimer. Optimal
      catalysis occurs at pH 7.3 and 37 degrees C. OYERo2 showed highest specific
      activities (45-50 U mg(-1)) on maleimides, which are efficiently converted to the
      corresponding succinimides. The OYERo2-mediated reduction of prochiral alkenes
      afforded the (R)-products with excellent optical purity (ee > 99%). OYERo2 is not
      as thermo-resistant as related OYEs. Introduction of a characteristic
      intermolecular salt bridge by site-specific mutagenesis raised the half-life of
      enzyme inactivation at 32 degrees C from 28 to 87 min and improved the tolerance
      toward organic co-solvents. The suitability of OYERo2 for application in
      industrial biocatalysis is discussed. 

PMID- 26483785
TI  - Metagenomic evidence for reciprocal particle exchange between the mainstem
      estuary and lateral bay sediments of the lower Columbia River.
AB  - Lateral bays of the lower Columbia River estuary are areas of enhanced water
      retention that influence net ecosystem metabolism through activities of their
      diverse microbial communities. Metagenomic characterization of sediment
      microbiota from three disparate sites in two brackish lateral bays (Baker and
      Youngs) produced ~100 Gbp of DNA sequence data analyzed subsequently for
      predicted SSU rRNA and peptide-coding genes. The metagenomes were dominated by
      Bacteria. A large component of Eukaryota was present in Youngs Bay samples, i.e.,
      the inner bay sediment was enriched with the invasive New Zealand mudsnail,
      Potamopyrgus antipodarum, known for high ammonia production. The metagenome was
      also highly enriched with an archaeal ammonia oxidizer closely related to
      Nitrosoarchaeum limnia. Combined analysis of sequences and continuous, high
      resolution time series of biogeochemical data from fixed and mobile platforms
      revealed the importance of large-scale reciprocal particle exchanges between the
      mainstem estuarine water column and lateral bay sediments. Deposition of marine
      diatom particles in sediments near Youngs Bay mouth was associated with a
      dramatic enrichment of Bacteroidetes (58% of total Bacteria) and corresponding
      genes involved in phytoplankton polysaccharide degradation. The Baker Bay
      sediment metagenome contained abundant Archaea, including diverse methanogens, as
      well as functional genes for methylotrophy and taxonomic markers for syntrophic
      bacteria, suggesting that active methane cycling occurs at this location. Our
      previous work showed enrichments of similar anaerobic taxa in particulate matter
      of the mainstem estuarine water column. In total, our results identify the
      lateral bays as both sources and sinks of biogenic particles significantly
      impacting microbial community composition and biogeochemical activities in the
      estuary. 

PMID- 26483786
TI  - Direct involvement of ombB, omaB, and omcB genes in extracellular reduction of
      Fe(III) by Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA.
AB  - The tandem gene clusters orfR-ombB-omaB-omcB and orfS-ombC-omaC-omcC of the metal
      reducing bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA are responsible for trans-outer
      membrane electron transfer during extracellular reduction of Fe(III)-citrate and
      ferrihydrite [a poorly crystalline Fe(III) oxide]. Each gene cluster encodes a
      putative transcriptional factor (OrfR/OrfS), a porin-like outer-membrane protein
      (OmbB/OmbC), a periplasmic c-type cytochrome (c-Cyt, OmaB/OmaC) and an outer
      membrane c-Cyt (OmcB/OmcC). The individual roles of OmbB, OmaB and OmcB in
      extracellular reduction of Fe(III), however, have remained either uninvestigated
      or controversial. Here, we showed that replacements of ombB, omaB, omcB, and ombB
      omaB with an antibiotic gene in the presence of ombC-omaC-omcC had no impact on
      reduction of Fe(III)-citrate by G. sulfurreducens PCA. Disruption of ombB, omaB,
      omcB, and ombB-omaB in the absence of ombC-omaC-omcC, however, severely impaired
      the bacterial ability to reduce Fe(III)-citrate as well as ferrihydrite. These
      results unequivocally demonstrate an overlapping role of ombB-omaB-omcB and ombC
      omaC-omcC in extracellular Fe(III) reduction by G. sulfurreducens PCA.
      Involvement of both ombB-omaB-omcB and ombC-omaC-omcC in extracellular Fe(III)
      reduction reflects the importance of these trans-outer membrane protein complexes
      in the physiology of this bacterium. Moreover, the kinetics of Fe(III)-citrate
      and ferrihydrite reduction by these mutants in the absence of ombC-omaC-omcC were
      nearly identical, which suggests that absence of any protein subunit eliminates
      function of OmaB/OmbB/OmcB protein complex. Finally, orfS was found to have a
      negative impact on the extracellular reduction of Fe(III)-citrate and
      ferrihydrite in G. sulfurreducens PCA probably by serving as a transcriptional
      repressor. 

PMID- 26483788
TI  - Systemic Sclerosis Patients Present Alterations in the Expression of Molecules
      Involved in B-Cell Regulation.
AB  - The activation threshold of B cells is tightly regulated by an array of
      inhibitory and activator receptors in such a way that disturbances in their
      expression can lead to the appearance of autoimmunity. The aim of this study was
      to evaluate the expression of activating and inhibitory molecules involved in the
      modulation of B cell functions in transitional, naive, and memory B-cell
      subpopulations from systemic sclerosis patients. To achieve this, blood samples
      were drawn from 31 systemic sclerosis patients and 53 healthy individuals.
      Surface expression of CD86, MHC II, CD19, CD21, CD40, CD22, Siglec 10, CD35, and
      FcgammaRIIB was determined by flow cytometry. IL-10 production was evaluated by
      intracellular flow cytometry from isolated B cells. Soluble IL-6 and IL-10 levels
      were measured by ELISA from supernatants of stimulated B cells. Systemic
      sclerosis patients exhibit an increased frequency of transitional and naive B
      cells related to memory B cells compared with healthy controls. Transitional and
      naive B cells from patients express higher levels of CD86 and FcgammaRIIB than
      healthy donors. Also, B cells from patients show high expression of CD19 and
      CD40, whereas memory cells from systemic sclerosis patients show reduced
      expression of CD35. CD19 and CD35 expression levels associate with different
      autoantibody profiles. IL-10(+) B cells and secreted levels of IL-10 were
      markedly reduced in patients. In conclusion, systemic sclerosis patients show
      alterations in the expression of molecules involved in B-cell regulation. These
      abnormalities may be determinant in the B-cell hyperactivation observed in
      systemic sclerosis. 

PMID- 26483787
TI  - Stage-Specific Role of Interferon-Gamma in Experimental Autoimmune
      Encephalomyelitis and Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - The role of interferon (IFN)-gamma in multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal
      model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), has remained as an
      enigmatic paradox for more than 30 years. Several studies attribute this cytokine
      a prominent proinflammatory and pathogenic function in these pathologies.
      However, accumulating evidence shows that IFN-gamma also plays a protective role
      inducing regulatory cell activity and modulating the effector T cell response.
      Several innate and adaptive immune cells also develop opposite functions strongly
      associated with the production of IFN-gamma in EAE. Even the suppressive activity
      of different types of regulatory cells is dependent on IFN-gamma. Interestingly,
      recent data supports a stage-specific participation of IFN-gamma in EAE providing
      a plausible explanation for previous conflicting results. In this review, we will
      summarize and discuss such literature, emphasizing the protective role of IFN
      gamma on immune cells. These findings are fundamental to understand the complex
      role of IFN-gamma in the pathogenesis of these diseases and can provide basis for
      potential stage-specific therapy for MS targeting IFN-gamma-signaling or IFN
      gamma-producing immune cells. 

PMID- 26483789
TI  - IL-17A Promotes Intracellular Growth of Mycobacterium by Inhibiting Apoptosis of
      Infected Macrophages.
AB  - The fate of infected macrophages is a critical aspect of immunity to
      mycobacteria. By depriving the pathogen of its intracellular niche, apoptotic
      death of the infected macrophage has been shown to be an important mechanism to
      control bacterial growth. Here, we show that IL-17 inhibits apoptosis of
      Mycobacterium bovis BCG- or Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected macrophages thus
      hampering their ability to control bacterial growth. Mechanistically, we show
      that IL-17 inhibits p53, and impacts on the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, by
      increasing the Bcl2 and decreasing Bax expression, decreasing cytochrome c
      release from the mitochondria, and inhibiting caspase-3 activation. The same
      effect of IL-17 was observed in infected macrophages upon blockade of p53 nuclear
      translocation. These results reveal a previously unappreciated role for the IL
      17/p53 axis in the regulation of mycobacteria-induced apoptosis and can have
      important implications in a broad spectrum of diseases where apoptosis of the
      infected cell is an important host defense mechanism. 

PMID- 26483790
TI  - Interplay between Transcription Factors and the Epigenome: Insight from the Role
      of RUNX1 in Leukemia.
AB  - The genome has the ability to respond in a precise and co-ordinated manner to
      cellular signals. It achieves this through the concerted actions of transcription
      factors and the chromatin platform, which are targets of the signaling pathways.
      Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms through which transcription factors
      and the chromatin landscape each control gene activity has expanded dramatically
      over recent years, and attention has now turned to understanding the complex,
      multifaceted interplay between these regulatory layers in normal and disease
      states. It has become apparent that transcription factors as well as the
      components and modifiers of the epigenetic machinery are frequent targets of
      genomic alterations in cancer cells. Through the study of these factors, we can
      gain unique insight into the dynamic interplay between transcription factors and
      the epigenome, and how their dysregulation leads to aberrant gene expression
      programs in cancer. Here, we will highlight how these factors normally co-operate
      to establish and maintain the transcriptional and epigenetic landscape of cells,
      and how this is reprogramed in cancer, focusing on the RUNX1 transcription factor
      and oncogenic derivative RUNX1-ETO in leukemia as paradigms of transcriptional
      and epigenetic reprograming. 

PMID- 26483792
TI  - Editorial: A Living History of Immunology.

PMID- 26483791
TI  - Modulation of APC Function and Anti-Tumor Immunity by Anti-Cancer Drugs.
AB  - Professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs), such as dendritic cells (DCs), are
      central to the initiation and regulation of anti-cancer immunity. However, in the
      immunosuppressive environment within a tumor APCs may antagonize anti-tumor
      immunity by inducing regulatory T cells (Tregs) or anergy of effector T cells due
      to lack of efficient costimulation. Hence, in an optimal setting, anti-cancer
      drugs have the power to reduce tumor size and thereby may induce the release of
      tumor antigens and, at the same time, modulate APC function toward efficient
      priming of antigen-specific effector T cells. Selected cytotoxic agents may
      revert APC dysfunction either by directly maturing DCs or through induction of
      immunogenic tumor cell death. Furthermore, specific cytotoxic agents may support
      adaptive immunity by selectively depleting regulatory subsets, such as Tregs or
      myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Perspectively, this will allow developing
      effective combination strategies with novel immunotherapies to exert
      complementary pressure on tumors via direct toxicity as well as immune
      activation. We, here, review our current knowledge on the capacity of anti-cancer
      drugs to modulate APC functions to promote durable anti-cancer immune responses. 

PMID- 26483793
TI  - Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells in Multiple Sclerosis: The Jury is Still
      Out.
AB  - The immune system is strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of multiple
      sclerosis (MS), as demonstrated by the efficacy of therapies targeting various
      components of adaptive immunity. However, the disease still progresses despite
      these treatments in many patients, while others experience life-threatening
      adverse effects, urging for the discovery of new immune-targeting medications.
      Among the immune cell types participating to MS pathogenesis, decades of work
      have highlighted the prominent role of CD4 T cells. More recent data demonstrate
      the involvement of CD8 T cells as well. The existence of both pathogenic and
      protective CD8 T cells subsets has been suggested, adding an additional layer of
      complexity to the picture. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate
      like lymphocytes that make up to 25% of CD8 T cells in healthy subjects. They are
      specific for conserved microbial ligands and may constitute an important barrier
      against invasive bacterial and fungal infection. An increasing number of reports
      also suggest their possible involvement in chronic inflammatory diseases,
      including MS. MAIT cells could participate through their ability to produce
      IFNgamma and/or IL-17, two major cytokines in the pathogenesis of several chronic
      inflammatory/autoimmune diseases. However, the mechanisms by which MAIT cells
      could be activated in these sterile conditions are not known. Furthermore,
      contradictory observations have been made, reporting either a protective or a pro
      inflammatory behavior of MAIT cells in MS or its murine model, experimental
      autoimmune encephalomyelitis. In this review article, we will describe the
      current knowledge on MAIT cell biology in health and disease, and discuss the
      possible mechanisms behind their role in MS. The specific features of this new
      non-conventional T cell subset make it an interesting candidate as a biomarker or
      as the target of immune-mediated intervention. 

PMID- 26483794
TI  - Memory T Cell Migration.
AB  - Immunological memory is a key feature of adaptive immunity. It provides the
      organism with long-lived and robust protection against infection. In organ
      transplantation, memory T cells pose a significant threat by causing allograft
      rejection that is generally resistant to immunosuppressive therapy. Therefore, a
      more thorough understanding of memory T cell biology is needed to improve the
      survival of transplanted organs without compromising the host's ability to fight
      infections. This review will focus on the mechanisms by which memory T cells
      migrate to the site where their target antigen is present, with particular
      emphasis on their migration to transplanted organs. First, we will define the
      known subsets of memory T cells (central, effector, and tissue resident) and
      their circulation patterns. Second, we will review the cellular and molecular
      mechanisms by which memory T cells migrate to inflamed and non-inflamed tissues
      and highlight the emerging paradigm of antigen-driven, trans-endothelial
      migration. Third, we will discuss the relevance of this knowledge to organ
      transplantation and the prevention or treatment of allograft rejection. 

PMID- 26483797
TI  - Corrigendum: Quantity and Quality of Inhaled Dose Predicts Immunopathology in
      Tuberculosis.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 313 in vol. 6, PMID: 26175730.]. 

PMID- 26483796
TI  - Regulatory T Cells Modulate DNA Vaccine Immunogenicity at Early Time via
      Functional CD4(+) T Cells and Antigen Duration.
AB  - The development of an effective vaccine against HIV has proved to be difficult.
      Many factors including natural regulatory T cells (Treg cells) can dampen the CD8
      T-cell immunogenicity. In this study, we aimed to understand how Treg cells
      control CD8(+) T-cell immune responses during DNA prime-boost immunization.
      Animals were immunized with plasmid HIV IIIB gp120 DNA following elimination of
      Treg cells by administration of anti-CD25 neutralizing antibody. Results
      demonstrated that the pool size of CD4(+) T cells producing both IL-2 and/or IFN
      gamma (CD4(+)/IL-2(+)/IFN-gamma(+)) was increased solely during the priming
      phase. An increment of tetramer binding and intracellular cytokine IFN-gamma
      expression, however, were elevated in both primary and secondary stages in CD8(+)
      T cells. The speed of antigen clearance was also investigated by using DNA
      luciferase. Surprisingly, DNA luciferase expression was declined to basal level
      over the ensuing observation period when Treg cells were depleted. Importantly,
      we found for the first time that DNA expression pattern in Treg-depleted animals
      was similar to that of the regular memory phase. Moreover, in mice that were
      exposed to antigen over 5 days prior to Treg cell depletion, CD8(+) T-cell memory
      response was not affected. Thus, in the present study, we propose a new concept
      and prove that the enhanced immune response following the depletion of Treg cells
      during the priming phase likely adds one more set of memory response to the
      immune system. Taken together, our findings support the notion that Treg cells
      control DNA vaccine immunogenicity at an early time via antigen duration and
      functional CD4(+) T-cell responses. 

PMID- 26483795
TI  - Challenges and Opportunities for T-Cell-Mediated Strategies to Eliminate HIV
      Reservoirs.
AB  - HIV's ability to establish latent reservoirs of reactivation-competent virus is
      the major barrier to cure. "Shock and kill" methods consisting of latency
      reversing agents (LRAs) followed by elimination of reactivating cells through
      cytopathic effects are under active development. However, the clinical efficacy
      of LRAs remains to be established. Moreover, recent studies indicate that
      reservoirs may not be reduced efficiently by either viral cytopathic or CD8(+) T
      cell-mediated mechanisms. In this perspective, we highlight challenges to T-cell
      mediated elimination of HIV reservoirs, including characteristics of responding T
      cells, aspects of the cellular reservoirs, and properties of the latent virus
      itself. We also discuss potential strategies to overcome these challenges by
      targeting the antiviral activity of T cells toward appropriate viral antigens
      following latency. 

PMID- 26483798
TI  - Molecular marker assisted gene stacking for biotic and abiotic stress resistance
      genes in an elite rice cultivar.
AB  - Severe yield loss due to various biotic stresses like bacterial blight (BB), gall
      midge (insect) and Blast (disease) and abiotic stresses like submergence and
      salinity are a serious constraint to the rice productivity throughout the world.
      The most effective and reliable method of management of the stresses is the
      enhancement of host resistance, through an economical and environmentally
      friendly approach. Through the application of marker assisted selection (MAS)
      technique, the present study reports a successful pyramidization of genes/QTLs to
      confer resistance/tolerance to blast (Pi2, Pi9), gall Midge (Gm1, Gm4),
      submergence (Sub1), and salinity (Saltol) in a released rice variety CRMAS2621-7
      1 as Improved Lalat which had already incorporated with three BB resistance genes
      xa5, xa13, and Xa21 to supplement the Xa4 gene present in Improved Lalat. The
      molecular analysis revealed clear polymorphism between the donor and recipient
      parents for all the markers that are tagged to the target traits. The
      conventional backcross breeding approach was followed till BC3F1 generation and
      starting from BC1F1 onwards, marker assisted selection was employed at each step
      to monitor the transfer of the target alleles with molecular markers. The
      different BC3F1s having the target genes/QTLs were inter crossed to generate
      hybrids with all 10 stress resistance/tolerance genes/QTLs into a single
      plant/line. Homozygous plants for resistance/tolerance genes in different
      combinations were recovered. The BC3F3 lines were characterized for their
      agronomic and quality traits and promising progeny lines were selected. The SSR
      based background selection was done. Most of the gene pyramid lines showed a high
      degree of similarity to the recurrent parent for both morphological, grain
      quality traits and in SSR based background selection. Out of all the gene
      pyramids tested, two lines had all the 10 resistance/tolerance genes and showed
      adequate levels of resistance/tolerance against the five target stresses. The
      study demonstrates the potential of MAS for stacking of several genes into a
      single line with a high degree of parental genome recovery. 

PMID- 26483799
TI  - Root discrimination of closely related crop and weed species using FT MIR-ATR
      spectroscopy.
AB  - Root discrimination of species is a pre-condition for studying belowground
      competition processes between crop and weed species. In this experiment, we
      tested Fourier transform mid-infrared (FT MIR)-attenuated total reflection (ATR)
      spectroscopy to discriminate roots of closely related crop and weed species grown
      in the greenhouse: maize/barnyard grass, barley/wild oat, wheat/blackgrass
      (Poaceae), and sugar beet/common lambsquarters (Chenopodiaceae). Fresh (moist)
      and dried root segments as well as ground roots were analyzed by FT MIR-ATR
      spectroscopy. Root absorption spectra showed species specific peak distribution
      and peak height. A clear separation according to species was not possible with
      fresh root segments. Dried root segments (including root basis, middle section,
      and root tip) of maize/barnyard grass and sugar beet/common lambsquarters formed
      completely separated species clusters. Wheat and blackgrass separated in species
      specific clusters when root tips were removed from cluster analysis. A clear
      separation of dried root segments according to species was not possible in the
      case of barley and wild oat. Cluster analyses of ground roots revealed a 100%
      separation of all tested crop and weed species combinations. Spectra grouped in
      Poaceae and Chenopodiaceae clusters. Within the Poaceae cluster, C3 and C4
      species differed significantly in heterogeneity. Thus, root spectra reflected the
      degree of kinship. To quantify species proportion in root mixtures, a two- and a
      three-species model for species quantification in root mixtures of maize,
      barnyard grass, and wild oat was calculated. The models showed low standard
      errors of prediction (RMSEP) and high residual predictive deviation values in an
      external test set validation. Hence, FT MIR-ATR spectroscopy seems to be a
      promising tool for root research even between closely related plant species. 

PMID- 26483800
TI  - Editorial: Current advances and challenges in understanding plant desiccation
      tolerance.

PMID- 26483801
TI  - A genome-wide analysis of the auxin/indole-3-acetic acid gene family in hexaploid
      bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).
AB  - The Auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) gene family plays key roles in the
      primary auxin-response process and controls a number of important traits in
      plants. However, the characteristics of the Aux/IAA gene family in hexaploid
      bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) have long been unknown. In this study, a
      comprehensive identification of the Aux/IAA gene family was performed using the
      latest draft genome sequence of the bread wheat "Chinese Spring." Thirty-four
      Aux/IAA genes were identified, 30 of which have duplicated genes on the A, B or D
      sub-genome, with a total of 84 Aux/IAA sequences. These predicted Aux/IAA genes
      were non-randomly distributed in all the wheat chromosomes except for chromosome
      2D. The information of wheat Aux/IAA proteins is also described. Based on an
      analysis of phylogeny, expression and adaptive evolution, we prove that the
      Aux/IAA family in wheat has been replicated twice in the two allopolyploidization
      events of bread wheat, when the tandem duplication also occurred. The duplicated
      genes have undergone an evolutionary process of purifying selection, resulting in
      the high conservation of copy genes among sub-genomes and functional redundancy
      among several members of the TaIAA family. However, functional divergence
      probably existed in most TaIAA members due to the diversity of the functional
      domain and expression pattern. Our research provides useful information for
      further research into the function of Aux/IAA genes in wheat. 

PMID- 26483802
TI  - ROS-mediated enhanced transcription of CYP38 promotes the plant tolerance to high
      light stress by suppressing GTPase activation of PsbO2.
AB  - As a member of the Immunophilin family, cyclophilin38 (CYP38) is discovered to be
      localized in the thylakoid lumen, and is reported to be a participant in the
      function regulation of thylakoid membrane protein. However, the molecule
      mechanisms remain unclear. We found that, CYP38 plays an important role in the
      process of regulating and protecting the plant to resist high light (HL) stress.
      Under HL condition, the gene expression of CYP38 is enhanced, and if CYP38 gene
      is deficient, photochemistry efficiency, and chlorophyll content falls
      distinctly, and excessive reactive oxygen species synthesis occurs in the
      chloroplast. Western blot results showed that the D1 degradation rate of cyp38
      mutant plants is faster than that of wide type plants. Interestingly, both gene
      expression and activity of PsbO2 were drastically enhanced in cyp38 mutant plants
      and less changed when the deleted gene of CYP38 was restored under HL treatment.
      This indicates that CYP38 may impose a negative regulation effect on PsbO2, which
      exerts a positive regulation effect in facilitating the dephosphorylation and
      subsequent degradation of D1. It is also found that, under HL condition, the
      cytoplasmic calcium ([Ca(2+)]cyt) concentration and the gene expression level of
      calmodulin 3 (CaM3) arose markedly, which occurs upstream of CYP38 gene
      expression. In conclusion, our results indicate that CYP38 plays an important
      role in plant strengthening HL resistibility, which provides a new insight in the
      research of mechanisms of CYP38 protein in plants. 

PMID- 26483803
TI  - Breeding blueberries for a changing global environment: a review.
AB  - Today, blueberries are recognized worldwide as one of the foremost health foods,
      becoming one of the crops with the highest productive and commercial projections.
      Over the last 100 years, the geographical area where highbush blueberries are
      grown has extended dramatically into hotter and drier environments. The expansion
      of highbush blueberry growing into warmer regions will be challenged in the
      future by increases in average global temperature and extreme fluctuations in
      temperature and rainfall patterns. Considerable genetic variability exists within
      the blueberry gene pool that breeders can use to meet these challenges, but
      traditional selection techniques can be slow and inefficient and the precise
      adaptations of genotypes often remain hidden. Marker assisted breeding (MAB) and
      phenomics could aid greatly in identifying those individuals carrying
      adventitious traits, increasing selection efficiency and shortening the rate of
      cultivar release. While phenomics have begun to be used in the breeding of grain
      crops in the last 10 years, their use in fruit breeding programs it is almost non
      existent. 

PMID- 26483804
TI  - The transporter GAT1 plays an important role in GABA-mediated carbon-nitrogen
      interactions in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Glutamate derived gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is synthetized in the cytosol
      prior to delivery to the mitochondria where it is catabolized via the TCA cycle.
      GABA accumulates under various environmental conditions, but an increasing number
      of studies show its involvement at the crossroad between C and N metabolism. To
      assess the role of GABA in modulating cellular metabolism, we exposed seedlings
      of A. thaliana GABA transporter gat1 mutant to full nutrition medium and media
      deficient in C and N combined with feeding of different concentrations (0.5 and 1
      mM) of exogenous GABA. GC-MS based metabolite profiling showed an expected effect
      of medium composition on the seedlings metabolism of mutant and wild type alike.
      That being said, a significant interaction between GAT1 deficiency and medium
      composition was determined with respect to magnitude of change in relative amino
      acid levels. The effect of exogenous GABA treatment on metabolism was contingent
      on both the medium and the genotype, leading for instance to a drop in asparagine
      under full nutrition and low C conditions and glucose under all tested media, but
      not to changes in GABA content. We additionally assessed the effect of GAT1
      deficiency on the expression of glutamate metabolism related genes and genes
      involved in abiotic stress responses. These results suggest a role for GAT1 in
      GABA-mediated metabolic alterations in the context of the C-N equilibrium of
      plant cells. 

PMID- 26483805
TI  - Pseudomonas spp. as models for plant-microbe interactions.

PMID- 26483806
TI  - Transcriptomic analysis of fruit stored under cold conditions using controlled
      atmosphere in Prunus persica cv. "Red Pearl".
AB  - Cold storage (CS) can induce a physiological disorder known as chilling injury
      (CI) in nectarine fruits. The main symptom is mealiness that is perceived as non
      juicy fruit by consumers. Postharvest treatments such as controlled atmosphere
      (CA; a high CO2 concentration and low O2) have been used under cold conditions to
      avoid this disorder. With the objective of exploring the mechanisms involved in
      the CA effect on mealiness prevention, we analyzed transcriptomic changes under
      six conditions of "Red Pearl" nectarines by RNA-Seq. Our analysis included just
      harvested nectarines, juicy non-stored fruits, fruits affected for CI after CS
      and fruits stored in a combination of CA plus CS without CI phenotype. Nectarines
      stored in cold conditions combined with CA treatment resulted in less mealiness;
      we obtained 21.6% of juice content compared with just CS fruits (7.7%; mealy
      flesh). RNA-Seq data analyses were carried out to study the gene expression for
      different conditions assayed. During ripening, we detected that nectarines
      exposed to CA treatment expressed a similar number of genes compared with fruits
      that were not exposed to cold conditions. Firm fruits have more differentially
      expressed genes than soft fruits, which suggest that most important changes occur
      during CS. On the other hand, gene ontology analysis revealed enrichment mainly
      in metabolic and cellular processes. Differentially expressed genes analysis
      showed that low O2 concentrations combined with cold conditions slows the
      metabolic processes more than just the cold storage, resulting mainly in the
      suppression of primary metabolism and cold stress response. This is a significant
      step toward unraveling the molecular mechanism that explains the effectiveness of
      CA as a tool to prevent CI development on fruits. 

PMID- 26483807
TI  - Molecular cloning of AtRS4, a seed specific multifunctional RFO
      synthase/galactosylhydrolase in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Stachyose is among the raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) one of the major
      water-soluble carbohydrates next to sucrose in seeds of a number of plant
      species. Especially in leguminous seeds, e.g. chickpea, stachyose is reported as
      the major component. In contrast to their ambiguous potential as essential source
      of carbon for germination, RFOs are indigestible for humans and can contribute to
      diverse abdominal disorders. In the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana, six putative
      raffinose synthase genes are reported, whereas little is known about these
      putative raffinose synthases and their biochemical characteristics or their
      contribution to the RFO physiology in A. thaliana. In this paper, we report on
      the molecular cloning, functional expression in Escherichia coli and purification
      of recombinant AtRS4 from A. thaliana and the biochemical characterisation of the
      putative stachyose synthase (AtSTS, At4g01970) as a raffinose and high affinity
      stachyose synthase (Km for raffinose 259.2 +/- 21.15 MUM) as well as stachyose
      and galactinol specific galactosylhydrolase. A T-DNA insertional mutant in the
      AtRS4 gene was isolated. Only semi-quantitative PCR from WT siliques showed a
      specific transcriptional AtRS4 PCR product. Metabolite measurements in seeds of
      DeltaAtRS4 mutant plants revealed a total loss of stachyose in DeltaAtRS4 mutant
      seeds. We conclude that AtRS4 is the only stachyose synthase in the genome of A.
      thaliana that AtRS4 represents a key regulation mechanism in the RFO physiology
      of A. thaliana due to its multifunctional enzyme activity and that AtRS4 is
      possibly the second seed specific raffinose synthase beside AtRS5, which is
      responsible for Raf accumulation under abiotic stress. 

PMID- 26483808
TI  - Sequence composition of BAC clones and SSR markers mapped to Upland cotton
      chromosomes 11 and 21 targeting resistance to soil-borne pathogens.
AB  - Genetic and physical framework mapping in cotton (Gossypium spp.) were used to
      discover putative gene sequences involved in resistance to common soil-borne
      pathogens. Chromosome (Chr) 11 and its homoeologous Chr 21 of Upland cotton (G.
      hirsutum) are foci for discovery of resistance (R) or pathogen-induced R (PR)
      genes underlying QTLs involved in response to root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne
      incognita), reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis), Fusarium wilt (Fusarium
      oxysporum f.sp. vasinfectum), Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae), and black
      root rot (Thielaviopsis basicola). Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and
      bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones from a BAC library developed from
      the Upland cotton Acala Maxxa were mapped on Chr 11 and Chr 21. DNA sequence
      through Gene Ontology (GO) of 99 of 256 Chr 11 and 109 of 239 Chr 21 previously
      mapped SSRs revealed response elements to internal and external stimulus, stress,
      signaling process, and cell death. The reconciliation between genetic and
      physical mapping of gene annotations from new DNA sequences of 20 BAC clones
      revealed 467 (Chr 11) and 285 (Chr 21) G. hirsutum putative coding sequences,
      plus 146 (Chr 11) and 98 (Chr 21) predicted genes. GO functional profiling of
      Unigenes uncovered genes involved in different metabolic functions and stress
      response elements (SRE). Our results revealed that Chrs 11 and 21 harbor
      resistance gene rich genomic regions. Sequence comparisons with the ancestral
      diploid D5 (G. raimondii), A2 (G. arboreum) and domesticated tetraploid TM-1 AD1
      (G. hirsutum) genomes revealed abundance of transposable elements and confirmed
      the richness of resistance gene motifs in these chromosomes. The sequence
      information of SSR markers and BAC clones and the genetic mapping of BAC clones
      provide enhanced genetic and physical frameworks of resistance gene-rich regions
      of the cotton genome, thereby aiding discovery of R and PR genes and breeding for
      resistance to cotton diseases. 

PMID- 26483809
TI  - Proline accumulation and metabolism-related genes expression profiles in
      Kosteletzkya virginica seedlings under salt stress.
AB  - Proline accumulation is a common response to salt stress in many plants. Salt
      stress also increased proline concentration in roots, stems, and leaves of
      Kosteletzkya virginica seedling treated with 300 mM NaCl for 24 h and reached
      3.75-, 4.76-, and 6.83-fold higher than controls. Further study on proline
      content in leaves under salt stress showed that proline content increased with
      increasing NaCl concentrations or time. The proline level peaked at 300 mM NaCl
      for 24 h and reached more than sixfold higher than control, but at 400 mM NaCl
      for 24 h proline content fell back slightly along with wilting symptom. To
      explore the cause behind proline accumulation, we first cloned full length genes
      related to proline metabolism including KvP5CS1, KvOAT, KvPDH, and KvProT from K.
      virginica and investigated their expression profiles. The results revealed that
      the expressions of KvP5CS1 and KvProT were sharply up-regulated by salt stress
      and the expression of KvOAT showed a slight increase with increasing salt
      concentrations or time, while the expression of KvPDH was not changed much and
      slightly decreased before 12 h and then returned to the original level. As the
      key enzyme genes for proline biosynthesis, the up-regulated expression of KvP5CS1
      played a more important role than KvOAT for proline accumulation in leaves under
      salt stress. The low expression of KvPDH for proline catabolism also made a
      contribution to proline accumulation before 12 h. 

PMID- 26483810
TI  - Genomics for greater efficiency in pigeonpea hybrid breeding.
AB  - Cytoplasmic genic male sterility (CGMS) based hybrid technology has demonstrated
      its immense potential in increasing the productivity of various crops, including
      pigeonpea. This technology has shown promise for breaking the long-standing yield
      stagnation in pigeonpea. There are difficulties in commercial hybrid seed
      production due to non-availability of field-oriented technologies such as time
      bound assessment of genetic purity of hybrid seeds. Besides this, there are other
      routine breeding activities which are labor oriented and need more resources.
      These include breeding and maintenance of new fertility restorers and maintainer
      lines, diversification of cytoplasm, and incorporation of biotic and abiotic
      stress resistances. The recent progress in genomics research could accelerate the
      existing traditional efforts to strengthen the hybrid breeding technology. Marker
      based seed purity assessment, identification of heterotic groups; selection of
      new fertility restorers are few areas which have already been initiated. In this
      paper efforts have been made to identify critical areas and opportunities where
      genomics can play a leading role and assist breeders in accelerating various
      activities related to breeding and commercialization of pigeonpea hybrids. 

PMID- 26483811
TI  - Role of Large Cabbage White butterfly male-derived compounds in elicitation of
      direct and indirect egg-killing defenses in the black mustard.
AB  - To successfully exert defenses against herbivores and pathogens plants need to
      recognize reliable cues produced by their attackers. Up to now, few elicitors
      associated with herbivorous insects have been identified. We have previously
      shown that accessory reproductive gland secretions associated with eggs of
      Cabbage White butterflies (Pieris spp.) induce chemical changes in Brussels
      sprouts plants recruiting egg-killing parasitoids. Only secretions of mated
      female butterflies contain minute amounts of male-derived anti-aphrodisiac
      compounds that elicit this indirect plant defense. Here, we used the black
      mustard (Brassica nigra) to investigate how eggs of the Large Cabbage White
      butterfly (Pieris brassicae) induce, either an egg-killing direct [i.e.,
      hypersensitive response (HR)-like necrosis] or indirect defense (i.e.,
      oviposition-induced plant volatiles attracting Trichogramma egg parasitoids).
      Plants induced by P. brassicae egg-associated secretions expressed both traits
      and previous mating enhanced elicitation. Treatment with the anti-aphrodisiac
      compound of P. brassicae, benzyl cyanide (BC), induced stronger HR when compared
      to controls. Expression of the salicylic (SA) pathway- and HR-marker PATHOGENESIS
      RELATED GENE1 was induced only in plants showing an HR-like necrosis.
      Trichogramma wasps were attracted to volatiles induced by secretion of mated P.
      brassicae females but application of BC did not elicit the parasitoid-attracting
      volatiles. We conclude that egg-associated secretions of Pieris butterflies
      contain specific elicitors of the different plant defense traits against eggs in
      Brassica plants. While in Brussels sprouts plants anti-aphrodisiac compounds in
      Pieris egg-associated secretions were clearly shown to elicit indirect defense,
      the wild relative B. nigra, recognizes different herbivore cues that mediate the
      defensive responses. These results add another level of specificity to the
      mechanisms by which plants recognize their attackers. 

PMID- 26483812
TI  - Transcriptome profiling reveals differential gene expression in proanthocyanidin
      biosynthesis associated with red/green skin color mutant of pear (Pyrus communis
      L.).
AB  - Anthocyanin concentration is the key determinant for red skin color in pear
      fruit. However, the molecular basis for development of red skin is complicated
      and has not been well-understood thus far. "Starkrimson" (Pyrus communis L.), an
      introduced red pear cultivated in the north of China and its green mutant
      provides a desirable red/green pair for identification of candidate genes
      involved in color variation. Here, we sequenced and annotated the transcriptome
      for the red/green color mutant at three stages of development using Illumina RNA
      seq technology. The total number of mapped reads ranged from 26 to 46 million in
      six libraries. About 70.11-71.95% of clean reads could be mapped to the reference
      genome. Compared with green colored fruit, a total of 2230 differentially
      expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in red fruit. Gene Ontology (GO) terms
      were defined for 4886 differential transcripts involved in 15 Kyoto Encyclopedia
      of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Three DEGs were identified as candidate
      genes in the flavonoid pathway, LAR, ANR, and C3H. Tellingly, higher expression
      was found for genes encoding ANR and LAR in the green color mutant, promoting the
      proanthocyanidin (PA) pathway and leading to lower anthocyanin. MYB-binding cis
      motifs were identified in the promoter region of LAR and ANR. Based on these
      findings, we speculate that the regulation of PA biosynthesis might be a key
      factor for this red/green color mutant. Besides the known MYB and MADS
      transcription families, two new families, AP2 and WRKY, were identified as having
      high correlation with anthocyanin biosynthesis in red skinned pear. In addition,
      qRT-PCR was used to confirm the transcriptome results for 17 DEGs, high
      correlation of gene expression, further proved that AP2 and WARK regulated the
      anthocyanin biosynthesis in red skinned "Starkrimson," and ANR and LAR promote PA
      biosynthesis and contribute to the green skinned variant. This study can serve as
      a valuable new resource laying a solid foundation for functional gene
      identification in the anthocyanin pathway of red-skinned pear and provide a good
      reference for relevant research on molecular mechanisms of color variation in
      other pear species. 

PMID- 26483813
TI  - Ethylene and plant responses to phosphate deficiency.
AB  - Phosphorus is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development.
      Phosphate (Pi), the major form of phosphorus that plants take up through roots,
      however, is limited in most soils. To cope with Pi deficiency, plants activate an
      array of adaptive responses to reprioritize internal Pi use and enhance external
      Pi acquisition. These responses are modulated by sophisticated regulatory
      networks through both local and systemic signaling, but the signaling mechanisms
      are poorly understood. Early studies suggested that the phytohormone ethylene
      plays a key role in Pi deficiency-induced remodeling of root system architecture.
      Recently, ethylene was also shown to be involved in the regulation of other
      signature responses of plants to Pi deficiency. In this article, we review how
      researchers have used pharmacological and genetic approaches to dissect the roles
      of ethylene in regulating Pi deficiency-induced developmental and physiological
      changes. The interactions between ethylene and other signaling molecules, such as
      sucrose, auxin, and microRNA399, in the control of plant Pi responses are also
      examined. Finally, we provide a perspective for the future research in this
      field. 

PMID- 26483814
TI  - OsCYP21-4, a novel Golgi-resident cyclophilin, increases oxidative stress
      tolerance in rice.
AB  - OsCYP21-4 is a rice cyclophilin protein that binds to cyclosporine A, an
      immunosuppressant drug. CYP21-4s in Arabidopsis and rice were previously shown to
      function as mitochondrial cyclophilins, as determined by TargetP analysis. In the
      current study, we found that OsCYP21-4-GFP localized to the Golgi, rather than
      mitochondria, in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, which was confirmed based on its
      co-localization with cis Golgi alpha-ManI-mCherry protein. OsCYP21-4 transcript
      levels increased in response to treatments with various abiotic stresses and the
      phytohormone abscisic acid, revealing its stress-responsiveness. CYP21-4 homologs
      do not possess key peptidyl prolyl cis/trans isomerase (PPIase)
      activity/cyclosporine A (CsA) binding residues, and recombinant OsCYP21-4 protein
      did not convert the synthetic substrate Suc-AAPF-pNA via cis- trans-
      isomerization in vitro. In addition, transgenic plants overexpressing OsCYP21-4
      exhibited increased tolerance to salinity and hydrogen peroxide treatment, along
      with increased peroxidase activity. These results demonstrate that OsCYP21-4 is a
      novel Golgi-localized cyclophilin that plays a role in oxidative stress
      tolerance, possibly by regulating peroxidase activity. 

PMID- 26483816
TI  - Photoinhibition of photosystem I under high light in the shade-established
      tropical tree species Psychotria rubra.
AB  - The photosynthetic sensitivity to high light differs among understory plants of
      shade- and sun- established tree species. Shade-established tree species are
      sensitive to high light but the underlying photosynthetic mechanism has not been
      fully resolved. In the present study, we examined the responses of photosystem I
      (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII) to high light in shade leaves of a shade
      established tree species Psychotria rubra and a sun-established tree species
      Pometia tomentosa. After exposure to 2000 MUmol photons m(-2) s(-1) for 2 h, the
      maximum photo-oxidizable P700 (Pm ) decreased by 40 and 9% in P. rubra and P.
      tomentosa, respectively. These results indicate that the shade-established
      species P. rubra is incapable of protecting PSI under high light. Strong
      photoinhibition of PSII under high light led to large depression of electron
      transfer from PSII to PSI and then prevented further photodamage to PSI. During
      the high light treatment of 2000 MUmol photons m(-2) s(-1), PSI photoinhibition
      in P. rubra was accompanied with high levels of cyclic electron flow (CEF) and
      P700 oxidation ratio. Therefore, we propose that PSI photoinhibition under high
      light in P. rubra is dependent on electron transfer from PSII to PSI, and CEF is
      unlikely to play a major role in photoprotection for PSI in P. rubra. These
      findings suggest that photoinhibition of PSI is another important mechanism
      underlying why shade-established species cannot survive under high light. 

PMID- 26483815
TI  - Plant derived substances with anti-cancer activity: from folklore to practice.
AB  - Plants have had an essential role in the folklore of ancient cultures. In
      addition to the use as food and spices, plants have also been utilized as
      medicines for over 5000 years. It is estimated that 70-95% of the population in
      developing countries continues to use traditional medicines even today. A new
      trend, that involved the isolation of plant active compounds begun during the
      early nineteenth century. This trend led to the discovery of different active
      compounds that are derived from plants. In the last decades, more and more new
      materials derived from plants have been authorized and subscribed as medicines,
      including those with anti-cancer activity. Cancer is among the leading causes of
      morbidity and mortality worldwide. The number of new cases is expected to rise by
      about 70% over the next two decades. Thus, there is a real need for new efficient
      anti-cancer drugs with reduced side effects, and plants are a promising source
      for such entities. Here we focus on some plant-derived substances exhibiting anti
      cancer and chemoprevention activity, their mode of action and bioavailability.
      These include paclitaxel, curcumin, and cannabinoids. In addition, development
      and use of their synthetic analogs, and those of strigolactones, are discussed.
      Also discussed are commercial considerations and future prospects for development
      of plant derived substances with anti-cancer activity. 

PMID- 26483817
TI  - Interspecific hybridization in Cucumis leads to the divergence of phenotypes in
      response to low light and extended photoperiods.
AB  - With the aim of improving shade tolerance of cucumber, Cucumis * hytivus, a newly
      synthesized allotetraploid, was obtained by crossing a shade tolerant wild
      relative, Cucumis hystrix, with a cultivated cucumber, Cucumis sativus L.
      'BejingJietou.' The results show that the new C. * hytivus only partly is an
      intermediate hybrid and it has not only chlorophyll deficiency, which recovers
      during leaf development, but also lower carotenoid content. Three light
      conditions with the combination of different light intensities and photoperiods
      were employed to investigate the photosynthetic response of these three Cucumis
      species to low light and long photoperiod. The consistent order of P max and DWS
      being lowest in C. hystrix, medium in C. * hytivus and highest in 'BejingJietou'
      suggests the three species to have genetically different photosynthetic
      efficiency, which relates well with the natural habitats of the parent species
      and the hybrid as intermediate. C. * hytivus appears to be inhibited by the low
      light levels to the same extent as the cultivated 'BeijingJietou,' which
      indicates neither improvement of shade tolerance nor hypothetical heterosis
      effect in C. * hytivus. However, unexpectedly, the PSII of C. hystrix was
      affected by the long photoperiod in the long term, suggested by the decrease of F
      v/F m. This sensitivity toward day length has not been passed on to C. * hytivus.

PMID- 26483818
TI  - Origin of worldwide cultivated barley revealed by NAM-1 gene and grain protein
      content.
AB  - The origin, evolution, and distribution of cultivated barley provides powerful
      insights into the historic origin and early spread of agrarian culture. Here,
      population-based genetic diversity and phylogenetic analyses were performed to
      determine the evolution and origin of barley and how domestication and subsequent
      introgression have affected the genetic diversity and changes in cultivated
      barley on a worldwide scale. A set of worldwide cultivated and wild barleys from
      Asia and Tibet of China were analyzed using the sequences for NAM-1 gene and gene
      associated traits-grain protein content (GPC). Our results showed Tibetan wild
      barley distinctly diverged from Near Eastern barley, and confirmed that Tibet is
      one of the origin and domestication centers for cultivated barley, and in turn
      supported a polyphyletic origin of domesticated barley. Comparison of haplotype
      composition among geographic regions revealed gene flow between Eastern and
      Western barley populations, suggesting that the Silk Road might have played a
      crucial role in the spread of genes. The GPC in the 118 cultivated and 93 wild
      barley accessions ranged from 6.73 to 12.35% with a mean of 9.43%. Overall, wild
      barley had higher averaged GPC (10.44%) than cultivated barley. Two unique
      haplotypes (Hap2 and Hap7) caused by a base mutations (at position 544) in the
      coding region of the NAM-1 gene might have a significant impact on the GPC.
      Single nucleotide polymorphisms and haplotypes of NAM-1 associated with GPC in
      barley could provide a useful method for screening GPC in barley germplasm. The
      Tibetan wild accessions with lower GPC could be useful for malt barley breeding. 

PMID- 26483819
TI  - Grain setting defect1 (GSD1) function in rice depends on S-acylation and
      interacts with actin 1 (OsACT1) at its C-terminal.
AB  - Grain setting defect1 (GSD1), a plant-specific remorin protein specifically
      localized at the plasma membrane (PM) and plasmodesmata of phloem companion
      cells, affects grain setting in rice through regulating the transport of
      photoassimilates. Here, we show new evidence demonstrating that GSD1 is localized
      at the cytoplasmic face of the PM and a stretch of 45 amino acid residues at its
      C-terminal is required for its localization. Association with the PM is mediated
      by S-acylation of cysteine residues Cys-524 and Cys-527, in a sequence of 45
      amino acid residues essential for GSD1 function in rice. Furthermore, the coiled
      coil domain in GSD1 is necessary for sufficient interaction with OsACT1.
      Together, these results reveal that GSD1 attaches to the PM through S-acylation
      and interacts with OsACT1 through its coiled-coil domain structure to regulate
      plasmodesmata conductance for photoassimilate transport in rice. 

PMID- 26483820
TI  - Genome-wide analysis of the CaHsp20 gene family in pepper: comprehensive sequence
      and expression profile analysis under heat stress.
AB  - The Hsp20 genes are present in all plant species and play important roles in
      alleviating heat stress and enhancing plant thermotolerance by preventing the
      irreversible aggregation of denaturing proteins. However, very little is known
      about the CaHsp20 gene family in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), an important
      vegetable crop with character of temperate but thermosensitive. In this study, a
      total of 35 putative pepper Hsp20 genes (CaHsp20s) were identified and renamed on
      the basis of their molecular weight, and then their gene structure, genome
      location, gene duplication, phylogenetic relationship, and interaction network
      were also analyzed. The expression patterns of CaHsp20 genes in four different
      tissues (root, stem, leaf, and flower) from the thermotolerant line R9 under heat
      stress condition were measured using semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The transcripts of
      most CaHsp20 genes maintained a low level in all of the four tissues under normal
      temperature condition, but were highly induced by heat stress, while the
      expression of CaHsp16.6b, 16.7, and 23.8 were only detected in specific tissues
      and were not so sensitive to heat stress like other CaHsp20 genes. In addition,
      compared to those in thermotolerant line R9, the expression peak of most CaHsp20
      genes in thermosensitive line B6 under heat stress was hysteretic, and several
      CaHsp20 genes (CaHsp16.4, 18.2a, 18.7, 21.2, 22.0, 25.8, and 25.9) showed higher
      expression levels in both line B6 and R9. These data suggest that the CaHsp20
      genes may be involved in heat stress and defense responses in pepper, which
      provides the basis for further functional analyses of CaHsp20s in the formation
      of pepper acquired thermotoleance. 

PMID- 26483821
TI  - Ascorbic acid mitigation of water stress-inhibition of root growth in association
      with oxidative defense in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.).
AB  - Root growth inhibition by water stress may be related to oxidative damages. The
      objectives of this study were to determine whether exogenous application of
      ascorbic acid (ASA) could mitigate root growth decline due to water stress and
      whether ASA effects on root growth could be regulated through activating non
      enzymatic or enzymatic antioxidant systems in perennial grass species. Tall
      fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb. cv. "K-31") plants were grown in nutrient
      solution, and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-8000 was added into the solution to
      induce water stress. For exogenous ASA treatment, ASA (5 mM) was added into the
      solution with or without PEG-8000. Plants treated with ASA under water stress
      showed significantly increased root growth rate, and those roots had
      significantly lower content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (H2O2 and O[Formula:
      see text] content) than those without ASA treatment. Malondialdehyde content in
      root tips treated with ASA under water stress was also significantly reduced
      compared with those under water stress alone. In addition, free ascorbate and
      total ascorbate content were significantly higher in roots treated with ASA under
      water stress than those without ASA treatment. The enzymatic activities for ROS
      scavenging-related genes were not significantly altered by ASA treatment under
      water stress, while transcript abundances of genes encoding superoxide dismutase,
      catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, dehydroascorbate
      reductase, and monohydroascorbate reductase showed significant decreases in the
      root elongation zone and significant increases in the root maturation zone
      treated with ASA under water stress. Transcripts of genes for expansins and
      xyloglucan endotransglycosylases showed increased abundances in ASA-treated root
      maturation zone under water stress, indicating that ASA could accelerated cell
      wall loosening and cell expansion. The results suggested that exogenous treatment
      of roots with ASA enhanced root elongation under water stress, which could be
      attributed by increasing non-enzymatic antioxidant production, suppressing ROS
      toxicity and up-regulating gene expression of cell-wall loosening proteins
      controlling cell expansion. 

PMID- 26483822
TI  - RNAi-based functional elucidation of PtrPRP, a gene encoding a hybrid proline
      rich protein, in cold tolerance of Poncirus trifoliata.
AB  - Hybrid proline-rich proteins (HyPRPs) have been suggested to play important roles
      in various plant development and stress response. In this study, we report the
      cloning and functional analysis of PtrPRP, a HyPRP-encoding gene of Poncirus
      trifoliata. PtrPRP contains 176 amino acids, among which 21% are proline
      residues, and has an 8-cysteine motif (8 CM) domain at the C terminal, a signal
      peptide and a proline-rich region at the N terminal. PtrPRP is constitutively
      expressed in root, stem and leaf, with the highest expression levels in leaf. It
      was progressively induced by cold, but transiently upregulated by salt and ABA.
      Transgenic P. trifoliata plants with knock-down PtrPRP by RNA interference (RNAi)
      were generated to investigate the role of PtrPRP in cold tolerance. When
      challenged by low temperature, the PtrPRP-RNAi plants displayed more sensitive
      performance compared with wild type (WT), as shown by higher electrolyte leakage
      and malondialdehyde content. In addition, the RNAi lines accumulated more
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lower levels of proline relative to WT. These
      results suggested that PtrPRP might be positively involved in cold tolerance by
      maintaining membrane integrity and ROS homeostasis. 

PMID- 26483824
TI  - Additive interactions of unrelated viruses in mixed infections of cowpea (Vigna
      unguiculata L. Walp).
AB  - This study was carried out to determine the effects of single infections and co
      infections of three unrelated viruses on three cowpea cultivars (one commercial
      cowpea cultivar "White" and 2 IITA lines; IT81D-985 and TVu 76). The plants were
      inoculated with Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV), genus Potyvirus, Cowpea
      mottle virus (CMeV), genus Carmovirus and Southern bean mosaic virus (SBMV),
      genus Sobemovirus singly and in mixture (double and triple) at 10, 20, and 30
      days after planting (DAP). The treated plants were assessed for susceptibility to
      the viruses, growth, and yield. In all cases of infection, early inoculation
      resulted in higher disease severity compared with late infection. The virus
      treated cowpea plants were relatively shorter than buffer inoculated control
      plants except the IT81D-985 plants that were taller and produced more foliage.
      Single infections by CABMV, CMeV, and SBMV led to a complete loss of seeds in the
      three cowpea cultivars at 10 DAP; only cultivar White produced some seeds at 30
      DAP. Double and triple virus infections led to a total loss of seeds in all three
      cowpea cultivars. None of the virus infected IITA lines produced any seeds except
      IT81D-985 plants co-infected with CABMV and SBMV at 30 DAP with a reduction of
      80%. Overall, the commercial cultivar "White" was the least susceptible to the
      virus treatments and produced the most yield (flowers, pods, and seeds). CABMV
      was the most aggressive of these viruses and early single inoculations with this
      virus resulted in the premature death of some of the seedlings. The presence of
      the Potyvirus, CABMV in the double virus infections did not appear to increase
      disease severity or yield loss. There was no strong evidence for synergistic
      interactions between the viruses in the double virus mixtures. 

PMID- 26483823
TI  - Burkholderia phytofirmans PsJN reduces impact of freezing temperatures on
      photosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Several plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are known to improve plant
      tolerance to multiple stresses, including low temperatures. However, mechanisms
      underlying this protection are still poorly understood. The aim of this study was
      to evaluate the role of the endophytic PGPR, Burkholderia phytofirmans strain
      PsJN (Bp PsJN), on Arabidopsis thaliana cold tolerance using photosynthesis
      parameters as physiological markers. Under standard conditions, our results
      indicated that Bp PsJN inoculation led to growth promotion of Arabidopsis plants
      without significant modification on photosynthesis parameters and chloroplast
      organization. However, bacterial colonization induced a cell wall strengthening
      in the mesophyll. Impact of inoculation modes (either on seeds or by soil
      irrigation) and their effects overnight at 0, -1, or -3 degrees C, were
      investigated by following photosystem II (PSII) activity and gas exchanges.
      Following low temperatures stress, a decrease of photosynthesis parameters was
      observed. In addition, during three consecutive nights or days at -1 degrees C,
      PSII activity was monitored. Pigment contents, RuBisCO protein abundance,
      expression of several genes including RbcS, RbcL, CBF1, CBF2, CBF3, ICE1, COR15a,
      and COR78 were evaluated at the end of exposure. To assess the impact of the
      bacteria on cell ultrastructure under low temperatures, microscopic observations
      were achieved. Results indicated that freezing treatment induced significant
      changes in PSII activity as early as the first cold day, whereas the same impact
      on PSII activity was observed only during the third cold night. The significant
      effects conferred by PsJN were differential accumulation of pigments, and reduced
      expression of RbcL and COR78. Microscopical observations showed an
      alteration/disorganization in A. thaliana leaf mesophyll cells independently of
      the freezing treatments. The presence of bacteria during the three successive
      nights or days did not significantly improved A. thaliana responses but prevented
      the plasmalemma disruption under freezing stress. 

PMID- 26483825
TI  - Landscape genomics reveal signatures of local adaptation in barley (Hordeum
      vulgare L.).
AB  - Land plants are sessile organisms that cannot escape the adverse climatic
      conditions of a given environment. Hence, adaptation is one of the solutions to
      surviving in a challenging environment. This study was aimed at detecting
      adaptive loci in barley landraces that are affected by selection. To that end, a
      diverse population of barley landraces was analyzed using the genotyping by
      sequencing approach. Climatic data for altitude, rainfall and temperature were
      collected from 61 weather sites near the origin of selected landraces across
      Ethiopia. Population structure analysis revealed three groups whereas spatial
      analysis accounted significant similarities at shorter geographic distances (< 40
      Km) among barley landraces. Partitioning the variance between climate variables
      and geographic distances indicated that climate variables accounted for most of
      the explainable genetic variation. Markers by climatic variables association
      analysis resulted in altogether 18 and 62 putative adaptive loci using Bayenv and
      latent factor mixed model (LFMM), respectively. Subsequent analysis of the
      associated SNPs revealed putative candidate genes for plant adaptation. This
      study highlights the presence of putative adaptive loci among barley landraces
      representing original gene pool of the farming communities. 

PMID- 26483826
TI  - Live substrate positively affects root growth and stolon direction in the
      woodland strawberry, Fragaria vesca.
AB  - Studies of clonal plant foraging generally focus on growth responses to patch
      quality once rooted. Here we explore the possibility of true plant foraging; the
      ability to detect and respond to patch resource status prior to rooting. Two
      greenhouse experiments were conducted to investigate the morphological changes
      that occur when individual daughter ramets of Fragaria vesca (woodland
      strawberry) were exposed to air above live (non-sterilized) or dead (sterilized)
      substrates. Contact between daughter ramets and substrate was prohibited.
      Daughter ramet root biomass was significantly larger over live versus dead
      substrate. Root:shoot ratio also increased over live substrate, a morphological
      response we interpret as indicative of active nutrient foraging. Daughter ramet
      root biomass was positively correlated with mother ramet size over live but not
      dead substrate. Given the choice between a live versus a dead substrate, primary
      stolons extended preferentially toward live substrates. We conclude that exposure
      to live substrate drives positive nutrient foraging responses in F. vesca. We
      propose that volatiles emitted from the substrates might be effecting the
      morphological changes that occur during true nutrient foraging. 

PMID- 26483827
TI  - Soil inoculation with symbiotic microorganisms promotes plant growth and nutrient
      transporter genes expression in durum wheat.
AB  - In a field experiment conducted in a Mediterranean area of inner Sicily, durum
      wheat was inoculated with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), with
      arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), or with both to evaluate their effects on
      nutrient uptake, plant growth, and the expression of key transporter genes
      involved in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) uptake. These biotic associations
      were studied under either low N availability (unfertilized plots) and supplying
      the soil with an easily mineralizable organic fertilizer. Regardless of N
      fertilization, at the tillering stage, inoculation with AMF alone or in
      combination with PGPR increased the aboveground biomass yield compared to the
      uninoculated control. Inoculation with PGPR enhanced the aboveground biomass
      yield compared to the control, but only when N fertilizer was added. At the
      heading stage, inoculation with all microorganisms increased the aboveground
      biomass and N. Inoculation with PGPR and AMF+PGPR resulted in significantly
      higher aboveground P compared to the control and inoculation with AMF only when
      organic N was applied. The role of microbe inoculation in N uptake was elucidated
      by the expression of nitrate transporter genes. NRT1.1, NRT2, and NAR2.2 were
      significantly upregulated by inoculation with AMF and AMF+PGPR in the absence of
      organic N. A significant down-regulation of the same genes was observed when
      organic N was added. The ammonium (NH4 (+)) transporter genes AMT1.2 showed an
      expression pattern similar to that of the NO3 (-) transporters. Finally, in the
      absence of organic N, the transcript abundance of P transporters Pht1 and PT2-1
      was increased by inoculation with AMF+PGPR, and inoculation with AMF upregulated
      Pht2 compared to the uninoculated control. These results indicate the soil
      inoculation with AMF and PGPR (alone or in combination) as a valuable option for
      farmers to improve yield, nutrient uptake, and the sustainability of the agro
      ecosystem. 

PMID- 26483828
TI  - CrBPF1 overexpression alters transcript levels of terpenoid indole alkaloid
      biosynthetic and regulatory genes.
AB  - Terpenoid indole alkaloid (TIA) biosynthesis in Catharanthus roseus is a complex
      and highly regulated process. Understanding the biochemistry and regulation of
      the TIA pathway is of particular interest as it may allow the engineering of
      plants to accumulate higher levels of pharmaceutically important alkaloids.
      Toward this end, we generated a transgenic C. roseus hairy root line that
      overexpresses the CrBPF1 transcriptional activator under the control of a beta
      estradiol inducible promoter. CrBPF1 is a MYB-like protein that was previously
      postulated to help regulate the expression of the TIA biosynthetic gene STR.
      However, the role of CrBPF1 in regulation of the TIA and related pathways had not
      been previously characterized. In this study, transcriptional profiling revealed
      that overexpression of CrBPF1 results in increased transcript levels for genes
      from both the indole and terpenoid biosynthetic pathways that provide precursors
      for TIA biosynthesis, as well as for genes in the TIA biosynthetic pathway. In
      addition, overexpression of CrBPF1 causes increases in the transcript levels for
      11 out of 13 genes postulated to act as transcriptional regulators of genes from
      the TIA and TIA feeder pathways. Interestingly, overexpression of CrBPF1 causes
      increased transcript levels for both TIA transcriptional activators and
      repressors. Despite the fact that CrBPF1 overexpression affects transcript levels
      of a large percentage of TIA biosynthetic and regulatory genes, CrBPF1
      overexpression has only very modest effects on the levels of the TIA metabolites
      analyzed. This finding may be due, at least in part, to the up-regulation of both
      transcriptional activators and repressors in response to CrBPF1 overexpression,
      suggesting that CrBPF1 may serve as a "fine-tune" regulator for TIA biosynthesis,
      acting to help regulate the timing and amplitude of TIA gene expression. 

PMID- 26483829
TI  - Music Therapy Using Singing Training Improves Psychomotor Speed in Patients with
      Alzheimer's Disease: A Neuropsychological and fMRI Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: To investigate the effect of singing training on the cognitive
      function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. METHODS: Ten AD patients (mean age
      78.1 years) participated in music therapy using singing training once a week for
      6 months (music therapy group). Each session was performed with professional
      musicians using karaoke and a unique voice training method (the YUBA Method).
      Before and after the intervention period, each patient was assessed by
      neuropsychological batteries, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
      was performed while the patients sang familiar songs with a karaoke device. As
      the control group, another 10 AD patients were recruited (mean age 77.0 years),
      and neuropsychological assessments were performed twice with an interval of 6
      months. RESULTS: In the music therapy group, the time for completion of the
      Japanese Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices was significantly reduced (p =
      0.026), and the results obtained from interviewing the patients' caregivers
      revealed a significant decrease in the Neuropsychiatric Inventory score (p =
      0.042) and a prolongation of the patients' sleep time (p = 0.039). The fMRI study
      revealed increased activity in the right angular gyrus and the left lingual gyrus
      in the before-minus-after subtraction analysis of the music therapy intervention.
      CONCLUSION: Music therapy intervention using singing training may be useful for
      dementia patients by improving the neural efficacy of cognitive processing.

PMID- 26483830
TI  - Writing Impairments in Japanese Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and with
      Mild Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: We investigated writing abilities in patients with the amnestic
      type of mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). To
      examine the earliest changes in writing function, we used writing tests for both
      words and sentences with different types of Japanese characters (Hiragana,
      Katakana, and Kanji). METHODS: A total of 25 aMCI patients, 38 AD patients, and
      22 healthy controls performed writing to dictation for Kana and Kanji words,
      copied Kanji words, and wrote in response to a picture story task. Analysis of
      variance was used to test the subject group effects on the scores in the above
      writing tasks. RESULTS: For the written Kanji words, the mild AD group performed
      worse than the aMCI group and the controls, but there was no difference between
      the aMCI group and the controls. For the picture story writing task, the mild AD
      and aMCI groups performed worse than the controls, but the difference between the
      AD and the aMCI groups was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The mild AD group showed
      defects in writing Kanji characters, and the aMCI group showed impairments in
      narrative writing. Our study suggests that narrative writing, which demands
      complex integration of multiple cognitive functions, can be used to detect the
      subtle writing deficits in aMCI patients.

PMID- 26483831
TI  - Predictors for Nursing Home Admission and Death among Community-Dwelling People
      70 Years and Older Who Receive Domiciliary Care.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to analyze which variables predicted nursing home
      admission (NHA) and death. METHODS: 1,001 recipients of domiciliary care were
      assessed three times in a 3-year period. Through bivariate and multivariate Cox
      proportional hazards regression models, associations between a covariate and the
      outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Participants with dementia had a higher risk of
      NHA (odds ratio 3.88, 95% confidence interval 2.92-5.16) compared to participants
      without dementia. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory sub-syndrome psychosis, poorer
      functional impairment and age were associated with NHA. Female sex, age, worse
      medical health and functional impairment were associated with death. CONCLUSION:
      Support to the caregiver and education on how to meet and cope with behavioral
      disturbance, depressive mood and sub-syndrome psychosis will probably enable the
      family to better adapt to late life changes.

PMID- 26483832
TI  - Cognitive Rehabilitation of Dementia in Adults with Down Syndrome: A Review of
      Non-Pharmacological Interventions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a close genetic relationship between Alzheimer's disease
      (AD) and Down syndrome (DS), AD being the most severe mental disorder affecting
      ageing individuals with DS. The objective of the present study was to evaluate
      the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation interventions in DS patients with AD by
      means of a critical literature review. SUMMARY: Because AD is progressive and
      irreversible, treatment is aimed at delaying and reducing the cognitive and
      functional decline in order to preserve or improve quality of life. The effects
      that pharmacological treatments and cognitive interventions have on elderly
      individuals with AD are well documented. Recent clinical trials have investigated
      the use of pharmacological treatment in DS patients with AD, generating
      preliminary results that have been unfavourable. KEY MESSAGES: There is a clear
      lack of studies addressing the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation interventions
      in DS patients with AD, and there is an urgent need for studies providing
      evidence to inform decisions regarding the appropriate choice of treatment
      strategies.

PMID- 26483833
TI  - A Brief Dementia Test with Subjective and Objective Measures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The development of an effective brief dementia test will help in the
      early identification of dementia. AIM: This study investigates the diagnostic
      utility of a brief cognitive test for dementia which combines a short subjective
      informant-rated questionnaire (AD8) with an objective cognitive measure (Mini
      Mental State Examination, MMSE) or its subcomponents. METHODS: Subjects with mild
      dementia (Clinical Dementia Rating Scale score <=1) were matched with community
      dwelling, cognitively intact controls. MMSE and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale
      were administered to all subjects, while AD8 was completed by a reliable
      informant. Receiver operating characteristics analysis determined the diagnostic
      accuracies of AD8, MMSE, and AD8 combined with MMSE (AD8+MMSE). Stepwise logistic
      regression identified the subcomponents of MMSE which, combined with AD8, best
      discriminated dementia patients from controls. RESULTS: The AD8 (area under the
      curve [AUC] = 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89-0.95) was superior to the
      MMSE (AUC = 0.87, 95% CI 0.83-0.92) in discriminating mild dementia patients from
      controls, and AD8+MMSE (AUC = 0.95, 0.92-0.98) increased its superior
      discrimination over MMSE alone. AD8 combined with three-item recall and
      intersecting pentagon copy (AUC = 0.95, 95% CI 0.92-0.97) performed as well as
      AD8 combined with full MMSE. CONCLUSION: AD8 combined with the MMSE subcomponents
      three-item recall and intersecting pentagon copy has excellent diagnostic utility
      and is a promising brief cognitive test for early dementia.

PMID- 26483835
TI  - Evolution of epithelial morphogenesis: phenotypic integration across multiple
      levels of biological organization.
AB  - Morphogenesis involves the dynamic reorganization of cell and tissue shapes to
      create the three-dimensional body. Intriguingly, different species have evolved
      different morphogenetic processes to achieve the same general outcomes during
      embryonic development. How are meaningful comparisons between species made, and
      where do the differences lie? In this Perspective, we argue that examining the
      evolution of embryonic morphogenesis requires the simultaneous consideration of
      different levels of biological organization: (1) genes, (2) cells, (3) tissues,
      and (4) the entire egg, or other gestational context. To illustrate the
      importance of integrating these levels, we use the extraembryonic epithelia of
      insects-a lineage-specific innovation and evolutionary hotspot-as an exemplary
      case study. We discuss how recent functional data, primarily from RNAi
      experiments targeting the Hox3/Zen and U-shaped group transcription factors,
      provide insights into developmental processes at all four levels. Comparisons of
      these data from several species both challenge and inform our understanding of
      homology, in assessing how the process of epithelial morphogenesis has itself
      evolved. 

PMID- 26483836
TI  - Lipid changes due to fenofibrate treatment are not associated with changes in DNA
      methylation patterns in the GOLDN study.
AB  - Fenofibrate lowers triglycerides (TG) and raises high density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (HDLc) in dyslipidemic individuals. Several studies have shown
      genetic variability in lipid responses to fenofibrate treatment. It is, however,
      not known whether epigenetic patterns are also correlated with the changes in
      lipids due to fenofibrate treatment. The present study was therefore undertaken
      to examine the changes in DNA methylation among the participants of Genetics of
      Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN) study. A total of 443 individuals
      were studied for epigenome-wide changes in DNA methylation, assessed using the
      Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 array, before and after a 3-week daily
      treatment with 160 mg of fenofibrate. The association between the change in DNA
      methylation and changes in TG, HDLc, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
      (LDLc) were assessed using linear mixed models adjusted for age, sex, baseline
      lipids, and study center as fixed effects and family as a random effect. Changes
      in DNA methylation were not significantly associated with changes in TG, HDLc, or
      LDLc after 3 weeks of fenofibrate for any CpG. CpG changes in genes known to be
      involved in fenofibrate response, e.g., PPAR-alpha, APOA1, LPL, APOA5, APOC3,
      CETP, and APOB, also did not show evidence of association. In conclusion, changes
      in lipids in response to 3-week treatment with fenofibrate were not associated
      with changes in DNA methylation. Studies of longer duration may be required to
      detect treatment-induced changes in methylation. 

PMID- 26483834
TI  - Mapping asthma-associated variants in admixed populations.
AB  - Admixed populations arise when two or more previously isolated populations
      interbreed. Mapping asthma susceptibility loci in an admixed population using
      admixture mapping (AM) involves screening the genome of individuals of mixed
      ancestry for chromosomal regions that have a higher frequency of alleles from a
      parental population with higher asthma risk as compared with parental population
      with lower asthma risk. AM takes advantage of the admixture created in
      populations of mixed ancestry to identify genomic regions where an association
      exists between genetic ancestry and asthma (in contrast to between the genotype
      of the marker and asthma). The theory behind AM is that chromosomal segments of
      affected individuals contain a significantly higher-than-average proportion of
      alleles from the high-risk parental population and thus are more likely to harbor
      disease-associated loci. Criteria to evaluate the applicability of AM as a gene
      mapping approach include: (1) the prevalence of the disease differences in
      ancestral populations from which the admixed population was formed; (2) a
      measurable difference in disease-causing alleles between the parental
      populations; (3) reduced linkage disequilibrium (LD) between unlinked loci across
      chromosomes and strong LD between neighboring loci; (4) a set of markers with
      noticeable allele-frequency differences between parental populations that
      contributes to the admixed population (single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are
      the markers of choice because they are abundant, stable, relatively cheap to
      genotype, and informative with regard to the LD structure of chromosomal
      segments); and (5) there is an understanding of the extent of segmental
      chromosomal admixtures and their interactions with environmental factors.
      Although genome-wide association studies have contributed greatly to our
      understanding of the genetic components of asthma, the large and increasing
      degree of admixture in populations across the world create many challenges for
      further efforts to map disease-causing genes. This review, summarizes the
      historical context of admixed populations and AM, and considers current
      opportunities to use AM to map asthma genes. In addition, we provide an overview
      of the potential limitations and future directions of AM in biomedical research,
      including joint admixture and association mapping for asthma and asthma-related
      disorders. 

PMID- 26483837
TI  - Rice transcriptome analysis to identify possible herbicide quinclorac
      detoxification genes.
AB  - Quinclorac is a highly selective auxin-type herbicide and is widely used in the
      effective control of barnyard grass in paddy rice fields, improving the world's
      rice yield. The herbicide mode of action of quinclorac has been proposed, and
      hormone interactions affecting quinclorac signaling has been identified. Because
      of widespread use, quinclorac may be transported outside rice fields with the
      drainage waters, leading to soil and water pollution and other environmental
      health problems. In this study, we used 57K Affymetrix rice whole-genome array to
      identify quinclorac signaling response genes to study the molecular mechanisms of
      action and detoxification of quinclorac in rice plants. Overall, 637 probe sets
      were identified with differential expression levels under either 6 or 24 h of
      quinclorac treatment. Auxin-related genes such as GH3 and OsIAAs responded to
      quinclorac treatment. Gene Ontology analysis showed that genes of detoxification
      related family genes were significantly enriched, including cytochrome P450, GST,
      UGT, and ABC and drug transporter genes. Moreover, real-time RT-PCR analysis
      showed that top candidate genes of P450 families such as CYP81, CYP709C, and
      CYP72A were universally induced by different herbicides. Some Arabidopsis genes
      of the same P450 family were up-regulated under quinclorac treatment. We
      conducted rice whole-genome GeneChip analysis and the first global identification
      of quinclorac response genes. This work may provide potential markers for
      detoxification of quinclorac and biomonitors of environmental chemical pollution.

PMID- 26483838
TI  - Some Epidemiological Aspects of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in a New Focus, Central
      Iran.
AB  - Following the epidemic of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Khatam County, Yazd
      Province, this study was carried out to determine vector, and animal reservoir
      host(s) and investigate the human infection during 2005-2006. Four rural
      districts where the disease had higher prevalence were selected. Sticky paper
      traps were used to collect sand flies during April to November, biweekly.
      Meanwhile rodents were captured using Sherman traps from August to November.
      Households and primary schools were visited and examined for human infection in
      February 2006. The parasite was detected by RAPD-PCR method. The rate of ulcers
      and scars among the inhabitants was 4.8% and 9.8%, respectively. Three rodent
      species were captured during the study: Meriones libycus, Rhombomys opimus, and
      Tatera indica. Six sand fly species were also collected and identified; among
      them Phlebotomus papatasi had the highest frequency. Leishmania major was
      detected as the agent of the disease in the area. It was detected from R. opimus
      and native people. 

PMID- 26483839
TI  - Study of the Etiological Causes of Toe Web Space Lesions in Cairo, Egypt.
AB  - Background. The etiology of foot intertrigo is varied. Several pathogens and skin
      conditions might play a role in toe web space lesions. Objective. To identify the
      possible etiological causes of toe web space lesions. Methods. 100 Egyptian
      patients were enrolled in this study (72 females and 28 males). Their ages ranged
      from 18 to 79 years. For every patient, detailed history taking, general and skin
      examinations, and investigations including Wood's light examination, skin
      scraping for potassium hydroxide test, skin swabs for bacterial isolation, and
      skin biopsy all were done. Results. Among the 100 patients, positive Wood's light
      fluorescence was observed in 24 and positive bacterial growth was observed in 85.
      With skin biopsy, 52 patients showed features characteristic for eczema, 25
      showed features characteristic for fungus, 19 showed features characteristic for
      callosity, and 3 showed features characteristic for wart while in only 1 patient
      the features were characteristic for lichen planus. Conclusion. Toe web space
      lesions are caused by different etiological factors. The most common was
      interdigital eczema (52%) followed by fungal infection (25%). We suggest that
      patients who do not respond to antifungals should be reexamined for another
      primary or secondary dermatologic condition that may resemble interdigital fungal
      infection. 

PMID- 26483840
TI  - Corrigendum to "Incidence and Paris Classification of Pediatric Inflammatory
      Bowel Disease".
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2014/904307.]. 

PMID- 26483841
TI  - Regulation of Expression of Oxacillin-Inducible Methionine Sulfoxide Reductases
      in Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - Cell wall-active antibiotics cause induction of a locus that leads to elevated
      synthesis of two methionine sulfoxide reductases (MsrA1 and MsrB) in
      Staphylococcus aureus. To understand the regulation of this locus, reporter
      strains were constructed by integrating a DNA fragment consisting of the
      msrA1/msrB promoter in front of a promoterless lacZ gene in the chromosome of
      wild-type and MsrA1-, MsrB-, MsrA1/MsrB-, and SigB-deficient methicillin
      sensitive S. aureus strain SH1000 and methicillin-resistant S. aureus strain COL.
      These reporter strains were cultured in TSB and the cellular levels of beta
      galactosidase activity in these cultures were assayed during different growth
      phases. beta-galactosidase activity assays demonstrated that the lack of MsrA1,
      MsrB, and SigB upregulated the msrA1/msrB promoter in S. aureus strain SH1000. In
      S. aureus strain COL, the highest level of beta-galactosidase activity was
      observed under the conditions when both MsrA1 and MsrB proteins were absent. The
      data suggest that the msrA1/msrB locus, in part, is negatively regulated by
      MsrA1, MsrB, and SigB in S. aureus. 

PMID- 26483842
TI  - Improvement in Long-Term Memory following Chronic Administration of Eryngium
      planum Root Extract in Scopolamine Model: Behavioral and Molecular Study.
AB  - Eryngium planum L. (EP) is as a rare medicinal plant with a lot of potentials as
      pharmaceutical crops. The aim of our study was to assess the effect of subchronic
      (28-fold) administration of a 70% ethanol extract of EP roots (200 mg/kg, p.o.)
      on behavioral and cognitive responses in Wistar rats linked with
      acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), and beta-secretase
      (BACE-1) mRNA levels and AChE and BuChE activities in the hippocampus and frontal
      cortex. On the last day of experiment, 30 min after the last dose of EP or
      Huperzine A (HU), scopolamine (SC) was given at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg b.w.
      intraperitoneally. The results of a passive avoidance test showed an improvement
      in long-term memory produced by the EP extract in both scopolamine-induced rats
      and control group. EP caused an insignificant inhibition of AChE and BuChE
      activities in the frontal cortex and the hippocampus. EP decreased mRNA AChE,
      BuChE, and BACE-1 levels, especially in the cortex. Our results suggest that the
      EP extract led to the improvement of the long-term memory in rats coupled with
      total saponin content. The mechanism of EP action is probably complicated, since
      HPLC-MS analysis showed 64 chemical compounds (phenolics, saponins) in the
      extract of EP roots. 

PMID- 26483843
TI  - Antiplatelet Aggregation and Antithrombosis Efficiency of Peptides in the Snake
      Venom of Deinagkistrodon acutus: Isolation, Identification, and Evaluation.
AB  - Two peptides of Pt-A (Glu-Asn-Trp 429 Da) and Pt-B (Glu-Gln-Trp 443 Da) were
      isolated from venom liquor of Deinagkistrodon acutus. Their antiplatelet
      aggregation effects were evaluated with platelet-rich human plasma in vitro; the
      respective IC50 of Pt-A and Pt-B was 66 MUM and 203 MUM. Both peptides exhibited
      protection effects on ADP-induced paralysis in mice. After ADP administration,
      the paralysis time of different concentration of Pt-A and Pt-B lasted as the
      following: 80 mg/kg Pt-B (152.8 +/- 57.8 s) < 40 mg/kg Pt-A (163.5 +/- 59.8 s) <
      20 mg/kg Pt-A (253.5 +/- 74.5 s) < 4 mg/kg clopidogrel (a positive control, 254.5
      +/- 41.97 s) < 40 mg/kg Pt-B (400.8 +/- 35.9 s) < 10 mg/kg Pt-A (422.8 +/- 55.4
      s), all of which were statistically shorter than the saline treatment (666 +/- 28
      s). Pulmonary tissue biopsy confirmed that Pt-A and Pt-B prevented the formation
      of thrombi in the lung. Unlike ADP injection alone, which caused significant
      reduction of peripheral platelet count, Pt-A treatment prevented the drop of
      peripheral platelet counts; interestingly, Pt-B could not, even though the same
      amount of Pt-B also showed protection effects on ADP-induced paralysis and
      thrombosis. More importantly, intravenous injection of Pt-A and Pt-B did not
      significantly increase the hemorrhage risks as clopidogrel. 

PMID- 26483844
TI  - Curcuma aromatica Water Extract Attenuates Ethanol-Induced Gastritis via
      Enhancement of Antioxidant Status.
AB  - Curcuma aromatica is an herbal medicine and traditionally used for the treatment
      of various diseases in Asia. We investigated the effects of C. aromatica water
      extract (CAW) in the stomach of rats with ethanol-induced gastritis. Gastritis
      was induced in rats by intragastric administration of 5 mL/kg body weight of
      absolute ethanol. The CAW groups were given 250 or 500 mg of extract/kg 2 h
      before administration of ethanol, respectively. To determine the antioxidant
      effects of CAW, we determined the level of lipid peroxidation, the level of
      reduced glutathione (GSH), the activities of catalase, degree of inflammation,
      and mucus production in the stomach. CAW reduced ethanol-induced inflammation and
      loss of epithelial cells and increased the mucus production in the stomach. CAW
      reduced the increase in lipid peroxidation associated with ethanol-induced
      gastritis (250 and 500 mg/kg, p < 0.01, resp.) and increased mucosal GSH content
      (500 mg/kg, p < 0.01) and the activity of catalase (250 and 500 mg/kg, p < 0.01,
      resp.). CAW increased the production of prostaglandin E2. These findings suggest
      that CAW protects against ethanol-induced gastric mucosa injury by increasing
      antioxidant status. We suggest that CAW could be developed for the treatment of
      gastritis induced by alcohol. 

PMID- 26483845
TI  - Qualitative Evaluation of Baduanjin (Traditional Chinese Qigong) on Health
      Promotion among an Elderly Community Population at Risk for Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - Background. Baduanjin is a traditional Chinese qigong that has been practiced for
      a long time in China as a mind-body exercise in community elderly populations.
      The objective of this study was to qualitatively evaluate the perceived benefit
      of regular Baduanjin qigong in community elders. Methods. A total of 20
      participants who had completed the 12-week Baduanjin qigong training were
      interviewed regarding their perceived effect on physical and psychological health
      and whether Baduanjin qigong was suitable for the elderly. Results. Almost all
      participants agreed that Baduanjin qigong could promote their multisystem or
      organ functions (e.g., digestive and circulatory systems), increase their
      immunity, make their bodies relax, and improve their mood and confidence. Most of
      the participants also agreed that Baduanjin qigong was appropriate for elderly
      individuals. Few individuals felt bored because of an hour Baduanjin training
      each day. Conclusions. The findings suggest that regular Baduanjin qigong may be
      potentially helpful to promote the overall physical and psychological health of
      elderly community populations and may be useful and feasible as a body-mind
      exercise in the health promotion in the elderly community populations. 

PMID- 26483846
TI  - Traditional Korean Herbal Formula Samsoeum Attenuates Adipogenesis by Regulating
      the Phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in 3T3-L1 Cells.
AB  - Adipogenesis is the cell differentiation process from preadipocytes into
      adipocytes and the critical action in the development of obesity. In the present
      study, we conducted in vitro analyses to investigate the inhibitory effects of
      Samsoeum (SSE), a traditional herbal decoction. SSE had no significant cytotoxic
      effect against either the undifferentiated or differentiated 3T3-L1 cells. Oil
      Red O staining results showed that SSE significantly inhibited fat accumulation
      in adipocytes. SSE treatment consistently reduced the intracellular triglyceride
      content in the cells. SSE significantly inactivated glycerol-3-phosphate
      dehydrogenase (GPDH), a major link between carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms in
      3T3-L1 adipocytes, and markedly inhibited the production of leptin, an important
      adipokine, in differentiated cells. SSE markedly suppressed the mRNA expression
      of the adipogenesis-related genes peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor
      gamma (PPAR-gamma), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-alpha (C/EBP-alpha), fatty
      acid synthase (FAS), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), and fatty acid binding protein 4
      (FABP4). Importantly, SSE increased the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, but not p38
      MAPK and JNK, in adipose cells. Overall, our results indicate that SSE exerts
      antiadipogenic activity and modulates expressions of adipogenesis-related genes
      and ERK1/2 activation in adipocytes. 

PMID- 26483847
TI  - Chinese Herbal Bath Therapy for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: Meta
      Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - Objective. Chinese herbal bath therapy (CHBT) has traditionally been considered
      to have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. We conducted the first meta
      analysis evaluating its benefits for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).
      Methods. We searched three English and four Chinese databases through October,
      2014. Randomized trials evaluating at least 2 weeks of CHBT for knee OA were
      selected. The effects of CHBT on clinical symptoms included both pain level (via
      the visual analog scale) and total effectiveness rate, which assessed pain,
      physical performance, and wellness. We performed random-effects meta-analyses
      using mean difference. Results. Fifteen studies totaling 1618 subjects met
      eligibility criteria. Bath prescription included, on average, 13 Chinese herbs
      with directions to steam and wash around the knee for 20-40 minutes once or twice
      daily. Mean treatment duration was 3 weeks. Results from meta-analysis showed
      superior pain improvement (mean difference = -0.59 points; 95% confidence
      intervals [CI], -0.83 to -0.36; p < 0.00001) and higher total effectiveness rate
      (risk ratio = 1.21; 95% CI, 1.15 to 1.28; p < 0.00001) when compared with
      standard western treatment. No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion.
      Chinese herbal bath therapy may be a safe, effective, and simple alternative
      treatment modality for knee OA. Further rigorously designed, randomized trials
      are warranted. 

PMID- 26483848
TI  - Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) T-antigen seroreactivity, MCV DNA in eyebrow
      hairs, and squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) infection in the etiology
      of non-melanoma skin cancers, other than Merkel cell carcinoma, is unclear.
      Previously, we reported a significant association between seropositivity to MCV
      capsid antigen and MCV DNA-positive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Here
      we present associations between SCC and seroreactivity to MCV T-antigen (T-Ag)
      oncoprotein, as well as MCV DNA detected in eyebrow hairs. FINDINGS: A clinic
      based case-control study, including 171 SCC cases and 300 controls without skin
      cancer, was conducted at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. Multiplex
      assays were used to measure serum antibodies against MCV small and large T-Ag and
      MCV DNA in both eyebrow hairs and SCC tumors (n = 144). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95
      % confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression to evaluate
      the associations between MCV and SCC. No significant association was observed
      between seroreactivity to MCV full-length large or small T-Ag and SCC, overall
      [ORlarge T-Ag = 0.99 (0.48-2.08), ORsmall T-Ag = 0.31 (0.06-1.62)] or when
      comparing tumor MCV DNA-positive cases to controls [ORlarge T-Ag = 1.06 (0.38
      2.93)]. Only presence of MCV DNA in eyebrow hairs was significantly associated
      with MCV DNA-positive SCC [OR = 4.05 (2.01-8.18)]. CONCLUSION: MCV infection is
      unlikely to play a direct role in SCC.

PMID- 26483849
TI  - Survey of small intestinal and systemic immune responses following murine
      Arcobacter butzleri infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arcobacter (A.) butzleri has been described as causative agent for
      sporadic cases of human gastroenteritis with abdominal pain and acute or
      prolonged watery diarrhea. In vitro studies revealed distinct adhesive, invasive
      and cytotoxic properties of A. butzleri. Information about the underlying
      immunopathological mechanisms of infection in vivo, however, are scarce. The aim
      of this study was to investigate the immunopathological properties of two
      different A. butzleri strains in a well-established murine infection model.
      RESULTS: Gnotobiotic IL-10(-/-) mice, in which the intestinal microbiota was
      depleted by broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment, were perorally infected with two
      different A. butzleri strains isolated from a diseased patient (CCUG 30485) or
      fresh chicken meat (C1), respectively. Eventhough bacteria of either strain could
      stably colonize the intestinal tract at day 6 and day 16 postinfection (p.i.),
      mice did not exert infection induced symptoms such as diarrhea or wasting. In
      small intestines of infected mice, however, increased numbers of apoptotic cells
      could be detected at day 16, but not day 6 following infection with either
      strain. A strain-dependent influx of distinct immune cell populations such as T
      and B cells as well as of regulatory T cells could be observed upon A. butzleri
      infection which was accompanied by increased small intestinal concentrations of
      pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF, IFN-gamma, MCP-1 and IL-6. Remarkably,
      inflammatory responses following A. butzleri infection were not restricted to the
      intestinal tract, given that the CCUG 30485 strain induced systemic immune
      responses as indicated by increased IFN-gamma concentrations in spleens at day 6,
      but not day 16 following infection. CONCLUSION: Upon peroral infection A.
      butzleri stably colonized the intestinal tract of gnotobiotic IL-10(-/-) mice.
      The dynamics of distinct local and systemic inflammatory responses could be
      observed in a strain-dependent fashion pointing towards an immunopathogenic
      potential of A. butzleri in vivo. These results indicate that gnotobiotic IL-10(
      /-) mice are well suited to further investigate the molecular mechanisms
      underlying arcobacteriosis in vivo.

PMID- 26483850
TI  - 8th meeting of the medical assessment consortium UCAN: "Collaborative
      Perspectives for Competency-based and Quality-assured Medical Assessment".

PMID- 26483851
TI  - Influence of a revision course and the gender of examiners on the grades of the
      final ENT exam--a retrospective review of 3961 exams.
AB  - Revision courses should repeat already acquired knowledge and skills and mostly
      provide a basis for passing the following exam. AIM: The aim of the study is to
      investigate the influence of a previously attended revision course on the grades
      achieved in a final exam (Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases). Additionally we ask the
      question whether the gender of the examiners plays a role concerning the marks or
      not. METHODS: 3961 exams at the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Diseases
      in Vienna were investigated, 725 with revision course (experimental group) and
      3236 without previous revision course (comparison group). The revision courses
      were performed in a standardized way concerning form and content, interactive and
      case based. Both groups were examined uniform in regard to topics and time
      duration. 16 male and 6 female examiners were involved. The grading followed a
      five-level scale. The examination marks were calculated in the arithmetic mean
      and median value for the entire sample, gender dependence was calculated
      according to the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney-Test. The inferential statistics included
      single- and multiple factorial analyses of variance as well as uni- and
      multivariate regression models. RESULTS: The experimental group achieved a grade
      average of 2.54 compared with 2.46 for the comparison group. Splitting up into
      male and female examiners, an average of 2.54 and 2.58 resp. for the experimental
      group and 2.44 and 2.61 resp. for the comparison group resulted. Female examiner
      marked significantly lower grades in comparison to their male colleagues (P=
      0.001926). CONCLUSIONS: The ENT revision course did not improve the grade
      averages of the final ENT exam. Female examiners grade stricter than male
      examiners. There was no difference concerning grades 4 (pass) and 5 (fail) but
      female examiners grade less with mark 1.

PMID- 26483852
TI  - The Final Oral/Practical State Examination at Freiburg Medical Faculty in 2012-
      Analysis of grading to test quality assurance.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study is to analyze the grades given for the oral/practical
      part of the German State Examination at the Medical Faculty of Freiburg. We
      examined whether or not the grades given for the written and the oral/practical
      examinations correlated and if differences in grading between the Freiburg
      University Medical Center (UMC) and the other teaching hospitals could be found.
      In order to improve the quality of the state examination, the medical school has
      been offering standardized training for examiners for several years. We evaluated
      whether or not trained and untrained examiners differed in their grading of the
      exam and how these differences have changed over time. METHODS: The results of
      the 2012 spring and fall exams were analyzed (N=315). The relevant data set was
      made available to us by the Baden-Wurttemberg Examination Office
      (Landesprufungsamt). The data were analyzed by means of descriptive and
      inferential statistics. RESULTS: We observed a correlation of rho=0.460** between
      the grades for the written and the oral/practical exams. The UMC and the teaching
      hospitals did not differ significantly in their grade distributions. Compared to
      untrained examiners, trained ones assigned the grade of "very good" less often.
      Furthermore, they displayed a significantly higher variance in the grades given
      (p=0.007, phi=0.165). This effect is stronger when concentrating specifically on
      those examiners who took part in the training less than a year before.
      CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the standardized training for
      examiners at the Medical Faculty of Freiburg is effective for quality assurance.
      As a consequence, more examiners should be motivated to take part in the
      training.

PMID- 26483853
TI  - The new final Clinical Skills examination in human medicine in Switzerland:
      Essential steps of exam development, implementation and evaluation, and central
      insights from the perspective of the national Working Group.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Since 2011, the new national final examination in human medicine has
      been implemented in Switzerland, with a structured clinical-practical part in the
      OSCE format. From the perspective of the national Working Group, the current
      article describes the essential steps in the development, implementation and
      evaluation of the Federal Licensing Examination Clinical Skills (FLE CS) as well
      as the applied quality assurance measures. Finally, central insights gained from
      the last years are presented. METHODS: Based on the principles of action
      research, the FLE CS is in a constant state of further development. On the
      foundation of systematically documented experiences from previous years, in the
      Working Group, unresolved questions are discussed and resulting solution
      approaches are substantiated (planning), implemented in the examination
      (implementation) and subsequently evaluated (reflection). The presented results
      are the product of this iterative procedure. RESULTS: The FLE CS is created by
      experts from all faculties and subject areas in a multistage process. The
      examination is administered in German and French on a decentralised basis and
      consists of twelve interdisciplinary stations per candidate. As important quality
      assurance measures, the national Review Board (content validation) and the
      meetings of the standardised patient trainers (standardisation) have proven
      worthwhile. The statistical analyses show good measurement reliability and
      support the construct validity of the examination. Among the central insights of
      the past years, it has been established that the consistent implementation of the
      principles of action research contributes to the successful further development
      of the examination. CONCLUSION: The centrally coordinated, collaborative
      iterative process, incorporating experts from all faculties, makes a fundamental
      contribution to the quality of the FLE CS. The processes and insights presented
      here can be useful for others planning a similar undertaking.

PMID- 26483854
TI  - Electronic acquisition of OSCE performance using tablets.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) often involve a
      considerable amount of resources in terms of materials and organization since the
      scores are often recorded on paper. Computer-assisted administration is an
      alternative with which the need for material resources can be reduced. In
      particular, the use of tablets seems sensible because these are easy to transport
      and flexible to use. AIM: User acceptance concerning the use of tablets during
      OSCEs has not yet been extensively investigated. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate tablet-based OSCEs from the perspective of the user (examiner) and the
      student examinee. METHOD: For two OSCEs in Internal Medicine at the University of
      Heidelberg, user acceptance was analyzed regarding tablet-based administration
      (satisfaction with functionality) and the subjective amount of effort as
      perceived by the examiners. Standardized questionnaires and semi-standardized
      interviews were conducted (complete survey of all participating examiners). In
      addition, for one OSCE, the subjective evaluation of this mode of assessment was
      gathered from a random sample of participating students in semi-standardized
      interviews. RESULTS: Overall, the examiners were very satisfied with using
      tablets during the assessment. The subjective amount of effort to use the tablet
      was found on average to be "hardly difficult". The examiners identified the
      advantages of this mode of administration as being in particular the ease of use
      and low rate of error. During the interviews of the examinees, acceptance for the
      use of tablets during the assessment was also detected. DISCUSSION: Overall, it
      was found that the use of tablets during OSCEs was well accepted by both
      examiners and examinees. We expect that this mode of assessment also offers
      advantages regarding assessment documentation, use of resources, and rate of
      error in comparison with paper-based assessments; all of these aspects should be
      followed up on in further studies.

PMID- 26483855
TI  - The reliability of the pass/fail decision for assessments comprised of multiple
      components.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The decision having the most serious consequences for a student taking
      an assessment is the one to pass or fail that student. For this reason, the
      reliability of the pass/fail decision must be determined for high quality
      assessments, just as the measurement reliability of the point values. Assessments
      in a particular subject (graded course credit) are often composed of multiple
      components that must be passed independently of each other. When "conjunctively"
      combining separate pass/fail decisions, as with other complex decision rules for
      passing, adequate methods of analysis are necessary for estimating the accuracy
      and consistency of these classifications. To date, very few papers have addressed
      this issue; a generally applicable procedure was published by Douglas and Mislevy
      in 2010. Using the example of an assessment comprised of several parts that must
      be passed separately, this study analyzes the reliability underlying the decision
      to pass or fail students and discusses the impact of an improved method for
      identifying those who do not fulfill the minimum requirements. METHOD: The
      accuracy and consistency of the decision to pass or fail an examinee in the
      subject cluster Internal Medicine/General Medicine/Clinical Chemistry at the
      University of Heidelberg's Faculty of Medicine was investigated. This cluster
      requires students to separately pass three components (two written exams and an
      OSCE), whereby students may reattempt to pass each component twice. Our analysis
      was carried out using the method described by Douglas and Mislevy. RESULTS:
      Frequently, when complex logical connections exist between the individual
      pass/fail decisions in the case of low failure rates, only a very low reliability
      for the overall decision to grant graded course credit can be achieved, even if
      high reliabilities exist for the various components. For the example analyzed
      here, the classification accuracy and consistency when conjunctively combining
      the three individual parts is relatively low with kappa=0.49 or kappa=0.47,
      despite the good reliability of over 0.75 for each of the three components. The
      option to repeat each component twice leads to a situation in which only about
      half of the candidates who do not satisfy the minimum requirements would fail the
      overall assessment, while the other half is able to continue their studies
      despite having deficient knowledge and skills. CONCLUSION: The method put forth
      by Douglas and Mislevy allows the analysis of the decision accuracy and
      consistency for complex combinations of scores from different components. Even in
      the case of highly reliable components, it is not necessarily so that a reliable
      pass/fail decision has been reached - for instance in the case of low failure
      rates. Assessments must be administered with the explicit goal of identifying
      examinees that do not fulfill the minimum requirements.

PMID- 26483856
TI  - Overcome the 60% passing score and improve the quality of assessment.
AB  - It is not unusual for institutions around the world to have fixed standards
      (e.g., 60%) for all of their examinations. This creates problems in the creation
      of examinations, since all of the content has to be chosen with an eye toward
      this fixed standard. As a result, the validity of the decisions based on these
      examinations can be adversely influenced, making them less useful for their
      intended purposes. Over the past several decades, many institutions have
      addressed this problem by using standard setting methods which are defensible,
      acceptable, and credible [1], [2]. Many methods are available and the major
      reasons to use them is to ensure that test content is appropriately selected and
      to be as fair to the students and other test users as possible [2], [3]. One
      barrier to the wider use of these methods is that some institutions object to the
      fact that the fixed standard (e.g., 60%) has not been applied. However, it is
      possible to rescale the passing score so that it is equal to the fixed standard,
      and then apply that same rescaling calculation to all of the test scores. This
      ensures that the institutional guidelines are not violated and allows the
      application of accepted methods of standard-setting. In turn, the application of
      these methods allow the content of the test to be selected without regard to a
      fixed standard, increases the validity of the decisions being made, and ensures a
      fairer and more accurate test of students. 

PMID- 26483857
TI  - Impact of the Medical Faculty on Study Success in Freiburg: Results from Graduate
      Surveys.
AB  - AIM: Using the data from graduate surveys, this study aims to analyze which
      factors related to teaching and learning at the Freiburg Faculty of Medicine can
      influence study success. BACKGROUND: Study success and the factors influencing it
      have long been the subject of investigation, with study success being measured in
      terms of easily quantifiable indicators (final grades, student satisfaction,
      etc.). In recent years, it has also frequently been assessed in terms of graduate
      competency levels. Graduate surveys are considered suitable instruments for
      measuring these dimensions of study success. METHOD: Data from three Freiburg
      graduate surveys conducted one and a half years after graduation were drawn upon
      for the analysis. Study success was operationalized using four indicators:
      results on the written section of the M2 exam, self-assessment of medical
      expertise and scientific expertise, and student satisfaction. Using multiple
      regression analyses, the predictive power was calculated for selected variables,
      also measured by the graduate surveys, for the different study success
      indicators. RESULTS: It was possible to identify models that contribute slightly
      or moderately to the prediction of study success. The score earned on the
      university entrance qualification demonstrated itself to be the strongest
      predictor for forecasting the M2 written exam: R(2) is between 0.08 and 0.22 for
      the three surveys. Different variables specific to degree program structure and
      teaching are helpful for predicting medical expertise (R(2)=0.04-0.32) and
      student satisfaction (R(2)=0.12-0.35). The two variables, structure and
      curricular sequencing of the degree program and combination of theory and
      practice, show themselves to be significant, sample-invariant predictors (beta
      weight(Structure)=0.21-0.58, beta-weight(Combination)=0.27-0.56). For scientific
      expertise, no sample-independent predictors could be determined. CONCLUSION:
      Factors describing teaching hardly provide any assistance when predicting the
      written M2 exam score, which makes sense to the extent that teaching goes far
      beyond the heavily knowledge-based content of the written M2 exam. The lack of
      predictability for scientific expertise is most likely explained in that these
      have been only rarely included in the curriculum and often inexplicitly so. The
      variable combination of theory and practice appears to be significant for
      imparting medical expertise and the development of student satisfaction. The
      extent to which these relationships are practically relevant needs to be explored
      in further studies. A specific limitation is that the measurement of expertise
      and skill is based solely on self-assessments.

PMID- 26483858
TI  - DOPS (Direct Observation of Procedural Skills) in undergraduate skills-lab: Does
      it work? Analysis of skills-performance and curricular side effects.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Sufficient teaching and assessing clinical skills in the undergraduate
      setting becomes more and more important. In a surgical skills-lab course at the
      Medical University of Innsbruck fourth year students were teached with DOPS
      (direct observation of procedural skills). We analyzed whether DOPS worked or not
      in this setting, which performance levels could be reached compared to tutor
      teaching (one tutor, 5 students) and which curricular side effects could be
      observed. METHODS: In a prospective randomized trial in summer 2013 (April -
      June) four competence-level-based skills were teached in small groups during one
      week: surgical abdominal examination, urethral catheterization (phantom), rectal
      digital examination (phantom), handling of central venous catheters. Group A was
      teached with DOPS, group B with a classical tutor system. Both groups underwent
      an OSCE (objective structured clinical examination) for assessment. 193 students
      were included in the study. Altogether 756 OSCE's were carried out, 209 (27,6%)
      in the DOPS- and 547 (72,3%) in the tutor-group. RESULTS: Both groups reached
      high performance levels. In the first month there was a statistically significant
      difference (p<0,05) in performance of 95% positive OSCE items in the DOPS-group
      versus 88% in the tutor group. In the following months the performance rates
      showed no difference anymore and came to 90% in both groups. In practical skills
      the analysis revealed a high correspondence between positive DOPS (92,4%) and
      OSCE (90,8%) results. DISCUSSION: As shown by our data DOPS furnish high
      performance of clinical skills and work well in the undergraduate setting. Due to
      the high correspondence of DOPS and OSCE results DOPS should be considered as
      preferred assessment tool in a students skills-lab. The approximation of
      performance-rates within the months after initial superiority of DOPS could be
      explained by an interaction between DOPS and tutor system: DOPS elements seem to
      have improved tutoring and performance rates as well. DOPS in students 'skills
      lab afford structured feedback and assessment without increased personnel and
      financial resources compared to classic small group training. CONCLUSION: In
      summary, this study shows that DOPS represent an efficient method in teaching
      clinical skills. Their effects on didactic culture reach beyond the positive
      influence of performance rates.

PMID- 26483860
TI  - On the journey to competency-based assessment for safe patient care.

PMID- 26483859
TI  - Development of a competency-based formative progress test with student-generated
      MCQs: Results from a multi-centre pilot study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Progress tests provide students feedback on their level of
      proficiency over the course of their medical studies. Peer-assisted learning and
      competency-based education have become increasingly important in medical
      education. Although progress tests have been proven to be useful as a
      longitudinal feedback instrument, there are currently no progress tests that have
      been created in cooperation with students or that focus on competency in medical
      education. In this study, we investigated the extent to which students can be
      included in the development of a progress test and demonstrated that aspects of
      knowledge related to competency can be represented on a competency-based progress
      test. METHODS: A two-dimensional blueprint for 144 multiple-choice questions
      (MCQs) covering groups of medical subjects and groups of competency areas was
      generated by three expert groups for developing the competency-based progress
      test. A total of 31 students from seven medical schools in Germany actively
      participated in this exercise. After completing an intensive and comprehensive
      training programme, the students generated and reviewed the test questions for
      the competency-based progress test using a separate platform of the
      ItemManagementSystem (IMS). This test was administered as a formative test to 469
      students in a pilot study in November 2013 at eight medical schools in Germany.
      The scores were analysed for the overall test and differentiated according to the
      subject groups and competency areas. RESULTS: A pool of more than 200 MCQs was
      compiled by the students for pilot use, of which 118 student-generated MCQs were
      used in the progress test. University instructors supplemented this pool with 26
      MCQs, which primarily addressed the area of scientific skills. The post-review
      showed that student-generated MCQs were of high quality with regard to test
      statistic criteria and content. Overall, the progress test displayed a very high
      reliability. When the academic years were compared, the progress test mapped out
      over the course of study not only by the overall test but also in terms of the
      subject groups and competency areas. OUTLOOK: Further development in cooperation
      with students will be continued. Focus will be on compiling additional questions
      and test formats that can represent competency at a higher skill level, such as
      key feature questions, situational judgement test questions and OSCE. In
      addition, the feedback formats will be successively expanded. The intention is
      also to offer the formative competency-based progress test online.

PMID- 26483861
TI  - A Comparison of Postoperative Outcomes in Immediate Versus Delayed Reconstruction
      After Mastectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of various
      postoperative complications in patients undergoing either immediate or delayed
      breast reconstruction after mastectomy for malignancy. METHODS: The ACS-NSQIP
      2005-2012 database was queried for patients who underwent mastectomy for the
      treatment of breast malignancy. These mastectomy cases were then stratified,
      generating "mastectomy alone" and "mastectomy with immediate reconstruction"
      cohorts. Database analysis also identified "delayed-reconstruction" oncologic
      patients. All patients undergoing reconstruction were then stratified into the
      tissue expander/implant or flap-based reconstruction group. The frequency of
      postoperative complications was assessed. A multiplicative risk model was used to
      calculate the probability of postoperative complications after undergoing a
      mastectomy alone, followed by reconstruction on a different date. These values
      were compared with the frequency of postoperative complications in the
      "mastectomy with immediate reconstruction" cohort, and 1-sample binomial tests
      were performed to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: A total of 49,450
      cases that underwent either mastectomy alone (n = 30,226), mastectomy with
      immediately tissue expander/implant reconstruction (n = 13,513), mastectomy with
      immediate flap reconstruction (n = 2854), delayed tissue expander/implant
      reconstruction (n = 2047), or delayed flap reconstruction (n = 810) were
      identified. When compared with a delayed reconstructive model, immediate
      reconstruction after mastectomy was associated with increased flap or tissue
      expander/implant failure. However, delayed reconstructive modalities were
      associated with increased postoperative medical and surgical complications.
      Finally, in flap-based reconstruction, the incidence of return to the operating
      room was higher in delayed reconstruction than in immediate reconstruction.
      CONCLUSIONS: Awareness of complications associated with each reconstructive
      modality will allow both surgeons and patients to effectively decide upon
      reconstructive options.

PMID- 26483862
TI  - M-plasty for Full-Thickness Skin Graft Donor Site.

PMID- 26483863
TI  - Comment on "New Antioxidant Drugs for Neonatal Brain Injury".

PMID- 26483864
TI  - Antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B: Combination of nucleoside analogs and
      interferon.
AB  - The ideal goal of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) treatment should be suppression of
      emergence of hepatocellular carcinoma through the disappearance of hepatitis B s
      antigen (HBsAg) rather than the control of serum hepatitis B virus-DNA level. For
      this purpose, various types of combination therapies using nucleoside analogs
      (NAs) and interferon (IFN) have been conducted. The therapeutic effects of
      combination of two different kinds of agents are better than those of the
      monotherapy using NAs or IFN alone, probably because different pharmaceutical
      properties might act in a coordinated manner. Recently, combination therapies
      with NAs and IFN and sequential therapies with NAs administration followed by IFN
      therapy have been routinely employed. We previously reported that combination
      therapy using entecavir (ETV) and pegylated (PEG)-IFN showed antiviral effects in
      71% of CHB patients; the effect of this combination was better than that using
      lamivudine (LAM) and PEG-IFN. This is partially explained by the better antiviral
      effects of ETV than those of LAM. In our analysis, the cohort of CHB consisted of
      the patients who showed a flare-up of hepatitis before antiviral therapy, and
      their baseline HBsAg levels were relatively low. Therefore, in addition to the
      combination of the agents, the appropriate selection of patients is critical to
      achieve a good viral response. 

PMID- 26483865
TI  - Transoesophageal echocardiography during liver transplantation.
AB  - Liver transplantation (LT) has become the standard of care for patients with end
      stage liver disease. The allocation of organs, which prioritizes the sickest
      patients, has made the management of liver transplant candidates more complex
      both as regards their comorbidities and their higher risk of perioperative
      complications. Patients undergoing LT frequently display considerable
      physiological changes during the procedures as a result of both the disease
      process and the surgery. Transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE), which
      visualizes dynamic cardiac function and overall contractility, has become
      essential for perioperative LT management and can optimize the anaesthetic
      management of these highly complex patients. Moreover, TEE can provide useful
      information on volume status and the adequacy of therapeutic interventions and
      can diagnose early intraoperative complications, such as the embolization of
      large vessels or development of pulmonary hypertension. In this review, directed
      at clinicians who manage TEE during LT, we show why the procedure merits a place
      in challenging anaesthetic environment and how it can provide essential
      information in the perioperative management of compromised patients undergoing
      this very complex surgical procedure. 

PMID- 26483866
TI  - Programmed death-1/programmed death-L1 signaling pathway and its blockade in
      hepatitis C virus immunotherapy.
AB  - Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a public health issue that often
      progresses to life-threatening complications, including liver cirrhosis,
      fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Impaired immune responses to HCV are key
      features of chronic HCV infection. Therefore, intervention strategies usually
      involve enhancing the immune responses against HCV. Cytotoxic CD8(+) T
      lymphocytes (CTLs) play a critical role in the control of HCV infection. However,
      their cytolytic function can be impaired by the expression of co-inhibitory
      molecules. Programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor and its ligand PD-L1 function in a
      T cell co-inhibitory pathway, which either blocks the function of CTLs or the
      differentiation of CD8(+) T cells. During chronic HCV infection, the immune
      inhibitory receptor PD-1 is upregulated on dysfunctional HCV-specific CD8(+) T
      cells. As such, blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in these CD8(+) T cells might
      restore their functional capabilities. Indeed, clinical trials using therapies to
      block this pathway have shown promise in the fostering of anti-HCV immunity.
      Understanding how chronic HCV infection induces upregulation of PD-1 on HCV
      specific T cells and how the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction develops HCV specific T cell
      dysfunction will accelerate the development of an efficacious prophylactic and
      therapeutic vaccination against chronic HCV infections, which will significantly
      improve HCV treatments and patient survival. In this review, we discuss the
      relationship between PD-1 expression and clinical responses and the potential use
      of PD-1 blockade for anti-HCV therapy. 

PMID- 26483868
TI  - Training vs practice: A tale of opposition in acute cholecystitis.
AB  - Acute cholecystitis is one of the most common surgical diagnoses encountered by
      general surgeons. Despite its high incidence there remains a range of treatment
      of approaches. Current practices in biliary surgery vary as to timing,
      intraoperative utilization of biliary imaging, and management of bile duct stones
      despite growing evidence in the literature defining best practice. Management of
      patients with acute cholecystitis with early laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC)
      results in better patient outcomes when compared with delayed surgical management
      techniques including antibiotic therapy or percutaneous cholecystostomy.
      Regardless of this data, many surgeons still prefer to utilize antibiotic therapy
      and complete an interval LC to manage acute cholecystitis. The use of
      intraoperative biliary imaging by cholangiogram or laparoscopic ultrasound has
      been demonstrated to facilitate the safe completion of cholecystectomy,
      minimizing the risk for inadvertent injury to surrounding structures, and
      lowering conversion rates, however it is rarely utilized. Choledocholithiasis
      used to be a diagnosis managed exclusively by surgeons but current practice
      favors referral to gastroenterologists for performance of preoperative endoscopic
      removal. Yet, there is evidence that intraoperative laparoscopic stone extraction
      is safe, feasible and may have added advantages. This review aims to highlight
      the differences between existing management of acute cholecystitis and evidence
      supported in the literature regarding best practice with the goal to change
      surgical practice to adopt these current recommendations. 

PMID- 26483867
TI  - Contribution of the toxic advanced glycation end-products-receptor axis in
      nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-related hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide.
      The main etiologies of HCC are hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus (HCV), and
      non-hepatitis B/non-hepatitis C HCC (NBNC-HCC) has also been identified as an
      etiological factor. Although the incidence of HCV-related HCC in Japan has
      decreased slightly in recent years, that of NBNC-HCC has increased. The onset
      mechanism of NBNC-HCC, which has various etiologies, remains unclear; however,
      nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a severe form of nonalcoholic fatty liver
      disease, is known to be an important risk factor for NBNC-HCC. Among the
      different advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) formed by the Maillard reaction,
      glyceraldehyde-derived AGEs, the predominant components of toxic AGEs (TAGE),
      have been associated with NASH and NBNC-HCC, including NASH-related HCC.
      Furthermore, the expression of the receptor for AGEs (RAGE) has been correlated
      with the malignant progression of HCC. Therefore, TAGE induce oxidative stress by
      binding with RAGE may, in turn, lead to adverse effects, such as fibrosis and
      malignant transformation, in hepatic stellate cells and tumor cells during NASH
      or NASH-related HCC progression. The aim of this review was to examine the
      contribution of the TAGE-RAGE axis in NASH-related HCC. 

PMID- 26483869
TI  - Role of biomarkers in the prediction and diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - The prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has progressively increased in
      recent years and is now the fifth and the second most common cancer in the World
      and in Egypt, respectively. Much work has focused in the development of assays
      for detecting hepatic carcinogensis before the observance of hepatic focal
      lesions. Particular attention has been directed towards HCC-specific biomarkers
      for use in the early diagnosis of HCC and in the confirmation of radiological
      studies. Although a number of biomarkers have been identified, none have been
      considered reliable indicators of early HCC lesions. This review presents a few
      of the most relevant HCC biomarkers and suggests improvements to the accuracy of
      diagnostic assays through their combined use. Furthermore, we present an
      algorithm for the biomarker-based diagnosis of HCC and highlight its important
      role in the early prediction of HCC. 

PMID- 26483871
TI  - Arterial ischemia in the deportalized liver following associating liver partition
      and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy.
AB  - Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy
      (ALPPS) is a novel 2-stage technique intended to induce rapid growth of the
      future liver remnant (FLR). Initial reports of a 12% mortality rate have sparked
      debate regarding the safety of the procedure. A 64 years old male was planned for
      a right-sided hemi-hepatectomy due to colorectal cancer liver metastases. Intra
      operatively it was decided to convert to an ALPPS due to unexpectedly small
      segments 2-4. Post-operative serum laboratory tests indicated an acute liver
      failure and radiological imaging showed no sign of arterial blood flow to the
      right hemi-liver. A computed tomography examination on post-operative day 3
      revealed that the FLR had increased from 290 to 690 mL in 3 d (138% growth). In
      the following days serum values gradually improved and stage 2 was carried out on
      post-operative day 7. The rest of the hospital stay was uneventful and the
      patient made a full recovery. ALPPS is a fascinating advancement in liver
      surgery. Despite severe post-operative complications, in properly selected cases
      it provides successful outcomes that other modalities of treatment cannot offer. 

PMID- 26483870
TI  - Detection of hepatitis B virus infection: A systematic review.
AB  - AIM: To review published methods for detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV)
      infection. METHODS: A thorough search on Medline database was conducted to find
      original articles describing different methods or techniques of detection of HBV,
      which are published in English in last 10 years. Articles outlining methods of
      detection of mutants or drug resistance were excluded. Full texts and abstracts
      (if full text not available) were reviewed thoroughly. Manual search of
      references of retrieved articles were also done. We extracted data on different
      samples and techniques of detection of HBV, their sensitivity (Sn), specificity
      (Sp) and applicability. RESULTS: A total of 72 studies were reviewed. HBV was
      detected from dried blood/plasma spots, hepatocytes, ovarian tissue, cerumen,
      saliva, parotid tissue, renal tissue, oocytes and embryos, cholangiocarcinoma
      tissue, etc. Sensitivity of dried blood spot for detecting HBV was > 90% in all
      the studies. In case of seronegative patients, HBV DNA or serological markers
      have been detected from hepatocytes or renal tissue in many instances. Enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay and Chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) are most
      commonly used serological tests for detection. CLIA systems are also used for
      quantitation. Molecular techniques are used qualitatively as well as for
      quantitative detection. Among the molecular techniques version 2.0 of the
      CobasAmpliprep/CobasTaqMan assay and Abbott's real time polymerase chain reaction
      kit were found to be most sensitive with a lower detection limit of only 6.25
      IU/mL and 1.48 IU/mL respectively. CONCLUSION: Serological and molecular assays
      are predominant and reliable methods for HBV detection. Automated systems are
      highly sensitive and quantify HBV DNA and serological markers for monitoring.

PMID- 26483872
TI  - Targeted therapies for pancreatic adenocarcinoma: Where do we stand, how far can
      we go?
AB  - Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (usually referred to as pancreatic cancer) is a highly
      lethal and aggressive malignancy with a disease-related mortality almost equaling
      its incidence, and one of the most challenging cancers to treat. The notorious
      resistance of pancreatic cancer not only to conventional cytotoxic therapies but
      also to almost all targeted agents developed to date, continues to puzzle the
      oncological community and represents one of the biggest hurdles to reducing the
      death toll from this ominous disease. This editorial highlights the most
      important recent advances in preclinical and clinical research, with regards to
      targeted therapeutics for pancreatic cancer, outlines current challenges and
      provides an overview of potential future perspectives in this rapidly evolving
      field. 

PMID- 26483873
TI  - Fecal DNA testing for colorectal cancer screening: Molecular targets and
      perspectives.
AB  - The early detection of colorectal cancer with effective screening is essential
      for reduction of cancer-specific mortality. The addition of fecal DNA testing in
      the armamentarium of screening methods already in clinical use launches a new era
      in the noninvasive part of colorectal cancer screening and emanates from a large
      number of previous and ongoing clinical investigations and technological
      advancements. In this review, we discuss the molecular rational and most
      important genetic alterations hallmarking the early colorectal carcinogenesis
      process. Also, representative DNA targets-markers and key aspects of their
      testing at the clinical level in comparison or/and association with other
      screening methods are described. Finally, a critical view of the strengths and
      limitations of fecal DNA tests is provided, along with anticipated barriers and
      suggestions for further exploitation of their use. 

PMID- 26483874
TI  - Role of retinoids in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer.
AB  - Vitamin A and its derivatives, retinoids, have been widely studied for their use
      as cancer chemotherapeutic agents. With respect to colorectal cancer (CRC),
      several critical mutations dysregulate pathways implicated in progression and
      metastasis, resulting in aberrant Wnt/beta-catenin signaling, gain-of-function
      mutations in K-ras and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt, cyclooxygenase-2 over
      expression, reduction of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma
      activation, and loss of p53 function. Dysregulation leads to increased cellular
      proliferation and invasion and decreased cell-cell interaction and
      differentiation. Retinoids affect these pathways by various mechanisms, many
      involving retinoic acid receptors (RAR). RAR bind to all-trans-retinoic acid
      (ATRA) to induce the transcription of genes responsible for cellular
      differentiation. Although most research concerning the chemotherapeutic efficacy
      of retinoids focuses on the ability of ATRA to decrease cancer cell
      proliferation, increase differentiation, or promote apoptosis; as CRC progresses,
      RAR expression is often lost, rendering treatment of CRCs with ATRA ineffective.
      Our laboratory focuses on the ability of dietary vitamin A to decrease CRC cell
      proliferation and invasion via RAR-independent pathways. This review discusses
      our research and others concerning the ability of retinoids to ameliorate the
      defective signaling pathways listed above and decrease tumor cell proliferation
      and invasion through both RAR-dependent and RAR-independent mechanisms. 

PMID- 26483876
TI  - Immune cell interplay in colorectal cancer prognosis.
AB  - The immune response to colorectal cancer has proven to be a reliable measure of
      patient outcome in several studies. However, the complexity of the immune
      response in this disease is not well understood, particularly the interactions
      between tumour-associated cells and cells of the innate and adaptive immune
      system. This review will discuss the relationship between cancer associated
      fibroblasts and macrophages, as well as between macrophages and T cells, and
      demonstrate how each population may support or prevent tumour growth in a
      different immune environment. 

PMID- 26483875
TI  - Treatment of colorectal cancer in the elderly.
AB  - Colorectal cancer has a high incidence, and approximately 60% of colorectal
      cancer patients are older than 70, with this incidence likely increasing in the
      near future. Elderly patients (> 70-75 years of age) are a very heterogeneous
      group, ranging from the very fit to the very frail. Traditionally, these patients
      have often been under-treated and recruited less frequently to clinical trials
      than younger patients, and thus are under-represented in publications about
      cancer treatment. Recent studies suggest that fit elderly patients can be treated
      in the same way as their younger counterparts, but the treatment of frail
      patients with comorbidities is still a matter of controversy. Many factors should
      be taken into account, including fitness for treatment, the wishes of the patient
      and family, and quality of life. This review will focus on the existing evidence
      for surgical, oncologic, and palliative treatment in patients over 70 years old
      with colorectal cancer. Careful patient assessment is necessary in order to
      individualize treatment approach, and this should rely on a multidisciplinary
      process. More well-designed controlled trials are needed in this patient
      population. 

PMID- 26483877
TI  - Relationship between intestinal microbiota and colorectal cancer.
AB  - The human gastrointestinal tract hosts a complex and vast microbial community
      with up to 10(11)-10(12) microorganisms colonizing the colon. The gut microbiota
      has a serious effect on homeostasis and pathogenesis through a number of
      mechanisms. In recent years, the relationship between the intestinal microbiota
      and sporadic colorectal cancer has attracted much scientific interest. Mechanisms
      underlying colonic carcinogenesis include the conversion of procarcinogenic diet
      related factors to carcinogens and the stimulation of procarcinogenic signaling
      pathways in luminal epithelial cells. Understanding each of these mechanisms will
      facilitate future studies, leading to the development of novel strategies for the
      diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of colorectal cancer. In this review, we
      discuss the relationship between colorectal cancer and the intestinal microbiota.

PMID- 26483878
TI  - Management of borderline resectable pancreatic cancer.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the United
      States. Surgery remains the only curative option; however only 20% of the
      patients have resectable disease at the time of initial presentation. The
      definition of borderline resectable pancreatic cancer is not uniform but
      generally denotes to regional vessel involvement that makes it unlikely to have
      negative surgical margins. The accurate staging of pancreatic cancer requires
      triple phase computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging of the pancreas.
      Management of patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer remains
      unclear. The data for treatment of these patients is primarily derived from
      retrospective single institution experience. The prospective trials have been
      plagued by small numbers and poor accrual. Neoadjuvant therapy is recommended and
      typically consists of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The chemotherapeutic
      regimens continue to evolve along with type and dose of radiation therapy.
      Gemcitabine or 5-fluorouracil based chemotherapeutic combinations are
      administered. The type and dose of radiation vary among different institutions.
      With neoadjuvant treatment, approximately 50% of the patients are able to undergo
      surgical resections with negative margins obtained in greater than 80% of the
      patients. Newer trials are attempting to standardize the definition of borderline
      resectable pancreatic cancer and treatment regimens. In this review, we outline
      the definition, imaging requirements and management of patients with borderline
      resectable pancreatic cancer. 

PMID- 26483880
TI  - Paraneoplastic leukemoid reaction in pancreatic cancer: A case report.
AB  - Paraneoplastic leukemoid reaction is a rare syndrome defined by a leukocyte count
      exceeding 50 Giga/Liter (G/L), mostly described with progressive lung or renal
      carcinoma. We report a case of a 68-year-old man with recurrent pancreatic
      carcinoma presenting a leukemoid reaction with a white blood cell count of 63.87
      G/L without identified infectious, iatrogenic or hematologic causes. His overall
      condition quickly degraded and he died three weeks after the discovery of the
      leukemoid reaction. This is the first case in French literature of leukemoid
      reaction in a patient with pancreatic carcinoma with poor prognostic value. 

PMID- 26483879
TI  - Genomic alterations in pancreatic cancer and their relevance to therapy.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer is a highly lethal cancer type, for which there are few viable
      therapeutic options. But, with the advance of sequencing technologies for global
      genomic analysis, the landscape of genomic alterations in pancreatic cancer is
      becoming increasingly well understood. In this review, we summarize current
      knowledge of genomic alterations in 12 core signaling pathways or cellular
      processes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, which is the most common type of
      malignancy in the pancreas, including four commonly mutated genes and many other
      genes that are mutated at low frequencies. We also describe the potential
      implications of these genomic alterations for development of novel therapeutic
      approaches in the context of personalized medicine. 

PMID- 26483881
TI  - Total Diet Studies as a Tool for Ensuring Food Safety.
AB  - With the diversification and internationalization of the food industry and the
      increased focus on health from a majority of consumers, food safety policies are
      being implemented based on scientific evidence. Risk analysis represents the most
      useful scientific approach for making food safety decisions. Total diet study
      (TDS) is often used as a risk assessment tool to evaluate exposure to hazardous
      elements. Many countries perform TDSs to screen for chemicals in foods and
      analyze exposure trends to hazardous elements. TDSs differ from traditional food
      monitoring in two major aspects: chemicals are analyzed in food in the form in
      which it will be consumed and it is cost-effective in analyzing composite samples
      after processing multiple ingredients together. In Korea, TDSs have been
      conducted to estimate dietary intakes of heavy metals, pesticides, mycotoxins,
      persistent organic pollutants, and processing contaminants. TDSs need to be
      carried out periodically to ensure food safety. 

PMID- 26483882
TI  - Total Diet Study: For a Closer-to-real Estimate of Dietary Exposure to Chemical
      Substances.
AB  - Recent amendment on the Food Sanitation Act in Korea mandated the Minister of
      Food & Drug Safety to secure the scientific basis for management and reevaluation
      of standards and specifications of foods. Especially because the current food
      safety control is limited within the scope of 'Farm to Market' covering from
      production to retail in Korea, safety control at the plane of true 'Farm to Fork'
      scope is urgently needed and should include 'total diet' of population instead of
      individual food items. Therefore, 'Total Diet Study (TDS)' which provides 'closer
      to-real' estimates of exposure to hazardous materials through analysis on table
      ready (cooked) samples of foods would be the solution to more comprehensive food
      safety management, as suggested by World Health Organization and Food and
      Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Although the protection of diets
      from hazards must be considered as one of the most essential public health
      functions of any country, we may need to revisit the value of foods which has
      been too much underrated by the meaningless amount of some hazardous materials in
      Korea. Considering the primary value of foods lies on sustaining life, growth,
      development, and health promotion of human being, food safety control should be
      handled not only by the presence or absence of hazardous materials but also by
      maximizing the value of foods via balancing with the preservation of beneficial
      components in foods embracing total diet. In this regard, this article aims to
      provide an overview on TDS by describing procedures involved except chemical
      analysis which is beyond our scope. Also, details on the ongoing TDS in Korea are
      provided as an example. Although TDS itself might not be of keen interest for
      most readers, it is the main user of the safety reference values resulted from
      toxicological research in the public health perspective. 

PMID- 26483883
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26483885
TI  - Evaluation of Chemical Analysis Method and Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic
      Hydrocarbons Content from Seafood and Dairy Products.
AB  - This study was carried out to investigate contents of 8 polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons (PAHs) from frequently consumed seafood and dairy products and to
      evaluate their chemical analysis methods. Samples were collected from markets of
      9 cities in Korea chosen as the population reference and evaluated. The
      methodology involved saponification, extraction with n-hexane, clean-up on Sep
      Pak silica cartridges and gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry analysis.
      Validation proceeded on 2 matrices. Recoveries for 8 PAHs ranged from 86.87 to
      103.57%. The limit of detection (LOD) 8 PAHs was 0.04~0.20 ug/kg, and limit of
      quantification (LOQ) of 8 PAHs was 0.12~0.60 ug/kg. The mean concentration of
      benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) was 0.34 ug/kg from seafood and 0.34 ug/kg from dairy
      products. The total PAHs concentration was 1.06 ug/kg in seafood and 1.52 ug/kg
      in dairy products. 

PMID- 26483884
TI  - Determination of Heterocyclic Amines and Acrylamide in Agricultural Products with
      Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and acrylamide are unintended hazardous substances
      generated by heating or processing of foods and are known as carcinogenic and
      mutagenic agents by the animal experiments. A simple method was established for a
      rapid and accurate determination of 12 types of HCAs (IQ, MeIQ, Glu-P-1, Glu-P-2,
      MeIQx, Trp-P-1, Trp-P-2, PhIP, AalphaC, MeAalphaC, Harman and Norharman) and
      acrylamide in three food matrices (non-fat liquid, non-fat solid and fat solid)
      by isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In
      every sample, a mixture of internal standards including IQ-d3, MeIQx-d3, PhIP-d3,
      Trp-P-2-(13)C2-(15)N and MeAalphaC-d3 was spiked for quantification of HCAs and
      (13)C3-acrylamide was also spiked for the analysis of acrylamide. HCAs and
      acrylamide in sample were extracted with acetonitrile and water, respectively,
      and then two solid-phase extraction cartridges, ChemElut: HLB for HCAs and
      Accucat: HLB for acrylamide, were used for efficiently removing interferences
      such as pigment, lipid, polar, nonpolar and ionic compounds. Established method
      was validated in terms of recovery, accuracy, precision, limit of detection,
      limit of quantitation, and linearity. This method showed good precision (RSD <
      20%), accuracy (71.8~119.1%) and recovery (66.0~118.9%). The detection limits
      were < 3.1 ng/g for all analytes. The correlation coefficients for all the HCAs
      and acrylamide were > 0.995, showing excellent linearity. These methods for the
      detection of HCAs and acrylamide by LC-MS/MS were applied to real samples and
      were successfully used for quantitative monitoring in the total diet study and
      this can be applied to risk assessment in various food matrices. 

PMID- 26483886
TI  - Validation and Determination of the Contents of Acetaldehyde and Formaldehyde in
      Foods.
AB  - The aim of this study was to develop an efficient quantitative method for the
      determination of acetaldehyde (AA) and formaldehyde (FA) contents in solid and
      liquid food matrices. The determination of those compounds was validated and
      performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry combined by solid phase
      micro-extraction after derivatization with O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluoro-benzyl)
      hydroxylamine hydrochloride. Validation was carried out in terms of limit of
      detection, limit of quantitation, linearity, precision, and recovery. Then their
      contents were analyzed in various food samples including 15 fruits, 22 milk
      products, 31 alcohol-free beverages, and 13 alcoholic beverages. The highest
      contents of AA and FA were determined in a white wine (40,607.02 ng/g) and an
      instant coffee (1,522.46 ng/g), respectively. 

PMID- 26483887
TI  - Distribution of Seven N-Nitrosamines in Food.
AB  - N-nitrosamines, which are classified as carcinogens by IARC and US EPA, can be
      easily found in various foods. They are reaction products between nitrogen oxide
      and secondary amines, but can also be generated during fermentation. Ever since
      the 1960s, when nitrite, used as a preservative in processed meats, was suspected
      to generate N-nitrosamines, the usage of the food additive has been debated.
      However, the benefit of nitrite in food supply could not be ignored and the risk
      benefit analysis has become a key issue in the use of the additive. For a risk
      analysis, an accurate estimation of the hazardous material is necessary;
      therefore, analytical methods for nitrosamines have continuously evolved from the
      1950s. Solid supported liquid-liquid extraction and solid phase extractions have
      replaced the distillation for the clean-up steps, and tandem mass spectrometry is
      employed for higher selectivity and sensitivity. In the present study, for a
      better estimation of N-nitrosamine intake, the total diet study samples were
      prepared for the N-nitrosamines analysis. In order to obtain the most sensitive
      results, a partial preparation procedure was developed and modified for different
      food matrices. Among seven N-nitrosamines (N-nitrosodimethylamine, N
      nitrosomethylethylamine, N-nitrosodiethylamine, N-nitrosodibutylamine, N
      nitrosopiperidine, N-nitrosopyrrolidine, and N-nitrosomorpholine) analyzed in the
      present study, N-nitrosodiethylamine has shown the highest detection rate in
      agricultural foods, while N-nitrosodimethylamine has appeared most frequently in
      livestock and fishery food products. The concentration of N-nitrosodimethylamine
      was the highest in seasoning. 

PMID- 26483888
TI  - Determination of Ethyl Carbamate in Alcoholic Beverages and Fermented Foods Sold
      in Korea.
AB  - Ethyl carbamate (EC) classified as a probable human carcinogen (Group 2A) is
      naturally formed in alcoholic beverages and fermented foods during fermentation
      process and/or during storage. The objective of this study was to analyze EC in
      34 food items including 14 alcoholic beverages and 20 fermented foods sold in
      Korea. Each food was collected from 18 supermarkets in 9 metropolitan cities in
      Korea, and then made into composite. According to food composition and alcohol
      content, samples were divided into four matrices such as apple juice, milk, Soju
      (liquor containing about 20% alcohol), and rice porridge. The maximum EC value of
      151.06 ug/kg was found in Maesilju (liquor made from Maesil and Soju). Whisky and
      Bokbunjaju (Korean black raspberry wine) contained 9.90 ug/kg and 6.30 ug/kg,
      respectively. EC was not detected in other alcoholic beverages. Of 20 fermented
      foods, Japanese-style soy sauce had highest level of 15.59 ug/kg and traditional
      one contained 4.18 ug/kg. Soybean paste had 1.18 ug/kg, however, EC was not found
      in other fermented foods. 

PMID- 26483889
TI  - Validation of an HPLC Analytical Method for Determination of Biogenic Amines in
      Agricultural Products and Monitoring of Biogenic Amines in Korean Fermented
      Agricultural Products.
AB  - An HPLC analytical method was validated for the quantitative determination of
      biogenic amines in agricultural products. Four agricultural foods, including
      apple juice, Juk, corn oil and peanut butter, were selected as food matrices
      based on their water and fat contents (i.e., non-fatty liquid, non-fatty solid,
      fatty liquid and fatty solid, respectively). The precision, accuracy, recovery,
      limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were determined to test the
      validity of an HPLC procedure for the determination of biogenic amines, including
      tryptamine, beta-phenylethylamine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, tyramine,
      spermidine and spermine, in each matrix. The LODs and LOQs for the biogenic
      amines were within the range of 0.01~0.10 mg/kg and 0.02~0.31 mg/kg,
      respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of intraday for biogenic
      amine concentrations ranged from 1.86 to 5.95%, whereas the RSD of interday
      ranged from 2.08 to 5.96%. Of the matrices spiked with biogenic amines, corn oil
      with tyramine and Juk with putrescine exhibited the least accuracy of 84.85% and
      recovery rate of 89.63%, respectively, at the lowest concentration (10 mg/kg).
      Therefore, the validation results fulfilled AOAC criteria and recommendations.
      Subsequently, the method was applied to the analysis of biogenic amines in
      fermented agricultural products for a total dietary survey in Korea. Although the
      results revealed that Korean traditional soy sauce and Doenjang contained
      relatively high levels of histamine, the amounts are of no concern if these
      fermented agricultural products serve as condiments. 

PMID- 26483890
TI  - Analysis of Trans Fat in Edible Oils with Cooking Process.
AB  - Trans fat is a unsaturated fatty acid with trans configuration and separated
      double bonds. Analytical methods have been introduced to analyze trans fat
      content in foods including infrared (IR) spectroscopy, gas chromatography (GC),
      Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, reverses-phase silver ion high
      performance liquid chromatography, and silver nitrate thin layer chromatography.
      Currently, FT-IR spectroscopy and GC are mostly used methods. Trans fat content
      in 6 vegetable oils were analyzed and processing effects including baking, stir
      frying, pan-frying, and frying on the formation of trans fat in corn oil was
      evaluated by GC. Among tested vegetable oils, corn oil has 0.25 g trans fat/100
      g, whereas other oils including rapeseed, soybean, olive, perilla, and sesame
      oils did not have detectable amount of trans fat content. Among cooking methods,
      stir-frying increased trans fat in corn oil whereas baking, pan-frying, and
      frying procedures did not make changes in trans fat content compared to untreated
      corn oils. However, the trans fat content was so low and food label can be
      declared as '0' trans based on the regulation of Ministry of Food ad Drug Safety
      (MFDS) (< 2 g/100 g edible oil). 

PMID- 26483891
TI  - Analysis of 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP in Various Foodstuffs Using GC-MS.
AB  - 3-Monochloro-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD) and 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (1,3-DCP) are
      not only produced in the manufacturing process of foodstuffs such as hydrolyzed
      vegetable proteins and soy sauce but are also formed by heat processing in the
      presence of fat and low water activity. 3-MCPD exists both in free and ester
      forms, and the ester form has been also detected in various foods. Free 3-MCPD
      and 1,3-DCP are classified as Group 2B by the International Agency for Research
      on Cancer. Although there is no data confirming the toxicity of either compound
      in humans, their toxicity was evidenced in animal experimentation or in vitro.
      Although few studies have been conducted, free 3-MCPD has been shown to have
      neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, and carcinogenicity. In contrast, 1,3-DCP
      only has mutagenic activity. The purpose of this study was to analyze 3-MCPD and
      1,3-DCP in various foods using gas chromatography -mass spectrometry. 3-MCPD and
      1,3-DCP were analyzed using phenyl boronic acid derivatization and the liquid
      liquid extraction method, respectively. The analytical method for 3-MCPD and 1,3
      DCP was validated in terms of linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of
      quantitation, accuracy and precision. Consequently, the LODs of 3-MCPD and 1,3
      DCP in various matrices were identified to be in the ranges of 4.18~10.56 ng/g
      and 1.06~3.15 ng/g, respectively. 

PMID- 26483892
TI  - ERRATUM.

PMID- 26483893
TI  - Narcolepsy - Between the dream and reality.

PMID- 26483894
TI  - A journey through narcolepsy diagnosis: From ICSD 1 to ICSD 3.

PMID- 26483895
TI  - Narcolepsy and the Sickness Impact Profile: A general health status measure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We characterized functional impact of narcolepsy on patients using a
      general health status measure, the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). It has 136
      items grouped into 12 categories and 2 dimensions. METHODS: We ascertained
      patients with physician-diagnosed narcolepsy in King County, Washington using
      multiple overlapping methods over four years starting July 2001. We recruited 226
      patients (mean age 48 years, 65% female) who underwent in-person interviews and
      completed: Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Ullanlinna Narcolepsy Scale (UNS), and
      SIP. Linear regression was used to assess correlations between measures. RESULTS:
      Mean percent of total dysfunction was higher for psychosocial dimension (13.2)
      and independent categories (13.4) than physical dimension (5.0). Mean percent of
      total dysfunction in descending order for categories was: Sleep and Rest (23.6),
      Alertness Behavior (22.6), and Recreation and Pastimes (20.6). Ten items were
      endorsed by at least a third of all patients but only two of them concerned
      sleep. Unexpectedly, among the top ten items were, "My sexual activity is
      decreased," and "I forget a lot, for example, things that happened recently,
      where I put things, appointments." Percent of overall dysfunction on SIP (mean
      10.3) was significantly correlated with ESS (r=0.36, p<0.001) and UNS (r=0.47,
      p<0.001). In this population-based sample, mean percent of total dysfunction on
      SIP in patients with narcolepsy (10.3) was higher than previously reported in the
      general population (3.6) and similar to that in other chronic disabling
      conditions. DISCUSSION: The SIP correlated with ESS and UNS, and captured unique
      aspects of the impact of narcolepsy on patients.

PMID- 26483896
TI  - The nature of excessive sleepiness and sudden sleep onset in Parkinson's disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and sudden sleep onset (SOS)
      episodes are frequent in Parkinson's disease (PD). The objectives are to identify
      clinical characteristics and factors associated with EDS and SOS episodes.
      METHODS: Clinical demographic data were recorded (N=100, mean age=65.0+/-10.4).
      EDS was identified by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS>10) and SOS episodes were
      registered. Disease severity was evaluated by the Unified Parkinson's Disease
      Rating Scale (UPDRS, I, II, and III), sleep disturbances by the Parkinson's
      Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS<100), depressive symptoms by the Beck Depression
      Inventory (BDI>10) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) by
      the REM sleep behavior scale. Levodopa equivalent dose was measured. RESULTS: PD
      patients with EDS (67%) were predominately male (73.1%) and had worse disease
      severity (UPDRS II and III p= 0.005); SOS episodes (39%) were associated with
      disease duration, diabetes, sleep disturbances (PDSS Scale), disease severity
      (UPDRS I, II, III) and RBD symptoms (p<0.05). Stepwise regression analysis showed
      that EDS was independently associated with motor-symptoms severity (UPDRS III
      scale, p=0.003). SOS episodes were independently associated with disease duration
      (p=0.006) and sleep disturbances (PDSS scale, p=0.03): patients had more
      uncomfortable immobility at night, tremor on waking and snoring or difficult
      breathing. DISCUSSION: EDS and or SOS episodes are frequent and manifest a
      differential pattern in PD. SOS episodes are associated with longer disease
      duration, diabetes, sleep disturbances and RBD symptoms indicating that these
      "sleep attacks" are of multifactorial origin and probably influenced by brain
      structural abnormalities.

PMID- 26483897
TI  - The hypocretins (orexins) mediate the "phasic" components of REM sleep: A new
      hypothesis.
AB  - In 1998, a group of phenotypically distinct neurons were discovered in the
      postero-lateral hypothalamus which contained the neuropeptides hypocretin 1 and
      hypocretin 2 (also called orexin A and orexin B), which are excitatory
      neuromodulators. Hypocretinergic neurons project throughout the central nervous
      system and have been involved in the generation and maintenance of wakefulness.
      The sleep disorder narcolepsy, characterized by hypersomnia and cataplexy, is
      produced by degeneration of these neurons. The hypocretinergic neurons are active
      during wakefulness in conjunction with the presence of motor activity that occurs
      during survival-related behaviors. These neurons decrease their firing rate
      during non-REM sleep; however there is still controversy upon the activity and
      role of these neurons during REM sleep. Hence, in the present report we conducted
      a critical review of the literature of the hypocretinergic system during REM
      sleep, and hypothesize a possible role of this system in the generation of REM
      sleep. 

PMID- 26483898
TI  - Cognitive behavioral treatment for narcolepsy: can it complement pharmacotherapy?
AB  - Sleep medicine in general and psychology in particular have recently developed
      cognitive behavioral treatment for narcolepsy (CBT-N). Despite a growing interest
      in this topic, most studies since 2007 have reviewed CBT applications for other
      sleep disorders. Currently, 6 reviews have been published on narcolepsy, with an
      expert consensus being reached that CBT represented an important adjunctive
      treatment for the disease. The current paper reviews the need for CBT
      applications for narcolepsy by generalizing the application of multicomponent
      treatments and performing studies that extrapolate the results obtained from
      multicenter studies. Nineteen studies were found in which the need-for-treatment
      guidelines identified the use of CBT for narcolepsy. Three additional studies
      were identified that evaluated the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral measures
      and multicomponent treatments for which treatment protocols have been proposed. 

PMID- 26483899
TI  - Moebius syndrome and narcolepsy: A case dissertation.
AB  - Moebius syndrome (MS) is a congenital syndrome characterized by unilateral or
      bilateral aplasia of the VI and VII cranial nerves, with consequent convergent
      strabismus and bilateral peripheral facial paralysis. This syndrome might be
      associated with diurnal excessive sleepiness and muscular hypotony, mimetizing in
      this manner, narcolepsy. The diagnostic criteria for narcolepsy depend on the
      presence of REM sleep during the day. As with patients with MS we do not have
      ocular movements due to the VI nerve paralysis, the absence of horizontal ocular
      movements might make it difficult to confirm narcolepsy in these patients. The
      common clinical characteristics of these patients are due to a possible
      impairment of the same structures that are affected in the central nervous
      system. However, the mechanism by which it occurs remains to be fully understood.
      Further electrophysiological researches are necessary to better clarify the
      association of these two diseases. The objective of this dissertation is to
      describe and discuss a case of Moebius syndrome with diurnal excessive sleepiness
      as a differential diagnosis for narcolepsy. 

PMID- 26483900
TI  - Cataplexy as a side effect of modafinil in a patient without narcolepsy.
AB  - Narcolepsy is a disease in which there is diurnal excessive sleepiness with sleep
      attacks and a prevalence in the general population of 1/4000 individuals.
      Classically, it is characterized by cataplexy, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic
      hallucinations and fragmented sleep. The use of modafinil in the treatment of
      narcolepsy is the first option of treatment for diurnal excessive sleepiness.
      Although considered a safe drug for use in patients with narcolepsy, being
      utilized for more than 20 years, modafinil possesses a series of side effects,
      some of them still not fully researched or described. Side effects such as
      headache, nausea, anxiety, insomnia, lumbago, diarrhea, dyspepsia, rhinitis and
      vertigo are the most frequent. However, the clinical follow-up of patients under
      treatment with modafinil must be intensive and the side effects ought to be noted
      and evaluated. The under-response to treatment or the unexpected side effects
      must always be directed to differential diagnostics. The objective of this
      article is to describe an unexpected side effect of the use of modafinil in a
      patient with incorrect diagnosis of narcolepsy. 

PMID- 26483901
TI  - The use of citalopram for the treatment of cataplexy.
AB  - This is a series of cases describing the use of citalopram for the treatment of
      cataplexy in patients with narcolepsy. Cataplexy is the most specific symptom of
      narcolepsy, being characterized by a sudden and temporary loss of muscle tonus,
      triggered by episodes of emotion during vigil. Some antidepressants, besides
      gamma-hydroxybutyrate, are used for the control of cataplexy. As gamma
      hydroxybutyrate is not available in Brazil, local treatment is usually done by
      the use of antidepressants. Citalopram is a selective inhibitor of serotonin
      reuptake, with reasonable price and with fewer side effects when compared with
      other drugs of the same type. In this study, we report a series of cases with
      patients with narcolepsy and cataplexy, treated with citalopram for the control
      of cataplexy. 

PMID- 26483902
TI  - Narcolepsy in pediatric age - Experience of a tertiary pediatric hospital.
AB  - Narcolepsy, a chronic disorder of the sleep-wake cycle of multifactorial
      etiology, is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, often associated with
      cataplexy, hypnagogic/hypnopompic hallucinations and sleep paralysis. Both early
      clinical suspicion and therapeutic approach are essential for promotion of
      cognitive development and social integration of these children. The authors
      present a descriptive retrospective study of a series of eight children in whom
      symptoms first started between 6.8 and 10.5 years of age. Diagnostic delay ranged
      from 4 months to 2 years. One child had H1N1 flu vaccination eight months before
      the clinical onset. The first multiple sleep latency test was positive in 6 of 8
      cases. All cases were treated with methylphenidate, and venlafaxine was
      associated in 4 of them. In one case the initial therapy was exclusively
      behavioral. In all cases, symptomatic improvement, better school performance and
      social integration were achieved after therapeutic adjustment. 

PMID- 26483903
TI  - Narcolepsy with cataplexy after A/H1N1 vaccination - A case reported from Cuba.
AB  - Narcolepsy with cataplexy is a rare sleep disorder with a neurological basis
      which has been recently linked to H1N1 vaccination either in children or adults.
      Cases from Europe, United States and Brasil were registered. Authors describe a
      case report of a 15 years old boy who developed narcolepsy with cataplexy after
      H1N1 vaccination in Havana. As far as it is concerned this is the first case
      reported from Cuba. 

PMID- 26483904
TI  - Narcolepsy with cataplexy in monozygotic twins.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This paper describes narcolepsy with cataplexy in two monozygotic
      twin sisters. OBJECTIVE: To clinically illustrate the involvement of
      neurological, genetic and immunologic systems in narcolepsy. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: We performed a restropective study of these patients that were followed
      in the sleep medicine ambulatory clinic of the Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao
      Preto. RESULTS: These sisters are two of the few cases in the literature
      concordant for narcolepsy with catalepsy and without a "positive HLA" for
      narcolepsy. They had a typical clinical course of narcolepsy with cataplexy and
      attended all the neurophysiological diagnostic criteria for narcolepsy.
      CONCLUSION: In addition to known possible genetical similarity, this report
      stresses the role of environmental or unknown genetical factors acting on a
      specific neuro-imuno-genetical background and resulting in narcolepsy.

PMID- 26483905
TI  - Experience with the use of modafinil in the treatment of narcolepsy in a
      outpatient facility specialized in diurnal excessive sleepiness in Sao Paulo.
AB  - Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disease characterized by diurnal excessive
      sleepiness and catapleaxy. It affects 1 in every 2000 to 4000 individuals with
      personal, social and familiar significant repercussions. The treatment of
      narcolepsy is mainly based on the use of stimulants for the control of the
      diurnal excessive sleepiness, in conjunction with behavioral measures and sleep
      hygiene. Among the stimulants, modafinil has presently been the drug of choice
      for the treatment of the diurnal excessive sleepiness in patients with
      narcolepsy. In the worldwide experience, its use is better tolerated and the
      majority of its side effects is considered light or moderate. However, the
      clinical use in Brazil was initiated at the end of 2008, with little experience
      on the narcolepsy population of this country. In this context, the objective of
      this study was the evaluation of the use of modafinil, verifying the indication
      of use, causes for discontinuation, daily dosage, efficiency of the treatment in
      a patient sample of narcoleptics consulted in a specialized center in Brazil. In
      this study, modafinil was effective for the control of the symptoms related do
      narcolepsy in 66% of the studied patients. The side effects such as headache,
      parestesias and diarrhea were the main reasons for the discontinuation of
      treatment with modafinil. It is important to clinically follow up the patients
      for a long period to evaluate symptomatology, control of use, tolerability and re
      evaluation of the more effective therapeutic dosage able to control narcolepsy.
      Due to its high cost and clinical benefits, this drug should be on the
      government's list of free drugs for the treatment of these patients. 

PMID- 26483907
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26483906
TI  - Prevalence of periodical leg movements in patients with narcolepsy in an
      outpatient facility in Sao Paulo.
AB  - Studies have pointed out that approximately 50-60% of narcolepsy patients may
      demonstrate higher prevalence of periodical leg movements. However, we highlight
      that the prevalence studies and the effects of periodical leg movements in
      patients with narcolepsy are limited and with conflicting results. The objective
      of this study was that of describing and discussing the prevalence of periodical
      leg movements in patients with narcolepsy in the outpatient facility of diurnal
      excessive sleepiness of the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. We revised
      59 files of patients with the clinical and electrophysiological diagnosis of
      narcolepsy according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Of these 59 cases
      of patients with narcolepsy, 12 (20.3%) demonstrated periodical leg movements.
      Thirty five patients (59.3%) had history of cataplexy and 38 patients (64.4%) had
      the presence of the allele HLA-DQB1*0602. There was a higher prevalence of
      periodical leg movements in patients with cataplexy (p<0.0001) and in patients
      with the presence of the allele HLA-DQB1*0602 (p<0.0001). Our study characterized
      the higher prevalence of periodical leg movement in patients with narcolepsy,
      mainly in patients with cataplexy and with the presence of the allele HLA
      DQB1*0602. 

PMID- 26483908
TI  - Sedentary behavior and sleep efficiency in active community-dwelling older
      adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have demonstrated that aerobic exercise
      interventions have a positive impact on sleep efficiency in older adults.
      However, little work has been done on the impact of sedentary behavior (sitting,
      watching television, etc.) on sleep efficiency. METHODS: 54 Community-dwelling
      men and women >65 years of age living in Whistler, British Columbia (mean 71.5
      years) were enrolled in this cross-sectional observational study. Measures of
      sleep efficiency as well as average waking sedentary (ST), light (LT), and
      moderate (MT) activity were recorded with Sensewear accelerometers worn
      continuously for 7 days. RESULTS: From the univariate regression analysis, there
      was no association between sleep efficiency and the predictors LT and MT. There
      was a small negative association between ST and sleep efficiency that remained
      significant in our multivariate regression model containing alcohol consumption,
      age and gender as covariates. (standardized beta correlation coefficient -0.322,
      p=0.019). Although significant, this effect was small (an increase in sedentary
      time of 3 hours per day was associated with an approximately 5% reduction in
      sleep efficiency). CONCLUSIONS: This study found a small significant association
      between the time spent sedentary and sleep efficiency, despite high levels of
      activity in this older adult group.

PMID- 26483909
TI  - Measurement properties of a screening questionnaire of obstructive sleep apnea
      risk: Little information, great prediction?(?).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Previous research had shown the suitability of several
      questionnaires predicting the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Measurement
      properties of an online screening questionnaire were studied. METHODS: The sample
      consisted of 184 Portuguese adults (89 men and 95 women); 46 of them were
      polysomnographically diagnosed with the untreated obstructive sleep apnea
      syndrome. The participants were assessed with an online questionnaire of sleep
      apnea risk, from University of Maryland. RESULTS: A principal component factor
      analysis was performed, revealing a single factor (49.24% of the total variance).
      Internal consistency was minimally adequate (alpha=0.74). The mean of inter-item
      correlation was of 0.35 (0.12<r>0.61), whereas the item-total correlations were
      considered good (0.52<r>0.81). The total score for patients was significantly
      higher than for healthy participants (p<0.000), but no significant statistical
      differences between severity groups of patients were found (p>0.05). Furthermore,
      the ability of the measure in discriminating between healthy subjects and OSA
      subjects was good. Overall data from the Rasch analysis was consistent with the
      guidelines of Linacre, scores show good model fit and psychometric adequacy.
      CONCLUSIONS: The measure showed an adequate structural, internal and criterion
      validity, suggesting this as a useful and effective screening for sleep apnea
      risk in Portuguese adults.

PMID- 26483910
TI  - Relationship between chronotype and quality of sleep in medical students at the
      Federal University of Paraiba, Brazil.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify chronotypes of medical students
      at the Federal University of Paraiba (UFPB) and its relationship to quality of
      sleep, daytime sleepiness, age, sex and season of birth. METHODS: The final
      sample consisted of 221 students, assessed by four questionnaires: demographic
      questionnaire, Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), Pittsburgh Sleep
      Quality lndex (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). RESULTS: There was a
      statistically significant difference between groups with respect to chronotypes
      and PSQI score (p<0.0005), but not with excessive daytime sleepiness. A
      significant negative correlation was found between the scores of MEQ and PSQI
      (rho=-0.3, p<0.0005), demonstrating that the greater the eveningness, the worse
      the sleep quality. It was observed that 51.6% of students were classified as
      indifferent chronotype, 61.5% had poor quality of sleep, while 42.1% had
      excessive daytime sleepiness. Sex and season at birth did not differ between
      chronotypes. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that the evening chronotype
      was associated with poor quality of sleep in medical students, but not with
      increased daytime sleepiness, with potential impairment to their academic
      performance and quality of life.

PMID- 26483911
TI  - Sleep apnea and oxygen saturation in adults at 2640 m above sea level.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the SpO2 in wakefulness, sleep and during the apnea-hypopnea
      in adults living in Bogota, located at 2640 m above sea level. METHODS:
      Descriptive observational study in adults referred for polysomnogram (PSG). A
      normal Apnea hypopnea index (AHI) was defined as <=5 and obstructive sleep apnea
      (OSA) was classified as mild (AHI 5-15), moderate (AHI 15-30), and severe (AHI
      >30). T-test or ANOVA test for SpO2 differences between groups was used. RESULTS:
      1799 patients, 33% women. 222 (12.8%) did not have OSA (normal IAH), 268 (14.9%)
      mild OSA, 315 (17.5%) moderate ,and 993 (55.2%) severe. In all cases a low SpO2
      (SpO2<90%) was found. The SpO2 was lower when the AHI was higher, in wakefulness,
      in non-REM and in REM (p<0.001). For all grades of severity, SpO2 decreased
      significantly from wakefulness to non-REM sleep and to REM sleep (p<0.001).
      Patients with severe OSA had higher desaturation during wakefulness (85.2+/
      6.6%), non-REM sleep (83.1+/-7.7%), REM sleep (78.8+/-10.2), and during events
      (75.1+/-9.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with OSA at 2640 m have nocturnal
      desaturation lower than 88%, which decreases with higher severity of OSA. The
      clinical impact of sleep disorders at this point may be greater than at sea level
      and should be studied.

PMID- 26483912
TI  - The impact of sleep duration on self-rated health.
AB  - PURPOSE: To review the association between sleep duration and self-rated health.
      METHODS: A search for original and review articles focusing on sleep duration and
      self-rated health was performed in PubMed. The general search strategy was
      [("sleep duration" OR "total sleep time" OR "time in bed") AND "self-rated
      health"]. RESULTS: We found 22 articles in the English language; 8 articles with
      no direct association between sleep duration and self-rated health were excluded.
      Of these articles, 14 were considered potentially relevant and examined in
      detail, and 9 were excluded for not having self-rated health as the primary
      outcome. This work was compounded by 5 papers. The extremes of sleep duration
      (short or long) exhibited an interaction with poor or worse self-rated health.
      CONCLUSION: The sleep duration issue should be considered when inquiring about
      health conditions, as this factor can lead to adverse results in global health
      status.

PMID- 26483913
TI  - The beneficial effects of massage therapy for insomnia in postmenopausal women.
AB  - With increases life expectancy, the incidence of undesirable manifestations of
      menopause has increased as well. The effects of lost ovarian function include
      progressive decrease in estradiol secretion, trophic changes in the breast,
      vasomotor symptoms, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. Insomnia, which has
      physiological consequences and can result in a loss of quality of life, is
      prevalent in women after menopause. Hormone therapy has been widely used to
      reduce menopausal symptoms, but its use in recent years has been questioned
      because of the reported risks of cardiovascular events and increased incidence of
      tumors. This controversy has generated significant interest in non-hormonal
      treatments among both physicians and patients. Our previous research has shown a
      positive effect of massage therapy on menopausal symptoms. We explored the
      hypothesis that massage therapy would produce beneficial effects in
      postmenopausal women through inflammatory and immunological changes. Recent
      results from self-report questionnaires have shown improvements in sleep pattern
      and quality of life following massage therapy. These findings demonstrate the
      effectiveness of massage therapy for the treatment of postmenopausal symptoms,
      particularly insomnia, and indicate that it is a promising line of research. 

PMID- 26483914
TI  - Treatment of sleep central apnea with non-invasive mechanical ventilation with 2
      levels of positive pressure (bilevel) in a patient with myotonic dystrophy type
      1.
AB  - We are reporting a case of a 29 year-old female with diagnosis of myotonic
      dystrophy type 1 (Steinert's disease) with excessive daytime sleepiness, muscle
      fatigue, snoring, frequent arousals, non-restorative sleep, and witnessed apneas.
      Pulmonary function tests revealed a mild decrease of forced vital capacity.
      Nocturnal polysomnography showed an increase of apnea/hypopnea index (85.9
      events/h), mainly of central type (236), minimal oxygen saturation of 72%, and
      end-tidal carbon dioxide values that varied from 45 to 53 mmHg. Bi-level positive
      airway pressure titration was initiated at an inspiratory pressure (IPAP) of 8
      and an expiratory pressure (EPAP) of 4 cm H2O. IPAP was then gradually increased
      to eliminate respiratory events and improve oxygen saturation. An IPAP of 12cm
      H20 and an EPAP of 4cm H2O eliminated all respiratory events, and the oxygen
      saturation remained above 90%. Bi-level positive airway pressure treatment at
      spontaneous/timed mode showed an improvement in snoring, apneas, and Epworth
      sleepiness scale decreased from 20 to 10. This case illustrates the beneficial
      effects of Bi-level positive airway pressure support in central sleep apnea
      syndrome of a patient with myotonic dystrophy type 1. 

PMID- 26483915
TI  - Kleine-Levin Syndrome: A case report.
AB  - The Kleine-Levin Syndrome is a differential diagnosis for patients with diurnal
      excessive sleepiness and a suspicion of narcolepsy. It is characterized by
      paroxysmal attacks of diurnal excessive sleepiness, associated with one or more
      symptoms of hyperphagia, hypersexuality, coprolalia and copropraxia. During
      crisis intervals, there are no symptoms. This pathology predominantly manifests
      itself in teenagers, being more frequent among males. The course of this disease
      is unpredictable, with variable duration and frequency. The most accepted
      physiopathology is that of a hypothalamic dysfunction, although and recently,
      there has appeared a hypothesis of a post-infectious autoimmune disorder. These
      patients show an elevated body mass index, which can predispose to association
      with comorbidities such as the sleep obstructive apnea syndrome. Treatment
      involves medications with different effects, but there is no specific and
      effective therapy. Our article shows a classic case of Kleine-Levin Syndrome
      associated with sleep obstructive apnea syndrome, a rare association in the
      literature. 

PMID- 26483916
TI  - Erratum to "Screening for polymorphisms in the AANAT gene and their association
      with extreme diurnal preference" [Sleep Sci. 6 (4) (2013) 141-145.

PMID- 26483917
TI  - The far side of sleep: Towards a deeper understanding of parasomnias and
      nocturnal seizures.

PMID- 26483918
TI  - Sleep complaints in the Brazilian population: Impact of socioeconomic factors.
AB  - National surveys are relevant for the study of sleep epidemiology since they can
      provide specific data about sleep in large dimension with important implications
      for the health system. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the
      prevalence of sleep complaints among the Brazilian population using a randomized
      cluster sample according to region and socioeconomic class. For this, a 3-stage
      sampling technique was used to randomly select Brazilian subjects of both genders
      older than 16 years. A total of 2017 subjects, from 132 different cities, were
      selected to estimate prevalence in the Brazilian population with a sampling error
      of +/-2%. Questions about sleep complaints were administered face-to-face by
      Instituto Datafolha interviewers on April 10 and 16, 2012. Data were expanded
      using a weighted variable. The results showed that 76% of the study population
      suffers from at least 1 sleep complaint, indicating that approximately 108
      million Brazilians may be affected by sleep disorders. On average, each subject
      had 1.9 sleep problems with the most common complaints being light and
      insufficient sleep, snoring, moving a lot during sleep, and insomnia, which
      usually occurred more than 3 times per week. Low income was associated with
      higher number of sleep complaints only in Northeast and Southeast regions. In
      conclusion, this study showed a high prevalence of sleep complaints in a sample
      of the Brazilian population, suggesting that sleep disorders may be markedly
      frequent in the Brazilian population with a possible correlation with the
      socioeconomic situation of the interviewed subjects. 

PMID- 26483919
TI  - The Impact of Sound on Electroencephalographic Waves during Sleep in Patients
      Suffering from Tinnitus.
AB  - Based on the knowledge that sensory processing continues during sleep and that a
      relationship exists between sleep and learning, a new strategy for treatment of
      idiopathic subjective tinnitus, consisted of customized sound stimulation
      presented during sleep, was tested. It has been previously shown that this
      treatment induces a sustained decrease in tinnitus intensity; however, its effect
      on brain activity has not yet been studied. In this work, we compared the impact
      of sound stimulation in tinnitus patients in the different sleep stages. Ten
      patients with idiopathic tinnitus were treated with sound stimulation mimicking
      tinnitus during sleep. Power spectra and intra- and inter-hemispheric coherence
      of electroencephalographic waves from frontal and temporal electrodes were
      measured with and without sound stimulation for each sleep stage (stages N2 with
      sleep spindles; N3 with slow wave sleep and REM sleep with Rapid Eye Movements).
      The main results found were that the largest number of changes, considering both
      the power spectrum and wave's coherence, occurred in stages N2 and N3. The delta
      and theta bands were the most changed, with important changes also in coherence
      of spindles during N2. All changes were more frequent in temporal areas. The
      differences between the two hemispheres do not depend, at least exclusively, on
      the side where the tinnitus is perceived and, hence, of the stimulated side.
      These results demonstrate that sound stimulation during sleep in tinnitus
      patients' influences brain activity and open an avenue for investigating the
      mechanism underlying tinnitus and its treatment. 

PMID- 26483920
TI  - Temporal sleep patterns in adults using actigraph.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to characterize the temporal patterns of sleep
      and wakefulness in a sample of the adult subjects from Sao Paulo city. All
      subjects filled the Morningness/Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and wore an
      actigraph for at least three consecutive days. A total of 359 subjects were
      considered for the analyses. The mean age was 43+/-14 years, the mean body mass
      index was 26.7+/-5.7 kg/m(2), and 60% were female. The mean MEQ score was 58.0+/
      10.7. The sleep pattern evaluated by the actigraphic analyses showed that 92% had
      a monophasic sleep pattern, 7% biphasic, and 1% polyphasic sleep pattern. Cluster
      analysis, based on time to sleep onset, sleep efficiency, sleep latency, and
      total sleep time, was able to identify three different groups denominated:
      morning type, evening type, and undefined type. Morning type subjects were more
      frequent, older, and had higher MEQ scores than evening type subjects. Our
      results showed that the actigraph objectively assessed the sleep-wake cycle and
      was able to discriminate between morning and evening type individuals. These
      findings suggest that the actigraph could be a valuable tool for assessing
      temporal sleep patterns, including the circadian preferences. 

PMID- 26483921
TI  - Nonparametric methods in actigraphy: An update.
AB  - Circadian rhythmicity in humans has been well studied using actigraphy, a method
      of measuring gross motor movement. As actigraphic technology continues to evolve,
      it is important for data analysis to keep pace with new variables and features.
      Our objective is to study the behavior of two variables, interdaily stability and
      intradaily variability, to describe rest activity rhythm. Simulated data and
      actigraphy data of humans, rats, and marmosets were used in this study. We
      modified the method of calculation for IV and IS by modifying the time intervals
      of analysis. For each variable, we calculated the average value (IVm and ISm)
      results for each time interval. Simulated data showed that (1) synchronization
      analysis depends on sample size, and (2) fragmentation is independent of the
      amplitude of the generated noise. We were able to obtain a significant difference
      in the fragmentation patterns of stroke patients using an IVm variable, while the
      variable IV60 was not identified. Rhythmic synchronization of activity and rest
      was significantly higher in young than adults with Parkinson's when using the ISM
      variable; however, this difference was not seen using IS60. We propose an updated
      format to calculate rhythmic fragmentation, including two additional optional
      variables. These alternative methods of nonparametric analysis aim to more
      precisely detect sleep-wake cycle fragmentation and synchronization. 

PMID- 26483922
TI  - Update of sleep alterations in depression.
AB  - Sleep disturbances in depression are up to 70%. Patients frequently have
      difficulty in falling asleep, frequent awakenings during the night and non
      restorative sleep. Sleep abnormalities in depression are mainly characterized by
      increased rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and reduced slow wave sleep. Among the
      mechanisms of sleep disturbances in depression are hyperactivation of the
      hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, CLOCK gene polymorphism and primary sleep
      disorders. The habenula is a structure regulating the activities of monoaminergic
      neurons in the brain. The hyperactivation of the habenula has also been
      implicated, together with sleep disturbances, in depression. The presence of
      depression in primary sleep disorders is common. Sleep disturbances treatment
      include pharmacotherapy or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. 

PMID- 26483923
TI  - Sporadic nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy: A consecutive series of 8 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To present findings on a series of cases of sporadic nocturnal frontal
      lobe epilepsy (NFLE), a form of NFLE that is infrequently reported, in contrast
      to familial (autosomal dominant) NFLE. Both forms of NFLE need to be
      distinguished from parasomnias, nocturnal temporal lobe epilepsy, and other
      nocturnal disorders. METHODS: Eight consecutive cases of sporadic NFLE were
      evaluated at a sleep clinic in Taiwan. All patients had clinical evaluations,
      daytime waking and sleeping EEGs, brain MRIs, and overnight video-polysomnography
      (vPSG) with seizure montage. RESULTS: Gender was equal (four males, four
      females); mean age was 18.4 yrs (range, 7-41 yrs). Age of NFLE onset was by
      puberty. Premorbid history was negative for any neurologic, medical or
      psychiatric disorder. NFLE subtypes: nocturnal paroxysmal dystonia, n=6;
      paroxysmal arousals, n=2. MRI brain scan abnormalities with clinical correlates
      were found in one patient. Daytime awake EEGs were negative for ictal/interictal
      activity in all patients, but two patients had daytime sleep EEGs with interictal
      epileptiform EEG activity. During vPSG studies, three of eight patients with NFLE
      seizure events had concurrent epileptiform EEG activity, and two patients had
      interictal epileptiform EEG activity during their vPSG studies. No case had a
      spontaneous remission. Anticonvulsant therapy was highly effective in all eight
      cases (>75% reduction in seizure frequency). DISCUSSION: These cases confirm that
      sporadic NFLE closely resembles familial NFLE, and comprises a set of distinct
      clinical manifestations, with variable intensity, and variable scalp EEG
      epileptiform abnormalities across sleep and wakefulness, which have previously
      been identified in Caucasian patients from Europe and North America.

PMID- 26483924
TI  - Restless leg syndrome exacerbated by amytriptiline in a patient with Duchenne
      Muscular Dystrophy.
AB  - We report an unusual case of a Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy(DMD) patient who
      initiated a restless leg syndrome after the use of amytriptiline. The
      prescription and use of this medication for patients with persistent neuropathic
      pain is relatively common, especially for patients with DMD. Normally, this
      medication is well tolerated, however, we now report the occurrence of an
      induction or intensification of a restless leg syndrome case in a young patient
      with DMD, treated with amytriptiline for his chronic pain. 

PMID- 26483925
TI  - A boy infant with sleep related rhythmic movement disorder showing arm banging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To present a male patient who performed arm banging on his face during
      sleep every night since 7 months of age. METHODS: Clinical course of this patient
      with electroencephalographic recording with video recording at 23 months of age
      was shown. RESULTS: His arm banging began at the age of 7 months and showed no
      complete remission at the age of 57 months of age, although clonazepam revealed
      mild effects on its intensity and frequency. DISCUSSION: We diagnosed him as
      having arm banging type of sleep related rhythmic movement disorder. To our
      knowledge, no precise description on this type of sleep related rhythmic movement
      disorder has been found. In addition, this patient seemed to be the youngest case
      of sleep related rhythmic movement disorder showing arm banging.

PMID- 26483926
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26483927
TI  - Excessive daytime somnolence and cardiovascular health: A population-based study
      in rural Ecuador.
AB  - In a population-based study conducted in rural Ecuador, 635 stroke-free persons
      aged >=40 years were interviewed with the Epworth sleepiness scale and screened
      to assess their cardiovascular health (CVH) status. Excessive daytime somnolence
      was present in 22% persons and a poor CVH status in 69%. In a generalized linear
      model after adjusting for age and sex, excessive daytime somnolence was not
      associated with a poor CVH status or with any of the individual metrics in the
      poor range. Excessive daytime somnolence may not be linked to cardiovascular risk
      factors at the rural level. 

PMID- 26483928
TI  - The relationship between self-reported sleep quality and reading comprehension
      skills.
AB  - Inadequate sleep undermines many cognitive functions, including memory,
      concentration, and attention, which are vital in everyday activities. We
      hypothesized that poor quality or shorter sleep length may impair reading-related
      skills, resources, and outcomes, specifically verbal working memory span, verbal
      efficiency, and reading comprehension. Contrary to the hypotheses, neither short
      sleep length nor self-reported sleep quality were related to reading skills
      performance. However, longer sleep times were significantly related to lower
      verbal efficiency, and participants with the poorest sleep quality fared
      significantly better on the reading comprehension task than participants with
      moderate sleep quality. Given the paucity of research examining sleep and reading
      specifically, as well as these surprising data, more research in this area is
      warranted. 

PMID- 26483929
TI  - Validation of a three-dimensional model about sleep: Habits, personal factors and
      environmental factors.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The present study aims to test the factor structure of two sleep
      questionnaires and their internal consistency in a sample of adolescents and
      their respective parents and to evaluate the validity and robustness of a three
      dimensional model about sleep, addressing nine subcategories related to sleep
      habits, personal and environmental factors. METHODS: Participants were 654
      adolescents from Portuguese schools, who completed "My Sleep and I"
      questionnaire, and 664 parents who completed "My child's sleep" questionnaire; to
      them confirmatory factor analysis was applied. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor
      analysis indicate that a nine-factor model has better fit indices compared with
      the others tested models for both samples (adolescents: chi (2)/df (Chi
      square/degrees of freedom)=2.59, Comparative Fit Index (CFI)=.82, Goodness-of-Fit
      Index (GFI)=.92, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA)=.049, Expected
      Cross-Validation Index (ECVI)=1.416; Parents: chi (2)/df=2.89, CFI=.85, GFI=.91,
      RMSEA=.053, ECVI=1.528). Moreover, the comparison of the models through Deltachi
      (2) index (chi-square difference between rival models) indicates a better fit for
      this model, Deltachi (2) (24)=186.5, p<.001 for adolescents and Deltachi (2)
      (24)=209, p<.001 for parents. Also, the three second-order factors have good
      internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity for all factors in
      both samples. CONCLUSIONS: Results postulate that the three factors and their
      nine subcategories account for correlations between sleep habits, self
      perceptions and knowledge about sleep.

PMID- 26483930
TI  - The effects of long-term dopaminergic treatment on locomotor behavior in rats.
AB  - Long-term treatments with dopaminergic agents are associated with adverse
      effects, including augmentation. Augmentation consists of an exacerbation of
      restless legs syndrome (a sleep-related movement disorder) symptoms during
      treatment compared to those experienced during the period before therapy was
      initiated. The objective of this study was to examine locomotor activity in rats
      after long-term dopaminergic treatment and its relationship with expression of
      the D2 receptor, in addition to demonstrating possible evidence of augmentation.
      The rats were divided into control (CTRL) and drug (Pramipexole-PPX) groups that
      received daily saline vehicle and PPX treatments, respectively, for 71 days. The
      locomotor behavior of the animals was evaluated weekly in the Open Field test for
      71 days. The expression of the dopamine D2 receptor was evaluated by Western Blot
      analysis. The animals that received the PPX demonstrated a significant reduction
      in locomotor activity from day 1 to day 57 and a significant increase in
      immobility time from day 1 to day 64 relative to baseline values, but these
      values had returned to baseline levels at 71 days. No changes in the expression
      of the D2 receptor were demonstrated after treatment with a dopaminergic agonist.
      This study suggests changes in locomotor activity in rats after long-term PPX
      treatment that include an immediate reduction of locomotion and an increase in
      immobilization, and after 64 days, these values returned to baseline levels
      without evidence of augmentation. In addition, it was not possible to demonstrate
      a relationship between locomotor activity and the expression of D2 receptors
      under these conditions. 

PMID- 26483931
TI  - Environmental noise and sleep disturbances: A threat to health?
AB  - Environmental noise, especially that caused by transportation means, is viewed as
      a significant cause of sleep disturbances. Poor sleep causes endocrine and
      metabolic measurable perturbations and is associated with a number of
      cardiometabolic, psychiatric and social negative outcomes both in adults and
      children. Nocturnal environmental noise also provokes measurable biological
      changes in the form of a stress response, and clearly affects sleep architecture,
      as well as subjective sleep quality. These sleep perturbations are similar in
      their nature to those observed in endogenous sleep disorders. Apart from these
      measurable effects and the subjective feeling of disturbed sleep, people who
      struggle with nocturnal environmental noise often also suffer the next day from
      daytime sleepiness and tiredness, annoyance, mood changes as well as decreased
      well-being and cognitive performance. But there is also emerging evidence that
      these short-term effects of environmental noise, particularly when the exposure
      is nocturnal, may be followed by long-term adverse cardiometabolic outcomes.
      Nocturnal environmental noise may be the most worrying form of noise pollution in
      terms of its health consequences because of its synergistic direct and indirect
      (through sleep disturbances acting as a mediator) influence on biological
      systems. Duration and quality of sleep should thus be regarded as risk factors or
      markers significantly influenced by the environment and possibly amenable to
      modification through both education and counseling as well as through measures of
      public health. One of the means that should be proposed is avoidance at all costs
      of sleep disruptions caused by environmental noise. 

PMID- 26483932
TI  - The effects of sleep loss on capacity and effort.
AB  - Sleep loss appears to affect the capacity for performance and access to energetic
      resources. This paper reviews research examining the physical substrates referred
      to as resource capacity, the role of sleep in protecting that capacity and the
      reaction of the system as it attempts to respond with effort to overcome the
      limitations on capacity caused by sleep loss. Effort is the extent to which an
      organism will exert itself beyond basic levels of functioning or attempt
      alternative strategies to maintain performance. The purpose of this review is to
      bring together research across sleep disciplines to clarify the substrates that
      constitute and influence capacity for performance, consider how the loss of sleep
      influences access to those resources, examine cortical, physiological,
      perceptual, behavioral and subjective effort responses and consider how these
      responses reflect a system reacting to changes in the resource environment. When
      sleep deprived, the ability to perform tasks that require additional energy is
      impaired and the ability of the system to overcome the deficiencies caused by
      sleep loss is limited. Taking on tasks that require effort including school work,
      meal preparation, pulling off the road to nap when driving drowsy appear to be
      more challenging during sleep loss. Sleep loss impacts the effort-related choices
      we make and those choices may influence our health and safety. 

PMID- 26483933
TI  - Model of oronasal rehabilitation in children with obstructive sleep apnea
      syndrome undergoing rapid maxillary expansion: Research review.
AB  - Rapid maxillary expansion (RME) is a widely used practice in orthodontics.
      Scientific evidence shows that RME can be helpful in modifying the breathing
      pattern in mouth-breathing patients. In order to promote the restoration of
      physiological breathing we have developed a rehabilitation program associated
      with RME in children. The aim of the study was a literature review and a model of
      orofacial rehabilitation in children with obstructive sleep apnea undergoing
      treatment with rapid maxillary expansion. Muscular training (local exercises and
      general ones) is the key factor of the program. It also includes hygienic and
      behavior instructions as well as other therapeutic procedures such as
      rhinosinusal washes, a postural re-education (Alexander technique) and, if
      necessary, a pharmacological treatment aimed to improve nasal obstruction. The
      program should be customized for each patient. If RME is supported by an adequate
      functional rehabilitation, the possibility to change the breathing pattern is
      considerably amplified. Awareness, motivation and collaboration of the child and
      their parents, as well as the cooperation among specialists, such as
      orthodontist, speech therapist, pediatrician and otolaryngologist, are necessary
      conditions to achieve the goal. 

PMID- 26483934
TI  - Sleep disorders: A review of the interface between restless legs syndrome and
      iron metabolism.
AB  - Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterized by unpleasant sensations mainly in
      the legs. 43% of RLS-associated conditions have also been associated with
      systemic iron deficiency. The objective of this study was to review in the
      literature the relationship between iron metabolism and RLS. With an initial
      search using the keywords combination "Iron Metabolism OR Iron Deficiency AND
      Restless Legs Syndrome," 145 articles were screened, and 20 articles were
      selected. Few studies were found for this review in the period of 2001-2014,
      however, the correlation between RLS and iron was evident. 

PMID- 26483935
TI  - FLASS, A new awakening: For the dissemination of clinical and basic sleep science
      in Latin America.

PMID- 26483936
TI  - Re-examining sleep's effect on motor skills: How to access performance on the
      finger tapping task?
AB  - Here our goal was to determine the magnitude of sleep-related motor skill
      enhancement. Performance on the finger tapping task (FTT) was evaluated after a
      90 min daytime nap (n=15) or after quiet wakefulness (n=15). By introducing a
      slight modification in the formula used to calculate the offline gains we were
      able to refine the estimated magnitude of sleep's effect on motor skills. The raw
      value of improvement after a nap decreased after this correction (from ~15% to
      ~5%), but remained significantly higher than the control. These results suggest
      that sleep does indeed play a role in motor skill consolidation. 

PMID- 26483937
TI  - The validity of Actiwatch2 and SenseWear armband compared against polysomnography
      at different ambient temperature conditions.
AB  - There were no validation studies on portable sleep devices under different
      ambient temperature, thus this study evaluated the validity of wrist Actiwatch2
      (AW2) or SenseWear armband (SWA) against polysomnography (PSG) in different
      ambient temperatures. Nine healthy young participants (6 males, aged 23.3+/-4.1
      y) underwent nine nights of study at ambient temperature of 17  degrees C, 22 
      degrees C and 29  degrees C in random order, after an adaptation night. They wore
      the AW2 and SWA while being monitored for PSG simultaneously. A linear mixed
      model indicated that AW2 is valid for sleep onset latency (SOL), total sleep time
      (TST) and sleep efficiency (SE) but significantly overestimated wake after sleep
      onset (WASO) at 17  degrees C and 22  degrees C. SWA is valid for WASO, TST and
      SE at these temperatures, but severely underestimates SOL. However, at 29 
      degrees C, SWA significantly overestimated WASO and underestimated TST and SE.
      Bland-Altman plots showed small biases with acceptable limits of agreement (LoA)
      for AW2 whereas, small biases and relatively wider LoA for most sleep variables
      were observed in SWA. The kappa statistic showed a moderate sleep-wake epoch
      agreement, with a high sensitivity but poor specificity; wake detection remains
      suboptimal. AW2 showed small biases for most of sleep variables at all
      temperature conditions, except for WASO. SWA is reliable for measures of TST,
      WASO and SE at 17-22  degrees C but not at 29  degrees C, and SOL approximates
      that of PSG only at 29  degrees C, thus caution is needed when monitoring sleep
      at different temperatures, especially in home sleep studies, in which temperature
      conditions are more variable. 

PMID- 26483938
TI  - Principal component analysis of the EEG spectrum can provide yes-or-no criteria
      for demarcation of boundaries between NREM sleep stages.
AB  - Human sleep begins in stage 1 and progresses into stages 2 and 3 of Non-Rapid-Eye
      Movement (NREM) sleep. These stages were defined using several arbitrarily
      defined thresholds for subdivision of albeit continuous process of sleep
      deepening. Since recent studies indicate that stage 3 (slow wave sleep) has
      unique vital functions, more accurate measurement of this stage duration and
      continuity might be required for both research and practical purposes. However,
      the true neurophysiological boundary between stages 2 and 3 remains unknown. In a
      search for non-arbitrary threshold criteria for distinguishing the boundaries
      between NREM sleep stages, scores on the principal components of the
      electroencephalographic (EEG) spectrum were analyzed in relation to stage onsets.
      Eighteen young men made 12-20-minute attempts to nap during 24-hour wakefulness.
      Single-minute intervals of the nap EEG records were assigned relative to the
      minute of onsets of polysomnographically determined stages 1, 2, and 3. The
      analysis of within-nap time courses of principal components scores revealed that,
      unlike any conventional spectral EEG index, score on the 4th principal component
      exhibited a rather rapid rise on the boundary between stages 2 and 3. This was
      mostly a change from negative to positive score. Therefore, it might serve as yes
      or-no criterion of stage 3 onset. Additionally, similarly rapid changes in sign
      of scores were exhibited by the 1st and 2nd principal components on the boundary
      of stages 2 and 1 and on the boundary between stage 1 and wakefulness,
      respectively. 

PMID- 26483939
TI  - Beyond mean values: Quantifying intraindividual variability in pre-sleep arousal
      and sleep in younger and older community-dwelling adults.
AB  - Intraindividual variability is an often understudied aspect of health outcomes
      research that may provide additional, complementary information to average
      values. The current paper aims to further our understanding of intraindividual
      variability in health research by presenting the results of a daily diary study
      of sleep and pre-sleep arousal. Pre-sleep arousal is often implicated in poor
      sleep outcomes, although the arousal-sleep association is not uniform across age
      groups. The examination of intraindividual variability in different age groups
      may provide a more complete understanding of these constructs, which, in turn,
      can inform future research. The overall objectives of the current study are to
      quantify the amount of intraindividual variability in pre-sleep arousal and sleep
      and to examine age differences in this variability. A sample of older (n=50) and
      younger (n=50) adults recruited from North Central Florida and online completed
      14-consecutive-day diaries assessing pre-sleep arousal and sleep outcomes.
      Significant age differences were found for sleep and pre-sleep arousal; older
      adults displayed poorer, more variable sleep for the majority of sleep outcomes,
      and higher levels of pre-sleep arousal than younger adults. The high amount of
      intraindividual variability has implications for the assessment of pre-sleep
      arousal and sleep across age groups. 

PMID- 26483940
TI  - Clinical factors associated with extreme sleep apnoea [AHI>100 events per hour]
      in Peruvian patients: A case-control study-A preliminary report.
AB  - PURPOSE: The severity of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) ranges from mild or
      moderate to severe sleep apnoea. However, there is no information available on
      the clinical characteristics associated with cases involving more than 100 events
      per hour. This is a preliminary report and our goal was to characterise the
      demographics and sleep characteristics of patients with Extreme OSA and compare
      with patients with sleep apnoea of lesser severity. We hypothesised that patients
      with Extreme OSA (AHI>100) is associated with an increased comorbidities and/or
      risk factors. METHODS: We carried out a case-control study on male patients with
      OSA who were seen in a private hospital in Lima, Peru between 2006 and 2012.
      Cases were identified if their apnoea/hypopnea index (AHI) was higher than 100
      (Extreme OSA), and four controls were selected per case: two with 15-29 AHI and
      two with 30-50 AHI, matched according to case diagnosis dates. We evaluated
      demographic, past medical history, and oxygen saturation variables. RESULTS: We
      identified 19 cases that were matched with 54 controls. In the multivariate
      model, only arterial hypertension, neck circumference, age, and over 10% in
      SatO2Hb<=90% in total sleep time (T90) were associated with Extreme OSA. Arterial
      hypertension had an OR=6.31 (CI95%: 1.71-23.23) of Extreme OSA. Each 5-cm
      increment in neck circumference was associated with an increase of OR=4.34
      (CI95%: 1.32-14.33), while T90>10% had an OR=19.68 (CI95%: 4.33-89.49). Age had a
      marginal relevance (OR=0.95; CI95%: 0.92-0.99). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest
      that arterial hypertension, neck circumference, and over 10% SatO2Hb<=90% in
      total sleep time were associated with a higher probability of Extreme OSA. We
      recommend investigators to study this population of Extreme OSA looking for an
      early diagnosis and the identification of prognostic factors in comparison with
      moderate to severe levels.

PMID- 26483941
TI  - Sleep disturbances and mild cognitive impairment: A review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Mild cognitive impaired (MCI) is viewed as a transitional stage from
      normal to dementia. The aim of this study is analyze the sleep disturbances in
      subjects diagnosed as carries MCI. METHODS: A review of the literature was
      conducted in order to document sleeps problems in the context of MCI. RESULTS:
      Among the studies that compares the prevalence of sleep disturbances between
      subjects with MCI and those with normal cognition demonstrated that night time
      behaviors are more common in MCI patients (18.3-45.5%) than in normal population
      (10.9-23.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Sleep disturbance is prevalent and predictive of
      cognitive decline in older people and in those with neurodegenerative disorders.
      The sleep problems have to be identified and treat to preserve the cognition and
      the MCI subjects with sleep disturbances have to be follow more closely to
      identify the initial signs of dementia.

PMID- 26483942
TI  - Treatment of upper airway resistance syndrome in adults: Where do we stand?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the available literature regarding Upper Airway Resistance
      Syndrome (UARS) treatment. METHODS: Keywords "Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome,"
      "Sleep-related Breathing Disorder treatment," "Obstructive Sleep Apnea treatment"
      and "flow limitation and sleep" were used in main databases. RESULTS: We found 27
      articles describing UARS treatment. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure
      (CPAP) has been the mainstay therapy prescribed but with limited effectiveness.
      Studies about surgical treatments had methodological limitations. Oral appliances
      seem to be effective but their efficacy is not yet established. CONCLUSION:
      Randomized controlled trials with larger numbers of patients and long-term follow
      up are important to establish UARS treatment options.

PMID- 26483943
TI  - Infancy narcolepsy: Streptococcus infection as a causal factor.
AB  - Streptococcal infections are suggested as a risk factor for narcolepsy. This
      hypothesis is supported by the presence of anti-streptolysin antibodies in 65% of
      patients with narcolepsy. These infections are associated with the activation of
      general immunity and concomitant increased permeability of blood-brain barrier
      after T cell activation during inflammation and fever. It has also been shown a
      significant association between birth order and narcolepsy in genetically
      susceptible patients, with positivity for HLA-DQB1*0602 allele. Watson and
      colleagues showed a significant association between birth order and narcolepsy in
      genetically susceptible patients, with positivity for HLA-DQB1*0602 allele. In
      that study, the disease was predominant in young children cases compared to
      controls. We report here the case of a child diagnosed with narcolepsy with
      cataplexy, positivity for the HLA-DQB1*0602 and previous history of streptococcal
      infection. 

PMID- 26483944
TI  - Mysteries of pedunculopontine nucleus physiology: Towards a deeper understanding
      of arousal and neuropsychiatric disorders.

PMID- 26483945
TI  - Misleading sleep-diagnostic results in a patient with variable nasal airflow
      obstruction.

PMID- 26483946
TI  - Urinary proteomic profiling in severe obesity and obstructive sleep apnoea with
      CPAP treatment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is common in obesity and is
      associated with cardiovascular and metabolic complications. Continuous positive
      airway pressure (CPAP) in OSA may lead to physiological changes reflected in the
      urinary proteome. The aim of this study was to characterise the urinary proteome
      in severely obese adult subjects with OSA who were receiving CPAP compared with
      severely obese subjects without OSA. METHODS: Severely obese subjects with and
      without OSA were recruited. Subjects with OSA were receiving CPAP. Body
      composition and blood pressure measurements were recorded. Urinary samples were
      analysed by Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry (CE-MS). RESULTS: Twenty
      seven subjects with OSA-on-CPAP (age 49+/-7years, BMI 43+/-7 kg/m(2)) and 25
      controls without OSA (age 52+/-9years, BMI 39+/-4 kg/m(2)) were studied. Age and
      BMI were not significantly different between groups. Mean CPAP use for OSA
      patients was 14.5+/-1.0 months. Metabolic syndrome was present in 14(52%) of
      those with OSA compared with 6(24%) of controls (p=0.039). A urinary proteome
      comprising 15 peptides was identified showing differential expression between the
      groups (p<0.01). Although correction for multiple testing did not reach
      significance, sequences were determined for 8 peptides demonstrating origins from
      collagens, fibrinogen beta chain and T-cadherin that may be associated with
      underlying cardiovascular disease mechanisms in OSA. CONCLUSIONS: The urinary
      proteome is compared in OSA with CPAP and without OSA in severe obesity. The
      effects of CPAP on OSA may lead to changes in the urinary peptides but further
      research work is needed to investigate the potential role for urinary proteomics
      in characterising urinary peptide profiles in OSA.

PMID- 26483947
TI  - Effects of sleep reduction on the phonological and visuospatial components of
      working memory.
AB  - Sleep reduction impairs the performance of many tasks, so it may affect a basic
      cognitive process, such as working memory, crucial for the execution of a broad
      range of activities. Working memory has two storage components: a phonological
      and a visuospatial component. The objective of this study was to analyze the
      effects of sleep reduction for 5 days on the storage components of working
      memory. Thirteen undergraduate students (18.77+/-2.20 years of age), 5 men and 8
      women, responded two N-Back tasks (auditory and visual), with three sections each
      (0-Back, 1-Back, and 2-Back). These tasks were performed at 13:00 h under the
      following conditions: before sleep reduction (control; C); on the first (SR1),
      fourth (SR4), and fifth (SR5) days of sleep reduction (4 h of sleep per night);
      and one day after they slept freely (recovery, R). Sleep reduction produced a
      decrement in accuracy on the auditory 2-Back section the fifth day of sleep
      reduction (C=87.86+/-13.35%; SR5=74.76+/-16.37%; F=14.57, p<0.01). In the visual
      2-Back section accuracy decreased (C=88.10+/-9.95%; SR1=82.45+/-11.57%;
      SR5=77.76+/-14.14%; F=10.80, p<0.05), and reaction time increased (C=810.02+/
      173.96 ms; SR1=913.51+/-172.25 ms; SR5=874.78+/-172.27 ms; F=10.80, p<0.05) on
      the first and fifth day of sleep reduction. In conclusion, five days of sleep
      reduction produces a decrease in the phonological and visuospatial storage
      components of working memory, which may interfere with processing verbal
      information and solving problems that require spatial analysis. 

PMID- 26483948
TI  - Relationship between perceived sleep and polysomnography in older adult patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Aging is a multifactorial process that elicits changes in
      the duration and quality of sleep. Polysomnography is considered to be the
      standard examination for the analysis of sleep and consists of the simultaneous
      recording of selected physiological variables during sleep. OBJECTIVE: The
      objective of this study was to use polysomnography to compare sleep reported by
      senior citizens. METHODS: We selected 40 patients, both male and female, with
      ages ranging from 64 to 89 years from the Center for the Study of Aging at the
      Federal University of Sao Paulo. Patients answered questions about sleep on the
      Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and underwent polysomnography. RESULTS: The
      results were compared, and agreement between perceived sleep and polysomnography
      was found in several areas. There was an association between difficulty sleeping
      and sleep onset latency (p=0.015), waking up at night with sleep onset latency
      (p=0.005), total sleep time with daytime sleepiness (0.005) and snoring (0.027),
      sleep efficiency with sleepiness (0.004), snoring (0.033) and pause in breathing
      (p=0.024), awakenings with snoring (p=0.012) and sleep apnea with pauses in
      breathing (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the older adult
      population have a good perception of their sleep. The questionnaires aimed at
      this population should be used as an alternative to polysomnography.

PMID- 26483949
TI  - Pedunculopontine arousal system physiology-Implications for schizophrenia.
AB  - Schizophrenia is characterized by major sleep/wake disturbances including
      increased vigilance and arousal, decreased slow wave sleep, and increased REM
      sleep drive. Other arousal-related symptoms include sensory gating deficits as
      exemplified by decreased habituation of the blink reflex. There is also
      dysregulation of gamma band activity, suggestive of disturbances in a host of
      arousal-related mechanisms. This review examines the role of the reticular
      activating system, especially the pedunculopontine nucleus, in the symptoms of
      the disease. Recent discoveries on the physiology of the pedunculopontine nucleus
      help explain many of these disorders of arousal in, and point to novel
      therapeutic avenues for, schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26483951
TI  - Recurrent hypersomnia: Report of medication-responsive cases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recurrent hypersomnia (RH) is a rare disorder without established
      treatment. METHODS: We report 2 RH medication-responsive cases with typical
      characteristics of Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS). CASE-REPORTS: A 10 y.o. girl and
      a 14 y.o. boy presented with sudden sleepiness for 3-9 days (every 2-3 weeks).
      Physical examination, brain images and blood tests were normal. Polysomnographic
      findings were heterogenous, including disrupted sleep architecture. MSLTs
      revealed 2-3 SOREMPs and short sleep latency. Carbamazepine rendered girl's sleep
      normalization, while risperidone normalized boy's sleep cycles. CONCLUSIONS:
      Facing the absence of clinical trials in RH, reports of responsive cases are the
      available therapeutic evidence.

PMID- 26483950
TI  - Pedunculopontine arousal system physiology - Implications for insomnia.
AB  - We consider insomnia a disorder of waking rather than a disorder of sleep. This
      review examines the role of the reticular activating system, especially the
      pedunculopontine nucleus, in the symptoms of insomnia, mainly representing an
      overactive waking drive. We determined that high frequency activity during waking
      and REM sleep is controlled by two different intracellular pathways and channel
      types in PPN cells. We found three different PPN cell types that have one or both
      channels and may be active during waking only, REM sleep only, or both. These
      discoveries point to a specific mechanism and novel therapeutic avenues for
      insomnia. 

PMID- 26483952
TI  - Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea with mandibular advancement appliance over
      prostheses: A case report.
AB  - Treatment with a mandibular advancement device (MAD) is recommended for mild
      obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), primary snoring and as a secondary option for
      Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, because it has better adherence and
      acceptance. However, edentulous patients do not have supports to hold the MAD.
      This study aimed to present a possible to OSA treatment with MAD in over complete
      upper and partial lower dentures. The patient, a 38-year-old female with mild
      OSA, was treated with a MAD. The respiratory parameter, such as apnea-hypopnea
      index, arousal index and oxyhemoglobin saturation was improved after treatment. 

PMID- 26483954
TI  - Regulatory withdrawal of medicines marketed with uncertain benefits: the
      bevacizumab case study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Withdrawal of conditional regulatory approval or subsidization of new
      medicines when subsequent evidence does not confirm early trial results may not
      be well understood or accepted by the public. OBJECTIVES: We present a case study
      of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s decision to withdraw the
      indication of bevacizumab for the treatment of advanced breast cancer and include
      an analysis of the reactions of stakeholders with a view to identifying
      opportunities for improving risk management for new medicines with conditional
      approval or funding. METHODS: We drew on a range of information sources,
      including FDA documents, medical journals and media reports, to describe the
      evidentiary basis of the FDA decisions. We analysed the reactions and
      perspectives of the stakeholders. RESULTS: In 2008 bevacizumab was granted
      conditional approval for treatment of advanced breast cancer by the FDA pending
      submission of supplementary satisfactory evidence. In 2011 the FDA decision to
      withdraw the indication was met with a hostile reaction from many clinicians and
      cancer survivors. There were different interpretations of the therapeutic value
      of bevacizumab with strong beliefs among cancer survivors that the medicine was
      effective and potential harm was manageable. High expectations of the public may
      have been encouraged by overly positive media reports and limited understanding
      by the public of the complexity of the scientific evaluation of new medicines and
      of the regulatory processes. CONCLUSIONS: Improving understanding and acceptance
      of approval or coverage schemes conditional to evidence development may require
      the development of risk management plans by regulatory and funding institutions.
      They may include a range of strategies such as requirements for formal patient
      acknowledgment of the conditional availability of the medicine, 'black-triangle'
      equivalent labels that identify full approval is based on pending evidence, and
      ongoing communication with the media, public and health professionals.

PMID- 26483955
TI  - Biodegradation kinetics and interactions of styrene and ethylbenzene as single
      and dual substrates for a mixed bacterial culture.
AB  - This study examined biodegradation kinetics of styrene and ethylbenzene as
      representatives of alkenylbenzenes and mono-alkylbenzenes, respectively. The
      compounds were studied independently and as binary mixtures using a series of
      aerobic batch degradation experiments introduced by acclimatized mix culture.
      Initial concentration of styrene and ethylbenzene in the liquid phase vacillated
      from 0 to 220 mg/l. The Andrew model was applied for the biodegradation of
      individual substrates and the estimated constants of the equation for styrene and
      ethylbenzene were MUmax = 0.1581, 0.2090 (1/h), KS =25.91, 37.77 (mg/L), KI
      =13.15, 62.62 (mg/L), respectively. The accomplished parameters from single
      substrate degradation tests were used to predict possible interaction factors
      achieved from dual substrate experiments. The Sum Kinetics with Interaction
      Parameters (SKIP) model and the purely competitive enzyme kinetics model were
      employed to evaluate any interactions. The SKIP model was found to accurately
      describe these interactions. Moreover, it was revealed that ethylbenzene plays an
      influential role on styrene consumption (e.g. IE,S = 1.64) compared to styrene
      which has insignificant inhibitory effect on ethylbenzene usage (e.g. IS,E =0.4)
      . The active site differences for styrene and ethylbenzene biodegradation and the
      pathway variations for biodegradation are among the major potential reasons for
      failure of the estimation that occurred in purely competitive kinetics model.
      This study is the first to calculate the interactions between styrene and
      ethylbenzene. 

PMID- 26483956
TI  - Regulatory Elements in Vectors for Efficient Generation of Cell Lines Producing
      Target Proteins.
AB  - To date, there has been an increasing number of drugs produced in mammalian cell
      cultures. In order to enhance the expression level and stability of target
      recombinant proteins in cell cultures, various regulatory elements with poorly
      studied mechanisms of action are used. In this review, we summarize and discuss
      the potential mechanisms of action of such regulatory elements. 

PMID- 26483957
TI  - PARP1 Inhibitors: antitumor drug design.
AB  - The poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) enzyme is one of the promising
      molecular targets for the discovery of antitumor drugs. PARP1 is a common nuclear
      protein (1-2 million molecules per cell) serving as a "sensor" for DNA strand
      breaks. Increased PARP1 expression is sometimes observed in melanomas, breast
      cancer, lung cancer, and other neoplastic diseases. The PARP1 expression level is
      a prognostic indicator and is associated with a poor survival prognosis. There is
      evidence that high PARP1 expression and treatment-resistance of tumors are
      correlated. PARP1 inhibitors are promising antitumor agents, since they act as
      chemo- and radiosensitizers in the conventional therapy of malignant tumors.
      Furthermore, PARP1 inhibitors can be used as independent, effective drugs against
      tumors with broken DNA repair mechanisms. Currently, third-generation PARP1
      inhibitors are being developed, many of which are undergoing Phase II clinical
      trials. In this review, we focus on the properties and features of the PARP1
      inhibitors identified in preclinical and clinical trials. We also describe some
      problems associated with the application of PARP1 inhibitors. The possibility of
      developing new PARP1 inhibitors aimed at DNA binding and transcriptional activity
      rather than the catalytic domain of the protein is discussed. 

PMID- 26483953
TI  - Beneficial biological effects and the underlying mechanisms of molecular hydrogen
      - comprehensive review of 321 original articles.
AB  - Therapeutic effects of molecular hydrogen for a wide range of disease models and
      human diseases have been investigated since 2007. A total of 321 original
      articles have been published from 2007 to June 2015. Most studies have been
      conducted in Japan, China, and the USA. About three-quarters of the articles show
      the effects in mice and rats. The number of clinical trials is increasing every
      year. In most diseases, the effect of hydrogen has been reported with hydrogen
      water or hydrogen gas, which was followed by confirmation of the effect with
      hydrogen-rich saline. Hydrogen water is mostly given ad libitum. Hydrogen gas of
      less than 4 % is given by inhalation. The effects have been reported in
      essentially all organs covering 31 disease categories that can be subdivided into
      166 disease models, human diseases, treatment-associated pathologies, and
      pathophysiological conditions of plants with a predominance of oxidative stress
      mediated diseases and inflammatory diseases. Specific extinctions of hydroxyl
      radical and peroxynitrite were initially presented, but the radical-scavenging
      effect of hydrogen cannot be held solely accountable for its drastic effects. We
      and others have shown that the effects can be mediated by modulating activities
      and expressions of various molecules such as Lyn, ERK, p38, JNK, ASK1, Akt, GTP
      Rac1, iNOS, Nox1, NF-kappaB p65, IkappaBalpha, STAT3, NFATc1, c-Fos, and ghrelin.
      Master regulator(s) that drive these modifications, however, remain to be
      elucidated and are currently being extensively investigated. 

PMID- 26483958
TI  - Injured Nerve Regeneration using Cell-Based Therapies: Current Challenges.
AB  - This paper reviews the recent research progress in the past several years on
      promoting peripheral nerve recovery using stem and progenitory cells. The
      emphasis is placed on studies aimed at assessing various stem cells capable of
      expressing neurotrophic and growth factors and surviving after implantation in
      the nerve or a conduit. Approaches to improving nerve conduit design are
      summarized. The contribution of stem cells to axonal regeneration and neural
      repair is discussed. The side effects associated with cell-based treatment are
      highlighted. From the studies reviewed, it is concluded that the fate of
      transplanted stem cells needs further elucidation in a microenvironment-dependent
      manner. 

PMID- 26483960
TI  - Additivity of the Stabilization Effect of Single Amino Acid Substitutions in
      Triple Mutants of Recombinant Formate Dehydrogenase from the Soybean Glycine max.
AB  - Recently, we demonstrated that the amino acid substitutions Ala267Met and
      Ala267Met/Ile272Val (Alekseeva et al., Biochemistry, 2012), Phe290Asp, Phe290Asn
      and Phe290Ser (Alekseeva et al., Prot. Eng. Des. Select, 2012) in recombinant
      formate dehydrogenase from soya Glycine max (SoyFDH) lead to a significant (up to
      30-100 times) increase in the thermal stability of the enzyme. The substitutions
      Phe290Asp, Phe290Asn and Phe290Ser were introduced into double mutant SoyFDH
      Ala267Met/Ile272Val by site-directed mutagenesis. Combinations of three
      substitutions did not lead to a noticeable change in the catalytic properties of
      the mutant enzymes. The stability of the resultant triple mutants was studied
      through thermal inactivation kinetics and differential scanning calorimetry. The
      thermal stability of the new mutant SoyFDHs was shown to be much higher than that
      of their precursors. The stability of the best mutant SoyFDH
      Ala267Met/Ile272Val/Phe290Asp turned out to be comparable to that of the most
      stable wild-type formate dehydrogenases from other sources. The results obtained
      with both methods indicate a great synergistic contribution of individual amino
      acid substitutions to the common stabilization effect. 

PMID- 26483959
TI  - Extracellular Nucleic Acids in Urine: Sources, Structure, Diagnostic Potential.
AB  - Cell-free nucleic acids (cfNA) may reach the urine through cell necrosis or
      apoptosis, active secretion of nucleic acids by healthy and tumor cells of the
      urinary tract, and transport of circulating nucleic acids (cir- NA) from the
      blood into primary urine. Even though urinary DNA and RNA are fragmented, they
      can be used to detect marker sequences. MicroRNAs are also of interest as
      diagnostic probes. The stability of cfNA in the urine is determined by their
      structure and packaging into supramolecular complexes and by nuclease activity in
      the urine. This review summarizes current data on the sources of urinary cfNA,
      their structural features, diagnostic potential and factors affecting their
      stability. 

PMID- 26483961
TI  - Structural and Functional Characterization of Recombinant Isoforms of the Lentil
      Lipid Transfer Protein.
AB  - The recombinant isoforms Lc-LTP1 and Lc-LTP3 of the lentil lipid transfer protein
      were overexpressed in E. coli cells. It was confirmed that both proteins are
      stabilized by four disulfide bonds and characterized by a high proportion of the
      alpha-helical structure. It was found that Lc-LTP1 and Lc-LTP3 possess
      antimicrobial activity and can bind fatty acids. Both isoforms have the ability
      to bind specific IgE from sera of patients with food allergies, which recognize
      similar epitopes of the major peach allergen Pru p 3. Both isoforms were shown to
      have immunological properties similar to those of other plant allergenic LTPs,
      but Lc-LTP3 displayed a less pronounced immunoreactivity. 

PMID- 26483962
TI  - The Use of Transcription Terminators to Generate Transgenic Lines of Chinese
      Hamster Ovary Cells (CHO) with Stable and High Level of Reporter Gene Expression.
AB  - Mammalian cell lines are widely used to produce recombinant proteins. Stable
      transgenic cell lines usually contain many insertions of the expression vector in
      one genomic region. Transcription through transgene can be one of the reasons for
      target gene repression after prolonged cultivation of cell lines. In the present
      work, we used the known transcription terminators from the SV40 virus, as well as
      the human beta- and gamma-globin genes, to prevent transcription through
      transgene. The transcription terminators were shown to increase and stabilize the
      expression of the EGFP reporter gene in transgenic lines of Chinese hamster ovary
      (CHO) cells. Hence, transcription terminators can be used to create stable
      mammalian cells with a high and stable level of recombinant protein production. 

PMID- 26483963
TI  - The Same Synaptic Vesicles Originate Synchronous and Asynchronous Transmitter
      Release.
AB  - Transmitter release and synaptic vesicle exo- and endocytosis during high
      frequency stimulation (20 pulses/s) in the extracellular presence of different
      bivalent cations (Ca(2+), Sr2+ or Ba2+) were studied in frog cutaneous pectoris
      nerve-muscle preparations. It was shown in electrophysiological experiments that
      almost only synchronous transmitter release was registered in a Ca(2+)-containing
      solution; a high intensity of both synchronous and asynchronous transmitter
      release was registered in a Sr2+-containing solution, and asynchronous
      transmitter release almost only was observed in a Ba2+-containing solution. It
      was shown in experiments with a FM 1-43 fluorescent dye that the synaptic
      vesicles that undergo exocytosis-endocytosis during synchronous transmitter
      release (Ca-solutions) are able to participate in asynchronous exocytosis in Ba
      solutions. The vesicles that had participated in the asynchronous transmitter
      release (Ba-solutions) could subsequently participate in a synchronous release
      (Ca-solutions). It was shown in experiments with isolated staining of recycling
      and reserve synaptic vesicle pools that both types of evoked transmitter release
      originate from the same synaptic vesicle pool. 

PMID- 26483964
TI  - Genomic Study of Cardiovascular Continuum Comorbidity.
AB  - Comorbidity or a combination of several diseases in the same individual is a
      common and widely investigated phenomenon. However, the genetic background for
      non-random disease combinations is not fully understood. Modern technologies and
      approaches to genomic data analysis enable the investigation of the genetic
      profile of patients burdened with several diseases (polypathia, disease
      conglomerates) and its comparison with the profiles of patients with single
      diseases. An association study featuring three groups of patients with various
      combinations of cardiovascular disorders and a control group of relatively
      healthy individuals was conducted. Patients were selected as follows: presence of
      only one disease, ischemic heart disease (IHD); a combination of two diseases,
      IHD and arterial hypertension (AH); and a combination of several diseases,
      including IHD, AH, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and hypercholesterolemia
      (HC). Genotyping was performed using the "My Gene" genomic service (www.i
      gene.ru). An analysis of 1,400 polymorphic genetic variants and their
      associations with the studied phenotypes are presented. A total of 14 polymorphic
      variants were associated with the phenotype "IHD only," including those in the
      APOB, CD226, NKX2-5, TLR2, DPP6, KLRB1, VDR, SCARB1, NEDD4L, and SREBF2 genes,
      and intragenic variants rs12487066, rs7807268, rs10896449, and rs944289. A total
      of 13 genetic markers were associated with the "IHD and AH" phenotype, including
      variants in the BTNL2, EGFR, CNTNAP2, SCARB1, and HNF1A genes, and intragenic
      polymorphisms rs801114, rs10499194, rs13207033, rs2398162, rs6501455, and
      rs1160312. A total of 14 genetic variants were associated with a combination of
      several diseases of cardiovascular continuum (CVC), including those in the
      TAS2R38, SEZ6L, APOA2, KLF7, CETP, ITGA4, RAD54B, LDLR, and MTAP genes, along
      with intragenic variants rs1333048, rs1333049, and rs6501455. One common genetic
      marker was identified for the "IHD only" and "IHD and AH" phenotypes: rs4765623
      in the SCARB1 gene; two common genetic markers, rs663048 in SEZ6L and intragenic
      rs6501455, were identified for the "IHD and AH" phenotype and a combination of
      several diseases (syntropy); there were no common genetic markers for the
      "syntropy" and "IHD only" phenotypes. Classificatory analysis of the
      relationships between the associated genes and metabolic pathways revealed that
      lipid-metabolizing genes are involved in the development of all three CVC
      variants, whereas immunity-response genes are specific to the "IHD only"
      phenotype. The study demonstrated that comorbidity presents additional challenges
      in association studies of disease predisposition, since the genetic profile of
      combined forms of pathology can be markedly different from those for isolated
      "single" forms of a disease. 

PMID- 26483965
TI  - Regulation of Human Adenovirus Replication by RNA Interference.
AB  - Adenoviruses cause a wide variety of human infectious diseases. Adenoviral
      conjunctivitis and epidemic keratoconjunctivitis are commonly associated with
      human species D adenoviruses. Currently, there is no sufficient or appropriate
      treatment to counteract these adenovirus infections. Thus, there is an urgent
      need for new etiology-directed therapies with selective activity against human
      adenoviruses. To address this problem, the adenoviral early genes E1A and E2B
      (viral DNA polymerase) seem to be promising targets. Here, we propose an
      effective approach to downregulate the replication of human species D
      adenoviruses by means of RNA interference. We generated E1A expressing model cell
      lines enabling fast evaluation of the RNA interference potential. Small
      interfering RNAs complementary to the E1A mRNA sequences of human species D
      adenoviruses mediate significant suppression of the E1A expression in model
      cells. Furthermore, we observed a strong downregulation of replication of human
      adenoviruses type D8 and D37 by small hairpin RNAs complementary to the E1A or
      E2B mRNA sequences in primary human limbal cells. We believe that our results
      will contribute to the development of efficient anti-adenoviral therapy. 

PMID- 26483966
TI  - The Novel Dipeptide Translocator Protein Ligand, Referred to As GD-23, Exerts
      Anxiolytic and Nootropic Activities.
AB  - The translocator protein (TSPO) promotes the translocation of cholesterol to the
      inner mitochondrial membrane and mediates steroid formation. In this study, we
      first report on a biological evaluation of the dipeptide GD-23 (N-carbobenzoxy-L
      tryptophanyl-L isoleucine amide), a structural analogue of Alpidem, the principal
      TSPO ligand. We show that GD-23 in a dose range of 0.05 to 0.5 mg/kg (i.p.)
      exhibits anxiolytic activity in the elevated plus maze test and nootropic
      activity in the object recognition test in scopolamine-induced amnesia in
      rodents. It was shown that GD-23 did not affect spontaneous locomotor activity,
      holding promise as a nonsedative anxiolytic agent. The anxiolytic and nootropic
      activities of GD-23 were abrogated by the TSPO specific ligand PK11195, which
      thus suggests a role for TSPO in mediating the pharmacological activity of GD-23.

PMID- 26483967
TI  - 5-Arylaminouracil Derivatives as Potential Dual-Action Agents.
AB  - Several 5-aminouracil derivatives that have previously been shown to inhibit
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth at concentrations of 5-40 MUg/mL are
      demonstrated to act also as noncompetitive non-nucleoside inhibitors of HIV-1
      reverse transcriptase without causing toxicity in vitro (MT-4 cells) and ex vivo
      (human tonsillar tissue). 

PMID- 26483968
TI  - Clonal rearrangements and Malignant Clones in Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma.
AB  - AIM: To assess the feasibility and informative value of T-cell clonality testing
      in peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Biopsies of involved
      sites, blood, and bone marrow samples from 30 PTCL patients are included in the
      study. Rearranged TCRG and TCRB gene fragments were PCR-amplified according to
      the BIOMED-2 protocol and analyzed by capillary electrophoresis on ABI PRISM 3130
      (Applied Biosystems). RESULTS: TCRG and TCRB gene clonality assay was valuable in
      confirming diagnosis in 97% of PTCL patients. T-cell clonality assay performed on
      blood or bone marrow samples reaffirmed lymphoma in 93% of cases, whereas
      morphological methods were informative in 73% of cases only. We observed multiple
      TCRG and TCRB gene rearrangements, loss of certain clones in the course of the
      disease, as well as acquisition of new clones in 63% of PTCL cases, which can be
      attributed to the genetic instability of the tumor. CONCLUSION: TCRG and TCRB
      gene clonality assay is beneficial for the diagnosis of PTCL. However, the
      presence of multiple clonal rearrangements should be considered. Clonal evolution
      in PTCL, particularly acquisition of new clones, should not be treated as a
      second tumor. Multiple TCRG and TCRB gene rearrangements may interfere with
      minimal residual disease monitoring in PTCL.

PMID- 26483969
TI  - Internalization and Recycling of the HER2 Receptor on Human Breast Adenocarcinoma
      Cells Treated with Targeted Phototoxic Protein DARPinminiSOG.
AB  - Design and evaluation of new high-affinity protein compounds that can selectively
      and efficiently destroy human cancer cells are a priority research area in
      biomedicine. In this study we report on the ability of the recombinant phototoxic
      protein DARPin-miniSOG to interact with breast adenacarcinoma human cells
      overexpressing the extracellular domain of human epidermal growth factor receptor
      2 (HER2). It was found that the targeted phototoxin DARPin-miniSOG specifically
      binds to the HER2 with following internalization and slow recycling back to the
      cell membrane. An insight into the role of DARPin-miniSOG in HER2 internalization
      could contribute to the treatment of HER2-positive cancer using this phototoxic
      protein. 

PMID- 26483970
TI  - Apigenin Inhibits Growth of Breast Cancer Cells: The Role of ERalpha and
      HER2/neu.
AB  - Phytoestrogens are a group of plant-derived compounds with an estrogen-like
      activity. In mammalians, phytoestrogens bind to the estrogen receptor (ER) and
      participate in the regulation of cell growth and gene transcription. There are
      several reports of the cytotoxic effects of phytoestrogens in different cancer
      cell lines. The aim of this study was to measure the phytoestrogen activity
      against breast cancer cells with different levels of ER expression and to
      elucidate the molecular pathways regulated by the leader compound. Methods used
      in the study include immunoblotting, transfection with a luciferase reporter
      vector, and a MTT test. We demonstrated the absence of a significant difference
      between ER+ and ER- breast cancer cell lines in their response to cytotoxic
      stimuli: treatment with high doses of phytoestrogens (apigenin, genistein,
      quercetin, naringenin) had the same efficiency in ER-positive and ER-negative
      cells. Incubation of breast cancer cells with apigenin revealed the highest
      cytotoxicity of this compound; on the contrary, naringenin treatment resulted in
      a low cytotoxic activity. It was shown that high doses of apigenin (50 MUM) do
      not display estrogen-like activity and can suppress ER activation by 17beta
      estradiol. Cultivation of HER2-positive breast cancer SKBR3 cells in the presence
      of apigenin resulted in a decrease in HER2/neu expression, accompanied by
      cleavage of an apoptosis substrate PARP. Therefore, the cytotoxic effects of
      phytoestrogens are not associated with the steroid receptors of breast cancer
      cells. Apigenin was found to be the most effective phytoestrogen that strongly
      inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells, including HER2-positive ones. 

PMID- 26483971
TI  - Lack of Association between Toxocara Exposure and Suicide Attempts in Psychiatric
      Patients.
AB  - Infection with Toxocara may affect the central nervous system. A high
      seroprevalence of Toxocara infection has been reported in psychiatric patients.
      To the best of our knowledge, there is no previous report about an association of
      Toxocara infection with suicide attempts. Therefore, we sought to determine
      whether Toxocara exposure is associated with suicide attempts in psychiatric
      patients. We studied 282 psychiatric outpatients (156 with suicide attempts and
      126 without suicide attempts). Sera of patients were analyzed for the presence of
      anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies by using a commercially available enzyme
      immunoassay. One of the 156 (0.6%) suicide attempters and 1 (0.8%) of the 126
      controls were positive for anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.04
      13.02; P = 1.00). Toxocara seropositivity was significantly higher (P = 0.01) in
      male patients with consumption of raw dried goat meat than male patients without
      this consumption. Results suggest that Toxocara exposure is not associated with
      suicide attempts in psychiatric outpatients in Durango City, Mexico. However,
      further studies with larger samples sizes to confirm our results should be
      conducted. Too few patients were seropositive to assess further associations of
      Toxocara exposure with sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics
      of the psychiatric patients. 

PMID- 26483972
TI  - Posterior Corneal Surface Stability after Femtosecond Laser-Assisted
      Keratomileusis.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate posterior corneal surface variation
      after femtosecond laser-assisted keratomileusis in patients with myopia and
      myopic astigmatism. Patients were evaluated by corneal tomography preoperatively
      and at 1, 6, and 12 months. We analyzed changes in the posterior corneal
      curvature, posterior corneal elevation, and anterior chamber depth. Moreover, we
      explored correlation between corneal ablation depth, residual corneal thickness,
      percentage of ablated corneal tissue, and preoperative corneal thickness. During
      follow-up, the posterior corneal surface did not have a significant forward
      corneal shift: no significant linear relationships emerged between the anterior
      displacement of the posterior corneal surface and corneal ablation depth,
      residual corneal thickness, or percentage of ablated corneal tissue. 

PMID- 26483973
TI  - A Comparison of Different Operating Systems for Femtosecond Lasers in Cataract
      Surgery.
AB  - The introduction of femtosecond lasers is potentially a major shift in the way we
      approach cataract surgery. The development of increasingly sophisticated
      intraocular lenses (IOLs), coupled with heightened patient expectation of high
      quality postsurgical visual outcomes, has generated the need for a more precise,
      highly reproducible and standardized method to carry out cataract operations. As
      femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) becomes more commonplace in
      surgical centers, further evaluation of the potential risks and benefits needs to
      be established, particularly in the medium/long term effects. Healthcare
      administrators will also have to weigh and balance out the financial costs of
      these lasers relative to the advantages they put forth. In this review, we
      provide an operational overview of three of five femtosecond laser platforms that
      are currently commercially available: the Catalys (USA), the Victus (USA), and
      the LDV Z8 (Switzerland). 

PMID- 26483974
TI  - Excimer versus Femtosecond Laser Assisted Penetrating Keratoplasty in Keratoconus
      and Fuchs Dystrophy: Intraoperative Pitfalls.
AB  - Purpose. To assess the intraoperative results comparing two non-mechanical laser
      assisted penetrating keratoplasty approaches in keratoconus and Fuchs dystrophy.
      Patients and Methods. 68 patients (age 18 to 87 years) with keratoconus or Fuchs
      dystrophy were randomly distributed to 4 groups. 35 eyes with keratoconus and 33
      eyes with Fuchs dystrophy were treated with either excimer laser ([Exc] groups I
      and II) or femtosecond laser-assisted ([FLAK] groups III and IV) penetrating
      keratoplasty. Main intraoperative outcome measures included intraoperative
      decentration, need for additional interrupted sutures, alignment of orientation
      markers, and intraocular positive pressure (vis a tergo). Results. Intraoperative
      recipient decentration occurred in 4 eyes of groups III/IV but in none of groups
      I/II. Additional interrupted sutures were not necessary in groups I/II but in 5
      eyes of groups III/IV. Orientation markers were all aligned in groups I/II but
      were partly misaligned in 8 eyes of groups III/IV. Intraocular positive pressure
      grade was recognized in 12 eyes of groups I/II and in 19 eyes of groups III/IV.
      In particular, in group III, severe vis a tergo occurred in 8 eyes. Conclusions.
      Intraoperative decentration, misalignment of the donor in the recipient bed, and
      need for additional interrupted sutures as well as high percentage of severe
      intraocular positive pressure were predominantly present in the femtosecond laser
      in keratoconus eyes. 

PMID- 26483975
TI  - The Correlation Analysis between Corneal Biomechanical Properties and the
      Surgically Induced Corneal High-Order Aberrations after Small Incision Lenticule
      Extraction and Femtosecond Laser In Situ Keratomileusis.
AB  - Background. To investigate the correlation between corneal biomechanics and the
      surgically induced corneal high-order aberrations (HOAs) after small incision
      lenticule extraction (SMILE) and femtosecond laser in situ keratomileusis (FS
      LASIK). Methods. A total of 150 right myopic eyes that underwent SMILE or FS
      LASIK surgery were included in this retrospective study, 75 eyes in each group.
      The corneal hysteresis (CH) and the corneal resistance factor (CRF) with the
      corneal HOAs of the anterior, posterior, and total cornea were assessed
      preoperatively and three months postoperatively. Multivariate linear regression
      was applied to determine the correlations. Results. The preoperative CRF was
      significantly correlated with the induced 3rd-6th-order HOAs and spherical
      aberration of the anterior surface and the total cornea after SMILE and FS-LASIK
      surgeries (P < 0.05), postoperatively. The CRF was significantly correlated with
      the induced vertical coma of the anterior and posterior surfaces and the total
      cornea after SMILE surgery (P < 0.05). There was a significant correlation
      between the CRF and the induced posterior corneal horizontal coma after FS-LASIK
      surgery (P = 0.013). Conclusions. The corneal biomechanics affect the surgically
      induced corneal HOAs after SMILE and FS-LASIK surgery, which may be meaningful
      for screening the patients preoperatively and optimizing the visual qualities
      postoperatively. 

PMID- 26483976
TI  - The Association between Patient-Reported Pain and Doctors' Language Proficiency
      in Clinical Practice.
AB  - Patients' limited literacy and language fluency of different kinds cause them
      problems in navigating the medical interview. However, it is not known how
      physicians' native language skills affect the reported intensity of pain among
      Finnish emergency patients. Data were collected with two consecutive
      questionnaires in 16 healthcare centres and outpatient departments along the
      Finnish coast. Swedish and Finnish speaking 18-65-year-old emergency patients
      were eligible for this study. Our patients were predominantly Finnish speakers.
      Patient-rated poor language skills in Finnish among the physicians in ED setting
      increased statistically significantly pain reported by the Finnish speaking
      patients and their dissatisfaction with the health service. These patients were
      also less motivated to adhere to the instructions given by their physician.
      Patients speaking various languages reported less degree of pain. Foreign
      physicians' poor language proficiency in Finnish was expected to explain only
      some of the patients' pain experience. Physicians' good native language skills
      may help to reduce pain experience. Despite concordant language communication,
      other unknown barriers in the interaction might reduce the magnitude of pain
      reported. 

PMID- 26483977
TI  - Corrigendum to "Development of a Tool to Identify Poverty in a Family Practice
      Setting: A Pilot Study".
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2011/812182.]. 

PMID- 26483979
TI  - Periodic Breathing and Behavioral Awakenings at High Altitude.
AB  - Objectives. To study the relationship between nocturnal periodic breathing
      episodes and behavioral awakenings at high altitude. Methods. Observational
      study. It is 6-day ascent of 4 healthy subjects from Besisahar (760 meters) to
      Manang (3540 meters) in Nepal in March 2012. A recording pulse oximeter was worn
      by each subject to measure their oxygen saturation and the presence of periodic
      breathing continuously through the night. An actigraph was simultaneously worn in
      order to determine nocturnal behavioral awakenings. There were no interventions.
      Results. 187-hour sleep at high altitude was analyzed, and of this, 145 hours
      (78%) had at least one PB event. At high altitude, 10.5% (95% CI 6.5-14.6%) of
      total sleep time was spent in PB while 15 out of 50 awakenings (30%, 95% CI: 18
      45%) occurring at high altitudes were associated with PB (P < 0.001).
      Conclusions. Our data reveals a higher than expected number of behavioral
      awakenings associated with PB compared to what would be expected by chance. This
      suggests that PB likely plays a role in behavioral awakenings at high altitude. 

PMID- 26483980
TI  - The Angle of Progression at Station 0 and in Magnetic Resonance and Transperineal
      Ultrasound Assessment.
AB  - The transperineal ultrasound (TPU) value of the angle of progression (AOP) during
      fetal head engagement, at station 0, is a critical cut-off for current
      obstetrical practice, especially when intrapartum instrumental interventions are
      required. Still, controversial measurements were reported in previous high
      resolution imagistic studies. Our TPU and direct "gold-standard" magnetic
      resonance (MRI) measurements confirm that station 0 corresponds to a 120 degrees 
      AOP, concordantly. Based on these findings, the fact that an AOP of 120 degrees 
      or greater was previously strongly associated with vaginal delivery may be due to
      the achievement of head engagement in labor. 

PMID- 26483978
TI  - Neuroimaging of Natalizumab Complications in Multiple Sclerosis: PML and Other
      Associated Entities.
AB  - Natalizumab (Tysabri) is a monoclonal antibody (alpha4 integrin antagonist)
      approved for treatment of multiple sclerosis, both for patients who fail therapy
      with other disease modifying agents and for patients with aggressive disease.
      Natalizumab is highly effective, resulting in significant decreases in rates of
      both relapse and disability accumulation, as well as marked decrease in MRI
      evidence of disease activity. As such, utilization of natalizumab is increasing,
      and the presentation of its associated complications is increasing accordingly.
      This review focuses on the clinical and neuroimaging features of the major
      complications associated with natalizumab therapy, focusing on the rare but
      devastating progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Associated entities
      including PML associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (PML-IRIS)
      and the emerging phenomenon of rebound of MS disease activity after natalizumab
      discontinuation are also discussed. Early recognition of neuroimaging features
      associated with these processes is critical in order to facilitate prompt
      diagnosis, treatment, and/or modification of therapies to improve patient
      outcomes. 

PMID- 26483981
TI  - Preterm Delivery in the Setting of Left Calyceal Rupture.
AB  - Spontaneous rupture of the renal collecting system is a rare but serious
      complication of pregnancy. We report a case of nontraumatic left renal calyceal
      rupture in a pregnancy which ultimately progressed to preterm delivery. A 29-year
      old primigravida with a remote history of urolithiasis presented with left flank
      pain, suprapubic pain, and signs of preterm labor at 33 weeks of gestation. The
      patient was believed to have urolithiasis, although initial renal ultrasound
      failed to demonstrate definitive calculi. After a temporary improvement in flank
      pain with medication, the patient experienced acute worsening of her left flank
      pain. Urology was consulted and further imaging was obtained. Magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) was consistent with bilateral hydronephrosis and rupture of the
      left renal calyx. Given the patient's worsening pain in the setting of left
      calyceal rupture, the urology team planned for placement of a left ureteral
      stent. However, before the patient could receive her stent, she progressed to
      active labor and delivered a viable female infant vaginally. Following delivery,
      the patient's flank pain resolved rapidly and spontaneously, so no surgical
      intervention was performed. A summary of the literature and the details of this
      specific clinical situation are provided. 

PMID- 26483982
TI  - Sporadic Multifocal Venous Malformations of the Head and Neck.
AB  - Objective. To report a case of unusually widespread sporadic venous malformations
      of the head and neck associated with normal D-dimer levels and, due to the
      protean clinical manifestations and increased risk of coagulopathy of these
      lesions, to review their diagnosis and clinical management. Case Report. A 25
      year-old man presented with a one-year history of intermittent right-sided neck
      swelling and tongue swelling. Physical exam revealed additional lesions present
      throughout the head and neck. There was no family history suggestive of heritable
      vascular malformations. Radiographic imaging demonstrated 15 lesions located in
      various tissue layers consistent with venous malformations. A coagulation screen
      showed a normal prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time,
      international normalized ratio, D-dimer level, and fibrinogen level. It was
      determined that the patient was not at increased risk for intraoperative
      coagulopathy and preoperative heparin administration would not be necessary. The
      patient's buccal and tongue lesions were subsequently excised with no
      complications. The patient also underwent sclerotherapy evaluation for his neck
      mass. Conclusion. This case describes a unique presentation of sporadic
      multifocal venous malformations. It also emphasizes the importance of prompt
      diagnosis and workup when multiple venous malformations are present to prevent
      morbidity during surgical excision secondary to intravascular coagulopathy. 

PMID- 26483983
TI  - Eumycetoma Osteomyelitis of the Calcaneus in a Child: A Radiologic-Pathologic
      Correlation following Total Calcanectomy.
AB  - Fungi are unusual causes of pedal osteomyelitis in children and adolescents.
      Eumycetoma is a chronic cutaneous and subcutaneous infection caused by various
      genera of fungi. A provisional diagnosis of foot mycetoma is made after clinical
      assessment. Radiologic-pathologic correlation is an essential supplement for the
      accurate diagnosis of osteoarticular infections. This paper aims to sensitize
      orthopedic surgeons, radiologists, and pathologists to the importance of
      correlative imaging findings in relation to surgical and microscopic pathology in
      osteoarticular infections, specifically eumycetoma osteomyelitis of the foot.
      From our review of the published data, the present case is the first report of
      radiologic-pathologic correlation in eumycetoma osteomyelitis of the calcaneus.
      This paper describes a case of eumycetoma osteomyelitis of the calcaneus in a
      child in which diagnostic X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were
      correlated with the surgical and microscopic pathologic features, for
      establishing an appropriate diagnosis and treatment. We conclude that there is a
      significant agreement between radiologic and pathologic evaluation for assessment
      of eumycetoma osteomyelitis of the calcaneus. Radiologic-pathologic correlation
      amplified our interpretation of imaging information available on plain
      radiographs and MRI and augmented diagnostic confidence. Similarly, anatomic
      histopathological correlations consolidated diagnostic accuracy. 

PMID- 26483984
TI  - Comorbidity of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Schizophrenia in an Adolescent.
AB  - We report a case of a girl with a history of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
      subsequently exhibiting psychosis. She never attained remission since the outset.
      Initially she seemed to be resistant to most antipsychotics, namely, risperidone,
      haloperidol, paliperidone, quetiapine, and clozapine. However, she later
      responded remarkably better to risperidone after it was reintroduced for the
      second time. Recognizing and understanding the various pathogenesis of OCD or
      obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) in schizophrenia are vital in laying out plan
      to manage the patient effectively. 

PMID- 26483985
TI  - Testicular Interposition Flap for Repair of Perineal Urinary Fistulae: A Novel
      Surgical Technique.
AB  - Rectourinary fistulae and urinary-cutaneous fistulae are a rare yet devastating
      complication. Current options for tissue interposition include rectus, gracilis,
      or gluteal muscle, omentum, or intestine for use in coloanal pull-through
      procedures. In elderly patients, testicular interposition flaps may be an
      excellent tissue option to use when vitalized tissue is necessary to supplement
      fistula repair. Elderly patients frequently have increased spermatic cord length,
      potentially offering a longer flap reach than use of a muscle flap. Additionally,
      mobilizing one of the testicles and developing it through the external inguinal
      ring may be a less morbid and less costly procedure than harvesting and tunneling
      a muscle flap. Longer follow-up and further studies are needed to determine the
      outcomes of this novel technique. 

PMID- 26483986
TI  - Improving Consumer Satisfaction with Addiction Treatment: An Analysis of Alumni
      Preferences.
AB  - Objective. The primary objective of this investigation is to determine which
      individual and aggregate factors of residential addiction treatment centers are
      most significant influencers of alumni satisfaction. Design. Survey targeted
      alumni of residential addiction treatment facilities. Alumni were queried through
      a survey, which utilized Likert-scale matrices and binary response options: 379
      respondents met the completion threshold. Alumni rated amenities and individual
      and group counseling factors; additionally, respondents provided feedback on two
      satisfaction proxies: cost worthiness and future recommendations. Descriptive and
      relational analyses were conducted, with the latter utilizing logistic regression
      models. Results. Individual factors' scores of group counseling, and overall
      aggregate group counseling score, are most enthusiastically positive. Group
      counseling is also the most significant influencer of satisfaction. Other
      significant influencers of satisfaction are met expectations for individual
      counseling and psychiatric care offerings. Conclusions. While individual
      counseling and facility amenities should not be ignored, group counseling may be
      the most significant influencer of alumni satisfaction. Long-term outcomes are
      not single-faceted; however, treatment providers should be encouraged to invest
      in high-quality group counseling offerings in order to best satisfy, and thereby
      empower, clients. 

PMID- 26483987
TI  - Human Papilloma Virus Associated Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck.
AB  - Oral cancer is one of the commonest causes for mortality and morbidity with
      squamous cell carcinoma being the sixth most frequent malignant tumour worldwide.
      In addition to tobacco and alcohol, human papilloma virus (HPV) is associated
      with a proportion of head and neck cancers. As in cervical cancers, HPV types 16
      and 18 are the cause of malignant transformation. HPV-positive cancers of head
      and neck have unique characteristics such as occurrence in a younger age group,
      distinct clinical and molecular features, and better prognosis as compared to HPV
      negative carcinomas. They also possess the potential for prevention by using
      vaccination. The present review describes in detail the salient features of HPV
      associated oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), its differences from HPV-negative
      OSCC, diagnostic features, and recent strategies in prevention and management. 

PMID- 26483988
TI  - Potential Biomarkers of the Earliest Clinical Stages of Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is a widespread neurodegenerative disorder. Despite the
      intensive studies of this pathology, in general, the picture of the
      etiopathogenesis has still not been clarified fully. To understand better the
      mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of PD, we analyzed the expression of 10
      genes in the peripheral blood of treated and untreated patients with PD. 35
      untreated patients with PD and 12 treated patients with Parkinson's disease
      (Hoehn and Yahr scores 1-2) were studied. An analysis of the mRNA levels of
      ATP13A2, PARK2, PARK7, PINK1, LRRK2, SNCA, ALDH1A1, PDHB, PPARGC1A, and ZNF746
      genes in the peripheral blood of patients was carried out using reverse
      transcription followed by real-time PCR. A statistically significant and specific
      increase by more than 1.5-fold in the expression of the ATP13A2, PARK7, and
      ZNF746 genes was observed in patients with PD. Based on these results, it can be
      suggested that the upregulation of the mRNA levels of ATP13A2, PARK7, and ZNF746
      in untreated patients in the earliest clinical stages can also be observed in the
      preclinical stages of PD, and that these genes can be considered as potential
      biomarkers of the preclinical stage of PD. 

PMID- 26483989
TI  - Febrile Illness with Skin Rashes.
AB  - Skin rashes that appear during febrile illnesses are in fact caused by various
      infectious diseases. Since infectious exanthematous diseases range from mild
      infections that disappear naturally to severe infectious diseases, focus on and
      basic knowledge of these diseases is very important. But, these include non
      infectious diseases, so that comprehensive knowledge of these other diseases is
      required. Usually, early diagnostic testing for a febrile illness with a rash is
      inefficient. For clinical diagnosis of diseases accompanied by skin rash and
      fever, a complete history must be taken, including recent travel, contact with
      animals, medications, and exposure to forests and other natural environments. In
      addition, time of onset of symptoms and the characteristics of the rash itself
      (morphology, location, distribution) could be helpful in the clinical diagnosis.
      It is also critical to understand the patient's history of specific underlying
      diseases. However, diagnostic basic tests could be helpful in diagnosis if they
      are repeated and the clinical course is monitored. Generally, skin rashes are
      nonspecific and self-limited. Therefore, it could be clinically meaningful as a
      characteristic diagnostic finding in a very small subset of specific diseases. 

PMID- 26483990
TI  - Detection of Carbapenemases in Clinical Enterobacteriaceae Isolates Using the
      VITEK AST-N202 Card.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rapid and accurate detection of carbapenemase-producing
      Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in clinical microbiology laboratories is essential for
      the treatment and control of infections caused by these microorganisms. This
      study was performed to evaluate the ability of the VITEK AST-N202 card to detect
      CPE isolates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 43 (Klebsiella pneumoniae, n =
      37; Escherichia coli, n = 3; and Enterobacter cloacae, n = 3) CPE isolates and 79
      carbapenemase-non-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CNE) isolates were included in
      this study. The CPE isolates harbored KPC-2 (n = 11), KPC-3 (n = 20), GES-5 (n =
      5), VIM-2 (n = 2), IMP-1 (n = 1), NDM-1 (n = 2), or OXA-232 (n = 2). Of the 79
      CNE isolates, eight K. pneumoniae isolates were resistant to ertapenem, imipenem,
      and meropenem, while the remaining 71 isolates were susceptible to the
      carbapenems. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were tested using the VITEK AST-N202
      card, and the results were interpreted as positive when the isolates showed
      resistant or intermediate results. Modified-Hodge tests (MHTs) were performed
      using ertapenem or meropenem disks for the screening of carbapenemase production.
      Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing were used to identify beta
      lactamase genes. RESULTS: Sensitivity of MHT with ertapenem and meropenem disks
      for the detection of carbapenemase was 81.4% (35/43) and 81.4% (35/43),
      respectively, and a combination with both antibiotic disks increased the
      sensitivity to 88.4% (38/43). Specificity of the MHT was 100% (79/79) for the CNE
      isolates. Sensitivity of ertapenem, imipenem, and meropenem as assessed by the
      VITEK AST-N202 card was 100% (43/43), 93% (40/43), and 95.3% (41/43),
      respectively. Specificity (89.8%, 71/79) of the test with each carbapenem was
      improved to 100% (71/71) when eight carbapenem-resistant CNE isolates were
      excluded from the testing. CONCLUSION: The VITEK AST-N202 card showed high
      sensitivity for the detection of carbapenemases in Enterobacteriaceae strains.
      PCR and sequencing experiments for the detection of carbapenemases are
      recommended when clinical Enterobacteriaceae isolates show non-susceptibility to
      carbapenems.

PMID- 26483992
TI  - Human Anaplasmosis in Acute Febrile Patients during Scrub Typhus Season in Korea.

PMID- 26483991
TI  - In vitro Antibacterial Activity of Doripenem against Gram-Negative Blood Isolates
      in a Korean Tertiary Care Center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Doripenem is the most recently introduced antimicrobial agent of the
      carbapenem class. It is a valuable therapeutic option in the context of
      increasing antimicrobial resistance to imipenem and meropenem among gram-negative
      bacilli (GNB) clinical isolates. However, clinicians are usually reluctant to
      prescribe doripenem, because susceptibility to doripenem is not automatically
      reported by most clinical laboratories and the in vitro activity of doripenem
      against clinically significant GNB isolates remains uncertain. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We investigated the in vitro antibacterial activity of doripenem in GNB
      blood isolates in a tertiary care center. Over a period of 10 months, 212 adult
      bacteremia cases were treated at the study hospital. Doripenem susceptibility
      testing was performed for the 212 blood isolates by the disk diffusion method,
      and clinical data were collected. RESULTS: Among the blood isolates, the rate of
      doripenem resistance (7.5%) was lower than that of imipenem (12.9%) or other anti
      GNB antimicrobial agents, except amikacin (2.1%). Almost all imipenem-susceptible
      GNB blood isolates (181/182, 99.5%) were susceptible to doripenem. Whereas
      doripenem resistance was rarely observed in Enterobacteriaceae (2/181, 1.1%), it
      was frequently observed in patients with non-fermentatative GNB (12/27, 44.4%),
      hospital-acquired infections (7/27, 25.9%), and pneumonia (11/49, 22.4%).
      CONCLUSION: Doripenem exhibited more potent in vitro activity against GNB blood
      isolates than other anti-GNB antimicrobial agents in a tertiary care center where
      it was infrequently prescribed compared with other carbapenems. However, its
      clinical utility may be limited due to the increasing number of carbapenem
      resistant non-fermentative GNB infections.

PMID- 26483993
TI  - A Case of Recurrent Meningitis Caused by Rhodococcus species Successfully Treated
      with Antibiotic Treatment and Intrathecal Injection of Vancomycin through an
      Ommaya Reservoir.
AB  - Human infection by Rhodococcus species is rare and mostly limited to
      immunocompromised hosts such as patients infected with the human immunodeficiency
      virus (HIV) or organ transplant recipients. The most common strain is R. equi,
      and the most common clinical presentation is pulmonary infection, reported in 80%
      of Rhodococcus spp. infections. The central nervous system is an uncommon
      infection site. We report a case of a patient with pneumonia, brain abscess, and
      recurrent meningitis caused by Rhodococcus spp. He initially presented with
      pneumonia with necrosis, which progressed to brain abscess and recurrent
      meningitis. Rhodococcus spp. was identified from the cerobrospinal fluid (CSF)
      collected during his fourth hospital admission. Despite prolonged treatment with
      appropriate antibiotics, meningitis recurred three times. Finally, in order to
      administer antibiotics directly into the CSF and bypass the blood-brain barrier,
      an Ommaya reservoir was inserted for administration of 90 days of intrathecal
      vancomycin and amikacin in conjunction with intravenous and oral antibiotics; the
      patient was finally cured with this treatment regimen. 

PMID- 26483994
TI  - FDG PET-CT in the Diagnosis of Takayasu Arteritis Presenting as Fever of Unknown
      Origin: A Case Report.
AB  - Takayasu arteritis is a chronic vasculitis involving the large vessels. At
      diagnosis, ischemic symptom are usually present in the affected vessels. However,
      fever of unknown origin (FUO) is rare as an initial presentation and renders the
      condition difficult to diagnose. In this case report, we describe a patient who
      presented with a fever of unknown origin. A 68-year-old female was diagnosed with
      Takayasu arteritis after fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron-emission tomography
      computed tomography (PET-CT) was performed at the prepulseless stage. FDG PET-CT
      can assist in the early diagnosis of Takayasu arteritis patients with FUO and can
      improve the prognosis of such patients. 

PMID- 26483995
TI  - Infectious Spondylitis with Bacteremia Caused by Roseomonas mucosa in an
      Immunocompetent Patient.
AB  - Roseomonas are a gram-negative bacteria species that have been isolated from
      environmental sources. Human Roseomonas infections typically occur in
      immunocompromised patients, most commonly as catheter-related bloodstream
      infections. However, Roseomonas infections are rarely reported in immunocompetent
      hosts. We report what we believe to be the first case in Korea of infectious
      spondylitis with bacteremia due to Roseomonas mucosa in an immunocompetent
      patient who had undergone vertebroplasty for compression fractures of his
      thoracic and lumbar spine. 

PMID- 26483996
TI  - Pertussis Accompanying Recent Mycoplasma Infection in a 10-Year-Old Girl.
AB  - Recently, the incidence of pertussis has been increasing; however, reports on
      mixed infection of pertussis with other respiratory pathogens are rare in highly
      immunized populations. We report the case of a 10-year-old girl who presented
      with cough, post-tussive emesis, and fever. She was subsequently diagnosed with
      bronchopneumonia. Although she had received five doses of diphtheria-tetanus
      acellular pertussis vaccine, polymerase chain reaction of her nasopharyngeal
      aspirate confirmed Bordetella pertussis infection. In addition, serologic testing
      for Mycoplasma pneumoniae was also positive. The patient was treated with
      roxithromycin without any complications. This is the first report of mixed B.
      pertussis and M. pneumoniae infection in Korea. To avoid under-diagnosis,
      pertussis should be considered in patients with chronic cough even when other
      respiratory pathogens have been documented. 

PMID- 26483997
TI  - Optimal Diagnosis and Treatment of Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis.

PMID- 26483998
TI  - The 2015 Clinical Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of HIV/AIDS in HIV
      Infected Koreans.
AB  - The Committee for Clinical Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of HIV/AIDS
      of the Korean Society for AIDS was founded in 2010. The first edition of the
      Korean guidelines was published in 2011, and revised in 2013. The recommendations
      in the guideline contain important information for physicians working with
      HIV/AIDS in the clinical field. However, due to the rapid discovery of new data
      in the field of HIV and the evolution of the clinical environment in Korea, it
      has become necessary to revise the guideline again. This guideline aims to
      provide up-to-date comprehensive information regarding the diagnosis and
      management of HIV/AIDS in Korea. This guideline deals with issues regarding the
      initial assessment of newly diagnosed patients, timing of antiretroviral
      treatment (ART) initiation, preferred ART regimens in treatment-naive as well as
      treatment-experienced patients and special populations such as HBV/HCV co
      infected patients, or pregnant women. A brief summary of the revised guidelines
      and key changes to the original version of the guidelines are summarized below. 

PMID- 26483999
TI  - Antiviral Treatment Guidelines for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.
AB  - Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is an acute infectious disease of the
      respiratory system caused by the new betacoronavirus (MERS coronavirus, MERS
      CoV), which shows high mortality rates. The typical symptoms of MERS are fever,
      cough, and shortness of breath, and it is often accompanied by pneumonia. The
      MERS-CoV was introduced to Republic of Korea in May 2015 by a patient returning
      from Saudi Arabia. The disease spread mostly through hospital infections, and by
      the time the epidemic ended in August, the total number of confirmed diagnoses
      was 186, among which 36 patients died. Reflecting the latest evidence for
      antiviral drugs in the treatment of MERS-CoV infection and the experiences of
      treating MERS patients in Republic of Korea, these guidelines focus on antiviral
      drugs to achieve effective treatment of MERS-CoV infections. 

PMID- 26484000
TI  - Erratum: Vaccination guideline for Immigrant in Korea by Korean Society of
      Infectious Diseases.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 145 in vol. 47, PMID: 26157598.]. 

PMID- 26484001
TI  - Dysphagia Management in Acute and Sub-acute Stroke.
AB  - Swallowing dysfunction is common after stroke. More than 50% of the 665 thousand
      stroke survivors will experience dysphagia acutely of which approximately 80
      thousand will experience persistent dysphagia at 6 months. The physiologic
      impairments that result in post-stroke dysphagia are varied. This review focuses
      primarily on well-established dysphagia treatments in the context of the
      physiologic impairments they treat. Traditional dysphagia therapies including
      volume and texture modifications, strategies such as chin tuck, head tilt, head
      turn, effortful swallow, supraglottic swallow, super-supraglottic swallow,
      Mendelsohn maneuver and exercises such as the Shaker exercise and Masako (tongue
      hold) maneuver are discussed. Other more recent treatment interventions are
      discussed in the context of the evidence available.

PMID- 26484002
TI  - Corrigendum.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.4161/rdis.26314.]. 

PMID- 26484004
TI  - Percutaneous Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (pTLIF) with a Posterolateral
      Approach for the Treatment of Denegerative Disk Disease: Feasibility and
      Preliminary Results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Interbody fusion by open discectomy is the usual treatment for
      degenerative disk disease but requires a relatively long recovery period. The
      transforaminal posterolateral approach is a well-known standard in endoscopic
      spine surgery that allows direct access to the disk with progressive tissue
      dilation. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of percutaneous
      transforaminal interbody fusion (pTLIF) with insertion of an expandable or a
      standard rigid interbody implant for patients with degenerative disk disease with
      or without spondylolisthesis and for revision surgery. METHODS: Between 2009 and
      2014, the pTLIF procedure was performed in 30 patients. Ten patients underwent
      insertion of a rigid implant (group A) and the remaining 20 underwent insertion
      of an expandable titanium interbody implant as the initial procedure (n = 10)
      (group B) or after failed back surgery (n = 10) (group C). Patient outcomes were
      scored with visual analogic scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI) and
      modified Macnab criteria. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 38 (17) (range
      11 to 67) months. The outcome was excellent in 18, good in 10 and fair in 2. No
      poor results and no major complications were reported. No differences in VAS and
      ODI scores according to the study group were found. Median postoperative time
      until hospital discharge was 26 hours (20 to 68 hours). Postoperative values for
      VAS and ODI scores improved significantly (p<0.05) compared to preoperative data
      in all study groups. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results have shown the
      feasibility and efficacy of the pTLIF procedure using a posterolateral approach
      for the treatment of degenerative disk disease with or without spondylolisthesis
      up to grade 2 and in revision surgery. No significant differences in outcome were
      observed between an expandable and a rigid cage. Median postoperative time until
      hospital discharge was faster compared to standard TLIF (26 hours vs. 9.3 days).

PMID- 26484006
TI  - Placement of C1 Pedicle Screws Using Minimal Exposure: Radiographic, Clinical,
      and Literature Validation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traditional C1-2 fixation involves placement of C1 lateral mass
      screws. Evolving techniques have led to the placement of C1 pedicle screws to
      avoid exposure of the C1-C2 joint capsule. Our minimal dissection technique
      utilizes anatomical landmarks with isolated exposure of C2 and the inferior
      posterior arch of C1. We evaluate this procedure clinically and radiographically
      through a technical report. METHODS: Consecutive cases of cranial-vertebral
      junction surgery were reviewed for one fellowship trained spinal surgeon from
      2008-2014. Information regarding sex, age, indication for surgery, private or
      public hospital, intra-operative complications, post-operative neurological
      deterioration, death, and failure of fusion was extracted. Measurement of pre
      operative axial and sagittal CT scans were performed for C1 pedicle width and C1
      posterior arch height respectively. RESULTS: 64 patients underwent posterior
      cranio-vertebral junction fixation surgery. 40 of these patients underwent
      occipital-cervical fusion procedures. 7/9 (77.8%) C1 instrumentation cases were
      from trauma with the remaining two (22.2%) from oncologic lesions. The average
      blood loss among isolated C1-C2 fixation was 160cc. 1/9 patients (11.1%) suffered
      pedicle breech requiring sub-laminar wiring at the C1 level. On radiographic
      measurement, the average height of the C1 posterior arch was noted at 4.3mm
      (range 3.8mm to 5.7mm). The average width of the C1 pedicle measured at 5.3mm
      (range 2.8 to 8.7mm). The patient with C1 pedicle screw failure had a pedicle
      width of 2.78mm on pre-operative axial CT imaging. CONCLUSION: Our study directly
      adds to the literature with level four evidence supporting a minimal dissection
      of C1 arch in the placement of C1 pedicle screws with both radiographic and
      clinical validation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Justification of this technique avoids
      C2 nerve root manipulation or sacrifice, reduces bleeding associated with the
      venous plexus, and leaves the third segment of the vertebral artery unexplored.
      Pre-operative review of imaging is critical in the placement of C1-C2
      instrumentation.

PMID- 26484005
TI  - A Review of Symptomatic Lumbosacral Transitional Vertebrae: Bertolotti's
      Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LSTV) are increasingly recognized
      as a common anatomical variant associated with altered patterns of degenerative
      spine changes. This review will focus on the clinical significance of LSTV,
      disruptions in normal spine biomechanics, imaging techniques, diagnosis, and
      treatment. METHODS: A Pubmed search using the specific key words "LSTV,"
      "lumbosacral transitional vertebrae," and "Bertolotti's Syndrome" was performed.
      The resulting group of manuscripts from our search was evaluated. RESULTS: LSTV
      are associated with alterations in biomechanics and anatomy of spinal and
      paraspinal structures, which have important implications on surgical approaches
      and techniques. LSTV are often inaccurately detected and classified on standard
      AP radiographs and MRI. The use of whole-spine images as well as geometric
      relationships between the sacrum and lumbar vertebra increase accuracy.
      Uncertainty regarding the cause, clinical significance, and treatment of LSTV
      persists. Some authors suggest an association between LSTV types II and IV and
      low back pain. Pseudoarticulation between the transverse process and the sacrum
      creates a "false joint" susceptible to arthritic changes and osteophyte formation
      potentially leading to nerve root entrapment. The diagnosis of symptomatic LSTV
      is considered with appropriate patient history, imaging studies, and diagnostic
      injections. A positive radionuclide study along with a positive effect from a
      local injection helps distinguish the transitional vertebra as a significant pain
      source. Surgical resection is reserved for a subgroup of LSTV patients who fail
      conservative treatment and whose pain is definitively attributed to the anomalous
      pseudoarticulation. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the common finding of low back pain and
      the wide prevalence of LSTV in the general population, it is essential to
      differentiate between symptoms originating from an anomalous psuedoarticulation
      from other potential sources of low back pain. Further studies with larger sample
      sizes and longer follow-up time would better demonstrate the effectiveness of
      surgical resection and help guide treatment.

PMID- 26484007
TI  - Painless squeaking following cervical disc replacement: A case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We present a case of painless squeaking following cervical disc
      replacement which to our knowledge has not previously been reported in the
      literature. METHODS: A 45 year old gentleman presented with severe right sided C6
      radiculopathy. He complained of more than 6 weeks of severe dysaesthesia in the
      right arm with pain radiating into the hand, thumb, index, middle and ring
      fingers. MRI confirmed severe impingement of C6 and C7 nerve roots. After trying
      a period of conservative treatment he underwent anterior cervical decompression
      with total cervical disc replacement of C5-6 and C6-7. RESULTS: Being a keen
      athlete he started running at 6 months post operatively. At his 12 month
      outpatient he presented us with an audio file containing squeaking from his neck.
      This was recorded immediately following a 9.5 mile hard surface run. The squeak
      got progressively less in intensity over 12 hours and disappeared after 24 hours.
      All instances of squeaking occurred after exercise where impact (running) or
      vibration (cycling) took place. This was first noticed 6 months post operatively
      when he restarted exercising. All episodes were completely painless. At his 18
      month outpatient review the squeaking had reduced in frequency and intensity. At
      his 24 month review it had abated completely. CONCLUSION: The aetiology of this
      painless squeaking has been elusive and is likely to be multifactorial. However
      we hypothesise that the audible squeak associated with the prestige LP disc maybe
      related to specific design characteristics and needs further evaluation.

PMID- 26484008
TI  - Hybrid Surgery Combined with Dynamic Stabilization System and Fusion for the
      Multilevel Degenerative Disease of the Lumbosacral Spine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As motion-preserving technique has been developed, the concept of
      hybrid surgery involves simultaneous application of two different kinds of
      devices, dynamic stabilization system and fusion technique. In the present study,
      the application of hybrid surgery for lumbosacral degenerative disease involving
      two-segments and its long-term outcome were investigated. METHODS: Fifteen
      patients with hybrid surgery (Hybrid group) and 10 patients with two-segment
      fusion (Fusion group) were retrospectively compared. RESULTS: Preoperative grade
      for disc degeneration was not different between the two groups, and the most
      common operated segment had the most degenerated disc grade in both groups; L4-5
      and L5-S1 in the Hybrid group, and L3-4 and L4-5 in Fusion group. Over 48 months
      of follow-up, lumbar lordosis and range of motion (ROM) at the T12-S1 global
      segment were preserved in the Hybrid group, and the segmental ROM at the dynamic
      stabilized segment maintained at final follow-up. The Fusion group had a
      significantly decreased global ROM and a decreased segmental ROM with larger
      angles compared to the Hybrid group. Defining a 2-mm decrease in posterior disc
      height (PDH) as radiologic adjacent segment pathology (ASP), these changes were
      observed in 6 and 7 patients in the Hybrid and Fusion group, respectively.
      However, the last PDH at the above adjacent segment had statistically higher
      value in Hybrid group. Pain score for back and legs was much reduced in both
      groups. Functional outcome measured by Oswestry disability index (ODI), however,
      had better improvement in Hybrid group. CONCLUSION: Hybrid surgery, combined
      dynamic stabilization system and fusion, can be effective surgical treatment for
      multilevel degenerative lumbosacral spinal disease, maintaining lumbar motion and
      delaying disc degeneration.

PMID- 26484003
TI  - Stabilizing versus destabilizing the microtubules: a double-edge sword for an
      effective cancer treatment option?
AB  - Microtubules are dynamic and structural cellular components involved in several
      cell functions, including cell shape, motility, and intracellular trafficking. In
      proliferating cells, they are essential components in the division process
      through the formation of the mitotic spindle. As a result of these functions,
      tubulin and microtubules are targets for anticancer agents. Microtubule-targeting
      agents can be divided into two groups: microtubule-stabilizing, and microtubule
      destabilizing agents. The former bind to the tubulin polymer and stabilize
      microtubules, while the latter bind to the tubulin dimers and destabilize
      microtubules. Alteration of tubulin-microtubule equilibrium determines the
      disruption of the mitotic spindle, halting the cell cycle at the metaphase
      anaphase transition and, eventually, resulting in cell death. Clinical
      application of earlier microtubule inhibitors, however, unfortunately showed
      several limits, such as neurological and bone marrow toxicity and the emergence
      of drug-resistant tumor cells. Here we review several natural and synthetic
      microtubule-targeting agents, which showed antitumor activity and increased
      efficacy in comparison to traditional drugs in various preclinical and clinical
      studies. Cryptophycins, combretastatins, ombrabulin, soblidotin, D-24851,
      epothilones and discodermolide were used in clinical trials. Some of them showed
      antiangiogenic and antivascular activity and others showed the ability to
      overcome multidrug resistance, supporting their possible use in chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26484009
TI  - Cortical and Standard Trajectory Pedicle Screw Fixation Techniques in Stabilizing
      Multisegment Lumbar Spine with Low Grade Spondylolisthesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cortical screw (CS) fixation has been recently proposed as an
      alternative to the standard pedicle screw (PS) fixation technique. Biomechanical
      studies involving individual screw pullout and single level motion segment
      stabilization showed comparable performance of both techniques. However, whether
      this new fixation technique can be applied to the stabilization of multilevel
      lumbar segments with significant destabilization has been unclear. PURPOSE: To
      compare stability of CS fixation to the traditional PS fixation in an unstable 3
      level spondylolisthesis model. STUDY DESIGN: This is a biomechanical study
      comparing cortical trajectory pedicle screw fixation to traditional trajectory
      pedicle screw fixation in an unstable cadaveric model using nondestructive
      flexibility test. METHODS: Eight fresh frozen cadaveric lumbar spines (T12- S1)
      were obtained. After intact baseline testing, a 3-level lowgrade
      spondylolisthesis was simulated at the L1-4. Each specimen was instrumented with
      the PS and CS fixation systems. Standard nondestructive flexibility test was
      performed. Range of motion at each level was compared between the constructs
      during flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. RESULTS: The
      destabilization model significantly increased the ROM in all planes (P<0.05).
      Both fixation techniques provided significant reduction in the ROM (P<0.05).
      There was no significant difference in ROM between the PS and CS groups in any of
      planes (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cortical trajectory pedicle screw fixation provided
      stabilization to multilevel lumbar segment with low-grade spondylolisthesis
      comparable to the standard trajectory pedicle screw construct.

PMID- 26484010
TI  - Sodium Content of Foods Contributing to Sodium Intake: Comparison between
      Selected Foods from the CDC Packaged Food Database and the USDA National Nutrient
      Database for Standard Reference.
AB  - The sodium concentration (mg/100g) for 23 of 125 Sentinel Foods (e.g. white
      bread) were identified in the 2009 CDC Packaged Food Database (PFD) and compared
      with data in the USDA's 2013 National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference(SR
      26). Sentinel Foods are foods identified by USDA to be monitored as primary
      indicators to assess the changes in the sodium content of commercially processed
      foods from stores and restaurants. Overall, 937 products were evaluated in the
      CDC PFD, and between 3 (one brand of ready-to-eat cereal) and 126 products (white
      bread) were evaluated per selected food. The mean sodium concentrations of 17 of
      the 23 (74%) selected foods in the CDC PFD were 90%-110% of the mean sodium
      concentrations in SR 26 and differences in sodium concentration were
      statistically significant for 6 Sentinel Foods. The sodium concentration of most
      of the Sentinel Foods, as selected in the PFD, appeared to represent the sodium
      concentrations of the corresponding food category. The results of our study help
      improve the understanding of how nutrition information compares between national
      analytic values and the label and whether the selected Sentinel Foods represent
      their corresponding food category as indicators for assessment of change of the
      sodium content in the food supply.

PMID- 26484011
TI  - First case of chromoblastomycosis from Bangladesh.
AB  - Chromoblastomycosis is a rare and chronic cutaneous and subcutaneous infection
      caused by black fungi and mostly reported in tropical and subtropical areas. Here
      we report the first case of chromoblastomycosis from Bangladesh. Molecular
      biology permitted to identify Fonsecaea nubica, and the patient responded well to
      antifungal treatment alone. 

PMID- 26484012
TI  - Acute intradialytic exercise and oxidative stress in hemodialysis patients.

PMID- 26484013
TI  - Management of chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder: Korean working
      group recommendations.
AB  - For Korean dialysis patients, chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder is a
      serious burden because of cardiovascular calcification and mortality. However,
      recent epidemiologic data have demonstrated that many patients undergoing
      maintenance hemodialysis are out of the target ranges of serum calcium,
      phosphorus, and intact parathyroid hormone. Thus, we felt the necessity for the
      development of practical recommendations to treat abnormal serum phosphorus,
      calcium, and iPTH in dialysis patients. In this paper, we briefly comment on the
      measurement of serum calcium, phosphorus, iPTH, dialysate calcium concentration,
      dietary phosphorus restriction, use of phosphate binders, and medical and
      surgical options to correct secondary hyperparathyroidism. In particular, for the
      optimal management of secondary hyperparathyroidism, we suggest a simplified
      medication adjustment according to certain ranges of serum phosphorus and
      calcium. Large-scale, well-designed clinical studies are required to support our
      strategies to control chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder in this
      country. Based on such data, our practice guidelines could be established and
      better long-term outcomes should be anticipated in our dialysis patients. 

PMID- 26484014
TI  - Etiology and outcomes of anuria in acute kidney injury: a single center study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It was previously known that anuric acute kidney injury (AKI) is
      uncommon and its occurrence suggests complete ureteral obstruction, shock, or a
      major vascular event. As the epidemiology of AKI has significantly changed over
      the past decade, it is possible that the incidence, etiology, or clinical
      characteristics of anuric AKI have also changed. METHODS: A prospective cohort
      study was conducted that included all patients undergoing renal replacement
      therapy (RRT) for AKI during a 2-year period in a tertiary hospital. Patients
      were classified as having anuric, oliguric, or nonoliguric AKI based on their
      volume of urine when RRT started using the modified Acute Kidney Injury Network
      criteria. RESULTS: Of the 203 patients included in the study, 21.2% met the
      criteria for anuric AKI. Septic and postoperative AKI were the main causes of
      anuric AKI, with 60.5% of incidences occurring in hospital. Anuric AKI was
      associated with a younger age, a lower prevalence of pre-morbid chronic kidney
      disease and diabetes, more frequent continuous RRT requirement, and multi-organ
      dysfunction. In addition, patients with anuric AKI had a higher rate of in
      hospital mortality and long-term dependence on RRT than patients with nonanuric
      AKI. CONCLUSION: Anuric AKI is common, with sepsis as the main etiological
      insult, and is associated with adverse outcomes among patients with AKI who
      require RRT.

PMID- 26484015
TI  - Optimal hemoglobin level for anemia treatment in a cohort of hemodialysis
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anemia is a major risk factor that contributes to mortality in
      patients with chronic kidney disease. There is controversy over the optimal
      hemoglobin (Hb) target in these patients. This study investigated the association
      between Hb level and mortality in a cohort of hemodialysis (HD) patients in
      Korea. METHODS: This study was a multicenter prospective observational study of
      maintenance HD patients that was performed for 5 years in western Seoul, Korea.
      Three hundred and sixty-two participants were enrolled. Laboratory values and
      mortality were accessed every 6 months. Repeated measures of laboratory values in
      each interval were averaged to obtain one semiannual mean value. The Hb values
      were divided into six groups: (1) Hb<9 g/dL; (2) 9 g/dL<=Hb<10 g/dL; (3) 10
      g/dL<=Hb<11 g/dL; (4) 11 g/dL<=Hb<12 g/dL; (5) 12 g/dL<=Hb<13 g/dL; and (6)
      Hb>=13 g/dL. We analyzed the odds ratio for all-cause mortality, based on the Hb
      group, and adjusted for demographics and various laboratory values. Statistics
      were performed with SAS, version 9.1 software (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC,
      USA). RESULTS: Mortality odds ratios relative to the reference group (10-11 g/dL)
      in the fully adjusted model were 3.61 for<9 g/dL; 3.17 for 9-10 g/dL(*); 4.65 for
      11-12 g/dL(*); 5.50 for 12-13 g/dL(*); and 2.05 for>=13 g/dL ((*) indicates
      P<0.05). CONCLUSION: In this study, a Hb level of 10-11 g/dL was associated with
      the lowest mortality among the groups with Hb level<13 g/dL. Larger
      interventional trials are warranted to determine the optimal Hb target for Korean
      HD patients.

PMID- 26484016
TI  - Relationship between pulmonary hypertension, peripheral vascular calcification,
      and major cardiovascular events in dialysis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is a recently recognized complication of
      chronic kidney disease. In this study, we investigated the association between
      PHT, peripheral vascular calcifications (VCs), and major cardiovascular events.
      METHODS: In this retrospective study, we included 172 end-stage renal disease
      (ESRD) patients undergoing dialysis [hemodialysis (HD)=84, peritoneal
      dialysis=88]. PHT was defined as an estimated pulmonary artery systolic
      pressure>37 mmHg using echocardiography. The Simple Vascular Calcification Score
      (SVCS) was measured using plain radiographic films of the hands and pelvis.
      RESULTS: The prevalence of PHT was significantly higher in HD patients (51.2% vs.
      22.7%). Dialysis patients with PHT had a significantly higher prevalence of
      severe VCs (SVCS>=3). In multivariate analysis, the presence of severe VCs [odds
      ratio (OR), 2.68], mitral valve disease (OR, 7.79), HD (OR, 3.35), and larger
      left atrial diameter (OR, 11.39) were independent risk factors for PHT. In
      addition to the presence of anemia, severe VCs, or older age, the presence of PHT
      was an independent predictor of major cardiovascular events in ESRD patients.
      CONCLUSION: The prevalence of PHT was higher in HD patients and was associated
      with higher rates of major cardiovascular events. Severe VCs are thought to be an
      independent risk factor for predicting PHT in ESRD patients. Therefore, in
      dialysis patients with PHT, careful attention should be paid to the presence of
      VCs and the occurrence of major cardiovascular events.

PMID- 26484017
TI  - Effect of acute intradialytic strength physical exercise on oxidative stress and
      inflammatory responses in hemodialysis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress and inflammation are common findings in chronic
      kidney disease (CKD) patients, and they are directly related to the increased
      risk of developing cardiovascular disease, which is the major cause of death in
      these patients, particularly for those undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Strength
      physical exercise is a new therapeutic approach to reduce these complications in
      CKD patients. Following this, the purpose of this study was to assess the effect
      of acute intradialytic strength physical exercise on oxidative stress and
      inflammatory responses in HD patients. METHODS: Sixteen HD patients were studied
      (11 women; 44.4+/-14.6 years; body mass index 23.3+/-4.9 kg/m(2); 61.6+/-43.1
      months of dialysis) and served as their own controls. Acute (single session)
      intradialytic physical exercise were performed at 60% of the one-repetition
      maximum test for three sets of 10 repetitions for four exercise categories in
      both lower limbs during 30 minutes. Blood samples were collected on two different
      days at exactly the same time (30 minutes and 60 minutes after initiating the
      dialysis-with and without exercise). Antioxidant enzymes activity [superoxide
      dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase], lipid peroxidation marker
      levels (malondialdehyde), and inflammatory marker levels (high-sensitivity C
      reactive protein) were determined. RESULTS: SOD plasma levels were significantly
      reduced after acute physical exercise from 244.8+/-40.7 U/mL to 222.4+/-28.9 U/mL
      (P=0.03) and, by contrast, increased on the day without exercise (218.2+/-26.5
      U/mL to 239.4+/-38.6 U/mL, P=0.02). There was no alteration in plasma catalase,
      glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehyde, or high-sensitivity C-reactive protein
      levels in on either day (with or without exercise). Additionally, there was no
      association between these markers and clinical, anthropometric, or biochemical
      parameters. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that acute intradialytic strength
      physical exercise was unable to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, and in
      addition, it seems to reduce plasma SOD levels, which could exacerbate the
      oxidative stress in HD patients.

PMID- 26484018
TI  - Hyperphosphatemia is associated with patency loss of arteriovenous fistula after
      1 year of hemodialysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The patency of arteriovenous access is important for stable and
      effective hemodialysis, and long-term technical survival is best achieved with a
      native arteriovenous fistula (AVF). However, maintaining AVF patency remains a
      challenge. This study was designed to determine the independent prognostic
      factors for AVF patency according to hemodialysis duration. METHODS: The primary
      study end point was unassisted patency of the AVF, which was defined as the time
      from the first fistula surgery to the first AVF failure. AVF failure was defined
      as an event that required percutaneous intervention or surgery to revise or
      replace the fistula, which occurred at least 2 months after fistula formation.
      RESULTS: We enrolled 478 patients with a mean age of 55.5+/-14.0 years, and mean
      duration of dialysis was 2.5+/-2.1 years. There were 109 cases (22.8%) of AVF
      failure. The factors related to AVF patency differed according to hemodialysis
      duration. Using a Cox-adjusted model, we observed a significant correlation
      between the incidence of AVF failure and diabetes within the initial 12 months of
      hemodialysis. Uncontrolled hyperphosphatemia (mean serum phosphorus>5.5 mg/dL
      during hemodialysis) was associated with patency loss of AVF after 1 year of
      hemodialysis. CONCLUSION: Various factors were associated with the development of
      patency loss of AVF as hemodialysis duration differed, and a preventive role of
      hyperphosphatemia control in AVF survival needs further clinical study.

PMID- 26484019
TI  - Genetic predisposition of donors affects the allograft outcome in kidney
      transplantation: Single-nucleotide polymorphism of aquaporin-11.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aquaporin-11 (AQP11) is a novel member of the aquaporin family.
      Disruption of the murine Aqp11 gene causes severe proximal tubular injury and
      renal failure. The rs2276415 (G>A) single-nucleotide polymorphism in the human
      AQP11 gene results in glycine to serine substitution in a functionally important
      domain. In this study, the role of the genetic predispositions of AQP11 rs2276415
      (G>A) on renal allograft outcomes was evaluated. METHODS: A total of 198 pairs of
      donors and recipients were enrolled in this study. Long-term graft survival was
      traced and clinical parameters that could have influenced graft outcome were
      collected through the electronic medical record system. RESULTS: The genotype
      distribution and allele frequency of rs2276415 polymorphism were not different
      between donors and recipients. Despite similar allele frequencies between donors
      and recipients, the minor allele rs2276415 (GA+AA) of AQP11 from the donors, but
      not from the recipients, had a harmful effect on the graft survival compared with
      the wild-type donor (GG; P=0.029). This association was significant after
      adjusting for several risk factors including age, sex, human leukocyte antigen
      mismatch, donor type, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus (P=0.032). CONCLUSION:
      A donor-derived, not recipient-derived, genetic AQP11 polymorphism has different
      effects on graft outcome. Thus, the genetic influence from donors should be
      carefully considered for proper management of allografts after kidney
      transplantation.

PMID- 26484020
TI  - MYH9 nephropathy.
AB  - MYH9-related disorder is an autosomal dominant disease caused by a mutation in
      the MYH9 gene, which encodes nonmuscle myosin heavy chain IIA (NMMHC-IIA). This
      disease is characterized by giant platelets, thrombocytopenia, granulocyte
      inclusion bodies, proteinuria, and high-pitch sensorineural deafness. Nephropathy
      has been observed in 30% of patients with MYH9-related disorder. The
      characteristic features are early onset proteinuria and rapidly progressing renal
      disorder. However, the prognosis of MYH9 nephropathy remains unclear. Herein, we
      describe a 36-year-old woman who presented with proteinuria and was diagnosed
      with MYH9 nephropathy via renal biopsy and gene analysis. Her proteinuria
      improved after administration of an angiotensin II receptor blocker, but was
      aggravated after changing to a calcium channel blocker. 

PMID- 26484021
TI  - Immunoglobulin E-mediated hypersensitivity reaction after intraperitoneal
      administration of vancomycin.
AB  - Intraperitoneal (IP) vancomycin is widely used to treat Gram-positive peritonitis
      associated with peritoneal dialysis. There have been two cases of red man
      syndrome (RMS), a vancomycin-specific nonimmunologic reaction, associated with IP
      vancomycin. However, immune-mediated hypersensitivity reaction to IP vancomycin
      has not yet been reported. A 49 year old woman on continuous ambulatory
      peritoneal dialysis developed her first peritonitis episode. The patient was
      treated with IP vancomycin once/wk for 4 weeks. She experienced mild itching and
      flushing throughout her body for 1 day after the second treatment. Whenever
      vancomycin was administered, generalized urticaria and a prickling sensation
      developed, and the intensity increased gradually; however, these symptoms
      improved after vancomycin was discontinued. An allergic skin test was performed 6
      weeks after the previous urticarial episode, and an intradermal skin test
      revealed a positive response to vancomycin. To our knowledge, this is the first
      case report of immunoglobulin E-mediated hypersensitivity reaction to IP
      vancomycin administration. 

PMID- 26484022
TI  - Idiopathic erythrocytosis in a patient on chronic hemodialysis.
AB  - A 78-year-old man on hemodialysis presented to our hospital with erythrocytosis.
      He had started hemodialysis 4 years previously, with a hemoglobin level of 9.8
      g/dL, and was administered erythropoiesis stimulating agents and ferrous sulfate.
      Two years previously, his hemoglobin level increased to 14.5 g/dL and the
      treatment for anemia was discontinued. He continued hemodialysis thrice weekly;
      however, the hemoglobin level had increased to 17.0 g/dL at the time of
      presenting to our hospital. His serum erythropoietin level was 31.4 mIU/mL
      (range, 3.7-31.5 mIU/mL), carboxyhemoglobin level was 0.6% (range, 0-1.5%), and
      oxygen saturation in ambient air was 95.4%. The JAK2 V617F mutation was not
      observed and other bone marrow abnormalities were not identified. The patient was
      diagnosed with bladder cancer and a transurethral resection was performed. Eight
      months after the treatment of bladder cancer, his hemoglobin level was 15.1 g/dL,
      and he was diagnosed with idiopathic erythrocytosis. 

PMID- 26484023
TI  - Toll-like receptor 4 antagonist and obesity associated kidney disease: Where
      should we go from here?

PMID- 26484024
TI  - Increased intra-abdominal pressure in acute kidney injury: a cause or an effect?

PMID- 26484025
TI  - Nonimmunologic targets of immunosuppressive agents in podocytes.
AB  - Proteinuria is a characteristic finding in glomerular diseases and is closely
      associated with renal outcomes. In addition, therapeutic interventions that
      reduce proteinuria improve renal prognosis. Accumulating evidence has
      demonstrated that podocytes act as key modulators of glomerular injury and
      proteinuria. The podocyte, or glomerular visceral epithelial cell, is a highly
      specialized and differentiated cell that forms interdigitated foot processes with
      neighboring podocytes, which are bridged together by an extracellular structure
      known as the "slit diaphragm" (SD). The SD acts as a size- and charge-selective
      barrier to plasma protein. Derangement of SD structure or loss of SD-associated
      protein results in podocyte injury and proteinuria. During the past decades,
      several immune-modulating agents have been used for the treatment of glomerular
      diseases and for the reduction of proteinuria. Interestingly, recent studies have
      demonstrated that immunosuppressive agents can have a direct effect on the SD
      associated proteins and stabilize actin cytoskeleton in podocyte and have
      therefore introduced the concept of nonimmunologic mechanism of renoprotection by
      immunomodulators. This review focuses on the evidence that immuno-modulating
      agents directly target podocytes. 

PMID- 26484026
TI  - Pathogenesis of endothelial cell dysfunction in chronic kidney disease: a
      retrospective and what the future may hold.
AB  - Cardiovascular complications dominate the landscape of chronic kidney diseases
      (CKD). Endothelial cell dysfunction (ECD) is a well-known culprit of
      cardiovascular morbidity and it develops in CKD with remarkable frequency. This
      brief overview of ECD in CKD scans two decades of studies performed in my
      laboratory, from genetic analyses to proteomic and metabolomics screens. I
      provide a detailed description of findings related to the premature senescence of
      endothelial cells, cell transition from the endothelial to mesenchymal phenotype,
      and stages of development of ECD. Clinical utility of some of these findings is
      illustrated with data on laser-Doppler flowmetry and imaging in patients with
      CKD. Some currently available and emerging therapeutic options for the management
      of ECD are briefly presented. 

PMID- 26484027
TI  - Effect of aldosterone on epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of human peritoneal
      mesothelial cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peritoneal fibrosis is one of the major causes of technical failure
      in patients on peritoneal dialysis. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of
      the peritoneum is an early and reversible mechanism of peritoneal fibrosis. Human
      peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) have their own renin-angiotensin-aldosterone
      system (RAAS), however, it has not been investigated whether aldosterone, an end
      product of the RAAS, induces EMT in HPMCs, and which mechanisms are responsible
      for aldosterone-induced EMT. METHODS: EMT of HPMCs was evaluated by comparing the
      expression of epithelial cell marker, E-cadherin, and mesenchymal cell marker,
      alpha-smooth muscle actin after stimulation with aldosterone (1-100nM) or
      spironolactone. Activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 and
      p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and generation of reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) were assessed by western blotting and 2',7'-dichlorofluororescein
      diacetate staining, respectively. The effects of MAPK inhibitors or antioxidants
      (N-acetyl cysteine, apocynin, and rotenone) on aldosterone-induced EMT were
      evaluated. RESULTS: Aldosterone induced EMT in cultured HPMCs, and spironolactone
      blocked aldosterone-induced EMT. Aldosterone induced activation of both ERK1/2
      and p38 MAPK from 1 hour. Either PD98059, an inhibitor of ERK1/2, or SB20358, an
      inhibitor of p38 MAPK, attenuated aldosterone-induced EMT. Aldosterone induced
      ROS in HPMCs from 5 minutes, and antioxidant treatment ameliorated aldosterone
      induced EMT. N-acetyl cysteine and apocynin alleviated activation of ERK and p38
      MAPK. CONCLUSION: Aldosterone induced EMT in HPMCs by acting through the
      mineralocorticoid receptor. Aldosterone-induced generation of ROS followed by
      activation of ERK, and p38 MAPK served as one of the mechanisms of aldosterone
      induced EMT of HPMCs.

PMID- 26484028
TI  - Transforming growth factor-beta receptor 2 gene polymorphisms are associated with
      end-stage renal disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a multifunctional
      cytokine involved in immune disorders, cancer, asthma, lung fibrosis, and chronic
      kidney disease, and its signal pathways are considered crucial mediators of a
      variety of cellular processes. In addition, several recent studies have reported
      that TGF-beta receptor (TGF-betaR) gene polymorphism is associated with chronic
      kidney disease. However, the association between end-stage renal disease (ESRD)
      and the TGF-beta gene polymorphism has not been sufficiently investigated. In
      this study, we hypothesized that polymorphisms of the TGF-beta ligands or their
      receptors may be related to ESRD. METHODS: We assessed the relationship between
      four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TGF-betaR2 and TGF-beta2 genes
      and ESRD, in 312 patients with ESRD and 258 controls. RESULTS: Compared with the
      control participants, the frequencies of the TGF-betaR2 (rs764522(*)C) and TGF
      betaR2 (rs3087465(*)G) alleles were significantly higher in the patients with
      ESRD. Genotyping analysis demonstrated that two SNPs in TGF-betaR2 of the four
      SNPs included in the study were significantly associated with ESRD in the
      codominant 1 [rs764522, odds ratio (OR)=1.65; rs3087465, OR=1.63], dominant
      (rs764522, OR=1.63; rs3087465, OR=1.57), and log-additive (rs764522, OR=1.54;
      rs3087465, OR=1.39) models after adjusting for age and sex. CONCLUSION: We
      suggest that TGF-betaR2 polymorphisms (rs764522 and rs3087465) increase the risk
      of development of ESRD.

PMID- 26484029
TI  - Changes in serum magnesium concentration after use of a proton pump inhibitor in
      patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although cross-sectional studies have suggested a relationship
      between proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use and hypomagnesemia, no large-scale cohort
      study has been conducted to date. Here, we examined the changes in serum
      magnesium levels in response to PPI use. We hypothesized that PPI use might
      change the serum magnesium concentration. METHODS: Of the 2,892 patients
      hospitalized for percutaneous coronary intervention between January 2007 and May
      2012, 1,076 patients with normal baseline (1.6-2.5 mg/dL) and follow-up serum
      magnesium concentrations were enrolled. These patients were divided into two
      groups: the PPI group and the control group. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period
      was 9.51 +/- 2.94 months. The incidence of hypomagnesemia (< 1.6 mg/dL) was 0.4%
      (3/834) in the PPI group and 0.4% (1/242) in the control group (P = 0.904). The
      change in magnesium levels did not differ between the two groups, and this result
      was maintained in the analysis of covariance after adjusting for confounding
      factors (P = 0.381). Moreover, magnesium levels did not significantly differ
      between the long-term (duration of use >= 12 months, n = 71) and short-term PPI
      groups (duration of use < 12 months, n = 763), and the control group (n = 242; P
      = 0.620). The effect of PPI use on change in serum magnesium concentration was
      affected by the use of multiple diuretics (-0.01 +/- 0.25 mg/dL; P = 0.025),
      although a single diuretic use with PPI did not alter the change in magnesium
      level (0.12 +/- 0.27 mg/dL). CONCLUSION: Changes in magnesium levels might be
      subtle after PPI use in patients with normal baseline magnesium values.

PMID- 26484030
TI  - Intra-abdominal hypertension does not predict renal recovery or in-hospital
      mortality in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although emerging evidence suggests that intra-abdominal hypertension
      (IAH) is a predictor of the development of acute kidney injury (AKI), it remains
      unclear whether the presence of IAH is a predictor of prognosis in patients with
      AKI. The purpose of this study was to assess whether the presence of IAH could
      predict prognosis in critically ill patients with AKI. The prognostic value of
      urinary biomarkers was also determined. METHODS: In this prospective
      observational study, we enrolled 57 patients with established AKI, who were
      admitted to the intensive care unit between February 2012 and June 2014. IAH was
      defined as a sustained elevation in intra-abdominal pressure of >=12 mmHg, in
      three consecutive measurements performed daily on the first 3 days. Urinary
      neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), liver-type fatty acid-binding
      protein, and simplified acute physiology score II score at the time of admission
      were also examined. RESULTS: IAH was observed in 78.9% of patients. The in
      hospital mortality was 21.1%, and renal recovery during hospitalization was
      achieved in 40.4% of patients. Although high urinary NGAL [odds ratio (OR),
      1.015] and liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (OR, 1.003) were found to be
      independent predictors of renal recovery, IAH was not. High urinary NGAL (OR,
      1.003) and a high simplified acute physiology score II score (OR, 1.102) were
      independent predictors of in-hospital mortality, while IAH or urinary liver-type
      fatty acid-binding protein was not. CONCLUSION: Although IAH is prevalent in
      critically ill patients with AKI, it did not predict AKI prognosis. However,
      urinary NGAL was found to be a useful predictor of both renal recovery and in
      hospital mortality.

PMID- 26484031
TI  - Does hypokalemia contribute to acute kidney injury in chronic laxative abuse?
AB  - Prolonged hypokalemia from chronic laxative abuse is recognized as the cause of
      chronic tubulointerstitial disease, known as "hypokalemic nephropathy," but it is
      not clear whether it contributes to acute kidney injury (AKI). A 42-year-old
      woman with a history of chronic kidney disease as a result of chronic laxative
      abuse from a purging type of anorexia nervosa (AN-P), developed an anuric AKI
      requiring hemodialysis and a mild AKI 2 months later. Both episodes of AKI
      involved severe to moderate hypokalemia (1.2 and 2.7 mmol/L, respectively),
      volume depletion, and mild rhabdomyolysis. The histologic findings of the first
      AKI revealed the remnants of acute tubular necrosis with advanced chronic
      tubulointerstitial nephritis and ischemic glomerular injury. Along with these
      observations, the intertwined relationship among precipitants of recurrent AKI in
      AN-P is discussed, and then we postulate a contributory role of hypokalemia
      involved in the pathophysiology of the renal ischemia-induced AKI. 

PMID- 26484034
TI  - Endovascular procedures performed by interventional nephrologists in Korea: Time
      to intervene.

PMID- 26484032
TI  - A rare case of hyperoxaluria presenting with acute liver injury and stone-free
      kidney injury.
AB  - A 49-year-old woman visited the clinic because of acute hepatitis and acute
      kidney injury with decreased urine output presenting microscopic hematuria and
      proteinuria. An abdominal computed tomography revealed a localized,
      hypoattenuated lesion in a hepatic lateral segment, and kidney biopsy showed
      oxalate crystal deposition with tubular necrosis. In addition, the patient's 24
      hour urinary excretion of oxalate was increased. Her kidney and liver injury
      improved after sessions of hemodialysis, and urinary oxalate excretion was
      normalized. Major mutations in primary hyperoxaluria have not been proven. A full
      sequencing of target genes may be helpful to diagnose a rare form of primary
      hyperoxaluria. 

PMID- 26484035
TI  - Does the timing of acute rejection matter with the graft outcome in kidney
      transplantation?

PMID- 26484033
TI  - Fibrillary glomerulonephritis combined with chronic inflammatory demyelinating
      polyneuropathy.
AB  - A 58-yr-old man presented with leg edema and subacute weakness of his bilateral
      lower extremities. Urinary and serum immunoelectrophoresis revealed the presence
      of lambda-type Bence Jones proteins. He was ultimately diagnosed with monoclonal
      gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). A renal biopsy specimen showed
      fibrillary glomerulonephritis (FGN), which was randomly arranged as 12-20 m
      nonbranching fibrils in the basement membranes. Immunofluorescence studies were
      negative for immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgM, IgA, C3, and kappa light chains in the
      capillary walls and mesangial areas. A Congo red stain for amyloid was negative.
      Electromyography and nerve conduction velocity examinations results were
      compatible with the presence of demyelinating polyneuropathy. This case showed a
      rare combination of FGN, without Ig deposition, and MGUS combined with chronic
      inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). 

PMID- 26484036
TI  - Role of interventional nephrology in the multidisciplinary approach to
      hemodialysis vascular access care.
AB  - Dialysis vascular access planning, creation, and management is of critical
      importance to the dialysis patient population. It requires a multidisciplinary
      approach involving patients and their families, dialysis facility staff, the
      nephrologist, the surgeon, and the interventionalist. With the emergence of
      interventional nephrology as a subspecialty of nephrology, the nephrologist is
      increasingly providing both the nephrology and interventional aspects of care,
      and in some areas, the surgical functions as well. Most of these interventional
      nephrologists work in freestanding outpatient dialysis access centers (DACs).
      Large clinical studies published over the past 10 years demonstrate that the
      interventional nephrologist can manage the problems associated with dialysis
      access dysfunction effectively, safely, and economically. A recently published
      study based upon United States Medicare claims data in which a DAC patient group
      (n = 27,613) and a hospital outpatient department patient group (HOPD group; n =
      27,613) were compared using propensity score matching techniques showed that
      patients treated in the DACs had significantly better clinical outcomes
      (P<0.001). This included fewer vascular access-related infections (0.18 vs.
      0.29), fewer septicemia-related hospitalizations (0.15 vs. 0.18), and a lower
      mortality rate (47.9% vs. 53.5%). 

PMID- 26484037
TI  - Lessons from 30 years' data of Korean end-stage renal disease registry, 1985
      2015.
AB  - The Korean Society of Nephrology (KSN) launched a nationwide official survey
      program about dialysis therapy in 1985. Nowadays, the accumulated data for 30
      years by this "Insan Prof. Min Memorial end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Registry"
      program have been providing the essential information for dialysis clinical
      practice, academic nephrology research, and health management policy. We reviewed
      30 years of data to identify important changes and implications for the future
      improvement of dialysis therapy in Korea. Hemodialysis patients, especially
      diabetics and elderly patients have increased in number very rapidly during
      recent years in Korea. The Korean prevalence rate of ESRD patients was about 70%
      of the United States and about 50% of Japan according to the international
      comparisons in the annual data report of United States Renal Data System. The
      blood pressure control, anemia control, and dialysis adequacy have continuously
      improved year by year. The importance of calcium and phosphorus control has also
      been increasing because of the increase in long-term dialysis patients. In
      addition, chronic dialysis complications should be closely monitored and dialysis
      modifications, such as hemodiafiltration therapy, might be considered. Because of
      the increase of private clinics and nursing hospitals in dialysis practice, the
      role of dialysis specialists and continuing education are thought to be
      essential. For strict cost-effective dialysis control of increasing elderly,
      diabetic, and long-term dialysis patients, the KSN ESRD patient registration
      should be run by the KSN and health ministry in cooperation, in which the
      dialysis fee reimbursement should be accompanied. 

PMID- 26484038
TI  - Early predictors of acute kidney injury in patients with cirrhosis and bacterial
      infection: urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and cardiac output
      as reliable tools.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemodynamic abnormalities and acute kidney injury (AKI) are often
      present in infected cirrhotic patients. Hence, an early diagnosis of AKI is
      necessary, which might require the validation of new predictors as the
      determinations of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) and
      cardiac output. METHODS: We evaluated 18 infected cirrhotic patients subdivided
      into two groups at admission (0 hours). In Group I, we collected urine samples at
      0 hours, 6 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours for uNGAL and fractional excretion of
      sodium determinations. In Group II, we measured cardiac output using
      echocardiography. RESULTS: The age of patients was 55.0+/-1.9 years, and 11
      patients were males. The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score was 21+/-1,
      whereas the Child-Pugh score was C in 11 patients and B in 7 patients. Both
      patients in Group I and Group II showed similar baseline characteristics. In
      Group I, we diagnosed AKI in 5 of 9 patients, and the mean time to this diagnosis
      by measuring serum creatinine was 5.4 days. Patients with AKI showed higher uNGAL
      levels than those without AKI from 6 hours to 48 hours. The best accuracy using
      the cutoff values of 68 ng uNGAL/mg creatinine was achieved at 48 hours when we
      distinguished patients with and without AKI in all cases. In Group II, we
      diagnosed AKI in 4 of 9 patients, and cardiac output was significantly higher in
      patients who developed AKI at 0 hours. CONCLUSION: Both uNGAL and cardiac output
      determinations allow the prediction of AKI in infected cirrhotic patients earlier
      than increments in serum creatinine.

PMID- 26484039
TI  - Psychosocial stress and changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate among
      adults with diabetes mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychosocial stress has been hypothesized to impact renal changes,
      but this hypothesis has not been adequately tested. The aim of this study was to
      examine the relationship between psychosocial stress and estimated glomerular
      filtration rate (eGFR) and to examine other predictors of eGFR changes among
      persons with diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: Data from a survey conducted in
      2005 by a major health maintenance organization located in the southeastern part
      of the United States, linked to patients' clinical and pharmacy records (n=575)
      from 2005 to 2008, was used. Study participants were working adults aged 25-59
      years, diagnosed with DM but without advanced microvascular or macrovascular
      complications. eGFR was estimated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease
      equation. A latent psychosocial stress variable was created from five
      psychosocial stress subscales. Using a growth factor model in a structural
      equation framework, we estimated the association between psychosocial stress and
      eGFR while controlling for important covariates. RESULTS: The psychosocial stress
      variable was not directly associated with eGFR in the final model. Factors found
      to be associated with changes in eGFR were age, race, insulin use, and mean
      arterial pressure. CONCLUSION: Among fairly healthy DM patients, we did not find
      any evidence of a direct association between psychosocial stress and eGFR changes
      after controlling for important covariates. Predictors of eGFR change in our
      population included age, race, insulin use, and mean arterial pressure.

PMID- 26484041
TI  - The impact of early and late acute rejection on graft survival in renal
      transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advances in immunosuppression after kidney transplantation have
      decreased the influence of early acute rejection (EAR) on graft survival. Several
      studies have suggested that late acute rejection (LAR) has a poorer effect on
      long-term graft survival than EAR. We investigated whether the timing of acute
      rejection (AR) influences graft survival, and analyzed the risk factors for EAR
      and LAR. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study involving 709
      patients who underwent kidney transplantation between 2000 and 2009 at the
      Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Patients were divided into three groups: no
      AR, EAR, and LAR. EAR and LAR were defined as rejection before 1 year and after 1
      year, respectively. Differences in graft survival between the three groups and
      risk factors of graft failure were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 709 patients, 198
      (30%) had biopsy-proven AR [EAR=152 patients (77%); LAR=46 patients (23%)]. A
      total of 65 transplants were lost. The 5-year graft survival rates were 97%, 89%,
      and 85% for patients with no AR, EAR, and LAR, respectively. These differences
      were significant (P<0.001 for both by log-rank test). In time-dependent Cox
      regression analysis, EAR (hazards ratio, 3.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.90
      5.99) and LAR (hazards ratio, 5.32; 95% confidence interval, 2.65-10.69) were
      significantly related to graft failure. When we set LAR as standard and compared
      it with EAR, there was no statistical difference between EAR and LAR (P=0.21).
      CONCLUSION: AR, regardless of its timing, significantly worsened graft survival.
      Treatments to reduce the incidence of AR and improve prognosis are needed.

PMID- 26484040
TI  - Risk factors for in-hospital mortality in patients starting hemodialysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Incident hemodialysis patients have the highest mortality in the
      first several months after starting dialysis. This study evaluated the in
      hospital mortality rate after hemodialysis initiation, as well as related risk
      factors. METHODS: We examined in-hospital mortality and related factors in 2,692
      patients starting incident hemodialysis. The study population included patients
      with acute kidney injury, acute exacerbation of chronic kidney disease, and
      chronic kidney disease. To determine the parameters associated with in-hospital
      mortality, patients who died in hospital (nonsurvivors) were compared with those
      who survived (survivors). Risk factors for in-hospital mortality were determined
      using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Among all patients, 451 (16.8%) died
      during hospitalization. The highest risk factor for in-hospital mortality was
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation, followed by pneumonia, arrhythmia, hematologic
      malignancy, and acute kidney injury after bleeding. Albumin was not a risk factor
      for in-hospital mortality, whereas C-reactive protein was a risk factor. The use
      of vancomycin, inotropes, and a ventilator was associated with mortality, whereas
      elective hemodialysis with chronic kidney disease and statin use were associated
      with survival. The use of continuous renal replacement therapy was not associated
      with in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: Incident hemodialysis patients had high
      in-hospital mortality. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, infections such as
      pneumonia, and the use of inotropes and a ventilator was strong risk factors for
      in-hospital mortality. However, elective hemodialysis for chronic kidney disease
      was associated with survival.

PMID- 26484042
TI  - Organ-on-a-chip and the kidney.
AB  - Traditional approaches to pathophysiology are advancing but still have many
      limitations that arise from real biologic systems and their associated
      physiological phenomena being too complicated. Microfluidics is a novel
      technology in the field of engineering, which provides new options that may
      overcome these hurdles. Microfluidics handles small volumes of fluids and may
      apply to various applications such as DNA analysis chips, other lab-on-a-chip
      analyses, micropropulsion, and microthermal technologies. Among them, organ-on-a
      chip applications allow the fabrication of minimal functional units of a single
      organ or multiple organs. Relevant to the field of nephrology, renal tubular
      cells have been integrated with microfluidic devices for making kidneys-on-a
      chip. Although still early in development, kidneys-on-a-chip are showing
      potential to provide a better understanding of the kidney to replace some
      traditional animal and human studies, particularly as more cell types are
      incorporated toward the development of a complete glomeruli-on-a-chip. 

PMID- 26484044
TI  - Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-negative pauci-immune glomerulonephritis with
      massive intestinal bleeding.
AB  - A 61-year-old woman was admitted to hospital because of generalized edema and
      proteinuria. Her renal function deteriorated rapidly. Serum immunoglobulin and
      complement levels were within normal ranges. An autoantibody examination showed
      negative for antinuclear antibody and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody.
      Histologic examination of a renal biopsy specimen revealed that all of the
      glomeruli had severe crescent formations with no immune deposits. The patient was
      treated with steroid pulse therapy with cyclophosphamide followed by oral
      prednisolone. Fifteen days later, she experienced massive recurrent hematochezia.
      Angiography revealed an active contrast extravasation in a branch of the distal
      ileal artery. We selectively embolized with a permanent embolic agent. On the
      45(th) hospital day, the patient suddenly lost consciousness. Brain computed
      tomography showed intracerebral hemorrhage. We report a case of antineutrophil
      cytoplasmic antibody-negative pauci-immune glomerulonephritis with massive
      intestinal bleeding and cerebral hemorrhage. 

PMID- 26484045
TI  - A case of peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis by Rothia mucilaginosa.
AB  - Rothia muciliaginosa (R. mucilaginosa) is a facultative, Gram-positive coccus
      that is considered to be part of the normal flora of the mouth and respiratory
      tract. There are sporadic reports of the organism causing endocarditis in
      patients with heart valve abnormalities, as well as meningitis, septicemia, and
      pneumonia associated with intravenous drug abuse. However, it is an unusual
      pathogen in cases of peritoneal dialysis (PD)-associated peritonitis. Although R.
      mucilaginosa is generally susceptible to penicillin, ampicillin, cefotaxime,
      imipenem, rifampicin, and glycopeptides, there are no guidelines for the
      treatment of PD-associated peritonitis. Herein, we report a case of PD-associated
      peritonitis due to R. mucilaginosa that was resolved with intraperitoneal
      antibiotic treatment. 

PMID- 26484043
TI  - Current progress in ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation.
AB  - ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation (ABOi KT) was introduced to expand the
      donor pool and minimize shortage of kidneys for transplantation. Because improved
      outcomes of ABOi KT were reported in Japan in the early 2000s, the number of ABOi
      KTs has been increasing worldwide. In addition, a better understanding of immune
      pathogenesis and subsequent aggressive immunosuppression has helped to make
      effective desensitization protocols. Current strategies of ABOi KT consist of
      pretransplant antibody removal using plasmapheresis or immunoadsorption to
      prevent hyperacute rejection and potent maintenance immunosuppression, such as
      tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil, to inhibit antibody-mediated rejection.
      Recent outcomes of ABOi KT are comparable with ABO-compatible KT. However, there
      are still many problems to be resolved. Very high anti-ABO antibody producers are
      difficult to desensitize. In addition, ABOi KT is associated with an increased
      risk of infection and possibly malignancy due to aggressive immunosuppression.
      Optimization of desensitization and patient-tailored immunosuppression protocols
      are needed to achieve better outcomes of ABOi KT. This review provides an
      overview of the history, immune mechanism, immunosuppressive protocol, outcomes,
      current obstacles, and future perspectives in ABOi KT. 

PMID- 26484046
TI  - A new water channel aquaporin-11: extension to renal transplantation.

PMID- 26484049
TI  - Accelerating genomic data publishing and sharing.

PMID- 26484047
TI  - Default mode network segregation and social deficits in autism spectrum disorder:
      Evidence from non-medicated children.
AB  - Functional pathology of the default mode network is posited to be central to
      social-cognitive impairment in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Altered
      functional connectivity of the default mode network's midline core may be a
      potential endophenotype for social deficits in ASD. Generalizability from prior
      studies is limited by inclusion of medicated participants and by methods favoring
      restricted examination of network function. This study measured resting-state
      functional connectivity in 22 8-13 year-old non-medicated children with ASD and
      22 typically developing controls using seed-based and network segregation
      functional connectivity methods. Relative to controls the ASD group showed both
      under- and over-functional connectivity within default mode and non-default mode
      regions, respectively. ASD symptoms correlated negatively with the connection
      strength of the default mode midline core-medial prefrontal cortex-posterior
      cingulate cortex. Network segregation analysis with the participation coefficient
      showed a higher area under the curve for the ASD group. Our findings demonstrate
      that the default mode network in ASD shows a pattern of poor segregation with
      both functional connectivity metrics. This study confirms the potential for the
      functional connection of the midline core as an endophenotype for social
      deficits. Poor segregation of the default mode network is consistent with an
      excitation/inhibition imbalance model of ASD.

PMID- 26484048
TI  - Abnormalities in personal space and parietal-frontal function in schizophrenia.
AB  - Schizophrenia is associated with subtle abnormalities in day-to-day social
      behaviors, including a tendency in some patients to "keep their distance" from
      others in physical space. The neural basis of this abnormality, and related
      changes in social functioning, is unknown. Here we examined, in schizophrenic
      patients and healthy control subjects, the functioning of a parietal-frontal
      network involved in monitoring the space immediately surrounding the body
      ("personal space"). Using fMRI, we found that one region of this network, the
      dorsal intraparietal sulcus (DIPS), was hyper-responsive in schizophrenic
      patients to face stimuli appearing to move towards the subjects, intruding into
      personal space. This hyper-responsivity was predicted both by the size of
      personal space (which was abnormally elevated in the schizophrenia group) and the
      severity of negative symptoms. In contrast, in a second study, the activity of
      two lower-level visual areas that send information to DIPS (the fusiform face
      area and middle temporal area) was normal in schizophrenia. Together, these
      findings suggest that changes in parietal-frontal networks that support the
      sensory-guided initiation of behavior, including actions occurring in the space
      surrounding the body, contribute to social dysfunction and negative symptoms in
      schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26484050
TI  - Computational identification of microRNAs and their targets in Catharanthus
      roseus expressed sequence tags.
AB  - No study has been performed on identifying microRNAs (miRNAs) and their targets
      in the medicinal plant, Catharanthus roseus. In the present study, using the
      comparative genomics approach, we have predicted two potential C. roseus miRNAs.
      Furthermore, twelve potential mRNA targets were identified in C. roseus genome
      based on the characteristics that miRNAs exhibit perfect or nearly perfect
      complementarity with their targeted mRNA sequences. Among them many of the
      targets were predicted to encode enzymes that regulate the biosynthesis of
      terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIA). In addition, most of the predicted targets were
      the gene coding for transcription factors which are mainly involved in cell
      growth and development, signaling and metabolism. This is the first in silico
      study to indicate that miRNA target gene encoding enzymes involved in vinblastine
      and vincristine biosynthesis, which may help to understand the miRNA-mediated
      regulation of TIA alkaloid biosynthesis in C. roseus. 

PMID- 26484051
TI  - Genome-wide gene expression profiling to predict resistance to anthracyclines in
      breast cancer patients.
AB  - Validated biomarkers predictive of response/resistance to anthracyclines in
      breast cancer are currently lacking. The neoadjuvant Trial of Principle (TOP)
      study, in which patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-negative tumors were treated
      with anthracycline (epirubicin) monotherapy, was specifically designed to
      evaluate the predictive value of topoisomerase II-alpha (TOP2A) and develop a
      gene expression signature to identify those patients who do not benefit from
      anthracyclines. Here we describe in details the contents and quality controls for
      the gene expression and clinical data associated with the study published by
      Desmedt and colleagues in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in 2011 (Desmedt et
      al., 2011). We also provide R code to easily access the data and perform the
      quality controls and basic analyses relevant to this dataset. 

PMID- 26484052
TI  - Genome sequencing and annotation of Acinetobacter guillouiae strain MSP 4-18.
AB  - The genus Acinetobacter consists of 31 validly published species ubiquitously
      distributed in nature and primarily associated with nosocomial infection. We
      report the 4.8 Mb genome of Acinetobacter guillouiae MSP 4-18, isolated from a
      mangrove soil sample from Parangipettai (11 degrees 30'N, 79 degrees 47'E), Tamil
      Nadu, India. The draft genome of A. guillouiae MSP 4-18 has a G + C content of
      38.0% and includes 3 rRNA genes (5S, 23S, 16S) and 69 aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase
      genes. 

PMID- 26484053
TI  - Genome sequencing and annotation of Acinetobacter gyllenbergii strain MTCC
      11365(T).
AB  - The genus Acinetobacter consists of 31 validly published species ubiquitously
      distributed in nature and primarily associated with nosocomial infection. We
      report 4.3 Mb genome of the Acinetobacter gyllenbergii strain MTCC 11365(T). The
      draft genome of A. gyllenbergii has a G + C content of 41.0% and includes 3 rRNA
      genes (5S, 23S, 16S) and 67 aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes. 

PMID- 26484054
TI  - Genome sequencing and annotation of Acinetobacter gerneri strain MTCC 9824(T).
AB  - The genus Acinetobacter consists of 31 validly published species ubiquitously
      distributed in nature and primarily associated with nosocomial infection. We
      report the 4.4 Mb genome of Acinetobacter gerneri strain MTCC 9824(T). The genome
      has a G + C content of 38.0% and includes 3 rRNA genes (5S, 23S16S) and 64
      aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes. 

PMID- 26484055
TI  - Genome sequencing and annotation of Acinetobacter haemolyticus strain MTCC
      9819(T).
AB  - The genus Acinetobacter consists of 31 validly published species ubiquitously
      distributed in nature and primarily associated with nosocomial infection. We
      report the 3.4 Mb genome of Acinetobacter haemolyticus strain MTCC 9819(T). The
      genome has a G + C content of 40.0% and includes 3 rRNA genes (5S, 23S, 16S) and
      65 aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes. 

PMID- 26484056
TI  - Genome sequencing and annotation of Acinetobacter junii strain MTCC 11364.
AB  - The genus Acinetobacter consists of 31 validly published species ubiquitously
      distributed in nature and primarily associated with nosocomial infection. We
      report the 3.5 Mb draft genome of the Acinetobacter junii strain MTCC 11364. The
      genome has a G + C content of 38.0% and includes 3 rRNA genes (5S, 23S, 16S) and
      64 aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes. 

PMID- 26484057
TI  - Genome sequencing and annotation of Amycolatopsis vancoresmycina strain DSM
      44592(T).
AB  - We report the 9.0-Mb draft genome of Amycolatopsis vancoresmycina strain DSM
      44592(T), isolated from Indian soil sample; produces antibiotic vancoresmycin.
      Draft genome of strain DSM44592T consists of 9,037,069 bp with a G+C content of
      71.79% and 8340 predicted protein coding genes and 57 RNAs. RAST annotation
      indicates that strains Streptomyces sp. AA4 (score 521), Saccharomonospora
      viridis DSM 43017 (score 400) and Actinosynnema mirum DSM 43827 (score 372) are
      the closest neighbors of the strain DSM 44592(T). 

PMID- 26484058
TI  - Genome sequencing and annotation of Laceyella sacchari strain GS 1-1, isolated
      from hot spring, Chumathang, Leh, India.
AB  - We report the 3.3-Mb draft genome of Laceyella sacchari strain GS 1-1, isolated
      from hot spring water sample, Chumathang, Leh, India. Draft genome of strain GS 1
      1 consists of 3, 324, 316 bp with a G + C content of 48.8% and 3429 predicted
      protein coding genes and 75 RNAs. Geobacillus thermodenitrificans strain NG80-2,
      Geobacillus kaustophilus strain HTA426 and Geobacillus sp. Strain G11MC16 are the
      closest neighbors of the strain GS 1-1. 

PMID- 26484059
TI  - Genome-wide analysis of SRSF10-regulated alternative splicing by deep sequencing
      of chicken transcriptome.
AB  - Splicing factor SRSF10 is known to function as a sequence-specific splicing
      activator that is capable of regulating alternative splicing both in vitro and in
      vivo. We recently used an RNA-seq approach coupled with bioinformatics analysis
      to identify the extensive splicing network regulated by SRSF10 in chicken cells.
      We found that SRSF10 promoted both exon inclusion and exclusion. Functionally,
      many of the SRSF10-verified alternative exons are linked to pathways of response
      to external stimulus. Here we describe in detail the experimental design,
      bioinformatics analysis and GO/pathway enrichment analysis of SRSF10-regulated
      genes to correspond with our data in the Gene Expression Omnibus with accession
      number GSE53354. Our data thus provide a resource for studying regulation of
      alternative splicing in vivo that underlines biological functions of splicing
      regulatory proteins in cells. 

PMID- 26484060
TI  - Dataset of microarray analysis to identify endoglin-dependent bone morphogenetic
      protein-2-responsive genes in the murine periodontal ligament cell line PDL-L2.
AB  - The periodontal ligament (PDL), connective tissue located between the cementum of
      teeth and alveolar bone of the mandibula, plays a crucial role in the maintenance
      and regeneration of periodontal tissues. We previously reported that endoglin was
      involved in the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2-induced osteogenic
      differentiation of mouse PDL cells, which is associated with Smad-2
      phosphorylation but not Smad-1/5/8 phosphorylation. Further, we found that the
      BMP-2-induced Smad-2 phosphorylation was, at least in part, dependent upon
      endoglin. In this study, to elucidate the detailed mechanism underlying the BMP-2
      induced signaling pathway unique to PDL cells, we performed a cDNA microarray
      analysis to identify endoglin-dependent BMP-2-responsive genes in PDL-L2, a mouse
      PDL-derived cell line. Here we provide experimental methods and obtained dataset
      to correspond with our data in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) Datasets. 

PMID- 26484061
TI  - Transcriptomic profiling of cartilage ageing.
AB  - The musculoskeletal system is severely affected by the ageing process, with many
      tissues undergoing changes that lead to loss of function and frailty. Articular
      cartilage is susceptible to age related diseases, such as osteoarthritis.
      Applying RNA-Seq to young and old equine cartilage, we identified an over
      representation of genes with reduced expression relating to extracellular matrix,
      degradative proteases, matrix synthetic enzymes, cytokines and growth factors in
      cartilage from older donors. Here we describe the contents and quality controls
      in detail for the gene expression and related results published by Peffers and
      colleagues in Arthritis Research and Therapy 2013 associated with the data
      uploaded to ArrayExpress (E-MTAB-1386). 

PMID- 26484062
TI  - Colorectal cancer driver genes identified by patient specific comparison of
      cytogenetic microarray.
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC), which has high prevalence in Saudi Arabia and worldwide,
      needs better understanding by exploiting the latest available cytogenetic
      microarrays. We used biopsy tissue from consenting colorectal cancer patients to
      extract DNA and carry out microarray analysis using a CytoScan HD platform from
      Affymetrix. Patient specific comparisons of tumor-normal pairs were carried out.
      To find out the high probability key players, we performed Genomic Identification
      of Significant Targets in Cancer analysis and found 144 genes to form the list of
      driver genes. Of these, 24 genes attained high GISTIC scores and suggest being
      significantly associated with CRC. Loss of heterozygosity and uniparental disomy
      were found to affect 9 genes and suggest different mechanisms associated with CRC
      in every patient. Here we present the details of the methods used in carrying out
      the above analyses. Also, we provide some additional data on biomarker analysis
      that would complement the findings. 

PMID- 26484063
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of the mouse E14.5 (TS23) developing humerus and
      differential expression in muscle-less mutant embryos lacking mechanical
      stimulation.
AB  - Mechanical stimulation is important for the correct formation of the skeleton.
      Splotch-delayed mutant embryos (Pax3 (Spd/Spd) ) that develop with no limb muscle
      and therefore no limb movement experience an altered mechanical environment
      resulting in specific defects in ossification and joint formation, particularly
      in the forelimb. To test the hypothesis that mechanical stimuli influence the
      regulation of genes important in skeletal development we generated a
      transcriptome profile of the developing humerus at Theiler stage 23 (TS23), and
      then identified differentially expressed genes in muscle-less mutant embryos
      compared to control littermates. Here we describe the experimental methods and
      analysis of the resulting data, publically available in the ArrayExpress database
      under E-MTAB-1745 (Transcriptome of control humerus), E-MTAB-1744 (Microarray;
      differential expression) and E-MTAB-1746 (RNA-sequencing; differential
      expression). Our data provide a resource for exploring the transcriptome that
      underlies skeletal development at TS23 in the mouse humerus. The interpretation
      and description of this data can be found in a recent publication in BMC Genomics
      [1]. This is a resource for exploring the molecular mechanisms that are involved
      in skeletal development and mechanotransduction. 

PMID- 26484064
TI  - Report from the 2nd Summer School in Computational Biology organized by the
      Queen's University of Belfast.
AB  - In this paper, we present a meeting report for the 2nd Summer School in
      Computational Biology organized by the Queen's University of Belfast. We describe
      the organization of the summer school, its underlying concept and student
      feedback we received after the completion of the summer school. 

PMID- 26484065
TI  - Genome sequencing, annotation of Citrobacter freundii strain GTC 09479.
AB  - We report the 4.9-Mb genome sequence of Citrobacter freundii strain GTC 09479,
      isolated from urine sample collected during the year 1983 at Gifu University
      Graduate School of Medicine, Japan. This draft genome consist of 4,899,578 bp
      with 51.62% G + C, 4,574 predicted CDSs, 72 tRNAs and 10 rRNAs. 

PMID- 26484066
TI  - Genome-wide profiling to analyze the effects of high fat diet induced obesity on
      renal gene expression in mouse with reduced renal mass.
AB  - To assess the relationship between a reduced nephron number and a particular
      susceptibility to obesity-induced renal damage, mice underwent uninephrectomy
      (UNX) followed by either normal chow or high-fat diet (HFD) and were compared
      with sham-operated control mice. Analysis of gene expression in the mouse kidney
      by whole genome microarrays indicated that high fat diet led to more changes in
      gene expression than uninephrectomy. However, the combination of UNX and HFD
      additionally altered the effects of obesity on gene expression pattern. Here we
      describe in details the contents and quality controls for the gene expression and
      related results associated with the data uploaded to Gene Expression Omnibus
      (accession number GSE53996). 

PMID- 26484067
TI  - Genome sequencing and annotation of Amycolatopsis azurea DSM 43854(T).
AB  - We report the 9.2 Mb genome of the azureomycin A and B antibiotic producing
      strain Amycolatopsis azurea isolated from a Japanese soil sample. The draft
      genome of strain DSM 43854(T) consists of 9,223,451 bp with a G + C content of
      69.0% and the genome contains 3 rRNA genes (5S-23S-16S) and 58 aminoacyl-tRNA
      synthetase genes. The homology searches revealed that the PKS gene clusters are
      supposed to be responsible for the biosynthesis of naptomycin, macbecin,
      rifamycin, mitomycin, maduropeptin enediyne, neocarzinostatin enediyne, C-1027
      enediyne, calicheamicin enediyne, landomycin, simocyclinone, medermycin,
      granaticin, polyketomycin, teicoplanin, balhimycin, vancomycin, staurosporine,
      rubradirin and complestatin. 

PMID- 26484068
TI  - Returning to more finished genomes.
AB  - Genomic data have become commonplace in most branches of the biological sciences
      and have fundamentally altered the way research is conducted. However, the
      predominance of short-read sequence data from second-generation sequencing
      technologies has commonly resulted in fragmented and partial genomic data
      characteristics. In this opinion, I will highlight how long, unbiased reads from
      single molecule, real-time (SMRT) sequencing now allow for a return to more
      contiguous and comprehensive views of genomes. 

PMID- 26484069
TI  - Data collaboration will lead precision medicine.

PMID- 26484070
TI  - A definitive haplotype map of structural variations determined by microarray
      analysis of duplicated haploid genomes.
AB  - Complete hydatidiform moles (CHMs) are tissues carrying duplicated haploid
      genomes derived from single sperms, and detecting copy number variations (CNVs)
      in CHMs is assumed to be sensitive and straightforward methods. We genotyped 108
      CHM genomes using Affymetrix SNP 6.0 (GEO#: GSE18642) and Illumina 1 M-duo (GEO#:
      GSE54948). After quality control, we obtained 84 definitive haplotype consisting
      of 1.7 million SNPs and 2339 CNV regions. The results are presented in the
      database of our web site (http://orca.gen.kyushu-u.ac.jp/cgi
      bin/gbrowse/humanBuild37D4_1/). 

PMID- 26484071
TI  - Genome-wide copy number analysis of cerebrospinal fluid tumor cells and their
      corresponding archival primary tumors.
AB  - A debilitating complication of breast cancer is the metastatic spread of tumor
      cells to the leptomeninges or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Patients diagnosed with
      this aggressive clinical syndrome, known as leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, have
      very poor prognosis. Despite improvements in detecting cerebrospinal fluid tumor
      cells (CSFTCs), information regarding their molecular biology is extremely
      limited. In our recent work, we utilized a protocol previously used for
      circulating tumor cell isolation to purify tumor cells from the CSF. We then
      performed genomic characterization of CSFTCs as well as archival tumors from the
      same patient. Here, we describe the microarray data and quality controls
      associated with our study published in the Cancer Research journal in 2013 [1].
      We also provide an R script containing code for quality control of microarray
      data and assessment of copy number calls. The microarray data has been deposited
      into Gene Expression Omnibus under accession # GSE46068. 

PMID- 26484072
TI  - Genome-wide mapping of Painting of fourth on Drosophila melanogaster salivary
      gland polytene chromosomes.
AB  - The protein Painting of fourth (POF) in Drosophila melanogaster specifically
      targets and stimulates expression output from the heterochromatic 4th chromosome,
      thereby representing an autosome specific protein [1,2]. Despite the high
      specificity for chromosome 4 genes, POF is occasionally observed binding to the
      cytological region 2L:31 in males and females [3] and two loci on the X
      chromosome, PoX1 and PoX2 only in females [4]. Here we provide a detailed
      description of the experimental design and analysis of the tiling array data
      presented by Lundberg and colleagues in G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics 2013 [4],
      where the female specific POF binding to PoX1 and PoX2 loci on the X chromosome
      was reported. We show the genome-wide high resolution binding profile of the POF
      protein where these different POF binding sites are detected. The complete data
      set is available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/ (accession: GSE45402). 

PMID- 26484074
TI  - Identification of the new gene Zrsr1 to associate with the pluripotency state in
      induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using high throughput sequencing
      technology.
AB  - Finding the markers to predict the quality of induced pluripotent stem cells
      (iPSCs) will accelerate its practical application. The fully pluripotent iPSCs
      has been determined as viable all-iPSC mice can be generated through tetraploid
      (4N) complementation. The activation of the imprinted Dlk1-Dio3 gene cluster was
      reported to correlate with the pluripotency of iPSCs. However, recent studies
      demonstrated that the loss of imprinting at the Dlk1-Dio3 locus does not strictly
      correlate with the reduced pluripotency of iPSCs. In our study (ref [1]), iPSC
      lines with the same genetic background and proviral integration sites were
      established, and the pluripotency state of each iPSC line was well characterized
      using tetraploid (4N) complementation assay. The gene expression and global
      epigenetic modifications of "4N-ON" and the corresponding "4N-OFF" iPSC lines
      were compared through deep sequencing analysis of mRNA expression, small RNA
      profiling, histone modifications (H3K4me3, H3K27me3 and H3K4me2) and DNA
      methylation. Very few differences were detected in the iPSC lines that were
      investigated. However, an imprinted gene, Zrsr1 was disrupted in the "4N-OFF"
      iPSC lines. Here we provide more detail about the dataset and the R script with
      additional data for others to repeat the finding. 

PMID- 26484073
TI  - Identification of deleterious nsSNPs in alpha, MU, pi and theta class of GST
      family and their influence on protein structure.
AB  - GST family genes have a critical role in xenobiotic metabolism and drug
      resistance. Among the GST family the GST-MU, GST-pi, GST-alpha and GST-theta are
      the most abundant classes and have a major role in the carcinogen detoxification
      process. Nevertheless the activity of these enzymes may differ due to
      polymorphisms which ultimately results in interindividual susceptibility to
      cancer development. In this work, we have analyzed the potentially deleterious
      nsSNPs that can alter the function of these genes. As a result among the nsSNPs,
      101 (42.61%) were found to be deleterious by a sequence homology-based tool, 67
      (28.27%) by a structure homology based tool and a total of 59 (24.89%) by both.
      We propose a modeled structure of the five highly deleterious mutant proteins.
      Our results will provide useful information in selecting target SNPs that are
      likely to have an impact on GST activity and contribute to an individual's
      susceptibility to the disease. 

PMID- 26484075
TI  - A ChIP-on-chip tiling array approach detects functional histone-free regions
      associated with boundaries at vertebrate HOX genes.
AB  - Hox genes impart segment identity to body structures along the anterior-posterior
      axis and are crucial for proper development. A unique feature of the Hox loci is
      the collinearity between the gene position within the cluster and its spatial
      expression pattern along the body axis. However, the mechanisms that regulate
      collinear patterns of Hox gene expression remain unclear, especially in higher
      vertebrates. We recently identified novel histone-free regions (HFRs) that can
      act as chromatin boundary elements demarcating successive murine Hox genes and
      help regulate their precise expression domains (Srivastava et al., 2013). In this
      report, we describe in detail the ChIP-chip analysis strategy associated with the
      identification of these HFRs. We also provide the Perl scripts for HFR extraction
      and quality control analysis for this custom designed tiling array dataset. 

PMID- 26484076
TI  - CTCF regulates positioning of the human cystic fibrosis gene in association with
      a histone deacetylase.
AB  - The nuclear positioning of mammalian genes often correlates with their functional
      state. For instance, the human cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance
      regulator (CFTR) gene associates with the nuclear periphery in its inactive
      state, but occupies interior positions when active. Treatment with the histone
      deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin a (TSA) changes the radial positioning of the
      CFTR gene in HeLa S3 cells. The gene relocates from the nuclear periphery to the
      nuclear interior. In Calu-3 cells the gene is located in the nuclear interior. To
      identify potential regulatory elements for the positioning of CFTR, the histone
      H3 and H4 acetylation patterns of untreated and TSA-treated HeLa S3 and untreated
      Calu-3 cells were determined by ChIP-chip. Here is a detailed description of the
      datasets associated with the study by Muck et al. published in the Journal of
      Cellular Biochemistry in 2012. 

PMID- 26484077
TI  - Identification of TEL-AML1 (ETV6-RUNX1) associated DNA and its impact on mRNA and
      protein output using ChIP, mRNA expression arrays and SILAC.
AB  - The contribution of the most common reciprocal translocation in childhood B-cell
      precursor leukemia t(12;21)(p13;q22) to leukemia development is still under
      debate. Direct as well as secondary indirect effects of the TEL-AML1 fusion
      protein are commonly recorded by using cell lines and patient samples, often
      bearing the TEL-AML1 fusion protein for decades. To identify direct targets of
      the fusion protein a short-term induction of TEL-AML1 is needed. We here describe
      in detail the experimental procedure, quality controls and contents of the ChIP,
      mRNA expression and SILAC datasets associated with the study published by Linka
      and colleagues in the Blood Cancer Journal [1] utilizing a short term induction
      of TEL-AML1 in an inducible precursor B-cell line model. 

PMID- 26484078
TI  - Genome-wide profiling of YY1 binding sites during skeletal myogenesis.
AB  - Skeletal muscle differentiation is regulated by a network of transcription
      factors, epigenetic regulators and noncoding RNAs. We have recently performed
      ChIP-seq experiments to explore the genome-wide binding of transcription factor
      YY1 in skeletal muscle cells. Our results identified thousands of YY1 binding
      peaks, underscoring its multifaceted functions in muscle cells. In particular, we
      identified a very high proportion of YY1 binding peaks residing in the intergenic
      regions, which led to the discovery of some novel lincRNAs under YY1 regulation.
      Here we describe the details of the ChIP-seq experiments and data analysis
      procedures associated with the study published by Lu et al. in the EMBO Journal
      in 2013 [1]. 

PMID- 26484079
TI  - Using SNP array to identify aneuploidy and segmental imbalance in translocation
      carriers.
AB  - Translocation is one of the more common structural rearrangements of chromosomes,
      with a prevalence of 0.2%. The two most common types of chromosomal
      translocations, Robertsonian and reciprocal, usually result in no obvious
      phenotypic abnormalities when balanced. However, these are still associated with
      reproductive risks, such as infertility, spontaneous abortion and the delivery of
      babies with mental retardation or developmental delay. In recent years, array
      based whole-genome amplification (WGA) technologies, including microarray
      comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH; aCGH) and single-nucleotide
      polymorphism (SNP) micro-arrays, have enabled the screening of every chromosome
      for whole-chromosome aneuploidy and segmental imbalance. These techniques have
      been shown to have clinical application for translocation carriers. Promising
      studies have indicated that array-based PGD of translocation carriers can lead to
      transfer pregnancy rates of 45-70% [2]. In addition to genetic testing
      techniques, the embryo biopsy stage (polar body, cleavage embryo or blastocyst)
      and the mode of embryo transfer (fresh or frozen embryos) can affect the outcome
      of PGD. It is now generally recommended that blastomere biopsy should be replaced
      by blastocyst biopsy to avoid a high mosaic rate and biopsy-related damage to
      cleavage-stage embryos, which might affect embryo development. However, more
      clinical data are required to confirm that the technique of SNP array-based PGD
      (SNP-PGD) combined with trophectoderm (TE) biopsy and frozen embryo transfer
      (FET) is superior to traditional FISH-PGD combined with Day 3 (D3) blastomere
      biopsy and fresh embryo transfer. 

PMID- 26484080
TI  - Transcriptional dysregulation of the multifunctional zinc finger factor 423 in
      acute lymphoblastic leukemia of childhood.
AB  - Differentiation arrest is a hallmark of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Among
      a variety of structural and chromosomal alterations, especially mutations in
      genes encoding for regulators of B cell differentiation are common. The objective
      of this study was a comprehensive assessment of transcriptional dysregulation and
      high-resolution genomic profiling of B cell differentiation factors. Here we
      provide extended materials and methods regarding transcriptome and genome-wide
      copy number variation analyses published by Harder et al. [1]. Our data provide a
      resource for the identification of yet undefined factors that play a putative
      functional role in leukemogenesis such as ZNF423, whose aberrant expression
      interferes with B-cell differentiation. 

PMID- 26484082
TI  - Gene expression analysis of livers from female B6C3F1 mice exposed to
      carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic doses of furan, with or without
      bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) treatment.
AB  - Standard methodology for identifying chemical carcinogens is both time-consuming
      and resource intensive. Researchers are actively investigating how new
      technologies can be used to identify chemical carcinogens in a more rapid and
      cost-effective manner. Here we performed a toxicogenomic case study of the liver
      carcinogen furan. Full study and mode of action details were previously published
      in the Journal of Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. Female B6C3F1 mice were
      sub-chronically treated with two non-carcinogenic (1 and 2 mg/kg bw) and two
      carcinogenic (4 and 8 mg/kg bw) doses of furan for 21 days. Half of the mice in
      each dose group were also treated with 0.02% bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) for five
      days prior to sacrifice [13]. Agilent gene expression microarrays were used to
      measure changes in liver gene and long non-coding RNA expression (published in
      Toxicological Sciences). Here we describe the experimental and quality control
      details for the microarray data. We also provide the R code used to analyze the
      raw data files, produce fold change and false discovery rate (FDR) adjusted p
      values for each gene, and construct hierarchical clustering between datasets. 

PMID- 26484081
TI  - cFLIP expression is altered in severe corticosteroid-resistant asthma.
AB  - Dysregulation of alternative splicing of mRNA precursors is known to contribute
      to numerous human diseases. In this study we carried out the first systematic
      search for asthma-associated changes in alternative splicing events, using a
      model of Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus)-sensitized mice and an exon
      junction microarray to detect potential changes in alternative splicing. One of
      the sensitization-associated changes identified in the search was a shift in
      alternative splicing of the mRNA encoding cFLIP, a modulator of the caspase
      mediated extrinsic apoptosis pathway. Expanding these studies to human asthma
      patients, we discovered a significant decrease in the expression of both cFLIP
      isoforms in severe corticosteroid-resistant asthmatics. Although it is unclear
      whether these changes were due solely to differences in alternative splicing,
      these findings provide evidence that dysregulation of the extrinsic apoptosis
      pathway is part of the underlying immunopathogenesis of severe refractory asthma.

PMID- 26484083
TI  - GeoChip as a metagenomics tool to analyze the microbial gene diversity along an
      elevation gradient.
AB  - To examine microbial responses to climate change, we used a microarray-based
      metagenomics tool named GeoChip 4.0 to profile soil microbial functional genes
      along four sites/elevations of a Tibetan mountainous grassland. We found that
      microbial communities differed among four elevations. Soil pH, temperature, NH4
      (+)-N and vegetation diversity were four major attributes affecting soil
      microbial communities. Here we describe in details the experiment design, the
      data normalization process, soil and vegetation analyses associated with the
      study published on ISME Journal in 2014 [1], whose raw data have been uploaded to
      Gene Expression Omnibus (accession number GSM1185243). 

PMID- 26484084
TI  - Transcriptome profiling for discovery of genes involved in shoot apical meristem
      and flower development.
AB  - Flower development is one of the major developmental processes that governs seed
      setting in angiosperms. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms
      underlying flower development in legumes. Employing RNA-seq for various stages of
      flower development and few vegetative tissues in chickpea, we identified
      differentially expressed genes in flower tissues/stages in comparison to
      vegetative tissues, which are related to various biological processes and
      molecular functions during flower development. Here, we provide details of
      experimental methods, RNA-seq data (available at Gene Expression Omnibus database
      under GSE42679) and analysis pipeline published by Singh and colleagues in the
      Plant Biotechnology Journal (Singh et al., 2013), along with additional analysis
      for discovery of genes involved in shoot apical meristem (SAM) development. Our
      data provide a resource for exploring the complex molecular mechanisms underlying
      SAM and flower development and identification of gene targets for functional and
      applied genomics in legumes. 

PMID- 26484085
TI  - Genome-wide analysis of high risk human papillomavirus E2 proteins in human
      primary keratinocytes.
AB  - The E2 protein is expressed in the early stage of human papillomavirus (HPV)
      infection that is associated with cervical lesions. This protein plays important
      roles in regulation of viral replication and transcription. To characterize the
      role of E2 protein in modulation of cellular gene expression in HPV infected
      cells, genome-wide expression profiling of human primary keratinocytes (HPK)
      harboring HPV16 E2 and HPV18 E2 was investigated using microarray. The Principle
      Components Analysis (PCA) revealed that the expression data of HPV16 E2 and HPV18
      E2-transduced HPKs were rather closely clustered. The Venn diagram of modulated
      genes showed an overlap of 10 common genes in HPV16 E2 expressing HPK and HPV18
      E2 expressing HPK. These genes were expressed with significant difference by
      comparison with control cells. In addition, the distinct sets of modulated genes
      were detected 14 and 34 genes in HPV16 E2 and HPV18 E2 expressing HPKs,
      respectively. 

PMID- 26484086
TI  - Genome-wide copy number profiling to detect gene amplifications in neural
      progenitor cells.
AB  - DNA sequence amplification occurs at defined stages during normal development in
      amphibians and flies and seems to be restricted in humans to drug-resistant and
      tumor cells only. We used array-CGH to discover copy number changes including
      gene amplifications and deletions during differentiation of human neural
      progenitor cells. Here, we describe cell culture features, DNA extraction, and
      comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) analysis tailored towards the
      identification of genomic copy number changes. Further detailed analysis of
      amplified chromosome regions associated with this experiment, was published by
      Fischer and colleagues in PLOS One in 2012 (Fischer et al., 2012). We provide
      detailed information on deleted chromosome regions during differentiation and
      give an overview on copy number changes during differentiation induction for two
      representative chromosome regions. 

PMID- 26484087
TI  - GeoChip profiling of microbial community in response to global changes simulated
      by soil transplant and cropping.
AB  - Microbe plays an important role in driving biogeochemical cycles, thus it is of
      great interest to understand microbial responses and feedbacks to global changes.
      We have recently analyzed functional potentials of soil microbial community via a
      high-throughput, microarray-based metagenomic tool named GeoChip 3.0 to
      illustrate microbial responses to global changes simulated by soil transplant
      and/or maize cropping. Here we describe detailed experimental design, data
      collection and pre-processing to support our published studies by Liu et al. [5]
      and Zhao et al. [14]. 

PMID- 26484088
TI  - Genome-wide binding of transcription factors in inv(16) acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - The inv(16) translocation is associated with 5% of AML cases and gives rise to
      expression of the oncofusion protein CBFbeta-MYH11. Although different molecular
      mechanisms for the oncogenic activity of this fusion protein have been proposed
      these were mostly based on in vitro experiments or single loci analysis.
      Recently, we investigated the genome-wide action of this fusion protein in the
      context of other hematopoietic transcription factors (Mandoli et al., 2014).
      Here, we describe in detail the ChIP-seq and RNA-seq methods used to generate the
      data associated with this study. Our analysis of CBFbeta-MYH11 as well as
      multiple other hematopoietic transcription factors using ChIP-seq data revealed
      RUNX1 dependent binding of CBFbeta-MYH11 as well as interaction of the
      RUNX1/CBFbeta-MYH11 complex with other hematopoietic regulators. Further RNA-seq
      based analysis suggested that CBFbeta-MYH11 can act both as activator and
      repressor. 

PMID- 26484089
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of Rpl11-deficient zebrafish model of Diamond-Blackfan
      Anemia.
AB  - To comprehensively reflect the roles of Rpl11 on the transcriptome of zebrafish
      model of Diamond-Blackfan Anemia (DBA), we performed whole-genome transcriptome
      sequencing on the Illumina Hi-Seq 2000 sequencing platform. Two different
      transcriptomes of zebrafish Rpl11-deficient and control Morpholino (Mo) embryos
      were collected and analyzed. The experimental design and methods, including
      sample preparation, RNA-Seq data evaluation and treatment, were described in
      details so that representative high-throughput sequencing data were acquired for
      assessing the actual impacts of Rpl11 on zebrafish embryos. We provided the
      accession number GSE51326 for easy access to the database. 

PMID- 26484090
TI  - Pitfalls in global normalization of ChIP-seq data in CD4(+) T cells treated with
      butyrate: A possible solution strategy.
AB  - Regulatory T cells (Treg) play a central role in the suppression of inflammatory
      and allergic responses. Colonization of certain gut commensal microbes such as
      Clostridia class IV and XIVa in the gut can induce development of colonic Treg
      cells contributing to the maintenance of gut immune homeostasis. Clostridia
      derived butyrate promotes the differentiation of naive T cells into Treg cells
      through upregulation of Foxp3, the master transcription factor of Treg cells.
      Chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-seq) analysis revealed that
      treatment of naive T cells with butyrate induces Treg-polarizing conditions by
      enhanced histone H3 acetylation in the promoter and conserved non-coding sequence
      regions of the Foxp3 locus. In general, global normalization was utilized for
      ChIP-seq analysis to compare the data obtained from two or more samples. However,
      global normalization is not appropriate for the evaluation of ChIP-seq data when
      treatment can affect the total amount of target protein. Here, we introduce a
      unique normalization method for ChIP-seq analysis in cells treated with butyrate,
      a pan-HDAC inhibitor that is likely to affect total acetylation levels of histone
      H3. 

PMID- 26484091
TI  - Next-generation sequencing of microRNAs in primary human polarized macrophages.
AB  - Macrophages are important for mounting inflammatory responses to tissue damage or
      infection by invading pathogens, and therefore modulation of their cellular
      functions is essential for the success of the immune system as well as for
      maintaining tissue homeostasis. Small non-coding RNAs are important regulatory
      elements of gene expression and microRNAs are the most widely known to be
      fundamental for the proper development of cells of the immune system. Macrophages
      can exhibit different phenotypes, depending on the cytokine environment they
      encounter in the affected tissues. We have analyzed the microRNA expression
      profiles during maturation of human primary monocytes into macrophages and
      polarization by pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines. Here we describe the
      analysis of next-generation sequencing data deposited in EMBL-EBI ArrayExpress
      under accession number E-MTAB-1969 and associated with the study published by
      Cobos Jimenez and collaborators in Physiological Genomics in 2014 (1). The data
      presented here contributes to our understanding of microRNA expression profiles
      in human monocytes and macrophages and will also serve as a resource for novel
      microRNAs and other small RNA species expressed in these cells. 

PMID- 26484092
TI  - Human miRNome profiling in colorectal cancer and liver metastasis development.
AB  - Qualitative alterations or abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in
      colorectal cancer has mainly been demonstrated in primary tumors. The miRNA
      expression profiles in 78 samples from 46 patients were analyzed to identify
      changes in miRNA expression level among normal colon mucosa, primary tumor and
      liver metastasis samples. Using this dataset, we describe the interplay of miRNA
      groups in regulating pathways that are important for tumor development. Here we
      describe in details the contents and quality controls for the miRNA expression
      and clinical data associated with the study published by Pizzini and colleagues
      in the BMC Genomics in 2013 (Pizzini et al., 2013). Data are deposited in GEO
      database as GSE35834 series. 

PMID- 26484093
TI  - Gene expression profiling to define the cell intrinsic role of the SKI proto
      oncogene in hematopoiesis and myeloid neoplasms.
AB  - The proto-oncogene SKI is highly expressed in human myeloid leukemia and also in
      murine hematopoietic stem cells. However, its operative relevance in these cells
      remains elusive. We have over-expressed SKI to define its intrinsic role in
      hematopoiesis and myeloid neoplasms, which resulted in a robust competitive
      advantage upon transplantation, a complete dominance of the stem and progenitor
      compartments, and a marked enhancement of myeloid differentiation at the expense
      of other lineages. Accordingly, enforced expression of SKI induced gene
      signatures associated with hematopoietic stem cells and myeloid differentiation.
      Here we provide detailed experimental methods and analysis for the gene
      expression profiling described in our recently published study of Singbrant et
      al. (2014) in Haematologica. Our data sets (available at
      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE39457) provide a resource
      for exploring the underlying molecular mechanisms of the involvement of the proto
      oncogene SKI in hematopoietic stem cell function and development of myeloid
      neoplasms. 

PMID- 26484094
TI  - Genome-wide epigenetic profiling of breast cancer tumors treated with aromatase
      inhibitors.
AB  - Aromatase inhibitors (AI) are extensively used in the treatment of estrogen
      receptor-positive breast cancers, however resistance to AI treatment is commonly
      observed. Apart from Estrogen receptor (ERalpha) expression, no predictive
      biomarkers for response to AI treatment are clinically applied. Yet, since other
      therapeutic options exist in the clinic, such as tamoxifen, there is an urgent
      medical need for the development of treatment-selective biomarkers, enabling
      personalized endocrine treatment selection in breast cancer. In the described
      dataset, ERalpha chromatin binding and histone marks H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 were
      assessed in a genome-wide manner by Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) combined
      with massive parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq). These datasets were used to develop
      a classifier to stratify breast cancer patients on outcome after AI treatment in
      the metastatic setting. Here we describe in detail the data and quality control
      metrics, as well as the clinical information associated with the study, published
      by Jansen et al. [1]. The data is publicly available through the GEO database
      with accession number GSE40867. 

PMID- 26484095
TI  - Dataset of natural antisense transcripts in P. vivax clinical isolates derived
      using custom designed strand-specific microarray.
AB  - Natural antisense transcripts (NATs) have been detected in many organisms and
      shown to regulate gene expression. Similarly, NATs have also been observed in
      malaria parasites with most studies focused on Plasmodium falciparum. There were
      no reports on the presence of NATs in Plasmodium vivax, which has also been shown
      to cause severe malaria like P. falciparum, until a recent study published by us.
      To identify in vivo prevalence of antisense transcripts in P. vivax clinical
      isolates, we performed whole genome expression profiling using a custom designed
      strand-specific microarray that contains probes for both sense and antisense
      strands. Here we describe the experimental methods and analysis of the microarray
      data available in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) under GSE45165. Our data provides
      a resource for exploring the presence of antisense transcripts in P. vivax
      isolated from patients showing varying clinical symptoms. Related information
      about the description and interpretation of the data can be found in a recent
      publication by Boopathi and colleagues in Infection, Genetics and Evolution 2013.

PMID- 26484096
TI  - Transcriptome profiling of LGR5 positive colorectal cancer cells.
AB  - The concept of cancer stem cells (CSCs) claims that colorectal carcinomas (CRCs),
      like normal colorectal epithelium, are organized hierarchically and contain a
      subpopulation of qualitatively distinct cancer cells. The expression of
      distinctive surface markers or of certain enzymes is a prerequisite for the
      isolation and characterization of the CSC population. With respect to CRCs,
      putative CSCs can be identified by leucine-rich-repeat-containing G-protein
      coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5, also known as G-protein-coupled receptor 49, Gpr49).
      However, the precise function of the intestinal stem cell marker Lgr5 in CRCs
      remains largely unknown. We silenced LGR5 expression in SW480 CRC cells via
      lentiviral shRNA constructs. This led to the depletion of a morphologically
      distinct subpopulation of SW480 CRC cells. Microarray gene expression profiling
      revealed a down-regulation of NOTCH signaling upon LGR5 silencing that could be
      confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, we induced inflammation-driven
      colon tumors in Lgr5-EGFP-IRES-Cre-ERT2 mice via administration of azoxymethane
      and dextrane sodium sulfate. The induced tumors were flow-sorted into fractions
      of epithelial cells that expressed high or low levels of Lgr5 and were
      characterized using gene expression profiling. Lgr5 high tumor cells showed
      higher levels of several stem cell-associated genes and higher Wnt signaling than
      Lgr5 low tumor cells and Lgr5 high normal stem cells. Here we provide a thorough
      description of our two gene expression datasets including quality control checks
      uploaded to Gene Expression Omnibus database (data accession number: GSE46200).
      The analysis and interpretation of our gene expression data and related results
      have been published recently by Hirsch and colleagues in Carcinogenesis in 2014. 

PMID- 26484097
TI  - Genome comparison of Listeria monocytogenes serotype 4a strain HCC23 with
      selected lineage I and lineage II L. monocytogenes strains and other Listeria
      strains.
AB  - More than 98% of reported human listeriosis cases are caused by specific
      serotypes within genetic lineages I and II. The genome sequence of Listeria
      monocytogenes lineage III strain HCC23 (serotype 4a) enables whole genomic
      comparisons across all three L. monocytogenes lineages. Protein cluster analysis
      indicated that strain HCC23 has the most unique protein pairs with nonpathogenic
      species Listeria innocua. Orthology analysis of the genome sequences of
      representative strains from the three L. monocytogenes genetic lineages and L.
      innocua (CLIP11262) identified 319 proteins unique to nonpathogenic strains HCC23
      and CLIP11262 and 58 proteins unique to pathogenic strains F2365 and EGD-e. BLAST
      comparison of these proteins with all the sequenced L. monocytogenes and L.
      innocua revealed 126 proteins unique to serotype 4a and/or L. innocua; 14
      proteins were only found in pathogenic serotypes. Some of the 58 proteins unique
      to pathogenic strains F2365 and EGD-e were previously published and are already
      known to contribute to listerial virulence. 

PMID- 26484099
TI  - ChIP-seq profiling of the active chromatin marker H3K4me3 and PPARgamma,
      CEBPalpha and LXR target genes in human SGBS adipocytes.
AB  - Transcription factors (TFs) represent key factors to establish a cellular
      phenotype. It is known that several TFs could play a role in disease, yet less is
      known so far how their targets overlap. We focused here on identifying the most
      highly induced TFs and their putative targets during human adipogenesis. Applying
      chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with deep sequencing (ChIP-Seq) in the
      human SGBS pre-adipocyte cell line, we identified genes with binding sites in
      their vicinity for the three TFs studied, PPARgamma, CEBPalpha and LXR. Here we
      describe the experimental design and quality controls in detail for the deep
      sequencing data and related results published by Galhardo et al. in Nucleic Acids
      Research 2014 [1] associated with the data uploaded to NCBI Gene Expression
      Omnibus (GSE41578). 

PMID- 26484098
TI  - Data in brief: Transcriptome analysis of induced pluripotent stem cells from
      monozygotic twins discordant for trisomy 21.
AB  - Down syndrome (DS, trisomy 21), is the most common viable chromosomal disorder,
      with an incidence of 1 in 800 live births. Its phenotypic characteristics include
      intellectual impairment and several other developmental abnormalities, for the
      majority of which the pathogenetic mechanisms remain unknown. In this "Data in
      Brief" paper, we sum up the whole genome analysis by mRNA sequencing of normal
      and DS induced pluripotent stem cells that was recently published by Hibaoui et
      al. in EMBO molecular medicine. 

PMID- 26484100
TI  - Gene expression profiling of non-polyadenylated RNA-seq across species.
AB  - Transcriptomes are dynamic and unique, with each cell type/tissue, developmental
      stage and species expressing a different repertoire of RNA transcripts. Most
      mRNAs and well-characterized long noncoding RNAs are shaped with a 5' cap and 3'
      poly(A) tail, thus conventional transcriptome analyses typically start with the
      enrichment of poly(A)+ RNAs by oligo(dT) selection, followed by deep sequencing
      approaches. However, accumulated lines of evidence suggest that many RNA
      transcripts are processed by alternative mechanisms without 3' poly(A) tails and,
      therefore, fail to be enriched by oligo(dT) purification and are absent following
      deep sequencing analyses. We have described an enrichment strategy to purify non
      polyadenylated (poly(A)-/ribo-) RNAs from human total RNAs by removal of both
      poly(A)+ RNA transcripts and ribosomal RNAs, which led to the identification of
      many novel RNA transcripts with non-canonical 3' ends in human. Here, we describe
      the application of non-polyadenylated RNA-sequencing in rhesus monkey and mouse
      cell lines/tissue, and further profile the transcription of non-polyadenylated
      RNAs across species, providing new resources for non-polyadenylated RNA
      identification and comparison across species. 

PMID- 26484101
TI  - RNA-Seq analysis of laser-capture microdissected cells of the developing central
      starchy endosperm of maize.
AB  - Endosperm is a product of double fertilization, and provides nutrients and
      signals to the embryo during seed development in flowering plants. Early stages
      of endosperm development are critical for the development of its storage capacity
      through synthesis and accumulation of starch and storage proteins. Here we report
      on the isolation and sequencing of mRNAs from the central portion of the starchy
      endosperm of Zea mays (maize) B73 at 6 days after pollination. We detected a high
      level of correlation among the four biological replicates of RNAs isolated using
      laser-capture microdissection of the cell type. Because the assayed developmental
      stage precedes the synthesis and accumulation of the major storage proteins and
      starch in the endosperm, our dataset likely include mRNAs for genes that are
      involved in control and establishment of these storage programs. The mRNA-Seq
      data has been deposited in Gene Expression Omnibus (accession number GSE58504). 

PMID- 26484102
TI  - Transcriptomics profiling of human SGBS adipogenesis.
AB  - Obesity is an ever-growing epidemic where tissue homeostasis is influenced by the
      differentiation of adipocytes that function in lipid metabolism, endocrine and
      inflammatory processes. While this differentiation process has been well
      characterized in mice, limited data is available from human cells. Applying
      microarray expression profiling in the human SGBS pre-adipocyte cell line, we
      identified genes with differential expression during differentiation in
      combination with constraint-based modeling of metabolic pathway activity. Here we
      describe the experimental design and quality controls in detail for the gene
      expression and related results published by Galhardo et al. in Nucleic Acids
      Research 2014 associated with the data uploaded to NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus
      (GSE41352). 

PMID- 26484103
TI  - The HER2 amplicon includes several genes required for the growth and survival of
      HER2 positive breast cancer cells - A data description.
AB  - A large number of breast cancers are characterized by amplification and
      overexpression of the chromosome segment surrounding the HER2 (ERBB2) oncogene.
      As the HER2 amplicon at 17q12 contains multiple genes, we have systematically
      explored the role of the HER2 co-amplified genes in breast cancer cell growth and
      their relation to trastuzumab resistance. We integrated array comparative genomic
      hybridization (aCGH) data of the HER2 amplicon from 71 HER2 positive breast
      tumors and 10 cell lines with systematic functional RNA interference analysis of
      23 core amplicon genes with several phenotypic endpoints in a panel of
      trastuzumab responding and non-responding HER2 positive breast cancer cells. In
      this Data in Brief we give a detailed description of the experimental procedures
      and the data analysis methods used in the study (1). 

PMID- 26484104
TI  - Transcriptional profiling of apoptosis-deficient Drosophila mutants.
AB  - Apoptosis is a fundamental way to remove damaged or unwanted cells during both
      developmental and post-developmental stages. Apoptosis deficiency leads to
      various diseases including cancer. To know the physiological changes in apoptosis
      deficient mutants, we conducted non-biased transcriptomic analysis of Drosophila
      dark(cd4) mutants. As recently reported, combined with metabolome and genetic
      analysis, we identified systemic immune response, energy wasting, as well as
      alteration in S-adenosyl-methionine metabolism in response to necrotic cells [1].
      Here, we describe in detail how we obtained validated microarray dataset
      deposited in Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE47853). Our data provide a resource for
      searching transcriptional alterations in Drosophila apoptosis-deficient mutants. 

PMID- 26484105
TI  - Third party annotation gene data set of eutherian lysozyme genes.
AB  - The eutherian comparative genomic analysis protocol annotated most comprehensive
      eutherian lysozyme gene data set. Among 209 potential coding sequences, the third
      party annotation gene data set of eutherian lysozyme genes included 116 complete
      coding sequences that first described seven major gene clusters. As one new
      framework of future experiments, the present integrated gene annotations,
      phylogenetic analysis and protein molecular evolution analysis proposed new
      classification and nomenclature of eutherian lysozyme genes. 

PMID- 26484106
TI  - Profiling DNA supercoiling domains in vivo.
AB  - Transitions in DNA structure have the capacity to regulate genes, but have been
      poorly characterised in eukaryotes due to a lack of appropriate techniques. One
      important example is DNA supercoiling, which can directly regulate transcription
      initiation, elongation and coordinated expression of neighbouring genes. DNA
      supercoiling is the over- or under-winding of the DNA double helix, which occurs
      as a consequence of polymerase activity and is modulated by topoisomerase
      activity [5]. To map the distribution of DNA supercoiling in nuclei, we developed
      biotinylated 4,5,8-trimethylpsoralen (bTMP) pull-down to preferentially enrich
      for under-wound DNA. Here we describe in detail the experimental design, quality
      controls and analyses associated with the study by Naughton et al. [13] that
      characterised for the first time the large-scale distribution of DNA supercoiling
      in human cells (GEO: GSE43488 and GSE43450GSE43488GSE43450). 

PMID- 26484107
TI  - Assessing quality standards for ChIP-seq and related massive parallel sequencing
      generated datasets: When rating goes beyond avoiding the crisis.
AB  - Massive parallel DNA sequencing combined with chromatin immunoprecipitation and a
      large variety of DNA/RNA-enrichment methodologies is at the origin of data
      resources of major importance. Indeed these resources, available for multiple
      genomes, represent the most comprehensive catalogue of (i) cell, development and
      signal transduction-specified patterns of binding sites for transcription factors
      ('cistromes') and for transcription and chromatin modifying machineries and (ii)
      the patterns of specific local post-translational modifications of histones and
      DNA ('epigenome') or of regulatory chromatin binding factors. In addition, (iii)
      the resources specifying chromatin structure alterations are emerging.
      Importantly, these types of "omics" datasets populate increasingly public
      repositories and provide highly valuable resources for the exploration of general
      principles of cell function in a multi-dimensional genome-transcriptome-epigenome
      chromatin structure context. However, data mining is critically dependent on the
      data quality, an issue that, surprisingly, is still largely ignored by scientists
      and well-financed consortia, data repositories and scientific journals. So what
      determines the quality of ChIP-seq experiments and the datasets generated
      therefrom and what refrains scientists from associating quality criteria to their
      data? In this 'opinion' we trace the various parameters that influence the
      quality of this type of datasets, as well as the computational efforts that were
      made until now to qualify them. Moreover, we describe a universal quality control
      (QC) certification approach that provides a quality rating for ChIP-seq and
      enrichment-related assays. The corresponding QC tool and a regularly updated
      database, from which at present the quality parameters of more than 8000 datasets
      can be retrieved, are freely accessible at www.ngs-qc.org. 

PMID- 26484108
TI  - The miRNAome of Opisthorchis viverrini induced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is an aggressive cancer, arising in the
      biliary ducts that extend into the liver. The highest incidence of ICC occurs in
      Southeast Asia, particularly in the Mekong River Basin countries of Thailand,
      Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, where it is strongly associated with chronic
      infection by the food-borne liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini (OV), one of only
      three eukaryote pathogens considered Group one carcinogens. Intrahepatic
      cholangiocarcinoma is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, with a poor
      prognosis and survival often less than 24 months. Hence, biomarkers that enable
      the early detection of ICC would be desirable and have a potentially important
      impact on the public health in the resource-poor regions where this cancer is
      most prevalent. As microRNAs (miRNAs) remain well preserved after formalin
      fixation, there is much interest in developing them as biomarkers that can be
      investigated using tumor biopsy samples preserved in formalin fixed paraffin
      embedded (FFPE) tumor blocks. Recently, we reported the first comprehensive
      profiling of tissue-based miRNA expression using FFPE from the three most common
      subtypes of OV-induced ICC tumors: moderately differentiated ICC, papillary ICC,
      and well-differentiated ICC. We observed that each subtype of OV-induced ICC
      exhibited a distinct miRNA profile, which suggested the involvement of specific
      sets of miRNAs in the progression of this cancer. In addition, non-tumor tissue
      adjacent to ICC tumor tissue on the same FFPE block shared a similar miRNA
      dysregulation profile with the tumor tissue than with normal (non-tumor) liver
      tissue (individuals without ICC or OV infection). Herein, we provide a detailed
      description of the microarray analysis procedures used to derive these findings. 

PMID- 26484109
TI  - Transcriptome profiling of gene expression in fall dormant and nondormant
      alfalfa.
AB  - Fall dormancy (FD) is an adaptive trait in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). It
      appeared in the regrowth process in late summer or early autumn after alfalfa was
      harvested. FD affects the biomass accumulation and winter survival in high
      latitude area. However, the molecular mechanism under FD is still not clear at
      present. Performing RNA-seq of fall dormant and nondormant alfalfa varieties at
      different time points, we obtained differentially expressed genes between
      different FD types or time points. These differentially expressed genes may
      relate to FD in alfalfa. Here, we provide detailed experimental methods and
      analysis pipeline in our study (Zhang S et al., De novo Characterization of Fall
      Dormant and Nondormant Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Transcriptome and
      Identification of Candidate Genes Relate to Fall Dormancy, submitted for
      publication) for reproducible research. Data generated in our work provide a
      resource to help decipher the molecular mechanism of FD in alfalfa. 

PMID- 26484110
TI  - Profiling miRNAs in nasopharyngeal carcinoma FFPE tissue by microarray and Next
      Generation Sequencing.
AB  - Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a non-lymphomatous, squamous-cell carcinoma
      that occurs in the epithelial lining of the nasopharynx. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
      has a geographically well-defined distribution worldwide, with the highest
      prevalence in China, Southeast Asia, and Northern Africa. Symptoms of nascent NPC
      may be unapparent or trivial, with diagnosis based on the histopathology of
      biopsied tissue following endoscopy of the nasopharynx. The tumor node metastasis
      (TNM) staging system is the benchmark for the prognosis of NPC and guides
      treatment strategy. However, there is a consensus that the TNM system is not
      sufficiently specific for the prognosis of NPC, as it does not reflect the
      biological heterogeneity of this tumor, making another biomarker for the
      detection of NPC a priority. We have previously reported on different approaches
      for microRNA (miRNA) biomarker discovery for Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded
      (FFPE) NPC tissue samples by both a targeted (microarray) and an untargeted
      (small RNA-Seq) discovery platform. Both miRNA discovery platforms produced
      similar results, narrowing the miRNA signature to 1-5% of the known mature human
      miRNAs, with untargeted (small RNA-Seq approach) having the advantage of
      indicating "unknown" miRNAs associated with NPC. Both miRNA profiles strongly
      associated with NPC, providing two potential discovery platforms for biomarker
      signatures for NPC. Herein, we provide a detailed description of the methods that
      we used to interrogate FFPE samples to discover biomarkers for NPC. 

PMID- 26484111
TI  - Genome-wide profiling of alternative splicing in Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Alternative splicing is a highly regulated process which generates transcriptome
      and proteome diversity through the skipping or inclusion of exons within gene
      loci. Identification of aberrant alternative splicing associated with human
      diseases has become feasible with the development of new genomic technologies and
      powerful bioinformatics. We have previously reported genome-wide gene alterations
      in the neocortex of a well-characterized cohort of Alzheimer's disease (AD)
      patients and matched elderly controls using a commercial exon microarray platform
      [1]. Here, we provide detailed description of analyses aimed at identifying
      differential alternative splicing events associated with AD. 

PMID- 26484112
TI  - Does gene length play a role? - Transient regulation of Gcn5 histone
      acetyltransferase under stress conditions.
AB  - Gcn5 is a histone modification enzyme that performs its function by global or
      locus-specific histone acetylation. It is known that Gcn5 involves in stress
      responses in yeast. Our previous data showed that Gcn5 relocalized to the long
      genes under IM KCl stress conditions in yeast. Here we use a stress adaptation
      and recovery model and performed 52 microarrays. By investigating the gene
      regulation pattern, genome-wide localization of Gcn5, as well as histone
      modification, we aim to understand the regulation mechanism. The data is
      available in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO: SuperSeriesGSE 36601). 

PMID- 26484113
TI  - Gene expression response to EWS-FLI1 in mouse embryonic cartilage.
AB  - Ewing's sarcoma is a rare bone tumor that affects children and adolescents. We
      have recently succeeded to induce Ewing's sarcoma-like small round cell tumor in
      mice by expression of EWS-ETS fusion genes in murine embryonic osteochondrogenic
      progenitors. The Ewing's sarcoma precursors are enriched in embryonic superficial
      zone (eSZ) cells of long bone. To get insights into the mechanisms of Ewing's
      sarcoma development, gene expression profiles between EWS-FLI1-sensitive eSZ
      cells and EWS-FLI1-resistant embryonic growth plate (eGP) cells were compared
      using DNA microarrays. Gene expression of eSZ and eGP cells (total, 30 samples)
      was evaluated with or without EWS-FLI1 expression 0, 8 or 48 h after gene
      transduction. Our data provide useful information for gene expression responses
      to fusion oncogenes in human sarcoma. 

PMID- 26484114
TI  - The role of Cockayne Syndrome Protein B in transcription regulation.
AB  - We investigated the question if CSB (Cockayne Syndrome complementation B) protein
      actively regulates gene transcription and how mutations in CSB gene affect that
      regulatory role. Here we describe how we processed and interpreted ChIP-seq data
      (deposited in Gene Expression Omnibus with accession number GSE50171) obtained
      during an investigation of that question, and how this analysis assisted in the
      generation of hypothesis that were subsequently validated using other types of
      experiment. 

PMID- 26484115
TI  - Deep sequencing of the microRNA expression in fall dormant and non-dormant
      alfalfa.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in post-transcriptional gene regulation
      that down-regulates target genes by mRNA degradation or translational repression.
      Evidence is increasing for their crucial roles during plant development.
      Identification of miRNAs at the global genome-level by high-throughput sequencing
      is essential to functionally characterize miRNAs in plants. Alfalfa (Medicago
      sativa L.) is one of the most widely cultivated perennial forage legumes
      worldwide. Fall dormancy is an adaptive character related to the biomass
      production and winter survival in alfalfa. However, little is known about miRNA
      mediated developmental regulation of fall dormancy in alfalfa. Here, we provide
      detailed experimental methods and analysis pipeline in our study to identify
      miRNAs that were responsive to fall dormancy (Fan W et al., Genome-wide
      identification of different dormant Medicago sativa L. microRNAs in response to
      fall dormancy, submitted for publication) for reproducible research. The data
      generated in our work provide meaningful information for understanding the roles
      of miRNAs in response to seasonal change and growth regulation in alfalfa. 

PMID- 26484116
TI  - Interaction between bisphenol A and dietary sugar affects global gene
      transcription in Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Human exposure to environmental toxins is a public health issue. The microarray
      data available in the Gene Expression Omnibus database under accession number
      GSE55655 and GSE55670GSE55655GSE55670 show the isolated and combined effects of
      dietary sugar and two organic compounds present in a variety of plastics
      [bisphenol A (BPA) and Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)] on global gene
      expression in Drosophila melanogaster. The study was carried out with samples
      collected from flies exposed to these compounds for a limited period of time (48
      h) in the adult stage, or throughout the entire development of the insect. The
      arrays were normalized using the limma/Bioconductor package. Differential
      expression was inferred using linear models in limma and BAGEL. The data show
      that each compound had its unique consequences to gene expression, and that the
      individual effect of each organic compound is maximized with the joint ingestion
      of dietary sugar. 

PMID- 26484117
TI  - Differential gene expression of Moraxella catarrhalis upon exposure to human
      serum.
AB  - The complement system is an important part of the innate defense against invading
      pathogens (Blom et al., 2009; [1]). The ability to resist complement-mediated
      killing is considered to be an important virulence trait for the human-restricted
      respiratory tract pathogen Moraxella catarrhalis, as most disease-associated M.
      catarrhalis isolates are complement-resistant (Wirth et al., 2007; [2]). Here we
      provide a detailed overview of the experimental methods that we have used to
      study the molecular basis of M. catarrhalis complement-resistance by
      transcriptome profiling of the bacterium upon exposure to 10% normal human serum
      (NHS), associated with the study of de Vries et al. published in Molecular
      Microbiology in 2014 [3]. 

PMID- 26484118
TI  - Transcriptional profiling of the postnatal brain of the Ts1Cje mouse model of
      Down syndrome.
AB  - The Ts1Cje mouse model of Down syndrome (DS) has partial trisomy of mouse
      chromosome 16 (MMU16), which is syntenic to human chromosome 21 (HSA21). It
      develops various neuropathological features demonstrated by DS patients such as
      reduced cerebellar volume [1] and altered hippocampus-dependent learning and
      memory [2,3]. To understand the global gene expression effect of the partially
      triplicated MMU16 segment on mouse brain development, we performed the
      spatiotemporal transcriptome analysis of Ts1Cje and disomic control cerebral
      cortex, cerebellum and hippocampus harvested at four developmental time-points:
      postnatal day (P)1, P15, P30 and P84. Here, we provide a detailed description of
      the experimental and analysis procedures of the microarray dataset, which has
      been deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE49050) database. 

PMID- 26484119
TI  - MicroRNA of the fifth-instar posterior silk gland of silkworm identified by
      Solexa sequencing.
AB  - No special studies have been focused on the microRNA (miRNA) in the fifth-instar
      posterior silk gland of Bombyx mori. Here, using next-generation sequencing, we
      acquired 93.2 million processed reads from 10 small RNA libraries. In this paper,
      we tried to thoroughly describe how our dataset generated from deep sequencing
      which was recently published in BMC genomics. Results showed that our findings
      are largely enriched silkworm miRNA depository and may benefit us to reveal the
      miRNA functions in the process of silk production. 

PMID- 26484120
TI  - Genome-wide mRNA and miRNA expression data analysis to screen for markers
      involved in sarcomagenesis in human chondrosarcoma cell lines.
AB  - Genes and miRNAs involved in sarcomagenesis related pathways are unknown and
      therefore signaling events leading to mesenchymal cell transformation to sarcoma
      are poorly elucidated. Exiqon and Illumina microarray study on human
      chondrosarcoma JJ012 and chondrocytes C28 cell lines to compare and analyze the
      differentially expressed miRNAs and their gene targets was recently published in
      the Journal Tumor Biology in 2014. Here we describe in details the contents and
      quality controls for the miRNA and gene expression data associated with the study
      that is relevant to this dataset. 

PMID- 26484121
TI  - Genome-wide analysis of thapsigargin-induced microRNAs and their targets in
      NIH3T3 cells.
AB  - Disruption of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis is the cause of ER
      stress. We performed microRNA (miRNA) analysis (deep sequencing) to search for
      coping responses (including signaling pathways) induced by disrupted ER Ca(2 +)
      homeostasis. Our focus was on a specific branch of UPR namely the bi-functional
      protein kinase/endoribonuclease inositol-requiring element 1alpha (IRE1alpha).
      Activated IRE1alpha undergoes autophosphorylation and oligomerization, leading to
      the activation of the endoribonuclease domain and splicing of the mRNA encoding
      XBP1 specific transcription factor. This processing changes the coding reading
      frame, producing a potent transcription factor termed XBP1s. We utilized the XBP1
      splicing luciferase reporter to screen for modulators of the IRE1alpha branch of
      the unfolded protein response (UPR). Here, we describe a detailed experimental
      design and bioinformatics analysis of ER Ca(2 +) depletion (thapsigargin treated)
      induced microRNA (deep sequencing) profile. The data can be access at the Gene
      Expression Omnibus (GEO), the National Center for Biotechnology Information
      (NCBI), reference number GSE57138. 

PMID- 26484122
TI  - Genome-wide profiling to analyze the effects of Ox-LDL induced THP-1 macrophage
      derived foam cells on gene expression.
AB  - Atherosclerosis has a high incidence and is harmful to human health. An elevated
      level of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) is one of the major risk
      factors for atherosclerosis. During atherogenesis progression, circulating
      monocytes adhere to the intima and differentiate into macrophages. After
      differentiation, intimal macrophages intake Ox-LDL via scavenger receptors,
      thereby transforming into foam cells. Foam cell formation due to excessive
      accumulation of cholesterol by macrophages is a pathological hallmark of
      atherosclerosis. To gain a molecular understanding of the effect of Ox-LDL in
      atherosclerosis development, we conducted a genome-wide analysis of the Ox-LDL
      induced macrophage transformation by microarray gene expression profiling. Here
      we describe in details the contents and quality controls for the gene expression
      and related results associated with the data uploaded to Gene Expression Omnibus
      (accession number GSE54039). 

PMID- 26484123
TI  - Gene expression profiling of mononuclear cells from patients with sepsis
      secondary to community-acquired pneumonia.
AB  - Mechanisms governing the inflammatory response during sepsis involve crosstalk
      between diverse signaling pathways, but current knowledge provides an incomplete
      picture of the syndrome. Microarray-based expression profiling is a powerful
      approach for the investigation of complex clinical conditions such as sepsis. In
      this study, we investigated whole-genome expression profiles in mononuclear cells
      from septic patients admitted in intensive care units with community-acquired
      pneumonia. Blood samples were collected at the time of sepsis diagnosis and seven
      days later since we aimed to evaluate the role of biological processes or genes
      possibly involved in patient recovery. Here we provide a detailed description of
      the study design, including clinical information, experimental methods and
      procedures regarding data analysis. Metadata corresponding to microarray results
      deposited in the database Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) under the accession
      number GSE48080 are also described in this report. Our dataset allows the
      identification of genes possibly associated with host defense to infection as
      well as gene expression patterns associated with patient outcome. 

PMID- 26484124
TI  - Gene expression in response to cyclic mechanical stretch in primary human dermal
      fibroblasts.
AB  - The human dermal skin is permanently exposed to mechanical stress, for instance
      during facial expression, which might cause wrinkles with age. Cyclic mechanical
      stretching of cells results in cellular and cytoskeleton alignment perpendicular
      to the stretch direction regulating cellular response. With gene expression
      profiling it was aimed to identify the differentially expressed genes associated
      with the regulation of the cytoskeleton to investigate the stretch-induced cell
      alignment mechanism. Here, the transcription activity of the genome in response
      to cyclic mechanical stress was measured using DNA microarray technology with
      Agilent SurePrint G3 Human GE 8x60k Microarrays, based on the overall measurement
      of the mRNA. Gene expression was measured at the beginning of the alignment
      process showing first reoriented cells after 5 h stretching and at the end after
      24 h, where nearly all cells are aligned. Gene expression data of control vs.
      stretched primary human dermal fibroblasts after 5 h and 24 h demonstrated the
      regulation of differentially expressed genes associated with metabolism,
      differentiation and morphology and were deposited at
      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo with the accession number GSE58389. 

PMID- 26484125
TI  - Global transcriptional analysis of short-term hepatic stress responses in
      Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) exposed to depleted uranium.
AB  - Potential environmental hazards of radionuclides are often studied at the
      individual level. Sufficient toxicogenomics data at the molecular/cellular level
      for understanding the effects and modes of toxic action (MoAs) of radionuclide is
      still lacking. The current article introduces transcriptomic data generated from
      a recent ecotoxicological study, with the aims to characterize the MoAs of a
      metallic radionuclide, deplete uranium (DU) in an ecologically and commercially
      important fish species, Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Salmon were exposed to
      three concentrations (0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/L) of DU for 48 h. Short-term global
      transcriptional responses were studied using Agilent custom-designed high density
      60,000-feature (60 k) salmonid oligonucleotide microarrays (oligoarray). The
      microarray datasets deposited at Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO ID: GSE58824) were
      associated with a recently published study by Song et al. (2014) in BMC Genomics.
      The authors describe the experimental data herein to build a platform for better
      understanding the toxic mechanisms and ecological hazard of radionuclides such as
      DU in fish. 

PMID- 26484126
TI  - Base-resolution DNA methylation landscape of zebrafish brain and liver.
AB  - Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a vertebrate model organism that is widely used for
      studying a plethora of biological questions, including developmental processes,
      effects of external cues on phenotype, and human disease modeling. DNA
      methylation is an important epigenetic mechanism that contributes to gene
      regulation, and is prevalent in all vertebrates. Reduced representation bisulfite
      sequencing (RRBS) is a cost-effective technique to generate genome-wide DNA
      methylation maps and has been used in mammalian genomes (e.g., human, mouse and
      rat) but not in zebrafish. High-resolution DNA methylation data in zebrafish are
      limited: increased availability of such data will enable us to model and better
      understand the roles, causes and consequences of changes in DNA methylation. Here
      we present five high-resolution DNA methylation maps for wild-type zebrafish
      brain (two pooled male and two pooled female methylomes) and liver. These data
      were generated using the RRBS technique (includes 1.43 million CpG sites of
      zebrafish genome) on the Illumina HiSeq platform. Alignment to the reference
      genome was performed using the Zv9 genome assembly. To our knowledge, these
      datasets are the only RRBS datasets and base-resolution DNA methylation data
      available at this time for zebrafish brain and liver. These datasets could serve
      as a resource for future studies to document the functional role of DNA
      methylation in zebrafish. In addition, these datasets could be used as controls
      while performing analysis on treated samples. 

PMID- 26484127
TI  - Microarray profiling to analyse adult cardiac fibroblast identity.
AB  - Heart failure is one of the leading causes of death worldwide [1-4]. Current
      therapeutic strategies are inefficient and cannot cure this chronic and
      debilitating condition [5]. Ultimately, heart transplants are required for
      patient survival, but donor organs are scarce in availability and only prolong
      the life-span of patients for a limited time. Fibrosis is one of the main
      pathological features of heart failure [6,7], caused by inappropriate stimulation
      of fibroblasts and excessive extracellular matrix production. Therefore, an in
      depth understanding of the cardiac fibroblast is essential to underpin effective
      therapeutic treatments for heart failure [5]. Fibroblasts in general have been an
      underappreciated cell type, regarded as relatively inert and providing only basic
      functionality; they are usually referred to as the  'biological glue' of all
      tissues in the body. However, more recent literature suggests that they actively
      participate in organ homeostasis and disease [7,8]. We have recently uncovered a
      unique molecular identity for fibroblasts isolated from the heart [9], expressing
      a set of cardiogenic transcription factors that have been previously associated
      with cardiomyocyte ontogenesis. This signature suggests that cardiac fibroblasts
      may be ideal for use in stem cell replacement therapies, as they may retain the
      memory of where they derive from embryologically. Our data also revealed that
      about 90% of fibroblasts from both tail and heart origins share a cell surface
      signature that has previously been described for mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs),
      raising the possibility that fibroblasts and MSCs may in fact be the same cell
      type. Thus, our findings carry profound implications for the field of
      regenerative medicine. Here, we describe detailed methodology and quality
      controls related to the gene expression profiling of cardiac fibroblasts,
      deposited at the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) under the accession number
      GSE50531. We also provide the R code to easily reproduce the data quantification
      and analysis processes. 

PMID- 26484128
TI  - Gene expression in rat models for inter-generational transmission of islet
      dysfunction and obesity.
AB  - Paternal high fat diet (HFD) consumption triggers unique gene signatures,
      consistent with premature aging and chronic degenerative disorders, in both white
      adipose tissue (RpWAT) and pancreatic islets of daughters. In addition to
      published data in Nature, 2010, 467, 963-966 (GSE: 19877, islet) and FASEB J
      2014, 28, 1830-1841 (GSE: 33551, RpWAT), we describe here additional details on
      systems-based approaches and analysis to develop our observations. Our data
      provides a resource for exploring the complex molecular mechanisms that underlie
      intergenerational transmission of obesity. 

PMID- 26484129
TI  - Control of dataset bias in combined Affymetrix cohorts of triple negative breast
      cancer.
AB  - Heterogenous subtypes of breast cancer need to be analyzed separately. Pooling of
      datasets can provide reasonable sample sizes but dataset bias is an important
      concern. We assembled a combined dataset of 579 Affymetrix microarrays from
      triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) series
      GSE31519. We developed a method for selecting comparable datasets and to control
      for the amount of dataset bias of individual probesets. 

PMID- 26484130
TI  - A pathogenesis-based transcript signature in donor-specific antibody-positive
      kidney transplant patients with normal biopsies.
AB  - Affymetrix Human Gene 1.0-ST arrays were used to assess the gene expression
      profiles of kidney transplant patients who presented with donor-specific
      antibodies (DSAs) but showed normal biopsy histopathology and did not develop
      antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). Biopsy and whole-blood profiles for these DSA
      positive, AMR-negative (DSA +/AMR-) patients were compared to both DSA-positive,
      AMR-positive (DSA +/AMR +) patients as well as DSA-negative (DSA -) controls.
      While individual gene expression changes across sample groups were relatively
      subtle, gene-set enrichment analysis using previously identified pathogenesis
      based transcripts (PBTs) identified a clear molecular signature involving
      increased rejection-associated transcripts in AMR - patients. Results from this
      study have been published in Kidney International (Hayde et al., 2014 [1]) and
      the associated data have been deposited in the GEO archive and are accessible via
      the following link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE50084. 

PMID- 26484131
TI  - Genome-wide gene expression profiling of acute metal exposures in male zebrafish.
AB  - To capture global responses to metal poisoning and mechanistic insights into
      metal toxicity, gene expression changes were evaluated in whole adult male
      zebrafish following acute 24 h high dose exposure to three metals with known
      human health risks. Male adult zebrafish were exposed to nickel chloride, cobalt
      chloride or sodium dichromate at concentrations corresponding to their respective
      96 h LC20, LC40 and LC60 (i.e. 96 h concentrations at which 20%, 40% and 60%
      lethality is expected, respectively). Histopathology was performed on a subset of
      metal-exposed zebrafish to phenotypically anchor transcriptional changes
      associated with each metal exposure. Here we describe in detail the contents and
      quality controls for the gene expression and other data associated with the study
      published by Hussainzada and colleagues in BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology
      (Hussainzada et al., 2014) with the data uploaded to Gene Expression Omnibus
      (accession number GSE50648). 

PMID- 26484132
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of bladder biopsy from interstitial cystitis/bladder pain
      syndrome patients.
AB  - Interstitial cystitis and bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) are terms used to
      describe a heterogeneous chronic pelvic and bladder pain disorder. Despite its
      significant prevalence, the disease etiology is not well understood and providing
      diagnosis and treatment can be challenging. In our study, published recently in
      the Journal of Urology (Colaco et al., 2014), we describe the use of microarrays
      as a tool to characterize IC/BPS and to determine if there are clinical factors
      that correlate with gene expression. This data-in-brief article describes the
      methodology for that study, including data analysis, in further detail. Deposited
      data can be found in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database: GSE57560. 

PMID- 26484133
TI  - Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) 18:1 transcriptional regulation of primary human
      gingival fibroblasts.
AB  - The pleiotropic, bioactive lipid lysophosphatidic acid [(LPA), 1-acyl-sn-glycerol
      3-phosphate] exerts critical regulatory actions in physiology and pathophysiology
      in many systems. It is present in normal bodily fluids, and is elevated in
      pathology (1). In vivo, "LPA" exists as distinct molecular species, each having a
      single fatty acid of varying chain length and degree of unsaturation covalently
      attached to the glycerol backbone via an acyl, alkyl, or alkenyl link. These
      species differ in affinities for the individual LPA receptors [(LPARs), LPA1-6]
      and coupling to G proteins (2). However, LPA 18:1 has been and continues to be
      the most commonly utilized species in reported studies. The actions of "LPA"
      remain poorly defined in oral biology and pathophysiology. Our laboratory has
      addressed this knowledge gap by studying in vitro the actions of the major human
      salivary LPA species [18:1, 18:0, and 16:0 (3)] in human oral cells (4-7). This
      includes gingival fibroblasts (GF), which our flow cytometry data from multiple
      donors found that they express LPA1-5 (6). We have also reported that these
      species are ten-fold elevated to pharmacologic levels in the saliva and gingival
      crevicular fluid obtained from patients with moderate-severe periodontitis (8).
      As the potential of LPA to regulate transcriptional activity had not been
      examined in the oral system, this study used whole human genome microarray
      analysis to test the hypothesis that LPA 18:1-treated human GF would show
      significant changes in gene transcripts relevant to their biology, wound-healing,
      and inflammatory responses. LPA 18:1 was found to significantly regulate a large,
      complex set of genes critical to GF biology in these categories and to
      periodontal disease. The raw data has been deposited at NCBI's GEO database as
      record GSE57496. 

PMID- 26484134
TI  - Transcriptional ontogeny of first trimester human fetal and placental mesenchymal
      stem cells: Gestational age versus niche.
AB  - Early fetal and placental MSCs have translationally-advantageous characteristics
      compared to later pregnancy MSCs. During the first trimester, the fetus and
      placenta grow rapidly with divergent developmental requirements, but studies
      comparing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from different origins have paid little
      attention to the effect of gestational age over this temporal window. Here we
      present the transcriptome through first trimester development of MSC isolated
      from fetal bone marrow (BM) or placental structures. Samples were collected
      weekly from 8 to 12 weeks. The raw microarray data are available on the
      ArrayExpress database (www.ebi.ac.uk/arrayexpress) under accession number E-TABM
      1224. Additionally, the data have been integrated into the stem cell
      collaboration platform www.Stemformatics.org. These data provide a valuable
      resource for developmental biology and stem cell investigation. 

PMID- 26484135
TI  - Gene expression profiling of human fibrocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (f
      MDSCs).
AB  - Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have been shown to control self-reactive
      and anti-graft effector T-cells in autoimmunity and transplantation, but their
      therapeutic use is limited by their scarce availability in the peripheral blood
      of tumor-free donors. We isolated and characterized a novel population of myeloid
      suppressor cells, named fibrocytic MDSC (f-MDSC), which are differentiated from
      umbilical cord blood (UCB) precursors (Zoso et al., 2014). This MDSC subset
      promotes regulatory T-cell expansion and induces normoglycemia in a xenogeneic
      model of type 1 diabetes. Here we describe in details the experimental design and
      the bioinformatics analyses of the gene expression dataset used to investigate
      the molecular mechanisms at the base of MDSC tolerogenic and suppressive
      properties. We also provide an R code to easily access the data and perform the
      quality controls and basic analyses relevant to this dataset. Raw and pre
      processed data are available at Gene Expression Omnibus under accession GSE52376.

PMID- 26484136
TI  - An in vivo transcriptome data set of natural antisense transcripts from
      Plasmodium falciparum clinical isolates.
AB  - Antisense transcription is pervasive among biological systems and one of the
      products of antisense transcription is natural antisense transcripts (NATs).
      Emerging evidences suggest that they are key regulators of gene expression. With
      the discovery of NATs in Plasmodium falciparum, it has been suggested that these
      might also be playing regulatory roles in this parasite. However, all the reports
      describing the diversity of NATs have come from parasites in culture condition
      except for a recent study published by us. In order to explore the in vivo
      diversity of NATs in P. falciparum clinical isolates, we performed a whole genome
      expression profiling using a strand-specific 244 K microarray that contains
      probes for both sense and antisense transcripts. In this report, we describe the
      experimental procedure and analysis thereof of the microarray data published
      recently in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) under accession number GSE44921. This
      published data provide a wealth of information about the prevalence of NATs in P.
      falciparum clinical isolates from patients with diverse malaria related disease
      conditions. Supplementary information about the description and interpretation of
      the data can be found in a recent publication by Subudhi et al. in Experimental
      Parasitology (2014). 

PMID- 26484137
TI  - Whole transcriptome analysis for T cell receptor-affinity and IRF4-regulated
      clonal expansion of T cells.
AB  - Clonal population expansion of T cells during an immune response is dependent on
      the affinity of the T cell receptor (TCR) for its antigen [1]. However, there is
      little understanding of how this process is controlled transcriptionally. We
      found that the transcription factor IRF4 was induced in a manner dependent on TCR
      affinity and was critical for the clonal expansion and maintenance of effector
      function of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells. We performed a genome-wide
      expression profiling experiment using RNA sequencing technology (RNA-seq) to
      interrogate global expression changes when IRF4 was deleted in CD8(+) T cells
      activated with either a low or high affinity peptide ligand. This allowed us not
      only to determine IRF4-dependent transcriptional changes but also to identify
      transcripts dependent on TCR-affinity [2]. Here we describe in detail the
      analyses of the RNA-seq data, including quality control, read mapping,
      quantification, normalization and assessment of differential gene expression. The
      RNA-seq data can be accessed from Gene Expression Omnibus database (accession
      number GSE49929). 

PMID- 26484138
TI  - The high-throughput sequencing of small RNAs profiling in wide hybridisation and
      allopolyploidisation between Brassica rapa and Brassica nigra.
AB  - Small RNAs play an important role in maintaining the genome reconstruction and
      stability in the plant. However, little is known regarding the role of small RNAs
      during the process of wide hybridisation and chromosome doubling. Therefore, the
      changes in the small RNAs were assessed during the formation of an allodiploid
      (genome: AB) and its allotetraploid (genome: AABB) between Brassica rapa (?) and
      Brassica nigra (?) in the present study. Here, the experimental methods described
      in details, RNA-seq data (available at Gene Expression Omnibus database under
      GSE61872) and analysis published by Ghani et al. [1]. The study showed that small
      RNAs play an important role in maintaining the genome stability, and regulate
      gene expression which induces the phenotype variation in the formation of an
      allotetraploid. This may play an important role in the occurrence of heterosis in
      the allotetraploid. 

PMID- 26484139
TI  - Expression-profiling of apoptosis induced by ablation of the long ncRNA TRPM2-AS
      in prostate cancer cell.
AB  - We recently identified the long non-coding RNA (ncRNA) TRPM2-AS as a key
      regulator of survival in prostate cancer [1]. This essential role, coupled to the
      TRPM2-AS low-expression levels in healthy tissues, makes this ncRNA a suitable
      therapeutic target for further clinical studies. To get insights into the
      survival mechanism controlled by this molecule, we ablated its expression in
      prostate cancer cells and performed a genome-wide analysis of the transcripts
      differentially regulated in dying cells. Here, we describe in detail the
      experimental system, methods and quality control for the generation of the
      microarray data associated with our recent publication [1]. The data are related
      to [1]. Data have been deposited to the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database
      repository with the dataset identifier GSE40687. 

PMID- 26484140
TI  - High-throughput whole-genome sequencing of E14 mouse embryonic stem cells.
AB  - Mouse E14 embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are the most used ESC line, often employed
      for genome-wide studies involving next generation sequencing analysis [1-5]. More
      than 2 * 10 E9 sequences made on Illumina platform derived from the genome of E14
      embryonic stem cells cultured in our laboratory were used to build a database of
      about 2.7 * 10 E6 single nucleotide variant [6]. The database was validated using
      other two sequencing datasets from other laboratory and high overlap was
      observed. The identified variants are enriched on intergenic regions, but several
      thousands reside on gene exons and regulatory regions, such as promoters,
      enhancers, splicing site and untranslated regions of RNA, thus indicating high
      probability of an important functional impact on the molecular biology of these
      cells. We created a new E14 genome assembly including the new identified variants
      and used it to map reads from next generation sequencing data generated in our
      laboratory or in others on E14 cell line. We observed an increase in the number
      of mapped reads of about 5%. CpG dinucleotide showed the higher variation
      frequency, probably because it could be a target of DNA methylation. Data were
      deposited in GEO datasets under reference GSM1283021 and here:
      http://epigenetics.hugef-research.org/data.php. 

PMID- 26484141
TI  - Global gene expression profiling data analysis reveals key gene families and
      biological processes inhibited by Mithramycin in sarcoma cell lines.
AB  - The role of Mithramycin as an anticancer drug has been well studied. Sarcoma is a
      type of cancer arising from cells of mesenchymal origin. Though incidence of
      sarcoma is not of significant percentage, it becomes vital to understand the role
      of Mithramycin in controlling tumor progression of sarcoma. In this article, we
      have analyzed the global gene expression profile changes induced by Mithramycin
      in two different sarcoma lines from whole genome gene expression profiling
      microarray data. We have found that the primary mode of action of Mithramycin is
      by global repression of key cellular processes and gene families like
      phosphoproteins, kinases, alternative splicing, regulation of transcription, DNA
      binding, regulation of histone acetylation, negative regulation of gene
      expression, chromosome organization or chromatin assembly and cytoskeleton. 

PMID- 26484142
TI  - Mapping of genomic double-strand breaks by ligation of biotinylated
      oligonucleotides to forum domains: Analysis of the data obtained for human rDNA
      units.
AB  - DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are associated with different physiological and
      pathological processes in different organisms. To understand the role of DSBs in
      multiple cellular mechanisms, a robust method for genome-wide mapping of
      chromosomal breaks at one-nucleotide resolution is required. Many years ago, we
      detected large DNA fragments migrating from DNA-agarose plugs in pulsed-field
      gels, which we named 'forum domains' [1,2]. Recently, we developed a method for
      genome-wide mapping of DSBs that produces these 50-150 kb DNA domains using
      microarrays or 454 sequencing (Tchurikov et al., 2011; 2013). Now we have used
      Illumina sequencing to map DSBs in repetitive rDNA units in human HEK293T cells.
      Here we describe in detail the experimental design and bioinformatics analysis of
      the data deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus with accession number GSE49302
      and associated with the study published in the Journal of Molecular Cell Biology
      (Tchurikov et al., 2014). 

PMID- 26484144
TI  - The role of protein kinase-C theta in control of epithelial to mesenchymal
      transition and cancer stem cell formation.
AB  - The protein kinase C (PKC) activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)
      induces transition of the epithelial MCF-7 cell line to a mesenchymal phenotype.
      A subset of the resulting mesenchymal cells has surface markers characteristics
      of a cancer stem cell (CSC) population. We profiled the transcriptome changes
      associated with the epithelial to mesenchymal transition and those that occurred
      in the CSC subset. Using a siRNA knockdown strategy, we examined the extent to
      which these changes were dependent on the PKC family member, PKC-theta. The
      importance of the cytoplasmic signaling role of this kinase is well established
      and in this study, we have shown by PKC-theta ChIP-sequencing analysis that this
      kinase has a dual role with the ability to also associate with chromatin on a
      subset of PKC-theta dependent genes. In the associated manuscript (Zafar et al.,
      2014 [5]) we presented evidence for the first time showing that this nuclear role
      of PKC-theta is also important for gene induction and mesenchymal/CSC phenotype.
      Here we describe the analysis associated with the transcriptome and ChIP-seq data
      presented in Zafar et al. (2014) [5] and uploaded to NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus
      (GSE53335). 

PMID- 26484143
TI  - Small molecule inhibition of FOXM1: How to bring a novel compound into genomic
      context.
AB  - Deregulation of transcription factor (TF) networks is emerging as a major
      pathogenic event in many human cancers (Darnell, 2002 [1]; Libermann and Zerbini,
      2006 [2]; Laoukili et al., 2007 [3]). Small molecule intervention is an
      attractive avenue to understand TF regulatory mechanisms in healthy and disease
      state, as well as for exploiting these targets therapeutically (Koehler et al.,
      2003 [4]; Berg, 2008 [5]; Koehler, 2010 [6]). However, because of their physico
      chemical properties, TF targeting has been proven to be difficult (Verdine and
      Walensky, 2007 [7]). The TF FOXM1 is an important mitotic player (Wonsey and
      Follettie, 2005 [8]; Laoukili et al., 2005 [9]; McDonald, 2005 [10]) also
      implicated in cancer progression (Laoukili et al., 2007 [3]; Teh, 2011 [11]; Koo,
      2012 [12]) and drug resistance development (Kwok et al., 2010 [13]; Carr et al.,
      [14]). Therefore, its inhibition is an attractive goal for cancer therapy. Here,
      we describe a computational biology approach, by giving detailed insights into
      methodologies and technical results, which was used to analyze the
      transcriptional RNA-Seq data presented in our previous work (Gormally et al.,
      2014 [20]). Our Bioinformatics analysis shed light on the cellular effect of a
      novel FOXM1 inhibitor (FDI-6) newly identified through a biophysical screen. The
      data for this report is available at the public GEO repository (accession number
      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE58626). 

PMID- 26484145
TI  - Comparison of genomic DNA methylation pattern among septic and non-septic
      newborns - An epigenome wide association study.
AB  - DNA methylation is the current strategy in the field of biomarker discovery due
      to its prognostic efficiency. Its role in prognosis and early diagnosis has been
      recognized in various types of cancer. Sepsis still remains one of the major
      causes of neonatal mortality. Delay in diagnosis of sepsis leads to treatment
      difficulties and poor outcome. In this study, we have done an epigenome wide
      search to identify potential markers for prognosis of neonatal sepsis which may
      improve the treatment strategies. We analyzed the CpG methylation status in the
      epigenome of three septic and non-septic babies using Illumina Infinium
      HumanMethylation450K methylation microarray. The microarray data was analyzed
      with Illumina GenomeStudio v2011.1. After screening for biological and clinical
      significance, we found 81 differentially methylated CpGs located in 64 genes.
      Bioinformatic analysis using DAVID and GeneMania revealed a panel of
      differentially methylated protocadherin beta (PCDHB) genes that play vital role
      in leukocyte cell adhesion and Wnt signaling pathway. Apart, genes like CCS,
      DNAJA3, and DEGS2 were potentially hyper/hypo methylated which can be utilized in
      the development of novel biomarkers. This study will be helpful in exploring the
      role of DNA methylation in the pathophysiology of neonatal sepsis. The complete
      microarray data can be accessed from the public domain, Gene Expression Omnibus
      of NCBI (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/). The accession number is GSE58651. 

PMID- 26484146
TI  - Whole blood gene expression profiling of neonates with confirmed bacterial
      sepsis.
AB  - Neonatal infection remains a primary cause of infant morbidity and mortality
      worldwide and yet our understanding of how human neonates respond to infection
      remains incomplete. Changes in host gene expression in response to infection may
      occur in any part of the body, with the continuous interaction between blood and
      tissues allowing blood cells to act as biosensors for the changes. In this study
      we have used whole blood transcriptome profiling to systematically identify
      signatures and the pathway biology underlying the pathogenesis of neonatal
      infection. Blood samples were collected from neonates at the first clinical signs
      of suspected sepsis alongside age matched healthy control subjects. Here we
      report a detailed description of the study design, including clinical data
      collected, experimental methods used and data analysis workflows and which
      correspond with data in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) data sets (GSE25504). Our
      data set has allowed identification of a patient invariant 52-gene classifier
      that predicts bacterial infection with high accuracy and lays the foundation for
      advancing diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic strategies for neonatal sepsis. 

PMID- 26484147
TI  - Comparison of inter- and intraspecies variation in humans and fruit flies.
AB  - Variation is essential to species survival and adaptation during evolution. This
      variation is conferred by the imperfection of biochemical processes, such as
      mutations and alterations in DNA sequences, and can also be seen within genomes
      through processes such as the generation of antibodies. Recent sequencing
      projects have produced multiple versions of the genomes of humans and fruit flies
      (Drosophila melanogaster). These give us a chance to study how individual gene
      sequences vary within and between species. Here we arranged human and fly genes
      in orthologous pairs and compared such within-species variability with their
      degree of conservation between flies and humans. We observed that a significant
      number of proteins associated with mRNA translation are highly conserved between
      species and yet are highly variable within each species. The fact that we observe
      this in two species whose lineages separated more than 700 million years ago
      suggests that this is the result of a very ancient process. We hypothesize that
      this effect might be attributed to a positive selection for variability of virus
      interacting proteins that confers a general resistance to viral hijacking of the
      mRNA translation machinery within populations. Our analysis points to this and to
      other processes resulting in positive selection for gene variation. 

PMID- 26484148
TI  - Draft genome sequence of Phomopsis longicolla isolate MSPL 10-6.
AB  - Phomopsis longicolla is the primary cause of Phomopsis seed decay in soybean.
      This disease severely affects soybean seed quality by reducing seed viability and
      oil content, altering seed composition, and increasing frequencies of moldy
      and/or split beans. It is one of the most economically important soybean
      diseases. Here, we report the de novo assembled draft genome sequence of the P.
      longicolla isolate MSPL10-6, which was isolated from field-grown soybean seed in
      Mississippi, USA. This study represents the first reported genome sequence of a
      seedborne fungal pathogen in the Diaporthe-Phomopsis complex. The P. longicolla
      genome sequence will enable research into the genetic basis of fungal infection
      of soybean seed and provide information for the study of soybean-fungal
      interactions. The genome sequence will also be valuable for molecular genetic
      marker development, manipulation of pathogenicity-related genes and development
      of new control strategies for this pathogen. 

PMID- 26484149
TI  - Whole transcriptome RNA sequencing data from blood leukocytes derived from
      Parkinson's disease patients prior to and following deep brain stimulation
      treatment.
AB  - Recent evidence demonstrates the power of RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) for
      identifying valuable and urgently needed blood biomarkers and advancing both
      early and accurate detection of neurological diseases, and in particular
      Parkinson's disease (PD). RNA sequencing technology enables non-biased, high
      throughput, probe-independent inspection of expression data and high coverage and
      both quantification of global transcript levels as well as the detection of
      expressed exons and junctions given a sufficient sequencing depth (coverage).
      However, the analysis of sequencing data frequently presents a bottleneck. Tools
      for quantification of alternative splicing from sequenced libraries hardly exist
      at the present time, and methods that support multiple sequencing platforms are
      especially lacking. Here, we describe in details a whole RNA-Seq transcriptome
      dataset produced from PD patient's blood leukocytes. The samples were taken prior
      to, and following deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment while being on
      stimulation and following 1 h of complete electrical stimulation cessation and
      from healthy control volunteers. We describe in detail the methodology applied
      for analyzing the RNA-Seq data including differential expression of long
      noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). We also provide details of the corresponding analysis
      of in-depth splice isoform data from junction and exon reads, with the use of the
      software AltAnalyze. Both the RNA-Seq raw
      (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE42608) and analyzed data
      (https://www.synapse.org/#!Synapse:syn2805267) may be found valuable towards
      detection of novel blood biomarkers for PD. 

PMID- 26484150
TI  - Identification and profiling of conserved and novel microRNAs in Laodelphax
      striatellus in response to rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) infection.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding endogenous RNA molecules that play
      important roles in various biological processes. This study examined microRNA
      profiles of Laodelphax striatellus using the small RNA libraries derived from
      virus free (VF) and rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) infected (RB)
      insects. A total of 59 mature miRNAs (46 miRNA families) were identified as
      conserved insect miRNAs in both VF and RB libraries. Among these conserved
      miRNAs, 24 were derived from the two arms of 12 miRNA precursors. Nine conserved
      L. striatellus miRNAs were up-regulated and 12 were down-regulated in response to
      RBSDV infection. In addition, a total of 20 potential novel miRNA candidates were
      predicted in the VF and RB libraries. The miRNA transcriptome profiles and the
      identification of L. striatellus miRNAs differentially expressed in response to
      RBSDV infection will contribute to future studies to elucidate the complex miRNA
      mediated regulatory network activated by pathogen challenge in insect vectors. 

PMID- 26484151
TI  - Multipotent human stromal cells isolated from cord blood, term placenta and adult
      bone marrow show distinct differences in gene expression pattern.
AB  - Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells derived from human placenta (pMSCs), and
      unrestricted somatic stem cells (USSCs) derived from cord blood share many
      properties with human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (bmMSCs) and
      are currently in clinical trials for a wide range of clinical settings. Here we
      present gene expression profiles of human cord blood-derived unrestricted somatic
      stem cells (USSCs), human placental-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hpMSCs), and
      human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (bmMSCs), all derived from
      four different donors. The microarray data are available on the ArrayExpress
      database (www.ebi.ac.uk/arrayexpress) under accession number E-TABM-880.
      Additionally, the data has been integrated into a public portal,
      www.stemformatics.org. Our data provide a resource for understanding the
      differences in MSCs derived from different tissues. 

PMID- 26484152
TI  - miRNA expression profiling of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) hereditary
      breast tumors.
AB  - Hereditary breast cancer constitutes only 5-10% of all breast cancer cases and is
      characterized by strong family history of breast and/or other associated cancer
      types. Only ~ 25% of hereditary breast cancer cases carry a mutation in BRCA1 or
      BRCA2 gene, while mutations in other rare high and moderate-risk genes and common
      low penetrance variants may account for additional 20% of the cases. Thus the
      majority of cases are still unaccounted for and designated as BRCAX tumors.
      MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that play important roles as regulators of
      gene expression and are deregulated in cancer. To characterize hereditary breast
      tumors based on their miRNA expression profiles we performed global microarray
      miRNA expression profiling on a retrospective cohort of 80 FFPE breast tissues,
      including 66 hereditary breast tumors (13 BRCA1, 10 BRCA2 and 43 BRCAX), 10
      sporadic breast carcinomas and 4 normal breast tissues, using Exiqon miRCURY
      LNATM microRNA Array v.11.0. Here we describe in detail the miRNA microarray
      expression data and tumor samples used for the study of BRCAX tumor heterogeneity
      (Tanic et al., 2013) and biomarkers associated with positive BRCA1/2 mutation
      status (Tanic et al., 2014). Additionally, we provide the R code for data
      preprocessing and quality control. 

PMID- 26484153
TI  - An integrated functional genomic analysis identifies the antitumorigenic
      mechanism of action for PPARgamma in lung cancer cells.
AB  - Integrating the analysis of the cistrome of a transcription factor by ChIP-Seq
      with the study of its transcriptional output by microarray or RNA-Seq analysis is
      a powerful approach to elucidate the genomic functions of a transcription factor.
      Recently, we employed this approach to determine the mechanism of action by which
      the nuclear receptor PPARgamma elicits its antitumorigenic effects in lung cancer
      cells upon activation by TZDs (1). Here we describe in detail the design,
      contents and quality controls for the gene expression and cistrome analyses
      associated with our study published in Cell Metabolism in 2014. 

PMID- 26484154
TI  - Impact of the DNA polymerase Theta on the DNA replication program.
AB  - The physiological function of the human DNA polymerase theta (pol theta) is still
      unclear despite its in vitro translesion synthesis capacity during DNA damage
      repair process. However this DNA polymerase is always present along the cell
      cycle in the absence of replication stress and DNA damage. Is there a different
      molecular function? We present the genomic data of replication timing in depleted
      pol theta cells (GSE49693) and in cells overexpressing pol theta (GSE53070)
      indicating that Pol theta holds a novel role in the absence of external stress as
      a critical determinant of the replication timing program in human cells. 

PMID- 26484155
TI  - Genome-wide nucleosome occupancy and DNA methylation profiling of four human cell
      lines.
AB  - DNA methylation and nucleosome positioning are two key mechanisms that contribute
      to the epigenetic control of gene expression. During carcinogenesis, the
      expression of many genes is altered alongside extensive changes in the epigenome,
      with repressed genes often being associated with local DNA hypermethylation and
      gain of nucleosomes at their promoters. However the spectrum of alterations that
      occur at distal regulatory regions has not been extensively studied. To address
      this we used Nucleosome Occupancy and Methylation sequencing (NOMe-seq) to
      compare the genome-wide DNA methylation and nucleosome occupancy profiles between
      normal and cancer cell line models of the breast and prostate. Here we describe
      the bioinformatic pipeline and methods that we developed for the processing and
      analysis of the NOMe-seq data published by (Taberlay et al., 2014 [1]) and
      deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus with accession GSE57498. 

PMID- 26484156
TI  - Digital gene-expression of alfalfa saponin extract on laying hens.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death worldwide, so people are advised
      to limit their intake of dietary cholesterol [1]. Egg consumption has been
      seriously reduced because of the high levels of cholesterol [2]. The objective of
      this study was to evaluate the cholesterol metabolism effects of alfalfa saponin
      extract (ASE) in liver and ovary tissues using digital gene-expression (DGE)
      profiling analysis. The liver and ovary tissues were isolated from laying hens
      fed with ASE for RNA sequencing. Here, we provide detailed experimental methods
      and analysis pipeline in our study to identify digital gene expression of alfalfa
      saponin extract on laying hens and analysis pipeline published by Singh and
      colleagues in the PLOS ONE [3]. The data generated in our work provide meaningful
      information for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the cholesterol
      lowering effects of ASE. 

PMID- 26484157
TI  - Microarray analysis of Arabidopsis under gold exposure to identify putative genes
      involved in the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs).
AB  - Very little is known about the genes responsible for Au uptake, reduction and
      detoxification in plants, which indeed essential to understand the complex trait
      of AuNP biosynthesis. We designed a targeted experiment to elucidate the response
      of plant at transcriptional level under Au exposure, and a microarray was
      performed on root tissue treated with AuCl4 (-) in the absence of nutrient media
      to record specific gene expression signature. Here, we describe the experimental
      procedures and data analysis in detail to reproduce the results (available at GEO
      database under GSE55436) published by Shukla et al. (2014) [1] in the Frontiers
      in Plant Sciences. The data produced from this study provide significant
      information of genes which may be used to enhance the AuNP biosynthesis. 

PMID- 26484158
TI  - Transcriptome profiling of male gametophyte development in Nicotiana tabacum.
AB  - Pollen, an extremely reduced bicellular or tricellular male reproductive
      structure of flowering plants, serves as a model for numerous studies covering
      wide range of developmental and physiological processes. The pollen development
      represents a fragile and vital phase of plant ontogenesis and pollen was among
      the first singular plant tissues thoroughly characterized at the transcriptomic
      level (Honys and Twell [5]). Arabidopsis pollen developmental transcriptome has
      been published over a decade ago (Honys and Twell, 2004) and transcriptomes of
      developing pollen of other species have followed (Rice, Deveshwar et al. [2];
      Triticeae, Tran et al. [11]; upland cotton, Ma et al. [8]). However, the
      transcriptomic data describing the development of tobacco pollen, a bicellular
      model for cell biology studies, have been missing. Here we provide the
      transcriptomic data covering three stages (Tupy et al., 1983) of wild type
      tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum, cv. Samsun) pollen development: uninucleate
      microspores (UNM, stage 1), early bicellular pollen (eBCP, stage 3) and late
      bicellular pollen (lBCP, stage 5) as a supplement to the mature pollen (MP), 4 h
      pollen tube (PT4), 24 h-pollen tubes (PT24), leaf (LF) and root (RT)
      transcriptomic data presented in our previous studies (Hafidh et al., 2012a;
      Hafidh et al., 2012b). We characterized these transcriptomes to refine the
      knowledge base of male gametophyte-enriched genes as well as genes expressed
      preferentially at the individual stages of pollen development. Alongside updating
      the list of tissue-specific genes, we have investigated differentially expressed
      genes with respect to early expressed genes. Pollen tube growth and competition
      of pollen tubes in female pistil can be viewed as a race of the fittest.
      Accordingly, there is an apparent evolutionary trend among higher plants to store
      significant material reserves and nutrients during pollen maturation. This supply
      ensures that after pollen germination, the pollen tube utilizes its resource
      predominantly for its rapid elongation in the female pistil. Previous
      transcriptomic data from Arabidopsis showed massive expression of genes encoding
      proteins forming both ribosomal subunits that were accumulated in developing
      pollen, whereas their expression was not detectable in growing pollen tubes
      (Honys and Twell, 2004). We observed a similar phenomenon in less advanced
      bicellular tobacco pollen. Here, we describe in detail how we obtained and
      analyzed validated microarray dataset deposited in Gene Expression Omnibus
      (GSE62349). 

PMID- 26484160
TI  - Genome wide mapping of UBF binding-sites in mouse and human cell lines.
AB  - The upstream binding transcription factor (UBTF, also called UBF) is thought to
      function exclusively in RNA polymerase I (Pol I)-specific transcription of the
      ribosomal genes. We recently reported in Sanij et al. (2014) [1] that the two
      isoforms of UBF (UBF1/2) are enriched at Pol II-transcribed genes throughout the
      mouse and human genomes. By using chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with deep
      sequencing (ChIP-seq) of UBF1/2, Pol I, Pol II, H3K9me3, H3K4me4, H3K9ac and H4
      hyperacetylation, we reported a correlation of UBF1/2 binding with enrichments in
      Pol II and markers of active chromatin. In addition, we examined a functional
      role for UBF1/2 in mediating Pol II transcription by performing expression array
      analysis in control and UBF1/2 depleted NIH3T3 cells. Our data demonstrate that
      UBF1/2 bind highly active Pol II-transcribed genes and mediate their expression
      without recruiting Pol I. Furthermore, we reported ChIP-sequencing analysis of
      UBF1/2 in immortalized human epithelial cells and their isogenically matched
      transformed counterparts. Here we report the experimental design and the
      description of the ChIP-sequencing and microarray expression datasets uploaded to
      NCBI Sequence Research Archive (SRA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). 

PMID- 26484159
TI  - Kuwaiti population subgroup of nomadic Bedouin ancestry-Whole genome sequence and
      analysis.
AB  - Kuwaiti native population comprises three distinct genetic subgroups of Persian,
      "city-dwelling" Saudi Arabian tribe, and nomadic "tent-dwelling" Bedouin
      ancestry. Bedouin subgroup is characterized by presence of 17% African ancestry;
      it owes it origin to nomadic tribes of the deserts of Arabian Peninsula and North
      Africa. By sequencing whole genome of a Kuwaiti male from this subgroup at 41X
      coverage, we report 3,752,878 SNPs, 411,839 indels, and 8451 structural
      variations. Neighbor-joining tree, based on shared variant positions carrying
      disease-risk alleles between the Bedouin and other continental genomes, places
      Bedouin genome at the nexus of African, Asian, and European genomes in
      concordance with geographical location of Kuwait and Peninsula. In congruence
      with participant's medical history for morbid obesity and bronchial asthma, risk
      alleles are seen at deleterious SNPs associated with obesity and asthma. Many of
      the observed deleterious 'novel' variants lie in genes associated with autosomal
      recessive disorders characteristic of the region. 

PMID- 26484161
TI  - Motif content comparison between monocot and dicot species.
AB  - While a number of DNA sequence motifs have been functionally characterized, the
      full repertoire of motifs in an organism (the motifome) is yet to be
      characterized. The present study wishes to widen the scope of motif content
      analysis in different monocot and dicot species that include both rice species,
      Brachypodium, corn, wheat as monocots and Arabidopsis, Lotus japonica, Medicago
      truncatula, and Populus tremula as dicots. All possible existing motifs were
      analyzed in different regions of genomes such as were found in different sets of
      sequences in these species: the whole genome, core proximal and distal promoters,
      5' and 3' UTRs, and the 1st introns. Due to the increased number of species
      involved in this study compared to previous works, species relationships were
      analyzed based on the similarity of common motif content. Certain secondary
      structure elements were inferred in the genomes of these species as well as new
      unknown motifs. The distribution of 20 motifs common to the studied species were
      found to have a significantly larger occurrence within the promoters and 3' UTRs
      of genes, both being regulatory regions. Motifs common to the promoter regions of
      japonica rice, Brachypodium, and corn were also found in a number of orthologous
      and paralogous genes. Some of our motifs were found to be complementary to miRNA
      elements in Brachypodium distachyon and japonica rice. 

PMID- 26484162
TI  - Metagenomic sequence of saline desert microbiota from wild ass sanctuary, Little
      Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India.
AB  - We report Metagenome from the saline desert soil sample of Little Rann of Kutch,
      Gujarat State, India. Metagenome consisted of 633,760 sequences with size
      141,307,202 bp and 56% G + C content. Metagenome sequence data are available at
      EBI under EBI Metagenomics database with accession no. ERP005612. Community
      metagenomics revealed total 1802 species belonged to 43 different phyla with
      dominating Marinobacter (48.7%) and Halobacterium (4.6%) genus in bacterial and
      archaeal domain respectively. Remarkably, 18.2% sequences in a poorly
      characterized group and 4% gene for various stress responses along with versatile
      presence of commercial enzyme were evident in a functional metagenome analysis. 

PMID- 26484163
TI  - Transcriptomic profiling of trichloroethylene exposure in male mouse liver.
AB  - Chronic Trichloroethylene (TCE) exposure could induce hepatocellular carcinoma in
      mice, and occupational exposure in humans was suggested to be associated with
      liver cancer. To understand the role of non-genotoxic mechanism(s) for TCE
      action, we examined the gene expression and DNA methylation changes in the liver
      of B6C3F1 mice orally administered with TCE for 5 days. As a beginning step, we
      profiled gene expression alterations induced by the TCE in mouse livers. Here we
      describe in detail the experimental methods, quality controls, and other
      information associated with our data deposited into Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO)
      under GSE58819. Our data provide useful information for gene expression responses
      to TCE in mouse liver. 

PMID- 26484164
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of response to drought in poplar interspecific hybrids.
AB  - To investigate the response of poplar hybrids to drought, leaves were collected
      from plants to which water was suspended for 8 and 13 days. After measuring the
      respective relative water content, RNAs were isolated from leaves of moderately
      and severely droughted plants and from control plants, and Illumina RNA
      sequencing was performed to analyze RNA synthesis in these tissues. Our data
      provide a resource (available at Gene Expression Omnibus database under GSE64044)
      to be employed for comparative analyses of drought response in different poplar
      species, with the long-term aim of developing strategies to improve plant
      productivity under drought. 

PMID- 26484165
TI  - Stimulation of the Drosophila immune system alters genome-wide nucleosome
      occupancy.
AB  - In eukaryotes, nucleosomes participate in all DNA-templated events by regulating
      access to the underlying DNA sequence. However, nucleosome dynamics during a
      genome response have not been well characterized [1,2]. We stimulated Drosophila
      S2 cells with heat-killed Gram-negative bacteria Salmonella typhimurium, and
      mapped genome-wide nucleosome occupancy at high temporal resolution by MNase-seq
      using Illumina HiSeq 2500. We show widespread nucleosome occupancy change in S2
      cells during the immune response, with the significant nucleosomal loss occurring
      at 4 h after stimulation. Data have been deposited to the Gene Expression Omnibus
      (GEO) database repository with the dataset identifier GSE64507. 

PMID- 26484166
TI  - Two-color Dye-swap DNA Microarray approach toward confident gene expression
      profiling in PMCAO mouse model for ischemia-related and PACAP38-influenced genes.
AB  - Toward twin goals of identifying molecular factors in brain injured by ischemic
      stroke, and the effects of neuropeptide pituitary adenylate-cyclase activating
      polypeptide (PACAP) on the ischemic brain, we have established the permanent
      middle cerebral artery occlusion (PMCAO) mouse model and utilized the Agilent
      mouse whole genome 4 * 44 K DNA chip. PACAP38 (1 pmol) injection was given
      intracerebroventrically in comparison to a control saline (0.9% NaCl) injection,
      to screen genes responsive to PACAP38. Two sets of tissues were prepared, whole
      hemispheres (ischemic and non-ischemic) and infract core and penumbra regions at
      6 and 24 h. In this study, we have detailed the experimental design and protocol
      used therein and explained the quality controls for the use of total RNA in the
      downstream DNA microarray experiment utilizing a two-color dye-swap approach for
      stringent and confident gene identification published in a series of papers by
      Hori and coworkers (Hori et al., 2012-2015). 

PMID- 26484167
TI  - Analysis of changes to mRNA levels and CTCF occupancy upon TFII-I knockdown.
AB  - CTCF is a key regulator of nuclear chromatin structure, chromatin organization
      and gene regulation. The impact of CTCF on transcriptional output is quite
      varied, ranging from repression, to transcriptional pausing and transactivation.
      The multifunctional nature of CTCF is mediated, in part, through differential
      association with protein partners having unique properties. We identified the
      general transcription factor TFII-I as an interacting partner of CTCF. To gain an
      understanding of the function of TFII-I in regulating gene expression and CTCF
      binding genome wide, we conducted microarray experiments following TFII-I
      knockdown and chromatin immunoprecipitation of CTCF followed by next generation
      sequencing (ChIP-seq) from the same TFII-I depleted cells. Here, we described the
      experimental design and the quality control and analysis that were performed on
      the dataset. The data is publicly available through the GEO database with
      accession number GSE60918. The interpretation and description of these data are
      included in a manuscript in revision (1). 

PMID- 26484169
TI  - Data for chromosome contacts and matched transcription profiles at three cell
      cycle phases in the fission yeast.
AB  - The data described in this article pertains to Grand et al. (2014), "Chromosome
      conformation maps in fission yeast reveal cell cycle dependent sub nuclear
      structure" [1]. Temperature sensitive Schizosaccharomyces pombe cell division
      cycle (cdc) mutants, which are induced by a shift in temperature to 36  degrees
      C, were chosen for the analysis of genome structure in the G1 phase, G2 phase and
      mitotic anaphase of the cell cycle. Chromatin and total RNA were isolated from
      the same cell culture following synchronization. Two biological replicates were
      analyzed for each condition. The global, three-dimensional organization of the
      chromosomes was captured at high resolution using Genome Conformation Capture
      (GCC). GCC libraries and RNA samples were sequenced using an Illumina Hi-Seq 2000
      platform (Beijing Genomics Institute (China)). DNA sequences were processed using
      the Topography suite v1.19 [2] to obtain chromosome contact frequency matrices.
      RNA sequences were processed using the Cufflinks pipeline [3] to measure gene
      transcript levels and how these varied between the conditions. All sequence data,
      processed GCC and transcriptome files are available under the Gene Expression
      Omnibus (GEO) accession number GSE52287
      (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE52287). 

PMID- 26484168
TI  - Bacterial tag encoded FLX titanium amplicon pyrosequencing (bTEFAP) based
      assessment of prokaryotic diversity in metagenome of Lonar soda lake, India.
AB  - Bacterial diversity and archaeal diversity in metagenome of the Lonar soda lake
      sediment were assessed by bacterial tag-encoded FLX amplicon pyrosequencing
      (bTEFAP). Metagenome comprised 5093 sequences with 2,531,282 bp and 53 +/- 2% G +
      C content. Metagenome sequence data are available at NCBI under the Bioproject
      database with accession no. PRJNA218849. Metagenome sequence represented the
      presence of 83.1% bacterial and 10.5% archaeal origin. A total of 14 different
      bacteria demonstrating 57 species were recorded with dominating species like
      Coxiella burnetii (17%), Fibrobacter intestinalis (12%) and Candidatus
      Cloacamonas acidaminovorans (11%). Occurrence of two archaeal phyla representing
      24 species, among them Methanosaeta harundinacea (35%), Methanoculleus
      chikugoensis (12%) and Methanolinea tarda (11%) were dominating species.
      Significant presence of 11% sequences as an unclassified indicated the
      possibilities for unknown novel prokaryotes from the metagenome. 

PMID- 26484170
TI  - Draft genome sequence of the intestinal parasite Blastocystis subtype 4-isolate
      WR1.
AB  - The intestinal protistan parasite Blastocystis is characterized by an extensive
      genetic variability with 17 subtypes (ST1-ST17) described to date. Only the whole
      genome of a human ST7 isolate was previously sequenced. Here we report the draft
      genome sequence of Blastocystis ST4-WR1 isolated from a laboratory rodent at
      Singapore. 

PMID- 26484171
TI  - Draft genome sequence of the Algerian bee Apis mellifera intermissa.
AB  - Apis mellifera intermissa is the native honeybee subspecies of Algeria. A. m.
      intermissa occurs in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, between the Atlas and the
      Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. This bee is very important due to its high
      ability to adapt to great variations in climatic conditions and due to its
      preferable cleaning behavior. Here we report the draft genome sequence of this
      honey bee, its Whole Genome Shotgun project has been deposited at
      DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the accession JSUV00000000. The 240-Mb genome is being
      annotated and analyzed. Comparison with the genome of other Apis mellifera sub
      species promises to yield insights into the evolution of adaptations to high
      temperature and resistance to Varroa parasite infestation. 

PMID- 26484172
TI  - Transcription profiling of the Neurospora crassa response to a group of synthetic
      (thio)xanthones and a natural acetophenone.
AB  - Xanthones are a class of heterocyclic compounds characterized by a dibenzo-gamma
      pyrone nucleus. Analysis of their mode of action in cells, namely uncovering
      alterations in gene expression, is important because these compounds have
      potential therapeutic applications. Thus, we studied the transcriptional response
      of the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa to a group of synthetic
      (thio)xanthone derivatives with antitumor activity using high throughput RNA
      sequencing. The induction of ABC transporters in N. crassa, particularly atrb and
      cdr4, is a common consequence of the treatment with xanthones. In addition, we
      found a group of genes repressed by all of the tested (thio)xanthone derivatives,
      that are evocative of genes downregulated during oxidative stress. The
      transcriptional response of N. crassa treated with an acetophenone isolated from
      the soil fungus Neosartorya siamensis shares some features with the
      (thio)xanthone-elicited gene expression profiles. Two of the (thio)xanthone
      derivatives and the N. siamensis-derived acetophenone inhibited the growth of N.
      crassa. Our work also provides framework datasets that may orientate future
      studies on the mechanisms of action of some groups of xanthones. 

PMID- 26484174
TI  - Analytical sequence to study G-CSF effect on the transcriptome of isolated spinal
      motoneurons from SOD1 G93A mice, an animal model for amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis.
AB  - Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been recently identified as a
      neurotrophic factor able to preserve motor functions, rescue motor units and
      extent survival in an animal model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the SOD1
      G93A mice. To gain insight into the mode of action of G-CSF, we have recently
      performed gene expression profiling on isolated lumbar motoneurons from SOD1G93A
      mice, and shown that G-CSF re-adjusted gene expression in motoneurons of
      symptomatic SOD1G93A mice and modulates genes related to neuromuscular function
      (Henriques et al., 2015). Here, we provide quality controls for the microarray
      experiment (GO accession number GSE60856) and describe the experimental strategy.

PMID- 26484173
TI  - Comparative genomic analysis and phenazine production of Pseudomonas
      chlororaphis, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium.
AB  - Pseudomonas chlororaphis HT66, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium that
      produces phenazine-1-carboxamide with high yield, was compared with three genomic
      sequenced P. chlororaphis strains, GP72, 30-84 and O6. The genome sizes of four
      strains vary from 6.66 to 7.30 Mb. Comparisons of predicted coding sequences
      indicated 4833 conserved genes in 5869-6455 protein-encoding genes. Phylogenetic
      analysis showed that the four strains are closely related to each other. Its
      competitive colonization indicates that P. chlororaphis can adapt well to its
      environment. No virulence or virulence-related factor was found in P.
      chlororaphis. All of the four strains could synthesize antimicrobial metabolites
      including different phenazines and insecticidal protein FitD. Some genes related
      to the regulation of phenazine biosynthesis were detected among the four strains.
      It was shown that P. chlororaphis is a safe PGPR in agricultural application and
      could also be used to produce some phenazine antibiotics with high-yield. 

PMID- 26484175
TI  - Gene expression profiling during intensive cardiovascular lifestyle modification:
      Relationships with vascular function and weight loss.
AB  - Heart disease and related sequelae are a leading cause of death and healthcare
      expenditure throughout the world. Although many patients opt for surgical
      interventions, lifestyle modification programs focusing on nutrition and exercise
      have shown substantial health benefits and are becoming increasing popular. We
      conducted a year-long lifestyle modification program to mediate cardiovascular
      risk through traditional risk factors and to investigate how molecular changes,
      if present, may contribute to long-term risk reduction. Here we describe the
      lifestyle intervention, including clinical and molecular data collected, and
      provide details of the experimental methods and quality control parameters for
      the gene expression data generated from participants and non-intervention
      controls. Our findings suggest successful and sustained modulation of gene
      expression through healthy lifestyle changes may have beneficial effects on
      vascular health that cannot be discerned from traditional risk factor profiles.
      The data are deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus, series GSE46097 and
      GSE66175. 

PMID- 26484176
TI  - Cultivation-independent comprehensive survey of bacterial diversity in Tulsi
      Shyam Hot Springs, India.
AB  - A taxonomic description of bacteria was deduced from 5.78 Mb metagenomic sequence
      retrieved from Tulsi Shyam hot spring, India using bacterial tag-encoded FLX
      amplicon pyrosequencing (bTEFAP). Metagenome contained 10,893 16S rDNA sequences
      that were analyzed by MG-RAST server to generate the comprehensive profile of
      bacteria. Metagenomic data are available at EBI under EBI Metagenomics database
      with accession no. ERP009559. Metagenome sequences represented the 98.2% bacteria
      origin, 1.5% of eukaryotic and 0.3% were unidentified. A total of 16 bacterial
      phyla demonstrating 97 families and 287 species were revealed in the hot spring
      metagenome. Most abundant phyla were Firmicutes (65.38%), Proteobacteria (21.21%)
      and unclassified bacteria (10.69%). Whereas, Peptostreptococcaceae (37.33%),
      Clostridiaceae (23.36%), and Enterobacteriaceae (16.37%) were highest reported
      families in metagenome. Ubiquitous species were Clostridium bifermentans
      (17.47%), Clostridium lituseburense (13.93%) and uncultured bacterium (10.15%).
      Our data provide new information on hot spring bacteria and shed light on their
      abundance, diversity, distribution and coexisting organisms. 

PMID- 26484177
TI  - Transcriptional profiling of UlaR-regulated genes in Streptococcus pneumoniae.
AB  - The transcriptional regulator UlaR belongs to the family of PRD-containing
      transcriptional regulators, which are mostly involved in the regulation of
      carbohydrate metabolism. The role of the transcriptional regulator UlaR in
      Streptococcus pneumoniae has recently been described [1]. Here, we report
      detailed genome-wide transcriptional profiling of UlaR-regulated genes in S.
      pneumoniae D39 and its ?ulaR derivative, either in the presence of 10 mM ascorbic
      acid in M17 medium using microarray analysis. 10 mM concentration of ascorbic
      acid was supplemented to the M17 medium because our lacZ-fusion studies indicated
      that UlaR acts as a transcriptional activator of its targets in the presence of
      ascorbic acid and the expression of the ula operon was maximal at a 10 mM
      ascorbic acid concentration [1]. All transcriptional profiling data of UlaR
      regulated genes was deposited to Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database under
      accession number GSE61649. 

PMID- 26484178
TI  - DNA microarray global gene expression analysis of influenza virus-infected
      chicken and duck cells.
AB  - The data described in this article pertain to the article by Kuchipudi et al.
      (2014) titled "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus Infection in Chickens But
      Not Ducks Is Associated with Elevated Host Immune and Pro-inflammatory Responses"
      [1]. While infection of chickens with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)
      H5N1 virus subtypes often leads to 100% mortality within 1 to 2 days, infection
      of ducks in contrast causes mild or no clinical signs. The rapid onset of fatal
      disease in chickens, but with no evidence of severe clinical symptoms in ducks,
      suggests underlying differences in their innate immune mechanisms. We used
      Chicken Genechip microarrays (Affymetrix) to analyse the gene expression profiles
      of primary chicken and duck lung cells infected with a low pathogenic avian
      influenza (LPAI) H2N3 virus and two HPAI H5N1 virus subtypes to understand the
      molecular basis of host susceptibility and resistance in chickens and ducks.
      Here, we described the experimental design, quality control and analysis that
      were performed on the data set. The data are publicly available through the Gene
      Expression Omnibus (GEO)database with accession number GSE33389, and the analysis
      and interpretation of these data are included in Kuchipudi et al. (2014) [1]. 

PMID- 26484179
TI  - Identification of genetic variations of a Chinese family with paramyotonia
      congenita via whole exome sequencing.
AB  - Paramyotonia congenita (PC) is a rare autosomal dominant neuromuscular disorder
      characterized by juvenile onset and development of cold-induced myotonia after
      repeated activities. The disease is mostly caused by genetic mutations of the
      sodium channel, voltage-gated, type IV, alpha subunit (SCN4A) gene. This study
      intended to systematically identify the causative genetic variations of a Chinese
      Han PC family. Seven members of this PC family, including four patients and three
      healthy controls, were selected for whole exome sequencing (WES) using the
      Illumina HiSeq platform. Sequence variations were identified using the
      SoftGenetics program. The mutation R1448C of SCN4A was found to be the only
      causative mutation. This study applied WES technology to sequence multiple
      members of a large PC family and was the first to systematically confirm that the
      genetic change in SCN4A is the only causative variation in this PC family and the
      SCN4A mutation is sufficient to lead to PC. 

PMID- 26484180
TI  - Human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes: Genome-wide expression
      profiling of long-term in vitro maturation in comparison to human heart tissue.
AB  - Cardiomyocyte-like cells (CMs) derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs)
      present a valuable model for human disease modeling, studying early human
      development and, potentially, developing cell therapeutic approaches. However,
      the specification of early hPSC-derived CMs into defined cardiac subtypes such as
      atrial and ventricular cells is not well understood and, thus, poorly controlled.
      Moreover, the maturation status of hPSC-CMs is not well defined, yet it is known
      that these cells undergo at least some degree of maturation upon longer term in
      vitro culture. To gain insight into this process, and to assess their
      developmental status, we have recently generated a data set of hPSC-CMs
      monitoring global changes in gene expression upon long term maintenance in vitro,
      in comparison to human atrial and ventricular heart samples (GEO accession number
      GEO: GSE64189). These data present a rich resource for evaluating the maturation
      status of hPSC-CMs, for identifying suitable markers for subtype-specific gene
      expression, as well as for the generation of functional hypotheses. Here, we
      provide additional details and quality checks of this data set, and exemplify how
      it can be used to identify maturation-associated as well as cardiac subtype
      specific markers. 

PMID- 26484181
TI  - Shotgun metagenomic sequencing based microbial diversity assessment of Lasundra
      hot spring, India.
AB  - This is the first report on the metagenomic approach for unveiling the microbial
      diversity of Lasundra hot spring, Gujarat State, India. High-throughput
      sequencing of community DNA was performed on an Ion Torrent PGM platform.
      Metagenome consisted of 606,867 sequences represent 98,567,305 bps size with an
      average length of 162 bps and 46% G + C content. Metagenome sequence information
      is available at EBI under EBI Metagenomic database with accession no. ERP009313.
      MG-RAST assisted community analysis revealed that 99.21% sequences were bacterial
      origin, 0.43% was fit to eukaryotes and 0.11% belongs to archaea. A total of 29
      bacterial, 20 eukaryotic and 4 archaeal phyla were detected. Abundant genera were
      Bacillus (86.7%), Geobacillus (2.4%), Paenibacillus (1.0%), Clostridium (0.7%)
      and Listeria (0.5%), that represent 91.52% in metagenome. In functional analysis,
      Cluster of Orthologous Group (COG) based annotation revealed that 45.4% was
      metabolism connected and 19.6% falls in poorly characterized group. Subsystem
      based annotation approach suggests that the 14.0% was carbohydrates, 7.0% was
      protein metabolism and 3.0% genes for various stress responses together with the
      versatile presence of commercially useful traits. 

PMID- 26484182
TI  - Murine heart gene expression during acute Chagasic myocarditis.
AB  - Chagas disease is transmitted by the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. Acute infection
      is characterized by acute myocarditis, although it is largely asymptomatic.
      Initial cardiac insult could be a determinant to the posterior development of
      chronic Chagasic cardiomyopathy, usually after 10 years in only approximately 30%
      of chronically infected patients. Herein, we characterized the acute gene
      expression profiling in heart tissue of two strains of mice infected with T.
      cruzi (tulahuen strain) at 4 weeks and their respective controls. Gene sequence
      data are available at NCBI under GEO accession number: GSE63847. The output of
      the genes expression suggests differences in involvement of protein kinase B
      (AKT), NCAM1, HLA-DRA, and ubiquitin C genes networks. These gene activation
      differences may correlate with myocardial contractility during the acute
      infection. 

PMID- 26484183
TI  - Time course transcriptional profiling of senescing barley leaves.
AB  - Cell senescence occurs as a part of developmental or stress-induced process. It
      is tightly regulated and involves a sequence of metabolic and structural
      alterations, eventually leading to cell death. Dark-induced leaf senescence is a
      useful model for studying senescence-related events. To facilitate the
      integration of physiological and molecular studies utilizing this model, we
      generated the microarray data set providing time course gene expression profiles
      in senescing barley leaves. Here, we describe the detailed procedures and data
      analysis scheme of our experiment. The entire data set (available at NCBI/GEO
      database under GSE62539) has been successively explored to find the genes
      differentially expressed during the senescence process as well as to identify
      genes with the invariant expression as reliable references for qPCR or ddPCR
      experiments. 

PMID- 26484184
TI  - Snai1 represses Nanog to promote embryonic stem cell differentiation.
AB  - Embryonic stem cell (ESC) self-renewal and pluripotency is maintained by an
      external signaling pathways and intrinsic regulatory networks involving ESC
      specific transcriptional complexes (mainly formed by OCT3/4, Sox2 and Nanog
      proteins), the Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) and DNA methylation [1-8].
      Among these, Nanog represents the more ESC specific factor and its repression
      correlates with the loss of pluripotency and ESC differentiation [9-11]. During
      ESC early differentiation, many development-associated genes become upregulated
      and although, in general, much is known about the pluripotency self-renewal
      circuitry, the molecular events that lead ESCs to exit from pluripotency and
      begin differentiation are largely unknown. Snai1 is one the most early induced
      genes during ESC differentiation in vitro and in vivo [12,13]. Here we show that
      Snai1 is able to directly repress several stemness-associated genes including
      Nanog. We use a ESC stable-line expressing a inducible Snai1 protein. We here
      show microarray analysis of embryonic stem cells (ESC) expressing Snail-ER at
      various time points of induction with 4-OH. Data were deposited in Gene
      Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets under reference GSE57854 and here:
      http://epigenetics.hugef-research.org/data.php. 

PMID- 26484185
TI  - Global gene analysis identifying genes commonly regulated by the Ras/Raf/MEK and
      type I IFN pathways.
AB  - Oncolytic viruses exploit alterations in cancer cells to specifically infect
      cancer cells but not normal healthy cells. Previous work has shown that oncogenic
      Ras interferes with interferon (IFN) signaling to promote viral replication.
      Furthermore, inhibition of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway at the level of Ras, MEK,
      or ERK was sufficient to restore IFN signaling. In order to identify genes that
      were commonly regulated by the inhibition of the Ras pathway and the IFN pathway,
      we treated NIH/3T3 cells that overexpress oncogenic Ras with the MEK inhibitor,
      U0126, or IFN-alpha for 6 h, and performed DNA microarray analysis (Gene
      Expression Omnibus accession number GSE49469). Here, we also provide additional
      information on the experimental and functional analysis of the genes responsive
      to U0126 and IFN. 

PMID- 26484186
TI  - Transcriptomic analyses of Onecut1 and Onecut2 deficient retinas.
AB  - In this article, we further explore the data generated for the research article
      "Onecut1 and Onecut2 play critical roles in the development of the mouse retina".
      To better understand the functionality of the Onecut family of transcription
      factors in retinogenesis, we investigated the retinal transcriptomes of
      developing and mature mice to identify genes with differential expression. This
      data article reports the full transcriptomes resulting from these experiments and
      provides tables detailing the differentially expressed genes between wildtype and
      Onecut1 or 2 deficient retinas. The raw array data of our transcriptomes as
      generated using Affymetrix microarrays are available on the NCBI Gene Expression
      Omnibus (GEO) browser (Reference number GSE57917 and GSE57918GSE57917GSE57918). 

PMID- 26484187
TI  - Cataloguing the bacterial diversity of the Sundarbans mangrove, India in the
      light of metagenomics.
AB  - In this present study we report the profile of bacterial community at variable
      depth of soil sediment in the world's largest tropical mangrove sediments of
      Sundarbans, India using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Metagenome of three
      samples consisted of 61301 sequences with 32.0 Mbp and 55.6% G + C content.
      Metagenome data of this study are available at NCBI under the Biosample data base
      accession no. SRX883521. The taxonomic analysis of 2746 species belonged to 33
      different phyla revealing the dominance of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes,
      Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, Nitrospirae and Actinobacteria
      respectively. Remarkably less than 5.0% sequences belong to a poorly
      characterized group. Our pyrosequencing data report unfolds the bacterial
      community profile at different depth of soil sediment indicating the changing
      community pattern, in the light of specific chronology. 

PMID- 26484188
TI  - The genome-wide gene expression profiling to predict competitive endogenous RNA
      network in hepatocellular cancer.
AB  - To assess the potential competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network in
      hepatocellular cancer (HCC), the lncRNA, mRNA, and microRNA microarrays were
      conducted on 3 pairs of HCC and paired normal liver tissue. After that, the
      arrays were normalized and analyzed with gene oncology (GO) and pathway analysis.
      Next, we screened out the pseudogenes and their cognate protein coding genes
      which are both down-regulated in HCC. Finally, the up-regulated microRNA binding
      sites were predicted on the most down-regulated pseudogene and its cognate
      protein-coding gene. All the array data were uploaded to Gene Expression Omnibus
      (accession number GSE64633). 

PMID- 26484189
TI  - Profiling of embryonic nuclear vs. cellular RNA in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - In Arabidopsis, various cell type-specific whole-genome expression analyses have
      been conducted. However, the vast majority of these were performed with cellular
      RNA from root tissues or other easily accessible cell types [1]. Nuclear RNA was
      neglected for a long time as not being representative for transcriptomic studies.
      In recent years, however, there have been reports describing the validity of
      nuclear RNA for these types of studies [2,3]. Here we describe the generation,
      quality assessment and analysis of nuclear transcriptomic data from Arabidopsis
      embryos published by Slane et al. (2014) [4]. Comparison of nuclear with cellular
      gene expression demonstrated the usefulness of nuclear transcriptomics. 

PMID- 26484190
TI  - First report of bacterial community from a Bat Guano using Illumina next
      generation sequencing.
AB  - V4 hypervariable region of 16S rDNA was analyzed for identifying the bacterial
      communities present in Bat Guano from the unexplored cave - Pnahkyndeng,
      Meghalaya, Northeast India. Metagenome comprised of 585,434 raw Illumina
      sequences with a 59.59% G+C content. A total of 416,490 preprocessed reads were
      clustered into 1282 OTUs (operational taxonomical units) comprising of 18
      bacterial phyla. The taxonomic profile showed that the guano bacterial community
      is dominated by Chloroflexi, Actinobacteria and Crenarchaeota which account for
      70.73% of all sequence reads and 43.83% of all OTUs. Metagenome sequence data are
      available at NCBI under the accession no. SRP051094. This study is the first to
      characterize Bat Guano bacterial community using next-generation sequencing
      approach. 

PMID- 26484192
TI  - Toxicogenomic analysis of placenta samples from mice exposed to different doses
      of BPA.
AB  - Bisphenol A (BPA), a widespread Endocrine Disrupter mainly used in food contact
      plastics, may induce adverse effects especially on susceptible lifestages, first
      of all pregnancy. The present study considered placental development as a
      potential target of BPA and investigated potential differences in the modes of
      action of two doses of BPA by a toxicogenomic approach. Pregnant CD-1 mice were
      administered with vehicle, 0.5 (BPA05) or 50 mg/kg (BPA50) body weight (bw)/die
      of BPA, from gestational day (GD) 1 to GD11. At GD12 dams were sacrificed and
      transcriptomic analysis was performed on placenta samples. Histological,
      histomorphometrical and immunohistochemical analyses were also performed to
      phenotypically anchor transcriptional changes associated with BPA exposure. The
      interpretation and description of the overall data are included in a manuscript
      under revision [1]. Here we describe the experimental design and the analysis
      performed on the gene expression data which are publicly available through the
      Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database with accession number GSE63852. 

PMID- 26484191
TI  - Gene expression profiling of loss of TET2 and/or JAK2V617F mutant hematopoietic
      stem cells from mouse models of myeloproliferative neoplasms.
AB  - Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are clinically characterized by the chronic
      overproduction of differentiated peripheral blood cells and the gradual expansion
      of malignant intramedullary/extramedullary hematopoiesis. In MPNs mutations in
      JAK2 MPL or CALR are detected mutually exclusive in more than 90% of cases [1,2].
      Mutations in them lead to the abnormal activation of JAK/STAT signaling and the
      autonomous growth of differentiated cells therefore they are considered as
      "driver" gene mutations. In addition to the above driver gene mutations mutations
      in epigenetic regulators such as TET2 DNMT3A ASXL1 EZH2 or IDH1/2 are detected in
      about 5%-30% of cases respectively [3]. Mutations in TET2 DNMT3A EZH2 or IDH1/2
      commonly confer the increased self-renewal capacity on normal hematopoietic stem
      cells (HSCs) but they do not lead to the autonomous growth of differentiated
      cells and only exhibit subtle clinical phenotypes [4,6-8,5]. It was unclear how
      mutations in such epigenetic regulators influenced abnormal HSCs with driver gene
      mutations how they influenced the disease phenotype or whether a single driver
      gene mutation was sufficient for the initiation of human MPNs. Therefore we
      focused on JAK2V617F and loss of TET2-the former as a representative of driver
      gene mutations and the latter as a representative of mutations in epigenetic
      regulators-and examined the influence of single or double mutations on HSCs
      (Lineage(-)Sca-1(+)c-Kit(+) cells (LSKs)) by functional analyses and microarray
      whole-genome expression analyses [9]. Gene expression profiling showed that the
      HSC fingerprint genes [10] was statistically equally enriched in TET2-knockdown
      LSKs but negatively enriched in JAK2V617F-LSKs compared to that in wild-type
      LSKs. Double-mutant-LSKs showed the same tendency as JAK2V617F-LSKs in terms of
      their HSC fingerprint genes but the expression of individual genes differed
      between the two groups. Among 245 HSC fingerprint genes 100 were more highly
      expressed in double-mutant-LSKs than in JAK2V617F-LSKs. These altered gene
      expressions might partly explain the mechanisms of initiation and progression of
      MPNs which was observed in the functional analyses [9]. Here we describe gene
      expression profiles deposited at the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) under the
      accession number GSE62302 including experimental methods and quality control
      analyses. 

PMID- 26484193
TI  - Pyrosequencing based profiling of the bacterial community in the Chilika Lake,
      the largest lagoon of India.
AB  - Brackish water lake is the most extraordinary reservoir for bacterial community
      with an adaptability of tolerance to saline stress. In the present study,
      metagenomic approach was implemented utilising 454-pyrosequencing platform to
      gain deeper insights into the bacterial diversity profile of the soil sediment of
      Chilika Lake, Odisha, India. Metagenome contained 68,150 sequences with
      31,896,430 bp and 56.79% G + C content. Metagenome sequences data are now
      available at NCBI under the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) database with accession
      no. SRX753382. Bacterial community metagenome sequences were analysed by MG-RAST
      server representing the presence of 16,212 species belonging to 45 different
      phyla. The dominating phyla were Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes,
      Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Planctomycetes. The analysis of
      bacterial community datasets obtained from two different saline soil sediments
      revealed significant differences in bacterial community composition and diversity
      value providing better understanding of the ecosystem dynamics of Chilika Lake. 

PMID- 26484194
TI  - A microarray analysis of two distinct lymphatic endothelial cell populations.
AB  - We have recently identified lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) to form two
      morphologically different populations, exhibiting significantly different surface
      protein expression levels of podoplanin, a major surface marker for this cell
      type. In vitro shockwave treatment (IVSWT) of LECs resulted in enrichment of the
      podoplanin(high) cell population and was accompanied by markedly increased cell
      proliferation, as well as 2D and 3D migration. Gene expression profiles of these
      distinct populations were established using Affymetrix microarray analyses. Here
      we provide additional details about our dataset (NCBI GEO accession number
      GSE62510) and describe how we analyzed the data to identify differently expressed
      genes in these two LEC populations. 

PMID- 26484195
TI  - Using shRNA experiments to validate gene regulatory networks.
AB  - Quantitative validation of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) inferred from
      observational expression data is a difficult task usually involving time
      intensive and costly laboratory experiments. We were able to show that gene knock
      down experiments can be used to quantitatively assess the quality of large-scale
      GRNs via a purely data-driven approach (Olsen et al. 2014). Our new validation
      framework also enables the statistical comparison of multiple network inference
      techniques, which was a long-standing challenge in the field. In this Data in
      Brief we detail the contents and quality controls for the gene expression data
      (available from NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus repository with accession number
      GSE53091) associated with our study published in Genomics (Olsen et al. 2014). We
      also provide R code to access the data and reproduce the analysis presented in
      this article. 

PMID- 26484196
TI  - Contribution of nuclear actin to transcription regulation.
AB  - Actin, an integral component of the cytoskeleton, plays crucial roles in a
      variety of cell functions, including cell migration, adhesion, polarity and shape
      change. Studies performed during the last couple of decades have revealed that
      the actin also exists in the nucleus. However, the function and properties of
      nuclear actin remained elusive so far. Recently, we showed that an actin tagged
      with EYFP and fused with a nuclear localization signal (EYFP-NLS-actin) formed
      visible filamentous (F)-actin bundles in cells. To obtain further details about
      the individual genes that are affected by the nuclear actin, we have used the
      microarray analysis to determine the changes in the expression levels of RNAs in
      HeLa cells as a result of EYFP-NLS-actin expression. Our results suggest that the
      nuclear actin plays a role in the activation of genes rather than their
      repression. The data has been deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO)
      database under the accession number GSE59799. 

PMID- 26484197
TI  - Microarray analysis of lexA gene deletion mutant of deep-sea bacterium Shewanella
      piezotolerans WP3 at low-temperature and high-pressure.
AB  - Addressing DNA lesion, the SOS response is conserved in bacterial domain and
      governed by DNA binding protein LexA, which have been well characterized in model
      microorganism such as Escherichia coli. However, our understanding of the roles
      of SOS pathway in deep-sea bacteria is limited. To indentify the composition of
      SOS regulon and function of LexA, we performed whole genome transcriptional
      profiling using a custom designed microarray which contains 95% open reading
      frames of Shewanella piezotolerans WP3. Here we describe the experimental
      procedures and methods in detail to reproduce the results (available at Gene
      Expression Omnibus database under GSE66790) and provide resource to be employed
      for comparative analyses of SOS response in microorganisms which inhabited in
      different environments, and thus broaden our understanding of life strategy of
      bacteria against various environment stresses. 

PMID- 26484198
TI  - Technical data of the transcriptomic analysis performed on tsetse fly symbionts,
      Sodalis glossinidius and Wigglesworthia glossinidia, harbored, respectively by
      non-infected, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense infected and self-cured Glossina
      palpalis gambiensis tsetse flies.
AB  - Microarray is a powerful and cheap method to identify and quantify gene
      expression in particular in a mix of total RNA extracted from biological samples
      such as the tsetse fly gut, including several organisms (here, the fly tissue and
      the intestinal microorganisms). Besides, biostatistics and bioinformatics allow
      comparing the transcriptomes from samples collected from differently treated
      flies, and thus to identify and quantify differential expressed genes. Here, we
      describe in details a whole microarray transcriptome dataset produced from tsetse
      flies symbionts, Sodalis glossinidius and Wigglesworthia glossinidia. The tsetse
      fly midguts were sampled at key steps of tsetse fly infection by trypanosomes, 3
      day and 10-day sampling times to target differentially expressed genes involved,
      respectively, in early events associated with trypanosome entry into the midgut
      and with the establishment of infection; 20 days to target the genes involved in
      events occurring later in the infection process. We describe in detail the
      methodology applied for analyzing the microarray data including differential
      expression as well as functional annotation of the identified symbiont genes.
      Both the microarray data and design are available at
      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE48360;http://www.ncbi.nlm.ni
      .gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE48361;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi
      acc=GSE55931. 

PMID- 26484199
TI  - Microarray profiling of L1-overexpressing endothelial cells reveals STAT3
      activation via IL-6/IL-6Ralpha axis.
AB  - We recently identified a novel role for the L1 transmembrane glycoprotein (also
      known as L1CAM or CD171) in the regulation of tumor angiogenesis and vessels
      stabilization. L1 overexpression in cultured endothelial cells of the lung
      (luECs) exerted a pleiotropic effect in that it regulated proliferation,
      migration, tubulogenesis, vascular permeability, and endothelial-to-mesenchymal
      transition (EndMT). In addition, we provided strong evidence that antibody
      mediated targeting of L1 may be an effective strategy for vessel normalization
      with the potential to increase efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. High
      throughput microarray expression profile revealed that L1 modulates the
      expression of hundreds of genes mainly involved in cell cycle regulation, DNA
      replication, cellular assembly, migration, development and organization. By using
      a 'pathway-oriented' analysis strategy we were able to identify a network of 105
      genes modulated by L1 through the predicted activation of five transcription
      factors: STAT1, STAT2, STAT3, IRF7, and ATF4. Indeed, L1 overexpression resulted
      in the strong induction of STAT3 phosphorylation which was abolished by antibody
      mediated neutralization of IL-6Ralpha. These results indicated that L1 promoted
      STAT3 activation via the IL-6/IL-6Ralpha axis. 

PMID- 26484200
TI  - Effect of glucocorticoids on lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles of the bone
      microcirculatory endothelial cells from femur head of Homo sapiens.
AB  - Appropriate gene expression patterns form the basis for bone microvascular
      endothelial cells' function in femoral head. Although previous studies have
      elucidated the impact of glucocorticoids on these cells' specific gene expression
      the exact differential transcriptomes and comprehensive gene expression profiles
      remain unknown. Using microarray-based platforms we investigated the
      transcriptome patterns before and after hydrocortisone administration of bone
      microvascular endothelial cells from human femoral head. Our results highlight
      the involvement of development differentiation and apoptosis in the bone
      microvascular endothelial cells. Elucidation of differential gene expression
      before and after hydrocortisone administration emphasizes the importance of
      regulatory networks to gene co-expression within biological processes induced by
      glucocorticoids. With Benjamini-Hochberg characterization we identified 73 up
      regulated and 166 down-regulated long noncoding RNAs the expression of 107 of
      which significantly correlated with 172 mRNAs after administration of
      hydrocortisone. Transcriptome analysis of bone microvascular endothelial cells
      from human femoral head samples is highly informative because it is deduced from
      data comprised of large number of genes expressed above background. The data have
      been submitted to the repository of Gene Expression Omnibus (Series GSE60332). 

PMID- 26484201
TI  - Genome-wide gene expression profiling to investigate molecular phenotypes of
      Arabidopsis mutants deprived in distinct histone methyltransferases and
      demethylases.
AB  - Histone lysine (K) methylation is a type of epigenetic modification involved in
      regulation of DNA-based processes, including transcription, replication and
      repair. It can either activate or repress transcription depending on the histone
      K residue on which methylation occurs and on chromatin context of additional
      other modifications. In both animals and plants, methylation on one histone K
      residue can be deposited by several different histone methyltransferases and vice
      versa removed by different histone demethylases. It is of great interest to know
      which histone enzyme regulates which genes in the genome. Here we describe in
      details the contents and quality controls for the gene expression data of
      Arabidopsis mutants deprived in distinct histone methyltransferases (SDG26,
      SDG25, ATX1, CLF) and histone demethylases (LDL1, LDL2), in association with the
      study recently published by Berr and colleagues in The Plant Journal (Berr et
      al., 2015). The microarray dataset has been deposited in Gene Expression Omnibus
      with accession number GSE55167. 

PMID- 26484202
TI  - Genome-wide DNA binding pattern of two-component system response regulator RhpR
      in Pseudomonas syringae.
AB  - Although Pseudomonas syringae uses the two-component system RhpRS to modulate the
      expression of type III secretion system (T3SS) genes and pathogenicity, the
      molecular mechanisms and the regulon of RhpRS have yet to be fully demonstrated.
      We have performed a genome-wide analysis of RhpR binding to DNA prepared from P.
      syringae pv. phaseolicola in order to identify candidate direct targets of RhpR
      mediated transcriptional regulation, as described in our recent article [1]. The
      data are available from NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) with the accession
      number GSE58533. Here we describe the detailed methods and data analyses of our
      RhpR ChIP-seq dataset. 

PMID- 26484203
TI  - Expression profiling of wild type and beta-catenin gene disrupted human BxPC-3
      pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells.
AB  - To study the role of WNT/beta-catenin signaling in pancreatic adenocarcinoma,
      human BxPC-3 cell lines deficient of the central canonical WNT signaling protein
      beta-catenin were established by using zinc-finger nuclease mediated targeted
      genomic disruption of the beta-catenin gene (CTNNB1). Comparison of the global
      transcription levels in wild type cells with two beta-catenin gene disrupted
      clones identified 85 transcripts that were the most differentially regulated.
      Gene ontology (GO) term enrichment analysis of these transcripts identified "cell
      adhesion" as the most significantly enriched GO term. Here we describe the data
      from the transcription profiling analysis published in the article "Implications
      of Targeted Genomic Disruption of beta-Catenin in BxPC-3 Pancreatic
      Adenocarcinoma Cells" [1]. Data have been deposited to the Gene Expression
      Omnibus (GEO) database repository with the dataset identifier GSE63072. 

PMID- 26484204
TI  - Deciphering the microbiota of Tuwa hot spring, India using shotgun metagenomic
      sequencing approach.
AB  - Here, we report metagenome from the Tuwa hot spring, India using shotgun
      sequencing approach. Metagenome consisted of 541,379 sequences with 98.7 Mbps
      size with 46% G + C content. Metagenomic sequence reads were deposited into the
      EMBL database under accession number ERP009321. Community analysis presented
      99.1% sequences belong to bacteria, 0.3% of eukaryotic origin, 0.2% virus derived
      and 0.05% from archea. Unclassified and unidentified sequences were 0.4% and
      0.07% respectively. A total of 22 bacterial phyla include 90 families and 201
      species were observed in the hot spring metagenome. Firmicutes (97.0%),
      Proteobacteria (1.3%) and Actinobacteria (0.4%) were reported as dominant
      bacterial phyla. In functional analysis using Cluster of Orthologous Group (COG),
      21.5% drops in the poorly characterized group. Using subsystem based annotation,
      4.0% genes were assigned for stress responses and 3% genes were fit into the
      metabolism of aromatic compounds. The hot spring metagenome is very rich with
      novel sequences affiliated to unclassified and unidentified lineages, suggesting
      the potential source for novel microbial species and their products. 

PMID- 26484205
TI  - Investigations on microbial diversity of Jakrem hot spring, Meghalaya, India
      using cultivation-independent approach.
AB  - Jakrem hot water spring is located in the West Khasi Hill District of the state
      of Meghalaya, and is one of the most popular hot springs of the state. There is a
      populist belief among the inhabitants and people that the hot spring water has
      got curative properties against various skin ailments. This is the first report
      on V3 hyper-variable region of 16S rDNA metagenome sequence employing Illumina
      platform to profile the microbial community of this less known hot spring from
      Meghalaya, India. Metagenome comprised of 10, 74,120 raw sequences with a
      sequence length of 151 bp and 56.35% G + C content. Metagenome sequence
      information is now available at NCBI, SRA database accession no. SRP056897. A
      total of 8, 77, 364 pre-processed reads were clustered into 694 OTUs (operational
      taxonomical units) comprising of 14 bacterial phyla including unknown phylum
      demonstrating 49 families. Hot spring bacterial community is dominated by
      Firmicutes (61.60%), Chloroflexi (21.37%), Cyanobacteria (12.96%) and
      unclassified bacteria (1.2%) respectively. 

PMID- 26484206
TI  - Global gene expression profiling analysis reveals reduction of stemness after B
      RAF inhibition in colorectal cancer cell lines.
AB  - Cancer cell differentiation is an important field of discussion in the light of
      cancer stem cells. In a recent study by Herr et al. (2015) "B-RAF inhibitors
      induce epithelial differentiation in BRAF-mutant colorectal cancer cells" we
      described how inhibition of mutant BRAF in colorectal cancer cell lines induces
      cell re-differentiation that is correlated with the loss of tumor growth in vitro
      and in vivo. We used Illumina HumanHT-12 v4 Expression BeadChip to characterize
      the gain of differentiation of PLX4720-treated 3D cultures of HT29 and Colo-205
      cells. Here, we describe the experimental design and statistical analysis that
      were performed on the data set leading to the above hypothesis. The data are
      publicly available at the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database under the
      accession number GSE50791. 

PMID- 26484207
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of the aquaporin AtPIP1;2 deficient line in Arabidopsis
      thaliana.
AB  - Atmospheric CO2 impacts all aspects of plant development. It has changed in the
      past and is predicted to change further on. Studies on the response of crop
      plants to low and elevated CO2 concerning growth, productivity and physiological
      processes are intense. In contrast, the molecular mechanisms of cellular CO2
      exchange are still under discussion. At the same time it becomes more and more
      accepted that carbon dioxide is transported across cellular biomembranes by CO2
      conducting aquaporins. Our recent study (Boudichevskaia et al., 2015)
      demonstrates that the lack of a single gene product - aquaporin AtPIP1;2 -
      resulted in massive transcriptional reprogramming in Arabidopsis as a consequence
      of reduced tissue CO2 diffusion rates. Therefore, the transcriptome data of the
      aquaporin AtPIP1;2 deficient line can be used in the comparative expression
      analyses for better understanding the role of aquaporins with regard to CO2 and
      water transport in plants. Here we describe a gene expression dataset generated
      for three biological replicates per genotype on Affymetrix platform. We provide
      detailed methods and analysis on microarray data which has been deposited in Gene
      Expression Omnibus (GEO): GSE62167. Additionally, we provide the R code for data
      preprocessing and quality control. 

PMID- 26484208
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells from patients
      with primary myelofibrosis.
AB  - Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a clonal myeloproliferative neoplasm whose
      severity and treatment complexity are attributed to the presence of bone marrow
      (BM) fibrosis and alterations of stroma impairing the production of normal blood
      cells. Despite the recently discovered mutations including the JAK2V617F mutation
      in about half of patients, the primitive event responsible for the clonal
      proliferation is still unknown. In the highly inflammatory context of PMF, the
      presence of fibrosis associated with a neoangiogenesis and an osteosclerosis
      concomitant to the myeloproliferation and to the increase number of circulating
      hematopoietic progenitors suggests that the crosstalk between hematopoietic and
      stromal cells is deregulated in the PMF BM microenvironmental niches. Within
      these niches, mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSC) play a hematopoietic supportive
      role in the production of growth factors and extracellular matrix which regulate
      the proliferation, differentiation, adhesion and migration of hematopoietic
      stem/progenitor cells. A transcriptome analysis of BM-MSC in PMF patients will
      help to characterize their molecular alterations and to understand their
      involvement in the hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell deregulation that features
      PMF. 

PMID- 26484209
TI  - Genome-wide copy number profiling of mouse neural stem cells during
      differentiation.
AB  - There is growing evidence that gene amplifications were present in neural stem
      and progenitor cells during differentiation. We used array-CGH to discover copy
      number changes including gene amplifications and deletions during differentiation
      of mouse neural stem cells using TGF-beta and FCS for differentiation induction.
      Array data were deposited in GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus, NCBI) under accession
      number GSE35523. Here, we describe in detail the cell culture features and our
      TaqMan qPCR-experiments to validate the array-CGH analysis. Interpretation of
      array-CGH experiments regarding gene amplifications in mouse and further detailed
      analysis of amplified chromosome regions associated with these experiments were
      published by Fischer and colleagues in Oncotarget (Fischer et al., 2015). We
      provide additional information on deleted chromosome regions during
      differentiation and give an impressive overview on copy number changes during
      differentiation induction at a time line. 

PMID- 26484210
TI  - Genome-wide analysis of uncapped mRNAs under heat stress in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Recently, we have showed that Tudor Staphylococcal Nuclease (TSN or Tudor-SN)
      proteins (TSN1 and TSN2) are localized in cytoplasmic messenger ribonucleoprotein
      (mRNP) complexes called stress granules (SG) and processing bodies (PB) under
      heat stress in Arabidopsis. One of the primary functions of these mRNP complexes
      is mRNA decay, which generates uncapped mRNAs by the action of endonucleases and
      decapping enzymes (Thomas et al., 2011) [1]. In order to figure out whether TSN
      proteins could be implicated in mRNA decay, we isolated uncapped and total mRNAs
      of Wild type (WT; Col and Ler) and TSN double knock-out (tsn1tsn2) seedlings
      grown under heat stress (39  degrees C for 40 min) and control (23  degrees C)
      conditions. Here, we provide the experimental procedure to reproduce the results
      (NCBI GEO accession number GSE63522) published by Gutierrez-Beltran et al. (2015)
      in The Plant Cell [2]. 

PMID- 26484211
TI  - Gene expression analysis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is one of the most common malignancies
      of the head and neck tumors Zhang et al., 2013 [1]). Previous studies have
      associated its occurrence with social activities, such as tobacco and alcohol
      consumption (Hashibe et al., 2007a [2]; Hashibe et al., 2007b [3]; Shangina et
      al., 2006 [4]). Here, we performed a genome-wide gene expression profiling in
      thirty-one patients positively diagnosed for LSCC, in order to investigate new
      targets involved in tumorigenesis. 

PMID- 26484212
TI  - Illumina-based analysis of bacterial community in Khuangcherapuk cave of Mizoram,
      Northeast India.
AB  - Bacterial community of the Khuangcherapuk cave sediment was assessed by Illumina
      amplicon sequencing. The metagenome comprised of 533,120 raw reads with an
      average base quality (Phred score) 36.75 and G + C content is 57.61%. A total of
      18 bacterial phyla were detected with following abundant genus - Mycobacterium
      (21.72%), Rhodococcus (7.09%), Alteromonas (1.42%), Holomonas (0.7%) and
      Salinisphaera (0.20%). Majority portion of the sequences (68%) is unclassified at
      the genus level indicating the possibilities for the presence of novel species in
      this cave. This study reports the cave bacterial diversity from the biodiversity
      hotspot region of Eastern Himalayas. Metagenome sequence data are available at
      NCBI under the Bioproject database with accession no. SRP056890. 

PMID- 26484213
TI  - Genome-wide analysis of histone acetylation dynamics during mouse embryonic stem
      cell neural differentiation.
AB  - Epigenetic modification as an intrinsic fine-tune program cooperates with key
      transcription factors to regulate the cell fate determination. The histone
      acetylation participating in neural differentiation of pluripotent stem cells is
      expected but not well studied. Here, using acetylated histone H3 ChIP-sequencing
      (ChIP-seq), we demonstrate that the histone H3 acetylation level is gradually
      increased on the neural gene loci while decreased on the neural-inhibitory gene
      loci during mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) neural differentiation. We further
      show that histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) is essential for neural commitment by
      targeting Nodal signaling. Thus, our study reveals a mechanism by which the
      epigenetic modification of histone acetylation/deacetylation interacts with
      extracellular signaling in mESC neural fate determination. Data were deposited in
      Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets under reference number GSE66025. 

PMID- 26484214
TI  - Microarray-based analysis of plasma cirDNA epigenetic modification profiling in
      xenografted mice exposed to intermittent hypoxia.
AB  - Intermittent hypoxia (IH) during sleep is one of the major abnormalities
      occurring in patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a highly
      prevalent disorder affecting 6-15% of the general population, particularly among
      obese people. IH has been proposed as a major determinant of oncogenetically
      related processes such as tumor growth, invasion and metastasis. During the
      growth and expansion of tumors, fragmented DNA is released into the bloodstream
      and enters the circulation. Circulating tumor DNA (cirDNA) conserves the genetic
      and epigenetic profiles from the tumor of origin and can be isolated from the
      plasma fraction. Here we report a microarray-based epigenetic profiling of cirDNA
      isolated from blood samples of mice engrafted with TC1 epithelial lung cancer
      cells and controls, which were exposed to IH during sleep (XenoIH group, n = 3)
      or control conditions, (i.e., room air (RA); XenoRA group, n = 3) conditions. To
      prepare the targets for microarray hybridization, we applied a previously
      developed method that enriches the modified fraction of the cirDNA without
      amplification of genomic DNA. Regions of differential cirDNA modification between
      the two groups were identified by hybridizing the enriched fractions for each
      sample to Affymetrix GeneChip Human Promoter Arrays 1.0R. Microarray raw and
      processed data were deposited in NCBI's Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database
      (accession number: GSE61070). 

PMID- 26484215
TI  - Gene expression profiling of the Peyer's patch mononuclear phagocyte system.
AB  - Peyer's patches (PPs) are primary inductive sites of mucosal immunity. The PP
      mononuclear phagocyte system, which encompasses both dendritic cells (DCs) and
      macrophages, is essential for the initiation of the mucosal immune response. We
      recently developed a method to isolate each mononuclear phagocyte subset of PP
      (Bonnardel et al., 2015). We performed a transcriptional analysis of three of
      these subsets: the CD11b(+) conventional DC, the lysozyme-expressing monocyte
      derived DC termed LysoDC and the CD11c(hi) lysozyme-expressing macrophages. Here,
      we provide details of the gating strategy we used to isolate each phagocyte
      subset and show the quality controls and analysis associated with our gene array
      data deposited into Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) under GSE65514. 

PMID- 26484216
TI  - Bacterial diversity of Murlen National Park located in Indo-Burman Biodiversity
      hotspot region: A metagenomic approach.
AB  - Paired end Illumina Mi-Seq sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicon was carried out
      to study the bacterial community in the soil of Murlen National Park located in
      Indo-Burman Biodiversity hotspot region. Metagenome consisted of 302,416 reads
      with 151.81 Mb data and G + C content of 56.48%. More than 85% sequence was
      having a Phred score >=Q30 and individual sequence length was 251 bp. Metagenome
      sequence data are available at NCBI under the Bioproject database with accession
      no. SRP057136. Community metagenomics revealed a total of 1802 species belonging
      to 29 different phyla dominated by Acidobacteria (39.45%), Proteobacteria
      (26.95%) and Planctomycetes (7.81%). Our data detected a wide group of bacterial
      community which will be useful in further isolating and characterizing the
      economic importance of bacteria from this region. 

PMID- 26484217
TI  - Gene expression profiling of WDR5 regulated genes in bladder cancer.
AB  - WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5) plays an important role in various biological functions
      through the epigenetic regulation of gene transcription (Wysocka et al., 2005
      [1]; Sandstrom et al., 2014[2]; Ang et al., 2011[3]). Recently, our study found
      that WDR5 was upregulated in bladder cancer tissues, promoted bladder cancer cell
      proliferation, self-renewal and chemoresistance to cisplatin in bladder cancer
      cells in vitro, and tumor growth in vivo (Chen et al., 2015). To gain a molecular
      understanding of the role of WDR5 in promoting bladder cancer, we performed a
      genome-wide analysis on WDR5 knockdown by microarray gene expression profiling.
      Here we provide detailed experimental methods and analysis for the microarray
      data, which have been deposited into Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO): GSE59132. 

PMID- 26484218
TI  - Disruption of O-GlcNAc cycling by deletion of O-GlcNAcase (Oga/Mgea5) changed
      gene expression pattern in mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells.
AB  - Adding a single O-GlcNAc moiety to a Ser/Thr molecule of a protein by O-GlcNAc
      transferase and transiently removing it by O-GlcNAcase is referred to as O-GlcNAc
      cycling (or O-GlcNAcylation). This O-GlcNAc modification is sensitive to nutrient
      availability and also shows cross talk with phosphorylation signaling, affecting
      downstream targets. A mouse model system was developed and evaluated to show
      genome wide transcriptional changes associated with disruption of O-GlcNAc
      cycling. Mouse embryonic fibroblast cells derived from O-GlcNAcase (Oga) knock
      out (KO), heterozygous (Het) and wild type (WT) embryos were used for an
      Affymetrix based microarray. Results are deposited in GEO dataset GSE52721. Data
      reveals that Oga KO MEFs had 2534 transcripts differentially expressed at 1.5
      fold level while Oga heterozygous MEFs had 959 transcripts changed compared to WT
      MEFs. There were 1835 transcripts differentially expressed at 1.5 fold Het versus
      WT comparison group. Gene ontology analysis indicated differentially expressed
      genes enriched in metabolic, growth, and cell proliferation categories. 

PMID- 26484219
TI  - High-quality draft genome sequence of Kocuria marina SO9-6, an actinobacterium
      isolated from a copper mine.
AB  - An actinobacterial strain, designated SO9-6, was isolated from a copper iron
      sulfide mineral. The organism is Gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic, and
      coccoid. Chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic properties were consistent with its
      classification in the genus Kocuria. Here, we report the first draft genome
      sequence of Kocuria marina SO9-6 under accession JROM00000000
      (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/725823918), which provides insights for
      heavy metal bioremediation and production of compounds of biotechnological
      interest. 

PMID- 26484220
TI  - Genome sequencing and annotation of Aeromonas sp. HZM.
AB  - We report the draft genome sequence of Aeromonas sp. strain HZM, isolated from
      tropical peat swamp forest soil. The draft genome size is 4,451,364 bp with a G +
      C content of 61.7% and contains 10 rRNA sequences (eight copies of 5S rRNA genes,
      single copy of 16S and 23S rRNA each). The genome sequence can be accessed at
      DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the accession no. JEMQ00000000. 

PMID- 26484221
TI  - Genome sequencing and annotation of Cellulomonas sp. HZM.
AB  - We report the draft genome sequence of Cellulomonas sp. HZM, isolated from a
      tropical peat swamp forest. The draft genome size is 3,559,280 bp with a G + C
      content of 73% and contains 3 rRNA sequences (single copies of 5S, 16S and 23S
      rRNA). 

PMID- 26484222
TI  - Interval-value Based Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm for cancer-type
      specific gene selection and sample classification.
AB  - Microarray technology allows simultaneous measurement of the expression levels of
      thousands of genes within a biological tissue sample. The fundamental power of
      microarrays lies within the ability to conduct parallel surveys of gene
      expression using microarray data. The classification of tissue samples based on
      gene expression data is an important problem in medical diagnosis of diseases
      such as cancer. In gene expression data, the number of genes is usually very high
      compared to the number of data samples. Thus the difficulty that lies with data
      are of high dimensionality and the sample size is small. This research work
      addresses the problem by classifying resultant dataset using the existing
      algorithms such as Support Vector Machine (SVM), K-nearest neighbor (KNN),
      Interval Valued Classification (IVC) and the improvised Interval Value based
      Particle Swarm Optimization (IVPSO) algorithm. Thus the results show that the
      IVPSO algorithm outperformed compared with other algorithms under several
      performance evaluation functions. 

PMID- 26484223
TI  - Transcriptional profiling of CRP-regulated genes in deep-sea bacterium Shewanella
      piezotolerans WP3.
AB  - The cAMP receptor protein (CRP) is a conserved regulator in bacteria and involved
      in regulation of energy metabolism, such as glucose, galactose, and citrate
      (Green et al., 2014 [1]). As an important catabolite activator protein, it has
      been well characterized in model microorganism such as Escherichia coli. However,
      our understanding of the roles of CRP in deep-sea bacteria is rather limited. To
      indentify the function of CRP, we performed whole genome transcriptional
      profiling using a custom designed microarray which contains 95% open reading
      frames of Shewanella piezotolerans WP3, which was isolated from West Pacific
      sediment at a depth of 1914 m (Xiao et al., 2007 [2]; Wang et al., 2008 [3]).
      Here we describe the experimental procedures and methods in detail to reproduce
      the results (available at Gene Expression Omnibus database under GSE67731 and
      GSE67732) and provide resource to be employed for comparative analyses of CRP
      regulon and the regulatory network of anaerobic respiration in microorganisms
      which inhabited in different environments, and thus broaden our understanding of
      mechanism of bacteria against various environment stresses. 

PMID- 26484224
TI  - Transcriptional profiling of HOXA9-regulated genes in human glioblastoma cell
      models.
AB  - The data here described pertain to the article by Pojo et al. (2015) [10] titled
      "A transcriptomic signature mediated by HOXA9 promotes human glioblastoma
      initiation, aggressiveness and resistance to temozolomide" (Pojoet al., 2015
      [10]). HOX genes are part of the homeobox gene family, which encodes
      transcription factors crucial during embryonic development (Grier et al., 2005;
      Pearson et al., 2005 [6,9]) and also in post developmental regulation(Neville et
      al., 2002; Yamamoto et al., 2003; Takahashi et al., 2004;Morgan 2006
      [8,14,13,7]). Alterations interfering with the regulation of these genes may lead
      to tumorigenesis in adults. Due to their contributions in the control of
      important cellular processes, the deregulation of HOX genes is ultimately
      correlated with cancer treatment failure and patients' poor prognosis (Golub et
      al., 1999; Abdel-Fattah et al., 2006 [5,1]; Costa et al.,2010 [4]; Pojo et al.,
      2015 [10]). Recently, our studies showed that HOXA9 overexpression is associated
      with poor prognosis in patients with glioblastoma (GBM), the most common and most
      malignant primary brain tumor. Mechanistically, HOXA9 is associated with
      resistance to chemotherapy and with pro-proliferative, pro invasive and anti
      apoptotic features (Costa et al., 2010 [4]; Pojo et al., 2015 [10]) in GBM in
      vitro models. Since HOXA9 is a transcription factor, its target genes can be the
      true biological effectors of its aggressiveness. In this context, whole genome
      Agilent's microarrays were used to obtain the full transcriptome of HOXA9 in a
      variety of GBM cell models, including human immortalized astrocytes, established
      GBM cell lines, and GBM patient derived cell cultures. Here, we provide detailed
      methods, including experimental design and microarray data analyses,which can be
      accessed in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) under the accession number GSE56517.
      Additional interpretation of the data is included and supplemented in (Pojo et
      al., 2015 [10]).

PMID- 26484225
TI  - MicroRNA expression profiles of human left ventricle derived cardiac cells in
      normoxic and hypoxic conditions.
AB  - Studies in the cardiovascular research field have demonstrated the vital roles of
      microRNAs for proper cardiovascular development and functional maintenance. The
      involvement of aberrant microRNA expression leading to ontogenesis of
      cardiovascular diseases lends further support of the regulatory role of microRNAs
      in heart function. Hypoxic insult is one of the major factors that trigger
      downstream signal cascades which contribute to the pathogenesis of
      hypoxic/ischemic-related heart diseases. Here, we report the microRNA expression
      profile in human cardiac-derived cells subjected to 120-h hypoxic treatment. By
      comparing with the normoxic control state, we identified microRNAs differentially
      expressed in cardiac cells subjected to hypoxic challenge. MicroRNA microarray
      data are available at NCBI under the GEO accession number, GSE55387. 

PMID- 26484226
TI  - Transcriptome profiling of tobacco under water deficit conditions.
AB  - Drought is one of the limiting environmental factors that affect crop production.
      Understanding the molecular basis of how plants respond to this water deficit
      stress is key to developing drought tolerant crops. In this study we generated
      time course-based transcriptome profiles of tobacco plants under water deficit
      conditions using microarray technology. In this paper, we describe in detail the
      experimental procedures and analyses performed in our study. The data set we
      generated (available in the NCBI/GEO database under GSE67434) has been analysed
      to identify genes that are involved in the regulation of tobacco's responses to
      drought. 

PMID- 26484227
TI  - Gene expression changes of single skeletal muscle fibers in response to
      modulation of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU).
AB  - The mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) gene codifies for the inner
      mitochondrial membrane (IMM) channel responsible for mitochondrial Ca(2 +)
      uptake. Cytosolic Ca(2 +) transients are involved in sarcomere contraction
      through cycles of release and storage in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. In addition
      cytosolic Ca(2 +) regulates various signaling cascades that eventually lead to
      gene expression reprogramming. Mitochondria are strategically placed in close
      contact with the ER/SR, thus cytosolic Ca(2 +) transients elicit large increases
      in the [Ca(2 +)] of the mitochondrial matrix ([Ca(2 +)]mt). Mitochondrial Ca(2 +)
      uptake regulates energy production and cell survival. In addition, we recently
      showed that MCU-dependent mitochondrial Ca(2 +) uptake controls skeletal muscle
      trophism. In the same report, we dissected the effects of MCU-dependent
      mitochondrial Ca(2 +) uptake on gene expression through microarray gene
      expression analysis upon modulation of MCU expression by in vivo AAV infection.
      Analyses were performed on single skeletal muscle fibers at two time points (7
      and 14 days post-AAV injection). Raw and normalized data are available on the GEO
      database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/) (GSE60931). 

PMID- 26484228
TI  - Whole transcriptome microarrays identify long non-coding RNAs associated with
      cardiac hypertrophy.
AB  - Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently emerged as a novel group of non
      coding RNAs able to regulate gene expression. While their role in cardiac disease
      is only starting to be understood, their involvement in cardiac hypertrophy is
      poorly known. We studied the association between lncRNAs and left ventricular
      hypertrophy using whole transcriptome microarrays. Wild-type mice and mice
      overexpressing the adenosine A2A receptor were subjected to transverse aortic
      constriction (TAC) to induce left ventricular hypertrophy. Expression profiles of
      lncRNAs in the heart were characterized using genome-wide microarrays. An
      analytical pipeline was specifically developed to extract lncRNA data from
      microarrays. We identified 2 lncRNAs up-regulated and 3 lncRNAs down-regulated in
      the hearts of A2A-receptor overexpressing-mice subjected to TAC compared to wild
      type mice. Differential expression of these 2 lncRNAs was validated by
      quantitative PCR. Complete microarray dataset is available at Gene Expression
      Omnibus (GEO) database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/) under the accession
      number GSE45423. Here, we describe in details the experimental design, microarray
      performance and analysis. 

PMID- 26484229
TI  - In silico analysis of consequences of non-synonymous SNPs of Slc11a2 gene in
      Indian bovines.
AB  - The aim of our study was to analyze the consequences of non-synonymous SNPs in
      Slc11a2 gene using bioinformatic tools. There is a current need of efficient
      bioinformatic tools for in-depth analysis of data generated by the next
      generation sequencing technologies. SNPs are known to play an imperative role in
      understanding the genetic basis of many genetic diseases. Slc11a2 is one of the
      major metal transporter families in mammals and plays a critical role in host
      defenses. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the impact of
      all non-synonymous SNPs in this gene using multiple tools like SIFT, PROVEAN, I
      Mutant and PANTHER. Among the total 124 SNPs obtained from amplicon sequencing of
      Slc11a2 gene by Ion Torrent PGM involving 10 individuals of Gir cattle and Murrah
      buffalo each, we found 22 non-synonymous. Comparing the prediction of these 4
      methods, 5 nsSNPs (G369R, Y374C, A377V, Q385H and N492S) were identified as
      deleterious. In addition, while tested out for polar interactions with other
      amino acids in the protein, from above 5, Y374C, Q385H and N492S showed a change
      in interaction pattern and further confirmed by an increase in total energy after
      energy minimizations in case of mutant protein compared to the native. 

PMID- 26484230
TI  - Noncoding RNAs in human intervertebral disc degeneration: An integrated
      microarray study.
AB  - Accumulating evidence indicates that noncoding RNAs play important roles in a
      multitude of biological processes. The striking findings of miRNAs (microRNAs)
      and lncRNAs (long noncoding RNAs) as members of noncoding RNAs open up an
      exciting era in the studies of gene regulation. More recently, the reports of
      circRNAs (circular RNAs) add fuel to the noncoding RNAs research. Human
      intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a main cause of low back pain as a
      disabling spinal disease. We have addressed the expression profiles if miRNAs,
      lncRNAs and mRNAs in IDD (Wang et al., J Pathology, 2011 and Wan et al.,
      Arthritis Res Ther, 2014). Furthermore, we thoroughly analysed noncoding RNAs,
      including miRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs in IDD using the very same samples. Here
      we delineate in detail the contents of the aforementioned microarray analyses.
      Microarray and sample annotation data were deposited in GEO under accession
      number GSE67567 as SuperSeries. The integrated analyses of these noncoding RNAs
      will shed a novel light on coding-noncoding regulatory machinery. 

PMID- 26484231
TI  - Use of multiple time points to model parotid differentiation.
AB  - In order to understand the process of terminal differentiation in salivary acinar
      cells, mRNA and microRNA expression was measured across the month long process of
      differentiation in the parotid gland of the rat. Acinar cells were isolated at
      either nine time points (mRNA) or four time points (microRNA) in triplicate using
      laser capture microdissection (LCM). One of the values of this dataset comes from
      the high quality RNA (RIN > 7) that was used in this study, which can be
      prohibitively difficult to obtain from such an RNaseI-rich tissue. Global mRNA
      expression was measured by rat genome microarray hybridization
      (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE65586), and expression of
      microRNAs by qPCR array
      (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE65324). Comparing
      expression at different ages, 2656 mRNAs and 64 microRNAs were identified as
      differentially expressed. Because mRNA expression was sampled at many time
      points, clustering and regression analysis were able to identify dynamic
      expression patterns that had not been implicated in acinar differentiation
      before. Integration of the two datasets allowed the identification of microRNA
      target genes, and a gene regulatory network. Bioinformatics R code and additional
      details of experimental methods and data analysis are provided. 

PMID- 26484232
TI  - Genome-wide mapping of hot spots of DNA double-strand breaks in human cells as a
      tool for epigenetic studies and cancer genomics.
AB  - Hot spots of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are associated with coordinated
      expression of genes in chromosomal domains (Tchurikov et al., 2011 [1]; 2013).
      These 50-150-kb DNA domains (denoted "forum domains") can be visualized by
      separation of undigested chromosomal DNA in pulsed-field agarose gels (Tchurikov
      et al., 1988; 1992) and used for genome-wide mapping of the DSBs that produce
      them. Recently, we described nine hot spots of DSBs in human rDNA genes and
      observed that, in rDNA units, the hot spots coincide with CTCF binding sites and
      H3K4me3 marks (Tchurikov et al., 2014), suggesting a role for DSBs in active
      transcription. Here we have used Illumina sequencing to map DSBs in chromosomes
      of human HEK293T cells, and describe in detail the experimental design and
      bioinformatics analysis of the data deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus with
      accession number GSE53811 and associated with the study published in DNA Research
      (Kravatsky et al., 2015). Our data indicate that H3K4me3 marks often coincide
      with hot spots of DSBs in HEK293T cells and that the mapping of these hot spots
      is important for cancer genomic studies. 

PMID- 26484233
TI  - Gene expression profiling by high throughput sequencing to determine signatures
      for the bovine receptive uterus at early gestation.
AB  - The uterus plays a central role among the reproductive tissues in the context of
      early embryo-maternal communication and a successful pregnancy depends on a
      complex series of endometrial molecular and cellular events. The factors
      responsible for the initial interaction between maternal and embryonic tissues,
      leading to the establishment of pregnancy, remain poorly understood. In this
      context, Illumina's next-generation sequencing technology has been used to
      discover the uterine transcriptome signature that is favourable for ongoing
      pregnancy. More specifically, the present report documents on a retrospective in
      vivo study in which data on pregnancy outcome were linked to uterine gene
      expression signatures on day 6 (bovine model). Using the RNA-Seq method, 14.654
      reference genes were effectively analysed for differential expression between
      pregnant and non-pregnant uterine tissue. Transcriptome data revealed that 216
      genes were differently expressed when comparing uterine tissue from pregnant and
      non-pregnant cows. All read sequences were deposited in the Sequence Read Archive
      (SRA) of the NCBI (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra). An overview of the gene
      expression data has been deposited in NCBI's Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and is
      accessible through GEO Series accession number GSE65117. This allows the research
      community to enhance reproducibility and allows for new discoveries by comparing
      datasets of signatures linked to receptivity and/or pregnancy success. The
      resulting information can serve as tool to identify valuable and urgently needed
      biomarkers for scoring maternal receptivity and even for accurate detection of
      early pregnancy, which is a matter of cross-species interest. Beyond gene
      expression analysis as a marker tool, the RNA-Seq information on pregnant uterine
      tissue can be used to gain novel mechanistic insights, such as by identifying
      alternative splicing events, allele-specific expression, and rare and novel
      transcripts that might be involved in the onset of maternal receptivity. This
      concept is unique and provides a new approach towards strategies that are highly
      needed to improve efficiency of fertility treatments. 

PMID- 26484234
TI  - Transcriptomic analyses of maize ys1 and ys3 mutants reveal maize iron
      homeostasis.
AB  - To acquire iron (Fe), graminaceous plants secrete mugineic acid family
      phytosiderophores (MAs) (Takagi, 1976 [1]) through the MAs efflux transporter
      TOM1 (Nozoye et al., 2011 [2]) and take up Fe in the form of Fe(III)-MAs
      complexes through the Fe(III)-MAs transporter YS1 (Curie et al., 2001 [3]).
      Yellow stripe 1 (ys1) and ys3 are recessive mutants of maize (Zea mays L.) that
      result in symptoms typical of Fe deficiency, i.e., interveinal chlorosis of the
      leaves. The ys1 mutant is defective in the YS1 transporter and is therefore
      unable to take up Fe(III)-MAs complexes. While the ys3 mutant has been shown to
      be defective in MA release, the causative gene has not been identified. The
      objective of the present work was to identify the genes responsible for the ys1
      and ys3 phenotypes, so as to extend our understanding of Fe homeostasis in maize
      by qRT-PCR. In agreement with previous reports, the expression level of YS1 was
      decreased in the ys1 mutant. Moreover, we identified that the expression level of
      a homolog of TOM1 in maize (ZmTOM1) was significantly decreased in the ys3
      mutant. Here described the quality control and analysis that were performed on
      the dataset. The data is publicly available through the GEO database with
      accession number GSE44557. The interpretation and description of these data are
      included in a manuscript (Nozoye et al., 2013 [4]). 

PMID- 26484235
TI  - Global transcriptome analysis of T-competent progenitors in the bone marrow.
AB  - T cells are known to develop in the thymus. However, molecular events that
      control the transition from hematopoietic progenitor cells in the bone marrow to
      T precursor cells seeded in the thymus remained poorly defined. Our recent report
      showed that osteocalcin (Ocn)-expressing bone cells in the bone marrow have major
      impact on T cell immunity by regulating T progenitor development in the bone
      marrow (Yu et al., 2015) [1]. Selective endogenous depletion of Ocn(+) cells by
      inducible diphtheria toxin receptor expression (OcnCre;iDTR) led to reduction of
      T-competent common lymphoid progenitors (Ly6D(-) CLPs) in the bone marrow and
      loss of T cells in the thymus. Expression of the Notch ligand DLL4 by Ocn(+)
      cells in the bone marrow ensures the production of Ly6D(-) CLPs, and expression
      of chemotactic molecules CCR7 and PSGL1 to enable subsequent thymic seeding.
      These data indicate that specific mesenchymal cells in bone marrow provide key
      molecular drivers enforcing thymus-seeding progenitor generation and thereby
      directly link skeletal biology to the production of T cell based adaptive
      immunity. Here we present the transcriptome profiles of Ly6D(-) CLPs derived from
      Ocn(+) cells deleted mice (OcnCre(+);iDTR) compared to those derived from control
      littermates (OcnCre(-);iDTR). These data are publically available from NCBI Gene
      Expression Omnibus (GEO) with the accession number GSE66102. 

PMID- 26484236
TI  - Isolation of chitinolytic Clostridium sp. NCR from Mehsani buffalo rumen, its
      genomic analysis and potential role in rumen.
AB  - Genomic analysis of Clostridium sp. NCR, an anaerobic Gram positive bacterium
      which was isolated from rumen fluid of Mehsani breed of buffalo revealed presence
      of various environmental gene tags (EGTs) involved in pathways for utilizing a
      wide range of substrates. Here we report the sequence of this rumen isolate, its
      whole genome sequence has been deposited in DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the accession
      number JQHY00000000. The genome comprises of a 3.62-Mb draft genome with a G + C
      content of 28.10%, which encodes a total of 3126 proteins. Functional analysis
      provides information about the microbe's role in maintaining host homeostasis and
      its fiber degradation potential. 

PMID- 26484237
TI  - Association of aging with gene expression profiling in mouse submandibular
      glands.
AB  - Aging, also called senescence, is thought to be a physiological phenomenon that
      commonly occurs in various organs and tissues (Enoki et al., 2007 [1]). Many
      older adults experience dysfunction in their salivary glands, for example
      xerostomia, which is defined as dry mouth resulting from reduced or absent saliva
      flow (Nagler et al., 2004 [2]). In the present study, we investigated gene
      expression in submandibular glands of young (8 weeks old) and adult (50 weeks
      old) mice to analyze association of aging with gene expression profiling in mouse
      submandibular glands. Whole-genome gene expression profiles were analyzed using
      an Illumina Sentrix system with Mouse-WG-6 v.2 Expression BeadChips (Illumina).
      Of the genes screened, 284 showed detection values at a significance level of P <
      0.01. Among those, the expression of 94 genes (33%) showed a greater decrease in
      adult mice as compared to young mice. On the other hand, that of 190 genes (77%)
      was increased in the adults more than in young mice. The data obtained in this
      study are publicly available in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database
      (accession number GSE66857). 

PMID- 26484238
TI  - Comparative transcriptome analysis of latex from rubber tree clone CATAS8-79 and
      PR107.

PMID- 26484239
TI  - RNA-Seq analysis of isolated satellite cells in Prmt5 deficient mice.
AB  - Satellite cells (SCs) represent a distinct population of stem cells, essential
      for maintenance, growth and regeneration of adult skeletal muscle. SCs are
      mononuclear and are located between the basal lamina and the plasma membrane of
      myofibers. They are typically characterized by presence of the transcription
      factor paired-box 7 (PAX7) that is widely used as a satellite cell marker. Under
      normal physiological conditions SCs are quiescent but are activated by insults
      such as injury, disease or exercise. Once activated, satellite cells proliferate
      and subsequently differentiate into myoblasts to finally fuse to form new
      myofibers or with preexisting myofibers to repair or rebuild the skeletal muscle.
      A minority of SCs retains stem cell characteristics and self-renews to assure
      future bouts of regeneration throughout most of adult life. While a comprehensive
      picture of the regulatory events controlling SC fate has not yet been achieved,
      several factors were recently identified playing important roles in functional
      processes. One example is the arginine methyltransferase Prmt5 that is known to
      have multiple roles in germ cells and is involved in the maintenance of ES cell
      pluripotency. We have previously shown that Prmt5 is required for muscle stem
      cell proliferation and regenerative myogenesis due to direct epigenetic
      regulation of the cell cycle inhibitor p21. Here we provide a dataset that
      investigates the loss of Prmt5 in isolated Pax7(+) primary SCs using the
      Pax7(CreERT2)/Prmt5(loxP/loxP) knockout mouse model. RNA-Seq raw and analyzed
      data have been deposited in GEO under accession code GSE66822. 

PMID- 26484240
TI  - Anti-apoptotic genes are synergistically activated in OVSAYO cells cultured under
      conditions of serum starvation and hypoxia.
AB  - The tumor microenvironment is generally hypoxic because of the limited oxygen
      supply from inefficient or insufficient vasculature. Hypoxic tumor tissues are
      also poorly supplied with serum components. We have previously demonstrated that
      expression of the FVII gene is induced in response to hypoxia in ovarian clear
      cell carcinoma (CCC) cells. This gene activation is synergistically enhanced when
      cells are simultaneously subjected to serum starvation, and is dependent on the
      transcription factor Sp1 directly associating with the FVII promoter. We have
      identified additional genes activated via a similar Sp1-dependent mechanism by
      conducting cDNA microarray analysis (GSE55565). ICAM1, which encodes
      intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), is one such gene. ICAM-1 confers an
      anti-apoptotic effect upon CCC cells in vitro and promotes growth of CCC tumors.
      Here we describe the transcriptome analysis performed in our recently published
      study (Koizume et al., 2015). We further show that autonomous activation of the
      TNFalpha-NFkappaB axis is responsible for the synergistic activation of ICAM1
      under hypoxic and serum starvation conditions. This study provides additional
      information as to how CCC cell survival can be facilitated under conditions of
      serum starvation and hypoxia. 

PMID- 26484241
TI  - Analysis of cutaneous MRGPRD free nerve endings and C-LTMRs transcriptomes by RNA
      sequencing.
AB  - The skin is the largest sensory organ that is densely innervated by highly
      specialized sensory neurons allowing the detection of a wide range of
      stimulations including light touch, temperature, itch and pain. Our knowledge of
      the sets of genes instructing the functional specialization of sensory neurons is
      just emerging. In a previous study, we have identified a new Galphai inhibitory
      interacting protein (GINIP) that marks two distinct subsets of skin-innervating
      sensory neurons conveying noxious and pleasant touch: the MRGPRD-expressing C
      fibers specialized in noxious touch and the TH(+)/TAFA4(+)/V-GLUT3(+) C-Low
      Threshold MechanoReceptors (C-LTMRs), part of neurons processing pleasant touch.
      In the recent study published by Reynders et al. (2015), we took advantage of
      GINIP(mCherry) mouse model in combination with Isolectin B4 (IB4) cell surface
      labeling and fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). We successfully purified
      MRGPRD(+), C-LTMRs and a heterogeneous population of sensory neurons and
      subjected their RNA contents RNA-deep sequencing (RNA-seq). The subsequent RNA
      seq experiment led to the generation of unique sets of data representative of
      pure transcriptome profiles of each subset. As a result of this pioneering
      approach, we established the combinatorial expression of the sets of genes that
      could dictate the functional specializations of MRGPRD(+) neurons and C-LTMRs.
      Herein we provide details regarding the experimental design, the quality controls
      and statistical analysis of the data deposited at Gene Expression Omnibus under
      the accession number GSE64091. 

PMID- 26484242
TI  - Identification of sRNA interacting with a transcript of interest using MS2
      affinity purification coupled with RNA sequencing (MAPS) technology.
AB  - RNA sequencing (RNAseq) technology recently allowed the identification of
      thousands of small RNAs (sRNAs) within the prokaryotic kingdom. However, drawing
      the comprehensive interaction map of a sRNA remains a challenging task. To
      address this problem, we recently developed a method called MAPS (MS2 affinity
      purification coupled with RNA sequencing) to characterize the full targetome of
      specific sRNAs. This method enabled the identification of target RNAs interacting
      with sRNAs, regardless of the type of regulation (positive or negative), type of
      targets (mRNA, tRNA, sRNA) or their abundance. We also demonstrated that we can
      use this technology to perform a reverse MAPS experiment, where an RNA fragment
      of interest is used as bait to identify interacting sRNAs. Here, we demonstrated
      that RybB and MicF sRNAs co-purified with internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of
      metZ-metW-metV tRNA transcript, confirming results obtained with MS2-RybB MAPS.
      Both raw and analyzed RNAseq data are available in GEO database (GSE66517). 

PMID- 26484243
TI  - Identification of genome-specific transcripts in wheat-rye translocation lines.
AB  - Studying gene expression in wheat-rye translocation lines is complicated due to
      the presence of homeologs in hexaploid wheat and high levels of synteny between
      wheat and rye genomes (Naranjo and Fernandez-Rueda, 1991 [1]; Devos et al., 1995
      [2]; Lee et al., 2010 [3]; Lee et al., 2013 [4]). To overcome limitations of
      current gene expression studies on wheat-rye translocation lines and identify
      genome-specific transcripts, we developed a custom Roche NimbleGen Gene
      Expression microarray that contains probes derived from the sequence of hexaploid
      wheat, diploid rye and diploid progenitors of hexaploid wheat genome (Lee et al.,
      2014). Using the array developed, we identified genome-specific transcripts in a
      wheat-rye translocation line (Lee et al., 2014). Expression data are deposited in
      the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) under accession number GSE58678. Here we
      report the details of the methods used in the array workflow and data analysis. 

PMID- 26484244
TI  - Time-series analysis of the transcriptome of the re-establishment of desiccation
      tolerance by ABA in germinated Arabidopsis thaliana seeds.
AB  - Expression analyses of time series have become a very popular method for studying
      the dynamics of a wide range of biological processes. Here, we present expression
      analysis of a time series with the help of microarrays used to study the re
      establishment of desiccation tolerance (DT) in germinated Arabidopsis thaliana
      seeds. Mature seeds of A. thaliana are desiccation tolerant (survive the loss of
      most of their water content), but they become desiccation sensitive while
      progressing to germination. Yet, there is a small developmental window during
      which DT can be re-established by treatment with the plant hormone abscisic acid
      (ABA). We studied germinated A. thaliana seeds at the stage of radicle protrusion
      during ABA incubation for 0 h, 2 h, 12 h, 24 h and 72 h. We describe in detail
      the methodology applied for generating and analyzing this expression data of time
      series. The microarray raw data
      (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE62876) may be valuable for
      further studies on this experimental system, such as the construction of a gene
      co-expression network [1]. 

PMID- 26484245
TI  - Transcriptional profiling of CcpE-regulated genes in Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - The transcriptional regulator CcpE is an important citrate-sensing regulator that
      modulates metabolic state, virulence factor expression, and bacterial virulence
      of Staphylococcus aureus (Ding et al., 2014 [1]). In this article, we report
      detailed methods for genome-wide transcriptional profiling of CcpE-regulated
      genes generated for the research article "Metabolic sensor governing bacterial
      virulence in Staphylococcus aureus" (Ding et al., 2014 [1]). All transcriptional
      profiling data was deposited to Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database under
      accession number GSE57260. 

PMID- 26484246
TI  - Genome-wide p63-regulated gene expression in differentiating epidermal
      keratinocytes.
AB  - The transcription factor p63 is a key regulator in epidermal keratinocyte
      proliferation and differentiation. However, the role of p63 in gene regulation
      during these processes is not well understood. To investigate this, we recently
      generated genome-wide profiles of gene expression, p63 binding sites and active
      regulatory regions with the H3K27ac histone mark (Kouwenhoven et al., 2015). We
      showed that only a subset of p63 binding sites are active in keratinocytes, and
      that differentiation-associated gene expression dynamics correlate with the
      activity of p63 binding sites rather than with their occurrence per se. Here we
      describe in detail the generation and processing of the ChIP-seq and RNA-seq
      datasets used in this study. These data sets are deposited in the Gene Expression
      Omnibus (GEO) repository under the accession number GSE59827. 

PMID- 26484247
TI  - Transcriptomics analyses of soybean leaf and root samples during water-deficit.
AB  - Drought being a major challenge for crop productivity and yield affects
      multigenic and quantitative traits. It is also well documented that water stress
      shows a cross talk with other abiotic stresses such as high temperature and high
      light intensities (Tripathi et al., 2013) [1]. In this report, we documented the
      details of the methods and quality controls used and considered in our time
      course-based transcriptome profile of soybean plants under water deficit
      conditions using microarray technology. The findings of this study are recently
      published by the Rushton lab in BMC Genomics for a comparative study of tobacco
      and Soybean (Rabara et al., 2015) [2]. The raw microarray data set is deposited
      in GEO database with accession number GSE49537. 

PMID- 26484248
TI  - The Porphyromonas gingivalis ferric uptake regulator orthologue does not regulate
      iron homeostasis.
AB  - Porphyromonas gingivalis is a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium that has an
      absolute requirement for iron which it transports from the host as heme and/or
      Fe(2 +). Iron transport must be regulated to prevent toxic effects from excess
      metal in the cell. P. gingivalis has one ferric uptake regulator (Fur) orthologue
      encoded in its genome called Har, which would be expected to regulate the
      transport and usage of iron within this bacterium. As a gene regulator,
      inactivation of Har should result in changes in gene expression of several genes
      compared to the wild-type. This dataset (GEO accession number GSE37099) provides
      information on expression levels of genes in P. gingivalis in the absence of Har.
      Surprisingly, these genes do not relate to iron homeostasis. 

PMID- 26484249
TI  - Gene expression profiling in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of early-onset
      schizophrenia.
AB  - Schizophrenia (SZ) is a severe chronic psychiatric disorder with wide prevalence
      and high morbidity. We know little about SZ's etiology and pathophysiology at
      present. The study of gene expression profile is useful for us to identify
      potential biomarkers at molecular level and explain possible pathogenesis of SZ.
      Therefore we recently compared gene expression profiles in PMBCs from EOS cases
      and healthy controls using microarrays. Here we will describe in detail the
      contents and quality control of the microarray experiment. The raw microarray
      data are accessible through GEO series accession number GSE54913. 

PMID- 26484250
TI  - miRNAs modified by dietary lipids in Caco-2 cells. A microarray screening.
AB  - We performed a screening of miRNAs regulated by dietary lipids in a cellular
      model of enterocytes, Caco-2 cells. Our aim was to describe new lipid-modified
      miRNAs with an implication in lipid homeostasis and cardiovascular disease [1,2].
      For that purpose, we treated differentiated Caco-2 cells with micelles containing
      the assayed lipids (cholesterol, conjugated linoleic acid and docosahexaenoic
      acid) and the screening of miRNAs was carried out by microarray using the
      MUParaflo(r)Microfluidic Biochip Technology of LC Sciences (Huston, TX, USA).
      Experimental design, microarray description and raw data have been made available
      in the GEO database with the reference number of GSE59153. Here we described in
      detail the experimental design and methods used to obtain the relative expression
      data. 

PMID- 26484251
TI  - Identification of novel differentially expressed lncRNA and mRNA transcripts in
      clear cell renal cell carcinoma by expression profiling.
AB  - Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a common human malignancy. Despite
      numerous efforts, there is still no reliable biomarker or combination of
      biomarkers available for daily practice. Our study was designed to explore the
      expression profile of messenger RNA (mRNA) and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)
      transcripts in ccRCC in order to identify potential diagnostic biomarkers for
      patients with ccRCC. Total RNA from corresponding normal and malignant tissue of
      15 patients with ccRCC was isolated. Expression profiling was performed using a
      custom Agilent gene expression microarray which allowed the analysis of 34,144
      mRNA and 32,183 lncRNA transcripts. We observed that a subset of mRNA (n = 1064;
      3.1%) and lncRNA (n = 1308; 4.1%) transcripts are dysregulated (fold change > 2)
      in ccRCC tissue. The relative higher number of differentially expressed lncRNAs
      indicates that lncRNA profiling may be better suited for diagnostic purposes; a
      number of so far unknown RNAs with potential diagnostic interest in ccRCC are
      identified by our gene expression profiling study. The data are deposited in the
      Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE61763). 

PMID- 26484252
TI  - Gene expression profiling of Gram-negative bacteria-induced inflammation in human
      whole blood: The role of complement and CD14-mediated innate immune response.
AB  - Non-sterile pathogen-induced sepsis and sterile inflammation like in trauma or
      ischemia-reperfusion injury may both coincide with the life threatening systemic
      inflammatory response syndrome and multi-organ failure. Consequently, there is an
      urgent need for specific biomarkers in order to distinguish sepsis from sterile
      conditions. The overall aim of this study was to uncover putative sepsis
      biomarkers and biomarker pathways, as well as to test the efficacy of combined
      inhibition of innate immunity key players complement and Toll-like receptor co
      receptor CD14 as a possible therapeutic regimen for sepsis. We performed whole
      blood gene expression analyses using microarray in order to profile Gram-negative
      bacteria-induced inflammatory responses in an ex vivo human whole blood model.
      The experiments were performed in the presence or absence of inhibitors of
      complement proteins (C3 and CD88 (C5a receptor 1)) and CD14, alone or in
      combination. In addition, we used blood from a C5-deficient donor. Anti
      coagulated whole blood was challenged with heat-inactivated Escherichia coli for
      2 h, total RNA was isolated and microarray analyses were performed on the
      Affymetrix GeneChip Gene 1.0 ST Array platform. The initial experiments were
      performed in duplicates using blood from two healthy donors. C5-deficiency is
      very rare, and only one donor could be recruited. In order to increase
      statistical power, a technical replicate of the C5-deficient samples was run.
      Subsequently, log2-transformed intensities were processed by robust multichip
      analysis and filtered using a threshold of four. In total, 73 microarray chips
      were run and analyzed. The normalized and filtered raw data have been deposited
      in NCBI's Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and are accessible with GEO Series
      accession number GSE55537. Linear models for microarray data were applied to
      estimate fold changes between data sets and the respective multiple testing
      adjusted p-values (FDR q-values). The interpretation of the data has been
      published by Lau et al. in an open access article entitled "CD14 and Complement
      Crosstalk and Largely Mediate the Transcriptional Response to Escherichia coli in
      Human Whole Blood as revealed by DNA Microarray" (Lau et al., 2015). 

PMID- 26484253
TI  - Identifying type 1 diabetes candidate genes by DNA microarray analysis of islet
      specific CD4 + T cells.
AB  - Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a T cell-mediated autoimmune disease resulting from the
      destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells and is fatal unless
      treated with insulin. During the last four decades, multiple insulin-dependent
      diabetes (Idd) susceptibility/resistance loci that regulate T1D development have
      been identified in humans and non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, an established
      animal model for T1D. However, the exact mechanisms by which these loci confer
      diabetes risk and the identity of the causative genes remain largely elusive. To
      identify genes and molecular mechanisms that control the function of diabetogenic
      T cells, we conducted DNA microarray analysis in islet-specific CD4 + T cells
      from BDC2.5 TCR transgenic NOD mice that contain the Idd9 locus from T1D
      susceptible NOD mice or T1D-resistant C57BL/10 mice. Here we describe in detail
      the contents and analyses for these gene expression data associated with our
      previous study [1]. Gene expression data are available at the Gene Expression
      Omnibus (GEO) repository from the National Center for Biotechnology Information
      (accession number GSE64674). 

PMID- 26484254
TI  - Gene expression profiling can predict the fate of HeLa cells exposed to X-ray
      irradiation with or without protoporphyrin accumulation.
AB  - Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) enhances the generation of reactive oxygen species in
      cells following physicochemical interactions with X-rays. To evaluate the use of
      porphyrins as radio-sensitizers in radiotherapy, the transcriptomic effects of
      PpIX and/or X-ray irradiation were investigated in HeLa cells. Microarray
      experiments were performed using Agilent-014,850 Whole Human Genome Microarray
      4x44K G4112F (GEO#: GSE61805). We selected the condition corresponding to 1
      MUg/mL PpIX exposure prior to 3 Gy-irradiation of cells, and collected cells 24 h
      post irradiation. X-ray exposure at a dose of 3 Gy did not affect cell survival
      24 h post irradiation, regardless of the concentration of PpIX. Approximately 50%
      cells exposed to X-ray irradiation alone (XT) and 70% cells exposed to PpIX
      treatment for 6 h before X-ray irradiation (PpIX-XT) lost clonogenic ability.
      Based on p-values (p < 0.01), we selected genes for functional analysis. The
      majority of the regulated genes in the XT and PpIX-XT groups were related to cell
      cycle arrest. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis of the cells collected 24 h
      post irradiation revealed the fate of the cells that lost clonogenic ability due
      to cell cycle arrest. 

PMID- 26484255
TI  - Metagenomic analysis of bacterial and archaeal assemblages in the soil-mousse
      surrounding a geothermal spring.
AB  - The soil-mousse surrounding a geothermal spring was analyzed for bacterial and
      archaeal diversity using 16S rRNA gene amplicon metagenomic sequencing which
      revealed the presence of 18 bacterial phyla distributed across 109 families and
      219 genera. Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and the Deinococcus-Thermus group were
      the predominant bacterial assemblages with Crenarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota as
      the main archaeal assemblages in this largely understudied geothermal habitat.
      Several metagenome sequences remained taxonomically unassigned suggesting the
      presence of a repertoire of hitherto undescribed microbes in this geothermal soil
      mousse econiche. 

PMID- 26484256
TI  - MicroRNA expression profile of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived neural
      progenitor by microarray under the influence of EGF, bFGF and IGF-1.
AB  - Recently there has been growing interest in the differentiation of mesenchymal
      stem cells (MSCs) into neural lineages. Research suggests that MSCs can be
      differentiated into neural progenitor-like cells (NPCs) under the specific
      influence of paracrine factors particularly epidermal growth factor (EGF) and
      basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Our recent research has found that the
      addition of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) with the combination of the EGF
      and bFGF could significantly improve the growth and survivability of MSC-derived
      NPCs. To unravel the molecular mechanism of the improved differentiation we
      compared the microRNA expression profiles of the differentiation under various
      combinations of growth factors. MSCs were differentiated into neural lineage in 3
      groups; Group A (EGF + bFGF), Group B (EGF + bFGF + IGF-1), and Group C (without
      growth factor). Regulated microRNAs during the early differentiation were
      identified by detailed microRNA profiling using Affymetrix GeneChip version 2.0
      at three time intervals (day 1, day 3 and day 5). The data were deposited in the
      Gene Expression Omnibus, series GSE60060. 

PMID- 26484257
TI  - Expression profiling of genes modulated by estrogen, EGCG or both in MCF-7 breast
      cancer cells.
AB  - (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is one of the most potent and the most
      studied green tea catechin. Reports on mechanisms of EGCG action and its cellular
      targets are plenty. Compelling evidences in the literature in favor of ER being
      one of its targets suggest that EGCG may have a significant impact on estrogen
      regulated gene expression. Despite the possible implications on breast cancer
      chemoprevention or therapy, this aspect of EGCG action has not been adequately
      investigated. In order to address this issue, we have obtained gene expression
      profiles of MCF-7 breast cancer cells treated with ethanol (vehicle control) and
      those treated with estrogen, EGCG or both, using microarrays. Here, we have
      presented in detail the design and execution of the microarray experiment,
      quality control checks and analysis of microarray data. The utility and
      importance of the data generated in this work have been discussed in the context
      of the background literature. Our data is available in the Gene Expression
      Omnibus (GEO) database with the identifier GSE56245. 

PMID- 26484258
TI  - Secondary structure and feature of mitochondrial tRNA genes of the Ussurian tube
      nosed bat Murina ussuriensis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae).
AB  - The complete mitogenome (NC_021119) of the Ussurian tube-nosed bat Murina
      ussuriensis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) was annotated and characterized in our
      recent publication (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/NC_021119). Here we
      provide additional information on methods in detail for obtaining the complete
      sequence of M. ussuriensis mitogenome. In addition, we describe characteristics
      of 22 tRNA genes and secondary structure and feature of 22 tRNAs of M.
      ussuriensis mitogenome. 

PMID- 26484259
TI  - Simple and efficient way to detect small polymorphic bands in plants.
AB  - There are many ways to detect polymorphism. In this study we use the
      microsatellite markers to detect the polymorphism for the salt tolerance. This
      method has been successfully conducted in Oryza sativa and Brassica juncea. The
      results are reproducible. In contrast to previous methods, our method is simple
      and quite accurate for detecting the polymorphic bands. In this study instead of
      using agarose gel and ethidium bromide staining, we used non-denaturing
      polyacrylamide gel and a low-cost improved method for silver staining when we
      compare it to 11 other methods for their ability to detect simple sequence repeat
      polymorphisms as small as 50 bp in denaturing polyacrylamide gels. All methods
      detected the same alleles and banding pattern. However, important differences in
      sensitivity, contrast, time consumption and background were observed. 

PMID- 26484260
TI  - Transcriptomic profiling comparison of YAP over-expression and conditional
      knockout mouse tooth germs.
AB  - To identify the downstream target genes of YAP, we used RNA-Seq technology to
      compare the transcriptomic profilings of Yap conditional knockout (Yap CKO) and
      YAP over-expression mouse tooth germs. Our results showed that some Hox, Wnt and
      Laminin family genes had concurrent changes with YAP transcripts, indicating that
      the expression of these genes may be regulated by YAP. Here, we provide the
      detailed experimental procedure for the transcriptomic profiling results (NCBI
      GEO accession number GSE65524). The associated study on the regulation of Hoxa1
      and Hoxc13 genes by YAP was published in Molecular Cellular Biology in 2015 [Liu
      et al., 2015]. 

PMID- 26484261
TI  - Microarray analysis of Neosartorya fischeri using different carbon sources,
      petroleum asphaltenes and glucose-peptone.
AB  - Asphaltenes are considered as the most recalcitrant petroleum fraction and
      represent a big problem for the recovery, separation and processing of heavy oils
      and bitumens. Neosartorya fischeri is a saprophytic fungus that is able to grow
      using asphaltenes as the sole carbon source [1]. We performed transcription
      profiling using a custom designed microarray with the complete genome from N.
      fischeri NRRL 181 in order to identify genes related to the transformation of
      asphaltenes [1]. Data analysis was performed using the genArise software. Results
      showed that 287 genes were up-regulated and 118 were down-regulated. Here we
      describe experimental procedures and methods about our dataset (NCBI GEO
      accession number GSE68146) and describe the data analysis to identify different
      expression levels in N. fischeri using this recalcitrant carbon source. 

PMID- 26484262
TI  - Dataset of transcriptional landscape of B cell early activation.
AB  - Signaling via B cell receptors (BCR) and Toll-like receptors (TLRs) result in
      activation of B cells with distinct physiological outcomes, but transcriptional
      regulatory mechanisms that drive activation and distinguish these pathways remain
      unknown. At early time points after BCR and TLR ligand exposure, 0.5 and 2 h, RNA
      seq was performed allowing observations on rapid transcriptional changes. At 2 h,
      ChIP-seq was performed to allow observations on important regulatory mechanisms
      potentially driving transcriptional change. The dataset includes RNA-seq, ChIP
      seq of control (Input), RNA Pol II, H3K4me3, H3K27me3, and a separate RNA-seq for
      miRNA expression, which can be found at Gene Expression Omnibus Dataset GSE61608.
      Here, we provide details on the experimental and analysis methods used to obtain
      and analyze this dataset and to examine the transcriptional landscape of B cell
      early activation. 

PMID- 26484263
TI  - Draft genome sequence of Paenibacillus dauci sp. nov., a carrot-associated
      endophytic actinobacteria.
AB  - Paenibacillus dauci sp. nov., a new kind of endophytic actinobacteria, is
      separated from the inner tissues of carrot sample, which forms intimated
      associations with carrot acting as biological control agents. Here we report a
      5.37-Mb assembly of its genome sequence and other useful information, including
      the coding sequences (CDSs) responsible for biological processes such as
      antibiotic metabolic process, antimicrobial metabolism, anaerobic regulation and
      the biosynthesis of vitamin B and polysaccharide. This novel strain can be a
      potential source of novel lead products for exploitation in the field of
      pharmaceutical, agriculture and industry. 

PMID- 26484264
TI  - Aristolochic acids - Induced transcriptomic responses in rat renal proximal
      tubule cells in vitro.
AB  - Aristolochic acids (AAs) are the active components of herbal drugs derived from
      Aristolochia species that have been used for medicinal purposes since antiquity.
      However, AAs have recently been discovered to be highly nephrotoxic and induced
      urothelial cancer in humans and malignant tumors in the kidney and urinary tract
      of rodents. In this study, we exposed rat renal proximal tubule cells in vitro to
      a sub-cytotoxic level of AAs at three different time points (6 h, 24 h and 72 h).
      We then analyzed the gene expression profile after the compound exposure.
      Functional analysis with Ingenuity Pathways Analysis and DAVID tools revealed
      that at the late time point (72 h) there are many significantly altered genes
      involved in cancer-related pathways such as p53 signaling. MIAMI-compliant
      microarray data are deposited in the NCBI GEO database under accession number
      GSE68687 and can be found at:
      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE68687. 

PMID- 26484265
TI  - Genome-wide transcriptional profiling of wheat infected with Fusarium
      graminearum.
AB  - Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a destructive disease in wheat caused by Fusarium
      graminearum (F. g). It infects during the flowering stage favored by warm and
      highly humid climates. In order to understand possible wheat defense mechanism,
      gene expression analysis in response to F. g was undertaken in three genotypes of
      wheat, Japanese landrace cultivar Nobeokabouzu (highly resistant), Chinese cv.
      Sumai 3 (resistant) and Australian cv. Gamenya (susceptible). For microarray
      analysis, 3 and 7 days after inoculation (dai) samples were used in Agilent wheat
      custom array 4x38k. At 3 dai, the highest number of genes was up-regulated in
      Nobeokabouzu followed by Sumai 3 and minimum expression in Gamenya. Whereas at 7
      dai, Sumai 3 expressed more genes compared to others. Further narrowing down by
      excluding commonly expressed genes in three genotypes and grouping according to
      the gene function has identified differentially high expression of genes involved
      in detoxification process such as multidrug resistant protein, multidrug
      resistance-associated protein, UDP-glycosyltransferase and ABC transporters in
      Nobeokabouzu at 3 dai. However in Sumai 3 many defense-related genes such as
      peroxidase, proteases and genes involved in plant cell wall defense at 7 dai were
      identified. These findings showed the difference of molecular defense mechanism
      among the cultivars in response to the pathogen. The complete data was accessed
      in NCBI GEO database with accession number GSE59721. 

PMID- 26484266
TI  - Global gene expression profiling reveals a suppressed immune response pathway
      associated with 3q amplification in squamous carcinoma of the lung.
AB  - Chromosome 3q26-28 is a critical region of genomic amplification in non-small
      cell lung cancer (NSCLC), particularly lung squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). No
      molecular therapeutic target has shown clinical utility for SCC, in contrast with
      adenocarcinomas of the lung. To identify novel candidate drivers in this region,
      we performed both Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization (array CGH, Agilent
      Human Genome CGH 244A oligo-microarrays) and Gene Expression Microarray (Agilent
      Human Gene Expression 4 * 44 K microarray) on 24 untreated lung SCC specimens.
      Using our previously published integrative genomics approach, we identified 12
      top amplified driver genes within this region that are highly correlated and
      overexpressed in lung SCC. We further demonstrated one of the 12 top amplified
      driver Fragile X mental retardation-related protein 1 (FXR1) as a novel cancer
      gene in NSCLC and FXR1 executes its regulatory function by forming a novel
      complex with two other oncogenes, protein kinase C, iota ( PRKCI) and epithelial
      cell transforming 2 (ECT2) within the same amplicon in lung cancer cell. Here we
      report that immune response pathways are significantly suppressed in lung SCC and
      negatively associated with 3q driver gene expression, implying a potential role
      of 3q drivers in cancer immune-surveillance. In light of the attractive
      immunotherapy strategy using blockade of negative regulators of T cell function
      for multiple human cancer including lung SCC, our findings may provide a
      rationale for targeting 3q drivers in combination of immunotherapies for human
      tumors harboring the 3q amplicon. The data have been deposited in NCBI's Gene
      Expression Omnibus and are accessible through GEO Series accession number
      GSE40089. 

PMID- 26484267
TI  - LncRNA analysis of mouse spermatogonial stem cells following glial cell-derived
      neurotrophic factor treatment.
AB  - Spermatonial stem cells (SSCs) are the foundation of spermatogenesis. Long non
      coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs with at least 200 bp in
      length, which play important roles in various biological processes. Growth factor
      glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), secreted from testis niches,
      is critical for self-renewal of SSCs in vitro and in vivo. Using Illumina HiSeqTM
      2000 high throughput sequencing, we found 55924 lncRNAs which were regulated by
      GDNF in SSCs in vitro; these included 21,929 known lncRNAs from NONCODE library
      (version 3.0) and 33,975 predicted lncRNAs which were identified using Coding
      Potential Calculator. Analyses of these data should provide new insights into
      regulated mechanism in SSC self-renewal and proliferation. The data have been
      deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus (series GSE66998). 

PMID- 26484268
TI  - Gene expression profiling in rats with depressive-like behavior.
AB  - Individual differences indicate stronger phenotypes than model animals especially
      in behavioral studies, and some animals show unexpected behaviors in control and
      animal model groups. High-throughput analysis including cDNA microarray analysis
      are more affected by individual differences, because more samples are needed to
      reduce the difference in multiple factor analysis than single factor analysis
      such as real-time PCR. We measured the depressive-like behavior of over 100
      normal rats in the forced swimming test and selected the rats for control and
      depression group from them to minimize the individual difference using data of
      force swimming test. Here, we provided the detail of methods and quality control
      parameters for the cDNA microarray data. This dataset can reflect the increase of
      depressive-like behavior. The dataset is deposited in the gene expression omnibus
      (GEO), series GSE63377. 

PMID- 26484269
TI  - Genome-wide transcriptional profiling of human glioblastoma cells in response to
      ITE treatment.
AB  - A ligand-activated transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is
      recently revealed to play a key role in embryogenesis and tumorigenesis (Feng et
      al. [1], Safe et al. [2]) and 2-(1'H-indole-3'-carbonyl)-thiazole-4-carboxylic
      acid methyl ester (ITE) (Song et al. [3]) is an endogenous AhR ligand that
      possesses anti-tumor activity. In order to gain insights into how ITE acts via
      the AhR in embryogenesis and tumorigenesis, we analyzed the genome-wide
      transcriptional profiles of the following three groups of cells: the human
      glioblastoma U87 parental cells, U87 tumor sphere cells treated with vehicle
      (DMSO) and U87 tumor sphere cells treated with ITE. Here, we provide the details
      of the sample gathering strategy and show the quality controls and the analyses
      associated with our gene array data deposited into the Gene Expression Omnibus
      (GEO) under the accession code of GSE67986. 

PMID- 26484270
TI  - Genome analysis of rice-blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae field isolates from
      southern India.
AB  - The Indian subcontinent is the center of origin and diversity for rice (Oryza
      sativa L.). The O. sativa ssp. indica is a major food crop grown in India, which
      occupies the first and second position in area and production, respectively.
      Blast disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is a major constraint to rice
      production. Here, we report the analysis of genome architecture and sequence
      variation of two field isolates, B157 and MG01, of the blast fungus from southern
      India. The 40 Mb genome of B157 and 43 Mb genome of MG01 contained 11,344 and
      11,733 predicted genes, respectively. Genomic comparisons unveiled a large set of
      SNPs and several isolate specific genes in the Indian blast isolates. Avr genes
      were analyzed in several sequenced Magnaporthe strains; this analysis revealed
      the presence of Avr-Pizt and Avr-Ace1 genes in all the sequenced isolates.
      Availability of whole genomes of field isolates from India will contribute to
      global efforts to understand genetic diversity of M. oryzae population and to
      track the emergence of virulent pathotypes. 

PMID- 26484271
TI  - Computational analysis of miRNA-target community network reveals cross talk among
      different metabolisms.
AB  - To date, only a few conserved miRNAs have been predicted in hexaploid (AABBDD)
      bread wheat and till now community behavior among miRNA is still in dark.
      Analysis of publically available 1287279 ESTs from NCBI resulted 262 putative pre
      miRNAs and 39 novel mature miRNAs. A total 22,468 targets were identified on 21
      chromosomes. MiRNA target community was identified for genomes with different
      levels of cross talks. Gene ontology of these community targets suggests their
      differential involvement in different metabolisms along with common and stringent
      involvement in nitrogen metabolism. 

PMID- 26484272
TI  - Genome-wide RNA profiling of long-lasting stem cell-like memory CD8 T cells
      induced by Yellow Fever vaccination in humans.
AB  - The live-attenuated Yellow Fever (YF) vaccine YF-17D induces a broad and
      polyfunctional CD8 T cell response in humans. Recently, we identified a
      population of stem cell-like memory CD8 T cells induced by YF-17D that persists
      at stable frequency for at least 25 years after vaccination. The YF-17D is thus a
      model system of human CD8 T cell biology that furthermore allows to track and
      study long-lasting and antigen-specific human memory CD8 T cells. Here, we
      describe in detail the sample characteristics and preparation of a microarray
      dataset acquired for genome-wide gene expression profiling of long-lasting YF
      specific stem cell-like memory CD8 T cells, compared to the reference CD8 T cell
      differentiation subsets from total CD8 T cells. We also describe the quality
      controls, annotations and exploratory analyses of the dataset. The microarray
      data is available from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) public repository with
      accession number GSE65804. 

PMID- 26484273
TI  - Draft genome sequence of Paenibacillus algorifonticola sp. nov., an antimicrobial
      producing strain.
AB  - Paenibacillus algorifonticola sp. nov. is isolated from a cold spring sample from
      Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (China), a novel strain that can produce
      antimicrobial substance against human pathogenic bacteria and fungi, including
      Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Here we report a 7.60-Mb assembly of
      its genome sequence and other useful information, including the coding sequences
      (CDSs) responsible for the biosynthesis of antibacterial factors, anaerobic
      respiration and several immune-associated reactions. Also, prospective studies on
      P. algorifonticola sp. nov. in the cold spring might offer a potential source for
      the discovery of bioactive compounds with medical value. The data repository is
      deposited on the website http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/LAQO00000000 and the
      accession number is LAQO00000000. 

PMID- 26484274
TI  - Piwi proteins and piRNAs in mammalian oocytes and early embryos: From sample to
      sequence.
AB  - The role of the Piwi/piRNA pathway during mammalian oogenesis has remained
      enigmatic thus far, especially since experiments with Piwi knockout mice did not
      reveal any phenotypic defects in female individuals. This is in striking contrast
      with results obtained from other species including flies and zebrafish. In mouse
      oocytes, however, only low levels of piRNAs are found and they are not required
      for their function. We recently demonstrated dynamic expression of PIWIL1,
      PIWIL2, and PIWIL3 during mammalian oogenesis and early embryogenesis. In
      addition, small RNA analysis of human, crab-eating macaque and cattle revealed
      that piRNAs are also expressed in the female germline and closely resemble piRNAs
      from testis. Here, we thoroughly describe the experimental and computational
      methods that we applied for the generation, processing and analyses of next
      generation sequencing (NGS) data associated with our study on Piwi proteins and
      piRNAs in mammalian oocytes and embryos (Roovers et al., 2015). The complete
      sequence data is available at NCBI's Gene Expression Omnibus
      (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/) under the accession GSE64942. 

PMID- 26484275
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of TH2 CD4(+) T cells differentiated from wild-type and
      NLRP3KO mice.
AB  - The Nod-like receptor NLRP3 is involved in the formation of NLRP3. Up to now, the
      immunological functions of NLRP3 independently of inflammasome is unclear. In
      this dataset containing 6 samples (TH0, TH2 cells at day 3 and day 6 in wild type
      or Nlrp3 deficient cells), we show that NLRP3 expression in CD4(+) T cells
      supports a T helper 2 (TH2) transcriptional program in a cell-intrinsic manner
      (raw and normalized data are accessible on Gene Expression Omnibus database under
      the number GSE54561, http://www.dtd.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE54561).
      Indeed, NLRP3 positively-regulated TH2 program independently of inflammasome
      formation. These data indicated that TH2 specific genes such as cMaf or Il4 were
      not induced in Nlrp3 deficient cells. These results demonstrate the capacity of
      NLRP3 to act as a key transcription factor in TH2 differentiation. 

PMID- 26484276
TI  - High-quality complete genome sequence of Microbacterium sp. SUBG005, a plant
      pathogen.
AB  - Microbacterium sp. SUBG005 is a Gram positive bacterium, isolated from infected
      leaf of Mangifera indica L. in Rajkot (22.30 degrees N, 70.78 degrees E),
      Gujarat, India. The genome sequencing of Microbacterium sp. SUBG005 is having
      type I secretion system genes of pathogenicity as well as heavy metal resistance
      unique genes. The genome size is 7.01 Mb with G + C content of 64.80% and
      contains rRNA sequences. Genome sequencing analysis provides information about
      the microbe role in host-pathogen interaction. The whole genome sequencing has
      been deposited in DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the accession number JNNT00000000. 

PMID- 26484277
TI  - Transcriptome comparison of distinct osteolineage subsets in the hematopoietic
      stem cell niche using a triple fluorescent transgenic mouse model.
AB  - The bone marrow niche is recognized as a central player in maintaining and
      regulating the behavior of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Specific gain
      of and loss-of function experiments perturbing a range of osteolineage cells or
      their secreted proteins had been shown to affect stem cell maintenance (Calvi et
      al, 2003 [1]; Stier et al., 2005 [2]; Zhang et al., 2003 [3]; Nilsson et al.,
      2005 [4]; Greenbaum et al., 2013 [5]) and engraftment (Adam et al., 2006, 2009
      [6,7]). We used specific in vivo cell deletion approaches to dissect the niche
      cell-parenchymal cell dependency in a complex bone marrow microenvironment.
      Endogenous deletion of osteocalcin-expressing (Ocn(+)) cells led to a loss of T
      immune cells (Yu et al., 2015 [8]. Ocn(+) cells express the Notch ligand DLL4 to
      communicate with T-competent progenitors, and thereby ensuring T precursor
      production and expression of chemotactic molecules on their cell surface for
      subsequent thymic seeding. In contrast, depletion of osterix-expressing (Osx(+))
      osteoprogenitors led to reduced B immune cells. These distinct hematopoietic
      phenotypes suggest specific pairing of mesenchymal niche cells and parenchymal
      hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow to create unique functional units to
      support hematopoiesis. Here, we present the global gene expression profiles of
      these osteolineage subtypes utilizing a triple fluorescent transgenic mouse model
      (OsxCre(+);Rosa-mCh(+);Ocn:Topaz(+)) that labels Osx(+) cells red, Ocn(+) cells
      green, and Osx(+) Ocn(+) cells yellow. This system allows isolation of distinct
      osteolineage subsets within the same animal by flow cytometry. Array data that
      have been described in our study [8] are also publically available from NCBI Gene
      Expression Omnibus (GEO) with the accession number GSE66042. Differences in gene
      expression may correlate with functional difference in supporting hematopoiesis. 

PMID- 26484278
TI  - Genomic analysis of novel phytopathogenic Georgenia sp. strain SUB25.
AB  - A Gram positive bacterium, Georgenia sp. SUB25 was isolated from infected leaves
      of Solanum lycopersicum L. in Rajkot (22.30 degrees N, 70.78 degrees E), Gujarat,
      India. We sequenced and analyzed Georgenia sp. SUB25 that is novel plant pathogen
      using next generation sequencing platform and assembly yielded contigs
      representing a size of 4.84 Mb with 81 tRNAs and 88 rRNAs. The whole genome
      sequencing has been deposited in DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the accession number
      JNFL00000000. This genome sequence contains Type II secretion system genes, which
      involved in pathogenicity mechanism that may help to understand plant microbial
      interaction. 

PMID- 26484279
TI  - Gene expression profiling of DBA/2J mice cochleae treated with l-methionine and
      valproic acid.
AB  - DBA/2J mice, which have homozygous mutations in Cdh23 and Fscn2, are
      characterized by early onset hearing loss at as early as three-weeks of age
      (Noben-Trauth et al., 2003 [1]) and are an animal model for progressive hearing
      loss research. Recently, it has been reported that epigenetic regulatory pathways
      likely play an important role in hearing loss (Provenzano and Domann, 2007 [2];
      Mutai et al., 2009 [3]; Waldhaus et al., 2012 [4]). We previously reported that
      DBA/2J mice injected subcutaneously with a combination of epigenetic modifying
      reagents, l-methionine (MET) as methyl donor and valproic acid (VPA) as a pan
      histone deacetylases (Hdac) inhibitor, showed a significant attenuation of
      progressive hearing loss by measuring their auditory brainstem response (ABR)
      thresholds (Mutai et al., 2015 [5]). Here we present genome wide expression
      profiling of the DBA/2J mice cochleae, with and without treatment of MET and VPA,
      to identify the genes involved in the reduction of progressive hearing loss. The
      raw and normalized data were deposited in NCBI's Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO ID:
      GSE62173) for ease of reproducibility and reanalysis. 

PMID- 26484280
TI  - Gene expression profile in the fat tissue of Fsp27 deficient mice.
AB  - Fsp27 is a lipid droplet-associated protein almost exclusively expressed in
      adipocytes where it facilitates unilocular lipid droplet formation. In mice,
      Fsp27 deficiency is associated with increased basal lipolysis, browning of white
      fat and a healthy metabolic profile, whereas energetically challenged Fsp27
      deficient mice (ob/ob/Fsp27 (-/-)) show dramatically reduced fat mass, hepatic
      steatosis and insulin resistance which represents a typical lipodystrophy
      phenotype. Here, we investigate the effect of Fsp27 depletion on the gene
      expression of gonadal white adipose tissue (GWAT) under normal or energetically
      challenged condition (Fsp27 (-/-) vs Wild type; ob/ob/Fsp27 (-/-) vs ob/ob). We
      systematically analyzed the change in signaling pathway in Fsp27 deficient mice.
      The raw data have been deposited into Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO): GSE59807 and
      GSE22693. 

PMID- 26484281
TI  - Global gene expression profiling of a mouse model of ovarian clear cell carcinoma
      caused by ARID1A and PIK3CA mutations implicates a role for inflammatory cytokine
      signaling.
AB  - Ovarian clear-cell carcinoma (OCCC) is an aggressive form of epithelial ovarian
      cancer (EOC). OCCC represents 5-25% of all EOC incidences and is the second
      leading cause of death from ovarian cancer (Glasspool and McNeish, 2013) [1]. A
      recent publication by Chandler et al. reported the first mouse model of OCCC that
      resembles human OCCC both genetically and histologically by inducing a localized
      deletion of ARID1A and the expression of the PIK3CA(H1047R) substitution mutation
      (Chandler et al., 2015) [2]. We utilized Affymetrix Mouse Gene 2.1 ST arrays for
      the global gene expression profiling of mouse primary OCCC tumor samples and
      animal-matched normal ovaries to identify cancer-dependent gene expression. We
      describe the approach used to generate the differentially expressed genes from
      the publicly available data deposited at the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO)
      database under the accession number GSE57380. These data were used in cross
      species comparisons to publically available human OCCC gene expression data and
      allowed the identification of coordinately regulated genes in both mouse and
      human OCCC and supportive of a role for inflammatory cytokine signaling in OCCC
      pathogenesis (Chandler et al., 2015) [2]. 

PMID- 26484282
TI  - Analyzing alternative splicing data of splice junction arrays from Parkinson
      patients' leukocytes before and after deep brain stimulation as compared with
      control donors.
AB  - Few studies so far examined alternative splicing alterations in blood cells of
      neurodegenerative disease patients, particularly Parkinson's disease (PD).
      Prototype junction microarrays interrogate known human genome junctions and
      enable characterization of alternative splicing events; however, the analysis is
      not straightforward and different methods can be used to estimate junction
      specific alternative splicing events (some of which can also be applied for
      analyzing RNA sequencing junction-level data). In this study, we characterized
      alternative splicing changes in blood leukocyte samples from Parkinson's patients
      prior to, and following deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment; both on
      stimulation and following 1 h off electrical stimulation. Here, we describe in
      detail analysis approaches for junction microarrays and provide suggestions for
      further analyses to delineate transcript level effects of the observed
      alterations as well as detection of microRNA binding sites and protein domains in
      the alternatively spliced target regions spanning across both untranslated and
      the coding regions of the targets. The raw expression data files are publically
      available in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database (accession number:
      GSE37591) and in Synapse, and can be re-analyzed. The results may be useful for
      designing of future experiments and cross correlations with other datasets from
      PD or patients having other neurodegenerative diseases. 

PMID- 26484283
TI  - Transcriptomic analyses of nitrogen assimilation processes in a Chinese strain of
      Aureococcus anophagefferens.

PMID- 26484284
TI  - Transcriptome and H3K27 tri-methylation profiling of Ezh2-deficient lung
      epithelium.
AB  - The adaptation of the lungs to air breathing at birth requires the fine
      orchestration of different processes to control lung morphogenesis and progenitor
      cell differentiation. However, there is little understanding of the role that
      epigenetic modifiers play in the control of lung development. We found that the
      histone methyl transferase Ezh2 plays a critical role in lung lineage
      specification and survival at birth. We performed a genome-wide transcriptome
      study combined with a genome-wide analysis of the distribution of H3K27 tri
      methylation marks to interrogate the role of Ezh2 in lung epithelial cells. Lung
      cells isolated from Ezh2-deficient and control mice at embryonic day E16.5 were
      sorted into epithelial and mesenchymal populations based on EpCAM expression.
      This enabled us to dissect the transcriptional and epigenetic changes induced by
      the loss of Ezh2 specifically in the lung epithelium. Here we provide a detailed
      description of the analysis of the RNA-seq and ChIP-seq data, including quality
      control, read mapping, differential expression and differential binding analyses,
      as well as visualisation methods used to present the data. These data can be
      accessed from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (super-series accession number
      GSE57393). 

PMID- 26484285
TI  - Ameliorated de novo transcriptome assembly using Illumina paired end sequence
      data with Trinity Assembler.
AB  - Advent of Next Generation Sequencing has led to possibilities of de novo
      transcriptome assembly of organisms without availability of complete genome
      sequence. Among various sequencing platforms available, Illumina is the most
      widely used platform based on data quality, quantity and cost. Various de novo
      transcriptome assemblers are also available today for construction of de novo
      transcriptome. In this study, we aimed at obtaining an ameliorated de novo
      transcriptome assembly with sequence reads obtained from Illumina platform and
      assembled using Trinity Assembler. We found that, primary transcriptome assembly
      obtained as a result of Trinity can be ameliorated on the basis of transcript
      length, coverage, and depth and protein homology. Our approach to ameliorate is
      reproducible and could enhance the sensitivity and specificity of the assembled
      transcriptome which could be critical for validation of the assembled transcripts
      and for planning various downstream biological assays. 

PMID- 26484286
TI  - DNA methylation fingerprint of neuroblastoma reveals new biological and clinical
      insights.
AB  - Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the most frequently occurring extracranial solid
      tumors of childhood (Maris et al., 2007 [1]; Brodeur, 2003 [2]). Probability of
      cure varies according to patient's age, extent of disease and tumor biology
      (Maris et al., 2007 [1]; Brodeur, 2003 [2]; Cohn et al., 2009 [3]). However, the
      etiology of this developmental tumor is unknown. Recent evidence has shown that
      pediatric solid tumors, including NB, harbor a paucity of recurrent genetic
      mutations, with a significant proportion of recurrent events converging on
      epigenetic mechanisms (Cheung et al., 2012 [4]; Molenaar et al., 2012 [5]; Pugh
      et al., 2013 [6]; Sausen et al., 2013 [7]. We have analyzed the DNA methylome of
      neuroblastoma using high-density microarrays (Infinium Human Methylation 450k
      BeadChip) to define the epigenetic landscape of this pediatric tumor and its
      potential clinicopathological impact. Here, we provide the detail of methods and
      quality control parameters of the microarray data used for the study. Methylation
      data has been deposited at NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus data repository,
      accession number GSE54719; superseries record GSE54721. 

PMID- 26484287
TI  - Transcriptomic study on the impact of temporomandibular joint internal
      derangement in the condylar cartilage of rabbits.
AB  - Internal derangement (ID) in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) compromises a
      group of clinical problems, and holds a relative high prevalence in populations.
      However, the temporal genomic change in gene expression of condylar cartilage
      during continuous ID remains unclear. Here we reported the differentially
      expressed gene pattern in condylar cartilage of rabbits with ID from 1 to 8 weeks
      by microarray analysis. The whole genome project was deposited at GenBank under
      the accession PRJNA278127. The microarray analysis showed that 6478 genes have
      more than two-fold changes among all the tested transcripts. Many inflammation
      gene increased rapidly in the early stage while decrease later. On the contrary,
      the bone construction related genes showed a low level at first and increased at
      later period in the ID progression. Besides, the current study found some genes
      such as HLA2G, which had never been reported, might be relevant with ID. 

PMID- 26484288
TI  - Description of an optimized ChIP-seq analysis pipeline dedicated to genome wide
      identification of E4F1 binding sites in primary and transformed MEFs.
AB  - This Data in Brief report describes the experimental and bioinformatic procedures
      that we used to analyze and interpret E4F1 ChIP-seq experiments published in
      Rodier et al. (2015) [10]. Raw and processed data are available at the GEO
      DataSet repository under the subseries # GSE57228. E4F1 is a ubiquitously
      expressed zinc-finger protein of the GLI-Kruppel family that was first identified
      in the late eighties as a cellular transcription factor targeted by the
      adenoviral oncoprotein E1A13S (Ad type V) and required for the transcription of
      adenoviral genes (Raychaudhuri et al., 1987) [8]. It is a multifunctional factor
      that also acts as an atypical E3 ubiquitin ligase for p53 (Le Cam et al., 2006)
      [2]. Using KO mouse models we then demonstrated that E4F1 is essential for early
      embryonic development (Le Cam et al., 2004), for proliferation of mouse embryonic
      cell (Rodier et al., 2015), for the maintenance of epidermal stem cells (Lacroix
      et al., 2010) [6], and strikingly, for the survival of cancer cells (Hatchi et
      al., 2007) [4]; (Rodier et al., 2015) [10]. The latter survival phenotype was p53
      independent and suggested that E4F1 was controlling a transcriptional program
      driving essential functions in cancer cells. To identify this program, we
      performed E4F1 ChIP-seq analyses in primary Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts (MEF) and
      in p53(-/-), H-Ras(V12)-transformed MEFs. The program directly controlled by E4F1
      was obtained by intersecting the lists of E4F1 genomic targets with the lists of
      genes differentially expressed in E4F1 KO and E4F1 WT cells (Rodier et al.,
      2015). We describe hereby how we improved our ChIP-seq analyses workflow by
      applying prefilters on raw data and by using a combination of two publicly
      available programs, Cisgenome and QESEQ. 

PMID- 26484289
TI  - Transcriptional profiling of intestinal CD4(+) T cells in the neonatal and adult
      mice.
AB  - The adult small intestine contains more than half of the body's lymphocytes in
      order to maintain homeostasis with the commensal microbiota. Birth marks a
      transition of the intestine from a sterile to an increasingly colonized
      environment. The data described in this article are incremented into the work
      published by Torow et al. titled "Active suppression of intestinal CD4(+)
      TCRalphabeta(+) T lymphocyte maturation during the postnatal period" [1]. While
      most of the CD4 T cells found in the adult small intestine have an activated
      phenotype marked by expression of helper lineage specific genes neonatal
      lymphocytes exhibit a naive phenotype. Further, direct comparison of neonatal CD4
      T cells from the small intestine and the gut draining mesenteric lymph node (mLN)
      reveals a global transcriptional 'inactivity' of the small intestinal CD4 T
      cells. Here, we describe in more detail the experimental design, sample
      preparation and analysis that were performed to obtain and interpret the
      microarray data. The data set is publicly available through the Gene Expression
      Omnibus (GEO) database with accession number GSE60515, and the analysis and
      interpretation of these data are included in Torow et al. [1]. 

PMID- 26484290
TI  - Genome-wide ChIP-seq and RNA-seq analyses of Pou3f1 during mouse pluripotent stem
      cell neural fate commitment.
AB  - Appropriate neural initiation of the pluripotent stem cells in the early embryos
      is critical for the development of the central nervous system. This process is
      regulated by the coordination of extrinsic signals and intrinsic programs.
      However, how the coordination is achieved to ensure proper neural fate commitment
      is largely unknown. Here, taking advantage of genome-wide ChIP-sequencing (ChIP
      seq) and RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analyses, we demonstrate that the
      transcriptional factor Pou3f1 is an upstream activator of neural-promoting genes,
      and it is able to repress neural-inhibitory signals as well. Further studies
      revealed that Pou3f1 could directly bind neural lineage genes like Sox2 and
      downstream targets of neural inhibition signaling such as BMP and Wnt. Our
      results thus identify Pou3f1 as a critical dual-regulator of the intrinsic
      transcription factors and the extrinsic cellular signals during neural fate
      commitment. Data were deposited in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets under
      reference number GSE69865. 

PMID- 26484291
TI  - RNAome sequencing delineates the complete RNA landscape.
AB  - Standard RNA expression profiling methods rely on enrichment steps for specific
      RNA classes, thereby not detecting all RNA species. For example, small and large
      RNAs from the same sample cannot be sequenced in a single sequence run. We
      designed RNAome sequencing, which is a strand-specific method to determine the
      expression of small and large RNAs from ribosomal RNA-depleted total RNA in a
      single sequence run. RNAome sequencing quantitatively preserves all RNA classes.
      This characteristic allows comparisons between RNA classes, thereby facilitating
      relationships between different RNA classes. Here, we describe in detail the
      experimental procedure associated with RNAome sequencing published by Derks and
      colleagues in RNA Biology (2015) [1]. We also provide the R code for the
      developed Total Rna Analysis Pipeline (TRAP), an algorithm to analyze RNAome
      sequencing datasets (deposited at the Gene Expression Omnibus data repository,
      accession number GSE48084). 

PMID- 26484292
TI  - Microarray expression profile of circular RNAs in human pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a common and deadly cancer.
      Despite numerous efforts, no reliable biomarker is available for daily clinical
      practice. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are an abundant, stable and conserved class of
      RNA molecules that exhibit tissue/developmental-stage-specific expression
      (Salzman et al., 2012; Jeck et al., 2013; Memczak et al., 2013). CircRNAs play a
      crucial role in disease, especially in cancer, and provide new potential
      diagnostic and therapeutic targets for disease (Hansen et al., 2013; Qu et al.,
      2015).This research was designed to explore the expression profile of circRNAs in
      PDAC to serve as new diagnosis and treatment strategies for PDAC. Microarray and
      sample annotation data were deposited in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) under
      accession number GSE69362. 

PMID- 26484293
TI  - Distinct microRNA expression profiles in follicle-associated epithelium and
      villous epithelium.
AB  - M cells in follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) covering intestinal lymphoid
      follicles serve as a portal of entry for particulate antigens (Kanaya and Ohno,
      2014 [1]). Despite their biological significance, molecular mechanisms that
      govern M-cell differentiation and function have not been fully elucidated.
      MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have a role to control host gene expression profiles that
      modulate cellular physiology and characteristic. Many studies have shown that
      miRNAs regulate diverse biological processes including developmental timing,
      differentiation and growth control of cells and tissues (Ivey and Srivastava,
      2010 [2]). miRNAs are also relevant to differentiation and function of intestinal
      epithelium (McKenna et al., 2010 [3]; Runtsch et al., 2014 [4]). Expression
      profiles and functions of miRNAs in the intestinal epithelium have been examined
      in jejunal and colonic mucosa [3]. In contrast, those in FAE remain
      uncharacterized. To address this deficiency, we isolated Peyer's Patch (PP) FAE
      and villous epithelium (VE) surrounding the FAE, and compared the miRNA
      expression profiles of FAE and VE by microarray analysis. This revealed that 43
      miRNAs were up-regulated, whereas 9 miRNAs were down-regulated, in FAE compared
      to VE. A unique pattern of miRNA expression by FAE may reflect important
      diversity in cellular phenotypes and/or functional features of FAE. All
      microarray data has been deposited at GEO under accession number GSE46264. 

PMID- 26484294
TI  - Transcriptional profiling of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) regulated
      genes in mineralizing dental pulp cells at early and late time points.
AB  - Dental pulp tissue can be damaged by a range of irritants, however, if the
      irritation is removed and/or the tooth is adequately restored, pulp regeneration
      is possible (Mjor and Tronstad, 1974 [1]). At present, dental restorative
      materials limit healing by impairing mineralization and repair processes and as a
      result new biologically-based materials are being developed (Ferracane et al.,
      2010 [2]). Previous studies have highlighted the benefit of epigenetic
      modification by histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) application to dental pulp
      cells (DPCs), which induces changes to chromatin architecture, promoting gene
      expression and cellular-reparative events (Duncan et al., 2013 [3]; Paino et al.,
      2014 [4]). In this study a genome-wide transcription profiling in epigenetically
      modified mineralizing primary DPC cultures was performed, at relatively early and
      late time-points, to identify differentially regulated transcripts that may
      provide novel therapeutic targets for use in restorative dentistry. Here we
      provide detailed methods and analysis on these microarray data which has been
      deposited in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO): GSE67175. 

PMID- 26484295
TI  - Transcriptome profiling of white adipose tissue in a mouse model for 15q
      duplication syndrome.
AB  - Obesity is not only associated with unhealthy lifestyles, but also linked to
      genetic predisposition. Previously, we generated an autism mouse model (patDp/+)
      that carries a 6.3 Mb paternal duplication homologous to the human 15q11-q13
      locus. Chromosomal abnormalities in this region are known to cause autism
      spectrum disorder, Prader-Willi syndrome, and Angelman syndrome in humans. We
      found that, in addition to autistic-like behaviors, patDp/+ mice display late
      onset obesity and hypersensitivity to a high-fat diet. These phenotypes are
      likely to be the results of genetic perturbations since the energy expenditures
      and food intakes of patDp/+ mice do not significantly differ from those of wild
      type mice. Intriguingly, we found that an enlargement of adipose cells precedes
      the onset of obesity in patDp/+ mice. To understand the underlying molecular
      networks responsible for this pre-obese phenotype, we performed transcriptome
      profiling of white adipose tissue from patDp/+ and wild-type mice using
      microarray. We identified 230 genes as differentially expressed genes. Sfrp5 - a
      gene whose expression is positively correlated with adipocyte size, was found to
      be up-regulated, and Fndc5, a potent inducer of brown adipogenesis was identified
      to be the top down-regulated gene. Subsequent pathway analysis highlighted a set
      of 35 molecules involved in energy production, lipid metabolism, and small
      molecule biochemistry as the top candidate biological network responsible for the
      pre-obese phenotype of patDp/+. The microarray data were deposited in NCBI Gene
      Expression Omnibus database with accession number GSE58191. Ultimately, our
      dataset provides novel insights into the molecular mechanism of obesity and
      demonstrated that patDp/+ is a valuable mouse model for obesity research. 

PMID- 26484296
TI  - Analyses of the influencing factors of soil microbial functional gene diversity
      in tropical rainforest based on GeoChip 5.0.
AB  - To examine soil microbial functional gene diversity and causative factors in
      tropical rainforests, we used a microarray-based metagenomic tool named GeoChip
      5.0 to profile it. We found that high microbial functional gene diversity and
      different soil microbial metabolic potential for biogeochemical processes were
      considered to exist in tropical rainforest. Soil available nitrogen was the most
      associated with soil microbial functional gene structure. Here, we mainly
      describe the experiment design, the data processing, and soil biogeochemical
      analyses attached to the study in details, which could be published on BMC
      microbiology Journal in 2015, whose raw data have been deposited in NCBI's Gene
      Expression Omnibus (accession number GSE69171). 

PMID- 26484297
TI  - Deep sequencing of mRNA in CD24(-) and CD24(+) mammary carcinoma Mvt1 cell line.
AB  - CD24 is an anchored cell surface marker that is highly expressed in cancer cells
      (Lee et al., 2009) and its expression is associated with poorer outcome of cancer
      patients (Kristiansen et al., 2003). Phenotype comparison between two
      subpopulations derived from the Mvt1 cell line, CD24(-) cells (with no CD24 cell
      surface expression) and the CD24(+) cells, identified high tumorigenic capacity
      for the CD24(+) cells. In order to reveal the transcripts that support the
      CD24(+) aggressive and invasive phenotype we compared the gene profiles of these
      two subpopulations. mRNA profiles of CD24(-) and CD24(+) cells were generated by
      deep sequencing, in triplicate, using an Illumina HiSeq 2500. Here we provide a
      detailed description of the mRNA-seq analysis from our recent study (Rostoker et
      al., 2015). The mRNA-seq data have been deposited in the NCBI GEO database
      (accession number GSE68746). 

PMID- 26484299
TI  - Image-guided radiation therapy in lymphoma management.
AB  - Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) is a process of incorporating imaging
      techniques such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
      Positron emission tomography (PET), and ultrasound (US) during radiation therapy
      (RT) to improve treatment accuracy. It allows real-time or near real-time
      visualization of anatomical information to ensure that the target is in its
      position as planned. In addition, changes in tumor volume and location due to
      organ motion during treatment can be also compensated. IGRT has been gaining
      popularity and acceptance rapidly in RT over the past 10 years, and many
      published data have been reported on prostate, bladder, head and neck, and
      gastrointestinal cancers. However, the role of IGRT in lymphoma management is not
      well defined as there are only very limited published data currently available.
      The scope of this paper is to review the current use of IGRT in the management of
      lymphoma. The technical and clinical aspects of IGRT, lymphoma imaging studies,
      the current role of IGRT in lymphoma management and future directions will be
      discussed. 

PMID- 26484300
TI  - Clinical outcomes of synchronous head and neck and esophageal cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate clinical outcomes of synchronous head and neck and
      esophageal cancer (SHNEC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 27
      SHNEC patients treated with curative intent at a single institution. The
      treatment modality for individual cases was usually determined on a case by case
      basis. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration for the surviving patients was 28.2
      months. The most common site of head and neck cancer was hypopharyngeal carcinoma
      (n = 21, 77.7%). The lower esophagus was the most common location of esophageal
      carcinoma (n = 16, 59.3%). The 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall
      survival (OS) rates were 57.5% and 39.6%. Major pattern of failure was
      locoregional recurrence in the study patients. Esophageal cancer stage, the
      Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, and pretreatment
      weight loss were significant prognostic factors for OS in univariate analysis.
      Treatment-related death was observed in two patients, and one patient developed a
      grade 4 late treatment-related complication. CONCLUSION: Although the survival
      outcome for SHNEC is poor, long-term survival might be achievable with aggressive
      treatment with stage I-II esophageal cancer and good performance.

PMID- 26484298
TI  - Interventional Therapies for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Focused Review (Efficacy
      and Outcomes).
AB  - CONTEXT: Lower back pain is considered to be one of the most common complaints
      that brings a patient to a pain specialist. Several modalities in interventional
      pain management are known to be helpful to a patient with chronic low back pain.
      Proper diagnosis is required for appropriate intervention to provide optimal
      benefits. From simple trigger point injections for muscular pain to a highly
      complex intervention such as a spinal cord stimulator are very effective if
      chosen properly. The aim of this article is to provide the reader with a
      comprehensive reading for treatment of lower back pain using interventional
      modalities. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Extensive search for published literature was
      carried out online using PubMed, Cochrane database and Embase for the material
      used in this manuscript. This article describes the most common modalities
      available to an interventional pain physician along with the most relevant
      current and past references for the treatment of lower back pain. All the
      graphics and images were prepared by and belong to the author. RESULTS: This
      review article describes the most common modalities available to an
      interventional pain physician along with the most relevant current and past
      references for the treatment of lower back pain. All the graphics and images
      belong to the author. Although it is beyond the scope of this review article to
      include a very detailed description of each procedure along with complete
      references, a sincere attempt has been made to comprehensively cover this very
      complex and perplexing topic. CONCLUSION: Lower back pain is a major healthcare
      issue and this review article will help educate the pain practitioners about the
      current evidence based treatment options.

PMID- 26484301
TI  - Prognostic value of pretreatment (18)F-FDG PET-CT in radiotherapy for patients
      with hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictable value of
      pretreatment (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed
      tomography ((18)F-FDG PET-CT) in radiotherapy (RT) for patients with
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT). MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 36 stage I-IV HCC patients
      treated with RT. (18)F-FDG PET-CT was performed before RT. Treatment target was
      determined HCC or PVTT lesions by treatment aim. They were irradiated at a median
      prescription dose of 50 Gy. The response was evaluated within 3 months after
      completion of RT using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST).
      Response rate, overall survival (OS), and the pattern of failure (POF) were
      analyzed. RESULTS: The response rate was 61.1%. The statistically significant
      prognostic factor affecting response in RT field was maximal standardized uptake
      value (maxSUV) only. The high SUV group (maxSUV >= 5.1) showed the better
      radiologic response than the low SUV group (maxSUV < 5.1). The median OS were
      996.0 days in definitive group and 144.0 days in palliative group. Factors
      affecting OS were the %reduction of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level in the
      definitive group and Child-Pugh class in the palliative group. To predict the
      POF, maxSUV based on the cutoff value of 5.1 was the only significant factor in
      distant metastasis group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the
      maxSUV of (18)F-FDG PET-CT may be a prognostic factor for treatment outcome and
      the POF after RT. A %reduction of AFP level and Child-Pugh class could be used to
      predict OS in HCC.

PMID- 26484302
TI  - Patterns of care for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (KROG 11-06) in South
      Korea.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the patterns of care for patients with nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma (NPC) in South Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multi-institutional
      retrospective study was performed (Korean Radiation Oncology Group [KROG] 11-06)
      on a total of 1,445 patients from 15 institutions. RESULTS: Of the 1,445
      patients, more than half were stages III (39.9%) and IV (35.8%). In addition to
      patterns of care, we also investigated trends over time with the periods 1988
      1993, 1994-2002, and 2003-2011. The frequencies of magnetic resonance imaging and
      positron emission tomography-computed tomography were markedly increased in the
      third period compared to previous 2 periods. Concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) was
      performed on 894 patients (61.9%), neoadjuvant chemotherapy on 468 patients
      (32.4%), and adjuvant chemotherapy on 366 patients (25.3%). Of stage II-IV
      patients, CCRT performed on 78.8% in 2003-2011 compared to 15.0% in 1988-1993.
      For patients treated with CCRT, cisplatin was the most commonly used agent in
      81.3% of patients. Over the periods of time, commonly used radiotherapy (RT)
      techniques were changed from 2-dimensional RT (1988-1993, 92.5%) to 3-dimensional
      RT (2003-2011, 35.5%) or intensity-modulated RT (IMRT; 2003-2011, 56.5%). Median
      RT doses given to primary tumors, high-risk lymphatics, and low-risk lymphatics
      were 70.0 Gy, 58.1 Gy, and 48.0 Gy, respectively. Adoption of IMRT increased the
      dose per fraction and escalated total radiation dose. CONCLUSION: Assessment of
      the patterns of care for NPC patients in South Korea demonstrated that management
      for NPC including diagnostic imaging, treatment regimen, RT techniques and dose
      schedule, advanced in accordance with the international guidelines.

PMID- 26484303
TI  - Treatment outcomes of curative radiotherapy in patients with vulvar cancer:
      results of the retrospective KROG 1203 study.
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluated the prognostic factors and clinical outcomes of 56 patients
      with vulvar cancer treated with curative radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent
      chemoradiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Overall survival (OS) and disease-free
      survival (DFS) were assessed retrospectively. Prognostic factors evaluated
      included age, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage,
      TNM classification, tumor size, treatment modality, RT duration, and RT field.
      The association between the tumor human papillomavirus (HPV) status and survival
      was analyzed in 35 patients. RESULTS: During the median follow-up of 2.8 years
      (range, 0.3 to 18.9 years), 21 patients (37.5%) experienced treatment failure.
      Fifteen patients (27%) had local failure: nine (16%) local failure only, three
      (5%) locoregional failure, two (4%) local and distant failure, and one (2%)
      locoregional and distant failure. Of 56 patients, seven (13%) had persistent
      disease at the first follow-up at 2 months and all but one died within a year
      after completing RT. The 5-year OS and DFS were 51.6% and 44.0%, respectively. In
      multivariate analysis, clinical size >=3 cm predicted a poor prognostic factor
      for DFS (p = 0.040) and age (>=70 years) was poor prognostic for DFS (p = 0.032)
      and OS (p = 0.048). Patients with HPV-positive tumors tended to have better 5
      year OS and DFS, but the differences were not significant statistically.
      CONCLUSION: Clinical size >=3 cm was a significant prognostic factor for DFS.
      However, age was the most important prognostic factor for DFS and OS in patients
      treated with curative RT. Further studies are needed to determine which treatment
      should be considered for old age >=70 years.

PMID- 26484304
TI  - Stereotactic radiosurgery for brain metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has been introduced for small-sized
      single and oligo-metastases in the brain. The aim of this study is to assess
      treatment outcome, efficacy, and prognostic variables associated with survival
      and intracranial recurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study retrospectively
      reviewed 123 targets in 64 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      treated with SRS between January 2006 and December 2012. Treatment responses were
      evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging. Overall survival (OS) and
      intracranial progression-free survival (IPFS) were determined. RESULTS: The
      median follow-up was 13.9 months. The median OS and IPFS were 14.1 and 8.9
      months, respectively. Fifty-seven patients died during the follow-up period. The
      5-year local control rate was achieved in 85% of 108 evaluated targets. The 1-
      and 2-year OS rates were 55% and 28%, respectively. On univariate analysis,
      primary disease control (p < 0.001), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
      (ECOG) performance status (0-1 vs. 2; p = 0.002), recursive partitioning analysis
      class (1 vs. 2; p = 0.001), and age (<65 vs. >=65 years; p = 0.036) were
      significant predictive factors for OS. Primary disease control (p = 0.041) and
      ECOG status (p = 0.017) were the significant prognostic factors for IPFS. Four
      patients experienced radiation necrosis. CONCLUSION: SRS is a safe and effective
      local treatment for brain metastases in patients with NSCLC. Uncontrolled primary
      lung disease and ECOG status were significant predictors of OS and intracranial
      failure. SRS might be a tailored treatment option along with careful follow-up of
      the intracranial and primary lung disease status.

PMID- 26484305
TI  - Clinical outcomes of stereotactic body radiotherapy for spinal metastases from
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the outcomes of patients with spinal metastases from
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), who were treated by stereotactic body
      radiotherapy (SBRT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated 23
      patients who underwent SBRT from October 2008 to August 2012 for 36 spinal
      metastases from HCC. SBRT consisted of approximately 2 fractionation schedules,
      which were 18 to 40 Gy in 1 to 4 fractions for group A lesions (n = 15) and 50 Gy
      in 10 fractions for group B lesions (n = 21). RESULTS: The median follow-up
      period was 7 months (range, 2 to 16 months). Seven patients developed grade 1 or
      2 gastrointestinal toxicity, and one developed grade 2 leucopenia. Compression
      fractures occurred in association with 25% of the lesions, with a median time to
      fracture of 2 months. Pain relief occurred in 92.3% and 68.4% of group A and B
      lesions, respectively. Radiologic response (complete and partial response)
      occurred in 80.0% and 61.9% of group A and B lesions, respectively. The estimated
      1-year spinal-tumor progression-free survival rate was 78.5%. The median overall
      survival period and 1-year overall survival rate were 9 months (range, 2 to 16
      months) and 25.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: SBRT for spinal metastases from HCC
      is well tolerated and effective at providing pain relief and radiologic response.
      Because compression fractures develop at a high rate following SBRT for spinal
      metastases from primary HCC, careful follow up of the patient is required.

PMID- 26484306
TI  - Feasibility of normal tissue dose reduction in radiotherapy using low strength
      magnetic field.
AB  - PURPOSE: Toxicity of mucosa is one of the major concerns of radiotherapy (RT),
      when a target tumor is located near a mucosal lined organ. Energy of photon RT is
      transferred primarily by secondary electrons. If these secondary electrons could
      be removed in an internal cavity of mucosal lined organ, the mucosa will be
      spared without compromising the target tumor dose. The purpose of this study was
      to present a RT dose reduction in near target inner-surface (NTIS) of internal
      cavity, using Lorentz force of magnetic field. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tissue
      equivalent phantoms, composed with a cylinder shaped internal cavity, and
      adjacent a target tumor part, were developed. The phantoms were irradiated using
      6 MV photon beam, with or without 0.3 T of perpendicular magnetic field. Two
      experimental models were developed: single beam model (SBM) to analyze central
      axis dose distributions and multiple beam model (MBM) to simulate a clinical case
      of prostate cancer with rectum. RT dose of NTIS of internal cavity and target
      tumor area (TTA) were measured. RESULTS: With magnetic field applied, bending
      effect of dose distribution was visualized. The depth dose distribution of SBM
      showed 28.1% dose reduction of NTIS and little difference in dose of TTA with
      magnetic field. In MBM, cross-sectional dose of NTIS was reduced by 33.1% with
      magnetic field, while TTA dose were the same, irrespective of magnetic field.
      CONCLUSION: RT dose of mucosal lined organ, located near treatment target, could
      be modulated by perpendicular magnetic field.

PMID- 26484307
TI  - Dosimetric comparison of volumetric modulated arc therapy with robotic
      stereotactic radiation therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare volumetric modulated arc therapy of RapidArc with robotic
      stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) of CyberKnife in the planning and
      delivery of SBRT for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment by analyzing
      dosimetric parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two radiation treatment plans were
      generated for 29 HCC patients, one using Eclipse for the RapidArc plan and the
      other using Multiplan for the CyberKnife plan. The prescription dose was 60 Gy in
      3 fractions. The dosimetric parameters of planning target volume (PTV) coverage
      and normal tissue sparing in the RapidArc and the CyberKnife plans were analyzed.
      RESULTS: The conformity index was 1.05 +/- 0.02 for the CyberKnife plan, and 1.13
      +/- 0.10 for the RapidArc plan. The homogeneity index was 1.23 +/- 0.01 for the
      CyberKnife plan, and 1.10 +/- 0.03 for the RapidArc plan. For the normal liver,
      there were significant differences between the two plans in the low-dose regions
      of V1 and V3. The normalized volumes of V60 for the normal liver in the RapidArc
      plan were drastically increased when the mean dose of the PTVs in RapidArc plan
      is equivalent to the mean dose of the PTVs in the CyberKnife plan. CONCLUSION:
      CyberKnife plans show greater dose conformity, especially in small-sized tumors,
      while RapidArc plans show good dosimetric distribution of low dose sparing in the
      normal liver and body.

PMID- 26484308
TI  - Influence of different boost techniques on radiation dose to the left anterior
      descending coronary artery.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to compare the dosimetry of electron beam
      (EB) plans and three-dimensional helical tomotherapy (3DHT) plans for the
      patients with left-sided breast cancer, who underwent breast conserving surgery.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We selected total of 15 patients based on the location of
      tumor, as following subsite: subareolar, upper outer, upper inner, lower lateral,
      and lower medial quadrants. The clinical target volume (CTV) was defined as the
      area of architectural distortion surrounded by surgical clip plus 1 cm margin.
      The conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI), quality of coverage (QC) and
      dose-volume parameters for the CTV, and organ at risk (OAR) were calculated. The
      following treatment techniques were assessed: single conformal EB plans; 3DHT
      plans with directional block of left anterior descending artery (LAD); and 3DHT
      plans with complete block of LAD. RESULTS: 3DHT plans, regardless of type of LAD
      block, showed significantly better CI, HI, and QC for the CTVs, compared with the
      EB plans. However, 3DHT plans showed increase in the V1Gy at skin, left lung, and
      left breast. In terms of LAD, 3DHT plans with complete block of LAD showed
      extremely low dose, while dose increase in other OARs were observed, when
      compared with other plans. EB plans showed the worst conformity at upper outer
      quadrants of tumor bed site. CONCLUSION: 3DHT plans offer more favorable dose
      distributions to LAD, as well as improved target coverage in comparison with EB
      plans.

PMID- 26484309
TI  - Comparison between audio-only and audiovisual biofeedback for regulating
      patients' respiration during four-dimensional radiotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare audio-only biofeedback to conventional audiovisual
      biofeedback for regulating patients' respiration during four-dimensional
      radiotherapy, limiting damage to healthy surrounding tissues caused by organ
      movement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six healthy volunteers were assisted by
      audiovisual or audio-only biofeedback systems to regulate their respirations.
      Volunteers breathed through a mask developed for this study by following computer
      generated guiding curves displayed on a screen, combined with instructional
      sounds. They then performed breathing following instructional sounds only. The
      guiding signals and the volunteers' respiratory signals were logged at 20 samples
      per second. RESULTS: The standard deviations between the guiding and respiratory
      curves for the audiovisual and audio-only biofeedback systems were 21.55% and
      23.19%, respectively; the average correlation coefficients were 0.9778 and
      0.9756, respectively. The regularities between audiovisual and audio-only
      biofeedback for six volunteers' respirations were same statistically from the
      paired t-test. CONCLUSION: The difference between the audiovisual and audio-only
      biofeedback methods was not significant. Audio-only biofeedback has many
      advantages, as patients do not require a mask and can quickly adapt to this
      method in the clinic.

PMID- 26484310
TI  - Radioprotective effect of mefenamic acid against radiation-induced genotoxicity
      in human lymphocytes.
AB  - PURPOSE: Mefenamic acid (MEF) as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug is used
      as a medication for relieving of pain and inflammation. Radiation-induced
      inflammation process is involved in DNA damage and cell death. In this study, the
      radioprotective effect of MEF was investigated against genotoxicity induced by
      ionizing radiation in human blood lymphocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Peripheral
      blood samples were collected from human volunteers and incubated with MEF at
      different concentrations (5, 10, 50, or 100 uM) for two hours. The whole blood
      was exposed to ionizing radiation at a dose 1.5 Gy. Lymphocytes were cultured
      with mitogenic stimulation to determine the micronuclei in cytokinesis blocked
      binucleated lymphocyte. RESULTS: A significant decreasing in the frequency of
      micronuclei was observed in human lymphocytes irradiated with MEF as compared to
      irradiated lymphocytes without MEF. The maximum decreasing in frequency of
      micronuclei was observed at 100 uM of MEF (38% decrease), providing maximal
      protection against ionizing radiation. CONCLUSION: The radioprotective effect of
      MEF is probably related to anti-inflammatory property of MEF on human
      lymphocytes.

PMID- 26484311
TI  - A case report of a patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the face irradiated
      using a stereotactic technique.
AB  - External beam radiotherapy can be used to treat cutaneous squamous cell
      carcinomas (SCC). Acute skin toxicity is the most common adverse event. In this
      case study we report on an elderly patient with nasal root cutaneous SCC treated
      with stereotactic technique using a dedicated linear accelerator (CyberKnife
      system). Grade 3 skin toxicity was observed but it was resolved after 6 weeks.
      The use of stereotactic radiotherapy permitted a clinical remission of SCC with
      good cosmetic results. 

PMID- 26484312
TI  - Clinical Application of Multigene Panels: Challenges of Next-Generation
      Counseling and Cancer Risk Management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multigene panels can be a cost- and time-effective alternative to
      sequentially testing multiple genes, especially with a mixed family cancer
      phenotype. However, moving beyond our single-gene testing paradigm has unveiled
      many new challenges to the clinician. The purpose of this article is to
      familiarize the reader with some of the challenges, as well as potential
      opportunities, of expanded hereditary cancer panel testing. METHODS: We include
      results from 348 commercial multigene panel tests ordered from January 1, 2014,
      through October 1, 2014, by clinicians associated with the City of Hope's
      Clinical Cancer Genetics Community of Practice. We also discuss specific
      challenging cases that arose during this period involving abnormalities in the
      genes: CDH1, TP53, PMS2, PALB2, CHEK2, NBN, and RAD51C. RESULTS: If historically
      high risk genes only were included in the panels (BRCA1, BRCA2, MSH6, PMS2, TP53,
      APC, CDH1), the results would have been positive only 6.2% of the time, instead
      of 17%. Results returned with variants of uncertain significance (VUS) 42% of the
      time. CONCLUSION: These figures and cases stress the importance of adequate pre
      test counseling in anticipation of higher percentages of positive, VUS,
      unexpected, and ambiguous test results. Test result ambiguity can be limited by
      the use of phenotype-specific panels; if found, multiple resources (the
      literature, reference laboratory, colleagues, national experts, and research
      efforts) can be accessed to better clarify counseling and management for the
      patient and family. For pathogenic variants in low and moderate risk genes,
      empiric risk modeling based on the patient's personal and family history of
      cancer may supersede gene-specific risk. Commercial laboratory and patient
      contributions to public databases and research efforts will be needed to better
      classify variants and reduce clinical ambiguity of multigene panels.

PMID- 26484313
TI  - Current Status of CTCs as Liquid Biopsy in Lung Cancer and Future Directions.
AB  - Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have garnered a lot of attention in the past few
      decades. Isolation of these rare cells from the billions of blood cells has been
      a challenge until recent times. With the advent of new sensitive technologies
      that permit live cell isolation and downstream genomic analysis, the existing
      paradigm of CTC research has evolved to explore clinical utility of these cells.
      CTCs have been identified as prognostic and pharmacodynamic biomarkers in many
      solid tumors, including lung cancer. As a means of liquid biopsy, CTCs could play
      a major role in the development of personalized medicine and targeted therapies.
      This review discusses the state of various isolation strategies, cell separation
      techniques and key studies that illustrate the application of liquid biopsy to
      lung cancer. 

PMID- 26484314
TI  - Well-known surface and extracellular antigens of pathogenic microorganisms among
      the immunodominant proteins of the infectious microalgae Prototheca zopfii.
AB  - Microalgae of the genus Prototheca (P.) are associated with rare but severe
      infections (protothecosis) and represent a potential zoonotic risk. Genotype (GT)
      2 of P. zopfii has been established as pathogenic agent for humans, dogs, and
      cattle, whereas GT1 is considered to be non-pathogenic. Since pathogenesis is
      poorly understood, the aim of this study was to determine immunogenic proteins
      and potential virulence factors of P. zopfii GT2. Therefore, 2D western blot
      analyses with sera and isolates of two dogs naturally infected with P. zopfii GT2
      have been performed. Cross-reactivity was determined by including the type
      strains of P. zopfii GT2, P. zopfii GT1, and P. blaschkeae, a close relative of
      P. zopfii, which is known to cause subclinical forms of bovine mastitis. The sera
      showed a high strain-, genotype-, and species-cross-reactivity. A total of 198
      immunogenic proteins have been analyzed via MALDI-TOF MS. The majority of the 86
      identified proteins are intracellularly located (e.g., malate dehydrogenase,
      oxidoreductase, 3-dehydroquinate synthase) but some antigens and potential
      virulence factors, known from other pathogens, have been found (e.g.,
      phosphomannomutase, triosephosphate isomerase). One genotype-specific antigen
      could be identified as heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), a well-known antigen of
      eukaryotic pathogens with immunological importance when located extracellularly.
      Both sera were reactive to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase of all
      investigated strains. This house-keeping enzyme is found to be located on the
      surface of several pathogens as virulence factor. Flow-cytometric analysis
      revealed its presence on the surface of P. blaschkeae.

PMID- 26484315
TI  - Quantitative PCR analysis of salivary pathogen burden in periodontitis.
AB  - Our aim was to investigate the value of salivary concentrations of four major
      periodontal pathogens and their combination in diagnostics of periodontitis. The
      Parogene study included 462 dentate subjects (mean age 62.9 +/- 9.2 years) with
      coronary artery disease (CAD) diagnosis who underwent an extensive clinical and
      radiographic oral examination. Salivary levels of four major periodontal bacteria
      were measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Median salivary
      concentrations of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, and Prevotella
      intermedia, as well as the sum of the concentrations of the four bacteria, were
      higher in subjects with moderate to severe periodontitis compared to subjects
      with no to mild periodontitis. Median salivary Aggregatibacter
      actinomycetemcomitans concentrations did not differ significantly between the
      subjects with no to mild periodontitis and subjects with moderate to severe
      periodontitis. In logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, gender,
      diabetes, and the number of teeth and implants, high salivary concentrations of
      P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, and P. intermedia were significantly associated with
      moderate to severe periodontitis. When looking at different clinical and
      radiographic parameters of periodontitis, high concentrations of P. gingivalis
      and T. forsythia were significantly associated with the number of 4-5 mm
      periodontal pockets, >=6 mm pockets, and alveolar bone loss (ABL). High level of
      T. forsythia was associated also with bleeding on probing (BOP). The combination
      of the four bacteria, i.e., the bacterial burden index, was associated with
      moderate to severe periodontitis with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.40 (95% CI 1.39
      4.13). When A. actinomycetemcomitans was excluded from the combination of the
      bacteria, the OR was improved to 2.61 (95% CI 1.51-4.52). The highest OR 3.59
      (95% CI 1.94-6.63) was achieved when P. intermedia was further excluded from the
      combination and only the levels of P. gingivalis and T. forsythia were used.
      Salivary diagnostics of periodontitis has potential especially in large-scale
      population studies and health promotion. The cumulative strategy appears to be
      useful in the analysis of salivary bacteria as markers of periodontitis.

PMID- 26484317
TI  - Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: a rare diagnosis, an even rarer opportunity
      to appraise our understanding of the immune system.

PMID- 26484316
TI  - The icmF3 locus is involved in multiple adaptation- and virulence-related
      characteristics in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1.
AB  - The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is widely distributed in Gram-negative
      bacteria. Three separate T6SSs called H1-, H2-, and H3-T6SS have been discovered
      in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. Recent studies suggest that, in contrast to the
      H1-T6SS that targets prokaryotic cells, H2- and H3-T6SS are involved in
      interactions with both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. However, the detailed
      functions of T6SS components are still uncharacterized. The intracellular
      multiplication factor (IcmF) protein is conserved in type VI secretion systems
      (T6SS) of all different bacterial pathogens. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that
      IcmF3 in P. aeruginosa PAO1 is different from other IcmF homologs and may
      represent a new branch of these proteins with distinct functions. Herein, we have
      investigated the function of IcmF3 in this strain. We have shown that deletion of
      the icmF3 gene in P. aeruginosa PAO1 is associated with pleiotropic phenotypes.
      The icmF3 mutant has variant colony morphology and an hypergrowth phenotype in
      iron-limiting medium. Surprisingly, this mutant is also defective for the
      production of pyoverdine, as well as defects in swimming motility and virulence
      in a C. elegans worm model. The icmF3 mutant exhibits higher conjugation
      frequency than the wild type and increased biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces.
      Additionally, expression of two phenazine biosynthetic loci is increased in the
      icmF3 mutant, leading to the overproduction of pyocyanin. Finally, the mutant
      exhibits decreased susceptibility to aminoglycosides such as tobramycin and
      gentamicin. And the detected phenotypes can be restored completely or partially
      by trans complementation of wild type icmF3 gene. The pleiotropic effects
      observed upon icmF3 deletion demonstrate that icmF3 plays critical roles in both
      pathogenesis and environmental adaptation in P. aeruginosa PAO1. 

PMID- 26484318
TI  - Hereditary hemochromatosis.

PMID- 26484319
TI  - Hemophagocytic syndrome: a dilemma chasing the intensivists.
AB  - Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis or hemophagocytic syndrome is represented by
      an uncontrolled inflammatory response characterized by marked histiocyte
      activation and a cytokine storm. The entity may present a primary or genetic
      type, and the secondary type is usually triggered by infectious diseases of any
      kind, autoimmune disease, or neoplasia. This entity, although well described and
      with definite diagnostic criteria, still remains misdiagnosed because of the
      overlap presentation with other inflammatory processes. The authors present the
      case of a 13-year-old girl who was submitted to an appendicectomy complicated
      with a pericolic abscess, which required a second operation in order to be
      drained surgically. During the postoperative period of this second surgical
      procedure, the patient remained febrile, developing cytopenias, and multiple
      organ failure. Unfortunately, she died despite the efforts of the intensive care
      staff. The autopsy findings were characteristic of hemophagocytic syndrome. The
      authors report the case to call attention to this diagnosis whenever unexpected
      outcomes of infections are experienced. 

PMID- 26484320
TI  - Recurrence of alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of pulmonary veins
      in two consecutive siblings.
AB  - Alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of pulmonary veins (ACD/MPV) is a
      rare, developmental lung disorder, which has been increasingly reported. This
      entity usually presents as neonatal persistent pulmonary hypertension that is
      unresponsive to treatment, and is known to be uniformly fatal. Recent discoveries
      in the genetic field, and intensive treatments, may change the natural course of
      this disease, permitting easier diagnosis and giving new hope for the dismal
      prognosis. The authors present two cases of siblings, with two years of
      difference, from different fathers - one of them was a first-degree and the other
      a second-degree cousin of the mother. Both patients were full-term babies born
      apparently without malformations and were sent to the nursery. Both siblings near
      35 hours of age presented severe respiratory failure due to pulmonary
      hypertension. The outcome was fatal in both cases and at autopsy ACD/MPV was
      diagnosed. The authors call attention to this entity in the differential
      diagnosis of acute respiratory distress in early life. 

PMID- 26484321
TI  - Pulmonary agenesis and respiratory failure in childhood.
AB  - Pulmonary agenesis (PA) is a rare congenital anomaly, which may be unilateral or
      bilateral. Unilateral PA may be associated with nonspecific respiratory symptoms.
      We report the case of 5-month-old infant who presented a normal development until
      the age of 4 months when a respiratory infection caused an acute respiratory
      distress syndrome with a fatal outcome. The autopsy findings depicted the right
      lung agenesis without any other concomitant malformation. Although respiratory
      symptoms represent frequent complaints in pediatrics, the aim of this study is
      not only to draw attention to the unilateral pulmonary agenesis as a possible
      underlying malformation in children who present recurrent and severe respiratory
      symptoms, but also to report a case diagnosed at autopsy. 

PMID- 26484322
TI  - Occult esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with metastases to the spine and
      central nervous system.
AB  - Esophageal malignancy encompasses a group of diseases that are mostly represented
      by the squamous cell carcinoma and the adenocarcinoma. Quite frequently, these
      neoplasms present aggressive behavior; therefore, the diagnosis is often made
      when the condition is in advanced stages. Dysphagia is the typical clinical
      complaint, although it is present only when most of the lumen is obstructed.
      Therefore, quite often, the metastatic disease is first diagnosed, which
      contributes to the patient's poor survival expectancy. The authors report the
      case of a 58-year-old man who looked for medical care complaining of a long-term
      history of scapular pain. The diagnostic work-up disclosed a cervical spine lytic
      lesion surrounded by a tumoral mass shown by computed tomography. The cervical
      tumor was sampled by fine needle aspiration, revealing an undifferentiated
      carcinoma. The outcome was unfavorable and the patient died. The autopsy findings
      revealed metastatic disease to the spine and central nervous system, and the
      primary tumor was found to be an esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, which had
      progressed without typical dysphagia. 

PMID- 26484323
TI  - Pulmonary nodules: a challenging diagnosis during the follow up of cancer
      patients.
AB  - Pulmonary nodules (PN), frequently found on imaging studies, represent a
      diagnostic challenge during the follow up of cancer patients. However, published
      data about investigation of PNs incidentally found on chest imaging is scarce.
      The PN may be present at the time of cancer diagnosis, or arise during the
      treatment or follow-up periods. In the context of the oncologic patient these
      lesions are quite invariably considered as metastases, what impacts directly on
      patients' treatment and prognosis. The present study reports 2 cases of pulmonary
      nodules found in two patients already diagnosed with cancer. Case 1 referred to a
      woman with squamous cell carcinoma and two pulmonary nodules, and in case 2 the
      patient was diagnosed with duodenal adenocarcinoma. Both patients were submitted
      to pulmonary biopsies before the oncologic treatment. In both cases the nodules
      were of infectious origin, what changed significantly the neoplasia staging and
      the oncologic treatment intention. The authors performed a literature review as
      well as a discussion about the management of PN in cancer patients. 

PMID- 26484324
TI  - Huge interparietal posterior fontanel meningohydroencephalocele.
AB  - Congenital encephalocele is a neural tube defect characterized by a sac-like
      protrusion of the brain, meninges, and other intracranial structures through the
      skull, which is caused by an embryonic development abnormality. The most common
      location is at the occipital bone, and its incidence varies according to
      different world regions. We report a case of an 1-month and 7-day-old male child
      with a huge interparietal-posterior fontanel meningohydroencephalocele, a rare
      occurrence. Physical examination and volumetric computed tomography were
      diagnostic. The encephalocele was surgically resected. Intradural and extradural
      approaches were performed; the bone defect was not primarily closed. Two days
      after surgery, the patient developed hydrocephaly requiring ventriculoperitoneal
      shunting. The surgical treatment of the meningohydroencephalocele of the
      interparietal-posterior fontanel may be accompanied by technical challenges and
      followed by complications due to the presence of large blood vessels under the
      overlying skin. In these cases, huge sacs herniate through large bone defects
      including meninges, brain, and blood vessels. The latter present communication
      with the superior sagittal sinus and ventricular system. A favorable surgical
      outcome generally follows an accurate strategy taking into account individual
      features of the lesion. 

PMID- 26484325
TI  - Feeding tube replacement: not always that simple!
AB  - Although surgical gastrostomy is not a technically troublesome surgery, the
      procedure may be accompanied by unfavorable outcomes. Most complications occur
      early in the post-operative period and include feeding tube dislodgment, stomal
      infection, peritonitis, and pneumonia. The authors report the case of an 83-year
      old man who underwent a surgical gastrostomy because of a swallowing disorder
      after an ischemic stroke. Nine months after the procedure, the feeding tube
      dislodged and a new tube was inserted with a certain delay and with some
      difficulty, causing a false path and consequently an intrabdominal abscess after
      diet infusion. The outcome was fatal. The authors call attention for meticulous
      care with the insertion of feeding tubes and advise the performance of imaging
      control to assure its precise positioning. 

PMID- 26484326
TI  - Late treatment of a mandibular gunshot wound.
AB  - Mandibular gunshot injuries are esthetically and functionally devastating,
      causing comminuted fractures and adjacent tissue destruction depending on the
      weapon gauge, projectile shape, impact kinetic energy, and density of the injured
      structures. If the mandibular fracture is not adequate or promptly treated, the
      broken fragments will fail to heal. In case of a treatment delay, progressive
      bone loss and fracture contracture will require a customized approach, which
      includes open reduction, removal of fibrous tissue between the bony stumps, and
      fixation of the fracture with a reconstruction plate and autogenous graft. The
      authors report the case of a 34-year-old man wounded on the mandible 15 years
      ago. With the aid of computed tomography and a prototype, a surgical plan was
      designed including open reduction and internal fixation of the segmental
      mandibular defect with a reconstruction plate and bone graft harvested from the
      iliac crest. The postoperative follow-up was uneventful and the 12-month follow
      up showed a positive aesthetic and functional result. 

PMID- 26484327
TI  - Pertussis in young infants: a severe vaccine-preventable disease.

PMID- 26484328
TI  - Crohn disease.

PMID- 26484329
TI  - Pertussis: the resurgence of a public health threat.
AB  - Pertussis is an acute and very contagious pulmonary disease, clinically
      characterized by periods of coughing and paroxysms that may cause death. The
      disease afflicts mainly the pediatric population and is life threatening to
      children under the age of 1 year. Since the beginning of the second millennium,
      the number of cases of pertussis has increased, menacing public health, despite
      the availability of the pertussis vaccine. The resurgence of the disease among
      adults and older children creates a reservoir of infection that will afflict the
      unimmunized or incompletely immunized children. As newborns and infants show the
      highest mortality rate, immunization during pregnancy is a new strategy to reduce
      the burden of pertussis. The authors report the case of a newborn that presented
      respiratory distress accompanied by marked leukocytosis. Bronchiolitis was the
      initial diagnostic hypothesis, but the clinical picture became typical of
      pertussis when paroxysmal coughing ensued. Isolation of the Bordetella pertussis
      and antigenic demonstration by polymerase chain reaction were positive from
      respiratory secretion. Despite appropriate antibiotic therapy and intensive care
      management the child died and the autopsy showed characteristic diagnostic
      findings. The authors call attention to this diagnosis when facing respiratory
      failure among young children, mainly in the presence of marked leukocytosis.
      Thorough research on the immunization status of the patient's social environment
      is of crucial importance. 

PMID- 26484330
TI  - Budd-Chiari Syndrome: an unnoticed diagnosis.
AB  - Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) encompasses a group of disorders caused by the
      obstruction to the hepatic venous outflow at the level of the small or large
      hepatic veins, the inferior vena cava, or any combination thereof. Clinical
      manifestation of the subacute form is characterized by supramesocolic abdominal
      discomfort, abdominal distension, fever, and lower limbs edema. Imaging work-up
      with hepatic Doppler ultrasound and abdominal computed tomography (CT) enables
      the diagnosis in the majority of cases. Treatment comprises long-term
      anticoagulation associated with measures that attempt to re-establish the flow in
      the thrombosed vessel (thrombolysis or angioplasty) or through the venous blood
      flow bypasses (transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt or surgical bypass);
      however, the outcome is often dismal. The authors report the case of a 37-year
      old woman presenting a 2-month history of dyspeptic complaints and abdominal
      distention. Fever was present at the beginning of symptoms. The laboratory work
      up disclosed mild hepatic dysfunction, and the ultrasound showed evidence of
      chronic liver disease. Despite a thorough etiologic investigation, diagnosis was
      missed and, therefore, management could not be directed towards the
      physiopathogenetic process. The outcome was characterized by portal hypertension
      and esophageal varices bleeding. The patient died and the autopsy findings were
      characteristic of BCS, although an abdominal CT, close to death, had showed signs
      consistent with this diagnosis. The authors highlight the importance of knowledge
      of this entity, the diagnostic methods, and the multidisciplinary approach. BCS
      should be considered whenever investigating etiology for chronic or acute
      hepatopathy. 

PMID- 26484332
TI  - Pulmonary cryptococcoma: a rare and challenging diagnosis in immunocompetent
      patients.
AB  - Cryptococcal infection is commonly seen in immunocompromised patients, although
      immunocompetent patients may also be infected. The pathogen's portal of entry is
      the respiratory tract; however, the central nervous system is predominantly
      involved. Pulmonary involvement varies from interstitial and alveolar
      infiltrations to large masses, which are frequently first interpreted as lung
      neoplasm. The diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis, in these cases, is
      frequently challenging, which, in most cases, requires histopathological
      examination. The authors report the case of a young female patient who presented
      a 20-day history of chest pleuritic pain and fever at the onset of symptoms. HIV
      serology was negative and CD4 count was normal. The imaging work-up was
      characterized by a huge opacity in the left inferior pulmonary lobe with a wide
      pleural base. Computed tomography showed a heterogeneous mass involving the
      bronchial tree. Mediastinal involvement was poor, and there was a splenomegaly.
      The patient underwent an exploratory thoracotomy and inferior lobectomy. The
      histopathological examination revealed a cryptococcoma. As the serum antigenemia
      was positive, the patient was scheduled for long-term treatment with fluconazole.
      The authors call attention to including the cryptococcal infection in the
      differential diagnosis of lung mass, mainly when localized in the lung bases in
      immunocompetent patients. 

PMID- 26484331
TI  - Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinfection associated with impaired intestinal
      motility disorder.
AB  - Infection by Strongyloides stercoralis is a highly prevalent helminthiasis, which
      is mostly distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
      Although a substantial number of cases are asymptomatic or paucisymtomatic,
      severe and life-threatening forms of this infection still occur and not
      infrequently is lately diagnosed. Gram-negative bacteria septicemia, which
      frequently accompanies the severe helminthiasis, contributes to the high
      mortality rate. Severe infection is invariably triggered by any imbalance in the
      host's immunity, favoring the auto-infective cycle, which increases the
      intraluminal parasite burden enormously. Clinical presentation of severe cases is
      varied, and diagnosis requires a high suspicion index. Acute abdomen has been
      reported in association with S. stercoralis infection, but intestinal necrosis is
      rarely found during the surgical approach. The authors report the case of a man
      who sought the emergency unit with recent onset abdominal pain. Clinical and
      imaging features were consistent with obstructive acute abdomen. Scattered
      adhesions and a necrotic ileal segment with a tiny perforation represented the
      surgical findings. The patient outcome was unfavorable and respiratory distress
      required an open lung biopsy. Both surgical specimens showed S. stercoralis
      infection. Unfortunately the patient underwent multiple organ failure and
      septicemia, and subsequently died. The authors call attention to the finding of
      intestinal necrosis and impaired intestinal motility disorder as possibilities
      for the diagnosis and risk factor, respectively, for a severe infection of S.
      stercoralis. 

PMID- 26484333
TI  - An interesting finding in the uterine cervix: Schistosoma hematobium calcified
      eggs.
AB  - Schistosoma hematobium infection is an endemic parasitic disease in Africa, which
      is frequently associated with urinary schistosomiasis. The parasite infection
      causes epithelial changes and disruption, facilitating the infection by the human
      papilloma virus and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The authors report the
      case of a 44-year-old African HIV-positive woman who presented an abnormal
      routine Pap smear. Colposcopy examination revealed dense acetowhite
      micropapillary epithelium covering the ectocervix, iodine-negative, an erosion
      area in endocervical canal, and atypical vessels. Histologic examination of the
      surgical specimens showed numerous calcified schistosome eggs (probably S.
      hematobium) and a high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. The relation
      between S. hematobium infection and bladder cancer is well known; however, this
      relationship with cervical cancer remains controversial. The symptoms of
      schistosomiasis of the female genital tract are rather non-specific, and are
      often misdiagnosed with other pelvic diseases. The familiarity of health
      professionals with schistosomiasis of the female genital tract is less than
      expected, even in endemic regions. Therefore, great awareness of this
      differential diagnosis in routine gynecological practice is of paramount
      importance. 

PMID- 26484335
TI  - Peripheral pulmonary artery aneurysm presenting as a solitary pulmonary nodule.
AB  - We report the case of a 63-year-old female patient who was evaluated due to a
      solitary pulmonary nodule. The final diagnosis was a solitary peripheral
      pulmonary artery saccular aneurysm. The patient was submitted to a pulmonary
      lobectomy with excellent recovery. Peripheral pulmonary artery aneurysms that
      arise from segmental or intrapulmonary branches are extremely rare, and their
      management is still controversial. 

PMID- 26484334
TI  - Immune thrombocytopenia and autoimmune thyroid disease: a controversial overlap.
AB  - Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an entity characterized by a platelet count of
      less than 100 * 10(9)/L in the absence of other causes of thrombocytopenia, such
      as viral infections, rheumatic diseases, or drugs. Grave's disease is also an
      autoimmune condition in which thrombocytopenia is often observed. Moreover, in
      the literature, many reports show a marked interference of the thyroid
      dysfunction (mainly hyperthyroidism) in the control of thrombocytopenia. Although
      this issue still remains debatable, the authors report the case of a young woman
      with a previous diagnosis of ITP with a brilliant initial response to
      corticotherapy. Some years after this diagnosis, the patient presented
      thyrotoxicosis due to Grave's disease and the thrombocytopenia relapsed, but this
      time there was no response to the glucocorticoids. Only after the radioiodine I
      131 thyroid ablation the control of thrombocytopenia was achieved. The authors
      call attention to this overlap and for testing thyroid function in every patient
      with an unexpected negative response to corticotherapy. 

PMID- 26484336
TI  - Acquired hemophilia A in a patient with advanced prostate cancer.
AB  - Acquired hemophilia A (AHA) is a rare disorder that results from the presence of
      autoantibodies against the clotting factor VIII (FVIII) causing hemorrhagic
      disorders. This entity is mostly associated with autoimmune diseases, pregnancy,
      the postpartum period, drugs and malignancy. Among the solid cancers, prostate
      neoplasm is the most common cause of AHA. The management of AHA involves the
      control of active bleeding and the use of specific therapies to eliminate the
      inhibitor. The authors describe the case of an 87-year-old man with prostate
      cancer who developed a bleeding disorder 5 years after the cancer diagnosis.
      Treatment with prednisone did not reach a satisfactory clinical response, which
      was only achieved with the association of azathioprine. The patient became
      asymptomatic with no further bleeding episodes, but developed a fatal sepsis
      after 3 months of treatment with these immunosuppressive agents. 

PMID- 26484337
TI  - Evans Syndrome in Children: Long-Term Outcome in a Prospective French National
      Observational Cohort.
AB  - Evans syndrome (ES) is a rare autoimmune disorder whose long-term outcome is not
      well known. In France, a collaborative pediatric network set up via the National
      Rare Disease Plan now provides comprehensive clinical data in children with this
      disease. Patients aged less than 18 years at the initial presentation of
      autoimmune cytopenia have been prospectively included into a national
      observational cohort since 2004. The definition of ES was restricted to the
      simultaneous or sequential association of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) and
      immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Cases were deemed secondary if associated
      with a primitive immunodeficiency or systemic lupus erythematosus. In December
      2014, we analyzed the data pertaining to 156 children from 26 centers with ES
      whose diagnosis was made between 1981 and 2014. Median age (range) at the onset
      of cytopenia was 5.4 years (0.2-17.2). In 85 sequential cases, the time lapse
      between the first episodes of AIHA and ITP was 2.4 years (0.1-16.3). The follow
      up period as from ES diagnosis was 6.5 years (0.1-28.8). ES was secondary,
      revealing another underlying disease, in 10% of cases; various associated immune
      manifestations (mainly lymphoproliferation, other autoimmune diseases, and
      hypogammaglobulinemia) were observed in 60% of cases; and ES remained primary in
      30% of cases. Five-year ITP and AIHA relapse-free survival were 25 and 61%,
      respectively. Overall, 69% of children required one or more second-line immune
      treatments, and 15 patients (10%) died at the age of 14.3 years (1.7-28.1). To
      our knowledge, this is the first consistent long-term clinical description of
      this rare syndrome. It underscores the high rate of associated immune
      manifestations and the burden of long-term complications and treatment toxicity.
      Future challenges include (1) the identification of the underlying genetic
      defects inducing immune dysregulation and (2) the need to better characterize
      patient subgroups and second-line treatment strategies. 

PMID- 26484339
TI  - Are Geographical "Cold Spots" of Male Circumcision Driving Differential HIV
      Dynamics in Tanzania?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Growing evidence suggests significant geographic clustering of male
      circumcision (MC) in Tanzania. The impact of spatial heterogeneity of MC
      prevalence on HIV transmission dynamics in this country is not well documented.
      The aim of this study was to assess the spatial association between MC and HIV
      infection in Tanzania. METHODS: Data from three Demographic and Health Survey
      rounds conducted in Tanzania were analyzed to identify spatial associations
      between MC and HIV using bivariate local indicators of spatial association
      (LISA). Spatial clusters with low MC prevalence (MC cold spots) were identified
      using scan statistics. HIV incidence rates for males and females within and
      outside the MC cold spots were calculated. RESULTS: Local indicators of spatial
      association analysis indicated a significant association between MC and HIV in
      the northern and southwestern regions of Tanzania. Scan statistics identified two
      MC cold spots in the same locations. Males located outside the MC cold spots had
      the lowest HIV incidence rate at 0.28 per 100 person-years at risk (pyar). HIV
      incidence in females located outside the MC cold spots increased from 0.40/100
      pyar during 2004-2008 to 0.68/100 pyar in 2008-2012. CONCLUSION: Our study
      provides evidence for a geographic association between MC and HIV in Tanzania. MC
      could be one of the key factors driving the geographical distribution of the HIV
      epidemic in the country. Furthermore, in areas where most males are circumcised,
      the HIV infection burden could be concentrating in the female population.
      Therefore, along with the voluntary medical MC program, efforts targeting the
      female population should also be considered.

PMID- 26484338
TI  - Beyond CD19: Opportunities for Future Development of Targeted Immunotherapy in
      Pediatric Relapsed-Refractory Acute Leukemia.
AB  - Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has been used as a targeted
      approach in cancer therapy. Relapsed and refractory acute leukemia in pediatrics
      has been difficult to treat with conventional therapy due to dose-limiting
      toxicities. With the recent success of CD 19 CAR in pediatric patients with B
      cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), this mode of therapy has become a very
      attractive option for these patients with high-risk disease. In this review, we
      will discuss current treatment paradigms of pediatric acute leukemia and
      potential therapeutic targets for additional high-risk populations, including T
      cell ALL, AML, and infant ALL. 

PMID- 26484340
TI  - Interferon Gamma-Based Detection of Latent Tuberculosis Infection in the Border
      States of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, Mexico.
AB  - Nearly one-third of the world's population is infected with latent tuberculosis
      (LTBI). Tuberculosis (TB) rates in the border states are higher than national
      rates in both the US and Mexico, with the border accounting for 30% of total
      registered TB cases in both countries. However, LTBI rates in the general
      population in Mexican border states are unknown. In this region, LTBI is
      diagnosed using the tuberculin skin test (TST). New methods of detection more
      specific than TST have been developed, although there is currently no gold
      standard for LTBI detection. Our objective is to demonstrate utility of the
      Quantiferon TB gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) test compared with the TST to detect LTBI
      among border populations. This is an observational, cross-sectional study carried
      out in border areas of the states of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, Mexico.
      Participants (n = 210) provided a TST and blood sample for the QFT-GIT. Kappa
      coefficients assessed the agreement between TST and QFT-GIT. Participant
      characteristics were compared using Fisher exact tests. Thirty-eight percent of
      participants were diagnosed with LTBI by QFT-GIT. The proportion of LTBI detected
      using QFT-GIT was almost double [38% (79/210)] that found by TST [19% (39/210)]
      (P < 0.001). Concordance between TST and QFT-GIT was low (kappa = 0.37). We
      recommend further studies utilizing the QFT-GIT test to detect LTBI among border
      populations. 

PMID- 26484342
TI  - Excitation-contraction coupling of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived
      cardiomyocytes.
AB  - Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) hold enormous
      potential in many fields of cardiovascular research. Overcoming many of the
      limitations of their embryonic counterparts, the application of iPSC-CMs ranges
      from facilitating investigation of familial cardiac disease and pharmacological
      toxicity screening to personalized medicine and autologous cardiac cell
      therapies. The main factor preventing the full realization of this potential is
      the limited maturity of iPSC-CMs, which display a number of substantial
      differences in comparison to adult cardiomyocytes. Excitation-contraction (EC)
      coupling, a fundamental property of cardiomyocytes, is often described in iPSC
      CMs as being more analogous to neonatal than adult cardiomyocytes. With Ca(2+)
      handling linked, directly or indirectly, to almost all other properties of
      cardiomyocytes, a solid understanding of this process will be crucial to fully
      realizing the potential of this technology. Here, we discuss the implications of
      differences in EC coupling when considering the potential applications of human
      iPSC-CMs in a number of areas as well as detailing the current understanding of
      this fundamental process in these cells. 

PMID- 26484341
TI  - Stimulating endogenous cardiac repair.
AB  - The healthy adult heart has a low turnover of cardiac myocytes. The renewal
      capacity, however, is augmented after cardiac injury. Participants in cardiac
      regeneration include cardiac myocytes themselves, cardiac progenitor cells, and
      peripheral stem cells, particularly from the bone marrow compartment. Cardiac
      progenitor cells and bone marrow stem cells are augmented after cardiac injury,
      migrate to the myocardium, and support regeneration. Depletion studies of these
      populations have demonstrated their necessary role in cardiac repair. However,
      the potential of these cells to completely regenerate the heart is limited.
      Efforts are now being focused on ways to augment these natural pathways to
      improve cardiac healing, primarily after ischemic injury but in other cardiac
      pathologies as well. Cell and gene therapy or pharmacological interventions are
      proposed mechanisms. Cell therapy has demonstrated modest results and has passed
      into clinical trials. However, the beneficial effects of cell therapy have
      primarily been their ability to produce paracrine effects on the cardiac tissue
      and recruit endogenous stem cell populations as opposed to direct cardiac
      regeneration. Gene therapy efforts have focused on prolonging or reactivating
      natural signaling pathways. Positive results have been demonstrated to activate
      the endogenous stem cell populations and are currently being tested in clinical
      trials. A potential new avenue may be to refine pharmacological treatments that
      are currently in place in the clinic. Evidence is mounting that drugs such as
      statins or beta blockers may alter endogenous stem cell activity. Understanding
      the effects of these drugs on stem cell repair while keeping in mind their
      primary function may strike a balance in myocardial healing. To maximize
      endogenous cardiac regeneration, a combination of these approaches could
      ameliorate the overall repair process to incorporate the participation of
      multiple cellular players. 

PMID- 26484343
TI  - Thyroxine transfer from cerebrospinal fluid into choroid plexus and brain is
      affected by brefeldin A, low sodium, BCH, and phloretin, in ventriculo-cisternal
      perfused rabbits.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thyroxine (T4) hormone is synthesized by the thyroid gland and then
      released into the systemic circulation where it binds to a number of proteins.
      Dysfunction in T4 transport mechanisms has been demonstrated in multiple central
      nervous system (CNS) diseases including Alzheimer's disease. In the presence of
      different compounds that inhibit potential T4 transport mechanisms, this study
      investigated the transfer of T4 from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) into Choroid
      Plexus (CP) and other brain tissues. The compounds used were brefeldin A, low
      sodium artificial CSF (aCSF), BCH, phloretin, and taurocholate (TA). METHODS:
      Radiolabeled T4 ((125)I-T4) was perfused continuously into the CSF and was
      assessed in several brain compartments with reference molecule (14)C-mannitol and
      blue dextran, using the in vivo ventriculo-cisternal perfusion (V-C) technique in
      the rabbit. The aCSF containing the drug of interest was infused after 1 h of
      perfusion. Drugs were applied independently to the aCSF after 1 h of control
      perfusion. RESULTS: Of interest, in presence of low sodium or BCH, the percentage
      recovery of (125)I-T4, was increased compared to controls, with concomitant
      increase in T4 clearance. Conversely, brefeldin A, phloretin, and TA did not
      exert any significant effect on the recovery and clearance of (125)I-T4 assessed
      in aCSF. On the other hand, the uptake of (125)I-T4 into CP was raised by 18 fold
      compared to controls in the presence of brefeldin A. In addition, low sodium,
      BCH, or phloretin alone, enhanced the uptake of (125)I-T4 by almost 3-fold,
      whereas TA did not show any significant effect. Finally, the uptake and
      distribution of (125)I-T4 into other brain regions including ependymal region
      (ER) and caudate putamen (CAP) were significantly higher than in controls.
      CONCLUSION: Our study suggests the involvement of different mechanisms for the
      transfer of (125)I-T4 from CSF into CP and other brain regions. This transfer may
      implicate sodium-dependent mechanisms, amino acid "L" system, or organic anion
      transporting polypeptide (OATP).

PMID- 26484344
TI  - How PI3K-derived lipids control cell division.
AB  - To succeed in cell division, intense cytoskeletal and membrane remodeling are
      required to allow accurate chromosome segregation and cytoplasm partitioning.
      Spatial restriction of the actin dynamics and vesicle trafficking define the cell
      symmetry and equivalent membrane scission events, respectively. Protein complexes
      coordinating mitosis are recruited to membrane microdomains characterized by the
      presence of the phosphatidylinositol lipid members (PtdIns), like PtdIns(3,4,5)P
      3,PtdIns(4,5)P 2, and PtdIns(3)P. These PtdIns represent a minor component of
      cell membranes, defining membrane domain identity, ultimately controlling
      cytoskeleton and membrane dynamics during mitosis. The coordinated presence of
      PtdIns(3,4,5)P 3 at the cell poles and PtdIns(4,5)P 2 at the cleavage furrow
      controls the polarity of the actin cytoskeleton leading to symmetrical cell
      division. In the endosomal compartment, the trafficking of PtdIns(3)P positive
      vesicles allows the recruitment of the protein machinery required for the
      abscission. 

PMID- 26484346
TI  - Commentary: A Hypothesis for Examining Skeletal Muscle Biopsy-Derived Sarcolemmal
      nNOSMU as Surrogate for Enteric nNOSalpha Function.

PMID- 26484347
TI  - Microsurgical Reconstruction of Extensive Oncological Scalp Defects.
AB  - Although most small to medium defects of the scalp can be covered by local flaps,
      large defects or complicating factors, such as a history of radiotherapy, often
      require a microsurgical reconstruction. Several factors need to be considered in
      such procedures. A sufficient preoperative planning is based on adequate imaging
      of the malignancy and a multi-disciplinary concept. Several flaps are available
      for such reconstructions, of which the latissimus dorsi and anterior-lateral
      thigh flaps are the most commonly used ones. In very large defects, combined
      flaps, such as a parascapular/latissimus dorsi flaps, can be highly useful or
      necessary. The most commonly used recipient vessels for microsurgical scalp
      reconstructions are the superficial temporal vessels, but various other feasible
      choices exist. If the concomitant veins are not sufficient, the jugular veins
      represent a safe back-up alternative but require a vessel interposition or long
      pedicle. Post-operative care and patient positioning can be difficult in these
      patients but can be facilitated by various devices. Overall, microsurgical
      reconstruction of large scalp defects is a feasible undertaking if the mentioned
      key factors are taken into account. 

PMID- 26484349
TI  - Corrigendum to "Heat Shock Protein 70 and 90 Genes in the Harmful Dinoflagellate
      Cochlodinium polykrikoides: Genomic Structures and Transcriptional Responses to
      Environmental Stresses".
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2015/484626.]. 

PMID- 26484348
TI  - Light-induced structural changes in a short light, oxygen, voltage (LOV) protein
      revealed by molecular dynamics simulations-implications for the understanding of
      LOV photoactivation.
AB  - The modularity of light, oxygen, voltage (LOV) blue-light photoreceptors has
      recently been exploited for the design of LOV-based optogenetic tools, which
      allow the light-dependent control of biological functions. For the understanding
      of LOV sensory function and hence the optimal design of LOV-based optogentic
      tools it is essential to gain an in depth atomic-level understanding of the
      underlying photoactivation and intramolecular signal-relay mechanisms. To address
      this question we performed molecular dynamics simulations on both the dark- and
      light-adapted state of PpSB1-LOV, a short dimeric bacterial LOV-photoreceptor
      protein, recently crystallized under constant illumination. While LOV dimers
      remained globally stable during the light-state simulation with regard to the
      Jalpha coiled-coil, distinct conformational changes for a glutamine in the
      vicinity of the FMN chromophore are observed. In contrast, multiple Jalpha-helix
      conformations are sampled in the dark-state. These changes coincide with a
      displacement of the Ibeta and Hbeta strands relative to the light-state structure
      and result in a correlated rotation of both LOV core domains in the dimer. These
      global changes are most likely initiated by the reorientation of the conserved
      glutamine Q116, whose side chain flips between the Abeta (dark state) and Hbeta
      strand (light state), while maintaining two potential hydrogen bonds to FMN-N5
      and FMN-O4, respectively. This local Q116-FMN reorientation impacts on an inter
      subunit salt-bridge (K117-E96), which is stabilized in the light state, hence
      accounting for the observed decreased mobility. Based on these findings we
      propose an alternative mechanism for dimeric LOV photoactivation and
      intramolecular signal-relay, assigning a distinct structural role for the
      conserved "flipping" glutamine. The proposed mechanism is discussed in light of
      universal applicability and its implications for the understanding of LOV-based
      optogenetic tools. 

PMID- 26484345
TI  - Mitochondrial dysfunction in inflammatory bowel disease.
AB  - Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) represents a group of idiopathic disorders
      characterized by chronic or recurring inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.
      While the exact etiology of disease is unknown, IBD is recognized to be a
      complex, multifactorial disease that results from an intricate interplay of
      genetic predisposition, an altered immune response, changes in the intestinal
      microbiota, and environmental factors. Together, these contribute to a
      destruction of the intestinal epithelial barrier, increased gut permeability, and
      an influx of immune cells. Given that most cellular functions as well as
      maintenance of the epithelial barrier is energy-dependent, it is logical to
      assume that mitochondrial dysfunction may play a key role in both the onset and
      recurrence of disease. Indeed several studies have demonstrated evidence of
      mitochondrial stress and alterations in mitochondrial function within the
      intestinal epithelium of patients with IBD and mice undergoing experimental
      colitis. Although the hallmarks of mitochondrial dysfunction, including oxidative
      stress and impaired ATP production are known to be evident in the intestines of
      patients with IBD, it is as yet unclear whether these processes occur as a cause
      of consequence of disease. We provide a current review of mitochondrial function
      in the setting of intestinal inflammation during IBD. 

PMID- 26484350
TI  - Application of Molecular Modeling to Development of New Factor Xa Inhibitors.
AB  - In consequence of the key role of factor Xa in the clotting cascade and absence
      of its activity in the processes that do not affect coagulation, this protein is
      an attractive target for development of new blood coagulation inhibitors. Factor
      Xa is more effective and convenient target for creation of anticoagulants than
      thrombin, inhibition of which may cause some side effects. This study is aimed at
      finding new inhibitors of factor Xa by molecular computer modeling including
      docking SOL and postdocking optimization DISCORE programs. After validation of
      molecular modeling methods on well-known factor Xa inhibitors the virtual
      screening of NCI Diversity and Voronezh State University databases of ready-made
      low molecular weight species has been carried out. Seventeen compounds selected
      on the basis of modeling results have been tested experimentally in vitro. It has
      been found that 12 of them showed activity against factor Xa (IC50 = 1.8-40 MUM).
      Based on analysis of the results, the new original compound was synthesized and
      experimentally verified. It shows activity against factor Xa with IC50 value of
      0.7 MUM. 

PMID- 26484351
TI  - Successive Intramuscular Boosting with IFN-Alpha Protects Mycobacterium bovis BCG
      Vaccinated Mice against M. lepraemurium Infection.
AB  - Leprosy caused by Mycobacterium leprae primarily affects the skin and peripheral
      nerves. As a human infectious disease, it is still a significant health and
      economic burden on developing countries. Although multidrug therapy is reducing
      the number of active cases to approximately 0.5 million, the number of cases per
      year is not declining. Therefore, alternative host-directed strategies should be
      addressed to improve treatment efficacy and outcome. In this work, using murine
      leprosy as a model, a very similar granulomatous skin lesion to human leprosy, we
      have found that successive IFN-alpha boosting protects BCG-vaccinated mice
      against M. lepraemurium infection. No difference in the seric isotype and all IgG
      subclasses measured, neither in the TH1 nor in the TH2 type cytokine production,
      was seen. However, an enhanced iNOS/NO production in BCG-vaccinated/i.m. IFN
      alpha boosted mice was observed. The data provided in this study suggest a
      promising use for IFN-alpha boosting as a new prophylactic alternative to be
      explored in human leprosy by targeting host innate cell response. 

PMID- 26484352
TI  - Glycated Albumin Levels in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Increase Relative to
      HbA1c with Time.
AB  - We recently reported that glycated albumin (GA) is increased in subjects with
      longer duration of diabetes and with decreased insulin secretory function. Based
      on this, we investigated whether GA increases with time relative to glycated
      hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the association between GA and beta-cell function. We
      analyzed 340 type 2 diabetes patients whose serum GA and HbA1c levels had been
      repeatedly measured over 4 years. We assessed the pattern of changes with time in
      glycemic indices (GA, HbA1c, and GA/HbA1c ratio) and their relationship with beta
      cell function. In all patients, glycemic indices decreased and maintained low
      levels around 15 and 27 months. However, from 39 months to 51 months, GA
      significantly increased but HbA1c tended to increase without statistical
      significance. We defined DeltaGA/HbA1c as the difference between the nadir point
      (at 15 to 27 months) and the end point (at 39 to 51 months) and found that
      DeltaGA/HbA1c was positively correlated with diabetes duration and negatively
      related to beta-cell function. In multivariable linear regression analyses,
      DeltaGA/HbA1c was independently associated with diabetes duration. In conclusion,
      this study demonstrated that serum GA levels increase relative to HbA1c levels
      with time. 

PMID- 26484354
TI  - Gene Expression-Genotype Analysis Implicates GSDMA, GSDMB, and LRRC3C as
      Contributors to Inflammatory Bowel Disease Susceptibility.
AB  - To investigate the biological foundation of the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD),
      ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, susceptibility locus rs2872507, we have
      investigated the expression of 13 genes using ileal and colonic biopsies from
      patients with IBD (inflamed and noninflamed mucosa) or from individuals without
      IBD (noninflamed mucosa). The susceptibility allele was consistently associated
      with reduced expression of GSDMB (P = 4.1 * 10(-3)-7.2 * 10(-10)). The
      susceptibility allele was also associated with the increased expression of GSDMA
      (P = 1.6 * 10(-4)) and LRRC3C (P = 7.8 * 10(-6)) in colon tissue from individuals
      without IBD and with the reduced expression of PGAP3 (IBD; P = 2.0 * 10(-3)) and
      ZPBP2 (Crohn's disease; P = 7.7 * 10(-4)) in noninflamed ileum. Inflammation
      resulted in the reduced colonic expression of ERBB2, GRB7, MIEN1, and PGAP3 (P =
      1.0 * 10(-4)-1.0 * 10(-9)) and the increased colonic expression of IKZF3 and CSF3
      (P = 2.4 * 10(-7)-3.5 * 10(-8)). Based on our results and published findings on
      GSDMA, GSDMB, LRRC3C, and related proteins, we propose that this locus in part
      affects IBD susceptibility via effects on apoptosis and cell proliferation and
      believe this hypothesis warrants further experimental investigation. 

PMID- 26484353
TI  - Antiviral Potential of Algae Polysaccharides Isolated from Marine Sources: A
      Review.
AB  - From food to fertilizer, algal derived products are largely employed in assorted
      industries, including agricultural, biomedical, food, and pharmaceutical
      industries. Among different chemical compositions isolated from algae,
      polysaccharides are the most well-established compounds, which were subjected to
      a variety of studies due to extensive bioactivities. Over the past few decades,
      the promising results for antiviral potential of algae-derived polysaccharides
      have advocated them as inordinate candidates for pharmaceutical research.
      Numerous studies have isolated various algal polysaccharides possessing antiviral
      activities, including carrageenan, alginate, fucan, laminaran, and naviculan. In
      addition, different mechanisms of action have been reported for these
      polysaccharides, such as inhibiting the binding or internalization of virus into
      the host cells or suppressing DNA replication and protein synthesis. This review
      strives for compiling previous antiviral studies of algae-derived polysaccharides
      and their mechanism of action towards their development as natural antiviral
      agents for future investigations. 

PMID- 26484355
TI  - High Prevalence of Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Autoantibodies in Infants with Food
      Protein-Induced Proctitis/Proctocolitis: Autoimmunity Involvement?
AB  - Background. Food protein-induced proctitis/proctocolitis (FPIP) is the most
      common noninfectious colitis in children in the first year of life. Along with
      the overall clinical symptoms, diarrhoea and rectal bleeding are the main
      manifestations of the disease. There is no routine noninvasive test that would be
      specific for this type of colitis. The aim of our study was to find a noninvasive
      laboratory test or tests that may be helpful in differential diagnosis of food
      protein-induced proctitis/proctocolitis. Methods. ANA, ANCA, ASCA, a-EMA, a-tTg,
      specific IgE, total IgE, IgG, IgA, IgM, and concentration of serum calprotectin
      were measured in a group of 25 patients with colitis and 18 children with other
      diagnoses. Results. Atypical-pANCA antibodies of IgG isotype were detected in the
      sera of 24 patients by the method of indirect immunofluorescence, and 5 patients
      showed also the positivity of IgA isotype. In control samples these
      autoantibodies were not detected. Other autoantibodies were not demonstrated in
      either patient or control group. Conclusions. Of the parameters tested in
      noninfectious colitis, atypical-pANCA on ethanol-fixed granulocytes appears to be
      a suitable serological marker of food protein-induced proctitis/proctocolitis and
      suggests a possible involvement of an autoimmune mechanisms in the pathogenesis
      of this disease. 

PMID- 26484356
TI  - An Automated Surveillance Strategy to Identify Infectious Complications After
      Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Procedures.
AB  - Background.  The optimum approach for infectious complication surveillance for
      cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) procedures is unclear. We created an
      automated surveillance tool for infectious complications after CIED procedures.
      Methods.  Adults having CIED procedures between January 1, 2005 and December 31,
      2011 at Duke University Hospital were identified retrospectively using
      International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision (ICD-9) procedure codes.
      Potential infections were identified with combinations of ICD-9 diagnosis codes
      and microbiology data for 365 days postprocedure. All microbiology-identified and
      a subset of ICD-9 code-identified possible cases, as well as a subset of
      procedures without microbiology or ICD-9 codes, were reviewed. Test performance
      characteristics for specific queries were calculated. Results.  Overall, 6097
      patients had 7137 procedures. Of these, 1686 procedures with potential infectious
      complications were identified: 174 by both ICD-9 code and microbiology, 14 only
      by microbiology, and 1498 only by ICD-9 criteria. We reviewed 558 potential
      cases, including all 188 microbiology-identified cases, 250 randomly selected ICD
      9 cases, and 120 with neither. Overall, 65 unique infections were identified,
      including 5 of 250 reviewed cases identified only by ICD-9 codes. Queries that
      included microbiology data and ICD-9 code 996.61 had good overall test
      performance, with sensitivities of approximately 90% and specificities of
      approximately 80%. Queries with ICD-9 codes alone had poor specificity.
      Extrapolation of reviewed infectious rates to nonreviewed cases yields an
      estimated rate of infection of 1.3%. Conclusions.  Electronic queries with
      combinations of ICD-9 codes and microbiologic data can be created and have good
      test performance characteristics for identifying likely infectious complications
      of CIED procedures. 

PMID- 26484357
TI  - Stx-Producing Shigella Species From Patients in Haiti: An Emerging Pathogen With
      the Potential for Global Spread.
AB  - Shiga toxins (Stx) are commonly produced by Shigella dysenteriae serotype 1 and
      Stx-producing Escherichia coli. However, the toxin genes have been detected in
      additional Shigella species. We recently reported the emergence of Stx-producing
      Shigella in travelers in the United States and France who had recently visited
      Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). In this study, we confirm this
      epidemiological link by identifying Stx-producing Shigella from Haitian patients
      attending clinics near Port-au-Prince. We also demonstrate that the bacteriophage
      encoding Stx is capable of dissemination to stx-negative Shigella species found
      in Haiti, suggesting that Stx-producing Shigella may become more widespread
      within that region. 

PMID- 26484358
TI  - Data from subjects receiving intrathecal laronidase for cervical spinal stenosis
      due to mucopolysaccharidosis type I.
AB  - Five subjects with mucopolysaccharidosis type I and symptomatic cervical spinal
      stenosis received intrathecal laronidase in a 4-month pilot study and/or a 12
      month extension study [1]. Clinical descriptions of study subjects, nonserious
      adverse events, individual data tables, and scoring system methods are provided.
      There were ten nonserious adverse events that occurred in more than one study
      subject. Somatosensory evoked potentials were absent in two subjects and normal
      in two subjects, limiting their utility as an endpoint. There were no significant
      changes in magnetic resonance imaging of cervical spinal cord or brain, pulmonary
      function tests, or cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure. These data are presented
      along with the scoring methods used in evaluation of the study subjects. 

PMID- 26484359
TI  - Supporting data of spatiotemporal proliferation of human stromal cells adjusts to
      nutrient availability and leads to stanniocalcin-1 expression in vitro and in
      vivo.
AB  - This data article contains seven figures and two tables supporting the research
      article entitled: spatiotemporal proliferation of human stromal cells adjusts to
      nutrient availability and leads to stanniocalcin-1 expression in vitro and in
      vivo[1]. The data explain the culture of stromal cells in vitro in three culture
      systems: discs, scaffolds and scaffolds in a perfusion bioreactor system. Also,
      quantification of extracellular matrix components (ECM) in vitro and staining of
      ECM components in vivo can be found here. Finally the quantification of blood
      vessels dimensions from CD31 signals and representative histograms of
      stanniocalcin-1 fluorescent signals in negative controls and experimental
      conditions in vivo are presented. 

PMID- 26484360
TI  - An update of the macaque testis proteome.
AB  - The genome sequence of rhesus macaque is a draft version with many errors and is
      lack of Y chromosome annotation. In the present dataset, we reanalyzed the
      previously published macaque testis proteome. We searched for refined protein
      sequences, potential Y chromosome proteins and transcripts predicted proteins in
      addition to the latest Ensembl protein sequences of macaque. A total of 74,433
      peptides corresponding to 9247 protein groups were identified, and the data are
      supplied in this paper. The updated version of macaque testis proteome provided
      evidences for predicted genes or transcripts at the peptide level. It can be used
      for further in-depth proteogenomic annotation of macaque genome and is useful for
      studying the mechanisms of macaque spermatogenesis. 

PMID- 26484361
TI  - Privacy Preserved and Secured Reliable Routing Protocol for Wireless Mesh
      Networks.
AB  - Privacy preservation and security provision against internal attacks in wireless
      mesh networks (WMNs) are more demanding than in wired networks due to the open
      nature and mobility of certain nodes in the network. Several schemes have been
      proposed to preserve privacy and provide security in WMNs. To provide complete
      privacy protection in WMNs, the properties of unobservability, unlinkability, and
      anonymity are to be ensured during route discovery. These properties can be
      achieved by implementing group signature and ID-based encryption schemes during
      route discovery. Due to the characteristics of WMNs, it is more vulnerable to
      many network layer attacks. Hence, a strong protection is needed to avoid these
      attacks and this can be achieved by introducing a new Cross-Layer and Subject
      Logic based Dynamic Reputation (CLSL-DR) mechanism during route discovery. In
      this paper, we propose a new Privacy preserved and Secured Reliable Routing
      (PSRR) protocol for WMNs. This protocol incorporates group signature, ID-based
      encryption schemes, and CLSL-DR mechanism to ensure strong privacy, security, and
      reliability in WMNs. Simulation results prove this by showing better performance
      in terms of most of the chosen parameters than the existing protocols. 

PMID- 26484362
TI  - Striving for Excellence in Health Promotion Pedagogy.

PMID- 26484363
TI  - Glycyrrhetinic acid-decorated and reduction-sensitive micelles to enhance the
      bioavailability and anti-hepatocellular carcinoma efficacy of tanshinone IIA.
AB  - It remains a challenge to increase drug tumor-specific accumulation as well as to
      achieve intracellular-controlled drug release for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
      chemotherapy. Herein, we developed a dual-functional biodegradable micellar
      system constituted by glycyrrhetinic acid coupling poly(ethylene glycol)
      disulfide linkage-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (GA-PEG-SS-PLGA) to achieve both
      hepatoma-targeting and redox-responsive intracellular drug release. Tanshinone
      IIA (TAN IIA), an effective anti-HCC drug, was encapsulated. Notably, it
      exhibited rapid aggregation and faster drug release in 10 mM dithiothreitol
      compared with the redox-insensitive control. Furthermore, GA-decorated micelles
      revealed HCC-specific cellular uptake in human liver cancer HepG2 cells with an
      energy-dependent manner, in which micropinocytosis and caveolae-mediated
      endocytosis were demonstrated as the major cellular pathways. The enhanced
      cytotoxicity and pro-apoptotic effects against HepG2 cells in vitro were
      observed, mediated by up-regulation of the intracellular ROS level, the increased
      cell cycle arrest at S phase, enhanced necrocytosis and up-regulation of caspase
      3/7, P38 protein expression. In addition, TAN IIA-loaded micelles had a
      significantly prolonged circulation time, improved bioavailability, and resulted
      in an increased accumulation of TAN IIA in the liver. With the synergistic
      effects of HCC-targeting and controlled drug release, TAN IIA-loaded GA-PEG-SS
      PLGA micelles significantly inhibited tumor growth and increased survival time in
      a mouse HCC-xenograft model. Collectively, the GA-PEG-SS-PLGA micelles with HCC
      targeting and redox-sensitive characters would provide a novel strategy to
      deliver TAN IIA effectively for HCC therapy. 

PMID- 26484364
TI  - Preparation of pH-responsive mesoporous hydroxyapatite nanoparticles for
      intracellular controlled release of an anticancer drug.
AB  - A well-defined core-shell nano-carrier (PAA-MHAPNs) was successfully synthesized
      based on a graft-onto method by using mesoporous hydroxyapatite nanoparticles
      (MHAPNs) as the core and polyacrylic acid (PAA) as the shell. Given that MHAPNs
      are regarded as one of the most promising drug delivery vehicles due to their
      excellent performance and the nature of their cancer cell anti-proliferative
      effect, and the grafted PAA, as a pH-responsive switch, could improve the loading
      amount of the drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) effectively by electrostatic
      interactions, all these advantages mean that the designed models show promise for
      application in pH-responsive drug delivery systems. The loading content and
      entrapment efficiency of DOX could reach up to 3.3% and 76%, respectively. The
      drug release levels of the constructed DOX@PAA-MHAPNs were low under normal
      physiological conditions (pH 7.4), but they could be increased significantly with
      a decrease of pH. Cytotoxicity assays indicated that the PAA-MHAPNs was
      biocompatible, and more importantly, the DOX@PAA-MHAPNs demonstrated an obvious
      ability to induce apoptosis of cancer cells. Overall, the synthesized systems
      should show great potential as drug nanovehicles with excellent biocompatibility,
      high drug loading, and pH-responsive features for future intracellular drug
      delivery. 

PMID- 26484365
TI  - Utilising inorganic nanocarriers for gene delivery.
AB  - The delivery of genetic materials into cells to elicit cellular responses has
      been extensively studied by biomaterials scientists globally. Many materials such
      as lipids, peptides, viruses, synthetically modified cationic polymers and
      certain inorganic nanomaterials could be used to complex the negatively charged
      plasmids and deliver the formed package into cells. The recent literature on the
      delivery of genetic materials utilising inorganic nanoparticles is carefully
      examined in this review. We have picked out the most relevant references and
      concisely summarised the findings with illustrated examples. We further propose
      alternative approaches and suggest future pathways towards the practical use of
      multifunctional nanocarriers. 

PMID- 26484366
TI  - Retraction notice to "Common genetic variants in the microRNA  biogenesis pathway
      are associated with malignant peripheral  nerve sheath tumor risk in a Chinese
      population"  [Cancer Epidemiol. 37 (2013) 913-916].
AB  - This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal
      (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy). This paper has been retracted
      at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. The Editors of Cancer Epidemiology were
      recently contacted by a reader who stated that the number of cases of malignant
      peripheral nerve sheath tumour (MPNST) reported in the paper referenced above was
      unfeasibly high and, furthermore, that the reader had evidence that the data
      reported in the paper was not true. The Editors contacted the authors for an
      explanation. The Editors of Cancer Epidemiology then received a communication
      from the Chief of the Department of Hand Surgery at Wuhan Union Hospital, the
      institution where the authors stated that the research took place, who confirmed
      that the hospital had not treated the number of patients reported in the paper
      and that there was no evidence that the research on MPNST was conducted at all.
      The authors of the paper have not responded to the Editors.

PMID- 26484367
TI  - Reflections: Neurology and The Humanities. Caring for Maggie.

PMID- 26484368
TI  - Author Response.

PMID- 26484369
TI  - Author Response.

PMID- 26484370
TI  - 50th anniversary of the Centre for  Rheumatic Diseases.

PMID- 26484371
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26484372
TI  - Number of school nurses drops as health problems rise.

PMID- 26484373
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26484374
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26484375
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26484376
TI  - Retraction.

PMID- 26484377
TI  - You've Got the Power.

PMID- 26484378
TI  - Study Scrutinizes Emergency Room Visits for Nontraumatic Dental Conditions.
      Dramatic 41% Increase in These Visits Spurs Call to Action.

PMID- 26484379
TI  - Should Dentists Screen Patients for Drug Misuse? Columbia University Study Asks
      Question; 71% of Queried Dentists Respond.

PMID- 26484380
TI  - Researchers Turn to the Silkworm to Regenerate Salivary Gland Cells.

PMID- 26484381
TI  - Computational Studies on Pd-Catalyzed Functionalization of Csp(2)-H Bonds Using a
      1,2,3-Triazole Directing Group: Cyclization versus Substitution.
AB  - The Pd-catalyzed functionalization of Csp(2)-H bonds using a 1,2,3-triazole
      directing group has been investigated by density functional theory calculations
      at the B3LYP level. The results of these calculations showed that the
      substitution pathway was kinetically favored over the cyclization pathway for the
      N2-pyridine-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxylic acid (TAPy)-directed functionalization of
      Csp(2)-H bonds, while the cyclization pathway was kinetically favored over the
      substitution pathway for the N1-aryl-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxylic acid (TAA)
      directed Csp(2)-H functionalization. The kinetic preference of the TAPy directing
      group for the substitution reaction can be attributed the reduced level of bond
      cleavage in the transition structure of the substitution step because the
      pyridine moiety of the TAPy directing group can act as a ligand for the Pd
      center. 

PMID- 26484382
TI  - Increased subcortical neural activity among HIV+ individuals during a lexical
      retrieval task.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deficits in lexical retrieval, present in approximately 40% of HIV+
      patients, are thought to reflect disruptions to frontal-striatal functions and
      may worsen with immunosuppression. Coupling frontal-striatal tasks such as
      lexical retrieval with functional neuroimaging may help delineate the
      pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying HIV-associated neurological dysfunction.
      OBJECTIVE: We examined whether HIV infection confers brain functional changes
      during lexical access and retrieval. It was expected that HIV+ individuals would
      demonstrate greater brain activity in frontal-subcortical regions despite minimal
      differences between groups on neuropsychological testing. Within the HIV+ sample,
      we examined associations between indices of immunosuppression (recent and nadir
      CD4+ count) and task-related signal change in frontostriatal structures. Method16
      HIV+ participants and 12 HIV- controls underwent fMRI while engaged in
      phonemic/letter and semantic fluency tasks. Participants also completed
      standardized measures of verbal fluency RESULTS: HIV status groups performed
      similarly on phonemic and semantic fluency tasks prior to being scanned. fMRI
      results demonstrated activation differences during the phonemic fluency task as a
      function of HIV status, with HIV+ individuals demonstrating significantly greater
      activation in BG structures than HIV- individuals. There were no significant
      differences in frontal brain activation between HIV status groups during the
      phonemic fluency task, nor were there significant brain activation differences
      during the semantic fluency task. Within the HIV+ group, current CD4+ count,
      though not nadir, was positively correlated with increased activity in the
      inferior frontal gyrus and basal ganglia. CONCLUSION: During phonemic fluency
      performance, HIV+ patients recruit subcortical structures to a greater degree
      than HIV- controls despite similar task performances suggesting that fMRI may be
      sensitive to neurocompromise before overt cognitive declines can be detected.
      Among HIV+ individuals, reduced activity in the frontal-subcortical structures
      was associated with lower CD4+ count.

PMID- 26484384
TI  - blaNDM-1 Carriage on IncR Plasmid in Enterobacteriaceae Strains.
AB  - Four NDM-1-producing Enterobacteriaceae strains (three Klebsiella pneumoniae and
      one Citrobacter koseri) were isolated between 2009 and 2011 through a nationwide
      surveillance for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Croatia to study the
      molecular genetic background of blaNDM and the responsible plasmid types.
      Phenotypically, the clinical strains proved to be multidrug resistant. All
      strains remained susceptible to tigecycline and colistin. The clinical strains
      harbored variable antibiotic resistance determinants, notably, blaNDM-1, blaTEM
      1, blaSHV-1, blaSHV-12, blaOXA-1, blaOXA-9, blaCTX-M-15, blaCMY-4, qnrB1, and
      aac(6')Ib-cr in different combinations. Two K. pneumoniae belonged to sequence
      type ST15 and one strain to ST16. As for the plasmid types, C. koseri and one of
      the ST15 K. pneumoniae carried IncR, and the second ST15 K. pneumoniae carried
      IncR and colE. The K. pneumoniae ST16 strain hosted A/C and colE plasmids. The
      blaNDM-1 gene was detected on conjugative high-molecular-weight plasmids, namely,
      A/C and IncR types. It is noteworthy that this is the first description of K.
      pneumoniae ST16 expressing NDM-1 in Europe. Remarkably, our study underscores the
      importance of the IncR plasmid as a reservoir of multidrug resistance. To the
      best of our knowledge, the IncR plasmid carrying blaNDM-1 in C. koseri is
      reported for the first time. 

PMID- 26484383
TI  - Reward, attention, and HIV-related risk in HIV+ individuals.
AB  - Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is often contracted through engaging in risky
      reward-motivated behaviors such as needle sharing and unprotected sex.
      Understanding the factors that make an individual more vulnerable to succumbing
      to the temptation to engage in these risky behaviors is important to limiting the
      spread of HIV. One potential source of this vulnerability concerns the degree to
      which an individual is able to resist paying attention to irrelevant reward
      information. In the present study, we examine this possible link by
      characterizing individual differences in value-based attentional bias in a sample
      of HIV+ individuals with varying histories of risk-taking behavior. Participants
      learned associations between experimental stimuli and monetary reward outcome.
      The degree of attentional bias for these reward-associated stimuli, reflected in
      their ability to capture attention when presented as task-irrelevant distractors,
      was then assessed both immediately and six months following reward learning.
      Value-driven attentional capture was related to substance abuse history and non
      planning impulsiveness during the time leading up to contraction of HIV as
      measured via self-report. These findings suggest a link between the ability to
      ignore reward-associated information and prior HIV-related risk-taking behavior.
      Additionally, particular aspects of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders were
      related to attentional bias, including motor deficits commonly associated with
      HIV-induced damage to the basal ganglia.

PMID- 26484386
TI  - Stability of Metal-Encapsulating Boron Fullerene B40.
AB  - The structural stability of MB40 (M = Li, Na, K, Ba, and Tl) is investigated on
      the basis of density-functional theory calculations at the PBE0 level. Particular
      attention is placed on the relative stability between the endohedral and
      exohedral configurations of metalloborospherenes. It is found that the Na and Ba
      atoms can be stably encapsulated inside the B40 cage, whereas the Li, K, and Tl
      atoms favor the exohedral configuration where the dopant caps one of heptagons of
      B40 cage. In-depth analysis of the endohedral versus exohedral configurations
      with different dopants suggests that besides the comparable atomic size with the
      cage size, another key factor that can affect stability of endohedral versus
      exohedral configuration is the interaction between the dopant and B atoms. The
      infrared (IR) spectra of the endohedral C2v Na@B40 and exohedral Cs Na&B40
      clusters are also computed, from which some useful spectral indictors may be used
      for identification of the structures in the future experiments. 

PMID- 26484385
TI  - Trifunctional Polymeric Nanocomposites Incorporated with Fe3O4/Iodine-Containing
      Rare Earth Complex for Computed X-ray Tomography, Magnetic Resonance, and Optical
      Imaging.
AB  - In this study, a novel polymerizable CT contrast agent integrating iodine with
      europium(III) has been developed by a facile and universal coordination chemistry
      method. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles are then incorporated into this iodine-containing
      europium complex by seed-emulsifier-free polymerization. The nanocomposites
      combining the difunctional complex and superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles,
      which have uniform size dispersion and high encapsulation rate, are suitable for
      computed X-ray tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and optical
      imaging. They possess good paramagnetic properties with a maximum saturation
      magnetization of 2.16 emu/g and a transverse relaxivity rate of 260 mM(-1) s(-1),
      and they exhibit obvious contrast effects with an iodine payload less than 4.8 mg
      I/mL. In the in vivo optical imaging assessment, vivid fluorescent dots can be
      observed in the liver and spleen by two-photon confocal scanning laser microscopy
      (CLSM). All the results showed that nanocomposites as polymeric trifunctional
      contrast agents have great clinical potential in CT, MR, and optical imaging. 

PMID- 26484387
TI  - Analysis of Hormone-Protein Binding in Solution by Ultrafast Affinity Extraction:
      Interactions of Testosterone with Human Serum Albumin and Sex Hormone Binding
      Globulin.
AB  - Ultrafast affinity extraction was used to study hormone-protein interactions in
      solution, using testosterone and its transport proteins human serum albumin (HSA)
      and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) as models. Both single column and two
      dimensional systems based on HSA microcolumns were utilized to measure the free
      fraction of testosterone in hormone/protein mixtures at equilibrium or that were
      allowed to dissociate for various lengths of time. These data were used to
      determine the association equilibrium constants (Ka) or global affinities (nKa')
      and dissociation rate constants (kd) for testosterone with soluble HSA and SHBG.
      This method was also used to measure simultaneously the free fraction of
      testosterone and its equilibrium constants with both these proteins in
      physiological mixtures of these agents. The kd and Ka values obtained for HSA
      were 2.1-2.2 s(-1) and 3.2-3.5 * 10(4) M(-1) at pH 7.4 and 37  degrees C. The
      corresponding constants for SHBG were 0.053-0.058 s(-1) and 0.7-1.2 * 10(9) M(
      1). All of these results gave good agreement with literature values, indicating
      that this approach could provide information on a wide range of rate constants
      and binding strengths for hormone-protein interactions in solution and at
      clinically relevant concentrations. The same method could be extended to
      alternative hormone-protein systems or other solutes and binding agents. 

PMID- 26484388
TI  - Personalized Adaptive Control of Training Load in Cardio-Exergames--A Feasibility
      Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article presents a feasibility study of using an algorithm for an
      individual and adaptive control of training load in an ergometer-controlled
      exergame for aerobic training. An additional goal was to investigate the effects
      of the adaptive game on the players' motivation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A two
      phase approach (calibration and exercise phase) was applied in a sample of 16
      physically active adults. In the cardio-exergame "LetterBird," the flight of a
      pigeon was controlled by the pedaling rate of a bike ergometer as input device.
      During the calibration phase the individual heart rate (HR) responses of the
      players were measured. In the exercise phase, these data were used to adjust the
      resistance of the ergometer using the proposed algorithm. The purpose of this
      algorithm was to induce an individually defined target HR and to keep it in a
      steady state. In order to establish a reference for further studies, the game
      experience was measured using the kids-Game Experience Questionnaire. RESULTS: In
      15 of 16 participants the actual HR reached the intended individual HR range
      within 10 minutes after onset of exercise. However, the induced HR initially
      exceeded the target HR in 13 participants, which made load adjustments necessary.
      The analysis of the kids-Game Experience Questionnaire confirmed the motivational
      effect of the exergame "LetterBird." CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that the
      proposed algorithm for personalized HR control in the game "LetterBird" is
      feasible. Furthermore, the cardio-exergame "LetterBird" seems to have a
      substantial short-term motivating effect.

PMID- 26484389
TI  - USA300 Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, United States, 2000-2013.
AB  - In the United States, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with the
      USA300 pulsed-field gel electrophoresis type causes most community-associated
      MRSA infections and is an increasingly common cause of health care-associated
      MRSA infections. USA300 probably emerged during the early 1990s. To assess the
      spatiotemporal diffusion of USA300 MRSA and USA100 MRSA throughout the United
      States, we systematically reviewed 354 articles for data on 33,543 isolates, of
      which 8,092 were classified as USA300 and 2,595 as USA100. Using the biomedical
      literature as a proxy for USA300 prevalence among genotyped MRSA samples, we
      found that USA300 was isolated during 2000 in several states, including
      California, Texas, and midwestern states. The geographic mean center of USA300
      MRSA then shifted eastward from 2000 to 2013. Analyzing genotyping studies
      enabled us to track the emergence of a new, successful MRSA type in space and
      time across the country. 

PMID- 26484391
TI  - DSEP: A Tool Implementing Novel Method to Predict Side Effects of Drugs.
AB  - Drug side effects, or adverse drug reactions, have become a focus of public
      health concern. Anticipating side effects before the drugs are granted marketing
      authorization for clinical use can help reduce health threats. An increasing need
      for methods and tools that facilitate side-effect prediction still remains. Here,
      we present DSEP, which is a tool that is able to analyze chemistry files to
      predict side effects of drugs that are under development and have not been
      included into any database. Meanwhile, DSEP provides three computational methods,
      one of which is a novel method proposed by us. The method can obtain higher
      AUC(0.8927) and AUPR(0.4143) scores than previous work. The advantage
      characteristic and method made DSEP a useful tool to predict potential side
      effects for a given drug or compound. We use DSEP to conduct uncharacterized
      drugs' side-effect prediction and confirm interesting results. 

PMID- 26484390
TI  - Tau Aggregation Propensity Engrained in Its Solution State.
AB  - A peptide fragment of the human tau protein which stacks to form neat cross beta
      sheet fibrils, resembling that found in pathological aggregation,
      (273)GKVQIINKKLDL(284) (here "R2/WT"), was modified with a spin-label at the N
      terminus. With the resulting peptide, R2/G273C-SL, we probed events at time
      scales spanning seconds to hours after aggregation is initiated using
      transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thioflavin T (THT) fluorescence, ion
      mobility mass spectrometry (IMMS), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and
      Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP) to determine if deliberate changes
      to its conformational states and population in solution influence downstream
      propensity to form fibrillar aggregates. We find varying solution conditions by
      adding the osmolyte urea or TMAO, or simply using different buffers (acetate
      buffer, phosphate buffer, or water), produces significant differences in early
      monomer/dimer populations and conformations. Crucially, these characteristics of
      the peptide in solution state before aggregation is initiated dictate the fibril
      formation propensity after aggregation. We conclude the driving forces that
      accelerate aggregation, when heparin is added, do not override the subtle intra-
      or interprotein interactions induced by the initial solvent conditions. In other
      words, the balance of protein-protein vs protein-solvent interactions present in
      the initial solution conditions is a critical driving force for fibril formation.

PMID- 26484392
TI  - Description and comparative study of physico-chemical parameters of the teleost
      fish skin mucus.
AB  - The study of mucosal surfaces, and in particular the fish skin and its secreted
      mucus, has been of great interest recently among immunologists. Measurement of
      the viscosity and other physico-chemical parameters (protein concentration, pH,
      conductivity, redox potential, osmolality and density) of the skin mucus can help
      to understand its biological functions. We have used five marine species of
      teleost: gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.), European sea bass (Dicentrarchus
      labrax L.), shi drum (Umbrina cirrosa L.), common dentex (Dentex dentex L.) and
      dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus L.), all of them with commercial interest
      in the aquaculture of the Mediterranean area. Mucus showed a direct shear- and
      temperature-dependent viscosity, with a non-Newtonian behavior, which differed
      however between two groups: one with higher viscosity (D. labrax, U. cirrosa, D.
      dentex) and the other with lower viscosity (S. aurata, E. marginatus). In
      addition, there was a clear interrelation between density and osmolality, as well
      as between density and temperature. Taking into account that high values of
      viscosity should improve the barrier effect against pathogens but low values of
      viscosity are needed for good locomotion characteristics, our results may help
      elucidate the relationship between physico-chemical and biological parameters of
      skin mucus, and disease susceptibility. 

PMID- 26484393
TI  - MicroRNA-29c overexpression inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis and
      differentiation in P19 embryonal carcinoma cells.
AB  - Compared to healthy controls, microRNA-29c (miR-29c) is highly expressed in the
      heart during progression towards ventricular septal defect. However, studies on
      miR-29c function in heart development are scarce. We investigated the role of miR
      29c in P19 cell proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation and the underlying
      mechanisms. We evaluated proliferation and cell cycle progression, detected
      morphological changes; apoptosis rate; BAX, BCL2, GATA binding protein 4 (GATA4),
      cardiac troponin T (cTnT), and myocyte enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C) expression; and
      caspase-3, -8, and -9 activity in miR-29c-overexpressing P19 cells, and
      investigated whether WNT4 was a miR-29c target. MiR-29c-overexpressing cells had
      decreased proliferation, increased G1 cells, and significantly higher apoptotic
      rate than the controls. Expression of the apoptosis-related BAX and BCL2 genes
      and caspase-3, -8, and -9 activity were significantly increased in miR-29c
      overexpressing cells. Expression of the cardiac-specific markers GATA4, cTnT, and
      MEF2C revealed promoted differentiation in miR-29c-overexpressing cells compared
      to the controls. Luciferase assay confirmed that WNT4 is a miR-29c target. Wnt4
      and beta-catenin expression was decreased in miR-29c-overexpressing cells. MiR
      29c inhibits P19 cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis and differentiation,
      possibly by suppressing Wnt4 signaling, whose deregulation contributes to
      congenital heart disease development. 

PMID- 26484394
TI  - Effect of heparin on the biological properties and molecular signature of human
      mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Chronic use of heparin as an anti-coagulant for the treatment of thrombosis or
      embolism invokes many adverse systemic events including thrombocytopenia,
      vascular reactions and osteoporosis. Here, we addressed whether adverse effects
      might also be directed to mesenchymal stem cells that reside in the bone marrow
      compartment. Harvested human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs)
      were exposed to varying doses of heparin and their responses profiled. At low
      doses (<200 ng/ml), serial passaging with heparin exerted a variable effect on
      hMSC proliferation and multipotentiality across multiple donors, while at higher
      doses (>= 100 MUg/ml), heparin supplementation inhibited cell growth and
      increased both senescence and cell size. Gene expression profiling using cDNA
      arrays and RNA-seq analysis revealed pleiotropic effects of low-dose heparin on
      signaling pathways essential to hMSC growth and differentiation (including the
      TGFbeta/BMP superfamily, FGFs, and Wnts). Cells serially passaged in low-dose
      heparin possess a donor-dependent gene signature that reflects their altered
      phenotype. Our data indicate that heparin supplementation during the culturing of
      hMSCs can alter their biological properties, even at low doses. This warrants
      caution in the application of heparin as a culture supplement for the ex vivo
      expansion of hMSCs. It also highlights the need for careful evaluation of the
      bone marrow compartment in patients receiving chronic heparin treatment.

PMID- 26484395
TI  - Identification of differentially methylated regions in new genes associated with
      knee osteoarthritis.
AB  - Epigenetic changes in articular chondrocytes are associated with osteoarthritis
      (OA) disease progression. Numerous studies have identified differentially
      methylated cytosines in OA tissues; however, the consequences of altered CpG
      methylation at single nucleotides on gene expression and phenotypes are difficult
      to predict. With the objective of detecting novel genes relevant to OA, we
      conducted a genome-wide assessment of differentially methylated sites (DMSs) and
      differentially methylated regions (DMRs). DNA was extracted from visually damaged
      and normal appearing, non-damaged human knee articular cartilage from the same
      joint and then subjected to reduced representation bisulfite sequencing. DMRs
      were identified using a genome-wide systematic bioinformatics approach. A sliding
      window of 500 bp was used for screening the genome for regions with clusters of
      DMSs. Gene expression levels were assessed and cell culture demethylation
      experiments were performed to further examine top candidate genes associated with
      damaged articular cartilage. More than 1000 DMRs were detected in damaged
      osteoarthritic cartilage. Nineteen of these contained five or more DMSs and were
      located in gene promoters or first introns and exons. Gene expression assessment
      revealed that hypermethylated DMRs in damaged samples were more consistently
      associated with gene repression than hypomethylated DMRs were with gene
      activation. Accordingly, a demethylation agent induced expression of most
      hypermethylated genes in chondrocytes. Our study revealed the utility of a
      systematic DMR search as an alternative to focusing on single nucleotide data. In
      particular, this approach uncovered promising candidates for functional studies
      such as the hypermethylated protein-coding genes FOXP4 and SHROOM1, which appear
      to be linked to OA pathology in humans and warrant further investigation.

PMID- 26484396
TI  - Near-peer teaching in medical education.

PMID- 26484397
TI  - Catalytic N-Alkylation of Amines Using Carboxylic Acids and Molecular Hydrogen.
AB  - A convenient, practical and green N-alkylation of amines has been accomplished by
      applying readily available carboxylic acids in the presence of molecular
      hydrogen. Applying an in situ formed ruthenium/triphos complex and an organic
      acid as cocatalyst, a broad range of alkylated secondary and tertiary amines are
      obtained in good to excellent yields. This novel method is also successfully
      applied for the synthesis of unsymmetrically substituted N-methyl/alkyl anilines
      through a direct three-component coupling reaction of the corresponding amines,
      carboxylic acids, and CO2 as a C1 source. 

PMID- 26484398
TI  - Exploring culturally competent primary care diabetes services: a single-city
      survey.
AB  - AIMS: To determine the cultural competence of diabetes services delivered to
      minority ethnic groups in a multicultural UK city with a diabetes prevalence of
      4.3%. METHODS: A semi-structured survey comprising 35 questions was carried out
      across all 66 general practices in Coventry between November 2011 and January
      2012. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The cultural competence of
      diabetes services reported in the survey was assessed using a culturally
      competent assessment tool (CCAT). RESULTS: Thirty-four general practices (52%)
      responded and six important findings emerged across those practices. (1) Ninety
      four per cent of general practices reported the ethnicity of their populations.
      (2) One in three people with diabetes was from a minority ethnic group. (3) Nine
      (26.5%) practices reported a diabetes prevalence of between 55% and 96% in
      minority ethnic groups. (4) The cultural competences of diabetes services were
      assessed using CCAT; 56% of practices were found to be highly culturally
      competent and 26% were found to be moderately culturally competent. (5) Ten
      practices (29%) reported higher proportionate attendance at diabetes annual
      checks in the majority white British population compared with minority ethnic
      groups. (6) Cultural diversity in relation to language and strong cultural
      traditions around food were most commonly reported as barriers to culturally
      competent service delivery. CONCLUSIONS: Seven of the eight cultural barriers
      identified in the global evidence were present in the city. Use of the CCAT to
      assess existing service provision and the good baseline recording of ethnicity
      provide a sound basis for commissioning culturally competent interventions in the
      future.

PMID- 26484400
TI  - A Comparison of Kinetic Photon Cell Survival Models.
AB  - We report here on a qualitative and quantitative comparison of four kinetic
      photon cell survival models. The commonly used linear-quadratic model extended by
      a dose protraction factor, the lethal potentially lethal model, the repair
      misrepair model and the recently reported Giant LOop Binary LEsion (GLOBLE) model
      are discussed with respect to the proposed underlying biological mechanisms
      explaining the cellular response to radiation. Furthermore, with the use of eight
      benchmarks, the accuracy, reliability, resolution power and robustness of the
      models are assessed and compared. This work demonstrates that the linear
      quadratic, lethal potentially lethal and GLOBLE models often perform equivalently
      and that the repair misrepair model appears to have some drawbacks regarding the
      end points under investigation. 

PMID- 26484399
TI  - High Levels of Dietary Supplement Vitamins A, C and E are Absorbed in the Small
      Intestine and Protect Nutrient Transport Against Chronic Gamma Irradiation.
AB  - We examined nutrient transport in the intestines of mice exposed to chronic low
      LET 137Cs gamma rays. The mice were whole-body irradiated for 3 days at dose
      rates of 0, 0.13 and 0.20 Gy/h, for total dose delivery of 0, 9.6 or 14.4 Gy,
      respectively. The mice were fed either a control diet or a diet supplemented with
      high levels of vitamins A, C and E. Our results showed that nutrient transport
      was perturbed by the chronic irradiation conditions. However, no apparent
      alteration of the macroscopic intestinal structures of the small intestine were
      observed up to day 10 after initiating irradiation. Jejunal fructose uptake
      measured in vitro was strongly affected by the chronic irradiation, whereas
      uptake of proline, carnosine and the bile acid taurocholate in the ileum was less
      affected. D-glucose transport did not appear to be inhibited significantly by
      either 9.6 or 14.4 Gy exposure. In the 14.4 Gy irradiated groups, the diet
      supplemented with high levels of vitamins A, C and E increased intestinal
      transport of fructose compared to the control diet (day 10; t test, P = 0.032),
      which correlated with elevated levels of vitamins A, C and E in the plasma and
      jejunal enterocytes. Our earlier studies with mice exposed acutely to 137Cs gamma
      rays demonstrated significant protection for transport of fructose, glucose,
      proline and carnosine. Taken together, these results suggest that high levels of
      vitamins A, C and E dietary supplements help preserve intestinal nutrient
      transport when intestines are irradiated chronically or acutely with low-LET
      gamma rays.

PMID- 26484401
TI  - Inhibition of Fatty Acid Synthase Sensitizes Prostate Cancer Cells to
      Radiotherapy.
AB  - Many common human cancers, including colon, prostate and breast cancer, express
      high levels of fatty acid synthase compared to normal human tissues. This
      elevated expression is associated with protection against apoptosis, increased
      metastasis and poor prognosis. Inhibitors of fatty acid synthase, such as the
      cerulenin synthetic analog C75, decrease prostate cancer cell proliferation,
      increase apoptosis and decrease tumor growth in experimental models. Although
      radiotherapy is widely used in the treatment of prostate cancer patients, the
      risk of damage to neighboring normal organs limits the radiation dose that can be
      delivered. In this study, we examined the potential of fatty acid synthase
      inhibition to sensitize prostate cancer cells to radiotherapy. The efficacy of
      C75 alone or in combination with X irradiation was examined in monolayers and in
      multicellular tumor spheroids. Treatment with C75 alone decreased clonogenic
      survival, an effect that was abrogated by the antioxidant. C75 treatment also
      delayed spheroid growth in a concentration-dependent manner. The radiosensitizing
      effect of C75 was indicated by combination index values between 0.65 and 0.71 and
      the reduced surviving fraction of clonogens, in response to 2 Gy X irradiation,
      from 0.51 to 0.30 and 0.11 in the presence of 25 and 35 MUM C75, respectively.
      This increased sensitivity to radiation was reduced by the presence of the
      antioxidant. The C75 treatment also enhanced the spheroid growth delay induced by
      X irradiation in a supra-additive manner. The level of radiation-induced
      apoptosis in prostate cancer cells was increased further by C75, which induced
      cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase, but only at a concentration greater than
      that required for radiosensitization. Radiation-induced G2/M blockade was not
      affected by C75 treatment. These results suggest the potential use of fatty acid
      synthase inhibition to enhance the efficacy of radiotherapy of prostate carcinoma
      and that C75-dependent cell cycle arrest is not responsible for its
      radiosensitizing effect. 

PMID- 26484403
TI  - THE EMERGING ROLE OF ADJUNCTIVE NONINSULIN ANTIHYPERGLYCEMIC THERAPY IN THE
      MANAGEMENT OF TYPE 1 DIABETES.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Review available data on adjunctive therapies for type 1 diabetes
      (T1D), with a special focus on newer antihyperglycemic agents. METHODS: Published
      data on hypoglycemia, obesity, mortality, and goal attainment in T1D were
      reviewed to determine unmet therapeutic needs. PubMed databases and abstracts
      from recent diabetes meetings were searched using the term "type 1 diabetes" and
      the available and investigational sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT) inhibitors,
      glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, dipeptidyl peptidase 4
      inhibitors, and metformin. RESULTS: The majority of patients with T1D do not meet
      glycated hemoglobin (A1C) goals established by major diabetes organizations.
      Hypoglycemia risks and a rising incidence of obesity and metabolic syndrome
      featured in the T1D population limit optimal use of intensive insulin therapy.
      Noninsulin antihyperglycemic agents may enable T1D patients to achieve target A1C
      levels using lower insulin doses, which may reduce the risk of hypoglycemia. In
      pilot studies, the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin and the GLP-1 receptor agonist
      liraglutide reduced blood glucose, weight, and insulin dose in patients with T1D.
      Phase 2 studies with the SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin and the dual SGLT1 and
      SGLT2 inhibitor sotagliflozin, which acts in the gut and the kidney, have
      demonstrated reductions in A1C, weight, and glucose variability without an
      increased incidence of hypoglycemia. CONCLUSION: Newer antihyperglycemic agents,
      particularly GLP-1 agonists, SGLT2 inhibitors, and dual SGLT1 and SGLT2
      inhibitors, show promise as adjunctive treatment for T1D that may help patients
      achieve better glucose control without weight gain or increased hypoglycemia.

PMID- 26484402
TI  - Quantification of a bifunctional drug in the presence of an immune response: a
      ligand-binding assay specific for 'active' drug.
AB  - AIM: During development of biologics, safety and efficacy assessments are often
      hampered by immune responses to the treatment. The raised antidrug antibodies
      (ADA) might interfere with the bioanalytical method and complicate result
      interpretation if non-fully characterized bioanalytical methods were applied.
      METHODS: Here, we report an approach to characterize a ligand-binding assay (LBA)
      for the quantification of active drug exposure of a bifunctional therapeutic
      protein in the presence of antidrug antibodies, by correlating LBA results with
      those of a cell-based PK assay. RESULTS: A clear correlation between both assays
      could be observed when monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against the toxin
      moiety of the drug were used as ADA surrogates, and results were confirmed with
      human ADA-positive sera. CONCLUSION: The observed correlation between the LBA
      based and cell-based PK assay indicated the suitability of the developed LBA for
      the determination of active drug exposure in the presence of an immune response.

PMID- 26484404
TI  - OPPORTUNISTIC SCREENING FOR DIABETES AND PREDIABETES USING HEMOGLOBIN A1C IN AN
      URBAN PRIMARY CARE SETTING.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In 2010, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) endorsed hemoglobin
      A1c (HbA1c) as 1 of 3 tests for diabetes and prediabetes screening. We describe
      the use of HbA1c testing for screening during routine visits in primary care
      clinics of an urban health care system in the U.S. METHODS: In 2013 to 2014,
      retrospective analyses of deidentified electronic health records over a 2-year
      period, January 2010 to December 2011, for academic private practices (clinic
      group 1) and federally-qualified Community Health Centers (clinic group 2)
      identified 11,885 adults without prior diabetes or recent HbA1c testing. We
      estimated the proportion of patients eligible for screening according to ADA and
      U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines and calculated the
      potential yield of previously undiagnosed diabetes or prediabetes among those who
      received at least 1 HbA1c test. RESULTS: Overall, 3,316 and 5,613 patients of
      clinic groups 1 and 2 (75.2% of each) were eligible for screening by ADA
      guidelines, while only 1,764 (39.9%) of clinic group 1 and 3,799 (50.9%) of
      clinic group 2 were eligible by USPSTF guidelines. In those eligible by either
      guideline, 731 (21.4%) patients of clinic group 1 and 1,293 (21.5%) of clinic
      group 2 received HbA1c testing; among these, in 71 (9.7%) and 121 (9.4%) patients
      from clinic groups 1 and 2, respectively, HbA1c results were in the diabetes
      range, and in 330 (45.2%) and 733 (56.7%), results were in the prediabetes range.
      CONCLUSION: In urban primary care settings, appropriate HbA1c testing could
      result in the detection of a substantial number of previously undiagnosed
      diabetes and prediabetes cases needing treatment.

PMID- 26484405
TI  - GLUCAGON PRESCRIPTION PATTERNS IN PATIENTS WITH EITHER TYPE 1 OR 2 DIABETES WITH
      NEWLY PRESCRIBED INSULIN.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe glucagon prescription patterns in patients with type 1
      (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes (T2DM) who received an initial insulin prescription.
      METHODS: Retrospective analyses were conducted with data from Truven Health
      MarketScan databases to assess time to glucagon prescriptions: filled within 1.5
      months after index date (early) or after 1.5 months postindex (nonearly). The
      index date was the date of first insulin prescription between January 1, 2009 and
      December 31, 2011; for T2DM, without an insulin prescription in the previous 6
      months; for T1DM, diabetes diagnosis preindex or within 3 months postindex.
      RESULTS: Analysis included 8,814 patients with T1DM and 47,051 with T2DM (49.3%
      and 2.4%, respectively) who had glucagon prescriptions filled. The median times
      to first glucagon prescription were 196 days (T1DM) and 288 days (T2DM). The
      rates of filling glucagon were highest in the first 1.5 months. The times to
      first hypoglycemia-related emergency room (ER) visit for T1DM and T2DM cohorts
      were initially similar for those with early glucagon versus nonearly glucagon
      prescriptions. After 10.8 and 2.5 months postindex, respectively, the percentage
      of hypoglycemia-related ER visits was lower for those with early glucagon
      prescriptions. CONCLUSION: Glucagon prescriptions filled for patients with
      diabetes who are initiating insulin are low. Patients with T1DM who were younger
      and healthier filled glucagon prescriptions more often; patients with T2DM who
      were younger and sicker and had a higher percentage of hypoglycemia-related ER
      visit history filled glucagon prescriptions more often. Glucagon filled early was
      associated with a lower incidence of hypoglycemia-related ER visits.

PMID- 26484406
TI  - EMPLOYING CONTINUOUS SUBCUTANEOUS INSULIN INFUSION THERAPY IN THE OPERATING
      SUITE: CURRENT STATE AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS.

PMID- 26484408
TI  - SGLT-2 INHIBITION ADDED TO GLP-1 AGONIST THERAPY FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES: WHAT IS THE
      BENEFIT?

PMID- 26484407
TI  - INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR BINDING PROTEIN 1 PREDICTS INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND
      INSULIN AREA-UNDER-THE-CURVE IN OBESE, NONDIABETIC ADOLESCENTS.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare fasting insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP
      1) to other fasting indices as a surrogate marker of insulin sensitivity and
      resistance calculated from a 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT). METHODS:
      Fasting IGFBP-1 and oGTT were performed at 0 (n = 77), 52 (n = 54), and 100 (n =
      38) weeks in a study investigating metformin treatment of obesity in adolescents.
      Insulin area-under-the-curve (IAUC) and the composite insulin sensitivity index
      (CISI) calculated from the oGTT were compared to fasting IGFBP-1, homeostasis
      model assessment-insulin resistance, and corrected insulin release at the glucose
      peak (CIRgp). RESULTS: IGFBP-1 and the ratio of IGFBP-1 to fasting insulin were
      significantly correlated with indices based on timed sampling, including IAUC,
      CISI, and CIRgp. In addition, a significant effect of IGFBP-1, but not IGFBP-1 to
      insulin at time zero, was observed for IAUC and CISI. CONCLUSION: Our results
      indicate that fasting IGFBP-1 may be a useful marker of insulin sensitivity and
      secretion.

PMID- 26484409
TI  - SERUM ADIPONECTIN AND INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR 1 IN PREDOMINANTLY FEMALE
      PATIENTS WITH THYROID CANCER: ASSOCIATION WITH THE HISTOLOGIC CHARACTERISTICS OF
      THE TUMOR.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and adiponectin have been proposed
      to contribute to the pathogenesis of different malignancies. However, data
      regarding their association with histologic characteristics of thyroid cancer are
      scarce. The main aims of the present study were the comparative evaluation of IGF
      1, IGF-binding protein 3 (BP3), and adiponectin serum levels between different
      histologic types of thyroid cancer, as well as within specific histologic
      characteristics of the tumors. METHODS: A total of 179 thyroid cancer patients
      (126 [70.4%] women) were recruited. A total of 129 (72.1%) had papillary thyroid
      carcinoma (including variants), 26 had follicular thyroid carcinoma (14.5%), and
      24 had medullary thyroid carcinoma (13.4%). Parameters from history, physical
      examination, and thyroid histology were selected. Serum adiponectin, IGF-1, and
      IGF-BP3 were measured in fasting morning samples. RESULTS: IGF-1, IGF-BP3, and
      adiponectin levels were similar among different histologic types of thyroid
      carcinoma, with a trend towards higher IGF-1 and IGF-BP3 levels in patients with
      intrathyroid invasion, compared to those without. In addition, ratios of IGF-1 to
      adiponectin (P = .012) and IGF-1 to (adiponectin * IGF-BP3) (P = .003), as well
      as type 2 diabetes (P = .001), were positively associated with tumor size.
      CONCLUSION: Although IGF-1, IGF-BP3, and adiponectin were not separately
      different between groups or within specific histologic lesions, when they were
      combined to produce IGF-1 to adiponectin and IGF-1 to (adiponectin * IGF-BP3)
      ratios, they were independently associated with tumor size. Future prospective
      studies are needed to evaluate whether these ratios could serve as prognostic
      markers of thyroid tumor aggressiveness.

PMID- 26484410
TI  - Molecular effects of Lapatinib in the treatment of HER2 overexpressing oesophago
      gastric adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lapatinib, a dual EGFR and HER2 inhibitor has shown disappointing
      results in clinical trials of metastatic oesophago-gastric adenocarcinomas
      (OGAs), and in vitro studies suggest that MET, IGFR, and HER3 confer resistance.
      This trial applied Lapatinib in the curative neoadjuvant setting and investigated
      the feasibility and utility of additional endoscopy and biopsy for assessment of
      resistance mechanisms ex vivo and in vivo. METHODS: Patients with HER2
      overexpressing OGA were treated for 10 days with Lapatinib monotherapy, and then
      in combination with three cycles of Oxaliplatin and Capecitabine before surgery.
      Endoscopic samples were taken for molecular analysis at: baseline including for
      ex vivo culture +/- Lapatinib to predict in vivo response, post-Lapatinib
      monotherapy and at surgery. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and proteomic analysis was
      performed to assess cell kinetics and signalling activity. RESULTS: The trial
      closed early (n=10) due to an anastomotic leak in two patients for which a
      causative effect of Lapatinib could not be excluded. The reduction in
      Phosphorylated-HER2 (P-HER2) and P-EGFR in the ex vivo-treated biopsy
      demonstrated good correlation with the in vivo response at day 10. Proteomic
      analysis pre and post-Lapatinib demonstrated target inhibition (P-ERBB2, P-EGFR,
      P-PI3K, P-AKT, and P-ERK) that persisted until surgery. There was also
      significant correlation between the activation of MET with the level of P-Erk
      (P=0.0005) and P-PI3K : T-PI3K (total PI3K) ratio (P=0.0037). There was no
      significant correlation between the activation status of IGFR and HER3 with
      downstream signalling molecules. CONCLUSIONS: Additional endoscopy and biopsy
      sampling for multiple biomarker endpoints was feasible and confirmed in vitro
      data that MET is likely to be a significant mechanism of Lapatinib resistance in
      vivo.

PMID- 26484411
TI  - Impact of mutational status on survival in low-grade serous carcinoma of the
      ovary or peritoneum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary or peritoneum is a distinct,
      well- recognized histologic subtype characterized by young age at diagnosis,
      relative chemoresistance, and prolonged overall survival. Common mutations
      reported to be found within this subtype include KRAS and BRAF. METHODS: Using
      clinical information of patients from our IRB-approved registry and tissue from a
      subset of these patients, we performed mutational analysis for KRAS and BRAF
      using the direct Sanger sequencing technique and correlated findings with the
      clinical outcome, overall survival (OS). RESULTS: In 79 cases, patients with KRAS
      or BRAF mutations (n=21) had a significantly better OS than those with wild-type
      KRAS or BRAF (n=58) (106.7 months (95% CI, 50.6, 162.9) vs 66.8 months (95% CI,
      43.6, 90.0)), respectively (P=0.018). CONCLUSIONS: Mutational status appears to
      be a potential prognostic factor in low-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary or
      peritoneum.

PMID- 26484412
TI  - Residential exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields and risk of
      childhood leukaemia, CNS tumour and lymphoma in Denmark.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We previously reported that children exposed to elevated extremely
      low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) had a five to six times higher risk of
      leukaemia, central nervous system (CNS) tumour and malignant lymphoma. Here we
      extend the study from 1968 to 1986 through 2003. METHODS: We included 3277
      children with leukaemia, CNS tumour or malignant lymphoma during 1968-2003
      recorded in the Danish Cancer Registry and 9129 controls randomly selected from
      the Danish childhood population. ELF-MF from 50 to 400 kV facilities were
      calculated at the residences. RESULTS: For recently diagnosed cases (1987-2003),
      the relative risk (RR) was 0.88 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.32-2.42), while
      for the total period (1968-2003) it was 1.63 (95% CI: 0.77-3.46) for leukaemia,
      CNS tumour and malignant lymphoma combined for exposures ?0.4 MUT compared with
      <0.1 MUT. These results were based on five cases (recent period) and 11 cases
      (total period) in the highest exposure group. CONCLUSIONS: We did not confirm the
      previous finding of a five- to six-fold higher risk for leukaemia, CNS tumour and
      malignant lymphoma when including data from the more recent time period. For the
      total time period, the results for childhood leukaemia were in line with large
      pooled analyses showing RRs between 1.5 and 2.

PMID- 26484413
TI  - The melanoma-specific graded prognostic assessment does not adequately
      discriminate prognosis in a modern population with brain metastases from
      malignant melanoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The melanoma-specific graded prognostic assessment (msGPA) assigns
      patients with brain metastases from malignant melanoma to 1 of 4 prognostic
      groups. It was largely derived using clinical data from patients treated in the
      era that preceded the development of newer therapies such as BRAF, MEK and immune
      checkpoint inhibitors. Therefore, its current relevance to patients diagnosed
      with brain metastases from malignant melanoma is unclear. This study is an
      external validation of the msGPA in two temporally distinct British populations.
      METHODS: Performance of the msGPA was assessed in Cohort I (1997-2008, n=231) and
      Cohort II (2008-2013, n=162) using Kaplan-Meier methods and Harrell's c-index of
      concordance. Cox regression was used to explore additional factors that may have
      prognostic relevance. RESULTS: The msGPA does not perform well as a prognostic
      score outside of the derivation cohort, with suboptimal statistical calibration
      and discrimination, particularly in those patients with an intermediate
      prognosis. Extra-cerebral metastases, leptomeningeal disease, age and potential
      use of novel targeted agents after brain metastases are diagnosed, should be
      incorporated into future prognostic models. CONCLUSIONS: An improved prognostic
      score is required to underpin high-quality randomised controlled trials in an
      area with a wide disparity in clinical care.

PMID- 26484414
TI  - 3D Hydrogel Scaffolds for Articular Chondrocyte Culture and Cartilage Generation.
AB  - Human articular cartilage is highly susceptible to damage and has limited self
      repair and regeneration potential. Cell-based strategies to engineer cartilage
      tissue offer a promising solution to repair articular cartilage. To select the
      optimal cell source for tissue repair, it is important to develop an appropriate
      culture platform to systematically examine the biological and biomechanical
      differences in the tissue-engineered cartilage by different cell sources. Here we
      applied a three-dimensional (3D) biomimetic hydrogel culture platform to
      systematically examine cartilage regeneration potential of juvenile, adult, and
      osteoarthritic (OA) chondrocytes. The 3D biomimetic hydrogel consisted of
      synthetic component poly(ethylene glycol) and bioactive component chondroitin
      sulfate, which provides a physiologically relevant microenvironment for in vitro
      culture of chondrocytes. In addition, the scaffold may be potentially used for
      cell delivery for cartilage repair in vivo. Cartilage tissue engineered in the
      scaffold can be evaluated using quantitative gene expression, immunofluorescence
      staining, biochemical assays, and mechanical testing. Utilizing these outcomes,
      we were able to characterize the differential regenerative potential of
      chondrocytes of varying age, both at the gene expression level and in the
      biochemical and biomechanical properties of the engineered cartilage tissue. The
      3D culture model could be applied to investigate the molecular and functional
      differences among chondrocytes and progenitor cells from different stages of
      normal or aberrant development. 

PMID- 26484415
TI  - Oncogenomic portals for the visualization and analysis of genome-wide cancer
      data.
AB  - Somatically acquired genomic alterations that drive oncogenic cellular processes
      are of great scientific and clinical interest. Since the initiation of large
      scale cancer genomic projects (e.g., the Cancer Genome Project, The Cancer Genome
      Atlas, and the International Cancer Genome Consortium cancer genome projects), a
      number of web-based portals have been created to facilitate access to
      multidimensional oncogenomic data and assist with the interpretation of the data.
      The portals provide the visualization of small-size mutations, copy number
      variations, methylation, and gene/protein expression data that can be correlated
      with the available clinical, epidemiological, and molecular features.
      Additionally, the portals enable to analyze the gathered data with the use of
      various user-friendly statistical tools. Herein, we present a highly illustrated
      review of seven portals, i.e., Tumorscape, UCSC Cancer Genomics Browser, ICGC
      Data Portal, COSMIC, cBioPortal, IntOGen, and BioProfiling.de. All of the
      selected portals are user-friendly and can be exploited by scientists from
      different cancer-associated fields, including those without bioinformatics
      background. It is expected that the use of the portals will contribute to a
      better understanding of cancer molecular etiology and will ultimately accelerate
      the translation of genomic knowledge into clinical practice. 

PMID- 26484416
TI  - Targeting mitochondrial RNA polymerase in acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells have high oxidative phosphorylation and
      mitochondrial mass and low respiratory chain spare reserve capacity. We reasoned
      that targeting the mitochondrial RNA polymerase (POLRMT), which indirectly
      controls oxidative phosphorylation, represents a therapeutic strategy for AML.
      POLRMT-knockdown OCI-AML2 cells exhibited decreased mitochondrial gene
      expression, decreased levels of assembled complex I, decreased levels of
      mitochondrially-encoded Cox-II and decreased oxidative phosphorylation. POLRMT
      knockdown cells exhibited an increase in complex II of the electron transport
      chain, a complex comprised entirely of subunits encoded by nuclear genes, and
      POLRMT-knockdown cells were resistant to a complex II inhibitor
      theonyltrifluoroacetone. POLRMT-knockdown cells showed a prominent increase in
      cell death. Treatment of OCI-AML2 cells with 10-50 uM 2-C-methyladenosine (2-CM),
      a chain terminator of mitochondrial transcription, reduced mitochondrial gene
      expression and oxidative phosphorylation, and increased cell death in a
      concentration-dependent manner. Treatment of normal human hematopoietic cells
      with 2-CM at concentrations of up to 100 uMdid not alter clonogenic growth,
      suggesting a therapeutic window. In an OCI-AML2 xenograft model, treatment with 2
      CM (70 mg/kg, i.p., daily) decreased the volume and mass of tumours to half that
      of vehicle controls. 2-CM did not cause toxicity to major organs. Overall, our
      results in a preclinical model contribute to the functional validation of the
      utility of targeting the mitochondrial RNA polymerase as a therapeutic strategy
      for AML. 

PMID- 26484417
TI  - Pattern of distant metastases in colorectal cancer: a SEER based study.
AB  - More and more evidences suggest that primary colon and rectum tumors should not
      be considered as a single disease entity. In this manuscript, we evaluate the
      metastatic patterns of colon and rectum cancers and analyze the potential
      distribution of metastatic disease in these two malignancies. Data queried for
      this analysis include colorectal adenocarcinoma (2010-2011) from the
      Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) database. Metastatic
      distribution information was provided for liver, lung, bone and brain. All of
      statistical analyses were performed using the Intercooled Stata 13.0 (Stata
      Corporation, College Station, TX). All statistical tests were two-sided. Totally,
      there were 46,027 eligible patients for analysis. We found that colon cancer had
      a higher incident rate of liver metastasis than rectum cancer (13.8% vs 12.3%),
      while rectum cancer had a higher incident rate of lung (5.6% vs 3.7%) and bone
      (1.2% vs 0.8%) metastasis than colon cancer, P<0.001. Colorectal cancer patients
      with lung metastasis had a higher risk of bone (10.0% vs 4.5%) or brain
      metastasis (3.1% vs 0.1%) than patients without lung metastases. The 1-year cause
      specific survival was not significant different for bone or brain metastasis
      patients with and without lung metastasis (32.9% vs 38.7%, P=0.3834 for bone,
      25.8% vs 36.9%, P=0.6819 for brain). Knowledge of these differences in metastatic
      patterns may help to better guide pre-treatment evaluation of colorectal cancer
      patients, especially in making determinations regarding curative-intent
      interventions. 

PMID- 26484418
TI  - 4-hydroxynonenal regulates mitochondrial function in human small airway
      epithelial cells.
AB  - Prolonged exposure to oxidative stress causes Acute Lung Injury (ALI) and
      significantly impairs pulmonary function. Previously we have demonstrated that
      mitochondrial dysfunction is a key pathological factor in hyperoxic ALI. While it
      is known that hyperoxia induces the production of stable, but toxic 4
      hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) molecule, it is unknown how the reactive aldehyde disrupts
      mitochondrial function. Our previous in vivo study indicated that exposure to
      hyperoxia significantly increases 4-HNE-Protein adducts, as well as levels of MDA
      in total lung homogenates. Based on the in vivo studies, we explored the effects
      of 4-HNE in human small airway epithelial cells (SAECs). Human SAECs treated with
      25 MUM of 4-HNE showed a significant decrease in cellular viability and increased
      caspase-3 activity. Moreover, 4-HNE treated SAECs showed impaired mitochondrial
      function and energy production indicated by reduced ATP levels, mitochondrial
      membrane potential, and aconitase activity. This was followed by a significant
      decrease in mitochondrial oxygen consumption and depletion of the reserve
      capacity. The direct effect of 4-HNE on the mitochondrial respiratory chain was
      confirmed using Rotenone. Furthermore, SAECs treated with 25 MUM 4-HNE showed a
      time-dependent depletion of total Thioredoxin (Trx) proteins and Trx activity.
      Taken together, our results indicate that 4-HNE induces cellular and
      mitochondrial dysfunction in human SAECs, leading to an impaired endogenous
      antioxidant response. 

PMID- 26484419
TI  - Effect of photoperiod change on chronobiology of cercarial emergence of
      Schistosoma japonicum derived from hilly and marshy regions of China.
AB  - The chronobiology of cercarial emergence appeared to be a genetically controlled
      behavior, adapted to definitive host species, for schistosome. However, a few
      physiological and ecological factors, for example the change of photoperiod, were
      reported to affect the rhythmic emergence of cercariae. Therefore, the effect of
      photoperiod change on cercarial emergence of two Schistosoma japonicum isolates,
      the hilly and the marshland, was investigated. Four shedding experiments each
      under a different photoperiod were conducted. Under a natural photoperiod, two
      distinct shedding modes, one from the hilly region and one from the marshland,
      were observed. Under a reversed photoperiod, the regular pattern (i.e. under a
      natural photoperiod) of S. japonicum cercarial emergence was reversed for the
      marshland isolate and disappeared for the hilly isolate. With an input of a 2 h
      darkness from 7am to 9am, the cercarial emergence peak were delayed for the two
      isolates; whereas with an input of a 2 h darkness from 5pm to 7pm, neither effect
      on the cercarial emergence rhythm was observed. The total cercariae emerged for
      both parasite isolates varied with a different photoperiod. The results indicate
      that the change of photoperiod could affect the chronobiology of S japonicum
      cercarial emergence. 

PMID- 26484420
TI  - Mechanisms of adaptation and progression in idiosyncratic drug induced liver
      injury, clinical implications.
AB  - In the past decade our understanding of idiosyncratic drug induced liver injury
      (IDILI) and the contribution of genetic susceptibility and the adaptive immune
      system to the pathogenesis of this disease process has grown tremendously. One of
      the characteristics of IDILI is that it occurs rarely and only in a subset of
      individuals with a presumed susceptibility to the drug. Despite a clear
      association between single nucleotide polymorphisms in human leukocyte antigen
      (HLA) genes and certain drugs that cause IDILI, not all individuals with
      susceptible HLA genotypes develop clinically significant liver injury when
      exposed to drugs. The adaptation hypothesis has been put forth as an explanation
      for why only a small percentage of susceptible individuals develop overt IDILI
      and severe injury, while the majority with susceptible genotypes develop only
      mild abnormalities that resolve spontaneously upon continuation of the drug. This
      spontaneous resolution is referred to as clinical adaptation. Failure to adapt or
      defective adaptation leads to clinically significant liver injury. In this review
      we explore the immuno-tolerant microenvironment of the liver and the mechanisms
      of clinical adaptation in IDILI with a focus on the role of immune-tolerance and
      cellular adaptive responses. 

PMID- 26484421
TI  - Association of common variations of the E-cadherin with endometriosis.
AB  - Endometriosis is a polygenic and multifactorial disease. E-cadherin (CDH1) gene
      encodes an epithelial cell-cell adhesion glycoprotein that modulates a wide
      variety of processes, including cell polarization, migration and cancer
      metastasis. Decreased expression of CDH1 in epithelial cells in peritoneal
      endometriosis has been reported in advanced stages of endometriotic lesions. We
      investigated the CDH1 -160C/A and +54C/T variations with susceptibility to
      endometriosis in an Iranian population. In this case-control study, 149 patients
      with endometriosis (stages I-IV) and 151 healthy women as controls were included.
      Genotyping was performed using PCR-RFLP method. A p value of <0.05 was considered
      statistically significant. The CDH1 + 54TT genotype was significantly lower (p =
      0.012; OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.12-0.77) in the patients (11.6%) than the control
      group (26.7%). The CDH1 + 54T allele was significantly lower (p = 0.001; OR =
      0.55, 95% CI: 0.38-0.77) in the cases (35.7%) compared with the control group
      (50.3%). No association was found between CDH1 - 160C/A polymorphism and
      endometriosis. The CDH1 +54C/T was associated with susceptibility to
      endometriosis in Iranian population, and +54T allele may have a protective role
      in progression of endometriosis. 

PMID- 26484422
TI  - Chiral Catalyst-Directed Dynamic Kinetic Diastereoselective Acylation of Lactols
      for De Novo Synthesis of Carbohydrate.
AB  - The control of the stereochemistry at the anomeric position is still one of the
      major challenges of synthetic carbohydrate chemistry. We have developed a new
      strategy consisting of a chiral catalyst-directed acylation followed by a
      palladium-catalyzed glycosidation to achieve high alpha- and beta
      stereoselectivity on the anomeric position. The former process involves a dynamic
      kinetic diastereoselective acylation of lactols derived from Achmatowicz
      rearrangement, while the latter is a stereospecific palladium-catalyzed allylic
      alkylation. 

PMID- 26484423
TI  - Evaluation of Selection Bias in an Internet-based Study of Pregnancy Planners.
AB  - Selection bias is a potential concern in all epidemiologic studies, but it is
      usually difficult to assess. Recently, concerns have been raised that internet
      based prospective cohort studies may be particularly prone to selection bias.
      Although use of the internet is efficient and facilitates recruitment of subjects
      that are otherwise difficult to enroll, any compromise in internal validity would
      be of great concern. Few studies have evaluated selection bias in internet-based
      prospective cohort studies. Using data from the Danish Medical Birth Registry
      from 2008 to 2012, we compared six well-known perinatal associations (e.g.,
      smoking and birth weight) in an internet-based preconception cohort (Snart Gravid
      n = 4,801) with the total population of singleton live births in the registry (n
      = 239,791). We used log-binomial models to estimate risk ratios (RRs) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CIs) for each association. We found that most results in
      both populations were very similar. For example, maternal obesity was associated
      with an increased risk of delivering a macrosomic infant in Snart Gravid (RR =
      1.5; 95% CI: 1.2, 1.7) and the total population (RR = 1.5; 95% CI: 1.45, 1.53),
      and maternal smoking of >10 cigarettes per day was associated with a higher risk
      of low birth weight (RR = 2.7; 95% CI: 1.2, 5.9 vs. RR = 2.9; 95% CI: 2.6, 3.1)
      in Snart Gravid and the total population, respectively. We cannot be certain that
      our results would apply to other associations or different populations.
      Nevertheless, our results suggest that recruitment of reproductive aged women via
      the internet may be no more prone to selection bias than traditional methods of
      recruitment. 

PMID- 26484424
TI  - Selection Bias Due to Loss to Follow Up in Cohort Studies.
AB  - Selection bias due to loss to follow up represents a threat to the internal
      validity of estimates derived from cohort studies. Over the past 15 years,
      stratification-based techniques as well as methods such as inverse probability-of
      censoring weighted estimation have been more prominently discussed and offered as
      a means to correct for selection bias. However, unlike correcting for confounding
      bias using inverse weighting, uptake of inverse probability-of-censoring weighted
      estimation as well as competing methods has been limited in the applied
      epidemiologic literature. To motivate greater use of inverse probability-of
      censoring weighted estimation and competing methods, we use causal diagrams to
      describe the sources of selection bias in cohort studies employing a time-to
      event framework when the quantity of interest is an absolute measure (e.g.,
      absolute risk, survival function) or relative effect measure (e.g., risk
      difference, risk ratio). We highlight that whether a given estimate obtained from
      standard methods is potentially subject to selection bias depends on the causal
      diagram and the measure. We first broadly describe inverse probability-of
      censoring weighted estimation and then give a simple example to demonstrate in
      detail how inverse probability-of-censoring weighted estimation mitigates
      selection bias and describe challenges to estimation. We then modify complex,
      real-world data from the University of North Carolina Center for AIDS Research
      HIV clinical cohort study and estimate the absolute and relative change in the
      occurrence of death with and without inverse probability-of-censoring weighted
      correction using the modified University of North Carolina data. We provide SAS
      code to aid with implementation of inverse probability-of-censoring weighted
      techniques. 

PMID- 26484425
TI  - Learning About Missing Data Mechanisms in Electronic Health Records-based
      Research: A Survey-based Approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bias due to missing data is a major concern in electronic health
      record (EHR)-based research. As part of an ongoing EHR-based study of weight
      change among patients treated for depression, we conducted a survey to
      investigate determinants of missingness in the available weight information and
      to evaluate the missing-at-random assumption. METHODS: We identified 8,345
      individuals enrolled in a large EHR-based health care system who had monotherapy
      treatment for depression from April 2008 to March 2010. A stratified sample of
      1,153 individuals completed a detailed survey. Logistic regression was used to
      investigate determinants of whether a patient (1) had an opportunity to be
      weighed at treatment initiation (baseline), and (2) had a weight measurement
      recorded. Parallel analyses were conducted to investigate missingness during
      follow-up. Throughout, inverse-probability weighting was used to adjust for the
      design and survey nonresponse. Analyses were also conducted to investigate
      potential recall bias. RESULTS: Missingness at baseline and during follow-up was
      associated with numerous factors not routinely collected in the EHR including
      whether or not the patient had ever chosen not to be weighed, external weight
      control activities, and self-reported baseline weight. Patient attitudes about
      their weight and perceptions regarding the potential impact of their depression
      treatment on weight were not related to missingness. CONCLUSION: Adopting a
      comprehensive strategy to investigate missingness early in the research process
      gives researchers information necessary to evaluate key assumptions. While the
      survey presented focuses on outcome data, the overarching strategy can be applied
      to any and all data elements subject to missingness.

PMID- 26484427
TI  - Divergent Reactivity in the Reaction of beta-Oxodithioesters and Hydroxylamine:
      Access to beta-Ketonitriles and Isoxazoles.
AB  - Starting from beta-oxodithioesters and hydroxylamine, two completely different
      transformations afford either beta-ketonitriles or isoxazoles with high
      chemoselectivity depending on the reaction conditions. The reaction of beta
      oxodithioesters with hydroxylamine in EtOH at room temperature in daylight gave
      beta-ketonitriles in high yields. On the other hand, 3-methylthio-isoxazoles were
      efficiently obtained as the final products by heating the mixture of beta
      oxodithioesters and hydroxylamine in HOAc at 90  degrees C. 

PMID- 26484426
TI  - Gender Differences in Caregiving at End of Life: Implications for Hospice Teams.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Researchers have identified important gender differences in the
      experience of caring for a family member or friend living with advanced disease;
      however, trends suggest that these differences may be diminishing over time in
      response to changing gender roles. In addition, while many studies have found
      caregiving experiences and outcomes to be poorer among female caregivers,
      noteworthy exceptions exist. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this exploratory study
      was to determine how, if at all, current day caregiving at end of life varies by
      gender. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a multisite
      randomized controlled trial of a family caregiving intervention performed between
      2010 and 2014. We compared female and male hospice family caregivers on baseline
      variables using chi(2) tests for association of categorical variables and t-tests
      for continuous variables. Our sample included 289 family caregivers of
      individuals receiving services from one of two hospice agencies located in the
      northwestern United States. Demographic data and other categorical variables of
      interest were provided via caregiver self-report using an instrument created
      specifically for this study. Reaction to caregiving and caregiving burden were
      measured using the Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA). RESULTS: As it related to
      caregiving, females had significantly lower self-esteem and more negative impact
      on their schedule, health, and family support than males. No gender differences
      were detected with regard to the impact of caregiving on individuals' finances.
      CONCLUSIONS: Despite changing social expectations, pronounced gender differences
      persist in caregiving at the end of life.

PMID- 26484428
TI  - Mother-to-child Transmission of HIV From 1999 to 2011 in the Amazonas, Brazil:
      Risk Factors and Remaining Gaps in Prevention Strategies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to estimate rates of mother-to-child
      transmission (MTCT) of HIV in the Amazonas, Brazil, and to identify the
      associated factors. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of 1210
      children born to HIV-infected women between 1999 and 2011 and enrolled before age
      of 18 months in a reference HIV/AIDS pediatrics service in Manaus. We used
      multivariable logistic regression to assess the effect of maternal, obstetric and
      prophylactic interventions on MTCT of HIV. RESULTS: Ten children were excluded
      because of undocumented maternal HIV status. Among 1200 children, 163 (13.6%)
      were lost to follow-up. We included in the analysis 1037 children with known HIV
      status. Of those, 68 children were HIV infected, resulting in a MTCT rate of 6.6%
      [95% confidence interval (CI): 5.3-8.3]. Among mothers, 76.1% had received
      antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy, 59.3% elective caesarean, and 9.7% were
      breastfed. Factors associated with lower odds of MTCT of HIV were antiretroviral
      therapy during pregnancy [odds ratio (OR): 0.26; 95% CI: 0.12-0.58], elective
      caesarean (OR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.23-0.98) and with MTCT: being breastfed (OR: 4.56;
      95% CI: 2.19-9.50). Transmission decreased from 7.5% in 2007-2008 to 3.2% in
      2011, while breastfeeding decreased from 30.8% in 1999-2000 to 3.9% in 2011-2012.
      CONCLUSIONS: The HIV rate of MTCT is still high in the Amazonas and challenges
      for its prevention prevail including lost to follow-up and gaps in critical
      strategies such as antiretroviral use during pregnancy. More efforts are needed
      to increase the number of women and babies who successfully complete the
      prevention of MTCT cascade and work toward elimination of MTCT of HIV.

PMID- 26484433
TI  - Drug leads for interactive protein targets with unknown structure.
AB  - The disruption of protein-protein interfaces (PPIs) remains a challenge in drug
      discovery. The problem becomes daunting when the structure of the target protein
      is unknown and is even further complicated when the interface is susceptible to
      disruptive phosphorylation. Based solely on protein sequence and information
      about phosphorylation-susceptible sites within the PPI, a new technology has been
      developed to identify drug leads to inhibit protein associations. Here we reveal
      this technology and contrast it with current structure-based technologies for the
      generation of drug leads. The novel technology is illustrated by a patented
      invention to treat heart failure. The success of this technology shows that it is
      possible to generate drug leads in the absence of target structure. 

PMID- 26484430
TI  - Use of Daptomycin in Critically Ill Children With Bloodstream Infections and
      Complicated Skin and Soft-tissue Infections.
AB  - We report our clinical experience with the use of daptomycin, administered in the
      dosage of 8 mg/kg/d in 3 minutes, in treating 12 critically ill children younger
      than 12 years, with bloodstream infections (n = 9) and complicated skin and soft
      tissue infections (n = 3). Mean treatment duration was 14 +/- 5 days;
      microbiologic eradication was achieved in all patients, and no drug related
      adverse events occurred. 

PMID- 26484429
TI  - Final Height and Associated Factors in Perinatally HIV-infected Asian
      Adolescents.
AB  - We analyzed final height of 273 perinatally HIV-infected Asian adolescents older
      than 18 years at their last clinic visit. By the World Health Organization child
      growth reference, 30% were stunted, but by the Thai child growth reference, 19%
      were stunted. Half of those who were stunted at antiretroviral therapy initiation
      remained stunted over time. Being male and having a low baseline height-for-age Z
      score of less than -1.0 were associated with low final height Z score. 

PMID- 26484434
TI  - Proteomics and drug discovery in cancer.
AB  - Proteomics has emerged as an invaluable tool in the quest to unravel the
      biochemical changes that give rise to the hallmarks of cancer. In this review, we
      present the advances and challenges facing proteomics technology as applied to
      cancer research, and address how the information gathered so far has helped to
      enhance understanding of the mechanisms underlying the disease and contributed to
      the discovery of biomarkers and new drug targets. We conclude by presenting a
      perspective on how proteomics could be applied in the future to determine
      prognostic biomarkers and direct strategies for effective cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26484436
TI  - Laparoscopic repair of a complex, recurrent incisional hernia with sac excision
      and primary closure of the fascial defect--a video vignette.

PMID- 26484437
TI  - [Recognizing - assessing - managing structural and legal guidelines for
      prevention of nosocomial infections].

PMID- 26484435
TI  - Reduced prefrontal activation during working and long-term memory tasks and
      impaired patient-reported cognition among cancer survivors postchemotherapy
      compared with healthy controls.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients who receive adjuvant chemotherapy have reported cognitive
      impairments that may last for years after the completion of treatment. Working
      memory-related and long-term memory-related changes in this population are not
      well understood. The objective of this study was to demonstrate that cancer
      related cognitive impairments are associated with the under recruitment of brain
      regions involved in working and recognition memory compared with controls.
      METHODS: Oncology patients (n = 15) who were receiving adjuvant chemotherapy and
      had evidence of cognitive impairment according to neuropsychological testing and
      self-report and a group of age-matched, education group-matched, cognitively
      normal control participants (n = 14) underwent functional magnetic resonance
      imaging. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants performed a
      nonverbal n-back working memory task and a visual recognition task. RESULTS: On
      the working memory task, when 1-back and 2-back data were averaged and contrasted
      with 0-back data, significantly reduced activation was observed in the right
      dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for oncology patients versus controls. On the
      recognition task, oncology patients displayed decreased activity of the left
      middle hippocampus compared with controls. Neuroimaging results were not
      associated with patient-reported cognition. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased recruitment of
      brain regions associated with the encoding of working memory and recognition
      memory was observed in the oncology patients compared with the control group.
      These results suggest that there is a reduction in neural functioning
      postchemotherapy and corroborate patient-reported cognitive difficulties after
      cancer treatment, although a direct association was not observed. Cancer
      2016;122:258-268. (c) 2015 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 26484438
TI  - [Classic Limberg Flap Procedure for Treatment of a Sacrococcygeal Pilonidal Sinus
      Disease - Explanation of the Surgical Technique].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus disease is frequently encountered in
      surgical practice. Besides excision only, the current pilonidal sinus guideline
      of the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF-S3) also
      recommends plastic surgical procedures such as the cleft-lift operation described
      by Bascom, the Karydakis flap procedure and, due to the low recurrence rates, the
      Limberg flap procedure, for the treatment of this disease. INDICATION: In our
      case we show the surgical procedure performed on a 23-year-old male patient, who
      was previously treated for an acute abscess-forming sacrococcygeal pilonidal
      sinus. METHOD: Our video shows the fasciocutaneous rhombic flap procedure
      described by Limberg step by step. CONCLUSION: The Limberg flap procedure is a
      simple operation for the treatment of sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus disease.

PMID- 26484439
TI  - [20 Years of Vascular Surgery/Medicine in the Journal "Zentralblatt fur
      Chirurgie" - EDITORIAL].

PMID- 26484440
TI  - [An Experimental Set-Up for Navigated-Contrast-Agent and Radiation Sparing
      Endovascular Aortic Repair (Nav-CARS EVAR)].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Over the last decade endovascular stenting of aortic aneurysm
      (EVAR) has been developed from single centre experiences to a standard procedure.
      With increasing clinical expertise and medical technology advances treatment of
      even complex aneurysms are feasible by endovascular methods. One integral part
      for the success of this minimally invasive procedure is innovative and improved
      vascular imaging to generate exact measurements and correct placement of stent
      prosthesis. One of the greatest difficulty in learning and performing this
      endovascular therapy is the fact that the three-dimensional vascular tree has to
      be overlaid with the two-dimensional angiographic scene by the vascular surgeon.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: We report the development of real-time navigation software,
      which allows a three-dimensional endoluminal view of the vascular system during
      an EVAR procedure in patients with infrarenal aortic aneurysm. We used the
      preoperative planning CT angiography for three-dimensional reconstruction of
      aortic anatomy by volume-rendered segmentation. At the beginning of the
      intervention the relevant landmarks are matched in real-time with the two
      dimensional angiographic scene. During the intervention the software continously
      registers the position of the guide-wire or the stent. An additional 3D-screen
      shows the generated endoluminal view during the whole intervention in real-time.
      RESULTS: We examined the combination of hardware and software components
      including complex image registration and fibre optic sensor technology (fibre
      bragg navigation) with integration in stent graft introducer sheaths using
      patient-specific vascular phantoms in an experimental setting. From a technical
      point of view the feasibility of fibre-Bragg navigation has been proven in our
      experimental setting with patient-based vascular models. Three-dimensional
      preoperative planning including registration and simulation of virtual angioscopy
      in real time are realised. CONCLUSION: The aim of the Nav-CARS-EVAR concept is
      reduction of contrast medium and radiation dose by a three-dimensional navigation
      during the EVAR procedure. To implement fibre-Bragg navigation further
      experimental studies are necessary to verify accuracy before clinical
      application.

PMID- 26484442
TI  - The evolving concept of acute kidney injury in patients with cirrhosis.
AB  - Renal dysfunction is prevalent in patients with advanced cirrhosis and
      decompensation. The presence of type 1 hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) has
      traditionally been defined by a set of stringent criteria based on serum
      creatinine levels. These diagnostic criteria have been found to be too stringent
      to be widely applicable to patients with cirrhosis, leading to underdiagnosis of
      renal failure in this population. Acute kidney injury (AKI) has now been proposed
      to characterize renal dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis and is defined as an
      increase in serum creatinine by 0.3 mg/dl in <48 h or an increase in serum
      creatinine by 50% from a stable baseline reading within 3 months. Type 1 HRS is
      renamed HRS-AKI. Stage 1 AKI is defined by 0.3 mg/dl serum creatinine or a 50%
      increase, stages 2 and 3 AKI are defined by a two-fold and three-fold increase in
      serum creatinine levels, respectively. Data collected so far suggests that even
      stage 1 AKI is associated with worse prognosis in patients with cirrhosis. The
      progression of AKI usually indicates substantially worse outcomes. A panel of
      biomarkers, including inflammatory markers, are envisaged to complement and
      enhance our current diagnostic criteria in the future and provide aetiology of
      the AKI. 

PMID- 26484444
TI  - Pancreatic cancer: Classifying pancreatic cancer using gene expression profiling.
AB  - Despite some advances in our understanding of the molecular characteristics of
      pancreatic cancer, much more progress is needed. In a new study, RNA profiling of
      pancreatic cancers was used to identify gene signatures of tumour cells and
      stromal cells to help predict patient outcomes.

PMID- 26484445
TI  - Diabetes: Circulating factors implicated in diabetic enteropathy.

PMID- 26484443
TI  - Immunological landscape and immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a serious therapeutic challenge and
      targeted therapies only provide a modest benefit in terms of overall survival.
      Novel approaches are urgently needed for the treatment of this prevalent
      malignancy. Evidence demonstrating the antigenicity of tumour cells, the
      discovery that immune checkpoint molecules have an essential role in immune
      evasion of tumour cells, and the impressive clinical results achieved by blocking
      these inhibitory receptors, are revolutionizing cancer immunotherapy. Here, we
      review the data on HCC immunogenicity, the mechanisms for HCC immune subversion
      and the different immunotherapies that have been tested to treat HCC. Taking into
      account the multiplicity of hyperadditive immunosuppressive forces acting within
      the HCC microenvironment, a combinatorial approach is advised. Strategies include
      combinations of systemic immunomodulation and gene therapy, cell therapy or
      virotherapy. 

PMID- 26484449
TI  - Inhaled Anesthesia, Apoptosis, and the Developing Retina: A Window into the
      Brain?

PMID- 26484450
TI  - Delirium After Hip Fracture: Still a Problem.

PMID- 26484451
TI  - A New Monitor of Pressure Autoregulation: What Does It Add?

PMID- 26484452
TI  - Medical Use of Marijuana: Truth in Evidence.

PMID- 26484453
TI  - An Overview of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association 2014
      Valve Heart Disease Practice Guidelines: What Is Its Relevance for the
      Anesthesiologist and Perioperative Medicine Physician?

PMID- 26484454
TI  - Supramitral Ring: A Rare Anomaly Presenting with Mitral Inflow Obstruction in
      Association with an Atrial Septal Defect.

PMID- 26484455
TI  - Echocardiography of Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery from the
      Pulmonary Artery.

PMID- 26484456
TI  - Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction After a Mitral Valve Repair.

PMID- 26484457
TI  - The Usefulness of Three-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography for a Primum
      Atrial Septal Defect.

PMID- 26484458
TI  - The Impact of Anesthetic Management on Surgical Site Infections in Patients
      Undergoing Total Knee or Total Hip Arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most challenging and
      costly complications associated with total joint arthroplasty. Our primary aim in
      this case-controlled trial was to compare the risk of SSI within a year of
      surgery for patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total
      hip arthroplasty (THA) and revision TKA or THA under general anesthesia versus
      neuraxial anesthesia. Our secondary aim was to determine which patient,
      anesthetic, and surgical variables influence the risk of SSI. We hypothesized
      that patients who undergo neuraxial anesthesia may have a lesser risk of SSI
      compared with those who had a general anesthetic. METHODS: We conducted a
      retrospective, case-control study of patients undergoing primary or revision TKA
      and THA between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2008, who subsequently were
      diagnosed with an SSI. The cases were matched 1:2 with controls based on type of
      joint replacement (TKA versus THA), type of procedure (primary, bilateral,
      revision), sex, date of surgery (within 1 year), ASA physical status (I and II
      versus III, IV, and V), and operative time (<3 vs >3 hours). RESULTS: During the
      11-year period, 202 SSIs were identified. Of the infections identified, 115 (57%)
      occurred within the first 30 days and 87 (43%) occurred between 31 and 365 days.
      From both univariate and multivariable analyses, no significant association was
      found between the use of central neuraxial anesthesia and the postoperative
      infection (univariate odds ratio [OR] = 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63
      1.34; P = 0.651; multivariable OR = 1.10; 95% CI, 0.72-1.69; P = 0.664). The use
      of peripheral nerve block also was not found to influence the risk of
      postoperative infection (univariate OR = 1.41; 95% CI, 0.84-2.37; P = 0.193;
      multivariable OR = 1.35; 95% CI, 0.75-2.44; P = 0.312). The factors that were
      found to be associated with postoperative infection in multivariable analysis
      included current smoking (OR = 5.10; 95% CI, 2.30-11.33) and higher body mass
      index (BMI) (OR = 2.68; 95% CI, 1.42-5.06 for BMI >= 35 kg/m compared with those
      with BMI < 25 kg/m). CONCLUSIONS: Recent studies using large databases have
      concluded that the use of neuraxial compared with general anesthesia is
      associated with a decreased incidence of SSI in patients undergoing total joint
      arthroplasty. In this retrospective, case-controlled study, we found no
      difference in the incidence of SSI in patients undergoing total joint
      arthroplasty under general versus neuraxial anesthesia. We also concluded that
      the use of peripheral nerve blocks does not influence the incidence of SSI.
      Increasing BMI and current smoking were found to significantly increase the
      incidence of SSI in patients undergoing lower extremity total joint arthroplasty.

PMID- 26484459
TI  - Ventilator-Associated Events: What Does It Mean?

PMID- 26484460
TI  - Polydatin Inhibits Mitochondrial Dysfunction in the Renal Tubular Epithelial
      Cells of a Rat Model of Sepsis-Induced Acute Kidney Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial injury is a major cause of sepsis-induced organ
      failure. Polydatin (PD), a natural polyphenol, demonstrates protective
      mitochondrial effects in neurons and arteriolar smooth muscle cells during severe
      shock. In this study, we investigated the effects of PD on renal tubular
      epithelial cell (RTEC) mitochondria in a rat model of sepsis-induced acute kidney
      injury. METHODS: Rats underwent cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) to mimic sepsis
      induced acute kidney injury. Rats were randomly divided into sham, CLP + normal
      saline, CLP + vehicle, and CLP + PD groups. Normal saline, vehicle, and 30 mg/kg
      PD were administered at 6, 12, and 18 hours after CLP or sham surgery via the
      tail vein. Mitochondrial morphology, metabolism, and function in RTECs were then
      assessed. Serum cytokines, renal function, survival, and histologic changes in
      the kidney were also evaluated. RESULTS: CLP increased lipid peroxide content,
      lysosomal instability, and opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition
      pore and caused mitochondrial swelling. Moreover, mitochondrial membrane
      potential (DeltaPsim) was decreased and ATP levels reduced after CLP. PD
      inhibited all the above effects. It also inhibited the inflammatory response,
      improved renal function, attenuated histologic indicators of kidney damage, and
      prolonged survival. CONCLUSIONS: PD protects RTECs against mitochondrial
      dysfunction and prolongs survival in a rat model of sepsis-induced acute kidney
      injury. These effects may partially result from reductions in interleukin-6 and
      oxidative stress.

PMID- 26484461
TI  - Using Nursing Activities Score to Assess Nursing Workload on a Medium Care Unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The medium care unit (MCU) or "stepdown" unit is an increasingly
      important, but understudied care environment. With an aging population and more
      patients with complex multiple diseases, many patients often require a higher
      level of inpatient care even when full intensive care is not indicated. However,
      the nurse-to-patient ratio required on a MCU is neither well defined nor clear
      whether this ratio should be adjusted per shift. The Nursing Activities Score
      (NAS) is an effective instrument for measuring nursing workload in the intensive
      care unit (ICU) but has not been used in an MCU. The aim of this study was to
      measure the nursing workload per 8-hour shift on an MCU using the NAS and compare
      it with the NAS from an ICU in the same hospital. We also compared the NAS
      between groups of patients with different admission sources. METHODS: The NAS was
      prospectively measured per patient per shift for 2 months in a 9-bed tertiary
      referral university hospital MCU and during a similar period in an ICU in the
      same hospital. RESULTS: The mean NAS per patient did not differ between day (7:30
      AM to 4:00 PM) and evening (3:00 PM to 11:30 PM) shifts, but the NAS was
      significantly lower during the night shift (11:00 PM to 8:00 AM) than during the
      day (P < 0.0001) and evening (P < 0.0001) shifts. The mean NASs in the ICU for
      day and night shifts were significantly lower than the scores in the MCU (P =
      0.0056 and P < 0.0001, respectively), but NAS during the evening shift did not
      differ between the ICU and the MCU. The mean NAS for patients admitted to the MCU
      from the accident and emergency department was significantly higher than for
      those admitted from the ICU (P = 0.002), recovery (P = 0.002), and general ward
      (P < 0.0001). Patients on the MCU had a NAS comparable with that of ICU patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: In our university hospital, NAS was higher during the day and
      evening hours and lower at night. We also found that patients from accident and
      emergency had a higher NAS than those admitted to the MCU from other locations.
      NAS in the MCU was not lower than the NAS in the ICU. Because of its ability to
      discriminate between day and evening workloads and between patients from
      different sources, the NAS may assist MCU managers in assessing staffing needs.

PMID- 26484462
TI  - Anesthetic Management of Patients with Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with
      Anhidrosis: A Retrospective Analysis of 358 Procedures Performed Under General
      Anesthesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA) is a rare
      autosomal recessive disorder characterized by recurrent episodic fevers,
      anhidrosis, absent reaction to noxious stimuli, self-mutilating behavior, and
      mental retardation. The anesthetic management of patients with CIPA is
      challenging. Autonomic nervous system abnormalities are common, and patients are
      at increased risk for perioperative complications. METHODS: In this study, we
      describe our experience with 35 patients with CIPA who underwent 358 procedures
      requiring general anesthesia between 1990 and 2013. RESULTS: During surgery, 3
      patients developed hyperthermia intraoperatively (>37.5 degrees C) without prior
      fever. There were no cases of intraoperative hyperpyrexia (>40 degrees C).
      Aspiration was suspected in 2 patients, and in another patient aspiration was
      prevented by the use of endotracheal tube, early detection of regurgitation, and
      aggressive suctioning. One patient had cardiac arrest requiring cardiopulmonary
      resuscitation. Intraoperative bradycardia was observed in 10 cases, and
      postoperative bradycardia was observed in 11 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Regurgitation,
      hyperthermia, and aspiration were uncommon, but the incidence of bradycardia was
      higher than has been reported in previous studies. CIPA remains a challenge for
      anesthesiologists. Because of the rare nature of this disorder, the risk of
      various complications is difficult to predict.

PMID- 26484463
TI  - Nitrous Oxide for the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuropathic back pain is mediated, at least partially, by N-methyl-D
      aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an NMDA receptor antagonist.
      We therefore tested the primary hypothesis that patients receiving N2O have lower
      pain scores after epidural steroid injection than patients not receiving N2O.
      METHODS: Patients with recurrent low back pain scheduled for epidural steroid
      blocks were randomly assigned to receive either oxygen (O2, n = 39) or the
      combination of 50% O2 and 50% N2O during and after each block (N2O, n = 39).
      Before each injection and at a 3-month follow-up visit, patients completed
      questionnaires: Oswestry survey, 12-Item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire,
      Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs pain scale, and Visual Analog
      Scale. Total opioid use per 24 hours was recorded. The serum samples for tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, interferon-gamma, IL-10, IL-17A, and
      IL-1beta assays were collected at every visit and evaluated. Standard descriptive
      statistics were used to compare the randomized groups on baseline variables. Any
      imbalanced covariates with an absolute standardized difference >0.44 were
      adjusted for in both primary and secondary analyses. Both modified intention-to
      treat and per-protocol analyses were conducted for our outcomes. Our secondary
      analyses were per protocol. RESULTS: in patients given N2O (mean [SD], -1.6 [3.0]
      cm) and O2 (-1.2 [2.6] cm), with difference -0.13 (95% confidence interval: 
      1.43, 1.17), N2O - O2; P = 0.84. No difference was found between the 2 randomized
      groups on changes in Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs pain
      score, Oswestry score, or 12-Item Short Form Health Survey from baseline, or in
      satisfaction with the procedure, satisfaction with pain treatment, or use of
      opioid overtime. Overall, no significant differences on any cytokine were found
      between the 2 groups. The estimated odds ratios of taking opioid was 0.46 (0.12,
      1.84) (N2O versus O2; P = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS: N2O administration did not improve
      pain or psychological or physical aspects of health-related quality of life. N2O
      does not appear to be an effective treatment for chronic neuropathic back pain.

PMID- 26484464
TI  - The First Shot Is Often the Best Shot: First-Pass Intubation Success in Emergency
      Airway Management.

PMID- 26484465
TI  - What Is the True Incidence of Postpartum Hemorrhage?

PMID- 26484466
TI  - In Response.

PMID- 26484467
TI  - Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26484468
TI  - There Is More to Postcraniotomy Emergence Hypertension Than Simply Blood Pressure
      Control-Why Nicardipine May Not Be the Drug of Choice.

PMID- 26484469
TI  - In Response.

PMID- 26484470
TI  - The Validity of Eadyn in Spontaneously Breathing Patients.

PMID- 26484471
TI  - In Response.

PMID- 26484472
TI  - A Multimodal Approach to Prevent Laparoscopic High Peritoneal Air Fraction.

PMID- 26484473
TI  - In Response.

PMID- 26484474
TI  - Editorial from Under the Volcano.

PMID- 26484479
TI  - Development and application of a screening model for evaluating bioenhanced
      dissolution in DNAPL source zones.
AB  - In-situ bioremediation, a widely applied treatment technology for source zones
      contaminated with dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs), has proven economical
      and reasonably efficient for long-term management of contaminated sites.
      Successful application of this remedial technology, however, requires an
      understanding of the complex interaction of transport, mass transfer, and
      biotransformation processes. The bioenhancement factor, which represents the
      ratio of DNAPL mass transfer under microbially active conditions to that which
      would occur under abiotic conditions, is commonly used to quantify the
      effectiveness of a particular bioremediation remedy. To date, little research has
      been directed towards the development and validation of methods to predict
      bioenhancement factors under conditions representative of real sites. This work
      extends an existing, first-order, bioenhancement factor expression to systems
      with zero-order and Monod kinetics, representative of many source-zone scenarios.
      The utility of this model for predicting the bioenhancement factor for previously
      published laboratory and field experiments is evaluated. This evaluation
      demonstrates the applicability of these simple bioenhancement factors for
      preliminary experimental design and analysis, and for assessment of dissolution
      enhancement in ganglia-contaminated source zones. For ease of application, a set
      of nomographs is presented that graphically depicts the dependence of
      bioenhancement factor on physicochemical properties. Application of these
      nomographs is illustrated using data from a well-documented field site. Results
      suggest that this approach can successfully capture field-scale, as well as
      column-scale, behavior. Sensitivity analyses reveal that bioenhanced dissolution
      will critically depend on in-situ biomass concentrations. 

PMID- 26484481
TI  - Entomopathogenic nematodes for the control of the codling moth (Cydia pomonella
      L.) in field and laboratory trials.
AB  - Three commercially available entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) strains (Steinernema
      feltiae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Hb1 and Hb2) and two local species (S.
      jeffreyense and S. yirgalemense) were evaluated for the control of the codling
      moth (Cydia pomonella). In field spray trials, the use of S. jeffreyense resulted
      in the most effective control (67%), followed by H. bacteriophora (Hb1) (42%) and
      S. yirgalemense (41%). Laboratory bioassays using spray application in simulated
      field conditions indicate S. feltiae to be the most virulent (67%), followed by
      S. yirgalemense (58%). A laboratory comparison of the infection and penetration
      rate of the different strains showed that, at 14 degrees C, all EPN strains
      resulted in slower codling moth mortality than they did at 25 degrees C. After 48
      h, 98% mortality was recorded for all species involved. However, the washed
      codling moth larvae, cool-treated (at 14 degrees C) with S. feltiae or S.
      yirgalemense, resulted in 100% mortality 24 h later at room temperature, whereas
      codling moth larvae treated with the two H. bacteriophora strains resulted in 68%
      and 54% control, respectively. At 14 degrees C, S. feltiae had the highest
      average penetration rate of 20 IJs/larva, followed by S. yirgalemense, with 14
      IJs/larva. At 25 degrees C, S. yirgalemense had the highest penetration rate,
      with 39 IJs/larva, followed by S. feltiae, with 9 IJs/larva. This study
      highlights the biocontrol potential of S. jeffreyense, as well as confirming that
      S. feltiae is a cold-active nematode, whereas the other three EPN isolates tested
      prefer warmer temperatures. 

PMID- 26484480
TI  - Rapid, High-Throughput, and Direct Molecular Beacon Delivery to Human Cancer
      Cells Using a Nanowire-Incorporated and Pneumatic Pressure-Driven Microdevice.
AB  - Tracking and monitoring the intracellular behavior of mRNA is of paramount
      importance for understanding real-time gene expression in cell biology. To detect
      specific mRNA sequences, molecular beacons (MBs) have been widely employed as
      sensing probes. Although numerous strategies for MB delivery into the target
      cells have been reported, many issues such as the cytotoxicity of the carriers,
      dependence on the random probability of MB transfer, and critical cellular damage
      still need to be overcome. Herein, we have developed a nanowire-incorporated and
      pneumatic pressure-driven microdevice for rapid, high-throughput, and direct MB
      delivery to human breast cancer MCF-7 cells to monitor survivin mRNA expression.
      The proposed microdevice is composed of three layers: a pump-associated glass
      manifold layer, a monolithic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane, and a ZnO
      nanowire-patterned microchannel layer. The MB is immobilized on the ZnO nanowires
      by disulfide bonding, and the glass manifold and PDMS membrane serve as a
      microvalve, so that the cellular attachment and detachment on the MB-coated
      nanowire array can be manipulated. The combination of the nanowire-mediated MB
      delivery and the microvalve function enable the transfer of MB into the cells in
      a controllable way with high cell viability and to detect survivin mRNA
      expression quantitatively after docetaxel treatment.

PMID- 26484483
TI  - A GP primer for understanding upper gastrointestinal tract biopsy reports.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoscopic biopsies of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract are
      taken to make a diagnosis of inflammation, dysplasia or malignancy, to assess
      treatment success and monitor patients' progress. OBJECTIVE: This article
      provides a guide to understanding histology reports sent to general practitioners
      (GPs) from endoscopy and anatomical pathology providers for the diagnosis of
      increasingly prevalent upper GI diseases. DISCUSSION: Many upper GI diseases are
      increasing in prevalence and new diseases are emerging that require biopsy for
      diagnosis. Oesophageal disease (particularly gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
      and eosinophilic oesophagitis) and coeliac disease (real and perceived wheat
      sensitivity) are common. However, infection with Helicobacter pylori is
      declining. Drugs can also affect the GI tract, and endoscopy can detect damage
      with biopsy confirmation.

PMID- 26484482
TI  - Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) in Australian general practice patients.
AB  - Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) imposes a high level of societal and
      financial burden on the community. Recently, concern has been expressed regarding
      the number of prescriptions for proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), mostly for GORD,
      in Australia. This study investigated changes in the management of GORD since
      2006-08. This was a secondary analysis of data from the Bettering the Evaluation
      and Care of Health (BEACH) program. There was an increase of about 15% in the
      management rate of GORD between 2006-08 and 2012-14. Medication rates were high,
      with 95 prescriptions per 100 GORD problems managed, of which 83% were for PPIs.
      Most patients with GORD are on long-term PPI therapy, usually at full dosage.
      Trials of cessation or dosage reduction may be appropriate in many patients.

PMID- 26484484
TI  - From the hospital to the home--the rise and rise of Clostridium difficile
      infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has emerged as a serious
      worldwide public health threat. Although C. difficile has always been a cause of
      diarrhoeal disease in patients presenting to general practice, the rates of
      community-associated CDI (CA CDI) have increased. OBJECTIVE: This article
      provides a summary of what is currently known about CA CDI and the implications
      for Australian general practitioners (GPs). DISCUSSION: Changes in the colonic
      flora (most often because of antibiotic use) and exposure to C. difficile are
      both required for the disease to develop. Potential sources of C. difficile in
      the community include the home environment, food and water, workplace and
      environment. Identification of risk factors for CDI may help in the early
      diagnosis and subsequent management of infection, and these are being explored
      further. GPs have a role in understanding and managing CA CDI through prudent
      prescribing, patient education and adequate testing.

PMID- 26484485
TI  - Chronic pancreatitis: Negotiating the complexities of diagnosis and management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic pancreatitis is a debilitating condition, where the pathology
      and management are often overlooked in favour of the more recognisable acute form
      of the disease. OBJECTIVE: This article draws on experiences gleaned from a
      cohort of patients with pancreatitis in Far North Queensland, and evidence from
      selected literature, to formulate strategies for managing disease presentations
      likely to be encountered in the primary care setting. A supplementary case report
      serves to illustrate some of the management issues raised. DISCUSSION: A number
      of clinically useful key messages pertaining to the investigation, diagnosis and
      management of chronic pancreatitis are provided.

PMID- 26484486
TI  - Eosinophilic oesophagitis--a guide for primary care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) is an increasingly recognised
      inflammatory disorder of the oesophagus. The incidence of this chronic, food
      triggered disease is rising in Australia and diagnosis should be considered in
      patients who complain of dysphagia. OBJECTIVE: This article provides an overview
      of the pathogenesis, evaluation and management of EoE. It is intended as a useful
      tool for general practitioners (GPs) in the primary care setting and to raise
      awareness of EoE. DISCUSSION: EoE is an increasingly prevalent allergic disorder
      of the oesophagus. It is characterised clinically by symptoms of oesophageal
      dysfunction and microscopically by eosinophilic inflammation of the oesophagus.
      Treatment involves avoiding trigger foods and corticosteroid therapy, which may
      be necessary intermittently or long term, given the relapsing nature of the
      condition. EoE can significantly impair quality of life and GPs are key to
      recognising the disease and directing patients' long-term care.

PMID- 26484487
TI  - Wound closure involving fragile skin.
AB  - Fragile skin can be difficult to repair due to tearing. Horizontal mattress
      sutures with bolsters placed at either side can prevent skin tearing and allow
      effective wound closure.

PMID- 26484488
TI  - Ear wax management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ear syringing is a very common practice among general practitioners
      (GPs). It is used by many as the treatment of choice for cerumen (ear wax), and
      is usually effective and safe. However, complications from syringing are an
      increasingly common reason for presentation to ear, nose and throat (ENT)
      specialists and medico-legal complaints against GPs. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this
      article is to provide GPs with the knowledge to safely manage cerumen.
      DISCUSSION: Ear wax is an important part of a normal functioning ear. It is
      mostly asymptomatic and requires no treatment. Softening ear drops may be
      necessary to help the ear fulfil its self-cleaning function, and should be
      considered first-line treatment. Syringing can be safely performed if this fails
      by taking a thorough history and examination to exclude contraindications,
      gaining patient consent and ensuring the appropriate use of equipment. Referral
      to an ENT clinic for manual removal with microsuctioning may be necessary in the
      event of contraindications, complications or failure.

PMID- 26484489
TI  - A fast-growing tumour.

PMID- 26484490
TI  - Premature ejaculation: A clinical review for the general physician.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Premature ejaculation is one of the most common sexual dysfunctions
      in men. Recent epidemiological studies suggest its prevalence in Australia may
      range from 21-31% OBJECTIVE: This article will discuss the current definition of
      premature ejaculation from a urological perspective. It will provide an
      understanding of the pathogenesis of premature ejaculation, as well as assessment
      and management options. DISCUSSION: Premature ejaculation can have a significant
      adverse effect on the quality of life for the patient and his sexual partners. It
      can potentially lead to psychological distress, diminished self- esteem, anxiety,
      erectile dysfunction, reduced libido and poor interpersonal relationships. Most
      men feel reluctant to discuss premature ejaculation with their general
      practitioner despite its psychological, emotional and relational effects.
      Effective, evidence-based treatment options are available and physicians should
      feel confident when exploring ways to improve the quality of life for men with
      sexual dysfunction.

PMID- 26484491
TI  - Enlarging knuckle bumps.

PMID- 26484492
TI  - Doctors on the move: National estimates of geographical mobility among general
      practitioners in Australia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the geographical mobility
      patterns on a national level of general practitioners (GPs) across degrees of
      rurality. While this is a topic with great policy implications, negligible
      published research exists in Australia on this topic. METHODS: Publicly available
      data for all registered GPs with specialist 'general practice' registration for
      2011 and 2013 were obtained from the Australian Health Professional Registration
      Agency (AHPRA) and analysed. RESULTS: Annually, about 10% of Australian GPs have
      changed their principal place of practice (PPP), and about 1% of GPs moved
      between states. A net move into major cities was observed. Major cities were the
      most favoured destination of GPs moving out of a remote area, and the largest
      source of GPs moving into remote and very remote areas. Among GPs, there was a
      gradient of increasing distances moved with increasing rurality. DISCUSSION: This
      study shows for the first time that annually, about 10% of GPs change their PPP
      over a short time period. The drift of GPs away from rural areas indicates that
      policymakers should focus on recruitment and retention in these areas, preferably
      providing incentives for moving specifically from metropolitan areas.

PMID- 26484493
TI  - A brief experience for medical students in a remote Aboriginal community.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly those in
      remote communities, have lower access to health services when compared with the
      rest of the Australian population. This research examined the expectations and
      outcomes of medical students who went on a 2-day trip to a remote Aboriginal
      community. METHODS: Activities were organised by community members, ground staff
      and fly-in fly-out health professionals. Students wrote about their expectations
      and post-trip reflections on personal, medical and cultural themes. RESULTS:
      Twenty-three students participated in this study. Themes included complex,
      different and increased illnesses; how culture affects day-to-day life and
      health; personal growth; administrative, health delivery and advocacy skills;
      learning cultural awareness first-hand; and future career options. DISCUSSION:
      The 2-day trip gave students a profound learning experience. To build a
      culturally appropriate and dedicated workforce for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
      Islander peoples, medical schools should consider incorporating short trips to
      remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities into their curriculum.

PMID- 26484494
TI  - General practitioners learning qualitative research: A case study of postgraduate
      education.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Qualitative research is increasingly being recognised as a vital
      aspect of primary healthcare research. Teaching and learning how to conduct
      qualitative research is especially important for general practitioners and other
      clinicians in the professional educational setting. This article examines a case
      study of postgraduate professional education in qualitative research for
      clinicians, for the purpose of enabling a robust discussion around teaching and
      learning in medicine and the health sciences. METHODS: A series of three
      workshops was delivered for primary healthcare academics. The workshops were
      evaluated using a quantitative survey and qualitative free-text responses to
      enable descriptive analyses. RESULTS: Participants found qualitative philosophy
      and theory the most difficult areas to engage with, and learning qualitative
      coding and analysis was considered the easiest to learn. DISCUSSION: Key elements
      for successful teaching were identified, including the use of adult learning
      principles, the value of an experienced facilitator and an awareness of the
      impact of clinical subcultures on learning.

PMID- 26484495
TI  - General practice ethics: Overdiagnosis, harm and paternalism.

PMID- 26484497
TI  - I see what you say: Prior knowledge of other's goals automatically biases the
      perception of their actions.
AB  - We investigated whether top-down expectations about an actor's intentions affect
      action perception in a representational momentum (RM) paradigm. Participants
      heard an actor declare an intention to either take or leave an object and then
      saw him either reach for or withdraw from it, such that action and intention were
      either congruent or incongruent. Observers generally misperceived the hand's
      disappearance point further along the trajectory than it actually was, in line
      with the idea that action perception incorporates predictions of the action's
      future course. Importantly, this RM effect was larger for actions congruent with
      the actor's goals than for incongruent actions. These results demonstrate that
      action prediction integrates both current motion and top-down knowledge about the
      actor's intention. They support recent theories that emphasise the role of prior
      expectancies and prediction errors in social (and non-social) cognitive
      processing. 

PMID- 26484498
TI  - Infants use temporal regularities to chunk objects in memory.
AB  - Infants, like adults, can maintain only a few items in working memory, but can
      overcome this limit by creating more efficient representations, or "chunks."
      Previous research shows that infants can form chunks using shared features or
      spatial proximity between objects. Here we asked whether infants also can create
      chunked representations using regularities that unfold over time. Thirteen-month
      old infants first were familiarized with four objects of different shapes and
      colors, presented in successive pairs. For some infants, the identities of
      objects in each pair varied randomly across familiarization (Experiment 1). For
      others, the objects within a pair always co-occurred, either in consistent
      relative spatial positions (Experiment 2a) or varying spatial positions
      (Experiment 2b). Following familiarization, infants saw all four objects hidden
      behind a screen and then saw the screen lifted to reveal either four objects or
      only three. Infants in Experiment 1, who had been familiarized with random object
      pairings, failed to look longer at the unexpected 3-object outcome; they showed
      the same inability to concurrently represent four objects as in other studies of
      infant working memory. In contrast, infants in Experiments 2a and 2b, who had
      been familiarized with regularly co-occurring pairs, looked longer at the
      unexpected outcome. These infants apparently used the co-occurrence between
      individual objects during familiarization to form chunked representations that
      were later deployed to track the objects as they were hidden at test. In
      Experiment 3, we confirmed that the familiarization affected infants' ability to
      remember the occluded objects rather than merely establishing longer-term memory
      for object pairs. Following familiarization to consistent pairs, infants who were
      not shown a hiding event (but merely saw the same test outcomes as in Experiments
      2a and b) showed no preference for arrays of three versus four objects. Finally,
      in Experiments 4 and 5, we asked whether infants also remembered the specific
      identities of the objects in each chunk. In Experiment 4, we confirmed that
      infants remembered objects' identities in smaller arrays that did not require
      chunking. Next, in Experiment 5, we asked whether infants also remembered
      objects' identities in larger arrays that had been chunked on the basis of
      temporal regularities. Following a familiarization phase identical to that in
      Experiment 2a, we hid all four objects and then revealed either these same four
      objects, or four objects of which two had unexpectedly changed shape and color.
      Surprisingly, infants failed to look longer at the identity change outcome. Taken
      together, our results suggest that infants can use temporal regularities between
      objects to increase memory for objects' existence, but not necessarily for
      objects' identities. 

PMID- 26484499
TI  - Evolution, plasticity and evolving plasticity of phenology in the tree species
      Alnus glutinosa.
AB  - Both traits and the plasticity of these traits are subject to evolutionary change
      and therefore affect the long-term persistence of populations and their role in
      local communities. We subjected clones from 12 different populations of Alnus
      glutinosa, located along a latitudinal gradient, to two different temperature
      treatments, to disentangle the distribution of genetic variation in timing of bud
      burst and bud burst plasticity within and among genotypes, populations, and
      regions. We calculated heritability and evolvability estimates for bud burst and
      bud burst plasticity and assessed the influence of divergent selection relative
      to neutral drift. We observed higher levels of heritability and evolvability for
      bud burst than for its plasticity, whereas the total phenological heritability
      and evolvability (i.e. combining timing of bud burst and bud burst plasticity)
      suggest substantial evolutionary potential with respect to phenology. Earlier bud
      burst was observed for the low-latitudinal populations than for the populations
      from higher latitudes, whereas the high-latitudinal populations did not show the
      expected delayed bud burst. This countergradient variation can be due to
      evolution towards increased phenological plasticity at higher latitudes. However,
      because we found little evidence for adaptive differences in phenological
      plasticity across the latitudinal gradient, we suggest differential frost
      tolerance as the most likely explanation for the observed phenological patterns
      in A. glutinosa.

PMID- 26484501
TI  - Is escalation of plant defence a common macroevolutionary outcome of plant
      herbivore interactions?

PMID- 26484500
TI  - Advanced Organic Permeable-Base Transistor with Superior Performance.
AB  - An optimized vertical organic permeable-base transistor (OPBT) competing with the
      best organic field-effect transistors in performance, while employing low-cost
      fabrication techniques, is presented. The OPBT stands out by its excellent power
      efficiency at the highest frequencies. 

PMID- 26484502
TI  - Postoperative Epidural Hematomas in the Lumbar Spine.
AB  - Postoperative epidural hematomas are rare complications following lumbar spine
      surgery, but if they are not quickly identified and treated they can lead to
      permanent neurological deficits. Epidural hematomas occur in approximately 0.10%
      0.24% of all spine surgeries, and despite the fact that multiple large studies
      have been performed attempting to identify risk factors for this complication,
      there is still significant debate about the effect of subfascial drains,
      postoperative anticoagulation, and antiplatelet medication on the incidence of
      postoperative hematoma. The purpose of this manuscript is to review the
      epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of patients who develop a
      postoperative lumbar epidural hematoma. 

PMID- 26484503
TI  - Expression of Concern.

PMID- 26484504
TI  - Reversal effects of crocin on amyloid beta-induced memory deficit: Modification
      of autophagy or apoptosis markers.
AB  - Crocin, as a carotenoid, is one of the main and active constituents of saffron
      stigmas (Crocus sativus L.) that is widely used in folk medicine. Several studies
      have pointed out the potent antioxidant and neuroprotective properties of crocin
      which may have therapeutic values for management of neurodegenerative disorders
      such as Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of
      dementia among the elderly and is characterized by massive neuronal loss and
      progressive cognitive impairment. Beta amyloid hypothesis is the main theoretical
      research framework for Alzheimer's disease which states that extracellular
      aggregation of beta amyloid results in synaptic loss and eventually cell
      apoptosis. Recent findings suggest that autophagy and apoptosis are extensively
      involved in Alzheimer's disease. In order to investigate therapeutic values of
      crocin, we examined the effect of crocin on memory, cell apoptosis, and autophagy
      using in vivo models of Alzheimer's disease. We also compared the effect of
      crocin administration on spatial memory with nicotine as positive control. Morris
      water maze results show that intra-peritoneal and intra-hippocampal
      administration of crocin significantly improve spatial memory indicators such as
      escape latency, traveled distance and time spent in target quadrant when compared
      to beta amyloid injection. Furthermore, we measured certain biomarkers of cell
      autophagy and apoptosis using Western blot analysis. Our results reveal that
      crocin administration does not cause any significant alteration in Beclin-1 and
      ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I compared to the group received beta amyloid by hippocampal
      injection. However, in contrast to autophagy, crocin administration significantly
      decreases Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and cleaved Caspase-3 level. This demonstrates that
      crocin inhibits beta amyloid induced apoptosis, which is possibly associated with
      its antioxidant properties. Our results further confirm the neuroprotective
      properties of crocin as a potential pharmaceutical agent for management of
      Alzheimer's disease. 

PMID- 26484506
TI  - Dopamine D1 receptor (DRD1) 5' region haplotypes significantly affect
      transcriptional activity in vitro.
AB  - The role of dopamine D1 receptor (DRD1) gene promoter polymorphisms in
      schizophrenia remains controversial. We aimed to characterize the polymorphisms
      in the promoter region because little is known about the extent of variance in
      this region and potential roles in gene transcription activity. In a previous
      case-control study, we amplified and genotyped the polymorphisms of DRD1 gene.
      According to its haplotype estimation, we identified eight SNPs and confirmed ten
      different haplotypes by cloning and sequencing the fragment spanning -1990 to
      +10. The promoter activity of these haplotypes was analyzed using dual luciferase
      assays in SH-SY5Y and HEK293 cells. Compared with the reference haplotype, the
      constructed haplotypes containing different variation sites could significantly
      alter the luciferase activity. Additionally, the prediction of the transcription
      factor binding sites was performed. Our examination could provide the informative
      reference for the role of DRD1 gene promoter in schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26484507
TI  - Mechanism of inhibition by olanzapine of cloned hERG potassium channels.
AB  - Olanzapine is widely used in the treatment of schizophrenia and related
      psychoses. We investigated the effects of olanzapine on human ether-a-go-go
      related gene (hERG) channels stably expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK)
      cells using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Olanzapine inhibited hERG tail
      currents at -50mV in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC50 value of
      8.0MUM and a Hill coefficient of 0.9. The voltage-dependent inhibition of the
      hERG currents by olanzapine increased steeply in the voltage range of channel
      activation. Olanzapine also shifted the steady-state activation curve of the hERG
      currents in a hyperpolarizing direction. At more depolarized potentials where the
      channels were fully activated (between 0 and +50mV), the olanzapine inhibition
      was voltage-independent. The steady-state inactivation curve of the hERG currents
      was shifted in the hyperpolarizing direction in the presence of olanzapine. A
      fast application of olanzapine induced a reversible inhibition of the hERG tail
      currents during repolarization in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC50
      value of 11.9MUM, suggesting an open-channel block. Olanzapine also decreased the
      hERG current elicited by a 5s depolarizing pulse to +60mV to inactivate the hERG
      currents, suggesting an inhibition of the activated (open and/or inactivated)
      states of the channels. These results indicated that olanzapine inhibited the
      hERG current by preferentially interacting with the activated states of the
      channel. 

PMID- 26484505
TI  - TIMP-1 couples RhoK activation to IL-1beta-induced astrocyte responses.
AB  - Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) is a pleotropic cytokine known to influence the
      central nervous system (CNS) responses to injury or infection. IL-1beta also
      directly induces astrocytic expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases
      (TIMP)-1, a potent trophic factor and regulator of matrix metalloproteinase
      activity. In this study, we examined the functional relationship between IL-1beta
      and TIMP-1 and determined that the behavior of astrocytes in response to IL-1beta
      is determined by TIMP-1 expression. Using primary astrocytes from C57Bl/6 mice,
      we found astrocytes from wildtype (Wt) mice exhibited a robust wound healing
      response to a scratch wound that was arrested in response to IL-1beta. In
      contrast, TIMP-1 knockout (TIMP-1KO) astrocytes, exhibited minimal response to
      the scratch wound but an accelerated response following IL-1beta-treatment. We
      also determined that the scratch wound effect in Wt cultures was attenuated by
      inhibition of Rho kinase but amplified in the TIMP-1KO cultures. We propose that
      the specific induction of TIMP-1 from astrocytes in response to IL-1beta reflects
      a previously unrecognized physiological relationship where the directionality of
      astrocytic behavior is determined by the actions of TIMP-1. These findings may
      provide additional insight into glial responses in the context of neuropathology
      where expression of TIMP-1 may vary and astrocytic responses may be impacted by
      the inflammatory milieu of the CNS. 

PMID- 26484508
TI  - Determining cut-off points in functional assessment scales in stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A wide variety of well-validated assessment scales of functioning and
      disability have been developed for stroke population. However, these instruments
      have limitations in their interpretation. Therefore, determining cut-off points
      for their categorization becomes necessary. OBJECTIVES: To determine cut-off
      points for the BI, FIM and FAM scales to differentiate clinical disability
      categories and to establish the relationship between mRS and DOS scales. METHODS:
      One hundred and six adults with ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke were mainly
      recruited from a rehabilitation facility (Hospitales Nisa, Valencia, Spain).
      RESULTS: A high correlation was observed between the DOS and mRS scales
      (Kendall's tau-b = 0.475; p = 0.000) although a certain amount of disagreement
      between the two scales was detected. The cut-off points were 62.90 (95% CI, 57.26
      69.29) and 21.30 (95% CI, 16.34-26.03) for the BI; 70.62 (95% CI, 66.65-75.22)
      and 38.29 (95% CI, 34.07-42.25) for the FIM; and 116.07 (95% CI, 110.30-122.68)
      and 66.02 (95% CI, 59.20-72.35) for the FAM. CONCLUSION(S): DOS was observed to
      be more demanding than the mRS, in terms of patient independence. Additionally,
      the lower cut-off points separating the levels of severe and moderate disability
      in the BI, FIM and FAM were determined. These findings would facilitate
      practitioners clinical interpretation of disability levels in post-stroke
      patients.

PMID- 26484509
TI  - Predicting discharge destination with admission outcome scores in stroke
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to predict the discharge location for
      stroke patients. OBJECTIVE: To design a tool to assess a community discharge that
      will assist in development of individualized care plans and discharge planning.
      METHODS: Patients (N = 407) hospitalized for an acute stroke in an inpatient
      rehabilitation facility were used for this retrospective study. Admission data
      from the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and Simplified Stroke
      Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement (S-STREAM) were used to determine
      predictive factors for a community discharge. RESULTS: Logistic regressions and
      chi-square analyses were used to determine admission factors that predict a
      community discharge and the cut off score for each predictive variable. The S
      STREAM, Motor FIM, Total FIM, FIM Bladder, FIM bed transfer, FIM toilet transfer,
      FIM bathing, and FIM memory were predictive of a community discharge. A
      predictive tool with a sensitivity and specificity of 76% and 64% was developed
      using the combined relative risk scores of the S-Stream, FIM Bladder, FIM Bed
      Transfer and FIM Memory. CONCLUSIONS: By using outcome data at the time of
      admission, a discharge destination can be predicted for stroke patients with
      significant sensitivity and specificity.

PMID- 26484511
TI  - Comparison between treadmill training with rhythmic auditory stimulation and
      ground walking with rhythmic auditory stimulation on gait ability in chronic
      stroke patients: A pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Generally, treadmill training is very effective intervention, and
      rhythmic auditory stimulation is designed to feedback during gait training in
      stroke patients. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the gait
      abilities in chronic stroke patients following either treadmill walking training
      with rhythmic auditory stimulation (TRAS) or over ground walking training with
      rhythmic auditory stimulation (ORAS). METHODS: Nineteen subjects were divided
      into two groups: a TRAS group (9 subjects) and an ORAS group (10 subjects).
      Temporal and spatial gait parameters and motor recovery ability were measured
      before and after the training period. Gait ability was measured by the Biodex
      Gait trainer treadmill system, Timed up and go test (TUG), 6 meter walking
      distance (6MWD) and Functional gait assessment (FGA). RESULTS: After the training
      periods, the TRAS group showed a significant improvement in walking speed, step
      cycle, step length of the unaffected limb, coefficient of variation, 6MWD, and,
      FGA when compared to the ORAS group (p <  0.05). CONCLUSION: Treadmill walking
      training during the rhythmic auditory stimulation may be useful for
      rehabilitation of patients with chronic stroke.

PMID- 26484510
TI  - A double-blinded randomised controlled trial exploring the effect of anodal
      transcranial direct current stimulation and uni-lateral robot therapy for the
      impaired upper limb in sub-acute and chronic stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neurorehabilitation technologies such as robot therapy (RT) and
      transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) can promote upper limb (UL) motor
      recovery after stroke. OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of anodal tDCS with uni
      lateral and three-dimensional RT for the impaired UL in people with sub-acute and
      chronic stroke. METHODS: A pilot randomised controlled trial was conducted.
      Stroke participants had 18 one-hour sessions of RT (ArmeoSpring) over eight weeks
      during which they received 20 minutes of either real tDCS or sham tDCS during
      each session. The primary outcome measure was the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) for
      UL impairments and secondary were: UL function, activities and stroke impact
      collected at baseline, post-intervention and three-month follow-up. RESULTS: 22
      participants (12 sub-acute and 10 chronic) completed the trial. No significant
      difference was found in FMA between the real and sham tDCS groups at post
      intervention and follow-up (p = 0.123). A significant 'time' x 'stage of stroke'
      was found for FMA (p = 0.016). A higher percentage improvement was noted in UL
      function, activities and stroke impact in people with sub-acute compared to
      chronic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Adding tDCS did not result in an additional effect
      on UL impairment in stroke. RT may be of more benefit in the sub-acute than
      chronic phase.

PMID- 26484512
TI  - Prevalence and association of visual functional deficits with lesion
      characteristics and functional neurological deficits in patients with stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stroke frequently induces visual problems, which impair activities of
      daily living, lead to falls, and require rehabilitation. However, visual
      dysfunction has not been well characterized in stroke. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of
      this study was to characterize visual function in patients with stroke and the
      association of these characteristics with neurological dysfunction and lesion
      hemisphere. METHODS: In 40 patients with stroke and 321 control subjects, we
      carried out an assessment of a broad panel of visual and neurological functional
      metrics to identify risk factors for specific visual impairments in stroke.
      RESULTS: Patients with stroke exhibited a significantly higher rate of occurrence
      for impairments in all visual metrics assessed, when compared to healthy
      controls. Risk for particular visual deficits varied according to lesion side
      (right versus left hemisphere) and specific types of neurological dysfunction.
      CONCLUSIONS: Detailed assessment of visual function in patients with stroke can
      help to clarify the risk of various types of visual impairment. Moreover, as
      visual function assessment in patients with stroke is difficult, knowledge of the
      correlation of visual impairments with different neurological dysfunctions
      observed in stroke and lesion side will help predict vision problems and inform
      optimal corrective measures in treating patients with stroke.

PMID- 26484513
TI  - Fatty replacement of rotator cuff in brain-injured patients is associated with
      hemiplegic arm function, but not with tendon tear: A multicenter study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The association between fatty replacement of rotator cuff and
      hemiplegic upper extremity function has not been defined yet. Moreover, the
      relationships among rotator cuff tears, shoulder pain, spasticity, and fatty
      replacement were not clearly studied. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association
      of fatty replacement of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles with tendon
      tear in stroke or brain-injured patients. METHODS: A total of 72 hemiplegic
      patients were enrolled in 3 hospitals, and ultrasonography of both shoulders was
      performed once. Fatty replacement of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus was
      graded by the visibility of outer contours, pennate pattern, central tendon, and
      echogenicity. RESULTS: Fatty replacement was observed in 22 (30.6%) out of the 72
      patients (in 18 supraspinatus muscles and 12 infraspinatus). Inter-rater
      agreement (kappa value) between the 2 physiatrists was 0.530 for the
      supraspinatus, and 0.411 for the infraspinatus. The Fugl-Meyer assessment score,
      Brunnstrom stage, and modified Barthel index were significantly lower in patients
      with fatty replacement of the supraspinatus or infraspinatus (group 1) than in
      those without (group 2). The motor power of both shoulders, the pain-free range
      of motion, spasticity, and hemiplegic shoulder pain were comparable between the
      two groups. The tear rate of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, or subscapularis
      tendon at the hemiplegic side was higher than that at the contralesional side in
      each group, although there was no significant difference between group 1 and
      group 2. CONCLUSION: Disuse leading to muscle atrophy rather than rotator cuff
      tear might be the cause of fatty replacement of these muscles, which may be
      associated with decreased function of the hemiplegic upper extremities.

PMID- 26484514
TI  - Language and cognitive communication during post-traumatic amnesia: A critical
      synthesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is minimal speech pathology literature on communication
      presentation during post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) and the early recovery period
      after traumatic brain injury. While a body of research reports on other cognitive
      and behavioural functions during PTA, language and/or cognitive communication are
      not routinely the primary focus of current research literature. OBJECTIVE: This
      critical synthesis provides an overview of research to date on communication
      during PTA to inform speech pathology assessment practice and to assist with
      information provision to the multidisciplinary team and family members. METHODS:
      A search was conducted of studies reporting on language, cognition, and cognitive
      communication during the acute, inpatient and early recovery period after TBI.
      These were examined for relevance to speech pathology practice during PTA and
      acute confusional state. RESULTS: Historic and recent literature has described
      types of language and communication impairment during PTA and early recovery
      after TBI. Recently, aspects of communication impairment during PTA have been
      found relevant for outcome prediction. Few studies were found originating from
      speech pathology on communication during PTA. CONCLUSIONS: Communication
      disruption forms a key feature of PTA. Existing literature indicates that speech
      pathology monitoring of communication during PTA may be of benefit as part of
      multidisciplinary team management during early recovery.

PMID- 26484515
TI  - Return to Learn: A review of cognitive rest versus rehabilitation after sports
      concussion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive rest is the recommendation for all patients with acute
      sports concussion. OBJECTIVE/METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was
      conducted for the research question "What is the optimal cognitive load for
      patients with a sports concussion?" RESULTS: Seven studies met the inclusion
      criteria. The optimal cognitive load for patients after sports concussion is yet
      to be determined. CONCLUSIONS: Additional controlled trials of cognitive
      rehabilitation are needed to establish best clinical practice. The authors
      suggest memory training, cognitive behavioral therapy, and environmental
      interventions as areas of future research for sports concussion injuries.

PMID- 26484516
TI  - Effects of a Nordic Walking program on motor and non-motor symptoms, functional
      performance and body composition in patients with Parkinson's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies have clearly shown that physical exercise can reduce
      the progression of motor symptoms in Parkinson's Disease (PD). However, little is
      known about the effects of a Nordic Walking (NW) program in PD patients.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of a NW program on motor and non-motor
      symptoms, functional performances and body composition in PD patients. METHODS:
      Twenty PD patients (16M, 4F, 67.3+/-7.8 years) were enrolled and randomly
      assigned to NW group (NWg, n = 10) and Control group (Cg, n = 10). The training
      consisted in 2 sessions per week for 12 weeks. Training effects were assessed by
      functional and instrumental tests and motor and non-motor symptoms were assessed
      by UPDRS-III, Hoehn and Yahr scale, PD Fatigue Scale, Beck Depression Inventory
      II, Starkstein Apathy Scale, and Non-Motor Symptoms Scale. RESULTS: Significant
      changes in resting HR, in walked distance (p <  0.05), and in lower limbs muscles
      strength (p <  0.005) were observed in NWg. Both balance abilities and safety
      with mobility were increased (p <  0.005). Significant variations in some
      circumferences and body composition were registered. Finally, a significant
      improvement in motor and non-motor symptoms was detected: UPDRS-III, HY scale,
      PFS-16, BDI-II, SAS, NMSS. CONCLUSIONS: A tailored exercise program including NW
      proved to be an effective way to improve daily activities and both motor and non
      motor symptoms in PD patients.

PMID- 26484517
TI  - Is customized vestibular rehabilitation effective in patients with Parkinson's?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with Parkinson's disease complain about restrictions in
      their daily life activities and impairment in their mobility and balance.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of vestibular
      rehabilitation on functioning, quality of life, balance, and postural stability
      in patients with Parkinson's disease. METHODS: The patients with Parkinson's
      disease divided into a rehabilitation group (Group 1, n: 29) and a control
      group(Group 2, n: 11). All patients were evaluated before and after eight weeks
      of customized vestibular rehabilitation for motor score (Unified Parkinson's
      Disease Rating Scale); quality of life (Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39);
      balance (Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale [ABC], Timed Up and Go
      Test, Dynamic Gait Index [DGI], and Berg Balance Scale [BBS]); and postural
      stability (Modified Clinical Test for Sensory Interaction on Balance [mCTSIB].
      RESULTS: There were significant differences in the pre- and post-exercise ABC,
      BBS, and DGI scores in Group 1 (p <  0.05). A statistically significant
      impairment was observed in mCTSIB (firm and foam eyes closed [EC]) in the control
      group (p <  0.05). There were no significant intergroup differences in any of the
      parameters evaluated (p >  0.05). CONCLUSION: In this study, vestibular
      rehabilitation was found to be effective for improving balance in patients with
      Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 26484518
TI  - Immediate effects of adding mental practice to physical practice on the gait of
      individuals with Parkinson's disease: Randomized clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mental practice has shown benefits in the rehabilitation of
      neurological patients, however, there is no evidence of immediate effects on gait
      of individuals with Parkinson's disease. OBJECTIVE: Determine the effects of
      mental practice activity added to physical practice on the gait of individuals
      with Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease (IPD). METHODS: 20 patients classified with
      stage 2 and 3, according to the Hoehn and Yahr scale were randomized into 2
      groups. The experimental group (N = 10) was submitted to a single session of
      mental practice and physical practice gait protocol and the control group (N =
      10) only to physical practice. The primary outcomes were stride length and total
      stance and swing time. Secondary outcomes were hip range of motion, velocity and
      mobility. Subjects were reassessed 10 minutes, 1 day and 7 days after the end of
      the session. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between
      the groups. An intragroup difference was observed in velocity, stride length, hip
      range of motion, and mobility, as well as total stance and swing time. These
      results were also observed on follow-ups. CONCLUSIONS: Mental practice did not
      have a greater effect on the gait of individuals with IPD than physical practice,
      after a single session.

PMID- 26484519
TI  - Efficacy of exercise intervention programs on cognition in people suffering from
      multiple sclerosis, stroke and Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta
      analysis of current evidence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment is a well-established sequela of people
      suffering from neurological pathologies. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of
      exercise intervention programs on cognitive performance in participants suffering
      from stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. METHODS: Four online
      databases (CINAHL, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PEDro) were comprehensively
      searched from their inception through December 2014. The search query was phrased
      as follows: In people suffering from MS, stroke or Parkinson's disease, do
      exercise intervention programs improve cognitive performance? RESULTS: Twelve
      controlled clinical trials met our inclusion criteria. Studies were classified
      according to three clinical subgroups: Parkinson's disease (n = 3), stroke (n =
      1) and multiple sclerosis (n = 8). Eight studies employed an aerobic intervention
      program; one used an active exercise program based on virtual reality systems,
      three reports examined the effect of yoga and one compared the intervention
      program with sport climbing. Significant improvements in cognition were found in
      nine out of the twelve studies. Nevertheless, the total effect size was non
      significant (0.18 (95% CI, - 4.1, 3.8)) for changes in executive functions.
      CONCLUSION: Due to lack of commonality between measures of cognition, training
      sequences and intervention period, it remains unclear as to whether exercise
      training can be effective in improving the cognitive functions of neurological
      patients.

PMID- 26484520
TI  - How various self-reported impairments influence walking ability in persons with
      late effects of polio.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many persons with late effects of polio experience new or increased
      impairments, which can lead to walking limitations in daily life. No study has
      comprehensively analyzed how various self-reported impairments are associated
      with different aspects of self-reported walking limitations. OBJECTIVE: To
      determine the associations between self-reported impairments and self-reported
      walking limitations in persons with late effects of polio. METHODS: Three hundred
      and twenty-five persons (175 women and 150 men) with verified late effects of
      polio responded to the Self-reported Impairments in Persons with late effects of
      Polio (SIPP; 13-items) and to the Walking Impact Scale (Walk-12; 12 items).
      RESULTS: The overall correlation (rho) between the total sum scores of the SIPP
      and the Walk-12 was 0.61 (p <  0.01). Of the 156 correlation coefficients (SIPP
      vs Walk-12), 151 (97% ) were significant at the 1% level. Self-reported muscle
      weakness, muscle fatigue, muscle and/or joint pain during physical activity and
      general fatigue had the strongest correlations (rho: 0.33 to 0.64) to the self
      reported walking limitations, whereas memory difficulties, sleep disturbances and
      concentration difficulties had the weakest correlations (rho: 0.10 to 0.34).
      CONCLUSION: There are weak to moderate associations between self-reported
      impairments and walking limitations in persons with late effects of polio. By
      limiting the impact of those impairments that are strongest associated with
      walking, clinicians may improve walking ability. However, the strength of the
      associations implies that other rehabilitation interventions should be considered
      for improving overall performance in daily activities related to walking.

PMID- 26484521
TI  - Swallowing function after occipitocervical arthrodesis for cervical deformity in
      patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some patients develop dysphagia after OC arthrodesis with RA. A
      previous report has indicated that establishing appropriate occipito-C2 is
      important for avoiding these side effects. However, a more recent report has
      demonstrated that the O-C2 angle did not have a significant effect on the
      incidence of postoperative dysphagia. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the swallowing
      function of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) before and after they
      underwent occipitocervical (OC) fusion. METHODS: The study was performed in
      collaboration with the Departments of Orthopaedic, Otorhinolaryngology, and
      Rehabilitation. Seven consecutive patients (3 men and 4 women; mean age, 66.4
      years) with RA-induced upper cervical deformity were enrolled from 2013 to 2014.
      The patients underwent deglutition analysis, which was performed by
      otorhinolaryngologists, before and after surgery, and comprised videofluoroscopy
      and fiberoptic endoscopy. We examined the relationship between imaging studies
      and swallowing function. RESULTS: Preoperatively, subjective dysphagia was
      reported by 2 patients. Videofluoroscopy identified dysmotility of the epiglottis
      and incomplete closure of the laryngeal inlet in 2 patients, with contrast medium
      entering the larynx, and endoscopy identified food residue in the larynx of 1
      patient during swallowing evaluation. Postoperatively, 2 patients with
      preoperative impaired deglutition showed dysphagia. Imaging examinations of the 2
      patients revealed a 10 degrees -reduction in the O-C2 angle of 1 patient, but the
      angle was unchanged in the other patient. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our
      knowledge, this is the first report to evaluate swallowing function before and
      after O-C3 arthrodesis. The preoperative O-C2 angle was unchanged after surgery.
      Impairment of deglutition may be closely associated with air leakage from the
      oropharynx due to impaired mobility of the soft palate. Because the precise
      mechanism of dysphagia has not been fully elucidated, further study using dynamic
      videofluoroscopy and videoendoscopy is needed to examine the swallowing
      mechanism.

PMID- 26484522
TI  - Risk of fall (RoF) intervention by affecting visual egocenter through gait
      analysis and yoked prisms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Following a neurologic event such as traumatic brain injury (TBI),
      cerebrovascular accident (CVA), and chronic neurological conditions including
      Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy a shift in the visual
      midline (egocenter) can directly affect posture, balance and spatial orientation.
      As a consequence, this increases the risk of fall (RoF) and injury that imposes a
      major financial burden on the public health system. OBJECTIVE: To determine if
      there is a statistically significant change in balance with the intervention of
      yoked prisms to reduce the risk of fall in subjects with neurological
      impairments. METHODS: Ambulation of thirty-six subjects was evaluated on a
      pressure sensitive mat before and after intervention with yoked prisms. Changes
      in gait and balance were analyzed in the anterior-posterior (AP) and medial
      lateral (ML) axes during ambulation. RESULTS: T-tests for each measure comparing
      the difference-of-differences to a zero change at baseline returned statistically
      significant reductions in both AP (p <  0.0001; 95% CI: 1.368- 2.976) and ML (p =
      0.0002; 95% CI: 1.472- 4.173) imbalances using specifically directed yoked prisms
      to correct the visual midline deviation. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate
      that yoked prisms have the potential to provide a cost-effective means to restore
      the visual midline thereby improving balance, reduce RoF and subsequent injury.

PMID- 26484523
TI  - How people with cognitive disabilities experience electronic planning devices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: People with cognitive disabilities have difficulties in accomplishing
      everyday tasks. Electronic planning devices (EPDs) may compensate for the gap
      between a person's capacity and everyday challenges. However, the devices are not
      always used as intended. Despite that, cognitive assistive technology has been
      investigated in several studies, knowledge regarding when and what makes adults
      decide to use EPDs is incomplete. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to explore the
      subjective experiences of people with cognitive disabilities in relation to the
      use of EPDs. METHODS: A qualitative approach was applied with a qualitative
      content analysis. Twelve respondents were interviewed with support from a study
      specific guide. RESULTS: A model representing the respondents' experiences in the
      use of EPDs, comprising one theme, Possibility to master my daily life, four
      categories, Degree of fit to my needs, I am aware of my cognitive disability, I
      get help to structure my everyday life and The EPD improves my volition and ten
      subcategories, was developed. CONCLUSIONS: EPDs allow people with cognitive
      disabilities the possibility to deal with daily challenges; those who find EPDs
      beneficial tend to use them. EPDs can help people with cognitive disabilities in
      organisation, managing time and improve volition.

PMID- 26484524
TI  - Patterns in workplace accommodations for people with multiple sclerosis to
      overcome cognitive and other disease-related limitations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive symptoms and other functional limitations associated with
      multiple sclerosis (MS) have a significant negative impact on employment status.
      Work accommodations positively impact the ability of a person with MS to obtain
      and retain employment, however, current understanding of the role of
      accommodations in the careers of adults with MS is limited. OBJECTIVE: To analyze
      the percentage of American workers with MS who utilize workplace accommodations
      as per Title I of the ADA, the types of accommodations most frequently required,
      and differences in disease variables, job-related factors, and quality of life
      between workers using and not using work accommodations. METHODS: Data from 746
      employed adult members of the National MS Society surveyed about career concerns
      were analyzed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used as appropriate to
      address the research questions. RESULTS: Approximately 25% reported having
      requested accommodations, and 87.7% reported receiving the requested
      accommodation. Participants with progressive MS, cognitive impairment, higher
      number of MS symptoms and greater symptom severity were more likely to use work
      accommodations. Participants with accommodations reported poorer job match and
      career optimism than those using no accommodations. CONCLUSION: This large-scale
      analysis addresses several outstanding questions concerning work accommodations
      among workers with MS. Cognitive symptoms and disease severity are strongly
      associated with need for accommodations, however accommodations do not appear to
      promote job satisfaction or longevity. The accommodation request process and the
      impact of accommodations on employment retention remain important research foci.

PMID- 26484525
TI  - Activities and interim outcomes of a multi-site development project to promote
      cognitive support technology use and employment success among postsecondary
      students with traumatic brain injuries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This article describes the activities and interim outcomes of a multi
      site development project called Project Career, designed to promote cognitive
      support technology (CST) use and employment success for college and university
      students with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). OBJECTIVES: To obtain early
      intervention results from participants in Project Career's first 18 months of
      operation. METHODS: Fifty-six students with TBI have participated to date across
      three implementation sites in Massachusetts, Ohio, and West Virginia, with 25 of
      these participants being military veterans. Descriptive analyses provide
      information regarding the participants, the barriers they face due to their TBI
      in obtaining a post-secondary education, and the impact services provided by
      Project Career have had to date in ameliorating those difficulties. Inferential
      statistical analyses provide preliminary results regarding program effectiveness.
      RESULTS: Preliminary results indicate the program is encouraging students to use
      CST strategies in the form of iPads and cognitive enhancement applications (also
      known as 'apps'). Significant results indicate participants are more positive,
      independent, and social; participants have a more positive attitude toward
      technology after six months in the program; and participants reported
      significantly improved experiences with technology during their first six months
      in the program. CONCLUSION: Participating students are actively preparing for
      their careers after graduation through a wide range of intensive vocational
      supports provided by project staff members.

PMID- 26484526
TI  - Psychological Frailty in the Aging Patient.
AB  - There is little written in the geriatric literature about the concept of
      psychological frailty which encompasses cognitive, mood, and motivational
      components. The concept is intended to consider brain changes that are beyond
      normal aging, but not necessarily inclusive of disease, that result in decreased
      cognitive or mood resilience in the presence of modest stressors, and may
      eventually lead to negative health outcomes in a manner parallel to physical
      frailty, an entity well known to clinicians. Most work exploring the interface
      between cognition, mood, and physical frailty has demonstrated a bidirectional
      association between the two domains. Psychological symptoms or deficits have been
      described as either worsening the degree of physical frailty, or physical frailty
      has been viewed as a risk to a worsening cognition or depression. However,
      psychological frailty, a consequence of age-altered brain function, has not been
      studied for itself. By what possible mechanism does the brain reveal its loss of
      resiliency under modest stress and how can this be visualized? Are there markers
      that predate a psychological decline that might permit a preventive intervention
      which could delay the appearance of negative health outcomes such as reduced
      functional capacity or increased dependency? The present review will explore
      these concepts and possibilities. 

PMID- 26484527
TI  - Proteomics Analysis of Dorsal Striatum Reveals Changes in Synaptosomal Proteins
      following Methamphetamine Self-Administration in Rats.
AB  - Methamphetamine is a widely abused, highly addictive drug. Regulation of synaptic
      proteins within the brain's reward pathway modulates addiction behaviours, the
      progression of drug addiction and long-term changes in brain structure and
      function that result from drug use. Therefore, using large scale proteomics
      studies we aim to identify global protein expression changes within the dorsal
      striatum, a key brain region involved in the modulation of addiction. We
      performed LC-MS/MS analyses on rat striatal synaptosomes following 30 days of
      methamphetamine self-administration (2 hours/day) and 14 days abstinence. We
      identified a total of 84 differentially-expressed proteins with known roles in
      neuroprotection, neuroplasticity, cell cytoskeleton, energy regulation and
      synaptic vesicles. We identify significant expression changes in stress-induced
      phosphoprotein and tubulin polymerisation-promoting protein, which have not
      previously been associated with addiction. In addition, we confirm the role of
      amphiphysin and phosphatidylethanolamine binding protein in addiction. This
      approach has provided new insight into the effects of methamphetamine self
      administration on synaptic protein expression in a key brain region associated
      with addiction, showing a large set of differentially-expressed proteins that
      persist into abstinence. The mass spectrometry proteomics data are available via
      ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001443. 

PMID- 26484528
TI  - Ultrasound-Guided Tissue Core Biopsies in Supraclavicular Lymph Nodes in Patients
      with Suspected Thoracic Malignancies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Supraclavicular (SC) lymph node metastases are important in the
      analysis of thoracic malignancies for staging as well as for diagnosing purposes.
      Ultrasound (US) guidance visualises lesions very precisely, enabling tissue
      biopsies in real-time mode. OBJECTIVES: To report on the diagnostic qualities of
      SC tissue core biopsies (TCB). METHODS: A retrospective database analysis was
      performed in TCB performed under US guidance in SC nodes in patients suspected of
      having a thoracic malignancy. Clinical characteristics and results of diagnostic
      evaluations were analysed. RESULTS: Between October 2008 and October 2014, 67
      sessions for TCB in 65 patients were performed. The diagnostic accuracy of TCB
      for all diagnoses is 90%, with a sensitivity of 89%. For malignant diagnoses, the
      sensitivity of US-guided TCB is 93%. In 20 patients, molecular analysis for EGFR
      and KRAS was performed, with a diagnostic success rate of 95%. One patient
      suffered a moderate haemorrhage after TCB. CONCLUSION: TCB of SC nodes in the
      analysis of suspected thoracic malignancy is safe and has a high diagnostic
      accuracy in determining tumour subtype as well as molecular analysis.

PMID- 26484529
TI  - Distant Recurrence Risk after Late Ipsilateral Breast Tumor Recurrence: Results
      of a Retrospective, Single-Institution Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There is limited information regarding risk factors for distant
      recurrence in patients with late ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR).
      METHODS: Late IBTR was defined as IBTR occurring >5 years after the initial
      surgery. Seventy-eight patients with late IBTR were reviewed to examine the risk
      factors of distant recurrence. RESULTS: The negative estrogen receptor and
      positive HER2 statuses of IBTR were significantly correlated with poorer distant
      disease-free survival (p=0.03 and 0.02, respectively). Multivariate analyses
      demonstrated that the HER2 status of IBTR was an independent predictive factor of
      distant recurrence (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our retrospective,
      single-institution study revealed that the HER2 status of IBTR was an independent
      predictive factor of distant recurrence in patients with late IBTR.

PMID- 26484530
TI  - Loss of Glycosaminoglycan Receptor Binding after Mosquito Cell Passage Reduces
      Chikungunya Virus Infectivity.
AB  - Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that can cause
      fever and chronic arthritis in humans. CHIKV that is generated in mosquito or
      mammalian cells differs in glycosylation patterns of viral proteins, which may
      affect its replication and virulence. Herein, we compare replication,
      pathogenicity, and receptor binding of CHIKV generated in Vero cells (mammal) or
      C6/36 cells (mosquito) through a single passage. We demonstrate that mosquito
      cell-derived CHIKV (CHIKV mos) has slower replication than mammalian cell-derived
      CHIKV (CHIKV vero), when tested in both human and murine cell lines. Consistent
      with this, CHIKV mos infection in both cell lines produce less cytopathic effects
      and reduced antiviral responses. In addition, infection in mice show that CHIKV
      mos produces a lower level of viremia and less severe footpad swelling when
      compared with CHIKV vero. Interestingly, CHIKV mos has impaired ability to bind
      to glycosaminoglycan (GAG) receptors on mammalian cells. However, sequencing
      analysis shows that this impairment is not due to a mutation in the CHIKV E2
      gene, which encodes for the viral receptor binding protein. Moreover, CHIKV mos
      progenies can regain GAG receptor binding capability and can replicate similarly
      to CHIKV vero after a single passage in mammalian cells. Furthermore, CHIKV vero
      and CHIKV mos no longer differ in replication when N-glycosylation of viral
      proteins was inhibited by growing these viruses in the presence of tunicamycin.
      Collectively, these results suggest that N-glycosylation of viral proteins within
      mosquito cells can result in loss of GAG receptor binding capability of CHIKV and
      reduction of its infectivity in mammalian cells.

PMID- 26484531
TI  - Investigating the Relationships among Stressors, Stress Level, and Mental
      Symptoms for Infertile Patients: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Patients with infertility are a high risk group in depression and
      anxiety. However, an existing theoretically and empirically validated model of
      stressors, stress, and mental symptoms specific for infertile patients is still a
      void. This study aimed to determine the related factors and their relational
      structures that affect the level of depressive and anxiety symptoms among
      infertile patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of 400 infertility
      outpatients seeking reproduction treatments in three teaching hospitals across
      Taiwan participated in the structured questionnaire survey in 2011. The
      hypothesized model comprising 10 latent variables was tested by Structural
      Equation Modeling using AMOS 17. RESULTS: Goodness-of-fit indexes, including
      chi2/DF = 1.871, PGFI = 0.746, PNFI = 0.764, and others, confirmed the modified
      model fit the data well. Marital stressor, importance of children, guilt-and
      blame, and social stressor showed a direct effect on perceived stress. Instead of
      being a factor of stress, social support was directly and positively related to
      self-esteem. Perceived stress and self-esteem were the two major mediators for
      the relationships between stressors and mental symptoms. Increase in social
      support and self-esteem led to decrease in mental symptoms among the infertile
      patients. CONCLUSIONS: The relational structures were identified and named as the
      Stressors Stress Symptoms Model, clinically applied to predict anxiety and
      depression from various stressors. Assessing sources and level of infertility
      related stress and implementing culturally-sensitive counseling with an emphasis
      on positive personal value may assist in preventing the severity of depression
      and anxiety.

PMID- 26484532
TI  - Minimal Internal Radiation Exposure in Residents Living South of the Fukushima
      Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster.
AB  - Following the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, assessment of internal
      radiation exposure was indispensable to predict radiation-related health threats
      to residents of neighboring areas. Although many evaluations of internal
      radiation in residents living north and west of the crippled Fukushima nuclear
      power plant are available, there is little information on residents living in
      areas south of the plant, which were similarly affected by radio-contamination
      from the disaster. To assess the internal radio-contamination in residents living
      in affected areas to the south of the plant or who were evacuated into Iwaki
      city, a whole body counter (WBC) screening program of internal radio
      contamination was performed on visitors to the Jyoban hospital in Iwaki city,
      which experienced less contamination than southern areas adjacent to the nuclear
      plant. The study included 9,206 volunteer subjects, of whom 6,446 were
      schoolchildren aged 4-15 years. Measurements began one year after the incident
      and were carried out over the course of two years. Early in the screening period
      only two schoolchildren showed Cs-137 levels that were over the detection limit
      (250 Bq/body), although their Cs-134 levels were below the detection limit (220
      Bq/body). Among the 2,760 adults tested, 35 (1.3%) had detectable internal radio
      contamination, but only for Cs-137 (range: 250 Bq/body to 859 Bq/body), and not
      Cs-134. Of these 35 subjects, nearly all (34/35) showed elevated Cs-137 levels
      only during the first year of the screening. With the exception of potassium 40,
      no other radionuclides were detected during the screening period. The maximum
      annual effective dose calculated from the detected Cs-137 levels was 0.029 and
      0.028 mSv/year for the schoolchildren and adults, respectively, which is far
      below the 1 mSv/year limit set by the government of Japan. Although the data for
      radiation exposure during the most critical first year after the incident are
      unavailable due to a lack of systemic measurements, the present results suggest
      that internal radio-contamination levels more than one year after the incident
      were minimal for residents living south of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant,
      and that the annual additional effective doses derived from internal Cs
      contamination were negligible. Thus, internal radio-contamination of residents
      living in southern radio-contaminated areas appears to be generally well
      controlled. 

PMID- 26484533
TI  - Prevalence of Naegleria fowleri in Environmental Samples from Northern Part of
      India.
AB  - Naegleria fowleri the causative agent of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, is
      ubiquitously distributed worldwide in various warm aquatic environments and soil
      habitats. The present study reports on the presence of Naegleria spp. in various
      water bodies present in Rohtak and Jhajjar district, of state Haryana, India. A
      total of 107 water reservoirs were screened from summer till autumn (2012 and
      2013). In order to isolate Naegleria spp. from the collected water samples, the
      water samples were filtered and the trapped debris after processing were
      transferred to non-nutrient agar plates already seeded with lawn culture of
      Escherichia coli. Out of total 107 water samples, 43 (40%) samples were positive
      by culture for free living amoeba after incubation for 14 days at 37 degrees C.
      To identify the isolates, the ITS1, 5.8SrDNA and ITS2 regions were targeted for
      PCR assay. Out of total 43 positive samples, 37 isolates were positive for
      Naegleria spp. using genus specific primers and the most frequently isolated
      species was Naegleria australiensis. Out of 37 Naegleria spp. positive isolates,
      1 isolate was positive for Naegleria fowleri. The sequence analysis revealed that
      the Naegleria fowleri strain belonged to Type 2. 

PMID- 26484534
TI  - What is the effect of chest physiotherapy in hospitalized children with
      pneumonia?
AB  - Chest physiotherapy is applied in clinical practice for the treatment of
      pneumonia. However, its use is still controversial. Searching in Epistemonikos
      database, which is maintained by screening 30 databases, we identified one
      systematic review including two relevant randomized controlled trials. We
      combined the evidence using meta-analysis and generated a summary of findings
      table following the GRADE approach. We concluded it is unclear whether chest
      physiotherapy increases or decreases the length of hospitalization, severity, or
      the time to clinical improvement in children with pneumonia because the certainty
      of the evidence is very low. 

PMID- 26484535
TI  - Using Fluorescent Proteins to Visualize and Quantitate Chlamydia Vacuole Growth
      Dynamics in Living Cells.
AB  - The obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia elicits a great burden on global
      public health. C. trachomatis is the leading bacterial cause of sexually
      transmitted infection and also the primary cause of preventable blindness in the
      world. An essential determinant for successful infection of host cells by
      Chlamydia is the bacterium's ability to manipulate host cell signaling from
      within a novel, vacuolar compartment called the inclusion. From within the
      inclusion, Chlamydia acquire nutrients required for their 2-3 day developmental
      growth, and they additionally secrete a panel of effector proteins onto the
      cytosolic face of the vacuole membrane and into the host cytosol. Gaps in our
      understanding of Chlamydia biology, however, present significant challenges for
      visualizing and analyzing this intracellular compartment. Recently, a reverse
      imaging strategy for visualizing the inclusion using GFP expressing host cells
      was described. This approach rationally exploits the intrinsic impermeability of
      the inclusion membrane to large molecules such as GFP. In this work, we describe
      how GFP- or mCherry-expressing host cells are generated for subsequent
      visualization of chlamydial inclusions. Furthermore, this method is shown to
      effectively substitute for costly antibody-based enumeration methods, can be used
      in tandem with other fluorescent labels, such as GFP-expressing Chlamydia, and
      can be exploited to derive key quantitative data about inclusion membrane growth
      from a range of Chlamydia species and strains. 

PMID- 26484536
TI  - Axon Regeneration Is Regulated by Ets-C/EBP Transcription Complexes Generated by
      Activation of the cAMP/Ca2+ Signaling Pathways.
AB  - The ability of specific neurons to regenerate their axons after injury is
      governed by cell-intrinsic regeneration pathways. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the
      JNK and p38 MAPK pathways are important for axon regeneration. Axonal injury
      induces expression of the svh-2 gene encoding a receptor tyrosine kinase,
      stimulation of which by the SVH-1 growth factor leads to activation of the JNK
      pathway. Here, we identify ETS-4 and CEBP-1, related to mammalian Ets and C/EBP,
      respectively, as transcriptional activators of svh-2 expression following axon
      injury. ETS-4 and CEBP-1 function downstream of the cAMP and Ca2+-p38 MAPK
      pathways, respectively. We show that PKA-dependent phosphorylation of ETS-4
      promotes its complex formation with CEBP-1. Furthermore, activation of both cAMP
      and Ca2+ signaling is required for activation of svh-2 expression. Thus, the
      cAMP/Ca2+ signaling pathways cooperatively activate the JNK pathway, which then
      promotes axon regeneration. 

PMID- 26484537
TI  - The Distribution and Diversity of Bartonella Species in Rodents and Their
      Ectoparasites across Thailand.
AB  - Our study highlights the surveillance of Bartonella species among rodents and
      their associated ectoparasites (ticks, fleas, lice, and mites) in several regions
      across Thailand. A total of 619 rodents and 554 pooled ectoparasites (287 mite
      pools, 62 flea pools, 35 louse pools, and 170 tick pools) were collected from 8
      provinces within 4 regions of Thailand. Bandicota indica (279), Rattus rattus
      (163), and R. exulans (96) were the most prevalent species of rats collected in
      this study. Real-time PCR assay targeting Bartonella-specific ssrA gene was used
      for screening and each positive sample was confirmed by PCR using nuoG gene. The
      prevalence of Bartonella DNA in rodent (around 17%) was recorded in all regions.
      The highest prevalence of Bartonella species was found in B. savilei and R.
      rattus with the rate of 35.7% (5/14) and 32.5% (53/163), respectively. High
      prevalence of Bartonella-positive rodent was also found in B. indica (15.1%,
      42/279), and R. norvegicus (12.5%, 5/40). In contrast, the prevalence of
      Bartonella species in ectoparasites collected from the rats varied significantly
      according to types of ectoparasites. A high prevalence of Bartonella DNA was
      found in louse pools (Polyplax spp. and Hoplopleura spp., 57.1%) and flea pools
      (Xenopsylla cheopis, 25.8%), while a low prevalence was found in pools of mites
      (Leptotrombidium spp. and Ascoschoengastia spp., 1.7%) and ticks (Haemaphysalis
      spp., 3.5%). Prevalence of Bartonella DNA in ectoparasites collected from
      Bartonella-positive rodents (19.4%) was significantly higher comparing to
      ectoparasites from Bartonella-negative rodents (8.7%). The phylogenetic analysis
      of 41 gltA sequences of 16 Bartonella isolates from rodent blood and 25
      Bartonella-positive ectoparasites revealed a wide range of diversity among
      Bartonella species with a majority of sequences (61.0%) belonging to Bartonella
      elizabethae complex (11 rodents, 1 mite pool, and 5 louse pools), while the
      remaining sequences were identical to B. phoceensis (17.1%, 1 mite pool, 5 louse
      pools, and 1 tick pool), B. coopersplainensis (19.5%, 5 rodents, 1 louse pool,
      and 2 tick pools), and one previously unidentified Bartonella species (2.4%, 1
      louse pool). 

PMID- 26484538
TI  - The Impact of Different Sources of Fluctuations on Mutual Information in
      Biochemical Networks.
AB  - Stochastic fluctuations in signaling and gene expression limit the ability of
      cells to sense the state of their environment, transfer this information along
      cellular pathways, and respond to it with high precision. Mutual information is
      now often used to quantify the fidelity with which information is transmitted
      along a cellular pathway. Mutual information calculations from experimental data
      have mostly generated low values, suggesting that cells might have relatively low
      signal transmission fidelity. In this work, we demonstrate that mutual
      information calculations might be artificially lowered by cell-to-cell
      variability in both initial conditions and slowly fluctuating global factors
      across the population. We carry out our analysis computationally using a simple
      signaling pathway and demonstrate that in the presence of slow global
      fluctuations, every cell might have its own high information transmission
      capacity but that population averaging underestimates this value. We also
      construct a simple synthetic transcriptional network and demonstrate using
      experimental measurements coupled to computational modeling that its operation is
      dominated by slow global variability, and hence that its mutual information is
      underestimated by a population averaged calculation. 

PMID- 26484541
TI  - Ocean Heat Content Reveals Secrets of Fish Migrations.
AB  - For centuries, the mechanisms surrounding spatially complex animal migrations
      have intrigued scientists and the public. We present a new methodology using
      ocean heat content (OHC), a habitat metric that is normally a fundamental part of
      hurricane intensity forecasting, to estimate movements and migration of satellite
      tagged marine fishes. Previous satellite-tagging research of fishes using
      archival depth, temperature and light data for geolocations have been too coarse
      to resolve detailed ocean habitat utilization. We combined tag data with OHC
      estimated from ocean circulation and transport models in an optimization
      framework that substantially improved geolocation accuracy over SST-based tracks.
      The OHC-based movement track provided the first quantitative evidence that many
      of the tagged highly migratory fishes displayed affinities for ocean fronts and
      eddies. The OHC method provides a new quantitative tool for studying dynamic use
      of ocean habitats, migration processes and responses to environmental changes by
      fishes, and further, improves ocean animal tracking and extends satellite-based
      animal tracking data for other potential physical, ecological, and fisheries
      applications. 

PMID- 26484540
TI  - Identification of QTLs Conferring Resistance to Deltamethrin in Culex pipiens
      pallens.
AB  - Culex pipiens pallens is the most abundant Culex mosquito species in northern
      China and is an important vector of bancroftian filariasis and West Nile virus.
      Deltamethrin is an insecticide that is widely used for mosquito control, however
      resistance to this and other insecticides has become a major challenge in the
      control of vector-borne diseases that appear to be inherited quantitatively.
      Furthermore, the genetic basis of insecticide resistance remains poorly
      understood. In this study, quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping of resistance to
      deltamethrin was conducted in F2 intercross segregation populations using bulked
      segregation analysis (BSA) and amplified fragment length polymorphism markers
      (AFLP) in Culex pipiens pallens. A genetic linkage map covering 381 cM was
      constructed and a total of seven QTL responsible for resistance to deltamethrin
      were detected by composite interval mapping (CIM), which explained 95% of the
      phenotypic variance. The major QTL in linkage group 2 accounted for 62% of the
      variance and is worthy of further study. 12 AFLP markers in the map were cloned
      and the genomic locations of these marker sequences were determined by applying
      the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) tool to the genome sequence of the
      closely related Culex quinquefasciatus. Our results suggest that resistance to
      deltamethrin is a quantitative trait under the control of a major QTL in Culex
      pipiens pallens. Cloning of related AFLP markers confirm the potential utility
      for anchoring the genetic map to the physical map. The results provide insight
      into the genetic architecture of the trait. 

PMID- 26484539
TI  - Dissociation of Tissue Destruction and Bacterial Expansion during Bubonic Plague.
AB  - Activation and/or recruitment of the host plasmin, a fibrinolytic enzyme also
      active on extracellular matrix components, is a common invasive strategy of
      bacterial pathogens. Yersinia pestis, the bubonic plague agent, expresses the
      multifunctional surface protease Pla, which activates plasmin and inactivates
      fibrinolysis inhibitors. Pla is encoded by the pPla plasmid. Following
      intradermal inoculation, Y. pestis has the capacity to multiply in and cause
      destruction of the lymph node (LN) draining the entry site. The closely related,
      pPla-negative, Y. pseudotuberculosis species lacks this capacity. We hypothesized
      that tissue damage and bacterial multiplication occurring in the LN during
      bubonic plague were linked and both driven by pPla. Using a set of pPla-positive
      and pPla-negative Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis strains in a mouse model of
      intradermal injection, we found that pPla is not required for bacterial
      translocation to the LN. We also observed that a pPla-cured Y. pestis caused the
      same extensive histological lesions as the wild type strain. Furthermore, the Y.
      pseudotuberculosis histological pattern, characterized by infectious foci limited
      by inflammatory cell infiltrates with normal tissue density and follicular
      organization, was unchanged after introduction of pPla. However, the presence of
      pPla enabled Y. pseudotuberculosis to increase its bacterial load up to that of
      Y. pestis. Similarly, lack of pPla strongly reduced Y. pestis titers in LNs of
      infected mice. This pPla-mediated enhancing effect on bacterial load was directly
      dependent on the proteolytic activity of Pla. Immunohistochemistry of Pla
      negative Y. pestis-infected LNs revealed extensive bacterial lysis, unlike the
      numerous, apparently intact, microorganisms seen in wild type Y. pestis-infected
      preparations. Therefore, our study demonstrates that tissue destruction and
      bacterial survival/multiplication are dissociated in the bubo and that the
      primary action of Pla is to protect bacteria from destruction rather than to
      alter the tissue environment to favor Y. pestis propagation in the host. 

PMID- 26484542
TI  - Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis: Risk of Progression and Development of Symptoms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the rate of progression of
      stenosis and development of symptoms in patients with asymptomatic carotid artery
      stenosis (aCAS) treated with contemporary medical therapy over a prolonged time
      interval. METHODS: This study is a retrospective review of consecutive patients
      diagnosed with moderate or severe aCAS at our institution between 2000 and 2001.
      Data were gathered from both carotid arteries for each patient excluding vessels
      operated within 1 year of diagnosis and occlusions. Multivariate analysis was
      performed to analyze factors associated with ipsilateral transient ischemic
      attack (TIA)/stroke. RESULTS: We identified 214 patients (58.8% men; median age
      70 years) and collected data on 349 vessels. Degree of stenosis was severe (>70%)
      upon diagnosis in 92 (26.4%) vessels. Median length of follow-up was 13 years
      (interquartile range 10-14), and mean number of time points for follow-up imaging
      were 8.1 +/- 3.9. Progression of stenosis was observed in 237 (67.9%) vessels,
      and 72 (20.6%) patients developed symptoms ipsilateral to the stenosis (TIA in
      14.4%, non-disabling stroke in 4%, disabling stroke in 2.2%). Median time to
      appearance of first symptom was 6 years (range 1-13). On multivariate analysis,
      degree of baseline stenosis, intracranial stenosis >50%, plaque ulceration,
      silent infarction and previous history of TIA/stroke were associated with
      ipsilateral TIA/stroke, but progression of stenosis was not. CONCLUSIONS: There
      was a substantial rate of progression of stenosis in patients with aCAS over time
      despite adequate medical therapy, but progression of stenosis did not increase
      the risk of ipsilateral TIA/stroke. Over long-term follow-up, 1 in 5 patients
      with aCAS developed ipsilateral TIA/stroke, though most events were either
      transient or non-disabling.

PMID- 26484543
TI  - Yield Gap, Indigenous Nutrient Supply and Nutrient Use Efficiency for Maize in
      China.
AB  - Great achievements have been attained in agricultural production of China, while
      there are still many difficulties and challenges ahead that call for put more
      efforts to overcome to guarantee food security and protect environment
      simultaneously. Analyzing yield gap and nutrient use efficiency will help develop
      and inform agricultural policies and strategies to increase grain yield. On-farm
      datasets from 2001 to 2012 with 1,971 field experiments for maize (Zea mays L.)
      were collected in four maize agro-ecological regions of China, and the optimal
      management (OPT), farmers' practice (FP), a series of nutrient omission
      treatments were used to analyze yield gap, nutrient use efficiency and indigenous
      nutrient supply by adopting meta-analysis and ANOVA analysis. Across all sites,
      the average yield gap between OPT and FP was 0.7 t ha-1, the yield response to
      nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) were 1.8, 1.0, and 1.2 t ha-1,
      respectively. The soil indigenous nutrient supply of N, P, and K averaged 139.9,
      33.7, and 127.5 kg ha-1, respectively. As compared to FP, the average recovery
      efficiency (RE) of N, P, and K with OPT increased by percentage point of 12.2,
      5.5, and 6.5, respectively. This study indicated that there would be considerable
      potential to further improve yield and nutrient use efficiency in China, and will
      help develop and inform agricultural policies and strategies, while some
      management measures such as soil, plant and nutrient are necessary and integrate
      with advanced knowledge and technologies. 

PMID- 26484544
TI  - Evaluating Subcriticality during the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa.
AB  - The 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak is the largest and most widespread to date. In order
      to estimate ongoing transmission in the affected countries, we estimated the
      weekly average number of secondary cases caused by one individual infected with
      Ebola throughout the infectious period for each affected West African country
      using a stochastic hidden Markov model fitted to case data from the World Health
      Organization. If the average number of infections caused by one Ebola infection
      is less than 1.0, the epidemic is subcritical and cannot sustain itself. The
      epidemics in Liberia and Sierra Leone have approached subcriticality at some
      point during the epidemic; the epidemic in Guinea is ongoing with no evidence
      that it is subcritical. Response efforts to control the epidemic should continue
      in order to eliminate Ebola cases in West Africa. 

PMID- 26484545
TI  - Gender Specific Mutation Incidence and Survival Associations in Clear Cell Renal
      Cell Carcinoma (CCRCC).
AB  - Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is diagnosed in >200,000 individuals worldwide each
      year, accounting for ~2% of all cancers, but the spread of this disease amongst
      genders is distinctly uneven. In the U.S. the male:female incidence ratio is
      approximately 2:1. A potential hypothesis is mutation spectra may differ between
      tumors dependent upon the gender of the patient, such as mutations of X
      chromosome encoded genes being more prevalent in male-derived tumors. Combined
      analysis of three recent large-scale clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC)
      mutation sequencing projects identified a significantly increased mutation
      frequency of PBRM1 and the X chromosome encoded KDM5C in tumors from male
      patients and BAP1 in tumors from female patients. Mutation of BAP1 had previously
      been significantly associated with poorer overall survival; however, when
      stratified by gender, mutation of BAP1 only significantly affected overall
      survival in female patients. Mutation of chromatin remodeling genes alters gene
      regulation, but the overall effect of these alterations may also be modified by
      the presence of other gender specific factors. Thus, the combination of gender
      and mutation of a specific gene, such as BAP1, may have implications not only for
      prognosis but also for understanding the role of chromatin remodeling gene
      mutations in kidney cancer progression. 

PMID- 26484546
TI  - The Direct Interaction between Two Morphogenetic Proteins Is Essential for Spore
      Coat Formation in Bacillus subtilis.
AB  - In Bacillus subtilis the protective layers that surround the mature spore are
      formed by over seventy different proteins. Some of those proteins have a
      regulatory role on the assembly of other coat proteins and are referred to as
      morphogenetic factors. CotE is a major morphogenetic factor, known to form a ring
      around the forming spore and organize the deposition of the outer surface layers.
      CotH is a CotE-dependent protein known to control the assembly of at least nine
      other coat proteins. We report that CotH also controls the assembly of CotE and
      that this mutual dependency is due to a direct interaction between the two
      proteins. The C-terminal end of CotE is essential for this direct interaction and
      CotH cannot bind to mutant CotE deleted of six or nine C-terminal amino acids.
      However, addition of a negatively charged amino acid to those deleted versions of
      CotE rescues the interaction. 

PMID- 26484548
TI  - Correction: The Association between Polyclonal Combined Serum Free Light Chain
      Concentration and Mortality in Individuals with Early Chronic Kidney Disease.

PMID- 26484547
TI  - Genotypic and Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris: A
      Contribution to Species Characterization.
AB  - Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris is the main cause of most spoilage problems in
      fruit juices and acidic products. Since soil borne species often contaminate
      fruit juices and do not need strict extreme requirements for survival, it is a
      great concern to investigate whether and how soil species could evolve from their
      ecological niches in microbial community to new environments as fruit juices. In
      this study, 23 isolates of thermo-acidophilic, spore-forming bacteria from soil
      were characterized by cultural and molecular methods. In addition, 2 strains
      isolated from a spoilage incident in pear juice were typed. Strains phenotyping
      showed that they could be grouped into 3 different clusters, and some isolates
      showed identical or quite similar patterns. Analyzing pH and temperature ranges
      for growth, the majority of strains were able to grow at values described for
      many species of Alicyclobacillus. Qualitative utilization of lysine, arginine and
      indole production from tryptophan revealed, for the first time, deamination of
      lysine and decarboxylation of arginine. Resistance to 5% NaCl as well as the
      ability to hydrolyze starch and gelatin, nitrate reduction, catalase and oxidase
      activities confirmed literature evidences. Examining of 16S rRNA, showed that
      isolates were divided into three blocks represented by effectively soil species
      and strains that are moving from soil to other possible growing source
      characterized by parameters that could strongly influence bacterial survival.
      RAPD PCR technique evidenced a great variability in banding patterns and,
      although it was not possible to obtain genotypically well-distinguished groups,
      it was feasible to appreciate genetic similarity between some strains. In
      conclusion, the investigation of a microbial community entails a combination of
      metagenomic and classic culture-dependent approaches to expand our knowledge
      about Alicyclobacillus and to look for new subspecies. 

PMID- 26484549
TI  - Molecular Epidemiology of Hospital Outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome,
      Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2014.
AB  - We investigated an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) at King
      Fahad Medical City (KFMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during March 29-May 21, 2014.
      This outbreak involved 45 patients: 8 infected outside KFMC, 13 long-term
      patients at KFMC, 23 health care workers, and 1 who had an indeterminate source
      of infection. Sequences of full-length MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV) from 10
      patients and a partial sequence of MERS-CoV from another patient, when compared
      with other MERS-CoV sequences, demonstrated that this outbreak was part of a
      larger outbreak that affected multiple health care facilities in Riyadh and
      possibly arose from a single zoonotic transmission event that occurred in
      December 2013 (95% highest posterior density interval November 8, 2013-February
      10, 2014). This finding suggested continued health care-associated transmission
      for 5 months. Molecular epidemiology documented multiple external introductions
      in a seemingly contiguous outbreak and helped support or refute transmission
      pathways suspected through epidemiologic investigation. 

PMID- 26484550
TI  - A method to visualize transdermal nickel permeation in mouse skin using a nickel
      allergy patch.
AB  - Metal patch test is often used in clinical settings when metal-induced contact
      dermatitis is suspected. However, the transdermal permeation behavior of metal
      ions from the patch test remains unclear. Current patch tests using high
      concentrations of metal salt solutions have some side effects, e.g. acute skin
      reactions to high concentrations of metal salt. To resolve these, estimating
      metal ion transdermal permeation is wished. In this study, synchrotron radiation
      X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF) and micro-focused particle-induced X-ray emission
      (micro-PIXE) were used to visualize the time-dependent Ni permeation in mouse
      skin. The cross-sectional diffusion of Ni was visualized in a time-dependent
      manner. Our results indicate that maximum Ni permeation occurs after 24 h of
      patch treatment, and the permeated Ni content was high in the epidermis and
      spread into the dermis beyond the basal layer. This method may be useful to
      determine the appropriate solution concentration and duration of administration
      for the patch test.

PMID- 26484551
TI  - In vivo evaluation of a Ti-based bulk metallic glass alloy bar.
AB  - Ti-based bulk metallic glasses are reported with high strength, low Young modulus
      and high corrosion resistance, suggesting their potentials in biomedical
      applications. However a thorough in vivo evaluation of its biocompatibilities has
      not been conducted yet. In this study, we implanted bars of Ti-based bulk
      metallic glass in the femoral bone of rats, followed up local tissue reaction as
      well as its component ions' diffusion in local area and whole body. The Ti-based
      BMG (Ti40Zr10Cu34Pd14Sn2) alloy exhibited favorable features of both high
      strength and high elasticity. In vivo implant evaluation showed that it has a
      good tissue compatibility, equivalent bone integration and bonding ability with
      Ti sample. No component ion diffusion was detected up to 3 months post
      implantation. The possibility and efficacy of its use for bone implant is
      confirmed. Thus further long term implant study is recommended.

PMID- 26484552
TI  - Preparation of decellularized vascular matrix by co-crosslinking of procyanidins
      and glutaraldehyde.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vascular extracellular matrices (vECMs) have shown potential for
      small-diameter blood vessel tissue engineering applications. However, problems
      such as chemical instability and easy calcification are still remained. Chemical
      crosslinking using crosslinkers such as glutaraldehyde (GA) can improve
      mechanical properties and proteolysis resistance of vECMs, but leads to
      calcification and cytotoxicity. Procyanidins (PC) can crosslink ECMs with anti
      calcification property and cytocompatibility, but the mechanical properties and
      chemical stability are unsatisfactory. OBJECTIVE: A novel co-crosslinking
      technique using PC and GA was developed, which combines the advantages of both PC
      and GA for enhancing mechanical properties and stability of vECMs with reduced
      calcification and cytotoxicity. METHODS: Fresh carotid were decellularized and
      then crosslinked by PC and subsequent GA for 6 h respectively. The mechanical
      properties, dynamic release of PC, enzymatic degradation, calcification and
      cytotoxicity of crosslinked samples were evaluated. RESULTS: The co-crosslinked
      vECMs showed enhanced tensile strength, chemical and biological stability,
      comparable anti-calcification property as compared to pure PC-crosslinked
      samples. Cytotoxicity assay showed that the co-crosslinked vECMs were
      cytocompatible for supporting the adhesion and proliferation of HUVECs.
      CONCLUSIONS: Co-crosslinking with PC and GA might be a useful method for
      preparation of vECM scaffolds with potential applications in small-diameter blood
      vessel tissue engineering.

PMID- 26484553
TI  - Biocompatibility of hydroxyapatite scaffolds processed by lithography-based
      additive manufacturing.
AB  - The fabrication of hydroxyapatite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering
      applications by using lithography-based additive manufacturing techniques has
      been introduced due to the abilities to control porous structures with suitable
      resolutions. In this research, the use of hydroxyapatite cellular structures,
      which are processed by lithography-based additive manufacturing machine, as a
      bone tissue engineering scaffold was investigated. The utilization of digital
      light processing system for additive manufacturing machine in laboratory scale
      was performed in order to fabricate the hydroxyapatite scaffold, of which
      biocompatibilities were eventually evaluated by direct contact and cell-culturing
      tests. In addition, the density and compressive strength of the scaffolds were
      also characterized. The results show that the hydroxyapatite scaffold at 77% of
      porosity with 91% of theoretical density and 0.36 MPa of the compressive strength
      are able to be processed. In comparison with a conventionally sintered
      hydroxyapatite, the scaffold did not present any cytotoxic signs while the
      viability of cells at 95.1% was reported. After 14 days of cell-culturing tests,
      the scaffold was able to be attached by pre-osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1) leading to
      cell proliferation and differentiation. The hydroxyapatite scaffold for bone
      tissue engineering was able to be processed by the lithography-based additive
      manufacturing machine while the biocompatibilities were also confirmed.

PMID- 26484554
TI  - Mechanical behavior and blood compatibility of copper-containing films as
      potential biomaterials.
AB  - Surface modification is one approach to enhance the biocompatibility of implanted
      cardiovascular devices. In this work, a copper-containing film used to blood
      contacted biomaterials was prepared by vacuum arc deposition. The phase
      composition of the films was investigated via X-ray diffraction, and the
      adherence strength of the films was evaluated with conventional deformation
      tests. Blood compatibility of the films was characterized by hemolysis ratio,
      clotting time and platelet adhesion etc. The surface of inferior vena cava
      filters were smooth and uniform, no cracks or delaminations were observed on the
      deformed surface. These results indicate that the mechanical behavior of the
      films is suitable for withstanding deformation stresses as operation in clinic.
      Good blood compatibility of the copper-containing films was identified through
      experiment in vitro, the activated partial thromboplastin times (APTTs) of Cu/Ti
      films were similar to that of the uncoated substrate, and Cu/Ti films were also
      found to inhibit platelet adhesion comparing to the nitinol substrate. However,
      with increasing ratio of Cu/Ti, the hemolysis ratio increased, resulting in
      platelet damage. These results indicate that the copper-containing film has
      potential application on blood contacted devices.

PMID- 26484555
TI  - Adaptive learning based heartbeat classification.
AB  - Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a leading cause of unnecessary hospital
      admissions as well as fatalities placing an immense burden on the healthcare
      industry. A process to provide timely intervention can reduce the morbidity rate
      as well as control rising costs. Patients with cardiovascular diseases require
      quick intervention. Towards that end, automated detection of abnormal heartbeats
      captured by electronic cardiogram (ECG) signals is vital. While cardiologists can
      identify different heartbeat morphologies quite accurately among different
      patients, the manual evaluation is tedious and time consuming. In this chapter,
      we propose new features from the time and frequency domains and furthermore,
      feature normalization techniques to reduce inter-patient and intra-patient
      variations in heartbeat cycles. Our results using the adaptive learning based
      classifier emulate those reported in existing literature and in most cases
      deliver improved performance, while eliminating the need for labeling of signals
      by domain experts.

PMID- 26484556
TI  - Development of phantom for quantitative analyses of human dentin mineral density.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to develop a novel-designed phantom that
      could be scanned with a sample in the same image, that specialize for
      quantitative analyses of human dentin mineral density using the X-ray attenuation
      method. A further attempt was made to demonstrate the intracoronal dentin mineral
      density using this phantom in mandibular incisors. The phantom prepared with a 15
      mm hole in the center of an acrylic resin bar having an outside diameter of 25 mm
      and 8 small holes (diameter, 3 mm) were made at equal intervals around the
      center. Liquid dipotassium hydrogen phosphate (K2HPO4) solutions were established
      at 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 g/cm3, and were arranged to these holes. The mean value
      of the intracoronal dentin mineral density was 1.486 +/- 0.016 g/cm3 in the
      present study. As the results of the present study corresponded to previous
      reports, this new phantom was considered to be useful. This phantom enables the
      analysis of samples that are not readily available by conventional mechanical
      tests and may facilitate biomechanical investigations using X-ray images. It was
      suggested that this system is a simple, accurate and novel mineralization
      measuring system.

PMID- 26484557
TI  - Reliability performance of titanium sputter coated Ni-Ti arch wires: mechanical
      performance and nickel release evaluation.
AB  - The present research was aimed at developing surface coatings on NiTi archwires
      capable of protection against nickel release and to investigate the stability,
      mechanical performance and prevention of nickel release of titanium sputter
      coated NiTi arch wires. Coated and uncoated specimens immersed in artificial
      saliva were subjected to critical evaluation of parameters such as surface
      analysis, mechanical testing, element release, friction coefficient and adhesion
      of the coating. Titanium coatings exhibited high reliability on exposure even for
      a prolonged period of 30 days in artificial saliva. The coatings were found to be
      relatively stable on linear scratch test with reduced frictional coefficient
      compared to uncoated samples. Titanium sputtering adhered well with the Ni-Ti
      substrates at the molecular level, this was further confirmed by Inductive
      coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (ICPE) analysis which showed no dissolution
      of nickel in the artificial saliva. Titanium sputter coatings seem to be
      promising for nickel sensitive patients. The study confirmed the superior nature
      of the coating, evident as reduced surface roughness, friction coefficient, good
      adhesion and minimal hardness and elastic modulus variations in artificial saliva
      over a given time period.

PMID- 26484559
TI  - Wear in ceramic on ceramic type lumbar total disc replacement: effect of radial
      clearance.
AB  - The wear of the bearing surfaces of total disc replacement (TDR) is a key problem
      leads to reduction in the lifetime of the prosthesis and it mainly occurs due to
      the range of clearances of the articulating surface between the superior plate
      and core. The objective of this paper is to estimate the wear using finite
      element concepts considering the different radial clearances between the
      articulating surfaces of ceramic on ceramic type Lumbar Total Disc Replacement
      (LTDR). The finite element (FE) model was subjected to wear testing protocols
      according to loading profile of International Standards Organization (ISO) 18192
      standards through 10 million cycles. The radial clearance value of 0.05 mm showed
      less volumetric wear when compared with other radial clearance values. Hence, low
      radial clearance values are suitable for LTDR to minimize the wear.

PMID- 26484558
TI  - Safety and efficacy of a novel iopromide-based paclitaxel-eluting balloon
      following bare metal stent implantation in rabbit aorta abdominalis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Drug-eluting balloons (DEB) may be promising technology for treating
      atherosclerotic arterial disease. In fact, several DEBs have been clinically
      available for the treatment of coronary in-stent restenosis (ISR), de novo
      coronary lesions, and peripheral artery disease. OBJECTIVE: We sought to
      elucidate the mechanism of action and in vivo safety and efficacy of a novel
      iopromide-based paclitaxel-eluting balloon. METHODS: In vitro cytotoxicity of a
      novel DEB on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and in vivo
      pharmacokinetics of DEB in a rabbit aorta abdominalis were assessed. Then, bare
      metal stents (BMS) were implanted at both the proximal and distal sites of the
      rabbit aorta abdominalis. Stented vascular segments were immediately dilated with
      a bare balloon (control group) or the DEB (DEB group) randomly. Histological
      evaluation was performed in all treated segments at 28 days. Because paclitaxel
      is a tubulin-disrupting agent that binds preferentially to beta-tubulin, we
      measured beta-tubulin expression in aortal stent specimens via
      immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: We observed that DEB was compatible and could
      reduce neointimal hyperplasia compared with the bare balloon. Meanwhile,
      immunohistochemistry revealed that beta-tubulin expression in the DEB group
      increased compared with the control group, indirectly suggesting successful
      uptake of paclitaxel by vessel walls after DEB dilation. CONCLUSIONS: The novel
      DEB is safe and has a favorable vascular healing response on neointimal
      hyperplasia.

PMID- 26484560
TI  - The Competition between Elimination Pathways in the Reactions of a Wide Variety
      of Bases with 2-Fluoro- and 2-Chlorobutane in the Gas Phase.
AB  - Ab initio methods are used to examine the regio- and stereoselectivities of the
      elimination reactions of 2-fluorobutane and 2-chlorobutane with a series of
      nucleophiles (F(-), HO(-), CH3O(-), (CH3)3CO(-), NH2(-), CH3(-), H(-), Cl(-), HS(
      ), and PH2(-)). The data suggest that regiochemistry is most closely related to
      the nature of the transition state on the E2 spectrum with E1cb-like reactions
      favoring the least-substituted alkene product and E1-like reactions favoring the
      most-substituted alkene product. There appears to be no correlation between the
      extent of pi-bond formation (as measured by the Calpha-Cbeta distance) and the
      preference for forming the more highly substituted alkene. The stereochemistry (E
      vs Z) is less sensitive to the nucleophile and is relatively constant with the
      exception of a few systems that appear to have long-range interactions that
      reduce the bias against the Z product. Comparisons with experimental results in
      solution show, with a few exceptions, similar reactivity trends in solution and
      the gas phase. 

PMID- 26484561
TI  - Synthesis and Characterization of High c-axis ZnO Thin Film by Plasma Enhanced
      Chemical Vapor Deposition System and its UV Photodetector Application.
AB  - In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films with high c-axis (0002) preferential
      orientation have been successfully and effectively synthesized onto silicon (Si)
      substrates via different synthesized temperatures by using plasma enhanced
      chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system. The effects of different synthesized
      temperatures on the crystal structure, surface morphologies and optical
      properties have been investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated
      that the intensity of (0002) diffraction peak became stronger with increasing
      synthesized temperature until 400 (o)C. The diffraction intensity of (0002) peak
      gradually became weaker accompanying with appearance of (10-10) diffraction peak
      as the synthesized temperature up to excess of 400 (o)C. The RT photoluminescence
      (PL) spectra exhibited a strong near-band-edge (NBE) emission observed at around
      375 nm and a negligible deep-level (DL) emission located at around 575 nm under
      high c-axis ZnO thin films. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM)
      images revealed the homogeneous surface and with small grain size distribution.
      The ZnO thin films have also been synthesized onto glass substrates under the
      same parameters for measuring the transmittance. For the purpose of ultraviolet
      (UV) photodetector application, the interdigitated platinum (Pt) thin film
      (thickness ~100 nm) fabricated via conventional optical lithography process and
      radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. In order to reach Ohmic contact, the
      device was annealed in argon circumstances at 450 (o)C by rapid thermal annealing
      (RTA) system for 10 min. After the systematic measurements, the current-voltage
      (I-V) curve of photo and dark current and time-dependent photocurrent response
      results exhibited a good responsivity and reliability, indicating that the high c
      axis ZnO thin film is a suitable sensing layer for UV photodetector application. 

PMID- 26484562
TI  - Optimizing Photovoltaic Response by Tuning Light-Harvesting Nanocrystal Shape
      Synthesized Using a Quick Liquid-Gas Phase Reaction.
AB  - The electron recombination lifetime in a sensitized semiconductor assembly is
      greatly influenced by the crystal structure and geometric form of the light
      harvesting semiconductor nanocrystal. When such light harvesters with varying
      structural characteristics are configured in a photoanode, its interface with the
      electrolyte becomes equally important and directly influences the photovoltaic
      efficiency. We have systematically probed here the influence of nanocrystal
      crystallographic structure and shape on the electron recombination lifetime and
      its eventual influence on the light to electricity conversion efficiency of a
      liquid junction semiconductor sensitized solar cell. The light-harvesting cadmium
      sulfide (CdS) nanocrystals of distinctly different and controlled shapes are
      obtained using a novel and simple liquid-gas phase synthesis method performed at
      different temperatures involving very short reaction times. High-resolution
      synchrotron X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic studies respectively exhibit
      different crystallographic phase content and optical properties. When assembled
      on a mesoscopic TiO2 film by a linker molecule, they exhibit remarkable variation
      in electron recombination lifetime by 1 order of magnitude, as determined by ac
      impedance spectroscopy. This also drastically affects the photovoltaic efficiency
      of the differently shaped nanocrystal sensitized solar cells. 

PMID- 26484563
TI  - Determining Parameters and Mechanisms of Colloid Retention and Release in Porous
      Media.
AB  - A modeling framework is presented to determine fundamental parameters and
      controlling mechanisms of colloid (microbes, clays, and nanoparticles) retention
      and release on surfaces of porous media that exhibit wide distributions of
      nanoscale chemical heterogeneity, nano- to microscale roughness, and pore water
      velocity. Primary and/or secondary minimum interactions in the zone of
      electrostatic influence were determined over the heterogeneous solid surface. The
      Maxwellian kinetic energy model was subsequently employed to determine the
      probability of immobilization and diffusive release of colloids from each of
      these minima. In addition, a balance of applied hydrodynamic and resisting
      adhesive torques was conducted to determine locations of immobilization and
      hydrodynamic release in the presence of spatially variable water flow and
      microscopic roughness. Locations for retention had to satisfy both energy and
      torque balance conditions for immobilization, whereas release could occur either
      due to diffusion or hydrodynamics. Summation of energy and torque balance results
      over the elementary surface area of the porous medium provided estimates for
      colloid retention and release parameters that are critical to predicting
      environmental fate, including the sticking and release efficiencies and the
      maximum concentration of retained colloids on the solid phase. Nanoscale
      roughness and chemical heterogeneity produced localized primary minimum
      interactions that controlled long-term retention, even when mean chemical
      conditions were unfavorable. Microscopic roughness played a dominant role in
      colloid retention under low ionic strength and high hydrodynamic conditions,
      especially for larger colloids. 

PMID- 26484564
TI  - Probing the Structure, Pseudorotation, and Radial Vibrations of Cyclopentane by
      Femtosecond Rotational Raman Coherence Spectroscopy.
AB  - Femtosecond time-resolved Raman rotational coherence spectroscopy (RCS) is
      employed to determine accurate rotational, vibration-rotation coupling constants,
      and centrifugal distortion constants of cyclopentane (C5H10). Its lowest
      frequency vibration is a pseudorotating ring deformation that interconverts 10
      permutationally distinct but energetically degenerate "twist" minima interspersed
      by 10 "bent" conformers. While the individual twist and bent structures are polar
      asymmetric tops, the pseudorotation is fast on the time scale of external
      rotation, rendering cyclopentane a fluxionally nonpolar symmetric top molecule.
      The pseudorotational level pattern corresponds to a one-dimensional internal
      rotor with a pseudorotation constant Bps ~ 2.8 cm(-1). The pseudorotational
      levels are significantly populated up to l = +/- 13 at 298 K; <10% of the
      molecules are in the l = 0 level. The next-higher vibration is the "radial" nu23
      ring deformation mode at 273 cm-1, which is far above the pseudorotational
      fundamental. Femtosecond Raman RCS measurements were performed in a gas cell at T
      = 293 K and in a pulsed supersonic jet at T ~ 90 K. The jet cooling reduces the
      pseudorotational distribution to l < +/-8 and eliminates the population of nu23,
      allowing one to determine the rotational constant as A0 = B0 = 6484.930(11) MHz.
      This value is ~300 times more precise than the previous value. The fit of the RCS
      transients reveals that the rotation-pseudorotation coupling constant alphae,psB
      = -0.00070(1) MHz is diminutive, implying that excitation of the pseudorotation
      has virtually no effect on the B0 rotational constant of cyclopentane. The
      smallness of alphae,psB can be realized when comparing to the vibration-rotation
      coupling constant of the nu23 vibration, alphae,23B = -9.547(1) MHz, which is
      about 104 times larger.

PMID- 26484565
TI  - Wnt2 complements Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in colorectal cancer.
AB  - Wnt2 is implicated in various human cancers. However, it remains unknown how Wnt2
      is upregulated in human cancer and contributes to tumorigenesis. Here we found
      that Wnt2 is highly expressed in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. In addition to co
      expression of Wnt2 with Wnt/beta-catenin target genes in CRC, knockdown or
      knockout of Wnt2 significantly downregulates Wnt/beta-catenin target gene
      expression in CRC cells. Importantly, depletion or ablation of endogenous Wnt2
      inhibits CRC cell proliferation. Similarly, neutralizing secreted Wnt2 reduces
      Wnt target gene expression and suppresses CRC cell proliferation. Conversely,
      Wnt2 increases cell proliferation of intestinal epithelial cells. Intriguingly,
      WNT2 expression is transcriptionally silenced by EZH2-mediated H3K27me3 histone
      modification in non-CRC cells, However, WNT2 expression is de-repressed by the
      loss of PRC2's promoter occupancy in CRC cells. Our results reveal the unexpected
      roles of Wnt2 in complementing Wnt/beta-catenin signaling for CRC cell
      proliferation. 

PMID- 26484566
TI  - Targeting metabolic flexibility by simultaneously inhibiting respiratory complex
      I and lactate generation retards melanoma progression.
AB  - Melanoma is a largely incurable skin malignancy owing to the underlying molecular
      and metabolic heterogeneity confounded by the development of resistance. Cancer
      cells have metabolic flexibility in choosing either oxidative phosphorylation
      (OXPHOS) or glycolysis for ATP generation depending upon the nutrient
      availability in tumor microenvironment. In this study, we investigated the
      involvement of respiratory complex I and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in melanoma
      progression. We show that inhibition of complex I by metformin promotes melanoma
      growth in mice via elevating lactate and VEGF levels. In contrast, it leads to
      the growth arrest in vitro because of enhanced extracellular acidification as a
      result of increased glycolysis. Inhibition of LDH or lactate generation causes
      decrease in glycolysis with concomitant growth arrest both in vitro and in vivo.
      Blocking lactate generation in metformin-treated melanoma cells results in
      diminished cell proliferation and tumor progression in mice. Interestingly,
      inhibition of either LDH or complex I alone does not induce apoptosis, whereas
      inhibiting both together causes depletion in cellular ATP pool resulting in
      metabolic catastrophe induced apoptosis. Overall, our study suggests that LDH and
      complex I play distinct roles in regulating glycolysis and cell proliferation.
      Inhibition of these two augments synthetic lethality in melanoma. 

PMID- 26484567
TI  - Honokiol inhibits bladder tumor growth by suppressing EZH2/miR-143 axis.
AB  - The oncoprotein EZH2, as a histone H3K27 methyltransferase, is frequently
      overexpressed in various cancer types. However, the mechanisms underlying its
      role in urinary bladder cancer (UBC) cells have not yet fully understood. Herein,
      we reported that honokiol, a biologically active biphenolic compound isolated
      from the Magnolia officinalis inhibited human UBC cell proliferation, survival,
      cancer stemness, migration, and invasion, through downregulation of EZH2
      expression level, along with the reductions of MMP9, CD44, Sox2 and the induction
      of tumor suppressor miR-143. Either EZH2 overexpression or miR-143 inhibition
      could partially reverse honokiol-induced cell growth arrest and impaired
      clonogenicity. Importantly, it was first revealed that EZH2 could directly bind
      to the transcriptional regulatory region of miR-143 and repress its expression.
      Furthermore, honokiol treatment on T24 tumor xenografts confirmed its anticancer
      effects in vivo, including suppression tumor growth and tumor stemness,
      accompanied by the dysregulation of EZH2 and miR-143 expressions. Our data
      suggest a promising therapeutic option to develop drugs targeting EZH2/miR-143
      axis, such as honokiol, for bladder cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26484569
TI  - The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) Project.

PMID- 26484568
TI  - Changes in the expression and protein level of matrix metalloproteinases after
      exposure to waterpipe tobacco smoke.
AB  - Waterpipe smoking has become a worldwide epidemic with health consequences that
      only now are beginning to be understood fully. Because waterpipe use involves
      inhaling a large volume of toxicant-laden smoke that can cause inflammation, some
      health consequences may include inflammation-mediated lung injury. Excess matrix
      metalloproteinase expression is a key step in the etiology of toxicant exposure
      driven inflammation and injury. In this study, changes in the level and mRNA of
      major matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1, -9, and -12) in the lungs of mice
      following exposure to waterpipe smoke were investigated. Balb/c mice were exposed
      to waterpipe smoke for one hour daily, over a period of 2 or 8 weeks. Control
      mice were exposed to fresh air only. ELISA and real-time PCR techniques were used
      to determine the protein and mRNA levels of MMP-1, -9, and -12 in the lungs. Our
      findings showed that MMP-1, -9, and -12 levels in the lung significantly
      increased after both 2 (p < 0.05) and 8 weeks (p < 0.01) exposures. Similarly, RT
      PCR findings showed that mRNA of those proteinases significantly increased
      following 2 (p < 0.01) and 8 weeks (p < 0.001) exposures. In conclusion,
      waterpipe smoking is associated strongly with lung injury as measured by
      elevation in the expression of MMPs in the lung tissue.

PMID- 26484570
TI  - Times Are Changing: 35 Years of Human Biospecimen Procurements for the National
      Disease Research Interchange.

PMID- 26484572
TI  - Surgical Specimens of Colorectal Cancer Fixed with PAXgene Tissue System Preserve
      High-Quality RNA.
AB  - BACKGROUND: RNA analysis of surgical specimens is one of the most useful methods
      for exploring biomarkers of advanced cancer. The most readily available source
      for RNA is formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens, but RNA isolated
      from FFPE tissue is of limited use. The PAXgene Tissue (PAX) system is a formalin
      free system designed to improve the quality of molecular analysis without
      diminishing the quality of histopathological analysis. In this human colorectal
      cancer tissue study, we aimed to evaluate whether surgical specimens fixed with
      PAX can preserve high-quality RNA in comparison with FFPE and fresh-frozen tissue
      specimens. METHODS: Ten consecutive advanced colorectal cancer patients
      undergoing colectomy were examined. Each specimen was processed in three ways: as
      frozen tissue, as PAX-fixed tissue, and as formalin-fixed tissue. RNA integrity
      numbers (RINs) were assessed using an Agilent Bioanalyzer. RNA transcript levels
      and stability were investigated by quantitative real-time PCR. We also evaluated
      the immunohistochemical intensity of Ki-67, CEA, and EGFR in the PAX samples.
      RESULTS: The average RINs of RNA extracted from frozen and PAX samples were
      significantly higher than those from FFPE samples (p < 0.001). The cycle
      threshold (Ct) values were similar in PAX and frozen samples, but significantly
      increased in FFPE samples (p < 0.001). Most of the DeltaCt values in the PAX
      samples did not differ significantly from those in the matched frozen samples. On
      the other hand, most of the DeltaCt values in the FFPE samples differed
      significantly from those in the matched frozen samples. The immunohistochemical
      intensity in the PAX samples was well preserved. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of RNA
      extracted from PAX samples may be slightly inferior to that from frozen samples,
      but is greatly superior to that from FFPE samples.

PMID- 26484573
TI  - The Impact of Different Preservation Conditions and Freezing-Thawing Cycles on
      Quality of RNA, DNA, and Proteins in Cancer Tissue.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High-quality cancer tissues are essential for future research,
      especially molecular research. For the sake of better quality of tissues, some
      storage methods are chosen according to lab conditions. But the impact of
      different storing conditions on the quality of RNA, DNA (especially the degree of
      DNA methylation), and protein of tissues that have undergone a thawing process,
      is not clear. METHODS: We analyzed the influence of different storage conditions
      including in RNALater solution, normal saline, Opti-mum Cutting Temperature
      compound (OCT), and snap frozen with no protective reagent (as control) in paired
      tissue samples on the quality of RNA (RNA Integrity Number value and mRNA
      expression), DNA quality (DNA amplification and DNA methylation degree of gene
      RASSF1a), and protein quality. Further, we analyzed the RNA quality of tissues
      that underwent three freeze-thaw cycles. RESULTS: The RNALater-treated group
      retained good RNA quality as expected on three repeated freeze-thaw cycles
      (RIN>8), but the snap-frozen tissues showed relatively poor results after one
      freeze-thaw cycle (RIN<7) and three times repeated freeze-thaw cycles (RIN<6).
      RNA from saline- and OCT-treated groups also yielded good results when we
      repeated freezing and thawing one time (RIN>7) and two times (RIN>6). The impact
      of different storing conditions on DNA amplification is small. However, DNA
      methylation and protein quality are different with different storing conditions.
      OCT seems to be more secure and stable compared with other two experimental
      groups, and show a similar trend with control group. CONCLUSIONS: In
      consideration of budget and efficiency, we suggest OCT as the best storing method
      that not only preserves RNA quality during the freezing-thawing process well, but
      also ensures more secure and stable DNA and protein.

PMID- 26484574
TI  - Recent International Activities.

PMID- 26484571
TI  - A Novel Approach to High-Quality Postmortem Tissue Procurement: The GTEx Project.
AB  - The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project, sponsored by the NIH Common Fund,
      was established to study the correlation between human genetic variation and
      tissue-specific gene expression in non-diseased individuals. A significant
      challenge was the collection of high-quality biospecimens for extensive genomic
      analyses. Here we describe how a successful infrastructure for biospecimen
      procurement was developed and implemented by multiple research partners to
      support the prospective collection, annotation, and distribution of blood,
      tissues, and cell lines for the GTEx project. Other research projects can follow
      this model and form beneficial partnerships with rapid autopsy and organ
      procurement organizations to collect high quality biospecimens and associated
      clinical data for genomic studies. Biospecimens, clinical and genomic data, and
      Standard Operating Procedures guiding biospecimen collection for the GTEx project
      are available to the research community. 

PMID- 26484576
TI  - Isotopic Effects on Covalent Bond Confined in a Penetrable Sphere.
AB  - A model of confinement of the covalent bond by a finite potential beyond the Born
      Oppenheimer approximation is presented. A two-electron molecule is located at the
      center of a penetrable spherical cavity. The Schrodinger equation has been solved
      by using the diffusion Monte Carlo method. Total energies, internuclear
      distances, and vibrational frequencies of the confined molecular system have been
      obtained. Even for confining potentials of a few electronvolts, a noticeable
      increase in the bond energy and the nuclear vibrational frequency is observed,
      and the internuclear distance is lowered. The gap between the zero point energy
      of different molecular isotopes increases with confinement. The confinement of
      the electron pair might play a role in chemical reactivity, providing an
      alternative explanation for the tunnel effect, when large values of primary
      kinetic isotopic effect are observed. The Swain-Schaad relation is still verified
      when confinement changes the zero point energy. A semiquantitative illustration
      is proposed using the data relative to an hydrogen transfer involving a C-H
      cleavage catalyzed by the bovine serum amine oxidase. Changes on the confining
      conditions, corresponding to a confinement/deconfinement process, result in a
      significant decrease in the activation energy of the chemical transformation. It
      is proposed that confinement/deconfinement of the electron-pair bonding by
      external electrostatic forces inside the active pocket of an enzyme could be one
      of the basic mechanisms of the enzyme catalysis. 

PMID- 26484575
TI  - Genome-wide association for heifer reproduction and calf performance traits in
      beef cattle.
AB  - The aim of this study was to identify SNP markers that associate with variation
      in beef heifer reproduction and performance of their calves. A genome-wide
      association study was performed by means of the generalized quasi-likelihood
      score (GQLS) method using heifer genotypes from the BovineSNP50 BeadChip and
      estimated breeding values for pre-breeding body weight (PBW), pregnancy rate
      (PR), calving difficulty (CD), age at first calving (AFC), calf birth weight
      (BWT), calf weaning weight (WWT), and calf pre-weaning average daily gain (ADG).
      Data consisted of 785 replacement heifers from three Canadian research herds,
      namely Brandon Research Centre, Brandon, Manitoba, University of Alberta Roy Berg
      Kinsella Ranch, Kinsella, Alberta, and Lacombe Research Centre, Lacombe, Alberta.
      After applying a false discovery rate correction at a 5% significance level, a
      total of 4, 3, 3, 9, 6, 2, and 1 SNPs were significantly associated with PBW, PR,
      CD, AFC, BWT, WWT, and ADG, respectively. These SNPs were located on chromosomes
      1, 5-7, 9, 13-16, 19-21, 24, 25, and 27-29. Chromosomes 1, 5, and 24 had SNPs
      with pleiotropic effects. New significant SNPs that impact functional traits were
      detected, many of which have not been previously reported. The results of this
      study support quantitative genetic studies related to the inheritance of these
      traits, and provides new knowledge regarding beef cattle quantitative trait loci
      effects. The identification of these SNPs provides a starting point to identify
      genes affecting heifer reproduction traits and performance of their calves (BWT,
      WWT, and ADG). They also contribute to a better understanding of the biology
      underlying these traits and will be potentially useful in marker- and genome
      assisted selection and management. 

PMID- 26484577
TI  - Long-term prognosis and causes of death after spondylodiscitis: A Danish
      nationwide cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data on long-term prognosis after spondylodiscitis are scarce. The
      purpose of this study was to determine long-term mortality and the causes of
      death after spondylodiscitis. METHODS: A nationwide, population-based cohort
      study using national registries of patients diagnosed with non-post-operative
      pyogenic spondylodiscitis from 1994-2009, alive 1 year after diagnosis (n =
      1505). A comparison cohort from the background population individually matched
      for sex and age was identified (n = 7525). Kaplan-Meier survival curves were
      constructed and Poisson regression analyses used to estimate mortality rate
      ratios (MRR). RESULTS: Three hundred and sixty-five patients (24%) and 1115
      individuals from the comparison cohort (15%) died. Unadjusted MRR for
      spondylodiscitis patients was 1.76 (95% CI = 1.57-1.98) and 1.47 (95% CI = 1.30
      1.66) after adjustment for comorbidity. No deaths were observed in 128 patients
      under the age of 16 years. Siblings of patients did not have increased long-term
      mortality compared with siblings of the individuals from the comparison cohort.
      This study observed increased mortality due to infections (MRR = 2.57), neoplasms
      (MRR = 1.40), endocrine (MRR = 3.72), cardiovascular (MRR = 1.62), respiratory
      (MRR = 1.71), gastrointestinal (MRR = 3.35), musculoskeletal (MRR = 5.39) and
      genitourinary diseases (MRR = 3.37), but also due to trauma, poisoning and
      external causes (MRR = 2.78), alcohol abuse-related diseases (MRR = 5.59) and
      drug abuse-related diseases (6 vs 0 deaths, MRR not calculable). CONCLUSIONS:
      Patients diagnosed with spondylodiscitis have increased long-term mortality,
      mainly due to comorbidities, particularly substance abuse.

PMID- 26484578
TI  - The effects of forearm fatigue on baseball fastball pitching, with implications
      about elbow injury.
AB  - This study investigated the contribution of flexor muscles to the forearm through
      fatigue; therefore, the differences in forearm mechanisms on the pitching motion
      in fastball were analysed. Fifteen baseball pitchers were included in this study.
      Ultrasonographical examination of participants' ulnar nerve in the cubital tunnel
      with the elbow extended and at 45 degrees , 90 degrees  and 120 degrees  of
      flexion was carried. A three-dimensional motion analysis system with 14
      reflective markers attached on participants was used for motion data collection.
      The electromyography system was applied over the flexor carpi ulnaris, flexor
      carpi radialis and extensor carpi radialis muscles of the dominant arm. Flexor
      carpi ulnaris muscle activity showed a significant difference during the
      acceleration phase, with a peak value during fastball post-fatigue (P = 0.02).
      Significant differences in the distance between ulnar nerve and medial condyle on
      throwing arm and non-throwing arm were observed as the distance increased with
      the elbow movement from 0 degrees  to 120 degrees  of flexion (P = 0.01). The
      significant increase of the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle activity might be
      responsible for maintaining the stability of the wrist joint. The increased
      diameter might compress the ulnar nerve and cause several pathological changes.
      Therefore, fatigue in baseball pitchers still poses a threat to the ulnar nerve
      because the flexor carpi ulnaris and flexor carpi radialis all originate from the
      medial side of the elbow, and the swelling tendons after fatigue might be a key
      point.

PMID- 26484579
TI  - Uterine Activin-Like Kinase 4 Regulates Trophoblast Development During Mouse
      Placentation.
AB  - The placenta is the first organ to develop after fertilization. It forms an
      interface between the maternal uterus and growing fetus to allow nutrient uptake,
      waste elimination, and gas exchange for a successful pregnancy in both mice and
      humans. In the past 2 decades, in vivo and in vitro approaches have been used to
      show that several members of the TGF-beta superfamily regulate embryo
      implantation and placental development. Nodal, a TGF-beta superfamily ligand, is
      essential for mesendoderm formation and left-right axis patterning during
      embryogenesis, and Nodal null mutants exhibit abnormal placental organization
      with expansion of trophoblast giant cells and a decrease of spongiotrophoblast
      and labyrinth. To better understand the importance of Nodal signaling in the
      uterus, we established a mouse model to conditionally ablate activin-like kinase
      4 (ALK4; the Nodal type 1 receptor) using Cre recombinase driven by the
      progesterone receptor promoter sequences (Pgr-Cre). Alk4 conditional knockout
      females are subfertile due to placental abnormalities and fetal loss in
      pregnancy, with a placental disorganization phenotype similar to what is observed
      in Nodal null mice. Thus, Nodal likely functions as an indirect regulator of
      placental development by binding to type 1 and type 2 receptors on maternal
      decidual cells to stimulate expression of unknown regulators of placental
      development. Our findings not only describe the generation of a mouse model that
      enables study of Nodal signaling in placentation but also provides insights into
      the pathogenesis of pregnancy complications in humans, including spontaneous
      abortion, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, and preterm birth. 

PMID- 26484580
TI  - Germ Cell Nuclear Factor (GCNF/RTR) Regulates Transcription of Gonadotropin
      Regulated Testicular RNA Helicase (GRTH/DDX25) in Testicular Germ Cells--The
      Androgen Connection.
AB  - Gonadotropin-regulated testicular RNA helicase (GRTH) (GRTH/DDX25), is a testis
      specific protein essential for completion of spermatogenesis. Transgenic mice
      carrying 5'-flanking regions of the GRTH gene/green fluorescence protein (GFP)
      reporter revealed a region (-6.4/-3.6 kb) which directs its expression in germ
      cells (GCs) via androgen action. This study identifies a functional cis-binding
      element on the GRTH gene for GC nuclear factor (GCNF) (GCNF/RTR) required to
      regulate GRTH gene expression in postmeiotic testis GCs and explore the action of
      androgen on GCNF and GRTH transcription/expression. GCNF expression decreased in
      mice testis upon flutamide (androgen receptor antagonist) treatment, indicating
      the presence of an androgen/GCNF network to direct GRTH expression in GC. Binding
      studies and chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated specific association of
      GCNF to a consensus half-site (-5270/-5252) of the GRTH gene in both round
      spermatids and spermatocytes, which was abolished by flutamide treatment in round
      spermatids. Moreover, flutamide treatment of wild-type mice caused selective
      reduction of GCNF and GRTH in round spermatids. GCNF knock-down in seminiferous
      tubules from GRTH-transgenic mice (dark zone, round spermatid rich) caused
      decreased GFP expression. Exposure of tubules to flutamide caused decrease in
      GCNF and GFP expression, whereas androgen exposure induced significant increase.
      Our studies provide evidence for actions of androgen on GCNF cell-specific
      regulation of GRTH expression in GC. GRTH associates with GCNF mRNA, its absence
      caused increase on GCNF expression and mRNA stability indicative of a negative
      autocrine regulation of GCNF by GRTH. These in vivo/in vitro models link androgen
      actions to GC through GCNF, as regulated transfactor that controls
      transcription/expression of GRTH. 

PMID- 26484581
TI  - Minireview: Familiar Faces in Unfamiliar Places: The Emerging Role of Nuclear
      Receptors in Lung Cancer.
AB  - Nuclear hormone receptors (NRs) are a superfamily of 48 transcription factors
      that are frequently modulated by ligands and control various cancer-relevant
      cellular pathways, such as differentiation, proliferation, migration, and
      metabolism. These properties make them excellent therapeutic targets in cancers
      dependent upon their activity, and as such, 3 NRs, estrogen receptor-alpha,
      androgen receptor, and retinoic acid receptor-alpha (more specifically, the
      promyelocytic leukemia-retinoic acid receptor-alpha translocation), have been
      targeted clinically in breast cancer, prostate cancer, and acute promyelocytic
      leukemia, respectively. Recently, a number of studies have highlighted a putative
      role for NRs in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a highly lethal type of lung
      cancer with relatively few targeted agents. Here, we review the potential roles
      of selected NRs in NSCLC and offer insights on how NRs may be leveraged in NSCLC
      to improve patient outcomes. 

PMID- 26484583
TI  - The pharmacokinetics and extracorporeal removal of N-acetylcysteine during renal
      replacement therapies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Acetaminophen-induced fulminant hepatic failure is associated with
      acute kidney injury, metabolic acidosis, and fluid and electrolyte imbalances,
      requiring treatment with renal replacement therapies. Although antidote,
      acetylcysteine, is potentially extracted by renal replacement therapies,
      pharmacokinetic data are lacking to guide potential dosing alterations. We aimed
      to determine the extracorporeal removal of acetylcysteine by various renal
      replacement therapies. METHODS: Simultaneous urine, plasma and effluent specimens
      were serially collected to measure acetylcysteine concentrations in up to three
      stages: before, during and upon termination of renal replacement therapy.
      Alterations in pharmacokinetics were determined by applying standard
      pharmacokinetic equations. RESULTS: Over 2 years, 10 critically ill patients in
      fulminant hepatic failure requiring renal replacement therapy coincident with
      acetylcysteine were consecutively enrolled. All 10 patients required continuous
      venovenous hemofiltration (n = 10) and 2 of the 10 also required hemodialysis (n
      = 2). There was a significant alteration in the pharmacokinetics of
      acetylcysteine during hemodialysis; the area under the curve (AUC) decreased 41%,
      the mean extraction ratio was 51%, the mean hemodialytic clearance was 114.01
      ml/kg/h, and a mean 166.75 mg/h was recovered in the effluent or 41% of the
      hourly dose. Alteration in the pharmacokinetics of acetylcysteine during
      continuous venovenous hemofiltration did not appear to be significant: the AUC
      decreased 13%, the mean clearance was 31.77 ml/kg/h and a mean 62.12 mg/h was
      recovered in the effluent or 14% of the hourly dose. CONCLUSIONS: There was no
      significant extraction of acetylcysteine from continuous venovenous
      hemofiltration. In contrast, there was significant extracorporeal removal of
      acetylcysteine during hemodialysis. A reasonable dose adjustment may be to double
      the IV infusion rate or possibly supplement with oral acetylcysteine during
      hemodialysis.

PMID- 26484582
TI  - Minireview: CNS Mechanisms of Leptin Action.
AB  - Leptin is an adipocytokine that circulates in proportion to body fat to signal
      the repletion of long-term energy stores. Leptin acts via its receptor, LepRb, on
      specialized neuronal populations in the brain (mainly in the hypothalamus and
      brainstem) to alter motivation and satiety, as well as to permit energy
      expenditure and appropriate glucose homeostasis. Decreased leptin, as with
      prolonged caloric restriction, promotes a powerful orexigenic signal, decreases
      energy use via a number of neuroendocrine and autonomic axes, and disrupts
      glucose homeostasis. Here, we review what is known about cellular leptin action
      and focus on the roles for specific populations of LepRb-expressing neurons for
      leptin action. 

PMID- 26484584
TI  - Correction to "Convenient Synthesis of Triphenylphosphanylidene
      Spiro[cyclopentane-1,3'-indolines] and Spiro[cyclopent[2]ene-1,3'-indolines] via
      Three-Component Reactions".

PMID- 26484585
TI  - Identification of Challenges to the Availability and Accessibility of Opioids in
      Twelve European Countries: Conclusions from Two ATOME Six-Country Workshops.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Access to many controlled medicines is inadequate in a number of
      European countries. This leads to deficits in the treatment of moderate to severe
      pain as well as in opioid agonist therapy. OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to
      elaborate the reasons for this inadequacy. The work plan of the Access to Opioid
      Medication in Europe (ATOME) project included two six-country workshops. These
      workshops comprised a national situational analysis, drafting tailor-made
      recommendations for improvement and developing action plans for their
      implementation. METHODS: In total, 84 representatives of the national Ministries
      of Health, national controlled substances authorities, experts representing
      regulatory and law enforcement authorities, leading health care professionals,
      and patient representatives from 13 European countries participated in either one
      of the workshops. The delegates used breakout sessions to identify key common
      challenges. Content analysis was used for the evaluation of protocols and field
      notes. RESULTS: A number of challenges to opioid accessibility in the countries
      was identified in the domains of knowledge and educational, regulatory,
      legislative, as well as public awareness and training barriers that limit opioid
      prescription. In addition, short validity of prescriptions and bureaucratic
      practices resulting in overregulation impeded availability of some essential
      medicines. Stigmatization and criminalisation of people who use drugs remained
      the major impediment to increasing opioid agonist program coverage. CONCLUSIONS:
      The challenges identified during outcomes of the workshops were used as the basis
      for subsequent dissemination and implementation activities in the ATOME project,
      and in some countries the workshop proceedings already served as a stepping-stone
      for the first changes in regulations and legislation.

PMID- 26484586
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26484587
TI  - Comparative analysis of CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes - evidences for different
      distribution in primary and secondary liver tumors.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The impact of tumor cells on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs)
      in cancer development is not yet clarified. Our study analyzed the distribution
      and prognostic value of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC) and liver metastases (LM). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Archival tissue specimens
      of 35 HCC and 39 LM patients were immunohistochemically processed. The number of
      intratumoral (IT) and peritumoral (PT) CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was quantitatively
      analyzed. RESULTS: We noted large variances of T lymphocyte subpopulations.
      Similar number of CD4+ and CD8+ lym-phocytes was present in HCC, whereas in LM
      the number of CD8+ cells was approximately two times higher than CD4+
      lymphocytes. A significant prevalence of T cells in PT over IT areas was
      observed. The prognostic value was demonstrated only for PT CD8+ lymphocytes in
      LM, their reduced number being associated with shorter survival. CONCLUSIONS: The
      differences between proportions of T lymphocytes within tumor and its environment
      might be explained by proapoptotic effect of cancer cells on TILs.

PMID- 26484588
TI  - The In Ovo Chick Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM) Assay as an Efficient Xenograft
      Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - The chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) begins to develop by day 7 after
      fertilization and matures by day 12. The CAM is naturally immunodeficient and
      highly vascularized, making it an ideal system for tumor implantation.
      Furthermore, the CAM contains extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin,
      laminin, collagen, integrin alpha(v)beta3, and MMP-2, making it an attractive
      model to study tumor invasion and metastasis. Scientists have long taken
      advantage of the physiology of the CAM by using it as a model of angiogenesis.
      More recently, the CAM assay has been modified to work as an in vivo xenograft
      model system for various cancers that bridges the gap between basic in vitro work
      and more complex animal cancer models. The CAM assay allows for the study of
      tumor growth, anti-tumor therapies, and pro-tumor molecular pathways in a
      biologically relevant system that is both cost- and time-effective. Here, we
      describe the development of CAM xenograft model of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
      with embryonic survival rates of up to 93% and reliable tumor take leading to
      growth of three-dimensional, vascularized tumors. 

PMID- 26484590
TI  - Climatic Influences on Cryptococcus gattii [corrected] Populations, Vancouver
      Island, Canada, 2002-2004.
AB  - Vancouver Island, Canada, reports the world's highest incidence of Cryptococcus
      gattii infection among humans and animals. To identify key biophysical factors
      modulating environmental concentrations, we evaluated monthly concentrations of
      C. gatti in air, soil, and trees over a 3-year period. The 2 study datasets were
      repeatedly measured plots and newly sampled plots. We used hierarchical
      generalized linear and mixed effect models to determine associations. Climate
      systematically influenced C. gattii concentrations in all environmental media
      tested; in soil and on trees, concentrations decreased when temperatures were
      warmer. Wind may be a key process that transferred C. gattii from soil into air
      and onto trees. C. gattii results for tree and air samples were more likely to be
      positive during periods of higher solar radiation. These results improve the
      understanding of the places and periods with the greatest C. gattii colonization.
      Refined risk projections may help susceptible persons avoid activities that
      disturb the topsoil during relatively cool summer days. 

PMID- 26484591
TI  - Neuroprotective coordination of cell mitophagy by the ATPase Inhibitory Factor 1.
AB  - The mitochondrial ATPase Inhibitory Factor 1 (hereafter referred to as IF1)
      blocks the reversal of the F1Fo-ATPsynthase to prevent detrimental consumption of
      cellular ATP and associated demise. Herein, we infer further its molecular
      physiology by assessing its protective function in neurons during conditions of
      challenged homeostatic respiration. By adopting in vitro and in vivo protocols of
      hypoxia/ischemia and re-oxygenation, we show that a shift in the IF1:F1Fo
      ATPsynthase expression ratio occurs in neurons. This increased IF1 level is
      essential to induce accumulation of the PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK-1)
      and recruitment of the mitophagic ubiquitin ligase PARK-2 to promote autophagic
      "control" of the mitochondrial population. In IF1 overexpressing neurons ATP
      depletion is reduced during hypoxia/ischemia and the mitochondrial membrane
      potential (DeltaYm) resilient to re-oxygenation as well as resistant to
      electrogenic, Ca(2+) dependent depolarization. These data suggest that in
      mammalian neurons mitochondria adapt to respiratory stress by upregulating IF1,
      which exerts a protective role by coordinating pro-survival cell mitophagy and
      bioenergetics resilience. 

PMID- 26484592
TI  - A nonlinear parameterization of multivariate electrohysterographical signals.
AB  - Electrohysterography is a technique which measures a bioelectrical activity of a
      uterus. This paper presents an application of a nonlinear parameterization of
      multivariate electrohysterographical signals for a uterine activity assessment to
      improve unsatisfactory a labor prediction accuracy by methods published in the
      literature. A multivariate sample entropy used for differentiated 4-channel
      electrohysterographical signals, general Spearman's correlation and a combined
      index being the sum of them, were tested. These nonlinear measures use joint
      information contained in a multivariate signal. The results confirm that the
      combined index provides the best assessment of uterine contractions: 87%
      sensitivity and 50% specificity of labor prediction in the studied data. These
      results should be verified in a prospective study. 

PMID- 26484593
TI  - "Intermetamorphic" developmental stages in 150 million-year-old achelatan
      lobsters--The case of the species tenera Oppel, 1862.
AB  - We re-investigated the fossil species tenera Oppel, 1862, an achelatan lobster
      (traditionally named Palinurina tenera) found in 150 million years old limestones
      of southern Germany. All known specimens attributed to this species show a
      mixture of characters, which in modern forms occur either in larvae or post
      larval juveniles. Hence these specimens provide insight into a phase in ontogeny
      that is no longer present in the developmental sequence of any modern achelatan
      lobster, as the latter ones skip this phase and replace it by a drastic
      metamorphosis. Comparable cases have been described earlier, yet did only
      comprise single stages or two successive ones at most. In the here described case
      four developmental stages are preserved. The reconstructed ontogeny of tenera
      therefore represents the currently best known sequence of an early achelatan
      lobster that covers this specific intermediate phase. The largest known stage
      most likely still represents an immature of a yet undiscovered adult. These
      findings support the interpretation that early achelatan lobsters developed in a
      more gradual ontogenetic sequence than modern forms. It furthermore demonstrates
      that it was even more gradual than anticipated previously. 

PMID- 26484594
TI  - Agonist mobility on supported lipid bilayers affects Fas mediated death response.
AB  - Extrinsic apoptosis is initiated by recognition and clustering of the single-pass
      transmembrane proteins Fas ligand and Fas expressed at the surface of closely
      apposed lymphocytes and target cells, respectively. Since Fas-mediated death
      response was mainly studied with soluble antibodies, the mobility constraints for
      receptor activation by a membrane embedded agonist is not well understood. We
      explored this influence by stimulating apoptosis on functionalized supported
      lipid bilayers, where we quantified agonist mobility by z-scan fluorescence
      correlation spectroscopy. Using different lipid compositions, we show that the
      apoptotic response correlates with increased lateral mobility of the agonist in
      the lipid bilayer. 

PMID- 26484595
TI  - Systemic control of protein synthesis through sequestration of translation and
      ribosome biogenesis factors during severe heat stress.
AB  - Environmental stress causes the sequestration of proteins into insoluble deposits
      including cytoplasmic stress granules (SGs), containing mRNA and a variety of
      translation factors. Here we systematically identified proteins sequestered in
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae at 46  degrees C by a SG co-localization screen and
      proteomic analysis of insoluble protein fractions. We identified novel SG
      components including essential aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. Moreover, we
      discovered nucleus-associated deposits containing ribosome biogenesis factors.
      Our study suggests downregulation of cytosolic protein synthesis and nuclear
      ribosome production at multiple levels through heat shock induced protein
      sequestrations.

PMID- 26484596
TI  - Alzheimer's disease is associated with disordered localization of ganglioside GM1
      molecular species in the human dentate gyrus.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive dementia associated with loss of memory
      and cognitive dysfunction. In a previous study, we demonstrated a decrease in b
      series gangliosides along with a change in ganglioside molecular species in the
      hippocampal grey matter of patients with AD. The present study demonstrates the
      use of imaging mass spectrometry for analyzing the spatial arrangement of
      ganglioside GM1 (GM1) molecular species in the hippocampus. In AD patients, we
      found a decrease in the ratio of GM1(d20:1/C18:0) to GM1 d18:1/C18:0) in the
      outer molecular layer (ML) of the dentate gyrus. Because the outer ML is the
      region of main input into the hippocampus, our findings may have a direct
      relationship to the mechanism of dysfunction in AD. 

PMID- 26484597
TI  - Structure-activity relationship of sulfated hetero/galactofucan polysaccharides
      on dopaminergic neuron.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with progressive loss of dopaminergic
      neurons and more-widespread neuronal changes that cause complex symptoms. The aim
      of this study was to investigate the structure-activity relationship of sulfated
      hetero-polysaccharides (DF1) and sulfated galactofucan polysaccharides (DF2) on
      dopaminergic neuron in vivo and in vitro. Treatment with samples significantly
      ameliorated the depletion of both DA and TH-, Bcl-2- and Bax-positive neurons in
      MPTP-induced PD mice, DF1 showed the highest activity. The in vitro results found
      that DF1 and DF2 could reverse the decreased mitochondrial activity and the
      increased LDL release induced by MPP(+) (P<0.01 or P<0.001) which provides
      further evidence that DF1 and DF2 also exerts a direct protection against the
      neuronal injury caused by MPP(+). Furthermore, the administration of samples
      effectively decreased lipid peroxidation and increased the level/activities of
      GSH, GSH-PX, MDA and CAT in MPTP mice. Thus, the neuron protective effect may be
      mediated, in part, through antioxidant activity and the prevention of cell
      apoptosis. The chemical composition of DF1, DF2 and DF differed markedly, the DF1
      fraction had the most complex chemical composition and showed the highest neuron
      protective activity. These results suggest that diverse monosaccharides and
      uronic acid might contribute to neuron protective activity.

PMID- 26484598
TI  - Characterization of medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate produced from olive
      oil deodorizer distillate.
AB  - Olive oil deodorizer distillate (OODD) was used for the first time as the sole
      substrate for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production by the bacterium Pseudomonas
      resinovorans in bioreactor cultivation. A PHA content in the biomass of 36 +/-
      0.8 wt% was attained within 19 h of cultivation. A final polymer concentration of
      4.7 +/- 0.3 gL(-1) was reached, corresponding to a volumetric productivity of 5.9
      +/- 0.2 gL(-1)day(-1). The PHA was composed of 3-hydroxyoctanoate (48.3 +/- 7.3
      mol%), 3-hydroxydecanoate (31.6 +/- 2.6 mol%), 3-hydroxyhexanoate (12.1 +/- 1.1
      mol%) and 3-hydroxydodecanoate (8.0 +/- 0.7 mol%) and it had a glue-like
      consistency that did not solidify at room temperature. The polymer was highly
      amorphous, as shown by its low crystallinity of 6 +/- 0.2%, with low melting and
      glass transition temperatures of 36 +/- 1.2 and -16 +/- 0.8 degrees C,
      respectively. The polymer exhibited a shear thinning behavior and a mechanical
      spectrum with a predominant viscous contribution. Its shear bond strength for
      wood (67 +/- 9.4 kPa) and glass (65 +/- 7.3 kPa) suggests it may be used for the
      development of biobased glues.

PMID- 26484599
TI  - Modification of collagen-chitosan matrix by the natural crosslinker alginate
      dialdehyde.
AB  - In the present study, collagen (Coll) was mixed with the natural crosslinker
      chitosan (CTS), and then, alginate dialdehyde (ADA) was added to crosslink the
      mixtures. The properties of these Coll matrix sponges were investigated
      afterwards. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis and in vitro
      fiber formation analysis showed the intact retention of the classical triple
      helical structure after crosslinking. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed
      that microfibril structural interactions between Coll structures became more
      compact. Significant improvement in the thermostability of the crosslinked
      mixtures was observed with the pure mixtures of Coll and CTS. Antibacterial
      activity measurements indicated no affect of ADA on Coll/CTS sponges. In
      conclusion, the modification of the Coll/CTS mixtures with ADA preserves the
      classical triple-helical structure, enhances stabilization, maintains good
      biocompatibility and may pave the way for new medical applications. 

PMID- 26484600
TI  - Influence of lignin level on release of hemicellulose-derived sugars in liquid
      hot water.
AB  - Lignin layers surrounding hemicelluloses and cellulose in the plant cell walls
      protect them from deconstruction. This recalcitrance to sugar release is a major
      limitation for cost-effective industrial conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to
      biofuels. Many literatures had reported the contribution of lignin removal to
      cellulose accessibility to enzyme, but less to the hemicellulose hydrolysis.
      Herein, beech xylan with lignin addition, partly delignified sugarcane bagasse
      (SB), energy sorghum hybrids (ESH) were treated in liquid hot water (LHW) to
      investigate the effect of lignin on hemicellulose decomposition. The addition of
      lignin can enhance the low degree of polymerization of xylooligomers production
      resulted from the acid catalyzed cleavage of lignin-derived acidic products.
      However, a negative correlation was observed initially between the lignin level
      and the total xylose yield from ESH. Furthermore, samples with lignin addition or
      high lignin content had a great resistant to harsh reaction environment, about
      93.5% total xylose lost but only 52.3% released due to the lack of lignin
      protection for the sample with 100% lignin removal.

PMID- 26484601
TI  - Optimization, characterization, and biological activity of polysaccharides from
      Berberis dasystachya Maxim.
AB  - In this study, the extraction of water-soluble polysaccharides (BDPs) from
      Berberis dasystachya Maxim using dynamic microwave-assisted extraction (DMAE) was
      discussed. A Box-Behnken design combined with response surface methodology has
      been employed to optimize extraction parameters of DMAE. The BDPs have been
      analyzed in order to identify a variety of chemical properties. Antioxidant and
      anti-tumor activities in vitro have been studied by DPPH, ABTS, reducing power
      assay, and MTT assay, respectively. The results obtained showed that the optimal
      extraction conditions were as follows: ratio of water to raw material (X1) 25.84
      mg/L, extraction power (X2) 433.13W, extraction time (X3) 35.18 min, and the
      maximum yield of extraction was 6.472 +/- 0.384%, which was in good agreement
      with the predicted value. The physicochemical tests demonstrated that the BDPs
      mainly consist of rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucose and lactose in a
      molar ratio of 1:17.3:1.33:7:2.33:1.78; the average molecular weight of the BDPs
      was estimated to be from 2.95*10(5) and 1.52*10(3)Da, respectively. Furthermore,
      the BDPs exhibited effective antioxidant and anti-proliferative properties in
      vitro. Such pharmaceutical activities could prove useful for potential future
      applications involving the berries of B. dasystachya Maxim.

PMID- 26484602
TI  - Greenhouse gas emissions and soil properties following amendment with manure
      derived biochars: Influence of pyrolysis temperature and feedstock type.
AB  - Manure-derived biochars can offer a potential option for the stabilization of
      manure, while mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration and the
      attenuation of nitrous oxide emission. A laboratory incubation study was
      conducted to assess the effects of four different manure-derived biochars
      produced from different feedstocks (poultry litter and swine manure) at different
      temperatures (400 or 600  degrees C). A commonly available standard wood chip
      biochar, produced at a greater temperature (1000  degrees C), and non-amended
      treatments were used as references. Two different soils (sandy and silt-loam)
      were amended with 2% (w/w) biochar on a dry soil weight basis (corresponding to
      20 Mg ha(-1)), with the soil moisture being adjusted to 75% saturation level.
      After a pre-incubation period (21 days), 170 kg N ha(-1) of NH4NO3 fertilizer was
      added. Measurements of CO2, N2O, CH4 emissions and soil N mineralisation were
      carried out on different days during the 85 days of incubation. The net C
      mineralization and N2O emissions from both soils amended with poultry litter
      biochar at 400  degrees C were significantly greater than the other biochar
      treatments. Nitrate availability was greater in both soils in which the manure
      derived biochar was used instead of the standard biochar. All of the biochars
      increased the pH of the silt-loam, sub-acid soil, but failed to improve the
      cation exchange capacities (CEC) in either soil. Total C and N, P, K and Mg
      (except Ca) were significantly increased in the manure-derived biochar amended
      soils, compared to the Control, and were positively correlated to the biochar
      nutrient contents. This study indicates that the soil application of biochar
      engenders effects that can vary considerably according to the biochar properties,
      as determined on the basis of the feedstock types and process conditions. Low
      temperature biochar production from manure represents a possible way of producing
      a soil amendment that can stabilize C while supplying a significant quantity of
      nutrients. 

PMID- 26484603
TI  - Preparation of highly stable fullerene C60 decorated graphene oxide nanocomposite
      and its sensitive electrochemical detection of dopamine in rat brain and
      pharmaceutical samples.
AB  - The research community has continuously paid much attention on the preparation of
      hybrid of carbon nanomaterials owing to combine their unique properties. Herein,
      we report the preparation of highly stable fullerene C60 (C60) wrapped graphene
      oxide (GO) nanocomposite by using a simple sonication method. The fabricated GO
      C60 nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode shows a good sensitivity and
      lower oxidation overpotential towards dopamine (DA) than that of pristine GO and
      C60. The fabricated sensor detects the DA in the linear response range of 0.02
      73.5MUM. The limit of detection is estimated to be 0.008MUM based on 3sigma with
      a sensitivity of 4.23MUAMUM(-1)cm(-2). The fabricated sensor also exhibits other
      features such as good selectivity, stability, reproducibility and repeatability.
      The proposed sensor exhibits good practicality towards the detection of DA in rat
      brain and commercial DA injection samples. 

PMID- 26484604
TI  - In situ growth of Ag3PO4 on N-BiPO4 nanorod: A core-shell heterostructure for
      high performance photocatalyst.
AB  - Enhanced light absorption and effective separation of photogenerated charges are
      the main strategies to improve the performance of photocatalytic materials. In
      this study, Ag3PO4/N-doped BiPO4 (N-BiPO4) core-shell structure photocatalyst was
      synthesized by a simple in-situ growth strategy in an organic solvent. The
      separation of photogenerated electron-hole was enhanced by the doping of
      nitrogen, because of the emergence of N-O impurity energy levels. The increased
      photocatalytic activity of Ag3PO4/N-BiPO4 could be attributed to the in-situ
      formation of chemical bonds between Ag3PO4 and N-BiPO4, which accelerate the
      separation of electron-hole pairs. The photocatalytic performance of the as
      synthesized Ag3PO4/N-BiPO4 was evaluated by monitoring the decolorization of
      methyl orange under sunlight irradiation. Ag3PO4/N-BiPO4 was capable of bleaching
      95% MO within 40min. 

PMID- 26484605
TI  - Chronic social defeat stress increases dopamine D2 receptor dimerization in the
      prefrontal cortex of adult mice.
AB  - The present study aimed to examine the effects of chronic social defeat stress on
      the dopamine receptors and proteins involved in post-endocytic trafficking
      pathways. Adult mice were divided into susceptible and unsusceptible groups after
      10 days of social defeat stress. Western blot analysis was used to measure the
      protein expression levels of dopamine D2 receptors (D2Rs), a short (D2S) and a
      long form (D2L) and, D2R monomers and dimers, dopamine D1 receptors (D1Rs),
      neuronal calcium sensor-1 (NCS-1) and G protein-coupled receptor-associated
      sorting protein-1 (GASP-1), and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction
      (RT-PCR) was used to measure the mRNA expression levels of D2S, D2L, D2R monomers
      and dimers, and D1Rs in different brain areas. We observed increased expression
      of D2S, D2L and D2Rs dimers in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of susceptible and/or
      unsusceptible mice compared with controls. The only significant findings with
      regard to mRNA expression levels were lower expression of D2S mRNA in the
      amygdala (AMYG) of susceptible and unsusceptible mice compared with controls. The
      present study demonstrated that chronic social defeat stress induced increased
      expression of D2S, D2L, and D2R dimers in the PFC of susceptible and/or
      unsusceptible mice.

PMID- 26484606
TI  - The effects of RNA interference mediated VEGF gene silencing on biological
      behavior of renal cell carcinoma and transplanted renal tumor in nude mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was to explore the effects of RNA interference mediated
      vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene silencing on biological behavior
      of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), transplanted renal tumor and angiogenesis in nude
      mice. METHODS: The specific siRNA sequence targeting VEGF were designed and
      synthesized to construct hVEGF-siRNA plasmid which was transfected into RCC 786-O
      cells. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used for the
      detection of VEGF gene expression and western blot was adopted for the
      examination of VEGF protein expression. The 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5
      diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to detect cell growth as well as
      cell migration and invasion. The transplanted renal tumor models in nude mice
      were established, and the growth condition of nude mice, and VEGF protein
      expression in transplanted tumor slices and the microvessel density (MVD) were
      detected. RESULTS: The expression level of VEGF mRNA in VEGF-siRNA group was
      significant lower than that in the control group and negative group, suggesting
      that establishment of plasmid specifically inhibited the expression of VEGF gene
      The expression level of VEGF protein in VEGF-siRNA group was significant lower
      than that in the control group and negative group. VEGF gene silencing has the
      significant inhibition effects on proliferation, migration and invasion of RCC
      786-O cells. The tumor weight, VEGF protein positive rate and MVD in VEGF-siRNA
      group were significant lower than those in negative group and blank group.
      CONCLUSION: The VEGF gene silencing could inhibit the cell proliferation,
      migration and invasion of RCC 786-O cells; inhibition of VEGF protein expression
      could prevent transplanted RCC growth and tumor angiogenesis.

PMID- 26484607
TI  - The relationship between functional promoter -94 ins/del ATTG polymorphism in NF
      kappa B1 gene and the risk of urinary cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A functional -94 insertion/deletion polymorphism (rs28362491) in the
      promoter of the NF-kappa B1 gene was reported to influence NF-kappa B1 expression
      and confer susceptibility to different types of cancer. This study aims to
      determine whether the polymorphism is associated with the risk of urinary cancer,
      including renal cancer, bladder cancer and prostate cancer. METHODS: TaqMan
      method was applied to genotype the NF-kappa B1 -94 ins/del ATTG promoter
      polymorphism in three case-control studies: renal cell carcinoma group (1216
      cases and 1588 controls), bladder cancer group (730 cases and 780 controls), and
      prostate cancer group (820 cases and 945 controls). Logistic regression was used
      to assess the association between the polymorphism and urinary cancer risk.
      RESULTS: The del/del genotype was detected to be associated with a statistically
      significant increased risk of bladder cancer when taking the ins/ins genotypes as
      reference (P < 0.001, adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.32, 95% confidence interval
      (CI) = 1.14-1.52). Furthermore, in bladder cancer, the same results were observed
      in the del/del genotype compared with the ins/ins + ins/del genotypes (P < 0.001,
      OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.41-2.35), and the del allele compared with the ins allele
      (P < 0.001, OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.12-1.49). However, no significant difference
      was observed in the associations between the NF-kappa B1 polymorphism and the
      risk of renal cell carcinoma or prostate cancer in all kinds of models.
      CONCLUSIONS: In the Chinese population, the -94 ins/del ATTG polymorphism in NF
      kappa B1 promoter may contribute to the etiology of bladder cancer instead of
      renal cell carcinoma or prostate cancer.

PMID- 26484608
TI  - A prospective study of the use of circulating markers as predictors for epidermal
      growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment in pulmonary
      adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of liquid tissue, such as circulating cells, to predict
      treatment response is attracting more attention. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study
      was to evaluate association between circulating markers and treatment response.
      METHODS: One hundred and twelve advanced pulmonary adenocarcinoma patients who
      were going to receive epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors
      (EGFR-TKIs) were included. Tumor tissue and plasma specimens were collected
      before treatment and analyzed for EGFR mutation and plasma IL-6 and IL-8. Pre
      treatment peripheral blood CD146+/CD3- cells (as circulating endothelial cells,
      CECs), CD34+/CD45- cells (as endothelial progenitor cells, EPCs), and CD133+
      cells (as cancer stem cells, CSCs) were measured with flow cytometry. RESULTS:
      The progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly longer in patients with low
      CEC, low EPC, and low CSC counts than in those with high cell counts (p < 0.001,
      0.041, and 0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that mutant plasma
      EGFR (pEGFR) was a poor prognostic factor in EGFR-mutated patients (p = 0.048),
      and there was a tendency for EGFR mutation-negative patients with high IL-6 level
      to have worse overall survival (p = 0.051). CONCLUSIONS: CECs, EPCs, CSCs, and
      mutant pEGFR are useful predictive biomarkers of EGFR-TKI treatment efficacy. IL
      6 may predict prognosis in advanced lung cancer.

PMID- 26484609
TI  - A systems biology approach for miRNA-mRNA expression patterns analysis in non
      small cell lung cancer.
AB  - Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) is a prevalent and heterogeneous subtype of
      lung cancer accounting for 85 percent of patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of
      small endogenous non-coding RNAs, incorporate into regulation of gene expression
      post-transcriptionally. Therefore, deregulation of miRNAs' expression has
      provided further layers of complexity to the molecular etiology and pathogenesis
      of different diseases and malignancies. Although, until now considerable number
      of studies has been carried out to illuminate this complexity in NSCLC, they have
      remained less effective in their goal due to lack of a holistic and integrative
      systems biology approach which considers all natural elaborations of miRNAs'
      function. It is able to reliably nominate most affected signaling pathways and
      therapeutic target genes by deregulated miRNAs during a particular pathological
      condition. Herein, we utilized a holistic systems biology approach, based on
      appropriate re-analyses of microarray datasets followed by reliable data
      filtering, to analyze integrative and combinatorial deregulated miRNA-mRNA
      interaction network in NSCLC, aiming to ascertain miRNA-dysregulated signaling
      pathway and potential therapeutic miRNAs and mRNAs which represent a lion' share
      during various aspects of NSCLC's pathogenesis. Our systems biology approach
      introduced and nominated 1) important deregulated miRNAs in NSCLCs compared with
      normal tissue 2) significant and confident deregulated mRNAs which were anti
      correlatively targeted by deregulated miRNA in NSCLCs and 3) dysregulated
      signaling pathways in association with deregulated miRNA-mRNAs interactions in
      NSCLCs. These results introduce possible mechanism of function of deregulated
      miRNAs and mRNAs in NSCLC that could be used as potential therapeutic targets. 

PMID- 26484610
TI  - The impact of lung cancer resection surgery on fibrinogen and C-reactive protein
      and their relationship with patients outcomes: A prospective follow up study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Major thoracic surgery is characterized by release of inflammatory
      markers.The objective of this study was to assess the preoperative and
      postoperative systemic inflammatory markers of patients undergoing lung cancer
      resection. METHODS: This is a prospective follow up study conducted with 48
      patients submitted to lung cancer resection.All patients were assessed before and
      1 month after surgery through measurement of fibrinogen and C-reative
      protein(CRP), pulmonary function tests, 6- minute Walk Test (6 MWT), maximal
      inspiratory pressure (PImax) and maximal expiratory pressure (PEmax), anxiety and
      depression scale and karnofsky performance status scale. RESULTS: Both fibrinogen
      and CRP were higher 1 month after surgery, although only the change in CRP was
      statistically significant (p= 0.03). The following functional parameters: 6 MWT,
      PImax, PEmax, FEV1(%) and FVC(%) decreased after surgery with p <= 0.001 for all
      the parameters. Anxiety and depression improved and Karnofsky decrease after
      surgery (p= 0.03, p= 0.01 and p= 0.02; respectively). Change in CRP score
      following lung resection correlated significantly with changes in fibrinogen (r=
      0.40; p= 0.003), change in Karnofsky scale (r= -0.50; p< 0.001) and a borderline
      significant trend with the 6 MWT (r= -0.28; p= 0.05). With the exception of video
      assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), who had a significantly lower fibrinogen
      level 1 month after surgery compared with thoracotomy (p= 0.01), no significant
      differences in fibrinogen or CRP were noted in other subgroups of patients
      considered at increased risk for higher levels of inflammation compared with
      lower risk counterparts. CONCLUSION: Lung cancer resection surgery was associated
      with increased level of CRP, 1 month after surgery, and correlated directly with
      change in fibrinogen and inversely with measurement of performance status. VATS
      provided lower level of fibrinogen after surgery.

PMID- 26484611
TI  - Unpredictable changes of selected miRNA in expression profile of HNSCC.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The necessity of prediction and treatment outcome improvement of
      HNSCC needs to find new biomarkers. miRNAs seem to be good candidate for that.
      OBJECTIVE: Analysis of selected 5 miRNAs (let-7d, miR-18a, miR-21, miR-205 and
      miR-375) as potential biomarkers that allows to distinguish tumor and healthy
      tissue taken from HNSCC patients. METHODS: Tumor and normal epithelial tissues
      were obtained from 75 HNSCC patients to analyze selected miRNAs. RESULTS:
      Analysis indicated significant increase of miR-21 and miR-205 in tumor when
      compared with healthy tissue (p= 0.0069 and p= 0.0029, respectively). There was a
      significant correlation between let-7d and miR-18a. let-7d was down-regulated in
      34.67% cases, miR-18a in 29.33%, miR-21 in 20%, miR-205 in 30.67% and miR-375 in
      52% cases. At the same time over-expression of let-7d was detected in 18.67%
      cases, miR-18a in 22.67%, miR-21 in 48%, miR-205 in 41.33% and miR-375 in 52%
      cases. There was no correlation between miRNA expression and clinical data and
      the course of illness. CONCLUSION: Our study indicated that miR-21 and miR-205
      can be used to analyze the clarity of surgical margins and that concomitant
      changes in the expression of let-7 and miR-18a in tumor tissues might represent
      important future markers indicating the biology of HNSCC. These observations will
      help with developing personalization for HNSCC patients' treatment.

PMID- 26484612
TI  - First-Principles Molecular Structure Search with a Genetic Algorithm.
AB  - The identification of low-energy conformers for a given molecule is a fundamental
      problem in computational chemistry and cheminformatics. We assess here a
      conformer search that employs a genetic algorithm for sampling the low-energy
      segment of the conformation space of molecules. The algorithm is designed to work
      with first-principles methods, facilitated by the incorporation of local
      optimization and blacklisting conformers to prevent repeated evaluations of very
      similar solutions. The aim of the search is not only to find the global minimum
      but to predict all conformers within an energy window above the global minimum.
      The performance of the search strategy is (i) evaluated for a reference data set
      extracted from a database with amino acid dipeptide conformers obtained by an
      extensive combined force field and first-principles search and (ii) compared to
      the performance of a systematic search and a random conformer generator for the
      example of a drug-like ligand with 43 atoms, 8 rotatable bonds, and 1 cis/trans
      bond. 

PMID- 26484613
TI  - Analysis of Yersinia enterocolitica Effector Translocation into Host Cells Using
      Beta-lactamase Effector Fusions.
AB  - Many gram-negative bacteria including pathogenic Yersinia spp. employ type III
      secretion systems to translocate effector proteins into eukaryotic target cells.
      Inside the host cell the effector proteins manipulate cellular functions to the
      benefit of the bacteria. To better understand the control of type III secretion
      during host cell interaction, sensitive and accurate assays to measure
      translocation are required. We here describe the application of an assay based on
      the fusion of a Yersinia enterocolitica effector protein fragment (Yersinia outer
      protein; YopE) with TEM-1 beta-lactamase for quantitative analysis of
      translocation. The assay relies on cleavage of a cell permeant FRET dye (CCF4/AM)
      by translocated beta-lactamase fusion. After cleavage of the cephalosporin core
      of CCF4 by the beta-lactamase, FRET from coumarin to fluorescein is disrupted and
      excitation of the coumarin moiety leads to blue fluorescence emission. Different
      applications of this method have been described in the literature highlighting
      its versatility. The method allows for analysis of translocation in vitro and
      also in in vivo, e.g., in a mouse model. Detection of the fluorescence signals
      can be performed using plate readers, FACS analysis or fluorescence microscopy.
      In the setup described here, in vitro translocation of effector fusions into HeLa
      cells by different Yersinia mutants is monitored by laser scanning microscopy.
      Recording intracellular conversion of the FRET reporter by the beta-lactamase
      effector fusion in real-time provides robust quantitative results. We here show
      exemplary data, demonstrating increased translocation by a Y. enterocolitica YopE
      mutant compared to the wild type strain. 

PMID- 26484614
TI  - Frailty and geography: should these two factors be added to the ABCDE
      contemporary guide to diabetes therapy?
AB  - On the road towards personalized treatments for type 2 diabetes, we suggest here
      that two parameters could be added to the ABCDE algorithm, 'F' for frailty and
      'G' for geography. Indeed, the progressive ageing of population is causing a
      simultaneous increase of frailty worldwide. The identification of the optimal
      therapeutic approach is often difficult in frail subjects because of the
      complexity of 'frailty syndrome'. Nevertheless, given the relevance of diabetes
      in the development and progression of frailty, a safe and effective cure of
      diabetes is extremely important to guarantee a good medical outcome. There are
      few data about diabetes treatment in this delicate category of patients, and the
      choice of the appropriate therapy mostly remains a challenge. Moreover, type 2
      diabetes affects more than 382 million people of different countries, races and
      ethnicities. To face the lack of solid evidence-based medicine for the treatment
      of diabetes in different ethnic groups, it is extremely important to increase
      knowledge about the different pathophysiology of diabetes according to ethnicity.
      In this way, a tailored approach to treatment of various ethnic groups living in
      the same or different regions can eventually be developed. Copyright (c) 2016
      John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26484615
TI  - Synergetic Effect of Yolk-Shell Structure and Uniform Mixing of SnS-MoS2
      Nanocrystals for Improved Na-Ion Storage Capabilities.
AB  - Mixed metal sulfide composite microspheres with a yolk-shell structure for sodium
      ion batteries are studied. Tin-molybdenum oxide yolk-shell microspheres prepared
      by a one-pot spray pyrolysis process transform into yolk-shell SnS-MoS2 composite
      microspheres. The discharge capacities of the yolk-shell and dense-structured SnS
      MoS2 composite microspheres for the 100th cycle are 396 and 207 mA h g(-1), and
      their capacity retentions measured from the second cycle are 89 and 47%,
      respectively. The yolk-shell SnS-MoS2 composite microspheres with high structural
      stability during repeated sodium insertion and desertion processes have low
      charge-transfer resistance even after long-term cycling. The synergetic effect of
      the yolk-shell structure and uniform mixing of the SnS and MoS2 nanocrystals
      result in the excellent sodium-ion storage properties of the yolk-shell SnS-MoS2
      composite microspheres by improving their structural stability during cycling. 

PMID- 26484616
TI  - WAYS OF ACQUIRING FLYING PHOBIA.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The few studies that have explored how flying phobia is acquired have
      produced contradictory results. We hypothesized that classical conditioning plays
      a role in acquiring flying phobia and investigated if vicarious (model) learning,
      informational learning through media, and experiencing stressful life events at
      the time of onset of phobia also play a role. METHOD: Thirty patients with flying
      phobia and thirty healthy controls matched on age, sex, and education were
      interviewed with the Mini-DIPS, the short German version of the Anxiety Disorders
      Interview Schedule (DSM-IV diagnostic criteria) and the Fear-of-Flying History
      Interview. RESULTS: Fifty Percent of patients with flying phobia and 53% of
      healthy controls reported frightening events in the air. There was no significant
      difference between the two samples. Thus there were not more classical
      conditioning events for patients with flying phobia. There also was no
      significant difference between the two samples for vicarious (model) learning:
      37% of flying phobia patients and 23% of healthy controls felt influenced by
      model learning. The influence of informational learning through media was
      significantly higher for the clinical sample (70%) than for the control group
      (37%). Patients with flying phobia experienced significantly more stressful life
      events in the period of their frightening flight experience (60%) than healthy
      controls (19%). CONCLUSIONS: Frightening experiences while flying are quite
      common, but not everybody develops a flying phobia. Stressful life events and
      other factors might enhance conditionability. Informational learning through
      negative media reports probably reinforces the development of flying phobia.
      Clinical implications are discussed.

PMID- 26484617
TI  - Mechanisms of Particle Charging by Surfactants in Nonpolar Dispersions.
AB  - Electric charging of colloidal particles in nonpolar solvents plays a crucial
      role for many industrial applications and products, including rubbers, engine
      oils, toners, or electronic displays. Although disfavored by the low solvent
      permittivity, particle charging can be induced by added surfactants, even
      nonionic ones, but the underlying mechanism is poorly understood, and neither the
      magnitude nor the sign of charge can generally be predicted from the particle and
      surfactant properties. The conclusiveness of scientific studies has been limited
      partly by a traditional focus on few surfactant types with many differences in
      their chemical structure and often poorly defined composition. Here we
      investigate the surface charging of poly(methyl methacrylate) particles dispersed
      in hexane-based solutions of three purified polyisobutylene succinimide polyamine
      surfactants with "subtle" structural variations. We precisely vary the surfactant
      chemistry by replacing only a single electronegative atom located at a fixed
      position within the polar headgroup. Electrophoresis reveals that these small
      differences between the surfactants lead to qualitatively different particle
      charging. In the respective particle-free surfactant solutions we also find
      potentially telling differences in the size of the surfactant aggregates (inverse
      micelles), the residual water content, and the electric solution conductivity as
      well as indications for a significant size difference between oppositely charged
      inverse micelles of the most hygroscopic surfactant. An analysis that accounts
      for the acid/base properties of all constituents suggests that the observed
      particle charging is better described by asymmetric adsorption of charged inverse
      micelles from the liquid bulk than by charge creation at the particle surface.
      Intramicellar acid-base interaction and intermicellar surfactant exchange help
      rationalize the formation of micellar ions pairs with size asymmetry. 

PMID- 26484618
TI  - One Pot Synthesis of a Polyisoprene Polyrotaxane and Conversion to a Slide-Ring
      Gel.
AB  - Synthesis of a cyclodextrin (CD) polyrotaxane is achieved for the first time by
      simultaneous free radical polymerization of isoprene, threading by CD, and
      stoppering by copolymerization of styrene. This reaction is performed in an eco
      friendly manner in an aqueous medium similar to classical emulsion
      polymerization. Threaded CD rings of the polyrotaxane are cross-linked by
      hexamethylene diisocyanate, leading to highly elastic slide-ring gels.

PMID- 26484619
TI  - Maternal and pediatric health and disease: integrating biopsychosocial models and
      epigenetics.
AB  - The concepts of allostasis (stability through adaptation) and accumulated life
      stress (McEwen's allostatic load) aim to understand childhood and adult outcomes.
      Chronic malnutrition, changes in social condition, and adverse early-life
      experiences may program phenotypes and contribute to long-lasting disease risk.
      However, integration of life course approaches, social and economic contexts, and
      comparison among different biopsychosocial models has not generally been
      explored. This review critically examines the literature and evaluates recent
      insights into how environmental stress can alter lifelong hypothalamic-pituitary
      adrenal axis and immune system responsiveness and induce metabolic and
      neurodevelopmental maladaptation. Models of biopsychosocial stress overlap but
      may consider different conditions. Concepts include allostasis, which
      incorporates hormonal responses to predictable environmental changes, and
      Geronimus's "weathering," which aims to explain how socially structured, repeated
      stress can accumulate and increase disease vulnerability. Weathering emphasizes
      roles of internalized/interpersonal racism in outcomes disparities. For Mexican
      immigrants and Mexican Americans, the "acculturation" framework has proven
      especially useful to explore disparities, including preterm birth and
      neuropsychiatric risks in childhood. Complexities of stress assessments and
      recent research into epigenetic mechanisms mediating effects of physical,
      nutritional, psychological, and social stress are reviewed. 

PMID- 26484620
TI  - Beyond screening: a review of pediatric primary care models to address maternal
      depression.
AB  - Depression is one of the most debilitating chronic disorders in the United
      States, affecting 15 million children in homes with depressed mothers, many of
      whom endure household chaos, inconsistent nurturing, inadequate safety practices,
      and harsh discipline. Depressed mothers are under diagnosed and undertreated, yet
      there is broad consensus about the importance of identifying and managing
      maternal depression, as reflected in recommendations by pediatric and obstetric
      professional organizations to routinely screen for perinatal depression.
      Screening was shown to be acceptable to women and most pediatric providers, and
      adding a screening component need not impair clinic efficiency. Screening,
      however, is not sufficient, and there are few models in the literature to guide
      medical practices in implementing successful interventions to identify, treat,
      and prevent maternal depression, particularly in the pediatric setting. We
      reviewed the literature and identified six studies that evaluated models for
      screening and managing mothers' depression in pediatric primary care settings.
      Some of these interventions have promise, but no studies characterized health
      outcomes of the depressed mothers and children. We discuss the components of
      these models, their implementation, and the practice and research needed to
      create effective pediatrics-based systems to reduce the negative effects of
      maternal depression on mothers, children, and families. 

PMID- 26484621
TI  - Effect of socioeconomic status disparity on child language and neural outcome:
      how early is early?
AB  - It is not news that poverty adversely affects child outcome. The literature is
      replete with reports of deleterious effects on developmental outcome, cognitive
      function, and school performance in children and youth. Causative factors include
      poor nutrition, exposure to toxins, inadequate parenting, lack of cognitive
      stimulation, unstable social support, genetics, and toxic environments. Less is
      known regarding how early in life adverse effects may be detected. This review
      proposes to elucidate "how early is early" through discussion of seminal articles
      related to the effect of socioeconomic status on language outcome and a
      discussion of the emerging literature on effects of socioeconomic status
      disparity on brain structure in very young children. Given the young ages at
      which such outcomes are detected, the critical need for early targeted
      interventions for our youngest is underscored. Further, the fiscal reasonableness
      of initiating quality interventions supports these initiatives. As early life
      adversity produces lasting and deleterious effects on developmental outcome and
      brain structure, increased focus on programs and policies directed to reducing
      the impact of socioeconomic disparities is essential. 

PMID- 26484622
TI  - Effect of phototherapy with turquoise vs. blue LED light of equal irradiance in
      jaundiced neonates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blue light with peak emission around 460 nm is the preferred
      treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. However, studies using fluorescent
      light tubes have suggested that turquoise light with peak emission at 490 nm may
      be more efficient. At present, the predominant light source for phototherapy is
      light emitting diodes (LEDs). Hence, the aim of this study was to compare the
      bilirubin-reducing effect in jaundiced neonates treated either with turquoise or
      with blue LED light with peak emission at 497 or 459 nm, respectively, with equal
      irradiance on the infants. METHODS: Infants with gestational age >=33 wk and
      uncomplicated hyperbilirubinemia were randomized to either turquoise or blue LED
      light and were treated for 24 h. The mean irradiance footprint at skin level was
      5.2 * 10(15) and 5.1 * 10(15) photons/cm(2)/s, respectively. RESULTS: Forty-six
      infants received turquoise light and 45 received blue light. The median (95%
      confidence interval) decrease of total serum bilirubin was 35.3% (32.5; 37.3) and
      33.1% (27.1; 36.8) for infants treated with turquoise and blue lights,
      respectively. The difference was nonsignificant (P = 0.53). The decrease was
      positively correlated to postnatal age and negatively to birth weight.
      CONCLUSION: Using LED light of equal irradiance, turquoise and blue lights had
      equal bilirubin-reducing effect on hyperbilirubinemia of neonates.

PMID- 26484624
TI  - The state of evidence-based parenting interventions for parents who are substance
      involved.
AB  - Approximately 70 million children and adolescents live with at least one parent
      who abuses or is dependent on alcohol or an illicit substance. Given the negative
      parenting practices that substance-involved mothers and fathers tend to exhibit
      as well as the poor outcomes that their children, particularly their young
      children, experience, evidence-based parenting interventions are an important
      complement to substance abuse treatments. At this time, there are few studies
      that compare the efficacy of parenting interventions for these parents, however.
      Nonetheless, research has begun to examine skill-based and attachment-based
      parenting interventions for substance-involved families with young children.
      These parenting interventions should be considered within the context of the
      neurobiology of substance abuse, which emphasizes the role of dopamine in the
      reward systems that promote substance use. In the context of these
      neurobiological connections, parenting interventions that engender repeated
      intense emotional experiences may stimulate this same reward system and,
      therefore, may be more efficacious. Attachment-based interventions are
      particularly promising when such connections are considered. More attention needs
      to be paid to bringing impactful parenting interventions to substance-involved
      parents with young children. 

PMID- 26484625
TI  - A pilot study of factors associated with glycaemic control in adults with Type 1
      diabetes mellitus on insulin pump therapy.
AB  - AIMS: To identify the knowledge and management factors associated with glycaemic
      control among adults with Type 1 diabetes mellitus treated with insulin pump
      therapy. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of adults with Type 1 diabetes mellitus
      on insulin pump therapy for at least 12 months (n = 50, 18-70 years old) was
      undertaken between December 2013 and May 2014. A new questionnaire was developed
      to evaluate participants' knowledge and management related to insulin pump
      therapy, and were correlated with insulin pump data, HbA1c and frequency of
      hypoglycaemia. RESULTS: Participants who changed their insulin pump settings when
      indicated had significantly better glycaemic control than those who did not (P =
      0.04). Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that better overall
      insulin pump therapy management was a significant predictor of better glycaemic
      control (odds ratio 4.45, 95% confidence interval 1.61-12.3; P = 0.004) after
      adjusting for potential confounders including age, gender, duration of diabetes
      and insulin pump therapy. However, overall insulin pump therapy knowledge was not
      a significant predictor of glycaemic control (P = 0.058). There was no
      significant association between frequency of hypoglycaemia and insulin pump
      therapy knowledge or management. CONCLUSIONS: We identified some key knowledge
      and management factors associated with glycaemic control in adults with Type 1
      diabetes mellitus on insulin pump therapy using a newly designed questionnaire.
      The pilot study assessed the clinical utility of this evaluation tool, which may
      facilitate provision of targeted education to insulin pump therapy users to
      achieve optimal glycaemic control.

PMID- 26484623
TI  - Biological, environmental, and social influences on childhood obesity.
AB  - The prevalence of childhood obesity has increased globally over the past three
      decades, with evidence of recent leveling off in developed countries. Reduction
      in the, currently high, prevalence of obesity will require a full understanding
      of the biological and social pathways to obesity in order to develop
      appropriately targeted prevention strategies in early life. Determinants of
      childhood obesity include individual level factors, including biological, social,
      and behavioral risks, acting within the influence of the child's family
      environment, which is, in turn, imbedded in the context of the community
      environment. These influences act across childhood, with suggestions of early
      critical periods of biological and behavioral plasticity. There is evidence of
      sex and gender differences in the responses of boys and girls to their
      environments. The evidence that determinants of childhood obesity act at many
      levels and at different stages of childhood is of policy relevance to those
      planning early health promotion and primary prevention programs as it suggests
      the need to address the individual, the family, the physical environment, the
      social environment, and social policy. The purpose of this narrative review is to
      summarize current, and emerging, literature in a multilevel, life course
      framework. 

PMID- 26484626
TI  - A combination of stereological methods, biochemistry and electron microscopy for
      the investigation of drug treatment effects in experimental animals.
AB  - Some chemotherapeutic agents used for breast cancer (BC) treatment can induce
      severe side effects in the ovarian tissue. The combination of cyclophosphamide
      and docetaxel (TC) is widely used for BC treatment; however, its late effects in
      the ovary are not completely understood. The main purpose of this study was to
      evaluate the structural and ultrastructural alterations in the ovarian stroma
      induced by TC treatment. Wistar rats were divided into two groups: a control
      group and a TC group. They were euthanized 5 months after the end of treatment,
      and their plasma and ovaries were collected. Important alterations were noted.
      The serum estradiol level was significantly reduced in the TC group compared with
      the control group. Additionally, the number of apoptotic nuclei was higher in the
      TC group. The role of the inflammatory response in the development of ovarian
      damage was investigated, and we found an increased number of mast cells and
      increased expression of TNF-alpha in the TC group. The involvement of fibrosis
      was also investigated. The results showed that the TC group had increased
      expression levels of TGF-beta1, collagen type I (col-I) and collagen type III
      (col-III) compared with the control group. Ultrastructural analysis revealed the
      presence of collagen fibrils in the treated group and illustrated that the
      ovarian tissue architecture was more disorganized in this group than in the
      control group. The results from this study are important in the study of
      chemotherapy-induced ovarian failure and provide further insight into the
      mechanisms involved in the development of this disease. 

PMID- 26484628
TI  - Interfacial Control of Magnetic Properties at LaMnO3/LaNiO3 Interfaces.
AB  - The functional properties of oxide heterostructures ultimately rely on how the
      electronic and structural mismatches occurring at interfaces are accommodated by
      the chosen materials combination. We discuss here LaMnO3/LaNiO3 heterostructures,
      which display an intrinsic interface structural asymmetry depending on the growth
      sequence. Using a variety of synchrotron-based techniques, we show that the
      degree of intermixing at the monolayer scale allows interface-driven properties
      such as charge transfer and the induced magnetic moment in the nickelate layer to
      be controlled. Further, our results demonstrate that the magnetic state of
      strained LaMnO3 thin films dramatically depends on interface reconstructions. 

PMID- 26484629
TI  - Clinical Trials Integrating Immunotherapy and Radiation for Non-Small-Cell Lung
      Cancer.
AB  - Methods of harnessing the immune system to treat cancer have been investigated
      for decades, but yielded little clinical progress. However, in recent years,
      novel drugs that allow immune recognition and destruction of tumor cells are
      emerging as potent cancer therapies. Building upon previous immunotherapy
      strategies that included therapeutic vaccines, recombinant cytokines, and other
      immunostimulatory agents, newer immunotherapy agents targeting immune checkpoints
      including programmed cell death 1, programmed cell death ligand-1, and cytotoxic
      T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4, among others, have garnered substantial
      enthusiasm after demonstrating clinical activity in a broad spectrum of tumor
      types. Trials evaluating immune checkpoint inhibitors in metastatic non-small
      cell lung cancer (NSCLC) demonstrate robust and durable responses in a subset of
      patients. However, with overall response rates less than 20%, combinatorial
      strategies that extend the benefit of these agents to more patients are
      desirable. The integration of radiotherapy with immunotherapy is a conceptually
      promising strategy, as radiotherapy has potent immunomodulatory effects and may
      contribute not only to local control but may also augment systemic antitumor
      immune response. Preclinical data and case reports suggest the potential for
      robust clinical responses in metastatic NSCLC patients using this strategy, but
      prospective clinical trials evaluating the integration of radiation and
      immunotherapy are limited. The use of immunotherapy in nonmetastatic settings is
      also intriguing but understudied. We review the potential clinical settings of
      interest for the partnering of immunotherapy and radiation in NSCLC, including
      early stage, locally advanced, and metastatic disease, and review completed,
      accruing, and developing clinical trials. 

PMID- 26484630
TI  - Prognostic Significance of CT-Determined Sarcopenia in Patients with Small-Cell
      Lung Cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The primary objective of this study was to determine the prognostic
      significance of computed tomography (CT)-determined sarcopenia in small-cell lung
      cancer (SCLC) patients. METHODS: This retrospective study consisted of a total of
      149 consecutive SCLC patients. The cross-sectional area of muscle at the level of
      the third lumbar vertebra (L3) was measured using baseline CT images. Sarcopenia
      was defined as a L3 muscle index of less than 55 cm/m for men and of less than 39
      cm/m for women as proposed by international consensus of cancer cachexia. In
      addition, Korean-specific cutoffs for sarcopenia was also applied (49 cm/m for
      men and 31 cm/m for women). Overall survival (OS) and clinical characteristics of
      patients with or without sarcopenia were compared. RESULTS: Mean patient age was
      68.6 +/- 9.5 years. Most were male (85.3%) and 67.8% had extensive disease at
      time of diagnosis. Sarcopenia was present in 118 patients (79.2%) and was
      significantly related to an advanced age (p = 0.028), male sex (p < 0.001), lower
      body mass index (p < 0.001), and poor performance status (p = 0.049). Sarcopenic
      patients had shorter OS than nonsarcopenic patients (median: 8.6 months versus
      16.8 months; p = 0.031). Multivariable analysis revealed that sarcopenia was an
      independent prognostic factor of poor survival (hazards ratio: 1.68; 95%
      confidence interval: 1.04-2.72; p = 0.034), along with extensive stage (p <
      0.001), supportive care only (p < 0.001), and an elevated lactate dehydrogenase
      level (p = 0.020). Using Korean sarcopenia cutoffs, sarcopenic patients were also
      found to have poorer OS than nonsarcopenic patients, however, the survival
      difference was not statistically significant (median: 8.4 months versus 12.7
      months; p = 0.144 by the log-rank test). CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia as determined by
      CT could be used to predict prognosis in patients with SCLC. Optimum reference
      values to predict cancer-specific outcomes should be tailored by further studies.

PMID- 26484631
TI  - A Prospective Phase II Study of Cisplatin and Cremophor EL-Free Paclitaxel
      (Genexol-PM) in Patients with Unresectable Thymic Epithelial Tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We conducted a prospective phase II study of cisplatin plus cremophor
      EL-free paclitaxel (Genexol-PM) in patients with unresectable thymic epithelial
      tumors to determine the efficacy and tolerability of the combination therapy.
      METHODS: Patients were treated with cisplatin (70 mg/m) and Genexol-PM (230 mg/m)
      on day 1 of a 3-week cycle as first-line palliative chemotherapy. The primary end
      point of this study was objective response rate, and the secondary end points
      included toxicity, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, correlation
      between early 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed
      tomography response and PFS, and correlation between baseline flurododeoxyglucose
      uptake and histology. RESULTS: Forty-two patients with unresectable thymoma (n =
      14) or thymic carcinoma (n = 28) were enrolled between May 2012 and October 2014.
      The median age was 59 years (range: 25-77) and 30 patients (71%) were male, and
      39 patients (93%) had an ECOG PS of 1. The median number of treatment cycles was
      six (range: 1-6). For 40 assessable patients, the objective response rate was
      62.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 47.6-77.4) with rates of 46% (95% CI: 23.3
      76.9) for advanced thymoma (n = 13) and 70% (95% CI: 52.0-82.1) for thymic
      carcinoma (n = 27). With a median follow-up of 15.5 months, the median PFS for
      all 42 patients was 9.8 months (11.4 months for thymoma versus 8.1 months for
      thymic carcinoma). The 2-year overall survival was 77.9% for thymoma and 65.9%
      for thymic carcinoma. There were no treatment-related deaths. The most common
      grade 3 and 4 treatment-related adverse event was neutropenia in 11 patients
      (26%). Eight patients (19%) experienced grade 2 hypersensitivity reactions. There
      was no correlation between early positron emission tomography response and PFS,
      but tumor histology (thymoma versus thymic carcinoma) was correlated with SUVmax
      before chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that combination of
      cisplatin and Genexol-PM is highly effective and tolerable for the treatment of
      unresectable thymic epithelial tumors.

PMID- 26484632
TI  - Identification of Unsaturated and 2H Polyfluorocarboxylate Homologous Series and
      Their Detection in Environmental Samples and as Polymer Degradation Products.
AB  - A pair of homologous series of polyfluorinated degradation products have been
      identified, both having structures similar to perfluorocarboxylic acids but (i)
      having a H substitution for F on the alpha carbon for 2H polyfluorocarboxylic
      acids (2HPFCAs) and (ii) bearing a double bond between the alpha-beta carbons for
      the unsaturated PFCAs (2uPFCAs). Obtaining an authentic sample containing 2uPFOA
      and 2HPFOA, we optimized a mass-spectrometric multiple-reaction-monitoring
      (MS/MS) technique and then identified uPFCA and HPFCA homologous series in sludge
      applied agricultural soils and fodder grasses for cattle grazing. Analysis of
      samples from a degradation experiment of commercial fluorotelomer-based polymers
      (FTPs), the dominant product of the fluorotelomer industry, confirmed that
      commercial FTPs are a potential source of uPFCAs and HPFCAs to the environment.
      We further confirmed the identity of the uPFCAs by imposing high-energy
      ionization to decarboxylate the uPFCAs then focused on the fluorinated chains in
      the first MS quadrupole. We also employed this high-energy ionization to
      decarboxylate and analyze PFCAs by MS/MS (for the first time, to our knowledge).
      In exploratory efforts, we report the possible detection of unsaturated
      perfluorooctanesulfonate in environmental samples, having a conceptual double
      bond structure analogous to uPFOA. Using microcosms spiked with fluorotelomer
      compounds, we found 2uPFOA and 2HPFOA to be generated from unsaturated 8:2
      fluorotelomer acid (8:2 FTUCA) and propose beta- and alpha-oxidation mechanisms
      for generation of these compounds from 8:2 FTUCA. In light of these experimental
      results, we also reexamined the proposed biodegradation pathways of 8:2
      fluorotelomer alcohol. 

PMID- 26484633
TI  - Balanced TH1 and TH2 immunopotentiating effects of silicates partly containing
      nanoparticles present in calcined serpentine.
AB  - Calcined Serpentine (CS) is used in various formulations of alternative systems
      of medicine as a tonic to vital organs and as an anti-inflammatory agent. The
      process of calcination or incineration is believed to render non-toxic, gently
      absorbable, adaptable and digestible properties to the mineral compounds. The
      present study characterized CS and also evaluated its immunostimulatory
      potential. CS was characterized by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM),
      X-ray powder diffraction, atomic absorption spectroscopy and CHNS analysis. The
      characterized CS was further evaluated for its immunomodulatory potential in
      Swiss mice. X-Ray diffraction analysis revealed that the CS contained silicates
      of magnesium, calcium and iron as major minerals. Elemental composition and heavy
      metal analyses showed a presence of various inorganic elements/heavy metals,
      albeit at levels well below daily permissive intake values. TEM analysis of the
      test CS revealed a presence of nano particles with an average size of 10-20 nm (~
      26% of total material). Oral administration of CS to mice at 50, 75, 100 or 200
      MUg/kg body weight for 10 days led to enhanced levels of total IgG, IgG1, IgG2a
      and IgG2b in ovalbumin-immunized mice as well as ex vivo lymphocyte proliferation
      and levels of TH1 (IL-2, IFNgamma) and TH2 (IL-4, IL-10) cytokines produced by
      their cultured splenocytes. Similarly, CS treatment resulted in enhanced delayed
      type hypersensitivity responses in GRBC-primed hosts. CS also activated host
      peritoneal macrophages, as indicated by increases in phagocytic activity and in
      TLR-2, CD80 and CD86 expression. The CS did not affect liver, kidney and spleen
      histology. Taken together, the results indicated that absorbed CS was stimulatory
      of host cell-mediated immune responses. It is hypothesized for now that the
      immunomodulatory effect of CS may have been due, in part, to a presence of
      nanoparticles on the CS; further study is required to validate this viewpoint.

PMID- 26484635
TI  - Mortality Trends in Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: A Population-based
      Study in Quebec, Canada.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mortality rates greater than in the general population have been
      reported in the population with Crohn's disease (CD), but reports for ulcerative
      colitis (UC) are conflicting. Trends with time were rarely described. We aimed to
      assess whether CD and UC mortality in Quebec differs from that in the general
      population and to describe the trends over a 10-year observation period. METHODS:
      This is a population-based cohort study using the Quebec administrative health
      databases and death certificates registry. All-cause and cause-specific
      standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were computed for 1999 to 2008. A time trend
      analysis was used to assess changes in the SMR with the calendar year. RESULTS:
      All-cause mortality was significantly increased in CD and UC compared to the
      general population: SMR: CD 1.45 (95% confidence interval: 1.34-1.58), UC 1.21
      (95% confidence interval: 1.12-1.32). In CD, mortality from digestive conditions,
      all neoplasms, digestive neoplasms, and colorectal, lymphatic, and lung cancer
      was significantly higher than in the general population. In UC, mortality from
      digestive, respiratory, and infectious conditions was also significantly
      increased. In both CD and UC, there was a decrease with time in all-cause SMRs
      and in digestive conditions, digestive neoplasms, colorectal cancer, and
      infectious diseases. SMRs for lung cancer and respiratory conditions increased
      over time in CD. CONCLUSIONS: All-cause mortality was significantly higher in CD
      and UC populations than in the general population. However, a decreasing trend
      with time was observed in all-cause and some cause-specific SMRs. In CD, SMRs for
      lung cancer and respiratory conditions increased during the observation period.

PMID- 26484634
TI  - Decomposition of spontaneous fluctuations in tumour oxygenation using BOLD MRI
      and independent component analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Solid tumours can undergo cycles of hypoxia, followed by
      reoxygenation, which can have significant implications for the success of
      anticancer therapies. A need therefore exists to develop methods to aid its
      detection and to further characterise its biological basis. We present here a
      novel method for decomposing systemic and tumour-specific contributions to
      fluctuations in tumour deoxyhaemoglobin concentration, based on magnetic
      resonance imaging measurements. METHODS: Fluctuations in deoxyhaemoglobin
      concentration in two tumour xenograft models of colorectal carcinoma were
      decomposed into distinct contributions using independent component analysis.
      These components were then correlated with systemic pulse oximetry measurements
      to assess the influence of systemic variations in blood oxygenation in tumours,
      compared with those that arise within the tumour itself (tumour-specific).
      Immunohistochemical staining was used to assess the physiological basis of each
      source of fluctuation. RESULTS: Systemic fluctuations in blood oxygenation were
      found to contribute to cycling hypoxia in tumours, but tumour-specific
      fluctuations were also evident. Moreover, the size of the tumours was found to
      influence the degree of systemic, but not tumour-specific, oscillations. The
      degree of vessel maturation was related to the amplitude of tumour-specific, but
      not systemic, oscillations. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide further insights
      into the complexity of spontaneous fluctuations in tumour oxygenation and its
      relationship with tumour pathophysiology. These observations could be used to
      develop improved drug delivery strategies.

PMID- 26484636
TI  - Reproductive Planning and Contraception for Women with Inflammatory Bowel
      Diseases.
AB  - Women with chronic medical conditions, such as inflammatory bowel diseases, are
      at increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Pregnancy outcomes for these
      conditions are best during stable disease remission. Unfortunately, women with
      inflammatory bowel disease are equally as likely as the general population to
      have unintended pregnancies. Patients look to their gastroenterologist for
      contraceptive counseling; however, the current standards for disease management
      do not prioritize this topic. Guidelines based on available evidence and expert
      opinion, such as the Centers for Disease Control U.S. Medical Eligibility
      Criteria for Contraceptive Use, exist to help practitioners provide safe and
      effective contraception to women with chronic medical conditions. If health care
      providers were to educate themselves and screen women with inflammatory bowel
      disease for risk of unintended pregnancy, there would be a reduction in the
      number of unintended pregnancies and subsequent adverse neonatal and maternal
      outcomes. 

PMID- 26484637
TI  - Colloidal Moderate-Refractive-Index Cu2O Nanospheres as Visible-Region
      Nanoantennas with Electromagnetic Resonance and Directional Light-Scattering
      Properties.
AB  - Moderate-refractive-index dielectric nano-spheres are found to possess strong
      electric and magnetic dipole resonances in the visible region. Owing to the
      overlap of the electric and magnetic dipole resonances, moderate-refractive-index
      dielectric nanospheres exhibit directional forward scattering at the strongest
      scattering peak. Such directional scattering is experimentally observed on
      colloidal Cu2O nanospheres, which are readily prepared through wet-chemistry
      methods.

PMID- 26484638
TI  - Importance of post-translational modifications on the function of key haemostatic
      proteins.
AB  - Post-translational modifications (PTMs) such as glycosylation and phosphorylation
      play an important role on the function of haemostatic proteins and are critical
      in the setting of disease. Such secondary level changes to haemostatic proteins
      have wide ranging effects on their ability to interact with other proteins. This
      review aimed to summarize the knowledge of the common PTMs associated with
      haemostatic proteins and the implications of such modifications on protein
      function. Haemostatic proteins that represent the main focus for studies specific
      to PTMs are von Willebrand factor, tissue factor, factor VIII, antithrombin and
      fibrinogen. These proteins are susceptible to PTMs by glycosylation,
      phosphorylation, sulphation, citrullination and nitration, respectively, with a
      significant impact on their function. During synthesis, vWF must undergo
      extensive PTMs, with N-linked glycosylation being the most common. Increased
      phosphorylation of tissue factor results in increased affinity for platelets to
      the vessel endothelium. Citrullination of antithrombin leads to an increased
      anticoagulant function of this protein and therefore an anticoagulant state that
      inhibits clot formation. On the contrary, nitration of fibrinogen has been shown
      to result in a prothrombotic state, whilst sulphation is required for the normal
      function of Factor VIII. From this review, it is evident that PTMs of haemostatic
      proteins as a change in protein structure at a secondary level greatly influences
      the behaviour of the protein at a tertiary level. 

PMID- 26484639
TI  - Successful immune tolerance induction with low-dose coagulation factor VIII in a
      patient with hemophilia A from a developing country.
AB  - Inhibitor development is the most frequent and serious complication of the
      treatment in patients with hemophilia. Immune tolerance induction (ITI) is the
      only option of treatment for the eradication of factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitor. We
      would like to present our case with hemophilia whose FVIII inhibitor eradication
      was done by a low-dose ITI regimen. Our patient has been applied on-demand
      therapy until 8 years of age. Secondary prophylaxis was began because of having
      hemophilic arthropathy. A low titer of FVIII inhibitor (4.2 BU/ml) was detected
      in the fifth month of the prophylaxis. The peak inhibitor titer of patient was
      4.6 BU/ml, and there was no decrease in inhibitor titer in the follow-up
      duration. The low-dose ITI (50 IU/kg, 3 days a week) was started. His inhibitor
      level was detected negative and the recovery test was ameliorated in the 15th of
      the ITI therapy. High-dose regimen ITI could not be given particularly in
      developing countries such as Turkey in view of the high cost of treatment.
      Patients who had good risk factors might be successfully treated by using low
      dose ITI regimen as effective as high-dose ITI regimen. 

PMID- 26484640
TI  - Does intermittent pneumatic compression increase the risk of pulmonary embolism
      in deep venous thrombosis after joint surgery?
AB  - The present study aimed to identify the incidence and risk factors of symptomatic
      pulmonary embolism and evaluate the safety of early intermittent pneumatic
      compression application in patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT) after joint
      surgery. A total of 144 patients with DVT undergoing joint surgery were divided
      into two groups according to the appearance of symptomatic pulmonary embolism.
      Venography and computed tomographic pulmonary angiography were utilized as the
      assessment methods. The total incidence of symptomatic pulmonary embolism was
      0.39% after joint surgery. However, the prevalence increased to 3.5% when
      computed in patients with DVT. Patients with symptomatic pulmonary embolism were
      older than those without symptomatic pulmonary embolism (69 +/- 4 versus 61 +/-
      15 years, P = 0.04). The occurrence rate of symptomatic pulmonary embolism in
      patients with diabetes mellitus was much higher than that in the patients without
      diabetes mellitus (40.0% versus 8.6%, respectively, P = 0.02). The prevalence of
      symptomatic pulmonary embolism after joint surgery in patients with DVT was not
      distinctive. Increased age and diabetes mellitus put patients with DVT at risk of
      suffering symptomatic pulmonary embolism after joint surgery. In addition, early
      postoperative application of intermittent pneumatic compression was safe in these
      patients. 

PMID- 26484641
TI  - Fatal massive and recurring pulmonary embolism followed by thrombocytopenia
      developed after heparin and warfarin treatment in a patient with metastatic
      breast cancer with an incidental large right atrial thrombus.
AB  - A thromboembolic complication such as pulmonary embolism in patients who had
      cancer and mobile thrombi in the heart is a rare but fatal complication. Surgical
      thromboembolectomy is considered as the classical treatment of choice. In case of
      inoperable patient, catheter-directed therapy may be an alternative treatment. We
      report an interesting case of metastatic breast cancer with a large and mobile
      right atrial thrombus complicated by a massive and subsequently recurring
      pulmonary embolism, followed by thrombocytopenia developed after heparin and
      warfarin treatment. 

PMID- 26484642
TI  - Interleukin-17-producing CD4+ T lymphocytes are increased in patients with
      primary immune thrombocytopenia.
AB  - The present study was performed to investigate the role of interleukin-17
      producing CD4-positive T cells in the pathogenesis of primary immune
      thrombocytopenia (ITP). Peripheral blood was collected from ITP patients and
      healthy controls. The immunophenotyping of T lymphocytes and the detection of T
      helper 1/2/17 (Th1/Th2/Th17) cells were performed by flow cytometry, Th1/Th2/Th17
      associated cytokines were determined by cytokines microarray and ELISA. The
      association between Th17 and T regulatory cells (Tregs) was also investigated.
      The percentage of Th17 and Th1 cells were markedly increased in ITP patients
      especially in those with severe ITP compared with normal controls. Th17 cytokines
      microarray revealed the upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines and
      downregulation of inflammatory inhibitory cytokines in ITP patients compared with
      that in the normal controls. Further ELISA analysis verified high levels of Th17
      associated proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-17A/F, interleukin-6 and
      interleukin-23 and low levels of inflammatory inhibitory factors including
      interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor-beta in ITP patients compared with
      normal controls. We also observed that the ratio of Th17/Treg was significantly
      higher in severe ITP than that in mild ITP and normal controls and inversely
      correlated with platelet count. In addition, Tregs from ITP patients could
      suppress the secretion of interferon-gamma by effector CD4-positive T cells, but
      had no effect on interleukin-17 production in vitro. Th17 cells are increased in
      ITP patients, and the inversion of Th17/Treg may contribute to the activation of
      autoimmunity. 

PMID- 26484643
TI  - Efficacy and safety of factor eight inhibitor bypassing activity prophylaxis
      evaluation in young patients with hemophilia and high titer inhibitor.

PMID- 26484644
TI  - Yes or no for secondary prophylaxis in afibrinogenemia?

PMID- 26484645
TI  - Dabigatran etexilate versus low-molecular weight heparin to control consumptive
      coagulopathy secondary to diffuse venous vascular malformations.
AB  - Diffuse venous malformations can be associated with a consumptive coagulopathy
      characterized by a reduction of fibrinogen level, platelet count and elevated D
      dimer level. We report a case of a patient with extensive venous malformations,
      hemorrhagic symptoms and biological signs of intravascular coagulopathy. She was
      initially treated effectively with low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH)
      (enoxaparin 1 mg/kg, bid) and switched to low-dose dabigatran etexilate (110 mg
      bid) for more than 2 years. Both treatments showed a similar clinical efficacy
      with the absence of bleeding or thrombotic complications. Compared with LMWH,
      dabigatran etexilate provided a similar correction of the fibrinogen level and
      platelet count but was less effective to reduce the D-dimer level. Although
      dabigatran etexilate can be safely used to control the consumptive coagulopathy
      secondary to venous malformation and provides a practical alternative to LMWH,
      its efficacy in vivo at a low dose to reduce the D-dimer level was lower than
      that of LMWH. 

PMID- 26484646
TI  - Severe hemophilia in a girl infant with mosaic Turner syndrome and persistent
      hyperplastic primary vitreous.
AB  - A 6-month-old girl was referred by an ophthalmologist because of postoperative
      bleeding. She was scheduled for operation because of persistent hyperplastic
      primary vitreous. Workups were done and prolonged partial thromboplastin time
      with normal platelet count, normal bleeding time, and prothrombin time were
      detected. There was negative family history of bleeding tendency in both maternal
      and paternal family, so at the first step, Factor XI assay was requested which
      was normal. Then, von Willebrand factor and factor VIII were assayed which was
      127% and less than 1%, respectively. Severe factor VIII deficiency was not
      suspected in a girl unless in siblings of a hemophilic patient who gets married
      with her carrier cousin. Chromosomal study and genetic testing were requested and
      mosaic Turner syndrome (45 XO) with ring X (p22, 2q13) along with inversion 22
      (hemizygote) was detected. Abdominal and pelvic sonography showed absence of both
      ovaries with presence of infantile uterus. Maternal genetic study was in favor of
      carrier of hemophilia (heterozygote inversion 22). To the best of our knowledge,
      this is the first case of association of Turner syndrome with severe hemophilia A
      and persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous. 

PMID- 26484647
TI  - Factors determining clot resolution in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.
AB  - There are limited data on the rate of clot resolution after acute pulmonary
      embolism and risk factors for residual emboli. The aim of the present study was
      to investigate the rate of clot resolution over time and identify risk factors of
      residual emboli in pulmonary embolism patients. We retrospectively analyzed
      pulmonary embolism patients with follow-up computed tomography (CT) scans taken
      between day 3 and day 90. The patients were classified into three cohorts,
      depending on the time of CT scan: day 3-7, day 8-21, and day 22-90. Each cohort
      was regrouped into the residual embolus and complete resolution groups. The rate
      of complete resolution of pulmonary emboli was 24% at 3-7 days, 47% at 8-21 days,
      and 78% at 22-90 days. In a multivariate analysis, independent predictors in each
      cohort were lobar or larger pulmonary artery pulmonary embolism and a right
      ventricle/left ventricle diameter ratio within 1 week, lobar or larger pulmonary
      artery pulmonary embolism at 1-3 weeks, and central pulmonary embolism at 3 weeks
      to 3 months. The rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence, frequency of an
      adverse outcome, and in-hospital mortality did not differ between the two groups
      in each cohort. Complete resolution of pulmonary emboli occurred in most
      pulmonary embolism patients. Regardless of the time interval, larger pulmonary
      artery involvement by pulmonary emboli was only independent predictor of residual
      emboli. The presence of residual emboli was not associated with an adverse
      outcome of pulmonary embolism and rate of VTE recurrence. 

PMID- 26484648
TI  - Rate Coefficient for the (4)HeMU + CH4 Reaction at 500 K: Comparison between
      Theory and Experiment.
AB  - The rate constant for the H atom abstraction reaction from methane by the muonic
      helium atom, HeMU + CH4 -> HeMUH + CH3, is reported at 500 K and compared with
      theory, providing an important test of both the potential energy surface (PES)
      and reaction rate theory for the prototypical polyatomic CH5 reaction system. The
      theory used to characterize this reaction includes both variational transition
      state (CVT/MUOMT) theory (VTST) and ring polymer molecular dynamics (RPMD)
      calculations on a recently developed PES, which are compared as well with earlier
      calculations on different PESs for the H, D, and Mu + CH4 reactions, the latter,
      in particular, providing for a variation in atomic mass by a factor of 36. Though
      rigorous quantum calculations have been carried out for the H + CH4 reaction,
      these have not yet been extended to the isotopologues of this reaction (in
      contrast to H3), so it is important to provide tests of less rigorous theories in
      comparison with kinetic isotope effects measured by experiment. In this regard,
      the agreement between the VTST and RPMD calculations and experiment for the rate
      constant of the HeMU + CH4 reaction at 500 K is excellent, within 10% in both
      cases, which overlaps with experimental error. 

PMID- 26484649
TI  - Occupational therapists' pain knowledge: a national survey.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study surveyed Canadian occupational therapists to identify whether
      their pain knowledge is current or if the gaps identified in past studies have
      remained the same. The findings will provide information to guide the development
      of targeted pain knowledge translation strategies for occupational therapists.
      METHOD: A self-report survey, including demographic questions and part of the
      City of Boston's Rehabilitation Professionals' Knowledge and Attitude Survey
      (COBS), was disseminated electronically to all members of the Canadian
      Association of Occupational Therapists. RESULTS: A total of 354 therapists, most
      came from Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia and working in the community, acute
      care and private practice, participated. Over 50% had 10 years or less of
      experience. Deficit knowledge areas were identified in pediatric pain, chronic
      versus acute pain, pain assessment and medications. These findings are largely
      consistent with deficits identified in pre-2000 studies. CONCLUSIONS: Pain
      knowledge gaps persist among Canadian occupational therapists and this can, and
      should, be addressed within the occupational therapist (OT) curriculum and in
      professional development initiatives. It is concerning that this study identified
      similar knowledge gaps as those identified in previous studies of OT students and
      clinicians. Pain is a growing and complex issue with negative impact on
      occupational performance across the lifespan. Knowledge dissemination of
      occupational therapy pain assessment and management approaches should be a
      priority for the profession. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Pain is a prevalent
      condition in all age groups of occupational therapists' clients. There appear to
      be gaps in occupational therapists' evidence-based knowledge of aspects of pain.
      Occupational therapy training programs and occupational therapy associations
      should provide education with a particular focus on identified pain knowledge
      gaps.

PMID- 26484650
TI  - Exploring phlebotomy technique as a pre-analytical factor in proteomic analyses
      by mass spectrometry.
AB  - Multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (MRM-MS) is an emerging technology
      for blood biomarker verification and validation; however, the results may be
      influenced by pre-analytical factors. This exploratory study was designed to
      determine if differences in phlebotomy techniques would significantly affect the
      abundance of plasma proteins in an upcoming biomarker development study. Blood
      was drawn from 10 healthy participants using four techniques: (1) a 20-gauge IV
      with vacutainer, (2) a 21-gauge direct vacutainer, (3) an 18-gauge butterfly with
      vacutainer, and (4) an 18-gauge butterfly with syringe draw. The abundances of a
      panel of 122 proteins (117 proteins, plus 5 matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)
      proteins) were targeted by LC/MRM-MS. In addition, complete blood count (CBC)
      data were also compared across the four techniques. Phlebotomy technique
      significantly affected 2 of the 11 CBC parameters (red blood cell count, p =
      0.010; hemoglobin concentration, p = 0.035) and only 12 of the targeted 117
      proteins (p < 0.05). Of the five MMP proteins, only MMP7 was detectable and its
      concentration was not significantly affected by different techniques. Overall,
      most proteins in this exploratory study were not significantly influenced by
      phlebotomy technique; however, a larger study with additional patients will be
      required for confirmation. 

PMID- 26484651
TI  - Outcome of total hip arthroplasty, but not of total knee arthroplasty, is related
      to the preoperative radiographic severity of osteoarthritis. A prospective cohort
      study of 573 patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is no consensus on the impact of radiographic
      severity of hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) on the clinical outcome of total hip
      arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We assessed whether
      preoperative radiographic severity of OA is related to improvements in
      functioning, pain, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) 1 year after THA or
      TKA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 302 THA
      patients and 271 TKA patients with hip or knee OA. In the THA patients,
      preoperatively 26% had mild OA and 74% had severe OA; in the TKA patients,
      preoperatively 27% had mild OA and 73% had severe OA. Radiographic severity was
      determined according to the Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) classification. Clinical
      assessments preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively included: sociodemographic
      characteristics and patient-reported outcomes (PROMs): Oxford hip/knee score,
      hip/knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (HOOS/KOOS), SF36, and EQ5D.
      Change scores of PROMs were compared with mild OA (KL 0-2) and severe OA (KL 3-4)
      using a multivariate linear regression model. RESULTS: Adjusted for sex, age,
      preoperative scores, BMI, and Charnley score, radiographic severity of OA in THA
      was associated with improvement in HOOS "Activities of daily living", "Pain", and
      "Symptoms", and SF36 physical component summary ("PCS") scale. In TKA, we found
      no such associations. INTERPRETATION: The decrease in pain and improvement in
      function in THA patients, but not in TKA patients, was positively associated with
      the preoperative radiographic severity of OA.

PMID- 26484652
TI  - The application of the mortality-to-incidence ratio for the evaluation of cancer
      care disparities globally.

PMID- 26484654
TI  - Inhibition of an Allergen-Antibody Reaction Related to Japanese Cedar Pollinosis
      Using DNA Aptamers Against the Cry j 2 Allergen.
AB  - Japanese cedar pollinosis is one of the most prevalent allergies in Japan.
      Reducing the allergen content of pollen plays a major role in the alleviation of
      allergy symptoms. Aptamers, oligonucleotides with an affinity for specific
      molecules, have great potential for reducing allergic activity. In this study, we
      report that the anti-Cry j 2 aptamers, CJ2-04 and CJ2-08, inhibited allergen
      antibody reactions between Cry j 2, one of the major allergens in Japanese cedar
      pollen, and immunoglobulin E in serum collected from a patient with Japanese
      cedar pollinosis. In addition, the suppression of Ca(2+) mobilization in
      basophils, which is related to degranulation, was observed in samples
      preincubated with either of these DNA aptamers. This study indicates that anti
      Cry j 2 aptamers may inhibit allergen-antibody reactions and suppress the
      induction of Japanese cedar pollinosis, possibly leading to a novel external
      defense against this and other types of allergens. 

PMID- 26484655
TI  - dbHT-Trans: An Efficient Tool for Filtering the Protein-Encoding Transcripts
      Assembled by RNA-Seq According to Search for Homologous Proteins.
AB  - In RNA-Seq studies, there are still many challenges for reliably assembling
      transcripts. Both genome-guided and de novo methods always produce too many false
      transcripts because of known and unknown factors. Therefore, the postassembly
      quality filtering is necessary before performing downstream analyses. Here, we
      present an automatic and efficient tool of dbHT-Trans for filtering the protein
      encoding transcripts assembled by RNA-Seq. For each candidate transcript, we
      first deduced all potential open reading frames and translated them into amino
      acid sequences. By searching against the reference protein database, a transcript
      would be predicted a false one when it has no homologous sequence. Using this
      method, it is expected to filter out the falsely assembled transcripts of protein
      encoding genes. Application of dbHT-Trans to the annotated transcriptome of mouse
      revealed that the sensitivity was almost 90% for recalling protein-encoding
      transcripts. After this quality filtering, the numbers of assembled genes became
      more consistent between Cufflinks and Trinity tools. To significantly decrease
      the data storage, we transformed all intermediate data into descriptive metadata
      and stored by the MySQL database, which will be utilized by downstream analyses
      in a real-time style. The source codes, example data, and manual of dbHT-Trans
      are freely available on the GitHub repository. 

PMID- 26484653
TI  - A novel nematode effector suppresses plant immunity by activating host reactive
      oxygen species-scavenging system.
AB  - Evidence is emerging that plant-parasitic nematodes can secrete effectors to
      interfere with the host immune response, but it remains unknown how these
      effectors can conquer host immune responses. Here, we depict a novel effector,
      MjTTL5, that could suppress plant immune response. Immunolocalization and
      transcriptional analyses showed that MjTTL5 is expressed specifically within the
      subventral gland of Meloidogyne javanica and up-regulated in the early parasitic
      stage of the nematode. Transgenic Arabidopsis lines expressing MjTTL5 were
      significantly more susceptible to M. javanica infection than wild-type plants,
      and vice versa, in planta silencing of MjTTL5 substantially increased plant
      resistance to M. javanica. Yeast two-hybrid, coimmunoprecipitation and
      bimolecular fluorescent complementation assays showed that MjTTL5 interacts
      specifically with Arabidopsis ferredoxin : thioredoxin reductase catalytic
      subunit (AtFTRc), a key component of host antioxidant system. The expression of
      AtFTRc is induced by the infection of M. javanica. Interaction between AtFTRc and
      MjTTL could drastically increase host reactive oxygen species-scavenging
      activity, and result in suppression of plant basal defenses and attenuation of
      host resistance to the nematode infection. Our results demonstrate that the host
      ferredoxin : thioredoxin system can be exploited cunningly by M. javanica,
      revealing a novel mechanism utilized by plant-parasitic nematodes to subjugate
      plant innate immunity and thereby promoting parasitism.

PMID- 26484656
TI  - Glycated Hemoglobin Value Combined with Initial Glucose Levels for Evaluating
      Mortality Risk in Patients with Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyperglycemia is a marker of poor outcome in acute ischemic stroke
      (IS) patients. We aimed at evaluating the effect of combined HbA1c and first
      glucose measurement values on 3-month mortality prediction. METHODS: In a
      prospective analysis, 1,317 first-ever IS patients with HbA1c values were
      classified by first glycemia value (<155, 155-199, >=200 mg/dl). Three-month
      mortality was analyzed by glycemia category in nondiabetics, diabetics with good
      previous glucose control (PGC) (HbA1c <7%), and diabetics with poor PGC (HbA1c
      >=7.0%). RESULTS: Mortality at 3 months was 13.1%, with no differences (p =
      0.339) between non-diabetes mellitus (DM) (12.3%), good PGC-DM (12.4%), and poor
      PGC-DM (15.6%) patients. The unadjusted relative risk of 3-month mortality for
      patients with glucose >=200 mg/dl was 3.76 (95% CI 1.48-9.56) in non-DM, 6.10
      (95% CI 1.76-21.09) in good PGC-DM, and 1.44 (95% CI 0.77-2.69) in poor PGC-DM.
      Glycemia cutoffs most highly correlated with mortality increased as PGC declined:
      107 mg/dl in non-DM, 152 mg/dl in good PGC-DM, and 229 mg/dl in poor PGC-DM
      patients. Glycemia correlated with stroke severity in nondiabetics and diabetic
      patients with good PGC, but not in those with poor PGC. CONCLUSIONS: HbA1c
      determination combined with first measured glucose value is useful to stratify
      mortality risk in IS patients: hyperglycemia is a poor prognostic marker in non
      DM and DM patients with good PGC; results are inconsistent in poor PGC-DM
      patients. Our data suggest the relationship between hyperglycemia and poor
      outcome reflects stress response rather than a deleterious effect of glucose.

PMID- 26484657
TI  - Cardiac Electromechanical Abnormalities in Hemodialysis Patients: Indicators of
      Cardiomyopathy and Future Risk.

PMID- 26484658
TI  - Predictive Value of Atrial Electromechanical Delay on Long-Term Cardiovascular
      Outcomes in Hemodialysis Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial electromechanical delay (AEMD) times were considered
      independent predictors of cardiovascular morbidity among the general population.
      We aimed at evaluating AEMD times and other risk factors associated with 2-year
      combined cardiovascular (CV) events in HD patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty
      hemodialysis (HD) and 44 healthy individuals were enrolled in this prospective
      study. Echocardiography was performed before the mid-week dialysis session for HD
      patients. Data were expressed as mean +/- SD. Spearman test was used to assess
      linear associations. Survival was examined with the Kaplan-Meier method.
      Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of
      combined CV events in this cohort. RESULTS: At the beginning of the study, left
      intra-atrial-AEMD times were significantly longer in HD patients compared to the
      left intra-atrial-AEMD times in healthy individuals. After 24 months, 41 patients
      were still on HD treatment and 19 (31.6%) had died. Serum triglyceride, total
      cholesterol and albumin were found to be higher and C-reactive protein (CRP)
      levels, left intra-atrial EMD time (LIAT) and interatrial EMD times were found to
      be lower in survived HD patients. With the cut-off median values of 3.5 g/dl for
      albumin, 0.87 mg/dl for CRP, 157 mg/dl for total cholesterol and 151 mg/dl for
      triglyceride, the Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated significant differences in
      terms of all-cause mortality. We also demonstrated the Kaplan-Meier survival
      curves of HD patients according to tertile values of LIAT. Cox regression
      analysis revealed that increased CRP and higher LIAT were found to be independent
      predictors of combined CV events. CONCLUSIONS: Increased LIAT and inflammation
      were found to be closely associated with 2 years combined CV events and all-cause
      mortality in HD patients.

PMID- 26484659
TI  - Anti-Phospholipase A2 Receptor Antibody as Prognostic Indicator in Idiopathic
      Membranous Nephropathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anti-phospholipase A2 receptor antibody (PLA2R-Ab) is useful in
      diagnosing idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). We investigated the clinical
      relevance of PLA2R-Ab enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in patients with
      IMN. METHODS: We measured PLA2R-Ab with an ELISA kit from the serum of 160
      patients with IMN (n = 93), secondary MN (n = 14) and other glomerulonephritis (n
      = 41) as well as healthy controls (n = 12) at the time of renal biopsy and
      investigated the correlation of titers of PLA2R-Ab with clinical parameters.
      RESULTS: PLA2R-Ab was positive in 41 of 93 patients (44.1%) with IMN. No samples
      from the patients with secondary MN and other glomerulonephritis or healthy
      controls were positive with the ELISA test. The PLA2R-Ab-positive patients showed
      severe disease activity and a low remission rate. The PLA2R-Ab titer positively
      correlated with proteinuria and was negatively associated with renal function and
      serum albumin. The patients with a high titer of PLA2R-Ab had significantly
      decreased remission rates. The cumulative probabilities of remission was
      significantly lower in patients with PLA2R-Ab (p = 0.01) and even so in patients
      with a high titer of PLA2R-Ab (p = 0.04). When we compared the ELISA titers with
      Western blot (WB) data of 43 patients who had been enrolled in our previous
      study, 18 and 30 patients were positive on ELISA (41.9%) and WB (69.8%),
      respectively. WB and ELISA had a concordance rate of 72.1% and were positively
      correlated (r = 0.590, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The presence, as well as a high
      titer, of PLA2R-Ab on ELISA was associated with poor prognosis of IMN. Assessment
      of PLA2R-Ab with ELISA is an easy and reliable tool for the diagnosis and
      guidance of therapeutic plans.

PMID- 26484660
TI  - Prevalence of and Attitudes towards Smoking among Spanish Health Professionals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The MPOWER strategy encourages suitable monitoring of the tobacco
      epidemic among health professionals in all countries. OBJECTIVE: To analyse the
      prevalence of and attitudes towards tobacco use among Spanish health
      professionals. METHODS: A study was conducted based on an online survey. The
      study population consisted of health professionals (primary care physicians,
      specialist physicians and nurses). The questionnaire used included questions
      about tobacco consumption, knowledge of and attitudes towards smoking. The sample
      size was calculated according to a database with 9,500 e-mail addresses and
      listings of health centres and hospitals all over Spain. Statistical analysis was
      done using the SPSS software programme. RESULTS: The study group comprised a
      total of 612 health professionals: 322 were women (52.6%), 196 were nurses and
      416 were physicians. 11.7% of health professionals were smokers (9.6% regular
      smokers and 2.1% occasional smokers) and 41.3% were ex-smokers. Within the group
      of daily smokers, differences were observed between the nurses and the
      physicians: 11.2 versus 8.9% (p = 0.009). Smoking was recognized as a chronic
      disorder by 58.2% of health professionals, and 54.6% knew that the most effective
      intervention to help quit is a combination of psychological and pharmacological
      treatment. 56% of health professionals always asked their patients about their
      tobacco consumption. CONCLUSIONS: 11.7% of Spanish health professionals are
      smokers. We found that they have low knowledge about strategies to quit smoking
      and that there is a low level of therapeutic intervention on smokers.

PMID- 26484661
TI  - The Shape of an Auxin Pulse, and What It Tells Us about the Transport Mechanism.
AB  - Auxin underlies many processes in plant development and physiology, and this
      makes it of prime importance to understand its movements through plant tissues.
      In stems and coleoptiles, classic experiments showed that the peak region of a
      pulse of radio-labelled auxin moves at a roughly constant velocity down a stem or
      coleoptile segment. As the pulse moves it becomes broader, at a roughly constant
      rate. It is shown here that this 'spreading rate' is larger than can be accounted
      for by a single channel model, but can be explained by coupling of channels with
      differing polar transport rates. An extreme case is where strongly polar channels
      are coupled to completely apolar channels, in which case auxin in the apolar part
      is 'dragged along' by the polar part in a somewhat diffuse distribution. The
      behaviour of this model is explored, together with others that can account for
      the experimentally observed spreading rates. It is also shown that saturation of
      carriers involved in lateral transport can explain the characteristic shape of
      pulses that result from uptake of large amounts of auxin. 

PMID- 26484662
TI  - Correction: Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Aromatic and Quality
      Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Landraces from North-Eastern India.

PMID- 26484663
TI  - Pangenome Analysis of Burkholderia pseudomallei: Genome Evolution Preserves Gene
      Order despite High Recombination Rates.
AB  - The pangenomic diversity in Burkholderia pseudomallei is high, with approximately
      5.8% of the genome consisting of genomic islands. Genomic islands are known
      hotspots for recombination driven primarily by site-specific recombination
      associated with tRNAs. However, recombination rates in other portions of the
      genome are also high, a feature we expected to disrupt gene order. We analyzed
      the pangenome of 37 isolates of B. pseudomallei and demonstrate that the
      pangenome is 'open', with approximately 136 new genes identified with each new
      genome sequenced, and that the global core genome consists of 4568+/-16 homologs.
      Genes associated with metabolism were statistically overrepresented in the core
      genome, and genes associated with mobile elements, disease, and motility were
      primarily associated with accessory portions of the pangenome. The frequency
      distribution of genes present in between 1 and 37 of the genomes analyzed matches
      well with a model of genome evolution in which 96% of the genome has very low
      recombination rates but 4% of the genome recombines readily. Using homologous
      genes among pairs of genomes, we found that gene order was highly conserved among
      strains, despite the high recombination rates previously observed. High rates of
      gene transfer and recombination are incompatible with retaining gene order unless
      these processes are either highly localized to specific sites within the genome,
      or are characterized by symmetrical gene gain and loss. Our results demonstrate
      that both processes occur: localized recombination introduces many new genes at
      relatively few sites, and recombination throughout the genome generates the novel
      multi-locus sequence types previously observed while preserving gene order. 

PMID- 26484664
TI  - Transcriptional Derepression Uncovers Cryptic Higher-Order Genetic Interactions.
AB  - Disruption of certain genes can reveal cryptic genetic variants that do not
      typically show phenotypic effects. Because this phenomenon, which is referred to
      as 'phenotypic capacitance', is a potential source of trait variation and disease
      risk, it is important to understand how it arises at the genetic and molecular
      levels. Here, we use a cryptic colony morphology trait that segregates in a yeast
      cross to explore the mechanisms underlying phenotypic capacitance. We find that
      the colony trait is expressed when a mutation in IRA2, a negative regulator of
      the Ras pathway, co-occurs with specific combinations of cryptic variants in six
      genes. Four of these genes encode transcription factors that act downstream of
      the Ras pathway, indicating that the phenotype involves genetically complex
      changes in the transcriptional regulation of Ras targets. We provide evidence
      that the IRA2 mutation reveals the phenotypic effects of the cryptic variants by
      disrupting the transcriptional silencing of one or more genes that contribute to
      the trait. Supporting this role for the IRA2 mutation, deletion of SFL1, a
      repressor that acts downstream of the Ras pathway, also reveals the phenotype,
      largely due to the same cryptic variants that were detected in the IRA2 mutant
      cross. Our results illustrate how higher-order genetic interactions among
      mutations and cryptic variants can result in phenotypic capacitance in specific
      genetic backgrounds, and suggests these interactions might reflect genetically
      complex changes in gene expression that are usually suppressed by negative
      regulation. 

PMID- 26484665
TI  - Evidence for a Cystic Fibrosis Enteropathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested the existence of enteropathy in
      cystic fibrosis (CF), which may contribute to intestinal function impairment, a
      poor nutritional status and decline in lung function. This study evaluated
      enterocyte damage and intestinal inflammation in CF and studied its associations
      with nutritional status, CF-related morbidities such as impaired lung function
      and diabetes, and medication use. METHODS: Sixty-eight CF patients and 107
      controls were studied. Levels of serum intestinal-fatty acid binding protein (I
      FABP), a specific marker for enterocyte damage, were retrospectively determined.
      The faecal intestinal inflammation marker calprotectin was prospectively studied.
      Nutritional status, lung function (FEV1), exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
      (EPI), CF-related diabetes (CFRD) and use of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) were
      obtained from the medical charts. RESULTS: Serum I-FABP levels were elevated in
      CF patients as compared with controls (p<0.001), and correlated negatively with
      FEV1 predicted value in children (r-.734, p<0.05). Faecal calprotectin level was
      elevated in 93% of CF patients, and correlated negatively with FEV1 predicted
      value in adults (r-.484, p<0.05). No correlation was found between calprotectin
      levels in faeces and sputum. Faecal calprotectin level was significantly
      associated with the presence of CFRD, EPI, and PPI use. CONCLUSION: This study
      demonstrated enterocyte damage and intestinal inflammation in CF patients, and
      provides evidence for an inverse correlation between enteropathy and lung
      function. The presented associations of enteropathy with important CF-related
      morbidities further emphasize the clinical relevance.

PMID- 26484666
TI  - Ectopic Bone Formation by Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Human Term Placenta
      and the Decidua.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are one of the most attractive cell types for cell
      based bone tissue repair applications. Fetal-derived MSCs and maternal-derived
      MSCs have been isolated from chorionic villi of human term placenta and the
      decidua basalis attached to the placenta following delivery, respectively.
      Chorionic-derived MSCs (CMSCs) and decidua-derived MSCs (DMSCs) generated in this
      study met the MSCs criteria set by International Society of Cellular Therapy.
      These criteria include: (i) adherence to plastic; (ii) >90% expression of CD73,
      CD105, CD90, CD146, CD44 and CD166 combined with <5% expression of CD45, CD19 and
      HLA-DR; and (iii) ability to differentiate into osteogenic, adipogenic, and
      chondrogenic lineages. In vivo subcutaneous implantation into SCID mice showed
      that both bromo-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-labelled CMSCs and DMSCs when implanted
      together with hydroxyapatite/tricalcium phosphate particles were capable of
      forming ectopic bone at 8-weeks post-transplantation. Histological assessment
      showed expression of bone markers, osteopontin (OPN), osteocalcin (OCN), biglycan
      (BGN), bone sialoprotein (BSP), and also a marker of vasculature, alpha-smooth
      muscle actin (alpha-SMA). This study provides evidence to support CMSCs and DMSCs
      as cellular candidates with potent bone forming capacity. 

PMID- 26484667
TI  - Detoxification Processes from Vanadate at the Root Apoplasm Activated by Caffeic
      and Polygalacturonic Acids.
AB  - In the root apoplasm, V(V) and V(IV) toxicity can be alleviated through redox and
      complexation reactions involving phenolic substances and the polyuronic
      components. In such context we report the role of polygalacturonic acid (PGA) on
      the reducing activity of caffeic acid (CAF) towards V(V). The redox reaction was
      particularly effective at pH 2.8 leading to the formation of oxidation products
      with redox activity towards V(V). An o-quinone was identified as the first
      product of the reaction which is further involved in the formation of CAF dimers.
      At pH >= 3.6 the redox activity decreased and a yield in V(IV) equal to 38, 31,
      21 and 14% was found at pH 3.6, 4.0. 5.0 and 6.0 respectively compared with that
      obtained at pH 2.8. The redox reaction was faster in the presence of PGA and a
      higher yield of V(IV) was found in the 4.0-6.0 pH range with respect to the CAF
      V(V) binary system. The higher efficiency of the redox reaction in the presence
      of PGA was related with the ability of PGA to bind V(IV). The biological
      significance of the redox reaction between CAF and V(V), as well as the role of
      PGA in such reaction, was established "in vivo" using triticale plants. Results
      showed that PGA reduced significantly the phytotoxic effects of the V(V)-CAF
      system. 

PMID- 26484668
TI  - Rabies Cases in the West of China Have Two Distinct Origins.
AB  - In China, rabies remains an ongoing threat to public health. Although control
      efforts have been effective in reducing the number of annual cases, the virus
      continues to spread into new areas. Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu and Ningxia in western
      China have, until recently, reported only a handful of events. However, since
      2011, there have been increasing numbers of cases recorded in these areas. In
      this study, we report the collection and analysis of samples collected from these
      regions. We find that cases originate from two different sources. Strains
      collected from Gansu and Ningxia are closely related to the primary lineage
      associated with the current epizootic, whereas those from Tibet and Qinghai are
      related to the Arctic-like-2 lineage that is most commonly associated with
      wildlife cases in China. Thus, it appears that while the epizootic is beginning
      to encroach into Gansu and Ningxia, Tibet and Qinghai a significant number of
      rabies cases originate from wildlife. 

PMID- 26484669
TI  - OmpA Binding Mediates the Effect of Antimicrobial Peptide LL-37 on Acinetobacter
      baumannii.
AB  - Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii has recently emerged as an important
      pathogen in nosocomial infection; thus, effective antimicrobial regimens are
      urgently needed. Human antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) exhibit multiple functions
      and antimicrobial activities against bacteria and fungi and are proposed to be
      potential adjuvant therapeutic agents. This study examined the effect of the
      human cathelicidin-derived AMP LL-37 on A. baumannii and revealed the underlying
      mode of action. We found that LL-37 killed A. baumannii efficiently and reduced
      cell motility and adhesion. The bacteria-killing effect of LL-37 on A. baumannii
      was more efficient compared to other AMPs, including human beta-defensin 3 (hBD3)
      and histatin 5 (Hst5). Both flow cytometric analysis and immunofluorescence
      staining showed that LL-37 bound to A. baumannii cells. Moreover, far-western
      analysis demonstrated that LL-37 could bind to the A. baumannii OmpA (AbOmpA)
      protein. An ELISA assay indicated that biotin-labelled LL-37 (BA-LL37) bound to
      the AbOmpA74-84 peptide in a dose-dependent manner. Using BA-LL37 as a probe, the
      ~38 kDa OmpA signal was detected in the wild type but the ompA deletion strain
      did not show the protein, thereby validating the interaction. Finally, we found
      that the ompA deletion mutant was more sensitive to LL-37 and decreased cell
      adhesion by 32% compared to the wild type. However, ompA deletion mutant showed a
      greatly reduced adhesion defect after LL-37 treatment compared to the wild
      strain. Taken together, this study provides evidence that LL-37 affects A.
      baumannii through OmpA binding. 

PMID- 26484670
TI  - Plant-Pathogen Interaction-Related MicroRNAs and Their Targets Provide Indicators
      of Phytoplasma Infection in Paulownia tomentosa * Paulownia fortunei.
AB  - Paulownia witches' broom (PaWB) caused by a phytoplasma, has caused extensive
      losses in the yields of paulownia timber and resulted in significant economic
      losses. However, the molecular mechanisms in Paulownia that underlie the
      phytoplasma stress are poorly characterized. In this study, we use an Illumina
      platform to sequence four small RNA libraries and four degradome sequencing
      libraries derived from healthy, PaWB-infected, and PaWB-infected 15 mg.L-1 and 30
      mg.L-1 methyl methane sulfonate (MMS)-treated plants. In total, 125 conserved and
      118 novel microRNAs (miRNAs) were identified and 33 miRNAs responsive to PaWB
      disease were discovered. Furthermore, 166 target genes for 18 PaWB disease
      related miRNAs were obtained, and found to be involved in plant-pathogen
      interaction and plant hormone signal transduction metabolic pathways. Eleven
      miRNAs and target genes responsive to PaWB disease were examined by a
      quantitative real-time PCR approach. Our findings will contribute to studies on
      miRNAs and their targets in Paulownia, and provide new insights to further
      understand plant-phytoplasma interactions. 

PMID- 26484671
TI  - Frailty Clinical Phenotype: A Physical and Cognitive Point of View.
AB  - Frailty is recognized as a clinical geriatric syndrome used to describe the
      weakest or most vulnerable older adults. Although the term frailty is commonly
      used in clinical practice, and the theoretical phenomenon is well accepted, it
      remains an evolving concept that lacks a universally accepted definition and
      specific diagnostic criteria. Different perspectives on frailty have led to two
      distinct viewpoints of this phenomenon in the literature. The first describes the
      phenomenon based solely on physical attributes and capabilities. In contrast,
      more recent perspectives describe the phenomenon in broader, multidimensional
      terms by incorporating the concept of cognitive frailty. In support of this view,
      there is increasing evidence that consideration of both cognitive and physical
      factors can better improve the ability to predict adverse health outcomes among
      frail older adults over physical factors alone. The recent recognition of the
      importance of cognitive factors has increased the complexity of this phenomenon
      and difficulty in developing a consensus definition. To add to this challenge,
      frailty can present in different stages of severity (from mild to severe), and
      there appears to be a dynamic relationship between these stages. Despite these
      challenges, a consensus on an international definition of frailty including
      physical and cognitive criteria is essential in order to advance research and
      treatment of this condition. 

PMID- 26484672
TI  - Percutaneous Aspiration Thrombectomy for Arterial Thromboembolism during
      Infrainguinal Endovascular Recanalization.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous aspiration thrombectomy
      (PAT) for infrainguinal arterial thromboembolism in patients undergoing
      endovascular recanalization (EVR) and to investigate the predictors for
      thromboembolic complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 23 patients (23
      limbs) who underwent PAT for thromboembolism (PAT group, PG) during EVR and 237
      patients (302 limbs) who underwent successful EVR without thromboembolic
      complications (control group, CG) were enrolled. Immediate post-operation and
      follow-up outcomes were compared between the two groups. Multivariate analysis
      was performed to identify the predictors of thromboembolic complications.
      Technical success of PAT was defined as achievement of <30% residual stenosis and
      restoration of mTIMI grade 3. RESULTS: The technical success rate was 95.7% in
      PG. After intervention, the ankle-brachial index (ABI), restoration of blood flow
      and improvement in dorsal/plantar arterial pulse score showed no significant
      differences between PG and CG. During follow-up in PG, a sustained ABI
      improvement was observed in 63.6% (70.9% in CG), an improvement in walking
      distance in 68.8% (79.9% in CG,), ulcer healing in 75.0% (71.7% in CG) and
      restenosis/occlusion in 31.8% (25.2% in CG). The limb salvage rate was 100% in PG
      (96.0% in CG), and pain relief was observed in 66.7% patients with critical limb
      ischaemia (81.6% in CG). Superficial femoral artery involvement [0.233; 95%
      confidence interval (CI), 0.108-0.461; P < 0.001], de-novo lesion occlusion
      (683.8; 95% CI, 36.5-12804.6; P < 0.001) and intraluminal angioplasty (118.4; 95%
      CI, 8.0-1758.0; P = 0.001) was associated with high incidence of thromboembolism.
      CONCLUSION: PAT is a safe and effective treatment for thromboembolism during
      infrainguinal arterial EVR. SFA involvement, de-novo lesion occlusion and
      intraluminal angioplasty may be predictors of thromboembolic complications.

PMID- 26484673
TI  - Rescue of a Plant Negative-Strand RNA Virus from Cloned cDNA: Insights into
      Enveloped Plant Virus Movement and Morphogenesis.
AB  - Reverse genetics systems have been established for all major groups of plant DNA
      and positive-strand RNA viruses, and our understanding of their infection cycles
      and pathogenesis has benefitted enormously from use of these approaches. However,
      technical difficulties have heretofore hampered applications of reverse genetics
      to plant negative-strand RNA (NSR) viruses. Here, we report recovery of
      infectious virus from cloned cDNAs of a model plant NSR, Sonchus yellow net
      rhabdovirus (SYNV). The procedure involves Agrobacterium-mediated transcription
      of full-length SYNV antigenomic RNA and co-expression of the nucleoprotein (N),
      phosphoprotein (P), large polymerase core proteins and viral suppressors of RNA
      silencing in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Optimization of core protein
      expression resulted in up to 26% recombinant SYNV (rSYNV) infections of
      agroinfiltrated plants. A reporter virus, rSYNV-GFP, engineered by inserting a
      green fluorescence protein (GFP) gene between the N and P genes was able to
      express GFP during systemic infections and after repeated plant-to-plant
      mechanical passages. Deletion analyses with rSYNV-GFP demonstrated that SYNV cell
      to-cell movement requires the sc4 protein and suggested that uncoiled
      nucleocapsids are infectious movement entities. Deletion analyses also showed
      that the glycoprotein is not required for systemic infection, although the
      glycoprotein mutant was defective in virion morphogenesis. Taken together, we
      have developed a robust reverse genetics system for SYNV that provides key
      insights into morphogenesis and movement of an enveloped plant virus. Our study
      also provides a template for developing analogous systems for reverse genetic
      analysis of other plant NSR viruses. 

PMID- 26484674
TI  - Revisiting Unplanned Endotracheal Extubation and Disease Severity in Intensive
      Care Units.
AB  - Most reports regarding unplanned extubation (UE) are case-control studies with
      matching age and disease severity. To avoid diminishing differences in matched
      factors, this study with only matching duration of mechanical ventilation aimed
      to re-examine the risk factors and the factors governing outcomes of UE in
      intensive care units (ICUs). This case-control study was conducted on 1,775
      subjects intubated for mechanical ventilation. Thirty-seven (2.1%) subjects with
      UE were identified, and 156 non-UE subjects were randomly selected as the control
      group. Demographic data, acute Physiological and Chronic Health Evaluation II
      (APACHE II) scores, and outcomes of UE were compared between the two groups.
      Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors of UE. Milder
      disease, younger age, and higher Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores with more
      frequently being physically restrained (all p<0.05) were related to UE. Logistic
      regression revealed that APACHE II score (odds ratio (OR) 0.91, p<0.01),
      respiratory infection (OR 0.24, p<0.01), physical restraint (OR 5.36, p<0.001),
      and certain specific diseases (OR 3.79-5.62, p<0.05) were related to UE. The UE
      patients had a lower ICU mortality rate (p<0.01) and a trend of lower in-hospital
      mortality rate (p = 0.08). Cox regression analysis revealed that in-hospital
      mortality was associated with APACHE II score, age, shock, and oxygen used, all
      of which were co-linear, but not UE. The results showed that milder disease with
      higher GCS scores thereby requiring a higher use of physical restraints were
      related to UE. Disease severity but not UE was associated with in-hospital
      mortality. 

PMID- 26484675
TI  - Epistemology for Beginners: Two- to Five-Year-Old Children's Representation of
      Falsity.
AB  - This paper investigates the ontogeny of human's naive concept of truth.
      Surprisingly, children find it hard to treat assertions as false before their
      fifth birthday. Yet, we show in six studies (N = 140) that human's concept of
      falsity develops early. Two-year-olds use truth-functional negation to exclude
      one term in an alternative (Study 1). Three-year-olds can evaluate discrepancies
      between the content of a representation and what it aims at representing (Study
      2). They use this knowledge to treat beliefs and assertions as false (Study 3).
      Four-year-olds recognise the involutive nature of falsity ascriptions: they
      properly infer 'p' from 'It is not true that "It is not true that "p""' (Study
      4), an inference that rests on second-order representations of representations.
      Controls confirm that children do not merely equate being mistaken with failing
      to achieve one's goal (Studies 5 and 6). These results demonstrate remarkable
      capacities to evaluate representations, and indicate that in the absence of
      formal training, young children develop the building blocks of a theory of truth
      and falsity-a naive epistemology. We suggest that children's difficulties in
      discarding false assertions need not reflect any conceptual lacuna, and may
      originate from their being trustful. 

PMID- 26484676
TI  - Self-Reporting Tool On Pain in People with Intellectual Disabilities (STOP-ID!):
      a Usability Study.
AB  - The use of the Self-reporting Tool On Pain in people with Intellectual
      Disabilities (STOP-ID!), an online application developed by the authors to aid in
      the self-reporting of pain, was evaluated in 40 adults with Down syndrome.
      Comprehension of the use of the tool (the ability to recognize representations
      for vocabulary and pain, and to navigate the tool interface), and the use of the
      tool to self-report pain experience, were investigated. The use of the online
      tool was investigated with both a laptop and a tablet computer in a crossover
      design. The results provide evidence that more participants recognized
      representations of pain location and pain affect than representations of pain
      intensity and pain quality. A small percentage of participants demonstrated the
      ability to recognize all of the representations of vocabulary items and to
      navigate the tool without assistance (18% laptop, 18% tablet). Half of the
      participants were able to report at least one pain component of a current or
      remembered pain experience without assistance (50% laptop, 53% tablet). Ways to
      improve the design of tools for reporting pain and to improve performance are
      suggested. 

PMID- 26484677
TI  - Integrated Analysis Reveals together miR-182, miR-200c and miR-221 Can Help in
      the Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer.
AB  - Research has shown that microRNAs are promising biomarkers that can be used to
      promote a more accurate diagnosis of cancer. In this study, we developed an
      integrated multi-step selection process to analyze available high-throughput
      datasets to obtain information on microRNAs as cancer biomarkers. Applying this
      approach to the microRNA expression profiles of prostate cancer and the datasets
      in The Cancer Genome Atlas Data Portal, we identified miRNA-182, miRNA-200c and
      miRNA-221 as possible biomarkers for prostate cancer. The associations between
      the expressions of these three microRNAs with clinical parameters as well as
      their diagnostic capability were studied. Several online databases were used to
      predict the target genes of these three microRNAs, and the results were confirmed
      by significant statistical correlations. Comparing with the other 18 types of
      cancers listed in The Cancer Genome Atlas Data Portal, we found that the
      combination of both miRNA-182 and miRNA-200c being up-regulated and miRNA-221
      being down-regulated only happens in prostate cancer. This provides a unique
      biological characteristic for prostate cancer that can potentially be used for
      diagnosis based on tissue testing. In addition, our study also revealed that
      these three microRNAs are associated with the pathological status of prostate
      cancer. 

PMID- 26484680
TI  - Learning by "SWARMing" Adverse Events.

PMID- 26484679
TI  - Reductions in Sepsis Mortality and Costs After Design and Implementation of a
      Nurse-Based Early Recognition and Response Program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a leading cause of death, but evidence suggests that early
      recognition and prompt intervention can save lives. In 2005 Houston Methodist
      Hospital prioritized sepsis detection and management in its ICU. In late 2007,
      because of marginal effects on sepsis death rates, the focus shifted to designing
      a program that would be readily used by nurses and ensure early recognition of
      patients showing signs suspicious for sepsis, as well as the institution of
      prompt, evidence-based interventions to diagnose and treat it. METHODS: The
      intervention had four components: organizational commitment and data-based
      leadership; development and integration of an early sepsis screening tool into
      the electronic health record; creation of screening and response protocols; and
      education and training of nurses. Twice-daily screening of patients on targeted
      units was conducted by bedside nurses; nurse practitioners initiated definitive
      treatment as indicated. Evaluation focused on extent of implementation, trends in
      inpatient mortality, and, for Medicare beneficiaries, a before-after (2008-2011)
      comparison of outcomes and costs. A federal grant in 2012 enabled expansion of
      the program. RESULTS: By year 3 (2011) 33% of inpatients were screened (56,190
      screens in 9,718 unique patients), up from 10% in year 1 (2009). Inpatient sepsis
      associated death rates decreased from 29.7% in the preimplementation period (2006
      2008) to 21.1% after implementation (2009-2014). Death rates and hospital costs
      for Medicare beneficiaries decreased from preimplementation levels without a
      compensatory increase in discharges to postacute care. CONCLUSION: This program
      has been associated with lower inpatient death rates and costs. Further testing
      of the robustness and exportability of the program is under way.

PMID- 26484681
TI  - "SWARMing" to Improve Patient Care: A Novel Approach to Root Cause Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: When errors occur with adverse events or near misses, root cause
      analysis (RCA) is the standard approach to investigate the "how" and "why" of
      system vulnerabilities. However, even for facilities experienced in conducting
      RCAs, the process can be fraught with inconsistencies; provoke discomfort for
      participants; and fail to lead to meaningful, focused discussions of system
      issues that may have contributed to events. In 2009 University of Kentucky
      HealthCare Lexington developed a novel rapid approach to RCAs-colloquially called
      "SWARMing"--to establish a consistent approach to investigate adverse or other
      undesirable events. METHODS: In SWARMs, which are conducted without unnecessary
      delay after an event, an interdisciplinary team undertakes thoughtful analysis of
      events reported by frontline staff. The SWARM process consist of five key steps:
      (1) introductory explanation of the process; (2) introduction of everyone in the
      room; (3) review of the facts that prompted the SWARM; (4) discussion of what
      happened, with investigation of the underlying systems factors; and (5)
      conclusion, with proposed focus areas for action and assignment of task leaders
      with specific deliverables and completion dates. RESULTS: Since its
      implementation, incident reporting increased by 52%-from an average of 608
      incidents per month (June-December 2011) to an average of 923 per month (January
      May 2014). The overall health system experienced a 37% decrease in the observed
      to-expected mortality ratio-from 1.17 (October 2010) to 0.74 (April 2015).
      CONCLUSION: SWARMs, more than an error-analysis exercise or simple RCA, represent
      an organizational-messaging, culture-changing, and capacity-building effort to
      address the challenges of creating and implementing processes that serve to
      promote transparency and a culture of safety.

PMID- 26484682
TI  - The Family Caregiver Activation in Transitions (FCAT) Tool: A New Measure of
      Family Caregiver Self-Efficacy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Family caregivers play an instrumental role in executing the care
      plan of patients during care transitions and yet may lack preparation and
      confidence to be effective. Yet there has been little attempt by health care
      professionals to identify and strengthen family caregivers' sense of preparation
      and confidence. The Family Caregiver Activation in TransitionsTM (FCATTM) tool
      was developed to guide the care team in better understanding patient and family
      needs and deploying appropriate resources accordingly. METHODS: The development
      and psychometric testing of the FCAT tool was guided by a "partial credit" Rasch
      model. The validation was completed in three phases. In Phase 1, cognitive
      testing was conducted in convenience samples of family caregivers (N=54)
      participating in support groups in two geographic locations. In Phase 2, pilot
      testing was conducted (N=50) to determine item fit and item difficulty. In Phase
      3, the tool's psychometric properties were examined in two waves of recruitment
      (N=187; N=247) from Web-based national samples. RESULTS: Participants recommended
      revising the script, reducing redundancy, and simplifying item structure and
      language. Analysis of item fit and difficulty guided subsequent item reduction.
      The estimated person-separation reliability was 0.84. CONCLUSIONS: The FCAT tool
      was developed to foster more productive interactions between health care
      professionals and family caregivers. Because it was developed with direct input
      from family caregivers, the items are both relevant to actual experience and
      relatively easy to understand. Psychometric testing supports the hypothesis that
      the FCAT tool items function as a unidimensional construct with a high level of
      reliability. The FCAT tool has the potential to guide interventions intended to
      enhance family caregiver preparation and confidence, and thereby positively
      influence clinical practice during care transitions.

PMID- 26484683
TI  - Development of "SWARM" as a Model for High Reliability, Rapid Problem Solving,
      and Institutional Learning.

PMID- 26484684
TI  - Implementing an Obstetric Emergency Team Response System: Overcoming Barriers and
      Sustaining Response Dose.

PMID- 26484685
TI  - Physician Motivation: Listening to What Pay-for-Performance Programs and Quality
      Improvement Collaboratives Are Telling Us.

PMID- 26484686
TI  - A Novel Algorithm for Movement Artifact Removal in ECG Signals Acquired from
      Wearable Systems Applied to Horses.
AB  - This study reports on a novel method to detect and reduce the contribution of
      movement artifact (MA) in electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings gathered from horses
      in free movement conditions. We propose a model that integrates cardiovascular
      and movement information to estimate the MA contribution. Specifically, ECG and
      physical activity are continuously acquired from seven horses through a wearable
      system. Such a system employs completely integrated textile electrodes to monitor
      ECG and is also equipped with a triaxial accelerometer for movement monitoring.
      In the literature, the most used technique to remove movement artifacts, when
      noise bandwidth overlaps the primary source bandwidth, is the adaptive filter. In
      this study we propose a new algorithm, hereinafter called Stationary Wavelet
      Movement Artifact Reduction (SWMAR), where the Stationary Wavelet Transform (SWT)
      decomposition algorithm is employed to identify and remove movement artifacts
      from ECG signals in horses. A comparative analysis with the Normalized Least Mean
      Square Adaptive Filter technique (NLMSAF) is performed as well. Results achieved
      on seven hours of recordings showed a reduction greater than 40% of MA percentage
      (between before- and after- the application of the proposed algorithm). Moreover,
      the comparative analysis with the NLMSAF, applied to the same ECG recordings,
      showed a greater reduction of MA percentage in favour of SWMAR with a statistical
      significant difference (p-value < 0.0.5). 

PMID- 26484688
TI  - Coccidioidomycosis among Workers Constructing Solar Power Farms, California, USA,
      2011-2014.
AB  - Coccidioidomycosis is associated with soil-disruptive work in Coccidioides
      endemic areas of the southwestern United States. Among 3,572 workers constructing
      2 solar power-generating facilities in San Luis Obispo County, California, USA,
      we identified 44 patients with symptom onset during October 2011-April 2014
      (attack rate 1.2 cases/100 workers). Of these 44 patients, 20 resided in
      California outside San Luis Obispo County and 10 resided in another state; 9 were
      hospitalized (median 3 days), 34 missed work (median 22 days), and 2 had
      disseminated disease. Of the 25 patients who frequently performed soil-disruptive
      work, 6 reported frequent use of respiratory protection. As solar farm
      construction in Coccidioides-endemic areas increases, additional workers will
      probably be exposed and infected unless awareness is emphasized and effective
      exposure reduction measures implemented, including limiting dust generation and
      providing respiratory protection. Medical providers, including those in non
      Coccidioides-endemic areas, should suspect coccidioidomycosis in workers with
      compatible illness and report cases to their local health department. 

PMID- 26484687
TI  - Membrane Transition Temperature Determines Cisplatin Response.
AB  - Cisplatin is a classical chemotherapeutic agent used in treating several forms of
      cancer including head and neck. However, cells develop resistance to the drug in
      some patients through a range of mechanisms, some of which are poorly understood.
      Using isolated plasma membrane vesicles as a model system, we present evidence
      suggesting that cisplatin induced resistance may be due to certain changes in the
      bio-physical properties of plasma membranes. Giant plasma membrane vesicles
      (GPMVs) isolated from cortical cytoskeleton exhibit a miscibility transition
      between a single liquid phase at high temperature and two distinct coexisting
      liquid phases at low temperature. The temperature at which this transition occurs
      is hypothesized to reflect the magnitude of membrane heterogeneity at
      physiological temperature. We find that addition of cisplatin to vesicles
      isolated from cisplatin-sensitive cells result in a lowering of this miscibility
      transition temperature, whereas in cisplatin-resistant cells such treatment does
      not affect the transition temperature. To explore if this is a cause or
      consequence of cisplatin resistance, we tested if addition of cisplatin in
      combination with agents that modulate GPMV transition temperatures can affect
      cisplatin sensitivity. We found that cells become more sensitive to cisplatin
      when isopropanol, an agent that lowers GPMV transition temperature, was combined
      with cisplatin. Conversely, cells became resistant to cisplatin when added in
      combination with menthol that raises GPMV transition temperatures. These data
      suggest that changes in plasma membrane heterogeneity augments or suppresses
      signaling events initiated in the plasma membranes that can determine response to
      cisplatin. We postulate that desired perturbations of membrane heterogeneity
      could provide an effective therapeutic strategy to overcome cisplatin resistance
      for certain patients. 

PMID- 26484689
TI  - Physical Accessibility of Routine Prenatal Care for Women with Mobility
      Disability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Routine prenatal care includes physical examinations and weight
      measurement. Little is known about whether access barriers to medical diagnostic
      equipment, such as examination tables and weight scales, affect prenatal care
      among pregnant women with physical disabilities. METHODS: We conducted 2-hour, in
      depth telephone interviews with 22 women using a semistructured, open-ended
      interview protocol. All women had significant mobility difficulties before
      pregnancy and had delivered babies within the prior 10 years. We recruited most
      participants through social networks. We sorted interview transcript texts using
      used NVivo software and conducted conventional content analyses to identify major
      themes. RESULTS: Interviewee's mean (standard deviation) age was 34.8 (5.3)
      years. Most were white, well-educated, and higher income; 8 women had spinal cord
      injuries, 4 cerebral palsy, and 10 had other conditions; 18 used wheeled mobility
      aids. Some women's obstetricians had height adjustable examination tables, which
      facilitated transfers for physical examinations. Other women had difficulty
      transferring onto fixed height examination tables and were examined while sitting
      in their wheelchairs. Family members and/or clinical staff sometimes assisted
      with transfers; some women reported concerns about transfer safety. No women
      reported being routinely weighed on an accessible weight scale by their prenatal
      care clinicians. A few were never weighed during their pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS:
      Inaccessible examination tables and weight scales impede some pregnant women with
      physical disabilities from getting routine prenatal physical examinations and
      weight measurement. This represents substandard care. Adjustable height
      examination tables and wheelchair accessible weight scales could significantly
      improve care and comfort for pregnant women with physical disabilities.

PMID- 26484690
TI  - A remarkable difference in CO2 hydrogenation to methanol on Pd nanoparticles
      supported inside and outside of carbon nanotubes.
AB  - An obvious difference was found in CO2 hydrogenation to methanol on Pd
      nanoparticles (NPs) supported inside and outside of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The
      turnover frequency of methanol synthesis on the Pd NPs supported inside of CNTs
      was 3.7 times those supported outside of CNTs. It was found that the amount of
      Pd(delta+) species inside of CNTs was much higher than that outside of CNTs. We
      proposed that one of the major reasons for the difference in CO2 hydrogenation to
      methanol might be relative to the concentration of the Pd(delta+) species. 

PMID- 26484691
TI  - Functional neuro-oncological surgery: understanding brain functioning to enhance
      survival and quality of life.

PMID- 26484692
TI  - Relating Stomatal Conductance to Leaf Functional Traits.
AB  - Leaf functional traits are important because they reflect physiological
      functions, such as transpiration and carbon assimilation. In particular,
      morphological leaf traits have the potential to summarize plants strategies in
      terms of water use efficiency, growth pattern and nutrient use. The leaf
      economics spectrum (LES) is a recognized framework in functional plant ecology
      and reflects a gradient of increasing specific leaf area (SLA), leaf nitrogen,
      phosphorus and cation content, and decreasing leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and
      carbon nitrogen ratio (CN). The LES describes different strategies ranging from
      that of short-lived leaves with high photosynthetic capacity per leaf mass to
      long-lived leaves with low mass-based carbon assimilation rates. However, traits
      that are not included in the LES might provide additional information on the
      species' physiology, such as those related to stomatal control. Protocols are
      presented for a wide range of leaf functional traits, including traits of the
      LES, but also traits that are independent of the LES. In particular, a new method
      is introduced that relates the plants' regulatory behavior in stomatal
      conductance to vapor pressure deficit. The resulting parameters of stomatal
      regulation can then be compared to the LES and other plant functional traits. The
      results show that functional leaf traits of the LES were also valid predictors
      for the parameters of stomatal regulation. For example, leaf carbon concentration
      was positively related to the vapor pressure deficit (vpd) at the point of
      inflection and the maximum of the conductance-vpd curve. However, traits that are
      not included in the LES added information in explaining parameters of stomatal
      control: the vpd at the point of inflection of the conductance-vpd curve was
      lower for species with higher stomatal density and higher stomatal index.
      Overall, stomata and vein traits were more powerful predictors for explaining
      stomatal regulation than traits used in the LES. 

PMID- 26484693
TI  - Functional reorganization and prediction of motor recovery after a stroke: A
      graph theoretical analysis of functional networks.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study investigated the changes in the network topological
      configuration of the ipsilesional and contralesional hemispheres after a stroke
      and the indicators for the prediction of motor recovery using a graph theoretical
      approach in networks obtained from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
      METHODS: A longitudinal observational experiments (2 weeks and 1, 3, and 6 months
      after onset) were conducted on 12 patients after a stroke. We investigated the
      network reorganization during recovery in the ipsilesional and contralesional
      hemispheres by examining changes of graph indices related to network
      randomization. We predicted the recovery of motor function by examining the
      relationship between specific network measures and improved motor function
      scores. RESULTS: The ipsilesional hemispheric network showed active
      reorganization during recovery after a stroke. The randomness of the network
      significantly increased for 3 months post-stroke. We described an indicator for
      the prediction of the recovery of motor function from graph indices: the
      characteristic path length. As the path length of the ipsilesional network was
      lower immediately after onset, the better recovery could be expected after 3
      months. CONCLUSIONS: This approach were helpful for understanding dynamic
      reorganizations of both hemispheric networks after a stroke and finding the
      implication for recovery.

PMID- 26484694
TI  - Effects of implantable peroneal nerve stimulation on gait quality, energy
      expenditure, participation and user satisfaction in patients with post-stroke
      drop foot using an ankle-foot orthosis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate whether an implantable functional electrical stimulation
      (FES) system of the common peroneal nerve (ActiGait(r)) improves relevant aspects
      of gait in chronic stroke patients with a drop foot typically using an ankle-foot
      orthosis (AFO). METHODS: Ten community-dwelling patients participated, of whom
      eight patients could be analysed. Gait quality (kinematic, kinetic, and
      spatiotemporal characteristics) during a 10-meter comfortable walk test,
      normalised net energy expenditure during a 6-minute walk test, participation
      (physical activity and stroke impact) and user satisfaction were tested before
      implantation and at various moments after FES-system activation up to 26 weeks.
      RESULTS: Walking with FES yielded increased maximum paretic ankle plantarflexion
      (FES: -0.12; AFO: -4.79 degrees , p <  0.01), higher paretic peak ankle power
      (FES: 1.46; AFO: 0.98 W/kg, p <  0.05) and better step length symmetry (FES:
      14.90; AFO: 21.45% , p <  0.05). User satisfaction was higher for FES, but was
      unrelated to objective gait improvements. Energy expenditure and participation
      did not change. CONCLUSION: Implantable FES improved the use of residual ankle
      plantarflexion motion, ankle power of the paretic leg and step length symmetry
      compared to using an AFO, however, not resulting in decreased energy expenditure
      or improved participation. User satisfaction was highest with FES, but this was
      not related to the observed gait improvements.

PMID- 26484695
TI  - Injectable phenytoin loaded polymeric microspheres for the control of temporal
      lobe epilepsy in rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: Epilepsy is a prevalent neurological disorder with a high frequency of
      drug resistance. While significant advancements have been made in drug delivery
      systems to overcome anti-epileptic drug resistance, efficacies of materials in
      biological systems have been poorly studied. The purpose of the study was to
      evaluate the anti-epileptic effects of injectable poly(epsilon-caprolactone)
      (PCL) microspheres for controlled release of an anticonvulsant, phenytoin (PHT),
      in an animal model of epilepsy. METHODS: PHT-PCL and Blank-PCL microspheres
      formulated using an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion solvent evaporation method were
      evaluated for particle size, encapsulation efficiency, surface morphology and in
      vitro drug release profile. Microspheres with the most suitable morphology and
      release characteristics weresubsequently injected into the hippocampus of a rat
      tetanus toxin model of temporal lobe epilepsy. Electrocorticography (ECoG)from
      the cerebral cortex were recorded for all animals. The number of seizure events,
      severity of seizures, and seizure duration were then compared between the two
      treatment groups. RESULTS: We have shown that small injections of drug-loaded
      microspheres are biologically tolerated and released PHT can control seizures for
      the expected period of time that is in accord with in-vitro release data.
      CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated the feasibility of polymer-based delivery
      systems incontrolling focal seizures.

PMID- 26484696
TI  - Changes in structural integrity are correlated with motor and functional recovery
      after post-stroke rehabilitation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies indicate the structural integrity
      of the ipsilesional corticospinal tract (CST) and the transcallosal motor tract,
      which are closely linked to stroke recovery. However, the individual contribution
      of these 2 fibers on different levels of outcomes remains unclear. Here, we used
      DTI tractography to investigate whether structural changes of the ipsilesional
      CST and the transcallosal motor tracts associate with motor and functional
      recovery after stroke rehabilitation. METHODS: Ten participants with post-acute
      stroke underwent the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), the Wolf Motor Function Test
      (WMFT), the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and DTI before and after
      bilateral robotic training. RESULTS: All participants had marked improvements in
      motor performance, functional use of the affected arm, and independence in daily
      activities. Increased fractional anisotropy (FA) in the ipsilesional CST and the
      transcallosal motor tracts was noted from pre-treatment to the end of treatment.
      Participants with higher pre-to-post differences in FA values of the
      transcallosal motor tracts had greater gains in the WMFT and the FIM scores. A
      greater improvement on the FMA was coupled with increased FA changes along the
      ipsilesional CST. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest 2 different structural
      indicators for post-stroke recovery separately at the impairment-based and
      function-based levels.

PMID- 26484697
TI  - Evolution of brain activation after stroke in a constant-effort versus constant
      output motor task.
AB  - PURPOSE: Recovery of hand function after stroke has been associated with
      transient overactivation of the cerebral sensorimotor network. One open question
      has been as to how much this transient overactivation is related to 'true'
      reorganisation of the network or reflecting the fact that a simple motor task is
      difficult to perform for a patient with a motor deficit, i.e. reflecting
      'effort'. METHODS: To address this, we combined a constant-output (varying
      effort) and constant-effort (varying output) task in a longitudinal (T1 = 3-5
      days, T2 = 6 weeks, T3 = 3 months after stroke) multimodal (functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (FMRI), electroencephalography (EEG)) study of 12 (EEG)/8
      (FMRI) patients (7 male, age 67 +/- 9 years) showing significant recovery from a
      hand motor deficit. RESULTS: The reduction of sensorimotor activation from T1 to
      T3 was significant (p = 0.012). But task effort did not exhibit any significant
      impact on the evolution of task-related brain activation over time. This proved
      to be equally applicable to FMRI and EEG data. CONCLUSION: We conclude that
      initial up-regulation of brain activity after stroke is not simply a consequence
      of enhanced effort early after stroke but rather reflects neural processes
      involved in reorganisation and recovery of function.

PMID- 26484698
TI  - The Synapse Project: Engagement in mentally challenging activities enhances
      neural efficiency.
AB  - PURPOSE: Correlational and limited experimental evidence suggests that an engaged
      lifestyle is associated with the maintenance of cognitive vitality in old age.
      However, the mechanisms underlying these engagement effects are poorly
      understood. We hypothesized that mental effort underlies engagement effects and
      used fMRI to examine the impact of high-challenge activities (digital photography
      and quilting) compared with low-challenge activities (socializing or performing
      low-challenge cognitive tasks) on neural function at pretest, posttest, and one
      year after the engagement program. METHODS: In the scanner, participants
      performed a semantic-classification task with two levels of difficulty to assess
      the modulation of brain activity in response to task demands. RESULTS: The High
      Challenge group, but not the Low-Challenge group, showed increased modulation of
      brain activity in medial frontal, lateral temporal, and parietal cortex-regions
      associated with attention and semantic processing-some of which were maintained a
      year later. This increased modulation stemmed from decreases in brain activity
      during the easy condition for the High-Challenge group and was associated with
      time committed to the program, age, and cognition. CONCLUSIONS: Sustained
      engagement in cognitively demanding activities facilitated cognition by
      increasing neural efficiency. Mentally-challenging activities may be
      neuroprotective and an important element to maintaining a healthy brain into late
      adulthood.

PMID- 26484699
TI  - Inhibition of glial proliferation, promotion of axonal growth and myelin
      production by synthetic glycolipid: A new approach for spinal cord injury
      treatment.
AB  - PURPOSE: After spinal cord injury (SCI) a glial scar is generated in the area
      affected that forms a barrier for axon growth and myelination, preventing
      functional recovery. Recently, we have described a synthetic glycolipid (IG20)
      that inhibited proliferation of human glioma cells. We show now that IG20
      inhibited the proliferation of astrocytes and microglial cells, the principal
      cellular components of the glial scar, and promoting axonal outgrowth and myelin
      production in vitro. METHODS: Glial cells were inhibited with IG20 (IC50~10 MUM)
      and studied by RT-PCR, Western Blotting, immunoprecipitation and fluorescence
      microscopy. Axonal outgrowth in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and myelin production
      by oligodendrocytes were analyzed by immunocytochemistry. Adult rats were assayed
      in spinal cord contusion model and the recovery of treated animals (n = 6) and
      controls (n = 6) was followed. RESULTS: The IG20 was localized in the cytosol of
      glial cells, forming a complex with RhoGDIalpha, a regulator of RhoGTPases.
      Treatment of astroglial cultures with IG20 increase the expression of BDNF
      receptor genes (TrkBT1, TrkB Full). IG20 reduced the astroglial marker GFAP,
      while increasing production of myelin basic protein in oligodendrocytes and
      promoted axonal outgrowth from DRG neurons. Local injection of IG20, near a
      spinal cord contusion, promoted the recovery of lesioned animals analyzed by BBB
      test (P <  0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We propose that inhibition of astrocytes and
      microglia by IG20 could be diminished the glial scar formation, inducing the re
      growth and myelination of axons, these elements constitute a new approach for SCI
      therapy.

PMID- 26484701
TI  - Anti-edema effects of rhEpo in experimental traumatic brain injury.
AB  - PURPOSE: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of disability
      and death which begins with the formation of edema as the persistent primary
      causative factor in TBI. Although medical management of cerebral edema by
      hypothermia, ventriculostomy, mannitol or hypertonic saline have been effective
      in treating edema, many of these therapies end up with some neurologic deficits,
      necessitating novel treatment options for treating post-TBI edema. This study
      investigated edema reducing effects of recombinant human Erythropoietin (rhEPO)
      in reducing acute brain edema in the CCI mouse model of TBI. METHODS: Anti-edema
      effects of rhEpo in reducing acute brain edema after injury in the CCI mouse
      model of TBI were assessed by T2 weighted magnetic resonance imaging (T2wMRI) as
      the accurate detector of brain edema in correlation with Western blot analysis of
      cerebral aquaporin 4 (AQP4) index as the critical marker of edema. RESULTS:
      Results show that rhEpo treatment significantly reduced brain edema with
      concomitant reduction in AQP4 immunoexpression in the CCI mouse model of TBI.
      CONCLUSION: Current results emphasize clinical utility of rhEpo in treating post
      TBI edema.

PMID- 26484700
TI  - Stimulation targeting higher motor areas in stroke rehabilitation: A proof-of
      concept, randomized, double-blinded placebo-controlled study of effectiveness and
      underlying mechanisms.
AB  - PURPOSE: To demonstrate, in a proof-of-concept study, whether potentiating
      ipsilesional higher motor areas (premotor cortex and supplementary motor area)
      augments and accelerates recovery associated with constraint induced movement.
      METHODS: In a randomized, double-blinded pilot clinical study, 12 patients with
      chronic stroke were assigned to receive anodal transcranial direct current
      stimulation (tDCS) (n = 6) or sham (n = 6) to the ipsilesional higher motor areas
      during constraint-induced movement therapy. We assessed functional and
      neurophysiologic outcomes before and after 5 weeks of therapy. RESULTS: Only
      patients receiving tDCS demonstrated gains in function and dexterity. Gains were
      accompanied by an increase in excitability of the contralesional rather than the
      ipsilesional hemisphere. CONCLUSIONS: Our proof-of-concept study provides early
      evidence that stimulating higher motor areas can help recruit the contralesional
      hemisphere in an adaptive role in cases of greater ipsilesional injury. Whether
      this early evidence of promise translates to remarkable gains in functional
      recovery compared to existing approaches of stimulation remains to be confirmed
      in large-scale clinical studies that can reasonably dissociate stimulation of
      higher motor areas from that of the traditional primary motor cortices.

PMID- 26484702
TI  - Hyperbaric oxygen may induce angiogenesis in patients suffering from prolonged
      post-concussion syndrome due to traumatic brain injury.
AB  - PURPOSE: Recent clinical studies present convincing evidence that hyperbaric
      oxygen therapy (HBOT) may be the coveted neurotherapeutic method for brain
      repair. One of the most interesting ways in which HBOT can induce neuroplasticity
      is angiogenesis. The objective in this study was to assess the neurotherapeutic
      effect of HBOT in post TBI patients using brain perfusion imaging and clinical
      cognitive functions. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patients suffering from
      chronic neuro-cognitive impairment from TBI treated with HBOT. The HBOT protocol
      included 60 daily HBOT sessions, 5 days per week. All patients had pre and post
      HBOT objective computerized cognitive tests (NeuroTrax) and brain perfusion MRI.
      RESULTS: Ten post-TBI patients were treated with HBOT with mean of 10.3+/-3.2
      years after their injury. After HBOT, whole-brain perfusion analysis showed
      significantly increased cerebral blood flow and cerebral blood volume.
      Clinically, HBOT induced significant improvement in the global cognitive scores
      (p = 0.007). The most prominent improvements were seen in information processing
      speed, visual spatial processing and motor skills indices. CONCLUSION: HBOT may
      induce cerebral angiogenesis, which improves perfusion to the chronic damage
      brain tissue even months to years after the injury.

PMID- 26484703
TI  - Functional fluxolipidomics of polyunsaturated fatty acids and oxygenated
      metabolites in the blood vessel compartment.
AB  - Synthesis of bioactive oxygenated metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids and
      their degradation or transformation products are made through multiple enzyme
      processes. The kinetics of the enzymes responsible for the different steps are
      known to be quite diverse, although not precisely determined. The location of the
      metabolites biosynthesis is diverse as well. Also, the biological effects of the
      primary and secondary products, and their biological life span are often
      completely different. Consequently, phenotypes of cells in response to these
      bioactive lipid mediators must then depend on their concentrations at a given
      time. This demands a fluxolipidomics approach that can be defined as a mediator
      lipidomics, with all measurements done as a function of time and biological
      compartments. This review points out what is known, even qualitatively, in the
      blood vascular compartment for arachidonic acid metabolites and number of other
      metabolites from polyunsaturated fatty acids of nutritional value. The functional
      consequences are especially taken into consideration. 

PMID- 26484704
TI  - The Male Predominance in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has increased rapidly during the
      past 4 decades in many Western populations, including North America and Europe.
      The established etiological factors for EAC include gastroesophageal reflux and
      obesity, Helicobacter pylori infection, tobacco smoking, and consumption of fruit
      and vegetables. There is a marked male predominance of EAC with a male-to-female
      ratio in incidence of up to 9:1. This review evaluates the available literature
      on the reasons for the male predominance, particularly an update on epidemiologic
      evidence from human studies during the past decade. The striking sex difference
      does not seem to be explained by established risk factors, given that the
      prevalence of the etiological factors and the strengths of associations between
      these factors and EAC risk are similar between the sexes. Sex hormonal factors
      may play a role in the development of EAC; estrogenic exposures may prevent such
      development, whereas androgens might increase the risk of EAC. However,
      continuing research efforts are still needed to fully understand the reasons for
      the male predominance of EAC. 

PMID- 26484705
TI  - Striving for Efficient, Patient-centered Endoscopy.

PMID- 26484706
TI  - Investigating Pharmacological Similarity by Charting Chemical Space.
AB  - In this study, biologically relevant areas of the chemical space were analyzed
      using ChemGPS-NP. This application enables comparing groups of ligands within a
      multidimensional space based on principle components derived from physicochemical
      descriptors. Also, 3D visualization of the ChemGPS-NP global map can be used to
      conveniently evaluate bioactive compound similarity and visually distinguish
      between different types or groups of compounds. To further establish ChemGPS-NP
      as a method to accurately represent the chemical space, a comparison with
      structure-based fingerprint has been performed. Interesting complementarities
      between the two descriptions of molecules were observed. It has been shown that
      the accuracy of describing molecules with physicochemical descriptors like in
      ChemGPS-NP is similar to the accuracy of structural fingerprints in retrieving
      bioactive molecules. Lastly, pharmacological similarity of structurally diverse
      compounds has been investigated in ChemGPS-NP space. These results further
      strengthen the case of using ChemGPS-NP as a tool to explore and visualize
      chemical space. 

PMID- 26484707
TI  - Statins Are Associated With a Decreased Risk of Decompensation and Death in
      Veterans With Hepatitis C-Related Compensated Cirrhosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Statins decrease portal pressure in patients with cirrhosis
      and increase survival times of patients who have bled from varices. However,
      statins can be hepatotoxic. It is important to determine whether long-term statin
      use will be beneficial or detrimental for patients with cirrhosis because
      physicians are reluctant to prescribe statins to patients with liver disease. We
      investigated the effects of statins on decompensation and survival times in
      patients with compensated cirrhosis. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort
      using the Veteran Affairs Clinical Case Registry, which contains nationwide data
      from veterans infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). We identified patients
      with compensated cirrhosis from January 1996 through December 2009. Statin use
      was according to filled prescriptions. Cirrhosis and decompensation were
      determined from International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision codes,
      using a validated algorithm. RESULTS: Among 40,512 patients with HCV compensated
      cirrhosis (98% male; median age, 56 y), 2802 statin users were identified. We
      developed a propensity score model using variables associated with statin
      prescription, and new statin users were matched with up to 5 nonusers; 685 statin
      users were matched with 2062 nonusers. Discrimination of the propensity score
      model was 0.92. Statin users had a lower risk of decompensation (hazard ratio
      [HR], 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39-0.77) and death (HR, 0.56; 95% CI,
      0.46-0.69), compared with nonusers. Findings persisted after adjustment for age,
      FIB-4 index score, serum level of albumin, model for end-stage liver disease and
      Child-Turcotte-Pugh scores (HR for decompensation, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.39-0.78), and
      death (HR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.45-0.68). CONCLUSIONS: Based on data from the Veteran
      Affairs Clinical Case Registry, statin use among patients with HCV and
      compensated cirrhosis is associated with a more than 40% lower risk of cirrhosis
      decompensation and death. Although statins cannot yet be recommended widely for
      these patients, their use should not be avoided.

PMID- 26484709
TI  - High levels of impulsivity in rats are not accompanied by sensorimotor gating
      deficits and locomotor hyperactivity.
AB  - High levels of impulsivity have been linked to a number of psychiatric disorders,
      including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, drug abuse and schizophrenia.
      Additionally, schizophrenia patients commonly show deficits in another rather
      preattentive form of response inhibition, called sensorimotor gating. Given that
      higher-order functions, such as impulse control, are protected by early and
      preattentive processes, disturbed gating mechanisms may hamper more complex
      cognitive-executive functions. In the present study, we therefore tested whether
      high levels of impulsivity are accompanied by impaired sensorimotor gating in
      rats. High (HI) and low impulsive (LI) rats were identified based on the number
      of premature responses in the 5-choice serial reaction time task. Here, LI rats
      showed higher numbers of omission errors which may suggest attentional deficits
      while HI rats completed significantly less trials which could indicate a decrease
      in motivation. However, HI and LI rats did not differ in terms of impulsive
      decision-making in a delay-based decision-making T-maze task, prepulse inhibition
      of the acoustic startle response (a measure of sensorimotor gating mechanisms) or
      locomotor activity levels. Overall, our data indicate that high motor impulsivity
      is not a suitable predictor of deficient sensorimotor gating and is further not
      necessarily associated with attentional deficits and/or locomotor hyperactivity
      in rats. 

PMID- 26484708
TI  - Hepatic Arterial Infusion of Low-Density Lipoprotein Docosahexaenoic Acid
      Nanoparticles Selectively Disrupts Redox Balance in Hepatoma Cells and Reduces
      Growth of Orthotopic Liver Tumors in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Dietary intake of the natural omega-3 fatty acid
      docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been implicated in protecting patients with viral
      hepatitis B or C from developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Little is known
      about the effects of DHA on established solid tumors. Here we describe a low
      density lipoprotein-based nanoparticle that acts as a transporter for
      unesterified DHA (LDL-DHA) and demonstrates selective cytotoxicity toward HCC
      cells. We investigated the ability of LDL-DHA to reduce growth of orthotopic
      hepatomas in rats. METHODS: AxC-Irish (ACI) rats were given intrahepatic
      injections of rat hepatoma cells (H4IIE); 24 tumor-bearing rats (mean tumor
      diameter, ~1 cm) were subject to a single hepatic artery injection of LDL
      nanoparticles (2 mg/kg) loaded with DHA (LDL-DHA), triolein (LDL-TO), or sham
      surgery controls. Tumor growth was measured by magnetic resonance imaging and
      other methods; tumor, liver, and serum samples were collected and assessed by
      histochemical, immunofluorescence, biochemical, and immunoblot analyses. RESULTS:
      Three days after administration of LDL-TO or sham surgery, the control rats had
      large, highly vascularized tumors that contained proliferating cells. However,
      rats given LDL-DHA had smaller, pale tumors that were devoid of vascular supply
      and >80% of the tumor tissue was necrotic. Four to 6 days after injection of LDL
      DHA, the tumors were 3-fold smaller than those of control rats. The liver tissue
      that surrounded the tumors showed no histologic or biochemical evidence of
      injury. Injection of LDL-DHA into the hepatic artery of rats selectively
      deregulated redox reactions in tumor tissues by increasing levels of reactive
      oxygen species and lipid peroxidation, depleting and oxidizing glutathione and
      nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, and significantly down-regulating
      the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase-4. Remarkably, the redox balance in
      the surrounding liver was not disrupted. CONCLUSION: LDL-DHA nanoparticle
      selectively kills hepatoma cells and reduces growth of orthotopic liver tumors in
      rats. It induces tumor-specific necrosis by selectively disrupting redox balance
      within the cancer cell.

PMID- 26484710
TI  - Employing Digital Droplet PCR to Detect BRAF V600E Mutations in Formalin-fixed
      Paraffin-embedded Reference Standard Cell Lines.
AB  - ddPCR is a highly sensitive PCR method that utilizes a water-oil emulsion system.
      Using a droplet generator, an extracted nucleic acid sample is partitioned into
      ~20,000 nano-sized, water-in-oil droplets, and PCR amplification occurs in
      individual droplets. The ddPCR approach is in identifying sequence mutations,
      copy number alterations, and select structural rearrangements involving targeted
      genes. Here, we demonstrate the use of ddPCR as a powerful technique for
      precisely quantitating rare BRAF V600E mutations in FFPE reference standard cell
      lines, which is helpful in identifying individuals with cancer. In conclusion,
      ddPCR technique offers the potential to precisely profile the specific rare
      mutations in different genes in various types of FFPE samples. 

PMID- 26484711
TI  - Characterization of histological subtypes of clear cell renal cell carcinoma
      using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to analyze the histological subtypes of
      clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) examined by means of contrast-enhanced
      ultrasound (CEUS) and a second generation blood pool agent (SonoVue(r), Bracco,
      Milan, Italy) during the pre-operative phase. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 29 patients
      with histologically proven subtypes of clear cell RCC were examined. A total of
      three patients were diagnosed with highly differentiated clear cell RCC, 21 out
      of 29 cases with moderately differentiated clear cell RCC and five out of 29
      patients had insufficiently differentiated clear cell RCC. An experienced
      radiologist examined the patients with CEUS. The following parameters were
      analyzed: maximum signal intensity (PEAK), time elapsed until PEAK is reached
      (MTT), local blood flow (RBF), area under the time intensity curve (AUC) and the
      signal intensity (SI) during the course of time. For the groups all comparisons
      are made based on healthy renal parenchyma. RESULTS: In the clear cell RCC
      significant differences (significance level p < 0.05) between cancerous tissue
      and the healthy renal parenchyma were noticed in all four parameters. Therefore,
      the clear cell RCC stands out due to its reduced blood volume. However, it
      reached the PEAK reading relatively rapidly and its signal intensity was always
      lower than that of the healthy renal parenchyma. In the arterial phase retarded
      absorption of the contrast agent was observed, followed by fast washing out of
      the contrast agent bubbles.In all three histological subgroups no significant
      differences were noticed in PEAK and SI. However, the diagrams showed the
      possible bias, that the group of the insufficiently differentiated clear cell RCC
      had the highest PEAK-value and the highest signal intensity when compared with
      highly and moderately differentiated clear cell RCC. CONCLUSION: Our study
      suggests that CEUS may be an additional tool for non-invasive characterisation
      and differentiation of the three histological subtypes of clear cell RCC.
      Furthermore, it seems to have an additional diagnostic value in daily clinical.

PMID- 26484713
TI  - Comparison of portable ultrasound system and high end ultrasound system in
      detection of endoleaks.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the value of a portable ultrasound system and a high end
      ultrasound system in detection of endoleaks after EVAR. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In
      this retrospective study, a cohort of 25 patients underwent both standard
      examination using a portable ultrasound system (Philips VISIQ) and a second
      examination using a high end ultrasound system (Philips EPIQ 7). The examination
      included B-mode and color Doppler in detection of endoleaks. Additional the
      maximum diameter of the aneurysm was measured in two planes (right-left and
      ventral-dorsal). The gold standard was contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in
      detection of endoleaks. RESULTS: 25 patients were included in the study. Patients
      were predominantly male (n = 23) with an average age of 73,30+/-7.82 years (range
      54-85). Diameters of the treated aneurysms were in the right-left plane 5,32+/
      1.88 cm and ventral-dorsal 4,99+/-1.78 cm using the high end system. Diameters of
      the treated aneurysms were in the right-left plane 5,30+/-1.82 cm and ventral
      dorsal 4,87+/-1.74 cm using portable ultrasound system. In 80% of the cases CEUS
      could detect an endoleak. Whereas the high end system could detect in B-mode 40%
      and color Doppler 45% of the cases an endoleak. The portable system could detect
      in B-mode 30% and in color Doppler 35% of the cases an endoleak. On both systems
      in B-mode a false positive endoleak was found on the same patient. All high flow
      endoleaks, which needed intervention, could be detected on all systems.
      CONCLUSION: The high end ultrasound system does not seem to have an additional
      advantage in the measurement of the aneurysm diameter. Due to a higher
      resolution, more endoleaks could be detected in B-mode and color Doppler by using
      the high end system. The presence of small endoleaks could only be detected by
      using contrast enhanced ultrasound on an high end ultrasound system. High flow
      endoleaks could be reliable seen on both systems.

PMID- 26484712
TI  - Parametric imaging of clear cell and papillary renal cell carcinoma using
      contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS).
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyse clear cell and papillary renal cell
      carcinoma (RCC) examined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and a second
      generation blood pool agent (SonoVue(r), Bracco, Milan, Italy) before clinical
      intervention. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 41 patients with histologically
      proven subtypes of RCC were examined. 29 patients had a clear cell RCC and 12
      patients showed a papillary RCC. Average size in the clear cell RCC group was
      6.07 cm and 1.88 cm in the papillary RCC group. An experienced radiologist
      examined all patients with CEUS. The following parameters were analysed: maximum
      signal intensity (PEAK), time elapsed until PEAK is reached (MTT), local blood
      flow (RBF), area under the time intensity curve (AUC) and the signal intensity
      (SI) during the course of time. For both groups all comparisons were made based
      on healthy renal parenchyma. RESULTS: In the clear cell RCC significant
      differences (significance level p < 0.05) between cancerous tissue and the
      healthy renal parenchyma were noticed in all four parameters. The clear cell RCC
      showed a significant reduced blood volume. It reached the PEAK reading relatively
      rapidly and its signal intensity was always lower than that of the healthy renal
      parenchyma. In the arterial phase retarded absorption of the contrast agent was
      observed, followed by fast washing out of the contrast agent bubbles.In the
      papillary RCC group, significant findings as to PEAK and RBF as well as a
      slightly significant difference as to AUC were recorded. The papillary RCC had a
      lower blood supply and reached its PEAK reading later. Its signal intensity was
      also reduced. The signal intensity of papillary NCC was significantly lower
      compared with clear cell RCC; absorption and washing out of the contrast agent
      was delayed. CONCLUSION: CEUS seems to be an useful additional method to
      clinically differentiate between clear cell and papillary RCC. In daily clinical
      use, patients with contraindication for other imaging methods, especially the
      magnetic resonance imaging, might particularly benefit from this method.

PMID- 26484714
TI  - Standardized 2D ultrasound versus 3D/4D ultrasound and image fusion for
      measurement of aortic aneurysm diameter in follow-up after EVAR.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare standardised 2D ultrasound (US) to the novel ultrasonographic
      imaging techniques 3D/4D US and image fusion (combined real-time display of B
      mode and CT scan) for routine measurement of aortic diameter in follow-up after
      endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR). METHOD AND MATERIALS: 300
      measurements were performed on 20 patients after EVAR by one experienced
      sonographer (3rd degree of the German society of ultrasound (DEGUM)) with a high
      end ultrasound machine and a convex probe (1-5 MHz). An internally standardized
      scanning protocol of the aortic aneurysm diameter in B mode used a so called
      leading-edge method. In summary, five different US methods (2D, 3D free-hand,
      magnetic field tracked 3D - CurefabTM, 4D volume sweep, image fusion), each
      including contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), were used for measurement of the
      maximum aortic aneurysm diameter. Standardized 2D sonography was the defined
      reference standard for statistical analysis. CEUS was used for endoleak
      detection. RESULTS: Technical success was 100%. In augmented transverse imaging
      the mean aortic anteroposterior (AP) diameter was 4.0+/-1.3 cm for 2D US, 4.0+/
      1.2 cm for 3D CurefabTM, and 3.9+/-1.3 cm for 4D US and 4.0+/-1.2 for image
      fusion. The mean differences were below 1 mm (0.2-0.9 mm). Concerning estimation
      of aneurysm growth, agreement was found between 2D, 3D and 4D US in 19 of the 20
      patients (95%). Definitive decision could always be made by image fusion. CEUS
      was combined with all methods and detected two out of the 20 patients (10%) with
      an endoleak type II. In one case, endoleak feeding arteries remained unclear with
      2D CEUS but could be clearly localized by 3D CEUS and image fusion. CONCLUSION:
      Standardized 2D US allows adequate routine follow-up of maximum aortic aneurysm
      diameter after EVAR. Image Fusion enables a definitive statement about aneurysm
      growth without the need for new CT imaging by combining the postoperative CT scan
      with real-time B mode in a dual image display. 3D/4D CEUS and image fusion can
      improve endoleak characterization in selected cases but are not mandatory for
      routine practice.

PMID- 26484715
TI  - The Cytocam video microscope. A new method for visualising the microcirculation
      using Incident Dark Field technology.
AB  - We report a new microcirculatory assessment device, the Braedius Cytocam, an
      Incident Dark Field (IDF) video microscope, and compare it with a precursor
      device utilising side stream dark field (SDF) imaging. METHODS: Time matched
      measurements were made with both devices from the sublingual microcirculation of
      pigs subjected to traumatic injury and hemorrhagic shock at baseline and during a
      shock phase. Images were analysed for vessel density, microcirculatory flow and
      image quality. RESULTS: There were no differences in density or flow data
      recorded from the two devices at baseline [TVD IDF 14.2 +/- 2.4/TVD SDF 13.2 +/-
      2.0, p 0.17] [MFI IDF 3 (2.8-3.0)/MFI SDF 3 (2.9-3.0), p 0.36] or during the
      shock state [TVD IDF 11.64 +/- 3.3/TVD SDF 11.4 +/- 4.0 p = 0.98] [MFI IDF 1.9
      (0.6-2.7)/MFI SDF 1.7 (0.3-2.6) p 0.55]. Bland and Altman analysis showed no
      evidence of significant bias. Vessel contrast was significantly better with the
      IDF device for both capillaries [17.1 +/- 3.9 (IDF) v 3.4 +/- 3.6 (SDF), p =
      0.0006] and venules [36.1 +/- 11.4 (IDF) v 26.4 +/- 7.1 (SDF) p 0.014]
      CONCLUSION: The Braedius Cytocam showed comparable vessel detection to a
      precursor device during both baseline and low flow (shock) states.

PMID- 26484716
TI  - The paradox of the serrated sickle erythrocyte: The importance of the red blood
      cell membrane topography.
AB  - Red blood cell rheology and adhesiveness play a key role in the occurrence of
      vaso-occlusive like events in sickle cell anemia. The present paper reviews
      counter-intuitive findings supporting that rigid and serrated sickle red blood
      cells do not initiate vaso-occlusion. Instead, the less rigid red blood cells
      could initiate vaso-occlusion because of their increased adhesiveness to the
      vascular wall. We suspect that stiffness of sickle erythrocytes and the
      topography of RBC membrane are factors affecting adhesion to the endothelium. 

PMID- 26484717
TI  - Intravital microscopy - A novel tool in characterizing congestive heart failure
      in experimental autoimmune myocarditis.
AB  - AIMS: Experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) is a widely used murine model, in
      which cellular myocardial infiltration resembles human viral myocarditis.
      Although myocarditis can be readily assessed on histology, heart failure has not
      been fully characterized, as there are limitations in available markers and
      difficulties in hemodynamic measurements, especially on small rodents. We
      investigated whether intravital microscopy of the microcirculation can be used to
      characterize heart failure in EAM. METHODS: BALB/c mice (n = 10 versus n = 5
      controls) were immunized with alpha myosin heavy chain peptide and myocarditis
      was confirmed on hematoxylin-eosin (HE) histology on day 21. Echocardiography
      assessment included ejection fraction (EF), fractional shortening (FS), mitral
      valve doppler, left-ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDd) and diastolic
      intra-ventricular septum thickness (IVSd). Microcirculatory analysis was
      performed using a sidestream dark field (SDF) microcirculation camera. The
      proportion of perfused vessels (PPV) and perfused vessel density (PVD) were
      recorded on the intestinal mucosa of the anaesthesized mice. RESULTS: Immunized
      mice developed EAM with typical cellular infiltration (p < 0.003), left
      ventricular hypertrophy (IVSd, p = 0.027) and diastolic dysfunction (E/A, p =
      0.028) without significant EF reduction (p = 0.845) or LV dilation (p = 0.854).
      SDF recording consisted mainly of venules, as capillaries were too small. PPV and
      PVD were significantly increased in EAM mice (p 0.001 and 0.01 respectively) and
      correlated significantly with the histological myocarditis severity score (r =
      0.557, p = 0.03 and r = 0.57, p = 0.025 respectively), whereas PPV but not PVD
      correlated with IVSd (r = 0.588, p = 0.02) and E/A ratio (r = 0.703, p = 0.003).
      CONCLUSIONS: Intravital microscopy can be used to characterize post-capillary
      intestinal perfusion of EAM mice. Thus we show a congestion of intestinal venules
      in EAM which correlates to the severity of myocarditis.

PMID- 26484718
TI  - Lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide metabolites in a group of subjects with
      obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
AB  - It is known that in OSAS the plasma lipid peroxidation has an opposite behavior
      in comparison with nitric oxide metabolites. In the re-examination of our survey
      of OSAS subjects we calculated the ratio between thiobarbituric acid reactive
      substances (TBARS) and nitric oxide metabolites (NOx) in relation to OSAS
      severity. The study has regarded 48 OSAS subjects subdivided in two subgroups
      according to the apnea/hypopnea index - AHI- (Low = 21 subjects with AHI <30 and
      High = 27 subjects with AHI >30). From the obtained data it is evident that the
      TBARS/NOx ratio is significantly higher in the H subgroup compared to L subgroup
      as well as this ratio is reduced in L subgroup in comparison with the whole group
      of OSAS subjects. In the entire group of OSAS subjects the TBARS/NOx ratio
      results positively correlated with AHI and ODI and inversely correlated with
      mSO2. 

PMID- 26484719
TI  - Effects of lipopolysaccharide on changes in red blood cells in a mice endotoxemia
      model.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in RBC aggregation and
      deformability over 24 hr and suggest specific shear stress values for detecting
      RBC deformability in a mouse endotoxemia model using lipopolysaccharide (LPS).Six
      week-old male BALB/c mice received LPS (20 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. Aggregation
      indices (AIs) and T1/2 were measured to assess RBC aggregation, and elongation
      indices (EIs) were used to assess RBC deformability at shear stress values of
      0.3, 0.5, 1, 3, 7, 10, 15 and 20 Pascals (Pa) 0, 30 min, 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18
      and 24 hours after the LPS injection.No significant differences were detected in
      the AIs during the study period, however, T1/2 shortened significantly 2, 6, 12,
      18, and 24 hr after the LPS injection. The EIs increased significantly 24 hr
      after LPS injection at 0.5 and 1 Pa shear stress, whereas it decreased
      significantly at 10 Pa of shear stress 24 hr after the LPS injection.Altered RBC
      deformability was detectable 24 hr after the LPS injection and T1/2 may be a
      sensitive marker for detecting changes in RBC aggregation. The EIs should be
      measured at 1 Pa to detect changes in RBC deformability in LPS-induced septic
      mice.

PMID- 26484720
TI  - Effects of cigarette smoking on hemorheologic parameters, plasma osmolality and
      lung function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking deteriorates human health via vascular disorders,
      cancer and especially respiratory diseases. The aim of this study is to
      investigate effects of cigarette smoking on hemorheologic parameters, plasma
      osmolality and lung function in individuals without diagnosis of chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Patients diagnosed without COPD
      utilizing respiratory function test were enrolled in the study with three groups,
      ex-smokers (n = 21), current-smokers (n = 35) and never-smokers (n = 43).
      Hemorheologic parameters and plasma osmolality were measured in hemorheology
      laboratory. SPSS 17.0 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Blood and
      plasma viscosity, fibrinogen and hematocrit levels, mean corpuscular volume and
      mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were significantly elevated in ex
      smokers and current-smokers compared to never-smokers. The standardized red blood
      cell deformability and oxygen delivery index and lung function were statistically
      lower in current-smokers than never-smokers. Pulmonary blood flow rate was
      statistically lower in current-smokers and ex-smokers than never-smokers. Plasma
      osmolality was statistically significantly higher in ex-smokers and current
      smokers than never-smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings clearly show that cigarette
      smoking has severe effects on hemorheologic parameters, plasma osmolality and
      lung function even in individuals without COPD. Blood and plasma viscosity with
      plasma osmolality might be useful markers to detect early hemorheologic
      hemodynamic alterations in cigarette smokers.

PMID- 26484721
TI  - Sympathetic nerves: How do they affect angiogenesis, particularly during wound
      healing of soft tissues?
AB  - Angiogenesis is essential for wound healing, and angiogenesis impairment can
      result in chronic ulcers. Studies have shown that the sympathetic nervous system
      has an important role in angiogenesis. In recent years, researchers have focused
      on the roles of sympathetic nerves in tumor angiogenesis. In fact, sympathetic
      nerves can affect angiogenesis in the wound healing of soft tissues, and may have
      a similar mechanism of action as that seen in tumorigenesis. Sympathetic nerves
      act primarily through interactions between the neurotransmitters released from
      nerve endings and receptors present in target organs. Among this, activation or
      inhibition of adrenergic receptors (mainly beta-adrenergic receptors) influence
      formation of new blood vessels considerably. As sympathetic nerves locate near
      pericytes in microvessel, go along the capillaries and there are adrenergic
      receptors present in endothelial cells and pericytes, sympathetic nerves may
      participate in angiogenesis by influencing the endothelial cells and pericytes of
      new capillaries. Studying the roles of sympathetic nerves on the angiogenesis of
      wound healing can contribute to understanding the mechanisms of tissue repair,
      tissue regeneration, and tumorigenesis, thereby providing new therapeutic
      perspectives. 

PMID- 26484722
TI  - Impact of stuttering severity on adolescents' domain-specific and general self
      esteem through cognitive and emotional mediating processes.
AB  - PURPOSE: The theory that self-esteem is substantially constructed based on social
      interactions implies that having a stutter could have a negative impact on self
      esteem. Specifically, self-esteem during adolescence, a period of life
      characterized by increased self-consciousness, could be at risk. In addition to
      studying mean differences between stuttering and non-stuttering adolescents, this
      article concentrates on the influence of stuttering severity on domain-specific
      and general self-esteem. Subsequently, we investigate if covert processes on
      negative communication attitudes, experienced stigma, non-disclosure of
      stuttering, and (mal)adaptive perfectionism mediate the relationship between
      stuttering severity and self-esteem. METHODS: Our sample comprised 55 stuttering
      and 76 non-stuttering adolescents. They were asked to fill in a battery of
      questionnaires, consisting of: Subjective Screening of Stuttering, Self
      Perception Profile for Adolescents, Erickson S-24, Multidimensional Perfectionism
      Scale, and the Stigmatization and Disclosure in Adolescents Who Stutter Scale.
      RESULTS: SEM (structural equation modeling) analyses showed that stuttering
      severity negatively influences adolescents' evaluations of social acceptance,
      school competence, the competence to experience a close friendship, and global
      self-esteem. Maladaptive perfectionism and especially negative communication
      attitudes fully mediate the negative influence of stuttering severity on self
      esteem. Group comparison showed that the mediation model applies to both
      stuttering and non-stuttering adolescents. CONCLUSION: We acknowledge the impact
      of having a stutter on those domains of the self in which social interactions and
      communication matter most. We then accentuate that negative attitudes about
      communication situations and excessive worries about saying things in ways they
      perceive as wrong are important processes to consider with regard to the self
      esteem of adolescents who stutter. Moreover, we provide evidence that these
      covert processes also need to be addressed when helping adolescents who are
      insecure about their fluency in general.

PMID- 26484723
TI  - Can perioperative acupuncture reduce the pain and vomiting experienced after
      tonsillectomy? A meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Acupuncture has been shown to reduce pain, nausea, and vomiting.
      However, its use alongside surgical interventions remains a novel practice,
      despite the increasing applications of alternative medicine. The goal of this
      meta-analysis was to perform a systematic review of the literature addressing the
      effect of acupuncture on postoperative pain, nausea, and vomiting following
      tonsillectomy. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and Cochrane database. METHODS: Two
      authors independently searched the databases from the inception of article
      collection until June 2015. We included 1) analysis studies that compared groups
      of patients who had received perioperative acupuncture (acupuncture groups) with
      those who had received a pain control agent or sham treatment (control group);
      and 2) analysis studies in which the outcomes of interest were postoperative pain
      intensity, rescue analgesic consumption, or nausea and vomiting. RESULTS: The
      pain score reported by patients during the first 48 hours and the postoperative
      need for analgesics were significantly lower in the acupuncture group versus the
      control group. Additionally, the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting
      was significantly lower in the acupuncture group than in the control group. No
      major adverse effects of perioperative acupuncture were reported in the enrolled
      studies. CONCLUSION: Perioperative acupuncture may provide pain relief without
      side effects in patients undergoing tonsillectomy. However, there were high
      levels of heterogeneity in several of the measured parameters; thus, the efficacy
      of acupuncture cannot be considered to have been evaluated sufficiently. For this
      reason, additional large well-designed trials are required to further support the
      results of this study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA. Laryngoscope, 126:608-615, 2016.

PMID- 26484724
TI  - Automated Segmentation and Reconstruction of the Subthalamic Nucleus in
      Parkinson's Disease Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In the treatment of Parkinson's disease for deep brain stimulation
      (DBS), the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is the most important target on a specific
      brain nucleus. Although procedural details are well established, targeting STN
      remains problematic because of its variable location and relatively small size.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected from 10 patients with Parkinson's
      disease implanted with deep brain stimulation devices. This paper presents an
      automated algorithm for 3.0T magnetic resonance (MR) image segmentation using the
      level set method to reconstruct the STN based on automatic segmentation. Implicit
      polynomial surfaces are used for the reconstruction of the STN segmentation.
      RESULTS: The method was applied to 10 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients to
      automatically extract and rebuild the STN. A comparison of the Euclidean
      distances and dice overlap coefficient showed no significant differences with the
      segmentation-based method, with the present method having smaller prediction
      errors and being more robust than expert systems. CONCLUSIONS: This paper
      presents an automated algorithm to segment and reconstruct the small human STN
      using MR images. This method for STN should provide an effective method for
      advancing STN localization and direct visualization.

PMID- 26484725
TI  - Macromolecular Systems with MSA-Capped CdTe and CdTe/ZnS Core/Shell Quantum Dots
      as Superselective and Ultrasensitive Optical Sensors for Picric Acid Explosive.
AB  - This work reports the development of highly fluorescent materials for the
      selective and efficient detection of picric acid explosive in the nanomolar range
      by fluorescence quenching phenomenon. Poly(vinyl alcohol) grafted polyaniline
      (PPA) and its nanocomposites with 2-mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA)-capped CdTe
      quantum dots (PPA-Q) and with MSA-capped CdTe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (PPA
      CSQ) are synthesized in a single step free radical polymerization reaction. The
      thermal stability and photo stability of the polymer increases in the order of
      PPA < PPA-Q < PPA-CSQ. The polymers show remarkably high selectivity and
      efficient sensitivity toward picric acid, and the quenching efficiency for PPA
      CSQ reaches up to 99%. The detection limits of PPA, PPA-Q, and PPA-CSQ for picric
      acid are found to be 23, 1.6, and 0.65 nM, respectively, which are remarkably
      low. The mechanism operating in the quenching phenomenon is proposed to be a
      combination of a strong inner filter effect and ground state electrostatic
      interaction between the polymers and picric acid. A portable and cost-effective
      electronic device for the visual detection of picric acid by the sensory system
      is successfully fabricated. The device is further employed for quantitative
      detection of picric acid in real water samples. 

PMID- 26484726
TI  - Self-Assembled Binary Nanoscale Systems: Multioutput Model with LFER-Covariance
      Perturbation Theory and an Experimental-Computational Study of NaGDC-DDAB
      Micelles.
AB  - Studies of the self-aggregation of binary systems are of both theoretical and
      practical importance. They provide an opportunity to investigate the influence of
      the molecular structure of the hydrophobe on the nonideality of mixing. On the
      other hand, linear free energy relationship (LFER) models, such as Hansch's
      equations, may be used to predict the properties of chemical compounds such as
      drugs or surfactants. However, the task becomes more difficult once we want to
      predict simultaneaously the effect over multiple output properties of binary
      systems of perturbations under multiple input experimental boundary conditions
      (b(j)). As a consequence, we need computational chemistry or chemoinformatics
      models that may help us to predict different properties of the autoaggregation
      process of mixed surfactants under multiple conditions. In this work, we have
      developed the first model that combines perturbation theory (PT) and LFER ideas.
      The model uses as input covariance PT operators (CPTOs). CPTOs are calculated as
      the difference between covariance DeltaCov((i)MU(k)) functions before and after
      multiple perturbations in the binary system. In turn, covariances calculated as
      the product of two Box-Jenkins operators (BJO) operators. BJOs are used to
      measure the deviation of the structure of different chemical compounds from a set
      of molecules measured under a given subset of experimental conditions. The best
      CPT-LFER model found predicted the effects of 25,000 perturbations over 9
      different properties of binary systems. We also reported experimental studies of
      different experimental properties of the binary system formed by sodium
      glycodeoxycholate and didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (NaGDC-DDAB). Last, we
      used our CPT-LFER model to carry out a 1000 data point simulation of the
      properties of the NaGDC-DDAB system under different conditions not studied
      experimentally.

PMID- 26484727
TI  - A meta-analysis of rate ratios for nocturnal confirmed hypoglycaemia with insulin
      degludec vs. insulin glargine using different definitions for hypoglycaemia.
AB  - AIMS: A prospective meta-analysis of phase 3 trials showed lower rates of
      nocturnal hypoglycaemia with insulin degludec vs. insulin glargine. We
      investigated the consistency of the results across different definitions of
      hypoglycaemia. METHODS: This post-hoc, patient-level meta-analysis included six
      randomized, controlled, 26- or 52-week phase 3a trials in insulin-naive
      participants with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (Type 2 diabetesinsulin naive ),
      participants with Type 2 diabetes mellitus using basal-bolus therapy (Type 2
      diabetesBB ) and those with Type 1 diabetes mellitus. We used three definitions
      of hypoglycaemia and different timescales for the nocturnal period. Rates were
      analysed for the entire core trial period, the 'maintenance period' only, and the
      extension trial set population. Analyses utilized a negative binomial regression
      model. RESULTS: In Type 2 diabetesinsulin naive participants, risk of nocturnal
      hypoglycaemia was significantly lower with insulin degludec vs. insulin glargine
      for all hypoglycaemia definitions and trial periods. Risk was also lower for the
      timescale 21.59-05.59, but not 00.01-07.59. For Type 2 diabetesBB , nocturnal
      hypoglycaemia rates were lower with insulin degludec vs. insulin glargine across
      all definitions, timescales and trial periods, with one exception. For
      individuals with Type 1 diabetes mellitus, nocturnal hypoglycaemia risk was
      significantly lower with insulin degludec during the maintenance period for the
      original definition (plasma glucose < 3.1 mmol/l, timescale 00.01-05.59) and in
      the extension trial set population for all hypoglycaemia definitions except for
      the nocturnal timescale 00.01-07.59. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with insulin glargine,
      insulin degludec is associated with lower rates of nocturnal hypoglycaemia in
      people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and similar or lower rates in Type 1
      diabetes mellitus, across different definitions.

PMID- 26484729
TI  - Corrigendum: Method for Controlling Electrical Properties of Single-Layer
      Graphene Nanoribbons via Adsorbed Planar Molecular Nanoparticles.

PMID- 26484728
TI  - Effects of intravenous and topical laryngeal lidocaine on heart rate, mean
      arterial pressure and cough response to endotracheal intubation in dogs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of intravenous (IV) and topical laryngeal
      lidocaine on heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and cough response to
      endotracheal intubation (ETI) in dogs. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, randomized,
      blinded clinical study. ANIMALS: Forty-two client-owned dogs (American Society of
      Anesthesiologists class I and II status) undergoing elective orthopaedic surgery.
      METHODS: Dogs were randomized to three groups. Dogs in group SALIV received 0.1
      mL kg(-1) IV saline. Dogs in group LIDIV received 2 mg kg(-1) IV 2% lidocaine.
      Dogs in group LIDTA received 0.4 mg kg(-1) topically sprayed laryngeal 2%
      lidocaine. All dogs were premedicated with methadone (0.2 mg kg(-1) IV). After 30
      minutes, IV propofol was administered to abolish the lateral palpebral reflex and
      produce jaw relaxation. The allocated treatment was then administered and, after
      30 seconds, further propofol was administered to abolish the medial palpebral
      reflex and facilitate ETI. HR and MAP were measured at four time-points using
      cardiac auscultation and automated oscillometry, respectively. The cough response
      at ETI was recorded. One-way anova and post hoc Tukey adjustment were used to
      analyse parametric data. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyse non
      parametric data. Odds ratios were calculated for the cough response. A p-value of
      <=0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. RESULTS: In response
      to ETI, changes in MAP differed significantly between groups. In SALIV, MAP
      increased (4 +/- 6 mmHg), whereas it decreased in LIDIV (6 +/- 13 mmHg) (p =
      0.013) and LIDTA (7 +/- 11 mmHg) (p = 0.003). Dogs in SALIV were almost 10 times
      more likely to cough than dogs in LIDIV (odds ratio 9.75, 95% confidence interval
      0.98-96.60; p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In propofol
      anaesthetized dogs, IV and topical laryngeal lidocaine attenuated the pressor
      response to ETI, whereas IV lidocaine reduced the cough response.

PMID- 26484730
TI  - Improved longitudinal resolution in tomographic diffractive microscopy with an
      ellipsoidal mirror.
AB  - Tomographic diffractive microscopy is a technique, which is able to image
      transparent unstained samples with high resolution. The three-dimensional
      distribution of the complex refractive index can be reconstructed quantitatively
      from the measured scattered fields under various illumination and detection
      angles, according to the diffraction tomography theorem. We propose a tomographic
      diffractive microscopy setup with an ellipsoidal mirror as the light collector.
      We demonstrate analytically and with numerical simulation that this approach
      permits to obtain images with drastically improved resolution. 

PMID- 26484731
TI  - Association between insertion/deletion polymorphism in intron 3 of XRCC4 and
      susceptibility to type I bipolar disorder.

PMID- 26484732
TI  - High Acetic Acid Production Rate Obtained by Microbial Electrosynthesis from
      Carbon Dioxide.
AB  - High product specificity and production rate are regarded as key success
      parameters for large-scale applicability of a (bio)chemical reaction technology.
      Here, we report a significant performance enhancement in acetate formation from
      CO2, reaching comparable productivity levels as in industrial fermentation
      processes (volumetric production rate and product yield). A biocathode current
      density of -102 +/- 1 A m(-2) and an acetic acid production rate of 685 +/- 30 (g
      m(-2) day(-1)) have been achieved in this study. High recoveries of 94 +/- 2% of
      the CO2 supplied as the sole carbon source and 100 +/- 4% of electrons into the
      final product (acetic acid) were achieved after development of a mature biofilm,
      reaching an elevated product titer of up to 11 g L(-1). This high product
      specificity is remarkable for mixed microbial cultures, which would make the
      product downstream processing easier and the technology more attractive. This
      performance enhancement was enabled through the combination of a well
      acclimatized and enriched microbial culture (very fast start-up after culture
      transfer), coupled with the use of a newly synthesized electrode material, EPD
      3D. The throwing power of the electrophoretic deposition technique, a method
      suitable for large-scale production, was harnessed to form multiwalled carbon
      nanotube coatings onto reticulated vitreous carbon to generate a hierarchical
      porous structure. 

PMID- 26484733
TI  - Building cell models and simulations from microscope images.
AB  - The use of fluorescence microscopy has undergone a major revolution over the past
      twenty years, both with the development of dramatic new technologies and with the
      widespread adoption of image analysis and machine learning methods. Many open
      source software tools provide the ability to use these methods in a wide range of
      studies, and many molecular and cellular phenotypes can now be automatically
      distinguished. This article presents the next major challenge in microscopy
      automation, the creation of accurate models of cell organization directly from
      images, and reviews the progress that has been made towards this challenge. 

PMID- 26484734
TI  - A tale of the epidermal growth factor receptor: The quest for structural
      resolution on cells.
AB  - The challenge of determining the architecture and geometry of oligomers of the
      epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on the cell surface has been approached
      using a variety of biochemical and biophysical methods. This review is intended
      to provide a narrative of how key concepts in the field of EGFR research have
      evolved over the years, from the origins of the prevalent EGFR signalling dimer
      hypothesis through to the development and implementation of methods that are now
      challenging the conventional view. The synergy between X-ray crystallography and
      cellular fluorescence microscopy has become particularly important, precisely
      because the results from these two methods diverged and highlighted the
      complexity of the challenge. We illustrate how developments in super-resolution
      microscopy are now bridging this gap. Exciting times lie ahead where knowledge of
      the nature of the complexes can assist with the development of a new generation
      of anti-cancer drugs. 

PMID- 26484735
TI  - Microbial metagenomes from three aquifers in the Fennoscandian shield terrestrial
      deep biosphere reveal metabolic partitioning among populations.
AB  - Microorganisms in the terrestrial deep biosphere host up to 20% of the earth's
      biomass and are suggested to be sustained by the gases hydrogen and carbon
      dioxide. A metagenome analysis of three deep subsurface water types of
      contrasting age (from <20 to several thousand years) and depth (171 to 448 m)
      revealed phylogenetically distinct microbial community subsets that either passed
      or were retained by a 0.22 MUm filter. Such cells of <0.22 MUm would have been
      overlooked in previous studies relying on membrane capture. Metagenomes from the
      three water types were used for reconstruction of 69 distinct microbial genomes,
      each with >86% coverage. The populations were dominated by Proteobacteria,
      Candidate divisions, unclassified archaea and unclassified bacteria. The
      estimated genome sizes of the <0.22 MUm populations were generally smaller than
      their phylogenetically closest relatives, suggesting that small dimensions along
      with a reduced genome size may be adaptations to oligotrophy. Shallow 'modern
      marine' water showed community members with a predominantly heterotrophic
      lifestyle. In contrast, the deeper, 'old saline' water adhered more closely to
      the current paradigm of a hydrogen-driven deep biosphere. The data were finally
      used to create a combined metabolic model of the deep terrestrial biosphere
      microbial community. 

PMID- 26484736
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26484737
TI  - High sensitivity flow cytometry of membrane vesicles.
AB  - Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are attracting attention as vehicles for inter
      cellular signaling that may have value as diagnostic or therapeutic targets. EVs
      are released by many cell types and by different mechanisms, resulting in
      phenotypic heterogeneity that makes them a challenge to study. Flow cytometry is
      a popular tool for characterizing heterogeneous mixtures of particles such as
      cell types within blood, but the small size of EVs makes them difficult to
      measure using conventional flow cytometry. To address this limitation, a high
      sensitivity flow cytometer was constructed and EV measurement approaches that
      allowed them to enumerate and estimate the size of individual EVs, as well as
      measure the presence of surface markers to identify phenotypic subsets of EVs.
      Several fluorescent membrane probes were evaluated and it was found that the
      voltage sensing dye di-8-ANEPPS could produce vesicle fluorescence in proportion
      to vesicle surface area, allowing for accurate measurements of EV number and
      size. Fluorescence-labeled annexin V and anti-CD61 antibody was used to measure
      the abundance of these surface markers on EVs in rat plasma. It was shown that
      treatment of platelet rich plasma with calcium ionophore resulted in an increase
      in the fraction of annexin V and CD61-positive EVs. Vesicle flow cytometry using
      fluorescence-based detection of EVs has the potential to realize the potential of
      cell-derived membrane vesicles as functional biomarkers for a variety of
      applications.

PMID- 26484738
TI  - Robotic radiosurgery for the treatment of medium and large uveal melanoma.
AB  - The aim of the study was to analyze the local efficacy and eye retention rate
      after frameless, image-guided robotic radiosurgery against uveal melanoma. A
      total of 217 patients, mostly with medium and large unilateral uveal melanomas
      (3% small, 62% medium, and 35% large) were treated. The median age was 64 years
      (range 21-95 years). All patients underwent a single-session procedure beginning
      with retrobulbar anesthesia, followed by MRI and computerized tomography scanning
      to generate the treatment plan. The tumor dose was 18-22 Gy (mean, 20.3 Gy)
      prescribed to the 70% isodose line. Follow-up occurred at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months
      and yearly thereafter with clinical, ultrasound, and MRI studies. The median
      follow-up time was 26.4 months. All patients were treated in the frameless setup
      within 3 h. The actuarial 3- and 5-year eye retention rates were 86.7 and 73%,
      respectively. Local control at 3 and 5 years was 87.4 and 70.8%, respectively.
      Serviceable vision was maintained in 30.9% of patients at last follow-up.
      Treatment-induced glaucoma developed in 33 patients at a median 20.8 months
      (range, 5.8-54.0 months). Other adverse effects were hemorrhage (26 patients) and
      macular edema (seven patients). Frameless, single-session, image-guided robotic
      radiosurgery is an effective and straightforward treatment option for patients
      with medium and large uveal melanoma that are otherwise difficult to treat.

PMID- 26484739
TI  - Interaction of the P-Glycoprotein Multidrug Transporter with Sterols.
AB  - The ABC transporter P-glycoprotein (Pgp, ABCB1) actively exports structurally
      diverse substrates from within the lipid bilayer, leading to multidrug
      resistance. Many aspects of Pgp function are altered by the phospholipid
      environment, but its interactions with sterols remain enigmatic. In this work,
      the functional interaction between purified Pgp and various sterols was
      investigated in detergent solution and proteoliposomes. Fluorescence studies
      showed that dehydroergosterol, cholestatrienol, and NBD-cholesterol interact
      intimately with Pgp, resulting in both quenching of protein Trp fluorescence and
      enhancement of sterol fluorescence. Kd values indicated binding affinities in the
      range of 3-9 MUM. Collisional quenching experiments showed that Pgp-bound NBD
      cholesterol was protected from the external milieu, resonance energy transfer was
      observed between Pgp Trp residues and the sterol, and the fluorescence emission
      of bound sterol was enhanced. These observations suggested an intimate
      interaction of bound sterols with the transporter at a protected nonpolar site.
      Cholesterol hemisuccinate altered the thermal unfolding of Pgp and greatly
      stabilized its basal ATPase activity in both a detergent solution and
      reconstituted proteoliposomes of certain phospholipids. Other sterols, including
      dehydroergosterol, did not stabilize the basal ATPase activity of detergent
      solubilized Pgp, which suggests that this is not a generalized sterol effect. The
      phospholipid composition and cholesterol hemisuccinate content of Pgp
      proteoliposomes altered the basal ATPase and drug transport cycles differently.
      Sterols may interact with Pgp and modulate its structure and function by
      occupying part of the drug-binding pocket or by binding to putative consensus
      cholesterol-binding (CRAC/CARC) motifs located within the transmembrane domains. 

PMID- 26484741
TI  - Implementation and Operational Research: The Navigation Program: An Intervention
      to Reengage Lost Patients at 7 HIV Clinics in Los Angeles County, 2012-2014.
AB  - The Navigation Program is a health department-community agency collaboration to
      reengage lost HIV clinic patients in Los Angeles County using best practices from
      disease investigator services locator activities and the Antiretroviral Treatment
      Access Study (ARTAS), a CDC-recommended intervention. Clinic databases were
      reviewed to identify HIV patients who: (1) had no HIV care visits in 6-12 months
      and last viral load was greater than 200 copies per milliliter; (2) had no HIV
      care visits in >12 months; (3) were newly diagnosed and never in care; or (4)
      were recently released from jail/prison/other institution with no regular HIV
      medical provider. Patients were contacted by trained Navigators using locator
      information from clinic medical records, HIV/sexually transmitted disease
      surveillance, and people-finder databases and offered enrollment in a modified
      ARTAS intervention. Among the 1139 lost clinic patients identified, 36% were in
      care elsewhere, 29% could not be located, 8% returned to the clinic
      independently, 4% declined enrollment, and 7% (n = 78) were located and enrolled
      in the intervention. Participants received an average of 4.5 Navigator sessions
      over 11.6 hours. Among reengaged patients, 68% linked within 3 months, 85% linked
      within 6 months, and 94% linked within 12 months, and 82% of linked patients were
      retained in care 12 months after study enrollment. The percentage of linked
      patients virally suppressed was compared at time of linkage by the Navigators
      (52%) with a second viral load measure after linkage to care (63%) (chi(2) =
      11.8; P = 0.01). The combined disease investigator services/ARTAS model of
      reengagement was effective for locating and reengaging lost HIV clinic patients.
      Access to HIV surveillance data is critical for the efficient identification of
      persons truly in need of reengagement.

PMID- 26484740
TI  - Brief Report: Virologic Monitoring Can Be a Cost-Effective Strategy to Diagnose
      Treatment Failure on First-Line ART.
AB  - CD4 count testing is perceived to be an affordable strategy to diagnose treatment
      failure on first-line antiretroviral therapy. We hypothesize that the superior
      accuracy of viral load (VL) testing will result in less patients being
      incorrectly switched to more expensive and toxic second-line regimens. Using data
      from a drug resistance cohort, we show that CD4 testing is approximately double
      the cost to make 1 correct regimen switch under certain diagnostic thresholds
      (CD4 = US $499 vs. VL = US $186 or CD4 = US $3031 vs. VL = US $1828). In line
      with World Health Organization guidelines, our findings show that VL testing can
      be both an accurate and cost-effective treatment monitoring strategy. 

PMID- 26484742
TI  - Implementation and Operational Research: Implementation of Multiple Point-of-Care
      Testing in 2 HIV Antiretroviral Treatment Clinics in South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A plethora of point-of-care (POC) tests exist in the HIV and
      tuberculosis diagnostic pipeline which require rigorous evaluation to ensure
      performance in the field. The accuracy and feasibility of nurse-operated
      multidisciplinary-POC testing for HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART)
      initiation/monitoring was evaluated. METHODS: Random HIV-positive adult patients
      presenting at 2 treatment clinics in South Africa for ART initiation/monitoring
      were consented and enrolled. POCT was performed by a dedicated nurse on a
      venipuncture specimen; Pima (CD4), HemoCue (hemoglobin), Reflotron (alanine
      aminotransferase, creatinine), Accutrend (lactate) and compared with laboratory
      testing. External quality assessment, training, workflow, and errors were
      assessed. RESULTS: n = 324 enrolled at site1; n = 469 enrolled at site 2.
      Clinical data on n = 305 participants: 65% (n = 198) female with a mean age of
      39.8 (21-61) years; mean age of males 43.2 (26-61) years; 70% of patients
      required 3 or more POC tests/visit. External quality assessment material was
      suitable for POCT. CD4, hemoglobin and alanine aminotransferase testing showed
      good agreement with predicate methodology; creatinine and lactate had increased
      variability. Pima CD4 misclassified up to 11.6% of patients at 500 cells per
      microliter and reported 4.3%-6% error rate. A dedicated nurse could perform POCT
      on 7 patients/day; inclusion of Pima CD4 increased time for testing from 6 to 110
      minutes. Transcription error rate was 1%. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses can accurately
      perform multidisciplinary POCT for HIV ART initiation/monitoring. This will
      however, require a dedicated nurse as current duties will increase if POC is
      added to workflow. The use of Pima CD4 will increase patients initiated on ART.
      Connectivity will be central to ensure quality management of results, but overall
      impact will need to still be addressed.

PMID- 26484743
TI  - Successive blood pressure measurements to evaluate suspected and treated
      hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: According to the published literature, blood pressure (BP)
      measurements performed in the outpatient clinical setting are often inaccurate.
      The white coat effect and improper technique are the main causes of this
      imprecision. Construction of a set of readings without them could improve the
      accuracy of BP measurement. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy and agreement of
      successive office BP measurements using the awake blood pressure average (ABPa)
      as the gold standard. METHODS: BP was measured in 852 patients using three
      techniques: in office (OBPa); seven successive measurements performed by a nurse
      using an automatic device; and 24 h of ambulatory BP monitoring. BP averages
      (BPa) were obtained from the nurse's measurements: 1-2BPa (first and second), 3
      7BPa (third to seventh), and 1-7BPa (first to seventh). OBPa and successive
      measurements were tested against ABPa by calculating the following: average
      difference in BP of 1-2BPa, 3-7BPa and OBPa, and the area under the curve.
      RESULTS: Among the 834 patients eligible, 374 (43.9%) were considered to be
      hypertensive on the basis of the ABPa (>=135/85 mmHg). 3-7BPa showed the lowest
      average difference (4/3 mmHg). By contrast, OBPa showed the highest result (21/11
      mmHg). The mean difference with 1-2BPa was 8/4 mmHg. The areas under the curve
      were better with 3-7BPa (0.82-0.85) and 1-2BPa (0.82-0.83) than OBPa (0.67-0.71)
      for both systolic and diastolic BP. CONCLUSION: All means from successive
      measurements showed a better precision than OBPa, even the two first readings.
      However, more research needs to be carried out before recommendation of the use
      of this technique in routine practice.

PMID- 26484744
TI  - Dorsalis pedis arterial pressure is lower than noninvasive arm blood pressure in
      normotensive patients under sevoflurane anesthesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is widely known that blood pressure (BP) in the lower extremity is
      higher than in the upper extremity. However, whether this phenomenon remains the
      same during general anesthesia is still unclear. This study aims to investigate
      the difference between invasive dorsalis pedis artery (DPA) pressure and the most
      commonly used noninvasive arm pressure during sevoflurane anesthesia. METHODS: A
      total of 50 normotensive Chinese patients were enrolled in this observational
      study. Invasive DPA pressure, noninvasive arm pressure, and systemic vascular
      resistance index were assessed simultaneously. BP data during the entire surgery
      were analyzed through a Bland-Altman plot for repeated measures. The concordance
      of BP variation in the DPA and the arm was analyzed using four-quadrant plots and
      linear regression. The time-dependent changes in BP and the systemic vascular
      resistance index were also evaluated. RESULTS: Data from 46 effective cases were
      analyzed. Bias (95% limits of agreement) was -7.40 mmHg (-20.36 to +5.57 mmHg)
      for mean blood pressure, +3.54 mmHg (-20.32 to +27.41 mmHg) for systolic blood
      pressure, and -10.20 mmHg (-23.66 to +3.26 mmHg) for diastolic blood pressure,
      respectively. The concordance of BP variation at the two measurement sites was
      clinically acceptable. DPA pressure and vascular resistance in the lower limb
      decreased gradually during surgery. CONCLUSION: DPA pressure tends to be lower
      than arm pressure under sevoflurane anesthesia, especially the mean blood
      pressure and the diastolic blood pressure. Hence, noninvasive arm BP monitoring
      is recommend to be retained when invasive BP is measured at the DPA, so as to
      allow clinicians to comprehensively evaluate the BP condition of the patients and
      make appropriate therapeutic decisions.

PMID- 26484745
TI  - The Detour of an Obstetric Technology: Active Management of Labor Across
      Cultures.
AB  - Active management of labor (AML) is an obstetric technology developed in Ireland
      in the 1970s to accelerate labor in nulliparous women. This technology achieved
      rapid success in Great Britain and in English-speaking countries outside America,
      which adopted it before many other states around the world. In this article, I
      explore AML's technical and social characteristics when it was first designed,
      and then examine its local inflections in a Jordanian and a Swiss maternity
      hospital to shed light on the ways its transnational circulation modifies its
      script. I argue that its application is shaped by local material constraints and
      specific sociocultural configurations, gender regimes, and hospital cultures.
      Finally, I make a comparative analysis of AML practices in these two settings and
      in the foundational textbook to disentangle the technical and sociocultural
      components modeling its local applications. 

PMID- 26484746
TI  - Memristive Physically Evolving Networks Enabling the Emulation of Heterosynaptic
      Plasticity.
AB  - A nanoscale, solid-state physically evolving network is experimentally
      demonstrated, based on the self-organization of Ag nanoclusters under an electric
      field. The adaptive nature of the network is determined by the collective inputs
      from multiple terminals and allows the emulation of heterosynaptic plasticity, an
      important learning rule in biological systems. These effects are universally
      observed in devices based on different switching materials. 

PMID- 26484747
TI  - Mechanistic models enable the rational use of in vitro drug-target binding
      kinetics for better drug effects in patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Drug-target binding kinetics are major determinants of the time
      course of drug action for several drugs, as clearly described for the
      irreversible binders omeprazole and aspirin. This supports the increasing
      interest to incorporate newly developed high-throughput assays for drug-target
      binding kinetics in drug discovery. A meaningful application of in vitro drug
      target binding kinetics in drug discovery requires insight into the relation
      between in vivo drug effect and in vitro measured drug-target binding kinetics.
      AREAS COVERED: In this review, the authors discuss both the relation between in
      vitro and in vivo measured binding kinetics and the relation between in vivo
      binding kinetics, target occupancy and effect profiles. EXPERT OPINION: More
      scientific evidence is required for the rational selection and development of
      drug-candidates on the basis of in vitro estimates of drug-target binding
      kinetics. To elucidate the value of in vitro binding kinetics measurements, it is
      necessary to obtain information on system-specific properties which influence the
      kinetics of target occupancy and drug effect. Mathematical integration of this
      information enables the identification of drug-specific properties which lead to
      optimal target occupancy and drug effect in patients.

PMID- 26484748
TI  - Presence of cytomegalovirus in the perilymphatic fluid of patients with profound
      sensorineural hearing loss caused by congenital cytomegalovirus infection.
AB  - CONCLUSION: Not all patients diagnosed with congenital infection using umbilical
      cord assay were found to be positive for CMV-DNA by perilymphatic fluid assay. In
      addition, a CMV-DNA-positive result was observed in one patient who had not been
      diagnosed with congenital infection. Sampling of perilymphatic fluid from a large
      population of patients with congenital SNHL caused by congenital CMV infection or
      of unknown etiology is required to determine the prevalence of CMV-related
      profound HL. OBJECTIVES: Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is one of the most
      frequent manifestations in patients with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV)
      infection. Using dried umbilical cord, a PCR-based assay was recently developed
      for the retrospective detection of congenital CMV infection. This study analyzed
      the presence of CMV in the perilymphatic fluid and evaluated differences in the
      effect of cochlear implantation between CMV-positive and -negative groups.
      METHOD: Perilymphatic fluid was collected from each patient at the time of
      cochlear implantation and analyzed for the presence of CMV using a PCR method.
      RESULTS: The perilymphatic fluid in two of the five patients suffering from
      congenital CMV infection and in one of the 17 patients without congenital CMV
      infection was found to be positive for CMV.

PMID- 26484749
TI  - Combining parallel detection of proton echo planar spectroscopic imaging (PEPSI)
      measurements with a data-consistency constraint improves SNR.
AB  - One major challenge of MRSI is the poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which can be
      improved by using a surface coil array. Here we propose to exploit the spatial
      sensitivity of different channels of a coil array to enforce the k-space data
      consistency (DC) in order to suppress noise and consequently to improve MRSI SNR.
      MRSI data were collected using a proton echo planar spectroscopic imaging (PEPSI)
      sequence at 3 T using a 32-channel coil array and were averaged with one, two and
      eight measurements (avg-1, avg-2 and avg-8). The DC constraint was applied using
      a regularization parameter lambda of 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10. Metabolite concentrations
      were quantified using LCModel. Our results show that the suppression of noise by
      applying the DC constraint to PEPSI reconstruction yields up to 32% and 27% SNR
      gain for avg-1 and avg-2 data with lambda = 5, respectively. According to the
      reported Cramer-Rao lower bounds, the improvement in metabolic fitting was
      significant (p < 0.01) when the DC constraint was applied with lambda >= 2. Using
      the DC constraint with lambda = 3 or 5 can minimize both root-mean-square errors
      and spatial variation for all subjects using the avg-8 data set as reference
      values. Our results suggest that MRSI reconstructed with a DC constraint can save
      around 70% of scanning time to obtain images and spectra with similar SNRs using
      lambda = 5.

PMID- 26484751
TI  - Conceptual considerations and methodological recommendations for the use of the
      mortality-to-incidence ratio in time-lagged, ecological-level analysis for public
      health systems-oriented cancer research.

PMID- 26484750
TI  - RTP1 encodes a novel endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized protein in Arabidopsis
      and negatively regulates resistance against biotrophic pathogens.
AB  - Oomycete pathogens cause serious damage to a wide spectrum of plants. Although
      host pathogen recognition via pathogen effectors and cognate plant resistance
      proteins is well established, the genetic basis of host factors that mediate
      plant susceptibility to oomycete pathogens is relatively unexplored. Here, we
      report on RTP1, a nodulin-related MtN21 family gene in Arabidopsis that mediates
      susceptibility to Phytophthora parasitica. RTP1 was identified by screening a T
      DNA insertion mutant population and encoded an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
      localized protein. Overexpression of RTP1 rendered Arabidopsis more susceptible,
      whereas RNA silencing of RTP1 led to enhanced resistance to P. parasitica.
      Moreover, an RTP1 mutant, rtp1-1, displayed localized cell death, increased
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and accelerated PR1 expression, compared
      to the wild-type Col-0, in response to P. parasitica infection. rtp1-1 showed a
      similar disease response to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv.
      tomato (Pst) DC3000, including increased disease resistance, cell death and ROS
      production. Furthermore, rpt1-1 exhibited resistance to the fungal pathogen
      Golovinomyces cichoracearum, but not to the necrotrophic pathogen Botrytis
      cinerea. Taken together, these results suggest that RTP1 negatively regulates
      plant resistance to biotrophic pathogens, possibly by regulating ROS production,
      cell death progression and PR1 expression. 

PMID- 26484752
TI  - Prediction of Ionizing Radiation Resistance in Bacteria Using a Multiple Instance
      Learning Model.
AB  - Ionizing-radiation-resistant bacteria (IRRB) are important in biotechnology. In
      this context, in silico methods of phenotypic prediction and genotype-phenotype
      relationship discovery are limited. In this work, we analyzed basal DNA repair
      proteins of most known proteome sequences of IRRB and ionizing-radiation
      sensitive bacteria (IRSB) in order to learn a classifier that correctly predicts
      this bacterial phenotype. We formulated the problem of predicting bacterial
      ionizing radiation resistance (IRR) as a multiple-instance learning (MIL)
      problem, and we proposed a novel approach for this purpose. We provide a MIL
      based prediction system that classifies a bacterium to either IRRB or IRSB. The
      experimental results of the proposed system are satisfactory with 91.5% of
      successful predictions. 

PMID- 26484753
TI  - Enantioselective N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed Diene Regenerative (4 + 2)
      Annulation.
AB  - An enantioselective N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed diene regenerative (4
      + 2) annulation has been achieved through the use of highly nucleophilic
      morpholinone-derived catalysts. The reaction proceeds with good to excellent
      yields, high enantioselectivity (most >92% ee), and good diastereoselectivity
      (most >7:1). The generality of the reaction is high, with 19 examples reported.
      The utility of the products has been examined with subsequent derivatization in
      Diels-Alder reactions using electron-poor dienophiles. Furthermore, interception
      of the proposed beta-lactone intermediate has been achieved, allowing the
      synthesis of compounds bearing four contiguous stereocenters with high levels of
      enantio- and diastereoselectivity. 

PMID- 26484754
TI  - 'Stroke Room': Diagnosis and Treatment at a Single Location for Rapid
      Intraarterial Stroke Treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For patients with acute ischemic stroke, intra-arterial treatment
      (IAT) is considered to be an effective strategy for removing the obstructing
      clot. Because outcome crucially depends on time to treatment ('time-is-brain'
      concept), we assessed the effects of an intervention based on performing all the
      time-sensitive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures at a single location on the
      delay before intra-arterial stroke treatment. METHODS: Consecutive acute stroke
      patients with large vessel occlusion who obtained IAT were evaluated before and
      after implementation (April 26, 2010) of an intervention focused on performing
      all the diagnostic and therapeutic measures at a single site ('stroke room').
      RESULT: After implementation of the intervention, the median intervals between
      admission and first angiography series were significantly shorter for 174
      intervention patients (102 min, interquartile range (IQR) 85-120 min) than for 81
      control patients (117 min, IQR 89-150 min; p < 0.05), as were the intervals
      between admission and clot removal or end of angiography (152 min, IQR 123-185
      min vs. 190 min, IQR 163-227 min; p < 0.001). However, no significant differences
      in clinical outcome were observed. CONCLUSION: This study shows for the, to our
      knowledge, first time that for patients with acute ischemic stroke, stroke
      diagnosis and treatment at a single location ('stroke room') saves crucial time
      until IAT.

PMID- 26484755
TI  - Epigenetics in Clinical Practice: Characterizing Patient and Provider Experiences
      with MTHFR Polymorphisms and Methylfolate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Observational research associating 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate
      reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms with risk of autism, depression, cancer, and
      cardiovascular disease has led to increased diagnoses of MTHFR; however, doctors
      lack knowledge about safety, effectiveness, and clinical implications of MTHFR
      treatment. Treatment strategies are hypothetical and mechanistically based,
      including methylfolate with or without other B vitamins. AIMS: This study was
      designed to formally describe patient and health care provider experiences with
      the diagnosis and clinical management of MTHFR. METHODS: Guided by a structured
      interview guide, a qualitative study queried patients' and providers'
      observations regarding: testing indications, reaction to results, treatment
      protocols, and clinical response including adverse effects. RESULTS: Thirty
      patients and 8 doctors participated. Patient themes included emotionality
      associated with diagnosis, classification of signs and symptoms, and challenges
      with treatment. They expressed confusion over their diagnosis, and frustration
      with the state of knowledge their providers had regarding MTHFR. Testing
      indications included: fatigue (21%), hormone imbalances (13%), and neurological
      symptoms (13%) including brain fog (8%). Patients reported improvements in
      physical (60%) and mental/behavioral symptoms (36%) following treatment. A
      minority of participants reported side effects, but they occurred in almost every
      body system and ranged in severity. Doctors relied on trial and error to
      determine treatment doses, frequency and components. CONCLUSIONS: MTHFR testing
      results in variable clinical processes in domains related to delivery of
      diagnosis and prognosis, and therapeutic options. However, patients report
      largely positive experiences. Clinicians and patients would benefit from
      therapeutic algorithms based on rigorous research.

PMID- 26484756
TI  - Chemical Pleurodesis for Malignant Pleural Effusion: How Far Have We Come in 80
      Years?

PMID- 26484758
TI  - Analysis of Apoptosis in Ultraviolet-Induced Sea Cucumber (Stichopus japonicus)
      Melting Using Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl-Transferase-Mediated dUTP Nick End
      Labeling Assay and Cleaved Caspase-3 Immunohistochemistry.
AB  - The sea cucumber body wall melting phenomenon occurs under certain circumstances,
      and the mechanism of this phenomenon remains unclear. This study investigated the
      apoptosis in the ultraviolet (UV)-induced sea cucumber melting phenomenon. Fresh
      sea cucumbers (Stichopus japonicus) were exposed to UV radiation for half an hour
      at an intensity of 0.056 mW/cm(2) and then held at room temperature for melting
      development. The samples were histologically processed into formalin-fixed
      paraffin-embedded tissues. The apoptosis of samples was analyzed with the
      terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL)
      assay and cleaved caspase-3 immunohistochemistry. The emergence of TUNEL-positive
      cells speeds up between 0.5 and 2 h after UV irradiation. Cleaved caspase-3
      positive cells were obviously detected in sample tissues immediately after the UV
      irradiation. These results demonstrated that sea cucumber melting induced by UV
      irradiation was triggered by the activation of caspase-3 followed by DNA
      fragmentation in sea cucumber tissue, which was attributed to apoptosis but was
      not a consequence of autolysis activity. 

PMID- 26484757
TI  - Perm-seq: Mapping Protein-DNA Interactions in Segmental Duplication and Highly
      Repetitive Regions of Genomes with Prior-Enhanced Read Mapping.
AB  - Segmental duplications and other highly repetitive regions of genomes contribute
      significantly to cells' regulatory programs. Advancements in next generation
      sequencing enabled genome-wide profiling of protein-DNA interactions by chromatin
      immunoprecipitation followed by high throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq). However,
      interactions in highly repetitive regions of genomes have proven difficult to map
      since short reads of 50-100 base pairs (bps) from these regions map to multiple
      locations in reference genomes. Standard analytical methods discard such multi
      mapping reads and the few that can accommodate them are prone to large false
      positive and negative rates. We developed Perm-seq, a prior-enhanced read
      allocation method for ChIP-seq experiments, that can allocate multi-mapping reads
      in highly repetitive regions of the genomes with high accuracy. We
      comprehensively evaluated Perm-seq, and found that our prior-enhanced approach
      significantly improves multi-read allocation accuracy over approaches that do not
      utilize additional data types. The statistical formalism underlying our approach
      facilitates supervising of multi-read allocation with a variety of data sources
      including histone ChIP-seq. We applied Perm-seq to 64 ENCODE ChIP-seq datasets
      from GM12878 and K562 cells and identified many novel protein-DNA interactions in
      segmental duplication regions. Our analysis reveals that although the protein-DNA
      interactions sites are evolutionarily less conserved in repetitive regions, they
      share the overall sequence characteristics of the protein-DNA interactions in non
      repetitive regions. 

PMID- 26484759
TI  - Correction: A New Late Miocene Odobenid (Mammalia: Carnivora) from Hokkaido,
      Japan Suggests Rapid Diversification of Basal Miocene Odobenids.

PMID- 26484761
TI  - Time Trend Analysis of the Prevalence and Incidence of Diagnosed Asthma and
      Traditional Chinese Medicine Use among Adults in Taiwan from 2000 to 2011: A
      Population-Based Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the annual trends of
      traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) use for prevalent and incident asthmatic
      adults in Taiwan from 2000 to 2011. The annual prevalence and incidence of asthma
      in adults among subgroups of sociodemographic factors were also investigated.
      METHODS: A population-based study was conducted using a random sample with one
      million beneficiaries of all residents aged >=18 years enrolled in the National
      Health Insurance program. Adults diagnosed with asthma were identified from the
      National Health Insurance Research Database. The annual prevalence and incidence
      of asthma in the adult population were estimated by using International
      Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnostic
      codes to identify relevant cases from 2000 to 2011. RESULTS: The number of annual
      prevalent cases of diagnosed asthma increased from 56,885 in 2000 to 101,535 in
      2011. The prevalence increased significantly on annual basis, whereas the
      incidence rate fluctuated over time. The prevalence of TCM use by adults with
      asthma decreased significantly (p<0.05), from 38.58% in 2000 to 29.26% in 2011.
      The number of annual incident cases of diagnosed asthma decreased from 3,896 in
      2000 to 2,684 in 2011. TCM use rates in asthma incident adults decreased
      significantly (p<0.05), from 54.24% in 2000 to 38.19% in 2011. CONCLUSION: The
      prevalence of TCM utilization is high among adults with asthma in Taiwan.
      However, our study demonstrated a substantial decrease in the annual prevalence
      of TCM use by prevalent and incident asthmatic adults in Taiwan from 2000 to
      2011. In addition, the prevalence of TCM use was higher among incident cases,
      compared with those with prevalent cases.

PMID- 26484760
TI  - Canonical Poly(A) Polymerase Activity Promotes the Decay of a Wide Variety of
      Mammalian Nuclear RNAs.
AB  - The human nuclear poly(A)-binding protein PABPN1 has been implicated in the decay
      of nuclear noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). In addition, PABPN1 promotes hyperadenylation
      by stimulating poly(A)-polymerases (PAPalpha/gamma), but this activity has not
      previously been linked to the decay of endogenous transcripts. Moreover, the
      mechanisms underlying target specificity have remained elusive. Here, we
      inactivated PAP-dependent hyperadenylation in cells by two independent mechanisms
      and used an RNA-seq approach to identify endogenous targets. We observed the
      upregulation of various ncRNAs, including snoRNA host genes, primary miRNA
      transcripts, and promoter upstream antisense RNAs, confirming that
      hyperadenylation is broadly required for the degradation of PABPN1-targets. In
      addition, we found that mRNAs with retained introns are susceptible to PABPN1 and
      PAPalpha/gamma-mediated decay (PPD). Transcripts are targeted for degradation due
      to inefficient export, which is a consequence of reduced intron number or
      incomplete splicing. Additional investigation showed that a genetically-encoded
      poly(A) tail is sufficient to drive decay, suggesting that degradation occurs
      independently of the canonical cleavage and polyadenylation reaction.
      Surprisingly, treatment with transcription inhibitors uncouples polyadenylation
      from decay, leading to runaway hyperadenylation of nuclear decay targets. We
      conclude that PPD is an important mammalian nuclear RNA decay pathway for the
      removal of poorly spliced and nuclear-retained transcripts. 

PMID- 26484762
TI  - Factors Affecting Accuracy of Data Abstracted from Medical Records.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Medical record abstraction (MRA) is often cited as a significant
      source of error in research data, yet MRA methodology has rarely been the subject
      of investigation. Lack of a common framework has hindered application of the
      extant literature in practice, and, until now, there were no evidence-based
      guidelines for ensuring data quality in MRA. We aimed to identify the factors
      affecting the accuracy of data abstracted from medical records and to generate a
      framework for data quality assurance and control in MRA. METHODS: Candidate
      factors were identified from published reports of MRA. Content validity of the
      top candidate factors was assessed via a four-round two-group Delphi process with
      expert abstractors with experience in clinical research, registries, and quality
      improvement. The resulting coded factors were categorized into a control theory
      based framework of MRA. Coverage of the framework was evaluated using the recent
      published literature. RESULTS: Analysis of the identified articles yielded 292
      unique factors that affect the accuracy of abstracted data. Delphi processes
      overall refuted three of the top factors identified from the literature based on
      importance and five based on reliability (six total factors refuted). Four new
      factors were identified by the Delphi. The generated framework demonstrated
      comprehensive coverage. Significant underreporting of MRA methodology in recent
      studies was discovered. CONCLUSION: The framework generated from this research
      provides a guide for planning data quality assurance and control for studies
      using MRA. The large number and variability of factors indicate that while
      prospective quality assurance likely increases the accuracy of abstracted data,
      monitoring the accuracy during the abstraction process is also required. Recent
      studies reporting research results based on MRA rarely reported data quality
      assurance or control measures, and even less frequently reported data quality
      metrics with research results. Given the demonstrated variability, these methods
      and measures should be reported with research results.

PMID- 26484763
TI  - Understanding the Odour Spaces: A Step towards Solving Olfactory Stimulus-Percept
      Problem.
AB  - Odours are highly complex, relying on hundreds of receptors, and people are known
      to disagree in their linguistic descriptions of smells. It is partly due to these
      facts that, it is very hard to map the domain of odour molecules or their
      structure to that of perceptual representations, a problem that has been referred
      to as the Structure-Odour-Relationship. We collected a number of diverse open
      domain databases of odour molecules having unorganised perceptual descriptors,
      and developed a graphical method to find the similarity between perceptual
      descriptors; which is intuitive and can be used to identify perceptual classes.
      We then separately projected the physico-chemical and perceptual features of
      these molecules in a non-linear dimension and clustered the similar molecules. We
      found a significant overlap between the spatial positioning of the clustered
      molecules in the physico-chemical and perceptual spaces. We also developed a
      statistical method of predicting the perceptual qualities of a novel molecule
      using its physico-chemical properties with high receiver operating
      characteristics(ROC). 

PMID- 26484764
TI  - Surveillance of Human Echinococcosis in Castilla-Leon (Spain) between 2000-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is an important health problem in many
      areas of the world including the Mediterranean region. However, the real CE
      epidemiological situation is not well established. In fact, it is possible that
      CE is a re-emerging disease due to the weakness of current control programs.
      METHODOLOGY: We performed a retrospective observational study of inpatients
      diagnosed with CE from January 2000 to December 2012 in the Western Spain Public
      Health-Care System. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: During the study period, 5510 cases of CE
      were diagnosed and 3161 (57.4%) of the cases were males. The age mean and
      standard deviation were 67.8 +/- 16.98 years old, respectively, and 634 patients
      (11.5%) were younger than 45 years old. A total of 1568 patients (28.5%) had CE
      as the primary diagnosis, and it was most frequently described in patients <45
      years old. Futhermore, a secondary diagnosis of CE was usually found in patients
      >70 year old associated with other causes of comorbidity. The period incidence
      rate was 17 cases per 105 person-years and was significantly higher when compared
      to the incidence declared through the Notifiable Disease System (1.88 cases per
      105 person-years; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CE in western Spain is an underestimated
      parasitic disease. It has an active transmission, with an occurrence in pediatric
      cases, but has decreased in the recent years. The systematic search of Hospital
      Discharge Records of the National Health System Register (HDR) may be a more
      accurate method than other methods for the estimation of the incidence of CE in
      endemic areas.

PMID- 26484765
TI  - Analysis of the DNA-Binding Activities of the Arabidopsis R2R3-MYB Transcription
      Factor Family by One-Hybrid Experiments in Yeast.
AB  - The control of growth and development of all living organisms is a complex and
      dynamic process that requires the harmonious expression of numerous genes. Gene
      expression is mainly controlled by the activity of sequence-specific DNA binding
      proteins called transcription factors (TFs). Amongst the various classes of
      eukaryotic TFs, the MYB superfamily is one of the largest and most diverse, and
      it has considerably expanded in the plant kingdom. R2R3-MYBs have been
      extensively studied over the last 15 years. However, DNA-binding specificity has
      been characterized for only a small subset of these proteins. Therefore, one of
      the remaining challenges is the exhaustive characterization of the DNA-binding
      specificity of all R2R3-MYB proteins. In this study, we have developed a library
      of Arabidopsis thaliana R2R3-MYB open reading frames, whose DNA-binding
      activities were assayed in vivo (yeast one-hybrid experiments) with a pool of
      selected cis-regulatory elements. Altogether 1904 interactions were assayed
      leading to the discovery of specific patterns of interactions between the various
      R2R3-MYB subgroups and their DNA target sequences and to the identification of
      key features that govern these interactions. The present work provides a
      comprehensive in vivo analysis of R2R3-MYB binding activities that should help in
      predicting new DNA motifs and identifying new putative target genes for each
      member of this very large family of TFs. In a broader perspective, the generated
      data will help to better understand how TF interact with their target DNA
      sequences. 

PMID- 26484766
TI  - Imaging Cellular Inorganic Phosphate in Caenorhabditis elegans Using a
      Genetically Encoded FRET-Based Biosensor.
AB  - Inorganic phosphate (Pi) has central roles in metabolism, cell signaling and
      energy conversion. The distribution of Pi to each cell and cellular compartment
      of an animal must be tightly coordinated with its dietary supply and with the
      varied metabolic demands of individual cells. An analytical method for monitoring
      Pi dynamics with spatial and temporal resolution is therefore needed to gain a
      comprehensive understanding of mechanisms governing the transport and recycling
      of this essential nutrient. Here we demonstrate the utility of a genetically
      encoded FRET-based Pi sensor to assess cellular Pi levels in the nematode
      Caenorhabditis elegans. The sensor was expressed in different cells and tissues
      of the animal, including head neurons, tail neurons, pharyngeal muscle, and the
      intestine. Cytosolic Pi concentrations were monitored using ratiometric imaging.
      Injection of phosphate buffer into intestinal cells confirmed that the sensor was
      responsive to changes in Pi concentration in vivo. Live Pi imaging revealed cell
      specific and developmental stage-specific differences in cytosolic Pi
      concentrations. In addition, cellular Pi levels were perturbed by food
      deprivation and by exposure to the respiratory inhibitor cyanide. These results
      suggest that Pi concentration is a sensitive indicator of metabolic status.
      Moreover, we propose that live Pi imaging in C. elegans is a powerful approach to
      discern mechanisms that govern Pi distribution in individual cells and throughout
      an animal. 

PMID- 26484767
TI  - Effects of Topical Bimatoprost 0.01% and Timolol 0.5% on Circadian IOP, Blood
      Pressure and Perfusion Pressure in Patients with Glaucoma or Ocular Hypertension:
      A Randomized, Double Masked, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the 24-hour (24h) effects on intraocular pressure (IOP) and
      cardiovascular parameters of timolol 0.5% and bimatoprost 0.01% in open angle
      glaucoma and ocular hypertensive subjects. METHODS: In this prospective,
      randomized, double masked, crossover, clinical trial, after washout from previous
      medications enrolled subjects underwent 24h IOP, blood pressure (BP) and heart
      rate (HR) measurements and were randomized to either topical bimatoprost 0.01% at
      night plus placebo in the morning or to timolol 0.5% bid. After 8 weeks of
      treatment a second 24h assessment of IOP, BP and HR was performed and then
      subjects switched to the opposite treatment for additional 8 weeks when a third
      24h assessment was performed. The primary endpoint was the comparison of the mean
      24h IOP after each treatment. Secondary endpoints included the comparisons of IOP
      at each timepoint of the 24h curve and the comparison of BP, HR, ocular perfusion
      pressure and tolerability. RESULTS: Mean untreated 24h IOP was 20.3 mmHg (95%CI
      19.0 to 21.6). Mean 24h IOP was significantly lower after 8 weeks of treatment
      with bimatoprost 0.01% than after 8 weeks of treatment with timolol 0.5% bid
      (15.7 vs 16.8 mmHg, p = 0.0003). Mean IOP during the day hours was significantly
      reduced from baseline by both drugs while mean IOP during the night hours was
      reduced by -2.3 mmHg (p = 0.0002) by bimatoprost 0.01% plus placebo and by -1.1
      mmHg by timolol 0.5% bid (p = 0.06). Timolol 0.5% significantly reduced the mean
      24h systolic BP from baseline, the diastolic BP during the day hours, the HR
      during the night hours, and the mean 24h systolic ocular perfusion pressure.
      CONCLUSION: Both Bimatoprost 0.01% and Timolol 0.5% are effective in reducing the
      mean 24h IOP from an untreated baseline but Bimatoprost 0.01% is more effective
      than timolol 0.5% throughout the 24h. Timolol 0.5% effect on IOP is reduced
      during the night hours and is associated with reduced BP, HR and ocular perfusion
      pressure. TRIAL REGISTRATION: EU Clinical Trial Register and EudraCT# 2010-024272
      26.

PMID- 26484768
TI  - Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus from Humans and a Comparison with
      Isolates of Animal Origin, in North Dakota, United States.
AB  - Different clones of methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant
      (MRSA) Staphylococcus aureus have been found in humans as well as in animals and
      retail meat. However, more information about the genetic characteristics and
      similarities between strains is needed. The aim of this study was to identify and
      characterize Staphylococcus aureus from humans, and to compare their
      characteristics with isolates of animal origin. A total of 550 nasal swabs were
      taken from healthy humans, and S. aureus was isolated and identified. Positive S.
      aureus isolates were subjected to molecular typing and susceptibility testing. In
      addition, 108 MRSA isolates recovered from clinical patients in the state of
      North Dakota and 133 S. aureus isolates from animals and meat previously analyzed
      were included. The nasal carriage of S. aureus in healthy people was 7.6% and, in
      general, clones were genetically diverse. None of the S. aureus strains obtained
      from healthy people were mecA- or PVL-positive. A total of 105 (97.2%) MRSA
      isolates from clinical cases harbored the mecA gene and 11 (10.2%) isolated from
      blood stream infections harbored the PVL gene. The most common resistance profile
      among S. aureus from healthy people was penicillin, and from clinical cases were
      erythromycin-penicillin-ciprofloxacin. The rate of multidrug resistance (MDR) was
      70% in humans. Most of the S. aureus harboring mecA and PVL genes were identified
      as ST5 and ST8, and exhibited MDR. However, S. aureus isolates of animal origin
      used for comparison exhibited a lower rate of MDR. The most common resistance
      profiles in isolates of animal origin were penicillin-tetracycline and penicillin
      tetracycline-erythromycin, in animals and raw meat, respectively. The ST5 was
      also found in animals and meat, with ST9 and ST398 being the major clones. The
      genetic similarity between clones from humans and meat suggests the risk of
      spread of S. aureus in the food chain. 

PMID- 26484769
TI  - PD-L1 Expression on Retrovirus-Infected Cells Mediates Immune Escape from CD8+ T
      Cell Killing.
AB  - Cytotoxic CD8+ T Lymphocytes (CTL) efficiently control acute virus infections but
      can become exhausted when a chronic infection develops. Signaling of the
      inhibitory receptor PD-1 is an important mechanism for the development of virus
      specific CD8+ T cell dysfunction. However, it has recently been shown that during
      the initial phase of infection virus-specific CD8+ T cells express high levels of
      PD-1, but are fully competent in producing cytokines and killing virus-infected
      target cells. To better understand the role of the PD-1 signaling pathway in CD8+
      T cell cytotoxicity during acute viral infections we analyzed the expression of
      the ligand on retrovirus-infected cells targeted by CTLs. We observed increased
      levels of PD-L1 expression after infection of cells with the murine Friend
      retrovirus (FV) or with HIV. In FV infected mice, virus-specific CTLs efficiently
      eliminated infected target cells that expressed low levels of PD-L1 or that were
      deficient for PD-L1 but the population of PD-L1high cells escaped elimination and
      formed a reservoir for chronic FV replication. Infected cells with high PD-L1
      expression mediated a negative feedback on CD8+ T cells and inhibited their
      expansion and cytotoxic functions. These findings provide evidence for a novel
      immune escape mechanism during acute retroviral infection based on PD-L1
      expression levels on virus infected target cells. 

PMID- 26484770
TI  - Overlaps between Frailty and Sarcopenia Definitions.
AB  - Aging is characterized by the catabolism of muscles leading to sarcopenia and
      frailty. These are two geriatric syndromes with partly overlapping phenotypes.
      Primary sarcopenia, i.e. loss of muscle mass and function related to aging alone,
      usually precedes frailty. Thus, robustness passes from sarcopenia over frailty to
      disability leading eventually to a mortal outcome. Frailty (defined according to
      the phenotype model) encompasses states as exhaustion, weakness, and slowness,
      whereas sarcopenia, combining mass and function, is more strictly focused on
      muscles. Frailty is age related, whereas sarcopenia is also related to disease,
      starvation, and disuse. In general, the criteria for the two conditions overlap,
      but frailty requires weight loss, whereas sarcopenia requires muscle loss. Both
      gait speed and hand grip strength are suggested to be used as diagnostic measures
      for the two conditions since muscle function is crucial for any of the two
      syndromes. It is suggested that frailty screening should be part of the geriatric
      comprehensive assessment starting with measuring walking capacity and
      complemented by taking a history of fatigue and low activity. For younger adults
      (i.e. <70 years), sarcopenia screening could first register gait speed or hand
      grip strength and then body composition measurements. Simple questionnaires are
      feasible clinical alternatives. Treatment of frailty and sarcopenia overlaps,
      i.e. provide adequate protein and vitamin D supplementation, and encourage
      resistance exercise. 

PMID- 26484771
TI  - MAS C-Terminal Tail Interacting Proteins Identified by Mass Spectrometry- Based
      Proteomic Approach.
AB  - Propagation of signals from G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in cells is
      primarily mediated by protein-protein interactions. MAS is a GPCR that was
      initially discovered as an oncogene and is now known to play an important role in
      cardiovascular physiology. Current literature suggests that MAS interacts with
      common heterotrimeric G-proteins, but MAS interaction with proteins which might
      mediate G protein-independent or atypical signaling is unknown. In this study we
      hypothesized that MAS C-terminal tail (Ct) is a major determinant of receptor
      scaffold protein interactions mediating MAS signaling. Mass-spectrometry based
      proteomic analysis was used to comprehensively identify the proteins that
      interact with MAS Ct comprising the PDZ-binding motif (PDZ-BM). We identified
      both PDZ and non-PDZ proteins from human embryonic kidney cell line, mouse atrial
      cardiomyocyte cell line and human heart tissue to interact specifically with MAS
      Ct. For the first time our study provides a panel of PDZ and other proteins that
      potentially interact with MAS with high significance. A 'cardiac-specific finger
      print' of MAS interacting PDZ proteins was identified which includes DLG1, MAGI1
      and SNTA. Cell based experiments with wild-type and mutant MAS lacking the PDZ-BM
      validated MAS interaction with PDZ proteins DLG1 and TJP2. Bioinformatics
      analysis suggested well-known multi-protein scaffold complexes involved in nitric
      oxide signaling (NOS), cell-cell signaling of neuromuscular junctions, synapses
      and epithelial cells. Majority of these protein hits were predicted to be part of
      disease categories comprising cancers and malignant tumors. We propose a 'MAS
      signalosome' model to stimulate further research in understanding the molecular
      mechanism of MAS function. Identifying hierarchy of interactions of 'signalosome'
      components with MAS will be a necessary step in future to fully understand the
      physiological and pathological functions of this enigmatic receptor. 

PMID- 26484773
TI  - Profiling of sperm proteins and association of sperm PDC-109 with bull fertility.
AB  - The composition of sperm proteins influences the fertilizing ability of sperm and
      hence the present study was conducted (i) to profile sperm proteins expression
      patterns in bulls of differing fertility index and (ii) to identify and relate
      the abundant sperm proteins with bull fertility. The semen samples were collected
      from Holstein-Friesian bulls (n = 12) varying in conception rate (CR) (high/low).
      The frozen semen straws (three ejaculates, from each bull) were used to study (a)
      sperm kinetic parameters, (b) plasmalemma integrity, (c) mitochondrial membrane
      potential, and (d) chromatin distribution. Three bulls were randomly selected
      from each group (n = 3) and the neat sperm pellets were subjected to percoll
      purification, followed by protein isolation using 0.1% Triton X100. The sperm
      kinetic parameters, plasmalemma integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential, and
      the chromatin distribution did not differ significantly between groups. The
      number of acidic (pI; 3.1-5.6, 37%) and basic (pI; 7.9-10.0, 27%) proteins and
      their pattern of expression varied significantly (p < 0.05) between high and low
      fertile bulls. The abundant sperm protein spots in 2D-gel electrophoresis (2DE)
      were identified as seminal plasma protein PDC-109 (i.e., protein with N-terminus
      aspartic acid, D and carboxy terminus cystine, having 109 amino acids) and its
      isoform and spermadhesin-1 (SPADH1). The western blot analysis confirmed the
      presence of PDC-109 isoform proteins at 15.4 kDa (pI 5.3 and 5.5). The seminal
      plasma protein PDC-109 was abundant in the low fertile when compared to the high
      fertile group (p < 0.05). This study suggests that the imbalance in acidic and
      basic sperm proteins may influence sperm fertility and sperm PDC-109 levels above
      a certain threshold affects bull fertility. 

PMID- 26484772
TI  - Investigation of Repeat Client Drop-Out and Re-Enrolment Cycles in Fourteen
      Methadone Maintenance Treatment Clinics in Guangdong, China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Client adherence is vital for effective methadone maintenance
      treatment (MMT). This study explores the pattern and associated factors of client
      adherence, drop-out and re-enrolment in the Chinese MMT programme over the period
      of 2006-2013. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted in 14 MMT clinics
      in Guangdong Province, China. We employed Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to
      estimate the rates of drop-out and re-enrolment of MMT clients and multivariate
      Cox regression to identify associated factors. RESULTS: Among 1,512 study
      participants, 79% have experienced 'drop-out' during the 7-year study period.
      However, 82% 'dropped-out' clients resumed treatment at a later time. Low
      education level (junior high or below versus otherwise, HR = 1.21, 1.05-1.40),
      low methadone dosage in the first treatment episode (<50 ml versus >=50 ml, HR =
      1.84, 1.64-2.06) and higher proportion of positive urine test (>=50% versus<50%,
      HR = 3.72, 3.30-4.20) during the first treatment episode were strong predictors
      of subsequent drop-outs of the participants. Among the 'dropped-out' clients,
      being female (HR = 1.40, 1.23-1.60), being married (HR = 1.19, 1.09-1.30), and
      having a higher proportion of positive urine tests in the first treatment episode
      (>=50% versus<50%, HR = 1.35, 1.20-1.51) had greater likelihood of subsequent re
      enrolment in MMT. Clients receiving lower methadone dosage (first treatment
      episode <50 ml versus >=50 ml, HR = 1.12, 1.03-1.23; the last intake before drop
      out <50 ml versus >=50 ml, HR = 1.16, 1.04-1.30) were also more likely to re
      enrol. CONCLUSION: Persistent cycling in-and-out of clients in MMT programmes is
      common. Insufficient dosage and higher proportion of positive urine samples in
      the first treatment episode are the key determinants for subsequent client drop
      out and re-enrolment. Interventions should target clients in their early stage of
      treatment to improve retention in the long term.

PMID- 26484774
TI  - Streptococcus pyogenes Sortase Mutants Are Highly Susceptible to Killing by Host
      Factors Due to Aberrant Envelope Physiology.
AB  - Cell wall anchored virulence factors are critical for infection and colonization
      of the host by Gram-positive bacteria. Such proteins have an N-terminal leader
      sequence and a C-terminal sorting signal, composed of an LPXTG motif, a
      hydrophobic stretch, and a few positively charged amino acids. The sorting signal
      halts translocation across the membrane, allowing sortase to cleave the LPXTG
      motif, leading to surface anchoring. Deletion of sortase prevents the anchoring
      of virulence factors to the wall; the effects on bacterial physiology however,
      have not been thoroughly characterized. Here we show that deletion of
      Streptococcus pyogenes sortase A leads to accumulation of sorting intermediates,
      particularly at the septum, altering cellular morphology and physiology, and
      compromising membrane integrity. Such cells are highly sensitive to cathelicidin,
      and are rapidly killed in blood and plasma. These phenomena are not a loss-of
      function effect caused by the absence of anchored surface proteins, but
      specifically result from the accumulation of sorting intermediates. Reduction in
      the level of sorting intermediates leads to a return of the sortase mutant to
      normal morphology, while expression of M protein with an altered LPXTG motif in
      wild type cells leads to toxicity in the host environment, similar to that
      observed in the sortase mutant. These unanticipated effects suggest that
      inhibition of sortase by small-molecule inhibitors could similarly lead to the
      rapid elimination of pathogens from an infected host, making such inhibitors much
      better anti-bacterial agents than previously believed. 

PMID- 26484775
TI  - Estrogen Receptor (ER)-alpha36 Is Involved in Estrogen- and Tamoxifen-Induced
      Neuroprotective Effects in Ischemic Stroke Models.
AB  - The neuroprotection by estrogen (E2) and tamoxifen is well documented in
      experimental stroke models; however, the exact mechanism is unclear. A membrane
      based estrogen receptor, ER-alpha36, has been identified. Postmenopausal-levels
      of E2 act through ER-alpha36 to induce osteoclast apoptosis due to a prolonged
      activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal
      related kinase (ERK) signaling. We hypothesized that ER-alpha36 may play a role
      in the neuroprotective activities of estrogen and tamoxifen. Here, we studied ER
      alpha36 expression in the brain, as well as its neuroprotective effects against
      oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) in PC12 cells. We found that ER-alpha36 was
      expressed in both rat and human brain. In addition, OGD-induced cell death was
      prevented by l nmol/L 17beta-estradiol (E2beta). E2beta activates the MAPK/ERK
      signaling pathway in PC12 cells under basal and OGD conditions by interacting
      with ER-alpha36 and also induces ER-alpha36 expression. Low-dose of tamoxifen up
      regulated ER-alpha36 expression and enhanced neuronal survival in an
      ovariectomized ischemic stroke model. Furthermore, low-dose of tamoxifen enhanced
      neuroprotective effects by modulating activates or suppress ER-alpha36. Our
      results thus demonstrated that ER-alpha36 is involved in neuroprotective
      activities mediated by both estrogen and tamoxifen. 

PMID- 26484776
TI  - Phylogeny and Historical Biogeography of Asian Pterourus Butterflies
      (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae): A Case of Intercontinental Dispersal from North
      America to East Asia.
AB  - The phylogenetic status of the well-known Asian butterflies often known as
      Agehana (a species group, often treated as a genus or a subgenus, within Papilio
      sensu lato) has long remained unresolved. Only two species are included, and one
      of them especially, Papilio maraho, is not only rare but near-threatened, being
      monophagous on its vulnerable hostplant, Sassafras randaiense (Lauraceae).
      Although the natural history and population conservation of "Agehana" has
      received much attention, the biogeographic origin of this group still remains
      enigmatic. To clarify these two questions, a total of 86 species representatives
      within Papilionidae were sampled, and four genes (concatenated length 3842 bp)
      were used to reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships and historical
      scenarios. Surprisingly, "Agehana" fell within the American Papilio subgenus
      Pterourus and not as previously suggested, phylogenetically close to the Asian
      Papilio subgenus Chilasa. We therefore formally synonymize Agehana with
      Pterourus. Dating and biogeographic analysis allow us to infer an
      intercontinental dispersal of an American ancestor of Asian Pterourus in the
      early Miocene, which was coincident with historical paleo-land bridge
      connections, resulting in the present "East Asia-America" disjunction
      distribution. We emphasize that species exchange between East Asia and America
      seems to be a quite frequent occurrence in butterflies during the Oligocene to
      Miocene climatic optima. 

PMID- 26484778
TI  - Shigella Infections in Household Contacts of Pediatric Shigellosis Patients in
      Rural Bangladesh.
AB  - To examine rates of Shigella infections in household contacts of pediatric
      shigellosis patients, we followed contacts and controls prospectively for 1 week
      after the index patient obtained care. Household contacts of patients were 44
      times more likely to develop a Shigella infection than were control contacts
      (odds ratio 44.7, 95% CI 5.5-361.6); 29 (94%) household contacts of shigellosis
      patients were infected with the same species and serotype as the index patient's.
      Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed that 14 (88%) of 16 with infected
      contacts had strains that were indistinguishable from or closely related to the
      index patient's strain. Latrine area fly counts were higher in patient households
      compared with control households, and 2 patient household water samples were
      positive for Shigella. We show high susceptibility of household contacts of
      shigellosis patients to Shigella infections and found environmental risk factors
      to be targeted in future interventions. 

PMID- 26484779
TI  - How should pediatric anesthesia respond on the discussion about neurotoxicity in
      daily practice?

PMID- 26484777
TI  - Meconium aspiration syndrome: a role for fetal systemic inflammation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) is a leading cause of morbidity
      and mortality in term infants. Meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) occurs in
      approximately 1 of every 7 pregnancies, but only 5% of neonates exposed to MSAF
      develop MAS. Why some infants exposed to meconium develop MAS while others do not
      is a fundamental question. Patients with MSAF have a higher frequency of
      intraamniotic inflammation/infection than those with clear fluid. We propose that
      fetal systemic inflammation is a risk factor for the development of MAS in
      patients with MSAF. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate whether intraamniotic
      inflammation and funisitis, the histopathologic landmark of a fetal inflammatory
      response, predispose to MAS. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective cohort study was
      conducted from 1995 through 2009. Amniotic fluid (AF) samples (n = 1281) were
      collected at the time of cesarean delivery from women who delivered singleton
      newborns at term (gestational age >=38 weeks). Intraamniotic inflammation was
      diagnosed if the AF concentration of matrix metalloproteinase-8 was >23 ng/mL.
      Funisitis was diagnosed by histologic examination if inflammation was present in
      the umbilical cord. RESULTS: The prevalence of MSAF was 9.2% (118/1281), and
      10.2% (12/118) of neonates exposed to MSAF developed MAS. There were no
      significant differences in the median gestational age or umbilical cord arterial
      pH at birth between neonates who developed MAS and those who did not (each P >
      .1). Mothers whose newborns developed MAS had a higher median of AF matrix
      metalloproteinase-8 (456.8 vs 157.2 ng/mL, P < .05). Newborns exposed to
      intraamniotic inflammation had a higher rate of MAS than those who were not
      exposed to intraamniotic inflammation [13.0% (10/77) vs 0% (0/32), P = .03], as
      did those exposed to funisitis [31.3% (5/16) vs 7.3% (6/82); relative risk, 4.3;
      95% confidence interval, 1.5-12.3]. Among the 89 newborns for whom both AF and
      placental histology were available, MAS was more common in patients with both
      intraamniotic inflammation and funisitis than in those without intraamniotic
      inflammation and funisitis [28.6% (4/14) vs 0% (0/28), P = .009], while the rate
      of MAS did not show a significant difference between patients with intraamniotic
      inflammation alone (without funisitis) and those without intraamniotic
      inflammation and funisitis [10.9% (5/46) vs 0% (0/28)]. CONCLUSION: The
      combination of intraamniotic inflammation with fetal systemic inflammation is an
      important antecedent of MAS. This concept has implications for the understanding
      of the mechanisms of disease responsible for MAS and for the development of
      prognostic models and therapeutic interventions for this disorder.

PMID- 26484780
TI  - Breast Cancer Screening in the Setting of Dense Breast Tissue.

PMID- 26484781
TI  - Asherman syndrome: an unsolved clinical definition and management.

PMID- 26484782
TI  - Automated Cell Enrichment of Cytomegalovirus-specific T cells for Clinical
      Applications using the Cytokine-capture System.
AB  - The adoptive transfer of pathogen-specific T cells can be used to prevent and
      treat opportunistic infections such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection occurring
      after allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. Viral-specific T cells
      from allogeneic donors, including third party donors, can be propagated ex vivo
      in compliance with current good manufacturing practice (cGMP), employing repeated
      rounds of antigen-driven stimulation to selectively propagate desired T cells.
      The identification and isolation of antigen-specific T cells can also be
      undertaken based upon the cytokine capture system of T cells that have been
      activated to secrete gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma). However, widespread human
      application of the cytokine capture system (CCS) to help restore immunity has
      been limited as the production process is time-consuming and requires a skilled
      operator. The development of a second-generation cell enrichment device such as
      CliniMACS Prodigy now enables investigators to generate viral-specific T cells
      using an automated, less labor-intensive system. This device separates
      magnetically labeled cells from unlabeled cells using magnetic activated cell
      sorting technology to generate clinical-grade products, is engineered as a closed
      system and can be accessed and operated on the benchtop. We demonstrate the
      operation of this new automated cell enrichment device to manufacture CMV pp65
      specific T cells obtained from a steady-state apheresis product obtained from a
      CMV seropositive donor. These isolated T cells can then be directly infused into
      a patient under institutional and federal regulatory supervision. All the bio
      processing steps including removal of red blood cells, stimulation of T cells,
      separation of antigen-specific T cells, purification, and washing are fully
      automated. Devices such as this raise the possibility that T cells for human
      application can be manufactured outside of dedicated good manufacturing practice
      (GMP) facilities and instead be produced in blood banking facilities where staff
      can supervise automated protocols to produce multiple products. 

PMID- 26484783
TI  - The direction of the acceleration and rotational forces associated with mild
      traumatic brain injury in rodents effect behavioural and molecular outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The translation of research to clinical application is only as good
      as the modelling platforms employed. This study sought to improve understanding
      of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), by examining the importance of
      acceleration and rotational force directions on behavioural and molecular
      outcomes. It is believed that many symptoms associated with concussive forms of
      mTBI are related to white matter and fibre tract damage. Given that rodents have
      significantly less white matter, could changes in acceleration/rotational force
      directionality alter outcomes? NEW METHOD/COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS:
      Comparison of mTBIs with two distinct injury platforms, the lateral impact (LI)
      device, which produces horizontal acceleration/rotation; or the modified weight
      drop (WD) device, which produces sagittal or vertical acceleration/rotation. Male
      and female rats underwent a behavioural test battery followed by analysis of 5
      TBI-associated biomarkers (BDNF, Eno2, GFAP, MAPT, TERT) from the prefrontal
      cortex and hippocampus. RESULTS: Acute behavioural impairments were similar for
      both injury models; animals exhibited increased time-to-wake, and deficits of
      balance and motor control. However, as the post-injury interval increased LI
      animals displayed deficits on tasks related to emotional functioning, whereas WD
      animals showed impairment in cognitive measures. Biomarker expression varied as a
      function of injury platform, sex, and brain region. CONCLUSION: Just as with
      humans, the direction of the acceleration and rotational forces produced injuries
      in different networks and connections, resulting in altered functional deficits
      for rodents as well. These findings suggest that rodents are a valuable resource
      for the study of mTBI, when appropriately modelled.

PMID- 26484785
TI  - Objective selection of epilepsy-related independent components from EEG data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is commonly used for the
      identification of sources of interest in electroencephalographic (EEG) data, but
      the selection of the relevant components remains an open issue depending on the
      specific application. NEW METHOD: We propose a novel approach for the objective
      selection of epilepsy-related independent components (ICs) from EEG data
      collected during functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) acquisitions,
      called PROJection onto Independent Components (PROJIC). Inter-ictal epileptiform
      discharges (IEDs) are identified on a reference EEG dataset collected outside the
      MRI scanner by an expert neurophysiologist, and the resulting average IED is
      projected onto the IC space of the EEG data collected simultaneously with fMRI.
      The power of the IED projection is then used to inform a k-means clustering
      algorithm of the ICs, allowing for the classification of epilepsy-related ICs.
      COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: The performance of PROJIC was compared with two
      methods previously proposed for the objective selection of EEG ICs of interest,
      which are based on the explicit similarity of the ICs with spatio-temporal
      templates of the events of interest, instead of the projection power. RESULTS:
      The proposed PROJIC method outperformed the others for both artificial and real
      data (19 datasets collected from 6 patients with drug-refractory focal epilepsy),
      with an average accuracy of 98.6%. CONCLUSIONS: The ability of our method to
      accurately and objectively select epilepsy-related ICs makes it an important
      contribution for simultaneous EEG-fMRI epilepsy studies, with potential
      applications in the analysis of event-related EEG activity more generally, and
      also in EEG artefact correction.

PMID- 26484784
TI  - Models of drug-induced epileptiform synchronization in vitro.
AB  - Models of epileptiform activity in vitro have many advantages for recording and
      experimental manipulation. Neural tissues can be maintained in vitro for hours,
      and in neuronal or organotypic slice cultures for several weeks. A variety of
      drugs and other agents increase activity in these in vitro conditions, in many
      cases resulting in epileptiform activity, thus providing a direct model of
      symptomatic seizures. We review these preparations and the experimental
      manipulations used to induce epileptiform activity. The most common of drugs used
      are GABAA receptor antagonists and potassium channel blockers (notably 4
      aminopyridine). Muscarinic agents also can induce epileptiform synchronization in
      vitro, and include potassium channel inhibition amongst their cellular actions.
      Manipulations of extracellular ions are reviewed in another paper in this special
      issue, as are ex vivo slices prepared from chronically epileptic animals and from
      people with epilepsy. More complex slices including extensive networks and/or
      several connected brain structures can provide insights into the dynamics of long
      range connections during epileptic activity. Visualization of slices also
      provides opportunities for identification of living neurons and for optical
      recording/stimulation and manipulation. Overall, the analysis of the epileptiform
      activity induced in brain tissue in vitro has played a major role in advancing
      our understanding of the cellular and network mechanisms of epileptiform
      synchronization, and it is expected to continue to do so in future. 

PMID- 26484786
TI  - Evaluation of aggressiveness of female mice using a semi-automated apparatus for
      measurement of aggressive biting behavior toward an inanimate object.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most laboratory research on aggressive behavior has focused on
      intraspecific intermale aggression tests. The intraspecific confrontation is not
      available for the evaluation of female aggressiveness, since androgens are
      critical for maintenance of this behavior, whereas aggressive biting behavior
      toward inanimate objects (ABI) occurs in both males and females. NEW METHOD: We
      propose an experimental method for evaluating female aggressiveness. We improved
      the previously developed semi-automated apparatus (Aggression Response Meter,
      ARM) to apply it to measurement of female ABI, and measured changes of ABI in
      stressed mice and drug actions on ABI. RESULTS: ABI assessment was performed
      daily in sexually mature female mice using ARM. The intensity and number of ABI
      in one session did not significantly change during an estrous cycle, suggesting
      that ABI is not influenced by the dynamics of sex hormones. Additional female
      mice were socially isolated for 7 weeks and then re-socialized for 2 weeks, and
      ABI was monitored weekly. ABI significantly increased during the isolation
      period, and then significantly decreased during re-socialization; both were time
      dependent. In prolonged-isolated aggressive mice, a serotonin 1A receptor
      agonist, buspirone, significantly decreased ABI. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD:
      There are no experimental methods or apparatus available for evaluating female
      aggressiveness using one individual repeatedly. We could measure ABI semi
      quantitatively using the ARM. CONCLUSIONS: ABI is a useful behavioral paradigm in
      the evaluation of aggressiveness in female mice, regardless of the estrous cycle,
      and can also be used for evaluating the actions of drugs on aggressiveness.

PMID- 26484787
TI  - An automated task for the training and assessment of distal forelimb function in
      a mouse model of ischemic stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Behavioral models relevant to stroke research seek to capture
      important aspects of motor skills typically impaired in human patients, such as
      coordination of distal musculature. Such models may focus on mice since many
      genetic tools are available for use only in that species and since the training
      and behavioral demands of mice can differ from rats even for superficially
      similar behavioral readouts. However, current mouse assays are time consuming to
      train and score, especially in a manner producing continuous quantification. An
      automated assay of mouse forelimb function may provide advantages for
      quantification and speed, and may be useful for many applications including
      stroke research. NEW METHOD: We present an automated assay of distal forelimb
      function. In this task, mice reach forward, grip and pull an isometric handle
      with a prescribed force. The apparatus partially automates the training process
      so that mice can be trained quickly and simultaneously. RESULTS: Using this
      apparatus, it is possible to measure long-lasting impairment in success rate,
      force pulled, latency to pull, and latency to success up to 22 weeks following
      photothrombotic cortical strokes in mice. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S):
      This assessment measures forelimb function as do pellet reach tasks, but it
      utilizes a different motion and provides automatic measures that can ease and
      augment the research process. CONCLUSIONS: This high-throughput behavioral assay
      can detect long-lasting motor impairments, eliminates the need for subjective
      scoring, and produces a rich, continuous data set from which many aspects of the
      reach and grasp motion can be automatically extracted.

PMID- 26484788
TI  - Beta-blockers in the treatment of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular
      tachycardia.

PMID- 26484789
TI  - Progression of atrial remodeling in patients with high-burden atrial
      fibrillation: Implications for early ablative intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advanced atrial remodeling predicts poor clinical outcomes in human
      atrial fibrillation (AF). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to define the
      magnitude and predictors of change in left atrial (LA) structural remodeling over
      12 months of AF. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with paroxysmal AF managed
      medically (group 1), 20 undergoing AF ablation (group 2), and 25 control patients
      with no AF history (group 3) prospectively underwent echocardiographic assessment
      of strain variables of LA reservoir function at baseline and at 4, 8, and 12
      months. In addition, P-wave duration (Pmax,, Pmean) and dispersion (Pdis) were
      measured. AF burden was quantified by implanted recorders. Twenty patients
      undergoing ablation underwent electroanatomic mapping (mean 333 +/- 40 points)
      for correlation with LA strain. RESULT: Group 1 demonstrated significant
      deterioration in total LA strain (26.3% +/- 1.2% to 21.7% +/- 1.2%, P < .05) and
      increases in Pmax (132 +/- 3 ms to 138 +/- 3 ms, P < .05) and Pdis (37 +/- 2 ms
      to 42 +/- 2 ms, P < .05). AF burden >=10% was specifically associated with
      decline in strain and with P-wave prolongation. Conversely, group 2 manifest
      improvement in total LA strain (21.3% +/- 1.7% to 28.6% +/- 1.7%, P <.05) and
      reductions in Pmax (136 +/- 4 ms to 119 +/- 4 ms, P < .05) and Pdis (47 +/- 3 ms
      to 32 +/- 3 ms, P < .05). Change was not significant in group 3. LA mean voltage
      (r = 0.71, P = .0005), percent low voltage electrograms (r = -0.59, P = .006),
      percent complex electrograms (r = -0.68, P = .0009), and LA activation time (r = 
      0.69, P = .001) correlated with total strain as a measure of LA reservoir
      function. CONCLUSION: High-burden AF is associated with progressive LA structural
      remodeling. In contrast, AF ablation results in significant reverse remodeling.
      These data may have implications for timing of ablative intervention.

PMID- 26484790
TI  - Characterization of a novel gene involved in cadmium accumulation screened from
      sponge-associated bacterial metagenome.
AB  - Metagenome research has brought much attention for the identification of
      important and novel genes of industrial and pharmaceutical value. Here, using a
      metagenome library constructed from bacteria associated with the marine sponge,
      Styllisa massa, a high-throughput screening technique using radioisotope was
      implemented to screen for cadmium (Cd) binding or accumulation genes. From a
      total of 3301 randomly selected clones, a clone 247-11C was identified as
      harboring an open reading frame (ORF) showing Cd accumulation characteristics.
      The ORF, termed as ORF5, was further analyzed by protein functional studies to
      reveal the presence of a protein, Cdae-1. Cdae-1, composed of a signal peptide
      and domain harboring an E(G/A)KCG pentapeptide motif, enhanced Cd accumulation
      when expressed in Escherichia coli. Although showing no direct binding to Cd in
      vitro, the presence of important amino acid residues related to Cd detoxification
      suggests that Cdae-1 may possess a different mechanism from known Cd binding
      proteins such as metallothioneins (MTs) and phytochelatins (PCs). In summary,
      using the advantage of bacterial metagenomes, our findings in this work suggest
      the first report on the identification of a unique protein involved in Cd
      accumulation from bacteria associated with a marine sponge. 

PMID- 26484791
TI  - Three-dimensional Quantification of Dendritic Spines from Pyramidal Neurons
      Derived from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.
AB  - Dendritic spines are small protrusions that correspond to the post-synaptic
      compartments of excitatory synapses in the central nervous system. They are
      distributed along the dendrites. Their morphology is largely dependent on
      neuronal activity, and they are dynamic. Dendritic spines express glutamatergic
      receptors (AMPA and NMDA receptors) on their surface and at the levels of
      postsynaptic densities. Each spine allows the neuron to control its state and
      local activity independently. Spine morphologies have been extensively studied in
      glutamatergic pyramidal cells of the brain cortex, using both in vivo approaches
      and neuronal cultures obtained from rodent tissues. Neuropathological conditions
      can be associated to altered spine induction and maturation, as shown in rodent
      cultured neurons and one-dimensional quantitative analysis (1). The present study
      describes a protocol for the 3D quantitative analysis of spine morphologies using
      human cortical neurons derived from neural stem cells (late cortical
      progenitors). These cells were initially obtained from induced pluripotent stem
      cells. This protocol allows the analysis of spine morphologies at different
      culture periods, and with possible comparison between induced pluripotent stem
      cells obtained from control individuals with those obtained from patients with
      psychiatric diseases. 

PMID- 26484792
TI  - A novel 3D absorption correction method for quantitative EDX-STEM tomography.
AB  - This paper presents a novel 3D method to correct for absorption in energy
      dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalysis of heterogeneous samples of unknown
      structure and composition. By using STEM-based tomography coupled with EDX, an
      initial 3D reconstruction is used to extract the location of generated X-rays as
      well as the X-ray path through the sample to the surface. The absorption
      correction needed to retrieve the generated X-ray intensity is then calculated
      voxel-by-voxel estimating the different compositions encountered by the X-ray.
      The method is applied to a core/shell nanowire containing carbon and oxygen, two
      elements generating highly absorbed low energy X-rays. Absorption is shown to
      cause major reconstruction artefacts, in the form of an incomplete recovery of
      the oxide and an erroneous presence of carbon in the shell. By applying the
      correction method, these artefacts are greatly reduced. The accuracy of the
      method is assessed using reference X-ray lines with low absorption. 

PMID- 26484793
TI  - Simplified reintervention method of EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy stent
      obstruction.

PMID- 26484794
TI  - Open-label randomized non-inferiority trial of a fixed-dose combination of
      glimepiride and atorvastatin for the treatment of people whose Type 2 diabetes is
      uncontrolled on metformin.
AB  - AIMS: To evaluate, in a randomized, open-label study, the non-inferiority of a
      bioequivalent fixed-dose combination of glimepiride and atorvastatin vs.
      separately co-administered tablets in people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
      METHODS: Participants with HbA1c >= 53 to < 80 mmol/mol (>= 7.0 to < 9.5%),
      average fasting blood glucose > 7.0 mmol/l, who were on metformin for >= 3
      months, were randomized to combination (n = 215) or co-administered glimepiride
      and atorvastatin (n = 212) once daily for 20 weeks. Up-titration of glimepiride
      (1-4 mg) and atorvastatin (10-20 mg) were based on average fasting blood glucose
      and LDL cholesterol, respectively. Co-primary endpoints were change from baseline
      to week 20 in HbA1c and LDL cholesterol. RESULTS: Non-inferiority was
      demonstrated for both co-primary endpoints: the upper limits of 95% CIs for
      differences (combination-reference) were less than the prespecified margins of
      3.3 mmol/mol (0.3%) for change from baseline in HbA1c [difference 0.1 mmol/mol
      (95% CI -1.6, 1.9); 0.01% (95% CI -0.15, 0.17)] and 6% for percentage change from
      baseline in LDL cholesterol [difference 0.87% (95% CI -2.47, 4.21)]. Similar
      proportions of participants on combination and reference had treatment-emergent
      adverse events (64 vs. 61%). More participants on combination had hypoglycaemia
      (21 vs. 13%); most events were considered by the treating physician to be
      unrelated to study drug. CONCLUSIONS: The combination was non-inferior to
      separately co-administered tablets and the safety profile was consistent with the
      known profiles of glimepiride and atorvastatin. The observed increase in
      hypoglycaemia on the combination cannot be explained, but may be attributable to
      non-systematic collectiof glucose readings and may have been influenced by
      reporting bias in this open-label trial.

PMID- 26484795
TI  - Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives for Incarcerated Women: Feasibility and
      Safety of On-Site Provision.
AB  - CONTEXT: Many incarcerated women have an unmet need for contraception. Providing
      access to long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods--IUDs and implants-
      before release is one strategy to meet this need and potentially prepare them for
      reentry to the community, but the safety and feasibility of providing these
      methods in this setting have not been described. METHODS: A retrospective
      descriptive study of all LARC insertions at the San Francisco County Jail in 2009
      2014 was conducted. Data from community clinic and jail clinic databases were
      assessed to examine baseline characteristics of LARC initiators, complications
      from insertion, method continuation, and pregnancy and reincarceration rates.
      Correlates of method discontinuation were assessed in multivariate logistic
      regression analyses. RESULTS: Eighty-seven LARC devices were inserted during the
      study period--53 IUDs and 34 implants. There were no cases of pelvic inflammatory
      disease or other insertion complications in IUD users and no serious
      complications in implant users. Median duration of known use was 11.4 months for
      IUDs and 12.9 months for implants. Women who discontinued a LARC method most
      commonly cited a desire to get pregnant (32%). Black women were more likely than
      whites to discontinue use (odds ratio, 4.4). CONCLUSIONS: It is safe and feasible
      to provide LARC methods to incarcerated women. Correctional facilities should
      consider increasing access to all available contraceptives, including LARC
      methods, in a noncoercive manner as a strategy to reduce reproductive health
      disparities among marginalized women at high risk of unplanned pregnancies.

PMID- 26484797
TI  - The Use of p-Aminobenzoic Acid as a Probe Substance for the Targeted Profiling of
      Glycine Conjugation.
AB  - Glycine conjugation facilitates the metabolism of toxic aromatic acids, capable
      of disrupting mitochondrial integrity. Owing to the high exposure to toxic
      substrates, characterization of individual glycine conjugation capacity, and its
      regulatory factors has become increasingly important. Aspirin and benzoate have
      been employed for this purpose; however, adverse reactions, aspirin intolerance,
      and Reye's syndrome in children are substantial drawbacks. The goal of this study
      was to investigate p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) as an alternative glycine
      conjugation probe. Ten human volunteers participated in a PABA challenge test,
      and p-aminohippuric acid (PAHA), p-acetamidobenzoic acid, and p-acetamidohippuric
      acid were quantified in urine. The glycine N-acyltransferase gene of the
      volunteers was also screened for two polymorphisms associated with normal and
      increased enzyme activity. All of the individuals were homozygous for increased
      enzyme activity, but excretion of PAHA varied significantly (16-56%, hippurate
      ratio). The intricacies of PABA metabolism revealed possible limiting factors and
      the potential of PABA as an indicator of Phase 0 biotransformation. 

PMID- 26484798
TI  - Erratum: High frequency of deficient consumption and low blood levels of 25
      hydroxyvitamin D in HIV-1-infected adults from Sao Paulo city, Brazil.

PMID- 26484799
TI  - High-Energy Faceted SnO2-Coated TiO2 Nanobelt Heterostructure for Near-Ambient
      Temperature-Responsive Ethanol Sensor.
AB  - A SnO2 gas sensor was prepared by a two-step oxidation process whereby a Sn(II)
      precursor was partially oxidized by a hydrothermal process and the resulting
      Sn3O4 nanoplates were thermally oxidized to yield SnO2 nanoplates. The SnO2
      sensor was selective and responsive toward ethanol at a temperature as low as 43 
      degrees C. This low sensing temperature stems from the rapid charge transport
      within SnO2 and from the presence of high-energy (001) facets available for
      oxygen chemisorption. SnO2/TiO2 nanobelt heterostructures were fabricated by a
      similar two-step process in which TiO2 nanobelts acted as support for the
      epitaxial growth of intermediate Sn3O4. At temperatures ranging from 43 to 276 
      degrees C, the response of these branched nanobelts is more than double the
      response of SnO2 for ethanol detection. Our observations demonstrate the
      potential of low-cost SnO2-based sensors with controlled morphology and reactive
      facets for detecting gases around room temperature.

PMID- 26484800
TI  - To What Extent Does Surface Hydrophobicity Dictate Peptide Folding and Stability
      near Surfaces?
AB  - Protein-surface interactions are ubiquitous in both the cellular setting and in
      modern bioengineering devices, but how such interactions impact protein stability
      is not well understood. We investigate the folding of the GB1 hairpin peptide in
      the presence of self-assembled monolayers and graphite like surfaces using
      replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations. By varying surface
      hydrophobicity, and decoupling direct protein-surface interactions from water
      mediated interactions, we show that surface wettability plays a surprisingly
      minor role in dictating protein stability. For both the beta-hairpin GB1 and the
      helical miniprotein TrpCage, adsorption and stability is largely dictated by the
      nature of the direct chemical interactions between the protein and the surface.
      Independent of the surface hydrophobicity profile, strong protein-surface
      interactions destabilize the folded structure while weak interactions stabilize
      it. 

PMID- 26484801
TI  - Awake examination versus DISE for surgical decision making in patients with OSA:
      A systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Traditionally, upper airway examination is performed while the patient
      is awake. However, in the past two decades, drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE)
      has been used as a method of tridimensional evaluation of the upper airway during
      pharmacologically induced sleep. This study aimed to systematically review the
      evidence regarding the usefulness of DISE compared with that of traditional awake
      examination for surgical decision making in patients with obstructive sleep apnea
      (OSA). DATA SOURCES: Scopus, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases were
      searched. REVIEW METHODS: Only studies with a primary objective of evaluating the
      usefulness of DISE for surgical decision making in patients with OSA were
      selected. The included studies directly compared awake examination data with DISE
      outcome data in terms of possible influences on surgical decision making and
      operation success. RESULTS: A total of eight studies with 535 patients were
      included in this review. Overall, the surgical treatment changed after DISE in
      50.24% (standard deviation 8.4) cases. These changes were more frequently
      associated with structures contributing to hypopharyngeal or laryngeal
      obstruction. However, these differences do not automatically indicate a higher
      success rate. CONCLUSION: This review emphasized the direct impact of DISE
      compared with that of awake examination on surgical decision making in OSA
      patients. However, it is also clear that the available published studies lack
      evidence on the association between this impact and surgical outcomes.
      Laryngoscope, 126:768-774, 2016.

PMID- 26484804
TI  - CHOROIDAL EFFUSION AS AN OCULAR MANIFESTATION OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN G4-RELATED
      DISEASE.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report a unique ocular manifestation of immunoglobulin G4-related
      disease (IgG4-RD) as choroidal effusion. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: An 81
      year-old man presented with clinical manifestations of choroidal effusion,
      confirmed by fluorescein angiography, ophthalmic ultrasound (posterior segment),
      high-frequency ultrasound biomicroscopy, Heidelberg Spectralis spectral domain
      optical coherence tomography, and enhanced depth imaging spectral domain optical
      coherence tomography. Systemic multi-organ findings included chronic
      pancreatitis, irregularity of the intrahepatic bile ducts, lymphadenopathy,
      aortitis, fibrotic changes of the lungs, hypophysitis, and sialadenitis.
      Extensive workup revealed elevated IgG4 serum levels, and lymph nodes biopsy
      showed reactive pattern with polyclonal IgG4 positive plasma cells. These
      findings were compatible with IgG4-related disease. Treatment with oral
      corticosteroids resulted in complete resolution of the choroidal effusion.
      CONCLUSION: Choroidal effusion may be an ocular manifestation of IgG4-related
      disease. Oral corticosteroids is an effective treatment. Ophthalmologists should
      be aware of this possible finding.

PMID- 26484803
TI  - Nerve growth factor (NGF) and pro-NGF increase low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
      receptors in neuronal cells partly by different mechanisms: role of LDL in
      neurite outgrowth.
AB  - Low-density lipoprotein receptors (LDLRs) mediate the uptake of lipoprotein
      particles into cells, as studied mainly in peripheral tissues. Here, we show that
      nerve growth factor (NGF) increases LDLR levels in PC6.3 cells and in cultured
      septal neurons from embryonic rat brain. Study of the mechanisms showed that NGF
      enhanced transcription of the LDLR gene, acting mainly via Tropomyosin receptor
      kinase A receptors. Simvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug, also increased the
      LDLR expression in PC6.3 cells. In addition, pro-NGF and pro-brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor, acting via the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) also
      increased LDLRs. We further observed that Myosin Regulatory Light Chain
      Interacting Protein/Inducible Degrader of the LDLR (Mylip/Idol) was down
      regulated by pro-NGF, whereas the other LDLR regulator, proprotein convertase
      subtilisin kexin 9 (PCSK9) was not significantly changed. On the functional side,
      NGF and pro-NGF increased lipoprotein uptake by neuronal cells as shown using
      diacetyl-labeled LDL. The addition of serum-derived lipoprotein particles in
      conjunction with NGF or simvastatin enhanced neurite outgrowth. Collectively,
      these results show that NGF and simvastatin are able to stimulate lipoprotein
      uptake by neurons with a positive effect on neurite outgrowth. Increases in LDLRs
      and lipoprotein particles in neurons could play a functional role during brain
      development, in neuroregeneration and after brain injuries. Nerve growth factor
      (NGF) and pro-NGF induce the expression of low-density lipoprotein receptors
      (LDLRs) in neuronal cells leading to increased LDLR levels. Pro-NGF also down
      regulated myosin regulatory light chain-interacting protein/inducible degrader of
      the LDLR (Mylip/Idol) that is involved in the degradation of LDLRs. NGF acts
      mainly via Tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA) receptors, whereas pro-NGF
      stimulates p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR). Elevated LDLRs upon NGF and pro
      NGF treatments enhanced lipoprotein uptake by neurons. Addition of LDL particles
      further led to the stimulation of neurite outgrowth in PC6.3 cells after NGF or
      simvastatin treatments, suggesting a stimulatory role of lipoproteins on neuronal
      differentiation. In contrast, pro-NGF had no effect on neurite outgrowth either
      in the absence or presence of LDL particles. The precise mechanisms by which
      increased lipoproteins uptake can affect neurite outgrowth warrant further
      studies. 

PMID- 26484807
TI  - Gut microbes ward off obesity.

PMID- 26484806
TI  - Import/export imbalance in ALS.

PMID- 26484809
TI  - Modeling aberrant bone growth.

PMID- 26484810
TI  - T cells on the trail.

PMID- 26484812
TI  - Uncommon uses for a common fish.

PMID- 26484813
TI  - Response to Protocol Review Scenario: Where loopholes linger, intent should
      prevail.

PMID- 26484814
TI  - To register or not to register.

PMID- 26484815
TI  - Response to Protocol Review Scenario: Get registered (and accredited)!

PMID- 26484816
TI  - Response to Protocol Review Scenario: Down the rabbit hole.

PMID- 26484817
TI  - A word from USDA.

PMID- 26484802
TI  - Reperfusion injury and reactive oxygen species: The evolution of a concept.
AB  - Reperfusion injury, the paradoxical tissue response that is manifested by blood
      flow-deprived and oxygen-starved organs following the restoration of blood flow
      and tissue oxygenation, has been a focus of basic and clinical research for over
      4-decades. While a variety of molecular mechanisms have been proposed to explain
      this phenomenon, excess production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) continues to
      receive much attention as a critical factor in the genesis of reperfusion injury.
      As a consequence, considerable effort has been devoted to identifying the
      dominant cellular and enzymatic sources of excess ROS production following
      ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). Of the potential ROS sources described to date,
      xanthine oxidase, NADPH oxidase (Nox), mitochondria, and uncoupled nitric oxide
      synthase have gained a status as the most likely contributors to reperfusion
      induced oxidative stress and represent priority targets for therapeutic
      intervention against reperfusion-induced organ dysfunction and tissue damage.
      Although all four enzymatic sources are present in most tissues and are likely to
      play some role in reperfusion injury, priority and emphasis has been given to
      specific ROS sources that are enriched in certain tissues, such as xanthine
      oxidase in the gastrointestinal tract and mitochondria in the metabolically
      active heart and brain. The possibility that multiple ROS sources contribute to
      reperfusion injury in most tissues is supported by evidence demonstrating that
      redox-signaling enables ROS produced by one enzymatic source (e.g., Nox) to
      activate and enhance ROS production by a second source (e.g., mitochondria). This
      review provides a synopsis of the evidence implicating ROS in reperfusion injury,
      the clinical implications of this phenomenon, and summarizes current
      understanding of the four most frequently invoked enzymatic sources of ROS
      production in post-ischemic tissue. 

PMID- 26484819
TI  - Free resources for the veterinary community.

PMID- 26484818
TI  - Basic research support for shared magnetic resonance imaging resources.
AB  - Procedures that enable the collection of longitudinal physiologic and anatomic
      information can contribute to the reduction and refinement of animal use.
      Scientists are increasingly turning to noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) to obtain such information from animal research subjects. As they make this
      important investment, research support veterinarians are often tasked with
      ensuring the proper care and use of laboratory animal research subjects. A basic
      understanding of MRI equipment, personnel practices, safety, and monitoring of
      animals and their recoveries is key to implementing a centralized animal MRI
      facility. 

PMID- 26484820
TI  - Evaluation of a novel technique for intraperitoneal injections in mice.
AB  - Intraperitoneal injection is a common technique that safely delivers a substance
      into the peritoneal cavity but can induce high stress in animals. The authors
      have developed a new method for administering intraperitoneal injections in mice,
      with the goal of causing less stress during handling and injection. Here, they
      compare their novel technique with a conventional technique in three experiments.
      In the first experiment, the authors administered intraperitoneal injections of
      contrast medium using either technique and then used micro-computed tomography to
      evaluate the placement and retention of the medium. In the second and third
      experiments, the authors administered intraperitoneal injections or control
      treatments, then sampled blood to determine circulating concentrations of stress
      related hormones. Imaging showed that both the novel and the conventional
      techniques properly delivered a contrast medium into the peritoneal cavity. The
      novel technique was also associated with lower concentrations of stress-related
      hormones than was the conventional technique. These results indicate that this
      novel technique might be beneficial to investigators that use intraperitoneal
      injections with mice. 

PMID- 26484821
TI  - Gross and histological description of the epidermal membrane found on normal
      neonatal piglets.
AB  - The structure and composition of fetal and placental tissues vary among different
      species of placental mammals. Some mammals, including camelids and pigs, possess
      an epidermal membrane during the fetal stage, called the epithelion, that is
      absent from other domestic mammals. Because neonatal piglets are a common animal
      model for many research techniques, it is important that researchers correctly
      identify this tissue and recognize its lack of pathological consequence when
      working with fetal and neonatal piglets. Here, the authors describe gross and
      histological examinations of the epithelion, comparing this tissue with other
      extra-fetal tissues and coatings. 

PMID- 26484822
TI  - LAWTE turns 21!

PMID- 26484823
TI  - To Slinky, with love, part 2.

PMID- 26484824
TI  - Privileged to work with animals.

PMID- 26484825
TI  - State-of-the-art equipment for sterilization and biocontainment since 1925.
AB  - Tuttnauer is a worldwide leader in the market for sterilization and infection
      control. An expansive global presence has aided Tuttnauer's growth over the past
      four decades. Tuttnauer's products are marketed through seven subsidiaries with
      local dealers in over 120 countries. The company also holds offices in the United
      States, Netherlands, India, China, and Vietnam. Facing the most challenging and
      complex projects worldwide, Tuttnauer has become a driving force in advancing
      technology in this market to a new standard. 

PMID- 26484826
TI  - Diminished neural adaptation during implicit learning in autism.
AB  - Neuroimaging studies have shown evidence of disrupted neural adaptation during
      learning in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in several types of
      tasks, potentially stemming from frontal-posterior cortical underconnectivity
      (Schipul et al., 2012). The aim of the current study was to examine neural
      adaptations in an implicit learning task that entails participation of frontal
      and posterior regions. Sixteen high-functioning adults with ASD and sixteen
      neurotypical control participants were trained on and performed an implicit dot
      pattern prototype learning task in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
      session. During the preliminary exposure to the type of implicit prototype
      learning task later to be used in the scanner, the ASD participants took longer
      than the neurotypical group to learn the task, demonstrating altered implicit
      learning in ASD. After equating task structure learning, the two groups' brain
      activation differed during their learning of a new prototype in the subsequent
      scanning session. The main findings indicated that neural adaptations in a
      distributed task network were reduced in the ASD group, relative to the
      neurotypical group, and were related to ASD symptom severity. Functional
      connectivity was reduced and did not change as much during learning for the ASD
      group, and was related to ASD symptom severity. These findings suggest that
      individuals with ASD show altered neural adaptations during learning, as seen in
      both activation and functional connectivity measures. This finding suggests why
      many real-world implicit learning situations may pose special challenges for ASD.

PMID- 26484827
TI  - A hemodynamic model for layered BOLD signals.
AB  - High-resolution blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance
      imaging (fMRI) at the sub-millimeter scale has become feasible with recent
      advances in MR technology. In principle, this would enable the study of layered
      cortical circuits, one of the fundaments of cortical computation. However, the
      spatial layout of cortical blood supply may become an important confound at such
      high resolution. In particular, venous blood draining back to the cortical
      surface perpendicularly to the layered structure is expected to influence the
      measured responses in different layers. Here, we present an extension of a
      hemodynamic model commonly used for analyzing fMRI data (in dynamic causal models
      or biophysical network models) that accounts for such blood draining effects by
      coupling local hemodynamics across layers. We illustrate the properties of the
      model and its inversion by a series of simulations and show that it successfully
      captures layered fMRI data obtained during a simple visual experiment. We
      conclude that for future studies of the dynamics of layered neuronal circuits
      with high-resolution fMRI, it will be pivotal to include effects of blood
      draining, particularly when trying to infer on the layer-specific connections in
      cortex--a theme of key relevance for brain disorders like schizophrenia and for
      theories of brain function such as predictive coding.

PMID- 26484828
TI  - Dissociation of the functional relevance of different pre-stimulus oscillatory
      activity for memory formation.
AB  - The state of a neural assembly preceding an incoming stimulus modulates the
      processing of that subsequently presented stimuli. For human memory formation,
      the role of oscillatory brain activity within different frequency ranges has been
      discussed but a more functional relation could not be established. In the present
      Experiment I, an increase of pre-stimulus theta- (3-7Hz) and beta- (13-17Hz) band
      oscillations during encoding for later remembered stimuli was observed. To
      establish a more direct functional relation, we adopted a novel brain-computer
      interface (BCI) method to selectively detect oscillatory activity in real-time
      combined with an adaptive stimulus presentation at different levels of activity.
      Therefore, in the second experiment the BCI was used to present the visual
      stimuli with a high temporal resolution directly within defined brain states of
      beta- or theta-band activity. The quality of the subsequent processing of the
      stimuli was assessed at the behavioral level with a surprise recognition task.
      Results revealed a variation of memory performance in direct relation to the
      amount of pre-stimulus beta- but not theta-band oscillations, suggesting a
      functional relevance of beta-band oscillations for memory encoding. Thus, the BCI
      method enabled a more functional differentiation of the effective role of ongoing
      oscillatory activity.

PMID- 26484830
TI  - Role of the human retrosplenial cortex/parieto-occipital sulcus in perspective
      priming.
AB  - The ability to imagine the world from a different viewpoint is a fundamental
      competence for spatial reorientation and for imagining what another individual
      sees in the environment. Here, we investigated the neural bases of such an
      ability using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Healthy participants
      detected target displacements across consecutive views of a familiar virtual
      room, either from the perspective of an avatar (primed condition) or in the
      absence of such a prime (unprimed condition). In the primed condition, the
      perspective at test always corresponded to the avatar's perspective, while in the
      unprimed condition it was randomly chosen as 0, 45 or 135deg of viewpoint
      rotation. We observed a behavioral advantage in performing a perspective
      transformation during the primed condition as compared to an equivalent amount of
      unprimed perspective change. Although many cortical regions (dorsal parietal,
      parieto-temporo-occipital junction, precuneus and retrosplenial cortex/parieto
      occipital sulcus or RSC/POS) were involved in encoding and retrieving target
      location from different perspectives and were modulated by the amount of
      viewpoint rotation, the RSC/POS was the only area showing decreased activity in
      the primed as compared to the unprimed condition, suggesting that this region
      anticipates the upcoming perspective change. The retrosplenial cortex/parieto
      occipital sulcus appears to play a special role in the allocentric coding of
      heading directions.

PMID- 26484831
TI  - Coping with mental health issues: subjective experiences of self-help and helpful
      contextual factors at the start of mental health treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self-help strategies and various contextual factors support recovery.
      However, more in-depth knowledge is needed about how self-help strategies and
      supportive environments facilitate the recovery process. AIMS: To explore what
      individuals who have recently been referred to a specialist Community Mental
      Health Center experience as helpful and what they do to help themselves. METHOD:
      Ten service users participated in in-depth interviews within a collaborative
      reflexive framework. A hermeneutic-phenomenological approach was used. RESULTS:
      Participants described a variety of helpful strategies and environmental
      supports. Four relevant main themes were identified: helpful activities, helpful
      people and places, self-instruction and learning about mental problems and
      medication and self-medication. CONCLUSIONS: The process of recovery is initiated
      before people become users of mental health services. This study confirms that
      recovery takes place within the person's daily life context and involves the
      interplay of contextual factors, such as family, friends, good places, work and
      other meaningful activities. The coping strategies reported may represent an
      important focus for attention and clinical intervention.

PMID- 26484832
TI  - The effect of time perspectives on mental health information processing and help
      seeking attitudes and intentions in younger versus older adults.
AB  - : Socioemotional selectivity theory posits that changes in time perspective over
      the lifespan are associated with distinct goals and motivations. Time
      perspectives and their associated socioemotional motivations have been shown to
      influence information processing and memory, such that motivation-consistent
      information is more likely to be remembered and evaluated more positively.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of motivation
      consistent mental health information on memory for and evaluations of this
      information, as well as help-seeking attitudes and intentions to seek mental
      health services. METHOD: We randomly assigned an Internet-based sample of 160
      younger (18-25) and 175 older (60-89) adults to read a mental health information
      pamphlet that emphasized time perspectives and motivations relevant to either
      young adulthood (future-focused) or late adulthood (present-focused).
      Participants completed measures assessing their time perspective, memory for and
      subjective evaluation of the pamphlet, and help-seeking attitudes and intentions.
      RESULTS: The time perspective manipulation had no effect on memory for pamphlet
      information or help-seeking attitudes and intentions. There was, however, a
      significant interaction between time perspective and pamphlet version on the
      rated liking of the pamphlet. CONCLUSION: Although motivation-consistent
      information only affected perceptions of that information for present-focused
      (mostly older) individuals, this finding has important implications for enhancing
      older adults' mental health literacy.

PMID- 26484829
TI  - Integrative Bayesian analysis of neuroimaging-genetic data with application to
      cocaine dependence.
AB  - Neuroimaging and genetic studies provide distinct and complementary information
      about the structural and biological aspects of a disease. Integrating the two
      sources of data facilitates the investigation of the links between genetic
      variability and brain mechanisms among different individuals for various medical
      disorders. This article presents a general statistical framework for integrative
      Bayesian analysis of neuroimaging-genetic (iBANG) data, which is motivated by a
      neuroimaging-genetic study in cocaine dependence. Statistical inference
      necessitated the integration of spatially dependent voxel-level measurements with
      various patient-level genetic and demographic characteristics under an
      appropriate probability model to account for the multiple inherent sources of
      variation. Our framework uses Bayesian model averaging to integrate genetic
      information into the analysis of voxel-wise neuroimaging data, accounting for
      spatial correlations in the voxels. Using multiplicity controls based on the
      false discovery rate, we delineate voxels associated with genetic and demographic
      features that may impact diffusion as measured by fractional anisotropy (FA)
      obtained from DTI images. We demonstrate the benefits of accounting for model
      uncertainties in both model fit and prediction. Our results suggest that cocaine
      consumption is associated with FA reduction in most white matter regions of
      interest in the brain. Additionally, gene polymorphisms associated with
      GABAergic, serotonergic and dopaminergic neurotransmitters and receptors were
      associated with FA.

PMID- 26484833
TI  - Biomimetic Mn-Catalases Based on Dimeric Manganese Complexes in Mesoporous Silica
      for Potential Antioxidant Agent.
AB  - Two new structural and functional models of the Mn-catalase with formula
      [{Mn(III)(bpy)(H2O)}(MU-2-MeOC6H4CO2)2(MU-O){Mn(III)(bpy)(X)}]X, where X = NO3
      (1) and ClO4 (2) and bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, were synthesized and characterized by
      X-ray diffraction. In both cases, a water molecule and an X ion occupy the
      monodentate positions. The magnetic properties of these compounds reveal a weak
      antiferromagnetic behavior (2J = -2.2 cm(-1) for 1 and -0.7 cm(-1) for 2, using
      the spin Hamiltonian H = -2J S1.S2) and negative zero-field splitting parameter
      DMn (-4.6 cm(-1) and -3.0 cm(-1) for 1 and 2, respectively). This fact, together
      with the nearly orthogonal orientation of the Jahn-Teller axes of the Mn(III)
      ions explain the unusual shape of chiMT versus T plot at low temperature.
      Compound 1 presents a better catalase activity than 2 in CH3CN-H2O media,
      probably due to a beneficial interaction of the NO3(-) ion with the Mn complex in
      solution. These compounds were successfully inserted inside two-dimensional
      hexagonal mesoporous silica (MCM-41 type) leading to the same hybrid material
      ([Mn2O]@SiO2), without the X group. The manganese complex occupies approximately
      half of the available pore volume, keeping the silica's hexagonal array intact.
      Magnetic measurements of [Mn2O]@SiO2 suggest that most of the dinuclear unit is
      preserved, as a non-negligible interaction between Mn ions is still observed. The
      X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the Mn 3s peak confirms that Mn
      remains as Mn(III) inside the silica. The catalase activity study of material
      [Mn2O]@SiO2 reveals that the complex is more active inside the porous silica,
      probably due to the surface silanolate groups of the pore wall. Moreover, the new
      material shows catalase activity in water media, while the coordination compounds
      are not active. 

PMID- 26484834
TI  - The AJT Report.

PMID- 26484836
TI  - Surgical technique in transplantation: how much does it matter?

PMID- 26484837
TI  - The effect of anastomosis time on outcome in recipients of kidneys donated after
      brain death: a cohort study.
AB  - Whether warm ischemia during the time to complete the vascular anastomoses
      determines renal allograft function has not been investigated systematically. We
      investigated the effect of anastomosis time on allograft outcome in 669 first,
      single kidney transplantations from brain-dead donors. Anastomosis time
      independently increased the risk of delayed graft function (odds ratio per minute
      [OR] 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.07, p < 0.001) and independently
      impaired allograft function after transplantation (p = 0.009, mixed-models
      repeated-measures analysis). In a subgroup of transplant recipients, protocol
      specified biopsies at 3 months (n = 186), 1 year (n = 189), and 2 years (n = 153)
      were blindly reviewed. Prolonged anastomosis time independently increased the
      risk of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy on these protocol-specified
      biopsies posttransplant (p < 0.001, generalized linear models). In conclusion,
      prolonged anastomosis time is not only detrimental for renal allograft outcome
      immediately after transplantation, also longer-term allograft function and
      histology are affected by the duration of this warm ischemia. 

PMID- 26484838
TI  - A registry analysis of damage to the deceased donor pancreas during procurement.
AB  - Surgical injury to the pancreas is thought to occur commonly during procurement.
      The UK Transplant Registry was analyzed to determine the frequency of pancreatic
      injuries, identify factors associated with damage, and assess the impact of
      injuries on graft survival. Twelve hundred ninety-six pancreata were procured
      from donation after brain death donors, with 314 (19.5%) from donation after
      circulatory death donors. More than 50% of recovered pancreata had at least one
      injury, most commonly a short portal vein (21.5%). Liver donation, procurement
      team origin, hepatic artery (HA) arising from the superior mesenteric artery
      (SMA), and increasing donor BMI were associated with increased rates of pancreas
      damage on univariate analyses; on multivariate analysis only the presence of an
      HA from the SMA remained significant (p = 0.02). Six hundred forty solid organ
      pancreas transplants were performed; 238 had some form of damage. Overall, there
      was no difference in graft survival between damaged and undamaged organs (p =
      0.28); however, graft loss was significantly more frequent in pancreata with
      arterial damage (p = 0.04) and in those with parenchymal damage (p = 0.05).
      Damage to the pancreas during organ recovery is more common than other organs,
      and meticulous surgical technique and awareness of damage risk factors are
      essential to reduce rates of procurement-related injuries. 

PMID- 26484841
TI  - A 71-year-old kidney transplant recipient with hemorrhagic mucocutaneous lesions.

PMID- 26484839
TI  - Hospital-onset Clostridium difficile infection among solid organ transplant
      recipients.
AB  - Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a considerable health issue in the
      United States and represents the most common healthcare-associated infection.
      Solid organ transplant recipients are at increased risk of CDI, which can affect
      both graft and patient survival. However, little is known about the impact of CDI
      on health services utilization posttransplantation. We examined hospital-onset
      CDI from 2012 to 2014 among transplant recipients in the University HealthSystem
      Consortium, which includes academic medical center-affiliated hospitals in the
      United States. Infection was five times more common among transplant recipients
      than among general medicine inpatients (209 vs 40 per 10 000 discharges), and
      factors associated with CDI among transplant recipients included transplant type,
      risk of mortality, comorbidities, and inpatient complications. Institutional risk
      standardized CDI varied more than 3-fold across high-volume hospitals (infection
      ratio 0.54-1.82, median 1.04, interquartile range 0.78-1.28). CDI was associated
      with increased 30-day readmission, transplant organ complications,
      cytomegalovirus infection, inpatient costs, and lengths of stay. Total observed
      inpatient days and direct costs for those with CDI were substantially higher than
      risk-standardized expected values (40 094 vs 22 843 days, costs $198 728 368 vs
      $154 020 528). Further efforts to detect, prevent, and manage CDI among solid
      organ transplant recipients are warranted. 

PMID- 26484842
TI  - Effectiveness of a 2-year menopause medicine curriculum for obstetrics and
      gynecology residents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous work has shown American obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN)
      residents are lacking in menopause training. Our objective was to assess the
      effectiveness of a 2-year menopause medicine curriculum in improving OB/GYN
      residents' knowledge and self-assessed competency in menopause topics. METHODS:
      We developed a menopause medicine-teaching curriculum for OB/GYN residents at our
      academic hospital-based residency program. The 2-year curriculum was composed of
      year 1: four 1-hour lectures and one 2-hour lab with cases presentations, and
      year 2: three 1-hour lectures and one 2-hour lab. Core topics included menopause
      physiology, hormone therapy, breast health, bone health, cardiovascular disease,
      and autoimmune disease. Pre- and posttests assessed resident knowledge and
      comfort in core topics, and a pre- and postcurriculum survey assessed utility and
      learning satisfaction. RESULTS: From July 2011 to June 2013, 34 OB/GYN residents
      completed the menopause curriculum annually with an average attendance at each
      module of 23 residents. Pre-/posttest scores improved from a mean pretest score
      of 57.3% to a mean posttest score of 78.7% (P < 0.05). Before the curriculum,
      most residents did not feel comfortable managing menopause patients with 75.8%
      reporting feeling "barely comfortable" and 8.4% feeling "not at all comfortable."
      After the 2-year curriculum, 85.7% reported feeling "comfortable/very
      comfortable" taking care of menopause patients. The majority of residents (95.2%)
      reported the menopause curriculum was "extremely useful." CONCLUSIONS: A 2-year
      menopause medicine curriculum for OB/GYN residents utilizing lectures and a lab
      with case studies is an effective modality to improve resident knowledge required
      to manage menopause patients.

PMID- 26484844
TI  - DSPMP: Discriminating secretory proteins of malaria parasite by hybridizing
      different descriptors of Chou's pseudo amino acid patterns.
AB  - Identification of the proteins secreted by the malaria parasite is important for
      developing effective drugs and vaccines against infection. Therefore, we
      developed an improved predictor called "DSPMP" (Discriminating Secretory Proteins
      of Malaria Parasite) to identify the secretory proteins of the malaria parasite
      by integrating several vector features using support vector machine-based
      methods. DSPMP achieved an overall predictive accuracy of 98.61%, which is
      superior to that of the existing predictors in this field. We show that our
      method is capable of identifying the secretory proteins of the malaria parasite
      and found that the amino acid composition for buried and exposed sequences,
      denoted by AAC(b/e), was the most important feature for constructing the
      predictor. This article not only introduces a novel method for detecting the
      important features of sample proteins related to the malaria parasite but also
      provides a useful tool for tackling general protein-related problems. The DSPMP
      webserver is freely available at http://202.207.14.87:8032/fuwu/DSPMP/index.asp.

PMID- 26484843
TI  - Evaluating the Effectiveness of First-Time Methadone Maintenance Therapy Across
      Northern, Rural, and Urban Regions of Ontario, Canada.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to determine the impact that a patient's geographic
      status has on the efficacy of first-time methadone maintenance therapy (MMT)
      retention. METHODS: We conducted an observational cohort study using
      administrative health care databases for patients who commenced methadone therapy
      between 2003 and 2012. Patients were stratified on the basis of their location of
      residence into 1 of 4 groups-Southern Urban, Southern Rural, Northern Urban, or
      Northern Rural. The primary outcome was continuous retention in treatment,
      defined as 1 year of uninterrupted therapy on the basis of prescription refill
      data. Mortality was measured as a secondary outcome. RESULTS: We identified
      17,211 patients initiating first-time MMT during this 10-year period. Nearly half
      of patients initiating therapy in northern regions completed 1 year of treatment
      (48.9%; N = 258 and 47.0%; N = 761 in Northern Rural and Urban regions,
      respectively), whereas lower rates of 40.6% (N = 410) and 39.3% (N = 5,518)
      occurred in Southern Rural and Urban regions, respectively. Patients residing in
      Northern Rural and Northern Urban regions were 31% (adjusted odds ratio = 1.31;
      95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09%-1.58%] and 14% (adjusted odds ratio = 1.14;
      95% CI, 1.02%-1.27%] more likely to be retained in treatment compared with those
      residing in Southern Urban regions. There was no significant difference in
      treatment retention between those residing in Southern Rural and Southern Urban
      regions. A mortality rate of 3% was observed within 1 year of patients initiating
      treatment, with patients in the Southern Rural region having the highest rate
      (4.85%). CONCLUSIONS: Our study identified regional differences in retention
      rates and mortality of first-time MMT. These findings may relate to geographic
      isolation and limited methadone program availability experienced in northern
      regions. We interpret the data to suggest that patients who have reduced access
      to treatment experience higher retention rates when they are able to access
      therapy.

PMID- 26484845
TI  - The Frequency of c.550delA Mutation of the CANP3 Gene in the Polish LGMD2A
      Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Limb girdle muscular dystrophy 2A (LGMD2A) is the most frequent LGMD
      variant in the European population, representing about 40% of LGMD. The c.550delA
      mutation in the CANP3 (calcium activated neutral protease 3) gene is the most
      commonly reported mutation in LGMD2A. Prevalence of this mutation in the Polish
      population has not been previously investigated. The aim of this study was to
      identify and estimate the frequency of the c.550delA mutation in Polish LGMD2A
      patients. METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction-sequencing analysis, restriction
      fragment length polymorphism polymerase chain reaction method. RESULTS: We
      analyzed 76 families affected with LGMD and identified 62 probands with mutations
      in the CANP3 gene. C.550delA was the most common mutation identified, being found
      in 78% of the LGMD2A families. The remaining mutations observed multiple times
      were as follows: c.598-612del15ntd; c.2242C>T; c.418dupC; c.1356insT, listed in
      terms of decreasing frequency. Two novel variants in the CANP3 gene, that is,
      c.700G>A Gly234Arg and c.661G>A Gly221Ser were also characterized. Overall,
      mutations in the LGMD2A gene were estimated to be present in 81% of patients with
      the LGMD phenotype who were without sarcoglycans and dysferlin deficiency on
      immunocytochemical analysis. The frequency of the heterozygous c.550delA mutation
      in the healthy Polish population was estimated at 1/124. CONCLUSIONS: The
      c.550delA is the most frequent CANP3 mutation in the Polish population, thus
      sequencing of exon 4 of this gene could identify the majority of LGMD2A patients
      in Poland.

PMID- 26484846
TI  - A Low-Temperature, Solution-Processable, Cu-Doped Nickel Oxide Hole-Transporting
      Layer via the Combustion Method for High-Performance Thin-Film Perovskite Solar
      Cells.
AB  - Low-temperature, solution-processable Cu-doped NiOX (Cu:NiOx ), prepared via
      combustion chemistry, is demonstrated as an excellent hole-transporting layer
      (HTL) for thin-film perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). Its good crystallinity,
      conductivity, and hole-extraction properties enable the derived PVSC to have a
      high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.74%. Its general applicability for
      various elecrode materials is also revealed. 

PMID- 26484847
TI  - Drug safety evaluation of lenvatinib for thyroid cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lenvatinib is an oral multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor of
      VEGFR1,2,3,4, FGFR1,2,3,4, PDGFR-alpha as well as RET and KIT signaling network.
      Its activity against radioiodine-resistant differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC)
      has been recently demonstrated. Patients, who were given lenvatinib, showed
      significantly longer median progression free survival than placebo group, 18.3 vs
      3.6 months, respectively. This review is focused on lenvatinib safety profile in
      patients treated due to DTC and medullary thyroid carcinoma. Among the most
      frequent lenvatinib-related adverse events (AEs) were hypertension, proteinuria,
      diarrhea, appetite decrease, weight loss, nausea and stomatitis. Although a lot
      of them were manageable, in 35-68% of patients dose reduction was required.
      Nevertheless, only 15% of subjects withdrew the drug due to its toxicity. AREAS
      COVERED: published results of clinical trials phase II and III investigating both
      safety and efficacy of lenvatinib in thyroid cancer. EXPERT OPINION: Lenvatinib
      shows acceptable safety profile in patients with thyroid carcinoma. Treatment
      related side effects are usually manageable by dose modifications or by
      concomitant non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatment. However, the early
      recognition of any potential drug toxicity is crucial to avoid serious
      complications as well as to keep a patient on drug as long as the treatment is
      beneficial.

PMID- 26484848
TI  - Diffusion MRI in the heart.
AB  - Diffusion MRI provides unique information on the structure, organization, and
      integrity of the myocardium without the need for exogenous contrast agents.
      Diffusion MRI in the heart, however, has proven technically challenging because
      of the intrinsic non-rigid deformation during the cardiac cycle, displacement of
      the myocardium due to respiratory motion, signal inhomogeneity within the thorax,
      and short transverse relaxation times. Recently developed accelerated diffusion
      weighted MR acquisition sequences combined with advanced post-processing
      techniques have improved the accuracy and efficiency of diffusion MRI in the
      myocardium. In this review, we describe the solutions and approaches that have
      been developed to enable diffusion MRI of the heart in vivo, including a dual
      gated stimulated echo approach, a velocity- (M1 ) or an acceleration- (M2 )
      compensated pulsed gradient spin echo approach, and the use of principal
      component analysis filtering. The structure of the myocardium and the application
      of these techniques in ischemic heart disease are also briefly reviewed. The
      advent of clinical MR systems with stronger gradients will likely facilitate the
      translation of cardiac diffusion MRI into clinical use. The addition of diffusion
      MRI to the well-established set of cardiovascular imaging techniques should lead
      to new and complementary approaches for the diagnosis and evaluation of patients
      with heart disease. (c) 2015 The Authors. NMR in Biomedicine published by John
      Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PMID- 26484849
TI  - Inflammation (or synovitis)-driven osteoarthritis: an opportunity for
      personalizing prognosis and treatment?
AB  - The disabling and painful disease osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of
      arthritis. Strong evidence suggests that a subpopulation of OA patients has a
      form of OA driven by inflammation. Consequently, understanding when inflammation
      is the driver of disease progression and which OA patients might benefit from
      anti-inflammatory treatment is a topic of intense research in the OA field. We
      have reviewed the current literature on OA, with an emphasis on inflammation in
      OA, biochemical markers of structural damage, and anti-inflammatory treatments
      for OA. The literature suggests that the OA patient population is diverse,
      consisting of several subpopulations, including one associated with inflammation.
      This inflammatory subpopulation may be identified by a combination of novel
      serological inflammatory biomarkers. Preliminary evidence from small clinical
      studies suggests that this subpopulation may benefit from anti-inflammatory
      treatment currently reserved for other inflammatory arthritides. 

PMID- 26484850
TI  - Chitinase-resistant hydrophilic symbiotic factors secreted by Frankia activate
      both Ca(2+) spiking and NIN gene expression in the actinorhizal plant Casuarina
      glauca.
AB  - Although it is now well-established that decorated lipo-chitooligosaccharide Nod
      factors are the key rhizobial signals which initiate infection/nodulation in host
      legume species, the identity of the equivalent microbial signaling molecules in
      the Frankia/actinorhizal association remains elusive. With the objective of
      identifying Frankia symbiotic factors we present a novel approach based on both
      molecular and cellular pre-infection reporters expressed in the model
      actinorhizal species Casuarina glauca. By introducing the nuclear-localized
      cameleon Nup-YC2.1 into Casuarina glauca we show that cell-free culture
      supernatants of the compatible Frankia CcI3 strain are able to elicit sustained
      high frequency Ca(2+) spiking in host root hairs. Furthermore, an excellent
      correlation exists between the triggering of nuclear Ca(2+) spiking and the
      transcriptional activation of the ProCgNIN:GFP reporter as a function of the
      Frankia strain tested. These two pre-infection symbiotic responses have been used
      in combination to show that the signal molecules present in the Frankia CcI3
      supernatant are hydrophilic, of low molecular weight and resistant to chitinase
      degradation. In conclusion, the biologically active symbiotic signals secreted by
      Frankia appear to be chemically distinct from the currently known chitin-based
      rhizobial/arbuscular mycorrhizal signaling molecules. Convenient bioassays in
      Casuarina glauca are now available for their full characterization. 

PMID- 26484851
TI  - Strategies to Maximize Data Collection Response Rates in a Randomized Control
      Trial Focused on Children with Medical Complexity.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Obtaining complete and timely subject data is key to the success of
      clinical trials, particularly for studies requiring data collected from subjects
      at home or other remote sites. A multifaceted strategy for data collection in a
      randomized controlled trial (RCT) focused on care coordination for children with
      medical complexity is described. The influences of data collection mode,
      incentives, and study group membership on subject response patterns are analyzed.
      Data collection included monthly healthcare service utilization (HCSU) calendars
      and annual surveys focused on care coordination outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      One hundred sixty-three families were enrolled in the 30-month TeleFamilies RCT.
      Subjects were 2-15 years of age at enrollment. HCSU data were collected by
      parent/guardian self-report using mail, e-mail, telephone, or texting. Surveys
      were collected by mail. Incentives were provided for completed surveys after 8
      months to improve collection returns. Outcome measures were the number of HCSU
      calendars and surveys returned, the return interval, data collection mode, and
      incentive impact. RESULTS: Return rates of 90% for HCSU calendars and 82% for
      annual surveys were achieved. Mean return intervals were 72 and 65 days for HCSU
      and surveys, respectively. Survey response increased from 55% to 95% after
      introduction of a gift card and added research staff. CONCLUSIONS: High return
      rates for HCSU calendars and health-related surveys are attainable but required a
      flexible and personnel-intensive approach to collection methods. Family
      preference for data collection approach should be obtained at enrollment, should
      be modified as needed, and requires flexible options, training, intensive
      staff/family interaction, and patience.

PMID- 26484852
TI  - Neutralization of Interleukin-17 Attenuates Cholestatic Liver Fibrosis in Mice.
AB  - Anti-inflammation strategy is one of the proposed therapeutic approaches to
      hepatic fibrosis. IL-17 is critical in inflammation, but the role of IL-17 in
      liver fibrosis has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we investigate the
      role of IL-17 on bile duct ligation-induced liver injury and fibrosis in C57BL/6
      mice. Animals were sacrificed at designated times, and serum and liver tissues
      were collected for analysis of liver function and serum IL-6, IL-1beta, tumour
      necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta)
      levels. IL-17 blockade with anti-IL-17A mAb significantly improved liver function
      and decreased hepatocellular necrosis, pro-inflammatory cytokines, neutrophils
      and macrophages influx. Furthermore, CD3 + and CD8 + lymphocytes, neutrophils and
      macrophages were found to express IL-17, and neutrophils are the principal IL-17
      producing cells after BDL-induced liver injury. These data indicated that IL-17
      signal contributes to the pathogenesis of cholestatic liver injury and blocked of
      IL-17 could potentially benefit patients with cholestatic liver disease.

PMID- 26484853
TI  - Is computed tomography a necessary part of a metastatic evaluation for castration
      resistant prostate cancer? Results from the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer
      Hospital Database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metastatic lesions in prostate cancer beyond the bone have prognostic
      importance and affect clinical therapeutic decisions. Few data exist regarding
      the prevalence of soft-tissue metastases at the initial diagnosis of metastatic
      castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). METHODS: This study analyzed 232
      men with nonmetastatic (M0) castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who
      developed metastases detected by a bone scan or computed tomography (CT). All
      bone scans and CT scans within the 30 days before or after the mCRPC diagnosis
      were reviewed. The rate of soft-tissue metastases among those undergoing CT was
      determined. Then, predictors of soft-tissue metastases and visceral and lymph
      node metastases were identified. RESULTS: Compared with men undergoing CT (n =
      118), men undergoing only bone scans (n = 114) were more likely to have received
      primary treatment (P = .048), were older (P = .013), and less recently developed
      metastases (P = .018). Among those undergoing CT, 52 (44%) had soft-tissue
      metastases, including 20 visceral metastases (17%) and 41 lymph node metastases
      (35%), whereas 30% had no bone involvement. In a univariable analysis, only
      prostate-specific antigen (PSA) predicted soft-tissue metastases (odds ratio
      [OR], 1.27; P = .047), and no statistically significant predictors of visceral
      metastases were found. A higher PSA level was associated with an increased risk
      of lymph node metastases (OR, 1.38; P = .014), whereas receiving primary
      treatment was associated with decreased risk (OR, 0.36; P = .015). CONCLUSIONS:
      The data suggest that there is a relatively high rate of soft-tissue metastasis
      (44%) among CRPC patients undergoing CT at the initial diagnosis of metastases,
      including some men with no bone involvement. Therefore, forgoing CT during a
      metastatic evaluation may lead to an underdiagnosis of soft-tissue metastases and
      an underdiagnosis of metastases in general. Cancer 2015. (c) 2015 American Cancer
      Society. Cancer 2016;122:222-229. (c) 2015 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 26484855
TI  - WITHDRAWN: Drug-eluting stents versus bare metal stents for angina or acute
      coronary syndromes.

PMID- 26484854
TI  - Top Guns: The "Maverick" and "Goose" of Empiric Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vancomycin and piperacillin-tazobactam are commonly used first guns
      in the empiric management of critically ill patients. Current studies suggest an
      increased prevalence of acute kidney injury with concomitant use, however, these
      studies are few and limited by small sample size. The purpose of this study was
      to compare the prevalence of nephrotoxicity after treatment with vancomycin alone
      and concomitant vancomycin and piperacillin-tazobactam treatment at our
      institution. HYPOTHESIS: Concomitant vancomycin and piperacillin-tazobactam
      treated patients will experience greater prevalence of nephrotoxicity compared
      with vancomycin-only treated patients. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort
      of patients treated with vancomycin for gram-positive or mixed infections in our
      facility from 2005 to 2009 who were not receiving hemodialysis at the time of
      admission. Included patients were stratified by treatment with vancomycin,
      vancomycin/piperacillin-tazobactam, or vancomycin/an alternative gram-negative
      rod (GNR) antibiotic. p values for categorical variables were computed using
      chi(2) while continuous variables were computed using Kruskal-Wallis. Variables
      deemed statistically significant (< 0.05) were included in the multivariable, log
      binomial regression model. Relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI),
      and p values were computed using a generalized estimating equation (GEE) approach
      with robust standard errors (i.e., Huber White "sandwich variance" estimates) to
      accommodate a correlated data structure corresponding to multiple episodes of
      infection per individual. RESULTS: A total of 530 patients with 1,007 episodes of
      infection, were treated with vancomycin (150 patients/302 episodes of infection),
      vancomycin/piperacillin-tazobactam (213 patients/372 episodes of infection), or
      vancomycin/GNR alternative (167 patients/333 episodes of infection). Patient
      demographics, comorbidities, sites of infection, and organisms of infection were
      compared among groups. After adjusting for statistically significant variables,
      neither vancomycin/piperacillin-tazobactam (RR = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.99-1.2; p =
      0.073) nor vancomycin/GNR alternative (RR = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.98-1.2; p = 0.097)
      were found to be associated with an increased risk for nephrotoxicity compared
      with vancomycin alone. CONCLUSION: A difference in nephrotoxicity was not
      observed between vancomycin and vancomycin/piperacillin-tazobactam-treated
      patients at our institution. Concomitant use as empiric therapy is appropriate,
      although larger sample sizes are needed to analyze closely this relation among at
      risk subsets of this population.

PMID- 26484856
TI  - Structure Elucidation of Verucopeptin, a HIF-1 Inhibitory Polyketide-Hexapeptide
      Hybrid Metabolite from an Actinomycete.
AB  - The transcriptional factor, hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), is a promising
      target for cancer chemotherapy. From an actinomycete, verucopeptin (1) was
      identified as a HIF-1 signaling inhibitor. By a combination of chemical
      degradation and spectroscopic analyses, the absolute stereochemistry of
      metabolite 1 was determined to be 10R, 15S, 16S, 23S, 27S, 28R, 31S, 33S, 35R.
      Moreover, metabolite 1 was revealed to attenuate the HIF-1alpha and mTORC1
      pathway, indicating that verucopeptin (1) would be a potent lead compound for
      anticancer chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26484858
TI  - Behind the Link between Copper and Angiogenesis: Established Mechanisms and an
      Overview on the Role of Vascular Copper Transport Systems.
AB  - Angiogenesis critically sustains the progression of both physiological and
      pathological processes. Copper behaves as an obligatory co-factor throughout the
      angiogenic signalling cascades, so much so that a deficiency causes
      neovascularization to abate. Moreover, the progress of several angiogenic
      pathologies (e.g. diabetes, cardiac hypertrophy and ischaemia) can be tracked by
      measuring serum copper levels, which are being increasingly investigated as a
      useful prognostic marker. Accordingly, the therapeutic modulation of body copper
      has been proven effective in rescuing the pathological angiogenic dysfunctions
      underlying several disease states. Vascular copper transport systems profoundly
      influence the activation and execution of angiogenesis, acting as multi
      functional regulators of apparently discrete pro-angiogenic pathways. This review
      concerns the complex relationship among copper-dependent angiogenic factors,
      copper transporters and common pathological conditions, with an unusual accent on
      the multi-faceted involvement of the proteins handling vascular copper. Functions
      regulated by the major copper transport proteins (CTR1 importer, ATP7A efflux
      pump and metallo-chaperones) include the modulation of endothelial migration and
      vascular superoxide, known to activate angiogenesis within a narrow concentration
      range. The potential contribution of prion protein, a controversial regulator of
      copper homeostasis, is discussed, even though its angiogenic involvement seems to
      be mainly associated with the modulation of endothelial motility and
      permeability. 

PMID- 26484857
TI  - The Prognostic Value of CT Angiography and CT Perfusion in Acute Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: CT angiography (CTA) and CT perfusion (CTP) are important diagnostic
      tools in acute ischemic stroke. We investigated the prognostic value of CTA and
      CTP for clinical outcome and determined whether they have additional prognostic
      value over patient characteristics and non-contrast CT (NCCT). METHODS: We
      included 1,374 patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke in the prospective
      multicenter Dutch acute stroke study. Sixty percent of the cohort was used for
      deriving the predictors and the remaining 40% for validating them. We calculated
      the predictive values of CTA and CTP predictors for poor clinical outcome
      (modified Rankin Scale score 3-6). Associations between CTA and CTP predictors
      and poor clinical outcome were assessed with odds ratios (OR). Multivariable
      logistic regression models were developed based on patient characteristics and
      NCCT predictors, and subsequently CTA and CTP predictors were added. The increase
      in area under the curve (AUC) value was determined to assess the additional
      prognostic value of CTA and CTP. Model validation was performed by assessing
      discrimination and calibration. RESULTS: Poor outcome occurred in 501 patients
      (36.5%). Each of the evaluated CTA measures strongly predicted outcome in
      univariable analyses: the positive predictive value (PPV) was 59% for Alberta
      Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) <=7 on CTA source images (OR 3.3; 95% CI
      2.3-4.8), 63% for presence of a proximal intracranial occlusion (OR 5.1; 95% CI
      3.7-7.1), 66% for poor leptomeningeal collaterals (OR 4.3; 95% CI 2.8-6.6), and
      58% for a >70% carotid or vertebrobasilar stenosis/occlusion (OR 3.2; 95% CI 2.2
      4.6). The same applied to the CTP measures, as the PPVs were 65% for ASPECTS <=7
      on cerebral blood volume maps (OR 5.1; 95% CI 3.7-7.2) and 53% for ASPECTS <=7 on
      mean transit time maps (OR 3.9; 95% CI 2.9-5.3). The prognostic model based on
      patient characteristics and NCCT measures was highly predictive for poor clinical
      outcome (AUC 0.84; 95% CI 0.81-0.86). Adding CTA and CTP predictors to this model
      did not improve the predictive value (AUC 0.85; 95% CI 0.83-0.88). In the
      validation cohort, the AUC values were 0.78 (95% CI 0.73-0.82) and 0.79 (95% CI
      0.75-0.83), respectively. Calibration of the models was satisfactory.
      CONCLUSIONS: In patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke, admission CTA and
      CTP parameters are strong predictors of poor outcome and can be used to predict
      long-term clinical outcome. In multivariable prediction models, however, their
      additional prognostic value over patient characteristics and NCCT is limited in
      an unselected stroke population.

PMID- 26484860
TI  - A Comparison between Clinical and Metabolic Features of Renal Calyceal
      Microlithiasis and Overt Urolithiasis in Different Pediatric Age Groups.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study assesses the differences in the presentations,
      complications and metabolic abnormalities of children with renal calyceal
      microlithiasis (RCM) and overt urolithiasis in different pediatric ages.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 465 children with urolithiasis were
      investigated retrospectively. Patients were categorized based on their ages to
      infancy, early childhood, middle childhood and adolescence. When the
      hyperechogenic spots on ultrasound imaging were <3 mm, they were considered RCM,
      and if they were >=3 mm, they were considered overt urolithiasis. RESULTS:
      Metabolic abnormalities were detected in 71%; hyperuricosuria in infants,
      hyperoxaluria in younger children and hypocitraturia in older children were the
      most common metabolic abnormalities. Hypercalciuria was the only metabolic
      abnormality that was significantly associated with overt urolithiasis in all
      pediatric ages (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.21-4.19). The clinical presentations were not
      significantly different between RCM and overt urolithiasis; however,
      complications such as urinary tract infection was significantly higher with overt
      urolithiasis in infancy (p = 0.01), early childhood (p = 0.02), middle childhood
      (p = 0.007) and adolescence (p = 0.01). Also, growth retardation was
      significantly higher with overt urolithiasis in infancy and early childhood (p =
      0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Most children with urolithiasis have underlying urinary
      metabolic abnormalities that differ according to the child's age. Despite these
      differences, hypercalciuria is significantly associated with overt urolithiasis
      in all pediatric ages. Clinical and laboratory features cannot differentiate RCM
      and overt urolithiasis; however, complications are significantly higher with
      overt urolithiasis.

PMID- 26484861
TI  - Correction: Stating Appointment Costs in SMS Reminders Reduces Missed Hospital
      Appointments: Findings from Two Randomised Controlled Trials.

PMID- 26484859
TI  - At the Edge of Chaos: How Cerebellar Granular Layer Network Dynamics Can Provide
      the Basis for Temporal Filters.
AB  - Models of the cerebellar microcircuit often assume that input signals from the
      mossy-fibers are expanded and recoded to provide a foundation from which the
      Purkinje cells can synthesize output filters to implement specific input-signal
      transformations. Details of this process are however unclear. While previous work
      has shown that recurrent granule cell inhibition could in principle generate a
      wide variety of random outputs suitable for coding signal onsets, the more
      general application for temporally varying signals has yet to be demonstrated.
      Here we show for the first time that using a mechanism very similar to reservoir
      computing enables random neuronal networks in the granule cell layer to provide
      the necessary signal separation and extension from which Purkinje cells could
      construct basis filters of various time-constants. The main requirement for this
      is that the network operates in a state of criticality close to the edge of
      random chaotic behavior. We further show that the lack of recurrent excitation in
      the granular layer as commonly required in traditional reservoir networks can be
      circumvented by considering other inherent granular layer features such as
      inverted input signals or mGluR2 inhibition of Golgi cells. Other properties that
      facilitate filter construction are direct mossy fiber excitation of Golgi cells,
      variability of synaptic weights or input signals and output-feedback via the
      nucleocortical pathway. Our findings are well supported by previous experimental
      and theoretical work and will help to bridge the gap between system-level models
      and detailed models of the granular layer network. 

PMID- 26484862
TI  - Protein Homeostasis Imposes a Barrier on Functional Integration of Horizontally
      Transferred Genes in Bacteria.
AB  - Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays a central role in bacterial evolution, yet
      the molecular and cellular constraints on functional integration of the foreign
      genes are poorly understood. Here we performed inter-species replacement of the
      chromosomal folA gene, encoding an essential metabolic enzyme dihydrofolate
      reductase (DHFR), with orthologs from 35 other mesophilic bacteria. The
      orthologous inter-species replacements caused a marked drop (in the range 10-90%)
      in bacterial growth rate despite the fact that most orthologous DHFRs are as
      stable as E.coli DHFR at 37 degrees C and are more catalytically active than E.
      coli DHFR. Although phylogenetic distance between E. coli and orthologous DHFRs
      as well as their individual molecular properties correlate poorly with growth
      rates, the product of the intracellular DHFR abundance and catalytic activity
      (kcat/KM), correlates strongly with growth rates, indicating that the drop in
      DHFR abundance constitutes the major fitness barrier to HGT. Serial propagation
      of the orthologous strains for ~600 generations dramatically improved growth
      rates by largely alleviating the fitness barriers. Whole genome sequencing and
      global proteome quantification revealed that the evolved strains with the largest
      fitness improvements have accumulated mutations that inactivated the ATP
      dependent Lon protease, causing an increase in the intracellular DHFR abundance.
      In one case DHFR abundance increased further due to mutations accumulated in folA
      promoter, but only after the lon inactivating mutations were fixed in the
      population. Thus, by apparently distinguishing between self and non-self
      proteins, protein homeostasis imposes an immediate and global barrier to the
      functional integration of foreign genes by decreasing the intracellular abundance
      of their products. Once this barrier is alleviated, more fine-tuned evolution
      occurs to adjust the function/expression of the transferred proteins to the
      constraints imposed by the intracellular environment of the host organism. 

PMID- 26484863
TI  - Enhancements to the Rosetta Energy Function Enable Improved Identification of
      Small Molecules that Inhibit Protein-Protein Interactions.
AB  - Protein-protein interactions are among today's most exciting and promising
      targets for therapeutic intervention. To date, identifying small-molecules that
      selectively disrupt these interactions has proven particularly challenging for
      virtual screening tools, since these have typically been optimized to perform
      well on more "traditional" drug discovery targets. Here, we test the performance
      of the Rosetta energy function for identifying compounds that inhibit protein
      interactions, when these active compounds have been hidden amongst pools of
      "decoys." Through this virtual screening benchmark, we gauge the effect of two
      recent enhancements to the functional form of the Rosetta energy function: the
      new "Talaris" update and the "pwSHO" solvation model. Finally, we conclude by
      developing and validating a new weight set that maximizes Rosetta's ability to
      pick out the active compounds in this test set. Looking collectively over the
      course of these enhancements, we find a marked improvement in Rosetta's ability
      to identify small-molecule inhibitors of protein-protein interactions. 

PMID- 26484864
TI  - Crystal Structure and Identification of Two Key Amino Acids Involved in AI-2
      Production and Biofilm Formation in Streptococcus suis LuxS.
AB  - Streptococcus suis has emerged as an important zoonotic pathogen that causes
      meningitis, arthritis, septicemia and even sudden death in pigs and humans.
      Quorum sensing is the signaling network for cell-to-cell communication that
      bacterial cells can use to monitor their own population density through
      production and exchange of signal molecules. S-Ribosylhomocysteinase (LuxS) is
      the key enzyme involved in the activated methyl cycle. Autoinducer 2 (AI-2) is
      the adduct of borate and a ribose derivative and is produced from S
      adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). AI-2 can mediate interspecies communication and in
      some species facilitate the bacterial behavior regulation such as biofilm
      formation and virulence in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Here,
      we reported the overexpression, purification and crystallographic structure of
      LuxS from S. suis. Our results showed the catalytically active LuxS exists as a
      homodimer in solution. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)
      revealed the presence of Zn2+ in LuxS. Although the core structure shares the
      similar topology with LuxS proteins from other bacterial species, structural
      analyses and comparative amino acid sequence alignments identified two key amino
      acid differences in S. suis LuxS, Phe80 and His87, which are located near the
      substrate binding site. The results of site-directed mutagenesis and enzymology
      studies confirmed that these two residues affect the catalytic activity of the
      enzyme. These in vitro results were corroborated in vivo by expression of the
      LuxS variants in a S. suis DeltaluxS strain. The single and two amino acid of
      LuxS variant decreased AI-2 production and biofilm formation significantly
      compared to that of the parent strain. Our findings highlight the importance of
      key LuxS residues that influence the AI-2 production and biofilm formation in
      S.suis. 

PMID- 26484865
TI  - Determination of the Optimal Concentration of Valproic Acid in Patients with
      Epilepsy: A Population Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Analysis.
AB  - Valproic acid (VPA) is one of the most widely prescribed antiepileptic drugs for
      the treatment of epileptic seizures. Although it is well known that the doses of
      VPA and its plasma concentrations are highly correlated, the plasma
      concentrations do not correlate well with the therapeutic effects of the VPA. In
      this study, we developed a population-based pharmacokinetic (PK)-pharmacodynamic
      (PD) model to determine the optimal concentration of VPA according to the
      clinical characteristics of each patient. This retrospective study included 77
      VPA-treated Japanese patients with epilepsy. A nonlinear mixed-effects model best
      represented the relationship between the trough concentrations of VPA at steady
      state and an over 50% reduction in seizure frequency. The model was fitted using
      a logistic regression model, in which the logit function of the probability was a
      linear function of the predicted trough concentration of VPA. The model showed
      that the age, seizure locus, the sodium channel neuronal type I alpha subunit
      rs3812718 polymorphism and co-administration of carbamazepine, clonazepam,
      phenytoin or topiramate were associated with an over 50% reduction in the seizure
      frequency. We plotted the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the
      logit(Pr) value of the model and the presence or absence of a more than 50%
      reduction in seizure frequency, and the areas under the curves with the 95%
      confidence interval from the ROC curve were 0.823 with 0.793-0.853. A logit(Pr)
      value of 0.1 was considered the optimal cut-off point (sensitivity = 71.8% and
      specificity = 80.4%), and we calculated the optimal trough concentration of VPA
      for each patient. Such parameters may be useful to determine the recommended
      therapeutic concentration of VPA for each patient, and the procedure may
      contribute to the further development of personalized pharmacological therapy for
      epilepsy. 

PMID- 26484866
TI  - Mansonella, including a Potential New Species, as Common Parasites in Children in
      Gabon.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Like other tropical African countries, Gabon is afflicted by many
      parasitic diseases, including filariases such as loiasis and mansonellosis. This
      study aimed to assess the prevalence of these two filarial diseases in febrile
      and afebrile children using quantitative real-time PCR and standard PCR assays
      coupled with sequencing. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: DNA from blood specimens
      of 1,418 Gabonese children (1,258 febrile and 160 afebrile) were analyzed.
      Overall, filarial DNA was detected in 95 (6.7%) children, including 67 positive
      for M. perstans (4.7%), which was the most common. M. perstans was detected in
      61/1,258 febrile children (4.8%) and 6/160 afebrile children (3.8%, P = 0.6). Its
      prevalence increased statistically with age: 3.5%, 7.7% and 10.6% in children
      aged <= 5, 6-10 and 11-15 years, respectively. M. perstans prevalence was
      significantly higher in Koulamoutou and Lastourville (12% and 10.5%,
      respectively) than in Franceville and Fougamou (2.6% and 2.4%, respectively). Loa
      loa was detected in seven febrile children including one co-infection with M.
      perstans. Finally, 21 filarial DNA positive were negative for M. perstans and Loa
      loa, but ITS sequencing could be performed for 12 and allowed the identification
      of a potential new species of Mansonella provisionally called "DEUX". Mansonella
      sp. "DEUX" was detected only in febrile children. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:
      Further study should be performed to characterize Mansonella sp. "DEUX" and
      evaluate the clinical significance of mansonellosis in humans.

PMID- 26484867
TI  - Decrease in an Inwardly Rectifying Potassium Conductance in Mouse Mammary
      Secretory Cells after Forced Weaning.
AB  - Mammary glands are physiologically active in female mammals only during nursing.
      Immediately after weaning, most lactation-related genes are downregulated and
      milk production ceases. In our previous study, we have detected an inwardly
      rectifying potassium channel (Kir) 2.1-like current in mammary secretory (MS)
      cells freshly isolated from lactating mice. This current is highly sensitive to
      external Ba2+. The potassium permeability of the Kir channels may contribute to
      the secretion and/or preservation of ions in milk. We hypothesized that the
      functions of the Kir channels in MS cells are regulated after weaning. To test
      this hypothesis, we examined the effect of forced weaning on the Ba2+-sensitive
      Kir current and Kir2.1 expression in the mouse mammary glands. Twenty-four hours
      after weaning, the lumina of mammary acini were histologically enlarged by milk
      accumulation. The whole-cell patch-clamp analyses showed that the Ba2+-sensitive
      Kir current in the post-weaning MS cells was smaller than in the lactating MS
      cells. The inward conductances of the current in the lactating and post-weaning
      cells were 4.25 +/- 0.77 and 0.93 +/- 0.34 nS, respectively. Furthermore, real
      time PCR and Western blot analyses showed that Kir2.1 mRNA and protein expression
      decreased in the post-weaning mammary gland (mRNA, 90% reduction; protein, 47%
      reduction). Moreover, the local milk accumulation caused by teat sealing
      decreased Kir conductance in MS cells (2.74 +/- 0.45 and 0.36 +/- 0.27 nS for
      control and sealed mammary glands, respectively). This was concomitant with the
      reduction in the Kir2.1 mRNA expression. Our results suggest that milk stasis
      after weaning immediately decreases the Kir conductance in MS cells. This
      decrease in the Kir conductance may be partly caused by the reduction in the
      Kir2.1 mRNA and protein expression. These alterations during the post-weaning
      period may be involved in the cessation of ion secretion and/or preservation in
      the milk. 

PMID- 26484868
TI  - A Novel Human scFv Library with Non-Combinatorial Synthetic CDR Diversity.
AB  - The present work describes the construction and validation of a human scFv
      library with a novel design approach to synthetic complementarity determining
      region (CDR) diversification. The advantage of synthetic antibody libraries
      includes the possibility of exerting fine control over factors like framework
      sequences, amino acid and codon usage, and CDR diversity. However, random
      combinatorial synthesis of oligonucleotides for CDR sequence diversity also
      produces many clones with unnatural sequences and/or undesirable modification
      motifs. To alleviate these issues, we designed and constructed a novel semi
      synthetic human scFv library with non-combinatorial, pre-designed CDR diversity
      and a single native human framework each for heavy, kappa, and lambda chain
      variable domains. Next-generation sequencing analysis indicated that the library
      consists of antibody clones with highly nature-like CDR sequences and the
      occurrence of the post-translational modification motifs is minimized. Multiple
      unique clones with nanomolar affinity could be isolated from the library against
      a number of target antigens, validating the library design strategy. The results
      demonstrate that it is possible to construct a functional antibody library using
      low, non-combinatorial synthetic CDR diversity, and provides a new strategy for
      the design of antibody libraries suitable for demanding applications. 

PMID- 26484869
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of a voucher-based intervention for smoking cessation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Contingency management (CM) has been shown to be effective in
      reducing smoking consumption, but has traditionally been criticized for its
      costs. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of using a voucher
      based CM protocol added to a cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) for smoking
      cessation among treatment-seeking patients from the general population. METHODS:
      A total of 92 patients were randomly assigned to CBT or CBT plus CM for
      abstinence. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated by
      dividing the increase in costs by the increase in effects (continuous abstinence,
      longest duration of abstinence at 6-month follow-up and cotinine results during
      the treatment). An acceptability curve illustrated the statistical uncertainty
      surrounding the cost-effectiveness estimate. We also determined the optimum cost
      per participant for predicting the smoking status at 6-month follow-up. RESULTS:
      The average cost per participant in the CBT condition was ?138.73 (US$ 150.23) as
      opposed to ?411.61 (US$ 445.73) in the CBT plus CM condition (p < 0.01). The
      incremental cost of using voucher-based CM to increase the number of participants
      that maintained abstinence at 6-month follow-up by one extra participant was
      ?68.22 (US$ 73.88), and to lengthen the longest duration of abstinence by 1 week
      was ?53.92 (US$ 58.39). The incremental cost to obtain an extra cotinine-negative
      result was ?181.90 (US$ 196.98). CONCLUSION: Compared with CBT alone, the voucher
      based protocol required additional costs but achieved significantly better
      outcomes. These results will allow stakeholders to make policy decisions about CM
      implementation for smoking cessation in the broader community.

PMID- 26484870
TI  - Crystal Structure of the Human Cytomegalovirus Glycoprotein B.
AB  - Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a dsDNA, enveloped virus, is a ubiquitous pathogen
      that establishes lifelong latent infections and caused disease in persons with
      compromised immune systems, e.g., organ transplant recipients or AIDS patients.
      HCMV is also a leading cause of congenital viral infections in newborns. Entry of
      HCMV into cells requires the conserved glycoprotein B (gB), thought to function
      as a fusogen and reported to bind signaling receptors. gB also elicits a strong
      immune response in humans and induces the production of neutralizing antibodies
      although most anti-gB Abs are non-neutralizing. Here, we report the crystal
      structure of the HCMV gB ectodomain determined to 3.6-A resolution, which is the
      first atomic-level structure of any betaherpesvirus glycoprotein. The structure
      of HCMV gB resembles the postfusion structures of HSV-1 and EBV homologs,
      establishing it as a new member of the class III viral fusogens. Despite
      structural similarities, each gB has a unique domain arrangement, demonstrating
      structural plasticity of gB that may accommodate virus-specific functional
      requirements. The structure illustrates how extensive glycosylation of the gB
      ectodomain influences antibody recognition. Antigenic sites that elicit
      neutralizing antibodies are more heavily glycosylated than those that elicit non
      neutralizing antibodies, which suggest that HCMV gB uses glycans to shield
      neutralizing epitopes while exposing non-neutralizing epitopes. This
      glycosylation pattern may have evolved to direct the immune response towards
      generation of non-neutralizing antibodies thus helping HCMV to avoid clearance.
      HCMV gB structure provides a starting point for elucidation of its antigenic and
      immunogenic properties and aid in the design of recombinant vaccines and
      monoclonal antibody therapies. 

PMID- 26484871
TI  - Transcriptome Analysis in Haematococcus pluvialis: Astaxanthin Induction by
      Salicylic Acid (SA) and Jasmonic Acid (JA).
AB  - Haematococcus pluvialis is an astaxanthin-rich microalga that can increase its
      astaxanthin production by salicylic acid (SA) or jasmonic acid (JA) induction.
      The genetic transcriptome details of astaxanthin biosynthesis were analyzed by
      exposing the algal cells to 25 mg/L of SA and JA for 1, 6 and 24 hours, plus to
      the control (no stress). Based on the RNA-seq analysis, 56,077 unigenes (51.7%)
      were identified with functions in response to the hormone stress. The top five
      identified subcategories were cell, cellular process, intracellular, catalytic
      activity and cytoplasm, which possessed 5600 (~9.99%), 5302 (~9.45%), 5242
      (~9.35%), 4407 (~7.86%) and 4195 (~7.48%) unigenes, respectively. Furthermore, 59
      unigenes were identified and assigned to 26 putative transcription factors (TFs),
      including 12 plant-specific TFs. They were likely associated with astaxanthin
      biosynthesis in Haematococcus upon SA and JA stress. In comparison, the up
      regulation of differential expressed genes occurred much earlier, with higher
      transcript levels in the JA treatment (about 6 h later) than in the SA treatment
      (beyond 24 h). These results provide valuable information for directing metabolic
      engineering efforts to improve astaxanthin biosynthesis in H. pluvialis. 

PMID- 26484873
TI  - Recovery after Hip Fracture: Interventions and Their Timing to Address Deficits
      and Desired Outcomes--Evidence from the Baltimore Hip Studies.
AB  - Hip fracture is a significant public health problem affecting an estimated 1.6
      million persons annually. The consequences of hip fracture are also significant,
      with more than half of those who sustain a fracture either dying or not returning
      to functional abilities present before fracture required to function
      independently. The Baltimore Hip Studies (BHS) is a program of research that for
      more than 30 years has been doing investigations to identify, develop, and
      evaluate strategies to optimize recovery from hip fracture. This paper provides
      an overview of known outcomes and recovery patterns following a hip fracture,
      which are derived primarily from the BHS. Target areas and timing for
      interventions based on this recovery sequence are suggested. The paper concludes
      with a discussion of some of the areas that the next generation of studies needs
      to concentrate on in order to advance knowledge about the care of hip fracture
      patients to maximize their recovery. 

PMID- 26484874
TI  - Measurement of exhaled nitric oxide concentration in asthma: a systematic review
      and economic evaluation of NIOX MINO, NIOX VERO and NObreath.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High fractions of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in the breath of
      patients with symptoms of asthma are correlated with high levels of eosinophils
      and indicate that a patient is likely to respond to inhaled corticosteroids. This
      may have a role in the diagnosis and management of asthma. OBJECTIVE: To assess
      the diagnostic accuracy, clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the
      hand-held electrochemical devices NIOX MINO((r)) (Aerocrine, Solna, Sweden), NIOX
      VERO((r)) (Aerocrine) and NObreath((r)) (Bedfont Scientific, Maidstone, UK) for
      the diagnosis and management of asthma. DATA SOURCES: Systematic searches were
      carried out between March 2013 and April 2013 from database inception. Databases
      searched included MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews,
      the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Science Citation Index Expanded
      and Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science. Trial registers such as
      ClinicalTrials.gov and the metaRegister of Controlled Trials were also searched
      in March 2013. All searches were updated in September 2013. REVIEW METHODS: A
      rapid review was conducted to assess the equivalence of hand-held and
      chemiluminescent FeNO monitors. Systematic reviews of diagnostic accuracy and
      management efficacy were conducted. A systematic review of economic analyses was
      also conducted and two de novo health economic models were developed. All three
      reviews were undertaken according to robust high-quality methodology. RESULTS:
      The rapid review (27 studies) found varying levels of agreement between monitors
      (Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement up to +/-10 parts per billion), with better
      agreement at lower FeNO values. Correlation was good (generally r > 0.9). The
      diagnostic accuracy review identified 22 studies in adults (all ages) and four in
      children. No studies used NObreath or NIOX VERO and seven used NIOX MINO.
      Estimates of diagnostic accuracy varied widely. FeNO used in combination with
      another test altered diagnostic accuracy only slightly. High levels of
      heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis. Limited observations included that FeNO
      may be more reliable and useful as a rule-in than as a rule-out test; lower cut
      off values in children and in smokers may be appropriate; and FeNO may be less
      reliable in the elderly. The management review identified five randomised
      controlled trials in adults, one in pregnant asthmatics and seven in children.
      Despite clinical heterogeneity, exacerbation rates were lower in all studies but
      not generally statistically significantly so. Effects on inhaled corticosteroid
      (ICS) use were inconsistent, possibly because of differences in management
      protocols, differential effectiveness in adults and children and differences in
      population severity. One UK diagnostic model and one management model were
      identified. Aerocrine also submitted diagnostic and management models. All had
      significant limitations including short time horizons and the selective use of
      efficacy evidence. The de novo diagnostic model suggested that the expected
      difference in quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gains between diagnostic options
      is likely to be very small. Airway hyper-responsiveness by methacholine challenge
      test is expected to produce the greatest QALY gain but with an expected
      incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) compared with FeNO (NObreath) in
      combination with bronchodilator reversibility of L1.125M per QALY gained. All
      remaining options are expected to be dominated. The de novo management model
      indicates that the ICER of guidelines plus FeNO monitoring using NObreath
      compared with guidelines alone in children is expected to be approximately
      L45,200 per QALY gained. Within the adult subgroup, FeNO monitoring using
      NObreath compared with guidelines alone is expected to have an ICER of
      approximately L2100 per QALY gained. The results are particularly sensitive to
      assumptions regarding changes in ICS use over time, the number of nurse visits
      for FeNO monitoring and duration of effect. CONCLUSIONS: Limitations of the
      evidence base impose considerable uncertainty on all analyses. Equivalence of
      devices was assumed but not assured. Evidence for diagnosis is difficult to
      interpret in the context of inserting FeNO monitoring into a diagnostic pathway.
      Evidence for management is also inconclusive, but largely consistent with FeNO
      monitoring resulting in fewer exacerbations, with a small or zero reduction in
      ICS use in adults and a possible increased ICS use in children or patients with
      more severe asthma. It is unclear which specific management protocol is likely to
      be most effective. The economic analysis indicates that FeNO monitoring could
      have value in diagnostic and management settings. The diagnostic model indicates
      that FeNO monitoring plus bronchodilator reversibility dominates many other
      diagnostic tests. FeNO-guided management has the potential to be cost-effective,
      although this is largely dependent on the duration of effect. The conclusions
      drawn from both models require strong technical value judgements with respect to
      several aspects of the decision problem in which little or no empirical evidence
      exists. There are many potential directions for further work, including
      investigations into which management protocol is best and long-term follow-up in
      both diagnosis and management studies. STUDY REGISTRATION: This study is
      registered as PROSPERO CRD42013004149. FUNDING: The National Institute for Health
      Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

PMID- 26484872
TI  - Increased Sensitivity to Binge Alcohol-Induced Gut Leakiness and Inflammatory
      Liver Disease in HIV Transgenic Rats.
AB  - The mechanisms of alcohol-mediated advanced liver injury in HIV-infected
      individuals are poorly understood. Thus, this study was aimed to investigate the
      effect of binge alcohol on the inflammatory liver disease in HIV transgenic rats
      as a model for simulating human conditions. Female wild-type (WT) or HIV
      transgenic rats were treated with three consecutive doses of binge ethanol (EtOH)
      (3.5 g/kg/dose oral gavages at 12-h intervals) or dextrose (Control). Blood and
      liver tissues were collected at 1 or 6-h following the last dose of ethanol or
      dextrose for the measurements of serum endotoxin and liver pathology,
      respectively. Compared to the WT, the HIV rats showed increased sensitivity to
      alcohol-mediated gut leakiness, hepatic steatosis and inflammation, as evidenced
      with the significantly elevated levels of serum endotoxin, hepatic triglycerides,
      histological fat accumulation and F4/80 staining. Real-time PCR analysis revealed
      that hepatic levels of toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4), leptin and the downstream
      target monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were significantly up-regulated
      in the HIV-EtOH rats, compared to all other groups. Subsequent experiments with
      primary cultured cells showed that both hepatocytes and hepatic Kupffer cells
      were the sources of the elevated MCP-1 in HIV-EtOH rats. Further, TLR4 and MCP-1
      were found to be upregulated by leptin. Collectively, these results show that HIV
      rats, similar to HIV-infected people being treated with the highly active anti
      retroviral therapy (HAART), are more susceptible to binge alcohol-induced gut
      leakiness and inflammatory liver disease than the corresponding WT, possibly due
      to additive or synergistic interaction between binge alcohol exposure and HIV
      infection. Based on these results, HIV transgenic rats can be used as a surrogate
      model to study the molecular mechanisms of many disease states caused by heavy
      alcohol intake in HIV-infected people on HAART. 

PMID- 26484875
TI  - Inhibition of epithelial growth factor receptor can play an important role in
      reducing cell growth and survival in adrenocortical tumors.
AB  - Medical treatment of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is still far from optimal,
      since even molecular targeted therapy failed to demonstrate striking results.
      Clinical trials enrolling ACC patients with high tissue vascular endothelial
      growth factor receptor (VEGFR) expression levels showed controversial results
      after treatment with Sunitinib, possibly due to variability in the expression of
      drug targets, which include epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). To better
      clarify this issue, we evaluated whether VEGFR may play a crucial role in ACC
      responsiveness to Sunitinib and whether EGFR may represent an alternative target
      in ACC medical treatment, by employing two ACC cell lines, the NCI-H295 and SW13
      cells lines, and adrenocortical tissues primary cultures. Our data show that
      VEGF/VEGFR system may not be crucial in modulating ACC proliferation and
      responsiveness to Sunitinib. In addition, by cell viability, proliferation and
      caspase activation assays we found that Sunitinib inhibits adrenocortical cell
      viability acting, at least in part, through EGFR, that, in turn, is crucial for
      EGF proliferative effect on adrenocortical cells. The latter depends, at least in
      part, on ERK 1/2 activation. An EGFR selective inhibitor was highly effective in
      reducing cell viability in an adrenocortical tumor primary culture and in the
      SW13 cells, which express high EGFR levels. Our results suggest that EGFR
      inhibitors could represent effective therapeutic tools in ACC patients whose
      tumors express high EGFR levels, that, in turn, may be considered a predictive
      factor of response. Accurate molecular tumor profiling is crucial to predict drug
      efficacy and to tailor ACC patients therapeutic approach. 

PMID- 26484876
TI  - Photobiomodulation Suppresses Alpha-Synuclein-Induced Toxicity in an AAV-Based
      Rat Genetic Model of Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - Converging lines of evidence indicate that near-infrared light treatment, also
      known as photobiomodulation (PBM), may exert beneficial effects and protect
      against cellular toxicity and degeneration in several animal models of human
      pathologies, including neurodegenerative disorders. In the present study, we
      report that chronic PMB treatment mitigates dopaminergic loss induced by
      unilateral overexpression of human alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) in the substantia
      nigra of an AAV-based rat genetic model of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this
      model, daily exposure of both sides of the rat's head to 808-nm near-infrared
      light for 28 consecutive days alleviated alpha-syn-induced motor impairment, as
      assessed using the cylinder test. This treatment also significantly reduced
      dopaminergic neuronal loss in the injected substantia nigra and preserved
      dopaminergic fibers in the ipsilateral striatum. These beneficial effects were
      sustained for at least 6 weeks after discontinuing the treatment. Together, our
      data point to PBM as a possible therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PD and
      other related synucleinopathies. 

PMID- 26484877
TI  - Reconstructing the Rasch-Built Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 Activity and
      Participation Scale.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A previously published Rasch-built activity and participation scale
      specifically designed for patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) was
      criticized for having been constructed in a relatively small cohort of patients
      and containing items too broadly phrased for DM1 patients, thus hampering its
      clinical use. METHODS: We report the results of the reconstructed Rasch-built DM1
      activity and participation scale for clinical use (DM1-ActivC) through Rasch
      analyses using an expanded questionnaire containing 146 more simply phrased
      activity and participation inquiries completed by 340 patients with DM1. RESULTS:
      Through stepwise investigation including data quality control, model fit,
      response category ordering, local dependency and item bias, we succeeded in
      reconstructing the DM1-ActivC consisting of 25 items that showed good Rasch model
      fit, including construct convergent validity, items' weights and persons'
      locations reliability, and unidimensionality. CONCLUSION: The DM1-ActivC scale
      has been reconstructed and fulfills all modern clinimetric requirements. Its use
      is recommended in future longitudinal trials in patients with DM1 to determine
      its responsiveness.

PMID- 26484879
TI  - Preliminary results of the application of a disease activity score in a patient
      with relapsing polychondritis.

PMID- 26484880
TI  - Genetic mutations in primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus: case report and
      literature review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The most frequent genetic aberrations in mucosal melanoma are
      activating mutations of c-KIT. Primary malignant melanomas of esophagus (PMME)
      are uncommon entities, with aggressive biological behavior and poor prognosis.
      The better definition of their genotype could improve therapeutic options. CASE
      REPORT: We report a case of a 66 years old man with a PMME in the lower third of
      the esophagus. Analysis of c-kit, KRAS, NRAS and BRAF genes resulted negative for
      mutations. On the basis of a computerized (PuMed/Medline) bibliography search we
      retrieved a total of other 35 cases of PMME analyzed for genetic alterations in
      RAS, BRAF, and KIT. DISCUSSION: When we compared mutations frequency of PMME with
      those of other mucosal melanomas, it appeared that PMME are characterized by a
      relative higher percentage of NRAS mutations. CONCLUSIONS: PMME seem to show a
      specific pattern of genetic alterations suggesting that they could represent a
      distinct entity among mucosal melanomas.

PMID- 26484878
TI  - Urban-Rural Differences in Bone Mineral Density: A Cross Sectional Analysis Based
      on the Hyderabad Indian Migration Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fracture risk is rising in countries undergoing rapid rural to urban
      migration, but whether this reflects an adverse effect of urbanization on
      intrinsic bone strength, as reflected by bone mineral density (BMD), is currently
      unknown. METHODS: Lumbar spine (LS) and total hip (TH) BMD, and total body fat
      and lean mass, were obtained from DXA scans performed in the Hyderabad arm of the
      Indian Migration Study (54% male, mean age 49 years). Sib-pair comparisons were
      performed between rural-urban migrants (RUM) and rural non-migrated (RNM)
      siblings (N = 185 sib-pairs). RESULTS: In analyses adjusted for height, gender,
      age and occupation, rural to urban migration was associated with higher lumbar
      and hip BMD and greater predicted hip strength; DeltaLS BMD 0.030 (0.005, 0.055)
      g/cm2, DeltaTH BMD 0.044 (0.024; 0.064) g/cm2, Deltacross-sectional moment of
      inertia 0.162 (0.036, 0.289) cm4. These differences were largely attenuated after
      adjusting for body composition, insulin levels and current lifestyle factors ie.
      years of smoking, alcohol consumption and moderate to vigorous physical activity.
      Further analyses suggested that differences in lean mass, and to a lesser extent
      fat mass, largely explained the BMD differences which we observed. CONCLUSIONS:
      Rural to urban migration as an adult is associated with higher BMD and greater
      predicted hip strength, reflecting associated alterations in body composition. It
      remains to be seen how differences in BMD between migration groups will translate
      into fracture risk in becoming years.

PMID- 26484881
TI  - Mycological visits requested in a tertiary referral center: what can be hiding
      behind a suspected skin mycosis?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies have so far specifically addressed referrals for
      mycological visits to analyze the requests for mycological visits in a tertiary
      referral centre, with particular regard to the rate of true mycoses, the
      correlation between correct diagnostic hypothesis and specialization of the
      referring physicians, and the most frequently misdiagnosed dermatological
      disorders. METHODS: A number of 415 consecutive patients attending our Mycology
      Unit for suspected superficial fungal infections were enrolled. Final diagnosis
      was made on clinical features, history, microscopic and cultural analyses and,
      when necessary, histology. RESULTS: The results show that 118 patients (28.43%)
      were diagnosed to be affected with fungi, mainly dermatophytes (57%) and Candida
      (29%). Among nail referrals, onychoystrophies due to mechanical injuries and
      psoriasis were the most frequently misdiagnosed disorders. Eczema accounted for
      the main part of the suspected mycoses of glabrous skin, while tinea capitis was
      the most common referral for hair diseases. The rate of confirmed dermatomychosis
      was higher among patients referred by dermatologists than by other physicians.
      The majority of the study patients had undergone previous therapies, mainly
      antimycotics. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical assessment is often insufficient for
      diagnosing cutaneous mycoses. Mycological examination is advisable not only for a
      conclusive diagnosis but also to avoid unnecessary treatments. Nevertheless,
      clinical competence is relevant for correct suspicion of dermatomycosis.

PMID- 26484882
TI  - Perception of receiving SMS based health messages among hypertensive individuals
      in urban slums.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypertension rates are increasing in India, and prior research has
      not explored the perception of using mobile based SMS among urban hypertensive
      individuals living in slum settings in India. OBJECTIVE: To explore the
      perception of receiving SMS based health messages among hypertensive individuals
      in urban slums. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted during the period
      of December 2013 in an urban slum setting of South Delhi, New Delhi, India.
      Eligible study participants included: 45 individuals aged 30 years and above,
      with confirmed diagnosis of high blood pressure, owned a mobile phone/landline
      and were willing to participate. RESULTS: Results of our study showed
      participants (n= 45) had an average age of 48 years (SD = 12), mostly female
      (64%, n= 29), and currently married (80%, n= 36). Their most common perceived
      hypertension risk factors included: worry/anxiety/stress (84%, n= 38), and high
      fat diet (68%, n= 30). Mobile calls were the most preferred mode of receiving
      lifestyle counseling among study participants (71%, n= 32). Majority preferred to
      receive counseling in Hindi language (67%, n= 30), and more than half were
      willing to pay for these services (60%, n= 27). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest
      the need for innovations that utilize basic phone platforms, mobile calling
      feature, and language tailored interventions.

PMID- 26484883
TI  - Visible light communication applications in healthcare.
AB  - With the development in science, methods of communication are also improved,
      replacing old ones with new advanced ways in an attempt to make data transfer
      more secure, safer for health, and time as well as cost efficient. One of such
      methods is Visible Light Communication, as the name implies data is transferred
      through a light equipment such as incandescent or florescent bulb having speed of
      10 Kb/s or LEDs approaching speed of 500 Mb/s [1]. VLC uses visible light between
      384 and 789 THz [2,3]. Though range is limitation of VLC, however data transfer
      up-to distance of 1 to 2 km although at lower transfer rate has been reached.The
      VLC system comprises of light source like LED and receiver equipment, however,
      with advancement, now LEDs are used for both sending and receiving data. LED
      remains on all the time, and there is no change in brightness level during the
      whole process, making it safe for eyes. Currently, VLC system is facing some
      serious technical challenges before it could be applied in daily life. 

PMID- 26484884
TI  - The untapped potential of smartphone sensors for stroke rehabilitation and after
      care.
AB  - With the increasing incidences of cerebrovascular disease, as well as the
      morbidity and mortality associated with it, it is of no surprise that there have
      been much global governmental interest in the primary prevention of this
      disorder; or at least in the secondary and tertiary prevention and rehabilitation
      of individuals who have suffered disabilities arising from a recent
      cerebrovascular attack. Developers and clinicians have not considered one of the
      key areas in Stroke prevention and management, which is that of secondary
      prevention, and in particular that of tapping onto smartphone technologies for
      stroke rehabilitation. There has been much interest in the development of devices
      for rehabilitation of stroke patients instead. One of the concerns with regards
      to conventional bio and mechanical sensors are the costs involved in development,
      as well as the costs involved when stroke survivors and their caregivers are
      required to purchase the devices for monitoring and rehabilitation. In view of
      the current limitations, the S3 Rehab application, which makes use of the
      smartphone build in sensors, has been conceptualized and has been developed for
      the two major platforms (Apple and Android platforms). The authors believe that
      by tapping onto these sensors and by programming a smartphone application that is
      specifically catered for rehabilitation, it would keep costs minimal for
      researchers, patients and caregivers. Whilst there is a growing interest in
      wearable devices and sensors, it is important for developers and researchers to
      be cognizant that certain interventions, such as rehabilitation could still be
      done through a smartphone device, instead of investing in new research and
      development. There are various untapped potential in the smartphone that
      researchers and developers need to be cognizant of. 

PMID- 26484885
TI  - Analysis of compressive load on intervertebral joint in standing and sitting
      postures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There have been some disagreements on the comparison of disc
      pressures in the standing and sitting postures in literature. Most research on in
      vivo pressure needle measurement found higher disc pressure in sitting than in
      standing. The disc pressure data can help to advocate better postures for
      clinical advice. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to develop a procedure to
      study the compressive load on intervertebral joint in the standing and sitting
      postures through the approach of motion capture and musculoskeletal modeling.
      METHODS: The marker data of six subjects performing various standing and sitting
      postures was obtained during the motion capture experiment and used to train the
      musculoskeletal model with an enhanced discretized spine developed for subject in
      the inverse and forward simulations. RESULTS: Compressive loads on L3-L4 and L4
      L5 joints are found higher in upright sitting than in upright standing. Slumped
      sitting, cross-legged sitting and flexion sitting can introduce higher
      compressive loads on intervertebral joints compared with upright sitting.
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate the effects of standing and sitting postures
      on the spinal joint loads. The results can provide doctors and therapists with
      more information on clinical advice on better postures for people with spinal
      problems.

PMID- 26484886
TI  - Influence of various bleaching regimes on surface roughness of resin composite
      and ceramic dental biomaterials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bleaching agents are commonly used in dentistry for treating the
      discolored teeth. A number of biomaterials and methods are in clinical
      applications. OBJECTIVE: The major aim of this study was to evaluate the effects
      of two different bleaching agents on the surface roughness properties of dental
      resin nanocomposites and dental porcelains using various regimes. METHODS: This
      study was conducted using direct restorative hybrid and nanocomposite materials
      and dental porcelains. The specimens were treated using the bleaching gels
      [(Opalescence Boost 40% OP) and (Whiteness HP 35% WHP)] for 30, 45, 60 and 120
      minutes respectively. Treated samples were analyzed for surface roughness
      properties using contact mode surface profilometry and surface topography using
      scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Data was analyzed statistically using
      analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: There were no significant changes observed
      in the roughness of nanofill, nanohybrid composites and ceramic materials
      compared to microhybrid resin composites (p> 0.05). The SEM photomicrographs
      confirmed the results of the profilometer showing slight changes in the
      microhybrid resin composite. CONCLUSIONS: No remarkable difference was observed
      between the bleaching agents (Opalescence Boost and Whiteness HP Blue) for the
      surface roughness of tested dental materials. The bleaching agents can be used
      without harming the ceramic, nanofilled or nanohybrid resin restorations.
      However, if microhybrid or microfilled composite restorations are present in the
      oral cavity, bleaching may damage the surface finish and requiring replacement of
      restorations.

PMID- 26484887
TI  - Correction: Oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution in DMSO based electrolytes: the
      role of the electrocatalyst.
AB  - Correction for 'Oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution in DMSO based electrolytes:
      the role of the electrocatalyst' by C. J. Bondue et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.,
      2015, 17, 25593-25606. 

PMID- 26484888
TI  - Peroxisomal Import Reduces the Proapoptotic Activity of Deubiquitinating Enzyme
      USP2.
AB  - The human deubiquitinating enzyme ubiquitin-specific protease 2 (USP2) regulates
      multiple cellular pathways, including cell proliferation and apoptosis. As a
      result of alternative splicing four USP2 isoenzymes are expressed in human cells
      of which all contain a weak peroxisome targeting signal of type 1 (PTS1) at their
      C-termini. Here, we systematically analyzed apoptotic effects induced by
      overexpression and intracellular localization for each isoform. All isoforms
      exhibit proapoptotic activity and are post-translationally imported into the
      matrix of peroxisomes in a PEX5-dependent manner. However, a significant fraction
      of the USP2 pool resides in the cytosol due to a weaker PTS1 and thus low
      affinity to the PTS receptor PEX5. Blocking of peroxisomal import did not
      interfere with the proapoptotic activity of USP2, suggesting that the enzyme
      performs its critical function outside of this compartment. Instead, increase of
      the efficiency of USP2 import into peroxisomes either by optimization of its
      peroxisomal targeting signal or by overexpression of the PTS1 receptor did result
      in a reduction of the apoptotic rate of transfected cells. Our studies suggest
      that peroxisomal import of USP2 provides additional control over the proapoptotic
      activity of cytosolic USP2 by spatial separation of the deubiquitinating enzymes
      from their interaction partners in the cytosol and nucleus. 

PMID- 26484889
TI  - Prevalence of Mental Illness among Homeless People in Hong Kong.
AB  - METHOLODOGY: This study examined the prevalence and correlates of mental illness
      in homeless people in Hong Kong and explored the barriers preventing their access
      to health care. Ninety-seven Cantonese-speaking Chinese who were homeless during
      the study period were selected at random from the records of the three
      organisations serving the homeless population. The response rate was 69%.
      Seventeen subjects could not give valid consent due to their poor mental state,
      so their responses were excluded from the data analysis. A psychiatrist
      administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis-I disorders (SCID
      I) and the Mini -Mental State Examination. Consensus diagnoses for subjects who
      could not complete the SCID-I were established by three independent
      psychiatrists. FINDINGS: The point prevalence of mental illness was 56%. Seventy
      one percent of the subjects had a lifetime history of mental illness, 30% had a
      mood disorder, 25% had an alcohol use disorder, 25% had a substance use disorder,
      10% had a psychotic disorder, 10% had an anxiety disorder and 6% had dementia.
      Forty-one percent of the subjects with mental illness had undergone a previous
      psychiatric assessment. Only 13% of the subjects with mental illness were
      receiving psychiatric care at the time of interview. The prevalence of psychotic
      disorders, dementia and the rate of under treatment are hugely underestimated, as
      a significant proportion (18%) of the subjects initially selected were too ill to
      give consent to join the study. CONCLUSION: The low treatment rate and the
      presence of this severely ill and unreached group of homeless people reflect the
      fact that the current mode of service delivery is failing to support the most
      severely ill homeless individuals.

PMID- 26484890
TI  - Unusual Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

PMID- 26484891
TI  - Isolation and Propagation of Circulating Tumor Cells from a Mouse Cancer Model.
AB  - Cancer metastasis is the foremost cause of cancer-associated deaths. Recent
      studies have shown that circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are important in cancer
      metastasis. Indeed, the number of CTCs correlates with tumor size. Here, a
      detailed description is provided of a methodology for isolation and propagation
      of CTCs from a syngeneic mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) which
      allows for downstream analysis of potentially important molecular mechanisms of
      solid organ tumor metastasis. This method is efficient and reproducible. It is a
      non-invasive technique and, therefore, has potential to replace the invasive
      biopsy of tissues from humans which may be associated with complications.
      Therefore, the method discussed here allows for the isolation and propagation of
      CTCs from whole blood samples such that they can be examined and characterized.
      This has potential for future adaptation for clinical applications such as
      diagnosis, and personalized targeted therapy. 

PMID- 26484892
TI  - Molecular cloning and characterization of a phospholipid hydroperoxide
      glutathione peroxidase gene from a blood fluke Schistosoma japonicum.
AB  - Phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPx) is a major antioxidant
      enzyme and plays critical roles in the protection of cells against oxidative
      stress by catalysing reduction of lipid hydroperoxides. A full-length cDNA
      sequence corresponding to GPx gene from Schistosoma japonicum (designated SjGPx)
      was isolated and characterized. SjGPx contained an in-frame TGA codon for
      selenocysteine (Sec) and a concurrent Sec insertion sequence in its 3'
      untranslated region. Protein encoded by SjGPx demonstrated a primary structure
      characteristic to the PHGPx family, including preservation of catalytic domains
      and absence of the subunit interaction domains. Phylogenetic analysis revealed
      that the SjGPx was highly related to the other PHGPx-related members, and
      clustered into the trematode subclade II. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription
      PCR and western blotting showed that the SjGPx was mainly expressed in the female
      adults and eggs. RNA interference was employed to investigate the effects of
      knockdown of SjGPx. SjGPx expression level was significantly reduced on the 5th
      day post-RNAi. We observed a 53.86% reduction in total GPx activity and the eggs
      severely deformed. Oxidative stimulation of viable worms with H2O2 or paraquat
      resulted in 1.6- to 2.1-fold induction of the GPx activity. Our results revealed
      that the SjGPx protein is selenium-dependent PHGPx, which might actively
      participate in the detoxification of oxidative damage during egg production. 

PMID- 26484893
TI  - Alpha, delta and theta rhythms in a neural net model. Comparison with MEG data.
AB  - The aim of this study is to provide information regarding the comparison of a
      neural model to MEG measurements. Our study population consisted of 10 epileptic
      patients and 10 normal subjects. The epileptic patients had high MEG amplitudes
      characterized with theta (4-7 Hz) or delta (2-3 Hz) rhythms and absence of alpha
      rhythm (8-13 Hz). The statistical analysis of such activities corresponded to
      Poisson distribution. Conversely, the MEG from normal subjects had low
      amplitudes, higher frequencies and presence of alpha-rhythm (8-13 Hz). Such
      activities were not synchronized and their distributions were Gauss. These
      findings were in agreement with our theoretical neural model. The comparison of
      the neural network with MEG data provides information about the status of brain
      function in epileptic and normal states.

PMID- 26484894
TI  - Hybrid aerogel preparations as drug delivery matrices for low water-solubility
      drugs.
AB  - A comprehensive study of 14 hybrid aerogels of different composition with
      applications in drug delivery has been carried out. The overall objective was to
      modulate the release behavior of drug-impregnated aerogels, from an almost
      instantaneous release to a semi-retarded delivery prolonged during several hours,
      through internal surface functionalization. The designed hybrid aerogels were
      composed of silica and gelatin and functionalized with either phenyl, long (16)
      hydrocarbon chain or methyl moiety. As model systems, three class II active
      agents (pKa<5.5), ibuprofen, ketoprofen and triflusal, were chosen to impregnate
      the aerogels. The work relied on the use of supercritical fluid technology for
      both the synthesis and functionalization of the hybrid aerogels, as well as for
      the impregnation with an active agent using supercritical CO2 as a solvent. For
      the impregnated aerogels, in vitro release profiles were recorded under gastric
      and intestinal pH-conditions using HPLC techniques. The release behavior observed
      for the three studied drugs was explained considering the measured dissolution
      profiles of the crystalline drugs, the aerogel composition and its
      functionalization. Such features are considered of great interest to tailor the
      bioavailability of drugs with low water solubility.

PMID- 26484895
TI  - Immunesenescence and inflammaging: A contributory factor in the poor outcome of
      the geriatric trauma patient.
AB  - Compared to younger patients, traumatic injury in older patients is associated
      with increased mortality and a range of adverse outcomes such as higher rates of
      infectious episodes, longer length of hospital stay and poor functional outcome
      at follow up. Data emerging from human and murine-based studies suggest age
      related changes in immune function, collectively termed immunesenescence, and the
      chronic sub-clinical systemic inflammatory state of older adults, termed
      inflammaging, may contribute to these poor outcomes. Here, we review the findings
      of these studies, whose results demonstrate that the geriatric trauma patient
      elicits an immune response to injury that is distinct to that of younger adults,
      being characterised by reduced immune cell activation, impaired function and
      abnormal haematopoiesis, defects that are accompanied by an altered inflammatory
      response that fails to return to a homeostatic baseline in the days following
      injury. Although considerable evidence is accumulating that demonstrates clear
      and significant age-related differences in the immune and inflammatory response
      to traumatic injury, our current understanding of the mechanism(s) that underlie
      these changes is limited. Future studies that provide a mechanistic explanation
      for the unique immune and inflammatory response of older adults to traumatic
      injury are therefore essential if we are to determine whether manipulation of the
      immune system has potential as a future therapeutic strategy by which to improve
      the outcome of the geriatric trauma patient.

PMID- 26484896
TI  - Comparing the Affinity of GTPase-binding Proteins using Competition Assays.
AB  - In this protocol we demonstrate a method for comparing the competition between
      GTPase-binding proteins. Such an approach is important for determining the
      binding capabilities of GTPases for two reasons: The fact that all interactions
      involve the same face of the GTPases means that binding events must be considered
      in the context of competitors, and the fact that the bound nucleotide must also
      be controlled means that conventional approaches such as immunoprecipitation are
      unsuitable for GTPase biochemistry. The assay relies on the use of purified
      proteins. Purified Rac1 immobilized on beads is used as the bait protein, and can
      be loaded with GDP, a non-hydrolyzable version of GTP or left nucleotide free, so
      that the signaling stage to be investigated can be controlled. The binding
      proteins to be investigated are purified from mammalian cells, to allow correct
      folding, by means of a GFP tag. Use of the same tag on both proteins is important
      because not only does it allow rapid purification and elution, but also allows
      detection of both competitors with the same antibody during elution. This means
      that the relative amounts of the two bound proteins can be determined accurately.

PMID- 26484897
TI  - Cloning and functional characterization of the Arabidopsis N-acetylserotonin O
      methyltransferase responsible for melatonin synthesis.
AB  - The N-acetylserotonin O-methyltransferase (ASMT) gene encodes the enzyme that
      catalyzes the conversion of N-acetylserotonin to melatonin as the last step in
      melatonin biosynthesis. The first plant ASMT gene to be cloned was from rice. An
      orthologous gene encoding a protein with ASMT activity and only 39.7% amino acid
      sequence identity to the rice ASMT protein was recently isolated from apple
      (Malus zumi). The low homology of the apple ASMT sequence prompted us to screen
      the Arabidopsis genome for a homologous ASMT gene. The At4g35160 gene exhibited
      the highest sequence identity (31%) to the rice ASMT gene, followed by the
      At1g76790 gene with 29% sequence identity. We purified recombinant proteins
      expressed from the two Arabidopsis genes. The At4g35160 recombinant protein
      exhibited ASMT enzyme activity, but the At1g76790 recombinant protein did not;
      thus, we designated At4g35160 as an Arabidopsis thaliana ASMT (AtASMT) gene. The
      AtASMT protein catalyzed the conversion of N-acetylserotonin to melatonin and
      serotonin to 5-methoxytryptamine with Vmax values of 0.11 and 0.29 pkat/mg
      protein, respectively. However, AtASMT exhibited no caffeic acid O
      methyltransferase activity, suggesting that its function was highly specific to
      melatonin synthesis. AtASMT transcripts were induced by cadmium treatment in
      Arabidopsis followed by increased melatonin synthesis. Similar to other ASMT
      proteins, AtASMT was localized in the cytoplasm and its ectopic overexpression in
      rice resulted in increased ASMT enzyme activity and melatonin production,
      indicating the involvement of AtASMT in melatonin synthesis. 

PMID- 26484898
TI  - Roflumilast inhibits leukocyte-platelet interactions and prevents the
      prothrombotic functions of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes.
AB  - ESSENTIALS: Thrombosis is a major comorbidity in patients with chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Roflumilast is a selective
      phosphodiesterase type-4 (PDE4) inhibitor approved for treatment of severe COPD.
      PDE4 blockade by roflumilast inhibits prothrombotic functions of neutrophils and
      monocytes. PDE4 inhibitors may reduce thrombotic risk in COPD as well as in other
      vascular diseases. BACKGROUND: Roflumilast, an oral selective phosphodiesterase
      type 4 inhibitor, is approved for the treatment of severe chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD). A recent meta-analysis of trials on COPD revealed that
      treatment with roflumilast was associated with a significant reduction in the
      rate of major cardiovascular events. The mechanisms of this effect remain
      unknown. OBJECTIVES: We tested the hypothesis that roflumilast N-oxide (RNO), the
      active metabolite of roflumilast, curbs the molecular mechanisms required for
      leukocyte-platelet (PLT) interactions and prevents the prothrombotic functions of
      polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and monocytes (MNs). METHODS: Using well
      characterized in vitro models, we analysed the effects of RNO on: (i) PMN
      adhesiveness; (ii) the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs); and
      (iii) tissue factor expression in MNs. Key biochemical events underlying the
      inhibitory effects of RNO were defined. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In PMNs, RNO
      prevented phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent phosphorylation of Akt on
      Ser473, and Src family kinase (SFK)-mediated Pyk2 phosphorylation on Tyr579-580,
      while inducing protein kinase A-mediated phosphorylation of C-terminal Src
      kinase, the major negative regulator of SFKs. Modulation of these signaling
      pathways by RNO resulted in a significant impairment of PMN adhesion to activated
      PLTs or human umbilical vein endothelial cells, mainly mediated by inhibition of
      the adhesive function of Mac-1. Moreover RNO curbed SFK/PI3K-mediated NET release
      by PMNs adherent on fibrinogen-coated surfaces. In MNs interacting with activated
      PLTs, RNO curbed PI3K-mediated expression of tissue factor. The efficacy of RNO
      was significantly potentiated by formoterol, a long acting beta-adrenergic
      receptor agonist. This study reveals novel antithrombotic activities by which
      roflumilast may exert protective effects against cardiovascular comorbodities in
      COPD.

PMID- 26484899
TI  - Circadian Disruption Reveals a Correlation of an Oxidative GSH/GSSG Redox Shift
      with Learning and Impaired Memory in an Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Model.
AB  - It is unclear whether pre-symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes circadian
      disruption or whether circadian disruption accelerates AD pathogenesis. In order
      to examine the sensitivity of learning and memory to circadian disruption, we
      altered normal lighting phases by an 8 h shortening of the dark period every 3
      days (jet lag) in the APPSwDI NOS2-/- model of AD (AD-Tg) at a young age (4-5
      months), when memory is not yet affected compared to non-transgenic (non-Tg)
      mice. Analysis of activity in 12-12 h lighting or constant darkness showed only
      minor differences between AD-Tg and non-Tg mice. Jet lag greatly reduced activity
      in both genotypes during the normal dark time. Learning on the Morris water maze
      was significantly impaired only in the AD-Tg mice exposed to jet lag. However,
      memory 3 days after training was impaired in both genotypes. Jet lag caused a
      decrease of glutathione (GSH) levels that tended to be more pronounced in AD-Tg
      than in non-Tg brains and an associated increase in NADH levels in both
      genotypes. Lower brain GSH levels after jet lag correlated with poor performance
      on the maze. These data indicate that the combination of the environmental stress
      of circadian disruption together with latent stress of the mutant amyloid and
      NOS2 knockout contributes to cognitive deficits that correlate with lower GSH
      levels.

PMID- 26484900
TI  - Associations between Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Cerebral Amyloid Deposition in
      Cognitively Impaired Elderly People.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuropsychiatric symptoms, also known as behavioral and psychological
      symptoms of dementia (BPSD), affect the majority of patients with dementia, and
      result in a greater cognitive and functional impairment. OBJECTIVE: To
      investigate associations between BPSD and amyloid cerebral deposition as measured
      by 18F-Florbetapir-PET quantitative uptake in elderly subjects with and without
      cognitive impairment. METHODS: Participants with cognitive impairment [mild
      cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer's disease (AD)] and healthy controls (HC)
      from the ADNI cohort (Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative) who underwent an
      18F-florbetapir PET scan between May 2010 and March 2014 were included. Clinical
      assessments included the Clinical Dementia Rating, the Mini-Mental State
      Examination (MMSE), and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Freesurfer software was
      used to extract PET counts based on T1-based structural ROI (frontal, cingulate,
      parietal, and temporal). Spearman's partial correlation scores between BPSD
      severity and regional amyloid uptake were calculated. RESULTS: Data for 657
      participants [age = 72.6 (7.19); MMSE = 27.4 (2.67)] were analyzed, including 230
      HC [age = 73.1 (6.02); MMSE = 29 (1.21)], 308 MCI [age = 71.5 (7.44); MMSE = 28.0
      (1.75)], and 119 AD subjects [age = 74.7 (8.05); MMSE = 23.1 (2.08)]. Considering
      all diagnostic groups together, positive significant correlations were found
      between anxiety and 18F-florbetapir uptake in the frontal (r = 0.102; p = 0.009),
      cingulate (r = 0.083; p = 0.034), and global cerebral uptake (r = 0.099; p =
      0.011); between irritability and frontal (r = 0.089; p = 0.023), cingulate (r =
      0.085; p = 0.030), parietal (r = 0.087; p = 0.025), and global cerebral uptake (r
      = 0.093; p = 0.017); in the MCI subgroup, between anxiety and frontal (r = 0.126;
      p = 0.03) and global uptake (r = 0.14; p = 0.013); in the AD subgroup, between
      irritability and parietal uptake (r = 0.201; p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Anxiety and
      irritability are associated with greater amyloid deposition in the
      neurodegenerative process leading to AD.

PMID- 26484901
TI  - Effect of Tween-20 on Core Biomarkers Measured in Cerebrospinal Fluid from
      Patients with Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, or Healthy Control
      Individuals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is substantial variation caused by preanalytical procedures in
      the measurement of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease
      (AD) reported in the literature. OBJECTIVE: Determine whether the detergent Tween
      20 improves diagnostic accuracy. METHODS: CSF proteins (Abeta42, Abeta40, total
      tau, and phosphorylated tau) were measured by standard ELISA, in uncentrifuged
      CSF with or without 0.05% Tween-20 from patients with AD or amnestic mild
      cognitive impairment, and healthy elderly controls. In the main study, collection
      tubes containing Tween-20 (Sarstedt 15 mL) were filled with 5 mL CSF to ensure
      consistent detergent concentration across subsequent aliquots into Corning 2 mL
      tubes. These latter were also the primary collection vessel for samples without
      Tween-20. The effect of centrifugation, and extra tube transfer of samples with
      Tween-20 were also examined. RESULTS: 0.05% Tween-20 significantly increased mean
      measured CSF concentration of Abeta42 (30% ), Abeta40 (23% ), and total tau (4%
      ), but not phosphorylated tau. Generally, these increases were similar in all
      groups, although for Abeta42, the mean percentage increase with Tween-20 was
      slightly larger for AD. Areas under receiver-operator characteristic curves were
      similar whether Tween-20 was present or not. Centrifuged CSF without Tween-20
      significantly reduced the measured concentration of Abeta42 versus non
      centrifuged samples, a difference not seen when detergent was added. Similar CSF
      Abeta42 levels were found whether Tween-20 was added at collection in an extra
      tube or directly to the main collection tube. CONCLUSION: Addition of Tween-20 to
      CSF did not improve differentiation of patients from controls.

PMID- 26484903
TI  - Psychotropic Drug Prescription in Patients with Dementia: Nursing Home Residents
      Versus Patients Living at Home.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychotropic drugs are frequently prescribed in nursing homes (NH).
      Nonetheless, we hoped that institutionalization decreases the number of
      psychotropic drug classes prescribed, because NH residents may have more
      psychosocial interventions than patients living at home. OBJECTIVE: The aim was
      to compare the type and number of psychotropic drugs prescribed in elderly NH
      residents with dementia with those in community-living patients. METHODS: This
      cross-sectional study included elderly patients (at least 75 years old) with
      dementia recorded in the National Alzheimer's data Bank ("Banque Nationale
      Alzheimer") during the year 2012 and who were taking at least one psychotropic
      drug. Psychotropic drugs were classified as follows: antidepressant, anxiolytic,
      hypnotic, and antipsychotic drugs. Patients were classified into three categories
      of dementia severity according to the MMSE score. RESULTS: Among the 50,932
      patients with dementia recorded in the BNA, 40.1% had at least one psychotropic
      drug prescribed. Most of the patients who were treated by at least one
      psychotropic drug class had antidepressant therapy (69.0%), whatever their
      residence type, and 16.1% were treated with antipsychotics. Among the study
      population, 51.9% of the NH residents and 67.4% of the patients living at home
      had only one psychotropic drug class prescribed. Living in a NH was significantly
      associated with the more frequent prescription of anxiolytic, hypnotic, and
      antipsychotic drugs, and with a greater number of psychotropic drug classes
      prescribed, whatever the severity of the dementia. CONCLUSION: We underlined the
      more frequent prescription of psychotropic drugs in NH residents regardless of
      MMSE scores.

PMID- 26484902
TI  - The Latent Dementia Phenotype delta is Associated with Cerebrospinal Fluid
      Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease and Predicts Conversion to Dementia in Subjects
      with Mild Cognitive Impairment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The recently proposed latent variable delta is a new tool for
      dementia case finding. It is built in a structural equation modeling framework of
      cognitive and functional data and constitutes a novel endophenotype for
      Alzheimer's disease (AD) research and clinical trials. OBJECTIVE: To investigate
      the association of delta with AD biomarkers and to compare the prediction of
      delta with established scales for conversion to dementia in patients with mild
      cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: Using data from a multicenter memory clinic
      study, we examined the external associations of the latent variable delta and
      compared delta with well-established cognitive and functional scales and
      cognitive-functional composite scores. For that purpose, logistic regressions
      with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers and conversion to dementia as dependent
      variables were performed with the investigated scores. The models were tested for
      significant differences. RESULTS: In patients with MCI, delta based on a broad
      range of cognitive scales (including the ADAS-cog, the MMSE, and the CERAD
      neuropsychological battery) predicted an abnormal CSF Abeta42/tau ratio
      indicative of AD (n = 340, AUC = 0.78, p <  0.001), and predicted incident
      dementia within 1-3 years of follow-up (n = 525, AUC = 0.84, p <  0.001). These
      associations were generally stronger than for any other scale or cognitive
      functional composite examined. Homologs of delta based on reduced test batteries
      yielded somewhat lower effects. CONCLUSION: These findings support the
      interpretation of delta as a construct capturing the disease-related "essence" of
      cognitive and functional impairments in patients with MCI and dementia, and
      suggest that delta might become an analytical tool for dementia research.

PMID- 26484904
TI  - Clinical Impact of a Second FDG-PET in Atypical/Unclear Dementia Syndromes.
AB  - Diagnosis of atypical/unclear dementia is often difficult and this delays
      treatment initiation. Several authors have shown that beyond standard dementia
      workup, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) reduces the
      number of unclear diagnoses, leads to earlier treatment, and has a beneficial
      impact on families. However, it is not uncommon that the FDG-PET findings are
      equivocal in this setting. For those cases, a repeat FDG-PET may clarify the
      diagnosis and prevent treatment delay. We retrospectively assessed the clinical
      impact of a repeat FDG-PET in 59 patients with atypical/unclear dementia
      syndromes and inconclusive initial FDG-PET. Changes in primary diagnosis,
      diagnostic confidence, and management following the second FDG-PET were examined.
      Conducting a second FDG-PET reduced the number of unclear diagnoses from 80% to
      34% , led to diagnostic change in 24% of cases, and treatment modification in 22%
      of patients. Overall, the clinical impact was higher when initial diagnostic
      confidence was low and the second FDG-PET repeated >=12 months after the first
      one. In tertiary care memory clinic settings, when diagnostic incertitude
      persists despite extensive evaluation and an equivocal FDG-PET, repeating the FDG
      PET 12 months later can greatly clarify the diagnosis and improve management. 

PMID- 26484905
TI  - Altered Affective Evaluations of Smells in Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies of olfaction in Alzheimer's disease (AD) mainly focused on
      deficits in odor detection and identification, with very few investigations of
      olfactory emotional changes and their consequences for hedonics. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim of the present study was to characterize affective evaluations of odors in AD
      patients. METHODS: To this end, 20 AD patients and 20 matched controls were
      tested. Participants were screened for odor detection and identification ability
      and then asked to rate the intensity, pleasantness, and edibility of 20 odorants.
      RESULTS: Results showed that, overall, AD patients had lower detection ability
      and perceived all odors as weaker than controls. As expected, they had lower
      identification ability on both cued and non-cued tasks. In addition, when
      smelling pleasant odors, patients had significantly lower hedonic ratings than
      controls (p <  0.02), whereas no group difference was found for neutral or
      unpleasant odors (p >  0.05 in both cases). Moreover, an analysis combining both
      intensity and pleasantness ratings showed that whereas intensity increased as a
      function of pleasantness and unpleasantness in controls, this quadratic
      relationship was not observed in AD patients. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests
      that the simplest categorization criteria of odors (intensity and hedonic
      valence) are impaired in AD patients (especially for pleasant odors).

PMID- 26484906
TI  - Age-Dependent Regulation of the Blood-Brain Barrier Influx/Efflux Equilibrium of
      Amyloid-beta Peptide in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease (3xTg-AD).
AB  - The involvement of transporters located at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been
      suggested in the control of cerebral Abeta levels, and thereby in Alzheimer's
      disease (AD). However, little is known about the regulation of these transporters
      at the BBB in animal models of AD. In this study, we investigated the BBB
      expression of Abeta influx (Rage) and efflux (Abcb1-Abcg2-Abcg4-Lrp-1)
      transporters and cholesterol transporter (Abca1) in 3-18-month-old 3xTg-AD and
      control mice. The age-dependent effect of BBB transporters regulation on the
      brain uptake clearance (Clup) of [3H]cholesterol and [3H]Abeta1 - 40 was then
      evaluated in these mice, using the in situ brain perfusion technique. Our data
      suggest that transgenes expression led to the BBB increase in Abeta influx
      receptor (Rage) and decrease in efflux receptor (Lrp-1). Our data also indicate
      that mice have mechanisms counteracting this increased net influx. Indeed, Abcg4
      and Abca1 are up regulated in 3- and 3/6-month-old 3xTg-AD mice, respectively.
      Our data show that the balance between the BBB influx and efflux of Abeta is
      maintained in 3 and 6-month-old 3xTg-AD mice, suggesting that Abcg4 and Abca1
      control the efflux of Abeta through the BBB by a direct (Abcg4) or indirect
      (Abca1) mechanism. At 18 months, the BBB Abeta efflux is significantly increased
      in 3xTg-AD mice compared to controls. This could result from the significant up
      regulation of both Abcg2 and Abcb1 in 3xTg-AD mice compared to control mice.
      Thus, age-dependent regulation of several Abeta and cholesterol transporters at
      the BBB could ultimately limit the brain accumulation of Abeta.

PMID- 26484907
TI  - Early in vivo Effects of the Human Mutant Amyloid-beta Protein Precursor
      (hAbetaPPSwInd) on the Mouse Olfactory Bulb.
AB  - The amyloid-beta protein precursor (AbetaPP) has long been linked to Alzheimer's
      disease (AD). Using J20 mice, which express human AbetaPP with Swedish and
      Indiana mutations, we studied early pathological changes in the olfactory bulb.
      The presence of AbetaPP/amyloid-beta (Abeta) was examined in mice aged 3 months
      (before the onset of hippocampal Abeta deposition) and over 5 months (when
      hippocampal Abeta deposits are present). The number of neurons, non-neurons, and
      proliferating cells was assessed using the isotropic fractionator method. Our
      results demonstrate that although AbetaPP is overexpressed in some of the mitral
      cells, widespread Abeta deposition and microglia aggregates are not prevalent in
      the olfactory bulb. The olfactory bulbs of the younger J20 group harbored
      significantly fewer neurons than those of the age-matched wild-type mice (5.57+/
      0.13 million versus 6.59+/-0.36 million neurons; p = 0.011). In contrast, the
      number of proliferating cells was higher in the young J20 than in the wild-type
      group (i.e., 6617+/-425 versus 4455+/-623 cells; p = 0.011). A significant
      increase in neurogenic activity was also observed in the younger J20 olfactory
      bulb. In conclusion, our results indicate that (1) neurons participating in the
      mouse olfactory function overexpress AbetaPP; (2) the cellular composition of the
      young J20 olfactory bulb is different from that of wild-type littermates; (3)
      these differences may reflect altered neurogenic activity and/or delayed
      development of the J20 olfactory system; and (4) AbetaPP/Abeta-associated
      pathological changes that take place in the J20 hippocampus and olfactory bulb
      are not identical.

PMID- 26484908
TI  - Higher Fasting Plasma Glucose Levels, within the Normal Range, are Associated
      with Decreased Processing Speed in High Functioning Young Elderly.
AB  - We explored the association of plasma glucose levels within the normal range with
      processing speed in high functioning young elderly, free of type 2 diabetes
      mellitus (T2DM). A sample of 41 participants (mean age = 64.7, SD = 10; glucose
      94.5 mg/dL, SD = 9.3), were examined with a computerized cognitive battery.
      Hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that higher plasma glucose levels,
      albeit within the normal range (<110 mg/dL), were associated with longer reaction
      times (p <  0.01). These findings suggest that even in the subclinical range and
      in the absence of T2DM, monitoring plasma glucose levels may have an impact on
      cognitive function.

PMID- 26484909
TI  - The Utilization of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness to Predict Cognitive
      Deterioration.
AB  - Our previous studies have shown that longitudinal reduction in retinal nerve
      fiber layer (RNFL) thickness is associated with cognitive deterioration. However,
      whether the combination of longitudinal reduction in RNFL thickness with baseline
      episodic memory performance can better predict cognitive deterioration remains
      unknown. Therefore, we set out to re-analyze the data obtained from our previous
      studies with 78 elderly adults (mean age 74.4 +/- 3.83 years, 48.7% male) in the
      community over a 25-month period. The participants were categorized as either
      stable participants whose cognitive status did not change (n = 60) or converted
      participants whose cognitive status deteriorated (n = 18). A logistic regression
      analysis was applied to determine a conversion score for predicting the cognitive
      deterioration in the participants. We found that the area under the receiver
      operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the multivariable model was 0.854 (95%
      CI 0.762-0.947) using baseline story recall as a predictor, but the AUC increased
      to 0.915 (95% CI 0.849-0.981) with the addition of the longitudinal reduction of
      RNFL thickness in the inferior quadrant. The conversion score was significantly
      higher for the converted participants than the stable participants (0.59 +/- 0.30
      versus 0.12 +/- 0.19, p <  0.001). Finally, the optimal cutoff value of the
      conversion score (0.134) was determined by the analysis of receiver operating
      characteristic curve, and this conversion score generated a sensitivity of 0.944
      and a specificity of 0.767 in predicting the cognitive deterioration. These
      findings have established a system to perform a larger scale study to further
      test whether the longitudinal reduction in RNFL thickness could serve as a
      biomarker of Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26484911
TI  - Dementia Apraxia Test (DATE): A Brief Tool to Differentiate Behavioral Variant
      Frontotemporal Dementia from Alzheimer's Dementia Based on Apraxia Profiles.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Standardized praxis assessments with modern, empirically validated
      screening tests have substantially improved clinical evaluation of apraxia in
      patients with stroke. Although apraxia may contribute to early differential
      diagnosis of Alzheimer's dementia (AD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal
      dementia (bvFTD), no comparable test is readily available to clinicians for this
      purpose to date. OBJECTIVE: To design a clinically useful apraxia test for the
      differentiation of AD and bvFTD. METHODS: 84 test items pertaining to twelve
      praxis subdomains were evaluated for their efficacy to discriminate between
      patients with bvFTD (n = 24), AD (n = 28), and elderly healthy controls (HC; n =
      35). Items were then selected based on discriminative value and psychometric
      properties. RESULTS: Items indicative of mild AD comprised spatially complex
      imitation of hand and finger postures and to a lesser degree, pantomime of common
      object-use. Buccofacial apraxia including imitation of face postures, emblematic
      face postures, and repetition of multisyllabic pseudowords differentiated bvFTD
      from HC and AD. The final test version consisting of 20 items proved highly
      efficient for the discrimination of biologically confirmed dementia patients from
      HC (sensitivity 91% , specificity 71%) but also for differential diagnosis of
      bvFTD and AD (sensitivity 74% , specificity 93%). CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of
      praxis profiles effectively contributes to diagnosis and differential diagnosis
      of AD and bvFTD. The Dementia Apraxia Test (DATE) is a brief and easy to
      administer cognitive tool for dementia assessment, has a high inter-rater
      reliability (Cohen's kappa= 0.885) and demonstrates content validity.

PMID- 26484910
TI  - A Pathway Based Classification Method for Analyzing Gene Expression for
      Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies indicate that gene expression levels in blood may be
      able to differentiate subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) from normal elderly
      controls and mild cognitively impaired (MCI) subjects. However, there is limited
      replicability at the single marker level. A pathway-based interpretation of gene
      expression may prove more robust. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate
      whether a case/control classification model built on pathway level data was more
      robust than a gene level model and may consequently perform better in test data.
      The study used two batches of gene expression data from the AddNeuroMed (ANM) and
      Dementia Case Registry (DCR) cohorts. METHODS: Our study used Illumina Human HT
      12 Expression BeadChips to collect gene expression from blood samples. Random
      forest modeling with recursive feature elimination was used to predict
      case/control status. Age and APOE E4 status were used as covariates for all
      analysis. RESULTS: Gene and pathway level models performed similarly to each
      other and to a model based on demographic information only. CONCLUSIONS: Any
      potential increase in concordance from the novel pathway level approach used here
      has not lead to a greater predictive ability in these datasets. However, we have
      only tested one method for creating pathway level scores. Further, we have been
      able to benchmark pathways against genes in datasets that had been extensively
      harmonized. Further work should focus on the use of alternative methods for
      creating pathway level scores, in particular those that incorporate pathway
      topology, and the use of an endophenotype based approach.

PMID- 26484912
TI  - Dysregulation and diagnostic potential of microRNA in Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases and
      is considered to be the main cause of cognitive impairment in elderly people. The
      major symptom of AD is progressive dementia that eventually results in
      dysfunction of daily life. Due to the fact that AD has a long period of
      incubation before clinical symptoms emerge, the available therapeutic treatments
      can only improve the symptoms but not delay the progression of AD. Therefore,
      there is an urgent need to explore effective diagnostic approaches to catch and
      better treat the disease before clinical symptoms appear. Recent research
      revealed that abnormal expression of certain miRNA could have a crucial role in
      the pathological process of neurodegenerative disease including AD. Furthermore,
      given that AD patients show increased level of miRNAs in the blood and
      cerebrospinal fluid, miRNAs are considered promising non-invasive candidates for
      AD diagnosis and prognosis. Here, we reviewed the current research related to
      implications of miRNAs during the development of AD, summarized of actively used
      approaches to identifying potential miRNA biomarkers in body fluids, and
      discussed the diagnostic potential of microRNAs as biomarkers for AD. 

PMID- 26484913
TI  - Increased Total Homocysteine Levels Predict the Risk of Incident Dementia
      Independent of Cerebral Small-Vessel Diseases and Vascular Risk Factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Homocysteine has been identified as a potential risk factor for
      stroke, cerebral small-vessel diseases (SVD), and dementia. OBJECTIVE: The
      present study aimed to investigate the predictive value of homocysteine levels on
      incident dementia while simultaneously controlling for MRI findings and vascular
      risk factors. METHODS: Within a Japanese cohort of participants with vascular
      risk factors in an observational study, we evaluated the association between
      baseline total homocysteine (tHcy) levels (per 1 MUmol/L and the tertile of
      tHcy), the prevalence of MRI-findings at baseline, and incident all-cause
      dementia. Baseline brain MRI was used to determine SVD (lacunas, white matter
      hyperintensities, and cerebral microbleeds [CMBs]) and atrophy (medial-temporal
      lobe atrophy and bicaudate ratio). Logistic regression analyses were used to
      estimate the cross-sectional association between tHcy and each of MRI findings.
      Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed to estimate the longitudinal
      association between tHcy and dementia. RESULTS: In the 643 subjects (age: 67.2 +/
      8.4 years, male: 59% ; education: 12.9 +/- 2.6 years), multivariable analyses
      adjusted for several potential confounders, including estimated glomerular
      filtration rate (eGFR) and intima-media thickness, showed that highest tHcy
      tertile was associated with lacunas, CMBs, and strictly deep CMBs. During the
      mean 7.3-year follow-up (range: 2-13), 47 patients were diagnosed with dementia
      (Alzheimer's disease: 24; vascular dementia: 18; mixed-type: 3; other: 2). After
      adjusting for age, gender, APOE E4, education, BMI, MMSE, hypertension,
      cerebrovascular events, eGFR, and MRI-findings, tHcy level (hazard ratios [HR]:
      1.08, p = 0.043) and the highest tertile of tHcy (HR: 2.50, p = 0.047) for all
      cause dementia remained significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide additional
      evidence of tHcy that contributes to increased susceptibility to dementia risk.

PMID- 26484914
TI  - LRP/LR Antibody Mediated Rescuing of Amyloid-beta-Induced Cytotoxicity is
      Dependent on PrPc in Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - The neuronal perturbations in Alzheimer's disease are attributed to the formation
      of extracellular amyloid-beta (Abeta) neuritic plaques, composed predominantly of
      the neurotoxic Abeta42 isoform. Although the plaques have demonstrated a role in
      synaptic dysfunction, neuronal cytotoxicity has been attributed to soluble
      Abeta42 oligomers. The 37kDa/67kDa laminin receptor has been implicated in
      Abeta42 shedding and Abeta42-induced neuronal cytotoxicity, as well as
      internalization of this neurotoxic peptide. As the cellular prion protein binds
      to both LRP/LR and Abeta42, the mechanism underlying this cytotoxicity may be
      indirectly due to the PrPc-Abeta42 interaction with LRP/LR. The effects of this
      interaction were investigated by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl
      tetrazolium bromide assays. PrPc overexpression significantly enhanced Abeta42
      cytotoxicity in vitro, while PrP-/-  cells were more resistant to the cytotoxic
      effects of Abeta42 and exhibited significantly less cell death than PrPc
      expressing N2a cells. Although anti-LRP/LR specific antibody IgG1-iS18
      significantly enhanced cell viability in both pSFV1-huPrP1-253 transfected and
      non-transfected cells treated with exogenous Abeta42, it failed to have any cell
      rescuing effect in PrP-/-  HpL3-4 cells. These results suggest that LRP/LR plays
      a significant role in Abeta42-PrPc mediated cytotoxicity and that anti-LRP/LR
      specific antibodies may serve as potential therapeutic tools for Alzheimer's
      disease. 

PMID- 26484915
TI  - The Korean Size/Weight Attribute Test: A Semantic Knowledge Test for Korean Older
      Adults and Brain-Imaging Evidence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A standardized tool for evaluating semantic knowledge of the Korean
      population is needed. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop a
      neuropsychological test for the evaluation of semantic knowledge in the Korean
      elderly population. METHODS: The Korean version of the Size/Weight Attribute Test
      (SWAT-K) was developed in reference to the original version. The diagnostic
      validity of SWAT-K was evaluated with 95 elderly outpatients [67 normal controls;
      18 with Alzheimer's disease (AD); 10 with semantic-variant progressive aphasia
      (SV-PPA)]. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was employed to examine associations
      between SWAT-K scores and morphological changes of the brain. RESULTS: SWAT-K
      could discriminate the three subject groups (normal >AD, p <  0.001; AD >SV-PPA,
      p = 0.040), whereas Boston Naming Test could not distinguish SV-PPA from AD. ROC
      curve analysis confirmed high levels of sensitivity (0.90) and specificity (0.93)
      for SWAT-K. The test's inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.827) and test-retest
      reliability (ICC = 0.666) were assessed as well. VBM found a significant positive
      correlation (uncorrected p <  0.005, k >  100) between SWAT-K scores and gray
      matter volume in right inferior frontal cortex (T = 4.08, k = 191) and bilateral
      temporal cortices (left, T = 4.42, k = 135; right, T = 3.55, k = 253), the areas
      the most affected in SV-PPA. CONCLUSIONS: SWAT-K is a sensitive and reliable test
      for evaluating semantic knowledge in the Korean elderly population. Strong
      positive correlations between SWAT-K scores and the brain areas responsible for
      semantic processing further corroborate the validity of SWAT-K.

PMID- 26484916
TI  - GSK-3beta is Dephosphorylated by PP2A in a Leu309 Methylation-Independent Manner.
AB  - Hyperphosphorylation of tau is pivotally involved in the pathogenesis of
      Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related tauopathies. Glycogen synthase kinase-3beta
      (GSK-3beta) and protein phosphate 2A (PP2A) are crucial enzymes to regulate tau
      phosphorylation. GSK-3beta activity is regulated by its inhibitory
      phosphorylation at Ser9. We previously reported the cross-talk between GSK-3beta
      and PP2A signaling and showed that PP2A could dephosphorylate GSK-3beta at Ser9.
      Here, we investigated the dephosphorylation of GSK-3beta in brain extracts in the
      presence of phosphatase inhibitors and found that a PP2A-like phosphatase
      activity was required for dephosphorylation of GSK-3beta at Ser9. PP2A interacted
      with GSK-3beta and suppressed its Ser9 phosphorylation in vitro and in HEK-293FT
      cells. Activity of PP2A negatively correlated to the level of phosphorylated GSK
      3beta in kainic acid-induced excitotoxic mouse brain. Alteration of methylation
      of the catalytic subunit of PP2A (PP2Ac) at Leu309 did not affect GSK-3beta
      phosphorylation. These findings suggest that Leu309 methylation is not required
      for PP2A to dephosphorylate GSK-3beta at Ser9.

PMID- 26484917
TI  - Discovery and Subsequent Confirmation of Novel Serum Biomarkers Diagnosing
      Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains challenging to diagnose, especially
      early disease. Having serum AD biomarkers would be of significant interest both
      in the clinical setting and in drug development efforts. OBJECTIVE: We applied a
      novel serum proteomic approach to interrogate the low-molecular weight proteome
      for serum AD biomarkers. METHODS: A discovery study used sera from 58 any-stage
      AD cases and 55 matched controls analyzed by capillary liquid chromatography
      electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Candidate biomarkers were
      statistically modeled and promising biomarkers were retested in a second, blinded
      confirmatory study (AD cases = 68, controls = 57). Biomarkers that replicated in
      the second study were modeled for the diagnosis of any-stage and very early stage
      AD. Further, they were chemically identified by tandem MS. RESULTS: The initial
      discovery study found 59 novel potential AD biomarkers. Thirteen recurred in more
      than one multi-marker panel. In a second, blinded, confirmatory study, these same
      biomarkers were retested in separate specimens. In that study, four markers
      validated comparing controls to patients with any-stage AD and also with very
      early AD. The four biomarkers with replicable ability to diagnose AD were then
      chemically identified. CONCLUSION: These results suggest novel serum AD
      diagnostic biomarkers can be found using this approach.

PMID- 26484919
TI  - Transferring cut-off values between assays for cerebrospinal fluid Alzheimer's
      disease biomarkers.
AB  - Current technologies quantifying cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers to identify
      subjects with Alzheimer's disease pathology report different concentrations in
      function of technology and suffer from between-laboratory variability. Hence, lab
      and technology-specific cut-off values are required. It is common practice to
      establish cut-off values on small datasets and, in the absence of well
      characterized samples, to transfer the cut-offs to another assay format using
      'side-by-side' testing of samples with both assays. We evaluated the uncertainty
      in cut-off estimation and the performance of two methods of cut-off transfer by
      using two clinical datasets and simulated data. The cut-off for the new assay was
      transferred by applying the commonly-used linear regression approach and a new
      Bayesian method, which consists of using prior information about the current
      assay for estimation of the biomarker's distributions for the new assay.
      Simulations show that cut-offs established with current sample sizes are
      insufficiently precise and also show the effect of increasing sample sizes on the
      cut-offs' precision. The Bayesian method results in unbiased and less variable
      cut-offs with substantially narrower 95% confidence intervals compared to the
      linear-regression transfer. For the BIODEM datasets, the transferred cut-offs for
      INNO-BIA Abeta1-42 are 167.5 pg/mL (95% credible interval [156.1, 178.0] and
      172.8 pg/mL (95% CI [147.6, 179.6]) with Bayesian and linear regression methods,
      respectively. For the EUROIMMUN assay, the estimated cut-offs are 402.8 pg/mL
      (95% credible interval [348.0, 473.9]) and 364.4 pg/mL (95% CI [269.7, 426.8]).
      Sample sizes and statistical methods used to establish and transfer cut-off
      values have to be carefully considered to guarantee optimal diagnostic
      performance of biomarkers. 

PMID- 26484918
TI  - Characterizing White Matter Tract Degeneration in Syndromic Variants of
      Alzheimer's Disease: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Different clinical syndromes can arise from Alzheimer's disease (AD)
      neuropathology, including dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT), logopenic
      primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA), and posterior cortical atrophy (PCA).
      OBJECTIVE: To assess similarities and differences in patterns of white matter
      tract degeneration across these syndromic variants of AD. METHODS: Sixty-four
      subjects (22 DAT, 24 lvPPA, and 18 PCA) that had diffusion tensor imaging and
      showed amyloid-beta deposition on PET were assessed in this case-control study. A
      whole-brain voxel-based analysis was performed to assess differences in
      fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial
      diffusivity across groups. RESULTS: All three groups showed overlapping diffusion
      abnormalities in a network of tracts, including fornix, corpus callosum,
      posterior thalamic radiations, superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior
      longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and uncinate
      fasciculus. Subtle regional differences were also observed across groups, with
      DAT particularly associated with degeneration of fornix and cingulum, lvPPA with
      left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and uncinate fasciculus, and PCA with
      posterior thalamic radiations, superior longitudinal fasciculus, posterior
      cingulate, and splenium of the corpus callosum. CONCLUSION: These findings show
      that while each AD phenotype is associated with degeneration of a specific
      structural network of white matter tracts, striking spatial overlap exists among
      the three network patterns that may be related to AD pathology.

PMID- 26484920
TI  - The Oral Iron Chelator, Deferasirox, Reverses the Age-Dependent Alterations in
      Iron and Amyloid-beta Homeostasis in Rat Brain: Implications in the Therapy of
      Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - The altered metabolism of iron impacts the brain function in multiple deleterious
      ways during normal aging as well as in Alzheimer's disease. We have shown in this
      study that chelatable iron accumulates in the aged rat brain along with
      overexpression of transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) and ferritin, accompanied by
      significant alterations in amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide homeostasis in the aging
      brain, such as an increased production of the amyloid-beta protein precursor, a
      decreased level of neprilysin, and increased accumulation of Abeta42. When aged
      rats are given daily the iron chelator, deferasirox, over a period of more than 4
      months starting from the 18th month, the age-related accumulation of iron and
      overexpression of TfR1 and ferritin in the brain are significantly prevented.
      More interestingly, the chelator treatment also considerably reverses the altered
      Abeta peptide metabolism in the aging brain implying a significant role of iron
      in the latter phenomenon. Further, other results indicate that iron accumulation
      results in oxidative stress and the activation of NF-kappaB in the aged rat
      brain, which are also reversed by the deferasirox treatment. The analysis of the
      results together suggests that iron accumulation and oxidative stress interact at
      multiple levels that include transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms
      to bring about changes in the expression levels of TfR1 and ferritin and also
      alterations in Abeta peptide metabolism in the aging rat brain. The efficacy of
      deferasirox in preventing age-related changes in iron and Abeta peptide
      metabolism in the aging brain, as shown here, has obvious therapeutic
      implications for Alzheimer's disease. 

PMID- 26484921
TI  - Linguistic Features Identify Alzheimer's Disease in Narrative Speech.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although memory impairment is the main symptom of Alzheimer's disease
      (AD), language impairment can be an important marker. Relatively few studies of
      language in AD quantify the impairments in connected speech using computational
      techniques. OBJECTIVE: We aim to demonstrate state-of-the-art accuracy in
      automatically identifying Alzheimer's disease from short narrative samples
      elicited with a picture description task, and to uncover the salient linguistic
      factors with a statistical factor analysis. METHODS: Data are derived from the
      DementiaBank corpus, from which 167 patients diagnosed with "possible" or
      "probable" AD provide 240 narrative samples, and 97 controls provide an
      additional 233. We compute a number of linguistic variables from the transcripts,
      and acoustic variables from the associated audio files, and use these variables
      to train a machine learning classifier to distinguish between participants with
      AD and healthy controls. To examine the degree of heterogeneity of linguistic
      impairments in AD, we follow an exploratory factor analysis on these measures of
      speech and language with an oblique promax rotation, and provide interpretation
      for the resulting factors. RESULTS: We obtain state-of-the-art classification
      accuracies of over 81% in distinguishing individuals with AD from those without
      based on short samples of their language on a picture description task. Four
      clear factors emerge: semantic impairment, acoustic abnormality, syntactic
      impairment, and information impairment. CONCLUSION: Modern machine learning and
      linguistic analysis will be increasingly useful in assessment and clustering of
      suspected AD.

PMID- 26484922
TI  - Cerebrospinal Fluid Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 3 is Related to Dementia
      Development in a Population-Based Sample of Older Adult Women Followed for 8
      Years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased fatty acid-binding protein 3 (FABP-3) levels have been
      reported in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD).
      Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) FABP-3 has therefore been proposed as a putative marker
      for dementia. Population-based studies examining whether CSF FABP-3 predicts
      later development of dementia are lacking. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was
      to examine CSF levels of FABP-3 in relation to later development of dementia in
      elderly women and in relation to Abeta42, T-tau, P-tau181, and CSF: serum albumin
      ratio. METHODS: 86 non-demented women aged 70-84 years who participated in the
      Prospective Population Study of Women in Gothenburg, Sweden took part in a lumbar
      puncture in 1992-93. CSF-FABP-3, Abeta42, T-tau, P-tau181, and the CSF: serum
      albumin ratio were measured at baseline. Participants were examined with a
      neuropsychiatric exam at baseline and at follow-up in 2000. Dementia was
      diagnosed in accordance with DSM-III-R criteria. RESULTS: Between 1992 and 2000,
      8 women developed dementia (4 AD, 3 vascular dementia, 1 mixed vascular dementia
      and AD). Higher levels of CSF-FABP-3 at baseline were related to development of
      dementia (OR 1.36 CI [1.05-1.76] p = 0.022) and the subtype AD (OR 1.38 CI [1.06
      1.82), p = 0.019) during follow-up. FABP-3 correlated with CSF T-tau (r = 0.88, p
      <  0.001), P-tau181 (r = 0.619, p <  0.001), and CSF:serum albumin ratio (r =
      0.233, p = 0.031), but not with Abeta42 (r = -0.08, p = 0.444)CONCLUSION:CSF FABP
      3 may be an early marker for later development of dementia, probably related to
      neuronal degeneration, but independent of Abeta metabolism.

PMID- 26484923
TI  - Unstable Body Mass Index and Progression to Probable Alzheimer's Disease Dementia
      in Patients with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: We investigated the influence of body mass index (BMI)
      status at baseline and changes in BMI over a follow-up period on the development
      of dementia in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients. METHODS: The
      longitudinal data of 747 aMCI patients were used to investigate the relationships
      among baseline BMI status, subsequent changes in BMI (median follow-up duration:
      1.6 years, interquartile range: 1.0-2.3 years), and risk of progression to
      probable Alzheimer's disease dementia (pADD). The aMCI patients were classified
      into underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese subgroups, and further
      categorized into increased BMI, stable BMI, and decreased BMI subgroups during
      follow-up using a 4% mean annual change in BMI cut-off value. RESULTS: Compared
      to the normal weight group, the underweight group had a higher risk of pADD
      (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.89, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07-3.37) while the
      obese group had a lower risk (HR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.49-0.999). After controllingfor
      baseline BMI status, the decreased BMI (HR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.41-3.72) and
      increased BMI (HR: 3.96, 95% CI: 2.62-6.00) groups were at increased risk of
      progression to pADD. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that underweight at
      baseline was associated with a higher risk of progression to pADD, while obesity
      at baseline predicted a lower risk. Furthermore, significant changes in BMI
      during the follow-up period reflected an increased risk of progression to pADD,
      regardless of BMI status at baseline.

PMID- 26484925
TI  - Sensitivity of Neuropsychological Tests to Identify Cognitive Decline in Highly
      Educated Elderly Individuals: 12 Months Follow up.
AB  - Highly educated individuals have a lower risk of developing dementia and
      Alzheimer's disease (AD). A common assumption is that their "cognitive reserve"
      protects them from cognitive decline and postpones the clinical manifestation of
      dementia. These highly educated individuals usually obtain normal scores on
      cognitive screening tests, although at the same time they can experience
      subjective cognitive decline and difficulty in multiple cognitive domains.
      Although comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations usually identify subtle
      changes in cognition, they demand extensive resources and thus are expensive and
      difficult to obtain. Therefore, lack of sensitivity of screening tests on the one
      hand, along with difficulty to acquire a comprehensive neuropsychological
      evaluation on the other hand, impede identification of cognitive decline at its
      earliest stages in this special population. Accordingly, this study aims to
      identify which neuropsychological tests have the highest sensitivity to detect
      the earliest stages of cognitive decline among highly educated elderly [n = 27,
      ages 66-80 (mean = 72.6 SD = 4.54), mean education level = 17.14 (SD = 3.21
      range: 12-24 years)]. Baseline scores and scores at one-year follow up were
      obtained. We also conducted MRI scans to characterize the relation between brain
      volume and cognitive performance. Results show significant reductions in RVALT,
      Semantic verbal Fluency, ROCF copy, and MoCA scores whereas PF, TMT, ROCF delay,
      digit span, and knowledge tests were not significant. The study stresses the
      importance of using sensitive neuropsychological tests to examine this special
      population and the need to create norms that combine an individual's education
      with age. 

PMID- 26484924
TI  - Quantitative Neuroimaging Software for Clinical Assessment of Hippocampal Volumes
      on MR Imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD),
      mesial temporal sclerosis, and mild traumatic brain injury manifest with volume
      loss on brain MRI. Subtle volume loss is particularly seen early in AD. While
      prior research has demonstrated the value of this additional information from
      quantitative neuroimaging, very few applications have been approved for clinical
      use. Here we describe a US FDA cleared software program, NeuroreaderTM, for
      assessment of clinical hippocampal volume on brain MRI. OBJECTIVE: To present the
      validation of hippocampal volumetrics on a clinical software program. METHOD:
      Subjects were drawn (n = 99) from the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
      study. Volumetric brain MR imaging was acquired in both 1.5 T (n = 59) and 3.0 T
      (n = 40) scanners in participants with manual hippocampal segmentation. Fully
      automated hippocampal segmentation and measurement was done using a multiple
      atlas approach. The Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) measured the level of
      spatial overlap between NeuroreaderTM and gold standard manual segmentation from
      0 to 1 with 0 denoting no overlap and 1 representing complete agreement. DSC
      comparisons between 1.5 T and 3.0 T scanners were done using standard independent
      samples T-tests. RESULTS: In the bilateral hippocampus, mean DSC was 0.87 with a
      range of 0.78-0.91 (right hippocampus) and 0.76-0.91 (left hippocampus).
      Automated segmentation agreement with manual segmentation was essentially
      equivalent at 1.5 T (DSC = 0.879) versus 3.0 T (DSC = 0.872). CONCLUSION: This
      work provides a description and validation of a software program that can be
      applied in measuring hippocampal volume, a biomarker that is frequently abnormal
      in AD and other neurological disorders.

PMID- 26484926
TI  - Effect of Early Referral to Specialist in Dementia on Institutionalization and
      Functional Decline: Findings from a Population-Based Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although early diagnosis has been hypothesized to benefit both
      patients and caregivers, until now studies evaluating the effect of early
      dementia diagnosis are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of early
      specialist referral for dementia on the risk of institutionalization and
      functional decline in Activity of Daily Living (ADL). METHODS: Incident dementia
      cases were screened in a prospective population-based cohort, the Three-City
      Study, and initial specialist consultation for cognitive complaint was assessed
      at dementia diagnosis. Proportional hazard regression and illness-death models
      were used to test the association between specialist referral and, respectively,
      institutionalization and functional decline. RESULTS: Only one third of the
      incident individuals with dementia had consulted a specialist for cognitive
      problems early (36%). After adjustment on potential confounders (including
      cognitive and functional decline) and competing risk of death, participants who
      had consulted a specialist early in the disease course presented a higher rate of
      being institutionalized than those who did not (Hazard Ratio = 2.00, 95%
      Confidence Interval (CI): 1.09- 3.64). But early specialist referral was not
      associated with further functional decline (HR = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.71- 1.67).
      CONCLUSIONS: Early specialist referral in dementia is associated with increased
      risk of institutionalization but not with functional decline in ADL. These
      findings suggest that early care referral in dementia may be a marker of concern
      for patients and/or caregivers; subsequent medical and social care could be
      suboptimal or inappropriate to allow patients to stay longer at home.

PMID- 26484928
TI  - Circulating microRNAs as Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent years, microRNAs (miRNA), a class of non-coding RNA known
      to regulate protein expression post-transcriptionally, have been recognized as
      novel biomarkers of diseases. OBJECTIVE: In this systematic review, we identify
      miRNAs that are differentially expressed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and/or mild
      cognitive impairment (MCI) and evaluate their accuracy as potential blood
      biomarkers. METHODS: Eligible studies of miRNAs in peripheral blood
      distinguishing patients with AD or MCI from cognitively normal controls were
      identified through standardized search strategies in Medline, PubMed, and Embase.
      MiRNAs that were differentially expressed were identified and where available
      their sensitivity and specificity for AD or MCI extracted from the retrieved
      studies. RESULTS: Eighteen studies investigated the diagnostic value of miRNAs as
      peripheral biomarkers of AD/MCI. Twenty miRNAs were significantly upregulated and
      32 miRNAs downregulated in AD compared to controls in ten AD studies. Nine miRNAs
      were consistently dysregulated in more than one study. Of the 8 MCI studies, only
      one miRNA, miR-132, was consistently upregulated in three independent studies. Of
      the studies that reported diagnostic accuracy data, the majority of miRNA panels
      and individual miRNAs had a sensitivity and specificity greater than 0.75.
      CONCLUSION: Individual studies suggest that miRNAs can differentiate patients
      with AD/MCI from cognitively normal controls with modest accuracy. However, the
      literature is constrained by methodological differences between studies, with few
      studies assessing the same miRNAs. To become potential biomarkers for AD, further
      studies with standardized study designs for replication and validation are
      required. Results from this review may help researchers select candidate miRNAs
      for further investigation.

PMID- 26484927
TI  - Novel Selective Calpain 1 Inhibitors as Potential Therapeutics in Alzheimer's
      Disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease, one of the most important brain pathologies associated with
      neurodegenerative processes, is related to overactivation of calpain-mediated
      proteolysis. Previous data showed a compelling efficacy of calpain inhibition
      against abnormal synaptic plasticity and memory produced by the excess of amyloid
      beta, a distinctive marker of the disease. Moreover, a beneficial effect of
      calpain inhibitors in Alzheimer's disease is predictable by the occurrence of
      calpain hyperactivation leading to impairment of memory-related pathways
      following abnormal calcium influxes that might ensue independently of amyloid
      beta elevation. However, molecules currently available as effective calpain
      inhibitors lack adequate selectivity. This work is aimed at characterizing the
      efficacy of a novel class of epoxide-based inhibitors, synthesized to display
      improved selectivity and potency towards calpain 1 compared to the prototype
      epoxide-based generic calpain inhibitor E64. Both functional and preliminary
      toxicological investigations proved the efficacy, potency, and safety of the
      novel and selective calpain inhibitors NYC438 and NYC488 as possible therapeutics
      against the disease. 

PMID- 26484929
TI  - Divergent Longitudinal Propagation of White Matter Degradation in Logopenic and
      Semantic Variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinico-pathological distinction of primary progressive aphasia (PPA)
      can be challenging at clinic presentation. In particular, cross-sectional
      neuroimaging signatures across the logopenic (lvPPA) and semantic (svPPA)
      variants are difficult to establish, with longitudinal profiles showing greater
      divergence. OBJECTIVE: Assess longitudinal propagation of white matter
      degradation in lvPPA and svPPA to determine disease progression over time, and
      whether this reflects distinct underlying pathology. METHOD: A cohort of 27
      patients with dementia (12 lvPPA; 15 svPPA) and 12 healthy controls were assessed
      at baseline and 1-year follow-up on the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination
      Revised and Sydney Language Battery. Diffusion weighted images were collected at
      both time-points and analyzed for longitudinal white matter change using DTI-TK
      and TBSS. RESULTS: LvPPA patients showed a significant decline in naming and
      repetition, over 1 year, while svPPA patients declined in naming and
      comprehension. Longitudinal imaging revealed widespread bilateral degradation of
      white matter tracts in lvPPA over a 1-year period with early involvement of the
      left posterior inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF). SvPPA demonstrated focal
      left lateralized white matter degradation involving the uncinate fasciculus (UF)
      and anterior ILF, propagating to the right UF with disease progression.
      CONCLUSIONS: LvPPA and svPPA cohorts showed distinct longitudinal cognitive and
      white matter profiles. We propose differences in multi-centric and focal white
      matter dysfunction in lvPPA and svPPA, respectively, reflect underlying
      pathological differences. The clinical relevance of white matter degradation and
      mechanisms underlying disease propagation are discussed.

PMID- 26484930
TI  - The Incidence of Benzodiazepine and Related Drug Use in Persons with and without
      Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Benzodiazepines and related drugs (BZDR) are occasionally used to
      treat certain symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the risks related to
      BZDR use are high in older persons. Although frequent BZDR use has been reported
      in persons with AD, no previous study has focused specifically on the incidence
      of BZDR use in this population. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the incidence of BZDR
      use in persons with and without AD during a five-year follow-up. METHODS: The
      Finnish nationwide, register-based MEDALZ cohort includes all AD cases who
      received a clinically verified AD diagnosis in 2005-2011 (n = 70,718) and their
      matched comparison persons. Incidence of BZDR, including benzodiazepines
      (lorazepam, oxazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, chlordiazepoxide, diazepam, and
      nitrazepam) and Z-drugs (zolpidem and zopiclone), use was investigated in the
      cohort from two years before to three years after the diagnosis of AD. Further,
      initial BZDRs were investigated. RESULTS: The incidence of BZDR use was higher in
      persons with AD starting from 12 months before the diagnosis and peaked at six
      months after the diagnosis of AD (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 2.6, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] = 2.5-2.8). Benzodiazepines were more frequently
      initiated by persons with AD, with the incidence peaking at six months after the
      diagnosis (IRR = 4.5, 95% CI = 4.1-4.9) and remaining over three times higher
      than in comparison persons until three years after the diagnosis. CONCLUSION:
      Early symptomatic treatment with BZDRs is contrary to AD treatment guidelines. As
      BZDRs impair cognition, the observed early treatment with BZDRs may complicate
      the monitoring of AD treatment effectiveness.

PMID- 26484932
TI  - Use of telbivudine in kidney transplant recipients with chronic hepatitis B virus
      infection: A preliminary experience.
AB  - Telbivudine is a relatively novel oral nucleoside analogue with favourable
      efficacy and tolerability in treatment-naive chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV)
      infection, but its data in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) was lacking. The
      efficacy and tolerability of telbivudine in four treatment-naive HBsAg-positive
      KTRs were reviewed (treatment duration 54 (36-72) months) HBV DNA declined from
      2.6 * 10(5) (7.8 * 10(3) -1.5 * 10(7) ) copies/mL at baseline to 170 (0.0-3.2 *
      10(4) ) copies/mL at 12 months, and became undetectable at 24 and 36 months (P =
      0.060, 0.118 and 0.005 compared with baseline). Alanine aminotransferase levels
      dropped from 46.5 (30-48) IU/mL at baseline to 28 (13-45) IU/mL, 34.5 (15-71)
      IU/mL and 26 (12-41) IU/mL at 12, 24 and 36 months, respectively (P = 0.109,
      0.715 and 0.068 compared with baseline). Serum creatinine level and estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) remained stable after 36 months of treatment (P
      all > 0.05 compared with baseline). No virological breakthrough, cirrhosis or
      hepatocellular carcinoma occurred. Our pilot data suggests that telbivudine has
      favourable efficacy and renal safety profiles in HBsAg-positive KTRs.

PMID- 26484931
TI  - Timely Diagnosis for Alzheimer's Disease: A Literature Review on Benefits and
      Challenges.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Timely diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) refers to a diagnosis at
      the stage when patients come to the attention of clinicians because of concerns
      about changes in cognition, behavior, or functioning and can be still free of
      dementia and functionally independent. OBJECTIVES: To comprehensively review
      existing scientific evidence on the benefits and potential challenges of making a
      timely diagnosis of AD. METHODS: Relevant studies were identified by searching
      electronic databases (Medline, Embase) and bibliographies for studies published
      in English between 1 January 2000 and 2 June 2014 on the consequences of a timely
      diagnosis of AD. RESULTS: Nine studies were identified that investigated the
      consequences of diagnosing AD at the initial stages; none were specifically
      focused on prodromal AD. A timely diagnosis potentially offers the opportunities
      of early intervention, implementation of coordinated care plans, better
      management of symptoms, patient safety, cost savings, and postponement of
      institutionalization. Barriers to making a timely diagnosis include stigma,
      suicide risk, lack of training, diagnostic uncertainty, shortage of specialized
      diagnostic services, and the reluctance of healthcare providers to make a
      diagnosis when no effective disease-modifying options are available. CONCLUSIONS:
      Despite its potential benefits, few published studies have explored the
      advantages or risks of a timely diagnosis of AD. In light of the cultural shift
      toward diagnosis at the initial stage of the disease continuum, when the patient
      does not yet have dementia, more investigations are needed to evaluate the
      benefits and address the barriers that may impede making a timely AD diagnosis.

PMID- 26484933
TI  - Corrigendum: Decoupling the role of stiffness from other hydroxyapatite
      signalling cues in periosteal derived stem cell differentiation.

PMID- 26484935
TI  - Organics Substantially Reduce HO2 Uptake onto Aerosols Containing Transition
      Metal ions.
AB  - A HO2 mass accommodation coefficient of alpha = 0.23 +/- 0.07 was measured onto
      submicron copper(II)-doped ammonium sulfate aerosols at a relative humidity of 60
      +/- 3%, at 293 +/- 2 K and at an initial HO2 concentration of ~ 1 * 10(9)
      molecules cm(-3) by using an aerosol flow tube coupled to a sensitive
      fluorescence assay by gas expansion (FAGE) HO2 detection system. The effect upon
      the HO2 uptake coefficient gamma of adding different organic species (malonic
      acid, citric acid, 1,2-diaminoethane, tartronic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic
      acid (EDTA), and oxalic acid) into the copper(II)-doped aerosols was
      investigated. The HO2 uptake coefficient decreased steadily from the mass
      accommodation value to gamma = 0.008 +/- 0.009 when EDTA was added in a one-to
      one molar ratio with the copper(II) ions, and to gamma = 0.003 +/- 0.004 when
      oxalic acid was added into the aerosol in a ten-to-one molar ratio with the
      copper(II). EDTA binds strongly to copper(II) ions, potentially making them
      unavailable for catalytic destruction of HO2, and could also be acting as a
      surfactant or changing the viscosity of the aerosol. The addition of oxalic acid
      to the aerosol potentially forms low-volatility copper-oxalate complexes that
      reduce the uptake of HO2 either by changing the viscosity of the aerosol or by
      causing precipitation out of the aerosol forming a coating. It is likely that
      there is a high enough oxalate to copper(II) ion ratio in many types of
      atmospheric aerosols to decrease the HO2 uptake coefficient. No observable change
      in the HO2 uptake coefficient was measured when the other organic species
      (malonic acid, citric acid, 1,2-diaminoethane, and tartronic acid) were added in
      a ten-to-one molar ratio with the copper(II) ions.

PMID- 26484934
TI  - Critical role of Rab11a-mediated recycling endosomes in the assembly of type I
      parainfluenza viruses.
AB  - Paramyxoviruses replicate in the cytoplasm of infected cells and newly
      synthesized viral nucleocapsids (vRNPs) are transported to the plasma membrane to
      be incorporated into progeny virions. In this study, we analyzed the impact of
      the Rab11-mediated recycling pathway in Sendai virus (SeV) and human
      parainfluenza virus type 1 (hPIV1) vRNP transport. We found that suppression of
      Rab11 expression caused vRNP aggregation in the cytoplasm and reduced progeny
      virion formation. Overexpression of constitutively active Rab11Q70L, but not
      dominant negative Rab11S25N co-localized with vRNP, showing that vRNP
      specifically recognizes the GTP-bound active form of Rab11. Moreover, Rab11Q70L
      co-localized with the dominant negative tails of all three subtypes of myosins,
      Va, Vb, and Vc, while SeV and hPIV1 vRNPs co-localized with only myosin Vb and
      Vc. These results highlight the critical role of Rab11 in vRNP trafficking, and
      suggest a specificity in the recycling endosomes parainfluenza viruses utilize
      for virus assembly. 

PMID- 26484936
TI  - Enhanced Wettability and Transport Control of Ultrafiltration and Reverse Osmosis
      Membranes with Grafted Polyelectrolytes.
AB  - End-functionalized poly(acrylic acid) (PAA-silane) was synthesized with
      reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization and
      attached to both polysulfone ultrafiltration (UF) and polyamide reverse osmosis
      (RO) membranes through a nonimpairing, one-step grafting to approach in order to
      improve membrane surface wettability with minimal impact on membrane transport
      performance. After PAA grafting, composition and morphology changes on the
      membrane surface were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
      (FTIR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Static contact angle on PAA grafted
      membranes exhibited an increase in surface hydrophilicity and hence a potential
      enhancement in antifouling performance. The native contact angle on the
      polysulfone membrane systems was 86 degrees  and was reduced to 24 degrees  after
      modification, while the polyamide film contact angle decreased from 58 degrees 
      to 25 degrees . The PAA layer endowed the porous UF membrane with dynamic control
      over the permeability and selectivity through the manipulation of the solution
      pH. The UF membrane with a 35 nm average pore size displayed a 115% increase in
      flux when the contact solution was changed from pH 11 to pH 3. This effect was
      diminished to 70% and 32% as the average pore size decreased to 20 and 10 nm,
      respectively. Modified RO membranes displayed no reduction in membrane
      performance indicating that the underlying materials were unaffected by the
      modification environment or added polymer. Model polyamide and polysulfone
      surfaces were reacted with the PAA-silane inside a quartz crystal microbalance
      (QCM) to help inform the deposition behavior for the respective membrane
      chemistries.

PMID- 26484937
TI  - Relationship between Targeting Efficacy of Liposomes and the Dosage of Targeting
      Antibody Using Surface Plasmon Resonance.
AB  - Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was used in this research to investigate the
      targeting efficacy (i.e., the binding affinity) of antibody-modified liposomes.
      The results indicated that liposomes modified by targeting antibodies exhibited
      an increase in apparent binding affinity, a result attributed to the avidity
      effect. More specifically, the targeting effect improved as the surface density
      of the targeting antibody increased, an increase primarily attributed to the
      decrease of the dissociation rate. However, this trend stopped when the surface
      density reached a threshold of approximately 1.5 * 10(8) antibody/mm(2). This
      surface density was found to be quite consistent regardless of the liposome size
      and the type of targeting antibody. In addition, a traditional cell binding
      experiment was conducted to confirm the saturation point obtained from SPR. 

PMID- 26484938
TI  - Natural history and management of Fanconi anemia patients with head and neck
      cancer: A 10-year follow-up.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To describe the management and outcomes of Fanconi anemia
      (FA) patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort
      study. METHODS: Demographic information, prognostic factors, therapeutic
      management, and survival outcomes for FA patients enrolled in the International
      Fanconi Anemia Registry who developed head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
      (HNSCC) were analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-five FA patients were diagnosed with HNSCC
      at a mean age of 32 years. The most common site of primary cancer was the oral
      cavity (26 of 35, 74%). Thirty patients underwent surgical resection of the
      cancer. Sixteen patients received radiation therapy with an average radiation
      dose of 5,050 cGy. The most common toxicities were high-grade mucositis (9 of 16,
      56%), hematologic abnormalities (8 of 16, 50%), and dysphagia (8 of 16, 50%).
      Three patients received conventional chemotherapy and had significant
      complications, whereas three patients who received targeted chemotherapy with
      cetuximab had fewer toxicities. The 5-year overall survival rate was 39%, with a
      cause-specific survival rate of 47%. CONCLUSIONS: Fanconi anemia patients have a
      high risk of developing aggressive HNSCC at an early age. Fanconi anemia patients
      can tolerate complex ablative and reconstructive surgeries, but careful
      postoperative care is required to reduce morbidity. The treatment of FA
      associated HNSCC is difficult secondary to the poor tolerance of radiation and
      chemotherapy. However, radiation should be used for high-risk cancers due to the
      poor survival in these patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 26484939
TI  - New Insights into the Disease Progression Control Mechanisms by Comparing Long
      Term-Nonprogressors versus Normal-Progressors among HIV-1-Positive Patients Using
      an Ion Current-Based MS1 Proteomic Profiling.
AB  - For decades, epidemiological studies have found significant differences in the
      susceptibility to disease progression among HIV-carrying patients. One unique
      group of HIV-1-positive patients, the long-term-nonprogressors (LTNP), exhibits
      far superior ability in virus control compared with normal-progressors (NP),
      which proceed to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) much more rapidly.
      Nonetheless, elucidation of the underlying mechanisms of virus control in LTNP is
      highly valuable in disease management and treatment but remains poorly
      understood. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) have been known to play
      important roles in innate immune responses and thereby would be of great interest
      for the investigation of the mechanisms of virus defense in LTNP. Here, we
      described the first comparative proteome analysis of PBMC from LTNP (n = 10) and
      NP (n = 10) patients using a reproducible ion-current-based MS1 approach, which
      includes efficient and reproducible sample preparation and chromatographic
      separation followed by an optimized pipeline for protein identification and
      quantification. This strategy enables analysis of many biological samples in one
      set with high quantitative precision and extremely low missing data. In total,
      925 unique proteins were quantified under stringent criteria without missing
      value in any of the 20 subjects, and 87 proteins showed altered expressions
      between the two patient groups. These proteins are implicated in key processes
      such as cytoskeleton organization, defense response, apoptosis regulation,
      intracellular transport, etc., which provided novel insights into the control of
      disease progressions in LTNP versus NP, and the expression and phosphorylation
      states of key regulators were further validated by immunoassay. For instance, (1)
      SAMH1, a potent and "hot" molecule facilitating HIV-1 defense, was for the first
      time found elevated in LTNP compared with NP or healthy controls; elevated
      proteins from IFN-alpha response pathway may also contribute to viral control in
      LTNP; (2) decreased proapoptotic protein ASC along with the elevation of
      antiapoptotic proteins may contribute to the less apoptotic profile in PBMC of
      LTNP; and (3) elevated actin polymerization and less microtubule assembly that
      impede viral protein transport were first observed in LTNP. These results not
      only enhanced the understanding of the mechanisms for nonprogression of LTNP, but
      also may afford highly valuable clues to direct therapeutic efforts. Moreover,
      this work also demonstrated the ion-current-based MS1 approach as a reliable tool
      for large-scale clinical research. 

PMID- 26484940
TI  - Ebola in West Africa--CDC's Role in Epidemic Detection, Control, and Prevention.
AB  - Since Ebola virus disease was identified in West Africa on March 23, 2014, the
      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has undertaken the most
      intensive response in the agency's history; >3,000 staff have been involved,
      including >1,200 deployed to West Africa for >50,000 person workdays. Efforts
      have included supporting incident management systems in affected countries;
      mobilizing partners; and strengthening laboratory, epidemiology, contact
      investigation, health care infection control, communication, and border screening
      in West Africa, Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, and the United States. All efforts were
      undertaken as part of national and global response activities with many partner
      organizations. CDC was able to support community, national, and international
      health and public health staff to prevent an even worse event. The Ebola virus
      disease epidemic highlights the need to strengthen national and international
      systems to detect, respond to, and prevent the spread of future health threats. 

PMID- 26484941
TI  - Deformation Twinning of a Silver Nanocrystal under High Pressure.
AB  - Within a high-pressure environment, crystal deformation is controlled by complex
      processes such as dislocation motion, twinning, and phase transitions, which
      change materials' microscopic morphology and alter their properties.
      Understanding a crystal's response to external stress provides a unique
      opportunity for rational tailoring of its functionalities. It is very challenging
      to track the strain evolution and physical deformation from a single nanoscale
      crystal under high-pressure stress. Here, we report an in situ three-dimensional
      mapping of morphology and strain evolutions in a single-crystal silver nanocube
      within a high-pressure environment using the Bragg Coherent Diffractive Imaging
      (CDI) method. We observed a continuous lattice distortion, followed by a
      deformation twining process at a constant pressure. The ability to visualize
      stress-introduced deformation of nanocrystals with high spatial resolution and
      prominent strain sensitivity provides an important route for interpreting and
      engineering novel properties of nanomaterials. 

PMID- 26484942
TI  - The bladed Bangiales (Rhodophyta) of the South Eastern Pacific: Molecular species
      delimitation reveals extensive diversity.
AB  - A molecular taxonomic study of the bladed Bangiales of the South Eastern Pacific
      (coast of Chile) was undertaken based on sequence data of the mitochondrial COI
      and chloroplast rbcL for 193 specimens collected from Arica (18 degrees S) in the
      north to South Patagonia (53 degrees S) in the south. The results revealed for
      the first time that four genera, Porphyra, Pyropia, Fuscifolium and Wildemania
      were present in the region. Species delimitation was determined based on a
      combination of a General Mixed Yule Coalescence model (GMYC) and Automatic
      Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) coupled with detection of monophyly in tree
      reconstruction. The overall incongruence between the species delimitation methods
      within each gene was 29%. The GMYC method led to over-splitting groups, whereas
      the ABGD method had a tendency to lump groups. Taking a conservative approach to
      the number of putative species, at least 18 were recognized and, with the
      exception of the recently described Pyropia orbicularis, all were new to the
      Chilean flora. Porphyra and Pyropia were the most diverse genera with eight
      'species' each, whereas only a 'single' species each was found for Fuscifolium
      and Wildemania. There was also evidence of recently diverging groups: Wildemania
      sp. was distinct but very closely related to W. amplissima from the Northern
      Hemisphere and raises questions in relation to such disjunct distributions.
      Pyropia orbicularis was very closely related to two other species, making species
      delimitation very difficult but provides evidence of an incipient speciation. The
      difference between the 'species' discovered and those previously reported for the
      region is discussed in relation to the difficulty of distinguishing species based
      on morphological identification. 

PMID- 26484943
TI  - Improved Learning Performance of Hardware Self-Organizing Map Using a Novel
      Neighborhood Function.
AB  - Many self-organizing maps (SOMs) implemented on hardware restrict their
      neighborhood function values to negative powers of two. In this paper, we propose
      a novel hardware friendly neighborhood function that is aimed to improve the
      vector quantization performance of hardware SOM. The quantization performance of
      the hardware SOM with the proposed neighborhood function is examined by
      simulations. Simulation results show that the proposed function can improve the
      hardware SOM's vector quantization capability even though the function value is
      restricted to negative powers of two. Then, the hardware SOM is implemented on
      field-programmable gate array to find out the hardware cost and performance speed
      of the proposed neighborhood function. Experimental results show that the
      proposed neighborhood function can improve SOM's quantization performance without
      additional hardware cost or slowing down the operating speed. Due to fully
      parallel operation, the proposed SOM with 16*16 neurons achieves a performance of
      25 344 million connections updates per second. 

PMID- 26484944
TI  - Novel Types of Small RNA Exhibit Sequence- and Target-dependent Angiogenesis
      Suppression Without Activation of Toll-like Receptor 3 in an Age-related Macular
      Degeneration (AMD) Mouse Model.
AB  - RNA interference (RNAi) has become a powerful tool for suppressing gene
      expression in vitro and in vivo. A great deal of evidence has demonstrated the
      potential for the use of synthetic small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) as therapeutic
      agents. However, the application of siRNA to clinical medicine is still limited,
      mainly due to sequence-independent suppression of angiogenesis mediated by Toll
      like receptor 3 (TLR3). Here, we describe novel types of synthetic RNA, named
      nkRNA and PnkRNA, that exhibit sequence-specific gene silencing through RNAi
      without activating TLRs or RIG-I-like receptor signaling. In addition, we
      confirmed the therapeutic effect for the novel types of RNA in an animal model of
      age-related macular degeneration (AMD) without retinal degeneration. These data
      indicate that nkRNA and PnkRNA are of great potential utility as therapies
      against blinding choroidal neovascularization due to AMD. 

PMID- 26484946
TI  - When the science fails and the ethics works: 'Fail-safe' ethics in the FEM-PrEP
      study.
AB  - This paper will explore the concept of 'fail safe' ethics in the FEM PrEP trial,
      and the practice of research and ethics on the ground. FEM-PrEP examined the
      efficacy of PrEP in African women after promising outcomes in research conducted
      with MSM. This was a hugely optimistic time and FEM-PrEP was mobilised using
      rights-based ethical arguments that women should have access to PrEP. This paper
      will present data collected during an ethnographic study of frontline research
      workers involved in FEM-PrEP. During our discussions, 'fail-safe' ethics emerged
      as concept that encapsulated their confidence that their ethics could not fail.
      However, in 2011, FEM-PrEP was halted and deemed a failure. The women involved in
      the study were held responsible because contrary to researcher's expectations
      they were not taking the oral PrEP being researched. This examination of FEM-PrEP
      will show that ethical arguments are increasingly deployed to mobilise, maintain
      and in some cases stop trials in ways which, at times, are superseded or co-opted
      by other interests. While promoting the interests of women, rights-based
      approaches are argued to indirectly justify the continuation of individualised,
      biomedical interventions which have been problematic in other women-centred
      trials. In this examination of FEM-PrEP, the rights-based approach obscured:
      ethical concerns beyond access to PrEP; the complexities of power relationships
      between donor and host countries; the operations of the HIV industry in research
      saturated areas and the cumulative effect of unfilled expectations in HIV
      research and how this has shaped ideas of research and ethics. 

PMID- 26484945
TI  - Modulation of GABA release from the thalamic reticular nucleus by cocaine and
      caffeine: role of serotonin receptors.
AB  - Serotonin receptors are targets of drug therapies for a variety of
      neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Cocaine inhibits the re-uptake
      of serotonin (5-HT), dopamine, and noradrenaline, whereas caffeine blocks
      adenosine receptors and opens ryanodine receptors in the endoplasmic reticulum.
      We studied how 5-HT and adenosine affected spontaneous GABAergic transmission
      from thalamic reticular nucleus. We combined whole-cell patch clamp recordings of
      miniature inhibitory post-synaptic currents (mIPSCs) in ventrobasal thalamic
      neurons during local (puff) application of 5-HT in wild type (WT) or knockout
      mice lacking 5-HT2A receptors (5-HT2A -/-). Inhibition of mIPSCs frequency by low
      (10 MUM) and high (100 MUM) 5-HT concentrations was observed in ventrobasal
      neurons from 5-HT2A -/- mice. In WT mice, only 100 MUM 5-HT significantly reduced
      mIPSCs frequency. In 5-HT2A -/- mice, NAN-190, a specific 5-HT1A antagonist,
      prevented the 100 MUM 5-HT inhibition while blocking H-currents that prolonged
      inhibition during post-puff periods. The inhibitory effects of 100 MUM 5-HT were
      enhanced in cocaine binge-treated 5-HT2A -/- mice. Caffeine binge treatment did
      not affect 5-HT-mediated inhibition. Our findings suggest that both 5-HT1A and 5
      HT2A receptors are present in pre-synaptic thalamic reticular nucleus terminals.
      Serotonergic-mediated inhibition of GABA release could underlie aberrant
      thalamocortical physiology described after repetitive consumption of cocaine. Our
      findings suggest that both 5-HT1A , 5-HT2A and A1 receptors are present in pre
      synaptic TRN terminals. 5-HT1A and A1 receptors would down-regulate adenylate
      cyclase, whereas 5-HT1A would also increase the probability of the opening of G
      protein-activated inwardly rectifying K(+) channels (GIRK). Sustained opening of
      GIRK channels would hyperpolarize pre-synaptic terminals activating H-currents,
      resulting in less GABA release. 5-HT2A -would activate PLC and IP3 , increasing
      intracellular [Ca(2+) ] and thus facilitating GABA release.

PMID- 26484948
TI  - New Ways of Working in UK mental health services: developing distributed
      responsibility in community mental health teams?
AB  - BACKGROUND: This paper examines the introduction and operation of a number of
      support roles in mental health services. This is done in the context of concerns
      about the effectiveness of CMHTs. AIMS: Three questions are addressed: the degree
      to which concern for the work of consultant psychiatrists informed the
      introduction of the new roles; what the reforms implied for the work of the
      psychiatrist and those in new roles; and the impact of any changes on the
      operation of CMHTs. METHOD: Data were collected as part of a national-level
      evaluation. The main means of collection was the semi-structured interview.
      RESULTS: The study shows: that reform was underpinned by concerns about the
      workload of psychiatrists; and that while in principle the responsibilities of
      the psychiatrist were to be distributed across other team members, those in new
      roles felt themselves to be isolated. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the intentions of
      policy, the creation of the new roles did little to extend the idea of
      distributed responsibility in CMHTs.

PMID- 26484949
TI  - Na4MgM2Se6 (M = Si, Ge): The First Noncentrosymmetric Compounds with Special
      Ethane-like [M2Se6](6-) Units Exhibiting Large Laser-Damage Thresholds.
AB  - Two new noncentrosymmetric compounds, Na4MgM2Se6 (I, M = Si; II, M = Ge), that
      contain special ethane-like [M2Se6](6-) units were reported for the first time.
      Remarkably, they exhibit high laser-damage thresholds [9 (I) and 7 (II) *
      benchmark AgGaS2] and moderate second-harmonic-generation responses with type I
      phase matching. 

PMID- 26484950
TI  - Deceased Donor Intervention Research: A Survey of Transplant Surgeons, Organ
      Procurement Professionals, and Institutional Review Board Members.
AB  - Innovative deceased donor intervention strategies have the potential to increase
      the number and quality of transplantable organs. Yet there is confusion over
      regulatory and legal requirements, as well as ethical considerations. We surveyed
      transplant surgeons (n = 294), organ procurement organization (OPO) professionals
      (n = 83), and institutional review board (IRB) members (n = 317) and found wide
      variations in their perceptions about research classification, risk assessment
      for donors and organ transplant recipients, regulatory oversight requirements,
      and informed consent in the context of deceased donor intervention research. For
      instance, when presented with different research scenarios, IRB members were more
      likely than transplant surgeons and OPO professionals to feel that study review
      and oversight were necessary by the IRBs at the investigator, donor, and
      transplant center hospitals. Survey findings underscore the need to clarify
      ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements and their application to deceased
      donor intervention research to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery and
      facilitate more transplants. 

PMID- 26484951
TI  - Ventilation Increases with Lower Extremity Venous Occlusion in Young Adults.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Venous distention via subsystolic occlusion of the lower limbs may
      augment ventilation via stimulation of group III/IV afferent neurons. PURPOSE:
      The purpose of this study was to examine the ventilatory response to graded lower
      extremity venous occlusion during exercise in healthy adults. METHODS: Nineteen
      adults (9 men, 25 +/- 5 yr) completed two visits. Visit 1 included a maximal
      cycle ergometry exercise test. Visit 2 included a 30% peak workload cycle
      exercise with randomized inflations of bilateral thigh pressure tourniquets to
      20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 mm Hg for 2 min each, separated by 2 min of deflation.
      Three minutes of cycling occurred before cuffing (control [CTL]). Expired minute
      ventilation (VE), whole body gas exchange, rating of perceived exertion, and
      dyspnea were measured during each session. RESULTS: VE increased significantly
      from the control condition (exercise only, CTL) to each occlusion pressure (P <
      0.05) with the greatest increase at 100 mm Hg (CTL to 100 mm Hg: 31.5 +/- 6.6 to
      40.1 +/- 10.7 L.min). Respiratory rate (RR) increased as well (CTL to 100 mm Hg:
      24.8 +/- 6.0 to 30.9 +/- 11.5 breaths per minute, P < 0.05, condition effect)
      with no change in tidal volume (P > 0.05). Tidal volume to inspiratory time
      (VT/TI) increased significantly from the CTL condition to each occlusion pressure
      (CTL to 100 mm Hg: 1.5 +/- 0.3 to 1.8 +/- 0.4 L.min, P < 0.05, all pressures).
      Dyspnea and RPE increased with all occlusion pressures from CTL exercise (P <
      0.05, all pressures). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that mild-to-moderate
      venous occlusion of the lower extremity evokes a tachypneic breathing pattern
      which, in turn, augments VE and perceived breathing effort during exercise.

PMID- 26484952
TI  - Low-Active Male Adolescents: A Dose Response to High-Intensity Interval Training.
AB  - PURPOSE: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a potential alternative to
      traditionally recommended steady state exercise for providing health benefits in
      adolescents, yet its dose-response relationship in this cohort remains unclear,
      as does its translatability to real-world, nonclinical settings. The present
      study adopts a novel dose-response design to investigate the effects of
      undertaking 8 wk of HIIT on the cardiometabolic health of low-active male
      adolescents. METHODS: Twenty-six male adolescents (age 16 +/- 1 yr), identified
      as low active by nonparticipation in structured sport and physical education
      classes, were randomly assigned to one of five treatment groups. Corresponding
      with their group numbers (1-5), participants completed a number of HIIT "sets,"
      which consisted of 4 repeated bouts of 20-s near-maximal exertion interspersed
      with 10-s passive recovery. Participants performed two HIIT sessions and one
      resistance training session each week for 8 wk. Baseline and follow-up health
      measures consisted of peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) with an incremental ramp test
      to volitional exhaustion; body composition (including visceral fat mass, body
      fat, and lean tissue mass) with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry; and lipid
      profile, glucose, insulin, and interleukin-6 from blood analysis. All health
      outcomes were analyzed as percentage changes, and data were modeled using a
      quadratic function to explore dose-response relationships. RESULTS: Significant
      improvements were observed for VO2peak (~6%), body fat percentage (~4%), visceral
      fat mass (~10%), and waist circumference-to-height ratio (~3%), but there was no
      clear effect of dose across groups. CONCLUSIONS: Low-active adolescent males
      performing a single HIIT set twice weekly, in addition to one resistance training
      session, gained meaningful improvements in fitness and body composition.
      Performing additional HIIT sets provided no additional improvements to those of
      the lowest dose in this study.

PMID- 26484953
TI  - Twenty-four Hours of Sleep, Sedentary Behavior, and Physical Activity with Nine
      Wearable Devices.
AB  - Getting enough sleep, exercising, and limiting sedentary activities can greatly
      contribute to disease prevention and overall health and longevity. Measuring the
      full 24-h activity cycle-sleep, sedentary behavior (SED), light-intensity
      physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)-may
      now be feasible using small wearable devices. PURPOSE: This study compared nine
      devices for accuracy in a 24-h activity measurement. METHODS: Adults (n = 40, 47%
      male) wore nine devices for 24 h: ActiGraph GT3X+, activPAL, Fitbit One,
      GENEactiv, Jawbone Up, LUMOback, Nike Fuelband, Omron pedometer, and Z-Machine.
      Comparisons (with standards) were made for total sleep time (Z-machine), time
      spent in SED (activPAL), LPA (GT3X+), MVPA (GT3X+), and steps (Omron). Analysis
      included mean absolute percent error, equivalence testing, and Bland-Altman
      plots. RESULTS: Error rates ranged from 8.1% to 16.9% for sleep, 9.5% to 65.8%
      for SED, 19.7% to 28.0% for LPA, 51.8% to 92% for MVPA, and 14.1% to 29.9% for
      steps. Equivalence testing indicated that only two comparisons were significantly
      equivalent to standards: the LUMOback for SED and the GT3X+ for sleep. Bland
      Altman plots indicated GT3X+ had the closest measurement for sleep, LUMOback for
      SED, GENEactiv for LPA, Fitbit for MVPA, and GT3X+ for steps. CONCLUSIONS:
      Currently, no device accurately captures activity data across the entire 24-h
      day, but the future of activity measurement should aim for accurate 24-h
      measurement as a goal. Researchers should continue to select measurement devices
      on the basis of their primary outcomes of interest.

PMID- 26484954
TI  - Basic Principles and Clinical Applications of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in
      Neuroradiology.
AB  - Magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a powerful tool to assist daily clinical
      diagnostics. This review is intended to give an overview on basic principles of
      the technology, discuss some of its technical aspects, and present typical
      applications in daily clinical routine in neuroradiology. 

PMID- 26484955
TI  - Non-Electrocardiogram-Triggered 70-kVp High-Pitch Computed Tomography Angiography
      of the Whole Aorta With Iterative Reconstruction: Initial Results.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility of non-electrocardiogram (ECG)-triggered
      70-kVp high-pitch aortic computed tomography angiography (CTA) with iterative
      reconstruction (IR) and reduced contrast agent using second-generation dual
      source CT (DSCT). METHODS: Seventy-seven patients were examined: group A (n =
      21), 70-kVp high-pitch (3.2) CTA, 60 mL contrast agent and IR on second
      generation DSCT; group B (n = 29), standard-pitch (1.2) CTA, automatic tube
      voltage selection, filtered back projection and 80 mL contrast agent on second
      generation DSCT; group C (n = 27), 120-kVp standard-pitch (1.2) CTA, filtered
      back projection, and 80 mL contrast agent on first-generation DSCT. Computed
      tomography values, noise, signal-to-noise ratio, contrast-to-noise ratio, and
      subjective image quality were compared. RESULTS: Computed tomography values and
      noise of all aortic segments in group A were increased compared with groups B and
      C (P < 0.05). Group B showed the highest signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to
      noise ratio for all aortic segments (P < 0.05), whereas no significant
      differences were found between groups A and C (P > 0.05). Mean effective dose was
      0.88 +/- 0.08 mSv for group A, reduced by 93% compared to group C and by 90%
      compared to group B. CONCLUSIONS: Non-ECG-triggered 70-kVp high-pitch aortic CTA
      with IR provides equivalent diagnostic image quality with 90% reduction of
      radiation dose and 25% reduction of contrast volume compared with standard 120
      kVp CTA.

PMID- 26484956
TI  - Viruses, Immunity and Unusual Lymphoproliferative Disorders of the Chest:
      Integrating Imaging With Pathogenesis and Clinical Presentations.
AB  - Unusual lymphoproliferative diseases result from the stimulation of intrathoracic
      lymphoid tissue by viruses and immune dysfunction, ranging from benign
      hyperplasia to malignant transformation. We review the clinical, radiological,
      and histopathological findings of unusual lymphoproliferative disorders, which
      have been linked to viruses or immune dysfunction, focusing on thoracic
      manifestations. Understanding these advances in science enhances the
      radiologist's skills in integrating the imaging findings to the clinical scenario
      to suggest the correct diagnosis. 

PMID- 26484957
TI  - Intraobserver and Interobserver Agreement in the Evaluation of Tumor
      Vascularization With Computed Tomography Perfusion in Cirrhotic Patients With
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate intrareader and inter-reader agreement in CT perfusion
      (Perf) measurements in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
      lesions. METHODS: Sixteen patients with HCC (9 untreated, 5 recurrence/residual
      disease after transarterial chemoembolization, and 2 after radiofrequency
      ablation treatment) underwent standard CT examination and a Perf study; a
      quantitative map of arterial and portal Perf by means of a color scale was
      generated. With dedicated Perf software, the following parameters were calculated
      on untreated and treated HCC lesions and on cirrhotic parenchyma: hepatic Perf,
      tissue blood volume, hepatic perfusion index, arterial perfusion, and time to
      peak. Intraobserver and interobserver agreements were assessed for 2 readers with
      Bland-Altman plots, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), coefficients of
      variation, and repeatability. RESULTS: In HCC lesions, agreement analysis
      demonstrated higher intra-agreement values in comparison with interagreement
      (range of ICC values, 0.26-0.59 between readers and 0.67-0.94 between readings).
      Lower interagreement was found for treated HCC lesions in comparison with
      untreated lesions (range of ICC values, respectively, 0.12-0.54 and 0.31-0.89).
      CONCLUSIONS: For all Perf parameters intra-agreement was higher than
      interagreement, even though a relatively wide range of 95% limits of agreement
      was found in both cases.

PMID- 26484958
TI  - Interobserver Variation in Cerebellar Tonsillar Tip Localization: Comparison of 3
      Different Osseous Landmarks on Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim was to evaluate the interobserver agreement in the assessment of
      cerebellar tonsil position on sagittal magnetic resonance imaging using 3
      different osseous landmarks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study
      consisted of brain magnetic resonance imagings performed at our institution in
      patients with and without Chiari I malformation between January 2010 and 2012.
      Sagittal T1-weighted images were reviewed by 2 senior board-certified
      neuroradiologists (blinded to underlying clinical diagnosis) with measurement of
      both cerebellar tonsillar positions based on lines drawn perpendicular from the
      tonsillar tip to the foramen magnum [FM] line, C1 line, and C2 line. Spearman
      correlation coefficients were calculated. Interobserver variation between the
      readers was assessed using Bland-Altman analysis and intraclass correlation
      coefficient. RESULTS: A total of 320 cerebellar tonsils on 160 patients, 50 with
      Chiari I malformations, and 110 control subjects without Chiari I malformation
      were evaluated. The Spearman correlation coefficients for the entire cohort were
      0.86 (FM), 0.94 (C1), and 0.90 (C2). Bland-Altman analysis for the entire cohort
      showed the best interobserver agreement for C1 line (-0.3 mm bias) and the least
      for C2 line (4.6 mm bias). The Intraclass correlation coefficients for all
      patients were 0.84 (FM), 0.92 (C1), and 0.54 (C2). The least bias and highest
      correlation coefficients were also seen individually in the Chiari and non-Chiari
      cohorts with the C1 technique. CONCLUSIONS: Determination of cerebellar tonsillar
      position using a C1 arch landmark may be superior to the currently more commonly
      used FM-based landmark with lesser interobserver variability and higher
      interobserver correlation.

PMID- 26484959
TI  - Ovarian Torsion: Multimodality Review of Imaging Characteristics.
AB  - We present a case of ovarian torsion in pregnancy with demonstration of vascular
      flow on sequential Doppler ultrasonography. Magnetic resonance imaging
      demonstrated ovarian enlargement and edema. Mild symptoms and low clinical
      suspicion, in addition to risks associated with pregnancy prevented early
      laparoscopic examination, though torsion was considered. Progressive ovarian
      enlargement supported surgical intervention, which confirmed the presence of
      torsion. This case report reviews multimodality imaging characteristics of
      ovarian torsion, re-emphasizing the significance of ovarian morphology. 

PMID- 26484960
TI  - Preoperative Coil Embolization in Patients With a Replaced Hepatic Artery
      Scheduled for Pancreatectomy With Splanchnic Artery Resection Helps to Prevent
      Ischemic Organ Injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevention of liver ischemic
      injury by preoperative coil embolization in patients with a replaced hepatic
      artery scheduled for pancreatectomy with splanchnic artery resection. METHODS:
      Between July 2009 and May 2012, 4 patients with replaced hepatic artery underwent
      pancreatectomy plus splanchnic artery resection. The replaced right hepatic
      artery was preoperatively embolized in 2 patients. In the other 2 patients, the
      common hepatic artery was embolized preoperatively. We evaluated the
      complications encountered in the perioperative period. RESULTS: There were no
      embolization-related complications. Although 2 patients presented with small
      liver infarcts, the aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase
      levels did not exceed 1000 IU/L in any of the patients, and none experienced
      severe liver injury. CONCLUSIONS: Coil embolization before pancreatectomy with
      splanchnic artery resection in patients with a replaced hepatic artery may help
      to prevent severe ischemic liver injury in the perioperative period.

PMID- 26484961
TI  - The Role of Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in Management and
      Prediction of Survival in Pancreatic Cancer.
AB  - The role of positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/computed tomography (CT)
      in the management of pancreatic cancer patients has not been clearly established.
      Although value of PET/CT in the staging of pancreatic cancer is still being
      debated, several studies pointed to its superior role in determining therapy
      response, recurrence detection, and survival prediction in comparison to
      conventional imaging including contrast-enhanced CT. This article reviews the
      current literature on usefulness of PET/CT in the management of pancreatic cancer
      patients. 

PMID- 26484962
TI  - Management of Postembolization Syndrome Following Hepatic Transarterial
      Chemoembolization for Primary or Metastatic Liver Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is an established treatment in
      managing liver primary neoplasms or liver metastases. Postembolization syndrome
      (PES) is a common adverse event defined as fever without associated sepsis, pain
      in the right upper quadrant, and nausea and/or vomiting. OBJECTIVE: This
      integrative review aims to identify effective management strategies for PES or
      one of its characterizing symptoms (fever, pain, and nausea and/or vomiting).
      METHODS: Searches of electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL were
      conducted. Fifteen articles were identified for inclusion. Seven addressed all
      symptoms of PES, and 8 studies focused on individual symptoms of PES. RESULTS:
      Interventions identified are intra-arterial lidocaine, oral and intravenous
      analgesics, steroids, wrist-ankle acupuncture, antibiotics, and 5-HT3 receptor
      antagonists. Findings are explicated according to individual symptoms of PES.
      Intra-arterial lidocaine, steroids, and a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist are found to
      offer potential benefit in the management of PES symptoms. CONCLUSION: A number
      of interventions have shown potential benefit in the management of PES. A
      systemic approach using combination therapy is necessary to effectively manage
      characterizing symptoms. Further research is needed to determine the impact of
      primary disease site, TACE technique, and chemotherapeutic agent on PES.
      IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Oncology nurses are uniquely placed to undertake
      thorough patient assessment after TACE and implement early intervention to
      effectively manage PES.

PMID- 26484963
TI  - We as Spouses Have Experienced a Real Disaster!: A Qualitative Study of Women
      With Breast Cancer and Their Spouses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Turkey. The
      emotional effects of this condition are experienced by the women and their
      families. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to describe the experiences of
      women with breast cancer and their spouses from diagnosis to treatment
      completion. METHODS: This qualitative study with a descriptive qualitative design
      was conducted at participants' homes. Fourteen women and their spouses were
      enrolled in the study (n = 28). Data were collected during in-depth interviews
      and analyzed with inductive content analysis. RESULTS: The women with breast
      cancer and their spouses' experiences were categorized into 4 main themes:
      "facing breast cancer," "treatment process," "coping with disease and treatment,"
      and "life after treatment." Subthemes were also identified and described.
      CONCLUSIONS: The women with breast cancer and their spouses reported that they
      had positive and negative experiences in terms of their physical, psychological,
      and social status from diagnosis to completion of treatment, indicating that
      breast cancer is a disease of women and a condition of families. IMPLICATIONS FOR
      PRACTICE: Knowledge of these experiences can help nurses plan care that is
      designed to improve the quality of life of women and their husbands.

PMID- 26484964
TI  - Statistical investigation of surface bound ions and further development of BION
      server to include pH and salt dependence.
AB  - Ions are engaged in multiple biological processes in cells. By binding to the
      macromolecules or being mobile in the solvent, they maintain the integrity of the
      structure of macromolecules; participate in their enzymatic activity; or screen
      electrostatic interactions. While experimental methods are not always able to
      assign the exact location of ions, computational methods are in demand. Although
      the majority of computational methods are successful in predicting the position
      of ions buried inside macromolecules, they are less effective in deciphering
      positions of surface bound ions. Here, we propose the new BION algorithm
      (http://compbio.clemson.edu/bion_server_ph/) that predicts the location of the
      surface bound ions. It is more efficient and accurate compared to the previous
      version since it uses more advanced clustering algorithm in combination with
      pairing rules. In addition, the BION webserver allows specifying the pH and the
      salt concentration in predicting ions positions.

PMID- 26484965
TI  - Characteristics of Adopted Thoroughbred Racehorses in Second Careers.
AB  - The unwanted horse issue continues to be a major concern in the U.S. equine
      industry. Nonprofit organizations dedicated to rescuing, retraining, and rehoming
      unwanted horses are critical in minimizing this problem. This study utilized data
      collected nationwide from organizations that provide these services for
      thoroughbreds retired from racing to identify individual horse characteristics
      that influenced length of stay at the adoption facility as well as
      characteristics that increased the probability that an adopted horse would be
      returned to the facility. The results suggested that horses with fewer activity
      limitations were rehomed more quickly (p <  .01), as were gray horses (relative
      to bays, p <  .03) and stallions (relative to geldings, p <  .04). Older horses
      took longer to rehome (p <  .05). Interestingly, the results also suggested that
      gray horses were more likely to be returned to the facility postadoption (p < 
      .02). Results from this study could benefit thoroughbreds retired from racing,
      nonprofit organizations, end consumers, and the thoroughbred racing industry. 

PMID- 26484966
TI  - Visible-Light-Induced Self-Healing Diselenide-Containing Polyurethane Elastomer.
AB  - Visible light is an easily achievable and mild trigger for self-healing
      materials. By incorporating dynamic diselenide bonds into polyurethane, visible
      light-induced self-healing materials can be fabricated. Besides mild visible
      light, the healing process can also be realized using directional laser
      irradiation, which makes the system a remotely controllable self-healing system. 

PMID- 26484967
TI  - Novel investigational therapies for treating pulmonary arterial hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Despite the development of new therapies, pulmonary arterial
      hypertension (PAH) has a median survival of 6 - 7 years. This is likely because
      the currently approved therapies affect predominantly pulmonary vasoconstriction.
      The past two decades have witnessed greater insights into the pathogenesis of
      PAH, from the role of inflammation to molecular signaling and epigenetics.
      Multiple pharmacological agents targeting these newly identified pathways are
      currently being investigated in preclinical and early clinical studies. AREAS
      COVERED: Herein, the authors review the modalities targeting recently identified
      molecular targets in PAH. These include: prostaglandin receptor agonists, agents
      that alter the cyclic adenosine monophosphate and cyclic guanosine monophosphate
      pathways, vasoactive peptides, receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, Rho-kinase
      inhibitors, serotonin pathway inhibitors, anti-inflammatory agents, antioxidants,
      agents that alter nitric oxide signaling, various cardiac medications,
      mitochondrial metabolism modifying agents, epigenetic agents and cell-based
      therapies. The authors also address the gaps in the knowledge and explain why
      certain agents may or may not be promising PAH pharmacotherapeutics. EXPERT
      OPINION: Newer agents target multiple pathways including vasoconstriction,
      cellular proliferation and inflammatory response. And while only a few of the
      current investigational drugs will likely be further developed, the authors
      expect that the next two decades will bring some major breakthroughs in PAH
      management.

PMID- 26484968
TI  - Effect of respiratory hyperoxic challenge on magnetic susceptibility in human
      brain assessed by quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM).
AB  - The purpose of this study was to measure the regional change of magnetic
      susceptibility in human brain upon inhalation of 100% oxygen by MRI quantitative
      susceptibility mapping (QSM). Fourteen healthy volunteers were scanned in a 3 T
      MR scanner with a 3D multi-gradient-echo sequence while breathing medical air
      (normoxia) and pure oxygen (hyperoxia). QSM images and R2* maps were calculated.
      Mean susceptibility differences versus white matter were measured in regions of
      interest covering veins, gray matter (GM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) under
      both conditions. Hyperoxia resulted in a strong susceptibility decrease in large
      veins (-154.4 +/- 65.9 ppb, p < 10(-6)), in a smaller reduction in GM (-1.3 +/- 1
      ppb, p < 0.001), and in a susceptibility increase in ventricular CSF (3.8 +/- 1.8
      ppb, p < 10(-5)). The susceptibility decrease in veins implied an increase of
      venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) by 10.1 +/- 4.0%. Compared with QSM, R2* was more
      seriously affected by long-distance effects not related to local tissue
      oxygenation and increased in cerebral frontal regions (3 +/- 2 s(-1), p < 0.0004)
      due to paramagnetic molecular oxygen in cavities. The results highlight the
      potential of QSM to yield region-specific quantitative oxygenation information,
      and, thus, for applications such as oxygen-therapy monitoring or identification
      of hypoxic tumor tissue during radiotherapy planning.

PMID- 26484969
TI  - How do we acquire high-level evidence in urology? A 30 year perspective.

PMID- 26484970
TI  - The acceptance of mobile teledermoscopy by primary care nurse practitioners in
      the state of Arizona.
AB  - PURPOSE: To conduct a pilot survey to assess acceptance of mobile teledermoscopy
      (MTD) by primary care nurse practitioners (NPs) working in Arizona. DATA SOURCES:
      Sixty-two participants recruited from NP and academic listservs in Arizona
      completed an online survey prefaced by a MTD definition, device photographs, and
      a practice case, followed by 33 items measuring Teledermatology Technology
      Acceptance Model (TeleTAM) constructs. CONCLUSIONS: Participants were highly
      interested in using MTD to assess skin lesions. They perceived MTD utility to
      greatly improve diagnosis and positively impact their practice. Most participants
      had never used MTD, but had high mean scores for MTD attitude and moderate scores
      for MTD perceived ease of use, perceived use, and facilitators of MTD. They had
      moderate scores for intention to use MTD. The construct facilitators
      (organizational infrastructure) were most strongly associated with intention to
      use MTD. Cronbach alphas were 0.70 or higher for all subscales except
      compatibility and habit. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Moderate acceptance of MTD
      may reflect NPs' knowledge of the technology, self-confidence for using it, or
      MTD financial constraints. Future research will address these factors to foster
      use of MTD by NPs, thereby improving patients' access to early skin lesion
      assessment and diagnosis.

PMID- 26484971
TI  - Gianni Bonadonna, MD: 1934-2015.

PMID- 26484972
TI  - The Results of a Propensity Score Matching Analysis of the Efficacy of Abdominal
      Fascia and Skin Closure Using PDS(r) Plus Antibacterial (Polydioxanone) Sutures
      on the Incidence of Superficial Incisional Surgical Site Infections after
      Gastroenterologic Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSIs) lead to prolonged hospitalization and
      increased cost of hospital stay after surgery. Therefore, the prevention of SSIs
      is one of the most critical tasks facing surgeons and nursing staff. In the
      present study, the efficacy of using triclosan-coated polidioxanone sutures
      (PDS(r) Plus Antibacterial Suture, (Ethicon Inc., Somerville, NJ) for abdominal
      closure was analyzed retrospectively using a propensity score matching analysis.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Of 1,768 patients who underwent gastroenterologic surgery
      at Fukuoka University Hospital between January 2009 and September 2013, 812
      underwent abdominal closure using PDS Plus. These patients were compared
      retrospectively regarding the incidence of SSIs using a propensity score matching
      method with 956 patients treated in the previous period without abdominal closure
      using PDS Plus sutures. The propensity score was calculated from the age, gender,
      body mass index, smoking status, diabetes mellitus, use of steroid medication,
      malignant or benign disease, organ location, emergency or planned surgery, wound
      classification, the American Society of Anesthesiologists score, open or
      laparoscopic surgery, the length of the operation, and blood loss. RESULTS: Nine
      hundred sixty-six patients (483 matched sets) were enrolled by the propensity
      score matching method. No parameter used for the propensity score was different
      between the PDS Plus and control groups. Closure using PDS Plus could reduce the
      incidence of SSIs compared with that in the control group (p = 0.022). Of the
      parameters used for the propensity score, malignant disease (p = 0.0002), open
      surgery (p = 0.0020), a prolonged operation (p < 0.0001), high blood loss (p <
      0.0001), the need for a transfusion (p = 0.019), and gastrointestinal tract
      surgery (p = 0.0059) were significant risk factors for the development of SSIs in
      the univariable analysis. In a multivariable regression model, open surgery (p <
      0.0001), prolonged operation (p < 0.0001), gastrointestinal tract surgery (p =
      0.001), and abdominal closure without PDS Plus (p < 0.0001) were the independent
      risk factors for the development of an SSI. The development of an SSI prolonged
      the hospital stay (p < 0.0001) and the use of antibiotic medication (p < 0.0001);
      abdominal closure using PDS Plus affected the antibiotic medication period (p =
      0.013) but not the hospital stay (p = 0.40). CONCLUSION: Although abdominal
      fascia and skin closure using PDS Plus was compared with variable abdominal
      closure, the present findings suggest that abdominal fascia and skin closure
      using PDS Plus sutures could help prevent the development of SSIs after
      gastroenterologic surgery, as determined by a propensity score matching analysis.

PMID- 26484973
TI  - Connecting air quality and climate change.

PMID- 26484974
TI  - Adsorption-desorption characteristics of methyl ethyl ketone with modified
      activated carbon and inhibition of 2,3-butanediol production.
AB  - Activated carbon (AC) is seldom applied for recovering ketone-based volatile
      organic compounds because of safety concerns. Adsorption of methyl ethyl ketone
      (MEK) with AC is a highly exothermic reaction that potentially causes fires in AC
      beds. Moreover, 2,3-butanediol (BDO) is produced in the desorbed solvent, causing
      yellowing and odor of the recovered solvent. This study applied a continuous
      adsorption-desorption apparatus for evaluating the operating capacities and BDO
      concentration in recovered MEK containing modified and original ACs. AC-1 (TAKETA
      G2X) was used as the target for modification. The experimental results indicate
      that using MgO as the modifier increases the ignition point by 12 degrees C and
      that applying KNO3 as the modifier reduces the AC ignition point by 28 degrees C
      (compared with AC-1). The BDO concentration of the desorbed MEK solvent can be
      reduced by increasing the loading of the modifying agent (Ethanolamine) (Im-1:
      3.1 wt%; Im-5: 6.2 wt%). Moreover, applying the AC pretreated with nitrogen (Im
      6) as adsorbent significantly reduces the BDO concentration (from 0.123 wt% to
      0.073 wt%). Because desorption and purging procedures were performed in N2
      atmospheres, the BDO concentrations of the desorbed MEK solvents were relatively
      low and ranged from 0.032 wt% to 0.043 wt%. When the MEK concentration was
      reduced to 2000 ppm, lower BDO concentrations (0.012-0.022 wt%) were measured in
      the recovered MEK solvent. The way to modify activated carbon and a better
      desorbing sequence to effectively inhibit the oxidation of MEK to BDO are
      developed. The results obtained indicate that the BDO concentration in the
      desorbed solvent was lower than the original MEK solvent (0.023 wt%). Different
      approaches can be applied simultaneously to achieve high inhibition effects;
      however, carbon adsorption performance may be negatively affected. IMPLICATIONS:
      The study is motivated to improve the quality of recovered solvent and reduce
      fire hazards, particularly when AC is applied for adsorbing a ketone-based
      solvent (e.g., MEK). The experimental results indicate that the BDO concentration
      in the recovered solvent can be reduced and the ignition point of AC can be
      increased by modifying the AC with an appropriate agent.

PMID- 26484975
TI  - Role of future scenarios in understanding deep uncertainty in long-term air
      quality management.
AB  - The environment and its interactions with human systems, whether economic,
      social, or political, are complex. Relevant drivers may disrupt system dynamics
      in unforeseen ways, making it difficult to predict future conditions. This kind
      of "deep uncertainty" presents a challenge to organizations faced with making
      decisions about the future, including those involved in air quality management.
      Scenario Planning is a structured process that involves the development of
      narratives describing alternative future states of the world, designed to differ
      with respect to the most critical and uncertain drivers. The resulting scenarios
      are then used to understand the consequences of those futures and to prepare for
      them with robust management strategies. We demonstrate a novel air quality
      management application of Scenario Planning. Through a series of workshops,
      important air quality drivers were identified. The most critical and uncertain
      drivers were found to be "technological development" and "change in societal
      paradigms." These drivers were used as a basis to develop four distinct scenario
      storylines. The energy and emissions implications of each storyline were then
      modeled using the MARKAL energy system model. NOx emissions were found to
      decrease for all scenarios, largely a response to existing air quality
      regulations, whereas SO2 emissions ranged from 12% greater to 7% lower than 2015
      emissions levels. Future-year emissions differed considerably from one scenario
      to another, however, with key differentiating factors being transition to cleaner
      fuels and energy demand reductions. IMPLICATIONS: Application of scenarios in air
      quality management provides a structured means of sifting through and
      understanding the dynamics of the many complex driving forces affecting future
      air quality. Further, scenarios provide a means to identify opportunities and
      challenges for future air quality management, as well as a platform for testing
      the efficacy and robustness of particular management options across wide-ranging
      conditions.

PMID- 26484976
TI  - Assessment of exhaust emissions from carbon nanotube production and particle
      collection by sampling filters.
AB  - This study performed a workplace evaluation of emission control using available
      air sampling filters and characterized the emitted particles captured in filters.
      Characterized particles were contained in the exhaust gas released from carbon
      nanotube (CNT) synthesis using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Emitted
      nanoparticles were collected on grids to be analyzed using transmission electron
      microscopy (TEM). CNT clusters in the exhaust gas were collected on filters for
      investigation. Three types of filters, including Nalgene surfactant-free
      cellulose acetate (SFCA), Pall A/E glass fiber, and Whatman QMA quartz filters,
      were evaluated as emission control measures, and particles deposited in the
      filters were characterized using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM)
      to further understand the nature of particles emitted from this CNT production.
      STEM analysis for collected particles on filters found that particles deposited
      on filter fibers had a similar morphology on all three filters, that is,
      hydrophobic agglomerates forming circular beaded clusters on hydrophilic filter
      fibers on the collecting side of the filter. CNT agglomerates were found trapped
      underneath the filter surface. The particle agglomerates consisted mostly of
      elemental carbon regardless of the shapes. Most particles were trapped in filters
      and no particles were found in the exhaust downstream from A/E and quartz
      filters, while a few nanometer-sized and submicrometer-sized individual particles
      and filament agglomerates were found downstream from the SFCA filter. The number
      concentration of particles with diameters from 5 nm to 20 um was measured while
      collecting particles on grids at the exhaust piping. Total number concentration
      was reduced from an average of 88,500 to 700 particle/cm(3) for the lowest found
      for all filters used. Overall, the quartz filter showed the most consistent and
      highest particle reduction control, and exhaust particles containing nanotubes
      were successfully collected and trapped inside this filter. IMPLICATIONS: As
      concern for the toxicity of engineered nanoparticles grows, there is a need to
      characterize emission from carbon nanotube synthesis processes and to investigate
      methods to prevent their environmental release. At this time, the particles
      emitted from synthesis were not well characterized when collected on filters, and
      limited information was available about filter performance to such emission. This
      field study used readily available sampling filters to collect nanoparticles from
      the exhaust gas of a carbon nanotube furnace. New agglomerates were found on
      filters from such emitted particles, and the performance of using the filters
      studied was encouraging in terms of capturing emissions from carbon nanotube
      synthesis.

PMID- 26484977
TI  - OMICS 2.0: An Accelerator for Global Science, Systems Medicine and Responsible
      Innovation.

PMID- 26484979
TI  - Veterinary Medicine and Omics (Veterinomics): Metabolic Transition of Milk
      Triacylglycerol Synthesis in Sows from Late Pregnancy to Lactation.
AB  - Mammalian milk is a key source of lipids, providing not only important calories
      but also essential fatty acids. Veterinary medicine and omics systems sciences
      intersection, termed as "veterinomics" here, has received little attention to
      date but stands to offer much promise for building bridges between human and
      animal health. We determined the changes in porcine mammary genes and proteomics
      expression associated with milk triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis and secretion
      from late pregnancy to lactation. TAG content and fatty acid (FA) composition
      were determined in porcine colostrum (the 1st day of lactation) and milk (the
      17th day of lactation). The mammary transcriptome for 70 genes and 13 proteins
      involved in TAG synthesis and secretion from six sows, each at d -17(late
      pregnancy), d 1(early lactation), and d 17 (peak lactation) relative to
      parturition were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot
      analyses. The TAG content and the concentrations of de novo synthesized FAs,
      saturated FAs, and monounsaturated FAs were higher in milk than in colostrum
      (p<0.05). Robust upregulation with high relative mRNA abundance was evident
      during lactation for genes associated with FA uptake (VLDLR, LPL, CD36), FA
      activation (ACSS2, ACSL3), and intracellar transport (FABP3), de novo FA
      synthesis (ACACA, FASN), FA elongation (ELOVL1), FA desaturation (SCD, FADS1),
      TAG synthesis (GPAM, AGPAT1, LPIN1, DGAT1), lipid droplet formation (BTN2A1, XDH,
      PLIN2), and transcription factors and nuclear receptors (SREBP1, SCAP, INSIG1/2).
      In conclusion, a wide variety of lipogenic genes and proteins regulate the
      channeling of FAs towards milk TAG synthesis and secretion in porcine mammary
      gland tissue. These findings inform future omics strategies to increase milk fat
      production and lipid profile and attest to the rise of both veterinomics and
      lipidomics in postgenomics life sciences.

PMID- 26484980
TI  - Sexting Among Married Couples: Who Is Doing It, and Are They More Satisfied?
AB  - This study examined the prevalence and correlates of sexting (i.e., sending
      sexual messages via mobile phones) within a sample of married/cohabiting couples
      (180 wives and 175 husbands). Married adults do sext each other, but it is much
      less common than within young adult relationships, and consists mainly of sexy or
      intimate talk (29% reported engaging in sexy talk with partners) rather than
      sexually explicit photos or videos (12% reported sending nude or nearly-nude
      photos). Sending sexy talk messages was positively related to relationship
      satisfaction only among those with high levels of avoidance, and sending sexually
      explicit pictures was related to satisfaction for men, and for women with high
      levels of attachment anxiety. Additionally, sending sexually explicit pictures
      was related to greater ambivalence among both men and women. These findings
      support and extend previous research with young adults. 

PMID- 26484978
TI  - Systems Biology for Smart Crops and Agricultural Innovation: Filling the Gaps
      between Genotype and Phenotype for Complex Traits Linked with Robust Agricultural
      Productivity and Sustainability.
AB  - In recent years, rapid developments in several omics platforms and next
      generation sequencing technology have generated a huge amount of biological data
      about plants. Systems biology aims to develop and use well-organized and
      efficient algorithms, data structure, visualization, and communication tools for
      the integration of these biological data with the goal of computational modeling
      and simulation. It studies crop plant systems by systematically perturbing them,
      checking the gene, protein, and informational pathway responses; integrating
      these data; and finally, formulating mathematical models that describe the
      structure of system and its response to individual perturbations. Consequently,
      systems biology approaches, such as integrative and predictive ones, hold immense
      potential in understanding of molecular mechanism of agriculturally important
      complex traits linked to agricultural productivity. This has led to
      identification of some key genes and proteins involved in networks of pathways
      involved in input use efficiency, biotic and abiotic stress resistance,
      photosynthesis efficiency, root, stem and leaf architecture, and nutrient
      mobilization. The developments in the above fields have made it possible to
      design smart crops with superior agronomic traits through genetic manipulation of
      key candidate genes. 

PMID- 26484981
TI  - Hormone receptor-negative, thyroid transcription factor 1-positive uterine and
      ovarian adenocarcinomas: report of a series of mesonephric-like adenocarcinomas.
AB  - AIMS: To report a series of uterine corpus (n = 7) and ovarian (n = 5) neoplasms
      which we believe probably represent mesonephric adenocarcinomas based on their
      characteristic morphology and immunophenotype. METHODS AND RESULTS: All neoplasms
      exhibited a relatively constant and characteristic morphological appearance with
      an admixture of architectural patterns with small glands or tubules, some
      containing luminal eosinophilic colloid-like material, typically predominating.
      Solid and papillary architectures were also often present. The nuclear features
      were characteristic with atypical angulated clear vesicular nuclei which often
      exhibited overlapping. All the tumours were 'flat' negative with oestrogen
      receptor and progesterone receptor and all except one exhibited nuclear staining
      with thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF1), which was often diffuse. All tumours
      exhibited wild-type staining with p53. CD10, calretinin and GATA binding protein
      3 (GATA3) were positive in a variable proportion of the neoplasms. CONCLUSIONS:
      We believe these neoplasms to represent mesonephric adenocarcinomas which have
      only rarely been reported to arise in the uterine corpus and never in the ovary.
      We recommend they be termed mesonephric-like adenocarcinomas until their
      histogenesis is firmly established.

PMID- 26484982
TI  - Additional plerixafor to granulocyte colony-stimulating factors for
      haematopoietic stem cell mobilisation for autologous transplantation in people
      with malignant lymphoma or multiple myeloma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autologous stem cell transplantation is widely used to restore
      functioning bone marrow in people with malignant lymphoma or multiple myeloma
      after myeloablative chemotherapy. Results of some clinical trials indicate that
      plerixafor in addition to granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSF) compared
      to G-CSF only could lead to an increased mobilisation and release of CD34
      positive cells, facilitating effective apheresis. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the
      efficacy and safety of additional plerixafor to G-CSF for haematopoietic stem
      cell mobilisation in people with malignant lymphoma or multiple myeloma. SEARCH
      METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials
      (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (from 1990 to September 2015), as well as conference
      proceedings (American Society of Hematology; American Society of Clinical
      Oncology; European Hematology Association; American Society for Blood and Marrow
      Transplantation; European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation) for
      studies. Two review authors independently screened search results. SELECTION
      CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing plerixafor in
      addition to G-CSF compared to G-CSF only for stem cell mobilisation in people
      with malignant lymphoma or multiple myeloma of all stages and ages. We included
      full text as well as abstracts and unpublished data if sufficient information on
      study design, participant characteristics, interventions, and outcomes was
      available. We excluded cross-over trials, quasi-randomised trials, and post-hoc
      retrospective trials. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors
      independently screened the results of the search strategies, extracted data,
      assessed quality, and analysed data according to standard Cochrane methods. We
      performed final interpretation with an experienced clinician. MAIN RESULTS: We
      identified four RCTs fitting the inclusion criteria. However, two of these closed
      prematurely due to low recruitment and did not report results. The remaining two
      trials evaluated 600 participants with multiple myeloma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
      In both studies the experimental group received G-CSF plus plerixafor and the
      control group received G-CSF plus placebo.The meta-analysis showed no evidence
      for differences between plerixafor and placebo group regarding mortality at 12
      months (600 participants; risk ratio (RR) 1.00, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59
      to 1.69; P = 1.00; moderate-quality evidence) and adverse events during stem cell
      mobilisation and collection (593 participants; RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.06; P =
      0.19; high-quality evidence).Regarding the outcome successful stem cell
      collection, the meta-analysis showed an advantage for those participants
      randomised to the plerixafor group (600 participants; RR 2.42, 95% CI 1.98 to
      2.96; P < 0.00001; high-quality evidence).As there was high heterogeneity between
      studies for the number of transplanted participants, we did not meta-analyse
      these data. In the multiple myeloma study, 95.9% (142 participants) in the
      plerixafor arm and 88.3% (136 participants) in the placebo arm underwent
      transplantation (RR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.16); in the non-Hodgkin lymphoma
      trial, 90% (135 participants) in the plerixafor group versus 55.4% (82
      participants) in the placebo group could be transplanted (RR 1.62, 95% CI 1.39 to
      1.89). In both trials there was no evidence for a difference between participants
      in the plerixafor and placebo group in terms of time to neutrophil and platelet
      engraftment in transplanted participants.None of the trials reported on the
      outcomes quality of life and progression-free survival. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The
      results of the analysed data suggest that additional plerixafor leads to
      increased stem cell collection in a shorter time. There was insufficient evidence
      to determine whether additional plerixafor affects survival or adverse events.The
      two trials included in the meta-analysis, both of which were conducted by the
      Genzyme Corporation, the manufacturer of plerixafor, were published several
      times. Two more RCTs examining the addition of plerixafor to a G-CSF mobilisation
      regimen terminated early without publishing any outcome. The trials included nine
      and five participants, respectively. Another RCT with 100 participants was
      recently completed, but has not yet published outcomes. Due to the unpublished
      RCTs, it is possible that our review is affected by publication bias, even though
      two trials failed to recruit a sufficient number of participants to analyse any
      data.

PMID- 26484983
TI  - Development of a Direct Photocatalytic C-H Fluorination for the Preparative
      Synthesis of Odanacatib.
AB  - Late-stage C-H fluorination is an appealing reaction for medicinal chemistry.
      However, the application of this strategy to process research appears less
      attractive due to the formation and necessary purification of mixtures of
      organofluorines. Here we demonstrate that gamma-fluoroleucine methyl ester, an
      intermediate critical to the large-scale synthesis of odanacatib, can be accessed
      directly from leucine methyl ester using a combination of the decatungstate
      photocatalyst and N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide in flow. This efficient C-H
      fluorination reaction compares favorably with several generations of classical
      gamma-fluoroleucine process syntheses. 

PMID- 26484984
TI  - A Monte Carlo-based radiation safety assessment for astronauts in an environment
      with confined magnetic field shielding.
AB  - The active shielding technique has great potential for radiation protection in
      space exploration because it has the advantage of a significant mass saving
      compared with the passive shielding technique. This paper demonstrates a Monte
      Carlo-based approach to evaluating the shielding effectiveness of the active
      shielding technique using confined magnetic fields (CMFs). The International
      Commission on Radiological Protection reference anthropomorphic phantom, as well
      as the toroidal CMF, was modeled using the Monte Carlo toolkit Geant4. The
      penetrating primary particle fluence, organ-specific dose equivalent, and male
      effective dose were calculated for particles in galactic cosmic radiation (GCR)
      and solar particle events (SPEs). Results show that the SPE protons can be easily
      shielded against, even almost completely deflected, by the toroidal magnetic
      field. GCR particles can also be more effectively shielded against by increasing
      the magnetic field strength. Our results also show that the introduction of a
      structural Al wall in the CMF did not provide additional shielding for GCR; in
      fact it can weaken the total shielding effect of the CMF. This study demonstrated
      the feasibility of accurately determining the radiation field inside the
      environment and evaluating the organ dose equivalents for astronauts under active
      shielding using the CMF. 

PMID- 26484985
TI  - Sodium Hydroxide Enhances Extractability and Analysis of Proanthocyanidins in
      Ensiled Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia).
AB  - Little information exists on the effects of ensiling on condensed tannins or
      proanthocyanidins. The acetone-butanol-HCl assay is suitable for measuring
      proanthocyanidin contents in a wide range of samples, silages included, but
      provides limited information on proanthocyanidin composition, which is of
      interest for deciphering the relationships between tannins and their
      bioactivities in terms of animal nutrition or health. Degradation with benzyl
      mercaptan (thiolysis) provides information on proanthocyanidin composition, but
      proanthocyanidins in several sainfoin silages have proved resistant to thiolysis.
      We now report that a pretreatment step with sodium hydroxide prior to thiolysis
      was needed to enable their analysis. This alkaline treatment increased their
      extractability from ensiled sainfoin and facilitated especially the release of
      larger proanthocyanidins. Ensiling reduced assayable proanthocyanidins by 29%,
      but the composition of the remaining proanthocyanidins in silage resembled that
      of the fresh plants. 

PMID- 26484986
TI  - Psychiatric Emergencies in the Intensive Care Unit.

PMID- 26484988
TI  - Automated Charting and Systems Integration: For Patients' Safety and Our Sanity.

PMID- 26484989
TI  - Left Ventricular Assist Device Driveline Infections: The Achilles' Heel of
      Destination Therapy.
AB  - Heart failure is a chronic progressive disease that affects millions of people in
      the United States. Although medical management of heart failure has helped
      improve quality of life and survival, end-stage heart failure ultimately requires
      a heart transplant or long-term left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support.
      With more patients awaiting transplant, the demand for hearts outweighs the
      supply of donor hearts. The use of LVADs is increasing in patients with advanced
      heart failure as a treatment option for those awaiting a heart transplant or as a
      long-term solution if they are ineligible for a transplant. Although the LVAD is
      a marvel of modern medicine, infection is a cause of concern because today's
      LVADs are powered externally through a percutaneous driveline that can be a major
      source of infection. 

PMID- 26484990
TI  - Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices: What You Need to Know in Critical Care
      Nursing Practice.

PMID- 26484991
TI  - Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Implantation: Intraoperative, Acute, and
      Remote Complications.
AB  - Implantation of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), including
      pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and biventricular
      pacemakers/cardioverter-defibrillators, is becoming increasingly common with new
      implants now exceeding 1.5 million per year globally. As a result, health care
      providers in all disciplines are caring for an increasing number of patients with
      CIEDs. Although the risk of complications associated with implantation of CIEDs
      is relatively low, the sequela can be catastrophic. Management requires an
      understanding of an individual patient's indication for CIED implant, the steps
      of implant procedures, device function, and natural history of each complication.

PMID- 26484992
TI  - Transvenous Lead Extraction for Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices.
AB  - This article illustrates the important role that lead extraction plays in the
      management of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices.
      Individualized care of the patient is paramount when considering lead management
      strategies. The critical care nurse must have a comprehensive understanding of
      the indications, procedural considerations, and preprocedural and postprocedural
      care for patients undergoing lead extraction procedures, thereby improving
      patient safety and maximizing patient outcomes. 

PMID- 26484993
TI  - Current Technology to Maximize Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Benefit for
      Patients With Symptomatic Heart Failure.
AB  - The incidence of heart failure (HF) continues to increase, affecting millions of
      people in the United States each year. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)
      has been used and studied for patients with symptomatic HF for more than 20
      years. The purpose of this article is to review technologies and developments to
      help maximize CRT for patients with symptomatic HF. Although most interventions
      to optimize CRT are physician directed, nurses also have an important role in the
      care and education of patients with symptomatic HF and can affect clinical
      outcomes. Therefore, nurses' understanding of CRT and measures to maximize this
      life-saving therapy is critical in HF management. 

PMID- 26484995
TI  - Home Monitoring for Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices: Benefits to
      Patients and to Their Follow-up Clinic.
AB  - Recent technological advances in the management of patients with cardiovascular
      implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) have expanded clinicians' ability to
      remotely monitor patients with CIEDs. Remote monitoring, in addition to periodic
      in-person device evaluation, provides many advantages to patients and clinicians.
      Aside from the therapeutic and diagnostic benefits of pacemakers, implantable
      cardioverter-defibrillators, cardiac resynchronization therapy devices, and
      implantable loop recorders, improvement in clinical outcomes, clinical
      efficiencies, and patient experience can be realized with the adoption of remote
      CIED monitoring. These advantages create significant value to both patients and
      CIED follow-up centers. 

PMID- 26484996
TI  - Considerations in Patients With Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices at End of
      Life.
AB  - Since the introduction of implantable cardiac pacemakers in 1958 and implantable
      cardioverter-defibrillators in 1980, these devices have been proven to save and
      prolong lives. Pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and cardiac
      resynchronization therapy are deemed life-sustaining therapies. Despite these
      life-saving technologies, all patients ultimately will reach the end of their
      lives from either their heart disease or development of a terminal illness.
      Clinicians may be faced with patient and family requests to withdraw these life
      sustaining therapies. The purpose of this article is to educate clinicians about
      the legal and ethical principles that underlie withdrawal of life-sustaining
      therapies such as device deactivation and to highlight the importance of
      proactive communication with patients and families in these situations. 

PMID- 26484998
TI  - Blending Quality Improvement and Research Methods for Implementation Science,
      Part II: Analysis of the Quality of Implementation.

PMID- 26484999
TI  - Ethical Implications of Workarounds in Critical Care.

PMID- 26485000
TI  - Sick Sinus Syndrome.

PMID- 26485001
TI  - Reply to Comments on 'Sleep Disordered Breathing and Periodic Limb Movements in
      Patients with Narcolepsy with Cataplexy'.

PMID- 26485002
TI  - Measures to Assure that Ebola Guidelines Are Correctly Applied.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assure the application, in our
      primary care health district, of the World Health Organisation and Spanish Ebola
      virus disease (EVD) guidelines, and to identify and resolve gaps, in order to
      protect professionals from the risks associated with attending to patients with
      Ebola. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A checklist was drawn up and an audit procedure of
      the structural, functional and operational conditions was designed for managing a
      self-presenting patient suspected with EVD in general practice. This audit was
      applied twice (before and after assessment) in 9 health centres of a health
      district in Spain. The checklist was structured according to 9 categories (51
      elements in total). This tool was designed to avoid errors in the management of
      EVD patients that are considered very serious in view of their potential
      consequences. RESULTS: Of the 51 elements on the checklist, 7-26 (14-51%)
      required direct intervention to rectify deficits in the first audit. The
      following elements requiring improvement were identified: the incorporation of
      memory aids to ensure the correct application of the EVD protocol, defining what
      information should be provided to the patient and (where applicable) anyone
      accompanying them as well as incorporating advice on how to deal with any
      individuals with whom they might have come into contact. A second audit assured
      the adequacy of the proposed solutions. CONCLUSION: In this study, the tool
      achieved the successful application of EVD protocol, assuring that primary care
      centres were able to handle an Ebola suspect patient safely.

PMID- 26485004
TI  - Correction: Antigenicity, Immunogenicity and Protective Efficacy of Three
      Proteins Expressed in the Promastigote and Amastigote Stages of Leishmania
      infantum against Visceral Leishmaniasis.

PMID- 26485003
TI  - A Pan-Cancer Catalogue of Cancer Driver Protein Interaction Interfaces.
AB  - Despite their importance in maintaining the integrity of all cellular pathways,
      the role of mutations on protein-protein interaction (PPI) interfaces as cancer
      drivers has not been systematically studied. Here we analyzed the mutation
      patterns of the PPI interfaces from 10,028 proteins in a pan-cancer cohort of
      5,989 tumors from 23 projects of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to find
      interfaces enriched in somatic missense mutations. To that end we use e-Driver,
      an algorithm to analyze the mutation distribution of specific protein functional
      regions. We identified 103 PPI interfaces enriched in somatic cancer mutations.
      32 of these interfaces are found in proteins coded by known cancer driver genes.
      The remaining 71 interfaces are found in proteins that have not been previously
      identified as cancer drivers even that, in most cases, there is an extensive
      literature suggesting they play an important role in cancer. Finally, we
      integrate these findings with clinical information to show how tumors apparently
      driven by the same gene have different behaviors, including patient outcomes,
      depending on which specific interfaces are mutated. 

PMID- 26485005
TI  - Inpatient hospitalization for substance use disorders one year after residential
      rehabilitation: predictors among US veterans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is among the principal
      providers of the full range of substance use disorders (SUD) treatment in the US.
      Relatively little, however, is known about patient outcomes after residential
      rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE: To identify predictors of SUD inpatient
      hospitalization (primarily medically managed detoxification) in the year after
      SUD residential rehabilitation among US veterans. METHODS: Medical records of 64
      veterans admitted to one of two residential rehabilitation programs in the
      Northeast during the first quarter of FY 2012 were abstracted. Data included
      demographic, clinical, and treatment (inpatient and outpatient) information for
      the year before and after residential rehabilitation. Annual rates of treatment
      utilization were compared. RESULTS: The veterans (mean age, 48.2 years) used
      substances for a mean of 27.6 years. Alcohol was the primary drug of choice
      (69%). More than half had SUD inpatient hospitalizations in the year before (79%)
      and after (53%) residential rehabilitation; SUD inpatient admission occurred an
      average of 64 days after discharge. According to the multivariate Cox regression
      model, the estimated risk of SUD inpatient hospitalization increased by 25% for
      each past year SUD inpatient hospitalization, decreased by 74% if there was no
      opiate use disorder diagnosis, and decreased by 2% for each day increase in
      residential rehabilitation length of stay when extent of service connected
      disability, marital status, and days since last SUD inpatient admission are taken
      into account. CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors for SUD inpatient hospitalization after
      residential rehabilitation have been identified and, if confirmed, may represent
      opportunities for targeted program change.

PMID- 26485006
TI  - Monitoring mortality in forced migrants--can Bayesian methods help us to do
      better with the (little) data we have?
AB  - In crisis situations, data are scarce-Peter Heudtlass and colleagues explore ways
      of best understanding the extra risk of death borne by forced migrants. 

PMID- 26485007
TI  - Are three generations of quantitative molecular methods sufficient in medical
      virology? Brief review.
AB  - In the last two decades, development of quantitative molecular methods has
      characterized the evolution of clinical virology more than any other
      methodological advancement. Using these methods, a great deal of studies has
      addressed efficiently in vivo the role of viral load, viral replication activity,
      and viral transcriptional profiles as correlates of disease outcome and
      progression, and has highlighted the physio-pathology of important virus diseases
      of humans. Furthermore, these studies have contributed to a better understanding
      of virus-host interactions and have sharply revolutionized the research
      strategies in basic and medical virology. In addition and importantly from a
      medical point of view, quantitative methods have provided a rationale for the
      therapeutic intervention and therapy monitoring in medically important viral
      diseases. Despite the advances in technology and the development of three
      generations of molecular methods within the last two decades (competitive PCR,
      real-time PCR, and digital PCR), great challenges still remain for viral testing
      related not only to standardization, accuracy, and precision, but also to
      selection of the best molecular targets for clinical use and to the
      identification of thresholds for risk stratification and therapeutic decisions.
      Future research directions, novel methods and technical improvements could be
      important to address these challenges. 

PMID- 26485008
TI  - May some HCV genotype 1 patients still benefit from dual therapy? The role of
      very early HCV kinetics.
AB  - When treating HCV patients with conventional dual therapy in the current context
      of rapidly evolving HCV therapy, outcome prediction is crucial and HCV kinetics,
      as early as 48 hours after the start of treatment, may play a major role. We
      aimed at clarifying the role of HCV very early kinetics. We consecutively
      enrolled mono-infected HCV patients at 7 treatment sites in Central Italy and
      evaluated the predictive value of logarithmic decay of HCV RNA 48 hours after the
      start of dual therapy (Delta48). Among the 171 enrolled patients, 144 were
      evaluable for early and sustained virological response (EVR, SVR) prediction; 108
      (75.0%) reached EVR and 84 (58.3%) reached SVR. Mean Delta 48 was 1.68 +/- 1.22
      log10 IU/ml, being higher in patients with SVR and EVR. Those genotype-1 patients
      experiencing a Delta 48 >2 logs showed a very high chance of success (100%
      positive predictive value), even in the absence of rapid virological response
      (RVR). Evaluation of very early HCV kinetics helped identify a small but
      significant proportion of genotype-1 patients (close to 10%) in addition to those
      identified with RVR, who could be treated with dual therapy in spite of not
      reaching RVR. In the current European context, whereby sustainability of HCV
      therapy is a crucial issue, conventional dual therapy may still play a reasonable
      role in patients with good tolerance and early prediction of success.

PMID- 26485009
TI  - Genetic polymorphisms of IL28b gene as predictors of response to dual therapy in
      genotypes 1 and 4-HCV and HIV/HCV-infected patients.
AB  - We describe the genotypes and allele distribution of interleukin 28B (IL28B)
      rs12979860 and rs8099917 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in hepatitis C
      virus (HCV) G1-4 infected patients, to assess predictive ability and to determine
      whether the combined determination of two IL28B SNPs might improve sustained
      virologic response (SVR) prediction of both in HCV mono- and HIV/HCV co-infected
      patients. IL28B SNPs were genotyped in 269 patients, 181 mono- and 88 co
      infected, treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. Data stratified by HCV
      mono- and HCV/HIV co-infected patients showed that 58% and 31% of the
      rs12979860CC carriers and 49% and 21% of the rs8099917TT carriers had SVR. IL28B
      SNPs, HCV mono-infection and HCV RNA load were associated with SVR as independent
      predictors in the two study groups as a whole. ROC curve analyses in the two
      populations separately, based on gender, age, baseline HCV RNA load and
      rs12979860/rs8099917 revealed similar receiver operating characteristics (ROC)
      areas under the curve values. Combining the determination of IL28B SNPs,
      rs8099917 genotyping improved the response prediction in rs12979860CT carriers
      only in mono-infected patients. In the era of direct-acting antiviral agents,
      adopting SVR baseline predictors to orientate naive-patient management represents
      an important issue. A model involving IL28B SNPs appears able to predict SVR in
      both populations. 

PMID- 26485010
TI  - Biofilm production in Staphylococcus epidermidis strains, isolated from the skin
      of hospitalized patients: genetic and phenotypic characteristics.
AB  - A major virulence factor of Staphylococcus epidermidis is its ability to form
      biofilms, permitting it to adhere to a surface and, in turn, to form a mucoid
      layer on polymer surfaces. Multiple factors have been found to influence
      bacterial attachment. Currently, this bacterium is commonly associated with
      hospital infections as a consequence of its ability to colonize, albeit
      accidentally, medical devices. This study investigated the genetic and phenotypic
      formation of biofilm in 105 S. epidermidis strains isolated from the skin of
      hospitalized patients. Fifty-eight of these patients were positive for the mecA
      gene (MRSE) and 47 were found to be negative (MSSE). Genetic characterizations
      were performed for the detection of the mecA, icaADBC, atlE, aap, bhp, IS256 and
      agr groups by PCR. Biofilm production was examined by culturing the strains in
      TBS medium and TBS with 0.5 and 1% respectively of glucose, and a
      semiquantitative assay on tissue culture plates was used. Although a molecular
      analysis estimate of detailed biofilm formation is costly in terms of time and
      complexity, a semiquantitative assay can be proposed as a rapid and cheap
      diagnostic method for initial screening to discover virulent strains. We
      confirmed a close correlation between genetic and phenotypic characteristics,
      highlighting the fact that, when S. epidermidis isolates were cultured in TSB
      with 1% of glucose, an increase in biofilm production was observed, as confirmed
      by positivity for the ica locus by molecular analysis. 

PMID- 26485011
TI  - Backbone switch to abacavir/lamivudine fixed-dose combination: implications for
      antiretroviral therapy optimization.
AB  - Current guidelines recommend treatment optimization in virologically suppressed
      patients through switching/ simplification strategies to minimize long-term
      toxicities and improve adherence. The assessment of inflammation/ coagulation
      profiles may support therapeutic decisions. We undertook a prospective, non
      randomized study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of switching to ABC/3TC from
      ZDV/3TC or TDF/FTC backbones, in 40 HIV-1 infected patients with HIV-RNA levels
      <37 copies/mL (>24 months). Main endpoints were viral load levels, CD4+ T cells
      and toxicities after 48 weeks. Serum inflammation/coagulation markers (ESR, CRP,
      D-dimer and fibrinogen) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-alpha,
      adiponectin, resistin) were evaluated. Baseline characteristics were similar in
      the two arms, with significantly lower values of e-GFR in patients on TDF/FTC.
      Markers of inflammation/ coagulation and cytokine profile were also similar,
      except for higher values of resistin in patients on TDF/ FTC. During follow up,
      CD4+ T cells increased and viral load remained undetectable in both groups.
      Patient from ZDV/3TC had significantly greater changes in total cholesterol and
      serum creatinine. Markers of inflammation/ coagulation remained unchanged.
      Adiponectin significantly increased in patients from ZDV/3TC. Switching to
      ABC/3TC was effective and safe. Inflammatory markers remained low in both groups.
      Some changes in metabolic, kidney and cytokine profiles were apparently specific
      for baseline cART treatment. 

PMID- 26485013
TI  - Antimicrobial activity of silver doped fabrics for the production of hospital
      uniforms.
AB  - Among several alternatives to control hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), a
      strategy could be the use of hospital uniforms imbued with antimicrobial
      substances. For this purpose we evaluated the antibacterial activity of two
      different silver doped fabrics employed for the production of hospital uniforms.
      The study was conducted in two-step. In the first the antimicrobial activity was
      evaluated in vitro against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      ATCC 27853, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212. In
      the second, we tested the total viable counts detected from beginning to end of
      the work shift on experimental silver doped uniforms worn by doctors, nurses,
      allied health assistants in different hospital wards. The in vitro tests showed a
      remarkable antibacterial activity of both silver doped samples (>99.9% reduction
      within 4h of exposure for Gram-positive and within 24 h for Gram-negative
      bacteria). The experimental uniforms provided results only slightly in agreement
      with in vitro data. Even if the increase of total viable counts was somewhat
      lower for experimental uniforms than traditional ones, significant differences
      were not observed. Despite the results on the uniforms worn, the addition of
      silver in fabrics to make medical equipment (supplies) remains an interesting
      option for HAI control. 

PMID- 26485012
TI  - MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and blakpc gene phylogenetic analysis of an outbreak
      of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae strains.
AB  - Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates are an important cause of
      nosocomial infections. This study evaluated a rapid cost-saving method based on
      MALDI-TOF technology, was and compared it with phenotypic, genotypic and
      epidemiological data for characterization of KPC-Kp strains consecutively
      isolated during a supposed outbreak. Twenty-five consecutive KPC Klebsiella
      pneumoniae isolates were identified and clustered by the MALDI Biotyper (Bruker,
      Daltonics). To display and rank the variance within a data set, principal
      component analysis (PCA) was performed. ClinProTools models were generated to
      investigate the highest sum of recognition capability and cross-validation. A
      Class dendrogram of isolates was constructed using ClinproTool. MLST was
      performed sequencing gapA, infB, mdh, pgi, rpoB, phoE and tonB genes. blakpc and
      cps genes were typed. Phylogenetic analysis and genetic distance of the KPC gene
      were performed using the MEGA6 software. PCA analysis defined two clusters, I and
      II, which were identified in a dendrogram by both temporal split and different
      antimicrobial susceptibility profiles. These clusters were composed mostly of
      strains of the same sequence type (ST512), the most prevalent ST in Italy, and
      the same cps (type 2). In cluster II, blakpc genotype resulted more variable than
      in cluster I. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the genetic diversity in both
      clusters supported by the epidemiological data. Our study confirms that MALDI-TOF
      can be a rapid and cost-saving method for epidemiological clustering of KPC K.
      pneumoniae isolates and its association with blakpc genotyping represents a
      reliable method to recognize possible clonal strains in nosocomial settings. 

PMID- 26485014
TI  - Association of sexually transmitted infections, Candida species, gram-positive
      flora and perianal flora with bacterial vaginosis.
AB  - Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is characterised by depletion of the normal
      Lactobacillus spp. and overgrowth of commensal anaerobic bacteria. We
      investigated the composition of vaginal microbiota and their association with BV
      in women of reproductive age. Vaginal samples from 1197 women were analysed,
      whereby n=451 patients had normal flora and n=614 were diagnosed with BV, the
      remaining patients were diagnosed with having either intermediate flora (n=42) or
      dysbacteriosis (n=90). The reported results show that pathogens are associated
      with BV. This knowledge will further expand our understanding of events leading
      to BV, which may lead to more effective prevention and treatment strategies. 

PMID- 26485016
TI  - Use of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to detect
      carbapenemase production in Enterobacteriaceae by a rapid meropenem degradation
      assay.
AB  - We evaluated the analytical performance of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry assay to detect carbapenemase activity in a group of carbapenemase
      producing Enterobacteriaceae by meropenem hydrolysis. This one-hour method showed
      a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 100%, representing a rapid and reliable
      option compared to conventional phenotypic assays. 

PMID- 26485017
TI  - A rapid qPCR method to investigate the circulation of the yeast Wickerhamomyces
      anomalus in humans.
AB  - The yeast Wickerhamomyces anomalus has been proposed for many biotechnological
      applications in the food industry. However, a number of opportunistic pathogenic
      strains have been reported as causative agents of nosocomial fungemia.
      Recognition of potentially pathogenic isolates is an important challenge for the
      future commercialization of this yeast. The isolation of W. anomalus from
      different matrices and, recently, from mosquitoes, requires further
      investigations into its circulation in humans. Here we present a qPCR protocol
      for the detection of W. anomalus in human blood samples and the results of a
      screening of 525 donors, including different classes of patients and healthy
      people. 

PMID- 26485015
TI  - First Italian Ebola virus disease case: management of hospital internal and
      external communication.
AB  - On November 25, 2014, an Italian physician infected by Ebola virus in Sierra
      Leone was admitted to the "Lazzaro Spallanzani" National Institute for Infectious
      Diseases in Rome, Italy. He was the first Italian case and was successfully cured
      in 38 days. The staff responsible for communication had a critical role ensuring
      that this challenging mission went smoothly. The Institutional Press Office
      working together with the press offices of the Ministry of Health was able to
      provide the high level of expertise necessary within both medical and
      communication contexts. Communication strategy, tools and procedures adopted
      before and after the arrival of the patient are summarized. 

PMID- 26485018
TI  - In vitro antifungal activity of fluconazole and voriconazole against non-Candida
      yeasts and yeast-like fungi clinical isolates.
AB  - The risk of opportunistic infections caused by non-Candida yeasts and yeast-like
      fungi is increasingly common, mainly in immunocompromised patients. Appropriate
      first-line therapy has not been defined and standardized, mainly due to the low
      number of cases reported. To improve empirical treatment guidelines, we describe
      the susceptibility profile to fluconazole and voriconazole of 176 non-Candida
      yeasts and yeast-like fungi collected from hospitals in Piedmont, North West
      Italy from January 2009 to December 2013. The results showed that most isolates
      are susceptible to voriconazole (94%), but less susceptible to fluconazole (78%),
      suggesting that voriconazole could be used as first-line therapy in infections
      caused by these fungi. 

PMID- 26485019
TI  - A rare case of infant sepsis due to the emm-89 genotype of Group A Streptococcus
      within a community-acquired cluster.
AB  - Invasive Group A Streptococcus disease is a severe and sometimes life-threatening
      infection with only few cases reported in literature. We describe the case of a
      49-day-old male infant with invasive Group A Streptococcus infection
      characterized by acute otitis media and development of septicemia within a
      probably community-acquired cluster. The causative agent resulted to be a rare
      emm-89 genotype of Streptococcus pyogenes. Group A Streptococcus must be
      considered responsible for sepsis in newborns and young infants. 

PMID- 26485020
TI  - Lack of KIs virus DNA in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid in Italy.
AB  - Dear Sirs, Satoh et al. recently screened 516 Japanese blood donors with PCR
      using primers constructed from the consensus domain of the helicase of positive
      stranded RNA viruses. They reported a novel enveloped virus with a circular
      double-stranded DNA genome (tentatively named KIs virus, KIs-V) (Satoh et al.,
      2011) occurring in 36 out of the 100 hepatitis E (HEV) antibody-positive donors
      with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (>60 IU/L). More recently,
      Biagini et al. failed to find KIs-V in plasma from 576 French blood donors with
      unknown HEV serostatus and unknown ALT values (Biagini et al., 2012). Based on an
      HEV seroprevalence of 3-52% in France, the authors suggested an uncommon
      frequency of KIs-V infection in healthy persons in France. To date, no
      information has been available on the prevalence of KIs-V DNA in Italy. In the
      present paper, we analyzed KIs-V in 242 plasma samples of blood donors,
      transplant recipients, and patients with chronic viral infections, and in 52
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of patients with different neurological
      disorders. Informed consent was obtained from all patients and the study was
      performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964
      Declaration of Helsinki and its amendments. Viral DNA extraction was carried out
      on 200 MUl of plasma or 200 MUl of CSF by using QIAamp DNA blood kit (Qiagen,
      Hilden, Germany) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Extracted nucleic
      acids were amplified for KIs-V DNA with the nested PCR protocol developed by
      Satoh et al. (2011) and used for screening Japanese blood donors. The first and
      second PCR rounds were designed on 458 and 304 nt-length fragments, respectively.
      To validate the amplification process, positive controls obtained from plasma
      dilutions of a synthetic template corresponding to the target sequence were run
      in each PCR. PCR sensitivity was less than 5 copies of target sequence. Fourteen
      liver and 16 kidney and/or pancreas transplant recipients were tested before
      transplantation and at the time after transplantation when viremia levels of TTV
      were highest, TTV having been validated by our group and others as a marker of
      functional immune deficiency (Focosi et al., 2014). None of the samples tested
      positive for KIs-V. At the same time, we also tested 79 healthy blood donors.
      Since determination of ALT is a mandatory part of on blood donation according to
      Italian law we could establish that only 2 donors had ALT values >60 IU/L but in
      any case <80 IU/L: all of them tested negative for KIs-V. No information on HEV
      status was available and HEV seroprevalence studies are limited in Italy (Arends
      et al., 2014). However regional studies show prevalences ranging from 2.9% to
      8.8% (Masia et al., 2009). We also tested 50 HIV-positive patients, 41 HCV
      positive patients, and 42 HBV-positive patients. None of the samples tested
      positive for KIs-V. Finally, cerebrospinal fluid from 52 patients with different
      neurological disorders was also tested. All these samples were negative for KIs-V
      DNA. Thus, although we cannot rule out the possibility that KIs-V circulates in
      Italy at a very low level and genetically different from the virus found in
      Japanese population, the results seem to demonstrate a very low prevalence of
      this novel virus in the Italian population. While the implication of KIs-V in
      human health remains under debate, extensive regional surveys will help to
      elucidate the geographical spread of KIs-V and to understand the natural history
      of the infection in human beings. 

PMID- 26485021
TI  - Early diagnosis and retention in care of HIV-infected patients through rapid
      salivary testing: a test-and-treat fast track pilot study.
AB  - Aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and the retention-in-care of
      individuals diagnosed during six years of salivary HIV testing (EASY-test
      project). Among those linked-to-care at the Infectious Diseases Department of San
      Raffaele Hospital (Milan, Italy), the proportion of patients engaged, retained in
      care and virologically suppressed after the antiretroviral treatment was 96%,
      100% and 95.2%, respectively. Results from our study suggest that salivary HIV
      testing may help bring to light cases of HIV infection otherwise undiagnosed, and
      thus favour a more rapid and wider reduction of the HIV infection burden at the
      population level.

PMID- 26485022
TI  - Overexpressing the Multiple-Stress Responsive Gene At1g74450 Reduces Plant Height
      and Male Fertility in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - A subset of genes in Arabidopsis thaliana is known to be up-regulated in response
      to a wide range of different environmental stress factors. However, not all of
      these genes are characterized as yet with respect to their functions. In this
      study, we used transgenic knockout, overexpression and reporter gene approaches
      to try to elucidate the biological roles of five unknown multiple-stress
      responsive genes in Arabidopsis. The selected genes have the following locus
      identifiers: At1g18740, At1g74450, At4g27652, At4g29780 and At5g12010. Firstly, T
      DNA insertion knockout lines were identified for each locus and screened for
      altered phenotypes. None of the lines were found to be visually different from
      wildtype Col-0. Secondly, 35S-driven overexpression lines were generated for each
      open reading frame. Analysis of these transgenic lines showed altered phenotypes
      for lines overexpressing the At1g74450 ORF. Plants overexpressing the multiple
      stress responsive gene At1g74450 are stunted in height and have reduced male
      fertility. Alexander staining of anthers from flowers at developmental stage 12
      13 showed either an absence or a reduction in viable pollen compared to wildtype
      Col-0 and At1g74450 knockout lines. Interestingly, the effects of stress on crop
      productivity are most severe at developmental stages such as male gametophyte
      development. However, the molecular factors and regulatory networks underlying
      environmental stress-induced male gametophytic alterations are still largely
      unknown. Our results indicate that the At1g74450 gene provides a potential link
      between multiple environmental stresses, plant height and pollen development. In
      addition, ruthenium red staining analysis showed that At1g74450 may affect the
      composition of the inner seed coat mucilage layer. Finally, C-terminal GFP fusion
      proteins for At1g74450 were shown to localise to the cytosol. 

PMID- 26485023
TI  - Using Agent-Based Modelling to Predict the Role of Wild Refugia in the Evolution
      of Resistance of Sea Lice to Chemotherapeutants.
AB  - A major challenge for Atlantic salmon farming in the northern hemisphere is
      infestation by the sea louse parasite Lepeophtheirus salmonis. The most frequent
      method of controlling these sea louse infestations is through the use of chemical
      treatments. However, most major salmon farming areas have observed resistance to
      common chemotherapeutants. In terrestrial environments, many strategies employed
      to manage the evolution of resistance involve the use of refugia, where a portion
      of the population is left untreated to maintain susceptibility. While refugia
      have not been deliberately used in Atlantic salmon farming, wild salmon
      populations that migrate close to salmon farms may act as natural refugia. In
      this paper we describe an agent-based model that explores the influence of
      different sizes of wild salmon populations on resistance evolution in sea lice on
      a salmon farm. Using the model, we demonstrate that wild salmon populations can
      act as refugia that limit the evolution of resistance in the sea louse
      populations. Additionally, we demonstrate that an increase in the size of the
      population of wild salmon results in an increased effect in slowing the evolution
      of resistance. We explore the effect of a population fitness cost associated with
      resistance, finding that in some cases it substantially reduces the speed of
      evolution to chemical treatments. 

PMID- 26485024
TI  - Advances in the Diagnosis of Human Opisthorchiasis: Development of Opisthorchis
      viverrini Antigen Detection in Urine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many strategies to control opisthorchiasis have been employed in
      Thailand, but not in the other neighbouring countries. Specific control methods
      include mass drug administration (MDA) and health education to reduce raw fish
      consumption. These control efforts have greatly shifted the epidemiology of
      Opisthorchis viverrini (OV) infection over the last decade from presenting as
      densely concentrated "heavy" infections in single villages to widespread "light"
      OV infections distributed over wide geographical areas. Currently, the "gold
      standard" detection method for OV infection is formalin ethyl-acetate
      concentration technique (FECT), which has limited diagnostic sensitivity and
      diagnostic specificity for light OV infections, with OV eggs often confused with
      eggs of minute intestinal flukes (MIFs) in feces. In this study, we developed and
      evaluated the diagnostic performance of a monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay for the measurement of OV excretory-secretory (ES) antigens
      in urine (urine OV-ES assay) for the diagnosis of opisthorchiasis compared to the
      gold standard detection FECT method. METHODOLOGY: We tested several methods for
      pre-treating urine samples prior to testing the diagnostic performance of the
      urine OV-ES assay. Using trichloroacetic acid (TCA) pre-treated urine, we
      compared detection and quantification of OV infection using the urine OV-ES assay
      versus FECT in OV-endemic areas in Northeastern Thailand. Receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the diagnostic sensitivity and
      specificity of the urine OV-ES assay using TCA pre-treated urine, and to
      establish diagnostic positivity thresholds. The Positive Predictive Value as well
      as the likelihood of obtaining a positive test result (LR+) or a negative test
      result (LR-) were calculated for the established diagnostic positivity threshold.
      Diagnostic risks (Odds Ratios) were estimated using logistic regression. RESULTS:
      When urine samples were pre-treated with TCA prior to use in the urine OV-ES
      assay, the analytical sensitivity was significantly improved. Using TCA pre
      treatment of urine, the urine OV-ES assay had a limit of detection (LoD) of 39
      ng/ml compared to the LoD of 52 ng/mL reported for coprological antigen detection
      methods. Similarly, the urine OV-ES assay correlated significantly with intensity
      of OV infection as measured by FECT. The urine OV-ES assay was also able to
      detect 28 individuals as positive from the 63 (44.4%) individuals previously
      determined to be negative using FECT. The likelihood of a positive diagnosis of
      OV infection by urine OV-ES assay increased significantly with the intensity of
      OV infection as determined by FECT. With reference to FECT, the sensitivity and
      specificity of the urine OV-ES assay was 81% and 70%, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      The detection of OV-infection by the urine OV-ES assay showed much greater
      diagnostic sensitivity and diagnostic specificity than the current "gold
      standard" FECT method for the detection and quantification of OV infection. Due
      to its ease-of-use, and noninvasive sample collection (urine), the urine OV-ES
      assay offers the potential to revolutionize the diagnosis of liver fluke
      infection and provide an effective tool for control and elimination of these
      tumorigenic parasites.

PMID- 26485026
TI  - Mapping Atmospheric Moisture Climatologies across the Conterminous United States.
AB  - Spatial climate datasets of 1981-2010 long-term mean monthly average dew point
      and minimum and maximum vapor pressure deficit were developed for the
      conterminous United States at 30-arcsec (~800m) resolution. Interpolation of long
      term averages (twelve monthly values per variable) was performed using PRISM
      (Parameter-elevation Relationships on Independent Slopes Model). Surface stations
      available for analysis numbered only 4,000 for dew point and 3,500 for vapor
      pressure deficit, compared to 16,000 for previously-developed grids of 1981-2010
      long-term mean monthly minimum and maximum temperature. Therefore, a form of
      Climatologically-Aided Interpolation (CAI) was used, in which the 1981-2010
      temperature grids were used as predictor grids. For each grid cell, PRISM
      calculated a local regression function between the interpolated climate variable
      and the predictor grid. Nearby stations entering the regression were assigned
      weights based on the physiographic similarity of the station to the grid cell
      that included the effects of distance, elevation, coastal proximity, vertical
      atmospheric layer, and topographic position. Interpolation uncertainties were
      estimated using cross-validation exercises. Given that CAI interpolation was
      used, a new method was developed to allow uncertainties in predictor grids to be
      accounted for in estimating the total interpolation error. Local land use/land
      cover properties had noticeable effects on the spatial patterns of atmospheric
      moisture content and deficit. An example of this was relatively high dew points
      and low vapor pressure deficits at stations located in or near irrigated fields.
      The new grids, in combination with existing temperature grids, enable the user to
      derive a full suite of atmospheric moisture variables, such as minimum and
      maximum relative humidity, vapor pressure, and dew point depression, with
      accompanying assumptions. All of these grids are available online at
      http://prism.oregonstate.edu, and include 800-m and 4-km resolution data, images,
      metadata, pedigree information, and station inventory files. 

PMID- 26485025
TI  - Limonoids from Melia azedarach Fruits as Inhibitors of Flaviviruses and
      Mycobacterium tubercolosis.
AB  - The biological diversity of nature is the source of a wide range of bioactive
      molecules. The natural products, either as pure compounds or as standardized
      plant extracts, have been a successful source of inspiration for the development
      of new drugs. The present work was carried out to investigate the cytotoxicity,
      antiviral and antimycobacterial activity of the methanol extract and of four
      identified limonoids from the fruits of Melia azedarach (Meliaceae). The extract
      and purified limonoids were tested in cell-based assays for antiviral activity
      against representatives of ssRNA, dsRNA and dsDNA viruses and against
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Very interestingly, 3-alpha-tigloyl-melianol and
      melianone showed a potent antiviral activity (EC50 in the range of 3-11MUM)
      against three important human pathogens, belonging to Flaviviridae family, West
      Nile virus, Dengue virus and Yellow Fever virus. Mode of action studies
      demonstrated that title compounds were inhibitors of West Nile virus only when
      added during the infection, acting as inhibitors of the entry or of a very early
      event of life cycle. Furthermore, 3-alpha-tigloyl-melianol and methyl kulonate
      showed interesting antimycobacterial activity (with MIC values of 29 and 70 MUM
      respectively). The limonoids are typically lipophilic compounds present in the
      fruits of Melia azeradach. They are known as cytotoxic compounds against
      different cancer cell lines, while their potential as antiviral and antibacterial
      was poorly investigated. Our studies show that they may serve as a good starting
      point for the development of novel drugs for the treatment of infections by
      Flaviviruses and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, for which there is a continued need.

PMID- 26485027
TI  - Familial Clarification of Saucrosmylidae stat. nov. and New Saucrosmylids from
      Daohugou, China (Insecta, Neuroptera).
AB  - BACKGOUND: Saucrosmylids are characterized by the typically large body size,
      complicated venation and diverse wing markings, which were only discovered in
      Middle Jurassic of Daohugou, Ningcheng county, Inner Mongolia, China. PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: Saucrosmylinae Ren, 2003, originally included as a subfamily in the
      Osmylidae, was transferred and elevated to family rank based on the definitive
      synapomorphic character. The updated definition of Saucrosmylidae stat. nov. was
      outlined in detail: presence of nygma and trichosors; diverse markings on
      membrane; complicated cross-veins; distal fusion of Sc and R1; expanded space
      between R1 and Rs having 2-7 rows of cells that should be a synapomorphic
      character of the family; proximal MP fork. And the previous misuses of
      Saucrosmylidae are also clarified. Furthermore, a new genus with a new species
      and an indeterminate species of Saucrosmylidae are described as Ulrikezza
      aspoeckae gen. et sp. nov. and Ulrikezza sp. from the Middle Jurassic of
      Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China. A key to genera of Saucrosmylidae is provided.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The intriguing group represents a particular lineage of
      Neuroptera in the Mesozoic Era. The familial status of Saucrosmylidae was firstly
      advanced that clarified the former incorrect citation and use of the family name.
      As an extinct clade, many species of the saucrosmylids were erected just based on
      a single fore- or hindwing, and it should be realized that providing more stable
      characters is necessary when describing new lacewing taxa just based on an
      isolated hindwing. It is vital for the systematics of Saucrosmylidae.

PMID- 26485028
TI  - Antigenic Characterization of the HCMV gH/gL/gO and Pentamer Cell Entry Complexes
      Reveals Binding Sites for Potently Neutralizing Human Antibodies.
AB  - Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in
      transplant patients and in fetuses following congenital infection. The
      glycoprotein complexes gH/gL/gO and gH/gL/UL128/UL130/UL131A (Pentamer) are
      required for HCMV entry in fibroblasts and endothelial/epithelial cells,
      respectively, and are targeted by potently neutralizing antibodies in the
      infected host. Using purified soluble forms of gH/gL/gO and Pentamer as well as a
      panel of naturally elicited human monoclonal antibodies, we determined the
      location of key neutralizing epitopes on the gH/gL/gO and Pentamer surfaces. Mass
      Spectrometry (MS) coupled to Chemical Crosslinking or to Hydrogen Deuterium
      Exchange was used to define residues that are either in proximity or part of
      neutralizing epitopes on the glycoprotein complexes. We also determined the
      molecular architecture of the gH/gL/gO- and Pentamer-antibody complexes by
      Electron Microscopy (EM) and 3D reconstructions. The EM analysis revealed that
      the Pentamer specific neutralizing antibodies bind to two opposite surfaces of
      the complex, suggesting that they may neutralize infection by different
      mechanisms. Together, our data identify the location of neutralizing antibodies
      binding sites on the gH/gL/gO and Pentamer complexes and provide a framework for
      the development of antibodies and vaccines against HCMV. 

PMID- 26485029
TI  - Ibuprofen and Diclofenac Restrict Migration and Proliferation of Human Glioma
      Cells by Distinct Molecular Mechanisms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been associated
      with anti-tumorigenic effects in different tumor entities. For glioma, research
      has generally focused on diclofenac; however data on other NSAIDs, such as
      ibuprofen, is limited. Therefore, we performed a comprehensive investigation of
      the cellular, molecular, and metabolic effects of ibuprofen and diclofenac on
      human glioblastoma cells. METHODS: Glioma cell lines were treated with ibuprofen
      or diclofenac to investigate functional effects on proliferation and cell
      motility. Cell cycle, extracellular lactate levels, lactate dehydrogenase-A (LDH
      A) expression and activity, as well as inhibition of the Signal Transducer and
      Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT-3) signaling pathway, were determined.
      Specific effects of diclofenac and ibuprofen on STAT-3 were investigated by
      comparing their effects with those of the specific STAT-3 inhibitor STATTIC.
      RESULTS: Ibuprofen treatment led to a stronger inhibition of cell growth and
      migration than treatment with diclofenac. Proliferation was affected by cell
      cycle arrest at different checkpoints by both agents. In addition, diclofenac,
      but not ibuprofen, decreased lactate levels in all concentrations used. Both
      decreased STAT-3 phosphorylation; however, diclofenac led to decreased c-myc
      expression and subsequent reduction in LDH-A activity, whereas treatment with
      ibuprofen in higher doses induced c-myc expression and less LDH-A alteration.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that both ibuprofen and diclofenac strongly
      inhibit glioma cells, but the subsequent metabolic responses of both agents are
      distinct. We postulate that ibuprofen may inhibit tumor cells also by COX- and
      lactate-independent mechanisms after long-term treatment in physiological
      dosages, whereas diclofenac mainly acts by inhibition of STAT-3 signaling and
      downstream modulation of glycolysis.

PMID- 26485030
TI  - Comparative De Novo Transcriptome Analysis of Fertilized Ovules in Xanthoceras
      sorbifolium Uncovered a Pool of Genes Expressed Specifically or Preferentially in
      the Selfed Ovule That Are Potentially Involved in Late-Acting Self
      Incompatibility.
AB  - Xanthoceras sorbifolium, a tree species endemic to northern China, has high oil
      content in its seeds and is recognized as an important biodiesel crop. The plant
      is characterized by late-acting self-incompatibility (LSI). LSI was found to
      occur in many angiosperm species and plays an important role in reducing
      inbreeding and its harmful effects, as do gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI)
      and sporophytic self-incompatibility (SSI). Molecular mechanisms of conventional
      GSI and SSI have been well characterized in several families, but no effort has
      been made to identify the genes involved in the LSI process. The present studies
      indicated that there were no significant differences in structural and
      histological features between the self- and cross-pollinated ovules during the
      early stages of ovule development until 5 days after pollination (DAP). This
      suggests that 5 DAP is likely to be a turning point for the development of the
      selfed ovules. Comparative de novo transcriptome analysis of the selfed and
      crossed ovules at 5 DAP identified 274 genes expressed specifically or
      preferentially in the selfed ovules. These genes contained a significant
      proportion of genes predicted to function in the biosynthesis of secondary
      metabolites, consistent with our histological observations in the fertilized
      ovules. The genes encoding signal transduction-related components, such as
      protein kinases and protein phosphatases, are overrepresented in the selfed
      ovules. X. sorbifolium selfed ovules also specifically or preferentially express
      many unique transcription factor (TF) genes that could potentially be involved in
      the novel mechanisms of LSI. We also identified 42 genes significantly up
      regulated in the crossed ovules compared to the selfed ovules. The expression of
      all 16 genes selected from the RNA-seq data was validated using PCR in the selfed
      and crossed ovules. This study represents the first genome-wide identification of
      genes expressed in the fertilized ovules of an LSI species. The availability of a
      pool of specifically or preferentially expressed genes from selfed ovules for X.
      sorbifolium will be a valuable resource for future genetic analyses of candidate
      genes involved in the LSI response. 

PMID- 26485031
TI  - Mechanisms of neurodegeneration after severe hypoxic-ischemic injury in the
      neonatal rat brain.
AB  - PURPOSE: Apoptosis is implicated in mild-moderate ischemic injury. Cell death
      pathways in the severely ischemic brain are not characterized. We sought to
      determine the role of apoptosis in the severely ischemic immature brain. METHODS:
      Seven-day old rats were randomly assigned to mild-moderate or severe cerebral
      hypoxia-ischemia (HI) group. After ligating the right common carotid artery,
      animals were subjected to hypoxia for 90min in the mild-moderate HI or 180min in
      the severe HI. The core and peri-infarct area were measured in H&E stained brain
      sections using NIS Elements software. Brain sections were processed for caspase
      3, AIF and RIP3 immuno-staining. Number of positive cells were counted and
      compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The core constituted a significantly
      higher proportion of the ischemic lesion in the severely compared to the
      moderately injured brain (P<0.04) up to 7 days post-injury. Apoptotic cell death
      was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the core than the peri-infarct of the severe
      HI brain. In the peri-infarct area of severe HI, AIF-induced cell death increased
      over time and caspase-3 and AIF equally mediated neuronal death. Necroptosis was
      significantly higher (P=0.02) in the peri-infarct of the severe HI lesion
      compared to the moderate HI lesion. In males, but not in females, apoptosis was
      higher in moderate compared to severe HI. CONCLUSIONS: Caspase-independent cell
      death plays an important role in severe ischemic injury. Injury severity, timing
      of intervention post-injury and sex of the animal are important determinants in
      designing neuroprotective intervention for the severely ischemic immature brain.

PMID- 26485032
TI  - Environmental changes in oxygen tension reveal ROS-dependent neurogenesis and
      regeneration in the adult newt brain.
AB  - Organisms need to adapt to the ecological constraints in their habitat. How
      specific processes reflect such adaptations are difficult to model
      experimentally. We tested whether environmental shifts in oxygen tension lead to
      events in the adult newt brain that share features with processes occurring
      during neuronal regeneration under normoxia. By experimental simulation of
      varying oxygen concentrations, we show that hypoxia followed by re-oxygenation
      lead to neuronal death and hallmarks of an injury response, including activation
      of neural stem cells ultimately leading to neurogenesis. Neural stem cells
      accumulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) during re-oxygenation and inhibition of
      ROS biosynthesis counteracts their proliferation as well as neurogenesis.
      Importantly, regeneration of dopamine neurons under normoxia also depends on ROS
      production. These data demonstrate a role for ROS-production in neurogenesis in
      newts and suggest that this role may have been recruited to the capacity to
      replace lost neurons in the brain of an adult vertebrate. 

PMID- 26485033
TI  - The evolution of non-reproductive workers in insect colonies with haplodiploid
      genetics.
AB  - Eusociality is a distinct form of biological organization. A key characteristic
      of advanced eusociality is the presence of non-reproductive workers. Why
      evolution should produce organisms that sacrifice their own reproductive
      potential in order to aid others is an important question in evolutionary
      biology. Here, we provide a detailed analysis of the selective forces that
      determine the emergence and stability of non-reproductive workers. We study the
      effects, in situations where the queen of the colony has mated once or several
      times, of recessive and dominant sterility alleles acting in her offspring.
      Contrary to widespread belief based on heuristic arguments of genetic
      relatedness, non-reproductive workers can easily evolve in polyandrous species.
      The crucial quantity is the functional relationship between a colony's
      reproductive rate and the fraction of non-reproductive workers present in that
      colony. We derive precise conditions for natural selection to favor the evolution
      of non-reproductive workers. 

PMID- 26485035
TI  - Frailty in Clinical Practice.
AB  - Frailty is a geriatric syndrome characterized by reduced homeostatic reserves,
      exposing the organism to extreme vulnerability to endogenous and exogenous
      stressors. Since disability is considered as an almost irreversible condition at
      advanced age, frailty has been indicated as a promising target for specific
      interventions in order to prevent disability. From a theoretical viewpoint, the
      concept of frailty has been well established, but its operationalization is still
      subject to controversy. This impediment leads to the postponement of the
      integration of frailty in the clinical setting. In the present article, we
      discuss the main issues regarding the frailty syndrome in the clinical setting,
      describe possible solutions (especially on the basis of our experience derived
      from the frailty clinic we have set up in Toulouse, France), and present the most
      relevant research perspectives in the field. 

PMID- 26485034
TI  - Human blindsight is mediated by an intact geniculo-extrastriate pathway.
AB  - Although damage to the primary visual cortex (V1) causes hemianopia, many
      patients retain some residual vision; known as blindsight. We show that
      blindsight may be facilitated by an intact white-matter pathway between the
      lateral geniculate nucleus and motion area hMT+. Visual psychophysics, diffusion
      weighted magnetic resonance imaging and fibre tractography were applied in 17
      patients with V1 damage acquired during adulthood and 9 age-matched controls.
      Individuals with V1 damage were subdivided into blindsight positive (preserved
      residual vision) and negative (no residual vision) according to psychophysical
      performance. All blindsight positive individuals showed intact geniculo-hMT+
      pathways, while this pathway was significantly impaired or not measurable in
      blindsight negative individuals. Two white matter pathways previously implicated
      in blindsight: (i) superior colliculus to hMT+ and (ii) between hMT+ in each
      hemisphere were not consistently present in blindsight positive cases.
      Understanding the visual pathways crucial for residual vision may direct future
      rehabilitation strategies for hemianopia patients. 

PMID- 26485036
TI  - Current status and future directions of pharmacological therapy for acromegaly.
AB  - Acromegaly is a chronic systemic disorder caused in the vast majority of cases by
      a GH-secreting pituitary adenoma and resulting in significant morbidity and
      mortality if left untreated. The treatment of choice is the trans-sphenoidal
      resection of the adenoma, and although 80% of patients with microadenomas or
      confined macroadenomas achieve biochemical remission, the surgical success rate
      for patients harboring tumors with extrasellar extension is below 50%. Thus, a
      considerable proportion of patients will require some form of adjuvant treatment.
      Acromegaly can be approached pharmacologically by inhibiting GH secretion by the
      tumor (somatostatin analogues, dopamine agonists) or by antagonizing GH actions
      at its target tissues (GH receptor antagonists). The primary pharmacological
      treatment of acromegaly is increasingly gaining acceptance by both physicians and
      patients. The decision to use primary pharmacological treatment has to take into
      account the clinical characteristics of the patient (presence of comorbidities
      that significantly increase the surgical risk) and the biological nature of the
      adenoma (tumor size and location), as well as other aspects such as the
      availability of a pituitary surgeon and the cost of medications. This review
      provides a critical summary and update of the pharmacological treatment of
      acromegaly focusing both, on well-established agents and strategies as well as on
      novel compounds that are currently being developed. 

PMID- 26485038
TI  - Chronic Arachidonic Acid Administration Decreases Docosahexaenoic Acid- and
      Eicosapentaenoic Acid-Derived Metabolites in Kidneys of Aged Rats.
AB  - Arachidonic acid (ARA) metabolites produced by cyclo-oxygenase and lipoxygenase
      are important mediators maintaining physiological renal function. However, the
      effects of exogenous ARA on kidney function in vivo remain unknown. This study
      examined the effects of long-term oral ARA administration on normal renal
      function as well as inflammation and oxidative stress in aged rats. In addition,
      we measured levels of renal eicosanoids and docosanoids using liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Control or ARA oil (240 mg/kg body
      weight/day) was orally administered to 21-month-old Wistar rats for 13 weeks.
      Levels of plasma creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, inflammatory and anti
      inflammatory cytokines, reactive oxygen species, and lipid peroxidation were not
      significantly different between the two groups. The ARA concentration in the
      plasma, kidney, and liver increased in the ARA-administered group. In addition,
      levels of free-form ARA, prostaglandin E2, and 12- and 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic
      acid increased in the ARA-administered group, whereas renal concentration of
      docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid decreased in the ARA-administered
      group. Levels of docosahexaenoic acid-derived protectin D1, eicosapentaenoic acid
      derived 5-, and 18-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acids, and resolvin E2 and E3
      decreased in the ARA-administered group. Our results indicate that long-term ARA
      administration led to no serious adverse reactions under normal conditions and to
      a decrease in anti-inflammatory docosahexaenoic acid- and eicosapentaenoic acid
      derived metabolites in the kidneys of aged rats. These results indicate that
      there is a possibility of ARA administration having a reducing anti-inflammatory
      effect on the kidney. 

PMID- 26485039
TI  - The Effects of Direction of Exertion, Path, and Load Placement in Nursing Cart
      Pushing and Pulling Tasks: An Electromyographical Study.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of direction of exertion
      (DOE) (pushing, pulling), path (walking in a straight line, turning left, walking
      uphill), and load placement (LP) (the 18 blocks were indicated by X, Y and Z
      axis; there were 3 levels on the X axis, 2 levels on the Y axis, and 3 levels on
      the Z axis) on muscle activity and ratings of perceived exertion in nursing cart
      pushing and pulling tasks. Ten participants who were female students and not
      experienced nurses were recruited to participate in the experiment. Each
      participant performed 108 experimental trials in the study, consisting of 2
      directions of exertion (push and pull), 3 paths, and 18 load placements
      (indicated by X, Y and Z axes). A 23kg load was placed into one load placement.
      The dependent variables were electromyographic (EMG) data of four muscles
      collected bilaterally as follows: Left (L) and right (R) trapezius (TR), flexor
      digitorum superficialis (FDS), extensor digitorum (ED), and erector spinae (ES)
      and subjective ratings of perceived exertion (RPE). Split-split-plot ANOVA was
      conducted to analyze significant differences between DOE, path, and LP in the EMG
      and RPE data. Pulling cart tasks produced a significantly higher activation of
      the muscles (RTR:54.4%, LTR:50.3%, LFDS:57.0%, LED:63.4%, RES:40.7%, LES:36.7%)
      than pushing cart tasks (RTR:42.4%, LTR:35.1%, LFDS:32.3%, LED:55.1%, RES:33.3%,
      LES:32.1%). A significantly greater perceived exertion was found in pulling cart
      tasks than pushing cart tasks. Significantly higher activation of all muscles and
      perceived exertion were observed for walking uphill than walking in a straight
      line and turning left. Significantly lower muscle activity of all muscles and
      subject ratings were observed for the central position on the X axis, the bottom
      position on the Y axis, and the posterior position on the Z axis. These findings
      suggest that nursing staff should adopt forward pushing when moving a nursing
      cart, instead of backward pulling, and that uphill paths should be avoided in the
      design of work environments. In terms of distribution of the load in a nursing
      cart, heavier materials should be positioned at bottom of the cabinet, centered
      on the horizontal plane and close to the handle, to reduce the physical load of
      the nursing staff. 

PMID- 26485041
TI  - An In Vitro Model for Measuring Immune Responses to Malaria in the Context of HIV
      Co-infection.
AB  - Malaria and HIV co-infection is a growing health priority. However, most research
      on malaria or HIV currently focuses on each infection individually. Although
      understanding the disease dynamics for each of these pathogens independently is
      vital, it is also important that the interactions between these pathogens are
      investigated and understood. We have developed a versatile in vitro model of HIV
      malaria co-infection to study host immune responses to malaria in the context of
      HIV infection. Our model allows the study of secreted factors in cellular
      supernatants, cell surface and intracellular protein markers, as well as RNA
      expression levels. The experimental design and methods used limit variability and
      promote data reliability and reproducibility. All pathogens used in this model
      are natural human pathogens (Plasmodium falciparum and HIV-1), and all infected
      cells are naturally infected and used fresh. We use human erythrocytes
      parasitized with P. falciparum and maintained in continuous in vitro culture. We
      obtain freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from chronically HIV
      infected volunteers. Every condition used has an appropriate control (P.
      falciparum parasitized vs. normal erythrocytes), and every HIV-infected donor has
      an HIV uninfected control, from which cells are harvested on the same day. This
      model provides a realistic environment to study the interactions between malaria
      parasites and human immune cells in the context of HIV infection. 

PMID- 26485040
TI  - NMR Based Cerebrum Metabonomic Analysis Reveals Simultaneous Interconnected
      Changes during Chick Embryo Incubation.
AB  - To find out if content changes of the major functional cerebrum metabolites are
      interconnected and formed a network during the brain development, we obtained
      high-resolution magic-angle-spinning (HR-MAS) 1H NMR spectra of cerebrum tissues
      of chick embryo aged from incubation day 10 to 20, and postnatal day 1, and
      analyzed the data with principal component analysis (PCA). Within the examined
      time window, 26 biological important molecules were identified and 12 of them
      changed their relative concentration significantly in a time-dependent manner.
      These metabolites are generally belonged to three categories, neurotransmitters,
      nutrition sources, and neuronal or glial markers. The relative concentration
      changes of the metabolites were interconnected among/between the categories, and,
      more interestingly, associated with the number and size of Nissl-positive
      neurons. These results provided valuable biochemical and neurochemical
      information to understand the development of the embryonic brain. 

PMID- 26485042
TI  - Gene-specific DNA methylation of DNMT3B and MTHFR and colorectal adenoma risk.
AB  - DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B) and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR)
      are genes which encode enzymes critical to one-carbon metabolism. Polymorphisms
      in these genes have been implicated in colorectal cancer etiology; however,
      epigenetic modifications such as gene-specific DNA methylation also affect gene
      expression. DNA methylation of DNMT3B and MTHFR was quantified in blood
      leukocytes using Sequenom EpiTYPER(r) among 272 participants undergoing a
      screening colonoscopy. DNA methylation was quantified in 66 and 28CpG sites of
      DNMT3B and MTHFR respectively, and conceptualized using two approaches. First,
      measures representing average methylation across all CpG sites were created.
      Second, unsupervised principal component (PC) analysis was used to identify
      summary variables representing methylation around the transcription start site
      and in the gene-coding area for both DNMT3B and MTHFR. Logistic regression was
      used to compare methylation levels between participants diagnosed with colorectal
      adenoma(s) versus those with a normal colonoscopy via the estimation of odds
      ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the risk of colorectal
      adenomas. No association was observed between average DNA methylation of either
      DNMT3B or MTHFR and colorectal adenoma risk. For DNMT3B, increasing DNA
      methylation of CpG sites in the gene-coding area was associated with a higher
      risk of colorectal adenomas (OR=1.34; 95% CI: 1.01-1.79 per SD). This research
      provides preliminary evidence that methylation of DNMT3B may have functional
      significance with respect to colorectal adenomas, precursors to the vast majority
      of colorectal cancers.

PMID- 26485043
TI  - cAMP/PKA Pathways and S56 Phosphorylation Are Involved in AA/PGE2-Induced
      Increases in rNaV1.4 Current.
AB  - Arachidonic acid (AA) and its metabolites are important second messengers for ion
      channel modulation. The effects of extracellular application of AA and its non
      metabolized analogue on muscle rNaV1.4 Na+ current has been studied, but little
      is known about the effects of intracellular application of AA on this channel
      isoform. Here, we report that intracellular application of AA significantly
      augmented the rNaV1.4 current peak without modulating the steady-state activation
      and inactivation properties of the rNaV1.4 channel. These results differed from
      the effects of extracellular application of AA on rNaV1.4 current. The effects of
      intracellular AA were mimicked by prostaglandin E2 but not eicosatetraynoic acid
      (ETYA), the non-metabolized analogue of AA, and were eliminated by treatment with
      cyclooxygenase inhibitors, flufenamic acid, or indomethacin. AA/PGE2-induced
      activation of rNaV1.4 channels was mimicked by a cAMP analogue (db-cAMP) and
      eliminated by a PKA inhibitor, PKAi. Furthermore, inhibition of EP2 and EP4 (PGE2
      receptors) with AH6809 and AH23848 reduced the intracellular AA/PGE2-induced
      increase of rNaV1.4 current. Two mutated channels, rNaV1.4S56A and rNaV1.4T21A,
      were designed to investigate the role of predicted phosphorylation sites in the
      AA/PGE2-mediated regulation of rNaV1.4 currents. In rNaV1.4S56A, the effects of
      intracellular db-cAMP, AA, and PGE2 were significantly reduced. The results of
      the present study suggest that intracellular AA augments rNaV1.4 current by
      PGE2/EP receptor-mediated activation of the cAMP/PKA pathway, and that the S56
      residue on the channel protein is important for this process. 

PMID- 26485045
TI  - Genetically engineered mesenchymal stem cell therapy using self-assembling
      supramolecular hydrogels.
AB  - Stem cell therapy has attracted a great deal of attention for treating
      intractable diseases such as cancer, stroke, liver cirrhosis, and ischemia.
      Especially, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been widely investigated for
      therapeutic applications due to the advantageous characteristics of long life
      span, facile isolation, rapid proliferation, prolonged transgene expression, hypo
      immunogenicity, and tumor tropism. MSCs can exert their therapeutic effects by
      releasing stress-induced therapeutic molecules after their rapid migration to
      damaged tissues. Recently, to improve the therapeutic efficacy, genetically
      engineered MSCs have been developed for therapeutic transgene expression by viral
      gene transduction and non-viral gene transfection. In general, the number of
      therapeutic cells for injection should be more than several millions for
      effective cell therapy. Adequate carriers for the controlled delivery of MSCs can
      reduce the required cell numbers and extend the duration of therapeutic effect,
      which provide great benefits for chronic disease patients. In this review, we
      describe genetic engineering of MSCs, recent progress of self-assembling
      supramolecular hydrogels, and their applications to cell therapy for intractable
      diseases and tissue regeneration.

PMID- 26485044
TI  - Physical Activity in Vietnam: Estimates and Measurement Issues.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Our aims were to provide the first national estimates of physical
      activity (PA) for Vietnam, and to investigate issues affecting their accuracy.
      METHODS: Measurements were made using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire
      (GPAQ) on a nationally-representative sample of 14706 participants (46.5% males,
      response 64.1%) aged 25-64 years selected by multi-stage stratified cluster
      sampling. RESULTS: Approximately 20% of Vietnamese people had no measureable PA
      during a typical week, but 72.9% (men) and 69.1% (women) met WHO recommendations
      for PA by adults for their age. On average, 52.0 (men) and 28.0 (women) Metabolic
      Equivalent Task (MET)-hours/week (largely from work activities) were reported.
      Work and total PA were higher in rural areas and varied by season. Less than 2%
      of respondents provided incomplete information, but an additional one-in-six
      provided unrealistically high values of PA. Those responsible for reporting
      errors included persons from rural areas and all those with unstable work
      patterns. Box-Cox transformation (with an appropriate constant added) was the
      most successful method of reducing the influence of large values, but energy
      scaled values were most strongly associated with pathophysiological outcomes.
      CONCLUSIONS: Around seven-in-ten Vietnamese people aged 25-64 years met WHO
      recommendations for total PA, which was mainly from work activities and higher in
      rural areas. Nearly all respondents were able to report their activity using the
      GPAQ, but with some exaggerated values and seasonal variation in reporting. Data
      transformation provided plausible summary values, but energy-scaling fared best
      in association analyses.

PMID- 26485046
TI  - Continuous delivery of rhBMP2 and rhVEGF165 at a certain ratio enhances bone
      formation in mandibular defects over the delivery of rhBMP2 alone--An
      experimental study in rats.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that different amounts of
      vascular endothelial growth factor and bone morphogenic protein differentially
      affect bone formation when applied for repair of non-healing defects in the rat
      mandible. Porous composite PDLLA/CaCO3 carriers were fabricated as slow release
      carriers and loaded with rhBMP2 and rhVEGF165 in 10 different dosage combinations
      using gas foaming with supercritical carbon dioxide. They were implanted in non
      healing defects of the mandibles of 132 adult Wistar rats with additional lateral
      augmentation. Bone formation was assessed both radiographically (bone volume) and
      by histomorphometry (bone density). The use of carriers with a ratio of delivery
      of VEGF/BMP between 0.7 and 1.2 was significantly related to the occurrence of
      significant increases in radiographic bone volume and/or histologic bone density
      compared to the use of carriers with a ratio of delivery of <= 0.5 when all
      intervals and all outcome parameters were considered. Moreover, simultaneous
      delivery at this ratio helped to "save" rhBMP2 as both bone volume and bone
      density after 13 weeks were reached/surpassed using half the dosage required for
      rhBMP2 alone. It is concluded, that the combined delivery of rhVEGF165 and rhBMP2
      for repair of critical size mandibular defects can significantly enhance volume
      and density of bone formation over delivery of rhBMP2 alone. It appears from the
      present results that continuous simultaneous delivery of rhVEGF165 and rhBMP2 at
      a ratio of approximately 1 is favourable for the enhancement of bone formation.

PMID- 26485047
TI  - beta-glucan microparticles targeted to epithelial APN as oral antigen delivery
      system.
AB  - Enteric diseases still have a devastating impact on global health. Oral
      vaccination is crucial to prevent intestinal infections, since only vaccines
      delivered to the intestinal tract elicit potent immune responses at the site of
      pathogen entry. However, oral vaccines encounter multiple barriers, including
      poor uptake and tolerance mechanisms, preventing the immune system to react to
      innocuous environmental antigens. Antigen delivery systems combined with
      selective targeting seem a promising strategy to overcome these obstacles. The
      current study evaluates the capacity of aminopeptidase N (APN)-targeted beta
      glucan microparticles (GPs) as antigen delivery system. Antibodies against APN,
      an intestinal epithelial receptor, are efficiently oriented conjugated to GPs via
      the biolinker protein G. The resultant microparticles were analyzed for their
      antigen load, adjuvanticity and interaction with enterocytes and dendritic cells
      (DCs). Functionalization of GPs with antibodies neither impedes antigen load nor
      adjuvanticity. In addition, targeting to APN increases the uptake of
      microparticles by enterocytes and DCs, leading to an enhanced maturation of the
      latter as evidenced by an upregulation of maturation markers and a strong pro
      inflammatory cytokine response. Finally, oral administration of APN-targeted
      antigen-loaded particles to piglets elicits higher serum antigen-specific
      antibody responses as compared to control particles. Taken together, these data
      support the use of APN-targeted GPs for oral delivery of antigens.

PMID- 26485048
TI  - Medication Nonadherence and Effectiveness of Preventive Pharmacological Therapy
      for Kidney Stones.
AB  - PURPOSE: Among patients with kidney stones rates of adherence to thiazide
      diuretics, alkali citrate therapy and allopurinol, collectively referred to as
      preventive pharmacological therapy, are low. This lack of adherence may reduce
      the effectiveness of secondary prevention efforts, leading to poorer clinical
      health outcomes in patients with kidney stones. To examine the impact that
      medication nonadherence has on the secondary prevention of kidney stones, we
      compared clinical health outcomes between patients who adhered to their regimen
      and those who did not. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using medical and pharmacy claims
      data we identified adult patients with a physician coded diagnosis for kidney
      stones. Among the subset with a prescription fill for a preventive
      pharmacological therapy agent, we then measured adherence to therapy within the
      first 6 months of initiating treatment using the proportion of days covered
      formula. We defined adherence as a proportion of days covered value of 80% or
      greater. Finally, we fitted multivariable logistic regression models to examine
      the association between medication adherence and the occurrence of a stone
      related clinical health outcome (an emergency department visit, hospitalization
      or surgery for stone disease). RESULTS: Of the 8,950 patients who met the study
      eligibility criteria slightly more than half (51.1%) were adherent to preventive
      pharmacological therapy. The frequency of emergency department visits,
      hospitalization and surgery for stone disease was significantly lower among
      adherent patients. After controlling for sociodemographic factors and the level
      of comorbid illness, patients who were adherent to therapy had 27% lower odds of
      an emergency department visit (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.64-0.84), 41% lower odds of
      hospital admission (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.49-0.71) and 23% lower odds of surgery for
      stone disease (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.69-0.85) than nonadherent patients. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our data highlight the consequences of nonadherence to preventive pharmacological
      therapy among patients with kidney stones. To improve adherence further research
      is needed to understand patient and provider level factors that contribute to
      lower rates of adherence.

PMID- 26485049
TI  - Direct Comparison of GreenLight Laser XPS Photoselective Prostate Vaporization
      and GreenLight Laser En Bloc Enucleation of the Prostate in Enlarged Glands
      Greater than 80 ml: a Study of 120 Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: We compare patient outcomes after 180 W XPSTM GreenLightTM
      photoselective vaporization of the prostate and GreenLight laser enucleation of
      the prostate used to surgically manage benign prostatic obstruction. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Two groups of 60 consecutive patients with enlarged glands (greater
      than 80 ml) underwent GreenLight laser prostate enucleation or photoselective
      prostate vaporization (performed by the same surgeon and including the learning
      curve) and were retrospectively evaluated. Perioperative data from both groups
      were compared. RESULTS: The operative time was significantly shorter in the
      GreenLight laser prostate enucleation group (60 vs 82 minutes, p <0.0001).
      Complication rates were comparable between the groups. At 2 months the rate of
      urinary incontinence was significantly higher in the GreenLight laser prostate
      enucleation group (25% vs 3.4%, p <0.0001) but incontinence rates were similar at
      6 months (3.4% vs 0%, p=0.50). At 6 months International Prostate Symptom Score
      quality of life and post-void residual urine volume had similarly decreased in
      the 2 groups after the procedure (compared to baseline), whereas the maximum
      urinary flow rate had greatly improved, significantly favoring the GreenLight
      laser prostate enucleation group (+78% vs +64%, p <0.0001). Prostate size and
      prostate specific antigen reductions were significantly higher in the GreenLight
      laser prostate enucleation group (74% vs 57%, p <0.0001 and 67% vs 40%,
      respectively, p=0.007). The unplanned hospital readmission rates were similar in
      both groups (16.7% vs 6.7%, p=0.16). CONCLUSIONS: Photoselective vaporization of
      the prostate and GreenLight laser enucleation of the prostate are safe and
      provide satisfactory short-term functional outcomes in patients with a prostate
      volume greater than 80 ml. However, the surgical time was longer in the
      photoselective prostate vaporization group, which also had a higher rate of
      unplanned hospital readmission, and lower decreases in prostate specific antigen
      and prostate size.

PMID- 26485050
TI  - Global medicinal uses of Euphorbia L. (Euphorbiaceae).
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The genus Euphorbia (spurges, Euphorbiaceae) is
      the third largest genus of flowering plants, with almost 2000 species. Its
      exceptional diversity of growth forms and near-cosmopolitan distribution have
      attracted human interest since ancient times. For instance in Australia, topical
      application of latex of Euphorbia peplus L. is used as a home treatment for skin
      cancer and actinic keratosis. Its use in Australian folk medicine has inspired
      the release of the drug Picato(r) (ingenol mebutate), and further fostered
      interest in natural products and medicinal uses of Euphorbia in recent years. AIM
      OF THE STUDY: To provide an indicative overview of medicinal uses of the genus
      Euphorbia driven by the recent interest in biologically active natural products
      from Euphorbia in drug discovery. We assess documented medicinal knowledge and
      value of the genus Euphorbia and the taxonomic distribution of this value.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We undertook an extensive survey of over 260
      multidisciplinary publications on the online repository JSTOR using the search
      term "Euphorbia medicinal". RESULTS: Medicinal uses were identified for >5% of
      the species in the genus, including descriptions of treatments for a variety of
      diseases. The most-cited medicinal uses around the world were treatments for
      digestive system disorders, skin ailments and, especially in the Southern
      hemisphere, infections. Consensus ratios indicated that the most-valued medicinal
      uses of Euphorbia species are in the treatment of digestive and respiratory
      complaints, inflammation and injuries, especially by members of Euphorbia subg.
      Chamaesyce. CONCLUSIONS: The present study gives a first indicative overview of
      Euphorbia species used for health and wellbeing around the world. The exceptional
      diversity of the genus Euphorbia is not only represented by its growth forms but
      also by its diverse medicinal uses. Our results highlight the importance of
      research into medicinal uses of Euphorbia species and their importance as a
      source of natural products. Furthermore the medicinally highly valuable subgenus
      Chamaesyce was identified as chemically under-investigated, emphasizing the need
      for further studies investigating the chemical diversity to which the high
      medicinal value of Euphorbia subg. Chamaesyce can be attributed.

PMID- 26485051
TI  - The Sensor Histidine Kinases AHK2 and AHK3 Proceed into Multiple
      Serine/Threonine/Tyrosine Phosphorylation Pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PMID- 26485052
TI  - A Quick Phenotypic Neurological Scoring System for Evaluating Disease Progression
      in the SOD1-G93A Mouse Model of ALS.
AB  - The SOD1-G93A transgenic mouse is the most widely used animal model of
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). At ALS TDI we developed a phenotypic
      screening protocol, demonstrated in video herein, which reliably assesses the
      neuromuscular function of SOD1-G93A mice in a quick manner. This protocol
      encompasses a simple neurological scoring system (NeuroScore) designed to assess
      hindlimb function. NeuroScore is focused on hindlimb function because hindlimb
      deficits are the earliest reported neurological sign of disease in SOD1-G93A
      mice. The protocol developed by ALS TDI provides an unbiased assessment of onset
      of paresis (slight or partial paralysis), progression and severity of paralysis
      and it is sensitive enough to identify drug-induced changes in disease
      progression. In this report, the combination of a detailed manuscript with video
      minimizes scoring ambiguities and inter-experimenter variability thus allowing
      for the protocol to be adopted by other laboratories and enabling comparisons
      between studies taking place at different settings. We believe that this video
      protocol can serve as an excellent training tool for present and future ALS
      researchers. 

PMID- 26485053
TI  - Melatonin inhibits apoptosis and improves the developmental potential of
      vitrified bovine oocytes.
AB  - Vitrification of oocytes has been shown to be closely associated with increased
      levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptotic events. However, little
      information is available the effect of melatonin on the ROS levels and apoptotic
      events in vitrified oocytes. Therefore, we studied the effect of melatonin on ROS
      and apoptotic events in vitrified bovine oocytes by supplementing vitrification
      solution or in vitro maturation (IVM) and vitrification solution with 10(-9) m
      melatonin. We analyzed the ROS, mitochondrial Ca(2+) (mCa(2+) ) and membrane
      potential (DeltaPsim), externalization of phosphatidylserine (PS), caspase-3
      activation, DNA fragmentation, mRNA expression levels of Bax and Bcl2 l1, and
      developmental potential of vitrified bovine oocytes. Vitrified bovine oocytes
      exhibited increased levels of ROS, mCa(2+) , Bax mRNA, and caspase-3 protein and
      higher rates of PS externalization and DNA fragmentation, and decreased DeltaPsim
      and Bcl2 l1 mRNA expression level. However, melatonin supplementation in
      vitrification solution or IVM and vitrification solution significantly decreased
      the levels of ROS, mCa(2+) , Bax mRNA expression, and caspase-3 protein, and PS
      externalization and DNA fragmentation rates, and increased the DeltaPsim and Bcl2
      l1 mRNA expression level in vitrified oocytes, resulting in an increased
      developmental ability of vitrified bovine oocytes after parthenogenetic
      activation. The developmental ability of vitrified oocytes with melatonin
      supplementation in IVM and vitrification solution was similar to that of fresh
      ones. This study showed that supplementing the IVM and vitrification medium or
      vitrification medium with 10(-9) m melatonin significantly decreased the ROS
      level and inhibited apoptotic events of vitrified bovine oocytes, consequently
      increasing their developmental potential. 

PMID- 26485055
TI  - The potential of immobilized artificial membrane chromatography to predict human
      oral absorption.
AB  - The potential of immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) chromatography to estimate
      human oral absorption (%HOA) was investigated. For this purpose, retention
      indices on IAM stationary phases reported previously by our group or measured by
      other authors under similar conditions were used to model %HOA data, compiled
      from literature sources. Considering the pH gradient in gastrointestinal tract,
      the highest logkw(IAM) values were considered, obtained either at pH7.4 or 5.5,
      defined as logkw(IAM)(best). Non linear models were established upon introduction
      of additional parameters and after exclusion of drugs which are substrates either
      to efflux or uptake transporters. The best model included Abraham's hydrogen-bond
      acidity parameter, molecular weight as well as the positively and negatively
      charged molecular fractions. For reasons of comparison between IAM chromatography
      and traditional lipophilicity, corresponding models were derived by replacing IAM
      retention factors with octanol-water distribution coefficients (logD). An
      overexpression of electrostatic interactions with phosphate anions was observed
      in the case of IAM retention as expressed by the negative contribution of the
      positively charged fraction F(+). The same parameter is statistically significant
      also in the logD model, but with a positive sign, indicating the attraction of
      basic drugs in the negatively charged inner membrane. To validate the obtained
      models a blind test set of 22 structurally diverse drugs was used, whose
      logkw(IAM)(best) values were determined and analyzed in the present study under
      similar conditions. IAM retention factors were further compared with MDCK cell
      lines permeability data taken from literature for a set of validation drugs. The
      overexpression of electrostatic interactions with phosphate anions on IAM surface
      was also evident in respect to MDCK permeability. In contrast to the clear
      classification between drugs with high and poor (or intermediate) absorption
      provided by MDCK permeability, %HOA plotted versus both IAM and logD data result
      in a saturation curve with a smoother ascending line. 

PMID- 26485054
TI  - Outcome of Children with Standard-Risk T-Lineage Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia-
      Comparison among Different Treatment Strategies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children with T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia ALL (T-ALL)
      historically have had inferior outcomes compared with the children with precursor
      B ALL (B-ALL). After 1995, the Children's Cancer Group (CCG) treated patients
      with B- and T-ALL according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) risk criteria,
      basing risk stratification on age and white blood cell (WBC) count regardless of
      immunophenotype. The Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) treated all the patients with
      T-ALL on separate, generally more intensive protocols than those used to treat
      the patients with B-ALL. PROCEDURE: We compared the outcomes of children with T
      ALL and NCI standard-risk (SR) criteria treated on CCG and POG trials between
      1996 and 2005. CCG SR-ALL 1952 and 1991 enrolled 80 and 86 patients with T-ALL,
      respectively, utilizing a reduced intensity Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster backbone.
      Treatment was intensified for slow early responders and only patients with overt
      central nervous system leukemia received cranial irradiation. Eighty-four
      patients with T-ALL and SR features were enrolled on POG 9404 comprising more
      intensive therapy with all patients receiving cranial irradiation. RESULTS: The 7
      year event-free survival (EFS) for patients with SR T-ALL on CCG 1952, CCG 1991,
      and POG 9404 were 74.1 +/- 5.8%, 81.8 +/- 5.3%, and 84.2 +/- 4.3%, respectively
      (P = 0.18). Overall 7-year survivals were 86.1 +/- 4.6%, 88.3 +/- 4.4%, 89.1 +/-
      3.6%, respectively (P = 0.84). CONCLUSIONS: Comparable high rates of EFS and long
      term survival were achieved with all three regimens, with the CCG regimens
      utilizing a less intensive chemotherapy backbone without prophylactic cranial
      irradiation for patients with SR T-ALL.

PMID- 26485056
TI  - A synthesis of the effect of grazing exclusion on carbon dynamics in grasslands
      in China.
AB  - Grazing exclusion (GE) is considered to be an effective approach to restore
      degraded grasslands and to improve their carbon (C) sequestration. However, the C
      dynamics and related controlling factors in grasslands with GE have not been well
      characterized. This synthesis examines the dynamics of soil C content and
      vegetation biomass with the recovery age through synthesizing results of 51 sites
      in grasslands in China. The results illustrate increases in soil C content and
      vegetation biomass with GE at most sites. Generally, both soil C content and
      vegetation biomass arrive at steady state after 15 years of GE. In comparison,
      the rates of increase in above- and belowground biomass declined exponentially
      with the age of GE, whereas soil C content declined in a milder (linear) way,
      implying a lagged response of soil C to the inputs from plant biomass. Mean
      annual precipitation (MAP) and the rate of soil nitrogen (N) change were the main
      factors affecting the rate of soil C content change. MAP played a major role at
      the early stage, whereas the rate of soil N change was the major contributor at
      the middle and late stages. Our results imply that the national grassland
      restoration projects in China may be more beneficial for C sequestration in humid
      regions with high MAP. In addition, increased soil N supply to grasslands with GE
      at the latter recovery stage may enhance ecosystem C sequestration capacity. 

PMID- 26485057
TI  - Erratum: Martian outflow channels: How did their source aquifers form, and why
      did they drain so rapidly?

PMID- 26485058
TI  - Nail polish as a source of exposure to triphenyl phosphate.
AB  - Triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) is primarily used as either a flame retardant or
      plasticizer, and is listed as an ingredient in nail polishes. However, the
      concentration of TPHP in nail polish and the extent of human exposure following
      applications have not been previously studied. We measured TPHP in ten different
      nail polish samples purchased from department stores and pharmacies in 2013-2014.
      Concentrations up to 1.68% TPHP by weight were detected in eight samples,
      including two that did not list TPHP as an ingredient. Two cohorts (n=26
      participants) were recruited to assess fingernail painting as a pathway of TPHP
      exposure. Participants provided urine samples before and after applying one brand
      of polish containing 0.97% TPHP by weight. Diphenyl phosphate (DPHP), a TPHP
      metabolite, was then measured in urine samples (n=411) and found to increase
      nearly seven-fold 10-14h after fingernail painting (p<0.001). To determine
      relative contributions of inhalation and dermal exposure, ten participants also
      painted their nails and painted synthetic nails adhered to gloves on two separate
      occasions, and collected urine for 24h following applications. Urinary DPHP was
      significantly diminished when wearing gloves, suggesting that the primary
      exposure route is dermal. Our results indicate that nail polish may be a
      significant source of short-term TPHP exposure and a source of chronic exposure
      for frequent users or those occupationally exposed. 

PMID- 26485059
TI  - Desynchronization of fronto-temporal networks during working memory processing in
      autism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mounting evidence suggests that autism is a network disorder,
      characterized by atypical brain connectivity, especially in the context of high
      level cognitive processes such as working memory (WM). Accordingly, atypical WM
      processes have been related to the social and cognitive deficits observed in
      children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: We used
      magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate connectivity differences during a
      high memory load (2-back) WM task between 17 children with ASD and 20 age-, sex-,
      and IQ-matched controls. RESULTS: We identified reduced inter-regional alpha-band
      (9-15 Hz) phase synchronization in children with ASD during the WM task. Reduced
      WM-related brain synchronization encompassed fronto-temporal networks (ps < 0.04
      corrected) previously associated with challenging high-level conditions (i.e. the
      left insula and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)) and memory encoding and/or
      recognition (i.e. the right middle temporal gyrus and the right fusiform gyrus).
      Additionally, we found that reduced connectivity processes related to the right
      fusiform were correlated with the severity of symptoms in children with ASD,
      suggesting that such atypicalities could be directly related to the behavioural
      deficits observed. DISCUSSION: This study provides new evidence of atypical long
      range synchronization in children with ASD in fronto-temporal areas that
      crucially contribute to challenging WM tasks, but also emotion regulation and
      social cognition processes. Thus, these results support the network disorder
      hypothesis of ASD and argue for a specific pathophysiological contribution of
      brain processes related to working memory and executive functions on the
      symptomatology of autism.

PMID- 26485060
TI  - Molecular and Dissociative Adsorption of Water on (TiO2)n Clusters, n = 1-4.
AB  - The low energy structures of the (TiO2)n(H2O)m (n <= 4, m <= 2n) and
      (TiO2)8(H2O)m (m = 3, 7, 8) clusters were predicted using a global geometry
      optimization approach, with a number of new lowest energy isomers being found.
      Water can molecularly or dissociatively adsorb on pure and hydrated TiO2
      clusters. Dissociative adsorption is the dominant reaction for the first two H2O
      adsorption reactions for n = 1, 2, and 4, for the first three H2O adsorption
      reactions for n = 3, and for the first four H2O adsorption reactions for n = 8.
      As more H2O's are added to the hydrated (TiO2)n cluster, dissociative adsorption
      becomes less exothermic as all the Ti centers become 4-coordinate. Two types of
      bonds can be formed between the molecularly adsorbed water and TiO2 clusters: a
      Lewis acid-base Ti-O(H2) bond or an O...H hydrogen bond. The coupled cluster
      CCSD(T) results show that at 0 K the H2O adsorption energy at a 4-coordinate Ti
      center is ~15 kcal/mol for the Lewis acid-base molecular adsorption and ~7
      kcal/mol for the H-bond molecular adsorption, in comparison to that of 8-10
      kcal/mol for the dissociative adsorption. The cluster size and geometry
      independent dehydration reaction energy, ED, for the general reaction 2(-TiOH) ->
      -TiOTi- + H2O at 4-coordinate Ti centers was estimated from the aggregation
      reaction of nTi(OH)4 to form the monocyclic ring cluster (TiO3H2)n + nH2O. ED is
      estimated to be -8 kcal/mol, showing that intramolecular and intermolecular
      dehydration reactions are intrinsically thermodynamically allowed for the
      hydrated (TiO2)n clusters with all of the Ti centers 4-coordinate, which can be
      hindered by cluster geometry changes caused by such processes. Bending force
      constants for the TiOTi and OTiO bonds are determined to be 7.4 and 56.0
      kcal/(mol.rad(2)). Infrared vibrational spectra were calculated using density
      functional theory, and the new bands appearing upon water adsorption were
      assigned. 

PMID- 26485061
TI  - Chitosan-Based Aerogel Membrane for Robust Oil-in-Water Emulsion Separation.
AB  - Here, we demonstrate direct recovery of water from stable emulsion waste using
      aerogel membrane. Chitosan-based gel was transformed into highly porous aerogel
      membrane using bio-origin genipin as cross-linking agent. Aerogel membranes were
      characterized for their morphology using SEM, chemical composition by FTIR and
      solid-UV. Further, aerogel was tested for recovery of high quality water from oil
      spill sample collected from ship breaking yard. High quality (with >99% purity)
      water was recovered with a flux rate of >600 L.m(-2).h(-1).bar(-1). After
      repeated use, aerogel membranes were tested for greener disposal possibilities by
      biodegrading membrane in soil.

PMID- 26485062
TI  - Electron Propagation within Redox-Active Microdomains in Thin Films of Ferrocene
      Containing Diblock Copolymers.
AB  - This paper reports the electrochemical behavior of redox-active microdomains in
      thin films of ferrocene-containing diblock copolymers, polystyrene-block-poly(2
      (acryloyloxy)ethyl ferrocenecarboxylate) (PS-b-PAEFc). PS-b-PAEFc with different
      PAEFc volume fractions (PS154-b-PAEFc51, PS154-b-PAEFc26, and PS154-b-PAEFc12,
      where the subscripts represent the polymerization degree of each block; f(PAEFc)
      = 0.47, 0.30, and 0.17, respectively) was synthesized by sequential atom transfer
      radical polymerization. PS-b-PAEFc films of controlled thicknesses (20-160 nm)
      were prepared on gold substrates via spin-coating and characterized by
      ellipsometry. Microdomains were observed via atomic force microscopy on the
      surfaces of PS154-b-PAEFc51 and PS154-b-PAEFc26 thin films but not on the
      surfaces of PS154-b-PAEFc12 thin films. Electrochemical behavior of films was
      assessed by cyclic voltammetry and chronocoulometry in acetonitrile solution. The
      redox potential of ferrocene moieties was similar (ca. + 0.29 V vs Fc(+)/Fc)
      regardless of fPAEFc and film thickness. For PS154-b-PAEFc51 and PS154-b-PAEFc26,
      thicker films afforded larger faradaic peak currents and exhibited diffusion
      controlled voltammograms at faster sweep rates. PS154-b-PAEFc26 produced
      voltammograms less influenced by solvent-induced swelling than PS154-b-PAEFc51,
      reflecting the improved morphological stability of PAEFc microdomains by redox
      inert PS frameworks. In contrast, PS154-b-PAEFc12 films yielded similar faradaic
      peak currents regardless of film thickness and exhibited voltammograms indicative
      of surface-confined species. These observations suggest that PS154-b-PAEFc51 and
      PS154-b-PAEFc26 films contain continuous PAEFc microdomains extending from the
      electrode to the surface, in contrast to the PS154-b-PAEFc12 films which contain
      isolated PAEFc microdomains buried within the PS matrix. Electron propagation
      took place only through PAEFc microdomains that could electrically communicate
      with the underlying electrode. Apparent diffusion coefficients within PAEFc
      microdomains were similar (~ 2 * 10(-11) cm(2)/s) for PS154-b-PAEFc51 and PS154-b
      PAEFc26. The relatively low efficiency in electron propagation was attributable
      to ineffective electron self-exchange reaction within the PAEFc microdomains
      and/or limited counterion migration through the acetonitrile-swollen
      microdomains. These results provide guidance in design of redox-active
      metalloblock copolymers for various applications, which include electrocatalysis,
      electrochemical mediation in enzyme sensors, and redox-controlled molecular
      deposition.

PMID- 26485064
TI  - Accelerated Nucleation Due to Trace Additives: A Fluctuating Coverage Model.
AB  - We develop a theory to account for variable coverage of trace additives that
      lower the interfacial free energy for nucleation. The free energy landscape is
      based on classical nucleation theory and a statistical mechanical model for
      Langmuir adsorption. Dynamics are modeled by diffusion-controlled attachment and
      detachment of solutes and adsorbing additives. We compare the mechanism and
      kinetics from a mean-field model, a projection of the dynamics and free energy
      surface onto nucleus size, and a full two-dimensional calculation using Kramers
      Langer-Berezhkovskii-Szabo theory. The fluctuating coverage model predicts rates
      more accurately than mean-field models of the same process primarily because it
      more accurately estimates the potential of mean force along the size coordinate. 

PMID- 26485063
TI  - Quantitative Label-Free Phosphoproteomics Reveals Differentially Regulated
      Protein Phosphorylation Involved in West Nile Virus-Induced Host Inflammatory
      Response.
AB  - West Nile virus (WNV) can cause neuro-invasive and febrile illness that may be
      fatal to humans. The production of inflammatory cytokines is key to mediating WNV
      induced immunopathology in the central nervous system. Elucidating the host
      factors utilized by WNV for productive infection would provide valuable insights
      into the evasion strategies used by this virus. Although attempts have been made
      to determine these host factors, proteomic data depicting WNV-host protein
      interactions are limited. We applied liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry for label-free, quantitative phosphoproteomics to systematically
      investigate the global phosphorylation events induced by WNV infection.
      Quantifiable changes to 1,657 phosphoproteins were found; of these, 626 were
      significantly upregulated and 227 were downregulated at 12 h postinfection. The
      phosphoproteomic data were subjected to gene ontology enrichment analysis, which
      returned the inflammation-related spliceosome, ErbB, mitogen-activated protein
      kinase, nuclear factor kappa B, and mechanistic target of rapamycin signaling
      pathways. We used short interfering RNAs to decrease the levels of glycogen
      synthase kinase-3 beta, bifunctional polynucleotide phosphatase/kinase, and
      retinoblastoma 1 and found that the activity of nuclear factor kappa B (p65) is
      significantly decreased in WNV-infected U251 cells, which in turn led to markedly
      reduced inflammatory cytokine production. Our results provide a better
      understanding of the host response to WNV infection and highlight multiple
      targets for the development of antiviral and anti-inflammatory therapies. 

PMID- 26485065
TI  - Vocal fold varices and risk of hemorrhage.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To establish risk of hemorrhage in patients with varices
      compared to those without, determine additional risk factors, and make evidence
      based treatment recommendations. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.
      METHODS: Patients who were vocal performers presenting for care during a 24-month
      period were analyzed to determine incidence of hemorrhage. Patients with varices
      were compared to those without. Demographic information and examination findings
      (presence, location, character, and size of varices; presence of mucosal lesions
      or paresis) were analyzed to determine predictors of hemorrhage. RESULTS: A total
      of 513 patients (60.4% female, mean age 36.6 years +/- 13.95 years) were
      evaluated; 14 patients presenting with hemorrhage were excluded. One hundred and
      twelve (22.4%) patients had varices; 387 (77.6%) did not. The rate of hemorrhage
      in patients with varices was 2.68% at 12 months compared to 0.8% in patients
      without. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed a hazard ratio of
      10.1 for patients with varix developing hemorrhage compared to nonvarix patients
      (P < 0.0001). The incidence rate of hemorrhage was 3.3 cases per 1,000 person
      months for varix patients compared to 0.5 cases per 1,000 person-months in the
      nonvarix group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of paresis,
      mucosal lesions, location of varix (left or right side; medial or lateral), or
      varix morphology (pinpoint, linear, lake) between patients who hemorrhaged and
      those that did not. CONCLUSION: The presence of varices increases the risk of
      hemorrhage. Varix patients had 10 times the rate of hemorrhage compared to
      nonvarix patients, although the overall incidence is low. This data may be used
      to inform treatment of patients with varices. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope,
      126:1163-1168, 2016.

PMID- 26485066
TI  - Use of Internet Search Queries to Enhance Surveillance of Foodborne Illness.
AB  - As a supplement to or extension of methods used to determine trends in foodborne
      illness over time, we propose the use of Internet search metrics. We compared
      Internet query data for foodborne illness syndrome-related search terms from the
      most popular 5 Korean search engines using Health Insurance Review and Assessment
      Service inpatient stay data for 26 International Classification of Diseases,
      Tenth Revision, codes for foodborne illness in South Korea during 2010-2012. We
      used time-series analysis with Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average
      (SARIMA) models. Internet search queries for "food poisoning" correlated most
      strongly with foodborne illness data (r=0.70, p<0.001); furthermore, "food
      poisoning" queries correlated most strongly with the total number of inpatient
      stays related to foodborne illness during the next month (beta=0.069, SE 0.017,
      p<0.001). This approach, using the SARIMA model, could be used to effectively
      measure trends over time to enhance surveillance of foodborne illness in South
      Korea.

PMID- 26485067
TI  - Reply to "Comment on 'Breakdown of Interference Rules in Azulene, a Nonalternant
      Hydrocarbon'".

PMID- 26485068
TI  - Danshen prevents articular cartilage degeneration via antioxidation in rabbits
      with osteoarthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of Danshen on histological parameters and
      antioxidative activity in the articular cartilage of rabbits with osteoarthritis
      (OA). DESIGN: Twenty-four rabbits were randomly divided into three groups
      (control, OA, and Danshen OA; eight rabbits per group). Anterior cruciate
      ligament transection (ACLT) of the left hind knees was performed in all rabbits
      in the OA and Danshen OA group for induction of OA. The rabbits in the control
      group underwent a sham operation. After surgery, 3 g/kg body weight of Danshen
      granules dissolved in 5 mL distilled water was administered by gastric intubation
      once per day and over a 6-week period to the Danshen OA group. The same volume of
      distilled water was administered to the OA and control groups. After 6 weeks, the
      medial femoral condyles and synoviums of the left hind knees in all three groups
      were harvested and used for histological and biochemical analyses. RESULTS:
      Severe articular cartilage degeneration as well as lower proteoglycan (PG)
      content were noted in the OA group compared to the Danshen OA group (P < 0.05).
      The glutathione (GSH) levels in the synovium and articular cartilage of the
      rabbits in the Danshen OA group were significantly higher compared to the OA
      group (P < 0.001). The malondialdehyde (MDA) levels of the synovium and articular
      cartilage in the Danshen OA group was markedly depleted compared to the OA group
      (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Danshen can prevent articular cartilage degeneration in
      OA through the defense against oxidative stress.

PMID- 26485069
TI  - The ins and outs of selective kinase inhibitor development.

PMID- 26485071
TI  - Voices of chemical biology.

PMID- 26485070
TI  - Membrane curvature bends the laws of physics and chemistry.

PMID- 26485078
TI  - Metabolism: Plugging the leak.

PMID- 26485079
TI  - Antibiotics: Synergistic MRSA combinations.

PMID- 26485080
TI  - Corrigendum: The promise and peril of chemical probes.

PMID- 26485081
TI  - Corrigendum: Protein degradation: Prime time for PROTACs.

PMID- 26485082
TI  - Erratum: Reinvigorating natural product combinatorial biosynthesis with synthetic
      biology.

PMID- 26485083
TI  - Glial fibrillar acidic protein in the cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer's disease,
      dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
AB  - Biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are currently regarded as
      indispensable indicators for accurate differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative
      disorders. Although high levels of astrocyte-secreted glial fibrillar acidic
      protein (GFAP) in the CSF of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been
      reported, the levels of GFAP in the CSF have not been fully investigated in other
      neurological disorders that cause dementia, such as dementia with Lewy bodies
      (DLB) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). In this study, we determined
      the levels of GFAP in the CSF of healthy control subjects and AD, DLB, and FTLD
      patients to address two questions: (i) Do the levels of GFAP differ among these
      disorders? and (ii) Can GFAP be used as a biomarker for the differential
      diagnosis of these neurodegenerative disorders? The levels of GFAP in AD, DLB,
      and FTLD patients were significantly higher than those in the healthy control
      subjects. Although the levels of GFAP were not significantly different between AD
      and DLB patients, a higher level of GFAP was observed in FTLD patients than in AD
      and DLB patients. It is concluded that representative neurological disorders
      causing dementia were associated with higher levels of GFAP in the CSF. We
      propose the following mechanism concerning the amount of glial fibrillar acidic
      protein (GFAP) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in Alzheimer's disease (AD),
      dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD).
      The increase in the release of GFAP into CSF is considered to reflect the sum of
      degeneration of astrocytes and astrocytosis. The sum of degeneration and
      astrocytosis or the GFAP release could be in the order of FTLD > DLB > AD >
      normal condition. 

PMID- 26485084
TI  - Pronounced Interindividual But Not Intraindividual Variation in Tamoxifen and
      Metabolite Levels in Plasma During Adjuvant Treatment of Women With Early Breast
      Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tamoxifen is still an important antihormonal treatment option for
      patients with breast cancer and estrogen receptor-positive tumors. More than 20%
      of patients relapse despite treatment. The drug is usually dosed 20 mg/d
      irrespective of interindividual variation in drug clearance. To study
      interindividual and intraindividual variation in plasma levels we measured
      tamoxifen and metabolite levels in plasma on 2 occasions, with at least 4 weeks
      in between, of 39 women (19 premenopausal and 20 postmenopausal women) on
      adjuvant treatment (20 mg/d) of early breast cancer. METHODS: We used an ultra
      performance liquid chromatography with a mass spectrometry detection method for
      identification and quantification of tamoxifen, N-desmethyltamoxifen, 4-OH
      tamoxifen, and endoxifen. Follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and
      estradiol levels were also measured. RESULTS: The plasma concentrations of
      tamoxifen and its metabolites showed a pronounced interindividual variation,
      whereas intraindividual concentrations were rather stable. Despite the same
      dosage, interindividual tamoxifen concentrations varied from 51 to 307 ng/mL (124
      +/- 57, mean +/- SD) and endoxifen values showed a range from 3.2 to 19 ng/mL
      (10.4 +/- 5.2, mean +/- SD), that is, 6-fold variation for both. CONCLUSIONS:
      Large interindividual variation of tamoxifen and endoxifen with stable
      intraindividual levels, and too low levels of endoxifen in a considerable
      proportion of patients strongly support that therapeutic drug monitoring and
      individualized dosing could lead to optimal exposure and hopefully better
      outcome. A randomized outcome study between conventional dosing and therapeutic
      drug monitoring-guided dosing is needed to show whether this approach works.

PMID- 26485085
TI  - From the Editor-in-Chief's Desk.

PMID- 26485086
TI  - Low Dose Loxapine: Neuromotor Side Effects and Tolerability in Autism Spectrum
      Disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: New and repurposed drugs are urgently needed to treat individuals with
      autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Loxapine (LOX) in low doses of 5-15 mg/day
      resembles an atypical antipsychotic (Stahl 2002 ). Our recent open pilot study of
      LOX found significant behavioral improvements and overall weight neutrality in 16
      adolescents and adults with ASD. The present study examined an outpatient sample
      for LOX neuromotor tolerability. METHODS: Consecutive outpatients with Diagnostic
      and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) ASD
      diagnoses receiving LOX were examined for tardive dyskinesia (TD) and
      extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) using the Dyskinesia Identification System:
      Condensed User Scale (DISCUS), and for akathisia using the Barnes Akathisia
      Rating Scale. Data were also then retrospectively extracted from clinic charts
      regarding age, gender, diagnoses, LOX doses, treatment duration, concomitant
      medications, and LOX dosage reductions. RESULTS: Thirty-four subjects (25 male, 9
      female) participated. Mean age was 23.4 years at LOX initiation (range 8-52).
      Thirteen subjects (38.2%) received loxapine for >=5 years. Mean LOX dose was 8.9
      mg/day (range 5-30 mg) and mean duration was 4.2 years (range 0.8-13). Fourteen
      subjects (41.2%) received concomitant atypical antipsychotics. Benztropine was
      prescribed in 5 of 34 subjects (14.7%). Three subjects manifested tics at
      baseline, but lower final DISCUS scores. Subject 26, with Prader-Willi syndrome,
      manifested TD. Apart from LOX 5 mg daily he received paroxetine 40 mg daily,
      which reduces LOX metabolism significantly. Akathisia objective scores were
      positive in 6 subjects (17.6%): Subject 2 scored 3 (pacing was present also at
      baseline); subjects 6, 7, and 11 each scored 1; and subjects 18 and 23 each
      scored 2. Six of 9 subjects (66.7%) with expressive language were positive for
      subjective akathisia. CONCLUSIONS: Low dose LOX was well tolerated, with lower
      than expected TD rates. This confirms clinical resemblance to an atypical
      antipsychotic. Individuals with neuromuscular problems including Prader-Willi
      Syndrome receiving LOX require close monitoring. Further study of LOX in ASD is
      warranted.

PMID- 26485087
TI  - Negative Symptoms in a Depressed Teen? Primary Hyperparathyroidism and its
      Psychiatric Manifestations.

PMID- 26485088
TI  - Urinary Retention in an Adolescent Patient Caused by Fluoxetine Alone.

PMID- 26485089
TI  - Mirtazapine for Choking Phobia: Report of a Pediatric Case.

PMID- 26485090
TI  - Integrating DNA-strand-displacement circuitry with self-assembly of spherical
      nucleic acids.
AB  - Programmable and algorithmic behaviors of DNA molecules allow one to control the
      structures of DNA-assembled materials with nanometer precision and to construct
      complex networks with digital and analog behaviors. Here we developed a way of
      integrating a DNA-strand-displacement circuit with self-assembly of spherical
      nucleic acids, wherein a single DNA strand was used to initiate and catalyze the
      operation of upstream circuits to release a single strand that subsequently
      triggers self-assembly of spherical nucleic acids in downstream circuits,
      realizing a programmable kinetic control of self-assembly of spherical nucleic
      acids. Through utilizing this method, single-nucleotide polymorphisms or indels
      occurring at different positions of a sequence of oligonucleotide were
      unambiguously discriminated. We provide here a sophisticated way of combining the
      DNA-strand-displacement-based characteristic of DNA with the distinct assembly
      properties of inorganic nanoparticles, which may find broad potential
      applications in the fabrication of a wide range of complex multicomponent devices
      and architectures. 

PMID- 26485091
TI  - Does the use of atypical antipsychotics as adjunctive therapy in depression
      result in cost savings? Comparing healthcare costs and utilization between second
      line treatment options.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) are used as second-line agents
      for treatment resistant depression. AAPs can be expensive compared to other
      treatment options and can cause several side effects. OBJECTIVES: To estimate
      healthcare costs and utilization of AAPs compared to other second-line agents.
      METHODS: Observational study using Medicaid claims data (2006-2011). Subjects
      were depression-diagnosed adult members with at least two prescriptions of
      antidepressant medications followed by a second-line agent. Gamma generalized
      linear models (GLM) produced estimates of the difference in mean expenditures
      among treatment groups after adjusting for individual baseline characteristics
      using propensity scores. Negative binomial models produced estimates of the
      difference in number of hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits.
      RESULTS: A total of 3910 members received second-line treatment. Treatment groups
      were AAPs (n = 2211), augmentation agents other than AAPs (n = 1008), and
      antidepressant switching (n = 691). AAPs resulted in higher mean adjusted
      pharmacy costs and higher mean adjusted total mental health-related costs. Mean
      adjusted total healthcare costs and number of inpatient and ED visits were not
      different among treatments. CONCLUSION: The results show no evidence that AAPs
      used as second-line treatment for depression results in overall cost savings or
      lower inpatient and ED visits compared to other treatment strategies.

PMID- 26485093
TI  - Recent Advances in the Theory and Molecular Simulation of Biological Electron
      Transfer Reactions.

PMID- 26485094
TI  - White matter volume change and its correlation with symptom severity in patients
      with schizophrenia: a VBM-DARTEL study.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the white matter (WM) volume change and its
      correlation with symptom severity in patients with schizophrenia using voxel
      based morphometry. A total of 20 patients with schizophrenia and 20 age-matched
      healthy controls participated in this study. MR image data were processed using
      SPM8 software with diffeomorphic anatomical registration through an exponentiated
      Lie algebra (DARTEL) algorithm. The patients with schizophrenia showed
      significant decreases (P=0.042) in the WM volumes of the temporal lobe and
      superior frontal gyrus compared with the healthy controls. The WM volumes of the
      middle temporal gyrus were negatively correlated with the scores of both the
      Positive Subscale (Pearson's rho=-0.68, P=0.001) and the Negative Subscale (rho=
      0.71, P=0.0005) in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. In addition, the
      scores of the General Psychopathology Subscale were negatively correlated with
      the WM volumes of the superior frontal gyrus (rho=-0.68, P=0.0009). This study
      evaluated the WM volume of patients with schizophrenia compared with healthy
      controls using DARTEI-based voxel-based morphometry and also assessed the
      correlation of the localized WM volume changes with the Positive and Negative
      Syndrome Scale. These findings will be useful to understand the neuropathology
      associated with WM abnormality in schizophrenia.

PMID- 26485092
TI  - Genomewide Association Study of Tacrolimus Concentrations in African American
      Kidney Transplant Recipients Identifies Multiple CYP3A5 Alleles.
AB  - We previously reported that tacrolimus (TAC) trough blood concentrations for
      African American (AA) kidney allograft recipients were lower than those observed
      in white patients. Subtherapeutic TAC troughs may be associated with acute
      rejection (AR) and AR-associated allograft failure. This variation in TAC troughs
      is due, in part, to differences in the frequency of the cytochrome P450 CYP3A5*3
      allele (rs776746, expresses nonfunctional enzyme) between white and AA
      recipients; however, even after accounting for this variant, variability in AA
      associated troughs is significant. We conducted a genomewide association study of
      TAC troughs in AA kidney allograft recipients to search for additional genetic
      variation. We identified two additional CYP3A5 variants in AA recipients
      independently associated with TAC troughs: CYP3A5*6 (rs10264272) and CYP3A5*7
      (rs41303343). All three variants and clinical factors account for 53.9% of the
      observed variance in troughs, with 19.8% of the variance coming from demographic
      and clinical factors including recipient age, glomerular filtration rate,
      anticytomegalovirus drug use, simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant and
      antibody induction. There was no evidence of common genetic variants in AA
      recipients significantly influencing TAC troughs aside from the CYP3A gene. These
      results reveal that additional and possibly rare functional variants exist that
      account for the additional variation. 

PMID- 26485095
TI  - Differential regulation of expression of RNA-editing enzymes, ADAR1 and ADAR2, by
      5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine and trichostatin A in human neuronal SH-SY5Y cells.
AB  - Adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR) enzymes, ADAR1 and ADAR2, mediates
      adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing, and their mRNA expressions are altered during
      developmental, physiological, and pathophysiological processes in the nervous
      system. The present study attempted to investigate the involvement of epigenetic
      modifying enzymes, such as DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) and histone deacetylase
      (HDAC), in the regulation of ADAR1 and ADAR2 mRNA expressions in neuronal cells.
      Using human neuronal SH-SY5Y cells, we found that the DNMT inhibitor 5-aza-2'
      deoxycytidine led to an increase in ADAR2, but not ADAR1, mRNA expression in a
      concentration-dependent and time-dependent manner. However, treatment with HDAC
      inhibitor trichostatin A elicited an increase in ADAR2 mRNA expression and a
      decrease in ADAR1 mRNA expression, and these changes were blocked by actinomycin
      D, a transcription inhibitor. Taken together, these findings suggest that ADAR1
      and ADAR2 expressions are subject to different regulations by DNMT and HDAC
      enzymes in neuronal SH-SY5Y cells.

PMID- 26485096
TI  - Newborn screening for severe combined immune deficiency (technical and political
      aspects).
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Newborn screening for severe combined immune deficiency (SCID)
      has been implemented in more than half of the states in the United States.
      Despite the success of these programs, numerous challenges remain for
      implementing newborn screening. The present review will focus on technical,
      programmatic, and political aspects pertinent to newborn screening for SCID.
      (Figure is included in full-text article.) RECENT FINDINGS: Recent data from
      newborn screening in 11 U.S. programs suggest that the birth prevalence of SCID
      is higher than previous estimates. In addition, a large number of other
      conditions causing T-cell lymphopenia have been detected. Several European
      countries have initiated pilot screening for SCID. Significant cost savings for
      treatment of infants with SCID detected at birth, compared with later in life,
      has been demonstrated. Published evidence of the favorable cost-benefit ratio for
      screening supports implementation of universal SCID newborn screening. SUMMARY:
      SCID fulfills criteria for a condition that should be included in routine newborn
      screening. Data presented from multiple newborn screening programs in the United
      States and Europe have shown that high throughput screening of all newborns is
      cost-effective. Screening improves early detection of this life-threatening
      condition and follow-up studies have shown a clear improvement in survival for
      early treatment.

PMID- 26485097
TI  - The immunological and genetic basis of immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy,
      enteropathy, X-linked syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article presents a comprehensive review of the
      immunodysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy and X-linked (IPEX)
      syndrome, covering both the clinical and molecular aspects of the disease.
      (Figure is included in full-text article.) RECENT FINDINGS: The IPEX syndrome is
      a rare immunological disorder in humans caused by inheritable mutations in the
      FOXP3 gene, the master transcriptional regulator for the development and function
      of CD4 regulatory T (Treg) cells. Forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3) Treg cells
      represent a unique T-cell lineage with inhibitory functions, and are responsible
      for immune homeostasis and tolerance to self and nonself antigens. Evidence shows
      that a Treg developmental deficiency or dysfunction underlies the severe,
      multiorgan, autoimmune disease of IPEX. SUMMARY: An in-depth structural and
      functional analysis of the molecular domains of FOXP3 is essential for our
      understanding of the observed clinical heterogeneity and prognosis in IPEX.

PMID- 26485098
TI  - Patient selection for subcutaneous versus sublingual immunotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: With the Food and Drug Administration's approval of sublingual
      allergen-specific immunotherapy (SL-AIT) tablets for grass and ragweed pollen, SL
      AIT is progressively gathering importance not only in Europe, but also in the
      United States and other parts of the world. We reviewed issues related to the
      selection of patients for the sublingual or the subcutaneous route for allergic
      patients, based on what has been published since January 2014 on subcutaneous
      versus-SL-AIT efficacy, safety and other issues. (Figure is included in full-text
      article.) RECENT FINDINGS: As patient's adherence seems one of the major problems
      in real-life AIT, investigators have sought how to enhance AIT simplicity by
      changing the route to home-administrated SL-AIT, and by shortening the
      subcutaneous-allergen-specific immunotherapy (SC-AIT) build-up or maintenance
      phase. The latter was safe with several hypoallergenic extracts. As for SL-AIT,
      double blind placebo-controlled large trials in patients with allergic rhinitis
      and asthma have shown the efficacy and safety of ragweed pollen and house dust
      mite SLIT tablets and highly concentrated liquid formulations, primarily in
      adults. A large trial with SLIT in 3-year-old children was effective. SUMMARY:
      With the improvement of SL-AIT efficacy, the selection of SC-versus-SL-AIT will
      probably increasingly be based not on efficacy, but on practical aspects, without
      losing sight of which SL-AIT products have proven efficacy.

PMID- 26485099
TI  - The autoimmune conundrum in common variable immunodeficiency disorders.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Autoimmune and inflammatory manifestations are the biggest
      clinical challenge in the care of patients with common variable immunodeficiency
      (CVID). The increasing pathogenic knowledge and potential therapeutic
      implications require a new evaluation of the status quo. (Figure is included in
      full-text article.) RECENT FINDINGS: The conundrum of the simultaneous
      manifestation of primary immunodeficiency and autoimmune disease (AID) is
      increasingly elucidated by newly discovered genetic defects. Thus, cytotoxic T
      lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 or caspase-9 deficiency presenting with CVID-like
      phenotypes reiterate concepts of immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy,
      enteropathy, X-linked syndrome and autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome.
      Activating signaling defects downstream of antigen or cytokine receptors are
      often associated with loss-of-tolerance in the affected patients. Increasingly,
      forms of combined immunodeficiency are discovered among CVID-like patients.
      Although different autoimmune manifestations often coincide in the same patient
      their immunopathology varies. Treatment of AID in CVID remains a challenge, but
      based on a better definition of the immunopathology first attempts of targeted
      treatment have been made. SUMMARY: The increasing comprehension of immunological
      concepts promoting AID in CVID will allow better and in some cases possibly even
      targeted treatment. A genetic diagnosis therefore becomes important information
      in this group of patients, especially in light of the fact that some patients
      might require hematopoietic stem cell transplantation because of their underlying
      immunodeficiency.

PMID- 26485100
TI  - Allergen immunotherapy: an update on protocols of administration.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is still the only causal
      treatment for allergic rhinitis and asthma. However, conventional subcutaneous
      AIT administration schedules are time-consuming and safety issues still play a
      role; for sublingual AIT, the best efficacy is still investigated and for food
      allergy the best efficacy-safety balance is not yet completely discovered.
      Investigators have made progress in these fields lately. (Figure is included in
      full-text article.) RECENT FINDINGS: Since January 2014, several (ultra) rush or
      cluster build-up phases with hypoallergic variants of extracts have been explored
      with success. Also, the efficacy of only preseasonal subcutaneous AIT was
      demonstrated for tree and grass pollen. Sublingual AIT was shown to be effective
      and well tolerated in allergic rhinitis and asthma with tablets and with highly
      concentrated liquid formulations (ragweed, house dust mite), but not cockroach.
      For food allergy, oral immunotherapy is promising, but close attention should be
      paid to the exact administration schedule, maintenance dose, and the definition
      of efficacy (desensitization or real tolerance, as defined by a negative
      challenge test at least 4 months off treatment). SUMMARY: The practicing
      physician should be watchful for advances in the field of aeroallergen AIT and
      food oral immunotherapy, analyzing the presented information in detail and
      interpreting conclusions product specifically, without generalizing.

PMID- 26485101
TI  - Current Management of Eosinophilic Esophagitis 2015.
AB  - Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic inflammatory condition characterized
      by esophageal dysfunction and eosinophilic infiltrate (>=15/hpf) in the
      esophageal epithelium and the absence of other potential causes of eosinophilia.
      The prevalence is increasing and is the most common cause of solid food dysphagia
      in children and young adults. This article will review the diagnosis and
      management of EoE based on consensus conferences, systematic reviews, and meta
      analysis and highlights seminal studies in our evolving treatment of this
      disease. However, all answers are not available and I will remark about the
      lessons learned in my clinical practice seeing EoE patients over the last 25
      years. The complicated etiology of the complaint of dysphagia in EoE patients
      will be reviewed. The importance of utilizing endoscopy, biopsies, and barium
      esophagram to help define the 2 phenotypes (inflammatory, fibrostenosis) of EoE
      will be highlighted. The controversy about PPI-responsive esophageal eosinophilia
      will be discussed and contrasted with idiopathic EoE. Finally, the 3 treatment
      options for EoE (drugs, diet, dilation) will be reviewed in detail and a useful
      clinical management algorithm presented. 

PMID- 26485102
TI  - Ursodeoxycholic Acid Inhibits Clostridium difficile Spore Germination and
      Vegetative Growth, and Prevents the Recurrence of Ileal Pouchitis Associated With
      the Infection.
AB  - GOALS: To test whether ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is inhibitory to Clostridium
      difficile and can be used in the treatment of C. difficile-associated ileal
      pouchitis. BACKGROUND: The restoration of secondary bile metabolism may be the
      key mechanism for fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in treating recurrent C.
      difficile infections (RCDI). Therefore, it is possible that exogenous
      administration of inhibitory bile acids may be used directly as nonantibiotic
      therapeutics for this indication. The need for such a treatment alternative is
      especially significant in patients with refractory C. difficile-associated
      pouchitis, where the efficacy of FMT may be limited. STUDY: We measured the
      ability of UDCA to suppress the germination and the vegetative growth of 11
      clinical isolate strains of C. difficile from patients treated with FMT for RCDI.
      In addition, we used oral UDCA to treat a patient with RCDI pouchitis that proved
      refractory to multiple antibiotic treatments and FMT. RESULTS: UDCA was found to
      be inhibitory to the germination and the vegetative growth of all C. difficile
      strains tested. Fecal concentrations of UDCA from the patient with RCDI pouchitis
      exceeded levels necessary to inhibit the germination and the growth of C.
      difficile in vitro. The patient has remained infection free for over 10 months
      after the initiation of UDCA. CONCLUSIONS: UDCA can be considered as a
      therapeutic option in patients with C. difficile-associated pouchitis. Further
      studies need to be conducted to define the optimal dose and duration of such a
      treatment. In addition, bile acid derivatives inhibitory to C. difficile that are
      able to achieve high intracolonic concentrations may be developed as therapeutics
      for RCDI colitis.

PMID- 26485103
TI  - Five-Year Period Prevalence and Characteristics of Anemia in a Large US
      Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anemia is a common manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD),
      but its prevalence in the United States is not well defined. Aim of this study
      was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of anemia in IBD patients who
      were followed in a US referral center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Demographic,
      clinical, laboratory, and treatment data from a prospective, consented
      longitudinal IBD registry between the years 2009 and 2013 were analyzed. Disease
      activity was evaluated using Harvey-Bradshaw index in Crohn's disease (CD) and
      ulcerative colitis (UC) activity index in UC as well as C-reactive protein and
      erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Anemia was defined based on the World Health
      Organization criteria. RESULTS: A total of 1821 IBD patients (1077 with CD, 744
      with UC, median age 43.8 y, 51.9% female) were included. The 5-year period
      prevalence of anemia in IBD patients was 50.1%, (CD: 53.3% vs. UC: 44.7%,
      P=0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, anemia was associated
      with surgery for IBD [odds ratio (OR)=2.77; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.21
      3.48; P<0.0001], female gender (OR=1.29; 95% CI, 1.04-1.61; P=0.02), C-reactive
      protein (OR=1.26; 95% CI, 1.16-1.37; P<0.0001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate
      (OR=1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03; P=0.0002), and use of biologics (OR=2.00; 95% CI,
      1.58-2.52; P=0.0001) or immunomodulators (OR=1.51; 95% CI, 1.21-1.87; P=0.0003).
      Iron replacement therapy was administered to 46.8% of the anemic patients.
      CONCLUSION: Anemia has a high period prevalence in IBD patients followed at a
      tertiary center. Anemia is more common in CD than in UC, is associated with
      disease activity, and in current practice is undertreated.

PMID- 26485104
TI  - Clinical Characteristics of Multiple Colorectal Adenoma Patients Without Germline
      APC or MYH Mutations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with multiple colorectal adenomas (MCRA) without genetic
      cause are increasingly being diagnosed. The characteristics and natural history
      of this condition are not well studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven
      patients with MCRA, with cumulatively 10 to 99 colorectal adenomas and without
      deleterious mutations of APC or MYH genes, were investigated. Results of
      colonoscopies with a mean follow-up of 4.9 years (range, 0 to 27 y) were
      evaluated. Findings from esophagogastroduodenoscopy and extracolonic
      manifestations were assessed. RESULTS: The mean age at polyp diagnosis and MCRA
      diagnosis was 47.8+/-13.1 years (range, 21 to 72 y) and 50.4+/-14.6 years (range,
      21 to 72 y), respectively. In 22% of patients another family member had MCRA. At
      first colonoscopy, the mean number of adenomas was 35.0+/-35.9 (range, 0 to 99).
      Serrated polyps were rare. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed 47% of patients
      had upper tract neoplasia. Patients with upper tract findings were diagnosed with
      MCRA at significantly younger mean age than those without findings, P<0.05.
      Eighteen patients (67%) underwent colectomy with a mean time from diagnosis of
      MCRA of 3.1+/-1.3 years. After surgery, surveyed patients developed recurrent
      adenomas in retained colorectum. Nine patients (33%) had extracolonic cancers.
      CONCLUSIONS: MCRA patients have a similar clinicopathologic phenotype to known
      syndromes of attenuated adenomatous polyposis and the majority have need for
      colectomy. The management of MCRA patients and families should parallel that of
      attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis and MUTYH-associated polyposis
      including surveillance of the upper tract.

PMID- 26485105
TI  - Small Intestinal Angioectasias Are Not Randomly Distributed in the Small Bowel
      and Most May Be Reached by Push Enteroscopy.
AB  - GOALS: The goal was to describe the location of angioectasias within small bowel
      on capsule endoscopy and the utility of push enteroscopy versus deep enteroscopy
      in treatment of overt bleeding from these. BACKGROUND: Overt bleeding from small
      bowel angioectasias is a clinical challenge. Thalidomide and octreotide can be
      difficult to prescribe and may not be effective. Endoscopy remains a mainstay of
      treatment for overt bleeding from angioectasias but data regarding the long-term
      efficacy of endoscopic therapy are limited. We sought to define the location of
      small bowel angioectasias using capsule endoscopy and review our outcomes for
      push and double-balloon enteroscopy. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all 428
      capsule endoscopy studies from the Veterans Administration Hospital in West
      Haven, CT from 2005 to 2012. Location of angioectasias was evaluated using lead
      mapping and small bowel transit time. RESULTS: We identified 69 patients with
      small bowel angioectasia. At least 66.8% of lesions were in duodenum or ligament
      of Treitz, with 78.3% within the first 25% of small bowel transit. Twenty-four
      patients underwent endoscopic treatment of overt bleeding from small bowel
      angioectasias. Thirty-three percent rebled requiring multiple procedures. Eight
      patients had 10 anterograde double-balloon examinations. Only 2 patients had both
      cessation of bleeding with double balloon and lesions outside the reach of push
      enteroscopy. CONCLUSIONS: Push enteroscopy for bleeding angioectasias is
      effective in many patients. Deep enteroscopy may not benefit most patients as
      most angioectasias are proximal. Patients with deeper lesions tended to have
      multiple lesions and rebleeding despite deep enteroscopy.

PMID- 26485106
TI  - Role of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Exacerbations of Inflammatory
      Bowel Disease.
AB  - GOALS: To determine the role of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in
      activation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). BACKGROUND: NSAIDs may activate
      inflammatory pathways in IBD. STUDY: Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of American
      Partners is an ongoing cohort study of patients living with IBD. All data are
      self-reported using the internet. We identified a subcohort of participants whose
      disease activity, based on short Crohn's Disease Activity Index and simple
      clinical colitis activity index, indicated remission. Pattern of use of NSAIDs
      was measured at baseline, and disease activity assessment was performed 6 months
      later. We used multivariate binomial regression to determine effects of NSAIDs on
      disease activity. RESULTS: A total of 791 individuals in remission had baseline
      and follow-up data available for analysis. Of these, 247 Crohn's disease (CD)
      patients (43.2%) and 89 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients (40.6%) reported NSAID
      use. CD patients with NSAID use >=5 times/month had greater risk of active
      disease at follow-up (23% vs. 15%, P=0.04); [adjusted risk ratio (RR), 1.65; 95%
      confidence interval (CI), 1.12-2.44). No effect was observed in patients with UC
      (22% vs. 21%, P=0.98; adjusted RR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.81-1.92). Acetaminophen use
      was associated with active disease at follow-up in CD (adjusted RR, 1.72; 95% CI,
      1.11-2.68). CONCLUSIONS: Regular (>=5 times/mo) NSAID and acetaminophen use were
      associated with active CD, but not UC. Less frequent NSAID use was not associated
      with active CD or UC. These findings indicate that regular NSAID use may increase
      CD activity, or that NSAID use may be a marker of a less robust remission; thus
      reflecting subclinical disease activity.

PMID- 26485107
TI  - Impact of Screening on Survival in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis.
AB  - GOALS: Our aim was to determine whether the screening of family members of
      familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients significantly influences survival,
      and to gauge the extent of FAP-related causes of death. BACKGROUND: The screening
      of families with FAP has been shown to be profitable in reducing colorectal
      cancer-related mortality, but conclusions about the screening effect on overall
      survival has been controversial. STUDY: This is a nationwide population-based
      retrospective cohort study, and the primary outcome of interest was overall
      mortality and survival. A total of 154 families with at least 1 clinically
      diagnosed FAP patient between 1963 and 2015 were included. There were altogether
      194 probands and 225 call-ups. During the follow-up period, 2639 person-years
      with 92 deaths among probands were observed and 3634 person-years and 30 deaths
      among call-ups. We report crude mortality rates and standardized mortality ratios
      together with descriptive statistics. We compared the survival of probands and
      call-ups to the population by relative survival method. RESULTS: The crude
      mortality rate among probands was 34.9 per 1000 person-years and 8.3 among call
      ups. The standardized mortality ratios for call-ups was 2.47 (confidence
      interval, 1.69-3.46) and for probands 4.07 (confidence interval, 3.29-4.96)
      (P=0.014). The relative survival of probands was significantly lower than call
      ups (P=0.0018), and 20-year relative survival for call-ups was 94% (88% to 100%).
      Over two thirds of all deaths were FAP related. CONCLUSIONS: Survival of screened
      family members of FAP patients is comparable to the general population within 20
      years after diagnosis. Therefore, participation in surveillance should not be
      delayed when a family member with FAP has been detected.

PMID- 26485108
TI  - Fulminant Hepatosplenic B-Cell Lymphoma Without Hepatitis C Infection.

PMID- 26485109
TI  - Reduced Sleep Acutely Influences Sedentary Behavior and Mood But Not Total Energy
      Intake in Normal-Weight and Obese Women.
AB  - Using a crossover design, 22 normal-weight and 22 obese women completed two free
      living sleep conditions: (a) Normal Sleep: night of ~8 hr time in bed; and (b)
      Reduced Sleep: night of < 5 hr time in bed). Outcome measures were energy intake,
      physical activity and sedentary time, and mood. Sleep time was 7.7 +/- 0.3 and
      4.8 +/- 0.2 hrs during the Normal Sleep and Reduced Sleep conditions,
      respectively (F = 1791.94; p < 0.0001). Energy intake did not differ between
      groups or as a function of sleep condition (F = 2.46; p = 0.1244). Sedentary time
      was ~ 30 min higher after the Reduced Sleep condition (F = 4.98; p = 0.0318);
      other physical activity outcomes were not different by condition (p > 0.05).
      Total mood score, depression, anger, vigor, fatigue, and confusion were worse
      after Reduced Sleep (p < 0.05). Reducing sleep acutely and negatively influenced
      sedentary time and mood in normal-weight and obese women.

PMID- 26485110
TI  - Stepwise Formation of Photoconductive Nanotubes through a New Top-Down Method.
AB  - In contrast to the widely used bottom-up strategy for preparing various complex
      nanostructures, the top-down strategy is rarely applied to generate complex
      nanostructures. This study reports the use of a unique combination of bottom-up
      and top-down processes for the time-resolved stepwise fabrication of novel
      photoconductive nanotubes from elaborately designed asymmetric perylene diimide
      molecules. 

PMID- 26485112
TI  - Insulin Does Not Target CamkIIalpha Neurones to Critically Regulate the
      Neuroendocrine Reproductive Axis in Mice.
AB  - Insulin signalling in the brain plays an important role in the central regulation
      of energy homeostasis and fertility, such that mice exhibiting widespread
      deletion of insulin receptors (InsR) throughout the brain and peripheral nervous
      system display diet sensitive obesity and hypothalamic hypogonadism. However, the
      specific cell types mediating the central effects of insulin on fertility remain
      largely unidentified. To date, the targeted deletion of InsR from individual
      neuronal populations implicated in the metabolic control of fertility has failed
      to recapitulate the hypogonadic and subfertile phenotype observed in brain
      specific InsR knockout mice. Because insulin and leptin share similar roles as
      centrally-acting metabolic regulators of fertility, we used the Cre-loxP system
      to generate mice with a selective inactivation of the Insr gene from the same
      widespread neuronal population previously shown to mediate the central effects of
      leptin on fertility by crossing Insr-flox mice with calcium/calmodulin-dependent
      protein kinase type IIalpha (CamkIIalpha)-Cre mice. Multiple reproductive and
      metabolic parameters were then compared between male and female Insr-flox/Cre
      positive (CamK-IRKO) and Insr-flox/Cre-negative control mice. Consistent with
      brain-specific InsR knockout mice, CamK-IRKO mice exhibited a mild but
      significant obesogenic phenotype. Unexpectedly, CamK-IRKO mice exhibited normal
      reproductive maturation and function compared to controls. No differences in the
      age of puberty onset, oestrous cyclicity or fecundity were observed between CamK
      IRKO and control mice. We conclude that the central effects of insulin on the
      neuroendocrine reproductive axis are not critically mediated via the same
      neuronal populations targeted by leptin. 

PMID- 26485111
TI  - Advances in PARP inhibitors for the treatment of breast cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Poly(ADP-Ribose) polymerases (PARPs) are one of the important
      components of base excision repair pathway for single strand DNA breaks.
      Currently accepted hypothesis for the mechanism of action for PARP inhibitors in
      tumors with homologous recombination deficiency is synthetic lethality, as the
      simultaneous blockage of both pathways prevents the tumor cells from repairing
      DNA damage. Other proposed mechanisms include PARP trapping, defective BRCA1 and
      POLQ recruitment to sites of DNA repair. Breast cancer subgroups with germline
      BRCA mutations or non-mutational functional defects in BRCA proteins exemplify
      potential targets for PARP inhibitors. AREAS COVERED: Promising results have been
      achieved with PARP inhibitors in BRCA associated cancers, particularly in ovarian
      and breast cancer. Olaparib is the only PARP inhibitor approved by FDA in the
      treatment of patients with germline BRCA mutated advanced ovarian cancer
      pretreated with >=3 prior lines of chemotherapy. In this article, we reviewed the
      current status of PARP inhibitors, completed and ongoing trials, safety and
      resistance issues in patients with breast cancer. EXPERT OPINION: PARP inhibitors
      show promise in cancers with BRCA mutation and in the treatment of sporadic
      cancers with defective homologous recombination. Predictors of response,
      strategies to overcome resistance, combination with other chemotherapies and
      targeted agents, optimum dose and schedule of administration should be
      investigated in future trials.

PMID- 26485113
TI  - Can the use of urgent care clinics improve access to care without undermining
      continuity in primary care?
AB  - PURPOSE: There is a niche for urgent care clinics as an alternate source of
      health care in the United States. This systematic review examines whether the use
      of urgent care clinics can improve access to care or if these facilities
      undermine continuity of primary care. DATA SOURCES: Databases used were
      Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) and Medical Literature
      Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE). Articles from 2004 to 2014 were
      searched using keywords-access, barriers, continuity of care, nurse practitioner
      (NP), urgent care, retail clinic, emergency, and primary care. CONCLUSIONS:
      Urgent care clinics can improve access to care, but may also negatively impact
      continuity of care, preventative services, and ongoing management of chronic
      conditions. Barriers to primary care and benefits of urgent care are inversely
      related. Insufficient knowledge regarding navigation of the healthcare system,
      perceived urgency of medical need, and deflection of care contribute to use of
      urgent care over primary care. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: NPs are frontline
      healthcare providers essential to developing and maintaining successful
      communication and collaboration among providers across healthcare settings. In
      both primary care and urgent care facilities, NPs can ensure continuity of care,
      decreased healthcare costs, and optimized health outcomes for patients.

PMID- 26485115
TI  - Nematoda of Kinosternon scorpioides (Testudines: Kinosternidae) from Northeastern
      Brazil.
AB  - The scorpion mud turtle (Kinosternon scorpioides) is a small freshwater turtle
      broadly distributed in South America and commonly consumed in some Brazilian
      regions. This study aimed to identify the species of helminths that parasitize
      the digestive tract of K. scorpioides and report infection parameters such as
      parasite prevalence, mean intensity of the infection, abundance, and the
      relationship between these nematodes and host body size in this species. We
      captured 20 adult male K. scorpioides, and 6 animals had nematodes in their
      gastrointestinal tract. These animals had Serpinema magathi (prevalence = 0.3)
      and Spiroxys figueiredoi (prevalence = 0.25). There were no correlations between
      the number of total parasites and carapace length (rs = 0.17, n = 6, P = 0.74) or
      the length of the gastrointestinal tract (rs = 0.18, n = 6, P = 0.73).

PMID- 26485116
TI  - Establishment of Lipofection Protocol for Efficient miR-21 Transfection into
      Cortical Neurons In Vitro.
AB  - Dysregulated microRNAs in neurons could cause many nervous system diseases. The
      therapeutic manipulation of these pathogenic microRNAs necessitates novel,
      efficient delivery systems to facilitate microRNA modulators targeting neurons
      with minimal off-target effects. The study aimed to establish a lipofection
      protocol to upregulate expression levels of miR-21 in neurons under different
      conditions, including different serum-free medium, transfection conditions, and
      reagent concentration, by evaluating the expression levels of miR-21 and neuron
      injury. The expression levels of miR-21 were higher in neurons transfected by
      Neurobasal-A than by DMEM. Expression levels of miR-21 were already the highest
      at the ratio RNAiMAX:miR-21 = 3:5, but the increase of RNAiMAX's concentration
      had not caused the further upregulation of expression level of miR-21. Neuron
      injury was condition dependent and dose dependent after transfection. Compared to
      S-Neurobasal groups, neurons have a smaller injury in N-Neurobasal groups, and
      compared to ratios RNAiMAX:miR-21 = 4:5, 5:5, neuron injury was smaller at ratios
      of RNAiMAX:miR-21 = 1:5, 2:5, 3:5. Without the pretreatment of starvation in
      vitro, the lipofection protocol was that RNAiMAX/miR-21 agomir complexes were
      diluted in Neurobasal-A at the ratio of RNAiMAX:miR-21 = 3:5.

PMID- 26485117
TI  - Treatment effect heterogeneity for univariate subgroups in clinical trials:
      Shrinkage, standardization, or else.
AB  - Treatment effect heterogeneity is a well-recognized phenomenon in randomized
      controlled clinical trials. In this paper, we discuss subgroup analyses with
      prespecified subgroups of clinical or biological importance. We explore various
      alternatives to the naive (the traditional univariate) subgroup analyses to
      address the issues of multiplicity and confounding. Specifically, we consider a
      model-based Bayesian shrinkage (Bayes-DS) and a nonparametric, empirical Bayes
      shrinkage approach (Emp-Bayes) to temper the optimism of traditional univariate
      subgroup analyses; a standardization approach (standardization) that accounts for
      correlation between baseline covariates; and a model-based maximum likelihood
      estimation (MLE) approach. The Bayes-DS and Emp-Bayes methods model the variation
      in subgroup-specific treatment effect rather than testing the null hypothesis of
      no difference between subgroups. The standardization approach addresses the issue
      of confounding in subgroup analyses. The MLE approach is considered only for
      comparison in simulation studies as the "truth" since the data were generated
      from the same model. Using the characteristics of a hypothetical large outcome
      trial, we perform simulation studies and articulate the utilities and potential
      limitations of these estimators. Simulation results indicate that Bayes-DS and
      Emp-Bayes can protect against optimism present in the naive approach. Due to its
      simplicity, the naive approach should be the reference for reporting univariate
      subgroup-specific treatment effect estimates from exploratory subgroup analyses.
      Standardization, although it tends to have a larger variance, is suggested when
      it is important to address the confounding of univariate subgroup effects due to
      correlation between baseline covariates. The Bayes-DS approach is available as an
      R package (DSBayes). 

PMID- 26485118
TI  - Dynamics of body burdens and doses due to internal irradiation from intakes of
      long-lived radionuclides by residents of Ozyorsk situated near Mayak PA.
AB  - This paper presents and discusses new autopsy results and other historic data
      from earlier autopsies and environmental monitoring linked to releases from the
      Mayak PA facilities in the Chelyabinsk oblast in the southern Urals. The focus is
      on residents of the town of Ozyorsk located near to Mayak PA and the dynamics of
      body burdens and radiation doses from inhalation of plutonium alpha and americium
      241, and ingestion of strontium-90 and caesium-137. It is demonstrated that
      accumulation and exposure from these radionuclides was mainly due to unplanned
      releases in the 1950s and 60s. The mean content of plutonium alpha at the time of
      autopsy of people commencing residence in Ozyorsk from 1949 to 1959 was about 3.5
      Bq, falling to 0.2 Bq in those arriving after 1990. A reducing trend was also
      seen for (241)Am. The highest (90)Sr content in Ozyorsk residents was measured in
      1967. The (137)Cs body content of residents arriving in Ozyorsk at any time was
      in almost all cases below the limit of detection. The committed effective dose
      from internal exposure to these long-lived radionuclides which would have been
      accumulated in Ozyorsk residents if present from 1949 to 2013 is estimated to be
      13 mSv. This dose is primarily attributed to intakes during 1949 to 1959 when the
      annual effective dose rate was approximately 1 mSv y(-1). The current value is
      about 0.1 mSv y(-1). This dose is about 20 times higher than the dose from global
      man-made fallout, which is about 0.005 mSv y(-1) at present, but much lower than
      that from natural background radiation, i.e. about 2 mSv y(-1). The experience
      gained from this work and continuing activities can contribute to the development
      of improved international guidance in legacy situations, particularly as regards
      the provision and use of monitoring data to test and thereby build confidence in
      prognostic models for radiation conditions and potential future exposures. The
      scope includes evidence for the rate of reduction in radionuclide concentrations
      in environmental media and in their bioavailability, resuspension of long-lived
      alpha radionuclides, uptake of (90)Sr and (137)Cs in the food-chain, and
      confirmation of cumulative uptake via autopsy and whole body counting
      measurements. Continuing investigations will thus support decisions on future
      planned releases and contribute to planning of remediation of other areas
      affected by historic releases. 

PMID- 26485119
TI  - Assessment of myometrial invasion in endometrial cancer using three-dimensional
      ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preoperative knowledge of myometrial invasion in endometrial cancer
      is important for surgical planning. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic
      efficiency of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) transvaginal
      ultrasonography (TVS) with and without saline infusion (SIS) and magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) for assessment of myometrial invasion in endometrial
      cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 110 women with atypical endometrial hyperplasia or
      endometrial adenocarcinoma underwent preoperative 2D- and 3D-TVS with and without
      SIS and MRI. Offline 3D-TVS measurement was performed of the minimal tumor-free
      margin in relation to myometrial thickness expressed as deep (>= 50%) myometrial
      invasion and subjective impression of cervix involvement. The quality of images
      was also evaluated. Diagnostic efficiencies were calculated for myometrial and
      cervical involvement for each method. The pathologist's final diagnosis served as
      the reference standard. RESULTS: For myometrial involvement, MRI showed greater
      accuracy than 3D-TVS or 2D-TVS (83, 71 and 75%, respectively). The efficiency of
      3D-TVS was not superior to 2D-TVS and did not improve with SIS. The sensitivities
      of 2D-TVS and 3D-TVS were similar to that of MRI, and the efficiency of 3D-TVS
      improved when volumes of inadequate quality (39%) were excluded. For evaluating
      cervical involvement, the accuracy of 3D-TVS was 85%, comparable to the results
      of 2D-TVS (80%) and MRI (85%). The results did not improve when saline was added.
      CONCLUSION: 3D-TVS or 3D-SIS was not more efficient than 2D-TVS or MRI for
      assessment of myometrial invasion in endometrial cancer. 3D-TVS assessment
      without 2D-TVS was impeded by difficulties in obtaining 3D-TVS volumes of
      sufficient quality.

PMID- 26485120
TI  - Photosensitizer-Loaded Branched Polyethylenimine-PEGylated Ceria Nanoparticles
      for Imaging-Guided Synchronous Photochemotherapy.
AB  - A multifunctional theranostic platform based on photosensitizer (chlorin e6, Ce6)
      loaded branched polyethylenimine-PEGylated ceria nanoparticles (PPCNPs-Ce6) was
      created for the development of effective cancer treatments involving the use of
      imaging-guided synchronous photochemotherapy. PPCNPs-Ce6 with high Ce6
      photosensitizer loading (Ce6: cerium ~40 wt %) significantly enhanced the
      delivery of Ce6 into cells and its accumulation in lysosomes, remarkably
      improving photodynamic therapeutic (PDT) efficacy levels compared to those in the
      administration of free Ce6 at ultralow drug doses (~200 nM). Interestingly,
      PPCNPs-Ce6 efficiently induced HeLa cell death even at low concentrations (~10
      MUM) without the use of laser irradiation and exhibit chemocytotoxicity.
      Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and biology transmission
      electron microscopy (Bio-TEM) analyses demonstrated that ceria nanoparticles
      enter cells abundantly and accumulate in lysosomes or large vesicles. We then
      evaluated the effects of the different materials on lysosomal integrity and
      function, which revealed that PPCNPs-Ce6 catastrophically impaired lysosomal
      function compared to results with PPCNPs and Ce6. Studies of apoptosis revealed
      greater induction of apoptosis by PPCNPs-Ce6 treatment. This multifunctional
      nanocarrier also exhibited a high degree of solubility and stability in aqueous
      solutions, suggesting its applicability for extensive biomedical application. 

PMID- 26485121
TI  - Predicting the extinction of HIV-2 in rural Guinea-Bissau.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article predicts the future epidemiology of HIV-2 in Caio, a
      rural region of Guinea Bissau; and investigates whether HIV-2, which has halved
      in prevalence between 1990 and 2007 and is now almost absent in young adults in
      Caio, can persist as an infection of the elderly. DESIGN: A mathematical model of
      the spread of HIV-2 was tailored to the epidemic in Caio, a village in Guinea
      Bissau. METHODS: An age-stratified difference equation model of HIV-2
      transmission was fitted to age-stratified HIV-2 incidence and prevalence data
      from surveys conducted in Caio in 1990, 1997 and 2007. A stochastic version of
      the same model was used to make projections. RESULTS: HIV-2 infection is
      predicted to continue to rapidly decline in Caio such that new infections will
      cease and prevalence will reach low levels (e.g. below 0.1%) within a few
      decades. HIV-2 is not predicted to persist in the elderly. CONCLUSION: HIV-2 is
      predicted go extinct in Caio during the second half of this century.

PMID- 26485122
TI  - Diastereodivergent Synthesis of Fluorinated Cyclic beta(3)-Amino Acid
      Derivatives.
AB  - The ability of 2-p-tolylbenzyl carbanions to behave as a source of chiral
      benzylic nucleophiles has been shown in its reaction with fluorinated imines. The
      process takes place with high levels of stereocontrol, rendering the
      corresponding amines as single diastereoisomers. Subsequent cross-metathesis
      followed by intramolecular aza-Michael reaction makes the synthesis of
      fluorinated homoproline derivatives bearing three stereogenic centers possible.
      Furthermore, the selectivity of the cyclization process can easily be tuned up in
      a diastereodivergent manner simply by changing the reaction conditions. 

PMID- 26485123
TI  - Glucosinolate Accumulation and Related Gene Expression in Pak Choi (Brassica rapa
      L. ssp. chinensis var. communis [N. Tsen & S.H. Lee] Hanelt) in Response to
      Insecticide Application.
AB  - Glucosinolates and their breakdown products are well-known for their cancer
      chemoprotective functions and biocidal activities against pathogens and
      generalist herbivores. Insecticides are commonly used in the production of pak
      choi (Brassica rapa L. ssp. chinensis var. communis [N. Tsen & S.H. Lee] Hanelt).
      We studied the effects of four commonly used insecticides, namely, beta
      cypermethrin, acephate, pymetrozine, and imidacloprid, on glucosinolate
      metabolism in pak choi. All insecticides significantly increased both the
      transcription of glucosinolate biosynthetic genes and the aliphatic and total
      glucosinolate accumulations in pak choi. beta-Cypermethrin and acephate caused
      gradual and continuous up-regulation of gene expression from 0.5 to 24 h after
      treatment, whereas pymetrozine and imidacloprid did so more rapidly, reaching a
      peak at 1 h and returning to normal at 3 h. Our findings indicate that the four
      insecticides affect glucosinolate metabolism in pak choi plants to various
      degrees and suggest that glucosinolates may be involved in plant insecticide
      metabolism. 

PMID- 26485124
TI  - The Number of Endovascular Trophoblasts in Maternal Blood Increases Overnight and
      after Physical Activity: An Experimental Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Fetal cells in maternal blood may be used for noninvasive prenatal
      diagnostics, although their low number is a challenge. This study's objectives
      were to evaluate whether physical activity, transabdominal and transvaginal
      ultrasound scans of the uterus, as well as overnight or day-to-day variation
      affect the number of isolated fetal cells, more specifically the presumed
      endovascular trophoblast (pEVT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: In each of 3 different
      experiments, 10 normal singleton pregnant women (gestational age 10+4-14+4 weeks)
      participated. The number of pEVTs was assessed in 30-36 ml blood using specific
      markers for enrichment and identification. RESULTS: The number of pEVTs increased
      overnight (p = 0.001) from a median of 1.5 to 3.5 and even further to a median of
      6.0 after 30 min of physical activity (p = 0.04) but was not affected by
      transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound scans. Repeated sampling showed that
      the interindividual variation of pEVTs was higher than the intraindividual
      variation (p < 0.001). However, even in pregnant women with a consistently low
      number of pEVTs, isolation of the pEVTs for prenatal diagnoses was possible in
      all cases by doing 2 separate blood samplings a few days apart. DISCUSSION: The
      number of pEVTs identified in maternal blood can be increased by presampling
      conditions or repeated sampling.

PMID- 26485126
TI  - Advancing the Use of Clinical Decision Support to Prevent Drug-Associated AKI.
AB  - Clinical decision support (CDS) has repeatedly been successful in improving the
      physicians' drug prescribing for patients with kidney disease. Alerts aimed at
      drug dosing may address prevention of drug accumulation, but might miss
      situations when a high-risk patient still receives a nephrotoxin. Alert
      advancement requires CDS that is focused on the appropriate use of potentially
      nephrotoxic medications. Unfortunately, the literature is replete with examples
      of inaccurate or ineffective alerts. However, analyzing these efforts will allow
      us to advance CDS to be more effective and to better understand how to include
      early detection of drug-associated acute kidney injury. Attempts have been made
      to address these limitations of CDS, but there are still opportunities for
      improvement. 

PMID- 26485125
TI  - Established Microbial Colonies Can Survive Type VI Secretion Assault.
AB  - Type VI secretion (T6S) is a cell-to-cell injection system that can be used as a
      microbial weapon. T6S kills vulnerable cells, and is present in close to 25% of
      sequenced Gram-negative bacteria. To examine the ecological role of T6S among
      bacteria, we competed self-immune T6S+ cells and T6S-sensitive cells in simulated
      range expansions. As killing takes place only at the interface between sensitive
      and T6S+ strains, while growth takes place everywhere, sufficiently large domains
      of sensitive cells can achieve net growth in the face of attack. Indeed T6S
      sensitive cells can often outgrow their T6S+ competitors. We validated these
      findings through in vivo competition experiments between T6S+ Vibrio cholerae and
      T6S-sensitive Escherichia coli. We found that E. coli can survive and even
      dominate so long as they have an adequate opportunity to form microcolonies at
      the outset of the competition. Finally, in simulated competitions between two
      equivalent and mutually sensitive T6S+ strains, the more numerous strain has an
      advantage that increases with the T6S attack rate. We conclude that sufficiently
      large domains of T6S-sensitive individuals can survive attack and potentially
      outcompete self-immune T6S+ bacteria. 

PMID- 26485127
TI  - Correction: Quality along the Continuum: A Health Facility Assessment of
      Intrapartum and Postnatal Care in Ghana.

PMID- 26485128
TI  - A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Intervention Study to Assess the Effect of a
      Contact Intervention in Reducing Leprosy-Related Stigma in Indonesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Can deliberate interaction between the public and persons affected by
      leprosy reduce stigmatization? The study described in this paper hypothesises
      that it can and assesses the effectiveness of a 'contact intervention'.
      METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This cluster-randomized controlled intervention study
      is part of the Stigma Assessment and Reduction of Impact (SARI) project conducted
      in Cirebon District, Indonesia. Testimonies, participatory videos and comics
      given or made by people affected by leprosy were used as methods to facilitate a
      dialogue during so-called 'contact events'. A mix of seven quantitative and
      qualitative methods, including two scales to assess aspects of stigma named the
      SDS and EMIC-CSS, were used to establish a baseline regarding stigma and
      knowledge of leprosy, monitor the implementation and assess the impact of the
      contact events. The study sample were community members selected using different
      sampling methods. The baseline shows a lack of knowledge about leprosy, a high
      level of stigma and contrasting examples of support. In total, 91 contact events
      were organised in 62 villages, directly reaching 4,443 community members (mean 49
      per event). The interview data showed that knowledge about leprosy increased and
      that negative attitudes reduced. The adjusted mean total score of the EMIC-CSS
      reduced by 4.95 points among respondents who had attended a contact event (n =
      58; p < 0.001, effect size = 0.75) compared to the score at baseline (n = 213);
      for the SDS this was 3.56 (p < 0.001, effect size = 0.81). About 75% of those
      attending a contact event said they shared the information with others (median 10
      persons). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The contact intervention was effective in
      increasing knowledge and improving public attitudes regarding leprosy. It is
      relatively easy to replicate elsewhere and does not require expensive technology.
      More research is needed to improve scalability. The effectiveness of a contact
      intervention to reduce stigma against other neglected tropical diseases and
      conditions should be evaluated.

PMID- 26485130
TI  - [Early repolarization in ECG. Definition, prevalence and prognostic
      significance].
AB  - Early repolarization defined as antero-lateral ST-segment elevation exists in 1-2
      % of the general population and has been considered a benign ECG finding for
      decades. However, early repolarization, defined as infero-lateral J-waves, has in
      recent studies been associated with an increased - albeit low - risk of sudden
      and cardiovascular death. This ECG pattern is present in 3-13% of the general
      population. However, exercise training can induce all types of early
      repolarization, and the prevalence in the athletic population rises to 20-90%.
      There is large variability between sports (higher in endurance athletes) and also
      throughout the season (higher during times of peak fitness). In athletes, early
      repolarization, regardless of type, is considered benign. In asymptomatic non
      athletes, the absolute risk is too low to use this ECG finding in clinical
      practice. In individuals with J-wave syndrome, on the other hand, ICD
      implantation should be strongly considered to prevent sudden cardiac death. 

PMID- 26485129
TI  - The Relationship between Corvis ST Tonometry Measured Corneal Parameters and
      Intraocular Pressure, Corneal Thickness and Corneal Curvature.
AB  - The purpose of the study was to investigate the correlation between Corneal
      Visualization Scheimpflug Technology (Corvis ST tonometry: CST) parameters and
      various other ocular parameters, including intraocular pressure (IOP) with
      Goldmann applanation tonometry. IOP with Goldmann applanation tonometry (IOP-G),
      central corneal thickness (CCT), axial length (AL), corneal curvature, and CST
      parameters were measured in 94 eyes of 94 normal subjects. The relationship
      between ten CST parameters against age, gender, IOP-G, AL, CST-determined CCT and
      average corneal curvature was investigated using linear modeling. In addition,
      the relationship between IOP-G versus CST-determined CCT, AL, and other CST
      parameters was also investigated using linear modeling. Linear modeling showed
      that the CST measurement 'A time-1' is dependent on IOP-G, age, AL, and average
      corneal curvature; 'A length-1' depends on age and average corneal curvature; 'A
      velocity-1' depends on IOP-G and AL; 'A time-2' depends on IOP-G, age, and AL; 'A
      length-2' depends on CCT; 'A velocity-2' depends on IOP-G, age, AL, CCT, and
      average corneal curvature; 'peak distance' depends on gender; 'maximum
      deformation amplitude' depends on IOP-G, age, and AL. In the optimal model for
      IOP-G, A time-1, A velocity-1, and highest concavity curvature, but not CCT, were
      selected as the most important explanatory variables. In conclusion, many CST
      parameters were not significantly related to CCT, but IOP usually was a
      significant predictor, suggesting that an adjustment should be made to improve
      their usefulness for clinical investigations. It was also suggested CST
      parameters were more influential for IOP-G than CCT and average corneal
      curvature. 

PMID- 26485131
TI  - [Patient safety in the operating room is not just a matter of cutting correctly.
      Social interaction, psychological factors and organization does also play a
      role].

PMID- 26485132
TI  - [Modified British model shortened lead times for CT scans of the colon].
AB  - The British national Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has
      presented guidelines based on signs and symptoms which should raise a suspicion
      of colorectal cancer. A slightly modified version of these guidelines, adapted to
      Swedish conditions, named Swedish NICE (sNICE) criteria, was implemented at eight
      primary care centres. By following the sNICE criteria, cases with higher degree
      of suspicion of colorectal cancer were advised for computer tomography (CT) of
      the colon, whereas cases of low degree of suspicion were advised for the
      considerably less time and patient demanding CT of the abdomen. For patients with
      isolated anal symptoms without presence of sNICE criteria, active expectancy for
      six weeks was recommended, followed by renewed consideration. Results showed that
      the ratio between CT colon and CT abdomen was reduced from 2.2 to 1.1 after
      introduction of the sNICE criteria. Also, the proportion of patients undergoing
      CT colon within two weeks from admittance was increased from 3 to 25 %. We
      conclude that the sNICE criteria may be a useful supportive tool for the primary
      care physician.

PMID- 26485133
TI  - [The hunt for the toxicant from Clostridium difficile].

PMID- 26485134
TI  - [Introduce a new regime for blood tests in clozapine treatment].

PMID- 26485135
TI  - [When nothing goes as planned. Time for a holistic approach in the analysis].

PMID- 26485136
TI  - [The debate on antidepressants. Most of what is good can be used wrong].

PMID- 26485137
TI  - [Opiates or opioids? Time to clean amongst the concepts].

PMID- 26485138
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26485139
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26485140
TI  - [Comment regarding Group A Streptococcus: Manage throat infections according to
      the current recommendations].

PMID- 26485141
TI  - Enhanced protective activity of nano formulated andrographolide against arsenic
      induced liver damage.
AB  - Chronic exposure to arsenic over a period of time induces toxicity, primarily in
      liver but gradually in all systems of the body. Andrographolide (AG), a major
      diterpene lactone of Andrographis paniculata, shows a wide array of physiological
      functions including hepatoprotection. Therapeutic applications of AG are however
      seriously constrained because of its insolubility, poor bioavailability, and
      short plasma half-life. Nanoparticulation of AG is a possible solution to these
      problems. In the present study we investigated the effectiveness of polylactide
      co-glycolide (PLGA) nanocapsulated andrographolide (NA) against arsenic induced
      liver damage in mice. NA of average diameter 65.8 nm and encapsulation efficiency
      of 64% were prepared. Sodium arsenite at a dose of 40 mg/L supplied via drinking
      water in mice significantly raised the serum level of liver function markers such
      as AST, ALT, and ALP, and caused arsenic deposition in liver and ROS generation,
      though it did not show any lethality up to 30 days of exposure. However, even
      liver toxicity was not observed when mice were given AG and NA orally at doses up
      to 100 mg/kg bwt and 20 mg/kg bwt respectively on alternate days for one month.
      Treatment of non-toxic doses of AG or NA on alternate days along with arsenic
      significantly decreased the arsenic induced elevation of the serum level of ALT,
      AST and ALP, and arsenic deposition in liver. AG and NA increased the level of
      hepatic antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase
      (CAT), and the level of reduced glutathione (GSH). Also, the ROS level was
      lowered in mice exposed to arsenic but treated with AG or NA. Protective
      efficiency of NA is about five times more than that of AG. Administration of NA
      to arsenic-treated mice caused signs of improvement in liver tissue architecture.
      In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that NA could be beneficial
      against arsenic-induced liver toxicity.

PMID- 26485142
TI  - The Genetic Structure of Phellinus noxius and Dissemination Pattern of Brown Root
      Rot Disease in Taiwan.
AB  - Since the 1990s, brown root rot caused by Phellinus noxius (Corner) Cunningham
      has become a major tree disease in Taiwan. This fungal pathogen can infect more
      than 200 hardwood and softwood tree species, causing gradual to fast decline of
      the trees. For effective control, we must determine how the pathogen is
      disseminated and how the new infection center of brown root rot is established.
      We performed Illumina sequencing and de novo assembly of a single basidiospore
      isolate Daxi42 and obtained a draft genome of ~40 Mb. By comparing the 12,217
      simple sequence repeat (SSR) regions in Daxi42 with the low-coverage Illumina
      sequencing data for four additional P. noxius isolates, we identified 154 SSR
      regions with potential polymorphisms. A set of 13 polymorphic SSR markers were
      then developed and used to analyze 329 P. noxius isolates collected from 73 tree
      species from urban/agricultural areas in 14 cities/counties all around Taiwan
      from 1989 to 2012. The results revealed a high proportion (~98%) of distinct
      multilocus genotypes (MLGs) and that none of the 329 isolates were genome-wide
      homozygous, which supports a possible predominant outcrossing reproductive mode
      in P. noxius. The diverse MLGs exist as discrete patches, so brown root rot was
      most likely caused by multiple clones rather than a single predominant strain.
      The isolates collected from diseased trees near each other tend to have similar
      genotype(s), which indicates that P. noxius may spread to adjacent trees via root
      to-root contact. Analyses based on Bayesian clustering, FST statistics, analysis
      of molecular variance, and isolation by distance all suggest a low degree of
      population differentiation and little to no barrier to gene flow throughout the
      P. noxius population in Taiwan. We discuss the involvement of basidiospore
      dispersal in disease dissemination. 

PMID- 26485143
TI  - Carboplatin with Decitabine Therapy, in Recurrent Platinum Resistant Ovarian
      Cancer, Alters Circulating miRNAs Concentrations: A Pilot Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Plasma miRNAs represent potential minimally invasive biomarkers to
      monitor and predict outcomes from chemotherapy. The primary goal of the current
      study-consisting of patients with recurrent, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer
      was to identify the changes in circulating miRNA concentrations associated with
      decitabine followed by carboplatin chemotherapy treatment. A secondary goal was
      to associate clinical response with changes in circulating miRNA concentration.
      METHODS: We measured miRNA concentrations in plasma samples from 14 patients with
      platinum-resistant, recurrent ovarian cancer enrolled in a phase II clinical
      trial that were treated with a low dose of the hypomethylating agent (HMA)
      decitabine for 5 days followed by carboplatin on day 8. The primary endpoint was
      to determine chemotherapy-associated changes in plasma miRNA concentrations. The
      secondary endpoint was to correlate miRNA changes with clinical response as
      measured by progression free survival (PFS). RESULTS: Seventy-eight miRNA plasma
      concentrations were measured at baseline (before treatment) and at the end of the
      first cycle of treatment (day 29). Of these, 10 miRNAs (miR-193a-5p, miR-375, miR
      339-3p, miR-340-5p, miR-532-3p, miR-133a-3p, miR-25-3p, miR-10a-5p, miR-616-5p,
      and miR-148b-5p) displayed fold changes in concentration ranging from -2.9 to 4
      (p<0.05), in recurrent platinum resistant ovarian cancer patients, that were
      associated with response to decitabine followed by carboplatin chemotherapy.
      Furthermore, lower concentrations of miR-148b-5p after this chemotherapy regimen
      were associated (P<0.05) with the PFS. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report
      demonstrating altered circulating miRNA concentrations following a combination
      platinum plus HMA chemotherapy regiment. In addition, circulating miR-148b-5p
      concentrations were associated with PFS and may represent a novel biomarker of
      therapeutic response, with this chemotherapy regimen, in women with recurrent,
      drug-resistant ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26485144
TI  - Auxosporulation in Paralia guyana MacGillivary (Bacillariophyta) and Possible New
      Insights into the Habit of the Earliest Diatoms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diatoms are one of the most ecologically important aquatic micro
      eukaryotes. As a group unambiguously recognized as diatoms, they seem to have
      appeared relatively recently with a limited record of putative remains from
      oldest sediments. In contrast, molecular clock estimates for the earliest
      possible emergence of diatoms suggest a considerably older date. Depending on the
      analysis, Paralia and Leptocylindrus have been recovered within the basal
      molecular divergences of diatoms. Thus these genera may be in the position to
      inform on characters that the earliest diatoms possessed. FINDINGS: Here we
      present auxospore development and structure of initial and post-auxospore cells
      in a representative of the ancient non-polar centric genus Paralia. Their initial
      frustules showed unusual, but not unprecedented, spore-like morphology.
      Similarly, initial frustules of Leptocylindrus have been long considered resting
      spores and a unique peculiarity of this genus. However, even though spore-like in
      appearance, initial cells of Paralia readily resumed mitotic divisions. In
      addition, Paralia post-auxospore cells underwent several rounds of mitoses in a
      multi-step process of building a typical, "perfect" vegetative valve. This degree
      of heteromorphy immediately post-auxosporulation is thus far unknown among the
      diatoms. IMPLICATIONS: A spore-related origin of diatoms has already been
      considered, most recently in the form of the "multiplate diploid cyst"
      hypothesis. Our discovery that the initial cells in some of the most ancient
      diatom lineages are structurally spore-like is consistent with that hypothesis
      because the earliest diatoms may be expected to look somewhat similar to their
      ancestors. We speculate that because the earliest diatoms may have appeared less
      diatom-like and more spore-like, they could have gone unrecognized as such in the
      Triassic/Jurassic sediments. If correct, diatoms may indeed be much older than
      the fossil record indicates, and possibly more in line with some molecular clock
      predictions.

PMID- 26485145
TI  - Development of a Luminex Bead Based Assay for Diagnosis of Toxocariasis Using
      Recombinant Antigens Tc-CTL-1 and Tc-TES-26.
AB  - The clinical spectrum of human disease caused by the roundworms Toxocara canis
      and Toxocara cati ranges from visceral and ocular larva migrans to covert
      toxocariasis. The parasite is not typically recovered in affected tissues, so
      detection of parasite-specific antibodies is usually necessary for establishing a
      diagnosis. The most reliable immunodiagnostic methods use the Toxocara excretory
      secretory antigens (TES-Ag) in ELISA formats to detect Toxocara-specific
      antibodies. To eliminate the need for native parasite materials, we identified
      and purified immunodiagnostic antigens using 2D gel electrophoresis followed by
      electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Three predominant immunoreactive
      proteins were found in the TES; all three had been previously described in the
      literature: Tc-CTL-1, Tc-TES-26, and Tc-MUC-3. We generated Escherichia coli
      expressed recombinant proteins for evaluation in Luminex based immunoassays. We
      were unable to produce a functional assay with the Tc-MUC-3 recombinant protein.
      Tc-CTL-1 and Tc-TES-26 were successfully coupled and tested using defined serum
      batteries. The use of both proteins together generated better results than if the
      proteins were used individually. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay for
      detecting visceral larval migrans using Tc-CTL-1 plus Tc-TES-26 was 99% and 94%,
      respectively; the sensitivity for detecting ocular larval migrans was 64%. The
      combined performance of the new assay was superior to the currently available EIA
      and could potentially be employed to replace current assays that rely on native
      TES-Ag. 

PMID- 26485146
TI  - Abiotic Stresses Antagonize the Rice Defence Pathway through the Tyrosine
      Dephosphorylation of OsMPK6.
AB  - Plants, as sessile organisms, survive environmental changes by prioritizing their
      responses to the most life-threatening stress by allocating limited resources.
      Previous studies showed that pathogen resistance was suppressed under abiotic
      stresses. Here, we show the mechanism underlying this phenomenon. Phosphorylation
      of WRKY45, the central transcription factor in salicylic-acid (SA)-signalling
      dependent pathogen defence in rice, via the OsMKK10-2-OsMPK6 cascade, was
      required to fully activate WRKY45. The activation of WRKY45 by benzothiadiazole
      (BTH) was reduced under low temperature and high salinity, probably through
      abscisic acid (ABA) signalling. An ABA treatment dephosphorylated/inactivated
      OsMPK6 via protein tyrosine phosphatases, OsPTP1/2, leading to the impaired
      activation of WRKY45 and a reduction in Magnaporthe oryzae resistance, even after
      BTH treatment. BTH induced a strong M. oryzae resistance in OsPTP1/2 knockdown
      rice, even under cold and high salinity, indicating that OsPTP1/2 is the node of
      SA-ABA signalling crosstalk and its down-regulation makes rice disease resistant,
      even under abiotic stresses. These results points to one of the directions to
      further improve crops by managing the tradeoffs between different stress
      responses of plants. 

PMID- 26485147
TI  - Flea-Associated Bacterial Communities across an Environmental Transect in a
      Plague-Endemic Region of Uganda.
AB  - The vast majority of human plague cases currently occur in sub-Saharan Africa.
      The primary route of transmission of Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of
      plague, is via flea bites. Non-pathogenic flea-associated bacteria may interact
      with Y. pestis within fleas and it is important to understand what factors govern
      flea-associated bacterial assemblages. Six species of fleas were collected from
      nine rodent species from ten Ugandan villages between October 2010 and March
      2011. A total of 660,345 16S rRNA gene DNA sequences were used to characterize
      bacterial communities of 332 individual fleas. The DNA sequences were binned into
      421 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) based on 97% sequence similarity. We used
      beta diversity metrics to assess the effects of flea species, flea sex, rodent
      host species, site (i.e. village), collection date, elevation, mean annual
      precipitation, average monthly precipitation, and average monthly temperature on
      bacterial community structure. Flea species had the greatest effect on bacterial
      community structure with each flea species harboring unique bacterial lineages.
      The site (i.e. village), rodent host, flea sex, elevation, precipitation, and
      temperature also significantly affected bacterial community composition. Some
      bacterial lineages were widespread among flea species (e.g. Bartonella spp. and
      Wolbachia spp.), but each flea species also harbored unique bacterial lineages.
      Some of these lineages are not closely related to known bacterial diversity and
      likely represent newly discovered lineages of insect symbionts. Our finding that
      flea species has the greatest effect on bacterial community composition may help
      future investigations between Yersinia pestis and non-pathogenic flea-associated
      bacteria. Characterizing bacterial communities of fleas during a plague epizootic
      event in the future would be helpful. 

PMID- 26485148
TI  - Human-Robot Interaction: Does Robotic Guidance Force Affect Gait-Related Brain
      Dynamics during Robot-Assisted Treadmill Walking?
AB  - In order to determine optimal training parameters for robot-assisted treadmill
      walking, it is essential to understand how a robotic device interacts with its
      wearer, and thus, how parameter settings of the device affect locomotor control.
      The aim of this study was to assess the effect of different levels of guidance
      force during robot-assisted treadmill walking on cortical activity. Eighteen
      healthy subjects walked at 2 km.h-1 on a treadmill with and without assistance of
      the Lokomat robotic gait orthosis. Event-related spectral perturbations and
      changes in power spectral density were investigated during unassisted treadmill
      walking as well as during robot-assisted treadmill walking at 30%, 60% and 100%
      guidance force (with 0% body weight support). Clustering of independent
      components revealed three clusters of activity in the sensorimotor cortex during
      treadmill walking and robot-assisted treadmill walking in healthy subjects. These
      clusters demonstrated gait-related spectral modulations in the mu, beta and low
      gamma bands over the sensorimotor cortex related to specific phases of the gait
      cycle. Moreover, mu and beta rhythms were suppressed in the right primary sensory
      cortex during treadmill walking compared to robot-assisted treadmill walking with
      100% guidance force, indicating significantly larger involvement of the
      sensorimotor area during treadmill walking compared to robot-assisted treadmill
      walking. Only marginal differences in the spectral power of the mu, beta and low
      gamma bands could be identified between robot-assisted treadmill walking with
      different levels of guidance force. From these results it can be concluded that a
      high level of guidance force (i.e., 100% guidance force) and thus a less active
      participation during locomotion should be avoided during robot-assisted treadmill
      walking. This will optimize the involvement of the sensorimotor cortex which is
      known to be crucial for motor learning. 

PMID- 26485150
TI  - Predictors of depression and anxiety during adolescence: the impact of birth
      weight.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A complex association has been observed between birth weight (BW) and
      depression/anxiety symptoms at various stages of life. The purpose of this study
      was to evaluate whether adolescents with low or insufficient BW were more likely
      to report depressive/anxiety symptoms. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was
      conducted with 102 adolescents (40 boys and 62 girls). RESULTS: Our results
      demonstrated that the incidence of depressive symptoms was 63% in the first BW
      quartile and 20% in the fourth quartile. Similarly, we observed that anxiety
      symptoms were present in 83% of the adolescents in the first BW quartile,
      followed by 36% in the fourth BW quartile. After adjustment, our study identified
      potential risk factors that were associated with anxiety symptoms, including
      female gender (P=0.026) and having a BW in the first quartile (P=0.049).
      Moreover, the adjusted odds of having depression were 4.5 times higher in
      adolescents with BW in the lowest quartile (P=0.035). We also found that the
      incidence of depressive symptoms among females was 61% in the first BW quartile
      and 30% in the fourth BW quartile and that it was 67% versus 12%, respectively,
      among males. Finally, a model that used anxiety symptoms as the dependent
      variable produced similar data. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that a
      deleterious fetal environment appears to have a significant impact on psychiatric
      issues.

PMID- 26485149
TI  - Antiretroviral Regimens and CD4/CD8 Ratio Normalization in HIV-Infected Patients
      during the Initial Year of Treatment: A Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As CD4/CD8 ratio inversion has been associated with non-AIDS
      morbidity and mortality, predictors of ratio normalization after cART need to be
      studied. Here, we aimed to investigate the association of antiretroviral regimens
      with CD4/CD8 ratio normalization within an observational cohort. METHODS: We
      selected, from a French cohort at the Nice University Hospital, HIV-1 positive
      treatment-naive patients who initiated cART between 2000 and 2011 with a CD4/CD8
      ratio <1. Association between cART and ratio normalization (>1) in the first year
      was assessed using multivariate logistic regression models. Specific association
      with INSTI-containing regimens was examined. RESULTS: 567 patients were included
      in the analyses; the median CD4/CD8 ratio was 0.36. Respectively, 52.9%, 29.6%
      and 10.4% initiated a PI-based, NNRTI-based or NRTI-based cART regimens. About 8%
      of the population started an INSTI-containing regimen. 62 (10.9%) patients
      achieved a CD4/CD8 ratio >=1 (N group). cART regimen was not associated with
      normalization when coded as PI-, NNRTI- or NRTI-based regimen. However, when
      considering INSTI-containing regimens alone, there was a strong association with
      normalization [OR, 7.67 (2.54-23.2)]. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest an
      association between initiation of an INSTI-containing regimen and CD4/CD8 ratio
      normalization at one year in naive patients. Should it be confirmed in a larger
      population, it would be another argument for their use as first-line regimen as
      it is recommended in the recent update of the "Guidelines for the Use of
      Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents".

PMID- 26485151
TI  - Synthesis, crystal structure, optical and thermal properties of lanthanide
      hydrogen-polyphosphates Ln[H(PO3)4] (Ln = Tb, Dy, Ho).
AB  - Lanthanide hydrogen-polyphosphates Ln[H(PO3)4] (Ln = Tb, Dy, Ho) were synthesised
      as colourless (Ln = Tb, Dy) and light pink (Ln = Ho) crystalline powders by
      reaction of Tb4O7/Dy2O3/Ho2O3 with H3PO3 at 380  degrees C. All compounds
      crystallise isotypically (P2(1)/c (no. 14), Z = 4, a(Tb) = 1368.24(4) pm, b(Tb) =
      710.42(2) pm, c(Tb) = 965.79(3) pm, beta(Tb) = 101.200(1) degrees , 3112 data,
      160 parameters, wR2 = 0.062, a(Ho) = 1363.34(5) pm, b(Ho) = 709.24(3) pm, c(Ho) =
      959.07(4) pm, beta(Ho) = 101.055(1) degrees , 1607 data, 158 parameters, wR2 =
      0.058). The crystal structure comprises two different infinite helical chains of
      corner-sharing phosphate tetrahedra. In-between these chains the lanthanide ions
      are located, coordinated by seven oxygen atoms belonging to four different
      polyphosphate chains. Vibrational, UV/Vis and fluorescence spectra of Ln[H(PO3)4]
      (Ln = Tb, Dy, Ho) as well as Dy[H(PO3)4]:Ln (Ln = Ce, Eu) and the magnetic and
      thermal behaviour of Tb[H(PO3)4] are reported.

PMID- 26485153
TI  - Integrating Frailty into Clinical Practice to Prevent the Risk of Dependency in
      the Elderly.
AB  - Geriatric medicine started to be developed approximately 40 years ago when the
      increasing number of older adults with disability and dementia admitted to
      hospital emergency units threatened the sustainability of the healthcare
      organizations. Today, almost 90% of the geriatric medicine forces are devoted to
      the care of age-related disabilities. The epidemiological scenario and the high
      healthcare costs required for the management of dependent individuals require the
      adoption of strategies aimed at preventing the loss of physical function and
      anticipate the take in charge of older persons at risk of negative outcomes.
      Major medical specialties (e.g., oncology, cardiology, neurology...) have already
      moved to an early stage of the diseases to be more effective. Geriatric medicine
      must do the same moving to frailty an early stage of disability were intervention
      are more likely to be effective. 

PMID- 26485154
TI  - Orthotopic Implantation and Peripheral Immune Cell Monitoring in the II-45
      Syngeneic Rat Mesothelioma Model.
AB  - The enormous upsurge of interest in immune-based treatments for cancer such as
      vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors, and increased understanding of the
      role of the tumor microenvironment in treatment response, collectively point to
      the need for immune-competent orthotopic models for pre-clinical testing of these
      new therapies. This paper demonstrates how to establish an orthotopic immune
      competent rat model of pleural malignant mesothelioma. Monitoring disease
      progression in orthotopic models is confounded by the internal location of the
      tumors. To longitudinally monitor disease progression and its effect on
      circulating immune cells in this and other rat models of cancer, a single tube
      flow cytometry assay requiring only 25 ul whole blood is described. This provides
      accurate quantification of seven immune parameters: total lymphocytes, monocytes
      and neutrophils, as well as the T-cell subsets CD4 and CD8, B-cells and Natural
      Killer cells. Different subsets of these parameters are useful in different
      circumstances and models, with the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio having the
      greatest utility for monitoring disease progression in the mesothelioma model.
      Analyzing circulating immune cell levels using this single tube method may also
      assist in monitoring the response to immune-based treatments and understanding
      the underlying mechanisms leading to success or failure of treatment. 

PMID- 26485155
TI  - Prevalence and Impact on Stroke in Patients Receiving Maintenance Hemodialysis
      versus Peritoneal Dialysis: A Prospective Observational Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing maintenance dialysis are at increased risk of
      stroke, however, less is known about the prevalence and impact on stroke in the
      patients. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, 590 patients undergoing
      hemodialysis (HD; n = 285) or peritoneal dialysis (PD; n = 305) from January 1,
      2008 to December 31, 2012 were recruited. Baseline demographic, clinical, and
      laboratory data were collected. Timeline incidence data were analyzed using a
      Poisson model. The Cox proportional hazards regression assessed adjusted
      differences in stroke risk, a multivariate analysis was also performed. RESULTS:
      62 strokes occurred during 1258 total patient-years of follow-up. Stroke occurred
      at a rate of 49.2/1,000 patient-years with a predominance in HD patients compared
      with PD patients (74.0 vs. 31.8/1,000 patient-years). The cumulative hazard of
      developing stroke was significantly higher in HD patients (hazard ratio [HR],
      1.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-3.62; p = 0.046) after adjusting for
      potential confounders. HD patients had an increased risk of ischemic stroke (HR,
      2.62; 95% CI, 1.56-4.58; p = 0.002). The risk of hemorrhagic stroke was not
      significantly different between PD and HD patients. On multivariate Cox analysis,
      risk factors of stroke in both HD and PD patients were older age, diabetes, and
      cardiovascular disease. Other independent risk factors of stroke were lower
      albumin-corrected calcium in HD patients and higher triglycerides in PD patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing PD were less likely to develop ischemic stroke
      than those undergoing HD. Comprehensive control of diabetes, cardiovascular
      disease, calcium-phosphorus metabolism, and triglyceride levels may be useful
      preventive strategies for stroke in dialysis patients.

PMID- 26485156
TI  - In vitro cancer cell-ECM interactions inform in vivo cancer treatment.
AB  - The general progression of cancer drug development involves in vitro testing
      followed by safety and efficacy evaluation in clinical trials. Due to the expense
      of bringing candidate drugs to trials, in vitro models of cancer cells and tumor
      biology are required to screen drugs. There are many examples of drugs exhibiting
      cytotoxic behavior in cancer cells in vitro but losing efficacy in vivo, and in
      many cases, this is the result of poorly understood chemoresistant effects
      conferred by the cancer microenvironment. To address this, improved methods for
      culturing cancer cells in biomimetic scaffolds have been developed; along the
      way, a great deal about the nature of cancer cell-extracellular matrix (ECM)
      interactions has been discovered. These discoveries will continue to be leveraged
      both in the development of novel drugs targeting these interactions and in the
      fabrication of biomimetic substrates for efficient cancer drug screening in
      vitro. 

PMID- 26485157
TI  - Developing a Workflow to Identify Inconsistencies in Volunteered Geographic
      Information: A Phenological Case Study.
AB  - Recent improvements in online information communication and mobile location-aware
      technologies have led to the production of large volumes of volunteered
      geographic information. Widespread, large-scale efforts by volunteers to collect
      data can inform and drive scientific advances in diverse fields, including
      ecology and climatology. Traditional workflows to check the quality of such
      volunteered information can be costly and time consuming as they heavily rely on
      human interventions. However, identifying factors that can influence data
      quality, such as inconsistency, is crucial when these data are used in modeling
      and decision-making frameworks. Recently developed workflows use simple
      statistical approaches that assume that the majority of the information is
      consistent. However, this assumption is not generalizable, and ignores underlying
      geographic and environmental contextual variability that may explain apparent
      inconsistencies. Here we describe an automated workflow to check inconsistency
      based on the availability of contextual environmental information for sampling
      locations. The workflow consists of three steps: (1) dimensionality reduction to
      facilitate further analysis and interpretation of results, (2) model-based
      clustering to group observations according to their contextual conditions, and
      (3) identification of inconsistent observations within each cluster. The workflow
      was applied to volunteered observations of flowering in common and cloned lilac
      plants (Syringa vulgaris and Syringa x chinensis) in the United States for the
      period 1980 to 2013. About 97% of the observations for both common and cloned
      lilacs were flagged as consistent, indicating that volunteers provided reliable
      information for this case study. Relative to the original dataset, the exclusion
      of inconsistent observations changed the apparent rate of change in lilac bloom
      dates by two days per decade, indicating the importance of inconsistency checking
      as a key step in data quality assessment for volunteered geographic information.
      Initiatives that leverage volunteered geographic information can adapt this
      workflow to improve the quality of their datasets and the robustness of their
      scientific analyses. 

PMID- 26485158
TI  - Spatial frequency selection and integration of global and local information in
      visual processing: A selective review and tribute to Shlomo Bentin.
AB  - Previous research has suggested a relationship between processing lower versus
      higher spatial frequencies (SFs) and global/local perception, respectively. Here
      we honor Shlomo Bentin by reviewing the work we conducted with him regarding this
      issue. This work was aimed at investigating the mechanisms by which selective
      attention to spatial frequency (SF) mediates global and local perception in
      general and how these perceptual levels are integrated with the shapes that
      define them. The experiments demonstrate that attention to global and local
      aspects of a hierarchical display biases the flexible selection of relatively
      lower and relatively higher SFs during image processing. Additionally,
      attentional selection of SF allows for the shapes in a hierarchical display to be
      integrated with the level (global/local) at which they occur. The studies
      reviewed here provide strong evidence that the flexible, top-down selection of
      low-level SF channels mediates the perception of global and local elements of
      visual displays. The studies also support a hemisphere asymmetry in this process,
      with right hemisphere functions biased toward global perception and left
      hemisphere functions biased toward local. 

PMID- 26485160
TI  - Microfluidic Leaching of Soil Minerals: Release of K+ from K Feldspar.
AB  - The rate of K+ leaching from soil minerals such as K-feldspar is believed to be
      too slow to provide agronomic benefit. Currently, theories and methods available
      to interpret kinetics of mineral processes in soil fail to consider its
      microfluidic nature. In this study, we measure the leaching rate of K+ ions from
      a K-feldspar-bearing rock (syenite) in a microfluidic environment, and
      demonstrate that at the spatial and temporal scales experienced by crop roots, K+
      is available at a faster rate than that measured with conventional apparatuses.
      We present a device to investigate kinetics of mineral leaching at an
      unprecedented simultaneous resolution of space (~101-102 MUm), time (~101-102
      min) and fluid volume (~100-101 mL). Results obtained from such a device
      challenge the notion that silicate minerals cannot be used as alternative
      fertilizers for tropical soils. 

PMID- 26485159
TI  - Neural substrates of spontaneous narrative production in focal neurodegenerative
      disease.
AB  - Conversational storytelling integrates diverse cognitive and socio-emotional
      abilities that critically differ across neurodegenerative disease groups.
      Storytelling patterns may have diagnostic relevance and predict anatomic changes.
      The present study employed mixed methods discourse and quantitative analyses to
      delineate patterns of storytelling across focal neurodegenerative disease groups,
      and to clarify the neuroanatomical contributions to common storytelling
      characteristics. Transcripts of spontaneous social interactions of 46
      participants (15 behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), 7 semantic
      variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), 12 Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 12
      healthy older normal controls (NC)) were analyzed for storytelling frequency and
      characteristics, and videos of the interactions were rated for patients' level of
      social attentiveness. Compared to controls, svPPAs told more stories and
      autobiographical stories, and perseverated on aspects of self during the
      interaction, whereas ADs told fewer autobiographical stories than NCs. svPPAs and
      bvFTDs were rated as less attentive to social cues. Aspects of storytelling were
      related to diverse cognitive and socio-emotional functions, and voxel-based
      anatomic analysis of structural magnetic resonance imaging revealed that temporal
      organization, narrative evaluations patterns, and social attentiveness correlated
      with atrophy corresponding to known intrinsic connectivity networks, including
      the default mode, limbic, salience, and stable task control networks. Differences
      in spontaneous storytelling among neurodegenerative groups elucidated diverse
      cognitive, socio-emotional, and neural contributions to narrative production,
      with implications for diagnostic screening and therapeutic intervention. 

PMID- 26485161
TI  - Potent Sensitisation of Cancer Cells to Anticancer Drugs by a Quadruple Mutant of
      the Human Deoxycytidine Kinase.
AB  - Identifying enzymes that, once introduced in cancer cells, lead to an increased
      efficiency of treatment constitutes an important goal for biomedical
      applications. Using an original procedure whereby mutant genes are generated
      based on the use of conditional lentivector genome mobilisation, we recently
      described, for the first time, the identification of a human deoxycytidine kinase
      (dCK) mutant (G12) that sensitises a panel of cancer cell lines to treatment with
      the dCK analogue gemcitabine. Here, starting from the G12 variant itself, we
      generated a new library and identified a mutant (M36) that triggers even greater
      sensitisation to gemcitabine than G12. With respect to G12, M36 presents an
      additional mutation located in the region that constitutes the interface of the
      dCK dimer. The simple presence of this mutation halves both the IC50 and the
      proportion of residual cells resistant to the treatment. Furthermore, the use of
      vectors with self-inactivating LTRs leads to an increased sensitivity to
      treatment, a result compatible with a relief of the transcriptional interference
      exerted by the U3 promoter on the internal promoter that drives the expression of
      M36. Importantly, a remarkable effect is also observed in treatments with the
      anticancer compound cytarabine (AraC), for which a 10,000 fold decrease in IC50
      occurred. By triggering the sensitisation of various cancer cell types with poor
      prognosis to two commonly used anticancer compounds M36 is a promising candidate
      for suicide gene approaches. 

PMID- 26485162
TI  - Cytomegalovirus infection accelerates epigenetic aging.
AB  - Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation (DNAm) have a central role in the
      regulation of gene expression and thereby in cellular differentiation and tissue
      homeostasis. It has recently been shown that aging is associated with profound
      changes in DNAm. Several of these methylation changes take place in a clock-like
      fashion, i.e. correlating with the calendar age of an individual. Thus, the
      epigenetic clock based on these kind of DNAm changes could provide a new
      biomarker for human aging process, i.e. being able to separate the calendar and
      biological age. Information about the correlation of the time indicated by this
      clock to the various aspects of immunosenescence is still missing. As chronic
      cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is probably one of the major driving forces of
      immunosenescence, we now have analyzed the correlation of CMV seropositivity with
      the epigenetic age in the Vitality 90+cohort 1920 (122 nonagenarians and 21 young
      controls, CMV seropositivity rates 95% and 57%, respectively). The data showed
      that CMV seropositivity was associated with a higher epigenetic age in both of
      these age groups (median 26.5 vs. 24.0 (p < 0.02,Mann-Whitney U-test) in the
      young controls and 76.0 vs. 70.0 (p < 0.01) in the nonagenarians). Thus, these
      data provide a new aspect to the CMV associated pathological processes.

PMID- 26485163
TI  - Discovering Preferential Patterns in Sectoral Trade Networks.
AB  - We analyze the patterns of import/export bilateral relations, with the aim of
      assessing the relevance and shape of "preferentiality" in countries' trade
      decisions. Preferentiality here is defined as the tendency to concentrate trade
      on one or few partners. With this purpose, we adopt a systemic approach through
      the use of the tools of complex network analysis. In particular, we apply a
      pattern detection approach based on community and pseudocommunity analysis, in
      order to highlight the groups of countries within which most of members' trade
      occur. The method is applied to two intra-industry trade networks consisting of
      221 countries, relative to the low-tech "Textiles and Textile Articles" and the
      high-tech "Electronics" sectors for the year 2006, to look at the structure of
      world trade before the start of the international financial crisis. It turns out
      that the two networks display some similarities and some differences in
      preferential trade patterns: they both include few significant communities that
      define narrow sets of countries trading with each other as preferential
      destinations markets or supply sources, and they are characterized by the
      presence of similar hierarchical structures, led by the largest economies. But
      there are also distinctive features due to the characteristics of the industries
      examined, in which the organization of production and the destination markets are
      different. Overall, the extent of preferentiality and partner selection at the
      sector level confirm the relevance of international trade costs still today,
      inducing countries to seek the highest efficiency in their trade patterns. 

PMID- 26485164
TI  - pH sensitive nano layered double hydroxides reduce the hematotoxicity and enhance
      the anticancer efficacy of etoposide on non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - Etoposide (VP16), used for the treatment of many carcinomas, can cause
      leukopenia, thrombocytopenia and hair loss. To overcome the side effects and
      achieve target therapy, layered double hydroxides (LDHs), a pH sensitive layered
      double hydroxide nanohybrid, was used here as a nano-carrier. The functions of
      LDHs-VP16 on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were firstly explored both in
      vitro and in vivo. In A549 cell line, LDH-VP16 induced apoptosis 2.3-fold as that
      of plain VP16 by targeting to mitochondrial, stocking cells in G1 phase. The
      cellular uptake demonstrated the delivery of LDH for VP16 to pass through the
      membrane and accumulate in mitochondria. As a carrier, LDH greatly decreased the
      liver toxicity and hematotoxicity of VP16. The detected liver parameters,
      including glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP),
      alanine aminotransferase (ALT), were all turn back to normal range after the
      delivery of LDH, except ALP. In vivo, LDH-VP16 reduced A549 tumor growth
      significantly by 60.5%, whereas native VP16 exerted no significant anticancer
      activity. In LDH-VP16 treated mice, the AUC was increased by 6.26 folds as the
      native drug, and t1/2 of LDH-VP16 was prolonged from 6.68 to 98.78h. LDH-VP16
      showed a targeting effect, which largely increase the concentration in tumor and
      lung. The phosphorylation antibody array and Western Blot of proteins from
      xenografts revealed that PI3K-AKT signaling was suppressed in the LDH-VP16
      treated tumor, while in VP16 treated mice, ERBB signaling pathway was involved.
      These results suggested that LDH-VP16 diminishes hematotoxicity, targets NSCLC
      tumor, performs more effectively than VP16, and different signaling pathway is
      involved compared to VP16. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: This paper explored that
      nano-sized layered double hydroxide (LDH) could be used as a pH sensitive
      delivery system to overcome hematotoxicity and enhance the bioavailability and
      anticancer efficacy of etoposide (VP16) against non small cell lung cancer, which
      was not reported before, as the best of our knowledge. We found that the liver
      and hematotoxicity is nearly recovered after the loading of VP16 in pH sensitive
      LDH, which prongs the half time from 6.68h to 98h, helps target VP16 to tumor and
      lung, and protects white blood cells by its pH sensitive and nano-size property.
      LDH-VP16 achieve markedly performance on non-small cell lung cancer by targeting
      to mitochondria of A549 cells in vitro and effectively inhibiting the PI3K-AKT
      signaling pathway in vivo. The inhibition ratio of VP16 on A549 tumor growth is
      increased from less than 20% (no significance compared to control) to 60.5% after
      the delivery of LDH. This work provides a novel system for the safe and efficient
      use of etoposide on non-small cell lung cancer and explores the mechanism of the
      function of nano carrier in cancer therapy both in vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 26485165
TI  - Fabrication of a magnesium alloy with excellent ductility for biodegradable
      clips.
AB  - To develop a biodegradable clip, the equivalent plastic strain distribution
      during occlusion was evaluated by the finite element analysis (FEA) using the
      material data of pure Mg. Since the FEA suggested that a maximum plastic strain
      of 0.40 is required to allow the Mg clips, the alloying of magnesium with
      essential elements and the control of microstructure by hot extrusion and
      annealing were conducted. Mechanical characterization revealed that the Mg-Zn-Ca
      alloy obtained by double extrusion followed by annealing at 673K for 2h possessed
      a fracture strain over 0.40. The biocompatibility of the alloy was confirmed here
      by investigating its degradation behavior and the response of extraperitoneal
      tissue around the Mg-Zn-Ca alloy. Small gas cavity due to degradation was
      observed following implantation of the developed Mg-Zn-Ca clip by in vivo micro
      CT. Histological analysis, minimal observed inflammation, and an only small
      decrease in the volume of the implanted Mg-Zn-Ca clip confirmed its excellent
      biocompatibility. FEA using the material data for ductile Mg-Zn-Ca also showed
      that the clip could occlude the simulated vessel without fracture. In addition,
      the Mg-Zn-Ca alloy clip successfully occluded the renal vein. Microstructural
      observations using electron backscattering diffraction confirmed that dynamic
      recovery occurred during the later stage of plastic deformation of the ductile Mg
      Zn-Ca alloy. These results suggest that the developed Mg-Zn-Ca alloy is a
      suitable material for biodegradable clips. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Since
      conventional magnesium alloys have not exhibited significant ductility for
      applying the occlusion of vessels, the alloying of magnesium with essential
      elements and the control of microstructure by hot extrusion and annealing were
      conducted. Mechanical characterization revealed that the Mg-Zn-Ca alloy obtained
      by double extrusion followed by annealing at 673K for 2h possessed a fracture
      strain over 0.40. The biocompatibility of the alloy was confirmed by
      investigating its degradation behavior and the response of extraperitoneal tissue
      around the Mg-Zn-Ca alloy. Finite element analysis using the material data for
      the ductile Mg-Zn-Ca alloy also showed that the clip could occlude the simulated
      vessel without fracture. In addition, the Mg-Zn-Ca alloy clip successfully
      occluded the renal vein. Microstructural observations using electron
      backscattering diffraction confirmed that dynamic recovery occurred during the
      later stage of plastic deformation of the ductile Mg-Zn-Ca alloy.

PMID- 26485166
TI  - Controlled co-immobilization of EGF and VEGF to optimize vascular cell survival.
AB  - Growth factors (GFs) are potent signaling molecules that act in a coordinated
      manner in physiological processes such as tissue healing or angiogenesis. Co
      immobilizing GFs on materials while preserving their bioactivity still represents
      a major challenge in the field of tissue regeneration and bioactive implants. In
      this study, we explore the potential of an oriented immobilization technique
      based on two high affinity peptides, namely the Ecoil and Kcoil, to allow for the
      simultaneous capture of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on a chondroitin sulfate coating. This
      glycosaminoglycan layer was selected as it promotes cell adhesion but reduces non
      specific adsorption of plasma proteins. We demonstrate here that both Ecoil
      tagged GFs can be successfully immobilized on chondroitin sulfate surfaces that
      had been pre-decorated with the Kcoil peptide. As shown by direct ELISA, changing
      the incubation concentration of the various GFs enabled to control their grafted
      amount. Moreover, cell survival studies with endothelial and smooth muscle cells
      confirmed that our oriented tethering strategy preserved GF bioactivity. Of
      salient interest, co-immobilizing EGF and VEGF led to better cell survival
      compared to each GF captured alone, suggesting a synergistic effect of these GFs.
      Altogether, these results demonstrate the potential of coiled-coil oriented GF
      tethering for the co-immobilization of macromolecules; it thus open the way to
      the generation of biomaterials surfaces with fine-tuned biological properties.
      STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Growth factors are potent signaling molecules that act
      in a coordinated manner in physiological processes such as tissue healing or
      angiogenesis. Controlled coimmobilization of growth factors on biomaterials while
      preserving their bioactivity represents a major challenge in the field of tissue
      regeneration and bioactive implants. This study demonstrates the potential of an
      oriented immobilization technique based on two high affinity peptides to allow
      for the simultaneous capture of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Our system allowed an efficient control on
      growth factor immobilization by adjusting the incubation concentrations of EGF
      and VEGF. Of salient interest, co-immobilizing of specific ratios of EGF and VEGF
      demonstrated a synergistic effect on cell survival compared to each GF captured
      alone.

PMID- 26485167
TI  - Submicron-sized hydrogels incorporating cyclic dinucleotides for selective
      delivery and elevated cytokine release in macrophages.
AB  - Despite the emerging evidences supporting the potential of cyclic guanosine
      monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate (cGAMP) as a vaccine adjuvant, few properly
      designed micro-/nanocarriers for the delivery of cyclic dinucleotides have been
      developed. In this study, we formulated cGAMP within linear polyethyleneimine
      (LPEI)/hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels via inverse water-in-oil (W/O)
      emulsion/crosslinking. Spherical and cationic LPEI/HA hydrogels (LH gels) with a
      size of 455.3+/-3.1nm and a surface charge of 48.7+/-3.7mV were selectively and
      efficiently delivered into phagocytic macrophage cells, which are one type of
      antigen-presenting cells (APCs), but not into non-phagocytic fibroblast cells. LH
      gels incorporating cGAMP (LH/cGAMP gels) elicited excellent induction of the
      cytokines interferon-beta (IFN-beta) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). In particular, the
      amount of IFN-beta released by LH hydrogels was significantly increased by 2.5
      fold compared to that released by conventional cationic liposomes, such as
      Lipofectamine. In addition, fabricated LH gels showed superior biocompatibility
      in phagocytic cell lines and primary bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs).
      After intramuscular injection with ovalbumin into C57BL/6 mice, LH/cGAMP gels
      exhibited significantly elevated levels of anti-ovalbumin total IgG in serum and
      IFN-beta mRNA in spleens. Thus, the newly designed cGAMP-incorporating hydrogels
      can serve as safe and potent adjuvants for vaccination and immunotherapy.
      STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Since cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine
      monophosphate (cGAMP) was first found as a second messenger of immune signaling
      in human systems in February 2013 (Science, 15, 826), several scientific studies
      have been reported related to the potential of cGAMP as a vaccine adjuvant or
      additive for immunotherapy. However, only naked cGAMP without carriers were
      studied via intramuscular or intranasal administration so far. In our study, we
      first investigated the feasibility of polymeric hydrogels incorporating cGAMP in
      terms of selective uptake into phagocytic antigen presenting cells (APCs),
      induction of cytokines, production of target antibodies, and biocompatibility for
      vaccination and immunotherapy in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, we believe this
      manuscript would be of great interest to the biomaterial communities especially
      who are studying immunotherapy.

PMID- 26485168
TI  - A tumor-specific cleavable nanosystem of PEG-modified C60@Au hybrid aggregates
      for radio frequency-controlled release, hyperthermia, photodynamic therapy and X
      ray imaging.
AB  - Taking advantages of fullerene (C60) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for
      potentials in photodynamic therapy (PDT), drug delivery and radio frequency
      thermal therapy (RTT), a C60@Au hybrid nanocomposite was synthesized by chemical
      deposition of Au nanoparticles onto C60, and functionalized by PEG5000 via a pH
      cleavable hydrazone bond, making C60@Au-PEG keep the PEG on the surface of drug
      delivery system during circulation but dissociate PEG from the system after
      accumulation in tumor tissue, then doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded onto C60@Au-PEG
      with a very high drug loading efficiency. The release profiles of DOX from C60@Au
      PEG/DOX showed strong dependences on radio frequency (RF). For the drug delivery,
      C60@Au-PEG/DOX afforded much higher antitumor efficacy owing to 8.6-fold higher
      DOX uptake of tumor than DOX. Besides, in this work, C60@Au-PEG/DOX not only
      served as a powerful RTT agent for RF-thermal ablation of tumor and a strong
      photosensitizer (PS) for PDT, but also as an X-ray contrast agent for tumor
      diagnosis. In the in vitro and in vivo studies, C60@Au-PEG/DOX showed excellent
      chemo-RF thermal-photodynamic therapeutic efficacy, RF-controlled drug releasing
      function, tumor targeting property, tumoral acid PEG dissociating character and X
      ray imaging ability, demonstrating that there is a great potential of C60@Au
      PEG/DOX for simultaneous diagnosis and therapy in cancer treatment. STATEMENT OF
      SIGNIFICANCE: A significant challenge in cancer therapy is to maximize the
      therapeutic efficacy and minimize the side effects. In the past decade, a lot of
      nanoparticles have been used as the carriers for efficient drug delivery.
      However, the design of drug delivery system (DDS) with stimuli-responsive
      controlled-release property, simultaneous diagnosis and therapy functions is
      still a challenge. Herein, we developed a new drug delivery system (C60@Au
      PEG/DOX), and explored its applications in tumor therapy. The in vitro and in
      vivo results showed C60@Au-PEG/DOX could significantly improve the therapeutic
      efficacy and reduce the systemic toxicity through X-ray imaging guided locatable
      DOX release, photodynamic and photothermal therapies. These results are of
      interest as they demonstrate a multi-functional DDS for tumor theranostic
      applications.

PMID- 26485169
TI  - Using an Ingestible Telemetric Temperature Pill to Assess Gastrointestinal
      Temperature During Exercise.
AB  - Exercise results in an increase in core body temperature (Tc), which may reduce
      exercise performance and eventually can lead to the development of heat-related
      disorders. Therefore, accurate measurement of Tc during exercise is of great
      importance, especially in athletes who have to perform in challenging ambient
      conditions. In the current literature a number of methods have been described to
      measure the Tc (esophageal, external tympanic membrane, mouth or rectum).
      However, these methods are suboptimal to measure Tc during exercise since they
      are invasive, have a slow response or are influenced by environmental conditions.
      Studies described the use of an ingestible telemetric temperature pill as a
      reliable and valid method to assess gastrointestinal temperature (Tgi), which is
      a representative measurement of Tc. Therefore, the goal of this study was to
      provide a detailed description of the measurement of Tgi using an ingestible
      telemetric temperature pill. This study addresses important methodological
      factors that must be taken into account for an accurate measurement. It is
      recommended to read the instructions carefully in order to ensure that the
      ingestible telemetric temperature pill is a reliable method to assess Tgi at rest
      and during exercise. 

PMID- 26485170
TI  - Validation of the Asia Pacific Colorectal Screening (APCS) score in a Western
      population: An alternative screening tool.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is based on colonoscopy or
      fecal occult blood tests, but is imperfect and costly. The Asia Pacific
      Colorectal Screening Score (APCS) is derived from age, sex, family history of
      CRC, and smoking history and has been validated in Asian populations. Validation
      in a Western population is, however, yet to be tested. METHODS: In a teaching
      hospital, patients underwent colonoscopy for standard indications and screening
      over 18 months. Data was collected on age, sex, family history of CRC, smoking,
      weight, ethnicity, and symptoms. Evaluation of the APCS to predict colonoscopy
      findings (polyps, adenoma, high risk adenoma, and CRC) was performed. RESULTS: A
      total of 645 patients were prospectively recruited (46.7% male, median age 57
      years); 17.8% were average risk (AR), 50.9% were moderate risk (MR), and 31.3%
      high risk (HR) on APCS. High risk adenomas (AA) were seen in 14.9% of the HR,
      5.2% MR, and 0.9% LR patients, P < 0.0001. Comparing HR and MR to AR patients
      demonstrated significantly elevated relative risk (RR) for AA: 17.1 (95%
      confidence interval [CI] 2.4-123; P = 0.0001), and adenoma 6.0 (0.80-44.3; P =
      0.044). Comparing HR to MR groups for AA, the RR was 2.87 (1.62-5.06; P =
      0.0001). Symptoms did not predict findings (odds ratio [OR]: 1.06 [0.75-1.48]; P
      = 0.75). Body mass index (BMI) <20 kg/m(2) was protective against colonic polyps
      (OR: 0.28, 95%CI: 0.11-0.74; P = 0.010), adenoma (0.08, 0.01-0.62; P = 0.015),
      and AA (perfect prediction, OR 2.35 * 10(-8)). CONCLUSIONS: APCS predicts colonic
      findings in a Western population, to a greater extent than in Asians, independent
      to symptoms. Low body weight carries a strong protective effect against colonic
      neoplasia.

PMID- 26485171
TI  - A Cytokine-Based Diagnostic Program in Pediatric Aplastic Anemia and Hypocellular
      Refractory Cytopenia of Childhood.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Distinguishing hypocellular refractory cytopenia of childhood (RCC)
      from aplastic anemia (AA) is challenging. Thus far, no studies have compared the
      cytokine profiles in patients with AA to those with hypocellular RCC. In the
      present study, we addressed whether thrombopoietin (TPO) and interleukin 17 (IL
      17) plasma levels are useful for differentiating between the two diseases.
      METHODS: We measured the endogenous plasma concentrations of TPO and IL-17 in 29
      patients with AA, 34 patients with hypocellular RCC, and 31 healthy controls
      using sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS: The TPO and IL-17
      plasma levels were significantly lower in patients with hypocellular RCC than in
      patients with AA (P < 0.001 and P = 0.007, respectively). The multivariate
      logistic regression analysis identified moderate disease severity, TPO levels of
      <1,369.8 pg/ml (TPO-low group, n = 32; odds ratio (OR), 13.40; 95% confidence
      intervals (CI), 3.001-51.254; P < 0.001), and IL-17 levels of <22.2 pg/ml (IL-17
      low group, n = 33; OR, 4.11; 95% CI, 1.033-19.404; P = 0.031) as independent
      factors discriminating hypocellular RCC from AA. Importantly, 25 (78.1%) of 32
      patients in the TPO-low group and 25 (75.8%) of 33 patients in the IL-17-low
      group were diagnosed as having hypocellular RCC. Moreover, 22 (71%) of 31
      patients in the TPO-high group and 21 (70%) of 30 patients in the IL-17-high
      group were diagnosed as having AA. CONCLUSIONS: TPO and IL-17 levels are useful
      for differentiating hypocellular RCC from AA. Prospective studies are required to
      confirm our findings.

PMID- 26485172
TI  - Variation in attrition at subnational level: review of the Botswana National
      HIV/AIDS Treatment (Masa) programme data (2002-2013).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the variation in all-cause attrition [mortality and loss
      to follow-up (LTFU)] among HIV-infected individuals in Botswana by health
      district during the rapid and massive scale-up of the National Treatment Program.
      METHODS: Analysis of routinely collected longitudinal data from 226 030 patients
      who received ART through the Botswana National HIV/AIDS Treatment Program across
      all 24 health districts from 2002 to 2013. A time-to-event analysis was used to
      measure crude mortality and loss to follow-up rates (LTFU). A marginal structural
      model was used to evaluate mortality and LTFU rates by district over time,
      adjusted for individual-level risk factors (e.g. age, gender, baseline CD4, year
      of treatment initiation and antiretroviral regimen). RESULTS: Mortality rates in
      the districts ranged from the lowest 1.0 (95% CI 0.9-1.1) in Selibe-Phikwe, to
      the highest 5.0 (95% CI 4.0-6.1), in Mabutsane. There was a wide range of overall
      LTFU across districts, including rates as low as 4.6 (95% CI 4.4-4.9) losses per
      100 person-years in Ngamiland, and 5.9 (95% CI 5.6-6.2) losses per 100 person
      years in South East district, to rates as high as 25.4 (95% CI 23.08-27.89)
      losses per 100 person-years in Mabutsane and 46.3 (95% CI 43.48-49.23) losses per
      100 person-years in Okavango. Even when known risk factors for mortality and LTFU
      were adjusted for, district was a significant predictor of both mortality and
      LTFU rates. CONCLUSION: We found statistically significant variation in attrition
      (mortality and LTFU) and data quality among districts. These findings suggest
      that district-level contextual factors affect retention in treatment. Further
      research needs to investigate factors that can potentially cause this variation.

PMID- 26485173
TI  - Erratum: Screening for recombinants of Crambe abyssinica after transformation by
      the pMF1 marker-free vector based on chemical selection and meristematic
      regeneration.

PMID- 26485174
TI  - Controllable synthesis of green and blue fluorescent carbon nanodots for pH and
      Cu(2+) sensing in living cells.
AB  - We report a controllable strategy for fabrication of green and blue fluorescent
      carbon nanodots (CDs), and demonstrate their applications for pH and Cu(2+)
      sensing in living cells. Green and blue fluorescent CDs have been synthesized by
      hydrothermal method and pyrolysis of leeks, respectively, providing an easy way
      for the production of CDs without the request of tedious synthetic methodology or
      the use of toxic/expensive solvents and starting materials. Green fluorescent CDs
      (G-CDs) exhibit high tolerance to pH values and external cations. Blue
      fluorescent CDs (B-CDs) can be applied to pH and Cu(2+) sensing. The linear range
      of Cu(2+) detection is 0.01-10.00 MUM and the detection limit is 0.05 MUM. For pH
      detection, there is a good linearity in the pH range of 3.5-10.0. The linear and
      rapid response of B-CDs to Cu(2+) and pH is valuable for Cu(2+) and pH sensing in
      living cells. Confocal fluorescent imaging of human cervical carcinoma cells
      indicates that B-CDs could visualize Cu(2+) and pH fluctuations in living cells
      with negligible autofluorescence.

PMID- 26485175
TI  - Design of nuclease-based target recycling signal amplification in aptasensors.
AB  - Compared with conventional antibody-based immunoassay methods, aptasensors based
      on nucleic acid aptamer have made at least two significant breakthroughs. One is
      that aptamers are more easily used for developing various simple and rapid
      homogeneous detection methods by "sample in signal out" without multi-step
      washing. The other is that aptamers are more easily employed for developing
      highly sensitive detection methods by using various nucleic acid-based signal
      amplification approaches. As many substances playing regulatory roles in
      physiology or pathology exist at an extremely low concentration and many chemical
      contaminants occur in trace amounts in food or environment, aptasensors for
      signal amplification contribute greatly to detection of such targets. Among the
      signal amplification approaches in highly sensitive aptasensors, the nuclease
      based target recycling signal amplification has recently become a research focus
      because it shows easy design, simple operation, and rapid reaction and can be
      easily developed for homogenous assay. In this review, we summarized recent
      advances in the development of various nuclease-based target recycling signal
      amplification with the aim to provide a general guide for the design of aptamer
      based ultrasensitive biosensing assays. 

PMID- 26485176
TI  - Molecular imprinting ratiometric fluorescence sensor for highly selective and
      sensitive detection of phycocyanin.
AB  - A facile strategy was developed to prepare molecular imprinting ratiometric
      fluorescence sensor for highly selective and sensitive detection of phycocyanin
      (PC) based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), via a sol-gel
      polymerization process using nitrobenzoxadiazole (NBD) as fluorescent signal
      source. The ratio of two fluorescence peak emission intensities of NBD and PC was
      utilized to determine the concentration of PC, which could effectively reduce the
      background interference and fluctuation of diverse conditions. As a result, this
      sensor obtained high sensitivity with a low detection limit of 0.14 nM within 6
      min, and excellent recognition specificity for PC over its analogues with a high
      imprinting factor of 9.1. Furthermore, the sensor attained high recoveries in the
      range of 93.8-110.2% at three spiking levels of PC, with precisions below 4.7% in
      seawater and lake water samples. The developed sensor strategy demonstrated
      simplicity, reliability, rapidity, high selectivity and high sensitivity, proving
      to be a feasible way to develop high efficient fluorescence sensors and thus
      potentially applicable for ultratrace analysis of complicated matrices.

PMID- 26485177
TI  - Electrical dual-sensing method for real-time quantitative monitoring of cell
      secreted MMP-9 and cellular morphology during migration process.
AB  - MMP-9 (92 kDa gelatinease), which is member of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)
      family, plays a crucial role in the breakdown of extracellular matrix (ECM) by
      degrading the major components of ECM that lead to tumor cell invasion and
      metastasis through the basement membrane. Our study presents the on-chip dual
      sensing device for rapid detection of cell-secreted MMP-9 and corresponding cell
      morphology changes in real-time domain. The device consists of 2 sensing
      platforms (both are interdigitated array microelectrodes - IDAMs) within 1 common
      fluidic chamber: one detects the cell morphology responses via Electric Cell
      substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS) technique, meanwhile the other records the
      cleavage effect between cell-secreted MMP-9 and the surface immobilized peptide
      via the capacitance-based sensing method. Thanks to the selectivity of designed
      peptide, this approach allows the rapid and specific detection of MMP-9. In
      comparison with gold standard ELISA assay, the detection time was significantly
      reduced from over 4h to within 30 min with the wide detection range from 10 pM to
      10nM. Finally, this study provides the novel model for MMP-9 protease direct
      detection from living cell and new insights in multi-purpose detection of cancer
      associated enzyme and cell migration behavior.

PMID- 26485180
TI  - Rotationally Selected and Resolved State-to-State Photoelectron Study of Vanadium
      Monoxide Cation VO(+)(X(3)Sigma(-); v(+) = 0-3).
AB  - Vanadium monoxide cation VO(+)(X(3)Sigma(-)) has been investigated by two-color
      visible (VIS)-ultraviolet (UV) pulsed field ionization-photoelectron (PFI-PE)
      methods. The unambiguous rotational assignment of rotationally selected and
      resolved VIS-UV-PFI-PE spectra thus obtained confirms the ground state term
      symmetry of VO(+) to be X(3)Sigma(-). The rotational analysis also yields the
      rotational constants Be(+) = 0.5716 +/- 0.0012 cm(-1) and alphae(+) = 0.0027 +/-
      0.0005 cm(-1) for VO(+)(X(3)Sigma(-)), from which the equilibrium bond distance
      of VO(+)(X(3)Sigma(-)) is determined to be re(+) = 1.557 +/- 0.002 A. This PFI-PE
      study covers the vibrational bands, VO(+)(X(3)Sigma(-); v(+) = 0, 1, 2, and 3) <-
      VO(X(4)Sigma(-); v" = 0), which has made possible the determination of the
      vibrational constants for VO(+)(X(3)Sigma(-)) to be omegae(+) = 1068.0 +/- 0.7
      cm(-1) and omegae(+)xe(+) = 5.5 +/- 0.7 cm(-1). The present state-to-state
      measurement also yields a more precise value (58 380.0 +/- 0.7 cm(-1) or 7.238 20
      +/- 0.000 09 eV) for the ionization energy of VO [IE(VO)]. This value along with
      the known IE(V) has allowed the determination of the difference between the 0 K
      bond dissociation energy (D0) of VO(+)(X(3)Sigma(-)) and that of VO(X(4)Sigma(-))
      to be D0(V(+)-O) - D0(V-O) = IE(V) - IE(VO) = -3967 +/- 1 cm(-1). 

PMID- 26485178
TI  - CD/AuNPs/MWCNTs based electrochemical sensor for quercetin dual-signal detection.
AB  - A dual-signal strategy was developed in the present work for quercetin (QR)
      electrochemical recognition and detection. Mercapto-beta-cyclodextrin (HS-beta
      CD) self-assembled on gold nanoparticles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes
      modified electrode surface to fabricate an electrochemical sensor. Scanning
      electron microscope, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic
      voltammetry were employed to characterize the preparation process of the sensor.
      Hydroquinone (HQ) was chosen as an electrochemical marker for QR detection due to
      its small molecular size for the formation of inclusion with HS-beta-CD. The
      results of UV-vis and differential pulse voltammetry demonstrate that the added
      QR can replace the included HQ in CD cavities, resulting in the dual-signal in
      electrochemical experiments composed of the decrease of oxidized current of HQ
      and the increase of oxidized current of QR. Compared with the sensor for QR
      detection in the absence of HQ, the sensor based dual-signal strategy exhibited a
      higher sensitivity with a wider detection range from 5.0 * 10(-9) to 7.0 * 10(
      6)mol/L. With good selectivity, reproducibility, and stability, the sensor was
      applied for real samples detection with satisfactory results. The proposed dual
      signal strategy can be readily extended to the selective recognition and
      sensitive detection of other molecules.

PMID- 26485179
TI  - Induction of apoptosis in leukemia cell lines by new copper(II) complexes
      containing naphthyl groups via interaction with death receptors.
AB  - The synthesis, physico-chemical characterization and cytotoxicity of four new
      ligands and their respective copper(II) complexes toward two human leukemia cell
      lines (THP-1 and U937) are reported (i.e. [(HL1)Cu(MU-Cl)2Cu(HL1)]Cl2.H2O (1),
      [(H2L2)Cu(MU-Cl)2Cu(H2L2)]Cl2.5H2O (2), [(HL3)Cu(MU-Cl)2Cu(HL3)]Cl2.4H2O (3),
      [(H2L4)Cu(MU-Cl)2Cu(H2L4)]Cl2.6H2O (4)). Ligands HL1 and HL3 contain two
      pyridines, amine and alcohol moieties with a naphthyl pendant unit yielding a N3O
      coordination metal environment. Ligands H2L2 and H2L4 have pyridine, phenol,
      amine and alcohol groups with a naphthyl pendant unit providing a N2O2
      coordination metal environment. These compounds are likely to be dinuclear in the
      solid state but form mononuclear species in solution. The complexes have an
      antiproliferative effect against both leukemia cell lines; complex (2) exhibits
      higher activity than cisplatin against U937 (8.20 vs 16.25MUmoldm(-3)) and a
      comparable one against THP-1. These human neoplastic cells are also more
      susceptible than peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) toward the tested
      compounds. Using C57BL/6 mice an LD50 of 55mgkg(-1) was determined for complex
      (2), suggesting that this compound is almost four times less toxic than cisplatin
      (LD50=14.5mgkg(-1)). The mechanism of cell death promoted by ligand H2L2 and by
      complexes (2) and (4) was investigated by a range of techniques demonstrating
      that the apoptosis signal triggered at least by complex (2) starts from an
      extrinsic pathway involving the activation of caspases 4 and 8. This signal is
      amplified by mitochondria with the concomitant release of cytochrome c and the
      activation of caspase 9. 

PMID- 26485181
TI  - Role of Additives in Composite PEI/Oxide CO2 Adsorbents: Enhancement in the Amine
      Efficiency of Supported PEI by PEG in CO2 Capture from Simulated Ambient Air.
AB  - Supported amines are promising candidate adsorbents for the removal of CO2 from
      flue gases and directly from ambient air. The incorporation of additives into
      polymeric amines such as poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) supported on mesoporous oxides
      is an effective strategy to improve the performance of the materials. Here,
      several practical aspects of this strategy are addressed with regards to direct
      air capture. The influence of three additives (CTAB, PEG200, PEG1000) was
      systematically explored under dry simulated air capture conditions (400 ppm of
      CO2, 30  degrees C). With SBA-15 as a model support for poly(ethylenimine) (PEI),
      the nature of the additive induced heterogeneities in the deposition of organic
      on the interior and exterior of the particles, an important consideration for
      future scale up to practical systems. The PEG200 additive increased the observed
      thermodynamic performance (~60% increase in amine efficiency) of the adsorbents
      regardless of the PEI content, while the other molecules had less positive
      effects. A threshold PEG200/PEI value was identified at which the diffusional
      limitations of CO2 within the materials were nearly eliminated. The threshold
      PEG/PEI ratio may have physical origin in the interactions between PEI and PEG,
      as the optimal ratio corresponded to nearly equimolar OH/reactive (1 degrees , 2
      degrees ) amine ratios. The strategy is shown to be robust to the characteristics
      of the host support, as PEG200 improved the amine efficiency of PEI when
      supported on two varieties of mesoporous gamma-alumina with PEI.

PMID- 26485183
TI  - CO2-Induced Reversible Dispersion of Graphene by a Melamine Derivative.
AB  - Smart graphene with stimuli-responsive dispersity has great potential for
      applications in medical and biochemical fields. Nevertheless, reversible
      dispersion/aggregation of graphene in water with biocompatible and removable
      trigger still represents a crucial challenge. Here, we report CO2-induced
      reversible graphene dispersion by noncovalent functionalization of reduced
      graphene oxide with N(2),N(4),N(6)-tris(3-(dimethylamino)propyl)-1,3,5-triazine
      2,4,6-triamine (MET). It was demonstrated that MET can be strongly adsorbed on
      graphene surface through van der Waals interaction to facilitate dispersing
      graphene in water. Moreover, reversible aggregation/dispersion of graphene can be
      achieved simply by alternately bubbling CO2 and N2 to control the
      desorption/adsorption of MET on graphene surface. 

PMID- 26485184
TI  - Kinetic Isotope Effects in Multipath VTST: Application to a Hydrogen Abstraction
      Reaction.
AB  - In this work we apply multipath canonical variational transition state theory
      with small-tunneling corrections (MP-CVT/SCT) to the hydrogen abstraction
      reaction from ethanol by atomic hydrogen in aqueous solution at room temperature.
      This reaction presents two transition states which can interconvert by internal
      rotations about single bonds and another two transition states that are non
      interconvertible enantiomers to the former structures. The study also includes
      another three reactions with isotopically substituted species for which there are
      experimental values of thermal rate constants and kinetic isotope effects (KIEs).
      The agreement between the MP-CVT/SCT thermal rate constants and the experimental
      data is good. The KIEs obtained by the MP-CVT/SCT methodology are factorized in
      terms of individual transition state contributions to facilitate the analysis. It
      was found that the percentage contribution of each transition state to the total
      KIE is independent of the isotopic substitution. 

PMID- 26485182
TI  - Recurrent major depression and right hippocampal volume: A bivariate linkage and
      association study.
AB  - Previous work has shown that the hippocampus is smaller in the brains of
      individuals suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) than those of healthy
      controls. Moreover, right hippocampal volume specifically has been found to
      predict the probability of subsequent depressive episodes. This study explored
      the utility of right hippocampal volume as an endophenotype of recurrent MDD
      (rMDD). We observed a significant genetic correlation between the two traits in a
      large sample of Mexican American individuals from extended pedigrees (rhog = 
      0.34, p = 0.013). A bivariate linkage scan revealed a significant pleiotropic
      quantitative trait locus on chromosome 18p11.31-32 (LOD = 3.61). Bivariate
      association analysis conducted under the linkage peak revealed a variant
      (rs574972) within an intron of the gene SMCHD1 meeting the corrected significance
      level (chi(2) = 19.0, p = 7.4 * 10(-5)). Univariate association analyses of each
      phenotype separately revealed that the same variant was significant for right
      hippocampal volume alone, and also revealed a suggestively significant variant
      (rs12455524) within the gene DLGAP1 for rMDD alone. The results implicate right
      hemisphere hippocampal volume as a possible endophenotype of rMDD, and in so
      doing highlight a potential gene of interest for rMDD risk.

PMID- 26485185
TI  - Auditory brainstem implant in postlingual postmeningitic patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes of
      postlingual postmeningitic patients who received an auditory brainstem implant
      (ABI). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis was performed on postlingual
      postmeningitic patients with bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss who
      underwent ABI between the years 2007 and 2014 METHODS: All patients were
      postlingually deaf due to cochlear ossification as a consequence of bacterial
      meningitis. The patients received a MED-EL or Neurelec ABI. All patients were
      operated on at different hospitals by the same primary surgeon. The patients were
      tested using Ling 5 sound detection, sound field implant thresholds between 250
      Hz and 6 kHz, and 6 to 12 choice closed-set word and sentence tests. RESULTS:
      Nine patients with postmeningitic cochlear ossification received an ABI. Five of
      nine ABI users (55.5%) wear their audio processors (AP) most of the time. Four
      (44.5%) with no perceivable benefit have become nonusers. Three of the five
      consistent ABI users reported good benefit. The other two ABI users who do wear
      their APs do not respond to sound in daily living but reported benefits such as
      "feeling sound" in a good way. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, five of nine patients
      (55.5%) with bilateral ossified cochlea had some degree of benefit from their
      ABI. An ABI may be useful in hearing restoration in postlingual patients with
      bilateral ossified cochlea due to meningitis. However, poor results may be
      related to side effects, which may necessitate deactivation of electrodes, long
      duration of auditory deprivation, or impairments in the auditory neural
      structures as a result of meningitis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope,
      126:1889-1892, 2016.

PMID- 26485186
TI  - Atrial myocardial infarction: A tale of the forgotten chamber.
AB  - It has been almost a century since atrial infarction was first described, yet
      data describing its significance remain limited. To date, there are still no
      universally accepted criteria for the diagnosis of atrial infarction.
      Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of atrial infarction but it has also been
      described in cor pulmonale and pulmonary hypertension. Atrial infarction almost
      always occurs concomitantly with ventricular infarction. Its clinical
      presentation depends largely on the extent and site of ventricular involvement.
      Atrial infarction can present with supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.
      Electrocardiographic (ECG) criteria for diagnosing atrial infarction have been
      described but none have yet to be validated by prospective studies. Atrial ECG
      patterns include abnormal P-wave morphologies, PR-segment deviations, as well as
      transient rhythm abnormalities, including atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter,
      atrial tachycardia, wandering atrial pacemaker (WAP) and atrioventricular (AV)
      blocks. Complications of atrial infarction include thromboembolic events and
      cardiogenic shock. There are no specific additional recommendations in the
      management of myocardial infarction with suspected involvement of the atria. The
      primary goal remains coronary reperfusion and maintenance of, or conversion to,
      sinus rhythm. 

PMID- 26485187
TI  - Prevalence of diabetes mellitus in patients with Takotsubo syndrome: The value of
      registries.

PMID- 26485188
TI  - Achievements in and Challenges of Tuberculosis Control in South Korea.
AB  - After the Korean War (1950-1953), nearly 6.5% of South Korea's population had
      active tuberculosis (TB). In response, South Korea implemented the National
      Tuberculosis Program in 1962. From 1965 to 1995, the prevalence of
      bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary TB in South Korea decreased from 940 to 219
      cases per 100,000 population. Astounding economic growth might have contributed
      to this result; however, TB incidence in South Korea remains the highest among
      high-income countries. The rate of decrease in TB incidence seems to have slowed
      over the past 15 years. A demographic shift toward an older population, many of
      whom have latent TB and various concurrent conditions, is challenging TB control
      efforts in South Korea. The increasing number of immigrants also plays a part in
      the prolonged battle against TB. A historical review of TB in South Korea
      provides an opportunity to understand national TB control efforts that are
      applicable to other parts of the world. 

PMID- 26485189
TI  - Comment on "Breakdown of Interference Rules in Azulene, a Nonalternant
      Hydrocarbon".

PMID- 26485190
TI  - Altered neurotrophic factors' expression profiles in the nucleus of the solitary
      tract of spontaneously hypertensive rats.
AB  - AIM: Our previous findings suggest that the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS),
      a pivotal region for regulating the set point of arterial pressure, exhibits
      abnormal inflammation in pre-hypertensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats
      (SHRs), with elevated anti-apoptotic and low apoptotic factor levels compared
      with that of normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Whether this chronic condition
      affects neuronal growth and plasticity in the NTS remains unknown. To unveil the
      characteristics of the neurodevelopmental environment in the NTS of SHRs, we
      investigated the expression of neurotrophic factors transcripts in SHRs. METHODS:
      RT(2) Profiler PCR Array targeting rat neurotrophins and their receptors was used
      to screen for differentially expressed transcripts in the NTS of SHRs compared to
      that of WKY rats. Protein expression and physiological functions of some of the
      differentially expressed transcripts were also studied. RESULTS: Gene and protein
      expressions of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha
      3 (Gfralpha-3) factor were both upregulated in the NTS of adult SHRs. Gene
      expressions of corticotropin-releasing hormone-binding protein (Crhbp),
      interleukin-10 receptor alpha (Il-10ra) and hypocretin (Hcrt) were downregulated
      in the NTS of adult SHRs. The Gfralpha-3 transcript was increased and the Hcrt
      transcript was decreased in the NTS of young pre-hypertensive SHRs, suggesting
      that these profiles are not secondary to hypertension. Moreover, microinjection
      in the NTS of hypocretin-1 decreased blood pressure in adult SHRs. CONCLUSION:
      These results suggest that altered neurotrophic factors transcript profiles may
      affect the normal development and function of neuronal circuitry that regulates
      cardiovascular autonomic activity, thereby resulting in manifestations of
      neurogenic hypertension in SHRs.

PMID- 26485192
TI  - First case of infectious endocarditis caused by Parvimonas micra.
AB  - P. micra is an anaerobic Gram-positive cocci, and a known commensal organism of
      the human oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract. Although it has been
      classically described in association with endodontic disease and peritonsillar
      infection, recent reports have highlighted the role of P. micra as the primary
      pathogen in the setting of invasive infections. In its most recent taxonomic
      classification, P. micra has never been reported causing infectious endocarditis
      in humans. Here, we describe a 71 year-old man who developed severe native valve
      endocarditis complicated by aortic valvular destruction and perivalvular abscess,
      requiring emergent surgical intervention. Molecular sequencing enabled
      identification of P. micra. 

PMID- 26485191
TI  - Clostridium polynesiense sp. nov., a new member of the human gut microbiota in
      French Polynesia.
AB  - Strain MS1, a Gram-positive, obligately anaerobic, motile and spore-forming rod
      belonging to the Clostridium genus, was isolated from the feces of a healthy
      Polynesian male living in French Polynesia. The temperature range for growth was
      30-45  degrees C. We sequenced its complete genome and studied its phenotypic
      characteristics. The 3,560,738-bp long genome (one chromosome, no plasmid, G + C
      content 34%) contained 3535 protein-coding and 70 RNA genes. Strain MS1 exhibited
      a 98.24% 16S rRNA similarity with Clostridium amylolyticum, the phylogenetically
      closest species. When compared with other Clostridium species with standing in
      nomenclature, it had an average genomic similarity of 68.8-70%, a unique MALDI
      TOF spectrum, and differed in nitrate reduction, motility and L-arabinose and D
      lactose metabolism with most of the closest species. Therefore, strain MS1 is
      sufficiently distinct from type strains of the genus Clostridium to represent a
      novel species within this genus, for which the name Clostridium polynesiense sp.
      nov. is proposed. The type strain of C. polynesiense is MS1(T) (= CSUR P630 = DSM
      27072).

PMID- 26485193
TI  - Loss-of-function mutation of serine racemase attenuates excitotoxicity by
      intravitreal injection of N-methyl-D-aspartate.
AB  - Convincing data demonstrate that D-serine, a racemized product of serine racemase
      (SR), contributes to neurotoxicity. Furthermore, a line of evidence suggests that
      SR/D-serine contributes to retinal neurodegeneration in a diabetic retinopathy
      rat model and diabetic retinopathy patients. However, the connection between SR/D
      serine and retinal neurodegeneration remains unclear. Herein, we report that
      intravitreal injection of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) induces excitotoxicity in
      rodent retina; this retinal neurodegeneration was attenuated in retina carrying a
      loss-of-function of mutation in Srr, the gene for SR, termed Srr(ochre269). Under
      the condition of NMDA injection, either posterior pole or middle - but not
      peripheral - retina from Srr(ochre269) mice was found to retain more retinal
      ganglion cells (RGC) than the counterpart from w/t (RGCs were identified with
      retrograde labeling). Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end
      labeling (TUNEL) staining further demonstrated reduced RGC apoptosis from
      Srr(ochre269) compared to w/t mice under the condition of NMDA injection.
      Collectively, our studies demonstrate a pivotal role of SR/D-serine in retinal
      neurotoxicity. We demonstrated that loss-of-function mutation of the gene
      encoding serine racemase significantly attenuates excitotoxicity in retina;
      excitotoxicity accounts for retinal ganglion cell (RGC) demise in diabetic
      retinopathy (DR). We think that our findings deepen the current knowledge of the
      mechanisms of RGC degeneration.

PMID- 26485195
TI  - "Smart" Ag Nanostructures for Plasmon-Enhanced Spectroscopies.
AB  - Silver is an ideal candidate for surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based
      applications because of its great optical cross-section in the visible region.
      However, the uses of Ag in plasmon-enhanced spectroscopies have been limited due
      to their interference via direct contact with analytes, the poor chemical
      stability, and the Ag(+) release phenomenon. Herein, we report a facile chemical
      method to prepare shell-isolated Ag nanoparticle/tip. The as-prepared
      nanostructures exhibit an excellent chemical stability and plasmonic property in
      plasmon-enhanced spectroscopies for more than one year. It also features an
      alternative plasmon-mediated photocatalysis pathway by smartly blocking "hot"
      electrons. Astonishingly, the shell-isolated Ag nanoparticles (Ag SHINs), as
      "smart plasmonic dusts", reveal a ~1000-fold ensemble enhancement of rhodamine
      isothiocyanate (RITC) on a quartz substrate in surface-enhanced fluorescence. The
      presented "smart" Ag nanostructures offer a unique way for the promotion of
      ultrahigh sensitivity and reliability in plasmon-enhanced spectroscopies. 

PMID- 26485196
TI  - High-Tc Ferromagnetism and Electron Transport in p-Type Fe(1-x)Sn(x)Sb2Se4
      Semiconductors.
AB  - Single-phase polycrystalline powders of Fe(1-x)Sn(x)Sb2Se4 (x = 0 and 0.13) were
      synthesized by a solid-state reaction of the elements at 773 K. X-ray diffraction
      on Fe0.87Sn0.13Sb2Se4 single-crystal and powder samples indicates that the
      compound is isostructural to FeSb2Se4 in the temperature range from 80 to 500 K,
      crystallizing in the monoclinic space group C2/m (No. 12). Electron-transport
      data reveal a marginal alteration in the resistivity, whereas the thermopower
      drops by ~60%. This suggests a decrease in the activation energy upon
      isoelectronic substitution of 13% Fe by Sn. Magnetic susceptibility and
      magnetization measurements from 2 to 500 K reveal that the Fe(1-x)Sb2Sn(x)Se4
      phases exhibit ferromagnetic behavior up to ~450 K (x = 0) and 325 K (x = 0.13).
      Magnetotransport data for FeSb2Se4 reveal large negative magnetoresistance,
      suggesting spin polarization of free carriers in the sample. The high-Tc
      ferromagnetism in Fe(1-x)Sn(x)Sb2Se4 phases and the decrease in Tc of the
      Fe0.87Sn0.13Sb2Se4 sample are rationalized by taking into account (1) the
      separation between neighboring magnetic centers in the crystal structures and (2)
      the formation of bound magnetic polarons, which overlap to induce long-range
      ferromagnetic ordering.

PMID- 26485194
TI  - Activation and lysis of human CD4 cells latently infected with HIV-1.
AB  - The treatment of AIDS with combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) remains
      lifelong largely because the virus persists in latent reservoirs. Elimination of
      latently infected cells could therefore reduce treatment duration and facilitate
      immune reconstitution. Here we report an approach to reduce the viral reservoir
      by activating dormant viral gene expression and directing T lymphocytes to lyse
      previously latent, HIV-1-infected cells. An immunomodulatory protein was created
      that combines the specificity of a HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibody with that
      of an antibody to the CD3 component of the T-cell receptor. CD3 engagement by the
      protein can stimulate T-cell activation that induces proviral gene expression in
      latently infected T cells. It further stimulates CD8 T-cell effector function and
      redirects T cells to lyse these previously latent-infected cells through
      recognition of newly expressed Env. This immunomodulatory protein could
      potentially help to eliminate latently infected cells and deplete the viral
      reservoir in HIV-1-infected individuals. 

PMID- 26485197
TI  - "Reading maketh a full man".

PMID- 26485198
TI  - Online emotional support delivered by trained volunteers: users' satisfaction and
      their perception of the service compared to psychotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Technology could answer the substantial need in human resources
      available for supporting those who suffer from mental illness, by providing
      scalable methods to train and engage non-professionals to those who need their
      support. 7 Cups of Tea (7COT) platform was chosen for this study, because it
      provides a good case study for examining this kind of solution. AIM: The aim of
      this paper was to provide empirical findings regarding users' satisfaction with
      online emotional support provided by trained volunteers and how it is perceived
      in comparison to psychotherapy. METHODS: An online survey was conducted among a
      convenience sample of 7COT users. RESULTS: The findings showed high user
      satisfaction with the support provided by 7COT listeners and, on average, users
      who indicated to receive psychotherapy in their past marked the listeners'
      support to be as helpful as psychotherapy. Relating to psychotherapy and online
      emotional support advantages, different advantages were found. The findings
      suggest that receiving support from volunteers makes users feel that the support
      is more genuine. CONCLUSION: The paper provides preliminary evidence that people
      in emotional distress may find non-professionals support delivered through the
      use of technology to be helpful. Limitations and implications are discussed.

PMID- 26485202
TI  - Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potential in HIV-Positive Adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To characterize the findings of brainstem auditory evoked potential
      in HIV-positive individuals exposed and not exposed to antiretroviral treatment.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: This research was a cross-sectional, observational, and
      descriptive study. Forty-five HIV-positive individuals (18 not exposed and 27
      exposed to the antiretroviral treatment - research groups I and II, respectively 
      and 30 control group individuals) were assessed through brainstem auditory
      evoked potential. RESULTS: There were no significant between-group differences
      regarding wave latencies. A higher percentage of altered brainstem auditory
      evoked potential was observed in the HIV-positive groups when compared to the
      control group. The most common alteration was in the low brainstem. CONCLUSIONS:
      HIV-positive individuals have a higher percentage of altered brainstem auditory
      evoked potential that suggests central auditory pathway impairment when compared
      to HIV-negative individuals. There was no significant difference between
      individuals exposed and not exposed to antiretroviral treatment.

PMID- 26485203
TI  - Information without Implementation: A Practical Example for Developing a Best
      Practice Education Control Group.
AB  - This article considers methodology for developing an education-only control group
      and proposes a simple approach to designing rigorous and well-accepted control
      groups. This approach is demonstrated in a large randomized trial. The Lifestyles
      trial (n = 367) compared three group interventions: (a) cognitive-behavioral
      treatment (CBT) for osteoarthritis pain, (b) CBT for osteoarthritis pain and
      insomnia, and (c) education-only control (EOC). EOC emulated the interventions
      excluding hypothesized treatment components and controlling for nonspecific
      treatment effects. Results showed this approach resulted in a control group that
      was highly credible and acceptable to patients. This approach can be an effective
      and practical guide for developing high-quality control groups in trials of
      behavioral interventions.

PMID- 26485204
TI  - Providing value in ambulatory anesthesia.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to discuss current practices and
      changes in the field of ambulatory anesthesia, in both hospital and ambulatory
      surgery center settings. New trends in ambulatory settings are discussed and a
      review of the most current and comprehensive guidelines for the care of
      ambulatory patients with comorbid conditions such as postoperative nausea and
      vomiting (PONV), obstructive sleep apnea and diabetes mellitus are reviewed.
      Future direction and challenges to the field are highlighted. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Ambulatory anesthesia continues to be in high demand for many reasons; patients
      and surgeons want their surgical procedures to be swift, involve minimal
      postoperative pain, have a transient recovery time, and avoid an admission to the
      hospital. Factors that have made this possible for patients are improved surgical
      equipment, volatile anesthetic improvement, ultrasound-guided regional
      techniques, non-narcotic adjuncts for pain control, and the minimization of PONV.
      The decrease in time spent in a hospital also decreases the risk of wound
      infection, minimizes missed days from work, and is a socioeconomically favorable
      model, when possible. Recently proposed strategies which will allow surgeons and
      anesthesiologists to continue to meet the growing demand for a majority of
      surgical cases being same-day include pharmacotherapies with less undesirable
      side-effects, integration of ultrasound-guided regional techniques, and
      preoperative evaluations in appropriate candidates via a telephone call the night
      prior to surgery. Multidisciplinary communication amongst caregivers continues to
      make ambulatory settings efficient, safe, and socioeconomically favorable.It is
      also important to note the future impact that healthcare reform will have
      specifically on ambulatory anesthesia. The enactment of the Patient Protection
      and Affordable Care Act of 2010 will allow 32 million more people to gain access
      to preventive services that will require anesthesia such as screening
      colonoscopies. With this projected increase in the demand for anesthesia services
      nationwide comes the analysis of its financial feasibility. Some early data
      looking at endoscopist-administered sedation conclude that it offers higher
      patient satisfaction, there were less adverse effects than anesthesiologist
      administered sedation, and is economically advantageous. This and future
      retrospective studies will help to guide healthcare policymakers and physicians
      to come to a conclusion about providing ambulatory services for these millions of
      patients. SUMMARY: Ambulatory anesthesia's popularity continues to rise and
      anesthetic techniques will continue to morph and adapt to the needs of patients
      seeking ambulatory surgery. Alterations in already existing medications are
      promising as these modifications allow for quicker recovery from anesthesia or
      minimization of the already known undesirable side-effects. PONV, pain,
      obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic comorbidities (hypertension, cardiac
      disease, and diabetes mellitus) are perioperative concerns in ambulatory settings
      as more patients are safely being treated in ambulatory settings. Regional
      anesthesia stands out as a modality that has multiple advantages to general
      anesthesia, providing a minimal recovery period and a decrease in postanesthesia
      care unit stay. The implementation of the Affordable Healthcare Act specifically
      affects ambulatory settings as the demand and need for patients to have screening
      procedures with anesthesia. The question remains what the best strategy is to
      meet the needs of our future patients while preserving economically feasibility
      within an already strained healthcare system.

PMID- 26485205
TI  - State-of-the-art usage of simulation in anesthesia: skills and teamwork.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review describes the level of evidence for the use of
      medical simulation in anesthesia. It also discusses the topic of realism in
      simulation and its use for assessment. RECENT FINDINGS: Medical simulation in
      anesthesia covers a variety of techniques used for training and assessment. The
      current level of evidence for the use of medical simulation strongly supports a
      shift from learning on patients to learning on simulators. Skill and
      multidisciplinary team training are effective modalities and improve (team)
      performance and patient outcome.Well defined learning objectives, not a high
      level of realism should be the main focus of a simulation activity. Simulation
      centers should focus on faculty development as emphasis on simulation facilities
      and simulator fidelity alone does not guarantee effective training.Formative and
      summative assessment can help identify the omissions in knowledge, skills, and
      the ability to work in a team for both residents and anesthesiologists. Not only
      does it help to obtain competence, it also helps to maintain it. SUMMARY:
      Simulation for skill and team training should be a mandatory component for
      anesthesia residency programs and continuous medical education. The 'see one, do
      one, teach one' approach is obsolete and should be abandoned.

PMID- 26485206
TI  - Editorial: Ambulatory anesthesia in 2015.

PMID- 26485207
TI  - Editorial: From problem description to solutions and a new way of thinking about
      'Safety'.

PMID- 26485208
TI  - Mitofusin 2 Downregulation Triggers Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cell
      Proliferation and Apoptosis Imbalance in Rats With Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension
      Via the PI3K/Akt and Mitochondrial Apoptosis Pathways.
AB  - During hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH), pulmonary artery smooth
      muscle cells (PASMCs) proliferate as part of the characteristic pulmonary
      vascular remodeling. We investigated the expression of mitofusin 2(Mfn2) and its
      role in maintaining the balance between PASMC proliferation and apoptosis during
      hypoxia. In an experimental model of HPH, we exposed rats to hypoxia (10% +/-
      0.5% O2) or room air for 4 weeks. We found that Mfn2 messenger RNA and protein
      levels were reduced and that proliferating cell nuclear antigen protein
      expression was upregulated in HPH rat lung tissues. We also exposed primary
      cultured PASMCs from rat pulmonary arterioles to normoxia (21% O2/5% CO2) or
      hypoxia (2.5% O2/5% CO2) for 24 hours. We found that PASMC proliferation
      increased under hypoxic conditions and that more hypoxic cells than normoxic
      cells entered the S + G2/M phase. Additionally, phosphorylated Akt and
      proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression increased, whereas Mfn2 expression,
      cleaved caspase 9 expression, and the ratio of mitochondrial to cytosolic
      cytochrome C expression each decreased. These hypoxia-induced effects were
      reversed in PASMCs by Mfn2 overexpression and by phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases
      (PI3K) inhibition. Our results indicate that downregulation of Mfn2 in HPH may
      activate the PI3K/Akt pathway, thereby causing more cells to enter the S + G2/M
      phase of the cell cycle and inhibiting the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. 

PMID- 26485209
TI  - NaoXinTong Inhibits the Advanced Atherosclerosis and Enhances the Plaque
      Stability in Apolipoprotein E Deficient Mice.
AB  - Buchang NaoXinTong (NXT), a Chinese medicine, has been widely used to treat
      patients with coronary heart disease in China. However, the underlying mechanisms
      need more elucidations. In this study, we investigated if NXT can inhibit the
      progression of the established lesions while stabilizing plaques. Apolipoprotein
      E deficient (apoE(-/-)) mice in 3 groups received following treatment: group 1
      was fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 18 weeks; group 2 was prefed HFD for 12 weeks
      followed by HFD containing NXT for additional 6 weeks; group 3 was prefed HFD for
      8 weeks followed by HFD containing NXT for additional 10 weeks. After treatment,
      serum and aorta samples were collected and determined lipid profiles, lesions,
      collagen content, mineralization, and macrophage accumulation in aortic root,
      respectively. NXT had slight effect on serum lipid profiles but significantly
      reduced progression of the advanced lesions. In aortic wall, NXT increased smooth
      muscle cell/collagen content in lesion cap while reducing buried fibrous caps,
      mineralization, and macrophage accumulation within lesions, which suggests that
      NXT can stabilize plaques. In addition, NXT increased expression of smooth muscle
      22alpha mRNA while inhibiting expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and tumor
      necrosis factor alpha mRNA in aortas. Our study demonstrates that NXT can reduce
      advanced atherosclerosis and enhance the plaque stability in apoE(-/-) mice.

PMID- 26485210
TI  - NAMPT and NAMPT-controlled NAD Metabolism in Vascular Repair.
AB  - Vascular repair plays important roles in postischemic remodeling and
      rehabilitation in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, such as stroke and
      myocardial infarction. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a well-known
      coenzyme involved in electron transport chain for generation of adenosine
      triphosphate, has emerged as an important controller regulating various
      biological signaling pathways. Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) is
      the rate-limiting enzyme for NAD biosynthesis in mammals. NAMPT may also act in a
      nonenzymatic manner, presumably mediated by unknown receptor(s). Rapidly
      accumulating data in the past decade show that NAMPT and NAMPT-controlled NAD
      metabolism regulate fundamental biological functions in endothelial cells,
      vascular smooth muscle cells, and endothelial progenitor cells. The NAD-consuming
      proteins, including sirtuins, poly-ADP-ribose polymerases (PARPs), and CD38, may
      contribute to the regulatory effects of NAMPT-NAD axis in these cells and
      vascular repair. This review discusses the current data regarding NAMPT and NAMPT
      controlled NAD metabolism in vascular repair and the clinical potential
      translational application of NAMPT-related products in treatment of
      cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. 

PMID- 26485211
TI  - Stabilization of Hypoxia-inducible Factor by DMOG Inhibits Development of Chronic
      Hypoxia-Induced Right Ventricular Remodeling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One important determinant of longevity in congenital heart disease is
      right ventricular (RV) function, and this is especially true in cyanotic
      congenital heart disease. However, there is a paucity of data concerning right
      ventricular remodeling (RVR) in the setting of chronic hypoxia.
      Dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG) is a competitive inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible
      factor (HIF)-hydroxylated prolyl hydroxylase and has been shown to play an
      important role against ischemia-reperfusion myocardial injury. METHODS: We tested
      the hypothesis that DMOG prevents the development RVR after chronic hypoxia
      exposure. Rats were injected with saline or DMOG and exposed to room air or
      continued hypoxia for 4 weeks. In addition, we explored the response of
      myocardial erythropoietin and its receptor to hypoxic exposure. RESULTS:
      Treatment with DMOG attenuated myocardial fibrosis, apoptosis, and oxidative
      stress, which lead to enhanced RV contractile function. As an endpoint of HIF
      dependent cardioprotection, a novel pathway in which nuclear factor kappa B links
      HIF-1 transcription was defined. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports a role for HIF
      1 stabilizers in the treatment of RVR and brings into question the commonly held
      concept that RVR follows a linear relationship with increased RV afterload.

PMID- 26485212
TI  - Growing Uniform Graphene Disks and Films on Molten Glass for Heating Devices and
      Cell Culture.
AB  - The direct growth of uniform graphene disks and their continuous film is achieved
      by exploiting the molten state of glass. The use of molten glass enables highly
      uniform nucleation and an enhanced growth rate (tenfold) of graphene, as compared
      to those scenarios on commonly used insulating solids. The obtained graphene
      glasses show promising application potentials in daily-life scenarios such as
      smart heating devices and biocompatible cell-culture mediums. 

PMID- 26485213
TI  - Deciphering the human immunome.
AB  - Technological advances in next-generation DNA sequencing offer great potential to
      probe the human immune system. On 3 April 2015, leading immunologists and
      bioinformatics scientists met to consider how best to harness these advances for
      decoding the human immunome. 

PMID- 26485214
TI  - Strategic development of the conserved region of the M protein and other
      candidates as vaccines to prevent infection with group A streptococci.
AB  - Group A streptococcal (Streptococcus pyogenes) diseases remain a major public
      health problem in developing countries as well as in the indigenous populations
      of developed countries. In view of the large number of Group A streptococcal
      infections and the potential for sequelae such as rheumatic heart disease,
      control strategies including the development of an anti-streptococcal vaccine
      that is able to prevent infection and colonization is important. In this article,
      we discuss the epidemiology and strain variability of Group A streptococcus and
      how this is rendering vaccine development more challenging. We discuss vaccine
      strategies with a focus on the conserved region of the M protein and present a
      viewpoint for the impediments and the way forward. 

PMID- 26485216
TI  - An evidence-based review of the rectovaginal examination during well-woman
      visits.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Women's health promotion and disease prevention has
      experienced considerable transformation over the past decade. This includes
      introduction of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, updated
      recommendations for mammography screening, Papanicolaou smear and HPV testing,
      and pelvic examinations. Despite significant literature about these subjects, one
      area that has not been reviewed is the rectovaginal examination (RVE). This
      article will examine available evidence regarding the RVE and make evidence-based
      recommendations that nurse practitioners (NPs) can integrate into practice
      METHODS: An electronic search was completed using PubMed, CINAHL, National
      Guideline Clearinghouse, and Cochrane Data Bases. Medical Subject Heading terms
      and keywords included Physical Examination, Vagina, Rectum, Digital Rectal
      Examination, Gynecological Examination, and Rectovaginal Examination in
      combination with Well-Woman, Screening, and Pelvic Examination. CONCLUSIONS:
      Available literature shows the RVE to have low sensitivity in detecting
      uterosacral nodularity, rectal compression, cervical involvement of endometrial
      cancer, and colorectal cancer. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This critical review of
      available literature found no evidence to support the use of the RVE in well
      woman visits. NPs should limit the use of the RVE to patients presenting with
      rectovaginal or pelvic complaints.

PMID- 26485215
TI  - Cucumber metal tolerance protein CsMTP9 is a plasma membrane H+-coupled
      antiporter involved in the Mn2+ and Cd2+ efflux from root cells.
AB  - Members of the plant metal tolerance protein (MTP) family have been classified
      into three major groups - Zn-CDF, Mn-CDF and Zn/Fe-CDF - however, the selectivity
      of most of the MTPs has not been confirmed yet. Cucumber gene CsMTP9 encoding a
      putative CDF transporter homologous to members of the Mn-CDF cluster is expressed
      exclusively in roots. The relative abundance of CsMTP9 transcript and protein in
      roots is significantly increased under Mn excess and Cd. Immunolocalization with
      specific antibodies revealed that CsMTP9 is a plasma membrane transporter that
      localizes to the inner PM domain of root endodermal cells. The plasma membrane
      localization of CsMTP9 was confirmed by the expression of the fusion proteins of
      GFP (green fluorescent protein) and CsMTP9 in yeast and protoplasts prepared from
      Arabidopsis cells. In yeast, CsMTP9 transports Mn(2+) and Cd(2+) via a proton
      antiport mechanism with an apparent Km values of approximately 10 MUm and 2.5 MUm
      for Mn(2+) and Cd(2+) , respectively. In addition, CsMTP9 expression in yeast
      rescues the Mn- and Cd-hypersensitive phenotypes through the enhanced efflux of
      Mn(2+) and Cd(2+) from yeast cells. Similarly, the overexpression of CsMTP9 in A.
      thaliana confers increased resistance of plants to Mn excess and Cd but not to
      other heavy metals and leads to the enhanced translocation of manganese and
      cadmium from roots to shoots. These findings indicate that CsMTP9 is a plasma
      membrane H(+) -coupled Mn(2+) and Cd(2+) antiporter involved in the efflux of
      manganese and cadmium from cucumber root cells by the transport of both metals
      from endodermis into vascular cylinder.

PMID- 26485217
TI  - Vitamin D Supplementation Decreases TGF-beta1 Bioavailability in PCOS: A
      Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.
AB  - CONTEXT: There is an abnormal increase in TGF-beta1 bioavailability in women with
      polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which might play a role in the pathophysiology
      of this syndrome. Vitamin D (VD) supplementation improves various clinical
      manifestations of PCOS and decreases TGF-beta1 levels in several diseases
      including myelofibrosis. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine
      the effect of VD supplementation on TGF-beta1 bioavailability in VD-deficient
      women with PCOS and assess whether changes in TGF-beta1/soluble endoglin (sENG)
      levels correlate with an improvement in PCOS clinical manifestations. DESIGN:
      This was a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: The study
      was conducted at an academic-affiliated medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-eight
      VD-deficient women with PCOS who were not pregnant or taking any exogenous
      hormones were recruited between October 2013 and January 2015. INTERVENTIONS:
      Forty-five women received 50 000 IU of oral vitamin D3 and 23 women received oral
      placebo once weekly for 8 weeks. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Serum TGF-beta1, sENG,
      lipid profile, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and insulin
      resistance were measured. The clinical parameters were evaluated before and 2
      months after treatment. RESULTS: The VD level significantly increased and
      normalized after VD supplementation (16.3 +/- 0.9 [SEM] to 43.2 +/- 2.4 ng/mL; P
      < .01), whereas it did not significantly change after placebo. After the VD
      supplementation, there was a significant decrease in the following: the interval
      between menstrual periods (80 +/- 9 to 60 +/- 6 d; P = .04), Ferriman-Gallwey
      score (9.8 +/- 1.5 to 8.1 +/- 1.5; P < .01), triglycerides (138 +/- 22 to 117 +/-
      20 mg/dL; P = .03), and TGF-beta1 to sENG ratio (6.7 +/- 0.4 to 5.9 +/- 0.4; P =
      .04). In addition, the DeltaTGF-beta1 to sENG ratio was positively correlated
      with Deltatriglycerides (r = 0.59; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: VD supplementation in
      VD-deficient women with PCOS significantly decreases the bioavailability of TGF
      beta1, which correlates with an improvement in some abnormal clinical parameters
      associated with PCOS. This is a novel mechanism that could explain the beneficial
      effects of VD supplementation in women with PCOS. These findings may support new
      treatment modalities for PCOS, such as the development of anti-TGF-beta drugs.

PMID- 26485219
TI  - Relative Hyperglycemia, a Marker of Critical Illness: Introducing the Stress
      Hyperglycemia Ratio.
AB  - CONTEXT: Hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients is associated with increased
      morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: We examined whether critical illness is more
      strongly associated with relative or absolute hyperglycemia. DESIGN: The study
      was an observational cohort study. PATIENTS AND SETTING: A total of 2290 patients
      acutely admitted to a tertiary hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The relative
      hyperglycemia (stress hyperglycemia ratio [SHR]) was defined as admission glucose
      divided by estimated average glucose derived from glycosylated hemoglobin. The
      relationships between glucose and SHR with critical illness (in-hospital death or
      critical care) were examined. RESULTS: In univariable analyses, SHR (odds ratio,
      1.23 per 0.1 increment [95% confidence interval, 1.18-1.28]; P < .001) and
      glucose (odds ratio, 1.18 per mmol/L [1.13-1.23]; P < .001) were associated with
      critical illness. In multivariable analysis, the association was maintained for
      SHR (odds ratio, 1.20 per 0.1 increment [1.13-1.28]; P < .001), but not glucose
      (odds ratio, 1.03 per mmol/L [0.97-1.11]; P = .31). Background hyperglycemia
      affected the relationship between glucose (P = .002) and critical illness, but
      not SHR (P = .35) and critical illness. In patients with admission glucose <= 10
      mmol/L, the odds ratio for critical illness was higher in the fourth (2.4 [1.4
      4.2]; P = .001) and fifth (3.9 [2.3-6.8]; P < .001) SHR quintiles than in the
      lowest SHR quintile. CONCLUSIONS: SHR controls for background glycemia and is a
      better biomarker of critical illness than absolute hyperglycemia. SHR identifies
      patients with relative hyperglycemia at risk of critical illness. Future studies
      should explore whether basing glucose-lowering therapy on relative, rather than
      absolute, hyperglycemia improves outcomes in hospitalized patients.

PMID- 26485218
TI  - Intra-Individual Consistency in Endocrine Profiles Across Successive Pregnancies.
AB  - CONTEXT: It is yet unknown how similar women's hormone levels are during
      successive pregnancies, and very little is known about the degree to which
      siblings experience similar prenatal environments. Given the importance of
      understanding how women's reproductive life histories exert cumulative effects on
      health via hormone exposure, and the importance of understanding how fetal
      programming via endocrine signaling affects sibling trait concordance, here, we
      address this important lacuna in the literature. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to
      investigate how consistent women's hormone profiles are across two successive
      pregnancies. DESIGN AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: This longitudinal, prospective
      study followed a cohort of 28 women across two pregnancies (PREG 1 and PREG 2).
      Women's circulating hormone levels were assessed from blood samples at 25, 31,
      and 37 weeks' gestation for adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), placental
      corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH), cortisol, estradiol, and progesterone.
      ACTH and cortisol levels were assessed 3 months postpartum. Research questions
      include: Are hormone levels in PREG 2 significantly different from levels in PREG
      1? What proportion of variance in PREG 2 hormone levels is attributable to
      variance in PREG 1 levels? Are hormone levels more stable between PREG 1 and PREG
      2 compared with postpartum phases following these pregnancies? Is pCRH, which is
      completely placentally derived, less similar than other hormones across
      successive pregnancies? PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Pregnant women attended study
      visits at a university psychobiology laboratory in Southern California. RESULTS
      AND CONCLUSIONS: Comparisons of hormone concentrations across women's successive
      pregnancies via paired t test revealed substantial consistency from one pregnancy
      to another, with only significant differences between pregnancies for pCRH.
      Regressions revealed substantial predictability from one pregnancy to another,
      with between 17-56% of PREG 2 variances accounted for by PREG 1 values. Women
      exhibited lower degrees of consistency and predictability in hormone levels
      across postpartum phases compared with gestational concentrations. This is the
      first study to describe maternal and placental hormone levels across successive
      pregnancies.

PMID- 26485220
TI  - HoxA13 Regulates Phenotype Regionalization of Human Pregnant Myometrium.
AB  - CONTEXT: Bipedalism separates humans from most other animal species, but results
      in significant physiologic challenges, particularly with respect to the
      maintenance of pregnancy and induction of parturition. A contracted lower uterine
      segment (LUS) and a relaxed uterine fundal myometrium (FUN) during pregnancy are
      required to prevent pressure on the cervix from the fetal head due to gravity.
      With the onset of labor, this regionalization of myometrial function must be
      reversed, allowing descent of the fetus, dilation of the cervix, and expulsion of
      the fetus through the birth canal. However, the molecular mechanisms remain
      unclear. OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: This study sought to identify phenotypic
      regionalization of LUS and FUN during pregnancy, RNA sequencing was performed to
      analyze the human myometrial transcriptome. Real-time PCR and immunoblotting were
      applied to validate sequencing results. Cell contraction/adhesion assays and gene
      microarrays were used to study the cellular functions of the identified genes.
      RESULTS: Homeobox A13 (HoxA13), prostacyclin synthase (PTGIS), and periostin
      (POSTN) genes are more highly expressed in LUS than FUN of nonlaboring, but not
      laboring, myometrial cells at term. HoxA13 up-regulates transcription of PTGIS
      and POSTN genes. Elevated HoxA13 expression enhances myometrial cell
      contractility and cell-cell adhesion. Gene microarray studies show that HoxA13
      regulated genes are associated with immune response, gap junction/cell adhesion,
      and pregnancy. CONCLUSION: The LUS expresses higher levels of HoxA13, PTGIS, and
      POSTN, and is more contractile than the FUN at term prior to labor. This
      pregnancy-maintaining regionalization of myometrial function may be mediated by
      HoxA13.

PMID- 26485221
TI  - Vitamin D, Muscle Function, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Adolescents From the
      Young Hearts Study.
AB  - CONTEXT: Vitamin D insufficiency is common among the adolescent population and
      may have implications for health outcomes in later life. Few studies have
      investigated the role of vitamin D status in muscle function and
      cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) during adolescence. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this
      study was to investigate the association between vitamin D status and fat-free
      mass (FFM), muscle strength, muscle power, and CRF in a representative sample of
      adolescents from Northern Ireland. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a
      cross-sectional study involving 1015 adolescents (age 12 and 15 y), who had 25
      hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] data available as part of the Young Hearts Study 2000.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measures of this study were FFM (kg) and
      FFM corrected for height [fat-free mass index; FFM (kg)/height (m(2))], muscle
      strength (kg), peak muscle power (kW) and VO2 max (CRF; mL/kg/min). RESULTS:
      Multinomial regression analyses, controlling for environmental and lifestyle
      factors, demonstrated that boys age 15 years in the highest tertile of
      standardized serum 25(OH)D concentration (> 51 nmol/L) had significantly higher
      muscle strength (beta = 3.90; P <= .001) compared with those in the lowest
      tertile (< 32 nmol/L). These results were not evident in any other age-sex group
      and vitamin D status was not significantly associated with muscle power or CRF in
      any of the four age-sex groups. CONCLUSION: These results support a role for
      vitamin D in muscle function in adolescent males and suggest the need for more
      research in this vulnerable age group.

PMID- 26485222
TI  - IGHD II: A Novel GH-1 Gene Mutation (GH-L76P) Severely Affects GH Folding,
      Stability, and Secretion.
AB  - CONTEXT: The autosomal dominant form of GH deficiency (IGHD II) is characterized
      by markedly reduced GH secretion combined with low concentrations of IGF-1
      leading to short stature. OBJECTIVE: Structure-function analysis of a missense
      mutation in the GH-1 gene converting codon 76 from leucine (L) to proline (P)
      yielding a mutant GH-L76P peptide. DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND PATIENTS: Heterozygosity
      for GH-L76P/wt-GH was identified in a nonconsanguineous Spanish family. The index
      patients, two siblings, a boy and a girl, were referred for assessment of their
      short stature (-3.2 and -3.8 SD). Their grandmother, father, and aunt were also
      carrying the same mutation and showed severe short stature; therefore, IGHD II
      was diagnosed. INTERVENTIONS AND RESULTS: AtT-20 cells coexpressing both wt-GH
      and GH-L76P showed a reduced GH secretion (P < .001) after forskolin stimulation
      when compared with the cells expressing only wt-GH. In silico mutagenesis and
      molecular dynamics simulations presented alterations of correct folding and
      mutant stability compared with wt-GH. Therefore, further structural analysis of
      the GH-L76P mutant was performed using expressed and purified proteins in
      Escherichia coli by thermofluor assay and fast degradation proteolysis assay.
      Both assays revealed that the GH-L76P mutant is unstable and misfolded compared
      to wt-GH confirming the bioinformatic model prediction. CONCLUSIONS: This is the
      first report of a family suffering from short stature caused by IGHD II, which
      severely affects intracellular GH folding and stability as well as secretion,
      highlighting the necessity of functional analysis of any GH variant for defining
      new mechanisms as a cause for IGHD II.

PMID- 26485223
TI  - Genetic Determinants of Enterovirus Infections: Polymorphisms in Type 1 Diabetes
      and Innate Immune Genes in the MIDIA Study.
AB  - Enteroviruses have been suggested as triggers of type 1 diabetes (T1D). We aimed
      to assess whether established T1D susceptibility single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) and candidate SNPs in innate immune genes were associated with the
      frequency of enterovirus infection in otherwise healthy children. Fifty-six
      established T1D SNPs and 97 other candidate immunity SNPs were typed in 419
      children carrying the T1D high-risk genotype, HLA-DR4-DQ8/DR3-DQ2 genotype, and
      373 children without this genotype. Enteroviral RNA was detected using real-time
      polymerase chain reaction, with primers detecting essentially all enterovirus
      serotypes, in 7,393 longitudinal stool samples collected monthly (age range 3-36
      months). The most significant association was with two T1D SNPs, rs12150079
      (ZPBP2/ORMDL3/GSDMB region) (enterovirus frequency: AA 7.3%, AG 8.7%, GG 9.7%, RR
      = 0.86, overall p = 1.87E-02) and rs229541 (C1QTNF6/SSTR3/RAC2) (enterovirus
      frequency: CC 7.8%, CT 9.7%, TT 9.4%, RR = 1.13, overall p = 3.6E-02), followed
      by TLR8 (rs2407992) (p = 3.8E-02), TLR3 (1914926) (p = 4.9E-02), and two other
      T1D SNPs (IFIH1 rs3747517, p = 4.9E-02 and PTPN22, rs2476601, p = 5.3E-02).
      However, the quantile-quantile plot of p-values with confidence intervals for all
      153 SNPs did not reveal clear evidence for rejection of the complete null
      hypothesis. Among a number of SNPs in candidate genes, we found no evidence for
      strong associations with enterovirus presence in stool samples from Norwegian
      children.

PMID- 26485224
TI  - What role could organoids play in the personalization of cancer treatment?
AB  - Cancer treatments are increasingly being targeted to specific patient populations
      based on the molecular and genetic features of their tumor, so called precision
      or personalized cancer medicine. Preclinical cancer models are essential tools
      for cancer research, but unfortunately our current models often fail to
      effectively represent patient tumors and can be poorly predictive of clinical
      responses. In this perspective, we discuss the use of new in vitro 3D cell models
      called 'organoids' as preclinical cancer models in the context of other commonly
      used models, namely cancer cell lines and patient-derived xenografts. We consider
      the relative strengths and limitations of each model, and discuss how organoid
      culture models could facilitate the personalization of cancer medicine. 

PMID- 26485226
TI  - Management of apical compartment prolapse (uterine and vault prolapse): A FIGO
      Working Group report.
AB  - AIM: Apical prolapse includes descent of the uterus, vagina cuff, or rarely
      solely of the cervix. It is estimated that women have an 11-19% life-time risk of
      undergoing surgery for POP. This rate is projected to increase over the next 2-3
      decades. In this FIGO working group report we address the conservative and
      surgical treatment options for apical prolapse. METHODS: The FIGO working group
      "Pelvic Floor Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery" describes the different
      treatments for apical prolapse based on the literature evidence, the cost
      effectiveness, the degree of difficulty and summed them up with an experts
      recommendation. RESULTS: Among the conservative treatment options, pessaries are
      the most successful options since centuries with a low complication rate and low
      costs. Among the vaginal operative procedures the sacrospinous ligament fixation
      (SSLF) and the uterosacral ligament suspension (USLS) show comparable outcomes
      and efficacy with a different, however, rather low complication pattern and a
      favorable cost-benefit profile. Sacrocolpopexy, independent on the open
      abdominal, laparoscopic, or robotic-assisted laparoscopic technique has a good
      durability and quality of life performance. The minimal invasive techniques are
      as effective as the open abdominal techniques and there is no difference in mesh
      exposure. CONCLUSION: Vaginal procedures are well described procedures with
      favorable outcomes and cost-benefit profiles. Sacral colpopexy has a high
      effectivity; data on the route of performance and long-term outcome are awaited.
      The cost with mesh implants are higher compared to the operations with autologous
      tissue or any conservative treatment and further studies are recommended to
      evaluate the cure rates in the span of decades and the possible long-term mesh
      complications. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:507-513, 2017. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc.

PMID- 26485227
TI  - Radiation dose response simulation for biomechanical-based deformable image
      registration of head and neck cancer treatment.
AB  - Biomechanical-based deformable image registration is conducted on the head and
      neck region. Patient specific 3D finite element models consisting of parotid
      glands (PG), submandibular glands (SG), tumor, vertebrae (VB), mandible, and
      external body are used to register pre-treatment MRI to post-treatment MR images
      to model the dose response using image data of five patients. The images are
      registered using combinations of vertebrae and mandible alignments, and surface
      projection of the external body as boundary conditions. In addition, the dose
      response is simulated by applying a new loading technique in the form of a dose
      induced shrinkage using the dose-volume relationship. The dose-induced load is
      applied as dose-induced shrinkage of the tumor and four salivary glands. The Dice
      Similarity Coefficient (DSC) is calculated for the four salivary glands, and
      tumor to calculate the volume overlap of the structures after deformable
      registration. A substantial improvement in the registration is found by including
      the dose-induced shrinkage. The greatest registration improvement is found in the
      four glands where the average DSC increases from 0.53, 0.55, 0.32, and 0.37 to
      0.68, 0.68, 0.51, and 0.49 in the left PG, right PG, left SG, and right SG,
      respectively by using bony alignment of vertebrae and mandible (M), body (B)
      surface projection and dose (D) (VB+M+B+D). 

PMID- 26485228
TI  - Layer-by-Layer Fabrication of High-Performance Polyamide/ZIF-8 Nanocomposite
      Membrane for Nanofiltration Applications.
AB  - The conventional blending fabrication for thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes
      is to disperse porous fillers in aqueous/organic phases prior to interfacial
      polymerization, and the aggregation of fillers may lead to the significant
      decrease in membrane performance. To overcome this limitation, we proposed a
      novel layer-by-layer (LBL) fabrication to prepare a polyamide (PA)/ZIF-8
      nanocomposite membrane with a multilayer structure: a porous substrate, a ZIF-8
      interlayer, and a PA coating layer. The PA/ZIF-8 (LBL) membrane for
      nanofiltration applications was prepared by growing an interlayer of ZIF-8
      nanoparticles on an ultrafiltration membrane through in situ growth and then
      coating it with an ultrathin PA layer through interfacial polymerization. The
      obtained PA/ZIF-8 (LBL) membrane exhibited both better permeance and selectivity
      than did the conventional PA/ZIF-8 TFN membrane because of the ZIF-8 in situ
      growth producing a ZIF-8 interlayer with more ZIF-8 nanoparticles but fewer
      aggregates. Compared with the pure PA membrane (the flux of 11.2 kg/m(2)/h and
      rejection of 99.6%) for dye removal, the obtained PA/ZIF-8 (LBL) membranes
      achieved a significant improvement in membrane permeance and selectivity. (Flux
      was up to 27.1 kg/m(2)/h, and the rejection reaches 99.8%.) This LBL fabrication
      is a promising methodology for other polymer nanocomposite membranes
      simultaneously having high permeance and good selectivity. 

PMID- 26485229
TI  - Alternative regimens of magnesium sulfate for treatment of preeclampsia and
      eclampsia: a systematic review of non-randomized studies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The optimal dosing regimen of magnesium sulfate for treating
      preeclampsia and eclampsia is unclear. Evidence from the Cochrane review of
      randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was inconclusive due to lack of relevant
      data. MATERIAL AND METHODS: To complement the evidence from the Cochrane review,
      we assessed available data from non-randomized studies on the comparative
      efficacy and safety of alternative magnesium sulfate regimens for the management
      of preeclampsia and eclampsia. Sources included Medline, EMBASE, Popline, CINAHL,
      Global Health Library, African Index Medicus, Biological abstract, BIOSIS and
      reference lists of eligible studies. We selected non-randomized study designs
      including quasi-RCTs, cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies that
      compared magnesium sulfate regimens in women with preeclampsia or eclampsia.
      RESULTS: Of 6178 citations identified, 248 were reviewed in full text and five
      studies of low to very low quality were included. Compared with standard
      regimens, lower-dose regimens appeared equally as good in terms of preventing
      seizures [odds ratio (OR) 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.46-2.28, 899
      women, four studies], maternal morbidity (OR 0.47, 95%CI 0.32-0.71, 796 women,
      three studies), and fetal and/or neonatal mortality (OR 0.87, 95%CI 0.38-2.00,
      800 women, four studies). Comparison of loading dose only with maintenance dose
      regimens showed no differences in seizure rates (OR 0.99, 95%CI 0.22-4.50, 146
      women, two studies), maternal morbidity (OR 0.53, 95%CI 0.15-1.93, 146 women, two
      studies), maternal mortality (OR 0.63, 95%CI 0.05-7.50, 146 women, two studies),
      and fetal and/or neonatal mortality (OR 0.49, 95%CI 0.23-1.03, 146 women, two
      studies). CONCLUSION: Lower-dose and loading dose-only regimens could be as safe
      and efficacious as standard regimens; however, this evidence comes from low to
      very low quality studies and further high quality studies are needed.

PMID- 26485230
TI  - Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Access to HIV Care Interventions: A
      Qualitative Analysis of the Positive Charge Initiative.
AB  - Research indicates that less than half of people living with HIV (PLWH) have
      undetectable levels of virus, despite recent findings that viral load suppression
      dramatically reduces the transmissibility of HIV. Linkage to HIV care is a
      crucial initial step, yet we know relatively little about how to effectively
      implement linkage interventions to reach PLWH who are not in care. AIDS United's
      initiative, Positive Charge (PC), funded five U.S. sites to develop and implement
      comprehensive linkage interventions. Evaluation of the initiative included
      qualitative interviews with management and service staff from each intervention
      site. Sites experienced barriers and facilitators to implementation on multiple
      environmental, organization, and personnel levels. Successful strategies included
      developing early relationships with collaborating partners, finding ways to share
      key information among agencies, and using evaluation data to build support among
      leadership staff. Lessons learned will be useful for organizations that develop
      and implement future interventions targeting hard-to-reach, out-of-care PLWH. 

PMID- 26485231
TI  - Unpacking Linkage and Reengagement in HIV Care: A Day in the Life of a Positive
      Charge Care Coordinator.
AB  - AIDS United's Positive Charge (PC) was a multiorganizational HIV linkage to care
      program implemented in five U.S. LOCATIONS: To better understand the process of
      linkage and reengagement in care, we conducted interviews with care coordinators
      and program supervisors at 20 PC implementing agencies. Though linkage to care is
      often considered a single column in the HIV continuum of care, we found that it
      contains several underlying and often complex steps. The steps described are:
      identifying individuals in need of services; contacting those individuals through
      a variety of means; assessing and addressing needs and barriers to care; initial
      engagement (or reengagement) in HIV primary care; and provision of ongoing
      support to promote retention. We highlight strategies used to complete these
      steps. These findings will be of utility to other HIV interventions that aim to
      improve linkage and engagement in HIV care.

PMID- 26485232
TI  - Healing Our Women for Transgender Women: Adaptation, Acceptability, and Pilot
      Testing.
AB  - Healing Our Women (HOW) is a group-level HIV risk-reduction intervention
      developed to address the role of prior sexual victimization in HIV risk and
      protective behaviors among HIV-positive women of color. This article describes
      the process of adapting HOW for transgender women of color in New York City in
      accordance with CDC guidance for the adaptation of efficacious interventions.
      Twenty-one transgender women were enrolled in a study to evaluate the
      acceptability and fidelity of the adapted intervention, and to assess HIV
      knowledge, depressive symptoms, coping, condom use self-efficacy, and condom use
      via pre- and post-intervention surveys. We found the adapted program to be
      feasible to implement and acceptable to participants. We also found significant
      decreases in depressive symptoms and increases in positive coping from pre- to
      post-intervention, although replication with a larger sample and a control group
      comparison is needed to determine efficacy with this population. 

PMID- 26485233
TI  - Defining Success: Insights From a Random Assignment, Multisite Study of
      Implementing HIV Prevention, Testing, and Linkage to Care in U.S. Jails and
      Prisons.
AB  - In the emerging field of implementation science, measuring the extent to which a
      new or modified healthcare program or practice is successfully implemented
      following an intervention is a critical component in understanding how evidence
      based treatments become part of regular practice. This paper is intended to
      expand our understanding of factors that influence the successful adoption of new
      or modified HIV services in correctional settings. The nine-site project
      developed and directed an organization-level intervention designed to implement
      improvements in preventing, detecting, and treating HIV for persons under
      correctional supervision. Using semi-structured interviews to elicit perceptions
      from Senior Researchers and Executive Sponsors at each of the nine sites, this
      paper presents their views and observations regarding the success of the
      experimental intervention in their criminal justice setting. Within the areas of
      focus for implementation (either HIV prevention, testing, or linkage to community
      treatment) the complexity of programmatic needs was very influential with regards
      to perceptions of success. An organization's pre-existing characteristics,
      staffing, funding, and interorganizational relationships contributed to either
      the ease or difficulty of programmatic implementation. Results are discussed
      pertaining to furthering our understanding of why new or modified healthcare
      interventions achieve success, including whether the intervention is a
      modification of existing practice or is a new intervention, and the choice of
      implementation strategy. 

PMID- 26485234
TI  - Effectiveness of a Peer-Assisted Multicomponent Behavioral Intervention in HIV
      Risk Reduction Among Female Entertainment Workers in China.
AB  - This study examined the effectiveness of a behavioral intervention that combined
      cognitive and social influence approaches. The intervention consisted of small
      group sessions targeting HIV knowledge, protection motivation, behavioral skills,
      and social influences of risk reduction. The control was an attention-controlled
      HIV/STI health education and counseling. Two-group comparisons were conducted to
      assess the effectiveness of the intervention; risk reduction over time was
      analyzed to determine the sustainability of the effectiveness. The analyses
      revealed that the intervention was effective in reducing/increasing HIV
      risk/protective behaviors and the effect was sustainable. While participants in
      the control reported a greater reduction/increase in risk/protective behaviors 3
      month post-intervention, the initial strong effect quickly faded and completely
      disappeared 12-month post-intervention. By contrast, the moderate initial effect
      of the intervention was not only sustained but actually strengthened over time.
      The intervention was well received by participants and holds promise for HIV risk
      reduction behavior change among female entertainment workers in China. 

PMID- 26485225
TI  - Regulation of Long Bone Growth in Vertebrates; It Is Time to Catch Up.
AB  - The regulation of organ size is essential to human health and has fascinated
      biologists for centuries. Key to the growth process is the ability of most organs
      to integrate organ-extrinsic cues (eg, nutritional status, inflammatory
      processes) with organ-intrinsic information (eg, genetic programs, local signals)
      into a growth response that adapts to changing environmental conditions and
      ensures that the size of an organ is coordinated with the rest of the body.
      Paired organs such as the vertebrate limbs and the long bones within them are
      excellent models for studying this type of regulation because it is possible to
      manipulate one member of the pair and leave the other as an internal control.
      During development, growth plates at the end of each long bone produce a
      transient cartilage model that is progressively replaced by bone. Here, we review
      how proliferation and differentiation of cells within each growth plate are
      tightly controlled mainly by growth plate-intrinsic mechanisms that are
      additionally modulated by extrinsic signals. We also discuss the involvement of
      several signaling hubs in the integration and modulation of growth-related
      signals and how they could confer remarkable plasticity to the growth plate.
      Indeed, long bones have a significant ability for "catch-up growth" to attain
      normal size after a transient growth delay. We propose that the characterization
      of catch-up growth, in light of recent advances in physiology and cell biology,
      will provide long sought clues into the molecular mechanisms that underlie organ
      growth regulation. Importantly, catch-up growth early in life is commonly
      associated with metabolic disorders in adulthood, and this association is not
      completely understood. Further elucidation of the molecules and cellular
      interactions that influence organ size coordination should allow development of
      novel therapies for human growth disorders that are noninvasive and have minimal
      side effects. 

PMID- 26485235
TI  - Once a Navegante, Always a Navegante: Latino Men Sustain Their Roles as Lay
      Health Advisors to Promote General and Sexual Health to Their Social Network.
AB  - Little is known about the sustainability of male- and men's health-focused lay
      health advisors. HoMBReS Por un Cambio was a community-level social network
      intervention designed to improve sexual health among Latino men who were members
      of soccer teams. During the year after the intervention implementation, lay
      health advisors (Navegantes) continued to promote sexual health; over 84% (16 of
      the 19) Navegantes conducted 9 of 10 primary health promotion activities.
      Describing where to get condoms was the activity that the most Navegantes
      reported having conducted. Navegantes had broad reach with their social networks,
      although the number of Navegantes that conducted each activity differed across
      the categories of social network members (soccer teammates, nonteammates, and
      women). Results suggest that HIV-related health disparities may be addressed
      through lay health advisor interventions because they are sustained after the
      intervention ends and reach large numbers of community members. 

PMID- 26485237
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26485238
TI  - Role of immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis of sebaceous carcinoma: a
      clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study.
AB  - Sebaceous carcinoma (SC) is a relatively uncommon malignant epithelial neoplasm
      with a predilection for the periocular region. The diagnosis of SC can be
      difficult to make at initial presentation, as it can clinically and
      histopathologically resemble other common benign and malignant epithelial
      lesions. A diagnosis of SC is made by confirmation of sebaceous differentiation
      of neoplastic cells, which can often be accomplished by conventional microscopic
      findings; however, its recognition may be sometimes difficult and requires
      ancillary studies such as immunohistochemistry (IHC). Many studies have evaluated
      the role of IHC as a potential technique to differentiate SC from its mimics;
      however, most of these studies have used a limited panel of antibodies with
      variable results. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of IHC in
      the diagnosis of SC and to provide some guidelines for interpretation in the
      diagnosis of these neoplasms. We studied 27 cases of SC with a broad panel of IHC
      markers using a tissue microarray technique. We also studied 21 control cases of
      basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and 22 control cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
      Representative tissue cores were taken and processed from each case, and the
      tissue microarrays were stained by standard methods using antibodies to EMA, CK7,
      Ber-EP4, Factor XIIIA, androgen receptor, p53, adipophilin, progesterone receptor
      membrane component 1 (PGRMC1), squalene synthase (SQS), and alpha/beta hydrolase
      domain-containing protein 5 (ABHD5). Our studies show that EMA was expressed in
      all cases of SC, CK7 was expressed in 24 of 27 cases, Ber-EP4 was expressed in 7
      of 27 cases, Factor XIIIA was negative in all cases, androgen receptor was
      expressed in 9 of 27 cases, P53 was expressed in 12 of 27 cases, adipophilin was
      expressed in all cases, PGRMC1 was expressed in 22 of 27 cases, SQS was expressed
      in 11 of 27 cases, and ABHD5 was expressed in 9 of 27 cases. EMA was negative in
      all cases of BCC, CK7 was expressed in 6 of 21 cases, Ber-EP4 was expressed in 21
      of 21 cases, Factor XIIIA was negative in all cases, androgen receptor was
      expressed in 3 of 21 cases, P53 was expressed in 4 of 21 cases, adipophilin,
      PGRMC1, SQS, and ABHD5 were negative in all cases of BCC. Similarly, EMA was
      expressed in 16 of 22 cases of SCC, CK7 was expressed in 2 of 22 cases, Ber-EP4,
      Factor XIIIA, and androgen receptor were negative in all cases, P53 was expressed
      in 3 of 22 cases, adipophilin, PGRMC1, SQS, and ABHD5 were negative in all cases
      of SCC. Our study indicates that adipophilin represents a sensitive and reliable
      marker for the diagnosis of SC and can be of help in separating this tumor from
      some of its mimics. Additionally, inclusion of various epithelial markers in the
      panel will be of help if adequately used. Other antibodies against the PAT family
      of lipid droplet-associated proteins including PGRMC1, SQS, and ABHD5 were not as
      sensitive as adipophilin for identifying sebaceous differentiation and may
      therefore not be as useful for differential diagnosis as adipophilin. 

PMID- 26485236
TI  - HIV and Childhood Sexual Violence: Implications for Sexual Risk Behaviors and HIV
      Testing in Tanzania.
AB  - Prior research has established an association between sexual violence and HIV.
      Exposure to sexual violence during childhood can profoundly impact brain
      architecture and stress regulatory response. As a result, individuals who have
      experienced such trauma may engage in sexual risk-taking behavior and could
      benefit from targeted interventions. In 2009, nationally representative data were
      collected on violence against children in Tanzania from 13-24 year old
      respondents (n=3,739). Analyses show that females aged 19-24 (n=579) who
      experienced childhood sexual violence, were more likely to report no/infrequent
      condom use in the past 12 months (AOR=3.0, CI [1.5, 6.1], p=0.0017) and multiple
      sex partners in the past 12 months (AOR=2.3, CI [1.0, 5.1], p=0.0491), but no
      more likely to know where to get HIV testing or to have ever been tested. Victims
      of childhood sexual violence could benefit from targeted interventions to
      mitigate impacts of violence and prevent HIV.

PMID- 26485239
TI  - Characterization of primary cutaneous CD8+/CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorders.
AB  - CD30 primary cutaneous lymphoproliferative diseases include both lymphomatoid
      papulosis (LyP) and primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (PCALCL).
      The neoplastic cell of most primary CD30 lymphoproliferative disorders is CD4
      positive. The terminology LyP "type D" has been used to describe a growing number
      of cases of LyP with a predominantly CD8 infiltrate. PCALCL with a CD8 phenotype
      has also been described, which presents a particularly difficult diagnostic and
      management challenge, given the difficulty in distinguishing it histologically
      from other cytotoxic lymphomas such as primary cutaneous aggressive
      epidermotropic CD8 cytotoxic T-cell lymphoma and CD8 gamma/delta and natural
      killer/T-cell lymphoma. We report 7 additional cases of these rare cutaneous
      CD8/CD30 lymphoproliferative disorders. We also present a unique case of CD8/CD30
      LyP with histologic similarities to LyP type B. In all 7 of our cases of CD8 LyP
      and CD8 anaplastic large cell lymphoma, we found focal to diffuse MUM-1
      positivity. We propose that MUM-1 may represent an adjunctive marker for CD8
      lymphoproliferative disease. Finally, we review the current literature on cases
      of CD8 LyP and PCALCL. For the 106 cases examined, we found similar clinical and
      histologic features to those reported for traditional CD4CD30 LyP and PCALCL. 

PMID- 26485240
TI  - Consumption of the epidermis: a suggested precursor of ulceration associated with
      increased proliferation of melanoma cells.
AB  - It has recently been demonstrated that the extent of ulceration and the presence
      of epidermal involvement that theoretically precede ulceration (consumption of
      epidermis, COE) or seen subsequent to inflammation (reactive epidermal
      hyperplasia or re-epithelialization) allowed better prognostic stratification of
      ulcerated melanoma. Understanding why these histopathologic markers have
      prognostic potential is important, not least because accurate consensual
      assessment of ulceration lies at the root of proper staging and clinical
      management. The authors therefore performed immunohistochemical analyses of tumor
      cell proliferation (Melan-A/Ki67) and infiltration of inflammatory cells (CD66b
      neutrophils and CD163 macrophages) to better understand the biology of the
      epidermal changes described. Tumors with a COE configuration showed 37% (95% CI:
      4-54, P = 0.0046) increased tumor cell proliferation compared with tumors of
      normal epidermal configuration. COE is therefore suggested a precursor of
      ulceration associated with increased proliferation of melanoma cells. There was
      no observed correlation between COE and an increased inflammatory response (CD163
      macrophages or CD66b neutrophils), which supports that the proliferation drive is
      noninflammatory. In contrast, the presence of re-epithelialization and/or
      reactive epidermal hyperplasia demonstrated an 18% (95% CI: 6-53, P = 0.0021)
      increased density of neutrophils compared with tumor with no evidence of these
      possibly prolonged late-stage or resolved ulcerations. These results further
      support the relevance of including these epidermal changes into the definition of
      ulceration and to define ulceration of a primary melanoma as loss of epidermis
      with evidence of a host response (infiltration of neutrophils or fibrin
      deposition) and thinning, effacement, or reactive hyperplasia of the surrounding
      epidermis. 

PMID- 26485241
TI  - An enormous tumor in a patient with clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis:
      challenge.

PMID- 26485243
TI  - Nodular amyloidosis derived from keratinocytes: an unusual type of primary
      localized cutaneous nodular amyloidosis.
AB  - Primary, localized cutaneous amyloidosis includes macular, lichen, and nodular
      (tumefactive) types in which the amyloid deposits are limited to the dermis
      without systemic involvement. The material in lichen and macular amyloidosis is
      derived from epidermal keratinocytes [keratinocyte-derived amyloid (AK)], whereas
      that in nodular amyloidosis is derived from immunoglobulin light-chains amyloid
      (AL). Primary, localized cutaneous nodular amyloidosis (PLCNA) is a form of
      primary, localized cutaneous amyloidosis that has been associated with a risk of
      progression to systemic amyloidosis. We report an unusual case of nodular AK-type
      amyloid deposited in the dermis of the feet. The patient is a 60-year-old woman
      with asymptomatic verrucoid-like lesions present around the medial and lateral
      aspects of the bilateral heels for 1-2 years. A biopsy showed massive deposition
      of eosinophilic amorphous material in the papillary and reticular dermis. The
      material stained positive for Congo red with apple-green birefringence on
      polarized light. It was also positive for pan-cytokeratin and negative for kappa
      and lambda light-chain immunostains. An extensive workup was negative for
      systemic involvement. Lipid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry confirmed
      that the deposition was AK-type amyloid. We believe that this is the first case
      of PLCNA with AK deposition. This entity should be included in the differential
      diagnosis of PLCNA so that an extensive systemic workup may be avoided. 

PMID- 26485244
TI  - Punctate follicular porokeratosis: clinical and pathologic features.
AB  - Porokeratosis is a disorder of keratinization characterized by an abnormal
      cornoid lamella surrounding an annular, scaly plaque with an atrophic center. A
      histologic variant of this condition has been proposed, termed follicular
      porokeratosis, in cases where follicular involvement was contiguous with an
      annular cornoid lamella. There has been only 1 report of punctate follicular
      porokeratosis, in which cornoid lamellae originated exclusively from hair
      follicles with no associated annular plaque. The authors present the second case
      of punctate follicular porokeratosis, further supporting the contention that this
      entity is a unique form of porokeratosis rather than a histologic variant. A 56
      year-old African American female presented to the dermatology clinic with a 3
      month history of keratotic lesions localized on the right posterior shoulder.
      Examination revealed an area of perifollicular keratotic papules, each surrounded
      by an erythematous rim. Histopathology revealed a cornoid lamella originating
      within a hair follicle, with the parakeratotic column protruding through the
      follicular orifice. The static nature of the condition along with exclusive
      involvement of hair follicles supports the notion of punctate follicular
      porokeratosis as a distinct clinical entity. The diagnosis of this condition
      relies heavily on proper histopathologic sampling revealing punctate follicular
      cornoid lamellae. 

PMID- 26485245
TI  - Moving forward together: The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery report and its
      implications for neurosurgical procedures.

PMID- 26485246
TI  - Application of "Hydrogen-Bonding Interaction" in Drug Design. Part 2: Design,
      Synthesis, and Structure-Activity Relationships of Thiophosphoramide Derivatives
      as Novel Antiviral and Antifungal Agents.
AB  - On the basis of the structure of natural product harmine, lead compound 18, and
      the structure of compounds in part 1, a series of thiophosphoramide derivatives 1
      17 were designed and synthesized from various amines in one step. Their antiviral
      and antifungal activities were evaluated. Most of the compounds showed
      significantly higher antiviral activity against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) than
      commercial virucide ribavirin. Compound (R,R)-17 showed the best anti-TMV
      activity in vitro (70%/500 MUg/mL and 33%/100 MUg/mL) and in vivo (inactivation
      effect, 68%/500 MUg/mL and 30%/100 MUg/mL; curative effect, 64%/500 MUg/mL and
      31%/100 MUg/mL; protection effect, 66%/500 MUg/mL and 31%/100 MUg/mL), which is
      higher than that of ningnanmycin and lead compound 18. The antiviral activity of
      (R,R)-17.HCl is about similar to that of (R,R)-17. However, the antifungal
      activity of (R,R)-17.HCl against Puccinia sorghi is slightly lower than that of
      (R,R)-17. The systematic study provides compelling evidence that these simple
      thiophosphoramide compounds could become efficient antiviral and antifungal
      agents. 

PMID- 26485248
TI  - Resident Attitudes on Ethical and Medical Decision-Making for Neonates at the
      Limit of Viability.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify pediatric resident knowledge and attitudes
      on current practices and ideal gestational age (GA) thresholds for offering and
      mandating resuscitation, and the role of influencing factors in decision-making.
      STUDY DESIGN: Pediatric residents were assessed via electronic survey at a large
      academic institution. RESULT: A total of 62% of the residents identified 23 weeks
      as the lower threshold for resuscitation, despite 84 and 89% reporting that
      practices are inconsistent and unclear, respectively. Only 21% identified 24
      weeks as the latest GA that parents may decline. The majority disagreed with our
      current practices, identifying older GA as appropriate for all thresholds. They
      reported scientific evidence as undervalued, and attending physicians' personal
      beliefs as overvalued in decision-making. CONCLUSION: Our residents recognize
      decision-making for extremely preterm infants consistent with general guidelines
      for management based on population outcomes, but attribute these decisions to
      physicians' personal beliefs. Preferences for higher GA thresholds for
      resuscitation may reflect disproportionate pessimism about these patients or
      diverse values regarding autonomy.

PMID- 26485247
TI  - Complement Split Products C3a/C5a and Receptors: Are They Regulated by
      Circulating Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Autoantibody in Severe Preeclampsia?
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study measured the serum levels of complement component (C)3a
      and C5a and the placental expressions of C3a receptor (R) and C5aR to determine a
      potential correlation with circulating angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor
      agonistic autoantibody (AT1-AA) in severe pre-eclampsia. METHODS: A total of 118
      women were recruited and divided into 2 groups: the control group (normotensive
      preterm pregnancies, n = 66) and severe pre-eclampsia group (n = 52). Levels of
      C3a, C5a and AT1-AA in serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      and C3aR and C5aR in placenta by Western blotting. RESULTS: Levels of C3a, C5a
      and AT1-AA in serum from the severe pre-eclampsia group were significantly higher
      than in controls (p < 0.05). Placental expression of C3aR and C5aR in the pre
      eclampsia group was lower than that in controls (p < 0.05). There were
      significant positive correlations between levels of C3a, C5a and AT1-AA in serum
      from the pre-eclampsia group (p < 0.05). In contrast, there was no correlation
      between C3aR and C5aR in the placenta and AT1-AA in serum in the pre-eclampsia
      group (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Increased C3a, C5a and AT1-AA in the serum provide
      indirect evidence that AT1-AA-mediated activation contributes to activate
      complement, which is a key mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of severe pre
      eclampsia.

PMID- 26485249
TI  - Insulin, Hyperglycemia, and Severe Retinopathy of Prematurity in Extremely Low
      Birth-Weight Infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the association between hyperglycemia,
      insulin therapy, and severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in extremely low
      birth-weight (ELBW) infants. STUDY DESIGN: In this retrospective database study,
      we included all ELBW infants who were <= 32 weeks gestational age (GA). We
      excluded infants without any ophthalmology evaluation and infants who died before
      28 days of life. A multivariable model was constructed to determine the
      association between hyperglycemia, insulin use, and severe ROP. We defined
      hyperglycemia as blood glucose (BG) > 180 mg/dL. Covariates were GA, small for GA
      status, discharge year, sex, Apgar score at 5 minutes, mechanical ventilation,
      oxygen use, bacteremia, and postnatal steroid exposure. We defined severe ROP as
      ROP requiring bevacizumab, cryotherapy, laser therapy, or vitrectomy. Sensitivity
      analysis using BG > 150 mg/dL and > 200 mg/dL was performed. RESULTS: A total of
      24,548 infants were included; 2,547 (10%) had severe ROP. Hyperglycemia alone was
      not associated with severe ROP (odds ratio [OR], 0.88; 95% confidence interval
      [CI], 0.66-1.17). Hyperglycemia and insulin use were not associated with severe
      ROP (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 0.91-2.23). BG > 150 mg/dL and insulin use were associated
      with severe ROP (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.02-1.76). CONCLUSIONS: Hyperglycemia alone
      was not associated with severe ROP in ELBW infants. However, we did observe a
      possible trend between the use of insulin and severe ROP.

PMID- 26485250
TI  - Teenage Pregnancies: Risk Factors and Associated Neonatal Outcomes in an Eastern
      European Academic Perinatal Care Center.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to compare women with early (13-16 years), late
      teenage (17-19 years), and adult (25-29 years) pregnancies regarding pregnancy
      risk factors and reproductive outcomes. METHODS: An observational study,
      utilizing medical charts and direct interview, conducted in an academic hospital
      during January 2011 and December 2012. Our sample comprised 395 teenage and 736
      adult pregnancies. RESULTS: Pregnant teenagers were more likely than adults to be
      single (41.7 vs. 33.2%; odds ratio [OR]: 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11
      1.84), to live in a rural area (70.9 vs. 53.9%; OR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.60-2.69), and
      to live with extended family (74.2 vs. 16.0%; OR: 15.04, 95% CI: 11.15-20.29).
      Adolescent mothers were more likely than adult mothers to give birth by vaginal
      delivery (78.5 vs. 69.6%; OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.17-2.84), and rate of operative
      delivery was lower amongst this group (8.6 vs. 9.8%; OR: 0.8, 95% CI: 0.5-1.3).
      The newborns of adolescent mothers were more likely to be low birth weight (14.9
      vs. 9.1%; OR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.20-2.54) and more likely to successfully breastfeed
      (91.9 vs. 82.2%; OR: 2.45; 95% CI: 1.63-3.69) but the length of hospital stay was
      similar with adult mothers' newborns. CONCLUSIONS: The distinct risk factors and
      behaviors associated with pregnancy, among teenagers may help address the health
      needs of this unique and vulnerable group and their offspring.

PMID- 26485251
TI  - Impact of Standardized Communication Techniques on Errors during Simulated
      Neonatal Resuscitation.
AB  - AIM: Current patterns of communication in high-risk clinical situations, such as
      resuscitation, are imprecise and prone to error. We hypothesized that the use of
      standardized communication techniques would decrease the errors committed by
      resuscitation teams during neonatal resuscitation. METHODS: In a prospective,
      single-blinded, matched pairs design with block randomization, 13 subjects
      performed as a lead resuscitator in two simulated complex neonatal
      resuscitations. Two nurses assisted each subject during the simulated
      resuscitation scenarios. In one scenario, the nurses used nonstandard
      communication; in the other, they used standardized communication techniques. The
      performance of the subjects was scored to determine errors committed (defined
      relative to the Neonatal Resuscitation Program algorithm), time to initiation of
      positive pressure ventilation (PPV), and time to initiation of chest compressions
      (CC). RESULTS: In scenarios in which subjects were exposed to standardized
      communication techniques, there was a trend toward decreased error rate, time to
      initiation of PPV, and time to initiation of CC. While not statistically
      significant, there was a 1.7-second improvement in time to initiation of PPV and
      a 7.9-second improvement in time to initiation of CC. CONCLUSIONS: Should these
      improvements in human performance be replicated in the care of real newborn
      infants, they could improve patient outcomes and enhance patient safety.

PMID- 26485252
TI  - Clinical whole-exome sequencing reveals a novel missense pathogenic variant of
      GNAO1 in a patient with infantile-onset epilepsy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The cause of infantile-onset epilepsy is complex and is not easily
      recognized clinically, particularly in paediatric patients who present with non
      specific neurological signs, no radiological abnormalities and no metabolic
      changes. CASE: We report a case of infantile-onset epilepsy in a 10-month-old
      Chinese girl who presented with non-specific neurological signs, no radiological
      abnormalities and no biochemical disturbances. She first presented at birth with
      twitching movements and convulsions of an unknown aetiology. Ambulatory EEG
      showed epileptic rhythmic activities, the presence of asynchrony and runs of
      sharp waves over the right parietal and central areas. Given the non-specific
      neurological features and negative structural and biochemical findings, we
      applied clinical whole-exome sequencing (WES) to determine the underlying
      aetiology. WES revealed a novel heterozygous missense pathogenic variant,
      GNAO1:NM_020988.2:c.118G>A; NP_066268.1:p.Gly40Arg. A genetic analysis of the
      family confirmed the variant identified is a de novo mutation. CONCLUSIONS:
      Clinical WES can streamline genetic analysis and sort out pathogenic genes in an
      unbiased approach. GNAO1 is a disease-causing gene for the autosomal dominant
      form of early infantile epileptic encephalopathy. The novel pathogenic variant
      identified in this case should contribute to our understanding of the expanding
      spectrum of infantile-onset epilepsy.

PMID- 26485253
TI  - Pre-analytical phase: The automated ProTube device supports quality assurance in
      the phlebotomy process.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most errors in laboratory medicine occur in the pre-analytical phase
      of the total testing process. Phlebotomy, a crucial step in the pre-analytical
      phase influencing laboratory results and patient outcome, calls for quality
      assurance procedures and automation in order to prevent errors and ensure patient
      safety. METHODS: We compared the performance of a new small, automated device,
      the ProTube Inpeco, designed for use in phlebotomy with a complete traceability
      of the process, with a centralized automated system, BC ROBO. RESULTS: ProTube
      was used for 15,010 patients undergoing phlebotomy with 48,776 tubes being
      labeled. The mean time and standard deviation (SD) for blood sampling was 3:03
      (min:sec; SD +/- 1:24) when using ProTube, against 5:40 (min:sec; SD +/- 1:57)
      when using BC ROBO. The mean number of patients per hour managed at each
      phlebotomy point was 16 +/- 3 with ProTube, and 10 +/- 2 with BC ROBO. No tubes
      were labeled erroneously or incorrectly, even if process failure occurred in 2.8%
      of cases when ProTube was used. CONCLUSIONS: Thanks to its cutting edge
      technology, the ProTube has many advantages over BC ROBO, above all in verifying
      patient identity, and in allowing a reduction in both identification error and
      tube mislabeling.

PMID- 26485254
TI  - Thimerosal: An allergen for patch testing.

PMID- 26485255
TI  - Refinement of the Central Steps of Substrate Transport by the Aspartate
      Transporter GltPh: Elucidating the Role of the Na2 Sodium Binding Site.
AB  - Glutamate homeostasis in the brain is maintained by glutamate transporter
      mediated accumulation. Impaired transport is associated with several neurological
      disorders, including stroke and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Crystal structures
      of the homolog transporter GltPh from Pyrococcus horikoshii revealed large
      structural changes. Substrate uptake at the atomic level and the mechanism of ion
      gradient conversion into directional transport remained enigmatic. We observed in
      repeated simulations that two local structural changes regulated transport. The
      first change led to formation of the transient Na2 sodium binding site, triggered
      by side chain rotation of T308. The second change destabilized cytoplasmic ionic
      interactions. We found that sodium binding to the transiently formed Na2 site
      energized substrate uptake through reshaping of the energy hypersurface. Uptake
      experiments in reconstituted proteoliposomes confirmed the proposed mechanism. We
      reproduced the results in the human glutamate transporter EAAT3 indicating a
      conserved mechanics from archaea to humans. 

PMID- 26485257
TI  - Correction: Evidence for the Convergence Model: The Emergence of Highly
      Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) in Viet Nam.

PMID- 26485256
TI  - Hepatorenal Acute Kidney Injury and the Importance of Raising Mean Arterial
      Pressure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The efficacy of vasoconstrictors in hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is
      variable. We hypothesized that the effectiveness of vasoconstrictor therapy in
      improving kidney function ultimately relates to the magnitude of the achieved
      mean arterial pressure (MAP) increase. METHODS: A retrospective study was
      conducted to identify cirrhotic individuals treated with vasoconstrictors for
      acute kidney injury (AKI) presumably caused by HRS to examine the relationship
      between change in MAP and change in serum creatinine (sCr) using multivariate
      mixed linear regression. RESULTS: Among 73 patients treated with
      midodrine/octreotide, change in MAP inversely correlated with change in sCr (p =
      0.0005). The quartile with the greatest increase in MAP (+15.9 to +29.4 mm Hg)
      was associated with a subsequent absolute decrease in sCr. The strength of the
      correlation increased when the analysis was restricted to those who met the HRS
      criteria (n = 27, p = 0.002), where the third (+5.3 to +15.6 mm Hg) and fourth
      (+15.9 to +20.9 mm Hg) quartiles of MAP change were associated with a decrease in
      sCr. A similar but stronger correlation was found among 14 patients treated with
      norepinephrine either after failing midodrine/octreotide (n = 10) or de novo (n =
      4; p = 0.002), where a rise in MAP of +19.2 to 25 mm Hg was associated with a
      larger reduction in sCr. Associations remained significant after adjustment for
      baseline parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of MAP rise during HRS therapy
      with midodrine/octreotide or norepinephrine correlated with a reduction in sCr
      concentration. Our results suggest that achieving a pre-specified target of MAP
      increase might improve renal outcomes in hepatorenal AKI.

PMID- 26485259
TI  - Have we done enough to educate patients about e-cigarettes?

PMID- 26485258
TI  - Delayed Onset of Symptoms and Atovaquone-Proguanil Chemoprophylaxis Breakthrough
      by Plasmodium malariae in the Absence of Mutation at Codon 268 of pmcytb.
AB  - Plasmodium malariae is widely distributed across the tropics, causing symptomatic
      malaria in humans with a 72-hour fever periodicity, and may present after latency
      periods lasting up to many decades. Delayed occurrence of symptoms is observed in
      humans using chemoprophylaxis, or patients having received therapies targeting P.
      falciparum intraerythrocytic asexual stages, but few investigators have addressed
      the biological basis of the ability of P. malariae to persist in the human host.
      To investigate these interesting features of P. malariae epidemiology, we
      assembled, here, an extensive case series of P. malariae malaria patients
      presenting in non-endemic China, Sweden, and the UK who returned from travel in
      endemic countries, mainly in Africa. Out of 378 evaluable P. malariae cases, 100
      (26.2%) reported using at least partial chemoprophylaxis, resembling the pattern
      seen with the relapsing parasites P. ovale spp. and P. vivax. In contrast, for
      only 7.5% of imported UK cases of non-relapsing P. falciparum was any
      chemoprophylaxis use reported. Genotyping of parasites from six patients
      reporting use of atovaquone-proguanil chemoprophylaxis did not reveal mutations
      at codon 268 of the cytb locus of the P. malariae mitochondrial genome. While
      travellers with P. malariae malaria are significantly more likely to report
      prophylaxis use during endemic country travel than are those with P. falciparum
      infections, atovaquone-proguanil prophylaxis breakthrough was not associated with
      pmcytb mutations. These preliminary studies, together with consistent
      observations of the remarkable longevity of P. malariae, lead us to propose re
      examination of the dogma that this species is not a relapsing parasite. Further
      studies are needed to investigate our favoured hypothesis, namely that P.
      malariae can initiate a latent hypnozoite developmental programme in the human
      hepatocyte: if validated this will explain the consistent observations of
      remarkable longevity of parasitism, even in the presence of antimalarial
      prophylaxis or treatment. 

PMID- 26485260
TI  - Practice invites patients to run a 5K with their doctor.

PMID- 26485261
TI  - Targeting neuropathic pain: consider these alternatives.
AB  - When patients with painful peripheral neuropathy fail to respond to--or are
      unable to tolerate--standard therapies, consider these lesser-known treatments.

PMID- 26485262
TI  - Long-acting reversible contraception: who, what, when, and how.
AB  - This review provides practical tips--and dispels some common misconceptions-
      about these devices, which have higher rates of patient satisfaction and lower
      rates of failure than any other reversible contraceptives..

PMID- 26485263
TI  - Right foot pain while walking . no erythema or edema . no evidence of structural
      abnormalities . Dx?
AB  - A 24-year-old woman came to our clinic because she had pain in her right foot.
      Over the previous 4 weeks, she'd noticed increasing pain in the ball of her foot
      while walking and climbing stairs, particularly in the push-off portion of her
      gait. She described it as a nagging, localized pain that she rated as a 2 or 3
      out of 10. It was an annoyance, but not unbearable. 

PMID- 26485264
TI  - Vomiting and abdominal pain in a woman with diabetes.
AB  - A CT scan of this patient's abdomen led us to an unusual and life-threatening
      diagnosis. 

PMID- 26485265
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26485266
TI  - Treating depression: what works besides meds?
AB  - How effective are cognitive behavioral therapy, prescribed exercise, dietary
      supplements, and other nonpharmacologic options for alleviating depression?
      Here's what the evidence tells us. 

PMID- 26485267
TI  - Familial hypercholesterolemia: clues to catching it early.
AB  - Here's how to spot the red flags that could signal your patient is at risk and
      steps you can take to potentially extend his or her life.

PMID- 26485268
TI  - The mainstreaming of alternative therapies.

PMID- 26485269
TI  - HelpDesk Answers: What treatments best prevent chronic tension headaches?

PMID- 26485270
TI  - HelpDesk Answers: Does team-based care improve outcomes for patients with chronic
      diseases?

PMID- 26485271
TI  - Congo Red Interactions with Curli-Producing E. coli and Native Curli Amyloid
      Fibers.
AB  - Microorganisms produce functional amyloids that can be examined and manipulated
      in vivo and in vitro. Escherichia coli assemble extracellular adhesive amyloid
      fibers termed curli that mediate adhesion and promote biofilm formation. We have
      characterized the dye binding properties of the hallmark amyloid dye, Congo red,
      with curliated E. coli and with isolated curli fibers. Congo red binds to
      curliated whole cells, does not inhibit growth, and can be used to comparatively
      quantify whole-cell curliation. Using Surface Plasmon Resonance, we measured the
      binding and dissociation kinetics of Congo red to curli. Furthermore, we
      determined that the binding of Congo red to curli is pH-dependent and that
      histidine residues in the CsgA protein do not influence Congo red binding. Our
      results on E. coli strain MC4100, the most commonly employed strain for studies
      of E. coli amyloid biogenesis, provide a starting point from which to compare the
      influence of Congo red binding in other E. coli strains and amyloid-producing
      organisms. 

PMID- 26485272
TI  - Pathos & Ethos: Emotions and Willingness to Pay for Tobacco Products.
AB  - JEL CLASSIFICATION: C26, C99, D03, I18. PSYCINFO CLASSIFICATION: 2360; 3920.

PMID- 26485273
TI  - Correction: Modified Clonidine Testing for Growth Hormone Stimulation Reveals
      alpha2-Adrenoreceptor Sub Sensitivity in Children with Idiopathic Growth Hormone
      Deficiency.

PMID- 26485274
TI  - Layer-by-layer Collagen Deposition in Microfluidic Devices for Microtissue
      Stabilization.
AB  - Although microfluidics provides exquisite control of the cellular
      microenvironment, culturing cells within microfluidic devices can be challenging.
      3D culture of cells in collagen type I gels helps to stabilize cell morphology
      and function, which is necessary for creating microfluidic tissue models in
      microdevices. Translating traditional 3D culture techniques for tissue culture
      plates to microfluidic devices is often difficult because of the limited channel
      dimensions. In this method, we describe a technique for modifying native type I
      collagen to generate polycationic and polyanionic collagen solutions that can be
      used with layer-by-layer deposition to create ultrathin collagen assemblies on
      top of cells cultured in microfluidic devices. These thin collagen layers
      stabilize cell morphology and function, as shown using primary hepatocytes as an
      example cell, allowing for the long term culture of microtissues in microfluidic
      devices. 

PMID- 26485276
TI  - Metal carbonyl complexes of phosphaamidines. Coordinative integrity detected in C
      amino(lambda(3),sigma(2))-phosphaalkene isomers coordinated through n(P) HOMO-1
      donor orbitals.
AB  - Metal(0) complexes L(Cr,Mo,W)(CO)5 have been prepared from 1,3-bis(2,6
      diisopropylphenyl)-2-(4-methylphenyl)-3-aza-1(lambda(3),sigma(2))-phosphapropene
      and 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3-aza
      1(lambda(3),sigma(2))-phosphapropene using standard methods. Full
      characterization of four products and crystal structures of these complexes as
      well as the methoxyphenyl-phosphapropene are reported. The ligands coordinate
      kappaP, common for simple phosphaalkenes, despite the strongly-perturbing amino
      substitution at the double bond C atoms. Analyses of the NMR and vibrational
      spectroscopic data reveal that the complexes have very similar character to
      similarly-coordinated phosphaalkenes, with strong sigma-donor character. The
      presence of some net pi-interactions (acceptor or donor) is indicated by
      structures in which the ligands coordinate fully eclipsed with the M-CO groups.
      The synthetic and structural results have been augmented by B3PW91/LANL2DZ
      calculations that reproduce the structures of the Cr complexes accurately. The
      calculated vibrational spectra are used to confirm the assignment of the nu(C =
      O) vibrational data. Detailed orbital interaction diagrams based on DFT
      calculations are reported for the title complexes as well as for the Cr(CO)5
      complex of Mes-P=CPh2. The electronic absorption spectra of the title complexes
      have intense low-energy absorptions ranging from 24,500 to 25,300 cm(-1), which
      can be interpreted qualitatively using the DFT results.

PMID- 26485275
TI  - The Prognostic Role of SOCS3 and A20 in Human Cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - As an antagonist of the JAK/STAT pathway, suppressor of cytokine signaling 3
      (SOCS3) plays an integral role in shaping the inflammatory environment,
      tumorigenesis and disease progression in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA); however, its
      prognostic significance remains unclear. Although tumor necrosis factor alpha
      induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3, also known as A20) can decrease SOCS3 expression and
      is involved in the regulation of tumorigenesis in certain malignancies, its role
      in CCA remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the expression of SOCS3
      and A20 in human CCA tissues to assess the prognostic significance of these
      proteins. The expression of SOCS3 and A20 was initially detected by western blot
      in 22 cases of freshly frozen CCA tumors with corresponding peritumoral tissues
      and 22 control normal bile duct tissues. Then, these proteins were investigated
      in 86 CCA patients by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and were evaluated for their
      association with clinicopathological parameters in human CCA. The results
      indicated that SOCS3 expression was significantly lower in CCA tumor tissues than
      in corresponding peritumoral biliary tissues and normal bile duct tissues.
      Conversely, A20 was overexpressed in CCA tissues. Thus, an inverse correlation
      between the expression of SOCS3 and A20 was discovered. Furthermore, patients
      with low SOCS3 expression or high A20 expression showed a dramatically lower
      overall survival rate. These proteins were both associated with CCA lymph node
      metastasis, postoperative recurrence and overall survival rate. However, only A20
      showed a significant association with the tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage,
      while SOCS3 showed a significant association with tumor differentiation.
      Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that SOCS3 and A20 were independent prognostic
      indicators for overall survival in CCA. Thus, our study demonstrated that SOCS3
      and A20 represent novel prognostic factors for human CCA. 

PMID- 26485277
TI  - Correction: Cyclooxygenase-2 and Prostaglandin E2 Signaling through Prostaglandin
      Receptor EP-2 Favor the Development of Myocarditis during Acute Trypanosoma cruzi
      Infection.

PMID- 26485278
TI  - Deterministic Factors Overwhelm Stochastic Environmental Fluctuations as Drivers
      of Jellyfish Outbreaks.
AB  - Jellyfish outbreaks are increasingly viewed as a deterministic response to
      escalating levels of environmental degradation and climate extremes. However, a
      comprehensive understanding of the influence of deterministic drivers and
      stochastic environmental variations favouring population renewal processes has
      remained elusive. This study quantifies the deterministic and stochastic
      components of environmental change that lead to outbreaks of the jellyfish
      Pelagia noctiluca in the Mediterranen Sea. Using data of jellyfish abundance
      collected at 241 sites along the Catalan coast from 2007 to 2010 we: (1) tested
      hypotheses about the influence of time-varying and spatial predictors of
      jellyfish outbreaks; (2) evaluated the relative importance of stochastic vs.
      deterministic forcing of outbreaks through the environmental bootstrap method;
      and (3) quantified return times of extreme events. Outbreaks were common in May
      and June and less likely in other summer months, which resulted in a negative
      relationship between outbreaks and SST. Cross- and along-shore advection by
      geostrophic flow were important concentrating forces of jellyfish, but most
      outbreaks occurred in the proximity of two canyons in the northern part of the
      study area. This result supported the recent hypothesis that canyons can funnel
      P. noctiluca blooms towards shore during upwelling. This can be a general, yet
      unappreciated mechanism leading to outbreaks of holoplanktonic jellyfish species.
      The environmental bootstrap indicated that stochastic environmental fluctuations
      have negligible effects on return times of outbreaks. Our analysis emphasized the
      importance of deterministic processes leading to jellyfish outbreaks compared to
      the stochastic component of environmental variation. A better understanding of
      how environmental drivers affect demographic and population processes in
      jellyfish species will increase the ability to anticipate jellyfish outbreaks in
      the future. 

PMID- 26485279
TI  - Vitamin D Receptor Gene FOKI Polymorphism Contributes to Increasing the Risk of
      HIV-Negative Tuberculosis: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene FokI polymorphism have been studied in
      relation to tuberculosis (TB) in many populations and provided inconsistent
      results. In this study, we carried out a meta-analysis to derive a more reliable
      assessment on FokI polymorphism and the risk of HIV-negative TB. METHODS: The
      Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases were used to undertake a
      comprehensive systematic literature review of all current published VDR gene FOKI
      association studies aimed at the risk of TB up to June 30, 2015. Odds ratios
      (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to measure
      the strength of the models. RESULTS: A total of 14 studies (1,668 cases and 1,893
      controls) were retrieved in the meta-analysis. The pooled OR was 1.60 (95% = 1.28
      1.97, P<0.001; I2 = 29.5%, and P = 0.141 for heterogeneity) in the best genetic
      model (recessive model: ff vs. fF+FF). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicities, a
      significantly increased risk was found in the Asian group (OR = 1.82, 95% CI =
      1.42-2.33, P<0.001; I2 = 31.0%, and P = 0.150 for heterogeneity) in the recessive
      model. Similarly, significant associations were also found in the polymerase
      chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism group, high-quality
      studies, and the population based or hospital based groups. Moderate
      heterogeneity was found in this study. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that VDR
      FokI polymorphism contributes to increasing the risk of TB in HIV-negative
      individuals, especially in the Asian region. Further studies on this topic in
      other races are expected to be conducted in future.

PMID- 26485280
TI  - Evaluation of Electrical Impedance as a Biomarker of Myostatin Inhibition in Wild
      Type and Muscular Dystrophy Mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Non-invasive and effort independent biomarkers are needed to better
      assess the effects of drug therapy on healthy muscle and that affected by
      muscular dystrophy (mdx). Here we evaluated the use of multi-frequency electrical
      impedance for this purpose with comparison to force and histological parameters.
      METHODS: Eight wild-type (wt) and 10 mdx mice were treated weekly with RAP-031
      activin type IIB receptor at a dose of 10 mg kg-1 twice weekly for 16 weeks; the
      investigators were blinded to treatment and disease status. At the completion of
      treatment, impedance measurements, in situ force measurements, and histology
      analyses were performed. RESULTS: As compared to untreated animals, RAP-031 wt
      and mdx treated mice had greater body mass (18% and 17%, p < 0.001 respectively)
      and muscle mass (25% p < 0.05 and 22% p < 0.001, respectively). The Cole
      impedance parameters in treated wt mice, showed a 24% lower central frequency (p
      < 0.05) and 19% higher resistance ratio (p < 0.05); no significant differences
      were observed in the mdx mice. These differences were consistent with those seen
      in maximum isometric force, which was greater in the wt animals (p < 0.05 at > 70
      Hz), but not in the mdx animals. In contrast, maximum force normalized by muscle
      mass was unchanged in the wt animals and lower in the mdx animals by 21% (p <
      0.01). Similarly, myofiber size was only non-significantly higher in treated
      versus untreated animals (8% p = 0.44 and 12% p = 0.31 for wt and mdx animals,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate electrical impedance of
      muscle reproduce the functional and histological changes associated with
      myostatin pathway inhibition and do not reflect differences in muscle size or
      volume. This technique deserves further study in both animal and human
      therapeutic trials.

PMID- 26485281
TI  - Over-salting ruins the balance of the immune menu.
AB  - Regulatory components of the immune system are critical for preventing unintended
      activation of immune cells. Failure to prevent this unintended activation raises
      the risk of developing exaggerated inflammation and autoimmunity. In this issue
      of the JCI, Binger et al. and Hernandez et al. report that salt can play an
      important role in undermining regulatory mechanisms of the innate and adaptive
      immune systems. High salt levels interfere with alternative activation of
      macrophages (M2), which function in attenuating tissue inflammation and promoting
      wound healing. High salt also impairs Treg function by inducing IFNgamma
      production in these cells. Together, these results provide evidence that
      environmental signals in the presence of high dietary salt enhance
      proinflammatory responses by interfering with both innate and adaptive regulatory
      mechanisms. 

PMID- 26485282
TI  - Poreless eggshells.
AB  - The oocyte is the sole source of the female genetic material that will be
      fertilized by sperm to form an embryo. Many extrinsic and intrinsic factors are
      critical for oocyte development and survival; however, these mediators are
      incompletely understood. In this issue of the JCI, Weinberg-Shukron et al.
      uncover a novel recessive missense mutation in the gene encoding nucleoporin-107
      (NUP107) that results in abnormal ovarian development. Recapitulation of the
      human mutation in the Drosophila NUP107 ortholog resulted in poor follicular
      development and demonstrated an evolutionarily conserved and ovary-specific role
      of NUP107. While NUP107 is required for nuclear pore complex function in somatic
      cells of flies and women, this specific amino acid change appears only to be
      disruptive in the ovary. All together, these findings imply that missense
      mutations in other genes could be specifically disruptive of ovarian or
      testicular function, while leaving extragonadal function intact. 

PMID- 26485283
TI  - A mutation in the nucleoporin-107 gene causes XX gonadal dysgenesis.
AB  - Ovarian development and maintenance are poorly understood; however, diseases that
      affect these processes can offer insights into the underlying mechanisms. XX
      female gonadal dysgenesis (XX-GD) is a rare, genetically heterogeneous disorder
      that is characterized by underdeveloped, dysfunctional ovaries, with subsequent
      lack of spontaneous pubertal development, primary amenorrhea, uterine hypoplasia,
      and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. Here, we report an extended consanguineous
      family of Palestinian origin, in which 4 females exhibited XX-GD. Using
      homozygosity mapping and whole-exome sequencing, we identified a recessive
      missense mutation in nucleoporin-107 (NUP107, c.1339G>A, p.D447N). This mutation
      segregated with the XX-GD phenotype and was not present in available databases or
      in 150 healthy ethnically matched controls. NUP107 is a component of the nuclear
      pore complex, and the NUP107-associated protein SEH1 is required for oogenesis in
      Drosophila. In Drosophila, Nup107 knockdown in somatic gonadal cells resulted in
      female sterility, whereas males were fully fertile. Transgenic rescue of
      Drosophila females bearing the Nup107D364N mutation, which corresponds to the
      human NUP107 (p.D447N), resulted in almost complete sterility, with a marked
      reduction in progeny, morphologically aberrant eggshells, and disintegrating egg
      chambers, indicating defective oogenesis. These results indicate a pivotal role
      for NUP107 in ovarian development and suggest that nucleoporin defects may play a
      role in milder and more common conditions such as premature ovarian failure. 

PMID- 26485284
TI  - Therapeutic lymphangiogenesis ameliorates established acute lung allograft
      rejection.
AB  - Lung transplantation is the only viable option for patients suffering from
      otherwise incurable end-stage pulmonary diseases such as chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Despite aggressive
      immunosuppression, acute rejection of the lung allograft occurs in over half of
      transplant recipients, and the factors that promote lung acceptance are poorly
      understood. The contribution of lymphatic vessels to transplant pathophysiology
      remains controversial, and data that directly address the exact roles of
      lymphatic vessels in lung allograft function and survival are limited. Here, we
      have shown that there is a marked decline in the density of lymphatic vessels,
      accompanied by accumulation of low-MW hyaluronan (HA) in mouse orthotopic
      allografts undergoing rejection. We found that stimulation of lymphangiogenesis
      with VEGF-C156S, a mutant form of VEGF-C with selective VEGFR-3 binding,
      alleviates an established rejection response and improves clearance of HA from
      the lung allograft. Longitudinal analysis of transbronchial biopsies from human
      lung transplant recipients demonstrated an association between resolution of
      acute lung rejection and decreased HA in the graft tissue. Taken together, these
      results indicate that lymphatic vessel formation after lung transplantation
      mediates HA drainage and suggest that treatments to stimulate lymphangiogenesis
      have promise for improving graft outcomes. 

PMID- 26485285
TI  - Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 in hematopoietic cells results in salt-sensitive
      hypertension.
AB  - Inhibition of prostaglandin (PG) production with either nonselective or selective
      inhibitors of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity can induce or exacerbate salt
      sensitive hypertension. This effect has been previously attributed to inhibition
      of intrinsic renal COX-2 activity and subsequent increase in sodium retention by
      the kidney. Here, we found that macrophages isolated from kidneys of high-salt
      treated WT mice have increased levels of COX-2 and microsomal PGE synthase-1
      (mPGES-1). Furthermore, BM transplantation (BMT) from either COX-2-deficient or
      mPGES-1-deficient mice into WT mice or macrophage-specific deletion of the PGE2
      type 4 (EP4) receptor induced salt-sensitive hypertension and increased
      phosphorylation of the renal sodium chloride cotransporter (NCC). Kidneys from
      high-salt-treated WT mice transplanted with Cox2-/- BM had increased macrophage
      and T cell infiltration and increased M1- and Th1-associated markers and
      cytokines. Skin macrophages from high-salt-treated mice with either genetic or
      pharmacologic inhibition of the COX-2 pathway expressed decreased M2 markers and
      VEGF-C production and exhibited aberrant lymphangiogenesis. Together, these
      studies demonstrate that COX-2-derived PGE2 in hematopoietic cells plays an
      important role in both kidney and skin in maintaining homeostasis in response to
      chronically increased dietary salt. Moreover, these results indicate that
      inhibiting COX-2 expression or activity in hematopoietic cells can result in a
      predisposition to salt-sensitive hypertension. 

PMID- 26485288
TI  - A Summary of the Biological Basis of Frailty.
AB  - Frailty has been defined as a geriatric syndrome that is characterized by a
      reduction in the physiological reserve required for an individual to respond to
      endogenous and exogenous stressors. Using a discrete definition of frailty that
      includes sedentariness, involuntary weight loss, fatigue, poor muscle strength,
      and slow gait speed, 'frailty' has been associated with increased disability,
      postsurgical complications, and increased mortality. Despite the strong
      associations between frailty and subsequent poor outcomes, limited attention to
      this common geriatric condition has been paid in clinical settings. A more
      fundamental basic understanding of the biological factors that contribute to the
      frailty phenotype has begun to emerge. Multiple underlying biological factors
      such as dysregulation of inflammatory processes, genomic instability, oxidative
      stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cellular senescence appear to contribute
      to the clinical presentation of frailty. This chapter summarizes the papers
      presented on the biological basis of frailty from the 83rd Nestle Nutrition
      Institute Workshop on 'Frailty, Pathophysiology, Phenotype and Patient Care' held
      in Barcelona, Spain, in March 2014. 

PMID- 26485286
TI  - High salt reduces the activation of IL-4- and IL-13-stimulated macrophages.
AB  - A high intake of dietary salt (NaCl) has been implicated in the development of
      hypertension, chronic inflammation, and autoimmune diseases. We have recently
      shown that salt has a proinflammatory effect and boosts the activation of Th17
      cells and the activation of classical, LPS-induced macrophages (M1). Here, we
      examined how the activation of alternative (M2) macrophages is affected by salt.
      In stark contrast to Th17 cells and M1 macrophages, high salt blunted the
      alternative activation of BM-derived mouse macrophages stimulated with IL-4 and
      IL-13, M(IL-4+IL-13) macrophages. Salt-induced reduction of M(IL-4+IL-13)
      activation was not associated with increased polarization toward a
      proinflammatory M1 phenotype. In vitro, high salt decreased the ability of M(IL
      4+IL-13) macrophages to suppress effector T cell proliferation. Moreover, mice
      fed a high salt diet exhibited reduced M2 activation following chitin injection
      and delayed wound healing compared with control animals. We further identified a
      high salt-induced reduction in glycolysis and mitochondrial metabolic output,
      coupled with blunted AKT and mTOR signaling, which indicates a mechanism by which
      NaCl inhibits full M2 macrophage activation. Collectively, this study provides
      evidence that high salt reduces noninflammatory innate immune cell activation and
      may thus lead to an overall imbalance in immune homeostasis. 

PMID- 26485287
TI  - Dissociation of locomotor and cerebellar deficits in a murine Angelman syndrome
      model.
AB  - Angelman syndrome (AS) is a severe neurological disorder that is associated with
      prominent movement and balance impairments that are widely considered to be due
      to defects of cerebellar origin. Here, using the cerebellar-specific vestibulo
      ocular reflex (VOR) paradigm, we determined that cerebellar function is only
      mildly impaired in the Ube3am-/p+ mouse model of AS. VOR phase-reversal learning
      was singularly impaired in these animals and correlated with reduced tonic
      inhibition between Golgi cells and granule cells. Purkinje cell physiology, in
      contrast, was normal in AS mice as shown by synaptic plasticity and spontaneous
      firing properties that resembled those of controls. Accordingly, neither VOR
      phase-reversal learning nor locomotion was impaired following selective deletion
      of Ube3a in Purkinje cells. However, genetic normalization of alphaCaMKII
      inhibitory phosphorylation fully rescued locomotor deficits despite failing to
      improve cerebellar learning in AS mice, suggesting extracerebellar circuit
      involvement in locomotor learning. We confirmed this hypothesis through
      cerebellum-specific reinstatement of Ube3a, which ameliorated cerebellar learning
      deficits but did not rescue locomotor deficits. This double dissociation of
      locomotion and cerebellar phenotypes strongly suggests that the locomotor
      deficits of AS mice do not arise from impaired cerebellar cortex function. Our
      results provide important insights into the etiology of the motor deficits
      associated with AS. 

PMID- 26485289
TI  - Immunofluorescence to Monitor the Cellular Uptake of Human Lactoferrin and its
      Associated Antiviral Activity Against the Hepatitis C Virus.
AB  - Immunofluorescence is a laboratory technique commonly used to study many aspects
      of biology. It is typically used to visualize the distribution and/or
      localization of a target molecule in cells and tissues. Immunofluorescence relies
      on the specificity of fluorescent-labelled antibodies against their corresponding
      antigens within a cell. Both direct and indirect immunofluorescence approaches
      can be used which rely on the use of antibodies linked with a fluorochrome.
      Direct immunofluorescence is less frequently used because it provides lower
      signal, involves higher cost and less flexibility. In contrast, indirect
      immunofluorescence is more commonly used because of its high sensitivity and
      provides an amplified signal since more than one secondary antibody can attach to
      each primary antibody. In this manuscript, both epifluorescence microscopy and
      confocal microscopy were used to monitor the internalization of human
      lactoferrin, an important component of the immune system, into hepatic cells.
      Moreover, we monitored the inhibitory potential of hLF on the intracellular
      replication of the Hepatitis C virus using immunofluorescence. Both the
      advantages and disadvantages associated with these approaches are discussed. 

PMID- 26485290
TI  - SWOT analysis to evaluate the programme of a joint online/onsite master's degree
      in environmental education through the students' perceptions.
AB  - This study shows the use of SWOT to analyse students' perceptions of an
      environmental education joint master's programme in order to determine if it runs
      as originally planned. The open answers given by students highlight the inter
      university nature of the master's, the technological innovation used as major
      points, and the weaknesses in the management coordination or the duplicate
      contents as minor points. The external analysis is closely linked with the
      students' future jobs, their labour opportunities available to them after
      graduation. The innovative treatment of the data is exportable to the evaluation
      of programmes of other degrees because it allows the description linked to its
      characteristics and its design through the students' point of view. 

PMID- 26485291
TI  - Look who's cooking. Investigating the relationship between watching educational
      and edutainment TV cooking shows, eating habits and everyday cooking practices
      among men and women in Belgium.
AB  - Television (TV) cooking shows have evolved from focusing on educating to focusing
      on entertaining, as well. At present, educational TV cooking shows focus on the
      transfer of cooking knowledge and skills, whereas edutainment TV cooking shows
      focus on entertaining their viewers. Both types of shows are ongoing success
      stories. However, little is known regarding the shows' links with the cooking and
      eating habits of their audiences. Therefore, the current study investigates the
      relationship between watching an educational or edutainment TV cooking show and
      one's cooking and eating habits. Given public health concerns regarding the
      decline in cooking behaviors and the simultaneous increase in caloric intake from
      food outside the home, this study suggests a promising intervention. The results
      of a cross-sectional survey in Belgium (n = 845) demonstrate that the audiences
      of educational and edutainment TV cooking shows do not overlap. Although there is
      little connection between watching specific shows and eating behavior, the
      connection between watching shows and cooking behaviors varies across gender and
      age lines. Behaviors also differ depending on whether the viewer is watching an
      educational or edutainment cooking show. For example, men of all ages appear to
      cook more often if they watch an educational show. However, only older men (above
      38 years) seem to cook more often if they watch an edutainment TV show. The
      results demonstrate that the relationship between watching TV cooking shows and
      cooking habits warrants further investigation. 

PMID- 26485292
TI  - BALB/c and SWR inbred mice differ in post-oral fructose appetition as revealed by
      sugar versus non-nutritive sweetener tests.
AB  - Recent studies indicate that C57BL/6J (B6) and FVB inbred mouse strains differ in
      post-oral fructose conditioning. This was demonstrated by their differential
      flavor conditioning response to intragastric fructose and their preference for
      fructose versus a non-nutritive sweetener. The present study extended this
      analysis to SWR and BALB/c inbred strains which are of interest because they both
      show robust flavor conditioning responses to fructose. In the first experiment,
      ad-libitum fed mice were given a series of 2-day, two-bottle preference tests
      between 8% fructose and a more preferred, but non-nutritive 0.1% sucralose +0.1%
      saccharin (S+S) solution (tests 1 & 4), and fructose or S+S versus water (tests 2
      and 3). In test 1, SWR mice preferred S+S to fructose, and in tests 2 and 3, they
      preferred both sweeteners to water. In test 4, SWR mice switched their preference
      and consumed more fructose than S+S. In contrast, ad-libitum fed BALB/c mice
      strongly preferred S+S to fructose in both tests 1 and 4, although they preferred
      both sweeteners to water in tests 2 and 3. Food-restricted BALB/c mice also
      preferred the non-nutritive S+S to fructose in tests 1 and 4. The experience
      induced fructose preference reversal observed in SWR, but not BALB/c mice
      indicates that fructose has a post-oral reinforcing effect in SWR mice as in FVB
      mice. Because B6 and FVB mice prefer glucose to fructose based on the post-oral
      actions of the two sugars, the second experiment compared the preferences of SWR
      and BALB/c mice for 8% glucose and fructose solutions. Ad-libitum fed and food
      restricted SWR mice strongly preferred glucose to fructose. In contrast, ad
      libitum fed BALB/c mice were indifferent to the sugars, perhaps because of their
      overall low intakes. Food-restricted BALB/c mice, however, strongly preferred
      glucose. These findings indicate that SWR and BALB/c mice differ in their
      preference response to the post-oral actions of fructose. 

PMID- 26485293
TI  - Combined parental obesity augments single-parent obesity effects on hypothalamus
      inflammation, leptin signaling (JAK/STAT), hyperphagia, and obesity in the adult
      mice offspring.
AB  - We aimed to evaluate the effects of maternal and/or paternal obesity on offspring
      body mass, leptin signaling, appetite-regulating neurotransmitters and local
      inflammatory markers. C57BL/6 mice received standard chow (SC, lean groups) or
      high-fat diet (HF, obese groups) starting from one month of age. At three months,
      HF mice became obese relative to SC mice. They were then mated as follows: lean
      mother and lean father, lean mother and obese father, obese mother and lean
      father, and obese mother and obese father. The offspring received the SC diet
      from weaning until three months of age, when they were sacrificed. In the
      offspring, paternal obesity did not lead to changes in the Janus kinase
      (JAK)/signal transducer and activation of the transcription (STAT) pathway or
      feeding behavior but did induce hypothalamic inflammation. On the other hand,
      maternal obesity resulted in increased weight gain, hyperleptinemia, decreased
      leptin OBRb receptor expression, JAK/STAT pathway impairment, and increased SOCS3
      signaling in the offspring. In addition, maternal obesity elevated inflammatory
      markers and altered NPY and POMC expression in the hypothalamus. Interestingly,
      combined parental obesity exacerbated the deleterious outcomes compared to single
      parent obesity. In conclusion, while maternal obesity is known to program
      metabolic changes and obesity in offspring, the current study demonstrated that
      obese fathers induce hypothalamus inflammation in offspring, which may contribute
      to the development of metabolic syndromes in adulthood.

PMID- 26485294
TI  - Operant licking for intragastric sugar infusions: Differential reinforcing
      actions of glucose, sucrose and fructose in mice.
AB  - Intragastric (IG) flavor conditioning studies in rodents indicate that isocaloric
      sugar infusions differ in their reinforcing actions, with glucose and sucrose
      more potent than fructose. Here we determined if the sugars also differ in their
      ability to maintain operant self-administration by licking an empty spout for IG
      infusions. Food-restricted C57BL/6J mice were trained 1 h/day to lick a food
      baited spout, which triggered IG infusions of 16% sucrose. In testing, the mice
      licked an empty spout, which triggered IG infusions of different sugars. Mice
      shifted from sucrose to 16% glucose increased dry licking, whereas mice shifted
      to 16% fructose rapidly reduced licking to low levels. Other mice shifted from
      sucrose to IG water reduced licking more slowly but reached the same low levels.
      Thus IG fructose, like water, is not reinforcing to hungry mice. The more rapid
      decline in licking induced by fructose may be due to the sugar's satiating
      effects. Further tests revealed that the Glucose mice increased their dry licking
      when shifted from 16% to 8% glucose, and reduced their dry licking when shifted
      to 32% glucose. This may reflect caloric regulation and/or differences in
      satiation. The Glucose mice did not maintain caloric intake when tested with
      different sugars. They self-infused less sugar when shifted from 16% glucose to
      16% sucrose, and even more so when shifted to 16% fructose. Reduced sucrose self
      administration may occur because the fructose component of the disaccharide
      reduces its reinforcing potency. FVB mice also reduced operant licking when
      tested with 16% fructose, yet learned to prefer a flavor paired with IG fructose.
      These data indicate that sugars differ substantially in their ability to support
      IG self-administration and flavor preference learning. The same post-oral
      reinforcement process appears to mediate operant licking and flavor learning,
      although flavor learning provides a more sensitive measure of sugar
      reinforcement.

PMID- 26485295
TI  - Chitosan oligosaccharide based Gd-DTPA complex as a potential bimodal magnetic
      resonance imaging contrast agent.
AB  - A new gadolinium diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) complex (Gd-DTPA
      DMABA-CS11) as a potential bimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast
      agent with fluorescence was synthesized. It was synthesized by the incorporation
      of 4-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (DMABA) and chitosan oligosaccharide (CSn; n=11)
      with low polydispersity index to DTPA anhydride and then chelated with gadolinium
      chloride. The structure was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR),
      (1)H NMR, elemental analysis and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). MRI
      measurements in vitro were evaluated. The results indicated that Gd-DTPA-DMABA
      CS11 provided higher molar longitudinal relaxivity (r1) (12.95mM(-1).s(-1)) than
      that of commercial Gd-DTPA (3.63mM(-1).s(-1)) at 0.5T. Gd-DTPA-DMABA-CS11 also
      emitted fluorescence, and the intensity was much stronger than that of Gd-DTPA.
      Therefore, it can be meanwhile used in fluorescent imaging for improving the
      sensitivity in clinic diagnosis. Gd-DTPA-DMABA-CS11 as a potential contrast agent
      is preliminarily stable in vitro. The results of thermodynamic action between Gd
      DTPA-DMABA-CS11 and bovine serum albumin (BSA) illustrated that the binding
      process was exothermic and spontaneous, and the main force was van der Waals'
      interaction and hydrogen bond. The preliminary study suggested that Gd-DTPA-DMABA
      CS11 could be used in both magnetic resonance and fluorescent imaging as a
      promising bimodal contrast agent. 

PMID- 26485296
TI  - Influenza Illness among Case-Patients Hospitalized for Suspected Dengue, El
      Salvador, 2012.
AB  - We estimate the proportion of patients hospitalized for suspected dengue that
      tested positive for influenza virus in El Salvador during the 2012 influenza
      season. We tested specimens from 321 hospitalized patients: 198 patients with
      SARI and 123 patients with suspected dengue. Among 121 hospitalized suspected
      dengue (two co-infected excluded) patients, 28% tested positive for dengue and
      19% positive for influenza; among 35 with suspected dengue and respiratory
      symptoms, 14% were positive for dengue and 39% positive for influenza. One
      percent presented co-infection between influenza and dengue. Clinicians should
      consider the diagnosis of influenza among patients with suspected dengue during
      the influenza season. 

PMID- 26485297
TI  - Olanzapine or chlorpromazine plus lithium in first episode psychotic mania: An 8
      week randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment strategies for mental disorders may vary according to
      illness stage. However no data currently exist to guide treatment in first
      episode psychotic mania. The aim of this study was to compare the safety and
      efficacy profile of chlorpromazine and olanzapine, as add-on to lithium, in
      patients with a first episode of psychotic mania, expecting better safety profile
      and adherence to olanzapine but similar efficacy for both treatments. METHODS:
      Data from 83 patients were collected in an 8-week randomised controlled trial on
      clinical variables, side effects, vital signs, and weight. Analyses of treatment
      differences over time were based on intent-to-treat principles. Kaplan-Meier
      estimated survival curves were used to analyse time-to-event data and mixed
      effects models repeated measures analysis of variance were used to determine
      treatment group differences over time on safety and efficacy measures. RESULTS:
      Ethics committee approval to delay informed consent procedure until recovery from
      the acute episode allowed the inclusion of 83 patients highly representative of
      those treated in the public sector. Contrary to our hypotheses, safety profile of
      both medications was similar. A signal for higher rate (P=.032) and earlier
      occurrence (P=.043) of mania remission was observed in the olanzapine group which
      did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: Olanzapine and
      chlorpromazine have a similar safety profile in a uniquely representative cohort
      of patients with first episode psychotic mania. The possibility for a greater
      impact of olanzapine on manic symptoms leading to earlier remission of the
      episode needs exploration in a large sample.

PMID- 26485298
TI  - Seroprofiling at the Candida albicans protein species level unveils an accurate
      molecular discriminator for candidemia.
AB  - Serum antibodies to specific Candida proteins have been reported as potential
      diagnostic biomarkers for candidemia. However, their diagnostic usefulness at the
      protein species level has hardly been examined. Using serological proteome
      analysis, we explored the IgG-antibody responses to Candida albicans protein
      species in candidemia and control patients. We found that 87 discrete protein
      species derived from 34 unique proteins were IgG-targets, although only 43 of
      them were differentially recognized by candidemia and control sera. An increase
      in the speciation of the immunome, connectivity and modularity of antigenic
      species co-recognition networks, and heterogeneity of antigenic species
      recognition patterns was associated with candidemia. IgG antibodies to certain
      discrete protein species were better predictors of candidemia than those to their
      corresponding proteins. A molecular discriminator delineated from the combined
      fingerprints of IgG antibodies to two distinct species of phosphoglycerate kinase
      and enolase accurately classified candidemia and control patients. These results
      provide new insight into the anti-Candida IgG-antibody response development in
      candidemia, and demonstrate that an immunoproteomic signature at the molecular
      level may be useful for its diagnosis. Our study further highlights the
      importance of defining pathogen-specific antigens at the chemical and molecular
      level for their potential application as immunodiagnostic reagents or even
      vaccine candidates.

PMID- 26485299
TI  - Comprehensive glycosylation profiling of IgG and IgG-fusion proteins by top-down
      MS with multiple fragmentation techniques.
AB  - We employed top- and middle-down analyses with multiple fragmentation techniques
      including electron transfer dissociation (ETD), electron capture dissociation
      (ECD), and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization in-source decay (MALDI
      ISD) for characterization of a reference monoclonal antibody (mAb) IgG1 and a
      fusion IgG protein. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) or high
      performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization (HPLC-ESI) on an
      Orbitrap was employed. These experiments provided a comprehensive view on the
      protein species; especially for different glycosylation level in these two
      proteins, which showed good agreement with oligosaccharide profiling. Top- and
      middle-down MS provided additional information regarding glycosylation sites and
      different combinational protein species that were not available from
      oligosaccharide mapping or conventional bottom-up analysis. Finally,
      incorporating a limited enzymatic digestion by immunoglobulin G-degrading enzyme
      of Streptococcus pyogene (IdeS) with MALDI-ISD analysis enabled extended sequence
      coverage of the internal region of protein without pre-fractionation. BIOLOGICAL
      SIGNIFICANCE: Oligosaccharide profiling together with top- and middle-down
      methods enabled: 1) detection of heterogeneous glycosylated protein species and
      sites in intact IgG1 and fusion proteins with high mass accuracy, 2) estimation
      of relative abundance levels of protein species in the sample, 3) confirmation of
      the protein termini structural information, and 4) improved sequence coverage by
      MALDI-ISD analysis for the internal regions of the proteins without sample pre
      fractionation.

PMID- 26485300
TI  - The Role of Tourism and Recreation in the Spread of Non-Native Species: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Managing the pathways by which non-native species are introduced and spread is
      considered the most effective way of preventing species invasions. Tourism and
      outdoor recreation involve the frequent congregation of people, vehicles and
      vessels from geographically diverse areas. They are therefore perceived to be
      major pathways for the movement of non-native species, and ones that will become
      increasingly important with the continued growth of these sectors. However, a
      global assessment of the relationship between tourism activities and the
      introduction of non-native species-particularly in freshwater and marine
      environments-is lacking. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to
      determine the impact of tourism and outdoor recreation on non-native species in
      terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments. Our results provide quantitative
      evidence that the abundance and richness of non-native species are significantly
      higher in sites where tourist activities take place than in control sites. The
      pattern was consistent across terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments;
      across a variety of vectors (e.g. horses, hikers, yachts); and across a range of
      taxonomic groups. These results highlight the need for widespread biosecurity
      interventions to prevent the inadvertent introduction of invasive non-native
      species (INNS) as the tourism and outdoor recreation sectors grow. 

PMID- 26485301
TI  - Bacterial Leaf Infiltration Assay for Fine Characterization of Plant Defense
      Responses using the Arabidopsis thaliana-Pseudomonas syringae Pathosystem.
AB  - In the absence of specialized mobile immune cells, plants utilize their localized
      programmed cell death and Systemic Acquired Resistance to defend themselves
      against pathogen attack. The contribution of a specific Arabidopsis gene to the
      overall plant immune response can be specifically and quantitatively assessed by
      assaying the pathogen growth within the infected tissue. For over three decades,
      the hemibiotrophic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola ES4326 (Psm
      ES4326) has been widely applied as the model pathogen to investigate the
      molecular mechanisms underlying the Arabidopsis immune response. To deliver
      pathogens into the leaf tissue, multiple inoculation methods have been
      established, e.g., syringe infiltration, dip inoculation, spray, vacuum
      infiltration, and flood inoculation. The following protocol describes an
      optimized syringe infiltration method to deliver virulent Psm ES4326 into leaves
      of adult soil-grown Arabidopsis plants and accurately screen for enhanced disease
      susceptibility (EDS) towards this pathogen. In addition, this protocol can be
      supplemented with multiple pre-treatments to further dissect specific immune
      defects within different layers of plant defense, including Salicylic Acid (SA)
      Triggered Immunity (STI) and MAMP-Triggered Immunity (MTI). 

PMID- 26485302
TI  - The More the Better? A Comparison of the Information Sources Used by the Public
      during Two Infectious Disease Outbreaks.
AB  - Recent infectious disease outbreaks have resulted in renewed recognition of the
      importance of risk communication planning and execution to public health control
      strategies. Key to these efforts is public access to information that is
      understandable, reliable and meets their needs for informed decision-making on
      protective health behaviours. Learning from the trends in sources used in
      previous outbreaks will enable improvements in information access in future
      outbreaks. Two separate random-digit dialled telephone surveys were conducted in
      Alberta, Canada, to explore information sources used by the public, together with
      their perceived usefulness and credibility, during the 2003 Severe Acute
      Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic (n = 1209) and 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic (n =
      1206). Traditional mass media were the most used information sources in both
      surveys. Although use of the Internet increased from 25% during SARS to 56%
      during H1N1, overall use of social media was not as high as anticipated. Friends
      and relatives were commonly used as an information source, but were not deemed
      very useful or credible. Conversely, doctors and health professionals were
      considered credible, but not consulted as frequently. The use of five or more
      information sources increased by almost 60% between the SARS and H1N1 surveys.
      There was a shift to older, more educated and more affluent respondents between
      the surveys, most likely caused by a decrease in the use of landlines amongst
      younger Canadians. It was concluded that people are increasingly using multiple
      sources of health risk information, presumably in a complementary manner.
      Subsequently, although using online media is important, this should be used to
      augment rather than replace more traditional information channels. Efforts should
      be made to improve knowledge transfer to health care professionals and doctors
      and provide them with opportunities to be more accessible as information sources.
      Finally, the future use of telephone surveys needs to account for the changing
      demographics of the respondents accessed through such surveys. 

PMID- 26485303
TI  - Type Six Secretion System of Bordetella bronchiseptica and Adaptive Immune
      Components Limit Intracellular Survival During Infection.
AB  - The Type Six Secretion System (T6SS) is required for Bordetella bronchiseptica
      cytotoxicity, cytokine modulation, infection, and persistence. However, one-third
      of recently sequenced Bordetella bronchiseptica strains of the predominantly
      human-associated Complex IV have lost their T6SS through gene deletion or
      degradation. Since most human B. bronchiseptica infections occur in
      immunocompromised patients, we determine here whether loss of Type Six Secretion
      is beneficial to B. bronchiseptica during infection of immunocompromised mice.
      Infection of mice lacking adaptive immunity (Rag1-/- mice) with a T6SS-deficient
      mutant results in a hypervirulent phenotype that is characterized by high numbers
      of intracellular bacteria in systemic organs. In contrast, wild-type B.
      bronchiseptica kill their eukaryotic cellular hosts via a T6SS-dependent
      mechanism that prevents survival in systemic organs. High numbers of
      intracellular bacteria recovered from immunodeficient mice but only low numbers
      from wild-type mice demonstrates that B. bronchiseptica survival in an
      intracellular niche is limited by B and T cell responses. Understanding the
      nature of intracellular survival during infection, and its effects on the
      generation and function of the host immune response, are important to contain and
      control the spread of Bordetella-caused disease. 

PMID- 26485304
TI  - Improved Outcomes of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients With
      Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis Using Fludarabine-Based Conditioning.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative
      treatment for infantile malignant osteopetrosis (IMO), but is associated with a
      high incidence of adverse outcomes. In this study, we present our experience with
      HSCT for IMO patients comparing different types of conditioning regimens.
      METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with IMO (aged from 1 month to 6 years, median
      0.66 years) who underwent allogeneic HSCT from 1983 in our hospital were included
      in this retrospective study. Fludarabine-based conditioning regimens were used in
      26 patients and 12 patients were transplanted using other conditioning regimens.
      RESULTS: The overall survival after conditioning with fludarabine was 96% (25/26)
      versus 58% (7/12) for the alternative regimens (P = 0.004), with significantly
      fewer adverse effects including hypercalcemia and veno-occlusive disease of
      liver. All patients who survive are clinically well. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude
      that fludarabine-based conditioning regimens are safe and effective in patients
      with IMO, improving morbidity and mortality related to HSCT.

PMID- 26485306
TI  - Erratum: Whole genome and transcriptome sequencing of matched primary and
      peritoneal metastatic gastric carcinoma.

PMID- 26485305
TI  - MiR-486 and miR-92a Identified in Circulating HDL Discriminate between Stable and
      Vulnerable Coronary Artery Disease Patients.
AB  - Small non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) are implicated in gene regulation, including
      those involved in coronary artery disease (CAD). Our aim was to identify whether
      specific serum miRNAs present in the circulating lipoproteins (Lp) are associated
      with stable or vulnerable CAD patients. A cardiovascular disease-focused
      screening array was used to assess miRNAs distribution in sera collected from 95
      CAD patients: 30 with stable angina (SA), 39 with unstable angina (UA), 26 at one
      month after myocardial infarction (MI) and 16 healthy control subjects. We found
      that miR-486, miR-92a and miR-122 presented the highest expression in CAD sera.
      These miRNA together with miR-125a, miR-146a and miR-33a were further
      individually analyzed by TaqMan assays. The results were consistent with PCR
      array screening data that all of these miRNAs were significantly increased in CAD
      patients compared to controls. Using a binary logistic regression model, we
      established that miR-486 and miR-92a in association with some high-density
      lipoprotein (HDL) components can designate vulnerable CAD patients. Further, all
      classes of Lp were isolated from sera by density gradient ultracentrifugation.
      Analysis of the selected miRNAs in each Lp class showed that they were associated
      mainly with HDL, miR-486 and miR-92a having the highest levels. In UA and MI
      patients, miR-486 prevailed in HDL2, while miR-92a prevailed in HDL3, and their
      levels discriminate between stable and vulnerable CAD patients. We identified two
      circulating miRNAs that in association with some lipid metabolism biomarkers can
      be used as an additional tool to designate vulnerable CAD patients. 

PMID- 26485307
TI  - Linking mortuary data improves vital statistics on cause of death of children
      under five years in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Reducing child mortality requires good information on its causes.
      Whilst South African vital registration data have improved, the quality of cause
      of-death data remains inadequate. To improve this, data from death certificates
      were linked with information from forensic mortuaries in Western Cape Province.
      METHODS: A local mortality surveillance system was established in 2007 by the
      Western Cape Health Department to improve data quality. Cause-of-death data were
      captured from copies of death notification forms collected at Department of Home
      Affairs Offices. Using unique identifiers, additional forensic mortuary data were
      linked with mortality surveillance system records. Causes of death were coded to
      the ICD-10 classification. Causes of death in children under five were compared
      with those from vital registration data for 2011. RESULTS: Cause-of-death data
      were markedly improved with additional data from forensic mortuaries. The
      proportion of ill-defined causes was halved (25-12%), and leading cause rankings
      changed. Lower respiratory tract infections moved above prematurity to rank
      first, accounting for 20.8% of deaths and peaking in infants aged 1-3 months.
      Only 11% of deaths from lower respiratory tract infections occurred in hospital,
      resulting in 86% being certified in forensic mortuaries. Road traffic deaths
      increased from 1.1-3.1% (27-75) and homicides from 3 to 28. CONCLUSIONS: The
      quality and usefulness of cause-of-death information for children in the WC was
      enhanced by linking mortuary and vital registration data. Given the death
      profile, interventions are required to prevent and manage LRTI, diarrhoea and
      injuries and to reduce neonatal deaths.

PMID- 26485308
TI  - Extraordinarily High Conductivity of Stretchable Fibers of Polyurethane and
      Silver Nanoflowers.
AB  - Stretchable conductive composites have received considerable attention recently,
      and they should have high conductivity and mechanical strength. Here we report
      highly conductive stretchable fibers synthesized by the scalable wet spinning
      process using flower-shaped silver nanoparticles with nanodisc-shaped petals (Ag
      nanoflowers) and polyurethane. An extraordinarily high conductivity (41,245 S cm(
      1)) was obtained by Ag nanoflowers, which is 2 orders of magnitude greater than
      that of fibers synthesized using spherical Ag nanoparticles. This was due to the
      enhanced surface area and vigorous coalescence of nanodisc-shaped petals during
      the curing process. There was a trade-off relationship between conductivity and
      stretchability, and the maximum rupture strain was 776%. An analytical model
      revealed that the enhanced adhesion between Ag nanoflowers and polyurethane
      provided a high Young's modulus (731.5 MPa) and ultimate strength (39.6 MPa) of
      the fibers. The fibers exhibited an elastic property after prestretching, and the
      resistance change of weft-knitted fabric was negligible up to 200% strain. The
      fibers with extraordinarily high conductivity, stretchability, and mechanical
      strength may be useful for wearable electronics applications.

PMID- 26485310
TI  - Cortical localization of phase and amplitude dynamics predicting access to
      somatosensory awareness.
AB  - Neural dynamics leading to conscious sensory perception have remained enigmatic
      in despite of large interest. Human functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
      studies have revealed that a co-activation of sensory and frontoparietal areas is
      crucial for conscious sensory perception in the several second time-scale of BOLD
      signal fluctuations. Electrophysiological recordings with magneto- and
      electroencephalography (MEG and EEG) and intracranial EEG (iEEG) have shown that
      event related responses (ERs), phase-locking of neuronal activity, and
      oscillation amplitude modulations in sub-second timescales are greater for
      consciously perceived than for unperceived stimuli. The cortical sources of ER
      and oscillation dynamics predicting the conscious perception have, however,
      remained unclear because these prior studies have utilized MEG/EEG sensor-level
      analyses or iEEG with limited neuroanatomical coverage. We used a somatosensory
      detection task, magnetoencephalography (MEG), and cortically constrained source
      reconstruction to identify the cortical areas where ERs, local poststimulus
      amplitudes and phase-locking of neuronal activity are predictive of the conscious
      access of somatosensory information. We show here that strengthened ERs, phase
      locking to stimulus onset (SL), and induced oscillations amplitude modulations
      all predicted conscious somatosensory perception, but the most robust and
      widespread of these was SL that was sustained in low-alpha (6-10 Hz) band. The
      strength of SL and to a lesser extent that of ER predicted conscious perception
      in the somatosensory, lateral and medial frontal, posterior parietal, and in the
      cingulate cortex. These data suggest that a rapid phase-reorganization and
      concurrent oscillation amplitude modulations in these areas play an instrumental
      role in the emergence of a conscious percept.

PMID- 26485309
TI  - Protection by dietary restriction in the YAC128 mouse model of Huntington's
      disease: Relation to genes regulating histone acetylation and HTT.
AB  - Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by
      metabolic, cognitive, and motor deficits. HD is caused by an expanded CAG repeat
      in the first exon of the HTT gene, resulting in an expanded polyglutamine
      section. Dietary restriction (DR) increases lifespan and ameliorates age-related
      pathologies, including in a model of HD, but the mechanisms mediating these
      protective effects are unknown. We report metabolic and behavioral effects of DR
      in the full-length YAC128 HD mouse model, and associated transcriptional changes
      in hypothalamus and striatum. DR corrected many effects of the transgene
      including increased body weight, decreased blood glucose, and impaired motor
      function. These changes were associated with reduced striatal human (but not
      mouse) HTT expression, as well as alteration in gene expression regulating
      histone acetylation modifications, particularly Hdac2. Other mRNAs related to
      Huntington's pathology in striatal tissue showed significant modulation by the
      transgene, dietary restriction or both. These results establish a protective role
      of DR in a transgenic model that contains the complete human HTT gene and for the
      first time suggest a role for DR in lowering HTT level, which correlates with
      severity of symptoms. 

PMID- 26485311
TI  - Why is major depression prevalence not changing?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing provision of treatment should theoretically lead to a
      decreased burden of major depressive episodes (MDE) in the population. However,
      there is no evidence yet that this has occurred. Among possible explanations are
      that: (1) treatment may not be sufficiently accessible, effective or effectively
      delivered to make a difference at the population level or (2) treatment benefits
      such as diminished episode duration may be offset by other trends such as
      increasing episode incidence, or vice versa. METHODS: MDE prevalence has been
      assessed in a series of national surveys and in a single national longitudinal
      study in Canada. These studies included a short form version of the Composite
      International Diagnostic Interview module for major depression. Indicators of
      incidence and episode duration of MDE were estimated. Meta-regression methods
      were used to examine trends over time. RESULTS: No evidence of increasing
      incidence nor of diminishing duration of MDE was found. The analysis failed to
      uncover evidence that the epidemiology of this condition has been changing.
      LIMITATIONS: Most studies included in this analysis used an abbreviated interview
      for MDE which may lack sensitivity and/or specificity. These studies could not
      address potential benefits of treatment on prevention of suicide. Some
      potentially offsetting effects could not be assessed, e.g. economic or societal
      changes. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that more effective efforts to prevent
      MDE, or to improve the volume or quality of treatment, are necessary to reduced
      burden of MDE in the population.

PMID- 26485312
TI  - Dependence of Thermal Conductivity of Carbon Nanopeapods on Filling Ratios of
      Fullerene Molecules.
AB  - Focusing on carbon nanopeapods (CNPs), i.e., carbon nanotubes (CNTs) filled with
      fullerene C60 molecules, the thermal conductivity and its dependence on the
      filling ratio of C60 molecules have been investigated by equilibrium molecular
      dynamics simulations. It turns out that the CNP thermal conductivity increases
      first, reaches its maximum value at filling ratio of 50%, and then decreases with
      increasing filling ratio. The heat transfer mechanisms were analyzed by the
      motion of C60 molecules, the mass transfer contribution, the phonon vibrational
      density of states, and the relative contributions of tube and C60 molecules to
      the total heat flux. The mass transfer in CNPs is mainly attributed to the
      rotational and translational motion of C60 molecules in tubes. As the filling
      ratio is larger than 50%, the axially translational motion of C60 molecules gets
      more and more restricted with increasing filling ratio. For either the mass
      transfer contribution to heat transfer or the phonon coupling between the tube
      wall and C60, the peaking behavior occurs at a filling ratio of 50%, which
      confirms the corresponding maximum thermal conductivity of CNP. With the filling
      ratio increasing, the dominating contribution to heat transfer changes from tube
      wall atoms to fullerene atoms. Their relative contributions almost keep stable
      when the filling ratio is larger than 50% until it reaches 100%, where the
      contribution from fullerene atoms suddenly drops because of strong confinement of
      translational motion of C60 molecules. This work may offer valuable routes for
      probing heat transport in CNT hybrid structures, and possible device
      applications. 

PMID- 26485313
TI  - Atomistic Molecular Simulations Suggest a Kinetic Model for Membrane
      Translocation by Arginine-Rich Peptides.
AB  - Arginine-rich cell penetrating peptides (ARCPPs) are known to quickly permeate
      cell membranes through a non-endocytotic pathway. Potential clinical applications
      of this facility have prompted enormous effort, both experimental and
      theoretical, to better understand how ARCPPs manage to overcome the prodigious
      thermodynamic cost of lipid bilayer permeation by these highly charged peptides.
      In this work we report the results of all-atom simulations, which suggest that a
      kinetic (rather than thermodynamic) mechanism may explain how ARCPPs are able to
      achieve this. Our simulations reveal that octaarginine significantly hinders the
      closing of membrane pores, either individually or via aggregation in the membrane
      pore, while octalysine (not an ARCPP) lacks this ability. Our proposed mechanism
      is an alternative to current attempts to explain pore-mediated translocation of
      ARCPPs. It asserts that ARCPPs need not lower the equilibrium thermodynamic cost
      of pore formation. Instead, they can achieve rapid bilayer translocation by
      instead slowing down the kinetics of naturally occurring thermal pores. Linking
      the pore lifetime to the characteristic time for peptide diffusion out of the
      pore, ARCPPs are able to cooperatively permeate the membrane pore. 

PMID- 26485314
TI  - Assessing delays in laryngeal cancer treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To see if there has been a decrease in patient delay,
      professional delay, diagnostic delay, and treatment delay in laryngeal cancer.
      STUDY DESIGN: Institutional review board-approved retrospective chart review of
      patients diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. METHODS: Nine hundred sixty-six
      patients with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code for
      laryngeal cancer were identified from 1993 to 2013. Two hundred fifty patients
      met inclusion criteria. Patients were placed into two groups based on time at
      presentation to primary care physician, 1993 to 2004 and 2005 to 2013. Patient
      delay, professional delay, diagnostic delay, and treatment delay were calculated.
      Statistical analysis was applied using the Student t test and generalized linear
      model. RESULTS: From 1993 to 2004, patient delay was 88.7 days, professional
      delay was 40.9 days, diagnosis delay was 33.1 days, and treatment delay was 24.7
      days. From 2005 to 2013, patient delay was 119.2 days, professional delay was
      37.9 days, diagnosis delay was 23.8 days, and treatment delay was 23.2 days.
      Comparison using the Student t test demonstrated the difference in patient delay
      (shorter before 2005) was statistically significant (P = .045), whereas
      professional delay (P = .269), diagnosis delay (P = .289), and treatment delay (P
      = .328) did not reveal any significant differences. There was no association
      between stage at initial diagnosis and days prior to ear, nose, and throat visit
      (P = .402). CONCLUSIONS: Delays in the presentation of patients to primary care
      physicians and otolaryngologists have significantly increased in the past 9
      years. Earlier referral to otolaryngologists from primary care physicians in high
      risk patients with voice changes will lead to more prompt diagnosis and treatment
      of laryngeal cancer. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 126:1612-1615, 2016.

PMID- 26485315
TI  - Mechanism of Cooperativity and Nonlinear Release Kinetics in Multivalent
      Dendrimer-Atropine Complexes.
AB  - Despite extensive studies on drug delivery using multivalent complexation
      systems, the biophysical basis for release kinetics remains poorly defined. The
      present study addresses this aspect involved in the complexation of a fifth
      generation poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer with atropine, an essential
      antidote used for treating organophosphate poisoning. First, we designed (1)H NMR
      titration studies for determining the molecular basis of the drug complexation
      with a glutarate-modified anionic dendrimer. These provide evidence pointing to a
      combination of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions as the driving forces
      for dendrimer complexation with the alkaloid drug molecule. Second, using LC
      MS/MS spectrometry, we determined the dissociation constants (KD) at steady state
      and also measured the drug release kinetics of atropine complexes with four
      negatively charged dendrimer types. Each of these dendrimers has a high payload
      capacity for up to ~ 100 atropine molecules. However, the affinity of the
      atropine to the carrier was highly dependent on the drug to dendrimer ratio.
      Thus, a complex made at a lower loading ratio (<= 0.1) displayed greater atropine
      affinity (KD ~ MUM) than other complexes prepared at higher ratios (>10), which
      showed only mM affinity. This negative cooperative variation in affinity is
      tightly associated with the nonlinear release kinetics observed for each complex
      in which drug release occurs more slowly at the later time phase at a lower
      loading ratio. In summary, the present study provides novel insights on the
      cooperativity as the mechanistic basis for nonlinear release kinetics observed in
      multivalent carrier systems.

PMID- 26485316
TI  - Adsorption of ochratoxin A from grape juice by yeast cells immobilised in calcium
      alginate beads.
AB  - Grape juice can be easily contaminated with ochratoxin A (OTA), one of the known
      mycotoxins with the greatest public health significance. Among the different
      approaches to decontaminate juice from this mycotoxin, microbiological methods
      proved efficient, inexpensive and safe, particularly the use of yeast or yeast
      products. To ascertain whether immobilisation of the yeast biomass would lead to
      successful decontamination, alginate beads encapsulating Candida intermedia yeast
      cells were used in our experiments to evaluate their OTA-biosorption efficacy.
      Magnetic calcium alginate beads were also prepared by adding magnetite in the
      formulation to allow fast removal from the aqueous solution with a magnet.
      Calcium alginate beads were added to commercial grape juice spiked with 20 MUg/kg
      OTA and after 48 h of incubation a significant reduction (>80%), of the total OTA
      content was achieved, while in the subsequent phases (72-120 h) OTA was slowly
      released into the grape juice by alginate beads. Biosorption properties of
      alginate-yeast beads were tested in a prototype bioreactor consisting in a glass
      chromatography column packed with beads, where juice amended with OTA was slowly
      flowed downstream. The adoption of an interconnected scaled-up bioreactor as an
      efficient and safe tool to remove traces of OTA from liquid matrices is
      discussed.

PMID- 26485317
TI  - Ebola Virus Outbreak Investigation, Sierra Leone, September 28-November 11, 2014.
AB  - During 2014-2015, an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) swept across parts of
      West Africa. The China Mobile Laboratory Testing Team was dispatched to support
      response efforts; during September 28-November 11, 2014, they conducted PCR
      testing on samples from 1,635 suspected EVD patients. Of those patients, 50.4%
      were positive, of whom 84.6% lived within a 3-km zone along main roads connecting
      rural towns and densely populated cities. The median time from symptom onset to
      testing was 5 days. At testing, 75.7% of the confirmed patients had fever, and
      94.1% reported at least 1 gastrointestinal symptom; all symptoms, except rash and
      hemorrhage, were more frequent in confirmed than nonconfirmed patients. Virus
      loads were significantly higher in EVD patients with fever, diarrhea, fatigue, or
      headache. The case-fatality rate was lower among patients 15-44 years of age and
      with virus loads of <100,000 RNA copies/mL. These findings are key for optimizing
      EVD control and treatment measures. 

PMID- 26485318
TI  - Construction of Enantiopure Taxoid and Natural Product-like Scaffolds Using a C-C
      Bond Cleavage/Arylation Reaction.
AB  - An approach to construct enantiopure complex natural product-like frameworks,
      including the first reported synthesis of a C17 oxygenated taxoid scaffold, is
      presented. A palladium-catalyzed C-C activation/cross-coupling is utilized to
      access these structures in a short sequence from (+)-carvone; the scope of this
      reaction is explored. 

PMID- 26485319
TI  - Does exercise increase insulin sensitivity through angiotensin 1-7?

PMID- 26485321
TI  - Misinterpretation of Anogenital Findings and Misdiagnosis of Child Sexual Abuse:
      The Role of the Forensic Pathologist.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The interpretation of anogenital postmortem findings is an issue of
      main concern, because the nature and appearance of anogenital tissues during the
      postmortem interval is not widely known by health providers. CASE: An 8-year-old
      girl died in the hospital 48 hours after hospitalization. On the basis of the
      atypical anogenital findings, the health care professionals notified the fact to
      the Public Prosecutor as an alleged child abuse. The forensic pathologist ruled
      out this possibility, interpreting the anal findings due to physiological
      postmortem anal alterations and to the insertion of suppositories before death.
      SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: Forensic pathological analysis should be included in
      routine postmortem evaluation in the case of suspected child sexual abuse,
      because normal postmortem findings could be misinterpreted by physicians, whose
      sole experience is on the basis of antemortem scenarios.

PMID- 26485320
TI  - Fertility Preservation in Women with Turner Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review and
      Practical Guidelines.
AB  - In this article we review the existing fertility preservation options for women
      diagnosed with Turner syndrome and provide practical guidelines for the
      practitioner. Turner syndrome is the most common sex chromosome abnormality in
      women, occurring in approximately 1 in 2500 live births. Women with Turner
      syndrome are at extremely high risk for primary ovarian insufficiency and
      infertility. Although approximately 70%-80% have no spontaneous pubertal
      development and 90% experience primary amenorrhea, the remainder might possess a
      small residual of ovarian follicles at birth or early childhood. The present
      challenge is to identify these women as early in life as is possible, to allow
      them to benefit from a variety of existing fertility preservation options. To
      maximize the benefits of fertility preservation, all women with Turner syndrome
      should be evaluated by an expert as soon as possible in childhood because the
      vast majority will have their ovarian reserve depleted before adulthood.
      Cryopreservation of mature oocytes and embryos is a proven fertility preservation
      approach, and cryopreservation of ovarian tissue is a promising technique with a
      growing number of live births, but remains investigational. Oocyte
      cryopreservation has been performed in children with Turner syndrome as young as
      13 years of age and ovarian tissue cryopreservation in affected prepubertal
      children. However, current efficacy of these approaches is unknown in this
      cohort. For those who have already lost their ovarian reserve, oocyte or embryo
      donation and adoption are strategies that allow fulfillment of the desire for
      parenting. For those with Turner syndrome-related cardiac contraindications to
      pregnancy, use of gestational surrogacy allows the possibility of biological
      parenting using their own oocytes. Alternatively, gestational surrogacy can serve
      to carry pregnancy resulting from the use of donor oocytes or embryos, if needed.

PMID- 26485322
TI  - Enterobius Vermicularis-Associated Pelvic Inflammatory Disease in a Child.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enterobius vermicularis is the most highly prevalent intestinal worm
      in childhood and is generally considered of low pathogenicity. Little is known
      about the inflammatory complications of the female genital tract induced by E.
      vermicularis in childhood. CASE: A case of E. vermicularis-associated pelvic
      inflammatory disease with right salpingitis mimicking acute abdomen due to
      appendicitis in an 11-year-old girl is presented. CONCLUSION: E. vermicularis
      related pelvic inflammatory disease should be included in the differential
      diagnosis of abdominal pain in children. Increased awareness is necessary to
      avoid an unnecessary surgery and to choose the correct antibiotic treatment.

PMID- 26485323
TI  - Can history repeat itself? Improved assessment of the best biomarker is the first
      step.

PMID- 26485324
TI  - Regulation of neuronal migration, an emerging topic in autism spectrum disorders.
AB  - Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) encompass a group of neurodevelopmental diseases
      that demonstrate strong heritability, however, the inheritance is not simple and
      many genes have been associated with these disorders. ASD is regarded as a
      neurodevelopmental disorder, and abnormalities at different developmental stages
      are part of the disease etiology. This review provides a general background on
      neuronal migration during brain development and discusses recent advancements in
      the field connecting ASD and aberrant neuronal migration. We propose that
      neuronal migration impairment may be an important common pathophysiology in
      autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This review provides a general background on
      neuronal migration during brain development and discusses recent advancements in
      the field connecting ASD and aberrant neuronal migration. 

PMID- 26485325
TI  - Landscape simplification filters species traits and drives biotic homogenization.
AB  - Biodiversity loss can affect the viability of ecosystems by decreasing the
      ability of communities to respond to environmental change and disturbances.
      Agricultural intensification is a major driver of biodiversity loss and has
      multiple components operating at different spatial scales: from in-field
      management intensity to landscape-scale simplification. Here we show that
      landscape-level effects dominate functional community composition and can even
      buffer the effects of in-field management intensification on functional
      homogenization, and that animal communities in real-world managed landscapes show
      a unified response (across orders and guilds) to both landscape-scale
      simplification and in-field intensification. Adults and larvae with specialized
      feeding habits, species with shorter activity periods and relatively small body
      sizes are selected against in simplified landscapes with intense in-field
      management. Our results demonstrate that the diversity of land cover types at the
      landscape scale is critical for maintaining communities, which are functionally
      diverse, even in landscapes where in-field management intensity is high. 

PMID- 26485326
TI  - A New Tool for NMR Crystallography: Complete (13)C/(15)N Assignment of Organic
      Molecules at Natural Isotopic Abundance Using DNP-Enhanced Solid-State NMR.
AB  - NMR crystallography of organic molecules at natural isotopic abundance (NA)
      strongly relies on the comparison of assigned experimental and computed NMR
      chemical shifts. However, a broad applicability of this approach is often
      hampered by the still limited (1)H resolution and/or difficulties in assigning
      (13)C and (15)N resonances without the use of structure-based chemical shift
      calculations. As shown here, such difficulties can be overcome by (13)C-(13)C and
      for the first time (15)N-(13)C correlation experiments, recorded with the help of
      dynamic nuclear polarization. We present the complete de novo (13)C and (15)N
      resonance assignment at NA of a self-assembled 2'-deoxyguanosine derivative
      presenting two different molecules in the asymmetric crystallographic unit cell.
      This de novo assignment method is exclusively based on aforementioned correlation
      spectra and is an important addition to the NMR crystallography approach,
      rendering firstly (1)H assignment straightforward, and being secondly a
      prerequisite for distance measurements with solid-state NMR. 

PMID- 26485327
TI  - Characterization of functional properties of Enterococcus faecium strains
      isolated from human gut.
AB  - The aim of this work was to characterize the functional properties of
      Enterococcus faecium strains identified after isolation from human faeces. Of
      these isolates, strain R13 showed the best resistance to low pH, bile salts, and
      survival in the simulated in vitro digestion assay, and demonstrated an important
      level of adhesion to hexadecane as a potential probiotic candidate. Analysis of
      the antibiotic resistance of E. faecium strains indicated that in general these
      isolates were sensitive to the tested antibiotics and no strain appeared to be
      resistant to vancomycin. Examination of the virulence determinants for E. faecium
      strains demonstrated that all strains contained the virulence genes common in gut
      and food-originated enterococci, and strain R13 harboured the lowest number of
      virulence genes. Additionally, no strain contained the genes related to cytolysin
      metabolism and showed hemolytic activity. The antimicrobial role of E. faecium
      strains was tested against several pathogens, in which different levels of
      inhibitory effects were observed, and strain R13 was inhibitory to all tested
      pathogens. PCR screening of genes encoding enterocin A and B indicated the
      presence of these genes in E. faecium strains. Preliminary characterization of
      bacteriocins revealed that their activity was lost after proteolytic enzyme
      treatments, but no alteration in antimicrobial activity was observed at different
      pHs (3.5 to 9.5) and after heat treatments. In conclusion, this study revealed
      the functional characteristics of E. faecium R13 as a gut isolate, and this
      strain could be developed as a new probiotic after further tests. 

PMID- 26485330
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26485328
TI  - A Long-Lived Fe(III)-(Hydroperoxo) Intermediate in the Active H200C Variant of
      Homoprotocatechuate 2,3-Dioxygenase: Characterization by Mossbauer, Electron
      Paramagnetic Resonance, and Density Functional Theory Methods.
AB  - The extradiol-cleaving dioxygenase homoprotocatechuate 2,3-dioxygenase (HPCD)
      binds substrate homoprotocatechuate (HPCA) and O2 sequentially in adjacent ligand
      sites of the active site Fe(II). Kinetic and spectroscopic studies of HPCD have
      elucidated catalytic roles of several active site residues, including the crucial
      acid-base chemistry of His200. In the present study, reaction of the His200Cys
      (H200C) variant with native substrate HPCA resulted in a decrease in both kcat
      and the rate constants for the activation steps following O2 binding by >400
      fold. The reaction proceeds to form the correct extradiol product. This slow
      reaction allowed a long-lived (t1/2 = 1.5 min) intermediate, H200C-HPCAInt1
      (Int1), to be trapped. Mossbauer and parallel mode electron paramagnetic
      resonance (EPR) studies show that Int1 contains an S1 = 5/2 Fe(III) center
      coupled to an SR = 1/2 radical to give a ground state with total spin S = 2 (J >
      40 cm(-1)) in Hexch = JS1.SR. Density functional theory (DFT) property
      calculations for structural models suggest that Int1 is a (HPCA
      semiquinone(*))Fe(III)(OOH) complex, in which OOH is protonated at the distal O
      and the substrate hydroxyls are deprotonated. By combining Mossbauer and EPR data
      of Int1 with DFT calculations, the orientations of the principal axes of the
      (57)Fe electric field gradient and the zero-field splitting tensors (D = 1.6 cm(
      1), E/D = 0.05) were determined. This information was used to predict hyperfine
      splittings from bound (17)OOH. DFT reactivity analysis suggests that Int1 can
      evolve from a ferromagnetically coupled Fe(III)-superoxo precursor by an inner
      sphere proton-coupled-electron-transfer process. Our spectroscopic and DFT
      results suggest that a ferric hydroperoxo species is capable of extradiol
      catalysis.

PMID- 26485331
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26485332
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26485333
TI  - Headache in Patients With Pituitary Lesions: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Headache is a presenting feature in 37% to 70% of patients with
      pituitary tumor. Other pituitary lesions may also present with headache, and
      together these lesions account for about 20% of all primary brain lesions.
      Although pituitary lesions have been associated with headache, the exact nature
      of the relationship remains undefined. It is not always clear whether the
      presenting headache is an unrelated primary headache, a lesion-induced
      aggravation of a preexisting primary headache, or a separate secondary headache
      related to the lesion. OBJECTIVE: To characterize headache in patients referred
      to a multidisciplinary neuroendocrine clinic with suspected pituitary lesions and
      to assess changes in headache in those who underwent surgery. METHODS: We used a
      self-administered survey of headache characteristics completed by patients upon
      presentation and after any pituitary surgical procedure. RESULTS: One hundred
      thirty-three participants completed the preoperative questionnaire (response rate
      of 99%). The overall prevalence of headache was 63%. Compared to patients without
      headache, the group with headache was more likely to be female (P = .001),
      younger (P = .001), and to have had a prior headache diagnosis (P < .001).
      Seventy-two percent of patients reported headache localized to the anterior
      region of the head. Fifty-one patients with headache underwent transsphenoidal
      pituitary surgery. Headache was not associated with increased odds of having
      surgery (odds ratio, 0.90). At 3 months, 81% of surgically treated patients with
      headache who completed the postoperative questionnaire (21/26) reported
      improvement or resolution of headaches. No patient who completed the
      postoperative questionnaire (44/84) reported new or worsened headache.
      CONCLUSION: Frequent, disabling headaches are common in patients with pituitary
      lesions referred for neuroendocrine consultation, especially in younger females
      with a preexisting headache disorder. Surgery in this group was associated with
      headache improvement or resolution in the majority and was not found to cause or
      worsen headaches. Suggestions for revision of the International Classification of
      Headache Disorders diagnostic criteria pertaining to pituitary disorders are
      supported by these findings.

PMID- 26485334
TI  - Clostridium difficile Infection After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Nationwide
      Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is an important cause of
      hospital-acquired morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence
      of, predictors for, and effects on outcome by CDI after aneurysmal subarachnoid
      hemorrhage. METHODS: Data were extracted from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample
      (2002-2011). Patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage who underwent microsurgical or
      endovascular aneurysm repair were included. Multivariate logistic regression was
      used to determine the independent predictors of developing CDI. Additional models
      were constructed to assess the impact of CDI on mortality, length of stay, and
      discharge disposition. RESULTS: Of the 18 007 patients who were included, 1.9% (n
      = 346) developed CDI. Patients who developed CDI were significantly older and had
      more comorbidities (P <= .001). Independent predictors of developing CDI were
      Medicaid payer status; ventriculostomy; mechanical ventilation; a greater number
      of noninfectious complications; and the development of a urinary tract infection;
      pneumonia; meningitis/ventriculitis; and sepsis (all P <= .02). Only 1.5% of
      patients with CDI required gastrointestinal surgery. Although CDI was not
      associated with differential mortality, it was associated with increased adjusted
      odds of a hospital stay of at least 24 days (odds ratio, 3.16; 95% confidence
      interval, 2.32-4.29; P < .001) and of a nonroutine hospital discharge (odds
      ratio, 1.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-2.39; P = .01). CONCLUSION: In this
      nationwide analysis, both infectious and noninfectious complications, as well as
      ventriculostomy, mechanical ventilation, and insurance status were independent
      predictors of CDI. Although CDI was not associated with mortality, it was
      associated with a longer hospital stay and nonroutine hospital discharge.

PMID- 26485337
TI  - Branched-chain amino acids as biomarkers in diabetes.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Numerous human studies have consistently demonstrated that
      concentrations of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in plasma and urine are
      associated with insulin resistance and have the quality to predict diabetes
      development. However, it is not known how altered BCAA levels link to insulin
      action and diabetes. This review addresses some recent findings in BCAA
      metabolism and discusses their role as reporter molecules of insulin sensitivity
      and diabetes and their possible contribution to disease progression. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Changes in plasma and urine levels result mainly from altered
      metabolism in tissues and recent studies have thus focused on organ-specific
      changes in BCAA handling using animal models and human tissue samples. A
      decreased mitochondrial oxidation has been demonstrated in peripheral tissues and
      that was shown to be associated with an increased inflammatory tone and changes
      in adipokine levels (adiponectin and leptin). These changes appear already before
      insulin resistance is established. Key findings demonstrating the discordance
      between changes in BCAA and insulin resistance are derived from studies using
      insulin sensitizers and from data collected in patients undergoing Roux-en-Y
      bypass bariatric surgery. Intermediates derived from BCAA breakdown rather than
      BCAA itself were recently proposed to contribute to the development of insulin
      resistance and studies now explore the biomarker qualities of these metabolites.
      SUMMARY: Understanding the mechanisms and putative causalities in the alterations
      in BCAA levels as found in obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes is crucial
      for any intervention options but also for the use of BCAA and derivatives as
      biomarkers in clinical routine.

PMID- 26485336
TI  - Nutrients and ageing: what can we learn about ageing interactions from animal
      biology?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Many prevalent clinical conditions, such as chronic kidney
      disease, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary, and cardiovascular
      disease associate with features of premature ageing, such as muscle wasting,
      hypogonadism, osteoporosis, and arteriosclerosis. Studies on various animal
      models have shown that caloric restriction prolongs lifespan. Studies of animals
      with unusual long or short life for their body size may also contribute to better
      understanding of ageing processes. The aim of the present article is to review
      what we can learn about nutritional modulations and ageing interactions from
      animal biology. RECENT FINDINGS: Caloric restriction is a powerful intervention
      that increases longevity in animals ranging from short-lived species, such as
      worms and flies, to primates. As long-term studies on caloric restriction are not
      feasible to conduct in humans, much interest has focused on the impact of caloric
      restriction mimetics, such as resveratrol, on ageing processes. Recent data from
      studies on the long-lived naked mole rat have provided important novel
      information on metabolic alterations and antioxidative defense mechanisms that
      characterize longevity. SUMMARY: Better understanding of the biology of
      exceptionally long-lived animals will contribute to better understanding of
      ageing processes and novel interventions to extend lifespan also in humans.

PMID- 26485338
TI  - Prescription Stimulant Use and Hospitalization for Psychosis or Mania: A
      Population-Based Study.
AB  - Small studies suggest that prescription stimulants can precipitate psychosis and
      mania. We conducted a population-based case-crossover study to examine whether
      hospitalization for psychosis or mania was associated with initiation of
      stimulant therapy. Between October 1, 1999 and March 31, 2013, we studied 12,856
      young people who received a stimulant prescription and were subsequently
      hospitalized for psychosis or mania. Of these, 183 commenced treatment during 1
      of 2 prespecified 60-day intervals (defined as the "risk interval" and "control
      interval," respectively) prior to admission. We found that stimulant initiation
      was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for psychosis or mania
      in the subsequent 60 days (odds ratio, 1.86; 95% confidence interval, 1.39-2.56).
      The risk was marginally higher in patients treated with antipsychotic drugs (odds
      ratio, 2.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.38-3.28), but remained in patients with
      no such history (odds ratio, 1.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-2.66). One third
      of subjects received another stimulant prescription after hospital discharge. Of
      these, 45% were readmitted with psychosis or mania shortly thereafter. We
      conclude that initiation of prescription stimulants is associated with an
      increased risk of hospitalization for psychosis or mania. Resumption of therapy
      is common, which may reflect a lack of awareness of the potential causative role
      of these drugs.

PMID- 26485339
TI  - Incidence of Oculogyric Crisis and Long-Term Outcomes With Second-Generation
      Antipsychotics in a First-Episode Psychosis Program.
AB  - Oculogyric crisis (OGC) is an often recurrent dystonic adverse effect of
      antipsychotic treatment characterized by a sustained fixed upward gaze lasting
      minutes to hours. The risk of OGC has not been established. We prospectively
      estimated the incidence rate of OGC in an early intervention service for
      psychosis and provided details regarding the antipsychotics implicated, clinical
      presentation, and long-term outcomes of OGC. The Nova Scotia Early Psychosis
      Program provides comprehensive, team-based care to youth and young adults with
      schizophrenia spectrum disorder. For 6 years (April 2008 to March 2014), 452 new
      patients were admitted to the program and participated in an individualized
      program of care. Eight patients (4 females; mean age, 19.8 years) developed
      recurrent episodes of OGC after 3 months to 2 years of treatment with 1 or more
      second-generation antipsychotics, yielding an incidence rate of 1.8% (95%
      confidence interval, 0.9%-3.4%). Risperidone or olanzapine (alone or in
      combination with a second antipsychotic) seemed causative in each case. Also
      implicated in the onset or recurrence of oculogyric episodes were ziprasidone,
      quetiapine, clozapine, aripiprazole, and the first-generation antipsychotic
      loxapine. Follow-up ranged between 2 and 7 years. Episodes stopped after
      switching antipsychotic treatment in 4 cases and after stopping antipsychotic
      treatment in 2 cases. In the other 2 cases, recurrences were ongoing at last
      follow-up 2 and 6 years after onset with antipsychotic treatment continuing. We
      observed a high rate of tardive-onset, recurrent, and potentially chronic ocular
      dystonias in patients with first-episode psychosis caused by the use of second
      generation antipsychotics.

PMID- 26485340
TI  - Neurocognitive Recovery After Hospital-Treated Deliberate Self-Poisoning With
      Central Nervous System Depressant Drugs: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.
AB  - Hospital-treated deliberate self-poisoning (DSP) by central nervous system
      depressant drugs (CNS-D) has been associated with impairments in cognitive and
      psychomotor functions at the time of discharge. We aimed to replicate this
      finding and to compare recovery in the first month after discharge for CNS-D and
      CNS nondepressant drug ingestions. We also examined a series of multivariate
      explanatory models of recovery of neurocognitive outcomes over time. The CNS-D
      group was impaired at discharge compared with the CNS-nondepressant group in
      cognitive flexibility, cognitive efficiency, and working memory. There were no
      significant differences at discharge in visual attention, processing speed,
      visuomotor speed, or inhibition speed. Both groups improved in the latter
      measures over 1 month of follow-up. However, the CNS-D group's recovery was
      significantly slower for key neurocognitive domains underlying driving in complex
      traffic situations, namely, cognitive flexibility, cognitive efficiency, and
      working memory. Patients discharged after DSP with CNS-D drugs have impairments
      of some critical cognitive functions that may require up to 1 month to recover.
      Although more pre- than post-DSP variables were retained as explanatory models of
      neurocognitive performance overall, recovery over time could not be explained by
      any one of the measured covariates. Tests of cognitive flexibility could be used
      in clinical settings as a proxy measure for recovery of driving ability.
      Regulatory authorities should also consider the implications of these results for
      the period of nondriving advised after ingestion of CNS-D in overdose. Future
      research, with adequate sample size, should examine contributions of other
      variables to the pattern of recovery over time.

PMID- 26485341
TI  - Agents in the preclinical development stage for non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - Despite recent advancements in identifying distinct molecular subtypes with
      driver oncogenes and advances in developing targeted treatments such as epidermal
      growth factor receptor and anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors, current
      therapeutic approaches for tumors with no driver mutation have achieved a plateau
      of effectiveness. Thus, the overall outlook of lung cancer survival for most
      patients remains dismal. Moreover, the inevitable acquisition of resistance to
      targeted therapies has prompted significant efforts to develop second-generation
      inhibitors. In recent years, several agents for targeted therapy of lung cancers
      are rapidly migrating from bench to bedside and multiple small molecule
      inhibitors with activity against distinct receptors, genes or molecular pathways
      have been developed. 

PMID- 26485342
TI  - Ethylene production in Botrytis cinerea- and oligogalacturonide-induced immunity
      requires calcium-dependent protein kinases.
AB  - Plant immunity against pathogens is achieved through rapid activation of defense
      responses that occur upon sensing of microbe- or damage-associated molecular
      patterns, respectively referred to as MAMPs and DAMPs. Oligogalacturonides (OGs),
      linear fragments derived from homogalacturonan hydrolysis by pathogen-secreted
      cell wall-degrading enzymes, and flg22, a 22-amino acid peptide derived from the
      bacterial flagellin, represent prototypical DAMPs and MAMPs, respectively. Both
      types of molecules induce protection against infections. In plants, like in
      animals, calcium is a second messenger that mediates responses to biotic stresses
      by activating calcium-binding proteins. Here we show that simultaneous loss of
      calcium-dependent protein kinases CPK5, CPK6 and CPK11 affects Arabidopsis
      thaliana basal as well as elicitor- induced resistance to the necrotroph Botrytis
      cinerea, by affecting pathogen-induced ethylene production and accumulation of
      the ethylene biosynthetic enzymes 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC)
      synthase 2 (ACS2) and 6 (ACS6). Moreover, ethylene signaling contributes to OG
      triggered immunity activation, and lack of CPK5, CPK6 and CPK11 affects the
      duration of OG- and flg22-induced gene expression, indicating that these kinases
      are shared elements of both DAMP and MAMP signaling pathways.

PMID- 26485343
TI  - Jaw disorders in the pediatric population.
AB  - PURPOSE: This article will review the etiology, risk factors, history, and
      physical assessment of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs). In particular,
      this article discusses the role of the pediatric provider in diagnosing and
      beginning the initial treatment of TMDs, as well as the appropriate treatment
      plans. It also reveals some of the controversies regarding etiology and treatment
      of TMDs, as well as the paucity of research specific to TMDs in pediatrics. DATA
      SOURCES: A computerized search in PubMed and Ovid Medline, from 2006 to 2012, was
      conducted. A few seminal articles were included that were published before 2006.
      Hand searching was also performed, which included a few articles between 2012 and
      2015. CONCLUSIONS: Although TMDs are mostly found in adults, it is also a finding
      in pediatrics, which increases in prevalence during adolescence. More research
      specific to pediatric patients with TMDs needs to be conducted so that pediatric
      specific care can be provided. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: TMD is a condition
      found in the pediatric population, and it is important for providers to take an
      adequate history and physical examination that incorporates the temporomandibular
      joint (TMJ) and muscles of mastication. It is also critical that providers begin
      initial education and management, followed by appropriate referrals.

PMID- 26485344
TI  - Pylephlebitis: case report and literature review.
AB  - We present the case of a 50-year-old man who comes to the emergency department of
      Dos de Mayo Hospital, Lima, Peru, with fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea and
      jaundice. An intestinal infection arises as initial diagnosis. He is referred to
      the area of Internal Medicine where various laboratory tests and imaging studies
      were conducted, including an abdominal computerized tomography scan. The scan
      confirmed the diagnosis of pylephlebitis; treatment with antibiotics and
      anticoagulant therapy was immediately established. Response and evolution were
      favorable. 

PMID- 26485345
TI  - A Lower PBMC Estrogen Receptor alpha Gene Expression in Chronic Hepatitis B Is
      Associated with a Sustained Virological Response to Pegylated Interferon.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate possible involvement of estrogen
      receptor alpha (ESR1) in responding to pegylated interferon alpha-2a (PEG
      IFNalpha-2a) therapy in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. A total of 106 HBeAg
      positive patients and 52 healthy controls were enrolled into this study. ESR1
      messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was
      quantified at the baseline, during treatment (weeks 4 and 12), and at the end of
      treatment (week 48) by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction
      assay (RT-PCR). The sequence polymorphism of ESR1 (rs2077647, rs2234693,
      rs9340799, and rs9322354) was analyzed using the Sequenom MassARRAY Analyzer. Our
      results suggested that the most accurate prediction of nonresponder in female
      patients was the baseline alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in combination with ESR1
      expression at week 4 of treatment (area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.908). Combining the baseline ALT with ESR1 mRNA
      expression at the end of treatment showed the best prediction of sustained
      virological response in male patients (AUC = 0.818). Internal validation was
      assessed by bootstrap cross-validation. These results may have clinical relevance
      and warrant future validation in studies with larger cohorts. 

PMID- 26485346
TI  - Are RIG-1 and MDA5 Expressions Associated with Chronic HBV Infection?
AB  - Melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5) and retinoic acid-inducible
      gene 1 (RIG-1) as the pattern recognition receptors play important roles in viral
      mRNA recognition. Chronic HBV-infected (CHB) patients are unable to properly
      respond to hepatitis B virus (HBV). Therefore, the aim of the present study was
      to evaluate the mRNA levels of MDA5 and RIG-1 in the peripheral blood immune
      cells of CHB patients in comparison to healthy controls. In this cross-sectional
      study, the mRNA levels of MDA5 and RIG-1 were examined in 60 CHB patients and 60
      healthy controls using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique.
      Our results showed that mRNA levels of MDA5 and RIG-1 were significantly
      decreased and increased, respectively, in CHB patients when compared to healthy
      controls. Our results also revealed that mRNA levels of MDA5 and RIG-1 were not
      altered among CHB patients with various states of e-antigen of hepatitis B and
      HBV-DNA viral loads. According to the results presented here, it may be concluded
      that downregulation of MDA5 may be a responsible mechanism from several reasons,
      which leads to HBV persistence in CHB patients. 

PMID- 26485348
TI  - Ill-posed problem and regularization in reconstruction of radiobiological
      parameters from serial tumor imaging data.
AB  - The main objective of this article is to improve the stability of reconstruction
      algorithms for estimation of radiobiological parameters using serial tumor
      imaging data acquired during radiation therapy. Serial images of tumor response
      to radiation therapy represent a complex summation of several exponential
      processes as treatment induced cell inactivation, tumor growth rates, and the
      rate of cell loss. Accurate assessment of treatment response would require
      separation of these processes because they define radiobiological determinants of
      treatment response and, correspondingly, tumor control probability. However, the
      estimation of radiobiological parameters using imaging data can be considered an
      inverse ill-posed problem because a sum of several exponentials would produce the
      Fredholm integral equation of the first kind which is ill posed. Therefore, the
      stability of reconstruction of radiobiological parameters presents a problem even
      for the simplest models of tumor response. To study stability of the parameter
      reconstruction problem, we used a set of serial CT imaging data for head and neck
      cancer and a simplest case of a two-level cell population model of tumor
      response. Inverse reconstruction was performed using a simulated annealing
      algorithm to minimize a least squared objective function. Results show that the
      reconstructed values of cell surviving fractions and cell doubling time exhibit
      significant nonphysical fluctuations if no stabilization algorithms are applied.
      However, after applying a stabilization algorithm based on variational
      regularization, the reconstruction produces statistical distributions for
      survival fractions and doubling time that are comparable to published in vitro
      data. This algorithm is an advance over our previous work where only cell
      surviving fractions were reconstructed. We conclude that variational
      regularization allows for an increase in the number of free parameters in our
      model which enables development of more-advanced parameter reconstruction
      algorithms. 

PMID- 26485347
TI  - Patterns of IgE sensitization in house dust mite-allergic patients: implications
      for allergen immunotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding patterns of IgE sensitization in Dermatophagoides
      allergic patients living in various geographical areas is necessary to design a
      product suitable for worldwide allergen immunotherapy (AIT). METHODS: Using a
      HIFI Allergy customized microarray assay, IgEs specific for 12 purified allergens
      from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus or D. farinae were assessed in sera from 1302
      house dust mite (HDM)-allergic patients living in various areas. Comprehensive
      mass spectrometric (MS) analyses were conducted to characterize HDM extracts, as
      well as purified bodies and feces. RESULTS: Patterns of IgE reactivity to HDM
      allergens are comparable in all cohorts of patients analyzed, encompassing adults
      and 5- to 17-year-old children, as well as American, Canadian, European, and
      Japanese patients. Overall, >70% and >80% of HDM-allergic patients are sensitized
      to group 1 and group 2 allergens, respectively, from D. pteronyssinus and/or D.
      farinae species. Furthermore, 20-47% of patients also have IgEs to allergens from
      groups 4, 5, 7, 13, 15, 21, and 23. All patients have IgEs to allergens present
      in mite bodies and feces. MS-based analyses confirmed the presence of mite
      allergens recorded by IUIS in D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae extracts, with
      groups 2, 8, 10, 11, 14, and 20 prominent in bodies and groups 1, 6, 18, and 23
      well represented in feces. CONCLUSIONS: Mite-specific AIT should rely upon a
      mixture of D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae extracts, manufactured from both feces
      and bodies. Such a combination is appropriate to treat children and adult
      Dermatophagoides-allergic patients from Asia, Europe, and North America.

PMID- 26485349
TI  - Characterizing blood-brain barrier perturbations after exposure to human
      triglyceride-rich lipoprotein lipolysis products using MRI in a rat model.
AB  - PURPOSE: Previous studies indicated hyperlipidemia may be a risk factor for
      Alzheimer's disease, but the contributions of postprandial triglyceride-rich
      lipoprotein (TGRL) are not known. In this study, changes in blood-brain barrier
      diffusional transport following exposure to human TGRL lipolysis products were
      studied using MRI in a rat model. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (~180-250 g)
      received an i.v. injection of lipoprotein lipase (LpL)-hydrolyzed TGRL (n = 8,
      plasma concentration ~ 150 mg human TGRL/dL). Controls received i.v. injection of
      either saline (n = 6) or LpL only (n = 6). The (1) H longitudinal relaxation rate
      R1  = 1/T1 was measured over 18 min using a rapid-acquired refocus-echo (RARE)
      sequence after each of three injections of the contrast agent Gd-DTPA. Patlak
      plots were generated for each pixel yielding blood-to-brain transfer
      coefficients, Ki , chosen for best fit to impermeable, uni-directional influx or
      bi-directional flux models using the F-test. RESULTS: Analysis from a 2-mm slice,
      2-mm rostral to the bregma showed a 275% increase of mean Ki during the first 20
      min after infusion of human TGRL lipolysis product that differed significantly
      compared with saline and LpL controls. This difference disappeared by 40 min
      mark. CONCLUSION: These results suggest human TGRL lipolysis products can lead to
      a transient increase in rat BBB permeability. Magn Reson Med 76:1246-1251, 2016.
      (c) 2015 The Authors. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in
      Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons
      Attribution NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and
      reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is
      not used for commercial purposes.

PMID- 26485350
TI  - A Simple Model to Estimate Plantarflexor Muscle-Tendon Mechanics and Energetics
      During Walking With Elastic Ankle Exoskeletons.
AB  - GOAL: A recent experiment demonstrated that when humans wear unpowered elastic
      ankle exoskeletons with intermediate spring stiffness, they can reduce their
      metabolic energy cost to walk by ~7%. Springs that are too compliant or too stiff
      have little benefit. The purpose of this study was to use modeling and simulation
      to explore the muscle-level mechanisms for the "sweet spot" in stiffness during
      exoskeleton assisted walking. METHODS: We developed a simple lumped uniarticular
      musculoskeletal model of the plantarflexors operating in parallel with an elastic
      "exo-tendon." Using an inverse approach with constrained kinematics and kinetics,
      we rapidly simulated human walking over a range of exoskeleton stiffness values
      and examined the underlying neuromechanics and energetics of the biological
      plantarflexors. RESULTS: Stiffer ankle exoskeleton springs resulted in larger
      decreases in plantarflexor muscle forces, activations, and metabolic energy
      consumption. However, in the process of unloading the compliant biological muscle
      tendon unit, the muscle fascicles experienced larger excursions that negatively
      impacted series elastic element recoil that is characteristic of a tuned
      "catapult mechanism." CONCLUSION: The combination of disrupted muscle-tendon
      dynamics and the need to produce compensatory forces/moments to maintain overall
      net ankle moment invariance could explain the "sweet spot" in metabolic
      performance at intermediate ankle exoskeleton stiffness. Future work will aim to
      provide experimental evidence to support the model predictions presented here
      using ultrasound imaging of muscle-level dynamics during walking with elastic
      ankle exoskeletons. SIGNIFICANCE: Engineers must account for the muscle-level
      effects of exoskeleton designs in order to achieve maximal performance
      objectives.

PMID- 26485351
TI  - Patient-Specific Oscillometric Blood Pressure Measurement.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Most automatic cuff blood pressure (BP) measurement devices are based
      on oscillometry. These devices estimate BP from the envelopes of the cuff
      pressure oscillations using fixed ratios. The values of the fixed ratios
      represent population averages, so the devices may only be accurate in subjects
      with normal BP levels. The objective was to develop and demonstrate the validity
      of a patient-specific oscillometric BP measurement method. METHODS: The idea of
      the developed method was to represent the cuff pressure oscillation envelopes
      with a physiologic model, and then estimate the patient-specific parameters of
      the model, which includes BP levels, by optimally fitting it to the envelopes.
      The method was investigated against gold standard reference BP measurements from
      57 patients with widely varying pulse pressures. A portion of the data was used
      to optimize the patient-specific method and a fixed-ratio method, while the
      remaining data were used to test these methods and a current office device.
      RESULTS: The patient-specific method yielded BP root-mean-square-errors ranging
      from 6.0 to 9.3 mmHg. On an average, these errors were nearly 40% lower than the
      errors of each existing method. CONCLUSION: The patient-specific method may
      improve automatic cuff BP measurement accuracy. SIGNIFICANCE: A patient-specific
      oscillometric BP measurement method was proposed and shown to be more accurate
      than the conventional method and a current device.

PMID- 26485352
TI  - Design and Control of a Mechatronic Tracheostomy Tube for Automated Tracheal
      Suctioning.
AB  - GOAL: Mechanical ventilation is required to aid patients with breathing
      difficulty to breathe more comfortably. A tracheostomy tube inserted through an
      opening in the patient neck into the trachea is connected to a ventilator for
      suctioning. Currently, nurses spend millions of person-hours yearly to perform
      this task. To save significant person-hours, an automated mechatronic
      tracheostomy system is needed. This system allows for relieving nurses and other
      carers from the millions of person-hours spent yearly on tracheal suctioning. In
      addition, it will result in huge healthcare cost savings. METHODS: We introduce a
      novel mechatronic tracheostomy system including the development of a long suction
      catheter, automatic suctioning mechanisms, and relevant control approaches to
      perform tracheal suctioning automatically. To stop the catheter at a desired
      position, two approaches are introduced: 1) Based on the known travel length of
      the catheter tip; 2) Based on a new sensing device integrated at the catheter
      tip. It is known that backlash nonlinearity between the suction catheter and its
      conduit as well as in the gear system of the actuator are unavoidable. They cause
      difficulties to control the exact position of the catheter tip. For the former
      case, we develop an approximate model of backlash and a direct inverse scheme to
      enhance the system performances. The scheme does not require any complex
      inversions of the backlash model and allows easy implementations. For the latter
      case, a new sensing device integrated into the suction catheter tip is developed
      and backlash compensation controls are avoided. RESULTS: Automated suctioning
      validations are successfully carried out on the proposed experimental system.
      Comparisons and discussions are also introduced. SIGNIFICANCE: The results
      demonstrate a significant contribution and potential benefits to the mechanical
      ventilation areas.

PMID- 26485353
TI  - Multiatlas-Based Segmentation Editing With Interaction-Guided Patch Selection and
      Label Fusion.
AB  - We propose a novel multiatlas-based segmentation method to address the
      segmentation editing scenario, where an incomplete segmentation is given along
      with a set of existing reference label images (used as atlases). Unlike previous
      multiatlas-based methods, which depend solely on appearance features, we
      incorporate interaction-guided constraints to find appropriate atlas label
      patches in the reference label set and derive their weights for label fusion.
      Specifically, user interactions provided on the erroneous parts are first divided
      into multiple local combinations. For each combination, the atlas label patches
      well-matched with both interactions and the previous segmentation are identified.
      Then, the segmentation is updated through the voxelwise label fusion of selected
      atlas label patches with their weights derived from the distances of each
      underlying voxel to the interactions. Since the atlas label patches well-matched
      with different local combinations are used in the fusion step, our method can
      consider various local shape variations during the segmentation update, even with
      only limited atlas label images and user interactions. Besides, since our method
      does not depend on either image appearance or sophisticated learning steps, it
      can be easily applied to general editing problems. To demonstrate the generality
      of our method, we apply it to editing segmentations of CT prostate, CT brainstem,
      and MR hippocampus, respectively. Experimental results show that our method
      outperforms existing editing methods in all three datasets.

PMID- 26485354
TI  - A Circuit Model of Real Time Human Body Hydration.
AB  - Changes in human body hydration leading to excess fluid losses or overload
      affects the body fluid's ability to provide the necessary support for healthy
      living. We propose a time-dependent circuit model of real-time human body
      hydration, which models the human body tissue as a signal transmission medium.
      The circuit model predicts the attenuation of a propagating electrical signal.
      Hydration rates are modeled by a time constant tau, which characterizes the
      individual specific metabolic function of the body part measured. We define a
      surrogate human body anthropometric parameter theta by the muscle-fat ratio and
      comparing it with the body mass index (BMI), we find theoretically, the rate of
      hydration varying from 1.73 dB/min, for high theta and low tau to 0.05 dB/min for
      low theta and high tau. We compare these theoretical values with empirical
      measurements and show that real-time changes in human body hydration can be
      observed by measuring signal attenuation. We took empirical measurements using a
      vector network analyzer and obtained different hydration rates for various BMI,
      ranging from 0.6 dB/min for 22.7 [Formula: see text] down to 0.04 dB/min for 41.2
      [Formula: see text]. We conclude that the galvanic coupling circuit model can
      predict changes in the volume of the body fluid, which are essential in
      diagnosing and monitoring treatment of body fluid disorder. Individuals with high
      BMI would have higher time-dependent biological characteristic, lower metabolic
      rate, and lower rate of hydration.

PMID- 26485355
TI  - FDA funds research to help guide tobacco regulation: New tobacco products, young
      adult smokers, and race among focus of studies.

PMID- 26485356
TI  - Removing more breast tissue in mastectomy can reduce need for second surgery.

PMID- 26485357
TI  - Middle east war veterans experience higher skin cancer risk.

PMID- 26485358
TI  - Han X, Lin CC, Li C, de Moor JS, Rodriguez JL, Kent EE and Forsythe LP.
      Association between serious psychological distress and health care use and
      expenditures by cancer history. Cancer. 2015;121:614-622.

PMID- 26485359
TI  - Impact of Antibiotic Choice on Pneumonia Readmission Rates.
AB  - There are many patient and institutional variables associated with a higher risk
      of rehospitalization within 30 days of an admission for community-acquired
      pneumonia. However, less is known regarding the impact of antibiotics. A
      retrospective cohort study of 271 patients was performed to determine whether,
      when controlling for known factors for readmission, the choice of antibiotic
      affects 30-day rehospitalization after an index admission of pneumonia.
      Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine correlation
      between antibiotic choice and readmission rates. Empiric tobramycin was
      associated with a 31.2% increased risk of readmission for any reason (P < 0.01).
      Empiric and treatment aztreonam were associated with a 13.7% and 13.5% increased
      risk of readmission with recurrent pneumonia, respectively (both P < 0.05).
      Further research evaluating these associations is warranted.

PMID- 26485360
TI  - Pain and functional outcomes following vertebroplasty for vertebral compression
      fractures - A tertiary centre experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There is a dearth of comparative outcome data on vertebroplasty for
      the treatment of vertebral compression fractures (VCF) according to vertebral
      level, the number of levels and aetiology. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the improvement of pain and function following vertebroplasty for a
      heterogeneous cohort of patients with medically refractory VCF. METHODS: A
      prospective observational study was conducted on a cohort of consecutive patients
      undergoing vertebroplasty following at least 4 weeks of failed medical
      management, between April 2007 and March 2012 at a single neurosurgical centre.
      Pain visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores,
      analgesic usage and complications were recorded preoperatively and at day 1, week
      1, 1 month, 6 months and 1 year postoperatively. Intraoperative vertebral body
      biopsy was performed routinely. RESULTS: Two hundred and two levels were
      augmented in 147 patients. The most common levels augmented were T12 (17%), L1
      (18%) and L4 (10%). Significant reductions in pain VAS and ODI scores were
      evident at day 1 and sustained at up to 1 year postoperatively (p < 0.001). They
      were not dependent on the level of fracture (T3-10, T11-L2 and L3-S1) (p > 0.05),
      the number of levels treated (single level, two-level and > two level) (p > 0.05)
      or aetiology of VCF (p > 0.05). At 1 year postoperatively, 79% (113/142) had no
      or reduced analgesic usage. The complication rate was 6% (9/147). There were five
      mortalities, none of which was directly related to surgery. CONCLUSION:
      Vertebroplasty for medically refractory VCF may offer sustained improvement in
      pain and function. The procedure is associated with low morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 26485361
TI  - Chicken Egg Shell Membrane Associated Proteins and Peptides.
AB  - Egg shells are poultry industry byproducts with potential for use in various
      biological and agricultural applications. We have been interested in the
      membranes underlying the calcareous shell as a feed supplement, which showed
      potential to improve immunity and performance of post hatch poultry. Therefore,
      to determine their protein and peptide profiles, we extracted the egg shell
      membranes (ESM) from fresh unfertilized eggs with methanol and guanidine
      hydrochloride (GdHCl) to obtain soluble proteins for analysis by mass
      spectrometry. The methanol extract was subjected to matrix-assisted laser
      desorption ionization (MALDI), electrospray ionization (ESI), high-performance
      reverse phase liquid chromatographic separation (HPLC), and tandem mass
      spectrometry (MS/MS) to determine its peptide and protein profiles. The GdHCl
      extract was subjected to ESI-HPLC-MS/MS following trypsin digestion of
      reduced/alkylated proteins. Nine proteins from the methanol extract and >275
      proteins from the GdHCl extract were tentatively identified. The results
      suggested the presence of several abundant proteins from egg whites, such as
      ovoalbumin, ovotransferrin, and lysozyme as well as many others associated with
      antimicrobial, biomechanical, cytoskeletal organizational, cell signaling, and
      enzyme activities. Collagens, keratin, agrin, and laminin were some of the
      structural proteins present in the ESM. The methanol-soluble fraction contained
      several clusterin peptides and defensins, particularly, two isoforms of gallin.
      The ratios of the two isoforms of gallin differed between the membranes obtained
      from brown and white eggs. The high abundance of several antimicrobial,
      immunomodulatory, and other bioactive proteins in the ESM along with its
      potential to entrap various microbes and antigens may make it a suitable vehicle
      for oral immunization of post hatch poultry and improve their disease resistance.

PMID- 26485362
TI  - The Effects of Gonadotropin Replacement Therapy on Metabolic Parameters and Body
      Composition in Men with Idiopathic Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism.
AB  - Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in idiopathic hypogonadotrophic
      hypogonadism (IHH) slows the process of metabolic syndrome (MetS), diabetes
      mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases by its inversing effects on insulin
      resistance, dyslipidemia, and blood pressure. Since there are not enough data
      regarding the effects of gonadotropin replacement therapy (GRT), we aimed to
      investigate the impact of GRT on MetS parameters in IHH patients. Sixteen
      patients with IHH and 20 age and body mass index (BDI)-matched healthy controls
      were enrolled into the study. Patients were evaluated at baseline and 6 months
      after the GRT. Sex hormones, insulin like growth factor-1, prolactin, insulin, C
      reactive protein (CRP), homocysteine, and lipid levels were measured at baseline
      and after the treatment. Anthropometric measurements, including BMI, body fat
      ratio (BFR), fat free mass (FFM), waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio
      (WHR), were also performed. Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance
      (HOMA-IR) index was calculated. Body fat ratio, triglyceride, HOMA-IR, and CRP
      levels were higher, whereas bone age, fat free mass, and creatinine levels were
      lower in the patients with hypogonadism. HOMA-IR indices and basal insulin levels
      decreased significantly after 6 months of GRT compared with baseline levels.
      Triglyceride levels, and BFRs diminished significantly by an accompanying decline
      in WHR. FFM of the patients increased following the GRT. No significant changes
      were detected in CRP, homocysteine, total and LDL-cholesterol levels. Similar to
      TRT, hCG treatment decreases HOMA-IR, triglyceride levels, BFR and WHRs, and
      increases FFM in patients with IHH. 

PMID- 26485363
TI  - Clarification of mammalian cloacal morphogenesis using high-resolution episcopic
      microscopy.
AB  - The developmental process through which the cloaca transforms from one hollow
      structure to two separated urinary and digestive outlets remains controversial
      and speculative. Here, we use high-resolution episcopic microscopy to examine a
      comprehensive series of normal and mutant mouse cloaca in which the detailed 3
      dimensional (3-D) morphological features are illuminated throughout the
      development. We provide evidence that the dorsal peri-cloacal mesenchyme (dPCM)
      remains stationary while other surrounding tissues grow towards it. This causes
      dramatic changes of spatial relationship among caudal structures and
      morphological transformation of the cloaca. The 3-D characterizations of Dkk1
      mutants reveal a hyperplastic defect of dPCM, which leads to a significant
      anterior shift of the caudal boundary of the cloaca, premature occlusion of the
      cloaca and, imperforate anus phenotype. Conversely, Shh knockout causes a severe
      hypoplastic defect of cloaca mesenchyme including dPCM and persistent cloaca.
      Collectively, these findings suggest that formation of the dPCM is critical for
      cloacal morphogenesis and furthermore, growth and movement of the mesenchymal
      tissues towards the dPCM lead to the cloaca occlusion and separation of the
      urinary and digestive outlets. 

PMID- 26485364
TI  - Patterns of First Recurrence in African American Patients with High Grade
      Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study is to compare the distribution of anatomic
      sites of first recurrence in African American (AA) patients with ovarian
      carcinoma compared to Caucasians. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with high-grade
      epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or peritoneal carcinoma from 2007 to 2013 were
      identified. Patterns of recurrence were compared for AA and Caucasian patients.
      Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared. RESULTS:
      A total of 238 patients were included - 210 Caucasians and 28 AAs. At a follow-up
      time of 28 months, AAs were more likely to have multiple anatomic sites of
      recurrence rather than a single site when compared to Caucasians (63.6 vs. 35.5%,
      p = 0.01). Time to first recurrence was shorter for AA patients (12 vs. 18
      months, p < 0.01). PFS and OS did not differ. AA patients with multiple sites of
      first recurrence had a significantly shorter OS than Caucasian patients with
      multiple sites of first recurrence (24 vs. 30 months, p = 0.022). CONCLUSION:
      Patterns of first recurrence differ between AAs and Caucasians. AAs have shorter
      times to first recurrence and are more likely to have multiple anatomic sites
      involved. AA patients with multiple sites of recurrence have a shorter OS than
      Caucasian patients with multiple sites.

PMID- 26485366
TI  - Freshwater sharks and rays.

PMID- 26485365
TI  - The Molecular Biology of Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Signaling Dynamics.
AB  - The spindle assembly checkpoint is a safeguard mechanism that coordinates cell
      cycle progression during mitosis with the state of chromosome attachment to the
      mitotic spindle. The checkpoint prevents mitotic cells from exiting mitosis in
      the presence of unattached or improperly attached chromosomes, thus avoiding
      whole-chromosome gains or losses and their detrimental effects on cell
      physiology. Here, I review a considerable body of recent progress in the
      elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying checkpoint signaling, and
      identify a number of unresolved questions. 

PMID- 26485367
TI  - Equids.
AB  - Alongside domestic horses and donkeys, the horse family, also known as equids,
      comprises six extant wild species of asses and zebras (Figure 1). Equids are
      extremely well represented in the fossil record, comprising a 55 million-year
      evolutionary history, punctuated by many episodes of innovation, extinction and
      migration. Limited to the single genus Equus today, in the Miocene (23.0-5.3
      million years ago) the equid family flourished, comprising more than twenty
      genera. The group originated in Northern America, where the earliest fossil forms
      have been found, the so-called Hyracotheres, no larger than small dogs. These
      animals were soft-leaf browsers and in contrast to modern equids, which roam on a
      single toe with a solid keratin hoof, their hindlimbs were three-toed and their
      forelimbs four-toed. Equids thus form, together with rhinos and tapirs, the
      perissodactyls, an order of mammals characterized by an odd number of toes.
      Unlike ruminants, they are hindgut fermenters, which digest plant cellulose in
      their intestines and not in differentiated multiple stomach chambers.

PMID- 26485368
TI  - Human infants' ability to perceive touch in external space develops postnatally.
AB  - Arriving in the outside world, the newborn infant has to determine how the
      tactile stimulation experienced in utero relates to the spatial environment newly
      offered up by vision, hearing and olfaction. We investigated this developmental
      process by tracing the origins of the influence of external spatial
      representation on young infants' orienting responses to tactile stimuli. When
      adults cross their hands or feet they typically make more tactile localization
      errors than otherwise, and this has been attributed to the conflicts between skin
      based and external frames of reference and/or the usual and current locations of
      touches in external space [1,2]. Here, we report that a group of six-month-olds,
      like adults, showed a tactile localisation deficit with their feet crossed,
      indicating external spatial coding of touch; in striking contrast, four-month
      olds outperformed the older infants showing no crossed-feet deficit. Thus, in the
      first months of life, infants perceive touches solipsistically, and only come to
      locate them in the external world after significant postnatal experience.

PMID- 26485369
TI  - Nutritional Physiology: Sex Elicits a Taste for Salt in Drosophila.
AB  - Increased salt intake has been found to boost egg production in Drosophila.
      Females develop a specific appetite for salt following mating. This is not
      triggered by demand for sodium from developing eggs, but by release of a Sex
      Peptide into the female's reproductive tract by the male during mating. 

PMID- 26485370
TI  - Functional Morphology: 'Point and Shoot' Prey Capture in Fishes.
AB  - The ability to protrude the jaws and capture elusive prey is a hallmark of fish
      evolution. New analyses provide insight into how jaw protrusion changed predator
      prey relationships and fueled species diversification in ancient seas. 

PMID- 26485371
TI  - Reproductive Evolution: Pulling the Plug on Selection.
AB  - Hermaphroditism leads to reduced sexual selection and can result in the retention
      of deleterious mutations. A new study characterizes one such mutation that
      results in male-male copulation in nematodes, while also implicating a previously
      undescribed source of chemical signaling. 

PMID- 26485372
TI  - Multisensory Perception: The Building of Flavor Representations.
AB  - The perceptual construct of flavor is built on the basis of interactions between
      taste and odor processing. Recent work sheds new light on how intimately coupled
      these two senses are, and call into question conventional views about the
      'unisensory' processing of odors. 

PMID- 26485373
TI  - Circannual Biology: The Double Life of the Seasonal Thyrotroph.
AB  - Endogenous long-term timing is a key component of seasonality. Where and how are
      such rhythms generated? Recent findings pointed to the pituitary pars tuberalis,
      already implicated in photoperiod responsiveness. Now, a new study provides
      mechanistic insights which support this hypothesis. 

PMID- 26485374
TI  - Sensory-Motor Integration: More Variability Reduces Individuality.
AB  - Motor neural networks and muscles produce identifiably common outputs, such as a
      trot or gallop, despite varations in intrinsic properties across individuals. New
      work shows that sensory input can induce the requisite decrease in across
      individual variability even as it increases within-individual variability. 

PMID- 26485375
TI  - Time Cognition: Entangled Neuronal Firing.
AB  - The neuroscience of time frequently focuses on either measuring short time
      intervals (sensory timing) or reproducing them (motor timing); during cognition,
      the two are integrated. New experiments using a combined sensory and motor timing
      task suggest that neuronal firing during the sensory and motor phases are linked.

PMID- 26485376
TI  - Insect Olfaction: Telling Food from Foe.
AB  - The same sensory signal can be interpreted differently according to context. A
      new study in Drosophila uses cell-type-specific tools to identify neural circuits
      that integrate context during olfactory processing and surprisingly implicates
      memory-recall neurons. 

PMID- 26485377
TI  - Neuroplasticity: Unexpected Consequences of Early Blindness.
AB  - A pair of recent studies shows that congenital blindness can have significant
      consequences for the functioning of the visual system after sight restoration,
      particularly if that restoration is delayed. 

PMID- 26485379
TI  - Headache Attributed to Masticatory Myofascial Pain: Clinical Features and
      Management Outcomes.
AB  - AIMS: To describe the characteristics of headaches attributed to
      temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and assess the effects of two management
      strategies used for the management of TMD on headache intensity and frequency.
      METHODS: The initial sample (n=60) of this randomized controlled trial comprised
      patients with masticatory myofascial pain according to the Research Diagnostic
      Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD), and headache. The patients were divided into two
      groups: group 1 received only counseling for behavioral changes, and group 2
      received counseling and an occlusal appliance. A 5-month follow-up period
      included three assessments. TMD-related headache characteristics, eg, headache
      intensity (scored on a visual analog scale [VAS]) and frequency were measured by
      a questionnaire. Two-way analysis of variance, chi-square, Friedman, and Mann
      Whitney tests were used to test for differences considering a 5% significance
      level. RESULTS: The main clinical features of headache attributed to masticatory
      myofascial pain were the long duration (>=4 hours), frontotemporal bilateral
      location, and a pressing/tightening quality. Forty-one subjects (group 1, 17
      subjects; group 2, 24 subjects) were included in the final analysis. There was a
      reduction in headache intensity and frequency, with no significant differences
      between groups (P>.05). The mean (+/-SD) baseline VAS was 7.6 (+/-2.2) for group
      1 and 6.5 (+/-1.6) for group 2; final values were 3.1 (+/-2.2) (P<.001) and 2.5
      (+/-2.3) (P<.001), respectively. CONCLUSION: Headache attributed to masticatory
      myofascial pain was mainly characterized by long duration, frontotemporal
      bilateral location, and a pressing/tightening quality. Also, counseling and
      behavioral management of masticatory myofascial pain improved headache,
      regardless of the use of an occlusal appliance.

PMID- 26485380
TI  - Short-Term Sensorimotor Effects of Experimental Occlusal Interferences on the
      Wake-Time Masseter Muscle Activity of Females with Masticatory Muscle Pain.
AB  - AIMS: To investigate the effects of the application of an acute alteration of the
      occlusion (ie, interference) on the habitual masseter electromyographic (EMG)
      activity of females with temporomandibular disorders (TMD)-related muscular pain
      during wakefulness. METHODS: Seven female volunteers with masticatory myofascial
      pain participated in a crossover randomized clinical trial. Gold foils were glued
      on an occlusal contact area (active occlusal interference, AI) or on the
      vestibular surface of the same molar (dummy interference, DI) and left for 8
      days. The masseter electromyogram was recorded during wakefulness in the natural
      environment by portable recorders under interference-free, dummy-interference,
      and active-interference conditions. The number, amplitude, and duration of EMG
      signal fractions with amplitudes above 10% of the maximum voluntary contraction
      (activity periods, APs) were computed in all experimental conditions. Muscle
      pain, headache, and perceived stress were each assessed with a visual analog
      scale (VAS), and an algometer was used to assess masseter and temporalis pressure
      pain thresholds. Data were analyzed by means of analysis of variance. RESULTS:
      The frequency and duration of the recorded APs did not differ significantly
      between the experimental conditions (P>.05), but a small and significant
      reduction of the EMG mean amplitude of the APs occurred with AI (P<.05). Neither
      the VAS scores for muscular pain, headache, and perceived stress nor the pressure
      pain thresholds changed significantly throughout the entire experiment (P>.05).
      CONCLUSION: An active occlusal interference in female volunteers with masticatory
      muscle pain had little influence on the masseter EMG activity pattern during
      wakefulness and did not affect the pressure tenderness of the masseter and
      temporalis.

PMID- 26485378
TI  - Integrative Genomics-Based Discovery of Novel Regulators of the Innate Antiviral
      Response.
AB  - The RIG-I-like receptor (RLR) pathway is essential for detecting cytosolic viral
      RNA to trigger the production of type I interferons (IFNalpha/beta) that initiate
      an innate antiviral response. Through systematic assessment of a wide variety of
      genomics data, we discovered 10 molecular signatures of known RLR pathway
      components that collectively predict novel members. We demonstrate that RLR
      pathway genes, among others, tend to evolve rapidly, interact with viral
      proteins, contain a limited set of protein domains, are regulated by specific
      transcription factors, and form a tightly connected interaction network. Using a
      Bayesian approach to integrate these signatures, we propose likely novel RLR
      regulators. RNAi knockdown experiments revealed a high prediction accuracy,
      identifying 94 genes among 187 candidates tested (~50%) that affected viral RNA
      induced production of IFNbeta. The discovered antiviral regulators may
      participate in a wide range of processes that highlight the complexity of
      antiviral defense (e.g. MAP3K11, CDK11B, PSMA3, TRIM14, HSPA9B, CDC37, NUP98,
      G3BP1), and include uncharacterized factors (DDX17, C6orf58, C16orf57, PKN2,
      SNW1). Our validated RLR pathway list (http://rlr.cmbi.umcn.nl/), obtained using
      a combination of integrative genomics and experiments, is a new resource for
      innate antiviral immunity research. 

PMID- 26485381
TI  - Alterations in Masticatory Muscle Activation in People with Persistent Neck Pain
      Despite the Absence of Orofacial Pain or Temporomandibular Disorders.
AB  - AIM: To assess whether patients with persistent neck pain display evidence of
      altered masticatory muscle behavior during a jaw-clenching task, despite the
      absence of orofacial pain or temporomandibular disorders. METHODS: Ten subjects
      with persistent, nonspecific neck pain and 10 age- and sex-matched healthy
      controls participated. Maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) of unilateral jaw
      clenching followed by 5-second submaximal contractions at 10%, 30%, 50%, and 70%
      MVC were recorded by two flexible force transducers positioned between the first
      molar teeth. Task performance was quantified by mean distance and offset error
      from the reference target force as error indices, and standard deviation of force
      was used as an index of force steadiness. Electromyographic (EMG) activity was
      recorded bilaterally from the masseter muscle with 13 X 5 grids of electrodes and
      from the anterior temporalis with bipolar electrodes. Normalized EMG root mean
      square (RMS) was computed for each location of the grid to form a map of the EMG
      amplitude distribution, and the average normalized RMS was determined for the
      bipolar acquisition. Between-group differences were analyzed with the Kruskal
      Wallis analysis of variance. RESULTS: Task performance was similar in patients
      and controls. However, patients displayed greater masseter EMG activity
      bilaterally at higher force levels (P<.05). CONCLUSION: This study has provided
      novel evidence of altered motor control of the jaw in people with neck pain
      despite the absence of orofacial pain or temporomandibular disorders.

PMID- 26485383
TI  - Psychometric Properties of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory Applied to
      Brazilian Patients with Orofacial Pain.
AB  - AIMS: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Pain
      Inventory (MPI) in a Brazilian sample of patients with orofacial pain. METHODS: A
      total of 1,925 adult patients, who sought dental care in the School of Dentistry
      of Sao Paulo State University's Araraquara campus, were invited to participate;
      62.5% (n=1,203) agreed to participate. Of these, 436 presented with orofacial
      pain and were included. The mean age was 39.9 (SD=13.6) years and 74.5% were
      female. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using chi2/df, comparative fit
      index, goodness of fit index, and root mean square error of approximation as
      indices of goodness of fit. Convergent validity was estimated by the average
      variance extracted and composite reliability, and internal consistency by
      Cronbach's alpha standardized coefficient (alpha). The stability of the models
      was tested in independent samples (test and validation; dental pain and orofacial
      pain). The factorial invariance was estimated by multigroup analysis (Deltachi2).
      RESULTS: Factorial, convergent validity, and internal consistency were adequate
      in all three parts of the MPI. To achieve this adequate fit for Part 1, item 15
      needed to be deleted (lambda=0.13). Discriminant validity was compromised between
      the factors "activities outside the home" and "social activities" of Part 3 of
      the MPI in the total sample, validation sample, and in patients with dental pain
      and with orofacial pain. A strong invariance between different subsamples from
      the three parts of the MPI was detected. CONCLUSION: The MPI produced valid,
      reliable, and stable data for pain assessment among Brazilian patients with
      orofacial pain.

PMID- 26485384
TI  - Association Between Clinical Signs of Temporomandibular Disorders and
      Psychological Distress Among an Adult Finnish Population.
AB  - AIMS: To evaluate the association between signs of temporomandibular disorders
      (TMD) and psychological distress in a general population-based sample of Finnish
      adults. METHODS: The Health 2000 Survey was conducted in 2000-2001 by the
      National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland. Of the sample of adults
      aged 30 or over (n=8,028), 79% participated in a clinical oral health
      examination, which included examination of TMD signs. The participants (n=6,155)
      also completed questionnaires, including the 12-item General Health Questionnaire
      (GHQ-12), which measured psychological distress. Associations between TMD signs
      and psychological distress measured by the GHQ-12 were examined in both genders.
      Statistical measures included chi-square tests, t tests, and logistic regression
      analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of the TMD signs (limited opening, clicking,
      crepitation, temporomandibular joint [TMJ] palpation pain, and muscle palpation
      pain) was 11.2%, 17.6%, 10.5%, 5.1%, and 18.9% in women, and 6.1%, 12.9%, 5.3%,
      2.4%, and 7.2% in men, respectively. High GHQ-12 scores, measured as continuous
      variables and in quartiles by distress level, were significantly associated with
      masticatory muscle pain on palpation in both genders (P<.05) and with TMJ pain on
      palpation in women (P<.05). Additionally, high GHQ-12 scores as continuous were
      associated with TMJ crepitation in men (P<.05). The logistic regression analyses
      showed that higher GHQ-12 scores were associated significantly with masticatory
      muscle pain on palpation both in women (odds ratio [OR]=2.18; 95% confidence
      interval [CI]=1.6-2.9) and men (OR=2.03; 95% CI=1.3-3.1). CONCLUSION: TMD signs
      and psychological distress appear to be associated. However, due to the
      limitations of the study, the findings can be regarded as preliminary.

PMID- 26485382
TI  - Amplified Brain Processing of Dentoalveolar Pressure Stimulus in Persistent
      Dentoalveolar Pain Disorder Patients.
AB  - AIMS: (1) To determine the brain regions activated by dentoalveolar pressure
      stimulation in persistent dentoalveolar pain disorder (PDAP) patients, and (2) to
      compare these activation patterns to those seen in pain-free control subjects.
      METHODS: A total of 13 PDAP patients and 13 matched controls completed the study.
      Clinical pain characteristics and psychosocial data were collected. Dentoalveolar
      mechanical pain thresholds were determined with a custom-made device over the
      painful area for patients and were used as the stimulation level during
      functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquisition. Control subjects
      received two stimulation levels over matched locations during fMRI scanning: one
      determined (as above) that evoked equally subjective pain ratings matching those
      of patients (subjective-pain match) and another nonpainful stimulation level
      matching the average stimulus intensity provided to patients (stimulus-intensity
      match). Clinical and psychosocial data were analyzed using independent samples t
      tests, Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient. fMRI
      data were analyzed using validated neuroimaging software and tested using a
      general linear model. RESULTS: PDAP patients had greater anxiety (P<.0001) and
      depression scores (P=.001), more jaw function impairment (P<.0001), and greater
      social impact (P<.0001) than controls. No significant differences were found for
      brain activation spatial extent (PDAP X Controls subjective pain: P=.48; PDAP X
      Controls stimulus intensity: P=.12). Brain activations were significantly
      increased for PDAP patients compared to control subjects when matched to stimulus
      intensity in several regions related to the sensory-discriminative and cognitive
      components of pain perception, including the primary and secondary somatosensory
      cortices, inferior parietal lobule, insula, premotor cortex, prefrontal cortex,
      and thalamus. When matched to subjective pain ratings, increased brain
      activations were still present for PDAP patients compared to controls, although
      to a lesser extent. CONCLUSION: The present results suggest that dentoalveolar
      pressure is processed differently in the brain of PDAP patients, and the
      increased activation in several brain areas is consistent with amplified pain
      processing.

PMID- 26485385
TI  - Preoperative Local Administration of Morphine as an Add-on Therapy in Patients
      Undergoing Surgical Removal of an Odontogenic Maxillary Cyst. A Randomized,
      Double-Blind Pilot Study.
AB  - AIMS: To evaluate whether a combination of locally administered morphine (1 mg)
      and lidocaine as part of a multimodal analgesic approach is safe, and whether it
      improves pain control during the first 24 hours after odontogenic maxillary cyst
      removal under general anesthesia compared to local lidocaine alone. METHODS: In a
      double-blind, sham-controlled, single-center trial, patients scheduled for
      surgical removal of an odontogenic maxillary cyst under general anesthesia were
      randomly assigned to receive a local injection of lidocaine solution with either
      1 mg of morphine (MLA group) or with no morphine (LA group). Pain management
      included intravenous acetaminophen (1 g every 6 hours) in all patients. Upon
      request, the patients could additionally receive ketoprofen (first-line
      additional analgesia) or tramadol (second-line additional analgesia). Pain
      intensity was assessed using a numeric rating scale. Primary outcome measures
      were (1) no need for any additional analgesic therapy and (2) time to the first
      rescue analgesic therapy during the first 24 hours after the surgery. RESULTS: Of
      48 eligible patients, 24 were allocated to the MLA group and 24 to the LA group.
      The necessity of additional ketoprofen therapy did not differ significantly
      between the groups (25.0% vs 50.0%, P=.074). According to the Kaplan-Meier
      analysis, the probability of remaining without additional analgesic intervention
      was significantly higher in the MLA group (log-rank test, P=.040), but there were
      no significant (P>.05) differences in overall and maximum pain severity between
      the two groups. No adverse effects of morphine were recorded. CONCLUSION: Within
      the limitations of this study, local administration of 1 mg of morphine prior to
      the surgical removal of an odontogenic maxillary cyst was safe, but it did not
      prove to be very effective as an add-on therapy for postoperative pain control.

PMID- 26485386
TI  - The Prevalence and Awareness of Migraine Among University Students in Harbin,
      China.
AB  - AIMS: To determine the prevalence and the awareness of migraine among university
      students in Harbin, China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of students was
      conducted in Harbin Medical University from April 1 to June 30, 2012. The Chinese
      version of the Identification of Migraine Screener (ID-Migraine) was used as the
      screening tool, and the awareness of migraine was evaluated by a structured
      questionnaire. A subgroup of the students was randomly selected to fill out the
      questionnaire again to evaluate its test-retest reliability. The internal
      consistency reliability and structured validity were tested using Cronbach's
      alpha coefficient and exploratory factor analyses. RESULTS: Of the 5,129
      registered students, 4,406 students (85.9%) signed a consent form and completed
      the questionnaire. Three hundred ninety-five students were screened positive for
      migraine, with a prevalence of 9.0%, and the migraine prevalence increased with
      age (z=-2.82, P<.01). Gender (chi2=0.12, P=.73) and body mass index (chi2=0.51,
      P=.78) did not significantly influence migraine prevalence, and the prevalence
      showed no significant difference between medical and nonmedical students
      (chi2=2.10, P=.15). The awareness of fundamental details (definition,
      classification, symptoms), treatment, and trigger factors of migraine were 40.4%,
      42.4%, and 68.6%, respectively. The test-retest reliability of these parts of the
      questionnaire was 0.61 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.48-0.75), 0.77 (95% CI:
      0.66-0.88), and 0.80 (95% CI: 0.69-0.91), respectively. Three components
      accumulatively explained 52.1% of the total variance of the scale, and the
      rotated factor loadings (the correlation coefficient between the items and the
      common factor) in each part were all higher than 0.50 excluding item C11.
      CONCLUSION: The prevalence of migraine in university students was 9.0%, which is
      comparable to the prevalence found in Chinese adults from the general population
      in two previous studies. University students have limited awareness of migraine.

PMID- 26485387
TI  - Noxious Stimulation of the Rat Tooth Pulp May Impair Learning and Memory Through
      the Induction of Hippocampal Apoptosis.
AB  - AIMS: To determine whether noxious stimulation of the rat tooth pulp induces
      learning and memory impairment through the induction of apoptosis in the
      hippocampus. METHODS: Thirty-five adult rats were divided randomly into five
      groups (each n=7) as follows: control, sham-operated, sham-vehicle, capsaicin
      treated, and capsaicin plus ibuprofen-treated group. After preparing dental
      cavities via cutting 2 mm of the distal extremities of the mandibular incisors,
      polyethylene crowns were placed on the teeth. Based on the study groups,
      different injections were administered into the cavities. Nociceptive scores for
      each block were obtained by measuring the number of seconds that the animal spent
      rubbing and flicking the lower jaw. After recording the nociceptive behaviors,
      spatial learning and memory were assessed by using the Morris Water Maze (MWM)
      test. The hippocampal levels of Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3 protein were determined
      by immunoblotting. Statistical analyses were performed using one- or two-way
      analysis of variance. RESULTS: Noxious pulp stimulation induced by intradental
      application of capsaicin significantly increased time and traveled distance in
      the MWM test. Capsaicin stimulation of the pulp also significantly increased the
      Bax:Bcl-2 ratio and activated caspase-3 in the hippocampus (P<.01), which was
      inhibited by ibuprofen pretreatment (P<.05). CONCLUSION: Memory and learning
      impairment induced by noxious stimulation of the rat tooth pulp may be correlated
      with activation of apoptotic pathways in the hippocampus.

PMID- 26485388
TI  - Reducing Transitional Hypothermia in Outborn Very Low Birth Weight Infants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transitional hypothermia (TH) is associated with increased morbidity
      and mortality in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants worldwide. OBJECTIVES: To
      assess the effect of a quality improvement project (QIP) on outborn TH and the
      associated mortality/morbidity among VLBW neonates. METHODS: We conducted a multi
      intervention QIP to reduce TH (<36 degrees C) among outborn VLBW neonates. This
      cohort study compared a historical group (group I, n = 86) to a prospective group
      (group II, established after QIP implementation, n = 86). The primary outcome was
      axillary temperature measured in the delivery room (DR) and upon admission to the
      neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). RESULTS: The baseline characteristics of the
      two groups were similar. After introducing the QIP, the mean DR and NICU
      admission temperatures of the patients rose from 35.5 to 36.1 degrees C and from
      34.6 to 36.2 degrees C, respectively (p < 0.01), and the percentage of patients
      with temperatures <36 degrees C in the DR and NICU decreased from 80 to 40% and
      from 81 to 42% (p < 0.01), respectively. Meanwhile, the percentage of patients
      with a normal temperature in the DR and NICU rose from 20 to 58% and from 19 to
      56% (p < 0.01), respectively, which was accompanied by significantly decreased
      mortality (p < 0.02) and other improvements. CONCLUSION: Implementation of a QIP
      resulted in a decrease in the number of moderately hypothermic VLBW neonates and
      a sustained improvement in normothermia rates during DR stabilization and
      transfer to the NICU in outborn VLBW neonates.

PMID- 26485389
TI  - Structure Elucidation of Coxsackievirus A16 in Complex with GPP3 Informs a
      Systematic Review of Highly Potent Capsid Binders to Enteroviruses.
AB  - The replication of enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16), which
      are the major cause of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in children, can be
      inhibited by the capsid binder GPP3. Here, we present the crystal structure of
      CVA16 in complex with GPP3, which clarifies the role of the key residues involved
      in interactions with the inhibitor. Based on this model, in silico docking was
      performed to investigate the interactions with the two next-generation capsid
      binders NLD and ALD, which we show to be potent inhibitors of a panel of
      enteroviruses with potentially interesting pharmacological properties. A meta
      analysis was performed using the available structural information to obtain a
      deeper insight into those structural features required for capsid binders to
      interact effectively and also those that confer broad-spectrum anti-enterovirus
      activity. 

PMID- 26485390
TI  - Experimental and Natural Infections of Goats with Severe Fever with
      Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus: Evidence for Ticks as Viral Vector.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), the
      causative agent for the fatal life-threatening infectious disease, severe fever
      with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), was first identified in the central and
      eastern regions of China. Although the viral RNA was detected in free-living and
      parasitic ticks, the vector for SFTSV remains unsettled. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: Firstly, an experimental infection study in goats was conducted in a
      bio-safety level-2 (BSL-2) facility to investigate virus transmission between
      animals. The results showed that infected animals did not shed virus to the
      outside through respiratory or digestive tract route, and the control animals did
      not get infected. Then, a natural infection study was carried out in the SFTSV
      endemic region. A cohort of naive goats was used as sentinel animals in the study
      site. A variety of daily samples including goat sera, ticks and mosquitoes were
      collected for viral RNA and antibody (from serum only) detection, and virus
      isolation. We detected viral RNA from free-living and parasitic ticks rather than
      mosquitoes, and from goats after ticks' infestation. We also observed sero
      conversion in all members of the animal cohort subsequently. The S segment
      sequences of the two recovered viral isolates from one infected goat and its
      parasitic ticks showed a 100% homology at the nucleic acid level.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In our natural infection study, close contact between
      goats does not appear to transmit SFTSV, however, the naive animals were infected
      after ticks' infestation and two viral isolates derived from an infected goat and
      its parasitic ticks shared 100% of sequence identity. These data demonstrate that
      the etiologic agent for goat cohort's natural infection comes from environmental
      factors. Of these, ticks, especially the predominant species Haemaphysalis
      longicornis, probably act as vector for this pathogen. The findings in this study
      may help local health authorities formulate and focus preventive measures to
      contain this infection.

PMID- 26485391
TI  - Preparation of Mitochondrial Enriched Fractions for Metabolic Analysis in
      Drosophila.
AB  - Since mitochondria play roles in amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism
      and fatty acid oxidation, defects in mitochondrial function often compromise the
      lives of those who suffer from these complex diseases. Detecting mitochondrial
      metabolic changes is vital to the understanding of mitochondrial disorders and
      mitochondrial responses to pharmacological agents. Although mitochondrial
      metabolism is at the core of metabolic regulation, the detection of subtle
      changes in mitochondrial metabolism may be hindered by the overrepresentation of
      other cytosolic metabolites obtained using whole organism or whole tissue
      extractions. Here we describe an isolation method that detected pronounced
      mitochondrial metabolic changes in Drosophila that were distinct between whole
      fly and mitochondrial enriched preparations. To illustrate the sensitivity of
      this method, we used a set of Drosophila harboring genetically diverse
      mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNA) and exposed them to the drug rapamycin. Using this
      method we showed that rapamycin modifies mitochondrial metabolism in a
      mitochondrial-genotype-dependent manner. However, these changes are much more
      distinct in metabolomics studies when metabolites were extracted from
      mitochondrial enriched fractions. In contrast, whole tissue extracts only
      detected metabolic changes mediated by the drug rapamycin independently of
      mtDNAs. 

PMID- 26485392
TI  - Coinage metal complexes supported by a "PN(3)P" scaffold.
AB  - A series of monovalent group 11 complexes, [2,6-{Ph2PNMe}2(NC5H3)]CuBr 1, [2,6
      {Ph2PNMe}2(NC5H3)]CuOTf 2, [2,6-{Ph2PNMe}2(NC5H3)]AgOTf 3, and [2,6
      {Ph2PNMe}2(NC5H3)](AuCl)24, supported by a neutral PN(3)P ligand have been
      synthesized and characterized by multinuclear NMR and single crystal X-ray
      diffraction studies. The variation of the coordination properties were analyzed
      and electronic structure calculations have been carried out to provide insight on
      the bonding details in these complexes. The Cu(I) complexes displayed an unusual
      coordination geometry with a tridentate pincer ligand and an overall four
      coordinate trigonal pyramidal geometry. In contrast the Ag(I) analogue displayed
      a bidentate kappa(2)-P,P' ligation leaving the pyridyl-N atom uncoordinated and
      yielding a pyramidalized trigonal planar geometry around Ag. The bimetallic Au(I)
      complex completed the series and displayed a monodentate P-bonded ligand and a
      linear coordination geometry.

PMID- 26485393
TI  - The Association between Near Work Activities and Myopia in Children-A Systematic
      Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Myopia has a multifactorial etiology, although environmental factors are
      predominant in determining its current patterns. Currently, associations between
      near work activities and myopia have not been consistently observed. Therefore,
      we performed a systematic review to quantify the effect of near work activities
      on myopia in children. Relevant articles published between 1989 and 2014 were
      identified in MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, and the citation lists
      were reviewed. Twelve cohort studies and 15 cross-sectional studies were included
      (25,025 children aged between 6 and 18 years). The I2 statistic was used to
      assess heterogeneity. Study-level data were pooled using a random-effects model
      or a fixed-effects model (when less than 5 studies were included). We found that
      more time spent on near work activities was associated with higher odds of myopia
      (odds ratio [OR] = 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08-1.20) and that the
      odds of myopia increased by 2% (OR:1.02; 95% CI = 1.01-1.03) for every one
      diopter-hour (hr) more of near work per week. Therefore, the development of a
      strategy to reduce the impact of near work on myopia would be important for
      preventing myopia in children. 

PMID- 26485395
TI  - Correction: Expression of Protein Kinase C Isoforms in Pancreatic Islets and
      Liver of Male Goto-Kakizaki Rats, a Model of Type 2 Diabetes.

PMID- 26485394
TI  - Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Cell Therapy: Safety and
      Feasibility in Different "Hospital Exemption" Clinical Applications.
AB  - Based on immunomodulatory, osteogenic, and pro-angiogenic properties of adipose
      derived stem cells (ASCs), this study aims to assess the safety and efficacy of
      ASC-derived cell therapies for clinical indications. Two autologous ASC-derived
      products were proposed to 17 patients who had not experienced any success with
      conventional therapies: (1) a scaffold-free osteogenic three-dimensional graft
      for the treatment of bone non-union and (2) a biological dressing for dermal
      reconstruction of non-healing chronic wounds. Safety was studied using the
      quality control of the final product (genetic stability,
      microbiological/mycoplasma/endotoxin contamination) and the in vivo evaluation of
      adverse events after transplantation. Feasibility was assessed by the ability to
      reproducibly obtain the final ASC-based product with specific characteristics,
      the time necessary for graft manufacturing, the capacity to produce enough
      material to treat the lesion, the surgical handling of the graft, and the ability
      to manufacture the graft in line with hospital exemption regulations. For 16
      patients (one patient did not undergo grafting because of spontaneous bone
      healing), in-process controls found no microbiological/mycoplasma/endotoxin
      contamination, no obvious deleterious genomic anomalies, and optimal ASC purity.
      Each type of graft was reproducibly obtained without significant delay for
      implantation and surgical handling was always according to the surgical procedure
      and the implantation site. No serious adverse events were noted for up to 54
      months. We demonstrated that autologous ASC transplantation can be considered a
      safe and feasible therapy tool for extreme clinical indications of ASC properties
      and physiopathology of disease. 

PMID- 26485397
TI  - Molecular Cloning, Recombinant Expression, and Funtional Characterization of
      APRIL (TNFSF13) in Cat (felis catus).
AB  - A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) is a critical member of the tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily, which is involved in immune regulation. In the
      present study, the cDNA of cat APRIL (cAPRIL) was successfully amplified.
      Sequence analysis showed that the open reading frame (ORF) of cAPRIL contains a
      putative furin protease cleavage site (R-R-K-R), a conserved putative N
      glycosylation site (Asn(124)), and two conservative cysteine residues (Cys(196)
      and Cys(211)). Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis revealed that cAPRIL
      could be detected in various tissues. The phylogenetic analysis and predicted
      three dimensional (3D) structure revealed that it is similar to its counterparts.
      The extracellular soluble domain of the cAPRIL (csAPRIL) fragment was cloned into
      the expression vector pET43.1a. SDS-PAGE and Western blotting analysis indicated
      a high-level expression of csAPRIL protein in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). MTT
      assays revealed that purified recombinant csAPRIL protein was able to stimulate
      proliferation of mouse B-cells. These findings indicate that cAPRIL plays an
      important role in proliferation of B-cells and provide the basis for
      investigation on the roles of APRIL in this important domestic species. 

PMID- 26485396
TI  - Divergent Inhibitor Susceptibility among Airway Lumen-Accessible Tryptic
      Proteases.
AB  - Tryptic serine proteases of bronchial epithelium regulate ion flux, barrier
      integrity, and allergic inflammation. Inhibition of some of these proteases is a
      strategy to improve mucociliary function in cystic fibrosis and asthmatic
      inflammation. Several inhibitors have been tested in pre-clinical animal models
      and humans. We hypothesized that these inhibitors inactivate a variety of airway
      protease targets, potentially with bystander effects. To establish relative
      potencies and modes of action, we compared inactivation of human prostasin,
      matriptase, airway trypsin-like protease (HAT), and beta-tryptase by nafamostat,
      camostat, bis(5-amidino-2-benzimidazolyl)methane (BABIM), aprotinin, and
      benzamidine. Nafamostat achieved complete, nearly stoichiometric and very slowly
      reversible inhibition of matriptase and tryptase, but inhibited prostasin less
      potently and was weakest versus HAT. The IC50 of nafamostat's leaving group, 6
      amidino-2-naphthol, was >104-fold higher than that of nafamostat itself,
      consistent with suicide rather than product inhibition as mechanisms of prolonged
      inactivation. Stoichiometric release of 6-amidino-2-naphthol allowed highly
      sensitive fluorometric estimation of active-site concentration in preparations of
      matriptase and tryptase. Camostat inactivated all enzymes but was less potent
      overall and weakest towards matriptase, which, however was strongly inhibited by
      BABIM. Aprotinin exhibited nearly stoichiometric inhibition of prostasin and
      matriptase, but was much weaker towards HAT and was completely ineffective versus
      tryptase. Benzamidine was universally weak. Thus, each inhibitor profile was
      distinct. Nafamostat, camostat and aprotinin markedly reduced tryptic activity on
      the apical surface of cystic fibrosis airway epithelial monolayers, suggesting
      prostasin as the major source of such activity and supporting strategies
      targeting prostasin for inactivation. 

PMID- 26485398
TI  - The Immunology of a Healing Response in Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Treated with
      Localized Heat or Systemic Antimonial Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of systemic antimonial (sodium stibogluconate,
      Pentostam, SSG) treatment versus local heat therapy (Thermomed) for cutaneous
      leishmaniasis was studied previously and showed similar healing rates. We
      hypothesized that different curative immune responses might develop with systemic
      and local treatment modalities. METHODS: We studied the peripheral blood immune
      cells in a cohort of 54 cutaneous Leishmania major subjects treated with SSG or
      TM. Multiparameter flow cytometry, lymphoproliferative assays and cytokine
      production were analyzed in order to investigate the differences in the immune
      responses of subjects before, on and after treatment. RESULTS: Healing cutaneous
      leishmaniasis lead to a significant decline in circulating T cells and NKT-like
      cells, accompanied by an expansion in NK cells, regardless of treatment modality.
      Functional changes involved decreased antigen specific CD4+ T cell proliferation
      (hyporesponsiveness) seen with CD8+ T cell depletion. Moreover, the healing (or
      healed) state was characterized by fewer circulating regulatory T cells, reduced
      IFN-gamma production and an overall contraction in polyfunctional CD4+ T cells.
      CONCLUSION: Healing from cutaneous Leishmaniasis is a dynamic process that alters
      circulating lymphocyte populations and subsets of T, NK and NKT-like cells.
      Immunology of healing, through local or systemic treatments, culminated in
      similar changes in frequency, quality, and antigen specific responsiveness with
      immunomodulation possibly via a CD8+ T cell dependent mechanism. Understanding
      the evolving immunologic changes during healing of human leishmaniasis informs
      protective immune mechanisms.

PMID- 26485399
TI  - Use of In Vitro and Predictive In Silico Models to Study the Inhibition of
      Cytochrome P4503A by Stilbenes.
AB  - CYP3A4 is recognized as the main enzyme involved in the metabolism of drugs and
      xenobiotics in the human body and its inhibition may lead to undesirable
      consequences. Stilbenes, including resveratrol, belong to a group of dietary
      health-promoting compounds that also act as inhibitors of CYP3A4. The aim of this
      study was to examine the use of computer modeling of enzyme-ligand interactions
      to analyze and predict the inhibition of structurally related compounds. To this
      end, an aldehyde group was attached to resveratrol and the interactions of CYP3A4
      with resveratrol, its aldehyde analogue (RA) and a known synthetic inhibitor were
      studied and compared in two biological models. Specifically, the metabolism of
      testosterone was examined in a human intestine cell line (Caco-2/TC7) and in rat
      liver microsomes (RLM). The results demonstrated a weak inhibitory effect of RA
      on CYP3A4, as compared to resveratrol itself, in both biological models. Human
      CYP3A4 was more susceptible to inhibition than the commonly used model isozyme
      from rat. Modeling of the binding site of CYP3A4 revealed a combination of three
      types of interactions: hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic interactions and
      hydrogen bonds. A docking simulation revealed that the RA lacked an important
      binding feature, as compared to resveratrol, and that that difference may be
      responsible for its lower level of affinity for CYP3A4. Software analysis of
      binding affinity may serve as a predictive tool for designing new therapeutic
      compounds in terms of inhibition of CYP3A4 and help to reveal the biochemical
      nature of the interactions of dietary compounds, herbal compounds and drugs whose
      metabolism is mediated by this enzyme. 

PMID- 26485400
TI  - Use of Enzymatic Biosensors to Quantify Endogenous ATP or H2O2 in the Kidney.
AB  - Enzymatic microelectrode biosensors have been widely used to measure
      extracellular signaling in real-time. Most of their use has been limited to brain
      slices and neuronal cell cultures. Recently, this technology has been applied to
      the whole organs. Advances in sensor design have made possible the measuring of
      cell signaling in blood-perfused in vivo kidneys. The present protocols list the
      steps needed to measure ATP and H2O2 signaling in the rat kidney interstitium.
      Two separate sensor designs are used for the ex vivo and in vivo protocols. Both
      types of sensor are coated with a thin enzymatic biolayer on top of a
      permselectivity layer to give fast responding, sensitive and selective
      biosensors. The permselectivity layer protects the signal from the interferents
      in biological tissue, and the enzymatic layer utilizes the sequential catalytic
      reaction of glycerol kinase and glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase in the presence of
      ATP to produce H2O2. The set of sensors used for the ex vivo studies further
      detected analyte by oxidation of H2O2 on a platinum/iridium (Pt-Ir) wire
      electrode. The sensors for the in vivo studies are instead based on the reduction
      of H2O2 on a mediator coated gold electrode designed for blood-perfused tissue.
      Final concentration changes are detected by real-time amperometry followed by
      calibration to known concentrations of analyte. Additionally, the specificity of
      the amperometric signal can be confirmed by the addition of enzymes such as
      catalase and apyrase that break down H2O2 and ATP correspondingly. These sensors
      also rely heavily on accurate calibrations before and after each experiment. The
      following two protocols establish the study of real-time detection of ATP and
      H2O2 in kidney tissues, and can be further modified to extend the described
      method for use in other biological preparations or whole organs.

PMID- 26485401
TI  - Treating Depressive Symptoms in Psychosis: A Network Meta-Analysis on the Effects
      of Non-Verbal Therapies.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to examine whether non-verbal therapies are
      effective in treating depressive symptoms in psychotic disorders. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Psychinfo,
      Picarta, Embase and ISI Web of Science, up to January 2015. Randomized controlled
      trials (RCTs) comparing a non-verbal intervention to a control condition in
      patients with psychotic disorders, whilst measuring depressive symptoms as a
      primary or secondary outcome, were included. The quality of studies was assessed
      using the 'Clinical Trials Assessment Measure for psychological treatments'
      (CTAM) scale. Cohen's d was calculated as a measure of effect size. Using a
      Network Meta-analysis, both direct and indirect evidence was investigated.
      RESULTS: 10 RCTs were included, of which three were of high quality according to
      the CTAM. The direct evidence demonstrated a significant effect on the reduction
      in depressive symptoms relative to treatment as usual (TAU), in favor of overall
      non-verbal therapy (ES: -0.66, 95% C.I. = -0.88, -0.44) and music therapy (ES: 
      0.59, 95% C.I. = -0.85, -0.33). Combining both direct and indirect evidence, yoga
      therapy (ES: -0.79, 95% C.I. = -1.24, -0.35) had a significant effect on
      depressive symptoms, and occupational therapy (ES: 1.81, 95% C.I. = 0.81, 2.81)
      was less effective, relative to TAU. Exercise therapy did not show a significant
      effect on depressive symptoms in comparison to TAU (ES: -0.02 95% C.I. = -0.67,
      0.62). Due to inconsistency of study evidence, the indirect effects should be
      interpreted cautiously. CONCLUSIONS: Non-verbal therapies appear to be effective
      in reducing depressive symptomatology in psychotic disorders, in particular music
      therapy and yoga therapy.

PMID- 26485402
TI  - Transcriptome Reveals 1400-Fold Upregulation of APOA4-APOC3 and 1100-Fold
      Downregulation of GIF in the Patients with Polycythemia-Induced Gastric Injury.
AB  - High-altitude polycythemia (HAPC) inducing gastric mucosal lesion (GML) is still
      out of control and molecular mechanisms remain widely unknown. To address the
      issues, endoscopy and histopathological analyses were performed. Meanwhile,
      microarray-based transcriptome profiling was conducted in the gastric mucosa from
      3 pairs of healthy subjects and HAPC-induced GML patients. HAPC caused
      morphological changes and pathological damages of the gastric mucosa of GML
      patients. A total of 10304 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified,
      including 4941 up-regulated and 5363 down-regulated DEGs in gastric mucosa of GML
      patients compared with healthy controls (fold change >=2, P<0.01 and FDR <0.01).
      Particularly, apolipoprotein genes APOA4 and APOC3 were 1473-fold and 1468-fold
      up-regulated in GML patients compared with the controls. In contrast, gastric
      intrinsic factor (GIF) was 1102-fold down-regulated in GML patients compared with
      the controls. APOA4 (chr11:116691770-116691711), APOC3 (chr11:116703530
      116703589) and GIF (chr11:59603362-59603303) genes are all located on chromosome
      11. APOA4 and APOC3 act as an inhibitor of gastric acid secretion while gastric
      acid promotes ulceration. GIF deficiency activates a program of acute anemia,
      which may antagonize polycythemia while polycythemia raises the risk of GML.
      Therefore, the present findings reveal that HAPC-induced GML inspires the
      protection responses by up-regulating APOA4 and APOC3, and down-regulating GIF.
      These results may offer the basic information for the treatment of HAPC-induced
      gastric lesion in the future. 

PMID- 26485403
TI  - Robust and enduring atorvastatin-mediated memory recovery following the 4-vessel
      occlusion/internal carotid artery model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion in
      middle-aged rats.
AB  - Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) is a common condition associated with the
      development and/or worsening of age-related dementia.We previously reported
      persistent memory loss and neurodegeneration after CCH in middle-aged rats.
      Statin-mediated neuroprotection has been reported after acute cerebral ischemia.
      Unknown, however, is whether statins can alleviate the outcome of CCH. The
      present study investigated whether atorvastatin attenuates the cognitive and
      neurohistological outcome of CCH. Rats (12-15 months old) were trained in a non
      food-rewarded radial maze, and then subjected to CCH. Atorvastatin (10 mg/kg,
      p.o.) was administered for 42 days or 15 days, beginning 5 h after the first
      occlusion stage. Retrograde memory performance was assessed at 7, 14, 21, 28, and
      35 days of CCH, and expressed by "latency," "number of reference memory errors"
      and "number of working memory errors." Neurodegeneration was then examined at the
      hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Compared to sham, CCH caused profound and
      persistent memory loss in the vehicle-treated groups, as indicated by increased
      latency (91.2% to 107.3%) and number of errors (123.5% to 2508.2%), effects from
      which the animals did not spontaneously recover across time. This CCH-induced
      retrograde amnesia was completely prevented by atorvastatin (latency: -4.3% to
      3.3%; reference/working errors: -2.5% to 45.7%), regardless of the treatment
      duration. This effect was sustained during the entire behavioral testing period
      (5 weeks), even after discontinuing treatment. This robust and sustained memory
      protective effect of atorvastatin occurred in the absence of neuronal rescue
      (39.58% to 56.45% cell loss). We suggest that atorvastatin may be promising for
      the treatment of cognitive sequelae associated with CCH.

PMID- 26485404
TI  - Oxidant-Antioxidant Capacity of Dietary Guanidinoacetic Acid.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) is an experimental nutritional
      additive under the functional group amino acids and derivatives, yet its use in
      human nutrition is hindered by limited data on GAA safety. In this double blind,
      placebo-controlled pilot study, we evaluated the effects of dietary GAA (3 g/day)
      administered for 2 weeks on the oxidant-antioxidant system in healthy men.
      METHODS: Twelve healthy men (age 22.3 +/- 2.1 years) were recruited for blood
      sampling at baseline (day 0) and at the end of the intervention period (day 14).
      Fasting venous blood samples were assessed for plasma total antioxidant capacity,
      superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, total oxidant status and
      malondialdehyde. RESULTS: Fasting plasma SOD increased significantly from before
      to after administration in GAA-supplemented participants (91.4 +/- 19.6 vs. 122.8
      +/- 25.9 ng/ml; p = 0.04). Other markers of oxidant-antioxidant system were not
      affected by the placebo or GAA intervention (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Oral GAA did
      not impact the cumulative action of antioxidants present in plasma, yet its SOD
      boosting capacity might be considered beneficial when GAA is used as a dietary
      supplement. Further studies are needed to reveal the direct effects of GAA
      ingestion on markers of lipid and protein oxidation and on DNA damage.

PMID- 26485405
TI  - Association between Ocular Axial Length-Related Genes and High Myopia in a Han
      Chinese Population.
AB  - AIMS: A previous genome-wide association study of high myopia identified five
      genome-wide loci for ocular axial length (C3orf26, ZC3H11B, RSPO1, GJD2, and
      ZNRF3). The aim of our study was to investigate the association between high
      myopia and genetic variants in the five loci in Han Chinese subjects. METHODS:
      Five single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped in 296 unrelated high-myopia
      subjects and 300 matched emmetropic controls by the SNaPshot method. The
      distribution of genotypes in the cases and controls was compared in codominant,
      dominant, and recessive genetic models by using SNPStats online software.
      RESULTS: Significant associations between rs994767 near ZC3H11B (p = 0.001),
      rs4074961 in RSPO1 (p < 0.001), and rs11073058 in GJD2 (p = 0.029) and high
      myopia were observed. Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 1.532 (1.200
      1.955), 1.603 (1.267-2.029), and 1.290 (1.027-1.621) for the rs994767 T allele,
      rs4074961 T allele, and rs11073058 T allele, respectively. But rs9811920 in
      C3orf26 and rs12321 in ZNRF3 were not associated with high myopia. CONCLUSION:
      Our findings suggested that genetic variants in ZC3H11B, RSPO1, and GJD2 are
      associated with susceptibility to the development of high myopia in a Han Chinese
      population. Functional roles of ZC3H11B, RSPO1, and GJD2 in the pathology of high
      myopia need to be further investigated.

PMID- 26485406
TI  - Low dose evaluation of the antiandrogen flutamide following a Mode of Action
      approach.
AB  - The dose-response characterization of endocrine mediated toxicity is an on-going
      debate which is controversial when exploring the nature of the dose-response
      curve and the effect at the low-end of the curve. To contribute to this debate we
      have assessed the effects of a wide range of dose levels of the antiandrogen
      flutamide (FLU) on 7-week male Wistar rats. FLU was administered by oral gavage
      at doses of 0, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1 and 10mg/kg/day for 28 days. To evaluate the
      reproducibility, the study was performed 3 times. The molecular initiating event
      (MIE; AR antagonism), the key events (LH increase, Leydig cell proliferation and
      hyperplasia increases) and associated events involved in the mode of action (MOA)
      of FLU induced testicular toxicity were characterized to address the dose
      response concordance. Results showed no effects at low doses (<0.1mg/kg/day) for
      the different key events studied. The histopathological changes (Leydig cell
      hyperplasia) observed at 1 and 10mg/kg/day were associated with an increase in
      steroidogenesis gene expression in the testis from 1mg/kg/day, as well as an
      increase in testosterone blood level at 10mg/kg/day. Each key event dose-response
      was in good concordance with the MOA of FLU on the testis. From the available
      results, only monotonic dose-response curves were observed for the MIE, the key
      events, associated events and in effects observed in other sex related tissues.
      All the results, so far, show that the reference endocrine disruptor FLU induces
      threshold effects in a standard 28-day toxicity study on adult male rats.

PMID- 26485407
TI  - Photonic hydrogel sensors.
AB  - Analyte-sensitive hydrogels that incorporate optical structures have emerged as
      sensing platforms for point-of-care diagnostics. The optical properties of the
      hydrogel sensors can be rationally designed and fabricated through self-assembly,
      microfabrication or laser writing. The advantages of photonic hydrogel sensors
      over conventional assay formats include label-free, quantitative, reusable, and
      continuous measurement capability that can be integrated with equipment-free text
      or image display. This Review explains the operation principles of photonic
      hydrogel sensors, presents syntheses of stimuli-responsive polymers, and provides
      an overview of qualitative and quantitative readout technologies. Applications in
      clinical samples are discussed, and potential future directions are identified. 

PMID- 26485408
TI  - Glucose homeostasis after simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation: a
      comparison of subjects with C-peptide-positive non-type 1 diabetes mellitus and
      type 1 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While simultaneous pancreas kidney transplant (SPKTx) is a
      therapeutic option for patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and renal failure,
      few centers offer SPKTx to "select" non-T1DM patients. To address concerns that
      existing insulin resistance may limit the benefits of the pancreas allograft
      among non-T1DM, we compared several indices of glucose homeostasis, in "select"
      non-T1DM and T1DM patients who received SPKTx. METHODS: Criteria for "select" non
      T1DM included the following: positive C-peptide, BMI <30 kg/m(2) , treatment with
      oral agents before insulin initiation, and insulin at <1 unit/kg/d. We compared
      several indices of glucose homeostasis within 1 yr post-SPKTx among seven
      "select" patients with non-T1DM and nine patients with T1DM with similar age,
      BMI, and immunosuppression. Measurements of insulin resistance included the
      following: homeostatic model, insulin sensitivity index, and insulin-glucose
      ratio; insulin secretion measures included the following: corrected insulin
      response. RESULTS: Non-T1DM had similar pre-transplant metabolic (fasting
      glucose, HbA1c, blood pressure, and lipid) parameters to the T1DM cohort. There
      were no significant differences in the various measures of insulin resistance and
      secretion between T1DM and "select" non-T1DM patients. CONCLUSION: Our results
      suggest SPKTx should be considered in the therapeutic armamentarium among
      carefully select non-T1DM with features of minimal insulin resistance; however, a
      larger cohort with longer follow-up is needed to confirm our results.

PMID- 26485409
TI  - A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of
      Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants.
AB  - Understanding typical and atypical development remains one of the fundamental
      questions in developmental human neuroscience. Traditionally, experimental
      paradigms and analysis tools have been limited to constrained laboratory tasks
      and contexts due to technical limitations imposed by the available set of
      measuring and analysis techniques and the age of the subjects. These limitations
      severely limit the study of developmental neural dynamics and associated neural
      networks engaged in cognition, perception and action in infants performing "in
      action and in context". This protocol presents a novel approach to study infants
      and young children as they freely organize their own behavior, and its
      consequences in a complex, partly unpredictable and highly dynamic environment.
      The proposed methodology integrates synchronized high-density active scalp
      electroencephalography (EEG), inertial measurement units (IMUs), video recording
      and behavioral analysis to capture brain activity and movement non-invasively in
      freely-behaving infants. This setup allows for the study of neural network
      dynamics in the developing brain, in action and context, as these networks are
      recruited during goal-oriented, exploration and social interaction tasks. 

PMID- 26485410
TI  - Intraneural Granular Cell Tumor of a Cervical Dorsal Nerve Root: A Case Report
      and Review of the Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Granular cell tumor (GCT) is a relatively uncommon predominantly
      benign lesion that usually presents as a solitary, painless cutaneous or
      submucosal nodule. Most of these tumors are found in the tongue. Although GCT is
      believed to have a Schwann cell origin, reports of GCT in peripheral and spinal
      nerves are uncommon. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report the case of a 43-year-old man
      with neck pain and hand numbness who was found to have a heterogeneously
      enhancing left-sided C2 nerve sheath tumor on magnetic resonance imaging. He
      underwent C2 decompression and resection of the left-sided C2 nerve sheath tumor
      with subsequent C1-C2 arthrodesis and instrumentation. Histopathologic review
      showed GCT. Review of the literature yielded 4 other reported cases of GCT within
      the vicinity of a spinal nerve root. Only one of these explicitly showed spinal
      nerve root involvement. This is a rare case of a GCT presenting as cervical nerve
      root mass, and what we believe is the first reported case of this in the
      literature. CONCLUSIONS: The surgeon should be aware of GCT when encountering
      spinal nerve root tumors because it may alter the surgical approach necessary for
      adequate resection compared with more commonly encountered nerve sheath tumors.

PMID- 26485411
TI  - Recurrent Atypical Meningiomas: Combining Surgery and Radiosurgery in One
      Effective Multimodal Treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Owing to their rarity and proteiform pathologic features, the clinical
      behavior of atypical meningiomas is not yet well characterized. Though the extent
      of resection is believed to be a key determinant of prognosis, limited data exist
      regarding optimal management of patients with recurrent disease. METHODS: In this
      20-year retrospective case series, we reviewed the medical records of 46 patients
      with recurrent atypical meningiomas (185 lesions, 89 of which were local, 78
      marginal, and 18 distant recurrences); treatment was radiosurgery (n = 60),
      surgery (n = 56), or both (n = 8). The median follow-up period was 53 months.
      Outcome measures were length of overall survival and disease-free intervals and
      prognostic factors for survival. RESULTS: Overall, the median progression-free
      survival was 26 months at the first recurrence and 100 months thereafter (the sum
      of the later intervals). Multivariate analysis showed that no treatment-related
      factors influenced prognosis, whereas recurrence at the skull base was a
      significant tumor-related factor limiting further treatment. Irrespective of
      treatment type, the recurrence-free interval was increasingly shorter during the
      clinical course, with a higher occurrence of marginal and distant lesions
      migrating to the midline and to the skull base. In sporadic cases, disease-free
      intervals were longer after wide craniotomy, tumor and dural resection with tumor
      free margin. CONCLUSIONS: The disease-free interval was substantially similar
      after surgery and radiosurgery for treating recurrent disease in patients with
      atypical meningiomas. Surgery is the mainstay for prolonging survival, while
      radiosurgery can be an adjuvant strategy to gain time for clinical observation
      and planning aggressive surgical treatment.

PMID- 26485412
TI  - Surgical Treatments for Chronic Subdural Hematomas: A Comprehensive Systematic
      Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic subdural hematomas (CSDHs) are common neurosurgical
      conditions among elderly patients. OBJECTIVE: To perform a detailed critical
      appraisal of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of surgical treatments for
      chronic subdural hematomas and to quantify their intervention effects. METHODS:
      We performed a broad search for all RCTs with no language or date restrictions,
      asked the authors for missing data, and applied the Cochrane methods. RESULTS: A
      total of 24 RCTs involved 1900 patients and 15 comparisons. All outcomes of
      practical interest were analyzed. Postoperative drainage after burr-hole
      evacuation reduced the rate of recurrence (risk ratio 0.48, 95% confidence
      interval 0.34-0.66, P < 0.00001) with no other clear benefits or complications.
      CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive, best evidence-based, quantitative, systematic
      review indicates that the use of a closed system drainage after burr-hole
      evacuation reduces the rate of recurrences but has no other significant
      differences. The findings also suggest that: (1) treatment with twist drills is
      equivalent to that with burr holes; (2) the postoperative bed header in the
      elevated position might reduce the length of hospital stay; (3) irrigation of the
      subdural space with thrombin solution in patients with high risk of recurrence
      might reduce this risk; and (4) treatment with twist drill followed by a closed
      system drainage during 48 hours, instead of 96 hours, might reduce general
      complication rates. Most of the trials suffered from unclear or high risks of
      bias and many involved small samples, precluding strong and definitive
      conclusions.

PMID- 26485413
TI  - Diagnosis and Management of Combined Central Diabetes Insipidus and Cerebral Salt
      Wasting Syndrome After Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Combined central diabetes insipidus and cerebral salt wasting
      syndrome after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is rare, is characterized by massive
      polyuria leading to severe water and electrolyte disturbances, and usually is
      associated with very high mortality mainly as a result of delayed diagnosis and
      improper management. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical
      presentation, management, and outcomes of 11 patients who developed combined
      central diabetes insipidus and cerebral salt wasting syndrome after traumatic
      brain injury to define distinctive features for timely diagnosis and proper
      management. RESULTS: The most typical clinical presentation was massive polyuria
      (10,000 mL/24 hours or >1000 mL/hour) refractory to vasopressin alone but
      responsive to vasopressin plus cortisone acetate. Other characteristic
      presentations included low central venous pressure, high brain natriuretic
      peptide precursor level without cardiac dysfunction, high 24-hour urine sodium
      excretion and hypovolemia, and much higher urine than serum osmolarity; normal
      serum sodium level and urine specific gravity can also be present. Timely and
      adequate infusion of sodium chloride was key in treatment. Of 11 patients, 5 had
      a good prognosis 3 months later (Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale score >=6), 1 had
      an Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 4, 2 died in the hospital of brain
      hernia, and 3 developed a vegetative state. CONCLUSIONS: For combined diabetes
      insipidus and cerebral salt wasting syndrome after traumatic brain injury,
      massive polyuria is a major typical presentation, and intensive monitoring of
      fluid and sodium status is key for timely diagnosis. To achieve a favorable
      outcome, proper sodium chloride supplementation and cortisone acetate and
      vasopressin coadministration are key.

PMID- 26485414
TI  - Endovascular Treatment of a Fusiform Aneurysm at the M3-M4 Junction of the Middle
      Cerebral Artery Using the Pipeline Embolization Device.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peripheral fusiform cerebral aneurysms remain difficult to treat.
      Current surgical approaches to the treatment of fusiform aneurysms include
      wrapping, clip occlusion or vessel reconstruction without parent vessel
      sacrifice, and aneurysm trapping with or without bypass, although these may carry
      high morbidity (36%). Classic endovascular approaches to the treatment of
      peripheral aneurysms include selective or parent artery occlusion, which imparts
      the risk of distal infarction. It may be possible to use a flow diversion device
      off label to treat the aneurysm and preserve flow to the distal territory. CASE
      DESCRIPTION: After a presyncopal event, a patient was found to have an unruptured
      fusiform aneurysm at the junction of the M3 and M4 segments of the right middle
      cerebral artery. After initiating dual antiplatelet therapy, the aneurysm was
      successfully treated with a Pipeline embolization device. Three months after
      treatment, the aneurysm has completely thrombosed, the parent artery remains
      widely patent, and the patient remains at her neurologic baseline. CONCLUSIONS:
      Flow diversion devices may provide the neurointerventional surgeon with an
      opportunity to treat fusiform peripheral aneurysms and preserve flow to the
      distal territory.

PMID- 26485415
TI  - Relationship Between Clinical Features and T2-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Images
      in Symptomatic Rathke Cleft Cysts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is not known when surgery is appropriate for the treatment for
      incidental Rathke cleft cysts because knowledge of their natural history is
      lacking. In this study, we sought to determine whether symptomatic Rathke cleft
      cysts could be distinguished by their signal intensities in magnetic resonance
      (MR) images. We analyzed the relationship between these signal intensities and
      clinical manifestations of the cysts and their patterns of expansion. METHODS: MR
      signal intensities on T1-weighted (T1W) and T2-weighted (T2W) images for 52 cases
      were categorized into 3 types. Type 1 (20 cases) showed low signal intensities on
      T1W images and hyperintensity on T2W images. Type 2 (10 cases) showed
      hyperintensity on both T1W and T2W images. Type 3 (22 cases) showed hypointensity
      on T2W images. RESULTS: A significantly higher proportion of patients with type 1
      signal intensities had large cysts compressing their third ventricle than
      patients with the other 2 types of signal intensities. Patients with type 1
      signal intensities also frequently had visual disturbances. Anterior pituitary
      dysfunction was observed more often in patients with type 2 or 3 signal
      intensities than in patients with type 1 intensities. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude
      that Rathke cleft cysts that show an MR signal intensity similar to that of
      cerebrospinal fluid grow slowly and are frequently diagnosed as cysts associated
      with visual disturbance when they become large. It may be possible to predict the
      clinical progression of Rathke cleft cysts by assessing MR signal intensities.

PMID- 26485416
TI  - Cerebellar Enterogenous Cyst with Atypical Appearance and Pathological Findings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intracranial enterogenous cysts are rare and occur mainly in the
      posterior fossa. These cysts are usually extra-axial, midline, anterior to the
      brainstem, or at the cerebellopontine angle. Intracranial intra-axial
      enterogenous cysts are extremely rare. We report a case of an intra-axial
      cerebellar enterogenous cyst in which diagnosis was difficult because the lesion
      resembled an arachnoid cyst in appearance and showed atypical pathologic
      findings. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 69-year-old woman had a 2-year history of
      progressive headache, giddiness, and unsteadiness of gait. Magnetic resonance
      imaging showed a cystic lesion with isointensity to cerebrospinal fluid in the
      left cerebellar hemisphere, reaching into the fourth ventricle. The patient
      underwent fenestration of the cyst and creation of a communication between the
      fourth ventricle and cyst because the tight attachment of the cyst wall to the
      cerebellum prevented total removal of the cyst. Although pathologic examinations
      did not show findings typical of enterogenous cyst, the diagnosis was finally
      made based on the presence of basement membrane and immunohistochemical results.
      CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of enterogenous cyst is based mainly on histologic
      findings, because characteristic findings on neuroimaging have not been defined.
      Although total resection of enterogenous cysts is recommended in general, partial
      resection while ensuring the cyst communicates adequately with the surrounding
      cerebrospinal fluid space with or without a shunt procedure may be useful if the
      cyst is adherent to surrounding neurovascular structures.

PMID- 26485417
TI  - Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Atypical and Anaplastic Meningiomas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atypical and anaplastic meningiomas have much higher recurrence rates
      after surgical resection compared with benign meningiomas, but the role of
      adjuvant radiosurgery remains unclear. This study was undertaken to evaluate the
      outcomes of gamma knife radiosurgery for patients with atypical and anaplastic
      meningiomas. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis of a prospectively
      maintained database, 46 patients with histologically proven atypical or
      anaplastic meningiomas by current World Health Organization (WHO) criteria
      underwent postoperative Gamma Knife radiosurgery between 1993 and 2013. The
      median follow-up period was 32.6 months. The median tumor volume and margin dose
      were 11.7 mL (range, 2-53 mL) and 13.1 Gy (range, 12.0-16.5 Gy), respectively.
      RESULTS: Local control at 3 and 5 years was 50.6% and 32.1%, respectively. Gender
      (P = 0.013) and marginal dose less than or equal to 13 Gy (P = 0.049) were
      associated with the local control. The 3- and 5-year overall survival for
      patients with WHO grade II was 97.1% and 88.3%, respectively, compared with 66.7%
      and 66.7% for patients with WHO grade III meningiomas. Radiation therapy before
      Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS; P = 0.018) and tumor grade (P = 0.019) were the
      factors associated with a worse overall survival rate. Fourteen patients (30.4%)
      developed adverse radiation effects after GKRS treatment, and all were Radiation
      Therapy Oncology Group grade I. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative GKRS treatment for
      patients with atypical and anaplastic meningioma is challenging. More aggressive
      treatment, including of safely maximizing the extent of surgical resection and
      using a higher margin dose (>13Gy), should be applied to achieve better local
      control.

PMID- 26485418
TI  - Extensive Multilocular Spinal Extradural Meningeal Cyst That Developed 16 Years
      After Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injury: A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Symptomatic extensive spinal extradural meningeal cyst (SEMC)
      developing after traumatic brachial plexus injury (TBPI) is rare. We discuss the
      mechanism of extensive SEMC development, surgical strategies, and preventive
      measures against SEMC after TBPI. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 58-year-old man with TBPI
      16 years previously developed spastic paraparesis of the lower limbs, sensory
      disturbance below the periumbilical level, and dysfunction of bladder and bowel
      over 2 years. The patient couldn't walk and was wheelchair bound. Magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an extensive multilocular extradural cyst
      posterior to the spinal cord ranging from the C4 to Th6 level, associated with
      severe spinal cord compression. On constructive interference in steady-state MRI,
      the cyst was divided, with many septa, and extended to the root sleeves. During
      the operation, transdural communication sites of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) into
      the cyst were revealed at C5/6, C6/7, and C7/Th1 levels around the nerve root
      sleeves. Treatment involved unroofing of the cyst wall and closure of the
      transdural CSF communication without cyst removal. Autologous muscle pieces were
      placed over the defect to close the transdural communication. Two weeks
      postoperatively, MRI showed decreased cyst size and reduced spinal cord
      compression, and the patient could walk without support. It was thought that the
      patient's daily lifting of heavy weights at work and an excessive exercise
      regimen increased CSF pressure and cyst size after TBPI. CONCLUSION: For patients
      with TBPI, it is necessary to prevent greater CSF pressure and to perform long
      term follow-up MRI after injury.

PMID- 26485419
TI  - Traumatic Brain Injury Epidemiology in Brazil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) stands out as a grave social and
      economic problem. Emerging countries possess few epidemiologic studies on the
      range and impact of TBI. OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to characterize the
      demographic, social, and economic profile of people suffering from TBI in Brazil.
      METHODS: Data on TBI cases in Brazil between 2008 and 2012 were collected through
      the website of the Information Technology Department of the Unified Health System
      (DATASUS) maintained by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. This database is fed by
      public hospital admission authorization forms provided nationwide. RESULTS: There
      were around 125,000 hospital admissions due to TBI a year, an incidence of 65.7
      admissions per 100,000 inhabitants per year. Hospital mortality was
      5.1/100,000/year, and the case fatality rate was 7.7%. The average annual cost of
      hospital expenses was US$ 70,960,000, with an average cost per admission of US$
      568. The age group 20-29, frequently admitted to the hospital due to TBI,
      presented the largest number of hospital deaths; however, the population >80
      years of age showed the highest admission rate per age group, around
      138/100,000/year, followed by the age group 70-79. CONCLUSIONS: TBI should be
      recognized as an important public health problem in Brazil because it is
      responsible for considerable social and economic costs. Besides the young adult
      age group (20-29 years old), the geriatric age group is especially vulnerable to
      the frequent and devastating consequences of TBI. The implementation of a system
      of effective epidemiologic vigilance for neurotrauma is urgent in Brazil and
      other countries worldwide.

PMID- 26485420
TI  - Transorbital Ultrasonographic Measurement of Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter for
      Intracranial Midline Shift in Patients with Head Trauma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Measurement of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) by using
      sonography is a straightforward, noninvasive technique to detect an increased
      intracranial pressure, which can even be conducted at the bedside. However, the
      correlation between ONSD and intracranial midline shift has not been studied.
      METHODS: The authors performed a prospective, blinded observational study in an
      intensive care unit. Forty-five patients were divided into groups. Of those, 19
      patients had a midline shift, whereas 26 had no intracranial pathology or shift
      and served as control individuals. RESULTS: Spearman rank correlation coefficient
      of difference of ONSD and midline shift was 0.761 (P < 0.0005), demonstrating a
      significant positive correlation between patients with midline shift and control
      group. CONCLUSIONS: Despite small numbers and selection bias, this study suggests
      that bedside ultrasound may be useful in the diagnosis of midline intracranial
      shift by measurement of ONSD.

PMID- 26485421
TI  - Which Strategy for Petroclival Tumors?

PMID- 26485424
TI  - Erratum: Selective Connexin43 Inhibition Prevents Isoproterenol-Induced
      Arrhythmias and Lethality in Muscular Dystrophy Mice.

PMID- 26485423
TI  - Successful treatment of hepatitis C virus infection with sofosbuvir and
      simeprevir in the early phase of an allogeneic stem cell transplant.
AB  - Currently, a lack of consensus exists on how to manage a hepatitis C virus (HCV)
      infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).
      Ribavirin alone, or in combination with interferon, has been the mainstream
      therapy for HCV infection after transplantation. However, very few patients have
      been regularly treated owing to concerns about poor tolerability, frequent side
      effects, and limited efficacy. The present case illustrates the striking efficacy
      of the combination therapy of sofosbuvir with simeprevir, early after
      transplantation, as it was able to completely eliminate viral replication within
      1 month of initiation of treatment. Moreover, tolerance was good, with only minor
      interactions between the immunosuppressive drugs. This case report supports the
      feasibility of using this combination therapy early after allo-HSCT for patients
      with HCV infection.

PMID- 26485422
TI  - Leukostasis in Children and Adolescents with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Japanese
      Pediatric Leukemia/Lymphoma Study Group.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The details of leukostasis in children and adolescents with chronic
      myeloid leukemia (CML) are unknown. This study determined the characteristics of
      leukostasis in children and adolescents with CML. PROCEDURE: A total of 256 cases
      from a retrospective study of patients with CML conducted by the Japanese
      Pediatric Leukemia/Lymphoma Study Group from 1996 to 2011 were analyzed, and of
      these, 238 cases were evaluated in this study. RESULTS: Leukostasis was diagnosed
      in 23 patients (9.7%). The median leukocyte count and spleen size below the left
      costal margin in cases with leukostasis were significantly higher and larger when
      compared to those in cases without leukostasis (458.5 * 10(9) /l vs. 151.8 *
      10(9) /l (P < 0.01), and 13 vs. 5 cm (P < 0.01), respectively). Leukostasis
      occurred with ocular symptoms in 14 cases, priapism in four cases, and dyspnea,
      syncope, headache, knee pain, difficulty hearing, and aseptic necrosis of the
      femoral head in one case each. One case had two leukostasis symptoms
      simultaneously. Three cases were diagnosed before imatinib became available. Five
      cases received special treatment, and in the remaining 15 cases, all of these
      symptoms resolved after treatment with imatinib. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective
      study represents the largest series of children and adolescents in which
      leukostasis of CML has been reported. Our data provide useful insight into the
      characteristics of leukostasis in recent cases of children and adolescents with
      CML.

PMID- 26485425
TI  - Progressive Dopamine Transporter Binding Loss in Autopsy-Confirmed Corticobasal
      Degeneration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is characterized by neuronal and
      glial deposition of 4-repeat tau in the frontal and parietal cerebral cortex,
      white matter and striatum. There is neuronal loss in affected cortical regions
      and in the substantia nigra (SN). Recent single photon emission tomography
      (SPECT) studies have reported normal striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) binding
      in individual patients with CBD. OBJECTIVE: To study the pattern and course of
      DAT binding loss in CBD. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed DAT SPECT studies
      in two patients presenting with a corticobasal syndrome in whom a diagnosis of
      CBD was later confirmed pathologically. RESULTS: Baseline scans at 1.5 years
      after symptom onset revealed only mild abnormalities (reduced uptake in one
      putamen). Follow up scans at 4.5 years (Case 1) and 5 years (Case 2) after
      symptom onset showed a marked decline of striatal DAT binding. In both cases,
      there was a 37% binding reduction from the age-expected striatal binding value.
      Asymmetry of striatal DAT binding had increased from mild in the first SPECT
      studies to moderate at the time of their final imaging. CONCLUSION: CBD patients
      can have delayed neuronal loss in the SN. Follow up DAT imaging may be of value
      in patients with possible CBD and a normal baseline scan.

PMID- 26485426
TI  - Non-Motor Correlates of Smoking Habits in de Novo Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) subjects are less likely to ever smoke and
      are more prone to quit smoking, as compared to controls. Therefore, smoking
      habits can be considered part of the non-motor phenotype, preceding the onset of
      motor PD by several years. OBJECTIVE: To explore non-motor symptom (NMS)
      correlates of smoking habits in de novo PD. METHODS: This cross-sectional study
      included 281 newly diagnosed, drug-naive PD subjects, recruited in Naples (Italy)
      and in Kassel (Germany). All subjects completed the NMS Questionnaire (NMSQ), and
      were investigated for smoking status (never, current and former smokers) and
      intensity (pack-years). RESULTS: 140 PD subjects never smoked, 20 currently
      smoked, and 121 had quit smoking before PD diagnosis. NMSQ total score did not
      associate with smoking status, but with smoking intensity (p = 0.028; coefficient
      = 0.088). A multinomial logistic regression stepwise model presenting never
      smoking as reference, selected as NMSQ correlates of current smoking: sex
      difficulties (p = 0.002; OR = 5.254), daytime sleepiness (p = 0.046; OR = 0.085),
      insomnia (p = 0.025; OR = 0.135), and vivid dreams (p = 0.040; OR = 3.110); and
      of former smoking: swallowing (p = 0.013; OR = 0.311), nausea (p = 0.027; OR =
      7.157), unexplained pains (p = 0.002; OR = 3.409), forgetfulness (p = 0.005; OR =
      2.592), sex interest (p = 0.007; OR = 0.221), sex difficulties (p = 0.038; OR =
      4.215), and daytime sleepiness (p = 0.05; OR = 0.372). An ordinal logistic
      regression stepwise model selected as NMSQ correlates of smoking intensity:
      nocturnal restlessness (p = 0.027; coefficient = 0.974), and leg swelling (p =
      0.004; coefficient = 1.305). CONCLUSIONS: Certain NMSs are associated with
      different smoking status and intensity, suggesting a variety of adaptive
      mechanisms to cigarette smoking.

PMID- 26485427
TI  - Audiovisual Processing is Abnormal in Parkinson's Disease and Correlates with
      Freezing of Gait and Disease Duration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sensory and perceptual disturbances progress with disease duration in
      Parkinson's disease (PD) and probably contribute to motor deficits such as
      bradykinesia and gait disturbances, including freezing of gait (FOG). Simple
      reaction time tests are ideal to explore sensory processing, as they require
      little cognitive processing. Multisensory integration is the ability of the brain
      to integrate sensory information from multiple modalities into a single coherent
      percept, which is crucial for complex motor tasks such as gait. OBJECTIVES: The
      aims of this study were to: 1. Assess differences in unisensory (auditory and
      visual) and multisensory processing speed in people with PD and age-matched
      healthy controls. 2. Compare relative differences in unisensory processing in
      people with PD with disease duration and freezing of gait status taking into
      account the motor delays, which are invariably present in PD. 3. Compare relative
      differences in multisensory (audiovisual) processing between the PD cohort and
      age-matched controls. METHODS: 39 people with PD (23 with FOG) and 17 age-matched
      healthy controls performed a reaction time task in response to unisensory
      (auditory-alone, visual-alone) and multisensory (audiovisual) stimuli. RESULTS:
      The PD group were significantly slower than controls for all conditions compared
      with healthy controls but auditory reaction times were significantly faster than
      visual for the PD group only. These relative unisensory differences are
      correlated with disease duration and divide the PD group by FOG status, but these
      factors are co-dependent. Although multisensory facilitation occurs in PD, it is
      significantly less enhanced than in healthy controls. CONCLUSION: There are
      significant unisensory and multisensory processing abnormalities in PD. The
      relative differences in unisensory processing are specific to PD progression,
      providing a link between these sensory abnormalities and a motor feature of PD.
      Sensory disturbances have previously been postulated to be central to FOG but
      this is the first study to predict audiovisual processing abnormalities using FOG
      status. The multisensory processing abnormalities are independent of disease
      duration and FOG status and may be a potential biomarker for the disease.

PMID- 26485431
TI  - Experimental Study of the Flexural and Compression Performance of an Innovative
      Pultruded Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer-Wood Composite Profile.
AB  - The plate of a pultruded fiber-reinforced polymer or fiber-reinforced plastic
      (FRP) profile produced via a pultrusion process is likely to undergo local
      buckling and cracking along the fiber direction under an external load. In this
      study, we constructed a pultruded glass-fiber-reinforced polymer-light wood
      composite (PGWC) profile to explore its mechanical performance. A rectangular
      cross-sectional PGWC profile was fabricated with a paulownia wood core, alkali
      free glass fiber filaments, and unsaturated phthalate resin. Three-point bending
      and short column axial compression tests were conducted. Then, the stress
      calculation for the PGWC profile in the bending and axial compression tests was
      performed using the Timoshenko beam theory and the composite component analysis
      method to derive the flexural and axial compression rigidity of the profile
      during the elastic stress stage. The flexural capacity for this type of PGWC
      profile is 3.3-fold the sum of the flexural capacities of the wood core and the
      glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) shell. The equivalent flexural rigidity is
      1.5-fold the summed flexural rigidity of the wood core and GFRP shell. The
      maximum axial compressive bearing capacity for this type of PGWC profile can
      reach 1.79-fold the sum of those of the wood core and GFRP shell, and its elastic
      flexural rigidity is 1.2-fold the sum of their rigidities. These results indicate
      that in PGWC profiles, GFRP and wood materials have a positive combined effect.
      This study produced a pultruded composite material product with excellent
      mechanical performance for application in structures that require a large bearing
      capacity. 

PMID- 26485430
TI  - Transforming Growth Factor-beta-Induced KDM4B Promotes Chondrogenic
      Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
AB  - The high prevalence of cartilage diseases and limited treatment options create a
      significant biomedical burden. Due to the inability of cartilage to regenerate
      itself, introducing chondrocyte progenitor cells to the affected site is of
      significant interest in cartilage regenerative therapies. Tissue engineering
      approaches using human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising due to their
      chondrogenic potential, but a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms
      governing the fate of MSCs is required for precise therapeutic applications in
      cartilage regeneration. TGF-beta is known to induce chondrogenesis by activating
      SMAD signaling pathway and upregulating chondrogenic genes such as SOX9; however,
      the epigenetic regulation of TGF-beta-mediated chondrogenesis is not understood.
      In this report, we found that TGF-beta dramatically induced the expression of
      KDM4B in MSCs. When KDM4B was overexpressed, chondrogenic differentiation was
      significantly enhanced while KDM4B depletion by shRNA led to a significant
      reduction in chondrogenic potential. Mechanistically, upon TGF-beta stimulation,
      KDM4B was recruited to the SOX9 promoter, removed the silencing H3K9me3 marks,
      and activated the transcription of SOX9. Furthermore, KDM4B depletion reduced the
      occupancy of SMAD3 in the SOX9 promoter, suggesting that KDM4B is required for
      SMAD-dependent coactivation of SOX9. Our results demonstrate the critical role of
      KDM4B in the epigenetic regulation of TGF-beta-mediated chondrogenic
      differentiation of MSCs. Since histone demethylases are chemically modifiable,
      KDM4B may be a novel therapeutic target in cartilage regenerative therapy.

PMID- 26485429
TI  - The Concept of Prodromal Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is currently clinically defined by a set of cardinal
      motor features centred on the presence of bradykinesia and at least one
      additional motor symptom out of tremor, rigidity or postural instability.
      However, converging evidence from clinical, neuropathological, and imaging
      research suggests initiation of PD-specific pathology prior to appearance of
      these classical motor signs. This latent phase of neurodegeneration in PD is of
      particular relevance in relation to the development of disease-modifying or
      neuroprotective therapies which would require intervention at the earliest stages
      of disease. A key challenge in PD research, therefore, is to identify and
      validate markers for the preclinical and prodromal stages of the illness.
      Currently, several nonmotor symptoms have been associated with an increased risk
      to develop PD in otherwise healthy individuals and ongoing research is aimed at
      validating a variety of candidate PD biomarkers based on imaging, genetic,
      proteomic, or metabolomic signatures, supplemented by work on tissue markers
      accessible to minimally invasive biopsies. In fact, the recently defined MDS
      research criteria for prodromal PD have included combinations of risk and
      prodromal markers allowing to define target populations of future disease
      modification trials.

PMID- 26485432
TI  - Ecophysiological constraints of Aster tripolium under extreme thermal events
      impacts: Merging biophysical, biochemical and genetic insights.
AB  - Cold and heat waves are phenomenon that occurs in higher frequency and intensity
      due to global climate changes. Commonly cultivated crop species are crucially
      affected by extreme weather events, and therefore alternative crops - such as
      halophytes - gain in agricultural interest. While halophytes are potentially able
      to cope with temperature extremes on the long term exposure, effects of temporary
      events such as cold and heat waves are not yet described. In order to unveil the
      effects of these altered thermal environments, Aster tripolium plants were
      subjected to cold (9/5  degrees C) and heat (42/38  degrees C) waves regimes
      during 3 days and its photochemical and biochemical traits evaluated. In the
      potential cash crop A. tripolium cold waves induced the gene expression of
      dehydrins in order to counteract desiccation and thus to prevent oxidative
      stress. Regulatory proteins on the RNA maturation level (Maturase K) were highly
      expressed. Heat stress induced the gene expression of the cystein protease gene;
      most likely to degrade misfolded proteins temporary. Both thermal treatments
      decreased the photosynthetic efficiency and capacity, driven by a loss in the
      connectivity between PSII antennae. Nevertheless the light absorption capacity
      was unaffected due to an increased RC closure net rate. Cold wave-treated
      individuals showed a decrease in the carotenoid pigmentation, except auroxanthin.
      In cold wave treated individuals the overall peroxidase activity was
      significantly increased. Data suggest that exposure to both, cold and heat wave
      treatment decreased the ecophysiological capacity of A. tripolium. 

PMID- 26485428
TI  - Tracking Parkinson's: Study Design and Baseline Patient Data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is wide variation in the phenotypic expression of Parkinson's
      disease (PD), which is driven by both genetic and epidemiological influences.
      OBJECTIVES: To define and explain variation in the clinical phenotype of PD, in
      relation to genotypic variation. METHODS: Tracking Parkinson's is a multicentre
      prospective longitudinal epidemiologic and biomarker study of PD. Patients
      attending specialist clinics in the United Kingdom with recent onset (<3.5 years)
      and young onset (diagnosed <50 years of age) PD were enrolled. Motor, non-motor
      and quality of life assessments were performed using validated scales. Cases are
      followed up 6 monthly up to 4.5 years for recent onset PD, and up to 1 year for
      young onset PD. We present here baseline clinical data from this large and
      demographically representative cohort. RESULTS: 2247 PD cases were recruited
      (1987 recent onset, 260 young onset). Recent onset cases had a mean (standard
      deviation, SD) age of 67.6 years (9.3) at study entry, 65.7% males, with disease
      duration 1.3 years (0.9), MDS-UPDRS 3 scores 22.9 (12.3), LEDD 295 mg/day (211)
      and PDQ-8 score 5.9 (4.8). Young onset cases were 53.5 years old (7.8) at study
      entry, 66.9% male, with disease duration 10.2 years (6.7), MDS-UPDRS 3 scores
      27.4 (15.3), LEDD 926 mg/day (567) and PDQ-8 score 11.6 (6.1). CONCLUSIONS: We
      have established a large clinical PD cohort, consisting of young onset and recent
      onset cases, which is designed to evaluate variation in clinical expression, in
      relation to genetic influences, and which offers a platform for future imaging
      and biomarker research.

PMID- 26485433
TI  - 3,5 Diiodo-L-Thyronine (T2) Does Not Prevent Hepatic Steatosis or Insulin
      Resistance in Fat-Fed Sprague Dawley Rats.
AB  - Thyroid hormone mimetics are alluring potential therapies for diseases like
      dyslipidemia, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and insulin resistance.
      Though diiodothyronines are thought inactive, pharmacologic treatment with 3,5-
      Diiodo-L-Thyronine (T2) reportedly reduces hepatic lipid content and improves
      glucose tolerance in fat-fed male rats. To test this, male Sprague Dawley rats
      fed a safflower-oil based high-fat diet were treated with T2 (0.25 mg/kg-d) or
      vehicle. Neither 10 nor 30 days of T2 treatment had an effect on weight,
      adiposity, plasma fatty acids, or hepatic steatosis. Insulin action was
      quantified in vivo by a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. T2 did not alter
      fasting plasma glucose or insulin concentration. Basal endogenous glucose
      production (EGP) rate was unchanged. During the clamp, there was no difference in
      insulin stimulated whole body glucose disposal. Insulin suppressed EGP by 60% +/-
      10 in T2-treated rats as compared with 47% +/- 4 suppression in the vehicle group
      (p = 0.32). This was associated with an improvement in hepatic insulin signaling;
      insulin stimulated Akt phosphorylation was ~2.5 fold greater in the T2-treated
      group as compared with the vehicle-treated group (p = 0.003). There was no change
      in expression of genes thought to mediate the effect of T2 on hepatic metabolism,
      including genes that regulate hepatic lipid oxidation (ppara, carnitine
      palmitoyltransferase 1a), genes that regulate hepatic fatty acid synthesis
      (srebp1c, acetyl coa carboxylase, fatty acid synthase), and genes involved in
      glycolysis and gluconeogenesis (L-pyruvate kinase, glucose 6 phosphatase).
      Therefore, in contrast with previous reports, in Sprague Dawley rats fed an
      unsaturated fat diet, T2 administration failed to improve NAFLD or whole body
      insulin sensitivity. Though there was a modest improvement in hepatic insulin
      signaling, this was not associated with significant differences in hepatic
      insulin action. Further study will be necessary before diiodothyronines can be
      considered an effective treatment for NAFLD and dyslipidemia. 

PMID- 26485434
TI  - Hemispheric Asymmetries in Repetition Enhancement and Suppression Effects in the
      Newborn Brain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The repeated presentation of stimuli typically attenuates neural
      responses (repetition suppression) or, less commonly, increases them (repetition
      enhancement) when stimuli are highly complex, degraded or presented under noisy
      conditions. In adult functional neuroimaging research, these repetition effects
      are considered as neural correlates of habituation. The development and
      respective functional significance of these effects in infancy remain largely
      unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates repetition effects in newborns using
      functional near-infrared spectroscopy, and specifically the role of stimulus
      complexity in evoking a repetition enhancement vs. a repetition suppression
      response, following up on Gervain et al. (2008). In that study, abstract rule
      learning was found at birth in cortical areas specific to speech processing, as
      evidenced by a left-lateralized repetition enhancement of the hemodynamic
      response to highly variable speech sequences conforming to a repetition-based ABB
      artificial grammar, but not to a random ABC grammar. METHODS: Here, the same
      paradigm was used to investigate how simpler stimuli (12 different sequences per
      condition as opposed to 140), and simpler presentation conditions (blocked rather
      than interleaved) would influence repetition effects at birth. RESULTS: Results
      revealed that the two grammars elicited different dynamics in the two
      hemispheres. In left fronto-temporal areas, we reproduce the early perceptual
      discrimination of the two grammars, with ABB giving rise to a greater response at
      the beginning of the experiment than ABC. In addition, the ABC grammar evoked a
      repetition enhancement effect over time, whereas a stable response was found for
      the ABB grammar. Right fronto-temporal areas showed neither initial
      discrimination, nor change over time to either pattern. CONCLUSION: Taken
      together with Gervain et al. (2008), this is the first evidence that manipulating
      methodological factors influences the presence or absence of neural repetition
      enhancement effects in newborns and stimulus variability appears a particularly
      important factor. Further, this temporal modulation is restricted to the left
      hemisphere, confirming its specialization for learning linguistic regularities
      from birth.

PMID- 26485435
TI  - In Vivo Study of Dynamics and Stability of Dendritic Spines on Olfactory Bulb
      Interneurons in Xenopus laevis Tadpoles.
AB  - Dendritic spines undergo continuous remodeling during development of the nervous
      system. Their stability is essential for maintaining a functional neuronal
      circuit. Spine dynamics and stability of cortical excitatory pyramidal neurons
      have been explored extensively in mammalian animal models. However, little is
      known about spiny interneurons in non-mammalian vertebrate models. In the present
      study, neuronal morphology was visualized by single-cell electroporation. Spiny
      neurons were surveyed in the Xenopus tadpole brain and observed to be widely
      distributed in the olfactory bulb and telencephalon. DsRed- or PSD95-GFP
      expressing spiny interneurons in the olfactory bulb were selected for in vivo
      time-lapse imaging. Dendritic protrusions were classified as filopodia, thin,
      stubby, or mushroom spines based on morphology. Dendritic spines on the
      interneurons were highly dynamic, especially the filopodia and thin spines. The
      stubby and mushroom spines were relatively more stable, although their stability
      significantly decreased with longer observation intervals. The 4 spine types
      exhibited diverse preferences during morphological transitions from one spine
      type to others. Sensory deprivation induced by severing the olfactory nerve to
      block the input of mitral/tufted cells had no significant effects on interneuron
      spine stability. Hence, a new model was established in Xenopus laevis tadpoles to
      explore dendritic spine dynamics in vivo. 

PMID- 26485436
TI  - First-Principles Prediction of Enthalpies of Formation for Polycyclic Aromatic
      Hydrocarbons and Derivatives.
AB  - In this article, the first-principles prediction of enthalpies of formation is
      demonstrated for 669 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds and a number
      of related functionalized molecules. It is shown that by extrapolating density
      functional theory calculations to a large basis set limit and then applying a
      group based correction scheme that good results may be obtained. Specifically, a
      mean unsigned deviation and root mean squared deviation from the experimental
      enthalpies of formation data of 5.0 and 6.4 kJ/mol, respectively, are obtained
      using this scheme. This computational scheme is economical to compute and
      straightforward to apply, while yielding results of reasonable reliability. The
      results are also compared for a smaller set of molecules to the predictions given
      by the G3B3 and G3MP2B3 variants of the Gaussian-3 model chemistry with a mean
      unsigned deviation and root mean squared deviation from the experimental
      enthalpies of formation of 4.5 and 4.8 kJ/mol, respectively. 

PMID- 26485437
TI  - Within-Host and Population Transmission of blaOXA-48 in K. pneumoniae and E.
      coli.
AB  - During a large hospital outbreak of OXA-48 producing bacteria, most K.
      pneumoniaeOXA-48 isolates were phenotypically resistant to meropenem or imipenem,
      whereas most E. coliOXA-48 isolates were phenotypically susceptible to these
      antibiotics. In the absence of molecular gene-detection E. coliOXA-48 could
      remain undetected, facilitating cross-transmission and horizontal gene transfer
      of blaOXA-48. Based on 868 longitudinal molecular microbiological screening
      results from patients carrying K. pneumoniaeOXA-48 (n = 24), E. coliOXA-48 (n =
      17), or both (n = 40) and mathematical modelling we determined mean durations of
      colonisation (278 and 225 days for K. pneumoniaeOXA-48 and E. coliOXA-48,
      respectively), and horizontal gene transfer rates (0.0091/day from K. pneumoniae
      to E. coli and 0.0015/day vice versa). Based on these findings the maximum effect
      of horizontal gene transfer of blaOXA-48 originating from E. coliOXA-48 on the
      basic reproduction number (R0) is 1.9%, and it is, therefore, unlikely that
      phenotypically susceptible E. coliOXA-48 will contribute significantly to the
      spread of blaOXA-48. 

PMID- 26485438
TI  - Effects of Hydrodynamic Interactions on the Apparent 1D Mobility of a
      Nonspecifically Bound Protein Following a Helical Path around DNA.
AB  - We investigated effects of hydrodynamic interactions on diffusivities of proteins
      that undergo rotation-coupled sliding along DNA. For that, we applied numerical
      calculations of mobility and friction tensors to systems consisting of detailed
      bead-shell models of DNA and proteins of different size. Using tensors that
      result from these calculations along with an expression for the instantaneous
      energy dissipation rate due to motions of a nonspecifically bound protein that
      follows a helical track around DNA, we evaluated apparent one-dimensional
      friction and mobility coefficients for model proteins. The results that we
      obtained indicate that hydrodynamic interactions between DNA and proteins may
      substantially (even several-fold) reduce the apparent one-dimensional diffusivity
      of proteins, when compared with results of other theoretical analyses of the
      rotation-coupled sliding of proteins along DNA that neglect hydrodynamic effects.
      Moreover, accounting for hydrodynamic effects decreases the gap between values of
      diffusion coefficients of proteins on DNA measured experimentally and those
      estimated based on theoretical calculations and analyses applied to model
      systems. Altogether, the current study gives insights into the significance of
      hydrodynamic interactions in determination of the rate of finding target sites by
      DNA-binding proteins. 

PMID- 26485439
TI  - Efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure on middle ear atelectasis: A
      double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To investigate the effects of continuous positive airway
      pressure (CPAP) treatment on patients with middle ear atelectasis. STUDY DESIGN:
      Prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. METHODS: Fifty
      four patients with middle ear atelectasis were randomized to receive CPAP
      treatment with a pressure level of either 14 cm H2 O (CPAP group) or 0 cm H2 O
      (placebo group) once per week for a period of 3 hours for 4 sessions. Outcome
      measures included otomicroscopic examination as well as tympanometric and
      audiometric evaluation. Patients were followed for 6 months. RESULTS: The CPAP
      group included 35 atelectatic ears, and the placebo group included 32 atelectatic
      ears. More ears recovered to normal tympanic membrane or regressed to grade 1
      atelectasis in the CPAP group than in the placebo group during all follow-up
      visits (P < .05). There was a statistically significant increase in the middle
      ear pressure values of the patients in the CPAP group compared to the placebo
      group at week 5, month 3, and month 6 (P < .05). There was no significant
      difference in middle ear pressure values between follow-up visits in the CPAP
      group (P > .05). Significant improvement of pure-tone air-conduction threshold
      averages were found in the CPAP group compared to the placebo group at month 6 (P
      < .05). CONCLUSIONS: CPAP is a safe, well-tolerated way of applying positive
      pressure to the middle ear for patients with middle ear atelectasis. It
      contributes to significant improvement in middle ear pressure of these patients,
      also resulting in an improved degree of atelectasis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1b.
      Laryngoscope, 126:1649-1655, 2016.

PMID- 26485440
TI  - Polymeric Micelles as Carriers for Nerve-Highlighting Fluorescent Probe Delivery.
AB  - Nerve damage during surgery is a common morbidity experienced by patients that
      leaves them with chronic pain and/or loss of function. Currently, no clinically
      approved imaging technique exists to enhance nerve visualization in the operating
      room. Fluorescence image-guided surgery has gained in popularity and clinical
      acceptance over the past decade with a handful of imaging systems approved for
      clinical use. However, contrast agent development to complement these
      fluorescence-imaging systems has lagged behind with all currently approved
      fluorescent agents providing untargeted blood pool information. Nerve-specific
      fluorophores are known, however translations of these agents to the clinic has
      been complicated by their lipophilic nature, which necessitates specialized
      formulation strategies for successful systemic administration. To date the known
      nerve-specific fluorophores have only been demonstrated preclinically due to the
      necessity of a dimethyl sulfoxide containing formulation for solubilization. In
      the current study, a polymeric micellar (PM) formulation strategy was developed
      for a representative nerve-specific fluorophore from the distyrylbenzene family,
      BMB. The PM formulation strategy was able to solubilize BMB and demonstrated
      improved nerve-specific accumulation and fluorescence intensity when the same
      fluorophore dose was administered to mice utilizing the previous formulation
      strategy. The success of the PM formulation strategy will be important for moving
      toward clinical translation of these novel nerve-specific probes as it is
      nontoxic and biodegradable and has the potential to decrease the necessary dose
      for imaging while also improving the safety profile. 

PMID- 26485441
TI  - Mycotic Infections Acquired outside Areas of Known Endemicity, United States.
AB  - In the United States, endemic mycoses--blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, and
      histoplasmosis--pose considerable clinical and public health challenges. Although
      the causative fungi typically exist within broadly defined geographic areas or
      ecologic niches, some evidence suggests that cases have occurred in humans and
      animals not exposed to these areas. We describe cases acquired outside regions of
      traditionally defined endemicity. These patients often have severe disease, but
      diagnosis may be delayed because of a low index of suspicion for mycotic disease,
      and many more cases probably go entirely undetected. Increased awareness of these
      diseases, with a specific focus on their potential occurrence in unusual areas,
      is needed. Continued interdisciplinary efforts to reevaluate and better describe
      areas of true endemicity are warranted, along with a more nuanced view of the
      notion of endemicity. The term "nonendemic" should be used with care; mycoses in
      such regions might more accurately be considered "not known to be endemic."

PMID- 26485442
TI  - Bis-corannulene Receptors for Fullerenes Based on Klarner's Tethers: Reaching the
      Affinity Limits.
AB  - Bis-corannulene receptors 4 and 5 with Klarner's tethers prepared by the Diels
      Alder cycloaddition form inclusion complexes with C60 and C70, as evidenced by
      (1)H NMR titration. While 4 exhibits affinity toward fullerenes comparable to the
      previously reported corannulene-based receptors, 5 exceeds the performance of the
      former systems by ca. 2 orders of magnitude and, in addition, shows an enhanced
      preference for C70 over C60. The X-ray crystal structure of C60@5 and DFT
      calculations indicate that the tether in 5 not only preorganizes the pincers into
      a proper topology of the host but also contributes to the dispersion-based
      binding with the fullerene guests. 

PMID- 26485443
TI  - Microbial communities related to biodegradation of dispersed Macondo oil at low
      seawater temperature with Norwegian coastal seawater.
AB  - The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) accident in 2010 created a deepwater plume of small
      oil droplets from a deepwater well in the Mississippi Canyon lease block 252
      ('Macondo oil'). A novel laboratory system was used in the current study to
      investigate biodegradation of Macondo oil dispersions (10 MUm or 30 MUm median
      droplet sizes) at low oil concentrations (2 mg l(-1)) in coastal Norwegian
      seawater at a temperature of 4-5 degrees C. Whole metagenome analyses showed that
      oil biodegradation was associated with the successive increased abundances of
      Gammaproteobacteria, while Alphaproteobacteria (Pelagibacter) became dominant at
      the end of the experiment. Colwellia and Oceanospirillales were related to n
      alkane biodegradation, while particularly Cycloclasticus and Marinobacter were
      associated with degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons (HCs). The larger oil
      droplet dispersions resulted in delayed sequential changes of Oceanospirillales
      and Cycloclasticus, related with slower degradation of alkanes and aromatic HCs.
      The bacterial successions associated with oil biodegradation showed both
      similarities and differences when compared with the results from DWH field
      samples and laboratory studies performed with deepwater from the Gulf of Mexico. 

PMID- 26485444
TI  - Outcomes of Cord Blood Transplantation as Salvage Therapy after Graft Failure or
      Relapse after Prior Allogeneic Transplantation.
AB  - For patients with disease relapse or graft failure after allogeneic hematopoietic
      cell transplantation (HCT), there are few treatment options and survival rates
      are exceedingly low. Because of the unacceptably high risk of transplantation
      related mortality, second allogeneic HCTs are often not considered. Herein, we
      report the outcomes of 23 patients (median age, 33 years) undergoing a second
      allogeneic transplantation with unrelated cord blood donor grafts between 2006
      and 2013. Indications for second HCT were relapse (n = 19), graft failure (n =
      3), and donor-derived myelodysplastic syndrome (n = 1). Ten patients received
      reduced-intensity conditioning and 13 patients received either myeloablative
      (MAC) or middle-intensity (MIDI) conditioning. Twenty patients received a double
      cord blood transplantation. All patients engrafted at a median of 22 days (range,
      day 6 to 49). Death before day 100 occurred in 5 patients. Overall disease-free
      survival (DFS), treatment-related mortality, and relapse at 2 years were 31%,
      33%, and 35%, respectively. Two-year DFS in the 13 patients receiving MAC or MIDI
      conditioning was slightly higher at 46%. Our results demonstrate that second
      allogeneic HCT using cord blood as the graft source should be considered in
      patients who have relapsed or experience graft failure after an allogeneic HCT. 

PMID- 26485446
TI  - Trial of labour after previous caesarean section in sub-Saharan Africa.

PMID- 26485445
TI  - Fast Cars and No Brakes: Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation as a Platform for
      Novel Immunotherapies.
AB  - Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is indicated in a number of
      hematologic malignancies, including multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and
      Hodgkin lymphoma. Relapse, however, remains 1 of the main causes of post-ASCT
      failure, and several strategies are being investigated to decrease the risk of
      relapse of progression. Recent advances in the treatment of hematological
      malignancies have included adoptive transfer of genetically modified T cells that
      express chimeric antigen receptors or T cell receptors, as well the use of
      checkpoint inhibitors. Early clinical results in nontransplantation patients have
      been very promising. This review will focus on the use of gene-modified T cells
      and checkpoint inhibitors in stem cell transplantation. 

PMID- 26485447
TI  - Neuroprotective effects of levetiracetam target xCT in astrocytes in parkinsonian
      mice.
AB  - Astrocytes but not neurons express cystine/glutamate exchange transporter (xCT),
      which takes up cystine, and consequently supplies the substrate for GSH synthesis
      in neurons. It is recognized that GSH synthesis in neurons is dependent on the
      expression of xCT in astrocytes. Previous studies reported that levetiracetam
      (LEV), an anti-epileptic drug, increased xCT expression in vivo. The purpose of
      this study was to examine neuroprotective effects of LEV in parkinsonian models
      and demonstrate xCT in astrocytes as a target of neuroprotection against
      dopaminergic neurodegeneration. We identified striatal astrocytes cultured with
      LEV showed significant increase in xCT expression and GSH levels. Preincubation
      of primary cultured mesencephalic dopamine neurons with conditioned media from
      LEV-treated astrocytes protected against 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced
      neurotoxicity. These protective effects were canceled by xCT inhibitor.
      Furthermore, reduction of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in 6-OHDA-lesioned
      parkinsonian mice was significantly abrogated by repeated injections of LEV.
      Treatment with LEV significantly increased the expression of xCT in striatal
      astrocytes in the hemi-parkinsonian mice. In conclusion, LEV exerts
      neuroprotective effects against neurodegeneration via up-regulation of xCT and
      GSH in astrocytes. Thus, xCT in astrocytes could be a potential target in novel
      neuroprotective approaches to prevent degeneration of dopaminergic neurons.
      Glutathione (GSH) is the most potent intrinsic antioxidant. Since extracellular
      cysteine is readily oxidized to form cystine, cystine transport mechanisms are
      essential to provide cells with cysteine. Cystine uptake is mediated by
      cystine/glutamate exchange transporter (xCT), expressed primarily on astrocytes,
      but not on neurons. Astrocytes take up cystine via xCT and reduce it to cysteine
      to supply cysteine, the substrate for GSH synthesis in neurons. This study
      demonstrated that levetiracetam (LEV), an anti-epileptic drug, increased GSH
      in/from astrocytes via xCT up-regulation. GSH derived from astrocytes protects
      dopamine neurons against neurotoxicity induced by dopaminergic neurotoxin 6
      hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). Thus, xCT in astrocytes could be a potential target in
      novel neuroprotective approaches to prevent degeneration of dopaminergic neurons.

PMID- 26485449
TI  - Episodic adaptive diversification of classical swine fever virus RNA-dependent
      RNA polymerase NS5B.
AB  - Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is the pathogen that causes a highly
      infectious disease of pigs and has led to disastrous losses to pig farms and
      related industries. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) NS5B is a central
      component of the replicase complex (RC) in some single-stranded RNA viruses,
      including CSFV. On the basis of genetic variation, the CSFV RdRps could be
      clearly divided into 2 major groups and a minor group, which is consistent with
      the phylogenetic relationships and virulence diversification of the CSFV
      isolates. However, the adaptive signature underlying such an evolutionary profile
      of the polymerase and the virus is still an interesting open question. We
      analyzed the evolutionary trajectory of the CSFV RdRps over different timescales
      to evaluate the potential adaptation. We found that adaptive selection has driven
      the diversification of the RdRps between, but not within, CSFV major groups.
      Further, the major adaptive divergence-related sites are located in the surfaces
      relevant to the interaction with other component(s) of RC and the entrance and
      exit of the template-binding channel. These results might shed some light on the
      nature of the RdRp in virulence diversification of CSFV groups.

PMID- 26485448
TI  - Artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum clinical isolates can infect diverse
      mosquito vectors of Southeast Asia and Africa.
AB  - Artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites are rapidly spreading in
      Southeast Asia, yet nothing is known about their transmission. This knowledge gap
      and the possibility that these parasites will spread to Africa endanger global
      efforts to eliminate malaria. Here we produce gametocytes from parasite clinical
      isolates that displayed artemisinin resistance in patients and in vitro, and use
      them to infect native and non-native mosquito vectors. We show that contemporary
      artemisinin-resistant isolates from Cambodia develop and produce sporozoites in
      two Southeast Asian vectors, Anopheles dirus and Anopheles minimus, and the major
      African vector, Anopheles coluzzii (formerly Anopheles gambiae M). The ability of
      artemisinin-resistant parasites to infect such highly diverse Anopheles species,
      combined with their higher gametocyte prevalence in patients, may explain the
      rapid expansion of these parasites in Cambodia and neighbouring countries, and
      further compromise efforts to prevent their global spread. 

PMID- 26485450
TI  - Bacterial pathogens activate plasminogen to breach tissue barriers and escape
      from innate immunity.
AB  - Both coagulation and fibrinolysis are tightly connected with the innate immune
      system. Infection and inflammation cause profound alterations in the otherwise
      well-controlled balance between coagulation and fibrinolysis. Many pathogenic
      bacteria directly exploit the host's hemostatic system to increase their
      virulence. Here, we review the capacity of bacteria to activate plasminogen. The
      resulting proteolytic activity allows them to breach tissue barriers and evade
      innate immune defense, thus promoting bacterial spreading. Yersinia pestis,
      streptococci of group A, C and G and Staphylococcus aureus produce a specific
      bacterial plasminogen activator. Moreover, surface plasminogen receptors play an
      established role in pneumococcal, borrelial and group B streptococcal infections.
      This review summarizes the mechanisms of bacterial activation of host plasminogen
      and the role of the fibrinolytic system in infections caused by these pathogens. 

PMID- 26485451
TI  - Atmospheric Visibility and PM10 as Indicators of New Particle Formation in an
      Urban Environment.
AB  - It is well-known that new particle formation (NPF) in the atmosphere is inhibited
      by pre-existing particles in the air that act as condensation sinks to decrease
      the concentration and, thus, the supersaturation of precursor gases. In this
      study, we investigate the effects of two parameters-atmospheric visibility,
      expressed as the particle backscatter coefficient (BSP), and PM10 particulate
      mass concentration-on the occurrences of NPF events in an urban environment where
      the majority of precursor gases originate from motor vehicle and industrial
      sources. This is the first attempt to derive direct relationships between these
      two parameters and the occurrence of NPF. NPF events were identified from data
      obtained with a neutral cluster and air ion spectrometer over 245 days within a
      calendar year. Bayesian logistic regression was used to determine the probability
      of observing NPF as functions of BSP and PM10. We show that the BSP at 08 h on a
      given day is a reliable indicator of an NPF event later that day. The posterior
      median probability of observing an NPF event was greater than 0.5 (95%) when the
      BSP at 08 h was less than 6.8 Mm(-1). 

PMID- 26485452
TI  - Observation of Anion Order in Pb2Ti4O9F2.
AB  - The observation of anion order is indispensable for the investigation of
      oxyfluorides. However, the negligible contrast between O(2-) and F(-) in both X
      ray and neutron diffraction obscures the distinct anion sites for Rietveld
      refinement. Therefore, the difference in the chemical bonding of M-O(2-) and M-F(
      ) is the key to determining anion order. In this study, bond-valence-sum
      calculations and determination of the electron density distribution by the
      maximum entropy method illustrated anion order in the newly synthesized
      oxyfluoride Pb2Ti4O9F2. These results demonstrate a promising method to determine
      anion order in mixed anion systems. 

PMID- 26485453
TI  - Comparison of rubidium-82 myocardial blood flow quantification with coronary
      calcium score for evaluation of coronary artery stenosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: PET myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is the standard technique
      for assessing myocardial function, but provides limited information on the
      anatomy of cardiac structures whereas the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score
      provides information on calcified plaque burden and the anatomical structure of
      the coronary arteries. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship
      between quantitative myocardial blood flow (MBF), CAC, and coronary artery
      disease (CAD). This work also aims to determine whether MBF quantification and/or
      CAC add value to relative MPI, and aid in the reclassification of patients with
      CAD. This way, a 'gatekeeper' study could be identified to predict coronary
      artery stenosis and improve our clinical service. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rubidium
      82 PET/CT MPI, calcium score, and computed tomographic coronary angiography
      imaging were performed in 128 patients with known or suspected CAD. The presence
      of ischemia was assessed from qualitative reporting of rubidium-82 MPI, and using
      the same data, quantitative values of MBF and coronary flow reserve (CFR) were
      derived. Calcium score images were quantitatively analyzed and categorized into
      three groups defined by CAC values of 0, 1-400, and >400. Significant stenosis
      was classified as stenosis of 50% or more on computed tomographic angiography.
      RESULTS: A total of 120 patients were included in the final analysis (77 men, 43
      women). Our results showed an inverse correlation between stress MBF, CFR, and
      the percentage stenosis as well as an inverse correlation compared with CAC. A
      direct correlation between CAC and the percentage stenosis was observed,
      indicating that an increase in coronary calcification in individual coronary
      arteries is related to the severity of the coronary stenosis. These results
      proved that the addition of stress MBF to relative MPI (32%) resulted in a
      significantly higher sensitivity (48%, P=0.002), which increased significantly
      more with the addition of CFR (58%, P<=0.001). The further addition of CAC
      resulted in a significantly higher sensitivity (80%, P=0.001), with an even
      higher sensitivity with the addition of both CFR and CAC (95%, P<=0.001) to
      relative MPI. CONCLUSION: The addition of quantitative MBF conferred a
      substantial added diagnostic value to relative MPI for the diagnosis of CAD by
      highlighting compromised flow with the addition of CAC, increasing this added
      value even more. We recommend that this approach should be used to predict the
      presence of coronary artery stenosis at its earliest stage and guide physicians
      when making decisions on the management pathway of CAD without exposing patients
      to a high radiation dose during cardiac angiography.

PMID- 26485454
TI  - Chronic pelvic pain: how does noninvasive imaging compare with diagnostic
      laparoscopy?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) has an annual prevalence of 38/1000
      in the UK, with coexisting pathologies often present. Diagnostic laparoscopy has
      long been the gold standard diagnostic test, but with up to 40% showing no
      abnormality, we explore the value of noninvasive imaging, such as pelvic
      ultrasound and MRI. RECENT FINDINGS: A literature review from inception until
      January 2015 of the following databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to
      Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Excerpta Medica database, and System for
      Information on Grey Literature in Europe were performed to identify published
      studies assessing the usefulness of ultrasound, MRI, and laparoscopy in the
      diagnosis of CPP. Three studies (194 women) addressed their comparative
      performance in patients with endometriosis, showing the sensitivity of ultrasound
      ranged between 58 and 88.5%; MRI was 56-91.5% and in the one study using
      histology as its reference standard, the sensitivity of laparoscopy was 85.7%.
      Noninvasive imaging has the additional benefit of being well tolerated, safer,
      and cheaper than surgery. SUMMARY: CPP, by nature of its multifactorial
      causation, can be difficult to manage and often requires a multidisciplinary
      team. Ultrasound and MRI may provide information about the presence or lack of
      abnormality, which would allow general practitioners or office gynaecologists to
      initiate treatment and think about surgery as a second-line investigative tool.

PMID- 26485456
TI  - Rotational vaginal delivery with Kielland's forceps: a systematic review and meta
      analysis of effectiveness and safety outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The use of Kielland's forceps has declined significantly in
      the last three decades. There is a lack of quality evidence on potential benefits
      and harms associated with using these forceps. We have performed a systematic
      review of the literature and meta-analysis to assess the safety and efficacy of
      using Kielland's forceps. RECENT FINDINGS: We have searched electronic databases
      for all clinical studies reporting primary data on using Kielland's forceps and
      assessed their risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We have pooled the
      event rate of adverse outcomes reported following the use of Kielland's forceps
      including a direct comparison to rotational ventouse. In total we included 23
      studies. Direct comparison meta-analysis revealed higher failure rate with
      rotational ventouse compared with Kielland's. There was no statistically
      significant difference in the risk of adverse maternal outcomes between the two
      groups. There was higher risk of neonatal trauma in the ventouse group, but no
      significant difference in other neonatal outcomes. SUMMARY: Kielland's forceps
      have a high success rate with relatively low adverse outcomes despite their use
      being controversial. In comparison to rotational ventouse, Kielland's forceps
      have higher efficacy with less risk of neonatal trauma.

PMID- 26485455
TI  - Amniotic fluid embolism: despite progress, challenges remain.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article reviews the incidence, pathophysiology, risk
      factors, diagnosis, and management of amniotic fluid embolism (AFE). RECENT
      FINDINGS: AFE is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality despite an
      incidence of approximately 7 to 8 per 100,000 births. Recent reevaluation of AFE
      suggests that the presence of fetal tissue in maternal circulation alone is not
      sufficient to cause the clinical syndrome, but rather an individual's response to
      this fetal tissue. The 'anaphylactoid reaction' associated with AFE shares many
      clinical and metabolic aspects of septic shock. Acute dyspnea followed by
      cardiovascular collapse, coagulopathy, and neurological symptoms, such as coma
      and seizures may all be associated with the clinical AFE syndrome. Specific
      biochemical markers have been described, but are of limited clinical value
      because of the rapid progression of the disease process. Treatment is based on an
      interdisciplinary approach that consists of a combination of prompt, aggressive
      hemodynamic resuscitation, provision of end-organ support, correction of
      hemostatic disorders, and delivery. SUMMARY: Although AFE cannot be prevented,
      early diagnosis and intervention may lead to better outcomes for both the mother
      and the fetus. Clinical suspicion, traditional laboratory data, or intravascular
      cellular debris (demonstrated only in 50% of patients) are insufficient to make a
      definitive diagnosis of AFE. An evolving array of novel biomarkers may help
      differentiate AFE from other conditions, but none of them currently provide
      sufficient 'early warning' ability to make real-time impact on diagnosis and/or
      treatment of AFE.

PMID- 26485457
TI  - Management of uterine fibroids in pregnancy: recent trends.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The review analyzes how fibroids may influence pregnancy and
      how myomas may be modified by pregnancy. The most important clinical aspect
      concerns the impact of myoma on pregnancy and the possibility of a well tolerated
      surgical treatment for the mother and her fetus, preserving maternal reproductive
      capacity. RECENT FINDINGS: Fibroids significantly increase in size during early
      pregnancy and then decrease in the third trimester. Although most women with
      uterine fibroids have a regular pregnancy, data from the literature suggest that
      they may have a higher risk of fertility problems and pregnancy complications.
      SUMMARY: Myomectomy can increase the rate of pregnancy in women with infertility,
      attempting to restore a normal anatomy and reduce uterine contractility and local
      inflammation associated with the presence of fibroids, improving the blood
      supply. Current evidence does not suggest routine myomectomy during pregnancy or
      at the cesarean birth, as fibroids-related complications are rare and may be
      overcome by the risks of surgery. However, in selected cases, myomectomy is a
      feasible and safe technique and associated to a good outcome.The diagnosis of
      myomas in pregnancy may require attention for the adequate management to preserve
      maternal and fetal well-being.

PMID- 26485458
TI  - Thyroid disorders in pregnancy.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recognition and management of thyroid disease during pregnancy
      is challenging with conflicting recommendations from various professional
      organizations. RECENT FINDINGS: We review the literature related to the diagnosis
      and management of gestational hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. We also discuss
      postpartum thyroiditis, thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer. The evidence clearly
      demonstrates that both overt hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism should be
      treated, but controversy exists regarding the treatment of subclinical
      hypothyroidism and thyroid antibody positive euthyroidism, and whether pregnant
      women should be screened for thyroid disease. SUMMARY: Appropriate management of
      thyroid disease during pregnancy is important for maternal and fetal health,
      particularly the recognition and management of hypothyroidism and thyrotoxicosis.

PMID- 26485459
TI  - Target organ complications and prognostic significance of alerting reaction:
      analysis from the Dallas Heart Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Noninvasive blood pressure (BP) measurement often triggers a transient
      rise in BP, known as an alerting reaction. However, the prevalence and prognostic
      significance of the alerting reaction has never been assessed in the general
      population. METHODS: We evaluated the association between the alerting reaction
      and left ventricular mass by MRI and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio in the
      Dallas Heart Study, a large population sample of 3069 individuals. Participants
      were categorized into four groups based on levels of consecutive BP: first,
      normal first BP and average third to fifth (avg3-5) BP of less than 140/90 mmHg
      (control group); second, high first BP of at least 140/90 mmHg and normal (avg3
      5) BP (alerting reaction group); third, normal first BP and high (avg3-5) BP; and
      fourth, high first to fifth BP. Then, associations between BP categories with
      incident cardiovascular outcomes (coronary heart disease, stroke, atrial
      fibrillation, heart failure, and cardiovascular death) over a median follow-up
      period of 9.4 years were assessed. RESULTS: The sample-weighted prevalence of
      isolated hypertension during the first BP measurement was 9.6%. Presence of an
      alerting reaction was independently associated with increased left ventricular
      mass, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, cardiovascular events after adjustment
      for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and baseline BP (adjusted hazard
      ratio 1.24, 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.43). CONCLUSION: Our study indicated
      that the alerting reaction is independently associated with increased
      cardiovascular and renal complications.

PMID- 26485460
TI  - A randomized and controlled study of noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring as a
      guide to drug treatment of uncontrolled hypertensive patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the BEtter control of BP in hypertensive pAtients monitored Using
      the HOTMAN sYstem study, we investigated whether utilizing noninvasive monitoring
      of hemodynamic parameters combined with a drug selection algorithm (integrated
      hemodynamic management - IHM) compared with conventional drug selection may
      improve uncontrolled hypertension in European Hypertension Excellence centers.
      METHOD: Uncontrolled (office SBP >140 mmHg and ambulatory daytime SBP >135 mmHg
      while taking >=2 antihypertensive drugs) essential hypertensive patients were
      referred to five European Hypertension Excellence centers and, if eligible, were
      randomized to IHM-guided (n = 83) vs. conventional (control, n = 84) treatment
      adjustment in an investigator-initiated multicenter prospective randomized
      parallel groups controlled study. RESULTS: The average number of antihypertensive
      drugs increased from 3.1 to 4.1 in both groups and differed only in a rise of the
      use of diuretics in the IHM groups (from 13 to 31%). Daytime SBP, defined as the
      primary endpoint, decreased markedly and to the same extent from baseline to 6
      months in IHM (-15.8 +/- 14.8 mmHg) and control (-15.4 +/- 14.5 mmHg) groups (P =
      0.87), with a similar behavior of office SBP (no between group differences, P =
      0.18). Average number of adverse events was significantly lower in IHM than in
      controls (P = 0.008) but of the more general type and not necessarily related to
      drug treatment. CONCLUSION: Thus, noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring associated
      with a drug selection algorithm induced similar reductions in ambulatory daytime
      and office SBP compared with conventional drug selection in uncontrolled
      hypertensive patients referred to European Hypertension Excellence
      centers.Clinical Trial Registration - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique
      identifier: NCT01482364.

PMID- 26485461
TI  - Blood pressure variability after catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation in
      patients with resistant hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Renal denervation (RDN) reduces sympathetic activity and blood
      pressure (BP) in patients with resistant hypertension. Increased 24-h BP
      variability is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes and related to
      sympathetic activation. METHODS AND RESULTS: This multicenter study investigated
      the effect of RDN on BP variability in 84 patients with uncontrolled hypertension
      (office systolic BP >=140 mmHg) despite treatment with greater than three
      antihypertensive agents. BP variability was assessed by means of standard
      deviation, coefficient of variation (standard deviation/mean), and average real
      variability of 24-h ambulatory SBP at 3-month and 6-month follow-up. RDN
      significantly reduced office BP by 17/6 mmHg at 3-month and 19/7 mmHg at 6-month
      follow-up (P < 0.001 for all) and 24-h ambulatory BP by 9/5 mmHg (P < 0.001/P =
      0.001) after 3 months and 12/7 mmHg (P < 0.001/P < 0.001) after 6 months.
      Standard deviation significantly decreased from 17.1 to 14.9 mmHg (P = 0.008) and
      15.3 mmHg (P = 0.037), consistent with a reduction of coefficient of variation
      from 0.116 to 0.103 (P = 0.035) and 0.104 (P = 0.071) and average real
      variability from 12.3 to 10.9 (P = 0.029) and 11.0 (P = 0.054) after 3-month and
      6-month, respectively. Interestingly, also BP nonresponders (change in office
      systolic BP < 10 mmHg after 6 months) showed a significant reduction of standard
      deviation after 3 months (P = 0.041, n = 26) and a borderline significant
      reduction at 6-month (P = 0.057, n = 28). CONCLUSIONS: RDN reduces office and
      ambulatory BP and BP variability in patients with resistant hypertension.
      Improvement in BP variability was also documented in patients characterized as
      office BP nonresponders after 6 months.

PMID- 26485462
TI  - Gamma-glutamyltransferase and risk of hypertension: a systematic review and dose
      response meta-analysis of prospective evidence.
AB  - The objective of this review was to obtain a reliable estimate of the magnitude
      of the prospective association between gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and risk
      of hypertension, and to characterize the nature of the dose-response
      relationship. We conducted a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of
      published prospective studies. Relevant studies were identified in a literature
      search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases up to May 2015. Study
      specific relative risks (RRs) were meta-analyzed using random effects models. We
      examined a potential nonlinear relationship using restricted cubic splines. Of
      the 612 titles reviewed, we included 14 cohort studies with data on 44 582
      participants and 5 270 hypertension cases. In a comparison of extreme thirds of
      baseline levels of GGT, RR for hypertension in pooled analysis of all 14 studies
      was 1.32 (95% confidence interval: 1.23-1.43). There was heterogeneity among the
      studies (P < 0.001), which was to a large part explained by average age of
      participants at baseline, average duration of follow-up, and the degree of
      confounder adjustment. In a pooled dose-response analysis of 10 studies with
      relevant data, there was evidence of a linear association between GGT and
      hypertension risk (P for nonlinearity = 0.37). The pooled RR of hypertension per
      5 U/l increment in GGT levels was 1.08 (95% confidence interval: 1.04-1.13).
      Baseline circulating GGT level is associated with an increased risk of
      hypertension in the general population, consistent with a linear dose-response
      relationship. Further investigation of any potential relevance of GGT in
      hypertension prevention is warranted. 

PMID- 26485463
TI  - Blood pressure changes after catheter-based renal denervation are related to
      reductions in total peripheral resistance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Renal denervation (RDN) can reduce sympathetic activity and blood
      pressure (BP) in patients with uncontrolled hypertension. The exact mechanisms by
      which RDN results in BP reductions are yet not fully established. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: This study investigated the effects of RDN on office BP, 24-h ambulatory
      BP, noninvasive 10-min beat-to-beat digital pulse wave analysis, total peripheral
      resistance (TPR), cardiac output, and plasma renin and aldosterone serum
      concentrations in 30 patients with resistant hypertension. Adherence to
      antihypertensive drugs was assessed by liquid chromatography high-resolution
      tandem mass spectrometry analysis in plasma and urine at baseline and at 6 month.
      RDN significantly reduced office BP, beat-to-beat BP, and 24-h ambulatory BP by
      19/6 (P = 0.021/P = 0.012), 12/7 (P = 0.005/P = 0.005), and 10/5  mmHg (P =
      0.001/P = 0.049) at 6 months, respectively. TPR decreased from 1696 to 1377  dyn
      * s/cm (-19%; P = 0.027). This reduction was not associated with significant
      changes in cardiac output. The changes in office, ambulatory, and beat-to-beat BP
      correlated with the reductions of TPR. Adherence to antihypertensive treatment
      remained unchanged during the study period (84.7% at baseline, 83.6% at 6 months,
      P = 0.782). CONCLUSION: RDN reduced office BP, beat-to-beat BP, and 24-h
      ambulatory BP in patients with resistant hypertension after 6 months. The BP
      changes were associated with reductions in peripheral resistance, whereas cardiac
      output, plasma renin, and aldosterone levels remained unchanged. The observed
      effects were not explained by an increased intake of antihypertensive
      medications.

PMID- 26485464
TI  - Drug adherence monitoring in clinical trials: a necessity for a correct
      assessment of the efficacy and safety of antihypertensive therapies.

PMID- 26485465
TI  - Formulations of deoxycholic for therapy: a patent review (2011 - 2014).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Deoxycholic acid (DOCA) is involved in many physiological functions
      and has been used in various fields of pharmaceutical formulations as a natural
      active solubilizing and permeation-enhancing agent. Although DOCA has been
      suggested to be a promoter of colon cancer, it has also been used extensively as
      a starting material to obtain new derivatives for potential therapeutic
      applications. AREA COVERED: In this review, we focus on patents and research
      reports from 2011 to 2014 related to pharmaceutical formulations and therapeutic
      applications using DOCA and its derivatives as surfactants or absorption
      enhancers, drug delivery carriers, and anti-cancer agents. EXPERT OPINION: In
      recent few years, DOCA and its derivatives have been used mostly as
      pharmaceutical excipients for solubilizing lipophilic compounds to improve their
      bioavailability. Other studies have expanded its applications to include enhanced
      drug permeability and have designed more effective drug carriers by conjugation
      with polymeric materials. Recently, a synthetic DOCA injection, ATX-101, has
      shown long-term efficacy in the non-surgical treatment of unwanted submental fat
      and acceptable tolerability in humans. Thus, it may be used for reducing specific
      localized fat accumulations. Additionally, DOCA has been a starting material for
      anti-cancer drugs, and some derivatives showed strong inhibitory activities
      against several carcinoma cells.

PMID- 26485466
TI  - Centromere and telomere sequence alterations reflect the rapid genome evolution
      within the carnivorous plant genus Genlisea.
AB  - Linear chromosomes of eukaryotic organisms invariably possess centromeres and
      telomeres to ensure proper chromosome segregation during nuclear divisions and to
      protect the chromosome ends from deterioration and fusion, respectively. While
      centromeric sequences may differ between species, with arrays of tandemly
      repeated sequences and retrotransposons being the most abundant sequence types in
      plant centromeres, telomeric sequences are usually highly conserved among plants
      and other organisms. The genome size of the carnivorous genus Genlisea
      (Lentibulariaceae) is highly variable. Here we study evolutionary sequence
      plasticity of these chromosomal domains at an intrageneric level. We show that
      Genlisea nigrocaulis (1C = 86 Mbp; 2n = 40) and G. hispidula (1C = 1550 Mbp; 2n =
      40) differ as to their DNA composition at centromeres and telomeres. G.
      nigrocaulis and its close relative G. pygmaea revealed mainly 161 bp tandem
      repeats, while G. hispidula and its close relative G. subglabra displayed a
      combination of four retroelements at centromeric positions. G. nigrocaulis and G.
      pygmaea chromosome ends are characterized by the Arabidopsis-type telomeric
      repeats (TTTAGGG); G. hispidula and G. subglabra instead revealed two
      intermingled sequence variants (TTCAGG and TTTCAGG). These differences in
      centromeric and, surprisingly, also in telomeric DNA sequences, uncovered between
      groups with on average a > 9-fold genome size difference, emphasize the fast
      genome evolution within this genus. Such intrageneric evolutionary alteration of
      telomeric repeats with cytosine in the guanine-rich strand, not yet known for
      plants, might impact the epigenetic telomere chromatin modification.

PMID- 26485467
TI  - Electrolyte Imbalance in Patients with Sheehan's Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated the prevalence of electrolyte imbalance and the
      relationship between serum electrolyte and anterior pituitary hormone levels in
      patients with Sheehan's syndrome. METHODS: In a retrospective study, we
      investigated 78 patients with Sheehan's syndrome. We also included 95 normal
      control subjects who underwent a combined anterior pituitary hormone stimulation
      test and showed normal hormonal responses. RESULTS: In patients with Sheehan's
      syndrome, the serum levels of sodium, potassium, ionized calcium, magnesium, and
      inorganic phosphate were significantly lower than those in control subjects. The
      prevalence of hyponatremia, hypokalemia, hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, and
      hypophosphatemia in patients with Sheehan's syndrome was 59.0% (n=46), 26.9%
      (n=21), 35.9% (n=28), 47.4% (n=37), and 23.1% (n=18), respectively. Levels of
      sodium and ionized calcium in serum were positively correlated with levels of all
      anterior pituitary hormones (all P<0.05). Levels of potassium in serum were
      positively correlated with adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and growth hormone
      (GH) levels (all P<0.05). Levels of inorganic phosphate in serum were positively
      correlated with levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone, prolactin, and GH (all
      P<0.05), and levels of magnesium in serum were positively correlated with delta
      ACTH (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Electrolyte imbalance was common in patients with
      Sheehan's syndrome. Furthermore, the degree of anterior pituitary hormone
      deficiency relates to the degree of electrolyte disturbance in patients with this
      disease.

PMID- 26485468
TI  - Thyroid Hormone Regulates the mRNA Expression of Small Heterodimer Partner
      through Liver Receptor Homolog-1.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Expression of hepatic cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) is
      negatively regulated by orphan nuclear receptor small heterodimer partner (SHP).
      In this study, we aimed to find whether thyroid hormone regulates SHP expression
      by modulating the transcriptional activities of liver receptor homolog-1 (LRH-1).
      METHODS: We injected thyroid hormone (triiodothyronine, T3) to C57BL/6J wild
      type. RNA was isolated from mouse liver and used for microarray analysis and
      quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Human hepatoma cell and
      primary hepatocytes from mouse liver were used to confirm the effect of T3 in
      vitro. Promoter assay and electrophoretic mobility-shift assay (EMSA) were also
      performed using human hepatoma cell line. RESULTS: Initial microarray results
      indicated that SHP expression is markedly decreased in livers of T3 treated mice.
      We confirmed that T3 repressed SHP expression in the liver of mice as well as in
      mouse primary hepatocytes and human hepatoma cells by real-time PCR analysis. LRH
      1 increased the promoter activity of SHP; however, this increased activity was
      markedly decreased after thyroid hormone receptor beta/retinoid X receptor
      alpha/T3 administration. EMSA revealed that T3 inhibits specific LRH-1 DNA
      binding. CONCLUSION: We found that thyroid hormone regulates the expression of
      SHP mRNA through interference with the transcription factor, LRH-1.

PMID- 26485469
TI  - Selective Mitochondrial Uptake of MKT-077 Can Suppress Medullary Thyroid
      Carcinoma Cell Survival In Vitro and In Vivo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a neuroendocrine tumor mainly
      caused by mutations in the rearranged during transfection (RET) proto-oncogene.
      Not all patients with progressive MTC respond to current therapy inhibiting RET,
      demanding additional therapeutic strategies. We recently demonstrated that
      disrupting mitochondrial metabolism using a mitochondria-targeted agent or by
      depleting a mitochondrial chaperone effectively suppressed human MTC cells in
      culture and in mouse xenografts by inducing apoptosis and RET downregulation.
      These observations led us to hypothesize that mitochondria are potential
      therapeutic targets for MTC. This study further tests this hypothesis using1
      ethyl-2-[[3-ethyl-5-(3-methylbenzothiazolin-2-yliden)]-4-oxothiazolidin-2
      ylidenemethyl] pyridinium chloride (MKT-077), a water-soluble rhodocyanine dye
      analogue, which can selectively accumulate in mitochondria. METHODS: The effects
      of MKT-077 on cell proliferation, survival, expression of RET and tumor protein
      53 (TP53), and mitochondrial activity were determined in the human MTC lines in
      culture and in mouse xenografts. RESULTS: MKT-077 induced cell cycle arrest in TT
      and MZ-CRC-1. Intriguingly, MKT-077 also induced RET downregulation and strong
      cell death responses in TT cells, but not in MZ-CRC-1 cells. This discrepancy was
      mainly due to the difference between the capacities of these cell lines to retain
      MKT-077 in mitochondria. The cytotoxicity of MKT-077 in TT cells was mainly
      attributed to oxidative stress while being independent of TP53. MKT-077 also
      effectively suppressed tumor growth of TT xenografts. CONCLUSION: MKT-077 can
      suppress cell survival of certain MTC subtypes by accumulating in mitochondria
      and interfering with mitochondrial activity although it can also suppress cell
      proliferation via other mechanisms. These results consistently support the
      hypothesis that mitochondrial targeting has therapeutic potential for MTC.

PMID- 26485470
TI  - Risk Factors for Recurrence in Filipinos with Well-Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC) has
      increased in recent years. Despite its excellent prognosis, increasing morbidity
      from recurrent diseases continues to affect long-term outcomes. Among at-risk
      populations, Filipinos have the highest incidence of thyroid cancer worldwide,
      characterized by a highly aggressive and recurrent form of disease. Here, we
      sought to identify risk factors associated with disease recurrence among
      Filipinos with WDTC. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study examined 723
      patients diagnosed with WDTC seen at Philippine General Hospital. Affected
      individuals were classified based on the presence or absence of disease
      recurrence. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine
      significant predictors of recurrence. RESULTS: Multiple risk factors, including
      age >45 years (odds ratio [OR], 1.44), multifocality of cancer (OR, 1.43), nodal
      involvement (OR, 4.0), and distant metastases at presentation (OR, 2.78), were
      significantly associated with a recurrence of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). In
      contrast, follicular variant histology (OR, 0.60) and postsurgical radioactive
      iodine therapy (OR, 0.31) were protective for PTC recurrence. Distant metastases
      at presentation (OR, 19.4) and postsurgical radioactive iodine therapy (OR, 0.41)
      were associated with follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) recurrence. CONCLUSION:
      Lymph node metastases at presentation was the strongest predictor of recurrence
      in PTC, whereas distant metastases at presentation was the strongest for FTC
      recurrence. Among Filipinos, stratification of WDTC patients based on recurrence
      risk factors identified in this study will be helpful in guiding the intensity of
      treatment strategies and long-term thyroid cancer surveillance.

PMID- 26485471
TI  - Characteristics of Body Composition and Muscle Strength of North Korean Refugees
      during South Korean Stay.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the changes of body
      composition and muscle strength of North Korean refugees (NKRs) according to
      their duration of stay in South Korea. METHODS: NKRs who volunteered and were
      living in South Korea, aged 20 to 75 years were recruited. Body compositions were
      analyzed by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Muscle strength was measured with
      the hand grip test. Demographic and migration information was obtained with a
      questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 158 volunteers were recruited at a mean age of
      48.3+/-11.4 years. The mean time from when they escaped from North Korea and
      arrived in South Korea was 5.8+/-4.3 years. Height, weight, and body surface area
      were significantly smaller in all NKRs compared to South Korean controls, except
      for women aged over 50 years. In females of younger ages (<50 years), NKRs with
      more than a 4-year stay in South Korea had a higher weight and fat mass than that
      of those who had a shorter stay (less than 4 years) in South Korea. All NKRs had
      a weaker grip strength than that of the age-matched controls from South Korea.
      CONCLUSION: The NKRs showed relatively smaller physiques and weaker muscle
      strength than that of the South Korean controls. In younger female NKRs, shorter
      South Korean stay group showed small body weight and fat mass than that of longer
      South Korean stay group. Specific health support programs might be needed.

PMID- 26485472
TI  - Network Consistent Data Association.
AB  - Existing data association techniques mostly focus on matching pairs of data-point
      sets and then repeating this process along space-time to achieve long term
      correspondences. However, in many problems such as person re-identification, a
      set of data-points may be observed at multiple spatio-temporal locations and/or
      by multiple agents in a network and simply combining the local pairwise
      association results between sets of data-points often leads to inconsistencies
      over the global space-time horizons. In this paper, we propose a Novel Network
      Consistent Data Association (NCDA) framework formulated as an optimization
      problem that not only maintains consistency in association results across the
      network, but also improves the pairwise data association accuracies. The proposed
      NCDA can be solved as a binary integer program leading to a globally optimal
      solution and is capable of handling the challenging data-association scenario
      where the number of data-points varies across different sets of instances in the
      network. We also present an online implementation of NCDA method that can
      dynamically associate new observations to already observed data-points in an
      iterative fashion, while maintaining network consistency. We have tested both the
      batch and the online NCDA in two application areas-person re-identification and
      spatio-temporal cell tracking and observed consistent and highly accurate data
      association results in all the cases.

PMID- 26485473
TI  - Structure-Preserving Binary Representations for RGB-D Action Recognition.
AB  - In this paper, we propose a novel binary local representation for RGB-D video
      data fusion with a structure-preserving projection. Our contribution consists of
      two aspects. Toacquire a general feature for the video data, we convert the
      problem to describing the gradient fields of RGB and depth information of video
      sequences. With the local fluxes of the gradient fields, which include the
      orientation and the magnitude of the neighborhood of each point, a new kind of
      continuous local descriptor called Local Flux Feature(LFF) is obtained. Then the
      LFFs from RGB and depth channels are fused into a Hamming space via the Structure
      Preserving Projection (SPP). Specifically, an orthogonal projection matrix is
      applied to preserve the pairwise structure with a shape constraint to avoid the
      collapse of data structure in the projected space. Furthermore, a bipartite graph
      structure of data is taken into consideration, which is regarded as a higher
      level connection between samples and classes than the pairwise structure of local
      features. Theextensive experiments show not only the high efficiency of binary
      codes and the effectiveness of combining LFFs from RGB-D channels via SPP on
      various action recognition benchmarks of RGB-D data, but also the potential power
      of LFF for general action recognition.

PMID- 26485474
TI  - Max-Margin Action Prediction Machine.
AB  - The speed with which intelligent systems can react to an action depends on how
      soon it can be recognized. The ability to recognize ongoing actions is critical
      in many applications, for example, spotting criminal activity. It is challenging,
      since decisions have to be made based on partial videos of temporally incomplete
      action executions. In this paper, we propose a novel discriminative multi-scale
      kernelized model for predicting the action class from a partially observed video.
      The proposed model captures temporal dynamics of human actions by explicitly
      considering all the history of observed features as well as features in smaller
      temporal segments. A compositional kernel is proposed to hierarchically capture
      the relationships between partial observations as well as the temporal segments,
      respectively. We develop a new learning formulation, which elegantly captures the
      temporal evolution over time, and enforces the label consistency between segments
      and corresponding partial videos. We prove that the proposed learning formulation
      minimizes the upper bound of the empirical risk. Experimental results on four
      public datasets show that the proposed approach outperforms state-of-the-art
      action prediction methods.

PMID- 26485475
TI  - Adherent Raindrop Modeling, Detectionand Removal in Video.
AB  - Raindrops adhered to a windscreen or window glass can significantly degrade the
      visibility of a scene. Modeling, detecting and removing raindrops will,
      therefore, benefit many computer vision applications, particularly outdoor
      surveillance systems and intelligent vehicle systems. In this paper, a method
      that automatically detects and removes adherent raindrops is introduced. The core
      idea is to exploit the local spatio-temporal derivatives of raindrops. To
      accomplish the idea, we first model adherent raindrops using law of physics, and
      detect raindrops based on these models in combination with motion and intensity
      temporal derivatives of the input video. Having detected the raindrops, we remove
      them and restore the images based on an analysis that some areas of raindrops
      completely occludes the scene, and some other areas occlude only partially. For
      partially occluding areas, we restore them by retrieving as much as possible
      information of the scene, namely, by solving a blending function on the detected
      partially occluding areas using the temporal intensity derivative. For completely
      occluding areas, we recover them by using a video completion technique.
      Experimental results using various real videos show the effectiveness of our
      method.

PMID- 26485476
TI  - A Global Hypothesis Verification Framework for 3D Object Recognition in Clutter.
AB  - Pipelines to recognize 3D objects despite clutter and occlusions usually end up
      with a final verification stage whereby recognition hypotheses are validated or
      dismissed based on how well they explain sensor measurements. Unlike previous
      work, we propose a Global Hypothesis Verification (GHV) approach which regards
      all hypotheses jointly so as to account for mutual interactions. GHV provides a
      principled framework to tackle the complexity of our visual world by leveraging
      on a plurality of recognition paradigms and cues. Accordingly, we present a 3D
      object recognition pipeline deploying both global and local 3D features as well
      as shape and color. Thereby, and facilitated by the robustness of the
      verification process, diverse object hypotheses can be gathered and weak
      hypotheses need not be suppressed too early to trade sensitivity for specificity.
      Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposal, which significantly
      improves over the state-of-art and attains ideal performance (no false negatives,
      no false positives) on three out of the six most relevant and challenging
      benchmark datasets.

PMID- 26485477
TI  - Glenohumeral posterior mobilization versus conventional physiotherapy for primary
      adhesive capsulitis: a randomized clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the short-term efficacy of a glenohumeral posterior
      mobilization technique versus conventional physiotherapy for the improvement of
      the range of external rotation in patients with primary adhesive capsulitis of
      the shoulder. METHODS: This is a randomized clinical trial conducted at Hospital
      Clinico San Borja Arriaran in Chile. Fifty-seven patients with an age range of 50
      to 58 years old were enrolled in two groups. Both groups were randomized to
      receive a treatment of 10 sessions: the experimental group (n=29) received a
      glenohumeral posterior mobilization technique after training with a cycle
      ergometer, and the control group (n=28) received conventional physiotherapy. The
      primary outcome measure was range of passive movement in external rotation;
      secondary outcomes were forward flexion and shoulder abduction, pain perception
      using the visual analogue scale and functionality test using the Constant-Murley
      Score. RESULTS: The study had the statistical power to detect a difference of
      four degrees between the groups in the improvement of the range of external
      rotation at the end of the treatment period. The experimental group showed a
      significant improvement with a mean difference of 46.3 degrees (SD=8.7) compared
      to 18.1 (SD=7.2) in the control group (p<0.0001). There was also a decrease in
      the perception of pain (p= 0.0002) and improved function (p< 0.0001) in the group
      treated with glenohumeral posterior mobilization technique. CONCLUSIONS: The
      glenohumeral posterior mobilization technique applied after training with cycle
      ergometer is an effective short-term technique to treat primary adhesive
      capsulitis decreasing the severity of pain and improving joint function compared
      with conventional physiotherapy treatment. The degree of increase in shoulder
      external rotation is more than 20 degrees beyond the increase achieved with
      conventional treatment.

PMID- 26485478
TI  - Nutritional Supplementation with Chlorella pyrenoidosa Lowers Serum Methylmalonic
      Acid in Vegans and Vegetarians with a Suspected Vitamin B12 Deficiency.
AB  - Since vitamin B12 occurs in substantial amounts only in foods derived from
      animals, vegetarians and particularly vegans are at risk of developing
      deficiencies of this essential vitamin. The chlorella used for this study is a
      commercially available whole-food supplement, which is believed to contain the
      physiologically active form of the vitamin. This exploratory open-label study was
      performed to determine if adding 9 g of Chlorella pyrenoidosa daily could help
      mitigate a vitamin B12 deficiency in vegetarians and vegans. Seventeen vegan or
      vegetarian adults (26-57 years of age) with a known vitamin B12 deficiency, as
      evidenced by a baseline serum methylmalonic acid (MMA) level above 270 nmol/L at
      screening, but who otherwise appeared healthy were enrolled in the study. Each
      participant added 9 g of C. pyrenoidosa to their daily diet for 60 +/- 5 days and
      their serum MMA, vitamin B12, homocysteine (Hcy) levels as well as mean
      corpuscular volume (MCV), hemoglobin (Hgb), and hematocrit (Hct) were measured at
      30 and 60 days from baseline. After 30 and 60 days, the serum MMA level fell
      significantly (P < .05) by an average ~34%. Fifteen of the 17 (88%) subjects
      showed at least a 10% drop in MMA. At the same time, Hcy trended downward and
      serum vitamin B12 trended upward, while MCV, Hgb, and Hct appeared unchanged. The
      results of this work suggest that the vitamin B12 in chlorella is bioavailable
      and such dietary supplementation is a natural way for vegetarians and vegans to
      get the vitamin B12 they need.

PMID- 26485479
TI  - Stomatal responses to humidity: has the 'black box' finally been opened?

PMID- 26485481
TI  - Improved Crystallization of Perovskite Films by Optimized Solvent Annealing for
      High Efficiency Solar Cell.
AB  - Organic-inorganic halide perovskite-based thin film solar cells show excellent
      light-to-power conversion efficiency. The high performance for the devices
      requires the preparation of well-crystallized perovskite absorbers. In this
      paper, we used the postannealing process to treat the perovskite films under
      different solvent vapors and observed that the solvent vapors have a strong
      effect on the film growth. A model regarding the perovskite film growth was
      proposed as well. Intensive characterizations including scanning electron
      microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and admittance spectroscopy
      allowed us to attribute the improved performance to reduced recombination loss
      and defect density. Solar cell based on the DMSO-treated films delivered a power
      conversion efficiency of over 13% with negligible photocurrent hysteresis. 

PMID- 26485482
TI  - Locations and Dislocations: Psychoanalysis in France.

PMID- 26485480
TI  - Substance use history in behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia versus
      primary progressive aphasia.
AB  - As older adults are prone to cognitive disorders, the interaction of the fields
      of substance use and misuse and cognitive neuroscience is an emerging area of
      research. Substance use has been reported in some subtypes of frontotemporal
      dementia, such as behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. However,
      characterization of substance use in other subtypes of frontotemporal dementia,
      such as primary progressive aphasia, is unknown. The objective of this baseline
      analysis was to explore whether any measures of substance use history differed
      significantly among behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (n = 842) and
      primary progressive aphasia (n = 526) in a large national dataset. The National
      Alzheimer's Coordinating Center's Uniform Data Set study is a national dataset
      that collects data on patients with various cognitive disorders and includes some
      questions on substance use. Each substance use variable was used as the outcome
      and the frontotemporal dementia subtype as the predictor. Total years smoked
      cigarettes, age when last smoked cigarettes, average number of packs/day smoked
      when participants smoked, and any recent, remote, or combined recent/remote
      history of alcohol abuse or drug abuse did not significantly differ between the
      behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and primary progressive aphasia
      subtypes (all p-values > .001). A significantly greater percentage of
      participants smoked in the last 30 days in the behavioral variant frontotemporal
      dementia subtype (10.4%, n = 834) compared to the primary progressive aphasia
      subtype (3.3%, n = 517; p < .001). Clinical providers in both the dementia and
      substance use fields are encouraged to screen for and monitor substance use in
      all frontotemporal dementia subtypes. 

PMID- 26485483
TI  - The Analyst's Act and the Child's Desire: A Retrospective Case Study.
AB  - In this paper, I lay out a blueprint for a child analysis, stipulating the terms
      and ethics of the Lacanian field of psychoanalysis, the position of the analyst
      in that field, and the invitation to the child to discover a space for desire in
      the work of play. Drawing on the grounding work of Freud, Lacan, Dolto, Lefort,
      Mannoni, and Mathelin, I describe the mainsprings of the psychoanalytic clinic
      with the child. I then offer a child case and its trajectory from the development
      of a phobia to a symptom, and show how the primal scene fantasy and its
      articulation can open a space for desire in a child's play. What is particular to
      this work of playing is the emergence of signifiers that chain across
      generations, and move into new metaphors that foreground the Real of the child's
      experience and desire. 

PMID- 26485484
TI  - My Session With Andre.
AB  - The author shares personal reminiscences of a therapy session with Andre Green,
      as well as impressions of professional meetings, readings, and clinical work. He
      describes personal help he received and aspects of Green's writings on dynamics
      of madness, as well as the latter's end-of-life discussion of therapeutic limits.

PMID- 26485485
TI  - Andre Green on the Theory and Treatment of "Non-Neurotic" Patients.
AB  - A pivotal turning point in contemporary psychoanalytic practice and
      conceptualization was the presentation by Andre Green at the 1975 meeting of the
      International Psychoanalytical Association. In his presentation Green opened new
      ways of thinking about non-neurotic patients based on a theory of psychosis that
      accounts for confusion of subject and object and a mode of symbolization derived
      from a dual organization of patient and analyst. Green proposed that analysts
      lend themselves to the fusional needs of their patients while the focus is on the
      force of the negative-destructive mental states where connection is superseded by
      disconnections that in turn lead to disorganization resulting in blank depression
      and negative hallucination. Green finds precedent for this viewpoint in his
      reading of Winnciott's work on transitional space as a developmental movement
      toward separation. Central to clinical work with non-neurotic patients is the
      analyst's use of their countertransference as a form of binding the inchoate into
      form built on interpreting in the transference as opposed to interpreting of the
      transference while titrating the degree of silence so as not to fuel the terror
      of too much absence. 

PMID- 26485486
TI  - The Skin-Ego: Dyadic Sensuality, Trauma in Infancy, and Adult Narcissistic
      Issues.
AB  - The skin-ego is a metaphor created by the French psychoanalyst Didier Anzieu to
      describe the process by which the infant's emerging ego develops a container for
      psychic contents and achieves a secure feeling of well-being. The ego encloses
      the psychic apparatus as the skin encloses the body. The ego becomes able to fix
      barriers protecting the internal world and to screen exchanges with the id, the
      superego, and the outside world. The skin-ego is an envelope that contains
      thoughts and gives to thinking activity some limits, continuity, and a protection
      against the instincts. The functions of the skin-ego are to maintain thoughts, to
      contain ideas and affects, to provide a protective shield, to register traces of
      primary communication with the outside world, to manage inter-sensorial
      correspondences, to individuate, to support sexual excitation, and to recharge
      the libido. The skin-ego is the foundation of the container-contained
      relationship. An important part of psychoanalytic work with borderline patients
      is the reconstruction of the earliest phases of the skin-ego and their
      consequences for mental organization. 

PMID- 26485487
TI  - Apres-Coup in French Psychoanalysis: The Long Afterlife of Nachtraglichkeit: The
      First Hundred Years, 1893 to 1993.
AB  - Apres-coup finds its origins in Freud's earliest psychoanalytic writings, but it
      was only half a century ago that French psychoanalysts rediscovered, clarified,
      and developed the concept and so brought it recognition as an essential Freudian
      concept. Because the history of apres-coup is embedded in the French reading of
      Freud, this article will give an account of that reading in relation to apres
      coup. 

PMID- 26485488
TI  - Interview With Jean Laplanche.
AB  - The starting point for this interview with Jean Laplanche is a question regarding
      the place of infantile sexuality within psychoanalysis today. Laplanche begins by
      underscoring the audaciousness of Freud's characterization of infantile sexuality
      and the significance of the expansion of the field of "the sexual" that this
      characterization entails. He goes on to outline his celebrated "general theory of
      seduction." In doing so he explains key terms associated with it, such as the
      "enigmatic message" and the "fundamental anthropological situation," and
      clarifies how the theory seeks to account for sexuality in the expanded sense. In
      particular, Laplanche stresses the intersubjective origins of "drive" sexuality
      in infancy, its chaotic evolution, its unique economic mode of functioning, and
      its subsequent conflict with innate "instinctual" sexual impulses that surge
      forth at puberty. He also positions the general theory of seduction in relation
      to the important advances made by attachment theory in the field of the adult
      child relationship. Throughout the interview, the discussion touches on social
      contexts, and at points Laplanche outlines positions on topical concerns
      connected to education, media, and the law, and the importance of rethinking
      certain psychoanalytic paradigms in an age of new family structures that do not
      correspond to the nuclear unit. 

PMID- 26485489
TI  - Jean Laplanche's Masochism.
AB  - This essay examines the theme of masochism in the metapsychological work of
      French psychoanalyst Jean Laplanche. One of the most distinctive aspects of
      Laplanche's work as a whole is its recursiveness: it advances by repeatedly
      retraversing the same themes and rereading the same Freudian texts, often after
      intervals of years and each time from a deepened critical perspective. The
      approach taken in this essay is therefore diachronic. That is, rather than
      seeking to present a reduced summation of Laplanche's position on masochism, it
      tracks the recursive evolution of his thinking about masochism, from the 1960s
      through to the development of his celebrated "general theory of seduction." The
      essay locates each of Laplanche's key interventions on masochism within the
      broader frameworks of his theoretical enterprise, and positions masochism as a
      point of orientation for understanding a number of the essential claims of his
      metapsychology, particularly the relationships among fantasy, pain and the
      drives; the economic dimensions of human desire; and the intersubjective origins
      of psychosexuality. Finally, the essay suggests that masochism might have a
      particular pertinence to psychoanalytic thinking as Laplanche conceives and
      practices it: that is, as a pains-taking labor whose very stimulus is the "wound"
      of the Freudian breakthrough. 

PMID- 26485490
TI  - The Introjective Function of Dreaming and Its Impact on the Theory of Technique.
AB  - The author proposes for debate the thesis that the main function of the process
      of "dreaming" (Traumen) is a daily reactivation of the process of introjection.
      He itemizes and discusses the epistemological obstacles that apparently prevented
      Freud from taking this hypothesis under consideration. He goes on to examine the
      arguments and assumptions supporting the hypothesis that he discerns in Freud's
      development of the theory of the dream and in the posthumous publications of
      Ferenczi. After demonstrating the affinities between his own conception of the
      introjective function of dreaming and Jean Laplanche's "general theory of
      seduction," he evokes a few of the effects of his thesis on the practice and
      metapsychology of analytic technique. 

PMID- 26485492
TI  - Priori mask guided image reconstruction (p-MGIR) for ultra-low dose cone-beam
      computed tomography.
AB  - Recently, the compressed sensing (CS) based iterative reconstruction method has
      received attention because of its ability to reconstruct cone beam computed
      tomography (CBCT) images with good quality using sparsely sampled or noisy
      projections, thus enabling dose reduction. However, some challenges remain. In
      particular, there is always a tradeoff between image resolution and noise/streak
      artifact reduction based on the amount of regularization weighting that is
      applied uniformly across the CBCT volume. The purpose of this study is to develop
      a novel low-dose CBCT reconstruction algorithm framework called priori mask
      guided image reconstruction (p-MGIR) that allows reconstruction of high-quality
      low-dose CBCT images while preserving the image resolution. In p-MGIR, the
      unknown CBCT volume was mathematically modeled as a combination of two regions:
      (1) where anatomical structures are complex, and (2) where intensities are
      relatively uniform. The priori mask, which is the key concept of the p-MGIR
      algorithm, was defined as the matrix that distinguishes between the two separate
      CBCT regions where the resolution needs to be preserved and where streak or noise
      needs to be suppressed. We then alternately updated each part of image by solving
      two sub-minimization problems iteratively, where one minimization was focused on
      preserving the edge information of the first part while the other concentrated on
      the removal of noise/artifacts from the latter part. To evaluate the performance
      of the p-MGIR algorithm, a numerical head-and-neck phantom, a Catphan 600
      physical phantom, and a clinical head-and-neck cancer case were used for
      analysis. The results were compared with the standard Feldkamp-Davis-Kress as
      well as conventional CS-based algorithms. Examination of the p-MGIR algorithm
      showed that high-quality low-dose CBCT images can be reconstructed without
      compromising the image resolution. For both phantom and the patient cases, the p
      MGIR is able to achieve a clinically-reasonable image with 60 projections.
      Therefore, a clinically-viable, high-resolution head-and-neck CBCT image can be
      obtained while cutting the dose by 83%. Moreover, the image quality obtained
      using p-MGIR is better than the quality obtained using other algorithms. In this
      work, we propose a novel low-dose CBCT reconstruction algorithm called p-MGIR. It
      can be potentially used as a CBCT reconstruction algorithm with low dose scan
      requests.

PMID- 26485494
TI  - In vivo wideband multifrequency MR elastography of the human brain and liver.
AB  - PURPOSE: To demonstrate the feasibility of in vivo wideband MR elastography
      (wMRE) using continuous, time-harmonic shear vibrations in the frequency range of
      10-50 Hz. THEORY AND METHODS: The method was tested in a gel phantom with marked
      mechanical loss. The brains and livers of eight volunteers were scanned by wMRE
      using multislice, single-shot MRE with optimized fractional encoding and
      synchronization of sequence acquisition to vibration. Multifrequency three
      dimensional inversion was used to reconstruct compound maps of magnitude |G*| and
      phase phi of the complex shear modulus. A new phase estimation, phi*, was
      developed to avoid systematic bias due to noise. RESULTS: In the phantom, G*
      dispersion measured by wMRE agreed well with oscillatory shear rheometry. |G*|
      and phi* measured at vibrations of 10-25 HZ, 25-35 HZ, and 40-50 HZ were 0.62 +/-
      0.08, 1.56 +/- 0.16, 2.18 +/- 0.20 kPa and 0.09 +/- 0.17, 0.39 +/- 0.16, 0.20 +/-
      0.13 rad in brain and 0.89 +/- 0.11, 1.67 +/- 0.20, 2.27 +/- 0.35 kPa and 0.15 +/
      0.10, 0.24 +/- 0.05, 0.26 +/- 0.05 rad in liver. Elastograms including all
      frequencies showed the best resolution of anatomical detail with |G*| = 1.38 +/-
      0.12 kPa, phi* = 0.24 +/- 0.10 rad (brain) and |G*| = 1.79 +/- 0.23 kPa, phi* =
      0.24 +/- 0.05 rad (liver). CONCLUSION: wMRE reveals highly dispersive G*
      properties of the brain and liver, and our results suggest that the influence of
      large-scale structures such as fluid-filled vessels and sulci on the MRE-measured
      parameters increases at low vibration frequencies. Magn Reson Med 76:1116-1126,
      2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26485495
TI  - Germ cell tumors: Treatment consensus across all age groups through MaGIC
      [Malignant Germ Cell International Collaborative].

PMID- 26485497
TI  - Predictive Factors for the Uptake of Coping Strategies by Spousal Dementia
      Caregivers: A Systematic Review.
AB  - An understanding of spousal dementia caregivers' coping strategies and their
      predictive factors is imperative for caregivers' well-being. Although several
      reviews have explored the relationship between coping strategies and outcomes, no
      review has investigated factors that predict caregivers' use of one type of
      coping strategy over another. The current review aimed to identify factors that
      predict caregivers' coping strategies. Within this, we attempted to identify
      caregivers who are more likely to adopt dysfunctional coping strategies and be at
      risk of adverse outcomes. Several electronic databases were systematically
      searched. Twenty-one studies were eligible for review, describing 18 caregiver
      and care-recipient factors related to the 3 coping strategies. No factors were
      classified "predictive," however, 16 factors were "potentially predictive."
      Younger, more highly educated caregivers with greater emotional supports and
      knowledge of dementia were associated with solution-focused coping. Younger, less
      educated caregivers were associated with emotional support/acceptance-based
      coping strategies. Whereas nonwhite caregivers with less emotional supports
      caregiving for persons with more behavioral problems were associated with
      dysfunctional coping strategies. Enhancing caregiver self-efficacy, knowledge of
      dementia, improving social supports, linking to support groups, managing
      behavioral problems, as well as coaching adaptive coping strategies while
      flagging caregivers at risk for dysfunctional coping may improve outcomes for
      caregivers. 

PMID- 26485496
TI  - Cross-validation of a Shortened Battery for the Assessment of Dysexecutive
      Disorders in Alzheimer Disease.
AB  - The frequency of executive disorders in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer disease (AD)
      has been demonstrated by the application of a comprehensive battery. The present
      study analyzed data from 2 recent multicenter studies based on the same executive
      battery. The objective was to derive a shortened battery by using the GREFEX
      population as a training dataset and by cross-validating the results in the
      REFLEX population. A total of 102 AD patients of the GREFEX study (MMSE=23.2+/
      2.9) and 72 patients of the REFLEX study (MMSE=20.8+/-3.5) were included. Tests
      were selected and receiver operating characteristic curves were generated
      relative to the performance of 780 controls from the GREFEX study. Stepwise
      logistic regression identified 3 cognitive tests (Six Elements Task, categorical
      fluency and Trail Making Test B error) and behavioral disorders globally referred
      as global hypoactivity (P=0.0001, all). This shortened battery was as accurate as
      the entire GREFEX battery in diagnosing dysexecutive disorders in both training
      group and the validation group. Bootstrap procedure confirmed the stability of
      AUC. A shortened battery based on 3 cognitive tests and 3 behavioral domains
      provides a high diagnosis accuracy of executive disorders in mild-to-moderate AD.

PMID- 26485498
TI  - Results From the NACC Uniform Data Set Neuropsychological Battery Crosswalk
      Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Four new nonproprietary tests were recommended for use in the
      National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center's Uniform Data Set Neuropsychological
      Battery. These tests are similar to previous tests but also allow for continuity
      of longitudinal data collection and wide dissemination among research
      collaborators. METHODS: A Crosswalk Study was conducted in early 2014 to assess
      the correlation between each set of new and previous tests. Tests with good
      correlation were equated using equipercentile equating. The resulting conversion
      tables allow scores on the new tests to be converted to equivalent scores on the
      previous tests. RESULTS: All pairs of tests had good correlation (rho=0.68 to
      0.78). Learning effects were detected for Logical Memory only. Confidence
      intervals were narrow at each point estimate, and prediction accuracy was high.
      DISCUSSION: The recommended new tests are well correlated with the previous
      tests. The equipercentile equating method produced conversion tables that provide
      a useful reference for clinicians and researchers.

PMID- 26485499
TI  - Improvement of Dream Enactment Behavior Associated With Levetiracetam Treatment
      in Dementia With Lewy Bodies.

PMID- 26485500
TI  - Consider the Source: The Implications of Informant Type on Outcome Assessments.

PMID- 26485501
TI  - CIED infection with either pocket or systemic infection presentation--complete
      device removal and long-term antibiotic treatment; long-term outcome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) infections are
      increasing in numbers. The objective was to review the clinical presentation and
      outcome in patients affected with CIED infections with either local pocket or
      systemic presentation. DESIGN: All device removals due to CIED infection during
      the period from 2005 to 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. CIED infections were
      categorized as systemic or pocket infections. Treatment included complete removal
      of the device, followed by antibiotic treatment of six weeks. RESULTS: Seventy
      one device removals due to infection (32 systemic and 39 pocket infections) were
      recorded during the study period. Median follow-up time was 26 (IQR 9-41) months,
      30 day and 12 month mortality were 4% and 14%, respectively. There was no long
      term difference in mortality between patients with pocket vs. systemic infection
      (p = 0.48). During follow-up no relapses and two cases of new infections were
      noted (2.8%). CONCLUSIONS: CIED infection with systemic or pocket infection was
      difficult to distinguish in clinical presentation and outcome. Complete device
      removal and antibiotic treatment of long duration was safe and without relapses.

PMID- 26485502
TI  - Generation and stabilization of whey-based monodisperse nanoemulsions using ultra
      high-pressure homogenization and small amphipathic co-emulsifier combinations.
AB  - Ultra-high-pressure homogenization (UHPH) was used to generate monodisperse
      stable peanut oil nanoemulsions within a desired nanosize range (<100 nm) (DNR)
      stabilized using combinations of whey protein concentrate (WPC), sodium dodecyl
      sulfate, Triton X-100 (X100), and zwitterionic sulfobetaine-based surfactants
      differing in hydrophobicity. For WPC [2.0% (w/v)], the dispersed-phase fractions
      (phi) of 0.05 and 210 MPa significantly reduced the mean globule size (dvs) but
      the grouped frequency distribution was bimodal and larger than that of DNR.
      Addition of co-emulsifier sulfobetaine 3-10 (SB3-10) [7.5% (w/w) WPC] gave
      particles within DNR (dvs of 73 nm) though still in a bimodal distribution.
      Circular dichroism prior to UHPH showed little disruption of the secondary
      structure of proteins in WPC by SB3-10, whereas X100 obliterated it. A WPC/SB3-10
      mixture retained some periodic structure even when mixed with X100 [10% (w/w)
      WPC] and remarkably gave a narrow monomodal distribution within DNR with the
      highest stability reflected by a lack of creaming after storage for 30 days (22 
      degrees C). 

PMID- 26485503
TI  - Resveratrol abrogates lipopolysaccharide-induced depressive-like behavior,
      neuroinflammatory response, and CREB/BDNF signaling in mice.
AB  - Current evidence supports that depression is accompanied by the activation of the
      inflammatory-response system, and overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines
      may play a role in the pathophysiology of depressive disorders. Resveratrol has
      anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-depressant-like properties. Using an
      animal model of depression induced by a single administration of
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the present study investigated the effects of
      resveratrol on LPS-induced depressive-like behavior and inflammatory-response in
      adult mice. Our results showed that pretreatment with resveratrol (80mg/kg, i.p.)
      for 7 consecutive days reversed LPS-increased the immobility time in the forced
      swimming test and tail suspension test, and LPS-reduced sucrose preference test.
      Moreover, the antidepressant action of resveratrol was paralleled by
      significantly reducing the expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and
      up-regulating phosphorylated cAMP response-element-binding protein (pCREB)/brain
      derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and
      hippocampus. In addition, resveratrol ameliorated LPS-induced NF-kappaB
      activation in the PFC and hippocampus. The results demonstrate that resveratrol
      may be an effective therapeutic agent for LPS-induced depressive-like behavior,
      partially due to its anti-inflammatory aptitude and by modulating pCREB and BDNF
      expression in the brain region of mice. 

PMID- 26485504
TI  - Baicalin inhibiting cerebral ischemia/hypoxia-induced neuronal apoptosis via MRTF
      A-mediated transactivity.
AB  - Baicalin has been shown to provide the neuroprotective effect by alleviating
      cerebral ischemia injury. However, little's known about the underlying mechanism.
      Here, a cerebral artery occlusion (MACO)/reperfusion rat model and rat primary
      cortical neuron culture exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were established to
      evaluate the effect of baicalin on ischemia-induced neuronal apoptosis. We found
      baicalin can significantly less neurological deficit and reduced infarct volume
      in vivo. And it efficiently inhibited neuronal apoptosis in vivo and vitro, which
      was especially characterized by the enhancing of transcription and expression of
      myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL-1) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) in a dose-dependent
      manner. Furthermore, Baicalin markedly increased myocardin-related transcription
      factor-A (MRTF-A) level either in ischemic hemisphere or in primary cortical
      neuron cultures, whiles the anti-apoptosis effect of baicalin was significantly
      inhibited by transfected with the small interfering RNA of MRTF-A (MRTF-A siRNA)
      in primary cortical neuron cultures. The luciferase assays also indicated
      baicalin enhanced the transactivity of MCL-1 and BCL-2 promoter by activating the
      key CArG box (CC [A/T] 6GG) element, which was reduced by MRTF-A siRNA,
      suggesting MRTF-A may participate the anti-apoptosis effect of baicalin, and MRTF
      A was involved in the transcriptional activity of MCL-1 and BCL-2 that was
      induced by baicalin. LY294002 (phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitor)
      and PD98059 (extracellular signal regulates kinase-1/2 (ERK1/2) inhibitor)
      obviously reduced baicalin-induced MRTF-A expression and transactivity and
      expression of MCL-1 and BCL-2, which further abolished the anti-apoptotic effect
      of baicalin on neuronal apoptosis. Taken together, our data provided the evidence
      demonstrating the neuroprotective effect of baicalin partially due to MRTF-A
      mediated transactivity and expression of MCL-1 and BCL-2 by triggering the CArG
      box, which might be controlled by the activation of PI3K and ERK1/2.

PMID- 26485506
TI  - Role of Oral Mucosal Fluid and Electrolyte Absorption and Secretion in Dry Mouth.
AB  - Dry mouth is induced by dehydration of the oral mucosa, resulting from an
      imbalance of fluid supply and clearance within the oral cavity. Saliva is the
      major source of oral mucosal fluid, whereas oral fluid clearance includes
      evaporation and swallowing. Oral mucosal fluid absorption has been suggested to
      play a critical role in oral fluid clearance; over-absorption of water and ions
      across the oral mucosa under certain conditions may be a major component for oral
      fluid imbalance, leading to mucosal dehydration. While numerous studies have
      confirmed that the oral mucosa absorbs fluid and electrolytes, the pathways and
      mechanisms mediating the absorption remain undefined. The transcellular pathway
      regulating oral mucosal epithelial absorption includes aquaporins, epithelial Na+
      channel and/or Na+/H+ exchanger, whereas the paracellular transport is likely to
      be mediated by tight junctions. The regulatory mechanisms of these pathways
      require further elucidation. It remains unclear whether the oral mucosa also
      secretes fluid and ions into the oral cavity. Although intercellular lipids
      secreted by epithelial cells form the major barrier to paracellular water and ion
      transport, the role and regulation of these lipids in oral mucosal hydration in
      physiological and pathological conditions need further investigation. Delineation
      of these mechanisms will be conducive to the development of preventive and
      therapeutic interventions for dry mouth. 

PMID- 26485505
TI  - Mice with Hepatic Loss of the Desmosomal Protein gamma-Catenin Are Prone to
      Cholestatic Injury and Chemical Carcinogenesis.
AB  - gamma-Catenin, an important component of desmosomes, may also participate in Wnt
      signaling. Herein, we dissect the role of gamma-catenin in liver by generating
      conditional gamma-catenin knockout (KO) mice and assessing their phenotype after
      bile duct ligation (BDL) and diethylnitrosamine-induced chemical carcinogenesis.
      At baseline, KO and wild-type littermates showed comparable serum biochemistry,
      liver histology, and global gene expression. beta-Catenin protein was modestly
      increased without any change in Wnt signaling. Desmosomes were maintained in KO,
      and despite no noticeable changes in gene expression, differential detergent
      fractionation revealed quantitative and qualitative changes in desmosomal
      cadherins, plaque proteins, and beta-catenin. Enhanced association of beta
      catenin to desmoglein-2 and plakophilin-3 was observed in KO. When subjected to
      BDL, wild-type littermates showed specific changes in desmosomal protein
      expression. In KO, BDL deteriorated baseline compensatory changes, which
      manifested as enhanced injury and fibrosis. KO also showed enhanced tumorigenesis
      to diethylnitrosamine treatment because of Wnt activation, as also verified in
      vitro. gamma-Catenin overexpression in hepatoma cells increased its binding to T
      cell factor 4 at the expense of beta-catenin-T-cell factor 4 association, induced
      unique target genes, affected Wnt targets, and reduced cell proliferation and
      viability. Thus, gamma-catenin loss in liver is basally well tolerated. However,
      after insults like BDL, these compensations at desmosomes fail, and KO show
      enhanced injury. Also, gamma-catenin negatively regulates tumor growth by
      affecting Wnt signaling.

PMID- 26485507
TI  - Comparison of Subgingival and Peri-implant Microbiome in Chronic Periodontitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To analyse the microbia composition of 10 healthy dental implants and
      10 chronic periodontitis patients. METHODS: Subgingival plaque and peri-implant
      biofilm were sampled at the first molar site before and after implant
      restoration. The analysis was conducted by 454-prosequencing of bacterial V1 to
      V3 regions of 16S rDNA. RESULTS: Chronic periodontitis subjects showed greater
      bacterial diversity compared with implant subjects. The relative abundance of
      sixteen genera and twelve species differed significantly between implant and
      chronic periodontitis subjects. The genera Catonella, Desulfovibrio,
      Mogibacterium, Peptostreptococcus and Propionibacterium were present in higher
      abundance in chronic periodontitis subjects, while implant subjects had higher
      proportions of Brevundimonas and Pseudomonas species. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      demonstrate that implant restoration changes the oral microbiota. The analysis
      suggests that periodontal bacteria can remain for a prolonged period of time at
      non-dental sites, from where they can colonise the peri-implant.

PMID- 26485508
TI  - Prosthodontic Treatment for Severe Oligodontia with Long-term Follow-up.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To express the early prosthodontic treatment strategies for severe
      oligodontia patients with or without a syndrome and to share details of their
      experiences of the long-term follow-up. METHODS: Patients with severe oligodontia
      (excluding the third molars, and with six or more congenitally missing permanent
      teeth) who had finished prosthetic rehabilitation between 2001 and 2014 and who
      had undergone at least 1-year follow-up at the Department of Prosthodontics,
      Peking University School of Stomatology were included in the study. The general
      and oral characteristics were determined and examined, interdisciplinary plans
      were provided, and the prosthodontic treatment conditions were described and
      evaluated. RESULTS: In total 26 subjects were included. Twenty males and six
      females, whose first dental visit occurred between the ages of 2 years and 9
      months old, and 31 years old were recorded, of which, 12 (46.2%) subjects had non
      syndromic oligodontia and 14 (53.8%) had oligodontia with different syndromes.
      The number of congenitally missing teeth (excluding the third molars) was between
      7 to 28 (mean = 18), with 14 and 21 teeth in the non-syndromic and syndromic
      oligodontia patients, respectively. Most of the patients accepted conventional
      prostheses and two had implant-supported crowns or bridges. The age of the first
      prosthesis delivery ranged from 3.5 to 31 years old. The follow-up period ranged
      from 15 months (1 year and 3 months) to 162 months (13.5 years), with a mean of
      108 months (9 years). CONCLUSION: Early treatment for young patients and long
      term follow-up greatly benefits patients. Interdisciplinary treatment ensures
      more satisfactory results.

PMID- 26485509
TI  - Comparison of Measurements on Cone Beam Computed Tomography for Periodontal
      Intrabony Defect with Intra-surgical Measurements.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between cone beam computed tomography
      (CBCT) measurements and direct measurements during the surgery to correct
      intrabony defects. METHODS: Forty-four patients with 44 intrabony defects who
      finished initial periodontal therapy and were considered for periodontal surgery
      were recruited. Digital periapical radiography and CBCT was performed before the
      surgery. The distance from the bottom of the defect to the cementoenamel junction
      (CEJ-BD), the depth and mesio-distal width of the defect were measured on CBCT,
      periapical radiographs and during the surgery. The buccal-lingual width of the
      defect was only recorded on CBCT and during the surgery. Lastly, intra-surgical
      linear measurements were compared with measurements of radiographs and CBCT,
      respectively. RESULTS: The means of the intra-surgical CEJ to BD, the depth of
      the defect, the mesio-distal (M-D) width and the buccal-lingual (B-L) width of
      the defect were 8.90 mm, 5.52 mm, 3.35 mm and 7.40 mm, respectively. Between CBCT
      measurements and surgical measurements the differences for the CEJ to BD (0.76 +/
      1.40 mm) and the depth of the defect (0.63 +/- 1.67 mm) were statistically
      significant, but the differences for the M-D width (-0.17 +/- 0.67 mm) and the B
      L width (-0.16 +/- 0.65 mm) of the defect were not statistically significant.
      CONCLUSION: CBCT could provide relatively accurate measurements of the M-D width
      of the defect and additionally showed accurate measurements of the B-L width of
      the defect which periapical radiographs could not show. However, for vertical
      measurements of the intrabony defect (CEJ to BD and depth of the defect), when
      compared with measurements during the surgery, CBCT showed no advantages over
      periapical radiographs. A new method should be developed for accurately measuring
      the periodontal intrabony defects using CBCT in the future.

PMID- 26485510
TI  - Patterns and Risk Factors for White Spot Lesions in Orthodontic Patients with
      Fixed Appliances.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the development and risk factors of white spot lesions
      (WSLs) in orthodontic patients with fixed appliances in a Chinese population.
      METHODS: A total of 202 subjects participated in the cross-sectional study.
      Clinical examination of the state of the entire labial (buccal) enamel surface
      was conducted under artificial light using a clinical mirror and an explorer. A
      face-to-face interview was conducted through a structured questionnaire to
      collect a range of information, including demographic data, family income, level
      of education, toothbrushing frequency, fluoride toothpaste usage and the use of a
      professional toothbrush (V type). RESULTS: WSLs appeared on 57.9% of the subjects
      after orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances; the mean tooth number of WSLs
      was 4.8. A higher prevalence was observed in subjects whose time of therapy was
      17 months or longer (OR = 3.2, P < 0.050), and who had modified their unhealthy
      dietary habits (OR = 3.7, P < 0.001). Younger individuals or individuals who
      consumed food with sugar at least once a day during the course of their
      orthodontic treatment also exhibited a higher likelihood of experiencing WSLs.
      CONCLUSION: The prevalence of WSLs after orthodontic treatment with fixed
      appliances was relatively high in China. Clinicians should be aware of the risk
      factors of WSLs that may occur during the treatment period.

PMID- 26485511
TI  - Urea Rinse effectively Neutralises Sucrose-induced Decrease in Plaque pH.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the neutralising effects of subsequent urea rinse on
      sucrose-induced decrease in plaque pH with interdental plaque pH telemetry.
      METHOD: Six participants wearing partial lower prostheses which incorporated a
      miniature glass pH electrode were included. After 5 or 6 days of plaque
      accumulation on the tip of the electrode, the subjects rinsed with a 15 ml 10%
      sucrose solution, followed by no subsequent rinsing or rinsing with either 15 ml
      of water, 0.25%, 0.50% or 1.00% urea solution, for 2 min. The plaque pH was
      continuously recorded for 120 min. RESULTS: Without subsequent rinsing, the
      plaque pH decreased at 10 min to 4.39 and stayed below the critical pH of 5.7 for
      80 min following a sucrose rinse. Subsequent water rinse showed little effects on
      the sucrose-induced decrease in plaque pH, whereas subsequent urea rinses all
      immediately and effectively neutralised sucrose-induced decrease in plaque pH,
      and remained above the critical pH of 5.7 until the end of data collection.
      CONCLUSION: Urea rinse could effectively counteract the pH fall following sucrose
      administration. These results strongly suggested that the regular use of low
      concentration urea rinse after carbohydrate consumption may help prevent caries.

PMID- 26485512
TI  - Evaluation by CBCT of Root and Canal Morphology in Mandibular Premolars in an
      Iranian Population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the root canal morphology in the left and right mandibular
      premolars on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. METHODS: In this
      analytical cross-sectional study, 457 CBCT images, including human left and right
      mandibular premolars were evaluated. CBCT scans were investigated in the three
      spatial planes and differences in the number of roots and canals were recorded.
      Data were analysed using chi-square test. The significance level was set at P <
      0.05. RESULTS: From 914 mandibular first premolars, in the left side, 85.6% had
      one root and 14.4% had two roots; 69.6% had one canal and 30.4% had two canals.
      In the right side 87.3% had one root and 12.7% had two roots; 66.5% had one canal
      and 33.5% had two canals. There was no statistically significant difference in
      the number of roots (P = 0.440) and canals (P = 0.321) between left and right
      mandibular first premolars. From 914 mandibular second premolars, in the left
      side, 94.3% had one root and 5.7% had two roots; 77.9% had one canal and 22.1%
      had two canals. In the right side, 95.6% had one root and 4.4% had two roots;
      83.4% had one canal and 16.6% had two canals. There was a significant difference
      in the number of canals between the left and right mandibular second premolars (P
      = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: The root canal morphology in the mandibular left and right
      premolars was different, but there was a significant difference only in the
      number of canals in the mandibular second premolars.

PMID- 26485513
TI  - Whole Retinal Explants from Chicken Embryos for Electroporation and Chemical
      Reagent Treatments.
AB  - The retina is a good model for the developing central nervous system. The large
      size of the eye and most importantly the accessibility for experimental
      manipulations in ovo/in vivo makes the chicken embryonic retina a versatile and
      very efficient experimental model. Although the chicken retina is easy to target
      in ovo by intraocular injections or electroporation, the effective and exact
      concentration of the reagents within the retina may be difficult to fully
      control. This may be due to variations of the exact injection site, leakage from
      the eye or uneven diffusion of the substances. Furthermore, the frequency of
      malformations and mortality after invasive manipulations such as electroporation
      is rather high. This protocol describes an ex ovo technique for culturing whole
      retinal explants from chicken embryos and provides a method for controlled
      exposure of the retina to reagents. The protocol describes how to dissect,
      experimentally manipulate, and culture whole retinal explants from chicken
      embryos. The explants can be cultured for approximately 24 hr and be subjected to
      different manipulations such as electroporation. The major advantages are that
      the experiment is not dependent on the survival of the embryo and that the
      concentration of the introduced reagent can be varied and controlled in order to
      determine and optimize the effective concentration. Furthermore, the technique is
      rapid, cheap and together with its high experimental success rate, it ensures
      reproducible results. It should be emphasized that it serves as an excellent
      complement to experiments performed in ovo. 

PMID- 26485515
TI  - Copper-Catalyzed Oxidative C-H Amination of Tetrahydrofuran with Indole/Carbazole
      Derivatives.
AB  - A simple alpha-C-H amination of cyclic ether with indole/carbazole derivatives
      has been accomplished by employing copper(II) chloride/bipy as the catalyst
      system. In the presence of the di-tert-butyl peroxide oxidant, cyclic ethers such
      as tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane, and tetrahydropyran successfully undergo C-H/N-H
      cross dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) with various carbazole or indole derivatives
      in good-to-excellent yields. 

PMID- 26485514
TI  - NINL and DZANK1 Co-function in Vesicle Transport and Are Essential for
      Photoreceptor Development in Zebrafish.
AB  - Ciliopathies are Mendelian disorders caused by dysfunction of cilia, ubiquitous
      organelles involved in fluid propulsion (motile cilia) or signal transduction
      (primary cilia). Retinal dystrophy is a common phenotypic characteristic of
      ciliopathies since photoreceptor outer segments are specialized primary cilia.
      These ciliary structures heavily rely on intracellular minus-end directed
      transport of cargo, mediated at least in part by the cytoplasmic dynein 1 motor
      complex, for their formation, maintenance and function. Ninein-like protein
      (NINL) is known to associate with this motor complex and is an important
      interaction partner of the ciliopathy-associated proteins lebercilin, USH2A and
      CC2D2A. Here, we scrutinize the function of NINL with combined proteomic and
      zebrafish in vivo approaches. We identify Double Zinc Ribbon and Ankyrin Repeat
      domains 1 (DZANK1) as a novel interaction partner of NINL and show that loss of
      Ninl, Dzank1 or both synergistically leads to dysmorphic photoreceptor outer
      segments, accumulation of trans-Golgi-derived vesicles and mislocalization of
      Rhodopsin and Ush2a in zebrafish. In addition, retrograde melanosome transport is
      severely impaired in zebrafish lacking Ninl or Dzank1. We further demonstrate
      that NINL and DZANK1 are essential for intracellular dynein-based transport by
      associating with complementary subunits of the cytoplasmic dynein 1 motor
      complex, thus shedding light on the structure and stoichiometry of this important
      motor complex. Altogether, our results support a model in which the NINL-DZANK1
      protein module is involved in the proper assembly and folding of the cytoplasmic
      dynein 1 motor complex in photoreceptor cells, a process essential for outer
      segment formation and function. 

PMID- 26485516
TI  - Iron transport in the kidney: implications for physiology and cadmium
      nephrotoxicity.
AB  - The kidney has recently emerged as an organ with a significant role in systemic
      iron (Fe) homeostasis. Substantial amounts of Fe are filtered by the kidney,
      which have to be reabsorbed to prevent Fe deficiency. Accordingly Fe transporters
      and receptors for protein-bound Fe are expressed in the nephron that may also
      function as entry pathways for toxic metals, such as cadmium (Cd), by way of
      "ionic and molecular mimicry". Similarities, but also differences in handling of
      Cd by these transport routes offer rationales for the propensity of the kidney to
      develop Cd toxicity. This critical review provides a comprehensive update on Fe
      transport by the kidney and its relevance for physiology and Cd nephrotoxicity.
      Based on quantitative considerations, we have also estimated the in vivo
      relevance of the described transport pathways for physiology and toxicology.
      Under physiological conditions all segments of the kidney tubules are likely to
      utilize Fe for cellular Fe requiring processes for metabolic purposes and also to
      contribute to reabsorption of free and bound forms of Fe into the circulation.
      But Cd entering tubule cells disrupts metabolic pathways and is unable to exit.
      Furthermore, our quantitative analyses contest established models linking chronic
      Cd nephrotoxicity to proximal tubular uptake of metallothionein-bound Cd. Hence,
      Fe transport by the kidney may be beneficial by preventing losses from the body.
      But increased uptake of Fe or Cd that cannot exit tubule cells may lead to kidney
      injury, and Fe deficiency may facilitate renal Cd uptake.

PMID- 26485517
TI  - Identification of the critical attribute(s) of EBV gp350 antigen required for
      elicitation of a neutralizing antibody response in vivo.
AB  - Vaccine prophylaxis with EBV glycoprotein 350 (gp350) subunit plus adjuvant has
      been demonstrated clinically to protect individuals against infectious
      mononucleosis (IM), but the specifications of the antigen required to elicit this
      protection has remained largely theoretical. Previous studies have shown that
      antibodies to gp350 comprise the principle component of EBV-neutralizing sera.
      Further, a murine monoclonal antibody against gp350 (clone 72A1) is able to
      prevent infection by the virus both in vitro and in vivo. In the present study,
      we identify the 72A1 epitope on recombinant gp350 antigen as the site required
      for binding to CD21 on human B cells. We also identify the need for
      conformational-dependence of the antigen to generate EBV-neutralizing antibodies
      in vivo. Further, we have characterized the glycosylation status and antigenicity
      profiles of both native and denatured CHO-produced soluble gp350 as well as non
      glycosylated protein produced in Escherichia coli. Collectively our in vitro and
      in vivo data demonstrate the requirement for a conformationally accessible 72A1
      epitope on gp350 to elicit EBV-neutralizing responses, and establish this as a
      critical attribute of this vaccine antigen. These data provide direction for
      commercial vaccine development, as the absence of this epitope on either E. coli
      expressed or denatured gp350, may limit production and purification options for
      the antigen. 

PMID- 26485518
TI  - Connecting Age-Related Biological Decline to Frailty and Late-Life Vulnerability.
AB  - Frailty is an important construct in aging which allows for the identification of
      the most vulnerable subset of older adults. At least two conceptual models of
      frailty have been developed that have in turn facilitated the development of
      multiple frailty screening tools. This has enabled the study of populations of
      frail and nonfrail older adults, and facilitated the risk assessment for adverse
      health outcomes. In addition, using the syndromic approach to frailty, numerous
      biological hypotheses have been tested, which have identified chronic
      inflammatory pathway activation, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation,
      and sympathetic nervous system activity as important in the development of
      frailty. In addition, age-related molecular changes related to autophagy,
      mitochondrial decline, apoptosis, senescent cell development, and necroptosis
      likely contribute to the heterogeneous phenotype of frailty. The recent
      development of a frail mouse model with chronic inflammatory pathway activation
      has helped to facilitate further whole organism biological discoveries. The
      following article attempts to create an understanding of the connections between
      these age-related biological changes and frailty. 

PMID- 26485520
TI  - Brucellosis and Coxiella burnetii Infection in Householders and Their Animals in
      Secure Villages in Herat Province, Afghanistan: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Brucellosis and coxiellosis are known to be endemic in ruminant
      populations throughout Afghanistan, but information about their prevalence and
      factors that affect prevalence in householders and livestock under diverse
      husbandry systems and pastoral settings is sparse. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We
      conducted a cross-sectional survey to investigate the seroprevalence of
      brucellosis and Coxiella burnetii in humans and livestock in six secure districts
      in Herat from 26th December 2012-17th January 2013. A total of 204 households
      with livestock were surveyed in six Kuchi and five sedentary type villages. Blood
      samples from 1,017 humans, 1,143 sheep, 876 goats and 344 cattle were tested for
      brucellosis and Q fever. About one in six households (15.7%) had at least one
      Brucella seropositive person, about one in eight households (12.3%) had at least
      one Brucella seropositive animal and about one in four (24.5%) had either
      seropositive animals or humans. Ninety-seven percent of households had at least
      one C. burnetii seropositive person and 98.5% of households had one or more C.
      burnetii seropositive animals. Forty- seven householders had serological evidence
      of exposure to both C. burnetii and Brucella and eight animals were serologically
      positive for both diseases. Drinking unpasteurised milk (OR 1.6), treating
      animals for ticks (OR 1.4), milking sheep (OR 1.4), male gender (OR 1.4) and
      seropositivity to Brucella (OR 4.3) were identified as risk factors for
      seropositivity to C. burnetii in householders. Household factors associated with
      households having either Brucella seropositive animals or humans were Kuchi
      households (OR 2.5), having <= 4 rooms in the house (OR 2.9) and not owning land
      (OR 2.9). CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study provide baseline information
      for the planning and monitoring of future interventions against these diseases.
      The implementation of this study greatly improved collaboration, coordination and
      capability of veterinary and public health professionals from government, NGOs
      and donor funded projects.

PMID- 26485519
TI  - CD39 Expression Identifies Terminally Exhausted CD8+ T Cells.
AB  - Exhausted T cells express multiple co-inhibitory molecules that impair their
      function and limit immunity to chronic viral infection. Defining novel markers of
      exhaustion is important both for identifying and potentially reversing T cell
      exhaustion. Herein, we show that the ectonucleotidse CD39 is a marker of
      exhausted CD8+ T cells. CD8+ T cells specific for HCV or HIV express high levels
      of CD39, but those specific for EBV and CMV do not. CD39 expressed by CD8+ T
      cells in chronic infection is enzymatically active, co-expressed with PD-1, marks
      cells with a transcriptional signature of T cell exhaustion and correlates with
      viral load in HIV and HCV. In the mouse model of chronic Lymphocytic
      Choriomeningitis Virus infection, virus-specific CD8+ T cells contain a
      population of CD39high CD8+ T cells that is absent in functional memory cells
      elicited by acute infection. This CD39high CD8+ T cell population is enriched for
      cells with the phenotypic and functional profile of terminal exhaustion. These
      findings provide a new marker of T cell exhaustion, and implicate the purinergic
      pathway in the regulation of T cell exhaustion. 

PMID- 26485521
TI  - Experience with Thoracoscopic Repair of Long Gap Esophageal Atresia in Neonates.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This report evaluates the results of a two-surgeon experience with
      thoracoscopic repair in patients with long gap esophageal atresia (EA). MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: From March 2000 to February 2015, 14 consecutive patients with pure
      EA were repaired thoracoscopically. The gap length was then evaluated by contrast
      gastrostomy tube study. Patients were operated on between 4 to 8 weeks of age.
      Patient weights ranged from 2.6 to 3.8 kg. The longest gap was 71/2 vertebral
      bodies. Dissection was carried well up into the thoracic inlet on the upper pouch
      and down to the esophageal hiatus on the lower pouch. A 15th patient was not
      referred until 3 months of age. RESULTS: All 15 procedures were completed
      successfully thoracoscopically. Operative times ranged from 60 to 135 minutes.
      There were two leaks; both resolved with conservative therapy. Feeds were started
      on Day 5 in all other patients. Six of 13 patients required dilations (one to
      nine), and 8 required a Nissen fundoplication for severe reflux. All patients are
      currently on full oral feeds. No patient has any evidence of chest wall
      asymmetry, winged scapula, or clinically significant scoliosis. CONCLUSIONS:
      Thoracoscopic repair of long gap EA has proven to be an effective and safe
      technique when performed in the first 2 months of life. The improved
      visualization and access to the upper pouch and lower pouches allow for maximal
      mobilization. The results are superior to those of documented open series and
      avoid the morbidity of repeated operations in the neonatal period.

PMID- 26485522
TI  - Microelectrode Guided Implantation of Electrodes into the Subthalamic Nucleus of
      Rats for Long-term Deep Brain Stimulation.
AB  - Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a widely used and effective therapy for several
      neurologic disorders, such as idiopathic Parkinson's disease, dystonia or tremor.
      DBS is based on the delivery of electrical stimuli to specific deep anatomic
      structures of the central nervous system. However, the mechanisms underlying the
      effect of DBS remain enigmatic. This has led to an interest in investigating the
      impact of DBS in animal models, especially in rats. As DBS is a long-term
      therapy, research should be focused on molecular-genetic changes of neural
      circuits that occur several weeks after DBS. Long-term DBS in rats is challenging
      because the rats move around in their cage, which causes problems in keeping in
      place the wire leading from the head of the animal to the stimulator.
      Furthermore, target structures for stimulation in the rat brain are small and
      therefore electrodes cannot easily be placed at the required position. Thus, a
      set-up for long-lasting stimulation of rats using platinum/iridium electrodes
      with an impedance of about 1 MOmega was developed for this study. An electrode
      with these specifications allows for not only adequate stimulation but also
      recording of deep brain structures to identify the target area for DBS. In our
      set-up, an electrode with a plug for the wire was embedded in dental cement with
      four anchoring screws secured onto the skull. The wire from the plug to the
      stimulator was protected by a stainless-steel spring. A swivel was connected to
      the circuit to prevent the wire from becoming tangled. Overall, this stimulation
      set-up offers a high degree of free mobility for the rat and enables the head
      plug, as well as the wire connection between the plug and the stimulator, to
      retain long-lasting strength. 

PMID- 26485523
TI  - The Impact of PNPLA3 rs738409 Genetic Polymorphism and Weight Gain >=10 kg after
      Age 20 on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Non-Obese Japanese Individuals.
AB  - Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in non-obese individuals is
      inadequately elucidated. We aim to investigate the impact of known genetic
      polymorphisms on NAFLD and the interaction between genetic risks and weight gain
      on NAFLD in obese and non-obese Japanese individuals. A total of 1164
      participants who received health checkups were included. Participants with
      excessive alcohol consumption, with viral hepatitis or other inappropriate cases
      were excluded. Fatty liver was diagnosed by ultrasonography. Participants with a
      body mass index (BMI) of <18.5 kg/m2, 18.5-22.9 kg/m2, 23.0-24.9 kg/m2 and >=25
      kg/m2 were classified underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese,
      respectively. Self-administered questionnaire for lifestyle was assessed and a
      total of 8 previously reported genetic polymorphisms were chosen and examined. In
      all, 824 subjects were enrolled. The overall prevalence of NAFLD was 33.0%: 0% in
      underweight, 15.3% in normal weight, 41.1% in overweight and 71.7% in obese
      individuals. The prevalence of NAFLD is more affected by the G allele of patatin
      like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 (PNPLA3) rs738409 in normal weight
      (odds ratio (OR) 3.52; 95%-CI: 1.42-8.71; P = 0.0063) and in overweight
      individuals (OR 2.60; 95%-CI: 1.14-5.91; P = 0.0225) than in obese individuals
      (not significant). Moreover, the G allele of PNPLA3 rs738409 and weight gain >=10
      kg after age 20 had a joint effect on the risk of NAFLD in the normal weight (OR
      12.00; 95% CI: 3.71-38.79; P = 3.3*10-5) and the overweight individuals (OR
      13.40; 95% CI: 2.92-61.36; P = 0.0008). The G allele of PNPLA3 rs738409 is a
      prominent risk factor for NAFLD and the interaction between the PNPLA3 rs738409
      and weight gain >=10 kg after age 20 plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of
      NAFLD, especially in non-obese Japanese individuals. 

PMID- 26485524
TI  - The Role of Quality Health Services and Discussion about Birth Spacing in
      Postpartum Contraceptive Use in Sindh, Pakistan: A Multilevel Analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rapid population growth, stagnant contraceptive prevalence, and
      high unmet need for family planning present significant challenges for meeting
      Pakistan's national and international development goals. Although health
      behaviors are shaped by multiple social and environmental factors, research on
      contraceptive uptake in Pakistan has focused on individual and household
      determinants, and little attention has been given to community characteristics
      that may affect access to services and reproductive behavior. METHODS: Individual
      and community determinants of contraceptive use were identified using
      multivariable multilevel logistic regression to analyze data from a 2014 cross
      sectional survey of 6,200 mothers in 503 communities in Sindh, Pakistan. RESULTS:
      Only 27% of women who had given birth in the two years before the study reported
      using contraceptives. After adjusting for individual and community
      characteristics, there was no difference in the odds of contraceptive use between
      urban and rural women. Women who had delivered at a health facility had 1.4 times
      higher odds of contraceptive use than women who delivered at home. Those who
      received information about birth spacing from a doctor or relatives/friends had
      1.81 and 1.38 times higher odds of contraceptive use, respectively, than those
      who did not. Living in a community where a higher proportion of women received
      quality antenatal care and where discussion of birth spacing was more common was
      significantly associated with contraceptive use. Community-wide poverty lowered
      contraceptive use. CONCLUSIONS: Quality of care at the community level has strong
      effects on contraceptive use, independent of the characteristics of individual
      households or women. These findings suggest that powerful gains in contraceptive
      use may be realized by improving the quality of antenatal care in Pakistan.
      Community health workers should focus on generating discussion of birth spacing
      in the community. Outreach efforts should target communities where the demand for
      contraception appears to be depressed due to high levels of poverty.

PMID- 26485525
TI  - Hybridization between Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout and Rainbow Trout Alters the
      Expression of Muscle Growth-Related Genes and Their Relationships with Growth
      Patterns.
AB  - Hybridization creates novel gene combinations that may generate important
      evolutionary novelty, but may also reduce existing adaptation by interrupting
      inherent biological processes, such as genotype-environment interactions.
      Hybridization often causes substantial change in patterns of gene expression,
      which, in turn, may cause phenotypic change. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
      and cutthroat trout (O. clarkii) produce viable hybrids in the wild, and
      introgressive hybridization with introduced rainbow trout is a major conservation
      concern for native cutthroat trout. The two species differ in body shape, which
      is likely an evolutionary adaptation to their native environments, and their
      hybrids tend to show intermediate morphology. The characterization of gene
      expression patterns may provide insights on the genetic basis of hybrid and
      parental morphologies, as well as on the ecological performance of hybrids in the
      wild. Here, we evaluated the expression of eight growth-related genes (MSTN-1a,
      MSTN-1b, MyoD1a, MyoD1b, MRF-4, IGF-1, IGF-2, and CAST-L) and the relationship of
      these genes with growth traits (length, weight, and condition factor) in six line
      crosses: both parental species, both reciprocal F1 hybrids, and both first
      generation backcrosses (F1 x rainbow trout and F1 x cutthroat trout). Four of
      these genes were differentially expressed among rainbow, cutthroat, and their
      hybrids. Transcript abundance was significantly correlated with growth traits
      across the parent species, but not across hybrids. Our findings suggest that
      rainbow and cutthroat trout exhibit differences in muscle growth regulation, that
      transcriptional networks may be modified by hybridization, and that hybridization
      disrupts intrinsic relationships between gene expression and growth patterns that
      may be functionally important for phenotypic adaptations. 

PMID- 26485526
TI  - Correction: Spatial, Temporal, and Density-Dependent Components of Habitat
      Quality for a Desert Owl.

PMID- 26485528
TI  - Correction: Combining Cationic Liposomal Delivery with MPL-TDM for Cysteine
      Protease Cocktail Vaccination against Leishmania donovani: Evidence for Antigen
      Synergy and Protection.

PMID- 26485527
TI  - Evaluation of whole-mount in situ hybridization as a tool for pathway-based
      toxicological research with early-life stage fathead minnows.
AB  - Early-life stage fish can be more sensitive to toxicants than adults, so
      delineating mechanisms of perturbation of biological pathways by chemicals during
      this life stage is crucial. Whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH) paired with
      quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) assays can enhance
      pathway-based analyses through determination of specific tissues where changes in
      gene expression are occurring. While WISH has frequently been used in zebrafish
      (Danio rerio), this technology has not previously been applied to fathead minnows
      (Pimephales promelas), another well-established small fish model species. The
      objective of the present study was to adapt WISH to fathead minnow embryos and
      larvae, and use the approach to evaluate the effects of estrone, an
      environmentally-relevant estrogen receptor (ER) agonist. Embryos were exposed via
      the water to 0, 18 or 1800 ng estrone/L (0, 0.067 and 6.7nM) for 3 or 6 days in a
      solvent-free, flow-through test system. Relative transcript abundance of three
      estrogen-responsive genes, estrogen receptor-alpha (esr1), cytochrome P450
      aromatase B (cyp19b), and vitellogenin (vtg) was examined in pooled whole embryos
      using QPCR, and the spatial distribution of up-regulated gene transcripts was
      examined in individual fish using WISH. After 3 days of exposure to 1800 ng
      estrone/L, esr1 and cyp19b were significantly up-regulated, while vtg mRNA
      expression was not affected. After 6 days of exposure to 1800 ng estrone/L,
      transcripts for all three genes were significantly up-regulated. Corresponding
      WISH assays revealed spatial distribution of esr1 and vtg in the liver region, an
      observation consistent with activation of the hepatic ER. This study clearly
      demonstrates the potential utility of WISH, in conjunction with QPCR, to examine
      the mechanistic basis of the effects of toxicants on early-life stage fathead
      minnows.

PMID- 26485531
TI  - General, Label-Free Method for Determining K(d) and Ligand Concentration
      Simultaneously.
AB  - Some of the most commonly used affinity reagents (e.g., antibodies) are often
      developed and used in conditions where their input concentrations ([L]0) and
      affinities (K(d)) are not known. Here, we have developed a general approach to
      determine both [L]0 and K(d) values simultaneously for affinity reagents (small
      molecules, proteins, and antibodies). To do this, we perform quantitative
      equilibrium exclusion immunoassays with two different concentrations of target
      and fit the data simultaneously to determine K(d) and [L]0. The results give
      accurate and reproducible measures of both values compared to established
      methods. By performing detailed error analysis, we demonstrate that our fitting
      gives unique solutions and indicates where K(d) and [L]0 measures are reliable.
      Furthermore, we found that a divalent model of antibody binding gives accurate
      K(d) and [L]0 values in both the forward (antibody immobilized) and the reverse
      (target immobilized) assays-addressing the long-term problem of obtaining
      quantitative data from reverse assays.

PMID- 26485529
TI  - An Orthologous Epigenetic Gene Expression Signature Derived from Differentiating
      Embryonic Stem Cells Identifies Regulators of Cardiogenesis.
AB  - Here we used predictive gene expression signatures within a multi-species
      framework to identify the genes that underlie cardiac cell fate decisions in
      differentiating embryonic stem cells. We show that the overlapping orthologous
      mouse and human genes are the most accurate candidate cardiogenic genes as these
      genes identified the most conserved developmental pathways that characterize the
      cardiac lineage. An RNAi-based screen of the candidate genes in Drosophila
      uncovered numerous novel cardiogenic genes. shRNA knockdown combined with
      transcriptome profiling of the newly-identified transcription factors zinc finger
      protein 503 and zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 2 and the well-known cardiac
      regulatory factor NK2 homeobox 5 revealed that zinc finger E-box binding homeobox
      2 activates terminal differentiation genes required for cardiomyocyte structure
      and function whereas zinc finger protein 503 and NK2 homeobox 5 are required for
      specification of the cardiac lineage. We further demonstrated that an essential
      role of NK2 homeobox 5 and zinc finger protein 503 in specification of the
      cardiac lineage is the repression of gene expression programs characteristic of
      alternative cell fates. Collectively, these results show that orthologous gene
      expression signatures can be used to identify conserved cardiogenic pathways. 

PMID- 26485532
TI  - The effectiveness of oral appliances for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: A meta
      analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of oral appliances (OAs) for managing
      patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of
      Science, CENTRAL and SIGLE were electronically searched from January 1980 to
      September 2015 for randomized or nonrandomized controlled trials that assessed
      the effectiveness of OAs on OSAS. The processes of study search, selection, data
      extraction, assessment of risk of bias and evaluation of evidence quality were
      conducted independently by two reviewer authors. Meta-analyses were performed in
      Review Manager 5, Stata11.0 and StatsDirect 2.7.9. RESULTS: Finally, we included
      17 eligible studies which compared OAs and placebo or blank control. Six outcomes
      were assessed in this meta-analysis, i.e., apnea hypopnea index (AHI),
      respiratory arousal index (RAI), minimum oxygen saturation(MinSaO2), rapid eye
      movement (REM) sleep, sleep efficiency and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Meta
      analysis revealed that the pooled mean differences were -10.26 [95% CI: (-12.59, 
      7.93)], -9.03 [95% CI: (-11.89, -6.17)], 3.08 [95% CI: (1.97, 4.19)], 0.36 [95%
      CI: (-0.30, 1.02)], 1.34 [95% CI: (-0.05, 2.73)] and -1.76 [95% CI: (-2.57, 
      0.94)], respectively. The sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis displayed
      generally robust results except for MinSaO2, REM sleep and sleep efficiency.
      Furthermore, publication bias was detected in RAI and MinSaO2. CONCLUSIONS: The
      available evidence indicates benefits in respiration and sleep quality with oral
      appliances as compared to placebo devices or blank control, while we cannot
      determine its effectiveness in sleep efficiency and sleep architecture
      alterations. However, due to low evidence quality as revealed by GRADE, this
      finding should be interpreted with caution. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Through
      critical meta-analyses, we found that oral appliances are effective in
      respiration improving and sleep quality. The existing evidence supports the
      employment of OAs as a recommendable treatment option for OSA. This meta-analysis
      helps to direct clinical practice and future research, and promises to be of
      great interest for both practitioners and researchers.

PMID- 26485533
TI  - A Study on Mediation by Offspring BMI in the Association between Maternal Obesity
      and Child Respiratory Outcomes in the Amsterdam Born and Their Development Study
      Cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A causal relationship between maternal obesity and offspring asthma
      is hypothesized to begin during early development, but no underlying mechanism
      for the found association is identified. We quantitatively examined mediation by
      offspring body mass index (BMI) in the association of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI
      on risk of asthma and wheezing during the first 7-8 years of life in a large
      Amsterdam born birth cohort. METHODS: For 3185 mother-child pairs, mothers
      reported maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and offspring outcomes "ever being diagnosed
      with asthma" and "wheezing in the past 12 months" on questionnaires. We measured
      offspring height and weight at age 5-6 years. We performed a multivariate log
      linear regression comparing outcomes in offspring of mothers with different BMI
      categories. For each category we quantified and tested mediation by offspring BMI
      and also investigated interaction by parental asthma. RESULTS: At the age of 7-8
      years, 8% of the offspring ever had asthma and 7% had current wheezing. Maternal
      pre-pregnancy obesity was associated with higher risks of asthma (adjusted RR
      2.32 (95% CI: 1.49-3.61) and wheezing (adjusted RR 2.16 (95% CI: 1.28-3.64).
      Offspring BMI was a mediator in the association between maternal BMI and
      offspring wheezing, but not for asthma. There was no interaction by parental
      asthma. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity was associated with higher
      risks of offspring asthma and wheezing. The association between maternal obesity
      and offspring wheezing was both direct and indirect (mediated) through the
      child's own BMI.

PMID- 26485535
TI  - Toxic Takifugu pardalis eggs found in Takifugu niphobles gut: Implications for
      TTX accumulation in the pufferfish.
AB  - Pufferfish (Takifugu spp.) possess a potent neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin (TTX). TTX
      has been detected in various organisms including food animals of pufferfish, and
      TTX-producing bacteria have been isolated from these animals. TTX in marine
      pufferfish accumulates in the pufferfish via the food web starting with marine
      bacteria. However, such accumulation is unlikely to account for the amount of TTX
      in the pufferfish body because of the minute amounts of TTX produced by marine
      bacteria. Therefore, the toxification process in pufferfish still remains
      unclear. In this article we report the presence of numerous Takifugu pardalis
      eggs in the intestinal contents of another pufferfish, Takifugu niphobles. The
      identity of T. pardalis being determined by direct sequencing for mitochondrial
      DNA. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed that the peak detected in the egg samples
      corresponded to TTX. Toxification experiments in recirculating aquaria
      demonstrated that cultured Takifugu rubripes quickly became toxic upon being fed
      toxic (TTX-containing) T. rubripes eggs. These results suggest that T. niphobles
      ingested the toxic eggs of another pufferfish T. pardalis to toxify themselves
      more efficiently via a TTX loop consisting of TTX-bearing organisms at a higher
      trophic level in the food web.

PMID- 26485534
TI  - Changes in Cerebral Hemodynamics during Complex Motor Learning by Character Entry
      into Touch-Screen Terminals.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Studies of cerebral hemodynamics during motor learning have mostly
      focused on neurorehabilitation interventions and their effectiveness. However,
      only a few imaging studies of motor learning and the underlying complex cognitive
      processes have been performed. METHODS: We measured cerebral hemodynamics using
      near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in relation to acquisition patterns of motor
      skills in healthy subjects using character entry into a touch-screen terminal.
      Twenty healthy, right-handed subjects who had no previous experience with
      character entry using a touch-screen terminal participated in this study. They
      were asked to enter the characters of a randomly formed Japanese syllabary into
      the touch-screen terminal. All subjects performed the task with their right thumb
      for 15 s alternating with 25 s of rest for 30 repetitions. Performance was
      calculated by subtracting the number of incorrect answers from the number of
      correct answers, and gains in motor skills were evaluated according to the
      changes in performance across cycles. Behavioral and oxygenated hemoglobin
      concentration changes across task cycles were analyzed using Spearman's rank
      correlations. RESULTS: Performance correlated positively with task cycle, thus
      confirming motor learning. Hemodynamic activation over the left sensorimotor
      cortex (SMC) showed a positive correlation with task cycle, whereas activations
      over the right prefrontal cortex (PFC) and supplementary motor area (SMA) showed
      negative correlations. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that increases in finger momentum
      with motor learning are reflected in the activity of the left SMC. We further
      speculate that the right PFC and SMA were activated during the early phases of
      motor learning, and that this activity was attenuated with learning progress.

PMID- 26485536
TI  - Development and in vitro characterisation of an oral self-emulsifying delivery
      system for daptomycin.
AB  - It was the aim of this study to develop an oral self-emulsifying drug delivery
      system (SEDDS) for the peptide drug daptomycin exhibiting an anionic net charge.
      Drug lipophilicity was increased by hydrophobic ion pairing with cationic
      surfactant dodecylamine hydrochloride in molar ratio of surfactant to peptide
      5:1. Log P (octanol/water) of -5.0 was even raised to +4.8 due to complexation
      with dodecylamine hydrochloride. Various SEDDS formulations were developed and
      characterised regarding emulsification properties, droplet size, polydispersity
      index and zeta potential. When the daptomycin dodecylamine complex (DAP/DOA) was
      dissolved in a formulation containing 35% Dermofeel MCT, 30% Capmul MCM and 35%
      Cremophor RH40, a maximum payload of even 8.0% (w/w) corresponding to 5.5% pure
      daptomycin was achieved. The formulation was degraded by lipase within 90min.
      Release studies of daptomycin from this formulation emulsified in 50mM phosphate
      buffer pH6.8 demonstrated a sustained drug release for at least six hours.
      Moreover, SEDDS exhibited also mucus permeating properties as well as a
      protective effect towards drug degradation by alpha-chymotrypsin. According to
      these results, SEDDS containing 8% DAP/DOA complex may be considered as a new
      potential oral delivery system for daptomycin. 

PMID- 26485537
TI  - Meiotic Spindle Assessment in Mouse Oocytes by siRNA-mediated Silencing.
AB  - Errors in chromosome segregation during meiotic division in gametes can lead to
      aneuploidy that is subsequently transmitted to the embryo upon fertilization. The
      resulting aneuploidy in developing embryos is recognized as a major cause of
      pregnancy loss and congenital birth defects such as Down's syndrome. Accurate
      chromosome segregation is critically dependent on the formation of the
      microtubule spindle apparatus, yet this process remains poorly understood in
      mammalian oocytes. Intriguingly, meiotic spindle assembly differs from mitosis
      and is regulated, at least in part, by unique microtubule organizing centers
      (MTOCs). Assessment of MTOC-associated proteins can provide valuable insight into
      the regulatory mechanisms that govern meiotic spindle formation and organization.
      Here, we describe methods to isolate mouse oocytes and deplete MTOC-associated
      proteins using a siRNA-mediated approach to test function. In addition, we
      describe oocyte fixation and immunofluorescence analysis conditions to evaluate
      meiotic spindle formation and organization. 

PMID- 26485538
TI  - Temperature Tunable Self-Doping in Stable Diradicaloid Thin-Film Devices.
AB  - FDT and FDT-Br diradicaloids with stable coexisting close-shell and open-shell
      forms exhibit unconventional self-doping behavior in solid-state electronic
      devices that is temperature (T) tunable and reversible. The doping is
      strengthened by the increased T, leading to the absence of off-states (I(off)) in
      the transistors.

PMID- 26485540
TI  - Evaluation of novel Akt1 inhibitors as anticancer agents using virtual co
      crystallized pharmacophore generation.
AB  - The pharmacophoric features of the virtual co-crystallized protein of 17 Akt1
      proteins were downloaded from the protein data bank, and explored to end up with
      132 generated pharmacophores that had been evaluated using the decoy list
      composed of 1724 compounds. The areas under the curve of the Receiver-Operating
      Characteristic (ROC-AUC) were sorted, and the highest ranked pharmacophore
      3MV5_2_01 was selected to be used as a searching tool in the National Cancer
      Institute (NCI) database. The captured hits were mapped based on successful
      hypotheses and the best fitted compounds were selected. The inhibition of Akt1
      was measured and expressed as a percentage of inhibition. 24 out of the 40
      compounds showed inhibition of Akt1, out of which 13 compounds showed more than
      50% inhibition. Compound 1 showed 93.3% inhibition at 100 MUM concentration. To
      confirm the inhibition of Akt1 phosphorylation, MCF10A cell line was co-treated
      with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and 100 MUM of each of the most
      potent 13 Akt inhibitors (1-13). It was found that compounds 1 exert 91.6%
      inhibition of Akt1 phosphorylation in MCF10A cell line.

PMID- 26485541
TI  - Evaluation of Choroidal Vascular Changes in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
      Using Enhanced Depth Imaging Optical Coherence Tomography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the choroidal thickness in patients with multiple
      sclerosis (MS) using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI
      OCT). METHODS: In this observational comparative study, 68 eyes of 34 MS patients
      and 60 eyes of 30 healthy subjects were evaluated. All participants underwent
      complete ophthalmologic examination and OCT scanning. Choroidal thickness
      measurements were performed at seven points. RESULTS: The mean subfoveal
      choroidal thickness was reduced significantly in MS patients (310.71 +/- 61.85
      MUm) versus healthy controls (364.85 +/- 41.81 MUm) (p < 0.001). The difference
      was also significant at all six measurement points (p < 0.001 for all). Choroidal
      thickness measurements revealed no significant difference between MS eyes with a
      prior optic neuritis (ON) history (MS ON) and those without ON history (MS non
      ON). Subfoveal choroidal thickness did not correlate with retinal nerve fiber
      layer and Expanded Disability Status Scale score, but reduced choroidal thickness
      was associated with longer disease duration (r = -0.28, p = 0.019) in MS
      patients. CONCLUSION: In MS patients, choroidal structural changes occur both in
      MS ON and MS non-ON eyes. The decreased choroidal thickness might provide
      evidence to support a potential role of vascular dysregulation in the
      pathophysiology of MS.

PMID- 26485542
TI  - Azacitidine and Sorafenib Therapy in a Pediatric Patient With Refractory Acute
      Myeloid Leukemia With Monosomy 7 and Somatic PTPN11 Mutation.
AB  - Monosomy 7 is a well-documented cytogenetic aberration in pediatric acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML) and may occur in combinations with molecular abnormalities
      including PTPN11 mutation. PTPN11 mutations contribute to leukemogenesis through
      upregulation of Ras pathway signaling. We present the case of a 3-year-old female
      with AML with monosomy 7 and somatic PTPN11 mutation who was refractory to
      conventional AML chemotherapy but responded to a novel regimen of azacitidine and
      sorafenib followed by stem cell transplantation. Combination therapy with
      azacitidine and sorafenib may be an effective therapeutic strategy for patients
      with AML with Ras pathway abnormalities. 

PMID- 26485539
TI  - Femoral Access and Delivery of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy Dose.
AB  - AIMS: The study aims to describe the use of dialysis catheters in critically ill
      patients treated with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and to study
      the impact of femoral versus non-femoral access on CRRT dose. METHODS:
      Statistical analysis and predictive modelling of data from the Randomized
      Evaluation of Normal vs. Augmented Level renal replacement therapy trial.
      RESULTS: The femoral vein was the first access site in 937 (67%) of 1,399
      patients. These patients had higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health
      Evaluation and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores (p = 0.009) and lower
      pH (p < 0.001) but similar mortality to patients with non-femoral access (44 vs.
      45%; p = 0.63). Lower body weight was independently associated with femoral
      access placement (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96-0.98). Femoral access was associated with
      a 1.03% lower CRRT dose (p = 0.05), but a 4.20% higher dose was achieved with
      13.5 Fr catheters (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Femoral access was preferred in
      lighter and sicker patients. Catheter gauge had greater impact than catheter site
      in CRRT dose delivery. Video Journal Club "Cappuccino with Claudio Ronco" at
      http://www.karger.com/?doi=439581.

PMID- 26485543
TI  - Course of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA and HCV core antigen testing are predictors
      for reaching sustained virologic response in liver transplant recipients
      undergoing sofosbuvir treatment in a real-life setting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with reduced graft
      survival in orthotopic liver transplant recipients. Treatment with the new direct
      acting antivirals (DAAs) is safe and efficient, but no reliable predictive
      factors for sustained virologic response (SVR) have been identified so far. The
      HCV core antigen assay (HCV-core-Ag) is a new, inexpensive, and efficient method
      to detect viral antigens, but the value of this technique to predict treatment
      response in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) patients is still unclear.
      METHODS: All OLT patients who were treated with a sofosbuvir-based antiviral
      regimen at our center between March 2014 and August 2014 were included in the
      analysis (n = 20). HCV-core-Ag and HCV RNA (polymerase chain reaction [PCR]) were
      determined at each visit. Primary endpoints of this study were SVR at 4 or 12
      weeks after end of treatment (SVR 4 and SVR 12). RESULTS: HCV-core-Ag tested
      negative after a median of 2 weeks (range 1-16 weeks) while PCR tests became
      negative after a median of 4 weeks (range 2-12 weeks). Time until PCR negativity
      and until HCV-core-Ag negativity showed a good correlation (R = 0.711, P < 0.001,
      Fig. ). Seventeen of 20 patients (85%) achieved SVR 12. SVR 12 was associated
      with a short time interval between treatment start and HCV PCR negativity (P =
      0.005) or HCV-core-Ag negativity (P = 0.003, Mann-Whitney test). No severe side
      effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS: DAA treatment is safe and well tolerated in
      OLT. The time points of HCV-core-Ag loss and PCR negativity were predictors of
      SVR 12.

PMID- 26485544
TI  - Genome-wide differential expression of synaptic long noncoding RNAs in autism
      spectrum disorder.
AB  - A genome-wide differential expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) was
      identified in blood specimens of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A total of 3929
      lncRNAs were found to be differentially expressed in ASD peripheral leukocytes,
      including 2407 that were upregulated and 1522 that were downregulated.
      Simultaneously, 2591 messenger RNAs (mRNAs), including 1789 upregulated and 821
      downregulated, were also identified in ASD leukocytes. Functional pathway
      analysis of these lncRNAs revealed neurological pathways of the synaptic vesicle
      cycling, long-term depression and long-term potentiation to be primarily
      involved. Thirteen synaptic lncRNAs, including nine upregulated and four
      downregulated, and 19 synaptic mRNAs, including 12 upregulated and seven
      downregulated, were identified as being differentially expressed in ASD. Our
      identification of differential expression of synaptic lncRNAs and mRNAs suggested
      that synaptic vesicle transportation and cycling are important for the delivery
      of synaptosomal protein(s) between presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes in ASD.
      Finding of 19 lncRNAs, which are the antisense, bi-directional and intergenic, of
      HOX genes may lead us to investigate the role of HOX genes involved in the
      development of ASD. Discovery of the lncRNAs of SHANK2-AS and BDNF-AS, the
      natural antisense of genes SHANK2 and BDNF, respectively, indicates that in
      addition to gene mutations, deregulation of lncRNAs on ASD-causing gene loci
      presents a new approach for exploring possible epigenetic mechanisms underlying
      ASD. Our study also opened a new avenue for exploring the use of lncRNA(s) as
      biomarker(s) for the early detection of ASD.

PMID- 26485545
TI  - A potential mechanism underlying atypical antipsychotics-induced lipid
      disturbances.
AB  - Previous findings suggested that a four-protein complex, including sterol
      regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP), SREBP-cleavage-activating protein
      (SCAP), insulin-induced gene (INSIG) and progesterone receptor membrane component
      1 (PGRMC1), within the endoplasmic reticulum appears to be an important regulator
      responsible for atypical antipsychotic drug (AAPD)-induced lipid disturbances. In
      the present study, effects of typical antipsychotic drug and AAPDs as well as
      treatment outcome of steroid antagonist mifepristone (MIF) on the
      PGRMC1/INSIG/SCAP/SREBP pathway were investigated in rat liver using real-time
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot analysis. In
      addition, serum triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, free fatty acids and various
      hormones including progesterone, corticosterone and insulin were measured
      simultaneously. Following treatment with clozapine or risperidone, both
      lipogenesis and cholesterogenesis were enhanced via inhibition of PGRMC1/INSIG-2
      and activation of SCAP/SREBP expressions. Such metabolic disturbances, however,
      were not demonstrated in rats treated with aripiprazole (ARI) or haloperidol
      (HAL). Moreover, the add-on treatment of MIF was effective in reversing the AAPD
      induced lipid disturbances by upregulating the expression of PGRMC1/INSIG-2 and
      subsequent downregulation of SCAP/SREBP. Taken together, our findings suggest
      that disturbances in lipid metabolism can occur at an early stage of AAPD
      treatment before the presence of weight gain. Such metabolic defects can be
      modified by an add-on treatment of steroid antagonist MIF enhancing the PGRMC1
      pathway. Thus, it is likely that PGRMC1/INSIG-2 signaling may be a therapeutic
      target for AAPD-induced weight gain. 

PMID- 26485547
TI  - Reduced protein synthesis in schizophrenia patient-derived olfactory cells.
AB  - Human olfactory neurosphere-derived (ONS) cells have the potential to provide
      novel insights into the cellular pathology of schizophrenia. We used discovery
      based proteomics and targeted functional analyses to reveal reductions in 17
      ribosomal proteins, with an 18% decrease in the total ribosomal signal intensity
      in schizophrenia-patient-derived ONS cells. We quantified the rates of global
      protein synthesis in vitro and found a significant reduction in the rate of
      protein synthesis in schizophrenia patient-derived ONS cells compared with
      control-derived cells. Protein synthesis rates in fibroblast cell lines from the
      same patients did not differ, suggesting cell type-specific effects. Pathway
      analysis of dysregulated proteomic and transcriptomic data sets from these ONS
      cells converged to highlight perturbation of the eIF2alpha, eIF4 and mammalian
      target of rapamycin (mTOR) translational control pathways, and these pathways
      were also implicated in an independent induced pluripotent stem cell-derived
      neural stem model, and cohort, of schizophrenia patients. Analysis in
      schizophrenia genome-wide association data from the Psychiatric Genetics
      Consortium specifically implicated eIF2alpha regulatory kinase EIF2AK2, and
      confirmed the importance of the eIF2alpha, eIF4 and mTOR translational control
      pathways at the level of the genome. Thus, we integrated data from proteomic,
      transcriptomic, and functional assays from schizophrenia patient-derived ONS
      cells with genomics data to implicate dysregulated protein synthesis for the
      first time in schizophrenia.

PMID- 26485548
TI  - Massive pneumatosis without necrosis: A case report of Clostridium perfringens
      sepsis in an extremely low birth weight infant.
AB  - Pneumatosis intestinalis and free intraperitoneal air on abdominal radiographs
      are considered pathognomonic signs of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). We report
      a unique case of late-onset fulminant sepsis due to Clostridium perfringens
      presenting with shock, extensive pneumatosis intestinalis and free
      intraperitoneal air in an extremely low birth weight infant without
      histopathological evidence of bowel necrosis or NEC. 

PMID- 26485546
TI  - Increased abundance of translation machinery in stem cell-derived neural
      progenitor cells from four schizophrenia patients.
AB  - The genetic and epigenetic factors contributing to risk for schizophrenia (SZ)
      remain unresolved. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, perturbed global
      protein translation in human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived
      forebrain neural progenitor cells (NPCs) from four SZ patients relative to six
      unaffected controls. We report increased total protein levels and protein
      synthesis, together with two independent sets of quantitative mass spectrometry
      evidence indicating markedly increased levels of ribosomal and translation
      initiation and elongation factor proteins, in SZ hiPSC NPCs. We posit that
      perturbed levels of global protein synthesis in SZ hiPSC NPCs represent a novel
      post-transcriptional mechanism that might contribute to disease progression.

PMID- 26485549
TI  - Use of melatonin as an adjuvant therapy in neonatal sepsis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of
      melatonin as an adjuvant therapy in treating neonatal sepsis. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: A prospective clinical trial study was conducted on 50 infants with
      neonatal sepsis diagnosed on the basis of both clinical and laboratory criteria.
      Enrolled infants were divided into two groups. Intervention group (n = 25)
      received melatonin and antibiotics, while the control group (n = 25) was treated
      with antibiotics only. Melatonin was administered as a single oral dose of 20 mg
      and antibiotics were administered according to a standard protocol. Both groups
      were compared using a predefined sepsis score utilizing both clinical and
      laboratory parameters. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in sepsis
      score between both groups before starting melatonin (p-value = 0.99), while there
      was significant difference in sepsis score between groups after 24 hours, 48
      hours and 72 hours of starting melatonin with (p-value = 0.008, 0.006 and 0.002,
      respectively). There was significant improvement sepsis score in both groups with
      more improvement of sepsis score in the intervention group. CONCLUSION:
      Administration of melatonin as an adjuvant therapy in the treatment of neonatal
      sepsis is associated with improvement of clinical and laboratory outcomes.

PMID- 26485550
TI  - Oxygen and parenteral nutrition two main oxidants for extremely preterm infants:
      'It all adds up'.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of early exposure to O2 and parenteral nutrition
      (PN) on oxidative stress at 36 weeks post-menstrual age (PMA) and on
      bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in extremely preterm infants. STUDY DESIGN: A
      prospective observational study including 116 infants <29 weeks of gestation.
      Baseline clinical characteristics, FiO2 on day 7, duration of PN and clinical
      outcomes data were collected. In 39 infants, whole blood glutathione (GSH) and
      oxidized glutathione (GSSG) at 36 weeks PMA were measured and the redox potential
      was calculated using Nernst equation. Student's t-test, Chi-square, Spearman
      correlation, ANOVA, and logistic regression analyses were used as appropriate. P
      <  0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: FiO2 >=25% was associated with
      higher level of GSSG (0.29 +/- 0.04 versus 0.18 +/- 0.02 nmol/mg of protein), a
      more oxidized redox potential (-191 +/- 2 versus -198 +/- 2 mV) and more BPD (90%
      versus 45%). PN duration >14 days was also associated with higher level of GSSG
      (0.26 +/- 0.03 versus 0.13 +/- 0.02 nmol/mg of protein), a more oxidized redox
      potential (-193 +/- 5 versus -203 +/- 2 mV) and more BPD (89% versus 24%). In
      logistic regression model, each 1% increase in FiO2 and each day increase in PN
      duration resulted in an increase in the OR for BPD by 1.57 (1.09 -2.28) and 1.17
      (1.03 -1.33) respectively. CONCLUSION: Early O2 supplement and PN have additive
      effects that were associated with prolonged oxidative stress and increased risk
      of BPD. Strategies targeting judicious use of O2 and decreasing the duration or
      developing a safer formulation of PN can be targeted to decrease BPD.

PMID- 26485551
TI  - Born early and born poor: An eco-bio-developmental model for poverty and preterm
      birth.
AB  - Poverty is associated with adverse long-term cognitive outcomes in children.
      Poverty is also linked with preterm delivery which, in turn, is associated with
      adverse cognitive outcomes. However, the extent of the effect of poverty on
      preterm delivery, as well as proposed mechanisms by which they occur, have not
      been well described. Further, the impact of poverty on preterm school readiness
      has not been reviewed. As the childhood poverty level continues to increase in
      the U.S., we examine the evidence around physiological, neurological, cognitive
      and learning outcomes associated with prematurity in the context of poverty. We
      use the evidence gathered to suggest an Eco-Bio-Developmental model, emphasizing
      poverty as a toxic stress which predisposes preterm birth and which, via
      epigenetic forces, can continue into the next generation. Continued postnatal
      social disadvantage for these developmentally high-risk preterm infants is
      strongly linked with poor neurodevelopmental outcomes, decreased school
      readiness, and decreased educational attainment which can perpetuate the poverty
      cycle. We suggest social remedies aimed at decreasing the impact of poverty on
      mothers, fathers, and children which may be effective in reducing the burden of
      preterm birth. 

PMID- 26485552
TI  - Withholding feeding during transfusion: Standardization of practice and
      nutritional outcomes in premature infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the nutritional impact of a feed-holding guideline during
      transfusion for infants <32 weeks gestation. STUDY DESIGN: A pre-/post
      interventional study was conducted after introduction of a guideline to hold
      feeds during transfusion. Demographic variables in addition to nutritional
      outcomes were collected on all infants admitted within 48 hours of birth with
      gestational age <32 weeks. Data was collected during a 6 month period pre
      intervention and the 6 month period post-intervention. RESULTS: There were 145
      eligible infants. Mean birth weight and gestational age were similar in both
      periods. In total, 98 infants received transfusions, and 82 of those had an
      active feeding order prior to at least one transfusion. Total transfusions per
      infant and transfusions ordered while an infant had active feeding orders were
      similar in both periods. Time to full feedings was decreased post-intervention (p
      <  0.001). Weight at 34 weeks, incidence of second IV placement, additional IV
      fluid use, and hypoglycemia were similar between groups.Of 593 total
      transfusions, 207 were ordered while an infant had an active order for enteral
      nutrition. Pre-intervention, 64% of transfusions had feeds held during
      transfusion. Post-intervention, 87% of transfusions had feeds held during
      transfusion. Feeds were held more often (p <  0.001) and for a shorter duration
      (p = 0.005) in the post-intervention group. CONCLUSION: Implementing a guideline
      standardizing feeding practices during transfusions in premature infants
      increases standardization of care and results in decreased variability in
      practice. Adverse nutritional consequences were not found after the introduction
      of the routine practice of holding feedings during transfusion in preterm
      infants.

PMID- 26485553
TI  - Test-retest reliability of the Capute scales for neurodevelopmental screening of
      a high risk sample: Impact of test-retest interval and degree of neonatal risk.
AB  - AIM: Reliable and valid screening and assessment tools are necessary to identify
      children at risk for neurodevelopmental disabilities who may require additional
      services. This study evaluated the test-retest reliability of the Capute Scales
      in a high-risk sample, hypothesizing adequate reliability across 6- and 12-month
      intervals. METHODS: Capute Scales scores (N = 66) were collected via
      retrospective chart review from a NICU follow-up clinic within a large urban
      medical center spanning three age-ranges: 12-18, 19-24, and 25-36 months. On
      average, participants were classified as very low birth weight and premature.
      Reliability of the Capute Scales was evaluated with intraclass correlation
      coefficients across length of test-retest interval, age at testing, and degree of
      neonatal complications. RESULTS: The Capute Scales demonstrated high reliability,
      regardless of length of test-retest interval (ranging from 6 to 14 months) or age
      of participant, for all index scores, including overall Developmental Quotient
      (DQ), language-based skill index (CLAMS) and nonverbal reasoning index (CAT).
      Linear regressions revealed that greater neonatal risk was related to poorer test
      retest reliability; however, reliability coefficients remained strong.
      CONCLUSIONS: The Capute Scales afford clinicians a reliable and valid means of
      screening and assessing for neurodevelopmental delay within high-risk infant
      populations.

PMID- 26485554
TI  - Retinopathy of prematurity: Risk factors and variability in Canadian neonatal
      intensive care units.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify predictors of severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in a
      large population-based cohort and to examine risk-adjusted variations across
      units. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of Canadian Neonatal Network data on
      neonates with birth weight <1500 g who were screened for ROP between 2003 and
      2010. Characteristics of infants with and without ROP were compared and a risk
      adjusted model for severe ROP was developed. Rates of severe ROP were compared
      between sites. RESULTS: 1163 of 9187 (12.7%) infants developed severe ROP. Lower
      gestational age, male sex, small for gestational age, patent ductus arteriosus,
      late onset sepsis, more than two blood transfusions, inotrope use, and outborn
      status were associated with an increased risk of severe ROP. Severe ROP rates
      varied significantly between units. CONCLUSION: Younger, smaller and sicker male
      infants had higher adjusted risks of severe ROP and rates varied significantly
      among sites.

PMID- 26485556
TI  - Does training improve compliance with hand hygiene and decrease infections in the
      neonatal intensive care unit? A prospective study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The most important tool in any infection control program is good
      hand hygiene. Despite recognizing that hand hygiene is crucial in reducing
      infection rates, hand hygiene compliance remains suboptimal. This study was
      designed to determine hand hygiene compliance, before and after an educational
      intervention and its impact on hospital infection rates. METHOD: The study was
      done in neonatal intensive care unit of an educational hospital. All healthcare
      providers working in the unit at the time of study were trained on importance of
      hand hygiene and methods of hand hygiene observation; after that hand washing
      compliance controlled by a physician during postintervention phase. Hand hygiene
      compliance, healthcare associated infection and mortality rates compared before
      and after educational intervention. RESULTS: Compliance of health-care workers
      for all hand hygiene opportunities combined was 30% before intervention and
      improved to 70% in postintervention. In postintervention phase, healthcare
      associated infection rates and mortality rates decreased significantly as the
      hand hygiene compliance improved. CONCLUSIONS: Good control of hand hygiene
      compliance by physician after an educational program may have good effect in
      healthcare associated infections control in neonatal intensive care unit.

PMID- 26485555
TI  - Outcome of oral sildenafil in neonatal persistent pulmonary hypertension of non
      cardiac causes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite recent treatment modalities, mortality from persistent
      pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) remains significant. In instances where infants do
      not respond to inhaled nitric oxide (iNO), oral sildenafil could hold promise as
      a selective pulmonary vasodilator. Further studies are still needed to explore
      its efficacy and safety in newborns with PPHN. OBJECTIVES: To validate the
      efficacy of oral sildenafil on oxygenation and its short-term safety in newborns
      with persistent pulmonary hypertension. METHODS: A total of 27 newborns >=36
      weeks gestational age were admitted to NICU with oxygenation index (OI) >=15 and
      confirmed diagnosis of PPHN with echocardiography. Oral sildenafil given at a
      dose of 1-2 mg/kg every 6 hours. We monitored improvement in oxygenation, safety
      and short-term outcomes. RESULTS: Among 27 newborns, oral sildenafil was
      efficacious in 21 patients (78%) with reduction of OI from 34.9 +/- 9.6 to 13 +/-
      3.2 (p <  0.001), increase of PaO2 from 42.4 +/- 13.5 to 78 +/- 11.5 mmHg
      (<0.001), and reduction of FiO2 from 1.0 +/- 0 to 0.3 +/- 0.06 (<0.001). OI
      decreased by 6.3 % from baseline after the first dose of sildenafil and continued
      to decrease with subsequent doses. In 6 patients (22%) sildenafil did not work;
      5/6 patients (18%) transferred to another tertiary NICU and one patient (4%) died
      of sepsis. None of the patients had significant systemic hypotension. CONCLUSION:
      Oral sildenafil is a promising pulmonary vasodilator in patients with PPHN,
      particularly in medical facilities with no available iNO and ECMO. It is well
      tolerated with no significant short term complications.

PMID- 26485557
TI  - A rare presentation of aplasia cutis congenita after feto-reduction in a
      trichorionic-triamniotic pregnancy.
AB  - Aplasia cutis congenita (ACC) is rare skin disorder of newborns that has been
      linked to both assisted reproductive technology (ART) and feto-reduction
      procedures. ACC is characterized by well-demarcated lesions that are devoid of
      all skin layers. Group-V ACC presents with a distinctive and symmetrical
      distribution pattern. It is thought to result from an insult to the fetus after
      concomitant twin demise and is almost exclusively reported in monochorionic
      gestations.A 41-year-old female with an in vitro fertilization (IVF) assisted tri
      chorionic gestation subsequently underwent selective feto-reduction of Fetus C.
      The patient delivered two pre-term neonates secondary to pre-eclampsia. The
      initial exam of Twin B showed extensive, well-demarcated, symmetrical areas
      devoid of any skin over the anterior and lateral trunk, extending up the lateral
      thoracic walls. Chest and abdominal viscera were visible through a thin fibrous
      membrane. The skin defects were managed conservatively with twice-daily dressings
      of Aquaphor, and Vaseline gauze. The areas of aplasia slowly contracted, though
      residual scarring was noted. After four weeks in the NICU, most of the areas were
      healed.ACC in multi-fetal pregnancies is a rare, but well-described complication.
      This is, to our knowledge, the first reported case in a tri-chorionic IVF
      gestation after feto-reduction. With increased incidence of ART-associated
      pregnancies and the use of feto-reduction for higher order gestations, this may
      become more common. Neonates often require specialized intensive care.
      Conservative management usually will suffice, although surgical grafting may be
      required. Physicians should be aware of this condition and counsel their feto
      reduction patients of the risk.

PMID- 26485558
TI  - Mounting evidence favoring single-family room neonatal intensive care.
AB  - Controversy regarding the optimal design for neonatal intensive care has existed
      for more than 20 years. Recent evidence confirms that in comparison with the
      traditional open-bay design, the single-room facility provides for improved
      control of excessive noise and light, improved staff and parental satisfaction
      with care and equal, or possibly reduced, cost of care. Single-room care was not
      associated with any increase in adverse outcomes. To optimize long term
      developmental outcomes, single-room care must be augmented with appropriate
      developmental therapy and programs to actively support parental involvement. 

PMID- 26485559
TI  - Clinical associations to abnormal umbilical cord length in Latin American
      newborns.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Umbilical cord is vital to fetal development and its alterations
      are related to fetal and neonatal deaths and to late neurological complications.
      Abnormal cord length has been recognized as the most important cord feature
      leading to unfavorable outcomes. We aimed to examine the relationship between
      fetal abnormalities and the length of umbilical cord using the ECLAMC (Estudio
      Colaborativo Latinoamericano de Malformaciones Congenitas/Latin American
      Collaborative Study on Congenital Malformations) database. METHODS: Using ECLAMC
      case-control registries, we conducted an observational study on the relationship
      between umbilical cord length and clinical variables such as chromosomal
      abnormalities and neonatal malformations. RESULTS: Birth registries totaled
      61820; of them 3411 had complete cord data. Abnormal length was found in 427,
      with 174 short (5.10%) cords and 253 long (7.41%) cords. No relation was found
      between abnormal cord length and gender, parity or parents' age. More abnormal
      length cords were found than reported in other series; unexpectedly, more long
      cords were observed in twin gestations. It was observed that among short cords
      (174), 105 were from newborns with some type of malformation and 69 with no
      malformation (OR = 2.92, CI (95%) 2.15-3.98, p = 0.0001); of the 253 long cords,
      168 had malformation and only 85 did not (OR = 3.80, CI (95%) 2.91-4.96, p =
      0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal cord length is associated with fetal malformation.
      Further studies are needed to determine the clinical applicability of using this
      parameter in counseling during prenatal visits.

PMID- 26485560
TI  - Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Disrupt mTOR-Signaling and Aerobic Glycolysis During T
      Cell Activation.
AB  - Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) possess numerous regenerative and immune
      modulating functions. Transplantation across histocompatibility barriers is
      feasible due to their hypo-immunogenicity. MSCs have emerged as promising tools
      for treating graft-versus-host disease following allogeneic stem cell
      transplantation. It is well established that their clinical efficacy is
      substantially attributed to fine-tuning of T-cell responses. At the same time,
      increasing evidence suggests that metabolic processes control T-cell function and
      fate. Here, we investigated the MSCs' impact on the metabolic framework of
      activated T-cells. In fact, MSCs led to mitigated mTOR signaling. This phenomenon
      was accompanied by a weaker glycolytic response (including glucose uptake,
      glycolytic rate, and upregulation of glycolytic machinery) toward T-cell
      activating stimuli. Notably, MSCs express indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO),
      which mediates T-cell suppressive tryptophan catabolism. Our observations suggest
      that IDO-induced tryptophan depletion interferes with a tryptophan-sufficiency
      signal that promotes cellular mTOR activation. Despite an immediate suppression
      of T-cell responses, MSCs foster a metabolically quiescent T-cell phenotype
      characterized by reduced mTOR signaling and glycolysis, increased autophagy, and
      lower oxidative stress levels. In fact, those features have previously been shown
      to promote generation of long-lived memory cells and it remains to be elucidated
      how MSC-induced metabolic effects shape in vivo T-cell immunity.

PMID- 26485561
TI  - A normal electrocardiogram and echocardiogram in a patient with a pericardial
      friction rub after delivery.

PMID- 26485562
TI  - Electrocardiographic characteristics of idiopathic premature ventricular
      contractions originating from the junction of the right ventricular outflow tract
      and tricuspid annulus.
AB  - AIMS: The right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) and tricuspid annulus (TA) are
      common origins for idiopathic PVCs from the right ventricle. We sought to clarify
      the characteristics of a subgroup of idiopathic PVCs originating from the RVOT-TA
      junction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Surface ECG and intra-cardiac electrophysiological
      characteristics were analyzed in 101 patients with frequent PVCs who underwent
      successful RFCA in the right ventricle. Pacing was performed in the right
      ventricle in another 5 control subjects. The origin of PVCs determined by the
      successful ablation site was at the RVOT, the TA and the RVOT-TA junction in 78,
      11 and 12 patients, respectively. The PVCs originating from RVOT-TA junction
      showed a monophasic R wave in leads I, II, III and aVF and a flat QRS complex in
      lead aVL. A flat QRS complex (rsr', qs, qr, rs or r pattern, mean r or qs
      amplitude, 0.3 +/- 0.1 mV) in lead aVL distinguished the RVOT-TA junction origin
      from the RVOT (deep negative, -0.7 +/- 0.4 mV) and the TA (tall positive, 0.8 +/-
      0.3 mV) origins. Activation mapping and pace mapping strategies were successfully
      applied to localize this specific origin of the PVCs. Pacing at the RVOT-TA
      junction in the control subjects validated a flat QRS complex in lead aVL.
      CONCLUSION: We report for the first time that the RVOT-TA junction is a non-rare
      but distinct origin of right ventricular PVCs. The flat QRS complex in lead aVL
      distinguishes this origin from RVOT and TA. RFCA is highly effective for
      eliminating PVCs in this origin.

PMID- 26485563
TI  - Performance of a novel clinic score in differentiating Takotsubo cardiomyopathy
      from ST elevation myocardial infarction within the first 24h.

PMID- 26485564
TI  - Giant mitral blood cyst: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging features.

PMID- 26485565
TI  - Molecular-Level Investigation of the Adsorption Mechanisms of Toluene and Aniline
      on Natural and Organically Modified Montmorillonite.
AB  - The present work reports the adsorption mechanisms of aniline and toluene in dry
      and hydrated montmorillonite (MMT-Na and MMT-Na-W) and tetramethylammonium-cation
      modified MMT (MMT-TMA) as determined through density functional theory. These
      theoretical investigations explicitly demonstrate that cation-pi interactions
      between Na(+)/TMA(+) cations and aromatics play the key role in adsorption of
      organics over MMT-Na and MMT-TMA. Weak hydrogen bonds between the H atoms of
      organics and basal O atoms of tetrahedral silicate also stabilize the location of
      organics. The combination of interactions between water and basal O atoms and
      between organics and water molecules in hydrated MMT complexes strengthens the
      adsorption of organics on MMT, resulting in higher formation energies in hydrated
      organically intercalated MMTs than in the corresponding dry complexes. The
      adsorption of organics also changes frontier orbital distributions and
      consequently promotes the preferential occurrence of reactions on the organics
      rather than on the MMT layers. These adsorption mechanisms predicted by
      theoretical investigation can be used to explicate the adsorption of aromatic
      organics on aluminosilicates with different external environment. 

PMID- 26485567
TI  - Dynamics and Kinetics Study of "In-Water" Chemical Reactions by Enhanced Sampling
      of Reactive Trajectories.
AB  - High potential energy barriers and engagement of solvent coordinates set
      challenges for in silico studies of chemical reactions, and one is quite commonly
      limited to study reactions along predefined reaction coordinate(s). A systematic
      protocol, QM/MM MD simulations using enhanced sampling of reactive trajectories
      (ESoRT), is established to quantitatively study chemical transitions in complex
      systems. A number of trajectories for Claisen rearrangement in water and toluene
      were collected and analyzed, respectively. Evidence was found that the bond
      making and breaking during this reaction are concerted processes in solutions,
      preferentially through a chairlike configuration. Water plays an important
      dynamic role that helps stabilize the transition sate, and the dipole-dipole
      interaction between water and the solute also lowers the transition barrier. The
      calculated rate coefficient is consistent with the experimental measurement.
      Compared with water, the reaction pathway in toluene is "narrower" and the
      reaction rate is slower by almost three orders of magnitude due to the absence of
      proper interactions to stabilize the transition state. This study suggests that
      the "in-water" nature of the Claisen rearrangement in aqueous solution influences
      its thermodynamics, kinetics, as well as dynamics. 

PMID- 26485566
TI  - Creation of Functional Viruses from Non-Functional cDNA Clones Obtained from an
      RNA Virus Population by the Use of Ancestral Reconstruction.
AB  - RNA viruses have the highest known mutation rates. Consequently it is likely that
      a high proportion of individual RNA virus genomes, isolated from an infected
      host, will contain lethal mutations and be non-functional. This is problematic if
      the aim is to clone and investigate high-fitness, functional cDNAs and may also
      pose problems for sequence-based analysis of viral evolution. To address these
      challenges we have performed a study of the evolution of classical swine fever
      virus (CSFV) using deep sequencing and analysis of 84 full-length cDNA clones,
      each representing individual genomes from a moderately virulent isolate. In
      addition to here being used as a model for RNA viruses generally, CSFV has high
      socioeconomic importance and remains a threat to animal welfare and pig
      production. We find that the majority of the investigated genomes are non
      functional and only 12% produced infectious RNA transcripts. Full length
      sequencing of cDNA clones and deep sequencing of the parental population
      identified substitutions important for the observed phenotypes. The investigated
      cDNA clones were furthermore used as the basis for inferring the sequence of
      functional viruses. Since each unique clone must necessarily be the descendant of
      a functional ancestor, we hypothesized that it should be possible to produce
      functional clones by reconstructing ancestral sequences. To test this we used
      phylogenetic methods to infer two ancestral sequences, which were then
      reconstructed as cDNA clones. Viruses rescued from the reconstructed cDNAs were
      tested in cell culture and pigs. Both reconstructed ancestral genomes proved
      functional, and displayed distinct phenotypes in vitro and in vivo. We suggest
      that reconstruction of ancestral viruses is a useful tool for experimental and
      computational investigations of virulence and viral evolution. Importantly,
      ancestral reconstruction can be done even on the basis of a set of sequences that
      all correspond to non-functional variants. 

PMID- 26485568
TI  - Chemotherapy-Related Amenorrhea and Menopause in Young Chinese Breast Cancer
      Patients: Analysis on Incidence, Risk Factors and Serum Hormone Profiles.
AB  - PURPOSE: In this prospective cross-sectional study on young premenopausal breast
      cancer patients, the objectives were to: determine the incidences of chemotherapy
      related amenorrhea (CRA) and menopause (CRM); identify associated factors; and
      assess plasma levels of estradiol (E2) and follicular stimulating hormone (FSH)
      among patients who developed menopause. METHODS: Eligibility criteria include
      Chinese stage I-III breast cancer patients, premenopausal, age <=45 at breast
      cancer diagnosis, having received adjuvant chemotherapy, within 3-10 years after
      breast cancer diagnosis. Detailed menstrual history prior to and after adjuvant
      treatment was taken at study entry. Patients' background demographics, tumor
      characteristics and anti-cancer treatments were collected. The rates of CRA and
      CRM were determined. Analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with
      CRM. For postmenopausal patients, levels of E2 and FSH were analyzed. RESULTS:
      286 patients were recruited; the median time from breast cancer diagnosis to
      study entry was 5.0 years. 255 patients (91.1%) developed CRA. Of these, 66.7%
      regained menstruation. At the time of study entry, 137 (48.9%) had developed CRM,
      amongst whom 84 were age <=45. On multivariate analysis, age was the only
      associated factor. Among patients with CRM, the median FSH was 41.0 IU/L; this
      was significantly lower in those who were taking tamoxifen compared to those who
      were not (20.1 vs. 59.7 IU/L, p<0.0001). The E2 level was <40 pmol/L; there was
      no difference between those who were still on tamoxifen or not. CONCLUSION: After
      adjuvant chemotherapy, the majority of young Chinese breast cancer patients
      developed CRA; ~50% developed CRM, with 61% at age <=45. Age at diagnosis is the
      only factor associated with CRM. FSH level may be affected by tamoxifen intake.

PMID- 26485569
TI  - MATtrack: A MATLAB-Based Quantitative Image Analysis Platform for Investigating
      Real-Time Photo-Converted Fluorescent Signals in Live Cells.
AB  - We introduce here MATtrack, an open source MATLAB-based computational platform
      developed to process multi-Tiff files produced by a photo-conversion time lapse
      protocol for live cell fluorescent microscopy. MATtrack automatically performs a
      series of steps required for image processing, including extraction and import of
      numerical values from Multi-Tiff files, red/green image classification using
      gating parameters, noise filtering, background extraction, contrast stretching
      and temporal smoothing. MATtrack also integrates a series of algorithms for
      quantitative image analysis enabling the construction of mean and standard
      deviation images, clustering and classification of subcellular regions and
      injection point approximation. In addition, MATtrack features a simple user
      interface, which enables monitoring of Fluorescent Signal Intensity in multiple
      Regions of Interest, over time. The latter encapsulates a region growing method
      to automatically delineate the contours of Regions of Interest selected by the
      user, and performs background and regional Average Fluorescence Tracking, and
      automatic plotting. Finally, MATtrack computes convenient visualization and
      exploration tools including a migration map, which provides an overview of the
      protein intracellular trajectories and accumulation areas. In conclusion,
      MATtrack is an open source MATLAB-based software package tailored to facilitate
      the analysis and visualization of large data files derived from real-time live
      cell fluorescent microscopy using photoconvertible proteins. It is flexible, user
      friendly, compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux, and a wide range of data
      acquisition software. MATtrack is freely available for download at
      eleceng.dit.ie/courtney/MATtrack.zip. 

PMID- 26485571
TI  - Atypical patterns of segregation of familial enlargement of the vestibular
      aqueduct.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Hearing loss and enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) can be
      inherited as an autosomal recessive trait caused by mutant alleles of the SLC26A4
      gene. In some other families, EVA does not segregate in a typical autosomal
      recessive pattern. The goal of this study was to characterize the SLC26A4
      genotypes and phenotypes of extended families with atypical segregation of EVA.
      STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study of cohort of families ascertained between 1998
      and 2014 at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. METHODS: Study
      subjects were members of eight families segregating EVA in at least two members
      who were not related as siblings. Evaluations included pure-tone audiometry,
      temporal bone imaging, SLC26A4 nucleotide sequence analysis, SLC26A4-linked
      marker genotype and haplotype analysis, and pedigree analysis. RESULTS: One
      family had members with EVA caused by different etiologies, and two families had
      pseudodominant inheritance of recessive mutations of SLC26A4. In five families,
      the etiology remained unknown and could include inheritance of mutant alleles at
      another genetic locus, nongenetic influences, or a combination of these factors.
      CONCLUSIONS: Familial EVA can demonstrate a variety of atypical segregation
      patterns. Pseudodominant inheritance of SLC26A4 mutations or recessive alleles of
      other hearing loss genes may be more likely to occur in families in which deaf
      individuals have intermarried. The etiologic basis of atypical segregation of EVA
      without detectable SLC26A4 mutations remains unknown. Future studies of these
      families may reveal novel genes for EVA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope,
      126:E240-E247, 2016.

PMID- 26485570
TI  - Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing
      Klebsiella spp.: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses.
AB  - Healthcare-related infections caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)
      producing Klebsiella spp. are of major concern. To control transmission, deep
      understanding of the transmission mechanisms is needed. This systematic review
      aimed to identify risk factors and sources, clonal relatedness using molecular
      techniques, and the most effective control strategies for ESBL-producing
      Klebsiella spp. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Outbreak Database was
      performed. We identified 2771 articles from November 25th, 1960 until April 7th,
      2014 of which 148 were included in the systematic review and 23 in a random
      effects meta-analysis study. The random-effects meta-analyses showed that
      underlying disease or condition (odds ratio [OR] = 6.25; 95% confidence interval
      [CI] = 2.85 to 13.66) generated the highest pooled estimate. ESBL-producing
      Klebsiella spp. were spread through person-to-person contact and via sources in
      the environment; we identified both monoclonal and polyclonal presence. Multi
      faceted interventions are needed to prevent transmission of ESBL-producing
      Klebsiella spp. 

PMID- 26485572
TI  - Structure-Activity Relationship of PEGylated Polylysine Peptides as Scavenger
      Receptor Inhibitors for Non-Viral Gene Delivery.
AB  - PEGylated polylysine peptides of the general structure PEG30 kDa-Cys-Trp-LysN (N
      = 10 to 30) were used to form fully condensed plasmid DNA (pGL3) polyplexes at a
      ratio of 1 nmol of peptide per MUg of DNA (ranging from N:P 3:1 to 10:1 depending
      on Lys repeat). Co-administration of 5 to 80 nmols of excess PEG-peptide with
      fully formed polyplexes inhibited the liver uptake of (125)I-pGL3-polyplexes. The
      percent inhibition was dependent on the PEG-peptide dose and was saturable,
      consistent with inhibition of scavenger receptors. The scavenger receptor
      inhibition potency of PEG-peptides was dependent on the length of the Lys repeat,
      which increased 10-fold when comparing PEG30 kDa-Cys-Trp-Lys10 (IC50 of 20.2 MUM)
      with PEG30 kDa-Cys-Trp-Lys25 (IC50 of 2.1 MUM). We hypothesize that PEG-peptides
      inhibit scavenger receptors by spontaneously forming small 40 to 60 nm albumin
      nanoparticles that bind to and saturate the receptor. Scavenger receptor
      inhibition delayed the metabolism of pGL3-polyplexes, resulting in efficient gene
      expression in liver hepatocytes following delayed hydrodynamic dosing. PEG
      peptides represent a new class of scavenger inhibitors that will likely have
      broad utility in blocking unwanted liver uptake and metabolism of a variety of
      nanoparticles.

PMID- 26485573
TI  - Cep169, a Novel Microtubule Plus-End-Tracking Centrosomal Protein, Binds to
      CDK5RAP2 and Regulates Microtubule Stability.
AB  - The centrosomal protein, CDK5RAP2, is a microcephaly protein that regulates
      centrosomal maturation by recruitment of a gamma-tubulin ring complex (gamma
      TuRC) onto centrosomes. In this report, we identified a novel human centrosomal
      protein, Cep169, as a binding partner of CDK5RAP2, a member of microtubule plus
      end-tracking proteins (+TIPs). Cep169 interacts directly with CDK5RAP2 through
      CM1, an evolutionarily conserved domain, and colocalizes at the pericentriolar
      matrix (PCM) around centrioles with CDK5RAP2. In addition, Cep169 interacts with
      EB1 through SxIP-motif responsible for EB1 binding, and colocalizes with CDK5RAP2
      at the microtubule plus-end. EB1-binding-deficient Cep169 abolishes EB1
      interaction and microtubule plus-end attachment, indicating Cep169 as a novel
      member of +TIPs. We further show that ectopic expression of either Cep169 or
      CDK5RAP2 induces microtubule bundling and acetylation in U2OS cells, and
      depletion of Cep169 induces microtubule depolymerization in HeLa cells, although
      Cep169 is not required for assembly of gamma-tubulin onto centrosome by CDK5RAP2.
      These results show that Cep169 targets microtubule tips and regulates stability
      of microtubules with CDK5RAP2. 

PMID- 26485574
TI  - Activity-dependent signaling: influence on plasticity in circuits controlling
      fear-related behavior.
AB  - Fear regulation is impaired in anxiety and trauma-related disorders. Patients
      experience heightened fear expression and reduced ability to extinguish fear
      memories. Because fear regulation is abnormal in these disorders and extinction
      recapitulates current treatment strategies, understanding the underlying
      mechanisms is vital for developing new treatments. This is critical because
      although extinction-based exposure therapy is a mainstay of treatment, relapse is
      common. We examine recent findings describing changes in network activity and
      functional connectivity within limbic circuits during fear regulation, and
      explore how activity-dependent signaling contributes to the neural activity
      patterns that control fear and anxiety. We review the role of the prototypical
      activity-dependent molecule, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), whose
      signaling has been critically linked to regulation of fear behavior. 

PMID- 26485576
TI  - Reversal of Diastereoselection in the Conjugate Addition of Cuprates to
      Unsaturated Lactams.
AB  - We report that the stereochemical outcome of the conjugate addition of
      organocopper reagents to bicyclic alpha,beta-unsaturated lactams derived from
      pyroglutaminol is determined by the nature of the aminal group. Bicyclic
      alpha,beta-unsaturated lactams in which the aminal is derived from a ketone have
      been found to afford products of syn conjugate addition. By contrast, bicyclic
      alpha,beta-unsaturated lactams in which the aminal is derived from an aldehyde
      afford products of anti conjugate addition. These remarkably different results
      obtained from very similar starting materials are unexpected. 

PMID- 26485575
TI  - Maternal Effects of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection during Pregnancy.
AB  - Given the illness and deaths caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
      infection during the first year of life, preventing infant RSV infections through
      maternal vaccination is intriguing. However, little is known about the extent and
      maternal effects of RSV infection during pregnancy. We describe 3 cases of
      maternal RSV infection diagnosed at a US center during winter 2014. Case-patient
      1 (26 years old, week 33 of gestation) received a diagnosis of RSV infection and
      required mechanical ventilation. Case-patient 2 (27 years old, week 34 of
      gestation) received a diagnosis of infection with influenza A(H1N1) virus and RSV
      and required mechanical ventilation. Case-patient 3 (21 years old, week 32 of
      gestation) received a diagnosis of group A streptococcus pharyngitis and RSV
      infection and was monitored as an outpatient. Clarifying the effects of maternal
      RSV infection could yield valuable insights into potential maternal and fetal
      benefits of an effective RSV vaccination program. 

PMID- 26485577
TI  - Diagnosis of hepatitis C virus genotype 2k/1b needs NS5B sequencing.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is probably the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and
      hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. The correct identification of HCV genotype
      has important clinical implications as a marker of responsiveness to antiviral
      therapy and serves as a guideline for the duration of treatment. The VERSANT HCV
      Genotype 2.0 Assay failed to detect HCV genotype 2k/1b. HCV genotype 2k/1b
      detection requires NS5B sequencing.

PMID- 26485578
TI  - Association between interpregnancy interval and future risk of maternal
      cardiovascular disease-a population-based record linkage study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between interpregnancy interval and later
      maternal cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. DESIGN: Population-based record
      linkage study. SETTING: New South Wales, Australia, 1994-2011. POPULATION: 216
      467 women having first and second liveborn singleton infants, excluding those
      with an existing or pregnancy-related CVD risk factor. METHODS: We linked birth
      records of mothers to the mothers' subsequent CVD (coronary heart disease,
      cerebrovascular events, and chronic heart failure) hospitalisation or death.
      Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate adjusted
      hazard ratios (AHR) [95% confidence interval (CI)], accounting for maternal age,
      parity, socioeconomic status, and smoking during pregnancy. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: The first occurrence of a CVD hospitalisation or death after the second
      birth. RESULTS: In comparison with mothers with an interpregnancy interval of 18
      23 months (reference category), the AHR among mothers with interpregnancy
      interval of <12 months was 1.56 (95% CI 1.18-2.07) and of 12-17 months was 1.13
      (95% CI 0.84-1.51). The AHRs were 1.40 (95% CI 1.07-1.82), 1.87 (95% CI 1.21
      2.89), and 3.41 (95% CI 1.07-10.91), corresponding to interpregnancy intervals of
      24-59, 60-119, and >=120 months, respectively. AHRs of specific CVD categories
      showed a similar pattern. CONCLUSIONS: Interpregnancy interval is associated with
      the risk of subsequent maternal CVD in a J-shaped fashion. The association is
      independent of the existing and pregnancy-related CVD risk factors analysed. Both
      short and long interpregnancy intervals can be used as risk markers to identify
      women with an elevated CVD risk later in life. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Interpregnancy
      interval is associated with the risk of subsequent maternal cardiovascular
      disease in a J-shaped fashion.

PMID- 26485580
TI  - Electric eels use high-voltage to track fast-moving prey.
AB  - Electric eels (Electrophorus electricus) are legendary for their ability to
      incapacitate fish, humans, and horses with hundreds of volts of electricity. The
      function of this output as a weapon has been obvious for centuries but its
      potential role for electroreception has been overlooked. Here it is shown that
      electric eels use high-voltage simultaneously as a weapon and for precise and
      rapid electrolocation of fast-moving prey and conductors. Their speed, accuracy,
      and high-frequency pulse rate are reminiscent of bats using a 'terminal feeding
      buzz' to track insects. Eel's exhibit 'sensory conflict' when mechanosensory and
      electrosensory cues are separated, striking first toward mechanosensory cues and
      later toward conductors. Strikes initiated in the absence of conductors are
      aborted. In addition to providing new insights into the evolution of strongly
      electric fish and showing electric eels to be far more sophisticated than
      previously described, these findings reveal a trait with markedly dichotomous
      functions. 

PMID- 26485581
TI  - Analyzing Evolutionary Optimization in Noisy Environments.
AB  - Many optimization tasks must be handled in noisy environments, where the exact
      evaluation of a solution cannot be obtained, only a noisy one. For optimization
      of noisy tasks, evolutionary algorithms (EAs), a type of stochastic metaheuristic
      search algorithm, have been widely and successfully applied. Previous work mainly
      focuses on the empirical study and design of EAs for optimization under noisy
      conditions, while the theoretical understandings are largely insufficient. In
      this study, we first investigate how noisy fitness can affect the running time of
      EAs. Two kinds of noise-helpful problems are identified, on which the EAs will
      run faster with the presence of noise, and thus the noise should not be handled.
      Second, on a representative noise-harmful problem in which the noise has a strong
      negative effect, we examine two commonly employed mechanisms dealing with noise
      in EAs: reevaluation and threshold selection. The analysis discloses that using
      these two strategies simultaneously is effective for the one-bit noise but
      ineffective for the asymmetric one-bit noise. Smooth threshold selection is then
      proposed, which can be proved to be an effective strategy to further improve the
      noise tolerance ability in the problem. We then complement the theoretical
      analysis by experiments on both synthetic problems as well as two combinatorial
      problems, the minimum spanning tree and the maximum matching. The experimental
      results agree with the theoretical findings and also show that the proposed
      smooth threshold selection can deal with the noise better.

PMID- 26485582
TI  - Social Stigma Toward Suicide: Effects of Group Categorization and Attributions in
      Korean Health News.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of health news content on
      the stigma of suicide. In particular, this study tested whether the onset
      controllability and group categorization had a causal effect on people's stigma
      toward suicide. The results indicated that stigma scores were lower for those who
      read an article explaining the causes of suicide as uncontrollable than for those
      who read an article explaining the causes as controllable. Also, lower stigma
      scores were observed for those who read an article depicting suicidal people as
      the in-group compared to those who read an article depicting suicidal people as
      the out-group. Furthermore, stigma scores were the highest for those exposed to
      an article with the out-group categorization combined with the controllable
      causes of suicide. 

PMID- 26485579
TI  - The transcription factor Pax6 contributes to the induction of GLT-1 expression in
      astrocytes through an interaction with a distal enhancer element.
AB  - The Na(+) -dependent glutamate transporter GLT-1 (EAAT2) shows selective
      expression in astrocytes, and neurons induce the expression of GLT-1 in
      astrocytes. In an unpublished analysis of GLT-1 promoter reporter mice, we
      identified an evolutionarily conserved domain of 467 nucleotides ~ 8 kb upstream
      of the GLT-1 translation start site that is required for astrocytic expression.
      Using in silico approaches, we identified Pax6 as a transcription factor that
      could contribute to the control of GLT-1 expression by binding within this
      region. We demonstrated the expression of Pax6 protein in astrocytes in vivo.
      Lentiviral transduction of astrocytes with exogenous Pax6 increased the
      expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) in astrocytes prepared
      from transgenic mice that use a bacterial artificial chromosome containing a
      large genomic region surrounding the GLT-1 gene to control expression of eGFP. It
      also increased GLT-1 protein and GLT-1-mediated uptake, whereas there was no
      effect on the levels of the other astroglial glutamate transporter, glutamate
      aspartate transporter (GLAST). Transduction of astrocytes with an shRNA directed
      against Pax6 reduced neuron-dependent induction of GLT-1 or eGFP. Finally, we
      confirmed Pax6 interaction with the predicted DNA-binding site in electrophoretic
      mobility assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). Together, these studies
      show that Pax6 contributes to the regulation of GLT-1 through an interaction with
      these distal elements and identify a novel role of Pax6 in astrocyte biology. The
      astroglial glutamate transporter GLT-1 shows selective expression in astrocytes
      and its expression can be induced by neurons. In this study, we demonstrate that
      Pax6 is expressed in astrocytes and binds to the GLT-1 promoter in vitro and in
      vivo. Exogenous expression of Pax6 increases GLT-1 and enhanced green fluorescent
      protein (eGFP) expression in astrocytes from a transgenic mouse line that uses
      the GLT-1 gene to drive eGFP expression, and an shRNA directed against Pax6
      attenuates neuron-dependent induction of GLT-1/eGFP. We therefore conclude that
      Pax6 contributes to the neuron-dependent induction of GLT-1. 

PMID- 26485583
TI  - Fucoidan reduces inflammatory response in a rat model of hepatic ischemia
      reperfusion injury.
AB  - Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury after a liver transplant is a major cause of
      severe complications that lead to graft dysfunction. Fucoidan, a complex of
      sulfated polysaccharides derived from marine brown algae, demonstrated
      antiapoptotic as well as potential anti-inflammatory properties in previous
      studies. Fucoidan has also shown protective effects on I/R-injured kidney and
      heart. However, whether fucoidan can attenuate hepatic I/R injury has not been
      examined. To clarify the role of fucoidan in hepatic I/R injury, Sprague-Dawley
      rats were subjected to sham operation or ischemia followed by reperfusion with
      treatment of saline or fucoidan (50, 100, or 200 mg.(kg body mass)(-1).d(-1)).
      The fucoidan-treated group showed decreased levels of alanine aminotransferase
      and aspartate aminotransferase compared with the control group. Myeloperoxidase
      and malondialdehyde activities and mRNA levels of CD11b in the fucoidan-treated
      group were significantly decreased. Hepatocellular swelling/necrosis,
      sinusoidal/vascular congestion, and inflammatory cell infiltration were also
      attenuated in the fucoidan group. The expression of TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-1beta,
      CXCL-10, VCAM-1, and ICAM-1 were markedly decreased in the samples from the
      fucoidan-treated group. Fucoidan largely prevented activation of the inflammatory
      signaling pathway, compared with the control group. In summary, fucoidan can
      protect the liver from I/R injury through suppressing activation of the
      inflammatory signaling pathway, as well as the expression of inflammatory
      mediators, and inflammatory cell infiltration. 

PMID- 26485584
TI  - Corneal-Reflection Eye-Tracking Technique for the Assessment of Horizontal Sound
      Localization Accuracy from 6 Months of Age.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The evaluation of sound localization accuracy (SLA) requires precise
      behavioral responses from the listener. Such responses are not always possible to
      elicit in infants and young children, and procedures for the assessment of SLA
      are time consuming. The aim of this study was to develop a fast, valid, and
      objective method for the assessment of SLA from 6 months of age. To this end,
      pupil positions toward spatially distributed continuous auditory and visual
      stimuli were recorded. DESIGN: Twelve children (29 to 157 weeks of age) who
      passed the universal newborn hearing screening and eight adults (18 to 40 years
      of age) who had pure-tone thresholds <=20 dB HL in both ears participated in this
      study. Horizontal SLA was measured in a sound field with 12 loudspeaker/display
      (LD)-pairs placed in an audiological test room at 10 degrees intervals in the
      frontal horizontal plane (+/-55 degrees azimuth). An ongoing auditory-visual
      stimulus was presented at 63 dB SPL(A) and shifted to randomized loudspeakers
      simultaneously with pauses of the visual stimulus. The visual stimulus was
      automatically reintroduced at the azimuth of the sounding loudspeaker after a
      sound-only period of 1.6 sec. A corneal-reflection eye-tracking technique allowed
      the acquisition of the subjects' pupil positions relative to the LD-pairs. The
      perceived azimuth was defined as the median of the intersections between gaze and
      LD-pairs during the final 500 msec of the sound-only period. Overall SLA was
      quantified by an Error Index (EI), where EI = 0 corresponded to perfect match
      between perceived and presented azimuths, whereas EI = 1 corresponded to chance.
      RESULTS: SLA was rapidly measured in children (mean = 168 sec, n = 12) and adults
      (mean = 162 sec, n = 8). Visual inspection of gaze data indicated that gaze
      shifts occurred in sound-only periods. The medians of the perceived sound-source
      azimuths either coincided with the presenting sound-source azimuth or were offset
      by a maximum of 20 degrees in children. In contrast, adults revealed a perfect
      match from -55 to 55 degrees, except at 15 degrees azimuth (median = 20 degrees),
      with 9/12 of the quartile ranges = 0 degrees. Children showed a mean (SD) EI of
      0.42 (0.17), which was significantly higher than that in adults (p < 0.0001).
      However, children revealed a distinct age-related EI improvement of 16 percentage
      points per year (r = -0.68, p = 0.015, n = 12), suggesting an ongoing maturation
      of SLA in the studied age range (29 to 157 weeks). The eight adults showed high
      SLA and high reliability as demonstrated by the low mean (SD) EI (0.054 [0.021])
      and the low variability in test-retest differences (95% confidence interval = 
      0.020 to 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: Corneal-reflection eye-tracking provides an
      objective and fast assessment of horizontal SLA from about 6 months of age and
      may enable gaze to be used as an objective measure for sound localization in this
      age group. Infant SLA is immature and improvements are related to increasing age.
      Adults show high overall SLA and low intra- and intersubject variability in SLA.
      The technique may be used as a clinical tool for the evaluation of very early
      intervention in a young, preverbal population and throughout the life span.

PMID- 26485585
TI  - Forest Structure Affects Soil Mercury Losses in the Presence and Absence of
      Wildfire.
AB  - Soil is an important, dynamic component of regional and global mercury (Hg)
      cycles. This study evaluated how changes in forest soil Hg masses caused by
      atmospheric deposition and wildfire are affected by forest structure. Pre and
      postfire soil Hg measurements were made over two decades on replicate
      experimental units of three prefire forest structures (mature unthinned, mature
      thinned, clear-cut) in Douglas-fir dominated forest of southwestern Oregon. In
      the absence of wildfire, O-horizon Hg decreased by 60% during the 14 years after
      clearcutting, possibly the result of decreased atmospheric deposition due to the
      smaller-stature vegetative canopy; in contrast, no change was observed in mature
      unthinned and thinned forest. Wildfire decreased O-horizon Hg by >88% across all
      forest structures and decreased mineral-soil (0 to 66 mm depth) Hg by 50% in
      thinned forest and clear-cut. The wildfire-associated soil Hg loss was positively
      related to the amount of surface fine wood that burned during the fire, the
      proportion of area that burned at >700  degrees C, fire severity as indicated by
      tree mortality, and soil C loss. Loss of soil Hg due to the 200,000 ha wildfire
      was more than four times the annual atmospheric Hg emissions from human
      activities in Oregon.

PMID- 26485586
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Transcanal Endoscopic Ear Surgery for Congenital
      Cholesteatomas: A Preliminary Report.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES) can provide greater visual
      access during resection of middle ear disease than the operating microscope. The
      purpose of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of TEES when used
      for the management of congenital cholesteatoma (CC) in children. STUDY DESIGN:
      Retrospective case review. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Twelve
      children with CC confined to the middle ear underwent TEES. Seven children were
      Potsic stage I, four were stage II, and one was stage III. The mean follow-up
      period was 23.1 months. INTERVENTION: Transcanal middle ear surgery using
      endoscopes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of surgical complications and
      cholesteatoma recurrence. RESULTS: Twelve patients underwent TEES and four
      patients underwent microscopic surgery during the same period. No surgical
      complications occurred. Postoperative audiograms were available for 7 of 12
      patients who had puretone averages ranging from 3.3 to 23.9 dB HL (mean, 12.7 dB
      HL). One patient with a stage III CC was found to have residual disease during a
      second-look procedure, whose follow-up period was only 3 months. Other patients
      underwent one-stage operations and have developed no cholesteatoma recurrence.
      CONCLUSION: Although the follow-up period and number of patients were limited,
      early-stage CC can be safely removed using TEES.

PMID- 26485587
TI  - Conductive Hearing Loss in Association With Urate Deposits in the Middle Ear.

PMID- 26485588
TI  - Dexamethasone Protects Against Radiation-induced Loss of Auditory Hair Cells In
      Vitro.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: Dexamethasone (DXM) protects against radiation-induced loss of
      auditory hair cells (HCs) in rat organ of Corti (OC) explants by reducing levels
      of oxidative stress and apoptosis. BACKGROUND: Radiation-induced sensorineural
      hearing loss (HL) is progressive, dose-dependent, and irreversible. Currently,
      there are no preventative therapeutic modalities for radiation-induced HL. DXM is
      a synthetic steroid that can potentially target many of the pathways involved in
      radiation-induced ototoxicity. METHODS: Whole OC explants were dissected from 3
      day-old rat cochleae exposed to specific dosages of single-fraction radiation (0,
      2, 5, 10, or 20 Gy), were either untreated or treated with DXM (75, 150, 300
      MUg/mL), and then cultured for 48 or 96 hours. Confocal microscopy for oxidative
      stress (CellRox, 48 h) and apoptosis (TUNEL assay, 96 h) and fluorescent
      microscopy for viable HC counts (fluorescein isothiocyanate-phalloidin, 96 h)
      were performed. Analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc testing were used for
      statistical analysis. RESULTS: Radiation exposure initiated dose-dependent losses
      of inner and outer HCs, predominantly in the basal turns of the OC explants. DXM
      protected against radiation-induced HC losses in a dose-dependent manner. DXM
      significantly reduced levels of oxidative stress and apoptosis in radiation
      injured OC explants (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Radiation-initiated HC losses were
      dose-dependent in OC explants. DXM treatment protected explant HCs against
      radiation-initiated losses by decreasing the levels of oxidative stress and
      apoptosis. DXM may potentially be a therapeutic modality for preventing radiation
      induced HL; further in vivo studies are necessary.

PMID- 26485589
TI  - Evaluation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Diagnostic Approaches for Vestibular
      Schwannoma Based on Hearing Threshold Differences Between Ears: Added Value of
      Auditory Brainstem Responses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the most appropriate audiometric criterion in
      deciding which patients with asymmetric hearing loss should be referred to MRI to
      exclude a lesion in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA). Careful selection of
      patients could improve resource utilization while preventing unnecessary
      investigations with accompanying burden and costs. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective
      case review. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Of all the patients who
      were referred to our clinic between 1997 and 2012, the records were reviewed of
      those who underwent pure-tone audiometry, auditory brainstem response (ABR)
      testing, and had a Gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the CPA. INTERVENTION: Regarding
      interaural pure-tone threshold differences at single or multiple (averaged)
      frequencies, we assigned multiple possible cut-off values (dB) defining an
      aberrant result, suggestive for CPA lesions. Results were compared with MRI to
      calculate sensitivity and specificity for every cut-off value. These were
      visualized as ROC curves enabling qualitative comparison. Added value of ABR was
      assessed as well. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sensitivity and specificity of various
      criteria to decide which patients with asymmetric hearing loss to send to MRI to
      exclude a CPA lesion. RESULTS: In total, 1016 records were reviewed. Two hundred
      ninety-four subjects (29%) were diagnosed with a CPA lesion on MRI. Sensitivity
      and specificity for audiometry results differed greatly depending on the
      predefined cut-off value for hearing threshold difference (40-95% sensitivity and
      20-90% specificity). Best ROC curves were obtained when threshold differences at
      two or three higher frequencies were averaged. Adding results of ABR to the
      threshold criterion yielded a slightly better ROC curve, although sensitivity
      decreased. CONCLUSIONS: The best criterion to decide which patient with
      asymmetric hearing loss should be referred to MRI is based on the average bone
      conduction threshold difference at multiple (two or three) higher frequencies.
      The extent of the average threshold difference between ears that is used as a
      cutoff will mainly depend on treatment modality and (eventually) on resource
      costs and on the burden of Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.
      Results of ABR can have little added value when only patients with a unilateral
      abnormal ABR at the worse hearing ear are referred to MRI. However, a lower
      sensitivity must then be accepted.

PMID- 26485590
TI  - Health Utility Improves After Surgery for Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Health utility value (HUV) is an outcome measure used to calculate
      quality adjusted life years (QALYs) and to determine cost-effectiveness of
      medical treatments. Herein, we measure HUV in patients with superior canal
      dehiscence syndrome (SCDS) before and after surgical repair. Health utility
      values of patients with SCDS are compared to normative data of the general United
      States population. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of prospectively collected
      data. PATIENTS: Adult patients with SCDS. SETTING: Tertiary referral center.
      INTERVENTIONS: SCD repair via middle fossa craniotomy or transmastoid approaches.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:  PRIMARY OUTCOME: change in HUV, as measured by the Short
      Form 6-Dimension questionnaire. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: autophony index (AI),
      dizziness handicap inventory (DHI), and hearing handicap inventory (HHI).
      RESULTS: Fifty-one patients with SCDS were enrolled, 23 underwent surgical
      repair. Mean HUV in patients with SCDS is significantly lower than the general
      U.S. POPULATION: 0.68 (SD = 0.13) versus 0.80 (0.29), p < 0.01, respectively.
      Patients electing to undergo surgical repair had similar values relative to
      nonoperated patients: 0.65 (0.13) versus 0.71 (0.14), p = 0.20, respectively. At
      mean follow-up of 12 months (range 3-39), postoperative HUV improved to 0.79
      (0.12), p < 0.01. AI decreased (improved) after repair: 32.7 (28.0) to 4.8 (8.3),
      p < 0.001. DHI and HHI did not change significantly after surgery, p > 0.14.
      Nonoperated patients had no significant change in HUV during a mean follow-up
      period of 21 months (range 9-39), p = 0.33. CONCLUSIONS: SCDS patients have
      significantly lower HUV compared with the general U.S. POPULATION: HUV
      demonstrated improvement after surgery. Nonoperated patients have ongoing
      impaired quality of life.

PMID- 26485591
TI  - The Efficacy of Color-Mapped Diffusion-Weighted Images Combined With CT in the
      Diagnosis and Treatment of Cholesteatoma Using Transcanal Endoscopic Ear Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of a color-mapped diffusion-weighted image
      combined with a computed tomography scan (CMDWI-CT) in preoperatively evaluating
      the anatomical location of cholesteatomas and determining whether a patient is
      indicated for transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES) to reduce intraoperative
      switching to microscopic ear surgery (MES). STUDY DESIGN: Prospective case study.
      SETTING: A single university hospital. PATIENTS: Fifty-five patients scheduled
      for middle ear cholesteatoma surgery. INTERVENTION: The CMDWI-CT is produced in a
      multistep process. A color-mapped fusion image (CMFI) is created by performing MR
      cisternography on a 1-mm thin-slice nonecho planar diffusion-weighted imaging
      (non-EPI DWI) and then by performing color mapping on the resulting image to
      enhance cholesteatoma visualization. False positives are reduced by taking a T1
      weighted image (T1WI), whereas false negatives are further reduced by
      preoperative endoscopic examination. As cholesteatomas are difficult to locate on
      a CMFI in the temporal bone region, we stripped out the MR cisternography data
      from the CMFI and then fused the CMFI to the initial computer tomography (CT)
      scan to create a CMDWI-CT. This CMDWI-CT better clarifies the cholesteatoma
      position within temporal bone. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): CMDWI-CT preoperative
      findings were compared with intraoperative findings. The positive predictive
      value and negative predictive value were also evaluated depending on the
      cholesteatoma location. RESULTS: CMDWI-CT facilitated accurate detection of the
      cholesteatoma anatomical location in the temporal bone region which was reflected
      in positive predictive and negative predictive values of over 90% for all areas
      of the middle ear. CONCLUSION: CMDWI-CT is a reliable diagnostic modality for
      evaluating the anatomical location of cholesteatomas that seem as high-signal
      regions on a CMFI and for determining whether TEES is indicated for treatment in
      such patients.

PMID- 26485592
TI  - Electro-Mechanical Stimulation of the Cochlea by Vibrating Cochlear Implant
      Electrodes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Electro-acoustic stimulation (EAS) of the cochlea uses the
      preserved residual low-frequency hearing for acoustic stimulation in combination
      with electrical stimulation. The acoustic low-frequency component is amplified
      and high-frequency hearing is enhanced by a cochlear implant (CI). In this work,
      the feasibility of EAS by the floating mass transducers (FMTs) firmly attached to
      the implanted electrode was investigated and the achieved stapes displacement was
      compared with sound stimulation. METHODS: Experiments were performed in eight
      fresh human temporal bones compliant to the ASTM standard (F2504-5). Four EAS
      custom-made prototypes (EAS-CMP) were tested, consisting of standard MED-EL CI
      electrodes with Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) FMTs or a Bonebridge (BB) FMT tightly
      molded to the electrode in different orientations. The stapes footplate (SFP)
      response to EAS-CMP stimulation and sound stimulation was measured using a Laser
      Doppler Vibrometer (LDV). RESULTS: The SFP displacement amplitudes achieved by
      EAS-CMP stimulation were calculated to 1 VRMS FMT input and were pair-wise
      statistically compared between prototypes yielding no significant differences at
      frequencies <=1 kHz. At frequencies <=1 kHz stimulation by the BB FMT resulted in
      a flat and potentially highest SFP displacement amplitude of approximately -40 dB
      re MUm at 1 VRMS input voltage. Estimated equivalent sound pressure levels
      achieved by the BB FMT prototype were approximately 83-90 eq. dB SPL at
      frequencies <=1 kHz. CONCLUSION: The feasibility of cochlear stimulation by
      vibrating electrodes was shown although the achieved output level at frequencies
      <=1 kHz was too low for EAS applications.

PMID- 26485594
TI  - Asymptomatic Hydrops in a Case With Otosclerosis.

PMID- 26485593
TI  - Anti CD163+, Iba1+, and CD68+ Cells in the Adult Human Inner Ear: Normal
      Distribution of an Unappreciated Class of Macrophages/Microglia and Implications
      for Inflammatory Otopathology in Humans.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: Identification, characterization, and location of cells involved in
      the innate immune defense system of the human inner ear may lead to a better
      understanding of many otologic diseases and new treatments for hearing and
      balance-related disorders. BACKGROUND: Many otologic disorders are thought to
      have, as part of their disease process, an immune component. Although resident
      macrophages are known to exist in the mouse inner ear, the innate immune cells in
      the human inner ear are, to date, unknown. METHODS: Primary antibodies against
      CD163, Iba1, and CD68 (markers known to be specific for macrophages/microglia)
      were used to immunohistochemically stain celloidin embedded archival temporal
      bone tissue of normal individuals with no known otologic disorders other than
      changes associated with age. RESULTS: Cells were positively stained throughout
      the temporal bone within the connective tissue and supporting cells with all
      three markers. They were often associated with neurons and on occasion entered
      the sensory cell areas of the auditory and vestibular epithelium. CONCLUSIONS: We
      have immunohistochemically identified an unappreciated class of cells in the
      normal adult inner ear consistent in staining characteristics and morphology with
      macrophages/microglia. As in other organ systems, it is likely these cells play
      an essential role in organ homeostasis that has not yet been elucidated within
      the ear.

PMID- 26485595
TI  - Systematic Review of Treatments for Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To systematically evaluate the evidence for treatment of autoimmune
      inner ear disease (AIED). DATA SOURCES: Medline/EMBASE, Cochrane Review. STUDY
      SELECTION: Studies reviewed were English language original articles reporting
      outcome data for subjects with AIED undergoing any treatment other than oral
      steroids alone with particular emphasis on prospectively collected data. DATA
      EXTRACTION: The full text of articles meeting selection criteria was reviewed for
      subject inclusion criteria, number of subjects, treatment type and duration,
      audiologic and vestibular evaluations, blinding, randomization, and follow-up.
      DATA SYNTHESIS: Twelve studies representing 272 subjects met selection criteria
      and presented prospective data, three of which were randomized and placebo
      controlled. Low numbers and heterogeneity between studies precluded meta
      analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Clear evidence of an effective treatment for AIED from
      high-quality prospective trials remains lacking.

PMID- 26485596
TI  - Progressively Recovering Auditory Brainstem Response in a Cochlear-implanted
      Child After Meningitis: A Case Report.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: I describe the case of an 8-year-old boy who developed meningitis
      several years after implantation and how electrically evoked auditory brainstem
      response (EABR) is used in the assessment of his hearing performance after
      recovery. PATIENT: An 8-year-old boy stopped using both his cochlear implants
      because of streptococcal meningitis accompanied with acute otitis media on the
      left ear. After recovery his hearing was quickly restored on the right ear, but
      he complained of not hearing well on the left ear. INTERVENTION: Diagnostic. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURE: EABRs were measured on both ears 2 months after meningitis
      offset. Testing was repeated on the left ear 12 and 18 months after the first
      session. Responses were evoked by apical, mid-array, and basal electrodes.
      RESULTS: At initial testing EABRs were normal on the right ear. They were absent
      on the left ear for the apical electrode and present but with delayed wave
      latencies for the middle and basal electrodes. At the second and third sessions,
      EABRs were present for all electrodes and wave eV latencies were shorter. The
      stimulus level needed to evoke an EABR was considerably reduced on all electrodes
      from the first to the third session. There was good agreement between these
      findings and the subjective feedback from the patient. CONCLUSION: EABR provided
      valuable information throughout the patient's hearing recovery. Its use should be
      considered in difficult patients, especially those who cannot give feedback.

PMID- 26485597
TI  - Objective Measurements of Ossicular Chain Mobility Using a Palpating Instrument
      Intraoperatively.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The judgment of a normal or impaired mobility of middle ear ossicles
      is based on palpation and depends highly on the surgeon's subjective experience.
      The aim of this study was to develop and test a palpating instrument recording
      force and vector and allowing to support the surgeon's subjective impression with
      objective measurement results. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective recordings at surgery.
      SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A fiberoptic force
      sensing element allowing force measures in three orthogonal directions was
      integrated into a handheld 45 degree hook and tested in temporal bones. Clinical
      data series from patients with a functionally normal chain (e.g., cochlear
      implants (CI)) and impaired ossicles (otosclerosis) were collected. The ossicles
      were palpated until their first movements out of the resting stage were
      visualized, the applied force, and vector were recorded by an independent
      observer. RESULTS: Four CI and 19 otosclerosis patients were further evaluated.
      The minimum detectable force change of the sensor was 0.2 gF (2 mN). In the
      otosclerosis patients the average force applied to move the malleus was 9.5 gF,
      on the incus 8.7 gF. These values were slightly lower after separation of the
      incudostapedial joint, reaching 8.5 gF and 6.9 gF, respectively. The fixed stapes
      showed a rigidity of 14.7 gF or higher. The values were lower in the CI group
      measuring 4.4 gF, 4.1 gF, and 3.3 gF on the three ossicles, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: We were able to produce a disposable, easy-to-handle palpating probe
      that enables the otologist to record continuously tip contact forces in three
      dimensions during his standard palpation of each ossicle. Normative values were
      reproduced for each ossicle, as well as increased rates for stapes fixation in
      otosclerosis.

PMID- 26485598
TI  - Utility of an Abbreviated Dizziness Questionnaire to Differentiate Between Causes
      of Vertigo and Guide Appropriate Referral: A Multicenter Prospective Blinded
      Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Test performance of a focused dizziness questionnaire's ability to
      discriminate between peripheral and nonperipheral causes of vertigo. STUDY
      DESIGN: Prospective multicenter. SETTING: Four academic centers with experienced
      balance specialists. PATIENTS: New dizzy patients. INTERVENTIONS: A 32-question
      survey was given to participants. Balance specialists were blinded and a
      diagnosis was established for all participating patients within 6 months. MAIN
      OUTCOMES: Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate questionnaire
      performance in predicting final diagnosis and differentiating between peripheral
      and nonperipheral vertigo. Univariate and multivariable stepwise logistic
      regression were used to identify questions as significant predictors of the
      ultimate diagnosis. C-index was used to evaluate performance and discriminative
      power of the multivariable models. RESULTS: In total, 437 patients participated
      in the study. Eight participants without confirmed diagnoses were excluded and
      429 were included in the analysis. Multinomial regression revealed that the model
      had good overall predictive accuracy of 78.5% for the final diagnosis and 75.5%
      for differentiating between peripheral and nonperipheral vertigo. Univariate
      logistic regression identified significant predictors of three main categories of
      vertigo: peripheral, central, and other. Predictors were entered into forward
      stepwise multivariable logistic regression. The discriminative power of the final
      models for peripheral, central, and other causes was considered good as measured
      by c-indices of 0.75, 0.7, and 0.78, respectively. CONCLUSION: This multicenter
      study demonstrates a focused dizziness questionnaire can accurately predict
      diagnosis for patients with chronic/relapsing dizziness referred to outpatient
      clinics. Additionally, this survey has significant capability to differentiate
      peripheral from nonperipheral causes of vertigo and may, in the future, serve as
      a screening tool for specialty referral. Clinical utility of this questionnaire
      to guide specialty referral is discussed.

PMID- 26485599
TI  - Hearing Loss Caused by Surgical Antiseptic in the Setting of an Unknown Tympanic
      Perforation.

PMID- 26485600
TI  - Efficacy of Concomitant Intratympanic Steroid Injection for Sudden Deafness
      According to Initial Hearing Loss.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: We identified the efficacy and appropriate target group
      for intratympanic steroid injections (ITS) in patients with idiopathic sudden
      sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case-control
      study. METHODS: Fifty-five ears treated with concomitant ITS and systemic
      steroids and 165 ears without ITS treatment were identified. Each case had three
      controls matched according to the age, sex, and the presence of vertigo. Patients
      were divided into subgroups according to pure tone audiometric configuration and
      the levels of initial hearing loss. Hearing results and frequency-related hearing
      gain were investigated. RESULTS: Additional ITS was effective for patients with
      an ascending type audiogram or patients with Grade 3 (60-90 dB) initial hearing
      loss. Concomitant ITS, however, resulted in a negative effect on hearing in
      patients with Grades 1 and 2 (<60 dB). ITS resulted in significant (p < 0.05)
      hearing improvement at 250  Hz in the Grade 3 (60-90  dB) and Grade 4 (>90  dB)
      ITS subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of additional ITS for ISSNHL was
      different among subgroups with various levels of initial hearing loss or
      audiogram configuration.

PMID- 26485601
TI  - Jugular Foramen Ganglioneuroma Presenting Radiographically as Schwannoma.

PMID- 26485602
TI  - Nitrogen-Doped Holey Graphene as an Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries with High
      Volumetric Energy Density and Long Cycle Life.
AB  - Nitrogen-doped holey graphene (N-hG) as an anode material for lithium-ion
      batteries has delivered a maximum volumetric capacity of 384 mAh cm(-3) with an
      excellent long-term cycling life up to 6000 cycles, and as an electrochemical
      capacitor has delivered a maximum volumetric energy density of 171.2 Wh L(-1) and
      a volumetric capacitance of 201.6 F cm(-3) .

PMID- 26485603
TI  - Meaning, Resilience, and Traumatic Stress After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill:
      A Study of Mississippi Coastal Residents Seeking Mental Health Services.
AB  - The present study examines the relationship between resilience, perceived meaning
      in life, and traumatic stress symptoms among coastal residents of Mississippi
      directly affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also known as the Gulf oil
      spill). The study was conducted as part of a larger project that assessed the
      spill's effect on the mental health of individuals seeking therapeutic services.
      Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine if resilience and
      perceived meaning are significant predictors of scores from a measure of
      posttraumatic stress. Descriptive data, reliability coefficients, and
      correlations were also calculated. Higher levels of resilience and meaning
      together were predictive of fewer posttraumatic stress symptoms after controlling
      for the effect of the spill. Resilience and meaning appeared to be similar
      predictors of lower posttraumatic stress scores, and meaning appears to be an
      important facet of what makes a person resilient.

PMID- 26485604
TI  - Fecal Incontinence in Adolescents Is Associated With Child Abuse, Somatization,
      and Poor Health-related Quality of Life.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between fecal
      incontinence (FI), child abuse, somatization, and health-related quality of life
      (HRQoL) in adolescents. METHODS: Adolescents (ages 13-18 years) were selected
      from 4 semi-urban schools in the Gampaha district, Sri Lanka. A validated, self
      administered questionnaire was used for data collection. FI was defined as at
      least 1 episode of leakage of feces per month. RESULTS: A total of 1807
      adolescents were analyzed (boys 973 [53.8%], mean age 14.4 years, standard
      deviation [SD] 1.4 years). A total of 47 (2.6%) had FI. Prevalence of sexual
      abuse (17% vs 2.3% in controls, P < 0.0001), emotional abuse (40.4% vs 22.7%, P <
      0.0001), and physical abuse (51% vs 24.3%, P < 0.0001) was significantly higher
      in children with FI. Adolescents with FI had higher mean somatization scores
      [mean 20.1, (SD 14.5) vs mean 9.3, (SD 9.2)] compared with those without FI (P <
      0.0001). Those with FI also had lower HRQoL scores for physical functioning,
      social functioning, emotional functioning domains, and performances at school,
      together with a lower overall HRQoL score compared with those without FI (74.6 vs
      87.1, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant association between FI and
      physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. They also have a higher somatization score
      and a poor HRQoL score in physical, emotional, social, and school functioning
      domains compared with those without FI.

PMID- 26485605
TI  - Contrast-Based Real-Time Assessment of Microcirculatory Changes in a Fatty Liver
      After Ischemia Reperfusion Injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A fatty liver is known to have impairment of microcirculation, which
      is worsened after ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI). This makes most fatty grafts
      unsuitable for transplantation, and in the absence of real time assessment of
      microcirculation this selection has been at best, random. The aim of this study
      was to demonstrate the utility of a contrast enhanced ultrasound model in
      quantitative assessment of the microcirculation of a fatty liver. METHODS: We
      subjected fatty mice to IRI, and blood flow dynamics were assessed before and
      after the injury. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in the resistive and
      pulsatility index of the extrahepatic artery and a significant decrease in
      velocity of the portal vein. There was also a quantifiable decrease in the
      intrahepatic blood volume, blood flow, time to peak flow, and perfusion index of
      mice with fatty liver, suggesting that a fatty liver develops hemodynamic
      abnormalities after IRI, leading to increased hepatocellular injury. CONCLUSIONS:
      Hemodynamic abnormalities in liver can be reliably quantified using a contrast,
      enhanced Doppler ultrasound, which is an inexpensive technique with multiple
      clinical applications. It can be used to assess the quality of the fatty liver
      donor graft before organ retrieval; for determining live donor candidacy, for
      making post-IRI recovery prognosis, and for assessing the effectiveness of
      therapeutic interventions.

PMID- 26485606
TI  - Prevalence and Natural History of Celiac Disease in a Cohort of At-risk Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence and clinical presentation of celiac disease
      (CD) in a cohort of children with HLA-DQ2 positive and evaluate the risk factors
      in the development of CD. METHODS: Between July 2004 and July 2005, parents of
      all healthy full-term newborns in our hospital were invited to participate. HLA
      DQ2 was tested in blood sample of the umbilical cord. A point of contact
      serological test was performed on children between 2 and 3 years of age. Positive
      results were confirmed by serum anti-transglutaminase 2 and endomysial
      antibodies. Children with high autoantibody titers underwent an intestinal
      biopsy. Children of the cohort diagnosed with CD before the screening study were
      included. Sex, mode of delivery, breast-feeding duration, and age of gluten
      introduction were studied. RESULTS: Of 1291 children, 362 were HLA-DQ2 positive
      and 262 participated in the study. CD was diagnosed in 4.1% (95% confidence
      interval (CI) 1.9-6.3). In the whole cohort, 60% had gastrointestinal symptoms,
      7% poor weight gain, and 33% were asymptomatic. Five children with potential CD
      and 6 with CD autoimmunity became negative (42.3%) and are still negative after 5
      to 7 years. Female sex was at-risk factor odds ratio 5.7 (95% CI 1.5-20.9),
      whereas breast-feeding during gluten introduction had a protective effect odds
      ratio 0.1 (95% CI 0.01-0.8). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of CD in this cohort was 4%,
      half of whom had digestive symptoms. Because a high proportion of children showed
      a spontaneous disappearance of antibodies, prevalence studies of CD in young
      children should be based on intestinal damage so as not to overestimate results.

PMID- 26485607
TI  - Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders Affect More Than Just the Esophagus.

PMID- 26485608
TI  - Transformation of the Paradigm in Intestinal Failure: Future Prognostication and
      Quality of Life, Not Just Survival.

PMID- 26485609
TI  - Visualizing the Tumor Microvasculature With a Nonlinear Plane-Wave Doppler
      Imaging Scheme Based on Amplitude Modulation.
AB  - Imaging with ultrasonic plane waves enables the combination of Doppler and
      microbubble contrast-enhanced imaging without compromising the Doppler ensemble
      length, as is the case for conventional line-by-line imaging, thus maintaining
      flow sensitivity. This permits the separation of conduit flow in large vessels
      from the perfusion background and the presentation of velocity estimates in real
      time. However, the ability to differentiate perfusion from the tissue signal is
      limited by the contrast-to-tissue (CTR) ratio achieved with the contrast-enhanced
      pulsing sequence, independently of the acquisition length. One way to improve the
      CTR is to use a Doppler sequence based on amplitude modulation instead of one
      based on pulse inversion. In this work, we discuss how amplitude modulation can
      be adapted to Doppler processing. We show that amplitude modulation Doppler, like
      pulse inversion Doppler, can separate the signal of moving tissue from that of
      moving microbubbles, while achieving a better contrast-to-tissue ratio than pulse
      inversion Doppler, both in vitro and in vivo. Both amplitude modulation Doppler
      and pulse inversion Doppler yield similar velocity estimates when the bandwidth
      of the RF echo is properly compensated. Finally, we demonstrate how amplitude
      modulation Doppler can be used to reveal both the conduit flow and the capillary
      perfusion at high frame rates in an in vivo tumor. 

PMID- 26485610
TI  - Letter to the editor: anti-TNF therapy and radiation exposure in Crohn's disease:
      chicken or egg?

PMID- 26485612
TI  - Consensus-Based Palliative Care Competencies for Undergraduate Nurses and
      Physicians: A Demonstrative Process with Colombian Universities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution adopted in 2014 strongly
      encourages member states to integrate palliative care (PC) in undergraduate
      training for health professionals. OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to describe
      a consensus-based process workshop to develop PC competences for medical and
      nursing schools in Colombia and to present a summary of the findings. METHODS:
      The workshop included 36 participants representing 16 medical and 6 nursing
      schools from 18 universities in Colombia. Participants were distributed in four
      thematic groups. Using the International Association for Hospice and Palliative
      Care (IAHPC) List of Essential Practices (LEP) as guidance, they were asked to
      discuss and define PC competencies at the undergraduate level. Participants
      provided feedback and approved each recommendation, and then were asked to
      complete an evaluation. RESULTS: The resulting competences were separated into
      six categories: (1) Definition and Principles of PC, (2) Identification and
      Control of Symptoms, (3) End-of-Life Care, (4) Ethical and Legal Issues, (5)
      Psychosocial and Spiritual Issues, and (6) Teamwork. A comparative analysis
      revealed that treatment of several symptoms in the IAHPC LEP (pain, dyspnea,
      constipation, nausea, vomit, diarrhea, delirium, and insomnia) were included in
      the competencies. All of the IAHPC LEP related to
      psychological/emotional/spiritual care was included. The evaluation rate of
      return was 80%. The assessment was very positive: total score of 4.7/5.0; SD =
      0.426), with 89% considering the workshop to be helpful. CONCLUSION: The workshop
      provided an opportunity for individuals from different disciplines to discuss
      competencies and achieve consensus. The resulting competencies will be helpful in
      the development of PC curricula for physicians and nurses throughout schools in
      Colombia and other countries.

PMID- 26485611
TI  - A refined genome-scale reconstruction of Chlamydomonas metabolism provides a
      platform for systems-level analyses.
AB  - Microalgae have reemerged as organisms of prime biotechnological interest due to
      their ability to synthesize a suite of valuable chemicals. To harness the
      capabilities of these organisms, we need a comprehensive systems-level
      understanding of their metabolism, which can be fundamentally achieved through
      large-scale mechanistic models of metabolism. In this study, we present a revised
      and significantly improved genome-scale metabolic model for the widely-studied
      microalga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The model, iCre1355, represents a major
      advance over previous models, both in content and predictive power. iCre1355
      encompasses a broad range of metabolic functions encoded across the nuclear,
      chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes accounting for 1355 genes (1460
      transcripts), 2394 and 1133 metabolites. We found improved performance over the
      previous metabolic model based on comparisons of predictive accuracy across 306
      phenotypes (from 81 mutants), lipid yield analysis and growth rates derived from
      chemostat-grown cells (under three conditions). Measurement of macronutrient
      uptake revealed carbon and phosphate to be good predictors of growth rate, while
      nitrogen consumption appeared to be in excess. We analyzed high-resolution time
      series transcriptomics data using iCre1355 to uncover dynamic pathway-level
      changes that occur in response to nitrogen starvation and changes in light
      intensity. This approach enabled accurate prediction of growth rates, the
      cessation of growth and accumulation of triacylglycerols during nitrogen
      starvation, and the temporal response of different growth-associated pathways to
      increased light intensity. Thus, iCre1355 represents an experimentally validated
      genome-scale reconstruction of C. reinhardtii metabolism that should serve as a
      useful resource for studying the metabolic processes of this and related
      microalgae.

PMID- 26485613
TI  - Estrogen Therapy Delays Autoimmune Diabetes and Promotes the Protective
      Efficiency of Natural Killer T-Cell Activation in Female Nonobese Diabetic Mice.
AB  - Therapeutic strategies focused on restoring immune tolerance remain the main
      avenue to prevent type 1 diabetes (T1D). Because estrogens potentiate FoxP3+
      regulatory T cells (Treg) and invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, two
      regulatory lymphocyte populations that are functionally deficient in nonobese
      diabetic (NOD) mice, we investigated whether estradiol (E2) therapy influences
      the course of T1D in this model. To this end, female NOD mice were sc implanted
      with E2- or placebo-delivering pellets to explore the course of spontaneous and
      cyclophosphamide-induced diabetes. Treg-depleted and iNKT-cell-deficient
      (Jalpha18(-/-)) NOD mice were used to assess the respective involvement of these
      lymphocyte populations in E2 effects. Early E2 administration (from 4 wk of age)
      was found to preserve NOD mice from both spontaneous and cyclophosphamide-induced
      diabetes, and a complete protection was also observed throughout treatment when
      E2 treatment was initiated after the onset of insulitis (from 12 wk of age). This
      delayed E2 treatment remained fully effective in Treg-depleted mice but failed to
      entirely protect Jalpha18(-/-) mice. Accordingly, E2 administration was shown to
      restore the cytokine production of iNKT cells in response to in vivo challenge
      with the cognate ligand alpha-galactosylceramide. Finally, transient E2
      administration potentiated the previously described protective action of alpha
      galactosylceramide treatment in NOD females. This study provides original
      evidence that E2 therapy strongly protects NOD mice from T1D and reveals the
      estrogen/iNKT cell axis as a new effective target to counteract diabetes onset at
      the stage of insulitis. Estrogen-based therapy should thus be considered for T1D
      prevention. 

PMID- 26485615
TI  - The detection of simulated periapical lesions in human dry mandibles with cone
      beam computed tomography: a dose reduction study.
AB  - AIM: To assess in an ex vivo model the accuracy of detection of simulated
      periapical lesions using two cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) dose modes and
      periapical radiography. METHODOLOGY: Small and large artificial periapical
      lesions were created with burs at the base of the socket of eleven mandibular
      molars, in seven human dry mandibles. Digital periapical radiographs, 360 degrees
      and 180 degrees  rotations CBCT scans with standard dose and dose reduction (DR)
      modes were obtained before and after periapical lesions were prepared. Six
      blinded examiners scored the presence/absence of lesions. Inter- and intra
      examiner reliability were determined. Sensitivity, specificity, positive
      predictive values and negative predictive values and receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (overall accuracy) were determined for
      each modality. RESULTS: The mean sensitivity and specificity of both CBCT
      rotations with dose reduction mode were higher compared to that of standard dose
      CBCT scans. The ROC Az mean values for periapical radiographs, 360 degrees  scan
      with standard dose and dose reduction and 180 degrees  scans with standard dose
      and dose reduction were 0.62, 0.94, 0.95, 0.95 and 0.97, respectively. No
      significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy of CBCT scans taken with
      standard and dose reduction modes, whilst their accuracy was significantly higher
      than periapical radiographs. CONCLUSIONS: Using dose reduction with 360 degrees 
      and 180 degrees  CBCT scans demonstrated good diagnostic accuracy in the
      detection of simulated periapical lesions whilst reducing the radiation dose by
      54% and 51%, respectively, compared to conventional settings. Clinical evaluation
      is now needed to determine whether this is applicable to patients.

PMID- 26485614
TI  - The PGE2 EP3 Receptor Regulates Diet-Induced Adiposity in Male Mice.
AB  - Mice carrying a targeted disruption of the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) E-prostanoid
      receptor 3 (EP3) gene, Ptger3, were fed a high-fat diet (HFD), or a micronutrient
      matched control diet, to investigate the effects of disrupted PGE2-EP3 signaling
      on diabetes in a setting of diet-induced obesity. Although no differences in body
      weight were seen in mice fed the control diet, when fed a HFD, EP3(-/-) mice
      gained more weight relative to EP3(+/+) mice. Overall, EP3(-/-) mice had
      increased epididymal fat mass and adipocyte size; paradoxically, a relative
      decrease in both epididymal fat pad mass and adipocyte size was observed in the
      heaviest EP3(-/-) mice. The EP3(-/-) mice had increased macrophage infiltration,
      TNF-alpha, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, IL-6 expression, and necrosis in
      their epididymal fat pads as compared with EP3(+/+) animals. Adipocytes isolated
      from EP3(+/+) or EP3(-/-) mice were assayed for the effect of PGE2-evoked
      inhibition of lipolysis. Adipocytes isolated from EP3(-/-) mice lacked PGE2
      evoked inhibition of isoproterenol stimulated lipolysis compared with EP3(+/+).
      EP3(-/-) mice fed HFD had exaggerated ectopic lipid accumulation in skeletal
      muscle and liver, with evidence of hepatic steatosis. Both blood glucose and
      plasma insulin levels were similar between genotypes on a control diet, but when
      fed HFD, EP3(-/-) mice became hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic when compared
      with EP3(+/+) fed HFD, demonstrating a more severe insulin resistance phenotype
      in EP3(-/-). These results demonstrate that when fed a HFD, EP3(-/-) mice have
      abnormal lipid distribution, developing excessive ectopic lipid accumulation and
      associated insulin resistance. 

PMID- 26485618
TI  - An advanced image processing method to improve the spatial resolution of ion
      radiographies.
AB  - We present an optimization method to improve the spatial resolution and the water
      equivalent thickness (WET) accuracy of ion radiographies. The method is designed
      for imaging systems measuring for each actively scanned beam spot the lateral
      position of the pencil beam and at the same time the Bragg curve (behind the
      target) in discrete steps without relying on tracker detectors to determine the
      ion trajectory before and after the irradiated volume. Specifically, the method
      was used for an imaging set-up consisting of a stack of 61 parallel-plate
      ionization chambers (PPIC) interleaved with absorber plates of polymethyl
      methacrylate (PMMA) working as a range telescope. The method uses not only the
      Bragg peak position, but approximates the entire measured Bragg curve as a
      superposition of differently shifted Bragg curves. Their relative weights allow
      to reconstruct the distribution of thickness around each scan spot of a
      heterogeneous phantom. The approach also allows merging the ion radiography with
      the geometric information of a co-registered x-ray radiography in order to
      increase its spatial resolution. The method was tested using Monte Carlo
      simulated and experimental proton radiographies of a PMMA step phantom and an
      anthropomorphic head phantom. For the step phantom, the effective spatial
      resolution was found to be 6 and 4 times higher than the nominal resolution for
      the simulated and experimental radiographies, respectively. For the head phantom,
      a gamma index was calculated to quantify the conformity of the simulated proton
      radiographies with a digitally reconstructed radiography (DRR) obtained from an x
      ray CT and properly converted into WET. For a distance-to-agreement (DTA) of 2.5
      mm and a relative WET difference (RWET) of 2.5%, the passing ratio was 100%/85%
      for the optimized/non-optimized case, respectively. When the optimized proton
      radiography was merged with the co-registered DRR, the passing ratio was 100% at
      DTA  =  1.3 mm and RWET  =  1.3%. A special interpolation method allows to
      strongly reduce the dose by using a coarser grid of the measured beam spot
      position with a 5 times larger grid distance. We show that despite a dose
      reduction of 25 times (leading to a dose of 0.016 mGy for the current imaging set
      up), the image quality of the optimized radiographies remains fairly unaffected
      for both the simulated and experimental case.

PMID- 26485616
TI  - Intersectional Gene Expression in Zebrafish Using the Split KalTA4 System.
AB  - In this study, we describe the adaptation of the split Gal4 system for zebrafish.
      The Gal4-UAS system is widely used for expression of genes-of-interest by
      crossing driver lines expressing the transcription factor Gal4 (under the control
      of the promoter of interest) with reporter lines where upstream activating
      sequence (UAS) repeats (recognized by Gal4) drive expression of the genes-of
      interest. In the Split Gal4 system, hemi-drivers separately encode the DNA
      binding domain (DBD) and the activation domain (AD) of Gal4. When encoded under
      two different promoters, only those cells in the intersection of the promoters'
      expression pattern and in which both promoters are active reconstitute a
      functional Gal4 and activate expression from a UAS-driven transgene. We split the
      zebrafish-optimized version of Gal4, KalTA4, and generated a hemi-driver encoding
      the KalTA4 DBD and a hemi-driver encoding KalTA4's AD. We show that split KalTA4
      domains can assemble in vivo and transactivate a UAS reporter transgene and that
      each hemi-driver alone cannot transactivate the reporter. Also, transactivation
      can happen in several cell types, with similar efficiency to intact KalTA4.
      Finally, in transient mosaic expression assays, we show that when hemi-drivers
      are preceded by two distinct promoters, they restrict the expression of an UAS
      driven reporter from a broader pattern (sox10) to its constituent smaller
      neuronal pattern. The Split KalTA4 system should be useful for expression of
      genes-of-interest in an intersectional manner, allowing for more refined
      manipulations of cell populations in zebrafish. 

PMID- 26485617
TI  - Adverse Left Ventricular Remodeling and Age Assessed with Cardiac MR Imaging: The
      Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate age-related left ventricular (LV) remodeling during
      longitudinal observation of a large cohort of asymptomatic individuals who were
      free of clinical cardiovascular disease at baseline. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      applicable institutional review boards approved this study, and all participants
      gave informed consent. Cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was used to
      identify longitudinal changes in LV structure and function in 2935 participants
      who underwent baseline and follow-up cardiac MR imaging in the Multi-Ethnic Study
      of Atherosclerosis. Participants were free of clinical cardiovascular disease at
      baseline. Participants who experienced an incident coronary heart disease event
      were excluded. Data were analyzed with multivariable mixed-effects regression
      models in which the outcome was cardiac MR imaging measurement, and the
      covariates included follow-up time and cardiac risk factors. RESULTS:
      Participants were aged 54-94 years at follow-up, and 53% of the participants were
      women. Median time between baseline and follow-up cardiac MR imaging was 9.4
      years. Over this period, LV mass increased in men and decreased slightly in women
      (8.0 and -1.6 g per decade, respectively; P < .001). In both men and women, LV
      end-diastolic volume decreased (-9.8 and -13.3 mL per decade, respectively; P <
      .001), stroke volume decreased (-8.8 and -8.6 mL per decade, respectively; P <
      .001), and mass-to-volume ratio increased (0.14 and 0.11 g/mL per decade,
      respectively; P < .001). Change in LV mass was positively associated with
      systolic blood pressure and body mass index and negatively associated with
      treated hypertension and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. In men, the
      longitudinal LV mass increase was in contrast to a cross-sectional pattern of LV
      mass decrease. CONCLUSION: As patients age, the LV responds differently in its
      mass and volume between men and women, although both men and women experience
      increased concentric LV remodeling with age. In men, the opposition of
      longitudinal and cross-sectional changes in LV mass highlights the importance of
      longitudinal study.

PMID- 26485619
TI  - Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease: pediatric case report.
AB  - The Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease is a rare disease that occurs mostly in young
      adults, although some cases have been reported in children. It is usually
      characterized by fever and cervical lymphadenopathy. The etiology of the disease
      remains unknown. Its course is usually benign and self-limited. It has special
      histopathological features that allow the differential diagnosis with other
      entities, which from a clinical point of view can be very complicated. We report
      a 9 years 11 months old girl with lymphadenopathy and fever with five months
      evolution, which is the longest evolution among the cases reviewed by the authors
      in world literature. Given that the presentation of this disease in children is
      very rare, we estimate that the knowledge of this disease is relevant and
      pediatricians must consider it in the differential diagnosis of fever of unknown
      origin in children. 

PMID- 26485620
TI  - Results of the Randomized Danish Lung Cancer Screening Trial with Focus on High
      Risk Profiling.
AB  - RATIONALE: As of April 2015, participants in the Danish Lung Cancer Screening
      Trial had been followed for at least 5 years since their last screening.
      OBJECTIVES: Mortality, causes of death, and lung cancer findings are reported to
      explore the effect of computed tomography (CT) screening. METHODS: A total of
      4,104 participants aged 50-70 years at the time of inclusion and with a minimum
      20 pack-years of smoking were randomized to have five annual low-dose CT scans
      (study group) or no screening (control group). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
      Follow-up information regarding date and cause of death, lung cancer diagnosis,
      cancer stage, and histology was obtained from national registries. No differences
      between the two groups in lung cancer mortality (hazard ratio, 1.03; 95%
      confidence interval, 0.66-1.6; P = 0.888) or all-cause mortality (hazard ratio,
      1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.82-1.27; P = 0.867) were observed. More cancers
      were found in the screening group than in the no-screening group (100 vs. 53,
      respectively; P < 0.001), particularly adenocarcinomas (58 vs. 18, respectively;
      P < 0.001). More early-stage cancers (stages I and II, 54 vs. 10, respectively; P
      < 0.001) and stage IIIa cancers (15 vs. 3, respectively; P = 0.009) were found in
      the screening group than in the control group. Stage IV cancers were
      nonsignificantly more frequent in the control group than in the screening group
      (32 vs. 23, respectively; P = 0.278). For the highest-stage cancers (T4N3M1, 21
      vs. 8, respectively; P = 0.025), this difference was statistically significant,
      indicating an absolute stage shift. Older participants, those with chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease, and those with more than 35 pack-years of smoking
      had a significantly increased risk of death due to lung cancer, with
      nonsignificantly fewer deaths in the screening group. CONCLUSIONS: No
      statistically significant effects of CT screening on lung cancer mortality were
      found, but the results of post hoc high-risk subgroup analyses showed
      nonsignificant trends that seem to be in good agreement with the results of the
      National Lung Screening Trial. Clinical trial registered with
      www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00496977).

PMID- 26485621
TI  - A case of insulin allergy successfully managed using multihexamer-forming insulin
      degludec combined with liraglutide.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Insulin allergy, one of insulin's adverse effects, is rare,
      especially in patients with Type 2 diabetes, but management is difficult and no
      effective strategy has yet been established. We experienced an insulin allergy
      case successfully managed with a novel combination of insulins. CASE REPORT: A 38
      year-old woman started insulin therapy when diabetes was diagnosed at age 19
      years. Despite poorly controlled diabetes because of poor adherence, she hoped to
      conceive a child and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion was introduced
      using insulin aspart at age 32 years. One month thereafter, she developed skin
      reactions at the subcutaneous insulin infusion catheter insertion site. The
      patient was then tested for all rapid-acting insulin formulations, all of which
      triggered local reactions. She decided to continue the continuous subcutaneous
      infusion of human regular insulin, accompanied by oral cetirizine hydrochloride
      and betamethasone valerate ointment. The patient was admitted to our hospital at
      age 38 years with high HbA1c levels. She was tested for all long-acting insulin
      analogues. All results, except for insulin degludec, were positive. She
      discontinued continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion and switched to insulin
      degludec combined with liraglutide. The allergic reactions had completely
      disappeared and her blood glucose was well controlled by the time of discharge.
      CONCLUSION: Our patient was allergic to all insulin formulations except insulin
      degludec. Her allergic reactions completely disappeared after switching to
      insulin degludec. The crystallized structure of this insulin might mask its skin
      allergen antigenicity. Furthermore, her postprandial hyperglycaemia was
      successfully controlled with liraglutide. We propose multihexamer-forming ultra
      long-acting insulin plus glucagon-like peptide-1 analogues as a therapeutic
      option for patients with insulin allergy.

PMID- 26485623
TI  - Licorice-flavored Morphine for Babies: Winchell's Teething Syrup.

PMID- 26485624
TI  - "Fac-Simile" Confederate $10 Bill Advertising Odontunder by Dr. A. B. Cobb.

PMID- 26485622
TI  - Is adjuvant chemotherapy indicated in ovarian immature teratomas? A combined data
      analysis from the Malignant Germ Cell Tumor International Collaborative.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a debate regarding the management of ovarian immature
      teratomas (ITs). In adult women, postoperative chemotherapy is standard except
      for stage I, grade 1 disease, whereas surgery alone is standard in pediatric
      patients. To determine the role of chemotherapy, a pooled analysis of pediatric
      and adult clinical trials was conducted. METHODS: Data from 7 pediatric trials
      and 2 adult trials were merged in the Malignant Germ Cell International
      Collaborative data set. Four trials included patients with newly diagnosed pure
      ovarian ITs and were selected (Pediatric Oncology Group/Children's Cancer Group
      Intergroup Study (INT 0106), Second UKCCSG Germ Cell Tumor Study (GC2),
      Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG 0078 and GOG 0090). Adult and pediatric trials
      were analyzed separately. The primary outcome measures were event-free survival
      (EFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: One hundred seventy-nine patients were
      included (98 pediatric patients and 81 adult patients). Ninety pediatric patients
      were treated with surgery alone, whereas all adult patients received
      chemotherapy. The 5-year EFS and OS were 91% and 99%, respectively, for the
      pediatric cohort and 87% and 93%, respectively, for the adults. There were no
      relapses in grade 1 patients, regardless of the stage or age. Only 1 adult
      patient with a grade 2 IT relapsed. Among grade 3 patients, the 5-year EFS was
      0.92 (0.72-0.98) for stage I/II and 0.52 (0.22-0.75) for stage III in the
      pediatric cohort (P = .005) and 0.91 (0.69-0.98) for stage I/II and 0.65 (0.39
      0.83) for stage III/IV in the adult cohort (P = .01). Postoperative chemotherapy
      did not decrease relapses in the pediatric cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The grade was the
      most important risk factor for relapse in ovarian ITs. Among grade 3 patients,
      the stage was significantly associated with relapse. Adjuvant chemotherapy did
      not decrease relapses in the pediatric cohort; its role in adults remains
      unresolved. Cancer 2016;122:230-237. (c) 2015 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 26485625
TI  - Signed Simpson Stereoscopic Photoportrait, Blind-stamped Lennie.

PMID- 26485626
TI  - Bleeding Risk in Surgical Patients Receiving Sugammadex: Definitive Conclusions
      Are Not Yet Possible.

PMID- 26485627
TI  - In Reply.

PMID- 26485628
TI  - Incidence of Intraoperative Hypersensitivity Reactions: What's This About?

PMID- 26485629
TI  - In Reply.

PMID- 26485635
TI  - A Changing Anesthesiology Workforce: East and West, Males and Females, Then and
      Now.

PMID- 26485636
TI  - Erratum for: Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula latifolia Essential Oils from
      Spain: Aromatic Profile and Bioactivities.

PMID- 26485637
TI  - Erratum for: Supercritical Fluid Chromatography as an Alternative Tool for the
      Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Metarhizium brunneum Metabolites from
      Culture Broth.

PMID- 26485638
TI  - Essential Oil from Myrica rubra Leaves Potentiated Antiproliferative and
      Prooxidative Effect of Doxorubicin and its Accumulation in Intestinal Cancer
      Cells.
AB  - Essential oil from the leaves of Myrica rubra, a subtropical Asian fruit tree
      traditionally used in folk medicines, has a significant antiproliferative effect
      in several intestinal cancer cell lines. Doxorubicin belongs to the most
      important cytostatics used in cancer therapy. The present study was designed to
      evaluate the effects of defined essential oil from M. rubra leaves on efficacy,
      prooxidative effect, and accumulation of doxorubicin in cancer cell lines and in
      non-cancerous cells. For this purpose, intestinal adenocarcinoma CaCo2 cells were
      used. Human fibroblasts (periodontal ligament) and a primary culture of rat
      hepatocytes served as models of non-cancerous cells. The results showed that the
      sole essential oil from M. rubra has a strong prooxidative effect in cancer cells
      while it acts as a mild antioxidant in hepatocytes. Combined with doxorubicin,
      the essential oil enhanced the antiproliferative and prooxidative effects of
      doxorubicin in cancer cells. At higher concentrations, synergism of doxorubicin
      and essential oil from M. rubra was proved. In non-cancerous cells, the essential
      oil did not affect the toxicity of doxorubicin and the doxorubicin-mediated
      reactive oxygen species formation. The essential oil increased the intracellular
      concentration of doxorubicin and enhanced selectively the doxorubicin
      accumulation in nuclei of cancer cells. Taken together, essential oil from M.
      rubra leaves could be able to improve the doxorubicin efficacy in cancer cells
      due to an increased reactive oxygen species production, and the doxorubicin
      accumulation in nuclei of cancer cells. 

PMID- 26485639
TI  - Comparison of Ensemble Strategies in Online NIR for Monitoring the Extraction
      Process of Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae Based on Different Variable Selections.
AB  - Different ensemble strategies were compared in online near-infrared models for
      monitoring active pharmaceutical ingredients of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
      Bagging partial least square regression and boosting partial least square
      regression were adopted to near-infrared models, to determine hesperidin and
      nobiletin content during the extraction process of Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae
      in a pilot scale system. Different pretreatment methods were investigated,
      including Savitzky-Golay smoothing, derivatives, multiplicative scatter
      correction, standard normal variate, normalize, and combinations of them. Two
      different variable selection methods, including synergy interval partial least
      squares and backward interval partial least squares algorithms, were performed.
      Based on the result of the synergy interval partial least squares algorithm,
      bagging partial least square regression and boosting partial least square
      regression were adopted into the quantitative analysis. The results demonstrated
      that the established approach could be applied for rapid determination and real
      time monitoring of hesperidin and nobiletin in Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae
      (Citrus reticulata) during the extraction process. Comparing the results, the
      boosting partial least square regression provided a slightly better accuracy than
      the bagging partial least square regression. Finally, this paper provides a
      promising ensemble strategy on online near-infrared models in Chinese medicine. 

PMID- 26485640
TI  - MicroRNA library screening identifies growth-suppressive microRNAs that regulate
      genes involved in cell cycle progression and apoptosis.
AB  - Micro(mi)RNAs play important and varied roles in tumorigenesis; however, the full
      repertoire of miRNAs that affect cancer cell growth is not known. In this study,
      an miRNA library was screened to identify those that affect the growth of A549
      tumor cells. Among 300 miRNAs, miR-28-5p, -323-5p, -510-5p, -552-3p, and -608
      were the most effective in inhibiting cell growth. More specifically,
      overexpressing miR-28-5p, -323-5p, and -510-5p induced G1 arrest, as determined
      by flow cytometry, whereas that of miR-608 induced cell death in a caspase
      dependent manner. Moreover, several genes involved in apoptosis and cell cycle
      progression were downregulated upon overexpression of each of the five miRNAs,
      with the functional targets of miR-552-3p and miR-608 confirmed by microarray,
      quantitative real-time PCR, and luciferase reporter assay. In miR-608-transfected
      cells, B cell lymphoma 2-like 1 (BCL2L1), D-type cyclin 1 (CCND1), CCND3,
      cytochrome b5 reductase 3 (CYB5R3), phosphoinositide 3-kinase regulatory subunit
      2 (PIK3R2), specificity protein 1 (SP1), and phosphorylated Akt were all
      downregulated, while Bcl-2-interacting killer (BIK) was upregulated. Moreover,
      miR-608 was determined to have a suppressive function on tumor growth in an NCI
      H460 xenograft model. These findings provide insights into the roles of five
      miRNAs in growth inhibition and their potential function as cancer therapeutics. 

PMID- 26485641
TI  - Bjorn J. Obrink (1943-2015).
AB  - Family members, friends and colleagues of Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Bjorn Obrink were
      deeply saddened to learn of his sudden death on August 21, 2015. Bjorn was one of
      the pioneers in cell adhesion research. Reading an article written by Bjorn, one
      quickly recognizes his outstanding qualities as a scientist: knowledgeable,
      innovative, precise and detailed in order to enable reproduction of his reported
      results. When meeting Bjorn, you were captured by his personality: warm-hearted,
      modest, and, above all, devoted to truth. 

PMID- 26485642
TI  - Characterization of Leukocyte-platelet Rich Fibrin, A Novel Biomaterial.
AB  - Autologous platelet concentrates represent promising innovative tools in the
      field of regenerative medicine and have been extensively used in oral surgery.
      Unlike platelet rich plasma (PRP) that is a gel or a suspension, Leukocyte
      Platelet Rich Fibrin (L-PRF) is a solid 3D fibrin membrane generated chair-side
      from whole blood containing no anti-coagulant. The membrane has a dense three
      dimensional fibrin matrix with enriched platelets and abundant growth factors. L
      PRF is a popular adjunct in surgeries because of its superior handling
      characteristics as well as its suturability to the wound bed. The goal of the
      study is to demonstrate generation as well as provide detailed characterization
      of relevant properties of L-PRF that underlie its clinical success. 

PMID- 26485643
TI  - Amino Catalytic Oxidative Thioesterification Approach to alpha-Ketothioesters.
AB  - An efficient metal-free method for the synthesis of alpha-ketothioesters is
      described for the first time. This reaction features the ability of pyrrolidine
      to fine-tune the reaction between 2-oxoaldehyde and thiols through iminium to the
      desired product in moderate to good yields. As an advantage, no external oxidants
      or metal catalysts are required in our method. Reactions performed under modified
      conditions lead to an apparent balance in reactivity of secondary amine and
      thiols toward 2-oxoaldehydes. 

PMID- 26485644
TI  - Endoscopic-Assisted Surgery for Pyriform Sinus Fistula in Chinese Children: A 73
      Consecutive-Case Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Complete resection of the pyriform sinus fistula (PSF) tract is
      challenging due to repeated infection and inadequate procedures. We present our
      experiences with intraoperative endoscopic-assisted intubation or instillation of
      dye through the internal opening as a guide to identify the tract. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 73 consecutive patients
      diagnosed with PSF during 1999 until 2014 from two tertiary referral centers.
      Demographics, clinical presentation, imaging, treatment, and outcome were
      analyzed. RESULTS: The intraoperative endoscopy was successfully conducted in all
      73 cases. No gender predominance was observed. Of the anomalies, 94.5% were left
      sided. Presenting symptoms consisted of neck abscess (n = 48), acute suppurative
      thyroiditis/thyroid abscess (n = 9), neck mass with or without dyspnea (n = 12),
      and thyroid nodule (n = 4). Barium esophagography and computed tomography scan
      with oral or intravenous contrast had a satisfactory positive predictive value.
      Partial thyroidectomy was performed on 25 cases (34.2%) if the ipsilateral
      thyroid was involved. Good outcome was achieved in all but 3 patients (70/73,
      95.9%) during a median follow-up of 4 years (range, 8 months-14 years). Two
      patients developed postoperative complications: temporary vocal fold motion
      impairment and left-sided Horner's syndrome, respectively. PSF recurred in 1
      case. CONCLUSIONS: A complete resection is essential for good outcomes.
      Intraoperative intubation or methylene blue injection by endoscopy can simplify
      the identification of the fistula tract during surgical exploration.

PMID- 26485646
TI  - A 3D Human Lung Tissue Model for Functional Studies on Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      Infection.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) still holds a major threat to the health of people worldwide,
      and there is a need for cost-efficient but reliable models to help us understand
      the disease mechanisms and advance the discoveries of new treatment options. In
      vitro cell cultures of monolayers or co-cultures lack the three-dimensional (3D)
      environment and tissue responses. Herein, we describe an innovative in vitro
      model of a human lung tissue, which holds promise to be an effective tool for
      studying the complex events that occur during infection with Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). The 3D tissue model consists of tissue-specific
      epithelial cells and fibroblasts, which are cultured in a matrix of collagen on
      top of a porous membrane. Upon air exposure, the epithelial cells stratify and
      secrete mucus at the apical side. By introducing human primary macrophages
      infected with M. tuberculosis to the tissue model, we have shown that immune
      cells migrate into the infected-tissue and form early stages of TB granuloma.
      These structures recapitulate the distinct feature of human TB, the granuloma,
      which is fundamentally different or not commonly observed in widely used
      experimental animal models. This organotypic culture method enables the 3D
      visualization and robust quantitative analysis that provides pivotal information
      on spatial and temporal features of host cell-pathogen interactions. Taken
      together, the lung tissue model provides a physiologically relevant tissue micro
      environment for studies on TB. Thus, the lung tissue model has potential
      implications for both basic mechanistic and applied studies. Importantly, the
      model allows addition or manipulation of individual cell types, which thereby
      widens its use for modelling a variety of infectious diseases that affect the
      lungs. 

PMID- 26485645
TI  - The Ciliopathy Protein CC2D2A Associates with NINL and Functions in RAB8-MICAL3
      Regulated Vesicle Trafficking.
AB  - Ciliopathies are a group of human disorders caused by dysfunction of primary
      cilia, ubiquitous microtubule-based organelles involved in transduction of extra
      cellular signals to the cell. This function requires the concentration of
      receptors and channels in the ciliary membrane, which is achieved by complex
      trafficking mechanisms, in part controlled by the small GTPase RAB8, and by
      sorting at the transition zone located at the entrance of the ciliary
      compartment. Mutations in the transition zone gene CC2D2A cause the related
      Joubert and Meckel syndromes, two typical ciliopathies characterized by central
      nervous system malformations, and result in loss of ciliary localization of
      multiple proteins in various models. The precise mechanisms by which CC2D2A and
      other transition zone proteins control protein entrance into the cilium and how
      they are linked to vesicular trafficking of incoming cargo remain largely
      unknown. In this work, we identify the centrosomal protein NINL as a physical
      interaction partner of CC2D2A. NINL partially co-localizes with CC2D2A at the
      base of cilia and ninl knockdown in zebrafish leads to photoreceptor outer
      segment loss, mislocalization of opsins and vesicle accumulation, similar to
      cc2d2a-/- phenotypes. Moreover, partial ninl knockdown in cc2d2a-/- embryos
      enhances the retinal phenotype of the mutants, indicating a genetic interaction
      in vivo, for which an illustration is found in patients from a Joubert Syndrome
      cohort. Similar to zebrafish cc2d2a mutants, ninl morphants display altered Rab8a
      localization. Further exploration of the NINL-associated interactome identifies
      MICAL3, a protein known to interact with Rab8 and to play an important role in
      vesicle docking and fusion. Together, these data support a model where CC2D2A
      associates with NINL to provide a docking point for cilia-directed cargo
      vesicles, suggesting a mechanism by which transition zone proteins can control
      the protein content of the ciliary compartment. 

PMID- 26485647
TI  - Cellular Senescence and the Biology of Aging, Disease, and Frailty.
AB  - Population aging simultaneously highlights the remarkable advances in science,
      medicine, and public policy, and the formidable challenges facing society.
      Indeed, aging is the primary risk factor for many of the most common chronic
      diseases and frailty, which result in profound social and economic costs.
      Population aging also reveals an opportunity, i.e. interventions to disrupt the
      fundamental biology of aging could significantly delay the onset of age-related
      conditions as a group, and, as a result, extend the healthy life span, or health
      span. There is now considerable evidence that cellular senescence is an
      underlying mechanism of aging and age-related conditions. Cellular senescence is
      a process in which cells lose the ability to divide and damage neighboring cells
      by the factors they secrete, collectively referred to as the senescence
      associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Herein, we discuss the concept of cellular
      senescence, review the evidence that implicates cellular senescence and SASP in
      age-related deterioration, hyperproliferation, and inflammation, and propose that
      this underlying mechanism of aging may play a fundamental role in the biology of
      frailty. 

PMID- 26485648
TI  - Carcinogenic Parasite Secretes Growth Factor That Accelerates Wound Healing and
      Potentially Promotes Neoplasia.
AB  - Infection with the human liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini induces cancer of the
      bile ducts, cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Injury from feeding activities of this
      parasite within the human biliary tree causes extensive lesions, wounds that
      undergo protracted cycles of healing, and re-injury over years of chronic
      infection. We show that O. viverrini secreted proteins accelerated wound
      resolution in human cholangiocytes, an outcome that was compromised following
      silencing of expression of the fluke-derived gene encoding the granulin-like
      growth factor, Ov-GRN-1. Recombinant Ov-GRN-1 induced angiogenesis and
      accelerated mouse wound healing. Ov-GRN-1 was internalized by human
      cholangiocytes and induced gene and protein expression changes associated with
      wound healing and cancer pathways. Given the notable but seemingly paradoxical
      properties of liver fluke granulin in promoting not only wound healing but also a
      carcinogenic microenvironment, Ov-GRN-1 likely holds marked potential as a
      therapeutic wound-healing agent and as a vaccine against an infection-induced
      cancer of major public health significance in the developing world. 

PMID- 26485649
TI  - Structural and Functional Characterization of the Enantiomers of the
      Antischistosomal Drug Oxamniquine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For over two decades, a racemic mixture of oxamniquine (OXA) was
      administered to patients infected by Schistosoma mansoni, but whether one or both
      enantiomers exert antischistosomal activity was unknown. Recently, a ~30 kDa S.
      mansoni sulfotransferase (SmSULT) was identified as the target of OXA action.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we separate the OXA enantiomers using
      chromatographic methods and assign their optical activities as dextrorotary [(+)
      OXA] or levorotary [(-)-OXA]. Crystal structures of the parasite enzyme in
      complex with optically pure (+)-OXA and (-)-OXA) reveal their absolute
      configurations as S- and R-, respectively. When tested in vitro, S-OXA
      demonstrated the bulk of schistosomicidal activity, while R-OXA had
      antischistosomal effects when present at relatively high concentrations. Crystal
      structures R-OXA*SmSULT and S-OXA*SmSULT complexes reveal similarities in the
      modes of OXA binding, but only the S-OXA enantiomer is observed in the structure
      of the enzyme exposed to racemic OXA. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Together the data
      suggest the higher schistosomicidal activity of S-OXA is correlated with its
      ability to outcompete R-OXA binding the sulfotransferase active site. These
      findings have important implications for the design, syntheses, and dosing of new
      OXA-based antischistosomal compounds.

PMID- 26485652
TI  - Correction: Amelioration of Chemotherapy-Induced Intestinal Mucositis by Orally
      Administered Probiotics in a Mouse Model.

PMID- 26485650
TI  - Long-Term Effects of Botulinum Toxin Complex Type A Injection on Mechano- and
      Metabo-Sensitive Afferent Fibers Originating from Gastrocnemius Muscle.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate long term effects of motor
      denervation by botulinum toxin complex type A (BoNT/A) from Clostridium
      Botulinum, on the afferent fibers originating from the gastrocnemius muscle of
      rats. Animals were divided in 2 experimental groups: 1) untreated animals acting
      as control and 2) treated animals in which the toxin was injected in the left
      muscle, the latter being itself divided into 3 subgroups according to their
      locomotor recovery with the help of a test based on footprint measurements of
      walking rats: i) no recovery (B0), ii) 50% recovery (B50) and iii) full recovery
      (B100). Then, muscle properties, metabosensitive afferent fiber responses to
      potassium chloride (KCl) and lactic acid injections and Electrically-Induced
      Fatigue (EIF), and mechanosensitive responses to tendon vibrations were measured.
      At the end of the experiment, rats were killed and the toxin injected muscles
      were weighted. After toxin injection, we observed a complete paralysis associated
      to a loss of force to muscle stimulation and a significant muscle atrophy, and a
      return to baseline when the animals recover. The response to fatigue was only
      decreased in the B0 group. The responses to KCl injections were only altered in
      the B100 groups while responses to lactic acid were altered in the 3 injected
      groups. Finally, our results indicated that neurotoxin altered the biphasic
      pattern of response of the mechanosensitive fiber to tendon vibrations in the B0
      and B50 groups. These results indicated that neurotoxin injection induces muscle
      afferent activity alterations that persist and even worsen when the muscle has
      recovered his motor activity. 

PMID- 26485651
TI  - Pulse Oximetry: A Non-Invasive, Novel Marker for the Quality of Chest
      Compressions in Porcine Models of Cardiac Arrest.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pulse oximetry, which noninvasively detects the blood flow of
      peripheral tissue, has achieved widespread clinical use. We have noticed that the
      better the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the better the
      appearance of pulse oximetry plethysmographic waveform (POP). We investigated
      whether the area under the curve (AUC) and/or the amplitude (Amp) of POP could be
      used to monitor the quality of CPR. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized controlled
      study. SETTING: Animal experimental center in Peking Union Medical Collage
      Hospital, Beijing, China. SUBJECTS: Healthy 3-month-old male domestic swine.
      INTERVENTIONS: 34 local pigs were enrolled in this study. After 4 minutes of
      untreated ventricular fibrillation, animals were randomly assigned into two
      resuscitation groups: a "low quality" group (with a compression depth of 3cm) and
      a "high quality" group (with a depth of 5cm). All treatments between the two
      groups were identical except for the depth of chest compressions. Hemodynamic
      parameters [coronary perfusion pressure (CPP), partial pressure of end-tidal
      carbon dioxide (PETCO2)] as well as AUC and Amp of POP were all collected and
      analyzed. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: There were statistical differences between
      the "high quality" group and the "low quality" group in AUC, Amp, CPP and PETCO2
      during CPR (P<0.05). AUC, Amp and CPP were positively correlated with PETCO2,
      respectively (P<0.01). There was no statistical difference between the heart rate
      calculated according to the POP (FCPR) and the frequency of mechanical CPR at the
      3rd minute of CPR. The FCPR was lower than the frequency of mechanical CPR at the
      6th and the 9th minute of CPR. CONCLUSIONS: Both the AUC and Amp of POP
      correlated well with CPP and PETCO2 in animal models. The frequency of POP
      closely matched the CPR heart rate. AUC and Amp of POP might be potential
      noninvasive quality monitoring markers for CPR.

PMID- 26485653
TI  - Correction: Emergence of OXA-48-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in Taiwan.

PMID- 26485654
TI  - RNA Amplification Protocol Leads to Biased Polymerase Chain Reaction Results
      Especially for Low-Copy Transcripts of Human Bone Marrow-Derived Stromal Cells.
AB  - The amplification of RNA is becoming increasingly important, as often only
      limited amounts of cells are available for gene expression analysis. In this
      study, the gene expression profile of the 39 human homeobox (HOX) genes was
      analyzed in bone marrow-derived multipotent stromal cells (BM-MSCs) by reverse
      transcription (RT-) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). For
      further unlimited gene expression analysis, Whole Transcriptome Amplification
      (WTA) was used to amplify RNA from human BM-MSCs. However, WTA led to biased RT-
      and qPCR results, and even non-detectability of HOX transcripts compared to non
      amplified BM-MSC samples which instead revealed transcription. It is important to
      note that the same RNA of the respective human BM-MSC line was used for normal
      cDNA synthesis by standard reverse transcription (non-amplified RT samples) and
      for cDNA synthesis by WTA (amplified WTA samples). On this account, the different
      RT- and qPCR results were unexpected applying WTA. The significantly reduced
      detection of HOX transcripts after WTA has been demonstrated for numerous BM-MSC
      lines (n = 26) by RT-PCR analysis. Furthermore, undetectable HOX transcripts
      meaning HOX transcripts of human BM-MSCs that were detected after normal cDNA
      synthesis, but were no longer detectable after WTA, were consistently observed by
      qPCR analysis. Finally, qPCR experiments revealed a possible explanation for the
      differences between amplified and non-amplified BM-MSC samples: an inverse
      correlation between the biased qPCR results and the low expression level of the
      respective HOX gene. The PCR analysis of high-copy transcripts like GAPDH or
      RPL13A revealed unchanged qPCR results after WTA compared to corresponding non
      amplified BM-MSC samples. In contrast, WTA led to biased qPCR results for medium
      copy HOX transcripts, and even non-detectability of low-copy HOX transcripts of
      human BM-MSCs resulting in false negative RT- and qPCR data applying WTA. 

PMID- 26485655
TI  - Reversible Electrochemical Sensor for Detection of High-Charge Density Polyanion
      Contaminants in Heparin.
AB  - We present a simple, rapid, and inexpensive electrochemical sensor based on a
      reversible pulsed chronopotentiometric polyanion-selective membrane electrode for
      the detection and quantification of oversulfated chondroitin sulfate (OSCS) and
      other high charge-density polyanions that could potentially be used to adulterate
      heparin. The membrane is free of ion exchanger and is formulated with plasticized
      poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and an inert lipophilic salt, tridodecylmethylammonium
      dinonylnaphthaline sulfonate (TDMA-DNNS). The neutral salt is used to reduce
      membrane resistance and to ensure reversibility of the sensor. More importantly,
      TDMA(+) is used as the recognition element for the polyanions. Here an anodic
      galvanostatic current pulse is applied across the membrane to cause the
      extraction of the polyanions from the sample into the membrane and potential is
      measured at the sample-membrane interface. The measured electromotive force (emf)
      is proportional to the concentration and the charge density of the polyanions.
      High charge-density polyanion contaminants and impurities in heparin can be
      detected using this method since the overall equilibrium potential response of
      polyions increases with increasing charge density of the polyions. Here, first
      the potential response of pure heparin is measured at a saturation concentration,
      the concentration beyond which further addition of heparin does not produce a
      change in potential response. Then the potential response of heparin tainted with
      different quantities of the high charge-density contaminant is measured at a
      fixed total polyion concentration (heparin concentration + contaminant
      concentration). The latter gives a greater negative potential response due to the
      presence of the high charge-density contaminant. The increase in the negative
      potential response can be used for detection and quantification of high charge
      density contaminants in heparin. We demonstrate here that 0.3% (w/w) OSCS as well
      as 0.1% (w/w) dextran sulfate can be detected in heparin at 20-mg/mL total
      polyion concentration. It has also been shown that 1% (w/w) of dextran sulfate
      can readily be detected in heparin at only 2-mg/mL total polyanion concentration
      with a linear response (R(2) = 0.994). 

PMID- 26485658
TI  - Mild hypothermia preserves cerebral cortex microcirculation after resuscitation
      in a rat model of cardiac arrest.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Mild hypothermia improves the outcomes of comatose patients after
      cardiac arrest. Its neuroprotective mechanism is not fully understood. We
      investigated the effects of mild hypothermia on cerebral cortex microcirculation
      and cerebral oxygen extraction ratio. METHODS: Twenty-five rats were randomized
      into the hypothermic group (HT), normothermic group (NT) or the sham control
      group. Ventricular fibrillation was electrically induced and untreated for 8 min,
      followed by 8 min of precordial compressions and mechanical ventilations. The
      core temperature in the HT group was reduced to 33+/-0.5  degrees C at 14 min
      after ROSC with a combination of ice packs, an electrical fan and a cooling
      blanket. The temperature was maintained at 33  degrees C for 8h. Hemodynamics,
      arterial and jugular venous blood gases and cerebral cortex microcirculation were
      measured at baseline, 2, 4 and 8h after ROSC. RESULTS: Microvascular flow index
      was significantly reduced in the NT and HT groups when compared with the SC
      group. A significant lesser reduction in microvascular flow index was observed in
      the HT group when compared with the NT group. Mild hypothermia reduced the
      cerebral oxygen extraction ratio after resuscitation when compared with the NT
      group. CONCLUSION: Mild hypothermia improves the cerebral cortex microcirculatory
      blood supply/oxygen uptake mismatching after resuscitation. This may provide an
      additional cerebral protection.

PMID- 26485659
TI  - PCI after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: Does who, what or when matter?

PMID- 26485657
TI  - Potential Link between the Sphingosine-1-Phosphate (S1P) System and Defective
      Alveolar Macrophage Phagocytic Function in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
      (COPD).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We previously reported that alveolar macrophages from patients with
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are defective in their ability to
      phagocytose apoptotic cells, with a similar defect in response to cigarette
      smoke. The exact mechanisms for this defect are unknown. Sphingolipids including
      ceramide, sphingosine and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) are involved in diverse
      cellular processes and we hypothesised that a comprehensive analysis of this
      system in alveolar macrophages in COPD may help to delineate the reasons for
      defective phagocytic function. METHODS: We compared mRNA expression of
      sphingosine kinases (SPHK1/2), S1P receptors (S1PR1-5) and S1P-degrading enzymes
      (SGPP1, SGPP2, SGPL1) in bronchoalveolar lavage-derived alveolar macrophages from
      10 healthy controls, 7 healthy smokers and 20 COPD patients (10 current- and 10
      ex-smokers) using Real-Time PCR. Phagocytosis of apoptotic cells was investigated
      using flow cytometry. Functional associations were assessed between sphingosine
      signalling system components and alveolar macrophage phagocytic ability in COPD.
      To elucidate functional effects of increased S1PR5 on macrophage phagocytic
      ability, we performed the phagocytosis assay in the presence of varying
      concentrations of suramin, an antagonist of S1PR3 and S1PR5. The effects of
      cigarette smoking on the S1P system were investigated using a THP-1 macrophage
      cell line model. RESULTS: We found significant increases in SPHK1/2 (3.4- and 2.1
      fold increases respectively), S1PR2 and 5 (4.3- and 14.6-fold increases
      respectively), and SGPL1 (4.5-fold increase) in COPD vs. controls. S1PR5 and
      SGPL1 expression was unaffected by smoking status, suggesting a COPD "disease
      effect" rather than smoke effect per se. Significant associations were noted
      between S1PR5 and both lung function and phagocytosis. Cigarette smoke extract
      significantly increased mRNA expression of SPHK1, SPHK2, S1PR2 and S1PR5 by THP-1
      macrophages, confirming the results in patient-derived macrophages. Antagonising
      SIPR5 significantly improved phagocytosis. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a
      potential link between the S1P signalling system and defective macrophage
      phagocytic function in COPD and advise therapeutic targets.

PMID- 26485660
TI  - Online control of reaching and pointing to visual, auditory, and multimodal
      targets: Effects of target modality and method of determining correction latency.
AB  - Movements aimed towards objects occasionally have to be adjusted when the object
      moves. These online adjustments can be very rapid, occurring in as little as
      100ms. More is known about the latency and neural basis of online control of
      movements to visual than to auditory target objects. We examined the latency of
      online corrections in reaching-to-point movements to visual and auditory targets
      that could change side and/or modality at movement onset. Visual or auditory
      targets were presented on the left or right sides, and participants were
      instructed to reach and point to them as quickly and as accurately as possible.
      On half of the trials, the targets changed side at movement onset, and
      participants had to correct their movements to point to the new target location
      as quickly as possible. Given different published approaches to measuring the
      latency for initiating movement corrections, we examined several different
      methods systematically. What we describe here as the optimal methods involved
      fitting a straight-line model to the velocity of the correction movement, rather
      than using a statistical criterion to determine correction onset. In the
      multimodal experiment, these model-fitting methods produced significantly lower
      latencies for correcting movements away from the auditory targets than away from
      the visual targets. Our results confirm that rapid online correction is possible
      for auditory targets, but further work is required to determine whether the
      underlying control system for reaching and pointing movements is the same for
      auditory and visual targets. 

PMID- 26485661
TI  - Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Auditory Neural Pathway for Clinical Outcome of
      Cochlear Implantation in Pediatric Congenital Sensorineural Hearing Loss
      Patients.
AB  - Although conventional structural MRI provides vital information in the evaluation
      of congenital sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), it is relatively insensitive to
      white matter microstructure. Our objective was to evaluate possible changes in
      microstructure of the auditory pathway in children with congenital sensorineural
      hearing loss (SNHL), and the possible distinction between good and poor outcome
      of cochlear implantation (CI) patients by using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
      Twenty-four patients with congenital SNHL and 20 healthy controls underwent
      conventional MRI and DTI examination using a 1.5T MR scanner. The DTI metrics of
      fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of six regions of interest
      (ROIs) positioned along the auditory pathway-the trapezoid body, superior olivary
      nucleus, inferior colliculus, medial geniculate body, auditory radiation and
      white matter of Heschl's gyrus-was measured in all subjects. Among the 24
      patients, 8 patients with a categorie of auditory performance (CAP) score over 6
      were classified into the good outcome group, and 16 patients with a CAP score
      below 6 were classified into the poor outcome group. A significant decrease was
      observed in FA values while MD values remained unchanged at the six ROIs of SNHL
      patients compared with healthy controls. Compared to good outcome subjects, poor
      outcome subjects displayed decreased FA values at all of the ROIs. No changes
      were observed in MD values. Correlation analyses only revealed strong
      correlations between FA values and CAP scores, and strong correlations between
      CAP scores and age at implant were also found. No correlations of FA values with
      age at implant were observed. Our results show that preoperative DTI can be used
      to evaluate microstructural alterations in the auditory pathway that are not
      detectable by conventional MR imaging, and may play an important role in
      evaluating the outcome of CI. Early cochlear implantation might be more
      effectively to restore hearing in SNHL patients. 

PMID- 26485662
TI  - Coordinated Behaviour in Pigeon Flocks.
AB  - We analysed pigeon flock flights using GPS trajectory data to reveal the most
      important kinematic aspects of flocking behaviour. We quantitatively investigated
      the internal motion of the flock based on pairwise statistics and found the
      following general relationships in all datasets: i) the temporal order of
      decisions characterised by the delay between directional changes is strictly
      related to the spatial order characterised by the longitudinal relative position
      within the flock; ii) during circling motion, pigeons use a mixture of two
      idealised and fundamentally different turning strategies, namely, parallel-path
      and equal-radius type turning. While pigeons tend to maintain their relative
      position within the flock on average, as in the parallel-path approximation,
      those who turn later also get behind as in the equal-radius case. Equal-radius
      type turning also tends to be expressed more during smaller radius turns. 

PMID- 26485663
TI  - Identification of vitamin D3 target genes in human breast cancer tissue.
AB  - Multiple epidemiological studies have shown that high vitamin D3 status is
      strongly associated with improved breast cancer survival. To determine the
      molecular pathways influenced by 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D) in
      breast epithelial cells we isolated RNA from normal human breast and cancer
      tissues treated with 1,25D in an ex vivo explant system. RNA-Seq revealed 523
      genes that were differentially expressed in breast cancer tissues in response to
      1,25D treatment, and 127 genes with altered expression in normal breast tissues.
      GoSeq KEGG pathway analysis revealed 1,25D down-regulated cellular metabolic
      pathways and enriched pathways involved with intercellular adhesion. The highly
      1,25D up-regulated target genes CLMN, SERPINB1, EFTUD1, and KLK6were selected for
      further analysis and up-regulation by 1,25D was confirmed by qRT-PCR analysis in
      breast cancer cell lines and in a subset of human clinical samples from normal
      and cancer breast tissues. Ketoconazole potentiated 1,25D-mediated induction of
      CLMN, SERPINB1, and KLK6 mRNA through inhibition of 24-hydroxylase (CYP24A1)
      activity. Elevated expression levels of CLMN, SERPINB1, and KLK6 are associated
      with prolonged relapse-free survival for breast cancer patients. The major
      finding of the present study is that exposure of both normal and malignant breast
      tissue to 1,25D results in changes in cellular adhesion, metabolic pathways and
      tumor suppressor-like pathways, which support epidemiological data suggesting
      that adequate vitamin D3 levels may improve breast cancer outcome.

PMID- 26485664
TI  - Novel vitamin D analogues; cytotoxic and anti-proliferative activity against a
      diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell line and B-cells from healthy donors.
AB  - Calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, 1,25D3) and vitamin D side-chain modified
      analogs (VDAs) have gained considerable attention as potential drugs in the
      treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), yet studies of the impact of 1,25D3
      and VDAs upon other haematological malignancies are more limited. To address this
      gap in knowledge, we have examined the action of 1,25D3 and VDAs on a human cell
      line (DOHH2, K422) typifying diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and also
      peripheral blood B-cells isolated from healthy donors. 1,25D3 and certain VDAs
      displayed moderate cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic actions upon DLBCL cells. 1,25D3
      and VDAs (100nM) caused the death of approximately 40% DOHH2 cells after 24h
      stimulation, similar to their impact on HL-60 cells (acute myeloid leukaemia cell
      line). In addition, 1,25D3 and VDAs displayed concentration and time-dependent
      anti-proliferative actions upon stimulated B-cells from healthy donors. The VDAs
      inhibited proliferation by approximately 30%. Hence VDAs may offer therapeutic
      potential for the treatment of DLBCL or conditions benefitted by B-cell
      depletion.

PMID- 26485665
TI  - The feto-placental unit, and potential roles of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in
      prenatal and postnatal brain development: A re-examination using the spiny mouse.
AB  - Synthesis of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) by the fetal adrenal gland is
      important for placental oestrogen production, and may also be important for
      modulating the effects of glucocorticoids on the developing brain. We have
      preciously shown that the enzymes and accessory proteins needed for DHEA
      synthesis-cytochrome P450 enzyme 17alpha-hydroxylase/17,20 lyase (P450c17),
      cytochrome-b5 (Cytb5), 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3betaHSD)-are
      expressed in the adrenal gland from 30 days gestation, and DHEA, cortisol and
      aldosterone are present in fetal plasma from this time. Explant culture of fetal
      adrenal tissue showed that the spiny mouse adrenal gland, can synthesize and
      secrete DHEA from at least 0.75 of gestation, and suggest that DHEA may have an
      important role(s) in placental biosynthesis of oestrogens and in modulating the
      actions of glucocorticoids in the developing brain in this species. Post-natally,
      increased immuno-expression of P450c17 and Cytb5 expression in the zona
      reticularis of the adrenal gland and a significant increase in the synthesis and
      secretion of DHEA in plasma from 8 to 20 days of age in the spiny mouse, are
      representative of a period of high adrenal androgen production consistent with
      the human phenomenon of adrenarche. The studies summarised in this review also
      show that DHEA is produced de novo in the developing brain of the spiny mouse.
      These results showed that the spiny mouse brain can indeed produce DHEA from
      pregnenolone in a time-dependant manner, and coupled with the identification of
      P450c17 and Cytb5 protein in several regions of the brain, support the idea that
      DHEA is an endogenous neuro-active steroid in this species. Together, the studies
      outlined in this review indicate that the androgen DHEA is an important hormone
      of adrenal and Central Nervous System (CNS) origin in the fetal and postnatal
      spiny mouse. Disturbance of the development of these fetal tissues, and/or of the
      relationship between the fetal adrenal gland and placenta during pregnancy, may
      have significant consequences for fetal development, placental function, and
      maturation of the brain. It is proposed that such disturbances of normal adrenal
      function could account for some of the neuropathologies that arise in juvenile
      and adult offspring following illness and stress experienced by the mother during
      pregnancy. 

PMID- 26485666
TI  - Hierarchical Transition-Metal Dichalcogenide Nanosheets for Enhanced
      Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.
AB  - Hierarchical transition-metal dichalcogenide nanosheets are constructed through a
      versatile strategy, where the thermal polymerization of melamine and subsequent
      decomposition of carbon nitride successively guide the horizontal and vertical
      growths of transition-metal chalcogenides. Abundant edges and high surface areas
      endow the hierarchical MoS2 and WS2 nanosheets with excellent electrocatalytic
      performance for hydrogen evolution, including low onset potentials and high
      current densities. 

PMID- 26485667
TI  - Endomembrane trafficking overarching cell plate formation.
AB  - By contrast to other eukaryotic kingdoms, plant cytokinesis is an inside-out
      process. A coordinated action of cytoskeletal transitions and endomembrane
      trafficking events builds a novel membrane compartment, the cell plate.
      Deposition of cell wall polymers transforms the lumen of this membrane
      compartment into a new cross wall, physically separating the daughter cells. The
      characterization of tethering complexes acting at discrete phases during cell
      plate formation and upstream of vesicle fusion events, the presence of modulators
      directing secretion and recycling during cytokinesis, as well as the
      identification and temporal recruitment of the endocytic machinery, provides a
      starting point to dissect the transitions in endomembrane trafficking which shape
      this process. This review aims to integrate recent findings on endomembrane
      trafficking events which spatio-temporally act to construct the cell plate. 

PMID- 26485668
TI  - Changes in Japanese eyes after laser peripheral iridotomy: an anterior segment
      optical coherence tomography study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim was to investigate the changes in anterior segment
      parameters, as assessed by anterior segment optical coherence tomography in
      Japanese subjects after laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI). DESIGN: This was a
      prospective observational study. PARTICIPANTS: The participants include 72
      subjects with angle closure including primary angle closure suspect (PACS),
      primary angle closure (PAC), and primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG). METHODS:
      Anterior segment optical coherence tomography parameters was measured by
      customized software. Complete data of 51 subjects were available for final
      analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: These were the following parameters: angle
      opening distance, trabecular-iris space area, anterior chamber depth, width, area
      and volume (iris thickness, curvature, and area, and lens vault (LV). RESULTS: A
      total of 25 PACS, 17 PAC and 9 PACG were included. Mean age was 74.7 +/- 6.7
      years, and majority were women (80.4%). Following LPI, there was a significant
      increase in mean gonioscopic angle width (1.16 vs. 1.93, P < 0.001) and a
      corresponding increase in angle opening distance, trabecular-iris space area, and
      angle recess area (all P < 0.001). The anterior chamber area (P < 0.001),
      anterior chamber volume (P < 0.001) and anterior chamber depth (P = 0.003)
      increased significantly; and iris curvature (P < 0.001) was significantly
      reduced. There were no significant changes in anterior chamber width, LV, iris
      thickness and area. Age-adjusted and gender-adjusted analysis for predictors of
      percentage change in angle opening distance 750 showed significant association
      with greater baseline LV (beta = 0.32, P = 0.03). No significant differences were
      noted in the mean percentage change in parameters between the PACS and PAC-PACG.
      CONCLUSIONS: An increase in anterior chamber dimensions, angle widening and iris
      flattening; with a constant LV, iris thickness and iris area after LPI was
      demonstrated in Japanese eyes with angle closure.

PMID- 26485669
TI  - Hepatoblastoma in Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome: A Case Report.

PMID- 26485670
TI  - Is Hypothermia Helpful in Severe Subarachnoid Hemorrhage? An Exploratory Study on
      Macro Vascular Spasm, Delayed Cerebral Infarction and Functional Outcome after
      Prolonged Hypothermia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is an established treatment after
      cardiac arrest and growing evidence supports its use as neuroprotective treatment
      in stroke. Only few and heterogeneous studies exist on the effect of hypothermia
      in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). A novel approach of early and prolonged TH and
      its influence on key complications in poor-grade SAH, vasospasm and delayed
      cerebral ischemia (DCI) was evaluated. METHODS: This observational matched
      controlled study included 36 poor-grade (Hunt and Hess Scale >3 and World
      Federation of Neurosurgical Societies Scale >3) SAH patients. Twelve patients
      received early TH (<48 h after ictus), mild (35 degrees C), prolonged (7 +/- 1
      days) and were matched to 24 patients from the prospective SAH database.
      Vasospasm was diagnosed by angiography, macrovascular spasm serially evaluated by
      Doppler sonography and DCI was defined as new infarction on follow-up CT.
      Functional outcome was assessed at 6 months by modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and
      categorized as favorable (mRS score 0-2) versus unfavorable (mRS score 3-6)
      outcome. RESULTS: Angiographic vasospasm was present in 71.0% of patients. TH
      neither influenced occurrence nor duration, but the degree of macrovascular spasm
      as well as peak spastic velocities were significantly reduced (p < 0.05).
      Frequency of DCI was 87.5% in non-TH vs. 50% in TH-treated patients, translating
      into a relative risk reduction of 43% and preventive risk ratio of 0.33 (95% CI
      0.14-0.77, p = 0.036). Favorable functional outcome was twice as frequent in TH
      treated patients 66.7 vs. 33.3% of non-TH (p = 0.06). CONCLUSION: Early and
      prolonged TH was associated with a reduced degree of macrovascular spasm and
      significantly decreased occurrence of DCI, possibly ameliorating functional
      outcome. TH may represent a promising neuroprotective therapy possibly targeting
      multiple pathways of DCI development, notably macrovascular spasm, which strongly
      warrants further evaluation of its clinical impact.

PMID- 26485671
TI  - Application of the Mimic Valsalva Maneuver with the Help of a Saccule in
      Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea Reconstruction Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the mimic Valsalva maneuver with the help of a saccule
      handled by an anesthesiologist in order to locate the leakage channel and repair
      the fistula during intranasal endoscopic reconstruction surgery of cerebrospinal
      fluid rhinorrhea. METHODS: From 2012 to 2014, 8 patients were diagnosed with
      cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea by medical histories, physical and biochemical
      examination. All patients were treated with intranasal endoscopic reconstruction
      surgery of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea. During the surgery, the mimic Valsalva
      maneuver with the help of a saccule was carried out once or twice by an
      anesthetist during the operation. Intranasal endoscopy was used to accurately
      locate the leakage site as shown by the exact fistula. Temporal fascia, fascia
      lata, middle turbinate mucosa and nasal septum mucosa were all used to repair the
      fistula. RESULTS: After the surrounding mucosa was removed, the exact leakage
      sites were accurately found. Fascia materials were used in all 8 patients. All
      patients were successfully treated after their first operation, and 1 patient was
      successfully treated by two operations with no complications and recurrences. All
      the patients were followed up for 1 month to 2 years. CONCLUSION: The convenient
      method of the mimic Valsalva maneuver with the help of a saccule handled by an
      anesthesiologist has a good prospect in cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea
      reconstruction surgery.

PMID- 26485672
TI  - Viability and heat resistance of murine norovirus on bread.
AB  - Contaminated bread was the cause of a large-scale outbreak of norovirus disease
      in Japan in 2014. Contamination of seafood and uncooked food products by
      norovirus has been reported several times in the past; however the outbreak
      resulting from the contamination of bread products was unusual. A few reports on
      the presence of norovirus on bread products are available; however there have
      been no studies on the viability and heat resistance of norovirus on breads,
      which were investigated in this study. ce:italic>/ce:italic> strain 1 (MNV-1), a
      surrogate for human norovirus, was inoculated directly on 3 types of bread, but
      the infectivity of MNV-1 on bread samples was almost unchanged after 5days at 20
      degrees C. MNV-1 was inoculated on white bread that was subsequently heated in a
      toaster for a maximum of 2min. The results showed that MNV-1 remained viable if
      the heating period was insufficient to inactivate. In addition, bread dough
      contaminated with MNV-1 was baked in the oven. Our results indicated that MNV-1
      may remain viable on breads if the heating duration or temperature is
      insufficient. 

PMID- 26485673
TI  - Ten Simple Rules for Experiments' Provenance.

PMID- 26485674
TI  - A comparison of outcomes in interventions for unilateral vocal fold paralysis: A
      systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To critically review current literature comparing
      interventional approaches for unilateral vocal fold paralysis. STUDY DESIGN:
      Systematic review of the literature. METHODS: All English-language literature
      published in the PubMed database was eligible for inclusion. Inclusion criteria
      were: 1) the major topic must be a direct comparison of outcomes in interventions
      for unilateral vocal fold paralysis, 2) the subjects were 18 years or older, and
      3) it was original research. Studies involving treatment of bilateral vocal fold
      paralysis and nonprocedural interventions were excluded. Included studies were
      categorized according to level of evidence. Outcomes analyzed were acoustic and
      aerodynamic measures, auditory perceptive evaluation, laryngoscopic findings, and
      complications. RESULTS: Of the 504 studies retrieved from the search strategy, 17
      studies met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Overall, four interventional
      approaches were used for treatment of unilateral vocal fold paralysis:
      medialization thyroplasty, injection laryngoplasty, arytenoid adduction, and
      laryngeal reinnervation. Aside from some select improvements in single outcome
      parameters, overall, the majority of studies show no difference in improvement of
      outcomes between techniques. CONCLUSIONS: Four surgical interventions for
      unilateral vocal fold paralysis are available for treatment of unilateral vocal
      cord paralysis. Multiple studies show favorable outcomes, but no significant
      differences between treatment arms based on perceptual, acoustic, quality of
      life, and laryngoscopic outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 126:1616
      1624, 2016.

PMID- 26485675
TI  - Probability of detection of DNA deposited by habitual wearer and/or the second
      individual who touched the garment.
AB  - Available literature on the detection of transferred DNA does not address the
      interpretation issues in relation to who wore rather than touched the garment. To
      acquire a greater knowledge of the rate of detectable wearer, toucher and
      background DNA, 63 males wore their own underpants for 12h. The inside-waistband
      was handled by one of 11 female volunteers for 15s. The waist-band was mini-taped
      and subjected to DNA profiling with the AMPFlSTR((r)) NGM SElectTM kit. The
      findings show that on worn garments the probability of observing reportable DNA
      profiles is 61.9%. The wearer was detected as a single profile or part of a mixed
      profile in 50.8% of samples. When the wearer was present in a mixture, he was
      always observed as the major contributor. The toucher was detected on 11.1% of
      underpants. Reportable background DNA (non-wearer and non-toucher) occurs in
      14.3% of samples and may affect the assessment of who wore the garment. Greater
      knowledge of the frequency of detection of reportable wearer DNA and/or toucher
      allows scientists to evaluate the likelihood of observing a matching profile if
      an individual wore a garment rather than touched it in disputed case scenarios. 

PMID- 26485676
TI  - Degraded RNA transcript stable regions (StaRs) as targets for enhanced forensic
      RNA body fluid identification.
AB  - The detection of messenger RNA (mRNA) using reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) is
      becoming common practice for forensic body fluid identification. However, the
      degraded and scarce nature of RNA from forensic samples mean that mRNA
      transcripts are not consistently detected or remain undetected in practice.
      Conventional primer design for RT-PCR (and quantitative RT-PCR) includes
      targeting primers to span exon-exon boundaries or by having the primers on two
      separate exons, and satisfying common primer thermodynamic criteria. We have
      found that the conventional placement of primers is not always optimal for
      obtaining reproducible results from degraded samples. Using massively parallel
      sequencing data from degraded body fluids, we designed primers to amplify
      transcript regions of high read coverage, hence, higher stability, and compared
      these with primers designed using conventional methodology. Our findings are that
      primers designed for transcript regions of higher read coverage resulted in
      vastly improved detection of mRNA transcripts that were not previously detected
      or were not consistently detected in the same samples using conventional primers.
      We developed a new concept whereby primers targeted to transcript stable regions
      (StaRs) are able to consistently and specifically amplify a wide range of RNA
      biomarkers in various body fluids of varying degradation levels. 

PMID- 26485677
TI  - HMGB1 Contributes to the Expression of P-Glycoprotein in Mouse Epileptic Brain
      through Toll-Like Receptor 4 and Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products.
AB  - The objective of the present study was to investigate the role of high-mobility
      group box-1 (HMGB1) in the seizure-induced P-glycoprotein (P-gp) overexpression
      and the underlying mechanism. Kainic acid (KA)-induced mouse seizure model was
      used for in vivo experiments. Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups:
      normal saline control (NS) group, KA-induced epileptic seizure (EP) group, and EP
      group pretreated with HMGB1 (EP+HMGB1 group) or BoxA (HMGB1 antagonist, EP+BoxA
      group). Compared to the NS group, increased levels of HMGB1 and P-gp in the brain
      were observed in the EP group. Injection of HMGB1 before the induction of KA
      further increased the expression of P-gp while pre-treatment with BoxA abolished
      this up-regulation. Next, the regulatory role of HMGB1 and its potential involved
      signal pathways were investigated in mouse microvascular endothelial bEnd.3 cells
      in vitro. Cells were treated with HMGB1, HMGB1 plus lipopolysaccharide from
      Rhodobacter sphaeroides (LPS-RS) [toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) antagonist], HMGB1
      plus FPS-ZM1 [receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) inhibitor],
      HMGB1 plus SN50 [nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) inhibitor], or vehicle.
      Treatment with HMGB1 increased the expression levels of P-gp, TLR4, RAGE and the
      activation of NF-kappaB in bEnd.3 cells. These effects were inhibited by the pre
      treatment with either LPS-RS or FPS-ZM1, and were abolished by the pre-treatment
      of SN50 or a combination treatment of both LPS-RS and FPS-ZM1. Luciferase
      reporter assays showed that exogenous expression of NF-kappaB p65 increased the
      promoter activity of multidrug resistance 1a (P-gp-encoding gene) in endothelial
      cells. These data indicate that HMGB1 contributes to the overexpression of P-gp
      in mouse epileptic brain tissues via activation of TLR4/RAGE receptors and the
      downstream transcription factor NF-kappaB in brain microvascular endothelial
      cells. 

PMID- 26485678
TI  - Current status of deceased donor split liver transplantation in Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the outcomes of deceased donor
      split liver transplantation (LT) in Japan. METHODS: Among 257 deceased donor LTs,
      36 recipients underwent split LT until the end of 2014. The clinical data of
      donors and recipients were collected from the national organ transplant network
      and 11 liver transplant institutions, and the outcomes of split LT were
      evaluated. RESULTS: Most of the whole livers were divided using the ex-situ
      splitting technique. Twelve livers were divided to left lateral segment/extended
      right lobe grafts and six livers to left lobe/right lobe grafts. The common
      underlying liver diseases consisted of graft failure in 11 patients, followed by
      acute liver failure in nine. Seventeen cases (48.6%) suffered from surgical
      complications, including biliary complications in six, all of which occurred in
      the cases receiving right-sided lobe grafts; intra-abdominal hemorrhage in five;
      and vascular complications in four. The overall graft 1-year and 3-year survival
      rates were 91.0% and 87.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: An initial experience of
      deceased donor split LT in Japan shows acceptable outcomes despite the high
      incidence of surgical complications. Further advances in the development of the
      splitting technique are necessary to expand the application of split LT.

PMID- 26485679
TI  - Serotype Changes and Drug Resistance in Invasive Pneumococcal Diseases in Adults
      after Vaccinations in Children, Japan, 2010-2013.
AB  - After 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) for children was introduced
      in Japan in November 2010, we examined changes in Streptococcus pneumoniae
      serotypes and in genetic antimicrobial drug resistance of isolates from adults
      with invasive pneumococcal diseases. During April 2010-March 2013, a total of 715
      isolates were collected from adults with invasive pneumococcal diseases. Seven
      valent PCV serotypes in adults decreased from 43.3% to 23.8%, most noticeably for
      serotype 6B. Concomitantly, 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine
      (PPSV23) serotypes decreased from 82.2% to 72.2%; non-PPSV23 serotypes increased
      from 13.8% to 25.1%. Parallel with serotype changes, genotypic penicillin
      resistant S. pneumoniae decreased from 32.4% to 21.1%, and 6 non-PPSV23 serotypes
      emerged (6D, 15A, 15C, 16F, 23A, and 35B). Respective vaccine coverage rates for
      13-valent PCV and PPSV23 differed by disease: 73.9% and 84.3% for patients with
      pneumonia, 56.4% and 69.2% for patients with bacteremia and sepsis, and 45.7% and
      69.3% for patients with meningitis. 

PMID- 26485680
TI  - Filtration of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) in Patients with End
      Stage Renal Disease Undergoing Hemodialysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: End stage renal disease (ESRD) patients are characterized by
      increased morbidity and mortality due to highest prevalence of cardiovascular
      disease. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an inflammatory cytokine
      that controls cellular signaling in human physiology, pathophysiology, and
      diseases. Increased MIF plasma levels promote vascular inflammation and
      development of atherosclerosis. We have shown that MIF is associated with
      vascular dysfunction in ESRD patients. Whether hemodialysis (HD) affects
      circulating MIF plasma levels is unknown. We here aimed to investigate whether HD
      influences the circulating MIF pool in ESRD patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: An
      observational single-center study was conducted. MIF plasma levels in ESRD
      patients were assessed before, during, and after a HD session (n = 29). Healthy
      age-matched volunteers served as controls to compare correlations of MIF plasma
      levels with inflammatory plasma components (n = 20). MIF removed from the
      circulating blood pool could be detected in the dialysate and allowed for
      calculation of totally removed MIF (MIF content in dialysate 219+/-4 MUg/HD
      session). MIF plasma levels were markedly decreased 2 hour after initiation of HD
      (MIF plasma level pre-HD 84.8+/-6 ng/ml to intra-HD 61.2+/-5 ng/ml p<0.001) and
      were replenished already 20 min after termination of HD to basal levels (intra-HD
      61.2+/-5 ng/ml to post-HD 79.8+/-5 ng/ml, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: MIF is a
      dialyzable plasma component that is effectively filtrated during HD from the
      patient blood pool in large amounts. After removal of remarkable amounts of MIF
      during a single HD session, MIF plasma pool is early reconstituted after
      termination of HD from unknown sources.

PMID- 26485681
TI  - Association of Cardiovascular Risk Factors with Carotid Intima Media Thickness in
      Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis with Low Disease Activity Compared to
      Controls: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been identified as an independent
      cardiovascular risk factor. The importance of risk factors such as hypertension
      and hyperlipidemia in the generation of atherosclerosis in RA patients is
      unclear. This study analyzed clinical parameters associated with carotid intima
      media thickness (cIMT) in patients with RA. METHODS: Subjects with RA and healthy
      controls without RA, both without known cardiovascular disease, were included.
      Participants underwent a standard physical examination and laboratory
      measurements including a lipid profile. cIMT was measured semi-automatically by
      ultrasound. RESULTS: In total 243 RA patients and 117 controls were included. The
      median RA disease duration was 7 years (IQR 2-14 years). The median DAS28 was 2.4
      (IQR 1.6-3.2) and 114 (50.4%) of the RA patients were in remission. The presence
      of RA and cIMT were not associated (univariate analysis). Multivariable
      regression analysis showed that cIMT in RA patients was associated with age (B =
      0.006, P<0.001) and systolic blood pressure (B = 0.003, P = 0.003). In controls,
      cIMT was associated with age (B = 0.006, P<0.001) and smoking (B = 0.097, P =
      0.001). CONCLUSION: cIMT values were similar between RA patients and controls.
      Hypertension was strongly associated with cIMT in RA patients. After adjustment,
      no association between cIMT and specific RA disease characteristics was found in
      this well treated RA cohort.

PMID- 26485682
TI  - Neuronal and Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthases in the Paraventricular Nucleus
      Modulate Sympathetic Overdrive in Insulin-Resistant Rats.
AB  - A central mechanism participates in sympathetic overdrive during insulin
      resistance (IR). Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and nitric oxide (NO) modulate
      sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), which
      influences the autonomic regulation of cardiovascular responses. The aim of this
      study was to explore whether the NO system in the PVN is involved in the
      modulation of SNA in fructose-induced IR rats. Control rats received ordinary
      drinking water, whereas IR rats received 12.5% fructose-containing drinking water
      for 12 wks to induce IR. Basal SNA was assessed based on the changes in renal
      sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in response to
      chemicals administered to the PVN. We found an increased plasma norepinephrine
      level but significantly reduced NO content and neuronal NOS (nNOS) and
      endothelial NOS (eNOS) protein expression levels in the PVN of IR rats compared
      to Control rats. No difference in inducible NOS (iNOS) protein expression was
      observed between the two groups. In anesthetized rats, the microinjection of
      sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor, or Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester
      (L-NAME), a non-selective inhibitor of NOS, into the PVN significantly decreased
      and increased basal SNA, respectively, in both normal and IR rats, but these
      responses to SNP and L-NAME in IR rats were smaller than those in normal rats.
      The administration of selective inhibitors of nNOS or eNOS, but not iNOS, to the
      PVN significantly increased basal SNA in both groups, but these responses were
      also smaller in IR rats. Moreover, IR rats exhibited reduced nNOS and eNOS
      activity in the PVN. In conclusion, these data indicate that the decreased
      protein expression and activity levels of nNOS and eNOS in the PVN lead to a
      reduction in the NO content in the PVN, thereby contributing to a subsequent
      enhancement in sympathoexcitation during IR. 

PMID- 26485683
TI  - TLR2-MyD88-NF-kappaB pathway is involved in tubulointerstitial inflammation
      caused by proteinuria.
AB  - Proteinuria is an important risk factor for chronic kidney diseases (CKD).
      Several studies have suggested that proteinuria initiates tubulointerstitial
      inflammation, while the mechanisms have not been fully understood. In this study,
      we hypothesized whether the activation of the TLR2-MyD88-NF-kappaB pathway is
      involved in tubulointerstitial inflammation induced by proteinuria. We observed
      expression of TLR2, MyD88, NF-kappaB, as well as TNF-alpha and IL-6 detected by
      immunohistostaining, Western blotting and real-time PCR in albumin-overloaded
      (AO) nephropathy rats. In vitro, we observed these markers in HK-2 cells
      stimulated by albumin. We used TLR2 siRNA or the NF-kappaB inhibitor BAY 11-7082
      to observe the influence of TNF-alpha and IL-6 expression caused by albumin
      overload. Finally, we studied these markers in non-IgA mesangioproliferative
      glomerulonephritis (MsPGN) patients with different levels of proteinuria. It was
      demonstrated that expression of TLR2, MyD88 and NF-kappaB were significantly
      increased in AO rats and in non-IgA MsPGN patients with high levels of
      proteinuria, and TNF-alpha and IL-6 expressions were increased after NF-kappaB
      activation. Furthermore, TNF-alpha and IL-6 expression was positively correlated
      with the level of proteinuria. Albumin-overload induced TNF-alpha and IL-6
      secretions by the TLR2-MyD88-NF-kappaB pathway activation, which could be
      attenuated by the TLR2 siRNA or BAY 11-7082 in HK-2 cells. In summary, we
      demonstrated that proteinuria may exhibit an endogenous danger-associated
      molecular pattern (DAMP) that induces tubulointerstitial inflammation via the
      TLR2-MyD88-NF-kappaB pathway activation. 

PMID- 26485684
TI  - Brain diseases and tumorigenesis: The good and bad cops of pentraxin3.
AB  - The prototype of long pentraxins, Pentraxin 3 (PTX3), is an evolutionarily
      conserved multifunctional, pattern-recognition protein constituted by a cyclic
      multimeric structure. PTX3 interacts with a variety of ligands, such as growth
      factors, extracellular matrix components, molecules of the complement cascade,
      pathogens recognition proteins, angiogenetic and adhesion molecules. PTX3 could
      be considered as a molecular link between innate and adaptive immunity as well as
      between focal and circulating responses during inflammation. In fact, it
      modulates the functions of resident dendritic cells and circulating lymphocytes.
      Recent evidence demonstrates that manipulation of PTX3 may produce even opposite
      effects depending on which target organ is considered and the physiopathological
      context. In the present review we discuss the good and bad cops of PTX3
      concerning multifacted effects on inflammation, innate immunity, brain diseases
      and tumorigenesis. Finally, a perspective on PTX3 and autophagy is provided as a
      convergent pathway. 

PMID- 26485685
TI  - Role of miR-497 in VEGF-A-mediated cancer cell growth and invasion in non-small
      cell lung cancer.
AB  - The malignancy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is largely due to its
      invasion. Hence, prevention of the cancer cell invasion, which is essentially
      regulated by vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), is substantially
      critical for a successful treatment for NSCLC. Here, we showed that compared to
      other cancers, NSCLC had a significant higher ratio of VEGF-A protein vs mRNA,
      and significantly lower levels of miR-497, suggesting presence of a post
      transcriptional control of VEGF-A in NSCLC different from other cancers. Compared
      with paired normal lung tissue, NSCLC expressed lower levels of miR-497 and
      higher levels of VEGF-A. Moreover, the levels of miR-497 and VEGF-A were
      inversely correlated in NSCLC specimen. Bioinformatics analyses showed that miR
      497 bound to 3'-UTR of VEGF-A mRNA in NSCLC lines to inhibit its translation.
      Overexpression of miR-497 in NSCLC lines decreased VEGF-A protein, while
      depletion of miR-497 in NSCLC lines increased VEGF-A protein. However,
      modification of miR-497 levels in NSCLC lines did not alter VEGF-A mRNA levels.
      Overexpression of miR-497 in NSCLC lines inhibited cell growth and invasion,
      while depletion of miR-497 in NSCLC lines increased cell growth and invasion.
      Together, our data demonstrate a previously unappreciated role for miR-497 in
      suppression of VEGF-A-mediated NSCLC cancer cell growth and invasion. 

PMID- 26485686
TI  - Clinical indication and timing of antenatal corticosteroid administration at a
      single centre.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine how well antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) were timed,
      based on the indication for administration for women delivering preterm. DESIGN:
      Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary medical centre. POPULATION: Six
      hundred and thirty women who had singleton preterm births between 24 and 34
      weeks' gestational age. METHODS: Charts from 2006 to 2011 were reviewed for
      indications for ACS administration, which included premature rupture of
      membranes, threatened preterm labour, risk factors for spontaneous preterm birth
      such as short ultrasound cervical length, positive fetal fibronectin, and
      hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Charts were reviewed for timing of ACS
      administration in relation to delivery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary
      outcome was optimal timing, defined as administration of ACS >= 24 hours to <= 7
      days prior to delivery. RESULTS: Of 630 women who delivered preterm, 589 (93%)
      received ACS prior to delivery. ACS timing was optimal in 40% (238 of 589) of
      cases. Women with hypertensive disorders were most likely to have steroids
      optimally timed (62%). Asymptomatic women at increased risk for preterm delivery
      were less likely to receive optimally timed ACS (12%). The majority of women who
      received steroids >2 weeks prior to delivery (57%) received a second course.
      CONCLUSION: A majority of women who delivered preterm did not receive optimally
      timed ACS. Diagnostic tools that identified women at risk for preterm birth were
      not able to identify patients for appropriate steroid timing. Given the range of
      clinical scenarios in which patients are at increased risk for preterm delivery,
      further research is needed to assist clinicians in optimising steroid
      administration. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Optimal timing of antenatal steroids prior to
      delivery does not occur in most cases.

PMID- 26485687
TI  - Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase regulates the synthesis of microtubule
      related proteins in neurons.
AB  - Modulation of the elongation phase of protein synthesis is important for numerous
      physiological processes in both neurons and other cell types. Elongation is
      primarily regulated via eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF2K). However,
      the consequence of altering eEF2K activity on the synthesis of specific proteins
      is largely unknown. Using both pharmacological and genetic manipulations of eEF2K
      combined with two protein-labeling techniques, stable isotope labeling of amino
      acids in cell culture and bio-orthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging, we
      identified a subset of proteins whose synthesis is sensitive to inhibition of
      eEF2K in murine primary cortical neurons. Gene ontology (GO) analyses indicated
      that processes related to microtubules are particularly sensitive to eEF2K
      inhibition. Our findings suggest that eEF2K likely contributes to neuronal
      function by regulating the synthesis of microtubule-related proteins. Modulation
      of the elongation phase of protein synthesis is important for numerous
      physiological processes in neurons. Here, using labeling of new proteins coupled
      with proteomic techniques in primary cortical neurons, we find that the synthesis
      of microtubule-related proteins is up-regulated by inhibition of elongation. This
      suggests that translation elongation is a key regulator of cytoskeletal dynamics
      in neurons. 

PMID- 26485689
TI  - Diabetes: Circulating factors implicated in diabetic enteropathy.

PMID- 26485688
TI  - Normal and Cystic Fibrosis Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells Infected with
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa Exhibit Distinct Gene Activation Patterns.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In cystic fibrosis (CF), Pseudomonas aeruginosa is not
      eradicated from the lower respiratory tract and is associated with epithelial
      inflammation that eventually causes tissue damage. To identify the molecular
      determinants of an effective response to P. aeruginosa infection, we performed a
      transcriptomic analysis of primary human bronchial epithelial cells from healthy
      donors (CTRL) 2, 4, and 6 h after induced P. aeruginosa infection. Compared to
      noninfected cells, infected cells showed changes in gene activity, which were
      most marked 6 h postinfection and usually consisted in upregulation. RESULTS: By
      comparing for each time point of infection, the transcriptomic response of
      epithelial cells from CF patients and healthy donors, we identified 851, 638,
      667, and 980 differentially expressed genes 0, 2, 4, and 6 h postinfection,
      respectively. Gene selection followed by bioinformatic analysis showed that most
      of the differentially expressed genes, either up- or downregulated, were in the
      protein-binding and catalytic gene-ontology categories. Finally, we established
      that the protein products of the genes exhibiting the greatest differential
      upregulation (CSF2, CCL2, TNF, CSF3, MMP1, and MMP10) between CF patients and
      CTRL were produced in higher amounts by infected cells from CF patients versus
      CTRL. CONCLUSIONS: The differentially expressed genes in CF patients may
      constitute a signature for a detrimental inflammatory response and for an
      inefficient P. aeruginosa host-cell response.

PMID- 26485690
TI  - Thyroid hormone transporters-functions and clinical implications.

PMID- 26485691
TI  - Obesity: Adiponectin-good for the mother and her offspring?

PMID- 26485692
TI  - Chest compression using the foot or hand method: a prospective, randomized,
      controlled manikin study with school children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Maintaining a chest compression depth of 5 cm or more as specified by
      resuscitation guidelines is difficult. Historical studies have shown an advantage
      of the foot method (FM) over the hand method (HM) in participants weighing less
      than 50 kg. Because of the fact that the importance of chest compression is
      increasing from guideline to guideline, the FM technique had not been evaluated
      conclusively and worldwide resuscitation is taught to school children, we
      investigated whether school children achieved a higher quality of chest
      compression with the FM than with the HM. METHODS: A total of 105 school
      children, aged 12 to 15 years, were randomized to an FM or an HM resuscitation
      group. After a 3 min training video, 5 min of practice, and a 5 min latent time,
      the participants performed a 2 min sequence of chest compressions, which was
      recorded on a PC and evaluated later. RESULTS: The mean percentage of correct
      chest compression depth (primary endpoint) was low in both groups (HM 45%, FM
      47%, P=0.76). This was also found for those weighing less than 50 kg and at least
      50 kg in both groups (FM 23%, HM 34%, P=0.2; FM 62%, HM 56%, P=0.57). However,
      the HM group was better in frequency (98 vs. 86% in FM, P=0.03) and complete
      decompression (99 vs. 91% in FM, P<=0.001). CONCLUSION: The FM of applying chest
      compression did not result in a more accurately delivered compression depth
      compared with the HM for children and adolescents, irrespective of body weight.

PMID- 26485693
TI  - Interactive videoconferencing versus audio telephone calls for dispatcher
      assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation using the ALERT algorithm: a randomized
      trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The ALERT algorithm, a telephone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
      protocol, has been shown to help bystanders initiate CPR. Mobile phone
      communications may play a role in emergency calls and improve dispatchers'
      understanding of the rescuer's situation. However, there is currently no
      validated protocol for videoconference-assisted CPR (v-CPR). We initiated this
      study to validate an original protocol of v-CPR and to evaluate the potential
      benefit in comparison with classical telephone-CPR (t-CPR). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We developed an algorithm for v-CPR, adapted from the ALERT t-CPR
      protocol. A total of 180 students were recruited from secondary school and
      assigned randomly either to t-CPR or to v-CPR. A manikin was used to evaluate CPR
      performance. RESULTS: The mean chest compression rate was higher in the v-CPR
      group (v-CPR: 110+/-16 vs. t-CPR: 86+/-28; P<0.0001), whereas depth was
      comparable between both groups (v-CPR: 48+/-13 vs. t-CPR: 47+/-16 mm; P=0.64).
      Hand positioning was correct in 91.7% with v-CPR, but only 68% with t-CPR
      (P=0.001). There was almost no 'hands-off' period in the v-CPR group [v-CPR: 0 (0
      0.4) vs. t-CPR: 7 (0-25.5) s; P<0.0001], but the median no-flow time was
      increased in the v-CPR group [v-CPR: 146 (128-173.5) vs. t-CPR: 122 (105-143.5)
      s, P<0.0001]. The overall score of CPR performance was improved in the v-CPR
      group (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The v-CPR protocol allows bystanders to reach
      compression rates and depths close to guidelines and to reduce 'hands-off' events
      during CPR.

PMID- 26485694
TI  - Ultrasonography for the diagnosis of patients with clinically suspected skin and
      soft tissue infections: a systematic review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients presenting with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI),
      the use of ultrasound may lead to a more accurate distinction between cellulitis
      and abscess compared with clinical assessment alone. OBJECTIVES: This systematic
      review aims to determine the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound for detecting skin
      abscesses. In addition, it aims to assess the impact of using ultrasound on
      management decisions in patients with SSTI. METHODS: We searched relevant
      electronic databases for primary studies including MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL.
      We searched conference proceedings, checked references of retrieved articles, and
      contacted field experts. Two reviewers assessed the quality of each full-text
      publication using a modified QUADAS-2 tool. RESULTS: Five studies (n=710)
      fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Four studies compared the diagnostic accuracy
      of ultrasound with clinical examination alone (n=584). Most studies reported an
      improvement in diagnostic accuracy. The sensitivity of ultrasound ranged from 89
      to 98% and the specificity ranged from 64 to 88%. However, the sensitivity of
      clinical assessment ranged from 75 to 90% and the specificity ranged from 55 to
      83%; most of these results did not reach statistical significance. Sensitivity
      was further improved in cases of indeterminate clinical assessment. Two studies
      (n=176) examined the impact of ultrasound on management decisions. Use of
      ultrasound has led to significant and appropriate changes in management decisions
      in 16 to 39% of patients. CONCLUSION: The use of ultrasound could potentially
      improve diagnostic accuracy and lead to improved management decisions in patients
      with SSTI, especially in cases of indeterminate clinical assessment. Most of our
      findings did not achieve statistical significance. Further research is required
      to confirm these findings.

PMID- 26485695
TI  - An Integrated Glass Nanofluidic Device Enabling In-situ Electrokinetic Probing of
      Water Confined in a Single Nanochannel under Pressure-Driven Flow Conditions.
AB  - In-situ measurement of streaming currents in a single nanochannel with femtoliter
      scale volumes is achieved using an elaborately designed and fabricated glass
      nanofluidic chip with probe electrodes embedded within the nanochannel. The
      device and the method suggest a useful nanoscale tool enabling in situ
      understanding of the unique liquid properties observed in nanofluidic channels. 

PMID- 26485696
TI  - Mindfulness as a Protective Factor for the Burden of Caregivers of Amyotrophic
      Lateral Sclerosis Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Caregivers of people with severe chronic conditions, such as
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are at risk of developing depression and
      anxiety and reduced quality of life. Few studies have explored protective factors
      in this population and none investigated the role of mindfulness. The study aimed
      to examine the relationship between mindfulness and health-related outcomes in a
      population of ALS caregivers. METHODS: We conducted an online survey with ALS
      caregivers, and again at 4-month follow-up, to assess mindfulness, burden,
      quality of life, anxiety, and depression. The associations between mindfulness
      and the other outcomes were evaluated both cross-sectionally and longitudinally.
      RESULTS: Mindfulness correlated negatively with burden, depression, and anxiety
      and positively with quality of life, maintaining stability through time.
      CONCLUSION: Our results showed that mindfulness is positively related to quality
      of life and negatively related to level of burden. We suggest that this construct
      can represent a preventative factor toward the negative effects of caregiving.

PMID- 26485697
TI  - Evaluation of the Dissemination, Implementation, and Sustainability of the
      "Partnership for Health" Intervention.
AB  - Partnership for Health (PfH) is an evidence-based, clinician-delivered HIV
      prevention program conducted in the United States for HIV-positive patients. This
      intervention strives to reduce risky sexual behaviors through provider-patient
      discussions on safer sex and HIV status disclosure. A cross-sectional, mixed
      methods design was used to evaluate the dissemination and implementation of PfH,
      including training evaluations, an online trainee survey, and interviews with
      national trainers for PfH. Descriptive statistics were calculated with the
      categorical data, whereas thematic analysis was completed with the qualitative
      data. Between 2007 and 2013, PfH was disseminated to 776 individuals from 104
      different organizations in 21 states/territories. The smallest proportion of
      trainees was physicians (6.9%). More than three-fourths of survey respondents
      (78.6%) reported using PfH, but less than one-third (31.8%) used the intervention
      with every patient. The PfH training supports the implementation of the
      intervention; however, challenges were experienced in clinician engagement.
      Tailored strategies to recruit and train clinicians providing care to HIV
      positive patients are required.

PMID- 26485698
TI  - Control of parental investment changes plastically over time with residual
      reproductive value.
AB  - Evolutionary conflict between parents and offspring over parental resource
      investment is a significant selective force on the traits of both parents and
      offspring. Empirical studies have shown that for some species, the amount of
      parental investment is controlled by the parents, whereas in other species, it is
      controlled by the offspring. The main difference between these two strategies is
      the residual reproductive value of the parents or opportunities for future
      reproduction. Therefore, this could explain the patterns of control of parental
      investment at the species level. However, the residual reproductive value of the
      parents will change during their lifetime; therefore, parental influence on the
      amount of investment can be expected to change plastically. Here, we investigated
      control of parental investment when parents were young and had a high residual
      reproductive value, compared to when they were old and had a low residual
      reproductive value using a cross-fostering experiment in the burying beetle
      Nicrophorus quadripunctatus. We found that parents exert greater control over
      parental investment when they are young, but parental control is weakened as the
      parents age. Our results demonstrate that control of parental investment is not
      fixed, but changes plastically during the parent's lifetime.

PMID- 26485699
TI  - Postprandial effects of the phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor tadalafil in people
      with well-controlled Type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial.

PMID- 26485700
TI  - Reduction of Advanced Breast Cancer Stages at Subsequent Participation in
      Mammography Screening.
AB  - PURPOSE: The decline in advanced breast cancer stages is presumably the most
      relevant surrogate parameter in mammography screening. It represents the last
      step in the causal cascade that is expected to affect breast cancer-related
      mortality. To assess the effectiveness of population-based screening, we analyzed
      the 2-year incidence rates of advanced breast cancers between women participating
      in the initial and in the first subsequent round. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      study included data from 19,563 initial and 18,034 subsequent examinations of one
      digital screening unit (2008 - 2010). Data on tumor stages, detected by screening
      or within the following interval of two years (2-year incidence), were provided
      by the epidemiological cancer registry. Rates of all and combined UICC stages 2,
      3 and 4 (advanced stages) were reported for a two-year period. Proportions were
      tested for significance by using chi-square tests (p < 0.001). RESULTS: The 2
      year incidence rate of all stages was significantly lower in participants in
      subsequent screening than in initial screening (0.85 vs. 1.29 per 100 women (%);
      p < 0.0001). A significantly lower 2-year incidence of advanced stages was
      observed for subsequent screening compared to initial screening (0.26 % vs. 0.48
      %; p = 0.0007). Among women aged 50 to 59 years, the incidence of advanced stages
      was less clearly different (0.21 % vs. 0.35 %; p = 0.07) than in women aged 60 to
      69 years (0.31 % vs. 0.70 %; p = 0.0008). CONCLUSION: During the change from
      prevalent to incident phase mammography screening, a program impact is seen by a
      lower 2-year incidence of advanced breast cancers within subsequent compared to
      initial participants, predominately in women aged 60 to 69 years. KEY POINTS: *
      The incidence of advanced tumor stages represents the most relevant surrogate
      parameter for screening effectiveness. * For the first time the 2-year incidence
      of advanced breast cancer stages after subsequent mammography screening was
      analyzed. * We observed a significant effect of screening on the 2-year incidence
      of advanced stages, predominately in the age group 60 to 69 years.

PMID- 26485701
TI  - Sex Bias and Maternal Contribution to Gene Expression Divergence in Drosophila
      Blastoderm Embryos.
AB  - Early embryogenesis is a unique developmental stage where genetic control of
      development is handed off from mother to zygote. Yet the contribution of this
      transition to the evolution of gene expression is poorly understood. Here we
      study two aspects of gene expression specific to early embryogenesis in
      Drosophila: sex-biased gene expression prior to the onset of canonical X
      chromosomal dosage compensation, and the contribution of maternally supplied
      mRNAs. We sequenced mRNAs from individual unfertilized eggs and precisely staged
      and sexed blastoderm embryos, and compared levels between D. melanogaster, D.
      yakuba, D. pseudoobscura and D. virilis. First, we find that mRNA content is
      highly conserved for a given stage and that studies relying on pooled embryos
      likely systematically overstate the degree of gene expression divergence. Unlike
      studies done on larvae and adults where most species show a larger proportion of
      genes with male-biased expression, we find that transcripts in Drosophila embryos
      are largely female-biased in all species, likely due to incomplete dosage
      compensation prior to the activation of the canonical dosage compensation
      mechanism. The divergence of sex-biased gene expression across species is
      observed to be often due to lineage-specific decrease of expression; the most
      drastic example of which is the overall reduction of male expression from the neo
      X chromosome in D. pseudoobscura, leading to a pervasive female-bias on this
      chromosome. We see no evidence for a faster evolution of expression on the X
      chromosome in embryos (no "faster-X" effect), unlike in adults, and contrary to a
      previous study on pooled non-sexed embryos. Finally, we find that most genes are
      conserved in regard to their maternal or zygotic origin of transcription, and
      present evidence that differences in maternal contribution to the blastoderm
      transcript pool may be due to species-specific divergence of transcript
      degradation rates. 

PMID- 26485702
TI  - Determinants of Frailty and Longevity: Are They the Same Ones?
AB  - Older people are at risk of developing frailty with advancing age. The prevalence
      of frailty increases from 2.5-3% in adults aged 65 years to 30-35% in those older
      than 85 years. These results suggest that an association exists between longevity
      and frailty. However, at the same time, even at advanced age, the majority of
      older adults are free of frailty, suggesting that factors different from those
      contributing to or produced by the life length are involved in producing frailty.
      Genetic and epigenetic factors, nutrient-sensing systems, mainly the so-called
      insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling pathway, mitochondrial
      dysfunction, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion, inflammation, and some
      hormonal systems are involved in longevity. However, factors involved in frailty
      are mainly inflammation and hormones, with an anecdotal role for genetic and
      other potential factors, but even these two common factors seem to regulate
      longevity and frailty in different ways. Moreover, their effect on frailty seems
      to change when they are acting in combination. 

PMID- 26485703
TI  - Phenotypic and Functional Alterations in Circulating Memory CD8 T Cells with Time
      after Primary Infection.
AB  - Memory CD8 T cells confer increased protection to immune hosts upon secondary
      viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections. The level of protection provided
      depends on the numbers, quality (functional ability), and location of memory CD8
      T cells present at the time of infection. While primary memory CD8 T cells can be
      maintained for the life of the host, the full extent of phenotypic and functional
      changes that occur over time after initial antigen encounter remains poorly
      characterized. Here we show that critical properties of circulating primary
      memory CD8 T cells, including location, phenotype, cytokine production,
      maintenance, secondary proliferation, secondary memory generation potential, and
      mitochondrial function change with time after infection. Interestingly,
      phenotypic and functional alterations in the memory population are not due solely
      to shifts in the ratio of effector (CD62Llo) and central memory (CD62Lhi) cells,
      but also occur within defined CD62Lhi memory CD8 T cell subsets. CD62Lhi memory
      cells retain the ability to efficiently produce cytokines with time after
      infection. However, while it is was not formally tested whether changes in
      CD62Lhi memory CD8 T cells over time occur in a cell intrinsic manner or are due
      to selective death and/or survival, the gene expression profiles of CD62Lhi
      memory CD8 T cells change, phenotypic heterogeneity decreases, and mitochondrial
      function and proliferative capacity in either a lymphopenic environment or in
      response to antigen re-encounter increase with time. Importantly, and in
      accordance with their enhanced proliferative and metabolic capabilities,
      protection provided against chronic LCMV clone-13 infection increases over time
      for both circulating memory CD8 T cell populations and for CD62Lhi memory cells.
      Taken together, the data in this study reveal that memory CD8 T cells continue to
      change with time after infection and suggest that the outcome of vaccination
      strategies designed to elicit protective memory CD8 T cells using single or prime
      boost immunizations depends upon the timing between antigen encounters. 

PMID- 26485704
TI  - PKDL--A Silent Parasite Pool for Transmission of Leishmaniasis in Kala-azar
      Endemic Areas of Malda District, West Bengal, India.
AB  - Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a chronic but not life-threatening
      disease; patients generally do not demand treatment, deserve much more attention
      because PKDL is highly relevant in the context of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL)
      elimination. There is no standard guideline for diagnosis and treatment for PKDL.
      A species-specific PCR on slit skin smear demonstrated a sensitivity of 93.8%,
      but it has not been applied for routine diagnostic purpose. The study was
      conducted to determine the actual disease burden in an endemic area of Malda
      district, West Bengal, comparison of the three diagnostic tools for PKDL case
      detection and pattern of lesion regression after treatment. The prevalence of
      PKDL was determined by active surveillance and confirmed by PCR based diagnosis.
      Patients were treated with either sodium stibogluconate (SSG) or oral miltefosine
      and followed up for two years to observe lesion regression period. Twenty six
      PKDL cases were detected with a prevalence rate of 27.5% among the
      antileishmanial antibody positive cases. Among three diagnostic methods used, PCR
      is highly sensitive (88.46%) for case confirmation. In majority of the cases skin
      lesions persisted after treatment completion which gradually disappeared during 6
      12 months post treatment period. Reappearance of lesions noted in two cases after
      1.5 years of miltefosine treatment. A significant number of PKDL patients would
      remain undiagnosed without active mass surveys. Such surveys are required in
      other endemic areas to attain the ultimate goal of eliminating Kala-azar. PCR
      based method is helpful in confirming diagnosis of PKDL, referral laboratory at
      district or state level can achieve it. So a well-designed study with higher
      number of samples is essential to establish when/whether PKDL patients are free
      from parasite after treatment and to determine which PKDL patients need treatment
      for longer period. 

PMID- 26485705
TI  - Testosterone-Induced Expression of Male Colour Morphs in Females of the
      Polymorphic Tawny Dragon Lizard, Ctenophorus decresii.
AB  - Many colour polymorphisms are present only in one sex, usually males, but
      proximate mechanisms controlling the expression of sex-limited colour
      polymorphisms have received little attention. Here, we test the hypothesis that
      artificial elevation of testosterone in females of the colour polymorphic tawny
      dragon lizard, Ctenophorus decresii, can induce them to express the same colour
      morphs, in similar frequencies, to those found in males. Male C. decresii,
      express four discrete throat colour morphs (orange, yellow, grey and an orange
      central patch surrounded by yellow). We used silastic implants to experimentally
      elevate testosterone levels in mature females to induce colour expression.
      Testosterone elevation resulted in a substantial increase in the proportion and
      intensity of orange but not yellow colouration, which was present in a subset of
      females prior to treatment. Consequently, females exhibited the same set of
      colour morphs as males, and we confirmed that these morphs are objectively
      classifiable, by using digital image analyses and spectral reflectance
      measurements, and occur in similar frequencies as in males. These results
      indicate that the influence of testosterone differs for different colours,
      suggesting that their expression may be governed by different proximate hormonal
      mechanisms. Thus, caution must be exercised when using artificial testosterone
      manipulation to induce female expression of sex-limited colour polymorphisms.
      Nevertheless, the ability to express sex-limited colours (in this case orange) to
      reveal the same, objectively classifiable morphs in similar frequencies to males
      suggests autosomal rather than sex-linked inheritance, and can facilitate further
      research on the genetic basis of colour polymorphism, including estimating
      heritability and selection on colour morphs from pedigree data. 

PMID- 26485707
TI  - Correction: Lifestyle-Related Factors and Atopy in Seven Danish Population-Based
      Studies from Different Time Periods.

PMID- 26485706
TI  - Dietary Intervention for Overweight and Obese Adults: Comparison of Low
      Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets. A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reduced calorie, low fat diet is currently recommended diet for
      overweight and obese adults. Prior data suggest that low carbohydrate diets may
      also be a viable option for those who are overweight and obese. PURPOSE: Compare
      the effects of low carbohydrate versus low fats diet on weight and
      atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk in overweight and obese patients.
      DATA SOURCES: Systematic literature review via PubMed (1966-2014). STUDY
      SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials with >=8 weeks follow up, comparing low
      carbohydrate (<=120gm carbohydrates/day) and low fat diet (<=30% energy from
      fat/day). DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted and prepared for analysis using
      double data entry. Prior to identification of candidate publications, the
      outcomes of change in weight and metabolic factors were selected as defined by
      Cochrane Collaboration. Assessment of the effects of diets on predicted risk of
      atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk was added during the data collection
      phase. DATA SYNTHESIS: 1797 patients were included from 17 trials with <1 year
      follow up in 12. Compared with low fat diet, low carbohydrate was associated with
      significantly greater reduction in weight (Delta = -2.0 kg, 95% CI: -3.1, -0.9)
      and significantly lower predicted risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
      events (p<0.03). Frequentist and Bayesian results were concordant. The
      probability of greater weight loss associated with low carbohydrate was >99%
      while the reduction in predicted risk favoring low carbohydrate was >98%.
      LIMITATIONS: Lack of patient-level data and heterogeneity in dropout rates and
      outcomes reported. CONCLUSIONS: This trial-level meta-analysis of randomized
      controlled trials comparing LoCHO diets with LoFAT diets in strictly adherent
      populations demonstrates that each diet was associated with significant weight
      loss and reduction in predicted risk of ASCVD events. However, LoCHO diet was
      associated with modest but significantly greater improvements in weight loss and
      predicted ASCVD risk in studies from 8 weeks to 24 months in duration. These
      results suggest that future evaluations of dietary guidelines should consider low
      carbohydrate diets as effective and safe intervention for weight management in
      the overweight and obese, although long-term effects require further
      investigation.

PMID- 26485708
TI  - Identification and Characterization of Circular RNAs As a New Class of Putative
      Biomarkers in Human Blood.
AB  - Covalently closed circular RNA molecules (circRNAs) have recently emerged as a
      class of RNA isoforms with widespread and tissue specific expression across
      animals, oftentimes independent of the corresponding linear mRNAs. circRNAs are
      remarkably stable and sometimes highly expressed molecules. Here, we sequenced
      RNA in human peripheral whole blood to determine the potential of circRNAs as
      biomarkers in an easily accessible body fluid. We report the reproducible
      detection of thousands of circRNAs. Importantly, we observed that hundreds of
      circRNAs are much higher expressed than corresponding linear mRNAs. Thus, circRNA
      expression in human blood reveals and quantifies the activity of hundreds of
      coding genes not accessible by classical mRNA specific assays. Our findings
      suggest that circRNAs could be used as biomarker molecules in standard clinical
      blood samples. 

PMID- 26485709
TI  - Enhanced G2/M Arrest, Caspase Related Apoptosis and Reduced E-Cadherin Dependent
      Intercellular Adhesion by Trabectedin in Prostate Cancer Stem Cells.
AB  - Trabectedin (Yondelis, ET-743) is a marine-derived tetrahydroisoquinoline
      alkaloid. It is originally derived from the Caribbean marine tunicate
      Ecteinascidia turbinata and currently produced synthetically. Trabectedin is
      active against a variety of tumor cell lines growing in culture. The present
      study focused on the effect of trabectedin in cell proliferation, cell cycle
      progression, apoptosis and spheroid formation in prostate cancer stem cells
      (CSCs). Cluster of differentiation (CD) 133+high/CD44+high prostate CSCs were
      isolated from the DU145 and PC-3 human prostate cancer cell line through flow
      cytometry. We studied the growth-inhibitory effects of trabectedin and its
      molecular mechanisms on human prostate CSCs and non-CSCs. DU-145 and PC-3 CSCs
      were treated with 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 nM trabectedin for 24, 48 and 72 h and the
      growth inhibition rates were examined using the sphere-forming assay. Annexin-V
      assay and immunofluorescence analyses were performed for the detection of the
      cell death. Concentration-dependent effects of trabectedin on the cell cycle were
      also evaluated. The cells were exposed to the different doses of trabectedin for
      24, 48 and 72 h to evaluate the effect of trabectedin on the number and diameter
      of spheroids. According to the results, trabectedin induced cytotoxicity and
      apoptosis at the IC50 dose, resulting in a significant increase expression of
      caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, p53 and decrease expression of bcl-2 in dose
      dependent manner. Cell cycle analyses revealed that trabectedin induces dose
      dependent G2/M-phase cell cycle arrest, particularly at high-dose treatments.
      Three-dimensional culture studies showed that trabectedin reduced the number and
      diameter of spheroids of DU145 and PC3 CSCs. Furthermore, we have found that
      trabectedin disrupted cell-cell interactions via E-cadherin in prostasphere of DU
      145 and PC-3 CSCs. Our results showed that trabectedin inhibits cellular
      proliferation and accelerates apoptotic events in prostate CSCs; and may be a
      potential effective therapeutic agent against prostate cancer. 

PMID- 26485710
TI  - Gray Matter Correlates of Cognitive Performance Differ between Relapsing
      Remitting and Primary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory/demyelinating and
      neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Most patients
      experience a relapsing-remitting (RR) course, while about 15-20% of patients
      experience a primary progressive (PP) course. Cognitive impairment affects
      approximately 40-70% of all MS patients and differences in cognitive impairment
      between RR-MS and PP-MS have been found. We aimed to compare RR-MS and PP-MS
      patients in terms of cognitive performance, and to investigate the MRI correlates
      of cognitive impairment in the two groups using measures of brain volumes and
      cortical thickness. Fifty-seven patients (42 RR-MS, 15 PP-MS) and thirty-eight
      matched controls underwent neuropsychological (NP) testing and MRI. PP-MS
      patients scored lower than RR-MS patients on most of the NP tests in absence of
      any specific pattern. PP-MS patients showed significantly lower caudate volume.
      There was no significant difference in MRI correlates of cognitive impairment
      between the two groups except for a prevalent association with MRI measures of
      cortical GM injury in RR-MS patients and with MRI measures of subcortical GM
      injury in PP-MS patients. This suggests that although cognitive impairment
      results from several factors, cortical and subcortical GM injury may play a
      different role depending on the disease course. 

PMID- 26485712
TI  - High Levels of Nucleolar Spindle-Associated Protein and Reduced Levels of BRCA1
      Expression Predict Poor Prognosis in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Nucleolar spindle-associated protein (NuSAP1) is an important mitosis
      related protein, and aberrant NuSAP1 expression is associated with abnormal
      spindles and mitosis. This study investigated the prognostic value of NuSAP1 in
      breast cancer. METHODS: Two sets of tissue microarrays (TMAs) that included
      samples from 450 breast cancer patients were constructed, of which 250 patients
      were training set and the other 200 patients were validation set.
      Immunohistochemical staining was performed to determine the NuSAP1 levels. A
      Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate the prognostic value of NuSAP1 in
      breast cancer. A stepwise Cox analysis was performed to construct a risk
      prediction model for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). All statistical
      analysis was performed with SPSS software. RESULTS: There were 108 (43.5%) and 88
      (44.0%) patients expressed NuSAP1 in the training set and validation set
      respectively. High levels of NuSAP1 expression were related to poor disease-free
      survival (DFS) in both training (P = 0.028) and validation (P = 0.006) cohorts,
      particularly in TNBC. With combination of two cohorts, both NuSAP1 (HR = 4.136,
      95% CI: 1.956-8.747, P < 0.001) and BRCA1 (HR = 0.383, 95% CI: 0.160-0.915, P =
      0.031) were independent prognostic indicators of DFS in TNBC. A receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that the combination of NuSAP1
      and BRCA1 significantly improved the prognostic power compared with the
      traditional model (0.778 versus 0.612, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      confirms the prognostic value of NuSAP1 in breast cancer. The combination of
      NuSAP1 and BRCA1 could improve the DFS prediction accuracy in TNBC.

PMID- 26485711
TI  - Singlet Oxygen-Mediated Oxidation during UVA Radiation Alters the Dynamic of
      Genomic DNA Replication.
AB  - UVA radiation (320-400 nm) is a major environmental agent that can exert its
      deleterious action on living organisms through absorption of the UVA photons by
      endogenous or exogenous photosensitizers. This leads to the production of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as singlet oxygen (1O2) and hydrogen peroxide
      (H2O2), which in turn can modify reversibly or irreversibly biomolecules, such as
      lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. We have previously reported that UVA-induced
      ROS strongly inhibit DNA replication in a dose-dependent manner, but
      independently of the cell cycle checkpoints activation. Here, we report that the
      production of 1O2 by UVA radiation leads to a transient inhibition of replication
      fork velocity, a transient decrease in the dNTP pool, a quickly reversible GSH
      dependent oxidation of the RRM1 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase and sustained
      inhibition of origin firing. The time of recovery post irradiation for each of
      these events can last from few minutes (reduction of oxidized RRM1) to several
      hours (replication fork velocity and origin firing). The quenching of 1O2 by
      sodium azide prevents the delay of DNA replication, the decrease in the dNTP pool
      and the oxidation of RRM1, while inhibition of Chk1 does not prevent the
      inhibition of origin firing. Although the molecular mechanism remains elusive,
      our data demonstrate that the dynamic of replication is altered by UVA
      photosensitization of vitamins via the production of singlet oxygen. 

PMID- 26485713
TI  - Cancer Therapeutic Effects of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Are Associated with
      Oxidative Stress and Cytokine Induction.
AB  - Nanoparticles (NPs) are considered to influence the inflammatory process;
      however, the precise mechanism and the significance in tumors are still not
      clear. In this study, when CT26 and LL2 mouse cancer cells were treated with 6-nm
      anatase titanium dioxide NPs (TDNPs) without ultraviolet irradiation, oxidative
      stress and induction of inflammatory cytokines were observed. Oxidative stress
      was further increased by disease-associated conditions such as high glucose
      concentrations and hypoxia. Inhaled or orally administered TDNPs generated
      granulomatous lesions in the lungs and colon of the rodent models tested, with
      increased oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines. Oxidative stress and
      inflammatory cytokines were also found in cancer cells treated with gold or
      carbon black NPs. Treatment of CT26 cells with 10- to 70-nm rutile TDNPs showed
      that smaller NPs produced more oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines than
      larger ones did. To avoid diffusion of TDNPs and to minimize toxicity, 10-nm
      TDNPs were suspended in a collagen gel inserted into a subcutaneous tumor in a
      CT26 mouse. A single TDNP treatment via this method inhibited tumor growth in a
      size- and dose-dependent manner, and resulted in lower levels of urinary 8-OHdG
      when compared to systemically administered TDNPs. These findings suggest that
      TDNPs might be useful for the local treatment of tumors. 

PMID- 26485714
TI  - Role of Maternal Antibodies in Infants with Severe Diseases Related to Human
      Parechovirus Type 3.
AB  - Human parechovirus type 3 (HPeV3) is an emerging pathogen that causes sepsis and
      meningoencephalitis in young infants. To test the hypothesis that maternal
      antibodies can protect this population, we measured neutralizing antibody titers
      (NATs) to HPeV3 and other genotypes (HPeV1 and HPeV6) in 175 cord blood samples
      in Japan. The seropositivity rate (>=1:32) for HPeV3 was 61%, similar to that for
      the other genotypes, but decreased significantly as maternal age increased
      (p<0.001). Furthermore, during the 2014 HPeV3 epidemic, prospective measurement
      of NATs to HPeV3 in 45 patients with severe diseases caused by HPeV3 infection
      showed low NATs (<=1:16) at onset and persistently high NATs (>=1:512) until age
      6 months. All intravenous immunoglobulin samples tested elicited high NATs to
      HPeV3. Our findings indicate that maternal antibodies to HPeV3 may help protect
      young infants from severe diseases related to HPeV3 and that antibody
      supplementation may benefit these patients.

PMID- 26485715
TI  - Spectrotemporal Modulation Detection and Speech Perception by Cochlear Implant
      Users.
AB  - Spectrotemporal modulation (STM) detection performance was examined for cochlear
      implant (CI) users. The test involved discriminating between an unmodulated
      steady noise and a modulated stimulus. The modulated stimulus presents frequency
      modulation patterns that change in frequency over time. In order to examine STM
      detection performance for different modulation conditions, two different temporal
      modulation rates (5 and 10 Hz) and three different spectral modulation densities
      (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 cycles/octave) were employed, producing a total 6 different
      STM stimulus conditions. In order to explore how electric hearing constrains STM
      sensitivity for CI users differently from acoustic hearing, normal-hearing (NH)
      and hearing-impaired (HI) listeners were also tested on the same tasks. STM
      detection performance was best in NH subjects, followed by HI subjects. On
      average, CI subjects showed poorest performance, but some CI subjects showed high
      levels of STM detection performance that was comparable to acoustic hearing.
      Significant correlations were found between STM detection performance and speech
      identification performance in quiet and in noise. In order to understand the
      relative contribution of spectral and temporal modulation cues to speech
      perception abilities for CI users, spectral and temporal modulation detection was
      performed separately and related to STM detection and speech perception
      performance. The results suggest that that slow spectral modulation rather than
      slow temporal modulation may be important for determining speech perception
      capabilities for CI users. Lastly, test-retest reliability for STM detection was
      good with no learning. The present study demonstrates that STM detection may be a
      useful tool to evaluate the ability of CI sound processing strategies to deliver
      clinically pertinent acoustic modulation information. 

PMID- 26485716
TI  - In Vivo Quantification of Inflammation in Experimental Autoimmune
      Encephalomyelitis Rats Using Fluorine-19 Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reveals
      Immune Cell Recruitment outside the Nervous System.
AB  - Progress in identifying new therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) can be
      accelerated by using imaging biomarkers of disease progression or abatement in
      model systems. In this study, we evaluate the ability to noninvasively image and
      quantitate disease pathology using emerging "hot-spot" 19F MRI methods in an
      experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) rat, a model of MS. Rats with
      clinical symptoms of EAE were compared to control rats without EAE, as well as to
      EAE rats that received daily prophylactic treatments with cyclophosphamide.
      Perfluorocarbon (PFC) nanoemulsion was injected intravenously, which labels
      predominately monocytes and macrophages in situ. Analysis of the spin-density
      weighted 19F MRI data enabled quantification of the apparent macrophage burden in
      the central nervous system and other tissues. The in vivo MRI results were
      confirmed by extremely high-resolution 19F/1H magnetic resonance microscopy in
      excised tissue samples and histopathologic analyses. Additionally, 19F nuclear
      magnetic resonance spectroscopy of intact tissue samples was used to assay the
      PFC biodistribution in EAE and control rats. In vivo hot-spot 19F signals were
      detected predominantly in the EAE spinal cord, consistent with the presence of
      inflammatory infiltrates. Surprising, prominent 19F hot-spots were observed in
      bone-marrow cavities adjacent to spinal cord lesions; these were not observed in
      control animals. Quantitative evaluation of cohorts receiving cyclophosphamide
      treatment displayed significant reduction in 19F signal within the spinal cord
      and bone marrow of EAE rats. Overall, 19F MRI can be used to quantitatively
      monitored EAE disease burden, discover unexpected sites of inflammatory activity,
      and may serve as a sensitive biomarker for the discovery and preclinical
      assessment of novel MS therapeutic interventions. 

PMID- 26485717
TI  - Zonation of Microbial Communities by a Hydrothermal Mound in the Atlantis II Deep
      (the Red Sea).
AB  - In deep-sea geothermal rift zones, the dispersal of hydrothermal fluids of
      moderately-high temperatures typically forms subseafloor mounds. Major mineral
      components of the crust covering the mound are barite and metal sulfides. As a
      result of the continental rifting along the Red Sea, metalliferous sediments
      accumulate on the seafloor of the Atlantis II Deep. In the present study, a
      barite crust was identified in a sediment core from the Atlantis II Deep,
      indicating the formation of a hydrothermal mound at the sampling site. Here, we
      examined how such a dense barite crust could affect the local environment and the
      distribution of microbial inhabitants. Our results demonstrate distinctive
      features of mineral components and microbial communities in the sediment layers
      separated by the barite crust. Within the mound, archaea accounted for 65% of the
      community. In contrast, the sediments above the barite boundary were overwhelmed
      by bacteria. The composition of microbial communities under the mound was similar
      to that in the sediments of the nearby Discovery Deep and marine cold seeps. This
      work reveals the zonation of microbial communities after the formation of the
      hydrothermal mound in the subsurface sediments of the rift basin. 

PMID- 26485718
TI  - CD8 Memory Cells Develop Unique DNA Repair Mechanisms Favoring Productive
      Division.
AB  - Immune responses are efficient because the rare antigen-specific naive cells are
      able to proliferate extensively and accumulate upon antigen stimulation.
      Moreover, differentiation into memory cells actually increases T cell
      accumulation, indicating improved productive division in secondary immune
      responses. These properties raise an important paradox: how T cells may survive
      the DNA lesions necessarily induced during their extensive division without
      undergoing transformation. We here present the first data addressing the DNA
      damage responses (DDRs) of CD8 T cells in vivo during exponential expansion in
      primary and secondary responses in mice. We show that during exponential division
      CD8 T cells engage unique DDRs, which are not present in other exponentially
      dividing cells, in T lymphocytes after UV or X irradiation or in non-metastatic
      tumor cells. While in other cell types a single DDR pathway is affected, all DDR
      pathways and cell cycle checkpoints are affected in dividing CD8 T cells. All DDR
      pathways collapse in secondary responses in the absence of CD4 help. CD8 T cells
      are driven to compulsive suicidal divisions preventing the propagation of DNA
      lesions. In contrast, in the presence of CD4 help all the DDR pathways are up
      regulated, resembling those present in metastatic tumors. However, this up
      regulation is present only during the expansion phase; i.e., their dependence on
      antigen stimulation prevents CD8 transformation. These results explain how CD8 T
      cells maintain genome integrity in spite of their extensive division, and
      highlight the fundamental role of DDRs in the efficiency of CD8 immune responses.

PMID- 26485720
TI  - Assessing activities, participation, and quality of life in hemophilia:
      relevance, current limitations, and possible options.
AB  - The international classification of functioning (ICF) has provided a basic
      framework for the measurement of outcomes in any health condition. This includes
      the assessment of the level of activity, participation, and the quality of life
      of an individual with hemophilia. The measure of activity is an assessment of the
      individual's ability to perform daily tasks while participation assesses the
      social role of the individual. The health-related quality of life is an
      assessment of the perception of the individual's physical, mental, and social
      well-being. These functional outcomes are important to understand the impact of
      the broad spectrum of interventions in the management of hemophilia. The generic
      instruments used to measure these may be less sensitive than the disease-specific
      measures but are useful for the comparison between cohorts with different health
      conditions. Cross-cultural validity is essential for tools where the question can
      vary in the context of different cultures. 

PMID- 26485719
TI  - Lesion Activity on Brain MRI in a Chinese Population with Unilateral Optic
      Neuritis.
AB  - Longitudinal studies have shown that brain white matter lesions are strong
      predictors of the conversion of unilateral optic neuritis to multiple sclerosis
      (MS) in Caucasian populations. Consequently brain MRI criteria have been
      developed to improve the prediction of the development of clinically definite
      multiple sclerosis (CDMS). In Asian populations, optic neuritis may be the first
      sign of classical or optic-spinal MS. These signs add to the uncertainty
      regarding brain MRI changes with respect to the course of unilateral optic
      neuritis. The aim of this study was to examine the association between brain
      lesion activity and conversion to CDMS in Chinese patients with unilateral optic
      neuritis. A small prospective cohort study of 40 consecutive Chinese patients who
      presented with unilateral optic neuritis was conducted. Brain lesion activity was
      recorded as the incidence of Gd-enhanced lesions and new T2 lesions. Brain
      lesions on MRI that were characteristic of MS were defined according to the 2010
      revisions of the McDonald criteria. The primary endpoint was the development of
      CDMS. We found that nineteen patients (48%) had brain lesions that were
      characteristic of MS on the initial scan. One of these patients (3%) had Gd
      enhanced brain lesions. A significantly lower percentage of the patients (10%,
      p<0.001) presented with new T2 brain lesions on the second scan. During a median
      of 5 years of follow-up, seven patients (18%) developed CDMS. There was no
      significant difference in the conversion rate to CDMS between patients with and
      without brain lesions that were characteristic of MS (4/19 and 3/21,
      respectively; Fisher exact test, one-sided, p = 0.44). We conclude that brain
      lesions characteristic of MS are common in Chinese patients with unilateral optic
      neuritis; however, these patients exhibit low lesion activity. The predictive
      value of brain lesion activity for CDMS requires investigation in additional
      patients. 

PMID- 26485721
TI  - Novel fibrinogen bbeta chain mutation as an underlying mechanism of
      afibrinogenemia?

PMID- 26485722
TI  - A Mutation Model from First Principles of the Genetic Code.
AB  - The paper presents a neutral Codons Probability Mutations (CPM) model of
      molecular evolution and genetic decay of an organism. The CPM model uses a Markov
      process with a 20-dimensional state space of probability distributions over amino
      acids. The transition matrix of the Markov process includes the mutation rate and
      those single point mutations compatible with the genetic code. This is an
      alternative to the standard Point Accepted Mutation (PAM) and BLOcks of amino
      acid SUbstitution Matrix (BLOSUM). Genetic decay is quantified as a similarity
      between the amino acid distribution of proteins from a (group of) species on one
      hand, and the equilibrium distribution of the Markov chain on the other. Amino
      acid data for the eukaryote, bacterium, and archaea families are used to
      illustrate how both the CPM and PAM models predict their genetic decay towards
      the equilibrium value of 1. A family of bacteria is studied in more detail. It is
      found that warm environment organisms on average have a higher degree of genetic
      decay compared to those species that live in cold environments. The paper
      addresses a new codon-based approach to quantify genetic decay due to single
      point mutations compatible with the genetic code. The present work may be seen as
      a first approach to use codon-based Markov models to study how genetic entropy
      increases with time in an effectively neutral biological regime. Various
      extensions of the model are also discussed.

PMID- 26485723
TI  - Exponential Synchronization of Coupled Stochastic Memristor-Based Neural Networks
      With Time-Varying Probabilistic Delay Coupling and Impulsive Delay.
AB  - This paper deals with the exponential synchronization of coupled stochastic
      memristor-based neural networks with probabilistic time-varying delay coupling
      and time-varying impulsive delay. There is one probabilistic transmittal delay in
      the delayed coupling that is translated by a Bernoulli stochastic variable
      satisfying a conditional probability distribution. The disturbance is described
      by a Wiener process. Based on Lyapunov functions, Halanay inequality, and linear
      matrix inequalities, sufficient conditions that depend on the probability
      distribution of the delay coupling and the impulsive delay were obtained.
      Numerical simulations are used to show the effectiveness of the theoretical
      results. 

PMID- 26485724
TI  - Kohonen's Map Approach for the Belief Mass Modeling.
AB  - In the framework of the evidence theory, several approaches for estimating belief
      functions are proposed. However, they generally suffer from the problem of masses
      attribution in the case of compound hypotheses that lose much conceptual
      contribution of the theory. In this paper, an original method for estimating mass
      functions using Kohonen's map derived from the initial feature space and an
      initial classifier is proposed. Our approach allows a smart mass belief
      assignment, not only for simple hypotheses but also for disjunctions and
      conjunctions of hypotheses. Thus, it can model at the same time ignorance,
      imprecision, and paradox. The proposed method for a basic belief assignment (BBA)
      is of interest for solving estimation mass functions problems where a large
      quantity of multivariate data is available. Indeed, the use of Kohonen's map
      simplifies the process of assigning mass functions. The proposed method has been
      compared with the state-of-the-art BBA technique on benchmark database and
      applied on remote sensing data for image classification purpose. Experimentation
      shows that our approach gives similar or better results than other methods
      presented in the literature so far, with an ability to handle a large amount of
      data.

PMID- 26485725
TI  - Multi-AUV Target Search Based on Bioinspired Neurodynamics Model in 3-D
      Underwater Environments.
AB  - Target search in 3-D underwater environments is a challenge in multiple
      autonomous underwater vehicles (multi-AUVs) exploration. This paper focuses on an
      effective strategy for multi-AUV target search in the 3-D underwater environments
      with obstacles. First, the Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence is applied to
      extract information of environment from the sonar data to build a grid map of the
      underwater environments. Second, a topologically organized bioinspired
      neurodynamics model based on the grid map is constructed to represent the dynamic
      environment. The target globally attracts the AUVs through the dynamic neural
      activity landscape of the model, while the obstacles locally push the AUVs away
      to avoid collision. Finally, the AUVs plan their search path to the targets
      autonomously by a steepest gradient descent rule. The proposed algorithm deals
      with various situations, such as static targets search, dynamic targets search,
      and one or several AUVs break down in the 3-D underwater environments with
      obstacles. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is capable of
      guiding multi-AUV to achieve search task of multiple targets with higher
      efficiency and adaptability compared with other algorithms.

PMID- 26485726
TI  - Heart Sound Localization in Respiratory Sound Based on a New Computationally
      Efficient Entropy Bound.
AB  - A new entropy bound with low computational complexity for differential Shannon
      entropy estimation with kernel density approach is proposed in this study, which
      is based on defining a bound for the Kullback-Leibler divergence between two
      Gaussian mixture models. The proposed entropy bound is derived to provide
      computational efficiency without decreasing the accuracy in detecting heart sound
      segments in respiratory sound. It is shown both theoretically and experimentally
      that using the proposed bound in an adaptive threshold-based detection method
      gives very similar performance compared to that obtained by a nonparametric
      kernel based approach, while its computational cost is much lower. The
      performance of the proposed method is shown and compared with the three methods
      in the literature by means of experiments utilizing a database of 20 subjects.
      The results show that the false negative rate values for the proposed method are
      1.45+/-1.50 % and 1.98+/-1.81 % for low and medium flow rates, respectively.
      These average values are similar to the results obtained by the alternative
      methods. Moreover, the average elapsed time of the proposed method for a piece of
      data with a length of 20 s is 0.05 s, which is significantly lower than that of
      the other methods.

PMID- 26485727
TI  - Canonical Polyadic Decomposition With Auxiliary Information for Brain-Computer
      Interface.
AB  - Physiological signals are often organized in the form of multiple dimensions
      (e.g., channel, time, task, and 3-D voxel), so it is better to preserve original
      organization structure when processing. Unlike vector-based methods that destroy
      data structure, canonical polyadic decomposition (CPD) aims to process
      physiological signals in the form of multiway array, which considers
      relationships between dimensions and preserves structure information contained by
      the physiological signal. Nowadays, CPD is utilized as an unsupervised method for
      feature extraction in a classification problem. After that, a classifier, such as
      support vector machine, is required to classify those features. In this manner,
      classification task is achieved in two isolated steps. We proposed supervised CPD
      by directly incorporating auxiliary label information during decomposition, by
      which a classification task can be achieved without an extra step of classifier
      training. The proposed method merges the decomposition and classifier learning
      together, so it reduces procedure of classification task compared with that of
      respective decomposition and classification. In order to evaluate the performance
      of the proposed method, three different kinds of signals, synthetic signal, EEG
      signal, and MEG signal, were used. The results based on evaluations of synthetic
      and real signals demonstrated that the proposed method is effective and
      efficient.

PMID- 26485728
TI  - Transfer Latent SVM for Joint Recognition and Localization of Actions in Videos.
AB  - In this paper, we develop a novel transfer latent support vector machine for
      joint recognition and localization of actions by using Web images and weakly
      annotated training videos. The model takes training videos which are only
      annotated with action labels as input for alleviating the laborious and time
      consuming manual annotations of action locations. Since the ground-truth of
      action locations in videos are not available, the locations are modeled as latent
      variables in our method and are inferred during both training and testing
      phrases. For the purpose of improving the localization accuracy with some prior
      information of action locations, we collect a number of Web images which are
      annotated with both action labels and action locations to learn a discriminative
      model by enforcing the local similarities between videos and Web images. A
      structural transformation based on randomized clustering forest is used to map
      the Web images to videos for handling the heterogeneous features of Web images
      and videos. Experiments on two public action datasets demonstrate the
      effectiveness of the proposed model for both action localization and action
      recognition.

PMID- 26485729
TI  - Hyperspectral Image Classification via Multitask Joint Sparse Representation and
      Stepwise MRF Optimization.
AB  - Hyperspectral image (HSI) classification is a crucial issue in remote sensing.
      Accurate classification benefits a large number of applications such as land use
      analysis and marine resource utilization. But high data correlation brings
      difficulty to reliable classification, especially for HSI with abundant spectral
      information. Furthermore, the traditional methods often fail to well consider the
      spatial coherency of HSI that also limits the classification performance. To
      address these inherent obstacles, a novel spectral-spatial classification scheme
      is proposed in this paper. The proposed method mainly focuses on multitask joint
      sparse representation (MJSR) and a stepwise Markov random filed framework, which
      are claimed to be two main contributions in this procedure. First, the MJSR not
      only reduces the spectral redundancy, but also retains necessary correlation in
      spectral field during classification. Second, the stepwise optimization further
      explores the spatial correlation that significantly enhances the classification
      accuracy and robustness. As far as several universal quality evaluation indexes
      are concerned, the experimental results on Indian Pines and Pavia University
      demonstrate the superiority of our method compared with the state-of-the-art
      competitors.

PMID- 26485730
TI  - Thyroid Hormones and Moderate Exposure to Perchlorate during Pregnancy in Women
      in Southern California.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Findings from national surveys suggest that everyone in the United
      States is exposed to perchlorate. At high doses, perchlorate, thiocyanate, and
      nitrate inhibit iodide uptake into the thyroid and decrease thyroid hormone
      production. Small changes in thyroid hormones during pregnancy, including changes
      within normal reference ranges, have been linked to cognitive function declines
      in the offspring. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the potential effects of low
      environmental exposures to perchlorate on thyroid function. METHODS: Serum
      thyroid hormones and anti-thyroid antibodies and urinary perchlorate,
      thiocyanate, nitrate, and iodide concentrations were measured in 1,880 pregnant
      women from San Diego County, California, during 2000-2003, a period when much of
      the area's water supply was contaminated from an industrial plant with
      perchlorate at levels near the 2007 California regulatory standard of 6 MUg/L.
      Linear regression was used to evaluate associations between urinary perchlorate
      and serum thyroid hormone concentrations in models adjusted for urinary
      creatinine and thiocyanate, maternal age and education, ethnicity, and
      gestational age at serum collection. RESULTS: The median urinary perchlorate
      concentration was 6.5 MUg/L, about two times higher than in the general U.S.
      POPULATION: Adjusted associations were identified between increasing log10
      perchlorate and decreasing total thyroxine (T4) [regression coefficient (beta) = 
      0.70; 95% CI: -1.06, -0.34], decreasing free thyroxine (fT4) (beta = -0.053; 95%
      CI: -0.092, -0.013), and increasing log10 thyroid-stimulating hormone (beta =
      0.071; 95% CI: 0.008, 0.133). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that
      environmental perchlorate exposures may affect thyroid hormone production during
      pregnancy. This could have implications for public health given widespread
      perchlorate exposure and the importance of thyroid hormone in fetal
      neurodevelopment. CITATION: Steinmaus C, Pearl M, Kharrazi M, Blount BC, Miller
      MD, Pearce EN, Valentin-Blasini L, DeLorenze G, Hoofnagle AN, Liaw J. 2016.
      Thyroid hormones and moderate exposure to perchlorate during pregnancy in women
      in Southern California. Environ Health Perspect 124:861-867;
      http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409614.

PMID- 26485731
TI  - Air Pollution and Preterm Birth in the U.S. State of Georgia (2002-2006):
      Associations with Concentrations of 11 Ambient Air Pollutants Estimated by
      Combining Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) Simulations with
      Stationary Monitor Measurements.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous epidemiologic studies suggest associations between preterm
      birth and ambient air pollution. OBJECTIVE: We investigated associations between
      11 ambient air pollutants, estimated by combining Community Multiscale Air
      Quality model (CMAQ) simulations with measurements from stationary monitors, and
      risk of preterm birth (< 37 weeks of gestation) in the U.S. state of Georgia.
      METHODS: Birth records for singleton births >= 27 weeks of gestation with
      complete covariate information and estimated dates of conception between 1
      January 2002 and 28 February 2006 were obtained from the Office of Health
      Indicators for Planning, Georgia Department of Public Health (n = 511,658
      births). Daily pollutant concentrations at 12-km resolution were estimated for 11
      ambient air pollutants. We used logistic regression with county-level fixed
      effects to estimate associations between preterm birth and average pollutant
      concentrations during the first and second trimester. Discrete-time survival
      models were used to estimate third-trimester and total pregnancy associations.
      Effect modification was investigated by maternal education, race, census tract
      poverty level, and county-level urbanicity. RESULTS: Trimester-specific and total
      pregnancy associations (p < 0.05) were observed for several pollutants. All the
      traffic-related pollutants (carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, PM2.5 elemental
      carbon) were associated with preterm birth [e.g., odds ratios for interquartile
      range increases in carbon monoxide during the first, second, and third trimesters
      and total pregnancy were 1.005 (95% CI: 1.001, 1.009), 1.007 (95% CI: 1.002,
      1.011), 1.010 (95% CI: 1.006, 1.014), and 1.011 (95% CI: 1.006, 1.017)].
      Associations tended to be higher for mothers with low educational attainment and
      African American mothers. CONCLUSION: Several ambient air pollutants were
      associated with preterm birth; associations were observed in all exposure
      windows. CITATION: Hao H, Chang HH, Holmes HA, Mulholland JA, Klein M, Darrow LA,
      Strickland MJ. 2016. Air pollution and preterm birth in the U.S. state of Georgia
      (2002-2006): associations with concentrations of 11 ambient air pollutants
      estimated by combining Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) simulations
      with stationary monitor measurements. Environ Health Perspect 124:875-880;
      http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409651.

PMID- 26485732
TI  - Outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention for different indications: long
      term results from the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry
      (SCAAR).
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical outcome for different
      indications for PCI in an unselected, nationwide PCI population at short- and
      long-term follow-up. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated clinical outcome up to six
      years after PCI in all patients undergoing a PCI procedure for different
      indications in Sweden between 2006 and 2010. A total of 70,479 patients were
      treated for stable coronary artery disease (CAD) (21.0%), unstable angina
      (11.0%), non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) (36.6%) and ST-elevation
      myocardial infarction (STEMI) (31.4%). Mortality was higher in STEMI patients at
      one year after PCI (9.6%) compared to NSTEMI (4.7%), unstable angina (2.2%) and
      stable CAD (2.0%). At one year after PCI until the end of follow-up, the adjusted
      mortality risk (one to six years after PCI) and the risk of myocardial infarction
      were comparable between NSTEMI and STEMI patients and lower in patients with
      unstable angina and stable CAD. The adjusted risk of stent thrombosis and heart
      failure was highest in STEMI patients. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of short-term
      mortality, heart failure and stent thrombosis is highest for STEMI patients after
      PCI. Therapies to reduce stent thrombosis and heart failure appear to be most
      important in decreasing mortality in patients with STEMI or NSTEMI undergoing
      PCI.

PMID- 26485733
TI  - Four-year durability of clinical and haemodynamic outcomes of transcatheter
      aortic valve implantation with the self-expanding CoreValve.
AB  - AIMS: Long-term data on the durability of currently available transcatheter heart
      valves are limited. We sought to assess four-year clinical and echocardiographic
      outcomes in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)
      with the CoreValve prosthesis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between June 2007 and
      February 2014, 450 consecutive patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis
      underwent TAVI in our institution. For the purposes of this study, we included
      only those patients undergoing successful TAVI with the CoreValve prosthesis who
      had a minimum follow-up of four years (n=125). Survival rates at one, two, three
      and four years were 83.2, 76.8, 73.6 and 66.3%, respectively. Aortic
      regurgitation was a common finding after the procedure, especially due to
      paravalvular regurgitation (PVR), which was observed in the majority of patients
      (71.5%), mostly mild (52.0%). Progression from mild acute PVR to moderate PVR at
      four-year follow-up was reported in three patients. No cases of severe PVR were
      observed. Prosthetic valve failure was reported in four patients (3.2%).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that favourable outcomes after successful
      TAVI are associated with sustained clinical and functional cardiovascular
      benefits up to four-year follow-up. Signs of moderate prosthetic valve failure
      are present only in a small percentage of patients.

PMID- 26485734
TI  - The Applied Behavior Analysis Research Paradigm and Single-Subject Designs in
      Adapted Physical Activity Research.
AB  - There are basic philosophical and paradigmatic assumptions that guide scholarly
      research endeavors, including the methods used and the types of questions asked.
      Through this article, kinesiology faculty and students with interests in adapted
      physical activity are encouraged to understand the basic assumptions of applied
      behavior analysis (ABA) methodology for conducting, analyzing, and presenting
      research of high quality in this paradigm. The purposes of this viewpoint paper
      are to present information fundamental to understanding the assumptions
      undergirding research methodology in ABA, describe key aspects of single-subject
      research designs, and discuss common research designs and data-analysis
      strategies used in single-subject studies. 

PMID- 26485736
TI  - Gender-Based Correlation Profiles Among the Release Factors and Distance Thrown
      in Paralympic Seated Shot Put.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among release
      factors (speed, height, and angle) and distance thrown in Paralympic seated shot
      put. Forty-eight trials performed by 11 men and 5 women during the 2012 US
      Paralympic trials in track and field were analyzed. With both genders combined,
      release speed (r = .95, p < .01) and angle (r = .51, p < .01) showed significant
      correlations to distance thrown. Release speed (r = .94, p < .01) in men and all
      release factors (r = .60-.98, p < .02) in women showed significant correlations
      to distance. Release speed and angle were identified as important predictors of
      the distance, explaining over 89-96% of the variance in distance thrown. Unlike
      athletes without disability, seated shot-putters exhibited significant positive
      speed-angle correlations (combined: r = .37, p < .01; women: r = .57, p = .03).
      Application of these results should address a focus in training on generating
      speed through the release point with a consistent release angle. 

PMID- 26485737
TI  - The Impact of Paralympic School Day on Student Attitudes Toward Inclusion in
      Physical Education.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine if Paralympic School Day (PSD), a
      published disability awareness program, would have a positive impact on the
      attitudes of students without disabilities toward the inclusion of students with
      disabilities in physical education classes. Participants were 143 sixth-grade
      students who were divided into 2 groups (experimental n = 71, control n = 72),
      with the experimental group receiving the PSD treatment. Participants responded 2
      times to Siperstein's Adjective Checklist and Block's Children's Attitudes Toward
      Integrated Physical Education-Revised (CAIPE-R) questionnaire. Four ANCOVA tests
      were conducted. Results indicated a significant PSD treatment effect across all 4
      measures: Adjective Checklist (p = .046, eta2 = .03), CAIPE-R (p = .002, eta2 =
      .04), inclusion subscale (p = .001, eta2 = .05), and sport-modification subscale
      (p = .027, eta2 = .02).

PMID- 26485735
TI  - Enjoyment, Barriers, and Beliefs About Physical Activity in Adolescents With and
      Without Autism Spectrum Disorder.
AB  - The authors compared physical activity enjoyment, perceived barriers, beliefs,
      and self-efficacy between adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and
      typically developing (TD) adolescents. A questionnaire was verbally administered
      to 35 adolescents with ASD and 60 TD adolescents. Compared with TD adolescents,
      fewer adolescents with ASD enjoyed team sports (65% vs. 95%, p < .001) and
      physical education (84% vs. 98%, p = .02). A greater proportion of adolescents
      with ASD perceived that physical activities were too hard to learn (16% vs. 0%, p
      < .01), and fewer believed that physical activity was a way to make friends (68%
      vs. 97%, p < .001). Fewer adolescents with ASD preferred to do physical activity
      in their free time (25% vs. 58%, p < .01). Most adolescents with ASD felt that
      physical activity is fun (84%), but the proportion was lower than in TD
      adolescents (98%, p = .03). Some perceptions about physical activity were similar
      between the 2 groups, but differences identified may inform program development. 

PMID- 26485738
TI  - CAN-flip: A Pilot Gymnastics Program for Children With Cerebral Palsy.
AB  - This pilot study examined whether an adapted gymnastics program, CAN-flip, could
      be a feasible activity for children with cerebral palsy (CP) leading to
      improvements in muscle fitness, motor performance, and physical self-perception.
      Four girls and 1 boy (9.8 +/- 1.3 yr) with CP participated in this multiple
      baseline across-subjects design and were randomly assigned to start either the 6
      wk gymnastics or the 6-wk control period. Muscle strength, neuromuscular
      activation, range of motion, gross motor performance, balance, and physical self
      perception were assessed at baseline, after the first 6-wk period, and at the
      conclusion of the study. The gymnastics program comprised two 1-hr individualized
      classes per week. All participants were able to complete the gymnastics classes
      without injury and showed improvement in specific gymnastics skills. In addition,
      3 of the 5 participants registered for regular gymnastics classes after the
      study, demonstrating the program's usability as a link to inclusive gymnastic
      classes. 

PMID- 26485741
TI  - [30 years against suicide: a summary of our research on depression and suicide
      prevention between 1985 and 2015].
AB  - In this paper we gather and discuss the results of our workgroup on depression
      and suicide prevention published between 1985 and 2015. We hope that this summary
      will focus the interest of the scientific community on suicidology and turn the
      attention of decision-makers on the fact that despite of its marked decrease in
      the past three decades, the suicide rate in Hungary is still the second highest
      in the EU. So, based on expert opinion, joint action is needed in order to
      achieve a further decrease of suicide rate in Hungary. 

PMID- 26485742
TI  - [Psychedelics and quasi-psychedelics in the light of contemporary research:
      medical cannabis, MDMA, salvinorin A, ibogaine and ayahuasca].
AB  - In lack of professional research and appropriate concepts our scientific
      knowledge of psychedelic agents is limited. According to the long-held official
      view these drugs are entirely harmful and have no medical use. However, a recent
      surge of clinical and pharmacological studies in the field indicates that many
      psychedelic-like agents have therapeutic potentials under proper circumstances.
      In this paper, from a biomedical and psychological perspective, we provide a
      brief review of the general effects and promising treatment uses of medical
      cannabis, 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), salvinorin A, ibogaine and
      the dimethyltryptamine-(DMT)-containing ayahuasca. In Hungary - similarly to many
      other countries - these compounds are classified as "narcotic drugs" and their
      research is difficult due to strict regulations. 

PMID- 26485743
TI  - [The cognitive paradigm in the rehabilitation of schizophrenia - focusing on
      cognitive remediation].
AB  - Neurocognitive deficits are core features of schizophrenia and well known to the
      specialists, concerning researches in Hungary as well. Significance of the topic
      derives from the fact that according to our present knowledge this is the prime
      symptom principally affecting everyday functioning and limits benefit of
      rehabilitation opportunities. The classic psychiatric rehabilitation toolset,
      either pharmacological or psychosocial, does not provide effective and specific
      assistance to alleviate the symptoms of the neurocognitive deficits. Despite the
      increasing presence of the neurocognitive-oriented rehabilitation in
      international publications and professional forums, cognitive development is
      rather neglected topic in the Hungarian literature; while the therapeutic
      practice - with the exception of one institution - is absent from the repertoire
      of the Hungarian rehabilitation. The purpose of this study is the multi-faceted
      presentation of recent results in the field of the cognitive remediation,
      describing the position of cognitive training and its place in the rehabilitation
      of schizophrenia, with the aim to gain reputation and promote clinical practice
      among the Hungarian experts. Cognitive remediation is a behavioral training,
      based on learning theory, with the aim of extensive and long-lasting improvement
      of cognitive functions of patients suffering from schizophrenia or other mental
      disorders. Despite the deceptively similar acronym it is important to distinguish
      this method from the cognitive behavioral therapy which shows similarity in its
      learning theory basis, but remediation involves much more educational features.
      Cognitive remediation is not a unified technique, different settings are known,
      but regardless of form factors it clearly has a specific and positive effect on
      the neurocognitive functions. It fits well into the rehabilitation methodology,
      in fact this embeddedness significantly increases its effectiveness and supports
      emergence of skills in everyday functioning, helping improving disorder outcomes.
      The generalizing process is partly related to the fact that with the improvement
      of patients' neurocognitive functions, they become "more accessible" in other
      therapeutic modalities, increasing their efficiency. Functional and structural
      changes in relevant cerebral fields correlating with improving neurocognitive
      performance is proven by growing number of imaging techniques. In addition cost
      efficiency considerations also support the applicability of the method, which
      adaptations - in terms of cognitive paradigm - were used in other psychiatric
      disorders with promising results. 

PMID- 26485744
TI  - Reasons for acute psychiatric admission of patients with dementia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The estimated number of patients living with dementia in Hungary is
      between 150,000 and 300,000. Hungary's prevalence of vascular dementia is much
      higher than that of other countries. Patients with dementia can be admitted to
      psychiatric hospitals for several reasons, the least common of which is cognitive
      decline. Comorbid psychiatric disorders or dementia-related behavioral
      disturbances are much more common reasons. AIM: To examine the reasons for the
      acute psychiatric admission of patients suffering from dementia in a psychiatric
      center in Budapest. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective survey the data
      of dementia patients who were referred to the Centre for Psychiatry and Addiction
      Medicine (CPAM) at Szent Istvan and Szent Laszlo Hospitals between August 1 and
      October 31, 2014 were analyzed with special attention paid to the reasons for
      hospitalization. RESULTS: Altogether 302 patients were admitted to the CPAM over
      the study period and 26.15% of them suffered from dementia. The distribution of
      dementia subtypes was as follows: 43% mixed type (vascular and
      neurodegenerative), 40.5% vascular type, 11.4% Alzheimer's disease, and 5.1%
      other types. A small percentage (12.7%) of patients had mild dementia, while
      34.2% and 53.2% suffered from moderate and severe dementia, respectively. The
      major causes of hospitalization were aggressive behavior (34.2%), delirium (19%),
      and divagation and confusion 15.2% each. They were mainly associated with
      moderate and severe dementia. Suicide attempt was the reason for admission in
      10.1% of cases, and delusions in 6.3%. With regard to admission outcome, 44.3% of
      patients were transferred to a medical ward, 12% within 3 days of psychiatric
      admission. Nearly 9% of patients required extended hospitalization, 21.5% were
      discharged home, 20.3% were transferred to a nursing home and 5.1% died while in
      hospital. More than half of the patients were rated on the CGI-C scale; 59% of
      them scored 2 points (much improved), 25% scored 1 point (very much improved) and
      16% scored 3 points (moderate improvement). DISCUSSION: A high proportion of
      dementia patients acutely admitted to a psychiatric ward was medically
      compromised and either died soon after admission (5%) or was transferred to a
      medical ward for further treatment. This highlights the importance of a thorough
      medical work-up including physical examination and laboratory investigations for
      dementia patients requiring acute psychiatric admission. It is of note that only
      a small number of patients could be discharged home or to a nursing home. These
      figures underscore the need for more nursing home places and a better functioning
      social care system in this field.

PMID- 26485745
TI  - [Individual differences in sleep macrostructure: effects of anxiety, depression,
      aging and gender].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Anxiety is one of the most common psychiatric symptoms frequently
      associated with sleep disorders. Despite the intensive research, the role of
      sleep in the patomechanism of anxiety has remained unclear. The aim of the study
      was to investigate the anxiety-related changes in the sleep macrostructure and
      the impact of ageing, gender and the presence of depression. METHODS: 1083
      patients with sleep symptoms were enrolled in the study. All patients have all
      night polysomnographies. The effect of anxiety, depression, aging and gender on
      the sleep initiation, maintenance and sleep stages respectively; were analysed in
      4 different statistical approaches. RESULTS: Anxiety increased the latency of
      sleep and REM sleep; and decreased the length of REM sleep and slow-wave sleep;
      while depressive symptoms were associated with reduced REM latency, slow-wave
      sleep and increased REM duration. The length of slow-wave sleep, REM phase
      decreased with ageing and the sleep was fragmented. Women had more slow-wave
      sleep and less REM sleep than men. CONCLUSION: Normal order of sleep stages is
      essential in the cognitive processing of the brain. Changes in sleep
      macrostructure may have an impact in the impairment of cognitive functions of
      patients suffering from anxiety or depression.

PMID- 26485746
TI  - Hypermethylation of DLX4 predicts poor clinical outcome in patients with
      myelodysplastic syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypermethylation of DLX4 (distal-less homeobox 4) has been disclosed
      in a variety of cancers. Our work was aimed to examine the pattern of DLX4
      methylation and further investigate its clinical relevance in patients with
      myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). METHODS: Real-time quantitative methylation
      specific PCR and bisulfite sequencing PCR were carried out to detect the level of
      DLX4 methylation. Clinical significance of DLX4 methylation was analyzed between
      the DLX4 hypermethylated and non-hypermethylated patients. RESULTS: DLX4 was
      significantly hypermethylated in MDS patients than controls (p<0.001). No
      significant differences were observed between the hypermethylated and non
      hypermethylated MDS patients in white blood cells, platelets, age, WHO
      classifications, FAB classifications, IPSS risks, and common gene mutations
      (p>0.05). However, DLX4 hypermethylated patients tended to have higher hemoglobin
      (HB) than DLX4 non-hypermethylated patients (p=0.079). Moreover, there was a
      trend that male patients, poor karyotype patients, and IPSS Int-2/High patients
      had a higher frequency of DLX4 hypermethylation (p=0.067, 0.065, and 0.068). DLX4
      hypermethylated patients had significantly shorter overall survival than DLX4 non
      hypermethylated patients (p=0.004). Multivariate analysis confirmed the
      prognostic value of DLX4 methylation in MDS patients (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our
      study indicated that DLX4 hypermethylation was a frequent event and acted as an
      independent prognostic biomarker in de novo MDS patients.

PMID- 26485747
TI  - Evaluating the use of procalcitonin in an asymptomatic, HIV-infected
      antiretroviral therapy-naive, South African cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The chronic stage of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection,
      although clinically asymptomatic, is characterized by activation of the immune
      system and persistent inflammation. Procalcitonin (PCT) has been studied in HIV
      infection as a marker of bacterial infection. Our aim was to assess the effect of
      persistent immune activation on PCT levels in asymptomatic treatment naive HIV
      infected subjects. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 68 asymptomatic
      antiretroviral therapy-naive HIV infected participants and 42 uninfected
      controls. Stored serum samples were used to measure: PCT, interleukin-6 (IL-6),
      lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), high sensitivity C-reactive protein
      (hsCRP), immunoglobulin G (IgG) and albumin. PCT was correlated with markers of:
      disease progression (CD4 count and viral load), immune activation (CD 38 on CD8+
      T cells, IgG and LBP), inflammation (IL-6, hsCRP and albumin). RESULTS: IL-6, IgG
      and CD8/38 were all significantly increased while albumin and CD4 counts were
      significantly lower in the HIV infected group. PCT levels were not significantly
      different between the two groups. There was no significant difference in LBP and
      hsCRP; however, their levels were increased in both groups. PCT correlated only
      with LBP (p=0.0001). IL-6 and LBP correlated positively with hsCRP and IgG.
      Albumin correlated inversely with IL-6 and viral load. Only IgG and CD8/38
      correlated inversely with CD4 counts. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated the activation
      of the innate (raised LBP), humoral (raised IgG) and cellular immune systems
      (increased CD8/38 T cells). Despite a state of persistent inflammation, PCT
      levels are not elevated in asymptomatic untreated HIV infection.

PMID- 26485748
TI  - HB Puerta del Sol [HBA1:c.148A>C], HB Valdecilla [HBA2:c.3G>T], HB Gran Via
      [HBA2:c.98T>G], HB Macarena [HBA2:c.358C>T] and HB El Retiro
      [HBA2:c.364_366dupGTG]: description of five new hemoglobinopathies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Structural hemoglobinopathies do not usually have a clinical impact,
      but they can interfere with the analytical determination of some parameters, such
      as the glycated hemoglobin in diabetic patients. Thalassemias represent a serious
      health problem in areas where their incidence is high. The defects in the post
      translational modifications produce hyper-unstable hemoglobin that is not
      detected by most of electrophoretic or chromatographic methods that are available
      so far. METHODS: We studied seven patients who belong to six unrelated families.
      The first two families were studied because they had peak abnormal hemoglobin
      (Hb) during routine analytical assays. The other four families were studied
      because they had microcytosis and hypochromia with normal HbA2 and HbF without
      iron deficiency. HbA2 and F quantification and abnormal Hb separation were
      performed by chromatographic and electrophoretic methods. The molecular
      characterization was performed using specific sequencing. RESULTS: The Hb Puerta
      del Sol presents electrophoretic mobility and elution in HPLC that is different
      from HbA and similar to HbS. The electrophoretic and chromatographic profiles of
      the four other variants are normal and do not show any anomalies, and their
      identification was only possible with sequencing. CONCLUSIONS: Some variants,
      such as Hb Valdecilla, Hb Gran Via, Hb Macarena and Hb El Retiro, have
      significant clinical impact when they are associated with other forms of alpha
      thalassemia, which could lead to more serious forms of this group of pathologies
      as for HbH disease. Therefore, it is important to maintain an adequate program
      for screening these diseases in countries where the prevalence is high to prevent
      the occurrence of severe forms.

PMID- 26485749
TI  - Quantification of beta-region IgA monoclonal proteins - should we include
      immunochemical Hevylite(r) measurements? Point.
AB  - Accurate measurement of IgA monoclonal proteins presents a significant challenge
      to laboratory staff. IgA heavy/light chain (Hevylite, HLC) analysis is an
      alternative methodology for monoclonal protein assessment, giving an independent
      measure of IgAkappa and IgAlambda concentrations. Clonality is assessed by
      calculating the ratio of involved immunoglobulin to background uninvolved
      immunoglobulin concentrations (e.g. IgAkappa/IgAlambda in an IgAkappa patient).
      Here we discuss the challenges faced by the laboratory in IgA monoclonal protein
      assessment, and compare the performance of Hevylite assays with electrophoresis
      and total IgA results. We present data which validates the use of Hevylite for
      response assessment: in most cases, Hevylite provides comparable response
      assignment to that provided by serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) and total IgA;
      in other cases Hevylite provides additional information, such as detection of
      residual disease or relapse. 

PMID- 26485750
TI  - Impact of specimen mixing methods on presepsin point-of-care test results using
      whole blood.

PMID- 26485751
TI  - Role of the teneurins, teneurin C-terminal associated peptides (TCAP) in
      reproduction: clinical perspectives.
AB  - In humans, the teneurin gene family consists of four highly conserved paralogous
      genes that are the result of early vertebrate gene duplications arising from a
      gene introduced into multicellular organisms from a bacterial ancestor. In
      vertebrates and humans, the teneurins have become integrated into a number of
      critical physiological systems including several aspects of reproductive
      physiology. Structurally complex, these genes possess a sequence in their
      terminal exon that encodes for a bioactive peptide sequence termed the 'teneurin
      C-terminal associated peptide' (TCAP). The teneurin/TCAP protein forms an
      intercellular adhesive unit with its receptor, latrophilin, an Adhesion family G
      protein coupled receptor. It is present in numerous cell types and has been
      implicated in gamete migration and gonadal morphology. Moreover, TCAP is highly
      effective at reducing the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) stress response.
      As a result, TCAP may also play a role in regulating the stress-associated
      inhibition of reproduction. In addition, the teneurins and TCAP have been
      implicated in tumorigenesis associated with reproductive tissues. Therefore, the
      teneurin/TCAP system may offer clinicians a novel biomarker system upon which to
      diagnose some reproductive pathologies. 

PMID- 26485752
TI  - Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in healthy and insulin-resistant skeletal
      muscle.
AB  - Skeletal muscle is the largest tissues in the human body and is considered the
      primary target for insulin-stimulated glucose disposal. In skeletal muscle,
      binding of the insulin to insulin receptor (IR) initiates a signaling cascade
      that results in the translocation of the insulin-sensitive glucose transporter
      protein 4 (GLUT4) to the plasma membrane which leads to facilitated diffusion of
      glucose into the cell. Understanding the precise signaling events guiding insulin
      stimulated glucose uptake is pivotal, because impairment in these signaling
      events leads to development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. This
      review summarizes current understanding of insulin signaling pathways mediating
      glucose uptake in healthy and insulin-resistant skeletal muscle. 

PMID- 26485753
TI  - High intensity focused ultrasound enhances anti-tumor immunity by inhibiting the
      negative regulatory effect of miR-134 on CD86 in a murine melanoma model.
AB  - HIFU has been demonstrated to enhance anti-tumor immunity, however, the mechanism
      of which has not been well elucidated. Emerging evidence indicates that miRNAs
      play important roles in immune response. In this study, we used the B16F10
      melanoma allograft mouse model to investigate the role of miRNAs in HIFU-enhanced
      anti-tumor immunity. We found that HIFU treatment decreased circulating B16F10
      cells and pulmonary metastasis nodules while increased IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in
      the peripheral blood and cumulative mouse survival, which was associated with
      inhibition of miR-134 expression and activation of CD86 expression in tumor
      tissues. Further, we determined that miR-134 directly binds to the 3'UTR of CD86
      mRNA to suppress its expression in B16F10 cells. When B16F10 cells transfected
      with miR-134 were co-cultured with normal splenic lymphocytes, the secretion of
      IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha from lymphocytes was reduced and B16F10 cell survival was
      increased. HIFU exposure efficiently decreased miR-134 while increased CD86
      expression in B16F10 cells in vitro. CD86 knockdown with siRNA markedly rescued
      the viability of HIFU-treated B16F10 cells that co-cultured with lymphocytes.
      Altogether, our results suggest that HIFU down-regulates miR-134 to release the
      inhibition of miR-134 on CD86 in melanoma cells, thereby enhancing anti-tumor
      immune response. 

PMID- 26485754
TI  - MiR-744 increases tumorigenicity of pancreatic cancer by activating Wnt/beta
      catenin pathway.
AB  - The Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway, commonly hyperactivated in pancreatic
      cancer, has been reported to play an important role in the maintenance of
      stemness of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which is closely related to the progression
      of pancreatic cancer. Therefore, exploring the regulatory mechanism in Wnt/beta
      catenin signaling may provide valuable clinical targets for cancer therapy. In
      the current study, we demonstrated that upregulation of miR-744 in pancreatic
      cancer promoted Wnt/beta-catenin signaling by directly targeting secreted
      frizzled-related protein 1 (SFRP1), glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK3beta),
      and transducin-like enhancer of split 3 (TLE3), important negative modulators of
      Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. Expression of miR-744 was markedly upregulated in
      pancreatic cancer and positively correlated with poor patient survival.
      Furthermore, we found that overexpressing miR-744 enhanced, while inhibiting miR
      744 reduced, the stem cell-like phenotype of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro.
      Importantly, in vivo model of human-derived pancreatic xenografts showed that miR
      744 upregulation enhanced the tumorigenicity of pancreatic cancer cells. These
      findings suggest that miR-744 plays a vital role in promoting the stem cell-like
      phenotype of pancreatic cancer cells, and may represent a novel prognostic
      biomarker and therapeutic target. 

PMID- 26485755
TI  - Tumor necrosis is an important hallmark of aggressive endometrial cancer and
      associates with hypoxia, angiogenesis and inflammation responses.
AB  - AIMS: Tumor necrosis is associated with aggressive features of endometrial cancer
      and poor prognosis. Here, we investigated gene expression patterns and potential
      treatment targets related to presence of tumor necrosis in primary endometrial
      cancer lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS: By DNA microarray analysis, expression of
      genes related to tumor necrosis reflected multiple tumor-microenvironment
      interactions like tissue hypoxia, angiogenesis and inflammation pathways. A tumor
      necrosis signature of 38 genes and a related patient cluster (Cluster I, 67% of
      the cases) were associated with features of aggressive tumors such as type II
      cancers, estrogen receptor negative tumors and vascular invasion. Further, the
      tumor necrosis signature was increased in tumor cells grown in hypoxic conditions
      in vitro. Multiple genes with increased expression are known to be activated by
      HIF1A and NF-kB. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the presence of tumor
      necrosis within primary tumors is associated with hypoxia, angiogenesis and
      inflammation responses. HIF1A, NF-kB and PI3K/mTOR might be potential treatment
      targets in aggressive endometrial cancers with presence of tumor necrosis.

PMID- 26485756
TI  - Prognostic impact of mismatch repair genes germline defects in colorectal cancer
      patients: are all mutations equal?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lynch syndrome (LS) is the most common hereditary colorectal cancer
      (CRC) syndrome, caused by germline mutations in MisMatch Repair (MMR) genes,
      particularly in MLH1, MSH2 and MSH6. Patients with LS seem to have a more
      favourable prognosis than those with sporadic CRC, although the prognostic impact
      of different mutation types is unknown. Aim of our study is to compare survival
      outcomes of different types of MMR mutations in patients with LS-related CRC.
      METHODS: 302 CRC patients were prospectively selected on the basis of Amsterdam
      or Revised Bethesda criteria to undergo genetic testing: direct sequencing of DNA
      and MLPA were used to examine the entire MLH1, MSH2 and MSH6 coding sequence.
      Patients were classified as mutation-positive or negative according to the
      genetic testing result. RESULTS: A deleterious MMR mutation was found in 38/302
      patients. Median overall survival (OS) was significantly higher in mutation
      positive vs mutation-negative patients (102.6 vs 77.7 months, HR:0.63, 95%CI:0.46
      0.89, p = 0.0083). Different types of mutation were significantly related with
      OS: missense or splicing-site mutations were associated with better OS compared
      with rearrangement, frameshift or non-sense mutations (132.5 vs 82.5 months,
      HR:0.46, 95%CI:0.16-0.82, p = 0.0153). CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms improved
      OS for LS-patients compared with mutation-negative CRC patients. In addition, not
      all mutations could be considered equal: the better prognosis in CRC patients
      with MMR pathogenic missense or splicing site mutation could be due to different
      functional activity of the encoded MMR protein. This matter should be
      investigated by use of functional assays in the future.

PMID- 26485757
TI  - Treatment outcomes and late toxicities of 869 patients with nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma treated with definitive intensity modulated radiation therapy: new
      insight into the value of total dose of cisplatin and radiation boost.
AB  - This study was to report the long-term outcomes and toxicities of nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma (NPC) treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). From
      2009 to 2010, 869 non-metastatic NPC patients treated with IMRT were
      retrospectively enrolled. With a median follow-up of 54.3 months, the 5-year
      estimated local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), regional recurrence-free
      survival (RRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), disease-free survival
      (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were 89.7%, 94.5%, 85.6%, 76.3%, 84.0%,
      respectively. In locally advanced NPC, gender, T, N, total dose of cisplatin more
      than 300 mg/m(2) and radiation boost were independent prognostic factors for DMFS
      and DFS. Age, T, N and total dose of cisplatin were independent prognostic
      factors for OS. Radiation boost was an adverse factor for LRFS, RRFS, DMFS and
      DFS. Concurrent chemotherapy was not an independent prognostic factor for
      survival, despite marginally significant for DMFS in univariate analysis.
      Concurrent chemotherapy increased xerostomia and trismus, while higher total dose
      of cisplatin increased xerostomia and otologic toxicities. In conclusion, IMRT
      provided satisfactory long-term outcome for NPC, with acceptable late toxicities.
      Total dose of cisplatin was a prognostic factor for distant metastasis and
      overall survival. The role of concurrent chemotherapy and radiation boost in the
      setting of IMRT warrants further investigation.

PMID- 26485758
TI  - Arenobufagin intercalates with DNA leading to G2 cell cycle arrest via ATM/ATR
      pathway.
AB  - Arenobufagin, a representative bufadienolide, is the major active component in
      the traditional Chinese medicine Chan'su. It possesses significant antineoplastic
      activity in vitro. Although bufadienolide has been found to disrupt the cell
      cycle, the underlying mechanisms of this disruption are not defined. Here, we
      reported that arenobufagin blocked the transition from G2 to M phase of cell
      cycle through inhibiting the activation of CDK1-Cyclin B1 complex; The tumor
      suppressor p53 contributed to sustaining arrest at the G2 phase of the cell cycle
      in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Moreover, arenobufagin caused double
      strand DNA breaks (DSBs) and triggered the DNA damage response (DDR), partly via
      the ATM/ATR-Chk1/Chk2-Cdc25C signaling pathway. Importantly, we used a synthetic
      biotinylated arenobufagin-conjugated chemical probe in live cells to show that
      arenobufagin accumulated mainly in the nucleus. The microscopic thermodynamic
      parameters measured using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) also
      demonstrated that arenobufagin directly bound to DNA in vitro. The hypochromicity
      in the UV-visible absorption spectrum, the significant changes in the circular
      dichroism (CD) spectrum of DNA, and the distinct quenching in the fluorescence
      intensity of the ethidium bromide (EB)-DNA system before and after arenobufagin
      treatment indicated that arenobufagin bound to DNA in vitro by intercalation.
      Molecular modeling suggested arenobufagin intercalated with DNA via hydrogen
      bonds between arenobufagin and GT base pairs. Collectively, these data provide
      novel insights into arenobufagin-induced cell cycle disruption that are valuable
      for the further discussion and investigation of the use of arenobufagin in
      clinical anticancer chemotherapy.

PMID- 26485759
TI  - Systematic evaluation of underlying defects in DNA repair as an approach to case
      only assessment of familial prostate cancer.
AB  - Risk assessment for prostate cancer is challenging due to its genetic
      heterogeneity. In this study, our goal was to develop an operational framework to
      select and evaluate gene variants that may contribute to familial prostate cancer
      risk. Drawing on orthogonal sources, we developed a candidate list of genes
      relevant to prostate cancer, then analyzed germline exomes from 12 case-only
      prostate cancer patients from high-risk families to identify patterns of protein
      damaging gene variants. We described an average of 5 potentially disruptive
      variants in each individual and annotated them in the context of public databases
      representing human variation. Novel damaging variants were found in several genes
      of relevance to prostate cancer. Almost all patients had variants associated with
      defects in DNA damage response. Many also had variants linked to androgen
      signaling. Treatment of primary T-lymphocytes from these prostate cancer patients
      versus controls with DNA damaging agents showed elevated levels of the DNA double
      strand break (DSB) marker gammaH2AX (p < 0.05), supporting the idea of an
      underlying defect in DNA repair. This work suggests the value of focusing on
      underlying defects in DNA damage in familial prostate cancer risk assessment and
      demonstrates an operational framework for exome sequencing in case-only prostate
      cancer genetic evaluation. 

PMID- 26485760
TI  - IDH1 mutation detection by droplet digital PCR in glioma.
AB  - Glioma is the most frequent central nervous system tumor in adults. The overall
      survival of glioma patients is disappointing, mostly due to the poor prognosis of
      glioblastoma (Grade IV glioma). Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) is a key factor in
      metabolism and catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate. Mutations
      in IDH genes are observed in over 70% of low-grade gliomas and some cases of
      glioblastoma. As the most frequent mutation, IDH1(R132H) has been served as a
      predictive marker of glioma patients. The recently developed droplet digital PCR
      (ddPCR) technique generates a large amount of nanoliter-sized droplets, each of
      which carries out a PCR reaction on one template. Therefore, ddPCR provides high
      precision and absolute quantification of the nucleic acid target, with wide
      applications for both research and clinical diagnosis. In the current study, we
      collected 62 glioma tissue samples (Grade II to IV) and detected IDH1 mutations
      by Sanger direct sequencing, ddPCR, and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).
      With the results from Sanger direct sequencing as the standard, the
      characteristics of ddPCR were compared with qRT-PCR. The data indicated that
      ddPCR was much more sensitive and much easier to interpret than qRT-PCR. Thus, we
      demonstrated that ddPCR is a reliable and sensitive method for screening the IDH
      mutation. Therefore, ddPCR is able to applied clinically in predicting patient
      prognosis and selecting effective therapeutic strategies. Our data also supported
      that the prognosis of Grade II and III glioma was better in patients with an IDH
      mutation than in those without mutation. 

PMID- 26485761
TI  - LncRNA ontology: inferring lncRNA functions based on chromatin states and
      expression patterns.
AB  - Accumulating evidences suggest that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) perform
      important functions. Genome-wide chromatin-states area rich source of information
      about cellular state, yielding insights beyond what is typically obtained by
      transcriptome profiling. We propose an integrative method for genome-wide
      functional predictions of lncRNAs by combining chromatin states data with gene
      expression patterns. We first validated the method using protein-coding genes
      with known function annotations. Our validation results indicated that our
      integrative method performs better than co-expression analysis, and is accurate
      across different conditions. Next, by applying the integrative model genome-wide,
      we predicted the probable functions for more than 97% of human lncRNAs. The
      putative functions inferred by our method match with previously annotated by the
      targets of lncRNAs. Moreover, the linkage from the cellular processes influenced
      by cancer-associated lncRNAs to the cancer hallmarks provided a "lncRNA point-of
      view" on tumor biology. Our approach provides a functional annotation of the
      lncRNAs, which we developed into a web-based application, LncRNA Ontology, to
      provide visualization, analysis, and downloading of lncRNA putative functions. 

PMID- 26485763
TI  - Age-dependent uncoupling of mitochondria from Ca2+ release units in skeletal
      muscle.
AB  - Calcium release units (CRUs) and mitochondria control myoplasmic [Ca2+] levels
      and ATP production in muscle, respectively. We recently reported that these two
      organelles are structurally connected by tethers, which promote proximity and
      proper Ca2+ signaling.Here we show that disposition, ultrastructure, and density
      of CRUs and mitochondria and their reciprocal association are compromised in
      muscle from aged mice. Specifically, the density of CRUs and mitochondria is
      decreased in muscle fibers from aged (>24 months) vs. adult (3-12 months), with
      an increased percentage of mitochondria being damaged and misplaced from their
      normal triadic position. A significant reduction in tether (13.8 +/- 0.4 vs. 5.5
      +/- 0.3 tethers/100 um2) and CRU-mitochondrial pair density (37.4 +/- 0.8 vs.
      27.0 +/- 0.7 pairs/100 um2) was also observed in aged mice. In addition,
      myoplasmic Ca2+ transient (1.68 +/- 0.08 vs 1.37 +/- 0.03) and mitochondrial Ca2+
      uptake (9.6 +/- 0.050 vs 6.58 +/- 0.54) during repetitive high frequency tetanic
      stimulation were significantly decreased. Finally oxidative stress, assessed from
      levels of 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), Cu/Zn superoxide-dismutase (SOD1) and Mn
      superoxide dismutase (SOD2) expression, were significantly increased in aged
      mice. The reduced association between CRUs and mitochondria with aging may
      contribute to impaired cross-talk between the two organelles, possibly resulting
      in reduced efficiency in activity-dependent ATP production and, thus, to age
      dependent decline of skeletal muscle performance.

PMID- 26485762
TI  - SMAC mimetic Debio 1143 synergizes with taxanes, topoisomerase inhibitors and
      bromodomain inhibitors to impede growth of lung adenocarcinoma cells.
AB  - Targeting anti-apoptotic proteins can sensitize tumor cells to conventional
      chemotherapies or other targeted agents. Antagonizing the Inhibitor of Apoptosis
      Proteins (IAPs) with mimetics of the pro-apoptotic protein SMAC is one such
      approach. We used sensitization compound screening to uncover possible agents
      with the potential to further sensitize lung adenocarcinoma cells to the SMAC
      mimetic Debio 1143. Several compounds in combination with Debio 1143, including
      taxanes, topoisomerase inhibitors, and bromodomain inhibitors, super-additively
      inhibited growth and clonogenicity of lung adenocarcinoma cells. Co-treatment
      with Debio 1143 and the bromodomain inhibitor JQ1 suppresses the expression of c
      IAP1, c-IAP2, and XIAP. Non-canonical NF-kappaB signaling is also activated
      following Debio 1143 treatment, and Debio 1143 induces the formation of the
      ripoptosome in Debio 1143-sensitive cell lines. Sensitivity to Debio 1143 and JQ1
      co-treatment was associated with baseline caspase-8 expression. In vivo treatment
      of lung adenocarcinoma xenografts with Debio 1143 in combination with JQ1 or
      docetaxel reduced tumor volume more than either single agent alone. As Debio 1143
      containing combinations effectively inhibited both in vitro and in vivo growth of
      lung adenocarcinoma cells, these data provide a rationale for Debio 1143
      combinations currently being evaluated in ongoing clinical trials and suggest
      potential utility of other combinations identified here. 

PMID- 26485764
TI  - The quest for GAS vaccine.

PMID- 26485765
TI  - Identification of specific DNA methylation sites on the Y-chromosome as biomarker
      in prostate cancer.
AB  - As a diagnostic biomarker, prostate special antigen (PSA) tests always generate
      false positive results and lead to unnecessary and/or repeat biopsies. Therefore,
      there is an urgent need for developing more sensitive, specific diagnostic
      biomarkers. We epigenotyped methylated sites in cancer tissues and adjacent
      normal tissues from 66 patients. In comparison with normal adjacent tissues, we
      observed that there were 6 aberrant methylation sites in prostate cancer tissues
      on the Y-chromosome. We further performed pyrosequencing using urine of PCa
      patients and we identified one methylated site (cg05163709) as a potential
      biomarker. We evaluated the predictive capacity of the aberrant methylated sites
      using the area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). The ROC
      analysis showed a higher AUC for cg05163709 (0.915) than prostate-specific
      antigen (PSA, 0.769). These results indicated that aberrant DNA methylation of
      cg05163709 on the Y-chromosome could serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker
      with high sensitivity and specificity. 

PMID- 26485766
TI  - Genetic variant of PRKAA1 and gastric cancer risk in an eastern Chinese
      population.
AB  - Published data on the association between PRKAA1 rs13361707 T > C polymorphism
      and gastric cancer (GCa) susceptibility were inconclusive. To derive a more
      precise estimation of the association, we conducted a large-scale GCa study of
      1,124 cases and 1,194 controls to confirm this association in an eastern Chinese
      population. Our results showed that the C allele of PRKAA1 rs13361707 increased
      the GC risk in the study population [CT vs. TT, odds ratio (OR) = 1.72, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) = 1.40-2.12; CC vs. TT, OR = 2.15, 95%CI = 1.70-2.71;
      CT/CC vs. TT, OR = 1.86, 95%CI = 1.53-2.26; CC vs.TT/CT, OR = 1.49, 95%CI = 1.24
      1.79]. In addition, the association of C allele with an increased GCa risk was
      still significant in subgroups, when stratified by age, sex, tumor site, drinking
      and smoking status. Moreover, the findings in the present study were validated by
      our further meta-analysis. In summary, these results indicated that the C allele
      of PRKAA1 rs13361707 was a low-penetrate risk factor for GCa. 

PMID- 26485767
TI  - CXCR3 as a molecular target in breast cancer metastasis: inhibition of tumor cell
      migration and promotion of host anti-tumor immunity.
AB  - Chemokines and chemokine receptors have critical roles in cancer metastasis and
      have emerged as one of the targeting options in cancer therapy. However, the
      treatment efficacy on both tumor and host compartments needs to be carefully
      evaluated. Here we report that targeting CXCR3 decreased tumor cell migration and
      at the same time improved host anti-tumor immunity. We observed an increased
      expression of CXCR3 in metastatic tumor cells compared to those from non
      metastatic tumor cells. Knockdown (KD) of CXCR3 in metastatic tumor cells
      suppressed tumor cell migration and metastasis. Importantly, CXCR3 expression in
      clinical breast cancer samples correlated with progression and metastasis. For
      the host compartment, deletion of CXCR3 in all host cells in 4T1 mammary tumor
      model significantly decreased metastasis. The underlying mechanisms involve a
      decreased expression of IL-4, IL-10, iNOs, and Arg-1 in myeloid cells and an
      increased T cell response. IFN-gamma neutralization diminished the metastasis
      inhibition in the CXCR3 knockout (KO) mice bearing 4T1 tumors, suggesting a
      critical role of host CXCR3 in immune suppression. Consistently, targeting CXCR3
      using a small molecular inhibitor (AMG487) significantly suppressed metastasis
      and improved host anti-tumor immunity. Our findings demonstrate that targeting
      CXCR3 is effective in both tumor and host compartments, and suggest that CXCR3
      inhibition is likely to avoid adverse effects on host cells. 

PMID- 26485769
TI  - A single cut to pyroptosis.

PMID- 26485768
TI  - Akt inhibition improves irinotecan treatment and prevents cell emergence by
      switching the senescence response to apoptosis.
AB  - Activated in response to chemotherapy, senescence is a tumor suppressive
      mechanism that induces a permanent loss of proliferation. However, in response to
      treatment, it is not really known how cells can escape senescence and how
      irreversible or incomplete this pathway is. We have recently described that cells
      that escape senescence are more transformed than non-treated parental cells, they
      resist anoikis and rely on Mcl-1. In this study, we further characterize this
      emergence in response to irinotecan, a first line treatment used in colorectal
      cancer. Our results indicate that Akt was activated as a feedback pathway during
      the early step of senescence. The inhibition of the kinase prevented cell
      emergence and improved treatment efficacy, both in vitro and in vivo. This
      improvement was correlated with senescence inhibition, p21waf1 downregulation and
      a concomitant activation of apoptosis due to Noxa upregulation and Mcl-1
      inactivation. The inactivation of Noxa prevented apoptosis and increased the
      number of emergent cells. Using either RNA interference or p21waf1-deficient
      cells, we further confirmed that an intact p53-p21-senescence pathway favored
      cell emergence and that its downregulation improved treatment efficacy through
      apoptosis induction. Therefore, although senescence is an efficient suppressive
      mechanism, it also generates more aggressive cells as a consequence of apoptosis
      inhibition. We therefore propose that senescence-inducing therapies should be
      used sequentially with drugs favoring cell death such as Akt inhibitors. This
      should reduce cell emergence and tumor relapse through a combined induction of
      senescence and apoptosis. 

PMID- 26485771
TI  - [Bacteriological profile and antibiotic treatment of postoperative peritonitis].
AB  - During the postoperative peritonitis (PPO) the main stay of treatment is the
      choice of probabilistic antibiotictherapy, it is also the main prognostic factor
      The aim of our study was to identify anappropriate antibiotic protocol to the
      current ecology of our unit. It was a retrospective study including 102 patients
      over a period of 09 years from 1 January 2003 to 3O November 2011. All of them
      are supported for the treatments off postoperative peritonitis in surgical
      intensive care unit of a service of general surgery a university hospital Charles
      Nicolle of Tunis. All bacteriological data (germs and sensitivity), and the terms
      of therapeutic modality for the empirical antibiotic therapy were listed. The
      incidence of PPO was Q90%.The average age of our patients was 57 +/- 18 years.
      The sex ratio was 1.08. One hundred and seven (107) microorganisms were isolated
      from 72 samples (44 microbial mono, 28 multi microbial). The frequency of gram
      positive cocci (GPC) was 16.82%, the Gram-negative bacilli (BGN) was 82.2%. The
      Enterobacteriaceae have proved particularity resistant. Thus, the ampicillin
      resistance was 87.14%, that the C3G was 33.80%, the Piperacillin to Tazobactam
      combination, was 36.5% and that the association Ticarcillin-clavulanic acid was
      43.6%. For non-fermenting BGN, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was sensitive to
      ticarcillin in 80% of cases, to ceftazidime in 66.6% of cases,
      PiperacillinTazobactam--in 71.43% of cases, imipenem in 85 72% of cases,
      colimycin in 100% of cases and Amiklin in 71.43% of cases. For CGP, enterococci
      were resistant to ampicillin in 50% of cases and vancomycin in 0% of cases. The
      majority of patients received triple antibiotic therapy (59.8%) or combination
      therapy (34.3%). The main associations were: cefotaxime + Gentamycin +
      Metronidazole (35.2%), Amikacin Imipenem + + Metronidazole (12.7%), Imipenem +
      amikacin (9.8%), Piperacillin / Tazobactam + amikacin (9.8%) + amikacin and
      ertapenem (5.88%). Probabilitic antibiotic therapy was addapted in 69.4% of
      cases. The average duration of the prescribed antibiotic was 11 days +/- 6 days.
      The mortality rate was 39.2%, was 32.23 days. The isolated microorganisms are
      those of the intestinal flora which is generally changed and thus the bacteria
      are selected then are multidrug resistant. Prescribing antibiotics should
      consider probabilistic. Thus, Imipenem-Amiklin combination seems appropriate to
      our ecology. This empiric antibiotic therapy is secondarily adapted to the
      results of susceptibility testing to limit the selection of multi-resistant
      organisms.

PMID- 26485772
TI  - [Postoperative peritonitis: pronostic factors of mortality].
AB  - The postoperative peritonitis (POP) remains formidable conditions due to a high
      mortality rate of between 20 and 80%. The purpose of this study is to identify
      risk factors for mortality. This study is a retrospective, descriptive analysis
      carried out over a period of 09 years (1/1/2003 - 30/11/2011) and interesting 102
      patients supported for POP following general surgery. Achieved in department of
      General Surgery B Charles Nicolle hospital Tunis. The parameters measured
      included epidemiological data, data related to the Initial Surgical Intervention
      and reoperation for POP, terms of management and evolution. Bacteriological data
      were also seized. The incidence of POP was 0.90%. The average age of our patients
      was 58 +/- 19 years with a sex ratio of 1.08. Forty-seven percent of our patients
      belonged to the ASAII class. The initial operation was performed urgently in 49
      patients (48%) with a majority belonging to the class II Altemeier (49.01%).
      Colorectal pathology (373%) and hepatobiliay (176%) were the most frequent
      reasons for the initial intervention. The frequency of clinical signs were fever
      (75.5%), hypothermia (6.9%), abdominal pain (725%), abdominal distension (46.1%),
      productive gastric aspiration (30.4%), abdominal defense (25.5%), externalizing
      the digestive fluid (25.5%), vomiting (19.6%), diarrhea (12.7%), tachycardia
      (569%), oliguria (42.2%), respiratory failure (40.2%), hypotension (35.3%),
      neuropsychiatric disorders ( 23.5%) and jaundice (69%). The treatment period was
      2.95 +/- 3.16 days. The surgical recovery time was 78 days +/- 5.66. At the time
      of reoperation, the APACHE II score was 8.43 +/- 6.26 and 25.1 +/- MPI score
      8.53. The POP was generalized in 52.9% of cases with purulent peritoneal fluid in
      51% of cases. The most common cause was the dropping of the anastomosis (59.8%).
      Empirical antibiotic therapy was appropriate in 69.44 % of cases. The mortality
      rate was 39.2%. Multivariate analysis using multiple logistic regression
      identified the following factors as independent mortality factors: Age > or = 60
      years (RR = 6.089), multiple organ failure (RR = 18.019), non-appropriate empiric
      antibiotic therapy (RR = 6.541), stercoral aspect of peritoneal fluid (RR 6.412).
      Despite a low frequency, the POP are burdened with a high mortality rate. The
      improved prognosis requires early diagnosis in order to allow a appropriate load
      medicosurgical support before the installation of multiorgan failure syndrome.
      Among the independent factors associated with mortality that we have identifed,
      the not adapted empiric antibiotic therapy is the main factor on which we can
      act.

PMID- 26485773
TI  - An unusual adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphate-dependent protein kinase from
      Dictyostelium discoideum.
AB  - The CAMP-dependent protein kinase from Dictyostelium discoideum was extracted
      from cells at the stage of culmination. Less than 50% of the enzyme remains as a
      CAMP-dependent holoenzyme in the extracts, and the rest is recovered in the form
      of dissociated regulatory and catalytic subunits that were purified. The
      regulatory subunit is a monomeric protein of M, 42 000 that carries only one cAMP
      binding site (Kd = 3 nM). The catalytic subunit is also a monomer of M, 40000
      with a sedimentation coefficient of 3.3S. The CAMP-dependent holoenzyme is a
      dimer consisting of one regulatory and one catalytic subunit, and the same
      structure is found for the holoenzyme reconstituted from the isolated subunits.
      Whereas cAMP binding to the regulatory subunit is independent of pH, both the
      catalytic activity and its ability to be inhibited by addition of regulatory
      subunit are increased very strongly between pH 5.5 and 7. The differences in
      molecular and catalytic properties of this CAMP-dependent protein kinase with
      those from mammalian origin are discussed in relation with the possibility that
      the enzyme from Dictyostelium represents an early form of the molecule in the
      evolutionary process.

PMID- 26485770
TI  - Chromosome transplantation as a novel approach for correcting complex genomic
      disorders.
AB  - Genomic disorders resulting from large rearrangements of the genome remain an
      important unsolved issue in gene therapy. Chromosome transplantation, defined as
      the perfect replacement of an endogenous chromosome with a homologous one, has
      the potential of curing this kind of disorders. Here we report the first
      successful case of chromosome transplantation by replacement of an endogenous X
      chromosome carrying a mutation in the Hprt genewith a normal one in mouse
      embryonic stem cells (ESCs), correcting the genetic defect. The defect was also
      corrected by replacing the Y chromosome with an X chromosome. Chromosome
      transplanted clones maintained in vitro and in vivo features of stemness and
      contributed to chimera formation. Genome integrity was confirmed by cytogenetic
      and molecular genome analysis. The approach here proposed, with some
      modifications, might be used to cure various disorders due to other X chromosome
      aberrations in induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from affected
      patients. 

PMID- 26485774
TI  - [The role of inherited thrombophilia and undifferentiated connective tissue
      dysplasia syndrome in the pathogenesis of female infertility: A clinical and
      morphological study].
AB  - Impaired endometrial receptivity is a major cause of reproductive losses in in
      vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles given a normal embryo. Its causes may be
      associated with many diseases, including inherited thrombophilia (IT) and
      undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia syndrome (uCTDS). However,
      endometrial receptivity remains little studied. OBJECTIVE: to investigate the
      morphological and immunohistochemical substrates of impaired endometrial
      receptivity in women with uCTDS, IT, and their concurrence. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
      Antibodies against ER, PgR, LIF, VEGF, and PAI-1 were used to morphologically and
      immunohistochemically examine pipelle endometrial biopsy specimens taken from 141
      women in the implantation window (on days 6-7 after ovulation). In accordance
      with their clinical diagnoses, the patients were divided into 4 groups: 1) 13
      patients with uCTDS; 2) 100 with IT; 3) 19 with uCTDS and IT; 4) 9 healthy
      surrogate mothers (a control group). In the examined groups, a total of 145
      (90.1%) out of all the IVF protocols were unsuccessful. In the remaining 16
      (9.9%) patients without exception, miscarriage started at less than 10 weeks'
      gestation. RESULTS: In the implantation window, the endometrium was immature in
      101 (83.1%) women and corresponded to late proliferation or early secretion
      phases; 102 (84.3%) women were also found to have no mature pinopodes, pointing
      to the fact that the endometrial receptivity was very low. Immunohistochemical
      examination revealed the lower expression of the receptivity marker LIF in the
      endometrial surface epithelium and its higher expression in the stroma in the
      study groups (p < 0.05 for the uCTDS and uCTDS+IT groups) and the higher
      expression of PAI-1 and VEGF in the epithelium, stroma, and endothelium in the
      study groups than in the control group (p < 0.05), suggesting the intensity of
      neoangiogenetic processes and impaired fibrinolysis in these patients.
      CONCLUSION: uCTDS and IT are risk factors of impaired endometrial receptivity in
      the pathogenesis of infertility. The manifestations of impaired endometrial
      receptivity in this case are a decrease in mature pinopodes in the surface
      epithelium; focal stromal sclerosis; and redistribution of the receptivity marker
      LIF from the surface epithelium to the stroma, which may be used for diagnosis,
      prediction, and the development of targeted therapy.

PMID- 26485775
TI  - [Histological and immunohistochemical examinations in the diagnosis of hepatic
      amyloidosis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to investigate the histopathology of amyloid in liver biopsy
      specimens. MATERIAL AND METHODS. A total of 46 liver biopsy specimens were
      investigated in patients with histologically verified amyloidosis in 2006 to 2009
      from the Amyloid Registry of the Charite University Hospital (Berlin). The liver
      biopsy specimens were fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin. The paraffin
      sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and with Congo red. Amyloid was
      immunohistochemically classified using antibodies against amyloid P component, AA
      amyloid, apolipoprotein Al, lysozyme, fibrinogen, transthyretin, and kappa and
      lambda light chains. RESULTS: Amyloid deposits were diagnosed in the 46 liver
      biopsy specimens from 17 women and 29 men (mean age 60 years).
      Immunohistochemical subtyping was successful in 91% of the cases. AL amyloidosis
      was diagnosed in 87% of the biopsy specimens and further classified as AL lambda
      light chain amyloidosis (57%) and AL kappa-light chain amyloidosis (30%). The 46
      liver biopsy specimens showed one case of AA amyloidosis (2%) and one case of
      transthyretin amyloidosis (2%). The type of amyloid could not be classified in 9%
      of the biopsy specimens. CONCLUSION: The investigation revealed that the most
      common types of hepatic amyloidosis are AL lambda- and AL kappa-light chain
      amyloidosis associated with the signs of parenchymal atrophy and steatosis.

PMID- 26485776
TI  - [Immunohistochemical and genetic profiles of melanomas with spindle cell
      morphology].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to comparatively study the immunohistochemical profile and to analyze
      mutations in the BRAF and N-RAS genes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The spindle cell
      melanomas taken from the Institute's archives were divided into 6 groups
      according to the results of clinical and morphological analyses and follow-up
      studies. Immunohistochemical examination was conducted in 58 cases, including 19
      nodular spindle cell melanomas, 10 superficial spreading melanomas, 4 combined
      melanomas, 8 sarcoma- toid melanomas, 13 mixed desmoplastic melanomas, and 4 pure
      desmoplastic melanomas. RESULTS: All tumors of the spectrum in question expressed
      S100, SOX10, KBA.62, nestin, and cyclin D1. The rate of positive staining was 80%
      for MITF, 69% for PNL2, 61% for HMB45, 58% for Melan A, 36% for CD117, and 35%
      for SMA. The expression of HMB45 and Melan A was diffuse and marked in the groups
      of nodular and superficial spreading melanomas; sarcomatoid and mixed
      desmoplastic melanomas showed only scattered stained cells; pure desmoplastic
      melanomas were negative to these markers. SMA immunoexpression was observed in
      only sarcomatoid and desmoplastic types. Dual S100 staining showed a separate
      actin-positive myofibroblast-like population disappearing in more cellular zones.
      EMA, claudin 1, and DOG1 were negative in all cases. BRAFV expression was
      detected in 14% (in 2 nodular and 1 superficial spreading melanomas) and
      correlated with the presence of mutation. NRAS mutation was found in 1 nodular
      spindle cell melanoma. Desmoplastic melanomas did not harbor the above mutations.
      CONCLUSION: This study indicates the variant heterogeneity of spindle cell
      melanomas, as confirmed by clinical, morphological, immunohistochemical, and
      molecular examinations. The findings may be useful in the differential diagnosis
      of these tumors.

PMID- 26485777
TI  - [Serrated lesions of the large intestine: Prevalence analysis and clinical and
      morphologic characteristics].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to retrospectively estimate the prevalence of serrated lesions of the
      large intestine and to reveal the features of dis- tribution of serrated lesions
      in the previously diagnosed classical adenomas and hyperplastic polyps. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: A continuous sampling method was used to take biopsy specimens from
      the archive material of 440 polypoid lesions of the large intestine, which had
      entered in 2012-2013, and which were be morphologically reexamined by three
      experts. The mor- phological criteria for diagnosing different types of serrated
      lesions were taken according to the 2010 WHO classification of premalignant
      lesions of the large intestine and to the recommendations from an expert panel
      (Am J of Gastroenterology 2012). RESULTS: A group of serrated lesions included
      tubular (13.7%), tubulovillous adenomas (12.5%), and villous (50%) adenomas. The
      reexamination revealed 121 serrated lesions, including hyperplastic polyps (n =
      55 (45.5%)), sessile serrated adenomas/ polyps (SSA/P) (n = 24 (19.8%)), out of
      which there were those with dysplasia (n=6 (5%)), traditional serrated adenomas
      (TSAs) (n = 20 (16.5%)), out of which there were those with dysplasia (n = 1 4
      (11.6%)), and unclassified serrated polyps (n =22 (18.2%)). Most hyperplastic
      polyps (89%) and SSA/P (71%) were located distal to the splenic flexure of the
      colon; TSAs were equally distributed between the proximal and distal portions of
      the large intestine. The proportion of serrated lesions with dysplasia was 16.5%;
      that among SSA/P and TSAs was 25 and 70%, respectively. Serrated lesions with
      dysplasia were more often located proximally and were larger in size than those
      without dysplasia. CONCLUSION: Serrated lesions of the large intestine are its
      more common abnormalities than previously thought. The reexamination has revealed
      that serrated lesions occur in both the preexisting group of hyperplastic polyps
      and all groups of classical adenomas, suggesting the need for widespread
      introduction of the current classification intO everyday diagnostic practice.

PMID- 26485778
TI  - [Role of the skin expression of neuropeptides, neurotrophins and their receptors
      in the pathogenesis of dermatoses].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to define the role of neurotransmitters and their receptors in the
      development of itch and in the maintenance of a skin inflammatory response in
      patients with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Skin biopsy
      specimens from 30 patients with psoriasis and 30 patients with atopic dermatitis
      were investigated by histological, immunoperoxidase, and indirect
      immunofluorescence assays. The investigators determined the expression of protein
      gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5), amphiregulin, semaphorin 3A, calcitonin gene-related
      peptide (CGRP) and its receptor (CGRP-R), nerve growth factor (NGF) and its
      receptor TrkA, and substance P (SP) and its receptor SP-R. The indirect
      immunofluorescence assay was used for quantitative analysis. The findings were
      statistically analyzed using a Statistica 10 program. RESULTS: Immunoperoxidase
      examination of the skin biopsy specimens from patients with atopic dermatitis and
      psoriasis revealed enhanced expression of amphiregulin, NGF, and PGP9.5,
      appearance of positively stained epidermal nerve fibers, and decreased expression
      of the nerve reduction factor semaphorin 3A in all cases. Some patients with
      atopic dermatitis and psoriasis showed increased expression of CGRP and CGRP-R,
      SP, SP-R, and TrkA. A pronounced inflammatory response was generally observed in
      these cases. CONCLUSION: The investigation performed suggests that atopic
      dermatitis and psoriasis are characterized by a larger number of epidermal nerve
      fibers and by a direct correlation between this indicator, disease severity, and
      itch intensity. The production of neuropeptides and neurotrophins is closely
      related to the development of a skin inflammatory response irrespective of its
      cause and dysregulation of these processes is likely to favor the body's
      sensitization and the chronic pattern the course of diseases.

PMID- 26485779
TI  - [A new classification of ovarian tumors].
AB  - In 2014, the WHO published a new classification of ovarian tumors. Modifications
      refer to all nosological entities, touching on epithelial tumors to a greater
      extent. The performed studies and the accumulated experience could reveal new
      mechanisms for the pathogenesis of epithelial neoplasms, identify a new
      morphological group of seromucinous tumors, and make changes in the grading
      system for serous carcinomas. The paper discusses the changes made in the 2014
      WHO classification of ovarian tumors, by describing their nosological entities
      and comparing it with the previous revision.

PMID- 26485780
TI  - [Morphological parameters of the heterogeneity of the substantia nigra in elderly
      men and women].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to define the quantitative characteristics of cell structures in the
      substantia nigra pars compacta of neurologically healthy elderly people (men and
      women). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Autopsy brain materials from neurologically healthy
      men and women who had died from intercurrent diseases at the age of 72 to 87
      years were examined for quantitative characteristics of the substantia nigra pars
      compacta, by applying computed morphometric methods. RESULTS: In the elderly
      people (men and women), the compactness of arrangement of neurons, including
      those containing tyrosine hydroxylase (a marker of dopamine neurons), was much
      higher and the glial index was lower in the ventral area of the substantia nigra
      pars compacta than in the dorsal area. Comparing the structures in the substantia
      nigra pars compacta showed that the neurons were larger in the dorsal area and
      the variability of the compactness of their arrangement and the glial index were
      higher in the women than in the men. CONCLUSION: In the elderly people, the cell
      structures in the substantia nigra pars compacta are typified by high
      morphometric heterogeneity.

PMID- 26485781
TI  - [Lymphoepithelioma-like tumors: A review of literature and a clinical case of
      bladder carcinoma].
AB  - The paper presents historical information and literature data on
      lymphoepitheliomas and lymphoepithelioma-like tumors at various sites. It
      considers the specific features of their histological structure, a differential
      diagnostic series, and immunohistochemical markers and gives brief information on
      treatment and prognosis. The paper depicts a clinical case of lymphoepithelioma
      like bladder carcinoma in an 80-year-old woman.

PMID- 26485782
TI  - Benign Fibro-Osseous Lesions of the Craniofacial Area in Children and
      Adolescents: A Review.
AB  - Benign fibro-osseous lesions (BFOL) of the craniofacial area are represented by a
      variety of morphologic processes that are characterized by pathologic
      ossifications and calcifications in association with a hypercellular fibroblastic
      marrow element. The current classification includes neoplasms, developmental
      dysplastic lesions and inflammatory/reactive processes [5]. The final diagnosis
      depends on-clinical, radiological and pathological features. The clinico
      pathologic features of this heterogeneous group of diseases are presented in this
      article.

PMID- 26485783
TI  - [Molecular and pathomorphological prognostic markers for melanoma: Current
      approaches and prospects].
AB  - The incidence of melanoma demonstrates a persistent increasing tendency, which
      justifies the need to study and identify new prognostic markers for the
      development and course of this disease. The given paper shows current approaches
      to melanoma staging, including those to applying pathomorphological prognostic
      criteria, and discusses prospects for using the results of genomic and epigenomic
      studies of the carcinoma in clinical practice.

PMID- 26485784
TI  - [The Influence of the Functional State of Brain Regulatory Structures on the
      Programming, Selective Regulation and Control of Cognitive Activity in Children.
      Report I: Neuropsychological and EEG Analysis of Age-Related Changes in Brain
      Regulatory Functions in Children Aged 9-12 Years].
AB  - Age-related changes in brain regulatory functions in children aged from 9 to 12
      years with typical development were studied by means of neuropsychological and
      EEG analysis. The participants of the study were 107 children without learning
      difficulties and behavior deviations; they were devided into three groups (9-10,
      10-11 and 11-12 years). The neuropsychological tests revealed nonlinear age
      related changes in different executive brain functions. The group of 10-11-year
      old children showed better results in programming, in- hibition of impulsive
      reactions and in the perception of socially relevant information than the group
      of 9-10- year-old children. At the same time, these children had more
      difficulties with selective activity regulation as compared with the younger
      group. The difficulties were mainly caused by switching from one element of the
      program to another and by retention of learned sequence of actions. These
      children also showed a lower level of motivation for task performance. The
      children aged 11-12 years had less difficulties with selective activity
      regulation; however, impulsive behavior was more frequent; these children also
      had a higher level of task performance motivation than in children aged 10-11
      years. The analysis of resting state EEG revealed age-related differences in
      deviated EEG patterns associated with non-optimal functioning of fronto-thalamic
      system and hypothalamic structures. The incidence of these two types of EEG
      patterns was significantly higher in children aged 10-11 years as compared with
      children aged 9-10 years. The EEG of the groups of 10-11 and 11-12-years-old
      children did not show any significant differences.

PMID- 26485785
TI  - [Integrated Diagnostics Methods for the Treatment of the Individual Disorders of
      Cognitive Development].
AB  - The article presents the results of integrated assessment of 500 children (300
      males and 200 females aged from 4 to 12 years) cognitive disorders. The results
      include a list of the most important pre- and post-natal risk factors. It is
      shown that multifactor assessment of children with cognitive impairment
      (including history taking, psychological and neuropsychological examination,
      clinical, neurophysiological, ultrasonic, duplex and magnetic resonance scanning)
      allows to detect the main precursory signals of cognitive disorders, to
      deteremine strong and weak sides of developmental course of a particular child
      and, basing on that and to develop effective individual programs of intervention.

PMID- 26485786
TI  - [Neurophysiological Features of Perception of Emotional Stimuli in Health and in
      Patients with Paranoid Schizophrenia].
AB  - Cognitive and emotional disorders, as far as is known, are the main syndromes of
      schizophrenia. Disorders of these functions are mainly determined by the clinical
      picture, as well as by psychophysiological correlates. The purpose of our study
      was to identify some psychophysiological factors which cause perceptual and
      emotional disturbances in patients with schizophrenia. These disorders of mental
      functions form the first rank (top) syndrome in patients with schizophrenia [1].
      The studied patients had acute psychosis with a predominance of paranoid
      hallucinatory syndrome and did not receive antipsychotic therapy; i.e., the
      disturbances of sensory perception were most pronounced. The analysis of early
      component P100 and intermediate one N170 of event related potentials (ERPs) in
      the control group showed an increased level of excitation in response to
      emotionally threatening stimuli; the amplitude increased and the latency
      decreased in all leads. In contrast the analysis of components P100 and N170 in
      the group of patients with schizophrenia showed the increased latency and
      decreased amplitude. The obtained data provide evidence of pathological
      inhibition in the passive perception of emotionally significant stimuli.

PMID- 26485787
TI  - [The Features of Saccadic Reactions to a Consequent of Visual Stimuli in Healthy
      Subjects and Patients with Schizophrenia].
AB  - We studied the features of cognitive functions of attention and decision making
      in 18 healthy subjects and 15 patients with schizophrenia with the use of pairs
      of two short visual stimuli (double step). In the group of patients with
      schizophrenia, we observed a higher number of errors and higher frequency of
      modified saccadic pattern--two saccades to each stimulus instead of only one
      saccade to the second stimulus. In these patients, the latency period of the
      first saccade was shorter, while the latency period of a single saccade to the
      second stimulus was longer as compared with healthy subjects. The lateral
      differences in the saccade latency in schizophrenic and healthy subjects are
      opposite. The data provide an evidence of disorders in the cognitive control and
      prognostic processes of saccade programming in schizophrenic patients.

PMID- 26485788
TI  - [The Effect of Social-Psychological Factors on the Development of Occupational
      Stress].
AB  - The article presents data on social-psychological factors which cause the
      occupational stress. The results showed that there is a link between the level of
      work motivation and the physiological cost of work. We observed a number of
      peculiarities of occupational stress development caused by psychoemotional
      tension depending on the class of intensity of intellectual labor; we also
      studied biological age of the subjects. The speed of ageing of the employees who
      work under conditions of emotional stress (direct or indirect responsibility for
      the safety of other people) was found to increase. The study suggested promising
      directions of occupational stress prevention.

PMID- 26485789
TI  - [Stabilometry, Electromyography and Electroencephalography in Postmenopausal
      Women after Training of the Leg Support Sensation].
AB  - Ageing, lack of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle cause disorders of the
      sensorimotor system of postural control. The role of support afferentation in the
      changes in cortical activity in balance impairments has not been studied yet. The
      purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in the stabilographic
      parameters of the body center of gravity, alpha activity indices of the
      electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyographic (EMG) measurements of forehead
      muscle tone in response to visual activation in standing and sitting positions in
      postmenopausal women after and without training of leg support sensation (LSS)
      The variables were compared between 3 groups: Group A (n = 12, age: 66 +/- 9
      years)--women who have trained LSS with the help of Aikido techniques for 8
      years; group F (n = 12, age: 65 +/- 6 years)--women who have attended Fitness
      training for 8 years; group N (n = 11, age: 66 +/- 7 years)--women who have not
      taken physical exercises for the last 8 years. It was found that in group N a
      change in body position from "sitting" to "standing" leads to a much greater
      increase in the area of stabilogram and in the energy expenditure needed to
      maintain the bal- ance than in groups A and F. Posture changes from sitting to
      standing position increases the tension of the forehead muscles and the
      suppression of alpha-1-amplitude, but decreases the power in high- and low
      frequency alpha-band of EEG and the width of alpha-band in group N. In women
      ofgroup F the posture change does not result in an increase in EMG and signs of
      activation or tension in EEG; in group A it leads to a decrease of visual
      activation indices and psychoemotional tension and to an increase in power in
      alpha-2-band which is a sign of neuronal efficiency. Basing on these data, we can
      conclude that training focused on support afferentation in postmenopausal women
      decreases the psychoemotional tension and increases neuronal efficiency
      ofsensorimotor integration of postural control system and can be used in the
      prevention of falls in elderly people.

PMID- 26485790
TI  - [General Features of the Formation of EEG Wave Structure in Children and
      Adolescents Living in Northern European Russia].
AB  - The article presents the results of the analysis of EEG wave structure formation
      in children and adolescents aged 7-18 years living under severe conditions of the
      North. The approaches developed in discrete mathematics (the graph theory, the
      theory of network flows) were used to assess the time-frequency transformations
      of EEG patterns. We evaluated conditional probabilities of reciprocal transitions
      between the components of six frequency bands of E EG (delta, theta, alpha-1,
      alpha-2, beta-1, beta-2). We described age- and sex-related features as well as
      regional specificities of the EEG wave structure. We defined the age periods of
      reorganization of diffuse EEG activities into the main EEG rhythms; the role of
      distinct rhythms in the maintenance of the EEG wave structure and its dynamic
      rearrangements was also discussed. The age-related changes of the structure of
      EEG patterns form some general picture of the morphofunctional development of
      brain in children and adolescents at different stages of postnatal ontogenesis
      under severe climate and socio-economic conditions of the North.

PMID- 26485791
TI  - [Physiological Basis of the Improvement of Movement Accuracy with the Use of
      Stabilographic Training with Biological Feedback].
AB  - We studied the physiological parameters of ball hitting by volleyball players in
      unsupported position and opportunities for their improvement by training with
      biological feedback. Physiological and biomechanical parameters of a direct
      attack hit from supported position correlate with biomechanical features ofjump
      shots. At the same time, the physiological basis of accuracy of shots consists of
      the improvement of trunk and arm movement coordination in the flight phase, the
      factors of intramuscular and intermuscular coordination of the hitting arm and
      the change in the displacement of the center of pressure. The use of computer
      stabilography training with biological feedback helps to optimize physiological
      and biomechanical parameters of physical actions in unsupported position, which
      ultimately causes an increase in the accuracy of jump hitting of the ball. The
      obtained results open the prospects for applying the method of computer
      stabilography to improve the performance of accuracy-targeted actions in
      unsupported position in various sports.

PMID- 26485792
TI  - [Relationship between the Parameters of Muscular and Cardiovascular Systems in
      Graded Exercise Testing in Subjects Doing Regular Exercises and Sports].
AB  - We analyzed the relationship between EMG and ECG parameters during graded step
      dosed exercises with the use of bicycle ergometer in subjects doing regular
      exercises and sports. We observed the dynamics of EMG and ECG parameters in
      graded exercise testing. During physical activity of low intensity, muscular
      effort is mainly due to an increase in the heart rate; during activity of high
      intensity, the electrophysiological processes of the whole myocardium are
      involved. The interrelation of the parameters of muscular and cardiovascular
      systems was proved to increase with the intensity of physical activity.

PMID- 26485793
TI  - [Hemodynamic Status of Prepubertal and Pubertal Hockey Players].
AB  - The hemodynamic status of 11-15-year-old hockey players depending on their age
      and puberty stage were studied and compared with hemodynamic parameters of the
      control group. It was found that regular muscle training has a dominant effect on
      the functional state of cardiovascular system (CVS) in prepuberty and puberty. It
      was proved that in hockey players a decrease in the heart rate (H R) and an
      increase in the stroke volume (SV) result in a significant increase in systolic
      blood pressure (SBP) at the age of 11-14 years and a progressive increase in
      total peripheral vascular resistance (PVR), in contrast to significantly lower
      values in the control group. The urgent adaptation of CVS to graduated physical
      activities at the age of 11-13 years leads to an enhancement of vascular
      spasmodic reactions while SV remains constant. It was found that in adolescent
      hockey players have consistently high SV and SBP; at the same time, maximal
      values of HR, cardiac output (CO) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were
      observed at the stages I and II of the puberty period; then, at the stage III,
      these parameters decrease. I n the control group, hymodinamic status changed in
      an opposite way. This may be an evidence of the stress effect of physical
      activities which results in the adaptive reactions of CVS rather than reactions
      typical of the puberty period.

PMID- 26485794
TI  - [The Effect of Repeated Local Ischemia on the Temperature and Skin
      Microcirculation in Human Hand].
AB  - Thermal imaging and laser Doppler flowmetry were applied to study the effects of
      infrared (IR) radiation mediated by vascular response in healthy volunteers
      during regular unilateral arteriovenous occlusion of one of the fingers (4 times
      a day for 7 months with a gradual increase in exposure from 10 to 30 min). After
      repeated unilateral exposure, we observed consistent changes in temperature
      conditions and modes of thermoregulation of corresponding skin areas of both
      hands. We discovered a high level of positive correlation between the dynamics of
      IR emission from the experimental and control skin areas in the recovery phase
      after clamping, which indicates that systemic vascular response is involved. The
      possible mechanisms of post-occlusive changes in skin of the distal phalanges are
      discussed. These data suggest that multiple regular unilateral arteriovenous
      occlusions enhance the intradermal blood flow and can be used for the prevention
      of disorders of the peripheral microcirculation in various pathological
      conditions.

PMID- 26485795
TI  - [The Rheological Properties of Blood Depending on Age and Sex].
AB  - The rheological properties of blood (viscosity, concentration of red blood cells,
      erythrocyte sedimantation rate, prothrombin index, and fibrinogen and blood lipid
      concentration) were studied in apparently healthy subjects of both sexes within
      the age range from 1 to 75 years. We observed an increase in blood viscosity from
      infancy to adulthood, followed by a decrease in older age in males. A progressive
      increase in viscosity is observed in females with aging. We determined three age
      periods during which the viscosity values remain constant: 1) from the period of
      early infancy to the second childhood (3.6 +/- 0.07 mPa s regardless of sex); 2)
      from adolescence to the second period of adulthood (5.1 +/- 0.06 in men; 4.3 +/-
      0.05 mPa s in women); 3) elderly and senile age (4.7 +/- 0.13 in men; 4.4 +/-
      0.09 mPa s in women). Sex-related differences in the absolute value of blood
      viscosity (p < 0.001) were discovered in the period of adulthood. Moreover, we
      observed sex-related differences in the values of determination coefficients of
      interrelation between viscosity and the level of red blood cells (R(M)2 = 0.41, p
      < 0.001; R(F)2 = 0.35, p < 0.001), and viscosity and cholesterol level (R(M)2 =
      0.47, p < 0.001; R(F)2 = 0.68, p < 0.001) among men and women. The factor
      analysis showed that blood viscosity correlates with the concentration of red
      blood cells by 28%; with the level of fibrinogen, by 23%; with the cholesterol
      concentration, by 20%.

PMID- 26485796
TI  - [Characteristics of Membrane-Bound Pool of Leukocyte Lactate Dehydrogenase in
      Healthy Men of Different Age].
AB  - The study of isoenzymes of leucocyte lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in healthy men
      of different age showed a decrease in the membrane-bound pool of LDH-1 and LDH-4
      in 40-year-old males as compared with 20-year-old males. The results indicate an
      age-related reduction of the reserve membrane-bound pool of several LDH isoforms.

PMID- 26485797
TI  - [Neurorehabilitation of Patients with Cerebral Palsy].
AB  - Cerebral palsy is one of the common diseases that cause significant motor
      impairments. This review deals with new methods of motor rehabilitation of
      children with cerebral palsy in terms of modern physiology, as well as with
      summarized and analyzed results of experimental studies on the effectiveness of
      these methods.

PMID- 26485799
TI  - Productivity Commission is reviewing Australia's workplace relations framework.

PMID- 26485798
TI  - [The Status of Hemostasis System in Hypoxic Nitrogen-Oxygen and Argon-Oxygen
      Diving Gases].
AB  - In this study the effect of factors of hermetic chamber with modified gas medium
      on the hemostasis system is analyzed in order to estimate and to compare
      different diving breathing gases. The parameters characterizing pro-,
      anticoagulant as well as fibrinolytic components of hemostasis were determined
      using clotting, chromogenic and immunological methods. The applied exposure did
      not affect the activity and regulatory potential of hemostasis significantly;
      however, the nitrogen-oxygen and argon-oxygen diving gases have a different
      effect on the hemostasis functioning, especially in the recovery period.

PMID- 26485800
TI  - Nurse and midwife to patient ratios victory for QLD.

PMID- 26485801
TI  - Nursing and Midwifery Health Program cares for the carers.

PMID- 26485802
TI  - Who really ever believed Tony Abbott's declaration that WorkChoices was dead,
      buried and cremated'?

PMID- 26485803
TI  - Exoskeletons to revolutionise rehabilitation.

PMID- 26485804
TI  - Indigenous health STEPPING INTO THE GAP.

PMID- 26485805
TI  - Where are the drug keys?

PMID- 26485806
TI  - Near death experience and nursing practice: lessons from the palliative care
      literature.

PMID- 26485807
TI  - Call for a convention on the rights of older people.

PMID- 26485808
TI  - Be like water.

PMID- 26485809
TI  - Is anxiety an issue for first year nursing students enrolled in bioscience units?

PMID- 26485810
TI  - Teaching from lived experience: a way to make mental health nursing more popular?

PMID- 26485811
TI  - Physical health focus at Wellness Clinic.

PMID- 26485812
TI  - Building clinical confidence and skills: a placement with a difference.

PMID- 26485813
TI  - Perinatal mental health nurse service at Flinders Medical Centre.

PMID- 26485814
TI  - A three dimensional view on mental health recovery.

PMID- 26485815
TI  - Holistic care approach.

PMID- 26485816
TI  - Finding my 'own beat' in a multi-disciplinary team.

PMID- 26485818
TI  - Managing aggression.

PMID- 26485817
TI  - The meaning of safety in an acute mental health inpatient services.

PMID- 26485819
TI  - Responding to youth suicide: a film for nurses and health workers.

PMID- 26485820
TI  - Adjusting to mental health nursing in Australia.

PMID- 26485821
TI  - Hearing voices.

PMID- 26485822
TI  - Mental health consumers' recovery in the emergency department.

PMID- 26485823
TI  - Security guards in mental health settings: starting the conversation.

PMID- 26485824
TI  - Introduction of restraint and seclusion reduction program in Margaret Tobin
      Centre 5J.

PMID- 26485825
TI  - 'Sicoko'.

PMID- 26485826
TI  - Revisiting Higher Hospital Weekend Mortality.

PMID- 26485827
TI  - Ebola Virus Disease--An Opportunity in Crisis?

PMID- 26485828
TI  - Expectations of General Practitioners for Patients Undergoing Elective Total Knee
      Arthroplasty.
AB  - Most patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in Ireland are referred to
      orthopaedic services by their general practitioners (GPs). We aimed to evaluate
      Irish GPs' expectations for their patients' perioperative experience and post
      operative return to function. A questionnaire was mailed to 350 GPs in all
      provinces. This included questions relating to GPs' expectations for their
      patients and their knowledge and sources of information on TKA. 111 completed
      questionnaires were returned (response rate 31.7%). Overall expectations for
      functional and psychological outcomes were high, especially regarding pain relief
      (108 (97.3%)) expected relief from most or all pre-operative pain), mobility (108
      (97.3%)) expected patients to walk medium or long distances) and psychological
      wellbeing (95 (85.5%) considered this somewhat or very important). Only 22
      (20.2%) reported receiving any relevant information or training within the
      previous year. Overall expectations for functional outcomes were high, however
      greater communication between surgeons and GPs may improve GP information,

PMID- 26485829
TI  - Pattern of Change in Renal Function Following Radical Nephrectomy for Renal Cell
      Carcinoma.
AB  - Radical nephrectomy (RN) is an independent risk factor for the development of
      chronic kidney disease (CKD) in those with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We aimed
      to examine the pattern of change in post-operative renal function in patients who
      underwent RN for RCC over a 3 year period at our institution. We performed a
      retrospective review of histological and biochemical findings in patients
      undergoing RN for RCC over a 38 month period. Estimated glomerular filtration
      rate (eGFR) was recorded pre- and post-operatively and at follow-up. We analysed
      data on 131 patients (median follow-up 24 months). The proportion of patients
      with advanced CKD increased significantly at follow-up with 48 (85.7%) patients,
      classified as having stage 2 CKD pre-operatively, being re-classified as stage 3
      5. Mean eGFR was significantly lower pre-operatively (76.6 mL/min/1.73 m2)
      compared to hospital discharge (61 mL/min/1.73 m2, p < 0.001) and follow-up (55.5
      mL/min/1.73 m2, p < 0.001). Those with pT1 tumours sustained a significantly
      greater decline in eGFR compared to other stages. In conclusion, patients with
      pT1 a and pT1 b tumours sustain a disproportionate decline in renal function and
      may benefit the most from NSS.

PMID- 26485830
TI  - Evolution of Carotid Surgical Practice in the last Decade.
AB  - Stroke units provide immediate care and appropriate intervention in the evolving
      stroke. The aims of this study were to review the practice of carotid
      endarterectomy (CEA) before and after the establishment of a Stroke Unit in St.
      James's Hospital. Prior to the introduction of the Stroke Unit, 263 CEA's were
      performed over a five-year period. 139/263 (53%) of these were for symptomatic
      disease. 229 were performed in the five years since. 179/229 (78%) of these were
      for symptomatic disease. The 30-day stroke and death rates were < 2% before the
      introduction of the Stroke Unit, and have remained unchanged. Since the
      introduction of the Stroke Unit, there has been a slight decrease in the overall
      number of CEA's performed with a 25% increase in the proportion of
      endarterectomies performed for symptomatic disease. Despite the reduction in
      surgery for asymptomatic disease the overall 30-day stroke and death rate remains
      excellent at 2/229 (2%).

PMID- 26485831
TI  - Trauma Training and Workload: A National Survey.
AB  - Trauma is a major source of mortality and morbidity throughout Ireland. Training
      in trauma is dependant on experience gained by trainees within specific posts.
      Trauma services are a topical issue at present with much discussion about
      delivery and restructuring. With this in mind we conducted an online survey of
      trainees in emergency medicine, orthopaedic and general surgery to assess current
      experience and opinions with regard to trauma. The survey was vetted and
      distributed by the relevant training bodies. 59(98.33%) respondents believed
      smaller units should be bypassed for major trauma and 55 (91.67%) believed that
      larger hospitals receiving major trauma should have a trauma theatre available 24
      hours a day. 55 (91.67%) also foresaw themselves covering major trauma as
      consultants, consequently these trainees will be the consultants developing,
      moulding and working in this restructured trauma service.

PMID- 26485832
TI  - Postnatal MRI Brain in Infants Treated for Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome.
AB  - Untreated twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is associated with significant
      mortality and neurological impairment. Fetoscopic laser surgery (FLS) is the
      treatment of choice. We sought to assess intracranial abnormalities in TTTS twins
      following treatment. In this prospective, blinded study MRI scans were performed
      on 3 groups; (1) monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twins with TTTS who had
      undergone FLS (n = 10), (2) MCDA twins without TTTS (n = 8) and (3) dichorionic
      twins (n = 8). Scans were scored as either normal or abnormal. The primary
      outcome was a composite of abnormal MRI brain or intrauterine fetal demise. The
      primary outcome occurred in 6/10 (60%) of the TTTS group versus 3/8 (37.5%) in
      the MCDA group. The primary outcome was significantly different across all study
      groups [p = 0.029; X2 = 7.112]. We found that twins treated for TTTS are more
      likely to have abnormalities on MRI brain at term than other twin groups. This
      group merits term-corrected MRI as part of their postnatal assessment.

PMID- 26485833
TI  - Advanced Maternal Age and Assisted Reproductive Technologies in an Irish
      Population.
AB  - In recent decades the amount of women over 40 seeking assisted reproductive
      technology (ART) interventions in order to become pregnant has dramatically
      increased, both in Ireland and worldwide. This is due to an increase in the
      average age at which women are choosing to have their first child while
      additionally, many couples are choosing to have a second family later in life.
      However, as with natural conception, ART success rates decrease with maternal
      age. In the present study, we perform a 16 year retrospective analysis on our
      clinical data of women between 40 and 45 years of age, who have undergone ART at
      a tertiary referral ART clinic. The percentage of patients in this age group was
      analysed over time, in order to determine follicle recruitment, % oocyte yield,
      embryonic quality, positive hCG (pregnancy rate), clinical pregnancy rate and
      rate of preclinical pregnancy loss. Results from our clinic show that women
      greater than 43 years of age have a significantly reduced reproductive potential
      compared to women in the 40 to 42 years age group. Woman in the 43-45 age group
      showed reduced fertilization rates (53.73% versus 58.82%), reduced positive hCG
      rates (11.51%0/ versus 19.03%) and clinical pregnancy rates (5.04% versus 12.52%)
      and increased rates of preclinical pregnancy loss (56.23% versus 34.23%),
      compared to women in the 40-42 age group. With the age at which couples are
      choosing to have children constantly increasing, novel ART treatment strategies
      need to be developed.

PMID- 26485834
TI  - A Survey of Lung Health and COPD Awareness amongst Participants at a Mobile
      Spirometry Clinic.
AB  - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a leading cause of death in
      Ireland. It affects over 440,000 people 10%of Ireland's population), but
      awareness of COPD is low. COPD Support Ireland is a national charity established
      to advocate for and support those with COPD. For World COPD Day 2013, a mobile
      clinic visited 5 locations to provide information about COPD and free spirometry
      testing. In this study, we evaluated participants' level of knowledge about COPD
      and whether this was correlated with a number of variables. Participants
      completed a questionnaire (352). Questionnaires were analysed to ascertain this
      self-presenting population's characteristics. Most (247, 70.2%) were smokers/ex
      smokers, yet only 168 (47.7%) knew of COPD. Almost 18% (63, 17.9%) required
      referral to GPs with abnormal spirometry results. Our findings suggest the need
      for greater COPD education and awareness to increase earlier diagnosis, reduce
      health care costs and improve quality of life.

PMID- 26485835
TI  - Using Social Media to Increase Accessibility to Online Teaching Resources.
AB  - The key learning points of Surgical Grand Rounds (SGR) are often not accessible
      at times of exam revision for students. We sought to use Twitter as an online
      teaching repository. A SGR Twitter profile was created. 23 SGR presentations were
      made accessible on Twitter over a 3 month period. 93 students were invited to
      complete a questionnaire assessing usage of the repository. 84 (90%) in total
      responded, of these, 25 (80.6%) felt that the online provision of SGR through
      twitter was "useful". The majority (71%) felt that the online content was easily
      accessible. The novel use of social media is a useful adjunctive educational tool
      in accessing an online repository of SGR presentations.

PMID- 26485836
TI  - Congenital Arteriovenous Malformation of the Forearm and Hand.
AB  - We report the case of an asymptomatic arteriovenous malformation (AVM), extending
      from the forearm into the palm, in an 11-year-old boy. A debulking procedure was
      performed meticulously dissecting the lesion from the involved structures. The
      post-operative course was uncomplicated and no evidence of recurrence was noted
      at eighteen months follow-up. Extensive AVMs involving structures vital for hand
      function may be asymptomatic. Clinical follow-up is paramount, due to the
      inherent risk of recurrence.

PMID- 26485837
TI  - Therapeutic Hypothermia in ICUs.
AB  - Recent research on Therapeutic Hypothermia (TH) post cardiac arrest has raised
      questions about its implementation and benefits. TH to 32-34 degrees C is still
      included in international guidelines for post-cardiac arrest care. We
      investigated how Irish ICUs are utilising TH as part of their management of
      patients post cardiac arrest using a telephone survey of all Irish ICUs. All 25
      ICUs in Ireland participated. As of quarter 2 2014, TH was part of post-cardiac
      arrest management in 20 ICUs (80%), which is similar to international figures.
      2011 was the median year for units to start using TH in Ireland. Over half 13
      (52%) of Irish ICUs have experience with cooling more than 10 patients. Despite
      lack of evidence for its benefit, 12 ICUs (48%) use TH for OHCA non VF-VT
      arrests. Lack of resources was cited by 2 ICUs (8%) as well as no local consensus
      by 1 ICU (4%) prevented a small minority adopting the protocol. Similar methods
      of inducing and maintaining TH were found in Ireland as with overseas. Interest
      was expressed in recent research on TH and in 2 ICUs local practice had changed
      because of it. An updated international resuscitation guideline is awaited.

PMID- 26485838
TI  - National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS): Are Hospital Doctors Up To
      Date?

PMID- 26485839
TI  - Maintaining Good Quality Clinical Data in Interhospital Transfer.

PMID- 26485840
TI  - CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SERUM N-TERMINAL PRO C-TYPE NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE IN
      HEPATITIS C-RELATED CHRONIC LIVER DISEASES.
AB  - To evaluate the clinical utility of serum levels of N-terminal pro C-type
      natruretic pep-tide (NT-pro CNP) in patients with hepatitis C related chronic
      liver disease (CLD), in prospective to disease complications and progression.
      This study included 66 hepatitis C-related CLD patients with and without ascites
      and 15 healthy individuals (control group). Serum NT-pro CNP was measured by
      ELISA. A stepwise progressive increase in NT-pro CNP levels was recorded through
      controls, patients without ascites and patients with ascites (p< 0.05). In
      addition, patients with hematemesis or encephalopathy had more than its double
      values than those without (p<0.01). Moreover, a significant difference was
      observed in the marker levels among esophageal varcies stages 1, 2, 3 (H=13.679,
      p=0.001), with highest levels in grade 3. NT-pro CNP correlated positively with
      alpha fetoprotein (rs =0.455, p=0.008) with no significant correlation neither
      with MELD nor Child scores (p>0.05). ROC curve analysis revealed the overall
      performance of the marker in discriminating CLD patients collectively from
      controls, the optimum cut-off level was 85 ng/L (AUC= 0. 803, sensitivity 84.8%&
      specificity 53.3%). An increased level of NT-pro CNP is a promising non-invasive
      marker of hepatitis C related CLD complications and disease progression.

PMID- 26485841
TI  - FINE STRUCTURAL STUDY ON EMERIA SP. INFECTING THE LIBYAN JIRDS (MERIONES LIBYCUS)
      IN SAUDI ARABIA: MEROGONY, MACROGAMETOGENESIS AND HOST-PARASITE RELATIONSHIP.
AB  - Ultrastructural characteristics of merogony and the development of mature
      merozoits and macrogametogensis of Eimeria sp. infecting the Libyan jird were
      investigated. Mono and binucleated schizonts were detected. Developed merozoites
      showed all the apicomplexan architecture (Pellicle, conoid, rhoptries, micronemes
      ... etc). Transformation into macrogametes were studied. Early macrogamonts
      characterized by the loss of all apicomblexan characters and the appearance of
      wall-forming bodies were the first indication for macrogametogenesis. As
      development precepded, two types of wall forming bodies (I, II) were clearly
      detected. Cell organelles including amylopectin granules and lipid globules were
      greatly increased in mature macrogametes. Young oocyst (zygote) with double-layer
      oocyst wall were also detected. Host cell reaction due to infection included
      hypertrophy of the infected host cell, enlargement, deformation and displacement
      of the host cell nucleus. Swollen and degeneration of mitochondria, endoplasmic
      reticulum and cytoplasmic vacuolation of the host cell. All parasite stages were
      enclosed in parasitophorous vacuole limited by unit membrane. Extended damage
      effect appeared in some neighboring host cell indicating the secretion of some
      toxins by the parasite.

PMID- 26485842
TI  - AN INITIAL INDICATION OF PREDISPOSING RISK OF SCHISTOSOMA MANSONI INFECTION FOR
      HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA.
AB  - Estimated 500,000 - 1 million cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are
      reported to occur yearly worldwide, with a mean annual incidence of around 3 - 4%
      of global population. HCC is rapidly fatal in most patients; that makes its
      incidence and mortality rates almost equal. In the last 5-10 years there were
      many alarming reports of sharply increased incidence of HCC. In Egypt, HCC
      reported to account for about 4.7% of chronic liver disease (CLD) patients, which
      has tremendous impact on socio-economic development in the country. Available
      data suggests indirect evidence of an association between Schistosoma mansoni and
      hepatocellular carcinoma, possibly through potentiation of hepatitis infections.
      The present study was conducted case control analysis of 60 HCC patients. Chronic
      schistosomiasis cases were confirmed by finding Anti-Schistosoma mansoni
      antibodies IgG by ELISA. Hepatitis C viral infection was proved by detection of
      viral load by quantitative Real time PCR. Among the study group 56.6% (34/60)
      were dweller in rural in Al-Fayoum governorate. Within hepatocellular carcinoma
      cases 26.7% (16/60) and 33.3% (20/60) suffered mono chronic schistosomiasis and
      mono hepatitis C (HCV) infections respectively, with no statistically significant
      differences (p=0.37), indicating comparable risk value of both infections in
      predisposing directly to HCC. Additionally; frequency of HCC patients with
      assumed potentiated HCV infection by chronic Schistosoma mansoni 6.7% (4/60) were
      statistically significant (p<0.05) less among total HCC patients included in this
      study, when compared to HCC patients preceded by either pure chronic
      schistosomiasis 26.7% (16/60) or pure HCV infection 33.3% (20/60). Our present
      study is one of few, addressing the possibility of direct relation between S.
      mansoni & hepatic carcinoma, concluding an initial indication of equal risk value
      of both human chronic S. mansoni infection and hepatitis C viral infections in
      precipitating hepatocellular carcinoma among Egyptian patients.

PMID- 26485843
TI  - REPELLENT EFFECT OF OCIMUM BASILICUM AND GLYCYRRHIZA GLABRA EXTRACTS AGAINST THE
      MOSQUITO VECTOR, CULEX PIPIENS (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE).
AB  - Essential or volatile oils of plants have been variously reported to have many
      medicinal applications. Methanol, acetone and petroleum ether extracts of Ocimum
      basilicum and Glycyrrhiza glabra were screened for their repellency effect
      against Culex pipiens mosquito. The repellent action of the present plants
      extracts were varied depending on the solvent used and dose of extract. Methanol
      extract of O. basilicum exhibited the lowest repellent activity as it recorded
      77.4% at 6.7mg/cm2. The petroleum ether and acetone extract of 0. basilicum
      showed repellency of 98.1 & 84.6% respectively, at dose of 6.7mg/cm2, while
      methanolic extract of G. glabra recorded 73.8 & 50.3% at dose of 6.7 &1.7mg/cm2
      respectively, the petroleum ether and acetone extract of G. glabra showed
      repellency of 76.3 & 81.6%, respectively at dose of 6.7mg/cm2, compared with the
      commercial formulation, N.N. diethyl toulamide (DEET) which exhibited 100%
      repellent action at dose of 1.8mg/cm2, respectively. The results may contribute
      to design an alternative way to control mosquitoes currently based on
      applications of synthetic insecticides. These extracts could be developed
      commercially as an effective personal protection meaure against mosquito bites
      and thus to control diseases caused by mosquito-borne pathogens.

PMID- 26485844
TI  - TRAINING PROGRAM FOR NURSING STAFF REGARDING VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVERS IN A
      MILITARY HOSPITAL.
AB  - Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) refer to a group of illnesses caused by several
      distinct families of viruses. In general, the term "viral hemorrhagic fever" is
      used to describe a severe multisystem syndrome (multisystem in that multiple
      organ systems in the bpdy are affected). Characteristically, the overall vascular
      system is damaged, and the body's ability to regulate itself is impaired. These
      symptoms are often accompanied by hemorrhage (bleeding); however, the bleeding is
      it rarely life-threatening. While some types of hemorrhagic fever viruses can
      cause relatively mild illnesses, many of these viruses cause severe, life
      threatening disease. The selected disaster diseases for this study included: 1
      Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic Fever, 2-Dengue Fever, 3-Ebola Fever, 4-Hem-orrhagic
      Fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), 5-Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, 6-Lassa Fever,
      7-Marburg Fever, 8-Rift Valley Fever and 9-Yellow Fever. The educational training
      program was given over ten sessions to a group of Staff Nurses. The results
      showed that the program succeeded in enhancing nurse' knowledge, awareness,
      responsibility, and obligations toward patients with the Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
      The results showed a significant impact of training sessions illuminated in the
      follow-up test on the knowledge score of nurses in all types of diseases except
      for the Congo hemorrhagic fever, while, statistical significance varied in some
      diseases in the study when it comes to the comparison between pretest and post
      test. All results confirmed on the positive impact of the training program in
      enhancing the knowledge of nurses toward VHFs patients and their relevant. There
      was a significant positive impact of the training sessions on changing the
      attitude of nurses toward patients with VHFs. This result was confirmed on the
      collective level since the total scores on tests revealed significant positive
      impact of the study on changing the attitude of nurses toward relevant patients.
      The relationship included personal data (age, sex, level of education, & years of
      experiences) and main variables (knowledge scores & attitude change to patients)
      with the disease in question. This part revealed a significant relationship
      between all personal data and total knowledge score among nurses except for the
      level of education, while all results were insignificant for the relationship
      between the personal data and the nurses' attitude. Difference between the total
      nurses' attitude change and the total knowledge scores was significant on the
      three tests' levels; pre, post, and the follow-up. The overall evaluation showed
      that six criteria were adopted, regarding the educator, the length of
      presentations, the evaluation of the studied groups regarding the training
      facilities, the subject matters, the overall training program, and the importance
      of diseases in question to their practical working environment. The frequency
      distribution showed that the educator met nurses' expectations; the material
      tools were plausible enough to satisfy trainees and presentations were fairly
      short. But, the training facilities were just excellent by the vast majority of
      trainees. The entire material met specific needs of relevant health care
      organizations, but about 43% reported that it was difficult. The vast majority of
      trainees favored the program under almost all criteria studied in the final
      questionnaire. Above 50% of trainees were not confident enough toward their
      ability in applying their knowledge acquired practically. The final evaluation
      showed that the most important were Rift Valley fever, Ebola fever, Hanta virus
      pulmonary syndrome, Crimean Congo fever and lastly Dengue fever. Lassa and
      Marburg fevers were of less interest to nurses.

PMID- 26485845
TI  - DETECTION OF GIARDIA INTESTINALIS COPROANTIGENS IN DIARRHEIC SAMPLES BY
      IMMUNOCHROMATOGRAPHIC AND ELISATECHNIQUES.
AB  - Giardia intestinalis is one of the most common diarrhea-causing protozoa. The
      present study aimed to search for specific and sensitive diagnostic tests to
      avoid loss of infected cases with Giardia intestinalis by detection of G.
      intestinalis coproantigens in diarrheic samples through comparison between direct
      parasitological method, an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and
      immunochromatographic test (ICT). A comparative cross-sectional study including
      75 cases suffering from diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms suggestive
      of intestinal giardiasis as abdominal distention, abdominal pain, anorexia,
      nausea, vomiting and weight loss, and 25 cases were without any clinical
      manifestations enrolled in this study. For every case, complete history taking
      and full clinical examination were done. Stool samples were collected from all
      cases and investigated by direct parasitological method, ELISA, and
      immunochromatographic techniques. The results showed that the sensitivity of
      immunochromatographic technique was 96% and specificity was 96% while sensitivity
      of ELISA was 98% and specificity was 96% on comparing their results to the
      microscopic examination of stool samples for Giardia intestinalis.

PMID- 26485846
TI  - COMPARISON OF PAIN CONTROL DURING TRUS GUIDED BIOPSIES BETWEEN BASAL PERI
      PROSTATIC LOCAL INFILTRATION ANESTHESIA VERSUS COMBINED TOPICAL ANAL LIGNOCAINE
      OINTMENT AND LOCAL INFILTRATION ANESTHESIA.
AB  - Control of pain associated with TRUS guided biopsies was the target of many
      researches that tried peri-prostatic local infiltration anesthesia (PLIA) either
      basal, apical, combined or topical anesthesia (TA). Thus, the efficacy of (PLIA)
      alone versus (PLIA) combined with (TA) in pain control during TRUS guided
      biopsies was compared. A total of 163 patients with a mean age+/-2stdev (61+/-1.4
      years) and a mean PSA +/- 2stdev (8.5+/-1. lng/ml) 84 patients (Gl) were
      randomized to receive either PLIA alone (Gl) or 79 patients (G2) combined TA
      (using lignocaine 5% ointment of the anal ring, anal canal, and anterior rectal
      wall and basal PLIA via injecting 5 ml 2% xylocaine in both sides of the base),
      with cross-matched mean ages. Patients were asked to scale pain from 0-10 during
      probe insertion (P1), periprostatic infiltration (P2) and after taking biopsies
      in all patients (P3) using the visual analogue pain scale to complete a visual
      analogue scale questionnaire. The patients in G2 showed significantly less pain
      scores at all stages of the procedure (P1, P2 & P3) in comparison tp patients in
      G1 especially regarding P1 and P2. The mean reported pain score was 24, 4+/-5, 6
      and 15, 8+/-3.8 for G1 & G2 respectively, with significant difference (p=0,022).

PMID- 26485847
TI  - A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR NURSING STAFF ON HEALTH HAZARDS OF CHEMICAL INSECTICIDES
      EXPOSURE IN A PRACTICAL FIELD.
AB  - An insecticide is an agent used against insects, ticks, mites and other animals
      affecting human welfare. Exposure to Insecticides is one of the most important
      occupational risks among staff worker in Military camp, veterinary medicine,
      industry and household as well as schools and hospitals. This study Aimed to
      improve nursing staff knowledge regarding adverse health effects of chemical
      insecticides exposure in a military field. SETTING: The study was conducted in
      one of the Main Military Hospital. RESEARCH DESIGN: was used a quasi-experimental
      research design to conduct this study. SUBJECT: all nursing staff who work in a
      Military Hospital (n=55) who accept to participate in the research study.
      RESULTS: A significant improvement in the Nurses' Total knowledge score was found
      in post-test as compared to that in pre-test. All nurses obtained a satisfactory
      level of knowledge after the 1st & 2nd post-tests; all of them evaluate the
      program in relation to trainees' exnectations as "excellent".

PMID- 26485848
TI  - LAPAROSCOPIC MANAGEMENT OF DISTAL URETERIC STONE IN BILHARZIAL URETER: RESULTS OF
      A SINGLE CENTER PROSPECTIVE STUDY.
AB  - No doubt, Bilharzial ureters are complicated by distal stricture due to
      precipitation of Bilharzial ova in distal ureter. These cases are associated with
      poorly functioning and grossly hydronephroic kidneys that hinder endoscopic
      manipulation of the coexistent distal, high burden, long standing impacted
      stones. Thus, laparoscopic uretrolithotomy was performed in 51 bilharzial
      patients with distal ureteric stones 4 trocars were used. The ureter was opened
      directly over the stone and the stone was extracted. A double-J stent was
      inserted into the ureter which was closed by 4-0 polyglactin running suture. The
      results showed that among 51 cases 33 males and 18 females; the mean age was
      40.13 years. the mean stone size was 2.73 cm. Conversion to open surgery was in
      only one case; the mean operative time 92.05 (range 75-120 minutes);
      postoperative pain score ranged from 20 to 60, the mean number of PO analgesic
      request was 1.72 (range 1-3); it was once in 21, twice in 23 and thrice in 7
      cases. Hospital stay ranged from 2 to 5 with a mean of 2.74 days; total duration
      of follow up ranged from 7 to 12 with a mean of 9.68. Stone recurrence reported
      in 4 cases; ureteric stricture reported in 2 cases. Stone free rate was reported
      to be 100%.

PMID- 26485849
TI  - ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PHLYCTENULAR CONJUNCTIVITIS AND INTESTINAL PARASITES.
AB  - This study was carred out on fifty children suffering from Phlyctenular
      keratoconjunctivitis and attending ophthalmology outpatient clinics of Sohag
      University Teaching Hospital and Sohag Ophthalmology Hospital, of them 30 (60%)
      male and 20 (40%) females with age range from 6months to 14 years. Fifty stool
      samples were collected and examined microscopically for detection of any
      parasitic infection. 12(24%) cases were infected with Hymenolepis nana, one (2%)
      case was infected with E. hyistolytica, one case was infected Enterobius
      vermicularis, one case was infected with Giardia lamblia and one case was
      infected Tenia spp., regarding to age and sex distribution of the disease, male
      gender and age ranged from 6-8years were more affected, rural children were more
      affected than urbans one.

PMID- 26485850
TI  - COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY VERSUS PLAIN RADIOGRAM IN EVALUATION OF RESIDUAL STONES AFTER
      PERCUTANEOUS NEPHROLITHOTOMY OR PYELONEPHROLITHOTOMY FOR COMPLEX MULTIPLE AND
      BRANCHED KIDNEY STONES.
AB  - This study compared the efficacy of computed tomography of the urinary tract (CT
      urography) versus plain X-ray of the urinary tract (KUB) in detection and
      evaluation of the significance of residual stone after percutaneous
      nephrolithotripsy (PCNL) or surgical pyelonephrolithotomy (SPNL) for complex
      branching or multiple stones in the kidney. A retrospective prospective archival
      cohort of 168 patients underwent PCNL or SPNL for large stag horn or multiple
      stones in the kidney were evaluated, they were 113 patients who underwent SPNL,
      and 55 patients underwent PCNL. In all patients they had KUB second day of the
      operation, those who had multiple kidney punctures in the PCNL procedure for
      multiple stones, or multiple nephrotomies in the SPNL procedure, or had a
      radiolucent stones had an additional imaging with CT urography. Indications for
      the CT urography were cases of radiolucent stones and multiple small calyceal
      stones detected pre-operatively. The study was conducted between March 2010 and
      December 2014, data weie retrospectively analyzed. Preoperatively multiple or
      branching stones were diagnosed with intravenous urography and CT urography.
      Stone size and location were mapped pre-operatively on a real-size drawing, and
      three dimensional computed construction images in multiple planes. All patients
      were informed about the advantages, disadvantages and probable complications of
      both PCNL and SPNL before the selection of the procedure. Patients decided the
      type of the surgery type by themselves and written informed consent was obtained
      from all patients prior to the surgery. Patients were in two groups according to
      the patient's preference of surgery type. Group 1 consisted of 113 patients who
      underwent SPNL and Group 2 consisted of 55 patients treated with PCNL. Detection
      of residual stones stone postoperatively using KUB and CT urography was evaluated
      in both groups. There was statistical significance between the two imaging
      methodology in detection of residual stones after PCNL and/or SPNL. CT urography
      detected stones of 2 mm and up to 5mm which was not visualized with KUB. CT
      urography was statistically significant and precise in detecting the radiolucent
      stones of uric acid, urate, and phostate stones which were not detected by KUB.

PMID- 26485851
TI  - SODIUM DODECYL SULPHATE POLYACRILAMIDE GEL ELECTROPHORESIS (SDS-PAGE) FOR
      DIFFERENTIATION OF DIFFERENT SCHISTOSOME AND FASCIOLID SPECIES.
AB  - Fasciola and Schistosoma spp. are digenetic trematodes that have a major
      detrimental impact on human health worldwide. It is not unusual to find common
      molecules among parasites of different species, genera, or phyla. In this study
      Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was used to
      identify the common proteins of adult Fasciola and Schistosoma spp. Adult
      Fasciola spp, were collected from the bile ducts of naturally infected cattle and
      sheep. Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium adults surface antigens were
      prepared in Theodor Bilharz Research Institute were used. Results showed sharing
      bands between all worms, which have the same molecular weight of 36 kDa. On the
      other hand, band with molecular weight 41 kDa was sharing between them except F.
      hepatica. Bands at 48 and 170 kDa were sharing between all species of Fasciola
      spp and Schistosoma mansoni.

PMID- 26485852
TI  - ULTRASTRUCTURAL STUDY OF TWO PARASITES INFECTING DOMESTICATED TURKEY MELEAGRIS
      GALLOPAVO LINNAEUS, 1758 (GALLIFORMES: MELEAGRIDINAE) QENA, EGYPT.
AB  - The work gave a detailed systematic morphology by optic and scan electron
      microscopy of two parasites; Raillietina echinobothriida Megnin, 1880 and Spirora
      meleagaris n. sp. infecting domesticated turkey, with some important description
      characters. SEM revealed that tegument of R. echinobothriida exhibits,
      filamentous, microtriches and sensory papillae densely covered the tegument of
      entire body, rostellum armed with two rows of hummer-shaped hooks and provide by
      16-20 rows of small, rose thorn-shaped accessory spines. In addition, a number of
      taxonomic features in S. meleagaris n. sp. that differ from other species of the
      genus, mouth circular, bounded by a cuticular three circles plates, five pairs of
      cephalic papillae, an inner circle of two pairs situated on the wall of the
      buccal cavity, one pairs of larges sub-median amphids, and an outer circle of two
      pairs papillae. Buccal cavity supported by four chitinious cusped molar teeth
      anteriorly directed .Vulva near the end of the first third of the body, vulvular
      lips prominent. The male has unique rose like shaped pedunculated and unarranged
      numerous distributed sessile cervical papillae at the second third of the body
      that are distinguishable from other spirorid.

PMID- 26485853
TI  - ROLE OF T REGULATORY CELLS IN CHRONIC HCV INFECTED EGYPTIAN PATIENTS AND THEIR
      IMPACT ON THE RESPONSE TO PEGYLATED INTERFERON THERAPY.
AB  - Treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C with the current standard
      pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin achieves overall response (SVR)
      rates of ~55%. A role of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg cells) has been
      proposed as they can suppress HCV-specific T cells in HCV-infected patients.
      Patients with chronic HCV legible for PEG-IFN plus ribavirin treatment, were
      classified according to their response to treatment into two groups (responders
      and non-responders, 32 and 27 patients respectively). Blood and plasma samples
      were collected at the start of treatment and at 12 and 24 weeks during treatment.
      Immunophenotyping by flow cytometry for Treg cells, the FOXP-3 expression using
      real-time PCR and measurement of IL-10, TGF-beta CXCL-9 and CXCL-10 were
      performed. Increased expression of Treg cells was detected in patients who didn't
      respond to treatment before and during treatment. Also, the levels of IL-10, TGF
      beta, CXCL-9 and CXCL-10 revealed significant increase.in non-responders all
      through compared to responders group. Evaluation of Treg cells, cytokines (IL-10
      & TGF-beta) and chemokines (CXCL-9 & CXCL-10) before starting the treatment could
      be a predictor of response to treatment with PEG-IFN plus ribavirin. The optimum
      levels which would differentiate between responders and non-responders are needed
      to be defined before-hand.

PMID- 26485854
TI  - ROLE OF EPITHELIAL MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION IN HEPATIC FIBROGENESIS.
AB  - Liver fibrosis is a gradual process of increased secretion and decreased
      degradation of extra-cellular materials. Two cell types are now well recognized
      as being involved in liver fibrosis, i.e. hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and
      portal mesenchymal cells. T iis process is initiated by the damage of hepatic
      cells, which leads to activation of hepatic stellate cells that differentiate
      into myofibroblasts leading to the formation of liver fibrosis. On the other
      hand, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and mesenchymal-epithelial transition
      are crucial for the regulation of cellular plasticity during liver fibrosis. The
      EMT is a process in which molecular reprogramming leads epithelial cells to adopt
      a mesenchymal phenotype. During EMT, epithelial cells gain mesenchymal features
      which include changes in the expression of epithelial markers. The EMT process
      plays fundamental roles during embryogenesis, tissue fibrosis, and
      carcinogenesis. As multiple experimental studies of liver fibrosis have confirmed
      that established liver fibrosis is reversible upon cessation of the causative
      agent, modulation of the EMT markers could be promising as potential therapeutic
      agents. Better understanding of the molecular cascades of intracellular
      fibrogenic signaling and genetic factors that controlling the expression of EMT
      markers would be a powerful strategy for early diagnosis and treatment liver
      fibrosis at the genetic level. Activating or silencing of the responsible genes
      may be an efficient and more specific approach for treating liver fibrosis either
      through the arrest of EMT or the induction of MET.

PMID- 26485855
TI  - INTESTINAL PARASITES DETECTED DURING PRE-EMPLOYMENT STOOL EXAMINATION AT TERTIARY
      HEALTH CARE CENTER IN MAKKAH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA.
AB  - This retrospective study determined the intestinal parasites discovered in 2490
      new employees in a tertiary health care center in Makah as regards nationalities,
      age groups and sex over the period from January 2010 to January 2014 to decrease
      introduction of communicable diseases. All the data were provided through the
      electronic hospital information system. The overall positive cases were 16%,
      significantly higher in females 57.4% than males 42.6%. Differences in
      distribution of positive records among different geographical areas were highly
      significant being highest in East Asia 59.8 %. Blastocystis hominis was the most
      common parasite. It occurred in 78,9% of positive cases followed by Entamoeba
      coli 9.3%, Giardia lamblia 5.8% and Entamoeba histolytica/dispar 5.3%. These
      findings should motivate any other country importing expatriate employees to have
      effective screening programs for intestinal parasites.

PMID- 26485856
TI  - ULTRASTRUCURAL STUDY OF BEE LOUSE VARROA DESTRUCTOR ANDERSON & TRUEMAN 2000
      (ACARI: VARROIDAE) WITH RESISTANCE MODELS FROM APIS MELLIFERA L.
AB  - The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor is the most dangerous pest of honeybee
      Egyptian race Apis mellifera L., as it causes many losses in apiculture
      worldwide. Adult female mites are flattened with a dome-shaped dorsal shield. The
      present SEM study revealed that the flat ventral surface is composed of series of
      plates. There are 5 rows of small, chemoreceptor papillae posterior to the genito
      ventro anal shield, and a unique respiratory structure (peritreme) is located
      laterally above Coxa III. Peritreme is a chitinized elongated area surrounding
      stigma opening, provided by a lid that looks like a rose with a curly thick inner
      membrane which has numerous teeth-like projections. Mite' legs appeared to be
      modified for parasitism and each is tipped by one distal empodium. The pretarsus
      of the first pair of legs becomes a concave sucker and the pretarsus of the 3
      pairs of the posterior legs consists of membranous amblacral pad (the caruncle).
      The mouthparts appeared well modified for its diet on bee hernolymph with its'
      powerful pedipalp for host attachment. High magnification revealed different
      types of setae distributed on the body, the mechano-receptor pedipalp short. and
      long anal setae and dorsal shield sensory simple setae.

PMID- 26485857
TI  - LYMPHOEPITHELIOMA-LIKE CARCINOMA OF THE URINARY BLADDER ASSOCIATED WITH
      SCHISTOSOMIASIS: A CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE.
AB  - Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma is an undifferentiated carcinoma with
      histological features similar to undifferentiated, non-keratinizing carcinoma of
      the nasopharynx. Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the urinary bladder is
      uncommon with a reported. incidence of 0.4% -1.3% of all bladder cancers. This
      case describes an 80 years old Egyptian male patient presented with recurrent
      hematuria and necroturia. Cystoscopy revealed a tumor involving the left lateral
      and the posterior wall of the urinary bladder. The patient underwent
      transurethral resection of the bladder tumor. Pathological examination showed
      muscle invasive lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma associated with schistosomiasis
      of the urinary bladder. To the best of our knowledge the association of
      schistosomiasis with lymphoepithelioma-like bladder cancer was not described in
      the literature before this case report.

PMID- 26485858
TI  - INTESTINAL PARASITES IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC ABDOMINAL PAIN.
AB  - Information about intestinal parasites in Sohag (Upper Egypt) in patients with
      chronic abdominal pain is scarce. This study determined the intestinal parasites
      symptoms in 130 patients with chronic abdominal pain and cross-matched 20 healthy
      persons. Parasitic infection was confirmed by stool analysis.The most commonest
      clinical data with stool analysis was as following: 1-Entamoeba histolytica
      associated with nausea 20 (3 7.74%) followed by anorexia 19 (35.85%), 2-Entamoeba
      coli associated with diarrhea 3 (100%) followed by nausea 2 (66.67%) and vomiting
      2 (66.67%), 3-Enetrobius vermicularis associated with nausea 2 (66.67%), diarrhea
      2 (66.67%) followed by flatulence 1(33.33%), 4-Giardia lamblia associated with
      anorexia 3 (42.86%), vomiting 3 (42.86%) followed by diarrhea 2 (28.57%)., 6
      Hymenolepis nana associated with anorexia 10 (40.00%) followed by flatulence 9
      (36.00%), 7-Taenia saginata associated with dyspepsia 3 (60.00%) followed by
      flatulence 2 (40.00%), and 8-Ancylostoma duodenal associated with anorexia 2
      (66.67%) and diarrhea 2 (66.67%).

PMID- 26485859
TI  - SCHISTOSOMIASIS IN NAG HAMMADY CITY, RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INFECTION AND ANEMIA
      AMONG CHILDREN AND YOUTH, QENA GOVERNORATE, EGYPT.
AB  - The highest prevalence of schistosomiasis is usually found in school-age children
      and youth, where it represents the main cause of iron deficiency anemia. Study
      was done on 859 patients; their age from 5-18 years old at Nag Hammady at the
      period from July 2013 to July 2014 all of them had subjective history of contact
      or swimming in water canals. Urine was examined for urinary schistosomiasis by
      concentration and positive cases were subjected to urine analysis by Nucleopore
      filtration technique, S. haematobium was 30.96%, while stool samples were
      macroscopically examined mainly for enterobiasis and gravid segments and then
      were microscopically examined as stained direct smear and by sedimentation and
      Kato-Katz techniques. The intestinal parasites other than intestinal
      schistosomiasis were not encountered and the pure S. mansoni was 0.69% of
      examined patients. The overall pure schistosomiasis was 31.66%. Iron deficiency
      anemia was 27.7% in non-infected cases and in schistosomiasis patients iron
      deficiency anemia were found in 43.38% with statistically significant (P
      value=0.001).

PMID- 26485860
TI  - ALLERGIC REACTIONS CAUSED BY VENOM OF HYMENOPTEROUS STINGING INSECTS AND THE ROLE
      OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS.
AB  - The Hymenoptera are the third largest order of insects, comprising the sawflies,
      wasps, bees and ants. Worldwide, over 150,000 species are recognized, with many
      more remaining to be described. The name refers to the wings of the insects, but
      the original derivation is ambiguous. The Ancient Greek upsilonMUetanu (hymen)
      for membrane provides a pLusible etymology for the term because these insects
      have membranous wings. However, a key characteristic of this order is that the
      hind wings are connected to the fore wings by a series of hooks called hamuli.
      Thus, another plausible etymology involves, Hymen, the Ancient Greek god of
      marriage, as these insects have "married wings" in flight. Stinging insects and
      the medical risk associated with their venoms are complex topics, and
      presentation of information pertaining to them requires the use of technical
      terms. The most common reactions to these stings are transient pain and redness
      at the site lasting a few hours (local reaction), and exaggerated swelling
      lasting a few days (large local reaction). The most dangerous immediate reaction
      is anaphylaxis, which is potentially fatal.

PMID- 26485861
TI  - INTESTINAL PARASITIC INFECTIONS AND ATOPIC DISEASES IN CHILDREN: A HOSPITAL BASED
      STUDY.
AB  - Different helminth parasites may have different effects on allergy depending on
      the timing of the exposure. A meta-analysis of many of studies reported the
      association between the presence of geohelminth eggs in stool samples and asthma
      provided some evidence for parasite-specific effects. This study evaluated the
      occurrence of allergy among different intestinal parasitic infected patients. A
      cross sectional study was carried out from June, 2013 to October, 2013 in the
      Pediatric Outpatient Clinic of Al-Fayoum University Hospitals among 55 children
      aged 2 years to 13 years. The data were collected using ISSAC questionnaire of
      allergy (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) also
      laboratory analysis of complete blood picture, stool analysis and measurement of
      total serum IgE were performed for the patients. Among the patients 27 suffered
      from allergy and 28 had no allergic complain. Stool examinations showed Entrobius
      vernicularis (15), Trichostrongylus species (9), Hymenolepis nana (8), Entameba
      histolytica (8), Giardia lamblia (6), and mixed infections (9). The allergic
      group by parasitological examination 7 children (25.9%) had Entrobius
      vermicularis; 6 children (22.2%) Entameba histolytica; and 2 children (7.4 %)
      Giardia lamblia, with eosinophilic count was higher in the enterobiasis infected
      children than in protozoa infected ones. There were significantly high IgE levels
      in mixed parasitic infection (P= 0.006) and with Entrobius vermicularis
      infections (P=0.04). Also statistically significant difference between allergic
      groups by ISAAC score and the non allergic group regarding Ig E levels (P= 0.03).
      There was no significant difference between numbers of children with allergy and
      those without allergy among different parasitic infections. However, a marked
      significant association between the allergy and parasitic infected children was
      not declaimed.

PMID- 26485862
TI  - NON-INVASIVE PREDICTORS FOR THE PRESENCE, GRADE AND RISK OF BLEEDING FROM
      ESOPHAGEAL VARICES IN PATIENTS WITH POST-HEPATITIC CIRRHOSIS.
AB  - Variceal bleeding is the last step of a chain of events initiatedby an increase
      in portal pressure, followed by the development and progressive dilation
      ofvarices until these finally rupture and bleed. The ideal method to diagnose
      portal hypertension should be accurate, noninvasive, objective, and reproducible.
      The study evaluated the predictive value of two non-invasive parameters for the
      diagnosis of esophageal varices (EV): 1-Right liver lobe diameter/serum albumin
      ratios (RLLD/S. albumin), and 2-Platelet count/splenic bipolar diameter ratios
      (Platelets count/SBPD). This study included eighty Egyptian patients with post
      hepatitic cirrhosis (45 males and 35 females). They underwent laboratory
      ultrasono-graphic and endoscopic examinations within one week. RLLD/S. albumin
      and Platelets count/SBPD ratios were calculated. The results showed that EV were
      not detected by upper digestive endoscopy in 25%, while grade I of EV was found
      in 17.5%, grade II in 17.5%, grade III in 20%, & grade IV in 20%. RLLD/S. albumin
      concentration ratio diagnosed the varices at cut off value of 3.43 with 95%
      sensitivity and 80% specificity. Also, it was positively correlated with grading
      of E.V, when this ratio increased the grading of E.V increases and vice versa.
      Besides, it predicted bleeding from E.V. at cut off value of 5.096 with 63%
      sensitivity and 73% specificity. Platelet count/SBPD ratio predicted the presence
      of varices at cut off value 1847 with 95% sensitivity and 93% specificity, and
      negatively correlated with grading of EV, when this ratio decreased grading of
      E.V increase and vice versa. It also predicted bleeding from E.V. at cut off
      value of 4809 with 50% sensitivity and 93% specificity.

PMID- 26485863
TI  - AMBULANT FLEXIBLE CYSTOSCOPY FOR FOLLOW-UP OF Ta-TI UROTHELIAL CARCINOMA OF THE
      URINARY BLADDER: PAIN PERCEPTION AND COST EFFECTIVE.
AB  - Ambulant flexible cystoscopy is the standard procedure in the urological practice
      for follow-up of Ta-T1 urothelial carcinoma (UC) due to its ability to survey the
      bladder for a variety of indications. It is the principal means of diagnosis and
      surveillance of bladder tumors. The follow-up of patients treated for Ta-T1 UC is
      of great importance because of the high incidence of recurrence and progression
      of the disease, whereby patients with Ta-T1 UC undergo cystoscopy every three
      months. The aim of this study to evaluate the procedure of ambulant flexible
      cystoscopy in proper diagnostic follow-up of Ta-T1 UC, patient's acceptance in
      regard to pain tolerance, non-hospital stay and expenses. Twenty one patients (18
      male and 3 female) were diagnosed before as Ta-T1 UC by rigid cystoscopy and
      transuretheral resection of bladder (TURB) lesion scheduled for follow up by
      flexible cystoscopy under local anesthesia using 20 ml 2% lidocain gel on an
      ambulatory bases. Comparison was done using a cohort of 32 patients who underwent
      the procedure of follow-up of Ta-T1 cystoscopy and TURB using rigid cystoscopy
      and resectoscope. Seventeen patients 80.9% (16 male and 2 female) proved to be
      bladder free from recurrent lesion, 4 patients {19.1 %} (3 males and one female)
      which revealed recurrent lesions in spite of that the urinary bladder was free in
      pelvic ultrasonography. Cold cup biopsy from the lesions sent for
      histopathological examination which revealed recurrence of the tumor in 3
      patients (two patients with Ta and one patient T1. TURB was done to have complete
      resection in 4 patients, the histopathological examination revealed ulcerating
      mucosa and free lamina propria in 3 specimens, and T2 in the fourth specimen.
      Comparison between the 2 groups revealed more patient's acceptance for the
      flexible cystoscopy group as regard pain tolerance, non-hospital stay and
      expenses. Ambulatory flexible cystoscopy with 20 ml of 2% lidocaine gel
      anesthesia is tolerated well by patients, with advantage of no hospital stay in
      the regular follow up of Ta-T1 tumors, pain perception was accepted by all
      patient provided delayed cystoscopy after lidocaine-gel instillation.

PMID- 26485864
TI  - PREVALENCE OF DICROCOELIUM DENDRITICUM INFECTION IN SHEEP AT TAIF PROVINCE, WEST
      SAUDI ARABIA.
AB  - Dicrocoelium dendriticum is a common zoonotic parasite of sheep in many Regions
      of Saudi Arabia. In chronic infections, this parasite causes biliary cirrhosis in
      livers of cattle, sheep, or goats and leads to economic losses. This study
      compared the prevalence of Dicrocoelium dendriticum in local sheep and imported
      sheep in Taif Province, West Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional survey was
      carried out in slaughterhouses in Taif Province. A total 2230 local sheep and
      21383 imported sheep were studied. The number of injury in imported sheep was
      observed as 99 representing 0.46% of the number of animals examined, while no
      record of any injury was observed in local sheep.

PMID- 26485865
TI  - INTESTINAL PARASITES IN DIABETIC PATIENTS IN SOHAG UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS, EGYPT.
AB  - Intestinal parasites usually create benign diseases, though they may induce
      complications with high morbidity and mortality to the immunocompromised,
      including diabetic patients. The study detected the prevalence of intestinal
      parasitic infections in diabetic patients, comparing to non-diabetic controls and
      other parameters. A total of 100 fecal samples were collected from diabetic
      patients at the outpatient clinic of Sohag University Hospitals and another 100
      from cross matched controls. The samples were examined macroscopically and
      microscopically by direct smear and different concentration methods then stained
      by Modified Ziehl-Neelsen Acid fast stain. Glycated hemoglobin (Hb Alc) was
      measured to detect DM controlled patients. The data were organized, tabulated,
      and statistically analyzed. Intestinal parasites were found in 25 (25%) cases out
      of 100 patients in diabetic group and 7(7%) cases out of 100 controls with high
      significance (P<0.001)). In the diabetic group, Giardia lamblia was detected in
      22 cases (22%) and 5 (5%) among controls, Entamoeba histolytica in 7 cases (7%)
      and 3 (3%) among controls, Hymenolypis nana in 5 cases (5%) and 3 (3%) among
      controls, Entamoeba coli in 8 patients (8%), Entamoeba hartmanni in 3 cases (3%),
      Dientamoeba fragilis in a case (1%), Cryptosporidium parvum in 5 cases (5%) and
      microsporidia in 3 cases (3%). But, E. coli, E. hartmanni, D. fragilis and C.
      parvum nor microsporidia were detected in controls. The rate of G. lamblia in DM
      patients compared to controls was high significant (P<0.001). Hymenolepis nana
      was 5% (5 cases) in diabetic patients compared to 3% (3 cases) in controls.
      Residence and sex differences were not significant, while age, >10 years showed
      the highest prevalence (P< 0.003), type I infection rate was significantly higher
      than type II (P<0.001). DM control was also significantly affected the infection
      rates (P<0.007 in type I and P< 0.01 in type II).

PMID- 26485866
TI  - LAPAROSCOPIC ASSISTED PER-CUTANEOUS RADIO-FREQUENCY ABLATION (LAPRFA) AS A NEW
      MODALITY FOR TREATMENT OF HCC IN CIRRHOTIC LIVER.
AB  - Laparoscopic assisted percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (LAPRFA) for
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) under guidance of intra-operative laparoscopic
      ultrasound (IOLUS) is a new modality for obtaining additional assessment of the
      liver situation, better tumor staging and effective treatment for the hepatic
      focal lesion (HFL), in patients with a difficult percutaneous approach. Between
      September 2010 and July 2014, 1150 patients with HCC on top of liver cirrhosis
      were referred to HCC clinic (MDT clinic) at National Hepatology and Tropical
      Medicine Research Institute (NHTMRI). Fourty nine patients were submitted to
      LAPRFA under IOLUS guidanceby the Multidiscipplinary team decision. Operation
      time, hospital stay, post procedure complications were recorded. A routine spiral
      CT scan one month postoperative and laporatory investigations with AFP were
      mandatory during follow up. The results showed that LAPRFA was completed in all
      patients. The IOLUS examination identified new HFL in three patients. A total of
      52 lesions were treated. The mean operative time was 92 minutes; eight procedures
      were associated in six patients: cholecystectomy (6) and adhesiolysis (2). A
      complete tumor ablation was observed in all patients during the procedure by the
      U/S assessment intra-operatively, and was documented via spiral computed
      tomography (CT scan) one mopth after treatment.

PMID- 26485867
TI  - [Elektropolis].

PMID- 26485868
TI  - [In the end in service of humanity].

PMID- 26485869
TI  - [Cooperation in practice, science and industry ].

PMID- 26485870
TI  - [Anesthesia nursing in regional anesthesia].

PMID- 26485871
TI  - ["The sleeping giant nursing must wake up"].

PMID- 26485872
TI  - [Risk assessment of decubitus ulcer].

PMID- 26485873
TI  - [Underestimated decubitus duration].

PMID- 26485874
TI  - [Reacting to self-injury behavior].

PMID- 26485875
TI  - [With instinct, expertise and patience].

PMID- 26485876
TI  - [Source of criticism and identity?].

PMID- 26485877
TI  - [Difficult times in Nepal].

PMID- 26485878
TI  - [The motivating power of nursing colleagues].

PMID- 26485879
TI  - [With perseverance and passion].

PMID- 26485880
TI  - [Insidious epidemic].

PMID- 26485881
TI  - [Are advance directives a facilitator?].

PMID- 26485882
TI  - [An engagement at the Teddy Bear Hospital].

PMID- 26485883
TI  - [George's clock].

PMID- 26485884
TI  - [A recognition from patients and peers?].

PMID- 26485885
TI  - [Good treatment of the elderly: an idea for improved care].

PMID- 26485886
TI  - [Involvement of collaborators, key to success].

PMID- 26485887
TI  - [What if all causes were not investigated?].

PMID- 26485889
TI  - Lessons in decompression.

PMID- 26485888
TI  - [Hands up].

PMID- 26485890
TI  - Utilization Management and ACR Select.
AB  - The ACR, published as ACR Select, provides an industry standard for imaging and
      through its experience with Appropriateness Criteria, is positioned to respond
      quickly to changing market demands. It has added hundreds of clinically relevant
      indications to ensure that even common scenarios have coverage. ACR Select is
      inclusive of numerous other credible content sources and actively receives vetted
      criteria from other medical specialty societies. ACR Select is well established
      in the market and available for integration into multiple physician access
      points. It also has support for the provisions and requirements of PL113-93.
      Healthcare providers have adopted ACR Select within their physician access points
      to deliver higher quality imaging services and understand the impact that imaging
      has on the overall care cycle. This better positions these providers to
      participate in risk-based contracts based on the value that appropriate imaging
      delivers. With the passage of PAMA, Congress has set a powerful precedent that
      has created the opportunity for every healthcare payer to transform the way
      imaging utilization is managed. Physicians will be required to consult
      Appropriateness Criteria delivered through CDS when placing orders for HTDI exams
      for Medicaid patients, and this can easily extend across the entire payer mix.
      PAMA has passed into public law (PLI113-93) and represents an opportunity for
      healthcare providers to develop risk based payment models across all imaging
      services, regardless of the payer of the claim or care setting.

PMID- 26485891
TI  - VNA: An Unavoidable Investment?

PMID- 26485892
TI  - Workplace Bullying in Healthcare: Part 2.
AB  - Bullying can occur in any work environment; however, it is especially prominent
      in healthcare. Although accrediting and professional organizations recognize the
      danger (to patients and staff) and have implemented standards and guidelines to
      curtail the behavior, organizations have been slow to adapt. Organizations that
      are beginning to address the problem encounter opposition, legal challenges, and
      lengthy battles. Laws that were originally created to protect employees
      unfortunately also protect the perpetrators. Oftentimes the victim(s) leave the
      organization long before any resolution. Part 2 of this series will describe the
      legal protection that is intended to protect staff, but unintentionally benefits
      the bully as well.

PMID- 26485893
TI  - The Promise.

PMID- 26485894
TI  - Clinical Decision Support Systems and Medical Imaging.
AB  - Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) can help clinicians make correct and
      timely decisions about patient care, reduce errors, comply with standard
      treatment and medication guidelines, reduce costs, and ultimately improve the
      quality of healthcare. An overview of various models is provided. This tool can
      apply to six areas of healthcare, all of which have a significant impact on
      improving care and provider performance: diagnosis, disease progress management,
      care and treatment, drug prescribing, evaluation, and prevention. Beginning in
      January 2017, referring physicians must use appropriateness criteria when
      ordering advanced imaging for Medicare patients. CDSS will be a critical part of
      this process. In the medical imaging chain, from ordered study to communicating
      results, such systems can help achieve best practices.

PMID- 26485895
TI  - CT Lung Cancer Screening Program Development: Part 1.
AB  - Emerging sources of reimbursement will stimulate the development of many new CT
      lung cancer screening programs. With reimbursement will come many requirements,
      however, necessitating that programs carefully manage quality and patient safety.
      A major consideration when developing a program is how to address the lack of
      consistency in payer and clinical guidelines for which patients to screen.
      Radiology administrators should employ basic project management and change
      management methods to organize the endeavor.

PMID- 26485896
TI  - It's People that Matter.

PMID- 26485897
TI  - Commit to Sit in Radiology.
AB  - At Houston Methodist Hospital, Commit to Sit is a program that encourages
      radiology professionals to communicate with patients in a way that demonstrates
      compassion, respect, empathy, and competence in order to foster a trusting
      relationship. Using active and empathic listening, dialogue is received and
      understood in the way it was intended, creating a patient centric environment
      resulting in high quality, safe patient care with improved outcomes. The implicit
      understanding derived from results and outcomes confirms the fact that patients
      prefer the radiology staff to sit while communicating with them. This
      understanding allows the voice of the patient to be heard and should be a
      consistent practice among all staff.

PMID- 26485898
TI  - E-Jail.

PMID- 26485899
TI  - Blessings and Challenges.

PMID- 26485900
TI  - Heroin: What's Next?

PMID- 26485901
TI  - The Changing Face of Heroin Addiction.

PMID- 26485902
TI  - Electrical Pulp Testing: Sources of Error.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Accurate identification and assessment of an inflamed or necrotic
      tooth is essentialfor endodontic treatment. The purpose of this research was to
      investigate possible sources of error associated with the use of the electric
      pulp tester (EPT). METHODS: Forty-six intact teeth (23 tooth pairs) in 22
      patients were evaluated in vivo. For the tooth pairs, one tooth had to have been
      previously endodontically treated and restored with a class II amalgam
      restoration. The restoration was required to have proximal contact with a class
      II amalgam of another vital posterior tooth. EPT was performed on pulpless and
      vital teeth for experimental groups (enamel, restoration, contacting, or
      isolated). RESULTS: The highest rate of false positive responses (82%) was found
      in the pulpless restored contacting group, suggesting that EPT impulses are able
      to travel through proximal metallic contacts and stimulate teeth distant from the
      EPT probe. All vital tooth groups had a high rate of positive responses with no
      significant diferences. CONCLUSIONS: If a tested tooth contains an interproximal
      restoration contacting adjacent restorations or the gingival, the teeth must be
      isolated (rubber dam) and the EPT probe should be placed in a region suspected to
      have uninterrupted tubule paths to the pulp.

PMID- 26485903
TI  - Using Multiple Bonding Strategies.
AB  - There are many ways to bond to tooth structure, some micro-mechanical some
      chemical, some a combination. Different dentin bonding materials have different
      bonding strengths to differently prepared surfaces, and because of differences in
      their nature, different areas of tooth structure present peculiar bonding
      challenges. This paper will review a variety of material types, elucidating their
      particular bonding strengths and commenting on improved bonding strategies to
      increase durability, strength, and favorable pulpal response. In this discussion,
      resin dentin bonding systems, glass ionomers, Gluma, resin cements, and newer
      combined products will br reviewed.

PMID- 26485904
TI  - Focus on Strengths for Greater Practice Health.

PMID- 26485905
TI  - [Methodology Guideline for Clinical Study Investigating Traditional Chinese
      Medicine and Integrative Medicine].

PMID- 26485906
TI  - [Diagnosing and Treating Consensus of Integrative Medicine for Chronic
      Prostatitis].

PMID- 26485907
TI  - [Zheng Classification in Chinese Medicine: from Its Integration with Disease
      Diagnosis to Clinical Effectiveness Assessment and Combinational New Drug
      Discovery].
AB  - As the core of traditional Chinese medicine theory, Zheng (syndrome, or pattern)
      classification will promote personalized medicine by changing the clinical
      diagnosis into a more precise mode when integrating Zheng classification with
      disease diagnosis approaches. The author adopted rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a
      disease model, to explore the scientific fundamentals of Zheng classification
      based on disease diagnosis using systemic biological approaches and evidence
      based medicine design, as well as developed novel approaches on the methodology
      of clinical effectiveness evaluation on Chinese medicine and R&D of combinational
      drugs design based on Fu Fang (Chinese herbal formula). Some unique research
      design and methods are herein introduced.

PMID- 26485908
TI  - [Study on Shen Is Progressing by Keeping Pace with the Time].

PMID- 26485909
TI  - [Practical Diagnostic Criterion of Blood Stasis Syndrome: Introduction,
      Reliability, and Validity].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To introduce practical diagnostic criterion of blood stasis syndrome
      (BSS), and to evaluate its reliability and validity. METHODS: By referring to
      three diagnostic criteria of BSS [practical diagnostic criterion of BSS
      (criterion A), diagnostic criterion of BSS in 1986 (criterion B), Consensus of
      Integrative Medicine on BSS Diagnosis in 2011 (criterion C)], 712 patients from
      different departments of Xiyuan Hospital were recruited. The reliability of
      criterion A and its consistency with the other two criteria were assessed using
      Kappa coefficient. A Bayesian approach was also employed to assess the
      sensitivity and specificity of criterion A. RESULTS: According to the consistency
      check, criterion A presented good consistency when used by different researchers
      (the diagnostic accordance rate was 91. 96%, Kappa =0. 82, P <0.001). Meanwhile,
      there was an acceptable diagnostic consistency among the three diagnostic
      criteria. Bayesian estimation suggested that criterion A had higher sensitivity
      but similar specificity, as compared with criterion B or criterion C. Compared
      with criterion B [the median of sensitivity and specificity were 0. 762 (95% Cl:
      0. 731 -0. 790) and 0. 902 (95% Cl: 0. 858 -0. 936) respectively, the median of
      sensitivity and specificity of criterion A were 0. 911 (95% CI: 0. 888 - 0. 930)
      and 0. 875 (95% CI: 0. 826 - 0. 915) respectively. Estimating the difference
      between criterion A and B, the median of sensitivity and specificity were 0. 149
      (95% CI: 0. 112 -0.184) and -0. 026 (95% CI:-0. 085 -0. 033) respectively.
      Compared with criterion C [the median of sensitivity and specificity were 0. 831
      (95% Cl: 0. 804 -0. 857) and 0. 892 (95% CI: 0. 848 - 0. 926) respectively], the
      median of sensitivity and specificity of criterion A were 0. 912 (95% CI: 0. 889 
      0. 932) and 0. 880 (95%CI: 0. 833 - 0.919) respectively. Estimating the
      difference between criterion A and C, the median of sensitivity and specificity
      were 0. 081 (95% CI: 0.047 - 0.114) and -0.011 (95%CI: -0.070 -0.046)
      respectively. CONCLUSION: Compared with criterion B and C, criterion A not only
      had better reliability, but also could significantly improve the sensitivity
      without obviously lowering the specificity.

PMID- 26485910
TI  - [Effect of Low Molecular Weight Heparin Calcium Combined Compound Danshen
      Injection on Perinatal Outcomes of Nephrotic Syndrome Patients with Early Onset
      Severe Pre-eclampsia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of low molecular weight heparin calcium (LMWHC)
      combined Compound Danshen Injection (DI) on nephrotic syndrome patients with
      early onset severe preeclampsia. METHODS: Totally 80 nephrotic syndrome patients
      with early onset severe pre-eclampsia were randomly assigned to four groups
      voluntarily, i.e., Group A (22 cases, treated by magnesium sulfate), B (19 cases,
      treated by magnesium sulfate plus LMWHC), C (21 cases, magnesium sulfate plus
      DI), D (18 cases, magnesium sulfate plus LMWHC and DI). Umbilical arterial S/D
      ratios, amniotic fluid index (AFI), prolonged gestational age, placenta weight,
      neonatal weight, and Apgar score were compared among the four groups. RESULTS:
      Compared with before treatment in the same group, umbilical arterial S/D ratios
      decreased in the four groups (P <0. 05). AFI decreased in Group A, while it
      increased in Group B, C, and D (P<0. 05). Compared with Group A at the same time
      point, umbilical arterial S/D ratios decreased, and AFI increased in Group B, C,
      and D (P <0. 01 , P <0. 05). Prolonged gestational age and neonatal weight were
      increased in Group B, C, and D (P <0. 01, P <0. 05). Placenta weight were
      increased in Group B and D (P <0. 05). Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min were improved
      in Group D (P <0. 05). Compared with Group B and C at the same time point,
      umbilical arterial S/D ratios decreased, and AFI increased in Group D (P<0. 05).
      Compared with Group B, prolonged gestational age and placenta weight were
      decreased in Group C, but prolonged gestational age and placenta weight were
      increased in Group D (P <0.05). Compared with Group C, prolonged gestational age,
      placenta weight, and neonatal weight were increased in Group D (P <0. 05).
      CONCLUSION: Treatment of nephrotic syndrome patients with early onset severe pre
      eclampsia by LMWHC combined DI could prolong gestational ages, obviously improve
      prenatal outcomes, with better effect obtained than using any of them alone.

PMID- 26485911
TI  - [Effect of Magnesium Sulfate, Nifedipine Tablet Combined Salvia Injection on ET
      1/NO, TXA2/PGI2 and Hemorheology of Preeclampsia Patients].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of magnesium sulfate, Nifedipine Tablet (NT)
      combined Salvia Injection (SI) on endothelin-1 (ET-1), nitric oxide (NO),
      thromboxane A2(TXA2), prostacyclin I2(PG2), and hemorheology of preeclampsia
      patients. METHODS: Totally 704 preeclampsia patients were randomly assigned to
      the treatment group and the control group, 352 cases in each group. All patients
      were treated with magnesium sulfate combined NT (on the first day: slow
      intravenous injection of magnesium sulfate 5 g + intravenous dripping of
      magnesium sulfate injection 10 g + oral administration of NT 30 mg; on the second
      and third day, intravenous dripping of magnesium sulfate injection 10 g + oral
      administration of NT 30 mg), while those in the treatment group were dripped with
      SI additionally at 20 mL per day for 3 consecutive days. Before and after
      treatment plasma levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1), nitric oxide (NO), TXA2, PGi2,
      and hemorheology indicators [such as high blood viscosity (HBV), low blood
      viscosity (LBV), plasma viscosity (PV), erythrocyte rigidity index (ERI),
      fibrinogen (FIB)] of two groups were detected. RESULTS: Compared with the same
      group before treatment, serum levels of ET-1, TXA2, HBV, LBV, PV, ERI, and FIB
      decreased in the two groups after treatment (P <0. 05), but levels of NO and PG2
      increased (P <0. 05). Compared with the control group in the same period, levels
      of ET-1, TXA2, HBV, LBV, PV, ERI, and FIB decreased in the treatment group after
      treatment (P <0. 05), but levels of NO and PGI2 increased (P <0. 05). CONCLUSION:
      Magnesium sulfate, NT combined SI could effectively regulate the balance of ET
      1/NO and TXA2/PGI2, and improve hemorheology of preeclampsia patients.

PMID- 26485912
TI  - [Effect of Modified Huanglian Jiedu Decoction Purgation Combined
      Electroacupuncture in Intervening Gastrointestinal Dysfunction of Critically Ill
      Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of purgation and detoxification therapy on
      gastrointestinal dysfunction of critically ill patients undergoing abdominal
      surgery. METHODS: Totally 56 inpatients with severe gastrointestinal dysfunction
      after abdominal surgery at ICU of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional
      Chinese Medicine were assigned to the treatment group and the control group, 28
      in each group. All patients received routine Western medical treatment. Patients
      in the treatment group additionally took Modified Huanglian Jiedu Decoction
      (MHJD) and received electroacupuncture (EA) for 7 days. The first exhaust time,
      defecation time, scores for gastrointestinal dysfunction, mechanical ventilation
      time, ICU hospitalization time, and 28-day fatality rate were observed.
      Furthermore, serum levels of diamine oxidase (DAO) and D-lactic acid were
      detected at day 1, 3, and 7 after treatment. RESULTS: The first exhaust time and
      the first defecation time in the treatment group were ahead of schedule, when
      compared with those of the control group (P <0. 05). Scores for gastrointestinal
      dysfunction, mechanical ventilation time, serum levels of DAO obviously decreased
      in the treatment group (P <0. 05). There was no statistical difference in serum
      levels of D-lactic acid, ICU stay time, the incidence of pulmonary infection, and
      28-day mortality between the two groups (P >0. 05). Results of Logistic analysis
      showed that scores for gastrointestinal dysfunction were related with the
      incidence of pulmonary infection (P <0. 05). CONCLUSION: MHJD combined EA could
      promote the recovery of gastrointestinal function in critically ill patients
      after abdominal surgery via improving intestinal barrier function, which was
      benefit for shortening mechanical ventilation time.

PMID- 26485913
TI  - [Protection of Transcutaneous Acupoint Electrical Stimulation for Brain Injury
      Undergoing Intervention: a Clinical Observation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of transcutaneous acupoint electrical
      stimulation (TAES) combined dexmedetomidine on hemodynamic of intracranial
      aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients undergoing intervention, and their
      protection for brain Injury. METHODS: Totally 108 intracranial aneurysmal
      subarachnoid hemorrhage patients undergoing intervention were randomly assigned
      to the electroacupuncture (EA) group and the control group according to random
      digit table, 54 in each group. All patients were anesthetized with
      dexmedetomidine. Patients in the EA group were needled at bilateral Neiguan
      (PC6), Lieque (LU7), and Yunmen (LU2). Parameter setting was as follows: The
      dilatational wave at 1. 5 Hz, strength 2 - 4 mA, 30 min. Systolic blood pressure
      (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart
      rate (HR) were compared between the two groups immediately after entry into the
      room (T0), after administration (T1), intubating (T2), resuscitation (T3),
      extubation (T4), and leaving the operating room (T5). Levels of S100beta protein
      (S100beta) and neuron specific enolase (NSE) were compared between the two groups
      at T0, immediately after surgery (T6), 6 h after operation (T7), 12 h after
      operation (T8), and 24 h after operation (T9). RESULTS: Compared with the same
      group at T0, SBP, DBP, MAP, and HR were significantly reduced in the two groups
      at T1-T5(P <0. 05), serum levels of S100beta and NSE in the two groups were
      significantly increased at T6-T9 (P<0. 05). Compared with the control group at T1
      - T5, SBP, DBP, MAP, and HR decreased in the EA group (P <0. 05). Compared with
      the control group at T6-T9, serum levels of S100beta and NSE decreased in the EA
      group (P <0. 05). CONCLUSION: TAES combined dexmedetomidine could effectively
      maintain stable hemodynamics of intracranial aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
      patients undergoing intervention, and regulate their serum levels of S100beta and
      NSE.

PMID- 26485914
TI  - [Effect of Wenyang Huazhuo Tongluo Recipe on Peripheral Blood Thl7/Treg Cell
      Balance in Systemic Sclerosis Patients].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Wenyang Huazhuo Tongluo Recipe (WYHZTLR) on
      the proportion of T helper 17 cells (Thl7)/regulatory T cells (Treg), and serum
      levels of IL-17 and IL-10 in peripheral blood of systemic sclerosis (SSc)
      patients with yang qi insufficiency and turbidity induced collaterals blockage
      syndrome (YQITICBS). METHODS: Totally 82 SSc patients were randomly assigned to
      the Western medicine group (as the control group) and the integrated Chinese and
      Western medicine group (as the treatment group), 41 cases in each group. All
      patients took methotrexate (MTX) tablet and prednisone tablet. Patients in the
      treatment group additionally took WYHZTLR. The treatment course for all was six
      consecutive months. Besides, another 70 healthy volunteers were recruited as a
      healthy control group (as the healthy group). Percentages of Th17 and Treg in
      peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry. Serum levels of IL-17, IL-10,
      von Willebrand factor (vWF), aminoterminal propeptide of type l procollagen
      (PIIINP), and cross-linked carboxyterminal telopeptide of type I collagen ( I
      CTP) were measured by double antibody sandwich ELISA. The correlations between
      Th17/Treg and levels of vWF, PIIINP, I CTP, skin score, and disease activity
      index were observed by Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: The percentage of
      Th17 in peripheral blood, ratios of Th17/Treg, and the serum level of IL-17 were
      significantly higher, but the percentage of Treg and the serum level of IL-10
      were significantly lower in SSc patients, when compared with those of the healthy
      group (P <0. 05, P <0. 01). Compared with the same group before treatment, the
      percentage of Thl7, ratios of Thl7/Treg, and levels of IL-17, vWF, and PIIINP all
      decreased in the two groups after treatment (P <0.05, P <0.01), but the
      percentage of Treg and the IL-10 level increased (P <0. 05, P <0. 01).
      Meanwhile,the level of I CTP was higher in the treatment group after treatment (P
      <0. 05). The improvement of all indices except the percentage of Th17 was more
      obvious in the treatment group than in the control group (P <0. 05, P <0. 01).
      The ratio of Th17/Treg was positively correlated with levels of vWF, PIIINP, skin
      score, and disease activity index before and after treatment respectively (P <0.
      01), but with no obvious correlation with the level of I CTP (P >0. 05).
      CONCLUSION: WYHZTLR could achieve its therapeutic effect on SSc patients by
      regulating Th17/Treg imbalance, lowering levels of vWF and PIIINP, and elevating
      the level of I CTP.

PMID- 26485915
TI  - [Screening of Active Fractions from Huanglian Jiedu Decoction against Primary
      Neuron Injury after Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the protective effect of active fractions of Huanglian
      Jiedu Decoction (HJD) on primary cortical neuron injury after oxygen-glucose
      deprivation (OGD)/reperfusion (R) injury. Methods Using macroporous resin method,
      HJDFE30, HJDFE50, HJDFE75, and HJDFE95 with 30%, 50%, 75%, and 95% alcohol were
      respectively prepared. Then the content of active components in different HJD
      fractions was determined with reverse phase high-performance liquid
      chromatography (RP-HPLC). The OGD/R injury model was induced by sodium dithionite
      on primary cortical neurons in neonate rats. MTT assay was used to observe the
      effect of four fractions (HJDFE30, HJDFE50, HJDFE75, and HJDFE95) and seven index
      components of HJD on the neuron viability. RESULTS: RP-HPLC showed active
      component(s) contained in HJDFE30 was geniposide; baicalin, palmatine, berberine,
      and wogonside contained in HJDFE50; baicalin, berberine, baicalein, and wogonin
      contained in HJDFE75. The neuron viability was decreased after OGD for 20 min and
      reperfusion for 1 h, (P <0. 01), and significantly increased after administered
      with HJD, HJDFE30, HJDFE50, and HJDFE75 (P <0. 05, P <0. 01). Geniposide,
      baicalin, baicalein, palmatine, wogonside, and wogonin could increase the
      cortical neuron viability (P <0. 05, P <0. 01). CONCLUSIONS: HJDFE30, HJDFE50,
      and HJDFE75, as active fractions of HJD, had protective effect on primary
      cortical neuron injury after OGD/R. Furthermore, geniposide, baicalin, and
      baicalein were main active components of HJD.

PMID- 26485916
TI  - [Effect of Yinao Jieyu Recipe on Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor of the Limbic
      System in Post-Stroke Model Rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the evolutionary tendency of brain derived neurotrophic
      factor (BDNF) of the limbic system in post-stroke model rats and the intervention
      effect of Yinao Jieyu Recipe (YJR). METHODS: Male Wistar rats were randomly
      divided into the normal control group (n =6), the sham-operation group (n =7),
      the multiple cerebral infarction (MCI) group (n =10), the post-stroke depression
      (PSD) group (n =10), the Chinese medicine (CM) treatment group (n =10), and the
      Western medicine (WM) treatment group (n =10) according to random digit table
      after open-field testing. Rats in the normal control group were routinely fed. 0.
      3 mL normal saline was intravenously pushing from the external carotid artery to
      rats in the sham-operation group, and distilled water administered to them by
      gastrogavage. Each dose allogenic microthrombi were in vitro pushed to rats in
      the rest groups from the external carotid artery. The PSD model was duplicated by
      21-day chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and single cage feeding in the
      PSD group 7 days after surgery. After preparing models rats in the CM group and
      the WM group were administered with YJR and Nimodipine respectively for 4
      successive weeks. Changes of BDNF and the intervention effect of YJR were
      observed at week 1, 2, and 4 after intervention. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical
      results of BDNF showed, compared with the normal control group, expression levels
      of BDNF in the hippocampus, hypothalamus, and amygdala decreased in the MCI group
      at week 2 and 4 (P <0. 01 , P <0. 05) ; expression levels of BDNF in each part
      decreased in the PSD group at week 1-4 (P <0.01). Compared with the MCI group,
      expression levels of BDNF in each part decreased in the PSD group at week 1-4 (P
      <0. 01). Compared with the PSD group, expression levels of BDNF in each part
      increased in the CM group at week 1-4 (P <0. 01). CONCLUSION: BDNF changes
      existed in post-stroke model rats, and YJR could slow down this progress.

PMID- 26485917
TI  - [Effect of Yifei Jianpi Recipe on Airway Inflammation and Airway Mucus
      Hypersecretion of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Model Rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe preventive and therapeutic effect of Yifei Jianpi Recipe
      (YJR) on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) model rats and to explore
      its mechanism from the way of airway inflammation and airway mucus
      hypersecretion. METHODS: The COPD rat model was established by using cigarette
      smoking combined with intratracheal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Male
      SD rats were randomly divided into the blank control group (control group), the
      model group, the YJR group, 6 in each group. Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced
      expiratory volume in 0. 1 second (FEV0. 1), FEVO. 1/FVC, peak expiratory flow
      (PEF) was tested by lung function device. Pathological changes of bronchi and
      lung tissues were observed by HE staining. Airway Goblet cells were observed
      using AB-PAS staining. Contents of IL-8, IL-17, and TNF-alpha in bronchoalveolar
      lavage fluid (BALF) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
      Protein expressions of intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), nuclear
      factor KB (NF-KB), mucin 5AC (Muc5AC), and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in rat
      airway were detected by immunohistochemical assay. mRNA expressions of TLR4 and
      Muc5AC in bronchi and lung tissues were detected by real-time quantitative PCR
      (RT qPCR). RESULTS: Changes of bronchi and lung tissues in the model group rats
      were consistent with typical pathological manifestations of COPD. Compared with
      the model group, the degree of lung injury was significantly alleviated in the
      YJR group. Compared with the control group, FVC, FEV0. 1, FEVO. I/FVC, and PEF
      were decreased (P <0. 01), contents of IL-8, IL-17, and TNF-alpha in BALF were
      significantly increased (P <0. 01), protein expressions of ICAM-1, NF-KB, Muc5AC,
      and TLR4, mRNA expression levels of Muc5AC and TLR4 in bronchi and lung tissues
      were also significantly increased in the model group (P <0. 01). Compared with
      the model group, FVC, FEV0. 1, FEV0. 1/FVC, and PEF were significantly increased
      in the YJR group (P <0. 01, P <0. 05), but the rest indices were significantly
      lowered (P <0. 01, P <0. 05). CONCLUSION: YJR could decrease contents of IL-8, IL
      17, and TNF-alpha in BALF of COPD model rats, inhibit protein expression levels
      of ICAM-1, NF-kappaB, Muc5AC, and TLR4.in airway and lung tissues, thus playing
      preventive and therapeutic roles by reducing airway inflammation and airway mucus
      hypersecretion.

PMID- 26485918
TI  - [Effect of Osteoking on Bone Mineral Density and Dickkopf-1 Protein Levels in
      Rabbits with Osteoporotic Fracture].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of Osteoking on bone mineral density (BMD) and
      serum Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) protein levels in rabbits with osteoporotic fracture
      (OPF). METHODS: Totally 45 female Japanese big-ear rabbits were randomly divided
      into the treatment group, the model group, and the blank control group (as the
      control group), 15 in each group. Bilateral ovaries were ectomized for 24 weeks
      in the treatment group and the model group. Their left radial factures were
      induced after confirmed osteoporosis. Rabbits in the treatment group were
      administered with Osteoking by gastrogavage, once per two days. Equal volume of
      normal saline was given to rabbits in the model group. The general BMD and serum
      DKK-1 protein levels were detected before ovariectomy, at week 24 and 48 after
      ovariectomy. RESULTS: There was significant difference in the general BMD at week
      24 after ovariectomy between the model group and the control group, and it was
      lower in the model group. Compared with the model group, the general BMD
      significantly increased and serum DKK-1 protein levels significantly decreased in
      the treatment group after intervention. Serum DKK-1 protein levels were
      significantly lower after intervention than before intervention in the treatment
      group. CONCLUSION: Osteoking could improve the BMD of OPF rabbits, and reduce
      their serum DKK-1 protein levels as well.

PMID- 26485919
TI  - [Effect of Herba Lycopodii Alcohol Extracted Granule Combined Methylprednisolone
      on Expression Levels of BDNF and NMDA and Behavior of Traumatic Spinal Cord
      Injury Rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study different effects of Herba Lycopodii (HL) Alcohol Extracted
      Granule combined methylprednisolone on behavioral changes, brain derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression levels, and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)
      receptor levels in rats with spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: Male adult SD
      rats were randomly divided into five groups, i.e., the sham-operation group, the
      model group, the HL treatment group, the methylprednisolone treatment group, the
      HL + methylprednisolone treatment group. Rats in the HL treatment group were
      intragastrically administered with HL at the daily dose of 50 mg/kg for 5
      successive days. Rats in the methylprednisolone treatment group were
      intramuscularly injected with 50 mg/kg methylprednisolone within 8 h after spinal
      cord contusion, and then the dose of methylprednisolone was reduced for 10 mg/kg
      for 5 successive days. Rats in the HL + methylprednisolone treatment group
      received the two methods used for the aforesaid two groups. Basso Beattie and
      Bresnahan (BBB) score (for hindlimb motor functions) were assessed at day 0, 3,
      7, and 28 after operation. At day 13 after SCI, injured spinal T8-10 was taken
      from 8 rats of each group and stored in liquid nitrogen. The N-methyl-D-aspartate
      (NMDA) receptor affinity (Kd) and the maximal binding capacity (Bmax) were
      determined using [3H]MK-801 radioactive ligand assay. Rats' injured spinal cords
      were taken for immunohistochemical assay at day 28 after SCI. Expression levels
      of BDNF in the ventral and dorsal horn of the spinal cord were observed. RESULTS:
      Compared with the sham-operation group, the number of BDNF positive neurons in
      the ventral and dorsal horn of the spinal cord increased in the model group, Bmax
      increased (470 +/- 34), Kd decreased, and BBB scores decreased at day 3 -28 (all
      P <0. 05). Compared with the SCI model group, the number of BDNF positive neurons
      and Kd increased, BBB scores at day 3 -28 increased (P <0. 05) in each medicated
      group. Bmax was (660 +/- 15) in the methylprednisolone treatment group, (646 +/-
      25) in the HL treatment group, and (510 +/- 21) in the HL +methylprednisolone
      treatment group (P <0. 05). Compared with the methylprednisolone treatment group,
      the number of BDNF positive neurons and Kd increased, BBB scores at day 7 -28
      increased, and Bmax decreased in the HL treatment group and the HL +
      methylprednisolone treatment group (all P <0. 05). Compard with the HL treatment
      group, the number of BDNF positive neurons and Kd increased, and Bmax decreased
      (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: HL could effectively improve motor functions of
      handlimbs, increase expression levels of BDNF in the spinal cord, and lessen
      secondary injury by affecting spinal levels of NMDA receptors. It showed certain
      therapeutic and protective roles in treating SCI. Its effect was better than that
      of methylprednisolone with synergism.

PMID- 26485920
TI  - [Exploration of the Essence of "Endogenous Turbidity" in Chinese Medicine].
AB  - The essence of endogenous turbidity in Chinese medicine (CM) is different from
      cream, fat, phlegm, retention, damp, toxicity, and stasis. Along with the
      development of modern scientific technologies and biology, researches on the
      essence of endogenous turbidity should keep pace with the time. Its material
      bases should be defined and new connotation endowed at the microscopic level. The
      essence of turbidity lies in abnormal functions of zang-fu organs. Sugar, fat,
      protein, and other nutrient substances cannot be properly decomposed, but into
      semi-finished products or intermediate metabolites. They are inactive and cannot
      participate in normal material syntheses and decomposition. They cannot be
      transformed to energy metabolism, but also cannot be synthesized as executive
      functioning of active proteins. If they cannot be degraded by autophagy-lysosome
      or ubiquitin-prosome into glucose, fatty acids, amino acids, and other basic
      nutrients to be used again, they will accumulate inside the human body and become
      endogenous turbidity. Therefore, endogenous turbidity is different from final
      metabolites such as urea, carbon dioxide, etc., which can transform vital qi. How
      to improve the function of zang-fu organs, enhance its degradation by autophagy
      lysosome or ubiquitin-prosome is of great significance in normal operating of
      zang-fu organs and preventing the emergence and progress of related diseases.

PMID- 26485921
TI  - [Analysis of the National Natural Science Foundation of China during 2009 -2013
      in the Discipline of Integrative Medicine].

PMID- 26485922
TI  - [Peripheral Nerve Toxicity Caused by Oxaliplatin: Research Progress of
      Integrative Medicine].

PMID- 26485923
TI  - Tendon Reconstruction with Tissue Engineering Approach--A Review.
AB  - Tendon injuries are a common and rising occurrence, associated with significant
      impairment to quality of life and financial burden to the healthcare system.
      Clinically, they represent an unresolved problem, due to poor natural tendon
      healing and the inability of current treatment strategies to restore the tendon
      to its native state. Tissue engineering offers a promising alternative, with the
      incorporation of scaffolds, cells and growth factors to support the complete
      regeneration of the tendon. The materials used in tendon engineering to date have
      provided significant advances in structural integrity and biological
      compatibility and in many cases the results obtained are superior to those
      observed in natural healing. However, grafts fail to reproduce the qualities of
      the pre-injured tendon and each has weaknesses subject to its constituent parts.
      Furthermore, many materials and cell types are being investigated concurrently,
      with seemingly little association or comparison between research results. In this
      review the properties of the most-investigated and effective components have been
      appraised in light of the surrounding literature, with research from early in
      vitro experiments to clinical trials being discussed. Extensive comparisons have
      been made between scaffolds, cell types and growth factors used, listing
      strengths and weaknesses to provide a stable platform for future research.
      Promising future endeavours are also described in the field of nanocomposite
      material science, stem cell sources and growth factors, which may bypass
      weaknesses found in individual elements. The future of tendon engineering looks
      bright, with growing understanding in material technology, cell and growth factor
      application and encouraging recent advances bringing us ever closer to
      regenerating the native tendon.

PMID- 26485924
TI  - An Anti-Adhesion Technique in Microfluidic Channel Using Dielectrophoresis for
      Particle Processing Microfluidic Chip Applications.
AB  - Particle adhesion to the walls of microfluidic channels is a prominent cause of
      deteriorating performance and reliability in miniaturized analytical devices; it
      can also cause unexpected changes in their structures and operating conditions.
      Therefore, the demand of anti-adhesion for wall loss reduction on particle
      processing chips is high. This paper demonstrates an anti-adhesion technique
      using dielectrophoresis. The proposed technique is applied to a distribution
      microchannel for a feasibility test and is then applied to a blood plasma filter,
      which is a human blood cell and plasma separation device. In the distribution
      microchannel, the application of electric potentials of 0-20 V(pp) at 3 MHz
      caused the wall loss of polystyrene latex (PSL) particles to decrease with
      decreasing particle diameter. When an electric potential of 20 V(pp) was applied
      in a distribution microchannel experiment using PSL particles, the wall loss
      decreased by 52.7 +/- 3% for 10-MUm-diameter particles. On the other hand, when a
      20 V(pp) electric potential was applied in a distribution microchannel experiment
      using human blood cells, the wall loss decreased by 66.4 +/- 6%. In the blood
      plasma filter, the wall loss decreased by 54.89 +/- 5% at 20 V(pp) and 1 MHz. The
      purity efficiency of the blood plasma filter was 69.56% without the wall loss
      reduction technique and 95.14% when the applied electric potential was 20 V(pp).

PMID- 26485925
TI  - A Strategy to Develop Bioactive Nanoarchitecture Cellulose: Sustained Release and
      Multifarious Applications.
AB  - Cellulose membranes were engineered to produce hydrophobic surfaces via a simple
      and soft chemical process to introduce multifunctional properties of an otherwise
      hydrophilic cellulose surface with polymer-grafted nanosilver to form a core
      shell nanostructure. A superhydrophobic domain of the polymer on cellulose was
      created through the amide bond formation between the anhydride units of the
      polymer and the aminosiloxane-functionalized cellulose through layer-over-layer
      formulation. This formulation was confirmed through XPS, XRD, 29Si-NMR, and FTIR
      studies. Further, SEM and TEM analysis revealed that short linear silver
      nanowires were uniformly obtained with an average diameter of 60 nm and length of
      288 nm, using a mild reducing agent at 60 degrees C, which resulted in a
      hierarchical cellulose surface. The nanosilver colloids released from the
      hierarchical cellulose surface were stabilized by the polymer matrix in solution,
      which led to a decrease in the rate of formation of Ag+ enhancing the material's
      killing efficacy against microbes. This biodegradable nanocomposite-based
      cellulose hierarchical surface development has potential for application as
      superhydrophobic membranes for oil-water separation, antimicrobial activity, and
      pH-triggered sustained release of colloidal silver for wound healing, which could
      possibly be applied for use as smart bandages.

PMID- 26485926
TI  - In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Pectin/Copper Exchanged Faujasite Composite
      Membranes.
AB  - The biocompatibility and excellent ion exchange capacity make faujasites ideal
      candidates for tissue engineering applications. A novel pectin/copper exchanged
      faujasite hybrid membrane was synthesized by solvent casting technique, using
      calcium chloride as the crosslinking agent. AFM images revealed the egg-box model
      organization of calcium cross-linked pectin chains used as a matrix. The
      morphology of composite membranes was characterized by SEM and their elemental
      composition was determined using EDX. The higher contact angle of P (1%) when
      compared to that of native pectin figured out an enhanced hydrophobicity of
      hybrid material. The embedded faujasite particles maintained their crystalline
      structure as revealed by XRD and their interactions with the polymer matrix was
      evaluated by FTIR. The composite membrane with 1% (w/w) of copper exchanged
      faujasite, P(1%), exhibited better thermal stability, excellent antibacterial
      activity, controlled swelling and degradation. Finally, it displayed cell
      viability of 89% on NIH3T3 fibroblast cell lines and aided in improving wound
      healing and re-epithelialisation in Sprague Dawley rats. The obtained data
      suggested their potential as ideal matrices for efficient treatment of burn
      wounds.

PMID- 26485927
TI  - A Combination of Targeted Sunitinib Liposomes and Targeted Vinorelbine Liposomes
      for Treating Invasive Breast Cancer.
AB  - Regular chemotherapy cannot eradicate invasive breast cancer cells and the
      residual cancer cells will form vasculogenic mimicry (VM) channels under hypoxic
      conditions to provide nutrients for cancer masses prior to angiogenesis. This
      phenomenon is a major reason for the recurrence of invasive breast cancer after
      treatment. In this study, a novel type of targeted liposomes was developed by
      modifying a mitochondria-tropic material, D-a-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000
      succinate- triphenylphosphine conjugate (TPGS1000-TPP), to encapsulate sunitinib
      and vinorelbine separately and a combination of the two targeted drug liposomes
      was used to treat invasive breast cancer as well as VM channels. Evaluations were
      performed in breast cancer MCF-7 cells and highly invasive breast cancer MDA-MB
      435S cells in vitro and in mice. The results determined that the functional
      material (TPGS1000-TPP) and suitable size of the liposomes (90-100 nm) resulted
      in prolonged blood circulation, an enhanced permeability retention (EPR) effect
      in cancer tissue, and a mitochondrial targeting effect. Targeted drug liposomes
      were internalized via cellular uptake and accumulated in the mitochondria of
      invasive breast cancer cells or VM channel-forming cancer cells to induce acute
      cytotoxic injury and apoptosis. Activated apoptotic enzymes caspase 9 and caspase
      3 as well as down-regulated VM channel-forming indicators (MMP-9, EphA2, VE
      Cadherin, FAK and HIF-1alpha) contributed to significantly enhanced efficacy.
      Therefore, a combination of targeted sunitinib liposomes and targeted vinorelbine
      liposomes may provide an effective strategy for treating invasive breast cancer
      and prevent relapse arising from VM channels.

PMID- 26485928
TI  - Protecting Quantum Dot Fluorescence from Quenching to Achieve a Reliable
      Automated Multiplex Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization Assay.
AB  - Quantum dots (QD) are novel inorganic fluorochromes that are ultra-bright, photo
      stable, and available in multiple, highly-resolvable colors. QDs represent an
      ideal detection material for in situ hybridization (ISH) because they may provide
      unprecedented resolution and strong signal intensities that are not attainable
      with traditional fluorophores. Unfortunately, lack of reliability has been an
      impediment to widespread adoption of QD-based fluorescence in situ hybridization
      (QD FISH) technology. By optimizing QD-to-target accessibility, we have developed
      a QD FISH staining procedure that dramatically improves the reliability of an
      automated ERG/PTEN QD FISH assay (91% 1st pass rate). Here, we report
      improvements to the assay that protects QD fluorescence from quenching due to
      trace amounts of heavy metals and minimizes QD background signals. When using
      this method, highly-consistent staining was observed with the ERG/PTEN QD FISH
      assay in prostate tissue. Successful staining of several other clinically
      relevant genetic markers was also possible. We further demonstrated improved
      reliability for determining HER2 gene status in breast cancer, identifying
      anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene break-apart in non-small cell lung cancer,
      and detecting human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) in cervical intraepithelial
      neoplasia. The enhanced QD FISH assay allows for examining complicated genetic
      aberrances without use of enzymatic amplification. Our optimized methods now
      demonstrate reliability sufficient for QD FISH technology to be a diagnostic tool
      in a clinical setting.

PMID- 26485929
TI  - Bioconjugated Gold Nanoparticles Penetrate Into Spermatozoa Depending on Plasma
      Membrane Status.
AB  - Spermatozoa are not only essential for animal reproduction they also represent
      important tools for the manipulation of animal genetics. For instance, the
      genetic labeling and analysis of spermatozoa could provide a prospective
      complementation of pre-fertilization diagnosis and could help to prevent the
      inheritance of defective alleles during artificial insemination or to select
      beneficial traits in livestock. Spermatozoa feature extremely specialized
      membrane organization and restricted transport mechanisms making the labeling of
      genetically interesting DNA-sequences, e.g., with gold nanoparticles, a
      particular challenge. Here, we present a systematic study on the size-related
      internalization of ligand-free, monovalent and bivalent polydisperse gold
      nanoparticles, depending on spermatozoa membrane status. While monovalent
      conjugates were coupled solely to either negatively-charged oligonucleotides or
      positively-charged cell-penetrating peptides, bivalent conjugates were
      functionalized with both molecules simultaneously. The results clearly indicate
      that the cell membrane of acrosome-intact, bovine spermatozoa was neither
      permeable to ligand-free or oligonucleotide-conjugated nanoparticles, nor
      responsive to the mechanisms of cell-penetrating peptides. Interestingly, after
      acrosome reaction, which comprises major changes in sperm membrane composition,
      fluidity and charge, high numbers of monovalent and bivalent nanoparticles were
      found in the postequatorial segment, depicting a close and complex correlation
      between particle internalization and membrane organization. Additionally,
      depending on the applied peptide and for nanoparticle sizes < 10 nm even a
      successive nuclear penetration was observed, making the bivalent conjugates
      promising for future genetic delivery and sorting issues.

PMID- 26485931
TI  - Folate-Modified Poly(malic acid) Graft Polymeric Nanoparticles for Targeted
      Delivery of Doxorubicin: Synthesis, Characterization and Folate Receptor
      Expressed Cell Specificity.
AB  - A novel amphiphilic biodegradable cholesterol and poly(ethylene glycol)-folate
      grafted poly(alpha,beta-malic acid) (PMA-g-Chol/PEG-FA) was synthesized and
      characterized as self-assembled nanoparticles for targeted delivery of
      doxorubicin (DOX). The nanoparticles showed extremely low critical aggregation
      concentrations (CAC), appropriate zeta potential, narrow size distribution, good
      stability in serum conditions and negligible toxicity. After encapsulation'of
      DOX, PMA-g-Chol/PEG-FA nanoparticles showed significantly reduced cell viability
      (up to 30% for Hela and 27% for 4T1 cells) compared with the non-targeted ones on
      carcinoma cells with different levels of folate receptor (FR) expression. While
      no difference was detected on HEK293 cells (FR receptor negative) between the two
      nanoparticles. Addition of extra free folate obviously decreased the cellular
      mortality and inhibited the cellular uptake of targeted nanoparticles. In the
      Hela/HEK293 co-culture model, folate conjugated nanoparticles showed specific
      affiliation with Hela cells other than HEK293 cells, indicating good targeting
      property of the delivery system. As detected from ex vivo fluorescent imaging,
      PMA-g-Chol/PEG-FA nanoparticles could accumulate at tumor site with higher
      selectivity compared to PMA-g-Chol/PEG nanoparticles and DOX x HCl. In vivo
      antitumor studies confirmed the significant tumor inhibition efficacy of drug
      loaded PMA-g-Chol/PEG-FA nanoparticles with lower toxicity to normal tissues than
      DOX x HCI at the same dosage.

PMID- 26485930
TI  - Identification and Testing of Novel CARP-1 Functional Mimetic Compounds as
      Inhibitors of Non-Small Cell Lung and Triple Negative Breast Cancers.
AB  - The triple negative breast cancer (TNBCs) and non-small cell lung cancers
      (NSCLCs) often acquire mutations that contribute to failure of drugs in clinic
      and poor prognosis, thus presenting an urgent need to develop new and improved
      therapeutic modalities. Here we report that CARP-1 functional mimetic (CFMs)
      compounds 4 and 5, and 4.6, a structurally related analog of CFM-4, are potent
      inhibitors of TNBC and NSCLC cells in vitro. Cell growth suppression by CFM-4 and
      -4.6 involved interaction and elevated expression of CARP-1/CCAR1 and Death
      Effector Domain (DED) containing DNA binding (DEDD)2 proteins. Apoptosis by these
      compounds also involved activation of pro-apoptotic stress-activated kinases p38
      and JNK1/2, cleavage of PARP and loss of mitotic cyclin B1. Both the CFMs
      inhibited abilities of NSCLC and TNBC cells to migrate, invade, and form colonies
      in suspension, while disrupting tubule formation by the human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells (HUVECs). Nano-lipid formulation of CFM-4 (CFM-4 NLF) enhanced
      its serum bioavailability when compared with the free CFM-4. Oral administration
      of CFM-4 NLF reduced weights and volume of the xenografted tumors derived from
      A549 NSCLC and MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells. Although no gross tissue or histological
      toxicities were noticed, the immuno-histochemical analysis revealed increased
      CARP-1 and DNA fragmentation in tumors of the CFM-4 NLF-treated animals. In
      conclusion, while stimulation of pro-apoptotic CARP-1 and DEDD2 expression and
      their binding underscore a novel mechanism of apoptosis transduction by CFM
      compounds, our proof-of-concept xenograft studies demonstrate therapeutic
      potential of CFM-4 for TNBC and NSCLC.

PMID- 26485932
TI  - Label-Free and Real-Time Detection of Avian Influenza Using Nanowire Field Effect
      Transistors.
AB  - Real-time and label-free detection of antibodies from avian influenza (anti-AI)
      in an aqueous solution is demonstrated with the use of a nanowire field effect
      transistor. A real-time measurement system is constructed without leakage paths
      through the solution medium. The current through the nanowire changes
      significantly after an injection of an anti-AI solution onto the device, which
      was previously functionalized by the antigen of AI as a probe of anti-AI. In
      contrast, no significant response arises when an anti-AI solution is injected
      onto a non-functionalized device. Therefore, the real-time detection of specific
      antibody-antigen interaction of the AI is successfully implemented for a chip
      based biosensor.

PMID- 26485934
TI  - Magnetic Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Tumor Theranostics.
AB  - Current diagnostic techniques do not reliably detect cancer at early stages, and
      traditional chemotherapy lacks specificity and causes systemic toxicity. To
      address these issues, multifunctional nanomaterials are becoming more widely
      studied as a means of cancer detection, therapy, and monitoring. Here, iron oxide
      (Fe3O4) nanoparticles were conjugated onto the surface of multi-walled carbon
      nanotubes (MWNTs), which were then modified with polyethylenimine (PEI) and
      polyethylene glycol (PEG) to improve their solubility and biocompatibility.
      Finally, human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) siRNA was loaded on the
      MWNT surface by electrostatic interaction to obtain a multifunctional delivery
      system (MWNT-Fe3O4-PEI-PEG/siRNA). This delivery system efficiently delivered
      siRNA, allowed targeting of certain sites by magnetic fields, facilitated
      photothermal heating by near infrared irradiation, and enabled magnetic resonance
      imaging, thereby indicating great potential for cancer theranostic applications.

PMID- 26485935
TI  - Novel IL-2-Poly(HPMA)Nanoconjugate Based Immunotherapy.
AB  - Interleukin-2 (IL-2) possesses a strong stimulatory activity for activated T and
      NK cells and it is an attractive molecule for immunotherapy. Nevertheless,
      extremely short half-life and severe toxicities associated with high-dose IL-2
      treatment are serious and limiting drawbacks. In order to increase IL-2 half-life
      in vivo, we covalently conjugated synthetic semitelechelic polymeric carrier
      based on N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) to IL-2. Thus, we synthesized
      IL-2-poly(HPMA) conjugate containing 2-3 polymer chains per IL-2 molecule in
      average. Such conjugate has lower biologic activity in comparison to IL-2 in
      vitro. However, it exerts much higher activity than IL-2 in vivo as shown by
      expansion of memory CD8+ T, NK, NKT, gammadeltaT and Treg cells. Moreover, IL-2
      poly(HPMA) extremely effectively potentiates CD8+ T cell peptide-based
      vaccination. IL-2-poly(HPMA) shows also much longer half-time in circulation than
      IL-2 (-4 h versus -5 min). Collectively, modification of IL-2 with poly(HPMA)
      chains dramatically improves its potency and pharmacologic features in vivo,
      which have implications for immunotherapy. To our knowledge, this is the first
      proof-of-concept report of the use of polymer/protein modification of IL-2 to
      obtain more pronounced biological activity.

PMID- 26485936
TI  - [Supporting adherence to drug therapy in psychiatry].
AB  - Maintenance therapy to reduce the risk of recurrence is an essential part of
      treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, but
      poor treatment adherence is common, impairing the treatment outcome. Improvement
      in the adherence to drug therapy requires a good therapeutic relationship. The
      patient and her/his family must be provided with information about the illness
      and its treatment. Drug therapy must be optimized on an individual basis. The use
      of long-acting antipsychotic injections should be encouraged. Regular contact
      with patients under long-term treatment must be maintained. The use of experts by
      experience is an effective supportive measure.

PMID- 26485933
TI  - UVB Dependence of Quantum Dot Reactive Oxygen Species Generation in Common Skin
      Cell Models.
AB  - Studies have shown that UVB can slightly increase the penetration of
      nanoparticles through skin and significantly alter skin cell biology, thus it is
      important to understand if and how UVB may impact subsequent nanoparticle skin
      cell interactions. The research presented herein evaluates the effect of UVB on
      quantum dot (QD) uptake and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in primary
      keratinocytes, primary melanocytes, and related cell lines. QD exposure induced
      cell type dependent ROS responses increased by pre-exposing cells to UVB and
      correlated with the level of QD uptake. Our results suggest that keratinocytes
      may be at greater risk for QD induced ROS generation than melanocytes, and raise
      awareness about the differential cellular effects that topically applied
      nanomaterials may have on UVB exposed skin.

PMID- 26485937
TI  - [Bullous pemphigoid--a cause of itching of the skin with increasing incidence].
AB  - Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune bullous dermatosis of the elderly with
      increasing incidence. Autoantibodies against dermal collagen XVII cause severe
      pruritus and large, tense bullae that are clinically evident. Immunofluorescence
      analysis on perilesional skin is used in the diagnostics and serum BP1 80 levels
      parallel the disease activity. Topical or systemic steroids are mainly used as
      treatment, but adjuvant immunosuppressive medication may also be needed. Patients
      with bullous pemphigoid are more likely to have neurological diseases as
      comorbidity. In addition, mortality is significantly increased, possibly due to
      long-term use of systemic corticosteroids.

PMID- 26485938
TI  - [Complications in ankle fracture surgery].
AB  - Ankle fractures are among the most frequently encountered surgically treated
      fractures. The operative treatment can be associated with several complications
      such as malreduction and infection. Reinforcing the surgical armamentarium with
      meticulous preoperative planning together with recognition of common surgical
      errors are valuable adjuncts in reducing these complications. Furthermore, it is
      crucial to recognize and address modifiable risk factors for infection so as to
      minimize this potentially devastating complication. When a deep infection does
      occur, it is best managed by a multidisciplinary musculosceletal infection team.

PMID- 26485939
TI  - [How do I write a scientific article--advice to a young researcher].
AB  - Medical care should be based on the best available scientific evidence, and
      physicians are frequently engaged in research to contribute to the evidence base.
      Publishing is a prerequisite for science and publication record is an indicator
      of the merits of a scientist. The predominant format for publication of medical
      research is journal articles. Writing a journal article can be a daunting task
      for a neophyte, and the skill is usually adopted with learning by doing, with
      little formal training available. This review describes the general structure of
      an article and the essential contents of each section.

PMID- 26485940
TI  - [Are practice guidelines being followed in specialized care?].
AB  - We surveyed to which extent the processes of examination and treatment in 2012
      were based on guidelines based on evaluated scientific evidence within the
      Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa. The survey was directed at the
      fulfillment of 31 Current Care guidelines and 19 HALO guidelines, four nursing
      science guidelines as well as one physiotherapeutic guideline in a total of 1,318
      patients. Current Care guidelines were mainly fulfilled well. Poor fulfillment of
      drug recommendations after hospitalization was alarming. HALO guidelines were
      moderately well fulfilled, whereas there were defects in adherence to the nursing
      science and physiotherapeutic guidelines.

PMID- 26485942
TI  - [Vascular health of the ageing woman].
AB  - Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in both men and women,
      but in women these diseases manifest at a later age. After menopause, the decline
      in estrogen levels accelerates key atherogenic processes, including dyslipidemia,
      endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffening, increasing the risk for
      cardiovascular events. In the healthy vasculature, estrogen has several
      structural and functional protective effects. The primary indication for
      menopausal hormone therapy is the treatment of climacteric symptoms, in
      particular hot flashes. With appropriate timing of estrogen treatment, it is
      possible to improve the ageing women's vascular health.

PMID- 26485941
TI  - [Update on Current Care Guideline: Borderline personality disorder].
AB  - Borderline personality disorder is a severe disorder that increases disability to
      a considerable extent. Emotional instability, difficulties in regulating behavior
      and interpersonal relationships are essential features of the disorder.
      Borderline personality disorder has a more favorable course than previously
      thought. Dialectic behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy, mentalization therapy
      and transference-focused psychotherapy seem to be effective. Hospital treatment
      should be carried out primarily in day hospital settings. Antipsychotics and mood
      stabilizers may be used for a range of symptoms. SSRIs may be useful in the
      treatment of impulsivity and aggression. Benzodiazepines should be avoided.

PMID- 26485943
TI  - [Will memory be lost with menopause--can an ageing woman be protected from memory
      disorder?].
AB  - Approximately two out of three persons affected with Alzheimer's disease are
      women. Estrogen is known to have positive effects on the levels of brain-derived
      mediators and circulation. Along with menopause, decreasing female sex hormone
      levels have been assumed to promote the development of memory disorders. It is
      possible that timing of the start of hormone replacement therapy exactly to the
      menopause could provide the best benefit in respect of memory and information
      processing. Prevention and treatment of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases
      along with regular exercise and a healthy diet are more important than hormone
      therapy in the prevention of memory disorders.

PMID- 26485944
TI  - [Cancer in an elderly woman].
AB  - The most common cancers in elderly women, i.e. over 70 years of age, are breast
      cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer and cancer of the uterine
      corpus. Breast, lung and pancreatic cancers are in turn the greatest causes of
      mortality. While age itself is not an obstacle to surgical or oncological
      treatments, implementation of the treatments in the elderly are often associated
      with challenges due to primary diseases and diminished function of organs. One of
      the greatest practical problems is the exclusion of elderly patients from
      clinical cancer trials.

PMID- 26485945
TI  - [Treatment of menopausal symptoms].
AB  - Hormone therapy is the most effective treatment for sweating and hot flashes,
      which are the most common symptoms of the menopause. The initiation of therapy
      for a healthy female of 50 to 59 years usually entails more health benefits than
      adverse effects, and there is no absolute upper limit for the duration of the
      treatment. It remains to be evaluated yearly whether the need or prerequisites
      for continuation of the treatment still exist. If the use of hormone therapy is
      not desired, alleviation of hot flashes and sweating can be attempted with life
      style modifications and other remedies.

PMID- 26485946
TI  - Novel characterization of landscape-level variability in historical vegetation
      structure.
AB  - We analyzed historical timber inventory data collected systematically across a
      large mixed-conifer-dominated landscape to gain insight into the interaction
      between disturbances and vegetation structure and composition prior to 20th
      century land management practices. Using records from over 20 000 trees, we
      quantified historical vegetation structure and composition for nine distinct
      vegetation groups. Our findings highlight some key aspects of forest structure
      under an intact disturbance regime: (1) forests were low density, with mean live
      basal area and tree density ranging from 8-30 m2 /ha and 25-79 trees/ha,
      respectively; (2) understory and overstory structure and composition varied
      considerably across the landscape; and (3) elevational gradients largely
      explained variability in forest structure over the landscape. Furthermore, the
      presence of large trees across most of the surveyed area suggests that extensive
      stand-replacing disturbances were rare in these forests. The vegetation structure
      and composition characteristics we quantified, along with evidence of largely
      elevational control on these characteristics, can provide guidance for
      restoration efforts in similar forests.

PMID- 26485947
TI  - Evaluating the impact of gas extraction infrastructure on the occupancy of
      sagebrush-obligate songbirds.
AB  - Development associated with natural gas extraction may have negative effects on
      wildlife. Here we assessed the effects of natural gas development on the
      distributions of three sagebrush-obligate birds (Brewer's Sparrow, Spizella
      breweri; Sagebrush Sparrow, Amphispiza belli; and Sage Thrasher, Oreoscoptes
      montanus) at a natural gas extraction site in Wyoming, USA. Two drivers of
      habitat disturbance were investigated: natural gas well pads and roadways.
      Disturbances were quantified on a small scale (minimum distance to a disturbance)
      and a large scale (landscape density of a disturbance). Their effects on the
      study species' distributions were assessed using a multi-scale occupancy model.
      Minimum distances to wells and roadways were found to not have significant
      impacts on small-scale occupancy. However, roadway and well density at the
      landscape-scale significantly impacted the large-scale occupancy of Sagebrush
      Sparrows and Sage Thrashers. The results confirmed our hypotheses that increasing
      road density negatively affects the landscape-scale occupancy rates of Sagebrush
      Sparrow and Sage Thrasher, but did not confirm our hypothesis that increasing
      well density would negatively impact large-scale occupancy. We therefore suggest
      that linear features that affect patch size may be more important than point
      features in determining sagebrush-obligate songbird occupancy when compared to
      structural effects such as habitat fragmentation and increased predation. We
      recommend that future well construction be focused along existing roadways, that
      horizontal drilling be used to reduce the need for additional roads, and that
      deactivation and restoration of roadways be implemented upon the deactivation of
      wells, we also recommend a possible mitigation strategy when new roads are to be
      built.

PMID- 26485948
TI  - Large-scale expansion of no-take closures within the Great Barrier Reef has not
      enhanced fishery production.
AB  - A rare opportunity to test hypotheses about potential fishery benefits of large
      scale closures was initiated in July 2004 when an additional 28.4% of the 348 000
      km2 Great Barrier Reef (GBR) region of Queensland, Australia was closed to all
      fishing. Advice to the Australian and Queensland governments that supported this
      initiative predicted these additional closures would generate minimal (10%)
      initial reductions in both catch and landed value within the GBR area, with
      recovery of catches becoming apparent after three years. To test these
      predictions, commercial fisheries data from the GBR area and from the two
      adjacent (non-GBR) areas of Queensland were compared for the periods immediately
      before and after the closures were implemented. The observed means for total
      annual catch and value within the GBR declined from preclosure (2000-2003) levels
      of 12780 Mg and Australian $160 million, to initial post-closure (2005-2008)
      levels of 8143 Mg and $102 million; decreases of 35% and 36% respectively.
      Because the reference areas in the non-GBR had minimal changes in catch and
      value, the beyond-BACI (before, after, control, impact) analyses estimated
      initial net reductions within the GBR of 35% for both total catch and value.
      There was no evidence of recovery in total catch levels or any comparative
      improvement in catch rates within the GBR nine years after implementation. These
      results are not consistent with the advice to governments that the closures would
      have minimal initial impacts and rapidly generate benefits to fisheries in the
      GBR through increased juvenile recruitment and adult spillovers. Instead, the
      absence of evidence of recovery in catches to date currently supports an
      alternative hypothesis that where there is already effective fisheries
      management, the closing of areas to all fishing will generate reductions in
      overall catches similar to the percentage of the fished area that is closed.

PMID- 26485949
TI  - Disturbance of wildlife by outdoor winter recreation: allostatic stress response
      and altered activity-energy budgets.
AB  - Anthropogenic disturbance of wildlife is of growing conservation concern, but we
      lack comprehensive approaches of its multiple negative effects. We investigated
      several effects of disturbance by winter outdoor sports on free-ranging alpine
      Black Grouse by simultaneously measuring their physiological and behavioral
      responses. We experimentally flushed radio-tagged Black Grouse from their snow
      burrows, once a day, during several successive days, and quantified their stress
      hormone levels (corticosterone metabolites in feces [FCM] collected. from
      individual snow burrows). We also measured feeding time allocation (activity
      budgets reconstructed from radio-emitted signals) in response to anthropogenic
      disturbance. Finally, we estimated the related extra energy expenditure that may
      be incurred: based on activity budgets, energy expenditure was modeled from
      measures of metabolism obtained from captive birds subjected to different ambient
      temperatures. The pattern of FCM excretion indicated the existence of a funneling
      effect as predicted by the allostatic theory of stress: initial stress hormone
      concentrations showed a wide inter-individual variation, which decreased during
      experimental flushing. Individuals with low initial pre-flushing FCM values
      augmented their concentration, while individuals with high initial FCM values
      lowered it. Experimental disturbance resulted in an extension of feeding duration
      during the following evening foraging bout, confirming the prediction that Black
      Grouse must compensate for the extra energy expenditure elicited by human
      disturbance. Birds with low initial baseline FCM concentrations were those that
      spent more time foraging. These FCM excretion and foraging patterns suggest that
      birds with high initial FCM concentrations might have been experiencing a
      situation of allostatic overload. The energetic model provides quantitative
      estimates of extra energy expenditure. A longer exposure to ambient temperatures
      outside the shelter of snow burrows, following disturbance, could increase the
      daily energy expenditure by > 10%, depending principally on ambient temperature
      and duration of exposure. This study confirms the predictions of allostatic
      theory and, to the best of our knowledge, constitutes the first demonstration of
      a funneling effect. It further establishes that winter recreation activities
      incur costly allostatic behavioral and energetic adjustments, which call for the
      creation of winter refuge areas together with the implementation of visitor
      steering measures for sensitive wildlife.

PMID- 26485950
TI  - Estimating wind-turbine-caused bird and bat fatality when zero carcasses are
      observed.
AB  - Many wind-power facilities in the United States have established effective
      monitoring programs to determine turbine-caused fatality rates of birds and bats,
      but estimating the number of fatalities of rare species poses special
      difficulties. The loss of even small numbers of individuals may adversely affect
      fragile populations, but typically, few (if any) carcasses are observed during
      monitoring. If monitoring design results in only a small proportion of carcasses
      detected, then finding zero carcasses may give little assurance that the number
      of actual fatalities is small. Fatality monitoring at wind-power facilities
      commonly involves conducting experiments to estimate the probability (g) an
      individual will be observed, accounting for the possibilities that it falls in an
      unsearched area, is scavenged prior to detection, or remains undetected even when
      present. When g < 1, the total carcass count (X) underestimates the total number
      of fatalities (M). Total counts can be 0 when M is small or when M is large and g
      << 1. Distinguishing these two cases is critical when estimating fatality of a
      rare species. Observing no individuals during searches may erroneously be
      interpreted as evidence of absence. We present an approach that uses Bayes'
      theorem to construct a posterior distribution for M, i.e., P(M ? X, g),
      reflecting the observed carcass count and previously estimated g. From this
      distribution, we calculate two values important to conservation: the probability
      that M is below a predetermined limit and the upper bound (M*) of the 100(1 -
      alpha)% credible interval for M. We investigate the dependence of M* on alpha, g,
      and the prior distribution of M, asking what value of g is required to attain a
      desired M for a given alpha. We found that when g < -0.15, M* was clearly
      influenced by the mean and variance of g and the choice of prior distribution for
      M, but the influence of these factors is minimal when g > -0.45. Further, we
      develop extensions for temporal replication that can inform prior distributions
      of M and methods for combining information across several areas or time periods.
      We apply the method to data collected at a wind-power facility where scheduled
      searches yielded X = 0 raptor carcasses.

PMID- 26485951
TI  - Iron-mediated stabilization of soil carbon amplifies the benefits of ecological
      restoration in degraded lands.
AB  - Recent observations across a 14-year restoration chronosequence have shown an
      unexpected accumulation of soil organic carbon in strip-mined areas of central
      Brazil. This was attributed to the rapid plant colonization that followed the
      incorporation of biosolids into exposed regoliths, but the specific mechanisms
      involved in the stabilization of carbon inputs from the vegetation remained
      unclear. Using isotopic and elemental analyses, we tested the hypothesis that
      plant-derived carbon accumulation was triggered by the formation of iron
      coordinated complexes, stabilized into physically protected (occluded) soil
      fractions. Confirming this hypothesis, we identified a fast formation of
      microaggregates shortly after the application of iron-rich biosolids, which was
      characterized by a strong association between pyrophosphate-extractable iron and
      plant-derived organic matter. The formation of microaggregates preceded the
      development of macroaggregates, which drastically increased soil carbon content (
      140 Mg C/ha) a few years after restoration. Consistent with previous theoretical
      work, iron-coordinated organic complexes served as nuclei for aggregate
      formation, reflecting the synergistic effect of biological, chemical, and
      physical mechanisms of carbon stabilization in developing soils. Nevertheless,
      iron was not the only factor affecting soil carbon content. The highest carbon
      accumulation was observed during the period of highest plant diversity (> 30
      species; years 3-6), declining significantly with the exclusion of native species
      by invasive grasses (years 9-14). Furthermore, the increasing dominance of
      invasive grasses was associated with a steady decline in the concentration of
      soil nitrogen and phosphorus per unit of accumulated carbon. These results
      demonstrate the importance of interdependent ecological and biogeochemical
      processes, and the role of soil-plant interactions in determining the success of
      restoration efforts. In contrast with previous but unsuccessful attempts to
      restore mined areas through nutrient application alone, iron-mediated
      stabilization of vegetation inputs favored the regeneration of a barren stable
      state that had persisted for over five decades since disturbance. The
      effectiveness of coupled organic matter and iron "fertilization," combined with
      management of invasive species, has the possibility to enhance terrestrial carbon
      sequestration and accelerate the restoration of degraded lands, while addressing
      important challenges associated with urban waste disposal.

PMID- 26485952
TI  - Long-term oil contamination increases deterministic assembly processes in soil
      microbes.
AB  - The mechanisms that drive microbial turnover in time and space have received
      considerable attention but remain unclear, especially for situations with
      anthropogenic perturbation. To understand the impact of long-term oil
      contamination on microbial spatial turnover, 100 soil samples were taken from
      five oil exploration fields located in different geographic regions across China.
      The microbial functional diversity was analyzed with a high-throughput functional
      gene array, GeoChip. Our results indicated that soil microbial alpha-diversity
      (richness and Shannon diversity index) decreased significantly with
      contamination. All contaminated and uncontaminated samples exhibited significant
      spatial autocorrelation between microbial community similarity and spatial
      distance, as described by a distance-decay relationship (DDR). However, long-term
      oil exposure flattened the slopes of the DDRs of all of the functional genes and
      each functional group involved in C/N/P/S cycling, particularly of those involved
      in contaminant degradation. The relative importance of deterministic and
      stochastic processes in microbial assembly was determined. The decrease in
      microbial spatial turnover with long-term oil contamination was coupled with an
      increase in the proportion of deterministic processes that structured microbial
      assembly based on null model analysis. The results indicated long-term oil
      contamination significantly affects soil microbial community spatial structure by
      acting as an environmental filter to decrease the regional differences
      distinguishing soil microbial communities.

PMID- 26485953
TI  - Objective classification of latent behavioral states in bio-logging data using
      multivariate-normal hidden Markov models.
AB  - Analysis of complex time-series data from ecological system study requires
      quantitative tools for objective description and classification. These tools must
      take into account largely ignored problems of bias in manual classification,
      autocorrelation, and noise. Here we describe a method using existing estimation
      techniques for multivariate-normal hidden Markov models (HMMs) to develop such a
      classification. We use high-resolution behavioral data from bio-loggers attached
      to free-roaming pelagic tuna as an example. Observed patterns are assumed to be
      generated by an unseen Markov process that switches between several multivariate
      normal distributions. Our approach is assessed in two parts. The first uses
      simulation experiments, from which the ability of the HMM to estimate known
      parameter values is examined using artificial time series of data consistent with
      hypotheses about pelagic predator foraging ecology. The second is the application
      to time series of continuous vertical movement data from yellowfin and bigeye
      tuna taken from tuna tagging experiments. These data were compressed into summary
      metrics capturing the variation of patterns in diving behavior and formed into a
      multivariate time series used to estimate a HMM. Each observation was associated
      with covariate information incorporating the effect of day and night on
      behavioral switching. Known parameter values were well recovered by the HMMs in
      our simulation experiments, resulting in mean correct classification rates of 90
      97%, although some variance-covariance parameters were estimated less accurately.
      HMMs with two distinct behavioral states were selected for every time series of
      real tuna data, predicting a shallow warm state, which was similar across all
      individuals, and a deep colder state, which was more variable. Marked diurnal
      behavioral switching was predicted, consistent with many previous empirical
      studies on tuna. HMMs provide easily interpretable models for the objective
      classification of many different types of noisy autocorrelated data, as typically
      found across a range of ecological systems. Summarizing time-series data into a
      multivariate assemblage of dimensions relevant to the desired classification
      provides a means to examine these data in an appropriate behavioral space. We
      discuss how outputs of these models can be applied to bio-logging and other
      imperfect behavioral data, providing easily interpretable models for hypothesis
      testing.

PMID- 26485954
TI  - Grazing maintains native plant diversity and promotes community stability in an
      annual grassland.
AB  - Maintaining native biodiversity in grasslands requires management and mitigation
      of anthropogenic changes that have altered resource availability, grazing
      regimes, and community composition. In California (USA), high levels of
      atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition have facilitated the invasion of exotic
      grasses, posing a threat to the diverse plant and insect communities endemic to
      serpentine grasslands. Cattle grazing has been employed to mitigate the
      consequences of exotic grass invasion, but the ecological effects of grazing in
      this system are not fully understood. To characterize the effects of realistic N
      deposition on serpentine plant communities and to evaluate the efficacy of
      grazing as a management tool, we performed a factorial experiment adding N and
      excluding large herbivores in California's largest serpentine grassland. Although
      we observed significant interannual variation in community composition related to
      climate in our six-year study, exotic cover was consistently and negatively
      correlated with native plant richness. Sustained low-level N addition did not
      influence plant community composition, but grazing reduced grass abundance while
      maintaining greater native forb cover, native plant diversity, and species
      richness in comparison to plots excluding large herbivores. Furthermore, grazing
      increased the temporal stability of plant communities by decreasing year-to-year
      variation in native forb cover, native plant diversity, and native species
      richness. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that moderate-intensity cattle
      grazing can be used to restrict the invasive potential of exotic grasses and
      maintain native plant communities in serpentine grasslands. We hypothesize that
      the reduced temporal variability in serpentine plant communities managed by
      grazing may directly benefit populations of the threatened Edith's Bay
      checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha bayensis).

PMID- 26485955
TI  - Recovery of arctic tundra from thermal erosion disturbance is constrained by
      nutrient accumulation: a modeling analysis.
AB  - Abstract. We calibrated the Multiple Element Limitation (MEL) model to Alaskan
      arctic tundra to simulate recovery of thermal erosion features (TEFs) caused by
      permafrost thaw and mass wasting. TEFs could significantly alter regional carbon
      (C) and nutrient budgets because permafrost soils contain large stocks of soil
      organic matter (SOM) and TEFs are expected to become more frequent as the climate
      warms. We simulated recovery following TEF stabilization and did not address
      initial, short-term losses of C and nutrients during TEF formation. To capture
      the variability among and within TEFs, we modeled a range of post-stabilization
      conditions by varying the initial size of SOM stocks and nutrient supply rates.
      Simulations indicate that nitrogen (N) losses after the TEF stabilizes are small,
      but phosphorus (P) losses continue. Vegetation biomass recovered 90% of its
      undisturbed C, N, and P stocks in 100 years using nutrients mineralized from SOM.
      Because of low litter inputs but continued decomposition, younger SOM continued
      to be lost for 10 years after the TEF began to recover, but recovered to about
      84% of its undisturbed amount in 100 years. The older recalcitrant SOM in mineral
      soil continued to be lost throughout the 100-year simulation. Simulations suggest
      that biomass recovery depended on the amount of SOM remaining after disturbance.
      Recovery was initially limited by the photosynthetic capacity of vegetation but
      became co-limited by N and P once a plant canopy developed. Biomass and SOM
      recovery was enhanced by increasing nutrient supplies, but the magnitude, source,
      and controls on these supplies are poorly understood. Faster mineralization of
      nutrients from SOM (e.g., by warming) enhanced vegetation recovery but delayed
      recovery of SOM. Taken together, these results suggest that although vegetation
      and surface SOM on TEFs recovered quickly (25 and 100 years, respectively), the
      recovery of deep, mineral soil SOM took centuries and represented a major
      ecosystem C loss.

PMID- 26485956
TI  - Remote assessment of locally important ecological features across landscapes: how
      representative of reality?
AB  - The local ecological footprinting tool (LEFT) uses globally available databases,
      modeling, and algorithms to, remotely assess locally important ecological
      features across landscapes based on five criteria: biodiversity (beta-diversity),
      vulnerability (threatened species), fragmentation, connectivity, and resilience.
      This approach can be applied to terrestrial landscapes at a 300-m resolution
      within a given target area. Input is minimal (latitude and longitude) and output
      is a computer-generated report and series of maps that both individually and
      synthetically depict the relative value of each ecological criteria. A key
      question for any such tool, however, is how representative is the remotely
      obtained output compared to what is on the ground. Here, we present the results
      from comparing remotely- vs. field-generated outputs from the LEFT tool on two
      distinct study areas for beta-diversity and distribution of threatened species
      (vulnerability), the two fields computed by LEFT for which such an approach is
      feasible. The comparison method consists of a multivariate measure of similarity
      between two fields based on discrete wavelet transforms, and reveals consistent
      agreement across a wide range of spatial scales. These results suggest that
      remote assessment tools such as LEFT hold great potential for determining key
      ecological features across landscapes and for being utilized in preplanning
      biodiversity assessment tools.

PMID- 26485957
TI  - The agony of choice: different empirical mortality models lead to sharply
      different future forest dynamics.
AB  - Dynamic models are pivotal for projecting forest dynamics in a changing climate,
      from the local to the global scale. They encapsulate the processes of tree
      population dynamics with varying resolution. Yet, almost invariably, tree
      mortality is modeled based on simple, theoretical assumptions that lack a
      physiological and/or empirical basis. Although this has been widely criticized
      and a growing number of empirically derived alternatives are available, they have
      not been tested systematically in models of forest dynamics. We implemented an
      inventory-based and a tree-ring-based mortality routine in the forest gap model
      ForClim v3.0. We combined these routines with a stochastic and a deterministic
      approach for the determination of tree status (alive vs. dead). We tested the
      four new model versions for two Norway spruce forests in the Swiss Alps, one of
      which was managed (inventory time series spanning 72 years) and the other was
      unmanaged (41 years). Furthermore, we ran long-term simulations (-400 years) into
      the future under three climate scenarios to test model behavior under changing
      environmental conditions. The tests against inventory data showed an excellent
      match of simulated basal area and stem numbers at the managed site and a fair
      agreement at the unmanaged site for three of the four empirical mortality models,
      thus rendering the choice of one particular model difficult. However, long-term
      simulations under current climate revealed very different behavior of the
      mortality models in terms of simulated changes of basal area and stem numbers,
      both in timing and magnitude, thus indicating high sensitivity of simulated
      forest dynamics to assumptions on tree mortality. Our results underpin the
      potential of using empirical mortality routines in forest gap models. However,
      further tests are needed that span other climatic conditions and mixed forests.
      Short-term simulations to benchmark model behavior against empirical data are
      insufficient; long-term tests are needed that include both nonequilibrium and
      equilibrium conditions. Thus, there is the potential to greatly improve the
      robustness of future projections of forest dynamics via more reliable tree
      mortality submodels.

PMID- 26485958
TI  - Defoliation by pastoralists affects savanna tree seedling dynamics by limiting
      the facilitative role of canopy cover.
AB  - Recurrent tree defoliation by pastoralists, akin to herbivory, can negatively
      affect plant reproduction and population dynamics. However, our understanding of
      the indirect role of defoliation in seedling recruitment and tree-grass dynamics
      in tropical savanna is limited. In West African savanna, Fulani pastoralists
      frequently defoliate several fodder tree species to feed livestock in the dry
      season. We investigated the direct and indirect effects of recurrent defoliation
      of African mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) by Fulani people on seedling (< 2 cm
      basal diameter) and sapling dynamics in West Africa using four years of
      demographic data on seedling and sapling density, growth, and survival, coupled
      with fruit production and microhabitat data over the same time period. Tree
      canopy cover facilitated seedlings but had negative effects on sapling growth
      possibly via intraspecific competition with adult plants. Interspecific
      competition with grasses strongly reduced seedling survival but had a weak effect
      on sapling growth. Fire reduced seedling survival and weakly reduced growth of
      seedlings and saplings, but did not affect sapling survival. These results
      indicate that the effect of fire on seedlings and saplings is distinct, a
      mechanism suitable for an episodic recruitment of seedlings into the sapling
      stage and consistent with predictions from the demographic bottleneck model.
      Defoliation affected seedling density and sapling growth through changes in
      canopy cover, but had no effect on seedling growth and sapling survival. In the
      moist region, sapling density was higher in sites with low-intensity defoliation,
      indicating that defoliation may strengthen the tree recruitment bottleneck. Our
      study suggests that large-scale defoliation can alter the facilitative role of
      nurse trees on seedling dynamics and tree-sapling competition. Given that tree
      defoliation by local people is a widespread activity throughout savanna-forest
      systems in West Africa, it has the potential to affect tree-grass coexistence.
      Incorporating the influence of large tree defoliation into existing models of
      savanna dynamics can further our understanding of tree-grass coexistence and
      improve management. A rotating harvest system, which allows seedlings to recruit
      episodically, or a patchwork harvest, which maintains some nursery trees in the
      mosaic, could help sustain seedling recruitment and minimize the indirect effects
      of harvest.

PMID- 26485959
TI  - Are large macroalgal blooms necessarily bad? Nutrient impacts on seagrass in
      upwelling-influenced estuaries.
AB  - Knowledge of nutrient pathways and their resulting ecological interactions can
      alleviate numerous environmental problems associated with nutrient increases in
      both natural and managed systems. Although not unique, coastal systems are
      particularly prone to complex ecological interactions resulting from nutrient
      inputs from both the land and sea. Nutrient inputs to coastal systems often spur
      ulvoid macroalgal blooms, with negative consequences for seagrasses, primarily
      through shading, as well as through changes in local biogeochemistry. We
      conducted complementary field and mesocosm experiments in an upwelling-influenced
      estuary, where marine-derived nutrients dominate, to understand the direct and
      indirect effects of nutrients on the macroalgal-eelgrass (Zostera marina L.)
      interaction. In the field experiment, we found weak evidence that nutrients
      and/or macroalgal treatments had a negative effect on eelgrass. However, in the
      mesocosm experiment, we found that a combination of nutrient and macroalgal
      treatments led to strongly negative eelgrass responses, primarily via indirect
      effects associated with macroalgal additions. Together, increased total light
      attenuation and decreased sediment oxygen levels were associated with larger
      effects on eelgrass than shading alone, which was evaluated using mimic algae
      treatments that did not alter sediment redox potential. Nutrient addition in the
      mesocosms directly affected seagrass density; biomass, and morphology, but not as
      strongly as macroalgae. We hypothesize that the contrary results from these
      parallel experiments are a consequence of differences in the hydrodynamics
      between field and mesocosm settings. We suggest that the high rates of water
      movement and tidal submersion of our intertidal field experiments alleviated the
      light reduction and negative biogeochemical changes in the sediment associated
      with macroalgal canopies, as well as the nutrient effects observed in the
      mesocosm experiments. Furthermore, adaptation of ulvoids and eelgrass to high,
      but variable, background nutrient concentrations in upwelling-influenced
      estuaries may partly explain the venue-specific results reported here. In order
      to manage critical seagrass habitats, nutrient criteria and macroalgal indicators
      must consider variability in marine-based nutrient delivery and local physical
      conditions among estuaries.

PMID- 26485960
TI  - Population resilience to catastrophic mortality events during early life stages.
AB  - Catastrophic mortality events that drastically reduce the abundance of a
      population or a particular life stage can have long-term ecological and economic
      effects, and are of great concern in species conservation and management. Severe
      die-offs may be caused by natural catastrophes such as disease outbreaks and
      extreme climates, or human-caused disturbances such as toxic spills. Forecasting
      potential impacts of such disturbances is difficult and highly uncertain due to
      unknown future conditions, including population status and environmental
      conditions at the time of impact. Here, we present a framework for quantifying
      the range of potential, population-level effects of catastrophic events based on
      a hindcasting approach. A dynamic population model with Bayesian parameter
      estimation is used to simulate the impact of severe (50-99%) mortality events
      during the early life stages of Northeast Arctic cod (Gadus morhua), an abundant
      marine fish population of high economic value. We quantify the impact of such die
      offs in terms of subsequent changes in population biomass and harvest through
      direct comparison of simulated and historical trends, and estimate the duration
      of the impact as a measure of population resilience. Our results demonstrate
      strong resilience to catastrophic events that affect early life stages owing to
      density dependence in survival and a broad population age structure. Yet, while
      population recovery is. relatively fast, losses in harvest and economic value can
      be substantial. Future research efforts should focus on long-term and indirect
      effects via food web interactions in order to better understand the ecological
      and economic ramifications of catastrophic mortality events.

PMID- 26485961
TI  - Connectivity and conditional models of access and abundance of species in stream
      networks.
AB  - Barriers to passage of aquatic organisms at stream road crossings are a major
      cause of habitat fragmentation in stream networks. Accordingly, large investments
      have been made to restore passage at these crossings, but often without
      estimation of population-level benefits. Here, we describe a broad-scale approach
      to quantifying the effectiveness of passage restoration in terms interpretable at
      population levels, namely numbers of fish and length of stream gained through
      restoration, by sampling abundance in a study design that accounts for variable
      biogeographic species pools, variable stream and barrier configurations, and
      variable probabilities of capture and detectability for multiple species. We
      modified an existing zero-inflated negative-binomial model to estimate the
      probability of site access, abundance conditional on access, and capture
      probability of individual fish. Therein, we modeled probability of access as a
      function of gradient, stream road-crossing type, and downstream access by fish
      simultaneously with a predictive model for abundance at sites accessible to fish.
      Results indicated that replacement of barriers with new crossing designs intended
      to allow for greater movement was associated with dramatically higher probability
      of access for all fishes, including migratory Pacific salmon, trout, sculpin, and
      lamprey. Conversely, existing non-replaced crossings negatively impacted fish
      distributions. Assuming no downstream constraints on access, we estimated the
      potential length of stream restored by the program ranged between 7.33 (lamprey)
      and 15.28 km (small coastal cutthroat and rainbow trout). These contributions
      represented a fraction of the total length available upstream (187 km) of
      replaced crossings. When limited ranges of species were considered, the estimated
      contributions of culvert replacement were reduced (1.65-km range, for longnose
      dace to 12.31 km for small coastal cutthroat and rainbow trout). Numbers of fish
      contributed ranged from less than 500 (longnose dace) to greater than 100 000
      (sculpin). Although our framework can address the question of effectiveness in a
      broad array of stream and crossing configurations, much stronger inferences would
      be possible if future restoration efforts were designed to address the
      limitations we encountered in this study, particularly the lack of available
      information on crossings and species presence prior to restoration, and nonrandom
      selection of crossings to be replaced.

PMID- 26485962
TI  - Time for recovery of riparian plants in restored northern Swedish streams: a
      chronosequence study.
AB  - A lack of ecological responses in stream restoration projects has been prevalent
      throughout recent literature with many studies reporting insufficient time for
      recovery. We assessed the relative importance of time, site variables, and
      landscape setting for understanding how plant species richness and understory
      productivity recover over time in riparian zones of northern Swedish streams. We
      used a space-for-time substitution consisting of 13 stream reaches restored 5-25
      years ago, as well as five unrestored channelized reference reaches. We
      inventoried the riparian zone for all vascular plant species along 60-m study
      reaches and quantified cover and biomass in plots. We found that while species
      richness increased with time, understory biomass decreased. Forbs made up the
      majority of the species added, while the biomass of graminoids decreased the most
      over time, suggesting that the reduced dominance of graminoids favored less
      productive forbs. Species richness and density patterns could be attributed to
      dispersal limitation, with anemochorous species being more associated with time
      after restoration than hydrochorous, zoochorous, or vegetatively reproducing
      species. Using multiple linear regression, we found that time along with riparian
      slope and riparian buffer width (e.g., distance to logging activities) explained
      the most variability in species richness, but that variability in total
      understory biomass was explained primarily by time. The plant community
      composition of restored reaches differed from that of channelized references, but
      the difference did not increase over time. Rather, different time categories had
      different successional trajectories that seemed to converge on a unique climax
      community for that time period. Given our results, timelines for achieving
      species richness objectives should be extended to 25 years or longer if recovery
      is defined as a saturation of the accumulation of species over time. Other
      recommendations include making riparian slopes as gentle as possible given the
      landscape context and expanding riparian buffer width for restoration to have as
      much impact as possible.

PMID- 26485963
TI  - Trade-offs between objectives for ecosystem management of fisheries.
AB  - The strategic objectives for fisheries, which are enshrined in international
      conventions, are to maintain or restore stocks to produce maximum sustainable
      yield (MSY) and to implement the ecosystem approach, requiring that interactions
      between species be taken into account and conservation constraints be respected.
      While the yield and conservation aims are, to some extent, compatible when a
      fishery for a single species is considered, species interactions entail that MSY
      for a species depends on the species with which it interacts, and the yield and
      conservation objectives therefore conflict when an ecosystem approach to
      fisheries management is required. We applied a conceptual size- and trait-based
      model to clarify and resolve these issues by determining the fishing pattern that
      maximizes the total yield of an entire fish community in terms of catch biomass
      or economic rent under acceptable conservation constraints. Our results indicate
      that the eradication of large, predatory fish species results in a potential
      maximum catch at least twice as high as if conservation constraints are imposed.
      However, such a large catch could only be achieved at a cost of forgone rent;
      maximum rent extracts less than half of the potential maximum catch mass. When a
      conservation constraint is applied, catch can be maximized at negligible cost in
      forgone rent, compared with maximizing rent. Maximization of rent is the
      objective that comes closest to respecting conservation concerns.

PMID- 26485964
TI  - Accounting for groundwater in stream fish thermal habitat responses to climate
      change.
AB  - Forecasting climate change effects on aquatic fauna and their habitat requires an
      understanding of how water temperature responds to changing air temperature
      (i.e., thermal sensitivity). Previous efforts to forecast climate effects on
      brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) habitat have generally assumed uniform air
      water temperature relationships over large areas that cannot account for
      groundwater inputs and other processes that operate at finer spatial scales. We
      developed regression models that accounted for groundwater influences on thermal
      sensitivity from measured air-water temperature relationships within forested
      watersheds in eastern North America (Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA, 78
      sites in nine watersheds). We used these reach-scale models to forecast climate
      change effects on stream temperature and brook trout thermal habitat, and
      compared our results to previous forecasts based upon large-scale models.
      Observed stream temperatures were generally less sensitive to air temperature
      than previously assumed, and we attribute this to the moderating effect of
      shallow groundwater inputs. Predicted groundwater temperatures from air-water
      regression models corresponded well to observed groundwater temperatures
      elsewhere in the study area. Predictions of brook trout future habitat loss
      derived from our fine-grained models. were far less pessimistic than those from
      prior models developed at coarser spatial resolutions. However, our models also
      revealed spatial variation in thermal sensitivity within and among catchments
      resulting in a patchy distribution of thermally suitable habitat. Habitat
      fragmentation due to thermal barriers therefore may have an increasingly
      important role for trout population viability in headwater streams. Our results
      demonstrate that simple adjustments to air-water temperature regression models
      can provide a powerful and cost-effective approach for predicting future stream
      temperatures while accounting for effects of groundwater.

PMID- 26485965
TI  - Trends and stability of inland fishery resources in Japanese lakes: introduction
      of exotic piscivores as a driver.
AB  - Although many studies have focused on marine resources, few studies have
      considered the resources of inland fisheries. Inland fishery resources are
      typically either monitored on the basis of catch data alone or are not assessed
      quantitatively at all, despite their social, economic, and ecological importance.
      Because freshwater ecosystems have been severely degraded by human activities,
      evaluating the trends and current status of fishery resources and assessing their
      drivers are urgent tasks. We compiled long-term data on the annual catch, fishing
      effort, and fishing power of 23 Japanese lakes, using two sets of government
      statistics that date back to the 1950s, which were previously neglected because
      of the large number of missing values. Using Bayesian state-space models, we
      examined the trajectories of the catch per unit effort (CPUE) of entire
      communities, considering changes in fishing effort and fishing power, and
      quantified both changes in the CPUE over the 10-, 20-, and 30-year periods
      preceding 2008 and the temporal detrended stability of the CPUE over the three
      periods. We also investigated the relationships among the CPUE changes and
      stability, anthropogenic drivers, and lake morphometric characteristics. The CPUE
      declined in 17, 19, and 15 of the 23 lakes over the past 10-, 20-, and 30-year
      periods, respectively. Our macroecological analyses demonstrate that the
      functional group richness of exotic piscivores was the most important predictor
      of changes in the CPUE among the drivers we considered. The stability of the CPUE
      was positively related to lake area; larger lakes have more stable CPUE. The
      functional group richness of exotic piscivores also negatively affected the
      stability of the CPUE. The effect of overfishing was considered to be small
      because both fishing effort and power declined in almost all of the lakes. Thus,
      our findings suggest that increasing exotic piscivore species may diminish the
      resources and their stability, particularly in Japanese lakes where native
      piscivores are rare. This might lead to a substantial decline in ecosystem
      services. Our study highlights the importance of assessing inland fishery
      resources in a comprehensive manner and the need for restoration strategies to
      mitigate the effects of exotic piscivores.

PMID- 26485966
TI  - Efficacy of generic allometric equations for estimating biomass: a test in
      Japanese natural forests.
AB  - Accurate estimation of tree and forest biomass is key to evaluating forest
      ecosystem functions and the global carbon cycle. Allometric equations that
      estimate tree biomass from a set of predictors, such as stem diameter and tree
      height, are commonly used. Most allometric equations are site specific, usually
      developed from a small number of trees harvested in a small area, and are either
      species specific or ignore interspecific differences in allometry. Due to lack of
      site-specific allometries, local equations are often applied to sites for which
      they were not originally developed (foreign sites), sometimes leading to large
      errors in biomass estimates. In this study, we developed generic allometric
      equations for aboveground biomass and component (stem, branch, leaf, and root)
      biomass using large, compiled data sets of 1203 harvested trees belonging to 102
      species (60 deciduous angiosperm, 32 evergreen angiosperm, and 10 evergreen
      gymnosperm species) from 70 boreal, temperate, and subtropical natural forests in
      Japan. The best generic equations provided better biomass estimates than did
      local equations that were applied to foreign sites. The best generic equations
      included explanatory variables that represent interspecific differences in
      allometry in addition to stem diameter, reducing error by 4-12% compared to the
      generic equations that did not include the interspecific difference. Different
      explanatory variables were selected for different components. For aboveground and
      stem biomass, the best generic equations had species-specific wood specific
      gravity as an explanatory variable. For branch, leaf, and root biomass, the best
      equations had functional types (deciduous angiosperm, evergreen angiosperm, and
      evergreen gymnosperm) instead of functional traits (wood specific gravity or leaf
      mass per area), suggesting importance of other traits in addition to these
      traits, such as canopy and root architecture. Inclusion of tree height in
      addition to stem diameter improved the performance of the generic equation only
      for stem biomass and had no apparent effect on aboveground, branch, leaf, and
      root biomass at the site level. The development of a generic allometric equation
      taking account of interspecific differences is an effective approach for
      accurately estimating aboveground and component biomass in boreal, temperate, and
      subtropical natural forests.

PMID- 26485968
TI  - [Study on Sleep Staging Based on Support Vector Machines and Feature Selection in
      Single Channel Electroencephalogram].
AB  - Sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) is an important index in diagnosing sleep
      disorders and related diseases. Manual sleep staging is time-consuming and often
      influenced by subjective factors. Existing automatic sleep staging methods have
      high complexity and a low accuracy rate. A sleep staging method based on support
      vector machines (SVM) and feature selection using single channel EEG single is
      proposed in this paper. Thirty-eight features were extracted from the single
      channel EEG signal. Then based on the feature selection method F-Score's
      definition, it was extended to multiclass with an added eliminate factor in order
      to find proper features, which were used as SVM classifier inputs. The eliminate
      factor was adopted to reduce the negative interaction of features to the result.
      Research on the F-Score with an added eliminate factor was further accomplished
      with the data from a standard open source database and the results were compared
      with none feature selection and standard F-Score feature selection. The results
      showed that the present method could effectively improve the sleep staging
      accuracy and reduce the computation time.

PMID- 26485967
TI  - [Research on Mental Fatigue Detecting Method Based on Sleep Deprivation Models].
AB  - Mental fatigue is an important factor of human health and safety. It is important
      to achieve dynamic mental fatigue detection by using electroencephalogram (EEG)
      signals for fatigue prevention and job performance improvement. We in our study
      induced subjects' mental fatigue with 30 h sleep deprivation (SD) in the
      experiment. We extracted EEG features, including relative power, power ratio,
      center of gravity frequency (CGF), and basic relative power ratio. Then we built
      mental fatigue prediction model by using regression analysis. And we conducted
      lead optimization for prediction model. Result showed that R2 of prediction model
      could reach to 0.932. After lead optimization, 4 leads were used to build
      prediction model, in which R' could reach to 0.811. It can meet the daily
      applicatioi accuracy of mental fatigue prediction.

PMID- 26485969
TI  - [Study on Steady State Visual Evoked Potential Target Detection Based on Two
      dimensional Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition].
AB  - Brain computer interface is a control system between brain and outside devices by
      transforming electroencephalogram (EEG) signal. The brain computer interface
      system does not depend on the normal output pathways, such as peripheral nerve
      and muscle tissue, so it can provide a new way of the communication control for
      paralysis or nerve muscle damaged disabled persons. Steady state visual evoked
      potential (SSVEP) is one of non-invasive EEG signals, and it has been widely used
      in research in recent years. SSVEP is a kind of rhythmic brain activity simulated
      by continuous visual stimuli. SSVEP frequency is composed of a fixed visual
      stimulation frequency and its harmonic frequencies. The two-dimensional ensemble
      empirical mode decomposition (2D-EEMD) is an improved algorithm of the classical
      empirical mode decomposition (EMD) algorithm which extended the decomposition to
      two-dimensional direction. 2D-EEMD has been widely used in ocean hurricane,
      nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Lena image and other related image
      processing fields. The present study shown in this paper initiatively applies 2D
      EEMD to SSVEP. The decomposition, the 2-D picture of intrinsic mode function
      (IMF), can show the SSVEP frequency clearly. The SSVEP IMFs which had filtered
      noise and artifacts were mapped into the head picture to reflect the time
      changing trend of brain responding visual stimuli, and to reflect responding
      intension based on different brain regions. The results showed that the occipital
      region had the strongest response. Finally, this study used short-time Fourier
      transform (STFT) to detect SSVEP frequency of the 2D-EEMD reconstructed signal,
      and the accuracy rate increased by 16%.

PMID- 26485970
TI  - [Feature Extraction of Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potential Based on Wavelet Multi
      resolution Analysis].
AB  - We proposed a multi-resolution-wavelet-transform based method to extract
      brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) from the background noise and then to
      identify its characteristics correctly. Firstly we discussed the mother wavelet
      and wavelet transform algorithm and proved that bi-orthogonal wavelet bior5. 5
      and stationary discrete wavelet transform (SWT) were more suitable for BAEP
      signals. The correlation analysis of D6 scale wavelet coefficients between single
      trails and the ensemble average of all trails showed that the trails with good
      correlation (> 0. 4) had higher signal-to-noise ratio, so that we could get a
      clear BAEP from a few trails by an average and wavelet filter method. Finally, we
      used this method to select desirable trails, extracted BAEP from every 10 trails
      and calculated the I-V inter-waves' latency. The results showed that this
      strategy of trail selection was efficient. This method can not only achieve
      better de-noising effect, but also greatly reduce the stimulation time needed as
      well.

PMID- 26485971
TI  - [Channel Selection for Multi-class Motor Imagery Based on Common Spatial
      Pattern].
AB  - High-density channels are often used to acquire electroencephalogram (EEG)
      spatial information in different cortical regions of the brain in brain-computer
      interface (BCI) systems. However, applying excessive channels is inconvenient for
      signal acquisition, and it may bring artifacts. To avoid these defects, the
      common spatial pattern (CSP) algorithm was used for channel selection and a
      selection criteria based on norm-2 is proposed in this paper. The channels with
      the highest M scores were selected for the purpose of using fewer channels to
      acquire similar rate with high density channels. The Dataset III a from BCI
      competition 2005 were used for comparing the classification accuracies of three
      motor imagery between whole channels and the selected channels with the present
      proposed method. The experimental results showed that the classification
      accuracies of three subjects using the 20 channels selected with the present
      method were all higher than the classification accuracies using all 60 channels,
      which convinced that our method could be more effective and useful.

PMID- 26485972
TI  - [Tensor Feature Extraction Using Multi-linear Principal Component Analysis for
      Brain Computer Interface].
AB  - The brain computer interface (BCI) can be used to control external devices
      directly through electroencephalogram (EEG) information. A multi-linear principal
      component analysis (MPCA) framework was used for the limitations of tensor form
      of multichannel EEG signals processing based on traditional principal component
      analysis (PCA) and two-dimensional principal component analysis (2DPCA). Based on
      MPCA, we used the projection of tensor-matrix to achieve the goal of
      dimensionality reduction and features exaction. Then we used the Fisher linear
      classifier to classify the features. Furthermore, we used this novel method on
      the BCI competition II dataset 4 and BCI competition N dataset 3 in the
      experiment. The second-order tensor representation of time-space EEG data and the
      third-order tensor representation of time-space-frequency BEG data were used. The
      best results that were superior to those from other dimensionality reduction
      methods were obtained by much debugging on parameter P and testQ. For two-order
      tensor, the highest accuracy rates could be achieved as 81.0% and 40.1%, and for
      three-order tensor, the highest accuracy rates were 76.0% and 43.5%,
      respectively.

PMID- 26485973
TI  - [Automatic Sleep Staging Method Based on Energy Features and Least Squares
      Support Vector Machine Classifier].
AB  - The research of sleep staging is not only the basis of diagnosing sleep related
      diseases, but also the precondition of evaluating sleep quality, and has
      important clinical significance. In recent years, the research of automatic sleep
      staging based on computer has become a hotspot and made some achievements.
      Feature extraction and feature classification are two key technologies in
      automatic sleep staging system. In order to achieve effective automatic sleep
      staging, we proposed a new automatic sleep staging method which combines the
      energy features and least squares support vector machines (LS-SVM). Firstly, we
      used FIR band-pass filter to extract the energy features of Pz-Oz channel sleep
      electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, and compared them with those from wavelet
      packet transform method. Then we designed an LS-SVM classifier to realize the
      automatic sleep stage classification. The research showed that FIR band-pass
      filter (with the Kaiser window) performed better than wavelet packet transform
      (WPT) for energy feature extraction just in terms of the data from the Sleep-EDF
      Database and the LS-SVM classifier (with the RBF Kernel function) designed was
      good, and the automatic sleep staging method proposed in this paper was better
      than many similar methods from other studies with an average accuracy of 88.89%
      and had a very prosperous application future.

PMID- 26485974
TI  - [Research on Early Identification of Bipolar Disorder Based on Multi-layer
      Perceptron Neural Network].
AB  - Multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network belongs to multi-layer feedforward
      neural network, and has the ability and characteristics of high intelligence. It
      can realize the complex nonlinear mapping by its own learning through the
      network. Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness with high recurrence rate,
      high self-harm rate and high suicide rate. Most of the onset of the bipolar
      disorder starts with depressive episode, which can be easily misdiagnosed as
      unipolar depression and lead to a delayed treatment so as to influence the
      prognosis. The early identifica- tion of bipolar disorder is of great importance
      for patients with bipolar disorder. Due to the fact that the process of early
      identification of bipolar disorder is nonlinear, we in this paper discuss the MLP
      neural network application in early identification of bipolar disorder. This
      study covered 250 cases, including 143 cases with recurrent depression and 107
      cases with bipolar disorder, and clinical features were statistically analyzed
      between the two groups. A total of 42 variables with significant differences were
      screened as the input variables of the neural network. Part of the samples were
      randomly selected as the learning sample, and the other as the test sample. By
      choosing different neu- ral network structures, all results of the identification
      of bipolar disorder were relatively good, which showed that MLP neural network
      could be used in the early identification of bipolar disorder.

PMID- 26485975
TI  - [Anomaly Detection of Multivariate Time Series Based on Riemannian Manifolds].
AB  - Multivariate time series problems widely exist in production and life in the
      society. Anomaly detection has provided people with a lot of valuable information
      in financial, hydrological, meteorological fields, and the research areas of
      earthquake, video surveillance, medicine and others. In order to quickly and
      efficiently find exceptions in time sequence so that it can be presented in front
      of people in an intuitive way, we in this study combined the Riemannian manifold
      with statistical process control charts, based on sliding window, with a
      description of the covariance matrix as the time sequence, to achieve the
      multivariate time series of anomaly detection and its visualization. We made MA
      analog data flow and abnormal electrocardiogram data from MIT-BIH as experimental
      objects, and verified the anomaly detection method. The results showed that the
      method was reasonable and effective.

PMID- 26485976
TI  - [Development and Design of Portable Sleep Electroencephalogram Monitoring
      System].
AB  - The growing rate of public health problem for increasing number of people
      afflicted with poor sleep quality suggests the importance of developing portable
      sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring systems. The system could record the
      overnight EEG signal, classify sleep stages automatically, and grade the sleep
      quality. We in our laboratory collected the signals in an easy way using a single
      channel with three electrodes which were placed in frontal position in case of
      the electrode drop-off during sleep. For a test, either silver disc electrodes or
      disposable medical electrocardiographic electrodes were used. Sleep EEG recorded
      by the two types of electrodes was compared to each other so as to find out which
      type was more suitable. Two algorithms were used for sleep EEG processing, i. e.
      amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) algorithm and sample entropy algorithm. Results
      showed that both algorithms could perform sleep stage classification and quality
      evaluation automatically. The present designed system could be used to monitor
      overnight sleep and provide quantitative evaluation.

PMID- 26485977
TI  - [Technical Research of Non-contact Electrocardiogram Based on Capacitive
      Coupling].
AB  - Based on the capacitance coupling principle, we studied a capacitive way of non
      contact electrocardiogram (EGG) monitoring, making it possible to obtain ECG on
      the condition that a patient is habilimented. Conductive fabric with a good
      electrical conductivity was used as electrodes. The electrodes fixed on a bed
      sheet is presented in this paper. A capacitance comes into being as long as the
      body gets close to the surface of electrode, sandwiching the cotton cushion,
      which acts as dielectric. The surface potential generated by heart is coupled to
      electrodes through the capacitance. After being processed, the signal is suitable
      for monitoring. The test results show that 93.5% of R wave could be detected for
      9 volunteers and ECG with good signal quality could be acquired for 2 burnt
      patients. Non-contact ECG is harmless to skin, and it has advantages for those
      patients to whom stickup electrodes are not suitable. On the other hand, it is
      convenient to use and good for permanent monitoring.

PMID- 26485978
TI  - [Research on Optical Parameter along Puncture Path in Spinal Surgery Navigation
      Based on Near Infrared Spectroscopy].
AB  - Accurate placement of pedicle screws is a key factor of spinal surgery.
      Investigation of a new real-time intra-operative monitoring method is an
      important area of clinical application research which makes a contribution to
      planting pedicle screw accurately. Porcine spines were chosen as experimental
      objects. The changes of reduced scattering coefficient (MU'(s)) along normal
      puncture path, medial perforation path and lateral perforation path were measured
      and studied. A conclusion is drawn that there are two distinct peaks throughout
      the puncture process, appearing at the junction of cancellous bone and cortical
      bone, at the beginning and at the end, respectively. The reduced scattering
      coefficient is proved to be a good monitoring factor which can identify whether
      the screw is about to reach the critical position of the spine puncture.
      Moreover, the variation provides an important reference for spinal surgical
      navigation process.

PMID- 26485979
TI  - [Research and Development of A Kinect Based Virtual System for Upper Limb
      Rehabilitation].
AB  - We developed a rehabilitation system by using the virtual reality technique and
      the Kinect in this paper. The system combines rehabilitation training with HMI
      and serious game organically, and provides a game and motion database to meet
      different patients' demands. Extended interface of game database is provided in
      two ways: personalized games can be developed by Virtools and Flash games which
      are suitable for patients' rehabilitation can be download from the Internet
      directly. In addition, the system provides patients with flexible interaction and
      easy control mode, and also presents real time data recording. An objective and
      subjective evaluation method is proposed to review the effectiveness of the
      rehabilitation training. According to the results of short questionnaires and the
      evaluation results of patients' rehabilitation training, the system compared with
      traditional rehabilitation can record and analyze the training data, which is
      useful to make rehabilitation plans. More entertainment and lower cost will
      increase patients' motivation, which helps to increase the rehabilitation
      effectiveness.

PMID- 26485980
TI  - [Experimental Detection Study on Cerebral Hemorrhage in Rabbits Based on Magnetic
      Induction Phase Shift Spectroscopy Under the Feature Band].
AB  - This study was aimed to improve the sensitivity of magnetic induction phase shift
      detection system for cerebral hemorrhage. In the study, a cerebral hemorrhage
      model with 13 rabbits was established by injection of autologous blood and the
      cerebral hemorrhage was detected by utilizing magnetic induction phase shift
      spectroscopy (MIPSS) detection method under the feature band. Sixty five groups
      of phase shift spectroscopy data were obtained. According to the characteristics
      of cerebral hemorrhage phase shift spectroscopy under the feature hand, an
      effective method, B-F distribution, to diagnose the severity of cerebral
      hemorrhage was designed. The results showed that using MIPSS detection method
      under feature band, the phase shift obviously growed with increase of injection
      volume of autologous blood, and the phase shift induced by a 3-mL injection
      reached -7.750 3 degrees +/- 1.420 4 degrees. B-F distribution could effectively
      diagnose the severity of cerebral hemorrhage. It can be concluded that the
      sensitivity of the cerebral hemorrhage magnetic induction detection system is
      improved by one order of magnitude with the MIPSS detection method under the
      feature band.

PMID- 26485981
TI  - [A Digital System for Bioimpedance and Electrical Impedance Tomography
      Measurement System].
AB  - A digital system for bioimpedance and electrical impedance tomography (EIT)
      measurement controlled by an ATmega16 microcontroller was constructed in our
      laboratory. There are eight digital electrodes using AD5933 to measure the
      impedance of the targets, and the data is transmitted to the computer wirelessly
      through nRF24L01. The structure of the system, circuit design, system testing,
      vitro measurements of animals' tissues and electrical impedance tomography are
      introduced specifically in this paper. The experimental results showed that the
      system relative error was 0.42%, and the signal noise ratio was 76.3 dB. The
      system not only can be used to measure the impedance by any two electrodes within
      the frequency of 1-100 kHz in a sweep scanning, but also can reconstruct the
      images of EIT. The animal experiments showed that the data was valid and plots
      were fitting with Cole-Cole theory. The testing verified the feasibility and
      effectiveness of the system. The images reconstructed of a salt-water tank are
      satisfactory and match with the actual distribution of the tank. The system
      improves the effectiveness of the front-end measuring signal and the stability of
      the system greatly.

PMID- 26485982
TI  - [Design and Implementation of a Mobile Operating Room Information Management
      System Based on Electronic Medical Record].
AB  - A mobile operating room information management system with electronic medical
      record (EMR) is designed to improve work efficiency and to enhance the patient
      information sharing. In the operating room, this system acquires the information
      from various medical devices through the Client/Server (C/S) pattern, and
      automatically generates XML-based EMR. Outside the operating room, this system
      provides information access service by using the Browser/Server (B/S) pattern.
      Software test shows that this system can correctly collect medical information
      from equipment and clearly display the real-time waveform. By achieving surgery
      records with higher quality and sharing the information among mobile medical
      units, this system can effectively reduce doctors' workload and promote the
      information construction of the field hospital.

PMID- 26485983
TI  - [Image Feature Extraction and Discriminant Analysis of Xinjiang Uygur Medicine
      Based on Color Histogram].
AB  - Image feature extraction is an important part of image processing and it is an
      important field of research and application of image processing technology. Uygur
      medicine is one of Chinese traditional medicine and researchers pay more
      attention to it. But large amounts of Uygur medicine data have not been fully
      utilized. In this study, we extracted the image color histogram feature of herbal
      and zooid medicine of Xinjiang Uygur. First, we did preprocessing, including
      image color enhancement, size normalizition and color space transformation. Then
      we extracted color histogram feature and analyzed them with statistical method.
      And finally, we evaluated the classification ability of features by Bayes
      discriminant analysis. Experimental results showed that high accuracy for Uygur
      medicine image classification was obtained by using color histogram feature. This
      study would have a certain help for the content-based medical image retrieval for
      Xinjiang Uygur medicine.

PMID- 26485984
TI  - [Anticoagulant Ability and Heparinization of Decellularized Biomaterial
      Scaffolds].
AB  - In order to enhance the anticoagulant properties of decellularized biological
      materials as scaffolds for tissue engineering research via heparinized process,
      the decellularized porcine liver scaffolds were respectively immobilized with
      heparin through layer-by-layer self-assembly technique (LBL), multi-point
      attachment (MPA) or end-point attachment (EPA). The effects of heparinization and
      anticoagulant ability were tested. The results showed that the three different
      scaffolds had different contents of heparin. All the three kinds of heparinized
      scaffolds gained better performance of anticoagulant than that of the control
      scaffold. The thrombin time (TT), prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial
      thromboplastin time (APTT) of EPA scaffold group were longest in all the groups,
      and all the three times exceeded the measurement limit of the instrument. In
      addition, EPA scaffolds group showed the shortest prepared time, the slowest
      speed for heparin release and the longest recalcification time among all the
      groups. The decellularized biological materials for tissue engineering acquire
      the best effect of anticoagulant ability in vitro via EPA heparinized technique.

PMID- 26485985
TI  - [Three-dimensional Culture of Chondrocyte Using Methacrylic Alginate Gel Beads
      Cross-linked with Mixed Metal-cation].
AB  - This study was to explore a better three-dimensional (3-D) culture method of
      chondrocyte. The interpenetrating network (IPN) gel beads were developed through
      a photo-cross linking reaction with mixed barium ions and calcium ions at the
      ratio of 5:5 with the methacrylic alginate (MA), which was a chemically
      conjugated alginate with methacrylic groups. The second generation of primary
      cartilage cells was encapsulated in the MA gel beads for three weeks. In the
      designated timing, HE stain, Alamar blue method and Scanning electron microscopic
      were used to determine the cartilage cells growth, proliferation and the cell
      distribution in the scaffolds, respectively. The expression of type II collagen
      was investigated by an immunohistochemistry assay and the glycosaminoglycan
      content was quantitatively evaluated with the spectrophotometry of 1, 9
      dimethylene blue assay. Compared to the alginate control group, the deposition of
      glycosaminoglycan was significantly upregulated in IPN-MA gel beads with higher
      cell proliferation. The secretion of extracellular matrix and proliferation of
      chondrocyte in methacrylic alginate gel beads were higher than that in Alginate
      beads. Cells were able to attach, to grow well on the scaffolds under scanning
      electron microscopy. The result of immunohistochemistry staining of collagen type
      II was positive, confirming the maintenance of chondrocyte phenotype in
      methacrylic alginate gel beads. This study shows a great potential for three
      dimensional culture of cartilage.

PMID- 26485986
TI  - [Molecular Cloning, Recombinant Expression and Functional Characterization of the
      Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor-related Apoptosis-inducing Ligand for the Macaca
      mulatta].
AB  - Human tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (hTRAIL) might be
      developed as a novel anti-tumor drug due to its selective cytotoxicity in tumor
      cells. The predicted Macaca mulatta TRAIL (mmTRAIL) is highly homologous to
      hTRAIL in nucleotide acid as well as amino acid sequence, suggesting that mmTRAIL
      might induce apoptosis of human cancer cells. However, the cytotoxicity of
      mmTRAIL in human cancer cells has not been investigated. In this paper, it is
      reported that the gene encoding mmTRAIL has been cloned by using reverse
      transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from monkey peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in our laboratory. Subsequently, an expression plasmid
      was constructed by inserting mmTRAIL gene into pQE30 plasmid. After induction by
      addition of Isopropyl beta-D-1-Thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG), mmTRAIL was
      expressed. MmTRAIL was recovered from supernatant of sonicated bacteria by Ni-NTA
      agarose affinity chromatography. SDS-PAGE and gel filtration chromatography
      demonstrated that mmTRAIL forms trimer in solution. In vitro assays indicated
      that mmTRAIL was cytotoxic to human COLO205 tumor cells but not to normal cells
      at low concentration of nanomole. In addition, antitumor effect of mmTRAIL was
      evaluated in mice bearing human COLO205 tumor xenografts. Intratumorally injected
      mmTRAIL significantly inhibited growth of tumor grafts. These results suggested
      that mmTRAIL was valuable as candidate drug for cancer-targeted therapy.

PMID- 26485987
TI  - [Influence of Tumor Microenvironment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma on the
      Proliferation of Vascular Endothelial Cells and Vascular Angiogenesis Ability].
AB  - To study the potential molecular mechanism of tumor angiogenesis in its
      microenvironment, we investigated the effects of HepG2 conditioned medium on the
      proliferation of vascular endothelial cell and vascular angiogenesis in our
      laboratory. Human umbilical vein endothelial EA. hy926 cells were co-cultured
      with HepG2 conditioned medium in vitro. The proliferation and the tubulogenesis
      of EA. hy926 cells were detected by teramethylazo salt azole (MTT) and tube
      formation assay, respectively. The results showed that the survival rate of the
      EA. hy926 cells was significantly increased under the co-culture condition. HepG2
      conditioned medium also enhanced the angiogenesis ability of EA. hy926 cells. In
      addition, the expressions of intracellular VEGF and extracellular VEGFR (Flk-1)
      were regulated upward in a time-dependent manner. In conclusion, the
      proliferation of vascular endothelial cells and Vascula angiogenesis were
      improved under the condition of indirect co-culture.

PMID- 26485988
TI  - [Preliminary Study of Necroptosis in Cardiac Hypertrophy Induced by Pressure
      Overload].
AB  - The aim of this study was to observe whether necroptosis is involved in the
      process of cardiac hypertrophy induced by pressure overload. SD rats underwent
      transverse abdominal aortic constriction (TAC) operation for establishing cardiac
      hypertrophy model. The structure and function of the left ventricle of rats were
      evaluated via echocardiography, left ventricular mass index, the expression of
      markers of cardiac hypertrophy and histological detection. Real-time PCR and
      Western blot were used to measure the gene and protein expression of receptor
      interacting protein kinase 1 and 3 (RIPK1 and RIPK3, the necroptosis markers)
      respectively. Four weeks after TAC operation, rat model for cardiac hypertrophy
      was established. The experimental data showed that the gene and protein
      expressions of RIPK1 and RIPK3 in the rat heart hypertrophic tissues after TAC
      for 4 weeks were increased significantly compared with those in the sham group.
      HE staining showed cardiomyocytes injury and hypertrophy in the hearts of TAC rat
      models. By transmission electron microscope, we observed that mitochondria of
      cardiomyocytes were damaged seriously in the TAC models. Treatment with losartan
      used, the selective antagonist of angiotensin II type I receptor could improve
      the cardiac function of TAC rats. Moreover, losartan treatment decreased the
      expression of RIPK1 and RIPK3 in heart tissues of TAC rats. The results suggest
      that necroptosis occurrs in the process of cardiac hypertrophy with pressure
      overload, and losartan could alleviate the cardiac hypertrophy and inhibit
      necroptosis.

PMID- 26485989
TI  - [Inhibition Function of Dominant-negative Mutant Gene Survivin-D53A to SPC-A1
      Lung Adenocarcinoma Xenograft in Nude Mice Models].
AB  - Survivin-D53A (SVV-D53A) is a dominant-negative mutant survivin, which represents
      a potential promising target for cancer gene therapy. The present study was
      designed to determine whether SVV-D53A plasmid encapsuled by DOTAP: Chol liposome
      would have the anti-tumor activity against SPC-A1 lung adenocarcinoma, and to
      detect the possible mechanisms. In our experiment, SPC-A1 cells were transfected
      in vitro with SVV-D53A plasmid and examined for protein expression by Western
      blot, then flow cytometric analysis was used to detect apoptosis. SPC-A1 lung
      adenocarcinoma xenografts were established in vivo in the nude mice, which
      received the i. v. administrations of SVV-D53A plasmid/liposome complexes. After
      mice were sacrificed, the paraffin-embedded tumor tissue sections were used for
      proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression and terminal
      deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Compared with
      the control group, the mice treated with SVV-D53A plasmid had an obviously
      reduced tumor volume, with high level of apoptosis and decreased cell
      proliferation in tumor tissue. The research results proved that the
      administration of SVV-D53A plasmid resulted in significant inhibition of SPC-A1
      cells both in vitro and in vivo. The functional mechanism is that the anti-tumor
      response causes and induces tumor cell apoptosis.

PMID- 26485991
TI  - [Study of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Resting State for Patients in
      Sub-health Status].
AB  - This study sought to reveal the difference of brain functions at resting-state
      between subjects with sub-health and normal controls by using the functional
      magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology. Resting-state fMRI scans were
      performed on 24 subjects of sub-health and on 24 healthy controls with gender,
      age and education matched with the sub-health persons. Compared to the healthy
      controls, the sub-health group showed significantly higher regional homogeneity
      (ReHo) in the left post-central gyrus and the right post-central gyrus. On the
      other hand, the sub-health group showed significantly lower ReHo in the left
      superior frontal gyrus, in the right anterior cingulated cortex and ventra
      anterior cingulate gyrus, in the left dorsolateral frontal gyrus, and in the
      right middle temporal gyrus. The Significant difference in ReHo suggests that the
      sub-health persons have abnormalities in certain brain regions. It is proved that
      its specific action and meaning deserves further assessment.

PMID- 26485990
TI  - [Expression of Myocardial Specificity Markers MEF-2C and Cx43 in Rat Bone Marrow
      derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induced by Electrical Stimulation In Vitro].
AB  - Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) for repairing damaged heart
      tissue are a new kind of important treatment options because of their potential
      to differentiate into cardiomyocytes. We in this experiment investigated the
      effect of different electrical stimulation time on the expression of myocardial
      specificity gene and protein in rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs)
      in vitro. The rBMSCs of second or third generation were randomly divided into
      three groups, i.e, electrical stimulation (ES) group, 5-Azacytidine (5-Aza) group
      and the control group. The rBMSCs in the ES groups with complete medium were
      exposed to 2 V, 2 Hz, 5 ms electrical stimulation for 0. 5 h, 2 h, 4 h, and 6 h
      respectively every day for 10 days. Those in the 5-Aza group were induced by 5
      Aza (10 MUmol/L) for 24 h, and then cultured with complete medium for 10 days.
      Those in the control group were only cultured with complete medium, without any
      treatment, for 10 days. The rBMSCs' morphological feature in each group was
      observed with inverted phase microscope. The mRNA expression of myocyte-specific
      enhancer factor 2C (MEF-2C) and connexin 43 (Cx43) were examined with Real-Time
      quantitative PCR and the protein expression of MEF-2C, Cx43 were detected with
      Western Blot method. The results showed that the mRNA expression level of the MEF
      2C, Cx43 and the protein expression level of MEF-2C, Cx43 were significantly
      higher in the ES group and 5-Aza group than those in the relative control group
      (P < 0.05). It suggests that electrical stimulation could play a part of role in
      the induction of the rBMSCs to differentiate into the cariomyocyte-like cells in
      vitro and the effectiveness of the electrical stimulation with 2 h/d had the best
      in our experiment. But the mechanism how electrical stimulation promotes the
      differentiation of rBMSC into cardiomyocyte is still unclear.

PMID- 26485992
TI  - [Evaluation of Anterior Segment Parameters of Hyperopia of School-aged Children
      Using Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography].
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of anterior segment
      optical coherence tomography to assess the anterior segment morphology of
      hyperopia in school-aged children. 320 eyes of 160 school-aged children, 6-12
      years of age, were examined with anterior segment optical coherence tomography
      and were divided into four groups according to the cycloplegic spherical
      equivalence of refractive error. The mentioned four groups were: emmetropia
      group, low hyperopia group, moderate hyperopia group and high hyperopia group.
      The measurements of central corneal thickness, anterior chamber depth, angle
      opening distance, trabecular iris space area and scleral angle were compared in
      pairs among objects in the four groups. The results showed that high hyperopia
      and moderate hyperopia had shallower anterior chamber depth and narrower anterior
      chamber angle compared to those in emmetropia group. The study also showed that
      anterior segment optical coherence tomography as a non-contact technology could
      become a new technology for accessing the anterior segment morphology of
      hyperopia in school-aged children.

PMID- 26485993
TI  - [A Canine Portal Hypertension Model Induced by Intra-portal Administration of
      Polyurethane-Tetrahydrofuran Solutions].
AB  - This study was to build a canine portal hypertension model by intra-portal
      administration of high polymer material polyurethane and organic solvent
      tetrahydrofuran mixed solutions in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the
      model. Twelve local crossbreed dogs were selected randomly, with intra-portal
      administration of 8% (weight/volume) polyurethane- tetrahydrofuran solutions
      through an incision in the upper abdomen to build the portal hypertension model.
      We measured the portal vein pressure before modeling, during modeling, and four-,
      eight-, and twelve- weeks after modeling, respectively. Then we evaluated the
      effectiveness of the model comparing values of data with those data obtained
      before modeling started, which were regarded as the normal values. The results
      showed that the portal vein pressure rose by 2. 5 times after the solution
      administrated instantly as much as that before modeling, and maintained at 1. 5
      times after 4 weeks. This method presents an easy operation, low animal mortality
      and reliable model of portal hypertension. Its less abdominal adhesions and its
      ability in keeping normal anatomic structure specially make it suit for surgical
      research of portal hypertension.

PMID- 26485994
TI  - [Development of an Analgesia Therapy System for Delivery Based on Bio-feedback
      Transcuataneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation].
AB  - Transcuataneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) analgesia as a non-drug
      method has received people's more and more attention recently. Considering
      problems of existing products, such as unstable performance and unsatisfied
      effectiveness, we developed a new analgesia therapy system for delivery based on
      bio-feedback TENS in our laboratory. We proposed a new idea for stimulation
      signal design, that is, we modulated a middle frequency signal by a traditional
      low frequency TENS wave in the new system. We designed different prescription
      waves for pain relief during a uterine contraction or massage between
      contractions. In the end, a bio-feedback TENS method was proposed, in which the
      waveforms of stimulation signals were selected and their parameters were modified
      automatically based on feedback from uterine pressure, etc. It was proved through
      quality tests and clinical trials that the system had good performance and
      satisfied analgesia effectiveness.

PMID- 26485995
TI  - [Arterial Plaques Identification Based on Intravascular Ultrasound Elasticity
      Imaging].
AB  - Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is widely used in coronary artery examination.
      Ultrasonic elastography combined with IVUS is very conspicuous in identifying
      plaque component and in detecting plaque vulnerability degree. In this study, a
      simulation model of the blood vessel based on finite element analysis (FEA) was
      established. The vessel walls generally have radial changes caused by different
      intravascular pressure. The signals at lower pressures were used as the pre
      deformation data and the signals at higher pressure were used as the post
      deformation data. Displacement distribution was constructed using the time-domain
      cross-correlation method, and then strain images. By comparison of elastograms
      under different pressures, we obtained the optimal pressure step. Furthermore, on
      the basis of the obtained optimize pressure step, the simulation results showed
      that this method could effectively distinguish characteristics between different
      component plaques, and could guide the later experiments and clinical
      applications.

PMID- 26485996
TI  - [Assessment Method of Remnant alpha-1, 3-galactosyle Epitopes in Animal Tissue
      derived Biomaterials].
AB  - The aim of this study was to establish an assessment method for determining alpha
      Gal (alpha-1, 3-galactosyle) epitopes contained in animal tissue or animal tissue
      derived biological materials with ELISA inhibition assay. Firstly, a 96 well
      plate was coated with Gal alpha-1, 3-Gal/bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a solid
      phase antigen and meanwhile, the anti-alpha-Gal M86 was used to react with alpha
      Gal antigens which contained in the test materials. Then, the residual antibodies
      (M86) in the supernatant of M86-Gal reaction mixture were measured using ELISA
      inhibition assay by the alpha-Gal coating plate. The inhibition curve of the
      ELISA inhibition assay, the R2 = 0.999, was well established. Checking using both
      alpha-Gal positive materials (rat liver tissues) and alpha-Gal negative materials
      (human placenta tissues) showed a good sensitivity and specificity. Based on the
      presently established method, the alpha-Gal expression profile of rat tissues,
      decellular animal tissue-derived biological materials and porcine dermal before
      and after decellular treatment were determined. The M86 ELISA inhibition assay
      method, which can quantitatively determine the alpha-Gal antigens contained in
      animal tissues or animal tissue-derived biomaterials, was refined. This M86
      specific antibody based-ELISA inhibition assay established in the present study
      has good sensitivity and specificity, and could be a useful method for
      determining remnant alpha-1, 3Gal antigens in animal tissue-derived biomaterials.

PMID- 26485997
TI  - [Quantitative Analysis of Immuno-fluorescence of Nuclear Factor-kappaB
      Activation].
AB  - Immuno-fluorescence technique can qualitatively determine certain nuclear
      translocation, of which NF-kappaB/ p65 implicates the activation of NF-kappaB
      signal pathways. Immuno-fluorescence analysis software with independent property
      rights is able to quantitatively analyze dynamic location of NF-kappaB/p65 by
      computing relative fluorescence units in nuclei and cytoplasm. We verified the
      quantitative analysis by Western Blot. When we applied the software to analysis
      of nuclear translocation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced (0. 5 h, 1 h, 2 h, 4
      h) primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) , we found that
      nuclear translocation peak showed up at 2h as with calculated Western blot
      verification results, indicating that the inventive immuno-fluorescence analysis
      software can be applied to the quantitative analysis of immuno-fluorescence.

PMID- 26485998
TI  - [Design and Fabrication of a Device for Intraperitoneal Treatment of Pediatric
      Hernia].
AB  - For treatment of pediatric inguinal hernia, we fabricated a device, i.e. so
      called "filling type pediatric hernia sac", which treats the problem from the
      abdominal cavity, through the abdominal and is a self-adaptive closer, using
      synthetic material. The device includes filling rack, self-adaptive umbrella
      support bar, bottom piece, outside pulling line and device fixing lines. The
      filling rack is composed of 2 concentric circles of 3.0 cm diameter with
      peripherally fixed together and can be pulled into the shapes of a ball or an
      olive. The supporting bar is structured of 3 pieces with 0.5 cm wide, 4.0 cm
      long, cross-fixed on top of the filling rack. The bottom piece is in a circular
      structure with a diameter of 3.0 cm, and it is connected to the filling rack
      bottom. Adjust positioning stay outside the fixed on the top of the device are
      connected at one end, and the other end free through filling the top frame
      connected with the bottom slice of central fixation. By using this device, we
      treated 37 pediatric inguinal hernia cases with 38 side-inguinal hernia
      successfully. The mean duration of post-operation follow-ups was 14.6 +/- 5.89
      months, without hernia recurrence, obvious scar and hard sections of inguinal
      region. This device could provide a convenient, safe and effective plugging
      technology for children's pediatric hernia.

PMID- 26485999
TI  - [Research Progress of the Regulation Function of Epigenetics on Bone Marrow
      Mesenchymal Stem Cells].
AB  - The regulation of epigenetics on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) has
      been a research hot spot in medical area. This paper mainly summarizes the
      progress of the regulation of DNA methylation, histone acetylation, small
      interfering RNA (siRNA) induced gene silence and microRNA (miRNA) on BMSCs. Our
      analysis shows that the regulation of epigenetics on BMSCs plays a significant
      role in the repair of bone tissue, nervous tissue and cardiac muscle.

PMID- 26486000
TI  - [Research Progress of Feasibility of Dendritic Cell Antifungal Vaccines].
AB  - Fungal infection is an important clinical problem for patients with immune
      deficiency or immunosuppression. With deadly fungus infection case increasing,
      the development of antifungal vaccine attracts the attention of researchers.
      Dendritic cell (DC) is the unique antigen presenting cell (APC) to trigger the
      antifungal immune reaction, and recent studies indicate that the targeted
      vaccination strategy based on DC have prospective antifungal potentials. In this
      paper, we review the antifungal immunity mechanism and recent development of the
      targeted DC antifungal strategy.

PMID- 26486001
TI  - [Application Prospect of Stem Cell-derived Microvesicles in Regeneration of
      Injured Tissues].
AB  - More and more evidence indicates that microvesicles (MVs) play a key role in cell
      to-cell communication. The MVs are circular fragments of membrane released from
      the endosomal compartment as exosomes or shed from the cell surface membranes of
      most types. Components of donor cells are incorporated into MVs that contain
      bioactive lipids, proteins, genetic cargoes. MVs derived from stem cells may
      reprogram cells that survived in injury tissue and favor tissue regeneration by
      delivering their bioactive cargoes to influence the behaviors of recipient cells.
      Compared with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), MVs derived from MSCs were found to
      mimic the beneficial effects of these cells. These proregenerative effects
      mediated by MVs can be explained by the fact that MVs are enriched in bioactive
      lipids, anti-apoptotic and pro-stimulatory growth factors or cytokines, and
      deliver mRNAs, regulatory miRNAs and proteins that improve overall cell function.
      Therefore, it opens novel perspectives in exploiting these MVs in tissue
      regeneration and repair. In addition, the use of MVs instead of stem cells could
      represent a safe and potentially more advantageous alternative to cell-therapy
      approaches.

PMID- 26486002
TI  - [Present Status of Reliability Research on the Effects of Medical Instrument at
      the Instrument-tissue Interface].
AB  - The interaction between medical instrument and target tissue during the surgery
      occurs in instrument-tissue interface. The reliability research on the interface
      is directly related to the safety and effectiveness of medical instrument in the
      clinical application. This paper illustrates the necessity of reliability
      research on instrument-tissue interface. Two main contents are synthetically
      reviewed the present paper: (1) reliability research on medical instruments; (2)
      biological tissue properties and its mechanical response.

PMID- 26486003
TI  - [Measuring Method of Cardiac Output and Its Progress].
AB  - As one of the important indexes for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular
      diseases, cardiac output can reflect the state of cardiovascular system timely,
      and can play a guiding role in the treatment of related diseases. In recent years
      detection technology of cardiac output has caused great attention, especially
      minimally invasive and non-invasive methods. In this paper, the principle of non
      invasive detection methods and their recent developments are described, and
      various detection methods are also analyzed.

PMID- 26486004
TI  - [Research Progress of Application of Microfluidics Techniques in
      Cryopreservation].
AB  - Microfluidics technology may be an effective method to solve some problems in
      cryopreservation. This review presents the research progress of microfluidics
      technology in the field of cell membrane transport properties, cryoprotectant
      addition and washout and the vitrification for cryopreservation of biological
      materials. Existing problems of microfluidics technology in the application of
      cryopreservation are summarized and future research directions are indicated as
      well.

PMID- 26486005
TI  - [Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer in Patients
      Showing Thyroglobulin Elevative and Iodine Scintigraphy Negative].
AB  - Thyroglobulin (Tg) and radioiodine whole body scan (WBS) have been commonly used
      in follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Tg is
      associated with radioiodine uptake in local or distant metastases. In minority of
      patients, the follow-up scan shows no functioning thyroid tissue, but the serum
      thyroglobulin is still elevated. Therefore, we review recent developments of
      diagnosis and treatment of those patients with differentiated thyroid cancer and
      with thyroglobulin elevation but negative iodine scintigraphy.

PMID- 26486006
TI  - [Advances in Research on miR-21 and Breast Cancer].
AB  - Breast cancer is a malignant tumor from normal breast epithelial. In recent
      years, many literature reports sought to determine the expression of predicted
      target genes of microRNA and their potential function, pathways and networks,
      which are involved in the tumorigenesis, metastasis and prognosis of breast
      cancer. The miR-21 has recently been found to be highly expressed in solid tumors
      than normal tissue, and it has exposed some layers of gene expression regulation
      that becomes a hot topic of breast cancer. This paper briefly reviews advances in
      research on miR-21 in breast cancer.

PMID- 26486008
TI  - ODA Member Spotlight: Trent Yadon, DDS, FAGD. Woodward, OK.

PMID- 26486007
TI  - ODA Cares: Crossings Community Clinic.

PMID- 26486009
TI  - Oklahoma Mission of Mercy: Getting to the Root of it All.

PMID- 26486010
TI  - OHCA Dental Focus Group.

PMID- 26486011
TI  - A comparative study of dydrogesterone and micronized progesterone for luteal
      phase support during in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy, tolerability and
      patients' satisfaction after the use of oral dydrogesterone with vaginal
      micronized progesterone for luteal-phase support (LPS) among infertile women
      undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). A total of 210 women (aged 20-40 years
      old) with a history of infertility, who underwent controlled ovarian stimulation
      for fresh intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transfer cycles, were included
      in the study. Consequently, they were randomized to receive LPS with
      dydrogesterone 20 mg twice daily (n = 96) or micronized progesterone 400 mg twice
      daily at the day of oocyte retrieval (n = 114). The clinical success rate (31%
      versus 33%; p = 0.888), miscarriage rate (5.0% versus 3.0%; p = 0.721), ongoing
      pregnancy rate (30.0% versus 30.0%; p = 1.000), implantation (22.0% versus 24.0%;
      p = 0.254) and multiple pregnancy rate (5.30% versus 7.20%; p = 0.394) were
      comparable among the two groups. Serum progesterone levels were significantly
      lower among the patients receiving dydrogesterone than the control group (13.62
      +/- 13.83 ng/ml versus 20.66 +/- 18.09 ng/ml; p = 0.001). However, there was no
      statistically significant difference regarding the patients' satisfaction (p =
      0.825) and tolerability (0.790) between the two groups. Our results showed that
      oral dydrogesterone (40 mg/day) is as effective as vaginal micronized
      progesterone considering its clinical outcomes and patients' satisfaction and
      tolerability, for LPS among women undergoing IVF. 

PMID- 26486012
TI  - Morphometric variation and molecular characterization of snow trout species from
      Kashmir valley, India.
AB  - There is a significant taxonomic ambiguity among snow trout species due to their
      morphometric similarities. In view of this, a morphometric and molecular study
      was conducted on five different species of genus Schizothorax that have been
      reported from Kashmir valley. Morphometric data analyzed using multivariate
      statistics (Principal component analysis and cluster analysis) indicated the
      significant grouping of species to individual clusters. Mitochondrial DNA
      cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene analysis revealed 0.2%-4.5% genetic divergence
      among the five species. This study confirms that utility of cytochrome oxidase I
      in species delineation along with morphometric data. Phylogenetic tree obtained
      using Neighbor-Joining method revealed that all the five species represented
      distinct species group. The Schizothorax genus formed two distinct clades; one
      containing S. niger, S. curvifrons and S. plagiostomus, while other clade
      containing S. esocinus and S. labiatus. This phlogeny trend was also supported by
      cluster analysis of morphometric characters. The phylogenetic analysis with other
      published COI sequences revealed distinct nature of these five species. The study
      may aid in the taxonomic identification of snow trout species in India. This may
      further increase the knowledge of the ichthyologists in planning conservation and
      management strategies for these important fish species along with their natural
      habitat.

PMID- 26486013
TI  - Ultrathin Hexagonal 2D Co2GeO4 Nanosheets: Excellent Li-Storage Performance and
      ex Situ Investigation of Electrochemical Mechanism.
AB  - Two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures are a desirable configuration for lithium ion
      battery (LIB) electrodes due to their large open surface and short pathway for
      lithium ions. Therefore, exploring new anode materials with 2D structure could be
      a promising direction to develop high-performance LIBs. Herein, we synthesized a
      new type of 2D Ge-based double metal oxides for lithium storage. Ultrathin
      hexagonal Co2GeO4 nanosheets with nanochannels are prepared by a simple
      hydrothermal method. When used as LIB anode, the sample delivers excellent
      cyclability and rate capability. A highly stable capacity of 1026 mAhg(-1) was
      recorded after 150 cycles. Detailed morphology and phase evolutions were detected
      by TEM and EELS measurements. It is found that Co2GeO4 decomposed into Ge NPs
      which are evenly dispersed in amorphous Co/Li2O matrix during the cycling
      process. Interestingly, the in situ formed Co matrix could serve as a conductive
      network for electrochemical process of Ge. Moreover, aggregations of Ge NPs could
      be restricted by the ultrathin configuration and Co/Li2O skeleton, leading to
      unique structure stability. Hence, the large surface areas, ultrathin thickness,
      and atomically metal matrix finally bring the superior electrochemical
      performance.

PMID- 26486014
TI  - Photoelectric detection of electron spin resonance of nitrogen-vacancy centres in
      diamond.
AB  - The readout of negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centre electron spins is
      essential for applications in quantum computation, metrology and sensing.
      Conventional readout protocols are based on the detection of photons emitted from
      nitrogen-vacancy centres, a process limited by the efficiency of photon
      collection. We report on an alternative principle for detecting the magnetic
      resonance of nitrogen-vacancy centres, allowing the direct photoelectric readout
      of nitrogen-vacancy centres spin state in an all-diamond device. The photocurrent
      detection of magnetic resonance scheme is based on the detection of charge
      carriers promoted to the conduction band of diamond by two-photon ionization of
      nitrogen-vacancy centres. The optical and photoelectric detection of magnetic
      resonance are compared, by performing both types of measurements simultaneously.
      The minima detected in the measured photocurrent at resonant microwave
      frequencies are attributed to the spin-dependent ionization dynamics of nitrogen
      vacancy, originating from spin-selective non-radiative transitions to the
      metastable singlet state. 

PMID- 26486016
TI  - A monocyte/granulocyte to lymphocyte ratio predicts survival in patients with
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Conflict that the derived neutrophil lymphocyte (dNLR) has prognostic value in
      patients with a variety of cancers exists. The aim of the present study was to
      devise a monocyte/granulocyte to lymphocyte ratio (M/GLR) which counts as (white
      cell count - lymphocyte count) to lymphocyte count, and verify its prognostic
      value in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). 1061 HCC patients were
      retrieved and the associations between M/GLR/NLR/dNLR and clinicopathological
      variables and survivals (OS and RFS) were analyzed. The area under the curve
      (AUC) was calculated to evaluate the discriminatory ability of M/GLR/NLR/dNLR.
      The median follow-up period was 947 days, the 1, 3, 5 year OS was 64%, 51%, and
      46% respectively, and the median OS was 842 days. The cut-off values were
      determined by ROC as 2.8, 1.6, and 3.2 for NLR, dNLR, M/GLR respectively.
      Elevated M/GLR/NLR/dNLR was associated with poor prognosis (P = 0.001, P = 0.009
      and P = 0.022 respectively). By time-dependent ROC, the AUC of M/GLR was higher
      than that of NLR or dNLR, either in whole group or in subgroups according to TNM
      stages or different treatments. We concluded that elevated M/GLR predicted poor
      prognosis for patients with HCC and the M/GLR can be used as an alternative to
      NLR and dNLR. 

PMID- 26486017
TI  - Intermittent exotropia: Are we underminusing by not overminusing?

PMID- 26486018
TI  - Are things ever as they seem?

PMID- 26486019
TI  - Dichoptic movie viewing treats childhood amblyopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Contrast-balanced dichoptic experience with perceptual-learning tasks
      or simple games has been shown to improve visual acuity significantly in
      amblyopia. However, these tasks are intensive and repetitive, and up to 40% of
      unsupervised patients are noncompliant. We investigated the efficacy of a
      potentially more engaging movie method to provide contrast-balanced binocular
      experience via complementary dichoptic stimulation. METHODS: Eight amblyopic
      children 4-10 years of age were enrolled in a prospective cohort study to watch 3
      dichoptic movies per week for 2 weeks on a passive 3D display. Dichoptic versions
      of 18 popular animated feature films were created. A patterned image mask of
      irregularly shaped blobs was multiplied with the movie images seen by the
      amblyopic eye and an inverse mask was multiplied with the images seen by the
      fellow eye. Fellow-eye contrast was initially set at a reduced level that allowed
      binocular vision and was then incremented by 10% at each visit. Best-corrected
      visual acuity, random dot stereoacuity, and interocular suppression were measured
      at baseline and 2 weeks. RESULTS: Mean amblyopic eye visual acuity (with standard
      error of the mean) improved from a logarithm of minimum angle of resolution of
      0.72 +/- 0.08 at baseline to 0.52 +/- 0.09 (P = 0.003); that is, 2.0 lines of
      improvement at the 2-week outcome visit. No significant change in interocular
      suppression or stereoacuity was found. CONCLUSIONS: Passive viewing of dichoptic
      feature films is feasible and could be a promising new treatment for childhood
      amblyopia. The maximum improvement that may be achieved by watching dichoptic
      movies remains to be determined. No known side effects are associated with this
      new treatment.

PMID- 26486020
TI  - Surgical management of superior oblique paresis using inferior oblique anterior
      transposition.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inferior oblique anterior transposition (IOAT) is an effective
      surgical procedure for weakening the inferior oblique muscle. The purpose of this
      study was to assess the effectiveness and complications of IOAT for superior
      oblique paresis at a single center over a period of 11 years. METHODS: The
      medical records of consecutive patients treated for congenital and acquired
      fourth nerve paresis with IOAT procedures at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge,
      from 2001 to 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were examined
      before and after surgery: the vertical deviation in primary position and on
      contralateral gaze was measured, as were versions. The data collected included
      patient sex and age, presenting complaint, follow-up period, abnormal head
      position before and after surgery, postoperative complications, and further
      operative procedures. RESULTS: A total of 98 IOAT procedures were reviewed, with
      a mean follow-up of 5.8 months. The technique produced a mean correction of
      9.5(Delta) in primary position and 17(Delta) in contralateral gaze. Inferior
      oblique overaction was reduced in all cases, with 20% having a residual
      overaction and 47% having an underaction. No patients had symptomatic
      antielevation syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: In this patient cohort, IOAT effectively
      managed appropriately selected patients with superior oblique paresis, improving
      the vertical deviation in primary position and contralateral gaze. The procedure
      induced limitation of elevation in some patients. No patient experienced major
      postoperative symptoms.

PMID- 26486021
TI  - Adjustable small-incision selective tenotomy and plication for correction of
      incomitant vertical strabismus and torsion.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of adjustable small-incision selective
      tenotomy and plication of vertical rectus muscles in correcting vertical
      strabismus incomitant in horizontal gaze positions and cyclotorsion. METHODS: The
      medical records of all patients who underwent adjustable small-incision selective
      tenotomy or plication of a vertical rectus muscle for correction of horizontally
      incomitant vertical strabismus or cyclotorsion by a single surgeon at a single
      eye institute from July 2013 to September 2014 were retrospectively reviewed.
      Selective tenotomy and plication were performed on either the nasal or temporal
      side of vertical rectus muscles, based on the direction of cyclotorsion and
      incomitance of vertical strabismus. RESULTS: Of 9 patients identified, 8 (89%)
      had successful correction of horizontally incomitant vertical strabismus, with
      postoperative vertical alignment within 4(Delta) of orthotropia in primary
      position, lateral gazes, and downgaze. Of the 8 patients with preoperative
      cyclotorsion, 4 (50%) were successfully corrected, with <5 degrees  of
      cyclotorsion postoperatively. Of the 4 patients in whom cyclotorsion did not
      improve, 3 had undergone prior strabismus surgery, and 2 had restrictive
      strabismus. Eight of the 9 patients (89%) reported postoperative resolution of
      diplopia. CONCLUSIONS: Adjustable small-incision selective tenotomy and plication
      effectively treat horizontally incomitant vertical strabismus. These surgeries
      may be less effective for correcting cyclotorsion in patients with restriction or
      prior strabismus surgery. Advantages are that they may be performed in an
      adjustable manner and, in some cases, under topical anesthesia.

PMID- 26486022
TI  - Treatment of symptomatic convergence insufficiency with home-based computerized
      vergence system therapy in children.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of a home-based computer orthoptic program for
      symptomatic convergence insufficiency (CI) in children. METHODS: The medical
      records of participants aged 5 to <18 years who were diagnosed with symptomatic
      CI and were treated with the Computerized Vergence System (CVS) program were
      retrospectively reviewed. All participants were prescribed 9 or 15 minutes of
      daily convergence exercises with the CVS program, 5 days per week, for the
      initial 6 weeks. Near point of convergence (NPC) and near convergence amplitude
      (NCA) were measured at baseline, 6 week, and final examinations. The presence or
      absence of diplopia and asthenopia with reading were recorded at baseline and
      final examinations. RESULTS: A total of 186 participants were included. At
      diagnosis, 72 participants (39%) reported diplopia and 182 (98%), reported
      asthenopia. At final examination, 172 participants (92%) were asymptomatic.
      Twelve participants (6%) subsequently received other treatment modalities. Mean
      NPC at baseline (5.9 cm) improved after 6 weeks of CVS therapy (3.3 cm) and at
      final examination (2.9 cm; P < 0.0005). Mean NCA at baseline (20.3(Delta))
      improved after 6 weeks of CVS therapy (37.0(Delta)) and at the final examination
      (38.0(Delta); P < 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, home-based CVS therapy
      reduced symptoms related to CI and improved the NPC and NCA of most children aged
      5 to <18 years with symptomatic CI.

PMID- 26486023
TI  - Strabismus in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1-associated optic pathway
      glioma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To characterize the incidence, type, natural history, and treatment
      outcomes of strabismus in pediatric patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)
      and optic pathway glioma (OPG). METHODS: The medical records of consecutive
      patients diagnosed with NF1 and OPG at our neurofibromatosis clinic since 1985
      were reviewed retrospectively. We noted age at diagnosis, reason for referral to
      our clinic, ophthalmologic examination results, presence or absence of
      strabismus, strabismus type and treatment, and final results of treatment.
      RESULTS: A total of 76 patients were included. Of these, 22 (28.9%) had
      strabismus: 5 (22.7%) had esotropia and 17 (77.2%) had exotropia; of those with
      exotropia, 10 (45%) also had hypotropia. In 12 patients (54.5%), strabismus was
      present at the first ophthalmologic examination. The development of strabismus
      preceded the diagnosis of both NF1 and OPG in 4 (5.3%) patients and the diagnosis
      of OPG in another 2 (2.6%) patients with known NF1. In 16 (76%) patients, the
      strabismus was sensory. Five patients (22.7%) underwent surgery, which resulted
      in a deviation angle of <10(Delta) in 1 patient, <20(Delta) in 2 patients, and
      >20(Delta) in 2 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Strabismus was the presenting symptom and
      led to the diagnosis of OPG in a subset of patients, including those who did not
      have a previous diagnosis of NF1. Exotropia, especially associated with a
      hypotropia, was the most common strabismic deviation seen in these patients.
      Sensory strabismus was the most common type seen in this population. Deviations
      of <10(Delta) may be difficult to achieve with strabismus surgery.

PMID- 26486024
TI  - Analysis of online patient education materials in pediatric ophthalmology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients increasingly consult online resources for healthcare
      information. The American Medical Association (AMA) and National Institutes of
      Health (NIH) recommend that online education resources be written between a 3rd-
      and 7th-grade level. This study assesses whether online health information abides
      by these guidelines. METHODS: Ten pediatric ophthalmology conditions were entered
      into a commonly used search engine, Google.com, and analyzed using 10 validated
      readability scales. Scientific articles and articles written on patient forums
      were excluded. The 10 conditions--amblyopia, cataract, conjunctivitis, corneal
      abrasion, nystagmus, retinoblastoma, retinopathy of prematurity, strabismus,
      stye, and glaucoma--were also searched and analyzed separately from widely used
      websites, including Wikipedia and WebMD, as well as those of professional
      societies, including the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and
      Strabismus (AAPOS) and the American Optometric Association (AOA). RESULTS: The
      majority of articles were written above recommended guidelines. All scales showed
      that the 100 articles were written at a mean grade-level of 11.75 +/- 2.72. Only
      12% of articles were written below a 9th-grade level and only 3% met recommended
      criteria. The articles accrued separately from Wikipedia, WebMD, AAPOS, and AOA
      also had average grade levels above the recommended guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: The
      readability of online patient education material exceeds NIH and AMA guidelines.
      This disparity can adversely affect caregiver comprehension of such resources and
      contribute to poor decision making. Pediatric ophthalmology online articles are
      generally written at a level too high for average caregiver comprehension.
      Revision of articles can increase satisfaction, improve outcomes, and facilitate
      the patient-ophthalmologist relationship.

PMID- 26486025
TI  - Accuracy of the Spot and Plusoptix photoscreeners for detection of astigmatism.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of the Spot (V2.0.16) and Plusoptix S12 (ROC4,
      V6.1.4.0) photoscreeners in detecting astigmatism meeting AAPOS referral criteria
      in students from a population with high prevalence of astigmatism. METHODS:
      Students attending grades 3-8 on the Tohono O'odham reservation were examined.
      Screening was attempted with both the Spot and Plusoptix photoscreeners. Results
      were compared to cycloplegic refraction. Screening attempts providing no estimate
      of refractive error were considered fail/refer. Sensitivity, specificity,
      positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for
      detection of refractive errors were determined using AAPOS referral criteria and
      receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (ROC AUC) analysis was
      conducted for measures of astigmatism. Agreement between screening and
      cycloplegic refraction measurements of astigmatism, spherical equivalent, and
      anisometropia were assessed using t tests and correlation analyses. RESULTS: A
      total of 209 students were included. Of the total, 116 (55%) met examination
      positive criteria based on cycloplegic refraction, with 105 of those (90%)
      meeting the criterion for astigmatism. Measurements success rates were 97% for
      Spot and 54% for Plusoptix. Comparing the Spot and the Plusoptix, sensitivity was
      96% versus 100%, specificity was 87% versus 61%, PPV was 90% versus 76%, and NPV
      was 94% versus 100% for detection of refractive error. Both screeners
      overestimated astigmatism by 1/3 D to 2/3 D. AUC for astigmatism was 0.97 for
      Spot and 0.83 for Plusoptix. CONCLUSIONS: In this highly astigmatic population,
      the Spot and the Plusoptix had similar sensitivity, but the Spot had better
      specificity and measurement success rates. Compared with results from study
      samples with lower rates of astigmatism, our results highlight the need to assess
      the ability of screening instruments to detect individual types of refractive
      errors.

PMID- 26486026
TI  - Evaluation of the Spot Vision Screener in young children in Costa Rica.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Spot Vision Screener has demonstrated good sensitivity and
      specificity in the pediatric ophthalmology clinic setting. We sought to evaluate
      the updated Spot (version 2.0.16) in a general pediatric population through a
      collaboration of the Storm Eye Institute of the Medical University of South
      Carolina, the Clinica Dr Clorito Picado, and National Children's Hospital of
      Costa Rica. We compared results of screening with the Spot and pediatric
      ophthalmologic examination and determined sensitivity and specificity of the Spot
      in detecting amblyogenic risk factors (ARFs) according to the 2013 AAPOS Vision
      Screening Committee guidelines for automated vision screeners. METHODS: Children
      were screened with the Spot followed by a pediatric ophthalmologic examination.
      Cycloplegic refraction and motility findings were analyzed by age group to
      determine ARFs. RESULTS: A total of 219 subjects, averaging 60 months of age
      (range, 20-119 mo) were included. The prevalence of ARFs in our population was
      12.3% (27/219). The most common risk factor was astigmatism, with a prevalence of
      8.7% (19/219). The Spot referred 43 children (19.6%). Sensitivity of the Spot was
      92.6%; specificity, 90.6%. The positive predictive value was 58.1%; the negative
      predictive value, 98.9%. CONCLUSIONS: The Spot demonstrated good sensitivity and
      specificity in detecting amblyopia risk factors in this general pediatric
      population.

PMID- 26486027
TI  - The use of irradiated corneal patch grafts in pediatric Ahmed drainage implant
      surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the use of irradiated cornea for scleral reinforcement in
      Ahmed glaucoma valve drainage implant (AGV) devices in children. METHODS: The
      medical records of patients <18 years of age who underwent AGV surgery with
      irradiated cornea as scleral reinforcement were reviewed retrospectively. The
      primary outcome measure was erosion of the drainage tube through the corneal
      patch graft. Secondary outcome measures included other major complications:
      persistent inflammation, wound dehiscence, transmission of infectious disease,
      endophthalmitis, and tube/plate self-explantation. RESULTS: A total of 25
      procedures (20 patients) met inclusion criteria. Average patient age was 70
      months (range, 2 months to 17 years). Mean follow-up was 24.8 months (range, 6
      months to 6.2 years). One tube experienced conjunctival exposure through two
      separate corneal grafts (2/25 cases [8%]), sequentially in the same eye. The
      first event occurred at month 3.5 after primary implantation of the tube shunt;
      the second erosion occurred following revision of the existing implant at month
      1.5 postoperatively. There were 2 cases of auto-explantation, 2 cases of wound
      dehiscence, and 1 case of persistent inflammation. There were no cases of
      endophthalmitis or other infections. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the
      first report describing the use of corneal patch grafts in children. Irradiated
      cornea improves cosmesis and enhances visualization of the tube. The risk of tube
      exposure was found to be low and comparable to other materials used as a patch
      graft.

PMID- 26486028
TI  - Electroretinogram assessment of children with sensorineural hearing loss:
      implications for screening.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The guidelines of the National Deaf Children's Society recommend that
      children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) be routinely screened for
      ophthalmological problems and suggest electroretinography (ERG) to exclude Usher
      syndrome. The present study reports the nature and prevalence of abnormal ERG
      findings in a cohort of children with SNHL undergoing ERG with the aim of
      identifying risk factors for the diagnosis of Usher syndrome. METHODS: The
      medical records of children (<18 years of age) with SNHL referred for ERG at
      Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, between January 2009 and December 2011 were
      retrospectively reviewed. Patients were included if they had been referred with
      SNHL by an audiological medicine consultant and the primary indication for
      electrodiagnostic testing was possible Usher syndrome. RESULTS: A total of 84
      cases met inclusion criteria of which 13 (15%) had ERG findings showing rod-cone
      dysfunction consistent with a diagnosis of Usher syndrome. Two patients with
      retinal pigmentary changes had normal ERGs and were diagnosed with rubella
      retinopathy based on the clinical findings. Risk factor analysis showed that age
      of >=8 years at the time of ERG, sex, and bilateral hearing loss were not
      predictive of a diagnosis of Usher syndrome. However, the presence of or referral
      for cochlear implants, having relevant symptoms and/or clinical signs consistent
      with a retinal dystrophy, and profound hearing loss were all highly predictive.
      CONCLUSIONS: ERG is a useful diagnostic tool in children with SNHL and should be
      performed in children with SNHL who have cochlear implants and/or have signs or
      symptoms of retinal dystrophy. A focused approach could have potential cost
      saving benefit.

PMID- 26486030
TI  - Bilateral superior rectus transposition for congenital exotropia associated with
      anomalous medial rectus muscles.
AB  - Superior rectus transposition to the lateral rectus insertion without inferior
      rectus transposition has been used to correct esotropic deviations secondary to
      Duane syndrome and abducens nerve palsy. This is usually combined with an
      augmented posterior fixation suture of the superior rectus muscle to the lateral
      rectus muscle and ipsilateral medial rectus recession. We report a child with a
      large-angle congenital exotropia who was found to have anomalous medial rectus
      muscles bilaterally. Bilateral superior rectus transposition to the medial rectus
      insertion with bilateral lateral rectus recessions achieved good ocular alignment
      in primary position.

PMID- 26486029
TI  - In vitro characteristics of Tenon's fibroblast lines derived from pediatric and
      adult eyes do not fully explain pediatric glaucoma surgery failure: a preliminary
      report.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the in vitro characteristics of Tenon's capsule fibroblasts
      from children and adults that may be relevant to filtration surgery success.
      METHODS: Fibroblast cell lines derived from 5 young (median patient age, 2.4
      years) and 7 old (median patient age, 71 years) discarded Tenon's capsule
      surgical specimens were used at early passage (P2-P3). Fibroblasts were plated at
      "high" (10(4)cells/cm(2)) or "low" density (10(3)cells/cm(2)) and harvested at
      days 0-14, for growth curve and doubling time comparisons. Migration was measured
      using a wound model (confluent monolayers +/- 5-fluorouracil [5-FU] over 1-96
      hours). Collagen synthesis was measured as secreted hydroxyproline/24 hours from
      confluent monolayers. RESULTS: At low density, "young" fibroblasts achieved
      higher cell numbers at confluence (day 14) compared with "old": 158 +/- 35 versus
      105 +/- 12 * 10(3)cells/cm(2) (P = 0.0034). Mean doubling time for young versus
      old was similar at low density plating: 20.95 +/- 1.55 versus 22.37 +/- 2.09
      hours (P = 0.26). It was shorter, however, for young versus old at high-density
      plating: 42.11 +/- 6.01 versus 54.26 +/- 4.24 hours (P = 0.0051). Wound closure
      rates were similar for young versus old cells (4 lines for each group) with and
      without 5-FU. Collagen synthesis was similar for young and old (4 lines for each
      group). CONCLUSIONS: Although young fibroblasts reached higher density than old
      at confluence and had shorter doubling times at high-density plating, wound
      closure/migration and collagen synthesis rates were similar. Despite the
      preliminary nature of this study (few specimens, limited cell features explored),
      factors besides those intrinsic to the fibroblasts themselves likely mediate the
      more rapid healing/scarring after glaucoma filtration surgery in children.

PMID- 26486031
TI  - Recessive COL25A1 mutations cause isolated congenital ptosis or exotropic Duane
      syndrome with synergistic divergence.
AB  - Congenital cranial dysinnervation disorders are phenotypes of incomitant
      strabismus and/or ptosis. Recessive mutations in COL25A1 are a recently reported
      cause, but the associated ophthalmic phenotypes have not been detailed. We
      highlight phenotypes of the 4 affected children from the 2 reported families:
      isolated congenital ptosis (one unilateral, one bilateral) and Duane syndrome
      (one unilateral, one bilateral) with synergistic divergence. Further study is
      needed to understand how frequently recessive COL25A1 mutations underlie these
      specific ocular phenotypes. 

PMID- 26486032
TI  - Medial rectus muscle anchoring in complete oculomotor nerve palsy.
AB  - The management of exotropia resulting from complete oculomotor nerve palsy is
      challenging. Conventional therapeutic interventions, including supramaximal
      resection and recession, superior oblique tendon resection and transposition, and
      several ocular anchoring procedures have yielded less-than-adequate results. Here
      we describe a novel surgical technique of anchoring the medial rectus muscle to
      the medial orbital wall in combination with lateral rectus disinsertion and
      reattachment to the lateral orbital wall. 

PMID- 26486034
TI  - A child with rapidly progressive necrotizing group a streptococcal Tenon's
      capsule infection one day after strabismus surgery.
AB  - Periorbital infections after strabismus surgery are rare. We describe the first
      reported case of necrotizing group A streptococcal infection of the conjunctiva
      and Tenon's capsule complicating uneventful strabismus surgery in a 23-month-old
      boy, successfully managed with conservative intraoperative debridement and with
      targeted local and systemic antibiotics. 

PMID- 26486033
TI  - A novel method for teaching key steps of strabismus surgery in the wet lab.
AB  - The surgical laboratory environment plays an important role in modern surgical
      education. Learning how to complete the key steps of strabismus surgery prior to
      actual surgery may enhance efficiency and sensitize the surgeon to potential
      complications. Cadaveric extraocular muscle is difficult to manipulate and
      specimens are not readily available; therefore, an alternative is needed to teach
      strabismus surgery techniques. We developed a wet lab to practice the key steps
      of strabismus surgery using commercially available bacon as an extraocular muscle
      substitute and cadaveric pig eyes for conjunctival and scleral tissue in a
      framework of peer teaching, expert supervision, and validated written feedback. 

PMID- 26486035
TI  - Central retinal vein occlusion in an otherwise healthy child treated successfully
      with a single injection of bevacizumab.
AB  - We describe the case of an otherwise healthy 13-year-old boy who presented with
      blurred vision and deteriorating visual acuity in his left eye. Fundus
      examination showed left optic disk swelling, exudates, and hemorrhages. He was
      found to have an elevated left central retinal venous pressure to the level of
      arterial diastolic pressure, an elevated left central macular thickness and a
      prolonged disk-to-disk transit time on fluorescein angiography, which confirmed
      the diagnosis of unilateral central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). The child was
      treated with one injection of bevacizumab. He has maintained visual acuity of 6/6
      for 2 years following treatment, despite persistent elevated left central venous
      pressure and chronic optic disk edema. 

PMID- 26486036
TI  - A 6-year-old boy with Cornelia de Lange syndrome and Coats disease: case report
      and review of the literature.
AB  - Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) can result in multiple congenital abnormalities
      and numerous ocular findings. We report the case of a 6-year-old boy with history
      of CdLS who presented with Coats disease. The findings in this case are compared
      to those found in the two previously reported cases of concomitant CdLS and Coats
      disease. The low incidence of these two disorders makes it highly unlikely that
      the connection is random in these 3 cases. The number of patients with both
      Cornelia de Lange syndrome and Coats disease is likely underestimated due to the
      difficulty in examining the peripheral retina in this patient population. 

PMID- 26486037
TI  - Bilateral congenital corneal anesthesia in a patient with SCN9A mutation,
      confirmed primary erythromelalgia, and paroxysmal extreme pain disorder.
AB  - The SCN9A gene codes for the sodium voltage-gated channel NaV 1.7. Gain of
      function mutations cause pain disorders such as primary erythromelalgia,
      paroxysmal extreme pain disorder, and small fiber neuropathy. Loss of function
      mutations lead to congenital insensitivity to pain. We report the case of a 6
      year-old girl with a SCN9A mutation who presented with both gain of function and
      loss of function phenotypes, including congenital corneal anesthesia. 

PMID- 26486038
TI  - Combined orbital proptosis and exudative retinal detachment as initial
      manifestations of acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - We report bilateral orbital and choroidal involvement as the presenting sign of
      acute myeloid leukemia in a 2-year-old white girl. The patient presented with
      painless proptosis and subconjunctival hemorrhage. Ophthalmic examination and
      magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilateral leukemic infiltrates of the orbits
      and choroid, with an exudative retinal detachment in the right eye. Bone marrow
      biopsy confirmed acute myeloid leukemia. Following radiation treatment,
      chemotherapy, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the patient was doing
      well 12 months after presentation. Outcomes can be poor, even with treatment;
      prompt recognition of ophthalmic manifestations of leukemia, including proptosis,
      choroidal infiltration, and retinal detachment, is necessary.

PMID- 26486039
TI  - Acquired retinal pigmentary degeneration in a child with 13q deletion syndrome.
AB  - Orbeli syndrome, or 13q deletion syndrome, is a rare condition caused by a distal
      deletion in the long arm of chromosome 13. The syndrome is characterized by
      severe physical malformations and developmental delays and has been associated
      with numerous ocular manifestations. We report the case of a 10-year-old boy with
      13q deletion syndrome, who was evaluated for impaired vision and found to have
      bilateral retinal pigmentary changes resembling those seen in retinitis
      pigmentosa. There has only been one other case of retinal pigment variation in
      association with 13q deletion syndrome; however, this represents the first case
      of bilateral symmetric retinal pigmentary changes with corresponding rod and cone
      dysfunction on electroretinography. 

PMID- 26486040
TI  - Bilateral tractional retinal detachment in a patient with hemolytic-uremic
      syndrome.
AB  - Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a thrombotic microangiopathy characterized by
      hemolytic anemia, acute kidney injury, and thrombocytopenia. Ophthalmic
      manifestations of HUS range from mild, including scattered intraretinal
      hemorrhages, to severe, including a Purtscher-like retinopathy and iris and optic
      disk neovascularization (NVD). We report the case of a 23-month-old girl with
      severe HUS who presented with bilateral dense vitreous hemorrhage. During
      vitrectomy, optic disk neovascularization and funnel-shaped, tractional
      detachments of both retinas were observed. To our knowledge, this is the first
      reported case of tractional retinal detachment in the context of HUS. 

PMID- 26486041
TI  - Iron deficiency anemia presenting with macular star.
AB  - We report the case of 16-year-old girl who presented with sudden painless
      decreased vision in her right eye of 5 days' duration. Anterior segment
      examination in both eyes showed conjunctival pallor. Results of ophthalmoscopic
      examination and optical coherence tomography were consistent with macular
      preretinal hemorrhage in both eyes with macular star in the left eye. Hematologic
      investigation disclosed severe iron deficiency anaemia. After 2 months, with oral
      substitution therapy with ferrous ascorbate and improved iron levels, the
      patient's visual acuity improved and macular preretinal hemorrhage resolved in
      both eyes. 

PMID- 26486042
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 26486043
TI  - Dilating distractions that work.

PMID- 26486044
TI  - The accuracy of anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) in
      localizing extraocular rectus muscles insertions.

PMID- 26486045
TI  - The accuracy of anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) in
      localizing extraocular rectus muscles insertions.

PMID- 26486046
TI  - Reply: To PMID 26059668.

PMID- 26486047
TI  - Rapid diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children with pneumonia by an immuno
      chromatographic antigen assay.
AB  - Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a particularly important pathogen that causes community
      acquired pneumonia in children. In this study, a rapid test was developed to
      diagnose M. pneumoniae by using a colloidal gold-based immuno-chromatographic
      assay which targets a region of the P1 gene. 302 specimens were analyzed by the
      colloidal gold assay in parallel with real-time PCR. Interestingly, the colloidal
      gold assay allowed M. pneumoniae identification, with a detection limit of 1 *
      10(3) copies/ml. 76 samples were found to be positive in both real-time PCR and
      the colloidal gold assay; two specimens positive in real-time PCR were negative
      in the rapid colloidal gold assay. The specificity and sensitivity of the
      colloidal gold assay were 100% and 97.4%, respectively. These findings indicate
      that the newly developed immuno-chromatographic antigen assay is a rapid,
      sensitive and specific method for identifying M. pneumoniae, with potential
      clinical application in the early diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. 

PMID- 26486049
TI  - Fever following intracerebral and intraventricular hemorrhage.
AB  - Although it is a well-recognized sequela, the clinical course of fever following
      intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) with or
      without ICH has not been well-studied. Patients with fever following either ICH
      or IVH routinely undergo extensive testing only to conclude that the fever is
      "central" in origin. We performed a retrospective analysis of the clinical course
      of fever following isolated IVH, ICH, or IVH associated with ICH. Records of 49
      patients with ICH and/or IVH who were admitted to the Cleveland Clinical
      Foundation from 1987 to 1991 were studied for the onset, duration and degree of
      temperature following the hemorrhage. The incidence of fever was 83.3% in 6
      patients with isolated IVH, 52% in 25 patients with isolated ICH, and 88.8% in 18
      patients with both ICH and IVH. The highest temperature reached was 40.6 degrees
      C in a patient with basal ganglia, third, and fourth ventricular hemorrhage. The
      fever lasted from 1 to 40 days. The fever could be attributed to infection in
      only 4 patients, and none of the patients with fever had proven deep vein
      thrombosis. 

PMID- 26486048
TI  - Precise Delivery Into Chronic Spinal Cord Injury Syringomyelic Cysts with
      Magnetic Nanoparticles MRI Visualization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) often results in the deficiency of
      glia and neurons in cystic cavities. These syringomyelic cysts can prevent axonal
      regeneration and sprouting. Details of the mechanism of syringomyelic cyst
      formation are unknown and an effective treatment for overcoming syringomyelic
      cysts is not available. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten adult female Wistar rats
      underwent contusion SCI modeling resulting in syringomyelic cyst formation. A
      novel method for locating the cysts was developed and employed. MRI safe silver
      needles were inserted through the erector spinae of anesthetized rats to create a
      stable reference point. MRI images of the rodent spine were taken with the
      needles in situ. This information was used to accurately locate the cyst and
      determine the 3-dimensional entry point coordinates for nanoparticle delivery.
      Nanoparticles were injected into the cyst during a primary injection of 8 ul and
      a secondary injection of 8 ul, to prove the procedure can be accurately repeated.
      RESULTS: None of the rats died intra- or post-operatively. The syringomyelic
      cysts were accurately located with the 3-dimensional entry point coordinates.
      After nanoparticle delivery twice into each rat, the visualized syringomyelic
      cyst volume significantly decreased from 5.71+/-0.21 mm3 to 3.23+/-0.364 mm3 and
      to 1.48+/-0.722 mm3. CONCLUSIONS: The present study describes a novel strategy
      for precise nanoparticle delivery into a syringomyelic cyst, using measurements
      obtained from MRI images. This strategy may aid in developing a new method for
      studying chronic spinal cord injury and a novel treatment for syringomyelic
      cysts.

PMID- 26486050
TI  - Preliminary experience using ticlopidine in clinical practice.
AB  - Although shown to be more effective than aspirin for secondary stroke prevention,
      the guidelines for utilizing ticlopidine in daily clinical practice are as yet
      undefined. We reviewed all entries into the Saint Louis University Stroke
      Registry for the period of January to December 1992 and identified individuals
      admitted with diagnosis of cerebral infarction or transient ischemic attack (TIA)
      and who, upon discharge, were prescribed ticlopidine. The etiologic diagnosis,
      event recurrence during follow-up, compliance with medication, and side effects
      of all these patients were documented following review of inpatient and
      outpatient records. A total of 32 patients, 19 (69%) with cerebral infarction and
      10 (31%) with TIA were identified. The etiologic diagnoses included: 11 patients
      with atherothrom-boembolic events, three with lacunar strokes, seven with
      cardioembolic events, and 11 with stroke of uncertain etiology. None of the
      patients reported recurrent cerebrovascular events. Sixteen (50%) patients
      continued to take the drug up to their last visit, whereas 9 (28%) had it
      discontinued. Five patients were lost to follow-up, and two died from cardiac
      arrest. The reasons for drug discontinuation included high cost in two patients,
      allergic reactions in two, and gastrointestinal side effects in three. Two
      additional patients stopped taking ticlopidine on their own due to uncertain
      reasons. In spite of its potential usefulness, intolerance to ticlopidine and its
      high cost result in treatment discontinuation in a significant proportion of
      patients. These factors and their effect on patients' compliance must be taken
      into account when prescribing this medication. 

PMID- 26486051
TI  - Gender difference in prognosis after transient cerebral ischemia or minor stroke.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine if prognosis after transient
      cerebral ischemia or minor stroke is different for women and men. Eligible
      patients (n = 142), identified on a carotid ultrasound roster, had been
      hospitalized between 1984 and 1987 within 30 days of a first carotid transient
      ischemic attack or minor stroke. Participants were considered to have a study
      outcome if they had a stroke or died within 2 years. Gender differences were
      measured with crude and directly standardized relative risks for women compared
      with men. The crude 2-year risk of stroke or death was 35% for women and 20% for
      men. The crude relative risk for women compared with men was 1.74 (95% confidence
      interval = 1.01-3.00). The relative risk standardized for age was 1.39 (95%
      confidence interval = 0.84-2.29). The relative risk standardized for prognostic
      strata and comorbid illness was 1.38 (95% confidence interval = 0.75-2.53). This
      study does not confirm the hypothesis of a gender difference for risk of stroke
      or death after an initial transient ischemic attack or minor stroke. Although the
      crude relative risk for women was large and significant, the adjusted relative
      risk was smaller and nonsignificant. The effect of gender needs to be examined in
      a larger study that has adequate power to detect an important difference between
      men and women at an acceptable level of statistical significance. 

PMID- 26486052
TI  - Functional electrical stimulation to the affected lower limb and recovery after
      cerebral infarction.
AB  - Functional electrical stimulation (FES) may improve recovery after stroke. We
      studied its effects in 38 postcerebral infarct patients. Twenty were randomly
      assigned to receive FES producing ankle dorsiflexion on the affected side and
      physical therapy. The remaining 18 received physical therapy only. Subjects were
      evaluated prior to commencing therapy, at its completion after 4 weeks, and again
      4 weeks later using functional and electrophysiological measures. Functional
      deficit in most patients improved (p < 0.01). Although no significant differences
      were observed when those treated with FES and those not treated were compared at
      4 and 8 weeks, there was significant improvement in the rate of recovery using an
      ambulation score (p < 0.05), and there was a similar trend in the Barthel Index
      for FES-treated patients (p < 0.1). Our results indicate that FES may confer
      additional benefit in acute stroke rehabilitation. Further studies are needed to
      delineate how best to use it. 

PMID- 26486053
TI  - Transient ischemic attacks, risk factors, and precerebral color doppler
      angiosonography.
AB  - The aim of this study was to ascertain the importance of color-coded Doppler
      sonography (CCDS), a noninvasive examination technique, in early detection of
      atherosclerotic lesions in precerebral arteries. CCDS was utilized in a group of
      patients with one or several transient ischemic attacks (TIA) and in a group of
      non-TIA (NTIA) cases, so that the degree of atherosclerotic lesions of
      precerebral vessies in TIA and NTIA patients might be compared. The presence of
      risk factors for cerebrovascular disease (CVD) was compared in both groups as
      well. We examined 87 patients with TIA (38 women and 49 men), aged 19-86 years
      (mean, 60.97 +/- 11.97 years) and 48 NTIA patients (22 women and 26 men), aged 35
      85 years (mean,60.04 +/- 9.37years). No statistically significant differences in
      age and gender were found between the groups. A significant difference was found
      between the common carotid artery intimal-medial thickness (CCA IMT) in TIA
      patients (CCA IMT right + left = 1.12 +/- 0.44 mm) and NTIA patients (CCA IMT
      right + left = 0.91 +/- 0.32 mm) (p < 0.0001). A positive significant association
      was found between both groups in the number of different plaques (p < 0.0001) and
      the number of stenoses (p < 0.0001). When risk factors were compared, the
      difference between TIA and NTIA groups was statistically significant in regard to
      high-density lipoproteins (p < 0.002), total cholesterol (p < 0.004), and blood
      glucose concentrations (p < 0.013), as well as systolic blood pressure (p <
      0.011). In conclusion, Doppler sonographic changes in precerebral arteries were
      present in the TIA group in spite of the fact that both groups had identical risk
      factors for CVD. CCDS is a valuable aid for early detection of TIA patients who
      have a significant risk of developing brain infarction. 

PMID- 26486054
TI  - Spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection presenting with headache and
      visual auras: Report of a case.
AB  - We describe a patient with a stroke in the territory of the right middle cerebral
      artery in whom the initial manifestation was unilateral pulsatile headache and
      positive visual symptoms. Doppler echography and cerebral angiography
      demonstrated dissection of the cervical internal carotid artery. Extracranial
      internal carotid artery dissection may present in a similar way to the migraine
      stroke syndrome. Appropriate imaging investigations are essential in order not to
      overlook the diagnosis. 

PMID- 26486055
TI  - Changing trends in the etiologic diagnosis of ischemic stroke.
AB  - The evaluation of victims of ischemic stroke has evolved over the last few years,
      primarily as a result of the introduction of innovative, sensitive, and
      informative diagnostic procedures. The role of the neurologist appears to have
      been redefined as one in which the identification of the presumptive cause and
      mechanism of the stroke is one of the primary responsibilities. We compared the
      etiologic stroke subtypes of patients entered into the Saint Louis University
      Stroke Registry for the period January to June, 1986 (Group A), with analogous
      data collected in patients entered from January to June, 1992 (Group B). Group A
      included 57 patients whose stroke subtype distribution was as follows: 19% due to
      athero-thromboembolism, 18% cardiogenic, 5% lacunar, and 4% due to other causes.
      In addition, 54% of patients had strokes of unknown etiology. Group B comprised
      137 patients with the following etiologic distribution: 35% cardiogenic, 26%
      atherothrombolic, 3% lacunar, and 6% from other causes. Only 29% had strokes of
      unknown etiology. The apparent increase in the proportion of cardiogenic strokes
      may be related to wider utilization of transesophageal echocardiography. There
      was also a significant drop in the proportion of strokes of unknown etiology.
      Finally, in comparison with other stroke registries, our data suggest that many
      small strokes may also result from cardiogenic embolism. These apparent changes
      in the proportion of stroke subtypes should be considered when patients are being
      evaluated for risk stratification. 

PMID- 26486056
TI  - Recurrent pure sensory transient ischemic attacks: In vivo demonstration of
      associated thalamic infarction.
AB  - We present a case study and literature review to clarify the pathoanatomic
      substrate of recurrent pure sensory transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). A 60-year
      old woman had had over 50 transient episodes of left hemibody hypoesthesia over
      the previous 15 years. Interictal neurologic examination was normal. Magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) showed a small infarct in the ventroposterolateral (VPL)
      nucleus of the right thalamus. Symptoms resolved with warfarin therapy. Ischemia
      related pure sensory symptoms present as one of two clinical syndromes: (a)
      sudden onset of persistent unilateral face, arm, and/or leg
      hypoesthesia/paresthesias, preceded by no or few TIAs, or (b) frequent espisodes
      of transient unilateral hypoesthesia/paresthesias not progressing to permanent
      deficit. The first is widely recognized; recent computed tomography/MRI series
      have reported 105 cases associated with thalamic, brainstem, or thalamocortical
      projection sensory pathway infarction. Although equally common, the syndrome of
      recurrent transient hemihypoesthesia is under-recognized and has a less well
      described pathologic substrate. One previous case with postmortem documentation
      of a VPL thalamic infarction has been reported. We believe this is the first
      reported case of recurrent transient hemihypoesthesia associated with VPL
      thalamic infarction imaged in vivo. 

PMID- 26486057
TI  - Results of a two-month follow-up after single heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL
      precipitation in vascular dementia.
AB  - A trial was undertaken with 44 patients with the diagnosis of cerebral multi
      infarct dementia. Of these, 24 had been exposed to single heparin-induced
      extracorporeal low-density lipoprotein (LDL) precipitation (HELP) whereby an
      immediate, safe, and statistically significant reduction of total cholesterol,
      LDL, triglycerides, fibrinogen (<0.0001 each), lipoprotein (a) (p < 0.003), whole
      blood viscosity (p < 0.005 at high shear and p < 0.007 at low shear rate), plasma
      viscosity (p < 0.0002) and red cell transit time (p < 0.0001) to between 17.9%
      and 58.8% could be obtained within 2 h. Even an amelioration in the
      neuropsychological state, objectified by the Mathew Scale (p < 0.01), the Mini
      Mental State Examination (p < 0.03), and the Activities-of-Daily-Living Test (p <
      0.05) was observed. Despite the fact that the laboratory parameters had reached
      their pretreatment values within 10 days after the HELP procedure, the scores of
      the test battery remained stable during a follow-up period of 2 months. Within a
      control group (n = 20), no changes in laboratory data or in test scoring could be
      observed. 

PMID- 26486058
TI  - Stroke units.
AB  - The medical complications that commonly occur following cerebral infarction,
      intracerebral hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage are reviewed, and the
      available treatment options are outlined. A literature review is undertaken to
      assess the effect stroke units have on morbidity and mortality following stroke. 

PMID- 26486059
TI  - Ischemic stroke in young adults: Results from the university of Wisconsin stroke
      registry.
AB  - We prospectively evaluated 128 consecutive young adults aged 18-50 years who
      suffered from at least one ischemic stroke. Men (92 of 128, 72%) predominated and
      had a mean age of 41 +/- 8 years. Women (36 of 128, 28%) had a mean age of 40 +/-
      8 years (ns). Risk factors that separated male and female groups included
      previous stroke, which as seen overall in 34% (43 of 128; M/F = 38/5, p = 0.002),
      andstroke in thefamily, which was seen overall in21% (27 of 128;M/F = 22/5, p =
      0.005). Thirty-day mortality was seen in 3% (4 of 128), all of whom were men.
      Stroke causes included atherosclerotic in 22% (28 of 128; M/F = 19/9, ns),
      cardioembolic in 17% (22 of 128, M/F = 17/5, ns), arteriopathic in 17% (22 of
      128, M/F = 11/11, p < 0.002 for female preponderance), and coagulopathic in 15%
      (19 of 128, M/F = 18/1, p = 0.002 for male preponderance). Stroke causes remained
      "undetermined, " including small deep stroke and mixed causes, in 16%( 21 of 128;
      M/F = 17/4, ns), "uncertain, " including migraine-related and mitral valve
      prolapse, in 9% (11 of 128; M/F = 3/8, p = 0.002 for female preponderance), and
      "unknown" in 4% (5 of 128; M/F = 5/0, ns). These data, as part of the University
      of Wisconsin Stroke Registry, compare favorably to similar, previously published
      series from other institutions. Composite data from several of these series are
      also included. 

PMID- 26486060
TI  - Neuropsychological improvements following endovascular embolization of
      arteriovenous malformation.
AB  - Two right-handed patients with large, left-hemisphere arteriovenous malformations
      (AVM) underwent serial endovascular embolization and neuropsychological testing
      procedures. One patient presented with hemorrhage, hemiplegia, and aphasia; the
      other patient presented with a seizure only with multiple cognitive impairments.
      Case 1 was assessed for motor-sensory skills in the left hand and for visual
      recall (nondominant hemisphere). Case 2 was administered a more global assessment
      of cognitive functions. Both patients demonstrated significant improvements in
      neuropsychological functions 1 month following endovascular embolization with
      >50% reduction in AVM volume. The nature and extent of these improvements are
      discussed with respect to intervention-related, reversed impairments. 

PMID- 26486061
TI  - Genetic effects on serum testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin in men: a
      Korean twin and family study.
AB  - We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study to evaluate the role of
      genetics in determining the individual difference in total testosterone and sex
      hormone-binding globulin levels. Study participants comprised 730 Korean men
      consisting of 142 pairs of monozygotic twins, 191 pairs of siblings, and 259
      father-offspring pairs from 270 families who participated in the Healthy Twin
      study. Serum concentration of total testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin
      were measured by chemiluminescence immunoassay, and free testosterone and
      bioavailable testosterone were calculated using Vermeulen's method. Quantitative
      genetic analysis based on a variance decomposition model showed that the
      heritability of total testosterone, free testosterone, bioavailable testosterone,
      and sex hormone-binding globulin were 0.56, 0.45, 0.44, and 0.69, respectively
      after accounting for age and body mass index. Proportions of variance explained
      by age and body mass index varied across different traits, from 8% for total
      testosterone to 31% for sex hormone-binding globulin. Bivariate analysis showed a
      high degree of additive genetic correlation (rhoG = 0.67) and a moderate degree
      of individual-specific environmental correlation (rhoE = 0.42) between total
      testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin. The findings confirmed the
      important role of genetics in determining the individually different levels of
      testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin during adulthood in Korean men as
      found in non-Asian populations, which may suggest that common biologic control
      for determining testosterone level directly or indirectly through binding protein
      are largely shared among different populations. 

PMID- 26486063
TI  - The enhanced hydrogen storage of micro-nanostructured hybrids of Mg(BH4)2-carbon
      nanotubes.
AB  - We report the facile preparation of micro-nanostructured hybrids of Mg(BH4)2
      carbon nanotubes (denoted as MBH-CNTs) and their enhanced hydrogen
      desorption/absorption performance. The hybrids with Mg(BH4)2 loadings of 25 wt%,
      50 wt% and 75 wt% are synthesized through a one-step solvent method by adjusting
      the ratios of Mg(BH4)2 and CNTs. The optimized MBH-CNTs with 50 wt% Mg(BH4)2
      exhibit a nanosized layer coating of Mg(BH4)2 with the thickness of 2-6 nm on the
      surface of CNTs. The MBH-CNTs with 50 wt% Mg(BH4)2 start to release hydrogen at
      76  degrees C, which shows a significant decrease of about 200  degrees C
      compared with that of pure Mg(BH4)2 (about 292  degrees C). Furthermore, 3.79 wt%
      of H2 can be desorbed from this sample within 10 min at the peak release
      temperature of 117  degrees C. Meanwhile, the dehydrogenated MBH-CNTs could take
      up 2.5 wt% of H2 at 350  degrees C under the hydrogen pressure of 10 MPa. The
      high chemical activity of nanosized Mg(BH4)2 and the catalytic effect of CNTs
      synergistically promote reversible hydrogen storage. The simple synthesis process
      and enhanced hydrogen desorption/absorption of MBH-CNT hybrids shed light on the
      utilization of Mg(BH4)2 on CNTs as efficient hydrogen storage materials. 

PMID- 26486062
TI  - Differences and similarities between extremely severe oligozoospermia and
      cryptozoospermia in intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
AB  - Patients with extremely severe oligozoospermia (ESO) and cryptozoospermia (CO)
      are suitable using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) as an infertility
      treatment. However, some andrologists are confused to distinguish ESO and CO in
      clinic diagnose. This study was designed for the first time to evaluate and
      compare patients with ESO and CO to determine whether these are useful clinical
      distinctions. A total of 270 infertile men in our center were classified into
      four groups as Group nonobstruction azoospermia (NOA, n = 44), Group ESO (n =
      78), Group CO (n = 40), and Group obstruction azoospermia (OA, n = 108).
      Comparisons of the volume of bilateral testes, the level of follicle stimulating
      hormone (FSH) and inhibin B were obtained in four groups. Then comparisons of
      fertilization rates, cleavage rate, and excellent embryos rate were obtained when
      couples performed ICSI. All indexes (volume of bilateral testis, level of FSH and
      inhibin B) in Groups ESO and CO were no difference, while Groups OA versus NOA,
      OA versus ESO, and OA versus CO were significant differences (P < 0.05). The
      rates of fertilization were no differences in Groups ESO and CO while Groups OA
      versus ESO, OA versus CO were significant differences (P < 0.05). Therefore, the
      spermatogenic functions in patients with CO and ESO were similar, better than NOA
      but worse than OA. However, it would be helpful to evaluate their spermatogenesis
      using testicular biopsies, especially accompanied azoospermia in clinical
      practice.

PMID- 26486064
TI  - Incidence of progression or rebleeding in hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage.
AB  - The incidence of progression or rebleeding in hypertensive intracerebral
      hemorrhage (HICH) has not been clearly established. We review 56 cases of HICH
      involving the basal ganglia or thalamus and found four cases (one thalamic, three
      basal ganglia) in which progression or rebleeding occurred. These cases represent
      7% (4/56) of the total number of cases and 13.8% (4/29) of the cases in which
      serial computer tomography (CT) was performed. In two cases, progression or
      rebleeding occurred during the first 24 h after onset of symptoms, whereas in the
      other two cases rebleeding appeared to be delayed (CT changes noted 5 and 6 days
      later). This study suggests that the incidence of progression or rebleeding in
      HICH occurs more commonly than had been believed and that rebleeding may occur
      early or late. 

PMID- 26486065
TI  - Multivessel cervicocephalic and visceral arterial dissections: Pathogenic role of
      primary arterial disease in cervicocephalic arterial dissections.
AB  - The origin and pathogenesis of spontaneous internal carotid artery dissections in
      most cases remain unclear. It is presumed that in many cases an underlying
      arterial disease may predispose the artery to the mural dissection. In about 15%
      of cases, there is angiographic evidence of fibromuscular dysplasia in carotid,
      vertebral, or renal arteries. Uncommonly, cases of cystic medial necrosis and,
      rarely, other arterial diseases have been reported. However, in the majority of
      cases, no arterial disease can be documented. Multivessel spontaneous dissections
      strongly suggest the presence of underlying arterial disease despite absence of
      any angiographic or laboratory findings pointing to any specific arteriopathy. In
      this communication, three cases of multivessel cervicocephalic and visceral
      arterial dissections are reported. Angiographic and laboratory data gave no clues
      to the nature of the underlying arterial disease. Further clinical observations
      and histopathologic studies, when possible, as well as biochemical studies should
      provide more insight into the origin and pathogenesis of the spontaneous arterial
      dissections. 

PMID- 26486066
TI  - Time course of platelet activation following acute ischemic stroke.
AB  - To assess the time course of platelet activation after acute ischemic stroke we
      measured the platelet protein beta-thromboglobulin (BTG) in 66 patients. Serial
      samples were obtained over a 3-month period. Mean values of BTG in patients with
      lacunar infarction were not significantly elevated at any time. In nonlacunar
      strokes, the mean BTG level during the first week after stroke was not
      significantly elevated. The mean BTG level rose in the second week and became
      statistically different from control (mean +/- SEM; 33.1 +/- 3.6 vs. 21.3 +/- 2.0
      IU/ml, p = 0.01). Mean values then declined to normal. Significant differences
      were noted among stroke subtypes. During the first week, mean values of BTG were
      higher in cardioembolic stroke (36.9 +/- 6.2 IU/ml, p = 0.007 vs. controls) than
      in atherothrombotic stroke (22.1 +/- 2.8 IU/ml, p = 0.82). By the second week,
      mean BTG values were significantly elevated for both cardioembolic (44.4 +/- 8.3
      IU/ml, p < 0.001) and atherothrombotic (33.8 +/- 5.0 IU/ml, p = 0.01) strokes.
      The rise of this marker following stroke suggests that at least some of the
      platelet activation associated with stroke is a secondary phenomenon.
      Cardioembolic stroke is associated with as much platelet activation as
      atherothrombotic stroke and may have greater platelet activation during the first
      week after stroke. 

PMID- 26486067
TI  - Association of paretic lower extremity muscle strength and standing balance with
      stair-climbing ability in patients with stroke.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between stair
      climbing ability and standing balance and paretic lower extremity muscle strength
      in a sample of subjects following stroke. The subjects were 20 patients with
      hemiparesis and intact sensation who were a mean 67 years of age and 48 days post
      stroke. Stair-climbing ability was measured using a three-component (assistance,
      rail use, pattern) grading system from which a total score was derived. The
      strength of five muscle groups was measured with a hand-held dynamometer. The sum
      of the five muscle group strengths was calculated. Standing balance was measured
      using an ordinal grading scheme. Individual muscle group strengths as well as the
      sum of the muscle group strengths were correlated significantly with the total
      stair-climbing scores (rs = 0.734 - 0.860). Standing balance scores correlated
      significantly with the total stair-climbing scores (rs = 0.937). Multiple
      regression showed that standing balance alone explained stair-climbing ability as
      well as stair-climbing ability and muscle strength combined. The results
      reinforce that both paretic muscle strength and standing balance may be
      appropriate components of the assessment and potentially fruitful targets for
      treatment for patients with stroke. 

PMID- 26486068
TI  - Clinical trials in acute ischemic stroke: Problems in design and interpretation.
AB  - When evaluating potential therapies for acute or progressing ischemic stroke, we
      should discard our preconceived notions about either efficacy or lack of efficacy
      of individual interventions. With carefully designed and performed clinical
      trials, we have the opportunity to change the present feeling of helplessness
      when it comes to the acute management of patients with ischemic stroke. The
      alternative to expensive, time-consuming, controlled clinical trials of promising
      therapies is to continue to treat on the basis of opinions or bias. 

PMID- 26486069
TI  - Atrial-septal-aneurysm-associated thrombus and stroke: Demonstration with
      transesophageal echocardiography.
AB  - Atrial septal aneurysm is an increasingly recognized cardiac abnormality. It
      represents a marked bulging of the interatrial septum into one atrium or the
      other. A consistent association between this structure and embolic stroke has
      been demonstrated. Because of the high prevalence of patent foramen ovale or
      atrial septal defect associated with this structure, paradoxical embolism has
      been suggested as a mechanism for embolic events. An alternate explanation is the
      local association of the aneurysm with thrombus. Few data have been found to
      support this mechanism, however. We report a young woman with multiple strokes
      during pregnancy in whom transesophageal echocardiography allowed the in vivo
      demonstration of atrial-septal-aneurysm-associated thrombus. This observation
      lends further support to the "local thrombus" mechanism of embolie events. It
      also underscores the potential utility of transesophageal echocardiography in
      evaluating patients with stroke of uncertain etiology. 

PMID- 26486070
TI  - Benign brainstem hemorrhage: A brief review.
AB  - Brainstem hemorrhage is usually associated with a poor prognosis. With the
      availability of cranial computed tomography (CT) in recent years, it has become
      apparent that some patients with hemorrhage in the brainstem may have milder
      symptoms and a better outcome. Although most such hemorrhages have been reported
      in the midbrain, benign hemorrhages have also been reported in the pons and
      medulla. This review summarizes reports in the literature with respect to the
      clinical features, diagnosis, and prognosis in patients with brainstem hemorrhage
      and a benign prognosis. My experience and review of the literature suggest that
      these hemorrhages are often missed until after cranial CT is performed, and
      etiology remains unknown in most cases. In patients with an arteriovenous
      malformation (AVM), angiographically visible or occult recurrences are frequent.
      In cases in which an etiology is not found, recovery is rapid and often complete
      or nearly complete, and recurrences are very rare. 

PMID- 26486071
TI  - Hemostasis findings in headache and psychosocial stress associated with cerebral
      ischemia.
AB  - We assessed the prevalence of headache and psychosocial stress in a group of
      patients with cerebral ischemia and evaluated hemostatic function in these
      patients. Headache and preceding psychosocial stress were present in one-third
      and one-half, respectively, of patients capable of providing an adequate history
      and answering a standardized psychosocial questionnaire. There were no
      significant differences in hematocrit, white blood cell count and differential,
      fibrinogen, and platelet activation peptide beta-thromboglobulin, between
      patients with and without headache and between high- and low-stress patients.
      Fibrin D-dimer (a fragment of cross-linked fibrin) was significantly lower in
      high-stress compared to low-stress patients. There was no association between
      headache and stress level. These findings make unlikely the hypothesis that
      headache associated with cerebral ischemia is platelet-mediated and suggest that
      psychosocial stress on a chronic basis is not associated with procoagulant
      tendencies in this population. 

PMID- 26486072
TI  - Size and distribution of lacunes defined by computed tomography: Correlation with
      blood pressure and possible stroke mechanisms.
AB  - To study the causes of lacunes (small cerebral infarcts) and the frequency of
      large brain infarcts in the same patients, the records of all patients admitted
      to the University of Utah Hospital between January 1983 and June 1986 with the
      diagnosis of acute cerebral or brainstem infarction were retrospectively
      reviewed. The neuroradiologist's interpretation of each patient's computed
      tomography (CT) scan was used to identify a cohort of 69 patients with lacunes.
      The medical records were examined for data pertaining to clinical events, and the
      CT scans were inspected to determine the dimensions and anatomic distribution of
      the infarcts. Patients who had larger infarcts or intracranial hemorrhages, in
      addition to one or more lacunes, were included. Twenty-seven patients (39%) were
      normotensive; 29 (42%) were hypertensive, and 13 (19%) had a history of
      hypertension but were normotensive at the time of the stroke. Ninety-five lacunes
      were distributed evenly among these three groups. The lacunes were larger in the
      normotensive patients. Twenty large infarcts were distributed evenly in the three
      groups. Diagnostic evaluation revealed significant abnormalities. The presence of
      cardiac and/or arterial disease places patients with lacunes at greater risk for
      more serious cerebral ischemic events and for recurrent small strokes. These
      observations are discussed as they relate to the causes and significance of
      lacunes. 

PMID- 26486073
TI  - Collecting and registering sexual health information in the context of HIV risk
      in the electronic medical record of general practitioners: a qualitative
      exploration of the preference of general practitioners in urban communities in
      Flanders (Belgium).
AB  - Background and aim Current health-care delivery requires increasingly proactive
      and inter-professional work. Therefore, collecting patient information and
      knowledge management is of paramount importance. General practitioners (GPs) are
      well placed to lead these evolving models of care delivery. However, it is
      unclear how they are handling these changes. To gain an insight into this matter,
      the HIV epidemic was chosen as a test case. METHODS: Data were collected and
      analysed from 13 semi-structured interviews with GPs, working in urban
      communities in Flanders. Findings GPs use various types of patient information to
      estimate patients' risk of HIV. The way in which sexual health information is
      collected and registered, depends on the type of information under discussion.
      General patient information and medical history data are often automatically
      collected and registered. Proactively collecting sexual health information is
      uncommon. Moreover, the registration of the latter is not obvious, mostly owing
      to insufficient space in the electronic medical record (EMR). CONCLUSIONS: GPs
      seem willing to systematically collect and register sexual health information, in
      particular about HIV-risk factors. They expressed a need for guidance together
      with practical adjustments of the EMR to adequately capture and share this
      information.

PMID- 26486074
TI  - Catalytic Asymmetric Reactions of 4-Substituted Indoles with Nitroethene: A
      Direct Entry to Ergot Alkaloid Structures.
AB  - A domino Friedel-Crafts/nitro-Michael reaction between 4-substituted indoles and
      nitroethene is presented. The reaction is catalyzed by BINOL-derived phosphoric
      acid catalysts, and delivers the corresponding 3,4-ring-fused indoles with very
      good results in terms of yields and diastereo- and enantioselectivities. The
      tricyclic benzo[cd]indole products bear a nitro group at the right position to
      serve as precursors of ergot alkaloids, as demonstrated by the formal synthesis
      of 6,7-secoagroclavine from one of the adducts. DFT calculations suggest that the
      outcome of the reaction stems from the preferential evolution of a key nitronic
      acid intermediate through a nucleophilic addition pathway, rather than to the
      expected "quenching" through protonation. 

PMID- 26486075
TI  - Geometries for the coherent control of four-wave mixing in graphene multilayers.
AB  - Deeply sub-wavelength two-dimensional films may exhibit extraordinarily strong
      nonlinear effects. Here we show that 2D films exhibit the remarkable property of
      a phase-controllable nonlinearity, i.e., the amplitude of the nonlinear
      polarisation wave in the medium can be controlled via the pump beam phase and
      determines whether a probe beam will "feel" or not the nonlinearity. This is in
      stark contrast to bulk nonlinearities where propagation in the medium averages
      out any such phase dependence. We perform a series of experiments in multilayer
      graphene that highlight some of the consequences of the optical nonlinearity
      phase-dependence, such as the coherent control of nonlinearly diffracted beams,
      single-pump-beam induced phase-conjugation and the demonstration of a nonlinear
      mirror characterised by negative reflection. The observed phase sensitivity is
      not specific to graphene but rather is solely a result of the dimensionality and
      is therefore expected in all 2D materials. 

PMID- 26486077
TI  - Comprehensive investigation of oncogenic driver mutations in Chinese non-small
      cell lung cancer patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the frequency of driver mutations in Chinese non-small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. METHODS: Comprehensive mutational analysis was
      performed in 1356 lung adenocarcinoma, 503 squamous cell carcinoma, 57
      adenosquamous lung carcinoma, 19 large cell carcinoma and 8 sarcomatoid
      carcinoma. The effect of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) on EGFR-mutated
      lung adenocarcinoma patients after disease recurrence was investigated. RESULTS:
      Mutations in EGFR kinase domain, HER2 kinase domain, KRAS, BRAF, ALK, ROS1 and
      RET were mutually exclusive. In lung adenocarcinoma cases "pan-negative" for the
      seven above-mentioned driver mutations, we also detected two oncogenic EGFR
      extracellular domain mutations (A289D and R324L), two HER2 extracellular and
      transmembrane domain mutations (S310Y and V659E), one ARAF S214C mutation and two
      CD74-NRG1 fusions. Six (1.2%) FGFR3 activating mutations were identified in lung
      squamous cell carcinoma (five S249C and one R248C). There were three (15.8%) EGFR
      mutations and four (21.1%) KRAS mutations in large cell carcinoma. Three (37.5%)
      KRAS mutations were detected in sarcomatoid carcinoma. In EGFR-mutated lung
      adenocarcinoma patients who experienced disease recurrence, treatment with EGFR
      TKIs was an independent predictor of better overall survival (HR = 0.299, 95% CI:
      0.172-0.519, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We determined the frequency of driver
      mutations in a large series of Chinese NSCLC patients. EGFR TKIs might improve
      the survival outcomes of EGFR-mutated lung adenocarcinoma patients who
      experienced disease recurrence.

PMID- 26486078
TI  - VHL-dependent alterations in the secretome of renal cell carcinoma: Association
      with immune cell response?
AB  - Secreted proteins could modulate the interaction between tumor, stroma and immune
      cells within the tumor microenvironment thereby mounting an immunosuppressive
      tumor microenvironment. In order to determine the secretome-mediated, von Hippel
      Lindau (VHL)-regulated cross-talk between tumor cells and T lymphocytes
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy donors were either
      cultured in conditioned media obtained from normoxic and hypoxic human VHL
      deficient renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell line (786-0VHL-) and its wild type (wt)
      VHL-transfected counterpart (786-0VHL+) or directly co-cultured with both cell
      lines. An increased T cell proliferation was detected in the presence of 786
      0VHL+-conditioned medium. By applying a quantitative proteomic-based approach
      using differential gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry fourteen
      proteins were identified to be differentially expressed within the secretome of
      786-0VHL- cells when compared to that of 786-0VHL+ cells. All proteins identified
      were involved in multiple tumor-associated biological functions including immune
      responses. Functional studies on manganese superoxide dismutase 2 (MnSOD2)
      demonstrated that it was a regulator of T cell activation-induced oxidative
      signaling and cell death. Direct effects of soluble MnSOD2 on the growth
      properties and interleukin 2 (IL-2) secretion of T cells could be demonstrated
      underlining the critical role of extracellular MnSOD2 levels for T cell
      proliferation and activation. 

PMID- 26486079
TI  - CGK733-induced LC3 II formation is positively associated with the expression of
      cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21Waf1/Cip1 through modulation of the AMPK and
      PERK/CHOP signaling pathways.
AB  - Microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3)-II is essential for
      autophagosome formation and is widely used to monitor autophagic activity. We
      show that CGK733 induces LC3 II and LC3-puncta accumulation, which are not
      involved in the activation of autophagy. The treatment of CGK733 did not alter
      the autophagic flux and was unrelated to p62 degradation. Treatment with CGK733
      activated the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and protein kinase RNA-like
      endoplasmic reticulum kinase/CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein
      (PERK/CHOP) pathways and elevated the expression of p21Waf1/Cip1. Inhibition of
      both AMPK and PERK/CHOP pathways by siRNA or chemical inhibitor could block
      CGK733-induced p21Waf1/Cip1 expression as well as caspase-3 cleavage. Knockdown
      of LC3 B (but not LC3 A) abolished CGK733-triggered LC3 II accumulation and
      consequently diminished AMPK and PERK/CHOP activity as well as p21Waf1/Cip1
      expression. Our results demonstrate that CGK733-triggered LC3 II formation is an
      initial event upstream of the AMPK and PERK/CHOP pathways, both of which control
      p21Waf1/Cip1 expression. 

PMID- 26486080
TI  - The Akt1/IL-6/STAT3 pathway regulates growth of lung tumor initiating cells.
AB  - Here we report that the PI3K/Akt1/IL-6/STAT3 signalling pathway regulates
      generation and stem cell-like properties of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
      tumor initiating cells (TICs). Mutant Akt1, mutant PIK3CA or PTEN loss enhances
      formation of lung cancer spheroids (LCS), self-renewal, expression of stemness
      markers and tumorigenic potential of human immortalized bronchial cells (BEAS-2B)
      whereas Akt inhibition suppresses these activities in established (NCI-H460) and
      primary NSCLC cells. Matched microarray analysis of Akt1-interfered cells and
      LCSs identified IL-6 as a critical target of Akt signalling in NSCLC TICs.
      Accordingly, suppression of Akt in NSCLC cells decreases IL-6 levels,
      phosphorylation of IkK and IkB, NF-kB transcriptional activity, phosphorylation
      and transcriptional activity of STAT3 whereas active Akt1 up-regulates them.
      Exposure of LCSs isolated from NSCLC cells to blocking anti-IL-6 mAbs, shRNA to
      IL-6 receptor or to STAT3 markedly reduces the capability to generate LCSs, to
      self-renew and to form tumors, whereas administration of IL-6 to Akt-interfered
      cells restores the capability to generate LCSs. Finally, immunohistochemical
      studies in NSCLC patients demonstrated a positive correlative trend between
      activated Akt, IL-6 expression and STAT3 phosphorylation (n = 94; p < 0.05). In
      conclusion, our data indicate that aberrant Akt signalling contributes to
      maintaining stemness in lung cancer TICs through a NF-kB/IL-6/STAT3 pathway and
      provide novel potential therapeutic targets for eliminating these malignant cells
      in NSCLC. 

PMID- 26486081
TI  - IDH1/2 but not DNMT3A mutations are suitable targets for minimal residual disease
      monitoring in acute myeloid leukemia patients: a study by the Acute Leukemia
      French Association.
AB  - Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease. Even within the same
      NPM1-mutated genetic subgroup, some patients harbor additional mutations in FLT3,
      IDH1/2, DNMT3A or TET2. Recent studies have shown the prognostic significance of
      minimal residual disease (MRD) in AML but it remains to be determined which
      molecular markers are the most suitable for MRD monitoring. Recent advances in
      next-generation sequencing (NGS) have provided the opportunity to use multiple
      molecular markers. In this study, we used NGS technology to assess MRD in 31 AML
      patients enrolled in the ALFA-0701 trial and harboring NPM1 mutations associated
      to IDH1/2 or DNMT3A mutations. NPM1 mutation-based MRD monitoring was performed
      by RTqPCR. IDH1/2 and DNMT3A mutations were quantified by NGS using an Ion
      Torrent Proton instrument with high coverage (2 million reads per sample). The
      monitoringof IDH1/2 mutations showed that these mutations were reliable MRD
      markers that allowed the prediction of relapse in the majority of patients.
      Moreover, IDH1/2 mutation status predicted relapse or disease evolution in 100%
      of cases if we included the patient who developed myelodysplastic syndrome. In
      contrast, DNMT3A mutations were not correlated to the disease status, as we found
      that a preleukemic clone with DNMT3A mutation persisted in 40% of the patients
      who were in complete remission, reflecting the persistence of clonal
      hematopoiesis. 

PMID- 26486082
TI  - The potent tumor suppressor miR-497 inhibits cancer phenotypes in nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma by targeting ANLN and HSPA4L.
AB  - Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignancy with poor prognosis that is
      endemic to Southeast Asia. We profiled microRNAs (miRNAs) of NPCs using
      microarrays and confirmed the results by quantitative RT-PCR. The results
      revealed that seven miRNAs were significantly up-regulated, and six miRNAs were
      down-regulated, in NPC tissues relative to noncancerous nasopharyngeal epithelia
      (NNE). Expression of miR-497 was also significantly reduced in the plasma of NPC
      patients relative to the plasma of noncancerous control patients. The concordant
      down-regulation of miR-497 in tissues and plasma suggested that miR-497 could be
      used as a diagnostic biomarker for NPC. Functional analyses of the effect of miR
      497 on cancer phenotypes revealed that transfection of miR-497 mimic into NPC
      cells suppressed cell growth and migration and induced apoptosis. Subcutaneous
      xenografts of transfected cells in nude mice demonstrated that miR-497
      significantly inhibited tumor growth. Two potential targets of miR-497, ANLN
      (anillin, actin-binding protein) and HSPA4L (heat shock 70 kDa protein 4-like),
      both of which were overexpressed in NPC tissues, were negatively regulated by miR
      497 mimic in NPC cell lines. Silencing of ANLN and HSPA4L suppressed cell
      proliferation and migration and induced apoptosis in NPC cells. Our findings
      indicate that miR-497 is a potent tumor suppressor that inhibits cancer
      phenotypes by targeting ANLN and HSPA4L in NPC. 

PMID- 26486083
TI  - Molecular mechanisms of cisplatin cytotoxicity in acute promyelocytic leukemia
      cells.
AB  - Cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) (cisplatin) is a widely used anti-tumor drug
      for the treatment of a broad range of human malignancies with successful
      therapeutic outcomes for head and neck, ovarian, and testicular cancers. It has
      been found to inhibit cell cycle progression and to induce oxidative stress and
      apoptosis in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cells. However, its molecular
      mechanisms of cytotoxic action are poorly understood. We hypothesized that
      cisplatin induces cytotoxicity through DNA adduct formation, oxidative stress,
      transcriptional factors (p53 and AP-1), cell cycle regulation, stress signaling
      and apoptosis in APL cells. We used the APL cell line as a model, and applied a
      variety of molecular tools to elucidate the cytotoxic mode of action of
      cisplatin. We found that cisplatin inhibited cell proliferation by a
      cytotoxicity, characterized by DNA damage and modulation of oxidative stress.
      Cisplatin also activated p53 and phosphorylated activator protein (AP-1)
      component, c-Jun at serine (63, 73) residue simultaneously leading to cell cycle
      arrest through stimulation of p21 and down regulation of cyclins and cyclin
      dependent kinases in APL cell lines. It strongly activated the intrinsic pathway
      of apoptosis through alteration of the mitochondrial membrane potential, release
      of cytochrome C, and up-regulation of caspase 3 activity. It also down regulated
      the p38MAPK pathway. Overall, this study highlights the molecular mechanisms that
      underline cisplatin toxicity to APL cells, and provides insights into selection
      of novel targets and/or design of therapeutic agents to treat APL. 

PMID- 26486084
TI  - The activation of EGFR promotes myocardial tumor necrosis factor-alpha production
      and cardiac failure in endotoxemia.
AB  - To study the effect of EGFR activation on the generation of TNF-alpha and the
      occurrence of cardiac dysfuncetion during sepsis, PD168393 and erlotinib (both
      are EGFR inhibitors) were applied to decreased the production of TNF-alpha and
      phosphrylation of ERK1/2 and p38 induced by LPS in cardiomyocytes. These results
      were further proved by specifically knocked down the expression of EGFR in vitro.
      Both TAPI-1, a TNF-alpha converting enzyme (TACE) inhibitor, and TGF-alpha
      neutralizing antibody could inhibit the activation of EGFR and the generation of
      TNF-alpha mRNA after LPS treatment. The increase of TGF-alpha in response to LPS
      could also be suppressed by TAPI-1. On the other hand, exogenous TGF-alpha
      increased the expression of TNF-alpha mRNA and partially reversed the inhibitory
      effect of TAPI-1 on expression of TNF-alpha mRNA in response to LPS indicating
      that the transactivation of EGFR by LPS in cardiomyocytes needs the help of TACE
      and TGF-alpha. In endotoxemic mice, inhibition the activation of EGFR not only
      decreased TNF-alpha production in the myocardium but also improved left
      ventricular pump function and ameliorated cardiac dysfunction and ultimately
      improved survival rate. All these results provided a new insight of how EGFR
      regulation the production of TNF-alpha in cardiomyocytes and a potential new
      target for the treatment of cardiac dysfunction in sepsis.

PMID- 26486086
TI  - On representing the prognostic value of continuous gene expression biomarkers
      with the restricted mean survival curve.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Researchers developing biomarkers for cancer prognosis from
      quantitative gene expression data are often faced with an odd methodological
      discrepancy: while Cox's proportional hazards model, the appropriate and popular
      technique, produces a continuous and relative risk score, it is hard to cast the
      estimate in clear clinical terms like median months of survival and percent of
      patients affected. To produce a familiar Kaplan-Meier plot, researchers commonly
      make the decision to dichotomize a continuous (often unimodal and symmetric)
      score. It is well known in the statistical literature that this procedure induces
      significant bias. RESULTS: We illustrate the liabilities of common techniques for
      categorizing a risk score and discuss alternative approaches. We promote the use
      of the restricted mean survival (RMS) and the corresponding RMS curve that may be
      thought of as an analog to the best fit line from simple linear regression.
      CONCLUSIONS: Continuous biomarker workflows should be modified to include the
      more rigorous statistical techniques and descriptive plots described in this
      article. All statistics discussed can be computed via standard functions in the
      Survival package of the R statistical programming language. Example R language
      code for the RMS curve is presented in the appendix.

PMID- 26486087
TI  - AMPK potentiation by LKB1 isoforms.

PMID- 26486085
TI  - Concepts and mechanisms underlying chemotherapy induced immunogenic cell death:
      impact on clinical studies and considerations for combined therapies.
AB  - Chemotherapy has historically been thought to induce cancer cell death in an
      immunogenically silent manner. However, recent studies have demonstrated that
      therapeutic outcomes with specific chemotherapeutic agents (e.g. anthracyclines)
      correlate strongly with their ability to induce a process of immunogenic cell
      death (ICD) in cancer cells. This process generates a series of signals that
      stimulate the immune system to recognize and clear tumor cells. Extensive studies
      have revealed that chemotherapy-induced ICD occurs via the exposure/release of
      calreticulin (CALR), ATP, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10) and high
      mobility group box 1 (HMGB1). This review provides an in-depth look into the
      concepts and mechanisms underlying CALR exposure, activation of the Toll-like
      receptor 3/IFN/CXCL10 axis, and the release of ATP and HMGB1 from dying cancer
      cells. Factors that influence the impact of ICD in clinical studies and the
      design of therapies combining chemotherapy with immunotherapy are also discussed.

PMID- 26486088
TI  - Detection of canonical A-to-G editing events at 3' UTRs and microRNA target sites
      in human lungs using next-generation sequencing.
AB  - RNA editing is a post-transcriptional modification of RNA. The majority of these
      changes result from adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADARs) catalyzing the
      conversion of adenosine residues to inosine in double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs).
      Massively parallel sequencing has enabled the identification of RNA editing sites
      in human transcriptomes. In this study, we sequenced DNA and RNA from human lungs
      and identified RNA editing sites with high confidence via a computational
      pipeline utilizing stringent analysis thresholds. We identified a total of 3,447
      editing sites that overlapped in three human lung samples, and with 50% of these
      sites having canonical A-to-G base changes. Approximately 27% of the edited sites
      overlapped with Alu repeats, and showed A-to-G clustering (>3 clusters in 100
      bp). The majority of edited sites mapped to either 3' untranslated regions (UTRs)
      or introns close to splice sites; whereas, only few sites were in exons resulting
      in non-synonymous amino acid changes. Interestingly, we identified 652 A-to-G
      editing events in the 3' UTR of 205 target genes that mapped to 932 potential
      miRNA target binding sites. Several of these miRNA edited sites were validated in
      silico. Additionally, we validated several A-to-G edited sites by Sanger
      sequencing. Altogether, our study suggests a role for RNA editing in miRNA
      mediated gene regulation and splicing in human lungs. In this study, we have
      generated a RNA editome of human lung tissue that can be compared with other RNA
      editomes across different lung tissues to delineate a role for RNA editing in
      normal and diseased states. 

PMID- 26486089
TI  - Common cancer-associated imbalances in the DNA damage response confer sensitivity
      to single agent ATR inhibition.
AB  - ATR is an attractive target in cancer therapy because it signals replication
      stress and DNA lesions for repair and to S/G2 checkpoints. Cancer-specific
      defects in the DNA damage response (DDR) may render cancer cells vulnerable to
      ATR inhibition alone. We determined the cytotoxicity of the ATR inhibitor VE-821
      in isogenically matched cells with DDR imbalance. Cell cycle arrest, DNA damage
      accumulation and repair were determined following VE-821 exposure.Defects in
      homologous recombination repair (HRR: ATM, BRCA2 and XRCC3) and base excision
      repair (BER: XRCC1) conferred sensitivity to VE-821. Surprisingly, the loss of
      different components of the trimeric non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) protein
      DNA-PK had opposing effects. Loss of the DNA-binding component, Ku80, caused
      hypersensitivity to VE-821, but loss of its partner catalytic subunit, DNA-PKcs,
      did not. Unexpectedly, VE-821 was particularly cytotoxic to human and hamster
      cells expressing high levels of DNA-PKcs. High DNA-PKcs was associated with
      replicative stress and activation of the DDR. VE-821 suppressed HRR, determined
      by RAD51 focus formation, to a greater extent in cells with high DNA-PKcs.Defects
      in HRR and BER and high DNA-PKcs expression, that are common in cancer, confer
      sensitivity to ATR inhibitor monotherapy and may be developed as predictive
      biomarkers for personalised medicine. 

PMID- 26486090
TI  - Aspirin might reduce the incidence of pancreatic cancer: A meta-analysis of
      observational studies.
AB  - Although there is evidence that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
      might be able to prevent pancreatic cancer, the findings from epidemiological
      studies have been inconsistent. In this paper, we conducted a meta-analysis of
      observational studies to examine this possibility. We searched PubMed and Embase
      for observational (cohort or case-control) studies examining the consumption of
      aspirin and other NSAIDs and the incidence of or mortality rates associated with
      pancreatic cancer. Twelve studies including approximately 258,000 participants in
      total were analysed. The administration of aspirin significantly reduced the
      incidence of pancreatic cancer (8 studies; odds ratio (OR) = 0.77; 95% confidence
      interval (CI) = 0.62 to 0.96; I(2) = 74.2%) but not the mortality associated with
      it (2 studies; OR = 0.94; 95% CI = 0.73 to 1.22). Specifically, frequent aspirin
      use was associated with reduced pancreatic cancer incidence (OR = 0.57; 95% CI =
      0.39 to 0.83 for high frequency; OR = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.38 to 0.84 for medium
      frequency). The summary ORs regarding the incidence of pancreatic cancer and
      either non-aspirin NSAIDs use (OR = 1.08; 95% CI = 0.90 to 1.31) or overall
      NSAIDs use (OR = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.86 to 1.10) were not significant. In
      conclusion, aspirin use might reduce the incidence of pancreatic cancer; however,
      this finding should be interpreted with caution because of study heterogeneity.

PMID- 26486091
TI  - Branched isomeric 1,2,3-triazolium-based ionic liquids: new insight into
      structure-property relationships.
AB  - A series of four isomeric 1,2,3-triazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) with vary
      degree of branching were synthesized and characterized to investigate the effect
      of ion branching on thermal and physical properties of the resulting IL. It was
      found that increased branching led to a higher ionicity and higher viscosity. The
      thermal properties were also altered significantly and spectral changes in the
      near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra show that branching
      affects intermolecular interaction. While the ionicity and viscosity varying
      linearly with branching, the MDSC and NEXAFS measurements show that the cation
      shape has a stronger influence on the melting temperature and absorptive
      properties than the number of branched alkyl substituents. 

PMID- 26486094
TI  - Parents' and young people's involvement in designing a trial of ventilator
      weaning.
AB  - Consulting with users is considered best practice and is highly recommended in
      designing new trials. As part of our feasibility work, we undertook a
      consultation exercise with parents, ex-patients and young people prior to
      designing a trial of protocol-based ventilator weaning. Our aims were to (1)
      ascertain views on the relevance and importance of the trial; (2) determine the
      important parent/patient outcome measures; and (3) ascertain views on informed
      consent in a cluster randomized controlled trial. We conducted audio-recorded
      face-to-face, telephone and focus group interviews with parents and young people.
      Data were content analysed to generate information to address our specific
      consultation objectives. The setting was the north-western region of England. A
      total of 16 participants were interviewed: 2 parents of paediatric intensive care
      unit (PICU) survivors; 1 PICU survivor; and 13 young people from the former
      Medicines for Children Research Network. The trial objectives were deemed
      important and relevant, and participants considered the most important outcome
      measure to be the length of time on ventilation. Parents and young people did not
      consider written informed consent to be a necessary requirement in the context of
      this trial, rather awareness of unit participation in the trial was important
      with the opportunity of opting out of data collection. This consultation provided
      useful, pragmatic insights to inform trial design. We encountered significant
      challenges in recruiting parents and young people for this consultation exercise,
      and novel recruitment methods need to be considered for future work in this
      field. Patient and public involvement is essential to ensure that future trials
      answer parent-relevant questions and have meaningful outcome measures, as well as
      involving parents and young people in the general development of health care
      services. 

PMID- 26486092
TI  - Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand oxygen guidelines for acute oxygen
      use in adults: 'Swimming between the flags'.
AB  - The purpose of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand guidelines is to
      provide simple, practical evidence-based recommendations for the acute use of
      oxygen in adults in clinical practice. The intended users are all health
      professionals responsible for the administration and/or monitoring of oxygen
      therapy in the management of acute medical patients in the community and hospital
      settings (excluding perioperative and intensive care patients), those responsible
      for the training of such health professionals, and both public and private health
      care organizations that deliver oxygen therapy. 

PMID- 26486095
TI  - Variance and potential niche separation of microbial communities in subseafloor
      sediments off Shimokita Peninsula, Japan.
AB  - Subseafloor pelagic sediments with high concentrations of organic matter form
      habitats for diverse microorganisms. Here, we determined depth profiles of genes
      for SSU rRNA, mcrA, dsrA and amoA from just beneath the seafloor to 363.3 m below
      the seafloor (mbsf) using core samples obtained from the forearc basin off the
      Shimokita Peninsula. The molecular profiles were combined with data on
      lithostratigraphy, depositional age, sedimentation rate and pore-water chemistry.
      The SSU rRNA gene tag structure and diversity changed at around the sulfate
      methane transition zone (SMTZ), whereas the profiles varied further with depth
      below the SMTZ, probably in connection with the variation in pore-water
      chemistry. The depth profiles of diversity and abundance of dsrA, a key gene for
      sulfate reduction, suggested the possible niche separations of sulfate-reducing
      populations, even below the SMTZ. The diversity and abundance patterns of mcrA, a
      key gene for methanogenesis/anaerobic methanotrophy, suggested a stratified
      distribution and separation of anaerobic methanotrophy and hydrogenotrophic or
      methylotrophic methanogensis below the SMTZ. This study provides novel insights
      into the relationships between the composition and function of microbial
      communities and the chemical environment in the nutrient-rich continental margin
      subseafloor sediments, which may result in niche separation and variability in
      subseafloor microbial populations.

PMID- 26486096
TI  - Evolution of deuterostomy - and origin of the chordates.
AB  - The chordates are usually characterized as bilaterians showing deuterostomy, i.e.
      the mouth developing as a new opening between the archenteron and the ectoderm,
      serial gill pores/slits, and the complex of chorda and neural tube. Both numerous
      molecular studies and studies of morphology and embryology demonstrate that the
      neural tube must be considered homologous to the ventral nerve cord(s) of the
      protostomes, but the origin of the 'new' mouth of the deuterostomes has remained
      enigmatic. However, deuterostomy is known to occur in several protostomian
      groups, such as the chaetognaths and representatives of annelids, molluscs,
      arthropods and priapulans. This raises the question whether the deuterostomian
      mouth is in fact homologous with that of the protostomes, viz. the anterior
      opening of the ancestral blastopore divided through lateral blastopore fusion,
      i.e. amphistomy. A few studies of gene expression show identical expression
      patterns around mouth and anus in protostomes and deuterostomes. Closer studies
      of the embryology of ascidians and vertebrates show that the mouth/stomodaeum
      differentiates from the anterior edge of the neural plate. Together this
      indicates that the chordate mouth has moved to the anterior edge of the
      blastopore, so that the anterior loop of the ancestral circumblastoporal nerve
      cord, which is narrow in the protostomes, has become indistinguishable. In the
      vertebrates, the mouth has moved further around the anterior pole to the
      'ventral' side. The conclusion must be that the chordate mouth (and that of the
      deuterostomes in general) is homologous to the protostomian mouth and that the
      latest common ancestor of protostomes and deuterostomes developed through
      amphistomy, as suggested by the trochaea theory.

PMID- 26486097
TI  - Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery after renal transplantation: A single
      institution experience.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The number of renal transplantations performed for patients with
      chronic kidney disease has increased in Japan, but little is known about the
      outcomes in those who subsequently undergo video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery
      (VATS). We therefore investigated the outcomes of consecutive patients requiring
      VATS after renal transplantation at our institute. METHODS: We retrospectively
      collected the clinical data for patients undergoing VATS after renal
      transplantation between January 2003 and September 2014. Specifically, we
      compared the serum creatinine level and estimated glomerular filtration rate
      preoperatively and postoperatively, and investigated the postoperative
      complications. RESULTS: In total, 12 patients underwent VATS after renal
      transplantation during the study period. All patients received two or three
      immunosuppressive agents. Operative methods used included VATS wedge resection (n
      = 4), segmentectomy (n = 4), lobectomy (n = 2), mediastinal tumor resection (n =
      1), and chest wall tumor resection (n = 1). No patients required perioperative
      hemodialysis. There were no intraoperative complications, but one patient
      developed postoperative hemorrhagic cystitis and another developed pneumonia. One
      patient developed pneumocystis pneumonia 2 months after left lower lobectomy and
      required hemodialysis. No further hemodialysis was required by any patient. Of
      note, no statistically significant differences were observed between the
      preoperative and postoperative serum creatinine level (P = 0.666) and estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (P = 0.388). There were no in-hospital deaths.
      Univariate analysis revealed no significant risk factors for postoperative
      complications. CONCLUSION: This report showed favorable results for VATS after
      renal transplantation. However, clinicians must remain vigilant for complications
      because transplant recipients remain permanently immunocompromised.

PMID- 26486100
TI  - Betsy McClung 1942-2015.

PMID- 26486099
TI  - Selection of suitable reference genes for normalization of quantitative RT-PCR in
      peripheral blood samples of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).
AB  - Quantitative RT-PCR is often used as a research tool directed at gene
      transcription. Selection of optimal housekeeping genes (HKGs) as reference genes
      is critical to establishing sensitive and reproducible qRT-PCR-based assays. The
      current study was designed to identify the appropriate reference genes in blood
      leukocytes of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) for gene transcription
      research. Seventy-five blood samples collected from 7 bottlenose dolphins were
      used to analyze 15 candidate HKGs (ACTB, B2M, GAPDH, HPRT1, LDHB, PGK1, RPL4,
      RPL8, RPL18, RPS9, RPS18, TFRC, YWHAZ, LDHA, SDHA). HKG stability in qRT-PCR was
      determined using geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and comparative delta Ct
      algorithms. Utilization of RefFinder, which combined all 4 algorithms, suggested
      that PGK1, HPRT1 and RPL4 were the most stable HKGs in bottlenose dolphin blood.
      Gene transcription perturbations in blood can serve as an indication of health
      status in cetaceans as it occurs prior to alterations in hematology and
      chemistry. This study identified HKGs that could be used in gene transcript
      studies, which may contribute to further mRNA relative quantification research in
      the peripheral blood leukocytes in captive cetaceans. 

PMID- 26486098
TI  - Adolescents with or at ultra-high risk for bipolar disorder exhibit erythrocyte
      docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid deficits: a candidate prodromal
      risk biomarker.
AB  - AIM: Mood disorders are associated with low levels of the long-chain omega-3 (LCn
      3) fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This
      study investigated LCn-3 fatty acid biostatus in youth with or at varying risk
      for developing mania to assess its utility as a prodromal risk biomarker. METHOD:
      Erythrocyte fatty acid composition was determined in healthy adolescents (n = 28,
      HC), asymptomatic adolescents with a biological parent with bipolar I disorder (n
      = 30; 'high risk', HR), adolescents with a biological parent with bipolar I
      disorder and major depressive disorder, or depressive disorder not otherwise
      specified (n = 36; 'ultra-high risk', UHR), and first-episode adolescent bipolar
      manic patients (n = 35, BP). RESULTS: Group differences were observed for DHA (P
      <= 0.0001) and EPA (P = 0.03). Compared with HC, erythrocyte EPA + DHA ('omega-3
      index') was significantly lower in BP (-24%, P <= 0.0001) and UHR (-19%, P =
      0.0006) groups, and there was a trend in the HR group (-11%, P = 0.06). Compared
      with HC (61%), a greater percentage of HR (77%, P = 0.02), UHR (80%, P = 0.005)
      and BP (97%, P = 0.001) subjects exhibited EPA + DHA levels of <=4.0%. Among all
      subjects (n = 130), EPA + DHA was inversely correlated with manic (r = -0.29, P =
      0.0008) and depressive (r = -0.28, P = 0.003) symptom severity. The AA/EPA + DHA
      ratio was significantly greater in BP (+22%, P = 0.0002) and UHR (+16%, P =
      0.001) groups. CONCLUSIONS: Low EPA + DHA levels coincide with the initial onset
      of mania, and increasing risk for developing bipolar disorder is associated with
      graded erythrocyte EPA + DHA deficits. Low erythrocyte EPA + DHA biostatus may
      represent a promising prodromal risk biomarker warranting additional evaluation
      in future prospective studies.

PMID- 26486101
TI  - Visfatin serum level and expression in subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue
      in prepubertal boys.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The biological role of visfatin in humans, especially in eutrophic
      and healthy children, is not understood yet, except for its link to obesity
      related disorders in adolescents and adults. OBJECTIVES: To determine the
      physiological values of serum visfatin concentrations, and visfatin mRNA
      expression in subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and to
      correlate them with anthropometric/metabolic data in prepubertal healthy boys.
      METHODS: The study included 59 healthy boys, age 1-10 years, hospitalized for
      elective surgery, divided according to age into group I (1-3 years old), group II
      (3-7 years old) and group III (7-10 years old). Anthropometric and biochemical
      measurements, and the visfatin serum and mRNA level in SAT and VAT were
      determined in all patients. RESULTS: Visfatin mRNA expression was higher in SAT
      compared with VAT in all three studied groups. Highest visfatin mRNA was found in
      SAT of group III compared with group II (P = 0.030). VAT visfatin mRNA expression
      negatively correlates with body weight (P = 0.039), waist circumference (P =
      0.027) and morning glucose level (P = 0.007). CONCLUSION: Lack of changes in
      serum visfatin level despite the changes in visfatin mRNA expression of adipose
      tissue suggests paracrine effect of visfatin rather than endocrine. Negative
      correlation of visfatin VAT mRNA expression with anthropometric parameters
      indicates important role of VAT visfatin in maturation and in glucose metabolism.

PMID- 26486103
TI  - microRNA deregulation in keloids: an opportunity for clinical intervention?
AB  - Keloids are defined as benign dermal scars invading adjacent healthy tissue,
      characterized by aberrant fibroblast dynamics and overproduction of extracellular
      matrix. However, the aetiology and molecular mechanism of keloid production
      remain poorly understood. Recent discoveries have shed new light on the
      involvement of a class of non-coding RNAs known as microRNAs (miRNA), in keloid
      formation. A number of miRNAs have differential expression in keloid tissues and
      keloid-derived fibroblasts. These miRNAs have been characterized as novel
      regulators of cellular processes pertinent to wound healing, including
      extracellular matrix deposition and fibroblast proliferation. Delineating the
      functional significance of miRNA deregulation may help us better understand
      pathogenesis of keloids, and promote development of miRNA-directed therapeutics
      against this condition. 

PMID- 26486102
TI  - Transmission of Clostridium difficile During Hospitalization for Allogeneic Stem
      Cell Transplant.
AB  - OBJECTIVE To determine the role of unit-based transmission that accounts for
      cases of early Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) during hospitalization for
      allogeneic stem cell transplant. SETTING Stem cell transplant unit at a tertiary
      care cancer center. METHODS Serially collected stool from patients admitted for
      transplant was screened for toxigenic C. difficile through the hospital stay and
      genotyping was performed by multilocus sequence typing. In addition, isolates
      retrieved from cases of CDI that occurred in other patients hospitalized on the
      same unit were similarly characterized. Transmission links were established by
      time-space clustering of cases and carriers of shared toxigenic C. difficile
      strains. RESULTS During the 27-month period, 1,099 samples from 264 patients were
      screened, 69 of which had evidence of toxigenic C. difficile; 52 patients
      developed CDI and 17 were nonsymptomatic carriers. For the 52 cases, 41 had
      evidence of toxigenic C. difficile on the first study sample obtained within a
      week of admission, among which 22 were positive within the first 48 hours. A
      total of 24 sequence types were isolated from this group; 1 patient had infection
      with the NAP1 strain. A total of 11 patients had microbiologic evidence of
      acquisition; donor source could be established in half of these cases.
      CONCLUSIONS Most cases of CDI after stem cell transplant represent delayed onset
      disease in nonsymptomatic carriers. Transmission on stem cell transplant unit was
      confirmed in 19% of early CDI cases in our cohort with a probable donor source
      established in half of the cases.

PMID- 26486105
TI  - Complete heart block and asystole following blunt cardiac trauma.
AB  - Cardiac contusion is a well-recognized complication of blunt chest trauma.
      Various conduction system disorders have been reported in association with this
      condition, the most common being right bundle branch block. Complete heart block
      (CHB) is seen rarely. Most cases of CHB are transient. We present the case of an
      80-year-old woman who developed CHB and asystole following blunt cardiac trauma.
      Malignant cardiac arrhythmias such as CHB can be associated with blunt cardiac
      trauma. In most cases, CHB is transient resolving in days to weeks. In rare
      cases, however, CHB leads to asystole. Close monitoring and prompt intervention
      is thus required. 

PMID- 26486104
TI  - PDZRN4 acts as a suppressor of cell proliferation in human liver cancer cell
      lines.
AB  - Recently, some reports show that Ligand of Numb Protein-X 1 (LNX1) could be a
      suppressor gene in gliomas, while our current research has firstly shown that PDZ
      domain containing ring finger 4 (PDZRN4), another member of LNX family, could
      also be a potential suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). PDZRN4, also
      named LNX4 (Ligand of Numb Protein-X 4), is a member of the LNX family. We
      recently found that PDZRN4, but not LNX1, was down-regulated in HCC samples, and
      the role of PDZRN4 in the progression of HCC had not been studied before. To
      address this question, firstly, we evaluated the expression of PDZRN4 in HCC
      samples and adjacent non-cancerous tissues. Semi-quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction showed that PDZRN4 was down-regulated in 24/36 (66.7%) HCC samples
      separately. In addition, our research shows that PDZRN4 is silenced in all of the
      12 HCC cell lines tested. Subsequently, cell-based functional assay exhibited
      that ectopic expression of PDZRN4 inhibits the proliferation, plate colony
      formation and anchorage-independent colony formation of HCC cells. Collectively,
      our results showed that PDZRN4 might be a potential tumour suppressor gene and
      had anti-proliferative effect on HCC cell proliferation, which would be of great
      significance to the researches on HCC.

PMID- 26486107
TI  - Use of flexible bronchoscopy in an adult for removal of an aspirated foreign body
      at a community hospital.
AB  - Foreign body aspiration (FBA) is more common in children than adults with about
      80% occurring in children aged less than 15 years. FBA in adults is often
      overlooked as a potential cause of airway obstruction especially if there is no
      asphyxiation. We present a case of a 45-year-old male with alcohol abuse who
      presented with post-obstructive pneumonia secondary to aspiration of tooth of
      unknown duration. The tooth was removed via flexible bronchoscopy (FBr) and we
      will discuss the use of FBr for foreign body (FB) removal, which FB can be easily
      removed by FBr, and the different techniques and devices used for FB removal via
      FBr. 

PMID- 26486106
TI  - Cardiac lipoma.
AB  - Lipomas of the heart are encapsulated tumors that are composed primarily of
      mature fat cells. Cardiac lipomas can originate either from subendocardium
      (approximately 50%), subpericardium (25%), or from the myocardium (25%) and may
      be located more frequently in left ventricle or right atrium. We report a 74-year
      old female who presented with dyspnea on exertion and was found to have 5*5 cm
      mass occupying most of the right atrium on a transesophageal echocardiogram. 

PMID- 26486108
TI  - Beware of Chilaiditi sign!!

PMID- 26486109
TI  - Spontaneous complete remission of type 1 diabetes mellitus in an adult - review
      and case report.
AB  - Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune condition that results in low
      plasma insulin levels by destruction of beta cells of the pancreas. As part of
      the natural progression of this disease, some patients regain beta cell activity
      transiently. This period is often referred to as the 'honeymoon period' or
      remission of T1DM. During this period, patients manifest improved glycemic
      control with reduced or no use of insulin or anti-diabetic medications. The
      incidence rates of remission and duration of remission is extremely variable.
      Various factors seem to influence the remission rates and duration. These include
      but are not limited to C-peptide level, serum bicarbonate level at the time of
      diagnosis, duration of T1DM symptoms, haemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) levels at the time
      of diagnosis, sex, and age of the patient. Mechanism of remission is not clearly
      understood. Extensive research is ongoing in regard to the possible prevention
      and reversal of T1DM. However, most of the studies that showed positive results
      were small and uncontrolled. We present a 32-year-old newly diagnosed T1DM
      patient who presented with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and HbA1C of 12.7%. She
      was on basal bolus insulin regimen for the first 4 months after diagnosis. Later,
      she stopped taking insulin and other anti-diabetic medications due to compliance
      and logistical issues. Eleven months after diagnosis, her HbA1C spontaneously
      improved to 5.6%. Currently (14 months after T1DM diagnosis), she is still in
      complete remission, not requiring insulin therapy. 

PMID- 26486110
TI  - Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia following coronary artery bypass grafting: a
      diagnostic dilemma.
AB  - The diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a challenge in post
      cardiac surgery patients because of the high incidence of non-immune
      thrombocytopenia and heparin-platelet factor 4 antibodies in these groups. We
      present a case of HIT in a post coronary artery bypass surgery patient, which was
      successfully treated with prompt recognition and discontinuation of heparin
      products. 

PMID- 26486111
TI  - Oral clindamycin causing acute cholestatic hepatitis without ductopenia: a brief
      review of idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury and a case report.
AB  - Clindamycin is a lincosamide antibiotic active against most of the anaerobes,
      protozoans, and Gram-positive bacteria, including community-acquired methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Its use has increased greatly in the recent past
      due to wide spectrum of activity and good bioavailability in oral form. Close to
      20% of the patients taking clindamycin experience diarrhea as the most common
      side effect. Hepatotoxicity is a rare side effect. Systemic clindamycin therapy
      has been linked to two forms of hepatotoxicity: transient serum aminotransferase
      elevation and an acute idiosyncratic liver injury that occurs 1-3 weeks after
      starting therapy. This article is a case report of oral clindamycin induced acute
      symptomatic cholestatic hepatitis and a brief review of the topic. 

PMID- 26486112
TI  - Nosocomial keratitis caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: case
      report and preventative measures.
AB  - A 47-year-old African-American woman was admitted to the intensive care unit of
      our community hospital for respiratory failure secondary to severe decompensated
      heart failure, requiring intubation. In the ensuing days, she developed a
      methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection of the cornea,
      despite no growth of MRSA in multiple blood, sputum, and urine cultures. This
      unexpected corneal infection complicated her hospital stay, and increased
      morbidity and disease-related cost. Risk factors, warning signs, and preventative
      measures for MRSA keratitis secondary to lagophthalmos (inability to completely
      close one's eyelids) are outlined in this case report. Implementing simple
      precautions such as taping eyelids shut or using artificial lubrication may
      reduce patient morbidity and disease-related costs. These recommendations are
      directed to non-ophthalmic clinicians who provide care to patients in settings
      where MRSA colonization is widespread. 

PMID- 26486113
TI  - Bow tie or no tie: a rule to reduce healthcare-acquired infections.

PMID- 26486114
TI  - Intrapulmonary arteriovenous malformation causing recurrent strokes.
AB  - This case reveals a left pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) as a cause
      of recurrent cerebral and cerebellar emboli. Extensive workup excluded other
      etiologies of emboli formation, and the patient was transferred to a tertiary
      care center for percutaneous embolotherapy. In the absence of a clear etiology,
      PAVM should be considered as a potential cause of recurrent cerebral emboli,
      especially in the absence of carotid disease, intracardiac thrombus, atrial
      septal defect, and patent foramen ovale. Diagnostic work-up for the PAVM can be
      cost effective and expedited by utilization of agitated saline contrast
      echocardiography, as noted in our case. 

PMID- 26486115
TI  - Spontaneous internal carotid dissection in a 38-year-old woman: a case report.
AB  - This case report describes a patient found to have amaurosis fugax as a result of
      non-traumatic internal carotid dissection. Monocular blindness can be due to
      multiple causes including keratitis, acute glaucoma, vitreous hemorrhage,
      uveitis, retinal vascular occlusion, retinal detachment, optic neuropathy,
      trauma, or vascular malformations. In the setting of headache, neck pain, and an
      otherwise normal ophthalmic examination, this case report highlights the
      importance of recognizing transient ischemic attack and carotid artery dissection
      in the differential diagnosis. To further clarify the diagnosis, carotid
      ultrasound may aid diagnosis as was seen in this case, where decreased internal
      carotid artery velocities were found and subsequent CT angiography of the neck
      confirmed a diagnosis of carotid dissection. If a dissection is present,
      progression of symptoms may indicate impending cerebral infarction and warrant
      immediate attention. Antiplatelet therapy is the first-line treatment with
      anticoagulation, thrombolysis, and surgery reserved for cases of recurrent,
      progressive symptomatic episodes. Surgical options include endovascular repair
      such as angioplasty, stent placement, embolization, surgical revascularization,
      and bypass. 

PMID- 26486116
TI  - A diagnostic challenge in a young woman with intractable hiccups and vomiting: a
      case of neuromyelitis optica.
AB  - Intractable nausea and vomiting along with hiccups is a commonly encountered
      problem on any general medicine or gastroenterology service. These symptoms are
      usually not appreciated as the possible initial manifestation of neuromyelitis
      optica (NMO). Missing diagnosis at this early stage will lead to a delay in the
      treatment, and hence, irreversible complications including blindness and
      paraplegia could occur. We report a case of a 22-year-old young female who
      presented with intractable hiccups and vomiting. After extensive evaluation, she
      was found to have NMO which involved the area postrema, the vomiting center of
      the brain. Early diagnosis from the clinical picture aided by aquaporin-4
      serologic testing is extremely important to allow early initiation of
      immunosuppressive therapy. Immunosuppression gives an opportunity to modify the
      disease at an earlier stage rather than waiting for evolution of disease to
      fulfill the diagnostic criteria of NMO. 

PMID- 26486117
TI  - Central tendency and variability in biological systems: Part 2.
AB  - This is the second article of a series on fundamental concepts in biostatistics
      and research. In this article, the author reviews the manner in which researchers
      characterize data. Normality, standard deviation, mean, P value, and other
      concepts related to parametric statistics are discussed in common language, with
      a minimum of jargon and mathematics, and with clinical examples. Emphasis is
      given to conceptual understanding. 

PMID- 26486118
TI  - Do all patients with acquired methemoglobinemia need treatment? A lesson learnt.
AB  - Acquired methemoglobinemia is a medical emergency, and its prompt recognition and
      treatment can avoid catastrophic complications including death. However, in mild
      asymptomatic cases without any comorbid conditions, it would be reasonable to
      simply observe and treat symptomatically to avoid severe treatment-related
      complications, especially in patients with suspected glucose-6-phosphate
      dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. We present a case of mild methemoglobinemia in
      occult G6PD deficiency in which the patient developed hemolysis after treatment
      with intravenous methylene blue, requiring transfusion. 

PMID- 26486119
TI  - Hereditary angioedema presenting as irritable bowel syndrome: a case of early
      closure.
AB  - Abdominal pain is one of the most common reasons for outpatient and emergency
      department visits. We present one such case of early closure in a 32-year-old
      male with recurrent abdominal pain who was diagnosed with irritable bowel
      syndrome (IBS). Family history was suspicious for hereditary angioedema (HAE).
      The HAE workup came back positive, and the patient was started on prophylactic
      therapy, which led to an improvement in symptoms and quality of life. The purpose
      of this case is to create awareness among physicians to test for HAE in patients
      diagnosed with IBS who, based on their history or physical examination, have
      clinical suspicion for HAE. 

PMID- 26486120
TI  - Rapid assessment of health literacy on admission to the hospital.

PMID- 26486121
TI  - Post-polypectomy electrocoagulation syndrome: a rare cause of acute abdominal
      pain.
AB  - While generally safe, the most feared complication of colonoscopy is perforation
      of the colon, occurring in nearly 1 in 1,000 procedures, and is more common when
      polypectomy is performed and electrocautery is used. Less commonly known is the
      post-polypectomy electrocoagulation syndrome, a transmural burn of the colon
      which mimics the signs and symptoms of perforation as well as the time course,
      but follows a benign course and can be treated conservatively. 

PMID- 26486122
TI  - Recognizing Wellens' syndrome, a warning sign of critical proximal LAD artery
      stenosis and impending anterior myocardial infarction.
AB  - Wellens' syndrome, also known as LAD coronary T-wave syndrome or the 'widow
      maker', is a pre-infarction syndrome with non-classical ischemic ECG changes and
      unremarkable cardiac biomarkers. This syndrome continues to be a 'can't miss' for
      the clinician as delay in urgent angiography and intervention can result in
      anterior myocardial infarction, left ventricular dysfunction, arrhythmias, and
      death. We describe a case followed by a discussion of identification criteria and
      clinical implications. 

PMID- 26486123
TI  - Giant right atrial mass obliterating the right atrium.
AB  - A73-year-old man with past medical history of mechanical aortic valve
      replacement, metastatic melanoma of unknown primaries with liver metastasis,
      presented with progressive shortness of breath and dyspnea on exertion.
      Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) showed a large homogenous mass completely
      occupying the right atrial cavity and extending to and nearly obstructing the
      inflow area of the tricuspid valve. He was treated with chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26486124
TI  - Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Children, United States, 1999-2012.
AB  - The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections is
      increasing in the United States. However, few studies have addressed their
      epidemiology in children. To phenotypically identify CRE isolates cultured from
      patients 1-17 years of age, we used antimicrobial susceptibilities of
      Enterobacteriaceae reported to 300 laboratories participating in The Surveillance
      Network-USA database during January 1999-July 2012. Of 316,253 isolates analyzed,
      266 (0.08%) were identified as CRE. CRE infection rate increases were highest for
      Enterobacter species, blood culture isolates, and isolates from intensive care
      units, increasing from 0.0% in 1999-2000 to 5.2%, 4.5%, and 3.2%, respectively,
      in 2011-2012. CRE occurrence in children is increasing but remains low and is
      less common than that for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing
      Enterobacteriaceae. The molecular characterization of CRE isolates from children
      and clinical epidemiology of infection are essential for development of effective
      prevention strategies. 

PMID- 26486125
TI  - Bone grafts utilized in dentistry: an analysis of patients' preferences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many procedures currently require the use of bone grafts to replace
      or recover bone volume that has been resorbed. However, the patient's opinion and
      preferences must be taken into account before implementing any treatment.
      Researchers have focused primarily on assessing the effectiveness of bone grafts
      rather than on patients' perceptions. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore
      patients' opinions regarding the different types of bone grafts used in dental
      treatments. METHODS: One hundred patients were randomly chosen participated in
      the study. A standardized survey of 10 questions was used to investigate their
      opinions regarding the different types of bone grafts used in dental treatments.
      Descriptive statistics were calculated for the different variables, and absolute
      frequencies and percentages were used as summary measures. A value of p <0.05 was
      selected as the threshold for statistical significance. RESULTS: The highest rate
      of refusal was observed for allografts and xenografts. The grafts with the lowest
      rates of refusal were autologous grafts (3 %) and alloplastics (2 %). No
      significant differences were found between the various types of bone grafts in
      the sociodemographic variables or the refusal/acceptance variable. Similarly, no
      significant relations were observed between a specific religious affiliation and
      the acceptance/refusal rates of the various types of graft. CONCLUSIONS:
      Allografts and xenografts elicited the highest refusal rates among the surveyed
      patients, and autologous bone and alloplastics were the most accepted bone
      grafts. Moreover, no differences were found in the sociodemographic variables or
      religious affiliations in terms of the acceptance/refusal rates of the different
      bone grafts.

PMID- 26486126
TI  - Lessons learned from England's Health Checks Programme: using qualitative
      research to identify and share best practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the challenges and barriers faced by
      staff involved in the delivery of the National Health Service (NHS) Health Check,
      a systematic cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment and management program
      in primary care. METHODS: Data have been derived from three qualitative
      evaluations that were conducted in 25 General Practices and involved in depth
      interviews with 58 staff involved all levels of the delivery of the Health
      Checks. Analysis of the data was undertaken using the framework approach and
      findings are reported within the context of research and practice considerations.
      RESULTS: Findings indicated that there is no 'one size fits all' blueprint for
      maximising uptake although success factors were identified: evolution of the
      programme over time in response to local needs to suit the particular
      characteristics of the patient population; individual staff characteristics such
      as being proactive, enthusiastic and having specific responsibility; a supportive
      team. Training was clearly identified as an area that needed addressing and
      practitioners would benefit from CVD specific baseline training and refresher
      courses to keep them up to date with recent developments in the area. However
      there were other external factors that impinged on an individual's ability to
      provide an effective service, some of these were outside the control of
      individuals and included cutbacks in referral services, insufficient space to run
      clinics or general awareness of the Health Checks amongst patients. CONCLUSIONS:
      The everyday experiences of practitioners who participated in this study suggest
      that overall, Health Check is perceived as a worthwhile exercise. But,
      organisational and structural barriers need to be addressed. We also recommend
      that clear referral pathways be in place so staff can refer patients to
      appropriate services (healthy eating sessions, smoking cessation, and exercise
      referrals). Local authorities need to support initiatives that enable data
      sharing and linkage so that GP Practices are informed when patients take up
      services such as smoking cessation or alcohol harm reduction programmes run by
      social services.

PMID- 26486127
TI  - Alleviating central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2): a new approach of kidney
      protection after cardiac surgery?

PMID- 26486128
TI  - [Thrombosis of the subclavian vein after conservative treatment of a clavicular
      fracture: A rare complication].
AB  - We report the case of a 16-year-old male patient who presented with a clavicular
      fracture that was conservatively treated with a redressment bandage. After a few
      days the patient developed deep vein thrombosis of the subclavian, axillary and
      brachial veins, which was successfully treated with nadroparin. Conservative
      treatment of clavicular fractures is a common procedure in modern traumatology.
      Continuous, close monitoring and knowledge of rare but severe complications are
      necessary to avoid further complications. 

PMID- 26486129
TI  - [Identification, diagnostics and guideline conform therapy of osteoporosis (DVO)
      in trauma patients : a treatment algorithm].
AB  - Osteoporosis-associated fractures are of increasing importance in trauma surgery.
      The implementation of systematic diagnostics and treatment of osteoporosis during
      hospitalization, however, remains insufficient; therefore, a specific algorithm
      for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis in trauma surgery patients was
      developed based on the German Osteology Society (Dachverband Osteologie, DVO)
      guidelines for osteoporosis from 2014. In a first step, the individual patient
      age and risk profile for osteoporosis are identified considering specific
      fractures indicative of osteoporosis. For these patients a questionnaire is
      completed which detects specific risk factors. In addition, the physical
      activity, risk of falls, dietary habits and the individual medication are
      collated as these can have a decisive influence on the subsequent therapy
      decisions. Prior to a specific treatment, laboratory osteoporosis tests, bone
      densitometry by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and if needed X-rays of
      the spine are carried out. For proximal femoral fractures the treatment of
      osteoporosis could already be indicated. With pre-existing glucocorticoid
      therapy, a history of previous fractures or other risk factors according to the
      risk questionnaire, the threshold of treatment has to be adjusted according to
      the table of T-scores detected by DXA. The treatment algorithm for diagnostics
      and treatment of osteoporosis in hospitalized trauma surgery patients can
      systematically and efficiently improve the identification of patients at risk.
      Thus, further fractures associated with osteoporosis or failure of internal
      fixation could be reduced in future. A prospective validation of the algorithm
      has already be initiated. 

PMID- 26486130
TI  - Chemical contamination of soils in the New York City area following Hurricane
      Sandy.
AB  - This paper presents a unique data set of lead, arsenic, polychlorinated biphenyl
      (PCB), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in soil samples
      collected from the metropolitan New York City area in the aftermath of Hurricane
      Sandy. Initial samples were collected by citizen scientists recruited via social
      media, a relatively unusual approach for a sample collection project.
      Participants in the affected areas collected 63 usable samples from basements,
      gardens, roads, and beaches. Results indicate high levels of arsenic, lead, PCBs,
      and PAHs in an area approximately 800 feet south of the United States
      Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Superfund site at Newtown Creek. A
      location adjacent to the Gowanus Canal, another Superfund site, was found to have
      high PCB concentrations. Areas of high PAH contamination tended to be near high
      traffic areas or next to sites of known contamination. While contamination as a
      direct result of Hurricane Sandy cannot be demonstrated conclusively, the
      presence of high levels of contamination close to known contamination sites,
      evidence for co-contamination, and decrease in number of samples containing
      measureable amounts of semi-volatile compounds from samples collected at similar
      locations 9 months after the storm suggest that contaminated particles may have
      migrated to residential areas as a result of flooding. 

PMID- 26486131
TI  - Environmental impact of CO2, Rn, Hg degassing from the rupture zones produced by
      Wenchuan M s 8.0 earthquake in western Sichuan, China.
AB  - The concentrations and flux of CO2, (222)Radon (Rn), and gaseous elemental
      mercury (Hg) in soil gas were investigated based on the field measurements in
      June 2010 at ten sites along the seismic rupture zones produced by the May 12,
      2008, Wenchuan M s 8.0 earthquake in order to assess the environmental impact of
      degassing of CO2, Rn and Hg. Soil gas concentrations of 344 sampling points were
      obtained. Seventy measurements of CO2, Rn and Hg flux by the static accumulation
      chamber method were performed. The results of risk assessment of CO2, Rn and Hg
      concentration in soil gas showed that (1) the concentration of CO2 in the
      epicenter of Wenchuan M s 8.0 earthquake and north end of seismic ruptures had
      low risk of asphyxia; (2) the concentrations of Rn in the north segment of
      seismic ruptures had high levels of radon, Maximum was up to level 4, according
      to Chinese code (GB 50325-2001); (3) the average geoaccumulation index I geo of
      soil Hg denoted the lack of soil contamination, and maximum values classified the
      soil gas as moderately to strongly polluted in the epicenter. The investigation
      of soil gas CO2, Rn and Hg degassing rate indicated that (1) the CO2 in soil gas
      was characterized by a mean [Formula: see text] of -20.4 0/00 and by a mean CO2
      flux of 88.1 g m(-2) day(-1), which were in the range of the typical values for
      biologic CO2 degassing. The maximum of soil CO2 flux reached values of 399 g m(
      2) day(-1) in the epicenter; (2) the soil Rn had higher exhalation in the north
      segment of seismic ruptures, the maximum reached value of 1976 m Bq m(-2) s(-1);
      (3) the soil Hg flux was lower, ranging from -2.5 to 18.7 n g m(-2) h(-1) and
      increased from south to north. The mean flux over the all profiles was 4.2 n g m(
      2) h(-1). The total output of CO2 and Hg degassing estimated along seismic
      ruptures for a survey area of 18.17 km(2) were approximately 0.57 Mt year(-1) and
      688.19 g year(-1). It is recommended that land-use planners should incorporate
      soil gas and/or gas flux measurements in the environmental assessment of areas of
      possible risk. A survey of all houses along seismic ruptures is advised as
      structural measures to prevent the ingress of soil gases, including CO2 and Rn,
      were needed in some houses. 

PMID- 26486132
TI  - Oncological outcomes of sublobar resection for clinical-stage IA high-risk non
      small cell lung cancer patients with a radiologically solid appearance on
      computed tomography.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Our study aim was to evaluate oncological outcomes after compromised
      sublobar resection for high-risk clinical-stage IA radiologically solid non-small
      cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to investigate potential clinical predictors of
      improved survival. METHODS: Among 1109 resected clinical-stage IA NSCLC from 2008
      to 2013, 115 (10 %) patients who presented radiologically solid, i.e., invasive
      appearances on thin-section computed tomography (CT) and were poor candidates for
      lobectomy underwent compromised sublobar resection. Radiologically solid lung
      cancer was defined as 0.5 <= consolidation/tumor ratio based on thin-section CT
      scan. RESULTS: The high-risk cohorts consisted of 65 men and 50 women, with an
      average age of 71.2 years. The 3-year overall survival (OS) and relapse-free
      survival were 82.2 and 72.2 % with 34 months of mean follow-up period. A
      multivariate analysis identified tumor size and carcinoembryonic antigen as
      significant, consolidation status as marginally significant clinical predictors
      of survival (p = 0.0141, 0.0426, 0.0623). When the patients were divided based on
      the number of negative predictors, the 3-year OS of the patients who met neither
      or one of these negative predictors (n = 64) was 98.4 % despite their anticipated
      risks, while that of the patients with 2 negative predictors was 71.5 % (n = 38),
      and the patients who met all of the poor conditions (n = 13) was 37.1 % even in
      clinical-stage IA disease (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Among clinical-stage IA
      radiologically solid NSCLC patients who are not lobectomy candidates due to the
      anticipated risk, sublobar resection could provide acceptable oncological
      outcomes if patients show positive clinical predictors to improve their survival.

PMID- 26486133
TI  - Palatal rugae patterning in a modern Indonesian population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Palatal rugae patterning has been suggested as useful complementary
      information for forensic purposes, when there are limitations in using the
      primary identifiers and when the individual patterning from e.g. a dental cast
      can be traced or the pattern can differentiate between alternative populations of
      origin. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify the rugae patterns in a
      sample modern Indonesian population, to compare the patterns to previously
      reported observations, and to consider the requirements for possible forensic
      applications. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Archival dental casts were randomly selected
      to include 47 male and 53 female Indonesian patients of the Dental Hospital of
      the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Indonesia. The age and ethnic/geographic
      origin of the subjects were also recorded. The Trobo classification was applied
      to analyze the rugae shape patterns. RESULTS: The results showed the line,
      sinuous, and curve types of rugae as predominant shapes, representing together
      about 83% of the rugae of the study sample that for its size was considered
      reasonably representative of the Indonesian population. All recorded individual
      rugae patterns were unique, i.e. no similar patterns were found for any two
      individuals. The results are consistent with slow rugae loss at an average rate
      of one ruga in about 15 (+/-2) years after early adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: The
      palatal rugae patterns provide potentially useful supplementary information to
      establish the identity of an individual, but only when appropriate antemortem
      data are available. For this purpose, it is suggested that optical 3D oral/dental
      scanning is used to retain the data on the rugal and oropalatal patterns.
      Suitable pattern recognition methods may also reduce the potential effects of
      rugae modification in time.

PMID- 26486134
TI  - Ring-closing metathesis as key step in the synthesis of Luffarin I, 16-epi
      Luffarin I and Luffarin A.
AB  - Natural sesterterpenolides, luffarin I and luffarin A, from Luffariella
      geometrica have been synthesized, and this is the first reported synthesis of
      luffarin A. The Yamaguchi esterification of the nor-diterpenic fragment, obtained
      from 2.8-15MUM, with the appropriate furane alcohols yielded the necessary diene
      intermediates for the synthesis of the target molecules. The key strategic step
      in this synthesis was the ring-closing metathesis (RCM) reaction of the diene
      intermediates. This strategy allowed for the synthesis of 16-epi-luffarin I and
      analogues for structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies. The most active
      compound exhibited antiproliferative activity against a panel of six human solid
      tumour cell lines with [Formula: see text] values in the range 2.8-15 M.

PMID- 26486136
TI  - Platelet activating factor in allergies.
AB  - The platelet-activating factor (PAF) produced and released by mast cells,
      basophils, neutrophils, eosinophils, fibroblasts, platelets, endothelial cells,
      and even cardiac muscle cells plays an important role in inflammatory and
      thrombotic diseases. PAF has been shown to be an important mediator in
      anaphylaxis. Serum level of the factor correlates with the severity of systemic
      reactions. PAF is also involved in asthamatic patients' bronchoconstriction,
      mucus hypersecretion, and inflammation of bronchi. Furthermore, increased plasma
      levels of PAF have been reported in patients with urticarial. Studies have shown
      that PAF increases the permeability of skin's capillaries and indices the
      development of wheals, flare, and inflammatory reactions in the skin.This review
      focuses on the actions of the PAF on the eosinophiles and mast cells. Following
      that pathophysiological mechanism of the PAF in anaphylaxis bronchial asthma and
      urticaria was discussed. 

PMID- 26486137
TI  - The first Rs of radiotherapy: or standing on the shoulders  of giants.
AB  - The name of the Australian-born professor, Rodney H. Withers, is highly
      acknowledged among radiation biologists, radiation oncologists, medical
      physicists and other professionals. The list of his contributions towards
      knowledge enhancement and better understanding of the biological basis for
      radiotherapy is a long one. However, there are certain landmarks of Dr. Withers'
      research that are worth emphasizing, as they have marked several paths along the
      development of radiotherapy: the four Rs of radiotherapy, the accelerated tumour
      growth during treatment, the time-factor in radiotherapy, altered fractionation
      schemes and their corresponding isoeffect curves, normal tissue tolerance and
      organ architecture-just to name a few. This paper is a tribute to the work of
      Rodney Withers, which, far from being exhaustive, marks some of his greatest
      contributions to radiotherapy.

PMID- 26486138
TI  - Organocatalytic Site-Selective Acylation of Carbohydrates and Polyol Compounds.
AB  - Development and scope of conventionally difficult molecular transformation on
      site-selective acylation of carbohydrates and polyol compounds are described. A
      salient feature is that the site-selectivity can be controlled independently from
      the intrinsic reactivity of the substrate, i.e., catalyst-controlled selectivity.
      Therefore, some substrates undergo acylation with reversal of their intrinsic
      reactivity. The mechanistic aspects of catalyst-controlled site-selective
      acylation are discussed with the emphasis on the strategy relying on the
      accelerative reaction rather than the decelerative one. An unconventional
      retrosynthetic route based on catalyst-controlled site-selective acylation is
      proposed toward extremely short-step total synthesis of natural glycosides of an
      ellagitannin family. Application to the late-stage functionalization of the
      complex natural products of biological interest is also described.

PMID- 26486135
TI  - Quality of life and hormones after sex reassignment surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transpeople often look for sex reassignment surgery (SRS) to improve
      their quality of life (QoL). The hormonal therapy has many positive effects
      before and after SRS. There are no studies about correlation between hormonal
      status and QoL after SRS. AIM: To gather information on QoL, quality of sexual
      life and body image in transpeople at least 2 years after SRS,to compare these
      results with a control group and to evaluate the relations between the chosen
      items and hormonal status. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Data from 60 transsexuals and
      from 60 healthy matched controls were collected. Testosterone,estradiol, LH and
      World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-100) self-reported
      questionnaire were evaluated. Student's t test was applied to compare
      transsexuals and controls. Multiple regression model was applied to evaluate
      WHOQOL's chosen items and LH. RESULTS: The QoL and the quality of body image
      scores intranspeople were not statistically different from the matched control
      groups' ones. In the sexual life subscale,transwomen's scores were similar to
      biological women's ones, whereas transmen's scores were statistically lower than
      biological men's ones (P = 0.003). The quality of sexual life scored
      statistically lower in transmen than intranswomen (P = 0.048). A significant
      inverse relationship between LH and body image and between LH and quality of
      sexual life was found. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights general satisfaction
      after SRS. In particular, transpeople's QoL turns out to be similar to Italian
      matched controls. LH resulted inversely correlated to body image and sexual life
      scores.

PMID- 26486139
TI  - A robust Bayesian dose-finding design for phase I/II clinical trials.
AB  - We propose a Bayesian phase I/II dose-finding trial design that simultaneously
      accounts for toxicity and efficacy. We model the toxicity and efficacy of
      investigational doses using a flexible Bayesian dynamic model, which borrows
      information across doses without imposing stringent parametric assumptions on the
      shape of the dose-toxicity and dose-efficacy curves. An intuitive utility
      function that reflects the desirability trade-offs between efficacy and toxicity
      is used to guide the dose assignment and selection. We also discuss the extension
      of this design to handle delayed toxicity and efficacy. We conduct extensive
      simulation studies to examine the operating characteristics of the proposed
      method under various practical scenarios. The results show that the proposed
      design possesses good operating characteristics and is robust to the shape of the
      dose-toxicity and dose-efficacy curves. 

PMID- 26486140
TI  - Natural Carriers for siRNA Delivery.
AB  - This review is based on carriers of natural origin such as polysaccharides,
      proteins, and cell derived entities which have been used for delivery of siRNA.
      To realize the therapeutic potential of a delivery system, the role of the
      carrier is of utmost importance. Historical aspects of viral vectors, the first
      carriers of genes are briefly outlined. Chitosan, one of the extensively
      experimented carriers, alginates and other polysaccharides have shown success in
      siRNA delivery. Peptides of natural origin and mimics thereof have emerged as
      another versatile carrier. Exosomes and mini cells of cellular origin are the
      newest entrants to the area of siRNA delivery and probably the closest one can
      get to a natural carrier. In many of the carriers, modifications have provided
      better efficiency in delivery. The salient features of the carriers and their
      advantages and disadvantages are also reviewed. 

PMID- 26486141
TI  - Liposomes and Lipid Envelope-Type Systems for Systemic siRNA Delivery.
AB  - The 'RNA interference' has emerged as a potential therapeutic strategy owing to
      its high specificity to silent any malfunctioned gene in diseases with genetic
      background. Currently intravenous delivery of siRNA has been a preferred way of
      administration due to high access of blood to the organs where direct delivery is
      not possible. Among non-viral delivery systems enabling systemic delivery of
      siRNA, liposomes and lipid envelope systems appear to be promising due to their
      biocompatibility over other systems. However, these systems are still challenged
      by toxicity issues, instability in blood, non-specific distribution and low
      transfection efficiency after intravenous administration. Therefore, to increase
      the success of lipid based siRNA delivery, it is essential to understand the
      importance of various factors affecting the efficiency of siRNA delivery. The
      current review focuses on the formulation of lipid based siRNA formulations, the
      challenges posed in systemic delivery and various aspects affecting the
      transfection efficiency of such formulations. The review also focuses on emerging
      strategies for lipid based siRNA delivery and overviews clinical prospects for
      better development of siRNA delivery systems in future. Considering the current
      trends, it seems that liposomes and lipid based envelope systems for systemic
      delivery of siRNA will translate into extensive clinical application overcoming
      the associated challenges in near future. 

PMID- 26486142
TI  - Exosomes: Natural Carriers for siRNA Delivery.
AB  - Various cells of the human physiological system have the capability to release
      extracellular vesicles (EVs) involved in intercellular transport of proteins and
      nucleic acids. Exosomes are a subtype of extracellular vesicles having their
      origin through endocytic pathway. While being involved in intercellular transport
      of macromolecules, exosomes, due to their presence in several body fluids, can
      also be utilized as a system to commute RNA molecules and proteins in the body.
      Recent advances in gene therapy have provided a new outlook in disease
      therapeutics by modulation of gene expression using oligonucleotide based
      approach and exosomes have been reported a potential carrier for nucleic acid
      based therapeutic moieties. In recent years, small interfering RNA (siRNA) has
      emerged as promising therapeutic alternative for diseases with gene-based
      pathophysiology, however poor bioavailability limits its therapeutic potential.
      For effective delivery and enhancement of bioavailability of siRNA, several
      carriers including dendrimers, liposomes, siRNA conjugates, and siRNA aptamer
      chimeras, to name a few, have been explored. Exosomes can be considered a
      promising carrier for effective delivery of siRNA due to their existence in
      body's endogenous system and high tolerance. The present review focuses on
      delivering knowledge about exosomes, siRNA, and capability of exosomes to act as
      natural carriers for siRNA delivery. 

PMID- 26486144
TI  - RNA Interference as a Therapeutic Strategy for the Treatment of Liver Diseases.
AB  - RNA interference has emerged as an innovative technology for gene silencing that
      degrades mRNAs complementary to the antisense strands of double-stranded, short
      interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Its therapeutic application has important advantages
      over small-molecule drugs since offers the possibility of targeting virtually all
      genes and allows selective silencing of one or several genes. So far, a relative
      small proportion of cellular proteins can bind and respond to chemical drugs.
      Based on that, RNA interference-mediated gene silencing is widely considered as a
      crucial breakthrough in molecular biology with a direct translation to medicine.
      The liver has been widely chosen as a model system for the development of RNA
      interference therapy due to the convenience and availability of effective
      delivery into this tissue. Numerous preclinical models have revealed promising
      results, but the safety of this technology remains the primary challenge in
      developing siRNA based treatments. Liver diseases comprise a broad spectrum of
      genetic and non-genetic pathologies including acute fulminant liver injury that
      demands urgent medical care, or chronic pathologies such as nonalcoholic fatty
      liver (NAFLD), alcoholic liver disease, liver cirrhosis, viral hepatitis and
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In some cases restoration of liver function is
      not possible and alternatives to liver transplantation offering novel and
      efficient therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. In this review, we describe
      recent insights on the advantages of using RNA interference in preclinical
      settings as a targeted strategy with potential to markedly improve the treatment
      of liver diseases. 

PMID- 26486143
TI  - siRNA Delivery by Stimuli-Sensitive Nanocarriers.
AB  - Since its discovery in the late 1990, small interfering RNA (siRNA) have quickly
      crept into the biopharmaceutical research as a new and powerful tool for the
      treatment of different human diseases based on altered gene-expression. Despite
      promising data from many pre-clinical studies, concrete hurdles still need to be
      overcome to bring therapeutic siRNAs in clinic. The design of stimuli-sensitive
      nanopreparations for gene therapy is a lively area of the current research.
      Compared to conventional systems for siRNA delivery, this type of platform can
      respond to local stimuli that are characteristics of the pathological area of
      interest, allowing the release of nucleic acids at the desired site. Acidic pH,
      de-regulated levels of enzymes, altered redox potential and magnetic field are
      examples of stimuli exploit to design stimuli-sensitive nanoparticles. In this
      review, we discuss on recent stimulisensitive strategies for siRNA delivery and
      we highlight on the potential of combining multiple stimuli-sensitive strategies
      in the same nano-platform for a better therapeutic outcome. 

PMID- 26486145
TI  - Nanoplatforms for Delivery of siRNA to the Eye.
AB  - Drug delivery to the eye is challenging for formulation scientists due to
      physiological barriers that separate the eye from the rest of the body. A variety
      of ocular disorders demand the development of optimal drug delivery systems for
      the administration of drugs and therapeutic agents that can overcome barriers
      that restrict drug bioavailability. SiRNA inhibits the expression of target genes
      and has immense potential as a biological tool for the therapeutic inhibition of
      disease causing genes; however, delivery of siRNA to ocular tissue is a
      challenge. Recent literature suggests that nanoplatforms show great promise in
      enhancing ophthalmic drug delivery. A drug delivery system involving
      nanoparticles and siRNA could surpass problems faced in ocular delivery with
      improved biodistribution and lower toxicity. This review covers recent research
      in the area of nanocarrier siRNA drug delivery for various ocular disorders. 

PMID- 26486146
TI  - Brain Targeting of siRNA via Intranasal Pathway.
AB  - Brain diseases are the most serious health problems; represent a significant and
      worldwide public health problem. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) can initiate
      specific silencing of genes and are potential therapeutic agents for many
      genetically influenced diseases including brain disease. However, on systemic
      administration the blood-brain barrier (BBB) poses most significant obstacle for
      the therapeutic siRNAs delivery to the brain. Therefore, the development of
      successful approaches to enhance siRNA delivery to the brain is of immense
      interest in clinical and pharmaceutical research. At present, intranasal delivery
      approach serves as an effective mode of direct delivery of siRNAs to brain by
      bypassing BBB. In this review, we describe the principles of RNA interference
      (RNAi) machinery; challenges associated with siRNAs in therapeutics brain
      targeting and summarize the recent progress made in the use of vector based siRNA
      technology. Further, it is anticipated that intranasal delivery approach will
      have a very important role to play in the future for the translation of siRNAs
      therapeutics from bench to bedside for different brain diseases. 

PMID- 26486147
TI  - siRNA Therapy, Challenges and Underlying Perspectives of Dendrimer as Delivery
      Vector.
AB  - siRNA technology presents a helpful means of gene silencing in mammalian cells.
      Advancement in the field includes enhanced attentiveness in the characterization
      of target and off-target effects employing suitable controls and gene expression
      microarrays. These will permit expansion in the measurement of single and
      multiple target combinations and also permit comprehensive efforts to understand
      mammalian cell processes. Another fact is that the delivery of siRNA requires the
      creation of a nanoparticulate vector with controlled structural geometry and
      surface modalities inside the targeted cells. On the other hand, dendrimers
      represent the class of carrier system where massive control over size, shape and
      physicochemical properties makes this delivery vector exceptional and favorable
      in genetic transfection applications. The siRNA therapeutics may be incorporated
      inside the geometry of the density controlled dendrimers with the option of
      engineering the structure to the specific needs of the genetic material and its
      indication. The existing reports on the siRNA carrying and deliverance potential
      of dendrimers clearly suggest the significance of this novel class of polymeric
      architecture and certainly elevate the futuristic use of this highly branched
      vector as genetic material delivery system. 

PMID- 26486148
TI  - Image-Guided Nanoparticle-Based siRNA Delivery for Cancer Therapy.
AB  - With the discovery of RNA interference technology, small-interfering RNA (siRNA)
      has emerged as new powerful tool for gene therapy because of its high targeting
      specificity and selectivity. However, one of the limitations to successful gene
      therapy is the inability to monitor delivery of genes and therapeutic responses
      at the targeted site. Hence, a combinatorial approach of gene therapy with
      molecular imaging has been crucial in optimizing gene therapy. Recent advances in
      nanotechnology have made tremendous efforts to develop multifunctional
      nanoparticles that contain imaging and therapeutic agents together for image
      guided therapy. The nanoparticles serve as contrast agents in imaging for disease
      detection with simultaneous delivery of therapeutics to cure the diseases. The
      therapy also helps to monitor the drug accumulation and assimilation in the body,
      thereby facilitating the evaluation of treatment effects. Here, we present an
      overview of polymer and lipid-based carriers for siRNA delivery, along with
      imaging agents as image guided therapy, in the treatment of breast, lung, liver,
      ovarian, cervical, and prostate cancers.

PMID- 26486149
TI  - Development and Validation of Stability-Indicating Method for the Simultaneous
      Determination of Ketoconazole and Beauvericin in Pharmaceutical Tablets.
AB  - In this work, a stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography
      (HPLC) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous analysis of
      ketoconazole (KCZ) and beauvericin (BEA) as well as their degradation products in
      the combination tablets. KCZ is a synthetic broad-spectrum antifungal agent with
      the risk of hepatoxicity. However, it was found that the combined use of KCZ and
      BEA in their low dose had not only maintained the antifungal activity of KCZ but
      also significantly reduced the liver toxicity. The method development was started
      from forced degradation studies including acidic, basic, oxidative, thermal and
      photolytic degradations in the solution mixtures of KCZ and BEA. The forced
      degradation study results indicate that hydrolysis and oxidation were the major
      degradation pathways for KCZ while BEA mainly decomposed under basic hydrolytic
      condition. The newly developed HPLC method was validated according to the
      International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines with respect to
      specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, limits of detection and
      quantification and robustness. The method validation results indicate that the
      new HPLC method could be successfully applied in the simultaneous detection and
      quantitation of KCZ and BEA and their degradation products. For example, the
      accuracy and the precision of the method were determined by a recovery study at
      80, 100 and 120% of the tablet dosage levels. The recovery was found to be 99.6
      100.2 for both analytes with a relative standard deviation of no more than 1.2%
      (n = 5) at any concentration level. This new method can be used for further
      development of various KCZ and BEA combination drug products. 

PMID- 26486150
TI  - A new diagnostic accuracy measure and cut-point selection criterion.
AB  - Most diagnostic accuracy measures and criteria for selecting optimal cut-points
      are only applicable to diseases with binary or three stages. Currently, there
      exist two diagnostic measures for diseases with general k stages: the hypervolume
      under the manifold and the generalized Youden index. While hypervolume under the
      manifold cannot be used for cut-points selection, generalized Youden index is
      only defined upon correct classification rates. This paper proposes a new measure
      named maximum absolute determinant for diseases with k stages ([Formula: see
      text]). This comprehensive new measure utilizes all the available classification
      information and serves as a cut-points selection criterion as well. Both the
      geometric and probabilistic interpretations for the new measure are examined.
      Power and simulation studies are carried out to investigate its performance as a
      measure of diagnostic accuracy as well as cut-points selection criterion. A real
      data set from Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative is analyzed using the
      proposed maximum absolute determinant.

PMID- 26486151
TI  - Relationship between the image quality and noise-equivalent count in time-of
      flight positron emission tomography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the
      NEC and TOF-PET image quality. METHODS: The National Electrical Manufactures
      Association and International Electrical Commission (NEMA IEC) body phantom with
      a 10-mm diameter sphere was filled with an 18F-FDG solution with a 4:1
      radioactivity ratio. The PET data were acquired in the three-dimensional list
      mode for 20 min. We created frame data ranging from 1 to 5 min acquisition time,
      which were then reconstructed using the baseline ordered-subsets expectation
      maximization (OSEM), the OSEM + point spread function (PSF) algorithm, OSEM +
      time-of-flight (TOF) algorithm and OSEM + PSF + TOF algorithm. The PET images
      were analyzed according to the noise-equivalent count (NEC), the coefficients of
      variance of the background (CVBG), the maximum count (CVmax) and the contrast
      (CVCONT). The results were compared with the recommended value according to the
      guidelines for the oncology FDG-PET/CT protocol. RESULTS: The NEC was higher than
      the recommended value at 3 min or longer acquisition time. The CVBG lower than
      15% were obtained at 3 min acquisition time without TOF and at 2 min acquisition
      time with TOF. The CVBG of 10% or lower were obtained at 5 min or longer
      acquisition time without TOF and at 4 min or longer acquisition time with TOF.
      Both the CVmax and CVCONT lower than 10% were obtained at 3 min or longer
      acquisition time without TOF and at 1 min acquisition or longer with TOF. No
      particular relationships were observed between the frame number and degree of the
      variation in the image quality. The CVCONT significantly correlated with the NEC
      for the data reconstructed without TOF information, while there were no
      significant correlations between these useful metrics for the data reconstructed
      with TOF. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the NEC is not a useful metric
      for the evaluation of the image quality on TOF-PET images.

PMID- 26486152
TI  - Percutaneous Retrieval of Permanent Inferior Vena Cava Filters.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility, risks, and techniques of percutaneous
      removal of permanent TrapEase and Simon Nitinol IVC filters. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Between August 2011 and August 2015, 12 patients (5 women, 7 men; age
      range, 26-75 years) underwent an attempt at percutaneous removal of permanent
      TrapEase (10) and Simon Nitinol (2) IVC filters due to a history of IVC filter
      complications or need for lifelong anticoagulation due to the filter. Medical
      records were reviewed for filter dwell time, presence of iliocaval deep venous
      thrombosis, procedural technique, and complications. RESULTS: Filter dwell times
      ranged from 7 days to 15 years (mean 5.1 years). Successful removal of permanent
      IVC filters was possible in 11 of 12 patients (91.6%). In 1 patient, a
      chronically thrombosed IVC filter could not be removed despite laser sheath
      assistance, but was successfully recanalized with the PowerWire RF guidewire. In
      the failed retrieval attempt, a stent was placed through the chronically
      thrombosed IVC filter with restoration of in-line flow. One major complication of
      large venous groin hematoma was encountered. CONCLUSIONS: In carefully selected
      patients, percutaneous removal of permanent IVC filters can be performed safely
      despite prolonged filter dwell times. Extraction of chronically embedded
      permanent IVC filters may be facilitated by jugular and femoral approaches, often
      with laser sheath assistance. Chronic filter thrombosis and caval scarring may
      increase the risk of retrieval failure.

PMID- 26486153
TI  - Ex Vivo Liver Experiment of Hydrochloric Acid-Infused and Saline-Infused
      Monopolar Radiofrequency Ablation: Better Outcomes in Temperature, Energy, and
      Coagulation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare temperature, energy, and coagulation between hydrochloric
      acid-infused radiofrequency ablation (HAIRFA) and normal saline-infused
      radiofrequency ablation (NSIRFA) in ex vivo porcine liver model. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: 30 fresh porcine livers were excised in 60 lesions, 30 with HAIRFA and
      the other 30 with NSIRFA. Both modalities used monopolar perfusion electrode
      connected to a RF generator set at 103  degrees C and 30 W. In each group,
      ablation time was set at 10, 20, or 30 min (10 lesions from each group at each
      time). We compared tissue temperatures (at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 cm
      away from the electrode tip), average power, deposited energy, deposited energy
      per coagulation volume (DEV), coagulation diameters, coagulative volume, and
      spherical ratio between the two groups. RESULTS: Temperature-time curves showed
      that HAIRFA provided progressively greater heating than that of NSIRFA. At 30
      min, mean average power, deposited energy, coagulation volumes (113.67 vs. 12.28
      cm(3)) and diameters, and increasing in tissue temperature were much greater with
      HAIRFA (P < 0.001 for all), except DEV was lower (456 vs. 1396 J/cm(3), P <
      0.001). The spherical ratio was closer to 1 with HAIRFA (1.23 vs. 1.46).
      Coagulation diameters, volume, and average power of HAIRFA increased
      significantly with longer ablation times. While with NSIRFA, these
      characteristics were stable till later 20 min, except the power decreased with
      longer ablation times. CONCLUSIONS: HAIRFA creates much larger and more spherical
      lesions by increasing overall energy deposition, modulating thermal conductivity,
      and transferring heat during ablation.

PMID- 26486154
TI  - Guide Needle-Assisted Ablation of Subcapsular Hepatoma with Colonic Interposition
      (Chilaiditi's Sign).

PMID- 26486155
TI  - Usefulness of Cone-Beam Computed Tomography and Automatic Vessel Detection
      Software in Emergency Transarterial Embolization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was designed to evaluate the utility of dual phase cone
      beam computed tomography (DP-CBCT) and automatic vessel detection (AVD) software
      to guide transarterial embolization (TAE) of angiographically challenging
      arterial bleedings in emergency settings. METHODS: Twenty patients with an
      arterial bleeding at computed tomography angiography and an inconclusive
      identification of the bleeding vessel at the initial 2D angiographic series were
      included. Accuracy of DP-CBCT and AVD software were defined as the ability to
      detect the bleeding site and the culprit arterial bleeder, respectively.
      Technical success was defined as the correct positioning of the microcatheter
      using AVD software. Clinical success was defined as the successful embolization.
      Total volume of iodinated contrast medium and overall procedure time were
      registered. RESULTS: The bleeding site was not detected by initial angiogram in
      20% of cases, while impossibility to identify the bleeding vessel was the reason
      for inclusion in the remaining cases. The bleeding site was detected by DP-CBCT
      in 19 of 20 (95%) patients; in one case CBCT-CT fusion was required. AVD software
      identified the culprit arterial branch in 18 of 20 (90%) cases. In two cases,
      vessel tracking required manual marking of the candidate arterial bleeder.
      Technical success was 95%. Successful embolization was achieved in all patients.
      Mean contrast volume injected for each patient was 77.5 ml, and mean overall
      procedural time was 50 min. CONCLUSIONS: C-arm CBCT and AVD software during TAE
      of angiographically challenging arterial bleedings is feasible and may facilitate
      successful embolization. Staff training in CBCT imaging and software manipulation
      is necessary.

PMID- 26486156
TI  - CT-Guided Superior Vena Cava Puncture: A Solution to Re-Establishing Access in
      Haemodialysis-Related Central Venous Occlusion Refractory to Conventional
      Endovascular Techniques.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this technical note is to demonstrate the novel use of CT
      guided superior vena cava (SVC) puncture and subsequent tunnelled haemodialysis
      (HD) line placement in end-stage renal failure (ESRF) patients with central
      venous obstruction refractory to conventional percutaneous venoplasty (PTV) and
      wire transgression, thereby allowing resumption of HD. METHODS: Three successive
      ESRF patients underwent CT-guided SVC puncture with subsequent tract
      recanalisation. Ultrasound-guided puncture of the right internal jugular vein was
      performed, the needle advanced to the patent SVC under CT guidance, with
      subsequent insertion of a stabilisation guidewire. Following appropriate tract
      angioplasty, twin-tunnelled HD catheters were inserted and HD resumed. RESULTS:
      No immediate complications were identified. There was resumption of HD in all
      three patients with a 100% success rate. One patient's HD catheter remained in
      use for 2 years post-procedure, and another remains functional 1 year to the
      present day. One patient died 2 weeks after the procedure due to pancreatitis
      related abdominal sepsis unrelated to the Tesio lines. CONCLUSION: CT-guided SVC
      puncture and tunnelled HD line insertion in HD-related central venous occlusion
      (CVO) refractory to conventional recanalisation options can be performed safely,
      requires no extra equipment and lies within the skill set and resources of most
      interventional radiology departments involved in the management of HD patients.

PMID- 26486157
TI  - Unilateral vocal cord palsy and dysphagia: an unusual presentation of
      cerebellopontine angle meningioma.
AB  - Cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumours are the most common neoplasms in the
      posterior fossa, accounting for 5-10% of intracranial tumours. Most CPA tumours
      are benign, with most being vestibular schwannomas. Meningiomas arising from the
      jugular foramen are among the rarest of all with very few being described in the
      literature. Treatment options vary considerably as experience with these tumours
      is limited. One option is a skull base approach, but this depends on size,
      location and ability to preserve lower cranial nerve function. This can be
      extremely challenging and is accompanied by high mortality risk; therefore, a
      more conservative option must be considered. This case report highlights the
      difficulty in management of patients with jugular fossa meningiomas, including
      appropriate investigations, analysis of surgical versus conservative treatment
      and associated complications. Furthermore, we elaborate the decision-making
      process pertaining to the tailoring of the surgical route used for the resection
      of jugular foramen meningiomas. (Jugular Foramen Meningioma, cerebellopontine
      angle). 

PMID- 26486158
TI  - Doing the right thing.

PMID- 26486159
TI  - Editorial: on artemisinin, avermectins and Nobel Prizes.

PMID- 26486160
TI  - Acute aerobic exercise increases exogenously infused bone marrow cell retention
      in the heart.
AB  - Stem cell therapy for myocardial infarction (MI) has been shown to improve
      cardiac function and reduce infarct size. Exercise training, in the form of
      cardiac rehabilitation, is an essential part of patient care post-MI. Hence, we
      tested the effects of acute and chronic aerobic exercise on stem cell retention
      and cardiac remodeling post-MI. Small epicardial MI's were induced in 12-month
      old C57BL/6 mice via cryoinjury. Two weeks post-MI, vehicle infusion (N = 4) or
      GFP(+) bone marrow-derived cells (BMC) were injected (tail vein I.V.) immediately
      after acute exercise (N = 14) or sedentary conditions (N = 14). A subset of mice
      continued a 5-week intervention of chronic treadmill exercise (10-13 m/min; 45
      min/day; 4 days/week; N = 7) or remained sedentary (N = 6). Exercise tolerance
      was assessed using a graded exercise test, and cardiac function was assessed with
      echocardiography. Acute exercise increased GFP(+) BMC retention in the infarcted
      zone of the heart by 30% versus sedentary (P < 0.05). This was not associated
      with alterations in myocardial function or gene expression of key cell adhesion
      molecules. Animals treated with chronic exercise increased exercise capacity (P <
      0.05) and cardiac mass (P < 0.05) without change in left ventricular ejection
      fraction (LVEF), infarct size, or regional wall thickness (P = NS) compared with
      sedentary. While BMC's alone did not affect exercise capacity, they increased
      LVEF (P < 0.05) and Ki67(+) nuclei number in the border zone of the heart (P <
      0.05), which was potentiated with chronic exercise training (P < 0.05). We
      conclude that acute exercise increases BMC retention in infarcted hearts and
      chronic training increases exogenous BMC-mediated effects on stimulating the
      cardiomyocyte cell cycle. These preclinical results suggest that exercise may
      help to optimize stem cell therapeutics following MI. 

PMID- 26486161
TI  - The role of IL-6 in the physiologic versus hypertensive blood pressure actions of
      angiotensin II.
AB  - Angiotensin II (AngII) is a critical physiologic regulator of volume homeostasis
      and mean arterial pressure (MAP), yet it also is known to induce immune
      mechanisms that contribute to hypertension. This study determined the role of
      interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the physiologic effect of AngII to maintain normal MAP
      during low-salt (LS) intake, and whether hypertension induced by plasma AngII
      concentrations measured during LS diet required IL-6. IL-6 knockout (KO) and wild
      type (WT) mice were placed on LS diet for 7 days, and MAP was measured 19 h/day
      with telemetry. MAP was not affected by LS in either group, averaging 101 +/- 4
      and 100 +/- 4 mmHg in WT and KO mice, respectively, over the last 3 days. Seven
      days of ACEI decreased MAP ~25 mmHg in both groups. In other KO and WT mice,
      AngII was infused at 200 ng/kg per minute to approximate plasma AngII levels
      during LS. Surgical reduction of kidney mass and high-salt diet were used to
      amplify the blood pressure effect. The increase in MAP after 7 days was not
      different, averaging 20 +/- 5 and 22 +/- 6 mmHg in WT and KO mice, respectively.
      Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2)/signal transducer of activated transcription (STAT3)
      phosphorylation were not affected by LS, but were increased by AngII infusion at
      200 and 800 ng/kg per minute. These data suggest that physiologic levels of AngII
      do not activate or require IL-6 to affect blood pressure significantly, whether
      AngII is maintaining blood pressure on LS diet or causing blood pressure to
      increase. JAK2/STAT3 activation, however, is tightly associated with AngII
      hypertension, even when caused by physiologic levels of AngII. 

PMID- 26486162
TI  - Analysis of Cervical Sagittal Balance Parameters in MRIs of Patients with Disc
      Degenerative Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to explore the correlations between the
      different parameters of the cervical sagittal balance in magnetic resonance
      images (MRI) and evaluate the criteria for their clinical application in disc
      degenerative diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review
      of the MRIs of 125 adult outpatients with disc-degenerative diseases of the
      cervical spine; the images were obtained between May and July 2014 at our
      institute. The control group comprised 50 volunteers whose MRIs were also
      obtained. The parameters measured in the MRIs were: neck tilt (NT), T1 slope
      (T1S), thoracic inlet angle (TIA), and Cobb's angle (C2-7). The correlation
      between the various parameters was analyzed using the Pearson correlation
      coefficient. RESULTS: The outpatients group showed moderate correlation between
      TIA and T1S, a significant correlation between TIA and NT, a weak correlation
      between T1S and Cobb's angle, and a weakly negative correlation between T1S and
      NT. Further, the TIA showed no significant difference between the outpatient
      group and the control group, as per the sample t test. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings
      indicate that TIA, T1S, and NT could be used as indices for the evaluation of
      cervical sagittal balance and that the TIA could be used as a reference to assess
      the cervical compensation. Restoration of the NT and T1S should be considered as
      a goal of surgical treatment during the preoperative planning in patients with
      disc-degenerative diseases.

PMID- 26486163
TI  - Cell Type-Specific and Inducible PTEN Gene Silencing by a Tetracycline
      Transcriptional Activator-Regulated Short Hairpin RNA.
AB  - Inducible and reversible gene silencing in desired types of cells is instrumental
      for deciphering gene functions using cultured cells or in vivo models. However,
      efficient conditional gene knockdown systems remain to be established. Here, we
      report the generation of an inducible expression system for short hairpin RNA
      (shRNA) targeted to PTEN, a well-documented dual-specificity phosphatase involved
      in tumor suppression and ontogenesis. Upon induction by doxycycline (DOX), the
      reverse tetracycline transcriptional activator (rtTA) switched on the concomitant
      expression of GFP and a miR-30 precursor, the subsequent processing of which
      released the embedded PTEN-targeted shRNA. The efficacy and reversibility of PTEN
      knockdown by this construct was validated in normal and neoplastic cells, in
      which PTEN deficiency resulted in accelerated cell proliferation, suppressed
      apoptosis, and increased invasiveness. Transgenic mice harboring the conditional
      shRNA-expression cassette were obtained; GFP expression and concurrent PTEN
      silencing were observed upon ectopic expression of rtTA and induction with Dox.
      Therefore, this study provides novel tools for the precise dissection of PTEN
      functions and the generation of PTEN loss of function models in specific subsets
      of cells during carcinogenesis and ontogenesis. 

PMID- 26486164
TI  - Repeated Superovulation via PMSG/hCG Administration Induces 2-Cys Peroxiredoxins
      Expression and Overoxidation in the Reproductive Tracts of Female Mice.
AB  - Superovulation induced by exogenous gonadotropin treatment (PMSG/hCG) increases
      the number of available oocytes in humans and animals. However, Superovulatory
      PMSG/hCG treatment is known to affect maternal environment, and these effects may
      result from PMSG/hCG treatment-induced oxidative stress. 2-Cys peroxiredoxins (2
      Cys Prxs) act as antioxidant enzymes that protect cells from oxidative stress
      induced by various exogenous stimuli. Therefore, the objective of this study was
      to test the hypothesis that repeated PMSG/hCG treatment induces 2-Cys Prx
      expression and overoxidation in the reproductive tracts of female mice.
      Immunohistochemistry and western blotting analyses further demonstrated that,
      after PMSG/hCG treatment, the protein expression levels of 2-Cys Prxs increased
      most significantly in the ovaries, while that of Prx1 was most affected by
      PMSG/hCG stimulation in all tissues of the female reproductive tract. Repeated
      PMSG/hCG treatment eventually leads to 2-Cys Prxs overoxidation in all
      reproductive organs of female mice, and the abundance of the 2-Cys Prxs-SO2/3
      proteins reported here supports the hypothesis that repeated superovulation
      induces strong oxidative stress and damage to the female reproductive tract. Our
      data suggest that excessive oxidative stress caused by repeated PMSG/hCG
      stimulation increases 2-Cys Prxs expression and overoxidation in the female
      reproductive organs. Intracellular 2-Cys Prx therefore plays an important role in
      maintaining the reproductive organ environment of female mice upon exogenous
      gonadotropin treatment. 

PMID- 26486165
TI  - Ifosfamide-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) PLGA-dextran polymeric
      nanoparticles to improve the antitumor efficacy in Osteosarcoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma is a typical bone cancer that primarily affects
      adolescents. The therapeutic activity of drugs is limited by their severe drug
      related toxicities, therefore, a therapeutic approach which is less toxic and
      highly effective in tumor is of utmost importance. METHOD: In this study,
      ifosfamide-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-dextran polymeric
      nanoparticles (PD/IFS) was developed and studied its anticancer efficacy against
      multiple osteosarcoma cancer cells. The drug-loaded nanoparticle was
      characterized for physical and biological characterizations. RESULTS: The
      formulated PD/IFS showed a high drug loading capacity and displayed a pH
      sensitive release pattern, with a sustained release profile of the IFS. PD/IFS
      nanoparticles exhibited remarkable in vitro anticancer activity comparable to
      that of free IFS solution in a concentration dependent manner in MG63 and Saos-2
      cancer cells. PLGA-dextran by itself did not affect cell viability of cancer
      cells indicating its excellent biocompatibility. The formulation exhibited
      significantly higher PARP and caspase-3/7 expression in both the cancer cells.
      CONCLUSION: Our study successfully demonstrated that nanoparticulate
      encapsulation of antitumor agent will increase the therapeutic efficacy and
      exhibit a greater induction of apoptosis and cell death.

PMID- 26486168
TI  - Population-Based Study of Incidence of Acute Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms With
      Projected Impact of Screening Strategy.

PMID- 26486166
TI  - Effect of Switching From Statin Monotherapy to Ezetimibe/Simvastatin Combination
      Therapy Compared With Other Intensified Lipid-Lowering Strategies on Lipoprotein
      Subclasses in Diabetic Patients With Symptomatic Cardiovascular Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease may not
      achieve adequate low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering on statin
      monotherapy, attributed partly to atherogenic dyslipidemia. More intensive LDL-C
      lowering therapy can be considered for these patients. A previous randomized,
      controlled study demonstrated greater LDL-C lowering in diabetic patients with
      symptomatic cardiovascular disease who switched from simvastatin 20 mg (S20) or
      atorvastatin 10 mg (A10) to combination ezetimibe/simvastatin 10/20 mg (ES10/20)
      therapy, compared with statin dose-doubling (to S40 or A20) or switching to
      rosuvastatin 10 mg (R10). The effect of these regimens on novel biomarkers of
      atherogenic dyslipidemia (low- and high-density lipoprotein particle number and
      lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 [Lp-PLA2]) was assessed. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Treatment effects on low- and high-density lipoprotein particle number
      (by NMR) and Lp-PLA2 (by ELISA) were evaluated using plasma samples available
      from 358 subjects in the study. Switching to ES10/20 reduced low-density
      lipoprotein-particle number numerically more than did statin dose-doubling and
      was comparable with R10 (-133.3, -94.4, and -56.3 nmol/L, respectively; P>0.05).
      Increases in high-density lipoprotein particle number were significantly greater
      with switches to ES10/20 versus statin dose-doubling (1.5 and -0.5 MUmol/L;
      P<0.05) and comparable with R10 (0.7 MUmol/L; P>0.05). Percentages of patients
      attaining low-density lipoprotein particle number levels <990 nmol/L were 62.4%
      for ES10/20, 54.1% for statin dose-doubling, and 57.0% for R10. Switching to
      ES10/20 reduced Lp-PLA2 activity significantly more than did statin dose-doubling
      (-28.0 versus -3.8 nmol/min per mL, P<0.05) and was comparable with R10 (-28.0
      versus -18.6 nmol/min per mL; P>0.05); effects on Lp-PLA2 concentration were
      modest. CONCLUSIONS: In diabetic patients with dyslipidemia, switching from
      statins to combination ES10/20 therapy generally improved lipoprotein subclass
      profile and Lp-PLA2 activity more than did statin dose-doubling and was
      comparable with R10, consistent with its lipid effects. CLINICAL TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00862251.

PMID- 26486167
TI  - Choice and Selection of Treatment Modalities for Cardiac Patients: An
      Interventional Cardiology Perspective.

PMID- 26486169
TI  - Complete mitochondrial genome of banjofish (Banjos banjos): genome
      characterization and phylogenetic analysis.
AB  - The banjofish (Banjos banjos) is the only species in the monotypic genus Banjos
      and in the family Banjosidae. To understand the phylogenetic relationship of
      banjofish in teleost, we firstly determined the complete mitochondrial genome of
      banjofish. The entire mitochondrial genome of banjofish is 16 485 bp in length,
      including 13 protein-coding genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNA), 22 transfer
      RNA genes (tRNA) and a control region (CR). The overall base composition is T,
      26.2%; C, 29.2%; A, 28.6% and G, 16.0%. The central conserved sequence blocks
      (CSB) were identified and the core sequence (ACATATATGT) of terminal-associated
      sequences was recognized in the control region. The gene arrangement, base
      composition, and tRNA structures of the complete mitochondrial genome of
      banjofish is consistent with those of other teleost. The complete mitochondrial
      genome of banjofish was used to construct phylogenetic tree, which shows that
      banjofish is clustered with the fishes of the family Histiopteridae. We expect
      that the availability of mitochondrial genome of banjofish will facilitate the
      further investigations of the taxonomic resolution, biogeography and molecular
      systematic.

PMID- 26486170
TI  - Protective effects of beta glucan in brain tissues of post-menopausal rats: a
      histochemical and ultra-structural study.
AB  - Decline of estrogen during menopause has been associated with numerous
      significant changes that have been linked to many pathophysiological
      complications. In addition, ovarian hormone deficiency increases the production
      of reactive oxygen radicals which could result in oxidative stress and cell
      damage. While estrogen therapy is often considered to overcome the behavioral and
      physiological shortcomings, antioxidants are gaining popularity for their
      beneficial property. For this purpose, in the present study, utilizing the
      antioxidant properties of beta glucan has been examined in treatment of menopause
      induced oxidative stress in cerebral neurons. Four groups of female Wistar rats
      were used: control, ovariectomy, ovariectomy + estrogen treated and ovariectomy +
      beta glucan treated. We observed a significant increase in neural degeneration in
      ovariectomized rats as compared to controls. Moreover, increased oxidative stress
      in the brains of the ovariectomized rats has been detected by performing
      immunohistochemical analysis. A large number of immuno-positive cerebral neurons
      have been observed in ovariectomy group rat brains. Interestingly, providing beta
      glucan treatment to ovariectomized rats reduced the number of degenerated
      neurons. Our study is the first to examine light and electron microscopic
      examination and immunohistochemical and stereological analysis of estrogen
      depletion in rats and to test protective role of beta glucan in the experimental
      study. 

PMID- 26486171
TI  - Voyaging in Strange Seas: The Great Revolution in Science.

PMID- 26486172
TI  - Essential roles for Cavbeta2 and Cav1 channels in thymocyte development and T
      cell homeostasis.
AB  - Calcium ions (Ca(2+)) are important in numerous signal transduction processes,
      including the development and differentiation of T cells in the thymus. We report
      that thymocytes have multiple types of pore-forming alpha subunits and regulatory
      beta subunits that constitute voltage-gated Ca(2+) (Cav) channels. In mice, T
      cell-specific deletion of the gene encoding the beta2 regulatory subunit of Cav
      channels (Cacnb2) reduced the abundances of the channels Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 (both
      of which contain pore-forming alpha1 subunits) and impaired T cell development,
      which led to a substantial decrease in the numbers of thymocytes and peripheral T
      cells. Similar to the effect of Cacnb2 deficiency, pharmacological blockade of
      pore-forming Cav1alpha subunits reduced the sustained Ca(2+) influx in thymocytes
      upon stimulation of the T cell receptor, decreased the abundance of the
      transcription factor NFATc3, inhibited the proliferation of thymocytes in vitro,
      and led to lymphopenia in mice. Together, our data suggest that Cav1 channels are
      conduits for the sustained Ca(2+) influx that is required for the development of
      T cells. 

PMID- 26486173
TI  - CD4+ T cell-dependent and CD4+ T cell-independent cytokine-chemokine network
      changes in the immune responses of HIV-infected individuals.
AB  - A vital defect in the immune systems of HIV-infected individuals is the loss of
      CD4(+) T cells, resulting in impaired immune responses. We hypothesized that
      there were CD4(+) T cell-dependent and CD4(+) T cell-independent alterations in
      the immune responses of HIV-1(+) individuals. To test this, we analyzed the
      secretion of cytokines and chemokines from stimulated peripheral blood
      mononuclear cell (PBMC) populations from HIV(+) donors, healthy donors, and
      healthy donors with CD4(+) T cells experimentally depleted. Multivariate analyses
      of 16 cytokines and chemokines at 6 and 72 hours after three stimuli (antibody
      coated beads to stimulate T cells and R848 or lipopolysaccharide to stimulate
      innate immune cells) enabled integrative analysis of secreted profiles. Two major
      effects in HIV(+) PBMCs were not reproduced upon depletion of CD4(+) T cells in
      healthy PBMCs: (i) HIV(+) PBMCs maintained T cell-associated secreted profiles
      after T cell stimulation; (ii) HIV(+) PBMCs showed impaired interferon-gamma (IFN
      gamma) secretion early after innate stimulation. These changes arose from
      hyperactive T cells and debilitated natural killer (NK) cell, respectively.
      Modeling and experiments showed that early IFN-gamma secretion predicted later
      differences in secreted profiles in vitro. This effect was recapitulated in
      healthy PBMCs by blocking the IFN-gamma receptor. Thus, we identified a critical
      deficiency in NK cell responses of HIV-infected individuals, independent of
      CD4(+) T cell depletion, which directs secreted profiles. Our findings illustrate
      a broad approach for identifying key disease-associated nodes in a multicellular,
      multivariate signaling network. 

PMID- 26486175
TI  - Matters of context guide future research in TGFbeta superfamily signaling.
AB  - The highly conserved wiring of the SMAD-dependent transforming growth factor beta
      (TGFbeta) superfamily signaling pathway has been mapped over the last 20 years
      after molecular discovery of its component parts. Numerous alternative TGFbeta
      activated signaling pathways that elicit SMAD-independent biological responses
      also exist. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the renowned
      context dependency of TGFbeta signaling output remains an active and often
      confounding area of research, providing a prototype relevant to regulation of
      other signaling pathways. Highlighting discoveries presented at the 9th FASEB
      meeting, The TGFbeta Superfamily: Signaling in Development and Disease (July 12
      17th 2015 in Snowmass, Colorado), this Review outlines research into the rich
      contextual nature of TGFbeta signaling output and offers clues for therapeutic
      advances. 

PMID- 26486176
TI  - Functional p-Type, Polymerized Organic Electrode Interlayer in CH3NH3PbI3
      Perovskite/Fullerene Planar Heterojunction Hybrid Solar Cells.
AB  - Thermal curing of the styrene-functionalized 9,9-diarylfluorene-based
      triaryldiamine monomer (VB-DAAF) forms an ideal p-type organic electrode
      interlayer capable of resisting solvation of the polar precursor solution in
      fabricating methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) perovskite/fullerene (C60)
      planar heterojunction hybrid solar cells. The polymerized VB-DAAF film exhibits a
      good energy level alignment with the valence-band-edge level of the CH3NH3PbI3
      perovskite to facilitate the transport of holes. The large energy barrier to the
      conduction-band-edge level of the CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite effectively blocks
      electrons from reaching the positive electrode and reduces the photon energy loss
      due to recombination. The best-performing cell with the configuration of
      glass/indium-tin oxide/polymerized VB-DAAF/CH3NH3PbI3
      perovskite/C60/bathocuproine/aluminum is free of a poly(3,4
      ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) ( PEDOT: PSS) layer to achieve an
      open-circuit voltage (VOC) = 1.02 V, a short-circuit current (JSC) = 18.92
      mA/cm(2), and a fill factor (FF) = 0.78, corresponding to a power conversion
      efficiency (PCE) of 15.17% under standard 1 sun AM 1.5G simulated solar
      irradiation. The performance is much superior to the device applying the PEDOT:
      PSS interlayer with photovoltaic parameters of VOC = 0.85 V, JSC = 16.37
      mA/cm(2), and FF = 0.74, corresponding to a PCE of 10.27%. Additionally, we had
      applied a UV-assisted process to polymerize the VB-DAAF film at relatively lower
      temperature and fabricate decent perovskite-based solar cells on the flexible
      substrate for real applications.

PMID- 26486174
TI  - Abnormal mechanosensing and cofilin activation promote the progression of
      ascending aortic aneurysms in mice.
AB  - Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and the extracellular matrix (ECM) are intimately
      associated in the aortic wall. Fbln4(SMKO) mice with an SMC-specific deletion of
      the Fbln4 gene, which encodes the vascular ECM component fibulin-4, develop
      ascending aortic aneurysms that have increased abundance of angiotensin
      converting enzyme (ACE); inhibiting angiotensin II signaling within the first
      month of life prevents aneurysm development. We used comparative proteomics
      analysis of Fbln4(SMKO) aortas from postnatal day (P) 1 to P30 mice to identify
      key molecules involved in aneurysm initiation and expansion. At P14, the actin
      depolymerizing factor cofilin was dephosphorylated and thus activated, and at P7,
      the abundance of slingshot-1 (SSH1) phosphatase, an activator of cofilin, was
      increased, leading to actin cytoskeletal remodeling. Also, by P7, biomechanical
      changes and underdeveloped elastic lamina-SMC connections were evident, and the
      abundance of early growth response 1 (Egr1), a mechanosensitive transcription
      factor that stimulates ACE expression, was increased, which was before the
      increases in ACE abundance and cofilin activation. Postnatal deletion of Fbln4 in
      SMCs at P7 prevented cofilin activation and aneurysm formation, suggesting that
      these processes required disruption of elastic lamina-SMC connections.
      Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is involved in the angiotensin II-mediated
      activation of SSH1, and administration of PI3K inhibitors from P7 to P30
      decreased SSH1 abundance and prevented aneurysms. These results suggest that
      aneurysm formation arises from abnormal mechanosensing of SMCs resulting from the
      loss of elastic lamina-SMC connections and from increased SSH1 and cofilin
      activity, which may be potential therapeutic targets for treating ascending
      aortic aneurysms. 

PMID- 26486177
TI  - Three Gaseous Neurotransmitters, Nitric oxide, Carbon Monoxide, and Hydrogen
      Sulfide, Are Involved in the Neurogenic Relaxation Responses of the Porcine
      Internal Anal Sphincter.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: The internal anal sphincter (IAS) plays an important role in
      maintaining continence and a number of neurotransmitters are known to regulate
      IAS tone. The aim of this study was to determine the relative importance of the
      neurotransmitters involved in the relaxant and contractile responses of the
      porcine IAS. METHODS: Responses of isolated strips of IAS to electrical field
      stimulation (EFS) were obtained in the absence and presence of inhibitors of
      neurotransmitter systems. RESULTS: Contractile responses of the sphincter to EFS
      were unaffected by the muscarinic receptor antagonist, atropine (1 MUM), but were
      almost completely abolished by the adrenergic neuron blocker guanethidine (10
      MUM). Contractile responses were also reduced (by 45% at 5 Hz, P < 0.01)
      following desensitisation of purinergic receptors with alpha,beta-methylene-ATP
      (10 MUM). In the presence of guanethidine, atropine, and alpha,beta-methylene
      ATP, the remaining relaxatory responses to EFS were examined. These responses
      were not altered by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin (5 MUM), the
      vasoactive intestinal polypeptide receptor antagonist, [D-p-Cl-Phe(6),Leu(17)]
      vasoactive intestinal peptide (PheLeu-VIP; 100 nM), or the purinoceptor
      antagonists, 8-phenyltheophyline (P1 receptors) or suramin (P2 receptors).
      However, relaxation responses were reduced by Nomega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA; 100
      MUM), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis (40-50% reduction), zinc
      protoprophyrin IX (10 MUM), an inhibitor of carbon monoxide synthesis (20-40%
      reduction), and also propargylglycine (30 MUM) and aminooxyacetic acid (30 MUM),
      inhibitors of hydrogen sulphide synthesis (15-20% reduction). CONCLUSIONS:
      Stimulation of IAS efferent nerves releases excitatory and inhibitory
      neurotransmitters: noradrenaline is the predominant contractile transmitter with
      a smaller component from ATP, whilst 3 gases mediate relaxation responses to EFS,
      with the combined contributions being nitric oxide > carbon monoxide > hydrogen
      sulfide.

PMID- 26486178
TI  - Response to Comment on "Intimate Coupling of Photocatalysis and Biodegradation
      for Degrading Phenol Using Different Light Types: Visible Light vs UV Light".

PMID- 26486179
TI  - Identification of differentially expressed microRNAs between Bacillus
      thuringiensis Cry1Ab-resistant and -susceptible strains of Ostrinia furnacalis.
AB  - The Asian corn borer (ACB), Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenee), can develop strong
      resistance to Cry1Ab, the most widely commercialized Cry toxin for Bt maize
      worldwide. It is essential to understand the mechanism of resistance for
      management of this species, but information on the post-transcriptional
      regulation of Bt resistance in this target insect is limited. In the present
      study, RNA was extracted from the ACB in various larval stages (1-5 instar) from
      Cry1Ab-sensitive (ACB-BtS) and -resistant (ACB-AbR) strains, each of which
      included two biological replicates. Using Illumina sequencing, a total of
      23,809,890 high-quality reads were collected from the four ACB libraries. The
      numbers of known microRNAs (miRNAs) were 302 and 395 for ACB-BtS and 268 and 287
      for ACB-AbR. Using Mireap software, we identified 32 and 16 potential novel
      miRNAs for ACB-BtS and 18 and 22 for ACB-AbR. Among them, 21 known and 1 novel
      miRNAs had significantly different expression between ACB-BtS and ACB-AbR.
      Several miRNAs were observed to target potential Bt receptor genes, such as
      aminopeptidase N and cadherin-like protein. The glycosylphosphatidylinositol
      anchor biosynthetic process and ABC transporters pathway were identified through
      Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway analysis of target genes of the differentially
      expressed miRNAs. 

PMID- 26486180
TI  - A single design strategy for dual sensitive pH probe with a suitable range to map
      pH in living cells.
AB  - Due to the lack of a proper imaging approach, a veracious pH map of normal and
      abnormal cell is still rare. In this work, we presented a rhodamine
      salicylaldehyde combination (Rh-SA2) as a novel pH probe, which has dual
      sensitive units for both acidic and basic environment. This dual sensitive probe
      acts like a chameleon in living cells and offers the doubling guarantees for
      endocellular pH mapping. Moreover, a quantitative measurement of cellular pH
      changes was allowed and the endocellular pH values under drug-associated stimuli
      were also investigated. 

PMID- 26486181
TI  - Genetically-reduced serum ACE activity might be a causal risk factor for
      obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: A meta-analysis.
AB  - We meta-analytically summarized the associations of angiotensin converting enzyme
      (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism with ACE activity and
      obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) to see whether ACE activity is causally
      associated with OSAS. Literature search and data abstraction were done in
      duplicate. Sixteen articles including 2060 OSAS patients and 1878 controls were
      summarized. Overall, no significance was observed for the association of I/D
      polymorphism with OSAS, whereas carriers of II genotype (weighted mean difference
      or WMD, 95% confidence interval or CI, P: -11.976, -17.168 to -6.783, <0.001) or
      I allele (-9.842, -14.766 to -4.918, <0.001) had a lower level of serum ACE
      activity compared with DD genotype carriers, respectively. In subgroup analyses,
      carriers of II genotype were 3.806 times more likely to develop OSAS (95% CI, P:
      1.865 to 7.765, <0.001) in OSAS patients with hypertension, without
      heterogeneity. Mendelian randomization analysis indicated there was 37.4% (95%
      CI: 1.115 to 3.142) and 32.4% (1.106 to 2.845) increased risk of OSAS by a
      reduction of 1 U/L in ACE activity for the II genotype and I allele carriers
      versus DD genotype carriers, respectively. There was no observable publication
      bias. Collectively, genetically-reduced serum ACE activity might be a causal risk
      factor for OSAS. 

PMID- 26486182
TI  - Reversed reactivity of anilines with alkynes in the rhodium-catalysed C-H
      activation/carbonylation tandem.
AB  - Development of multicatalytic approach consisting of two or more mechanistically
      distinct catalytic steps using a single-site catalyst for rapid and
      straightforward access of structurally complex molecules under eco-benign
      conditions has significance in contemporary science. We have developed herein a
      rhodium-catalysed C-H activation strategy which uses an unprotected anilines and
      an electron-deficient alkynes to C-C bonded products as a potential intermediate
      in contrast to the archetypical C-N bonded products with high levels of
      regioselectivity. This is followed by carbonylation of C-H bond activated
      intermediate and subsequent annulation into quinolines has been described. This
      rhodium-catalysed auto-tandem reaction operates under mild, environmentally
      benign conditions using water as the solvent and CO surrogates as the carbonyl
      source with the concomitant generation of hydrogen gas. The strategy may
      facilitate the development of new synthetic protocols for the efficient and
      sustainable production of chemicals in an atom-economic way from simple, abundant
      starting materials. 

PMID- 26486183
TI  - Simultaneous shaping of amplitude and phase of light in the entire output plane
      with a phase-only hologram.
AB  - An iterative beam shaping algorithm is proposed to simultaneously shape the
      amplitude and phase of an optical beam. The proposed algorithm consists of one
      input plane and two completely overlapped output planes which refer to the output
      plane in real space. The two output planes are imposed with both amplitude and
      phase constraints, and the constrained areas in the two output planes are
      complementary. As a result, both the amplitude and phase in the entire output
      plane are controllable and arbitrary target complex amplitudes can be achieved
      with the proposed algorithm. The computing result of the proposed algorithm is a
      phase-only distribution which can be conveniently realized with a spatial light
      modulator or a fabricated diffractive optical element. Both simulations and
      experiments have verified the high performance of the proposed algorithm. 

PMID- 26486184
TI  - Direct and high throughput (HT) interactions on the ribosomal surface by iRIA.
AB  - Ribosomes function as platforms for binding of other molecules, but technologies
      for studying this process are lacking. Therefore we developed iRIA (in vitro
      Ribosomes Interaction Assay). In approach I, Artemia salina ribosomes spotted on
      solid phase are used for binding picomoles of analytes; in approach II, cellular
      extracts allow the measurement of ribosome activity in different conditions. We
      apply the method to analyze several features of eIF6 binding to 60S subunits. By
      approach I, we show that the off-rate of eIF6 from preribosomes is slower than
      from mature ribosomes and that its binding to mature 60S occurs in the nM
      affinity range. By approach II we show that eIF6 binding sites on 60S are
      increased with mild eIF6 depletion and decreased in cells that are devoid of
      SBDS, a ribosomal factor necessary for 60S maturation and involved in Swachman
      Diamond syndrome. We show binding conditions to immobilized ribosomes adaptable
      to HT and quantify free ribosomes in cell extracts. In conclusion, we suggest
      that iRIA will greatly facilitate the study of interactions on the ribosomal
      surface. 

PMID- 26486185
TI  - On testing neural network models.

PMID- 26486186
TI  - Neural networks in the future of neuroscience research.

PMID- 26486187
TI  - Prevalence and Timing of Screening and Diagnostic Testing for Gestational
      Diabetes Mellitus: A Population-Based Study in Alberta, Canada.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The extent to which pregnant women are screened for gestational
      diabetes mellitus (GDM) at the population level is not known. We examined the
      rate, type, and timing of GDM screening and diagnostic testing in the province of
      Alberta, Canada. Geographic and temporal differences in screening rates, and
      maternal risk factors associated with lower likelihood of screening, were also
      determined. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Our retrospective linked-database cohort
      study included 86,842 primiparous women with deliveries between 1 October 2008
      and 31 December 2012. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to
      examine maternal factors associated with lower likelihood of GDM screening.
      RESULTS: Overall, 94% (n = 81,304) of women underwent some form of glycemic
      assessment in the 270 days prior to delivery. The majority (91%) received a 50-g
      glucose screen (GDS). Women not screened were younger and more likely to smoke
      and had lower maternal weight and median household income. When a diagnostic 75-g
      oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was indicated, it occurred a median of 10
      (interquartile range 7, 15) days after the screen. CONCLUSIONS: GDS occurred
      widely in a system where it was universally recommended and paid for publicly.
      When indicated, a 75-g OGTT was completed within 15 days in 75% of cases. Our
      finding that this two-step approach was widely implemented in a timely fashion
      supports continued endorsement of a two-step approach to screening and diagnosis
      of GDM. Further research is merited to assess whether the one-step GDM diagnostic
      approach results in different rates and timing of the 75-g OGTT and affects
      pregnancy outcomes.

PMID- 26486188
TI  - Association Between Handedness and Type 2 Diabetes: The E3N Study.

PMID- 26486189
TI  - Associations Between Prediabetes, by Three Different Diagnostic Criteria, and
      Incident CVD Differ in South Asians and Europeans.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We examined longitudinal associations between prediabetes and
      cardiovascular disease (CVD) (coronary heart disease [CHD] and stroke) in
      Europeans and South Asians. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a U.K. cohort
      study of 1,336 Europeans and 1,139 South Asians, aged 40-69 years at baseline
      (1988-1991). Assessment included blood pressure, blood tests, anthropometry, and
      questionnaires. Prediabetes was determined by OGTT or HbA1c, using either
      International Expert Committee (IEC) (HbA1c 6.0-6.5% [42-48 mmol/mol]) or
      American Diabetes Association (ADA) (HbA1c 5.7-6.5% [39-48 mmol/mol]) cut points.
      Incident CHD and stroke were established at 20 years from death certification,
      hospital admission, primary care record review, and participant report. RESULTS:
      Compared with normoglycemic individuals, IEC-defined prediabetes was related to
      both CHD and CVD risk in Europeans but not South Asians (subhazard ratio for CHD
      1.68 [95% CI 1.19, 2.38] vs. 1.00 [0.75, 1.33], ethnicity interaction P = 0.008,
      and for CVD 1.49 [1.08, 2.07] vs. 1.03 [0.78, 1.36], ethnicity interaction P =
      0.04). Conversely, IEC-defined prediabetes was associated with stroke risk in
      South Asians but not Europeans (1.73 [1.03, 2.90] vs. 0.85 [0.44, 1.64],
      ethnicity interaction P = 0.11). Risks were adjusted for age, sex, smoking, total
      to-HDL cholesterol ratio, waist-to-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, and
      antihypertensive use. Associations were weaker for OGTT or ADA-defined
      prediabetes. Conversion from prediabetes to diabetes was greater in South Asians,
      but accounting for time to conversion did not account for these ethnic
      differences. CONCLUSIONS: Associations between prediabetes and CVD differed by
      prediabetes diagnostic criterion, type of CVD, and ethnicity, with associations
      being present for overall CVD in Europeans but not South Asians. Substantiation
      of these findings and investigation of potential explanations are required.

PMID- 26486191
TI  - Twelve-Week Treatment With Liraglutide as Add-on to Insulin in Normal-Weight
      Patients With Poorly Controlled Type 1 Diabetes: A Randomized, Placebo
      Controlled, Double-Blind Parallel Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the efficacy and safety of once-daily
      liraglutide 1.2 mg versus placebo as add-on to insulin treatment in normal-weight
      patients with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In
      a randomized (1:1), double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 40 patients with
      type 1 diabetes (HbA1c >=8% [64 mmol/mol]) received once-daily liraglutide 1.2 mg
      or placebo for 12 weeks. Continuous glucose monitoring was performed before and
      at the end of treatment. The primary end point was change in HbA1c. Secondary end
      points included change in insulin dose, weight, glycemic excursions, heart rate,
      and blood pressure. RESULTS: Baseline HbA1c was similar in the liraglutide and
      placebo group (8.8 +/- 0.2 and 8.7 +/- 0.1% [72.5 +/- 2.2 and 71.8 +/- 1.5
      mmol/mol]). Change in HbA1c from baseline was -0.6 +/- 0.2% (-6.22 +/- 1.71
      mmol/mol) with liraglutide and -0.5 +/- 0.2% (-5.56 +/- 1.67 mmol/mol) with
      placebo (P = 0.62). Variation in glycemic excursions did not change in either
      group. Change in body weight was -3.13 +/- 0.58 and +1.12 +/- 0.42 kg (P <
      0.0001) with liraglutide and placebo, respectively. The bolus insulin dose
      decreased in liraglutide-treated patients and did not change with placebo
      treatment (4.0 +/- 1.3 vs. 0.0 +/- 1.0 IU, P = 0.02). Heart rate increased within
      the liraglutide group (P = 0.04) but not compared with placebo, whereas mean
      systolic blood pressure decreased compared with placebo (between-group difference
      3.21 mmHg [95% CI -8.31 to 1.90], P = 0.04). Liraglutide was more frequently
      associated with gastrointestinal adverse effects. The incidence of hypoglycemia
      did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Liraglutide significantly reduces
      body weight and insulin requirements but has no additional effect on HbA1c in
      normal-weight patients with type 1 diabetes inadequately controlled on insulin
      alone.

PMID- 26486193
TI  - The power laws of nanoscale forces under ambient conditions.
AB  - We report a power law derived from experimental atomic force microscopy (AFM)
      data suggesting a nano to mesoscale transition in force-distance dependencies.
      Our results are in relative agreement with the Hamaker and Lifshitz theories for
      van der Waals forces for the larger tip radii only. 

PMID- 26486192
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Canagliflozin, a Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitor,
      as Add-on to Insulin in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the efficacy and safety of canagliflozin, a sodium
      glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, as add-on to insulin in adults with type 1
      diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This 18-week, double-blind, phase 2 study
      randomized 351 patients (HbA1c 7.0-9.0% [53-75 mmol/mol]) on multiple daily
      insulin injections or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion to canagliflozin
      100 or 300 mg or placebo. The primary end point was the proportion of patients
      achieving at week 18 both HbA1c reduction from baseline of >=0.4% (>=4.4
      mmol/mol) and no increase in body weight. Other end points included changes in
      HbA1c, body weight, and insulin dose, as well as hypoglycemia incidence. Safety
      was assessed by adverse event (AE) reports. RESULTS: More patients had both HbA1c
      reduction >=0.4% and no increase in body weight with canagliflozin 100 and 300 mg
      versus placebo at week 18 (36.9%, 41.4%, 14.5%, respectively; P < 0.001). Both
      canagliflozin doses provided reductions in HbA1c, body weight, and insulin dose
      versus placebo over 18 weeks. The incidence of hypoglycemia was similar across
      groups; severe hypoglycemia rates were low (1.7-6.8%). Overall incidence of AEs
      was 55.6%, 67.5%, and 54.7% with canagliflozin 100 and 300 mg and placebo;
      discontinuation rates were low (0.9-1.3%). Increased incidence of ketone-related
      AEs (5.1%, 9.4%, 0%), including the specific AE of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)
      (4.3%, 6.0%, 0%), was seen with canagliflozin 100 and 300 mg versus placebo.
      CONCLUSIONS: Canagliflozin provided reductions in HbA1c, body weight, and insulin
      dose with no increase in hypoglycemia, but increased rates of ketone-related AEs,
      including DKA, in adults with type 1 diabetes inadequately controlled with
      insulin.

PMID- 26486194
TI  - X-Ray crystal structure, and optical and electrochemical properties of the
      Au15Ag3(SC6H11)14 nanocluster with a core-shell structure.
AB  - We report the X-ray crystallographic structure of an 18-metal atom Au-Ag
      bimetallic nanocluster (NC) formulated as [Au15Ag3(SC6H11)14]. This NC consists
      of a Au6Ag3 bi-octahedral kernel, which is built up by two octahedral Au3Ag3
      units through sharing one Ag3 triangular face. The [Au15Ag3(SC6H11)14] can be
      viewed as a core-shell structure with the doped Ag atoms as the core and Au atoms
      as the shell. Detailed analyses by UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy (XPS), and electrochemical measurements clearly show distinct
      differences in the electronic structure between [Au15Ag3(SC6H11)14] and the
      homometal [Au18(SC6H11)14] NC. This study contributes to the deep understanding
      on bimetallic nanoclusters. 

PMID- 26486190
TI  - Impact of Type 2 Diabetes and Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy on Incidence of
      Cognitive Impairment in Older Women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In older women, higher levels of estrogen may exacerbate the increased
      risk for cognitive impairment conveyed by diabetes. We examined whether the
      effect of postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) on cognitive impairment incidence
      differs depending on type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Women's
      Health Initiative (WHI) randomized clinical trials assigned women to HT (0.625
      mg/day conjugated equine estrogens with or without [i.e., unopposed] 2.5 mg/day
      medroxyprogesterone acetate) or matching placebo for an average of 4.7-5.9 years.
      A total of 7,233 women, aged 65-80 years, were classified according to type 2
      diabetes status and followed for probable dementia and cognitive impairment (mild
      cognitive impairment or dementia). RESULTS: Through a maximum of 18 years of
      follow-up, women with diabetes had increased risk of probable dementia (hazard
      ratio [HR] 1.54 [95% CI 1.16-2.06]) and cognitive impairment (HR 1.83 [1.50
      2.23]). The combination of diabetes and random assignment to HT increased their
      risk of dementia (HR 2.12 [1.47-3.06]) and cognitive impairment (HR 2.20 [1.70
      2.87]) compared with women without these conditions, interaction P = 0.09 and P =
      0.08. These interactions appeared to be limited to women assigned to unopposed
      conjugated equine estrogens. CONCLUSIONS: These analyses provide additional
      support to a prior report that higher levels of estrogen may exacerbate risks
      that type 2 diabetes poses for cognitive function in older women. The role
      estrogen plays in suppressing non-glucose-based energy sources in the brain may
      explain this interaction.

PMID- 26486195
TI  - Hierarchical core/shell structure of MnO2@polyaniline composites grown on carbon
      fiber paper for application in pseudocapacitors.
AB  - Hierarchical core/shell structured arrays of MnO2@polyaniline (PANI) nanosheets
      are successfully deposited on the surface of carbon fiber paper (CFP) by a two
      step method of a redox reaction-assisted deposition of MnO2 and post
      electrodeposition of PANI. The CFP is used as a three-dimensional (3D) current
      collector to ensure 3D transport of ions and electrons with a large surface area.
      In addition, the electrodeposition technique enables conformal and thin coating
      of a layer of PANI across the entire MnO2 nanosheet. The MnO2@PANI on the CFP
      shows a unique architecture for efficient ion diffusion pathways in hierarchical
      porous structures and rapid electron transfer through PANI coated layers. The
      MnO2@PANI/CFP can be applied as a binder- and carbon-free electrode for
      supercapacitors. Evaluation of the electrochemical performance revealed that the
      as-prepared electrodes have a high value of specific capacitance (437 F g(-1) at
      1 A g(-1)), high rate capability (62.4% retention at 15 A g(-1)), and good cycle
      life (~100% at sequential current densities of 1 and 5 A g(-1) over 3000 cycles).

PMID- 26486196
TI  - Cluster of Puerperal Fever in an Obstetric Ward: A Reminder of Ignaz Semmelweis.

PMID- 26486198
TI  - Global microRNA profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with
      Behcet's disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To explore the post-transcriptional regulation of the peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) transcriptome by microRNAs in Behcet's disease
      (BD). METHODS: Using TaqMan Low Density Array-based microRNAs expression
      profiling, the expression of 750 mature human microRNAs in PBMCs from 5 BD
      patients and 3 healthy controls (HC) was compared. The expression of deregulated
      microRNAs was then validated by quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction
      (qRT-PCR), in 42 BD patients and 8 HC. RESULTS: In the initial screening, 13
      microRNAs appeared deregulated in BD vs HC. Among them, the differential
      expression of miR-720 and miR-139-3p was confirmed by qRT-PCR, (p<0.05 and
      FDR<5%). Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for miR-139-3p,
      miR-720 and miR-139-3p+miR-720 in the validation cohort were 0.84, 0.87 and 0.92
      respectively, indicating good discrimination between BD patients and HC. Post-hoc
      analysis showed that 9 out of 13 microRNAs from the discovery phase were
      significantly upregulated in active vs. quiescent BD, suggesting inflammation as
      a key regulator of microRNAs machinery in BD. In silico analysis revealed that
      several BD candidate susceptibility genes are predicted target of significantly
      deregulated microRNAs in active BD. A significant enrichment in microRNAs
      targeting elements of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) and T-cell receptor signalling
      pathways was also assumed. CONCLUSIONS: miR199-3p and miR720 deserve further
      confirmation as biomarkers of BD in larger studies. PBMCs from active BD
      displayed a unique signature of microRNAs which may be implicated in regulation
      of innate immunity activation and T-cell function.

PMID- 26486199
TI  - If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably
      is a duck: black market medicine and privatization in Israel.

PMID- 26486200
TI  - Tim-3 blocking rescue macrophage and T cell function against Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis infection in HIV+ patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain (Tim) 3 and programmed death
      1 (PD-1) are co-inhibitory receptors involved in the so-called T cell exhaustion,
      and in vivo blockade of these molecules restores T cell dysfunction. High
      expression of Tim-3 and PD-1 is induced after chronic antigen-specific
      stimulation of T cells during HIV infection. We have previously demonstrated that
      the interaction of Tim-3 with its ligand galectin-9 induces macrophage activation
      and killing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Our aim in this study was to analyze
      the Tim-3 expression profile before and after six months of antiretroviral
      therapy and the impact of Tim-3 and PD-1 blocking on immunity against M.
      tuberculosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HIV+ patients naive to anti-retroviral
      therapy (ART) were followed up for six months. Peripheral immune-cell phenotype
      (CD38/HLA-DR/galectin-9/Tim-3 and PD-1) was assessed by flow cytometry.
      Supernatants were analyzed with a multiplex cytokine detection system (human
      Th1/Th2 cytokine Cytometric Bead Array) by flow cytometry. Control of bacterial
      growth was evaluated by using an in vitro experimental model in which virulent M.
      tuberculosis-infected macrophages were cultured with T cells in the presence or
      absence of Tim-3 and PD-1 blocking antibodies. Interleukin-1 beta treatment of
      infected macrophages was evaluated by enumerating colony-forming units. RESULTS:
      We showed that HIV+ patients had an increased expression of Tim-3 in T cells and
      were able to control bacterial growth before ART administration. By blocking Tim
      3 and PD-1, macrophages and T cells recovered their functionality and had a
      higher ability to control bacterial growth; this result was partially dependent
      on the restitution of cytokine production. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we
      demonstrated that increased Tim-3 expression can limit the ability of the immune
      system to control the infection of intracellular bacteria such as M.
      tuberculosis. The use of ART and the in vitro manipulation of the Tim-3 and PD-1
      molecules restored the functionality of T cells and macrophages to restrict
      bacterial growth. Our results provide a novel immune strategy that may be
      implemented in the near future in order to improve the immune responses in HIV+
      patients.

PMID- 26486201
TI  - Elderly patient's knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding care and
      maintenance of the removable prosthesis: a qualitative study.
AB  - AIM: Regular care and efficient hygiene procedures play a major role in the
      maintenance of oral health and long-term success of removable prosthodontic
      treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and
      behavior of the elderly patients towards care and maintenance of their removable
      prosthesis. METHODS: One-hundred and forty elderly patients, who visited the
      Department of Prosthodontics and Dental Surgery, VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital,
      Delhi, India for dental treatment were recruited into this study and completed a
      single interviewer-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included
      information on gender, age, socioeconomic status, medical status, length of use
      of the prosthesis, cleaning material and technique, etc. RESULTS: It was revealed
      that the lack of knowledge and awareness of importance of the denture hygiene;
      poor socioeconomic and compromised medical status of the patients, created
      barriers to regular and preventive dental care of denture wearers. The oral
      hygiene and care practices were found to be disappointing and the knowledge about
      the denture's duration of use, dietary limitations, maintenance, storage methods
      and follow-up visits was found to be limited. CONCLUSION: The results of this
      study indicate that patients' knowledge, attitudes and behavior about the
      importance of the dental prosthesis need to be improved. Coordinated efforts by
      prosthodontists, community dentists and other health professionals are required
      to impart dental health education about oral prosthesis hygiene, care habits,
      importance of the regular recalls and to promote preventive dental programmes.

PMID- 26486202
TI  - Antibacterial efficacy of polymer containing nanoparticles in comparison with
      sodium hypochlorite in infected root canals.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the present study was to compare the antibacterial properties of
      PLGA polymer containing ZnO, Ag and ZnO/Ag nanoparticles with those of 2.5% NaOCl
      in root canals contaminated with Enterococcus faecalis. METHODS: A total of 100
      maxillary central incisors were selected. After the crowns were removed to
      achieve 12-mm-length roots, the root canals were prepared with RaCe rotary
      system. The samples were sterilized; then 200 uL of E. faecalis suspension (ATCC
      29212) was placed in each root canal. The samples were divided into 5 groups
      based on the antibacterial agent used. Group 1 served as the control group. In
      group 2 the polymer suspension containing ZnO nanoparticles, in group 3 the
      polymer solution containing ZnO/Ag nanoparticles, in group 4 the polymer solution
      containing Ag nanoparticles and in group 5, 2.5% NaOCl were used. After 24 hours,
      a solution was prepared using dentin chips from each root canal and placed on
      agar plates, followed by colony-forming units (CFU) count determination. Means +/
      standard deviations were calculated and Kruskal-Wallis test was used to evaluate
      the antibacterial properties of different irrigation agents. Mann-Whitney U test
      was used for two-by-two comparisons of the groups, with the level of significance
      being set at 0.05. RESULTS: The maximum and minimum CFU counts were observed in
      the control and NaOCl groups, respectively. In the polymer groups, the maximum
      and minimum CFU counts were observed in the Ag and ZnO/Ag groups, respectively.
      There were significant differences in CFU counts between the study groups after
      application of irrigation solutions (P<0.05). Two-by-two comparisons of the
      groups using Mann-Whitney U test showed significant differences between all the
      study groups (P<0.05), except for groups ZnO and Ag (P=0.7). CONCLUSION: Sodium
      hypochlorite solution was more effective than copolymer containing nanoparticles
      and of all the tested nanoparticles; ZnO/Ag nanoparticles exhibited the highest
      antibacterial activity.

PMID- 26486203
TI  - The pedicled buccal fat pad in oral reconstruction.
AB  - AIM: Aim of the study was to present a follow-up on 46 cases in which pedical
      buccal fat pad (BFP) flaps were used to repair oral defects without any
      additional local flaps or skin grafts. METHODS: The study comprised 46 patients,
      31 men and 15 women, with an age range of 30-78 years (mean age 57.3 years). They
      were treated with a pedicled flap to repair defects of the ipsilateral maxilla
      (anterior or posterior), soft palate or retromolar mandibular area following
      tumor resection, osteonecrosis or the closure of oro-antral fistulae. The defects
      ranged from 2 * 2.5 cm to 4.5 * 5 cm. All patients were treated under general
      anesthesia. RESULTS: The flap fully covered the intraoral defect with any
      aesthetic deficits. After one month, the flap was fully epithelialized and of
      adequate thickness in all cases. Three postoperative complications were reported:
      one superficial necrosis and two small fistulae. CONCLUSION: Although the BFP has
      long been recognized and despite the simplicity of preparing the flap itself,
      numerically significant reports concerning the use of this technique in
      reconstructive facial surgery have only recently been published. The pedicled
      buccal fat flap is convenient and reliably repairs oral defects up to 4.5 cm in
      diameter on the ipsilateral side of the soft and hard palate, posterior alveolar
      region of the maxilla and the retromolar mandibular area. The surgical procedure
      is simple and morbidity at the donor site in not significant.

PMID- 26486204
TI  - Modified Dental Anxiety Scale: validation of the Italian version.
AB  - AIM: Anxiety is a relevant problem in dental practice. The Modified Dental
      Anxiety Scale (MDAS) is a brief, simple questionnaire consisting of five
      questions with a total score ranging from 5 to 25, the Italian version of which
      is not available yet. The aim of the study was to provide an Italian version of
      the MDAS and check its reliability in oral surgery, which is a major cause of
      dental anxiety due to the expected perception of pain and suffering. METHODS: The
      Italian version of the test was administered to 230 patients (98 male and 132
      female patients, ages 14-88 years) undergoing oral surgery. Further recorded data
      were: American Society of Anaesthesiologists physical status classification (ASA
      PS), frequency of visiting the dentist and any previous distressing experiences
      in dental or medical setting. RESULTS: The internal consistency of the test was
      high, with a Cronbach's alpha=0.92. The MDAS score was significantly higher in
      females (P<0.0001) and in patients with previous distressing experiences in
      medical and/or dental settings (P<0.0001); the correlation with age (P=0.01) and
      frequency on visiting the dentist (P=0.02) were also significant. CONCLUSIONS:
      The patients' selection (oral surgery only) may be a limit of the study, which
      might not provide an estimation of anxiety prevalence in the general dental
      population; however our result agree with those of studies performed in other
      Countries in the generic population, suggesting the absence of major differences
      with respect to the surgical setting and show the reliability and manageability
      of the Italian version of MDAS.

PMID- 26486205
TI  - Edentulous mandible: clinical results of reconstruction with fresh frozen bone.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was the clinical and radiological evaluation in severe
      mandibular atrophy (class V-VI Cadwood-Howell) of bone grafts with homologous
      fresh frozen bone (FFB) in patients with dysesthesia of the inferior alveolar
      nerve with or without transposition of the NAI in order to perform a proper
      implant-prosthetic rehabilitation. METHODS: This article presents our experience
      in mandibular reconstructions performed in 12 patients with severe mandibular
      atrophy and dysesthesia performing onlay grafts with FFB and subsequent implant
      prosthetic rehabilitation. RESULTS: The surgical protocol of homologous bone
      graft in symptomatic patients with severe mandibular atrophy presented an
      excellent clinical outcome with disappearance of dysesthesia in all patients
      treated, good graft integration and a complete implant-prosthetic rehabilitation
      with loss of only 3 implants at the 24-36 month follow up visit. CONCLUSION:
      Homologous bone grafting in patients with severe mandibular atrophy may be a
      viable therapeutic option in cases of prosthetic reconstruction in those
      symptomatic patients who cannot tolerate removable dentures, reducing
      intraoperative time, patient morbidity and the complications in common sites of
      autologous bone graft removal.

PMID- 26486206
TI  - Fiber reinforced composites orthodontic retainers.
AB  - AIM: Retention is the phase of orthodontic treatment that attempts to hold teeth
      in their corrected positions after orthodontic therapy is completed. The aim of
      this study was to consider fiber-reinforced composites (FRC) as a possible
      alternative to conventional multistranded stainless steel wire for retention
      through SEM analysis. METHODS: Two different FRC orthodontic retainers were
      investigated, i.e. Everstick(r) (Stick Tech Ltd, Turku, Finland) (type A, 24
      samples), with a diameter of 0.76 mm made of glass fibers and a Young's modulus
      of elasticity of 28 gpa, and Ribbond(r) (Ribbond, Inc., Seattle, Washington, WA,
      USA) (type B, 24 samples), with ultra high molecular weight and with an high
      Young's modulus of elasticity by polyethylene fibers cold treated with plasma
      gas. Six groups were created: control groups A1 and B1, composed by 8 type A and
      8 type B samples without impregnation and only with fluid resin before curing;
      groups A2 and B2, composed respectively by 8 type A and 8 type B samples
      impregnated with fluid resin Heliobond for 6 seconds; groups A3 and B3, composed
      respectively by 8 type A and 8 type B samples impregnated with fluid resin
      Heliobond for 6 minutes before curing. RESULTS: Cross- and lengthwise SEM
      analysis of the sectioned samples made showed that fiber without impregnation
      with fluid resin, before curing, showed interwoven and straight directed
      cylindrical fibers. The SEM analysis denoted that the two types of fiber shows
      structural characteristics differing in dimension, number, diameter and
      orientation of FRC without a preliminary treatment through impregnation of the
      fibers with fluid resin. CONCLUSION: An impregnation time of 6 seconds could
      considerably reduced voids, crazes and microcracks of the fibers, making them
      more resistant to the other oral and bacterial agents. A larger time of
      impregnation (6 minutes), with fluid resin before hardening, further enhances the
      morphological characteristics of the FRC.

PMID- 26486207
TI  - The adolescent patient: parental responsibility, the right to be informed and the
      right to be heard.
AB  - The increasing emphasis placed on patients' rights, in dentistry as well as in
      other areas, is also having repercussions on the structure of the relationship
      between health care staff, the under-age patient and his /her parents. The
      authors reflect about the decision-making process when the patient is a minor in
      the field of dentistry and underline the role of the parties involved (dentist,
      parents, under-age patient) in different circumstances (e.g. ordinary care or non
      routine care; urgent situations; conflict between parents; refusal of the
      parents; disagreement between the parents and the child, refusal of the under-age
      patient; etc.). The Law must first ensure that the minors' needs for protection
      are met by awarding their parents the power and duty to care for them and, thus,
      also to take health care decisions in their interest. At the same time, domestic
      legislation and international legislation supports the need to give greater
      weight to minors' opinions as they approach the age of majority and, therefore,
      as they acquire a certain degree of maturity. The rights of under-age patients
      are safeguarded by actively involving them in the decision-making process, with
      particular reference to their right to information and right to be heard, to the
      extent that their age and understanding allow, with due consideration to the
      specific situation. 

PMID- 26486208
TI  - Predictive Factors of Febrile Neutropenia Induced by Anticancer Chemotherapy in
      the South of Tunisia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Febrile Neutropenia (FN) secondary to chemotherapy is the most
      common and the earliest hematological complication. The aim of this work is to
      study the predictive factors of FN. Materiel and Methods: This is a retrospective
      study including 186 episodes of FN induced by chemotherapy treated in the
      department of oncology at Sfax in southern Tunisia during the period between 1
      January 2006 and 31 December 2010. RESULT: The mean age of patients was 40 years.
      One hundred and seventeen patients had solid tumors (86.02%), 18 patients
      (13.23%) had hematological malignancies and one patient was treated for hypo
      pharyngeal cancer and aplastic Anemia. Chemotherapy was indicated for curative
      purpose in 94 cases and palliative purpose in 92 cases. One hundred and four
      patients (76.5%) had a single episode of FN and 32 (23.5%) had at least two
      episodes. The average time of febrile neutropenia was 11 days. CONCLUSION:
      Personal history of FN, poor performance status, chemotherapy regimen and the
      stage of the disease increased the risk of FN, with a statistically significant
      difference. Other factors such as hematological malignancies, the age over 65
      years and concurrent chemo radiotherapy were not retained in our series.

PMID- 26486210
TI  - Regulation Policy on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine in Asian
      Pacific Region.

PMID- 26486209
TI  - Characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome of
      Cheilodactylus quadricornis (Perciformes, Cheilodactylidae).
AB  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the Cheilodactylus quadricornis was firstly
      determined in the present study. The mitochondrial genome of C. quadricornis is
      16 521 nucleotides, comprising 13 protein-coding genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes,
      22 tRNA genes and 2 main non-coding regions (the control region and the origin of
      the light-strand replication). The overall base composition was T, 26.3%; C,
      29.6%; A, 27.8% and G, 16.3%. The gene arrangement, base composition, and tRNA
      structures of the complete mitochondrial genome of C. quadricornis is similar to
      other teleosts. Only two central conserved sequence blocks (CSB-2 and CSB-3) were
      identified in the control region. In addition, the conserved motif 5'-GCCGG-3'
      was identified in the origin of light-strand replication of C. quadricornis. The
      complete mitochondrial genome of C. quadricornis was used to construct
      phylogenetic tree, which shows that C. quadricornis and C. variegatus clustered
      in a clade and formed a sister relationship. This mitogenome sequence data would
      play an important role in population genetics and phylogenetic analysis of the
      Cheilodactylidae.

PMID- 26486212
TI  - A Translocal Perspective: Mustang Images in the Cultural, Economic and Political
      Landscape.
AB  - Translocal spaces are created out of the process of globalization whereby
      interventions such as electronic media and migration radically change social
      relations and breakdown the isomorphism of space, place, and culture [1]. This
      approach is useful in examining the controversy surrounding the mustang. This
      paper explores how different social constructions influence the management of
      mustangs as they move between the local and national level. At each cultural
      level, political, economic, and environmental issues converge encouraging the
      emphasis of some cultural constructions over others. These socially constructed
      images give insight into what the mustang means to a post-industrial culture and
      it may simultaneously contribute to the animal's eventual demise. 

PMID- 26486211
TI  - An International Comparison of Female and Male Students' Attitudes to the Use of
      Animals.
AB  - Previous research has demonstrated that in households where the male partner is
      more dominant, there is convergence in male and female attitudes towards animals,
      whereas if the female partner is empowered they exhibit greater empathy towards
      animals than the male partner. We tested this theory of 'female empowered
      empathy' internationally in a survey of female and male students' attitudes
      towards use of animals, conducted in 11 Eurasian countries: China, Czech
      Republic, Great Britain, Iran, Ireland, South Korea, Macedonia, Norway, Serbia,
      Spain and Sweden. Gender empowerment was estimated for each country using the
      Gender Empowerment Measure designed by the United Nations. The survey was
      administered via the internet in universities within countries, and 1,902 female
      and 1,530 male student responses from 102 universities were received. Respondents
      rated the acceptability of 43 major concerns about human use of animals, and the
      importance of 13 world social issues, including animal protection, environmental
      protection and sustainable development. Females had greater concern for animal
      welfare and rights than males. There was a positive correlation between the
      Gender Empowerment Measure and the ratio of female to male concern for animal
      welfare and rights, but not for other world issues. Thus in countries where
      females were more empowered, principally Sweden, Norway and Great Britain,
      females had much greater concern than males for animal issues, whereas in other
      countries the responses of males and females were more similar. Across countries
      female students were more likely to avoid meat and less likely to avoid eggs,
      milk and seafood than male students, and were more likely to have kept pets than
      males. Females rated cats as more sentient than males did. The results
      demonstrate that females have greater concern for animal welfare and rights than
      males, and that this is more likely to be expressed in countries where females
      are relatively empowered, suggesting that 'emancipated female empathy' operates
      across countries as well as at a local level. 

PMID- 26486213
TI  - An Inclusive Re-Engagement with our Nonhuman Animal Kin: Considering Human
      Interrelationships with Nonhuman Animals.
AB  - As humans increasingly acknowledge the effects that they are having on the
      planet, there is a realisation implicit in these effects that human
      interrelationships with nature are actually arbitrated and expedited
      exploitatively. Understanding how the different discourses and histories through
      which the interrelationships with nature are mediated and actually told and then
      retold is fundamental to appreciating how humans may relate with nature less
      exploitatively and in ways that are more inclusionary, particularly with nonhuman
      animals. Humans perceive nature and individual nonhuman animals in various ways.
      This paper provides an investigation of how humans have socially constructed
      nature and their place as either within or outside of it. Such constructions are
      elaborated conceptually and through narrative. More pertinently, this paper
      examines how nature and nonhuman animals are perceived and placed within those
      narratives that humans construct from reality. It is stressed here that such
      constructions have, and may continue, to lead to a worsening of the effects that
      humans have on the planet if there is no acceptance or recognition that certain
      realities exist beyond the exploitative bounds of any human-inspired concept or
      narrative. This paper therefore provides the groundwork for the foundations of an
      ethic that is both socially and ecologically inclusive and is based on a soft
      realist approach. 

PMID- 26486214
TI  - The Mirror Has Two Faces: Contradictory Reflections of Donkeys in Western
      Literature from Lucius to Balthazar.
AB  - How we represent animals both reflects our attitudes towards them and affects our
      treatment of them. The donkey has lived alongside humans, bearing their burdens
      since the time of their domestication over 10,000 years ago. Despite this, they
      have invariably enjoyed a low status in human cultures, received little
      appreciation and been treated harshly. We view some animals as being more worthy
      than others and represent them accordingly: donkeys have been ridiculed and
      derided. Literary representations of donkeys from the fables of Ancient Greece to
      contemporary iconic texts are explored to follow the donkey through the human
      imaginary. These representations derive from two main, conflicting sources, Greek
      literature and the Bible. Examining these cultural representations may lead
      towards a greater understanding of the way they affect the actual animal and lead
      to a greater understanding of that animal and, ultimately, to better treatment of
      them. 

PMID- 26486215
TI  - Challenges to the Development and Implementation of Public Policies to Achieve
      Animal Welfare Outcomes.
AB  - Although there is a long-established tradition of concern for the welfare of
      animals, it was not until the mid 1800's that governments sought to enact
      legislation to protect animals from cruelty. In the 1950's, questions concerning
      animal welfare re-emerged and in the ensuing years have been an on-going focus of
      government activities. These developments occurred against a backdrop of
      significant social change but there are important differences in what now
      underpins and informs these considerations. In the formulation and implementation
      of public policies, governments look for a course of action that represents and
      protects the interests of the community; the process may be challenging with
      competing interests but the final determination seeks a middle ground that best
      meets the needs and interests of the community as a whole. When policy
      development concerns our relationship with other animals, the complexity of this
      relationship presents particular challenges not only to the formulation of
      policies but also to the evaluation of outcomes. Notably, the depth of feelings
      and diversity of views in our community reflect the complex social, cultural and
      personal dimensions of this relationship. The use of animals for scientific
      purposes remains one of the most contentious animal welfare issues primarily
      because when animals are used for these purposes, accepted animal welfare
      benchmarks cannot always be met. Based on the Australian experience, this paper
      will discuss the influences in and on-going challenges to the development and
      implementation of public policy when animals are used for these purposes. 

PMID- 26486216
TI  - From "Animal Machines" to "Happy Meat"? Foucault's Ideas of Disciplinary and
      Pastoral Power Applied to 'Animal-Centred' Welfare Discourse.
AB  - Michel Foucault's work traces shifting techniques in the governance of humans,
      from the production of 'docile bodies' subjected to the knowledge formations of
      the human sciences (disciplinary power), to the facilitation of self-governing
      agents directed towards specified forms of self-knowledge by quasi-therapeutic
      authorities (pastoral power). While mindful of the important differences between
      the governance of human subjects and the oppression of nonhuman animals,
      exemplified in nonhuman animals' legal status as property, this paper explores
      parallel shifts from disciplinary to pastoral regimes of human-'farmed' animal
      relations. Recent innovations in 'animal-centred' welfare science represent a
      trend away from the 'disciplinary' techniques of confinement and torture
      associated with 'factory farms' and towards quasi-therapeutic ways of claiming to
      know 'farmed' animals, in which the animals themselves are co-opted into the
      processes by which knowledge about them is generated. The new pastoral turn in
      'animal-centred' welfare finds popular expression in 'happy meat' discourses that
      invite 'consumers' to adopt a position of vicarious carer for the 'farmed'
      animals who they eat. The paper concludes that while 'animal-centred' welfare
      reform and 'happy meat' discourses promise a possibility of a somewhat less
      degraded life for some 'farmed' animals, they do so by perpetuating exploitation
      and oppression and entrenching speciesist privilege by making it less vulnerable
      to critical scrutiny. 

PMID- 26486217
TI  - Animal Rights as a Mainstream Phenomenon.
AB  - Businesses and professions must stay in accord with social ethics, or risk losing
      their autonomy.A major social ethical issue that has emerged in the past four
      decades is the treatment of animals in various areas of human use. Society's
      moral concern has outgrown the traditional ethic of animal cruelty that began in
      biblical times and is encoded in the laws of all civilized societies. There are
      five major reasons for this new social concern, most importantly, the replacement
      of husbandry-based agriculture with industrial agriculture. This loss of
      husbandry to industry has threatened the traditional fair contract between humans
      and animals, and resulted in significant amounts of animal suffering arising on
      four different fronts. Because such suffering is not occasioned by cruelty, a new
      ethic for animals was required to express social concerns. Since ethics proceed
      from preexisting ethics rather than ex nihilo, society has looked to its ethic
      for humans, appropriately modified, to find moral categories applicable to
      animals. This concept of legally encoded rights for animals has emerged as a
      plausible vehicle for reform. 

PMID- 26486218
TI  - What's in a Name?-Consequences of Naming Non-Human Animals.
AB  - The act of naming is among the most basic actions of language. Indeed, it is
      naming something that enables us to communicate about it in specific terms,
      whether the object named is human or non-human, animate or inanimate. However,
      naming is not as uncomplicated as we may usually think and names have
      consequences for the way we think about animals (human and non-human), peoples,
      species, places, things etc. Through a blend of history, philosophy and
      representational theory-and using examples from, among other things, the Bible,
      Martin Luther, colonialism/imperialism and contemporary ways of keeping and
      regarding non-human animals-this paper attempts to trace the importance of (both
      specific and generic) naming to our relationships with the non-human. It explores
      this topic from the naming of the animals in Genesis to the names given and used
      by scientists, keepers of companion animals, media etc. in our societies today,
      and asks the question of what the consequences of naming non-human animals are
      for us, for the beings named and for the power relations between our species and
      the non-human species and individuals we name. 

PMID- 26486219
TI  - Integrating Values and Ethics into Wildlife Policy and Management-Lessons from
      North America.
AB  - Few animals provoke as wide a range of emotions as wolves. Some see wolves as
      icons of a lost wilderness; others see them as intruders. As the battle continues
      between wolf proponents and opponents, finding solutions that resolve conflicts
      while supporting the integrity of nature is challenging. In this essay we argue
      that we need to make room for wolves and other native carnivores who are re
      colonizing areas from which they were extirpated. Strategies that foster
      coexistence are necessary and wildlife agencies must consider all stakeholders
      and invest adequate resources to inform the public about how to mitigate
      conflicts between people/domestic animals, and predators. Values and ethics must
      be woven into wildlife policy and management and we must be willing to ask
      difficult ethical questions and learn from past mistakes. 

PMID- 26486220
TI  - Conceptualising Animal Abuse with an Antisocial Behaviour Framework.
AB  - This paper reviews current findings in the human aggression and antisocial
      behaviour literature and those in the animal abuse literature with the aim of
      highlighting the overlap in conceptualisation. The major aim of this review is to
      highlight that the co-occurrence between animal abuse behaviours and aggression
      and violence toward humans can be logically understood through examination of the
      research evidence for antisocial and aggressive behaviour. From examination
      through this framework, it is not at all surprising that the two co-occur.
      Indeed, it would be surprising if they did not. Animal abuse is one expression of
      antisocial behaviour. What is also known from the extensive antisocial behaviour
      literature is that antisocial behaviours co-occur such that the presence of one
      form of antisocial behaviour is highly predictive of the presence of other
      antisocial behaviours. From such a framework, it becomes evident that animal
      abuse should be considered an important indicator of antisocial behaviour and
      violence as are other aggressive and antisocial behaviours. The implications of
      such a stance are that law enforcement, health and other professionals should not
      minimize the presence of animal abuse in their law enforcement, prevention, and
      treatment decisions. 

PMID- 26486221
TI  - Countering Brutality to Wildlife, Relationism and Ethics: Conservation, Welfare
      and the 'Ecoversity'.
AB  - Wildlife objectification and cruelty are everyday aspects of Australian society
      that eschew values of human kindness, empathy, and an understanding of the
      uniqueness and importance of non-human life in the natural world. Fostered by
      institutional failure, greed and selfishness, and the worst aspects of human
      disregard, the objectification of animals has its roots in longstanding Western
      anthropocentric philosophical perspectives, post colonialism, and a global uptake
      of neoliberal capitalism. Conservation, animal rights and welfare movements have
      been unable to stem the ever-growing abuse of wildlife, while 'greenwash'
      language such as 'resource use', 'management', 'pests', 'over-abundance',
      'conservation hunting' and 'ecology' coat this violence with a respectable public
      veneer. We propose an engaged learning approach to address the burgeoning culture
      of wildlife cruelty and objectification that comprises three elements: a
      relational ethic based on intrinsic understanding of the way wildlife and humans
      might view each other [1-3]; geography of place and space [4], where there are
      implications for how we ascribe contextual meaning and practice in human-animal
      relations; and, following [5], engaged learning designed around our ethical
      relations with others, beyond the biophysical and novel and towards the
      reflective metaphysical. We propose the 'ecoversity' [6], as a scholarly and
      practical tool for focusing on the intersection of these three elements as an
      ethical place-based learning approach to wildlife relationism. We believe it
      provides a mechanism to help bridge the gap between human and non-human animals,
      conservation and welfare, science and understanding, and between objectification
      and relationism as a means of addressing entrenched cruelty to wildlife. 

PMID- 26486222
TI  - A Conservation Ethic and the Collecting of Animals by Institutions of Natural
      Heritage in the Twenty-First Century: Case Study of the Australian Museum.
AB  - Collecting of animals from their habitats for preservation by museums and related
      bodies is a core operation of such institutions. Conservation of biodiversity in
      the current era is a priority in the scientific agendas of museums of natural
      heritage in Australia and the world. Intuitively, to take animals from the wild,
      while engaged in scientific or other practices that are supposed to promote their
      ongoing survival, may appear be incompatible. The Australian Museum presents an
      interesting ground to consider zoological collecting by museums in the twenty
      first century. Anderson and Reeves in 1994 argued that a milieu existed that
      undervalued native species, and that the role of natural history museums, up to
      as late as the mid-twentieth century, was only to make a record the faunal
      diversity of Australia, which would inevitably be extinct. Despite the latter,
      conservation of Australia's faunal diversity is a key aspect of research
      programmes in Australia's institutions of natural heritage in the current era.
      This paper analyses collecting of animals, a core task for institutions of
      natural heritage, and how this interacts with a professed "conservation ethic" in
      a twenty-first century Australian setting. 

PMID- 26486223
TI  - Silence and Denial in Everyday Life-The Case of Animal Suffering.
AB  - How can we make sense of the fact that we live in a world where good people co
      exist in silence about widespread animal suffering. How is it that sites of
      suffering such as laboratories, factory farms, abattoirs and animal
      transportation are all around us and yet we 'do not, in a certain sense, know
      about them' [1]. This 'not knowing' is one of the most difficult barriers for
      animal activists who must constantly develop new strategies in an attempt to
      catch public attention and translate it into action. Recent contributions from
      the 'sociology of denial' have elucidated many of the mechanisms involved in 'not
      knowing' in relation to human atrocities and genocide. In this context, 'denial'
      refers to the maintenance of social worlds in which an undesirable situation is
      unrecognized, ignored or made to seem normal [2]. These include different types
      of denial: personal, official and cultural, as well as the process of
      normalization whereby suffering becomes invisible through routinization,
      tolerance, accommodation, collusion and cover up. Denial and normalization
      reflect both personal and collective states where suffering is not acknowledged
      [3]. In this paper, I will examine insights from the sociology of denial and
      apply them to human denial and normalization of animal suffering. This will
      include an examination of denial which is both individual and social and the
      implications of these insights for theory and practice in the human/animal
      relationship. 

PMID- 26486224
TI  - The effect of medical versus surgical treatment of spontaneous miscarriage on
      subsequent in vitro fertilization cycles.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of dilation and curettage (D&C) and misoprostol
      as treatments for spontaneous miscarriage (SM) on in vitro fertilization (IVF)
      parameters in the subsequent IVF cycle. DESIGN: Multicenter, retrospective,
      cohort study. Women treated for SM after IVF treatment with D&C or misoprostol
      and underwent a subsequent IVF cycle was included. The main outcome measures were
      ovarian response, endometrial thickness and pregnancy rate in the subsequent IVF
      cycle after MA. RESULTS: Among 73 patients with miscarriage, 41 had D&C and 32
      were given misoprostol. Baseline serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels
      and ovarian responses before and after treatment of miscarriage were comparable.
      No significant differences were observed between the D&C and the misoprostol
      groups in basal FSH levels, endometrial thickness and parameters of ovarian
      response in the subsequent IVF cycle. CONCLUSION: D&C and misoprostol are both
      effective treatments for IVF patients with miscarriage, without an adverse effect
      on subsequent IVF treatment outcome.

PMID- 26486225
TI  - Rho Kinase (ROCK) Inhibitors and Their Therapeutic Potential.
AB  - Rho kinases (ROCKs) belong to the serine-threonine family, the inhibition of
      which affects the function of many downstream substrates. As such, ROCK
      inhibitors have potential therapeutic applicability in a wide variety of
      pathological conditions including asthma, cancer, erectile dysfunction, glaucoma,
      insulin resistance, kidney failure, neuronal degeneration, and osteoporosis. To
      date, two ROCK inhibitors have been approved for clinical use in Japan (fasudil
      and ripasudil) and one in China (fasudil). In 1995 fasudil was approved for the
      treatment of cerebral vasospasm, and more recently, ripasudil was approved for
      the treatment of glaucoma in 2014. In this Perspective, we present a
      comprehensive review of the physiological and biological functions for ROCK, the
      properties and development of over 170 ROCK inhibitors as well as their
      therapeutic potential, the current status, and future considerations. 

PMID- 26486226
TI  - De Novo Fragment Design for Drug Discovery and Chemical Biology.
AB  - Automated molecular de novo design led to the discovery of an innovative
      inhibitor of death-associated protein kinase 3 (DAPK3). An unprecedented crystal
      structure of the inactive DAPK3 homodimer shows the fragment-like hit bound to
      the ATP pocket. Target prediction software based on machine learning models
      correctly identified additional macromolecular targets of the computationally
      designed compound and the structurally related marketed drug azosemide. The study
      validates computational de novo design as a prime method for generating chemical
      probes and starting points for drug discovery. 

PMID- 26486227
TI  - A Convenient Palladium-Catalyzed Carbonylative Suzuki Coupling of Aryl Halides
      with Formic Acid as the Carbon Monoxide Source.
AB  - A practical palladium-catalyzed carbonylative Suzuki coupling of aryl halides
      under carbon monoxide gas-free conditions has been developed. Here, formic acid
      was utilized as the carbon monoxide source for the first time with acetic
      anhydride as the additive. A variety of diarylketones were produced in moderate
      to excellent yields from the corresponding aryl halides and arylboronic acids. 

PMID- 26486228
TI  - Visual selective attention biases contribute to the other-race effect among 9
      month-old infants.
AB  - During the first year of life, infants maintain their ability to discriminate
      faces from their own race but become less able to differentiate other-race faces.
      Though this is likely due to daily experience with own-race faces, the mechanisms
      linking repeated exposure to optimal face processing remain unclear. One
      possibility is that frequent experience with own-race faces generates a selective
      attention bias to these faces. Selective attention elicits enhancement of
      attended information and suppression of distraction to improve visual processing
      of attended objects. Thus attention biases to own-race faces may boost processing
      and discrimination of these faces relative to other-race faces. We used a spatial
      cueing task to bias attention to own- or other-race faces among Caucasian 9-month
      old infants. Infants discriminated faces in the focus of the attention bias,
      regardless of race, indicating that infants remained sensitive to differences
      among other-race faces. Instead, efficacy of face discrimination reflected the
      extent of attention engagement.

PMID- 26486229
TI  - Recurrence and Its Impact on the Health-related Quality of Life in Patients with
      Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Prospective Follow-up Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Limited data exist on the outcome of gastroesophageal reflux
      disease (GERD) treatment and its impact on the health-related quality of life
      (HRQoL) in the Asian population. This study aims to evaluate the treatment
      outcomes, to investigate the factors associated with recurrence, and to evaluate
      the impact of the treatment outcome on the HRQoL in a Korean GERD population.
      METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter study involving a total of 824 GERD
      patients. The response to treatment was assessed at week 4 (or week 8 for the
      patients who did not achieve complete resolution [CR] at week 4). The EQ-5D
      questionnaire was used at baseline, end of treatment, and first recurrence to
      assess the HRQoL. To assess GERD symptoms, contact of patients by phone at 1, 6,
      and 12 months following treatment was carried out. RESULTS: CR was achieved in
      65.6% and recurrence was observed in 47.8% following treatment. CR and recurrence
      rates did not differ by the presence of esophagitis. Multivariate analysis
      revealed that acid regurgitation (odds ratio 2.249; 95% confidence interval 1.293
      3.912; P= 0.004) and both acid regurgitation and heartburn (odds ratio 2.330; 95%
      confidence interval 1.392-3.901; P= 0.001) were independent risk factors for GERD
      recurrence. EQ-5D scores were more improved in patients with CR than in those
      without CR, and worsened more during follow-up in patients with recurrence than
      in those without recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: We should achieve complete symptom
      relief and attempt to prevent recurrence in GERD patients to improve their HRQoL.

PMID- 26486231
TI  - Implementation of Complete Boolean Logic Functions in Single Complementary
      Resistive Switch.
AB  - The unique complementary switching behaviour of complementary resistive switches
      (CRSs) makes them very attractive for logic applications. The implementation of
      complete Boolean logic functions in a single CRS cell is certainly an extremely
      important step towards the commercialisation of related logic circuits, but it
      has not been accomplished to date. Here, we report two methods for the
      implementation of complete Boolean logic functions in a single CRS cell. The
      first method is based on the intrinsic switchable diode of a peculiar CRS cell
      that is composed of two anti-serial bipolar resistive switches with a rectifying
      high resistance state, while the second method is based directly on the
      complementary switching behaviour itself of any single CRS cell. The
      feasibilities of both methods have been theoretically predicted and then
      experimentally demonstrated on the basis of a Ta/Ta2O5/Pt/Ta2O5/Ta CRS cell.
      Therefore, these two methods-in particular the complementary switching behaviour
      itself-based method, which has natural immunity to the sneak-path issue of
      crossbar logic circuits-are believed to be capable of significantly advancing
      both our understanding and commercialization of related logic circuits. Moreover,
      peculiar CRS cells have been demonstrated to be feasible for tri-level storage,
      which can serve as an alternative method of realising ultra-high-density data
      storage. 

PMID- 26486230
TI  - Systematic review of cross-national drug utilization studies in Latin America:
      methods and comparability.
AB  - PURPOSE: We systematically review the cross-national drug utilization studies
      performed in Latin America (LA) in order to analyze the methods applied and
      assess the validity of the data to ensure the comparability. METHODS: A
      systematic search in Medline, Embase, and BIREME was performed. Drug utilization
      studies including LA countries and comparing drug exposure data on volume were
      included. The data validity was judged independently by two authors as having
      low, medium, high, or unclear risk of bias. RESULTS: Out of 1191 articles, 25
      were kept for full text reading. Finally, five studies were selected. Eight
      different Latin American countries were involved in the comparisons. The selected
      studies analyzed wholesale data from a private research company collecting
      information from the private healthcare sector. In three studies, a high risk of
      bias in the extrapolation method applied was identified. In one study, a risk of
      data collection bias was detected. The most frequent limitation detected by the
      original authors was related to the unavailability of information from the public
      sector in LA. CONCLUSION: Drug utilization studies comparing data cross
      nationally are scarce in LA. In general, validity of the comparisons is hampered
      by a potential risk of extrapolation bias given the lack of available data on
      drug consumption from the public healthcare sector. Setting up systems to
      remediate this situation is a future challenge for researchers and
      (supra)national authorities in the region.

PMID- 26486232
TI  - Reorganization of sea urchin gene regulatory networks at least 268 million years
      ago as revealed by oldest fossil cidaroid echinoid.
AB  - Echinoids, or sea urchins, are rare in the Palaeozoic fossil record, and thus the
      details regarding the early diversification of crown group echinoids are unclear.
      Here we report on the earliest probable crown group echinoid from the fossil
      record, recovered from Permian (Roadian-Capitanian) rocks of west Texas, which
      has important implications for the timing of the divergence of crown group
      echinoids. The presence of apophyses and rigidly sutured interambulacral areas
      with two columns of plates indicates this species is a cidaroid echinoid. The
      species, Eotiaris guadalupensis, n. sp. is therefore the earliest stem group
      cidaroid. The occurrence of this species in Roadian strata pushes back the
      divergence of cidaroids and euechinoids, the clades that comprise all living
      echinoids, to at least 268.8 Ma, ten million years older than the previously
      oldest known cidaroid. Furthermore, the genomic regulation of development in
      echinoids is amongst the best known, and this new species informs the timing of
      large-scale reorganization in echinoid gene regulatory networks that occurred at
      the cidaroid-euechinoid divergence, indicating that these changes took place by
      the Roadian stage of the Permian. 

PMID- 26486233
TI  - Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-634G/C polymorphism was associated with
      severe pre-eclampsia and lower serum VEGF level.
AB  - AIM: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an angiogenic factor whose
      production is increased in pre-eclampsia (PE). Therefore, the present study was
      conducted aiming at assessing the possible association of VEGF polymorphisms with
      PE susceptibility in the southeast of Iran. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Overall, 192 PE
      women and 186 unrelated age-matched normotensive pregnant women were genotyped
      for the VEGF-2578C/A (rs699947), -1154G/A (rs1570360), and -634G/C (rs2010963)
      polymorphisms using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism method. Serum VEGF levels were determined by the enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay method. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in VEGF
      2578C/A, -1154G/A and -634G/C polymorphisms between PE women and controls.
      However, the frequency of VEGF-634GC and CC genotypes was significantly higher in
      women with severe PE compared to mild PE and controls. In addition, serum VEGF
      levels were significantly lower in PE women. The VEGF-634CC genotype was
      associated with lower serum VEGF levels compared to the VEGF-634GG genotype.
      Moreover, serum VEGF levels were significantly lower in individuals with the VEGF
      634CC genotype compared to VEGF-634GC genotype only in the control group. The
      mean serum VEGF levels did not differ significantly between genotypes of VEGF
      2587C/A and -1154G/A polymorphisms. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the
      association of VEGF-634G/C polymorphisms with severe PE and the VEGF-634CC
      genotype was correlated with lower serum VEGF levels.

PMID- 26486235
TI  - Mercury Vapor Sorption and Amalgamation with a Thin Gold Film.
AB  - Understanding the amalgamation mechanisms between mercury and gold is of
      fundamental interest and importance to many mercury sensing applications.
      However, there is only limited and piecemeal discussion in the literature of the
      mechanisms by which Au-Hg amalgams are formed on thin Au films. Here, we present
      a comprehensive description of a series of morphological changes occurring in a
      thin polycrystalline Au film during Au-Hg amalgamation investigated by scanning
      electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and atomic
      force microscopy (AFM). These microscopic investigations enable us to offer a
      coherent explanation for the features and the mechanisms of amalgamation of Hg
      with Au in the film. We also use an optical technique (fringes of equal chromatic
      order, FECO) to observe changes in optical thickness and reflectivity of the
      film. Amalgamation reactions in the film render it inhomogeneous, thus making
      optical techniques unsuitable as a method for quantitative monitoring of Hg vapor
      using Au films of this type. 

PMID- 26486236
TI  - Contralateral reperfusion injury after carotid endarterectomy.
AB  - Reperfusion brain edema occurs infrequently after carotid endarterectomy and has
      been reported only ipsilateral to the side of surgery. We report a 51-year-old
      woman who presented with transient right arm weakness followed by left
      hemiparesis. Angiography showed occlusion of the left internal carotid artery,
      90% stenosis of the right internal carotid artery, filling of the left anterior
      cerebral artery from the right carotid circulation only, and filling of the left
      middle cerebral artery branches by pial collaterals from the left anterior
      cerebral and posterior cerebral arteries. The patient had a right carotid
      endarterectomy and 1 day postoperatively developed a severe headache but had no
      new focal neurologic findings. Computed tomography showed effacement of sulci and
      scattered areas of high attenuation in the left parietal lobe, consistent with
      cerebral edema and petechial hemorrhage or vascular engorgement. Magnetic
      resonance imaging 2 days later did not show a lesion in the left hemisphere,
      suggesting resolution of the edema. This report suggests that reperfusion brain
      edema can occur contralateral to carotid endarterectomy. 

PMID- 26486234
TI  - Lysosomal storage and impaired autophagy lead to inflammasome activation in
      Gaucher macrophages.
AB  - Gaucher disease, the inherited deficiency of lysosomal glucocerebrosidase, is
      characterized by the presence of glucosylcer-amide macrophages, the accumulation
      of glucosylceramide in lysosomes and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines.
      However, the connection between this lysosomal storage and inflammation is not
      clear. Studying macrophages derived from peripheral monocytes from patients with
      type 1 Gaucher disease with genotype N370S/N370S, we confirmed an increased
      secretion of interleukins IL-1beta and IL-6. In addition, we found that
      activation of the inflammasome, a multiprotein complex that activates caspase-1,
      led to the maturation of IL-1beta in Gaucher macrophages. We show that
      inflammasome activation in these cells is the result of impaired autophagy.
      Treatment with the small-molecule glucocerebrosidase chaperone NCGC758 reversed
      these defects, inducing autophagy and reducing IL-1beta secretion, confirming the
      role of the deficiency of lysosomal glucocerebrosidase in these processes. We
      found that in Gaucher macrophages elevated levels of the autophagic adaptor p62
      prevented the delivery of inflammasomes to autophagosomes. This increase in p62
      led to activation of p65-NF-kB in the nucleus, promoting the expression of
      inflammatory cytokines and the secretion of IL-1beta. This newly elucidated
      mechanism ties lysosomal dysfunction to inflammasome activation, and may
      contribute to the massive organomegaly, bone involvement and increased
      susceptibility to certain malignancies seen in Gaucher disease. Moreover, this
      link between lysosomal storage, impaired autophagy, and inflammation may have
      implications relevant to both Parkinson disease and the aging process. Defects in
      these basic cellular processes may also provide new therapeutic targets. 

PMID- 26486237
TI  - Update on stroke risk factors.
AB  - As medicine moves into the 21st century, with the added pressures of increasing
      costs and limited resources, successful diminution of the impact of stroke on the
      population will require shifting our emphasis away from treating end stages of
      generalized atherosclerosis and other underlying diseases to preventing
      underlying diseases and stroke. This approach will require more sophisticated and
      more definitive studies to identify, verify, and explain better the relative
      importance of known risk factors, the interactions of various risk factors with
      one another, and the existence of currently unknown or unverified risk factors.
      In this article, we review the current state of knowledge about certain stroke
      risk factors in light of new epidemiologic studies conducted in the last decade
      with emphasis on modifiable risk factors, now and in the future. 

PMID- 26486238
TI  - Mental status changes and stroke.
AB  - A retrospective analysis at a tertiary referred center was done to determine the
      frequency with which an acute confusional state is caused by a stroke and to
      evaluate the usefulness of performing computed tomography in this setting. We
      reviewed 127 neurology consultations requested for patients presenting with acute
      and apparently isolated mental status changes. The mean age was 62. Nine of 127
      (7%) were thought to have suffered mental status changes as a result of an acute
      stroke: one subarachnoid hemorrhage and eight ischemic strokes. There was no
      intracerebral hemorrhage. The locations of the infarcts were right frontoparietal
      (four patients), bilateral occipital (two patients), bilateral frontal (two
      patients), and right pontine (one patient, in whom the causality of the stroke
      was uncertain). Of those nine strokes presenting with isolated mental symptoms,
      six (66%) had some focal abnormality on neurological examination. Only three of
      the 109 patients (2.7%) with no focal findings were ultimately diagnosed as
      strokes, and one of these had a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Stroke was a relatively
      rare cause of acute confusional syndrome. The neurological examination had a very
      high negative predictive value (97%) and was reliable in selecting patients who
      should undergo an imaging study. 

PMID- 26486239
TI  - Hemodynamic considerations during carotid endarterectomy.
AB  - To evaluate the hemodynamic and angiographic characteristics of patients
      undergoing carotid endarterectomy, we reviewed the medical records, angiograms,
      transcranial Doppler ultrasound data, and EEGs of 42 consecutive patients having
      44 carotid endarterectomies. Significant (p < 0.0002) changes in the peak
      systolic velocity of the middle cerebral artery ipsilateral to the side of
      surgery (iMCAFV) occurred with anesthesia, carotid clamping, shunting, and the
      release of clamps. Thirteen percent of patients with collateral flow toward the
      side of surgery and 57% of those with flow away from the operated side had a drop
      in iMCAFV exceeding 50% of the baseline value (p = 0.054); the presence of a <70%
      ipsilateral internal carotid artery stenosis was also correlated with a similar
      decrease in iMCAFV (p = 0.01). There was no correlation between systolic blood
      pressure changes and iMCAFV in patients who were not shunted. This information
      may be useful in guiding intraoperative decision-making. 

PMID- 26486240
TI  - White matter lesions on magnetic resonance imaging in a healthy elderly
      population: Correlations to vascular risk factors and carotid atherosclerosis.
AB  - We performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and extensive risk factor
      evaluation on 196 randomly selected, clinically asymptomatic participants of the
      Austrian Stroke Prevention Study to determine the clinical correlates of MRI
      white matter lesions (WML) in normals. WML were present in 103 (52.6%)
      individuals. There were 69 (35.2%) subjects with Grade 1 (punctate), 26 (13.3%)
      with Grade 2 (beginning confluent), and 8 (4.1%) with Grade 3 (confluent) WML
      Multivariate stepwise forward regression analysis created a model of independent
      predictors of the WML score including arterial hypertension (p = 0.001) and age
      (p = 0.04). Only 24.7% of WML score variance could be explained by the two
      variables, however. No other demographic or clinical factors, such as cardiac
      disease, diabetes mellitus, smoking, lipid status, serum fibrinogen, hematocrit,
      antiphospholipid antibody titer, or ultrasound results of the carotid arteries
      entered the model. These data imply the presence of yet undetermined factors in
      the pathogenesis of WML, probably independent of those known to be associated
      with atherothrombotic brain infarction. 

PMID- 26486241
TI  - "Silent cerebrovascular lesions" occur among elderly "normal" volunteers besides
      patients with previous symptomatic strokes.
AB  - "Silent cerebral infarctions" are a common finding on neuroimaging of
      neurologically normal elderly patients without any history of stroke. The precise
      incidence is unknown but increases with advancing age and associated risk factors
      for stroke and arteriosclerosis. Among a group of 86 neurologically and
      cognitively "normal" volunteers without a history of stroke, 9 were found to have
      "silent cerebrovascular lesions" on computed tomography. Thus, there was a 10.5%
      incidence in the group of 86 "normal" volunteers. It was also found that
      additional "silent strokes" occurred among 38 patients with a documented history
      of prior stroke at a rate of 3.4% per year. 

PMID- 26486242
TI  - Admission function portends discharge function and length of stay after stroke.
AB  - This retrospective study of 51 patients with stroke examined the relationship
      between functional independence and length of stay in a hospital-based acute
      rehabilitation unit. Functional independence increased significantly over the
      course of rehabilitation. The patients' functional independence at discharge and
      length of stay both correlated significantly with admission function. Self-care,
      mobility, and locomotion items and categories provided the best prediction of
      length of stay. Such variables, therefore, may prove most useful in program
      planning. 

PMID- 26486243
TI  - Cardiac chiari network as an etiology for embolic stroke.
AB  - The Chiari network is a congenital remnant in the right atrium. It is not
      commonly associated wtih clinical complications. We report the first case of
      medically treated embolic stroke in a patient with a cardiac Chiari network and a
      patent foramen ovale. A 59-year-old woman without cardiac history or signs
      presented with multiple cerebral infarctions in both the anterior and posterior
      cerebral circulations. Standard evaluation for cerebral infarction was
      unrevealing. Transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated a Chiari network in
      the right atrium and a right-to-left shunt. The Chiari network appeared
      thickened. After anticoagulation with warfarin, the patient developed no new
      symptoms of stroke, and repeat transesophageal echocardiography showed resolution
      of the presumed thrombus on the Chiari network. In workup of patients with
      ischemic strokes of unknown etiology, transesophageal echocardiography should be
      considered as an important method for comprehensive evaluation of the right
      atrium. 

PMID- 26486244
TI  - Silent cerebral infarcts in patients with ischemic infarction.
AB  - Silent cerebral infarcts occur in patients with chronic nonvalvular atrial
      fibrillation and asymptomatic or symptomatic carotid stenosis. There is not a
      well-defined prevalence of asymptomatic lesions in patients with transient
      ischemic attack or completed strokes. We attempted to determine the occurrence
      rate of silent brain infarction in a hospital population, including a comparison
      of the risk factors with those of symptomatic infarction and an evaluation of the
      relevance of infarction size and location. 

PMID- 26486245
TI  - White matter changes and ventricular enlargement on magnetic resonance imaging:
      Comparison between normal elderly subjects and patients with cerebrovascular
      disorders.
AB  - T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging has been shown to be effective in
      detecting changes in cerebral white matter. High signal intensity in cerebral
      white matter regions has been suggested to be indicative of the presence of a
      disease state. In normal aging, white matter changes, known as leuko-araiosis,
      have been reported to be widespread. Some studies have linked leuko-araiosis to
      aging and risk factors for stroke. There is also evidence that changes in
      cerebral white matter occur in hydrocephalus and that enlargement of the lateral
      ventricles is a byproduct of severe white matter changes. This study reports data
      on the frequency and severity of leuko-araiosis in normal subjects and patients
      with cerebrovascular disease and explores the relationship between white matter
      changes and ventricular dilatation. 

PMID- 26486246
TI  - Detection of prothrombotic state in ischemic stroke by monitoring plasma
      molecular markers.
AB  - The feasibility of using recently developed coagulation-fibrinolysis markers to
      detect hemostatic alteration in acute ischemic stroke was examined to see whether
      they may be employed as predictors of recurrence. We measured serially the plasma
      thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT), plasmin-alpha2 plasmin inhibitor complex
      (PIC) and D-dimer in patients with ischemic stroke (53 acute, 102 chronic) and 37
      normal control subjects. In the acute stage, TAT and D-dimer were significantly
      increased in both atherothrombotic and lacunar stroke. In cardioembolic stroke,
      TAT, PIC, and cross-linked D-dimer (D-dimer) were more significantly increased
      and reached a peak within 3 days (TAT) or at around the second week (PIC, D
      dimer) poststroke. TAT, PIC, and D-dimer correlated with infarct size, but TAT
      and D-dimer were significantly increased even in patients with small infarcts. In
      the chronic stage, TAT was increased above the mean + 2 SD in 7 patients with
      cardioembolic stroke (n = 17), in 13 with atherothrombotic stroke (n = 37), and
      in 11 with lacunar stroke (n = 48). In those we had examined within 4 months
      before recurrence, TAT was increased above the mean + 2 SD in 7 patients (n = 8).
      We demonstrated TAT and D-dimer to be highly sensitive detectors of hemostatic
      alteration in small ischemic stroke, contrary to previous reports, and also
      showed that TAT can detect the prothrombotic state before recurrence. 

PMID- 26486247
TI  - Aggravated ischemic magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients with chronic
      cerebrovascular disease without apparent clinical worsening.
AB  - The detection by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of cerebral ischemic pathology
      in patients with cerebral infarction (chronic stage) was investigated. The
      purpose of the study was to determine whether or not there was exacerbation of
      hypertense foci on MRI during the observation period without worsening of
      clinical and neurological symptoms and to consider what risk factors play a role
      in the aggravation of new ischemic foci on MRI. 

PMID- 26486248
TI  - Clinical applicability of methods to measure carotid stenosis.
AB  - The North American (NASCET) and European (ECST) trials of carotid endarterectomy
      used discrepant methods to measure carotid stenosis on angiography. The aim of
      this study was to evaluate clinical applicability of currently available
      angiographic methods to measure carotid stenosis. Consecutive patients undergoing
      carotid angiography were evaluated. To estimate the normal internal carotid
      artery (ICA) bulb diameter on angiography, the common carotid artery (CCA) was
      used (ICA bulb diameter = 1.2 X CCA diameter measured 3-5 cm below the
      bifurcation) and the ICA diameter reduction was calculated: 1 - (d/1.2 X CCA) X
      100%. We validated this against the planimetry of the intact removed plaque and
      termed it the Carotid Stenosis Index (CSI). The clinical applicability of NASCET,
      ECST, and CSI methods was then compared. Four observers evaluated 165 consecutive
      carotid angiograms performed over a 1-year period; 20% of arteries were normal,
      and 10% of ICAs were occluded. After these were excluded, the NASCET method was
      inapplicable in 30% of angiograms because of "negative stenosis" with minor
      degrees of atherosclerosis, inadequate views of the distal ICA, and two or more
      segments of distal ICA with parallel walls in which the diameters differed
      significantly. The ECST method gave an equivocal outline of the bulb in 10% of
      all angiograms. The CSI method was applicable in 97% of all angiograms, the major
      limitation being the presence of severe CCA atheroma (3%). The normal ICA bulb
      has -84% stenosis according to NASCET, whereas NASCET 0% stenosis equals 45-50%
      diameter reduction of ICA bulb and NASCET-positive stenoses cover only the last
      50% of ICA stenoses. Although NASCET and ECST data are singularly irreplacable
      for surgical decisions, the angiographic methods used are discrepant from each
      other and of limited clinical applicability. This may affect the generalizibility
      of the results of these trials. CSI provides a firm scientific basis to make the
      results of the trials compatible. 

PMID- 26486250
TI  - Recurrent intracranial hemorrhage in an adult with moyamoya vasculopathy and a
      basilar artery aneurysm.
AB  - Moyamoya disease is an unusual disorder of the cerebral vasculature,
      characterized by internal carotid artery occlusions and formation of a collateral
      network of the intracranial vessels, which resembles a "puff of smoke"
      ("moyamoya" in Japanese) on cerebral angiography. This condition has a higher
      than-usual association with intracranial aneurysms. We present a case of
      recurrent intracranial hemorrhage in an adult with moyamoya-like vasculopathy and
      a basilar tip aneurysm. 

PMID- 26486249
TI  - Positron emission tomographic study of postinfarction seizures.
AB  - Positron emission tomography (PET), using the steady-state technique with (15)O,
      was performed in 18 patients 4-14 months after a thromboembolic stroke in the
      territory of the middle cerebral artery. Eight patients developed seizures 2-12
      months after infarction. The patients with and without late-onset epilepsy were
      comparable according to age, etiology, and location of the stroke, and the degree
      of neurological deficit. PET examination showed a more pronounced decrease in
      regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and oxygen consumption (rCMRO2) in the
      infarcted area in the group with postapoplectic seizures compared to the
      nonepileptic stroke group. The PET findings were similar in the border areas of
      the infarcts and in the contralateral hemispheres of both groups. It cannot be
      determined if the more decreased rCBF and rCMRO2 in the infarcted zone of the
      group of patients with postinfarction epilepsy is the cause or the consequence of
      the seizures. 

PMID- 26486251
TI  - Evidence of "regional hyperemia" in patients with severe closed head injury using
      single-photon emission computed tomography.
AB  - Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was assessed in 32 patients with
      acute/subacute (n = 18) or chronic (n = 14) head injury using single-photon
      emission computed tomography (SPECT) and (99m)Tc-hexamethylpropylenenamine oxime
      (HMPAO) (n = 20) or (123)I-IMP (n = 12). Twelve of the 18 patients with
      acute/subacute head injury were studied with a high-resolution three-head camera
      and (99m)Tc-HMPAO. Twenty-eight SPECT studies showed regional abnormalities of
      tracer uptake. In all cases in which computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) (n = 30) were available for comparison, SPECT showed
      similar or more extensive abnormalities with high agreement on the laterality of
      the lesions. Particularly in the 18 patients with acute/subacute head injury,
      SPECT revealed more and larger lesions than the anatomical scans. In 9 of the 12
      patients, at least one region with increase in HMPAO uptake reflecting
      "hyperemia" was detected (mean study time after injury, 6.3 +/- 2.7 days). Follow
      up SPECT scans in two patients showed decreased tracer uptake in the previous
      hyperemic regions and encephalomalacia in the anatomical scan. Thus, hyperemia
      may reflect "luxury perfusion" in early phases of head injury. In three patients
      with diffuse axonal injury, a generalized reduction in cortical tracer activity,
      especially in occipital/parietal regions, was observed. The typical finding in
      chronic head injury was observation of lesions of similar sizes and high
      agreement in focal abnormalities between SPECT and CT and/or MRI. However, in
      nine patients with behavioral disturbances, a decrease in the cortical/basal
      ganglia was detected. Thus, our study confirms the presence of hyperemia in
      acute/subacute head injury and demonstrates the value of SPECT for assessing
      functional impairment in these patients. 

PMID- 26486252
TI  - Computed tomography and magnetic resonance observations in asymptomatic cerebral
      ischemic lesions.
AB  - We compared the results of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in
      the evaluation of silent cerebral ischemic lesions in patients without a history
      of cerebrovascular events and those who present an initial cerebral ischemic
      episode. 

PMID- 26486253
TI  - Maximizing the photo catalytic and photo response properties of multimodal
      plasmonic Ag/WO(3-x) heterostructure nanorods by variation of the Ag size.
AB  - High quality nearly monodisperse colloidal WO3-x nanorods with an aspect ratio
      ~18 were synthesized using the thermal decomposition technique. The effects of a
      capping agent and an activating agent on the nanorod aspect ratio have been
      studied. Excess carrier concentration due to large oxygen vacancy and smaller
      width of the nanorods compared to the Bohr exciton radius gives rise to an
      increase of the band gap. Shape anisotropy in nanorods results in two plasmonic
      absorbance bands at about 890 nm and 5900 nm corresponding to short axis and long
      axis plasmon modes. The short axis mode reveals an excellent plasmonic
      sensitivity of ~345 nm per refractive index. A plasmonic photocatalysis process
      based on WO3-x nanorods has been developed to synthesize Ag/WO3-x
      heterostructures consisting of multiple Ag dots with ~2 nm size, randomly
      decorated on the surface of the WO3-x nanorods. Long time irradiation leads to an
      increase in the size (5 nm) of Ag nanocrystals concomitant with decrease in the
      number of Ag nanocrystals attached per WO3-x nanorod. Plasmonic photocatalysis
      followed by thermal annealing produces only one Ag nanocrystal of size ~10 nm on
      each WO3-x nanorod. Red shifting and broadening of plasmon bands of Ag
      nanocrystals and WO3-x nanorods confirm the formation of heterostructures between
      the metal and semiconductor. Detailed transmission electron micrograph analysis
      indicates the epitaxial growth of Ag nanocrystals onto WO3-x nanorods. A high
      photocurrent gain of about 4000 is observed for Ag (10 nm)/WO3-x
      heterostructures. The photodegradation rate for Rhodamine-B and methylene blue is
      maximum for Ag (10 nm)/WO3-x heterostructures due to efficient electron transfer
      from WO3-x nanorods to Ag nanocrystals. Metal plasmon-semiconductor exciton
      coupling, prominent plasmon absorbance of metal nanoparticles, and formation of
      an epitaxial interface are found to be the important factors to achieve the
      maximum photocatalytic activity and fabrication of a high speed photodetector
      device by employing the heterostructures. 

PMID- 26486254
TI  - Soil-borne reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are established following
      therapeutic treatment of dairy calves.
AB  - We determined if antibiotics residues that are excreted from treated animals can
      contribute to persistence of resistant bacteria in agricultural environments.
      Administration of ceftiofur, a third-generation cephalosporin, resulted in a ~ 3
      log increase in ceftiofur-resistant Escherichia coli found in the faeces and pen
      soils by day 10 (P = 0.005). This resistant population quickly subsided in
      faeces, but was sustained in the pen soil (~ 4.5 log bacteria g(-1)) throughout
      the trial (1 month). Florfenicol treatment resulted in a similar pattern although
      the loss of florfenicol-resistant E. coli was slower for faeces and remained
      stable at ~ 6 log bacteria g(-1) in the soil. Calves were treated in pens where
      eGFP-labelled E. coli were present in the bedding (~ 2 log g(-1)) resulting in
      amplification of the eGFP E. coli population ~ 2.1 log more than eGFP E. coli
      populations in pens with untreated calves (day 4; P < 0.005). Excreted residues
      accounted for > 10-fold greater contribution to the bedding reservoir compared
      with shedding of resistant bacteria in faeces. Treatment with therapeutic doses
      of ceftiofur or florfenicol resulted in 2-3 log g(-1) more bacteria than the
      estimated ID50 (2.83 CFU g(-1)), consistent with a soil-borne reservoir emerging
      after antibiotic treatment that can contribute to the long-term persistence of
      antibiotic resistance in animal agriculture.

PMID- 26486255
TI  - Comment on "Intimate Coupling of Photocatalysis and Biodegradation for Degrading
      Phenol Using Different Light Types: Visible Light vs UV Light".

PMID- 26486257
TI  - The Common Elements of treatment engagement for clinically high-risk youth and
      youth with first-episode psychosis.
AB  - AIM: Without treatment, clinically high-risk (CHR) youth or youth with first
      episode psychosis (FEP) have increased risk for significant complications from
      their illness; yet, treatment engagement among these youth is critically low. The
      purpose of this study was to examine engagement efforts with CHR/FEP youth to
      stimulate new ideas that might facilitate participation in services for this
      population. METHODS: A literature review using distillation methods identified
      engagement practices reported in two bodies of literature. The first body of
      literature (i.e. 'CHR/FEP engagement') included 13 studies employing qualitative
      designs to explore consumer perspectives about treatment engagement practices in
      samples of CHR/FEP youth and their families. The second body of research (i.e.
      'CHR/FEP RCTs') included 18 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing
      treatments for CHR/FEP youth and their families. Engagement practice frequencies
      were compared with the frequency of these practices within effective engagement
      interventions, as tested in 40 RCTs within the broader child and adolescent
      mental health literature (i.e. 'CAMH engagement'). RESULTS: Treatment attrition
      and attendance were the most frequent engagement outcomes measured in the CHR/FEP
      RCTs. There were notable efforts described in the CHR/FEP RCTs towards engaging
      youth and families, yet CHR/FEP RCTs reportedly included only a small proportion
      of engagement practices described in either the CHR/FEP or CAMH engagement
      literatures. CONCLUSION: Results suggest there might be practices available to
      complement current efforts at engaging CHR/FEP youth in treatment, and that
      increased attention to the measurement of engagement outcomes could provide
      important information regarding engagement in a population with low treatment
      engagement rates.

PMID- 26486256
TI  - Psychosocial predictors of weight loss by race and sex.
AB  - This paper examined the psychosocial predictors of weight loss among race and sex
      subgroups. Analyses included overweight and obese participants from the PREMIER
      study, a previously published randomized trial that examined the effects of two
      multi-component lifestyle interventions on blood pressure among pre-hypertensive
      and stage 1 hypertensive adults. Both intervention conditions received
      behavioural recommendations for weight loss and group sessions. Weight and
      psychosocial measures of self-efficacy and social support for diet and exercise
      were assessed at baseline and at 6 months. There were 157 African-American (AA)
      women, 46 AA men, 203 non-AA women and 182 non-AA men with an average age of 50
      years and average body mass index of 34 at baseline. Multiple predictor
      regression models were performed individually by race and sex subgroup. Among AA
      women, increases in diet self-efficacy were associated with weight loss. Among AA
      men, increases in diet-related social support and self-efficacy, along with
      increases in family support to exercise, were associated with weight loss (all Ps
      <0.05). Among non-AA women, increases in friends' support to exercise and
      exercise-related self-efficacy were associated with weight loss, and among non-AA
      men only increases in diet self-efficacy were associated with weight loss (all Ps
      <0.05). These results emphasize the need for targeted interventions based on race
      and sex to optimize the impact of lifestyle-based weight loss programmes. 

PMID- 26486259
TI  - Trapping of Oxygen Vacancies at Crystallographic Shear Planes in Acceptor-Doped
      Pb-Based Ferroelectrics.
AB  - The defect chemistry of the ferroelectric material PbTiO3 after doping with
      Fe(III) acceptor ions is reported. Using advanced transmission electron
      microscopy and powder X-ray and neutron diffraction, we demonstrate that even at
      concentrations as low as circa 1.7% (material composition approximately ABO2.95),
      the oxygen vacancies are trapped into extended planar defects, specifically
      crystallographic shear planes. We investigate the evolution of these defects upon
      doping and unravel their detailed atomic structure using the formalism of
      superspace crystallography, thus unveiling their role in nonstoichiometry in the
      Pb-based perovskites.

PMID- 26486260
TI  - Editorial: Another aspirin study.

PMID- 26486258
TI  - Evaluation of selected interleukins in patients with different gastric neoplasms:
      a preliminary report.
AB  - Abnormal interactions between cytokines may be an overlooked mechanism linking
      the development of different types of gastric neoplasms. In this study a
      comprehensive analysis of the systemic levels of interleukins (IL-1,IL-6, IL-8,IL
      10 and IL-12) was performed in 75 patients with different gastric neoplasms
      (cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, neuroendocrine neoplasms, lymphomas)
      and 40 healthy volunteers. Patients with gastric cancer (GC) have significantly
      higher IL-6 levels, and lower IL-8 and IL-10 concentrations, in comparison to
      controls and patients with other gastric neoplasms. Analogous results were
      observed in terms of IL-6/IL-8 and IL-6/IL-10 ratios, whose values were also
      higher in GC patients. In GC patients no associations were detected between the
      systemic levels/values of interleukins (ratios) and TNM staging. IL-6, IL-10, IL
      6/IL-8 and IL-6/IL-10 ratios appeared to hold diagnostic potential in
      confirming/excluding the presence of GC. Their sensitivity/specificity in GC
      detection/exclusion was approximately 54-72%. In conclusion, disturbed systemic
      biochemical balance in multiple interleukins exists at the earliest stages of and
      appears to be specific to GC. The interleukin ratios proposed here seem to be
      more promising indicators of GC in humans than direct systemic levels of
      interleukins, and probably possess the potential to be applied as a supporting
      factor for techniques routinely used. 

PMID- 26486262
TI  - Management of unruptured intracranial aneurysms: A decision analysis.
AB  - Decision analysis was carried out to gain insight into the optimal management of
      patients aged 20-80 years with unruptured intracranial aneurysms between 10 and
      25 mm in diameter. Baseline probabilities for outcomes resulting from either
      elective repair of the aneurysm or nonintervention were obtained from studies of
      patients with intracranial aneurysms seen at the Mayo Clinic. The utility of each
      outcome was based on the mean life expectancy for otherwise normal people of the
      same age and sex, with an adjustment made for quality of life. If these baseline
      probabilities and utilities are used in the calculations, elective surgical
      repair of unruptured aneurysms of this size is preferable to nonintervention in
      men under age 69 and in women under age 75 if they are otherwise in good health. 

PMID- 26486261
TI  - A multicenter validation study of Doppler ultrasound versus angiography.
AB  - The establishment of 60% or greater diameter stenosis by Doppler ultrasound is an
      eligibility requirement of the Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study (ACAS).
      We used a uniform statistical approach for each of 30 Doppler devices to
      establish a cutpoint for the peak systolic flow to insure a positive predictive
      value of 90% in predicting a 60%+ stenosis by angiography. Data were analyzed by
      device; however, performance relates to the device-sonographer-reader system. For
      those devices reporting in peak systolic velocity, cutpoints ranged from 151 to
      390 cm/s, and for those reporting a peak systolic frequency from 5,400 to 11,250
      Hz. Eighteen devices had a sensitivity above 60%, and nine devices had a
      sensitivity above 80%. However, for six instruments, the relationship between
      Doppler and angiography was too weak to establish any cutpoint. In addition, for
      one instrument a value could be established, but the associated sensitivity was
      only 18%. This remarkable variability in the performance is at odds with the high
      sensitivity uniformly published in the literature, suggesting (a) that the high
      reported sensitivity for Doppler may represent an overestimate of average
      performance, perhaps due to publication bias, (b) the paramount need for
      documented quality control measures within local laboratories to insure that
      Doppler examinations are performed reliably, and (c) the need for caution in the
      generalization of results among laboratories. 

PMID- 26486263
TI  - Acute stroke trials: Reasons for patient withdrawal.
AB  - Knowing why patients fail to complete a clinical trial should help in planning
      such trials and in estimating their costs. We analyzed reasons why subjects
      failed to complete two similar acute stroke trials of calcium-channel
      antagonists. The trials were double-blind, placebo-controlled, and lasted 2 and 3
      weeks, respectively. We enrolled 43 patients in the first trial and 37% were
      withdrawn; 30 patients were enrolled in the second trial and 47% were withdrawn.
      Reasons for withdrawal were similar in the two trials. When data from the two
      trials were combined, reasons for withdrawal were errors in administering
      medication (11%), use of a proscribed drug (7%), early death (7%), a
      disqualifying illness discovered after enrollment (8%), withdrawal of consent
      (4%), and enrollment beyond the time limit (<1%). Presence of stroke risk
      factors, age, sex, and even stroke severity did not significantly increase
      withdrawal frequency. Since most patients were lost early in the trial, its
      length did not contribute substantially to premature withdrawal. 

PMID- 26486264
TI  - Recovery and outcome of patients with stroke treated in an acute care hospital.
AB  - This retrospective study of patients with stroke was performed to describe the
      patients' functional independence on admission to and discharge from physical
      therapy treatment, determine whether significant functional recovery occurred
      during the treatment period, and identify independent variables correlating with
      recovery and outcome at discharge. The Functional Independence Measurement (FIM)
      system was used to score performance in bed mobility, transfers, locomotion, and
      stairs. Outcome was indicated by the discharge FIM scores and discharge habitat.
      The 105 patients whose acute care records were reviewed demonstrated significant
      improvements between admission and discharge in all functions. Among the
      variables that correlated significantly with recovery were number of treatments
      and admission FIM scores. Age and number of treatments correlated significantly
      with discharge habitat. All FIM scores (admission and discharge) correlated
      significantly with discharge habitat. Results suggest that FIM scores can be used
      to document the functional status of patients with stroke in an acute care
      setting and that the scores have value as predictors of recovery and outcome. 

PMID- 26486265
TI  - Longitudinal measurement of cerebral perfusion in patients with multi-infarct
      dementia.
AB  - Longitudinal measurements of local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) were performed in
      13 patients with multi-infarct dementia (MID) utilizing the xenon-enhanced
      computed tomography-CBF method. Subjects were divided into two groups: a group
      consisting of five patients with MID who deteriorated (aged 60.6 +/- 5.3 years)
      and whose CCSE scores decreased and a stable group comprised of eight patients
      (aged 64.5 +/- 4.5 years) whose CCSE scores did not change. Mean intervals
      between first and second LCBF measurements were 663 +/- 182 days for the
      deteriorated group and 795 +/- 495 days for the stable group. In the deteriorated
      group, LCBF values for frontal cortex, thalamus, and frontal white matter had
      declined further at the second measurement. In the stable group, LCBF values were
      not uniformly stable, but there were no overall mean decreases. The annual rate
      of decline among patients who deteriorated for frontal cortex, thalamus, and
      frontal white matter exceeded annual declines measured in elderly normal
      volunteers. Results suggest that progressive cerebral hypoperfusion contributes
      to cognitive declines in mild MID, but, if cerebral perfusion of frontal lobes
      and basal ganglia can become stabilized, further cognitive deterioration can be
      prevented. 

PMID- 26486267
TI  - Aspirin in stroke prevention.

PMID- 26486266
TI  - Releasable tissue plasminogen activators in ischemic stroke.
AB  - To determine if patients who suffer atherothrombotic ischemic stroke have altered
      release of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), we measured levels in 22 patients
      within 24 h of onset of symptoms and 1-2 months later. t-PA levels were measured
      in blood samples by using a colorimetric method after subjecting the plasma to
      euglobulin fractionation and reacting it with plasminogen and plasmin substrate.
      Values from a group of normal volunteers previously studied were used as
      controls. Individual variability in t-PA levels was found acutely and in the
      recovery phase. During the latter, patients' levels were significantly higher
      than controls, which was not the case in the acute phase. There was no
      correlation among t-PA levels, size of cerebral infarct, and patients' clinical
      status. We propose that endothelial repair and a rebound in endogenous
      fibrinolytic activity in the absence of peripheral venous disease are responsible
      for the late (recovery phase) elevation in t-PA. 

PMID- 26486268
TI  - Early treatment of acute ischemic stroke.

PMID- 26486269
TI  - Iron-based inorganic-organic hybrid and superlattice thin films by ALD/MLD.
AB  - Here we present novel layer-by-layer deposition processes for the fabrication of
      inorganic-organic hybrid thin films of the (-Fe-O-C6H4-O-)n type and also
      superlattices where thicker iron oxide layers alternate with monomolecular-thin
      organic layers. The processes are based on a combination of atomic layer
      deposition (ALD) and molecular layer deposition (MLD) techniques where the
      cyclopentadienyl iron dicarbonyl dimer (Cp2Fe2(CO)4) is used as the iron source
      and hydroquinone (HQ) as the organic precursor. For the (-Fe-O-C6H4-O-)n hybrid
      films a growth rate value as high as 3.7 A per cycle was achieved at 180  degrees
      C. Superlattices where thin crystalline iron oxide layers of the magnetite
      structure alternate with single organic layers consisting of benzene rings were
      moreover successfully fabricated from the same precursors at 160  degrees C using
      water as the source of oxygen in the ALD cycles for the magnetite layers. We
      foresee that our new ALD/MLD processes offer a valuable novel tool to modify the
      properties of magnetite thin films and even more widely possess the potential to
      boost the ALD/MLD research frontier on functional transition metal oxide based
      thin films. 

PMID- 26486270
TI  - Role of Spm-Cer-S1P signalling pathway in MMP-2 mediated U46619-induced
      proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells: protective role of
      epigallocatechin-3-gallate.
AB  - During remodelling of pulmonary artery, marked proliferation of pulmonary artery
      smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) occurs, which contributes to pulmonary hypertension.
      Thromboxane A2 (TxA2) has been shown to produce pulmonary hypertension. The
      present study investigates the inhibitory effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate
      (EGCG) on the TxA2 mimetic, U46619-induced proliferation of PASMCs. U46619 at a
      concentration of 10 nM induces maximum proliferation of bovine PASMCs. Both
      pharmacological and genetic inhibitors of p(38)MAPK, NF-kappaB and MMP-2
      significantly inhibit U46619-induced cell proliferation. EGCG markedly abrogate
      U46619-induced p(38)MAPK phosphorylation, NF-kappaB activation, proMMP-2
      expression and activation, and also the cell proliferation. U46619 causes an
      increase in the activation of sphingomyelinase (SMase) and sphingosine kinase
      (SPHK) and also increase sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P) level. U46619 also induces
      phosphorylation of ERK1/2, which phosphorylates SPHK leading to an increase in
      S1P level. Both pharmacological and genetic inhibitors of SMase and SPHK markedly
      inhibit U46619-induced cell proliferation. Additionally, pharmacological and
      genetic inhibitors of MMP-2 markedly abrogate U46619-induced SMase activity and
      S1P level. EGCG markedly inhibit U46619-induced SMase activity, ERK1/2 and SPHK
      phosphorylation and S1P level in the cells. Overall, Sphingomyeline-Ceramide
      Sphingosine-1-phosphate (Spm-Cer-S1P) signalling axis plays an important role in
      MMP-2 mediated U46619-induced proliferation of PASMCs. Importantly, EGCG inhibits
      U46619 induced increase in MMP-2 activation by modulating p(38)MAPK-NFkappaB
      pathway and subsequently prevents the cell proliferation.

PMID- 26486272
TI  - Routine Use of Contact Precautions for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus
      aureus and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus: Which Way Is the Pendulum Swinging?
AB  - BACKGROUND Studies have suggested that contact precautions (CP) for methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus may have
      risks that outweigh the benefits. These risks, coupled with more widespread use
      of horizontal interventions such as daily bathing with chlorhexidine gluconate,
      have brought into question the value of routine CP for these organisms. OBJECTIVE
      To assess the state of utilization of CP as well as adjunctive measures to reduce
      the risk of transmission in US hospitals. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey.
      PARTICIPANTS Total of 751 physician members of the Emerging Infections Network.
      METHODS An 8-question electronic survey distributed by email. RESULTS A total of
      426/751 (57%) responded to the survey; 337/364 (93%) of respondents use routine
      CP for methicillin-resistant S. aureus and 335/364 (92%) use routine CP for
      vancomycin-resistant enterococcus. The most widely used trigger for initiation of
      CP for both pathogens was positive clinical culture. Practices for
      discontinuation of isolation varied widely. We found that 325/354 (92%) perform
      routine chlorhexidine gluconate bathing and 236/353 (67%) perform S. aureus
      decolonization with mupirocin for 1 or more subsets of inpatients, and 82/356
      (23%) reported using either hydrogen peroxide vapor or ultraviolet-C room
      disinfection at discharge. Free text responses noted frustration and variation in
      the application, practice, and process for initiation and discontinuation of CP.
      CONCLUSIONS Use of CP for methicillin-resistant S. aureus and vancomycin
      resistant enterococcus remains commonplace, although horizontal interventions
      such as chlorhexidine gluconate bathing are increasingly used. The heterogeneity
      of practices and policies was striking. Evidence-based guidelines regarding CP
      and horizontal interventions are needed. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol.
      2015;37(1):36-40. 

PMID- 26486271
TI  - Orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 affects cardiomyocyte calcium homeostasis and
      adverse cardiac remodelling.
AB  - Distinct stressors may induce heart failure. As compensation, beta-adrenergic
      stimulation enhances myocardial contractility by elevating cardiomyocyte
      intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i). However, chronic beta-adrenergic stimulation
      promotes adverse cardiac remodelling. Cardiac expression of nuclear receptor
      Nur77 is enhanced by beta-adrenergic stimulation, but its role in cardiac
      remodelling is still unclear. We show high and rapid Nur77 upregulation in
      cardiomyocytes stimulated with beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol. Nur77
      knockdown in culture resulted in hypertrophic cardiomyocytes. Ventricular
      cardiomyocytes from Nur77-deficient (Nur77-KO) mice exhibited elevated diastolic
      and systolic [Ca(2+)]i and prolonged action potentials compared to wild type
      (WT). In vivo, these differences resulted in larger cardiomyocytes, increased
      expression of hypertrophic genes, and more cardiac fibrosis in Nur77-KO mice upon
      chronic isoproterenol stimulation. In line with the observed elevated [Ca(2+)]i,
      Ca(2+)-activated phosphatase calcineurin was more active in Nur77-KO mice
      compared to WT. In contrast, after cardiac pressure overload by aortic
      constriction, Nur77-KO mice exhibited attenuated remodelling compared to WT.
      Concluding, Nur77-deficiency results in significantly altered cardiac Ca(2+)
      homeostasis and distinct remodelling outcome depending on the type of insult.
      Detailed knowledge on the role of Nur77 in maintaining cardiomyocyte Ca(2+)
      homeostasis and the dual role Nur77 plays in cardiac remodelling will aid in
      developing personalized therapies against heart failure. 

PMID- 26486274
TI  - Fast microwave treatments of single source alkoxides for nanostructured Li-ion
      battery electrodes.
AB  - Microwave or ultrasonic treatment of metal alkoxides presents a fast, low cost
      route to both anode and cathode nanomaterials for Li-ion battery applications.
      Here, we demonstrate the formation of LiMPO4 (M = Fe, Mn) and Mn3O4
      nanostructures via this simple route which exhibit excellent electrochemical
      performances. This approach opens up a new avenue for the targeted design of
      nanostructured materials, where co-location of the desired metals in a single
      starting material shortens reaction times and temperatures since there is a
      decrease in diffusional energy requirements usually needed for these reactions to
      proceed. 

PMID- 26486273
TI  - Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor/T-box factor-2 axis acts through
      Cyclin D1 to regulate melanocyte proliferation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Control of cell proliferation is critical for accurate cell
      differentiation and tissue formation, during development and regeneration. Here,
      we have analysed the role of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor MITF
      and its direct target, T-box factor TBX2, in regulating proliferation of
      mammalian neural crest-derived melanocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Immunohistochemistry was used to examine spatial and temporal expression of TBX2
      in melanocytes in vivo. RNAi and cell proliferation analysis were used to
      investigate functional roles of TBX2. Furthermore, quantitative RT-PCR, western
      blot analysis and flow cytometry were used to further scrutinize molecular
      mechanisms underlying TBX2-dependent cell proliferation. RESULTS: TBX2 was found
      to be co-expressed with MITF in melanocytes of mouse hair follicles. Specific
      Tbx2 knockdown in primary neural crest cells led to inhibition MITF-positive
      melanoblast proliferation. Tbx2 knockdown in melan-a cells led to reduction in
      Cyclin D1 expression and G1-phase cell cycle arrest. TBX2 directly activated
      Ccnd1 transcription by binding to a specific sequence in the Ccnd1 promoter, and
      the defect in cell proliferation could be rescued partially by overexpression of
      Cyclin D1 in Tbx2 knockdown melanocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the
      Mitf-Tbx2-Cyclin D1 pathway played an important role in regulation of melanocyte
      proliferation, and provided novel insights into the complex physiology of
      melanocytes.

PMID- 26486275
TI  - Turning bubbles on and off during boiling using charged surfactants.
AB  - Boiling--a process that has powered industries since the steam age--is governed
      by bubble formation. State-of-the-art boiling surfaces often increase bubble
      nucleation via roughness and/or wettability modification to increase performance.
      However, without active in situ control of bubbles, temperature or steam
      generation cannot be adjusted for a given heat input. Here we report the ability
      to turn bubbles 'on and off' independent of heat input during boiling both
      temporally and spatially via molecular manipulation of the boiling surface. As a
      result, we can rapidly and reversibly alter heat transfer performance up to an
      order of magnitude. Our experiments show that this active control is achieved by
      electrostatically adsorbing and desorbing charged surfactants to alter the
      wettability of the surface, thereby affecting nucleation. This approach can
      improve performance and flexibility in existing boiling technologies as well as
      enable emerging or unprecedented energy applications.

PMID- 26486276
TI  - Ferroelectricity in underdoped La-based cuprates.
AB  - Doping a "parent" antiferromagnetic Mott insulator in cuprates leads to short
      range electronic correlations and eventually to high-Tc superconductivity.
      However, the nature of charge correlations in the lightly doped cuprates remains
      unclear. Understanding the intermediate electronic phase in the phase diagram
      (between the parent insulator and the high-Tc superconductor) is expected to
      elucidate the complexity both inside and outside the superconducting dome, and in
      particular in the underdoped region. One such phase is ferroelectricity whose
      origin and relation to the properties of high-Tc superconductors is subject of
      current research. Here we demonstrate that ferroelectricity and the associated
      magnetoelectric coupling are in fact common in La-214 cuprates namely, La2
      xSrxCuO4, La2LixCu1-xO4 and La2CuO4+x. It is proposed that ferroelectricity may
      result from local CuO6 octahedral distortions, associated with the dopant atoms
      and clustering of the doped charge carriers, which break spatial inversion
      symmetry at the local scale whereas magnetoelectric coupling can be tuned through
      Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. 

PMID- 26486277
TI  - Self-assembly via microfluidics.
AB  - The self-assembly of amphiphilic building blocks has attracted extensive interest
      in myriad fields in recent years, due to their great potential in the nanoscale
      design of functional hybrid materials. Microfluidic techniques provide an
      intriguing method to control kinetic aspects of the self-assembly of molecular
      amphiphiles by the facile adjustment of the hydrodynamics of the fluids. Up to
      now, there have been several reports about one-step direct self-assembly of
      different building blocks with versatile and multi-shape products without
      templates, which demonstrated the advantages of microfluidics. These assemblies
      with different morphologies have great applications in various areas such as
      cancer therapy, micromotor fabrication, and controlled drug delivery. 

PMID- 26486278
TI  - Adhesion of voids to bimetal interfaces with non-uniform energies.
AB  - Interface engineering has become an important strategy for designing radiation
      resistant materials. Critical to its success is fundamental understanding of the
      interactions between interfaces and radiation-induced defects, such as voids.
      Using transmission electron microscopy, here we report an interesting phenomenon
      in their interaction, wherein voids adhere to only one side of the bimetal
      interfaces rather than overlapping them. We show that this asymmetrical void
      interface interaction is a consequence of differing surface energies of the two
      metals and non-uniformity in their interface formation energy. Specifically,
      voids grow within the phase of lower surface energy and wet only the high
      interface energy regions. Furthermore, because this outcome cannot be accounted
      for by wetting of interfaces with uniform internal energy, our report provides
      experimental evidence that bimetal interfaces contain non-uniform internal energy
      distributions. This work also indicates that to design irradiation-resistant
      materials, we can avoid void-interface overlap via tuning the configurations of
      interfaces. 

PMID- 26486279
TI  - CELIAC DISEASE OR GLUTEN RELATED DISORDERS? WHO WOULD BE THE DISEASE OF THE TIME?

PMID- 26486280
TI  - THE NEUROLOGICAL FACE OF CELIAC DISEASE.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several neurological disorders have also been widely described in
      celiac disease patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the
      incidence of accompanying different neurologic manifestations in children with
      celiac disease at the time of diagnosis and to discuss these manifestations in
      the light of the recent literature. METHODS: This prospective cross sectional
      study included 297 children diagnosed with celiac disease. The medical records of
      all patients were reviewed. RESULTS: In neurological evaluation, totally 40 (13.
      5%) of the 297 celiac patients had a neurological finding including headache,
      epilepsy, migraine, mental retardation, breath holding spells, ataxia, cerebral
      palsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Down syndrome and Turner
      syndrome in order of frequency. There was not any significant difference between
      the laboratory data of the patients with and without neurological manifestations.
      However; type 3a biopsy was statistically significantly more common among
      patients without neurological manifestations, while type 3b biopsy was
      statistically significantly more common among patients with neurological
      manifestations. CONCLUSION: It is important to keep in mind that in clinical
      course of celiac disease different neurological manifestations may be reported.

PMID- 26486281
TI  - QUALITY OF LIFE EVALUATION IN CELIAC PATIENTS FROM SOUTHERN BRAZIL.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Restrictions imposed by the gluten-free diet generate large changes
      in the daily habits of the celiac patient, causing a negative impact on quality
      of life. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life of patients
      with celiac disease on a capital in Southern Brazil. METHODS: Patients older than
      18 years were included, with confirmed celiac disease for at least 60 days in the
      period from June to October 2013. A validated questionnaire, with specific
      questions to assess the patient's quality of life celiac was applied. A total
      score ranged from 20 to 100 points; the higher the score, worse quality of life.
      RESULTS: A total of 103 questionnaires were evaluated, 96 (93.2%) female, with
      average score 56.6+/-12.35 (28 to 88 points). The comparison between the
      questionnaire scores and family income was not significant (P=0.139). Patients
      diagnosed less than 1 year have poorer quality of life than those with more than
      10 years (P=0.063). Patients older than 60 years had better quality of life
      compared with the younger ones (P=0.04). CONCLUSION: There was no association
      between quality of life and factors such as family income, length of diet and age
      at diagnosis. Chronological age greater than 60 years has positively influenced
      the quality of life of celiac patients.

PMID- 26486282
TI  - LOW BONE MINERAL DENSITY IN BRAZILIAN PATIENTS AT DIAGNOSIS OF CELIAC DISEASE.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low bone mineral density is considered an extra-intestinal
      manifestation of celiac disease with reduced bone mass, increased bone fragility,
      and risk of fractures. Celiac disease is considered a condition at high risk for
      secondary osteoporosis and the evaluation of bone density is very important in
      the clinical management of these patients. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to
      investigate bone alterations in celiac patients from Curitiba, South Region of
      Brazil at diagnosis, correlating the findings with age and gender. METHODS:
      Patients who were included in the study were attended to in a private office of
      the same physician from January 2009 to December 2013. The diagnosis of celiac
      disease was done through clinical, serological and histological findings. All
      data were collected from the medical charts of the patients. After the diagnosis
      of celiac disease, evaluation for low bone mineral density was requested by dual
      energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). DEXA bone densitometer was used to estimate
      low bone mineral density at the lumbar spine and femur. RESULTS: A total of 101
      patients, 82 (81.2%) female and 19 (18.8%) male subjects, with mean age of 39.0+/
      3.03 years were included. At celiac disease diagnosis, 36 (35.6%) were younger
      than 30 years, 41 (40.6%) were between 31 and 50 years, and 24 (23.8%) were older
      than 50 years. Among the evaluated patients, 69 (68.3%) presented low bone
      mineral density, being 47% with osteopenia and 32% with osteoporosis. Patients
      who were older than 51 years and diagnosed with celiac disease presented low bone
      mineral density in 83.3% (20/24) of the cases. As expected, age influenced
      significantly the low bone mineral density findings. Among women, low bone
      mineral density was present with high frequency (60%) from 30 to 50 years. In
      patients diagnosed older than 60 years (n=8), all the women (n=5) and two of the
      three men had osteoporosis. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that 69% of
      Brazilian patients with celiac disease at diagnosis had low bone mineral density,
      being more frequent in women older than 50 years.

PMID- 26486283
TI  - URINARY DYSFUNCTION AFTER SURGICAL TREATMENT FOR RECTAL CANCER.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact on quality of life attributed to treatment for rectal
      cancer remains high. Deterioration of the urinary function is a relevant
      complication within that context. OBJECTIVE: To detect the presence of urinary
      dysfunction and its risk factors among individuals underwent surgical treatment
      for rectal cancer. METHODS: The present prospective study analyzed 42 patients
      from both genders underwent surgical treatment for rectal adenocarcinoma with
      curative intent. The version of the International Prostatic Symptom Score (IPSS)
      questionnaire validated for the Portuguese language was applied at two time
      points: immediately before and 6 months after surgery. Risk factors for urinary
      dysfunction were analysed by means of logistic regression and Student's t-test.
      RESULTS: Eight (19%) participants exhibited moderate-to-severe urinary
      dysfunction 6 months after surgery; the average IPSS increased from 1.43 at
      baseline to 4.62 six months after surgery (P<0.001). None of the variables
      assessed as potential risk factors exhibited statistical significance, i.e., age,
      gender, distance from tumour to anal margin, neoadjuvant therapy, adjuvant
      therapy, type of surgery, surgical approach (laparoscopy or laparotomy), and
      duration of surgery. CONCLUSION: This study identified an incidence of 19% of
      moderate to severe urinary dysfunction after 6 months surveillance. No risk
      factor for urinary dysfunction was identified in this population.

PMID- 26486284
TI  - ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND IN THE EVALUATION OF UPPER SUBEPITHELIAL LESIONS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasound is considered the best imaging test for the
      diagnosis and evaluation of subepithelial lesions of the gastrointestinal tract.
      OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to describe the endosonographic characteristics
      of upper gastric subepithelial lesions and our experience using endoscopic
      ultrasound for evaluation of such lesions. METHODS: Retrospective data study of
      342 patients who underwent endoscopic ultrasound evaluation of subepithelial
      lesions. RESULTS: Lesions of the fourth layer were more common in the stomach
      (63.72%) than in the esophagus (44.68%) and duodenum (29.03%). In stomach, 81.1%
      of the lesions >=2 cm, and 96.5% >=3 cm, were from the fourth layer.
      Endosonographic signs that could be related to malignant behavior, such as
      irregular borders, echogenic foci, cystic spaces and/or size greater than 3 cm
      were identified in 34 (15.81%) lesions at the first endoscopic ultrasound
      evaluation. Endoscopic ultrasound-fine needle aspiration did the diagnosis in 21
      (61.76%) patients who were submitted a puncture. Three (12.0%) lesions of 25 who
      were submitted to regular endoscopic ultrasound surveillance increased the size.
      CONCLUSION: Stomach is the organ most affected with subepithelial lesions of the
      gastrointestinal tract and the fourth layer was the most common layer of origin.
      More than 80% of gastric subepithelial lesions from the fourth layer are >=2 cm.
      Endoscopic ultrasound evaluation of subepithelial lesions has been very important
      for stratification into risk groups and to determine the best management.

PMID- 26486285
TI  - EFFECT OF GUM CHEWING ON AIR SWALLOWING, SALIVA SWALLOWING AND BELCHING.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Eructation is a physiologic event which allows gastric venting of
      swallowed air and most of the time is not perceived as a symptom. This is called
      gastric belching. Supragastric belching occurs when swallowed air does not reach
      the stomach and returns by mouth a short time after swallowing. This situation
      may cause discomfort, life limitations and problems in daily life. OBJECTIVE: Our
      objective in this investigation was to evaluate if gum chewing increases the
      frequency of gastric and/or supragastric belches. METHODS: Esophageal transit of
      liquid and gas was evaluated by impedance measurement in 16 patients with
      complaint of troublesome belching and in 15 controls. The Rome III criteria were
      used in the diagnosis of troublesome belching. The esophageal transit of liquid
      and gas was measured at 5 cm, 10 cm, 15 cm and 20 cm from the lower esophageal
      sphincter. The subjects were evaluated for 1 hour which was divided into three 20
      minute periods: (1) while sitting for a 20-minute base period; (2) after the
      ingestion of yogurt (200 mL, 190 kcal), in which the subjects were evaluated
      while chewing or not chewing gum; (3) final 20-minute period in which the
      subjects then inverted the task of chewing or not chewing gum. In gastric belch,
      the air flowed from the stomach through the esophagus in oral direction and in
      supragastric belch the air entered the esophagus rapidly from proximal and was
      expulsed almost immediately in oral direction. Air swallows were characterized by
      an increase of at least 50% of basal impedance and saliva swallow by a decrease
      of at least 50% of basal impedance, that progress from proximal to distal
      esophagus. RESULTS: In base period, air swallowing was more frequent in patients
      than in controls and saliva swallowing was more frequent in controls than in
      patients. There was no difference between the medians of controls and patients in
      the number of gastric belches and supragastric belches. In six patients,
      supragastric belches were seen at least once during the 20-minute base period.
      None of the controls had supragastric belches. In the control group, the
      ingestion of yogurt caused no significant alteration in the number of air
      swallows, saliva swallows, gastric belches and supragastric belches. In the
      patient group, there was an increase in the number of air swallows. If the
      subjects were chewing gum during this 20-minute period, there was an increase in
      the number of saliva swallows in both groups, without alterations of the number
      of air swallow, gastric belches and supragastric belches. There was no alteration
      in the number of the saliva swallows, air swallows, gastric belches and
      supragastric belches in both groups for subjects who did not chew gum in the 20
      40 minute period after yogurt ingestion. When the subjects were chewing the gum,
      there was an increase in saliva swallows in the control and patients groups and
      in air swallows in the patients group. CONCLUSION: Gum chewing causes an increase
      in saliva swallowing in both patients with excessive belching and in controls,
      and an increase in air swallowing in patients with excessive belching 20 minutes
      after yogurt ingestion. Gum chewing did not increase or decrease the frequency of
      gastric or supragastric belches.

PMID- 26486286
TI  - EVALUATION OF LEUKOCYTE ESTERASE REAGENT STRIPS TEST IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF
      SPONTANEOUS BACTERIAL PERITONITIS IN CHILDREN WITH CIRRHOSIS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is defined as an ascetic fluid
      infection without an evident intra-abdominal surgically treatable source.
      Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is one of the severe complications in patients
      with cirrhosis and ascites. Without early antibiotic treatment, this complication
      is associated with high mortality rate; therefore, early diagnosis and treatment
      of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is necessary for survival. Leukocyte
      esterase reagent can rapidly diagnose the spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.
      OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to find out the diagnostic accuracy of leukocyte
      esterase dipstick test for the diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.
      METHODS: A single centered hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted
      during July 2013 to August 2014 on children with cirrhotic liver disease and
      ascites who were admitted in the Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology in
      Nemazee Hospital affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Iran). All
      patients underwent abdominal paracentesis, and the ascitic fluid was processed
      for cell count, leukocyte esterase reagent strip test (Combiscreen SL10) and
      culture. Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis was defined as having a
      polymorphonuclear count (PMN >=250/m3) in ascitic fluid. Sensitivity,
      specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of leukocyte
      esterase test were calculated according to the formula. RESULTS: Totally, 150
      ascitic fluid sample of cirrhotic male patients (53.2%) and their mean age
      (4.33+/-1.88 years) were analyzed. Biliary atresia (n=44, 29.4%) and idiopathic
      neonatal hepatitis (n=29, 19.3%) were the most frequent etiology of cirrhosis.
      Also, abdominal pain (68.6%) and distension (64%) were the most common presenting
      complaint. Of all cases, 41 patients (27.35%) were diagnosed to have spontaneous
      bacterial peritonitis (PMN >=250/mm3). Sensitivity and specificity of leukocyte
      esterase reagent test according to PMNs >=250 mm3 were 87.80% and 91.74%, also on
      ascitic fluid culture results were 88.23% and 77.44%. Positive predictive value
      and negative predictive value of this test in PMNs >=250 mm3 were 80% and 95.23%
      and in cases with positive culture 33.33% and 98.09% were obtained, respectively.
      Efficiency of leukocyte esterase reagent test in diagnosing spontaneous bacterial
      peritonitis, according to PMNs >=250 mm3 and culture results were 90.66% and
      78.66%. CONCLUSION: The leukocyte esterase strip test may be used as rapid test
      for diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis due to its high diagnostic
      validity.

PMID- 26486287
TI  - INTERMEDIATE ENDEMICITY OF HEPATITIS A VIRUS INFECTION IN RURAL SETTLEMENT
      PROJECTS OF SOUTHWEST GOIAS, BRAZIL.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rural populations present an elevated risk of exposure to hepatitis A
      virus. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence and
      risk factors associated with hepatitis A virus infection among residents of rural
      settlement projects of southwest Goias, Central Brazil. METHODS: A total of 466
      residents were interviewed and tested for the detection of anti- hepatitis A
      virus antibodies by ELISA. RESULTS: The global prevalence of anti- hepatitis A
      virus was 82.2%. In individuals aged 5-9 years and 10-19 years, the prevalence
      was 15% and 58.8%, respectively. Persons in the 10-19 age group, with a history
      of life in encampments, with more than five people per residence consuming well
      water, were predictors for exposure to hepatitis A virus. CONCLUSION: Our results
      suggest that the hepatitis A virus endemicity in rural settlements in southwest
      Goias similar to that found in the urban population of the Midwest Region,
      confirming the implementation of universal hepatitis A vaccination in children.

PMID- 26486288
TI  - NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND DIETARY INTAKE IN NON-CIRRHOTIC ADULT CHRONIC HEPATITIS C
      PATIENTS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The hepatitis C virus is one of the main causes of liver disease
      worldwide and may develop nutritional deficiencies. OBJECTIVE: The objective of
      this study was to assess and compare different nutritional status methods of
      adult patients with chronic hepatitis C virus, and to describe inadequacies in
      dietary intake. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with adult
      outpatients with hepatitis C virus at a Brazilian hospital. Nutritional
      assessment included the 24-hour dietary recall, anthropometry (body weight,
      height, body mass index, triceps skinfold, mid-upper arm circumference, mid-arm
      muscle circumference, mid-upper arm muscle area, adductor policis muscle),
      Subjective Global Assessment, Royal Free Hospital Global Assessment and handgrip
      strength. RESULTS: A total of 94 outpatients (ages 30 to 76 years), was included,
      46 were men. The prevalence of malnutrition as measured by the different methods
      was 6.4% (body mass index); 60.6% (handgrip strength), and 53.2% (Royal Free
      Hospital Global Assessment). There was correlation between mid-upper arm
      circumference and mid-arm muscle circumference (r=0.821), mid-upper arm
      circumference and triceps skinfold (r=0.575) and mid-upper arm circumference and
      mid-upper arm muscle area (r=0.781). Energy and protein intakes were below
      recommended levels in 49 (52.1%) and 44 (46.8%) of patients, respectively.
      Inadequate calcium, potassium, zinc and vitamin C intakes occurred in 92.6%,
      97.9%, 63.8% and 60.6% of patients. There was an association between dietary
      energy and protein intake with Royal Free Hospital Global Assessment (P<0.001)
      and a tendency for them to be associated with handgrip strength (P=0.076 and
      P=0.054). CONCLUSION: Malnutrition is frequently in hepatitis C virus patients.
      They have high prevalence of inadequate energy, protein and micronutrients
      intake, even in the absence of cirrhosis.

PMID- 26486289
TI  - LIPID PROFILE OF CIRRHOTIC PATIENTS AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH PROGNOSTIC SCORES: a
      cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In cirrhosis the production of cholesterol and lipoproteins is
      altered. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the lipid profile by measuring total cholesterol,
      very low-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein
      and triglyceride levels in patients with cirrhosis caused by alcoholism and/or
      hepatitis C virus infection and determine its association with Child-Pugh and
      MELD scores. METHODS: Cross-sectional retrospective study of patients treated at
      the outpatient clinic in Porto Alegre, Brazil, from 2006 to 2010. RESULTS: In
      total, 314 records were reviewed, and 153 (48.7%) met the inclusion criteria, of
      which 82 (53.6%) had cirrhosis that was due to hepatitis C virus infection, 50
      (32.7%) were due to alcoholism, and 21 (13.7%) were due to alcoholism and
      hepatitis C virus infection. The total cholesterol levels diminished with a Child
      Pugh progression (P<0.001). Child-Pugh C was significantly associated with lover
      levels of low-density lipoprotein (<70 mg/dL; P<0.001), high-density lipoprotein
      (<40 mg/dL; P<0.001) and triglyceride (<70 mg/dL; P=0.003). MELD>20 was
      associated with lower total cholesterol levels (<100mg/dL; P<0.001), very low
      density lipoprotein (<16 mg/dL; P=0.006), and low-density lipoprotein (<70 mg/dL;
      P=0.003). Inverse and statistically significant correlations were observed
      between Child-Pugh and all the lipid fractions analyzed (P<0.001). The increase
      in MELD was inversely correlated with reduced levels in total cholesterol
      (P<0.001), high-density lipoprotein (P<0.001), low-density lipoprotein (P<0.001),
      very low-density lipoprotein (P=0.030) and triglyceride (P=0.003). CONCLUSION: A
      reduction in the lipid profile in patients with cirrhosis due to hepatitis C
      virus infection and/or alcoholism was significantly associated with the Child
      Pugh and MELD prognostic markers. These results suggest that the lipid profile
      may be used as a tool to assist in evaluating liver disease.

PMID- 26486290
TI  - PEGYLATED INTERFERON AND RIBAVIRIN FOR TREATMENT OF RECURRENT HEPATITIS C AFTER
      LIVER TRANSPLANTATION: a single-liver transplant center experience in Brazil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment of hepatitis C virus infection in post-transplantation
      patients is a challenge due to poor tolerance and low success rates. OBJECTIVE:
      To determine the response rate to pegylated interferon and ribavirin in post
      liver transplant patients with hepatitis C recurrence. METHODS: Between 18 May
      2002 and 18 December 2011, 601 patients underwent liver transplantation at our
      service (Hospital Universitario Walter Cantidio, University of Ceara), 176
      (29.2%) of whom were hepatitis C virus positive. Forty received antiviral therapy
      and were included in this cohort study. Twenty-eight (70%) completed the
      treatment protocol, which consisted of pegylated interferon and ribavirin for 48
      weeks. RESULTS: The sustained virological response rate was 55% according to
      intention-to-treat analysis. Recipient age and exposure to antiviral drugs prior
      to liver transplantation were associated with sustained virological response in
      the multivariate analysis. Patients were followed for 57 months on the average.
      Survival at 1 and 5 years was 100% in responders, versus 100% and 78%,
      respectively, in non-responders. CONCLUSION: Sustained virological response rates
      were satisfactory in our series of liver transplantation patients, and decreased
      with increasing recipient age. Non-exposure to antiviral drugs prior to liver
      transplantation was positively associated with sustained virological response.
      The overall survival of responders and non-responders was similar.

PMID- 26486291
TI  - ANALYSIS OF POLYMORPHISMS IN THE INTERLEUKIN 18 GENE PROMOTOR (-137 G/C AND -607
      C/A) IN PATIENTS INFECTED WITH HEPATITIS C VIRUS FROM THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The hepatitis C virus has been recognized as the leading cause of
      chronic liver disease in the world. Host genetic factors have been implicated in
      the persistence of hepatitis C virus infection. Single nucleotide polymorphisms
      at positions -607 C/A (rs1946518) and -137 G/C (rs187238) in the IL-18 gene
      promoter have been suggested to be associated with delayed hepatitis C virus
      clearance and persistence of the disease. OBJECTIVE: Identify these polymorphisms
      in a population infected with hepatitis C virus from the Brazilian Amazon region.
      METHODS: In a cross-sectional analytical study conducted in Belem, Para, Brazil,
      304 patients infected with hepatitis C virus were divided into two groups: group
      A, patients with persistent infection; group B, patients with spontaneous
      clearance. The control group consisted of 376 volunteers not infected with
      hepatitis C virus. Samples were analyzed by RT-PCR for the detection of viral RNA
      and by RFLP-PCR to evaluate the presence of the -137 G/C and -607 C/A IL-18 gene
      promoter polymorphisms. RESULTS: Comparison of polymorphism allele frequencies
      between the patient and control groups showed a higher frequency of allele C at
      position -607 among patients (P=0.02). When the association between the
      polymorphisms and viral infection was analyzed, patients carrying genotype C/A at
      position -607 were found to be at higher risk of persistent hepatitis C virus
      infection (P=0.03). CONCLUSION: The present results suggest a possible role of
      the -607 IL-18 gene promoter polymorphism in the pathogenesis of hepatitis C
      virus infection.

PMID- 26486292
TI  - INFLUENCE OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND OBESITY IN PATIENTS WITH NONALCOHOLIC
      STEATOHEPATITIS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is considered the hepatic manifestation
      of metabolic syndrome and it is particularly associated to the insulin
      resistance, hypertension, obesity and abnormalities in lipid and glucose
      metabolism. OBJECTIVE: Considering the importance of obesity and oxidative stress
      in the pathophysiology of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, this study aimed to
      evaluate the presence and association of the obesity and oxidative stress in this
      pathology. METHODS: Fifteen outpatients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
      (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis group), diagnosed according to the
      histopathological findings from the liver biopsy, and 15 body mass index-matched
      subjects (non nonalcoholic steatohepatitis group) without nonalcoholic
      steatohepatitis were included. All volunteers were registered in a Brazilian
      University Hospital. Nutritional assessment (weight, height, body mass index and
      waist circumference) and biochemical analysis (fasting glucose, liver enzymes,
      lipid profile, leptin, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, vitamins C
      and E, catalase and 8-isoprostane) were performed for all the participants. The
      student t test was used for statistical analysis, with P<0.05 as the significant
      factor. RESULTS: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients had higher fasting
      glucose, hepatic enzymes (serum aspartate aminotransaminase, alanine
      aminotransaminase, gamma glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase),
      triglycerides and superoxide dismutase and lower glutathione peroxidase values
      than non nonalcoholic steatohepatitis individuals. CONCLUSION: This paper
      demonstrates that only the presence of obesity is not enough to trigger
      alterations in all the studied biomarkers. Despite the majority of oxidative
      stress markers being found to be similar in both conditions, the nonalcoholic
      steatohepatitis subjects could be slightly more affected than the non
      nonalcoholic steatohepatitis individuals.

PMID- 26486293
TI  - ACOUSTIC RADIATION FORCE IMPULSE IS EQUIVALENT TO LIVER BIOPSY TO EVALUATE LIVER
      FIBROSIS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS C AND NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER
      DISEASE.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Liver biopsy is recommended as the gold standard method for assessing
      the stage of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. However, it
      is invasive, with potential risks and complications. Elastography is an
      ultrasound technique that provides information of changes in the liver tissue,
      evaluating tissue elasticity and acoustic radiation force impulse is one of the
      available techniques. OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to evaluate
      the sensitivity and specificity of acoustic radiation force impulse comparing to
      liver biopsy to evaluate fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus and
      nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. METHODS: Twenty four patients were included,
      everyone underwent liver biopsy and acoustic radiation force impulse, and the
      results were compared with values described in the literature by several authors.
      RESULTS: In the population of patients with chronic hepatitis C, our data were
      better correlated with data published by Carmen Fierbinteanu-Braticevici et al.,
      with an accuracy of 82.4%, sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity of 90%. For
      nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, our data were better correlated with data
      published by Masato Yoneda et al., with an accuracy of 85.7%, sensitivity 80% and
      specificity of 100%. CONCLUSION: Acoustic radiation force impulse is a method
      with good accuracy to distinguish initial fibrosis from advanced fibrosis in
      hepatitis C virus and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and can replace biopsy in
      most cases.

PMID- 26486294
TI  - GAMMA GLUTAMYLTRANSFERASE IMPACT IN THERAPEUTIC RESPONSE OF CHRONIC HEPATITIS C:
      a systematic review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The standard treatment of chronic hepatitis C is the administration
      of pegylated interferon alpha2a or alpha2b in combination with ribavirin, but
      adverse effects can be observed, as well as the high cost of this therapy.
      Therefore, there is interest in understanding the predictors of sustained
      virologic response, as the gamma glutamyltransferase. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the
      serum levels of gamma glutamyltransferase as a predictor of response to treatment
      with pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C. METHODS:
      This is a systematic review of literature, conducted by consulting PUBMED,
      LILACS, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Cochrane electronic databases, and active search of
      articles selected between January 2000 and April 2013. RESULTS: A total of 4,785
      titles were identified. Out of those material, following inclusion and exclusion
      criteria, 273 abstracts were selected, by two independent researchers. After
      reading those texts, the reviewers consensually included ten studies for
      systematization and classification, according to the criteria of the Oxford
      Scale. 1B studies are predominant (prospective cohort study - six studies). Rapid
      virologic response and early virological response were considered as estimates
      for the sustained virological response. The frequency of virologic response was
      identified in three studies and early virological response in two, with a total
      of 392 and 413 patients, respectively; sustained virologic response was reported
      in nine articles corresponding to 3,787 patients (76.5 %). CONCLUSION: Gamma
      glutamyltransferase is a predictor of sustained virologic response in the
      treatment of chronic hepatitis C with pegylated interferon alpha2a or alpha2b
      associated with ribavirin.

PMID- 26486295
TI  - PREVALENCE OF INCIDENTAL GALLBLADDER CANCER IN A TERTIARY-CARE HOSPITAL FROM
      PERNAMBUCO, BRAZIL.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gallbladder cancer is sometimes incidentally uncovered following
      cholecystectomy for gallstones diseases. The supposed highly variable prevalence
      of incidental gallbladder cancer through our country is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To
      explore the prevalence of incidental gallbladder cancer in our tertiary-care
      hospital. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on patients who
      consecutively underwent cholecystectomy due to gallstones disease at Faculdade
      Pernambucana de Saude, Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira
      - FPS/IMIP, from January, 2007 to December, 2010. Data on incidental gallbladder
      cancer patients were explored for prevalence estimation and description of our
      experience with the management of this malignancy. RESULTS: Our analysis involved
      2018 patients with a marked predominance of women (n=1.697; 84.1%) over men
      (n=321; 15.9%). The 3-year prevalence estimate of 0.34% was recorded for
      incidental gallbladder cancer in our sample. Regarding tumor staging, there were
      1 T1a, 1 T1b, and 5 T2 adenocarcinoma tumors. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy alone
      was performed for the T1a tumor, and additional radical surgery was performed in
      five others. One patient presented metastatic disease at the time of repeat
      surgery. The final pathology revealed residual/additional disease in all T2
      tumors after radical surgery whereas the T1b patient underwent a salvage
      Whipple's procedure due to a secondary distal cholangiocarcinoma. The patient
      with T1a tumor is alive after 3-year follow-up but all of the others died because
      of disease recurrence/progression up to 12 months. CONCLUSION: This study
      confirms the poor prognosis of Gallbladder cancer even when incidentally
      diagnosed following cholecystectomy and supposes a 3-year prevalence estimate of
      0.34% for incidental gallbladder cancer in our Center from Pernambuco State,
      Brazil.

PMID- 26486296
TI  - PLUMMER VINSON SYNDROME--is it common in males?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plummer-Vinson syndrome is characterized by a triad of dysphagia,
      iron deficiency anemia and esophageal web. Most of the patients are middle aged
      women in the fourth to seventh decade of life. OBJECTIVE: Very few cases of
      Plummer-Vinson syndrome affecting males have been reported. Here we report a
      series of male patients found to be suffering from Plummer-Vinson syndrome.
      METHODS: Five males presented to us with dysphagia and fatigue of various
      durations, from April to August, 2012. RESULTS: These patients were found to have
      iron deficiency anemia and esophageal web on subsequent investigations and were
      treated successfully with oral iron therapy. CONCLUSION: Plummer-Vinson syndrome
      is common in both males and females and can be successfully treated with oral
      iron therapy. The patients have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal
      malignancies and should be thoroughly evaluated for the same.

PMID- 26486297
TI  - Interfacial charge-transfer transitions in a TiO2-benzenedithiol complex with Ti
      S-C linkages.
AB  - Interfacial charge-transfer (ICT) transitions between organic materials and
      inorganic semiconductors are a new mechanism for light absorption at organic
      semiconductor interfaces. ICT transitions cause one-step interfacial charge
      separation without loss of energy. This feature is potentially useful to realize
      efficient organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells. ICT transitions have been
      examined by employing titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles chemisorbed with pi
      conjugated molecules via Ti-O-C linkages. Here, we report ICT transitions in a
      TiO2 and 1,2-benzenedithiol (BDT) complex with Ti-S-C linkages. BDT adsorbs on
      TiO2 by the bridging bidentate coordination of the sulfur atoms to surface
      titanium atoms. The TiO2-BDT complex shows ICT transitions from the BDT moiety to
      the conduction band of TiO2 in the visible region. The ICT transitions occur by
      orbital overlaps between the d orbitals of the surface titanium atoms and the pi
      orbitals of the benzene ring. Our density-functional-theory (DFT) analysis
      reveals that the 3p valence orbitals of the sulfur bridging atoms contribute to
      more than 50% of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the 3d
      3p(sulfur)-pi interaction via the Ti-S-C linkage enhances the electronic mixing
      between the titanium atoms and the benzene moiety as compared to the 3d
      2p(oxygen)-pivia the Ti-O-C linkage. This result indicates the important role of
      the heavier-atom linkers for strong organic-inorganic electronic couplings. 

PMID- 26486298
TI  - Behcet's disease patients with multiple sclerosis-like features: discriminative
      value of Barkhof criteria.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Behcet's disease (BD) is a systemic auto-inflammatory disorder of
      unknown cause, which may affect the central nervous system in around 5% of the
      patients [neuro-BD (NBD)], usually causing large lesions encompassing brainstem,
      diencephalon and basal ganglia regions. Occasionally NBD patients present with
      white matter lesions necessitating differential diagnosis from multiple sclerosis
      (MS). In this study, the efficacy of Barkhof criteria was tested in diagnostic
      differentiation of NBD and MS. METHODS: Charts and MRIs of 84 NBD patients were
      retrospectively evaluated. Clinical and radiological features of NBD patients
      fulfilling (Barkhof+) and not fulfilling Barkhof criteria (Barkhof-) were
      compared. RESULTS: While the Barkhof- patients (n=73) mostly displayed typical
      large lesions covering brainstem, diencephalon and basal ganglia regions and
      neurological findings consistent with brainstem involvement, all Barkhof+ (n=11)
      patients demonstrated MS-like white matter lesions, fulfilled McDonald's criteria
      and showed reduced frequency of brainstem symptoms and increased frequency of
      hemiparesis, hemihypesthesia and spinal cord symptoms. Moreover, the Barkhof+
      group had more female patients, increased number of attacks, higher rate of
      oligoclonal band positivity and less patients with cerebrospinal fluid
      pleocytosis. CONCLUSIONS: A subgroup of BD patients with neurological complaints
      displays MS-like lesions, fulfills the clinical and radiological criteria of MS
      and presents with clinical and laboratory features resembling those of MS rather
      than NBD. These results suggest that Barkhof+ patients are either an overlapping
      group between NBD and MS, or they represent MS patients with concomitant systemic
      findings of BD, rather than NBD. Barkhof criteria appear to be effective in
      discriminating these patients.

PMID- 26486299
TI  - Validating self-reported food expenditures against food store and eating-out
      receipts.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To compare objective food store and eating-out receipts
      with self-reported household food expenditures. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The Seattle
      Obesity Study II was based on a representative sample of King County adults,
      Washington, USA. Self-reported household food expenditures were modeled on the
      Flexible Consumer Behavior Survey (FCBS) Module from 2007 to 2009 National Health
      and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Objective food expenditure data were
      collected using receipts. Self-reported food expenditures for 447 participants
      were compared with receipts using paired t-tests, Bland-Altman plots and kappa
      statistics. Bias by sociodemographics was also examined. RESULTS: Self-reported
      expenditures closely matched with objective receipt data. Paired t-tests showed
      no significant differences between receipts and self-reported data on total food
      expenditures, expenditures at food stores or eating out. However, the highest
      income strata showed weaker agreement. Bland-Altman plots confirmed no
      significant bias across both methods-mean difference: 6.4; agreement limits: 
      123.5 to 143.4 for total food expenditures, mean difference 5.7 for food stores
      and mean difference 1.7 for eating out. The kappa-statistics showed good
      agreement for each (kappa 0.51, 0.41 and 0.49 respectively. Households with
      higher education and income had significantly more number of receipts and higher
      food expenditures. CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported food expenditures using NHANES
      questions, both for food stores and eating out, serve as a decent proxy for
      objective household food expenditures from receipts. This method should be used
      with caution among high-income populations, or with high food expenditures. This
      is the first validation of the FCBS food expenditures question using food store
      and eating-out receipts.

PMID- 26486300
TI  - Adherence to the Dutch dietary guidelines is inversely associated with 20-year
      mortality in a large prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The Dutch guidelines for a healthy diet aim to reduce
      major chronic diseases. However, supporting evidence on their overall association
      with all-cause and cause-specific mortality is limited. Recently, the Dutch
      Healthy Diet-index (DHD-index) has been developed to assess adherence to these
      guidelines. The aim was to examine the association between the DHD-index and all
      cause mortality and deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart
      disease (CHD), stroke and cancer. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We followed 3593 men and
      women aged 55 years and older enrolled in the Rotterdam Study, a population-based
      prospective cohort study, from baseline in 1990-1993 to 2011. A validated 170
      item food frequency questionnaire at baseline was used to calculate the DHD-index
      score (maximum 90 points). Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate
      hazard ratios (HRs) adjusting for age, sex, total energy intake, smoking and
      educational level. RESULTS: During the 20-year follow-up, 1831 (51%) deaths were
      reported. Mean DHD-index score was 60.6 (s.d. 10.6). The score was inversely
      associated with all-cause mortality (highest vs lowest quartile HR 0.77; 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.67, 0.89). Inverse but non-significant associations
      were observed for mortality due to CVD (HR 0.74; 95% CI 0.55, 1.01), CHD (HR
      0.60; 95% CI 0.34, 1.06) and stroke (HR 0.67; 95% CI 0.36, 1.22), whereas no
      association was observed with cancer mortality (HR 0.99; 95% CI 0.90, 1.11).
      CONCLUSIONS: A higher level of adherence to the Dutch dietary guidelines, as
      assessed with the DHD-index, was associated with a lower risk of all-cause
      mortality, probably due to an inverse association with cardiovascular causes of
      death.

PMID- 26486301
TI  - Measuring practical knowledge about balanced meals: development and validation of
      the brief PKB-7 scale.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: As a high-quality diet is associated with a lower risk for
      several diseases and all-cause mortality, current nutrition education tools
      provide people with information regarding how to build a healthy and a balanced
      meal. To assess this basic nutrition knowledge, the research aim was to develop
      and validate a brief scale to measure the Practical Knowledge about Balanced
      meals (PKB-7). SUBJECTS/METHODS: A pool of 25 items was pretested with experts
      and laypeople before being tested on a random sample in Switzerland (n=517). For
      item selection, a Rasch model analysis was applied. The validity and reliability
      of the new scale were assessed by three additional studies including laypeople
      (n=597; n=145) and nutrition experts (n=59). RESULTS: The final scale consists of
      seven multiple-choice items, which met the assumptions of the Rasch model. The
      validity of the new scale was shown by several aspects: the Rasch model was
      replicated in a second study, and nutrition experts achieved significantly higher
      scores than laypeople (t(148)=20.27, P<0.001, d=1.78). In addition, the PKB-7
      scale was correlated with other nutrition-related constructs and associated with
      reported vegetable consumption. Test-retest reliability (r=0.68, P<0.001) was
      acceptable. CONCLUSIONS: The PKB-7 scale is a reliable and a valid Rasch-based
      instrument in Swiss citizens aged between 18 and 80 years for measuring the
      practical knowledge about balanced meals based on current dietary guidelines.
      This brief and easy-to-use scale is intended for application in both research and
      practice.

PMID- 26486302
TI  - Effects of calorie labelling on macro- and micro-nutrients in main-meal choices
      made by young adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: There is limited evidence that prominent calorie labelling
      on out-of-home meals helps consumers reduce calorie intakes and avoid weight
      gain, but no evidence on its effects on macro- and micro-nutrients. The objective
      of this study was to assess the impact of prominent calorie labelling on energy,
      macro- and micro-nutrients. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Young adults in a catered
      residential setting were observed when choosing main meals over three study
      periods in fixed order in this observational study. Period 1: with calorie labels
      (20 weeks); period 2: without calorie labels (10 weeks); period 3: with calorie
      labels plus information on estimated energy requirements (10 weeks). Nutrient
      contents of meal choices were analysed from food composition tables. RESULTS:
      Energy, 4 macronutrients and 19 micronutrients levels were derived from 4200
      meals chosen by 120 subjects over 40 weeks. Means (s.d. or Median) for key macro-
      and micro-nutrients were for period 1: energy=658 (94) kcal, fat=31 (8.6) g,
      saturated fat=10.5 (2.7) g, B12=2.5 (1.7) MUg, folate=119 (46.8) MUg, vitamin
      C=80.0 (42) mg, Ca=278 (129) mg, Na=1230 (119) mg, Fe=22 (10) g, Se=19 (10.1)
      MUg, I=34 (10.1) MUg, period 2: energy=723 (87) kcal, fat=35 (7.6) g, saturated
      fat=12 (2.7) g, B12=3.4 (1.7) MUg, Folate=182 (13.3) MUg, vitamin C=87.0 (49.7)
      mg, Ca=379 (149) mg, Na=1352 (114) mg, Fe=41.6 (14) g, Se=26 (10.3) MUg, I=38.0
      (18.4) MUg, period 3: energy=578 (109) kcal, fat=27.3 (9.1) g, saturated fat=8.5
      (2.7) g, B12=2.2 (0.5) MUg, Folate=90 (50.8) MUg, vitamin C=75.0 (34) mg, Ca=277
      (119) mg, Na=1205 (99) mg, Fe=14.5 (10.9) g, Se=15.0 (10) MUg, I=32.0 (18.4) MUg.
      All macro- and micro-nutrients, except for B1, vitamin C, vitamin E and Ca were
      significantly different between the three periods (P<0.001), but all mean intakes
      remained above recommended levels. CONCLUSIONS: Calorie labelling resulted in
      reductions in calories, fat and saturated fat contents of the meals chosen,
      without compromising micronutrient consumptions.

PMID- 26486303
TI  - The levels of human milk microRNAs and their association with maternal weight
      characteristics.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Specific microRNAs (miRNAs) that are known to have roles
      in various physiological and pathological processes in mammals are found in human
      breast milk, but the impact of maternal status on miRNA levels in milk is not
      fully understood. The objective of this study was to explore maternal and infant
      factors that can potentially influence the levels of let-7a (MIMAT0000062), miRNA
      30B (MIMAT0000420) and miRNA-378 (MIMAT0000732) in human milk, all of which are
      known to participate in adipogenesis. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Colostrum from 86 mothers
      and mature milk from 33 mothers were collected. The miRNA levels in these samples
      were determined using real-time PCR. Correlations between the levels of these
      miRNAs and lactation duration, maternal weight/BMI before and late in the
      pregnancy, maternal age, gestational weeks and infant gender were analysed.
      RESULTS: The levels of let-7a (2.58+/-0.67) and miRNA-378 (4.64+/-0.69) in
      colostrum were higher than those in mature milk (2.39+/-0.62, 3.62+/-0.77,
      P<0.01). Conversely, the level of miRNA-30B was higher in mature milk (4.92+/
      0.57) than in colostrum (4.05+/-0.61, P<0.01). The levels of miRNA-30B, let-7a
      and miRNA-378 in colostrum were negatively correlated with maternal pre-pregnancy
      BMI (P<0.01), and, in mature milk, let-7a was negatively correlated with maternal
      weight late in the pregnancy (P<0.05). Moreover, miRNA-30B and miRNA-378 were
      higher in the colostrum received by girls than in that received by boys (P<0.01).
      This pattern held for miRNA-378 when controlling for maternal pre-pregnancy BMI.
      CONCLUSIONS: Adipogenesis miRNAs were expressed in both colostrum and mature milk
      and were related to maternal weight and infant gender. The miRNAs in human milk
      determined in this study provide a basis for future studies of their biological
      functions in infants.

PMID- 26486305
TI  - The chloroplast genome hidden in plain sight, open access publishing and anti
      fragile distributed data sources.
AB  - We sequenced several cannabis genomes in 2011 of June and the first and the
      longest contigs to emerge were the chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes. Having
      been a contributor to the Human Genome Project and an eye-witness to the real
      benefits of immediate data release, I have first hand experience with the
      potential mal-investment of millions of dollars of tax payer money narrowly
      averted due to the adopted global rapid data release policy. The policy was vital
      in reducing duplication of effort and economic waste. As a result, we felt
      obligated to publish the Cannabis genome data in a similar spirit and placed them
      immediately on a cloud based Amazon server in August of 2011. While these rapid
      data release practices were heralded by many in the media, we still find some
      authors fail to find or reference said work and hope to compel the readership
      that this omission has more pervasive repercussions than bruised egos and is a
      regression for our community.

PMID- 26486304
TI  - Association of nutritional status as measured by the Mini-Nutritional Assessment
      Short Form with changes in mobility, institutionalization and death after hip
      fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: We examined the association of nutritional status as
      measured by the Mini-Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF) with changes in
      mobility, institutionalization and death after hip fracture. SUBJECTS/METHODS:
      Population-based prospective data were collected on 472 out of 693 consecutive
      hip fracture patients aged 65 years and over between January 2010 and December
      2012. Declined vs same or improved mobility level, institutionalization and death
      during the 4-month follow-up were the outcomes. Age, gender, American Society of
      Anesthesiologists scores, pre-fracture diagnosis of a memory disorder, mobility
      level, living arrangements and MNA-SF scores at baseline were the independent
      variables. Age-adjusted and multivariate logistic regression and Cox proportional
      hazards models were conducted. RESULTS: At baseline, 41 (9%) patients were
      malnourished and 200 (42%) patients at risk of malnutrition according to the MNA
      SF. During the follow-up, 90 (19%) had died. In the multivariate Cox proportional
      hazards model, malnutrition (hazard ratio 2.16; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07
      4.34) was associated with mortality. In the multivariate binary logistic
      regression analyses, risk of malnutrition (odds ratios (OR) 2.42; 95% CI 1.25
      4.66) and malnutrition (OR 6.10;95% CI 2.01-18.5) predicted institutionalization.
      Risk of malnutrition (OR 2.03; 95% CI 1.24-3.31) was associated with decline in
      the mobility level. CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition or risk of malnutrition as measured
      by the MNA-SF were independent predictors of negative outcomes after hip
      fracture. Patients classified as being at risk of malnutrition by the MNA-SF may
      constitute a patient population with mild-to-moderate malnutrition and may
      require specific attention when nutritional interventions are designed after hip
      fracture.

PMID- 26486306
TI  - Older patients' participation in hospital admissions through the emergency
      department: an interview study of healthcare professionals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient participation is an important aspect of healthcare quality
      and may be one way to improve the quality of transitional care for older
      patients. Research reveals minimal awareness about patient participation in
      hospital admissions. Hospital admissions require attention to individuals'
      specific needs beyond patient frailty, and to involve patients and their families
      in shared decision-making. The aim of this study was to identify factors
      influencing patient participation by exploring healthcare professionals' views on
      patient participation during the hospital admission of older patients through the
      emergency department (ED). METHODS: The study used a qualitative and descriptive
      design with face-to-face interviews. A total of 27 interviews were conducted with
      15 healthcare professionals from one hospital and 12 from another. The data were
      analyzed using systematic text condensation. RESULTS: Healthcare professionals
      thought that patient participation in hospital admissions was influenced by five
      main factors: 1) routine treatment and care during hospital admission, and in
      particular certain procedures such as medical examinations; 2) the frail and
      thankful older patients, and the overall picture of their medical needs; 3)
      hospital resources, such as available staff and beds; 4) healthcare
      professionals' attitude towards finding out about older patients' experiences;
      and 5) the presence of a supportive and demanding next of kin acting as an
      advocate for the patient. CONCLUSIONS: Patient participation in hospital
      admissions of older patients is dependent on the way the service is organized,
      the patients' condition, hospital resources, healthcare professionals' attitudes,
      and support from patients' next of kin. Some of the participants had high
      expectations of themselves and actively involved patients, but others did not
      find patient participation relevant in the emergency department. Some used
      crowded wards as a reason not to engage older patients in their own care.

PMID- 26486307
TI  - Treatment of Large Bone Defects with a Vascularized Periosteal Flap in
      Combination with Biodegradable Scaffold Seeded with Bone Marrow-Derived
      Mononuclear Cells: An Experimental Study in Rats.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The surgical treatment of large bone defects continues to pose a
      major challenge in modern trauma and orthopedic surgery. In this study we test
      the effectiveness of a tissue engineering approach, using three-dimensional (3D)
      beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) scaffolding plus bone marrow-derived
      mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs), combined with a vascularized periosteal flap, in a
      rat femur critical size defect model. METHODS: Eighty rats were randomly
      allocated into four equal groups. Under general anesthesia, critical size defects
      were created on their femurs and were treated with (1) Vascularized periosteal
      flap alone, (2) Vascularized periosteal flap+beta-TCP scaffolding, (3)
      Vascularized periosteal flap+beta-TCP scaffolding+ligated vascular pedicle, and
      (4) Vascularized periosteal flap+beta-TCP scaffolding+BM-MNCs. After 4 and 8
      weeks animals were euthanized and the bone defects were harvested for analysis of
      new bone formation, vascularization, and strength using histology,
      immunohistology, micro-CT, and biomechanical testing, respectively. RESULTS:
      Group 1: (P. flap) Increase in new bone formation and vascularization. Group 2:
      (P. flap+scaffold) Increase in new bone formation and vascularization. Group 3:
      (P. flap+scaffold+ligated vascular pedicle) No new bone formation and no
      vascularization. Group 4: (P. flap+scaffold+BM-MNCs) A significant (p < 0.05)
      increase was seen in new bone formation, vascularization, and strength in bones
      treated with flaps, scaffold, and BM-MNCs, when compared with the other treatment
      groups. CONCLUSION: Combining a vascularized periosteal flap with tissue
      engineering approach (beta-TCP scaffolding and BM-MNC) results in significantly
      improved bone healing in our rat femur critical size bone defect model.

PMID- 26486309
TI  - Association of serum glypican-4 levels with cardiovascular risk predictors in
      women with polycystic ovary syndrome - a pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Glypican-4 (Gpc4) is an adipokine which interacts with the insulin
      receptor and affects insulin sensitivity in proteoglycans. Insulin resistance
      plays a crucial role in the etiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is
      associated with metabolic disturbances such as abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia
      and type 2 diabetes. Thus, higher levels of Gpc4 released from visceral adipose
      tissue in women with PCOS may suggest an increased risk of cardiovascular disease
      (CVD). DESIGN: The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether the serum
      Gpc4 level is associated with cardiovascular risk predictors in women with PCOS.
      METHODS: Sixty-two women with PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria (20-35
      years old) and 43 healthy controls were studied. Cardiovascular risk predictors
      such as obesity indices, fat deposits according to dual-energy X-ray
      absorptiometry, biochemical lipid profile parameters and Homeostasis Model
      Assessment were estimated. RESULTS: The serum Gpc4 level in PCOS women was
      significantly higher (2.61 +/- 1.17 ng/ml) than in the control group (1.55 +/-
      0.47 ng/ml) and correlated with waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, total
      fat and android fat deposit to gynoid fat deposit ratio only in the PCOS group.
      CONCLUSION: The Gpc4 level was higher in the PCOS group and correlated with CVD
      risk predictors, especially fat distribution.

PMID- 26486308
TI  - Accelerated bone ingrowth by local delivery of Zinc from bioactive glass:
      oxidative stress status, mechanical property, and microarchitectural
      characterization in an ovariectomized rat model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Synthetic bone graft substitutes such as bioactive glass (BG)
      material are developed in order to achieve successful bone regeneration. Zn plays
      an important role in the proper bone growth, development, and maintenance of
      healthy bones. AIMS: This study aims to evaluate in vivo the performance therapy
      of zinc-doped bioactive glass (BG-Zn) and its applications in biomedicine.
      METHODS: Female Wistar rats were ovariectomized. BG and BG-Zn were implanted in
      the femoral condyles of Wistar rats and compared to that of control group.
      Grafted bone tissues were carefully removed to evaluate the oxidative stress
      status, histomorphometric profile, mechanical property, and mineral bone
      distribution by using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry.
      RESULTS: A significant decrease of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances was
      observed after BG-Zn implantation. Superoxide dismutase, catalase (CAT), and
      glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities significantly increased in ovariectomized
      group implanted with Zinc-doped bioactive glass (OVX-BG-Zn) as compared to
      ovariectomized group implanted with bioactive glass (OVX-BG). An improved
      mechanical property was noticed in contact of OVX-BG-Zn (39+/-6 HV) when compared
      with that of OVX-BG group (26+/-9 HV). After 90 days of implantation, the
      histomorphometric analysis showed that trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) and
      trabecular number (Tb.N) were significantly increased with 28 and 24%,
      respectively, in treated rats of OVX-BG-Zn group as compared to those of OVX-BG
      groups. Trabecular separation (Tb.Sp) and trabecular bone pattern factor (TBPf)
      were significantly decreased in OVX-BG-Zn group with 29.5 and 54% when compared
      with those of OVX-BG rat groups. On the other hand, a rise in Ca and P ion
      concentrations in the implanted microenvironment was shown and lead to the
      formation/deposition of Ca-P phases. The ratio of pyridinoline [Pyr] to
      dihydroxylysinonorleucine [DHLNL] cross-links was normalized to the control
      level. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that BG-Zn might have promising
      potential applications for osteoporosis therapy.

PMID- 26486310
TI  - The first whole genome and transcriptome of the cinereous vulture reveals
      adaptation in the gastric and immune defense systems and possible convergent
      evolution between the Old and New World vultures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The cinereous vulture, Aegypius monachus, is the largest bird of prey
      and plays a key role in the ecosystem by removing carcasses, thus preventing the
      spread of diseases. Its feeding habits force it to cope with constant exposure to
      pathogens, making this species an interesting target for discovering functionally
      selected genetic variants. Furthermore, the presence of two independently evolved
      vulture groups, Old World and New World vultures, provides a natural experiment
      in which to investigate convergent evolution due to obligate scavenging. RESULTS:
      We sequenced the genome of a cinereous vulture, and mapped it to the bald eagle
      reference genome, a close relative with a divergence time of 18 million years. By
      comparing the cinereous vulture to other avian genomes, we find positively
      selected genetic variations in this species associated with respiration, likely
      linked to their ability of immune defense responses and gastric acid secretion,
      consistent with their ability to digest carcasses. Comparisons between the Old
      World and New World vulture groups suggest convergent gene evolution. We assemble
      the cinereous vulture blood transcriptome from a second individual, and annotate
      genes. Finally, we infer the demographic history of the cinereous vulture which
      shows marked fluctuations in effective population size during the late
      Pleistocene. CONCLUSIONS: We present the first genome and transcriptome analyses
      of the cinereous vulture compared to other avian genomes and transcriptomes,
      revealing genetic signatures of dietary and environmental adaptations accompanied
      by possible convergent evolution between the Old World and New World vultures.

PMID- 26486311
TI  - Cancer survivors' perspectives on delivery of survivorship care by primary care
      physicians: an internet-based survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Helping cancer survivors to transition from active treatment to long
      term survivorship requires coordinated efforts by both oncologists and primary
      care physicians (PCPs). This study aims to evaluate cancer survivors'
      perspectives on PCP-delivered survivorship care. METHODS: We conducted an
      Internet-based cross-sectional survey of cancer survivors via www.OncoLink.org .
      Regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with perception of
      PCP-delivered survivorship care. RESULTS: The 352 respondents rated overall PCP
      delivered survivorship care as 60 out of 100 (SD = 23). The areas of care most
      strongly endorsed were general care (62 %), psychosocial support (65 %), and
      holistic care (68 %). Survivors were less likely to perceive their PCPs as
      knowledgeable about cancer follow-up (43 %), late or long-term effects of cancer
      therapy (45 %), and diagnosis and treatment of symptoms related to cancer or
      cancer therapy (42 %). While 72 % of survivors reported satisfaction with their
      PCP's care overall, only 41 % felt that their PCPs and oncologists communicated
      well with one another. In a multivariate regression analysis, higher trust in PCP
      (p < 0.001), non-white race (p = 0.001), living in the United States (p = 0.007),
      and visiting a PCP two or more times per year (p = 0.009) were significantly
      associated with higher ratings of PCP-delivered survivorship care. CONCLUSIONS:
      While cancer survivors in general are satisfied with care delivery by PCPs, they
      perceived that their PCPs have limited abilities in performing cancer-specific
      follow-up and late effect monitoring and treatment. Better education of family
      physicians about survivorship issues and improved communication between PCPs and
      oncologists are needed to improve PCPs' delivery of survivorship care.

PMID- 26486312
TI  - Factors that influence persistence or recurrence of high-grade squamous
      intraepithelial lesion with positive margins after the loop electrosurgical
      excision procedure: a retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 5-20 % of patients with cervical high-grade squamous
      intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), a positive margin after the loop electrosurgical
      excision procedure (LEEP) is associated with persistence/recurrence, but the
      prognostic value of other clinico-pathological factors is less clear. METHODS:
      Among 4336 patients with HSIL who underwent an initial LEEP, 275 (6 %) had HSIL
      positive margins, 37 of whom were lost to follow-up. We evaluated the remaining
      238 patients. Persistence/recurrence was defined as histopathological HSIL during
      follow-up. RESULTS: The age of the patients ranged from 21 to 69 years (median:
      40). The median follow-up period was 25 months (range: 6-43). Of the 238
      patients, 211 (88.7 %) patients remained free of persistence/recurrence, while 27
      (11.3 %) experienced persistence/recurrence. According to a univariate analysis,
      age (P = 0.03) and maximum specimen diameter (P = 0.043) were associated with
      persistence/recurrence, but number/location of involved margin sections and the
      pathology of the endocervical curettage were not (P > 0.10). The relative risk of
      the subjects (greater than or equal to 35 years ages) was 4.6 times of the
      subject less than 35 years, the difference was statistically significant (14 %
      vs. 3 %, P < 0.05). A multivariate analysis indicated that an age of 35 years or
      older was the only independent risk factor (OR 4.97, 95 % CI 1.14-21.62, P =
      0.03). CONCLUSION: In patients with HSIL and HSIL-involved margins after an
      initial LEEP, age is a strong independent predictor of persistence/recurrence.
      Follow-up with screening cytology and/or biopsy may be considered in younger
      patients, whereas a secondary LEEP/hysterectomy may be considered in older
      patients.

PMID- 26486313
TI  - Aquatic Biodiversity in the Amazon: Habitat Specialization and Geographic
      Isolation Promote Species Richness.
AB  - The Neotropical freshwater ichthyofauna has among the highest species richness
      and density of any vertebrate fauna on Earth, with more than 5,600 species
      compressed into less than 12% of the world's land surface area, and less than
      0.002% of the world's total liquid water supply. How have so many species come to
      co-exist in such a small amount of total habitat space? Here we report results of
      an aquatic faunal survey of the Fitzcarrald region in southeastern Peru, an area
      of low-elevation upland (200-500 m above sea level) rainforest in the Western
      Amazon, that straddles the headwaters of four large Amazonian tributaries; the
      Jurua (Yurua), Ucayali, Purus, and Madre de Dios rivers. All measures of fish
      species diversity in this region are high; there is high alpha diversity with
      many species coexisting in the same locality, high beta diversity with high
      turnover between habitats, and high gamma diversity with high turnover between
      adjacent tributary basins. Current data show little species endemism, and no
      known examples of sympatric sister species, within the Fitzcarrald region,
      suggesting a lack of localized or recent adaptive divergences. These results
      support the hypothesis that the fish species of the Fitzcarrald region are
      relatively ancient, predating the Late Miocene-Pliocene (c. 4 Ma) uplift that
      isolated its several headwater basins. The results also suggest that habitat
      specialization (phylogenetic niche conservatism) and geographic isolation
      (dispersal limitation) have contributed to the maintenance of high species
      richness in this region of the Amazon Basin. 

PMID- 26486315
TI  - Erratum to: Sail or sink: novel behavioural adaptations on water in aerially
      dispersing species.

PMID- 26486314
TI  - Plague: Infections of Companion Animals and Opportunities for Intervention.
AB  - Plague is a zoonotic disease, normally circulating in rodent populations,
      transmitted to humans most commonly through the bite of an infected flea vector.
      Secondary infection of the lungs results in generation of infectious aerosols,
      which pose a significant hazard to close contacts. In enzootic areas, plague
      infections have been reported in owners and veterinarians who come into contact
      with infected pets. Dogs are relatively resistant, but can import infected fleas
      into the home. Cats are acutely susceptible, and can present a direct hazard to
      health. Reducing roaming and hunting behaviours, combined with flea control
      measures go some way to reducing the risk to humans. Various vaccine formulations
      have been developed which may be suitable to protect companion animals from
      contracting plague, and thus preventing onward transmission to man. Since
      transmission has resulted in a number of fatal cases of plague, the vaccination
      of domestic animals such as cats would seem a low cost strategy for reducing the
      risk of infection by this serious disease in enzootic regions. 

PMID- 26486316
TI  - Age-related neuromuscular changes affecting human vastus lateralis.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Skeletal muscle size and strength decline in older age. The vastus
      lateralis, a large thigh muscle, undergoes extensive neuromuscular remodelling in
      healthy ageing, as characterized by a loss of motor neurons, enlargement of
      surviving motor units and instability of neuromuscular junction transmission. The
      loss of motor axons and changes to motor unit potential transmission precede a
      clinically-relevant loss of muscle mass and function. ABSTRACT: The anterior
      thigh muscles are particularly susceptible to muscle loss and weakness during
      ageing, although how this is associated with changes to neuromuscular structure
      and function in terms of motor unit (MU) number, size and MU potential (MUP)
      stability remains unclear. Intramuscular (I.M.) and surface electromyographic
      signals were recorded from the vastus lateralis (VL) during voluntary
      contractions held at 25% maximal knee extensor strength in 22 young (mean +/- SD,
      25.3 +/- 4.8 years) and 20 physically active older men (71.4 +/- 6.2 years). MUP
      size, firing rates, phases, turns and near fibre (NF) jiggle were determined and
      MU number estimates (MUNEs) were made by comparing average surface MUP with
      maximal electrically-evoked compound muscle action potentials. Quadriceps cross
      sectional area was measured by magnetic resonance imaging. In total, 379
      individual MUs were sampled in younger men and 346 in older men. Compared to the
      MU in younger participants, those in older participants had 8% lower firing rates
      and larger MUP size (+25%), as well as increased complexity, as indicated by
      phases (+13%), turns (+20%) and NF jiggle (+11%) (all P < 0.0005). The MUNE
      values (derived from the area of muscle in range of the surface-electrode) in
      older participants were ~70% of those in the young (P < 0.05). Taking into
      consideration the 30% smaller cross-sectional area of the VL, the total number of
      MUs in the older muscles was between 50% and 60% lower compared to in young
      muscles (P < 0.0005). A large portion of the VL MU pool is lost in older men and
      those recruited during moderate intensity contractions were enlarged and less
      stable. These MU changes were evident before clinically relevant changes to
      muscle function were apparent; nevertheless, the changes in MU number and size
      are probably a prelude to future movement problems.

PMID- 26486317
TI  - Hit Optimization of 5-Substituted-N-(piperidin-4-ylmethyl)-1H-indazole-3
      carboxamides: Potent Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (GSK-3) Inhibitors with in Vivo
      Activity in Model of Mood Disorders.
AB  - Novel treatments for bipolar disorder with improved efficacy and broader spectrum
      of activity are urgently needed. Glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK-3beta) has
      been suggested to be a key player in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder. A
      series of novel GSK-3beta inhibitors having the common N-[(1-alkylpiperidin-4
      yl)methyl]-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide scaffold were prepared taking advantage of
      an X-ray cocrystal structure of compound 5 with GSK-3beta. We probed different
      substitutions at the indazole 5-position and at the piperidine-nitrogen to obtain
      potent ATP-competitive GSK-3beta inhibitors with good cell activity. Among the
      compounds assessed in the in vivo PK experiments, 14i showed, after i.p. dosing,
      encouraging plasma PK profile and brain exposure, as well as efficacy in a mouse
      model of mania. Compound 14i was selected for further in vitro/in vivo
      pharmacological evaluation, in order to elucidate the use of ATP-competitive GSK
      3beta inhibitors as new tools in the development of new treatments for mood
      disorders. 

PMID- 26486319
TI  - Formation of Highly Strained N-Heterocycles via Decomposition of Iron N
      Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: The Value of Labile Fe-C Bonds.
AB  - An unusual, highly-strained annulated 2,2'-biimdazole was isolated as
      decomposition product of the outer-sphere one-electron oxidation of an iron(II) N
      heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complex bearing a tetradentate bis(NHC)-bis-
      (pyridine) ligand (NCCN). Reductive elimination leading to the 2,2'-biimdazole is
      a consequence of the lability of the Fe?C bonds in the transient species and also
      extends to complexes with modified ligands but the same coordination geometry.
      Closely related by a two-electron redox step to a family of less-strained
      tetraazafulvalenes, the obtained 2,2'-biimidazolium salts were studied
      electrochemically. Introduction of methyl substituents at the methylene tether
      significantly increased the reversibility of the electrochemical reduction.
      Furthermore, the reactivity of the 2,2'-biimidazolium salt was examined by
      oxidative addition of [Ni(cod)2 ] to the central C?C bond, providing a previously
      unknown way for the formation of NHC transition metal complexes. 

PMID- 26486318
TI  - Topical management of striae distensae (stretch marks): prevention and therapy of
      striae rubrae and albae.
AB  - Striae distensae (SD) are common dermal lesions, with significant physical and
      psychological impact. Many therapeutic modalities are available but none can
      completely eradicate SD. The most common therapy is the application of topicals
      used both therapeutically and prophylactically. Even though there are many
      commercially available topical products, not all have sufficient level of
      evidence to support their continued use in SD. The aim here was to assess the
      evidence for the use of topicals in SD and to propose a structured approach in
      managing SD. A systematic search of published literature and manufacturer website
      information for topicals in SD was carried out. The results showed that there are
      few studies (n = 11) which investigate the efficacy of topicals in management of
      SD. Trofolastin and Alphastria creams demonstrated level-2 evidence of positive
      results for their prophylactic use in SD. Additionally, tretinoin used
      therapeutically showed varying results whilst cocoa butter and olive oil did not
      demonstrate any effect. Overall, there is a distinct lack of evidence for each
      topical formulation. The majority of topicals failed to mention their effect on
      early vs. later stages of SD (striae rubrae compared to striae albae) and their
      role in both prevention and treatment. In conclusion, there is no topical
      formulation, which is shown to be most effective in eradicating or improving SD.
      A structured approach in identification and targeted management of symptoms and
      signs with the appropriate topical is required. Randomized controlled trials are
      necessary to assess the efficacy of topical products for treatment and prevention
      of different stages of SD.

PMID- 26486320
TI  - A Single Biosensor for Evaluating the Levels of Copper Ion and L-Cysteine in a
      Live Rat Brain with Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Copper ion (Cu(2+)) and L-cysteine (CySH) are closely correlated with
      physiological and pathological events of Alzheimer's Disease (AD), however the
      detailed mechanism is still unclear, mainly owing to a lack of accurate
      analytical methods in live brains. Herein, we report a single biosensor for
      electrochemical ratiometric detection of Cu(2+) and CySH in live rat brains with
      AD. N,N-di-(2-picoly)ethylenediamine (DPEA) is first synthesized for specific
      recognition of Cu(2+) to form a DPEA-Cu(2+) complex. This complex shows high
      selectivity for CySH owing to the release of Cu(2+) from the complex through CySH
      binding to Cu(2+) center. In parallel, 5'-MB-GGCGCGATTTTTTTTTTTTT-SH-3' (HS-DNA
      MB, MB=Methylene Blue) is designed as an inner-reference for providing a built-in
      correction to improve the accuracy. As a result, combined with the amplified
      effect of Au nanoleaves, our single ratiometric biosensor can be successfully
      applied in real-time detection of Cu(2+) and CySH in the live rat brains with AD.
      To our knowledge, this is the first report on the accurate concentrations of
      Cu(2+) and CySH in live rat brains with AD.

PMID- 26486321
TI  - What is "homology thinking" and what is it for?
AB  - In this paper I examine the thesis by Marc Ereshefsky that, in evolutionary
      biology, there is a third style of thinking, besides the well-known "population
      thinking" and "tree thinking." Ereshefsky proposes "homology thinking" as a third
      approach, focused on the transformation of organismal phenotypes. In this short
      commentary, I aim at identifying the underlying biological assumptions for
      homology thinking and how they can be put to work in a research program within
      evolutionary biology. I propose that homology thinking is based on three
      insights: 1) multicellular organisms consist of developmentally individualized
      parts (sub-systems); 2) that developmental individuation entails evolutionary
      individuation, that is, variational quasi-independence; and 3) these individuated
      body parts are inherited, though indirectly, and form lineages that are
      recognized as homologies. These facts support a research program focused on the
      modification and origination of individuated body parts that supplements and puts
      into perspective the population genetic and phylogenetic approaches to the study
      of evolution.

PMID- 26486323
TI  - Guest editorial: pre-leukemia/pre-lymphoma-what is old, what  is new?

PMID- 26486322
TI  - Comparison of peritoneal closure techniques in laparoscopic transabdominal
      preperitoneal inguinal hernia repair: a prospective randomized study.
AB  - PURPOSE: We aimed to compare tacker and suture techniques for peritoneal closure
      with respect to patient outcomes. METHODS: A total of 64 patients were included
      in the study, 32 being in the tacker group and 32 in the suture group. All
      patients underwent laparoscopic TAPP inguinal hernia repair. Both groups were
      compared with respect to age, sex, duration of peritoneal closure and the
      operation, hernia type, the number of tackers used for mesh fixation,
      postoperative complication rate, visual analogue scale (VAS) scores on 1st, 7th,
      and 30th days, duration of follow-up, and recurrence rates. RESULTS: Duration of
      peritoneal closure and the operation was significantly shorter in the tacker
      group compared to the suture group (p < 0.001, p = 0.008, respectively).
      Statistical analysis with the two-way analysis of variance method revealed that
      mesh fixation with one or two tackers did not influence postoperative pain. VAS 1
      was significantly lower in patients with peritoneal closure with suture compared
      to the patients undergoing peritoneal closure with tacker (p = 0.027). VAS 7 and
      VAS 30 were lower for peritoneal closure with suture versus tacker, although the
      difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.064, p = 0.294,
      respectively). We observed no recurrence at an average of 21-month follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: Tacker and suture appeared to have a comparable safety for
      peritoneal closure in laparoscopic TAPP inguinal hernia operation. It can be
      suggested that peritoneal closure with tacker increased short-term pain,
      independent of the number of tackers used for mesh fixation. Long-term pain was
      similar in both groups.

PMID- 26486324
TI  - A review of consanguinity in Ireland--estimation of frequency and approaches to
      mitigate risks.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Over half of marriages are consanguineous in some countries, and
      about 10 % of children worldwide have consanguineous parents. Perceived benefits
      of consanguineous marriage (CM) include preservation of tradition, stronger
      family ties, financial advantages, and bride protection. Potential harms include
      autosomal recessive disorders, complex congenital malformations, stillbirths,
      postnatal mortality. There have been no population-based data published on
      frequency of CM in Ireland since 1970. METHODS: International prevalence figures
      and published estimates of CM were applied to 2011 Irish Census data to calculate
      the frequency of CM in at-risk groups. Searches of the published and grey
      literature were conducted to review evidence-based approaches to mitigate risks
      of CM and apply findings to the Irish context. RESULTS: The estimated number of
      consanguineous couples has grown in subpopulations in Ireland in the past decade,
      particularly among Pakistanis (>967 couples), Nigerians (418-794 couples) and
      Indians (54-2099 couples). There are up to 3000 consanguineous couples in the
      Traveller community. Evidence for approaches to mitigate associated risks
      supports a three-stranded approach: family-centred genetics services, training
      and education of healthcare professionals (HCPs), community education programmes.
      DISCUSSION: Consanguineous couples desire accurate information for reproductive
      decisions, but may avoid hospital-based services due to language barriers, poor
      understanding, stigma. Uptake of genetic counselling and carrier testing is
      higher if a family-centred approach is provided, ideally through home visits in
      the couple's preferred language. Targeted education programmes enhance community
      awareness and have led to declines in CM elsewhere. Education of HCPs is
      necessary to clarify referral pathways, as many have exaggerated impressions of
      the genetic risks.

PMID- 26486325
TI  - The role of TARBP2 in the development and progression of cancers.
AB  - TARBP2 is a RNA-binding protein (RBP) involved in miRNA processing and
      maturation. TARBP2 plays significant roles in many biological and pathological
      conditions, including viral expression of HIV-1, microsatellite instability,
      cancer stem cell properties, and tumor progression. Overexpression of TARBP2 was
      observed in many cancers such as prostate cancer, cutaneous malignant melanoma,
      and adrenocortical carcinoma. In addition, TARBP2 was also found to be
      downregulated in some cancers including colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, Ewing
      sarcoma, and upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma. Therefore, whether TARBP2
      functions as the tumor suppressor or tumor promoter is conflicting. In the
      present review, we provide an overview of current knowledge concerning the role
      of TARBP2 in tumor development and progression. 

PMID- 26486326
TI  - Establishment and characterization of a human intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
      cell line derived from an Italian patient.
AB  - Biliary tract carcinoma is a rare malignancy with multiple causes, which underlie
      the different genetic and molecular profiles. Cancer cell lines are affordable
      models, reflecting the characteristics of the tumor of origin. They represent
      useful tools to identify molecular targets for treatment. Here, we established
      and characterized from biological, molecular, and genetic point of view, an
      Italian intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma cell line (ICC), the MT-CHC01. MT-CHC01
      cells were isolated from a tumor-derived xenograft. Immunophenotypical
      characterization was evaluated both at early and after stabilization passages. In
      vitro biological, genetic, and molecular features were also investigated. In vivo
      tumorigenicity was assessed in NOD/SCID mice. MT-CHC01cells retain epithelial
      cell markers, EPCAM, CK7, and CK19, and some stemness and pluripotency markers,
      i.e., SOX2, Nanog, CD49f/integrin-alpha6, CD24, PDX1, FOXA2, and CD133. They grow
      as a monolayer, with a population double time of about 40 h; they show a low
      migration and invasion potential. In low attachment conditions, they are able to
      form spheres and to growth in anchorage-independent manner. After subcutaneous
      injection, they retain in vivo tumorigenicity; the expression of biliary markers
      as CA19-9 and CEA were maintained from primary tumor. The karyotype is highly
      complex, with a hypotriploid to hypertriploid modal number (3n+/-) (52 to 77
      chromosomes); low level of HER2 gene amplification, TP53 deletion, gain of AURKA
      were identified; K-RAS G12D mutation were maintained from primary tumor to MT
      CHC01 cells. We established the first ICC cell line derived from an Italian
      patient. It will help to study either the biology of this tumor or to test drugs
      both in vitro and in vivo. 

PMID- 26486327
TI  - St Gallen molecular subtypes in feline mammary carcinoma and paired metastases
      disease progression and clinical implications from a 3-year follow-up study.
AB  - Considering that scarce data are available on disease progression of feline
      mammary carcinoma (FMC), this study aimed to analyze the clinical, pathological,
      and immunophenotypic features collected from 61 queens with FMC and to compare
      the concordance ratios of the expression levels of five molecular markers (ER,
      PR, fHER2, CK5/6, and Ki-67) between primary tumors (PT) and metastatic lesions.
      The results showed that cats with luminal A mammary carcinomas (MC) had higher
      overall survival (924.6 days, p = 0.001) and longer disease-free period (385.4
      days, p = 0.005) compared to the ones with other MC subtypes. In fact, queens
      with triple negative/basal-like MC showed the lowest survival (mean 156.2 days)
      and the shortest disease-free survival (mean 28 days) among the molecular
      subtypes of MC. The lung was the organ most frequently affected by metastases,
      and animals with lung and/or pleural metastases were more likely to display
      metastases at three or more locations (p = 0.039). A large heterogeneity in
      protein expression levels was found between PT and paired metastases, with both
      estrogen and progesterone receptors more likely to be downregulated in
      metastases. Paired metastases frequently had higher Ki-67 index than PT, whereas
      fHER2 overexpression was seen in 46 samples (30 %) and CK5/6 expression was found
      in 50.7 % of metastases (36/71). Results also revealed that disease progression
      leads to a high percentage of triple negative/basal-like metastases (9/23; 39.1
      %) associated with the absence of luminal A subtype in distant metastases (0/23).
      This study highlights the prognostic importance of immunophenotyping of MC in
      cats, although the modified protein expression identified in metastases
      contributes to justify why possible targeted therapies may fail in some animals
      with metastatic disease. Altogether, the results obtained also demonstrate that
      FMC can be used as a model to study human breast cancer. 

PMID- 26486329
TI  - HIFU Tissue Ablation: Concept and Devices.
AB  - High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is rapidly gaining clinical acceptance
      as a technique capable of providing non-invasive heating and ablation for a wide
      range of applications. Usually requiring only a single session, treatments are
      often conducted as day case procedures, with the patient either fully conscious,
      lightly sedated or under light general anesthesia. HIFU scores over other thermal
      ablation techniques because of the lack of necessity for the transcutaneous
      insertion of probes into the target tissue. Sources placed either outside the
      body (for treatment of tumors or abnormalities of the liver, kidney, breast,
      uterus, pancreas brain and bone), or in the rectum (for treatment of the
      prostate), provide rapid heating of a target tissue volume, the highly focused
      nature of the field leaving tissue in the ultrasound propagation path relatively
      unaffected. Numerous extra-corporeal, transrectal and interstitial devices have
      been designed to optimize application-specific treatment delivery for the wide
      ranging areas of application that are now being explored with HIFU. Their
      principle of operation is described here, and an overview of their design
      principles is given. 

PMID- 26486328
TI  - Long non-coding RNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 12 (SNHG12) promotes cell
      proliferation and migration by upregulating angiomotin gene expression in human
      osteosarcoma cells.
AB  - The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 12 (SNHG12) has a
      role in cell proliferation and migration. Angiomotin, encoded by the AMOT gene,
      is a protein that regulates the migration and organization of endothelial cells.
      SNHG12 and AMOT have been shown to play a role in a variety of human cancers but
      have yet to be studied in detail in human osteosarcoma. Tissue samples from
      primary osteosarcoma (n = 20) and adjacent normal tissues (n = 20), the
      osteosarcoma cell lines, SAOS-2, MG-63, U-2 OS, and the human osteoblast cell
      line hFOB (OB3) were studied using Western blot for angiomotin, and quantitative
      real-time polymerase chain reaction for the expression of SNHG12 and AMOT. The
      expression of SNHG12 was knocked down using RNA interference. Cell migration
      assays were performed. Cell apoptosis was studied using flow cytometry. SNHG12
      and AMOT messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was upregulated in osteosarcoma tissues
      and cell lines when compared with normal tissues and cells. Upregulation of AMOT
      mRNA was associated with upregulation of SNHG12. Knockdown of SNHG12 reduced the
      expression of angiomotin in osteosarcoma cells and suppressed cell proliferation
      and migration but did not affect cell apoptosis. This preliminary study has shown
      that the lncRNA SNHG12 promotes cell proliferation and migration by upregulating
      AMOT gene expression in osteosarcoma cells in vivo and in vitro. Further studies
      are recommended to investigate the role of SNHG12 and AMOT expression in tumor
      cell proliferation and migration and angiogenesis in osteosarcoma and a range of
      malignant mesenchymal tumors. 

PMID- 26486330
TI  - Prostate Focused Ultrasound Therapy.
AB  - The tremendous progress in engineering and computing power coupled with
      ultrasound transducer technology and imaging modalities over the past 20 years
      have encouraged a revival of clinical interest in ultrasound therapy, mainly in
      High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU). So far, the most extensive results from
      HIFU obtained in urology involve transrectal prostate ablation, which appears to
      be an effective therapeutic alternative for patients with malignant prostate
      tumors. Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in
      men. Several treatment options with different therapeutic approaches exist,
      including HIFU for localized PCa that has been in use for over 15 years. Since
      the early 2000s, two systems have been marketed for this application, and other
      devices are currently in clinical trials. HIFU treatment can be used either alone
      or in combination with (before- or after-) external beam radiotherapy (EBRT)
      (before or after HIFU) and can be repeated multiple times. HIFU treatment is
      performed under real-time monitoring with ultrasound or guided by MRI. Two
      indications are validated today: Primary care treatment and EBRT failure. The
      results of HIFU for primary care treatment are similar to standard conformal
      EBRT, even though no randomized comparative studies have been performed and no 10
      year follow up data is yet available for HIFU. Salvage HIFU after EBRT failure is
      increasing with oncological outcomes, similar to those achieved with surgery but
      with the advantage of fewer adverse effects. HIFU is an evolving technology
      perfectly adapted for focal treatment. Thus, HIFU focal therapy is another
      pathway that must be explored when considering the accuracy and reliability for
      PCa mapping techniques. HIFU would be particularly suited for such a therapy
      since it is clear that HIFU outcomes and toxicity are relative to the volume of
      prostate treated. 

PMID- 26486331
TI  - MRI-Guided HIFU Methods for the Ablation of Liver and Renal Cancers.
AB  - MRI-guided High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (MRI-HIFU) is a promising method for
      the non-invasive ablation of pathological tissue in many organs, including mobile
      organs such as liver and kidney. The possibility to locally deposit thermal
      energy in a non-invasive way opens a path towards new therapeutic strategies with
      improved reliability and reduced associated trauma, leading to improved efficacy,
      reduced hospitalization and costs. Liver and kidney tumors represent a major
      health problem because not all patients are suitable for curative treatment with
      surgery. Currently, radio-frequency is the most used method for percutaneous
      ablation. The development of a completely non-invasive method based on MR guided
      high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatments is of particular interest due
      to the associated reduced burden for the patient, treatment related patient
      morbidity and complication rate. The objective of MR-guidance is hereby to
      control heat deposition with HIFU within the targeted pathological area, despite
      the physiological motion of these organs, in order to provide an effective
      treatment with a reduced duration and an increased level of patient safety.
      Regarding this, several technological challenges have to be addressed: Firstly,
      the anatomical location of both organs within the thoracic cage requires inter
      costal ablation strategies, which preserve the therapeutic efficiency, but
      prevent undesired tissue damage to the ribs and the intercostal muscle. Secondly,
      both therapy guidance and energy deposition have to be rendered compatible with
      the continuous physiological motion of the abdomen. 

PMID- 26486332
TI  - Magnetic Resonance-Guided High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation of Breast
      Cancer.
AB  - This chapter describes several aspects of MR-HIFU treatment for breast cancer.
      The current and future applications, technical developments and clinical results
      are discussed. MR-HIFU ablation is under investigation for the treatment of
      breast cancer, but is not yet ready for clinical implementation. Firstly, the
      efficacy of MR-HIFU ablation should be investigated in large trials. The existing
      literature shows that results of initial, small studies are moderate, but
      opportunities for improvement are available. Careful patient selection, taking
      treatment margins into account and using a dedicated breast system might improve
      treatment outcomes. MRI-guidance has proven to be beneficial for the accuracy and
      safety of HIFU treatments because of its usefulness before, during and after
      treatments. In conclusion, MR-HIFU is promising for the treatment of breast
      cancer and might lead to a change in breast cancer care in the future. 

PMID- 26486333
TI  - HIFU for Palliative Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest malignancies, with only a 6 % 5-year
      survival rate and over 50 % of patients being diagnosed at the advanced stage.
      Current therapies are ineffective, and the treatment of patients with advanced
      disease is palliative. In the past decade, HIFU ablation has emerged as a
      modality for palliative treatment of pancreatic tumors. Multiple preclinical and
      non-randomized clinical trials have been performed to evaluate the safety and
      efficacy of this procedure. Substantial tumor-related pain reduction was achieved
      in most cases after HIFU treatment and few significant side effects were
      observed. In addition, some studies indicate that combination of HIFU ablation
      with chemotherapy may provide a survival benefit. This chapter summarizes the pre
      clinical and clinical experience obtained to date in HIFU treatment of pancreatic
      tumors and discusses the challenges, limitations and new approaches in this
      modality. 

PMID- 26486334
TI  - MR-Guided Transcranial Focused Ultrasound.
AB  - Previous chapters introduced the ability of using focused ultrasound to ablate
      tissues. It has led to various clinical applications in the treatment of uterine
      fibroid, prostate or liver cancers. Nevertheless, treating the brain non
      invasively with focused ultrasound has been considered beyond reach for almost a
      century: The skull bone protects the brain from mechanical injuries, but it also
      reflects and refracts ultrasound, making it difficult to target the brain with
      focused ultrasound. Fortunately, aberration correction techniques have been
      developed recently and thermal lesioning in the thalamus has been achieved
      clinically. This chapter introduces the aberration effect of the skull bone and
      how it can be corrected non-invasively. It also presents the latest clinical
      results obtained with thermal ablation and introduces novel non-thermal
      approaches that could revolutionize brain therapy in the future. 

PMID- 26486335
TI  - Focused Ultrasound and Lithotripsy.
AB  - Shock wave lithotripsy has generally been a first choice for kidney stone
      removal. The shock wave lithotripter uses an order of microsecond pulse durations
      and up to a 100 MPa pressure spike triggered at approximately 0.5-2 Hz to
      fragment kidney stones through mechanical mechanisms. One important mechanism is
      cavitation. We proposed an alternative type of lithotripsy method that maximizes
      cavitation activity to disintegrate kidney stones using high-intensity focused
      ultrasound (HIFU). Here we outline the method according to the previously
      published literature (Matsumoto et al., Dynamics of bubble cloud in focused
      ultrasound. Proceedings of the second international symposium on therapeutic
      ultrasound, pp 290-299, 2002; Ikeda et al., Ultrasound Med Biol 32:1383-1397,
      2006; Yoshizawa et al., Med Biol Eng Comput 47:851-860, 2009; Koizumi et al., A
      control framework for the non-invasive ultrasound the ragnostic system.
      Proceedings of 2009 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and
      Systems (IROS), pp 4511-4516, 2009; Koizumi et al., IEEE Trans Robot 25:522-538,
      2009). Cavitation activity is highly unpredictable; thus, a precise control
      system is needed. The proposed method comprises three steps of control in kidney
      stone treatment. The first step is control of localized high pressure fluctuation
      on the stone. The second step is monitoring of cavitation activity and giving
      feedback on the optimized ultrasound conditions. The third step is stone tracking
      and precise ultrasound focusing on the stone. For the high pressure control we
      designed a two-frequency wave (cavitation control (C-C) waveform); a high
      frequency ultrasound pulse (1-4 MHz) to create a cavitation cloud, and a low
      frequency trailing pulse (0.5 MHz) following the high frequency pulse to force
      the cloud into collapse. High speed photography showed cavitation collapse on a
      kidney stone and shock wave emission from the cloud. We also conducted in-vitro
      erosion tests of model and natural kidney stones. For the model stones, the
      erosion rate of the C-C waveform showed a distinct advantage with the combined
      high and low frequency waves over either wave alone. For optimization of the high
      frequency ultrasound intensity, we investigated the relationship between
      subharmonic emission from cavitation bubbles and stone erosion volume. For stone
      tracking we have also developed a non-invasive ultrasound theragnostic system
      (NIUTS) that compensates for kidney motion. Natural stones were eroded and most
      of the resulting fragments were less than 1 mm in diameter. The small fragments
      were small enough to pass through the urethra. The results demonstrate that, with
      the precise control of cavitation activity, focused ultrasound has the potential
      to be used to develop a less invasive and more controllable lithotripsy system. 

PMID- 26486336
TI  - Heat-Based Tumor Ablation: Role of the Immune Response.
AB  - The ideal cancer therapy not only induces the death of all localized tumor cells
      with less damage to surrounding normal tissue, but also activates a systemic
      antitumor immunity. Heat-based tumor ablation has the potential to be such a
      treatment as it can minimal-invasively ablate a targeted tumor below the skin
      surface, and may subsequently augment host antitumor immunity. This chapter
      primarily introduces increasing pre-clinical and clinical evidence linking
      antitumor immune response to thermal tumor ablation, and then discusses the
      potential mechanisms involved in ablation-enhanced host antitumor immunity. The
      seminal studies performed so far indicate that although it is not possible to
      make definite conclusions on the connection between thermal ablation and
      antitumor immune response, it is nonetheless important to conduct extensive
      studies on the subject in order to elucidate the processes involved. 

PMID- 26486337
TI  - Droplets, Bubbles and Ultrasound Interactions.
AB  - The interaction of droplets and bubbles with ultrasound has been studied
      extensively in the last 25 years. Microbubbles are broadly used in diagnostic and
      therapeutic medical applications, for instance, as ultrasound contrast agents.
      They have a similar size as red blood cells, and thus are able to circulate
      within blood vessels. Perfluorocarbon liquid droplets can be a potential new
      generation of microbubble agents as ultrasound can trigger their conversion into
      gas bubbles. Prior to activation, they are at least five times smaller in
      diameter than the resulting bubbles. Together with the violent nature of the
      phase-transition, the droplets can be used for local drug delivery,
      embolotherapy, HIFU enhancement and tumor imaging. Here we explain the basics of
      bubble dynamics, described by the Rayleigh-Plesset equation, bubble resonance
      frequency, damping and quality factor. We show the elegant calculation of the
      above characteristics for the case of small amplitude oscillations by linearizing
      the equations. The effect and importance of a bubble coating and effective
      surface tension are also discussed. We give the main characteristics of the power
      spectrum of bubble oscillations. Preceding bubble dynamics, ultrasound
      propagation is introduced. We explain the speed of sound, nonlinearity and
      attenuation terms. We examine bubble ultrasound scattering and how it depends on
      the wave-shape of the incident wave. Finally, we introduce droplet interaction
      with ultrasound. We elucidate the ultrasound-focusing concept within a droplets
      sphere, droplet shaking due to media compressibility and droplet phase-conversion
      dynamics. 

PMID- 26486338
TI  - Sonoporation: Concept and Mechanisms.
AB  - Contrast agents for ultrasound are now routinely used for diagnosis and imaging.
      In recent years, new promising possibilities for targeted drug delivery have been
      proposed that can be realized by using the microbubble composing ultrasound
      contrast agents (UCAs). The microbubbles can carry drugs and selectively adhere
      to specific sites in the human body. This capability, in combination with the
      effect known as sonoporation, provides great possibilities for localized drug
      delivery. Sonoporation is a process in which ultrasonically activated UCAs,
      pulsating nearby biological barriers (cell membrane or endothelial layer),
      increase their permeability and thereby enhance the extravasation of external
      substances. In this way drugs and genes can be delivered inside individual cells
      without serious consequences for the cell viability. Sonoporation has been
      validated both in-vitro using cell cultures and in-vivo in preclinical studies.
      However, today, the mechanisms by which molecules cross the biological barriers
      remain unrevealed despite a number of proposed theories. This chapter will
      provide a survey of the current studies on various hypotheses regarding the
      routes by which drugs are incorporated into cells or across the endothelial layer
      and possible associated microbubble acoustic phenomena. 

PMID- 26486339
TI  - Design of Microbubbles for Gene/Drug Delivery.
AB  - The role of ultrasound contrast agents (UCA) initially designed for diagnosis has
      evolved towards a therapeutic use. Ultrasound (US) for triggered drug delivery
      has many advantages. In particular, it enables a high spatial control of drug
      release, thus potentially allowing activation of drug delivery only in the
      targeted region, and not in surrounding healthy tissue. Moreover, UCA imaging can
      also be used firstly to precisely locate the target region to, and then used to
      monitor the drug delivery process by tracking the location of release occurrence.
      All these features make UCA and ultrasound attractive means to mediate drug
      delivery. The three main potential clinical indications for drug/gene US delivery
      are (i) the cardiovascular system, (ii) the central nervous system for small
      molecule delivery, and (iii) tumor therapy using cytotoxic drugs. Although
      promising results have been achieved in preclinical studies in various animal
      models, still very few examples of clinical use have been reported. In this
      chapter will be addressed the aspects pertaining to UCA formulation (chemical
      composition, mode of preparation, analytical methods...) and the requirement for
      a potential translation into the clinic following approval by regulatory
      authorities. 

PMID- 26486340
TI  - Co-administration of Microbubbles and Drugs in Ultrasound-Assisted Drug Delivery:
      Comparison with Drug-Carrying Particles.
AB  - There are two alternative approaches to ultrasound-assisted drug delivery. First,
      the drug can be entrapped into or attached onto the ultrasound-responsive
      particles and administered in the vasculature, to achieve ultrasound-triggered
      drug release from the particles and localized tissue deposition in response to
      ultrasound treatment of the target zone. Second, the drug can be co-administered
      with the microbubbles or other sonosensitive particles. In this case, the action
      of ultrasound on the particles (which act as cavitation nuclei) results in the
      transient improvement of permeability of the physiological barriers, so that the
      circulating drug can exit the bloodstream and get into the target tissues and
      cells. We discuss and compare both of these approaches, their characteristic
      advantages and disadvantages for the specific drug delivery scenarios. Clearly,
      the system based on the off-label use of the existing approved microbubbles and
      drugs (or drug carriers) will have a chance of getting to clinical trials faster
      and with lesser resources spent. However, if a superior curative potential of a
      sonosensitive drug carrier is proven, and formulation stability problems are
      addressed properly, this approach may find its way to practical use, especially
      for nucleic acid delivery scenarios. 

PMID- 26486341
TI  - Drug-Loaded Perfluorocarbon Nanodroplets for Ultrasound-Mediated Drug Delivery.
AB  - The interaction of nanoparticles with directed energy is a novel application in
      targeted drug delivery. This chapter focuses on perfluorocarbon nanoemulsions,
      whose action in drug delivery depends on the ultrasound-triggered phase shift
      from liquid to gaseous state. These nanoemulsions have great potential for
      unloading encapsulated drugs at a desired time and location in the body in
      response to directed ultrasound. In addition, they actively alter their nano
      environment for enhancing drug transport through various biological barriers to
      sites of action, which significantly enhances therapeutic outcome. 

PMID- 26486342
TI  - Bubble-Assisted Ultrasound: Application in Immunotherapy and Vaccination.
AB  - Bubble-assisted ultrasound is a versatile technology with great potential in
      immunotherapy and vaccination. This technology involves the exposure of immune
      cells (i.e., dendritic cells, lymphocytes) in-vitro or diseased tissues (i.e.,
      brain, tumor) in-vivo to ultrasound treatment with gas bubbles. Bubble
      destruction leads to physical forces that induce the direct delivery of weakly
      permeant immuno-stimulatory molecules either into the cytoplasm of immune cells,
      or through the endothelial barrier of diseased tissues. Hence, therapeutic
      antibodies (i.e., antibody-based immunotherapy) and cytokine-encoding nucleic
      acids (i.e., cytokine gene therapy) can be successfully delivered into diseased
      tissues, thus improving immune responses. In addition, protein antigens, as well
      as antigen-encoding nucleic acids (pDNA, mRNA), can be delivered into dendritic
      cells (i.e., dendritic cell-based vaccines), thus leading to a long-lasting
      prophylactic or therapeutic immunization. This chapter focuses on the state-of
      the-art of bubble-assisted ultrasound in the field of immunotherapy and
      vaccination. 

PMID- 26486343
TI  - Sonoporation: Applications for Cancer Therapy.
AB  - Therapeutic efficacy of both traditional chemotherapy and gene therapy in cancer
      is highly dependent on the ability to deliver drugs across natural barriers, such
      as the vessel wall or tumor cell membranes. In this regard, sonoporation induced
      by ultrasound-guided microbubble (USMB) destruction has been widely investigated
      in the enhancement of therapeutic drug delivery given it can help overcome these
      natural barriers, thereby increasing drug delivery into cancer. In this chapter
      we discuss challenges in current cancer therapy and how some of these challenges
      could be overcome using USMB-mediated drug delivery. We particularly focus on
      recent advances in delivery approaches that have been developed to further
      improve therapeutic efficiency and specificity of various cancer treatments. An
      example of clinical translation of USMB-mediated drug delivery is also shown. 

PMID- 26486344
TI  - Microbubble-Assisted Ultrasound for Drug Delivery in the Brain and Central
      Nervous System.
AB  - The blood-brain barrier is a serious impediment to the delivery of pharmaceutical
      treatments for brain diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative and
      neuropsychatric diseases. Focused ultrasound, when combined with microbubbles,
      has emerged as an effective method to transiently and locally open the blood
      brain barrier to promote drug delivery to the brain. Focused ultrasound has been
      used to successfully deliver a wide variety of therapeutic agents to pre-clinical
      disease models. The requirement for clinical translation of focused ultrasound
      technology is considered. 

PMID- 26486345
TI  - Microbubbles and Ultrasound: Therapeutic Applications in Diabetic Nephropathy.
AB  - Diabetic nephropathy (DN) remains one of the most common causes of end-stage
      renal disease. Current therapeutic strategies aiming at optimization of serum
      glucose and blood pressure are beneficial in early stage DN, but are unable to
      fully prevent disease progression. With the limitations of current medical
      therapies and the shortage of available donor organs for kidney transplantation,
      the need for novel therapies to address DN complications and prevent progression
      towards end-stage renal failure is crucial. The development of ultrasound
      technology for non-invasive and targeted in-vivo gene delivery using high power
      ultrasound and carrier microbubbles offers great therapeutic potential for the
      prevention and treatment of DN. The promising results from preclinical studies of
      ultrasound-mediated gene delivery (UMGD) in several DN animal models suggest that
      UMGD offers a unique, non-invasive platform for gene- and cell-based therapies
      targeted against DN with strong clinical translation potential. 

PMID- 26486346
TI  - Drug and Gene Delivery using Sonoporation for Cardiovascular Disease.
AB  - Using the improvements made in diagnostic contrast enhanced ultrasound,
      researchers have made significant progress in the field of ultrasound-mediated
      sonoporation for drug delivery. Many programs take advantage of commercial
      products; both ultrasound imaging systems and contrast agents to better enable
      translation from preclinical to first-in-man studies (Kotopoulis et al., Med Phys
      40:072902, 2013). Particularly well-suited targets for this novel therapy are
      diseases of the cardiovascular system. This chapter will highlight several recent
      studies addressing treatment of both acute and chronic conditions. 

PMID- 26486348
TI  - Ultrasound-Mediated Polymeric Micelle Drug Delivery.
AB  - The synthesis of multi-functional nanocarriers and the design of new stimuli
      responsive means are equally important for drug delivery. Ultrasound can be used
      as a remote, non-invasive and controllable trigger for the stimuli-responsive
      release of nanocarriers. Polymeric micelles are one kind of potential drug
      nanocarrier. By combining ultrasound and polymeric micelles, a new modality
      (i.e., ultrasound-mediated polymeric micelle drug delivery) has been developed
      and has recently received increasing attention. A major challenge remaining in
      developing ultrasound-responsive polymeric micelles is the improvement of the
      sensitivity or responsiveness of polymeric micelles to ultrasound. This chapter
      reviews the recent advance in this field. In order to understand the interaction
      mechanism between ultrasound stimulus and polymeric micelles, ultrasound effects,
      such as thermal effect, cavitation effect, ultrasound sonochemistry (including
      ultrasonic degradation, ultrasound-initiated polymerization, ultrasonic in-situ
      polymerization and ultrasound site-specific degradation), as well as basic
      micellar knowledge are introduced. Ultrasound-mediated polymeric micelle drug
      delivery has been classified into two main streams based on the different
      interaction mechanism between ultrasound and polymeric micelles; one is based on
      the ultrasound-induced physical disruption of the micelle and reversible release
      of payload. The other is based on micellar ultrasound mechanochemical disruption
      and irreversible release of payload. 

PMID- 26486349
TI  - Stimulation of Bone Repair with Ultrasound.
AB  - This chapter reviews the different options available for the use of ultrasound in
      the enhancement of fracture healing or in the reactivation of a failed healing
      process: LIPUS, shock waves and ultrasound-mediated delivery of bioactive
      molecules, such as growth factors or plasmids. The main emphasis is on LIPUS, or
      Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound, the most widespread and studied technique. LIPUS
      has pronounced bioeffects on tissue regeneration, while employing intensities
      within a diagnostic range. The biological response to LIPUS is complex as the
      response of numerous cell types to this stimulus involves several pathways. Known
      to-date mechanotransduction pathways involved in cell responses include MAPK and
      other kinases signaling pathways, gap-junctional intercellular communication, up
      regulation and clustering of integrins, involvement of the COX-2/PGE2 and iNOS/NO
      pathways, and activation of the ATI mechanoreceptor. Mechanisms at the origin of
      LIPUS biological effects remain intriguing, and analysis is hampered by the
      diversity of experimental systems used in-vitro. Data point to clear evidence
      that bioeffects can be modulated by direct and indirect mechanical effects, like
      acoustic radiation force, acoustic streaming, propagation of surface waves, heat,
      fluid-flow induced circulation and redistribution of nutrients, oxygen and
      signaling molecules. One of the future engineering challenge is therefore the
      design of dedicated experimental set-ups allowing control of these different
      mechanical phenomena, and to relate them to biological responses. Then, the
      derivation of an 'acoustic dose' and the cross-calibration of the different
      experimental systems will be possible. Despite this imperfect knowledge of LIPUS
      biophysics, the clinical evidence, although most often of low quality, speaks in
      favor of the clinical use of LIPUS, when the economics of nonunion and the
      absence of toxicity of this ultrasound technology are taken into account. 

PMID- 26486350
TI  - Sonodynamic Therapy: Concept, Mechanism and Application to Cancer Treatment.
AB  - Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) represents an emerging approach that offers the
      possibility of non-invasively eradicating solid tumors in a site-directed manner.
      It involves the sensitization of target tissues with a non-toxic sensitizing
      chemical agent and subsequent exposure of the sensitized tissues to relatively
      low-intensity ultrasound. Essentially, both aspects (the sensitization and
      ultrasound exposure) are harmless, and cytotoxic events occur when both are
      combined. Due to the significant depth that ultrasound penetrates tissue, the
      approach provides an advantage over similar alternative approaches, such as
      photodynamic therapy (PDT), in which less penetrating light is employed to
      provide the cytotoxic effect in sensitized tissues. This suggests that
      sonodynamic therapy may find wider clinical application, particularly for the non
      invasive treatment of less accessible lesions. Early SDT-based approaches
      employed many of the sensitizers used in PDT, although the manner in which
      ultrasound activates the sensitizer differs from activation events in PDT. Here
      we will review the currently accepted mechanisms by which ultrasound activates
      sensitizers to elicit cytotoxic effects. In addition, we will explore the breath
      of evidence from in-vitro and in-vivo SDT-based studies, providing the reader
      with an insight into the therapeutic potential offered by SDT in the treatment of
      cancer. 

PMID- 26486351
TI  - World Health Organization-defined eosinophilic disorders: 2015 update on
      diagnosis, risk stratification, and management.
AB  - DISEASE OVERVIEW: The eosinophilias encompass a broad range of non-hematologic
      (secondary or reactive) and hematologic (primary, clonal) disorders with
      potential for end-organ damage. DIAGNOSIS: Hypereosinophilia has generally been
      defined as a peripheral blood eosinophil count greater than 1,500/mm(3) and may
      be associated with tissue damage. After exclusion of secondary causes of
      eosinophilia, diagnostic evaluation of primary eosinophilias relies on a
      combination of morphologic review of the blood and marrow, standard cytogenetics,
      fluorescent in situ-hybridization, flow immunocytometry, and T-cell clonality
      assessment to detect histopathologic or clonal evidence for an acute or chronic
      myeloid or lymphoproliferative disorder. RISK STRATIFICATION: Disease prognosis
      relies on identifying the subtype of eosinophilia. After evaluation of secondary
      causes of eosinophilia, the 2008 World Health Organization establishes a semi
      molecular classification scheme of disease subtypes including 'myeloid and
      lymphoid neoplasms with eosinophilia and abnormalities of PDGFRA, PDGFRB, or
      FGFR1', chronic eosinophilic leukemia, not otherwise specified, (CEL, NOS),
      lymphocyte-variant hypereosinophilia, and idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome
      (HES), which is a diagnosis of exclusion. RISK-ADAPTED THERAPY: The goal of the
      therapy is to mitigate eosinophil-mediated organ damage. For patients with milder
      forms of eosinophilia (e.g. < 1,500/mm(3) ) without symptoms or signs of organ
      involvement, a watch and wait approach with close-follow-up may be undertaken.
      Identification of rearranged PDGFRA or PDGFRB is critical because of the
      exquisite responsiveness of these diseases to imatinib. Corticosteroids are first
      line therapy for patients with lymphocyte-variant hypereosinophilia and HES.
      Hydroxyurea and interferon-alpha have demonstrated efficacy as initial treatment
      and steroid-refractory cases of HES. In addition to hydroxyurea, second line
      cytotoxic chemotherapy agents and hematopoietic cell transplant have been used
      for aggressive forms of HES and CEL with outcomes reported for limited numbers of
      patients. Although clinical trials have been performed with anti IL-5
      (mepolizumab) and anti-CD52 (alemtuzumab) antibodies, their therapeutic role in
      primary eosinophilic diseases and HES has yet to be established.

PMID- 26486347
TI  - Sonothrombolysis.
AB  - Thrombo-occlusive disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. In this
      chapter, the use of ultrasound to accelerate clot breakdown alone or in
      combination with thrombolytic drugs will be reported. Primary thrombus formation
      during cardiovascular disease and standard treatment methods will be discussed.
      Mechanisms for ultrasound enhancement of thrombolysis, including thermal heating,
      radiation force, and cavitation, will be reviewed. Finally, in-vitro, in-vivo and
      clinical evidence of enhanced thrombolytic efficacy with ultrasound will be
      presented and discussed. 

PMID- 26486352
TI  - Long-term effect on dystonia after pallidal deep brain stimulation (DBS) in three
      members of a family with a THAP1 mutation.
AB  - Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) is an
      established treatment in patients with severe dystonia. However, factors
      predicting outcome are largely unknown and motor improvement in DYT6 patients
      after DBS has been reported to be poorer as compared to, e.g., DYT1 patients.
      Here, we report the course of clinical improvement for up to 11 years of pallidal
      DBS in three male patients belonging to the same family with early-onset
      generalized or segmental dystonia due to a heterozygous THAP1 gene mutation
      (DYT6). All patients showed an initial effective response to pallidal DBS with a
      mean of 56.9 +/- 11.7% improvement in the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia motor and
      45.5 +/- 22.4% in the disability score at 1-year follow-up. The long-term outcome
      of pallidal DBS was favorable in two patients (39, 67% motor improvement,
      respectively). Our findings demonstrate that motor improvement is variable and
      may depend on disease severity, disease duration, and clinical presentation.
      Overall, our observation supports pallidal DBS as an important treatment option
      in patients with DYT6 dystonia.

PMID- 26486353
TI  - Giovanni Battista Morgagni (1682-1771).
AB  - Giovanni Battista Morgagni (1682-1771) is considered the father of neuropathology
      and one of the most important innovators in the history of medicine. In his "opus
      magnum" De sedibus et causis morborum per anatomen indagatis (The Seats and
      causes of diseases investigated by anatomy), he established pathological anatomy
      as a science by correlating clinical histories with autopsy findings. 

PMID- 26486354
TI  - The pattern of gray matter atrophy in Parkinson's disease differs in cortical and
      subcortical regions.
AB  - Cortical and subcortical gray matter (GM) atrophy may progress differently during
      the course of Parkinson's disease (PD). We delineated and compared the
      longitudinal pattern of these PD-related changes. Structural MRIs and clinical
      measures were obtained from 76 PD with different disease durations and 70
      Controls at baseline, 18-, and 36 months. Both cortical and subcortical (putamen,
      caudate, and globus pallidus) GM volumes were obtained, compared, and associated
      with PD clinical measures at baseline. Their volumes and rates of change also
      were compared among Controls, PDs, and PD subgroups based on duration of illness
      [<=1 year (PD(E)), 1-5 years (PD(M)), and >5 years (PD(L))]. Compared to
      Controls, PD subjects displayed smaller cortical GM and striatal(putamen,
      caudate, ps <=0.001), volumes at baseline. Cortical GM volumes were negatively
      associated with disease duration at baseline, whereas striatal volumes were not.
      PD subjects demonstrated accelerated volume loss in cortical GM (p = 0.006),
      putamen (p = 0.034), and caudate (p = 0.008) compared to Controls. Subgroup
      analyses demonstrated that accelerated cortical atrophy reached statistical
      significance in PD subjects with duration of illness 1-5 years (PD(M), ps<0.001)
      and the trend of accelerated atrophy seemed to persist until later stages,
      whereas striatal atrophy occurred in PD subjects with PD(E) (p = 0.021 for
      putamen, p = 0.005 for caudate) and PD(M) (p = 0.002 for putamen, p = 0.001 for
      caudate) that significantly slowed down in PD(L) (ps for PD(L) vs PD(E) or PD(M):
      <0.01). The pattern of GM loss in PD differs in cortical and subcortical regions,
      with striatal atrophy occurring earlier and extra-striatal cortical atrophy
      later.

PMID- 26486355
TI  - Death, end-stage renal disease and renal function decline  in patients with
      diabetic nephropathy in French cohorts of type 1  and type 2 diabetes.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Microvascular complications are a common feature of diabetes but
      additional research is needed regarding diabetic nephropathy endpoints in type 1
      and type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We compared 277 type 1 diabetes patients with 942
      type 2 diabetes patients, with clinical proteinuria and no endstage renal disease
      (ESRD) at baseline, prospectively followed for death, ESRD and decline in
      estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, all available measures). RESULTS: The
      incidence rate of death was 67.0 (95% CI 59.2, 74.8) vs. 24.6 (95% CI, 19.0,
      30.2) per 1,000 patient-years, in type 2 diabetes and type 1 diabetes,
      respectively. Unadjusted risk for death was greater for type 2 diabetes patients
      (HR 3.423; 95% CI, 2.501, 4.683; p<0.0001), but the difference did not persist
      after adjustment for age (HRage-adj 0.859; 95% CI 0.581, 1.269; p=0.445). The
      incidence rate of ESRD was 18.4 (95% CI 14.2, 22.5) vs. 47.1 (95%CI 38.4, 55.9)
      per 1,000 patient-years, in type 2 diabetes and type 1 diabetes, respectively.
      Unadjusted risk for ESRD was lower in type 2 diabetes (HR 0.399; 95% CI 0.287,
      0.554; p<0.0001), but the difference did not persist after adjustment for sex,
      age and baseline serum creatinine (HRadj 0.989; 95% CI 0.597, 1.639; p=0.965). In
      a mixed linear model, eGFR decline was not significantly different in type 2 vs.
      type 1 diabetes (difference in slope -0.19 [0.28] ml min(-1) 1.73 m(-2) year(-1);
      p=0.512). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: In diabetic nephropathy, once baseline risk
      factors were taken into account the risk for death, ESRD and renal function
      decline did not significantly differ between type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 26486357
TI  - Mapping forested wetlands in the Great Zhan River Basin through integrating
      optical, radar, and topographical data classification techniques.
AB  - Knowledge of the spatial extent of forested wetlands is essential to many studies
      including wetland functioning assessment, greenhouse gas flux estimation, and
      wildlife suitable habitat identification. For discriminating forested wetlands
      from their adjacent land cover types, researchers have resorted to image analysis
      techniques applied to numerous remotely sensed data. While with some success,
      there is still no consensus on the optimal approaches for mapping forested
      wetlands. To address this problem, we examined two machine learning approaches,
      random forest (RF) and K-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithms, and applied these two
      approaches to the framework of pixel-based and object-based classifications. The
      RF and KNN algorithms were constructed using predictors derived from Landsat 8
      imagery, Radarsat-2 advanced synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and topographical
      indices. The results show that the objected-based classifications performed
      better than per-pixel classifications using the same algorithm (RF) in terms of
      overall accuracy and the difference of their kappa coefficients are statistically
      significant (p<0.01). There were noticeably omissions for forested and herbaceous
      wetlands based on the per-pixel classifications using the RF algorithm. As for
      the object-based image analysis, there were also statistically significant
      differences (p<0.01) of Kappa coefficient between results performed based on RF
      and KNN algorithms. The object-based classification using RF provided a more
      visually adequate distribution of interested land cover types, while the object
      classifications based on the KNN algorithm showed noticeably commissions for
      forested wetlands and omissions for agriculture land. This research proves that
      the object-based classification with RF using optical, radar, and topographical
      data improved the mapping accuracy of land covers and provided a feasible
      approach to discriminate the forested wetlands from the other land cover types in
      forestry area.

PMID- 26486356
TI  - Resistance training improves skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity    in elderly
      offspring of overweight and obese mothers.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Maternal obesity predisposes offspring to adulthood morbidities,
      including type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance have been
      associated with shortened telomere length. First, we aimed to investigate whether
      or not maternal obesity influences insulin sensitivity and its relationship with
      leucocyte telomere length (LTL) in elderly women. Second, we tested whether or
      not resistance exercise training improves insulin sensitivity in elderly frail
      women. METHODS: Forty-six elderly women, of whom 20 were frail offspring of
      lean/normal weight mothers (OLM, BMI <=26.3 kg/m2) and 17 were frail offspring of
      overweight/obese mothers (OOM,BMI >=28.1 kg/m2), were studied before and after a
      4 month resistance training (RT) intervention. Muscle insulin sensitivity of
      glucose uptake was measured using 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose and positron emission
      tomography with computed tomography during a hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp.
      Muscle mass and lipid content were measured using magnetic resonance and LTL was
      measured using real-time PCR. RESULTS: The OOM group had lower thigh muscle
      insulin sensitivity compared with the OLM group (p=0.048) but similar whole body
      insulin sensitivity. RT improved whole body and skeletal muscle insulin
      sensitivity in the OOM group only (p=0.004 and p=0.013, respectively), and
      increased muscle mass in both groups (p <0 .01). In addition, in the OOM group,
      LTL correlated with different thigh muscle groups insulin sensitivity (rho >=
      0.53; p <= 0.05). Individuals with shorter LTL showed a higher increase in
      skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity after training (rho >= -0.61; p <= 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Maternal obesity and having telomere shortening were
      associated with insulin resistance in adult offspring. A resistance exercise
      training programme may reverse this disadvantage among offspring of obese
      mothers. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01931540.

PMID- 26486358
TI  - Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis associated with the long-term use of
      ruxolitinib.

PMID- 26486359
TI  - Among-species variation in the energy budgets of reef-building corals: scaling
      from coral polyps to communities.
AB  - The symbiosis between corals and dinoflagellates promotes the rapid growth of
      corals in shallow tropical oceans, and the high overall productivity of coral
      reefs. The aim of this study was to quantify and understand variation in carbon
      acquisition and allocation among coral species. We measured multiple
      physiological traits (including symbiont density, calcification, photosynthesis
      and tissue composition) for the same coral fragments to facilitate direct
      comparisons between species (Stylophora pistillata, Pocillopora damicornis,
      Galaxea fascicularis, Turbinaria reniformis and Acropora sp.). Tissue protein
      content was highly sensitive to the availability of particulate food, increasing
      in fed colonies of all species. Despite among-species variation in physiology,
      and consistent effects of feeding on some traits, overall energy allocation to
      tissue compared with skeleton growth did not depend on food availability.
      Extrapolating from our results, estimated whole-assemblage carbon uptake varied
      >20-fold across different coral assemblages, but this variation was largely
      driven by differences in the tissue surface area of different colony
      morphologies, rather than by differences in surface-area-specific physiological
      rates. Our results caution against drawing conclusions about reef productivity
      based solely on physiological rates measured per unit tissue surface area.
      Understanding the causes and consequences of among-species variation in
      physiological energetics provides insight into the mechanisms that underlie the
      fluxes of organic matter within reefs, and between reefs and the open ocean. 

PMID- 26486360
TI  - The sexually dimorphic behaviour of adult Drosophila suzukii: elevated female
      locomotor activity and loss of siesta is a post-mating response.
AB  - The polyphagous Drosophila suzukii is a highly invasive species that causes
      extensive damage to a wide range of berry and stone fruit crops. A better
      understanding of its biology and especially its behaviour will aid the
      development of new control strategies. We investigated the locomotor behaviour of
      D. suzukii in a semi-natural environment resembling a typical summer in northern
      England and show that adult female D. suzukii are at least 4-fold more active
      during daylight hours than adult males. This result was reproduced in several
      laboratory environments and was shown to be a robust feature of mated, but not
      virgin, female flies. Both males and virgin females kept on a 12 h light:12 h
      dark (12LD) cycle and constant temperature displayed night-time inactivity
      (sleep) followed by weak activity in the morning, an afternoon period of
      quiescence (siesta) and then a prominent evening peak of activity. Both the
      siesta and the sharp evening peak at lights off were severely reduced in females
      after mating. Flies of either sex entrained in 12LD displayed a circadian pattern
      of activity in constant darkness confirming the importance of an endogenous clock
      in regulating adult activity. This response of females to mating is similar to
      that elicited in female Drosophila melanogaster by the male sex peptide (SP). We
      used mass spectrometry to identify a molecular ion (m/z, 5145) corresponding to
      the poly-hydroxylated SP of D. suzukii and to show that this molecule is
      transferred to the female reproductive tract during copulation. We propose that
      the siesta experienced by male and virgin female D. suzukii is an adaptation to
      avoid unnecessary exposure to the afternoon sun, but that mated females faced
      with the challenge of obtaining resources for egg production and finding
      oviposition sites take greater risks, and we suggest that the change in female
      behaviour is induced by the male SP. 

PMID- 26486361
TI  - A simple behaviour provides accuracy and flexibility in odour plume tracking--the
      robotic control of sensory-motor coupling in silkmoths.
AB  - Odour plume tracking is an essential behaviour for animal survival. A fundamental
      strategy for this is to move upstream and then across-stream. Male silkmoths,
      Bombyx mori, display this strategy as a pre-programmed sequential behaviour. They
      walk forward (surge) in response to the female sex pheromone and perform a
      zigzagging 'mating dance'. Though pre-programmed, the surge direction is
      modulated by bilateral olfactory input and optic flow. However, the nature of the
      interaction between these two sensory modalities and contribution of the
      resultant motor command to localizing an odour source are still unknown. We
      evaluated the ability of the silkmoth to localize an odour source under
      conditions of disturbed sensory-motor coupling, using a silkmoth-driven mobile
      robot. The significance of the bilateral olfaction of the moth was confirmed by
      inverting the olfactory input to the antennae, or its motor output. Inversion of
      the motor output induced consecutive circling, which was inhibited by covering
      the visual field of the moth. This suggests that the corollary discharge from the
      motor command and the reafference of self-generated optic flow generate
      compensatory signals to guide the surge accurately. Additionally, after inverting
      the olfactory input, the robot successfully tracked the odour plume by using a
      combination of behaviours. These results indicate that accurate guidance of the
      reflexive surge by integrating bilateral olfactory and visual information with
      innate pre-programmed behaviours increases the flexibility to track an odour
      plume even under disturbed circumstances. 

PMID- 26486362
TI  - Fishing for drifts: detecting buoyancy changes of a top marine predator using a
      step-wise filtering method.
AB  - In southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), fasting- and foraging-related
      fluctuations in body composition are reflected by buoyancy changes. Such buoyancy
      changes can be monitored by measuring changes in the rate at which a seal drifts
      passively through the water column, i.e. when all active swimming motion ceases.
      Here, we present an improved knowledge-based method for detecting buoyancy
      changes from compressed and abstracted dive profiles received through telemetry.
      By step-wise filtering of the dive data, the developed algorithm identifies
      fragments of dives that correspond to times when animals drift. In the dive
      records of 11 southern elephant seals from South Georgia, this filtering method
      identified 0.8-2.2% of all dives as drift dives, indicating large individual
      variation in drift diving behaviour. The obtained drift rate time series exhibit
      that, at the beginning of each migration, all individuals were strongly
      negatively buoyant. Over the following 75-150 days, the buoyancy of all
      individuals peaked close to or at neutral buoyancy, indicative of a seal's
      foraging success. Independent verification with visually inspected detailed high
      resolution dive data confirmed that this method is capable of reliably detecting
      buoyancy changes in the dive records of drift diving species using abstracted
      data. This also affirms that abstracted dive profiles convey the geometric shape
      of drift dives in sufficient detail for them to be identified. Further, it
      suggests that, using this step-wise filtering method, buoyancy changes could be
      detected even in old datasets with compressed dive information, for which
      conventional drift dive classification previously failed. 

PMID- 26486363
TI  - Eye and head movements shape gaze shifts in Indian peafowl.
AB  - Animals selectively direct their visual attention toward relevant aspects of
      their environments. They can shift their attention using a combination of eye,
      head and body movements. While we have a growing understanding of eye and head
      movements in mammals, we know little about these processes in birds. We therefore
      measured the eye and head movements of freely behaving Indian peafowl (Pavo
      cristatus) using a telemetric eye-tracker. Both eye and head movements
      contributed to gaze changes in peafowl. When gaze shifts were smaller, eye
      movements played a larger role than when gaze shifts were larger. The duration
      and velocity of eye and head movements were positively related to the size of the
      eye and head movements, respectively. In addition, the coordination of eye and
      head movements in peafowl differed from that in mammals; peafowl exhibited a near
      absence of the vestibulo-ocular reflex, which may partly result from the
      peafowl's ability to move their heads as quickly as their eyes. 

PMID- 26486364
TI  - Simultaneous measurement of 3D zooplankton trajectories and surrounding fluid
      velocity field in complex flows.
AB  - We describe an automated, volumetric particle image velocimetry (PIV) and
      tracking method that measures time-resolved, 3D zooplankton trajectories and
      surrounding volumetric fluid velocity fields simultaneously and non-intrusively.
      The method is demonstrated for groups of copepods flowing past a wall-mounted
      cylinder. We show that copepods execute escape responses when subjected to a
      strain rate threshold upstream of a cylinder, but the same threshold range
      elicits no escape responses in the turbulent wake downstream. The method was also
      used to document the instantaneous slip velocity of zooplankton and the resulting
      differences in trajectory between zooplankton and non-inertial fluid particles in
      the unsteady wake flow, showing the method's capability to quantify drift for
      both passive and motile organisms in turbulent environments. Applications of the
      method extend to any group of organisms interacting with the surrounding fluid
      environment, where organism location, larger-scale eddies and smaller-scale fluid
      deformation rates can all be tracked and analyzed. 

PMID- 26486365
TI  - Discontinuous gas-exchange cycle characteristics are differentially affected by
      hydration state and energy metabolism in gregarious and solitary desert locusts.
AB  - The termination of discontinuous gas exchange cycles (DGCs) in severely
      dehydrated insects casts doubt on the generality of the hygric hypothesis, which
      posits that DGCs evolved as a water conservation mechanism. We followed DGC
      characteristics in the two density-dependent phases of the desert locust
      Schistocerca gregaria throughout exposure to an experimental treatment of
      combined dehydration and starvation stress, and subsequent rehydration. We
      hypothesized that, under stressful conditions, the more stress-resistant
      gregarious locusts would maintain DGCs longer than solitary locusts. However, we
      found no phase-specific variations in body water content, water loss rates (total
      and respiratory) or timing of stress-induced abolishment of DGCs. Likewise,
      locusts of both phases re-employed DGCs after ingesting comparable volumes of
      water when rehydrated. Despite comparable water management performances, the
      effect of exposure to stressful experimental conditions on DGC characteristics
      varied significantly between gregarious and solitary locusts. Interburst
      duration, which is affected by the ability to buffer CO2, was significantly
      reduced in dehydrated solitary locusts compared with gregarious locusts.
      Moreover, despite similar rehydration levels, only gregarious locusts recovered
      their initial CO2 accumulation capacity, indicating that cycle characteristics
      are affected by factors other than haemolymph volume. Haemolymph protein
      measurements and calculated respiratory exchange ratios suggest that catabolism
      of haemolymph proteins may contribute to a reduced haemolymph buffering capacity,
      and thus a compromised ability for CO2 accumulation, in solitary locusts.
      Nevertheless, DGC was lost at similar hydration states in the two phases,
      suggesting that DGCs are terminated as a result of inadequate oxygen supply to
      the tissues. 

PMID- 26486366
TI  - Characterizing the metabolic capacity of the anoxic hagfish heart.
AB  - Pacific hagfish, Eptatretus stoutii, can recover from 36 h of anoxia at 10
      degrees C. Such anoxia tolerance demands the mobilization of anaerobic fuels and
      the removal of metabolic wastes--processes that require a functional heart. The
      purpose of this study was to measure the metabolic response of the excised,
      cannulated hagfish heart to anoxia using direct calorimetry. These experiments
      were coupled with measurements of cardiac pH and metabolite concentrations, at
      multiple time points, to monitor acid-base balance and anaerobic ATP production.
      We also exposed hagfish to anoxia to compare the in vitro responses of the
      excised hearts with the in vivo responses. The calorimetry results revealed a
      significant reduction in the rate of metabolic heat production over the first
      hour of anoxia exposure, and a recovery over the subsequent 6 h. This response is
      likely attributable to a rapid anoxia-induced depression of aerobic ATP
      production pathways followed by an upregulation of anaerobic ATP-production
      pathways such that the ATP production rate was restored to that measured in
      normoxia. Glycogen-depletion measurements suggest that metabolic processes were
      initially supported by glycolysis but that an alternative fuel source was used to
      support the sustained rates of ATP production. The maintenance of intracellular
      pH during anoxia indicates a remarkable ability of the myocytes to
      buffer/regulate protons and thus protect cardiac function. Altogether, these
      results illustrate that the low metabolic demand of the hagfish heart allows for
      near-routine levels of cardiac metabolism to be supported anaerobically. This is
      probably a significant contributor to the hagfish's exceptional anoxia tolerance.

PMID- 26486367
TI  - A role for nitric oxide in the control of breathing in zebrafish (Danio rerio).
AB  - Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous neurotransmitter, which, in adult mammals,
      modulates the acute hypoxic ventilatory response; its role in the control of
      breathing in fish during development is unknown. We addressed the interactive
      effects of developmental age and NO in the control of piscine breathing by
      measuring the ventilatory response of zebrafish (Danio rerio) adults and larvae
      to NO donors and by inhibiting endogenous production of NO. In adults, sodium
      nitroprusside (SNP), a NO donor, inhibited ventilation; the extent of the
      ventilatory inhibition was related to the pre-existing ventilatory drive, with
      the greatest inhibition exhibited during exposure to hypoxia (PO2=5.6 kPa).
      Inhibition of endogenous NO production using L-NAME suppressed the
      hypoventilatory response to hyperoxia, supporting an inhibitory role of NO in
      adult zebrafish. Neuroepithelial cells (NECs), the putative oxygen chemoreceptors
      of fish, contain neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). In zebrafish larvae at 4
      days post-fertilization, SNP increased ventilation in a concentration-dependent
      manner. Inhibition of NOS activity with L-NAME or knockdown of nNOS inhibited the
      hypoxic (PO2=3.5 kPa) ventilatory response. Immunohistochemistry revealed the
      presence of nNOS in the NECs of larvae. Taken together, these data suggest that
      NO plays an inhibitory role in the control of ventilation in adult zebrafish, but
      an excitatory role in larvae.

PMID- 26486369
TI  - CaMKII knockdown affects both early and late phases of olfactory long-term memory
      in the honeybee.
AB  - Honeybees are able to solve complex learning tasks and memorize learned
      information for long time periods. The molecular mechanisms mediating long-term
      memory (LTM) in the honeybee Apis mellifera are, to a large part, still unknown.
      We approached this question by investigating the potential function of the
      calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), an enzyme known as a
      'molecular memory switch' in vertebrates. CaMKII is able to switch to a calcium
      independent constitutively active state, providing a mechanism for a molecular
      memory and has further been shown to play an essential role in structural
      synaptic plasticity. Using a combination of knockdown by RNA interference and
      pharmacological manipulation, we disrupted the function of CaMKII during
      olfactory learning and memory formation. We found that learning, memory
      acquisition and mid-term memory were not affected, but all manipulations
      consistently resulted in an impaired LTM. Both early LTM (24 h after learning)
      and late LTM (72 h after learning) were significantly disrupted, indicating the
      necessity of CaMKII in two successive stages of LTM formation in the honeybee. 

PMID- 26486368
TI  - Acute cold and exercise training up-regulate similar aspects of fatty acid
      transport and catabolism in house sparrows (Passer domesticus).
AB  - Summit maximum thermoregulatory metabolic rate (Msum) and maximum exercise
      metabolic rate (MMR) both increase in response to acute cold or exercise training
      in birds. Because lipids are the main fuel supporting both thermogenesis and
      exercise in birds, adjustments to lipid transport and catabolic capacities may
      support elevated energy demands from cold and exercise training. To examine a
      potential mechanistic role for lipid transport and catabolism in organismal cross
      training effects (exercise effects on both exercise and thermogenesis, and vice
      versa), we measured enzyme activities and mRNA and protein expression in
      pectoralis muscle for several key steps of lipid transport and catabolism
      pathways in house sparrows (Passer domesticus) during acute exercise and cold
      training. Both training protocols elevated pectoralis protein levels of fatty
      acid translocase (FAT/CD36), cytosolic fatty acid-binding protein, and citrate
      synthase (CS) activity. However, mRNA expression of FAT/CD36 and both mRNA and
      protein expression of plasma membrane fatty acid-binding protein did not change
      for either training group. CS activities in supracoracoideus, leg and heart, and
      carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT) and beta-hydroxyacyl CoA-dehydrogenase
      activities in all muscles did not vary significantly with either training
      protocol. Both Msum and MMR were significantly positively correlated with CPT and
      CS activities. These data suggest that up-regulation of trans-sarcolemmal and
      intramyocyte lipid transport capacities and cellular metabolic intensities, along
      with previously documented increases in body and pectoralis muscle masses and
      pectoralis myostatin (a muscle growth inhibitor) levels, are common mechanisms
      underlying the training effects of both exercise and shivering in birds. 

PMID- 26486370
TI  - Behavioural evidence for a visual and proprioceptive control of head roll in
      hoverflies (Episyrphus balteatus).
AB  - The ability of hoverflies to control their head orientation with respect to their
      body contributes importantly to their agility and their autonomous navigation
      abilities. Many tasks performed by this insect during flight, especially while
      hovering, involve a head stabilization reflex. This reflex, which is mediated by
      multisensory channels, prevents the visual processing from being disturbed by
      motion blur and maintains a consistent perception of the visual environment. The
      so-called dorsal light response (DLR) is another head control reflex, which makes
      insects sensitive to the brightest part of the visual field. In this study, we
      experimentally validate and quantify the control loop driving the head roll with
      respect to the horizon in hoverflies. The new approach developed here consisted
      of using an upside-down horizon in a body roll paradigm. In this unusual
      configuration, tethered flying hoverflies surprisingly no longer use purely
      vision-based control for head stabilization. These results shed new light on the
      role of neck proprioceptor organs in head and body stabilization with respect to
      the horizon. Based on the responses obtained with male and female hoverflies, an
      improved model was then developed in which the output signals delivered by the
      neck proprioceptor organs are combined with the visual error in the estimated
      position of the body roll. An internal estimation of the body roll angle with
      respect to the horizon might explain the extremely accurate flight performances
      achieved by some hovering insects. 

PMID- 26486371
TI  - Trajectories of self-reported cognitive function in postmenopausal women during
      adjuvant systemic therapy for breast cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In a sample of 368 postmenopausal women, we (1) determined within
      cohort and between-cohort relationships between adjuvant systemic therapy for
      breast cancer and self-reported cognitive function during the first 18 months of
      therapy and (2) evaluated the influence of co-occurring symptoms,
      neuropsychological function, and other covariates on relationships. METHODS: We
      evaluated self-reported cognitive function, using the Patient Assessment of Own
      Functioning Inventory (PAOFI), and potential covariates (e.g., co-occurring
      symptom scores and neuropsychological function z-scores) in 158 women receiving
      aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy alone, 104 women receiving chemotherapy followed
      by AI therapy, and 106 non-cancer controls. Patients were assessed before
      systemic therapy and then every 6 months, for a total of four assessments over 18
      months. Controls were assessed at matched time points. Mixed-effects modeling was
      used to determine longitudinal relationships. RESULTS: Controlling for
      covariates, patients enrolled before chemotherapy reported poorer global
      cognitive function (p < 0.001), memory (p < 0.001), language and communication (p
      < 0.001), and sensorimotor function (p = 0.002) after chemotherapy. These
      patients reported poorer higher-level cognitive and intellectual functions from
      before chemotherapy to 12 months after initiation of AI therapy (p < 0.001).
      Higher levels of depressive symptoms (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001), and
      fatigue (p = 0.040) at enrollment were predictors of poorer cognitive function
      over time. PAOFI total score was a predictor of executive function (p = 0.048)
      and visual working memory (p = 0.005) z-scores, controlling for covariates.
      CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide further evidence of poorer self-reported cognitive
      function after chemotherapy and of relationships between co-occurring symptoms
      and cognitive changes. AI therapy alone does not have an impact on self-reported
      cognitive function. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26486373
TI  - Cellular economy in fission yeast cells continuously cultured with limited
      nitrogen resources.
AB  - In ribosome biogenesis, a large fraction of ribosomes is used for producing
      ribosomal proteins themselves. Here, we applied simulation and experimentation to
      determine what fraction of ribosomes should be allocated for the synthesis of
      ribosomal proteins to optimize cellular economy for growth. We define the "r
      fraction" as the fraction of mRNA of the ribosomal protein genes out of the total
      mRNA, and we simulated the effect of the r-fraction on the number of ribosomes.
      We then empirically measured the amount of protein and RNA in fission yeast cells
      cultured with high and low nitrogen sources. In the cells cultured with a low
      nitrogen source, the r-fraction decreased from 0.46 to 0.42 with a 40% reduction
      of rRNA, but the reduction of the total protein was smaller at 30%. These results
      indicate that the r-fraction is internally controlled to optimize the efficiency
      of protein synthesis at a limited cellular cost. 

PMID- 26486374
TI  - A Pilot Study of the Effect of Daikenchuto on Rectal Sensation in Patients with
      Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Daikenchuto (TU 100), a botanical agent that modulates
      gastrointestinal nerves, is used in the treatment of motility and functional
      disorders. Our aim was to study the effects of TU-100 on rectal compliance and
      sensation in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). METHODS: In 20
      patients per treatment arm, we conducted a single-center, randomized, parallel
      group, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-dose pharmacodynamics study
      evaluating the effects of TU-100, 15 g (5 g t.i.d. [means 3 times a day]), for 14
      16 consecutive days on rectal compliance and rectal sensation (thresholds and
      sensation ratings), all measured at baseline and on the last day of medication
      treatment. The primary endpoint was rectal sensation thresholds and sensation
      ratings in response to balloon distension at 32 mmHg. Secondary endpoints were
      rectal compliance, sensation thresholds, ratings and tone (fasting and
      postprandial), bowel pattern, abdominal pain (average and worst severity) and
      bloating scores, IBS quality of life and safety profile. RESULTS: Rectal
      sensation ratings post-treatment were significantly associated with baseline (pre
      treatment) ratings and with level of anxiety or stress recorded at the time of
      the sensation testing. There were no effects of TU-100 treatment on rectal
      sensation ratings, sensation thresholds, rectal fasting or postprandial tone,
      rectal compliance, bowel function, abdominal pain or bloating scores, or IBS
      quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: TU-100 did not significantly affect rectal
      compliance and sensation in patients with IBS in this study.

PMID- 26486372
TI  - Genome of the facultative scuticociliatosis pathogen Pseudocohnilembus persalinus
      provides insight into its virulence through horizontal gene transfer.
AB  - Certain ciliates of the subclass Scuticociliatia (scuticociliates) are
      facultative parasites of fishes in which they cause a suite of diseases
      collectively termed scuticociliatosis. Hitherto, comparatively little was known
      about genetics and genomics of scuticociliates or the mechanism of
      scuticociliatosis. In this study, a laboratory culture of the facultatively
      pathogenic scuticociliate Pseudocohnilembus persalinus was established and its
      genome sequenced, giving the first genome of a marine ciliate. Genome-wide
      horizontal gene transfer (HGT) analysis showed P. persalinus has acquired many
      unique prokaryote-derived genes that potentially contribute to the virulence of
      this organism, including cell adhesion, hemolysis and heme utilization genes.
      These findings give new insights into our understanding of the pathology of
      scuticociliates. 

PMID- 26486375
TI  - Quality of Life Differences in Female and Male Patients with Fecal Incontinence.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: To explore and compare quality of life (QoL) differences in
      female and male patients with fecal incontinence. METHODS: Ninety-one patients
      with fecal incontinence (60 women, mean (SD) age 64.13 (9.72) years; 31 men, mean
      (SD) age 63.61 (13.33) years) were assessed for pathophysiology (anorectal
      manometry and ultrasound), clinical severity (Wexner and Vaizey scales), QoL
      (Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life Score [FIQL]) and health status (EQ-5D).
      RESULTS: External and internal anal sphincter impairment rates were 96.5% and
      70.2%, respectively, in women, compared to 30% and 43.3% respectively in men (P<
      0.05). Clinical severity was similar in both sexes, with mean (SD) Wexner scores
      of 10.95 (4.35) for women and 9.81 (4.30) for men, and mean (SD) Vaizey scores of
      13.27 (4.66) for women and 11.90 (5.22) for men. Scores for women were
      significantly lower for all FIQL depression and coping subscales (P< 0.001) and
      the EQ-5D depression subscale (P< 0.01). EQ-5D index was 0.687 (0.20) for women
      and 0.835 (0.15) for men (P< 0.001). QoL was negatively affected by female gender
      (?1.336), anxiety/depression (?1.324) and clinical severity (?0.302), whereas age
      had a positive impact (0.055 per year) (P< 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The
      pathophysiology of fecal incontinence differed between the sexes. For similar
      severity scores, impact on QoL was higher in women. Gender had the highest impact
      on QoL compared to other factors. QoL measurements should be part of assessment
      and treatment protocols.

PMID- 26486376
TI  - Utility of indocyanine-green fluorescent imaging during robot-assisted sphincter
      saving surgery on rectal cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There have been few studies describing the use of indocyanine green
      (ICG) fluorescent imaging during robot-assisted (RA) sphincter-saving operations
      (SSOs) and assessing its potential role in reducing anastomotic leak (AL).
      METHODS: A consecutive cohort of 436 rectal cancer patients who underwent
      curative RA SSOs were prospectively enrolled during 2010-2014, including 123
      patients with ICG imaging (ICG+ group) and 313 patients without ICG imaging (ICG-
      group). RESULTS: ICG imaging appeared to be helpful in identifying competent
      perfusion of the bowel adjacent to the anastomosis in 13 patients (10.6%) who
      might be susceptible to bowel ischaemia, including restrictive mesocolon. AL was
      remarkably greater in the ICG- group compared with the ICG+ group (5.4% vs 0.8%;
      p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: ICG imaging during RA SSO provides accurate real-time
      knowledge of the perfusion status at or near the anastomosis, specifically
      reducing AL in patients who may incur bowel ischaemia. Copyright (c) 2015 John
      Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26486378
TI  - The rise and rise of generic prescribing.

PMID- 26486379
TI  - Introductory remarks.

PMID- 26486377
TI  - Early experience with the new endovascular aneurysm sealing system Nellix: First
      clinical results after 50 implantations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In the present study, 50 EVAS procedures were evaluated in regard to
      primary (survival and technical success) and secondary (device-related
      complications) events of interest. METHODS: The single center study was conducted
      from July 2013 to August 2014 with prospective collection of the clinical data.
      The clinical results were controlled by CT angiography and contrast-enhanced
      ultrasound. RESULTS: The technical success was 98% and the 30-day mortality 4%.
      One (2%) patient died from multisystem organ failure and another patient from an
      intracranial bleeding, respectively. One patient (2%) suffered from a device
      related aneurysm rupture. During early follow-up, one (2%) patient developed an
      endoleak type II, while three (6%) patients suffered from a partial endograft
      limb thrombosis. Overall, a secondary intervention was necessary in six (12%)
      patients. CONCLUSIONS: With the Nellix EVAS system, a high primary technical
      success of 98% was achieved; one (2%) patient developed an endoleak type II which
      did not require secondary intervention. Those promising results are contrasted by
      a substantial rate of endograft limb thromboses (8%) and one (2%) intraoperative
      aneurysm rupture. Further studies are needed to assess the durability of the
      Nellix stentgraft and the occurrence of device-related complications.

PMID- 26486381
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26486380
TI  - Diaschisis in stroke.

PMID- 26486382
TI  - Stroke units.

PMID- 26486384
TI  - Essential investigations for patients with transient ischemic attacks and
      evolving stroke.

PMID- 26486383
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26486385
TI  - The brain and cardiac surgery: Design and implementation of a research program.

PMID- 26486387
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26486386
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26486388
TI  - Transient ischemic attack: Is it a relevant concept?

PMID- 26486389
TI  - Aspirin for stroke prevention: An update.

PMID- 26486390
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26486391
TI  - Introductory remarks.

PMID- 26486392
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26486393
TI  - Ultrasound and magnetic resonance angiography.

PMID- 26486394
TI  - Magnetic resonance angiography in cerebrovascular disease: A clinical update.

PMID- 26486395
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26486396
TI  - Introductory remarks.

PMID- 26486397
TI  - Silent cerebral infarction/lacunes.

PMID- 26486398
TI  - Silent cerebral infarctions in transient ischemic attack populations:
      Implications of advancing technology.

PMID- 26486399
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26486401
TI  - The semantics of brain hemorrhage: Some practical problems of risk and benefit
      assessment in fibrinolytic therapy.

PMID- 26486400
TI  - Thrombolytic therapy in acute ischemic stroke.

PMID- 26486402
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26486403
TI  - Neuronal protection and hemorheology.

PMID- 26486405
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26486404
TI  - Heparin-induced extracorporeal low-density-lipoprotein precipitation (HELP).

PMID- 26486406
TI  - Blood pressure regulation in ischemic cerebral vascular disease.

PMID- 26486407
TI  - Management of blood pressure in acute and chronic cerebrovascular disease from
      the viewpoint of cerebral blood flow.

PMID- 26486409
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26486408
TI  - Influence of hyperglycemia on outcome of ischemic stroke.

PMID- 26486410
TI  - Brain edema in acute ischemic stroke.

PMID- 26486411
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26486412
TI  - Diaschisis: Epiphenomenon or clinical entity?

PMID- 26486413
TI  - Metallated porphyrin based porous organic polymers as efficient electrocatalysts.
AB  - Developing efficient, stable and low-cost catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction
      (ORR) is of great significance to many emerging technologies including fuel cells
      and metal-air batteries. Herein, we report the development of a cobalt(II)
      porphyrin based porous organic polymer (CoPOP) and its pyrolyzed derivatives as
      highly active ORR catalysts. The as-synthesized CoPOP exhibits high porosity and
      excellent catalytic performance stability, retaining ~100% constant ORR current
      over 50,000 s in both alkaline and acidic media. Pyrolysis of CoPOP at various
      temperatures (600  degrees C, 800  degrees C, and 1000  degrees C) yields the
      materials consisting of graphitic carbon layers and cobalt nanoparticles, which
      show greatly enhanced catalytic activity compared to the as-synthesized CoPOP.
      Among them, CoPOP-800/C pyrolyzed at 800  degrees C shows the highest specific
      surface area and ORR activity, displaying the most positive half-wave potential
      (0.825 V vs. RHE) and the largest limited diffusion current density (5.35 mA cm(
      2)) in an alkaline medium, which are comparable to those of commercial Pt/C (20
      wt%) (half-wave potential 0.829 V vs. RHE, limited diffusion current density 5.10
      mA cm(-2)). RDE and RRDE experiments indicate that CoPOP-800/C directly reduces
      molecular oxygen to water through a 4-e(-) pathway in both alkaline and acidic
      media. More importantly, CoPOP-800/C exhibits excellent durability and methanol
      tolerance under acidic and alkaline conditions, which surpass the Pt/C (20 wt%)
      system.

PMID- 26486414
TI  - Significant alteration of soil bacterial communities and organic carbon
      decomposition by different long-term fertilization management conditions of
      extremely low-productivity arable soil in South China.
AB  - Different fertilization managements of red soil, a kind of Ferralic Cambisol,
      strongly affected the soil properties and associated microbial communities. The
      association of the soil microbial community and functionality with long-term
      fertilization management in the unique low-productivity red soil ecosystem is
      important for both soil microbial ecology and agricultural production. Here, 454
      pyrosequencing analysis of 16S recombinant ribonucleic acid genes and GeoChip4
      NimbleGen-based functional gene analysis were used to study the soil bacterial
      community composition and functional genes involved in soil organic carbon
      degradation. Long-term nitrogen-containing chemical fertilization-induced soil
      acidification and fertility decline and significantly altered the soil bacterial
      community, whereas long-term organic fertilization and fallow management improved
      the soil quality and maintained the bacterial diversity. Short-term quicklime
      remediation of the acidified soils did not change the bacterial communities.
      Organic fertilization and fallow management supported eutrophic ecosystems, in
      which copiotrophic taxa increased in relative abundance and have a higher
      intensity of labile-C-degrading genes. However, long-term nitrogen-containing
      chemical fertilization treatments supported oligotrophic ecosystems, in which
      oligotrophic taxa increased in relative abundance and have a higher intensity of
      recalcitrant-C-degrading genes but a lower intensity of labile-C-degrading genes.
      Quicklime application increased the relative abundance of copiotrophic taxa and
      crop production, although these effects were utterly inadequate. This study
      provides insights into the interaction of soil bacterial communities, soil
      functionality and long-term fertilization management in the red soil ecosystem;
      these insights are important for improving the fertility of unique low
      productivity red soil.

PMID- 26486415
TI  - Elucidating the use of enoxaparin in non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes
      (NSTE-ACS).

PMID- 26486416
TI  - A higher overall diet quality is inversely associated with the risk of chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in men and women.

PMID- 26486417
TI  - Novel morphological macular findings in juvenile CLN3 disease.
AB  - AIMS: Juvenile CLN3 disease, one of the most common forms of a group of lysosomal
      storage diseases called neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs), is a progressive
      neurodegenerative disorder with initial visual deterioration. The objective of
      this study was to analyse the retinal phenotype of patients with CLN3 disease
      with the help of recent ophthalmic imaging modalities to distinguish CLN3 disease
      from other inherited retinal dystrophies. METHODS: Patients underwent ophthalmic
      evaluations, including anterior and posterior segment examinations, optical
      coherence tomography, fundus autofluorescence, near infrared imaging and fundus
      photography. Patients were also assessed according to the Hamburg juvenile NCL
      (JNCL) score. Each ophthalmic finding was assessed by three independent examiners
      and assigned to a clinical severity score. RESULTS: 22 eyes of 11 patients were
      included. The mean age at examination was 14.4 years (range 11.8-26.4 years),
      with an average age at initial diagnosis of 8 years (range 4.5-11 years). The
      mean Hamburg JNCL score was 7.3 (range 0-13). All patients showed a specific
      macular striation pattern on optical coherence tomography that was independent of
      age and progression of the disease. Other previously described retinal features
      of CLN3 disease were classified into four severity grades. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study represents the first prospective observational case series documenting
      retinal abnormalities in CLN3 disease with the aid of the spectral domain optical
      coherence tomography. The major finding was a characteristic, striated macular
      pattern in all patients studied. Particularly in early disease cases, macular
      striae can potentially help to discriminate CLN3 disease from other inherited
      forms of retinitis pigmentosa.

PMID- 26486418
TI  - Diabetes and diabetic retinopathy in people aged 50 years and older in the
      Republic of Suriname.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Population-based surveys on diabetes and diabetic retinopathy
      (DR) are necessary to increase awareness and develop screening and therapeutic
      programmes. The aim was to estimate the prevalence of DR in older adults of
      different ethnic backgrounds in Suriname. METHODS: Fifty clusters of 60 people
      aged >=50 years were randomly selected with a probability proportional to the
      size of the population unit. Eligible people were randomly selected through
      compact segment sampling and examined using the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable
      Blindness plus Diabetic Retinopathy (RAAB + DR) protocol. Participants were
      classified as having diabetes if they: were previously diagnosed with diabetes;
      were receiving treatment for glucose control; had a random blood glucose level
      >200 mg/dL. These participants were dilated for funduscopy, assessed for DR
      following the Scottish DR grading protocol and evaluated for ethnicity and DR
      ophthalmic screening frequencies. RESULTS: A total of 2806 individuals was
      examined (response 93.6%). The prevalence of diabetes was 24.6%. In these
      patients any type of DR and/or maculopathy occurred in 21.6% and sight
      threatening DR in 8.0%. Of the known diabetics, 34.2% never had an eye
      examination for DR and in 13.0% the last examination was >24 months ago. The
      prevalence of diabetes was significantly higher in Hindustani people compared
      with other major ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of diabetes and
      diabetics without regular DR control in people aged >=50 years in Suriname was
      higher than expected. The uptake for special services for DR has to be expanded
      to decrease patient delay and DR-induced blindness.

PMID- 26486421
TI  - Tin(II)-functionalization of the archetypal {P8W48} polyoxotungstate.
AB  - The synthesis of [K(4.5) ? (ClSn(II))8P8W48O184](17.5-), featuring Sn(II) ions in
      trigonal-pyramidal SnO2Cl environment coordinating to the two inner rims of the
      wheel-shaped {P8W48}-type polyoxotungstate(vi) archetype, showcases how high
      chloride ligand concentrations as well as the control of the polyanion solubility
      via electrolytes and evaporation rates are essential to prevent numerous
      competing reactions that can hamper the Sn(ii) functionalization of
      polyoxometalates.

PMID- 26486420
TI  - The Extracellular Vesicles of the Helminth Pathogen, Fasciola hepatica:
      Biogenesis Pathways and Cargo Molecules Involved in Parasite Pathogenesis.
AB  - Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by parasites have important roles in
      establishing and maintaining infection. Analysis of the soluble and vesicular
      secretions of adult Fasciola hepatica has established a definitive
      characterization of the total secretome of this zoonotic parasite. Fasciola
      secretes at least two subpopulations of EVs that differ according to size, cargo
      molecules and site of release from the parasite. The larger EVs are released from
      the specialized cells that line the parasite gastrodermus and contain the zymogen
      of the 37 kDa cathepsin L peptidase that performs a digestive function. The
      smaller exosome-like vesicle population originate from multivesicular bodies
      within the tegumental syncytium and carry many previously described
      immunomodulatory molecules that could be delivered into host cells. By
      integrating our proteomics data with recently available transcriptomic data sets
      we have detailed the pathways involved with EV biogenesis in F. hepatica and
      propose that the small exosome biogenesis occurs via ESCRT-dependent MVB
      formation in the tegumental syncytium before being shed from the apical plasma
      membrane. Furthermore, we found that the molecular "machinery" required for EV
      biogenesis is constitutively expressed across the intramammalian development
      stages of the parasite. By contrast, the cargo molecules packaged within the EVs
      are developmentally regulated, most likely to facilitate the parasites migration
      through host tissue and to counteract host immune attack. 

PMID- 26486419
TI  - Changes in Protein Expression and Lysine Acetylation Induced by Decreased
      Glutathione Levels in Astrocytes.
AB  - Astrocytes and neurons form a highly specialized functional unit, and the loss or
      gain of astrocytic functions can influence the initiation and progression of
      different neurodegenerative diseases. Neurons depend on the antioxidant
      protection provided by neighboring astrocytes. Glutathione (gamma-l-glutamyl-l
      cysteinyl-glycine) is a major component of the antioxidant system that defends
      cells against the toxic effects of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species. A decline in
      glutathione levels has been observed in aging and neurodegenerative diseases, and
      it aggravates the pathology in an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-mouse model.
      Using a SILAC-based quantitative proteomic approach, we analyzed changes in
      global protein expression and lysine acetylation in primary astrocyte cultures
      obtained from wild-type mice or those deficient in the glutamate-cysteine ligase
      modifier subunit (GCLM). GCLM knockout astrocytes display an ~80% reduction in
      total glutathione levels. We identified potential molecular targets and novel
      sites of acetylation that are affected by the chronic decrease in glutathione
      levels and observed a response mediated by Nrf2 activation. In addition, sequence
      analysis of peptides displaying increased acetylation in GCLM knockout astrocytes
      revealed an enrichment of cysteine residues in the vicinity of the acetylation
      site, which suggests potential crosstalk between lysine-acetylation and cysteine
      modification. Regulation of several metabolic and antioxidant pathways was
      observed at the level of protein expression and lysine acetylation, revealing a
      coordinated response involving transcriptional and posttranslational regulation. 

PMID- 26486423
TI  - Selecting a Method of Case Identification to Estimate the Involvement of People
      With Mental Illnesses in the Criminal Justice System: A Research Note.
AB  - Arrest and incarceration are a pervasive reality for people with mental
      illnesses. Wide variation, however, exists in the estimates of the percentage of
      people with mental illnesses who become involved in the criminal justice system.
      Researchers and practitioners need a variety of methods in their toolbox to
      maximize their ability to identify mental illness depending on available
      resources and needs. Yet, the benefits and costs of utilizing these different
      approaches have yet to be explored in the criminal justice literature. To begin
      exploring the utility of the different methods of case identification, we review
      the most commonly used approaches to identifying people with mental illnesses and
      end with a detailed examination of the use of behavior health records. The use of
      behavioral health records is a case identification method that has gained
      emerging support in criminal justice research in recent years.

PMID- 26486422
TI  - Examination of the "CSI Effect" on Perceptions of Scientific and Testimonial
      Evidence in a Hong Kong Chinese Sample.
AB  - Television is a powerful medium through which to convey information and messages
      to the public. The recent proliferation of forensic science and criminal justice
      information throughout all forms of media, coupled with raised expectations
      toward forensic evidence, has led some to suspect that a "CSI effect" ( Crime
      Scene Investigation effect) is taking place. The present study contributes to the
      literature addressing the CSI effect in two ways. First, it examines whether the
      CSI effect exists in the Chinese population of Hong Kong. Second, using a mock
      jury paradigm, it empirically examines a more integrative perspective of the CSI
      effect. It was found that, although the amount of media coverage involving
      forensic evidence does influence participants' perception of legal evidence to
      some degree, such a perception does not affect participants' legal decision
      making. Viewers of forensic dramas were not more likely to convict the defendant
      when forensic evidence was presented and not less likely to convict when only
      testimonial evidence was presented. The only significant predictor of the
      defendant's culpability when scientific evidence was presented was participants'
      ratings of the reliability of scientific evidence. Results from the present study
      lend no support to the existence of the CSI effect in Hong Kong.

PMID- 26486425
TI  - Early exposure to parental bipolar disorder and risk of mood disorder: the
      Flourish Canadian prospective offspring cohort study.
AB  - AIM: Exposure to postnatal parental depression is associated with offspring mood
      disorder later in life; however, little is known about exposure to parental
      bipolar disorder (BD) and subsequent risk of psychopathology. The aim of this
      study was to determine the association between the duration, severity and timing
      of exposure to parental BD in early childhood and subsequent risk of mood
      disorder. METHODS: 189 offspring of a parent with BD completed annual assessments
      following Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders (KSADS) format semistructured
      interviews as part of an ongoing 16-year prospective cohort study. Clinical data
      from the affected parents were collected over the first decade of their
      offspring's life using SADS-L format semistructured interviews and coded using
      the Affective Morbidity Index (AMI). RESULTS: A longer duration of exposure to
      parental BD was associated with a 1.5-fold risk of any psychopathology (95%
      confidence interval (CI): 1.0-2.3) and a 2.5-fold increased risk of substance use
      disorders (95% CI: 1.2-5.3). Exposure during the first 2 years of life was
      significantly associated with the risk of mood disorder (hazard ratio (HR): 1.1,
      95% CI: 1.0-1.2), whereas exposure later in childhood was not. CONCLUSIONS: The
      duration of exposure to active parental BD in childhood is an important risk
      factor for the subsequent development of mood and non-mood psychopathology risk
      in offspring. These findings emphasize the importance of effective treatment of
      parents with BD to help both themselves and their children, especially early in
      development.

PMID- 26486427
TI  - Immunohistochemistry of carotid plaque neovascularization and vasa vasorum.
AB  - Carotid artery surgical specimens from 15 consecutive patients undergoing carotid
      endarterectomy were studied in an attempt to identify morphologic differences
      between carotid artery plaque neovascularization (NV) and normal vasa vasorum
      (VV). The patients included 12 men and 3 women with an age range of 55-81 years
      (mean, 67). Nine of them had ischemic symptoms directly related to the plaque
      being removed. The specimens were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, Verhoef-Van
      Gieson, and factor VIII-related antigen techniques. In addition, normal carotid
      arteries were obtained for comparison from two autopsies of young individuals,
      victims of traumatic death. The severity of NV within the plaque was graded based
      on the appearance and location of new vessels, as they compared to W. Mild NV
      (Grade I) was found in 3/15, whereas moderate and severe (Grades II and III) were
      each found in 6/15 cases. Increasing severity of NV was associated with more
      tortuosity, thicker walls, and location closer to the carotid lumen. The presence
      and severity of NV did not correlate with plaque thickness (p = 0.2), the
      presence of symptoms (p = 0.5), or any other risk factors for stroke. Carotid
      plaque NV seems independent of the degree of atheroma and morphologically
      different than VV. Its origin, true incidence, and role in the production of
      carotid intraplaque hemorrhage and increased stroke risk are still uncertain.
      This is the first immunohistochemical study of carotid plaque neovascularization.

PMID- 26486426
TI  - One-step resonant controlled-phase gate on distant transmon qutrits in different
      1D superconducting resonators.
AB  - We propose a scheme to construct the controlled-phase (c-phase) gate on distant
      transmon qutrits hosted in different resonators inter-coupled by a connected
      transmon qutrit. Different from previous works for entanglement generation and
      information transfer on two distant qubits in a dispersive regime in the similar
      systems, our gate is constructed in the resonant regime with one step. The
      numerical simulation shows that the fidelity of our c-phase gate is 99.5% within
      86.3 ns. As an interesting application of our c-phase gate, we propose an
      effective scheme to complete a conventional square lattice of two-dimensional
      surface code layout for fault-tolerant quantum computing on the distant transmon
      qutrits. The four-step coupling between the nearest distant transmon qutrits,
      small coupling strengths of the distant transmon qutrits, and the non-population
      on the connection transmon qutrit can reduce the interactions among different
      parts of the layout effectively, which makes the layout be integrated with a
      large scale in an easier way.

PMID- 26486428
TI  - Prevalence of patent foramen ovale in young patients with stroke: Role of color
      flow echocardiography.
AB  - Thirty-five young patients with ischemic stroke were studied via color-flow
      echocardiography in order to detect patent foramen ovale. The stroke patients
      were divided into two groups: those with undetermined stroke etiology (Group I)
      and those with determined stroke etiology (Group II). The prevalence of patent
      foramen ovale was 67% in Group I and 43% in Group II. Our results suggest that
      patent foramen ovale is more frequent in stroke patients, especially in patients
      without defined etiology. We also suggest that paradoxical embolism is more
      frequent than previously thought. 

PMID- 26486424
TI  - A Double Whammy: Targeting Both Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) and
      Cyclooxygenase (COX) To Treat Pain and Inflammation.
AB  - Pain states that arise from non-resolving inflammation, such as inflammatory
      bowel disease or arthritis, pose an unusually difficult challenge for therapy
      because of the complexity and heterogeneity of their underlying mechanisms. It
      has been suggested that key nodes linking interactive pathogenic pathways of non
      resolving inflammation might offer novel targets for the treatment of
      inflammatory pain. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which inhibit
      the cyclooxygenase (COX)-mediated production of pain- and inflammation-inducing
      prostanoids, are a common first-line treatment for this condition, but their use
      is limited by mechanism-based side effects. The endogenous levels of anandamide,
      an endocannabinoid mediator with analgesic and tissue-protective functions, are
      regulated by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). This review outlines the
      pharmacological and chemical rationale for the simultaneous inhibition of COX and
      FAAH activities with designed multitarget agents. Preclinical studies indicate
      that such agents may combine superior anti-inflammatory efficacy with reduced
      toxicity.

PMID- 26486429
TI  - Brain SPECT and transcranial doppler ultrasound in vasospasm-induced delayed
      cerebral ischemia after subarachnoid hemorrhage.
AB  - Clinical vasospasm, or delayed ischemia-related neurologic deficits, is the prime
      determinant of morbidity and mortality after subarachnoid hemorrhage. The
      diagnosis of clinical vasospasm has been based mainly on clinical observations.
      Noninvasive techniques for evaluating vasospasm have great promise in
      supplementing the detailed neurologic examination and assessing the effects of
      therapy. The clinical utility of single-photon emission computed tomography
      (SPECT) of regional cerebral blood flow and transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD)
      in the evaluation of cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage was
      reviewed in 40 patients. The combination of these noninvasive tests was valuable
      for the investigation of the dynamic anatomic and functional aspects of
      vasospasm. TCD proved helpful in monitoring for vascular narrowing by
      measurements of blood flow velocity. Brain SPECT ascertained the effects of
      vasospasm on regional cerebral blood flow. In the diagnosis of clinical
      vasospasm, or delayed ischemic deficits, brain SPECT was more sensitive and
      specific than TCD. The combination of SPECT and TCD was useful in the assessment
      of the effect of cerebral angioplasty on hemodynamics and perfusion in the
      attempt to avert infarction. 

PMID- 26486430
TI  - Nimodipine and the evolution of hemorheological variables after acute ischemic
      stroke.
AB  - We studied the effects of the calcium channel antagonist nimodipine on the
      evolution of hemorheological variables during the first 3 weeks following
      ischemic stroke. We studied 13 patients and found that, compared to baseline
      levels, plasma fibrinogen concentration and low-shear whole-blood viscosity rose
      significantly in patients receiving placebo but not in those receiving
      nimodipine. Red blood cell aggregation rose in both groups but less so in
      nimodipine-treated patients. Hematocrit, high-shear whole-blood viscosity, and
      red blood cell deformability did not change significantly in either group. In
      conclusion, the use of nimodipine appears to alter the evolution of some
      hemorheological variables following acute ischemic stroke. 

PMID- 26486431
TI  - Stroke secondary to carotid occlusion in a young man with nephrotic syndrome:
      Case description and review of the literature.
AB  - We report a case of hemispheric stroke and death secondary to thrombosis of the
      internal carotid artery in a young adult with minimal-change nephrotic syndrome.
      Thrombotic complications are common in patients with nephrotic syndrome and may
      be due to a hypercoagulable state. To our knowledge, this is the first report of
      cerebral infarction due to thrombosis in the extracranial vasculature in a
      patient with nephrotic syndrome. We review previous reports of cerebral
      infarction in association with nephrotic syndrome and discuss possible mechanisms
      of hypercoagulability in this setting. 

PMID- 26486433
TI  - AIREN-NINDS 1991 workshop on stroke prevention and therapy in technically
      advanced societies.

PMID- 26486432
TI  - Aseptic cerebral venous thrombosis: Proposed prognostic scale.
AB  - Seventy-eight patients with aseptic cerebral venous thrombosis between 1966 and
      1990 were reviewed in order to determine prognostic factors for this condition.
      Sixty-eight patients were women. The average age of the patients was 30.5 years.
      Fifty-two percent of patients developed the thrombosis during the postpartum or
      puerperal stage. The clinical manifestations that were associated with a poor
      prognosis were: stupor or coma, bilateral pyramidal tract signs, generalized
      seizures, meningeal signs, bilateral lesions on computed tomography, and
      hemorrhagic cerebrospinal fluid. Using these clinical features, a prognostic
      scale is proposed with a positive predictive value of 0.98 for a good prognosis
      and 0.96 for a poor prognosis. 

PMID- 26486434
TI  - Changing incidence and mortality rates for stroke.

PMID- 26486435
TI  - Stroke risk factors and stroke prevention.

PMID- 26486436
TI  - Evaluation of medical therapies of acute ischemic stroke.

PMID- 26486437
TI  - Pros and cons of intensive care units for acute stroke.

PMID- 26486438
TI  - Evaluation of and controversies in surgical therapies.

PMID- 26486439
TI  - Evaluation of and controversies in stroke rehabilitation.

PMID- 26486440
TI  - Internal quality control in point-of-care testing: where's the evidence?
AB  - ISO 22870 standards require protocols for performance of internal quality control
      for all point-of-care testing devices and training of users in its theory and
      practice. However, the unique setting of point-of-care testing (i.e. processes
      conducted by non-scientific users) means that laboratory internal quality control
      programmes do not easily translate to point-of-care testing. In addition, while
      the evidence base for internal quality control within the laboratory has been
      increasing, the equivalent literature surrounding point-of-care testing is very
      limited. This has led to wide variation in what is considered acceptable practice
      for internal quality control at the point of care. Indeed, it has been
      demonstrated that internal quality control is an area of deficiency in point-of
      care testing. Internal quality control protocols used at point-of-care testing
      should be defined based on risk management. The protocol will therefore be
      dependent on analyser complexity and availability of inbuilt system checks, the
      risk associated with release of an incorrect patient result as well as frequency
      of use. The emphasis should be on designing an effective internal quality control
      protocol as opposed to the inherent tendency of introducing high-frequency
      quality control. Typically a simple pass or fail criterion is used for internal
      quality control in point-of-care testing based on whether internal quality
      control results fall within assigned ranges. While simply taught, such criteria
      can require broad internal quality control ranges to decrease the probability of
      false rejection (also reducing the probability of error detection). Customized
      internal quality control ranges, two-tier acceptance systems and assay-specific
      internal quality control can be used to improve error detection rates. 

PMID- 26486441
TI  - Comparison of the performance of Anyplex II HPV HR, the Cobas 4800 human
      papillomavirus test and Hybrid Capture 2.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anyplex II HPV HR (Anyplex_HR; Seegene, Seoul, Korea) is a new
      multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for screening cervical
      cancer, and it is designed to detect 14 high-risk human papillomaviruses along
      with all the genotype information in a single tube. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the performance of the Anyplex_HR in comparison to that of the Cobas
      4800 HPV (Cobas_4800; Roche Molecular Diagnostics, Pleasanton, CA, USA) and the
      Hybrid capture 2 (HC2; Qiagen GmbH, Hilden, Germany). METHODS: The performance of
      the Anyplex_HR for high-risk human papillomavirus genotype detection was
      prospectively evaluated against that of the HC2 and the Cobas_4800 at the
      National Cancer Center using 400 cervical samples. All discrepant samples were
      confirmed by polymerase chain reaction with type-specific primers followed by
      sequencing. RESULTS: The overall agreement and kappa value of the Anyplex_HR with
      the Cobas_4800 were 98.0% and 0.96, respectively. The level of agreement between
      the two assays and the corresponding kappa values for human papillomavirus16,
      human papillomavirus18 and other high-risk human papillomaviruses were 99.5%,
      99.8% and 98.8%, and 0.98, 0.96 and 0.97, respectively. The agreement and kappa
      value of the HC2 with the Cobas_4800 were 95.3% and 0.91. The human
      papillomavirus positivity of the Anyplex_HR and the Cobas_4800 in low-grade
      squamous intraepithelial lesion/high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion
      samples demonstrated 100% concordance. Both the Anyplex_HR and the Cobas_4800
      showed excellent results in the precision test. CONCLUSIONS: The Anyplex_HR is
      comparable with the Cobas_4800 and the HC2 for human papillomavirus DNA testing,
      and it may prove more useful for follow-up testing and patient management by
      providing genotyping information additional to human papillomavirus16 and human
      papillomavirus18.

PMID- 26486442
TI  - Streptococcus caprae sp. nov., isolated from Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica
      hispanica).
AB  - Biochemical and molecular genetic studies were performed on a novel Gram-stain
      positive, catalase-negative, coccus-shaped organism isolated from tonsil samples
      of two Iberian ibexes. The micro-organism was identified as a streptococcal
      species based on its cellular, morphological and biochemical characteristics. 16S
      rRNA gene sequence comparison studies confirmed its identification as a member of
      the genus Streptococcus, but the organism did not correspond to any species of
      this genus. The nearest phylogenetic relative of the unknown coccus from ibex was
      Streptococcus porci 2923-03T (96.6 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). Analysis
      based on rpoB and sodA gene sequences revealed sequence similarity values lower
      than 86.0 and 83.8 %, respectively, from the type strains of recognized
      Streptococcus species. The novel bacterial isolate was distinguished from
      Streptococcus porci and other Streptococcus species using biochemical tests.
      Based on both phenotypic and phylogenetic findings, it is proposed that the
      unknown bacterium be classified as representing a novel species of the genus
      Streptococcus, for which the name Streptococcus caprae sp. nov. is proposed. The
      type strain is DICM07-02790-1CT ( = CECT 8872T = CCUG 67170T). 

PMID- 26486443
TI  - Stat3-siRNA inhibits the growth of gastric cancer in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - Gastric cancer remains one of the most prevalent and lethal malignancies in the
      world. Despite new advances in treatment and diagnosis, patients with advanced
      gastric cancer are still difficult to cure resulting in a high mortality rate and
      poor prognosis. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) is
      observed aberrant in multiple tumours, including gastric cancer. Stat3
      overexpression was confirmed performing a vital role in tumorigenesis. In the
      present study, we constructed a pSi-Stat3 plasmid to silence Stat3 and
      investigated the effect of pSi-Stat3 on cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell
      cycle progression in gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 and mice xenograft model.
      Downstream proteins of Stat3, including Cyclin-D1, Survivin and Bcl-2, were
      detected as well for the underlying mechanism exploration. It showed that pSi
      Stat3 can effectively silence the expression of Stat3 and inhibits the growth of
      gastric tumour both in vitro and in vivo significantly via cell apoptosis and
      cell cycle shift induction. The findings suggest that Stat3 signal pathway might
      be a promising therapeutic target for tumour treatment, including gastric cancer.

PMID- 26486444
TI  - VILLIN2 Emerges as a Master Builder in Rice.

PMID- 26486448
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26486445
TI  - VLN2 Regulates Plant Architecture by Affecting Microfilament Dynamics and Polar
      Auxin Transport in Rice.
AB  - As a fundamental and dynamic cytoskeleton network, microfilaments (MFs) are
      regulated by diverse actin binding proteins (ABPs). Villins are one type of ABPs
      belonging to the villin/gelsolin superfamily, and their function is poorly
      understood in monocotyledonous plants. Here, we report the isolation and
      characterization of a rice (Oryza sativa) mutant defective in VILLIN2 (VLN2),
      which exhibits malformed organs, including twisted roots and shoots at the
      seedling stage. Cellular examination revealed that the twisted phenotype of the
      vln2 mutant is mainly caused by asymmetrical expansion of cells on the opposite
      sides of an organ. VLN2 is preferentially expressed in growing tissues,
      consistent with a role in regulating cell expansion in developing organs.
      Biochemically, VLN2 exhibits conserved actin filament bundling, severing and
      capping activities in vitro, with bundling and stabilizing activity being
      confirmed in vivo. In line with these findings, the vln2 mutant plants exhibit a
      more dynamic actin cytoskeleton network than the wild type. We show that vln2
      mutant plants exhibit a hypersensitive gravitropic response, faster recycling of
      PIN2 (an auxin efflux carrier), and altered auxin distribution. Together, our
      results demonstrate that VLN2 plays an important role in regulating plant
      architecture by modulating MF dynamics, recycling of PIN2, and polar auxin
      transport. 

PMID- 26486447
TI  - GLABRA2 Directly Suppresses Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factor Genes
      with Diverse Functions in Root Hair Development.
AB  - The Arabidopsis thaliana GLABRA2 (GL2) gene encodes a transcription factor
      involved in the cell differentiation of various epidermal tissues. During root
      hair pattern formation, GL2 suppresses root hair development in non-hair cells,
      acting as a node between the gene regulatory networks for cell fate determination
      and cell differentiation. Despite the importance of GL2 function, its molecular
      basis remains obscure because the GL2 target genes leading to the network for
      cell differentiation are unknown. We identified five basic helix-loop-helix
      (bHLH) transcription factor genes (ROOT HAIR DEFECTIVE6 [RHD6], RHD6-LIKE1
      [RSL1], RSL2, Lj-RHL1-LIKE1 [LRL1], and LRL2) as GL2 direct targets using
      transcriptional and posttranslational induction systems. Chromatin
      immunoprecipitation analysis confirmed GL2 binding to upstream regions of these
      genes in planta. Reporter gene analyses showed that these genes are expressed in
      various stages of root hair development and are suppressed by GL2 in non-hair
      cells. GL2 promoter-driven GFP fusions of LRL1 and LRL2, but not those of the
      other bHLH proteins, conferred root hair development on non-hair cells. These
      results indicate that GL2 directly suppresses bHLH genes with diverse functions
      in root hair development. 

PMID- 26486449
TI  - Heavy metal removal from MSWI fly ash by electrokinetic remediation coupled with
      a permeable activated charcoal reactive barrier.
AB  - This paper presents the investigations into the feasibility of the application of
      a remediation system that couples electrokinetic remediation (EKR) with the
      permeable reactive barrier (PRB) concept for municipal solid waste incineration
      (MSWI) fly ash with activated charcoal as the PRB material. The experimental
      results of this study showed that the proposed combined method can effectively
      improve the remediation efficiency and that the addition of the oxalic acid to
      the PRB media before the coupled system can further enhance the remediation
      process. In the optimization tests, the maximum removals of Zn, Pb, Cu and Cd
      were achieved under different experimental conditions. The voltage gradient and
      processing time were shown to have significant effects on the removal of Cu and
      Cd, whereas the addition of the oxalic acid had a more significant influence on
      the removal of Pb. Generally, the processing time is the most significant factor
      in changing the removal rates of HMs in the enhanced coupled system. In terms of
      the leaching toxicity, the specimen remediated by ENEKR + PRB showed the lowest
      leaching value for each HM in the S2 and S3 regions. 

PMID- 26486450
TI  - A multivariate model exploring the predictive value of demographic, adolescent,
      and family factors on glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The current study examined how a comprehensive set of variables from
      multiple domains, including at the adolescent and family level, were predictive
      of glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). METHODS:
      Participants included 100 adolescents with T1D ages 10-16 yrs and their parents.
      Participants were enrolled in a longitudinal study about youth decision-making
      involvement in chronic illness management of which the baseline data were
      available for analysis. Bivariate associations with glycemic control (HbA1C) were
      tested. Hierarchical linear regression was implemented to inform the predictive
      model. RESULTS: In bivariate analyses, race, family structure, household income,
      insulin regimen, adolescent-reported adherence to diabetes self-management,
      cognitive development, adolescent responsibility for T1D management, and parent
      behavior during the illness management discussion were associated with HbA1c. In
      the multivariate model, the only significant predictors of HbA1c were race and
      insulin regimen, accounting for 17% of the variance. Caucasians had better
      glycemic control than other racial groups. Participants using pre-mixed insulin
      therapy and basal-bolus insulin had worse glycemic control than those on insulin
      pumps. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that despite associations of adolescent and
      family-level variables with glycemic control at the bivariate level, only race
      and insulin regimen are predictive of glycemic control in hierarchical
      multivariate analyses. This model offers an alternative way to examine the
      relationship of demographic and psychosocial factors on glycemic control in
      adolescents with T1D.

PMID- 26486452
TI  - Corrigendum: An indica rice genotype showed a similar yield enhancement to that
      of hybrid rice under free air carbon dioxide enrichment.

PMID- 26486453
TI  - Does the Tokyo guidelines predict the extent of gallbladder inflammation in
      patients with acute cholecystitis? A single center retrospective analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Tokyo guidelines provide criteria for the diagnosis and
      classification of acute cholecystitis in three severity grades. However, no data
      exists on the predictive value of these guidelines. The aim of this study was to
      analyze the accuracy of the Tokyo guidelines as a predicting parameter for the
      severity of acute cholecystitis in patients undergoing laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the charts of patients
      undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis in a primary care
      hospital within a five-year period was performed. The preoperative severity
      grades were compared with the histological extent of inflammation. RESULTS: One
      hundred thirty-eight patients; 79 with severity grade I, 33 with grade II and 26
      with grade III were analyzed. The incidence of uncomplicated cholecystitis
      decreased with increasing severity grade, while the incidence of complicated
      cholecystitis increased with increasing severity. However, complicated
      cholecystitis was evident in an unexpectedly high number of cases with severity
      grade I. There was a significant correlation (chi (2)(1) = 10. 43, p = 0.01)
      between the preoperative severity grade and the extent of gallbladder
      inflammation on histopathology. Conversion to open surgery (14 vs. 5, p = 0.002)
      and complications (17 vs. 7, p = 0.001) were significantly higher in patients
      with preoperative severity grade II/III compared to patients with severity grade
      I. CONCLUSION: Worsening clinical severity correlated significantly with worseing
      pathology, findings from blood test and clinical outcomes; rates of conversion
      and morbidity. However, the Tokyo guidelines may have a tendency to underestimate
      the extent of inflammation in male patients with severity grade I and over
      estimate the difficulty of dissection in severity grade II.

PMID- 26486454
TI  - Research highlights: enhancing whole genome amplification using
      compartmentalization.
AB  - The ability to break up a larger liquid volume into an array of smaller confined
      volumes that do not chemically communicate is a key enabling technology driving
      microfluidic innovations. We highlight recent work using drop-based confinement
      to improve on whole genome amplification, reducing amplification bias and
      contaminant amplification by bringing reactions to saturation within each
      confined drop. We also highlight a complementary technique to target whole genome
      amplification to a subset of nucleic acids within a sample by combining drop
      based PCR with sorting and downstream sequencing. These new approaches have the
      potential to enhance our ability to categorize the diversity of microorganisms
      (especially difficult to culture species) that contribute to complex microbial
      communities, and in particular assemble the individual genomes of the species
      involved in biologically and environmentally important microbiomes. 

PMID- 26486451
TI  - Mechanisms of blood homeostasis: lineage tracking and a neutral model of cell
      populations in rhesus macaques.
AB  - BACKGROUND: How a potentially diverse population of hematopoietic stem cells
      (HSCs) differentiates and proliferates to supply more than 10(11) mature blood
      cells every day in humans remains a key biological question. We investigated this
      process by quantitatively analyzing the clonal structure of peripheral blood that
      is generated by a population of transplanted lentivirus-marked HSCs in
      myeloablated rhesus macaques. Each transplanted HSC generates a clonal lineage of
      cells in the peripheral blood that is then detected and quantified through deep
      sequencing of the viral vector integration sites (VIS) common within each
      lineage. This approach allowed us to observe, over a period of 4-12 years,
      hundreds of distinct clonal lineages. RESULTS: While the distinct clone sizes
      varied by three orders of magnitude, we found that collectively, they form a
      steady-state clone size-distribution with a distinctive shape. Steady-state
      solutions of our model show that the predicted clone size-distribution is
      sensitive to only two combinations of parameters. By fitting the measured clone
      size-distributions to our mechanistic model, we estimate both the effective HSC
      differentiation rate and the number of active HSCs. CONCLUSIONS: Our concise
      mathematical model shows how slow HSC differentiation followed by fast progenitor
      growth can be responsible for the observed broad clone size-distribution.
      Although all cells are assumed to be statistically identical, analogous to a
      neutral theory for the different clone lineages, our mathematical approach
      captures the intrinsic variability in the times to HSC differentiation after
      transplantation.

PMID- 26486457
TI  - Periodic harvesting of embryonic stem cells from a hollow-fiber membrane based
      four-compartment bioreactor.
AB  - Different types of stem cells have been investigated for applications in drug
      screening and toxicity testing. In order to provide sufficient numbers of cells
      for such in vitro applications a scale-up of stem cell culture is necessary.
      Bioreactors for dynamic three-dimensional (3D) culture of growing cells offer the
      option for culturing large amounts of stem cells at high densities in a closed
      system. We describe a method for periodic harvesting of pluripotent stem cells
      (PSC) during expansion in a perfused 3D hollow-fiber membrane bioreactor, using
      mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC) as a model cell line. A number of 100 * 10(6)
      mESC were seeded in bioreactors in the presence of mouse embryonic fibroblasts
      (MEF) as feeder cells. Over a cultivation interval of nine days cells were
      harvested by trypsin perfusion and mechanical agitation every second to third
      culture day. A mean of 380 * 10(6) mESC could be removed with every harvest.
      Subsequent to harvesting, cells continued growing in the bioreactor, as
      determined by increasing glucose consumption and lactate production.
      Immunocytochemical staining and mRNA expression analysis of markers for
      pluripotency and the three germ layers showed a similar expression of most
      markers in the harvested cells and in mESC control cultures. In conclusion,
      successful expansion and harvesting of viable mESC from bioreactor cultures with
      preservation of sterility was shown. The present study is the first one showing
      the feasibility of periodic harvesting of adherent cells from a continuously
      perfused four-compartment bioreactor including further cultivation of remaining
      cells.

PMID- 26486456
TI  - A Successful Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci Reduction Bundle at a Singapore
      Hospital.
AB  - We report a reduction in the vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) rate from a
      peak of 1.5 cases per 1,000 admissions (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-2.1) in
      August 2012 to 0.5 per 1,000 admissions (95% CI: 0.3-1.0) by January 2015,
      associated with a bundle of interventions. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol.
      2015;37(1):107-109. 

PMID- 26486455
TI  - Exploratory biomarker analysis for treatment response in KRAS wild type
      metastatic colorectal cancer patients who received cetuximab plus irinotecan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: More than half of the patients selected based on KRAS mutation status
      fail to respond to the treatment with cetuximab in metastatic colorectal cancer
      (mCRC). We designed a study to identify additional biomarkers that could act as
      indicators for cetuximab treatment in mCRC. METHODS: We investigated 58 tumor
      samples from wild type KRAS CRC patients treated with cetuximab plus irinotecan
      (CI). We conducted the genotyping for mutations in either BRAF or PIK3CA and
      profiled comprehensively the expression of 522 kinase genes. RESULTS: BRAF
      mutation was detected in 5.1 % (3/58) of patients. All 50 patients showed wild
      type PIK3CA. Gene expression patterns that categorized patients with or without
      the disease control to CI were compared by supervised classification analysis.
      PSKH1, TLK2 and PHKG2 were overexpressed significantly in patients with the
      disease control to IC. The higher expression value of PSKH1 (r = 0.462, p <
      0.001) and TLK2 (r = 0.361, p = 0.005) had the significant correlation to
      prolonged PFS. CONCLUSION: The result of this work demonstrated that expression
      nature of kinase genes such as PSKH1, TLK2 and PHKG2 may be informative to
      predict the efficacy of CI in wild type KRAS CRC. Mutations in either BRAF or
      PIK3CA were rare subsets in wild type KRAS CRC.

PMID- 26486458
TI  - [Which Psychoactives Substances are Found in Used Syringes?]
AB  - OBJECTIVE:  The aim of this study is to analyze the residual content of used
      syringes. METHODS:  Used syringes were collected in March 2014 at 9 sites in
      Marseille (automatic injection kit dispensers, streets, drug-user risk reduction
      centers [Centres d'Accueil et d'Accompagnement a la Reduction de Risques pour
      Usagers de Drogues, CAARUD]). Several substances (n = 28) were investigated using
      liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry method. RESULTS:  On average 2 +/- 1
      substances in each syringe were found among 254 syringes analyzed. The most
      detected substances were cocaine, buprenorphine, methylphenidate and cathinones
      (in 57%, 56%, 39% and 19% of the syringes respectively). Heroin and morphine were
      found in 10% of the syringes. DISCUSSION-CONCLUSION:  This study helps define the
      main substances consumed by injection drugs users. It highlighted differencies in
      used substances according to neighbourhood and site of collection and thus help
      to adjust prevention and harm reduction strategies.

PMID- 26486460
TI  - [Hyperuricemia and cardiovascular risk: myth or fact?].

PMID- 26486459
TI  - Genetic variants in the upstream region of activin receptor IIA are associated
      with female fertility in Japanese Black cattle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Female fertility, a fundamental trait required for animal
      reproduction, has gradually declined in the last 2 decades in Japanese Black
      cattle. To identify associated genetic variants in Japanese Black cattle, we
      evaluated female fertility as a metric to describe the average inverse of the
      number of artificial inseminations required for conception from the first through
      the fourth parity (ANAI4) and conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS)
      using 430 animals with extreme ANAI4 values from 10,399 animals. RESULTS: We
      found that 2 variants, namely a single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP; g.48476925C
      > T) and a 3-bp indel (g.48476943_48476946insGGC), in the upstream region of the
      activin receptor IIA gene (ACVR2A) were associated with ANAI4. ACVR2A transcripts
      from Japanese Black cattle of the Q haplotype, defined by the SNP and the 3-bp
      indel, with increased ANAI4 were 1.29-1.32-fold more abundant than q-derived
      transcripts. In agreement, reporter assay results revealed that the activity of
      the ACVR2A promoter was higher in reporter constructs with the Q haplotype than
      in those with the q haplotype by approximately 1.2 fold. Expression of exogenous
      ACVR2A induced dose-dependent increases of reporter activity from the follicle
      stimulating hormone, beta polypeptide (FSHB) promoter in response to activin A in
      a pituitary gonadotrophic cell line. The findings suggested that sequence
      variations in the upstream region of ACVR2A with the Q haplotype increased ACVR2A
      transcription, which in turn induced FSHB expression. This association was
      replicated using a sample population size of 1,433 animals; the frequency of the
      Q haplotype was 0.39, and Q-to-q haplotype substitution resulted in an increase
      of 0.02 in terms of ANAI4. CONCLUSIONS: This GWAS identified variants in the
      upstream region of ACVR2A, which were associated with female fertility in
      Japanese Black cattle. The variants affected the level of ACVR2A mRNA expression,
      which could lead to an allelic imbalance. This association was replicated with a
      sample population of 1,433 animals. Thus, the results suggest that the Q
      haplotype could serve as a useful marker to select Japanese Black cattle with
      superior female fertility.

PMID- 26486461
TI  - Correlation of serum uric acid with heart rate variability in hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autonomic dysfunction with dominant sympathetic tone is a common
      finding among hypertensives and prehypertensives. Uric acid is one of the
      independent predictors of hypertension. There are very few studies which have
      shown a relationship between the autonomic tone and uric acid generation pathway
      among prehypertensives and hypertensives. Aim of the study was to estimate and
      correlate serum uric acid levels with autonomic function as measured by heart
      rate variability (HRV) among prehypertensives and hypertensives. METHODS: Cross
      sectional study of three groups, prehypertensives, hypertensives and
      normotensives, classified according to Joint National Committee VII criteria,
      with 35 subjects in each group were included in this study. Serum uric acid
      levels were estimated by using colorimetric assay kit. HRV was analyzed after
      recording lead II Electrocardiogram using RMS Vagus HRV software (RMS, India).
      One-way ANOVA and Pearson's correlation was done using SPSS 18.0 software.
      RESULTS: Mean uric acid levels were 5.62+/-2.21mg/dL in normal subjects, 7.06+/
      2.87mg/dL in prehypertensives and 9.77+/-2.04mg/dL in hypertensives. There was
      statistically significant negative correlation between uric acid and time domain
      parameters of HRV in the whole sample and among prehypertensives and positive
      correlation with low frequency power (LF) in ms(2) and n.u. CONCLUSIONS: Serum
      uric acid levels were high in prehypertensives and hypertensives as compared to
      normal subjects. Further, there was statistically significant correlation seen
      between uric acid levels and sympathetic domain parameters particularly among
      prehypertensives.

PMID- 26486462
TI  - [Circulating endothelial progenitor cell levels in treated hypertensive
      patients].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Most optimally treated hypertensive patients still have an around
      50% increased risk of any cardiovascular event, suggesting the possible existence
      of unidentified risk factors. In the last years there has been evidence of the
      essential role of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in the
      maintenance of endothelial integrity and function, increasing the interest in
      their involvement in cardiovascular disease. In this study, the circulating
      levels of EPCs and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are investigated in
      treated hypertensive patients with adequate control of blood pressure (BP).
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Blood samples were collected from treated hypertensive
      patients with controlled BP. Plasma levels of EPCs CD34+/KDR+ and CD34+/VE
      cadherin+ were quantified by flow cytometry. Plasma concentration of VEGF was
      determined by ELISA. A group of healthy subjects without cardiovascular risk
      factors was included as controls. RESULTS: A total of 108 hypertensive patients
      were included (61+/-12 years, 47.2% men) of which 82.4% showed BP<140/90 mmHg,
      91.7% and 81.5% controlled diabetes (HbA1c <7%) and cLDL (<130 or 100 mg/dL),
      respectively, and 85.2% were non-smokers. Around 45% of them were obese. Although
      patients had cardiovascular parameters within normal ranges, they showed
      significantly lower levels of CD34+/KDR+ and CD34+/VE-cadherin+ compared with
      healthy control group, although plasma VEGF concentration was higher in patients
      than in controls. CONCLUSIONS: Despite an optimal treatment, hypertensive
      patients show a decreased number of circulating EPCs that could be, at least in
      part, responsible for their residual cardiovascular risk, suggesting that these
      cells could be a therapeutic target.

PMID- 26486463
TI  - [Is blood pressure control different in women than in men?].
AB  - Blood pressure (BP) evolves with age; until the 50's it is higher in men than in
      women, equaling and even then increasing in women. The prevalence of controlled
      BP appears to be similar between the sexes, but the prevalence of cardiovascular
      disease is higher in women than in men. The possibility that BP influences the
      cardiovascular risk differently according to sex must therefore be considered.
      While some studies suggest no difference exists, others have shown evidence of an
      increased risk in women with respect to men despite equal BP. In this way, it
      seems that the measurement of ambulatory BP, but not office BP, would mark the
      differences in the association between BP-gender and cardiovascular risk. It
      should therefore be investigated the possibility of a different BP goal for women
      and men, especially by evaluating ambulatory BP. 

PMID- 26486464
TI  - [Seasonal variation in weight in a working population].

PMID- 26486465
TI  - Quantifying the density and utilization of active sites in non-precious metal
      oxygen electroreduction catalysts.
AB  - Carbon materials doped with transition metal and nitrogen are highly active, non
      precious metal catalysts for the electrochemical conversion of molecular oxygen
      in fuel cells, metal air batteries, and electrolytic processes. However, accurate
      measurement of their intrinsic turn-over frequency and active-site density based
      on metal centres in bulk and surface has remained difficult to date, which has
      hampered a more rational catalyst design. Here we report a successful
      quantification of bulk and surface-based active-site density and associated turn
      over frequency values of mono- and bimetallic Fe/N-doped carbons using a
      combination of chemisorption, desorption and (57)Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy
      techniques. Our general approach yields an experimental descriptor for the
      intrinsic activity and the active-site utilization, aiding in the catalyst
      development process and enabling a previously unachieved level of understanding
      of reactivity trends owing to a deconvolution of site density and intrinsic
      activity. 

PMID- 26486466
TI  - Talker- and language-specific effects on speech intelligibility in noise assessed
      with bilingual talkers: Which language is more robust against noise and
      reverberation?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Investigate talker- and language-specific aspects of speech
      intelligibility in noise and reverberation using highly comparable matrix
      sentence tests across languages. DESIGN: Matrix sentences spoken by
      German/Russian and German/Spanish bilingual talkers were recorded. These
      sentences were used to measure speech reception thresholds (SRTs) with native
      listeners in the respective languages in different listening conditions
      (stationary and fluctuating noise, multi-talker babble, reverberated speech-in
      noise condition). STUDY SAMPLE: Four German/Russian and four German/Spanish
      bilingual talkers; 20 native German-speaking, 10 native Russian-speaking, and 10
      native Spanish-speaking listeners. RESULTS: Across-talker SRT differences of up
      to 6 dB were found for both groups of bilinguals. SRTs of German/Russian
      bilingual talkers were the same in both languages. SRTs of German/Spanish
      bilingual talkers were higher when they talked in Spanish than when they talked
      in German. The benefit from listening in the gaps was similar across all
      languages. The detrimental effect of reverberation was larger for Spanish than
      for German and Russian. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations set by the number and
      slight accentedness of talkers and other possible confounding factors, talker-
      and test-condition-dependent differences were isolated from the language effect:
      Russian and German exhibited similar intelligibility in noise and reverberation,
      whereas Spanish was more impaired in these situations.

PMID- 26486467
TI  - Zwint-1 is required for spindle assembly checkpoint function and kinetochore
      microtubule attachment during oocyte meiosis.
AB  - The key step for faithful chromosome segregation during meiosis is kinetochore
      assembly. Defects in this process result in aneuploidy, leading to miscarriages,
      infertility and various birth defects. However, the roles of kinetochores in
      homologous chromosome segregation during meiosis are ill-defined. Here we found
      that Zwint-1 is required for homologous chromosome segregation during meiosis.
      Knockdown of Zwint-1 accelerated the first meiosis by abrogating the kinetochore
      recruitment of Mad2, leading to chromosome misalignment and a high incidence of
      aneuploidy. Although Zwint-1 knockdown did not affect Aurora C kinase activity,
      the meiotic defects following Zwint-1 knockdown were similar to those observed
      with ZM447439 treatment. Importantly, the chromosome misalignment following
      Aurora C kinase inhibition was not restored after removing the inhibitor in Zwint
      1-knockdown oocytes, whereas the defect was rescued after the inhibitor washout
      in the control oocytes. These results suggest that Aurora C kinase-mediated
      correction of erroneous kinetochore-microtubule attachment is primarily regulated
      by Zwint-1. Our results provide the first evidence that Zwint-1 is required to
      correct erroneous kinetochore-microtubule attachment and regulate spindle
      checkpoint function during meiosis. 

PMID- 26486468
TI  - Near-IR mediated intracellular uncaging of NO from cell targeted hollow gold
      nanoparticles.
AB  - We demonstrate modulation of nitric oxide release in solution and in human
      prostate cancer cells from a thiol functionalized cupferron (TCF) absorbed on
      hollow gold nanoshells (HGNs) using near-infrared (NIR) light. NO release from
      the TCF-HGN conjugates occurs through localized surface heating due to NIR
      excitation of the surface plasmon. Specific HGN targeting is achieved through
      cell surface directed peptides, and excitation with tissue penetrating NIR light
      provides unprecedented spatio-temporal control of NO delivery to biological
      targets. 

PMID- 26486469
TI  - A canine orthologue of the human GFAP c.716G>A (p.Arg239His) variant causes
      Alexander disease in a Labrador retriever.
AB  - Alexander disease (AxD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder of astrocyte
      dysfunction in man, for which already a number of causal variants are described,
      mostly de novo dominant missense variants in the glial fibrillary acidic protein
      (GFAP). A similar disorder was already phenotypically described in animals but
      without the identification of causal variants. We diagnosed a Labrador retriever
      with a juvenile form of AxD based on clinical (tetraparesis with spastic front
      limbs mimicking 'swimming puppy syndrome') and pathological (the detection of
      GFAP containing Rosenthal fibers in astrocytes) features. In order to identify a
      causal variant, the coding sequences of the four detected GFAP transcript
      variants (orthologues from human transcript variants alpha, gamma, delta/E and
      kappa) were sequenced. From the five detected variants, a heterozygous c.719G>A
      nucleotide substitution resulting in a p.Arg240His substitution was considered to
      be causal, because it is orthologous to the heterozygous de novo dominant
      c.716G>A (p.Arg239His) hotspot variant in man, proven to cause a severe
      phenotype. In addition, the variant was not found in 50 unrelated healthy
      Labrador retrievers. Because the condition in dogs is morphologically similar to
      man, it could be a promising animal model for further elucidating the
      genotype/phenotype correlation in order to treat or prevent this disease.

PMID- 26486470
TI  - Genetic evidence for an origin of the Armenians from Bronze Age mixing of
      multiple populations.
AB  - The Armenians are a culturally isolated population who historically inhabited a
      region in the Near East bounded by the Mediterranean and Black seas and the
      Caucasus, but remain under-represented in genetic studies and have a complex
      history including a major geographic displacement during World War I. Here, we
      analyse genome-wide variation in 173 Armenians and compare them with 78 other
      worldwide populations. We find that Armenians form a distinctive cluster linking
      the Near East, Europe, and the Caucasus. We show that Armenian diversity can be
      explained by several mixtures of Eurasian populations that occurred between ~3000
      and ~2000 bce, a period characterized by major population migrations after the
      domestication of the horse, appearance of chariots, and the rise of advanced
      civilizations in the Near East. However, genetic signals of population mixture
      cease after ~1200 bce when Bronze Age civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean
      world suddenly and violently collapsed. Armenians have since remained isolated
      and genetic structure within the population developed ~500 years ago when Armenia
      was divided between the Ottomans and the Safavid Empire in Iran. Finally, we show
      that Armenians have higher genetic affinity to Neolithic Europeans than other
      present-day Near Easterners, and that 29% of Armenian ancestry may originate from
      an ancestral population that is best represented by Neolithic Europeans.

PMID- 26486471
TI  - Genome-wide association studies identify genetic loci for low von Willebrand
      factor levels.
AB  - Low von Willebrand factor (VWF) levels are associated with bleeding symptoms and
      are a diagnostic criterion for von Willebrand disease, the most common inherited
      bleeding disorder. To date, it is unclear which genetic loci are associated with
      reduced VWF levels. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide
      association studies to identify genetic loci associated with low VWF levels. For
      this meta-analysis, we included 31 149 participants of European ancestry from 11
      community-based studies. From all participants, VWF antigen (VWF:Ag) measurements
      and genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) scans were available. Each
      study conducted analyses using logistic regression of SNPs on dichotomized VWF:Ag
      measures (lowest 5% for blood group O and non-O) with an additive genetic model
      adjusted for age and sex. An inverse-variance weighted meta-analysis was
      performed for VWF:Ag levels. A total of 97 SNPs exceeded the genome-wide
      significance threshold of 5 * 10(-8) and comprised five loci on four different
      chromosomes: 6q24 (smallest P-value 5.8 * 10(-10)), 9q34 (2.4 * 10(-64)), 12p13
      (5.3 * 10(-22)), 12q23 (1.2 * 10(-8)) and 13q13 (2.6 * 10(-8)). All loci were
      within or close to genes, including STXBP5 (Syntaxin Binding Protein 5) (6q24),
      STAB5 (stabilin-5) (12q23), ABO (9q34), VWF (12p13) and UFM1 (ubiquitin-fold
      modifier 1) (13q13). Of these, UFM1 has not been previously associated with
      VWF:Ag levels. Four genes that were previously associated with VWF levels (VWF,
      ABO, STXBP5 and STAB2) were also associated with low VWF levels, and, in
      addition, we identified a new gene, UFM1, that is associated with low VWF levels.
      These findings point to novel mechanisms for the occurrence of low VWF levels.

PMID- 26486472
TI  - West syndrome caused by homozygous variant in the evolutionary conserved gene
      encoding the mitochondrial elongation factor GUF1.
AB  - West syndrome (WS), defined by the triad of infantile spasms, pathognomonic
      hypsarrhythmia and developmental regression, is a rare epileptic disease
      affecting about 1:3500 live births. To get better insights on the genetic of this
      pathology, we exome-sequenced the members of a consanguineous family affected
      with isolated WS. We identified a homozygous variant (c.1825G>T/p.(Ala609Ser)) in
      the GUF1 gene in the three affected siblings. GUF1 encodes a protein essential in
      conditions that counteract faithful protein synthesis: it is able to remobilize
      stuck ribosomes and transiently inhibit the elongation process to optimize
      protein synthesis. The variant identified in the WS family changes an alanine
      residue conserved in all eukaryotic organisms and positioned within the tRNA
      binding moiety of this nuclear genome-encoded mitochondrial translational
      elongation factor. Yeast complementation assays show that the activity of
      GUF1(A609S) is modified in suboptimal environments. We suggest a new link between
      improper assembly of respiratory chain complexes and WS.

PMID- 26486475
TI  - Femtosecond 2DIR spectroscopy of the nitrile stretching vibration of thiocyanate
      anions in liquid-to-supercritical heavy water. Spectral diffusion and libration
      induced hydrogen-bond dynamics.
AB  - Femtosecond two-dimensional infrared (2DIR) spectroscopy was carried out to study
      the dynamics of vibrational spectral diffusion of the nitrile stretching
      vibration of thiocyanate anions (S-C=N(-)) dissolved in liquid-to-supercritical
      heavy water (D2O). The 2DIR line shapes were used to extract through a nodal
      slope analysis quantitative information about the correlation function for
      temporal fluctuations of the CN-stretching frequency. The inverse nodal slope
      could be fitted phenomenologically by a simple double-exponential decay whose
      predominant component had a time constant ranging between 300 fs and 1 ps
      depending on the temperature. The temperature dependence is interpreted in terms
      of solvent structural fluctuations that are driven by the librational motions of
      the D2O molecules located in the first solvation shell of the anion.
      Complementary molecular dynamics simulations of the SCN(-)/D2O system indicate
      that the breaking and making of hydrogen-bonds between the terminal N-atom of the
      anion and the D2O molecules are induced by the same solvent-shell librational
      degrees of freedom that drive the vibrational line broadening dynamics seen in
      the 2DIR experiment.

PMID- 26486474
TI  - De novo dominant variants affecting the motor domain of KIF1A are a cause of PEHO
      syndrome.
AB  - PEHO syndrome (OMIM no. 260565) is characterized by myoclonic jerking and
      infantile spasms, profound psychomotor retardation with the absence of motor
      milestones and speech, absence or early loss of visual fixation with atrophy of
      optic discs by 2 years of age and progressive brain atrophy on neuroimaging. We
      describe the results of a genomic study of a girl with PEHO syndrome and review
      the literature on cases with a disease-causing variant in the same gene. Exome
      sequencing of the index and unaffected parents followed by Sanger confirmation
      identified nine candidate genes harboring nonsynonymous rare variants identified
      by trio whole-exome sequencing. The de novo variant, a missense variant
      (c.296C>T, p.(T99M)), affecting the motor domain of KIF1A was considered the
      pathogenic mutation. The literature review revealed 24 cases with disease-causing
      variants in the motor domain of KIF1A, of which three met all the criteria for
      PEHO syndrome and an additional patient with incomplete clinical data met four of
      the five criteria. If the criteria were modified to include cases with any
      convulsive disorder and less profound intellectual disability, a total of six
      patients met all five of the criteria, three patients met four of the criteria
      and six met three of the criteria. Our results indicate that the molecular basis
      for PEHO syndrome, in at least a subset of patients, is a dominant KIF1A variant
      affecting the motor domain of the protein. Variable expressivity is seen with
      recurrent variants causing the full phenotype of PEHO syndrome in some patients
      and in other patients, a partial or milder PEHO phenotype.

PMID- 26486473
TI  - Heterozygous deletion of the LRFN2 gene is associated with working memory
      deficits.
AB  - Learning disabilities (LDs) are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group
      of diseases. Array-CGH and high-throughput sequencing have dramatically expanded
      the number of genes implicated in isolated intellectual disabilities and LDs,
      highlighting the implication of neuron-specific post-mitotic transcription
      factors and synaptic proteins as candidate genes. We report a unique family
      diagnosed with autosomal dominant learning disability and a 6p21 microdeletion
      segregating in three patients. The 870 kb microdeletion encompassed the brain
      expressed gene LRFN2, which encodes for a synaptic cell adhesion molecule.
      Neuropsychological assessment identified selective working memory deficits, with
      borderline intellectual functioning. Further investigations identified a defect
      in executive function, and auditory-verbal processes. These data were consistent
      with brain MRI and FDG-PET functional brain imaging, which, when compared with
      controls, revealed abnormal brain volume and hypometabolism of gray matter
      structures implicated in working memory. We performed electron microscopy
      immunogold labeling demonstrating the localization of LRFN2 at synapses of
      cerebellar and hippocampal rat neurons, often associated with the NR1 subunit of
      N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). Altogether, the combined approaches
      imply a role for LRFN2 in LD, specifically for working memory processes and
      executive function. In conclusion, the identification of familial cases of
      clinically homogeneous endophenotypes of LD might help in both the management of
      patients and genetic counseling for families.

PMID- 26486476
TI  - [Adrenal incidentaloma].
AB  - Incidentaloma is an adrenal mass discovered serendipitously. Because of
      increasing use of imaging techniques it is a common finding, being present in
      more than 1 % of adults. During work-up malignancy has to be ruled out.
      Classically imaging using CT or MRI is used. Recently PET-CT with FDG has been
      used more often as its sensitivity for diagnosis of malignancy is about 97 % and
      specificity 91 %. Hormonal evaluation should diagnose subclinical
      hypercortisolism. (Dexamethasone Suppression Test is the method of choice).
      Aldosterone and Renin should be measured only in patients with hypertension and
      catecholamines in tumours with higher native density than 10 HU. During follow-up
      repeated CT scan are needed only in selected patients and the need of routine
      biochemical follow-up has been questioned as well.

PMID- 26486477
TI  - [Adrenal insufficiency].
AB  - Adrenal insufficiency is a potentially life threatening condition. The paper
      deals with differential diagnostics and limits of dynamic testing, possibilities
      of de-escalation of corticosteroid therapy and substitution therapy with
      glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids and androgens. New replacement possibilities
      are mentioned including those in development.

PMID- 26486478
TI  - [Thyroid gland and pregnancy - summary of important findings].
AB  - Thyroid hormones play fundamental role in conception and pregnancy and are
      essential for normal adult health, fetus and childhood development. Many studies
      have shown an association between maternal thyroid diseases esp. hypothyroidism
      with obstetric problems and/or psychomotoric impairment in the offspring. The
      prevalence of undiagnosed lower thyroid function in pregnancy is present in about
      4-8 % of pregnant women, and euthyroid women with thyroid autoimmunity (6-8 %)
      are further candidates for thyroid disorders in pregnancy. The thyroid gland
      needs to produce 50 % more thyroxine in pregnancy to maintain an euthyroid state
      to keep TSH ideally 2.5 mIU/l in the first trimester of pregnancy and TSH 3.0
      mIU/l in the second and third trimester. Consequently, there is a need to start
      the substitution therapy as soon as diagnosis of subclinical and /or overt
      hypotyroidism is established, and in majority of euthyroid women with autoimmune
      thyroid disease there is a need to start therapy as well. Most women on
      levothyroxine therapy before pregnancy require an increase in dose when pregnant.
      As maternal thyroid disease is a quite prevalent condition and often
      asymptomatic, but easily diagnosed and for which an effective, safe and cheap
      treatment is available, endocrinological societies including CES CLS JEP
      worldwide are suggesting the need of thyroid dysfunction screening as a simple
      prevention attitude. Hormone determination of TSH and TPOab antibodies should be
      performed early during the first trimester, using trimester-specific reference
      values. Furthermore, adequate iodine supplementation during pregnancy is critical
      and if feasible it should be initiated before the woman attempts to conceive.

PMID- 26486479
TI  - [Management of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism].
AB  - Functional thyropathies present significant health risks for patients. Advanced
      functional thyropathies are always treated while indications for therapy of
      subclinical thyropathies are individual and often controversial. It is widely
      agreed that these disorders should be diagnosed and individuals should be
      followed. The drug of choice in substitution therapy of hypothyroidism is
      levothyroxine, in the treatment of hyperthyroidism it is methimazole.
      Administration of propylthiouracil should be limited to the first trimester of
      pregnancy, because its serious hepatotoxicity has been described. Hyperthyroidism
      based on thyroid nodules and immunogenic hyperthyroidism not reaching long-term
      remission, need to be treated radically: by surgery or radioiodine treatment.
      When radiation protection requirements are met, radioiodine can also be
      administered on an outpatient basis. Exceptionally, small doses of methimazole
      can be administered over an extended period of time in individual cases.

PMID- 26486480
TI  - [Subclinical thyroid disease].
AB  - Importance of subclinical thyroid disease (STh) is now a matter of discussion.
      Definition of this unit is laboratory: in presence of normal level of thyroxine
      (T4) TSH value is changed: in lower TSH level the subclinical hyperthyroidism
      (STx) in increase TSH levels subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is present. Risk of
      clinical manifestation is two three times highter in comparison with persons with
      normal TSH level. Clinical importance STh is still not evaluated definitively. SH
      caused disturbance of lipid metabolism, elasticity of vessels and endothelial
      function and therefore increases risk of atherosclerosis. STx causes electrical
      instability of myocardium with increased risk of arythmias, increases risk of
      osteoporosis and other changes. Most important are effects of STh in cardiology,
      reproductive medicine and gynecology. Clinical significance of these effects is
      not definitively evaluated.

PMID- 26486481
TI  - [Autoimmune thyroiditis and thyroid cancer].
AB  - Association between autoimmune thyroiditis (CLT) and thyroid cancer remains not
      clear. Although both diseases often occur simultaneously in histological samples,
      it is not yet clear whether CLT can be regarded as a risk factor for thyroid
      malignancy. This review focus on the known epidemiological and molecular genetics
      links between both diseases. Most studies have shown a significant association
      between thyroid cancer and positive antibodies to thyroglobulin and histological
      evidence of CLT, as well. Both disorders share some risk factors (greater
      incidence in women, in areas with adequate supply of iodine and in patients after
      radiotherapy of the neck) and molecular genetics linkage. For example: RET/PTC
      rearrangements could be more often found in carcinomas associated with CLT, but
      this mutation could be found in benign lesions such as CLT, as well. CLT seems to
      be a positive prognostic factor in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.
      It is associated with less invasive forms of tumor, lower occurrence of
      infiltrated lymphatic nodes and a lower risk of recurrence.

PMID- 26486482
TI  - [Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea].
AB  - Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA) besides pregnancy and syndrome of
      polycystic ovary is one of the most common causes of secondary amenorrhea. FHA
      results from the aberrations in pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)
      secretion, which in turn causes impairment of the gonadotropins (follicle
      stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone). FHA is a form of the defence of
      organism in situations where life functions are more important than reproductive
      function. FHA is reversible; it can be normalized after ceasing the stress
      situation. There are three types of FHA: weight loss related, stress-related, and
      exercise-related amenorrhea. The final consequences are complex hormonal changes
      manifested by profound hypoestrogenism. Additionally, these patients present mild
      hypercortisolemia, low serum insulin levels, low insulin-like growth factor 1
      (IGF-1) and low total triiodothyronine. Women health in this disorder is
      disturbed in several aspects including the skeletal system, cardiovascular
      system, and mental problems. Patients manifest a decrease in bone mass density,
      which is related to an increase in fracture risk. Therefore, osteopenia and
      osteoporosis are the main long-term complications of FHA. Cardiovascular
      complications include endothelial dysfunction and abnormal changes in the lipid
      profile. FHA patients present significantly higher depression and anxiety and
      also sexual problems compared to healthy subjects.

PMID- 26486483
TI  - [Polycystic ovary syndrome].
AB  - For diagnosing of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) it is currently recommended to
      follow the ESHRE criteria. For diagnosis according to them two of the following
      three symptoms are sufficient: 1. morphology of polycystic ovaria, 2. clinical
      manifestations of hyperandrogenism or laboratory proof of hyperandrogenemia, and
      3. oligo-anovulation. PCOS is a complex disorder in whose pathogenesis genetic
      and environmental effects interact. It is not a gynecological disorder alone, the
      syndrome is accompanied by insulin resistance which leads to increased incidence
      of type 2 diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance (4 times and twice,
      independently of BMI). Also gestational DM occurs more frequently. Dyslipidemia,
      arterial hypertension, elevated CRP and homocysteine levels, endothelial
      dysfunction and greater intima-media thickness are also more frequent. It is not
      quite clear, however, whether women with PCOS suffer cardiovascular events more
      frequently as well. More often than is accidental PCOS is associated with
      depression, anxiety and eating disorders, further with nonalcoholic
      steatohepatitis and with the sleep apnoea syndrome - especially in obese women.
      Therapeutic measures include non-pharmacological methods - lifestyle adjustments
      focused on weight reduction in obese individuals, cosmetic measures for
      dermatologic manifestation of hyperandrogenism, in particular laser and
      pharmacotherapy (combined hormonal contraceptives and antiandrogens). Menstrual
      irregularities can be treated with contraceptives or cyclical administration of
      gestagens, also metformin can be used.

PMID- 26486484
TI  - [News in diagnostics and therapy of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1].
AB  - MEN1 syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutation in the men in
      gene located on the 11th chromosome. It is a rare disorder with incidence of 1 :
      30 000. It involves functional or cancerous diseases of parathyroid glands,
      hypophysis, endocrine pancreas, adrenal glands, or other tumors. The diagnosis of
      MEN1 is suspected if at least 2 components of this multiple tumor syndrome occur
      simultaneously. The increase in diagnostic precision enables detection of MEN1 in
      its early stages. Currently, the most frequently discussed topics include the use
      of biomarkers for diagnostics and new approaches in surgical treatment of MEN1.

PMID- 26486485
TI  - [Acromegaly: current view].
AB  - Acromegaly is a rare disorder caused by autonomous oversecretion of growth
      hormone mostly by pituitary adenoma. Untreated acromegaly leads to significantly
      increased morbidity and mortality and impaired quality of life. Early diagnosis
      and treatment is therefore essential for improvement of patients prognosis and
      management of acromegaly should be concentrated in specialized centres. Present
      article summarizes current view on diagnosis and treatment of acromegaly.

PMID- 26486486
TI  - [Systemic glucocorticoids treatment: practical view].
AB  - Glucocorticoids are derivatives of natural human glucocorticoid cortisol. There
      are used for treatment of a number of diseases and disorders for more than 65
      years mainly because of their immunosuppressive properties. However, their use is
      accompanied by various side effects that have to be considered when treating
      patients. The article summarizes biological effects of glucocorticoids, main
      indications for their use, their side effects and precautions necessary to bear
      in mind during treatment.

PMID- 26486487
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of Anguilla japonica (Anguilliformes,
      Anguillidae) collected from Yangtze estuary and the phylogenetic relationship in
      genus Anguilla.
AB  - The complete mitochondrial genome of Anguilla japonica collected from Yangtze
      estuary was determined by next-generation sequencing. The mitogenome is a
      circular molecule 16 715 bp in length, including the typical structure of 13
      protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and a control
      region. The TAS, central CSB and CSB were detected in the control region. The
      gene contents of the mitogenome are identical to those observed in most bony
      fishes. The phylogenetic tree in the genus Anguilla showed that A. japonica
      clustered in a separate branch.

PMID- 26486488
TI  - Lewis Acid Catalyzed Asymmetric Three-Component Coupling Reaction: Facile
      Synthesis of alpha-Fluoromethylated Tertiary Alcohols.
AB  - A chiral dicationic palladium complex is found to be an efficient Lewis acid
      catalyst for the synthesis of alpha-fluoromethyl-substituted tertiary alcohols
      using a three-component coupling reaction. The reaction transforms three simple
      and readily available components (terminal alkyne, arene, and
      fluoromethylpyruvate) to valuable chiral organofluorine compounds. This strategy
      is completely atom-economical and results in perfect regioselectivities and high
      enantioselectivities of the corresponding tertiary allylic alcohols in good to
      excellent yields. 

PMID- 26486489
TI  - Behcet's disease and cerebral sinus vein thrombosis in children: a case study and
      review of the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Central nervous system (CNS) involvement, one of the most severe
      manifestations of Behcet's disease (BD), is uncommon in children. Because it is
      rare, the clinical features of this disease in children are not well
      characterised. Here we describe a teenager with BD which was disclosed following
      an episode of cerebral sinus vein thrombosis (CSVT) and review the available
      literature on children with CSVT associated with BD. METHODS: A 12-year-old boy
      who presented with CSVT is described and the relevant literature, based on a
      Medline search from 1966 to January 2015 is reviewed. RESULTS: Twenty-three well
      documented reports of children with CSVT and BD are described. This manifestation
      affected mainly males (61%) with a mean age of 12 years (range 4-18). BD was
      first diagnosed simultaneously or following CSVT in the majority of cases (75%).
      Multiple sinuses were involved in 30% of the cases. Thrombosis of additional
      large vessel was identified in 5 of the 23 children. The most common presenting
      symptom and signs were headache (91%), lasting more than 3 days in most cases
      (75%), followed by papilledema (43%), seizures (17%), and personality changes
      (9%). A mixed pattern of CNS involvement including both parenchymal involvement
      and CSVT, was demonstrated in only two patients (9%). Management of CSVT differed
      between reports. CONCLUSIONS: CSVT in children is a rarely reported manifestation
      of BD and has a characteristic clinical picture of a teenage boy presenting with
      prolonged headache, with no previous diagnosis of BD. A therapeutic approach has
      not been established yet.

PMID- 26486490
TI  - Influence of wearing a scuba diving mouthpiece on the stomatognathic system -
      considerations for mouthpiece design.
AB  - Although diver's mouth syndrome (DMS) has long been recognized by scuba divers,
      little attention has been paid to the influence of wearing a scuba diving
      mouthpiece on the stomatognathic system. In this review, DMS-related
      stomatognathic events (DMS-SE) while wearing a mouthpiece, the relationship
      between components of the mouthpiece and those events, and design considerations
      to reduce the risk of those events are discussed based on evidence from 32
      articles concerning scuba diving mouthpieces. Forward movement of the mandible,
      loss of molar occlusal support, and continuous jaw clenching while wearing a
      mouthpiece are considered to be pathogenic for DMS-SE. Several experimental
      studies have suggested a relationship between incidence of those events and the
      design of mouthpiece components such as the connector, labial flange, platform,
      and occlusal rug, and the possibility of reducing risk of those events through
      design customization of these components. Improvement of the shape of
      commercially available mouthpieces and creation of custom-made mouthpieces may
      thus contribute to the prevention and treatment of DMS-SE and the provision of a
      comfortable diving environment. 

PMID- 26486491
TI  - Sneddon syndrome--imaging findings.

PMID- 26486493
TI  - Early occurrence of brief potentially ictal rhythmic discharges [B(I)RDs], and
      subsequent emergence of asymmetric extreme delta brush (EDB) in Anti-NMDA
      receptors encephalitis.

PMID- 26486492
TI  - Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula with perimedullary drainage treated by
      endovascular embolization.

PMID- 26486494
TI  - Persistent Sydenham's chorea is not associated with sustained lymphocyte
      dysfunction.
AB  - The mechanisms involved in the symptoms of Sydenham's chorea (SC) remain obscure.
      Taking into account the autoreactive antibody-mediated hypothesis of SC
      pathogenesis, the persistence of chorea may be associated with increased levels
      of B1 lymphocytes and other lymphocyte subsets. We evaluated lymphocyte subsets,
      including B1 and T cells, in patients with remitted (RSC) and persistent (PSC) SC
      by flow cytometry. Our results showed neither difference in the frequency of T
      and B lymphocytes subpopulations nor in their activation and functional states.
      These findings undermine the view of PSC as a sustained cytotoxic cellular
      mediated condition. Alternative mechanisms may explain the pathogenesis of PSC.

PMID- 26486496
TI  - Marchiafava-Bignami disease in an AIDS patient.

PMID- 26486495
TI  - Pelizaeus Merzbacher disease: dysmyelination versus demyelination.

PMID- 26486497
TI  - Migraine patients consistently show abnormal vestibular bedside tests.
AB  - Migraine and vertigo are common disorders, with lifetime prevalences of 16% and
      7% respectively, and co-morbidity around 3.2%. Vestibular syndromes and dizziness
      occur more frequently in migraine patients. We investigated bedside clinical
      signs indicative of vestibular dysfunction in migraineurs. OBJECTIVE: To test the
      hypothesis that vestibulo-ocular reflex, vestibulo-spinal reflex and fall risk
      (FR) responses as measured by 14 bedside tests are abnormal in migraineurs
      without vertigo, as compared with controls. METHOD: Cross-sectional study
      including sixty individuals - thirty migraineurs, 25 women, 19-60 y-o; and 30
      gender/age healthy paired controls. RESULTS: Migraineurs showed a tendency to
      perform worse in almost all tests, albeit only the Romberg tandem test was
      statistically different from controls. A combination of four abnormal tests
      better discriminated the two groups (93.3% specificity). CONCLUSION: Migraine
      patients consistently showed abnormal vestibular bedside tests when compared with
      controls.

PMID- 26486498
TI  - Hydroxylated Daphniphyllum Alkaloids from Daphniphyllum himalense.
AB  - Thirteen new hydroxylated calyciphylline A-type Daphniphyllum alkaloids (1-13)
      were isolated from an ethanolic extract of Daphniphyllum himalense. These
      structures were characterized on the basis of spectroscopic data analysis,
      especially from their 2D NMR spectra. Oxidation at the C-3, C-9, C-11, and C-12
      positions is reported for the first time for this class of compounds. Selective
      compounds showed low inhibitory rates against three kinase enzymes, PTP1B, aurora
      A, and IKK-beta, at a concentration of 20 MUg/mL. 

PMID- 26486499
TI  - The Same but Different: Regulation of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative
      Medicine in the Context of Regional and International Standards and Expectations.
AB  - This commentary places the contributions from several Asian-Pacific countries
      that constitute this Special Issue in the context of trends in global regulation
      of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine products and services. It
      concentrates on the generic issues that face regulation in each jurisdiction and
      the manner how these issues have to be faced in the light of cultural, political,
      and economic regional differences. 

PMID- 26486500
TI  - Bats of the Western Indian Ocean Islands.
AB  - The natural colonisation of many remote oceanic islands by bats, including those
      of the western Indian Ocean, has been facilitated by their unique capability
      among mammals for powered flight. In the western Indian Ocean region, only the
      Malagasy islands of Madagascar and the Comoros archipelago have been naturally
      colonised by non-volant mammals. Despite their greater potential for inter-island
      dispersal, and thus gene transfer, endemicity of Chiroptera in the western Indian
      Ocean islands is high. Given their vulnerability to stochastic and anthropogenic
      disturbances, greater focus needs to be placed on investigating the demographic
      and ecological history of bats on Western Indian Ocean islands to safeguard not
      only their future, but also the ecosystem functioning on these islands, for which
      they are undoubtedly such an integral part. Here, I summarise the taxonomic and
      life history information available on bats from Western Indian Ocean islands and
      highlight knowledge gaps and conservation issues that threaten the continued
      persistence of some species. 

PMID- 26486501
TI  - Cosmopolitanism and Biogeography of the Genus Manganonema (Nematoda:
      Monhysterida) in the Deep Sea.
AB  - Spatial patterns of species diversity provide information about the mechanisms
      that regulate biodiversity and are important for setting conservation priorities.
      Present knowledge of the biogeography of meiofauna in the deep sea is scarce.
      This investigation focuses on the distribution of the deep-sea nematode genus
      Manganonema, which is typically extremely rare in deep-sea sediment samples.
      Forty-four specimens of eight different species of this genus were recorded from
      different Atlantic and Mediterranean regions. Four out of the eight species
      encountered are new to science. We report here that this genus is widespread both
      in the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea. These new findings together with
      literature information indicate that Manganonema is a cosmopolitan genus,
      inhabiting a variety of deep-sea habitats and oceans. Manganonema shows the
      highest diversity at water depths >4,000 m. Our data, therefore, indicate that
      this is preferentially an abyssal genus that is able, at the same time, to
      colonize specific habitats at depths shallower than 1,000 m. The analysis of the
      distribution of the genus Manganonema indicates the presence of large differences
      in dispersal strategies among different species, ranging from locally endemic to
      cosmopolitan. Lacking meroplanktonic larvae and having limited dispersal ability
      due to their small size, it has been hypothesized that nematodes have limited
      dispersal potential. However, the investigated deep-sea nematodes were present
      across different oceans covering macro-scale distances. Among the possible
      explanations (hydrological conditions, geographical and geological pathways, long
      term processes, specific historical events), their apparent preference of
      colonizing highly hydrodynamic systems, could suggest that these infaunal
      organisms are transported by means of deep-sea benthic storms and turbidity
      currents over long distances. 

PMID- 26486503
TI  - beta,beta'-Bipyrrole Fusion-Driven cis-Bimetallic Complexation in Isomeric
      Porphyrin.
AB  - An unprecedented cis-bimetallic complex of dinaphthoporphycene (DNP), namely
      [Pd2(MU-DNP)(MU-OAc)2], is reported. The most striking feature of this complex is
      that two palladiums coordinate to the macrocycle on the same side and are closely
      held together (Pd-Pd: 2.67 A) by two bridging acetate ligands exhibiting
      significant metal-metal bonding interaction (bond order 0.18 evaluated by NBO
      analysis). Interestingly, replacing acetate with acetylacetonate (acac) could
      stabilize an unusual mono-palladium complex of DNP, where Pd coordinates
      unsymmetrically to two ring Ns above the macrocyclic plane, as well as
      coordinating with two Os of the acac ligand. Remarkably, the rigid DNP core
      displays enhanced complexation induced aromaticity (as per NICS and HOMA
      analysis), despite undergoing severe core deformation during complexation with
      metal ion(s) as noticed from their solid-state structures.

PMID- 26486502
TI  - Vaccines against a Major Cause of Abortion in Cattle, Neospora caninum Infection.
AB  - Neosporosis, caused by the apicomplexan parasite Neospora caninum, represents one
      of the economically most important causes of abortion in cattle. During
      pregnancy, the parasite infects the placental tissue and the fetus, which can
      lead to stillbirth, abortion, or birth of weak calves. Alternatively, calves are
      born without clinical symptoms, but they can carry over the parasite to the next
      generation. In addition, N. caninum causes neuromuscular disease in dogs. The
      economic importance of neosporosis has prompted researchers to invest in the
      development of measures to prevent infection of cattle by vaccination. A good
      vaccine must stimulate protective cellular immune responses as well as antibody
      responses at mucosal sites and, systemically, must activate T-helper cells to
      produce relevant cytokines, and must elicit specific antibodies that aid in
      limiting parasite proliferation, e.g., by interference with host cell invasion,
      activation of complement, and/or opsonization of parasites to have them killed by
      macrophages. Different types of vaccines have been investigated, either in
      bovines or in the mouse model. These include live vaccines such as naturally less
      virulent isolates of N. caninum, attenuated strains generated by irradiation or
      chemical means, or genetically modified transgenic strains. Live vaccines were
      shown to be very effective; however, there are serious disadvantages in terms of
      safety, costs of production, and stability of the final product. Subunit vaccines
      have been intensively studied, as they would have clear advantages such as
      reduced costs in production, processing and storage, increased stability and
      shelf life. The parasite antigens involved in adhesion and invasion of host
      cells, such as surface constituents, microneme-, rhoptry- and dense granule
      components represent interesting targets. Subunit vaccines have been applied as
      bacterially expressed recombinant antigens or as DNA vaccines. Besides monovalent
      vaccines also polyvalent combinations of different antigens have been used,
      providing increased protection. Vaccines have been combined with
      immunostimulating carriers and, more recently, chimeric vaccines, incorporating
      immuno-relevant domains of several antigens into a single protein, have been
      developed. 

PMID- 26486504
TI  - From synaptically localized to volume transmission by nitric oxide.
AB  - Nitric oxide (NO) functions widely as a transmitter/diffusible second messenger
      in the central nervous system, exerting physiological effects in target cells by
      binding to specialized guanylyl cyclase-coupled receptors, resulting in cGMP
      generation. Despite having many context-dependent physiological roles and being
      implicated in numerous disease states, there has been a lack of clarity about the
      ways that NO operates at the cellular and subcellular levels. Recently, several
      approaches have been used to try to gain a more concrete, quantitative
      understanding of this unique signalling pathway. These approaches have included
      analysing the kinetics of NO receptor function, real-time imaging of cellular NO
      signal transduction in target cells, and the use of ultrasensitive detector cells
      to record NO as it is being generated from native sources in brain tissue. The
      current picture is that, when formed in a synapse, NO is likely to act only very
      locally, probably mostly within the confines of that synapse, and to exist only
      in picomolar concentrations. Nevertheless, closely neighbouring synapses may also
      be within reach, raising the possibility of synaptic crosstalk. By engaging its
      enzyme-coupled receptors, the low NO concentrations are able to stimulate
      physiological (submicromolar) increases in cGMP concentration in an activity
      dependent manner. When many NO-emitting neurones or synapses are active
      simultaneously in a tissue region, NO can act more like a volume transmitter to
      influence, and perhaps coordinate, the behaviour of cells within that region,
      irrespective of their identity and anatomical connectivity. 

PMID- 26486505
TI  - Antitumor effect of antiplatelet agents in gastric cancer cells: an in vivo and
      in vitro study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The antitumor effects of antiplatelet agents in gastric cancer cells
      are not well known. In this study, the possibility of gastric cancer treatment
      with an antiplatelet agent, mainly aspirin, was examined both in vivo and in
      vitro. METHODS: For in vivo experiments, tumor-bearing mice were treated by an
      antiplatelet antibody or aspirin, and the tumor growth was compared. For in vitro
      experiments, human gastric cancer cell lines were used to confirm the cancer cell
      growth and inhibition by reducing the platelet count or using aspirin. We also
      examined several cytokines by using an ELISA assay and conducted microRNA
      microarray analysis of MKN-45 tumor cells to determine the influence of platelets
      or aspirin. RESULTS: In vivo experiments showed that tumor growth was inhibited
      by halving the circulating platelet count by using an antiplatelet antibody or
      peroral daily aspirin. In vitro experiments showed that the proliferation rates
      of gastric cancer cell lines were increased after coincubation with platelets and
      that the effect was inhibited by aspirin. Although the expression of interleukin
      6, platelet-derived growth factor, transforming growth factor-beta, and
      prostaglandin E2 did not correlate with tumor growth inhibition by aspirin, seven
      microRNAs showed altered expression in cancer cells in response to coincubation
      with platelets or addition of aspirin. Cells transfected with mir-4670-5p showed
      a significant increase in proliferation compared to negative control cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that platelets increased the proliferation of
      gastric cancer cells and that this increase was inhibited by antiplatelet
      antibody or aspirin. Mir-4670-5p may play an important role in these responses.

PMID- 26486506
TI  - BAK is a predictive and prognostic biomarker for the therapeutic effect of
      docetaxel treatment in patients with advanced gastric cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preoperative chemotherapy is a promising strategy for downstaging
      advanced gastric cancer before radical resection, although severe adverse events
      can occur and clinical outcomes are often unsatisfactory. To identify predictive
      biomarkers of drug sensitivity, we used a well-designed functional apoptosis
      assay and assessed the correlations between chemosensitivity and clinical
      outcomes. METHODS: Drug sensitivity to docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil
      was examined in 11 gastric cancer cell lines. BCL2-homology domain 3 (BH3)
      profiling was performed and assessed for correlations with drug sensitivity.
      Immunohistochemical staining of clinical gastric cancer specimens was performed
      before preoperative chemotherapy, and correlations with histopathological
      responses and clinical outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: BIM (BCL2L11)-BH3
      profiling results correlated with docetaxel sensitivity and BAK protein
      expression, whose knockdown caused docetaxel resistance. The BAK expression
      indexes of 69 gastric cancer specimens before preoperative chemotherapy
      (including docetaxel treatment) were determined by multiplying numerical values
      describing the degrees of BAK positivity and staining intensity observed.
      Patients whose specimens showed good chemotherapeutic histopathological responses
      had higher BAK indexes than those with poor responses. Patients with BAK index
      values >=3 showed improved progression-free survival (HR, 2.664; 95 % CI, 1.352
      5.248; P = 0.005) and overall survival (HR, 3.390; 95 % CI, 1.549-7.422; P =
      0.002). CONCLUSIONS: BH3 profiling clearly showed that BIM expression, which
      depends on BAK expression, correlated with docetaxel sensitivity. BAK expression
      in gastric cancer is thus predictive of chemotherapeutic responses to docetaxel
      and clinical prognosis in patients treated with preoperative chemotherapy.

PMID- 26486507
TI  - Pepsinogen-II 100 bp ins/del gene polymorphism and its elevated circulating
      levels are associated with gastric cancer, particularly with Helicobacter pylori
      infection and intestinal metaplasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Polymorphism in the gene of pepsinogen-II (PG-II) and its serum level
      are effective biomarkers for terminal differentiation of gastric mucosa into
      gastritis, intestinal metaplasia (IM), and gastric cancer (GC) in relationship to
      Helicobacter pylori infection. METHODS: Genotyping of the PG-II 100 bp
      insertion/deletion (ins/del) polymorphism was performed in patients with GC (n =
      192) and age- and gender-matched H. pylori-associated dyspepsia (n = 180) and
      healthy subjects (HS, n = 240) by PCR. IgG anti-H. pylori (in all subjects) and
      serum PG-II levels were estimated in 145 patients each with GC and dyspepsia and
      in 65 healthy controls (HC) using ELISA (Biohit Oyj, Finland). RESULTS: Five
      alleles were amplified by PCR: allele 5 (510 bp), allele 4 (480 bp), allele 3
      (450 bp), allele 2 (400 bp), and allele 1 (shorter allele, 310 bp). Allele 1
      carriage was infrequent, and serum PG-II level was higher among patients with GC
      than in HC [OR 0.43 (95 % CI, 0.29-0.85), p < 0.001 and mean +/- SD; 17.53 +/-
      12.60 vs. 12.77 +/- 7.53 ug/l, p = 0.005, respectively], particularly in the
      presence of H. pylori [OR 0.42 (0.25-0.71), p = 0.001 and 18.78 +/- 12.63 vs.
      13.97 +/- 8.14, p = 0.034]. However, allele 1 carriage and PG-II levels were
      comparable among patients with GC and dyspepsia. Patients with IM also carried
      allele 1 infrequently and had higher levels of PG-II than those without [OR 0.5
      (0.29-0.85), p = 0.011 and 20.07 +/- 14.22 vs. 16.61 +/- 12.08, p = 0.048].
      CONCLUSIONS: Carriage of the shorter allele of the PG-II 100 bp ins/del
      polymorphism and elevated levels of PG-II are associated with GC, particularly
      with H. pylori infection and IM.

PMID- 26486509
TI  - Erratum to: Expression of hsromega-RNAi transgene prior to heat shock
      specifically compromises accumulation of heat shock-induced Hsp70 in Drosophila
      melanogaster.

PMID- 26486508
TI  - Atrophic gastritis and enlarged gastric folds diagnosed by double-contrast upper
      gastrointestinal barium X-ray radiography are useful to predict future gastric
      cancer development based on the 3-year prospective observation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Double-contrast upper gastrointestinal barium X-ray radiography (UGI
      XR) is the standard gastric cancer screening method in Japan. Atrophic gastritis
      and enlarged gastric folds are considered the two major features of Helicobacter
      pylori-induced chronic gastritis, but the clinical meaning of evaluating them by
      UGI-XR has not been elucidated. METHODS: We analyzed healthy UGI-XR examinees
      without a history of gastrectomy, previous Helicobacter pylori eradication and
      usage of gastric acid suppressants. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Of the 6433
      subjects, 1936 (30.1 %) had atrophic gastritis and 1253 (19.5 %) had enlarged
      gastric folds. During the 3-year prospective observational follow-up, gastric
      cancer developed in seven subjects, six of whom (85.7 %) had atrophic gastritis
      with H. pylori infection and five of whom (71.4 %) had enlarged gastric folds
      with H. pylori infection. The Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank testing revealed
      that both UGI-XR-based atrophic gastritis (p = 0.0011) and enlarged gastric folds
      (p = 0.0003) are significant predictors for future gastric cancer incidence.

PMID- 26486510
TI  - Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation in Cryptogenic Stroke: an Overlooked Explanation?
AB  - Approximately one third of ischemic strokes are labeled cryptogenic because the
      etiology is unknown despite a thorough evaluation. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
      carries the same risk of ischemic stroke as persistent atrial fibrillation and
      has increasingly gained attention as a potential source of cryptogenic stroke.
      Recent trials utilizing long-term cardiac monitoring devices have demonstrated
      high rates of previously undetected paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in patients
      with cryptogenic stroke. Newly detected atrial fibrillation has subsequently
      changed treatment and increased the use of oral anticoagulation in these studies.
      Other trials have shown an increased risk of stroke and thromboembolism in
      patients with device-detected subclinical tachyarrhythmias. Together, these
      studies suggest an important relationship between episodes of paroxysmal atrial
      fibrillation and the risk of cryptogenic stroke, but further investigations are
      needed to guide diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. 

PMID- 26486511
TI  - Surgical Strategies for Management of Mitral Regurgitation: Recent Evidence from
      Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - In contrast to mitral regurgitation (MR) caused by structural abnormality of the
      valve ("primary" MR), about which there is increasing consensus regarding
      treatment, there is increasing controversy around the management of functional or
      "secondary" MR, of which "ischemic mitral regurgitation" (IMR) is a common cause.
      While the trend in the management of primary MR is increasingly aggressive, with
      wide agreement on the preference for repair over replacement such that debate
      centers on earlier and earlier repair even among asymptomatic patients, the
      situation is reversed in the setting of secondary MR with uncertainly beyond the
      mode of management (repair or replacement) to the value of intervening at all.
      This is, in part, because the term IMR has been somewhat loosely applied by the
      medical and surgical communities to include regurgitation secondary to active
      myocardial ischemia, as well as that resulting from a completed myocardial
      infarct. As a result, there is considerable variability in reported outcomes of
      surgical interventions for IMR. In addition, the natural history of IMR is quite
      adverse-more so than that of many solid organ malignancies-and its surgical
      treatment has traditionally carried a higher operative mortality than many
      cardiac surgical procedures, including similar operations for primary MR and
      incidental coronary artery disease. Added to this, with recent advances in both
      the medical and surgical treatment of heart failure improving nonoperative
      outcomes and simultaneously reducing operative risk compared to reports from
      previous decades, the landscape has been quite dynamic. Here, we review the
      issues surrounding surgical treatment for IMR, along with available evidence
      supporting different approaches, to lend an informed perspective on the divergent
      opinions among experts in this field and guide the appropriate management of the
      individual patient. 

PMID- 26486512
TI  - Fibrinolysis for Acute Care of Pulmonary Embolism in the Intermediate Risk
      Patient.
AB  - Controversy over the role of fibrinolysis in patients with intermediate-risk
      pulmonary embolism (PE) has persisted because of the lack of adequately sized
      trials. The PEITHO study now allows a more precise estimate of the risk to
      benefit ratio of fibrinolysis in these patients. This trial enrolled patients
      with intermediate-risk PE who were randomized to receive heparin with either
      tenecteplase or placebo. Fibrinolysis was associated with a significant reduction
      in the combined end-point of death or hemodynamic decompensation, but also with a
      significant increase in the risk of major bleeding. The primary efficacy end
      point occurred in 2.6 % of the patients in the tenecteplase group and in 5.6 % of
      the patients in the placebo group (OR, 0.44; 95 % CI, 0.23 to 0.87), conversely,
      major extracranial bleeding occurred in 6.3 % and 1.2 % in the tenecteplase and
      placebo groups, respectively (OR, 5.55; 95 % CI, 2.3 to 13.39) and stroke
      occurred in 2.4 % and in 0.2 % of the patients in the tenecteplase group and in
      the placebo group, respectively (OR, 12.10; 95 % CI, 1.57 to 93.39). No
      difference was observed for the risk of death alone and the risk of full-dose
      thrombolytic therapy outweighs its benefit in patients with intermediate-risk PE.
      Recent meta-analyses suggest that fibrinolysis may be associated with a slight
      reduction in overall mortality offset by an increase in major bleeding. Two pilot
      studies suggest that a reduced dose of fibrinolysis may produce significant
      hemodynamic improvement with a low risk of major bleeding. These options need to
      be evaluated in larger studies including patients with a higher risk of adverse
      outcome than those included in the PEITHO study.

PMID- 26486513
TI  - A Comparison of the Pharmacokinetics and Pulmonary Lymphatic Exposure of a
      Generation 4 PEGylated Dendrimer Following Intravenous and Aerosol Administration
      to Rats and Sheep.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cancer metastasis to pulmonary lymph nodes dictates the need to deliver
      chemotherapeutic and diagnostic agents to the lung and associated lymph nodes.
      Drug conjugation to dendrimer-based delivery systems has the potential to reduce
      toxicity, enhance lung retention and promote lymphatic distribution in rats. The
      current study therefore evaluated the pharmacokinetics and lung lymphatic
      exposure of a PEGylated dendrimer following inhaled administration. METHODS:
      Plasma pharmacokinetics and disposition of a 22 kDa PEGylated dendrimer were
      compared after aerosol administration to rats and sheep. Lung-derived lymph could
      not be sampled in rats and so lymphatic transport of the dendrimer from the lung
      was assessed in sheep. RESULTS: Higher plasma concentrations were achieved when
      dendrimer was administered to the lungs of rats as a liquid instillation when
      compared to an aerosol. Plasma pharmacokinetics were similar between sheep and
      rats, although some differences in disposition patterns were evident.
      Unexpectedly, less than 0.5% of the aerosol dose was recovered in pulmonary
      lymph. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that rats provide a relevant model for
      assessing the pharmacokinetics of inhaled macromolecules prior to evaluation in
      larger animals, but that the pulmonary lymphatics are unlikely to play a major
      role in the absorption of nanocarriers from the lungs.

PMID- 26486514
TI  - "Magic" Ionization Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - The systematic study of the temperature and pressure dependence of matrix
      assisted ionization (MAI) led us to the discovery of the seemingly impossible,
      initially explained by some reviewers as either sleight of hand or the
      misinterpretation by an overzealous young scientist of results reported many
      years before and having little utility. The "magic" that we were attempting to
      report was that with matrix assistance, molecules, at least as large as bovine
      serum albumin (66 kDa), are lifted into the gas phase as multiply charged ions
      simply by exposure of the matrix:analyte sample to the vacuum of a mass
      spectrometer. Applied heat, a laser, or voltages are not necessary to achieve
      charge states and ion abundances only previously observed with electrospray
      ionization (ESI). The fundamentals of how solid phase volatile or nonvolatile
      compounds are converted to gas-phase ions without added energy currently involves
      speculation providing a great opportunity to rethink mechanistic understanding of
      ionization processes used in mass spectrometry. Improved understanding of the
      mechanism(s) of these processes and their connection to ESI and matrix-assisted
      laser desorption/ionization may provide opportunities to further develop new
      ionization strategies for traditional and yet unforeseen applications of mass
      spectrometry. This Critical Insights article covers developments leading to the
      discovery of a seemingly magic ionization process that is simple to use, fast,
      sensitive, robust, and can be directly applied to surface characterization using
      portable or high performance mass spectrometers.

PMID- 26486515
TI  - Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) regulates prolactin,  growth hormone, and
      IGF-1 receptor expression  in the pituitary gland of the gilthead sea bream
      Sparus  aurata.
AB  - The role of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) on regulation of growth hormone
      (GH) and prolactin (PRL) as well as the possible involvement of IGF-1 receptor
      subtype a (IGF-1Ra) mRNA was assessed in juvenile specimens of Sparus aurata. IGF
      1Ra was successfully cloned, and active receptor domains were localized in its
      mRNA precursor. Also, phylogenetic analysis of the protein sequence indicated a
      closer proximity to IGF-1Ra isoform found in zebrafish and other teleosts, than
      to the isoform IGF-1Rb. The most abundant presence of IGF-1Ra mRNA was detected
      in white muscle, whereas head kidney showed the lowest gene expression among 24
      different studied tissues. Pituitaries of juvenile specimens of S. aurata were
      incubated in vitro with different doses of IGF-1 (0, 1, 100, and 1000 ng mL(-1))
      during a period of 10 h. Total RNA with a high quality could be obtained from
      these pituitaries. PRL mRNA expression significantly increased with increasing
      IGF-1 doses. Similarly, IGF-1Ra mRNA increased its expression in response to IGF
      1. However, GH mRNA levels decreased in a dose-dependent manner after IGF-1
      treatment. The contradictory responses of GH and PRL expressions to IGF-1 in our
      experiment are possibly mediated by IGF-1Ra presence on the somatotrophs and
      prolactotrophs. The increase in IGF-1Ra mRNA levels may be related to the proper
      activation of the PI3-K/Akt signal transduction pathways which are normally
      involved in GH and PRL regulation.

PMID- 26486516
TI  - Progress in controlling starch structure by modifying starch-branching enzymes.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: This paper reviews the progress of development of plants with
      desirable starch structure by modifying starch branching enzymes. Starch
      branching enzyme (SBE) is responsible for the creation of branches during starch
      biosynthesis in plastids, and is a major determinant of the final fine structure
      and physical properties of the starch. Multiple isoforms of SBE have been found
      in plants, with each playing a different role in amylopectin synthesis. Different
      methods have been used to develop desirable starch structures by modifying the
      SBE activity. These can involve changing its expression level (either up
      regulation or down-regulation), genetically modifying the activity of the SBE
      itself, and varying the length of its transferred chains. Changing the activity
      and the transferred chain length of SBE has been less studied than changing the
      expression level of SBE in vivo. This article reviews and summarizes new tools
      for developing plants producing the next generation of starches.

PMID- 26486517
TI  - Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of tariquidar (XR9576), a P
      glycoprotein inhibitor, in combination with doxorubicin, vinorelbine, or
      docetaxel in children and adolescents with refractory solid tumors.
AB  - PURPOSE: P-glycoprotein (Pgp), an ATP-dependent transport protein, confers
      multidrug resistance in cancer cells. Tariquidar binds and inhibits Pgp. To
      assess the toxicity, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics of tariquidar,
      we conducted a phase I trial of tariquidar in combination with doxorubicin,
      docetaxel, or vinorelbine in children and adolescents with recurrent or
      refractory solid tumors. METHODS: Patients less than 19 years of age with
      refractory or recurrent solid tumors were eligible. Tariquidar (1, 1.5, or 2
      mg/kg) was administered alone and in combination with doxorubicin, docetaxel, or
      vinorelbine. PK of tariquidar and cytotoxic drugs was performed. Pgp function was
      assessed by a rhodamine efflux assay and (99m)Tc-sestamibi scintigraphy. Tumor
      Pgp expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Response was assessed using
      Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. RESULTS: Twenty-nine subjects were
      enrolled. No tariquidar-related dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was observed. DLT
      related to cytotoxic drugs occurred in 12 % of subjects receiving tariquidar 2
      mg/kg. When administered in combination with tariquidar, the clearance of
      docetaxel and vinorelbine was reduced compared to prior studies. Inhibition of
      rhodamine efflux was dose dependent. After tariquidar administration, (99m)Tc
      sestamibi accumulation in tumor increased by 22 %. Objective responses (1
      complete, 2 partial) were observed. There was no association between tumor Pgp
      expression and response. CONCLUSION: A tolerable and biologically active dose of
      tariquidar was established in children and adolescents. This trial demonstrates
      that modulators of resistance can be evaluated in combination with chemotherapy,
      and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic endpoints can be useful in determination
      of recommended dose in children and adolescents.

PMID- 26486518
TI  - Correlation between biofilm production, antibiotic susceptibility and
      exopolysaccharide composition in Burkholderia pseudomallei bpsI, ppk, and rpoS
      mutant strains.
AB  - Burkholderia pseudomallei is the cause of melioidosis, a fatal tropical
      infectious disease, which has been reported to have a high rate of recurrence,
      even when an intensive dose of antibiotics is used. Biofilm formation is believed
      to be one of the possible causes of relapse because of its ability to increase
      drug resistance. EPS in biofilms have been reported to be related to the
      limitation of antibiotic penetration in B. pseudomallei. However, the mechanisms
      by which biofilms restrict the diffusion of antibiotics remain unclear. The
      present study presents a correlation between exopolysaccharide production in
      biofilm matrix and antibiotic resistance in B. pseudomallei using bpsI, ppk, and
      rpoS mutant strains. CLSM revealed a reduction in exopolysaccharide production
      and disabled micro-colony formation in B. pseudomallei mutants, which paralleled
      the antibiotic resistance. Different ratios of carbohydrate contents in the
      exopolysaccharides of the mutants were detected, although they have the same
      components, including glucose, galactose, mannose, and rhamnose, with the
      exception being that no detectable rhamnose peak was observed in the bpsI mutant.
      These results indicate that the correlation between these phenomena in the B.
      pseudomallei biofilm at least results from the exopolysaccharide, which may be
      under the regulation of bpsI, ppk, or rpoS genes. 

PMID- 26486519
TI  - Evaluation of Death Cases Connected to Electric Current in Aydin Province,
      Western Turkey.
AB  - In this article, the authors discuss electric shock fatalities in Aydin province
      and compare these findings with the findings of other studies conducted in Turkey
      and worldwide. Data were gathered from 2001-2013 autopsy reports retrospectively.
      A total of 34 cases were reviewed in terms of age and gender, scene and time of
      event, number of lesions and their locations, organ injuries, origin of
      electricity, and degree of burns. In all cases, electrical death was accidental.
      Electrical shock fatalities were most common in the 30 to 39 age group. Fourteen
      cases (41.2%) involved workers: 7 cases (2.6%) were agricultural workers, 4 cases
      (11.8%) were housewives, 2 (5.9%) were electrical workers, and 7 (20.6%) were
      unemployed or in other occupations. The authors are addressing this public health
      problem to minimize the number of electrical deaths. 

PMID- 26486521
TI  - Bioprinting of human pluripotent stem cells and their directed differentiation
      into hepatocyte-like cells for the generation of mini-livers in 3D.
AB  - We report the first investigation into the bioprinting of human induced
      pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), their response to a valve-based printing process
      as well as their post-printing differentiation into hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs).
      HLCs differentiated from both hiPSCs and human embryonic stem cells (hESCs)
      sources were bioprinted and examined for the presence of hepatic markers to
      further validate the compatibility of the valve-based bioprinting process with
      fragile cell transfer. Examined cells were positive for nuclear factor 4 alpha
      and were demonstrated to secrete albumin and have morphology that was also found
      to be similar to that of hepatocytes. Both hESC and hiPSC lines were tested for
      post-printing viability and pluripotency and were found to have negligible
      difference in terms of viability and pluripotency between the printed and non
      printed cells. hESC-derived HLCs were 3D printed using alginate hydrogel matrix
      and tested for viability and albumin secretion during the remaining
      differentiation and were found to be hepatic in nature. 3D printed with 40-layer
      of HLC-containing alginate structures reached peak albumin secretion at day 21 of
      the differentiation protocol. This work demonstrates that the valve-based
      printing process is gentle enough to print human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs)
      (both hESCs and hiPSCs) while either maintaining their pluripotency or directing
      their differentiation into specific lineages. The ability to bioprint hPSCs will
      pave the way for producing organs or tissues on demand from patient specific
      cells which could be used for animal-free drug development and personalized
      medicine. 

PMID- 26486520
TI  - An evidence-based knowledgebase of metastasis suppressors to identify key
      pathways relevant to cancer metastasis.
AB  - Metastasis suppressor genes (MS genes) are genes that play important roles in
      inhibiting the process of cancer metastasis without preventing growth of the
      primary tumor. Identification of these genes and understanding their functions
      are critical for investigation of cancer metastasis. Recent studies on cancer
      metastasis have identified many new susceptibility MS genes. However, the
      comprehensive illustration of diverse cellular processes regulated by metastasis
      suppressors during the metastasis cascade is lacking. Thus, the relationship
      between MS genes and cancer risk is still unclear. To unveil the cellular
      complexity of MS genes, we have constructed MSGene (http://MSGene.bioinfo
      minzhao.org/), the first literature-based gene resource for exploring human MS
      genes. In total, we manually curated 194 experimentally verified MS genes and
      mapped to 1448 homologous genes from 17 model species. Follow-up functional
      analyses associated 194 human MS genes with epithelium/tissue morphogenesis and
      epithelia cell proliferation. In addition, pathway analysis highlights the
      prominent role of MS genes in activation of platelets and coagulation system in
      tumor metastatic cascade. Moreover, global mutation pattern of MS genes across
      multiple cancers may reveal common cancer metastasis mechanisms. All these
      results illustrate the importance of MSGene to our understanding on cell
      development and cancer metastasis. 

PMID- 26486523
TI  - [Diffusion of hospital health outcomes].

PMID- 26486522
TI  - Auricular vagal nerve stimulation ameliorates burn-induced gastric dysmotility
      via sympathetic-COX-2 pathways in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Severe burn injury has been demonstrated to delay gastric emptying.
      The aim of this study was to investigate effects and cellular mechanisms of
      auricular electroacupuncture (AEA) at the acupoints innervated by the auricular
      branch of vagus nerve on burn-induced gastric dysmotility in rats. METHODS:
      Propranolol (beta-adrenoceptor antagonist) was injected intraperitoneally after
      the rats underwent burn injury. All experiments were performed 6 h following
      burn/sham burn injury. AEA was performed at bilateral auricular acupoints for 45
      min. Electrocardiogram was recorded for 30 min. Plasma hormones were measured;
      cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expressions in gastric tissue were measured using western
      blotting and real-time RT-PCR. KEY RESULTS: (i) Burn injury delayed gastric
      emptying (p = 0.006) and AEA increased gastric emptying by 49% (p = 0.045). (ii)
      Burn injury evoked a significant elevation in plasma noradrenaline, which was
      suppressed by AEA. (iii) Burn injury significantly increased protein and mRNA
      expressions of COX-2 in gastric fundus and antrum. AEA suppressed burn-induced
      increase in protein expressions, but not mRNA expressions of COX-2. CONCLUSIONS &
      INFERENCES: Burn injury delays gastric emptying by up-regulating COX-2 attributed
      to sympathetic overactivity. AEA improves burn-induced delay in gastric emptying,
      possibly mediated via the sympathetic-COX-2 pathway.

PMID- 26486524
TI  - [Disclosure of sources of funding in biomedical journals. Descriptive study of
      four Spanish publications].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The source of research funding can result in bias, and its disclosure
      is essential in the publication of results. The aim of the study is to identify
      the frequency and type of sources of funding in the articles published by four
      Spanish biomedical journals published in Spanish. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The
      frequency and type of financial disclosures in the articles published during 2012
      in the ordinary numbers of Atencion Primaria, Medicina Clinica, Revista Clinica
      Espanola and Revista Espanola de Cardiologia were analyzed. Articles described as
      "Editorial", "Original article", "Consensus Document", "Review" and "Special
      Article" were considered. It was decided in each case whether or not the article
      included any funding disclosure and the type of the declared funding (public or
      private). RESULTS: Four hundred and twelve publications were analyzed. In 32.5%
      there was disclosure of funding: 38% in Atencion Primaria, 27% in Medicina
      Clinica, 15% in Revista Clinica Espanola and 45% in Revista Espanola de
      Cardiologia. By type of articles, 47% of original articles, 44% of consensus
      documents, 21% of reviews, 14% of special articles and 8% of editorials had a
      funding source. In 51.5% of the cases, funding was exclusively public, in 36.5%
      exclusively private and in 10% mixed. CONCLUSIONS: There is considerable
      variability in the disclosure of funding sources in articles appearing in these
      four Spanish biomedical journals. It would be necessary to improve the disclosure
      requirements of sources of funding, making them uniform, clear and transparent.

PMID- 26486525
TI  - [Quality of life in patients diagnosed of prostate cancer treated with continuous
      androgen deprivation therapy vs. intermittent therapy].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment with intermittent androgen deprivation (IAD) seeks to
      improve the quality of life of patients with prosta-te cancer, with the same
      oncologic results as continuous androgen deprivation (CAD). The aim of this paper
      is to compare, using the CAVIPRES questionnaire, the quality of life between two
      groups of patients, one treated with CAD and the other with IAD. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A longitudinal study was performed for 24 months involving 114 patients.
      After 6 months, patients were randomized to two treatment groups (49 patients in
      CAD and 51 patients in IAD), controlled at 6, 12 and 18 months from
      randomisation. The score of the items and the overall score of the CAVIPRES
      questionnaire between the two groups was compared and their variation over time
      was studied. RESULTS: Patients with IAD had a better overall score than patients
      with CAD (p=0.002). Of the 5 blocks of items into which the questionnaire was
      divided, the IAD group had a better score than CAD in "Psychological aspects"
      (p=0.009) and "Social and partner support" (p=0.008). At 18 months, IAD improved
      the overall quality of life of patients relative to the time of randomization
      (p=0.000), as well as the score for "Sexual Life" (p=0.000) and "Social and
      partner support" (p=0.002). CAD did not improve overall quality of life or the
      score for the different blocks throughout the study (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IAD
      improves overall quality of life of patients at 18 months of stopping treatment.

PMID- 26486526
TI  - [Adverse events caused by activated charcoal in an emergency services survey].
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are few studies in Spain on the use of activated charcoal (AC)
      in acute poisoning via the digestive tract, and more specifically on its protocol
      and adverse events following its administration. The aim of this article is to
      know the experience in the use of AC by doctors and nurses of the Spanish
      emergency services. METHOD: Survey developed using Google Docs to health
      professionals in emergency services. RESULTS: Three hundred and sixty-four
      questionnaires were received, 52% of them from doctors. Catheterization prior to
      the use of AC in 74.5% of patients was performed, and did not use a catheter in
      13%. The application of AC was considered correct in 37.4%, and overall it was
      used in 92.4% of cases. The lateral safety position was used in 46.2%,
      antiemetics in 86.5% and isolation of the airway in case of coma (GCS<8) in 60%.
      The most described adverse events were vomiting of AC (61%), epixtasis when the
      catheter was positioned (51.1%), and its incorrect positioning (36%). Inhaling
      vomit occurred in 11.8% and inhaling carbon in 4.7%. Seven point one percent
      stated that the adverse events had been life-threatening to patients. No relation
      was found between the protocol and serious or life-threatening adverse events,
      nor between these latter and clinical safety measures. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence
      of adverse events according to the information provided by professionals in this
      survey of clinical practice might be higher than the incidence found in the
      literature.

PMID- 26486527
TI  - [Communication skills: a preventive factor in Burnout syndrome in health
      professionals].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health professionals are a group that suffers high levels of job
      stress and burnout. The aim of this study is to demonstrate empirically that the
      healthcare count on communication skills helps prevent Burnout Syndrome. METHOD:
      An observational, analytical, cross-sectional study was proposed, involving a
      sample of 927 health professionals (197 doctors, 450 nurses and 280 auxiliary
      nurses). Participants completed questionnaires measuring communication skills in
      health care (EHC-PS) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI
      HSS). RESULTS: A negative and statistically significant correlation between the
      different dimensions of communication skills and emotional exhaustion and
      depersonalization dimensions of burnout was obtained. On the other hand, a
      positive and statistically significant correlation between the dimensions of
      communication skills and the personal accomplishment dimension of burnout was
      observed. CONCLUSIONS: It was shown that the communication skills of health
      professionals provide protection from and cushion Burnout Syndrome.

PMID- 26486528
TI  - [Validity and reliability of the Spanish version of the oral assessment guide
      (OAG) in cancer patients].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Oral Assessment Guide (OAG) is a widely used tool designed for
      evaluating problems of oral mucous in cancer patients, but it has not been
      validated in Spanish. The aim of this work is to translate and validate into
      Spanish the scale of the OAG designed by Eilers. METHOD: The translation process
      was carried out using the method of back-translation by bilingual translators.
      The study was carried out with cancer patients, both outpatient and inpatients,
      of the Hematology/Oncology Department and with oncology nurses. The following
      psychometric properties of the OAG were evaluated: internal consistency,
      concurrent validity with WHO's mucositis scale, interjudge agreement between two
      different nurses. The perception of patients and nurses on the use of the OAG was
      also assessed. RESULTS: An adequate Spanish version of the OAG was obtained. All
      the participants (n=40) completed the study. Internal consistency measured by
      Cronbach's alpha was 0.71 and interjudge agreement obtained a moderate to good
      Kappa index in the majority of items (k=0.4-0.81), except in "tongue and gums"
      (k=0.33-0.37). Concurrent validity with WHO mucositis scale was acceptable
      (r=0.458). All the nurses (n=6) considered that the scale was easy to understand
      and useful in clinical practice. The patients said that oral evaluation with the
      scale did not cause them discomfort. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the OAG
      is a valid and reliable instrument in cancer patients. It is a scale that is easy
      to use in clinical practice and is well accepted by patients.

PMID- 26486529
TI  - [Determinants and economic cost of patient absenteeism in outpatient departments
      of the Costa del Sol Health Agency].
AB  - BACKGROUND: To identify factors related to the people, the process and the
      context that determine patient compliance with their appointments in the
      ambulatory outpatient services in the Costa del Sol Health Care Agency; and to
      obtain the profile of patients who fail to keep their appointments, the reasons
      for this failure and an estimation of its economic cost. METHODS: Observational
      multicenter case-control study, through a survey carried out on patients with an
      appointment in the ambulatory outpatient services during 2013 and 2014, and
      analysis of the cost per appointment. RESULTS: In total, 882 patients
      participated in the study (294 cases and 588 controls). The main reasons for
      missing an appointment were forgetting about it (29, 6%; n=87), and failure in
      communication (16%; n=47). A shorter time period before the appointment and older
      age were significantly associated with fewer absences, as well as the fact of
      having attended more consultations in the past year. The economic cost was more
      than 3 million euros for a non-attendance rate of 13.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Young
      patients who usually do not visit outpatient clinics are at greatest risk of
      absence from scheduled appointments in our health area. The main reasons for
      absenteeism are preventable and interventions such as improved communication
      procedures or appointment reminder systems could be beneficial.

PMID- 26486530
TI  - [The reputation of Spanish hospitals. Basis for developing a reputation index of
      hospitals].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reputation of the health centers is associated with: greater user
      preference in obtaining their services, better clinical outcomes and higher care
      quality and potential for attracting talented professionals. Reputation was
      evaluated using indexes and scales. The aim of this study is to analyze the
      attributes that should be gathered in a reputation index for Spanish hospitals.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Study based on qualitative techniques of consensus (nominal
      group technique + Delphi technique). RESULTS: Four dimensions were identified
      that form the reputation index: care quality, ethical behavior,
      credibility/confidence and biomedical innovation and research, which in turn are
      subdivided into 12 components in total. CONCLUSIONS: In building a reputation
      index consideration must be given to the combination of objective data (e.g.
      quality and safety outcomes) with other data that are subjective in nature (e.g.,
      patient satisfaction). Future studies should go online to validate the reference
      standards in building a reputation index for hospitals.

PMID- 26486531
TI  - [Readability and internet accessibility of informative documents for spinal cord
      injury patients in Spanish].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with spinal cord injuries and their carers have access to
      leaflets on Internet that they can use as educational material to complement
      traditional forms of education. The aim of this study is to evaluate the
      readability of informative documents in Spanish, obtained from Internet and aimed
      at patients with spinal cord injuries. METHODS: A search was made with the Google
      search engine using the following key words: recommendation, advice, guide,
      manual, self-care, education and information, adding spinal cord injury,
      paraplegia and tetraplegia to each of the terms. We analyzed the first 50 results
      of each search. The readability of the leaflets was studied with the Flesch
      Szigriszt index and the INFLESZ scale, both available on the INFLESZ program.
      Also indicated were year of publication, country and number of authors of the
      documents obtained. RESULTS: We obtained 16 documents, developed between 2001 and
      2011. Readability oscillated between 43.34 (some-what difficult) and 62 (normal),
      with an average value of 51.56 (somewhat difficult). Only 4 pamphlets (25%)
      showed a Flesch-Szigriszt index of >= 55 (normal). There was no difference in
      readability by year, authors or country of publication. CONCLUSIONS: The
      readability of 75% of the documents studied was "somewhat difficult" according to
      the INFLESZ scale. These results coincide with previous studies, in both Spanish
      and English. If the readability of this type of documents is improved, it will be
      easier to achieve their educational goal.

PMID- 26486532
TI  - Cause of death in hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We analyzed the underlying cause of death recorded in hospitalized
      patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza. METHODS: The present study included
      all patients with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of influenza during the
      influenza seasons 2009-2010 to 2013-2014 who were attended to in hospital and
      died. Their underlying cause of death according to the International
      Classification of Diseases 10th Revision was obtained from the Navarre Mortality
      Registry. RESULTS: Among 49 patients studied, the underlying causes of death were
      35% influenza, 4% pneumonia, 14% other respiratory diseases, 10% circulatory
      disease and 37% other causes. CONCLUSIONS: Non-cardiorespiratory causes accounted
      for a third of deaths in patients with confirmed influenza, thus all-cause
      mortality should be considered in estimating the full burden of influenza
      mortality.

PMID- 26486533
TI  - [Influence of prehospital response times in the survival of trauma patients in
      Navarre].
AB  - The relation between response times and mortality of polytrauma patients in the
      so-called "golden hour" continues to be a subject of debate. The purpose of this
      study is to determine the variables related to mortality in these patients and
      the influence of response times of the Emergency Medical Services in this
      mortality. To this end, the data in the "Major Trauma of Navarre" Register
      (retrospective cohort of polytrauma patients attended to by the Navarre Health
      Service) were analyzed for the four year period between 2010 and 2013. Of the 217
      trauma cases available for the analysis, 42 (19%) died. No significant
      association was found in the multi-variate analysis between the different
      response times and mortality: arrival at the scene (odds ratio (OR) 1.0; 95%
      confidence interval (CI) from 0.99 to 1.01), in the scenario (OR 1.00; 95% CI
      from 0.98 to 1.02) and total time (OR 1.00; 95% CI from 0.99 to 1.01). The
      variables that influenced mortality are patient age and severity of injuries
      measured by the prehospital Triage-Revised Trauma Score (T-RTS) and the New
      Injury Severity Score (NISS). The mortality of polytrauma patients attended to by
      the emergency system in our region is influenced by age and by the intensity of
      the aggression suffered, determined by the prehospital T-RTS and by the NISS. The
      response times of the hospital do not have a significant influence.

PMID- 26486534
TI  - [Dendritic cells in cancer immunotherapy].
AB  - Since the beginning of the 20th century, biomedical scientists have tried to take
      advantage of the natural anti-cancer activities of the immune system. However,
      all the scientific and medical efforts dedicated to this have not resulted in the
      expected success. In fact, classical antineoplastic treatments such as surgery,
      radio and chemotherapy are still first line treatments. Even so, there is a
      quantity of experimental evidence demonstrating that cancer cells are
      immunogenic. However, the effective activation of anti-cancer T cell responses
      closely depends on an efficient antigen presentation carried out by professional
      antigen presenting cells such as DC. Although there are a number of strategies to
      strengthen antigen presentation by DC, anti-cancer immunotherapy is not as
      effective as we would expect according to preclinical data accumulated in recent
      decades. We do not aim to make an exhaustive review of DC immunotherapy here,
      which is an extensive research subject already dealt with in many specialised
      reviews. Instead, we present the experimental approaches undertaken by our group
      over the last decade, by modifying DC to improve their anti-tumour capacities.

PMID- 26486535
TI  - [Guidelines for cochlear implant indication in Navarre].
AB  - Cochlear implants are indicated in severe to profound hearing loss with no
      benefit with hearing aids. Since the beginning of cochlear implants 30 years ago,
      auditory outcomes have been improving due to changes introduced in differ-ent
      areas: electrode design, strategy, surgical technique... Given good results
      within this period of time, cochlear implant indication has varied too. The aim
      of this paper is to show an update on indication criteria for cochlear
      implantation in Navarre, for application in daily practice. The indications are
      established by consensus amongst the hospitals of the region.

PMID- 26486536
TI  - [Recovery from total knee arthroplasty through continuous passive motion].
AB  - The purpose of this study was to know the effects of continuous passive
      mobilization in patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty. A search strategy
      was developed to retrieve all clinical trials, written in English and/or Spanish,
      published in the electronic search databases PubMed, Cochrane Library Plus,
      Dialnet, CSIC and PEDro. The inclusion criteria were: clinical trials published
      from January 2000 until November 2014 in English or Spanish. Out of 537 clinical
      trials that were potentially relevant, a total of 12 were included in this
      review. The evaluation of 1,153 patients shows that there is no significant
      difference in improving the range of the joint, pain, balance, motion, healing
      and hospital stay using continuous passive mobilization against the regular
      physiotherapy treatment for total knee arthroplasty. The application of
      continuous passive mobilization in the long-term does not provide any benefit in
      terms of the breadth of the range of the joint, pain and improvement of standing
      and motion in comparison with conventional postoperative physiotherapy treatment
      in total knee arthroplasty. In the short term an improvement is obtained in the
      range of joint motion in knee flexion.

PMID- 26486537
TI  - [Gender differences in the treatment and outcome of patients with acute coronary
      syndrome].

PMID- 26486538
TI  - [Author's reply. Gender differences in the treatment and outcome of patients with
      acute coronary syndrome].

PMID- 26486539
TI  - [Programs of type 1 diabetes education and incidence of type 1 diabetes in
      Navarre].

PMID- 26486540
TI  - [Author's reply. Programs of type 1 diabetes education and incidence of type 1
      diabetes in Navarre].

PMID- 26486541
TI  - [Allergology in the public health service of the Community of Madrid].

PMID- 26486542
TI  - [The spirometry in pre-school children].

PMID- 26486543
TI  - [Slipping rib syndrome. An aggressive but effective treatment].
AB  - Slipping rib syndrome (SRS) is an unusual cause of recurrent chest or abdominal
      pain in children. The diagnosis is elusive, including gastroenterological,
      cardiac, respiratory, infectious and chest or abdominal muscular pathologies. Two
      paediatric patients were diagnosed with SRS, both of them were female teenagers
      with a similar clinical pattern: crippling unilateral chest pain without a
      traumatic event. On physical examination, all patients had reproducible pain with
      the "hooking maneuver". Surgical excision of the costal cartilages was done,
      preserving the perichondrium. No complications were reported. In both cases we
      achieve an excellent outcome after one and four years of follow-up, resolving the
      symptoms completely. The surgical excision of the costal cartilages seems to be
      an aggressive option but with an excellent outcome. A minimum invasive approach
      could be a better option in the future.

PMID- 26486544
TI  - [Epithelioid angiosarcoma of the gallbladder. Case report and review of the
      literature].
AB  - Angiosarcoma of the gallbladder is an infrequent pathology but has a high
      morbidity and mortality. There are only 10 references in the international
      literature. We present a case treated in our center and we review the cases
      published since 1956. An 81 year-old male patient with abdominal pain, asthenia
      and dyspnea. Analytically anemia and leukocytosis. Exploration found a distended
      abdomen, right hypochondrium pain, with defense. Abdominal echography and a CT
      were requested with a diagnosis of acute cholecystitis and he was admitted for
      antibiotic treatment. The patient did not evolve favorably and was subjected to
      emergency surgery, which found a haemoperitoneum and a gallbladder with a tumoral
      appearance that could not be totally extirpated. He died 20 days after the
      operation. The report from pathological anatomy was compatible with epithelioid
      angiosarcoma of the biliary gallbladder. Gallbladder angiosarcoma is a neoplasia
      with a bad prognosis, whose clinical presentation can be mistaken for acute
      cholecystitis. Improving the prognosis of this disease involves carrying out
      early diagnosis and surgical treatment.

PMID- 26486545
TI  - [Microvascular pulmonary tumor embolism in a patient with urothelial tumor].
AB  - Pulmonary tumor embolisms (PTE) are an infrequent cause of dyspnea in oncological
      patients. The majority are diagnosed in patients with advanced tumors, above all
      localized in the breast, lung or stomach. There are few published cases involving
      patients with urothelial tumors. We present the case of a 69 year-old male,
      without a previous diagnosis of cancer, who was admitted due to subacute dyspnea,
      with clinical suspicion of pulmonary thromboembolism (PT). The patient died on
      the fifth day of admission. The autopsy confirmed the existence of a tumor in the
      left renal pelvis with hepatic and lymphoganglionary metastasis and an extensive
      microvascular pulmonary embolism that affected a large part of the capillaries
      and medium-caliber blood vessels of both lungs. PTE were considered responsible
      for the progressive respiratory failure and as the final cause of death. The most
      frequent clinical presentation of PTE is dyspnea. They are often mistaken for PT
      and diagnosis is not easy. Their prognosis is very bad, with extremely high
      mortality and confirmation is usually post-mortem.

PMID- 26486546
TI  - [Small bowel intussusception in the adult caused by ileal submucous lipoma].
AB  - We present the case of a 68 year-old male patient with secondary intestinal
      intussuspection due to a submucous li-poma of the ileum. This is a rare entity in
      adults and is usually due to an organic lesion. The clinical manifestation is
      characterized by vomiting, abdominal pain and melenas. In our case the patient,
      following a colonoscopy and an abdominal CT-scan, was subjected to an extended
      resection of caecum and terminal ilium. At present, the precision of the
      etiological diagnosis of intussuspections has increased thanks to the development
      of image tests, like CT-scan. Early surgical treatment is recommended, without
      intraoperative deintussuspection given the high risk of presenting a malign or
      ischemic lesion in the adult. 

PMID- 26486547
TI  - Delayed renal dysfunction and flash pulmonary edema post endovascular abdominal
      aneurysm repair.
AB  - After endovascular aortic repair (EVAR), the deterioration in long-term renal
      function is probably multifactorial. Preoperative renal failure is an independent
      risk factor. Postoperative renal dysfunction can be associated with inadvertent
      renal artery occlusion, renal artery complications as stenosis, plaque
      dislodgement, or dissection. Ischemic nephropathy can accelerate hypertension and
      circulatory congestion. We report a case of coverage of the renal arteries
      symptomatic with flash pulmonary edema and renal failure 15 months after EVAR,
      suggesting a delayed endograft migration. The patient had complete resolution of
      symptoms and renal function after renal artery stenting with placement between
      endograft and aneurysm to the left renal artery. 

PMID- 26486548
TI  - Migration of a Metallic Foreign Body Into the Heart.

PMID- 26486549
TI  - A versatile and highly efficient post-functionalization method for grafting
      organic molecules onto Anderson-type polyoxometalates.
AB  - A new azide functionalized Anderson polyoxometalate was synthesized, fully
      characterized and subsequently used as a building block for further POM post
      functionalization with organic compounds through a copper catalyzed azide-alkyne
      cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction. Optimization of the reaction conditions led to an
      efficient, fast, convenient and versatile POM coupling method. 

PMID- 26486550
TI  - Acute ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack: A costly business and a
      strategy to reduce costs (the "Time-Zero" plan).
AB  - Managed health care systems and other insurers in the United States are
      scrutinizing cost-containment measures for acute stroke care. Stroke remains a
      costly inpatient neurologic disease. Diagnostic technology for stroke has become
      extremely sophisticated, and the clinician must choose from a broad range of
      expensive tests. Conflict may arise as stroke patients and caregivers expect a
      full range of diagnostic tests, whereas primary care physicians strive for the
      most efficient diagnostic battery and cost containment. The neurologic specialist
      may find himself or herself caught in the middle of this conflict, frustrated by
      the apparent failure of the system to satisfy the expectations of providing the
      highest quality of patient care within cost-containment needs. The "Time-Zero"
      proposal is a plan to capture both high-quality stroke care and cost containment
      because common sense must prevail in these times of medical economic uncertainty.
      Physicians and stroke diagnostic providers must modify their behavior and
      maintain a flexible approach regarding availability of diagnostic services,
      whereas insurers must be willing to maintain quality standards to achieve rapid
      stroke diagnosis and treatment. There is a common ground where patients,
      physicians, and insurers can 'meet to tackle this challenge. The cost-containment
      "bottom line" will not mysteriously disappear; thus, we must have a rational plan
      for stroke diagnosis and treatment that lessens patient, physician, and insurer
      dissatisfaction. 

PMID- 26486551
TI  - The significance of basal ganglia infarction.
AB  - The striatum is a selectively vulnerable region of brain in animal models of
      ischemic stroke. We performed cerebral blood flow with single-photon emission
      computed tomography (SPECT) on six patients with focal basal ganglia infarction
      and five patients with hemispheric infarction to determine whether the striatum
      is selectively vulnerable to ischemia in human stroke. SPECT was performed with a
      Toshiba model 602A digital scintillation camera using 30 mCi (99m)Tc Ceretec. One
      hour after injection, scans were performed at 5 degrees  intervals to a complete
      360 degrees  over 40 min. Data were processed into sagittal, axial, and coronal
      views. Groups were compared by Fischer's exact test. Five of the six patients
      with basal ganglia infarction had diffuse hemispheric ischemia. All five patients
      with focal hemispheric infarction had ischemia confined to that region (p =
      0.01). Focal infarction of the striatum occurs in diffuse cerebral ischemia
      because the striatum is a selectively vulnerable brain region. 

PMID- 26486552
TI  - Physician attitudes toward treatment options for cerebrovascular disease.
AB  - One-hundred physicians older than 50 and 100 physicians younger than 50 were
      surveyed concerning treatment preferences for patients with transient ischemic
      attacks (TIAs) or completed stroke. These attitudes were compared to
      cardiovascular disease prevention strategies for patients with angina pectoris
      and myocardial infarction. Physicians younger than 50 were therapeutically
      aggressive for cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease; physicians older than
      50 were aggressive for cardiovascular disease but therapeutically nihilistic for
      cerebrovascular disease. Physicians younger than 50 were more likely to be
      aggressive for TIA than for completed stroke patients, and these physicians were
      more likely to utilize ticlopidine and oral anticoagulants for both TIA and
      completed stroke patients. 

PMID- 26486553
TI  - Paradoxical embolism after cardiac catheterization.
AB  - Paradoxical embolism is seen in fewer than 2% of all arterial emboli. It occurs
      most often through a patent foramen ovale (PFO), which is present in up to one
      third of patients with strokes of unknown etiology. We report a 69-year-old woman
      in whom a thrombus traveled from the lower extremity venous system to her right
      middle cerebral artery through an unsuspected atrial septal defect. Following
      right femoral artery catheterization for coronary angiography, she developed a
      femoral artery pseudoaneurysm and groin hematoma causing compression of the right
      femoral vein and venous thrombosis. Before she could undergo surgical evacuation
      and repair, she developed a right brain stroke with cognitive deficits, left
      field cut, left hemiparesis, and sensory loss. Transthoracic echocardiography
      with bubble contrast showed a small PFO with right-to-left interatrial shunting.
      A Greenfield filter was placed in the inferior vena cava, and the patient was
      anticoagulated before she underwent inpatient rehabilitation. This case
      illustrates the importance of considering paradoxical emboli in unexplained
      strokes. The literature is reviewed, and treatment and prevention of paradoxical
      emboli are discussed. 

PMID- 26486554
TI  - Effect of intra-arterial papaverine on cerebral blood flow in vasospasm after
      subarachnoid hemorrhage: A study using single-photon emission computed
      tomography.
AB  - Cerebral vasospasm is an important cause of delayed stroke after subarachnoid
      hemorrhage. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of regional
      cerebral blood flow with (99m)Tc-hexamethyl propylenenamine oxime (HMPAO) was
      performed before and after intra-arterial papaverine treatment in 10 patients
      with symptomatic cerebral vasospasm. Two patients were treated twice. The
      ultimate clinical outcome was improved due to papaverine in 5 of the 10 patients.
      SPECT imaging correlated with clinical course in 10 of 12 treatments. One of the
      discordant cases had significant residual mesial frontal lobe perfusion defects
      on SPECT despite improvement in blood flow in the lateral aspects of the frontal
      lobes and did not improve clinically. The other was stable but required
      definitive treatment with balloon angioplasty on the following day before
      clinical improvement was noted. Papaverine has effectiveness in pharmacologically
      dilating constricted cerebral arteries and is preferred for distal vasospasm and
      in vessels that may be difficult to dilate via balloon angioplasty. Technetium
      99m-HMPAO SPECT imaging detects cerebral perfusion deficits associated with
      vasospasm and monitors the effect of intra-arterial papaverine on regional
      cerebral blood flow. 

PMID- 26486555
TI  - Magnetic resonance angiography in the diagnosis of deep cerebral venous
      thrombosis.
AB  - Given the nonspecific and conflicting "indirect" signs and rare occurrence of the
      true "direct" signs on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI), conventional angiography has been the "gold standard" in the diagnosis of
      cerebral venous thrombosis. Visualization of the deep venous system by magnetic
      resonance angiography (MRA) suggests this modality may accurately demonstrate
      thrombosis at this level. We present a 34-year-old Down syndrome patient with
      deep cerebral venous thrombosis demonstrated by MRA who was initially
      misdiagnosed as a bithalamic glioma due to the similarity in the imaging
      characteristics of the two conditions. No direct evidence of venous thrombosis
      was present on CT or MRI. MRA was the sole noninvasive imaging modality to
      "directly" demonstrate venous thrombosis and is suggested in the evaluation of
      unexplained or atypical cerebral events that may represent deep cerebral venous
      thrombosis. 

PMID- 26486556
TI  - Predicting discharge functional status and rehabilitation efficiency from
      preadmission functional assessments.
AB  - Various indicators have been used to predict functional change and outcome in
      stroke rehabilitation. One previous study indicated that functional assessments
      performed prior to rehabilitation admission correlated well with functional
      status at discharge and also were indicative of rehabilitation efficiency scores.
      The present study attempted to replicate these findings in a study of 14
      additional stroke patients admitted to an inpatient unit; data collection on
      additional patients is ongoing. Patients' weekly Functional Independence Measure
      (FIM) scores were assessed, together with their preadmission FIM score (PFM) and
      other clinical data. As in the previous study, PFM scores correlated well with
      functional ratings made by the team following admission (r = 0.78), and with
      discharge FIM scores (r = 0.68). Patients with PFM scores of 30 or less had much
      lower rehabilitation efficiency ratios (0.62) than those with PFM scores greater
      than 30 (0.97). Finally, in a multiple regression equation with discharge
      functional status as the dependent variable, PFM scores accounted for almost as
      much of the variance (47%) as FIM scores obtained during the first week of
      admission (63%). Overall, the results obtained were remarkably consistent with
      the previous study cited. The current results imply that the use of preadmission
      functional ratings may be a valid and useful way to predict functional change and
      efficiency of inpatient rehabilitation admission. 

PMID- 26486557
TI  - Low yield of clinically significant transesophageal echocardiographic findings in
      patients with lacunar stroke.
AB  - Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a sensitive technique for the detection
      of cardioembolic sources of stroke in patients with cryptogenic stroke. However,
      the yield of clinically significant TEE-detected abnormalities in other stroke
      subtypes such as lacunar stroke is unknown. We prospectively followed 145
      consecutive stroke patients, including 26 patients with typical lacunar
      syndromes, to determine the relative risk of recurrent brain ischemia associated
      with TEE findings. The yield of TEE in patients with lacunar stroke syndromes was
      extremely low, except for a very high rate of atrial septal aneurysm (ASA).
      Although ASA was associated with a high risk of recurrent stroke or transient
      ischemic attack in patients with nonlacunar stroke, ASA was not associated with
      stroke recurrence in patients with lacunar stroke (p = 0.02, Cox's proportional
      hazard regression model). We conclude that TEE is unlikely to provide clinically
      relevant information in patients with typical lacunar syndromes. 

PMID- 26486558
TI  - Retrospective analysis of aspirin and ticlopidine in preventing recurrent stroke
      following an initial lacunar infarct.
AB  - Of 73 patients with initial lacunar stroke subsequently treated with aspirin, 13
      (18%) developed recurrent stroke (11 lacunar infarcts and 2 nonlacunar infarcts),
      and 4 (5%) died within 1 year. Of the aspirin-treated lacunar infarct patients,
      58 received 325 mg or lower-dose aspirin, and 15 received 600-1,300 mg of
      aspirin. Thirteen aspirin-treated patients who developed recurrent ischemic
      stroke received 80 mg or 325 mg of aspirin, whereas recurrent stroke did not
      occur in 15 patients treated with 600-1,300 mg of aspirin daily. Of 25 patients
      with lacunar stroke who were subsequently treated with 250 mg of ticlopidine
      twice daily, 1 patient (4%) developed recurrent lacunar infarct, and none died
      within 1 year. Of 10 patients who had an initial lacunar stroke and subsequently
      received no antiplatelet medication, 4 (40%) developed recurrent lacunar stroke,
      and 1 (10%) died within 1 year. 

PMID- 26486559
TI  - Upper motor neuron signs in acute stroke: Prevalence, interobserver reliability,
      and timing of initial examination.
AB  - There is little documentation in the neurologic literature of the prevalence or
      reliability of upper motor neuron (UMN) signs in acute stroke. This knowledge is
      important for those conducting neurologic surveys and clinical trials among
      stroke patients because it may aid in the design of data collection instruments.
      One-hundred stroke patients admitted to the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center
      Neurovascular Unit were independently examined by two neurologists who were
      blinded to the patient's clinical history and neuroimaging studies. Kappa values
      ranges from -0.09 to 0.57, and concordance rates ranged from 0.55 to 1.0. The
      prevalence of 13 UMN signs varied considerably (3-94%). More prevalent UMN signs
      such as pronator drift, diminished fine coordination, hyperreflexia, Babinski and
      Chaddock signs were also reasonably reliable. There were differences between the
      early-acute and late-acute motor stroke groups; however, these were not
      significant. Prevalence, reliability, and, possibly, the time of initial
      examination were inter-related. The clinical utility of each UMN sign is a
      function of three inter-related factors: prevalence, reliability, and time of
      examination. Hence, the time of initial neurologic assessment may have some
      impact on the prevalence and reliability of UMN signs. 

PMID- 26486560
TI  - Carotid endarterectomy for patients with asymptomatic internal carotid artery
      stenosis.
AB  - The investigators of the Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study are reporting
      the interim results of a randomized controlled clinical trial of carotid
      endarterectomy in patients who have asymptomatic carotid stenosis of greater than
      60% reduction in diameter. In addition to aspirin and aggressive management of
      modifiable risk factors, one-half of the patients were randomly assigned to
      receive surgery after angiograhic confirmation of the lesion. Carotid
      endarterectomy is beneficial with a statistically significant absolute reduction
      of 5.8% in the risk of the primary end point of stroke within 5 years and a
      relative risk reduction of 55%. As a consequence of the trial reaching
      statistical significance in favor of endarterectomy, and on the recommendation of
      the study's data monitoring committee, physicians participating in the study were
      immediately notified and advised to reevaluate patients who did not receive
      surgery. It is important to note that the success of the operation depends on
      medical centers and surgeons who have a documented perioperative morbidity and
      mortality of less than 3%, careful selection of patients, and postoperative
      management of modifiable risk factors. 

PMID- 26486561
TI  - Ionising radiation in the workplace.

PMID- 26486562
TI  - Atom precise platinum-thiol crowns.
AB  - Ligand stabilized water soluble Pt nanoclusters were synthesized and
      characterized through electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Glutathione was
      used as the ligand, and Pt5(SG)10, and Pt6(SG)12 clusters were synthesized.
      Theoretical investigations found that these clusters do not possess a metal core,
      but rather are most stable in a ring structure. The clusters are stabilized
      through the thiol ligands forming a square planar structure around each Pt atom
      to form a ring. The structural elucidation was confirmed through UV/Vis and IR
      spectroscopy. 

PMID- 26486565
TI  - Microplastic Pollution in Table Salts from China.
AB  - Microplastics have been found in seas all over the world. We hypothesize that sea
      salts might contain microplastics, because they are directly supplied by
      seawater. To test our hypothesis, we collected 15 brands of sea salts, lake
      salts, and rock/well salts from supermarkets throughout China. The microplastics
      content was 550-681 particles/kg in sea salts, 43-364 particles/kg in lake salts,
      and 7-204 particles/kg in rock/well salts. In sea salts, fragments and fibers
      were the prevalent types of particles compared with pellets and sheets.
      Microplastics measuring less than 200 MUm represented the majority of the
      particles, accounting for 55% of the total microplastics, and the most common
      microplastics were polyethylene terephthalate, followed by polyethylene and
      cellophane in sea salts. The abundance of microplastics in sea salts was
      significantly higher than that in lake salts and rock/well salts. This result
      indicates that sea products, such as sea salts, are contaminated by
      microplastics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on
      microplastic pollution in abiotic sea products. 

PMID- 26486566
TI  - Optimization of Inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Pantothenate Synthetase
      Based on Group Efficiency Analysis.
AB  - Ligand efficiency has proven to be a valuable concept for optimization of leads
      in the early stages of drug design. Taking this one step further, group
      efficiency (GE) evaluates the binding efficiency of each appendage of a molecule,
      further fine-tuning the drug design process. Here, GE analysis is used to
      systematically improve the potency of inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      pantothenate synthetase, an important target in tuberculosis therapy. Binding
      efficiencies were found to be distributed unevenly within a lead molecule derived
      using a fragment-based approach. Substitution of the less efficient parts of the
      molecule allowed systematic development of more potent compounds. This method of
      dissecting and analyzing different groups within a molecule offers a rational and
      general way of carrying out lead optimization, with potential broad application
      within drug discovery. 

PMID- 26486567
TI  - Expression of p53 predicts risk of prevalent and incident advanced neoplasia in
      patients with Barrett's esophagus and epithelial changes indefinite for
      dysplasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE) are at an increased
      risk for developing esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC); thus they may undergo
      regular endoscopic surveillance. If epithelial changes cannot be unequivocally
      classified as negative or positive for dysplasia, a diagnosis of indefinite for
      dysplasia (IND) is recommended. Several biomarkers have been proposed as markers
      or predictors of neoplasia in the general BE population; however, their
      significance is not clear in patients with BE-IND. We therefore performed a
      retrospective study to determine whether expression of these biomarkers was
      associated with the development of neoplasia in BE-IND patients. METHODS: We
      searched our archives to identify all cases of BE-IND diagnosed between January
      1992 and December 2007. Immunohistochemical analyses were used to semi-quantify
      the expression of p53, alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR), and cyclin D1. A
      univariate analysis was used to identify predictors for prevalent and incident
      neoplasia and advanced neoplasia. RESULTS: Among the 103 patients with an index
      diagnosis of BE-IND who were included in this study, 81 (78.6%) underwent a
      follow-up biopsy within 12 months of diagnosis; 10 (12.3%) had neoplasia,
      including four (4.9%) with advanced neoplasia. Among 79 patients without
      prevalent neoplasia who underwent more than 1 year of follow-up, 18 (22.8%) had
      developed neoplasia, including four (5.1%) with advanced neoplasia. AMACR and
      cyclin D1 expression levels were not correlated with prevalent or incident
      neoplasia; however, high p53 expression (>5%) was associated with prevalent
      advanced neoplasia on surveillance biopsy (P = 0.04) and with an increased risk
      of progression to advanced neoplasia (HR = 12; P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: In this
      study, p53 expression was found to be predictive of prevalent advanced neoplasia
      and progression to advanced neoplasia in patients with BE-IND.

PMID- 26486569
TI  - Catalytic Intramolecular Ketone Alkylation with Olefins by Dual Activation.
AB  - Two complementary methods for catalytic intramolecular ketone alkylation
      reactions with unactivated olefins, resulting in Conia-ene-type reactions, are
      reported. The transformations are enabled by dual activation of both the ketone
      and the olefin and are atom-economical as stoichiometric oxidants or reductants
      are not required. Assisted by Kool's aniline catalyst, the reaction conditions
      can be both pH- and redox-neutral. A broad range of functional groups are thus
      tolerated. Whereas the rhodium catalysts are effective for the formation of five
      membered rings, a ruthenium-based system that affords the six-membered ring
      products was also developed. 

PMID- 26486572
TI  - Editorial: Athrogenic embolism causing cerebral infarction.

PMID- 26486570
TI  - Integrative metabonomics as potential method for diagnosis of thyroid malignancy.
AB  - Thyroid nodules can be classified into benign and malignant tumors. However,
      distinguishing between these two types of tumors can be challenging in clinics.
      Since malignant nodules require surgical intervention whereas asymptomatic benign
      tumors do not, there is an urgent need for new techniques that enable accurate
      diagnosis of malignant thyroid nodules. Here, we used (1)H NMR spectroscopy
      coupled with pattern recognition techniques to analyze the metabonomes of thyroid
      tissues and their extracts from thyroid lesion patients (n = 53) and their
      adjacent healthy thyroid tissues (n = 46). We also measured fatty acid
      compositions using GC-FID/MS techniques as complementary information. We
      demonstrate that thyroid lesion tissues can be clearly distinguishable from
      healthy tissues, and malignant tumors can also be distinguished from the benign
      tumors based on the metabolic profiles, both with high sensitivity and
      specificity. In addition, we show that thyroid lesions are accompanied with
      disturbances of multiple metabolic pathways, including alterations in energy
      metabolism (glycolysis, lipid and TCA cycle), promotions in protein turnover,
      nucleotide biosynthesis as well as phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. These
      findings provide essential information on the metabolic features of thyroid
      lesions and demonstrate that metabonomics technology can be potentially useful in
      the rapid and accurate preoperative diagnosis of malignant thyroid nodules.

PMID- 26486568
TI  - Advances in the management of Barrett's esophagus and early esophageal
      adenocarcinoma.
AB  - The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has markedly increased in the
      United States over the last few decades. Barrett's esophagus (BE) is the most
      significant known risk factor for this malignancy. Theoretically, screening and
      treating early BE should help prevent EAC but the exact incidence of BE and its
      progression to EAC is not entirely known and cost-effectiveness studies for
      Barrett's screening are lacking. Over the last few years, there have been major
      advances in our understanding of the epidemiology, pathogenesis and endoscopic
      management of BE. These developments focus on early recognition of advanced
      histology and endoscopic treatment of high-grade dysplasia. Advanced resection
      techniques now enable us to endoscopically treat early esophageal cancer. In this
      review, we will discuss these recent advances in diagnosis and treatment of
      Barrett's esophagus and early esophageal adenocarcinoma. 

PMID- 26486573
TI  - The course of necrotizing arteritis: Imaging with real-time B-mode
      ultrasonography.
AB  - The morphology of the acute and chronic phases of necrotizing ateritis was
      demonstrated by real-time B-mode ultrasonography of the external carotid artery
      in a 52-year-old woman with documented arteritis. The morphological changes
      correlated with the clinical exacerbation and remission of the symptoms. 

PMID- 26486571
TI  - Court applications for withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration from
      patients in a permanent vegetative state: family experiences.
AB  - Withdrawal of artificially delivered nutrition and hydration (ANH) from patients
      in a permanent vegetative state (PVS) requires judicial approval in England and
      Wales, even when families and healthcare professionals agree that withdrawal is
      in the patient's best interests. Part of the rationale underpinning the original
      recommendation for such court approval was the reassurance of patients' families,
      but there has been no research as to whether or not family members are reassured
      by the requirement for court proceedings or how they experience the process. The
      research reported here draws on in-depth narrative interviews with 10 family
      members (from five different families) of PVS patients who have been the subject
      of court proceedings for ANH-withdrawal. We analyse the empirical evidence to
      understand how family members perceive and experience the process of applying to
      the courts for ANH-withdrawal and consider the ethical and practice implications
      of our findings. Our analysis of family experience supports arguments grounded in
      economic and legal analysis that court approval should no longer be required. We
      conclude with some suggestions for how we might develop other more efficient,
      just and humane mechanisms for reviewing best interests decisions about ANH
      withdrawal from these patients. 

PMID- 26486574
TI  - Occipital infarction: Carotid artery and cardiac findings.
AB  - Extracranial carotid artery disease can cause occipital infarction when the
      posterior cerebral artery originates from the carotid artery. To determine the
      prevalence of serious extracranial carotid artery stenosis (>=50%) and potential
      stroke mechanisms in patients with posterior cerebral artery territory occipital
      infarcts, we studied 24 consecutive patients with recent infarcts documented on
      computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. All patients presented with a
      homonymous visual field defect, and eight also had other cerebral dysfunctions.
      Eighteen patients had carotid studies: duplex ultrasound in 17 and arteriography
      in 1. Twenty patients had echocardiography. Presumed mechanisms of infarction
      were cardiac embolism in 10 patients (42%), hypercoagulability in 2 (8%), artery
      to-artery embolism in 1 (4%), migraine in 1 (4%), multiple potential mechanisms
      (cardiac embolism, hypercoagulability, and migraine) in 1 (4%), and undetermined
      in the remaining 9 (38%). None of the patients had extracranial carotid artery
      stenosis >=50%. Extracranial carotid artery disease appears to be a rare cause of
      occipital infarction. Our findings support conclusions reached in previous
      studies, that cardiac embolism is the principal cause of occipital infarction. 

PMID- 26486575
TI  - Deep vein thrombosis in stroke patients: An overview.
AB  - Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is prevalent both in the acute and the later phases of
      stroke. From previous studies using (125)I fibrinogen uptake, its peak incidence
      appears to occur during the first 10 days of stroke. Using venography and
      impedance plethymography, its prevalence is still high (between 30% and 40%) 1
      1/2 to 6 months after stroke. The incidence of pulmonary embolism appear to
      diminish after the acute phase of stroke. Venous stasis is a widely accepted
      factor in the cause of DVT. More recently, venous injury as endothelial damage
      from excessive venodilation has been postulated. Increased venous size in
      hemiplegic limb has been reported. Further studies as to the role of decreased
      venous velocity and increased venous size and the effect of various modalities
      influencing these effects are needed. Routine screening of stroke patients
      appears indicated, but what protocol should be followed has yet to be determined.
      Selective screening by stratifying patients as to their clinical risk may be
      appropriate if found safe and cost-effective. Prophylactic treatment should be
      initiated in patients who are at increased risk of DVT. The prophylaxis of venous
      thrombosis in stroke patients remains uncertain. The use of low-molecular heparin
      may be a promising option if it is proven safe, efficacious, and causes less
      bleeding. Other prophylactic methods remain to be investigated. 

PMID- 26486576
TI  - Role of leukocyte adhesion in clinical stroke.
AB  - Activated neutrophils appear to be directly involved in potentiating central
      nervous system ischemic injury. After initial endothelial adherence, neutrophils
      can produce capillary plugging with subsequent parenchymal infiltration and
      resulting cytotoxic neuronal injury. We used an in vitro leukocyte adherence
      assay to determine if adhesion is increased in acute stroke (within 72 h) or in
      patients at high risk for stroke (two or more risk factors) compared to matched
      controls. Neutrophils were isolated using density gradient centrifugation, and
      adherence to laminin or fibronectin was determined using a myeloperoxidase assay.
      The adhesion to laminin was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the stroke group
      (23.6 +/- 4.3; n = 14) compared to controls (9.7 +/- 2.3; n = 12), with the risk
      group being intermediate (16.3 +/- 4.3; n = 14). Total WBC counts were
      significantly higher in the stroke 8.0 +/- 0.72 and risk 7.8 +/- 0.41 groups (p <
      0.05), compared to controls 5.3 +/- 0.27. These data indicate that neutrophil
      adherence is increased in acute stroke and suggests that the total number of
      potentially adherent cells (total neutrophils times percent adherent cells) is
      greatly increased. 

PMID- 26486577
TI  - Avicenna on the causes and signs of stroke.
AB  - Ancient and medieval theories on the causes and signs of stroke are presented in
      a translation of the relevant chapters of the Canon of Medicine by Avicenna (908
      1037 A.D.), which was one of the main books studied by doctors for nearly 500
      years. Recognised aetiologic factors included vascular occlusion, cerebral
      abscess, trauma, and repeated blood-letting. Motor and sensory deficits were
      described, as was the occasional association with facial palsy, respiratory
      difficulty, and coma. Warning symptoms such as severe headache and blackout were
      known, as was the poor prognosis associated with stroke that follows severe
      headache. Obesity as a risk factor was identified. 

PMID- 26486578
TI  - Physostigmine improves cerebral blood flow in human focal cerebral ischemia.
AB  - The effect of intravenous physostigmine on cerebral perfusion of patients with
      cortical stroke was investigated using hexamethyl-propyleneamine oxime (HMPAO)
      single-photon emission computed tomography. Each patient was studied twice,
      afteran intravenous infusion of either 1 mg of physostigmine salicylate or
      saline. A marked increase in HMPAO activity was observed in all regions of post
      physostigmine scans when compared to the corresponding post-saline scans, except
      for the area of infarction and its mirror area in the contralateral hemisphere.
      In conclusion, physostigmine improves perfusion in the area of penumbra of
      patients with cortical infarction. 

PMID- 26486579
TI  - A pilot study of the end point verification system in the asymptomatic carotid
      atherosclerosis study.
AB  - Ipsilateral transient ischemic attack (TIA) and cerebral infarction (CI) are
      primary end points of the Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study (ACAS), an
      ongoing multicenter, prospective, randomized trial designed to assess the
      effectiveness of carotid endarterectomy for patients with asymptomatic,
      hemodynamically significant stenosis of the internal or common carotid artery.
      The evanescent nature and absence of residual physical findings in TIAs pose
      special difficulties that contribute to interobserver disagreement. A
      standardized definition was established to be applied accurately and uniformly at
      the participating centers, including a questionnaire on six cardinal neurological
      symptoms, a computerized algorithm for characterization of events, and a
      verification system involving the independent evaluations of three reviewers.
      Modifications to the end point verification protocol after pilot testing in 115
      patients with one or more symptoms enabled the algorithm to distinguish vascular
      from nonvascular events with a sensitivity of 83%, a specificity of 69%, positive
      predictive value of 71%, and negative predictive value of 82%. ACAS has developed
      a system for detecting and diagnosing end points. Using the algorithm as a
      guideline, consensus between two institutional physicians and a blinded
      independent reviewer must be made for an end point to be declared. If no
      consensus can be reached, a panel of two blinded external reviewers confers to
      arrive at an adjudication of the case. All potential end points are reviewed
      retrospectively by an end points committee for final adjudication. 

PMID- 26486580
TI  - Cystic medial necrosis and internal carotid artery dissection in a marfan
      sibling: Partial expression of marfan syndrome.
AB  - Only rare cases of primary extra-aortic cystic medial necrosis and
      cervicocephalic arterial dissections have been reported in Marfan syndrome. We
      report an apparently traumatic dissection of the internal carotid artery in a
      woman whose brother had classic Marfan syndrome. The patient herself had no
      apparent manifestations of the syndrome, but she had cystic medial necrosis and
      significant loss of elastic fibers of the media. In Marfan syndrome, the
      penetrance of the gene can be quite variable, such that some members of the same
      family may show the full syndrome, whereas others reveal only the rudiments of
      the syndrome or, perhaps as exemplified by the case reported here, only manifest
      microscopic arterial abnormalities. 

PMID- 26486581
TI  - Thalamic ependymoma presenting as recurrent subarachnoid hemorrhage.
AB  - We describe a 65-year-old woman who presented with recurrent subarachnoid
      hemorrhage due to a pathologically proven thalamic ependymoma. This is the first
      report of such a case. Cerebral angiography and initial imaging studies did not
      reveal a source of bleeding. Our case emphasizes the importance of periodically
      following patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage of undetermined etiology. 

PMID- 26486582
TI  - Problems in identifying paradoxical cerebral embolism: Case report with
      discussion.
AB  - We report a case of paradoxical cerebral embolism in a 63-year-old man with newly
      diagnosed rectal cancer. The onset was heralded by nearly simultaneous pulmonary
      embolism and left hemiplegia. He was subsequently found to have deep venous
      thrombosis. Despite placement of a vena caval filter, a second cerebral
      infarction occurred in the opposite hemisphere. Air contrast transthoracic
      echocardiography was negative, but autopsy revealed a patent foramen ovale.
      Problems in the identification of paradoxical embolism are discussed. 

PMID- 26486583
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 26486584
TI  - Controllable Growth of Perovskite Films by Room-Temperature Air Exposure for
      Efficient Planar Heterojunction Photovoltaic Cells.
AB  - A two-step solution processing approach has been established to grow void-free
      perovskite films for low-cost high-performance planar heterojunction photovoltaic
      devices. A high-temperature thermal annealing treatment was applied to drive the
      diffusion of CH3NH3I precursor molecules into a compact PbI2 layer to form
      perovskite films. However, thermal annealing for extended periods led to degraded
      device performance owing to the defects generated by decomposition of perovskite
      into PbI2. A controllable layer-by-layer spin-coating method was used to grow
      "bilayer" CH3NH3I/PbI2 films, and then drive the interdiffusion between PbI2 and
      CH3NH3I layers by a simple air exposure at room temperature for making well
      oriented, highly crystalline perovskite films without thermal annealing. This
      high degree of crystallinity resulted in a carrier diffusion length of ca. 800 nm
      and a high device efficiency of 15.6%, which is comparable to values reported for
      thermally annealed perovskite films.

PMID- 26486586
TI  - What causes cam deformity and femoroacetabular impingement: still too many
      questions to provide clear answers.

PMID- 26486585
TI  - Individualised physiotherapy as an adjunct to guideline-based advice for low back
      disorders in primary care: a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many patients with low-back disorders persisting beyond 6 weeks do
      not recover. This study investigates whether individualised physiotherapy plus
      guideline-based advice results in superior outcomes to advice alone in
      participants with low-back disorders. METHODS: This prospective parallel group
      multicentre randomised controlled trial was set in 16 primary care physiotherapy
      practices in Melbourne, Australia. Random assignment resulted in 156 participants
      receiving 10 sessions of physiotherapy that was individualised based on
      pathoanatomical, psychosocial and neurophysiological barriers to recovery
      combined with guideline-based advice, and 144 participants receiving 2 sessions
      of physiotherapist-delivered advice alone. Primary outcomes were activity
      limitation (Oswestry Disability Index) and numerical rating scales for back and
      leg pain at 5, 10, 26 and 52 weeks postbaseline. Analyses were by intention-to
      treat using linear mixed models. RESULTS: Between-group differences showed
      significant effects favouring individualised physiotherapy for back and leg pain
      at 10 weeks (back: 1.3, 95% CI 0.8 to 1.8; leg: 1.1, 95% CI 0.5 to 1.7) and 26
      weeks (back: 0.9, 95% CI 0.4 to 1.4; leg: 1.0, 95% CI 0.4 to 1.6). Oswestry
      favoured individualised physiotherapy at 10 weeks (4.7; 95% CI 2.0 to 7.5), 26
      weeks (5.4; 95% CI 2.6 to 8.2) and 52 weeks (4.3; 95% CI 1.4 to 7.1). Responder
      analysis at 52 weeks showed participants receiving individualised physiotherapy
      were more likely to improve by a clinically important amount of 50% from baseline
      for Oswestry (relative risk (RR=1.3) 1.5; 95% CI 1.2 to 1.8) and back pain (RR
      1.3; 95% CI 1.2 to 1.8) than participants receiving advice alone. CONCLUSIONS: 10
      sessions of individualised physiotherapy was more effective than 2 sessions of
      advice alone in participants with low-back disorders of >=6 weeks and <=6 months
      duration. Between-group changes were sustained at 12 months for activity
      limitation and 6 months for back and leg pain and were likely to be clinically
      significant. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12609000834257.

PMID- 26486588
TI  - Support for presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation if it is a child or
      relative, though views differ by gender.

PMID- 26486589
TI  - Fever during pregnancy linked to child motor development.

PMID- 26486587
TI  - Ablation of CD8alpha(+) dendritic cell mediated cross-presentation does not
      impact atherosclerosis in hyperlipidemic mice.
AB  - Clinical complications of atherosclerosis are almost exclusively linked to
      destabilization of the atherosclerotic plaque. Batf3-dependent dendritic cells
      specialize in cross-presentation of necrotic tissue-derived epitopes to directly
      activate cytolytic CD8 Tcells. The mature plaque (necrotic, containing dendritic
      cells and CD8 Tcells) could offer the ideal environment for cross-presentation,
      resulting in cytotoxic immunity and plaque destabilization. Ldlr(-/-) mice were
      transplanted with batf3(-/-) or wt bone marrow and put on a western type diet.
      Hematopoietic batf3 deficiency sharply decreased CD8alpha(+) DC numbers in spleen
      and lymph nodes (>80%; P < 0,001). Concordantly, batf3(-/-) chimeras had a 75%
      reduction in OT-I cross-priming capacity in vivo. Batf3(-/-) chimeric mice did
      not show lower Tcell or other leukocyte subset numbers. Despite dampened cross
      presentation capacity, batf3(-/-) chimeras had equal atherosclerosis burden in
      aortic arch and root. Likewise, batf3(-/-) chimeras and wt mice revealed no
      differences in parameters of plaque stability: plaque Tcell infiltration, cell
      death, collagen composition, and macrophage and vascular smooth muscle cell
      content were unchanged. These results show that CD8alpha(+) DC loss in
      hyperlipidemic mice profoundly reduces cross-priming ability, nevertheless it
      does not influence lesion development. Taken together, we clearly demonstrate
      that CD8alpha(+) DC-mediated cross-presentation does not significantly contribute
      to atherosclerotic plaque formation and stability. 

PMID- 26486590
TI  - Occallatibacter riparius gen. nov., sp. nov. and Occallatibacter savannae sp.
      nov., acidobacteria isolated from Namibian soils, and emended description of the
      family Acidobacteriaceae.
AB  - Three Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, encapsulated bacteria were isolated from
      a Namibian river-bank soil (strains 277T and 307) and a semiarid savannah soil
      (strain A2-1cT). 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses placed them within subdivision 1
      of the Acidobacteria and revealed 100 % similarity between strains 277T and 307
      and 98.2 % similarity between A2-1cT and the former two strains. The closest
      relatives with validly published names were Telmatobacter bradus, Acidicapsa
      borealis and Acidicapsa ligni (94.7-95.9 % similarity to the type strains). Cells
      of all three strains were rod-shaped and motile and divided by binary fission.
      Ultrastructural analyses revealed a thick cell envelope, resulting mainly from a
      thick periplasmic space. Colonies of strains 277T and 307 were white to cream and
      light pink, respectively, while strain A2-1cT displayed a bright pink colour. All
      three strains were aerobic, chemoheterotrophic mesophiles with a broad
      temperature range for growth and a moderately acidic pH optimum. Sugars and
      complex proteinaceous substrates were the preferred carbon and energy sources. A
      few polysaccharides were degraded. The major quinone in all three strains was MK
      8; MK-7 occurred in strain A2-1cT as a minor compound. Major fatty acids were iso
      C15 : 0 and iso-C17 : 1omega7c. In addition, iso-C17 : 0 occurred in significant
      amounts. The DNA G+C contents of strains 277T, 307 and A2-1cT were 59.6, 59.9 and
      58.5 mol%, respectively. Based on these characteristics, the three isolates are
      assigned to two novel species of the novel genus Occallatibacter gen. nov.,
      Occallatibacter riparius sp. nov. [type strain 277T ( = DSM 25168T = LMG 26948T)
      and reference strain 307 ( = DSM 25169 = LMG 26947)] and Occallatibacter savannae
      sp. nov. [type strain A2-1cT ( = DSM 25170T = LMG 26946T)]. Together with several
      other recently described taxa, the novel isolates provide the basis for an
      emended description of the established family Acidobacteriaceae. 

PMID- 26486591
TI  - The role of influenza in the epidemiology of pneumonia.
AB  - Interactions arising from sequential viral and bacterial infections play
      important roles in the epidemiological outcome of many respiratory pathogens.
      Influenza virus has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several respiratory
      bacterial pathogens commonly associated with pneumonia. Though clinical evidence
      supporting this interaction is unambiguous, its population-level effects
      magnitude, epidemiological impact and variation during pandemic and seasonal
      outbreaks-remain unclear. To address these unknowns, we used longitudinal
      influenza and pneumonia incidence data, at different spatial resolutions and
      across different epidemiological periods, to infer the nature, timing and the
      intensity of influenza-pneumonia interaction. We used a mechanistic transmission
      model within a likelihood-based inference framework to carry out formal
      hypothesis testing. Irrespective of the source of data examined, we found that
      influenza infection increases the risk of pneumonia by ~100-fold. We found no
      support for enhanced transmission or severity impact of the interaction. For
      model-validation, we challenged our fitted model to make out-of-sample pneumonia
      predictions during pandemic and non-pandemic periods. The consistency in our
      inference tests carried out on several distinct datasets, and the predictive
      skill of our model increase confidence in our overall conclusion that influenza
      infection substantially enhances the risk of pneumonia, though only for a short
      period. 

PMID- 26486593
TI  - Erratum to: Health information priorities for more effective implementation and
      monitoring of non-communicable disease programs in low- and middle-income
      countries: lessons from the Pacific.

PMID- 26486594
TI  - A novel robust quantitative Forster resonance energy transfer assay for protease
      SENP2 kinetics determination against its all natural substrates.
AB  - SUMOylation (the process of adding the SUMO [small ubiquitin-like modifier] to
      substrates) is an important post-translational modification of critical proteins
      in multiple processes. Sentrin/SUMO-specific proteases (SENPs) act as
      endopeptidases to process the pre-SUMO or as isopeptidases to deconjugate the
      SUMO from its substrate. Determining the kinetics of SENPs is important for
      understanding their activities. Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET)
      technology has been widely used in biomedical research and is a powerful tool for
      elucidating protein interactions. In this paper we report a novel quantitative
      FRET-based protease assay for SENP2 endopeptidase activity that accounts for the
      self-fluorescent emissions of the donor (CyPet) and the acceptor (YPet). The
      kinetic parameters, k(cat), K(M), and catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K(M)) of
      catalytic domain SENP2 toward pre-SUMO1/2/3, were obtained by this novel design.
      Although we use SENP2 to demonstrate our method, the general principles of this
      quantitative FRET-based protease kinetic determination can be readily applied to
      other proteases.

PMID- 26486592
TI  - Genomic Foundation of Starch-to-Lipid Switch in Oleaginous Chlorella spp.
AB  - The ability to rapidly switch the intracellular energy storage form from starch
      to lipids is an advantageous trait for microalgae feedstock. To probe this
      mechanism, we sequenced the 56.8-Mbp genome of Chlorella pyrenoidosa FACHB-9, an
      industrial production strain for protein, starch, and lipids. The genome exhibits
      positive selection and gene family expansion in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism
      and genes related to cell cycle and stress response. Moreover, 10 lipid
      metabolism genes might be originated from bacteria via horizontal gene transfer.
      Transcriptomic dynamics tracked via messenger RNA sequencing over six time points
      during metabolic switch from starch-rich heterotrophy to lipid-rich
      photoautotrophy revealed that under heterotrophy, genes most strongly expressed
      were from the tricarboxylic acid cycle, respiratory chain, oxidative
      phosphorylation, gluconeogenesis, glyoxylate cycle, and amino acid metabolisms,
      whereas those most down-regulated were from fatty acid and oxidative pentose
      phosphate metabolism. The shift from heterotrophy into photoautotrophy highlights
      up-regulation of genes from carbon fixation, photosynthesis, fatty acid
      biosynthesis, the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, and starch catabolism,
      which resulted in a marked redirection of metabolism, where the primary carbon
      source of glycine is no longer supplied to cell building blocks by the
      tricarboxylic acid cycle and gluconeogenesis, whereas carbon skeletons from
      photosynthesis and starch degradation may be directly channeled into fatty acid
      and protein biosynthesis. By establishing the first genetic transformation in
      industrial oleaginous C. pyrenoidosa, we further showed that overexpression of an
      NAD(H) kinase from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) increased cellular lipid
      content by 110.4%, yet without reducing growth rate. These findings provide a
      foundation for exploiting the metabolic switch in microalgae for improved
      photosynthetic production of food and fuels. 

PMID- 26486595
TI  - Gastric cancer diagnosed after Helicobacter pylori eradication in diabetes
      mellitus patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori infection is the most important risk factor for
      gastric cancer, for which eradication therapy is commonly performed. However,
      gastric cancer is sometimes discovered after successful eradication of H. pylori.
      Much evidence indicates that diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for gastric
      cancer. The incidence and characteristics of gastric cancer diagnosed after H.
      pylori eradication in DM patients remain to be determined. METHODS: We followed
      the clinical course of patients who underwent H. pylori eradication therapy at
      our institution. Endoscopy was performed before and after eradication. We
      compared the incidence and clinical characteristics of gastric cancer arising in
      DM and non-DM patients. RESULTS: In total, 965 patients who underwent successful
      eradication (518 DM and 447 non-DM patients) were followed-up for an average of
      4.5 years. During the follow-up period, 21 gastric cancers were diagnosed (12 in
      DM patients and 9 in non-DM patients). The incidence of gastric cancer after
      eradication was not significantly different between DM and non-DM patients (0.485
      and 0.482 %/year, respectively). There was no significant difference in the
      pathology, diameter, depth, location, or treatment of gastric cancer between
      patients with and without DM. CONCLUSION: The incidence and characteristics of
      gastric cancer occurring after H. pylori eradication were comparable between DM
      and non-DM patients.

PMID- 26486597
TI  - Evaluating the Use of the Case Mix Index for Risk Adjustment of Healthcare
      Associated Infection Data: An Illustration using Clostridium difficile Infection
      Data from the National Healthcare Safety Network.
AB  - BACKGROUND Case mix index (CMI) has been used as a facility-level indicator of
      patient disease severity. We sought to evaluate the potential for CMI to be used
      for risk adjustment of National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) healthcare
      associated infection (HAI) data. METHODS NHSN facility-wide laboratory-identified
      Clostridium difficile infection event data from 2012 were merged with the fiscal
      year 2012 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Impact file by CMS
      certification number (CCN) to obtain a CMI value for hospitals reporting to NHSN.
      Negative binomial regression was used to evaluate whether CMI was significantly
      associated with healthcare facility-onset (HO) CDI in univariate and multivariate
      analysis. RESULTS Among 1,468 acute care hospitals reporting CDI data to NHSN in
      2012, 1,429 matched by CCN to a CMI value in the Impact file. CMI (median, 1.49;
      interquartile range, 1.36-1.66) was a significant predictor of HO CDI in
      univariate analysis (P<.0001). After controlling for community onset CDI
      prevalence rate, medical school affiliation, hospital size, and CDI test type
      use, CMI remained highly significant (P<.0001), with an increase of 0.1 point in
      CMI associated with a 3.4% increase in the HO CDI incidence rate. CONCLUSIONS CMI
      was a significant predictor of NHSN HO CDI incidence. Additional work to explore
      the feasibility of using CMI for risk adjustment of NHSN data is necessary.
      Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2015;37(1):19-25. 

PMID- 26486596
TI  - Angiotensin II status and sympathetic activation among hypertensive patients in
      Uganda: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sympathetic activation and renin-angiotensin system are essential for
      development and sustenance of hypertension. However, the status of these systems
      has not been well evaluated among patients in an African setting. This study
      therefore set out to assess the angiotensin II status and sympathetic activation
      among hypertensive patients in Uganda. METHODS: In this cross sectional study
      conducted at Mulago, the national referral hospital, blood samples were taken to
      measure angiotensin II, metanephrines and normetanephrines. Urine samples were
      also taken for measuring urine creatinine and sodium. The angiotensin II
      categories were defined using the Mosby's Diagnostic and Laboratory Test
      References. 9th ed while the metanephrines and normetanephrine categories were
      defined using the Makerere University Biosafety II Immunology Laboratory
      reference values. RESULTS: 162 patients were consented and enrolled into the
      study, of these 136 (84 %) had low, 15 (9 %) had normal, while, 11 (7 %) had high
      angiotensin II levels. 142 (88 %) participants had normal levels of metanephrine,
      while 20 (12 %) had high levels. Only 88 were assessed for metanephrines and of
      these 85 (97 %) had normal, while 3 (3 %) had raised levels. Urine sodium was
      associated with low and normal angiotensin II levels (P value 0.007). Female
      gender and diastolic blood pressure were associated with a protective effect
      against high normetanephrines (OR 0.29, P value 0.015), 80-89 mmHg (OR 0.19, p
      value 0.053), above 100 mmHg (OR 0.27, p value 0.022). Current smoking status was
      associated with high risk for abnormal normetanephrines (OR 17.6, P value -0.022)
      while former smoking was associated with high risk for abnormal metanephrines (OR
      18.7, p value 0.022). After multivariate analysis, all the significant variables
      at bivariate analysis were still significant except those who stopped smoking and
      those with a BP at 80-89 which were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertensive
      patients in this setting have predominantly low angiotensin II hypertension as a
      result of high salt intake. Sympathetic activation is not a significant mechanism
      of hypertension in this study population, more so in the females, with the
      exception of smokers who have a highly activated sympathetic system. Therefore,
      the use of agents targeting renin angiotensin and sympathetic systems as single
      first line antihypertensive agents in this setting should be re-evaluated if such
      patients are to be treated effectively.

PMID- 26486599
TI  - Inter-observer variation and diagnostic efficacy of apparent diffusion
      coefficient (ADC) measurements obtained by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in
      small renal masses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is increasingly used to diagnose
      renal lesion subtypes. Especially in small renal masses, identification of less
      aggressive tumor types is of clinical interest, as active surveillance strategies
      can be applied. PURPOSE: To evaluate the inter-observer variation and diagnostic
      efficacy of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements obtained by DWI in
      small renal masses <=4 cm (SRM). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective IRB
      approved study included 39 patients (46 SRM: 12 benign, 34 malignant). All
      underwent a 3 T DWI of SRM prior to surgery. Two radiologists independently
      analyzed all imaging data by three measurements. Limits of agreement, intraclass
      correlation coefficients (ICC), group comparisons by t-tests, and ROC analysis
      were performed. RESULTS: Reliability of ADC measurements was very high with an
      ICC of >0.9 for both observers. Inter-rater reliability was high with an ICC of
      0.82. Limits of agreement for average ADC values between both observers were 
      23.5% to 38.3% with a mean difference of 7.5% between both observers. No
      significant differences were found between benign and malignant lesions (P value
      Observer 1: 0.362, Observer 2: 0.622). Papillary carcinoma showed lower ADC
      values compared to non-papillary carcinoma (P value Observer 1: 0.008, Observer
      2: 0.012). Consequently, ROC analysis revealed a significant (P < 0.001,
      respectively) area under the ROC curve of 0.853 (Observer 1) and 0.837 (Observer
      2) without significant differences between both readers (P = 0.772). CONCLUSION:
      ADC measurements of SRM at 3 T show a high reproducibility and differentiate
      papillary from non-papillary carcinoma subtypes. However, measurement variability
      may limit the application of fixed ADC thresholds for lesion diagnosis.

PMID- 26486598
TI  - Incidence of prostate and urological cancers in England by ethnic group, 2001
      2007: a descriptive study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aetiology of urological cancers is poorly understood and
      variations in incidence by ethnic group may provide insights into the relative
      importance of genetic and environmental risk factors. Our objective was to
      compare the incidence of four urological cancers (kidney, bladder, prostate and
      testicular) among six 'non-White' ethnic groups in England (Indian, Pakistani,
      Bangladeshi, Black African, Black Caribbean and Chinese) to each other and to
      Whites. METHODS: We obtained Information on ethnicity for all urological cancer
      registrations from 2001 to 2007 (n = 329,524) by linkage to the Hospital Episodes
      Statistics database. We calculated incidence rate ratios adjusted for age, sex
      and income, comparing the six ethnic groups (and combined 'South Asian' and
      'Black' groups) to Whites and to each other. RESULTS: There were significant
      differences in the incidence of all four cancers between the ethnic groups (all p
      < 0.001). In general, 'non-White' groups had a lower incidence of urological
      cancers compared to Whites, except prostate cancer, which displayed a higher
      incidence in Blacks. (IRR 2.55) There was strong evidence of differences in risk
      between Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis for kidney, bladder and prostate
      cancer (p < 0.001), and between Black Africans and Black Caribbeans for all four
      cancers (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of urological cancers in England
      varies greatly by ethnicity, including within groups that have traditionally been
      analysed together (South Asians and Blacks). In general, these differences are
      not readily explained by known risk factors, although the very high incidence of
      prostate cancer in both black Africans and Caribbeans suggests increased genetic
      susceptibility. g.

PMID- 26486600
TI  - Endometrial cancer: correlation of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) with
      tumor cellularity and tumor grade.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and the apparent diffusion
      coefficient (ADC) are widely used for detecting uterine endometrial cancer. The
      relationships between ADC values and pathological features of endometrial cancer
      have not yet been established. PURPOSE: To investigate whether ADC values of
      endometrial cancer vary according to histologic tumor cellularity and tumor
      grade. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 30 pathologically
      confirmed endometrial cancers. All patients underwent conventional non-enhanced
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DWI procedures, and ADC values were
      calculated. Tumor cellularity was evaluated by counting cancer cells in three
      high-power ( * 400) fields. The correlation between ADC values and tumor
      cellularity was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient test for
      statistical analysis. RESULTS: The mean +/- standard deviation (SD) ADC value (
      *10(-3) mm(2)/s) of endometrial cancer was 0.85 +/- 0.22 (range, 0.55-1.71). The
      mean +/- SD tumor cellularity was 528.36 +/- 16.89 (range, 298.0-763.6). ADC
      values were significantly inversely correlated with tumor cellularity. No
      significant relationship was observed between ADC values and tumor grade (mean
      ADC values: G1, 0.88 +/- 0.265 * 10(-3) mm(2)/s; G2, 0.80 +/- 0.178 * 10(-3)
      mm(2)/s; G3, 0.81 +/- 0.117 * 10(-3) mm(2)/s). CONCLUSION: There is a significant
      inverse relationship between ADC values and tumor cellularity in endometrial
      cancer. No significant differences in average ADC value were observed between G1,
      G2, and G3 tumors. However, the lower the tumor grade, the wider the SD.

PMID- 26486601
TI  - Interaction Between Season of Birth and COMT Val158Met (rs4680) in ADHD in a
      Large Sample of Chinese Han Participants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the interaction between catechol-O-methyltransferase
      gene (COMT) Val108/158Met (rs4680) and season of birth (SOB) on ADHD and its
      symptoms. METHOD: We conducted transmission disequilibrium tests (TDTs) in 976
      trios, then further performed the above analyses in subgroups according to SOB.
      Quantitative analyses were performed for ADHD symptoms evaluated by ADHD Rating
      Scale-IV in 1,530 ADHD cases. RESULTS: Overall, there was no association between
      COMT and ADHD. After stratification, we found an increased transmission of the
      Val allele in the trios born in spring, while a decreased transmission was
      observed in the autumn months. We also observed a significant interaction between
      Val108/158Met and SOB on ADHD symptoms. Among those born in spring, Met carriers
      had milder ADHD symptoms compared with Val homozygotes, whereas opposite
      association was found in those born in autumn. CONCLUSION: Our study provided
      evidence for the modifying effect of SOB on the association between COMT and ADHD
      along with its symptoms.

PMID- 26486602
TI  - Neurocognitive Deficits in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder With and
      Without Comorbid Oppositional Defiant Disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is highly prevalent in Attention
      Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and may account for inconsistencies in
      findings on neurocognitive functioning in ADHD. Our aim was to assess cool and
      hot executive functioning (EF) and temporal processing in ADHD with and without
      comorbid ODD to elucidate the effects of comorbid ODD. METHOD: ADHD-only (n =
      82), ADHD + ODD (n = 82), and controls (n = 82), with mean age 16 years (SD =
      3.1), matched for age, gender, IQ, and ADHD type (clinical groups) were assessed
      on cool EF (inhibition, working memory), hot EF (reinforcement processing,
      emotion recognition), and temporal processing (time production and reproduction).
      RESULTS: Individuals with ADHD + ODD showed abnormalities in inhibition, working
      memory, facial emotion recognition, and temporal processing, whereas individuals
      with ADHD-only were solely impaired in working memory and time production.
      CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that ODD carries a substantial part of the EF
      deficits observed in ADHD and contrast with current theories of neurocognitive
      impairments in ADHD.

PMID- 26486603
TI  - Recent Trends in Stimulant Usage.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In the last decade, dramatic changes have occurred in stimulant
      medication prevalence and in patterns of stimulant treatment. The resultant
      trends merit analysis. METHOD: Usage patterns of stimulant medication,
      specifically amphetamine and methylphenidate, were analyzed for trends. The data
      were obtained from datasets including pharmacy claims, aggregate production
      quotas, bulk distribution to counties, pharmacy prescription sales, parent
      surveys, and physician visit surveys. Stimulant medication trends were organized
      by drug subclass, year, age group, gender, country, prescriber specialty,
      diagnosis, and expenditures. RESULTS: Major recent trends are as follows:
      amphetamine medication usage has prominently surpassed methylphenidate, total
      stimulant prescription sales to adults have surpassed those for youth, and more
      adult women are prescribed stimulants than adult men. CONCLUSION: Stimulant
      medication treatment-particularly of amphetamines-is rapidly expanding in the
      United States. Off-label use is reported to be at least 40% of total use and
      appears to be more common in adults. (J. of Att. Dis. 2016; 20(6) 471-477).

PMID- 26486604
TI  - Ultrahigh sensitivity and layer-dependent sensing performance of phosphorene
      based gas sensors.
AB  - Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials have attracted significant attention for
      device applications because of their unique structures and outstanding
      properties. Here, a field-effect transistor (FET) sensor device is fabricated
      based on 2D phosphorene nanosheets (PNSs). The PNS sensor exhibits an ultrahigh
      sensitivity to NO2 in dry air and the sensitivity is dependent on its thickness.
      A maximum response is observed for 4.8-nm-thick PNS, with a sensitivity up to
      190% at 20 parts per billion (p.p.b.) at room temperature. First-principles
      calculations combined with the statistical thermodynamics modelling predict that
      the adsorption density is ~10(15) cm(-2) for the 4.8-nm-thick PNS when exposed to
      20 p.p.b. NO2 at 300 K. Our sensitivity modelling further suggests that the
      dependence of sensitivity on the PNS thickness is dictated by the band gap for
      thinner sheets (<10 nm) and by the effective thickness on gas adsorption for
      thicker sheets (>10 nm). 

PMID- 26486605
TI  - The complete chloroplast genome of an irreplaceable dietary and model crop,
      foxtail millet (Setaria italica).
AB  - The complete chloroplast genome sequence of foxtail millet (Setaria italica), an
      important food and fodder crop in the family Poaceae, is first reported in this
      study. The genome consists of 1 35 516 bp containing a pair of inverted repeats
      (IRs) of 21 804 bp separated by a large single-copy (LSC) region and a small
      single-copy (SSC) region of 79 896 bp and 12 012 bp, respectively. Coding
      sequences constitute 58.8% of the genome harboring 111 unique genes, 71 of which
      are protein-coding genes, 4 are rRNA genes, and 36 are tRNA genes. Phylogenetic
      analysis indicated foxtail millet clustered with Panicum virgatum and Echinochloa
      crus-galli belonging to the tribe Paniceae of the subfamily Panicoideae. This
      newly determined chloroplast genome will provide valuable information for the
      future breeding programs of valuable cereal crops in the family Poaceae.

PMID- 26486606
TI  - Comparison of transmission of Papaya leaf curl China virus among four cryptic
      species of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci complex.
AB  - Begomoviruses are transmitted by cryptic species of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci
      complex, often in a species-specific manner. Papaya leaf curl China virus
      (PaLCuCNV) has been recorded to infect several crops including papaya, tomato and
      tobacco in China. To help assess the risks of spread of this virus, we compared
      the acquisition, retention and transmission of PaLCuCNV among four species of
      whiteflies, Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1), Mediterranean (MED), Asia 1 and
      Asia II 7. All four species of whiteflies are able to acquire, retain and
      transmit the virus, but with different levels of efficiency. Transmission tests
      using tomato as the host plant showed that MEAM1 transmitted PaLCuCNV with
      substantially higher efficiency than did MED, Asia 1 and Asia II 7. Furthermore,
      accumulation of PaLCuCNV in the whiteflies was positively associated with its
      efficiency of transmitting the virus. Altogether, these findings indicate that
      MEAM1 is the most efficient vector for PaLCuCNV in the four species of
      whiteflies, and suggest that risks of PaLCuCNV pandemics are high in regions
      where MEAM1 occurs. 

PMID- 26486608
TI  - Chemical control of dissolution-driven convection in partially miscible systems:
      theoretical classification.
AB  - Dissolution-driven convection occurs in the host phase of a partially miscible
      system when a buoyantly unstable density stratification develops upon
      dissolution. Reactions can impact such convection by changing the composition and
      thus the density of the host phase. Here we study the influence of A + B -> C
      reactions on such convective dissolution when A is the dissolving species and B a
      reactant initially in solution in the host phase. We perform a linear stability
      analysis of related reaction-diffusion density profiles to compare the growth
      rate of the instability in the reactive case to its non reactive counterpart when
      all species diffuse at the same rate. We classify the stabilizing or
      destabilizing influence of reactions on the buoyancy-driven convection in a
      parameter space spanned by the solutal Rayleigh numbers RA,B,C of chemical
      species A, B, C and by the ratio beta of initial concentrations of the reactants.
      For RA > 0, the non reactive dissolution of A in the host phase is buoyantly
      unstable. In that case, we show that the reaction is enhancing convection
      provided C is sufficiently denser than B. Increasing the ratio beta of initial
      reactant concentrations increases the effect of chemistry but does not
      significantly impact the stabilizing/destabilizing classification. When the non
      reactive case is buoyantly stable (RA<= 0), reactions can create in time an
      unstable density stratification and trigger convection if RC > RB. Our
      theoretical approach allows classifying previous results in a unifying picture
      and developing strategies for the chemical control of convective dissolution. 

PMID- 26486607
TI  - Comparative RNA seq analysis of the New Zealand glowworm Arachnocampa luminosa
      reveals bioluminescence-related genes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The New Zealand glowworm is the larva of a carnivorous fungus gnat
      that produces bioluminescence to attract prey. The bioluminescent system of the
      glowworm is evolutionarily distinct from other well-characterised systems,
      especially that of the fireflies, and the molecules involved have not yet been
      identified. We have used high throughput sequencing technology to produce a
      transcriptome for the glowworm and identify transcripts encoding proteins that
      are likely to be involved in glowworm bioluminescence. RESULTS: Here we report
      the sequencing and annotation of the first transcriptome of the glowworm, and a
      differential analysis of expression from the glowworm light organ compared with
      non-light organ tissue. The analysis identified six transcripts encoding proteins
      that are potentially involved in glowworm bioluminescence. Three of these
      proteins are members of the ANL superfamily of adenylating enzymes, with similar
      amino acid sequences to that of the luciferase enzyme found in fireflies (31 to
      37 % identical), and are candidate luciferases for the glowworm bioluminescent
      system. The remaining three transcripts encode putative aminoacylase,
      phosphatidylethanolamine-binding and glutathione S-transferase proteins.
      CONCLUSIONS: This research provides a basis for further biochemical studies into
      how the glowworm produces light, and a source of genetic information to aid
      future ecological and evolutionary studies of the glowworm.

PMID- 26486609
TI  - Adaptive selection and coevolution at the proteins of the Polycomb repressive
      complexes in Drosophila.
AB  - Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are important epigenetic regulatory proteins that
      modulate the chromatin state through posttranslational histone modifications.
      These interacting proteins form multimeric complexes that repress gene
      expression. Thus, PcG proteins are expected to evolve coordinately, which might
      be reflected in their phylogenetic trees by concordant episodes of positive
      selection and by a correlation in evolutionary rates. In order to detect these
      signals of coevolution, the molecular evolution of 17 genes encoding the subunits
      of five Polycomb repressive complexes has been analyzed in the Drosophila genus.
      The observed distribution of divergence differs substantially among and along
      proteins. Indeed, CAF1 is uniformly conserved, whereas only the established
      protein domains are conserved in other proteins, such as PHO, PHOL, PSC, PH-P and
      ASX. Moreover, regions with a low divergence not yet described as protein domains
      are present, for instance, in SFMBT and SU(Z)12. Maximum likelihood methods
      indicate an acceleration in the nonsynonymous substitution rate at the lineage
      ancestral to the obscura group species in most genes encoding subunits of the Pcl
      PRC2 complex and in genes Sfmbt, Psc and Kdm2. These methods also allow inferring
      the action of positive selection in this lineage at genes E(z) and Sfmbt.
      Finally, the protein interaction network predicted from the complete proteomes of
      12 Drosophila species using a coevolutionary approach shows two tight PcG
      clusters. These clusters include well-established binary interactions among PcG
      proteins as well as new putative interactions. 

PMID- 26486610
TI  - Common garden experiments in the genomic era: new perspectives and opportunities.
AB  - The study of local adaptation is rendered difficult by many evolutionary
      confounding phenomena (for example, genetic drift and demographic history). When
      complex traits are involved in local adaptation, phenomena such as phenotypic
      plasticity further hamper evolutionary biologists to study the complex
      relationships between phenotype, genotype and environment. In this perspective
      paper, we suggest that the common garden experiment, specifically designed to
      deal with phenotypic plasticity, has a clear role to play in the study of local
      adaptation, even (if not specifically) in the genomic era. After a quick review
      of some high-throughput genotyping protocols relevant in the context of a common
      garden, we explore how to improve common garden analyses with dense marker panel
      data and recent statistical methods. We then show how combining approaches from
      population genomics and genome-wide association studies with the settings of a
      common garden can yield to a very efficient, thorough and integrative study of
      local adaptation. Especially, evidence from genomic (for example, genome scan)
      and phenotypic origins constitute independent insights into the possibility of
      local adaptation scenarios, and genome-wide association studies in the context of
      a common garden experiment allow to decipher the genetic bases of adaptive
      traits. 

PMID- 26486612
TI  - Effect of pi-pi interaction in Bergman cyclisation.
AB  - The role of pi-pi interactions in controlling the reactivity and selectivity of a
      chemical reaction is only recently being explored, even though their ubiquitous
      role in the structural aspects is well known. We have studied Bergman cyclisation
      focusing on the effect of pi-pi interactions on the activation barrier and the
      variation of pi-pi interactions along the reaction coordinate. We used enediyne
      substrates that contain phenyl groups connected to the reaction centres (C1 and
      C6 atoms), separated by 0, 1 and 2 linker groups. The main difference between the
      substrates is that the Ph groups enjoy different flexibility to accommodate the
      changes occurring during the progress of the reaction. The path length of the
      minimum energy path is increased - shortest in the least flexible substrate (a)
      and longer in the more flexible ones (c, d and e). We calculated the interaction
      between the Ph groups, the pi-pi interaction, using BP86-D3BJ, B3LYP-D3BJ, M06
      2X, B2PLYP-D3BJ, SCS-MP2, and SAPT. The BP86-D3BJ was found to be sufficiently
      accurate with a mean absolute deviation of 0.26 kcal mol(-1) with respect to the
      SAPT2+3 values. The variation in the pi-pi interaction shows different behaviour
      in a-e, and this can be correlated with the flexibility of the Ph groups to
      orient themselves to maintain the optimal relative orientation while conforming
      to the changes in the reaction coordinate. We analysed the relative orientation
      of the phenyl groups using certain geometric parameters that showed that when Ph
      groups can attain a relative orientation close to that of the free dimer, the
      interaction is maximum. Energy decomposition analysis using SAPT showed that the
      dispersive interaction is the major contributor (50-60%) to the attractive
      forces. The pi-pi interactions influenced the overall activation energy, either
      by destabilising the substrates or by stabilising the TS - resulting in a
      variation of about 3.5 kcal mol(-1) in activation energies in a-e. The effect of
      substituents of different electronic nature was assessed which showed that
      electron donating and electron withdrawing substituents increase the pi-pi
      interactions; however, the TS is more stabilised and hence activation energies
      are increased. 

PMID- 26486611
TI  - Ditch network sustains functional connectivity and influences patterns of gene
      flow in an intensive agricultural landscape.
AB  - In intensive agricultural landscapes, plant species previously relying on semi
      natural habitats may persist as metapopulations within landscape linear elements.
      Maintenance of populations' connectivity through pollen and seed dispersal is a
      key factor in species persistence in the face of substantial habitat loss. The
      goals of this study were to investigate the potential corridor role of ditches
      and to identify the landscape components that significantly impact patterns of
      gene flow among remnant populations. Using microsatellite loci, we explored the
      spatial genetic structure of two hydrochorous wetland plants exhibiting
      contrasting local abundance and different habitat requirements: the rare and
      regionally protected Oenanthe aquatica and the more commonly distributed Lycopus
      europaeus, in an 83 km(2) agricultural lowland located in northern France. Both
      species exhibited a significant spatial genetic structure, along with substantial
      levels of genetic differentiation, especially for L. europaeus, which also
      expressed high levels of inbreeding. Isolation-by-distance analysis revealed
      enhanced gene flow along ditches, indicating their key role in effective seed and
      pollen dispersal. Our data also suggested that the configuration of the ditch
      network and the landscape elements significantly affected population genetic
      structure, with (i) species-specific scale effects on the genetic neighborhood
      and (ii) detrimental impact of human ditch management on genetic diversity,
      especially for O. aquatica. Altogether, these findings highlighted the key role
      of ditches in the maintenance of plant biodiversity in intensive agricultural
      landscapes with few remnant wetland habitats.

PMID- 26486613
TI  - A Shot in the Arm for HIV Prevention? Recent Successes and Critical Thresholds.
AB  - Efforts to decrease the spread of HIV worldwide continue at a rapid pace. With
      the development of new biomedical interventions and findings from pivotal
      clinical trials, a new framework for short-term and long-term prevention
      strategies is emerging. It is clear that biomedical-based approaches targeted at
      the highest risk populations have the greatest potential to have a short-term
      impact. Unfortunately, challenges with adherence in healthy populations at risk
      are now well-recognized, and competing health care priorities in the context of
      fragile delivery infrastructures pose formidable obstacles to implementation. We
      need better ways to identify high-risk populations, sophisticated understanding
      of the behavioral parameters that can ensure adherence, and the development of
      better strategies to provide sustained delivery of preexposure prophylaxis
      (PrEP). In the long term, we need an effective vaccine--a path that has proven to
      be rocky. Research facilitating an increased understanding of immune responses
      and what represents effective responses to prevent HIV acquisition should
      facilitate progress. While we wait for that time, PrEP offers the best strategy
      for short-term impact.

PMID- 26486615
TI  - Increased serum concentrations of neutrophil-derived protein S100A12 in
      heterozygous carriers of MEFV mutations.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess subclinical inflammation in heterozygous carriers of
      Mediterranean fever (MEFV) gene mutations, analysis of classical inflammation
      markers and S100A12 was performed. METHODS: Exons 2, 3, and 10 of the MEFV gene,
      C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A protein (SAA), procalcitonin (PCT), and
      S100A12 concentrations, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and differential
      blood count were analysed in apparently healthy parents (n=26) of homozygous
      children with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). Their general health condition
      was assessed by a standardised questionnaire. In order to collect data on the
      disease course, subjects were reevaluated after 5 years by means of telephone
      interview and/or questionnaire. RESULTS: Twenty-two individuals with one typical
      mutation in the MEFV gene were included. Mean values (mean+/-SEM) of classical
      inflammation markers were within the normal range (ESR of 11.7+/-1.9 mm/h, SAA
      4.7+/-0.4 mg/l, CRP 0.26+/-0.04 mg/dl), while PCT was non-detectable in all cases
      (<0.1 MUg/l). Eleven subjects showed elevated S100A12 levels [>140 ng/ml] with a
      mean concentration of 205+/-43 ng/ml. Thus, the mean value of S100A12 was 1.5
      fold higher than the regular cut-off. CONCLUSIONS: 50% of the heterozygous MEFV
      mutation carriers exhibited elevated S100A12 levels, supporting previous
      observations that S100 molecules are very sensitive biomarkers of subclinical
      inflammation. Possibly, S100A12 could be a prognostic biomarker to detect
      individuals at risk of FMF manifestation who might benefit from colchicine
      therapy.

PMID- 26486616
TI  - Solvation of Calcium-Phosphate Headgroup Complexes at the DPPC/Aqueous Interface.
AB  - The effects of sodium (Na(+) ) and calcium (Ca(2+) ) cations on model
      zwitterionic dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) monolayers spread on metal
      chloride salt solutions are investigated by means of vibrational sum frequency
      generation (VSFG) and heterodyne-detected (HD)-VSFG spectroscopy. VSFG and HD
      VSFG spectra in the OH stretching region reveal cation-specific effects on the
      interfacial water's H-bonding network, knowledge of which has been limited to
      date. It is found that low-concentrated Ca(2+) more strongly perturbs interfacial
      water organization relative to highly concentrated Na(+) . At higher Ca(2+)
      concentrations, the water H-bonding network at the DPPC/CaCl2 interface
      reorganizes and the resulting spectrum closely follows that of the bare air/CaCl2
      interface up to ~3400 cm(-1) . Most interesting is the appearance of a negative
      band at ~3450 cm(-1) in the DPPC/CaCl2 Im chis ((2)) spectra, likely arising from
      an asymmetric solvation of Ca(2+) -phosphate headgroup complexes. This gives rise
      to an electric field that orients the net OH transition moments of a subset of OH
      dipoles toward the bulk solution. 

PMID- 26486618
TI  - Pathogenicity of POFUT1 mutations in two Chinese families with Dowling-Degos
      disease.

PMID- 26486617
TI  - Surveillance of Stem Cell Fate and Function: A System for Assessing Cell Survival
      and Collagen Expression In Situ.
AB  - Cell-based therapy is an emerging paradigm in skeletal regenerative medicine.
      However, the primary means by which transplanted cells contribute to bone repair
      and regeneration remain controversial. To gain an insight into the mechanisms of
      how both transplanted and endogenous cells mediate skeletal healing, we used a
      transgenic mouse strain expressing both the topaz variant of green fluorescent
      protein under the control of the collagen, type I, alpha 1 promoter/enhancer
      sequence (Col1a1(GFP)) and membrane-bound tomato red fluorescent protein
      constitutively in all cell types (R26(mTmG)). A comparison of healing in parietal
      versus frontal calvarial defects in these mice revealed that frontal osteoblasts
      express Col1a1 to a greater degree than parietal osteoblasts. Furthermore, the
      scaffold-based application of adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs), bone marrow
      derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs), and osteoblasts derived from these mice
      to critical-sized calvarial defects allowed for investigation of cell survival
      and function following transplantation. We found that ASCs led to significantly
      faster rates of bone healing in comparison to BM-MSCs and osteoblasts. ASCs
      displayed both increased survival and increased Col1a1 expression compared to BM
      MSCs and osteoblasts following calvarial defect transplantation, which may
      explain their superior regenerative capacity in the context of bone healing.
      Using this novel reporter system, we were able to elucidate how cell-based
      therapies impact bone healing and identify ASCs as an attractive candidate for
      cell-based skeletal regenerative therapy. These insights potentially influence
      stem cell selection in translational clinical trials evaluating cell-based
      therapeutics for osseous repair and regeneration. 

PMID- 26486620
TI  - Managing Livestock Species under Climate Change in Australia.
AB  - This paper examines the vulnerabilities of major livestock species raised in
      Australia to climate change using the regional livestock profile of Australia of
      around 1,400 regions. The number of each species owned, the number of each
      species sold, and the aggregate livestock revenue across all species are
      examined. The four major species analyzed are sheep, beef cattle, dairy cattle,
      and pigs. The analysis also includes livestock products such as wool and milk.
      These livestock production statistics are regressed against climate, geophysical,
      market and household characteristics. In contrast to crop studies, the analysis
      finds that livestock species are resilient to a hotter and more arid climate.
      Under the CSIRO climate scenario in which temperature increases by 3.4  degrees
      C, livestock revenue per farm increases significantly while the number of each
      species owned increases by large percentages except for dairy cattle. The
      precipitation reduction by about 8% in 2060 also increases the numbers of
      livestock species per farm household. Under both UKMO and GISS scenarios,
      livestock revenue is expected to increase by around 47% while the livestock
      population increases by large percentage. Livestock management may play a key
      role in adapting to a hot and arid climate in Australia. However, critical values
      of the climatic variables for the species analyzed in this paper are not obvious
      from the regional data. 

PMID- 26486619
TI  - Canine Rabies: A Looming Threat to Public Health.
AB  - Rabies is an acute, fatal viral disease that infects domestic and wild animals
      and is transmissible to humans. Worldwide, rabies kills over 55,000 people every
      year. The domestic dog plays a pivotal role in rabies transmission. Domestic dogs
      are not only part of our daily lives but also of our immediate surroundings, and
      this is reflected in the rise in pet dog ownership in developed and developing
      countries. This is important given that more frequent exposures and interactions
      at the animal-human interface increases the likelihood of contracting zoonotic
      diseases of companion animals. Despite existing vaccines and post-exposure
      prophylactic treatment, rabies remains a neglected disease that is poorly
      controlled throughout much of the developing world, particularly Africa and Asia,
      where most human rabies deaths occur. It is believed that with sustained
      international commitments, global elimination of rabies from domestic dog
      populations, the most dangerous vector to humans, is a realistic goal. 

PMID- 26486621
TI  - Welfare of Aged Horses.
AB  - Horses form a unique and special part of their owners' lives and aged horses are
      no exception. This review considers the health and management of aged horses,
      including the role of the owner and their perceptions of aged horses, potential
      threats or risks to their welfare and finally, factors affecting quality of life
      and euthanasia of aged horses. Owners of aged horses are concerned about the
      health, welfare and quality of life of their aged animals. Yet surveys of
      management and preventive healthcare reflect that there may be some limitations
      to what owners are actually achieving in practice. They show declining management
      as horses age, particularly for the retired horse and insufficient appropriate
      preventive healthcare via veterinary surgeons. The veterinary surgeon plays an
      essential and influential role in preventive healthcare, management of diseases
      and disorders and ultimately in the decision making process for euthanasia of
      aged horses at the end of their lives. The value of aged horses should not be
      underestimated by veterinarians and others working with them and the continuing
      care of aged horses should be regarded with the same importance as the care of
      younger horses with more obvious monetary value. 

PMID- 26486623
TI  - Signs Observed Among Animal Species Infected with Raccoon Rabies Variant Virus,
      Massachusetts, USA, 1992-2010.
AB  - We analyzed signs occurring among domestic and wild terrestrial animal species
      infected with raccoon rabies variant virus (RRV) in Massachusetts, 1992-2010. The
      clinical sign of aggression was significantly associated with rabid stray cats
      (odds ratio, OR = 2.3) and RRV affected major wild terrestrial animal species
      individually, which included raccoons (OR = 2.8), skunks (OR = 8.0), gray foxes
      (OR = 21.3), red foxes (OR = 10.4), woodchucks (OR = 4.7) and coyotes (OR =
      27.6). While aggression is a useful predictor of rabies among wild animals,
      combinations of other signs such as ataxia, disorientation, and salivation are
      useful predictors of rabies among domestic animals. Pets reported with multiple
      clinical signs had significantly higher rabies positive testing result than those
      reported with single clinical sign (p < 0.001). The result suggested the
      importance of avoiding aggressive terrestrial wild animals and giving additional
      attention to pets with multiple clinical signs. 

PMID- 26486622
TI  - Zoonotic Poxviruses Associated with Companion Animals.
AB  - Understanding the zoonotic risk posed by poxviruses in companion animals is
      important for protecting both human and animal health. The outbreak of monkeypox
      in the United States, as well as current reports of cowpox in Europe, point to
      the fact that companion animals are increasingly serving as sources of poxvirus
      transmission to people. In addition, the trend among hobbyists to keep livestock
      (such as goats) in urban and semi-urban areas has contributed to increased
      parapoxvirus exposures among people not traditionally considered at high risk.
      Despite the historic notoriety of poxviruses and the diseases they cause,
      poxvirus infections are often missed. Delays in diagnosing poxvirus-associated
      infections in companion animals can lead to inadvertent human exposures. Delays
      in confirming human infections can result in inappropriate treatment or prolonged
      recovery. Early recognition of poxvirus-associated infections and application of
      appropriate preventive measures can reduce the spread of virus between companion
      animals and their owners. This review will discuss the epidemiology and clinical
      features associated with the zoonotic poxvirus infections most commonly
      associated with companion animals. 

PMID- 26486624
TI  - Investigation of an Imported Case of Rabies in a Juvenile Dog with Atypical
      Presentation.
AB  - Movement of dogs between rabies-endemic and rabies-free countries carries the
      inherent risk of introducing the disease. In April of 2008, a juvenile dog was
      imported to the UK from Sri Lanka. It died shortly after transfer to a quarantine
      facility in the south-east of England following a short history of diarrhoea and
      convulsions but no overt signs of aggression. Subsequent investigation confirmed
      that rabies was the cause of death. Rabies virus was isolated from brain samples
      taken from the dog and the subsequent phylogenetic investigation confirmed that
      the genomic sequence from this virus shared over 99% homology with endemic rabies
      viruses from Sri Lanka. Histological examination of the brain demonstrated clear
      signs of encephalitis and rabies antigenic labeling in numerous neurons. In this
      particular case, Negri bodies were absent. As this case was diagnosed in a
      quarantine facility, the 'rabies-free' status of the UK was un-affected. 

PMID- 26486625
TI  - Bridging the Gap Between Validation and Implementation of Non-Animal Veterinary
      Vaccine Potency Testing Methods.
AB  - In recent years, technologically advanced high-throughput techniques have been
      developed that replace, reduce or refine animal use in vaccine quality control
      tests. Following validation, these tests are slowly being accepted for use by
      international regulatory authorities. Because regulatory acceptance itself has
      not guaranteed that approved humane methods are adopted by manufacturers, various
      organizations have sought to foster the preferential use of validated non-animal
      methods by interfacing with industry and regulatory authorities. After noticing
      this gap between regulation and uptake by industry, we began developing a
      paradigm that seeks to narrow the gap and quicken implementation of new
      replacement, refinement or reduction guidance. A systematic analysis of our
      experience in promoting the transparent implementation of validated non-animal
      vaccine potency assays has led to the refinement of our paradigmatic process,
      presented here, by which interested parties can assess the local regulatory
      acceptance of methods that reduce animal use and integrate them into quality
      control testing protocols, or ensure the elimination of peripheral barriers to
      their use, particularly for potency and other tests carried out on production
      batches. 

PMID- 26486626
TI  - Construction and Operation of a Ventilated Hood System for Measuring Greenhouse
      Gas and Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Cattle.
AB  - Recent interest in greenhouse gas emissions from ruminants, such as cattle, has
      spawned a need for affordable, precise, and accurate methods for the measurement
      of gaseous emissions arising from enteric fermentation. A new head hood system
      for cattle designed to capture and quantify emissions was recently developed at
      the University of California, Davis. The system consists of two head hoods, two
      vacuum pumps, and an instrumentation cabinet housing the required data collection
      equipment. This system has the capability of measuring carbon dioxide, methane,
      ethanol, methanol, water vapor, nitrous oxide, acetic acid emissions and oxygen
      consumption in real-time. A unique aspect of the hoods is the front, back, and
      sides are made of clear polycarbonate sheeting allowing the cattle a full range
      of vision during gas sampling. Recovery rates for these slightly negative
      pressure chambers were measured ranging from 97.6 to 99.3 percent. This system
      can capture high quality data for use in improving emission inventories and
      evaluating gaseous emission mitigation strategies. 

PMID- 26486628
TI  - Emergency Radiology goes international.

PMID- 26486629
TI  - Development of a single-photon-counting camera with use  of a triple-stacked
      micro-channel plate.
AB  - At the quantum-mechanical level, all substances (not merely electromagnetic waves
      such as light and X-rays) exhibit wave-particle duality. Whereas students of
      radiation science can easily understand the wave nature of electromagnetic waves,
      the particle (photon) nature may elude them. Therefore, to assist students in
      understanding the wave-particle duality of electromagnetic waves, we have
      developed a photon-counting camera that captures single photons in two
      dimensional images. As an image intensifier, this camera has a triple-stacked
      micro-channel plate (MCP) with an amplification factor of 10(6). The ultra-low
      light of a single photon entering the camera is first converted to an electron
      through the photoelectric effect on the photocathode. The electron is intensified
      by the triple-stacked MCP and then converted to a visible light distribution,
      which is measured by a high-sensitivity complementary metal oxide semiconductor
      image sensor. Because it detects individual photons, the photon-counting camera
      is expected to provide students with a complete understanding of the particle
      nature of electromagnetic waves. Moreover, it measures ultra-weak light that
      cannot be detected by ordinary low-sensitivity cameras. Therefore, it is suitable
      for experimental research on scintillator luminescence, biophoton detection, and
      similar topics.

PMID- 26486627
TI  - Intrinsic muscle clock is necessary for musculoskeletal health.
AB  - KEY POINTS: The endogenous molecular clock in skeletal muscle is necessary for
      maintenance of phenotype and function. Loss of Bmal1 solely from adult skeletal
      muscle (iMSBmal1(-/-) ) results in reductions in specific tension, increased
      oxidative fibre type and increased muscle fibrosis with no change in feeding or
      activity. Disruption of the molecular clock in adult skeletal muscle is
      sufficient to induce changes in skeletal muscle similar to those seen in the
      Bmal1 knockout mouse (Bmal1(-/-) ), a model of advanced ageing. iMSBmal1(-/-)
      mice develop increased bone calcification and decreased joint collagen, which in
      combination with the functional changes in skeletal muscle results in altered
      gait. This study uncovers a fundamental role for the skeletal muscle clock in
      musculoskeletal homeostasis with potential implications for ageing. ABSTRACT:
      Disruption of circadian rhythms in humans and rodents has implicated a
      fundamental role for circadian rhythms in ageing and the development of many
      chronic diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and
      cancer. The molecular clock mechanism underlies circadian rhythms and is defined
      by a transcription-translation feedback loop with Bmal1 encoding a core molecular
      clock transcription factor. Germline Bmal1 knockout (Bmal1 KO) mice have a
      shortened lifespan, show features of advanced ageing and exhibit significant
      weakness with decreased maximum specific tension at the whole muscle and single
      fibre levels. We tested the role of the molecular clock in adult skeletal muscle
      by generating mice that allow for the inducible skeletal muscle-specific deletion
      of Bmal1 (iMSBmal1). Here we show that disruption of the molecular clock,
      specifically in adult skeletal muscle, is associated with a muscle phenotype
      including reductions in specific tension, increased oxidative fibre type, and
      increased muscle fibrosis similar to that seen in the Bmal1 KO mouse. Remarkably,
      the phenotype observed in the iMSBmal1(-/-) mice was not limited to changes in
      muscle. Similar to the germline Bmal1 KO mice, we observed significant bone and
      cartilage changes throughout the body suggesting a role for the skeletal muscle
      molecular clock in both the skeletal muscle niche and the systemic milieu. This
      emerging area of circadian rhythms and the molecular clock in skeletal muscle
      holds the potential to provide significant insight into intrinsic mechanisms of
      the maintenance of muscle quality and function as well as identifying a novel
      crosstalk between skeletal muscle, cartilage and bone.

PMID- 26486630
TI  - Epidemiology of "Heart Failure with Recovered Ejection Fraction": What do we do
      After Recovery?
AB  - Improvement in functional status, long-term survival, and quality of life has
      always been the goal of therapy in patients with heart failure with reduced
      ejection fraction. Neurohormonal modulating medications help patients achieve
      these goals and, in a subgroup of patients, can promote "reverse remodeling"
      resulting in the recovery of left ventricular systolic function. In the era of
      durable mechanical support, myocardial recovery that leads to explantation of the
      ventricular assist device occurs in a minority of cases. Optimal medical therapy
      appears to be a key component of achieving myocardial recovery, with recovery
      more likely in patients with a shorter duration of heart failure and a non
      ischemic etiology. However, little is known about future management of patients
      who attain myocardial recovery, either with or without mechanical support. This
      review explores the epidemiology, physiology, cellular biology, and long-term
      outcomes for this subgroup of heart failure patients and outlines areas for
      future study. 

PMID- 26486631
TI  - Current Approach to Decongestive Therapy in Acute Heart Failure.
AB  - Congestion, defined by elevated cardiac filling pressures, is the major driver of
      hospitalization in acute decompensated heart failure. Careful clinical assessment
      should allow to determine whether volume overload or volume misdistribution is
      the predominating mechanism of congestion. Differentiation is imperative because
      therapy differs. If volume overloads prevails, loop diuretics are considered the
      mainstay therapy. However, early use of combinational therapy with diuretics
      acting more proximal or distal in the nephron could allow for a more profound
      natriuresis and diuresis. A stepped guided pharmacological treatment should focus
      on achieving complete decongestion, because persistent congestion is a major
      driver of readmission. If diuretic strategies remain unsuccessful,
      ultrafiltration should be considered. Ultrafiltration should be used with caution
      in the setting of worsening of renal function. When volume misdistribution and
      impaired venous capacitance predominate the picture of congestion, unloading-more
      than diuretics-with arteriolar and venous vasodilators might mitigate the
      clinical picture of congestion. This review offers a thorough overview and
      practical insight in the use of current and potential decongestive therapies. 

PMID- 26486632
TI  - Twelve-Month Outcomes of a Randomized Trial of the Positive Thoughts and Action
      Program for Depression Among Early Adolescents.
AB  - This study was conducted to examine the 12-month effects on depression and
      depressive symptoms of a group-based cognitive-behavioral preventive intervention
      for middle school students (Positive Thoughts and Actions, or PTA), relative to a
      brief, individually administered supportive intervention (Individual Support
      Program, or ISP). A randomized clinical trial was conducted with 120 early
      adolescents (73 girls and 47 boys; age 12-14 years) drawn from a school-based
      population who had elevated depressive symptoms. Youths completed measures of
      depressive symptoms at baseline, post-intervention, and 6 and 12 months into the
      follow-up phase. Measures of internalizing problems, externalizing problems,
      school adjustment, interpersonal relationships, and health behavior were obtained
      from parents and/or youth. Multilevel models indicated that the effect of PTA on
      youth-reported depressive symptoms persisted until 12-month follow-up; d = 0.36
      at post-intervention, d = 0.24 at 6-month follow-up, and d = 0.21 at 12-month
      follow-up. PTA youths also reported lower internalizing symptoms at post
      intervention, d = 0.44, and at 12-month follow-up, d = 0.39. Time-limited effects
      were found for parent-reported internalizing symptoms and health behavior. Onset
      of new depressive episodes did not differ based on intervention group (21 % ISP;
      17 % PTA). Results demonstrate support for the long-term efficacy of PTA, a
      cognitive-behavioral preventive intervention in which youths engage in personal
      goal-setting and practice social-emotional skills. 

PMID- 26486633
TI  - Genital Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Shedding Among Adults With and Without HIV
      Infection in Uganda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the high prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in
      sub-Saharan Africa, the natural history of infection among Africans is not well
      characterized. We evaluated the frequency of genital HSV shedding in HIV
      seropositive and HIV-seronegative men and women in Uganda. METHODS: Ninety-three
      HSV-2-seropositive Ugandan adults collected anogenital swab specimens for HSV DNA
      quantification by polymerase chain reaction 3 times daily for 6 weeks. RESULTS:
      HSV-2 was detected from 2484 of 11 283 swab specimens collected (22%), with a
      median quantity of 4.3 log10 HSV copies/mL (range, 2.2-8.9 log10 HSV copies/mL).
      Genital lesions were reported on 749 of 3875 days (19%), and subclinical HSV
      shedding was detected from 1480 of 9113 swab specimens (16%) collected on days
      without lesions. Men had higher rates of total HSV shedding (relative risk [RR],
      2.0 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.3-2.9]; P < .001); subclinical shedding (RR,
      1.7 [95% CI, 1.1-2.7]; P = .01), and genital lesions (RR, 2.1 [95% CI, 1.2-3.4];
      P = .005), compared with women. No differences in shedding rates or lesion
      frequency were observed based on HIV serostatus. CONCLUSIONS: HSV-2 shedding
      frequency and quantity are high among HSV-2-seropositive adults in sub-Saharan
      Africa, including persons with and those without HIV infection. Shedding rates
      were particularly high among men, which may contribute to the high prevalence of
      HSV-2 and early acquisition among African women.

PMID- 26486635
TI  - Impaired Cytokine but Enhanced Cytotoxic Marker Expression in Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis-Induced CD8+ T Cells in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes and Latent
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection.
AB  - Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for tuberculosis among individuals
      with latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. To explore the influence of DM
      on CD8(+) T-cell responses during latent M. tuberculosis infection, we estimated
      the cytokine and cytotoxic marker expression pattern in individuals with latent
      M. tuberculosis infection with DM and those with latent M. tuberculosis infection
      without DM. Among individuals with latent M. tuberculosis infection, those with
      DM had diminished frequencies of CD8(+) T-helper type 1 (Th1), Th2, and Th17
      cells following stimulation by M. tuberculosis antigen and enhanced frequencies
      of CD8(+) T cells expressing cytotoxic markers, compared with those without DM.
      Thus, our results suggest that coincident DM modulates CD8(+) T-cell function
      during latent M. tuberculosis infection. 

PMID- 26486634
TI  - Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Causes Multiple Organ Damage and
      Lethal Disease in Mice Transgenic for Human Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4.
AB  - Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes life-threatening
      disease. Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) is the receptor for cell binding and
      entry. There is a need for small-animal models of MERS, but mice are not
      susceptible to MERS because murine dpp4 does not serve as a receptor. We
      developed transgenic mice expressing human DPP4 (hDPP4) under the control of the
      surfactant protein C promoter or cytokeratin 18 promoter that are susceptible to
      infection with MERS-CoV. Notably, mice expressing hDPP4 with the cytokeratin 18
      promoter developed progressive, uniformly fatal disease following intranasal
      inoculation. High virus titers were present in lung and brain tissues 2 and 6
      days after infection, respectively. MERS-CoV-infected lungs revealed mononuclear
      cell infiltration, alveolar edema, and microvascular thrombosis, with airways
      generally unaffected. Brain disease was observed, with the greatest involvement
      noted in the thalamus and brain stem. Animals immunized with a vaccine candidate
      were uniformly protected from lethal infection. These new mouse models of MERS
      CoV should be useful for investigation of early disease mechanisms and
      therapeutic interventions. 

PMID- 26486636
TI  - Modulation of CD4+ and CD8+ T-Cell Function by Interleukin 19 and Interleukin 24
      During Filarial Infections.
AB  - Interleukin 19 (IL-19) and interleukin 24 (IL-24) are cytokines that are highly
      expressed in filarial infections. To study the role of IL-19 and IL-24 in
      regulating T-cell responses, we examined the frequency of T-helper type 1
      (Th1)/Tc1, Th2/Tc2, Th9/Tc9, Th17/Tc17, Th22/Tc22, and Tr1 cells in 26 filariae
      infected individuals stimulated with filarial antigen following IL-19 or IL-24
      neutralization. IL-19 or IL-24 neutralization resulted in significantly enhanced
      frequencies of Th1/Tc1 and/or Th17/Tc17 cells and significantly reduced
      frequencies of Th2/Tc2, Tr1, and/or Th9/Tc9 cells. Thus, we demonstrate that IL
      19 and IL-24 are associated with the modulation of T-cell responses in filarial
      infections. 

PMID- 26486639
TI  - Titchener's ? in context 1--delimited, discrete monomotif patterns, line
      arrangements, and branching patterns.
AB  - Three experiments tested the effects of the presence of nontarget ?s on
      Titchener's (1901) ?-illusion. Experiment 1 used patterns of four separate ?s,
      Experiment 2 used branching patterns in which four ?s were stuck together, and
      Experiment 3 used patterns of four triangles or four beehive forms for which the
      ? could be seen as a skeleton. Three independent samples of 12 observers each had
      to haptically indicate the lengths of target lines and verbally judge the
      relative lengths of the two lines of target ?s. The illusion to judge or indicate
      the ?'s undivided line as longer than its divided line survived throughout except
      for the branching patterns: here, haptic indications did not differ between the
      two types of lines. Specific features of these patterns and of the ? itself may
      be responsible for these effects.

PMID- 26486640
TI  - Joint Simon effects for non-human co-actors.
AB  - Social interactions with non-biological agents and interactions with technical
      devices have become increasingly important over the last years. Recent studies
      investigating the interactions between humans and non-human agents showed rather
      inconsistent results. While the joint Simon effect (cSE) was found to be absent
      for non-human co-actors like virtual wooden hands, other studies showed
      pronounced cSEs when the co-actor was a real event-producing object. However, an
      often overlooked difference between these studies is the way these co-actors
      delivered response events. Studies replacing the co-actor by event-producing
      objects used a continuous response mode, while in studies using wooden hands, the
      co-actor always produced action effects in a task-related, turn-taking mode. In a
      series of four experiments, we systematically tested the effects of the response
      mode on the size of the cSE. The cSE was larger when the co-actor produced events
      in a turn-taking response mode than in a continuous response mode. Furthermore,
      we consistently found reliable cSEs for different kinds of virtual non-human co
      actors (including a Japanese waving cat, scrambled patterns, and a wooden hand),
      and found no difference in the size of the cSE between human and non-human co
      actors. We discuss possible mechanisms explaining why a cSE might be present or
      absent when sharing tasks with virtual non-human co-actors.

PMID- 26486638
TI  - Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections Are Associated With an Increase in Human
      Papillomavirus Prevalence and a T-Helper Type 2 Cytokine Signature in Cervical
      Fluids.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An ecological correlation between invasive cervical cancer incidence
      and burden of soil-transmitted helminths (STH) is hypothesized to explain the
      excess in detectable human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in Latin America, via a
      global T-helper type 2 (Th2)-biased mucosal immune response secondary to STH
      infection. METHODS: The association between current STH infection and HPV
      prevalence was compared in regions of Peru where STH is or is not endemic.
      Adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) with robust variance were estimated as an effect
      measure of STH infection on HPV prevalence in each study site. Soluble immune
      marker profiles in STH-infected and STH-uninfected women were compared using
      Spearman rank correlation with the Sidak correction. RESULTS: Among women in the
      helminth-endemic region of the Peruvian Amazon, those with STH infection women
      had a 60% higher prevalence of HPV, compared with those without STH infection
      (PR, 1.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-2.7). Non-STH parasitic/protozoal
      infections in the non-STH-endemic population of Peru were not associated with HPV
      prevalence. In Iquitos, A Th2 immune profile was observed in cervical fluid from
      helminth-infected women but not helminth-uninfected women. CONCLUSIONS: A
      proportion of the increased HPV prevalence at older ages observed in Latin
      America may be due to a population-level difference in the efficiency of
      immunological control of HPV across the lifespan due to endemic STH infection.

PMID- 26486637
TI  - Age-Specific Race and Ethnicity Disparities in HIV Infection and Awareness Among
      Men Who Have Sex With Men--20 US Cities, 2008-2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Over half of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in the
      United States occur among men who have sex with men (MSM). Among MSM, 16% of
      estimated new infections in 2010 occurred among black MSM <25 years old.
      METHODOLOGY: We analyzed National HIV Behavioral Surveillance data on MSM from 20
      cities. Poisson models were used to test racial disparities, by age, in HIV
      prevalence, HIV awareness, and sex behaviors among MSM in 2014. Data from 2008,
      2011, and 2014 were used to examine how racial/ethnic disparities changed across
      time. RESULTS: While black MSM did not report greater sexual risk than other MSM,
      they were most likely to be infected with HIV and least likely to know it. Among
      black MSM aged 18-24 years tested in 2014, 26% were HIV positive. Among white MSM
      aged 18-24 years tested in 2014, 3% were HIV positive. The disparity in HIV
      prevalence between black and white MSM increased from 2008 to 2014, especially
      among young MSM. CONCLUSIONS: Disparities in HIV prevalence between black and
      white MSM continue to increase. Black MSM may be infected with HIV at younger
      ages than other MSM and may benefit from prevention efforts that address the
      needs of younger men.

PMID- 26486641
TI  - Spatial action-effect binding.
AB  - The temporal interval between an action and its ensuing effect is perceptually
      compressed. Specifically, the perceived onset of actions is shifted towards their
      effects in time and, vice versa, the perceived onset of effects is shifted
      towards their causing actions. In four experiments, we report evidence showing
      that action-effect binding also occurs in the spatial domain. Participants
      controlled the location of a visual stimulus by performing stylus movements
      before they judged either the position of the stylus or the position of the
      visual stimulus. The results yielded spatial binding between the perceived stylus
      position and the perceived stimulus position when the stimulus was under full
      control of the hand movement compared to control conditions without direct
      control.

PMID- 26486642
TI  - The scope of no return: Openness predicts the spatial distribution of Inhibition
      of Return.
AB  - How and what we attend to is foundational in determining the content of our
      experience, thus differences in attention contribute significantly to how we
      perceive the world, learn, and develop. Personality also plays a role in
      constraining how we learn to perceive the world and it is conceivable that some
      facets of personality interact with visual attention; however, the relationship
      between these two constitutional aspects of psychology remains unclear. To
      address this interplay between cognition and personality, we looked at how the
      Big Five personality traits relate to the spatial scope of attention, as indexed
      by the spatial distribution of Inhibition of Return (IOR). IOR is marked by a
      decrement in reaction time when a target appears at a cued location, more than
      200 ms after that cue. As the cue/target distance increases there is a release
      from inhibition, providing a measure of the spatial distribution of IOR and
      reflecting the spatial scope of attention. The results presented here show
      personality does predict the distribution of IOR. Specifically, higher trait
      Openness is associated with a broader distribution of IOR and attention. This
      finding suggests there is an intimate connection between personality,
      particularly Openness, and the spatial allocation of attention.

PMID- 26486643
TI  - Novelty biases attention and gaze in a surprise trial.
AB  - While the classical distinction between task-driven and stimulus-driven biasing
      of attention appears to be a dichotomy at first sight, there seems to be a third
      category that depends on the contrast or discrepancy between active
      representations and the upcoming stimulus, and may be termed novelty, surprise,
      or prediction failure. For previous demonstrations of the discrepancy-attention
      link, stimulus-driven components (saliency) may have played a decisive role. The
      present study was conducted to evaluate the discrepancy-attention link in a
      display where novel and familiar stimuli are equated for saliency. Eye tracking
      was used to determine fixations on novel and familiar stimuli as a proxy for
      attention. Results show a prioritization of attention by the novel color, and a
      de-prioritization of the familiar color, which is clearly present at the second
      fixation, and spans over the next couple of fixations. Saliency, on the other
      hand, did not prioritize items in the display. The results thus reinforce the
      notion that novelty captures and binds attention.

PMID- 26486644
TI  - [Complications of knee arthroscopy].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Today, knee arthroscopy is one of the standard interventions
      performed by an orthopaedist and usually has a low potential for complications.
      PURPOSE: The surgeon should still be aware of possible problems, and be able to
      control and explain them to the patient in detail before surgery. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The possible relevant peri-, intra- and postoperative complications of
      knee arthroscopy are discussed. RESULTS: Evaluation of the patient's medical
      history and comorbidities is crucial to successful treatment, in addition to a
      correct diagnosis and indications with the assistance of appropriate imaging
      procedures. Nervous and vascular injuries, malplacement of arthroscopy portals,
      thrombosis, air embolism, material breakage and a possible compartment syndrome
      constitute the peri-and intraoperative complications. Postoperatively, the most
      frequent negative events are haemarthrosis, thrombosis, embolism and infection,
      and the appearance of synovial fistulas. In the case of a joint infection,
      consistent and immediate diagnosis and therapy are vital for joint preservation.
      Late complications after arthroscopic interventions include Ahlback's disease,
      arthrofibrosis and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). DISCUSSION: Nowadays,
      the systematic education of arthroscopic surgeons using simulators, models, and
      cadavers, in addition to shadowing experienced arthroscopists, is required to
      offer patients the best therapeutic options.

PMID- 26486645
TI  - Garland Allen, Thomas Hunt Morgan, and Development.
AB  - Garland E. Allen's 1978 biography of the Nobel Prize winning biologist Thomas
      Hunt Morgan provides an excellent study of the man and his science. Allen
      presents Morgan as an opportunistic scientist who follows where his observations
      take him, leading him to his foundational work in Drosophila genetics. The book
      was rightfully hailed as an important achievement and it introduced generations
      of readers to Morgan. Yet, in hindsight, Allen's book largely misses an equally
      important part of Morgan's work - his study of development and regeneration. It
      is worth returning to this part of Morgan, exploring what Morgan contributed and
      also why he has been seen by contemporaries and historians such as Allen as
      having set aside some of the most important developmental problems. A closer look
      shows how Morgan's view of cells and development that was different from that of
      his most noted contemporaries led to interpretation of his important
      contributions in favor of genetics. This essay is part of a special issue,
      revisiting Garland Allen's views on the history of life sciences in the twentieth
      century.

PMID- 26486646
TI  - Membrane filter method to study the effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus and
      Bifidobacterium longum on fecal microbiota.
AB  - A large number of commensal bacteria inhabit the intestinal tract, and
      interbacterial communication among gut microbiota is thought to occur. In order
      to analyze symbiotic relationships between probiotic strains and the gut
      microbiota, a ring with a membrane filter fitted to the bottom was used for in
      vitro investigations. Test strains comprising probiotic nitto strains
      (Lactobacillus acidophilus NT and Bifidobacterium longum NT) and type strains (L.
      acidophilus JCM1132(T) and B. longum JCM1217(T) ) were obtained from diluted
      fecal samples using the membrane filter to simulate interbacterial communication.
      Bifidobacterium spp., Streptococcus pasteurianus, Collinsella aerofaciens, and
      Clostridium spp. were the most abundant gut bacteria detected before coculture
      with the test strains. Results of the coculture experiments indicated that the
      test strains significantly promote the growth of Ruminococcus gnavus,
      Ruminococcus torques, and Veillonella spp. and inhibit the growth of Sutterella
      wadsworthensis. Differences in the relative abundances of gut bacterial strains
      were furthermore observed after coculture of the fecal samples with each test
      strain. Bifidobacterium spp., which was detected as the dominant strain in the
      fecal samples, was found to be unaffected by coculture with the test strains. In
      the present study, interbacterial communication using bacterial metabolites
      between the test strains and the gut microbiota was demonstrated by the coculture
      technique. The detailed mechanisms and effects of the complex interbacterial
      communications that occur among the gut microbiota are, however, still unclear.
      Further investigation of these relationships by coculture of several fecal
      samples with probiotic strains is urgently required. 

PMID- 26486647
TI  - Age-related emotional bias in processing two emotionally valenced tasks.
AB  - Previous studies suggest that older adults process positive emotions more
      efficiently than negative emotions, whereas younger adults show the reverse
      effect. We examined whether this age-related difference in emotional bias still
      occurs when attention is engaged in two emotional tasks. We used a psychological
      refractory period paradigm and varied the emotional valence of Task 1 and Task 2.
      In both experiments, Task 1 was emotional face discrimination (happy vs. angry
      faces) and Task 2 was sound discrimination (laugh, punch, vs. cork pop in
      Experiment 1 and laugh vs. scream in Experiment 2). The backward emotional
      correspondence effect for positively and negatively valenced Task 2 on Task 1 was
      measured. In both experiments, younger adults showed a backward correspondence
      effect from a negatively valenced Task 2, suggesting parallel processing of
      negatively valenced stimuli. Older adults showed similar negativity bias in
      Experiment 2 with a more salient negative sound ("scream" relative to "punch").
      These results are consistent with an arousal-bias competition model [Mather and
      Sutherland (Perspectives in Psychological Sciences 6:114-133, 2011)], suggesting
      that emotional arousal modulates top-down attentional control settings (emotional
      regulation) with age.

PMID- 26486648
TI  - Working memory updating occurs independently of the need to maintain task
      context: accounting for triggering updating in the AX-CPT paradigm.
AB  - Theoretical models suggest that maintenance and updating are two functional
      states of working memory (WM), which are controlled by a gate between perceptual
      information and WM representations. Opening the gate enables updating WM with
      input, while closing it enables keeping the maintained information shielded from
      interference. However, it is still unclear when gate opening takes place, and
      what is the external signal that triggers it. A version of the AX-CPT paradigm
      was used to examine a recent proposal in the literature, suggesting that updating
      is triggered whenever the maintenance of the context is necessary for task
      performance (context-dependent tasks). In four experiments using this paradigm,
      we show that (1) a task-switching cost takes place in both context-dependent and
      context-independent trials; (2) task-switching is additive to the dependency
      effect, and (3) unlike switching cost, the dependency effect is not affected by
      preparation and, therefore, does not reflect context-updating. We suggest that WM
      updating is likely to be triggered by a simple mechanism that occurs in each
      trial of the task regardless of whether maintaining the context is needed or not.
      The implications for WM updating and its relationship to task-switching are
      discussed.

PMID- 26486649
TI  - Dog owners show experience-based viewing behaviour in judging dog face
      approachability.
AB  - Our prior visual experience plays a critical role in face perception. We show
      superior perceptual performance for differentiating conspecific (vs non
      conspecific), own-race (vs other-race) and familiar (vs unfamiliar) faces.
      However, it remains unclear whether our experience with faces of other species
      would influence our gaze allocation for extracting salient facial information. In
      this eye-tracking study, we asked both dog owners and non-owners to judge the
      approachability of human, monkey and dog faces, and systematically compared their
      behavioural performance and gaze pattern associated with the task. Compared to
      non-owners, dog owners assessed dog faces with shorter time and fewer fixations,
      but gave higher approachability ratings. The gaze allocation within local facial
      features was also modulated by the ownership. The averaged proportion of the
      fixations and viewing time directed at the dog mouth region were significantly
      less for the dog owners, and more experienced dog owners tended to look more at
      the dog eyes, suggesting the adoption of a prior experience-based viewing
      behaviour for assessing dog approachability. No differences in behavioural
      performance and gaze pattern were observed between dog owners and non-owners when
      judging human and monkey faces, implying that the dog owner's experience-based
      gaze strategy for viewing dog faces was not transferable across faces of other
      species.

PMID- 26486650
TI  - Conflict resolution in two-digit number processing: evidence of an inhibitory
      mechanism.
AB  - We investigated the mechanism involved in conflict resolution when individuals
      processed two-digit numbers. Participants performed a comparison task in blocks
      of two trials. In the first trial, between-decade two-digit numbers were used in
      a compatible condition where the decade and the unit of one number were larger
      than those of the other number (i.e., 21-73) and an incompatible condition where
      the decade of one number was larger but the unit was smaller than those of the
      other number (i.e., 61-53). In the second trial, within-decade two-digit numbers
      were presented in a related condition where the numbers contained the units
      presented previously (i.e., 41-43) and an unrelated condition with units that did
      not appear before (i.e., 48-49). In the first trial, participants responded more
      slowly in incompatible trials relative to compatible trials. In the second trial,
      participants were slower in the related condition relative to unrelated trials
      only after incompatible trials. These results suggest that participants
      experienced conflict in the incompatible condition of first trial and that they
      inhibited irrelevant units to resolve conflict.

PMID- 26486651
TI  - Implicit learning is order dependent.
AB  - We report two experiments using the artificial-grammar task that demonstrate
      order dependence in implicit learning. Studying grammatical training strings in
      different orders did not affect participants' discrimination of grammatical from
      ungrammatical test strings, but it did affect their judgments about specific test
      strings. Current accounts of learning in the artificial-grammar task focus on
      category-level discrimination and largely ignore item-level discrimination.
      Hence, the results highlight the importance of moving theory from a category- to
      an item-level of analysis and point to a new way to evaluate and to refine
      accounts of implicit learning.

PMID- 26486653
TI  - Walk the Talk: The Nurses' Role in Increasing Physical Activity.

PMID- 26486652
TI  - A proteomic analysis of seeds from Bt-transgenic Brassica napus and hybrids with
      wild B. juncea.
AB  - Transgene insertions might have unintended side effects on the transgenic host,
      both crop and hybrids with wild relatives that harbor transgenes. We employed
      proteomic approaches to assess protein abundance changes in seeds from Bt
      transgenic oilseed rape (Brassica napus) and its hybrids with wild mustard (B.
      juncea). A total of 24, 15 and 34 protein spots matching to 23, 13 and 31 unique
      genes were identified that changed at least 1.5 fold (p < 0.05, Student's t-test)
      in abundance between transgenic (tBN) and non-transgenic (BN) oilseed rape,
      between hybrids of B. juncea (BJ) * tBN (BJtBN) and BJ * BN (BJBN) and between
      BJBN and BJ, respectively. Eight proteins had higher abundance in tBN than in BN.
      None of these proteins was toxic or nutritionally harmful to human health, which
      is not surprising since the seeds are not known to produce toxic proteins.
      Protein spots varying in abundance between BJtBN and BJBN seeds were the same or
      homologous to those in the respective parents. None of the differentially
      accumulated proteins between BJtBN and BJBN were identical to those between tBN
      and BN. Results indicated that unintended effects resulted from transgene flow
      fell within the range of natural variability of hybridization and those found in
      the native host proteomes. 

PMID- 26486654
TI  - X-ray analysis of gastrointestinal motility in conscious mice. Effects of
      morphine and comparison with rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-invasive methods to study gastrointestinal (GI) motility are of
      high interest, particularly in chronic studies. Amongst these, radiographic
      techniques after contrast intragastric administration may offer many advantages.
      In previous studies, we have successfully and reproducibly applied these
      techniques together with a semiquantitative analysis method to characterize the
      effect of different drugs, acutely or repeatedly administered in rat models, but
      we have never before used these techniques in mice. These are very convenient in
      basic research. Our aim was to determine if our method is also valid in mice.
      Additionally, we determined the effect of morphine on GI motor function in both
      species. METHODS: Animals received an intraperitoneal administration of morphine
      (at 10 and 5 mg/kg for rats and mice, respectively). Twenty min later, barium
      contrast (at 2 g/mL) was gavaged (2.5 and 0.4 mL for rats and mice respectively)
      and serial X-rays were obtained 0-8 h after contrast. X-rays were analyzed as
      previously described, using a semiquantitative score to build motility curves for
      each GI region. KEY RESULTS: Motility was much faster in mice than in rats for
      all GI regions. Morphine at the doses used significantly depressed motility in
      both species to a similar extent if the whole gut or the upper GI regions
      (stomach, small intestine) were considered, although its effect seemed to be more
      intense in the lower GI regions (caecum, colorectum) in rats than in mice.
      CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: We have validated our X-rays method for its use in
      mice.

PMID- 26486655
TI  - A facile method for high-performance multicolor upconversion microrods for
      biological encoding.
AB  - In this paper, we demonstrate a facile method for preparing high-performance
      multicolor upconversion (UC) microrods for biological encoding. Multicolor UC
      microrods were prepared through a one-step facile hydrothermal method. The as
      prepared UC microrods were uniform in shape and size (about 2 MUm in length). For
      bioconjugation, the UC microrods were functionalized by coating with an amino
      terminated silica shell. In order to magnify the bioactive sites, poly (acrylic
      acid) was introduced to the surface of UC microrods. The optical micrographs
      displayed that the carboxylated UC microrods were bright enough for observation
      of single crystals by a conventional microscope. They also exhibited excellent
      fluorescence stability against time expansion and pH change. Furthermore, a
      conventional optical microscope can readout the results of a sandwich immunoassay
      that was conducted by the UC microrods. All the results indicated that the UC
      microrods exhibited great potential to be new encoding particles for biological
      molecules. 

PMID- 26486656
TI  - Who wants to be a researcher?

PMID- 26486657
TI  - [Re: Criteria-based diagnostics generate excessive and incorrect diagnoses].

PMID- 26486658
TI  - [P. Gjerden replies].

PMID- 26486659
TI  - [Re: Where is the boundary between diagnostics and research?].

PMID- 26486660
TI  - [Re: Emergency hospitalisation in six municipalities in the Sunnmore district].

PMID- 26486661
TI  - [T. Hole and colleagues reply].

PMID- 26486662
TI  - [Re: First generalized tonic-clonic seizure].

PMID- 26486663
TI  - Telemedicine brings specialist healthcare services to patients' homes.

PMID- 26486664
TI  - Dogs as the source of Giardia in Bergen in 2004 - barking up the wrong tree?

PMID- 26486665
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26486666
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26486667
TI  - Obese, fat, or just overweight?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Discussing obesity with the patient without this being perceived as
      offensive may represent a challenge. Prevention of lifestyle diseases requires
      that this topic be addressed with those concerned. In this study, we investigate
      the patients' sensitivity to expressions, i.e. their notions of appropriateness
      or inappropriateness regarding various terms for obesity, and what patient
      characteristics are associated with such sensitivity to expressions. MATERIAL AND
      METHOD: The investigation is part of a five-year study of patients in Central
      Norway who were treated for morbid obesity. The terms used in the study had been
      suggested by the Overweight Patients' Association. Data on sensitivity to
      expressions were collected with the aid of a questionnaire one year after
      completion of the treatment. RESULTS: Altogether 157 out of 206 participants
      completed the questionnaire. Their average body mass index (BMI) (SD) amounted to
      37.6 kg/m2 (7.3 kg/m2). Their sensitivity to 14 different designations varied.
      "Weight", "overweight" and "weight problem" returned the best scores, whereas
      "obesitas", "obese" and "fat" were deemed least appropriate. The highest
      sensitivity to expressions was found among women, those who developed overweight
      early in life, those who had higher education and those who were dissatisfied
      with their weight. INTERPRETATION: The perceptions of various expressions for
      overweight and obesity varied considerably. Knowledge about this topic may be
      relevant for doctors and other health personnel in prevention and treatment of
      obesity.

PMID- 26486668
TI  - [Diagnostic accuracy for heart failure - data from the Akershus Cardiac
      Examination 2 Study].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diagnosing heart failure in an on-call setting can be difficult, and
      international studies report diagnostic accuracy among duty doctors, as measured
      using area under the ROC curve (AUC), to be 0.76-0.90. This study has examined
      the accuracy with which doctors in the internal medicine out-of-hours service in
      a Norwegian university hospital distinguish heart failure from no heart failure
      in patients with dyspnoea. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Information was gathered on 468
      patients admitted to Akershus University Hospital with dyspnoea between June 2009
      and November 2010, and 314 patients were included in the study. The duty doctors
      estimated the probability of heart failure (0-100%) before N-terminal pro-B-type
      natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) concentrations were known. The final diagnosis for
      the hospital admission was made retrospectively by two independent doctors after
      review of the medical records, including supplementary tests and the patient
      outcome. RESULTS: Heart failure was considered the cause of hospitalisation in
      143 patients (46%). Patients with heart failure were older, more often men, had a
      higher prevalence of heart disease, reduced/impaired renal function, and higher
      NTproBNP concentrations than patients with non-heart failure dyspnoea. The
      diagnostic accuracy among duty doctors for heart failure (AUC) was 0.86 (95%
      confidence interval 0.82-0.90). The doctors' diagnostic accuracy was lower when
      the patient had heart failure with left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] >=
      50% (n=52): AUC 0.83 (0.77-0.87). INTERPRETATION: The duty doctors at Akershus
      University Hospital from 2009-2010 demonstrated similar diagnostic accuracy for
      heart failure as previously reported from international centres. Diagnostic
      accuracy was lower for heart failure patients with LVEF >= 50%.

PMID- 26486669
TI  - Therapeutic complement inhibition - from experimental to clinical medicine.
AB  - Internationally, the use of the C5-inhibiting monoclonal antibody eculizumab has
      in the course of just a few years become the first choice of treatment of
      atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome and the most severe phenotypes of paroxysmal
      nocturnal haemoglobinuria. At present eculizumab is the only complement inhibitor
      in ordinary clinical use. This despite the fact that there only exists one
      randomised, placebo-controlled trial of eculizumab for paroxysmal nocturnal
      haemoglobinuria and none for atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome, and that the
      therapy is very costly. There is reason to believe that complement inhibition as
      therapy will increase in the future, and that other drugs will also prove to be
      effective.

PMID- 26486670
TI  - Cerebral venous thrombectomy.

PMID- 26486671
TI  - A woman in her 70s with chronic walking difficulties.

PMID- 26486672
TI  - What exactly is myalgic encephalomyelitis?

PMID- 26486673
TI  - [Norwegian National Unity party physicians and their relationship with
      euthanasia].

PMID- 26486675
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26486674
TI  - [Senile and demented].

PMID- 26486677
TI  - [Are physicians leisure time more important than others?].

PMID- 26486678
TI  - [Pelvic pain brought to light].

PMID- 26486679
TI  - [Local ischemia can be detected by internal organ CO2 measurement].

PMID- 26486680
TI  - [Random depression treatment in nursing homes].

PMID- 26486683
TI  - Bolder science needed now for protected areas.
AB  - Recognizing that protected areas (PAs) are essential for effective biodiversity
      conservation action, the Convention on Biological Diversity established ambitious
      PA targets as part of the 2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity. Under the
      strategic goal to "improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems,
      species, and genetic diversity," Target 11 aims to put 17% of terrestrial and 10%
      of marine regions under PA status by 2020. Additionally and crucially, these
      areas are required to be of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem
      services, effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative, and
      well-connected and to include "other effective area-based conservation measures"
      (OECMs). Whereas the area-based targets are explicit and measurable, the lack of
      guidance for what constitutes important and representative; effective; and OECMs
      is affecting how nations are implementing the target. There is a real risk that
      Target 11 may be achieved in terms of area while failing the overall strategic
      goal for which it is established because the areas are poorly located,
      inadequately managed, or based on unjustifiable inclusion of OECMs. We argue that
      the conservation science community can help establish ecologically sensible PA
      targets to help prioritize important biodiversity areas and achieve ecological
      representation; identify clear, comparable performance metrics of ecological
      effectiveness so progress toward these targets can be assessed; and identify
      metrics and report on the contribution OECMs make toward the target. By providing
      ecologically sensible targets and new performance metrics for measuring the
      effectiveness of both PAs and OECMs, the science community can actively ensure
      that the achievement of the required area in Target 11 is not simply an end in
      itself but generates genuine benefits for biodiversity. 

PMID- 26486684
TI  - Respiratory failure with cervicomedullary infarctions.
AB  - Respiratory failure from brainstem and spinal cord infarction has been described
      without attention to ventilatory characteristics and prognosis. We describe two
      patients who suffered from complete aventilation with cervicomedullary
      infarctions. One achieved full recovery of spontaneous breathing, and the other
      had persistent aventilation until her death 4 months after her stroke from
      sepsis. The anatomical extent of the infarction as identified by magnetic
      resonance imaging was predictive of the recoverability of spontaneous breathing,
      and important clinical considerations are emphasized when considering weaning a
      patient from mechanical ventilation after respiratory failure from
      cervicomedullary infarction. 

PMID- 26486682
TI  - Effect of a postoperative exercise program on arteriovenous fistula maturation: A
      randomized controlled trial.
AB  - Exercises after arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation may help to improve
      maturation; however, their usefulness has only been examined in indirect, non
      comparative studies or small trials. Between June 2013 and November 2014, we
      included all ambulatory patients with stages 5-5D chronic kidney disease who were
      candidates for the creation of a native AVF in our center. After surgery, all
      patients were randomized to an exercise group or a control group with single
      blind control. At 1 month postoperatively, clinical maturation (expert nurse
      inspection) and ultrasonographic maturation (flow >500 mL/min, venous diameter >5
      mm and depth <6 mm) were assessed in all patients. A total of 72 patients were
      randomized, 3 were lost to follow-up, and 69 were finally analyzed. The mean age
      was 66.8 years (standard deviation 13.8), 70.0% were men, and 65.2% were in pre
      dialysis. After surgery (42.0% had distal AVF), the patients were randomized (31
      controls, 38 exercise group). At 1 month after surgery, global clinical and
      ultrasonographic maturation was assessed in 88.4% and 78.3% of AVF, respectively
      (kappa = 0.539). Non-significant differences in clinical or ultrasonographic
      maturation were seen between exercise and control group (94.7% vs. 80.6%, P =
      0.069; 81.6% vs. 74.2%, P = 0.459). A stepwise logistic regression was performed
      to control previously analyzed asymmetrically distributed confounding factors
      (AVF localization), revealing that the exercise group showed greater clinical,
      but not ultrasonographic, maturation (odds ratio [OR] 5.861, 95% confidence
      interval: 1.006-34.146 and OR 2.403, 0.66-8.754). A postoperative controlled
      exercise program after AVF creation seems to increase 1-month clinical AVF
      maturation in distal accesses. Furthermore, exercise programs should be taken
      into account, especially in distal accesses. 

PMID- 26486685
TI  - Cerebral infarction during hypertensive encephalopathy: Case report with
      pathologic and atypical radiographic findings.
AB  - Neuroimaging of patients with hypertensive encephalopathy frequently reveals
      white matter changes that reverse with control of blood pressure. We report a
      young woman who presented with hypertensive encephalopathy but with unusual
      radiographic findings. Her course and atypical appearance on magnetic resonance
      imaging raised suspicion for encephalitis, but autopsy disclosed a large cerebral
      infarction, an uncommon complication during this clinical syndrome. The discovery
      of a pheochromocytoma at autopsy was also unexpected and may be associated with
      the unusual features of this case. The clinical, pathologic, and radiographic
      descriptions of this case may offer further insight into the pathophysiology of
      hypertensive encephalopathy. 

PMID- 26486686
TI  - Factors predicting 30-day mortality in the Warsaw stroke registry.
AB  - Poland has high mortality and morbidity due to stroke. Our prospective population
      based study conducted in Warsaw in 1991-1992 showed a stroke incidence similar to
      other European countries. However, 30-day case mortality rates were much higher.
      Our aim was to explore factors predicting 30-day mortality in Warsaw. The study
      population consisted of all patients with first-ever-in-a-lifetime strokes
      admitted to the Department of Cerebrovascular Diseases during the 2-year
      prospective population-based stroke registry. Cases with uncertain stroke type
      were excluded from analysis. During the 2-year study period, 633 patients with
      stroke were registered (462 with first-ever-in-a-lifetime stroke); 351 of them
      completed full diagnostic procedures, and 297 were diagnosed with ischemic stroke
      (IS) and 54 with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). A logistic regression model for
      IS identified 7 independent variables predicting 30-day mortality: increasing
      age, decreased consciousness at the onset of stroke, extraocular movement
      disorder, severity of motor weakness, congestive heart failure, kidney diseases,
      and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). A logistic regression model
      for ICH identified two independent predictor variables: extraocular movement
      disorders and decreased consciousness. Comparison of the Warsaw Stroke Registry
      with the Stroke Data Bank (SDB) revealed higher prevalences of heart disease
      (angina and atrial fibrillation) and COPD in the Warsaw population. Comorbidity
      of medical diseases with stroke probably contributed to higher mortality in the
      Warsaw as opposed to U.S. PATIENT SAMPLE: Disorders of consciousness at the onset
      of stroke were more severe in Warsaw than in the U.S. SAMPLE: Stroke type,
      severity of weakness score, and severity of stroke scale were similar for the SDB
      and Warsaw populations. In Poland, high levels of medical comorbidity rather than
      stroke severity probably account for poor short-term prognosis in stroke.

PMID- 26486687
TI  - Beneficial effect of clonidine on spasticity antagonized by baclofen in a stroke
      patient.
AB  - Although Clonidine has recently been described as a useful antispasticity agent,
      to our knowledge there has not been a previous report of clonidine's
      antispasticity effect antagonized by baclofen. Using a 0-5 Modified Ashworth
      Scale to evaluate the right knee extensor tone in a 74-year-old man 5 months
      following a left middle cerebral artery stroke, tone improved from 3 to 1 on
      Clonidine 0.6 mg daily in divided doses. The day after addition of baclofen at 15
      mg daily in divided doses, tone increased to 4. Baclofen was withdrawn with a
      decrease in tone to 2. Baclofen alone at the above dose resulted in tone
      comparable to the clonidine-free baseline. Treatment with Clonidine alone was
      resumed, and the expected reduction in hypertonicity was again observed. Possible
      mechanisms of action for baclofen antagonizing the beneficial effect of Clonidine
      on spasticity after stroke are presented and discussed. 

PMID- 26486688
TI  - Utility of magnetic resonance angiography and carotid ultrasound in the
      evaluation of carotid stenosis.
AB  - We assessed the utility of noninvasive methods for clinical decision-making in
      carotid stenosis. We compared the results from magnetic resonance angiography
      (MRA), carotid ultrasound (CUS), and conventional carotid angiography (CCA) for
      39 arteries. Noninvasive studies were graded by a 5-point diameter scale.
      Conventional angiograms were evaluated for percent stenosis using the North
      American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial criteria and diameter of
      residual lumen by caliper. Agreement was 64% between MRA and CCA, 72% between CUS
      and CCA, and 77% between MRA and CUS. For vessels measuring greater than 60%
      stenosis by CCA, sensitivity was 100% for both MRA and CUS. Specificities were
      65% (MRA) and 71% (CUS), reflecting the tendency for MRA and CUS to overestimate
      stenosis. MRA and CUS correlated with residual lumen, even in some cases where
      they disagreed with the percent stenosis. We conclude that patients with normal
      arteries or mild stenosis as determined by MRA and CUS may be excluded from
      further evaluation, whereas patients with highergrade lesions should be evaluated
      with CCA prior to consideration for surgery. Close correlation between the
      results of MRA and CUS, as well as their apparent correlation with residual
      lumen, suggests that MRA and CUS may more accurately reflect carotid flow than
      does calculated percent stenosis. 

PMID- 26486689
TI  - Stroke causing pure brachial monoparesis.
AB  - We studied 15 consecutive patients with acute brachial monoparesis due to stroke.
      There were 12 men and 3 women aged 45-78 years (mean, 61). Stroke workup included
      brain imaging, carotid duplex, echocardiography, and blood tests. In nine
      patients, the arm weakness was mainly distal, and in six it was equal distally
      and proximally. Tendon reflexes in the affected arm compared to the contralateral
      arm were symmetrical in 10, increased in 3, and decreased in 2 patients. In 14
      patients, brain imaging showed a stroke in the middle cerebral artery branch
      territory superficially corresponding to the symptoms; and magnetic resonance
      imaging was negative in 1. Fourteen strokes were ischemic, and 1 was hemorrhagic.
      Of the 14 patients with ischemic stroke, 6 had > 50% ipsilateral extracranial
      cartoid artery stenosis, 4 had a serious source of cardiac emboli, and in 4 the
      cause of stroke was not identified. Our findings suggest that sudden brachial
      monoparesis should be considered a middle cerebral artery branch territory
      nonlacunar stroke syndrome. The etiologies of stroke causing pure brachial
      monoparesis are varied and include carotid artery disease, cardiac embolism, and
      intracerebral hemorrhage. 

PMID- 26486690
TI  - Problems in the recognition of aortoembolic stroke.
AB  - Recent reports suggest aortoembolism is an important cause of stroke. Although
      transesophageal echocardiography visualizes the aortic arch, diagnosis of
      aortoembolism stroke is not common. We investigated reasons for this discrepancy
      at our institution. We reviewed charts and transesophageal echocardiography
      videotapes of 16 patients with recent ischemic stroke or transient ischemic
      attack who had undergone transesophageal echocardiography. For each patient, we
      determined the most likely cause of cerebral ischemia, and we compared the
      official transesophageal echocardiography report to our interpretation of the
      videotape. In our videotape review, 13 patients had good visualization of the
      aortic arch. Of 6 patients with atherosclerosis in the arch, 1 had high-grade
      carotid stenosis, 1 had atrial fibrillation, 1 had "small-vessel disease," and 3
      had cerebral ischemia of unknown cause. The official reports did not mention
      aortic arch disease in 4 of 6 patients. A possible cause of cerebral ischemia was
      identified in 6 of 7 patients with normal aortic arches. Of 3 patients who had
      poor visualization of the aortic arch, one had "small-vessel disease," and 2 had
      ischemic stroke of unknown cause despite extensive workups. We conclude that
      aortic arch disease is common in patients with ischemic stroke and transient
      ischemic attack and may be a cause of cerebral ischemia, especially in patients
      with stroke or transient ischemic attack due to small-vessel occlusion or of
      unknown cause. Aortic arch disease may not be identified as the cause of stroke
      or transient ischemic attack because (a) transesophageal echocardiography is not
      done, (b) transesophageal echocardiography is done but the aortic arch is not
      visualized, (c) transesophageal echocardiography is done, the aortic arch is
      visualized, but the examiner does not comment on aortic arch disease, or (d)
      despite transesophageal echocardiography identification of arotic arch disease,
      the treating physician does not consider the aorta to be a potential source of
      embolization. 

PMID- 26486691
TI  - A computational study of the chlorination and hydroxylation of amines by
      hypochlorous acid.
AB  - The reactions of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) with ammonia, (di)methylamine, and
      heterocyclic amines have been studied computationally using double-hybrid DFT
      methods (B2PLYP-D and BK-PLYP) and a G3B3 composite scheme. In the gas phase the
      calculated energy barriers for N- and/or C-hydroxylation are ca. 100 kJ mol(-1)
      lower than the barrier for N-chlorination of amines. In the model solvent,
      however, the latter process becomes kinetically more favored. The explicit
      solvent effects are crucial for determination of the reaction mechanism. The N
      chlorination is extremely susceptible to the presence of explicit water
      molecules, while no beneficial solvation effect has been found for the N- or C
      hydroxylation of amines. The origin of the observed solvent effects arises from
      differential solvation of the respective transition states for chlorine- and
      oxygen-transfers, respectively. The nature of solvation of the transition state
      structures has been explored in more detail by classical molecular dynamics (MD)
      simulation. In agreement with the quantum mechanical approach, the most stable
      structural motif, which includes the amine, HOCl, and two reactive waters, has
      been identified during the MD simulation. The inclusion of 5 or 6 explicit water
      molecules is required to reproduce the experimental barriers for HOCl-induced
      formation of N-chloramines in an aqueous environment. 

PMID- 26486692
TI  - Public Health England denies conspiracy over obesity report's timing.

PMID- 26486693
TI  - Trends in incidence and survival for upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC) in the
      state of Victoria--Australia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and mortality trends of upper tract
      urothelial cancers (UTUC) in Victoria over the last decade. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Age-adjusted incidence and mortality rates were calculated for UTUC. These were
      identified using data from the Victorian Cancer Registry from 2001 until 2011
      based on histological diagnoses. Age at diagnosis, sex and demographical location
      were compared. RESULTS: The age-standardised incidence of UTUC remained stable
      from 2001 to 2011. There were 278 deaths from UTUC over this period with an
      overall 5-year survival rate of 32%. There was no significant difference in
      survival between 2001-06 and 2007-11 (30% vs 36%, respectively). Lower age at
      diagnosis was associated with a significant improvement in survival (P = 0.01).
      Sex and geographical location appeared to have no effect on survival. CONCLUSION:
      The 5-year survival rates for UTUC in Victoria are poor, particularly in
      comparison to worldwide data. In contrast to worldwide trends, the incidence of
      UTUC appears to be stable. No significant improvement in 5-year survival rates
      over the short study period was identified. These findings highlight the
      difficulties in managing this rare yet deadly malignancy.

PMID- 26486695
TI  - Modular solid-phase synthesis, catalytic application and efficient recycling of
      supported phosphine-phosphite ligand libraries.
AB  - In spite of decades of research in the field of homogeneous asymmetric catalysis
      the discovery of new high performance catalysts still relies heavily on trial-and
      error. There is still a lack of efficient combinatorial methods which enable the
      synthesis and screening of vast ligand libraries, especially for bidentate
      phosphorus ligands. Here we present a highly modular solid-phase synthetic
      approach which provides facile access to libraries of phosphine-phosphite ligands
      in quantitative yield requiring only minimal work-up. The obtained library of
      supported phosphine-phosphites was successfully applied in rhodium catalyzed
      asymmetric hydrogenation obtaining high enantioselectivities up to 98%. Also,
      these polymer supported ligands could be successfully recycled under batch
      conditions exhibiting only a small decline of activity and no loss of
      selectivity. 

PMID- 26486694
TI  - Rates of As and Trace-Element Mobilization Caused by Fe Reduction in Mixed BTEX
      Ethanol Experimental Plumes.
AB  - Biodegradation of organic matter, including petroleum-based fuels and biofuels,
      can create undesired secondary water-quality effects. Trace elements, especially
      arsenic (As), have strong adsorption affinities for Fe(III) (oxyhydr)-oxides and
      can be released to groundwater during Fe-reducing biodegradation. We investigated
      the mobilization of naturally occurring As, cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), and
      nickel (Ni) from wetland sediments caused by the introduction of benzene,
      toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) and ethanol mixtures under iron- and
      nitrate-reducing conditions, using in situ push-pull tests. When BTEX alone was
      added, results showed simultaneous onset and similar rates of Fe reduction and As
      mobilization. In the presence of ethanol, the maximum rates of As release and Fe
      reduction were higher, the time to onset of reaction was decreased, and the rates
      occurred in multiple stages that reflected additional processes. The
      concentration of As increased from <1 MUg/L to a maximum of 99 MUg/L, exceeding
      the 10 MUg/L limit for drinking water. Mobilization of Co, Cr, and Ni was
      observed in association with ethanol biodegradation but not with BTEX. These
      results demonstrate the potential for trace-element contamination of drinking
      water during biodegradation and highlight the importance of monitoring trace
      elements at natural and enhanced attenuation sites. 

PMID- 26486697
TI  - Toward a terahertz-driven electron gun.
AB  - Femtosecond electron bunches with keV energies and eV energy spread are needed by
      condensed matter physicists to resolve state transitions in carbon nanotubes,
      molecular structures, organic salts, and charge density wave materials. These
      semirelativistic electron sources are not only of interest for ultrafast electron
      diffraction, but also for electron energy-loss spectroscopy and as a seed for x
      ray FELs. Thus far, the output energy spread (hence pulse duration) of ultrafast
      electron guns has been limited by the achievable electric field at the surface of
      the emitter, which is 10 MV/m for DC guns and 200 MV/m for RF guns. A single
      cycle THz electron gun provides a unique opportunity to not only achieve GV/m
      surface electric fields but also with relatively low THz pulse energies, since a
      single-cycle transform-limited waveform is the most efficient way to achieve
      intense electric fields. Here, electron bunches of 50 fC from a flat copper
      photocathode are accelerated from rest to tens of eV by a microjoule THz pulse
      with peak electric field of 72 MV/m at 1 kHz repetition rate. We show that
      scaling to the readily-available GV/m THz field regime would translate to
      monoenergetic electron beams of ~100 keV. 

PMID- 26486698
TI  - Local Heat Application for the Treatment of Buruli Ulcer: Results of a Phase II
      Open Label Single Center Non Comparative Clinical Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Buruli ulcer (BU) is a necrotizing skin disease most prevalent among
      West African children. The causative organism, Mycobacterium ulcerans, is
      sensitive to temperatures above 37 degrees C. We investigated the safety and
      efficacy of a local heat application device based on phase change material.
      METHODS: In a phase II open label single center noncomparative clinical trial
      (ISRCTN 72102977) under GCP standards in Cameroon, laboratory confirmed BU
      patients received up to 8 weeks of heat treatment. We assessed efficacy based on
      the endpoints 'absence of clinical BU specific features' or 'wound closure'
      within 6 months ("primary cure"), and 'absence of clinical recurrence within 24
      month' ("definite cure"). RESULTS: Of 53 patients 51 (96%) had ulcerative
      disease. 62% were classified as World Health Organization category II, 19% each
      as category I and III. The average lesion size was 45 cm(2). Within 6 months
      after completion of heat treatment 92.4% (49 of 53, 95% confidence interval [CI],
      81.8% to 98.0%) achieved cure of their primary lesion. At 24 months follow-up
      83.7% (41 of 49, 95% CI, 70.3% to 92.7%) of patients with primary cure remained
      free of recurrence. Heat treatment was well tolerated; adverse effects were
      occasional mild local skin reactions. CONCLUSIONS: Local thermotherapy is a
      highly effective, simple, cheap and safe treatment for M. ulcerans disease. It
      has in particular potential as home-based remedy for BU suspicious lesions at
      community level where laboratory confirmation is not available. CLINICAL TRIALS
      REGISTRATION: ISRCT 72102977.

PMID- 26486700
TI  - Reply to Ressner et al.

PMID- 26486701
TI  - Significant Reduction of External Ventricular Drainage-Associated
      Meningoventriculitis by Chlorhexidine-Containing Dressings: A Before-After Trial.

PMID- 26486699
TI  - Impact of Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine Resistance on Effectiveness of Intermittent
      Preventive Therapy for Malaria in Pregnancy at Clearing Infections and Preventing
      Low Birth Weight.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Owing to increasing sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) resistance in sub
      Saharan Africa, monitoring the effectiveness of intermittent preventive therapy
      in pregnancy (IPTp) with SP is crucial. METHODS: Between 2009 and 2013, both the
      efficacy of IPTp-SP at clearing existing peripheral malaria infections and the
      effectiveness of IPTp-SP at reducing low birth weight (LBW) were assessed among
      human immunodeficiency virus-uninfected participants in 8 sites in 6 countries.
      Sites were classified as high, medium, or low resistance after measuring parasite
      mutations conferring SP resistance. An individual-level prospective pooled
      analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Among 1222 parasitemic pregnant women, overall
      polymerase chain reaction-uncorrected and -corrected failure rates by day 42 were
      21.3% and 10.0%, respectively (39.7% and 21.1% in high-resistance areas; 4.9% and
      1.1% in low-resistance areas). Median time to recurrence decreased with
      increasing prevalence of Pfdhps-K540E. Among 6099 women at delivery, IPTp-SP was
      associated with a 22% reduction in the risk of LBW (prevalence ratio [PR], 0.78;
      95% confidence interval [CI], .69-.88; P < .001). This association was not
      modified by insecticide-treated net use or gravidity, and remained significant in
      areas with high SP resistance (PR, 0.81; 95% CI, .67-.97; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS:
      The efficacy of SP to clear peripheral parasites and prevent new infections
      during pregnancy is compromised in areas with >90% prevalence of Pfdhps-K540E.
      Nevertheless, in these high-resistance areas, IPTp-SP use remains associated with
      increases in birth weight and maternal hemoglobin. The effectiveness of IPTp in
      eastern and southern Africa is threatened by further increases in SP resistance
      and reinforces the need to evaluate alternative drugs and strategies for the
      control of malaria in pregnancy.

PMID- 26486703
TI  - Noninferiority Doesn't Mean Not Inferior.

PMID- 26486704
TI  - Efficacy, Safety, and Pharmacokinetics of Coadministered Diethylcarbamazine,
      Albendazole, and Ivermectin for Treatment of Bancroftian Filariasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Available treatments for lymphatic filariasis (LF) are limited in
      their longterm clearance of microfilaria from the blood. The safety and efficacy
      of a single-dose triple-drug therapy of the antifilarial drugs diethylcarbamazine
      (DEC), ivermectin (IVM), and albendazole (ALB) for LF are unknown. METHODS: We
      performed a pilot study to test the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of
      single-dose DEC, IVM, and ALB in Wuchereria bancrofti-infected Papua New
      Guineans. Adults were randomized into 2 treatment arms, DEC 6 mg/kg + ALB 400 mg
      (N = 12) or DEC 6 mg/kg + ALB 400 mg + IVM 200 MUg/kg (N = 12), and monitored for
      microfilaria, parasite antigenemia, adverse events (AEs), and serum drug levels.
      RESULTS: Triple-drug therapy induced >2-log reductions in microfilaria levels at
      36 and 168 hours after treatment compared with approximately 1-log reduction with
      2 drugs. All 12 individuals who received 3 drugs were microfilaria negative 1
      year after treatment, whereas 11 of 12 individuals in the 2-drug regimen were
      microfilaria positive. In 6 participants followed 2 years after treatment, those
      who received 3 drugs remained microfilaria negative. AEs, particularly fever,
      myalgias, pruritus, and proteinuria/hematuria, occurred in 83% vs 50% of those
      receiving triple-drug compared to 2-drug treatment respectively (P = .021); all
      resolved within 7 days after treatment. No serious AEs were observed in either
      group. There was no significant effect of IVM on DEC or ALB drug levels.
      CONCLUSIONS: Triple-drug therapy is safe and more effective than DEC + ALB for
      Bancroftian filariasis and has the potential to accelerate elimination of
      lymphatic filariasis. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT01975441.

PMID- 26486702
TI  - Randomized Controlled Trial to Compare Immunogenicity of Standard-Dose
      Intramuscular Versus Intradermal Trivalent Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in HIV
      Infected Men Who Have Sex With Men in Bangkok, Thailand.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at
      increased risk for severe influenza, yet immune responses to standard-dose
      intramuscular (IM) influenza vaccine are suboptimal in this population.
      Intradermal (ID) delivery of influenza vaccine might improve immune response
      through enhanced stimulation of dendritic cells. METHODS: We conducted a
      randomized, double-blind, controlled trial to compare the immunogenicity of off
      label standard-dose (15 ug) ID vs standard-dose (15 ug) IM inactive influenza
      vaccine in HIV-infected men in Bangkok, Thailand. The primary study outcome was
      seroconversion (minimum titer of 1:40 and >=4-fold rise in antibody titer) at 1
      month postvaccination based on serum hemagglutination inhibition antibody titers
      against each vaccine strain. Adverse events (AEs) in the 7 days following
      vaccination were also assessed. RESULTS: We enrolled 400 HIV-infected
      participants; 200 were randomly assigned to receive IM and 200 ID vaccine.
      Vaccine arms were well-balanced with respect to age, CD4 cell count, HIV RNA
      load, and antiretroviral treatment. Percentage of seroconversion to all (ID 14%
      vs IM 15%; P = .8) or at least 1 (ID 69% vs IM 68%; P = .7) of the 3 vaccine
      strains did not differ significantly between ID vs IM vaccine recipients. A
      higher proportion of participants who received ID vaccine had mild injection-site
      AEs compared with participants who received IM vaccine (77% vs 27%). CONCLUSIONS:
      There were no significant differences in the immunogenicity of standard-dose ID
      vs IM influenza vaccine in this HIV-infected population in Thailand. Additional
      strategies to enhance immune responses to influenza vaccine among HIV-infected
      persons are needed. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT01538940.

PMID- 26486706
TI  - PrEP Continuum of Care for MSM in Atlanta and Los Angeles County.

PMID- 26486705
TI  - Azole Resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus: Can We Retain the Clinical Use of Mold
      Active Antifungal Azoles?
AB  - Azole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus has emerged as a global health problem.
      Although the number of cases of azole-resistant aspergillosis is still limited,
      resistance mechanisms continue to emerge, thereby threatening the role of the
      azole class in the management of diseases caused by Aspergillus. The majority of
      cases of azole-resistant disease are due to resistant A. fumigatus originating
      from the environment. Patient management is difficult due to the absence of
      patient risk factors, delayed diagnosis, and limited treatment options, resulting
      in poor treatment outcome. International and collaborative efforts are required
      to understand how resistance develops in the environment to allow effective
      measures to be implemented aimed at retaining the use of azoles both for food
      production and human medicine. 

PMID- 26486707
TI  - Antimicrobial Stewardship and the Allergist: Reclaiming our Antibiotic
      Armamentarium.

PMID- 26486708
TI  - Response to Spellberg and Brass.

PMID- 26486709
TI  - Lipid profile in acute stroke: A prospective study.
AB  - The dramatic decline in the risk of stroke is most likely secondary to a better
      control of risk factors, especially hypertension. An increase in low-density
      lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol or a decrease in high-density lipoprotein (HDL)
      cholesterol may be additional risk factors for cerebrovascular diseases. In this
      study, we prospectively evaluated patients with ischemic stroke (except for
      cardioembolic) and age-matched controls for serum cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL
      cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and
      apoprotein A and B. Blood levels were determined at least 8 weeks after the acute
      stroke or transient ischemic attack. Between September 1989 and September 1990,59
      patients and 60 controls were investigated. There were no differences among total
      cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and apoproteins in the two groups.
      HDL cholesterol, however, was significantly higher in patients with stroke. In
      stroke patients, total cholesterol (p < 0.05), LDL cholesterol (p < 0.05), and
      apolipoprotein B (p < 0.05) were significantly higher in female patients compared
      to male patients. This study confirms that low HDL cholesterol may be a risk
      factor for stroke. Additionally, ally, we show that lipid abnormalities may
      appear to be more significant in women. 

PMID- 26486710
TI  - Behavioral problems in stroke rehabilitation patients: A prospective pilot study.
AB  - Thirty-two patients undergoing rehabilitation after stroke were prospectively
      evaluated in a pilot study to determine the frequency and significance of
      behavioral problems interfering with rehabilitation. Based on prior experience
      within the rehabilitation unit, we studied depression, as well as somnolence,
      irritability, anxiety, confusion, delusions, denial of deficit, impulsivity,
      inappropriate sexual behavior, and pain. Depression was present in 31% of
      patients, and other behavioral problems occurred in up to 41% of patients.
      Although the sample size was small, significant associations were noted between
      somnolence and left hemisphere infarct, between the number of behavioral problems
      and rehabilitation outcome, and between certain behavioral problems and
      neurologic variables. Behavioral problems other than depression are common after
      stroke, and such problems correlate with specific neurologic variables.
      Rehabilitation outcome can be hindered by these identified behavior problems. 

PMID- 26486711
TI  - Hemodilution therapy for lacunar stroke: Treatment results in 10 consecutive
      cases.
AB  - Because precipitous neurological deterioration occurred during blood pressure
      reduction in a seminal case of lacunar infarction, nine subsequent patients with
      acute partial or evolving lacunar deficits were treated with hemodilution and
      blood pressure nonintervention to test the hypothesis that lacunar infarction
      represents perfusion failure. Isovolemic hemodilution was performed using
      hetastarch with target hematocrit of 30-33. Pretreatment brain computed
      tomography, carotid ultrasound, and echocardiography were normal. Nine patients
      recovered normal neurological function, and two regained complete functional
      independence in close temporal correlation with hemodilution and within 7 days of
      symptom onset. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated appropriate
      single white matter lesions in nine cases. No specific risk factor combination
      could be identified. No patient has had recurrent stroke in follow-up from 18 to
      36 months. Response to hemodilution suggests the possibility of a hemodynamic
      pathophysiology. Successful treatment requires (a) blood pressure nonintervention
      and (b) hemodilution prior to severe clinical deterioration. A controlled trial
      seems indicated. 

PMID- 26486712
TI  - Early computed tomography demonstration of cerebral infarction does not correlate
      with clinical outcome.
AB  - The results of unenhanced computed tomography (CT) obtained in 105 consecutive
      patients admitted with cerebral infarction were compared with the patients'
      clinical outcome and their Glasgow Outcome Scores upon discharge. Specific
      analysis of the findings in patients with early admission CT (within 12 h of
      onset) was carried out. The size of the infarction was calculated from delayed CT
      images (small if less than 50 mm(3); moderate if 50-250 mm(3); large if greater
      than 250 mm(3)). Initial CT demonstration of the cerebral infarction was
      accomplished in 57 (54.3%) patients. Forty patients were studied early (<12h)
      and, of these, 20 (50%) showed abnormal admission CT. The size of the infarction
      correlated with its demonstration by admission CT. This correlation was found in
      all patients (p < 0.0001), as well as in those who had early CT (p = 0.015).
      Also, the size of the infarction correlated with the outcome of the patient (p <
      0.001). The demonstration of the lesion by early CT, however, failed to correlate
      with the outcome of the patients. This finding, although at first surprising, is
      analogous to reports addressing the predictive value of other CT parameters. 

PMID- 26486713
TI  - Postpartum eclampsia and subarachnoid hemorrhage.
AB  - In the clinical setting of ankle edema, headache, proteinuria, and elevated blood
      pressure, a 33-year-old woman developed a postpartum subarachnoid hemorrhage that
      was seen on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Angiography
      demonstrated diffuse cerebral vasospasm without other underlying pathology.
      Subarachnoid hemorrhage with vasospasm in pre-eclampsia, not previously
      documented in the absence of associated systemic or cerebral abnormality, is
      described. 

PMID- 26486714
TI  - Patent foramen ovale causing stroke in an elderly woman.
AB  - A patent foramen ovale (PFO) was fully documented as the cause of a cerebral
      infarction in a 78-year-old woman, with asymptomatic deep venous thrombosis and
      pulmonary embolism as secondary causes. The report is unique in view of the
      patient's age and lack of history or clinical evidence of cardiac or pulmonary
      disease, thromboembolic disease, or systemic embolism at or before the stroke.
      This case emphasizes the etiologic role of PFO in cryptogenic strokes even in
      elderly patients with no obvious clinical risk factors for paradoxical embolism. 

PMID- 26486715
TI  - Journals publishing research relevant to stroke rehabilitation.
AB  - The purpose of this brief article is to provide a list of core journals relevant
      to stroke rehabilitation and to indicate the adequacy of five bibliographic
      indexing services in covering them. Citation analysis yielded a list of 30 core
      journals. No indexing service's data base included all of the 28 journals used in
      evaluating comprehensiveness. All services except the Cumulative Index of Nursing
      and Allied Health, however, included over 71% of the journals. To be completely
      comprehensive in journal coverage, any pair of indexes had to include AMED/ CATS.
      The all too common reliance on Index Medicus/Medline will result in a relatively
      thorough but clearly incomplete search. 

PMID- 26486716
TI  - "Lacunar Infarcts" do not invariably result in "Lacunes".
AB  - We report two cases of acute cerebral infarcts interpreted radiographically as
      "lacunes." Although the neurological deficits persisted, the "lacunes" seen on
      computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging did not persist. These two
      cases suggest that the radiographic diagnosis of acute "lacunar infarcts" may not
      be a reliable predictor of lacune formation. 

PMID- 26486717
TI  - Large-vessel thrombotic stroke in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
      anticoagulant.
AB  - The association of ischemic stroke and antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) has now
      been reported in a large number of patients. Most such patients had systemic
      lupus erythematosus or no underlying disease. We now report a patient with
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and APA who developed an acute stroke. Although the
      association of APA with RA is not uncommon, acute stroke has very rarely been
      reported. The paucity of strokes in such patients may possibly be secondary to
      the common practice of using aspirin in such patients. 

PMID- 26486718
TI  - Cerebrospinal fluid cellular response in uncomplicated acute ischemic stroke.
AB  - Because information regarding cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cellular response in
      acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is inconclusive, we conducted the following
      investigation. Cell counts were performed in CSF obtained within 24 h of onset of
      symptoms in 118 adult patients 86 years or younger with uncomplicated AIS, after
      hemorrhage and mass effect were ruled out by computed tomography. In 98, CSF
      examination was repeated on day 7. None of the patients had evidence for systemic
      infection, inflammatory disease, vasculitis, leukocytosis, anemia or
      coagulopathy. CSF pleocytosis was defined as white blood cell (WBC) count of five
      or more mononuclear leukocytes (MNLs) and/or one or more polymorphonuclear
      leukocytes per cubic milliliter. No cells were found in 78 (66.1%) patients, 25
      (21.2%) had one to four MNLs, and 15 (12.7%) had pleocytosis; none had
      hypoglycorrhachia. Nine patients had traumatic lumbar puncture (LP); in five of
      them, pleocytosis persisted after correction for red blood cell count. The
      highest WBC count was 15 cells per cubic milliliter. Only two patients had CSF
      pleocytosis on day 7; both had had traumatic LP and pleocytosis acutely. We found
      no correlation between CSF pleocytosis and cardiac source of embolus or type of
      ischemic stroke. From our data, we conclude that in uncomplicated AIS, CSF
      pleocytosis is rare and, when present, is mild; it has no correlation with type
      of stroke and is of no diagnostic value. 

PMID- 26486719
TI  - Severe extracranial carotid atherosclerosis in young adults.
AB  - Studies of stroke in adults under age 50 emphasize nonatherosclerotic causes. We
      examined the risk factor profile in 41 patients under age 45 who underwent
      carotid endarterectomy for severe atherosclerotic stenosis at the Cleveland
      Clinic Foundation from 1975 to 1990. Smoking was the strongest risk factor.
      Hyperlipidemia, family history, and associated coronary atherosclerosis were also
      major risk factors. In contradistinction to older patients with carotid disease,
      hypertension was a less important risk factor. 

PMID- 26486720
TI  - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cardiovascular outcomes, and mortality in
      patients undergoing a coronary angiogram.

PMID- 26486721
TI  - Unconventional interplay between heterovalent dopant elements: Switch-and
      modulator band-gap engineering in (Y, Co)-Codoped CeO2 nanocrystals.
AB  - We report the experimental observation and theoretical explanation of an
      unconventional interplay between divalent Co and trivalent Y dopants, both of
      which incur oxygen vacancies in the CeO2 host that has predominantly tetravalent
      Ce cations. The Co dopant atoms were experimentally found to act as a switch that
      turns on the dormant effect of Y-modulated band-gap reduction. As revealed by
      density functional theory (DFT) calculations with structures verified by
      synchrotron-radiation x-ray measurements, a Co 3d band that hybridizes with Ce 4f
      band was lowered due to reduced O 2p repulsion arising from oxygen vacancies
      incurred by Y doping and therefore gave rise to the observed band-gap narrowing
      effect. Such switch-and-modulator scheme for band-gap engineering in nanocrystal
      materials can lead to important applications in environmental protection and
      solar energy harvesting technologies. 

PMID- 26486722
TI  - Semi-automated repetitive sequence-based PCR amplification for species of the
      Scedosporium apiospermum complex.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Scedosporium apiospermum species complex usually ranks second among
      the filamentous fungi colonizing the airways of patients with cystic fibrosis
      (CF), but little is known about the molecular epidemiology of the airway
      colonization. METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of
      repetitive sequences (rep-PCR) was applied to the retrospective analysis of a
      panel of isolates already studied by random amplification of polymorphic DNA
      (RAPD) and comprising 63 isolates recovered from sputa from 9 CF patients.
      Results were compared to those obtained previously by RAPD, and herein by beta
      tubulin (TUB) gene sequencing and Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST). RESULTS:
      Within the panel of isolates studied,S. apiospermum sensu stricto and
      Scedosporium boydii, as expected, were the predominant species with 21 and 36
      isolates, respectively. Four isolates from one patient were identified as
      Scedosporium aurantiacum, whereas two isolates belonged to the Pseudallescheria
      ellipsoidea subgroup of S. boydii rep-PCR analysis of these isolates clearly
      differentiated the three species and P. ellipsoidea isolates, whatever the rep
      PCR kit used, and also permitted strain differentiation. When using the mold
      primer kit, results from rep-PCR were in close agreement with those obtained by
      MLST. For both S. apiospermum and S. boydii, 8 genotypes were differentiated by
      rep-PCR and MLST compared to 10 by RAPD. All S. aurantiacum isolates shared the
      same RAPD genotype and exhibited the same rep-PCR profile and sequence type.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results illustrate the efficacy of rep-PCR for both species
      identification within the S. apiospermum complex and genotyping for the two major
      species of this complex.Abstract presentation: Part of this work was presented
      during the 18th Congress of the International Society for Human and Animal
      Mycology, Berlin (Germany), June 2012.S. Giraud, C. Godon, A. Rougeron, J.P.
      Bouchara and L. Favennec are members of the ECMM/ISHAM working group on Fungal
      respiratory infections in Cystic Fibrosis(Fri-CF).

PMID- 26486723
TI  - Computational evidence that fast translation speed can increase the probability
      of cotranslational protein folding.
AB  - Translation speed can affect the cotranslational folding of nascent peptide.
      Experimental observations have indicated that slowing down translation rates of
      codons can increase the probability of protein cotranslational folding. Recently,
      a kinetic modeling indicates that fast translation can also increase the
      probability of cotranslational protein folding by avoiding misfolded
      intermediates. We show that the villin headpiece subdomain HP35 is an ideal model
      to demonstrate this phenomenon. We studied cotranslational folding of HP35 with
      different fast translation speeds by all-atom molecular dynamics simulations and
      found that HP35 can fold along a well-defined pathway that passes the on-pathway
      intermediate but avoids the misfolded off-pathway intermediate in certain case.
      This greatly increases the probability of HP35 cotranslational folding and the
      approximate mean first passage time of folding into native state is about
      1.67MUs. Since we also considered the space-confined effect of the ribosomal exit
      tunnel on the cotranslational folding, our simulation results suggested
      alternative mechanism for the increasing of cotranslational folding probability
      by fast translation speed. 

PMID- 26486724
TI  - Ribosome profiling reveals the rhythmic liver translatome and circadian clock
      regulation by upstream open reading frames.
AB  - Mammalian gene expression displays widespread circadian oscillations. Rhythmic
      transcription underlies the core clock mechanism, but it cannot explain numerous
      observations made at the level of protein rhythmicity. We have used ribosome
      profiling in mouse liver to measure the translation of mRNAs into protein around
      the clock and at high temporal and nucleotide resolution. We discovered,
      transcriptome-wide, extensive rhythms in ribosome occupancy and identified a core
      set of approximately 150 mRNAs subject to particularly robust daily changes in
      translation efficiency. Cycling proteins produced from nonoscillating transcripts
      revealed thus-far-unknown rhythmic regulation associated with specific pathways
      (notably in iron metabolism, through the rhythmic translation of transcripts
      containing iron responsive elements), and indicated feedback to the rhythmic
      transcriptome through novel rhythmic transcription factors. Moreover, estimates
      of relative levels of core clock protein biosynthesis that we deduced from the
      data explained known features of the circadian clock better than did mRNA
      expression alone. Finally, we identified uORF translation as a novel regulatory
      mechanism within the clock circuitry. Consistent with the occurrence of
      translated uORFs in several core clock transcripts, loss-of-function of Denr, a
      known regulator of reinitiation after uORF usage and of ribosome recycling, led
      to circadian period shortening in cells. In summary, our data offer a framework
      for understanding the dynamics of translational regulation, circadian gene
      expression, and metabolic control in a solid mammalian organ. 

PMID- 26486726
TI  - Review of the taxonomy of the genus Arthrobacter, emendation of the genus
      Arthrobacter sensu lato, proposal to reclassify selected species of the genus
      Arthrobacter in the novel genera Glutamicibacter gen. nov., Paeniglutamicibacter
      gen. nov., Pseudoglutamicibacter gen. nov., Paenarthrobacter gen. nov. and
      Pseudarthrobacter gen. nov., and emended description of Arthrobacter roseus.
AB  - In this paper, the taxonomy of the genus Arthrobacter is discussed, from its
      first description in 1947 to the present state. Emphasis is given to intrageneric
      phylogeny and chemotaxonomic characteristics, concentrating on quinone systems,
      peptidoglycan compositions and polar lipid profiles. Internal groups within the
      genus Arthrobacter indicated from homogeneous chemotaxonomic traits and
      corresponding to phylogenetic grouping and/or high 16S rRNA gene sequence
      similarities are highlighted. Furthermore, polar lipid profiles and quinone
      systems of selected species are shown, filling some gaps concerning these
      chemotaxonomic traits. Based on phylogenetic groupings, 16S rRNA gene sequence
      similarities and homogeneity in peptidoglycan types, quinone systems and polar
      lipid profiles, a description of the genus Arthrobacter sensu lato and an emended
      description of Arthrobacter roseus are provided. Furthermore, reclassifications
      of selected species of the genus Arthrobacter into novel genera are proposed,
      namely Glutamicibacter gen. nov. (nine species), Paeniglutamicibacter gen. nov.
      (six species), Pseudoglutamicibacter gen. nov. (two species), Paenarthrobacter
      gen. nov. (six species) and Pseudarthrobacter gen. nov. (ten species). 

PMID- 26486725
TI  - Promoter-distal RNA polymerase II binding discriminates active from inactive
      CCAAT/ enhancer-binding protein beta binding sites.
AB  - Transcription factors (TFs) bind to thousands of DNA sequences in mammalian
      genomes, but most of these binding events appear to have no direct effect on gene
      expression. It is unclear why only a subset of TF bound sites are actively
      involved in transcriptional regulation. Moreover, the key genomic features that
      accurately discriminate between active and inactive TF binding events remain
      ambiguous. Recent studies have identified promoter-distal RNA polymerase II
      (RNAP2) binding at enhancer elements, suggesting that these interactions may
      serve as a marker for active regulatory sequences. Despite these correlative
      analyses, a thorough functional validation of these genomic co-occupancies is
      still lacking. To characterize the gene regulatory activity of DNA sequences
      underlying promoter-distal TF binding events that co-occur with RNAP2 and TF
      sites devoid of RNAP2 occupancy using a functional reporter assay, we performed
      cis-regulatory element sequencing (CRE-seq). We tested more than 1000 promoter
      distal CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (CEBPB)-bound sites in HepG2 and K562
      cells, and found that CEBPB-bound sites co-occurring with RNAP2 were more likely
      to exhibit enhancer activity. CEBPB-bound sites further maintained substantial
      cell-type specificity, indicating that local DNA sequence can accurately convey
      cell-type-specific regulatory information. By comparing our CRE-seq results to a
      comprehensive set of genome annotations, we identified a variety of genomic
      features that are strong predictors of regulatory element activity and cell-type
      specific activity. Collectively, our functional assay results indicate that RNAP2
      occupancy can be used as a key genomic marker that can distinguish active from
      inactive TF bound sites. 

PMID- 26486727
TI  - De-adoption and its 43 related terms: harmonizing low-value care terminology.
AB  - Research into the prevalence and impact of low-value medical practices has
      evolved substantially over the past two decades. However, despite international
      efforts, many challenges still remain with regards to progress in this field,
      including limits in the capacity to identify and prioritize low-value care
      practices and to systematically appraise clinical and policy attempts at
      redressing low-value care. A recent article by Niven et al. in BMC Medicine
      consolidates the current literature and terminology on the de-adoption of
      clinical practices, advocating the use of de-adoption as an appropriate term to
      label low-value care and proposes a new synthesis model to facilitate efforts to
      reverse ineffective and harmful medical practices. We hope that this work will
      facilitate advances in low-value care research and policy, and shift focus
      towards establishing evidence for de-adopting low-value interventions, which is
      crucial since attempts to reduce low-value care interventions have shown mixed
      results. Please see related article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741
      7015/13/255.

PMID- 26486729
TI  - Identification, characterization and target gene analysis of testicular microRNAs
      in the oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate various diverse
      biological processes including insect spermatogenesis. The oriental fruit fly,
      Bactrocera dorsalis, is one of the most destructive horticultural pests in East
      Asia and the Pacific region. Although developmental miRNA profiles of B. dorsalis
      have enriched our knowledge, specific testicular miRNAs in this dipteran species
      are unexplored. In this study, we identified miRNAs from B. dorsalis testes by
      deep sequencing, which provided an overview of miRNA expression during
      spermatogenesis. Small RNA libraries were constructed from the testes of fully
      mature (FM), immature (IM) and middle-aged (MA) adult flies of B. dorsalis. Small
      RNA sequencing and data analysis revealed 172 known and 78 novel miRNAs amongst
      these libraries. Pairwise comparisons of libraries led to the identification of
      24, 15 and 14 differentially expressed miRNAs in FM vs. IM, FM vs. MA and IM vs.
      MA insects, respectively. Using a bioinformatic approach, we predicted 124 target
      genes against the 13 most differentially expressed miRNAs. Furthermore, the
      expression patterns of six randomly selected miRNAs (from the 13 most
      differentially expressed miRNAs) and their putative target genes (from the 124
      predicted target genes) were analysed in the testis of B. dorsalis by
      quantitative real-time PCR, which showed that out of six, four tested miRNAs
      mRNAs had an inverse expression pattern and are probably co-regulated. This study
      is the first comparative profile of the miRNA transcriptome in three
      developmental stages of the testis, and provides a useful resource for further
      studies on the role of miRNAs in spermatogenesis in B. dorsalis. 

PMID- 26486728
TI  - A pilot cohort study of cerebral autoregulation and 2-year neurodevelopmental
      outcomes in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy who received
      therapeutic hypothermia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neurodevelopmental disabilities persist in survivors of neonatal
      hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) despite treatment with therapeutic
      hypothermia. Cerebrovascular autoregulation, the mechanism that maintains
      cerebral perfusion during changes in blood pressure, may influence outcomes. Our
      objective was to describe the relationship between acute autoregulatory
      vasoreactivity during treatment and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 2 years of
      age. METHODS: In a pilot study of 28 neonates with HIE, we measured cerebral
      autoregulatory vasoreactivity with the hemoglobin volume index (HVx) during
      therapeutic hypothermia, rewarming, and the first 6 h of normothermia. The HVx,
      which is derived from near-infrared spectroscopy, was used to identify the
      individual optimal mean arterial blood pressure (MAPOPT) at which autoregulatory
      vasoreactivity is greatest. Cognitive and motor neurodevelopmental evaluations
      were completed in 19 children at 21-32 months of age. MAPOPT, blood pressure in
      relation to MAPOPT, blood pressure below gestational age + 5 (ga + 5), and
      regional cerebral oximetry (rSO2) were compared to the neurodevelopmental
      outcomes. RESULTS: Nineteen children who had HIE and were treated with
      therapeutic hypothermia performed in the average range on cognitive and motor
      evaluations at 21-32 months of age, although the mean performance was lower than
      that of published normative samples. Children with impairments at the 2-year
      evaluation had higher MAPOPT values, spent more time with blood pressure below
      MAPOPT, and had greater blood pressure deviation below MAPOPT during rewarming in
      the neonatal period than those without impairments. Greater blood pressure
      deviation above MAPOPT during rewarming was associated with less disability and
      higher cognitive scores. No association was observed between rSO2 or blood
      pressure below ga + 5 and neurodevelopmental outcomes. CONCLUSION: In this pilot
      cohort, motor and cognitive impairments at 21-32 months of age were associated
      with greater blood pressure deviation below MAPOPT during rewarming following
      therapeutic hypothermia, but not with rSO2 or blood pressure below ga + 5. This
      suggests that identifying individual neonates' MAPOPT is superior to using
      hemodynamic goals based on gestational age or rSO2 in the acute management of
      neonatal HIE.

PMID- 26486730
TI  - Planning oral health care using the sociodental approach and the index of family
      living conditions: a cross-sectional study in Brazilian adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oral health care needs assessment is frequently restricted to
      clinical measures. Combining normative assessment, behavioural propensity, oral
      health-related quality of life and information of family living conditions may
      provide a better comprehensive approach of adolescent's oral health needs
      assessment. The aim of this study was to compare normative methods of dental
      caries need with the sociodental approach in 12-year-old adolescents according to
      family's living conditions in a deprived community in Brazil. In addition, dental
      caries need assessment using the normative method and the sociodental approach
      was compared between adolescents living in different living conditions. METHODS:
      A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the Manguinhos community in the city of
      Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A weighted sample of 159 participants was randomly
      selected to represent the population of 2004 12-year-old adolescents.
      Socioeconomic characteristics and living conditions of the family were assessed
      using the Family Development Index (FDI). Oral health-related quality of life
      (OHRQoL) was assessed using the generic and CS-Child-OIDP, and adolescent's
      propensity to adopt oral health promoting behaviours was verified through
      interviews. Dental caries and treatment need were assessed normatively by
      clinical oral examinations (DMFT Index) and adolescents were classified into two
      groups (non severe or severe caries). The sociodental approach included clinical
      measures of caries, propensity to adopt oral health promoting behaviors and
      OHRQoL. Families were classified based on the FDI as 'not severe', 'severe' and
      'very severe'. Measures of caries, OHRQoL and propensity outcomes were compared
      between FDI groups using Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests. In addition, dental
      treatment needs using normative method and sociodental approach were compared for
      the whole sample and according to FDI groups. RESULTS: Dental caries, OHRQoL and
      lower propensity needs were positively associated with FDI severity. The
      percentages of adolescents with normative dental needs from families with 'very
      severe', 'severe' and 'not severe' FDI were 59.3, 48.4 and 17.2 % (P < 0.05).
      Using the sociodental approach, the treatment needs for the three FDI groups
      decreased to 8.8, 13.6 and 8.6 %, respectively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Using a
      combination of sociodental approach and the index of family living conditions was
      useful for defining dental care priorities in adolescents living in deprived
      communities and can optimise the use of resources in dental services.

PMID- 26486731
TI  - Diagnostic efficiency.

PMID- 26486732
TI  - Advantages and disadvantages of technologies for HER2 testing in breast cancer
      specimens.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) plays a central role
      as a prognostic and predictive marker in breast cancer specimens. Reliable HER2
      evaluation is central to determine the eligibility of patients with breast cancer
      to targeted anti-HER2 therapies such as trastuzumab and lapatinib. Presently,
      several methods exist for the determination of HER2 status at different levels
      (protein, RNA, and DNA level). METHODS: In this review, we discuss the main
      advantages and disadvantages of the techniques developed so far for the
      evaluation of HER2 status in breast cancer specimens. RESULTS: Each technique has
      its own advantages and disadvantages. It is therefore not surprising that no
      consensus has been reached so far on which technique is the best for the
      determination of HER2 status. CONCLUSIONS: Currently, emphasis must be put on
      standardization of procedures, internal and external quality control assessment,
      and competency evaluation of already existing methods to ensure accurate,
      reliable, and clinically meaningful test results. Development of new robust and
      accurate diagnostic assays should also be encouraged. In addition, large clinical
      trials are warranted to identify the technique that most reliably predicts a
      positive response to anti-HER2 drugs.

PMID- 26486733
TI  - Inappropriate repeats of six common tests in a Canadian city: a population cohort
      study within a laboratory informatics framework.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify inappropriate repeats of six common laboratory tests in a
      population sample of patients, using highly specific criteria based only on
      repeat time and test value. METHODS: We used a laboratory informatics database to
      conduct a retrospective cohort study using a population sample of 103,000
      patients in the city of Calgary with an index test in 2010 and uniform follow-up
      of 1 year. We examined six tests (cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c, thyroid
      stimulating hormone, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and ferritin) with consensus-based
      or easily justified criteria for inappropriate repeats based solely on time to
      repeat and the index test value. RESULTS: The percentages of tests repeated at 3,
      6, and 12 months were 11%, 23%, and 41%, respectively. In total, 16% of these six
      tests were inappropriately repeated, representing an annual internal cost of $0.6
      to $2.2 million Canadian dollars and corresponding to population-scaled national
      estimates for Canada and the United States of $160 million and $2.4 billion,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Objective definitions based on repeated testing
      identified 16% of six studied tests as inappropriate, delineating a subset of
      inappropriate testing that is well suited to automated identification and
      intervention and that provides a likely lower bound on the true burden of
      inappropriate testing.

PMID- 26486734
TI  - Multigene clinical mutational profiling of breast carcinoma using next-generation
      sequencing.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms in the realm
      of clinical molecular diagnostics provides multigene mutational profiling through
      massively parallel sequencing. METHODS: We analyzed 415 breast carcinoma samples
      from 354 patients using NGS in known hotspots of 46 commonly known cancer-causing
      genes. RESULTS: A total of 281 somatic nonsynonymous mutations were detected in
      62.1% of patients. TP53 was most frequently mutated (38.8%), followed by PIK3CA
      (31.7%), AKT1 (6%), and ATM (3.9%), with other mutations detected at a lower
      frequency. When stratified into clinically relevant therapeutic groups (estrogen
      receptor [ER]/progesterone receptor [PR]+ human epidermal growth factor receptor
      2 [HER2]-, ER/PR+HER2+, ER/PR-HER2+, ER/PR/HER2-), each group showed distinct
      mutational profiles. The ER/PR+HER2- tumors (n = 132) showed the highest
      frequency of PIK3CA mutations (38%), while the triple-negative tumors (n = 64)
      had a significantly higher number of TP53 mutations (62%). Of the 61 patients
      tested for both primary and metastatic tumors, concordant results were seen in 47
      (77%) patients, while 13 patients showed additional mutations in the metastasis.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that breast cancers may harbor potentially
      actionable mutations for targeted therapeutics. Therefore, NGS-based mutational
      profiling can provide useful information that can guide targeted cancer therapy.

PMID- 26486735
TI  - Multinucleation is an objective feature useful in the diagnosis of pleomorphic
      lobular carcinoma in situ.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Bi- and multinucleated (B/M) cells are present in a variety of
      tumors. We evaluated lobular carcinoma in situ (classic and pleomorphic types)
      and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to determine if this objective morphologic
      feature aids the differential diagnosis. METHODS: The number of B/M cells was
      recorded in pleomorphic lobular carcinoma in situ (PLCIS) (n = 20), classic
      lobular carcinoma in situ (CLCIS) (n = 26), and DCIS (n = 37). RESULTS:
      Binucleated cells were significantly more frequent in PLCIS (100%) vs DCIS (43%;
      P < .0001) and CLCIS (54%; P = .0004). Multinucleated cells were present in 25%
      of PLCIS cases and 8% of DCIS cases, and they were absent in CLCIS. The quantity
      of B/M per high-power field (hpf) was less in DCIS (mean, 1.1) and CLCIS (mean,
      2.5) compared with PLCIS (mean, 5.8). Thirty-five percent of PLCIS cases had more
      than five B/M per hpf. CONCLUSIONS: Binucleated cells are significantly more
      frequent in PLCIS vs CLCIS and DCIS. Multinucleated cells were never identified
      in CLCIS. PLCIS should be considered as a diagnosis when B/M is noted.

PMID- 26486736
TI  - Use of geospatial mapping to determine suitable locations for patient service
      centers for phlebotomy services.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Approaches to determining optimal locations for patient service
      centers (phlebotomy clinics) have not been addressed in the published literature.
      Using the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, as a test case, our objective is to
      present a novel method for determining underserviced geographic areas within a
      city to guide the choice of potential new patient service center locations.
      METHODS: Data on travel distances for 198,883 phlebotomy visits as well as
      population data from the 2011 Canada Census were used for this study. Using
      geospatial mapping techniques, we produced maps of the city showing actual
      relative travel distances for patients as well as the geographic distribution of
      population density of patients undergoing phlebotomies. RESULTS: There was a
      striking pattern of increased travel distances in certain parts of the city.
      These also corresponded to geographic areas with greater density of patients
      seeking phlebotomies. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis provided clear, objective
      evidence of communities that are currently relatively underserved by patient
      service centers. This approach could be used by other laboratories to plan the
      location of new patient service centers.

PMID- 26486737
TI  - Clinical utility of concurrent single-nucleotide polymorphism microarray on fresh
      tissue as a supplementary test in the diagnosis of renal epithelial neoplasms.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The histologic and immunohistochemical variability of renal
      epithelial tumors makes classification difficult; with significant clinical
      implications, efforts to make the proper diagnoses are necessary. Single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray analysis has been proposed as a
      supplementary study for the classification of renal epithelial neoplasms;
      however, its practical use in the routine clinical setting has not been explored.
      METHODS: Surgical pathology cases that were classified histologically as renal
      epithelial tumor subtypes and had concurrent SNP microarray were retrospectively
      reviewed to correlate tumor morphology and SNP microarray results. RESULTS: Of
      the 99 cases reviewed, 88 (89%) had concordant histologic and microarray results.
      Four (4%) cases were unclassifiable by microarray due to uncharacteristic
      chromosomal abnormalities. Seven (7%) of the 99 cases had discordant microarray
      and histologic diagnoses, and following review of the histology, the diagnoses in
      two of these cases were subsequently changed. CONCLUSIONS: For most cases,
      concurrent SNP microarray confirmed the histologic diagnosis. However, discrepant
      microarray results prompted review of morphology and further ancillary studies,
      resulting in amendment of the final diagnosis in 29% of discrepant cases. SNP
      microarray analysis can be used to assist with the diagnosis of renal epithelial
      tumors, particularly those with atypical morphologic features.

PMID- 26486738
TI  - Development and validation of CALR mutation testing for clinical diagnosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To validate a diagnostic assay for detecting CALR mutations in the
      clinical setting. METHODS: Traditional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was
      performed on DNA previously extracted from 60 specimens (30 bone marrow aspirates
      [BMAs] and 30 peripheral blood [PB] samples) from 55 patients. Nearly all
      reported CALR mutations are insertions or deletions in exon 9. Therefore, we
      performed amplicon sizing by capillary electrophoresis and fragment length
      analysis (FLA) to determine mutation status. Mutations were confirmed by Sanger
      sequencing. RESULTS: Fourteen samples from 10 patients with JAK2 and MPL wild
      type myeloproliferative neoplasms were positive for CALR mutation. Detected
      mutations included a 52-base pair (bp) deletion (n = 6), a 5-bp insertion (n =
      2), a 31-bp deletion (n = 1), and a 61-bp deletion (n = 1). Sanger sequencing of
      15 samples showed 100% concordance. Matched patient PB and BMA samples (n = 5)
      harbored identical mutations, and samples run multiple times (n = 8) showed 100%
      reproducibility. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that CALR mutations may be quickly and
      accurately detected by FLA of PCR amplicons by capillary electrophoresis. These
      methods are routine procedures for most molecular laboratories and should allow
      for straightforward incorporation of the CALR assay into the clinical diagnostic
      testing menu.

PMID- 26486739
TI  - Clinical validation of a multipurpose assay for detection and genotyping of CALR
      mutations in myeloproliferative neoplasms.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To develop a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based approach to detect
      CALR mutations in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) in a clinical laboratory.
      METHODS: DNA was extracted from bone marrow aspirate samples of 67 JAK2 wild-type
      MPNs (22 with matched peripheral blood), 54 cases of unclassifiable
      myelodysplastic syndrome/MPN, and 16 cases of atypical chronic myeloid leukemia.
      We used genomic DNA to detect somatic mutations in exon 9 of CALR and PCR with
      fluorescently labeled and M13-tagged primers and subjected the products to
      capillary electrophoresis (CE) followed by Sanger sequencing. Detailed assay
      performance characteristics were established. RESULTS: We identified CALR
      mutations in 19 (28.4%) of 67 JAK2-negative MPNs, including 14 type I (52-base
      pair [bp] deletion), four type II (5-bp insertions), and one type III (18-bp
      deletion). All mutations were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Sensitivity studies
      showed 2.5% and 5% mutation detection levels by CE and Sanger sequencing,
      respectively, with high reproducibility. CONCLUSIONS: This assay allows for
      rapid, convenient screening for CALR mutations in MPNs, thereby reducing the
      number of cases that require assessment by Sanger sequencing, reducing labor and
      improving turnaround time.

PMID- 26486741
TI  - FLOCK cluster analysis of mast cell event clustering by high-sensitivity flow
      cytometry predicts systemic mastocytosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In our high-sensitivity flow cytometric approach for systemic
      mastocytosis (SM), we identified mast cell event clustering as a new diagnostic
      criterion for the disease. METHODS: To objectively characterize mast cell gated
      event distributions, we performed cluster analysis using FLOCK, a computational
      approach to identify cell subsets in multidimensional flow cytometry data in an
      unbiased, automated fashion. RESULTS: FLOCK identified discrete mast cell
      populations in most cases of SM (56/75 [75%]) but only a minority of non-SM cases
      (17/124 [14%]). FLOCK-identified mast cell populations accounted for 2.46% of
      total cells on average in SM cases and 0.09% of total cells on average in non-SM
      cases (P < .0001) and were predictive of SM, with a sensitivity of 75%, a
      specificity of 86%, a positive predictive value of 76%, and a negative predictive
      value of 85%. CONCLUSIONS: FLOCK analysis provides useful diagnostic information
      for evaluating patients with suspected SM, and may be useful for the analysis of
      other hematopoietic neoplasms.

PMID- 26486740
TI  - GATA3 expression in advanced breast cancer: prognostic value and organ-specific
      relapse.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: GATA3 is a transcription factor regulating luminal cell
      differentiation in the mammary glands and has been implicated in the luminal
      types of breast carcinoma. The prognostic significance of GATA3 in breast cancer
      remains controversial. METHODS: In this study, we assessed the prognostic value
      of the molecule in a subset of 62 advanced breast cancers and 10 control breast
      cancers (no metastasis after follow-up). RESULTS: GATA3 expression levels in
      luminal tumors of advanced stage were significantly higher than that of the human
      epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) subtype and triple-negative carcinomas,
      as expected, but were similar to those of the luminal controls. Furthermore, 88%
      of nonluminal tumors showed variable GATA3 expression, for which the HER2 subtype
      had significantly higher GATA3 expression than that of the triple-negative
      carcinomas. Interestingly, GATA3 levels were significantly lower in carcinomas
      with lung relapse compared to those with metastatic recurrence to other organs,
      thus reflecting the findings in animal models. No significant difference was
      observed between tumors with bone relapse and those metastasized to nonskeletal
      sites. Moreover, high GATA3 expression was significantly associated with
      favorable relapse-free survival and overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      suggest that GATA3 may not act solely as a luminal differentiation marker, and
      further uncovering the molecular pathways by which GATA3 regulates the downstream
      targets will be crucial to our understanding of breast cancer dissemination.

PMID- 26486742
TI  - Sexually transmitted infectious colitis vs inflammatory bowel disease:
      distinguishing features from a case-controlled study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Sexually transmitted infectious (STI) colitis often raises concern
      for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this study, we compare histologic
      features of IBD with STI colitis caused by syphilis and lymphogranuloma venereum.
      METHODS: The STI colitis group included 10 unique colorectal biopsy specimens in
      patients with clinically confirmed syphilis and/or lymphogranuloma venereum. The
      STI biopsy specimens were compared with patients matched for age, sex, and site
      with Crohn disease (n = 10) or ulcerative colitis (n = 10). All IBD controls had
      an established history of IBD (up to 276 months of follow-up, mean follow-up =
      102 months). RESULTS: Discriminating features (P < .05) of STI colitis included
      its exclusive identification in human immunodeficiency virus-positive men who
      have sex with men, anal pain, and anal discharge. STI colitis contained the triad
      of (1) minimal active chronic crypt centric damage, (2) a lack of mucosal
      eosinophilia, and (3) submucosal plasma cells, endothelial swelling, and
      perivascular plasma cells. Nondiscriminating features (P > .05) included rectal
      bleeding, endoscopic appearance, skip lesions, ulcerations, aphthoid lesions,
      granulomata, foreign body giant cells, neural hyperplasia, fibrosis, and lymphoid
      aggregates. CONCLUSIONS: While STI colitis shares many overlapping features with
      IBD, histologic and clinical discriminating features may be helpful when
      confronted with that differential diagnosis.

PMID- 26486743
TI  - Utility of BRAF V600E mutation-specific immunohistochemistry in detecting BRAF
      V600E-mutated gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: As patients with BRAF V600E mutation respond to BRAF inhibitors, it
      is important to identify these mutations to stratify patients for the appropriate
      therapy. In this study, we evaluated the utility of a BRAF V600E allele-specific
      antibody in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). METHODS: BRAF V600E mutation
      specific immunohistochemistry (negative, weak, or moderate/strong expression) and
      BRAF sequencing were performed on 38 consecutive GISTs diagnosed between January
      2013 and April 2014. RESULTS: GISTs from a cohort of 25 men and 13 women (mean
      age, 61 years; range, 39-88 years) were localized to the stomach (18), small
      bowel (10), colon (three), rectum (two), and pelvis/omentum (five). Strong and
      diffuse cytoplasmic BRAF expression was noted in two (5%) of 38 cases, while
      eight (21%) of 38 cases showed weak staining, and 28 (74%) of 38 cases were
      negative. Both of the strongly positive cases arose in the stomach, occurring in
      a 42-year-old and a 47-year-old woman, respectively. The lesions measured 0.8 and
      1 cm, showed spindle cell morphology, and had no risk of progressive disease by
      Miettinen criteria. Both cases showed heterozygous BRAF V600E, while no BRAF
      mutations were detected in cases with weak or negative BRAF expression.
      CONCLUSIONS: BRAF V600E mutation-specific immunohistochemistry is a highly
      sensitive and specific method for detecting BRAF-mutated GISTs.

PMID- 26486744
TI  - Primary vaginal mucinous adenocarcinoma of intestinal type, associated with
      intestinal metaplasia of Skene ducts in a diethylstilbestrol-exposed woman.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Primary mucinous vaginal adenocarcinoma of intestinal type is an
      extremely rare malignancy of uncertain histogenesis, which makes for a diagnostic
      challenge. We report a case and describe the histopathologic features and the
      unusual immunoprofile of this rare entity. METHODS: We report a case of vaginal
      mucinous adenocarcinoma of intestinal type in a diethylstilbestrol-exposed woman
      in which intestinal metaplasia of the Skene duct was found at the time of
      recurrence. RESULTS: As the histogenesis of primary vaginal intestinaltype
      adenocarcinomas remains uncertain, the finding of Skene duct metaplasia in
      association with invasive adenocarcinoma lends support to the origin of vaginal
      mucinous adenocarcinomas of intestinal type to be metaplasia, at least in some
      cases. Such an origin accounts for the unusual immunohistochemical profile, which
      raises concern for a metastatic adenocarcinoma of gastrointestinal origin.
      CONCLUSIONS: Recognition of this rare entity is important, particularly to avoid
      the pitfall of misdiagnosing metastatic disease.

PMID- 26486745
TI  - Thyroid-like follicular carcinoma of the kidney: one case report and review of
      the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Thyroid-like follicular carcinoma of the kidney continues to confound
      the practicing pathologist with its close resemblance to the follicular variant
      of thyroid carcinoma, as well as other benign and malignant entities. Our goal is
      to expand the knowledge of this rare renal cell carcinoma subtype, which is
      morphologically similar to follicular carcinoma of the thyroid but lacks
      expression of characteristic thyroid immunohistochemical markers such as TTF-1
      and thyroglobulin. METHODS: We evaluated the gross, histologic,
      immunohistochemical, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies of a
      new case and performed a comprehensive review of the literature. RESULTS: The
      lesion was spongy and well-circumscribed. Microscopically it showed variably
      sized follicular structures, filled with abundant, deeply eosinophilic, colloid
      like material. At the periphery, it displayed areas resembling metanephric
      adenoma and early stages of nephrogenesis. The tumor cells strongly expressed
      CK7, PAX-8, PAX-2, vimentin, EMA, and CK19 immunostains. Other markers, such as
      CD10, RCC, HBME-1, thyroglobulin, and TTF-1, were not immunoreactive. The tumor
      was negative for trisomy of both 7 and 17 and showed borderline monosomies
      (losses) of both chromosomes in FISH studies. CONCLUSIONS: Five years of
      preoperative observation and lack of recurrence bring further insight into the
      slow progressive nature of this neoplasm and support a low malignant potential.
      Proper identification is important to secure adequate treatment and follow-up.

PMID- 26486746
TI  - Primary cutaneous follicle center lymphoma associated with an extracutaneous
      dissemination: a cytogenetic finding of potential prognostic value.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cytogenetic studies on cutaneous lymphomas are rare, and very little
      is known about their prognostic value. We present a rare case of primary
      cutaneous follicle center lymphoma (PCFCL) with a complex translocation
      presenting with cutaneous and extracutaneous dissemination in the lymph node.
      METHODS: Morphologic, immunohistochemical, conventional cytogenetic, and
      fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies were performed on this patient.
      RESULTS: A combination of cytogenetic and FISH analysis identified a complex
      novel four-way t(2;14;9;3) (p11.2;q32;p13;q27) translocation involving
      rearrangements of BCL6, immunoglobulin light and heavy chain genes, and an
      unknown gene on 9p. CONCLUSIONS: Our report elaborates the morphologic and
      immunohistochemical features in combination with cytogenetic and molecular
      cytogenetic analysis of PCFCL, which provide additional insight into the clinical
      and biologic behavior of this lesion.

PMID- 26486747
TI  - A collision tumor of papillary renal cell carcinoma and oncocytoma: case report
      and literature review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The most common renal neoplasms include clear cell, chromophobe, and
      papillary renal cell carcinomas (PRCCs) and oncocytomas. While lesions containing
      hybrid features of different tumor types, such as hybrid oncocytic tumors, have
      been well documented in the literature, the finding of a collision tumor of two
      distinct tumor types- PRCC and oncocytoma-is extremely rare. METHODS: We present
      a case of PRCC associated with an oncocytoma. Our discussion includes a review of
      the available literature on this rare type of collision tumor. RESULTS:
      Prosection of a partial nephrectomy performed in a 78-year-old man for painless
      gross hematuria and nocturia revealed a 6.4 * 5 * 3.6-cm well-delineated orange
      to yellow-tan mass harboring a white-tan 1 * 0.9 * 0.9-cm mass. Histologic
      diagnosis of PRCC associated with an oncocytoma was rendered. By
      immunohistochemistry, focal CK7 expression was present in the oncocytoma, while
      strong diffuse positive CK7 expression was present in the PRCC component.
      Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) revealed trisomy 17 in 39.3% of PRCC
      tumor nuclei but no significant chromosomal aberration in oncocytoma.
      CONCLUSIONS: In view of this and previously reported cases, thorough sectioning
      and examination, especially in large oncocytomas, is recommended to exclude the
      presence of an associated malignancy. To our knowledge, trisomy 17 by FISH has
      not been previously reported in these extremely rare tumors.

PMID- 26486749
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26486748
TI  - A look into the evolution of Epstein-Barr virus-induced lymphoproliferative
      disorders: a case study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs)
      are lymphoid proliferations arising as a result of the loss of an effective EBV
      specific cytotoxic T-cell response. LPDs may occur for primary or acquired
      impairment of the immune system, as well as in some persons without documented
      immunodeficiency. METHODS: In this article, we describe the case of a human
      immunodeficiency virus-positive patient affected by an EBV-LPD of the stomach who
      developed a nodal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with complex morphologic and
      molecular features. RESULTS: GeneScan analysis of the gastric specimen identified
      two different heavy-chain immunoglobulin gene (IGH) rearrangements characterized
      by a dominant peak of 285 base pairs (bp) in length and a smaller peak of 266 bp
      in length. In the lymph node sample, IGH evaluation also demonstrated two
      different peaks; however, the main peak corresponded to the minor peak detected
      in the EBV-LPD specimen at the diagnosis. In addition, a monoclonal
      immunoglobulin light chain gene (IGL) rearrangement was also found. We also
      demonstrated that the major peak in the stomach corresponded to the EBV-positive
      population observed in the histologic sections. CONCLUSIONS: This case may
      provide additional insights to better understanding the "hit-and-run" role for
      EBV in lymphomagenesis. However, we could not exclude that our findings represent
      the co-occurrence of two unrelated B-cell neoplasms rather than a progression
      from an EBV-positive neoplasm to an EBV-negative one.

PMID- 26486750
TI  - Point-of-care pleural and lung ultrasound in a newborn suffering from cardiac
      arrest due to tension pneumothorax after cardiac surgery.
AB  - We report the case of a 12-day-old newborn affected by coarctation of the aorta
      and intraventricular defect who underwent coarctectomy and pulmonary artery
      banding. On post-operative day 7, the patient suffered from pulseless electric
      activity due to tension pneumothorax. Point-of-care ultrasound was performed
      during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in an attempt to diagnose pneumothorax. The
      diagnosis was made without delaying or interrupting chest compressions, and the
      pneumothorax was promptly treated. 

PMID- 26486751
TI  - Zeolite-like liquid crystals.
AB  - Zeolites represent inorganic solid-state materials with porous structures of
      fascinating complexity. Recently, significant progress was made by reticular
      synthesis of related organic solid-state materials, such as metal-organic or
      covalent organic frameworks. Herein we go a step further and report the first
      example of a fluid honeycomb mimicking a zeolitic framework. In this unique self
      assembled liquid crystalline structure, transverse-lying pi-conjugated rod-like
      molecules form pentagonal channels, encircling larger octagonal channels, a
      structural motif also found in some zeolites. Additional bundles of coaxial
      molecules penetrate the centres of the larger channels, unreachable by chains
      attached to the honeycomb framework. This creates a unique fluid hybrid structure
      combining positive and negative anisotropies, providing the potential for tuning
      the directionality of anisotropic optical, electrical and magnetic properties.
      This work also demonstrates a new approach to complex soft-matter self-assembly,
      by using frustration between space filling and the entropic penalty of chain
      extension. 

PMID- 26486752
TI  - Nano-scale, planar and multi-tiered current pathways from a carbon nanotube
      copper composite with high conductivity, ampacity and stability.
AB  - New lithographically processable materials with high ampacity are in demand to
      meet the increasing requirement for high operational current density at high
      temperatures existing in current pathways within electronic devices. To meet this
      demand, we report an approach to fabricate a high ampacity (~100 times higher
      than Cu) carbon nanotube-copper (CNT-Cu) composite into a variety of complex nano
      scale, planar and multi-tiered current pathways. The approach involved the use of
      a two-stage electrodeposition of copper into a pre-patterned template of porous,
      thin CNT sheets acting as the electrode. The versatility of this approach enabled
      the realization of completely suspended multi-tier, dielectric-less 'air-gap' CNT
      Cu circuits that could be electrically isolated from each other and are
      challenging to fabricate with pure Cu or any metal. Importantly, all such complex
      structures, ranging from 500 nm to 20 MUm in width, exhibited ~100-times higher
      ampacity than any known metal, with comparable electrical conductivity as Cu. In
      addition, CNT-Cu structures also exhibited a superior temperature stability
      compared to the ~10-times wider Cu counterparts. We believe that the combination
      of our approach and the properties demonstrated here are vital achievements for
      the future development of efficient and powerful electrical devices. 

PMID- 26486753
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the Dipodomys ordii (Ord's kangaroo rat).
AB  - Ord's kangaroo rat is a kangaroo rat native to western North America. In this
      study, we first reported the complete mitochondrial genome of Dipodomys ordii
      that the first has the complete mitochondrial genome in the genus of
      Heteromyidae. The mitogenome is a circular molecule of 16 257 bp in length,
      containing 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNAs, 22 transfer RNAs and a
      putative displacement loop region. All protein-coding genes started with a
      traditional ATN codon and terminated with the mitochondria stop codon
      (TAA/TAG/AGA) or a single T base. The gene order and composition of mitogenome
      was similar to that of most other Sciurognathi species and its GC content was
      36.73%. Thirteen protein-coding genes of D. ordii together with eight other
      closely species were used to construct the species phylogenetic tree for
      verification of the accuracy of new determined mitogenome sequences.

PMID- 26486754
TI  - The influence of orthopedic corsets on the incidence of pathological fractures in
      patients with spinal bone metastases after radiotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical care of unstable spinal bone metastases in many centers
      often includes patient immobilization by means of an orthopedic corset in order
      to prevent pathological fractures. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to
      evaluate the incidence of pathological fractures after radiotherapy (RT) in
      patients with and without orthopedic corsets and to assess prognostic factors for
      pathological fractures in patients with spinal bone metastases. METHODS: The
      incidence of pathological fractures in 915 patients with 2.195 osteolytic
      metastases in the thoracic and lumbar spine was evaluated retrospectively on the
      basis of computed tomography (CT) scans between January 2000 and January 2012
      depending on prescription and wearing of patient-customized orthopedic corsets.
      RESULTS: In the corset group, 6.8 and 8.0 % in no-corset group showed
      pathological fractures prior to RT, no significant difference between groups was
      detected (p = 0.473). After 6 months, patients in the corset group showed
      pathological fractures in 8.6 % and in no-corset group in 9.3 % (p = 0.709). The
      univariate and bivariate analyses demonstrated no significant prognostic factor
      for incidence of pathological fractures in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this
      analysis, we could show for the first time in more than 900 patients, that
      abandoning a general corset supply in patients with spinal metastases does not
      significantly cause increased rates of pathological fractures. Importantly, the
      incidence of pathological fracture after RT was small.

PMID- 26486755
TI  - Topotecan for Relapsed Small-cell Lung Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta
      Analysis of 1347 Patients.
AB  - Topotecan is the most reliable chemotherapy regimen for relapsed small-cell lung
      carcinoma (SCLC). The efficacy and adverse effects of topotecan as reported by
      previous studies varied greatly. The inclusion criterion was a prospective study
      that was able to provide data for 6-month over-all survival (OS) rate, 1-year OS
      rate, objective responses, and/or adverse effects of single agent topotecan as a
      second line chemotherapy for SCLC, written in English language as a full article.
      Any topotecan regimen were allowed. Binary data were meta-analyzed with the
      random-model generic inverse variance method. We included 14 articles consisted
      of 1347 patients. Pooled values were estimated as follows. <Refractory relapse>
      Six-month OS rate: 37% (95% CI: 28-46%). One-year OS rate: 9% (95% CI: 5-13%).
      Response rate: 5% (95% CI: 1-8%). <Sensitive relapse> Six-month OS rate: 57% (95%
      CI: 50-64%). One-year OS rate: 27% (95% CI: 22-32%). Response rate: 17% (95% CI:
      11-23%). <Adverse effect> Grade III/IV neutropenia 69% (95% CI: 58-80%). Grade
      III/IV thrombopenia 41% (95% CI: 34-48%). Grade III/IV anemia 24% (95% CI: 17
      30%). Non-hematorogical events were rare. Chemotherapy-related death 2% (95% CI:
      1-3%). In conclusion, Topotecan provided a possibly promising outcome for
      sensitive-relapse SCLC and poor outcome for refractory relapse SCLC. Adverse
      events were mainly hematological. 

PMID- 26486757
TI  - One-pot synthesis of etched Cu2O cubes with exposed {110} facets with enhanced
      visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity.
AB  - Novel etched Cu2O cubes with exposed {110} facets are synthesized via an
      oxidative etching method at room temperature. The photocatalytic performance
      indicates that these architectures show higher photocatalytic activity than that
      of the normal Cu2O cubes in the degradation of methylene orange. 

PMID- 26486756
TI  - Antibiotic use and childhood body mass index trajectory.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Antibiotics are commonly prescribed for children. Use of
      antibiotics early in life has been linked to weight gain but there are no large
      scale, population-based, longitudinal studies of the full age range among mainly
      healthy children. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We used electronic health record data on 163
      820 children aged 3-18 years and mixed effects linear regression to model
      associations of antibiotic orders with growth curve trajectories of annual body
      mass index (BMI) controlling for confounders. Models evaluated three kinds of
      antibiotic associations-reversible (time-varying indicator for an order in year
      before each BMI), persistent (time-varying cumulative orders up to BMIj) and
      progressive (cumulative orders up to prior BMI (BMIj-1))-and whether these varied
      by age. RESULTS: Among 142 824 children under care in the prior year, a
      reversible association was observed and this short-term BMI gain was modified by
      age (P<0.001); effect size peaked in mid-teen years. A persistent association was
      observed and this association was stronger with increasing age (P<0.001). The
      addition of the progressive association among children with at least three BMIs
      (n=79 752) revealed that higher cumulative orders were associated with
      progressive weight gain; this did not vary by age. Among children with an
      antibiotic order in the prior year and at least seven lifetime orders,
      antibiotics (all classes combined) were associated with an average weight gain of
      approximately 1.4 kg at age 15 years. When antibiotic classes were evaluated
      separately, the largest weight gain at 15 years was associated with macrolide
      use. CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence of reversible, persistent and progressive
      effects of antibiotic use on BMI trajectories, with different effects by age,
      among mainly healthy children. The results suggest that antibiotic use may
      influence weight gain throughout childhood and not just during the earliest years
      as has been the primary focus of most prior studies.

PMID- 26486758
TI  - Laparoendoscopic Single-Site Retroperitoneoscopic Adrenalectomy Versus
      Conventional Retroperitoneoscopic Adrenalectomy in Obese Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the operative outcomes of obese patients undergoing
      laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy or
      standard laparoscopic (LAP) retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy. METHODS: Between
      September 2011 and April 2015, 51 obese patients underwent LESS
      retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy and their operative outcomes were compared
      with 65 obese patients who underwent standard retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy
      by the same surgeon. In the LESS group, a single-port access was positioned in
      the lumbar incision. The standard retroperitoneal adrenalectomy technique was
      performed with a combination of conventional and curved LAP instruments. The
      following parameters were adopted: patient demographics, surgical details,
      perioperative complications, postoperative outcome data, and short-term outcomes.
      RESULTS: The LESS group was comparable with the LAP group in terms of total
      operative time (70.4 +/- 21.3 vs 65.5 +/- 24.8 minutes, p = 0.26), hospital
      length of stay (5.7 +/- 1.2 vs 6.1 +/- 1.5 days, p = 0.12), and incidence of
      complications (4/51 vs 5/65, p = 0.98) for patients with similar baseline
      demographics. The LESS group had significantly shorter surgical incisions (2.8 +/
      0.3 vs 5.3 +/- 0.6 cm, p < 0.0001), lower in-hospital analgesic requirement (7.6
      +/- 3.3 mg morphine equivalent vs 10.5 +/- 6.2 mg, p = 0.003), and significantly
      superior scar satisfaction score (9.3 +/- 0.7 vs 7.6 +/- 1.4, p < 0.0001) than
      the LAP group. Although estimated blood loss was greater in the LESS group (28.1
      +/- 10.6 vs 16.9 +/- 7.2 mL in the LAP group, p < 0.0001), <50 mL overall blood
      loss was not clinically significant. During a mean follow-up of 20.2 months, no
      recurrences or deaths were documented in either group. CONCLUSIONS: In properly
      selected patients, LESS retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy for obese individuals
      is technically feasible and safe in experienced hands, offering perioperative
      outcomes comparable with those of the conventional multiport approach, but with a
      superior cosmetic outcome.

PMID- 26486759
TI  - Genome-wide identification and characterization of the superoxide dismutase gene
      family in Musa acuminata cv. Tianbaojiao (AAA group).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an essential enzyme of the plant
      antioxidant system that responds to oxidative stresses caused by adverse
      conditions. Banana is an important staple and economic crop in tropical and
      subtropical regions. However, its growth and yield are constantly affected by
      various abiotic stresses. To analyze the roles of distinct SOD genes under
      various stresses, a detailed characterization and analysis of the SOD gene family
      in Cavendish banana is indispensable. METHODS: The presence and structure of the
      SOD family genes were experimentally verified using 5'/3' RACE-PCR, reverse
      transcription PCR and PCR. Then, their syntenic relationships, conserved motifs
      and phylogenetic relationships were analyzed using software. Cis-elements present
      in the promoters were predicted via PlantCARE. And the expression levels under
      abiotic and hormonal stresses were determined using real-time quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: In total, 25 'Tianbaojiao' SOD cDNAs
      (MaSODs), which encoded six Cu/ZnSODs, four MnSODs and two FeSODs, were cloned.
      The 12 MaSOD genes were divided into four groups based on their conserved motifs,
      which corroborated their classifications based on gene-structure patterns and
      subcellular localizations. Eleven MaSOD promoters were isolated and found to
      contain many cis-acting elements involved in stress responses. Gene expression
      analysis showed that 11 out of the 12 MaSODs were expressed in all tested tissues
      (leaf, pseudostem and root), whereas MaCSD2B was expressed only in leaves and
      roots. Specific MaSOD members exhibited different expression patterns under
      abiotic and hormonal treatments. Among the 12 MaSOD genes, MaCSD1D was the only
      one that responded to all eight treatments, suggesting that this gene plays a
      predominant role in reactive oxygen species scavenging caused by various stresses
      in banana. CONCLUSIONS: A genome-wide analysis showed that the 'Tianbaojiao'
      banana harbored an expanded SOD gene family. Whole genome duplication, segmental
      duplication and complex transcriptional regulation contributed to the gene
      expansion and mRNA diversity of the MaSODs. The expression patterns of distinct
      MaSOD genes showed that they are important responses to different abiotic and
      hormonal stresses in banana.

PMID- 26486761
TI  - Copper-Catalyzed Aerobic Decarboxylation/Ketooxygenation of Electron-Deficient
      Alkenes.
AB  - A copper-catalyzed ketooxygenation of electron-deficient alkenes was developed.
      This approach combines O-H alkylation, aerobic decarboxylation, and oxygenation
      in one transformation. Mechanistic investigation of this reaction showed that the
      copper salt is responsible for both generating the amidoxyl radical and promoting
      aerobic decarboxylation.

PMID- 26486762
TI  - Daclatasvir: A NS5A Replication Complex Inhibitor for Hepatitis C Infection.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To review the pharmacology, efficacy, and safety of daclatasvir in
      the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. DATA
      SOURCES: A literature search through EMBASE and PubMed was conducted (January
      1966 to August 2015) using the terms BMS-790052, daclatasvir, and hepatitis C.
      References from retrieved articles were reviewed for any additional material.
      Additionally, the new drug application and prescribing information were
      retrieved. STUDY SELECTION/DATA EXTRACTION: The literature search was limited to
      human studies published in English. Phase 1, 2, and 3 studies describing the
      pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of daclatasvir for HCV were
      identified. DATA SYNTHESIS: Daclatasvir, a nonstructural 5A protein inhibitor,
      combined with sofosbuvir, is indicated for adult patients with chronic HCV
      genotype 3 regardless of treatment or cirrhosis status. The phase III ALLY-3
      trial (n = 152) demonstrated that daclatasvir taken once daily with sofosbuvir
      for 12 weeks was effective at achieving sustained virological response (SVR)
      rates in treatment-naive (97%) and treatment-experienced (94%) patients without
      cirrhosis. Patients with cirrhosis had significantly lower SVR rates (58 and 69%,
      respectively). The most common adverse drug events associated with daclatasvir
      and sofosbuvir in ALLY-3 were headache (20%), fatigue (19%), and nausea (12%).
      CONCLUSIONS: Daclatasvir, when combined with sofosbuvir, is an effective agent to
      treat HCV genotype 3, with SVR rates above 90% for patients without cirrhosis who
      are treatment naive or experienced. SVR rates for treatment-naive or -experienced
      patients with cirrhosis are not as robust (58%-69%).

PMID- 26486763
TI  - Azithromycin Pharmacokinetics in Adults With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
      Undergoing Treatment With Extracorporeal-Membrane Oxygenation.

PMID- 26486760
TI  - Subacute Pain after Traumatic Brain Injury Is Associated with Lower Insular N
      Acetylaspartate Concentrations.
AB  - Persistent pain is experienced by more than 50% of persons who sustain a
      traumatic brain injury (TBI), and more than 30% experience significant pain as
      early as 6 weeks after injury. Although neuropathic pain is a common consequence
      after CNS injuries, little attention has been given to neuropathic pain symptoms
      after TBI. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies in subjects with TBI
      show decreased brain concentrations of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), a marker of
      neuronal density and viability. Although decreased brain NAA has been associated
      with neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury (SCI) and diabetes, this
      relationship has not been examined after TBI. The primary purpose of this study
      was to test the hypothesis that lower NAA concentrations in brain areas involved
      in pain perception and modulation would be associated with greater severity of
      neuropathic pain symptoms. Participants with TBI underwent volumetric MRS, pain
      and psychosocial interviews. Cluster analysis of the Neuropathic Pain Symptom
      Inventory subscores resulted in two TBI subgroups: The Moderate Neuropathic Pain
      (n = 17; 37.8%), with significantly (p = 0.038) lower insular NAA than the Low or
      no Neuropathic Pain group (n = 28; 62.2%), or age- and sex-matched controls (n =
      45; p < 0.001). A hierarchical linear regression analysis controlling for age,
      sex, and time post-TBI showed that pain severity was significantly (F = 11.0; p <
      0.001) predicted by a combination of lower insular NAA/Creatine (p < 0.001),
      lower right insular gray matter fractional volume (p < 0.001), female sex (p =
      0.005), and older age (p = 0.039). These findings suggest that neuronal
      dysfunction in brain areas involved in pain processing is associated with pain
      after TBI.

PMID- 26486765
TI  - Molecular Solution Behaviour of an Intermediate Biofuel Feedstock: Acetone
      Butanol-Ethanol (ABE).
AB  - Mixtures of acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) are common intermediate products
      in the production of biofuels via biomass fermentation. Their separation to
      yield, for example, bio-butanol, is still difficult due to the lack of a
      fundamental understanding of these mixtures at the molecular level. In order to
      bridge this gap, a detailed analysis of characteristic features of the
      vibrational spectrum is carried out. A systematic study of the binary solutions
      of acetone with ethanol and butanol does not only reveal a universal behaviour at
      the molecular level when acetone is mixed with short-chain alcohols, it also
      shows that the phenomena at a length scale between the molecules and in the
      macroscopic solution need to be taken into account to understand the structure
      property relationships. The size of self-associated molecule clusters seems to
      determine whether or not a system exhibits an azeotrope. When a second alcohol is
      added to an acetone/alcohol solution, no additional non-idealities are induced,
      which is advantageous for modelling ternary ABE mixtures and for improving their
      processing in the production of biofuels. 

PMID- 26486766
TI  - Multicomponent/Palladium-Catalyzed Cascade Entry to Benzopyrrolizidine
      Derivatives: Synthesis and Antioxidant Evaluation.
AB  - A versatile and efficient protocol for the synthesis of highly substituted
      benzopyrrolizidines (tetrahydro-3H-pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoindol-3-ones) is reported.
      The strategy consisted of an Ugi four-component reaction/elimination methodology
      to afford dehydroalanines containing trans-cinnamic acid derivatives and
      different substituted 2-bromobenzylamines, followed by a palladium-catalyzed 5
      exo-trig/5-exo-trig cascade carbocyclization process. Gratifyingly,
      benzopyrrolizidines were obtained in moderate to good yields (42-77%) with a Z
      geometry due to the structural requirements for syn-beta-hydride elimination. The
      prepared heterocyclic scaffolds are decorated with several substituents and
      incorporate a benzopyrrolizidine-fused system, along with an embedded cinnamic
      acid derivative, two privileged medicinal chemistry scaffolds. Additionally,
      since some of the compounds are derived from the well-known antioxidants ferulic
      and sinapinic acids, they were tested for their in vitro antioxidant capacity.
      The data suggested that compounds having a p-hydroxyl group showed moderate 2,2
      diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-radical-scavenging activity and were effective
      antioxidants in preventing lipoperoxidation in a thiobarbituric acid reactive
      substances assay. 

PMID- 26486764
TI  - Association of haplotypes of the TLR8 locus with susceptibility to Crohn's and
      Behcet's diseases.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the TLR8, a
      mediator of innate inflammatory response, in susceptibility to two immune
      mediated disorders characterised by dysregulation of the immune response, Crohn's
      and Behcet's diseases (CD and BD). METHODS: A total of 844 CD, 371 BD patients
      and 1385 controls were genotyped in 8 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs)
      in the locus TLR8 (chromosome X). All these tSNPs have a minor allele frequency
      greater than 0.05 in the Caucasian population. RESULTS: The rs2407992 and the
      rs5744067 were associated with susceptibility to BD and CD, respectively
      (OR=1.34, 95%CI=1.10-1.62, p=0.0025 and OR=0.82, 95%CI=0.68-0.99, p=0.045,
      respectively). Although after stratification by gender, statistically significant
      differences in the distribution of the aforementioned SNPs were only observed in
      the females groups (BD OR=1.31, 95%CI=1.06-1.64, p=0.012 and CD OR=0.84,
      95%CI=0.72-0.98, p=0.044) the trend was similar among males. Since the rs5744067
      and rs2407992 are located in the same linkage disequilibrium block, we performed
      a haplotypic analysis by combination of the tSNPs. One haplotype (H1) was
      identified as a protective factor in BD (OR=0.75, 95%CI=0.62-0.90, p=0.0027) and
      another (H2) as a protective factor in CD (OR=0.78, 95%CI=0.64-094, p=0.0102). No
      statistically significant differences in the mean of the levels of expression
      attributable to the haplotype variants were found in the in silico analysis
      performed. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest a relationship between the TLR8 and
      the susceptibility to CD and BD. Nevertheless, these differences could not be
      imputed to the levels of expression.

PMID- 26486767
TI  - Chemomechanical versus drilling methods for caries removal: an in vitro study.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of chemomechanical
      caries removal (CMCR) with that of conventional drilling for efficacy of caries
      removal, time spent, morphological changes and microhardness of surface dentin,
      and microleakage of subsequent restorations. Forty-six carious deciduous molars
      were randomly divided into two groups: one each for caries removal by (1) CMCR
      and by (2) drilling. The completeness of caries removal was evaluated by visual
      and tactile criteria and a caries detector device. Twenty teeth in each group
      were restored with glass ionomer (GI) and subjected to thermocycling before
      undergoing microleakage and microhardness tests. In each group, three restored
      teeth were used for polarized light microscopic analysis, and three unrestored
      teeth for scanning electron microscopy (SEM). There was no significant difference
      in the completeness of caries removal between groups. However, time spent for
      caries removal by CMCR was significantly longer than that required for drilling.
      Restorations in the CMCR group had significantly more microleakage than those in
      the drilling group. Dentin hardness of the cavity floor after CMCR was also
      significantly lower. Microscopic analyses showed roughened and irregular dentin
      surfaces in the CMCR group, unlike the smooth surfaces observed in the drilling
      group. In conclusion, CMCR was as efficacious as drilling in term of completeness
      of caries removal, but required longer excavation times and resulted in lower
      microhardness of residual dentin as well as more microleakage after restorations
      with GI. Further laboratory and clinical evaluations on the efficiency and
      performance of CMCR for the durability of subsequent restorations are required. 

PMID- 26486768
TI  - A comparison of two reciprocating instruments using bending stress and cyclic
      fatigue tests.
AB  - The aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate the bending resistance at
      45o, the static and dynamic cyclic fatigue life, and the fracture type of the
      WaveOne (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) 25-08 and Reciproc (VDW,
      Munich, Germany) 25-08 instruments. A total of 60 nickel-titanium (NiTi)
      instruments (30 Reciproc and 30 WaveOne) from three different lots, each of which
      was 25 mm in length, were tested. The bending resistance was evaluated through
      the results of a cantilever-bending test conducted using a universal testing
      machine. Static and dynamic cyclic fatigue testing was conducted using a custom
      made device. For the static and dynamic tests, a cast Ni-Cr-Mo-Ti alloy metal
      block with an artificial canal measuring 1.77 mm in diameter and 20.00 mm in
      total length was used. A scanning electron microscope was used to determine the
      type of fracture. Statistical analyses were performed on the results. The WaveOne
      instrument was less flexible than the Reciproc (p < 0.05). The Reciproc
      instrument showed better resistance in the static and dynamic cyclic fatigue
      tests (p < 0.05). The transverse cross-section and geometry of the instruments
      were important factors in their resistance to bending and cyclic fracture. Both
      of the instruments showed ductile-type fracture characteristics. It can be
      concluded that the Reciproc 25-08 instrument was more resistant to static and
      dynamic cyclic fatigue than the WaveOne 25-08 instrument, while the WaveOne 25-08
      instrument was less flexible. Bending and resistance to cyclic fracture were
      influenced by the instruments' geometries and transverse cross-sections. Both of
      the instruments showed ductile-type fracture characteristics. 

PMID- 26486769
TI  - Association between Bolton discrepancy and Angle malocclusions.
AB  - This study aimed to assess and compare the overall and anterior ratios of tooth
      size discrepancies in all Angle malocclusion groups. The following null
      hypothesis (H0) was tested: no difference between tooth size discrepancies
      (overall and anterior) would be observed among Angle malocclusion groups. The
      sample comprised of 711 pre-orthodontic treatment study casts of Brazilian
      patients with a mean age of 17.42 years selected from private practices in
      Brazil. The casts were divided into 3 groups according to the type of
      malocclusion: Class I (n = 321), Class II (n = 324), and Class III patients (n =
      66). The measurement of the greatest mesiodistal width of the teeth was performed
      using a centesimal precision digital caliper directly on the study casts, from
      the distal surface of the left first molar to the distal surface of the right
      first molar. The overall and anterior ratios between the maxillary and mandibular
      teeth were evaluated using Bolton's method. The following statistical tests were
      applied: chi-square, independent t-test, and one-way ANOVA. Results showed that
      all Angle malocclusions groups exhibited a ratio compatible with those
      recommended by Bolton. With respect to the overall and anterior ratios among the
      malocclusion groups, no statistically significant differences were found. The
      null hypothesis was accepted because the results showed no differences in the
      overall and anterior ratios of tooth size discrepancies among different Angle
      malocclusion groups. 

PMID- 26486770
TI  - Cyclic fatigue resistance of two nickel-titanium instruments in different curving
      angles: a comparative study.
AB  - The cyclic resistance of ProTaper Universal (size 25/08) and ProTaper Next (size
      25/06) instruments was compared in artificial canals with different curvatures in
      this study. A total of 30 ProTaper Universal and 30 ProTaper Next instruments
      were divided into 6 groups (n = 10) and were operated into artificial canals with
      3 different angles of curvature (45 degrees , 60 degrees , 90 degrees ). The
      canal length was kept consistent in this study. The number of cycles to fracture
      (NCF) was counted until file fracture occurred, at which point, the length of the
      fragment was measured. The data were analyzed statistically using ANOVA
      complemented by the Tukey test (p < 0.05). Cross sections of the fractured files
      were scanned by an electron microscope. In the fatigue test, the ProTaper Next
      displayed more resistance in 45 degrees  and 60 degrees  canals (p < 0.05),
      whereas ProTaper Universal exhibited a better operability in 90 degrees  canals
      (p < 0.05). The average length of the fragments from ProTaper Next was
      significantly shorter than that from ProTaper Universal in 90 degrees  canals (p
      < 0.05). The cross sections of the fractured surfaces became flatter when the
      curvature angles decreased from 90 degrees  to 45 degrees . ProTaper Next was
      more reliable when shaping in curved canals, whereas ProTaper Universal was more
      sui for the preparation of root canals with severe curvatures. 

PMID- 26486771
TI  - Cell phone radiation effects on cytogenetic abnormalities of oral mucosal cells.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of exposure to cell phone
      electromagnetic radiation on the frequency of micronuclei, broken eggs cells,
      binucleated cells, and karyorrhexis in epithelial cells of the oral mucosa. The
      sample was composed of 60 cell phone users, who were non-smokers and non
      drinkers, and had no clinically visible oral lesions. Cells were obtained from
      anatomical sites with the highest incidence of oral cancer: lower lip, border of
      the tongue, and floor of the mouth. The Feulgen reaction was used for
      quantification of nuclear anomalies in 1,000 cells/slide. A slightly increase in
      the number of micronucleated cells in the lower lip and in binucleated cells on
      the floor of the mouth was observed in individuals who used their phones > 60
      minutes/week. The analysis also revealed an increased number of broken eggs in
      the tongue of individuals owning a cell phone for over eight years. Results
      suggest that exposure to electromagnetic waves emitted by cell phones can
      increase nuclear abnormalities in individuals who use a cell phone for more than
      60 minutes per week and for over eight years. Based on the present findings, we
      suggest that exposure to electromagnetic radiation emitted by cell phones may
      interfere with the development of metanuclear anomalies. Therefore, it is
      demonstrated that, despite a significant increase in these anomalies, the
      radiation emitted by cell phones among frequent users is within acceptable
      physiological limits. 

PMID- 26486772
TI  - Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Three Cage Layer Housing Systems.
AB  - Agriculture accounts for 10 to 12% of the World's total greenhouse gas (GHG)
      emissions. Manure management alone is responsible for 13% of GHG emissions from
      the agricultural sector. During the last decade, Quebec's egg production systems
      have shifted from deep-pit housing systems to manure belt housing systems. The
      objective of this study was to measure and compare carbon dioxide (CO2), methane
      (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from three different cage layer housing
      systems: a deep liquid manure pit and a manure belt with natural or forced air
      drying. Deep liquid manure pit housing systems consist of "A" frame layer cages
      located over a closed pit containing the hens' droppings to which water is added
      to facilitate removal by pumping. Manure belt techniques imply that manure drops
      on a belt beneath each row of battery cages where it is either dried naturally or
      by forced air until it is removed. The experiment was replicated with 360 hens
      reared into twelve independent bench-scale rooms during eight weeks (19-27 weeks
      of age). The natural and forced air manure belt systems reduced CO2 (28.2 and
      28.7 kg yr(-1) hen(-1), respectively), CH4 (25.3 and 27.7 g yr(-1) hen(-1),
      respectively) and N2O (2.60 and 2.48 g yr(-1) hen(-1), respectively) emissions by
      about 21, 16 and 9% in comparison with the deep-pit technique (36.0 kg CO2 yr(-1)
      hen(-1), 31.6 g CH4 yr(-1) hen(-1) and 2.78 g N2O yr(-1) hen(-1)). The shift to
      manure belt systems needs to be encouraged since this housing system
      significantly decreases the production of GHG. 

PMID- 26486773
TI  - Effects of Dietary Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisia) Supplementation in Practical
      Diets of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).
AB  - A 51-day feeding trial was carried out to determine the effects of various
      dietary levels of brewer's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in the growth
      performance, body composition and nutrient utilization in Nile tilapia,
      Oreochromis niloticus, juveniles. Fish (7.6 +/- 0.3 g) were stocked into eighteen
      1,000-L tanks (100 fish per tank; n = 3) and fed to apparent satiation six
      isonitrogenous (27% crude protein) and isoenergetic (19 kJ/g) diets, formulated
      to contain different dried yeast levels (0%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 30% or 40% diet) in
      substitution to fishmeal. Body weight tripled at the end of the feeding trial for
      fish fed up to 20% dietary yeast incorporation. Daily growth coefficient (DGC, %
      body weight/day) decreased with increasing dietary yeast level (P < 0.0001).
      Voluntary feed intake (VFI, %BW/day) did not vary significantly with increasing
      yeast level. Fish fed 40% yeast showed significant reduction in protein
      efficiency rate, protein retention and nitrogen gain. Increasing levels of
      dietary yeast did not significantly affect protein or lipid digestibility.
      Dietary dried yeast was seemingly palatable to tilapia juveniles and was suitable
      up to 15% inclusion to promote growth and efficient diet utilization, without
      affecting body composition. 

PMID- 26486774
TI  - Prevalence and Incidence of Abnormal Behaviours in Individually Housed Sheep.
AB  - This study examined the prevalence and incidence of abnormal behaviour in sheep
      housed individually indoors. Ninety-six castrated Merino sheep were observed
      using 15-min instantaneous sampling between 08:15 and 18:15 h for two consecutive
      days over a 3-week period. Sheep on average spent 62% of their time idle, 17%
      feeding, 1% drinking, 5% pacing, 10% chewing pen fixtures and 4% nosing pen
      fixtures. Pacing behaviour was predominantly seen in the morning with sheep on
      average spending 14% of their time pacing. Sheep on average spent 4% of their
      time in the morning and 13% of their time in the afternoon chewing pen fixtures.
      In the afternoon, the predominant behaviour was idle with sheep on average
      spending 71% of their time idle. Seventy-one percent of the sheep displayed one
      or more of the behaviours of pacing, and chewing and nosing pen fixtures for more
      than 10% of the day and 47% displayed one or more of these behaviours for more
      than 20% of the day. The prevalence and incidence of these 'abnormal' behaviours
      appears high, especially in relation to that of sheep grazed outdoors on pasture,
      and raises the question of the welfare risk to these animals. However, without a
      more comprehensive appreciation of other aspects of the animal's biology, such as
      stress physiology and fitness characteristics, it is difficult to understand the
      welfare implications of these behaviours. 

PMID- 26486775
TI  - Social Environment and Control Status of Companion Animal-Borne Zoonoses in
      Japan.
AB  - Changing social and environmental factors have been the cause of an increase in
      the number and variety of animals are being imported into Japan. Moreover, the
      number of Japanese households are keeping companion animals has also risen. These
      factors, along with the high density of the Japanese population and the low
      percentage of registered dogs, have increased the risk of animal-to-human
      transmission of zoonoses. To control zoonosis outbreaks, the Japanese government
      has implemented a three-stage approach for the border control of zoonoses and has
      stipulated the monitoring and reporting of eight companion animal-borne zoonoses
      under the Rabies Prevention Law and the Infectious Diseases Control Law. The fact
      that no case of human and animal rabies has been reported over the past 50 years
      indicates that these measures are highly effective in preventing rabies
      transmission. Although it is known that the total number of possible companion
      animal-borne zoonosis outbreaks decreased between 2005 and 2009 when compared
      with numbers between 2001 and 2004, the number of zoonosis cases that can be
      attributed to transmission by companion animals remains unclear. Active
      surveillance should be conducted on a national level to collect the data
      necessary to determine this number and identify trends in companion-animal
      transmitted diseases. Using the data collected, regulation systems should be
      evaluated to determine whether they have met reasonable goals and policy planning
      conducted for the control of emerging diseases. 

PMID- 26486776
TI  - Effects of Dietary Fatty Acids on Lipid Traits in the Muscle and Perirenal Fat of
      Growing Rabbits Fed Mixed Diets.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of various raw materials
      (spirulina, curcuma, tomato pomace, false flax, linseed, chia, perilla seeds) as
      suitable polyunsaturated fatty acid n-3 (n-3 PUFA) sources, on the lipid traits
      in the longissimus dorsi muscle and perirenal fat of growing rabbits. The fatty
      acid (FA) analyses of the diets, carried out by gas chromatography, differed over
      a wide range on the basis of the highly varied ingredients in 27 experimental
      formulations. Among the 29 identified FAs, three from feeds were catabolized in
      the rabbits, five were de novo synthesized and stored chiefly in the muscle. It
      was possible to linearly characterize the incorporation from the feed to the
      muscle of 16 FAs. This study has confirmed that the dietary inclusion of various
      raw materials could be considered as a way of enriching the n-3 PUFA of rabbit
      meat. A proposal for the prediction of n-3 PUFA from dietary alpha-linolenic acid
      (C18:3 n-3) and a panel of another 10 FAs has been made for intramuscular fat (R2
      = 0.94) and perirenal fat (R2 = 0.96). 

PMID- 26486777
TI  - Analysis of Animal Research Ethics Committee Membership at American Institutions.
AB  - Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) were created to review,
      approve and oversee animal experiments and to balance the interests of
      researchers, animals, institutions and the general public. This study analyzed
      the overall membership of IACUCs at leading U.S. research institutions. We found
      that these committees and their leadership are comprised of a preponderance of
      animal researchers, as well as other members who are affiliated with each
      institution; some of whom also work in animal laboratories. This overwhelming
      presence of animal research and institutional interests may dilute input from the
      few IACUC members representing animal welfare and the general public, contribute
      to previously-documented committee bias in favor of approving animal experiments
      and reduce the overall objectivity and effectiveness of the oversight system. 

PMID- 26486778
TI  - The Interaction Between Dietary Valine and Tryptophan Content and Their Effect on
      the Performance of Piglets.
AB  - Four experimental diets for newly weaned pigs were formulated: (1) low valine and
      low tryptophan; (2) low valine and high tryptophan; (3) high valine and low
      tryptophan and (4) high valine and high tryptophan. Dietary standardized ileal
      digestible (SID) lysine content was 1.06 g/kg. The SID valine to SID lysine ratio
      was 0.58 and 0.67 for the low and high valine diets, respectively, and SID
      tryptophan to SID lysine ratios were 0.19 and 0.22 for the low and high
      tryptophan diets, respectively. In total, 64 pens of 6 pigs (3 barrows and 3
      gilts) were divided over the four experimental treatments. No interaction between
      dietary supply of valine and tryptophan was observed (P > 0.1 for all
      parameters). Increasing the dietary valine content increased the daily feed
      intake, daily gain and gain:feed (P < 0.001 for all three parameters). Increasing
      the dietary tryptophan content improved gain:feed during the first 2 weeks (P <
      0.05) and overall (P < 0.05). Valine supply had a greater effect on performance
      results than tryptophan supply. It may thus be beneficial to provide a diet with
      an optimal dietary concentration of valine even if other amino acids are at
      suboptimal dietary levels. 

PMID- 26486779
TI  - Bias During the Evaluation of Animal Studies?
AB  - My recent book entitled The Costs and Benefits of Animal Experiments seeks to
      answer a key question within animal ethics, namely: is animal experimentation
      ethically justifiable? Or, more precisely, is it justifiable within the
      utilitarian cost:benefit framework that fundamentally underpins most regulations
      governing animal experimentation? To answer this question I reviewed more than
      500 scientific publications describing animal studies, animal welfare impacts,
      and alternative research, toxicity testing and educational methodologies. To
      minimise bias I focused primarily on large-scale systematic reviews that had
      examined the human clinical and toxicological utility of animal studies. Despite
      this, Dr. Susanne Prankel recently reviewed my book in this journal, essentially
      accusing me of bias. However, she failed to provide any substantive evidence to
      refute my conclusions, let alone evidence of similar weight to that on which they
      are based. Those conclusions are, in fact, firmly based on utilitarian ethical
      reasoning, informed by scientific evidence of considerable strength, and I
      believe they are robust. 

PMID- 26486780
TI  - Livestock Helminths in a Changing Climate: Approaches and Restrictions to
      Meaningful Predictions.
AB  - Climate change is a driving force for livestock parasite risk. This is especially
      true for helminths including the nematodes Haemonchus contortus, Teladorsagia
      circumcincta, Nematodirus battus, and the trematode Fasciola hepatica, since
      survival and development of free-living stages is chiefly affected by temperature
      and moisture. The paucity of long term predictions of helminth risk under climate
      change has driven us to explore optimal modelling approaches and identify current
      bottlenecks to generating meaningful predictions. We classify approaches as
      correlative or mechanistic, exploring their strengths and limitations. Climate is
      one aspect of a complex system and, at the farm level, husbandry has a dominant
      influence on helminth transmission. Continuing environmental change will
      necessitate the adoption of mitigation and adaptation strategies in husbandry.
      Long term predictive models need to have the architecture to incorporate these
      changes. Ultimately, an optimal modelling approach is likely to combine
      mechanistic processes and physiological thresholds with correlative bioclimatic
      modelling, incorporating changes in livestock husbandry and disease control.
      Irrespective of approach, the principal limitation to parasite predictions is the
      availability of active surveillance data and empirical data on physiological
      responses to climate variables. By combining improved empirical data and refined
      models with a broad view of the livestock system, robust projections of helminth
      risk can be developed. 

PMID- 26486781
TI  - Tourism Experiences and Self-Rated Health Among Older Adults in China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors associated with tourism experiences, and the
      association between tourism experiences and subsequent self-rated health. METHOD:
      Multilevel logistic regression models and four waves of panel data from a large
      nationally representative survey of older adults in China were employed. RESULTS:
      Those who had a tourism experience tended to be younger, men, urban residents,
      have a higher socioeconomic status (SES), and frequently participate in leisure
      activities and exercise. However, controlling for SES, women were more likely
      than men to have a tourism experience. Notably, tourism was negatively associated
      with poor self-rated health and the association was robust to adjustments for a
      wide range of confounders. DISCUSSION: The net beneficial impact of tourism on
      self-rated health may operate through several mechanisms such as improvements in
      tourists' cognitive functioning, healthy lifestyles, self-esteen, family and
      social relations, and psychological and spirtual well-being. Tourism
      participation is an effective way to promote healthy aging.

PMID- 26486782
TI  - Trajectories of Outdoor Mobility in Vulnerable Community-Dwelling Elderly: The
      Role of Individual and Environmental Factors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Outdoor mobility is critical for healthy aging, yet little is known
      about the factors influencing mobility in the frail elderly. We investigated the
      role of individual and community risk factors on trajectories of mobility in a
      population of vulnerable community-dwelling elderly. METHOD: Using data from
      1,188 older adults in Detroit, MI, who qualify for federally funded home care, a
      latent class growth analysis was used to model the frequency of going outside
      over a 15-month period. RESULTS: Four latent trajectories were found: those with
      a low, high, and declining frequency of going outdoors over time, and those who
      do not go outdoors on a regular basis. Risk factors for membership in the
      homebound and infrequent mobility groups were older age, more severe mobility
      impairment, and fear of falling. Barriers at the entry to the home were
      associated with being homebound. DISCUSSION: Declining health status and
      functional limitations are risk factors that pose a threat to outdoor mobility in
      the frail elderly, while housing barriers and community accessibility also merit
      attention.

PMID- 26486783
TI  - Associations of Daily Pedometer Steps and Self-Reported Physical Activity With
      Health-Related Quality of Life: Results From the Alberta Older Adult Health
      Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to examine associations of self-reported
      physical activity (PA) and pedometer steps with health-related quality of life
      (HRQoL) among a population-based sample of older adults. METHOD: Adults >=55
      years (N = 1,296) were recruited through random-digit dialing and responded to a
      questionnaire via computer-assisted telephone interviewing methods.
      Questionnaires assessed demographic variables and validated measures of PA and
      HRQoL. Participants received a step pedometer and waist circumference tape
      measure via post. RESULTS: Compared with participants in the low-step group (0
      6,999 steps/day), participants in the high-step group (>10,000 steps/day) had
      significantly higher scores on mental health (Mdiff = 3.1, p < .001, confidence
      intervals [CI] = [1.8, 4.3]), physical health (Mdiff = 3.5, p < .001, CI = [2.2,
      4.7]), and global health (Mdiff = 3.5, p < .001, CI = [2.3, 4.7]). Waist
      circumference and body mass index did not moderate any associations of pedometer
      steps and PA with HRQoL. CONCLUSION: Older adults exceeding established step
      thresholds reported significantly higher HRQoL indices compared with those
      achieving lower thresholds.

PMID- 26486784
TI  - Supramolecular Porphyrin Copolymer Assembled through Host-Guest Interactions and
      Metal-Ligand Coordination.
AB  - Bisporphyrin cleft molecule 1 Zn possessing a guest moiety assembled to form
      supramolecular polymers through host-guest interactions. Bispyridine cross
      linkers created interchain connections among the supramolecular polymers to form
      networked polymers in solution. Solution viscometry confirmed that the cross
      linked supramolecular polymers were highly entangled. Frequency-dependent linear
      viscoelastic spectroscopy revealed that the supramolecular polymers generated
      well-entangled solutions with associating and networking polymers, whereas the
      solid-like aggregates moved individually without breaking and reforming
      structures below the transition temperature of 9.6  degrees C. Morphological
      transition of the supramolecular polymers was evidenced by AFM images; the non
      cross-linked polymer resulted in wide-spread thin networks, while the cross
      linked networks produced thicker worm-like nanostructures. The supramolecular
      networks gelled in 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, and an elastic free-standing film
      was fabricated with a Young's modulus of 1 GPa. 

PMID- 26486785
TI  - Proteolytic fragmentation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors: a novel
      mechanism regulating channel activity?
AB  - Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3 Rs) are a family of ubiquitously
      expressed intracellular Ca(2+) release channels. Regulation of channel activity
      by Ca(2+) , nucleotides, phosphorylation, protein binding partners and other
      cellular factors is thought to play a major role in defining the specific
      spatiotemporal characteristics of intracellular Ca(2+) signals. These properties
      are, in turn, believed pivotal for the selective and specific physiological
      activation of Ca(2+) -dependent effectors. IP3 Rs are also substrates for the
      intracellular cysteine proteases, calpain and caspase. Cleavage of the IP3 R has
      been proposed to play a role in apoptotic cell death by uncoupling regions
      important for IP3 binding from the channel domain, leaving an unregulated leaky
      Ca(2+) pore. Contrary to this hypothesis, we demonstrate following proteolysis
      that N- and C-termini of IP3 R1 remain associated, presumably through non
      covalent interactions. Further, we show that complementary fragments of IP3 R1
      assemble into tetrameric structures and retain their ability to be regulated
      robustly by IP3 . While peptide continuity is clearly not necessary for IP3 
      gating of the channel, we propose that cleavage of the IP3 R peptide chain may
      alter other important regulatory events to modulate channel activity. In this
      scenario, stimulation of the cleaved IP3 R may support distinct spatiotemporal
      Ca(2+) signals and activation of specific effectors. Notably, in many adaptive
      physiological events, the non-apoptotic activities of caspase and calpain are
      demonstrated to be important, but the substrates of the proteases are poorly
      defined. We speculate that proteolytic fragmentation may represent a novel form
      of IP3 R regulation, which plays a role in varied adaptive physiological
      processes.

PMID- 26486786
TI  - Clinical and molecular response to interferon-alpha therapy in essential
      thrombocythemia patients with CALR mutations.
AB  - Myeloproliferative neoplasms are clonal disorders characterized by the presence
      of several gene mutations associated with particular hematologic parameters,
      clinical evolution, and prognosis. Few therapeutic options are available, among
      which interferon alpha (IFNalpha) presents interesting properties like the
      ability to induce hematologic responses (HRs) and molecular responses (MRs) in
      patients with JAK2 mutation. We report on the response to IFNalpha therapy in a
      cohort of 31 essential thrombocythemia (ET) patients with CALR mutations (mean
      follow-up of 11.8 years). HR was achieved in all patients. Median CALR mutant
      allelic burden (%CALR) significantly decreased from 41% at baseline to 26% after
      treatment, and 2 patients even achieved complete MR. In contrast, %CALR was not
      significantly modified in ET patients treated with hydroxyurea or aspirin only.
      Next-generation sequencing identified additional mutations in 6 patients
      (affecting TET2, ASXL1, IDH2, and TP53 genes). The presence of additional
      mutations was associated with poorer MR on CALR mutant clones, with only minor or
      no MRs in this subset of patients. Analysis of the evolution of the different
      variant allele frequencies showed that the mutated clones had a differential
      sensitivity to IFNalpha in a given patient, but no new mutation emerged during
      treatment. In all, this study shows that IFNalpha induces high rates of HRs and
      MRs in CALR-mutated ET, and that the presence of additional nondriver mutations
      may influence the MR to therapy. 

PMID- 26486788
TI  - Telomere shortening in enterocytes of patients with uncontrolled acute intestinal
      graft-versus-host disease.
AB  - Acute intestinal graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) refractory to
      immunosuppressive treatment is a serious complication after allogenic
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The underlying mechanisms of
      refractory aGVHD of the gut are not fully understood. Although telomere length
      (TL) reflects the replicative history of a cell, critically short telomeres have
      been associated with replicative exhaustion and tissue failure. In this study, we
      demonstrate that enterocytes of patients with refractory intestinal aGVHD show
      significantly increased proliferation, which translates into significant and
      critical telomere attrition following HSCT as compared with unaffected patients
      undergoing HSCT. Calculated telomere loss in aGVHD patients is 190 bp/wk, thereby
      massively exceeding physiological steady-state TL shortening rates such as in
      lymphocytes (~50 bp/y). Our data support the hypothesis that increased
      compensatory proliferation following continued tissue damage can result in
      massive telomere loss in enterocytes of aGVHD patients. The present study
      introduces aGVHD-triggered increased cellular turnover and telomere loss with
      subsequent replicative exhaustion as a mechanism for refractory gut GVHD that is
      compatible with the long-term clinical aspect of the disease and provides a basis
      for stem cell protective therapies in the treatment of aGVHD. 

PMID- 26486787
TI  - Identification of the Ki-1 antigen (CD30) as a novel therapeutic target in
      systemic mastocytosis.
AB  - The Ki-1 antigen (CD30) is an established therapeutic target in patients with
      Hodgkin lymphoma and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. We have recently shown that
      CD30 is expressed abundantly in the cytoplasm of neoplastic mast cells (MCs) in
      patients with advanced systemic mastocytosis (SM). In the current study, we asked
      whether CD30 is expressed on the surface of neoplastic MCs in advanced SM, and
      whether this surface structure may serve as therapeutic target in SM. As assessed
      by flow cytometry, CD30 was found to be expressed on the surface of neoplastic
      MCs in 3 of 25 patients (12%) with indolent SM, 4 of 7 patients (57%) with
      aggressive SM, and 4 of 7 patients (57%) with MC leukemia. The immature RAS
      transformed human MC line MCPV-1.1 also expressed cell surface CD30, whereas the
      KIT-transformed MC line HMC-1.2 expressed no detectable CD30. The CD30-targeting
      antibody-conjugate brentuximab-vedotin inhibited proliferation in neoplastic MCs,
      with lower IC50 values obtained in CD30(+) MCPV-1.1 cells (10 ug/mL) compared
      with CD30(-) HMC-1.2 cells (>50 ug/mL). In addition, brentuximab-vedotin
      suppressed the engraftment of MCPV-1.1 cells in NSG mice. Moreover, brentuximab
      vedotin produced apoptosis in all CD30(+) MC lines tested as well as in primary
      neoplastic MCs in patients with CD30(+) SM, but did not induce apoptosis in
      neoplastic MCs in patients with CD30(-) SM. Furthermore, brentuximab-vedotin was
      found to downregulate anti-IgE-induced histamine release in CD30(+) MCs. Finally,
      brentuximab-vedotin and the KIT D816V-targeting drug PKC412 produced synergistic
      growth-inhibitory effects in MCPV-1.1 cells. Together, CD30 is a promising new
      drug target for patients with CD30(+) advanced SM. 

PMID- 26486789
TI  - Long-term remissions after FCR chemoimmunotherapy in previously untreated
      patients with CLL: updated results of the CLL8 trial.
AB  - Despite promising results with targeted drugs, chemoimmunotherapy with
      fludarabine, cyclophosphamide (FC), and rituximab (R) remains the standard
      therapy for fit patients with untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
      Herein, we present the long-term follow-up of the randomized CLL8 trial reporting
      safety and efficacy of FC and FCR treatment of 817 treatment-naive patients with
      CLL. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). With a median
      follow-up of 5.9 years, median PFS were 56.8 and 32.9 months for the FCR and FC
      group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50-0.69, P <
      .001). Median overall survival (OS) was not reached for the FCR group and was
      86.0 months for the FC group (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54-0.89, P = .001). In patients
      with mutated IGHV (IGHV MUT), FCR improved PFS and OS compared with FC (PFS: HR,
      0.47; 95% CI, 0.33-0.68, P < .001; OS: HR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.34-1.11, P = .1). This
      improvement remained applicable for all cytogenetic subgroups other than
      del(17p). Long-term safety analyses showed that FCR had a higher rate of
      prolonged neutropenia during the first year after treatment (16.6% vs 8.8%; P =
      .007). Secondary malignancies including Richter's transformation occurred in
      13.1% in the FCR group and in 17.4% in the FC group (P = .1). First-line
      chemoimmunotherapy with FCR induces long-term remissions and highly relevant
      improvement in OS in specific genetic subgroups of fit patients with CLL, in
      particular those with IGHV MUT. This trial was registered at
      www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00281918.

PMID- 26486790
TI  - The Effect of Digestion and Drug Load on Halofantrine Absorption from Self
      nanoemulsifying Drug Delivery System (SNEDDS).
AB  - A super-saturated self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (super-SNEDDS),
      containing the poorly water-soluble drug halofantrine (Hf) at 150% of equilibrium
      solubility (S eq), was compared in vitro and in vivo with a conventional SNEDDS
      (75% of S eq) with respect to bioavailability and digestibility. Further, the
      effect of digestion on oral absorption of Hf from SNEDDS and super-SNEDDS was
      assessed by incorporation of the lipase inhibitor tetrahydrolipstatin (orlistat)
      into the SNEDDS. The SNEDDS contained soybean oil/Maisine 34-I (1:1), Kolliphor
      RH40, and ethanol at a ratio of 55:35:10, w/w percent. For the dynamic in vitro
      lipolysis, the precipitation of Hf at 60 min was significantly larger for the
      super-SNEDDS (66.8 +/- 16.4%) than for the SNEDDS (18.5 +/- 9.2%). The inhibition
      of the in vitro digestion by orlistat (1% (w/w)) lowered drug precipitation
      significantly for both the super-SNEDDS (36.8 +/- 1.7%) and the SNEDDS (3.9 +/-
      0.7%). In the in vivo studies, the super-SNEDDS concept proved valid in a rat
      model with a significantly larger C max for the super-SNEDDS (964 +/- 167 ng/mL)
      than for the SNEDDS (506 +/- 112 ng/mL). The bioavailability of Hf dosed in super
      SNEDDS (32.9 +/- 3.6%) and SNEDDS (22.5 +/- 6.3%) did not change significantly
      with co-administration of orlistat (45.5 +/- 7.3% and 21.9 +/- 6.5%,
      respectively). However, the pharmacokinetic parameters changed; the t max of the
      super-SNEDDS (1.3 +/- 0.1 h) and SNEDDS (2.8 +/- 1.2 h) were significantly lower
      when dosed with orlistat (6.0 +/- 1.3 and 6.3 +/- 1.2 h, respectively). These
      findings suggest that the role of lipid digestion for the absorption of drugs
      from SNEDDS may be less important than previously thought.

PMID- 26486791
TI  - Prevention of Stroke in Rheumatoid Arthritis.
AB  - The risk of cerebrovascular disease is increased among rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
      patients and remains an underserved area of medical need. Only a minor proportion
      of RA patients achieve suitable stroke prevention. Classical cardiovascular risk
      factors appear to be under-diagnosed and undertreated among patients with RA.
      Reducing the inflammatory burden is also necessary to lower the cardiovascular
      risk. An adequate control of disease activity and cerebrovascular risk assessment
      using national guidelines should be recommended for all patients with RA. For
      patients with a documented history of cerebrovascular or cardiovascular risk
      factors, smoking cessation and corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti
      inflammatory drugs at the lowest dose possible are crucial. Risk score models
      should be adapted for patients with RA by introducing a 1.5 multiplication
      factor, and their results interpreted to appropriately direct clinical care.
      Statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and angiotensin-II receptor
      blockers are preferred treatment options. Biologic and non-biologic disease
      modifying anti-rheumatic drugs should be initiated early to mitigate the
      necessity of symptom control drugs and to achieve early alleviation of the
      inflammatory state. Early control can improve vascular compliance, decrease
      atherosclerosis, improve overall lipid and metabolic profiles, and reduce the
      incidence of heart disease that may lead to atrial fibrillation. In patients with
      significant cervical spine involvement, early intervention and improved disease
      control are necessary and may prevent further mechanical vascular injury. 

PMID- 26486792
TI  - Clinical Relevance of Orthostatic Hypotension in Neurodegenerative Disease.
AB  - The autonomic nervous system appears to be uniquely susceptible to degeneration
      in disorders of alpha-synuclein pathology. Clinically, autonomic dysfunction in
      these disorders manifests as neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (nOH), a
      condition that results in substantial morbidity and mortality. nOH results from
      pathology affecting either the central autonomic pathways or peripheral autonomic
      nerve fibers. Determining the localization and pathophysiology of nOH is critical
      in effectively managing this disorder and selecting appropriate treatment
      options. In this review, we discuss the pathophysiology of nOH with respect to
      the various alpha-synuclein-related neurodegenerative conditions. We highlight
      the associated clinical features, including gait instability, rapid eye movement
      behavior disorder, and hyposmia. We also review the current pharmacologic
      treatment options for nOH. Overall, the goals of therapy are to improve symptoms
      and prevent syncope and falls. Non-pharmacologic interventions should be
      introduced first, followed by carefully selected pharmacologic therapies.
      Treatment decisions should be directed by an understanding of the underlying
      pathophysiology, as well as the comorbidities and potential contributing factors
      present in each individual patient. 

PMID- 26486793
TI  - Magnetic Targeting and Delivery of Drug-Loaded SWCNTs Theranostic Nanoprobes to
      Lung Metastasis in Breast Cancer Animal Model: Noninvasive Monitoring Using
      Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: In this study, we aimed to develop novel therapeutic and diagnostic
      approaches by improving the targeting of doxorubicin-loaded single-walled carbon
      nanotubes (SWCNTs) to metastatic regions, and monitor their preferential homing
      and enhanced therapeutic effect using noninvasive free-breathing magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) and bioluminescence imaging. PROCEDURES: High-energy
      flexible magnets were specifically positioned over the metastatic tumor sites in
      the lungs. SWCNTs biodistribution, tumor progression, and subsequent treatment
      efficiency were assessed following administration of the magnetically attracted
      doxorubicin-loaded anti-CD105 conjugated nanocarriers. RESULTS: The use of high
      energy magnets offered improved theranostic effect of doxorubicin-loaded
      nanocarriers, by magnetically targeting them towards metastatic tumor sites in
      the lungs. MRI allowed sensitive monitoring of nanocarriers biodistribution in
      the abdominal organs, their preferential homing towards the metastatic sites, and
      their enhanced therapeutic effect. CONCLUSIONS: Combination of noninvasive MRI to
      localize sensitively the tumor sites, with specific positioning of magnets that
      can enhance the magnetic targeting of nanocarriers, allowed increasing the
      treatment efficiency.

PMID- 26486794
TI  - Perceiving and expressing feelings through actions in relation to individual
      differences in empathic traits: the Action and Feelings Questionnaire (AFQ).
AB  - Empathy is usually conceived of as independent of the non-verbal behaviors which
      mediate its experience, though embodied cognition theory predicts that individual
      differences in action representation will affect empathic traits. The "Actions
      and Feelings Questionnaire" (AFQ) was designed to capture individual differences
      in self-awareness of own and others' actions, particularly those associated with
      feelings, which we predicted would correlate with levels of empathic traits. A
      pilot 30-item questionnaire included items on perceptual sensitivity to action,
      imitation, action imagery, and gestural and facial expression. It was completed
      by a sample of 278 adults (mean age 21.2 years; 189 females, 89 males) along with
      the 15-item Empathic Quotient (EQ) Questionnaire. Total scores on the final 18
      item questionnaire showed strong internal coherence (Cronbach's alpha of 0.81)
      and test-retest reliability (ICC=0.88), marked effect of sex and highly
      significant correlation with EQ. The questionnaire was administered to
      participants in an fMRI study investigating the neural correlates of facial
      imitation. Total AFQ score correlated with activity in somatosensory cortex,
      insula, anterior cingulate, and visual cortex. The AFQ shows promise as a brief
      and simple self-report measure sensitive to variability in the self-awareness of
      actions associated with feelings. It suggests that much of the variability of
      empathic traits in typical populations is accounted for by variance in this
      capacity. We suggest that being more empathic really is about being "touchy
      feely," and this questionnaire provides a novel measure of action-based empathy.

PMID- 26486795
TI  - Impact of a Pediatric Dermatology Service on Emergency Department Utilization for
      Children with Dermatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic pediatric skin
      disease, and it can profoundly affect a family's quality of life. Children with
      flaring AD often seek treatment in emergency departments (EDs), which leads to
      expensive care and ineffective long-term disease control. OBJECTIVES: The
      objective of the current study was to determine the effect of a pediatric
      dermatology service (PDS) on ED use and charges and of disease outcomes for
      patients diagnosed with AD before and after establishing an intramural PDS.
      METHODS: This retrospective study reviewed electronic medical records of patients
      presenting to an urban children's hospital ED with diagnoses encompassing the
      terms AD, eczema, dermatitis and International Classification of Diseases, Ninth
      Revision (ICD-9) codes 691.8 and 692.9 during the year before (pre-PDS period)
      and 3 years after establishing a PDS. RESULTS: There were 205 ED visits for
      dermatitis in the pre-PDS period and 130 in the with-PDS period, a 36.6% decrease
      (p < 0.001). In the pre-PDS period, 53.7% (n = 110/205) of patients presenting to
      the ED had moderate dermatitis, compared with 26.2% (n = 34/130) in the with-PDS
      period, a 69.1% decrease (p < 0.001). Total ED charges were $142,885 for the pre
      PDS period and $90,610 for the with-PDS period, a $52,275 decrease. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study provides a salient example of achieving the triple aim of health care
      reform: improving health outcomes (decreased ED visits) improving the patient
      experience (transitioning care from the ED to the more appropriate ambulatory
      clinical setting), and decreasing the cost of care (decreased ED charges).

PMID- 26486796
TI  - Application of omics data in regulatory toxicology: report of an international
      BfR expert workshop.
AB  - Advances in omics techniques and molecular toxicology are necessary to provide
      new perspectives for regulatory toxicology. By the application of modern
      molecular techniques, more mechanistic information should be gained to support
      standard toxicity studies and to contribute to a reduction and refinement of
      animal experiments required for certain regulatory purposes. The relevance and
      applicability of data obtained by omics methods to regulatory purposes such as
      grouping of chemicals, mode of action analysis or classification and labelling
      needs further improvement, defined validation and cautious expert judgment. Based
      on the results of an international expert workshop organized 2014 by the Federal
      Institute for Risk Assessment in Berlin, this paper is aimed to provide a
      critical overview of the regulatory relevance and reliability of omics methods,
      basic requirements on data quality and validation, as well as regulatory criteria
      to decide which effects observed by omics methods should be considered adverse or
      non-adverse. As a way forward, it was concluded that the inclusion of omics data
      can facilitate a more flexible approach for regulatory risk assessment and may
      help to reduce or refine animal testing. 

PMID- 26486797
TI  - Progression and inflammation of human myeloid leukemia induced by ambient PM2.5
      exposure.
AB  - PM2.5 (aerodynamic diameter <=2.5 MUm) has been a dominating and ubiquitous air
      pollutant and has become a global concern. Emerging evidences suggest a positive
      correlation between PM2.5 and leukemia, but the underlying molecular mechanisms
      remain unclear and need to be elucidated. Here, we assessed the impacts of PM2.5
      on the progression and inflammation of human myeloid leukemia at lower
      environmental doses and explored the possible pathway. We showed that PM2.5
      exposure significantly induced the leukemia cell growth and enhanced the release
      of inflammatory mediators in both in vitro and in vivo models. Additionally, NF
      kappaB p65 and p-STAT3 were activated in PM2.5-treated leukemia cells, with a
      concomitant increase in both ROS formation and NADPH oxidase expressions.
      Strikingly, the supplement of inhibitors, including NAC (ROS), PDTC (NF-kappaB),
      or WP1066 (STAT3), contributed to a decline in leukemia cell growth. Furthermore,
      enhanced expressions of inflammatory cytokines were attenuated by the addition of
      NAC or PDTC, but not affected by WP1066. This study demonstrates that PM2.5
      promotes leukemia progression, identifies a potential intervention target, and
      provides further understanding of the detrimental effect of PM2.5 exposure on
      human health. 

PMID- 26486800
TI  - Management of Pediatric Migraine Headache in the Emergency Room and Infusion
      Center.
AB  - Migraine is a common disorder that starts at an early age and takes a variable
      pattern from intermittent to chronic headache with several exacerbations
      throughout a lifetime. Children and adolescents are significantly affected. If an
      acute headache is not aborted by outpatient migraine therapy, it often causes
      severe disability, preventing the child from attending school and social events.
      Treating the acute severe headache aggressively helps prevent prolonged
      disability as well as possible chronification. Multiple medications are
      available, mostly for the outpatient management of an attack and include the use
      of over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications as well as prescribed
      medications in the triptan group. These therapies do sometime fail and the
      exacerbation can last from days to weeks. If the headache lasts 72 hours or
      longer it will fall in the category of status migrainosus. Status migrainosus is
      described as a severe disabling headache lasting 72 hours or more by the ICHD3
      criteria. Disability is a major issue in children and adolescents and aggressive
      acute measures are to be taken to control it as soon as possible. Early
      aggressive intravenous therapy can be very effective in breaking the attack and
      allowing the child to be quickly back to normal functioning. This article reviews
      what is available for the treatment of pediatric primary headaches in the
      emergency room. 

PMID- 26486801
TI  - Alternative Splicing in the Human PMP22 Gene: Implications in CMT1A Neuropathy.
AB  - CMT1A patients commonly share PMP22 genetic overloading but they show phenotypic
      heterogeneity and variability in PMP22 mRNA and protein expression. Moreover,
      PMP22 mRNA levels do not correlate with clinical outcome measures in these
      patients, suggesting their uselessness as a disease biomarker. Thus, in-depth
      analysis of PMP22 transcription and translation might help to define its
      pathogenic role in CMT1A. We focused on the alternative splicing of PMP22 gene to
      verify whether mRNA processing is altered in CMT1A. We identified three new PMP22
      transcripts enriched in human sural nerve biopsies. One of them was an
      untranslated variant, whereas the other two originated from a PMP22 undescribed
      exon and encoded for a new putative protein localized in the endoplasmic
      reticulum. As splicing events in the PMP22 gene are differently regulated in
      tissues and during development, we analyzed the levels of PMP22 transcripts and
      their splicing pattern in human and experimental CMT1A. We found an altered PMP22
      splicing ratio in the CMT1A rat. In addition, we showed a remarkable derangement
      in rat QKI expression, which is a critical regulator of splicing during
      myelination. Overall, our data suggest that an alteration of mRNA processing
      could be a pathogenic mechanism in CMT1A. 

PMID- 26486802
TI  - Evolutionary dynamics of collective index insurance.
AB  - Index-based insurances offer promising opportunities for climate-risk investments
      in developing countries. Indeed, contracts conditional on, e.g., weather or
      livestock indexes can be cheaper to set up than conventional indemnity-based
      insurances, while offering a safety net to vulnerable households, allowing them
      to eventually escape poverty traps. Moreover, transaction costs by insurance
      companies may be additionally reduced if contracts, instead of arranged with
      single households, are endorsed by collectives of households that bear the
      responsibility of managing the division of the insurance coverage by its members
      whenever the index is surpassed, allowing for additional flexibility in what
      concerns risk-sharing and also allowing insurance companies to avoid the costs
      associated with moral hazard. Here we resort to a population dynamics framework
      to investigate under which conditions household collectives may find collective
      index insurances attractive, when compared with individual index insurances. We
      assume risk sharing among the participants of each collective, and model
      collective action in terms of an N-person threshold game. Compared to less
      affordable individual index insurances, we show how collective index insurances
      lead to a coordination problem in which the adoption of index insurances may
      become the optimal decision, spreading index insurance coverage to the entire
      population. We further investigate the role of risk-averse and risk-prone
      behaviors, as well as the role of partial correlation between insurance coverage
      and actual loss of crops, and in which way these affect the original coordination
      thresholds. 

PMID- 26486803
TI  - Influences of carbon concentration on crystal structures and ideal strengths of
      B2CxO compounds in the B-C-O system.
AB  - The search for novel superhard materials with special structures and improved
      thermal stability and hardness remains considerably experimental and theoretical
      challenges. Recent reports proposed that higher carbon content in ternary B2CxO
      compounds, which are isoelectronic with diamond, would lead to increased strength
      and hardness. This notion was derived from the calculated elastic parameters and
      empirical hardness formulas based on structural and electronic properties of the
      equilibrium structures. In present work, we introduce three potential ultra
      incompressible and thermodynamically stable B2CxO (x >= 2) phases via a
      systematic particle swarm optimization algorithm structure searches. By
      evaluating the trends of the crystal configuration, electronic structure, and
      mechanical properties as a function of the C concentration, it is found that the
      high carbon concentration benefits the formation of the sp(3) C-C covalent bonds
      and leads to the enhanced elastic moduli and ideal strengths in these B2CxO
      compounds. Studies of strain-stress behavior at large deformation, however,
      indicate that all these B2CxO compounds possess substantially lower ideal shear
      strengths than those of diamond and c-BN, suggesting that they may not be
      intrinsically superhard. 

PMID- 26486804
TI  - Continent-scale global change attribution in European birds - combining annual
      and decadal time scales.
AB  - Species attributes are commonly used to infer impacts of environmental change on
      multiyear species trends, e.g. decadal changes in population size. However, by
      themselves attributes are of limited value in global change attribution since
      they do not measure the changing environment. A broader foundation for
      attributing species responses to global change may be achieved by complementing
      an attributes-based approach by one estimating the relationship between repeated
      measures of organismal and environmental changes over short time scales. To
      assess the benefit of this multiscale perspective, we investigate the recent
      impact of multiple environmental changes on European farmland birds, here
      focusing on climate change and land use change. We analyze more than 800 time
      series from 18 countries spanning the past two decades. Analysis of long-term
      population growth rates documents simultaneous responses that can be attributed
      to both climate change and land-use change, including long-term increases in
      populations of hot-dwelling species and declines in long-distance migrants and
      farmland specialists. In contrast, analysis of annual growth rates yield novel
      insights into the potential mechanisms driving long-term climate induced change.
      In particular, we find that birds are affected by winter, spring, and summer
      conditions depending on the distinct breeding phenology that corresponds to their
      migratory strategy. Birds in general benefit from higher temperatures or higher
      primary productivity early on or in the peak of the breeding season with the
      largest effect sizes observed in cooler parts of species' climatic ranges. Our
      results document the potential of combining time scales and integrating both
      species attributes and environmental variables for global change attribution. We
      suggest such an approach will be of general use when high-resolution time series
      are available in large-scale biodiversity surveys. 

PMID- 26486805
TI  - Photogalvanic effect in monolayer black phosphorus.
AB  - We report a first-principles theoretical approach for analyzing linear and
      circular photogalvanic effects (PGEs) based on density functional theory within
      the nonequilibrium Green's function formalism. Using this approach we investigate
      the PGE phenomena in monolayer black phosphorus (MBP) doped with sulfur atoms.
      The impurity doping breaks the space inversion symmetry of pristine MBP, leading
      to a C s symmetry with a mirror reflection plane normal to the zigzag direction
      of the MBP lattice. Governed by this symmetry, a linear PGE is induced in both
      zigzag and armchair directions, and a circular PGE is induced along the zigzag
      direction. A robust broadband photoresponse is found from the near-infrared to
      the visible range for the MBP device. There is a strong anisotropy in PGE:
      photoresponse in the zigzag direction can be larger by an order of magnitude than
      that in the armchair direction. We identify the origin of the observed PGE as the
      inter-band transitions from the impurity and valence bands to the conduction
      bands, which involves a transfer of angular momentum from photons to electrons. 

PMID- 26486799
TI  - Hospital and intensive care unit management of decompensated pulmonary
      hypertension and right ventricular failure.
AB  - Pulmonary hypertension and concomitant right ventricular failure present a
      diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in the intensive care unit and have been
      associated with a high mortality. Significant co-morbidities and hemodynamic
      instability are often present, and routine critical care unit resuscitation may
      worsen hemodynamics and limit the chances of survival in patients with an already
      underlying poor prognosis. Right ventricular failure results from structural or
      functional processes that limit the right ventricle's ability to maintain
      adequate cardiac output. It is commonly seen as the result of left heart failure,
      acute pulmonary embolism, progression or decompensation of pulmonary
      hypertension, sepsis, acute lung injury, or in the perioperative setting. Prompt
      recognition of the underlying cause and institution of treatment with a thorough
      understanding of the elements necessary to optimize preload, cardiac
      contractility, enhance systemic arterial perfusion, and reduce right ventricular
      afterload are of paramount importance. Moreover, the emergence of previously
      uncommon entities in patients with pulmonary hypertension (pregnancy, sepsis,
      liver disease, etc.) and the availability of modern devices to provide support
      pose additional challenges that must be addressed with an in-depth knowledge of
      this disease.

PMID- 26486806
TI  - Post-hemodialysis dosing of 1 vs. 2 g of ceftazidime in anuric end-stage renal
      disease patients on low-flux dialysis and its pharmacodynamic implications on
      clinical use.
AB  - Ceftazidime is a cost-effective antimicrobial against Gram-negative pathogens
      associated with sepsis in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) hemodialysis patients
      with potential for wider use with the advent of ceftazidime-avibactam. Dosing
      ceftazidime post-hemodialysis appears attractive and convenient, but limited in
      vivo data on pharmacodynamic efficacy (PE) attainment, defined as >70% of the
      interdialytic period drug concentrations exceed susceptible pathogens minimal
      inhibitory concentrations (MICs) (%TMIC), warrants further assessment. We
      therefore evaluated PE and tolerability of 1 against 2 g regime in anuric ESRD
      patients on low-flux hemodialysis. Two doses of 1 or 2 g ceftazidime were
      administered post-hemodialysis prior to 48- and 72-hour interdialytic intervals
      in ESRD inpatients without active infections. Peak and trough concentrations
      (mg/L) were assayed using a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry method. Proportion of patients achieving PE for known pathogens with
      MICs <= 8 mg/L and adverse effects were assessed. Six (43%) and eight (57%) adult
      patients received 1 and 2 g dose, respectively. Median (25th-75th percentile),
      peak, 48- and 72-hour trough ceftazidime concentrations were 78 (60-98) vs. 158
      (128-196), 37 (23-37) vs. 49 (39-71), and 13 (12-20) vs. 26 (21-41) mg/L,
      respectively, resulting in 100% TMIC for both doses. One patient on the 1-g dose
      experienced mild pruritus. Reliable and safe PE attainment over both 48- and 72
      hour interdialytic interval was achievable with 1 g of ceftazidime dosed post
      hemodialysis. The 2 g dose was equally effective and well tolerated but may not
      be necessary. These findings need validation in non-anuric patients, high-flux
      hemodialysis, and during avibactam co-administration. 

PMID- 26486809
TI  - Prospective measures of cerebral atrophy and perfusion among cognitively intact
      stroke patients.
AB  - Cerebral atrophy, tissue densities, and local perfusions were measured
      prospectively utilizing computed tomography among 19 cognitively intact stroke
      patients and 24 age-matched cognitively and neurologically normal controls. Mean
      follow-up intervals were 27.0 months for stroke patients and 31.0 months for
      controls. Stroke patients were treated by controlling risk factors and
      antiplatelet drugs. Cognitive testing remained normal among patients and
      controls. Among stroke patients, annual rates for cerebral atrophic indices were
      +3.4%, for ventricular enlargement +6.9%, for subarachnoid space enlargement
      +0.1%, and for cortical atrophy -2.5%. Annual reductions in cerebral perfusion,
      per 100 g brain/min, for cortex were total, -2.3 ml; frontal -3.8 ml; temporal, 
      2.4 ml; occipital, 2.0 ml; basal ganglia, -2.3 ml; and thalamus -3.8 ml. Annual
      decreases in local Hounsfield unit (LHU) densities for cortex were total, -0.6
      HU; frontal, -0.8 HU; and temporal, -0.4 HU. Among controls, annual rates for
      cortical atrophy were -1.0% and for declines in cerebral perfusion were -0.7 ml
      for total cortex, and -1.4 ml for temporal cortex. Annual decreases in HU
      densities were total cortex, -0.6 HU; frontal, -0.9 HU; and temporal -0.4 HU.
      Among cognitively intact stroke patients, annual rates for cerebral atrophy and
      reductions in cerebral cortical perfusion were accelerated by more than three
      times those seen among agematched controls but were significantly less than
      similar measures among stroke patients with dementia. 

PMID- 26486807
TI  - Evaluation of an Electrochemical Point-of-Care Meter for Measuring Glucose
      Concentration in Blood from Periparturient Dairy Cattle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Precision Xtra((r)) meter is a promising low cost electrochemical
      point-of-care unit for measuring blood glucose concentration ([gluc]) in cattle
      blood. The meter uses an algorithm that assumes the intra-erythrocyte [gluc]
      equals the plasma [gluc] on a molal basis, and that the hematocrit is similar in
      humans and cattle. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to determine the
      accuracy of the meter for measuring plasma [gluc] in dairy cattle. Secondary
      objectives were to characterize the influence of hematocrit and sample
      temperature on the measured value for [gluc]. ANIMALS: A total of 106
      periparturient Holstein-Friesian cattle. METHODS: Blood and plasma samples
      (1,109) were obtained and Deming regression and Bland-Altman plots were used to
      determine the accuracy of the meter against the reference method (plasma
      hexokinase assay). Multivariable regression and linear regression were used to
      determine the effect of hematocrit and sample temperature on the plasma [gluc]
      measured by the meter. RESULTS: Intra-erythrocyte [gluc] was 18% of plasma [gluc]
      on a molar basis. Sample temperature had a significant linear effect on plasma
      [gluc] as measured by the meter for 3/5 plasma samples when measured [gluc] > 160
      mg/dL. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The meter utilizes an algorithm that
      is optimized for human blood and is inaccurate when applied to bovine blood.
      Until a cattle-specific algorithm is developed, we recommend using plasma as the
      analyte instead of blood and calculating plasma [gluc] using the equation: [gluc]
      = 0.66 * [gluc]p-meter + 15, where [gluc]p-meter is the value reported by the
      meter. If blood is measured, then we recommend using the equation: [gluc] = 0.90
      * [gluc]b-meter + 15.

PMID- 26486810
TI  - Transcranial Doppler "High Intensity Transient Signals" in the acute phase and
      long-term follow-up of mechanical heart valve implantation.
AB  - Patients have a significant risk for suffering from stroke caused by cardiac
      emboli following prosthetic valve implantation. It is known that cerebral emboli
      present with "high intensity transient signals" (HITS) in transcranial Doppler
      (TCD) spectral curves. The purpose of this research was to look for possible HITS
      in the acute phase and long-term follow-up of mechanical heart valve implantation
      with TCD to correlate the number of HITS with clinical symptoms and to find
      parameters associated with an increase or decrease in HITS in patients with
      prosthetic heart valves. We examined the frequency of HITS after mechanical valve
      replacement with TCD in the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) for a period of 15
      min. A total of 179 patients were investigated. One-hundred patients were
      examined at intervals between 1 and 33 days (Group 1) and 79 patients between 10
      and 13 months (Group 2) after valve replacement. These data were correlated with
      neurological deficits and hematological parameters. In Group 1, at least one HITS
      could be detected by TCD in 65 patients (65%). There were no differences between
      sexes or in valve location, heart rhythm, and thromboplastin time between
      patients with and without HITS. The prevalence of HITS in valve types other than
      St. Jude and Medtronic Hall was significantly higher (p = 0.004). Ninety-three of
      the patients in Group 1 were neurologically asymptomatic; seven patients suffered
      from a hemispheric deficit after valve implantation. The neurologically
      symptomatic patients presented with a significantly higher HITS rate (10.9 +/-
      8.3; mean +/- SD) than the neurologically asymptomatic patients (4.4 +/- 12.3).
      One year after surgery (Group 2), the prevalence of HITS was 77%. The number of
      HITS in Group 2 was significantly higher than in Group 1 (p = 0.003). Following
      valve replacement, patients present with a high frequency of HITS. Symptomatic
      patients have a significantly higher rate of HITS than asymptomatic patients in
      the acute postoperative period. Thus, TCD examination may be used as an
      additional method to evaluate the individual risk for cerebral ischemia in the
      acute phase of heart valve implantation. 

PMID- 26486811
TI  - Risk factors for thromboembolism during aspirin therapy in patients with atrial
      fibrillation: The stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation study.
AB  - Although atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with ischemic stroke, some AF
      patients have an inherently low rate of thromboembolism. Additional AF patients
      might have a low thromboembolic rate when given aspirin. We undertook exploratory
      analyses to identify patient features related to thromboembolism during aspirin
      therapy, as the basis for the design of a clinical trial. A cohort of 854
      patients given aspirin 325 mg/day and followed for a mean of 2.3 years in a
      clinical trial was analyzed. Clinical and echocardiographic features at study
      entry were correlated with subsequent arterial thromboembolism by multivariate
      analysis. AF patients given aspirin who had high thromboembolic rates were women
      over age 75 years (10.4%/year) and those of either gender with systolic blood
      pressure > 160 T (7.6%/year), prior thromboembolism (6.4%/year), and impaired
      left ventricular function (5.5%/year). AF patients with one or more of these
      features had a thromboembolic rate of 5.9%/year (95% CI 4.5-7.8) during aspirin
      therapy. Patients without these features comprised 52% of the cohort and had a
      thromboembolic rate of 1.9% per year (95% CI, 1.2-2.9). Most strokes in all
      subgroups were classified as cardioembolic; the highest rate of cardioembolic
      stroke occurred in elderly women (6.1%/year). These exploratory analyses suggest
      that many AF patients may have a relatively low thromboembolic rate when given
      aspirin, but the findings must be independently confirmed before being applied to
      clinical management. Pathogenic mediators of high-risk features and aspirin
      responsiveness are unclear. 

PMID- 26486812
TI  - Evident risk factors for younger stroke patients in Taiwan.
AB  - Risk factors for stroke in the young are often different from those in older
      patients. Since a rather high incidence of stroke exists in Taiwan, we
      prospectively studied risk factors in 208 stroke patients aged between 15 and 45
      years seen in four main hospitals in Taiwan from 1986 to 1993. Of the 116
      patients with cerebral infarction, 48 (41.4%) had related premature
      atherosclerosis mainly caused by hypertension (18.1%), hyperlipidemia (4.3%), and
      diabetes mellitus (3.4%). Thirty-four patients (29.3%) had an identifiable
      predisposing factor of cardiac origin including valvular diseases. In 92 patients
      with cerebral hemorrhage, hypertension was present in 30 patients (32.6%) and a
      vascular malformation of brain in 21 patients (22.8%). For a specific district in
      Taiwan, the major risk factors for strokes in younger patients were hypertension,
      rheumatic heart disease, and vascular malformation of brain. Cardiac and
      neuroradiologic investigations are particularly indicative, and clinical effort
      in the management of these treatable causes needs emphasis. 

PMID- 26486813
TI  - Loss of autoregulation in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.
AB  - We evaluated cerebral vasomotor reactivity to acetazolamide in seven consecutive
      patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) with transcranial Doppler to
      evaluate autoregulation of cerebral blood flow in acute ICH. Two patients had
      prominent loss of vasoreactivity to acetazolamide stimulation. This suggests that
      autoregulation may be impaired in some patients with acute ICH. Further studies
      are required to determine the clinical implications of loss of autoregulation in
      acute phase of ICH. 

PMID- 26486814
TI  - Cytokine and superoxide production in clinical stroke.
AB  - Cytokines appear to play an important role in a variety of central nervous system
      (CNS) diseases and may be involved in ischemia. Activated leukocytes are a major
      source of cytokines and other inflammatory mediators that may directly injure
      ischemic CNS tissue. To investigate the importance of these substances in
      clinical stroke, we compared spontaneous secretion of IL-lbeta, IL-6, IL-8, and
      superoxide production from neutrophils (PMN) and mononuclear cells (MNC) isolated
      from either acute stroke patients (n = 10) or matched controls (n = 10). Cytokine
      production from 5 * 10(6) cells incubated for 24 h was determined by ELISA. MNC
      from acute stroke patients secreted significantly less IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL-8
      than MNC from control patients. No significant cytokine production was detected
      from PMN. Superoxide production from 1.25 * 10(5) cells was determined over 1 h
      measuring cytochrome C reduction. There was a trend toward higher superoxide
      production in PMN from acute stroke patients, whereas the superoxide production
      in MNC from acute stroke patients was significantly higher than that of control
      MNC. This difference persisted even when various agonists were added
      preincubation. This study suggests that MNC spontaneous cytokine secretion is
      reduced in acute stroke patients, whereas superoxide production is increased.
      This decreased cytokine production may be secondary to the effects of a cytokine
      inhibitory factor. 

PMID- 26486815
TI  - Unilateral oval pupil with good outcome: Report of two cases.
AB  - Unilateral oval pupil has numerous causes, and several pathophysiologic
      mechanisms have been proposed. Prognosis is nearly universally poor. We present
      two patients, an 86-year-old woman and a 61-year-old woman, who developed coma
      and unilateral oval pupil due to ischemia and hypoglycemia, respectively. In the
      second case, a discrete area of ipsilateral brainstem ischemia was demonstrated
      by magnetic resonance imaging. Both patients recovered. The prognosis for
      comatose patients with unilateral oval pupil is not universally poor. 

PMID- 26486816
TI  - Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: A neurological perspective.
AB  - We report 17 cases of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) admitted to
      Indiana University Medical Center (IUMC) between January 1985 and December 1994.
      There were 11 women and 6 men ranging in age from 17 to 70 years. Fifteen
      patients had impaired mental status during hospitalization, and seven had
      seizures. Patients were treated with different therapeutic modalities including
      corticosteroids, aspirin, plasma transfusions, splenectomy, and plasma exchange.
      Neither neurological status on admission nor seizures was predictive of outcome.
      Presence of underlying disorders did not alter outcome or treatment response.
      Three patients died during hospitalization, and three developed end-stage renal
      disease. The presence of confusion, seizures, thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic
      hemolytic anemia, and renal failure should alert the clinician to the possibility
      of TTP and the need for prompt administration of plasma exchange. 

PMID- 26486817
TI  - Prognostic significance of ST-segment depression on continuous
      electrocardiography in patients with acute ischemic neurologic events.
AB  - Patients with a history of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) are
      at significant risk of cardiac death. This study reports the prognostic
      significance of ST-segment depression and ventricular tachycardia on continuous
      electrocardiography in 48 consecutive patients hospitalized with an acute
      ischemic stroke or TIA. Thirty-one percent of patients had episodes of
      asymptomatic ST-segment depression and 6% had transient ventricular tachycardia
      on continuous electrocardiographic monitoring. At a mean follow-up of 13 months,
      19% had experienced a cardiac outcome, and 19% met criteria for a neurologic
      outcome. Cardiac and neurologic outcomes, including death, were not significantly
      different in patients with and without ST-segment depression on continuous
      electrocardiography. Cardiac outcomes occurred in 13% of patients with ST-segment
      depression and in 21% of patient without ST-segment depression (p = 0.52).
      However, ventricular tachycardia was associated with a higher rate of cardiac
      death (33% vs. 2%, p < 0.01). Only 27% of patients subsequently found to have
      coronary artery disease had ST-segment depression by continuous
      electrocardiography. In contrast to patients with coronary artery disease, ST
      segment depression on continuous electrocardiography is not associated with
      poorer outcome among patients with acute ischemic stroke or TIA. 

PMID- 26486818
TI  - Incidence and risk factors of venous thromboembolism after pelvic uro-oncologic
      surgery--a single center experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence and assess risk factors for the development
      of VTE among patients undergoing major pelvic surgery for prostate and bladder
      cancer in an Australian tertiary referral center. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Consecutive patients undergoing major pelvic uro-oncologic surgery, namely
      radical cystectomy and radical prostatectomy over a five-year period (2009-2013)
      were identified. Patient variables and types of thromboprophylaxis
      (pharmacological and/or mechanical) used in this patient cohort were collected
      for analyses as predictive factors. RESULTS: The overall incidence of VTE was
      1.8%. Patients undergoing radical cystectomy were more likely to suffer a VTE
      event compared to patients having radical prostatectomy. In this cohort, the risk
      factors for VTE include, prolonged operative time of greater than 4 hours (h),
      lymph node dissection (LND) and patients requiring blood transfusions.
      CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing major pelvic uro-oncologic surgery have an
      approximately 1.8% risk of developing VTE. Risk factors identified in this study
      should be used to guide the use of early and prolonged thromboprophylaxis.

PMID- 26486819
TI  - Tuning the Reactivity of Chromium(III)-Superoxo Species by Coordinating Axial
      Ligands.
AB  - Metal-superoxo species have attracted much attention recently as key
      intermediates in enzymatic and biomimetic oxidation reactions. The effect(s) of
      axial ligands on the chemical properties of metal-superoxo complexes has never
      been explored previously. In this study, we synthesized and characterized
      chromium(III)-superoxo complexes bearing TMC derivatives with pendant pyridine
      and imidazole donors, such as [Cr(III)(O2)(TMC-Py)](2+) (1, TMC-Py = 4,8,11
      trimethyl-1-(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane) and
      [Cr(III)(O2)(TMC-Im)](2+) (2, TMC-Im = 4,8,11-trimethyl-1-(2
      methylimidazolmethyl)-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane). The reactivity of
      chromium(III)-superoxo complexes binding different axial ligands, such as 1, 2,
      and [Cr(III)(O2)(TMC)(Cl)](+) (3, TMC = 1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11
      tetraazacyclotetradecane), was then investigated in C-H bond activation and
      oxygen atom transfer reactions. Kinetic studies revealed that the reactivity of
      the Cr(III)-superoxo complexes depends on the axial ligands, showing the
      reactivity order of 1 > 2 > 3 in those electrophilic oxidation reactions. It was
      also shown that there is a good correlation between the reactivity of the
      chromium(III)-superoxo complexes and their redox potentials, in which the redox
      potentials of the chromium(III)-superoxo complexes are in the order 1 > 2 > 3.
      DFT calculations reproduced the reactivity order between 1 and 3 in both C-H bond
      activation and oxygen atom transfer reactions, and the latter reaction is
      described using orbital interactions. The calculations are also in agreement with
      the experimentally obtained redox potentials. The present results provide the
      first example showing that the reactivity of metal-superoxo species can be tuned
      by the electron-donating ability of axial ligands bound trans to the metal
      superoxo moiety. 

PMID- 26486820
TI  - Poor countries press for extension of exemption from drug patents.

PMID- 26486821
TI  - Eco-exergy and emergy based self-organization of three forest plantations in
      lower subtropical China.
AB  - The bio-thermodynamic structures of a mixed native species plantation, a conifer
      plantation and an Acacia mangium plantation in Southern China were quantified
      over a period of 15 years based on eco-exergy methods. The efficiencies of
      structural development and maintenance were quantified through an integrated
      application of eco-exergy and emergy methods. The results showed that the storage
      of eco-exergy increased over 3 times in all three plantations, as predicted by
      the maximum eco-exergy principle. This trend was primarily seen due to the
      accumulation of biomass, instead of an increase in the specific eco-exergy (eco
      exergy per unit biomass), although species richness did increase. The eco-exergy
      to emergy and eco-exergy to empower ratios of the three plantations generally
      increased during the study period, but the rate of increase slowed down after 20
      years. The dominant trees are the largest contributors to the eco-exergy stored
      in the plantations, and thus, the introduction of suitable indigenous tree
      species should be considered after the existing trees pass through their period
      of most rapid growth or around 20 years after planting. The combined application
      of C-values and suggested weighting factors in the eco-exergy calculation can
      imply opposite results, but may also supply useful information for forest
      management. 

PMID- 26486822
TI  - Surface functionalization allowing repetitive use of optical sensors for real
      time detection of antibody-bacteria interaction.
AB  - In this study, sensor surface functionalization allowing the repetitive use of a
      sensing device was evaluated for antibody-based detection of living bacteria
      using an optical planar Bragg grating sensor. To achieve regenerable
      immobilization of bacteria specific antibodies, the heterobifunctional cross
      linker N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio) propionate (SPDP) was linked to an
      aminosilanized sensor surface and subsequently reduced to expose sulfhydryl
      groups enabling the covalent conjugation of SPDP-activated antibodies via
      disulfide bonds. The immobilization of a capture antibody specific for
      Staphylococcus aureus on the sensor surface as well as specific binding of S.
      aureus could be monitored, highlighting the applicability of optical sensors for
      the specific detection of large biological structures. Reusability of bacteria
      saturated sensors was successfully demonstrated by cleaving the antibody along
      with bound bacteria through reduction of disulfide bonds and subsequent re
      functionalization with activated antibody, resulting in comparable sensitivity
      towards S. aureus.

PMID- 26486823
TI  - Development of cell-cycle checkpoint therapy for solid tumors.
AB  - Cellular proliferation is tightly controlled by several cell-cycle checkpoint
      proteins. In cancer, the genes encoding these proteins are often disrupted and
      cause unrestrained cancer growth. The proteins are over-expressed in many
      malignancies; thus, they are potential targets for anti-cancer therapies. These
      proteins include cyclin-dependent kinase, checkpoint kinase, WEE1 kinase, aurora
      kinase and polo-like kinase. Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors are the most
      advanced cell-cycle checkpoint therapeutics available. For instance, palbociclib
      (PD0332991) is a first-in-class, oral, highly selective inhibitor of CDK4/6 and,
      in combination with letrozole (Phase II; PALOMA-1) or with fulvestrant (Phase
      III; PALOMA-3), it has significantly prolonged progression-free survival, in
      patients with metastatic estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer,
      in comparison with that observed in patients using letrozole, or fulvestrant
      alone, respectively. In this review, we provide an overview of the current
      compounds available for cell-cycle checkpoint protein-directed therapy for solid
      tumors. 

PMID- 26486825
TI  - Intra-arterial chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer.
AB  - Intra-arterial chemotherapy has been used to treat localized malignant neoplasms
      in patients with head and neck cancer for over 50 years as the head and neck
      region is particularly well suited to regional chemotherapy. Early intra-arterial
      chemotherapy did not prove its efficacy. In addition, the additional
      complications associated with establishing and maintaining arterial access have
      further dampened enthusiasm for this approach. Subsequent significant advances in
      vascular radiology techniques and the development of new devices, such as
      fluoroscopy units and angiographic catheters, have made possible safe, accurate
      and repeated superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy. Intra-arterial infusion
      of high-dose cisplatin with systemic neutralization by intravenous sodium
      thiosulfate (RADPLAT) is a theoretically attractive approach to the treatment of
      advanced head and neck cancer. However, a Dutch trial comparing intra-arterial
      and intravenous chemoradiotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer showed that
      RADPLAT was not superior to intravenous chemoradiotherapy. Therefore, further
      investigation of RADPLAT, including the refinement of the indications for its
      application, is needed. 

PMID- 26486824
TI  - Efficacy and safety of leuprorelin acetate 6-month depot in prostate cancer
      patients: a Phase III, randomized, open-label, parallel-group, comparative study
      in Japan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Leuprorelin acetate (TAP-144-SR) is commonly used worldwide in
      prostate cancer patients. This study was conducted to assess the non-inferiority
      of a 6-month depot formulation of TAP-144-SR (TAP-144-SR [6M]) 22.5 mg to a 3
      month depot formulation of TAP-144-SR (TAP-144-SR [3M]) 11.25 mg in prostate
      cancer patients in Japan. METHODS: This was a 48-week Phase III, open-label,
      parallel-group comparative study. TAP-144-SR (6M) 22.5 mg (6M group) and TAP-144
      SR (3M) 11.25 mg (3M group) were administered to 81 and 79 subjects,
      respectively. The primary endpoint was the rate of serum testosterone suppression
      to the castrate level (<=100 ng/dl). RESULTS: Serum testosterone of all subjects
      excluding one subject in the 3M group was suppressed to the castrate level
      throughout 48 weeks. The estimated between-group difference (6M group - 3M group)
      in suppression rate was 1.3% (95% confidence interval: -3.4, 6.8), and its lower
      confidence interval was more than -10% of the pre-determined allowable limit
      value to judge the non-inferiority. The prostate-specific antigen concentrations
      were stable throughout the study in both groups. Progressive disease in the best
      overall response based on the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors was
      0.0% for the 6M group and 2.6% for the 3M group. Adverse events occurred in 92.6%
      in the 6M group and 89.9% in the 3M group. Adverse events leading to
      discontinuation were reported in 2.5% in the 6M group and 3.8% in the 3M group.
      CONCLUSIONS: TAP-144-SR (6M) was not inferior to TAP-144-SR (3M) for the
      suppressive effect on serum testosterone level. TAP-144-SR (6M) was also as well
      tolerated as TAP-144-SR (3M).

PMID- 26486827
TI  - Editorial announcement.

PMID- 26486826
TI  - Biological markers of invasive breast cancer.
AB  - Biological markers for breast cancer are biomolecules that result from cancer
      related processes and are associated with particular clinical outcomes; they thus
      help predict responses to therapy. In recent years, gene expression profiling has
      made the molecular classification of breast cancer possible. Classification of
      breast cancer by immunohistochemical expression of estrogen receptor,
      progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and Ki-67 is
      standard practice for clinical decision-making. Assessments of hormone receptor
      expression and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 overexpression help
      estimate benefits from targeted therapies and have greatly improved prognoses for
      women with these breast cancer types. Although Ki-67 positivity is associated
      with an adverse outcome, its clear identification is an aid to optimal disease
      management. Standardization of testing methodology to minimize inter-laboratory
      measurement variations is a remaining issue. Multi-gene assays provide prognostic
      information and identify those most likely to benefit from systemic chemotherapy.
      Incorporating molecular profiles with conventional pathological classification
      would be more precise, and could enhance the clinical development of personalized
      therapy in breast cancer. 

PMID- 26486828
TI  - Leuko-Araiosis and cerebral hypoperfusion compared between patients with ischemic
      vascular dementia and normal elderly volunteers.
AB  - Lesions in white matter of unknown origin among the elderly have been of interest
      for many years, and their pathogenesis and clinical significance need
      clarification. Local cerebral blood flow was measured among patients with ichemic
      vascular dementia (IVD, n = 38) and compared with age-matched normal volunteers
      (n = 18) utilizing xenon-enhanced computed tomography (CT). Volume ratios for
      total leuko-araiosis, as well as volume ratios for apparently normal white and
      gray matter, were determined by plain, noncontrasted CT densitometry throughout
      slices of brain examined later during stable xenon inhalation enabling perfusion
      values for each compartment to be compared. Volume ratios for total leuko
      araiosis to total brain parenchyma were twice as large among patients with IVD
      (12.0 +/- 5.6%) compared with elderly normal volunteers (6.0 +/- 2.7%). However,
      cerebral perfusion values within regions of leuko-araiosis compared to"normal"
      white matter were decreased to the same degree among patients with IVD (14 +/- 6
      ml/100 g brain/min) and among elderly normal volunteers with leuko-araiosis (13
      +/- 5). Local cerebral blood flow values were reduced for all regions of brain
      examined among IVD patients compared with age-matched normals. Among patients
      with IVD, multiple regression analyses correlated increased volumes of leuko
      araiosis with (a) advancing age, (b) hypertension, and (c) reduced perfusion in
      vascular territories supplying the putamen. Hypoperfusion within deep cerebral
      territories correlates with pathogenesis of leuko-araiosis among patients with
      ischemic vascular dementia. 

PMID- 26486829
TI  - Cryptococcal meningitis/acquired immune deficiency syndrome presenting as a
      transient neurologic deficit.
AB  - A previously healthy man presented with a transient neurologic deficit and neck
      pain. Lumbar puncture revealed cryptococcal meningitis. He was subsequently found
      to have acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Transient neurologic deficit
      is an uncommon initial manifestation of cryptococcal meningitis. We suggest AIDS
      related infections be considered in the differential diagnosis of transient
      neurologic deficits. 

PMID- 26486830
TI  - Anti-VDRL antibodies by ELISA in cerebrospinal fluid and its value in the
      differential diagnosis of abnormalities of the cerebrospinal fluid.
AB  - Enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) techniques for the detection of
      antibodies to the Venereal Disease Research Laboratories (VDRL) antigen as well
      as for the estimation of antibodies to cardiolipin (aCL) in cerebrospinal fluid
      (CSF) were performed in several groups of patients, including those with definite
      paretic neurosyphilis (DPNS, 10 patients), probable paretic neurosyphilis (PPNS,
      19 patients), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, 71 patients), and miscellaneous
      neurologic disorders (30 patients), and normal subjects (11 patients). In the
      DPNS group, all demonstrated positive VDRL by ELISA, and 7 also had positive aCL
      tests, whereas only 7 of the 10 had positive CSF fluorescent treponemal antibody
      absorption (FTA-ABS) and Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPH A) tests.
      Three had positive VDRL tests by flocculation. In the PPNS group, no patients had
      positive FTA-ABS, TPH A, or VDRL flocculation tests in CSF. However, 18 of the 19
      had positive CSF VDRL by ELISA; two of these also had positive aCL tests. Four
      SLE patients had positive CSF aCL tests (three with positive ELISA VDRL). Only
      one patient in the miscellaneous group had positive CSF aCL (Guillain-Barre
      syndrome), and one had positive IgM VDRL tests (bacterial meningitis). The value
      of VDRL ELISA in the diagnosis of neurosyphilis in the face of other negative
      conventional tests is established by our study and had important therapeutic
      consequences in patients with possible/probable neurosyphilis. The aCL test often
      may be positive in patients with DPNS but is less useful in the PPNS group. 

PMID- 26486831
TI  - Effect of elastic compression stockings on venous hemodynamics in hemiplegic
      patients.
AB  - Unilateral lower extremity edema and an increased risk of thromboembolism have
      been associated with hemiplegia following stroke. This study was undertaken to
      determine the effect of knee-high, graded elastic stockings on venous
      hemodynamics in hemiplegic patients. Thirty-six patients with recent cerebral
      infarcts were studied. The presence of underlying venous or arterial occlusive
      disease was excluded in all patients. Duplex scanning techniques were used to
      measure femoral and popliteal venous circumference, cross-sectional area, and
      peak flow velocity in the normal and paralyzed extremities both with and without
      stockings. All patients were examined and assessed for the degree of motor
      weakness and Brunnstrom stage of recovery. Associated medical illnesses were also
      reviewed. These patients were found to have a decreased flow in the femoral (p =
      0.0002) and popliteal (p = 0.006) veins and an increase in the femoral vein size.
      The application of compression stockings resulted in a significant increase in
      venous size and flow velocity in both areas. The femoral and popliteal velocity
      correlated inversely with the degree of motor impairment and Brunnstrom stage,
      suggesting that factors other than the muscle pump may be responsible for the
      augmentation of femoral flow velocity in the paralyzed leg. There was no
      correlation demonstrated with other variables such as age, gender, cardiovascular
      disease, or diabetes. These results would indicate a potential benefit of graded
      knee-high elastic compression stockings in reducing venous flow stasis in hemi
      paretic patients. 

PMID- 26486832
TI  - Population-Based in-hospital stroke morbidity and mortality.
AB  - To investigate the risk and prognostic factors for in-hospital incident stroke
      and stroke mortality, surveillance was conducted on Rochester, MN, residents free
      of stroke when admitted to the hospital in the years 1950 through 1984. The in
      hospital first stroke attack rates remained stable for the calendar years
      1970,1976, and 1980. Of the first strokes that occurred in the hospital, 42% were
      adventitious. In approximately 60% of patients with adventitious strokes, the
      strokes developed within 2 days after a hospital procedure. Patients with
      cardiovascular problems were the majority among the patients who had
      nonadventitious strokes. Four independently significant prognostic factors
      associated with stroke 30-day mortality included age (relative risk, 1.6 per 10
      years), calendar year (relative risk, 0.7 per 10 years), atrial fibrillation or
      flutter (relative risk, 2.3), and intracranial hemorrhage compared with cerebral
      infarction (relative risk, 12.4). These findings emphasize the heterogeneity of
      the pathophysiologic mechanisms for in-hospital stroke. 

PMID- 26486833
TI  - Identification of stenosis of the opercular segment of the middle cerebral artery
      trunk by transcranial color flow duplex doppler.
AB  - Transcranial color flow duplex Doppler sonography was able to identify a stenosis
      of the middle cerebral artery documented by angiography to be just proximal to
      the start of the sylvian triangle in a 50-year-old woman with progressive
      aphasia. The lesion was too distal to be detected by traditional transcranial
      Doppler sonography. Transverse and longitudinal color flow images of the
      opercular segment of the middle cerebral artery are shown with identification of
      the branches of the middle cerebral artery trifurcation. 

PMID- 26486834
TI  - Magnetic resonance imaging cinecisternography in patients with white matter
      lesions.
AB  - 1. The dynamic changes in ventricular size were computed by MRI
      cinecisternography. 2. The data analyzed showed that the phasic changes in size
      of the third ventricle and/or fourth ventricle were reduced in patients with the
      small multiple infarcts, with dementia, and with enlarged lateral ventricles when
      compared to subjects without these findings. 3. The derangement in CSF flow
      dynamics may be involved in the pathogenesis of vascular dementia. 

PMID- 26486835
TI  - Dementia associated with lacunar infarctions.

PMID- 26486836
TI  - Vascular dementia: Problems with definition, nomenclature, and classification.

PMID- 26486837
TI  - Comparison of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission
      tomography between patients with dementia of the alzheimer type and multi-infarct
      dementia.

PMID- 26486838
TI  - Cerebral lesions on magnetic resonance imaging in vascular dementia.

PMID- 26486839
TI  - Is the Leuko-Araiosis-Dementia syndrome different from Binswanger's subcortical
      atherosclerotic encephalopathy?

PMID- 26486840
TI  - HELP application in multi-infarct dementia.
AB  - HELP is capable of lowering LDL, cholesterol, triglycerides, and fibrinogen. It
      has been proven that HELP application has an impact on MID by decreasing plasma
      fibrinogen, cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, thus also reducing whole-blood
      plasma viscosity, plasma fibrinogen, and red cell transit time. It has been shown
      that a single HELP treatment in MID is followed by an improvement of the scores
      obtained from the rating scales employed (Mathew, Mini Mental State Examination,
      Activities of Daily Living) for as long as 10 days, which was supported by
      comparison with the scores of a control group. Repeated HELP application (up to
      five) within 40 days led to an improvement of the test battery values in
      comparison with base values and those of the respective control group. Further
      applications (up to 10) of plasmapheresis, however, remained without any
      remarkable effect on the rating scales employed, with the difference from the
      corresponding control groups remaining the same. 

PMID- 26486841
TI  - Treatment of multi-infarct dementia with citicholine.
AB  - A double-blind placebo controlled trial was conducted in 146 patients with MID
      who were allocated randomly into two groups, one receiving 250 mg citi-choline
      three times day and the other receiving isotonic saline three times a day for 2
      months. The group treated with citicholine showed a marked improvement on the
      MMSE compared with the placebo group. No significant side effects were noted. 

PMID- 26486842
TI  - Can measurement of CSF alpha 1-Antichymotrypsin be a useful tool for differential
      diagnosis of vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease?

PMID- 26486843
TI  - Disturbance in cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity in multi-infarct dementia.

PMID- 26486844
TI  - Recovery of cortical blood flow and dementia after superficial temporal-middle
      cerebral artery bypass in a patient with severe carotid occlusive lesions: A two
      year follow-up study.

PMID- 26486845
TI  - Long-term follow-up of patients with vascular dementia: Bertha memorial lecture,
      1992.

PMID- 26486846
TI  - Erratum.
AB  - Mayor P, Bowler M, Lopez-Plana C. 2013. Functional morphology of the female
      genital organs in the Peruvian red uakari monkey (Cacajao calvus ucayalii). Am J
      Primatol 75: 545-554. In the article cited above, there was an error in
      calculating the ovarian volume. The corrected values are indicated in the revised
      Table I below.

PMID- 26486847
TI  - Fabrication of three dimensional patterns of wide dimensional range using
      microbes and their applications.
AB  - Inspired by the wound healing property of certain trees, we report a novel
      microbes based additive process for producing three dimensional patterns, which
      has a potential of engineering applications in a variety of fields. Imposing a
      two dimensional pattern of microbes on a gel media and allowing them to grow in
      the third dimension is known from its use in biological studies. Instead, we have
      introduced an intermediate porous substrate between the gel media and the
      microbial growth, which enables three dimensional patterns in specific forms that
      can be lifted off and used in engineering applications. In order to demonstrate
      the applicability of this idea in a diverse set of areas, two applications are
      selected. In one, using this method of microbial growth, we have fabricated
      microlenses for enhanced light extraction in organic light emitting diodes, where
      densely packed microlenses of the diameters of hundreds of microns lead to
      luminance increase by a factor of 1.24X. In another entirely different type of
      application, braille text patterns are prepared on a normal office paper where
      the grown microbial colonies serve as braille tactile dots. Braille dot patterns
      thus prepared meet the standard specifications (size and spacing) for braille
      books. 

PMID- 26486849
TI  - Do repeated rumble strip hits improve driver alertness?
AB  - Driving while sleepy is associated with increased crash risk. Rumble strips are
      designed to alert a sleepy or inattentive driver when they deviate outside their
      driving lane. The current study sought to examine the effects of repeated rumble
      strip hits on levels of physiological and subjective sleepiness as well as
      simulated driving performance. In total, 36 regular shift workers drove a high
      fidelity moving base simulator on a simulated road with rumble strips installed
      at the shoulder and centre line after a working a full night shift. The results
      show that, on average, the first rumble strip occurred after 20 min of driving,
      with subsequent hits occurring 10 min later, with the last three occurring
      approximately every 5 min thereafter. Specifically, it was found that the first
      rumble strip hit reduced physiological sleepiness; however, subsequent hits did
      not increase alertness. Moreover, the results also demonstrate that increased
      subjective sleepiness levels, via the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, were
      associated with a greater probability of hitting a rumble strip. The present
      results suggest that sleepiness is very resilient to even strongly arousing
      stimuli, with physiological and subjective sleepiness increasing over the
      duration of the drive, despite the interference caused by rumble strips.

PMID- 26486848
TI  - Computer-assisted quantification of motile and invasive capabilities of cancer
      cells.
AB  - High-throughput analysis of cancer cell dissemination and its control by
      extrinsic and intrinsic cellular factors is hampered by the lack of adequate and
      efficient analytical tools for quantifying cell motility. Oncology research would
      greatly benefit from such a methodology that allows to rapidly determine the
      motile behaviour of cancer cells under different environmental conditions,
      including inside three-dimensional matrices. We combined automated microscopy
      imaging of two- and three-dimensional cell cultures with computational image
      analysis into a single assay platform for studying cell dissemination in high
      throughput. We have validated this new approach for medulloblastoma, a metastatic
      paediatric brain tumour, in combination with the activation of growth factor
      signalling pathways with established pro-migratory functions. The platform
      enabled the detection of primary tumour and patient-derived xenograft cell
      sensitivity to growth factor-dependent motility and dissemination and identified
      tumour subgroup-specific responses to selected growth factors of excellent
      diagnostic value. 

PMID- 26486850
TI  - Nocardiopsis ansamitocini sp. nov., a new producer of ansamitocin P-3 of the
      genus Nocardiopsis.
AB  - An alkalitolerant actinomycete strain, designated EGI 80425T, capable of
      producing ansamitocin P-3, was isolated from a saline-alkali soil sample of
      Xinjiang province, north-west China, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic
      characterization. Strain EGI 80425T formed non-fragmented substrate mycelia and
      white aerial hyphae with long spore chains. Whole-cell hydrolysates of the
      isolate contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid and
      rhamnose as the major sugar. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C17 : 0, iso-C16
      : 0 and C18 : 1omega9c. The predominant menaquinones were MK-10(H4), MK-10(H6),
      MK-10(H8) and MK-9(H4). The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain EGI 80425T
      was 70.2 mol%. Strain EGI 80425T showed highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity
      to Nocardiopsis dassonvillei subsp. dassonvillei DSM 43111T (96.44 %).
      Phylogenetic analysis showed that strain EGI 80425T clustered with the members of
      the genus Nocardiopsis. Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic
      characteristics, strain EGI 80425T represents a novel species of the genus
      Nocardiopsis, for which the name Nocardiopsis ansamitocini sp. nov. is proposed.
      The type strain is EGI 80425T ( = CGMCC 9969T = KCTC 39605T). 

PMID- 26486851
TI  - Six-month Calorie Restriction in Overweight Individuals Elicits Transcriptomic
      Response in Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue That is Distinct From Effects of Energy
      Deficit.
AB  - Calorie restriction confers health benefits distinct from energy deficit by
      exercise. We characterized the adipose-transcriptome to investigate the molecular
      basis of the differential phenotypic responses. Abdominal subcutaneous fat was
      collected from 24 overweight participants randomized in three groups (N =
      8/group): weight maintenance (control), 25% energy deficit by calorie restriction
      alone (CR), and 25% energy deficit by calorie restriction with structured
      exercise (CREX). Within each group, gene expression was compared between 6 months
      and baseline with cutoffs at nominal p <= .01 and absolute fold-change >= 1.5.
      Gene-set enrichment analysis (false discovery rate < 5%) was used to identify
      significantly regulated biological pathways. CR and CREX elicited similar overall
      clinical response to energy deficit and a comparable reduction in gene
      transcription specific to oxidative phosphorylation and proteasome function. CR
      vastly outweighed CREX in the number of differentially regulated genes (88 vs 39)
      and pathways (28 vs 6). CR specifically downregulated the chemokine signaling
      related pathways. Among the CR-regulated genes, 27 functioned as
      transcription/translation regulators (eg, mRNA processing or
      transcription/translation initiation), whereas CREX regulated only one gene in
      this category. Our data suggest that CR has a broader effect on the transcriptome
      compared with CREX which may mediate its specific impact on delaying primary
      aging.

PMID- 26486852
TI  - Prevalence and distribution of exposure to Schmallenberg virus in Irish cattle
      during October 2012 to November 2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Schmallenberg virus (SBV) was first identified in November 2011. It
      is a novel Orthobunyavirus (family Bunyaviridae) whose main ill effect is
      congenital malformation of the musculoskeletal and central nervous systems. It is
      borne by Culicoides spp., and has spread extensively in western Europe. The first
      case of SBV in Ireland was diagnosed in October 2012. It was anticipated that
      once the virus emerged in Ireland that there would be wide scale or nationwide
      spread over the course of the 2013 vector season. The objectives of this study
      were to determine the seroprevalence and distribution of exposure to
      Schmallenberg virus in Irish cattle from November 2012 to November 2013. METHODS:
      Samples of brain for the pathology based surveillance were collected from
      malformed bovine and ovine foetuses submitted for post mortem examination. These
      samples were tested for SBV using RT-qPCR. Three serological surveys were carried
      out on sera submitted for the national brucellosis eradicartion programme. A
      spatial analysis of both sets of data was carried out. RESULTS: Between October
      2012 and 10th May 2013, SBV was confirmed by RT-qPCR in brain tissues from
      malformed foetuses obtained from 49 cattle herds and 30 sheep flocks in Ireland.
      In national serosurveys conducted between November 2012 until November 2013 the
      herd-level and animal-level SBV seroprevalences in cattle were 53 and 36 %
      respectively for the first survey, 51 and 35 % for the second survey and 53 and
      33 % for the third survey. The herd level seroprevalence in counties ranged from
      0 to 100 %, with the counties in the south and southeast having the highest
      seroprevalence (>50 %), the midlands a moderate herd level seroprevalence (10-50
      %) while northern and north western counties had a low herd level seroprevalence
      (0-10 %). There was close spatial agreement between the results of the two
      different targeted surveillance strategies. CONCLUSIONS: At the end of the 2012
      vector season, there was widespread exposure to SBV among herds in southern and
      south eastern Ireland. During 2013, there was little or no evidence of further
      outward spread, unlike the situation in several other European countries. Given
      the lack of evidence for circulation of the virus since 2012, it is likely that
      the younger age cohort in herds previously exposed to SBV and substantial
      proportions of animals of all ages on the margins of affected areas are
      immunologically naive to SBV, and would be susceptible to infection if the virus
      were to re-emerge.

PMID- 26486853
TI  - Annual review of children with neurofibromatosis type 1.
AB  - We aim to provide a concise, evidence-based framework to assist secondary level,
      community and acute paediatricians during a 20-60 min annual review of children
      with neurofibromatosis type 1. This review does not cover all aspects of the
      disorder. We recognise the importance of an overview of the pathogenesis,
      molecular genetic testing, clinical manifestations and management; we shall cover
      some of this briefly, but this is not our focus here. We focus instead on the
      following areas: (A) what questions should be asked during annual review, (B)
      what should be included in a focused examination, (C) when to request further
      investigations and (D) when should a referral be made to tertiary specialists and
      other members of the multidisciplinary team. Ongoing debates regarding screening
      remain in certain areas, particularly regarding imaging and ophthalmology follow
      up; here we summarise the differing opinions and make a recommendation based on
      the currently available evidence.

PMID- 26486854
TI  - Successful surgical palliation of a triple-outlet right ventricle: a rare
      congenital cardiac malformation.
AB  - Most commonly, hearts have either a single arterial trunk or two arterial trunks;
      however, rare reports exist of a "tritruncal" heart, a heart with three outflow
      tracts. Here, we present one of the first reports of successful surgical
      palliation of a triple-outlet right ventricle. 

PMID- 26486855
TI  - Long-Term Suppression of Atrial Fibrillation by Botulinum Toxin Injection Into
      Epicardial Fat Pads in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: One-Year Follow-Up of
      a Randomized Pilot Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Animal models suggest that the neurotransmitter inhibitor, botulinum
      toxin, when injected into the epicardial fat pads can suppress atrial
      fibrillation inducibility. The aim of this prospective randomized double-blind
      study was to compare the efficacy and safety of botulinum toxin injection into
      epicardial fat pads for preventing atrial tachyarrhythmias. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Patients with history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and indication for
      coronary artery bypass graft surgery were randomized to botulinum toxin (Xeomin,
      Merz, Germany; 50 U/1 mL at each fat pad; n=30) or placebo (0.9% normal saline, 1
      mL at each fat pad; n=30) injection into epicardial fat pads during surgery.
      Patients were followed for 1 year to assess maintenance of sinus rhythm using an
      implantable loop recorder. All patients in both groups had successful epicardial
      fat pad injections without complications. The incidence of early postoperative
      atrial fibrillation within 30 days after coronary artery bypass graft was 2 of 30
      patients (7%) in the botulinum toxin group and 9 of 30 patients (30%) in the
      placebo group (P=0.024). Between 30 days and up to the 12-month follow-up
      examination, 7 of the 30 patients in the placebo group (27%) and none of the 30
      patients in the botulinum toxin group (0%) had recurrent atrial fibrillation
      (P=0.002). There were no complications observed during the 1-year follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: Botulinum toxin injection into epicardial fat pads during coronary
      artery bypass graft provided substantial atrial tachyarrhythmia suppression both
      early as well as during 1-year follow-up, without any serious adverse events.
      CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique
      identifier: NCT01842529.

PMID- 26486856
TI  - Left Atrial Appendage Remodeling After Lariat Left Atrial Appendage Ligation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Left atrial appendage (LAA) ligation with the Lariat device is being
      used for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. Residual leaks into the LAA
      are commonly reported after the procedure. Little is known about the anatomic LAA
      remodeling after Lariat ligation. METHODS AND RESULTS: In an exploratory study,
      we evaluated LAA 3-dimensional geometry via computed tomographic scan in 31
      consecutive patients before Lariat closure and after a minimum of 30 days post
      procedure. Thirteen patients were classified as unfavorable cases based on
      anatomic criteria. Our population had an average age of 70+/-12 years, a mean
      CHADS2 (congestive heart failure, hypertension, age>75, diabetes mellitus,
      history of stroke) score of 3.2+/-1.2, a mean CHADS2VASC (CHADS2 in addition to
      female sex, ages 65-75, as well as double impact of age >75, vascular disease) of
      4.2+/-1.5, and a mean HASBLED (hypertension, abnormal renal/liver function,
      stroke, bleeding predisposition/history, labile international normalized ratio,
      elderly, drugs/alcohol) bleeding score of 4.0+/-1.1. Successful suture deployment
      was achieved in all cases, but 3 patients had intraprocedural residual flow into
      the LAA (leak). On follow-up, 10 patients (32%) had recanalized residual LAA
      cavities, which were morphologically similar to the original LAA, albeit
      significantly smaller in volume (22.5+/-13.3% of the original volume).
      Recanalization was not associated with age, sex, comorbid conditions, stroke or
      bleeding risk scores, follow-up interval, baseline LAA volume, or morphology.
      Unfavorable cases had anatomic outcomes comparable with those of the anatomically
      favorable population. No patients have exhibited thromboembolism after 842+/-338
      days post ligation. CONCLUSIONS: Incomplete LAA ligation after Lariat is common.
      However, the remodeled LAA cavity is dramatically reduced. Diminished cavity size
      and tightening of the LAA orifice may play a role in the reduction of thrombus
      formation.

PMID- 26486858
TI  - Acute renal failure during immediate post transplant period due to a pericardial
      effusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pericardial effusions and acute renal failure are common findings in
      clinical practice. However, acute renal failure resulting from pericardial
      effusions (without tamponade) is a rare finding. We report the first such case to
      occur in a transplanted kidney. CASE PRESENTATION: A 20-year-old Sri Lankan male
      presented with hypertensive crisis in the background of end stage renal failure.
      He was thoroughly investigated for secondary causes of hypertension to no avail.
      He was hemodialysed adequately for 6 months, while being worked up for
      transplantation. He received an ABO matched, living donor transplant. Immediate
      post-operative period his urine outputs were poor, soon to became anuric by 6 h
      post-transplant. Elevated liver enzymes and non-specific increase of resistivity
      indexes (0.84-0.88) at the Doppler scan raised the possibility of venous
      hypertension. An echocardiogram showed a moderately large pericardial effusion
      which was tapped, and found to be a transudate. He started producing urine within
      6 h, entered polyuric phase by day 3, and by day 7 his creatinine dropped to
      reference levels. Vasculitis screen, anti nuclear factor, viral screen, and
      rickettsia serology were negative. Albumin levels on day 2 were 27 g/l and were
      replaced using human albumin. The exact cause of pericardial effusion is unclear
      but hypoalbuminemia, drug-induced and idiopathic are possible causes. He has
      excellent graft function, no recurrences or constrictive pericarditis after 2
      years follow. CONCLUSION: We recommend any patient who has delayed graft function
      and raised central venous pressures to have an echocardiogram to exclude
      pericardial effusions. The response to pericardiocentesis had been universally
      good in reported cases.

PMID- 26486857
TI  - A randomized controlled behavioral intervention trial to improve medication
      adherence in adult stroke patients with prescription tailored Short Messaging
      Service (SMS)-SMS4Stroke study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of mobile technology to improve medication
      adherence via customized Short Messaging Service (SMS) reminders for stroke has
      not been tested in resource poor areas. We designed a randomized controlled trial
      to test the effectiveness of SMS on improving medication adherence in stroke
      survivors in Pakistan. METHODS: This was a parallel group, assessor-blinded,
      randomized, controlled, superiority trial. Participants were centrally randomized
      in fixed block sizes. Adult participants on multiple medications with access to a
      cell phone and stroke at least 4 weeks from onset (Onset as defined by last seen
      normal) were eligible. The intervention group, in addition to usual care,
      received reminder SMS for 2 months that contained a) Personalized, prescription
      tailored daily medication reminder(s) b) Twice weekly health information SMS. The
      Health Belief Model and Social Cognitive theory were used to design the language
      and content of messages. Frontline SMS software was used for SMS delivery.
      Medication adherence was self-reported and measured on the validated Urdu version
      of Morisky Medication Adherence Questionnaire. Multiple linear regression was
      used to model the outcome against intervention and other covariates. Analysis was
      conducted by intention-to-treat principle. RESULTS: Two hundred participants were
      enrolled. 38 participants were lost to follow-up. After 2 months, the mean
      medication score was 7.4 (95 % CI: 7.2-7.6) in the intervention group while 6.7
      (95 % CI: 6.4-7.02) in the control group. The adjusted mean difference (Delta)
      was 0.54 (95 % CI: 0.22-0.85). The mean diastolic blood pressure in the
      intervention group was 2.6 mmHg (95 % CI; -5.5 to 0.15) lower compared to the
      usual care group. CONCLUSION: A short intervention of customized SMS can improve
      medication adherence and effect stroke risk factors like diastolic blood pressure
      in stroke survivors with complex medication regimens living in resource poor
      areas. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01986023 last accessed at
      https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01986023.

PMID- 26486859
TI  - Impact of liver cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis C viral infection on the
      outcome of ovarian cancer: a prospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was designed to investigate the impact of liver cirrhosis
      due to chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on the disease-free and overall
      survival of ovarian cancer patients undergoing a standard primary operation
      followed by standard chemotherapy. Attainment of the operative goals, intra- and
      postoperative events, possible complications under chemotherapy necessitating the
      termination of treatment, and the impact of ovarian cancer treatment on liver
      function were assessed. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study that
      included only patients with primary epithelial ovarian cancer. Only patients with
      Child-Turcotte-Pugh classification class A disease were recruited. Patients were
      divided into two groups according to whether they had liver cirrhosis. All the
      patients underwent primary debulking surgery followed by 6 cycles of
      chemotherapy, and were followed-up for 24 months after chemotherapy was
      completed. RESULTS: We recruited 77 patients, 19 of whom had liver cirrhosis.
      There were no significant differences between patients with or without liver
      cirrhosis with respect to tumor stage, histopathological type, tumor grade, or
      optimal operative debulking. There was no registered liver dysfunction-related
      mortality in the follow-up period, and there were no statistically significant
      differences between the groups with respect to disease-free or overall survival
      (p = 0.719 and p = 0.524, respectively). CONCLUSION: From the results of this
      study, we conclude that compensated liver cirrhosis (Child-Turcotte-Pugh class A)
      due to chronic HCV infection affects neither the disease-free nor the overall
      survival of ovarian cancer patients, regardless of their stage. This study shows
      that it is possible to treat ovarian cancer patients with cirrhosis caused by HCV
      infection the same as any other patient; treatment does not have to be adjusted
      as long as the patients have Class A disease.

PMID- 26486860
TI  - Listening in.
AB  - Zebra finches communicate with each other in ways that are more complex than
      previously thought. 

PMID- 26486862
TI  - Correction: Synaptic proteins promote calcium-triggered fast transition from
      point contact to full fusion.

PMID- 26486863
TI  - Molecular co-catalyst accelerating hole transfer for enhanced photocatalytic H2
      evolution.
AB  - In artificial photocatalysis, sluggish kinetics of hole transfer and the
      resulting high-charge recombination rate have been the Achilles' heel of
      photocatalytic conversion efficiency. Here we demonstrate water-soluble molecules
      as co-catalysts to accelerate hole transfer for improved photocatalytic H2
      evolution activity. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), by virtue of its reversible redox
      couple TFA./TFA(-), serves as a homogeneous co-catalyst that not only maximizes
      the contact areas between co-catalysts and reactants but also greatly promotes
      hole transfer. Thus K4Nb6O17 nanosheet catalysts achieve drastically increased
      photocatalytic H2 production rate in the presence of TFA, up to 32 times with
      respect to the blank experiment. The molecular co-catalyst represents a new,
      simple and highly effective approach to suppress recombination of photogenerated
      charges, and has provided fertile new ground for creating high-efficiency
      photosynthesis systems, avoiding use of noble-metal co-catalysts. 

PMID- 26486864
TI  - Letter by Gutierrez et al Regarding Article, "Differential Vascular
      Pathophysiologic Types of Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stroke: A High-Resolution
      Wall Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study".

PMID- 26486861
TI  - Assembly and positioning of actomyosin rings by contractility and planar cell
      polarity.
AB  - The actomyosin cytoskeleton is a primary force-generating mechanism in
      morphogenesis, thus a robust spatial control of cytoskeletal positioning is
      essential. In this report, we demonstrate that actomyosin contractility and
      planar cell polarity (PCP) interact in post-mitotic Ciona notochord cells to self
      assemble and reposition actomyosin rings, which play an essential role for cell
      elongation. Intriguingly, rings always form at the cells' anterior edge before
      migrating towards the center as contractility increases, reflecting a novel
      dynamical property of the cortex. Our drug and genetic manipulations uncover a
      tug-of-war between contractility, which localizes cortical flows toward the
      equator and PCP, which tries to reposition them. We develop a simple model of the
      physical forces underlying this tug-of-war, which quantitatively reproduces our
      results. We thus propose a quantitative framework for dissecting the relative
      contribution of contractility and PCP to the self-assembly and repositioning of
      cytoskeletal structures, which should be applicable to other morphogenetic
      events. 

PMID- 26486866
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Platelet Glycoprotein Receptor Blockade in Aged and
      Comorbid Mice With Acute Experimental Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Despite the medical and socioeconomic effect of ischemic
      stroke and extensive preclinical research, treatment options for ischemic stroke
      are limited. We recently identified and characterized essential steps of thrombus
      formation in stroke and demonstrated that inhibition of the platelet glycoprotein
      (GP) receptors Ib and VI, but not IIb/IIIa, protects young and healthy mice from
      ischemic neurodegeneration. Whether these findings translate to the clinic
      remains unclear. Considering that the typical stroke patient is elderly with
      comorbidity, we aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of novel preclinical
      antithrombotics in adult and comorbid mice with acute experimental stroke.
      METHODS: We subjected adult, healthy, atherosclerotic (Ldlr(-/-)), diabetic
      (streptozotocin treated), and hypertensive (RenTgMK) mice to a 60-minute
      transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. Animals were pretreated with anti
      GPVI antibodies or treated 1 hour after stroke induction with anti-GPIb or anti
      GPIIb/IIIa antigen-binding fragments, respectively. Isotype treatment served as
      control. Twenty-four hours after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion, we
      visually assessed the intracerebral hemorrhage rate and measured infarct volumes
      (using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride-stained brain slices) and functional
      outcome (using Bederson and grip-test scores). RESULTS: GPIb and GPVI inhibition
      protected the mice from ischemic stroke without increasing bleeding
      complications. In contrast, GPIIb/IIIa inhibition was not protective but
      increased the intracerebral hemorrhage rate. CONCLUSIONS: Inhibition of early
      steps of thrombus formation protects adult and comorbid mice from ischemic
      stroke. The use of clinically meaningful mouse strains might improve the
      translation of preclinical stroke research to the clinic.

PMID- 26486867
TI  - Global Stroke Belt: Geographic Variation in Stroke Burden Worldwide.

PMID- 26486868
TI  - Effects of Blood Pressure and Blood Pressure-Lowering Treatment During the First
      24 Hours Among Patients in the Third International Stroke Trial of Thrombolytic
      Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In patients with acute ischemic stroke, a high blood
      pressure or a highly variable blood pressure is a common reason for withholding
      thrombolytic treatment, but guidelines recommend a conservative approach to
      active blood pressure lowering in this setting. We have performed exploratory
      analyses to study the clinical effects of blood pressure and early blood pressure
      lowering treatment in patients included in a randomized-controlled trial of
      thrombolytic treatment for acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: The Third
      International Stroke Trial (IST-3) randomized 3035 patients with ischemic stroke
      to recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator 0.9 mg/kg or open control within
      6 hours of symptom onset. Blood pressure was measured at randomization, at start
      of treatment, and at 30 minutes and 1 and 24 hours after start of treatment, and
      the use of blood pressure-lowering treatment during the first 24 hours was
      recorded. We have characterized blood pressure by mean systolic blood pressure at
      baseline, by variability of systolic blood pressure (expressed by the standard
      deviation and the range between the lowest and the highest pressure), and by the
      change in systolic blood pressure from baseline to 24 hours. We used logistic
      regression analysis to explore the associations of blood pressure characteristics
      or blood pressure-lowering treatment with early adverse events, early death, and
      functional outcome at 6 months, after adjustment for key prognostic variables.
      RESULTS: High baseline blood pressure and high blood pressure variability during
      the first 24 hours were associated with higher numbers of early adverse events
      and early deaths, and for several analyses, the differences were statistically
      significant. A larger decline in blood pressure and the use of blood pressure
      lowering treatment during the first 24 hours were associated with a reduced risk
      of poor outcome at 6 months (odds ratio, 0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.89
      0.97; P=0.001 and odds ratio, 0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.65-0.93; P=0.007,
      respectively), irrespective of whether the patient was given recombinant tissue
      type plasminogen activator (P values for interaction >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Among
      patients with ischemic stroke who are candidates for thrombolytic treatment, high
      baseline blood pressure and a large pressure variability during the first 24
      hours may be associated with a poor prognosis, whereas a large reduction in blood
      pressure and the use of blood pressure-lowering treatment during the first 24
      hours may be associated with a favorable prognosis. These data support the
      rationale for further trials of agents that lower blood pressure or reduce blood
      pressure variability in the acute phase of ischemic stroke. CLINICAL TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00120003.

PMID- 26486865
TI  - Endovascular Therapy Is Effective and Safe for Patients With Severe Ischemic
      Stroke: Pooled Analysis of Interventional Management of Stroke III and
      Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Therapy for Acute Ischemic
      Stroke in the Netherlands Data.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We assessed the effect of endovascular treatment in acute
      ischemic stroke patients with severe neurological deficit (National Institutes of
      Health Stroke Scale score, >=20) after a prespecified analysis plan. METHODS: The
      pooled analysis of the Interventional Management of Stroke III (IMS III) and
      Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Therapy for Acute Ischemic
      Stroke in the Netherlands (MR CLEAN) trials included participants with an
      National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of >=20 before intravenous
      tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) treatment (IMS III) or randomization (MR
      CLEAN) who were treated with intravenous tPA <=3 hours of stroke onset. Our
      hypothesis was that participants with severe stroke randomized to endovascular
      therapy after intravenous tPA would have improved 90-day outcome (distribution of
      modified Rankin Scale scores), when compared with those who received intravenous
      tPA alone. RESULTS: Among 342 participants in the pooled analysis (194 from IMS
      III and 148 from MR CLEAN), an ordinal logistic regression model showed that the
      endovascular group had superior 90-day outcome compared with the intravenous tPA
      group (adjusted odds ratio, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-2.66). In the
      logistic regression model of the dichotomous outcome (modified Rankin Scale
      score, 0-2, or functional independence), the endovascular group had superior
      outcomes (adjusted odds ratio, 1.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-3.56).
      Functional independence (modified Rankin Scale score, <=2) at 90 days was 25% in
      the endovascular group when compared with 14% in the intravenous tPA group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular therapy after intravenous tPA within 3 hours of symptom
      onset improves functional outcome at 90 days after severe ischemic stroke.
      CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique
      identifier: NCT00359424 (IMS III) and ISRCTN10888758 (MR CLEAN).

PMID- 26486869
TI  - Dialysis Requiring Acute Kidney Injury in Acute Cerebrovascular Accident
      Hospitalizations.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The epidemiology of dialysis requiring acute kidney
      injury (AKI-D) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)
      admissions is poorly understood with previous studies being from a single center
      or year. METHODS: We used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample to evaluate the yearly
      incidence trends of AKI-D in hospitalizations with AIS and ICH from 2002 to 2011.
      We also evaluated the trend of impact of AKI-D on in-hospital mortality and
      adverse discharge using adjusted odds ratios (aOR) after adjusting for
      demographics and comorbidity indices. RESULTS: We extracted a total of 3,937,928
      and 696,754 hospitalizations with AIS and ICH, respectively. AKI-D occurred in
      1.5 and 3.5 per 1000 in AIS and ICH admissions, respectively. Incidence of
      admissions complicated by AKI-D doubled from 0.9/1000 to 1.7/1000 in AIS and from
      2.1/1000 to 4.3/1000 in ICH admissions. In AIS admissions, AKI-D was associated
      with 30% higher odds of mortality (aOR, 1.30; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-1.48;
      P<0.001) and 18% higher odds of adverse discharge (aOR, 1.18; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.02-1.37; P<0.001). Similarly, in ICH admissions, AKI-D was associated
      with twice the odds of mortality (aOR, 1.95; 95% confidence interval, 1.61-2.36;
      P<0.01) and 74% higher odds of adverse discharge (aOR, 1.74; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.34-2.24; P<0.01). Attributable risk percent of mortality was high
      with AKI-D (98%-99%) and did not change significantly over the study period.
      CONCLUSIONS: Incidence of AKI-D complicating hospitalizations with
      cerebrovascular accident continues to grow and is associated with increased
      mortality and adverse discharge. This highlights the need for early diagnosis,
      better risk stratification, and preparedness for need for complex long-term care
      in this vulnerable population.

PMID- 26486870
TI  - Phylogenetic patterns of gene rearrangements in four mitochondrial genomes from
      the green algal family Hydrodictyaceae (Sphaeropleales, Chlorophyceae).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The variability in gene organization and architecture of green algal
      mitochondrial genomes is only recently being studied on a finer taxonomic scale.
      Sequenced mt genomes from the chlorophycean orders Volvocales and Sphaeropleales
      exhibit considerable variation in size, content, and structure, even among
      closely related genera. However, sampling of mt genomes on a within-family scale
      is still poor and the sparsity of information precludes a thorough understanding
      of genome evolution in the green algae. METHODS: Genomic DNA of representative
      taxa were sequenced on an Illumina HiSeq2500 to produce 2x100 bp paired reads,
      and mitochondrial genomes were assembled and annotated using Geneious v.6.1.5.
      Phylogenetic analysis of 13 protein-coding mitochondrial genes spanning the
      Sphaeropleales was performed. RESULTS: This study presents one of the first
      within-family comparisons of mt genome diversity, and is the first to report
      complete mt genomes for the family Hydrodictyaceae (order Sphaeropleales). Four
      complete mt genomes representing three taxa and four phylogenetic groups,
      Stauridium tetras, Pseudopediastrum boryanum, and Pediastrum duplex, range in
      size from 37,723 to 53,560 bp. The size variability is primarily due to
      intergenic region expansion, and intron content is generally low compared with
      other mt genomes of Sphaeropleales. CONCLUSIONS: Certain gene rearrangements
      appear to follow a phylogenetic pattern, and with a more thorough taxon sampling
      genome-level sequence may be useful in resolving systematic conundrums that
      plague this morphologically diverse family.

PMID- 26486871
TI  - Spectral Tuning of Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Rhodopsin: Evidence for Positive
      Selection and Functional Adaptation in a Cetacean Visual Pigment.
AB  - Cetaceans have undergone a remarkable evolutionary transition that was
      accompanied by many sensory adaptations, including modification of the visual
      system for underwater environments. Recent sequencing of cetacean genomes has
      made it possible to begin exploring the molecular basis of these adaptations. In
      this study we use in vitro expression methods to experimentally characterize the
      first step of the visual transduction cascade, the light activation of rhodopsin,
      for the killer whale. To investigate the spectral effects of amino acid
      substitutions thought to correspond with absorbance shifts relative to
      terrestrial mammals, we used the orca gene as a background for the first site
      directed mutagenesis experiments in a cetacean rhodopsin. The S292A mutation had
      the largest effect, and was responsible for the majority of the spectral
      difference between killer whale and bovine (terrestrial) rhodopsin. Using codon
      based likelihood models, we also found significant evidence for positive
      selection in cetacean rhodopsin sequences, including on spectral tuning sites we
      experimentally mutated. We then investigated patterns of ecological divergence
      that may be correlated with rhodopsin functional variation by using a series of
      clade models that partitioned the data set according to phylogeny, habitat, and
      foraging depth zone. Only the model partitioning according to depth was
      significant. This suggests that foraging dives might be a selective regime
      influencing cetacean rhodopsin divergence, and our experimental results indicate
      that spectral tuning may be playing an adaptive role in this process. Our study
      demonstrates that combining computational and experimental methods is crucial for
      gaining insight into the selection pressures underlying molecular evolution. 

PMID- 26486872
TI  - A Distinct Mitochondrial Genome with DUI-Like Inheritance in the Ocean Quahog
      Arctica islandica.
AB  - Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is strictly maternally inherited in metazoans. The
      major exception to this rule has been found in many bivalve species which allow
      the presence of different sex-linked mtDNA molecules. This mechanism, named
      doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI), is characterized by the presence of two
      mtDNAs: The female mtDNA is found in somatic tissue and female gonads, whereas
      the male mtDNA is usually found in male gonads and sperm. In this study we
      highlight the existence of two divergent mitochondrial haplotypes with a low
      genetic difference around 6-8% in Arctica islandica, a long-lived clam belonging
      to the Arcticidae, a sister group to the Veneridae in which DUI has been found.
      Phylogenetic analysis on cytochrome b and 16S sequences from somatic and gonadic
      tissues of clams belonging to different populations reveals the presence of the
      "divergent" type in male gonads only and the "normal" type in somatic tissues and
      female gonads. This peculiar segregation of divergent mtDNA types speaks for the
      occurrence of the DUI mechanism in A. islandica. This example also highlights the
      difficulties to assess the presence of such particular mitochondrial inheritance
      system and underlines the possible misinterpretations in phylogeographic and
      phylogenetic studies of bivalve species linked to the presence of two poorly
      differentiated mitochondrial genomes. 

PMID- 26486873
TI  - Drosophila X-Linked Genes Have Lower Translation Rates than Autosomal Genes.
AB  - In Drosophila, X-linked and autosomal genes achieve comparable expression at the
      mRNA level. Whether comparable X-autosome gene expression is realized at the
      translational and, ultimately, the protein levels is, however, unknown. Previous
      studies suggest the possibility of higher translation rates for X-linked genes
      owing to stronger usage of preferred codons. In this study, we use public
      ribosome profiling data from Drosophila melanogaster to infer translation rates
      on the X chromosome versus the autosomes. We find that X-linked genes have
      consistently lower ribosome densities than autosomal genes in S2 cells, early
      embryos, eggs, and mature oocytes. Surprisingly, the lower ribosome densities of
      X-linked genes are not consistent with faster translation elongation but instead
      imply slower translation initiation. In particular, X-linked genes have sequence
      features known to slow translation initiation such as stronger mRNA structure
      near start codons and longer 5'-UTRs. Comparison to outgroup species suggests
      that stronger mRNA structure is an evolved feature of Drosophila X chromosomes.
      Finally, we find that the magnitude of the X-autosome difference in ribosome
      densities is smaller for genes encoding members of protein complexes, suggesting
      that stoichiometry constrains the evolution of translation rates. In sum, our
      analyses suggest that Drosophila X-linked genes have evolved lower translation
      rates than autosomal genes despite stronger usage of preferred codons. 

PMID- 26486874
TI  - Functionalized nanomaterials: are they effective to perform gene delivery to
      difficult-to-transfect cells with no cytotoxicity?
AB  - Nanodiamonds (NDs), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and gold nanorods (NRs)
      can be functionalized to promote gene delivery to hard-to-transfect cells with
      higher transfection efficiency than cationic lipids, and inducing less cell
      death. 

PMID- 26486875
TI  - Cooperativity flows and shear-bandings: a statistical field theory approach.
AB  - Cooperativity effects have been proposed to explain the non-local rheology in the
      dynamics of soft jammed systems. Based on the analysis of the free-energy model
      proposed by L. Bocquet, A. Colin and A. Ajdari, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2009, 103,
      036001, we show that cooperativity effects resulting from the non-local nature of
      the fluidity (inverse viscosity) are intimately related to the emergence of shear
      banding configurations. This connection materializes through the onset of
      inhomogeneous compact solutions (compactons), wherein the fluidity is confined to
      finite-support subregions of the flow and strictly zero elsewhere. The compacton
      coexistence with regions of zero fluidity ("non-flowing vacuum") is shown to be
      stabilized by the presence of mechanical noise, which ultimately shapes up the
      equilibrium distribution of the fluidity field, the latter acting as an order
      parameter for the flow-noflow transitions occurring in the material. 

PMID- 26486876
TI  - Complete mitochondrial genome of the Loligo beka.
AB  - In this study, we determined the complete mitochondrial genome of Loligo beka.
      The genome was 17 483 bp in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 22
      transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and three main non-coding regions.
      The overall base composition of L.beka is A 40.35%, T 32.53%, C 18.53%, and G
      8.58%, with a highly A + T bias of 72.89%. All the three control regions (CR)
      contain termination-associated sequences and conserved sequence blocks. Here we
      describe a phylogenetic analysis of 11 species cephalopoda based on the complete
      mitochondrial genome, the result showed that the Loliolus uyii is most closely
      related to L. beka. This mitogenome sequence data would play an important role in
      the investigation of phylogenetic relationship, taxonomic resolution and
      phylogeography of the cephalopoda.

PMID- 26486877
TI  - Anisotropic thermoelectric properties of layered compounds in SnX2 (X = S, Se): a
      promising thermoelectric material.
AB  - Thermoelectrics interconvert heat to electricity and are of great interest in
      waste heat recovery, solid-state cooling and so on. Here we assessed the
      potential of SnS2 and SnSe2 as thermoelectric materials at the temperature
      gradient from 300 to 800 K. Reflecting the crystal structure, the transport
      coefficients are highly anisotropic between a and c directions, in particular for
      the electrical conductivity. The preferred direction for both materials is the a
      direction in TE application. Most strikingly, when 800 K is reached, SnS2 can
      show a peak power factor (PF) of 15.50 MUW cm(-1) K(-2) along the a direction,
      while a relatively low value (11.72 MUW cm(-1) K(-2)) is obtained in the same
      direction of SnSe2. These values are comparable to those observed in
      thermoelectrics such as SnSe and SnS. At 300 K, the minimum lattice thermal
      conductivity (kappamin) along the a direction is estimated to be about 0.67 and
      0.55 W m(-1) K(-1) for SnS2 and SnSe2, respectively, even lower than the measured
      lattice thermal conductivity of Bi2Te3 (1.28 W m(-1) K(-1) at 300 K). The
      reasonable PF and kappamin suggest that both SnS2 and SnSe2 are potential
      thermoelectric materials. Indeed, the estimated peak ZT can approach 0.88 for
      SnSe2 and a higher value of 0.96 for SnS2 along the a direction at a carrier
      concentration of 1.94 * 10(19) (SnSe2) vs. 2.87 * 10(19) cm(-3) (SnS2). The best
      ZT values in SnX2 (X = S, Se) are comparable to that in Bi2Te3 (0.8), a typical
      thermoelectric material. We hope that this theoretical investigation will provide
      useful information for further experimental and theoretical studies on optimizing
      the thermoelectric properties of SnX2 materials. 

PMID- 26486878
TI  - Celebrating the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine of Dr Satoshi Omura.

PMID- 26486880
TI  - Large-size nanosheets of 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene with high
      photoresponse and light emission anisotropy.
AB  - Large-size single crystalline nanosheets of 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)-anthracene
      were prepared by a facile solution process and were fully characterized. The
      prototype photodetector was then fabricated on the basis of a single nanosheet
      and exhibited superior performance with the largest photoresponse ratio up to ca.
      10(5). Moreover, the nanosheets show obvious light emission anisotropy. 

PMID- 26486879
TI  - Prevalence of mutations conferring resistance among multi- and extensively drug
      resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in China.
AB  - To identify the mutations in multi- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis
      isolates and to evaluate the use of molecular markers of resistance, we analyzed
      257 multi- and extensively drug-resistant isolates and 64 pan-sensitive isolates
      from 23 provinces in China. Seven loci associated with drug resistance, including
      rpoB for rifampin (RIF), katG, inhA and oxyR-ahpC for isoniazid (INH), gyrA and
      gyrB for ofloxacin (OFX), and rrs for kanmycin (KAN), were examined by DNA
      sequencing. Compared with the phenotypic data, the sensitivity and specificity
      for DNA sequencing were 91.1% and 98.4% for RIF, 80.2% and 98.4% for INH, 72.2%
      and 98.3% for OFX and 40% and 98.2% for KAN, respectively. The most common
      mutations found in RIF, INH, OFX and KAN resistance were Ser531Leu (48.2%) in
      rpoB, Ser315Thr (49.8%) in katG, C(-15)T (10.5%) in inhA, Asp94Gly (20.3%),
      Asp94Ala (12.7%) and Ala90Val (21.5%) in gyrA, and A1401G (40%) in rrs. This
      molecular information will be helpful to establish new molecular biology-based
      methods for diagnosing multi- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in
      China. 

PMID- 26486881
TI  - Microglial/Macrophage Polarization Dynamics following Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - Activated microglia and macrophages exert dual beneficial and detrimental roles
      after central nervous system injury, which are thought to be due to their
      polarization along a continuum from a classical pro-inflammatory M1-like state to
      an alternative anti-inflammatory M2-like state. The goal of the present study was
      to analyze the temporal dynamics of microglia/macrophage polarization within the
      lesion micro-environment following traumatic brain injury (TBI) using a moderate
      level controlled cortical impact (CCI) model in mice. We performed a detailed
      phenotypic analysis of M1- and M2-like polarized microglia/macrophages, as well
      as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX2) expression, through
      7 days post-injury using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), flow
      cytometry and image analyses. We demonstrated that microglia/macrophages express
      both M1- and M2-like phenotypic markers early after TBI, but the transient up
      regulation of the M2-like phenotype was replaced by a predominant M1- or mixed
      transitional (Mtran) phenotype that expressed high levels of NOX2 at 7 days post
      injury. The shift towards the M1-like and Mtran phenotype was associated with
      increased cortical and hippocampal neurodegeneration. In a follow up study, we
      administered a selective NOX2 inhibitor, gp91ds-tat, to CCI mice starting at 24 h
      post-injury to investigate the relationship between NOX2 and M1-like/Mtran
      phenotypes. Delayed gp91ds-tat treatment altered M1-/M2-like balance in favor of
      the anti-inflammatory M2-like phenotype, and significantly reduced oxidative
      damage in neurons at 7 days post-injury. Therefore, our data suggest that despite
      M1-like and M2-like polarized microglia/macrophages being activated after TBI,
      the early M2-like response becomes dysfunctional over time, resulting in
      development of pathological M1-like and Mtran phenotypes driven by increased NOX2
      activity.

PMID- 26486882
TI  - Badiranji Buya Keli, a Traditional Uyghur Medicine, Induces Vasodilation in Rat
      Artery: Signaling Mediated by Nitric Oxide Production in Endothelial Cells.
AB  - Badiranji Buya Keli (BBK) is a traditional Uyghur medicine derived from
      Dracocephalum Moldavica Herba (DMH, the aerial part of Dracocephalum moldavica
      L.). BBK has been widely used in treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular
      diseases. Here, the quality control of BBK was established by using HPLC analysis
      of rosmarinic acid and tilianin. After chemical standardization, the biological
      effects of BBK was tested. First, BBK inhibited platelet aggregation of rabbit
      plasma. Second, BBK induced vasodilation in rat aortic ring, and this effect was
      partially mediated by nitric oxide (NO) production in endothelial cells. Third,
      BBK induced NO production in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells
      (HUVECs). In HUVECs, the phosphorylation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) was
      markedly increased after application of BBK. Pre-treatment with the eNOS blocker
      N(omega) -nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride could abolish BBK-induced
      NO production and eNOS phosphorylation. Taken together, these results suggest
      that BBK could exert beneficial effects in cardiovascular system, which may
      provide parts of molecular explanation to account for its traditional usage in
      Uyghur medicine.

PMID- 26486883
TI  - Sustained suppression of viral replication in improving vitamin D serum
      concentrations in patients with chronic hepatitis B.
AB  - Recently, the role of vitamin D in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) has attracted a lot
      attention. In this study, 128 naive CHB patients (91 with positive HBeAg, 37 with
      negative-HBeAg) were enrolled, and 128 volunteers without liver diseases were
      enrolled as controls. Compared to that of healthy controls, the mean level of
      25(OH)D3 in CHB patients was significantly lower; and the percent of patients
      with sufficient 25(OH)D3 (>=20 ng/mL) was also significantly lower than that of
      healthy controls. Among those CHB patients, the level of 25(OH)D3 was negatively
      correlated with the serum HBV-DNA level. Additionally, the level of 25(OH)D3 was
      significantly lower in HBeAg-positive patients than that in HBeAg-negative
      patients. After the patients went through the long-term antiviral treatments,
      both the mean level of 25(OH)D3 and the percent of patients with sufficient
      25(OH)D3 increased significantly. Additionally, patients who were HBeAg free
      after the treatment also had much higher 25(OH)D3 level than those with
      persistent positive HBeAg. All those data suggested that the low vitamin D serum
      level was dangerous for CHB patients, and the level of 25(OH)D3 was highly
      negatively correlated with HBV-DNA levels. Effective antiviral therapy might
      increase the level of vitamin D in CHB patients. 

PMID- 26486884
TI  - Nonprosthetic Direct Inguinal Hernia Repair During Robotic Radical Prostatectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report our experience with concomitant hernia repair during robot
      assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) with a nonprosthetic and tissue-based
      technique. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review on 1005 consecutive
      patients who underwent RARP between the years 2005 and 2015. Twenty-nine
      patients, who underwent 37, concurrent, direct, inguinal hernia repairs, were
      identified (group 1) and compared to a match control group of 29 patients who
      underwent RARP without hernia repair (group 2). Cases were matched 1:1 for age,
      body-mass index, and pathologic stage. The reinforcement of the floor was
      achieved with a modified posterior wall darn repair. The repair consisted of
      suturing the lateral edge of the rectus abdominis muscle sheath to the
      ileopectineal ligament (Cooper's ligament) with continuous prolene loose suture.
      This technique provided a tissue-based repair and the final reinforcement of the
      floor was expected to ensue by the secondary fibrotic tissue development and
      maturing between the sutures. RESULTS: From a total of 1005 patients who
      underwent RARP, 29 (2.8%) were preoperatively identified with a primary, direct
      inguinal hernia and underwent concomitant inguinal herniorrhaphy. The operative
      time was 147 minutes for group 1 vs 143 minutes for group 2 (p = 0.8). Estimated
      blood loss was 175 mL for the group with the hernia repair vs 200 mL for the
      group without repair (p = 0.3). There were no Clavien-Dindo grade >1
      complications observed in either of the groups. Mean follow-up period was 32.1
      months for group 1 vs 33.3 for group 2 (p = 0.8). Importantly, no hernia
      recurrences were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Inguinal hernias represent an important
      surgical issue and may be repaired concurrently during radical prostatectomy to
      minimize the risks of postoperative complications. The concomitant repair of
      inguinal hernias during robotic radical prostatectomy utilizing a nonprosthetic
      is a safe and feasible alternative for primary direct hernia repair during
      prostatectomy.

PMID- 26486886
TI  - CT screening in current moderate smokers may be justified as study finds similar
      lung cancer risk to heavier smokers.

PMID- 26486885
TI  - "Chameleonic" backbone hydrogen bonds in protein binding and as drug targets.
AB  - We carry out a time-averaged contact matrix study to reveal the existence of
      protein backbone hydrogen bonds (BHBs) whose net persistence in time differs
      markedly form their corresponding PDB-reported state. We term such interactions
      as "chameleonic" BHBs, CBHBs, precisely to account for their tendency to change
      the structural prescription of the PDB for the opposite bonding propensity in
      solution. We also find a significant enrichment of protein binding sites in
      CBHBs, relate them to local water exposure and analyze their behavior as
      ligand/drug targets. Thus, the dynamic analysis of hydrogen bond propensity might
      lay the foundations for new tools of interest in protein binding-site prediction
      and in lead optimization for drug design. 

PMID- 26486890
TI  - Label-Free (XIC) Quantification of Venom Procoagulant and Neurotoxin Expression
      in Related Australian Elapid Snakes Gives Insight into Venom Toxicity Evolution.
AB  - This study demonstrates a direct role of venom protein expression alteration in
      the evolution of snake venom toxicity. Avian skeletal muscle contractile response
      to exogenously administered acetylcholine is completely inhibited upon exposure
      to South Australian and largely preserved following exposure to Queensland
      eastern brown snake Pseudonaja textilis venom, indicating potent postsynaptic
      neurotoxicity of the former and lack thereof of the latter venom. Label-free
      quantitative proteomics reveals extremely large differences in the expression of
      postsynaptic three-finger alpha-neurotoxins in these venoms, explaining the
      difference in the muscle contractile response and suggesting that the type of
      toxicity induced by venom can be modified by altered expression of venom
      proteins. Furthermore, the onset of neuromuscular paralysis in the rat phrenic
      nerve-diaphragm preparation occurs sooner upon exposure to the venom (10 MUg/mL)
      with high expression of alpha-neurotoxins than the venoms containing
      predominately presynaptic beta-neurotoxins. The study also finds that the onset
      of rat plasma coagulation is faster following exposure to the venoms with higher
      expression of venom prothrombin activator subunits. This is the first
      quantitative proteomic study that uses extracted ion chromatogram peak areas (MS1
      XIC) of distinct homologous tryptic peptides to directly show the differences in
      the expression of venom proteins. 

PMID- 26486893
TI  - Scientific communication in nursing.

PMID- 26486891
TI  - Essential role of carbonic anhydrase XII in secretory gland fluid and HCO3 (-)
      secretion revealed by disease causing human mutation.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Fluid and HCO3 (-) secretion is essential for all epithelia; aberrant
      secretion is associated with several diseases. Carbonic anhydrase XII (CA12) is
      the key carbonic anhydrase in epithelial fluid and HCO3 (-) secretion and works
      by activating the ductal Cl(-) -HCO3 (-) exchanger AE2. Delivery of CA12 to
      salivary glands increases salivation in mice and of the human mutation
      CA12(E143K) markedly inhibits it. The human mutation CA12(E143K) causes disease
      due to aberrant CA12 glycosylation, and misfolding resulting in loss of AE2
      activity. ABSTRACT: Aberrant epithelial fluid and HCO3 (-) secretion is
      associated with many diseases. The activity of HCO3 (-) transporters depends of
      HCO3 (-) availability that is determined by carbonic anhydrases (CAs). Which CAs
      are essential for epithelial function is unknown. CA12 stands out since the
      CA12(E143K) mutation causes salt wasting in sweat and dehydration in humans.
      Here, we report that expression of CA12 and of CA12(E143K) in mice salivary
      glands respectively increased and prominently inhibited ductal fluid secretion
      and salivation in vivo. CA12 markedly increases the activity and is the major
      HCO3 (-) supplier of ductal Cl(-) -HCO3 (-) exchanger AE2, but not of NBCe1-B.
      The E143K mutation alters CA12 glycosylation at N28 and N80, resulting in
      retention of the basolateral CA12 in the ER. Knockdown of AE2 and of CA12
      inhibited pancreatic and salivary gland ductal AE2 activity and fluid secretion.
      Accordingly, patients homozygous for the CA12(E143K) mutation have a dry mouth,
      dry tongue phenotype. These findings reveal an unsuspected prominent role of CA12
      in epithelial function, explain the disease and call for caution in the use of
      CA12 inhibitors in cancer treatment.

PMID- 26486892
TI  - Perceived age is associated with bone status in women aged 25-93 years.
AB  - Higher perceived age (PA) is reported to be associated with age-related diseases.
      Because osteoporosis is considered an age-related disease, we hypothesized that
      age perceived from photographs is associated with bone mineral density
      (BMD)/trabecular bone score (TBS) when controlled for chronological age. This is
      a cross-sectional study of 460 women aged 25-93 years. BMD/TBS was measured.
      Twenty physicians assessed age from facial and whole-body photographs. Residual
      PA (R(PACA)) was calculated from the regression of PA on chronological age.
      Participants were divided into "looking old" (LO) or "looking young" (LY). Linear
      mixed models and general linear models fitted with BMD/TBS as outcome and either
      R(PACA) or LO/LY as an independent variable, considering chronological age.
      Estimates of R(PACA) were all negative; i.e., an increase in R(PAC) is associated
      with lower BMD, consistent with the hypothesis (e.g., beta -0.29%; 95% confidence
      interval (CI) 0.55, 0.03). Statistical significance of the association of age
      adjusted facial R(PACA) with BMD was found. Adjusted for body mass index (BMI),
      menopause, and hormone replacement therapy, higher R(PACA) from all photographic
      presentations were significantly associated with lower BMD based on statistical
      significance. BMD/TBS was in all analyses higher in the group LY compared with
      LO, when adjusted for age and BMI (e.g., beta 4.37%; 95 CI 0.62, 8.26), but
      statistical significance was obtained only from the BMD analyses. A higher PA was
      significantly associated with a lower BMD/TBD, and the size of association in
      older women indicates that it might have value as part of the clinical assessment
      of osteoporotic risk.

PMID- 26486894
TI  - [Embracement with risk classification in the emergency department from the
      perspective of older adults].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess practices of embracement at the patient intake area of the
      emergency department of Porto Alegre Clinicas Hospital from the perspective of
      the older adults. METHODS: Qualitative investigation using the case study
      approach with 30 older adults trough semi-structured interview between July by
      November 2010. Data were assessed by thematic analysis with the Nvivo software
      suite. RESULTS: Responses focused on wait times and on the role of nurses in
      patient classification. User embracement practices enhanced the work process and
      highlighted the direct contact between nurses and users. CONCLUSIONS: The care
      needs of the older adults, the respect for the assessment protocol intervals and
      work on internal and external network can be improved in order to qualify
      attention to these patients.

PMID- 26486895
TI  - [Socioeconomic characteristics and quality of life of urban and rural elderly
      people with heart disease].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the socioeconomic variables and quality of life scores
      (QOL) of elderly residents with heart diseases in urban and rural areas. METHOD:
      household survey with 829 urban and 220 rural elderlies. The data were collected
      using: Brazilian Questionnaire for Functional and Multidimensional Assessment,
      WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOL-OLD. The collection in the urban area was from June to
      December of 2008 and, in the rural area, from June 2010 to March 2011. Chi
      square, t-student and multiple linear regression (p <0.05) tests were used.
      RESULTS: The proportion of women and elderlies with 75 years of age and over was
      higher in urban areas. Lower scores among urban elderlies physical and social
      relations were observed, and; facets autonomy, past, present and future
      activities and intimacy; for the rural elderlies, the environment, sensory
      abilities, death and dying. CONCLUSION: the urban elderlies showed a lower QOL
      score in most areas and facets compared to rural elderlies.

PMID- 26486896
TI  - [Nursing workload in a coronary unit according to the Nursing Activities Score].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: this study aimed to using the Nursing Activities Score to assess
      nursing workload in a coronary care unit, to assess the distribution of workload
      between shifts, and to compare the current staff of the care unit with that
      recommended by the instrument. METHOD: this was a longitudinal study, conducted
      in a teaching hospital in Southern Brazil, between April to June 2012. RESULTS: A
      total of 604 NAS measures were obtained from the 61 patients included. The mean
      workload per shift was 47% (+/-12), with the greatest workload being reported in
      the afternoon shifts. CONCLUSION: according to the NAS, a mean of two and a
      maximum of 2.4 nursing professionals would be required per shift to meet all
      patient demands, suggesting that the current staff size in the CCU is adequate.
      The NAS was successful in assessing nursing workload and changes in patient
      demands over time.

PMID- 26486897
TI  - [Comprehension of community healthcare agents on the National Humanization
      Policy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify the comprehension of Community Healthcare Agents on the
      National Humanization Policy (NHP), as well as to analyze whether they recognize
      healthcare actions developed in their daily lives, as those established by the
      NHP. METHOD: Exploratory and descriptive qualitative research, conducted between
      June and September 2013, with 15 Community Healthcare Agents of the Family Health
      Strategy Program in a city located in the West of Sao Paulo state. The data
      collection was conducted through individual interviews, using a semi-structured
      script and submitted to content analysis. RESULTS: Two categories emerged:
      "Superficial knowledge: an obstacle to the construction of humanized care" and
      "Actions of humanized health: trying to get closer". CONCLUSION: The basic
      concepts of NHP are part of the knowledge of these professionals, but the
      understanding they possess is superficial, which directly affects the actions
      provided to the community.

PMID- 26486898
TI  - [Living and health conditions of elderly people over 80].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article proposes to describe demographic data and health
      conditions of elderly people at age 80 or more. METHOD: Quantitative-descriptive
      study of 95 elderlies from five units of the Family Health Strategy in the period
      from September to December 2013, using script with general data of the living
      conditions and health, including validated scales in geriatrics and gerontology.
      RESULTS: The average age was 85.4 years. There was a predominance of women. Most
      were widowers with family income, more frequently between 2 or 3 minimum wages
      and economic participation is for means of sharing responsibility. They present
      dependency for many of Daily Living Instrumental Activities and, on average,
      reported 2.2 diseases. Fear of falling, decreased vision and hearing as well as
      pain in different body regions are reported. CONCLUSION: It appears that they
      have more intense needs than the elderly in general, requiring new ways of
      organizing their health care.

PMID- 26486899
TI  - [Pre hospital indicators in assessing the quality of care for patients with acute
      coronary syndrome].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to assess quality indicators related to the pre-hospital time for
      patients with acute coronary syndrome. METHOD: collection took place at a
      tertiary hospital in Parana between 2012 and 2013, through interviews and a
      medical record review. 94 patients participated, 52.1% male, 78.7% who were over
      50 years old, 46.9% studied until the fourth grade, 60.6% were diagnosed with
      acute myocardial infarction. RESULTS: the outcomes were the time between the
      onset of symptoms and the decision to seek help with an average of 1022 min+/
      343.13, door-to-door 805 min+/-181.78; and reperfusion, 455 min+/-364.8. The
      choice to seek out care within 60 min occurred in patients who were having a
      heart attack, and longer than 60 min in those with a history of heart attack or
      prior catheterization. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the pre-hospital indicators
      studied interfered with the quality of care.

PMID- 26486900
TI  - [Control mechanisms for the integration of teaching and service in the Pro-Saude
      nursing programme].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize and analyze the control mechanisms of institutional
      relations for the integration of health education and services linked to the Pro
      Saude programme, according to the professors and nurses of health centres in
      Florianopolis. METHOD: A qualitative approach based on a single case study.
      Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted in the second semester of 2012
      at eight health centres where nursing students carry out practical activities and
      internships in primary health care. The data were subjected to content analysis
      with the comparison of responses from both segments. RESULTS: Three categories
      were created: Characterization of control mechanisms; Influences of control
      mechanisms; and, Suggestions for the improvement of control mechanisms for the
      integration of teaching and services. CONCLUSION: A greater understanding of the
      control mechanisms for the integration of teaching and services proportionally
      leads to better management of inter-organizational cooperation and the subsequent
      improvement of the care provided to users.

PMID- 26486902
TI  - [Nurses' perceptions of the vulnerabilities to STD/AIDS in light of the process
      of adolescence].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to understand the perception of nurses on the vulnerabilities to
      STD/AIDS in light of the process of adolescence. METHOD: qualitative research
      conducted with 15 nurses in a centre for the studies of adolescent healthcare of
      a university hospital in Rio de Janeiro/Brazil. The adopted theoretical and
      methodological frameworks were the Complexity Theory and the Grounded Theory,
      respectively. The semi-structured interview was used to collect data from January
      to August 2012. RESULTS: this research presents the category: Nurses' perceptions
      of the vulnerabilities to STD/AIDS in light of the process of adolescence, and
      the subcategories: Risks and uncertainties of the process of adolescence: paths
      to STD/AIDS; Age-adolescence complex: expanding knowledge from the perception of
      nurses. CONCLUSION: once the nurses understand the complexity of adolescence,
      they create strategies to reduce the vulnerability of adolescents to STD/AIDS.
      This signals the need to invest in education, assistance and the management of
      nursing care for adolescents.

PMID- 26486901
TI  - [The challenge of tobacco control at a university hospital].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify the actions taken by the Commission of Tobacco Control
      (CTC) to control smoking in the hospital environment. METHODS: Descriptive and
      exploratory retrospective documentary research conducted at a university hospital
      in southern Brazil, in 2014. The content of the minutes of CTC meetings was used
      to create a database, and the rounds reports were descriptively analyzed. We
      sought to identify the most relevant actions from 2005 to 2014. RESULTS: The CTC
      implemented the Tobacco-Free Environment programme restricted cigarette smoking
      to designated areas and subsequently deactivated these areas. The only remaining
      outdoor smoking area in 2014 was deactivated. CONCLUSION: CTC actions have
      contributed to tobacco control in the hospital environment. This study will
      hopefully serve as a model to encourage other institutions to implement similar
      actions.

PMID- 26486903
TI  - [Profile of nursing diagnoses of hospitalized patients in an infectious disease
      unit].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To define the profile of nursing diagnoses of hospitalized patients at
      an infectious diseases unit. METHODS: This is a descriptive study based on the
      quantitative approach conducted at an infectious diseases unit in Paraiba,
      Brazil, from January to February 2014. The data collection instrument was based
      on the Theory of Basic Human Needs by Wanda de Aguiar Horta, followed by the
      classification system CIPER version 2.0 to construct the diagnoses. RESULTS: Data
      analysis resulted in 36 nursing diagnoses statements, with a higher prevalence of
      impaired food intake, cachexia, impaired spontaneous bladder elimination,
      impaired oral cavity hygiene, exposure to contamination, rapid heart rate,
      insomnia, drug abuse, alcohol and tobacco abuse, social isolation, acceptance and
      fear. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of a diagnostics profile is critical to
      guide nursing interventions.

PMID- 26486904
TI  - [Preference and factors associated with the type of delivery among new mothers in
      a public maternity hospital].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify reproductive and socioeconomic factors that influence the
      preference for a method of childbirth. METHOD: Data were collected using semi
      structured interviews with 233 women in postpartum care. Data were analyzed using
      association tests, namely the Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression.
      RESULTS: The preference for vaginal childbirth was cited by 58% of women. The
      main reasons for this preference were quick postpartum recovery, a negative
      experience in Caesarean childbirth and fulfilment through motherhood. Analysis of
      the logistic models of preference for vaginal delivery according to the
      independent variables revealed a greater occurrence in women who had previous
      experience of this type of delivery (PR: 1.91; CI: 1.15-3.17) and had received
      prior guidance (PR: 1.76; CI: 1.06-2.90). CONCLUSION: Findings highlight the need
      to transform the model of care provided during pregnancy and childbirth.

PMID- 26486905
TI  - [Teaching in higher education in nursing: an integrative literature review].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the knowledge produced about teaching in higher education
      in nursing. METHOD: Integrative literature review of full articles available on
      the LILACS, SciELO, BDENF and ERIC databases, through the descriptors "nursing
      faculty"and "practices of nursing faculty" and keywords "Teaching in nursing" or
      "Education in nursing"and "Nursing professors" and "Teaching knowledge" in
      Portuguese, English or Spanish, published from January 2008 to November 2013.
      RESULTS: 31 articles were identified. The data led to the following thematic
      categories: Training for faculty, Conflict of roles: being a nurse and being a
      teacher and Organization of the teaching work. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that
      there are numerous gaps in understanding the teaching activity in nursing. The
      concerns identified may offer help for understanding the teaching world and
      conceptions about being a teacher in nursing.

PMID- 26486906
TI  - [Acute pain in myocardial infarction: analysis of concept].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the concept "sharp pain" in the context of acute myocardial
      infarction. METHODS: Conceptual analysis method proposed by Walker and Avant.
      This makes it possible to clarify the concept of attributes. We conducted an
      integrative review to assist the search of studies published in 2006 and 2012,
      using the descriptors 'Acute Pain' and 'myocardial infarction', through
      consultation to Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature
      (CINAHL), Scopus and Public/Publish Medline (PubMed) data. RESULTS: A sample of
      29 studies was selected in which the background identified was: reduction of
      myocardial perfusion and/or death of myocardial tissue; attributes: quality,
      location, time, duration and irradiation; and consequent: report of pain,
      dyspnea, high heart rate, nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, high respiratory
      rate, sleep disturbance, diaphoresis, fatigue, paleness, weakness, anxiety and
      fear. CONCLUSION: The findings have clarified the attributes of the concept sharp
      pain in myocardial infarction.

PMID- 26486907
TI  - [Theory of unpleasant symptoms: support for the management of symptoms in
      children and adolescents with cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To present an overview of the clusters of neuropsychological symptoms
      in children and adolescents with cancer from the perspective of the Theory of
      Unpleasant Symptoms. METHODS: A theoretical and reflective study based on
      international literature and the critical analysis of the authors. RESULTS: In
      scientific literature, there is scarcity of international studies and an absence
      of studies in Brazil regarding the neuropsychological symptom clusters in
      children and adolescents with cancer. The theory of unpleasant symptoms is
      consistent because it emphasizes the complexity and interaction of the symptoms,
      the interrelationship between symptoms, the factors that influence symptoms, and
      the results and consequences of symptoms, thus supporting the planning of nursing
      interventions in paediatric oncology. CONCLUSION: It is essential to update
      knowledge on this subject and discuss the theories that support research and the
      clinical practice of symptom management in order to better qualify nursing care.

PMID- 26486908
TI  - [Knowledge translation: translating research into policy and practice].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This paper provides a theoretical-reflective study of knowledge
      translation concepts and their implementation processes for using research
      evidence in policy and practice. RESULTS: The process of translating research
      into practice is iterative and dynamic, with fluid boundaries between knowledge
      creation and action development. Knowledge translation focuses on co-creating
      knowledge with stakeholders and sharing that knowledge to ensure uptake of
      relevant research to facilitate informed decisions and changes in policy,
      practice, and health services delivery. In Brazil, many challenges exist in
      implementing knowledge translation: lack of awareness, lack of partnerships
      between researchers and knowledge-users, and low research budgets. CONCLUSIONS:
      An emphasis on knowledge translation has the potential to positively impact
      health outcomes. Future research in Brazil is needed to study approaches to
      improve the uptake of research results in the Brazilian context.

PMID- 26486909
TI  - Editorial. International Inaugural Address.

PMID- 26486911
TI  - Fine mapping of a calving QTL on Bos taurus autosome 18 in Holstein cattle.
AB  - Decreased calving performance not only directly impacts the economic efficiency
      of dairy cattle farming but also influences public concern for animal welfare.
      Previous studies have revealed a QTL on Bos taurus autosome (BTA) 18 that has a
      large effect on calving traits in Holstein cattle. In this study, fine mapping of
      this QTL was performed using imputed high-density SNP chip (HD) genotypes
      followed by imputed next-generation sequencing (NGS) variants. BTA18 was scanned
      for seven direct calving traits in 6113 bulls with imputed HD genotypes. SNP
      rs136283363 (BTA18: 57 548 213) was consistently the most significantly
      associated SNP across all seven traits [e.g. p-value = 2.04 * 10(-59) for birth
      index (BI)]. To finely map the QTL region and to explore pleiotropic effects, we
      studied NGS variants within the targeted region (BTA18: 57 321 450-57 625 355)
      for associations with direct calving traits and with three conformation traits.
      Significant variants were prioritized, and their biological relevance to the
      traits was interpreted. Considering their functional relationships with direct
      calving traits, SIGLEC12, CD33 and CEACAM18 were proposed as candidate genes. In
      addition, pleiotropic effects of this QTL region on direct calving traits and
      conformation traits were observed. However, the extent of linkage disequilibrium
      combined with the lack of complete annotation and potential errors in the Bos
      taurus genome assembly hampered our efforts to pinpoint the causal mutation. 

PMID- 26486912
TI  - Carbon Footprints for Food of Animal Origin: What are the Most Preferable
      Criteria to Measure Animal Yields?
AB  - There are increasing efforts to determine the origin of greenhouse gas emissions
      caused by human activities (including food consumption) and to identify, apply
      and exploit reduction potentials. Low emissions are generally the result of
      increased efficiency in resource utilization. Considering climate related
      factors, the emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and laughing gas are summarized
      to so-called carbon footprints (CF). The CF for food of animal origin such as
      milk, eggs, meat and fish depend on a number of influencing factors such as
      animal species, type of production, feeding of animals, animal performance,
      system boundaries and outputs of production. Milk and egg yields are more clearly
      defined animal yields or outcomes of production than food from the carcasses of
      animals. Possible endpoints of growing/slaughter animals are body weight gain,
      carcass weight gain (warm or cold), meat, edible fractions or edible protein. The
      production of edible protein of animal origin may be considered as one of the
      main objectives of animal husbandry in many countries. On the other hand, the
      efficiency of various lines of production and the CF per product can also be
      easily compared on the basis of edible protein. The pros and contras of various
      outputs of animal production under special consideration of edible protein are
      discussed in the paper. 

PMID- 26486913
TI  - Is the Grass Always Greener? Comparing the Environmental Impact of Conventional,
      Natural and Grass-Fed Beef Production Systems.
AB  - This study compared the environmental impact of conventional, natural and grass
      fed beef production systems. A deterministic model based on the metabolism and
      nutrient requirements of the beef population was used to quantify resource inputs
      and waste outputs per 1.0 * 108 kg of hot carcass weight beef in conventional
      (CON), natural (NAT) and grass-fed (GFD) production systems. Production systems
      were modeled using characteristic management practices, population dynamics and
      production data from U.S. beef production systems. Increased productivity
      (slaughter weight and growth rate) in the CON system reduced the cattle
      population size required to produce 1.0 * 108 kg of beef compared to the NAT or
      GFD system. The CON system required 56.3% of the animals, 24.8% of the water,
      55.3% of the land and 71.4% of the fossil fuel energy required to produce 1.0 *
      108 kg of beef compared to the GFD system. The carbon footprint per 1.0 * 108 kg
      of beef was lowest in the CON system (15,989 * 103 t), intermediate in the NAT
      system (18,772 * 103 t) and highest in the GFD system (26,785 * 103 t). The
      challenge to the U.S beef industry is to communicate differences in system
      environmental impacts to facilitate informed dietary choice. 

PMID- 26486914
TI  - Why Did You Choose This Pet?: Adopters and Pet Selection Preferences in Five
      Animal Shelters in the United States.
AB  - Responses from an adopter survey (n = 1,491) determined reasons for pet
      selection, type of information received by the adopter, and the context in which
      the animal's behavior was observed. Appearance of the animal, social behavior
      with adopter, and personality were the top reasons for adoption across species
      and age groups. Most adopters stated that information about the animal from a
      staff member or volunteer was more important than information on cage cards, and
      health and behavior information was particularly important. Adopters found
      greater importance in interacting with the animal rather than viewing it in its
      kennel. The results of this study can be used by shelters to create better
      adoption matches, prioritize shelter resources and staff training, and
      potentially increase adoptions. Additionally, some simple training techniques are
      suggested to facilitate adopter-friendly behaviors from sheltered dogs and cats. 

PMID- 26486915
TI  - Methods for Measuring and Estimating Methane Emission from Ruminants.
AB  - This paper is a brief introduction to the different methods used to quantify the
      enteric methane emission from ruminants. A thorough knowledge of the advantages
      and disadvantages of these methods is very important in order to plan
      experiments, understand and interpret experimental results, and compare them with
      other studies. The aim of the paper is to describe the principles, advantages and
      disadvantages of different methods used to quantify the enteric methane emission
      from ruminants. The best-known methods: Chambers/respiration chambers, SF6
      technique and in vitro gas production technique and the newer CO2 methods are
      described. Model estimations, which are used to calculate national budget and
      single cow enteric emission from intake and diet composition, are also discussed.
      Other methods under development such as the micrometeorological technique,
      combined feeder and CH4 analyzer and proxy methods are briefly mentioned. Methods
      of choice for estimating enteric methane emission depend on aim, equipment,
      knowledge, time and money available, but interpretation of results obtained with
      a given method can be improved if knowledge about the disadvantages and
      advantages are used in the planning of experiments. 

PMID- 26486916
TI  - Supplementation of Ascorbic Acid in Weanling Horses Following Prolonged
      Transportation.
AB  - Though horses synthesize ascorbic acid in their liver in amounts that meet their
      needs under normal circumstances, prolonged stress results in low plasma
      concentrations due to enhanced utilization and renal excretion and can reduce
      immune function. It was hypothesized that plasma ascorbic acid could be
      maintained in weanling horses by oral supplementation following prolonged
      transportation. Weanlings were supplemented with no ascorbic acid (Tx 0: n = 4),
      5 grams ascorbic acid twice daily for 5 days (Tx 1: n = 4) or for 10 days (Tx 2:
      n = 4) following >50 hours of transportation. Supplementation caused slight (P <
      0.2) increases in plasma ascorbic acid concentrations. Both supplemented groups
      had decreased (P < 0.05) plasma concentrations for 1 to 3 weeks following
      cessation of supplementation, possibly due to increased renal excretion or
      suppressed hepatic synthesis. Supplementation of ascorbic acid following
      prolonged stress will increase plasma concentrations, but prolonged
      supplementation should be avoided. 

PMID- 26486917
TI  - Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Calf- and Yearling-Fed Beef Production Systems,
      With and Without the Use of Growth Promotants.
AB  - A spring calving herd consisting of about 350 beef cows, 14-16 breeding bulls, 60
      replacement heifers and 112 steers were used to compare the whole-farm GHG
      emissions among calf-fed vs. yearling-fed production systems with and without
      growth implants. Carbon footprint ranged from 11.63 to 13.22 kg CO2e per kg live
      weight (19.87-22.52 kg CO2e per kg carcass weight). Enteric CH4 was the largest
      source of GHG emissions (53-54%), followed by manure N2O (20-22%), cropping N2O
      (11%), energy use CO2 (9-9.5%), and manure CH4 (4-6%). Beef cow accounted for 77%
      and 58% of the GHG emissions in the calf-fed and yearling-fed. Feeders accounted
      for the second highest GHG emissions (15% calf-fed; 35-36% yearling-fed).
      Implants reduced the carbon footprint by 4.9-5.1% compared with hormone-free.
      Calf-fed reduced the carbon footprint by 6.3-7.5% compared with yearling-fed.
      When expressed as kg CO2e per kg carcass weight per year the carbon footprint of
      calf-fed production was 73.9-76.1% lower than yearling-fed production, and calf
      fed implanted was 85% lower than hormone-free yearling-fed. Reducing GHG
      emissions from beef production may be accomplished by improving the feed
      efficiency of the cow herd, decreasing the days on low quality feeds, and
      reducing the age at harvest of youthful cattle. 

PMID- 26486918
TI  - Nutritional Influences on Skatole Formation and Skatole Metabolism in the Pig.
AB  - Skatole is a tryptophan (TRP) metabolite with fecal odor. Together with the
      testicular steroid androstenone it is regarded as a main determinant of boar
      taint, even if elevated concentrations of skatole occur occasionally in gilts and
      barrows. Skatole concentrations in adipose tissue result from a complex process,
      which includes the availability of TRP and the presence of specialized bacteria
      in the gut in need of TRP for energy production, as well as absorption, transport
      and accumulation of skatole in adipose tissue. Several steps of this process are
      influenced by diet and specific feed compounds. In the present paper the current
      knowledge about physiological mechanisms of skatole dynamics is summarized.
      Additionally mechanisms are discussed, by which effective feeding strategies and
      feed additives exert their influence in the prevention of high skatole
      concentrations in adipose pig tissue. It was concluded that the most effective
      measures are those which influence several steps of skatole formation. Despite
      the numerous studies carried out in the field of skatole physiology, interesting
      aspects still need clarification, such as the effect of adipose tissue turnover.
      Reliable control of skatole accretion in fat of boars is one of the main
      prerequisites for pork production with entire males. 

PMID- 26486920
TI  - Mannan Oligosaccharides in Nursery Pig Nutrition and Their Potential Mode of
      Action.
AB  - Mannan oligosaccharides (MOSs) are often referred to as one of the potential
      alternatives for antimicrobial growth promoters. The aim of the paper is to
      provide a review of mannan oligosaccharide products in relation to their growth
      promoting effect and mode of action based on the latest publications. We discuss
      the dietary impact of MOSs on (1) microbial changes, (2) morphological changes of
      gut tissue and digestibility of nutrients, and (3) immune response of pigs after
      weaning. Dietary MOSs maintain the intestinal integrity and the digestive and
      absorptive function of the gut in the post-weaning period. Recent results suggest
      that MOS enhances the disease resistance in swine by promoting antigen
      presentation facilitating thereby the shift from an innate to an adaptive immune
      response. Accordingly, dietary MOS supplementation has a potential growth
      promoting effect in pigs kept in a poor hygienic environment, while the positive
      effect of MOS is not observed in healthy pig herds with high hygienic standards
      that are able to maintain a high growth rate after weaning. 

PMID- 26486921
TI  - Extending the Collection Duration of Breath Samples for Enteric Methane Emission
      Estimation Using the SF6 Tracer Technique.
AB  - The daily sample collection protocol of the sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) tracer
      technique for the estimation of methane (CH4) emissions from ruminants may not be
      practical under extensive grazing systems. Here, under controlled conditions, we
      evaluated extended periods of sampling as an alternative to daily sample
      collections. Eight rumen-fistulated cows were housed and fed lucerne silage to
      achieve common daily feed intakes of 6.4 kg dry matter per cow. Following SF6
      permeation tube dosing, eight sampling lines were fitted to the breath collection
      harness, so that a common gas mix was available to each line. Half of the lines
      collected samples into PVC yokes using a modified capillary system as commonly
      used in New Zealand (NZL), and half collected samples into stainless steel
      cylinders using a ball-bearing flow restrictor as used in Argentina (ARG), all
      within a 10-day time frame, either daily, across two consecutive 5-day periods or
      across one 10-day period (in duplicate). The NZL system had greater sampling
      success (97.3 vs. 79.5%) and yielded more consistent CH4 emission estimates than
      the ARG system. Emission estimates from NZL daily, NZL 5-day and NZL 10-day
      samplings were 114, 110 and 111 g d(-1), respectively. Extended sample collection
      protocol may be feasible, but definitive evaluation of this alternative as well
      as sample collection systems is required under grazing situations before a
      decision on recommendation can be made. 

PMID- 26486919
TI  - A Potential Role for Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines in the Development of Insulin
      Resistance in Horses.
AB  - Understanding the mechanisms involved in the development of insulin resistance in
      horses should enable development of effective treatment and prevention
      strategies. Current knowledge of these mechanisms is based upon research in obese
      humans and rodents, in which there is evidence that the increased production of
      pro-inflammatory cytokines by adipose tissue negatively influences insulin
      signaling in insulin-responsive tissues. In horses, plasma concentrations of the
      cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, have been positively correlated with body
      fatness and insulin resistance, leading to the hypothesis that inflammation may
      reduce insulin sensitivity in horses. However, little evidence has documented a
      tissue site of production and a direct link between inflammation and induction of
      insulin resistance has not been established. Several mechanisms are reviewed in
      this article, including the potential for macrophage infiltration,
      hyperinsulinemia, hypoxia, and lipopolysaccharide to increase pro-inflammatory
      cytokine production by adipose tissue of obese horses. Clearly defining the role
      of cytokines in reduced insulin sensitivity of horses will be a very important
      step in determining how obesity and insulin resistance are related. 

PMID- 26486922
TI  - Methane Emission and Milk Production of Dairy Cows Grazing Pastures Rich in
      Legumes or Rich in Grasses in Uruguay.
AB  - Understanding the impact of changing pasture composition on reducing emissions of
      GHGs in dairy grazing systems is an important issue to mitigate climate change.
      The aim of this study was to estimate daily CH4 emissions of dairy cows grazing
      two mixed pastures with contrasting composition of grasses and legumes: L pasture
      with 60% legumes on Dry Matter (DM) basis and G pasture with 75% grasses on DM
      basis. Milk production and CH4 emissions were compared over two periods of two
      weeks during spring using eight lactating Holstein cows in a 2 * 2 Latin square
      design. Herbage organic matter intake (HOMI) was estimated by chromic oxide
      dilution and herbage organic matter digestibility (OMD) was estimated by faecal
      index. Methane emission was estimated by using the sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)
      tracer technique adapted to collect breath samples over 5-day periods. OMD (0.71)
      and HOMI (15.7 kg OM) were not affected by pasture composition. Milk production
      (20.3 kg/d), milk fat yield (742 g/d) and milk protein yield (667 g/d) were
      similar for both pastures. This may be explained by the high herbage allowance
      (30 kg DM above 5 cm/cow) which allowed the cows to graze selectively, in
      particular in grass sward. Similarly, methane emission expressed as absolute
      value (368 g/d or 516 L/d) or expressed as methane yield (6.6% of Gross Energy
      Intake (GEI)) was not affected by treatments. In conclusion, at high herbage
      allowance, the quality of the diet selected by grazing cows did not differ
      between pastures rich in legumes or rich in grasses, and therefore there was no
      effect on milk or methane production. 

PMID- 26486923
TI  - Frequency of Lost Dogs and Cats in the United States and the Methods Used to
      Locate Them.
AB  - A cross-sectional national random digit dial telephone interview was conducted
      between September and November 2010. There were 1,015 households that had owned a
      dog or cat within the past five years. Of these 817 households owned dogs and 506
      owned cats. Fourteen percent of dogs (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 11-16%) and
      15% (95% CI: 12-18%) of cats were lost in the past five years. No owner
      demographic variables were associated with losing a pet. Ninety three percent
      (95% CI: 86-97%) of dogs and 75% (95% CI: 64-85%) of cats were recovered. For
      dogs, searching the neighborhood and returning on their own were the most common
      methods of finding the dog; 14% were found through an identification tag. For
      cats, returning on their own was most common. Dogs were more likely than cats to
      be lost more than once. Cats were less likely than dogs to have any type of
      identification. Knowledge of the successful methods of finding dogs and cats can
      provide invaluable help for owners of lost pets. Since 25% of lost cats were not
      found, other methods of reuniting cats and their owners are needed. Collars and
      ID tags or humane trapping could be valuable approaches. 

PMID- 26486924
TI  - Elucidating Interactions between DMSO and Chelate-Based Ionic Liquids.
AB  - The C-D bond stretching vibrations of deuterated dimethyl sulfoxide ([D6 ]DMSO)
      and the C2 -H bond stretching vibrations of 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoropentane-2,4
      dione (hfac) ligand in anion are chosen as probes to elucidate the solvent-solute
      interaction between chelate-based ionic liquids (ILs) and DMSO by vibrational
      spectroscopic studies. The indirect effect from the interaction of the adjacent
      S=O functional group of DMSO with the cation [C10 mim](+) and anion [Mn(hfac)3 ](
      ) of the ILs leads to the blue-shift of the C-D stretching vibrations of DMSO.
      The C2 -H bond stretching vibrations in hfac ligand is closely related to the
      ionic hydrogen bond strength between the cation and anion of chelate-based ILs.
      EPR studies reveal that the crystal field of the central metal is kept when the
      chelate-based ILs are in different microstructure environment in the solution. 

PMID- 26486925
TI  - TNF-alpha antagonists and thalidomide for the management of gastrointestinal
      Behcet's syndrome refractory to the conventional treatment modalities: a case
      series and review of the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Gastrointestinal involvement of Behcet's syndrome is usually treated
      with glucocorticoids, 5-aminosalicylic acid compounds and azathioprine. However,
      some patients are refractory to these conventional therapy modalities. In this
      paper we report our experience on 13 patients with gastrointestinal involvement
      of Behcet's syndrome who were refractory to the conventional therapy and who were
      treated with TNF-alpha antagonists and/or thalidomide. METHODS: We reviewed the
      charts of our Behcet's syndrome patients with gastrointestinal involvement and
      identified those who were treated with TNF-alpha antagonists and/or thalidomide.
      Demographic features, previous and concomitant drugs, previous surgery, time to
      remission and duration of remission were tabulated. We also performed a
      systematic review of publications on gastrointestinal involvement of Behcet's
      syndrome patients treated with TNF-alpha antagonists and/or thalidomide. RESULTS:
      Among our 64 patients with gastrointestinal involvement of Behcet's syndrome, we
      identified 13 (20%) (7 women, 6 men, mean age 27.4+/-9.4) who had been treated
      with TNF-alpha antagonists and/or thalidomide. Their previous medications were
      glucocorticoids (13/13), azathioprine (13/13), 5-aminosalicylic acid derivatives
      (3/13) and budesonide (1/13). Clinical and endoscopic remission was obtained in
      10 patients. One patient died with sepsis. The systematic literature search
      revealed 91 cases who had used TNF-alpha antagonists and 15 who had used
      thalidomide. Among the patients who had received TNF-alpha antagonists, clinical
      remission was obtained in 47/91 patients (51%), while endoscopic remission was
      observed in 21/46 (45%) who had a control colonoscopy. CONCLUSIONS: One fifth of
      our Behcet's syndrome patients with gastrointestinal involvement were refractory
      to conventional treatment modalities. Remission was obtained with TNF-alpha
      antagonists and/or thalidomide in about 75% of the cases.

PMID- 26486926
TI  - From bedside to bench--meeting report of the 7th International Conference on cGMP
      "cGMP: generators, effectors and therapeutic implications" in Trier, Germany,
      from June 19th to 21st 2015.
AB  - During the past decade, our knowledge on the physiology, pathophysiology, basic
      pharmacology, and clinical pharmacology of the second messenger (cGMP) has
      increased tremendously. It is now well-established that cGMP, generated by
      soluble and particulate guanylate cyclases, is highly compartmentalized in cells
      and regulates numerous body functions. New cGMP-regulated physiological functions
      include meiosis and temperature perception. cGMP is involved in the genesis of
      numerous pathologies including cardiovascular, pulmonary, endocrine, metabolic,
      neuropsychiatric, eye, and tumor diseases. Several new clinical uses of
      stimulators and activators of soluble guanylate cyclase and of phosphodiesterase
      inhibitors such as heart failure, kidney failure, cognitive disorders, obesity
      bronchial asthma, and osteoporosis are emerging. The combination of neprilysin
      inhibitors-enhancing stimulation of the particulate guanylate cyclase pathway by
      preventing natriuretic peptide degradation-with angiotensin AT1 receptor
      antagonists constitutes a novel promising strategy for heart failure treatment.
      The role of oxidative stress in cGMP signaling, application of cGMP sensors, and
      gene therapy for degenerative eye diseases are emerging topics. It is anticipated
      that cGMP research will further prosper over the next years and reach out into
      more and more basic and clinical disciplines. 

PMID- 26486927
TI  - From Whole Gene Deletion to Point Mutations of EP300-Positive Rubinstein-Taybi
      Patients: New Insights into the Mutational Spectrum and Peculiar Clinical
      Hallmarks.
AB  - Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RSTS) is a rare congenital neurodevelopmental disorder
      characterized by growth deficiency, skeletal abnormalities, dysmorphic features,
      and intellectual disability. Causative mutations in CREBBP and EP300 genes have
      been identified in ~55% and ~8% of affected individuals. To date, only 28 EP300
      alterations in 29 RSTS clinically described patients have been reported. EP300
      analysis of 22 CREBBP-negative RSTS patients from our cohort led us to identify
      six novel mutations: a 376-kb deletion depleting EP300 gene; an exons 17-19
      deletion (c.(3141+1_3142-1)_(3590+1_3591-1)del/p.(Ile1047Serfs*30)); two stop
      mutations, (c.3829A>T/p.(Lys1277*) and c.4585C>T/p.(Arg1529*)); a splicing
      mutation (c.1878-12A>G/p.(Ala627Glnfs*11)), and a duplication
      (c.4640dupA/p.(Asn1547Lysfs*3)). All EP300-mutated individuals show a mild RSTS
      phenotype and peculiar findings including maternal gestosis, skin manifestation,
      especially nevi or keloids, back malformations, and a behavior predisposing to
      anxiety. Furthermore, the patient carrying the complete EP300 deletion does not
      show a markedly severe clinical picture, even if a more composite phenotype was
      noticed. By characterizing six novel EP300-mutated patients, this study provides
      further insights into the EP300-specific clinical presentation and expands the
      mutational repertoire including the first case of a whole gene deletion. These
      new data will enhance EP300-mutated cases identification highlighting distinctive
      features and will improve the clinical practice allowing a better genotype
      phenotype correlation.

PMID- 26486928
TI  - Age But Not Sex Is Associated With Efficacy and Adverse Events Following
      Administration of Intravenous Migraine Medication: An Analysis of a Clinical
      Trial Database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Migraine prevalence is associated with both sex and age. Differences
      in efficacy of parenteral migraine medication administration based on the sex and
      age of the patient have not been explored in the published literature. OBJECTIVE:
      The objective was to determine whether sex and age are associated with short-term
      headache relief, sustained headache freedom, or adverse medication effects in
      data collected during 3 emergency department (ED)-based acute migraine
      comparative efficacy trials. METHODS: Data were combined from 3 studies in which
      patients who presented to an ED with acute migraine were randomized to one of the
      following intravenous medication regimens: (1) metoclopramide combined with
      diphenhydramine; (2) metoclopramide combined with diphenhydramine and
      dexamethasone; (3) metoclopramide alone; (4) ketorolac; or (5) valproate. In each
      of these studies, (1) short-term efficacy (patient description of the headache as
      "mild" or "none" 1 hour after medication administration); (2) sustained efficacy
      (patient description of the headache as "none" within 2 hours of medication
      administration and no headache recurrence for 24 hours post ED discharge); and
      (3) the frequency of any adverse medication effects within 24 hours of medication
      administration was determined. For each of the medication regimens studied,
      efficacy and adverse event rates were compared between men vs women and the older
      vs the younger half of patients. Multivariate logistic regression models were
      constructed in which sex and age were maintained in the model as well as
      variables representing each of the medication regimens patients received.
      RESULTS: A total of 884 patients were included in this analysis (140 men and 744
      women). The median age was 35 years. After controlling for age and medication
      received, female sex was not associated with short-term efficacy (OR 0.98 [95%
      confidence interval (CI): 0.66, 1.46]), sustained efficacy (OR 0.72 [95%CI: 0.45,
      1.15]), or adverse events (OR 1.14 [95%CI: 0.77, 1.71]). Age >36 years, however,
      was associated with short-term efficacy (OR 0.66 [95%CI: 0.49, 0.88]), sustained
      efficacy (OR 0.50 [95%CI: 0.34, 0.73]), and adverse events (OR 1.36 [95%CI: 1.02,
      1.82]). CONCLUSION: Sex was not associated with response to parenteral acute
      migraine medication. Age was associated with both efficacy and adverse events.

PMID- 26486929
TI  - Sodium channel blockers for neuroprotection in multiple sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune, inflammatory, demyelinating
      disease of the central nervous system (CNS), which can occur in many parts of the
      CNS and result in a wide range of symptoms including sensory impairment, fatigue,
      walking or balance problems, visual impairment, vertigo and cognitive
      disabilities. At present, the most commonly used MS treatments are
      immunomodulating agents, but they have little effect on the disability.
      Experimental studies show that sodium (Na(+)) accumulation leads to intracellular
      calcium (Ca(2+)) release, and the increased calcium levels can activate nitric
      oxide synthase and harmful proteases and lipases. These factors contribute to
      axonal injury in people with MS. If partial blockade of voltage-gated sodium
      channels could result in neuroprotection, this would be of benefit for preventing
      disability progression in these people. Neuroprotection is emerging as a
      potentially important strategy for preventing disability progression in people
      with MS. OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy and safety of sodium channel blockers
      for neuroprotection in people with MS to prevent the occurrence of disability and
      alleviate the burden of the disease. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane
      Multiple Sclerosis and Rare Diseases of the Central Nervous System Group
      Specialised Register (27 August 2015) which, among other sources, contains
      references from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)
      (Cochrane Library 2015, Issue (8), MEDLINE (1966 to August 2015), EMBASE (1974 to
      August 2015), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)
      (1981 to August 2015), Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Information
      Database (LILACS) (1982 to August 2015), ClinicalTrials.gov
      (http://clinicaltrials.gov) and the World Health Organization (WHO) International
      Clinical Trials Registry Portal (ICTRP) search portal
      (http://apps.who.int/trialsearch). In addition, we searched four Chinese
      databases, ongoing trials registers and relevant reference lists. SELECTION
      CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that examined sodium channel
      blockers used alone or as an add-on to any approved treatments for MS. DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently selected trials,
      assessed trial quality and extracted the data. MAIN RESULTS: Only one study
      evaluating lamotrigine in secondary progressive MS was eligible. One hundred and
      twenty people were included, 61 randomly assigned to lamotrigine treatment and 59
      to placebo treatment. The average age of participants in the two groups was 51.9
      years and 50.1 years, respectively. The proportion of male participants was
      27.5%. The period of follow-up was 2 years. No data were found on disability
      progression and people who experienced relapses. No significant differences were
      found for serious adverse events between the two groups. Treatment with
      lamotrigine was associated with more rashes (20% vs 5%, P value 0.03) and
      transient, dose-related deterioration of mobility (66% vs 34%, P value 0.001)
      than placebo. Furthermore, no significant difference between the two groups was
      found in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements of cerebral atrophy,
      Expanded Disability Status Score changes, Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite
      score changes. This study was judged to be at high risk of bias. This review will
      be updated when the three ongoing studies we identified are completed. AUTHORS'
      CONCLUSIONS: The quality of evidence was judged to be very low due to the low
      number of available studies and included participants. There is a lack of
      evidence to address the review question on the efficacy of sodium channel
      blockers for people with MS. Assessment of the three ongoing trials might change
      this conclusion. Further high-quality large scale studies are needed.

PMID- 26486930
TI  - Expectant Management of Low-Risk Bladder Cancer.
AB  - Patients with one or more low-grade bladder tumors of the urinary bladder will
      often develop a subsequent tumor but these so called "recurrences" are almost
      always of similar grade and rarely invade beyond the basement membrane.
      Therefore, the clinician should try to minimize the morbidity associated with
      treating these new tumors. Since many of these patients are elderly or have
      comorbidities, active surveillance is a very reasonable initial approach if these
      tumors are very small and appear low-grade. Another alternative is fulguration in
      the outpatient setting using a flexible cystoscope and electrode. The goal is to
      try to avoid the hospital and performing a formal transurethral resection. This
      adds potential morbidity, inconvenience, and cost. 

PMID- 26486931
TI  - Tunnelling anisotropic magnetoresistance due to antiferromagnetic CoO tunnel
      barriers.
AB  - A new approach in spintronics is based on spin-polarized charge transport
      phenomena governed by antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials. Recent studies have
      demonstrated the feasibility of this approach for AFM metals and semiconductors.
      We report tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) due to the rotation of
      antiferromagnetic moments of an insulating CoO layer, incorporated into a tunnel
      junction consisting of sapphire(substrate)/fcc-Co/CoO/AlOx/Al. The ferromagnetic
      Co layer is exchange coupled to the AFM CoO layer and drives rotation of the AFM
      moments in an external magnetic field. The results may help pave the way towards
      the development of spintronic devices based on AFM insulators. 

PMID- 26486932
TI  - Role of the discriminative properties of the reinforcer in resurgence.
AB  - In three experiments with rat subjects, we examined the effects of the
      discriminative effects of reinforcers that were presented during or after operant
      extinction. Experiments 1 and 2 examined resurgence, in which an extinguished
      operant response (R1) recovers when a second behavior (R2) that has been
      reinforced to replace it is also placed in extinction. The results of Experiment
      1 suggest that the amount of R1's resurgence is a decreasing linear function of
      the interreinforcement interval used during the reinforcement of R2. In
      Experiment 2, R1 was reinforced with one outcome (O1), and R2 was then reinforced
      with a second outcome (O2) while R1 was extinguished. In resurgence tests,
      response-independent (noncontingent) presentations of O2 prevented resurgence of
      R1, which otherwise occurred when testing was conducted with either no
      reinforcers or noncontingent presentations of O1. In Experiment 3, we then
      examined the effects of noncontingent O1 and O2 presentations after simple
      extinction in either the presence or the absence of noncontingent presentations
      of O2. Overall, the results are consistent with a role for the discriminative
      properties of the reinforcer in controlling operant behavior. In resurgence, the
      reinforcer used during response elimination provides a distinct context that
      controls the inhibition of R1. The results are less consistent with an
      alternative view emphasizing the disrupting effects of alternative reinforcement.

PMID- 26486933
TI  - Central amygdala lesions inhibit pontine nuclei acoustic reactivity and retard
      delay eyeblink conditioning acquisition in adult rats.
AB  - In delay eyeblink conditioning (EBC) a neutral conditioned stimulus (CS; tone) is
      repeatedly paired with a mildly aversive unconditioned stimulus (US; periorbital
      electrical shock). Over training, subjects learn to produce an anticipatory
      eyeblink conditioned response (CR) during the CS, prior to US onset. While
      cerebellar synaptic plasticity is necessary for successful EBC, the amygdala is
      proposed to enhance eyeblink CR acquisition. In the current study, adult Long
      Evans rats received bilateral sham or neurotoxic lesions of the central nucleus
      of the amygdala (CEA) followed by 1 or 4 EBC sessions. Fear-evoked freezing
      behavior, CS-mediated enhancement of the unconditioned response (UR), and
      eyeblink CR acquisition were all impaired in the CEA lesion rats relative to sham
      controls. There were also significantly fewer c-Fos immunoreactive cells in the
      pontine nuclei (PN)-major relays of acoustic information to the cerebellum
      following the first and fourth EBC session in lesion rats. In sham rats, freezing
      behavior decreased from session 1 to 4, commensurate with nucleus-specific
      reductions in amygdala Fos+ cell counts. Results suggest delay EBC proceeds
      through three stages: in stage one the amygdala rapidly excites diffuse fear
      responses and PN acoustic reactivity, facilitating cerebellar synaptic plasticity
      and the development of eyeblink CRs in stage two, leading, in stage three, to a
      diminution or stabilization of conditioned fear responding.

PMID- 26486934
TI  - Reciprocal altruism in rats: Why does it occur?
AB  - The finding of reciprocal altruism in rats does not explain how such behavior
      came to be. Attributing it to a genetic predisposition or basic learning
      processes may not be what the authors had in mind, but the alternative, cultural
      learning, seems even less plausible for rats and perhaps is not even the primary
      basis for reciprocal altruism in humans. 

PMID- 26486935
TI  - Impaired Social Decision-Making Mediates the Association Between ADHD and Social
      Problems.
AB  - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) reliably predicts social
      dysfunction, ranging from poor social competence and elevated peer rejection to
      inadequate social skills. Yet, the factors mediating predictions of social
      problems from childhood ADHD are not well understood. In the present study, we
      investigated social functioning in 186 (69 % male) 6 to 10 year-old (M = 7.88, SD
      = 1.17) children with (n = 98) and without (n = 87) ADHD who were followed
      prospectively for two years. We implemented a well-validated measure of social
      problems as well as a novel social decision-making task assessing dynamic
      response to changing affective cues at the two-year follow-up. According to
      separate parent and teacher report, baseline ADHD symptoms positively predicted
      social problems at the two-year follow-up; individual differences on the social
      decision-making task mediated this association. This finding was replicated when
      ADHD dimensions (i.e., inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity) were separately
      examined. These findings suggest that the deficient use of affective cues to
      effectively guide behavior may partially underlie poor social functioning among
      children with ADHD. If replicated, these preliminary findings suggest that social
      skills interventions that target interpretation of affective cues to aid in
      social decision-making behavior may improve social outcomes negatively affected
      by early ADHD symptoms.

PMID- 26486937
TI  - Assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B using acoustic structure
      quantification: quantitative morphological ultrasound.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To prospectively investigate the usefulness of acoustic structure
      quantification (ASQ) for noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis in patients
      with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: Consecutive patients with CHB scheduled
      for liver biopsy or partial liver resection underwent standardized ASQ
      examinations. The ASQ parameter, named focal disturbance (FD) ratio, were
      compared with METAVIR scores. The analysis was based on receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) curves and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of
      114 patients were enrolled in the final analysis. The area under the ROC curve
      for the FD ratio was 0.84 for significant fibrosis (>= F2), 0.86 for severe
      fibrosis (>= F3), and 0.83 for cirrhosis (= F4). The optimal cutoff values for
      the FD ratio were 0.25, 0.30 and 0.50 for fibrosis stages >= F2, >= F3 and = F4,
      respectively. The prevalence of a difference of at least two stages between the
      FD ratio and the histological stage was 12.3 % (14 of 114). The fibrosis stage (P
      < 0.001), degree of steatosis (P < 0.001) were independent factors associated
      with the FD ratio. CONCLUSIONS: FD ratio should be an effective noninvasive
      imaging biomarker for the assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with CHB. KEY
      POINTS: * Focal disturbance (FD) ratio increased with the increasing histological
      fibrosis stages. * FD ratio showed promising diagnostic accuracy in assessing
      liver fibrosis. * Degree of fibrosis and steatosis were independent factors
      associated with FD ratio.

PMID- 26486936
TI  - MRI evaluation of small (<4cm) solid renal masses: multivariate modeling improves
      diagnostic accuracy for angiomyolipoma without visible fat compared to univariate
      analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess MRI for diagnosis of angiomyolipoma without visible fat
      (AMLwvf). MATERIAL AND METHODS: With IRB approval, a retrospective study in
      consecutive patients with contrast-enhanced (CE)-MRI and <4 cm solid renal masses
      from 2002-2013 was performed. Ten AMLwvf were compared to 77 RCC; 33 clear cell
      (cc), 35 papillary (p), 9 chromophobe (ch). A blinded radiologist measured T2W
      signal-intensity ratio (SIR), chemical-shift (CS) SI-index and area under CE-MRI
      curve (CE-AUC). Regression modeling and ROC analysis was performed. RESULTS: T2W
      SIR was lower in AMLwvf (0.64 +/- 0.12) compared to cc-RCC (1.37 +/- 0.30, p <
      0.001), ch-RCC (0.94 +/- 0.19, p = 0.005) but not p-RCC (0.74 +/- 0.17, p = 0.2).
      CS-SI index was higher in AMLwvf (16.1 +/- 31.5 %) compared to p-RCC (-5.2 +/-
      26.1 %, p = 0.02) but not ch-RCC (3.0 +/- 12.5 %, p = 0.1) or cc-RCC (7.7 +/-
      17.9 %,p = 0.1). CE-AUC was higher in AMLwvf (515.7 +/- 144.7) compared to p-RCC
      (154.5 +/- 92.8, p < 0.001) but not ch-RCC (341.5 +/- 202.7, p = 0.07) or cc-RCC
      (520.9 +/- 276.9, p = 0.95). Univariate ROC-AUC were: T2SIR = 0.86 (CI 0.77
      0.96); CE-AUC = 0.76 (CI 0.65-0.87); CS-SI index = 0.66 (CI 0.4.3-0.85). Logistic
      regression models improved ROC-AUC, A) T2 SIR + CE-AUC = 0.97 (CI 0.93-1.0) and
      T2 SIR + CS-SI index = 0.92 (CI 0.84-0.99) compared to univariate analyses (p <
      0.05). The optimal sensitivity/specificity of T2SIR + CE-AUC and T2SIR + CS-SI
      index were 100/88.8 % and 60/97.4 %. CONCLUSION: MRI, using multi-variate
      modelling, is accurate for diagnosis of AMLwvf. KEY POINTS: * AMLwvf are
      difficult to prospectively diagnose with imaging. * MRI findings associated with
      AMLwvf overlap with various RCC subtypes. * T2W-SI combined with chemical-shift
      SI-index is specific for AMLwvf but lacks sensitivity. * T2W-SI combined with AUC
      CE-MRI is sensitive and specific for AMLwvf. * Models incorporating two or more
      findings are more accurate than univariate analysis.

PMID- 26486939
TI  - Non-degenerate n-type doping by hydrazine treatment in metal work function
      engineered WSe2 field-effect transistor.
AB  - We report a facile and highly effective n-doping method using hydrazine solution
      to realize enhanced electron conduction in a WSe2 field-effect transistor (FET)
      with three different metal contacts of varying work functions-namely, Ti, Co, and
      Pt. Before hydrazine treatment, the Ti- and Co-contacted WSe2 FETs show weak
      ambipolar behaviour with electron dominant transport, whereas in the Pt-contacted
      WSe2 FETs, the p-type unipolar behaviour was observed with the transport
      dominated by holes. In the hydrazine treatment, a p-type WSe2 FET (Pt contacted)
      was converted to n-type with enhanced electron conduction, whereas highly n-doped
      properties were achieved for both Ti- and Co-contacted WSe2 FETs with on-current
      increasing by three orders of magnitude for Ti. All n-doped WSe2 FETs exhibited
      enhanced hysteresis in their transfer characteristics, which opens up the
      possibility of developing memories using transition metal dichalcogenides. 

PMID- 26486938
TI  - Comparison of the image qualities of filtered back-projection, adaptive
      statistical iterative reconstruction, and model-based iterative reconstruction
      for CT venography at 80 kVp.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the subjective and objective qualities of computed
      tomography (CT) venography images at 80 kVp using model-based iterative
      reconstruction (MBIR) and to compare these with those of filtered back projection
      (FBP) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) using the same CT
      data sets. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-four patients (mean age: 56.1 +/- 18.1)
      who underwent 80 kVp CT venography (CTV) for the evaluation of deep vein
      thrombosis (DVT) during 4 months were enrolled in this retrospective study. The
      same raw data were reconstructed using FBP, ASIR, and MBIR. Objective and
      subjective image analysis were performed at the inferior vena cava (IVC), femoral
      vein, and popliteal vein. RESULTS: The mean CNR of MBIR was significantly greater
      than those of FBP and ASIR and images reconstructed using MBIR had significantly
      lower objective image noise (p < .001). Subjective image quality and confidence
      of detecting DVT by MBIR group were significantly greater than those of FBP and
      ASIR (p < .005), and MBIR had the lowest score for subjective image noise (p <
      .001). CONCLUSION: CTV at 80 kVp with MBIR was superior to FBP and ASIR regarding
      subjective and objective image qualities. KEY POINTS: * MBIR provides superior
      image quality compared with FBP and ASIR * CTV at 80kVp with MBIR improves
      diagnostic confidence in diagnosing DVT * CTV at 80kVp with MBIR presents better
      image quality with low radiation.

PMID- 26486940
TI  - How the cladoceran heterogonic life cycle evolved--insights from gamogenetic
      reproduction and direct development in Cyclestherida.
AB  - Here we document the early gamogenetic development of Cyclestherida, including a
      characterization of the nervous system. Resting eggs in Cyclestheria are
      protected by an ephippium, built by the major part of the carapace. The first
      stages of development are enclosed in an outer chorion and an inner vitelline
      membrane. After shedding of the chorion, the vitelline membrane inflates and
      later stages are free-floating within the vitelline membrane. Only the juveniles
      are released from the vitelline membrane. Developmental stages of the gamogenetic
      direct development and of the parthenogenetic pseudo-direct development are
      remarkably similar in Cyclestheria, both regarding external and nervous system
      development. Because of this high degree of correspondence, as well as the
      important differences to the anamorphic development in Spinicaudata, we suggest
      that the developmental stages from the gamogenetic life cycle evolved directly
      from the parthenogenetic life cycle. This implies that resting egg development in
      Cladoceromorpha does not correspond directly to the resting egg development in
      large branchiopods. This leads us to the conclusion that the entire heterogonous
      life cycle in Cladoceromorpha probably evolved anew. 

PMID- 26486941
TI  - A Bayesian perspective on constructing a written assessment of probabilistic
      clinical reasoning in experienced clinicians.
AB  - RATIONALE: Decision-making performance assessments have proven problematic for
      assessing clinical reasoning. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: A Bayesian approach to
      designing an advanced clinical reasoning assessment is well grounded in
      mathematical and cognitive theory and may offer significant psychometric
      advantages. Probabilistic logic plays an important role in medical problem
      solving, and performances on Bayesian-type tasks appear to be causally-related to
      the ability to make sound clinical decisions. METHODS: A validity argument is
      used to guide the design of an assessment of medical reasoning using clinical
      probabilities. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The practical advantage of using a Bayesian
      approach to item design relates to the fact that probability theory provides a
      rationally optimal method for managing uncertain information and provides the
      criteria for objective correct answer scoring. Potential item formats are
      discussed.

PMID- 26486942
TI  - Clonorchis sinensis lysophospholipase inhibits TGF-beta1-induced  expression of
      pro-fibrogenic genes through attenuating  the activations of Smad3, JNK2, and
      ERK1/2 in hepatic stellate  cell line LX-2.
AB  - Liver fibrosis is a wound healing response associated with chronic liver injury.
      Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation is a key event in the development of
      liver fibrosis. Since helminths have the ability to live for decades in the host
      by establishing an adaptive relationship in the interplay with its hosts, we
      hypothesize that whether Clonochis sinensis LysophospholipaseA (CsLysoPLA), a
      component of excretory/secretory proteins, can attenuate the fibrogenic response
      by inhibiting activation of LX-2 cells, thereby balancing the pro-fibrotic and
      anti-fibrotic response during the Clonochis sinensis (C. sinensis) infection. In
      the present study, LX-2 cells were stimulated with CsLysoPLA in the presence of
      TGF-beta1, and the expressions of collagen type I (COL1A1), alpha-smooth muscle
      actin (alpha-SMA), and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) were decreased. In
      addition, CsLysoPLA significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of LX
      2 cells stimulated by TGF-beta1. Pretreatment of LX-2 cells with CsLysoPLA
      attenuated the phosphorylation of Smad3 as well as JNK2 and ERK1/2 in response to
      the stimulation of TGF-beta1. For the first time, our results showed an anti
      fibrogenic effect of CsLysoPLA by attenuating the response of LX-2 cells to TGF
      beta1 through inhibiting the activations of Smad3, ERK1/2, and JNK2.

PMID- 26486943
TI  - Increased Gal-9 and Tim-3 expressions during liver damage  in a murine malarial
      model.
AB  - Malaria has been one of the most devastating tropical parasite infectious
      diseases popular around the world. Severe malaria is characterized by multiple
      organ dysfunctions, especially liver damage. However, the mechanisms of malarial
      liver injury remain to be better clarified. In this study, Kunming mice
      inoculated intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 10(6) Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbANKA)
      infected red blood cells (iRBCs) were investigated at days 5, 10, 15, and 20 post
      infection (p.i.) to elucidate the profiles of T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin
      domain-3 (Tim-3) and its ligand galecin-9 (Gal-9) in the development of liver
      injury. The histopathology of livers and spleens from PbANKA-infected mice were
      observed, the parasite burdens of the livers and spleens using quantitative real
      time PCR (qRT-PCR), Tim-3- and Gal-9-positive cells in the livers and spleens
      using immunohistochemical staining, and the mRNA levels of Tim-3, Gal-9, and
      cytokines in both the livers and spleens using qRT-PCR were examined. Our results
      showed that parasite burdens in the livers and spleens were significantly
      increased with time after PbANKA infection. Histological scores of both the liver
      and spleen tissues were significantly increased with time; the numbers of Tim-3-
      and Gal-9-positive cells were significantly increased in both the livers and
      spleens using immunohistochemical staining, and the mRNA levels of Tim-3 and Gal
      9 in the livers and spleens were also significantly increased after infection.
      Our data suggests that the increase of Tim-3/Gal-9 expressions may play an
      important role in the liver damage during P. berghei infection.

PMID- 26486946
TI  - Transcranial Doppler signals during cerebral angiography and cardiac
      catheterization.
AB  - Cerebral angiography is associated with a 0.45-4% risk of neurological
      complications and a less than 1% risk of permanent neurological deficit.
      Recently, air embolism has been implicated as a major cause of these
      complications. Cardiac catheterization is associated with a neurological
      complication rate of less than 1%; the predominant mechanism appears to be
      embolic. We used transcranial Doppler ultrasonography to detect high-intensity
      signals suspected to be related to air emboli, a potential cause of neurological
      complications in patients undergoing coronary and carotid angiography. We
      prospectively examined a total of 42 consecutive patients with transcranial
      Doppler ultrasound. Twenty-one patients underwent cerebral angiography, and 21
      patients underwent cardiac catheterization. In both groups of patients, high
      intensity bidirectional Doppler signals were recorded during different phases of
      angiography. High-intensity, longduration Doppler signals completely masking the
      background cardiac cycle signals were observed during machine-powered rapid
      injection of contrast medium with good correlation between the duration of
      Doppler signals and the duration of automated injection. In addition, high
      intensity signals of much shorter duration were also observed during manual
      injection of saline or contrast medium and during catheter manipulation. In our
      study, the high-intensity Doppler signals recorded were identical in all patients
      who underwent cerebral and coronary angiography. No spontaneous emboli were seen.
      None of our 42 patients developed any type of neurological symptoms during or
      after the procedure. These high-intensity signatures do not represent air
      embolism exclusively; rather, they are likely a combination of turbulence in the
      bloodstream created during rapid injection, air emboli, and, perhaps,
      echogenicity of the contrast medium. 

PMID- 26486944
TI  - Detection of Dirofilaria repens microfilariae in a dog from Portugal.
AB  - Dirofilaria repens causes subcutaneous infection in dogs and cats, and is the
      main agent of human dirofilariosis in Europe. Detection of D. repens is described
      in a dog from Portugal, a finding that simultaneously represents the first
      presumable case of autochthonous infection with the parasite in any animal host
      species in the country. A mixed D. repens/Dirofilaria immitis infection (20:1
      ratio) was found, with an overall density of 1267 microfilariae per millilitre of
      blood. Morphological features, including morphometry, and acid phosphatase
      histochemical staining confirmed identity of the two filarioids. Distribution of
      D. repens in Portugal should be further assessed at the population level both in
      vertebrate hosts and in vectors. Due to the zoonotic potential of the parasite,
      preventive measures such as the administration of microfilaricides and insect
      repellents should be put into practice to protect animals and public health. 

PMID- 26486947
TI  - FV-ARG-506-GLN-Mutation-associated resistance to activated protein C in ischemic
      stroke.
AB  - A recently described coagulation disorder [FV-Arg-506-Gln-mutation-associated
      resistance to activated protein C (APC-resistance)] leads to a five- to tenfold
      increased risk for venous thromboembolism. The aim of the study was to determine
      if this disorder also predisposes to ischemic stroke. Ninety-nine consecutive
      patients with ischemic stroke of noncardiac origin were screened for APC
      resistance and tested for the FV-Arg-506-Gln mutation. The FV-Arg-506-Gln
      mutation was found in 5 of the 99 stroke patients and in 6% of a pool of blood
      donors. FV-Arg-506-Gln mutation is not a major cause of ischemic stroke. However,
      a minor predisposing effect cannot be excluded. Further studies with larger
      stroke populations and subpopulations are indicated to determine the exact impact
      of this condition on ischemic stroke. 

PMID- 26486948
TI  - Effect of screening for syphilis on the management of patients with
      cerebrovascular disease.
AB  - Although meningovascular syphilis may result in cerebral ischemia, the effect of
      syphilis screening on the management of patients with ischemic stroke is unclear.
      This is due to the variability in syphilis incidence and prevalence, as well as
      the diverse manifestations that vary with stage of infection. We prospectively
      screened patients with cerebrovascular disease (CVD) for syphilis and analyzed
      seropositivity rates as well as assessed the impact of screening on patient
      management. There were relatively high rates of seropositivity in both CVD
      (12.5%, n = 104) and control (9.9%, n = 211) populations without a significant
      difference between groups. Overall, syphilis screening had little impact on the
      management of the patients with CVD. No cerebral event was attributed to
      meningovascular syphilis, and there was no identifiable group in which syphilis
      screening was more likely to result in treatment for meningovascular syphilis,
      although there were significantly (p < 0.001) higher rates of seropositivity in
      black patients than whites. The relatively high incidence of seropositivity in
      both groups is representative of local syphilis prevalence and suggests that
      screening is warranted in patients with neurological disease, but not necessarily
      as part of the evaluation for cerebral ischemia. 

PMID- 26486949
TI  - An inquiry into the seasonal nature of cerebrovascular disease.
AB  - An overview of the stroke literature indicates that cerebrovascular accidents (C
      VA) occur more often during the winter months relative to any other time of the
      year. Part I of this review presents a retrospection of previous research
      attempting to link CVA occurrence with the seasons. Part II discusses circadian
      and circannual rhythms in relation to health and general physiology, and in
      particular the relation of serotoninergic systems to these rhythms. Part III
      presents a discussion of how seasonal CVAs may be interpreted in terms of the
      current knowledge concerning circannual and circadian rhythms. These underlying
      rhythms may help to better understand research dealing with stroke and stroke
      pathologies, as well as aid in the design of more realistic protocols. 

PMID- 26486950
TI  - Anticardiolipin antibodies in a university hospital population.
AB  - We have retrospectively reviewed data on our university hospital patients who had
      had at least one anticardiolipin antibody (aCL) titer performed (n = 781) during
      a 32-month study period between January 1991 and September 1993. We were able to
      locate clinical data on 95% (741 of 781) of these patients. Women (W)
      predominated at 70% (513 of 741), with men (M) at 30% (228 of 741). Reasons for
      ordering this test included brain infarct (M, 16%; W, 9%), multiple brain
      infarcts (M, 5%; W, 5%), migraine (M, 5%; W, 19%), and excessive clotting
      tendencies (M, 19%; W, 10%). Overall, aCL positivity was found in 10% of patients
      (73 of 741), with second-titer-confirmed positivity at 82% (60 of 73), men
      positive at 8% (18 of 228), and women positive at 11% (55 of 513; M versus W NS).
      For men, brain infarct (16% of aCL-positive in M versus 5% in W, p = 0.02), and
      for women, multiple brain infarcts (32% versus 0%, p = 0.01), migraine (10%
      versus 0%, p = 0.01), and systemic lupus erythematosus (30% versus 14%, p = 0.07)
      were the evident men-versus-women differences. We further studied stroke risk
      factors, associated conditions, family history, and laboratory findings relative
      to both sexes. aCL positivity continues to present differently, based on sex, at
      our university hospital. 

PMID- 26486951
TI  - "Top of the basilar artery" syndrome and thalamic aphasia: A case report.
AB  - Patients with midbrain infarction are usually comatose and have a poor prognosis.
      We report a case of "top of the basilar artery" syndrome in an 84-year-old right
      handed man with infarction of medial basal thalamus, superior colliculus,
      pretectal area, medial longitudinal fasciculus, oculomotor nucleus, and left
      occipital lobe documented by magnetic resonance imaging. The clinical
      manifestations included right homonymous hemianopsia, bilateral oculomotor palsy,
      spastic dysarthria, and thalamic aphasia, which correlated with radiological
      findings. The presentation is unusual because of the extent of involvement in a
      fairly alert patient with a "pseudo-coma" pattern due to bilateral ptosis and
      thalamic aphasia. 

PMID- 26486952
TI  - Limb-shaking transient ischemic attacks: Two case reports with unusual
      pathogenesis.
AB  - Limb-shaking transient ischemic attacks are associated with transient regional
      cerebral hypoperfusion and severe carotid stenosis. We report two patients with
      unusual pathogenesis of limb-shaking attacks, one a 73-year-old woman with right
      sided limb-shaking attacks and normal carotid angiography (recently diagnosed
      with essential thrombocytosis, antiplatelet agents eliminated her attacks) and
      the other a 56-year-old woman with peptic ulcer disease and multiple episodes of
      left-sided limb-shaking. Severe anemia was found along with bilateral carotid
      stenoses >70%. Correction of her anemia abolished her limb-shaking episodes. The
      presumed pathogenesis of limb-shaking transient ischemic attacks is transient
      focal cerebral ischemia from severe occlusive disease. Our two patients
      demonstrate that the mechanisms of ischemia may include other factors that affect
      oxygen delivery such as anemia or platelet disorders. 

PMID- 26486953
TI  - An unusual case of postpartum stroke.
AB  - Intracranial hemorrhage is a rare peripartum complication. We report a 28-year
      old woman, 24 h postpartum, with acute onset of aphasia, right lower facial
      paresis, and spastic right hemiplegia secondary to hemorrhage into a previously
      undiagnosed large left parasagittal meningioma. Prompt diagnosis and surgical
      intervention led to an excellent outcome. Intrameningiomal hemorrhage as a
      treatable cause of peripartum stroke is discussed. 

PMID- 26486954
TI  - A case of intracerebral air embolism following acupuncture.
AB  - Recently, the reported causes of cerebral air embolism are more from invasive
      medical procedures than decompressive sickness. We report a patient with
      homolateral cerebral air embolism probably due to acupuncture to the anterior
      neck. A 64-year-old man was admitted with early seizure followed by
      unconsciousness and focal neurologic deficits. He had subcutaneous emphysema into
      the left anterior neck and chest wall. Several hours before admission, he
      underwent the acupuncture in the area of left anterior neck for the treatment of
      previous hemiplegia. Initial brain computed tomography (CT) showed multiple,
      small (2-8 mm in diameter) air bubbles in the corticomedullary junction area of
      the left cerebral hemisphere. He regained consciousness 2 days later. A delayed
      CT scan, taken 6 days after the event, showed no air bubbles in the cerebral
      hemisphere but massive cerebral edema. The patient's condition continued to
      improve during his hospital stay. He was discharged 3 weeks later with minimal
      neurologic deficits. Unilateral cerebral artery air embolism in this patient is
      thought to be caused by direct infiltration of air to the common carotid artery
      following acupuncture. 

PMID- 26486955
TI  - A new form of management of stroke.
AB  - The effects of nimodipine administration intravenously and orally are compared in
      a double-blind study of 143 patients with stroke, who were admitted to the
      hospital within 6 h after the onset of symptoms. In both the infarct group and
      the hemorrhagic stroke group, there was significant improvement as evaluated by
      the Matthew Scale and Barthel Index, especially in the nimodipine infusion group.
      For the group receiving nimodipine orally, the results were less evident. The
      data suggest that nimodipine should be given as an infusion as early as possible.

PMID- 26486956
TI  - Cost of stroke in Mexico.
AB  - We report the estimated costs of stroke management in Mexico. The cost of stroke
      in our country has not been formerly described previously. The costs were
      estimated from population-based studies: the national survey on stroke and those
      performed by the Health Mexican Foundation. Other sources were the administration
      of private hospitals and official statistics obtained from the National Institute
      of Informatic, Statistic and Geography. Of 89 million Mexicans, 6.1% are older
      than 60 years. Based on the national stroke survey, it was calculated that 32,000
      people suffer from stroke each year. Their mean age is 63 years. The estimated
      cost of acute stroke care in 1994 was $7,700 (U.S. dollars) per patient in
      private hospitals and $6,600 in institutions of the health sector. The major
      portion of the costs were spent in diagnostic procedures (40%). Physician costs
      ranged from 12% to 19%. The average in-hospital stay was 9 days with 18% in
      hospital mortality rate. About 20% of the total population are not covered by
      health care institutions. The cost of stroke care in Mexico is lower than in
      industrialized countries because of a shorter hospital stay and lower personnel
      wages. Indirect costs for chronic care are unknown in our country. The number of
      people older than 60 years will increase in the next century; hence, the number
      of persons with stroke will rise. 

PMID- 26486957
TI  - The strange story of aspirin and the prevention of stroke.

PMID- 26486959
TI  - Graphene quantum dot sensitized leaf-like InVO4/BiVO4 nanostructure: a novel
      ternary heterostructured QD-RGO/InVO4/BiVO4 composite with enhanced visible-light
      photocatalytic activity.
AB  - Leaf-like InVO4/BiVO4 nanostructures with sizes of 2-5 MUm were synthesized by a
      simple hydrothermal method. Graphene quantum dots (QD-RGO) were then deposited
      onto the surfaces of the leaf-like InVO4/BiVO4 crystals through a facile
      deposition-precipitation technique. Under visible light irradiation (lambda > 420
      nm), the QD-RGO/InVO4/BiVO4 photocatalyst degraded rhodamine B (Rh B) efficiently
      and displayed a much higher photocatalytic activity than pure BiVO4, InVO4,
      RGO/InVO4, RGO/BiVO4 or an InVO4/BiVO4 hybrid. The InVO4/BiVO4 photocatalyst with
      3 wt% of QD-RGO exhibited the highest photocatalytic efficiency. The quenching
      effects of different scavengers demonstrated that O2(-) played a major role in Rh
      B degradation. It was elucidated that the excellent photocatalytic activity of QD
      RGO/InVO4/BiVO4 for the degradation of Rh B under visible light (lambda > 420 nm)
      can be ascribed to the extended absorption in the visible light region resulting
      from the QD-RGO loading, the high specific surface area, and the efficient
      separation of photogenerated electrons and holes through the QD-RGO/InVO4/BiVO4
      heterostructure. 

PMID- 26486958
TI  - Tristetraprolin regulation of interleukin-22 production.
AB  - Interleukin (IL)-22 is a STAT3-activating cytokine displaying characteristic AU
      rich elements (ARE) in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of its mRNA. This
      architecture suggests gene regulation by modulation of mRNA stability. Since
      related cytokines undergo post-transcriptional regulation by ARE-binding
      tristetraprolin (TTP), the role of this destabilizing protein in IL-22 production
      was investigated. Herein, we demonstrate that TTP-deficient mice display
      augmented serum IL-22. Likewise, IL-22 mRNA was enhanced in TTP-deficient
      splenocytes and isolated primary T cells. A pivotal role for TTP is underscored
      by an extended IL-22 mRNA half-life detectable in TTP-deficient T cells.
      Luciferase-reporter assays performed in human Jurkat T cells proved the
      destabilizing potential of the human IL-22-3'-UTR. Furthermore, overexpression of
      TTP in HEK293 cells substantially decreased luciferase activity directed by the
      IL-22-3'-UTR. Transcript destabilization by TTP was nullified upon cellular
      activation by TPA/A23187, an effect dependent on MEK1/2 activity. Accordingly, IL
      22 mRNA half-life as determined in TPA/A23187-stimulated Jurkat T cells decreased
      under the influence of the MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126. Altogether, data indicate that
      TTP directly controls IL-22 production, a process counteracted by MEK1/2. The TTP
      dependent regulatory pathway described herein likely contributes to the role of
      IL-22 in inflammation and cancer and may evolve as novel target for
      pharmacological IL-22 modulation. 

PMID- 26486960
TI  - Free-Standing Bilayered Nanoparticle Superlattice Nanosheets with Asymmetric
      Ionic Transport Behaviors.
AB  - Natural cell membranes can directionally and selectively regulate the ion
      transport, which is critical for the functioning of living cells. Here, we report
      on the fabrication of an artificial membrane based on an asymmetric nanoparticle
      superlattice bilayered nanosheet, which exhibits similar ion transport
      characteristics. The superlattice nanosheets were fabricated via a drying
      mediated self-assembly of polystyrene-capped gold nanoparticles at the liquid-air
      interface. By adopting a layer-by-layer assembly process, an asymmetric
      nanomembrane could be obtained consisting of two nanosheets with different
      nanoparticle size. The resulting nanomembranes exhibit an asymmetric ion
      transport behavior, and diode-like current-voltage curves were observed. The
      asymmetric ion transport is attributed to the cone-like nanochannels formed
      within the membranes, upon which a simulation map was established to illustrate
      the relationship between the channel structure and the ionic selectivity, in
      consistency with our experimental results. Our superlattice nanosheet-based
      design presents a promising strategy for the fabrication of next-generation smart
      nanomembranes for rationally and selectively regulating the ion transport even at
      a large ion flux, with potential applications in a wide range of fields,
      including biosensor devices, energy conversion, biophotonics, and bioelectronics.

PMID- 26486964
TI  - Characteristics of prisoners with neurodevelopmental disorders and difficulties.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have found high rates of attention deficit
      hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual
      disability (ID) within the criminal justice system (CJS). However, little is
      understood about prisoners with neurodevelopmental disorders and difficulties
      (NDD) or their needs. This study aimed to identify prisoners with NDD and compare
      their characteristics with prisoners without NDD on a range of socio-demographic
      and social functioning measures. METHOD: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional
      study carried out using face-to-face interviews with 240 participants in a London
      Category C prison. Standardised tools were used to assess prisoners for ADHD, ASD
      and ID. RESULTS: The study identified 87 prisoners who screened positive for one
      or more type of NDD. Participants with NDD were significantly younger and more
      likely to be single [(odds ratio) OR = 2.1], homeless (OR = 3.4) or unemployed
      (OR = 2.6) before they came into prison. They also had poorer educational
      achievements that those without NDD. Over 80% of those with NDD had a previous
      conviction or imprisonment. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirm the presence of
      significant numbers of people with NDD in a male prison. Services across the CJS
      are required for this group; specifically, there is a need for raised awareness
      among those working in the CJS to improve the recognition of offenders with NDD.
      Services in the community need to work with individuals with NDD who are at risk
      of offending, targeting those who are homeless, unemployed and have poor
      employment opportunities.

PMID- 26486965
TI  - Epoxides Derived from Dietary Dihomo-Gamma-Linolenic Acid Induce Germ Cell Death
      in C. elegans.
AB  - Dietary fats are not created equally, slight differences in structure lead to
      crucial differences in function. Muticellular organisms use polyunsaturated fatty
      acid as substrates to produce potent signaling molecules crucial for many
      physiological processes, including reproduction. Here we explored the mechanism
      responsible for germ cell loss induced by dietary supplementation of dihomo-gamma
      linolenic acid (DGLA, 20:3n-6) in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. In this
      study we found that C. elegans CYP-33E2 activity produces a range of epoxy and
      hydroxy metabolites from dietary DGLA. Knockdown of cyp-33E2 suppressed the DGLA
      induced sterility phenotype. Additionally, direct exposure of two specific DGLA
      derived epoxy products, 8,9- and 14,15-epoxyeicosadienoic acids, produced germ
      cell abnormalities in the C. elegans gonad. We propose that sterility is mediated
      by the production of toxic DGLA-derived epoxides that trigger germ cell
      destruction. These studies are the first to establish a biological activity for a
      CYP-produced metabolite of DGLA. 

PMID- 26486966
TI  - Selective Area Band Engineering of Graphene using Cobalt-Mediated Oxidation.
AB  - This study reports a scalable and economical method to open a band gap in single
      layer graphene by deposition of cobalt metal on its surface using physical vapor
      deposition in high vacuum. At low cobalt thickness, clusters form at impurity
      sites on the graphene without etching or damaging the graphene. When exposed to
      oxygen at room temperature, oxygen functional groups form in proportion to the
      cobalt thickness that modify the graphene band structure. Cobalt/Graphene
      resulting from this treatment can support a band gap of 0.30 eV, while remaining
      largely undamaged to preserve its structural and electrical properties. A
      mechanism of cobalt-mediated band opening is proposed as a two-step process
      starting with charge transfer from metal to graphene, followed by formation of
      oxides where cobalt has been deposited. Contributions from the formation of both
      CoO and oxygen functional groups on graphene affect the electronic structure to
      open a band gap. This study demonstrates that cobalt-mediated oxidation is a
      viable method to introduce a band gap into graphene at room temperature that
      could be applicable in electronics applications.

PMID- 26486967
TI  - Lactobacillus insicii sp. nov., isolated from fermented raw meat.
AB  - The analysis of the bacterial microbiota of retain samples of pork salami
      revealed an isolate (strain TMW 1.2011T) that could neither be assigned to
      typical genera of starter organisms nor to any other known meat-associated
      species. Cells were Gram-stain-positive, short, straight rods occurring singly,
      in pairs or short chains. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence and
      specific phenotypic characteristics showed that strain TMW 1.2011T belonged to
      the phylogenetic Lactobacillus alimentarius group, and the closest neighbours
      were Lactobacillus nodensis JCM 14932T (97.8 % 16S rRNA gene sequence
      similarity), Lactobacillus tucceti DSM 20183T (97.4 %), 'Lactobacillus
      ginsenosidimutans' EMML 3041 (97.3 %), Lactobacillus versmoldensis DSM 14857T
      (96.9 %) and Lactobacillus furfuricola JCM 18764T (97.2 %). Similarities using
      partial gene sequences of the alternative chronometers pheS, dnaK and rpoA also
      support these relationships. DNA-DNA relatedness between the novel isolate and L.
      nodensis JCM 14932T, L. versmoldensis DSM 14857T and L. tucceti DSM 20183T, L.
      furfuricola JCM 18764T and 'L. ginsenosidimutans' EMML 3041 were below 70 % and
      the DNA G+C content was 36.3 mol%. The cell-wall peptidoglycan type is l-Lys-Gly
      d-Asp. Based on phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic and physiological evidence, strain
      TMW 1.2011T represents a novel species of the genus Lactobacillus, for which the
      name Lactobacillus insicii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is TMW 1.2011T (
      = CECT 8802T = DSM 29801T). 

PMID- 26486968
TI  - Repeat transurethral resection for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a
      contemporary series.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the depth of transurethral resections of bladder tumour
      (TURBT), residual cancer rates and up-staging rates in a contemporary Australian
      series. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Specimen reports from a single, major reporting
      pathology centre, servicing a group of urological oncologists in Sydney were
      obtained for TURBTs performed between October 2008 and February 2013. We examined
      the depth of TURBT, rates of repeat-TURBT (re-TUR) and residual cancer rates at
      the 3-6 month check cystoscopy. RESULTS: One thousand and two hundred and nine
      transurethral resection specimens retrieved during this period were analysed.
      There were 162 (13.4%) T1 specimens and 631 (52.2%) Ta specimens, 218 (34.5%) of
      which were high grade. Muscularis propria was present in 506 (41.9%) specimens in
      total and in 151 (39.7%) of 380 high-risk specimens (high grade Ta, T1). Of the
      380 high-risk non-muscle-invasive tumours, 85 (22.4%) proceeded to re-TUR. Of the
      48 T1 specimens and 37 Ta high grade specimens that proceeded to re-TUR, 7
      (14.6%) and 1 (2.7%) respectively were upstaged to muscle-invasive disease. Rates
      of residual disease/early recurrence at 3-6 months was significantly better for
      those with re-TUR compared to those without 56.8% vs 82.5% (P < 0.001) for Ta
      high grade and 39.6% vs 84% (P = 0.028) for T1 tumours respectively. CONCLUSION:
      Re-TUR rates in high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer are low. However in
      a contemporary series, the upstaging rates are low, but residual cancer rates
      high, supporting the need for re-TUR in this population.

PMID- 26486969
TI  - Importance of Time Scale and Local Environment in Electron-Driven Proton
      Transfer. The Anion of Acetoacetic Acid.
AB  - Anion photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy
      (EELS) probe different regions of the anionic potential energy surface. These
      complementary techniques provided information about anionic states of acetoacetic
      acid (AA). Electronic structure calculations facilitated the identification of
      the most stable tautomers and conformers for both neutral and anionic AA and
      determined their relative stabilities and excess electron binding energies. The
      most stable conformers of the neutral keto and enol tautomers differ by less than
      1 kcal/mol in terms of electronic energies corrected for zero-point vibrations.
      Thermal effects favor these conformers of the keto tautomer, which do not support
      an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the keto and the carboxylic groups. The
      valence anion displays a distinct minimum which results from proton transfer from
      the carboxylic to the keto group; thus, we name it an ol structure. The minimum
      is characterized by a short intramolecular hydrogen bond, a significant electron
      vertical detachment energy of 2.38 eV, but a modest adiabatic electron affinity
      of 0.33 eV. The valence anion was identified in the anion PES experiments, and
      the measured electron vertical detachment energy of 2.30 eV is in good agreement
      with our computational prediction. We conclude that binding an excess electron in
      a pi* valence orbital changes the localization of a proton in the fully relaxed
      structure of the AA(-) anion. The results of EELS experiments do not provide
      evidence for an ultrarapid proton transfer in the lowest pi* resonance of AA(-),
      which would be capable of competing with electron autodetachment. This
      observation is consistent with our computational results, indicating that major
      gas-phase conformers and tautomers of neutral AA do not support the
      intramolecular hydrogen bond that would facilitate ultrarapid proton transfer and
      formation of the ol valence anion. This is confirmed by our vibrational EELS
      spectrum. Anions formed by vertical electron attachment to dominant neutrals
      undergo electron autodetachment with or without vibrational excitations but are
      unable to relax to the ol structure on a time scale fast enough to compete with
      autodetachment. 

PMID- 26486971
TI  - Disaster Management and General Dental Practitioners in India: An Overlooked
      Resource.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess General Dental Practitioners' (GDPs) in India willingness to
      participate in disaster management and their previous training pertaining to
      disaster management, and to assess GDP objective knowledge, attitude, and
      behavior regarding disaster management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a
      cross-sectional survey conducted on all GDPs of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India.
      Willingness to participate, perceived knowledge, perceived effectiveness,
      objective knowledge, attitude, and behavior regarding disaster management were
      assessed through questionnaire method. Information also was collected regarding
      age, gender, religion, and residence. RESULTS: A total of 142 out of 180 GDPs
      participated in the study, representing a response rate of 79%. A majority (85%)
      of respondents were willing to participate in disaster management. Mean score for
      knowledge was 12.21%, for attitude was 33.56%, for behavior was 14.50%, and for
      perceived effectiveness was 9.08%. Significant correlations were observed between
      qualification and perceived effectiveness (P=.003), and between attitude and
      years of practice (P=.04). Willingness to participate in disaster management and
      age showed significant association (P=.000). CONCLUSIONS: High willingness and
      attitude to participate in disaster management was observed among respondents.
      Low knowledge and behavior scores were observed among GDPs.

PMID- 26486970
TI  - An approach to the immunophenotypic features of circulating CD4+NKG2D+ T cells in
      invasive cervical carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: NKG2D, an activating immunoreceptor, is primarily restricted to NK
      cells and CD8(+) T cells. The existence of an atypical cytotoxic CD4(+)NKG2D(+) T
      cell population has also been found in patients with autoimmune dysfunctions.
      Nonetheless, contradictory evidence has categorized this population with a
      regulatory rather than cytotoxic role in other situations. These confounding data
      have led to the proposal that two distinct CD4(+)NKG2D(+) T cell subsets might
      exist. The immune response elicited in cervical cancer has been characterized by
      apparent contradictions concerning the role that T cells, in particular T-helper
      cells, might be playing in the control of the tumor growth. Interestingly, we
      recently reported a substantial increase in the frequency of CD4(+)NKG2D(+) T
      cells in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade-1. However,
      whether this particular population is also found in patients with more advanced
      cervical lesions or whether they express a distinctive phenotype remains still to
      be clarified. In this urgent study, we focused our attention on the
      immunophenotypic characterization of CD4(+)NKG2D(+) T cells in patients with well
      established cervical carcinoma and revealed the existence of at least two
      separate CD4(+)NKG2D(+) T cell subsets defined by the co-expression or absence of
      CD28. RESULTS: Patients with diagnosis of invasive cervical carcinoma were
      enrolled in the study. A group of healthy individuals was also included.
      Multicolor flow cytometry was used for exploration of TCR alpha/beta, CD28,
      CD158b, CD45RO, HLA-DR, CD161, and CD107a. A Luminex-based cytokine kit was used
      to quantify the levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. We found an
      increased percentage of CD4(+)NKG2D(+) T cells in patients with cervical cancer
      when compared with controls. Accordingly with an increase of CD4(+)NKG2D(+) T
      cells, we found decreased CD28 expression. The activating or degranulation
      markers HLA-DR, CD161, and CD107a were heterogeneously expressed. The levels of
      IL-1beta, IL-2, TNF-alpha, and IL-10 were negatively correlated with the
      percentages of CD4(+)NKG2D(+) T cells in patients with cervical carcinoma.
      CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results reveal the existence of two separate
      CD4(+)NKG2D(+) T cell subsets defined by the co-expression or absence of CD28,
      the latter more likely to be present in patients with cervical cancer.

PMID- 26486972
TI  - Risk stratification in acute myocardial infarction with multiparametric cardiac
      magnetic resonance imaging: getting to the core of the matter.

PMID- 26486973
TI  - Sources of heterogeneous variability and trends in Antarctic sea-ice.
AB  - While the Northern Hemisphere sea-ice has uniformly declined over the past
      several decades, the observed sea-ice in the Southern Hemisphere has exhibited
      regions of increase and decrease. Here we use a comprehensive set of ocean-sea
      ice simulations (1990-2007) to elucidate the drivers of the observed
      heterogeneous sea-ice trends. We show wind variability is an important
      determinant of the heterogeneous pattern of the variability and trends in
      Southern Hemisphere sea-ice. Only in the West Pacific region does Southern
      Annular Mode wind forcing contribute significantly to the trend in sea-ice
      duration. El Nino Southern Oscillation wind forcing contribution to the sea-ice
      duration trend is confined to the Atlantic and Pacific. In the Indian Ocean,
      weather is a significant driver of the sea-ice duration trend. Only in the East
      Pacific region is wind forcing alone insufficient to give rise to the observed
      sea-ice decline and must be augmented by warming to reproduce the observations. 

PMID- 26486975
TI  - Molecular mechanism of substrate specificity for delta 6 desaturase from
      Mortierella alpina and Micromonas pusilla.
AB  - The omega6 and omega3 pathways are two major pathways in the biosynthesis of
      PUFAs. In both of these, delta 6 desaturase (FADS6) is a key bifunctional enzyme
      desaturating linoleic acid or alpha-linolenic acid. Microbial species have
      different propensity for accumulating omega6- or omega3-series PUFAs, which may
      be determined by the substrate preference of FADS6 enzyme. In the present study,
      we analyzed the molecular mechanism of FADS6 substrate specificity. FADS6 cDNAs
      were cloned from Mortierella alpina (ATCC 32222) and Micromonas pusilla
      (CCMP1545) that synthesized high levels of arachidonic acid and EPA,
      respectively. M. alpina FADS6 (MaFADS6-I) showed substrate preference for LA;
      whereas, M. pusilla FADS6 (MpFADS6) preferred ALA. To understand the structural
      basis of substrate specificity, MaFADS6-I and MpFADS6 sequences were divided into
      five sections and a domain swapping approach was used to examine the role of each
      section in substrate preference. Our results showed that sequences between the
      histidine boxes I and II played a pivotal role in substrate preference. Based on
      our domain swapping results, nine amino acid (aa) residues were targeted for
      further analysis by site-directed mutagenesis. G194L, E222S, M227K, and
      V399I/I400E substitutions interfered with substrate recognition, which suggests
      that the corresponding aa residues play an important role in this process. 

PMID- 26486974
TI  - Statin action favors normalization of the plasma lipidome in the atherogenic
      mixed dyslipidemia of MetS: potential relevance to statin-associated dysglycemia.
AB  - The impact of statin treatment on the abnormal plasma lipidome of mixed
      dyslipidemic patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS), a group at increased risk
      of developing diabetes, was evaluated. Insulin-resistant hypertriglyceridemic
      hypertensive obese males (n = 12) displaying MetS were treated with pitavastatin
      (4 mg/day) for 180 days; healthy normolipidemic age-matched nonobese males (n =
      12) acted as controls. Statin treatment substantially normalized triglyceride (
      41%), remnant cholesterol (-55%), and LDL-cholesterol (-39%), with minor effect
      on HDL-cholesterol (+4%). Lipidomic analysis, normalized to nonHDL-cholesterol in
      order to probe statin-induced differences in molecular composition independently
      of reduction in plasma cholesterol, revealed increment in 132 of 138 lipid
      species that were subnormal at baseline and significantly shifted toward the
      control group on statin treatment. Increment in alkyl- and alkenylphospholipids
      (plasmalogens) was prominent, and consistent with significant statin-induced
      increase in plasma polyunsaturated fatty acid levels. Comparison of the statin
      mediated lipidomic changes in MetS with the abnormal plasma lipidomic profile
      characteristic of prediabetes and T2D in the Australian Diabetes, Obesity, and
      Lifestyle Study and San Antonio Family Heart Study cohorts by hypergeometric
      analysis revealed a significant shift toward the lipid profile of controls,
      indicative of a marked trend toward a normolipidemic phenotype. Pitavastatin
      attenuated the abnormal plasma lipidome of MetS patients typical of prediabetes
      and T2D. 

PMID- 26486976
TI  - Exploring strategies used following a group-based fatigue management programme
      for people with multiple sclerosis (FACETS) via the Fatigue Management Strategies
      Questionnaire (FMSQ).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To explore cross-sectional patterns of use of fatigue management
      strategies in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who had attended a group-based
      fatigue management programme, Fatigue: Applying Cognitive behavioural and Energy
      effectiveness Techniques to lifeStyle ('FACETS'). In a multicentre randomised
      controlled trial (RCT) the FACETS programme was shown to reduce fatigue severity
      and improve self-efficacy and quality of life. DESIGN: A questionnaire substudy
      within a RCT involving the self-completed Fatigue Management Strategies
      Questionnaire (FMSQ). The FMSQ includes: (1) closed questions about the use and
      helpfulness of fatigue management strategies taught in FACETS and (2) open items
      about changes to lifestyle, attitudes or expectations, barriers or difficulties
      encountered and helpful strategies not covered in FACETS. PARTICIPANTS: All had a
      clinical diagnosis of MS, significant fatigue, were ambulatory and had attended
      at least 4 of 6 scheduled FACETS sessions. METHODS: Participants (n=72) were
      posted the FMSQ with a prepaid return envelope 4 months after the end of the
      FACETS programme. RESULTS: 82% (59/72) of participants returned the FMSQ. The
      fatigue management strategies most frequently used since attending FACETS were
      prioritisation (80%), pacing (78%), saying no to others (78%), grading tasks
      (75%) and challenging unhelpful thoughts (71%). Adding in those participants who
      were already using the respective strategies prior to FACETS, the three most used
      strategies at 4 months were prioritisation (55/59), grading (54/59) and pacing
      (53/58). Free-text comments illustrated the complex interplay between
      attitudes/expectations, behaviours, emotions and the environment. Issues related
      to expectations featured strongly in participants' comments. Expectations (from
      self and others) were both facilitators and barriers to effective fatigue
      management. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals' comments highlighted the complex,
      multifaceted nature of fatigue management. Revising expectations and a greater
      acceptance of fatigue were important shifts following the programme. Findings
      support the relevance of a cognitive behavioural approach for fatigue management.
      Booster sessions might be a useful addition to the FACETS programme. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: Current controlled trials ISRCTN76517470; Results.

PMID- 26486978
TI  - What is 'healthy'? Establishing reference intervals in feline medicine.

PMID- 26486977
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for
      detecting major depression in pregnant and postnatal women: protocol for a
      systematic review and individual patient data meta-analyses.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Studies of the diagnostic accuracy of depression screening tools
      often used data-driven methods to select optimal cut-offs. Typically, these
      studies report results from a small range of cut-off points around whatever cut
      off score is identified as most accurate. When published data are combined in
      meta-analyses, estimates of accuracy for different cut-off points may be based on
      data from different studies, rather than data from all studies for each cut-off
      point. Thus, traditional meta-analyses may exaggerate accuracy estimates.
      Individual patient data (IPD) meta-analyses synthesise data from all studies for
      each cut-off score to obtain accuracy estimates. The 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal
      Depression Scale (EPDS) is commonly recommended for depression screening in the
      perinatal period. The primary objective of this IPD meta-analysis is to determine
      the diagnostic accuracy of the EPDS to detect major depression among women during
      pregnancy and in the postpartum period across all potentially relevant cut-off
      scores, accounting for patient factors that may influence accuracy (age,
      pregnancy vs postpartum). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Data sources will include
      Medline, Medline In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, PsycINFO, and Web of
      Science. Studies that include a diagnosis of major depression based on a
      validated structured or semistructured clinical interview administered within 2
      weeks of (before or after) the administration of the EPDS will be included. Risk
      of bias will be assessed with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy
      Studies-2 tool. Bivariate random-effects meta-analysis will be conducted for the
      full range of plausible cut-off values. Analyses will evaluate data from
      pregnancy and the postpartum period separately, as well as combining data from
      all women in a single model. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study does not
      require ethics approval. Dissemination will include journal articles and
      presentations to policymakers, healthcare providers and researchers. SYSTEMATIC
      REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO 2015:CRD42015024785.

PMID- 26486979
TI  - Efficacy of antiviral chemotherapy for retrovirus-infected cats: What does the
      current literature tell us?
AB  - GLOBAL IMPORTANCE: The two feline retroviruses, feline immunodeficiency virus
      (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV), are global and widespread, but differ in
      their potential to cause disease. VIRAL INFECTION - FIV: FIV, a lentivirus that
      shares many properties with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), can cause an
      acquired immune deficiency syndrome, which predisposes cats to other infections,
      stomatitis, neurological disorders and tumours. Although secondary infections are
      common, specific opportunistic infections or acquired immunodeficiency virus
      defining infections, such as those that occur with HIV, are not commonly reported
      in FIV-infected cats. In most naturally infected cats, FIV does not cause a
      severe clinical syndrome; with appropriate care, FIV-infected cats can live many
      years before succumbing to conditions unrelated to their FIV infection. Thus,
      overall survival time is not necessarily shorter than in uninfected cats, and
      quality of life is usually high over many years or lifelong. VIRAL INFECTION -
      FELV: FeLV, an oncornavirus, is more pathogenic than FIV. Historically, it was
      considered to account for more disease-related deaths and clinical syndromes in
      cats than any other infectious agent. Recently, the prevalence and importance of
      FeLV have been decreasing, mainly because of testing and eradication programmes
      and the use of FeLV vaccines. Progressive FeLV infection can cause tumours, bone
      marrow suppression and immunosuppression, as well as neurological and other
      disorders, and leads to a decrease in life expectancy. However, with appropriate
      care, many FeLV-infected cats can also live several years with a good quality of
      life. PRACTICAL RELEVANCE: A decision regarding treatment or euthanasia should
      never be based solely on the presence or absence of a retrovirus infection.
      Antiviral chemotherapy is of increasing interest in veterinary medicine, but is
      still not used commonly. EVIDENCE BASE: This article reviews the current
      literature on antiviral chemotherapy in retrovirus-infected cats, focusing on
      drugs that are currently available on the market and, thus, could potentially be
      used in cats.

PMID- 26486980
TI  - Cytauxzoonosis: Diagnosis and treatment of an emerging disease.
AB  - PRACTICAL RELEVANCE: Cytauxzoonosis is a life-threatening hematoprotozoal disease
      with a rapidly progressive clinical course. Once considered a rare disease only
      relevant to a small geographic area, it is now recognized in more than about a
      third of the United States. The geographic range seems likely to increase with
      expansion of the range of the vector tick. CLINICAL CHALLENGES: Both disease
      diagnosis and treatment offer challenges. The acute illness is often recognized
      by characteristic parasitic cellular inclusions, but illness may occur before
      parasites can be identified, and parasitic inclusions may persist long after
      illness has resolved. Also, while infection was once considered nearly uniformly
      fatal, subclinical infections are now recognized. Disease prognosis has improved
      for many cats through implementation of new therapies, but some pathogens are
      resistant to these therapies and death from disease is still common. Currently,
      prevention strategies are limited to ectoparasite control. GLOBAL IMPORTANCE:
      Cytauxzoonosis caused by Cytauxzoon felis is limited to the Americas, and is
      especially problematic in southeastern and south central USA. However, other
      Cytauxzoon species have been recognized in Europe and Asia. AUDIENCE: This review
      is aimed at veterinary practitioners and focuses on the diagnosis and treatment
      of cytauxzoonosis. Disease management is of crucial importance in endemic
      regions. Furthermore, the expanding geographic range of infection, and the
      possibility of parasite identification in chronically infected cats with a travel
      history, make understanding cytauxzoonosis relevant in non-endemic regions as
      well. EVIDENCE BASE: The authors draw on evidence from prospective clinical
      trials, experimental infections, retrospective clinical studies and case reports,
      as well as their own personal experience with the diagnosis and treatment of
      cytauxzoonosis.

PMID- 26486981
TI  - Reference interval for rectal temperature in healthy confined adult cats.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Despite the common use of rectal temperature for assessing health and
      identifying infectious diseases in cats, there is little evidence to support
      frequently cited feline reference intervals for rectal temperature. Body
      temperature measurements are most commonly performed indoors in animal shelters
      and veterinary clinics. In these facilities, cats are often inactive and housed
      in small enclosures in a climate-controlled environment. The purpose of this
      study was to establish a new reference interval for rectal temperature in healthy
      confined adult cats. METHODS: Rectal temperatures were measured in 200 healthy
      adult indoor cats in animal shelters, veterinary clinics and private homes. The
      reference interval was established using the method of the Clinical and
      Laboratory Standards Institute. RESULTS: The reference interval for healthy adult
      cat rectal temperature was determined to range from 36.7 degrees C (confidence
      interval [CI] = 36.6-36.8 degrees C; 98.1 degrees F [CI = 97.9-98.3 degrees F])
      at the lower limit to 38.9 degrees C (CI = 38.8-39.1 degrees C; 102.1 degrees F
      [CI = 101.9-102.3 degrees F]) at the upper limit. The ambient temperature ranged
      from 20.3-30.8 degrees C (68.5-87.5 degrees F). Rectal temperature was not
      significantly correlated with ambient temperature. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: A
      range of 36.7-38.9 degrees C (98.1-102.1 degrees F) should be considered the new
      reference interval for healthy adult cats for rectal temperature measured indoors
      in climate-controlled conditions. This range is lower than commonly reported. Use
      of previously published ranges could lead to overdiagnosis of hypothermia or
      underdiagnosis of mild pyrexia.

PMID- 26486982
TI  - Cutaneous asthenia (Ehlers-Danlos-like syndrome) of Burmese cats.
AB  - OF CASES: A 6-month-old Burmese kitten developed focal skin lesions following a
      routine ovariohysterectomy. These were eventually attributed to the patient
      struggling during catheter placement and induction of anaesthesia. The lesions
      were caused by fluid extravasation in the subcutis and ischaemic necrosis of the
      overlying dermis, giving rise to an eschar-like appearance. Such lesions have
      been seen previously in Burmese cats with cutaneous asthenia and it is thought
      that they arise due to poor collagenous support for dermal blood vessels. An
      increased skin extensibility index (>23%) supported a diagnosis of cutaneous
      asthenia (Ehlers-Danlos-like syndrome), which has been reported as an inherited
      condition of Burmese cats in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. An additional
      Burmese cat with cutaneous asthenia is presented in detail, with lifetime follow
      up and further salient observations by the owner, a veterinarian. Photographs of
      three other affected Burmese cats are provided to illustrate the range of
      presentations encountered with this condition. All five affected cats were
      presented with eschars, atrophic alopecia and increased skin extensibility, while
      one cat also had skin ulcers. Routine histopathological examination, including
      use of special stains such as trichrome, was unhelpful in establishing the
      diagnosis. CLINICAL REVIEW: The clinical features of this genetic disease of
      Burmese cats are reviewed, especially in relation to the postulated
      'vasculopathy' that gives rise to characteristic skin lesions. Long term
      management of this condition is discussed briefly.

PMID- 26486983
TI  - Management of diabetic cats in primary care practices: ABVP roundtable report.

PMID- 26486984
TI  - Spontaneous and specific myogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells
      on polyethylene glycol-linked multi-walled carbon nanotube films for skeletal
      muscle engineering.
AB  - This study explored the influence of polyethylene glycol-linked multi-walled
      carbon nanotube (PEG-CNT) films on skeletal myogenic differentiation of human
      mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). PEG-CNT films were prepared with nanoscale
      surface roughness, orderly arrangement of PEG-CNTs, high hydrophilicity and high
      mechanical strength. Notably, PEG-CNT films alone could direct the skeletal
      myogenic differentiation of hMSCs in the absence of myogenic induction factors.
      The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) showed that the non
      induced hMSCs plated on the PEG-CNT films, compared to the negative control,
      presented significant up-regulation of general myogenic markers including early
      commitment markers of myoblast differentiation protein-1 (MyoD) and desmin, as
      well as a late phase marker of myosin heavy chain-2 (MHC). Corresponding protein
      analysis by immunoblot assays corroborated these results. Skeletal muscle
      specific markers, fast skeletal troponin-C (TnC) and ryanodine receptor-1 (Ryr)
      were also significantly increased in the non-induced hMSCs on PEG-CNT films by RT
      PCR. For these cells, the commitment to specific skeletal myoblasts was further
      proved by the absence of enhanced adipogenic, chondrogenic and osteogenic
      markers. This study elucidated that PEG-CNT films supported a dedicated
      differentiation of hMSCs into a skeletal myogenic lineage and can work as a
      promising material towards skeletal muscle injury repair. 

PMID- 26486985
TI  - Increased cortical activation upon painful stimulation in fibromyalgia syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic condition characterized by
      widespread pain and associated symptoms. We investigated cerebral activation in
      FMS patients by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). METHODS: Two
      stimulation paradigms were applied: a) painful pressure stimulation at the dorsal
      forearm; b) verbal fluency test (VFT). We prospectively recruited 25 FMS
      patients, ten patients with unipolar major depression (MD) without pain, and 35
      healthy controls. All patients underwent neurological examination and all
      subjects were investigated with questionnaires (pain, depression, FMS, empathy).
      RESULTS: FMS patients had lower pressure pain thresholds than patients with MD
      and controls (p <  .001) and reported higher pain intensity (p < 0.001). Upon
      unilateral pressure pain stimulation fNIRS recordings revealed increased
      bilateral cortical activation in FMS patients compared to controls (p < 0.05).
      FMS patients also displayed a stronger contralateral activity over the
      dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in direct comparison to patients with MD (p <
      0.05). While all three groups performed equally well in the VFT, a frontal
      deficit in cortical activation was only found in patients with depression (p <
      0.05). Performance and cortical activation correlated negatively in FMS patients
      (p < 0.05) and positively in patients with MD (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our data
      give further evidence for altered central nervous processing in patients with FMS
      and the distinction between FMS and MD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN registry ID
      ISRCTN15015327 (24.09.2015).

PMID- 26486986
TI  - Reduced toxicity in the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer: a comparison
      of volumetric modulated arc therapy and 3D conformal radiotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Excellent dosimetric characteristics were demonstrated for volumetric
      modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locally
      advanced rectal cancer (LARC). In a single-center retrospective analysis, we
      tested whether these advantages may translate into significant clinical benefits.
      We compared VMAT to conventional 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) in patients,
      homogeneously treated according to the control arm of the CAO/ARO/AIO-04 trial.
      METHODS: CRT consisted of pelvic irradiation with 50.4/1.8Gy by VMAT (n = 81) or
      3DCRT (n = 107) and two cycles of 5-fluorouracil. Standardized total mesorectal
      excision surgery was performed within 4-6 weeks. The tumor regression grading
      (TRG) was assessed by the Dworak score. Acute and late toxicity were evaluated
      via the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events and the Late effects of
      normal tissues scale, respectively. Side effects greater than or equal to grade 3
      were considered high-grade. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 18.3 months in the VMAT
      group and 61.5 months in the 3DCRT group with no differences in TRG between them
      (p = 0.1727). VMAT treatment substantially reduced high-grade acute and late
      toxicity, with 5 % versus 20 % (p = 0.0081) and 6 % vs. 22 % (p = 0.0039),
      respectively. With regard to specific organs, differences were found in skin
      reaction (p = 0.019) and proctitis (p = 0.0153). CONCLUSIONS: VMAT treatment in
      preoperative CRT for LARC showed the potential to substantially reduce high-grade
      acute and late toxicity. Importantly, we could demonstrate that VMAT irradiation
      did not impair short-term oncological results. We conclude, that the reduced
      toxicity after VMAT irradiation may pave the way for more efficient systemic
      therapies, and hopefully improved patient survival in the multimodal treatment of
      LARC.

PMID- 26486987
TI  - In vivo antimalarial evaluation of some 2,3-disubstituted-4(3H)-quinazolinone
      derivatives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malaria is a neglected tropical parasitic disease affecting billons
      of people around the globe. Though the number of cases and deaths associated with
      malaria are decreasing in recent years, it is the most deadly disease in the
      world. This study aimed at investigating the in vivo antimalarial activities of
      some 2,3-disubstituted-4(3H)-quinazolinone derivatives. RESULTS: The in vivo
      antimalarial activities of the test compounds (6-9 and 11-13) were investigated
      using the 4-day suppressive standard test in mice infected with chloroquine
      sensitive Plasmodium berghei ANKA strain. The tested compounds showed significant
      antimalarial activities with mean percentage suppression of 43.71-72.86 % which
      is significantly higher than the negative control group (p < 0.05). Compounds 12
      and 13 displayed better antimalarial activities from the group with mean
      percentage suppression of 67.60 and 72.86 % respectively. CONCLUSION: The tested
      compounds showed significant in vivo antimalarial activities in mice infected
      with P. berghi ANKA strain. Thus, 3-aryl-2-(substitutedstyryl)-4(3H)
      quinazolinones represent a possible scaffold for the development of antimalarial
      agents.

PMID- 26486988
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of Chirolophis japonicus (Perciformes:
      Stichaeidae).
AB  - The complete mitochondrial genome of Chirolophis japonicus was sequenced for the
      first time in this study. It is a closed-circular molecule of 16 521 bp in length
      and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, an origin of
      light strand replication (OL), and a control region (CR). The overall base
      composition of the heavy-strand is 25.5% A, 28.6% T, 18.3% G, and 27.6% C, and
      the lengths of 2 rRNA genes are 946 and 1692 bp, respectively. Maximum likelihood
      tree based on all the amino acid sequences of 13 mitochondrial PCGs was
      constructed, in which C. japonicus is close to three species of infraorder
      Zoarcales. These results are expected to provide useful molecular data for
      species identification and further phylogenetic studies of genus Chirolophis.

PMID- 26486989
TI  - Comparison among three variant callers and assessment of the accuracy of
      imputation from SNP array data to whole-genome sequence level in chicken.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The technical progress in the last decade has made it possible to
      sequence millions of DNA reads in a relatively short time frame. Several variant
      callers based on different algorithms have emerged and have made it possible to
      extract single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) out of the whole-genome sequence.
      Often, only a few individuals of a population are sequenced completely and
      imputation is used to obtain genotypes for all sequence-based SNP loci for other
      individuals, which have been genotyped for a subset of SNPs using a genotyping
      array. METHODS: First, we compared the sets of variants detected with different
      variant callers, namely GATK, freebayes and SAMtools, and checked the quality of
      genotypes of the called variants in a set of 50 fully sequenced white and brown
      layers. Second, we assessed the imputation accuracy (measured as the correlation
      between imputed and true genotype per SNP and per individual, and genotype
      conflict between father-progeny pairs) when imputing from high density SNP array
      data to whole-genome sequence using data from around 1000 individuals from six
      different generations. Three different imputation programs (Minimac, FImpute and
      IMPUTE2) were checked in different validation scenarios. RESULTS: There were
      1,741,573 SNPs detected by all three callers on the studied chromosomes 3, 6, and
      28, which was 71.6 % (81.6 %, 88.0 %) of SNPs detected by GATK (SAMtools,
      freebayes) in total. Genotype concordance (GC) defined as the proportion of
      individuals whose array-derived genotypes are the same as the sequence-derived
      genotypes over all non-missing SNPs on the array were 0.98 (GATK), 0.97
      (freebayes) and 0.98 (SAMtools). Furthermore, the percentage of variants that had
      high values (>0.9) for another three measures (non-reference sensitivity, non
      reference genotype concordance and precision) were 90 (88, 75) for GATK
      (SAMtools, freebayes). With all imputation programs, correlation between original
      and imputed genotypes was >0.95 on average with randomly masked 1000 SNPs from
      the SNP array and >0.85 for a leave-one-out cross-validation within sequenced
      individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Performance of all variant callers studied was very
      good in general, particularly for GATK and SAMtools. FImpute performed slightly
      worse than Minimac and IMPUTE2 in terms of genotype correlation, especially for
      SNPs with low minor allele frequency, while it had lowest numbers in Mendelian
      conflicts in available father-progeny pairs. Correlations of real and imputed
      genotypes remained constantly high even if individuals to be imputed were several
      generations away from the sequenced individuals.

PMID- 26486991
TI  - Formation of Li3O4 nano particles in the discharge products of non-aqueous
      lithium-oxygen batteries leads to lower charge overvoltage.
AB  - Density functional theory calculations are made for bulk thermodynamic properties
      and surface energies of Li2O2, a primary discharge product, and Li3O4, a possible
      byproduct in the discharge products, of the non-aqueous lithium-oxygen batteries.
      Results show that the standard formation Gibbs free energy of bulk Li3O4 is
      marginally higher than that of Li2O2, but the surface energy of Li3O4 is much
      lower. Low surface energy results in both lowered nucleation energy and formation
      Gibbs free energy in the nanometer regime, allowing the Li3O4 nano particles to
      nucleate ahead of Li2O2 during the discharge process and to exist stably when
      particle sizes are smaller than about 40 nm. The scanning transmission electron
      microscopy (STEM) image of Li3O4 crystals is simulated and compared with the
      measured STEM image of the discharge product particles. The consistency between
      the simulated and measured STEM images suggests that the Li3O4 phase can exist
      stably as a discharge product. The energy profile of the oxygen evolution
      reaction (OER) occurring on the most abundant surfaces of Li3O4 is also
      calculated. The predicted overpotential for the OER on the {0001} surface (0.30
      V) shows a good agreement with experimental data. The presence of more
      electronically conductive Li3O4 nano particles in the primary discharge product
      Li2O2 tends to decrease the charge overvoltage of the batteries, explaining why
      the lower voltage area (<3.5 V) was widely observed during the charging of the
      batteries. An increase in the oxygen pressure or a decrease in temperature
      enhances the stability of the Li3O4 phase and increase the proportion of the
      Li3O4 phase in the discharge products, consequently leading to a lower overall
      charge overvoltage. 

PMID- 26486990
TI  - Impact of traffic-related air pollution on acute changes in cardiac autonomic
      modulation during rest and physical activity: a cross-over study.
AB  - People are often exposed to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) during physical
      activity (PA), but it is not clear if PA modifies the impact of TRAP on cardiac
      autonomic modulation. We conducted a panel study among 28 healthy adults in
      Barcelona, Spain to examine how PA may modify the impact of TRAP on cardiac
      autonomic regulation. Participants completed four 2-h exposure scenarios that
      included either rest or intermittent exercise in high- and low-traffic
      environments. Time- and frequency-domain measures of heart rate variability (HRV)
      were monitored during each exposure period along with continuous measures of
      TRAP. Linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate the impact of TRAP on HRV
      as well as potential effect modification by PA. Exposure to TRAP was associated
      with consistent decreases in HRV; however, exposure-response relationships were
      not always linear over the broad range of exposures. For example, each 10
      MUg/m(3) increase in black carbon was associated with a 23% (95% CI: -31, -13)
      decrease in high frequency power at the low-traffic site, whereas no association
      was observed at the high-traffic site. PA modified the impact of TRAP on HRV at
      the high-traffic site and tended to weaken inverse associations with measures
      reflecting parasympathetic modulation (P <= 0.001). Evidence of effect
      modification at the low-traffic site was less consistent. The strength and
      direction of the relationship between TRAP and HRV may vary across exposure
      gradients. PA may modify the impact of TRAP on HRV, particularly at higher
      concentrations.

PMID- 26486992
TI  - The influence of M. P. Bryden's work on lateralization of motor skill: Is the
      preferred hand selected for and better at tasks requiring a high degree of skill?
AB  - One question of interest to Dr M. P. Bryden was how skilled motor behaviour, task
      complexity, and the degree of handedness are linked. His research suggested that
      there would be dissociation between hand preference and performance for skilled
      versus unskilled actions. The thought was that "simple" or unskilled tasks such
      reaching or grasping could be performed equally well by either hand, and thus
      either could be selected. Skilled tasks such as fine manipulation would be
      performed best by the preferred hand and thus it would be selected more
      frequently. Over the past two decades, researchers have attempted to determine
      whether such a definition of skilled action best encapsulates the specialization
      of the preferred hand. The current paper will review M. P. Bryden's research on
      skilled motor behaviour, as well as more recent work, and explore the question of
      whether the preferred hand is actually superior and preferred for actions
      requiring manipulation.

PMID- 26486993
TI  - Ferrocifen type anti cancer drugs.
AB  - Despite current developments in therapeutics focusing on biotechnologically
      oriented species, the unflagging utility of small molecules or peptides in
      medicine is still producing strong results. In 2014 for example, of the 41 new
      medicines authorized for sale, 33 belonged to the category of small molecules,
      while in 2013 they represented 24 of 27, according to the FDA. This can be
      explained as the result of recent forays into new or long-neglected areas of
      chemistry. Medicinal organometallic chemistry can provide us with an antimalarial
      against resistant parasitic strains, as attested by the phase II clinical
      development of ferroquine, with a new framework for conceptual advances based on
      three-dimensional space-filling, and with redox or indeed catalytic intracellular
      properties. In this context, bioferrocene species with antiproliferative
      potential have for several years been the subject of sustained effort, based on
      some initial successes and on the nature of ferrocene as a stable aromatic, with
      low toxicity, low cost, and possessing reversible redox properties. We show here
      the different antitumoral approaches offered by ferrocifen derivatives,
      originally simple derivatives of tamoxifen, which over the course of their
      development have proved to possess remarkable structural and mechanistic
      diversity. These entities act via various targets, some of which have been
      identified, that are triggered according to the concentration of the products.
      They also act according to the nature of the cancer cells and their
      functionality, by mechanistic pathways that can operate either synergistically or
      not, in successive, concomitant or sequential ways, depending for example on
      newly identified signaling pathways inducing senescence or apoptosis. Here we
      present a first attempt to rationalize the behavior of these entities with
      various anticancer targets. 

PMID- 26486994
TI  - Ag Nanorods Coated with Ultrathin TiO2 Shells as Stable and Recyclable SERS
      Substrates.
AB  - TiO2-coated Ag nanorods (Ag@TiO2 NRs) have been fabricated as multifunctional
      surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. Uniform TiO2 shells could
      sufficiently protect the internal Ag NRs against oxidation and sulfuration, thus
      the temporal stability of SERS substrates was markedly improved. Meanwhile, due
      to the synergetic effect between crystalline TiO2 and Ag, the nanocomposites
      could clean themselves via photocatalytic degradation of the adsorbed molecules
      under ultraviolet irradiation and water dilution, making the SERS substrates
      renewable. Such Ag@TiO2 NRs were shown to serve as outstanding SERS sensors
      featuring high sensitivity, superior stability and recyclability. 

PMID- 26486995
TI  - Is Extensive Parenchymal Resection During Robotic Partial Nephrectomy Justified?
      A Match-Paired Comparison of Two Extirpative Surgical Modalities for Treatment of
      a Complex Renal Neoplasm.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the outcomes of robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) in
      patients where nephron-sparing surgery would have mandated a large amount of
      renal volume resection. METHODS: Patients undergoing RPN with extensive volume
      resection (>=30%), from 2006 to 2014, were identified. Pre- and postoperative
      CT/MRI-based volumetric assessment of the operated kidney was performed. To
      address the possible benefits of RPN, we matched this cohort to patients
      undergoing laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (LRN). The groups were matched for
      tumor size, R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry score, age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index
      (ACCI), and preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).
      Demographics, perioperative, functional, and oncologic outcomes were compared
      between the groups. Multivariable analysis of factors predicting chronic kidney
      disease (CKD) upstaging (type of surgery, R.E.N.A.L. score, ACCI, and baseline
      eGFR) was performed. RESULTS: In total, 52 patients undergoing RPN were matched
      to 52 LRN patients. The median R.E.N.A.L. score (interquartile range) was 9 (9
      10) for both groups. Demographic variables were comparable between the groups.
      The median renal volume preservation in the RPN group was 57.0% (47.2-67.2). The
      rates of overall and major complications were comparable between RPN and LRN. The
      RPN group had higher overall eGFR preservation (75.8% vs 68.5%; p = 0.01) and a
      lower rate of CKD upstaging (26.9% vs 50.6%; p = 0.001). On multivariable
      analysis, LRN and baseline eGFR were significant predictors of CKD upstaging
      (odds ratio [OR] 4.26; 95% CI [1.80-10.12]; p = 0.001 and OR 0.98; 95% CI [0.96
      0.99]; p = 0.03, respectively). During the median follow-up time of 21 (9-36)
      months, local recurrence, metastasis, and cancer-specific and overall survival
      were comparable between RPN and LRN. CONCLUSION: RPN requiring extensive volume
      resection provides renal functional preservation without significant increase in
      surgical complications or compromising short-term oncologic outcomes.

PMID- 26486997
TI  - Managing hindering self-focused attention in counseling sessions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examined the moderation effects of management strategies on
      the association between hindering self-focused attention and counseling self
      efficacy. METHOD: Participants were 160 counselor trainees. A hierarchical
      regression was used to analyze the data, and a simple effect analysis was used to
      explore the nature of the interaction. RESULTS: Results indicated that, for
      trainees who used more basic counseling techniques, counseling self-efficacy
      remained the same no matter their hindering self-focused attention experiences.
      However, for those who used less basic counseling techniques, their counseling
      self-efficacy dropped when they had more experiences of hindering self-focused
      attention. Similarly, for trainees who used more self-awareness to understand
      clients, these trainees reported a similar level of counseling self-efficacy no
      matter their hindering self-focused attention experiences. Conversely, for those
      who used less self-awareness as a tool to understand their clients during their
      sessions, their counseling self-efficacy decreased when they had more experiences
      of hindering self-focused attention. CONCLUSION: This is the first study that
      extends the literature on direct, linear relationships between hindering self
      focused attention and counseling self-efficacy. Results suggested two strategies
      (i.e., use of basic counseling techniques and use of self-awareness to understand
      clients) significantly moderate the above association.

PMID- 26486996
TI  - The pleiotropic ABNORMAL FLOWER AND DWARF1 affects plant height, floral
      development and grain yield in rice.
AB  - Moderate plant height and successful establishment of reproductive organs play
      pivotal roles in rice grain production. The molecular mechanism that controls the
      two aspects remains unclear in rice. In the present study, we characterized a
      rice gene, ABNORMAL FLOWER AND DWARF1 (AFD1) that determined plant height, floral
      development and grain yield. The afd1 mutant showed variable defects including
      the dwarfism, long panicle, low seed setting and reduced grain yield. In
      addition, abnormal floral organs were also observed in the afd1 mutant including
      slender and thick hulls, and hull-like lodicules. AFD1 encoded a DUF640 domain
      protein and was expressed in all tested tissues and organs. Subcellular
      localization showed AFD1-green fluorescent fusion protein (GFP) was localized in
      the nucleus. Meantime, our results suggested that AFD1 regulated the expression
      of cell division and expansion related genes. 

PMID- 26486998
TI  - Increased utilization of postmastectomy radiotherapy in the United States from
      2003 to 2011 in patients with one to three tumor positive nodes.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There have been few recent studies that have examined
      the use of postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) for patients with 1-3 positive
      nodes. METHODS: We utilized the National Cancer Data Base to examine trends in
      PMRT for 346,218 patients with Stage I-III breast cancer from 2003 to 2011.
      Neoadjuvant therapy cases were excluded. Log linear models examined trends in
      PMRT and logistic regressions were used to examine factors related to PMRT.
      RESULTS: The proportion of pT1-2N1 patients receiving PMRT increased from 23.9%
      in 2003 to 36.4% in 2011 with an annual percent change (APC) of 6.2% (P < 0.001).
      There were significant increases in the use of PMRT amongst patients with one
      (APC = 7.7%), two (APC = 6.7%), and three (APC = 4.2%) positive nodes. In 2011,
      27.8%, 43.8%, and 57.8% of patients with one, two or three positive nodes
      underwent PMRT, respectively. The number of positive nodes and tumor size were
      the strongest independent predictors of PMRT in the 1-3 node group;
      lymphovascular invasion, invasive lobular histology, and triple negative
      phenotypes were also associated with PMRT use. CONCLUSION: PMRT for patients with
      pT1-2N1 disease has increased with the greatest increase seen in those with one
      tumor positive node. Tumor factors remain strong independent predictors of PMRT.

PMID- 26487000
TI  - Surgical Resection is Better than Transarterial Chemoembolization for Patients
      with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Beyond the Milan Criteria: A Prognostic Nomogram
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The clinical outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients
      receiving surgical resection (SR) or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) are
      diverse. This study aimed to develop a nomogram to predict individualized
      survival risk in patients with HCC beyond the Milan criteria undergoing
      aggressive treatments (SR and TACE). METHODS: A total of 1009 patients were
      enrolled in the study and randomly grouped into derivation (n = 505) and
      validation sets (n = 504). The multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was
      used to select significant prognostic predictors from the derivation set to
      generate the nomogram. The performance of the nomogram was evaluated by
      discrimination (concordance index) and calibration tests. RESULTS: Serum albumin
      <3.8 g/dL, alpha-fetoprotein >=400 ng/mL, TACE, vascular invasion, multiple
      tumors, and tumor volume >=200 cm(3) were associated with poor survival in the
      multivariate Cox model (all p < 0.05). A nomogram with a scale of 0-47 was
      developed with these six variables, and the predicted survival rates at 1 and 3
      years were calculated. The derivation set with bootstrapping (B = 100) had a good
      concordance index of 0.694 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.68-0.708].
      Discrimination test in the validation set provided a concordance index of 0.71
      (95 % CI 0.697-0.722), and the calibration plots well-matched the 45-degree line
      for 1- and 3-year survival prediction. The respective survival for patients
      undergoing SR or TACE could be predicted based on the nomogram across different
      risk scores. CONCLUSIONS: This easy-to-use nomogram may accurately predict
      survival at 1 and 3 years for individual HCC patients beyond the Milan criteria,
      and provide quantitative survival advantage of SR over TACE.

PMID- 26486999
TI  - Intraoperative Ultrasound Guidance in Breast-Conserving  Surgery Improves
      Cosmetic Outcomes and Patient Satisfaction:  Results of a Multicenter Randomized
      Controlled Trial (COBALT).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ultrasound-guided breast-conserving surgery (USS) results in a
      significant reduction in both margin involvement and excision volumes (COBALT
      trial). Objective. The aim of the present study was to determine whether USS also
      leads to improvements in cosmetic outcome and patient satisfaction when compared
      with standard palpation-guided surgery (PGS). METHODS: A total of 134 patients
      with T1-T2 invasive breast cancer were included in the COBALT trial (NTR2579) and
      randomized to either USS (65 patients) or PGS (69 patients). Cosmetic outcomes
      were assessed by a three-member panel using computerized software Breast Cancer
      Conservative Treatment cosmetic results (BCCT.- core) and by patient self
      evaluation, including patient satisfaction. Time points for follow-up were 3, 6,
      and 12 months after surgery. Overall cosmetic outcome and patient satisfaction
      were scored on a 4-point Likert scale (excellent, good, fair, or poor), and
      outcomes were analyzed using a multilevel, mixed effect, proportional odds model
      for ordinal responses. RESULTS: Ultrasound-guided breast-conserving surgery
      achieved better cosmetic outcomes, with 20 % excellence overall and only 6 %
      rated as poor, whereas 14 % of PGS outcomes were rated excellent and 13 % as
      poor. USS also had consistently lower odds for worse cosmetic outcomes (odds
      ratio 0.55, p = 0.067) than PGS. The chance of having a worse outcome was
      significantly increased by a larger lumpectomy volume (ptrend = 0.002); a volume
      [40 cc showed odds 2.78-fold higher for a worse outcome than a volume B40 cc. USS
      resulted in higher patient satisfaction compared with PGS. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound
      guided breast-conserving surgery achieved better overall cosmetic outcomes and
      patient satisfaction than PGS. Lumpectomy volumes[40 cc resulted in significantly
      worse cosmetic outcomes.

PMID- 26487001
TI  - Increased intramyocellular lipid/impaired insulin sensitivity is associated with
      altered lipid metabolic genes in muscle of high responders to a high-fat diet.
AB  - The accumulation of intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) is recognized as an important
      determinant of insulin resistance, and is increased by a high-fat diet (HFD).
      However, the effects of HFD on IMCL and insulin sensitivity are highly variable.
      The aim of this study was to identify the genes in muscle that are related to
      this inter-individual variation. Fifty healthy men were recruited for this study.
      Before and after HFD for 3 days, IMCL levels in the tibialis anterior were
      measured by (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and peripheral insulin
      sensitivity was evaluated by glucose infusion rate (GIR) during the euglycemic
      hyperinsulinemic clamp. Subjects who showed a large increase in IMCL and a large
      decrease in GIR by HFD were classified as high responders (HRs), and subjects who
      showed a small increase in IMCL and a small decrease in GIR were classified as
      low responders (LRs). In five subjects from each group, the gene expression
      profile of the vastus lateralis muscle was analyzed by DNA microarray analysis.
      Before HFD, gene expression profiles related to lipid metabolism were comparable
      between the two groups. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis demonstrated that five gene
      sets related to lipid metabolism were upregulated by HFD in the HR group but not
      in the LR group. Changes in gene expression patterns were confirmed by qRT-PCR
      using more samples (LR, n = 9; HR, n = 11). These results suggest that IMCL
      accumulation/impaired insulin sensitivity after HFD is closely associated with
      changes in the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism in muscle. 

PMID- 26487004
TI  - Bone microstructural defects and osteopenia in hemizygous betaIVSII-654 knockin
      thalassemic mice: sex-dependent changes in bone density and osteoclast function.
AB  - beta-Thalassemia, a hereditary anemic disorder, is often associated with skeletal
      complications that can be found in both males and females. The present study
      aimed to investigate the age- and sex-dependent changes in bone mineral density
      (BMD) and trabecular microstructure in beta(IVSII-654) knockin thalassemic mice.
      Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and computer-assisted bone histomorphometry were
      employed to investigate temporal changes in BMD and histomorphometric parameters
      in male and female mice of a beta(IVSII-654) knockin mouse model of human beta
      thalassemia, in which impaired splicing of beta-globin transcript was caused by
      hemizygous C->T mutation at nucleotide 654 of intron 2. Young, growing beta(IVSII
      654) mice (1 mo old) manifested shorter bone length and lower BMD than their wild
      type littermates, indicating possible growth retardation and osteopenia, the
      latter of which persisted until 8 mo of age (adult mice). Interestingly, two-way
      analysis of variance suggested an interaction between sex and beta(IVSII-654)
      genotype, i.e., more severe osteopenia in adult female mice. Bone
      histomorphometry further suggested that low trabecular bone volume in male
      beta(IVSII-654) mice, particularly during a growing period (1-2 mo), was
      primarily due to suppression of bone formation, whereas both a low bone formation
      rate and a marked increase in osteoclast surface were observed in female
      beta(IVSII-654) mice. In conclusion, osteopenia and trabecular microstructural
      defects were present in both male and female beta(IVSII-654) knockin thalassemic
      mice, but the severity, disease progression, and cellular mechanism differed
      between the sexes. 

PMID- 26487003
TI  - 2-Methoxyestradiol blocks the RhoA/ROCK1 pathway in human aortic smooth muscle
      cells.
AB  - 2-Methoxyestradiol (2-ME), a metabolite of estradiol with little affinity for
      estrogen receptors, inhibits proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells;
      however, the molecular mechanisms underlying this effect are incompletely
      understood. Our previous work shows that 2-ME inhibits initiation (blocks
      phosphorylation of ERK and Akt) and progression (reduces cyclin expression and
      increases expression of cyclin inhibitors) of the mitogenic pathway and
      interferes with mitosis (disrupts tubulin organization). Because the RhoA/ROCK1
      pathway (RhoA -> ROCK1 -> myosin phosphatase targeting subunit -> myosin light
      chain) is involved in cytokinesis, herein we tested the concept that 2-ME also
      blocks the RhoA/ROCK1 pathway. Because of the potential importance of 2-ME for
      preventing/treating vascular diseases, experiments were conducted in female human
      aortic vascular smooth muscle cells. Microarray transcriptional profiling
      suggested an effect of 2-ME on the RhoA/ROCK1 pathway. Indeed, 2-ME blocked
      mitogen-induced GTP-bound RhoABC expression and membrane-bound RhoA, suggesting
      interference with the activation of RhoA. 2-ME also reduced ROCK1 expression,
      suggesting reduced production of the primary downstream signaling kinase of the
      RhoA pathway. Moreover, 2-ME inhibited RhoA/ROCK1 pathway downstream signaling,
      including phosphorylated myosin phosphatase targeting subunit and myosin light
      chain; the ROCK1 inhibitor H-1152 mimicked these effects of 2-ME; both 2-ME and H
      1152 blocked cytokinesis. 2-ME also reduced the expression of tissue factor, yet
      another downstream signaling component of the RhoA/ROCK1 pathway. We conclude
      that 2-ME inhibits the pathway RhoA -> ROCK1 -> myosin phosphatase targeting
      subunit -> myosin light chain, and this likely contributes to the reduced
      cytokinesis in 2-ME treated HASMCs. 

PMID- 26487002
TI  - Disruption of REDD1 gene ameliorates sepsis-induced decrease in mTORC1 signaling
      but has divergent effects on proteolytic signaling in skeletal muscle.
AB  - Sepsis-induced skeletal muscle atrophy and weakness are due in part to decreased
      mTORC1-mediated protein synthesis and increased proteolysis via the autophagy
      lysosomal system and ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. The REDD1 (regulated in
      development and DNA damage-1) protein is increased in sepsis and can negatively
      regulate mTORC1 activity. However, the contribution of REDD1 to the sepsis
      induced change in muscle protein synthesis and degradation has not been
      determined. Sepsis was produced by cecal ligation and puncture in female REDD1(-/
      ) or wild-type (WT) mice, and end points were assessed 24 h later in
      gastrocnemius; time-matched, pair-fed controls of each genotype were included.
      Sepsis increased REDD1 protein 300% in WT mice, whereas REDD1 was absent in
      REDD1(-/-) muscle. Sepsis decreased protein synthesis and phosphorylation of
      downstream targets of mTORC1 (S6K1 Thr(389), rpS6 Ser(240/244), 4E-BP1 Ser(65))
      in WT but not REDD1(-/-) mice. However, Akt and PRAS40 phosphorylation was
      suppressed in both sham and septic muscle from REDD1(-/-) mice despite unaltered
      PDK1, PP2A, or TSC2 expression. Sepsis increased autophagy as indicated by
      decreased ULK1 Ser(757) phosphorylation and p62 abundance and increased LC3B-II/I
      in WT mice, whereas these changes were absent in septic REDD1(-/-) mice.
      Conversely, REDD1 deletion did not prevent the sepsis-induced decrease in IGF-I
      mRNA or the concomitant increase in IL-6, TNFalpha, MuRF1, and atrogin1 mRNA
      expression. Lastly, 5-day survival in a separate set of septic mice did not
      differ between WT and REDD1(-/-) mice. These data highlight the central role of
      REDD1 in regulating both protein synthesis and autophagy in skeletal muscle
      during sepsis. 

PMID- 26487005
TI  - Diabetes prevalence in NZO females depends on estrogen action on liver fat
      content.
AB  - In humans and rodents, risk of metabolic syndrome is sexually dimorphic, with an
      increased incidence in males. Additionally, the protective role of female gonadal
      hormones is ostensible, as prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)
      increases after menopause. Here, we investigated the influence of estrogen (E2)
      on the onset of T2DM in female New Zealand obese (NZO) mice. Diabetes prevalence
      (defined as blood glucose levels >16.6 mmol/l) of NZO females on high-fat diet
      (60 kcal% fat) in week 22 was 43%. This was markedly dependent on liver fat
      content in week 10, as detected by computed tomography. Only mice with a liver
      fat content >9% in week 10 plus glucose levels >10 mmol/l in week 9 developed
      hyperglycemia by week 22. In addition, at 11 wk, diacylglycerols were elevated in
      livers of diabetes-prone mice compared with controls. Hepatic expression profiles
      obtained from diabetes-prone and -resistant mice at 11 wk revealed increased
      abundance of two transcripts in diabetes-prone mice: Mogat1, which catalyzes the
      synthesis of diacylglycerols from monoacylglycerol and fatty acyl-CoA, and the
      fatty acid transporter Cd36. E2 treatment of diabetes-prone mice for 10 wk
      prevented any further increase in liver fat content and reduced diacylglycerols
      and the abundance of Mogat1 and Cd36, leading to a reduction of diabetes
      prevalence and an improved glucose tolerance compared with untreated mice. Our
      data indicate that early elevation of hepatic Cd36 and Mogat1 associates with
      increased production and accumulation of triglycerides and diacylglycerols,
      presumably resulting in reduced hepatic insulin sensitivity and leading to later
      onset of T2DM. 

PMID- 26487006
TI  - Gastric inhibitory polypeptide immunoneutralization attenuates development of
      obesity in mice.
AB  - Previous reports have suggested that the abrogation of gastric inhibitory
      polypeptide (GIP) signaling could be exploited to prevent and treat obesity and
      obesity-related disorders in humans. This study was designed to determine whether
      immunoneutralization of GIP, using a newly developed specific monoclonal antibody
      (mAb), would prevent the development of obesity. Specific mAb directed against
      the carboxy terminus of mouse GIP was identified, and its effects on the insulin
      response to oral and to intraperitoneal (ip) glucose and on weight gain were
      evaluated. Administration of mAb (30 mg/kg body wt, BW) to mice attenuated the
      insulin response to oral glucose by 70% and completely eliminated the response to
      ip glucose coadministered with human GIP. Nine-week-old C57BL/6 mice injected
      with GIP mAbs (60 mg.kg BW(-1).wk(-1)) for 17 wk gained 46.5% less weight than
      control mice fed an identical high-fat diet (P < 0.001). No significant
      differences in the quantity of food consumed were detected between the two
      treatment groups. Furthermore, magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated that
      subcutaneous, omental, and hepatic fat were 1.97-, 3.46-, and 2.15-fold,
      respectively, lower in mAb-treated animals than in controls. Moreover, serum
      insulin, leptin, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and
      triglycerides were significantly reduced, whereas the high-density lipoprotein
      (HDL)/TC ratio was 1.25-fold higher in treated animals than in controls. These
      studies support the hypothesis that a reduction in GIP signaling using a GIP
      neutralizing mAb might provide a useful method for the treatment and prevention
      of obesity and related disorders. 

PMID- 26487007
TI  - Multifaceted interplay among mediators and regulators of intestinal glucose
      absorption: potential impacts on diabetes research and treatment.
AB  - Glucose is the prominent molecule that characterizes diabetes and, like the vast
      majority of nutrients in our diet, it is absorbed and enters the bloodstream
      directly through the small intestine; hence, small intestine physiology impacts
      blood glucose levels directly. Accordingly, intestinal regulatory modulators
      represent a promising avenue through which diabetic blood glucose levels might be
      moderated clinically. Despite the critical role of small intestine in blood
      glucose homeostasis, most physiological diabetes research has focused on other
      organs, such as the pancreas, kidney, and liver. We contend that an improved
      understanding of intestinal regulatory mediators may be fundamental for the
      development of first-line preventive and therapeutic interventions in patients
      with diabetes and diabetes-related diseases. This review summarizes the major
      important intestinal regulatory mediators, discusses how they influence
      intestinal glucose absorption, and suggests possible candidates for future
      diabetes research and the development of antidiabetic therapeutic agents. 

PMID- 26487008
TI  - Ingestion of glucose or sucrose prevents liver but not muscle glycogen depletion
      during prolonged endurance-type exercise in trained cyclists.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to define the effect of glucose ingestion compared
      with sucrose ingestion on liver and muscle glycogen depletion during prolonged
      endurance-type exercise. Fourteen cyclists completed two 3-h bouts of cycling at
      50% of peak power output while ingesting either glucose or sucrose at a rate of
      1.7 g/min (102 g/h). Four cyclists performed an additional third test for
      reference in which only water was consumed. We employed (13)C magnetic resonance
      spectroscopy to determine liver and muscle glycogen concentrations before and
      after exercise. Expired breath was sampled during exercise to estimate whole body
      substrate use. After glucose and sucrose ingestion, liver glycogen levels did not
      show a significant decline after exercise (from 325 +/- 168 to 345 +/- 205 and
      321 +/- 177 to 348 +/- 170 mmol/l, respectively; P > 0.05), with no differences
      between treatments. Muscle glycogen concentrations declined (from 101 +/- 49 to
      60 +/- 34 and 114 +/- 48 to 67 +/- 34 mmol/l, respectively; P < 0.05), with no
      differences between treatments. Whole body carbohydrate utilization was greater
      with sucrose (2.03 +/- 0.43 g/min) vs. glucose (1.66 +/- 0.36 g/min; P < 0.05)
      ingestion. Both liver (from 454 +/- 33 to 283 +/- 82 mmol/l; P < 0.05) and muscle
      (from 111 +/- 46 to 67 +/- 31 mmol/l; P < 0.01) glycogen concentrations declined
      during exercise when only water was ingested. Both glucose and sucrose ingestion
      prevent liver glycogen depletion during prolonged endurance-type exercise.
      Sucrose ingestion does not preserve liver glycogen concentrations more than
      glucose ingestion. However, sucrose ingestion does increase whole body
      carbohydrate utilization compared with glucose ingestion. This trial was
      registered at https://www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02110836. 

PMID- 26487012
TI  - Global deaths from road incidents plateau.

PMID- 26487010
TI  - Impact of maternal undernutrition around the time of conception on factors
      regulating hepatic lipid metabolism and microRNAs in singleton and twin fetuses.
AB  - We have investigated the effects of embryo number and maternal undernutrition
      imposed either around the time of conception or before implantation on hepatic
      lipid metabolism in the sheep fetus. We have demonstrated that periconceptional
      undernutrition and preimplantation undernutrition each resulted in decreased
      hepatic fatty acid beta-oxidation regulators, PGC-1alpha (P < 0.05), PDK2 (P <
      0.01), and PDK4 (P < 0.01) mRNA expression in singleton and twin fetuses at 135
      138 days gestation. In singletons, there was also lower hepatic PDK4 (P < 0.01),
      CPT-1 (P < 0.01), and PKCzeta (P < 0.01) protein abundance in the PCUN and PIUN
      groups and a lower protein abundance of PDPK-1 (P < 0.05) in the PCUN group.
      Interestingly, in twins, the hepatic protein abundance of p-AMPK (Ser(485)) (P <
      0.01), p-PDPK-1 (Ser(41)) (P < 0.05), and PKCzeta (P < 0.05) was higher in the
      PCUN and PIUN groups, and hepatic PDK4 (P < 0.001) and CPT-1 (P < 0.05) protein
      abundance was also higher in the PIUN twin fetus. We also found that the
      expression of a number of microRNAs was altered in response to PCUN or PIUN and
      that there is evidence that these changes may underlie the changes in the protein
      abundance of key regulators of hepatic fatty acid beta-oxidation in the PCUN and
      PIUN groups. Therefore, embryo number and the timing of maternal undernutrition
      in early pregnancy have a differential impact on hepatic microRNA expression and
      on the factors that regulate hepatic fatty acid oxidation and lipid synthesis. 

PMID- 26487009
TI  - Mechanisms for greater insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in normal and insulin
      resistant skeletal muscle after acute exercise.
AB  - Enhanced skeletal muscle and whole body insulin sensitivity can persist for up to
      24-48 h after one exercise session. This review focuses on potential mechanisms
      for greater postexercise and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake (ISGU) by muscle
      in individuals with normal or reduced insulin sensitivity. A model is proposed
      for the processes underlying this improvement; i.e., triggers initiate events
      that activate subsequent memory elements, which store information that is relayed
      to mediators, which translate memory into action by controlling an end effector
      that directly executes increased insulin-stimulated glucose transport. Several
      candidates are potential triggers or memory elements, but none have been
      conclusively verified. Regarding potential mediators in both normal and insulin
      resistant individuals, elevated postexercise ISGU with a physiological insulin
      dose coincides with greater Akt substrate of 160 kDa (AS160) phosphorylation
      without improved proximal insulin signaling at steps from insulin receptor
      binding to Akt activity. Causality remains to be established between greater
      AS160 phosphorylation and improved ISGU. The end effector for normal individuals
      is increased GLUT4 translocation, but this remains untested for insulin-resistant
      individuals postexercise. Following exercise, insulin-resistant individuals can
      attain ISGU values similar to nonexercising healthy controls, but after a
      comparable exercise protocol performed by both groups, ISGU for the insulin
      resistant group has been consistently reported to be below postexercise values
      for the healthy group. Further research is required to fully understand the
      mechanisms underlying the improved postexercise ISGU in individuals with normal
      or subnormal insulin sensitivity and to explain the disparity between these
      groups after similar exercise. 

PMID- 26487013
TI  - Reanalysis of the Aqueous Spectrum of the Neptunyl(V) [NpO2(+)] Ion.
AB  - The actinyl ions, consisting of the dioxoactinde(VI) and dioxoactinide(V) ions,
      are unique in the periodic table. However, very few quantitative studies of the
      spectra of these ions have been performed. In this paper the analysis of the
      optical spectrum of the aqueous neptunyl(V) [NpO2(+)] ion in 1 M HClO4 is
      reexamined. The species in solution is assumed to be the linear NpO2(+) ion
      surrounded in the equatorial plane by five oxygen atoms from five H2O molecules.
      The neptunyl(V) ion has the 5f(2) open-shell configuration, and the low-lying
      optical transitions (up to ~20 000 cm(-1)) observed are primarily from the two 5f
      electrons occupying the 5fphi and 5fdelta orbitals. The conventional parametric
      theory used for f(n) systems is applied to these low-lying transitions utilizing
      the intensity calculations that Matiska et al.1 have performed for this ion and
      the data reported by Eisenstein and Pryce.2 Possible ratios for the Slater
      electrostatic repulsion parameters are obtained from the data for the
      isoelectronic ion U(4+) (5f(2)) in various host crystals. The results are
      consistent with earlier crystal field analyses of the 5f(1) neptunyl(VI)
      [NpO2(2+)] ion. 

PMID- 26487011
TI  - Left main coronary artery disease: A review of the spectrum of noninvasive
      diagnostic modalities.
AB  - Medically managed significant left main (LM) stem disease has been considered a
      determinant of increased cardiac mortality approaching 50% at 3-year follow-up.
      Despite the clinical significance of LM disease, studies comparing the various
      diagnostic modalities, especially noninvasive, are sparse. Clinicians,
      particularly imagers, should be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of existing
      modalities to diagnose LM disease as integrating many clues (history, symptoms,
      electrocardiogram, and stress hemodynamics are essential to suspect this
      diagnosis and proceed to the next step). Here we review the existing data on the
      current role of electrocardiography, nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging (single
      photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography), stress
      echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography, and cardiac magnetic resonance
      imaging in diagnostic evaluation of LM disease. Wherever applicable we have
      extended our discussion to multivessel coronary artery disease encompassing
      scenarios where LMS can present as LM equivalent with or without extensive
      multivessel coronary artery disease.

PMID- 26487014
TI  - Universal Access to Health and Universal Health Coverage: identification of
      nursing research priorities in Latin America.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estabilish a regional list for nursing research priorities in
      health systems and services in the Region of the Americas based on the concepts
      of Universal Access to Health and Universal Health Coverage. METHOD: Five-stage
      consensus process: systematic review of literature; appraisal of resulting
      questions and topics; ranking of the items by graduate program coordinators;
      discussion and ranking amongst a forum of researchers and public health leaders;
      and consultation with the Ministries of Health of the Pan American Health
      Organization's member states. RESULTS: The resulting list of nursing research
      priorities consists of 276 study questions/ topics, which are sorted into 14
      subcategories distributed into six major categories: 1. Policies and education of
      nursing human resources; 2. Structure, organization and dynamics of health
      systems and services; 3. Science, technology, innovation, and information systems
      in public health; 4. Financing of health systems and services; 5. Health
      policies, governance, and social control; and 6. Social studies in the health
      field. CONCLUSION: The list of nursing research priorities is expected to serve
      as guidance and support for nursing research on health systems and services
      across Latin America. Not only researchers, but also Ministries of Health,
      leaders in public health, and research funding agencies are encouraged to use the
      results of this list to help inform research-funding decisions.

PMID- 26487015
TI  - Auxin response factors.
AB  - Auxin signalling involves the activation or repression of gene expression by a
      class of auxin response factor (ARF) proteins that bind to auxin response
      elements in auxin-responsive gene promoters. The release of ARF repression in the
      presence of auxin by the degradation of their cognate auxin/indole-3-acetic acid
      repressors forms a paradigm of transcriptional response to auxin. However, this
      mechanism only applies to activating ARFs, and further layers of complexity of
      ARF function and regulation are being revealed, which partly reflect their highly
      modular domain structure. This review summarizes our knowledge concerning ARF
      binding site specificity, homodimer and heterodimer multimeric ARF association
      and cooperative function and how activator ARFs activate target genes via
      chromatin remodelling and evolutionary information derived from phylogenetic
      comparisons from ARFs from diverse species. ARFs are regulated in diverse ways,
      and their importance in non-auxin-regulated pathways is becoming evident. They
      are also embedded within higher-order transcription factor complexes that
      integrate signalling pathways from other hormones and in response to the
      environment. The ways in which new information concerning ARFs on many levels is
      causing a revision of existing paradigms of auxin response are discussed. 

PMID- 26487018
TI  - Artificial Protection Film on Lithium Metal Anode toward Long-Cycle-Life Lithium
      Oxygen Batteries.

PMID- 26487019
TI  - Aerogels: Aerogels from CdSe/CdS Nanorods with Ultra-long Exciton Lifetimes and
      High Fluorescence Quantum Yields (Adv. Mater. 40/2015).
AB  - The fabrication of gels from semiconductor nanoparticles by means of a controlled
      and optimized destabilization process is investigated by N. C. Bigall and co
      workers on page 6152. Aerogels with high photoluminescence quantum yield and
      ultra-long radiative lifetimes are fabricated from CdSe/CdS seeded nanorods. It
      is shown that excited electrons can be delocalized within the aerogel monolith
      while, at the same time, holes stay confined in the CdSe cores. This type of
      assembly of nanoparticles shows novel properties in comparison to those of the
      nanoparticle building blocks and of the bulk material. 

PMID- 26487024
TI  - Whole Farm Net Greenhouse Gas Abatement from Establishing Kikuyu-Based Perennial
      Pastures in South-Western Australia.
AB  - On-farm activities that reduce GHG emissions or sequester carbon from the
      atmosphere to compensate for anthropogenic emissions are currently being
      evaluated by the Australian Government as carbon offset opportunities. The aim of
      this study was to examine the implications of establishing and grazing Kikuyu
      pastures, integrated as part of a mixed Merino sheep and cropping system, as a
      carbon offset mechanism. For the assessment of changes in net greenhouse gas
      emissions, results from a combination of whole farm economic and livestock models
      were used (MIDAS and GrassGro). Net GHG emissions were determined by deducting
      increased emissions from introducing this practice change (increased methane and
      nitrous oxide emissions due to higher stocking rates) from the soil carbon
      sequestered from growing the Kikuyu pasture. Our results indicate that livestock
      systems using perennial pastures may have substantially lower net GHG emissions,
      and reduced GHG intensity of production, compared with annual plant-based
      production systems. Soil carbon accumulation by converting 45% of arable land
      within a farm enterprise to Kikuyu-based pasture was determined to be 0.80 t CO2
      e farm ha(-1) yr(-1) and increased GHG emissions (leakage) was 0.19 t CO2-e farm
      ha(-1) yr(-1). The net benefit of this practice change was 0.61 t CO2-e farm ha(
      1) yr(-1) while the rate of soil carbon accumulation remains constant. The use of
      perennial pastures improved the efficiency of animal production almost eight fold
      when expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per unit of animal product.
      The strategy of using perennial pasture to improve production levels and store
      additional carbon in the soil demonstrates how livestock should be considered in
      farming systems as both sources and sinks for GHG abatement. 

PMID- 26487025
TI  - Preliminary Investigation of Food Guarding Behavior in Shelter Dogs in the United
      States.
AB  - A survey given to animal shelters across the US reported food bowl guarding as
      one of the most common reasons for euthanasia and only 34% attempted to modify
      this guarding behavior. This study identified 96 dogs that guarded their food
      bowl during an assessment, and then placed them into a home on a modification
      program. Food guarding behavior was identified as stiffening, gulping, growling,
      freezing, and/or biting a fake hand during the SAFER((r)) food bowl assessment.
      Dogs that exhibited guarding behavior over toys were excluded. Follow-up was done
      at 3 days, 3 weeks, and 3 months post adoption to measure all guarding behavior
      in the home. Six adopters reported at least one incident involving guarding in
      the first three weeks, of which only one was around the food bowl. By three
      months, those adopters reported no guarding behavior except one new occurrence of
      a dog guarding a rawhide was reported in the third month. For dog identified with
      food guarding, the return rate to the shelter was 5% and 9% for adult dogs not
      identified with guarding behavior. Adopters did not comply with at least one
      aspect of the program, so it is unclear why so little guarding was reported. The
      key finding is that dogs that guarded their food bowl in the shelter were not
      guarding their food in their new homes. 

PMID- 26487026
TI  - Changes in Habitat Structure May Explain Decrease in Reintroduced Mohor Gazelle
      Population in the Guembeul Fauna Reserve, Senegal.
AB  - Reintroduction is a widespread method for saving populations of endangered
      species from extinction. In spite of recent reviews, it is difficult to reach
      general conclusions about its value as a conservation tool, as authors are
      reluctant to publish unsuccessful results. The Mohor gazelle is a North African
      gazelle, extinct in the wild. Eight individuals were reintroduced in Senegal in
      1984. The population grew progressively, albeit slowly, during the first 20 years
      after release, but then declined dramatically, until the population in 2009 was
      estimated at no more than 13-15 individuals. This study attempts to determine the
      likelihood of gazelle-habitat relationships to explain why the size of the
      gazelle population has diminished. Our results show that the Mohor gazelle in
      Guembeul is found in open habitats with less developed canopy where the grass is
      shorter, suggesting the possibility that changes in habitat structure have taken
      place during the time the gazelles have been in the Reserve, reducing the amount
      of suitable habitat. Reintroduction design usually concentrates on short-term
      factors that may affect survival of the released animals and their descendants
      (short-term achievement), while the key factors for assessing its success may be
      those that affect the long-term evolution of the population. 

PMID- 26487027
TI  - Hunting Activity Among Naturalistically Housed Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) at
      the Fundacio Mona (Girona, Spain). Predation, Occasional Consumption and
      Strategies in Rehabilitated Animals.
AB  - Predatory behavior in wild chimpanzees and other primates has been well
      documented over the last 30 years. However, as it is an opportunistic behavior,
      conditions which may promote such behavior are left up to chance. Until now,
      predatory behavior among captive chimpanzees has been poorly documented. In this
      paper, we present five instances providing evidence of predatory behavior: four
      performed by isolated individuals and one carried out in cooperation. The
      evidence of group predation involved the chimpanzees adopting different roles as
      pursuers and ambushers. Prey was partially eaten in some cases, but not in the
      social episode. This study confirms that naturalistic environments allow
      chimpanzees to enhance species-typical behavioral patterns. 

PMID- 26487028
TI  - Companion Animals, Natural Disasters and the Law: An Australian Perspective.
AB  - This article examines the regulation of companion animal welfare during
      disasters, with some context provided by two recent major disaster events in
      Australia. Important general lessons for improved disaster management were
      identified in subsequent inquiries. However, the interests of companion animals
      continue to be inadequately addressed. This is because key assumptions
      underpinning disaster planning for companion animals-the primacy of human
      interests over animal interests and that individuals will properly address
      companion animal needs during times of disaster-are open to question. In
      particular these assumptions fail to recognise the inherent value of companion
      animals, underestimate the strong bond shared by some owners and their animals
      and, at the same time, overestimate the capacity of some owners to adequately
      meet the needs of their animals. 

PMID- 26487029
TI  - One Medicine, One Acupuncture.
AB  - "One Acupuncture", like "One Medicine", has the potential to improve research
      quality and clinical outcomes. However, while human acupuncture point locations
      have remained largely consistent over time, the veterinary versions remain
      imprecise and variable. Establishing anatomical criteria for veterinary
      acupuncture atlases in keeping with the human template will create congruence
      across species, benefiting both research and practice. Anatomic criteria for
      points based on objectively verifiable structures will facilitate translational
      research. Functionally comparative innervation, in particular, should be similar
      between species, as the nerves initiate and mediate physiologic changes that
      result from point stimulation. If researchers choose points that activate
      different nerves in one species than in another, unpredictable outcomes may
      occur. Variability in point placement will impede progress and hamper the ability
      of researchers and clinicians to make meaningful comparisons across species. This
      paper reveals incongruities that remain between human and veterinary acupuncture
      points, illustrating the need to analyze anatomical characteristics of each point
      to assure accuracy in selecting transpositional acupuncture locations. 

PMID- 26487030
TI  - Effect of Time (Within and Between Days), and Dairy Production Factors on the
      Impedance Value at 24 Acupuncture Points in Dairy Cows.
AB  - This study evaluated the effect of hour and day of measurement, and of production
      factors on the impedance values (IVs) at 24 acupuncture points (APs). This is a
      first step in assessing whether electro-acupuncture can contribute to reduced
      antibiotic use in dairy farming. The APs studied were left (L) and right (R)
      points of the bladder (BL) and stomach (ST) meridians. The effect of time was
      measured in a 3x3 Latin square on six cows in one herd. The effect of production
      factors was analyzed using 108 cows from three herds for two months. The effect
      of time excludes BL 14R, 16R, 21R, 22R, 30R, 46-02R, 43-01L and 30L, and ST18
      bilaterally for diagnostic use. The contribution of parity, age or lactation
      period to monthly models of BL21R, 18R and 15R, and ST18R exclude these for
      diagnostic use. Of the remaining APs, BL19R, BL20R and BL46-02L showed stable IVs
      and are recommended for reference measurements. APs BL14L, BL16L and BL17L are
      recommended for diagnostics, and BL 16R, 17R, 18R, 23R, 30R, 15L, 20L, 22L and
      29L need further study. Factors contributing to the variation in the IV of
      several APs were: milk robot, number of inseminations, body condition score, days
      of the preceding lactation, kg milk and kg milk fat of current and preceding
      month and preceding year, and milk cell count and urea content. 

PMID- 26487031
TI  - Gold Bead Implantation in Acupoints for Coxofemoral Arthrosis in Dogs: Method
      Description and Adverse Effects.
AB  - Gold bead implantation has been used for years as an alternative method to
      improve function in chronic joint disease both in humans and dogs. The aims of
      the present study were to describe the technique of implanting 24-karat gold
      beads around the hip joints of dogs with chronic hip dysplasia, and to record any
      side effects or complications of such treatment. A prospective placebo-controlled
      double-blinded clinical trial was performed. Eighty dogs were randomly allocated
      to treatment or placebo, with 38 in the gold implantation group and 42 in the
      placebo group, and followed intensely for six months. The implantation technique
      was simple to perform, using fluoroscopy and with the dogs under inhalation
      anesthesia for about 30 minutes. Adverse effects, measured as pain or discomfort,
      were seen for a period of up to four weeks in 15 of the dogs in the gold
      implantation group, compared to six dogs in the placebo group. During
      implantation, a technical difficulty occurred as 82% of the dogs showed leakage
      of blood and/or synovia from the needles. The dogs in the gold implantation group
      were radiographed 18 months later. Of the 30 dogs that were radiographed at both
      inclusion and 24 months, 80% (24 dogs) showed a deterioration of the coxofemoral
      arthrosis, the other six had stable disease evaluated by radiography. Migration
      of gold beads was only observed in one dog. 

PMID- 26487032
TI  - A Greenhouse Gas and Soil Carbon Model for Estimating the Carbon Footprint of
      Livestock Production in Canada.
AB  - To assess tradeoffs between environmental sustainability and changes in food
      production on agricultural land in Canada the Unified Livestock Industry and Crop
      Emissions Estimation System (ULICEES) was developed. It incorporates four
      livestock specific GHG assessments in a single model. To demonstrate the
      application of ULICEES, 10% of beef cattle protein production was assumed to be
      displaced with an equivalent amount of pork protein. Without accounting for the
      loss of soil carbon, this 10% shift reduced GHG emissions by 2.5 TgCO2e y(-1).
      The payback period was defined as the number of years required for a GHG
      reduction to equal soil carbon lost from the associated land use shift. A payback
      period that is shorter than 40 years represents a net long term decrease in GHG
      emissions. Displacing beef cattle with hogs resulted in a surplus area of forage.
      When this residual land was left in ungrazed perennial forage, the payback
      periods were less than 4 years and when it was reseeded to annual crops, they
      were equal to or less than 40 years. They were generally greater than 40 years
      when this land was used to raise cattle. Agricultural GHG mitigation policies
      will inevitably involve a trade-off between production, land use and GHG emission
      reduction. ULICEES is a model that can objectively assess these trade-offs for
      Canadian agriculture. 

PMID- 26487033
TI  - Acupuncture Points of the Horse's Distal Thoracic Limb: A Neuroanatomic Approach
      to the Transposition of Traditional Points.
AB  - Veterinary acupuncture charts were developed based on the concept of
      transpositional points whereby human acupuncture maps were adapted to animal
      anatomy. Transpositional acupuncture points have traditionally been placed in
      specific locations around the horse's coronet and distal limb believed to be the
      closest approximation to the human distal limb points. Because the horse has a
      single digit and lacks several structures analogous to the human hand and foot,
      precisely transposing all of the human digital points is not anatomically
      possible. To date there is no published research on the effect of acupuncture
      treatment of the equine distal limb points. This paper presents a modified
      approach to equine distal limb point selection based on what is known from
      research on other species about the neuroanatomic method of acupuncture. A
      rationale is presented for modification of traditional equine ting points as well
      as additional points around the hoof and distal limb that do not appear in the
      standard textbooks of equine acupuncture. The anatomy and physiology of the
      equine foot likely to be affected by acupuncture are briefly reviewed. Modified
      neuroanatomic points are proposed that may be more accurate as transpositional
      points. As an example of clinical application, a neuroanatomic approach to
      acupuncture treatment of equine laminitis is presented. 

PMID- 26487035
TI  - Intermediate uveitis associated with familial Mediterranean fever.

PMID- 26487034
TI  - Double Muscling in Cattle: Genes, Husbandry, Carcasses and Meat.
AB  - Molecular biology has enabled the identification of the mechanisms whereby
      inactive myostatin increases skeletal muscle growth in double-muscled (DM)
      animals. Myostatin is a secreted growth differentiation factor belonging to the
      transforming growth factor-beta superfamily. Mutations make the myostatin gene
      inactive, resulting in muscle hypertrophy. The relationship between the different
      characteristics of DM cattle are defined with possible consequences for livestock
      husbandry. The extremely high carcass yield of DM animals coincides with a
      reduction in the size of most vital organs. As a consequence, DM animals may be
      more susceptible to respiratory disease, urolithiasis, lameness, nutritional
      stress, heat stress and dystocia, resulting in a lower robustness. Their feed
      intake capacity is reduced, necessitating a diet with a greater nutrient density.
      The modified myofiber type is responsible for a lower capillary density, and it
      induces a more glycolytic metabolism. There are associated changes for the living
      animal and post-mortem metabolism alterations, requiring appropriate slaughter
      conditions to maintain a high meat quality. Intramuscular fat content is low, and
      it is characterized by more unsaturated fatty acids, providing healthier meat for
      the consumer. It may not always be easy to find a balance between the different
      disciplines underlying the livestock husbandry of DM animals to realize a good
      performance and health and meat quality. 

PMID- 26487037
TI  - White matter alterations of the corticospinal tract in adults born very preterm
      and/or with very low birth weight.
AB  - White matter (WM) injury, either visible on conventional magnetic resonance
      images (MRI) or measurable by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), is frequent in
      preterm born individuals and often affects the corticospinal tract (CST). The
      relation between visible and invisible white mater alterations in the
      reconstructed CST of preterm subjects has so far been studied in infants,
      children and up to adolescence. Therefore, we probabilistically tracked the CST
      in 53 term-born and 56 very preterm and/or low birth weight (VP/VLBW, < 32 weeks
      of gestation and/or birth weight < 1,500 g) adults (mean age 26 years) and
      compared their DTI parameters (axial, radial, mean diffusivity--AD, RD, MD,
      fractional anisotropy--FA) in the whole CST and slice-wise along the CST.
      Additionally, we used the automatic, tract-based-spatial-statistics (TBSS) as an
      alternative to tractography. We compared control and VP/VLBW and subgroups with
      and without CST WM lesions visible on conventional MRI. Compared to controls,
      VP/VLBW subjects had significantly higher diffusivity (AD, RD, MD) in the whole
      CST, slice-wise along the CST, and in multiple regions along the TBSS skeleton.
      VP/VLBW subjects also had significantly lower (TBSS) and higher (tractography) FA
      in regions along the CST, but no different mean FA in the tracked CST as a whole.
      Diffusion changes were weaker, but remained significant for both, tractography
      and TBSS, when excluding subjects with visible CST lesions. Chronic CST injury
      persists in VP/VLBW adults even in the absence of visible WM lesions, indicating
      long-term structural WM changes induced by premature birth.

PMID- 26487038
TI  - Impact of Medicare Age Eligibility on Health Spending among U.S. and Foreign-Born
      Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Examine differences in health care expenditures between foreign-born
      and U.S.-born adults in late mid-life, and how these differences change after age
      65, when Medicare is near-universal. DATA: Medical Expenditures Panel Survey data
      (2000-2010) on adults ages 55-75 years (n = 46,132) to examine annual total and
      payer-specific expenditures. STUDY DESIGN: We use (1) propensity score matching
      to generate quasi-experimental samples with equivalent health needs and health
      care preferences, (2) generalized linear modeling to estimate group differences
      in expenditures, and (3) bootstrapping methods to obtain variance estimates for
      significance testing. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Among adults ages 55-64, the foreign
      born spend $3,314 (p < .001) less on health care, even when they have equivalent
      health needs and health care preferences. This difference is due mainly to lower
      spending through private insurance. After age 65, differences in total spending
      disappear but not differences in payer-specific spending. The foreign-born
      continue to spend significantly less through private insurance and begin to spend
      significantly more through Medicare and Medicaid. CONCLUSION: Foreign-born adults
      in late mid-life spend significantly less on health care than U.S.-born adults.
      After age 65, with near-universal Medicare coverage, differences in total
      spending disappear between the groups, although differences in spending by payer
      persist.

PMID- 26487040
TI  - Network structure of multivariate time series.
AB  - Our understanding of a variety of phenomena in physics, biology and economics
      crucially depends on the analysis of multivariate time series. While a wide range
      tools and techniques for time series analysis already exist, the increasing
      availability of massive data structures calls for new approaches for
      multidimensional signal processing. We present here a non-parametric method to
      analyse multivariate time series, based on the mapping of a multidimensional time
      series into a multilayer network, which allows to extract information on a high
      dimensional dynamical system through the analysis of the structure of the
      associated multiplex network. The method is simple to implement, general,
      scalable, does not require ad hoc phase space partitioning, and is thus suitable
      for the analysis of large, heterogeneous and non-stationary time series. We show
      that simple structural descriptors of the associated multiplex networks allow to
      extract and quantify nontrivial properties of coupled chaotic maps, including the
      transition between different dynamical phases and the onset of various types of
      synchronization. As a concrete example we then study financial time series,
      showing that a multiplex network analysis can efficiently discriminate crises
      from periods of financial stability, where standard methods based on time-series
      symbolization often fail. 

PMID- 26487041
TI  - Pattern formation on silicon by laser-initiated liquid-assisted colloidal
      lithography.
AB  - We report sub-diffraction limited patterning of Si substrate surfaces by laser
      initiated liquid-assisted colloidal lithography. The technique involves exposing
      a two-dimensional lattice of transparent colloidal particles spin coated on the
      substrate of interest (here Si) immersed in a liquid (e.g. methanol, acetone,
      carbon tetrachloride, toluene) to a single picosecond pulse of ultraviolet laser
      radiation. Surface patterns formed using colloidal particles with different radii
      in the range 195 nm <= R <= 1.5 MUm and liquids with differing indices of
      refraction (n(liquid)) are demonstrated, the detailed topographies of which are
      sensitively dependent upon whether the index of refraction of the colloidal
      particle (n(colloid)) is greater or smaller than n liquid (i.e. upon whether the
      incident light converges or diverges upon interaction with the particle). The
      spatial intensity modulation formed by diffraction of the single laser pulse by
      the colloidal particles is imprinted into the Si substrate.

PMID- 26487039
TI  - Adolescent binge-like alcohol alters sensitivity to acute alcohol effects on
      dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens of adult rats.
AB  - Rationale: Early onset of alcohol drinking has been associated with alcohol abuse
      in adulthood. The neurobiology of this phenomenon is unclear, but mesolimbic
      dopamine pathways, which are dynamic during adolescence, may play a role.
      OBJECTIVES: We investigated the impact of adolescent binge-like alcohol on phasic
      dopaminergic neurotransmission during adulthood. METHODS: Rats received
      intermittent intragastric ethanol, water, or nothing during adolescence. In
      adulthood, electrically evoked dopamine release and subsequent uptake were
      measured in the nucleus accumbens core at baseline and after acute challenge of
      ethanol or saline. RESULTS: Adolescent ethanol exposure did not alter basal
      measures of evoked dopamine release or uptake. Ethanol challenge dose-dependently
      decreased the amplitude of evoked dopamine release in rats by 30-50 % in control
      groups, as previously reported, but did not alter evoked release in ethanol
      exposed animals. To address the mechanism by which ethanol altered dopamine
      signaling, the evoked signals were modeled to estimate dopamine efflux per
      impulse and the velocity of the dopamine transporter. Dopamine uptake was slower
      in all exposure groups after ethanol challenge compared to saline, while dopamine
      efflux per pulse of electrical stimulation was reduced by ethanol only in ethanol
      naive rats. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that exposure to binge levels of
      ethanol during adolescence blunts the effect of ethanol challenge to reduce the
      amplitude of phasic dopamine release in adulthood. Large dopamine transients may
      result in more extracellular dopamine after alcohol challenge in adolescent
      exposed rats and may be one mechanism by which alcohol is more reinforcing in
      people who initiated drinking at an early age.

PMID- 26487042
TI  - A neurophylogenetic approach provides new insight to the evolution of Scaphopoda.
AB  - The position of scaphopods in molluscan phylogeny remains singularly contentious,
      with several sister relationships supported by morphological and phylogenomic
      data: Scaphopoda + Bivalvia (Diasoma), Scaphopoda + Cephalopoda (Variopoda), and
      Scaphopoda + Gastropoda. Nervous system architecture has contributed significant
      insights to reconstructing phylogeny in the Mollusca and other invertebrate
      groups, but a modern neurophylogenetic approach has not been applied to molluscs,
      hampered by a lack of clearly defined homologous characters that can be
      unequivocally compared across the radical body plan disparity among the living
      clades. We present the first three-dimensional reconstruction of the anterior
      nervous system of a scaphopod, Rhabdus rectius, using histological tomography. We
      also describe a new putative sensory organ, a paired and pigmented sensory mantle
      slit. This structure is restricted to our study species and not a general feature
      of scaphopods, but it forms an integral part of the description of the nervous
      system in R. rectius. It also highlights the potential utility of neuro
      anatomical characters for multiple levels of phylogenetic inference beyond this
      study. This potential has not previously been exploited for the thorny problem of
      molluscan phylogeny. The neuroanatomy of scaphopods demonstrates a highly derived
      architecture that shares a number of key characters with the cephalopod nervous
      system, and supports a Scaphopoda + Cephalopoda grouping. 

PMID- 26487044
TI  - CORR Insights(r): Does Strict Adherence to the Ponseti Method Improve Isolated
      Clubfoot Treatment Outcomes? A Two-institution Review.

PMID- 26487043
TI  - Cochrane in CORR1: Steroids for Acute Spinal  Cord Injury (Review).

PMID- 26487046
TI  - Digital LED Pixels: Instructions for use and a characterization of their
      properties.
AB  - This article details how to control light emitting diodes (LEDs) using an
      ordinary desktop computer. By combining digitally addressable LEDs with an off
      the-shelf microcontroller (Arduino), multiple LEDs can be controlled
      independently and with a high degree of temporal, chromatic, and luminance
      precision. The proposed solution is safe (can be powered by a 5-V battery),
      tested (has been used in published research), inexpensive (~ $60 + $2 per LED),
      highly interoperable (can be controlled by any type of computer/operating system
      via a USB or Bluetooth connection), requires no prior knowledge of electrical
      engineering (components simply require plugging together), and uses widely
      available components for which established help forums already exist. Matlab code
      is provided, including a 'minimal working example' of use suitable for use by
      beginners. Properties of the recommended LEDs are also characterized, including
      their response time, luminance profile, and color gamut. Based on these, it is
      shown that the LEDs are highly stable in terms of both luminance and
      chromaticity, and do not suffer from issues of warm-up, chromatic shift, and slow
      response times associated with traditional CRT and LCD monitor technology.

PMID- 26487045
TI  - How Does Bony Surgery Affect Results of Anterior Open Reduction in Walking-age
      Children With Developmental Hip Dysplasia?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anterior open reduction is commonly used to treat hip subluxation or
      dislocation in developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in walking-age children.
      Pelvic and/or femoral osteotomy may be used in addition, but it is unclear how
      this affects avascular necrosis (AVN) risk and radiological and clinical results.
      QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: The purpose of this study was to review studies of walking
      age patients treated either with an open reduction alone or combined with pelvic
      and/or femoral osteotomies and determine whether there is a difference between
      groups in the proportion of patients: (1) developing clinically relevant femoral
      head AVN (Kalamchi & MacEwen Types II to IV or equivalent); (2) achieving a
      satisfactory radiological result (Severin Grade I/II or equivalent); (3)
      achieving a satisfactory clinical result (McKay excellent or good rating or
      equivalent); and (4) requiring further nonsalvage surgery. METHODS: MEDLINE,
      Embase, the Cochrane Centre Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov
      were searched for studies of anterior open reduction for DDH in children aged 12
      months to 6 years old. We assessed AVN, clinical and radiological results, and
      requirement for further procedures. The effect of failed conservative management,
      traction, age at operation, and followup duration was also assessed. Eighteen
      studies met the review eligibility criteria. RESULTS: Open reduction alone had a
      lower risk of AVN than open reduction combined with pelvic and femoral osteotomy
      (4% versus 24%), but there was no significant difference compared with open
      reduction with either pelvic (17%) or femoral osteotomy (18%). More hips treated
      with open reduction alone had satisfactory radiological results than open
      reduction combined with pelvic and femoral osteotomy (97% versus 83%) and
      satisfactory clinical results than all other interventions. More hips treated
      with open reduction alone required further surgical management (56%) compared
      with open reduction and pelvic osteotomy (11%) and combined pelvic and femoral
      osteotomies (8%). CONCLUSIONS: Open reduction with concomitant pelvic osteotomy
      is the most appropriate option to provide durable results with the lowest risk of
      AVN and best radiological and clinical results. There is no evidence that
      addition of a femoral osteotomy provides any additional benefit to the patient,
      although it may be necessary to achieve reduction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III,
      therapeutic study.

PMID- 26487047
TI  - A novel approach to investigate recursion and iteration in visual hierarchical
      processing.
AB  - We describe a new method to explore recursive cognition in the visual domain. We
      define recursion as the ability to represent multiple hierarchical levels using
      the same rule, entailing the ability to generate new levels beyond those
      previously encountered. With this definition recursion can be distinguished from
      general hierarchical embedding. To investigate this recursion/hierarchy
      distinction in the visual domain, we developed two novel methods: The Visual
      Recursion Task (VRT), in which an inferred rule is used to represent new
      hierarchical levels, and the Embedded Iteration Task (EIT), in which additional
      elements are added to an existing hierarchical level. We found that adult humans
      can represent recursion in the visuo-spatial domain, and that this ability is
      distinct from both general intelligence and the ability to represent iterative
      processes embedded within hierarchical structures. Compared with embedded
      iteration, visual recursion correlated positively with other recursive planning
      tasks (Tower of Hanoi), but not with specific visuo-spatial resources (spatial
      short-term memory and working memory). We conclude that humans are able to use
      recursive representations to process complex visuo-spatial hierarchies and that
      our visual recursion task taps into specific cognitive resources. This method
      opens exciting opportunities to explore the relationship between visual recursion
      and language.

PMID- 26487048
TI  - The relative accuracy and interpretability of five sequential analysis methods: A
      simulation study.
AB  - A variety of sequential analysis methods exist to quantify close temporal
      associations between events from direct observation data. In the present study,
      we compared the relative accuracy and interpretability of five sequential
      analysis methods using simulated data. The methods included three existing
      approaches (event lag, concurrent interval, and time window) and two proposed
      modifications of the event lag approach (event lag with contiguous pauses and
      event lag with noncontiguous pauses) designed to address limitations of the
      existing approaches. We evaluated accuracy on the basis of the extent to which
      the mean contingency estimates produced by each method approximated a known mean
      (i.e., zero). We evaluated interpretability on the basis of the extent to which
      the contingency estimates produced by each method were independent from chance
      estimates of the two-event sequence. The results indicated that the event lag
      with contiguous pauses method produced the most accurate and interpretable
      estimates of contingency. This modified method prevents the total number of event
      types from influencing contingency estimates, thus solving a problem associated
      with the traditional event lag method.

PMID- 26487049
TI  - Filling the gaps: A speeded word fragment completion megastudy.
AB  - In the speeded word fragment completion task, participants have to complete
      fragments such as tom_to as quickly and accurately as possible. Previous work has
      shown that this paradigm can successfully capture subtle priming effects (Heyman,
      De Deyne, Hutchison, & Storms Behavior Research Methods, 47, 580-606, 2015). In
      addition, it has several advantages over the widely used lexical decision task.
      That is, the speeded word fragment completion task is more efficient, more
      engaging, and easier. Given its potential, we conducted a study to gather speeded
      word fragment completion norms. The goal of this megastudy was twofold. On the
      one hand, it provides a rich database of over 8,000 stimuli, which can, for
      instance, be used in future research to equate stimuli on baseline response
      times. On the other hand, the aim was to gain insight into the underlying
      processes of the speeded word fragment completion task. To this end, item-level
      regression and mixed-effects analyses were performed on the response latencies
      using 23 predictor variables. Since all items were selected from the Dutch
      Lexicon Project (Keuleers, Diependaele, & Brysbaert Frontiers in Psychology, 1,
      174, 2010), we ran the same analyses on lexical decision latencies to compare the
      two tasks. Overall, the results revealed many similarities, but also some
      remarkable differences, which are discussed. We propose that both tasks are
      complementary when examining visual word recognition. The article ends with a
      discussion of potential process models of the speeded word fragment completion
      task.

PMID- 26487050
TI  - Improving impulsivity assessment using movement recognition: A pilot study.
AB  - The Continuous Performance Test (CPT) is a widely used computerized test to
      assess impulsivity. This article proposes the use of a CPT variant based on
      movement recognition to obtain more accurate measurements of impulsivity. In this
      pilot study, 22 volunteers participated in a CPT experiment responding to the
      stimuli by raising his or her dominant hand instead of pressing the space bar in
      a keyboard. Using this method, correlations of self-reported impulsivity with
      number of commission errors and average reaction time improved those obtained
      with standard CPT.

PMID- 26487051
TI  - Effect size measures in a two-independent-samples case with nonnormal and
      nonhomogeneous data.
AB  - In psychological science, the "new statistics" refer to the new statistical
      practices that focus on effect size (ES) evaluation instead of conventional null
      hypothesis significance testing (Cumming, Psychological Science, 25, 7-29, 2014).
      In a two-independent-samples scenario, Cohen's (1988) standardized mean
      difference (d) is the most popular ES, but its accuracy relies on two
      assumptions: normality and homogeneity of variances. Five other ESs-the unscaled
      robust d (d r* ; Hogarty & Kromrey, 2001), scaled robust d (d r ; Algina,
      Keselman, & Penfield, Psychological Methods, 10, 317-328, 2005), point-biserial
      correlation (r pb ; McGrath & Meyer, Psychological Methods, 11, 386-401, 2006),
      common-language ES (CL; Cliff, Psychological Bulletin, 114, 494-509, 1993), and
      nonparametric estimator for CL (A w ; Ruscio, Psychological Methods, 13, 19-30,
      2008)-may be robust to violations of these assumptions, but no study has
      systematically evaluated their performance. Thus, in this simulation study the
      performance of these six ESs was examined across five factors: data distribution,
      sample, base rate, variance ratio, and sample size. The results showed that A w
      and d r were generally robust to these violations, and A w slightly outperformed
      d r . Implications for the use of A w and d r in real-world research are
      discussed.

PMID- 26487052
TI  - MultiLog: a tool for the control and output merging of multiple logging
      applications.
AB  - MultiLog is a logging tool that controls, gathers, and combines the output, on
      the-fly, from existing research and commercial logging applications or "loggers."
      Loggers record a specific set of user actions on a computing device, helping
      researchers to better understand environments or interactions, guiding the design
      of new or improved interfaces and applications. MultiLog reduces researchers'
      required implementation effort by simplifying the set-up of multiple loggers and
      seamlessly combining their output. This in turn increases the availability of
      logging systems to non-technical experimenters for both short-term and
      longitudinal observation studies. MultiLog supports two operating modes:
      "researcher mode" where experimenters configure multiple logging systems, and
      "deployment mode" where the system is deployed to user-study participants'
      systems. Researcher mode allows researchers to install, configure log filtering
      and obfuscation, observe near real-time event streams, and save configuration
      files ready for deployment. Deployment mode simplifies data collection from
      multiple loggers by running in the system tray at user log-in, starting loggers,
      combining their output, and securely uploading the data to a web-server. It also
      supports real-time browsing of log data, pausing of logging, and removal of log
      lines. Performance evaluations show that MultiLog does not adversely affect
      system performance, even when simultaneously running several logging systems.
      Initial studies show the system runs reliably over a period of 10 weeks.

PMID- 26487053
TI  - Item exposure control for multidimensional computer adaptive testing under
      maximum likelihood and expected a posteriori estimation.
AB  - Item bank stratification has been shown to be an effective method for combating
      item overexposure in both uni- and multidimensional computer adaptive testing.
      However, item bank stratification cannot guarantee that items will not be
      overexposed-that is, exposed at a rate exceeding some prespecified threshold. In
      this article, we propose enhancing stratification for multidimensional computer
      adaptive tests by combining it with the item eligibility method, a technique for
      controlling the maximum exposure rate in computerized tests. The performance of
      the method was examined via a simulation study and compared to existing methods
      of item selection and exposure control. Also, for the first time, maximum
      likelihood (MLE) and expected a posteriori (EAP) estimation of examinee ability
      were compared side by side in a multidimensional computer adaptive test. The
      simulation suggested that the proposed method is effective in suppressing the
      maximum item exposure rate with very little loss of measurement accuracy and
      precision. As compared to MLE, EAP generates smaller mean squared errors of the
      ability estimates in all simulation conditions.

PMID- 26487054
TI  - Communicative interactions in point-light displays: Choosing among multiple
      response alternatives.
AB  - Vision scientists are increasingly relying on the point-light technique as a way
      to investigate the perception of human motion. Unfortunately, the lack of
      standardized stimulus sets has so far limited the use of this technique for
      studying social interaction. Here, we describe a new tool to study the
      interaction between two agents starting from point-light displays: the
      Communicative Interaction Database - 5AFC format (CID-5). The CID-5 consists of
      14 communicative and seven non-communicative individual actions performed by two
      agents. Stimuli were constructed by combining motion capture techniques and 3-D
      animation software to provide precise control over the computer-generated
      actions. For each action stimulus, we provide coordinate files and movie files
      depicting the action as seen from four different perspectives. Furthermore, the
      archive contains a text file with a list of five alternative action descriptions
      to construct forced-choice paradigms. In order to validate the CID-5 format, we
      provide normative data collected to assess action identification within a 5AFC
      tasks. The CID-5 archive is freely downloadable from http://bsb-lab.org/research/
      and from the supplementary materials of this article.

PMID- 26487055
TI  - Immune checkpoint inhibitors: a new frontier in bladder cancer.
AB  - Immunotherapy is rapidly changing the field of urologic oncology. In this review,
      we discuss the role of the immune system in general and place a particular
      emphasis on the biology of the immune checkpoint and its role in cancer. Bladder
      cancer, as one of the most immunogenic neoplasms, is an exciting target for
      immune checkpoint inhibition. Early preclinical data and human trial experience
      suggest that this new drug class may shape bladder cancer therapy for years to
      come. 

PMID- 26487062
TI  - Electromyography of Swallowing with Fine Wire Intramuscular Electrodes in Healthy
      Human: Amplitude Difference of Selected Hyoid Muscles.
AB  - Few studies have examined the intensity of muscle activity during swallowing in
      healthy humans. We examined selected hyoid muscles using fine wire intramuscular
      electromyography (EMG) during swallowing of four food consistencies. Thirteen
      healthy adults were studied using videofluorography and EMG of the anterior belly
      of digastric (ABD), geniohyoid (GH), sternohyoid (SH), and masseter (MA; surface
      electrodes) while ingesting thin liquid (three trials) and solid food of three
      consistencies (banana, tofu, and cookie, three trials each). After rectification,
      integration, and normalization, peak EMG amplitudes for each muscle in each trial
      were measured. Hyoid displacements were measured in two dimensions. Data were
      analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni correction. GH had the
      highest adjusted amplitude for both solids and liquid. For MA and ABD, amplitude
      was highest with triturated cookie. For ABD, amplitude was lowest with liquid.
      There were no significant food consistency effects for GH or SH. Hyoid
      displacements were greatest for cookie and the lowest for liquid. EMG amplitude
      varied with initial food consistency. The high peak EMG amplitude of GH is
      consistent with its essential role in opening the upper esophageal sphincter.
      High MA amplitude with hard solid foods is likely due to the higher tongue-palate
      pressure with triturated solids. The higher ABD amplitude with solid food is
      associated with greater hyoid displacement. These findings support the existence
      of a central pattern generator that modifies the level of muscle activity during
      pharyngeal swallowing in response to input from mechanoreceptors in the oral
      cavity. 

PMID- 26487063
TI  - Usefulness of Prophylactic Percutaneous Gastrostomy Placement in Patients with
      Head and Neck Cancer Treated with Chemoradiotherapy.
AB  - Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has evolved as the preferred organ preservation strategy
      in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer (HNC). This approach
      increases malnutrition, and thus, establishing a direct enteral feeding route is
      essential. To evaluate the usefulness of prophylactic percutaneous endoscopic
      gastrostomy (PEG) in HNC patients receiving definitive CRT, we performed a
      prospective evaluation of HNC patients over a 6-month period. Patients and tumor
      characteristics, nutritional status 30 days after PEG insertion and technique
      complications were evaluated. We also assessed the long-term PEG usage. Forty
      seven PEGs were placed and only 2 patients did not use it. The mean time of PEG
      use was 131 days (4-255) and mean duration of exclusive utilization was 71 days
      (4-180). On 30th day after procedure, 34/45 (76 %) patients had lost weight, but
      only 10/45 (22 %) patients had lost more than 10 % of their initial weight. The
      most frequent complications were minor peristomal infections, which were
      correlated with proton-pump inhibitor use before PEG placement (OR 3.91, 95 % CI
      1.01-15.2, and p = 0.049). One year later, 19 % of patients in remission continue
      needing PEG. Enteric nutritional support is essential during and after CRT in HNC
      patients. Most patients lost weight even with PEG. One-fifth of patients in
      remission required long-term PEG utilization. 

PMID- 26487064
TI  - Compensatory Mechanisms in Patients After a Partial or Total Glossectomy due to
      Oral Cancer.
AB  - Excision of a part or the whole of tongue due to oral cancer disturbs swallowing
      and speech. Lower airways aspiration of the swallowed bolus in patients after
      such oral structures excision is a symptom of major swallowing disorder and may
      be the cause of aspiration pneumonia. Restoration of oral nutrition is possible
      after exclusion or reduction of aspiration threat in the patients. Video
      fluoroscopic evaluation of the swallowing performed at the beginning of the
      swallowing rehabilitation in 95 patients after a total or partial glossectomy due
      to oral cancer, who assessed their saliva swallowing as efficient on the day of
      examination, showed disturbances of all of the swallowing stages. The most common
      disturbances involved the oral stage: limited mobility of the oral tongue,
      impaired glossopalatal seal, and weak glossopharyngeal seal. The most serious
      among them involved pharyngeal stage of swallowing, as leakage into the larynx
      and aspiration. The patients used their own methods during barium suspension
      swallowing to facilitate the swallowing act. They used such methods as: changing
      the position of the head to the body, additional swallows, engaging the adjacent
      structures into sealing the oral fissure. We assumed that the compensatory
      mechanisms (CM) worked out by the patients before the swallowing examination will
      enable them efficient barium suspension swallowing. The CM were applied by 71 of
      95 patients; 51 of the patients used more than one compensatory mechanism.
      Swallowing in 61 of the compensating patients was at least functional; swallowing
      in 10 of the compensating patients was non-efficient and caused recurrent
      aspiration. The results of our research negate the validity of multiple swallows
      (more than three) without apnea elongation because it may lead to aspiration.
      Aspiration was also recorded in patients with weak airways closure and immovable
      epiglottis, who complemented the impaired oral transport with gravitational oral
      transport by moving chin up during a swallow. The hypothesis that CM applied by
      the patients after oral cancer excision during saliva swallowing will be helpful
      in swallowing of the barium suspension was not proved. In 10 of all the patients
      recurring aspiration was found despite CM application. Determination of
      aspiration risk is the key to efficient swallowing rehabilitation. The assessment
      of CM applied spontaneously by the patients' maintenance validity is particularly
      important. Video fluoroscopic examination of swallowing allows to assess the
      aforementioned issue and is crucial for better comprehension of CM applied by the
      patients in creating a new swallowing pattern after oral cancer excision. 

PMID- 26487065
TI  - New Swallowing Evaluation Using Piezoelectricity in Normal Individuals.
AB  - This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between the piezoelectric waveform
      latency, hyoid bone movement, surface electromyogram (sEMG), and the pharyngeal
      transit time (PTT) during swallowing. Forty-one healthy subjects were divided
      into three age groups: younger (20-39 years, n = 8), middle-aged (40-59 years, n
      = 9), and older (60-79 years, n = 24). Motion analysis of the hyoid bone using
      videofluorography (VF), waveform analysis of the front neck using piezoelectric
      films, and sEMG of the suprahyoid muscle group were performed simultaneously.
      Latencies of the three movement phases were defined as upward (VFS1), forward
      (VFS2), and returning to starting position (VFS3). The three phases of the
      piezoelectric waveform-from wave initiation of the negative wave to the start of
      the second deep negative wave; from the start of the second deep negative wave to
      the start of the last positive wave (SLPW); and from the SLPW to the end of the
      last positive wave-were defined as PS1, PS2, and PS3, respectively. VFS1-3 and
      PS1-3 were significantly correlated. VFS1 and PS1 latencies were significantly
      longer with thick liquid than with thin liquid. VFS2, PS1, and PS2 latencies were
      longer in the older group than in the other two groups. The start of PS1 was
      nearly equal to those of sEMG and VFS1. Bolus arrival time in the valleculae was
      statistically equal to the end of the PS1 with both thin and thick liquids. To
      establish the swallowing screening using Piezoelectric film, further
      investigation is necessary in the dysphagia patients. 

PMID- 26487067
TI  - High Electron Mobility of Nb-Doped SrTiO3 Films Stemming from Rod-Type Sr Vacancy
      Clusters.
AB  - Achieving high electron mobility in SrTiO3 films is of significant interest,
      particularly in relation to technological applications such as oxide
      semiconductors, field-induced superconductors, and thermoelectric generators. One
      route to achieving high electron mobility is growth of high quality SrTiO3 films
      with low defect concentrations. Another approach for mobility enhancement is
      applying a strain to the crystal. However, the maximum mobilities obtainable by
      these approaches are limited both by external and internal factors (currently
      available fabrication techniques, and maximum crystal strain, for example). In
      this paper, we demonstrate a unique crystal engineering approach to alter the
      strain in Nb-doped SrTiO3 films based on the deliberate introduction of Sr
      vacancy clusters. Nb-doped SrTiO3 films produced in this manner are found to
      exhibit remarkably enhanced electron mobilities (exceeding 53,000 cm(2) V(-1) s(
      1)). This method of defect engineering is expected to enable tuning and
      enhancement of electron mobilities not only in SrTiO3 films, but also in thin
      films and bulk crystals of other perovskite-type materials.

PMID- 26487066
TI  - Constitutively Active Acetylcholine-Dependent Potassium Current Increases Atrial
      Defibrillation Threshold by Favoring Post-Shock Re-Initiation.
AB  - Electrical cardioversion (ECV), a mainstay in atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment,
      is unsuccessful in up to 10-20% of patients. An important aspect of the
      remodeling process caused by AF is the constitutive activition of the atrium
      specific acetylcholine-dependent potassium current (IK,ACh -> IK,ACh-c), which is
      associated with ECV failure. This study investigated the role of IK,ACh-c in ECV
      failure and setting the atrial defibrillation threshold (aDFT) in optically
      mapped neonatal rat cardiomyocyte monolayers. AF was induced by burst pacing
      followed by application of biphasic shocks of 25-100 V to determine aDFT.
      Blocking IK,ACh-c by tertiapin significantly decreased DFT, which correlated with
      a significant increase in wavelength during reentry. Genetic knockdown
      experiments, using lentiviral vectors encoding a Kcnj5-specific shRNA to modulate
      IK,ACh-c, yielded similar results. Mechanistically, failed ECV was attributed to
      incomplete phase singularity (PS) removal or reemergence of PSs (i.e. re
      initiation) through unidirectional propagation of shock-induced action
      potentials. Re-initiation occurred at significantly higher voltages than
      incomplete PS-removal and was inhibited by IK,ACh-c blockade. Whole-heart mapping
      confirmed our findings showing a 60% increase in ECV success rate after IK,ACh-c
      blockade. This study provides new mechanistic insight into failing ECV of AF and
      identifies IK,ACh-c as possible atrium-specific target to increase ECV
      effectiveness, while decreasing its harmfulness.

PMID- 26487068
TI  - Nonparametric estimation of time-dependent ROC curves conditional on a continuous
      covariate.
AB  - The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve is the most widely used measure
      for evaluating the performance of a diagnostic biomarker when predicting a binary
      disease outcome. The ROC curve displays the true positive rate (or sensitivity)
      and the false positive rate (or 1-specificity) for different cut-off values used
      to classify an individual as healthy or diseased. In time-to-event studies,
      however, the disease status (e.g. death or alive) of an individual is not a fixed
      characteristic, and it varies along the study. In such cases, when evaluating the
      performance of the biomarker, several issues should be taken into account: first,
      the time-dependent nature of the disease status; and second, the presence of
      incomplete data (e.g. censored data typically present in survival studies).
      Accordingly, to assess the discrimination power of continuous biomarkers for time
      dependent disease outcomes, time-dependent extensions of true positive rate,
      false positive rate, and ROC curve have been recently proposed. In this work, we
      present new nonparametric estimators of the cumulative/dynamic time-dependent ROC
      curve that allow accounting for the possible modifying effect of current or past
      covariate measures on the discriminatory power of the biomarker. The proposed
      estimators can accommodate right-censored data, as well as covariate-dependent
      censoring. The behavior of the estimators proposed in this study will be explored
      through simulations and illustrated using data from a cohort of patients who
      suffered from acute coronary syndrome.

PMID- 26487069
TI  - [Quality, accesibility and sustainability: Keys for Advanced Nursing Practice in
      Spain].

PMID- 26487070
TI  - [Is it necessary to measure gastric residuals in very low birth weight infants?].

PMID- 26487071
TI  - Editorial: Time is brain!

PMID- 26487072
TI  - Outcome and pathogenesis of stroke is conditioned by place of stroke occurrence.
AB  - To investigate whether stroke pathogenesis and sequelae are conditional on place
      of initial stroke occurrence, 2,238 incident stroke cases among Rochester,
      Minnesota, residents in the period from 1950 to 1984 were evaluated. Virtually
      compete case ascertainment of first strokes in Rochester nursing homes (153
      strokes), hospitals (194), and homes (1,891) was possible through a medical
      record linkage system. Stroke cases were reviewed by a neurologist applying
      uniform criteria. Although most patients had the first stroke at home (84%),
      there was an increasing trend over the study period of first strokes occurring
      while patients were hospitalized. For nursing home incident strokes, there was a
      linear increase over calendar time of patients being hospitalized. This
      paralleled an overall increase in patients being hospitalized for the first
      stroke. Persons with initial stroke in the home who were hospitalized had lower 5
      year observed survival than those who were not hospitalized (p 0.0067), an
      indication that those with more severe stroke were more likely to be
      hospitalized. The 5-year relative survival was highest for initial stroke
      occurrence in the home (57%), intermediate for in-hospital strokes (35%), and
      lowest for nursing home strokes (11%). Comorbid conditions undoubtedly
      contributed to the difference in survival patterns. A cardiac source of embolus
      was present in more than 40% of strokes occurring in the nursing home and in over
      half the strokes that occurred in the hospital. 

PMID- 26487073
TI  - Transcranial doppler findings during spontaneous recanalization of
      vertebrobasilar occlusions.
AB  - Transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) is of recognized value in the noninvasive
      detection of intracranial stenosis and occlusion. Serial TCD studies can detect
      recanalization of middle cerebral artery occlusion. Little information exists on
      TCD findings during vertebrobasilar recanalization. We report a 25-year-old woman
      with chronic meningitis who developed severe pontine and cerebellar infarctions
      due to bilateral distal vertebral and proximal basilar artery occlusion. Initial
      TCD showed a high-resistance signal from the distal right vertebral artery and no
      signal from the basilar artery. Evolutionary changes in flow velocities detected
      by seven TCD studies over a 5-week period suggested spontaneous recanalization of
      the distal vertebral and proximal basilar artery occlusion. These findings were
      accompanied by dramatic clinical improvement. Recurrent symptoms and TCD on day
      73 suggested reocclusion, confirmed by repeat angiography. TCD may be useful for
      monitoring posterior circulation hemodynamics during recanalization of
      vertebrobasilar occlusions in selected patients. 

PMID- 26487074
TI  - Artery-to-Artery cerebral emboli detection with transcranial doppler: Analysis of
      eight cases.
AB  - We present eight cases in which intracranial arterial emboli were detected with
      transcranial Doppler (TCD). In all patients, the putative arterial source of
      emboli was demonstrated by angiography. The presumed lesion representing the
      source of emboli was atherosclerosis (three), radiation-induced
      atherosclerosis/dissection (one), fibromuscular dysplasia (one), and traumatic
      dissection (three). TCD was effective in detecting microemboli, localizing the
      potential source of emboli, and monitoring the effectiveness of treatment. 

PMID- 26487075
TI  - Predictors of cerebral infarction following transient ischemic attack.
AB  - Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a warning sign for impending cerebral
      infarction, mainly within several months following the attack. To determine if
      any clinical characteristics could prognosticate cerebral infarction following a
      TIA, we studied and followed 68 consecutive patients who presented with a TIA. We
      determined the vascular risk factors, frequency, duration, vascular territory
      involved, and presumed etiology of the attacks. Diagnostic tests and treatment
      were individualized. Follow-up ranged from 1 day to 36 months (mean, 19 months).
      Four patients died from non-neurologic causes without having had a stroke.
      Cerebral infarction occurred in five patients (7%), 6 hours, 1 day, 10 days, 5
      months, and 14 months after the presenting TIA. Two clinical characteristics were
      associated with a significantly increased risk of cerebral infarction: diabetes
      mellitus (p < 0.001) and history of multiple TIAs > 1/month at the time of
      presentation (p = 0.005). Patients presenting with a recent TIA and these risk
      factors may benefit from more aggressive treatment. 

PMID- 26487076
TI  - Comprehensive outpatient approach to stroke rehabilitation.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to describe the outcome of stroke rehabilitation in
      a comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility. The study consisted of 115
      stroke patients, seen during a 3-year period, who were treated with outpatient
      Physiatric services, physical, occupational, and speech therapies, and social
      work services. Patient progress was measured by an Individual Functional Profile
      in the areas of mobility, self-care, communication, and social function.
      Improvements were shown from admission to discharge, in mobility by 73% of the
      patients, in activities of daily living (ADL) by 81%, in communication by 82%,
      and in social function by 58% of the patients. Maintenance of function was
      reported by telephone 3 months post-discharge, in mobility by 75% of the
      patients, in ADL by 75%, in communication by 88%, and in social function by 73%.
      In addition, improvements were shown by 4% in mobility, 12% in ADL, 7% in
      communication, and 14% in social function at 3 months. The study suggests that a
      comprehensive team approach in an outpatient setting for stroke rehabilitation is
      beneficial for a majority of the patients. 

PMID- 26487077
TI  - Ticlopidine aspirin stroke study: Outcome by vascular distribution of the
      qualifying event.
AB  - Outcomes from the Ticlopidine Aspirin Stroke Study (TASS) population stratified
      by the vascular distribution of the qualifying ischemic event are described.
      Among patients having a qualifying event in the carotid circulation, the 1-year
      risk reduction for death or nonfatal stroke was 49% and for fatal or nonfatal
      stroke was 49.7% for ticlopidine versus aspirin. For those with a vertebrobasilar
      distribution, the 1-year risk reductions for death or nonfatal stroke and fatal
      or nonfatal stroke were 22% and 46% (NS), respectively, for ticlopidine relative
      to aspirin. The overall risk reduction for fatal or nonfatal stroke was 24.6%
      (1.35, 42.4; p = 0.039) for an event in the carotid distribution and 28.0% (
      20.6, 57.0; p = 0.211) for one in the vertebrobasilar distribution. The incidence
      of adverse events was greater in the ticlopidine group (40% versus 28%); however,
      the incidence of serious or life-threatening adverse events was similar (1.4%
      with ticlopidine and 1.5% with aspirin. 

PMID- 26487078
TI  - Impact of transesophageal echocardiogram on the management of acute stroke.
AB  - The etiology of cardioembolism is established in only a small percentage of
      patients. With the recent availability of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE),
      the detection of a cardiac source has increased, but the usefulness of this added
      sensitivity is not well established. We recently reported that TEE may show a
      potential cardiacsource in41% of patients with stroke. This resulted in a change
      in therapy in only 5% of patients. We now report the reasons for this low impact
      of the use of TEE in patients with acute stroke. Patients already on
      anticoagulants, poor risk for anticoagulant therapy, and another more obvious
      etiology for the stroke were the most common reasons for not changing therapy.
      Our study suggests that TEE should be reserved for patients with acute stroke in
      whom an etiology is not evident and in whom detecting a cardiac source would lead
      to a change in therapy. 

PMID- 26487079
TI  - Smoothly progressive cerebral infarction over three weeks: Clinicopathological
      study in a patient with carotid occlusion.
AB  - We report an 80-year-old patient with internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion and
      smoothly progressive worsening of neurological and neuropsychological dysfunction
      over 3 weeks despite intravenous heparin anticoagulation. At autopsy, there were
      multiple small [nonvisible on computed tomography (CT)] and large (seen on CT)
      infarcts distal to the occluded ICA. They corresponded to multiple embolic
      arterial occlusions throughout the hemisphere. These findings show that smoothly
      progressing stroke associated with ipsilateral ICA occlusion may be due to
      relentless, iterative artery-to-artery embolism rather than to hemodynamic
      compromise. They also cast doubts on the potential usefulness of anticoagulation
      in this situation. 

PMID- 26487080
TI  - Influence of site on course of intracerebral hemorrhage.
AB  - The influence of site of hemorrhage on presentation, clinical profile, hospital
      course, and outcome was examined in 225 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage in
      the NINDS Stroke Data Bank. Mode of presentation differed by hemorrhage site
      (coma at onset was most typical of pontine hemorrhage and headache with vomiting
      was most typical of cerebellar hemorrhage, whereas onset of focal deficit
      sometimes with headache was typical of lobar and and basal ganglionic
      hemorrhages). Distinct clinical profiles were found for cerebellar (ataxia,
      drowsiness, and horizontal gaze paresis), pontine (quadriparesis, coma, vertical
      and horizontal gaze paresis), and caudate hemorrhages (drowsiness and
      hemiparesis). Putaminal, thalamic, and lobar hemorrhages presented similarly with
      hemiparesis, sensory loss, and higher cortical function deficits. However,
      thalamic hemorrhages had more sensory loss, putaminal hemorrhages had more
      weakness, and lobar hemorrhages had more higher cortical function deficits.
      Hemorrhage volume was greatest for the lobar and putaminal hemorrhages and
      smallest for the pontine and cerebellar hemorrhages. Clot evacuations were
      performed for 28.9% of the lobar hemorrhages and 48.2% of the cerebellar
      hemorrhages. Few basal ganglionic hemorrhages or pontine hemorrhages had clot
      evacuations. Thirty-day survival was lowest for caudate hemorrhage (46.2%) and
      highest for cerebellar hemorrhage (81.5%). Hydrocephalus, intraventricular blood,
      larger size, and mass effect were adverse predictors of survival at most but not
      all hemorrhage sites. History of hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor
      for hemorrhage (64.0% of the patients). Other risk factors for hemorrhage
      included anticoagulants, platelet antiaggregating drugs, aneurysms, arteriovenous
      malformations, pregnancy, alcohol use, amyloid angiopathy, thrombocytopenia,
      renal and liver failure, and cocaine use. The most common medical complications
      were pneumonia (15.5%), urinary tract infection (15.0%), arrhythmias (8.4%), and
      seizures (8.0%). 

PMID- 26487081
TI  - Using Bayesian analysis for hypothesis testing in addiction science.

PMID- 26487082
TI  - GABAergic neurons of the medial septum play a nodal role in facilitation of
      nociception-induced affect.
AB  - The present study explored the functional details of the influence of medial
      septal region (MSDB) on spectrum of nociceptive behaviours by manipulating
      intraseptal GABAergic mechanisms. Results showed that formalin-induced acute
      nociception was not affected by intraseptal microinjection of bicuculline, a
      GABAA receptor antagonist, or on selective lesion of septal GABAergic neurons.
      Indeed, the acute nociceptive responses were dissociated from the regulation of
      sensorimotor behaviour and generation of theta-rhythm by the GABAergic mechanisms
      in MSDB. The GABAergic lesion attenuated formalin-induced unconditioned cellular
      response in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and blocked formalin-induced
      conditioned place avoidance (F-CPA), and as well as the contextual fear induced
      on conditioning with brief footshock. The effects of lesion on nociceptive
      conditioned cellular responses were, however, variable. Interestingly, the lesion
      attenuated the conditioned representation of experimental context in dorsal
      hippocampus field CA1 in the F-CPA task. Collectively, the preceding suggests
      that the MSDB is a nodal centre wherein the GABAergic neurons mediate nociceptive
      affect-motivation by regulating cellular mechanisms in ACC that confer an
      aversive value to the noxious stimulus. Further, in conjunction with a modulatory
      influence on hippocampal contextual processing, MSDB may integrate affect with
      context as part of associative learning in the F-CPA task. 

PMID- 26487083
TI  - Experimental demonstration of high fidelity entanglement distribution over
      decoherence channels via qubit transduction.
AB  - Quantum coherence and entanglement, which are essential resources for quantum
      information, are often degraded and lost due to decoherence. Here, we report a
      proof-of-principle experimental demonstration of high fidelity entanglement
      distribution over decoherence channels via qubit transduction. By unitarily
      switching the initial qubit encoding to another, which is insensitive to
      particular forms of decoherence, we have demonstrated that it is possible to
      avoid the effect of decoherence completely. In particular, we demonstrate high
      fidelity distribution of photonic polarization entanglement over quantum channels
      with two types of decoherence, amplitude damping and polarization-mode
      dispersion, via qubit transduction between polarization qubits and dual-rail
      qubits. These results represent a significant breakthrough in quantum
      communication over decoherence channels as the protocol is input-state
      independent, requires no ancillary photons and symmetries, and has near-unity
      success probability. 

PMID- 26487084
TI  - Rapid additive-free selenocystine-selenoester peptide ligation.
AB  - We describe an unprecedented reaction between peptide selenoesters and peptide
      dimers bearing N-terminal selenocystine that proceeds in aqueous buffer to afford
      native amide bonds without the use of additives. The selenocystine-selenoester
      ligations are complete in minutes, even at sterically hindered junctions, and can
      be used in concert with one-pot deselenization chemistry. Various pathways for
      the transformation are proposed and probed through a combination of experimental
      and computational studies. Our new reaction manifold is also showcased in the
      total synthesis of two proteins. 

PMID- 26487085
TI  - Amino acid residues Ala283 and His421 in the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of
      porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus play important roles in viral
      ribavirin sensitivity and quasispecies diversity.
AB  - The quasispecies diversity of RNA viruses is mainly determined by the fidelity of
      RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) during viral RNA replication. Certain amino
      acid residues play an important role in determining the fidelity, and such
      residues can be substituted with other amino acids to produce virus strains with
      higher fidelity. In this study, two amino acid substitutions (A283T and H421Y) in
      the RdRp of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) were
      identified under the selection of ribavirin. Preliminary data showed that two
      substitutions were involved in conferring PRRSV with the properties of increased
      ribavirin resistance and restricted quasispecies diversity. The results indicated
      that these two amino acid residues (Ala283 and His421) play a crucial role in
      PRRSV replication by affecting the fidelity of its RdRp. The results have
      important implications for understanding the molecular mechanism of PRRSV
      evolution and pathogenicity, and developing a safer modified live-attenuated
      vaccine (MLV) against PRRSV. 

PMID- 26487086
TI  - Hospital Nurses' Competencies in Disaster Situations: A Qualitative Study in the
      South of Brazil.
AB  - Introduction Hospital nurses play a key role in the aftermath of the occurrence
      of disasters and need specific competencies to work in these situations. From a
      global perspective, few models exist that focus on disaster nursing. PROBLEM:
      This study aimed to identify hospital nurses' competencies in disaster
      situations. METHOD: A qualitative, descriptive, exploratory study was developed
      using focus groups as a method of data collection. Three meetings were held from
      June through September 2012 with nurses who worked at a hospital used as
      reference for disaster situations in the South of Brazil. Thematic analysis of
      collected data generated the competencies. For statement standardization, a
      format consistent with a verb, a noun, and a complement was adopted. RESULTS: The
      group validated 17 competencies, which were organized according to the phases of
      emergency management described by the World Health Organization (WHO) and
      classified in domain areas of management, health care, communication, and
      education. CONCLUSIONS: The competencies identified in this study can contribute
      to the education and practice of nurses in the hospital ambience, strengthening
      its capacity to face disaster situations.

PMID- 26487088
TI  - Increasing water cycle extremes in California and in relation to ENSO cycle under
      global warming.
AB  - Since the winter of 2013-2014, California has experienced its most severe drought
      in recorded history, causing statewide water stress, severe economic loss and an
      extraordinary increase in wildfires. Identifying the effects of global warming on
      regional water cycle extremes, such as the ongoing drought in California, remains
      a challenge. Here we analyse large-ensemble and multi-model simulations that
      project the future of water cycle extremes in California as well as to understand
      those associations that pertain to changing climate oscillations under global
      warming. Both intense drought and excessive flooding are projected to increase by
      at least 50% towards the end of the twenty-first century; this projected increase
      in water cycle extremes is associated with a strengthened relation to El Nino and
      the Southern Oscillation (ENSO)--in particular, extreme El Nino and La Nina
      events that modulate California's climate not only through its warm and cold
      phases but also its precursor patterns.

PMID- 26487087
TI  - Natural history of chronic hepatitis B virus infection from infancy to adult life
      - the mechanism of inflammation triggering and long-term impacts.
AB  - Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in endemic areas usually starts since
      infancy and early childhood and persists lifelong. The clinical course varies
      among different chronic infected subjects. Majority of chronic HBV infected
      children present with immune-tolerant status initially, experience the immune
      clearance phase with various degree of liver injury during or beyond puberty, and
      then enter the inactive phase after hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion.
      Part of them may have HBV DNA titers elevation with hepatitis flare after HBeAg
      seroconversion, the so call HBeAg-negative hepatitis flare. Liver cirrhosis, and
      even hepatocellular carcinoma may develop afterward.The complex course of chronic
      HBV infection is associated with the age/route of viral acquisition, host factors
      such as immune and endocrine factors, viral factors, and host-viral interactions.
      The adrenarche and puberty onset modulate the start of immune clearance and the
      severity of liver inflammation in chronic HBV infected children. The genotype and
      phenotype of human cytokines, innate immunity, and human leukocyte antigens are
      also associated with the onset of immune clearance of HBV and severity of
      inflammation. Immune escape HBV mutant strains, emerged during the immune
      clearance phase under host immune surveillance, may cause different impacts on
      viral biosynthesis, host immune responses, and clinical course.Early events in
      childhood during chronic HBV infection may serve as important predictors for the
      later outcome in adulthood. Understanding the mechanisms triggering liver
      inflammation and their long-term impacts may enhance the development of better
      and earlier therapeutic strategies for patients with chronic HBV infection. 

PMID- 26487089
TI  - A multifunctional hemin@metal-organic framework and its application to construct
      an electrochemical aptasensor for thrombin detection.
AB  - A new type of multifunctional metal-organic framework (MOF) has been synthesized
      by encapsulating hemin into the nano-sized Fe-MIL-88 MOFs (hemin@MOFs) and first
      applied in an electrochemical aptasensor to detect thrombin (TB) with the aid of
      an enzyme for signal amplification. The gold nanoparticle functionalized
      hemin@MOFs (Au/hemin@MOFs) have not only simultaneously served as redox mediators
      and solid electrocatalysts, but have also been utilized as an ideal loading
      platform to immobilize a large number of biomolecules. In this aptasensor,
      Au/hemin@MOFs conjugated with glucose oxidase (GOD) and thrombin binding aptamer
      (TBA II) were used as the secondary aptamer bioconjugates (Au/hemin@MOF-TBA II
      GOD bioconjugates), and TB was sandwiched between Au/hemin@MOF-TBA II-GOD
      bioconjugates and the amino-terminated TBA I which was self-assembled on the gold
      nanoparticle (AuNP) modified electrode. The GOD could oxidize glucose into
      gluconic acid accompanied by the generation of H2O2. The generated H2O2 on the
      electrode surface was further electrocatalyzed by hemin@MOFs to amplify the
      electrochemical signal of hemin contained in hemin@MOFs. Therefore, the
      synthesized hemin@MOFs represented a new paradigm for multifunctional materials
      since it combined three different functions including serving as catalysts, redox
      mediators and loading platforms within a single material. With such an ingenious
      design, a wide linear range of 0.0001 nM to 30 nM was acquired with a relatively
      low detection limit of 0.068 pM for TB detection. 

PMID- 26487090
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the Symphysodon aequifasciatus (Pellegrin,
      1904).
AB  - In this study, the complete mitogenome sequence of the Symphysodon aequifasciatus
      has been sequenced by next-generation sequencing method. The mitogenome consists
      of 16 545 bp, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs and 2 ribosomal
      RNAs genes. The overall base composition of the fish is 28.8% for A, 30.1% for C,
      15.0% for G, and 26.1% for T, suggesting a 99% identity to S. discus Heckel and a
      98% identity to S. haraldi. It provides essential and important DNA molecular
      data for further phylogeography and evolutionary analysis for Symphysodon
      phylogeny.

PMID- 26487092
TI  - WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations.

PMID- 26487093
TI  - Multi-slice nanostructured WS2@rGO with enhanced Li-ion battery performance and a
      comprehensive mechanistic investigation.
AB  - A thin nanoslice structured WS2@reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite was
      successfully fabricated by a facile hydrothermal synthesis method. The layered
      structure and morphology of the composite were investigated by X-ray diffraction
      (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission
      electron microscopy (TEM). The WS2@rGO composite structure demonstrated
      significantly enhanced rate capability performance in comparison with pristine
      WS2 when used as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The
      composite demonstrated a capacity of 565 mA h g(-1) after 100 cycles when cycled
      at 0.1 A g(-1) and it could still deliver a stable capacity of about 337 mA h g(
      1) at 2 A g(-1). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurement showed
      that the synergistic effect between WS2 and rGO could remarkably reduce the
      contact resistance and improve the corresponding electrochemical performances. In
      order to analyze and interpret the corresponding results from a theoretically
      sound perspective, first principles calculations was further performed to
      investigate the corresponding inner mechanisms of pristine WS2 and WS2@graphene
      composite. The nudged elastic band (NEB) method was used to investigate the
      diffusion properties of Li in the different structures. Molecular dynamics (MD)
      simulation and Young's modulus calculation were further employed to explore the
      stability and mechanical properties of the two structures for the first time.
      These new perspectives pave the way for the design and fabrication of graphene
      TMDs based composites as the next generation of LIB anode materials with high
      power density and cycling stability. 

PMID- 26487091
TI  - Intraoperative neuromonitoring for function-guided resection differs for
      supratentorial motor eloquent gliomas and metastases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent data show differences in intraoperative neuromonitoring (IOM)
      in relation to the operated brain lesion. Due to the recently shown infiltrative
      nature of cerebral metastases, this work investigates the differences of IOM for
      cerebral metastases and glioma resection concerning sensitivity, specificity, and
      predictive values when aiming on preservation of motor function. METHODS: Between
      2006 and 2011 we resected 171 eloquently located tumors (56 metastases, 115
      gliomas) associated with the rolandic cortex or the pyramidal tract using IOM via
      direct cortical motor evoked potentials (MEPs). Postoperatively, MEP data were re
      analyzed with respect to surgery-related paresis, residual tumor, and
      postoperative MRI with two different thresholds for MEP decline (50 and 80 %
      below baseline). RESULTS: MEP monitoring was successful in 158 cases (92.4 %).
      MEPs were stable in 54.7 % of all metastases cases and in 65.2 % of all glioma
      cases (p < 0.0001). After metastases resection, 21.4 % of patients improved and
      21.9 % deteriorated in motor function. Glioma patients improved in only 5.4 % and
      worsened in 31.3 % of cases (p < 0.05). Resection was stopped due to MEP decline
      in 8.0 % (metastases) and 34.8 % of cases (gliomas) (p < 0.0002). CONCLUSION:
      There is significant difference between glioma and metastases resection. Post
      hoc, metastases show more stable MEPs but a surprisingly high rate of surgery
      related paresis and therefore a higher rate of false negative IOM.

PMID- 26487095
TI  - Using dual task walking as an aid to assess executive dysfunction ecologically in
      neurological populations: A narrative review.
AB  - Within rehabilitation, clinical assessment plays a crucial role in diagnosis,
      prognostication and making decisions about return to function. The ecological
      validity of the assessment of executive dysfunction has become a particular focus
      in neuropsychology and is gaining interest in mobility research and neurological
      rehabilitation of acquired brain injury or degenerative neurological diseases. In
      this narrative review, we look at how the task of walking and the inseparable
      cognitive demands and interference of the surrounding environment are exploited
      in dual task walking (DTW) paradigms to expose executive dysfunction. While quite
      a number of studies and reviews have recently focused on the utility of DTW for
      gait assessment, particularly to assess fall risk, very little consideration has
      been given to the level of ecological validity required. This paper directly
      addresses this issue with discussion of evidence and lacunas related to task,
      personal and technological factors that should be addressed in order to exploit
      fully DTW paradigms as an ecological assessment tool.

PMID- 26487094
TI  - Endometriosis as a risk factor for ovarian or endometrial cancer - results of a
      hospital-based case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: No screening programs are available for ovarian or endometrial
      cancer. One reason for this is the low incidence of the conditions, resulting in
      low positive predictive values for tests, which are not very specific. One way of
      addressing this problem might be to use risk factors to define subpopulations
      with a higher incidence. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to
      which a medical history of endometriosis can serve as a risk factor for ovarian
      or endometrial cancer. METHODS: In a hospital-based case-control analysis, the
      cases represented patients with endometrial or ovarian cancer who were
      participating in studies aimed at assessing the risk for these diseases. The
      controls were women between the age of 40 and 85 who were invited to take part
      via a newspaper advertisement. A total of 289 cases and 1016 controls were
      included. Using logistic regression models, it was tested whether self-reported
      endometriosis is a predictor of case-control status in addition to age, body mass
      index (BMI), number of pregnancies and previous oral contraceptive (OC) use.
      RESULTS: Endometriosis was reported in 2.1 % of the controls (n = 21) and 4.8 %
      of the cases (n = 14). Endometriosis was a relevant predictor for case-control
      status in addition to other predictive factors (OR 2.63; 95 % CI, 1.28 to 5.41).
      CONCLUSION: This case-control study found that self-reported endometriosis may be
      a risk factor for endometrial or ovarian cancer in women between 40 and 85 years.
      There have been very few studies addressing this issue, and incorporating it into
      a clinical prediction model would require a more precise characterization of the
      risk factor of endometriosis.

PMID- 26487096
TI  - Options for surgical treatment of cervical fractures in patients with spondylotic
      spine: a case series and review of the literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The surgical treatment of unstable cervical fractures is
      challenging for spinal surgeons. Unstable cervical fractures associated with
      spondyloarthropathy and deformities that alter function, form and stability
      present a greater challenge. Having multiple options to manage this difficult
      situation is important to all spine surgeons and the results of each case depends
      on the singular characteristics of patients. The purpose of this case report is
      to describe the main forms of presentation of unstable cervical subaxial
      fractures in the spondylotic spine and their surgical treatments. CASE
      PRESENTATION: We present three cases of Caucasian men aged 30, 53 and 59 years
      with spondylosis with unstable cervical fractures and alternatives choices for
      surgical treatment, and a review of the literature. Each patient underwent a
      different surgical procedure of the cervical subaxial spine using an isolated
      anterior, posterior or combined approach demonstrating good outcomes in all
      cases. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of subaxial cervical spinal fractures is
      complex, and when these fractures are associated with the deformities caused by
      spondyloarthropathies they can be thought provoking for spine surgeons such as
      orthopedists or neurosurgeons. The isolated anterior, posterior and combined
      approaches are safe and effective for treating these pathologies.

PMID- 26487097
TI  - New approaches from nanomedicine for treating leishmaniasis.
AB  - Leishmaniasis, a vector-borne disease caused by obligate intramacrophage
      protozoa, threatens 350 million people in 98 countries around the world. There
      are already 12 million infected people worldwide and two million new cases occur
      annually. Leishmaniasis has three main clinical presentations: cutaneous (CL),
      mucosal (ML), and visceral (VL). It is considered an opportunistic, infectious
      disease and the HIV-leishmaniasis correlation is well known. Antimonial compounds
      are used as first-line treatment drugs, but their toxicity, which can be
      extremely high, leads to a number of undesirable side effects and resultant
      failure of the patients to adhere to treatment. There is also a reported increase
      in Leishmania sp. resistance to these drugs. Nanotechnology has emerged as an
      attractive alternative because of its improved bioavailability and lower
      toxicity, and other characteristics that help to relieve the burden of this
      disease. In this review we will present some of the recent advances in the
      nanotechnological research regarding the treatment of leishmaniasis. The
      preclinical results regarding the approaches for a biomedical treatment of the
      disease have been encouraging, but further efforts will still be necessary for
      this therapy to have greater clinical applicability in humans. 

PMID- 26487100
TI  - Resuscitating heart transplantation: the donation after circulatory determined
      death donor.

PMID- 26487098
TI  - Genomic expression catalogue of a global collection of BCG vaccine strains show
      evidence for highly diverged metabolic and cell-wall adaptations.
AB  - Although Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccines against tuberculosis have been
      available for more than 90 years, their effectiveness has been hindered by
      variable protective efficacy and a lack of lasting memory responses. One factor
      contributing to this variability may be the diversity of the BCG strains that are
      used around the world, in part from genomic changes accumulated during vaccine
      production and their resulting differences in gene expression. We have compared
      the genomes and transcriptomes of a global collection of fourteen of the most
      widely used BCG strains at single base-pair resolution. We have also used
      quantitative proteomics to identify key differences in expression of proteins
      across five representative BCG strains of the four tandem duplication (DU)
      groups. We provide a comprehensive map of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs),
      copy number variation and insertions and deletions (indels) across fourteen BCG
      strains. Genome-wide SNP characterization allowed the construction of a new and
      robust phylogenic genealogy of BCG strains. Transcriptional and proteomic
      profiling revealed a metabolic remodeling in BCG strains that may be reflected by
      altered immunogenicity and possibly vaccine efficacy. Together, these integrated
      omic data represent the most comprehensive catalogue of genetic variation across
      a global collection of BCG strains. 

PMID- 26487101
TI  - Clinical features and prognostic value of stent-graft-induced post-implantation
      syndrome after thoracic endovascular aortic repair in patients with type B acute
      aortic syndromes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence, the biomarker
      profile and the clinical impact of post-implantation syndrome (PIS) after
      thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for type B acute aortic syndromes
      (AASs). METHODS: This retrospective study included 133 patients with type B AASs
      undergoing TEVAR; PIS was defined as fever >38 degrees C, white blood cells
      (WBCs) >12.0/nl and C-reactive protein (CRP) >10 mg/dl within 72 h after TEVAR,
      despite negative blood cultures. Fibrinogen (FBG), D-dimer (D-d) and interleukin
      6 (IL-6) were also determined. The clinical endpoints were all-cause mortality
      and a composite of major adverse events (MAEs such as aortic rupture, need for
      reintervention and all-cause mortality) at follow-up. RESULTS: PIS was diagnosed
      in 15.8% of patients and was associated with higher peak values of WBC (17.0 +/-
      5.1 vs 10.6 +/- 3.7/nl, P = 0.002), CRP (22.0 +/- 5.4 vs 16.8 +/- 8.2 mg/dl, P =
      0.03), FBG (779 +/- 246 vs 639 +/- 225 mg/dl, P = 0.046), D-d (1675 +/- 605 vs
      1048 +/- 639 ug/l, P = 0.003) and IL-6 (192 +/- 101 vs 84 +/- 34 pg/ml, P = 0.03)
      than non-PIS patients. All-cause mortality did not significantly differ between
      PIS and non-PIS patients during the index hospitalization (0.0 vs 6.3%; P = 0.60)
      and at follow-up (18.8 vs 4.9%; P = 0.086). MAEs were more frequent in the PIS
      than in the non-PIS group (62.5 vs 25.9%; P = 0.004). PIS (hazard ratio [HR]
      3.26, P = 0.022), stroke (HR 3.41, P = 0.004), aortic enlargement (HR 6.88, P =
      0.001) and partial thrombosis of the false lumen (HR 6.20, P = 0.003) were
      independent predictors of MAEs. CONCLUSIONS: PIS occurred in 15.8% of patients
      with AASs without affecting in-hospital outcome. At follow-up, PIS was associated
      with increased rates of MAEs, but not mortality.

PMID- 26487099
TI  - The transcriptome of Candida albicans mitochondria and the evolution of
      organellar transcription units in yeasts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Yeasts show remarkable variation in the organization of their
      mitochondrial genomes, yet there is little experimental data on organellar gene
      expression outside few model species. Candida albicans is interesting as a human
      pathogen, and as a representative of a clade that is distant from the model
      yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Unlike them, it
      encodes seven Complex I subunits in its mtDNA. No experimental data regarding
      organellar expression were available prior to this study. METHODS: We used high
      throughput RNA sequencing and traditional RNA biology techniques to study the
      mitochondrial transcriptome of C. albicans strains BWP17 and SN148. RESULTS: The
      14 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and 24 tRNA genes are expressed
      as eight primary polycistronic transcription units. We also found transcriptional
      activity in the noncoding regions, and antisense transcripts that could be a part
      of a regulatory mechanism. The promoter sequence is a variant of the
      nonanucleotide identified in other yeast mtDNAs, but some of the active promoters
      show significant departures from the consensus. The primary transcripts are
      processed by a tRNA punctuation mechanism into the monocistronic and bicistronic
      mature RNAs. The steady state levels of various mature transcripts exhibit large
      differences that are a result of posttranscriptional regulation. Transcriptome
      analysis allowed to precisely annotate the positions of introns in the RNL (2),
      COB (2) and COX1 (4) genes, as well as to refine the annotation of tRNAs and
      rRNAs. Comparative study of the mitochondrial genome organization in various
      Candida species indicates that they undergo shuffling in blocks usually
      containing 2-3 genes, and that their arrangement in primary transcripts is not
      conserved. tRNA genes with their associated promoters, as well as GC-rich
      sequence elements play an important role in these evolutionary events.
      CONCLUSIONS: The main evolutionary force shaping the mitochondrial genomes of
      yeasts is the frequent recombination, constantly breaking apart and joining genes
      into novel primary transcription units. The mitochondrial transcription units are
      constantly rearranged in evolution shaping the features of gene expression, such
      as the presence of secondary promoter sites that are inactive, or act as
      "booster" promoters, simplified transcriptional regulation and reliance on
      posttranscriptional mechanisms.

PMID- 26487102
TI  - Collagen nanofiber containing silver nanoparticles for improved wound-healing
      applications.
AB  - Electrospun nanofibers showing great promise for fabricating nanostructured
      materials might help to improve the quality of wound care. The present study
      aimed to investigate the wound-healing potential of collagen nanofiber mats
      containing silver nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized by the
      chemical reduction method were incorporated in collagen nanofibers during the
      electrospinning process. Characterization of electrospun nanofiber mats revealed
      a mean fiber diameters in the range of 300-700 nm with a sustained release of
      silver ions shown to follow pseudo-order kinetics. MIC of AgNPs against
      Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were evaluated using micro
      dilution assay and further antimicrobial activity of fabricated nanofibers was
      performed. Finally, in vivo studies were performed to demonstrate the wound
      healing efficacy of composite nanofibers. In vitro results confirmed the
      potential antimicrobial efficacy provided by AgNPs and AgNPs composite
      nanofibers, essential to provide an aseptic environment at the wound site. In
      vivo study revealed that the rate of wound healing of the composite nanofiber
      mats was found to be accelerated compared with plain collagen nanofibers.
      Histology analysis revealed an accelerated re-epithelization, collagen
      production, and better wound contraction with AgNPs composite collagen
      nanofibers.

PMID- 26487103
TI  - Vaginal delivery simulation in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology clerkship.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although simulation is now used in other areas of obstetrics and
      gynaecology, its utility in the training of an uncomplicated vaginal delivery is
      surprisingly under-explored. Here we describe our experience integrating
      simulation into the third-year Obstetrics and Gynaecology (OB/GYN) clerkship.
      METHODS: In 2013/14, at the start of each 4-week OB/GYN clerkship, each third
      year student participated in a 90-minute vaginal delivery simulation session
      using the Noelle((r)) simulator. Upon completion of the clerkship, they were
      surveyed using a five-point Likert scale questionnaire (1, inferior; 5, superior)
      to assess self-perceived training adequacy, clinical preparedness and number of
      deliveries performed during the clerkship. Students who completed the clerkship
      in 2012/13, before the introduction of the simulation, were also surveyed to
      serve as a comparison group. Survey scores and number of deliveries performed
      were compared between the two cohorts of students. RESULTS: The 2013/14 cohort (n
      = 98) who received simulation training gave their training in vaginal deliveries
      an average rating of 4.1, versus 2.7 for the 2012/13 cohort that did not receive
      the simulation (n = 80; p < 0.001). Self-perceived preparedness to perform a
      vaginal delivery was 4.0 in the 2013/14 cohort, versus 3.0 in the 2012/13 cohort
      (p < 0.001). There was no difference in the number of deliveries performed
      between the cohorts. DISCUSSION: Students that received simulation rated their
      training adequacy and readiness to perform a vaginal delivery higher than
      students that did not receive training. Simulation did not increase participation
      in real-life deliveries. The utility of simulation in the training of an
      uncomplicated vaginal delivery is under-explored.

PMID- 26487104
TI  - Patent foramen ovale: the current state of play.

PMID- 26487106
TI  - For the Love of Death: Somnophilic and Necrophilic Acts and Fantasies.
AB  - The psychoanalytic literature on somnophilic and necrophilic fantasies and acts
      is indeed sparse. It is argued here that one must distinguish the forms of
      fantasy, playacting, and actual behavior that lie along a spectrum of romantic or
      sexual behavior involving people who are sleeping, drugged, immobile, inanimate,
      comatose, or dead. Regardless of these distinctions, however, the underlying
      dynamics commonly involve reunion with the mother, an inability to mourn, fear of
      the female, and an attempt at mastering and transcending the fear of death. To
      highlight these psychodynamics, a clinical case of somnophilia, Pedro Almodovar's
      Talk to Her (a film about romantic relationships with comatose women), and the
      case of Count von Cosel, a quixotic necrophiliac, are presented. Gender
      differences are emphasized in the analysis of case material and cultural tropes.

PMID- 26487105
TI  - Comprehensive Analysis of in Vivo Phosphoproteome of Mouse Liver Microsomes.
AB  - Protein phosphorylation at serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues are some of
      the most widespread reversible post-translational modifications. Microsomes are
      vesicle-like bodies, not ordinarily present within living cells, which form from
      pieces of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), plasma membrane, mitochondria, or Golgi
      apparatus of broken eukaryotic cells. Here we investigated the total
      phosphoproteome of mouse liver microsomes (MLMs) using TiO2 enrichment of
      phosphopeptides coupled to on-line 2D-LC-MS/MS. In total, 699 phosphorylation
      sites in 527 proteins were identified in MLMs. When compared with the current
      phosphoSitePlus database, 155 novel phosphoproteins were identified in MLM. The
      distributions of phosphosites were 89.4, 8.0, and 2.6% for phosphoserine,
      phosphotheronine, and phosphotyrosine, respectively. By Motif-X analysis, eight
      Ser motifs and one Thr motif were found, and five acidic, two basophilic-, and
      two proline-directed motifs were assigned. The potential functions of
      phosphoproteins in MLM were assigned by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia
      of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. In GO annotation, phosphorylated
      microsomal proteins were involved in mRNA processing, mRNA metabolic processes,
      and RNA splicing. In the KEGG pathway analysis, phosphorylated microsomal
      proteins were highly enriched in ribosome protein processing in ER and ribosomes
      and in RNA transport. Furthermore, we determined that 52 and 23 phosphoproteins
      were potential substrates of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A and casein kinase
      II, respectively, many of which are 40S/60S ribosomal proteins. Overall, our
      results provide an overview of features of protein phosphorylation in MLMs that
      should be a valuable resource for the future understanding of protein synthesis
      or translation involving phosphorylation. 

PMID- 26487107
TI  - Introduction: In Memory of Robert S. Wallerstein.

PMID- 26487108
TI  - Psychodynamic Treatment for Separation Anxiety in a Treatment Nonresponder.
AB  - Separation anxiety, long an area of interest for psychoanalysts, has been
      included in DSM-5 among general "anxiety disorders" that span across age groups.
      The syndrome of separation anxiety has been shown to correlate with nonresponse
      to treatments for anxiety and mood disorders (Milrod et al. 2014). It is
      therefore of public health importance to develop targeted treatments for this
      syndrome. Some psychoanalysts have suggested that brief psychoanalytic
      interventions may be of particular value in addressing separation anxiety. Our
      clinical work with patients with anxiety disorders with high levels of separation
      anxiety indicates that they have such intense anger and ambivalence in fraught
      intimate relationships that they feel stuck and helpless, almost eliminating more
      positive feelings. This ambivalence and associated unconscious conflicts
      inevitably emerge in the therapeutic relationship and can threaten to disrupt
      treatment efforts. We propose a set of focused psychodynamic psychotherapeutic
      interventions to address separation anxiety, developed as part of Panic-Focused
      Psychodynamic Psychotherapy-eXtended Range (PFPP-XR; Busch et al. 2012). We
      present a case from our research study of treatment nonresponders with anxiety
      disorders and separation anxiety. The patient was successfully treated with PFPP
      XR in a 21-session treatment.

PMID- 26487109
TI  - Explanatory Understanding in a Single Case of Separation Anxiety Syndrome:
      Commentary on Busch and Milrod.

PMID- 26487110
TI  - An Innovative Brief Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: Commentary on Busch and Milrod.

PMID- 26487111
TI  - Overcoming O: Dewey and the Problem of Bion's Metaphysics.
AB  - Bion guides us to eschew memory, desire, and understanding in order to become one
      with O-the ultimate reality of the analytic moment. However, his directions are
      valid only to the extent that such a meta-reality actually exists. Otherwise
      there is nothing to unite with and no reason to shun memory or desire. The
      present work inquires whether we may provide Bion's technique with a less
      speculative philosophy, specifically Dewey's pragmatist theory of aesthetics. It
      begins with reviewing the similarities between the two writers' methods,
      highlighting their shared emphasis on openness to the unknown. Yet listening to
      their intonations reveals that they actually convey opposite ideas as to what
      this "unknown" may be. Whereas Dewey sanguinely portrays the possibilities of the
      "yet-unknown," Bion emphasizes the dread of our inescapable encounter with the
      unknowable. This dread is embodied in his concept of O. Thus, rather than being
      merely a metaphysical speculation, O communicates Bion's conviction that fear
      forms the core of our existence. Banishing O from the counseling room may indeed
      aid his method in becoming accessible to a wider audience; at the same time,
      however, doing so might also deprive it of the very context that gives it
      meaning.

PMID- 26487112
TI  - A Pragmatic Approach to Bion's Late Work: A Response to Soffer-Dudek.

PMID- 26487113
TI  - Of Losing Oneself: Bion's Traumatic War Experiences as a Foundation for his
      Outlook on Psychoanalysis.

PMID- 26487114
TI  - The Unseen and the Unheard: South African and Indian Responses to Social
      Invisibility and Psychic Pain.

PMID- 26487115
TI  - Three Analysts on Freud's "Observations on Transference-Love". Panel Report.

PMID- 26487116
TI  - Hans Loewald's Psychoanalysis and the History of the Individual.

PMID- 26487117
TI  - The Omnipotence of the Psychoanalyst: Thoughts on the Need to Consider
      Retirement.

PMID- 26487118
TI  - Convergent and Clinical Validity of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory.

PMID- 26487120
TI  - The Dynamic Family Functioning Instrument: A Preliminary Exploration.

PMID- 26487121
TI  - What we Talk about when we Talk about Supervision: The Clear and the Confusing in
      Graduate Psychiatric Education.

PMID- 26487122
TI  - Webbing and Delamination of Drug Eluting Stent Coatings.
AB  - The advancement of the drug-eluting stent technology raises the significant
      challenge of safe mechanical design of polymer coated stent systems. Experimental
      images of stent coatings undergoing significant damage during deployment have
      been reported; such coating damage and delamination can lead to complications
      such as restenosis and increased thrombogenicity. In the current study a cohesive
      zone modeling framework is developed to predict coating delamination and buckling
      due to hinge deformation during stent deployment. Models are then extended to
      analyze, for the first time, stent-coating damage due to webbing defects. Webbing
      defects occur when a bond forms between coating layers on adjacent struts,
      resulting in extensive delamination of the coating from the strut surfaces. The
      analyzes presented in this paper uncover the mechanical factors that govern
      webbing induced coating damage. Finally, an experimental fracture test of a
      commercially available stent coating material is performed and results
      demonstrate that the high cohesive strength of the coating material will prevent
      web fracture, resulting in significant coating delamination during stent
      deployment. 

PMID- 26487125
TI  - Advanced nursing practice: strategies for training and knowledge building.

PMID- 26487123
TI  - X-ray Phase Contrast Allows Three Dimensional, Quantitative Imaging of Hydrogel
      Implants.
AB  - Three dimensional imaging techniques are needed for the evaluation and assessment
      of biomaterials used for tissue engineering and drug delivery applications.
      Hydrogels are a particularly popular class of materials for medical applications
      but are difficult to image in tissue using most available imaging modalities.
      Imaging techniques based on X-ray Phase Contrast (XPC) have shown promise for
      tissue engineering applications due to their ability to provide image contrast
      based on multiple X-ray properties. In this manuscript, we investigate the use of
      XPC for imaging a model hydrogel and soft tissue structure. Porous fibrin loaded
      poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels were synthesized and implanted in a rodent
      subcutaneous model. Samples were explanted and imaged with an analyzer-based XPC
      technique and processed and stained for histology for comparison. Both hydrogel
      and soft tissues structures could be identified in XPC images. Structure in
      skeletal muscle adjacent could be visualized and invading fibrovascular tissue
      could be quantified. There were no differences between invading tissue
      measurements from XPC and the gold-standard histology. These results provide
      evidence of the significant potential of techniques based on XPC for 3D imaging
      of hydrogel structure and local tissue response. 

PMID- 26487124
TI  - Robotic gastrectomy and esophagogastrectomy: A single center experience of 105
      cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A robotic approach to general surgery procedures may provide improved
      postoperative outcomes compared to either open or laparoscopic approaches. The
      role of robotics for gastroesophageal surgery, however, is still being evaluated.
      STUDY DESIGN: A review of the prospective database for robotic surgery at Valley
      Hospital between January 2002 and March 2014 identified 105 patients who
      underwent robotic gastric and esophageal resection. Patient demographics and
      perioperative factors were studied. RESULTS: Over a 12 years period, 105 patients
      underwent robotic gastroesophageal resection. The median operative time for
      distal gastrectomy (230 min [112-327]) was significantly less compared to either
      total gastrectomy (302 min [214-364]) or esophagogastrectomy (309 min [190-682]).
      The length of stay for patients undergoing distal gastrectomy (6 days [4-32]) was
      also significantly less than patients undergoing total gastrectomy (11 days [7
      43]), as well as esophagogastrectomy (9 days [5-64]). In regard to the learning
      curve to perform robotic gastroesophageal surgery, there was a significant
      correlation between operative time and overall experience. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study demonstrated that robotic gastroesophageal surgery is feasible and can be
      safely performed. Assuming familiarity with the open procedures and acquisition
      of basic robotic skills, the learning curve for robotic gastroesophageal surgery
      requires approximately 20 cases.

PMID- 26487126
TI  - Use of the nursing intervention classification for identifying the workload of a
      nursing team in a surgical center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to analyze the distribution of nursing professionals' workloads,
      according to the Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC), during the
      transoperative period at a surgical center specializing in oncology. METHODS:
      this was an observational and descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample
      consisted of 11 nurses, 25 nursing technicians who performed a variety of roles
      within the operating room, 16 nursing technicians who worked with the surgical
      instrumentation and two nursing technicians from patient reception who worked in
      the surgical center during the transoperative period. An instrument was developed
      to collect data and the interventions were validated according to NIC taxonomy.
      RESULTS: a total of 266 activities were identified and mapped into 49 nursing
      interventions, seven domains and 20 classes of the NIC. The most representative
      domains were Physiological-Complex (61.68%) and Health System (22.12%), while the
      most frequent interventions were Surgical Care (30.62%) and Documentation
      (11.47%), respectively. The productivity of the nursing team reached 95.34%.
      CONCLUSIONS: use of the Nursing Intervention Classification contributes towards
      the discussion regarding adequate, professional nursing staffing levels, because
      it shows the distribution of the work load.

PMID- 26487127
TI  - The influence of care interventions on the continuity of sleep of intensive care
      unit patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to identify care interventions, performed by the health team, and
      their influence on the continuity of sleep of patients hospitalized in the
      Intensive Care Unit. METHOD: descriptive study with a sample of 12 patients. A
      filming technique was used for the data collection. The awakenings from sleep
      were measured using the actigraphy method. The analysis of the data was
      descriptive, processed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences
      software. RESULTS: 529 care interventions were identified, grouped into 28
      different types, of which 12 (42.8%) caused awakening from sleep for the
      patients. A mean of 44.1 interventions/patient/day was observed, with 1.8
      interventions/patient/hour. The administration of oral medicine and food were the
      interventions that caused higher frequencies of awakenings in the patients.
      CONCLUSION: it was identified that the health care interventions can harm the
      sleep of ICU patients. It is recommended that health professionals rethink the
      planning of interventions according to the individual demand of the patients,
      with the diversification of schedules and introduction of new practices to
      improve the quality of sleep of Intensive Care Unit patients.

PMID- 26487128
TI  - High risk for obstructive sleep apnea in patients with acute myocardial
      infarction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to stratify the risk for obstructive sleep apnea in patients with
      acute myocardial infarction, treated at a public, tertiary, teaching hospital of
      the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and to identify related sociodemographic and
      clinical factors. METHOD: cross-sectional analytical study with 113 patients
      (mean age 59.57 years, 70.8% male). A specific questionnaire was used for the
      sociodemographic and clinical characterization and the Berlin Questionnaire for
      the stratification of the risk of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. RESULTS: the
      prevalence of high risk was 60.2% and the outcome of clinical worsening during
      hospitalization was more frequent among these patients. The factors related to
      high risk were body mass index over 30 kg/m2, arterial hypertension and waist
      circumference indicative of cardiovascular risk, while older age (60 years and
      over) constituted a protective factor. CONCLUSION: considering the high
      prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea and its relation to clinical worsening, it
      is suggested that nurses should monitor, in their clinical practice, people at
      high risk for this syndrome, guiding control measures of modifiable factors and
      aiming to prevent the associated complications, including worsening of
      cardiovascular diseases.

PMID- 26487129
TI  - Postoperative self-efficacy and psychological morbidity in radical prostatectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: evaluate the general and perceived self-efficacy, psychological
      morbidity, and knowledge about postoperative care of patients submitted to
      radical prostatectomy. Identify the relationships between the variables and know
      the predictors of self-efficacy. METHOD: descriptive, cross-sectional study,
      conducted with 76 hospitalized men. The scales used were the General and
      Perceived Self-efficacy Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, in
      addition to sociodemographic, clinical and knowledge questionnaires. RESULTS: a
      negative relationship was found for self-efficacy in relation to anxiety and
      depression. Psychological morbidity was a significant predictor variable for self
      efficacy. An active professional situation and the waiting time for surgery also
      proved to be relevant variables for anxiety and knowledge, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: participants had a good level of general and perceived self-efficacy
      and small percentage of depression. With these findings, it is possible to
      produce the profile of patients about their psychological needs after radical
      prostatectomy and, thus, allow the nursing professionals to act holistically,
      considering not only the need for care of physical nature, but also of
      psychosocial nature.

PMID- 26487130
TI  - Validation of the self-confidence scale of nursing care in urinary retention.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to validate an instrument to measure self-confidence of nursing care
      in urinary retention. METHODS: methodological research study, carried out after
      ethical approval. A Likert-like scale of 32 items related to nursing care in
      urinary retention was applied to students of the graduate nursing course. For
      instrument validation, analysis of the sample adequacy and main components,
      Varimax orthogonal rotation and internal consistency analyses were developed.
      RESULTS: in a sample of 305 students, there was high correlation of all items
      with the total scale and Cronbach's alpha of 0.949. The scale items were divided
      into five factors with internal consistency: Factor 1 (0.890), Factor 2 (0.874),
      Factor 3 (0.868), Factor 4 (0.814) and Factor 5 (0.773), respectively.
      CONCLUSION: the scale meets the validity requirements, demonstrating potential
      for use in evaluation and research.

PMID- 26487131
TI  - The cultural dialogue on the domestic dimension of care to immigrant caregivers
      in Spain.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to determine how the immigration phenomenon influences the response
      to informal care in the domestic level through the caregiver activity, and to
      analyze the cultural dialogue established in the residential area of Murcia
      (Spain). METHOD: This is an ethnographic study, conducted in 26 informal
      immigrant caregivers. As data collection instruments, semi-structured interviews
      and participant observation were employed. MAXQDA-2 assisted content analysis was
      also applied. RESULTS: the immigrant caregiver is the main consumer of
      traditional medicines, extending these health practices to her home group. A
      cultural dialogue is established on informal care, characterized by
      interculturalism and mutual adaptation. CONCLUSIONS: cultural hybridization was
      identified for informal caregivers, immigrants and cultural integration: new
      health care practices and cultural behaviors in informal systems. There is a
      transformation in the roles of family members attended in domestic environments,
      increasing quality of life and self care. They represent an alternative to
      medicalization, promoting self-management of health.

PMID- 26487132
TI  - Obstetric profile of pregnant adolescents in a public hospital: risk at beginning
      of labor, at delivery, postpartum, and in puerperium.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: describe the obstetric profile of adolescents at beginning of labor,
      at delivery, postpartum, and in puerperium. METHOD: Cross-sectional descriptive
      study with 85 pregnant adolescents, selected by convenience, referred by health
      centers to a public hospital in Mexico City. Risks were evaluated before, during
      and after delivery and in puerperium, and measured respectively with the
      "Previgenes" that compose the Reproductive and Perinatal Risk Assessment System.
      RESULTS: socioeconomic status, occupation and education level had influence on
      the emotionality of adolescents in relation to labor, whose obstetric risk was
      low for 55%, medium for 35%, and high for 10%. Risk in labor was low for 55%,
      medium for 18%, and high for 27%. Risk postpartum was low for 50%, medium for
      25%, and high for 25%. In puerperium, most adolescents (90%) had low risk.
      CONCLUSION: most adolescents had low risk in the stages evaluated. The study
      contributed to identify strategies to approach risk considering the vulnerability
      inherent in this type of population and favored the conduct of appropriate
      interventions for the respective needs.

PMID- 26487133
TI  - A conceptual framework of clinical nursing care in intensive care.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to propose a conceptual framework for clinical nursing care in
      intensive care. METHOD: descriptive and qualitative field research, carried out
      with 21 nurses from an intensive care unit of a federal public hospital. We
      conducted semi-structured interviews and thematic and lexical content analysis,
      supported by Alceste software. RESULTS: the characteristics of clinical intensive
      care emerge from the specialized knowledge of the interaction, the work context,
      types of patients and nurses characteristic of the intensive care and care
      frameworks. CONCLUSION: the conceptual framework of the clinic's intensive care
      articulates elements characteristic of the dynamics of this scenario: objective
      elements regarding technology and attention to equipment and subjective elements
      related to human interaction, specific of nursing care, countering criticism
      based on dehumanization.

PMID- 26487134
TI  - Comparative study: TQ and Lean Production ownership models in health services.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: compare the application of Total Quality (TQ) models used in processes
      of a health service, cases of lean healthcare and literature from another
      institution that has also applied this model. METHOD: this is a qualitative
      research that was conducted through a descriptive case study. RESULTS: through
      critical analysis of the institutions studied it was possible to make a
      comparison between the traditional quality approach checked in one case and the
      theoretical and practice lean production approach used in another case and the
      specifications are described below. CONCLUSION: the research identified that the
      lean model was better suited for people that work systemically and generate the
      flow. It also pointed towards some potential challenges in the introduction and
      implementation of lean methods in health.

PMID- 26487135
TI  - Intimate partner violence and anxiety disorders in pregnancy: the importance of
      vocational training of the nursing staff in facing them.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to identify the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder,
      trait and state anxiety, and intimate partner violence during pregnancy. METHOD:
      observational, cross-sectional study developed with 358 pregnant women. The
      Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist - Civilian Version was used, as well as
      the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and an adapted version of the instrument used
      in the World Health Organization Multi-country Study on Women's Health and
      Domestic Violence. RESULTS: after adjusting to the multiple logistic regression
      model, intimate partner violence, occurred during pregnancy, was associated with
      the indication of posttraumatic stress disorder. The adjusted multiple linear
      regression models showed that the victims of violence, in the current pregnancy,
      had higher symptom scores of trait and state anxiety than non-victims.
      CONCLUSION: recognizing the intimate partner violence as a clinically relevant
      and identifiable risk factor for the occurrence of anxiety disorders during
      pregnancy can be a first step in the prevention thereof.

PMID- 26487136
TI  - Support to women who denounce experiences of violence based on her social
      network.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to analyze the possibilities of help/support through the mapping and
      acknowledgement of the social network of women who denounce experiences of
      violence at a Police Precinct for Women. METHOD: qualitative study based on the
      theoretical-methodological framework of Lia Sanicola's Social Network, through
      interviews with 19 women. RESULTS: the analysis of the network maps evidenced
      that the primary social network was more present than the secondary on and,
      despite consisting of significant relations, it demonstrates limitations. The
      women access the secondary network occasionally in the violence problem and/or
      its repercussions in their life and health. The discrete presence of the health
      network in the composition of the social network was revealed and, when
      mentioned, the relation between the health professional and the woman was
      characterized as fragile. CONCLUSION: the importance of the social network
      relates to the creation of spaces of help/support for the women beyond the moment
      of the aggression, which accompany them throughout their process of emancipation
      from an experience annulled by violence, considering that each woman acts and
      makes decisions in the relational context when she is ready for it.

PMID- 26487137
TI  - Women experiencing the intergenerationality of conjugal violence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to analyze the family relationship, in childhood and adolescence, of
      women who experience conjugal violence. METHOD: qualitative study. Interviews
      were held with 19 women, who were experiencing conjugal violence, and who were
      resident in a community in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The project was approved by
      the Research Ethics Committee (N. 42/2011). RESULTS: the data was organized using
      the Discourse of the Collective Subject, identifying the summary central ideas:
      they witnessed violence between their parents; they suffered repercussions from
      the violence between their parents: they were angry about the mother's submission
      to her partner; and they reproduced the conjugal violence. The discourse showed
      that the women witnessed, in childhood and adolescence, violence between their
      parents, and were injured both physically and psychologically. As a result of the
      mother's submission, feelings of anger arose in the children. However, in the
      adult phase of their own lives, they noticed that their conjugal life resembled
      that of their parents, reproducing the violence. CONCLUSION: investment is
      necessary in strategies designed to break inter-generational violence, and the
      health professionals are important in this process, as it is a phenomenon with
      repercussions in health. Because they work in the Family Health Strategy, which
      focuses on the prevention of harm and illness, health promotion and
      interdepartmentality, the nurses are essential in the process of preventing and
      confronting this phenomenon.

PMID- 26487138
TI  - Factors associated with the patient safety climate at a teaching hospital.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to investigate the association between the scores of the patient
      safety climate and socio-demographic and professional variables. METHODS: an
      observational, sectional and quantitative study, conducted at a large public
      teaching hospital. The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire was used, translated and
      validated for Brazil. Data analysis used the software Statistical Package for
      Social Sciences. In the bivariate analysis, we used Student's t-test, analysis of
      variance and Spearman's correlation of (alpha=0.05). To identify predictors for
      the safety climate scores, multiple linear regression was used, having the safety
      climate domain as the main outcome (alpha=0.01). RESULTS: most participants were
      women, nursing staff, who worked in direct care to adult patients in critical
      areas, without a graduate degree and without any other employment. The average
      and median total score of the instrument corresponded to 61.8 (SD=13.7) and 63.3,
      respectively. The variable professional performance was found as a factor
      associated with the safety environment for the domain perception of service
      management and hospital management (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: the identification of
      factors associated with the safety environment permits the construction of
      strategies for safe practices in the hospitals.

PMID- 26487139
TI  - Treatment adherence in heart failure patients followed up by nurses in two
      specialized clinics.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to analyze treatment adherence in heart failure (HF) patients
      followed up by the nursing staff at specialized clinics and its association with
      patients' characteristics such as number of previous appointments, family
      structure, and comorbidities. METHODS: a cross-sectional study was conducted at
      two reference clinics for the treatment of HF patients (center 1 and center 2).
      Data were obtained using a 10-item questionnaire with scores ranging from 0 to 26
      points; adherence was considered adequate if the score was >= 18 points, or 70%
      of adherence. RESULTS: a total of 340 patients were included. Mean adherence
      score was 16 (+/-4) points. Additionally, 124 (36.5%) patients showed an
      adherence rate >= 70%. It was demonstrated that patients who lived with their
      family had higher adherence scores, that three or more previous nursing
      appointments was significantly associated with higher adherence (p<0.001), and
      that hypertension was associated with low adherence (p=0.023). CONCLUSIONS:
      treatment adherence was considered satisfactory in less than a half of the
      patients followed up at the two clinics specialized in HF. Living with the family
      and attending to a great number of nursing appointments improved adherence, while
      the presence of hypertension led to worse adherence.

PMID- 26487140
TI  - Experiencing organ donation: feelings of relatives after consent.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to identify experiences and feelings on the organ donation process,
      from the perspective of a relative of an organ donor in a transplant unit.
      METHOD: this was exploratory research using a qualitative approach, performed
      with seven family members of different organ donors, selected by a lottery.
      Sociodemographic data and the experiences regarding the donation process were
      collected through semi-structured interviews. The language material was
      transcribed and submitted to content analysis. RESULTS: poor sensitivity of the
      medical staff communicating the relative's brain death--the potential donor--and
      the lack of socio-emotional support prior to the situation experienced by the
      family was highlighted by participants. CONCLUSIONS: the study identified the
      need to provide social-emotional support for families facing the experience of
      the organ donation process. From these findings, other care and management
      practices in health must be discussed to impact the strengthening of the family
      ties, post-donation, as well as the organ procurement indexes.

PMID- 26487141
TI  - Peritonitis and catheter exit-site infection in patients on peritoneal dialysis
      at home.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to analyze the complications related to peritonitis and catheter exit
      site infections, in patients on peritoneal dialysis at home. METHOD: quantitative
      and cross-sectional study, carried out with 90 patients on peritoneal dialysis at
      home, in a municipality in the Northeast region of Brazil. For data collection,
      it was used two structured scripts and consultation on medical records.
      Descriptive analysis and comparison tests among independent groups were used,
      considering p<0.05 as level of statistical significance. RESULTS: by comparing
      the frequency of peritonitis and the length of treatment, it was found that
      patients over two years of peritoneal dialysis were more likely to develop
      peritonitis (X2=6.39; p=0.01). The number of episodes of peritoneal catheter exit
      site infection showed association with the length of treatment (U=224,000;
      p=0.015). CONCLUSION: peritonitis and catheter exit-site infection are associated
      with the length of treatment.

PMID- 26487142
TI  - Epidemiological characteristics of cases of death from tuberculosis and
      vulnerable territories.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to characterize the differences in the clinical and epidemiological
      profile of cases of death that had tuberculosis as an immediate or associated
      cause, and to analyze the spatial distribution of the cases of death from
      tuberculosis within the territories of Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. METHOD: an
      ecological study, in which the population consisted of 114 cases of death from
      tuberculosis. Bivariate analysis was carried out, as well as point density
      analysis, defined with the Kernel estimate. RESULTS: of the cases of death from
      tuberculosis, 50 were the immediate cause and 64 an associated cause. Age
      (p=.008) and sector responsible for the death certificate (p=.003) were the
      variables that presented statistically significant associations with the cause of
      death. The spatial distribution, in both events, did not occur randomly, forming
      clusters in areas of the municipality. CONCLUSION: the difference in the profiles
      of the cases of death from tuberculosis, as a basic cause and as an associated
      cause, was governed by the age and the sector responsible for the completion of
      the death certificate. The non-randomness of the spatial distribution of the
      cases suggests areas that are vulnerable to these events. Knowing these areas can
      contribute to the choice of disease control strategies.

PMID- 26487143
TI  - Prevalence of Brucella spp in humans.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to determine the seroprevalence of Brucella spp in humans. METHOD:
      this is an observational study, developed with 455 individuals between 18 and 64
      years old, who use the Estrategia de Saude da Familia (Brazil's family health
      strategy). The serum samples of volunteers underwent buffered acid antigen tests,
      such as screening, agar gel immunodiffusion and slow seroagglutination test in
      tubes and 2-Mercaptoethanol. RESULTS: among the samples, 1.98% has responded to
      buffered-acid antigen, 2.85% to agar gel immunodiffusion test and 1.54% to the
      slow seroagglutination tests on tubes/2-Mercaptoethanol. The prevalence of
      Brucella spp was 4.4%, represented by the last two tests. CONCLUSION: the results
      of this research suggest that the studied population is exposed to Brucella spp
      infection.

PMID- 26487144
TI  - Software development to support decision making in the selection of nursing
      diagnoses and interventions for children and adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to report the development of a software to support decision-making for
      the selection of nursing diagnoses and interventions for children and
      adolescents, based on the nomenclature of nursing diagnoses, outcomes and
      interventions of a university hospital in Paraiba. METHOD: a methodological
      applied study based on software engineering, as proposed by Pressman, developed
      in three cycles, namely: flow chart construction, development of the navigation
      interface, and construction of functional expressions and programming
      development. RESULT: the software consists of administrative and nursing process
      screens. The assessment is automatically selected according to age group, the
      nursing diagnoses are suggested by the system after information is inserted, and
      can be indicated by the nurse. The interventions for the chosen diagnosis are
      selected by structuring the care plan. CONCLUSION: the development of this tool
      used to document the nursing actions will contribute to decision-making and
      quality of care.

PMID- 26487145
TI  - The discursive production of professionals about humanizing health: singularity,
      rights and ethics.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to describe the discursive production of professionals about the
      humanization of health. METHOD: qualitative study of descriptive approach,
      inspired by the social representation theory, with 24 professionals in the
      healthcare field, working in a university hospital with the established
      humanization policy. The selection of participants was conducted according to
      criteria of adequacy and diversity for an intentional sample. Data collection was
      conducted by semi-structured interviews. RESULTS: through content analysis, three
      categories emerged, around which the analyses were conducted: "humanizing health
      as an act of accepting the other as unique", "humanizing health as a matter of
      right" and "humanizing health as an ethical issue". The discursive production of
      professionals is based on a perspective which is based on the humanist prospect
      with socio-historical bias. CONCLUSION: healthcare professionals must know the
      National Humanization Policy in order to provide quality care, promoting the
      meeting, welcoming and recognition of oneself, others and their profession in the
      political and socio-historical scenario of their country as a citizen, not only
      of rights, but also of obligations.

PMID- 26487146
TI  - Nurses' daily life: gender relations from the time spent in hospital.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to analyze the everyday life of nurses through the sexual work
      division as well as through interdependence relations and the time in hospital.
      METHOD: quanti-qualitative study, based on the Time Use Survey and in Norbert
      Elias's Configuration Theory of Interdependencies. Daily shifts distribution
      record, directed by 42 participants--with self-confrontation--by interviews which
      drew dialogues on subjective aspects of the everyday experiences related to use
      of time, based on a job at a university hospital. The theoretical intake that
      founded data analysis was based on concepts of conflicts of interest, power
      struggles, sexual work division and polychronic-monochronic concepts--whether the
      work environment demands multitasking nurses or not. RESULTS: time records
      allowed to observe differences between the groups studied, useful to identify
      conflicts, tensions, power struggles and gender inequalities in interviewees'
      everyday affairs that do not only affect physical and mental health, but also
      their way of life. CONCLUSION: the analytical path pointed out the need for
      public policies that promote equity in gender relations, keeping at sight the
      exercise of plural discourses and tolerant stances capable to respect differences
      between individual and collective time.

PMID- 26487147
TI  - Child development surveillance: intervention study with nurses of the Family
      Health Strategy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational action in child
      development surveillance performed by nurses working in primary health care.
      METHODS: interventional study with a before-and-after type of design, carried out
      with 45 nurses and 450 mothers of children under 2 years of age. Initially, it
      was evaluated the practices and knowledge of nurses on child development
      surveillance and the mothers were interviewed about these practices.
      Subsequently, workshops were carried out with nurses and four months later, the
      knowledge of nurses and the maternal information were reevaluated. RESULTS: after
      intervention there was significant increase in the frequency of the following
      aspects: from 73% to 100%, in relation to the practice of nurses of asking the
      opinion of mothers about their children's development; from 42% to 91%, regarding
      the use of the systematized instrument of evaluation; from 91% to 100% with
      respect to guidance to mothers on how to stimulate child development.
      CONCLUSIONS: the intervention contributed to the increase of knowledge of nurses
      and implementation of child development surveillance, showing the importance of
      this initiative to improve the quality of child health care.

PMID- 26487148
TI  - Anxiety in children following hospitalization: a proposal for a nursing
      diagnosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to describe the process of developing a nursing diagnosis regarding
      child anxiety following hospitalization, which is to be submitted to the
      international classification for nursing practice, in accordance with the
      guidelines set out by the International Council of Nurses and the ISO standard
      18104:2014. METHOD: this methodological study includes a conceptual analysis that
      bases itself on analyzing the phenomena of anxiety and hospitalization, while
      identifying the critical attributes of the concept and developing an operational
      definition. RESULTS: all the criteria for including a new nursing concept were
      followed and there was no violation of the framework of the International
      Classification for Nursing Practice with the proposed inclusion, since the
      concept of anxiety already exists in this classification system and the concept
      of anxiety from hospitalization would be considered a species or subclass of this
      concept. CONCLUSION: this analysis of the concept of hospitalization anxiety in
      children allowed its meaning to be clarified and, consequently, understanding to
      be constructed regarding its practical applicability. This achievement
      contributed in terms of providing incentive to develop new proposals for nursing
      diagnoses to be included in the International Classification for Nursing
      Practice.

PMID- 26487149
TI  - Validation of the Adherence Determinants Questionnaire scale among women with
      breast and cervical cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: the aim was to translate and culturally adapt the Adherence
      Determinants Questionnaire scale for the Portuguese language in the Brazilian
      context, and to check its reliability and validity to analyze the elements of the
      adherence of patients to the clinical treatment for breast and cervical cancer.
      METHOD: this was a methodological study, carried out in two oncology reference
      centers. The sample consisted of 198 participants, with 152 being treated for
      breast cancer and 46 being treated for cervical cancer. The content validation
      was performed by a committee of experts. The construct validation was
      demonstrated through factor analysis and the reliability was analyzed using
      Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: the committee of experts made the necessary
      adjustments so that the scale was adapted to the Brazilian context. The factor
      analysis suggested a reduction from seven to five factors and the maintenance of
      38 items similar to those of the original scale. The reliability, investigated
      through Cronbach's alpha, was .829, showing high internal consistency.
      CONCLUSION: it was concluded that the Brazilian version of the Adherence
      Determinants Questionnaire scale is a valid and reliable instrument that is able
      to measure the elements of adherence to the treatment for breast and cervical
      cancer.

PMID- 26487150
TI  - Primary Health Care Evaluation: the view of clients and professionals about the
      Family Health Strategy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the attributes of primary health care as for access;
      longitudinality; comprehensiveness; coordination; family counseling and community
      counseling in the Family Health Strategy, triangulating and comparing the views
      of stakeholders involved in the care process. METHOD: evaluative research with a
      quantitative approach and cross-sectional design. Data collected using the
      Primary Care Assessment Tool for interviews with 527 adult clients, 34 health
      professionals, and 330 parents of children up to two years old, related to 33
      family health teams, in eleven municipalities. Analysis conducted in the
      Statistical Package for Social Sciences software, with a confidence interval of
      95% and error of 0.1. RESULTS: the three groups assessed the first contact access
      - accessibility with low scores. Professionals evaluated with a high score the
      other attributes. Clients assigned low score evaluations for the attributes:
      community counseling; family counseling; comprehensiveness - services rendered;
      comprehensiveness - available services. CONCLUSIONS: the quality of performance
      self-reported by the professionals of the Family Health Strategy is not perceived
      or valued by clients, and the actions and services may have been developed
      inappropriately or insufficiently to be apprehended by the experience of clients.

PMID- 26487151
TI  - Time-Resolved Gas-Phase Kinetic, Quantum Chemical, and RRKM Studies of the
      Reaction of Silylene with 2,5-Dihydrofuran.
AB  - Time-resolved kinetics studies of silylene, SiH2, generated by laser flash
      photolysis of phenylsilane, were performed to obtain rate coefficients for its
      bimolecular reaction with 2,5-dihydrofuran (2,5-DHF). The reaction was studied in
      the gas phase over the pressure range of 1-100 Torr in SF6 bath gas, at five
      temperatures in the range of 296-598 K. The reaction showed pressure dependences
      characteristic of a third body assisted association. The second-order rate
      coefficients obtained by Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM)-assisted
      extrapolation to the high-pressure limit at each temperature fitted the following
      Arrhenius equation where the error limits are single standard deviations:
      log(k/cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1)) = (-9.96 +/- 0.08) + (3.38 +/- 0.62 kJ mol(
      1))/RT ln 10. End-product analysis revealed no GC-identifiable product. Quantum
      chemical (ab initio) calculations indicate that reaction of SiH2 with 2,5-DHF can
      occur at both the double bond (to form a silirane) and the O atom (to form a
      donor-acceptor, zwitterionic complex) via barrierless processes. Further possible
      reaction steps were explored, of which the only viable one appears to be
      decomposition of the O-complex to give 1,3-butadiene + silanone, although
      isomerization of the silirane cannot be completely ruled out. The potential
      energy surface for SiH2 + 2,5-DHF is consistent with that of SiH2 with Me2O, and
      with that of SiH2 with cis-but-2-ene, the simplest reference reactions. RRKM
      calculations incorporating reaction at both pi- and O atom sites, can be made to
      fit the experimental rate coefficient pressure dependence curves at 296-476 K,
      giving values for k(infinity)(pi) and k(infinity)(O) that indicate the latter is
      larger in magnitude at all temperatures, in contrast to values from individual
      model reactions. This unexpected result suggests that, in 2,5-DHF with its two
      different reaction sites, the O atom exerts the more pronounced electrophilic
      attraction on the approaching silylene. Arrhenius parameters for the individual
      pathways were obtained. The lack of a fit at 598 K is consistent with
      decomposition of the O-complex to give 1,3-butadiene + silanone. 

PMID- 26487152
TI  - Is consciousness fragile?

PMID- 26487153
TI  - Influence of arm position on catheter placement during real-time ultrasound
      guided right infraclavicular proximal axillary venous catheterization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Real-time ultrasound-guided infraclavicular proximal axillary venous
      catheterization is used in many clinical situations and provides the advantages
      of catheter stabilization, a reduced risk of catheter-related infection, and
      comfort for the patient without limitation of movement. However, unintended
      catheter tip dislocation and accidental arterial puncture occur occasionally.
      This study was designed to investigate the influence of arm position on catheter
      placement and complications. METHODS: Patients were randomized to either the
      neutral group (n=240) or the abduction group (n=241). In the neutral group,
      patients were positioned with the head and shoulders placed in an anatomically
      neutral position and the arms kept by the side during catheterization. In the
      abduction group, the right upper arm was abducted at 90 degrees  from the trunk
      during catheterization. After real-time ultrasound-guided catheterization was
      carried out in the right infraclavicular proximal axillary vein, misplacement of
      the catheter and all complications were evaluated with ultrasound and chest
      radiography. RESULTS: The success rate of complete catheterization before
      evaluating the placement of the catheter was high in both groups (97.1 vs 98.8%,
      P=not significant). The incidence of accidental arterial puncture was not
      different (1.7 vs 0%, P=not significant). The incidence of misplacement of the
      catheter was higher in the neutral group than in the abduction group (3.9 vs
      0.4%, P=0.01). There were no complications, such as haemothorax, pneumothorax, or
      injury to the brachial plexus and phrenic nerve, in either group. CONCLUSIONS:
      Upper arm abduction may minimize the risk of misplacement of the catheter during
      real-time ultrasound-guided infraclavicular proximal axillary venous
      catheterization. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered with the
      Clinical Trial Registry of Korea: https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/index.jsp.
      Identifier: KCT0001417.

PMID- 26487154
TI  - Understanding outcomes after neuraxial anaesthesia: time to turn the page.

PMID- 26487155
TI  - The Link between Alzheimer's Disease and Down Syndrome. A Historical Perspective.

PMID- 26487156
TI  - Demographic, developmental and psychosocial predictors of the development of
      anxiety in adults with ADHD.
AB  - The purpose of this research was to investigate potential demographic,
      developmental and psychosocial predictors of anxiety in the context of ADHD.
      Participants included 267 adults with a diagnosis of ADHD (168 males:99 females)
      and an age range of 18-70 years (M = 31 years; SD = 10.03 years). A background
      interview, parent questionnaire and rating scales were used to gather participant
      information. Correlations, independent t tests and one-way analysis of variances
      were used to identify variables associated with anxiety, and a stepwise multiple
      regression was used to identify potential predictors of anxiety. Variables
      associated with anxiety included childhood aggression, employment status,
      difficulties making friends, number of children and caffeine intake. Childhood
      aggression and caffeine intake were the potential predictors. Clinicians should
      be aware of these potential predictors of anxiety in the context of ADHD in order
      to minimise the likelihood of the development or maintenance of comorbid anxiety.
      Future research is needed in order to draw any conclusions on cause and effect.

PMID- 26487157
TI  - Association Between Young Australian's Drinking Behaviours and Their Interactions
      With Alcohol Brands on Facebook: Results of an Online Survey.
AB  - AIMS: To examine the association of alcohol-brand social networking pages and
      Facebook users' drinking attitudes and behaviours. METHODS: Cross-sectional, self
      report data were obtained from a convenience sample of 283 Australian Facebook
      users aged 16-24 years via an online survey. RESULTS: More than half of the
      respondents reported using Facebook for more than an hour daily. While only 20%
      had actively interacted with an alcohol brand on Facebook, we found a significant
      association between this active interaction and alcohol consumption, and a strong
      association between engagement with alcohol brands on Facebook and problematic
      drinking. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study demonstrate the need for
      further research into the complex interaction between social networking and
      alcohol consumption, and add support to calls for effective regulation of alcohol
      marketing on social network platforms.

PMID- 26487158
TI  - New predictive model of rebleeding during follow-up of patents with obscure
      gastrointestinal bleeding: A multicenter cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: The long-term recurrence rate of patients with obscure
      gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) who underwent video capsule endoscopy (VCE)
      remains unknown. Our study aimed to identify the cumulative incidence of
      rebleeding, develop a predictive model of rebleeding, and evaluate whether the
      model can be applied in other outcomes among patients with OGIB. METHODS: We
      conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study of 320 patients with OGIB who
      underwent VCE between 2009 and 2014. A rebleeding model was developed using
      multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis and evaluated using Harrell's c
      index. RESULTS: Rebleeding occurred in 43 patients (13.4%) during a mean follow
      up period of 18.3 (standard error, 0.9) months. The rebleeding sources were the
      small intestine (n = 17), extra-small intestine (n = 13), and unknown (n = 13).
      The cumulative incidence of rebleeding was 11.0% at 12 months and 35.3% at 60
      months. Multivariate analysis revealed that female gender, liver cirrhosis,
      warfarin use, overt bleeding, and positive VCE findings were significant
      predictors of rebleeding. The rebleeding rate was 0% in patients with no
      predictors and 40% in patients with full predictors (P < 0.01). The model
      presented a high predictive accuracy (c-statistic, 0.733). Patients with higher
      predictors exhibited higher transfusion requirements, longer length of stay, and
      higher mortality (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The cumulative incidence of rebleeding
      at 12 and 60 months was 11.0% and 35.3%, respectively. Five factors enable
      prediction of not only rebleeding but also transfusion requirements, length of
      stay, and death in OGIB patients.

PMID- 26487159
TI  - Acute coronary syndromes.

PMID- 26487160
TI  - Toward Low-Frequency Mechanical Energy Harvesting Using Energy-Dense
      Piezoelectrochemical Materials.
AB  - The piezoelectrochemical coupling between mechanical stress and electrochemical
      potential is explored in the context of mechanical energy harvesting and shown to
      have promise in developing high-energy-density harvesters for low-frequency
      applications (e.g., human locomotion). This novel concept is demonstrated
      experimentally by cyclically compressing an off-the-shelf lithium-ion battery and
      measuring the generated electric power output. 

PMID- 26487161
TI  - The Assessment of Animal Welfare in British Zoos by Government-Appointed
      Inspectors.
AB  - We analysed the reports of government-appointed inspectors from 192 zoos between
      2005-2008 to provide the first review of how animal welfare was assessed in
      British zoos since the enactment of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981. We examined the
      effects of whether or not a veterinarian was included in the inspection team,
      type of inspection, licence status of the zoo and membership of a zoo association
      on the inspectors' assessments of animal welfare standards in five areas that
      approximate to the Five Freedoms. At least 11% of full licence inspections did
      not comply with the legal requirement for two inspectors. The inspectors' reports
      were unclear as to how animal welfare was assessed, whether all animals or only a
      sub-sample had been inspected, and were based predominantly on welfare inputs
      rather than outcomes. Of 9,024 animal welfare assessments across the 192 zoos,
      7,511 (83%) were graded as meeting the standards, 782 (9%) as substandard and the
      rest were not graded. Of the 192 zoos, 47 (24%) were assessed as meeting all the
      animal welfare standards. Membership of a zoo association was not associated with
      a higher overall assessment of animal welfare standards, and specialist
      collections such as Farm Parks and Other Bird collections performed least well.
      We recommend a number of changes to the inspection process that should lead to
      greater clarity in the assessment of animal welfare in British zoos. 

PMID- 26487162
TI  - Pet Ownership and Evacuation Prior to Hurricane Irene.
AB  - Pet ownership has historically been one of the biggest risk factors for
      evacuation failure prior to natural disasters. The forced abandonment of pets
      during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 made national headlines and led to the passage
      of the Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (PETS, 2006) which
      mandated local authorities to plan for companion animal evacuation. Hurricane
      Irene hit the East Coast of the United States in 2011, providing an excellent
      opportunity to examine the impact of the PETS legislation on frequency and ease
      of evacuation among pet owners and non-pet owners. Ninety pet owners and 27 non
      pet owners who lived in mandatory evacuation zones completed questionnaires
      assessing their experiences during the hurricane and symptoms of depression,
      PTSD, dissociative experiences, and acute stress. Pet ownership was not found to
      be a statistical risk factor for evacuation failure. However, many pet owners who
      failed to evacuate continue to cite pet related reasons. 

PMID- 26487163
TI  - The Influence of Climate, Soil and Pasture Type on Productivity and Greenhouse
      Gas Emissions Intensity of Modeled Beef Cow-Calf Grazing Systems in Southern
      Australia.
AB  - A biophysical whole farm system model was used to simulate the interaction
      between the historical climate, soil and pasture type at sites in southern
      Australia and assess the balance between productivity and greenhouse gas
      emissions (expressed in carbon dioxide equivalents, CO2-eq.) intensity of beef
      cow-calf grazing systems. Four sites were chosen to represent a range of climatic
      zones, soil and pasture types. Poorer feed quality and supply limited the annual
      carrying capacity of the kikuyu pasture compared to phalaris pastures, with an
      average long-term carrying capacity across sites estimated to be 0.6 to 0.9
      cows/ha. A relative reduction in level of feed intake to productivity of calf
      live weight/ha at weaning by feeding supplementary feed reduced the average CO2
      eq. emissions/kg calf live weight at weaning of cows on the kikuyu pasture (18.4
      and 18.9 kg/kg with and without supplementation, respectively), whereas at the
      other sites studied an increase in intake level to productivity and emission
      intensity was seen (between 10.4 to 12.5 kg/kg without and with supplementary
      feed, respectively). Enteric fermentation and nitrous oxide emissions from
      denitrification were the main sources of annual variability in emissions
      intensity, particularly at the lower rainfall sites. Emissions per unit product
      of low input systems can be minimized by efficient utilization of pasture to
      maximize the annual turnoff of weaned calves and diluting resource input per unit
      product. 

PMID- 26487164
TI  - Adaptations and Predispositions of Different Middle European Arthropod Taxa
      (Collembola, Araneae, Chilopoda, Diplopoda) to Flooding and Drought Conditions.
AB  - Floodplain forests and wetlands are amongst the most diverse and species rich
      habitats on earth. Arthropods are a key group for the high diversity pattern of
      these landscapes, due to the fact that the change between flooding and drought
      causes in different life cycles and in a variety of adaptations in the different
      taxa. The floodplain forests and wetlands of Central Amazonia are well
      investigated and over the last 50 years many adaptations of several hexapod,
      myriapod and arachnid orders were described. In contrast to Amazonia the Middle
      European floodplains were less investigated concerning the adaptations of
      arthropods to flood and drought conditions. This review summarizes the
      adaptations and predispositions of springtails, web spiders, millipedes and
      centipedes to the changeable flood and drought conditions of Middle European
      floodplain forests and wetlands. Furthermore the impact of regional climate
      change predictions like increasing aperiodic summer floods and the decrease of
      typical winter and spring floods are discussed in this article. 

PMID- 26487165
TI  - Effects of Severe Floods and Droughts on Wildlife of the Pantanal Wetland
      (Brazil)-A Review.
AB  - Flooding throughout the Pantanal is seasonal. The complex vegetative cover and
      high seasonal productivity support a diverse and abundant fauna. A gradient in
      flood level supports a range of major habitats in a complex mosaic with annual
      seasonality. The rivers and streams are lined with gallery forests, and other
      arboreal habitats exist in the more elevated areas. The remainder is either
      grasslands or seasonally flooded grasslands. The regional flora and fauna are
      adapted to annual water fluctuation. However, an inter-annual series of higher or
      lower rainfalls has caused either severe floods or drastic dry seasons. Large
      scale climate phenomena such as greenhouse gases, El Nino and La Nina influence
      the seasonality of floods and droughts in the Pantanal. Knowledge of severe
      floods and droughts, which characterize natural disasters, is fundamental for
      wildlife management and nature conservation of the Pantanal. Plants and wild
      animals, for example, are affected by tree mortality in riparian forest after
      extreme flooding, with consequent habitat modification for wild animals. In
      addition, human activities are also affected since cattle ranching and ecotourism
      are economically important in the region, and when seasons with unusual floods or
      droughts occur, areas with human settlements are impacted. 

PMID- 26487166
TI  - Semi-Ownership and Sterilisation of Cats and Dogs in Thailand.
AB  - The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of cat and dog semi
      ownership in Thailand and factors that predict sterilisation. Semi-ownership was
      defined as interacting/caring for a companion animal that the respondent does not
      own, such as a stray cat or dog. A randomised telephone survey recruited 494 Thai
      nationals residing in Thailand. The findings revealed that 14% of respondents (n
      = 71) engaged in dog semi-ownership and only 17% of these dogs had been
      sterilised. Similarly, 11% of respondents (n = 55) engaged in cat semi-ownership
      and only 7% were known to be sterilised. Using Hierarchical Multiple Regression,
      the findings showed that 62% and 75% of the variance in intentions to sterilise
      semi-owned dogs and cats, respectively, was predicted by religious beliefs, and
      psychosocial factors such as attitudes, perceived pressure from others, and
      perceived behavioural control. Community awareness campaigns that approach the
      issue of sterilisation in a way that is consistent with cultural and religious
      traditions using Thai role models, such as veterinarians, may go some way in
      reducing stray animal population growth. 

PMID- 26487167
TI  - Animal Sentience: Where Are We and Where Are We Heading?
AB  - The science of animal sentience underpins the entire animal welfare movement.
      Demonstrating objectively what animals are capable of is key to achieving a
      positive change in attitudes and actions towards animals, and a real, sustainable
      difference for animal welfare. This paper briefly summarises understanding and
      acceptance of animal sentience through the ages. Although not an exhaustive
      history, it highlights some of the leading figures whose opinions and work have
      most affected perspectives of animal sentience. There follows a review of the
      current state of animal sentience, what is known, and what the main limitations
      have been for the development of the study of sentience. The paper concludes with
      some thoughts for the future of the science, and where it should be going in
      order to most benefit animal welfare. 

PMID- 26487169
TI  - Fatigue is correlated with disease activity but not with the type of organ
      involvement in Behcet's syndrome: a comparative clinical survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Fatigue is an important problem in inflammatory diseases and affects
      the quality of life (QoL). We aimed to evaluate the severity and impact of
      fatigue in Behcet's syndrome (BS) and to determine its association with type of
      organ involvement and gender. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-two BS, 51
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 51 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 51 ankylosing
      spondylitis (AS) patients and 65 healthy controls were evaluated by the fatigue
      severity scale, fatigue impact scale, fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ),
      RAPID3, SF-36 and Behcet's syndrome activity scale (the latter only in BS
      patients). We also analysed subgroups of BS patients with predominantly eye,
      vascular, joint and mucocutaneous involvement and did an additional gender
      analysis. RESULTS: Fatigue severity and fatigue impact scores were similar among
      BS, RA, SLE and AS patients and significantly higher than that in healthy
      controls (F4df=8.51; p<0.001 and F4df=8.67; p<0.001, respectively). The fatigue
      severity and fatigue impact scores were similarly high in BS subgroups with
      different types of organ involvement, and in both genders. CONCLUSIONS: Fatigue
      is an important problem in BS, as it is in other inflammatory conditions. It is
      similarly severe in subgroups of patients with eye, vascular, joint and
      mucocutaneous involvement and in either gender. Fatigue is a candidate outcome
      measure for clinical trials, to assess the life impact of Behcet's syndrome.

PMID- 26487168
TI  - Proactive Management of the Equine Athlete.
AB  - Across many equestrian disciplines the median competition career of a horse is
      relatively short. One of the major reasons for short career length is
      musculoskeletal injury and a consistent variable is the trainer effect. There are
      significant opportunities within equestrian sport for a holistic approach to
      horse health to attenuate musculoskeletal injury. Proactive integration of care
      by health professionals could provide a mechanism to attenuate injury risk and
      the trainer effect. However, the limited data available on current exercise
      regimens for sport horses restricts interpretation of how management and exercise
      volume could be modified to reduce injury risk. Early exercise in the juvenile
      horse (i.e., pre weaning) has a positive effect on stimulating the
      musculoskeletal system and primes the horse for an athletic career. The early
      introduction to sport competition has also been identified to have a positive
      effect on career length. These data indicate that management systems reflecting
      the cursorial evolution of the horse may aid in attenuating loss from sport due
      to musculoskeletal injury. 

PMID- 26487170
TI  - Negative pressure wound therapy limits downgrowth in percutaneous devices.
AB  - Maintenance of a soft tissue seal around percutaneous devices is challenged by
      the downgrowth of periprosthetic tissues-a gateway to potential infection. As
      negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is used clinically to facilitate healing
      of complex soft tissue pathologies, it was hypothesized that NPWT could limit
      downgrowth of periprosthetic tissues. To test this hypothesis, 20 hairless guinea
      pigs were randomly assigned into four groups (n = 5/group). Using a One-Stage
      (Groups 1 and 3) or a Two-Stage (Groups 2 and 4) surgical procedure, each animal
      was implanted with a titanium-alloy subdermal device porous-coated with
      commercially pure, medical grade titanium. Each subdermal device had a smooth
      titanium-alloy percutaneous post. The One-Stage procedure encompassed insertion
      of a fully assembled device during a single surgery. The Two-Stage procedure
      involved the implantation of a subdermal device during the first surgery, and
      then three weeks later, insertion of a percutaneous post. Groups 1 and 2 served
      as untreated controls and Groups 3 and 4 received NPWT. Four weeks
      postimplantation of the post, the devices and surrounding tissues were harvested,
      and histologically evaluated for downgrowth. Within the untreated control groups,
      the Two-Stage surgical procedure significantly decreased downgrowth (p = 0.027)
      when compared with the One-Stage procedure. Independent of the surgical
      procedures performed, NPWT significantly limited downgrowth (p <= 0.05) when
      compared with the untreated controls. 

PMID- 26487171
TI  - The Impact of Improved Population Life Expectancy in Survival Trend Analyses of
      Specific Diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Survival trend analyses examine mortality outcomes over time. The
      impact of conducting survival trend analyses without accounting for improved
      population survival has not been systematically studied. METHODS: The 1-year risk
      of death in the 100 most common hospital admissions for Ontario adults in 1994,
      1999, 2004, and 2009 was determined. Generalized linear models were used to
      determine if adjusted death risk changed significantly over time with and without
      accounting for population survival. RESULTS: The statistical significance of
      temporal trends in survival changed after accounting for population life
      expectancy in 16 diagnoses (16 percent) (in 13 of 55 diagnoses, statistically
      significant decreasing mortality trends became insignificant; in 3 of 15
      diagnoses, insignificant trends changed to a significant increase in mortality
      risk over time). CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the importance of
      accounting for population life-expectancy changes in survival trend analyses.

PMID- 26487172
TI  - Shape-based acetabular cartilage segmentation: application to CT and MRI
      datasets.
AB  - PURPOSE: A new method for acetabular cartilage segmentation in both computed
      tomography (CT) arthrography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) datasets with
      leg tension is developed and tested. METHODS: The new segmentation method is
      based on the combination of shape and intensity information. Shape information is
      acquired according to the predictable nonlinear relationship between the U-shaped
      acetabulum region and acetabular cartilage. Intensity information is obtained
      from the acetabular cartilage region automatically to complete the segmentation
      procedures. This method is evaluated using 54 CT arthrography datasets with two
      different radiation doses and 20 MRI datasets. Additionally, the performance of
      this method in identifying acetabular cartilage is compared with four other
      acetabular cartilage segmentation methods. RESULTS: This method performed better
      than the comparison methods. Indeed, this method maintained good accuracy level
      for 74 datasets independent of the cartilage modality and with minimum user
      interaction in the bone segmentation procedures. In addition, this method was
      efficient in noisy conditions and in detection of the damaged cartilages with
      zero thickness, which confirmed its potential clinical usefulness. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our new method proposes acetabular cartilage segmentation in three different
      datasets based on the combination of the shape and intensity information. This
      method executes well in situations where there are clear boundaries between the
      acetabular and femoral cartilages. However, the acetabular cartilage and pelvic
      bone information should be obtained from one dataset such as CT arthrography or
      MRI datasets with leg traction.

PMID- 26487173
TI  - Wound drainage after plastic and reconstructive surgery of the breast.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wound drains are often used after plastic and reconstructive surgery
      of the breast, in order to reduce potential complications. It is unclear whether
      there is any evidence to support this practice and we therefore undertook a
      systematic review of the best evidence available. OBJECTIVES: To compare the
      safety and efficacy of the use of wound drains following elective plastic and
      reconstructive surgery procedures of the breast. SEARCH METHODS: For the first
      update of this review we searched the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register
      (searched 4 March 2015); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials
      (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2015, Issue 2); Ovid MEDLINE (2012 to March 3
      2015); Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations March 3 2015); Ovid
      EMBASE (2012 to March 3 2015); and EBSCO CINAHL (2012 to March 4 2015). There
      were no restrictions on the basis of date or language of publication. SELECTION
      CRITERIA: Three review authors undertook independent screening of the search
      results. All randomised trials (RCTs) that compared the use of a wound drain with
      no wound drain following plastic and reconstructive surgery of the breast (breast
      augmentation, breast reduction and breast reconstruction) in women were eligible.
      DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors undertook independent data
      extraction of study characteristics, methodological quality and outcomes (e.g.
      infection, other wound complications, pain, and length of hospital stay). Risk of
      bias was assessed independently by two review authors. We calculated the risk
      ratio (RR) for dichotomous outcomes and mean differences (MD) for continuous
      outcomes, with 95% confidence intervals. Analysis was on an intention-to-treat
      basis. MAIN RESULTS: Three randomised trials were identified and included in the
      review out of 190 studies that were initially screened; all evaluated wound
      drainage after breast reduction surgery. No new trials were identified for this
      first update. In total there were 306 women in the three trials, and 505 breasts
      were studied (254 drained, and 251 who were not drained). Apart from a
      significantly shorter duration of hospital stay for those participants who did
      not have drains (MD 0.77; 95% CI 0.40 to 1.14), there was no statistically
      significant impact of the use of drains on outcomes. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The
      limited evidence available shows no significant benefit of using post-operative
      wound drains in reduction mammoplasty, though hospital stay may be shorter when
      drains are not used. No data are available for breast augmentation or breast
      reconstruction, and this requires investigation.

PMID- 26487175
TI  - Electrodeposition of spinel MnCo2O4 nanosheets for supercapacitor applications.
AB  - Herein, we report a facile, low-cost and one-step electrodeposition approach for
      the synthesis MnCo2O4 (MCO) nanosheet arrays on indium doped tin oxide (ITO)
      coated glass substrates. The crystalline phase and morphology of the materials
      are studied by x-ray diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray analysis and field
      emission scanning electron microscopy. The supercapacitor performance of the MCO
      nanosheets are studied in a three-electrode configuration in 2 M KOH electrolyte.
      The as-prepared binder-free electrode shows a high specific capacitance of 290 F
      g(-1) at 1 mV s(-1) with excellent cyclic stability even after 1000
      charge/discharge cycles. The obtained energy density and power density of the MCO
      nanosheets are 10.04 Wh kg(-1) and 5.2 kW kg(-1) respectively. The superior
      electrochemical performances are mainly attributed to its nanosheet like
      structure which provides a large reaction surface area, and fast ion and electron
      transfer rate.

PMID- 26487174
TI  - Ca(2+)/calmodulin regulates Kvbeta1.1-mediated inactivation of voltage-gated K(+)
      channels.
AB  - A-type K(+) channels open on membrane depolarization and undergo subsequent rapid
      inactivation such that they are ideally suited for fine-tuning the electrical
      signaling in neurons and muscle cells. Channel inactivation mostly follows the so
      called ball-and-chain mechanism, in which the N-terminal structures of either the
      K(+) channel's alpha or beta subunits occlude the channel pore entry facing the
      cytosol. Inactivation of Kv1.1 and Kv1.4 channels induced by Kvbeta1.1 subunits
      is profoundly decelerated in response to a rise in the intracellular Ca(2+)
      concentration, thus making the affected channel complexes negative feedback
      regulators to limit neuronal overexcitation. With electrophysiological and
      biochemical experiments we show that the Ca(2+) dependence is gained by binding
      of calmodulin to the "chain" segment of Kvbeta1.1 thereby compromising the
      mobility of the inactivation particle. Furthermore, inactivation regulation via
      Ca(2+)/calmodulin does not interfere with the beta subunit's enzymatic activity
      as an NADPH-dependent oxidoreductase, thus rendering the Kvbeta1.1 subunit a
      multifunctional receptor that integrates cytosolic signals to be transduced to
      altered electrical cellular activity. 

PMID- 26487176
TI  - The presence of a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the BDNF gene affects the
      rate of locomotor adaptation after stroke.
AB  - Induction of neural plasticity through motor learning has been demonstrated in
      animals and humans. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a member of the
      neurotrophin family of growth factors, is thought to play an integral role in
      modulation of central nervous system plasticity during learning and motor skill
      recovery. Thirty percent of humans possess a single-nucleotide polymorphism on
      the BDNF gene (Val66Met), which has been linked to decreased activity-dependent
      release of BDNF. Presence of the polymorphism has been associated with altered
      cortical activation, short-term plasticity and altered skill acquisition, and
      learning in healthy humans. The impact of the Val66Met polymorphism on motor
      learning post-stroke has not been explored. The purpose of this study was to
      examine the impact of the Val66Met polymorphism in learning of a novel locomotor
      task in subjects with chronic stroke. It was hypothesized that subjects with the
      polymorphism would have an altered rate and magnitude of adaptation to a novel
      locomotor walking paradigm (the split-belt treadmill), compared to those without
      the polymorphism. The rate of adaptation was evaluated as the reduction in gait
      asymmetry during the first 30 (early adaptation) and last 100 (late adaptation)
      strides. Twenty-seven individuals with chronic stroke participated in a single
      session of split-belt treadmill walking and tested for the polymorphism. Step
      length and limb phase were measured to assess adaptation of spatial and temporal
      parameters of walking. The rate of adaptation of step length asymmetry differed
      significantly between those with and without the polymorphism, while the amount
      of total adaptation did not. These results suggest that chronic stroke survivors,
      regardless of presence or absence of the polymorphism, are able to adapt their
      walking pattern over a period of trial-and-error practice; however, the presence
      of the polymorphism influences the rate at which this is achieved.

PMID- 26487178
TI  - Postural responses to anterior and posterior perturbations applied to the upper
      trunk of standing human subjects.
AB  - This study concerned the effects of brisk perturbations applied to the shoulders
      of standing subjects to displace them either forwards or backwards, our aim being
      to characterise the responses to these disturbances. Subjects stood on a force
      platform, and acceleration was measured at the level of C7, the sacrum and both
      tibial tuberosities. Surface EMG was measured from soleus (SOL), tibialis
      anterior (TA), the hamstrings (HS), quadriceps (QUAD), rectus abdominis (RA) and
      lumbar paraspinal (PS) muscles. Trials were recorded for each of four conditions:
      subjects' eyes open (reference) or closed and on a firm (reference) or compliant
      surface. Observations were also made of voluntary postural reactions to a tap
      over the deltoid. Anterior perturbations (mean C7 acceleration 251.7 mg) evoked
      activity within the dorsal muscles (SOL, HS, PS) with a similar latency to
      voluntary responses to shoulder tapping. Responses to posterior perturbations
      (mean C7 acceleration -240.4 mg) were more complex beginning, on average, at
      shorter latency than voluntary activity (median TA 78.0 ms). There was activation
      of TA, QUAD and SOL associated with initial forward acceleration of the lower
      legs. The EMG responses consisted of an initial phasic discharge followed by a
      more prolonged one. These responses differ from the pattern of automatic postural
      responses that follow displacements at the level of the ankles, and it is
      unlikely that proprioceptive afferents excited by ankle movement had a role in
      the initial responses. Vision and surface properties had only minor effects.
      Perturbations of the upper trunk evoke stereotyped compensatory postural
      responses for each direction of perturbation. For posterior perturbations, EMG
      onset occurs earlier than for voluntary responses.

PMID- 26487177
TI  - The stuff that motor chunks are made of: Spatial instead of motor
      representations?
AB  - In order to determine how participants represent practiced, discrete keying
      sequences in the discrete sequence production task, we had 24 participants
      practice two six-key sequences on the basis of two pre-learned six-digit numbers.
      These sequences were carried out by fingers of the left (L) and right (R) hand
      with between-hand transitions always occurring between the second and third, and
      the fifth and sixth responses. This yielded the so-called LLRRRL and RRLLLR
      sequences. Early and late in practice, the keypad used for the right hand was
      briefly relocated from the front of the participants to 90 degrees  at their
      right side. The results indicate that after 600 practice trials, executing a
      keying sequence relies heavily on a spatial cross-hand representation in a trunk-
      or head-based reference frame that after about only 15 trials is fully adjusted
      to the changed hand location. The hand location effect was not found with the
      last sequence element. This is attributed to the application of explicit
      knowledge. The between-hand transitions appeared to induce initial segmentation
      in some of the participants, but this did not consolidate into a concatenation
      point of successive motor chunks.

PMID- 26487179
TI  - Effects of anodal tDCS of the lower limb M1 on ankle reaction time in young
      adults.
AB  - Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation
      technique that modulates cortical excitability and influences motor behavior.
      There is limited information available regarding the effects of anodal tDCS on
      lower limb reaction time. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of
      anodal tDCS on lower limb simple reaction time (SRT) and choice reaction time
      (CRT). We probed this question further by examining the effects of anodal tDCS of
      the lower limb M1 on an upper limb RT task and a cognitive measure. Fourteen
      healthy young adults received anodal tDCS and sham tDCS to the lower limb M1 on
      two separate testing days in a counterbalanced order. After stimulation, we
      assessed the effects of tDCS on ankle dorsiflexion SRT and CRT, ankle
      plantarflexion SRT and CRT, wrist extension SRT and CRT and the symbol digit
      modality test (SDMT). Anodal tDCS significantly improved response times from
      baseline for ankle CRT but not for ankle SRT or wrist SRT or CRT. A significant
      decrement (i.e., longer response time) was noted for the sham tDCS conditions.
      There was a significant difference between anodal and sham conditions for all RT
      tasks, suggesting that anodal tDCS improved RT compared to sham. No change in
      SDMT scores was observed for both conditions. Anodal tDCS appeared to
      differentially modulate ankle SRT and CRT, suggesting an influence of anodal tDCS
      on complex motor processes and/or the supplementary motor area. Absence of
      effects on wrist CRT or SDMT suggests a spatial specificity of the influence of
      tDCS. Anodal tDCS also appears to potentially negate the effects of fatigue or
      task switching that was detrimental to RT in the sham condition.

PMID- 26487180
TI  - Stability control during the performance of a simultaneous obstacle avoidance and
      auditory Stroop task.
AB  - Navigation through complex environments requires a greater degree of control and
      attentional resources from the central nervous system to ensure postural
      stability and efficient goal completion as compared to quiet standing or
      unobstructed walking. Furthermore, when a cognitive task is also performed in a
      dual-task scenario, additional resources may be required. The purpose of the
      current study was to examine the effects of performing a concurrent cognitive
      (auditory Stroop task) and complex locomotor task (with a stationary or dynamic
      obstacle) on frontal plane stability control quantified using a margin of
      stability (MOS) measure. Fourteen healthy young adults performed 40 dual-task
      trials (randomized in a balanced design for auditory Stroop congruency and
      obstacle movement). Results indicated that frontal plane MOS was greatest for the
      obstacle crossing step and was greater for the dynamic obstacle as compared to
      the stationary obstacle. Conversely, frontal plane MOS was the smallest for the
      pre-crossing step, indicating that this point in the obstacle stepping strategy
      may be the least stable. No effect of cognitive task difficulty was observed for
      any of the experimental conditions, providing support for a 'posture-first'
      strategy. These findings suggest that an increase in stability is prioritized for
      the obstacle crossing step, potentially at the expense of reduced stability in
      the step immediately preceding the obstacle. These results have implications for
      better understanding how the CNS controls stability at different events during
      the obstacle crossing strategy in a complex environment.

PMID- 26487181
TI  - Motor imagery-based skill acquisition disrupted following rTMS of the inferior
      parietal lobule.
AB  - Motor imagery (MI), the mental rehearsal of motor tasks, has promise as a therapy
      in post-stroke rehabilitation. The potential effectiveness of MI is attributed to
      the facilitation of plasticity in numerous brain regions akin to those recruited
      for physical practice. It is suggested, however, that MI relies more heavily on
      regions commonly affected post-stroke, including left hemisphere parietal regions
      involved in visuospatial processes. However, the impact of parietal damage on MI
      based skill acquisition that underlies rehabilitation remains unclear. Here, we
      examine the contribution of the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) to MI using
      inhibitory transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and an MI-based implicit
      sequence learning (ISL) paradigm. Participants (N = 27) completed the MI-based
      ISL paradigm after receiving continuous theta burst stimulation to the left IPL
      (TMS), or with the coil angled away from the scalp (sham). Reaction time
      differences (dRT) and effect sizes between implicit and random sequences assessed
      success of MI-based learning. Mean dRT for the sham group was 36.1 +/- 28.2 ms (d
      = 0.71). Mean dRT in the TMS group was 7.7 +/- 38.5 ms (d = 0.11). These results
      indicate that inhibition of the left IPL impaired MI-based learning. We conclude
      that the IPL and likely the visuospatial processes it mediates are critical for
      MI performance and thus MI-based skill acquisition or learning. Ultimately, these
      findings have implications for the use of MI in post-stroke rehabilitation.

PMID- 26487183
TI  - Patterns of Wnt signaling in the life cycle of Podocoryna carnea and its
      implications for medusae evolution in Hydrozoa (Cnidaria).
AB  - Hydrozoans are known for their complex life cycles, alternating between benthic,
      asexually reproducing polyps and pelagic, sexually reproducing medusae. Although
      patterning in hydrozoan polyps has been well studied, little is known about the
      signaling mechanisms governing medusa development. In order to investigate the
      role of Wnt signaling in medusa development, we use RNA-Seq data collected from
      three discrete life cycle stages of Podocoryna carnea to assemble, annotate, and
      assess enrichment and differential expression (DE) of Wnt pathway elements in P.
      carnea's transcriptome. Enrichment analyses revealed a statistically significant
      enrichment of DE Wnt signaling transcripts in the transcriptome of P. carnea, of
      which, the vast majority of these were significantly up-regulated in developing
      and adult medusae stages. Whole mount in situ hybridization (ISH) reveals co
      expression of the Wnt ligand, Wnt3, and a membrane bound Wnt receptor, frizzled3,
      at the distal and oral ends of the developmental axes of medusae and polyps in P.
      carnea. DE and ISH results presented here reveal expression of Wnt signaling
      components consistent with it playing a role in medusa development. Specifically,
      Wnt ligand expression in the oral region suggests that the Wnt pathway may play a
      role in medusa patterning, similar to that of polyps. Previous Wnt expression
      studies in hydrozoan taxa with reduced medusa have failed to detect co-expression
      of Wnt3 and a frizzled receptor at their truncated developmental axes, suggesting
      that down regulation of Wnt pathway elements may play a key role in the loss of
      the medusa life cycle stage in hydrozoan evolution. 

PMID- 26487182
TI  - Decreased face primary motor cortex (face-M1) excitability induced by noxious
      stimulation of the rat molar tooth pulp is dependent on the functional integrity
      of medullary astrocytes.
AB  - We have recently shown that application of the small-fiber excitant and
      inflammatory irritant mustard oil (MO) to the rat molar tooth pulp can decrease
      face-M1 excitability, but increase the excitability of trigeminal medullary
      dorsal horn (MDH) nociceptive neurons and that application of the astrocytic
      inhibitor methionine sulfoximine (MSO) to the face-M1 or MDH can attenuate the MO
      induced changes. The present study aimed to determine whether medullary MSO
      application could modulate the MO-induced decreased face-M1 excitability. Under
      ketamine general anesthesia, electromyographic (EMG) electrodes were implanted
      into the right anterior digastric (RAD, jaw-opening muscle) of adult male Sprague
      Dawley rats. A microelectrode was positioned at a low-threshold (<=30 MUA) site
      in the left face-M1. Then MO (n = 16) or control-solution (n = 16) was applied to
      the previously exposed molar tooth pulp, and intracortical microstimulation
      threshold intensities for evoking RAD EMG activities were monitored for 15 min.
      MSO (0.1 mM, n = 8) or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, n = 8) was then applied to
      the MDH and RAD thresholds monitored every 15 min for 120 min. Statistics used
      ANOVA followed by post hoc Bonferroni as appropriate (p < 0.05). As compared to
      baseline, RAD thresholds significantly increased (i.e., decreased excitability)
      within 1 min (26.3 +/- 7.9%, p = 0.007) and peaked at 15 min following pulpal MO
      application (49.9 +/- 5.7%, p < 0.001) but not following control-solution.
      Following MSO (but not PBS) application to the medulla, RAD thresholds
      significantly decreased within 15 min (26.5 +/- 3.0%, p = 0.05) and at 60 min
      approached 6.3 +/- 2.4%, of baseline values (p = 0.1). These novel findings
      suggest that clinically related motor disturbances arising from dental pain may
      involve decreased face-M1 excitability that is modulated by medullary astrocytes.

PMID- 26487184
TI  - Enhanced Expression of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 3 IIIc Promotes Human
      Esophageal Carcinoma Cell Proliferation.
AB  - Deregulated expression of fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) and their
      ligands plays critical roles in tumorigenesis. The gene expression of an
      alternatively spliced isoforms of FGFR3, FGFR3IIIc, was analyzed by RT-PCR in
      samples from patients with esophageal carcinoma (EC), including esophageal
      squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and adenocarcinoma (EAC). The incidence of
      FGFR3IIIc was higher in EC [12/16 (75%); p=0.073] than in non-cancerous mucosa
      (NCM) [6/16 (38%)]. Indeed, an immunohistochemical analysis of early-stage ESCC
      showed that carcinoma cells expressing FGFR3IIIc stained positively with SCC-112,
      a tumor marker, and Ki67, a cell proliferation marker, suggesting that the
      expression of FGFR3IIIc promotes cell proliferation. We used EC-GI-10 cells
      endogenously expressing FGFR3IIIc as a model of ESCC to provide mechanistic
      insight into the role of FGFR3IIIc in ESCC. The knockdown of endogenous FGFR3
      using siRNA treatment significantly abrogated cell proliferation and the
      overexpression of FGFR3IIIc in cells with enhanced cell proliferation. EC-GI-10
      cells and ESCC from patients with EC showed endogenous expression of FGF2, a
      specific ligand for FGFR3IIIc, suggesting that the upregulated expression of
      FGFR3IIIc may create autocrine FGF signaling in ESCC. Taken together, FGFR3IIIc
      may have the potential to be an early-stage tumor marker and a molecular target
      for ESCC therapy.

PMID- 26487187
TI  - Effect of Statin Therapy on Fibrous Cap Thickness in Coronary Plaques Using
      Optical Coherence Tomography: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the
      effect of statin therapy on coronary fibrous cap thickness (FCT) as assessed by
      optical coherence tomography (OCT) and the relationship between FCT and
      traditional coronary risk factors. BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence has shown that
      statin therapy results in a marked increase in coronary FCT. However, the
      relationship between this increase in FCT and the lipid profile has not been
      clearly elucidated. METHODS: A literature search of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane
      Library, and Web of Science up to March 17, 2015 was performed. Studies providing
      data on FCT using OCT at baseline and follow-up in patients receiving statin
      therapy were included. Weighted mean difference (WMD) with a random-effects model
      was used. RESULTS: Six OCT studies were included. The FCT in coronary plaques was
      significantly increased after statin therapy (WMD: 58.79 MUm, 95% CI 33.82-83.76
      MUm, P < 0.001). When compared with the placebo group, the increase in FCT was
      also greater in the statin group (WMD: 72.28 MUm, 95% CI 44.97-99.58 MUm, P <
      0.001). Meta regression analysis demonstrated no significant correlations between
      the increase in FTC and the changes in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels during follow-up.
      Similarly, there were no significant correlations between the increase in FCT and
      age, male gender, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Statin
      therapy induced a significant increase in coronary FCT evaluated by OCT. This
      increase in FCT was independent of traditional coronary risk factors including
      the lipid profile.

PMID- 26487185
TI  - Disaccharides Protect Antigens from Drying-Induced Damage in Routinely Processed
      Tissue Sections.
AB  - Drying of the tissue section, partial or total, during immunostaining negatively
      affects both the staining of tissue antigens and the ability to remove previously
      deposited antibody layers, particularly during sequential rounds of de-staining
      and re-staining for multiple antigens. The cause is a progressive loss of the
      protein-associated water up to the removal of the non-freezable water, a step
      which abolishes the immunoavailability of the epitope. In order to describe and
      prevent these adverse effects, we tested, among other substances, sugars, which
      are known to protect unicellular organisms from freezing and dehydration, and
      stabilize drugs and reagents in solid state form in medical devices.
      Disaccharides (lactose, sucrose) prevented the air drying-induced antigen masking
      and protected tissue-bound antigens and antibodies from air drying-induced
      damage. Complete removal of the bound antibody layers by chemical stripping was
      permitted if lactose was present during air drying. Lactose, sucrose and other
      disaccharides prevent air drying artifacts, allow homogeneous, consistent
      staining and the reuse of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections for
      repeated immunostaining rounds by guaranteeing constant staining quality in
      suboptimal hydration conditions.

PMID- 26487188
TI  - Expression of Mx Gene in Cirrhinus mrigala (Hamilton, 1822) to OmpC Protein of
      Aeromonas hydrophila and Bacterial Infection.
AB  - The aims of this study were to identify alternative myxovirus (Mx) stimulatory
      compounds in Cirrhinus mrigala and to characterize the kinetics and intensity of
      their stimulated responses by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Mx transcripts were
      measured in C. mrigala injected with Aeromonas OmpC (outer membrane protein) at a
      dose 0.4 mg/fish. At day 1, day 2, day 3, day 5, day 10, day 20 and day 30,
      samples were collected from kidney, spleen, liver, heart brain, gill, intestine
      and muscle for the study of Mx transcript and housekeeping gene beta-actin.
      Similarly, Mx gene expression was also studied in Aeromonas hydrophila-infected
      fish for a period of 10 days. Mx/beta-actin ratio was constitutively expressed
      from all the organs of OmpC-vaccinated fish. The expression was significantly
      highest (P <= 0.05) in spleen, followed by liver, kidney, intestine, gill, heart,
      muscle and brain. The expression was highest in day 2 except spleen (on day 3)
      and subsequently reduced up to day 30. Control fish also showed Mx expression.
      Similarly, A. hydrophila-infected fish showed Mx/beta-actin ratio upregulated
      significantly in the spleen and kidney on day 5, liver on day 2 and intestine on
      day 3. This study revealed that OmpC of A. hydrophila and its infection could
      stimulate the antiviral Mx gene of C. mrigala. 

PMID- 26487189
TI  - A Python tool to set up relative free energy calculations in GROMACS.
AB  - Free energy calculations based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have seen a
      tremendous growth in the last decade. However, it is still difficult and tedious
      to set them up in an automated manner, as the majority of the present-day MD
      simulation packages lack that functionality. Relative free energy calculations
      are a particular challenge for several reasons, including the problem of finding
      a common substructure and mapping the transformation to be applied. Here we
      present a tool, alchemical-setup.py, that automatically generates all the input
      files needed to perform relative solvation and binding free energy calculations
      with the MD package GROMACS. When combined with Lead Optimization Mapper (LOMAP;
      Liu et al. in J Comput Aided Mol Des 27(9):755-770, 2013), recently developed in
      our group, alchemical-setup.py allows fully automated setup of relative free
      energy calculations in GROMACS. Taking a graph of the planned calculations and a
      mapping, both computed by LOMAP, our tool generates the topology and coordinate
      files needed to perform relative free energy calculations for a given set of
      molecules, and provides a set of simulation input parameters. The tool was
      validated by performing relative hydration free energy calculations for a handful
      of molecules from the SAMPL4 challenge (Mobley et al. in J Comput Aided Mol Des
      28(4):135-150, 2014). Good agreement with previously published results and the
      straightforward way in which free energy calculations can be conducted make
      alchemical-setup.py a promising tool for automated setup of relative solvation
      and binding free energy calculations. 

PMID- 26487190
TI  - Ethnic Residential Segregation: A Multilevel, Multigroup, Multiscale Approach
      Exemplified by London in 2011.
AB  - We develop and apply a multilevel modeling approach that is simultaneously
      capable of assessing multigroup and multiscale segregation in the presence of
      substantial stochastic variation that accompanies ethnicity rates based on small
      absolute counts. Bayesian MCMC estimation of a log-normal Poisson model allows
      the calculation of the variance estimates of the degree of segregation in a
      single overall model, and credible intervals are obtained to provide a measure of
      uncertainty around those estimates. The procedure partitions the variance at
      different levels and implicitly models the dependency (or autocorrelation) at
      each spatial scale below the topmost one. Substantively, we apply the model to
      2011 census data for London, one of the world's most ethnically diverse cities.
      We find that the degree of segregation depends both on scale and group.

PMID- 26487191
TI  - Like Father, Like Son? Intergenerational Educational Mobility in India.
AB  - Using the nationally representative India Human Development Survey (IHDS), we
      create a unique son-father matched data set that is representative of the entire
      adult male population (aged 20-65) in India. We use these data to document the
      evolution of intergenerational transmission of educational attainment in India
      over time, among different castes and states for the birth cohorts of 1940-1985.
      We find that educational persistence, as measured by the regression coefficient
      of father's education as a predictor of son's education, has declined over time.
      This implies that increases in average educational attainment are driven
      primarily by increases among children of less-educated fathers. However, we do
      not find such a declining trend in the correlation between educational attainment
      of sons and fathers, which is another commonly used measure of persistence. To
      understand the source of such a discrepancy between the two measures of
      educational persistence, we decompose the intergenerational correlation and find
      that although persistence has declined at the lower end of the fathers'
      educational distribution, it has increased at the top end of that distribution.

PMID- 26487192
TI  - [Results of Cutler-Beard procedure for reconstruction of extensive full thickness
      upper eyelid defects following tumor resection].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Cutler-Beard bridge flap technique is an established method for
      reconstruction of large full thickness upper eyelid defects. The purpose of the
      present study was to report experiences with the surgical technique,
      complications and results of this cutaneoconjunctival flap procedure following
      tumor resection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 18 patients with extensive full
      thickness upper eyelid defects after tumor excision underwent a Cutler-Beard
      procedure. Of the patients four received an additional eye bank scleral implant
      and one received an additional free tarsal graft from the fellow upper eyelid to
      enhance eyelid stability. RESULTS: The Cutler-Beard bridge flap technique was
      surgically feasible in all patients without causing damage to the lower eyelid
      bridge or resulting in any infections. Out of the 13 reconstructions without
      additional stabilizing tissue 3 (23%) developed an upper eyelid entropion that
      was successfully managed using a secondary scleral implant. None of the five
      reconstructions using additional scleral or tarsal tissue showed an entropion of
      the upper eyelid. CONCLUSION: The Cutler-Beard bridge flap technique, which can
      be combined with grafting additional stabilization tissue in defects exceeding
      75% of the upper eyelid length, is a reliable method for reconstruction of large
      full thickness upper eyelid defects following tumor excision.

PMID- 26487193
TI  - One-to-one encapsulation based on alternating droplet generation.
AB  - This paper reports the preparation of encapsulated particles as models of cells
      using an alternating droplet generation encapsulation method in which the number
      of particles in a droplet is controlled by a microchannel to achieve one-to-one
      encapsulation. Using a microchannel in which wettability is treated locally, the
      fluorescent particles used as models of cells were successfully encapsulated in
      uniform water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsion droplets. Furthermore, 20% of the
      particle-containing droplets contained one particle. Additionally, when a
      surfactant with the appropriate properties was used, the fluorescent particles
      within each inner aqueous droplet were enclosed in the merged droplet by
      spontaneous droplet coalescence. This one-to-one encapsulation method based on
      alternating droplet generation could be used for a variety of applications, such
      as high-throughput single-cell assays, gene transfection into cells or one-to-one
      cell fusion. 

PMID- 26487194
TI  - Two-Dimensional Tin Disulfide Nanosheets for Enhanced Sodium Storage.
AB  - Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are considered as complementary alternatives to
      lithium-ion batteries for grid energy storage due to the abundance of sodium.
      However, low capacity, poor rate capability, and cycling stability of existing
      anodes significantly hinder the practical applications of SIBs. Herein, ultrathin
      two-dimensional SnS2 nanosheets (3-4 nm in thickness) are synthesized via a
      facile refluxing process toward enhanced sodium storage. The SnS2 nanosheets
      exhibit a high apparent diffusion coefficient of Na(+) and fast
      sodiation/desodiation reaction kinetics. In half-cells, the nanosheets deliver a
      high reversible capacity of 733 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 A g(-1), which still remains up
      to 435 mAh g(-1) at 2 A g(-1). The cell has a high capacity retention of 647 mA h
      g(-1) during the 50th cycle at 0.1 A g(-1), which is by far the best for SnS2,
      suggesting that nanosheet morphology is beneficial to improve cycling stability
      in addition to rate capability. The SnS2 nanosheets also show encouraging
      performance in a full cell with a Na3V2(PO4)3 cathode. In addition, the sodium
      storage mechanism is investigated by ex situ XRD coupled with high-resolution
      TEM. The high specific capacity, good rate capability, and cycling durability
      suggest that SnS2 nanosheets have great potential working as anodes for high
      performance SIBs. 

PMID- 26487195
TI  - Intraluminal lavage to remove exfoliated tumor cells after colorectal endoscopic
      submucosal dissection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) involves dissection of tumors
      and manipulation of them in an exposed condition for prolonged periods. A large
      number of tumor cells are exfoliated into the intestinal lumen after colorectal
      ESD. The aim of this study was to determine whether lavage volume has an
      influence on tumor cell clearance after colorectal ESD. METHODS: Twenty patients
      who underwent colorectal ESD at our hospital between July 2013 and December 2014
      were studied. Cytological examination of intraluminal lavage samples associated
      incremental increases in lavage volume was collected. This prospective study was
      approved by the ethics committee of our hospital. RESULTS: No patients had
      exfoliated tumor cells in their samples before ESD. Four patients (20 %) had
      exfoliated tumor cells in their samples after lavage with 500 ml, while one
      patient (5 %) had exfoliated tumor cells after lavage with 1000 or 1500 ml.
      CONCLUSION: Tumor cells are exfoliated into the intestinal lumen by tumor
      manipulation during colorectal ESD. There seems to be a risk for implantation
      after ESD, as well as rectal surgery. Sufficient intraluminal lavage of more than
      1000 ml may be desirable to remove exfoliated tumor cells after colorectal ESD.

PMID- 26487196
TI  - Comparison of open, laparoscopic, and robotic approaches for total abdominal
      colectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The utilization of minimally invasive surgery is increasing in
      colorectal surgery. We sought to compare the outcomes of patients who underwent
      elective open, laparoscopic, and robotic total abdominal colectomy. METHODS: The
      NIS database was used to examine the clinical data of patients who underwent an
      elective total colectomy procedure during 2009-2012. Multivariate regression
      analysis was performed to compare the three surgical approaches. RESULTS: We
      sampled a total of 26,721 patients who underwent elective total colectomy. Of
      these, 16,780 (62.8 %) had an open operation, while 9934 (37.2 %) had a minimally
      invasive approach (9614 laparoscopic surgery, and 326 robotic surgery). The most
      common indication for an operation was ulcerative colitis (31 %). Patients who
      underwent open surgery had significantly higher mortality and morbidity compared
      to laparoscopic (AOR 2.48, 1.30, P < 0.01) and robotic approaches (AOR 1.04,
      1.30, P < 0.01 and P = 0.04, respectively). There was no significant difference
      in mortality and morbidity between the laparoscopic and robotic approaches (AOR
      0.96, 1.03, P = 0.10, P = 0.78). However, conversion rate of laparoscopic surgery
      to open was significantly higher than that of robotic approach (13.3 vs. 1.5 %, P
      < 0.01). Patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery had significantly lower
      total hospital charges compared to patients who underwent open surgery (mean
      difference = $21,489, P < 0.01). Also, total hospital charges for a robotic
      approach were significantly higher than for a laparoscopic approach (mean
      difference = $15,595, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive approaches to
      total colectomy are safe, with the advantage of lower mortality and morbidity
      compared to an open approach. Although there was no significant difference in the
      morbidity between minimally invasive approaches, robotic surgery had a
      significantly lower conversion rate compared to laparoscopic approach. Total
      hospital charges are significantly higher in robotic surgery compared to
      laparoscopic approach.

PMID- 26487197
TI  - Prevention of esophageal stricture after endoscopic submucosal dissection: a
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of extensive superficial
      cancers of the esophagus may progress with high rates of postoperative stenosis,
      resulting in significantly decreased quality of life. Several therapies are
      performed to prevent this, but have not yet been compared in a systematic review.
      METHODS: A systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis were performed
      using the MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, LILACS, Scopus, and CINAHL databases.
      Clinical trials and observational studies were searched from March 2014 to
      February 2015. Search terms included: endoscopy, ESD, esophageal stenosis, and
      esophageal stricture. Three retrospective and four prospective (three randomized)
      cohort studies were selected and involved 249 patients with superficial
      esophageal neoplasia who underwent ESD, at least two-thirds of the circumference.
      We grouped trials comparing different techniques to prevent esophagus stenosis
      post-ESD. RESULTS: We conducted different meta-analyses on randomized clinical
      trials (RCT), non-RCT, and global analysis. In RCT (three studies, n = 85), the
      preventive therapy decreased the risk of stenosis (risk difference = -0.36, 95 %
      CI -0.55 to -0.18, P = 0.0001). Two studies (one randomized and one non
      randomized, n = 55) showed that preventative therapy lowered the average number
      of endoscopy dilatations (mean difference = -8.57, 95 % CI -13.88 to -3.25, P <
      0.002). There were no significant differences in the three RCT studies (n = 85)
      in complication rates between patients with preventative therapy and those
      without (risk difference = 0.02, 95 % CI -0.09 to 0.14, P = 0.68). CONCLUSIONS:
      The use of preventive therapy after extensive ESD of the esophagus reduces the
      risk of stenosis and the number of endoscopic dilatations for resolution of
      stenosis without increasing the number of complications.

PMID- 26487198
TI  - Metabolic consequences of the incorporation of a Roux limb in an omega loop
      (mini) gastric bypass: evaluation by a glucose tolerance test at mid-term follow
      up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the technique used in our department, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
      (RYGB) anatomically only differs from the mini- or omega loop gastric bypass
      (OLGB) by the incorporation of an isolated alimentary limb, called the Roux limb.
      The metabolic consequences of the incorporation of a Roux limb are unknown.
      OBJECTIVES: To evaluate differences in glucose and insulin dynamics between RYGB
      and OLGB in normoglycemic patients, by submitting them to a glucose challenge
      after stabilization of their weight. METHODS: Nondiabetic patients who had
      undergone OLGB 4 years earlier were matched with nondiabetic patients who had
      undergone RYGB around the same time and with healthy controls. Participants
      underwent oral (OGTT) and intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT). Endpoints
      of the study were: progression of plasma glucose and insulin, changes in their
      concentration [calculated by area under the curve (AUC)] at OGTT and IVGTT,
      incretin effect and incidence of hypoglycemia. RESULTS: Each of the three groups
      comprised 14 participants. At OGTT, plasma glucose and insulin incremental values
      were comparable after OLGB and RYGB, and substantially higher than in controls.
      Overall glucose concentration, however, did not vary across the three groups.
      Thirty-minute and overall insulin plasma concentration, indicators of early and
      total insulin secretion, respectively, was significantly higher in both bypass
      groups than in controls, and was greatest in OLGB. Severe hypoglycemia occurred
      in one out of two patients in both bypass groups. At IVGTT, no differences were
      registered across the three groups and no participant experienced hypoglycemia.
      The incretin effect was higher after OLGB than after RYGB, but the difference was
      not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The incorporation of a Roux limb in a
      loop gastric bypass appears to create a statistically nonsignificant tendency
      toward reducing insulin hypersecretion observed at OGTT after OLGB, and
      consequently toward tapering the incretin effect.

PMID- 26487199
TI  - Endoscopic hemostasis for peptic ulcer bleeding: systematic review and meta
      analyses of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peptic ulcer represents the most common cause of upper
      gastrointestinal bleeding. Endoscopic therapy can reduce the risks of rebleeding,
      continued bleeding, need for surgery, and mortality. The objective of this review
      is to compare the different modalities of endoscopic therapy. METHODS: Studies
      were identified by searching electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane,
      LILACS, DARE, and CINAHL. We selected randomized clinical trials that assessed
      contemporary endoscopic hemostatic techniques. The outcomes evaluated were:
      initial hemostasis, rebleeding rate, need for surgery, and mortality. The
      possibility of publication bias was evaluated by funnel plots. An additional
      analysis was made, including only the higher-quality trials. RESULTS: Twenty
      eight trials involving 2988 patients were evaluated. Injection therapy alone was
      inferior to injection therapy with hemoclip and with thermal coagulation when
      evaluating rebleeding and the need for emergency surgery. Hemoclip was superior
      to injection therapy in terms of rebleeding; there were no statistically
      significant differences between hemoclip alone and hemoclip with injection
      therapy. There was considerable heterogeneity in the comparisons between hemoclip
      and thermal coagulation. There were no statistically significant differences
      between thermal coagulation and injection therapy, though their combination was
      superior, in terms of rebleeding, to thermal coagulation alone. CONCLUSIONS:
      Injection therapy should not be used alone. Hemoclip is superior to injection
      therapy, and combining hemoclip with an injectate does not improve hemostatic
      efficacy above hemoclip alone. Thermal coagulation has similar efficacy as
      injection therapy; combining these appears to be superior to thermal coagulation
      alone. Therefore, we recommend the application of hemoclips or the combined use
      of injection therapy with thermal coagulation for the treatment of peptic ulcer
      bleeding.

PMID- 26487200
TI  - Electrical stimulation therapy of the lower esophageal sphincter is successful in
      treating GERD: long-term 3-year results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Electrical stimulation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) has
      been shown to improve outcomes in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease
      (GERD) at 2 years. The aim of the study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy
      of LES stimulation in the same cohort at 3 years. METHODS: GERD patients with
      partial response to PPI, with % 24-h esophageal pH < 4.0 for >5 %, with hiatal
      hernia <3 cm and with esophagitis <=LA grade C were treated with LES stimulation
      in an open-label 2-year trial. All patients were on fixed stimulation parameter
      of 20 Hz, 220 MUs, 5 mA delivered in twelve, 30-min sessions. After completing
      the 2-year open-label study, they were offered enrollment into a multicenter
      registry trial and were evaluated using GERD-HRQL, symptom diaries and pH testing
      at their 3-year follow-up. RESULTS: Fifteen patients completed their 3-year
      evaluation [mean (SD) age = 56.1 (9.7) years; men = 8] on LES stimulation. At 3
      years, there was a significant improvement in their median (IQR) GERD-HRQL on
      electrical stimulation compared to both their on PPI [9 (6-10) vs. 1 (0-2), p =
      0.001] and off PPI [22 (21-24) vs. 1 (0-2), p < 0.001]. Median 24-h distal
      esophageal acid exposure was significantly reduced from [10.3 (7.5-11.6) % at
      baseline vs. 3 (1.9-4.5) %, p < 0.001] at 3 years. Seventy-three % (11/15)
      patients had normalized their distal esophageal acid exposure at 3 years.
      Remaining four patients had improved their distal esophageal acid exposure by 39
      48 % from baseline. All but four patients reported cessation of regular PPI use
      (>50 % of days with PPI use); three had normal esophageal pH at 3 years. There
      were no unanticipated device- or stimulation-related adverse events or untoward
      sensation reported during the 2- to 3-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: LES-EST is safe
      and effective for treating patients with GERD over long-term, 3-year duration.
      There was a significant and sustained improvement in esophageal acid exposure and
      reduction in GERD symptoms and PPI use. Further, no new GI side effects or
      adverse events were reported.

PMID- 26487201
TI  - Endolumenal colon occlusion reduces peritoneal contamination during a transrectal
      NOTES procedure: a controlled porcine survival study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To enable an efficient and enduring decontamination of the rectal
      mucosa during transanal endosocopic procedures, we developed a device for
      reversible endolumenal colon occlusion (ColoShield). The aim of this study was to
      assess the value of ColoShield in reducing peritoneal contamination during a
      transrectal procedure. METHODS: Sixteen pigs underwent transrectal hybrid NOTES
      cholecystectomy after standardized disinfective rectal washout either with
      endolumenal colon occlusion using ColoShield (N = 8) or without colon occlusion
      (N = 8). Rectal swab samples were taken before and after rectal washout and at
      the end of the procedure. Peritoneal biopsies for microbiological evaluation were
      obtained at the end of the procedure and at necropsy 7 days after surgery.
      RESULTS: Peritoneal contamination at the end of surgery was significantly lower
      using ColoShield compared to not using colon occlusion [13 (1/8) vs. 75 % (6/8);
      P = 0.012]. No significant differences were found regarding contamination of
      rectal swabs and peritoneal contamination at necropsy. CONCLUSION: The
      application of ColoShield may increase the safety of transrectal NOTES and
      transanal endoscopic procedures by reducing peritoneal contamination and
      consecutive infectious complications.

PMID- 26487202
TI  - Robotic-assisted outcomes are not tied to surgeon volume and experience.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There are little data regarding whether hospital and surgeon
      factors affect outcomes following robotic-assisted surgery (RAS). The purpose of
      this study was to investigate whether any such factor was associated with
      hospital length of stay (HLOS) and complications following common RAS procedures
      in the State of New York. METHODS: Following IRB approval, The New York Statewide
      Planning and Research Cooperative System administrative dataset was used to
      identify eight common RAS procedures through ICD-9 codes: cholecystectomy,
      colectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, esophageal
      fundoplication, pancreatectomy, splenectomy, and gastrectomy between 2008 and
      2012. Physician factors evaluated included time since graduation, fellowship
      status, and number of procedures performed; hospital-level factors included urban
      versus rural setting, teaching status, hospital size, and the presence of a
      fellowship. All these factors were further evaluated in multivariable regression
      models to evaluate for effect on overall complication and HLOS after adjusting
      for covariates such as patients' characteristics and comorbidities. RESULTS:
      There were 1670 patients who underwent RAS with average HLOS of 4.433 days and
      overall complication rate of 18.8 %. Univariate analysis showed that patients of
      physicians having fellowship training tended to have higher rate of complication
      22.82 versus 13.49 % (P = 0.0055), but these were also sicker patients. In
      addition, physicians with higher number of procedures had lower complications (P
      = 0.0138). However, these two factors were not significant after controlling for
      other covariates. Neither physician- nor hospital-related factors were
      significantly related to HLOS with or without adjusting for other covariates.
      CONCLUSIONS: Robotic assistance may eliminate the differences between hospitals
      and physicians.

PMID- 26487203
TI  - The learning curve of laparoscopic liver resection after the Louisville statement
      2008: Will it be more effective and smooth?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) has been proven to be feasible and
      safe. However, it is a difficult and complex procedure with a steep learning
      curve. The aim of this study was to evaluate the learning curve of LLR at our
      institutions since 2008. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-six consecutive LLRs
      were included from May 2008 to December 2014. Patient characteristics, operative
      data, and surgical outcomes were collected prospectively and analyzed. RESULTS:
      The median tumor size was 25 mm (range 5-90 mm), and 96 % of the resected tumors
      were malignant. 41.3 % (52/126) of patients had pathologically proven liver
      cirrhosis. The median operation time was 216 min (range 40-602 min) with a median
      blood loss of 100 ml (range 20-2300 ml). The median length of hospital stay was 4
      days (range 2-10 days). Six major postoperative complications occurred in this
      series, and there was no 90-day postoperative mortality. Regarding the incidence
      of major operative events including operation time longer than 300 min,
      perioperative blood loss above 500 ml, and major postoperative complications, the
      learning curve [as evaluated by the cumulative sum (CUSUM) technique] showed its
      first reverse after 22 cases. The indication of laparoscopic resection in this
      series extended after 60 cases to include tumors located in difficult locations
      (segments 4a, 7, 8) and major hepatectomy. CUSUM showed that the incidence of
      major operative events proceeded to increase again, and the second reverse was
      noted after an additional 40 cases of experience. Location of the tumor in a
      difficult area emerged as a significant predictor of major operative events.
      CONCLUSIONS: In carefully selected patients, CUSUM analysis showed 22 cases were
      needed to overcome the learning curve for minor LLR.

PMID- 26487204
TI  - The role of tumor size in surgical decision making after endoscopic resection for
      early gastric cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoscopic resection (ER) is curative treatment option for early
      gastric cancer (EGC). Additional surgery is required when the tumor pathology is
      beyond ER indication. It is unclear whether tumor size can be correlated with
      indications for surgery after ER. Therefore, we aimed to access the role of tumor
      size for surgical decision making after ER. METHODS: We reviewed
      clinicopathological data from 3246 patients underwent gastrectomy for EGC. The
      patients were classified into three groups as follows: the ulcer-negative
      intramucosal cancer with undifferentiated histology, ulcerative intramucosal
      cancer with differentiated histology, and minute submucosal (SM1) cancer with
      differentiated histology. The probability of additional surgery after ER was
      defined as at least one positive result for lymph node metastasis, lymphovascular
      invasion or perineural invasion. The probability was compared between individual
      tumor size and ER size criteria in each group using area under receiver operating
      characteristic curves. RESULTS: The probabilities of ulcer-negative intramucosal
      cancer with undifferentiated histology, SM1 cancer with differentiated histology
      and ulcerative intramucosal cancer with differentiated histology were 4.2, 22.1
      and 2.5 %. In the ulcerative intramucosal cancer with differentiated histology
      group, these probabilities increased when the difference in tumor size was >1 mm
      compared with ER size criteria. The probability was not increased when there was
      a >10-mm tumor size difference compared with ER size criteria in the other two
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor size was correlated with ER criteria in patients with
      ulcerative intramucosal cancer with differentiated histology after ER but was not
      strictly correlated with ER criteria in the other two patient groups. However,
      further study may be necessary to validate our results in the future.

PMID- 26487205
TI  - Where are my instruments? Hazards in delivery of surgical instruments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unavailability of instruments is recognised to cause delays and
      stress in the operating room, which can lead to additional risks for the
      patients. The aim was to provide an overview of the hazards in the entire
      delivery process of surgical instruments and to provide insight into how
      Information Technology (IT) could support this process in terms of information
      availability and exchange. METHODS: The process of delivery was described
      according to the Healthcare Failure Mode and Effects Analysis methodology for two
      hospitals. The different means of information exchange and availability were
      listed. Then, hazards were identified and further analysed for each step of the
      process. RESULTS: For the first hospital, 172 hazards were identified, and 23 of
      hazards were classified as high risk. Only one hazard was considered as
      'controlled' (when actions were taken to remove the hazard later in the process).
      Twenty-two hazards were 'tolerated' (when no actions were taken, and it was
      therefore accepted that adverse events may occur). For the second hospital, 158
      hazards were identified, and 49 of hazards were classified as high risk. Eight
      hazards were 'controlled' and 41 were 'tolerated'. The means for information
      exchange and information systems were numerous for both cases, while there was
      not one system that provided an overview of all relevant information.
      CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the high-risk hazards are expected to be controlled
      by the use of IT support. Centralised information and information availability
      for different parties reduce risks related to unavailability of instruments in
      the operating room.

PMID- 26487206
TI  - Discordant findings between preoperative endoscopy and postoperative pathology as
      an independent prognostic factor in gastric cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoscopically diagnosed early gastric cancers (EGCs) are sometimes
      revealed to be advanced gastric cancers (AGCs) on pathologic examination of the
      resected specimen, and also endoscopically diagnosed AGCs are often determined to
      be EGCs. This study was designed to determine the impact on prognosis of the
      discordant finding between preoperative endoscopy and postoperative pathology in
      gastric cancer patients. METHODS: Patients with gastric cancer stages pT1a-T4a
      who underwent curative gastrectomy between 2004 and 2010 were included in the
      study. The preoperative endoscopic findings and clinicopathologic features were
      analyzed. The prognostic impact on recurrence-free survival of discordance
      between endoscopic and pathologic examinations was analyzed using multivariate
      analysis. RESULTS: Among 367 patients diagnosed with EGC on preoperative
      endoscopy, 40 (11 %) had AGC on final pathologic examination; this was more
      common in female patients, upper one-third location of the cancer, poorly
      differentiated tumor, combined gross type (elevated and depressed),
      lymphovascular invasion and lymph node metastasis. Among 350 patients diagnosed
      with AGC on preoperative endoscopy, 66 (19 %) had EGC pathologically; this was
      more frequent in patients with tumor in the lower and/or middle third of the
      stomach, differentiated tumor, Borrmann type 1 and absence of lymph node
      metastasis. The endoscopic appearance of AGC was identified as a poor prognostic
      factor related to recurrence-free survival in patients with EGC, whereas
      discordance did not influence recurrence-free survival in patients with AGC.
      CONCLUSIONS: Discordant preoperative endoscopic appearance may be an indicator of
      biologic aggressiveness and a reliable prognostic factor in EGC, but not in AGC.

PMID- 26487207
TI  - Novel laparoscopic narrow band imaging for real-time detection of bile leak
      during hepatectomy: proof of the concept in a porcine model.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Bile leakage is a serious complication occurring in up to 10 % of
      hepatic resections. Intraoperative detection of bile leakage is challenging, and
      concomitant blood oozing can mask the presence of bile. Intraductal dye injection
      [methylene blue or indocyanine green (ICG)] is a validated technique to detect
      bile leakage. However, this method is time-consuming, particularly in the
      laparoscopic setting. A novel narrow band imaging (NBI) modality (SPECTRA-A; Karl
      Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany) allows easy discrimination of the presence of bile,
      which appears in clear orange, by image processing. The aim of this experimental
      study was to evaluate SPECTRA-A ability to detect bile leakage. METHODS: Twelve
      laparoscopic partial hepatectomies were performed in seven pigs. The common bile
      duct was clipped distally and dissected, and a catheter was inserted and secured
      with a suture or a clip. Liver dissection was achieved with an ultrasonic cutting
      device. Dissection surfaces were checked by frequently switching on the SPECTRA
      filter to identify the presence of bile leakage. Intraductal ICG injection
      through the catheter was performed to confirm SPECTRA findings. RESULTS: Three
      active bile leakages were obtained out of 12 hepatectomies and successfully
      detected intraoperatively by the SPECTRA. There was complete concordance between
      NBI and ICG fluorescence detection. No active leaks were found in the remaining
      cases with both techniques. The leaking area identified was sutured, and SPECTRA
      was used to assess the success of the repair. CONCLUSIONS: The SPECTRA
      laparoscopic image processing system allows for rapid detection of bile leaks
      following hepatectomy without any contrast injection.

PMID- 26487208
TI  - Efficacy of endoscopic submucosal dissection with dental floss clip traction for
      gastric epithelial neoplasia: a pilot study (with video).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Providing appropriate tension to the lesion and securing a stable
      view of the submucosal layer is important for accomplishing successful endoscopic
      submucosal dissection (ESD) in gastric cancer. Dental floss clip traction (DFC),
      a new traction method, is proposed to reduce the difficulty of ESD. The objective
      of this pilot study was to investigate the efficacy of DFC for gastric ESD.
      METHODS: From August to November 2014, a total of 95 patients with 104 gastric
      epithelial neoplasms underwent DFC-ESD (DFC group). Historical controls treated
      by conventional ESD (control group) were individually matched to cases at a 1:1
      ratio by lesion location, ulcer findings, resected specimen size, and the
      proficiency of the operator (trainee/expert). The outcomes of the procedure in
      the two groups were then compared. RESULTS: The mean +/- SD procedure time was 43
      +/- 24 min in the DFC group and 52 +/- 30 min in the control group (P < 0.01).
      Fewer lesions in the DFC group needed >80 min compared with the control group (3
      vs-16 cases, P = 0.01). There were no significant differences in adverse events
      between the groups. Perforation and delayed bleeding occurred in one and four
      lesions, respectively, in the DFC group, and three and nine in the control group.
      En bloc resection was achieved in all cases. No significant differences were
      found regarding curability of ESD between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: DFC
      effectively reduced ESD procedure time without increasing adverse events. DFC is
      helpful for rapid, safe ESD.

PMID- 26487209
TI  - Indocyanine green-enhanced fluorescence to assess bowel perfusion during
      laparoscopic colorectal resection.
AB  - AIMS: Anastomotic leakage after colorectal surgery is a severe complication. One
      possible cause of anastomotic leakage is insufficient vascular supply. The aim of
      this study was to evaluate the feasibility and the usefulness of intraoperative
      assessment of vascular anastomotic perfusion in colorectal surgery using
      indocyanine green (ICG)-enhanced fluorescence. METHODS: Between May 2013 and
      October 2014, all anastomosis and resection margins in colorectal surgery were
      investigated using fluorescence angiography (KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG,
      Tuttlingen, Germany) intraoperatively to assess colonic perfusion prior to and
      after completion of the anastomosis, both in right and left colectomies. RESULTS:
      A total of 107 patients undergoing colorectal laparoscopic resections were
      enrolled: 40 right colectomies, 10 splenic flexure segmental resections, 35 left
      colectomies, and 22 anterior resections. In 90 % of cases, the indication for
      surgery was cancer and high ligation of vessels was performed. Based on the
      fluorescence intensity, the surgical team judged the distal part of the proximal
      bowel to be anastomosed insufficiently perfused in 4/107 patients (two anterior,
      one sigmoid and one segmental splenic flexure resections for cancer), and
      consequently, further proximal "re-resection" up to a "fluorescent" portion was
      performed. None of these patients had a clinical leak. The overall morbidity rate
      was 30 %; one patient undergoing right colectomy had an anastomotic leakage,
      apparently unrelated to ischemia; there were no clinical evident anastomotic
      leakages in colorectal resections including all low anterior resections.
      CONCLUSIONS: ICG-enhanced fluorescent angiography provides useful intraoperative
      information about the vascular perfusion during colorectal surgery and may lead
      to change the site of resection and/or anastomosis, possibly affecting the
      anastomotic leak rate. Larger further randomized prospective trials are needed to
      validate this new technique.

PMID- 26487210
TI  - Examining variation in cost based on surgeon choices for elective laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the standard of care for
      treatment of benign biliary disease. Declining reimbursements and increasing
      medical costs require physicians to examine closely their choices for equipment
      to decrease overall costs, particularly looking at key steps of cholecystectomy.
      The objective of this study was to examine variations between surgeons in
      equipment and operating room costs for elective LC. METHODS: Elective LC
      performed at IUH West Hospital in 2013 was analyzed. Patient demographics,
      preoperative diagnosis, operative time, surgical equipment, and resident
      participation were tracked. Exclusion criteria included acute cholecystitis and
      cases with additional procedures. Electronic medical records for clinical data
      and administrative records for reimbursement data were reviewed. Total supply
      costs and disposable costs for key portions of the LC were analyzed.
      Reimbursements were obtained from all payers for LC. RESULTS: All LC were
      examined (n = 362) and 272 met inclusion criteria. Demographics and pathology
      were similar between surgeons. Operative time varied significantly (range 53-98
      min) with the lowest cost surgeon taking the longest overall time. Times were
      significantly affected by resident participation. The total morbidity was 4 %,
      with no mortalities. Total supply costs by surgeon ranged from $412-$924. The
      most costeffective technique included the use of plastic locking clips and hook
      electrocautery. Hospital and surgeon reimbursements were $336-$11,554 and $669
      $1500 respectively. CONCLUSION: This study highlights effects of surgeon choice
      as it relates to variable costs for surgical technique during elective LC without
      compromising safety. With healthcare reform emphasizing reduced healthcare
      expenditures, it is vital for surgeons to identify areas of unnecessary cost.
      Operating room time also contributes to cost, thus surgeons should implement
      techniques to complete procedures in a safe yet efficient fashion. Transparency
      by surgeons can lead to data that may support standardization of technique across
      a healthcare system to lower total supply costs.

PMID- 26487211
TI  - Laparoscopic versus open enucleation for pancreatic neoplasms: clinical outcomes
      and pancreatic function analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The studies comparing laparoscopic enucleation (LE) with open
      enucleation (OE) are limited. This study aimed to compare perioperative outcomes
      of patients undergoing LE and OE and to assess the pancreatic function after LE.
      METHODS: Between February 2001 and July 2014, patients who underwent enucleation
      were reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups as LE and OE. Data
      considered for comparison analysis were patient demographics, intraoperative
      variables, morbidity, postoperative hospital stay, mortality, pathologic
      findings, and long-term follow-up (including pancreatic function). RESULTS:
      Thirty-seven patients (15 LE and 22 OE) were included in the final analysis.
      Baseline characteristics were similar in the two groups. LE group showed
      significantly shorter operating time (118.2 +/- 33.1 vs. 155.2 +/- 44.3 min, p =
      0.009), lower estimated blood loss (80.0 +/- 71.2 vs. 195.5 +/- 103.4 ml, p =
      0.001), shorter first flatus time (1.8 +/- 1.0 vs. 3.4 +/- 1.8 days, p = 0.004),
      shorter diet start time (2.4 +/- 1.0 vs. 4.4 +/- 2.0 days, p = 0.001), shorter
      postoperative hospital stay (7.9 +/- 3.4 vs. 11.2 +/- 5.7 days, p = 0.046).
      Postoperative outcomes, including morbidity (40.0 vs. 45.5 %, p = 1.000), grade
      B/C pancreatic fistula rates (20.0 vs. 13.6 %, p = 0.874), and mortality, were
      similar in the two groups. The median follow-up period was 47 months (range 7-163
      months). No local recurrence or distant metastasis was detected in either group.
      Only one patient (4.8 %) underwent OE developed new-onset diabetes, in comparison
      with none in the LE group. One patient (7.1 %) had weight loss and received
      pancreatic enzyme supplementation in the LE group, in comparison with two
      patients (9.5 %) in the OE group. CONCLUSIONS: LE is a safe and feasible
      technique for the benign or low malignant-potential pancreatic neoplasms.
      Compared to OE, LE had shorter operating time, lower estimated blood loss, and
      faster recovery. LE could preserve the pancreatic function as the OE.

PMID- 26487212
TI  - Predictive factors for successful ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage in
      necrotizing pancreatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) is now regarded as an initial
      minimal access technique of step-up approach for necrotizing pancreatitis.
      Factors that led to surgical intervention after initial management with PCD have
      rarely been reported. This study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of
      ultrasound-guided PCD in patients with necrotizing pancreatitis and identify a
      subgroup of patients where PCD alone would be effective. METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective review of patients with necrotizing pancreatitis who underwent
      intervention in West China Hospital from January 1, 2009, to March 31, 2013.
      RESULTS: Patients who underwent initial PCD therapy had lower intra-abdominal
      bleeding rate (41/235 vs. 1/51, P = 0.002), lower enterocutaneous fistula rate
      (28/235 vs. 0/51, P = 0.004), and lower mortality rate (46/235 vs. 3/51, P =
      0.001) when compared with the patients who underwent operative intervention. The
      successful PCD group had lower computed tomography (CT) mean density of necrotic
      fluid collection (18 HU vs. 25 HU, P = 0.01) and higher prevalence of walled-off
      necrosis (20/35 vs. 5/16, P = 0.04) when compared with failed PCD group.
      Multivariate analysis of the predictors of surgery showed that only CT mean
      density of necrotic fluid collection [odd ratio (OR) 1.63, 95 % confidence
      interval (CI) 1.04-2.94, P = 0.006] was identified as significant factor.
      CONCLUSION: CT mean density of necrotic fluid collection and the existence of
      acute necrotic collection could influence the success rate of PCD.

PMID- 26487213
TI  - Evaluation of the need for routine esophagram after peroral endoscopic myotomy
      (POEM).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a novel surgical option for the
      treatment of achalasia. Most centers perform a routine esophagram on
      postoperative day (POD) #1 to rule esophageal perforation and leaks. In this
      study, we sought to determine the clinical utility of routine contrast studies
      post-POEM. METHODS: POEM was performed using an anterior submucosal tunnel and
      selective myotomy of the circular muscle layer. A routine contrast esophagram was
      obtained on POD #1. We conducted a retrospective review of the radiologists'
      interpretations of these studies and compared them to patient's clinical course.
      RESULTS: Seventy-eight patients were included. Among these, two complications
      occurred. One patient was non-compliant with postoperative nil per os orders and
      developed epigastric pain suspicious for a leak that was demonstrated on
      esophagram. Another patient had subcutaneous emphysema on POD #1 esophagram, a
      finding that was also present on physical examination, without esophageal
      leakage. Another esophagram in an asymptomatic patient was suspicious for
      submucosal tunnel hematoma which prompted a return to the operating room with
      negative results. Overall, 56 patients had abnormal studies. POD #1 esophagram
      demonstrated a sensitivity of 100 % and specificity of 45 % in identifying
      clinically significant complications. CONCLUSIONS: In this series, we found
      routine esophagram to have a high sensitivity but a very low specificity in
      detecting clinically significant complications. Routine esophagram after POEM may
      not be necessary.

PMID- 26487214
TI  - A scoring system to predict the risk of organ/space surgical site infections
      after laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer based on a large-scale
      retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A scoring system allows risk stratification of morbidity might be
      helpful for selecting risk-adapted interventions to improve surgical safety. Few
      studies have been designed to develop scoring systems to predict SSIs after
      laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer. METHODS: We analyzed the records of
      2364 patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer. A
      logistic regression model was used to identify the determinant variables and
      develop a predictive score. RESULTS: There were 2364 patients, of whom 131 (5.5
      %) developed overall SSIs, 33 (1.4 %) developed incisional SSIs, and 98 (4.1 %)
      developed organ/space SSIs. No significant risk factor was associated with
      incisional SSIs. A multivariate analysis showed the following adverse risk
      factors for organ/space SSIs: BMI >= 25 kg/m(2), intraoperative blood loss >=75
      ml, operation time >=240 min, and perioperative transfusion. Each of these
      factors contributed 1 point to the risk score. The organ/space SSIs rates were
      1.8, 3.9, 9.9, and 39.0 % for the low-, intermediate-, high-, and extremely high
      risk categories, respectively (p < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve for the score of organ/space SSIs was 0.734. There were no
      statistically significant differences between the observed and predicted
      incidence rates for organ/space SSIs in the validation set. CONCLUSIONS: This
      validated and simple scoring system could accurately predict the risk of
      organ/space SSIs after laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer. The score
      might be helpful in the selection of risk-adapted interventions to decrease the
      incidence rates of organ/space SSIs.

PMID- 26487217
TI  - Laparoscopic translevator approach to abdominoperineal resection for rectal
      adenocarcinoma: feasibility and short-term oncologic outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The extra-levator approach to abdominal perineal resection (APR) was
      developed in order to reduce the rates of positive circumferential resection
      margin. This approach, however, is associated with significant morbidity. We
      postulate that a less radical resection of the levators done laparoscopically
      could significantly decrease the rate of perineal complications while ensuring an
      oncologically adequate specimen. To date, to our knowledge, there are no reports
      in the literature describing a laparoscopic translevator approach for APR. The
      purpose of this study is to describe our initial experience with this approach
      and assess our short-term oncologic and clinical outcomes. METHODS: This is a
      retrospective study of patients who underwent laparoscopic APR with intra
      abdominal levator transection for rectal cancer from 2012 to 2014 at a single
      tertiary care institution. Main outcome measures include: perineal flap rates,
      post-operative complications, length of stay, distance from tumour to
      circumferential resection margin, R0 status, and disease recurrence. Data are
      presented as median (interquartile range) unless otherwise noted. RESULTS:
      Seventeen cases were identified. Patient age was 61 (range 34-75), and 59 % were
      male. Pre-operative distance of the tumour from the anal verge was 2.6 cm (0.4
      3.9). Post-operative length of stay was 4 (4-6) days. One patient required a
      perineal flap for reconstruction. Four patients (22 %) had perineal complications
      (three wound infections and one hernia). No patients reported sexual dysfunction,
      and one (5 %) developed urinary retention. Five (29 %) patients had a complete
      pathological response. The circumferential resection margin was 1.5 (0.8-2.5) cm,
      with no positive margins reported. The number of retrieved lymph nodes was 12
      (range 2-30). Follow-up was 9.7 months (range 20 days-23 months), during which
      one patient developed recurrent disease. CONCLUSIONS: This study describes a
      novel surgical approach to APR that has the potential to both decrease perineal
      complications and provide excellent oncologic results.

PMID- 26487215
TI  - Expanding indications and regional diversity in laparoscopic liver resection
      unveiled by the International Survey on Technical Aspects of Laparoscopic Liver
      Resection (INSTALL) study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) has undergone widespread
      dissemination after the first international consensus conference in 2008, and
      specialized centers continue to report remarkable achievements. However, little
      is known about the global adoption of LLR. This study aimed to illuminate
      geographical variances in the indications and technical aspects of LLR and to
      delineate the evolution of this approach worldwide. METHODS: In advance of the
      Second International Consensus Conference in Morioka, Japan, a web-based,
      anonymous questionnaire comprising 46 questions, named the International Survey
      on Technical Aspects of Laparoscopic Liver Resection study, was sent via e-mail
      to the members of regional and International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association
      offices. The results of the 13 questions concerning the global diffusion of LLR
      have been reported previously. Responses to the remaining 33 questions that
      corresponded to indications and surgical techniques used in LLR were collected
      and analyzed. RESULTS: Survey responses were received from 412 LLR surgeons in 42
      countries on five continents. The majority of surgeons in North America had no
      restrictions on the maximum size or number of tumors to be resected
      laparoscopically. Likewise, >50 % of surgeons in East Asia and North America
      performed LLR for the postero-superior 'difficult' segments. Major resection was
      performed in 40 to >60 % of centers in North America, Europe, and East Asia.
      Donor hepatectomy was performed only in specialized centers. More than 75 % of
      respondents had adopted a pure laparoscopic approach. A flexible laparoscope was
      most commonly used in East Asia. Most surgeons used pneumoperitoneal pressure at
      around 9-16 mmHg. Other techniques and devices were used at the discretion of
      each surgeon. CONCLUSIONS: Indications for LLR continue to expand with some
      regional diversity. Surgical approaches and devices used in LLR are a matter of
      preference and availability, as in open liver resection.

PMID- 26487216
TI  - Comparison of single-stapling and hemi-double-stapling methods for intracorporeal
      esophagojejunostomy using a circular stapler after totally laparoscopic total
      gastrectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic total gastrectomy is not widely performed because of the
      difficulty of esophagojejunal reconstruction. This study analyzed complication
      rates of two different methods for reconstruction by a circular stapler after
      totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy (TLTG). METHODS: Between 2010 and 2014,
      clinical data of 19 patients who underwent TLTG for gastric adenocarcinoma were
      collected retrospectively. There were two methods to fix the anvil of a circular
      stapler into the distal esophagus: In the single-stapling technique (SST) group,
      Endo-PSI(II) was used for purse-suturing on the distal esophagus for
      reconstruction, and in the hemi-double-stapling technique (hemi-DST) group, the
      esophagus was cut by linear stapler with the entry hole of the anvil shaft opened
      after inserting the anvil tail. In both groups, surgical procedures were the
      same, except for the reconstruction. RESULTS: All TLTGs were performed securely
      without mortality. Intracorporeal laparoscopic esophagojejunal anastomosis was
      performed successfully for all the patients. In the hemi-DST group, four patients
      experienced anastomotic stenosis, three of whom required endoscopic balloon
      dilation. In contrast, no stenosis was seen in the SST group (p = 0.033).
      CONCLUSIONS: Anastomosis with SST is preferred to that with hemi-DST to minimize
      postoperative complications.

PMID- 26487218
TI  - Acetazolamide reduces postoperative pain following laparoscopic inguinal
      herniorrhaphy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Carbonic acid accumulation, which results from CO2 insufflation, can
      produce visceral and referred pain in the postoperative setting. Acetazolamide
      inhibits carbonic anhydrase, an enzyme that accelerates carbonic acid formation.
      We hypothesized that preoperative administration of acetazolamide would decrease
      postoperative pain in patients undergoing laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy.
      METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of patients who underwent
      laparoscopic preperitoneal inguinal herniorrhaphy at the Medical College of
      Wisconsin between October 2012 and September 2014. Beginning in January 2014,
      patients began receiving 250 mg of acetazolamide preoperatively; patients prior
      to that time did not. The visual analog scale (range 0-10) was used to assess
      both preoperative pain and postoperative pain. RESULTS: A total of 66 patients
      underwent laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy during the study interval. Of
      these, 22 (33 %) patients received acetazolamide preoperatively, and 44 (67 %)
      were included as controls. Overall mean pain scores were lower in the
      acetazolamide group (1.9 +/- 1.45 vs 2.9 +/- 1.5, p = 0.04). Specifically,
      patients who received acetazolamide reported lower pain scores immediately after
      surgery (0.6 +/- 1.2 vs 1.9 +/- 2.3, p = 0.01) and on post-op day one (2.3 +/-
      0.9 vs 4.0 +/- 2.1, p = 0.04). Total morphine equivalents administered to manage
      postoperative pain were significantly less for the acetazolamide group (4.3 +/-
      4.8 mg) when compared to the control group (8.9 +/- 8.4 mg), p = 0.04.
      Perioperative complications did not differ between the groups (p = 0.16).
      CONCLUSIONS: Acetazolamide appears to reduce pain in the immediate postoperative
      setting. Patients who received acetazolamide had lower pain scores
      postoperatively and required fewer narcotics for pain management prior to
      discharge.

PMID- 26487219
TI  - Comparison of laparoscopic subtotal colectomy with posterior vaginal suspension
      and laparoscopic subtotal colectomy with transvaginal repair for patients with
      slow-transit constipation complicated with rectocele: a non-randomized
      comparative study in a single center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Slow-transit constipation complicated with rectocele is a mixed
      constipation difficult to treat by surgery. Different hospitals and surgeons may
      employ different surgical procedures. The present study aims to compare the
      efficacy of laparoscopic subtotal colectomy (LSC) with posterior vaginal
      suspension and LSC with transvaginal repair for patients having refractory slow
      transit constipation complicated with rectocele. METHODS: This paper is a
      retrospective study of 64 patients having refractory slow-transit constipation
      complicated with rectocele. Admitted from January 2002 to December 2012, the 64
      patients were non-randomly divided into two groups: patients who underwent LSC
      with posterior vaginal suspension (Group A, 36 patients) and patients who
      underwent LSC with transvaginal repair (Group B, 28 patients). RESULTS: There was
      no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) in preoperative general
      characteristics and Wexner constipation score between Group A and Group B. There
      was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) in operative time and
      intraoperative blood loss between the two groups. One month after the surgery,
      there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) in early
      postoperative complications, constipation recurrence rate, degree of improvement
      in constipation symptoms, and Wexner constipation score between the two groups.
      But 1-year follow-up results show that there was statistically significant
      difference (P < 0.05) in constipation recurrence rate, gastrointestinal quality
      of life index, the degree of improvement in constipation symptoms, and Wexner
      constipation score between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Compared with the LSC with
      transvaginal repair, the LSC with posterior vaginal suspension demonstrated
      better efficacy in treating refractory slow-transit constipation complicated with
      rectocele.

PMID- 26487220
TI  - Robotic single-site adrenalectomy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Technological advances have brought about robotic single-site (RSS)
      cholecystectomy and hysterectomy. The application of RSS to additional procedures
      requires careful assessment of the surgeon learning curve, the technological
      limitations, patient selection criteria and associated outcomes. METHODS: Patient
      demographics, BMI, surgical indications, adrenal size, OR times, length of stay,
      postoperative pain and complications were assessed. RESULTS: Thirty-three
      patients underwent RSS-A by a single surgeon with 53 % being male, mean age 54 +/
      16 years and mean BMI of 32.7. There were 18 left, 10 right, and 5 bilateral
      procedures for a total of 38 adrenal glands removed (mean tumor size 3.2 cm).
      There were 5 conversions to a laparoscopic approach, and two to open approach.
      The necessity for conversion was not associated with age, BMI, tumor size,
      surgical side or pathology (p > 0.05). The patients who underwent successful
      unilateral RSS-A had a profile of mean age 55, BMI 31, tumor size 3 cm, and a
      mean operative time of 118 +/- 25.8 min. Pain scores were <4 (10 point scale) in
      67 % of patients. 74 % of patients were discharged on POD 1 and 96 % were
      discharged by POD 2. An assessment of the quartile learning curve for the
      unilateral RSS-A showed operative times decreased from a mean of 124 to 103 min
      after 21 cases (p = 0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients with functioning and non
      functioning tumors, along with those with obesity can safely be treated with RSS
      A. The surgeon learning curve was associated with shortened operative times and
      not increased complication rates.

PMID- 26487221
TI  - Comparison between submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection and video-assisted
      thoracoscopic surgery for large esophageal leiomyoma originating from the
      muscularis propria layer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (STER) has been proved to
      be safe and effective for removal of esophageal leiomyoma originating from the
      muscularis propria (MP) layer. However, there are still technical challenges for
      tumors >=35 mm due to the limited space of the submucosal tunnel. The aim of the
      study was to estimate the safety and efficacy of STER for large esophageal
      leiomyoma originating from the MP layer as well as compare its efficacy with
      video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), which is a standard procedure for
      treating esophageal leiomyoma. METHODS: We retrospectively collected the clinical
      data of the patients with esophageal leiomyoma of 35-55 mm who underwent STER or
      VATS at our hospital between January 2010 and December 2014. Epidemiological data
      (gender, age), tumor location, tumor size, procedure-related parameters,
      complications, length of stay and cost were compared between STER and VATS.
      RESULTS: A total of 31 patients were enrolled, and 18 patients underwent STER and
      the other 13 received VATS. There was no significant difference between the two
      groups in gender, age, tumor location, tumor size, complications and rate of en
      bloc resection (P > 0.05). However, patients in the STER groups had a shorter
      operation time, a less decrease in hemoglobin level, a shorter length of hospital
      stay and a decreased cost (P < 0.05). No recurrence was noted in the STER and
      VATS groups during a mean follow-up of 10.9 and 30.8 months, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: The treatment efficacy was comparable between the STER and VATS for
      esophageal leiomyoma of 35-55 mm. However, STER is superior to VATS in a shorter
      operation time, a less decrease in hemoglobin level, a shorter length of hospital
      stay and a decreased cost.

PMID- 26487222
TI  - Laparoscopic hepatectomy by curettage and aspiration: a report of 855 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 1998, the technique of laparoscopic hepatectomy by curettage and
      aspiration was developed and a special instrument, laparoscopic multifunctional
      operative dissector (LPMOD), was designed for this procedure. In the past 17
      years, this procedure was developed gradually and had become the routine
      procedure for laparoscopic hepatectomy in local area. This paper is to report
      results of 17-year practice of this procedure. METHODS: Patients who underwent
      laparoscopic hepatectomy from August 1998 to March 2015 were reviewed.
      Hepatectomies were performed using the technique of laparoscopic hepatectomy by
      curettage and aspiration. By using the LPMOD, liver parenchyma was crashed and
      aspirated immediately and the intrahepatic ducts and small vessels were preserved
      and were safely dissected for ligation. Laparoscopic selective hepatic flow
      occlusion was performed routinely for hemi-hepatectomies to control
      intraoperative blood loss. RESULTS: A total of 855 cases underwent laparoscopic
      hepatectomy by curettage and aspiration. No perioperative death, 105 patients
      were converted to open operation, and 84 of them were converted before liver
      transection without any emergency. Postoperative bleeding occurred in three
      patients (0.4 %), and bile leakage occurred in seven patients (0.8 %).
      CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic hepatectomy by curettage and aspiration is a safe
      procedure for liver resection with acceptable morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 26487223
TI  - A multi-modal approach to training in laparoscopic colorectal surgery accelerates
      proficiency gain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: How to efficiently train and transfer skills in laparoscopic
      colorectal surgery is unclear. Errors are rarely avoidable during learning but
      may incur patient morbidity. Multi-modality training with a modular operative
      approach provides proficiency-based structured task-specific training in a
      sequential manner, fragmenting complex laparoscopic colorectal procedures by
      difficulty allowing more than one trainee to gain experience irrespective of
      prior experience. This study assessed multi-modality training and its effect on
      proficiency gain in laparoscopic colorectal fellows. METHODS: A prospective study
      of 750 consecutive laparoscopic colon and rectal resection training cases
      assessing proficiency gain using a modified direct observation of procedural
      skills (DOPS) (behaviors-assessment) and weighted global modular attainment score
      (GMAS) (maneuvers-assessment) was carried out. Two mentors delivered training in
      a standardized format from 2008. Consequential intra-operative errors (requiring
      a corrective maneuver to permit further progression of the operation) were
      recorded. Eight Laparoscopic Fellows were assessed in six-month periods over 4
      years. Primary outcome was proficiency gain measured by cumulative sum (CUSUM)
      analysis with boot-strapping comparing weighted GMAS and modified DOPS
      assessment. Morbidity (Clavien-Dindo classification), and consequential errors
      were submitted to similar analysis to assess significant variations during the
      training period. RESULTS: Fellows were trained on over 100 laparoscopic
      colorectal resections in a six Fellowship month period. Proficiency gain was
      identifiable in the DOPS and GMAS with 32 (99 % CI 25-37) and 39 (99 % CI 32-44)
      cases, respectively. Two- versus single-mentor training improved proficiency gain
      35 (99 % CI 30-43) versus 55 (99 % CI 50-60). Overall consequential error rate
      and major morbidity rate (CD III-IV) were stable over time at 25 and 8.7 %,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Multi-modality training with modular operative
      training and technique standardization shortens the time to proficiency gain with
      low morbidity accepting an intra-operative consequential error rate of 25 %.

PMID- 26487224
TI  - Risk of infection after iatrogenic perforation of the gut wall? Evaluation of
      preventive strategies in a randomized controlled animal trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Interventional endoscopies entail a risk of infection secondary to
      perforation of the luminal wall. Thereby, bacteria may be introduced into the
      sterile environment of the peritoneal cavity (PC). Limited data are available
      regarding the efficacy of prophylactic anti-infective treatments. The aim of the
      study was to examine the efficacy/safety of anti-infective means in the
      prevention of infection by interventional endoscopies in a randomized controlled
      animal trial. METHODS: Forty pigs were randomized to: 1: control; 2: oral lavage;
      3: gastric lavage; 4: oral/gastric lavage; 5: i.m. antibiotics. Lavage was
      performed with Octenisept prior to the operation. After gastric wall perforation,
      peritoneoscopy was performed. Before the procedure, after closure and prior to
      autopsy, intraabdominal lavage for bacterial culture was taken using mini
      laparoscopy. At autopsy, macroscopic appearance of the PC was scored. Lavage
      fluids were grown to identify/quantify bacterial load. Concentration of
      intraperitoneal bacteria at autopsy was defined as main outcome parameter.
      RESULTS: No major complications occurred in any of the procedures. Bacterial load
      of the PC at autopsy was significantly reduced with antibiotics compared to all
      other groups, whereas it did not differ between the lavage groups and control.
      Macroscopic scoring of the PC showed significant lower rate of intraabdominal
      abscesses in the antibiotic group compared to the lavage groups and control (p <
      0.01). CONCLUSION: Only antibiotic prophylaxis is effective for the prevention of
      infection after iatrogenic perforation of the gastrointestinal wall. There was no
      difference between any form of lavage and the control group. Further studies in
      humans are required to prove these animal data.

PMID- 26487225
TI  - HybridKnife high-pressure glycerol jet injection for endoscopic submucosal
      dissection increases procedural ease and speed: a randomised study in pigs and a
      human case series.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Good use of the submucosal space is key during endoscopic
      submucosal dissection (ESD). High-pressure injection of a long-lasting viscous
      solution using the HybridKnife water-jet system has been demonstrated to be
      feasible. We compared jet injection of glycerol and normal saline during pig
      gastric ESD and assessed its feasibility and efficiency during human ESD.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A blinded randomised controlled study of ESD with the
      HybridKnife injecting either a glycerol mixture or normal saline and a
      prospective human case series were performed. Twenty gastric pig dissections
      (10/group) and 38 human ESDs along the gastrointestinal tract were performed.
      Dissection speed, specimen size, procedure duration, rates of en bloc and R0
      resection, and rates of bleeding and perforation were prospectively recorded. An
      evaluation of operator comfort and perceived safety (dissection score) was
      performed using a visual analogue scale with zero being the worst score and ten
      the best. RESULTS: Dissection was significantly more rapid (1.38-fold) with
      glycerol injection than with normal saline injection (28.94 vs. 20.91 mm(2)/min;
      p = 0.037). The dissection score was significantly higher in the glycerol group
      than in the normal saline group (7.3 vs. 4.7; p = 0.0064). No differences were
      observed in the rates of en bloc resection, bleeding, or perforation. The 38
      human cases along the gastrointestinal tract revealed good results (en bloc
      resection rate = 100 %, R0 resection rate = 90 %) without any complications.
      CONCLUSION: High-pressure jet injection of glycerol with the HybridKnife for ESD
      increased the speed and operator comfort of the procedure compared with the use
      of normal saline, and the procedure was safe and efficient for human ESD. The
      advantages of using a combination of the HybridKnife system and a viscous
      glycerol solution will help to spread the use of the ESD technique, particularly
      in non-Asian countries.

PMID- 26487226
TI  - What do residents need to be competent laparoscopic and endoscopic surgeons?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite numerous efforts to ensure that surgery residents are
      adequately trained in the areas of laparoscopy and flexible endoscopy, there
      remain significant concerns that graduates are not comfortable performing many of
      these procedures. METHODS: Online surveys were sent to surgery residents (98
      items, PGY1-5 Categorical) and faculty (78 items, general surgery, and
      gastrointestinal specialties) at seven institutions. De-identified data were
      analyzed under an IRB-approved protocol. RESULTS: Ninety-five faculty and 121
      residents responded, with response rates of 65 and 52 %, respectively. Seventy
      three percent of faculty indicated that competency of their graduating residents
      were dramatically or slightly worse than previous graduates. Only 29 % of
      graduating residents felt very comfortable performing advanced laparoscopic (AL)
      cases and 5 % performing therapeutic endoscopy (TE) cases immediately after
      graduation. Over half of interns expressed a need for fellowship to feel
      comfortable performing AL and TE procedures, and this need did not decrease as
      residents neared graduation. For these procedures, residents receive only "little
      to some" autonomy, as reported by both faculty and PGY5s. Residents reported that
      current curricula for laparoscopy and endoscopy consist primarily of clinical
      experience. Both residents and faculty, though, reported considerable value in
      other training modalities, including simulations, live animal laboratories,
      cadavers, and additional didactics. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that both
      residents and faculty perceive significant competency gaps for both laparoscopy
      and flexible endoscopy, with the most notable shortcomings for advanced and
      therapeutic cases, respectively. Improvement in resident training methods in
      these areas is warranted.

PMID- 26487227
TI  - Intraoperative measurement of esophagogastric junction cross-sectional area by
      impedance planimetry correlates with clinical outcomes of peroral endoscopic
      myotomy for achalasia: a multicenter study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has been introduced as an
      endoscopic alternative to surgical myotomy. The endoluminal functional lumen
      imaging probe (endoFLIP) evaluates esophagogastric junction (EGJ) distensibility
      based on cross-sectional area and pressure in response to volume distension. The
      aim of this study was to evaluate whether there is a correlation between endoFLIP
      measurements during POEM and postoperative clinical outcomes in terms of symptom
      relief and development of post-procedure reflux. METHODS: We conducted a
      retrospective review of achalasia patients who underwent POEM and intraoperative
      endoFLIP at three tertiary centers. Patients were divided into two groups based
      on clinical response measured by Eckardt score (ES): good response (ES < 3) or
      poor response (ES >= 3). Post-procedure reflux was defined as the presence of
      esophagitis and/or abnormal pH study. EGJ diameter, cross-sectional area, and
      distensibility measured by endoFLIP were compared. RESULTS: Of the 63 treated
      patients, 50 had good and 13 had poor clinical response. The intraoperative final
      EGJ cross-sectional area was significantly higher in the good-response group
      versus poor-response group; median (interquartile range): 89.0 (78.5-106.7)
      versus 72.4 (48.8-80.0) mm(2) [p = 0.01]. The final EGJ cross-sectional area was
      also significantly higher in patients who had reflux esophagitis after POEM: 99.5
      (91.2-103.7) versus 79.3 (57.1-94.2) mm(2) [p = 0.02]. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative
      EGJ cross-sectional area during POEM for achalasia correlated with clinical
      response and post-procedure reflux. Impedance planimetry is a potentially
      important tool to guide the extent and adequacy of myotomy during POEM.

PMID- 26487228
TI  - Comparison of symptomatic anastomotic leakage following laparoscopic and open low
      anterior resection for rectal cancer: a propensity score matching analysis of
      1014 consecutive patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This observational study was conducted to compare the rate of
      symptomatic anastomotic leakage (AL), as defined by precise criteria, between
      laparoscopic and open surgery in patients with mid-to-low rectal cancer using a
      relatively novel statistical technique. METHODS: A total of 1014 consecutive low
      anterior resection (LAR) patients were registered, of whom 936 were included in
      this prospective, multicenter, and cohort study (UMIN-CTR, Number 000004017).
      Patients with rectal cancer within 10 cm from the anal verge underwent either
      open or laparoscopic LAR at one of the 40 institutions in Japan from June 2010 to
      February 2013. The primary endpoint of this study was to compare the rate of
      symptomatic AL between the two groups before and after propensity score matching
      (PSM). The secondary endpoint was to analyze the risk factors for symptomatic AL
      in open and laparoscopic surgery. RESULTS: After PSM, the incidence of
      symptomatic AL in open and laparoscopic surgery was 12.4 and 15.3 %, respectively
      (p = 0.48). AL requiring relaparotomy occurred after 3.8 % of open surgeries and
      6.2 % of laparoscopic surgeries (p = 0.37). Multivariate analysis identified male
      gender as an independent risk factor for symptomatic AL following laparoscopic
      surgery (p = 0.001; odds ratio 5.2; 95 % CI 2.0-13.8), and male gender (p =
      0.004; odds ratio 2.6; 95 % CI 1.3-5.6), tumor size (p = 0.002; odds ratio 1.2;
      95 % CI 0.7-0.9), and number of stapler firing (p = 0.04; odds ratio 4.1; 95 % CI
      1.0-15.0) following open surgery. CONCLUSION: The rate of symptomatic AL was
      comparable following laparoscopic and open LAR in this large, multicenter, cohort
      study after PSM. Male gender was associated with an increased risk of symptomatic
      AL after laparoscopic LAR.

PMID- 26487229
TI  - An experimental study in six fresh human cadavers using a novel approach to avoid
      abdominal wall incisions in total colectomy: totally transanal laparoendoscopic
      single-site pull-through colectomy with J-pouch creation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of transanal laparoscopic access to completely avoid
      abdominal wall incisions represents the most current evolution in minimally
      invasive surgery. The combination of single-site surgery and natural orifice
      transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTESTM) can be used for totally transanal
      laparoendoscopic pull-through colectomy with J-pouch creation (TLPC-J). The aim
      of the present study was to provide evidence for the feasibility of TLPC-J in
      adult human cadavers. METHODS: TLPC-J was performed in six fresh adult human
      cadavers. The procedure involved endorectal submucosal dissection from 1 cm above
      the dentate line to a point above the peritoneal reflection, where the rectal
      muscle was divided circumferentially. The edge of the mucosal cuff was closed
      distally in order to prevent fecal contamination and the endorectal tube was
      placed back into the abdomen. A Triport+TM or QuadPort+TM system was introduced
      transanally, and it served as a multiport device (MD). Resection of the entire
      colon, mobilization of the distal ileal segment, and extracorporeal suture of the
      ileal J-loop were performed via the transanal approach. The J-pouch was created
      using Endo GIATM. After removal of the MD, the J-pouch was sutured to the rectal
      wall. RESULTS: TLPC-J was performed in all cadavers, with a mean operation
      duration of 236 +/- 22 min. Conversion to either transabdominal laparoscopy or
      laparotomy was not required in any of the cadavers. No bowel perforation or
      damage to other organs was observed. The use of a curved endoscope greatly
      facilitated visualization during transanal laparoscopic dissection for partial
      and total colectomy, making the procedure feasible. All specimens were retrieved
      through the anus, eliminating the need for additional transabdominal incisions.
      CONCLUSIONS: TLPC-J was technically feasible in adult human cadavers, and
      abdominal wall incisions were not required. However, clinical studies are needed
      to determine its feasibility in living adults.

PMID- 26487230
TI  - A pilot study of confocal laser endomicroscopy for diagnosing gastrointestinal
      mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with gastrointestinal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue
      (MALT) lymphoma require lifelong endoscopic follow-up. This study aimed to
      establish and evaluate confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) criteria for
      gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma. METHODS: This prospective trial was conducted
      after IRB approval at the Medical University of Vienna. Twenty-four consecutive
      patients (14 males and 10 females, median age 65 years) referred for staging or
      follow-up of (former) gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma underwent endosonography
      (EUS) and CLE including white light endoscopy (WLE) and conventional biopsy
      sampling of the upper gastrointestinal tract. CLE criteria of the disease were
      based on the first five patients with histologically proven MALT lymphoma. All
      CLE datasets were reviewed separately by two CLE experts. The diagnostic
      modalities were compared using conventional histology as the gold standard.
      RESULTS: Sixty-two percentages had a positive diagnosis of MALT lymphoma based on
      histology. The sensitivity was 80 % for EUS (0.51-0.95), 100 % for WLE (0.75-1)
      and 93 % for CLE (0.66-1); the specificity was 67 % for EUS (0.31-0.91), 23 % for
      WLE (0.04-0.60) and 100 % for CLE (0.63-1). The agreement with histology was
      moderate for EUS (kappa 0.47, p = 0.02), fair for WLE (kappa 0.26, p = 0.06) and
      almost perfect for CLE (kappa 0.91, p < 0.01). Expert evaluation identified all
      but one case of MALT lymphoma with excellent interobserver agreement (kappa 0.89,
      p < 0.01). In the case missed by CLE, MALT lymphoma involvement was restricted to
      deep tissue structures. CONCLUSIONS: Despite minor technical limitations, CLE is
      a promising alternative to conventional biopsy sampling in patients with
      gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma. CLINICALTRIALS. GOV NUMBER: NCT01583699.

PMID- 26487231
TI  - Different accuracy of endosonographic tumor staging after neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy in esophageal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment response to neoadjuvant therapy is histologically
      associated with more or less intensive inflammation and fibrosis. In consequence,
      accuracy of endosonographic TN-tumor staging after neoadjuvant treatment is
      hampered. We analyzed whether the kind of treatment chosen [chemoradiotherapy
      (CRT) or chemotherapy (CT)] differently influences the accuracy of endoscopic
      ultrasound after neoadjuvant therapy in esophageal cancer. METHODS: We performed
      serial endoscopic ultrasound examinations in 18 patients after neoadjuvant CRT
      and 30 patients after neoadjuvant CT. TN-stage was classified according to the
      standard parameter. Histological examination of the surgical resection specimen
      served as gold standard. RESULTS: The most frequent error was overstaging,
      especially in patients with complete tumor response or minimal residual disease.
      Accuracy of T-staging was significantly worse after CRT (0.16) than after CT
      (0.43), obviously due to difficulty in distinguishing residual tumor from
      treatment-associated fibrosis and inflammation. Accuracy of N-staging was also
      hampered, but to a less extent (sensitivity/specificity 0.85/0.36 after CRT, and
      0.5/0.42 after CT). CONCLUSIONS: Accuracy of endosonographic TN-tumor staging is
      significantly more hampered by neoadjuvant CRT than after CT. However, endoscopic
      ultrasound is insufficient for TN-staging irrespective of the kind of neoadjuvant
      therapy performed.

PMID- 26487232
TI  - Cholecystectomy after endoscopic papillary balloon dilation for bile duct stones
      reduced late biliary complications: a propensity score-based cohort analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cholecystectomy after endoscopic sphincterotomy for bile duct stones
      with concomitant gallstones is known to reduce late biliary complications.
      Endoscopic papillary balloon dilation for bile duct stones develops fewer late
      biliary complications than endoscopic sphincterotomy, but no randomized
      controlled trials have been conducted about the role of cholecystectomy after
      endoscopic papillary balloon dilation. Therefore, we conducted this propensity
      score-matched analysis to compare cholecystectomy and wait-and-see approach after
      endoscopic papillary balloon dilation. METHODS: Propensity score matching
      extracted 147 pairs of patients with cholecystectomy after endoscopic papillary
      balloon dilation and with gallbladder left in situ with stones (wait-and-see)
      from 725 patients who underwent endoscopic papillary balloon dilation for bile
      duct stones. Late biliary complications such as recurrent bile duct stones and
      cholecystitis were evaluated. Cumulative incidence of late biliary complications
      was calculated treating death without biliary complications as a competing risk,
      and its prognostic factor was evaluated. RESULTS: The rates of late biliary
      complications were 5.4 and 25.2 % in the cholecystectomy after endoscopic
      papillary balloon dilation and wait-and-see groups: Recurrent bile duct stones
      rates were 4.1 and 19.0 %, and cholecystitis rates were 0.7 and 6.1 %. The
      cumulative incidences of biliary complications in the cholecystectomy after
      endoscopic papillary balloon dilation and wait-and-see approach were 3.1 versus
      13.0 % at 1 year and 5.7 versus 28.0 % at 5 year after endoscopic papillary
      balloon dilation (p = 0.008). Subdistribution hazard ratio of late biliary
      complications in the wait-and-see group was 5.1 (p = 0.020). CONCLUSION:
      Cholecystectomy after endoscopic papillary balloon dilation for
      choledocholithiasis was associated with fewer late biliary complications.
      Prophylactic cholecystectomy should be offered to all surgically fit patients
      after endoscopic papillary balloon dilation for bile duct stones with concomitant
      gallstones.

PMID- 26487233
TI  - Decision-making in the management of colonoscopic perforation: a multicentre
      retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of colonoscopic perforation has increased following the
      widespread use of colonoscopy for the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal
      disease. The purpose of our study was to compare the clinical outcomes between
      surgical and non-surgical treatment of colonoscopic perforation. METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with colonoscopic
      perforation, which was treated between January 2005 and December 2014. Patients
      were divided into two groups depending on whether they received non-surgical
      (conservative management or endoscopic clipping) or surgical (primary closure,
      bowel resection and anastomosis, and/or faecal diversion) initial treatment for
      the perforation. Conversion was defined as the change from a non-surgical to
      surgical procedure after treatment failure. RESULTS: One hundred and nine
      patients were analysed. Surgical treatment was more common following diagnostic
      than therapeutic colonoscopic procedures (74.5 vs. 53.7 %, P = 0.023). Of 55
      patients in the non-surgical group, 11 patients required conversion to surgery.
      The surgical group comprised 54 patients. The complication rate (P = 0.001), and
      the length of hospital stay (P < 0.001) were significantly greater in the
      patients requiring conversion than in the surgical group. Multivariate analysis
      showed that old age, American Society for Anesthesiologists score >= 3, and
      conversion were independent predictors of poor outcomes (P = 0.048, 0.032, and
      0.001, respectively). Only perforation size was associated with conversion in
      multivariate analysis (P = 0.022). CONCLUSION: It is important to select an
      appropriate treatment in patients with colonoscopic perforation. To avoid non
      surgical treatment failure, surgery should be considered in patients with a large
      perforation. By decreasing the rate of conversion, we might reduce the
      complication and mortality rates associated with colonoscopic perforation.

PMID- 26487234
TI  - Laparoscopy, computerised tomography and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission
      tomography in the management of gastric and gastro-oesophageal junction cancers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The staging laparoscopy has been used in the management of
      gastrointestinal cancers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of
      staging laparoscopy, in comparison with computed tomography (CT) and
      fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging in staging
      patients with gastro-oesophageal junction (GOJ) and gastric cancers. METHODS: The
      data were collected for patients between 1996 and 2013 undergoing investigation
      and treatment for GOJ and gastric cancers at a single institute. The pre
      operative data (staging data), intraoperative details, post-operative course and
      follow-up were analysed for individual cases. RESULTS: Staging laparoscopy
      altered management plan in 64 (17 %) of 387 patients with negative staging CT and
      FDG-PET scan. Twenty-seven (7 %) patients with GOJ cancer (types I, II and III)
      were identified with pathological intraperitoneal nodes, 15 (4 %) gastric cancer
      with metastatic intraperitoneal deposits and liver metastases and 3 % gastric
      cancers with positive ascitic fluid for cancer cells. Ten (3 %) of patients were
      downstaged and were offered curative resection. Patients with metastatic disease
      were referred for palliative chemotherapy. The overall sensitivity of staging
      laparoscopy in diagnosing intraabdominal pathology was 86 % in comparison with CT
      (81 %) and FDG-PET (78 %). CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic laparoscopy is useful for
      detecting and confirming nodal involvement and distant metastatic disease not
      evident on the staging CT scan and FDG-PET. This could potentially alter
      treatment and prognosis in patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer. The
      diagnostic laparoscopy should be performed as part of investigation and treatment
      planning for patients suffering from GOJ and gastric cancers. This can help to
      avoid surgery in patients with advanced disease.

PMID- 26487235
TI  - Mesenteric root dissection with individualized ileo-colic vessel ligation versus
      mesenteric pedicle stapling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerous factors have been associated with the number of lymph nodes
      retrieved during laparoscopic colectomy. This study compared the impact of
      vascular pedicle ligation method on the number of retrieved lymph nodes in
      patients undergoing laparoscopic right hemicolectomy for cancer. Mesenteric root
      dissection with individualized vessel ligation was compared to en bloc vascular
      root stapling. METHODS: Data were retrospectively collected from a database of
      patients' charts including operative and pathological reports. All patients that
      underwent laparoscopic colectomy in a single department were identified. Patients
      that underwent elective laparoscopic right hemicolectomy for cancer were further
      evaluated. The impact of the method used for ileo-colic vascular transection,
      age, gender, nodes status, T stage, BMI and the operating surgeon on the number
      of retrieved lymph nodes was studied. RESULTS: Among 239 laparoscopic
      colectomies, 75 patients underwent elective laparoscopic right colectomy for
      cancer. Ileo-colic vascular transection was routinely performed at the level of
      the inferior border of the pancreas. In total, 34 patients underwent ileo-colic
      vascular root dissection with individualized vessel ligation and 41 underwent
      vascular root stapling. No difference was found in the mean number of retrieved
      lymph nodes between pedicle dissection and vascular root stapling (18.7 +/- 5.9
      vs. 19.6 +/- 7.9, P = 0.396), and in the rate of patients who had 12 nodes or
      more (97.1 vs. 92.7 %, P = 0.401). BMI above 30 was associated with decreased
      number of retrieved nodes (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: No difference was found in
      the number of retrieved lymph nodes between ileo-colic vascular root dissection
      with individual vessel ligation and vascular root stapling in patients undergoing
      laparoscopic right hemicolectomy for cancer. High BMI was associated with
      decreased number of retrieved nodes in both groups. A standard approach regarding
      the level of mesenteric root transection, regardless of the ligation approach,
      leads to adequate lymph node harvesting by different surgeons.

PMID- 26487236
TI  - Erratum to: Robotic-assisted laparoscopic versus open lateral lymph node
      dissection for advanced lower rectal cancer.

PMID- 26487237
TI  - Long-term outcomes of cruroplasty reinforcement with composite versus biologic
      mesh for gastroesophageal reflux disease.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the issue of improvement of
      disadvantages of different type meshes. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was
      performed on 101 gastroesophageal reflux disease patients who underwent
      reinforcement of crura with or without prosthetic mesh. Three types of mesh, 4
      ply biologic small intestine submucosa (SIS, Surgisis((r)), since November 2010),
      6-ply SIS (BiodesignTM Surgisis((r)), since March 2011), and composite synthetic
      mesh (Crurasoft((r)), since May 2010), were used. All patients were assigned to
      simple suture group (n = 35), 4-ply SIS group (n = 13), 6-ply BiodesignTM group
      (n = 26) or Crurasoft((r)) group (n = 27). Postoperative follow-up was performed
      via clinical visit or phone call contact. Subjective assessment included
      dysphagia, patients' symptomatic outcome judgment according to Visick and
      patients' satisfaction. Objective evaluation included hiatal hernia recurrence
      according to upper endoscopy and barium contrast swallow. Follow-up was completed
      in 83 patients with a mean duration of 45 months (range 16-149 months). RESULTS:
      For the objective outcomes, although anatomic recurrence of hiatal hernia did not
      significantly differ between groups at 6 months postoperatively, long-term
      results showed a protective effect of mesh implantation on hernia recurrence (p =
      0.047). For the subjective outcomes, the mesh group had a more significant
      improvement in Visick score (p = 0.020) compared to the simple suture group.
      Patient satisfaction was significantly higher in the mesh group (p = 0.014), and
      subgroup analysis showed a clear trend as follows: Crurasoft((r)) ~
      Biodesign((r)) > SIS((r)). A higher frequency of postoperative dysphagia was
      presented in the Crurasoft group compared with other two groups at 6 months
      postoperatively, but the difference was not significant over time (p = 0.227).
      CONCLUSION: Mesh cruroplasty results in satisfactory symptom control with a low
      recurrence rate. 6-ply biologic mesh is promising with respect to the reduction
      in anatomic recurrences. Postoperative dysphagia does not occur commonly
      following mesh cruroplasty with PTFE/ePTFE mesh.

PMID- 26487239
TI  - Skill acquisition and stress adaptations following laparoscopic surgery training
      and detraining in novice surgeons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical training and practice is stressful, but adaptive changes in
      the stress circuitry (e.g. perceptual, physiological, hormonal, neural) could
      support skill development. This work examined skill acquisition and stress
      adaptations in novice surgeons during laparoscopic surgery (LS) training and
      detraining. METHODS: Twelve medical students were assessed for skill performance
      after 2 h (BASE), 5 h (MID) and 8 h (POST) of LS training in weeks 1-3, and then
      after 4 weeks of no training (RETEST). The stress outcomes included state
      anxiety, perceived stress and workload, heart rate (HR), heart rate variability
      (HRV), and salivary testosterone and cortisol concentrations. Functional near
      infrared spectroscopy was used to assess cortical oxygenation change, as a marker
      of prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity. RESULTS: Skill performance improved in every
      session from BASE (p < 0.01), with corresponding decreases in state anxiety,
      stress, workload, low- and high-frequency HRV in the MID, POST and/or RETEST
      sessions (p < 0.05). Left and right PFC were symmetrically activated within each
      testing session (p < 0.01). The stress and workload measures predicted skill
      performance and changes over time (p < 0.05), with state anxiety, mean HR and the
      HRV measures also showing some predictive potential (p < 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: A 3
      week LS training programme promoted stress-related adaptations likely to
      directly, or indirectly, support the acquisition of new surgical skills, and many
      outcomes were retained after a 4-week period without further LS training. These
      results have implications for medical training and education (e.g. distributed
      training for skill development and maintenance, stress resource and management
      training) and highlighted possible areas for new research (e.g. longitudinal
      stress and skill profiling).

PMID- 26487238
TI  - Creation of a neopylorus after pyloric exclusion using a "double-endoscope"
      technique.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pyloric exclusion may be implemented in the setting of a high-grade
      duodenal or pancreatic injury. After exclusion, the pylorus should spontaneously
      open in 3-6 weeks. However, we present the case of a critically ill 17-year-old
      male with a gunshot wound to the abdomen that underwent stapled pyloric exclusion
      with gastrostomy and jejunostomy tube placement who did not achieve pyloric
      patency after 5 months, and describe an innovative "double-endoscope" technique
      to correct it. METHODS: A gastroscope was inserted through the mouth into the
      stomach, and an endoscope was inserted retrograde through the jejunostomy site to
      the duodenum. The closed pylorus was seen from both ends with transillumination.
      A needle knife was pushed through the membrane with clear visualization from the
      contralateral side. A balloon dilation catheter was then passed over a guidewire,
      and the neopylorus was sequentially dilated. A gastrojejunostomy tube was placed
      to ensure patency of the neopylorus. Postoperative imaging showed no evidence of
      leak or pneumoperitoneum. Serial endoscopic dilations were performed every 1-4
      weeks to prevent restricturing. RESULTS: The patient recovered well. After the
      first follow-up endoscopic dilation, he was eating a regular diet and had no
      retained food products. After four endoscopic dilations, the patient remained
      symptom free and the pylorus was widely patent. His gastrostomy and jejunostomy
      tubes were removed. CONCLUSIONS: Here we presented a rare complication of pyloric
      exclusion and an innovative approach that used a "double-endoscope" technique and
      serial endoscopic dilations to establish and maintain a neopylorus, avoiding the
      morbidity of a major surgical procedure.

PMID- 26487240
TI  - Minimally invasive video-assisted submandibular sialadenectomy: surgical
      technique and results from two institutions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Submandibular gland excision is traditionally performed using a
      transcervical approach. However, innovative surgical trials have recently been
      conducted to investigate techniques that can prevent or reduce visible scarring
      and nerve injury. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility of
      a new approach to submandibular gland excision that is based on the use of a
      minimally invasive video-assisted technique and an ultrasound scalpel in an
      endoscopic neck surgery program with a low annual flow of procedures. METHODS: We
      retrospectively studied 15 patients with submandibular gland disease who
      underwent minimally invasive video-assisted submandibular sialadenectomy
      performed by two surgeons at two institutions. Eight patients had proximally
      located salivary calculi, three had chronic sialadenitis, and four had benign
      neoplasms. All dissections were carried out by a single-port gasless approach,
      using the Miccoli technique, involving endoscope magnification and an ultrasonic
      scalpel. RESULTS: All 15 submandibular gland resections were performed
      successfully, with no conversions to conventional open resection. The operative
      time ranged from 45 to 125 min (median 84 min). A total of 67 % of patients were
      discharged the day after surgery, and the maximum length of stay was 3 days. One
      patient experienced postoperative bleeding, and one experienced postoperative
      infection. There was no neural injury. The incision scar healed well in all
      cases, and all patients reported excellent cosmetic results. CONCLUSIONS:
      Endoscopic submandibular gland resection using a minimally invasive video
      assisted technique, endoscopic magnification, and ultrasonic scalpel was feasible
      and resulted in excellent surgical outcomes.

PMID- 26487241
TI  - Pain intensity, temperament traits and social support as determinants of trauma
      symptoms in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and low-back pain.
AB  - AIM: The main goal of our study was to investigate the relationship between age,
      duration of pain, pain intensity, temperament traits as postulated by the
      Regulative Theory of Temperament (RTT), social support dimensions and the level
      of trauma symptoms, as appear in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a
      sample of 300 patients suffering from chronic pain in two groups comprised of 150
      patients with a clinical diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 150 patients
      with a clinical diagnosis of low-back pain (LBP). They were analyzed together as
      a one group of 300 patients with chronic pain. METHOD: Temperament was measured
      with the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour - Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI).
      Social support was tested with the Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS). The
      Numerical Rating Scale (NRS-11) was used to measure pain intensity. The level of
      trauma symptoms was assessed with the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Factorial
      Version Inventory (PTSDF). RESULTS: The results of our study suggest that the
      intensity of pain, participants' age, Emotional Reactivity and Sensory
      Sensitivity as temperament traits, need for support, and actually received social
      support were related to the level of trauma symptoms. The sum of the squared semi
      partial correlations showed that all six variables (age, pain intensity,
      Emotional Reactivity, Sensory Sensitivity, need for support and actually received
      support), account for 20% of the variance of general trauma symptoms level.
      CONCLUSION: The importance of temperament traits, social support and trauma
      symptoms should be taken into an account in psychotherapy accompanying
      pharmacotherapy for pain.

PMID- 26487242
TI  - Enantioselective Synthesis of Spirocyclohexadienones by NHC-Catalyzed Formal
      [3+3] Annulation Reaction of Enals.
AB  - The enantioselective synthesis of pyrazolone-fused spirocyclohexadienones was
      demonstrated by the reaction of alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes with alpha
      arylidene pyrazolinones under oxidative N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)catalysis.
      This atom-economic and formal [3+3] annulation reaction proceeds through a
      vinylogous Michael addition/spiroannulation/dehydrogenation cascade to afford
      spirocyclic compounds with an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter in moderate to
      good yields and excellent ee values. Key to the success of the reaction is the
      cooperative NHC-catalyzed generation of chiral alpha,beta-unsaturated acyl
      azoliums from enals, and base-mediated tandem generation of dienolate/enolate
      intermediates from pyrazolinones. 

PMID- 26487243
TI  - The Relationship Between Soil Arthropods and the Overwinter Survival of Ixodes
      scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) Under Manipulated Snow Cover.
AB  - We explored the relationship between the diversity and abundance of the soil
      arthropod predator community and the overwinter survival of engorged larval
      Ixodes scapularis Say under variable snow cover in a hardwood forest. We reduced
      the snow cover over 30 soil core field microcosms, simulating predicted changes
      in snow pack in the northeastern United States. An additional 29 microcosms were
      used as references with no snow pack manipulation. Each microcosm contained 15
      engorged larval I. scapularis. We expected lower soil temperature without
      insulating snow cover to reduce tick survival. However, we observed that reduced
      snow cover had no effect, with 44.2 and 44.7% overwintering successfully in the
      reference and snow-removal plots, respectively. Increasing taxonomic family
      richness of arthropod predators and the total number of large (>1 mm) arthropod
      predators significantly reduced the overwinter survivorship of I. scapularis
      within the microcosms. Small (<1 mm) arthropod predator abundance had no effect.
      Our results suggest that forests with complex natural arthropod predator
      communities show reduced tick survival. 

PMID- 26487244
TI  - Life Cycle of Amblyomma romitii (Acari: Ixodidae) Under Laboratory Conditions.
AB  - The life cycle of Amblyomma romitii Tonelli-Rondelli, 1939 is reported for the
      first time, using rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) for larvae and capybara
      (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) for nymphs and adults, as experimental hosts.
      Developmental periods of free-living stages were observed in an incubator at 27
      +/- 1 degrees C, 80 +/- 10% relative humidity (RH), and 24-h darkness. The life
      cycle of A. romitii in the laboratory could be completed in an average period of
      216.4 d. The overall sex ratio (M:F) was 1:1.4. The results showed that rabbits
      are quite suitable as experimental hosts for the larval stages of A. romitii,
      while capybaras are suitable experimental hosts for nymphs and adults. 

PMID- 26487245
TI  - Experimental Infection of Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) whitmani (Diptera: Psychodidae:
      Phlebotominae) With Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis and Leishmania (L.)
      amazonensis, Etiological Agents of American Tugumentary Leishmaniasis.
AB  - Leishmania (L.) amazonensis (Lainson & Shaw, 1972) and Leishmania (Viannia)
      braziliensis (Vianna, 1911) are the principal causative agents of American
      tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) in Brazil. L. amazonensis also causes diffuse
      cutaneous leishmaniasis (DCL) vectored principally by Lutzomyia flaviscutellata
      and secondarily by Lutzomyia whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho, 1939). The latter is
      the most common phlebotomine in the state of Maranhao, and it is the focal
      species for potential ATL transmission. For this reason, we tested the ability of
      L. whitmani to become infected with Lutzomyia parasites. Phlebotomines were
      derived from a colony maintained in the laboratorial conditions. The first
      generation, uninfected females were offered a bloodmeal with mice infected with
      the strains of both parasites. We found that L. whitmani can become infected with
      both parasite species, with infection rates of 65.2% (L. braziliensis) and 47.4%
      (L. amazonensis). We conclude that in Maranhao, L. whitmani is likely an
      important vector in the transmission of ATL and may function as a vector of DCL.
      This possibility should be further investigated. 

PMID- 26487246
TI  - Dynamics of Necrophagous Insect and Tissue Bacteria for Postmortem Interval
      Estimation During the Warm Season in Romania.
AB  - The estimation of postmortem interval (PMI) is affected by several factors
      including the cause of death, the place where the body lay after death, and the
      weather conditions during decomposition. Given the climatic differences among
      biogeographic locations, the understanding of necrophagous insect species biology
      and ecology is required when estimating PMI. The current experimental model was
      developed in Romania during the warm season in an outdoor location. The aim of
      the study was to identify the necrophagous insect species diversity and dynamics,
      and to detect the bacterial species present during decomposition in order to
      determine if their presence or incidence timing could be useful to estimate PMI.
      The decomposition process of domestic swine carcasses was monitored throughout a
      14-wk period (10 July-10 October 2013), along with a daily record of
      meteorological parameters. The chronological succession of necrophagous
      entomofauna comprised nine Diptera species, with the dominant presence of
      Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann 1819) (Calliphoridae), while only two Coleoptera
      species were identified, Dermestes undulatus (L. 1758) and Creophilus maxillosus
      Brahm 1970. The bacterial diversity and dynamics from the mouth and rectum
      tissues, and third-instar dipteran larvae were identified using denaturing
      gradient gel electrophoresis analysis and sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA gene
      fragments. Throughout the decomposition process, two main bacterial chronological
      groups were differentiated, represented by Firmicutes and Gammaproteobacteria.
      Twenty-six taxa from the rectal cavity and 22 from the mouth cavity were
      identified, with the dominant phylum in both these cavities corresponding to
      Firmicutes. The present data strengthen the postmortem entomological and
      microbial information for the warm season in this temperate-continental area, as
      well as the role of microbes in carcass decomposition. 

PMID- 26487247
TI  - Geographic Distribution and Ecology of Triatoma dimidiata (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)
      in Colombia.
AB  - Triatoma dimidiata Latreille is the second most important vector of Chagas'
      disease in Colombia and is found in urban and periurban areas. From January 2007
      to June 2008, we performed field work in 8 departments, 18 municipalities, and 44
      rural villages, covering most of its known distribution and all of its ecological
      zones in the country. The goal was to determine the geographical distribution,
      the ecology, and house infestation indices of T. dimidiata over its range and
      hence the Chagas' disease transmission risk. In Colombia, T. dimidiata occupies a
      wide variety of ecosystems, from transformed ecosystems in the Andean biome with
      shrub and xerofitic vegetation to very dense forests in the humid tropical
      forests in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta. According to genetic and ecological
      criteria, at least two T. dimidiata forms of this species are present:
      populations from the northwest of the country (Caribbean plains) are restricted
      to palm tree habitats, and domestic involvement is limited to sporadic visits
      because of attraction by light; and populations of the east region (Andean
      mountains) presenting a complex distributional pattern including sylvatic,
      peridomestic, and domiciliated ecotopes, and occupying a great variety of life
      zones. The latter population is of epidemiological importance due to the
      demonstrated migration and genetical flow of individuals among the different
      habitats. Control, therefore, must take into account its diversity of habitats. 

PMID- 26487249
TI  - A Preliminary Investigation on Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Infesting Birds in
      Kizilirmak Delta, Turkey.
AB  - Ticks are mandatory blood-feeding ectoparasites of mammals, birds, reptiles, and
      even amphibians. Turkey has a rich bird fauna and is located on the main
      migration route for many birds. However, information on ticks infesting birds is
      very limited. In the present study, we aimed to determine ticks infesting birds
      in Kizilirmak Delta, Turkey. In 2014 autumn bird migration season, a total of
      7,452 birds belonging to 79 species, 52 genera, 35 families, and 14 orders were
      examined for tick infestation. In total, 287 (234 larvae, 47 nymphs, 6?) ticks
      were collected from 54 passerine birds (prevalence = 0.72%) belonging to 12
      species. Ticks were identified as Amblyomma sp., Dermacentor marginatus (Sulzer),
      Haemaphysalis concinna Koch, Haemaphysalis punctata Canestrini and Fanzago,
      Hyalomma sp., Ixodes frontalis (Panzer), and Ixodes ricinus (L). The most common
      tick species were I. frontalis (223 larvae, 23 nymphs, 6?) followed by I. ricinus
      (3 larvae, 12 nymphs) and H. concinna (4 larvae, 6 nymphs). Based on our results,
      it can be said that Erithacus rubecula (L.) is the main host of immature I.
      frontalis, whereas Turdus merula L. is the most important carrier of immature
      stages of some ticks in Kizilirmak Delta, Turkey. To the best of our knowledge,
      most of the tick-host associations found in this study have never been documented
      in the literature. 

PMID- 26487250
TI  - Quantitative study of optical and mechanical bone status using multispectral
      photoacoustics.
AB  - Osteoporosis is a major public health problem worldwide. Here, we present a
      quantitative multispectral photoacoustic method for the evaluation of bone
      pathologies which has significant advantages over pure ultrasonic or pure optical
      methods as it provides both molecular information and bone mechanical status.
      This is enabled via a simultaneous measurement of the bone's optical properties
      as well as the speed of sound and ultrasonic attenuation in the bone. To test the
      method's quantitative predictions, a combined ultrasonic and photoacoustic system
      was developed. Excitation was performed optically via a portable triple laser
      diode system and acoustically via a single element transducer. Additional dual
      transducers were used for detecting the acoustic waves that were generated by the
      two modalities. Both temporal and spectral parameters were compared between
      different excitation wavelengths and measurement modalities. Short photoacoustic
      excitation wavelengths allowed sensing of the cortical layer while longer
      wavelengths produced results which were compatible with the quantitative
      ultrasound measurements.

PMID- 26487248
TI  - Hyaluronidase Activity in Saliva of European Culicoides (Diptera:
      Ceratopogonidae).
AB  - Biting midges of the genus Culicoides transmit pathogens of veterinary importance
      such as bluetongue virus (Reoviridae: Orbivirus). The saliva of Culicoides is
      known to contain bioactive molecules including peptides and proteins with
      vasodilatory and immunomodulative properties. In this study, we detected activity
      of enzyme hyaluronidase in six Culicoides species that commonly occur in Europe
      and that are putative vectors of arboviruses. Hyaluronidase was present in all
      species studied, although its molecular size, sensitivity to SDS, and substrate
      specificity differed between species. Further studies on the potential effect of
      hyaluronidase activity on the vector competence of Culicoides species for
      arboviruses would be beneficial. 

PMID- 26487251
TI  - Editorial: Omental transposition for cerebral revascularization.
AB  - Studies over the past decade have shown that when the omentum is placed on the
      brain of a patient with cerebral ischemia and/or infarction, beneficial clinical
      effects have occurred in roughly half the patients. It is believed that these
      neurological improvements following surgery are due to angiogenic,
      neurotransmitter, and nerve growth substances that are derived from the omentum
      and affect the underlying brain. The presence of these biological neurochemicals
      in the omentum may open up future treatment avenues for a host of neurological
      conditions. Only with additional experience, experimentation, and controlled
      clinical trials will the eventual place of the omentum be established in the
      treatment of a variety of CNS disorders. 

PMID- 26487253
TI  - Longitudinal outcome among patients with ischemic vascular dementia(1).
AB  - Longitudinal studies carried out in this laboratory for the past 12 years among
      patients with ischemic vascular dementia (IVD) are summarized. The criteria for
      the diagnosis of probable IVD and definite IVD are described and are consonant
      with the State of California Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic and Treatment Centers
      recommended criteria. Demography of IVD patients and associated risk factors are
      described, and the types of cerebral infarcts causing IVD are listed. Control of
      risk factors for stroke stabilizes patients with IVD as judged by serial
      cognitive testing. Control of hypertension and cigarette smoking and a reduction
      in hyperlipidemia all benefit IVD patients. Best cognitive results are obtained
      if hypertension is controlled within the upper limits of normal with mean
      systolic blood pressure values maintained above and around 137 mm Hg. Serial
      measurements of cerebral perfusion indicate that cognition and cerebral perfusion
      fluctuate together. When demented and nondemented patients with stroke are
      compared, overall cerebral perfusion is reduced to a greater extent in the stroke
      patients with dementia, particularly within cortical gray matter and subcortical
      white matter. Leuko-araiosis is twice as great in demented stroke patients
      compared to stroke patients who are cognitively intact. In longitudinal studies,
      cerebral perfusion declined further among stroke patients with cognitive
      deterioration, but, when cerebral perfusion became stabilized, cognitive
      performance likewise stabilized or improved. 

PMID- 26487252
TI  - Thalamic infarcts: Effects on cerebral blood flow, metabolism, and
      neuropsychological function.
AB  - In four patients with thalamic infarcts causing severe neuropsychological
      deficits, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured by single-photon
      emission computed tomography using (99m)Tc-d,l,-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime as
      tracer. In one of these patients, cerebral glucose metabolism was measured by
      positron emission tomography using (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose as tracer. Three
      patients had left paramedian thalamic infarcts, in one case combined with an
      infarction of the right cerebellar hemisphere, and one had bilateral paramedian
      and left anterior thalamic infarcts. Neuropsychological assessment revealed
      profound impairment of memory, verbal fluency, and abstract reasoning, as well as
      perseveration and varying degrees of dyscalculia and constructional apraxia in
      all patients. There were distinct personality changes and deficient judgment and
      insight. All four patients had reduced cortical rCBF in the left frontoparietal
      regions. In three cases, flow was also reduced in the left temporal lobe; they
      all presented with a fluent aphasia, which only partly remitted over time.
      Prosody and mimics were impaired only in the patient with bilateral thalamic
      infarction. In one of the patients with unilateral thalamic infarct extending
      into the mesencephalon, glucose metabolism was reduced in the ipsilateral
      frontal, temporal, and occipital regions. Thalamic infarcts can alter the
      activity in widespread functional systems of the brain and thus lead to extensive
      neuropsychological deficits. 

PMID- 26487254
TI  - Differences in erythrocyte aggregability between multi-infarct dementia and
      Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - We reported previously that erythrocyte aggregability (RBC-A) is enhanced in
      patients with cerebral infarction. The purpose of the present study was to
      examine whether or not differences in RBC-A exist between multi-infarct dementia
      (MID) and Alzheimer's disease. The subjects comprised 16 patients with MID (7
      males and 9 females, 73 +/- 11 years old) who had Hachinski's ischemic scores of
      7 or more and displayed multiple infarctions on brain computed tomography and 18
      patients with Alzheimer's disease (8 males and 10 females, 70 +/- 8 years old)
      who were diagnosed using the criteria proposed by the NINCDS-ADRDA Work Group.
      The patients underwent tests for cognitive function employing Hasegawa's dementia
      scale. RBC-A was measured using the whole-blood RBC aggregometer developed by us
      with concomitant measurement of blood factors such as the hematocrit,
      albumin/globulin ratio (A/G ratio) and fibrinogen. The RBC-A value in MID (0.170
      +/- 0.030/s) was significantly higher (p < 0.01) than that in Alzheimer's disease
      (0.135 +/- 0.022/s). The hematocrit and concentration of fibrinogen did not
      reveal any differences between MID and Alzheimer's disease. However, the A/G
      ratio in MID (1.59 +/- 0.43) was significantly lower (p < 0.01) than in
      Alzheimer's disease (2.01 +/- 0.35). The above results suggest a potential
      usefulness for erythrocyte aggregability in differentiating between the two types
      of dementia. 

PMID- 26487255
TI  - Diagonal earlobe creases and ischemic stroke: Preliminary report.
AB  - Diagonal earlobe creases are associated with coronary arterial disease, cardiac
      morbidity and mortality, and all-cause mortality. We studied the influence of
      earlobe creases on the incidence of ischemic stroke as well as the relationship
      between earlobe creases and gender, coronary arterial disease, hypertension,
      diabetes mellirus, and hypercholesterolemia. Data were obtained prospectively
      from the medical records of 116 patients with ischemic stroke and 232 age- and
      gender-matched patients without ischemic stroke. All patients were seen in
      neurological consultation and were examined for the presence of earlobe creases.
      In the total group of 348 patients, earlobe creases were significantly related to
      advancing age. In those with ischemic stroke, earlobe creases were significantly
      related to coronary arterial disease, diabetes mellitus, and nonlacunar ischemic
      stroke. The cumulative incidences of coronary arterial disease, hypertension,
      diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia were also significantly higher in
      those patients with earlobe creases who also had ischemic stroke. When controlled
      for coronary arterial disease, earlobe creases, in those with ischemic stroke,
      continued to be significantly related to nonlacunar ischemic stroke. 

PMID- 26487256
TI  - Nosocomial stroke.
AB  - Nosocomial stroke occurs during hospitalization for unrelated problems. Increased
      understanding of this relatively ignored entity may provide the key to improved
      stroke prophylaxis for the hospitalized patient at risk and provide clues to the
      precipitants of stroke in the general population. We compared nosocomial stroke
      to stroke occurring outside the hospital in a mixed prospective and retrospective
      analysis of 372 consecutive strokes occurring over 2 years. We excluded
      nosocomial stroke associated with cardiac bypass surgery, carotid endarterectomy,
      and cerebral angiography for cerebrovascular disease because of the known
      associations of these procedures with stroke. Of our 372 strokes, 47 were
      nosocomial. There were no significant age and sex differences between nosocomial
      stroke and stroke admissions. Nosocomial stroke patients were significantly more
      likely than stroke admission patients to be normotensive (p = 0.001), diabetic (p
      = 0.01), and have cardiac disease (p = 0.03). Nosocomial stroke patients were
      significantly less likely to have brain hemorrhages (p = 0.001), lacunar infarcts
      (p = 0.03), or infarcts of undetermined cause (p = 0.047). Half of the nosocomial
      stroke patients died versus 11% of stroke admission patients. Nosocomial stroke
      differs in stroke type, associated diseases, and prognosis from stroke occurring
      outside the hospital. 

PMID- 26487258
TI  - Sneddon's and the primary antiphospholipid syndrome: Confusion clarified.

PMID- 26487257
TI  - Platelet antiaggregants in secondary prevention after stroke: Does dipyridamole
      add to the effect of aspirin?
AB  - Eleven randomized trials of platelet antiaggregant treatment, comprising 9,256
      patients with a history of transient ischemic attacks or minor stroke, were
      identified. Trials without placebo controls were not included. Data were pooled
      based on two nonmutually exclusive groups: aspirin only and aspirin combined with
      dipyridamole. Each of these treatment groups was compared with a placebo group or
      with an aspirin group for the following nonmutually exclusive endpoints: (a)
      vascular events (stroke, myocardial infarction, vascular death) and (b) total
      strokes (including fatal and nonfatal stroke as well as cerebral hemorrhage).
      Aspirin was effective in preventing stroke or other vascular events after
      transient ischemic attacks. However, the risk reduction was small (about 15%),
      whereas the dosage used (900-1,500 mg vs. 75-300 mg) was not an influence.
      Placebo-controlled trials of aspirin in combination with dipyridamole indicated
      more effectiveness with a risk reduction of 30% for all vascular endpoints and
      40% for the occurrence of stroke. There was no additional benefit of the
      combination in trials in the direct comparison with aspirin alone. Therefore, we
      contend that the benefit of aspirin with dipyridamole over aspirin alone has yet
      to be demonstrated in confirmative comparison studies. 

PMID- 26487259
TI  - Peri-Infarct perfusion in human ischemia: Its relation to tissue metabolism,
      morphology, and clinical outcome.
AB  - Although experimental cerebral ischemia is well studied, little is actually known
      about the pathophysiology of human peri-infarct tissue. In a follow-up study
      concentrating on human peri-infarct tissue, we assessed the relationship among
      different perfusion conditions, metabolism, morphological damage, and clinical
      outcome. Cerebral blood flow was examined in 22 patients within 6-48 h after the
      ictus using (15)O-H2O positron emission tomography. The outcome of peri-infarct
      tissue was judged functionally, by using (18)F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose
      positron emission tomography for repeated measurements of glucose metabolism, and
      morphologically, by obtaining computed tomography or magnetic resonance images
      that were three-dimensionally aligned to the positron emission tomography scans.
      The individual clinical outcome was estimated using the Barthel index. In nine
      patients, both hyper- and hypoperfused peri-infarct tissue was seen. The clinical
      outcome of the patients with or without hyperperfused peri-infarct tissue was
      found not to be different. None of the hyperperfused peri-infarct regions
      underwent complete cystic degeneration, yet magnetic resonance imaging showed
      definite signal intensity changes. Glucose metabolic rates of hypoperfused peri
      infarct tissue, measured initially and at least 2 weeks after the ictus, were
      significantly lower (p < 0.01) than those of hyperperfused or normoperfused peri
      infarct tissue. Early spontaneous peri-infarct hyperperfusion occurs frequently.
      The metabolic and morphological data are suggestive of partial ischemic damage in
      these areas. It was only for hypoperfused peri-infarct tissue that a
      significantly poorer tissue outcome was demonstrated. The metabolic and
      morphological fate of hyper- and normoperfused peri-infarct tissue did not
      differ. 

PMID- 26487260
TI  - Stroke: The first six hours-Editorial.

PMID- 26487261
TI  - Stroke:The first six hours: Emergency evaluation and treatment.

PMID- 26487262
TI  - Potential-Assisted DNA Immobilization as a Prerequisite for Fast and Controlled
      Formation of DNA Monolayers.
AB  - Highly reproducible and fast potential-assisted immobilization of single-stranded
      (ss)DNA on gold surfaces is achieved by applying a pulse-type potential
      modulation. The desired DNA coverage can be obtained in a highly reproducible way
      within minutes. Understanding the underlying processes occurring during potential
      assisted ssDNA immobilization is crucial. We propose a model that considers the
      role of ions surrounding the DNA strands, the distance dependence of the applied
      potentials within the electrolyte solution, and most importantly the shift of the
      potential of zero charge during the immobilization due to the surface
      modification with DNA. The control of the surface coverage of ssDNA as well as
      the achieved speed and high reproducibility are seen as prerequisites for
      improved DNA-based bioassays. 

PMID- 26487263
TI  - Excitation, detection, and electrostatic manipulation of terahertz-frequency
      range plasmons in a two-dimensional electron system.
AB  - Terahertz frequency time-domain spectroscopy employing free-space radiation has
      frequently been used to probe the elementary excitations of low-dimensional
      systems. The diffraction limit, however, prevents its use for the in-plane study
      of individual laterally-defined nanostructures. Here, we demonstrate a planar
      terahertz frequency plasmonic circuit in which photoconductive material is
      monolithically integrated with a two-dimensional electron system. Plasmons with a
      broad spectral range (up to ~ 400 GHz) are excited by injecting picosecond
      duration pulses, generated and detected by a photoconductive semiconductor, into
      a high mobility two-dimensional electron system. Using voltage modulation of a
      Schottky gate overlying the two-dimensional electron system, we form a tuneable
      plasmonic cavity, and observe electrostatic manipulation of the plasmon
      resonances. Our technique offers a direct route to access the picosecond dynamics
      of confined electron transport in a broad range of lateral nanostructures.

PMID- 26487264
TI  - Fast and intense green emission of Tb(3+) in borosilicate glass modified by
      Cu(.).
AB  - We present photoluminescence properties of Tb(3+) doped borosilicate glasses
      modified by Cu(+). Around 5-time enhanced emission at 541 nm due to the
      superposed emission of Tb(3+) and Cu(+) is observed under the deep UV excitation.
      Excitation spectra demonstrate a greatly increased absorption of Tb(3+) ions in
      the deep UV region towards the Cu(+) excitation band, while the shortened Cu(+)
      emission lifetime of glasses in association with presence of Tb(3+) ions implies
      an energy transfer process from Cu(+) to Tb(3+) ions. Meanwhile, the Tb(3+)
      emission lifetime is significantly shortened from the conventional millisecond
      level (~4 ms) to the microsecond regime up to around 90 MUs. This most likely
      starts with the role of Cu(+) as a co-activator by initiating the d-f orbital
      hybridization process via an interaction with Tb(3+), thus relaxing the spin
      forbidden transition of Tb(3+) ions to the partially allowed one. Moreover,
      combination of emissions from Cu(+) and Tb(3+) ions generates a composite green
      emission with adjustable CIE (Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage)
      chromaticity coordinates achievable by co-doping Cu(+)/Tb(3+) in the different
      ratio and/or altering the excitation wavelength from deep UV to near UV region.

PMID- 26487265
TI  - A copper-based layered coordination polymer: synthesis, magnetic properties and
      electrochemical performance in supercapacitors.
AB  - A copper-based layered coordination polymer ([Cu(hmt)(tfbdc)(H2O)]; hmt =
      hexamethylenetetramine, tfbdc = 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoroterephthalate; Cu-LCP) has
      been synthesized, and it has been structurally and magnetically characterized.
      The Cu-LCP shows ferromagnetic interactions between the adjacent copper(II) ions.
      Density functional theory calculations on the special model of Cu-LCP support the
      occurrence of ferromagnetic interactions. As an electrode material for
      supercapacitors, Cu-LCP exhibits a high specific capacitance of 1274 F g(-1) at a
      current density of 1 A g(-1) in 1 M LiOH electrolyte, and the capacitance
      retention is about 88% after 2000 cycles.

PMID- 26487267
TI  - Emergency Care Capabilities in North East Haiti: A Cross-sectional Observational
      Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The North East Department is a resource-limited region of Haiti.
      Health care is provided by hospitals and community clinics, with no formal
      Emergency Medical System and undefined emergency services. As a paucity of
      information exists on available emergency services in the North East Department
      of Haiti, the objective of this study was to assess systematically the existing
      emergency care resources in the region. METHODS: This cross-sectional
      observational study was carried out at all Ministry of Public Health and
      Population (MSPP)-affiliated hospitals in the North East Department and all
      clinics within the Fort Liberte district. A modified version of the World Health
      Organization (WHO) Tool for Situational Analysis to Assess Emergency and
      Essential Surgical Care and Generic Essential Emergency Equipment Lists were
      completed for each facility. RESULTS: Three MSPP hospitals and five clinics were
      assessed. Among hospitals, all had a designated emergency ward with 24 hour
      staffing by a medical doctor. All hospitals had electricity with backup
      generators and access to running water; however, none had potable water. All
      hospitals had x-ray and ultrasound capabilities. No computed tomography scanners
      existed in the region. Invasive airway equipment and associated medications were
      not present consistently in the hospitals' emergency care areas, but they were
      available in the operating rooms. Pulse oximetry was unavailable uniformly. One
      hospital had intermittently functioning defibrillation equipment, and two
      hospitals had epinephrine. Basic supplies for managing obstetrical and traumatic
      emergencies were available at all hospitals. Surgical services were accessible at
      two hospitals. No critical care services were available in the region. Clinics
      varied widely in terms of equipment availability. They uniformly had limited
      emergency medical equipment. The clinics also had inconsistent access to basic
      assessment tools (sphygmomanometers 20% and stethoscopes 60%). A protocol for
      transferring patients requiring a higher level of care was present in most (80%)
      clinics and one of the hospitals. However, no facility had a written protocol for
      transferring patients to other facilities. One hospital reported intermittent
      access to an ambulance for transfers. CONCLUSIONS: Deficits in the supply of
      emergency equipment and limited protocols for inter-facility transfers exist in
      North East Department of Haiti. These essential areas represent appropriate
      targets for interventions aimed at improving access to emergency care within the
      North East region of Haiti.

PMID- 26487269
TI  - Epizootic of vesicular disease in pigs caused by coxsackievirus B4 in the Soviet
      Union in 1975.
AB  - Swine vesicular disease virus (SVDV) emerged around 1960 from a human enterovirus
      ancestor, coxsackievirus B5 (CVB5), and caused a series of epizootics in Europe
      and Asia. We characterized a coxsackievirus B4 strain that caused an epizootic
      involving 24 488 pigs in the Soviet Union in 1975. Phylogenetic evidence
      suggested that the swine virus emerged from a human ancestor between 1945 and
      1975, almost simultaneously with the transfer of CVB5.

PMID- 26487270
TI  - Polarization-dependent extraordinary optical transmission from upconversion
      nanoparticles.
AB  - Enhanced upconversion (UC) emission was experimentally demonstrated using gold
      double antenna nanoparticles coupled to nanoslits in gold films. The transmitted
      red emission from UC ytterbium and erbium co-doped sodium yttrium fluoride
      (NaYF4:Yb(3+)/Er(3+)) nanoparticles (UC NPs) at ~665 nm (excited with a 980 nm
      diode laser) was enhanced relative to the green emission at ~550 nm. The
      relatively enhanced UC NP emission could be tuned by the different polarization
      dependent extraordinary optical transmission modes coupled to the gold
      nanostructures. Finite-difference time-domain calculations suggest that the
      preferential enhanced UC emission is related to a combination of different
      surface plasmon mode excitation coupling to cavity Fabry-Perot interactions. A
      maximum UC enhancement of 6-fold was measured for nanoslit arrays in the absence
      of the double antennas. In the presence of the double nanoantennas inside the
      nanoslits, the UC enhancement was between 2- and 4-fold, depending on the
      experimental conditions. 

PMID- 26487268
TI  - Mutations in TRAF3IP1/IFT54 reveal a new role for IFT proteins in microtubule
      stabilization.
AB  - Ciliopathies are a large group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous
      disorders caused by defects in primary cilia. Here we identified mutations in
      TRAF3IP1 (TNF Receptor-Associated Factor Interacting Protein 1) in eight patients
      from five families with nephronophthisis (NPH) and retinal degeneration, two of
      the most common manifestations of ciliopathies. TRAF3IP1 encodes IFT54, a subunit
      of the IFT-B complex required for ciliogenesis. The identified mutations result
      in mild ciliary defects in patients but also reveal an unexpected role of IFT54
      as a negative regulator of microtubule stability via MAP4 (microtubule-associated
      protein 4). Microtubule defects are associated with altered
      epithelialization/polarity in renal cells and with pronephric cysts and
      microphthalmia in zebrafish embryos. Our findings highlight the regulation of
      cytoplasmic microtubule dynamics as a role of the IFT54 protein beyond the
      cilium, contributing to the development of NPH-related ciliopathies. 

PMID- 26487271
TI  - Complete mitochondrial genome and the phylogenetic position of the Lesser Cuckoo,
      Cuculus poliocephalus (Aves: Cuculiformes).
AB  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus was
      determined using next-generation sequencing. Phylogenetic analyses with 20 cuckoo
      species and six genes (12S, ATP6, CYTb, ND2, ND3, and ND6) strongly verified the
      identity of our sample as grouping with C. poliocephalus, which was sister to a
      clade of other Cuculus spp., including C. canorus, C. micropterus, and C.
      saturatus. The mitogenomic length of C. poliocephalus was 17 508 bp, including 13
      protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, one control
      region with 48 bp unit tandem repeats close to 3' end, and one short pseudo
      control region with 33 tandem repeats of CAACAAA. An extra nucleotide (T) was
      identified at position 174 of ND3. The mitogenome of C. poliocephalus will
      contribute to studies of mitogenomic evolution, the phylogenetic relationship of
      cuckoos, and the co-evolutionary pattern between brood parasitic birds and their
      hosts.

PMID- 26487272
TI  - Impact of FLT3-ITD location on sensitivity to TKI-therapy in vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 26487274
TI  - Clarification of the definition of complete response in multiple myeloma.

PMID- 26487273
TI  - Halting pro-survival autophagy by TGFbeta inhibition in bone marrow fibroblasts
      overcomes bortezomib resistance in multiple myeloma patients.
AB  - Bortezomib (bort) has improved overall survival in patients with multiple myeloma
      (MM), but the majority of them develop drug resistance. In this study, we
      demonstrate that bone marrow (BM) fibroblasts (cancer-associated fibroblasts;
      CAFs) from bort-resistant patients are insensitive to bort and protect the
      RPMI8226 and patients' plasma cells against bort-induced apoptosis. Bort triggers
      CAFs to produce high levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, insulin-like growth
      factor (IGF)-1 and transforming growth factor (TGF) beta. Proteomic studies on
      CAFs demonstrate that bort resistance parallels activation of oxidative stress
      and pro-survival autophagy. Indeed, bort induces reactive oxygen species in bort
      resistant CAFs and activates autophagy by increasing light chain 3 protein (LC3)
      II and inhibiting p62 and phospho-mammalian target of rapamycin. The small
      interfering RNA knockdown of Atg7, and treatment with 3-methyladenine, restores
      bort sensitivity in bort-resistant CAFs and produces cytotoxicity in plasma cells
      co-cultured with CAFs. In the syngeneic 5T33 MM model, bort-treatment induces the
      expansion of LC3-II(+) CAFs. TGFbeta mediates bort-induced autophagy, and its
      blockade by LY2109761, a selective TbetaRI/II inhibitor, reduces the expression
      of p-Smad2/3 and LC3-II and induces apoptosis in bort-resistant CAFs. A
      combination of bort and LY2109761 synergistically induces apoptosis of RPMI8226
      co-cultured with bort-resistant CAFs. These data define a key role for CAFs in
      bort resistance of plasma cells and provide the basis for a novel targeted
      therapeutic approach. 

PMID- 26487276
TI  - Anion exchange in ionic liquid mixtures.
AB  - Advantage of ionic liquids as designer solvents can be maximized by mixing
      different ionic liquids (ILs) for a possibility of continuous tunability of
      material properties. The property of these mixed ILs would be determined by their
      microscopic conformation between cations and anions. The mixtures of two ILs
      having 1-butyl-3-methylimidaolium cations and different anions were investigated
      by IR and NMR spectroscopy, utilizing that the vibrational frequencies of the C-H
      stretching and bending modes of the most acidic proton in the imidazolium ring of
      the cation and the NMR chemical shift for the corresponding proton were clearly
      distinct between the ILs having different anions. The IR absorption spectra of
      the IL mixtures at different concentrations were well-matched to weighted sums of
      the two spectra of the pure ILs. In contrast, the two distinct peaks in the NMR
      spectra of the pure ILs coalesced into a single peak, which shifted continuously
      following the relative portion of two different ILs in the mixture. IR
      spectroscopy in the optical frequency range seems to take the instantaneous
      snapshot of the cation-anion interaction, while NMR spectroscopy in the radio
      frequency (~500 MHz) range samples over a much longer timescale, enough for the
      cation to interact with different anion species in the mixture. 

PMID- 26487275
TI  - Impact of cytogenetic classification on outcomes following early high-dose
      therapy in multiple myeloma.
AB  - Early high-dose therapy (HDT), consisting of high-dose melphalan and autologous
      stem cell transplantation following doublet or triplet novel agent induction, is
      a preferred management strategy for transplant-eligible myeloma patients. We set
      out to examine the utility of the current fluorescence in situ hybridization
      (FISH)-based risk stratification in a homogenously treated population of
      transplant-eligible myeloma patients receiving novel induction regimens and early
      HDT with or without posttransplant maintenance therapy. FISH was available in 409
      patients at the time of diagnosis for patients receiving HDT within 12 months of
      diagnosis. We present comprehensive outcomes for chromosome 14 translocations and
      17p abnormalities that both support and refute current risk stratification
      models. In contrast to its current classification as a marker of 'standard risk'
      (SR), t(11;14) was associated with inferior overall survival (OS) when compared
      with the classical SR cohort. The use of novel agent maintenance therapy
      (bortezomib or lenalidomide) following early HDT ameliorates the negative
      prognostic value of high-risk (HR) cytogenetic markers. HR patients who received
      maintenance following early HDT had similar OS compared with the SR cohort at 5
      years. 

PMID- 26487277
TI  - Erratum to: A randomised dose-ranging study of tiotropium Respimat(r) in children
      with symptomatic asthma despite inhaled corticosteroids.

PMID- 26487280
TI  - Correction: Synthesis, characterisation, and catalytic evaluation of hierarchical
      faujasite zeolites: milestones, challenges, and future directions.
AB  - Correction for 'Synthesis, characterisation, and catalytic evaluation of
      hierarchical faujasite zeolites: milestones, challenges, and future directions'
      by D. Verboekend et al., Chem. Soc. Rev., 2015, DOI: .

PMID- 26487278
TI  - Preclinical Evidence That Trametinib Enhances the Response to Antiangiogenic
      Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Renal Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - Sunitinib and pazopanib are antiangiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) used
      to treat metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, the ability of these
      drugs to extend progression-free and overall survival in this patient population
      is limited by drug resistance. It is possible that treatment outcomes in RCC
      patients could be improved by rationally combining TKIs with other agents. Here,
      we address whether inhibition of the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK1/2 pathway is a rational
      means to improve the response to TKIs in RCC. Using a xenograft model of RCC, we
      found that tumors that are resistant to sunitinib have a significantly increased
      angiogenic response compared with tumors that are sensitive to sunitinib in vivo.
      We also observed significantly increased levels of phosphorylated ERK1/2 in the
      vasculature of resistant tumors, when compared with sensitive tumors. These data
      suggested that the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK1/2 pathway, an important driver of
      angiogenesis in endothelial cells, remains active in the vasculature of TKI
      resistant tumors. Using an in vitro angiogenesis assay, we identified that the
      MEK inhibitor (MEKI) trametinib has potent antiangiogenic activity. We then show
      that, when trametinib is combined with a TKI in vivo, more effective suppression
      of tumor growth and tumor angiogenesis is achieved than when either drug is
      utilized alone. In conclusion, we provide preclinical evidence that combining a
      TKI, such as sunitinib or pazopanib, with a MEKI, such as trametinib, is a
      rational and efficacious treatment regimen for RCC.

PMID- 26487281
TI  - Screening for iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy: a
      structured review and gap analysis against UK national screening criteria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency anaemia is a common problem in pregnancy despite
      national recommendations and guidelines for treatment. The aim of this study was
      to appraise the evidence against the UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC)
      criteria as to whether a national screening programme could reduce the prevalence
      of iron deficiency anaemia and/or iron deficiency in pregnancy and improve
      maternal and fetal outcomes. METHODS: Search strategies were developed for the
      Cochrane library, Medline and Embase to identify evidence relevant to UK National
      Screening Committee (UKNSC) appraisal criteria which cover the natural history of
      iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia, the tests for screening, clinical
      management and evidence of cost effectiveness. RESULTS: Many studies evaluated
      haematological outcomes of anaemia, but few analysed clinical consequences.
      Haemoglobin and ferritin appeared the most suitable screening tests, although
      future options may follow recent advances in understanding iron homeostasis. The
      clinical consequences of iron deficiency without anaemia are unknown. Oral and
      intravenous iron are effective in improving haemoglobin and iron parameters.
      There have been no trials or economic evaluations of a national screening
      programme for iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Iron deficiency
      in pregnancy remains an important problem although effective tests and treatment
      exist. A national screening programme could be of value for early detection and
      intervention. However, high quality studies are required to confirm whether this
      would reduce maternal and infant morbidity and be cost effective.

PMID- 26487283
TI  - Effect of acute exercise on circulating angiogenic cell and microparticle
      populations.
AB  - Subpopulations of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMBCs), known as
      circulating angiogenic cells (CACs), have been implicated in endothelial repair,
      angiogenesis and vascular homeostasis. Conversely, microparticles released from
      endothelial cells, platelets and leucocytes in response to injury or apoptosis
      are elevated in chronic diseases. We investigated the effect of acute exercise on
      CAC subpopulations, specifically CD34(+)/VEGFR2(+), CD3(+)/CD31(+),
      CD14(+)/CD31(+) and CD62E(+) PBMCs and CD62E(+), CD31(+)/CD42b(-) and CD34(+) MPs
      in men and women. Additionally, we examined angiogenesis-related gene expression
      in CD34(+), CD31(+) and CD62E(+) PBMCs at baseline and after exercise. Finally,
      we examined whether acute exercise modulates CD62E(+) PBMC paracrine actions on
      cultured endothelial cells. Blood samples for CAC and MP analyses were obtained
      before and after cycling exercise at 70% peak oxygen uptake that elicited an
      energy expenditure of 600 kcal. Exercise produced a decrease in CD14(+)/CD31(+)
      PBMCs, whereas CD62E expression on PBMCs increased with exercise.
      CD34(+)/VEGFR2(+) and CD3(+)/CD31(+) PBMC levels were not altered with exercise.
      Gene expression analysis revealed a more proangiogenic phenotype in CD62E(+)
      cells at baseline compared with CD31(+) and CD34(+) cells. Conditioned media from
      CD62E(+) PBMCs obtained after exercise exerted a proangiogenic influence on human
      umbilical vein endothelial cells, with increases in genes encoding receptors for
      growth factors (KDR, FGFR1 and EGFR) and inflammatory mediators (TLR4 and TNFR1).
      Finally, exercise increased CD62E(+) endothelial MPs in men and increased CD34(+)
      MPs in women. Our work highlights the potential role of CD62E(+) cells as a
      novel, exercise-responsive proangiogenic cell population and demonstrates sex
      specific exercise-induced changes in circulating MPs.

PMID- 26487282
TI  - Herpes Simplex Virus type-1 infection induces synaptic dysfunction in cultured
      cortical neurons via GSK-3 activation and intraneuronal amyloid-beta protein
      accumulation.
AB  - Increasing evidence suggests that recurrent Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (HSV-1)
      infection spreading to the CNS is a risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) but
      the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated yet. Here we demonstrate
      that in cultured mouse cortical neurons HSV-1 induced Ca(2+)-dependent activation
      of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3. This event was critical for the HSV-1
      dependent phosphorylation of amyloid precursor protein (APP) at Thr668 and the
      following intraneuronal accumulation of amyloid-beta protein (Abeta). HSV-1
      infected neurons also exhibited: i) significantly reduced expression of the
      presynaptic proteins synapsin-1 and synaptophysin; ii) depressed synaptic
      transmission. These effects depended on GSK-3 activation and intraneuronal
      accumulation of Abeta. In fact, either the selective GSK-3 inhibitor, SB216763,
      or a specific antibody recognizing Abeta (4G8) significantly counteracted the
      effects induced by HSV-1 at the synaptic level. Moreover, in neurons derived from
      APP KO mice and infected with HSV-1 Abeta accumulation was not found and synaptic
      protein expression was only slightly reduced when compared to wild-type infected
      neurons. These data further support our contention that HSV-1 infections
      spreading to the CNS may contribute to AD phenotype. 

PMID- 26487285
TI  - Stand-alone interspinous spacer versus decompressive laminectomy for treatment of
      lumbar spinal stenosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the two-year clinical outcomes of a prospective, randomized
      controlled trial of an FDA-approved interspinous spacer with the compilation of
      published findings from 19 studies of decompressive laminectomy for the treatment
      of lumbar spinal stenosis. METHODS: Back and leg pain, Oswestry disability index
      (ODI), and Zurich Claudication Questionnaire (ZCQ) values were compared between
      spacer- and laminectomy-treated patients preoperatively and at 12 and 24 months.
      RESULTS: Percentage improvements between baseline and 24 months uniformly favored
      patients treated with the spacer for back pain (65% vs. 52%), leg pain (70% vs.
      62%), ODI (51% vs. 47%) and ZCQ symptom severity (37% vs. 29%) and physical
      function (36% vs. 32%). CONCLUSION: Both treatments provide effective and durable
      symptom relief of claudicant symptoms. This stand-alone interspinous spacer
      offers the patient a minimally invasive option with less surgical risk.

PMID- 26487286
TI  - Readiness and learning in health care education.

PMID- 26487284
TI  - Efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation on psychosocial functioning in Borderline
      Personality Disorder: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Follow-up studies revealed that subjects with borderline personality
      disorder (BPD) present high rates of clinical remission, although psychosocial
      functioning often remains impaired. The aim of this study is to evaluate the
      efficacy of a cognitive rehabilitation intervention versus a psychoeducational
      program on psychosocial functioning in subjects with BPD. METHODS: A multicenter,
      randomized, and positive-controlled clinical trial was conducted. Seventy
      outpatients with BPD were randomized to cognitive rehabilitation or
      psychoeducational group interventions. Participants were evaluated after
      completion of the intervention period (16 weeks) and after the follow-up period
      (6 months). Psychosocial functioning, clinical and neuropsychological outcomes
      were evaluated. RESULTS: No main effects of group or group x time were observed
      on functionality but a significant effect of time was found. Post-hoc analyses
      showed that only cognitive rehabilitation increased psychosocial functioning
      significantly at endpoint. Psychoeducation showed a significant enhancement of
      depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive rehabilitation and psychoeducational
      interventions appeared to show good efficacy in improving disabilities in daily
      life in subjects with BPD. These interventions are easily implemented in mental
      health settings and have the advantage of improving general functioning and
      clinical symptoms. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02033044.
      Registered 9 January 2014.

PMID- 26487288
TI  - Preclinical Alterations in the Serum of COL(IV)A3(-)/(-) Mice as Early Biomarkers
      of Alport Syndrome.
AB  - The efficiency of the inhibition of the angiotensin converting enzyme, the most
      widely used therapy for the Alport syndrome, depends on the onset of the therapy
      the earlier the better. Hence, early progressive biomarkers are urgently required
      to allow for preclinical diagnosis, an early start of possible therapy as well as
      the monitoring of this therapy. In the present study, an improved comprehensive
      and precise proteomic approach has been applied to the serum of juvenile Alport
      mice, nontreated and treated, and wild-type controls of various ages to search
      for biomarkers. With a total of 2542 stringently altered proteins, the serum
      composition clearly shows a dependency on age, that is, stage, and therapy.
      Initially, the serum constituents indicate an enhanced extracellular matrix
      remodeling, cell damage, and the production of particular acute phase proteins. A
      panel of 15 potential biomarker candidates has been identified. In later stages,
      renal filtration failure and systemic acute phase reaction determine the
      composition of the serum; an effect that is well-known for manifested human
      Alport syndrome. With a small number of mouse urine samples, for example, the
      proteomic results for gelsolin could be verified using ELISA. Once verified in
      man, these early biomarkers would allow for a sensitive and specific diagnosis of
      the Alport syndrome in children as well as facilitate the monitoring of a
      possible therapy. 

PMID- 26487287
TI  - New global analysis of the microRNA transcriptome of primary tumors and lymph
      node metastases of papillary thyroid cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Papillary Thyroid Cancer (PTC) is the most prevalent type of
      endocrine cancer. Its incidence has rapidly increased in recent decades but
      little is known regarding its complete microRNA transcriptome (miRNome). In
      addition, there is a need for molecular biomarkers allowing improved PTC
      diagnosis. METHODS: We performed small RNA deep-sequencing of 3 PTC, their
      matching normal tissues and lymph node metastases (LNM). We designed a new
      bioinformatics framework to handle each aspect of the miRNome: whole expression
      profiles, isomiRs distribution, non-templated additions distributions, RNA
      editing or mutation. Results were validated experimentally by qRT-PCR on normal
      samples, tumors and LNM from 14 independent patients and in silico using the
      dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas (small RNA deepsequencing of 59 normal
      samples, 495 PTC, and 8 LNM). RESULTS: We performed small RNA deep-sequencing of
      3 PTC, their matching normal tissues and lymph node metastases (LNM). We designed
      a new bioinformatics framework to handle each aspect of the miRNome: whole
      expression profiles, isomiRs distribution, non-templated additions distributions,
      RNA-editing or mutation. Results were validated experimentally by qRT-PCR on
      normal samples, tumors and LNM from 14 independent patients and in silico using
      the dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas (small RNA deep-sequencing of 59 normal
      samples, 495 PTC, and 8 LNM). We confirmed already described up-regulations of
      microRNAs in PTC, such as miR-146b-5p or miR-222-3p, but we also identified down
      regulated microRNAs, such as miR-7-5p or miR-30c-2-3p. We showed that these down
      regulations are linked to the tumorigenesis process of thyrocytes. We selected
      the 14 most down-regulated microRNAs in PTC and we showed that they are potential
      biomarkers of PTC samples. Nevertheless, they can distinguish histological
      classical variants and follicular variants of PTC in the TCGA dataset. In
      addition, 12 of the 14 down-regulated microRNAs are significantly less expressed
      in aggressive PTC compared to non-aggressive PTC. We showed that the associated
      aggressive expression profile is mainly due to the presence of the BRAF V600E
      mutation. In general, primary tumors and LNM presented similar microRNA
      expression profiles but specific variations like the down-regulation of miR-7-2
      3p and miR-30c-2-3p in LNM were observed. Investigations of the 5p-to-3p arm
      expression ratios, non-templated additions or isomiRs distributions revealed no
      major implication in PTC tumorigenesis process or LNM appearance. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our results showed that down-regulated microRNAs can be used as new potential
      common biomarkers of PTC and to distinguish main subtypes of PTC. MicroRNA
      expressions can be linked to the development of LNM of PTC. The bioinformatics
      framework that we have developed can be used as a starting point for the global
      analysis of any microRNA deep-sequencing data in an unbiased way.

PMID- 26487289
TI  - Mesorectal pathologic assessment in two grades predicts accurately recurrence,
      positive circumferential margin, and correlates with survival.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the prognostic value of the
      mesorectum quality assessed in a two-grade system compared with a classic system.
      METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing surgery for rectal cancer were included
      (n = 103). Mesorectum was assessed into three grades (classic system: complete,
      nearly complete, incomplete) and compared with a two-grade system (adequate,
      inadequate). RESULTS: Mesorectum was complete in 62 (60.25%) patients, nearly
      complete in 21, and incomplete in 20. Reassessment showed adequate mesorectum in
      83 (80.5%) patients and inadequate in 20. A R0 resection was achieved in 90.4% of
      adequate mesorectum and in 65% of inadequate mesorectum (P = 0.006). Recurrence
      was present in 18% of adequate mesorectum patients as compared with 50% of
      inadequate mesorectum (P = 0.003). The classic system failed to accurately
      predict the 5-year survival rate between complete (78.9%) and nearly complete
      (86.2%) categories (P = 0.235); whereas a two grading system showed a 5-year
      survival rate of 80.8% for adequate versus 39.3% for inadequate (P = 0.034).
      CONCLUSION: High recurrence occurred in inadecuate mesorectum patients and was
      correlated with R1/R2 resections, positive margins, and decreased survival. We
      propose a simplified classification of mesorectum that correlates with survival
      and overall recurrence.

PMID- 26487290
TI  - Intra-hospital organ and tissue donation coordination project: cost-effectiveness
      and social benefits.
AB  - OBJECTIVE To evaluate the viability of a professional specialist in intra
      hospital committees of organ and tissue donation for transplantation.METHODS
      Epidemiological, retrospective and cross-sectional study (2003-2011 and 2008
      2012), which was performed using organ donation for transplants data in the state
      of Sao Paulo, Southeastern Brazil. Nine hospitals were evaluated (hospitals 1 to
      9). Logistic regression was used to evaluate the differences in the number of
      brain death referrals and actual donors (dependent variables) after the
      professional specialist started work (independent variable) at the intra-hospital
      committee of organ and tissue donation for transplantation. To evaluate the
      hospital invoicing, the hourly wage of the doctor and registered nurse, according
      to the legislation of the Consolidation of Labor Laws, were calculated, as were
      the investment return and the time elapsed to do so.RESULTS Following the nursing
      specialist commencement on the committee, brain death referrals and the number of
      actual donors increased at hospital 2 (4.17 and 1.52, respectively). At hospital
      7, the number of actual donors also increased from 0.005 to 1.54. In addition,
      after the nurse started working, hospital revenues increased by 190.0% (ranging
      40.0% to 1.955%). The monthly cost for the nurse working 20 hours was US$397.97
      while the doctor would cost US$3,526.67. The return on investment was 275% over
      the short term (0.36 years).CONCLUSIONS This paper showed that including a
      professional specialist in intra-hospital committees for organ and tissue
      donation for transplantation proved to be cost-effective. Further economic
      research in the area could contribute to the efficient public policy
      implementation of this organ and tissue harvesting model.

PMID- 26487291
TI  - Burden of physical inactivity and hospitalization costs due to chronic diseases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the physical inactivity-related inpatient costs of chronic
      non-communicable diseases. METHODS: This study used data from 2013, from
      Brazilian Unified Health System, regarding inpatient numbers and costs due to
      malignant colon and breast neoplasms, cerebrovascular diseases, ischemic heart
      diseases, hypertension, diabetes, and osteoporosis. In order to calculate the
      share physical inactivity represents in that, the physical inactivity-related
      risks, which apply to each disease, were considered, and physical inactivity
      prevalence during leisure activities was obtained from Pesquisa Nacional por
      Amostra de Domicilio(Brazil's National Household Sample Survey). The analysis was
      stratified by genders and residing country regions of subjects who were 40 years
      or older. The physical inactivity-related hospitalization cost regarding each
      cause was multiplied by the respective share it regarded to. RESULTS: In 2013,
      974,641 patients were admitted due to seven different causes in Brazil, which
      represented a high cost. South region was found to have the highest patient
      admission rate in most studied causes. The highest prevalences for physical
      inactivity were observed in North and Northeast regions. The highest inactivity
      related share in men was found for osteoporosis in all regions (~ 35.0%), whereas
      diabetes was found to have a higher share regarding inactivity in women (33.0% to
      37.0% variation in the regions). Ischemic heart diseases accounted for the
      highest total costs that could be linked to physical inactivity in all regions
      and for both genders, being followed by cerebrovascular diseases. Approximately
      15.0% of inpatient costs from Brazilian Unified Health System were connected to
      physical inactivity. CONCLUSIONS: Physical inactivity significantly impacts the
      number of patient admissions due to the evaluated causes and through their
      resulting costs, with different genders and country regions representing
      different shares.

PMID- 26487292
TI  - Specialized care for people with AIDS in the state of Ceara, Brazil.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze if the distribution of specialized care services for
      HIV/AIDS is associated with AIDS rates. METHODS: Ecological study, for which the
      distribution of 10 specialized care services in the Ceara state, Northeastern
      Brazil, was obtained, and the mean rates of the disease were estimated per
      mesoregion. We evaluated 7,896 individuals who had been diagnosed with AIDS, were
      aged 13 years or older, lived in Ceara, and had been informed of their condition
      between 2001 and 2011. Maps were constructed to verify the relationship between
      the distribution of AIDS cases and institutionalized support networks in the 2001
      2006 and 2007-2011 periods. BoxMap and LisaMap were used for data analysis. The
      Voronoi diagram was applied for the distribution of the studied services.
      RESULTS: Specialized care services concentrated in AIDS clusters in the
      metropolitan area. The Noroeste Cearense and west of the Sertoes Cearenseshad
      high AIDS rates, but a low number of specialized care services over time. Two of
      these services were implemented where clusters of the disease exist in the second
      period. The application of the Voronoi diagram showed that the specialized care
      services located outside the metropolitan area covered a large territory. We
      identified one polygon that had no services. CONCLUSIONS: The scenario of AIDS
      cases spread away from major urban areas demands the creation of social support
      services in areas other than the capital and the metropolitan area of the state;
      this can reduce access barriers to these institutions. It is necessary to create
      specialized care services for HIV/AIDS in the Noroeste Cearense and north of
      Jaguaribe.

PMID- 26487293
TI  - Prevalence of chronic low back pain: systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate worldwide prevalence of chronic low back pain according to
      age and sex. METHODS: We consulted Medline (PubMed), LILACS and EMBASE electronic
      databases. The search strategy used the following descriptors and combinations:
      back pain, prevalence, musculoskeletal diseases, chronic musculoskeletal pain,
      rheumatic, low back pain, musculoskeletal disorders and chronic low back pain. We
      selected cross-sectional population-based or cohort studies that assessed chronic
      low back pain as an outcome. We also assessed the quality of the selected studies
      as well as the chronic low back pain prevalence according to age and sex.
      RESULTS: The review included 28 studies. Based on our qualitative evaluation,
      around one third of the studies had low scores, mainly due to high non-response
      rates. Chronic low back pain prevalence was 4.2% in individuals aged between 24
      and 39 years old and 19.6% in those aged between 20 and 59. Of nine studies with
      individuals aged 18 and above, six reported chronic low back pain between 3.9%
      and 10.2% and three, prevalence between 13.1% and 20.3%. In the Brazilian older
      population, chronic low back pain prevalence was 25.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic low
      back pain prevalence increases linearly from the third decade of life on, until
      the 60 years of age, being more prevalent in women. Methodological approaches
      aiming to reduce high heterogeneity in case definitions of chronic low back pain
      are essential to consistency and comparative analysis between studies. A standard
      chronic low back pain definition should include the precise description of the
      anatomical area, pain duration and limitation level.

PMID- 26487294
TI  - Gender and other factors associated with the use of hearing protection devices at
      work.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze whether sociodemographic, occupational, and health-related
      data are associated with the use of hearing protection devices at work, according
      to gender. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2006, using a random
      sample of 2,429 workers, aged between 18 and 65 years old, from residential sub
      areas in Salvador, BA, Northeastern Brazil. Questionnaires were used to obtain
      sociodemographic, occupational, and health-related data. Workers who reported
      that they worked in places where they needed to shout in order to be heard were
      considered to be exposed to noise. Exposed workers were asked whether they used
      hearing protection devices, and if so, how frequently. Analyses were conducted
      according to gender, with estimates made about prevalence of the use of hearing
      protection devices, prevalence ratios, and their respective 95% confidence
      intervals. RESULTS: Twelve percent (12.3%) of study subjects reported that they
      were exposed to noise while working. Prevalence of the use of hearing protection
      devices was 59.3% for men and 21.4% for women. Men from higher socioeconomic
      levels (PR = 1.47; 95%CI 1.14;1.90) and who had previous audiometric tests (PR =
      1.47; 95%CI 1.15;1.88) were more likely to use hearing protection devices. For
      women, greater perceived safety was associated with the use of protection devices
      (PR = 2.92; 95%CI 1.34;6.34). This perception was specifically related to the
      presence of supervisors committed to safety (PR = 2.09; 95%CI 1.04;4.21), the
      existence of clear rules to prevent workplace injuries (PR = 2.81; 95%CI
      1.41;5.59), and whether they were informed about workplace safety (PR = 2.42;
      95%CI 1.23;4.76). CONCLUSIONS: There is a gender bias regarding the use of
      hearing protection devices that is less favorable to women. The use of such
      devices among women is positively influenced by their perception of a safe
      workplace, suggesting that gender should be considered as a factor in hearing
      conservation programs.

PMID- 26487295
TI  - Necessity to review the Brazilian regulation about fluoride toothpastes.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of the Brazilian legislation
      about fluoride toothpaste. A search was conducted in LILACS, Medline and SciELO
      databases about the fluoride concentration found in Brazilians toothpastes, using
      descriptors on health. Publications since 1981 have shown that some Brazilian
      toothpastes are not able to maintain, during their expiration time, a minimum of
      1,000 ppm F of soluble fluoride in the formulation. However, the Brazilian
      regulation (ANVISA, Resolution 79, August 28, 2000) only sets the maximum total
      fluoride (0.15%; 1,500 ppm F) that a toothpaste may contain but not the minimum
      concentration of soluble fluoride that it should contain to have anticaries
      potential, which according to systematic reviews should be 1,000 ppm F.
      Therefore, the Brazilian regulation on fluoride toothpastes needs to be revised
      to assure the efficacy of those products for caries control.

PMID- 26487296
TI  - Correction to Pressure Selected Reactivity and Kinetics Deduced from Photoinduced
      Dissociation of Ethylene Glycol.

PMID- 26487297
TI  - Plectin isoform 1-dependent nuclear docking of desmin networks affects myonuclear
      architecture and expression of mechanotransducers.
AB  - Plectin is a highly versatile cytoskeletal protein that acts as a mechanical
      linker between intermediate filament (IF) networks and various cellular
      structures. The protein is crucial for myofiber integrity. Its deficiency leads
      to severe pathological changes in skeletal muscle fibers of patients suffering
      from epidermolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy (EBS-MD). Skeletal
      muscle fibers express four major isoforms of plectin which are distinguished
      solely by alternative, relatively short, first exon-encoded N-terminal sequences.
      Each one of these isoforms is localized to a different subcellular compartment
      and plays a specific role in maintaining integrity and proper function(s) of
      myofibers. The unique role of individual isoforms is supported by distinct
      phenotypes of isoform-specific knockout mice and recently discovered mutations in
      first coding exons of plectin that lead to distinct, tissue-specific,
      pathological abnormalities in humans. In this study, we demonstrate that the lack
      of plectin isoform 1 (P1) in myofibers of mice leads to alterations of nuclear
      morphology, similar to those observed in various forms of MD. We show that P1
      mediated targeting of desmin IFs to myonuclei is essential for maintenance of
      their typically spheroidal architecture as well as their proper positioning and
      movement along the myofiber. Furthermore, we show that P1 deficiency affects
      chromatin modifications and the expression of genes involved in various cellular
      functions, including signaling pathways mediating mechanotransduction.
      Mechanistically, P1 is shown to specifically interact with the myonuclear
      membrane-associated (BAR domain-containing) protein endophilin B. Our results
      open a new perspective on cytoskeleton-nuclear crosstalk via specific cytolinker
      proteins. 

PMID- 26487298
TI  - Factors Associated with Prescription of Opioids and Co-prescription of Sedating
      Medications in Individuals with HIV.
AB  - Opioids are often prescribed for chronic pain, and opioid risks such as overdose
      and death are heightened when opioids are co-prescribed with other sedating
      medications. We investigated factors associated with chronic opioid prescription,
      alone and in combination with benzodiazepines and muscle relaxants, in a clinical
      cohort of individuals with HIV. We used multivariable logistic regression models
      to determine participant clinical and demographic characteristics that are
      associated with chronic prescription of opioids or chronic co-prescription of
      opioids with sedating medications. Among 1474 participants, chronic prescription
      of opioids occurred in 253 individuals (17.2 %), and chronic co-prescription
      occurred in 90 individuals (6.1 %). Age >50, public insurance as compared to
      private insurance, and symptoms of depression and anxiety were significantly
      associated with chronic opioid prescription and chronic co-prescription. Our
      findings raise concern that opioid prescription and co-prescription of sedating
      medications occurs disproportionately in patients for whom use is riskier.

PMID- 26487299
TI  - Safer Conception Methods and Counseling: Psychometric Evaluation of New Measures
      of Attitudes and Beliefs Among HIV Clients and Providers.
AB  - With data from 400 HIV clients with fertility intentions and 57 HIV providers in
      Uganda, we evaluated the psychometrics of new client and provider scales
      measuring constructs related to safer conception methods (SCM) and safer
      conception counselling (SCC). Several forms of validity (i.e., content, face, and
      construct validity) were examined using standard methods including exploratory
      and confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was established using
      Cronbach's alpha correlation coefficient. The final scales consisted of measures
      of attitudes towards use of SCM and delivery of SCC, including measures of self
      efficacy and motivation to use SCM, and perceived community stigma towards
      childbearing. Most client and all provider measures had moderate to high internal
      consistency (alphas 0.60-0.94), most had convergent validity (associations with
      other SCM or SCC-related measures), and client measures had divergent validity
      (poor associations with depression). These findings establish preliminary
      psychometric properties of these scales and should facilitate future studies of
      SCM and SCC.

PMID- 26487300
TI  - Randomized Controlled Trial of an Internet Application to Reduce HIV Transmission
      Behavior Among HIV Infected Men Who have Sex with Men.
AB  - We conducted a prospective, randomized controlled trial of an internet-based
      safer-sex intervention to reduce HIV transmission risk behaviors. HIV-infected
      men who have sex with men (n = 179) were randomized to receive a monthly internet
      survey alone or a monthly survey plus tailored risk reduction messages over 12
      months. The primary outcome was the cumulative sexually transmitted infection
      (STI) incidence over 12 months. Secondary outcomes included self-reported
      unprotected sex with an at risk partner and disclosure of HIV status to partners.
      In a modified intent to treat analysis, there was no difference in 12-month STI
      incidence between the intervention and control arms (30 vs. 25 %, respectively; p
      = 0.5). Unprotected sex decreased and disclosure increased over time in both
      study arms. These improvements suggest that addition of the risk-reduction
      messages provided little benefit beyond the self-monitoring of risky behavior via
      regular self-report risk behavior assessments (as was done in both study arms).

PMID- 26487301
TI  - LncRNA-ATB mediated E-cadherin repression promotes the progression of colon
      cancer and predicts poor prognosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNA-activated by TGF-beta (lncRNA-ATB) promotes the
      invasion-metastasis cascade in hepatocellular carcinoma via downregulating E
      cadherin (E-cad) and inducing epithelial-to- mesenchymal transition (EMT) and is
      clinically significant in human colon cancer. However, its molecular mechanisms
      in colon cancer progression remain unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the
      role of lncRNA-ATB and its clinical value in colon cancer. METHODS: Expression
      levels of lncRNA-ATB in colon cancer tissues and colon cancer cell lines were
      evaluated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The
      clinicopathological significance and prognostic value of lncRNA-ATB were
      investigated, and roles of lncRNA-ATB in regulating E-cad and other EMT-related
      markers expression and colon cancer progression were evaluated in vitro.
      Expression levels of lncRNA-ATB and E-cad in human plasma were evaluated.
      RESULTS: Long non-coding RNA-activated by TGF-beta was upregulated in colon
      cancer tissues compared with adjacent mucosa (P < 0.001). LncRNA-ATB levels were
      also higher in metastatic cancer tissues (P < 0.001). Among the three highly
      invasive colon cancer cell lines, lncRNA-ATB levels were relatively higher with
      concurrent low levels of E-cad compared with levels in the three low-invasive
      cell lines. LncRNA-ATB expression correlated with pN stage (P < 0.01) and
      American Joint Committee on Cancer stage (P < 0.01). Striking differences were
      observed in overall survival and disease-free survival in cases with both high
      lncRNA-ATB expression and low E-cad expression. Reduction of lncRNA-ATB increased
      expression of epithelial markers E-cad, ZO-1, and decreased expression of
      mesenchymal markers ZEB1 and N-cadherin (N-cad), and significantly influenced
      colon cancer cell progression. Plasma lncRNA-ATB was upregulated in colon cancer
      patients one month after surgery (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Long non-coding RNA
      activated by TGF-beta may act on colon tumorigenesis by suppressing E-cad
      expression and promoting EMT process, and lncRNA-ATB inhibition may provide a
      promising therapeutic option for suppressing colon cancer progression.

PMID- 26487302
TI  - Truly Fluorescent Excitation-Dependent Carbon Dots and Their Applications in
      Multicolor Cellular Imaging and Multidimensional Sensing.
AB  - Truly fluorescent excitation-dependent carbon dots are prepared, and the
      relationship between their chemical composition and fluorescent emission is
      discussed. Furthermore, potential applications of the as-prepared carbon dots to
      multicolor bio-labeling and multidimodal sensing are demonstrated. 

PMID- 26487303
TI  - Effects of changing from sevoflurane to desflurane on the recovery profile after
      sevoflurane induction: a randomized controlled study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Desflurane has the lowest solubility of currently available volatile
      anesthetics and may allow for more rapid emergence and recovery compared with
      sevoflurane. Nevertheless, after volatile induction with sevoflurane, it has not
      been determined whether the use of desflurane provides faster emergence and
      recovery. The present study aimed to elucidate the effects of changing from
      sevoflurane to desflurane during the early part of anesthesia. METHODS: Fifty-two
      patients who were scheduled for vitreous surgery with general anesthesia were
      enrolled in this randomized controlled study. Anesthesia was induced with
      volatile induction consisting of 100% oxygen (6 L.min(-1)) and 5% sevoflurane.
      For anesthesia maintenance, patients were randomized to receive 1-2% sevoflurane
      or 3-6% desflurane. In the desflurane group, the anesthetic agent was changed
      from sevoflurane to desflurane within five minutes following endotracheal
      intubation. After surgery, we assessed the following endpoints: the times from
      discontinuing volatile anesthetics to eye opening, obeying the command to squeeze
      the investigator's hand, tracheal extubation, and orientation to the patients'
      full name, date, and place. RESULTS: Emergence and recovery were significantly
      faster in the desflurane group than in the sevoflurane group in times to mean
      (SD) eye opening [6.5 (2.9) vs 10.1(3.0) min, respectively; mean difference, 3.6
      min; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.9 to 5.3; P < 0.001], obeying commands [6.6
      (2.7) vs 10.1 (3.1) min, respectively; mean difference, 3.5 min; 95% CI, 1.9 to
      5.2; P < 0.001], and tracheal extubation [7.0 (2.5) vs 10.6 (3.0) min,
      respectively; mean difference, 3.6 min; 95% CI, 1.9 to 5.1; P < 0.001].
      Similarly, the times from discontinuation of volatile anesthetics to orientation
      to the patients' full name, date, and place were significantly shorter in the
      desflurane group compared with the sevoflurane group. There were no significant
      differences between groups on a 100-mm visual analogue scale assessing
      postoperative nausea and vomiting, eye pain, and patient satisfaction regarding
      anesthesia. CONCLUSION: Changing the anesthetic agent from sevoflurane to
      desflurane after sevoflurane induction provides faster emergence and recovery
      compared with sevoflurane anesthesia. This study protocol was registered at
      http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index.htm , (UMIN000009941).

PMID- 26487304
TI  - HPV Vaccine Triggers Regression of Precancers.
AB  - According to a phase IIb clinical trial, an investigational DNA vaccine that
      targets the human papillomavirus caused precancerous cervical lesions to regress
      or disappear. The vaccine stimulated production of CD8+ T cells that make
      perforin, a protein that helps kill infected cervical cells, and eliminated the
      virus in 81% of women whose lesions regressed. 

PMID- 26487305
TI  - Current Trends and Future Projection of HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Taiwan: A Modeling
      Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the past decade, HIV/AIDS epidemic in Taiwan experienced an
      outbreak of HIV-1 CRF07_BC among intravenous drug users (IDU) in 2004-2006 that
      led to the reported HIV/AIDS case number more than doubled in less than 3 years
      and subsequent changes in free antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment program for
      persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). METHODS: We investigate HIV underreporting
      in Taiwan by utilizing a discrete-time compartmental mathematical model for
      disease transmission and HIV/AIDS surveillance data during 2001-2011. RESULTS:
      The estimated underreporting ratio in 2011 is 0.45:1, down from 1:1 ratio in
      2000. We also provide future projections of the numbers of reported and
      unreported PLWHA in Taiwan, assuming that model parameters remain unchanged in
      the near future. CONCLUSION: N-step-ahead forecasting comparison with 2012-2014
      observed data indicates lower than expected number of known PLWHA and new deaths,
      perhaps attributable to increased treatment, but higher number of newly reported
      HIV/AIDS cases, which requires further investigation.

PMID- 26487306
TI  - Attitudes of College Undergraduates Towards Coyotes (Canis latrans) in an Urban
      Landscape: Management and Public Outreach Implications.
AB  - Understanding and assessing the public's attitudes towards urban wildlife is an
      important step towards creating management plans, increasing knowledge and
      awareness, and fostering coexistence between people and wildlife. We conducted a
      survey of undergraduate college students in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan
      area-where coyotes are recent arrivals-to determine existing attitudes towards
      coyotes and coyote management methods. Amongst other findings, we found that the
      more a person feared coyotes, the less likely they were to support their presence
      (p < 0.001), and the less likely they were to believe that pet owners should be
      directly responsible for protecting their pets (p < 0.001). Respondents
      demonstrated major gaps in their understanding of basic coyote biology and
      ecology. Respondents broke wildlife management practices into two categories:
      those that involved an action on coyotes (both lethal or non-lethal; referred to
      as "Coyote"), and those that restricted human behavior (referred to as "Human");
      the "Human" methods were preferred. We found important differences between key
      demographic groups in terms of attitudes and management preferences. Our study
      suggests that wildlife professionals have unique opportunities in urban areas to
      prevent and reduce conflict before it escalates, in part by targeting tailored
      outreach messages to various demographic and social groups. 

PMID- 26487307
TI  - Possible Electromagnetic Effects on Abnormal Animal Behavior Before an
      Earthquake.
AB  - The former statistical properties summarized by Rikitake (1998) on unusual animal
      behavior before an earthquake (EQ) have first been presented by using two
      parameters (epicentral distance (D) of an anomaly and its precursor (or lead)
      time (T)). Three plots are utilized to characterize the unusual animal behavior;
      (i) EQ magnitude (M) versus D, (ii) log T versus M, and (iii) occurrence
      histogram of log T. These plots are compared with the corresponding plots for
      different seismo-electromagnetic effects (radio emissions in different frequency
      ranges, seismo-atmospheric and -ionospheric perturbations) extensively obtained
      during the last 15-20 years. From the results of comparisons in terms of three
      plots, it is likely that lower frequency (ULF (ultra-low-frequency, f <= 1 Hz)
      and ELF (extremely-low-frequency, f <= a few hundreds Hz)) electromagnetic
      emissions exhibit a very similar temporal evolution with that of abnormal animal
      behavior. It is also suggested that a quantity of field intensity multiplied by
      the persistent time (or duration) of noise would play the primary role in
      abnormal animal behavior before an EQ. 

PMID- 26487308
TI  - Variation in Protein and Calorie Consumption Following Protein Malnutrition in
      Rattus norvegicus.
AB  - Catch-up growth rates, following protein malnutrition, vary with timing and
      duration of insult, despite unlimited access to calories. Understanding changing
      patterns of post-insult consumption, relative rehabilitation timing, can provide
      insight into the mechanisms driving those differences. We hypothesize that higher
      catch-up growth rates will be correlated with increased protein consumption,
      while calorie consumption could remain stable. As catch-up growth rates decrease
      with age/malnutrition duration, we predict a dose effect in protein consumption
      with rehabilitation timing. We measured total and protein consumption, body mass,
      and long bone length, following an increase of dietary protein at 40, 60 and 90
      days, with two control groups (chronic reduced protein or standard protein) for
      150+ days. Immediately following rehabilitation, rats' food consumption decreased
      significantly, implying that elevated protein intake is sufficient to fuel catch
      up growth rates that eventually result in body weights and long bone lengths
      greater or equal to final measures of chronically fed standard (CT) animals. The
      duration of protein restriction affected consumption: rats rehabilitated at
      younger ages had more drastic alterations in consumption of both calories and
      protein. While rehabilitated animals did compensate with greater protein
      consumption, variable responses in different ages and sex highlight the
      plasticity of growth and how nutrition affects body form. 

PMID- 26487309
TI  - Modelling Niche Differentiation of Co-Existing, Elusive and Morphologically
      Similar Species: A Case Study of Four Macaque Species in Nakai-Nam Theun National
      Protected Area, Laos.
AB  - Species misidentification often occurs when dealing with co-existing and
      morphologically similar species such as macaques, making the study of their
      ecology challenging. To overcome this issue, we use reliable occurrence data from
      camera-trap images and transect survey data to model their respective ecological
      niche and potential distribution locally in Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected
      Area (NNT NPA), central-Eastern Laos. We investigate niche differentiation of
      morphologically similar species using four sympatric macaque species in NNT NPA,
      as our model species: rhesus Macaca mulatta (Taxonomic Serial Number, TSN
      180099), Northern pig-tailed M. leonina (TSN not listed); Assamese M. assamensis
      (TSN 573018) and stump-tailed M. arctoides (TSN 573017). We examine the
      implications for their conservation. We obtained occurrence data of macaque
      species from systematic 2006-2011 camera-trapping surveys and 2011-2012 transect
      surveys and model their niche and potential distribution with MaxEnt software
      using 25 environmental and topographic variables. The respective suitable habitat
      predicted for each species reveals niche segregation between the four species
      with a gradual geographical distribution following an environmental gradient
      within the study area. Camera-trapping positioned at many locations can increase
      elusive-species records with a relatively reduced and more systematic sampling
      effort and provide reliable species occurrence data. These can be used for
      environmental niche modelling to study niche segregation of morphologically
      similar species in areas where their distribution remains uncertain. Examining
      unresolved species' niches and potential distributions can have crucial
      implications for future research and species' management and conservation even in
      the most remote regions and for the least-known species. 

PMID- 26487310
TI  - Early Results of Three-Year Monitoring of Red Wood Ants' Behavioral Changes and
      Their Possible Correlation with Earthquake Events.
AB  - Short-term earthquake predictions with an advance warning of several hours or
      days are currently not possible due to both incomplete understanding of the
      complex tectonic processes and inadequate observations. Abnormal animal behaviors
      before earthquakes have been reported previously, but create problems in
      monitoring and reliability. The situation is different with red wood ants (RWA;
      Formica rufa-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)). They have stationary mounds on
      tectonically active, gas-bearing fault systems. These faults may be potential
      earthquake areas. For three years (2009-2012), two red wood ant mounds (Formica
      rufa-group), located at the seismically active Neuwied Basin (Eifel, Germany),
      have been monitored 24/7 by high-resolution cameras with both a color and an
      infrared sensor. Early results show that ants have a well-identifiable standard
      daily routine. Correlation with local seismic events suggests changes in the
      ants' behavior hours before the earthquake: the nocturnal rest phase and daily
      activity are suppressed, and standard daily routine does not resume until the
      next day. At present, an automated image evaluation routine is being applied to
      the more than 45,000 hours of video streams. Based on this automated approach, a
      statistical analysis of the ants' behavior will be carried out. In addition,
      other parameters (climate, geotectonic and biological), which may influence
      behavior, will be included in the analysis. 

PMID- 26487311
TI  - Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Musculoskeletal Discomfort in Spay
      and Neuter Veterinarians.
AB  - A cross-sectional study to investigate musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) surveyed
      219 veterinarians who currently or previously perform spays and neuters at least
      4 hours per week. Participants were asked about the presence and severity of hand
      and body MSD during the previous month, whether MSD interfered with work or daily
      activities, whether they attributed their MSD to their spay/neuter work, and
      whether MSD had ever necessitated absence from work. The period prevalence of MSD
      was 99.1%, with 76.7% experiencing hand or wrist pain and 98.2% experiencing body
      pain. Hand discomfort was most commonly reported in the right thumb and/or thumb
      base (49.8%) and the right wrist (37.9%). Body discomfort was most commonly
      reported in the lower back (76.7%), shoulders (72.6%), and neck (71.7%).
      Increasing career length, increasing weekly hours in surgery and decreasing job
      satisfaction were the work-related factors with the greatest relative
      contribution accounting for variation in hand pain severity and total pain.
      Although 94.4% of respondents felt that posture during surgery is important, only
      30.6% had received any instruction in posture and positioning for surgery. Future
      interventions should aim to optimize surgical efficiency, surgeon work schedules,
      and working environment. Analysis and intervention studies are required to
      determine further causes of MSD in these veterinarians and develop interventions
      to prevent MSD. 

PMID- 26487312
TI  - The "Super Chimpanzee": The Ecological Dimensions of Rehabilitation of Orphan
      Chimpanzees in Guinea, West Africa.
AB  - To date few studies, especially among non-human primates, have evaluated or
      monitored rehabilitation effectiveness and identified key species-specific
      behavioral indicators for release success. This four-months study aimed to
      identify behavioral indicators of rehabilitation success among ten infant and
      juvenile orphaned chimpanzees cared for in peer groups at the Centre for
      Conservation of Chimpanzees (CCC), Guinea, West Africa. Behavioral data focused
      on foraging skills and activity budget. During bush-outings, rehabilitants spent
      on average nearly a quarter of their activity budget foraging, resting or
      traveling, respectively. Neither age, sex, the level of abnormal behaviors
      demonstrated upon arrival nor human contact during bush-outings predicted
      individual dietary knowledge. However, individuals who spent more time arboreal
      demonstrated a greater dietary breadth than conspecifics who dwelled more
      terrestrially. Although our data failed to demonstrate a role of conspecific
      observation in dietary acquisition, we propose that the mingling of individuals
      from different geographical origins may act as a catalyst for acquiring new
      dietary knowledge, promoted by ecological opportunities offered during bush
      outings. This "Super Chimpanzee" theory opens up new questions about cultural
      transmission and socially-biased learning among our closest living relatives and
      provides a novel outlook on rehabilitation in chimpanzees. 

PMID- 26487313
TI  - Methodological Considerations in Designing and Evaluating Animal-Assisted
      Interventions.
AB  - This paper presents a discussion of the literature on animal-assisted
      interventions and describes limitations surrounding current methodological
      quality. Benefits to human physical, psychological and social health cannot be
      empirically confirmed due to the methodological limitations of the existing body
      of research, and comparisons cannot validly be made across different studies.
      Without a solid research base animal-assisted interventions will not receive
      recognition and acceptance as a credible alternative health care treatment. The
      paper draws on the work of four systematic reviews conducted over April-May 2009,
      with no date restrictions, focusing exclusively on the use of canine-assisted
      interventions for older people residing in long-term care. The reviews revealed a
      lack of good quality studies. Although the literature base has grown in volume
      since its inception, it predominantly consists of anecdotal accounts and reports.
      Experimental studies undertaken are often flawed in aspects of design, conduct
      and reporting. There are few qualitative studies available leading to the
      inability to draw definitive conclusions. It is clear that due to the
      complexities associated with these interventions not all weaknesses can be
      eliminated. However, there are basic methodological weaknesses that can be
      addressed in future studies in the area. Checklists for quantitative and
      qualitative research designs to guide future research are offered to help address
      methodological rigour. 

PMID- 26487314
TI  - An Investigation of a Cluster of Parapoxvirus Cases in Missouri, Feb-May 2006:
      Epidemiologic, Clinical and Molecular Aspects.
AB  - In the spring of 2006, four human cases of parapoxvirus infections in Missouri
      residents were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
      two of which were initially diagnosed as cutaneous anthrax. This investigation
      was conducted to determine the level of recognition of zoonotic parapoxvirus
      infections and prevention measures, the degree to which veterinarians may be
      consulted on human infections and what forces were behind this perceived increase
      in reported infections. Interviews were conducted and clinical and environmental
      sampling was performed. Swab and scab specimens were analyzed by real-time
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR), whereas serum specimens were evaluated for
      parapoxvirus antibodies. Three case patients were found to have fed ill juvenile
      animals without using gloves. Forty-six percent of veterinarians reported having
      been consulted regarding suspected human orf infections. Orf virus DNA was
      detected from five of 25 asymptomatic sheep. Analysis of extracellular envelope
      gene sequences indicated that sheep and goat isolates clustered in a species
      preferential fashion. Parapoxvirus infections are common in Missouri ruminants
      and their handlers. Infected persons often do not seek medical care; some may
      seek advice from veterinarians rather than physicians. The initial perception of
      increased incidence in Missouri may have arisen from a reporting artifact
      stemming from heightened concern about anthrax. Asymptomatic parapoxvirus
      infections in livestock may be common and further investigation warranted. 

PMID- 26487316
TI  - Unusual Childhood Waking as a Possible Precursor of the 1995 Kobe Earthquake.
AB  - Nearly 1,100 young students living in Japan at a range of distances up to 500 km
      from the 1995 Kobe M7 earthquake were interviewed. A statistically significant
      abnormal rate of early wakening before the earthquake was found, having
      exponential decrease with distance and a half value approaching 100 km, but
      decreasing much slower than from a point source such as an epicentre; instead
      originating from an extended area of more than 100 km in diameter. Because an
      improbably high amount of variance is explained, this effect is unlikely to be
      simply psychological and must reflect another mechanism-perhaps Ultra-Low
      Frequency (ULF) electromagnetic waves creating anxiety-but probably not (222)Rn
      excess. Other work reviewed suggests these conclusions may be valid for animals
      in general, not just children, but would be very difficult to apply for practical
      earthquake prediction. 

PMID- 26487317
TI  - Animal Experiments in Biomedical Research: A Historical Perspective.
AB  - The use of non-human animals in biomedical research has given important
      contributions to the medical progress achieved in our day, but it has also been a
      cause of heated public, scientific and philosophical discussion for hundreds of
      years. This review, with a mainly European outlook, addresses the history of
      animal use in biomedical research, some of its main protagonists and antagonists,
      and its effect on society from Antiquity to the present day, while providing a
      historical context with which to understand how we have arrived at the current
      paradigm regarding the ethical treatment of animals in research. 

PMID- 26487318
TI  - Bio-Mimetics of Disaster Anticipation-Learning Experience and Key-Challenges.
AB  - Anomalies in animal behavior and meteorological phenomena before major
      earthquakes have been reported throughout history. Bio-mimetics or bionics aims
      at learning disaster anticipation from animals. Since modern science is reluctant
      to address this problem an effort has been made to track down the knowledge
      available to ancient natural philosophers. Starting with an archaeologically
      documented human sacrifice around 1700 B.C. during the Minoan civilization
      immediately before a large earthquake, which killed the participants, earthquake
      prediction knowledge throughout antiquity is evaluated. Major practical
      experience with this phenomenon has been gained from a Chinese earthquake
      prediction initiative nearly half a century ago. Some quakes, like that of
      Haicheng, were recognized in advance. However, the destructive Tangshan
      earthquake was not predicted, which was interpreted as an inherent failure of
      prediction based on animal phenomena. This is contradicted on the basis of
      reliable Chinese documentation provided by the responsible earthquake study
      commission. The Tangshan earthquake was preceded by more than 2,000 reported
      animal anomalies, some of which were of very dramatic nature. They are discussed
      here. Any physical phenomenon, which may cause animal unrest, must involve energy
      turnover before the main earthquake event. The final product, however, of any
      energy turnover is heat. Satellite based infrared measurements have indeed
      identified significant thermal anomalies before major earthquakes. One of these
      cases, occurring during the 2001 Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat, India, is analyzed
      together with parallel animal anomalies observed in the Gir national park. It is
      suggested that the time window is identical and that both phenomena have the same
      geophysical origin. It therefore remains to be demonstrated that energy can be
      released locally before major earthquake events. It is shown that by considering
      appropriate geophysical feedback processes, this is possible for large scale
      energy conversion phenomena within highly non-linear geophysical mechanisms. With
      satellite monitored infrared anomalies indicating possible epicenters and local
      animal and environmental observations immediately initiated, the learning
      experience towards an understanding of the phenomena involved could be
      accelerated. 

PMID- 26487315
TI  - Ethnopharmacological Survey of Plants Used in the Traditional Treatment of
      Gastrointestinal Pain, Inflammation and Diarrhea in Africa: Future Perspectives
      for Integration into Modern Medicine.
AB  - There is a growing need to find the most appropriate and effective treatment
      options for a variety of painful syndromes, including conditions affecting the
      gastrointestinal tract, for treating both veterinary and human patients. The most
      successful regimen may come through integrated therapies including combining
      current and novel western drugs with acupuncture and botanical therapies or their
      derivatives. There is an extensive history and use of plants in African
      traditional medicine. In this review, we have highlighted botanical remedies used
      for treatment of pain, diarrheas and inflammation in traditional veterinary and
      human health care in Africa. These preparations are promising sources of new
      compounds comprised of flavonoids, bioflavanones, xanthones, terpenoids, sterols
      and glycosides as well as compound formulas and supplements for future use in
      multimodal treatment approaches to chronic pain, gastrointestinal disorders and
      inflammation. The advancement of plant therapies and their derivative compounds
      will require the identification and validation of compounds having specific anti
      nociceptive neuromodulatory and/or anti-inflammatory effects. In particular,
      there is need for the identification of the presence of compounds that affect
      purinergic, GABA, glutamate, TRP, opioid and cannabinoid receptors, serotonergic
      and chloride channel systems through bioactivity-guided, high-throughput
      screening and biotesting. This will create new frontiers for obtaining novel
      compounds and herbal supplements to relieve pain and gastrointestinal disorders,
      and suppress inflammation. 

PMID- 26487319
TI  - Significant laryngeal destruction in a northern European cohort of Behcet's
      disease patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Behcet's disease (BD) is a multisystem autoimmune disease of unknown
      origin typically affecting the triad of oral and genital mucosa and the eye.
      Limited data are available in the literature regarding the otolaryngology-related
      manifestations of BD, particularly in northern Europeans. This is a novel study
      detailing surprising and significant laryngeal structural changes in a northern
      European cohort of BD. METHODS: Patients meeting the International Study Group
      for Behcet's Disease (ISGBD) and the International Criteria for Behcet's Disease
      (ICBD) criteria for diagnosis were identified from an institutional database.
      Patients underwent examination with an otolaryngologist, including flexible
      laryngoscopy. Intra-oral, pharyngeal and laryngeal manifestations of BD were
      documented and characterised. Patients underwent hearing assessment with pure
      tone audiometry. RESULTS: Fifteen patients with BD were identified (4 male, 11
      female; median age 36 years). 60% (n=9) showed evidence of disease on examination
      and flexible laryngoscopy. 33% (n=5) showed laryngeal changes related to BD. 13%
      (n=2) demonstrated bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The 5 cases
      demonstrating laryngeal manifestations of disease are described in detail with
      photographic records. CONCLUSIONS: Limited data has been published regarding the
      laryngeal manifestations of BD, particularly in a northern European population.
      Our cohort of BD patients demonstrate significant laryngeal structural changes.
      It would appear that these clinically relevant changes may be more common than
      was previously thought. Raised awareness of the risk of laryngeal pathology in BD
      patients, often in the absence of overt clinical symptomatology, may result in
      earlier diagnosis and treatment. Rheumatologists and otolaryngologists should
      consider closer multi-disciplinary co-operation in the management and follow up
      of patients with BD.

PMID- 26487320
TI  - Burn depth assessments by photoacoustic imaging and laser Doppler imaging.
AB  - Diagnosis of burn depths is crucial to determine the treatment plan for severe
      burn patients. However, an objective method for burn depth assessment has yet to
      be established, although a commercial laser Doppler imaging (LDI) system is used
      limitedly. We previously proposed burn depth assessment based on photoacoustic
      imaging (PAI), in which thermoelastic waves originating from blood under the
      burned tissue are detected, and we showed the validity of the method by
      experiments using rat models with three different burn depths: superficial dermal
      burn, deep dermal burn and deep burn. On the basis of those results, we recently
      developed a real-time PAI system for clinical burn diagnosis. Before starting a
      clinical trial, however, there is a need to reveal more detailed diagnostic
      characteristics, such as linearity and error, of the PAI system as well as to
      compare its characteristics with those of an LDI system. In this study, we
      prepared rat models with burns induced at six different temperatures from 70 to
      98  degrees C, which showed a linear dependence of injury depth on the
      temperature. Using these models, we examined correlations of signals obtained by
      PAI and LDI with histologically determined injury depths and burn induction
      temperatures at 48 hours postburn. We found that the burn depths indicated by PAI
      were highly correlative with histologically determined injury depths (depths of
      viable vessels) as well as with burn induction temperatures. Perfusion values
      measured by LDI were less correlative with these parameters, especially for burns
      induced at higher temperatures, being attributable to the limited detectable
      depth for light involving a Doppler shift in tissue. In addition, the measurement
      errors in PAI were smaller than those in LDI. On the basis of these results, we
      will be able to start clinical studies using the present PAI system.

PMID- 26487321
TI  - Using Bayesian Imputation to Assess Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Pediatric
      Performance Measures.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze health care disparities in pediatric quality of care
      measures and determine the impact of data imputation. DATA SOURCES: Five HEDIS
      measures are calculated based on 2012 administrative data for 145,652 children in
      two public insurance programs in Florida. METHODS: The Bayesian Improved Surname
      and Geocoding (BISG) imputation method is used to impute missing race and
      ethnicity data for 42 percent of the sample (61,954 children). Models are
      estimated with and without the imputed race and ethnicity data. PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: Dropping individuals with missing race and ethnicity data biases
      quality of care measures for minorities downward relative to nonminority children
      for several measures. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide further support for the
      importance of appropriately accounting for missing race and ethnicity data
      through imputation methods.

PMID- 26487322
TI  - Investigating hyperkalaemia in adults.

PMID- 26487323
TI  - From Oedipus to PACE, using the concepts of shame and guilt as golden thread.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate that antiquity's concepts of shame and guilt developed
      in their meaning over the centuries and can still have practical applicability in
      psychological therapies these days. METHODS: To review shame and guilt in
      philosophy, history, ethics and psychiatry contexts. Within limitations, a
      narrative is presented, starting with Oedipus in antiquity, visiting several
      important philosophical theories and ending in the present time with, for
      example, Dan Hughes' PACE model for therapy. RESULTS: The first part expands on
      selected ideas presented in Melvyn Bragg's 2007 BBC radio programme entitled
      'Guilt'; the second part adds selected therapeutic models where concepts of shame
      and guilt play a role. CONCLUSIONS: Shame and guilt are archaic but
      quintessential concepts that already occupied thinkers in antiquity. Shame and
      guilt are concepts that preoccupied science and art over the millennia and
      continue as useful concepts to the present day. Moreover, shame and guilt, as
      concepts, continue to play a salient role in recent and contemporary psychiatry.

PMID- 26487324
TI  - #IHMayDay: tweeting for empowerment and social and emotional wellbeing.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This paper examines the themes of #IHMayDay, a day-long Twitter
      discussion about Indigenous health led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
      peoples on 1 May 2014. METHOD: The Symplur analytics tool was used to identify
      the Twitter activity associated with #IHMayDay. This paper reviews the content of
      423 tweets that were tweeted and retweeted by 346 individuals and 108
      organisations. RESULTS: Issues related to social and emotional wellbeing were
      dominant, and the analysis highlights the empowering nature of the strengths
      based discourse. CONCLUSIONS: Twitter-based events such as #IHMayDay and
      initiatives such as the rotated, curated account @IndigenousX are powerful
      platforms for learning, exchange, advocacy and dialogue about the social and
      emotional wellbeing and mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
      peoples.

PMID- 26487325
TI  - Acute ischemic stroke and abnormal blood hemoglobin concentration.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study examines whether low or high blood hemoglobin
      concentration (HGB) is associated with stroke severity, worse clinical outcomes,
      and poorer prognosis after acute ischemic stroke (AIS). METHODS: This
      retrospective cohort study included data from the Ontario Stroke Registry on
      consecutive patients with AIS who were admitted between July 2003 and March 2008.
      We excluded patients taking anticonvulsants or iron supplement; patients with
      cancer, renal failure, history of gastro-intestinal or genitourinary bleeding,
      and pregnancy. Patients were divided into groups as follows: low HGB, normal HGB,
      and high HGB. Outcome measures included the frequency of greater degree of
      disability at discharge (modified Rankin score: 3-6), 7-day, 30-day and 90-day
      mortality, and length of stay in the acute stroke care hospital. RESULTS:
      Hemoglobin levels higher than the upper limit of normal are associated with a
      greater disability at discharge (OR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.03-2.15, P = 0.0331), and
      higher 30-day mortality (HR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.44-2.74, P < 0.0001) after
      adjustment for major potential confounders. The Kaplan-Meier curves indicate that
      abnormal HGB levels are associated with higher mortality after AIS (P < 0.0001).
      HGB levels below the lower limit of normal are associated with longer lengths of
      stay in the acute care hospital (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.02-1.22, P = 0.017).
      Elevated HGB was associated with greater neurological deficit on admission (OR =
      1.45, 95% CI: 1.06-1.95, P = 0.0195). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that an
      elevated HGB on the initial admission is associated with more severe strokes,
      greater disability at discharge, and higher 30-day mortality after AIS. A low HGB
      on admission is associated with longer stay in the acute care hospital.

PMID- 26487326
TI  - Ciliary neurotrophic factor has intrinsic and extrinsic roles in regulating B
      cell differentiation and bone structure.
AB  - The gp130 receptor and its binding partners play a central role in cytokine
      signalling. Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is one of the cytokines that
      signals through the gp130 receptor complex. CNTF has previously been shown to be
      a negative regulator of trabecular bone remodelling and important for motor
      neuron development. Since haematopoietic cell maintenance and differentiation is
      dependent on the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment, where cells of the
      osteoblastic lineage are important regulators, we hypothesised that CNTF may also
      have important roles in regulating haematopoiesis. Analysis of haematopoietic
      parameters in male and female Cntf(-/-) mice at 12 and 24 weeks of age revealed
      altered B lymphopoiesis. Strikingly, the B lymphocyte phenotype differed based on
      sex, age and also the BM microenvironment in which the B cells develop. When BM
      cells from wildtype mice were transplanted into Cntf(-/-) mice, there were
      minimal effects on B lymphopoiesis or bone parameters. However, when Cntf(-/-) BM
      cells were transplanted into a wildtype BM microenvironment, there were changes
      in both haematopoiesis and bone parameters. Our data reveal that haematopoietic
      cell-derived CNTF has roles in regulating BM B cell lymphopoiesis and both
      trabecular and cortical bone, the latter in a sex-dependent manner. 

PMID- 26487327
TI  - Virtual Nursing Intervention Adjunctive to Conventional Care: The Experience of
      Persons Living With HIV.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Persons living with HIV (PLHIV) must adhere optimally to
      antiretroviral therapy (ART) on a daily basis and for their lifetime to maintain
      an undetectable viral load, allowing them to preserve their health. Taking
      advantage of the opportunity that information and communication technologies
      provide to broaden intervention modalities and intensify clinical follow-up, a
      virtual nursing intervention consisting of four interactive computer sessions was
      developed to empower PLHIV to manage their ART and symptoms optimally. Compared
      with other types of information and communication technologies-assisted
      interventions such as text messages, HIV Treatment, Virtual Nursing Assistance
      and Education (VIH-TAVIE) requires a certain degree of active engagement on the
      part of the user to develop and strengthen the self-management skills to optimize
      adherence. After the intervention's impact on ART adherence was measured
      quantitatively, a qualitative study was undertaken to describe how users
      experience the intervention. Understanding how PLHIV perceive being assisted
      asynchronously by a virtual nurse was of particular interest. OBJECTIVE: The
      objective of the study was to explore and describe how PLHIV experience VIH
      TAVIE, that is, receiving customized asynchronous accompaniment via a virtual
      nurse. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted with 26 PLHIV (20 men, 6 women)
      who received all four VIH-TAVIE sessions. Participants had been diagnosed with
      HIV 14 years earlier on average and had been on ART for a mean period of 10
      years. The sessions lasted 20-30 minutes each and were received two weeks apart.
      They are hosted by a virtual nurse who engages the user in a self-management
      skills-learning process for the purpose of treatment adherence. Semistructured
      interviews were conducted lasting 30-40 minutes to get participants to share
      their experience of the intervention through personal stories and what they
      thought and felt during their participation. Data were analyzed using Miles and
      Huberman's method, by performing these three steps: (1) data reduction (data
      coding, summaries); (2) data display (in tables and text form); and (3)
      recontextualization of results. RESULTS: Content analysis yielded five themes
      regarding how PLHIV experience VIH-TAVIE: (1) exposure to the virtual nursing
      intervention; (2) virtual nurse humanizes experience of the computer-delivered
      intervention; (3) learner's experience of the virtual nursing intervention; (4)
      perceived benefits following participation in the virtual nursing intervention;
      and (5) relevance of the virtual nursing intervention in relation to the
      medication management trajectory. CONCLUSIONS: Analyzing the participants'
      experience revealed they found the intervention's content and format appropriate.
      To them, the virtual nurse humanized the experience and helped them acquire new
      skills for achieving optimal ART adherence. Results seem to underscore the
      importance of offering the intervention to persons who have more problems with
      drug intake or who are just beginning ART.

PMID- 26487328
TI  - Roles of inter-SWCNT junctions in resistive humidity response.
AB  - As a promising chemiresistor for gas sensing, the single-walled carbon nanotube
      (SWCNT) network has not yet been fully utilized for humidity detection. In this
      work, it is found that as humidity increases from 10% to 85%, the resistance of
      as-grown SWCNT networks first decreases and then increases. This non-monotonic
      resistive response to humidity limits their sensing capabilities. The competition
      between SWCNT resistance and inter-tube junction resistance changes is then found
      to be responsible for the non-monotonic resistive humidity responses. Moreover,
      creating sp(3) scattering centers on the SWCNT sidewall by monovalent
      functionalization of four-bromobenzene diazonium tetrafluoroborate is shown to be
      capable of eliminating the influence from the inter-tube junctions, resulting in
      a continuous resistance drop as humidity increases from 10% to 85%. Our results
      revealed the competing resistive humidity sensing process in as-grown SWCNT
      networks, which could also be helpful in designing and optimizing as-grown SWCNT
      networks for humidity sensors and other gas sensors. 

PMID- 26487329
TI  - Biological Substrate of the Rapid Volumetric Changes Observed in the Human Liver
      During the Associating Liver Partition and Portal Vein Ligation for Staged
      Hepatectomy Approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged
      hepatectomy (ALPPS) strategy induces rapid future liver remnant (FLR)
      hypertrophy. Hepatocyte cellular and molecular changes associated with liver
      hypertrophy during ALPPS remain ill-defined in humans. METHODS: Patients
      undergoing the ALPPS approach between June 2011 and October 2014 were extracted.
      Biopsies from the FLR were obtained during the first and second stages.
      Hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemical analysis for expression of the
      proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl
      transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) were performed. The proliferative
      index was defined as: PCNA-TUNEL ratio. RESULTS: Eleven of 34 patients treated
      were studied during both stages. Median FLR hypertrophy was 104 % in 6 days, with
      a mean difference between preoperative and postoperative volume of 361 ml (P <
      0.001). The mean hepatocyte number increased from 52.7 cells/mm(2) in the first
      stage to 89.6 cells/mm(2) in the second stage (P = 0.001). PCNA expression
      increased by 190 % between stages with a linear correlation (r = 0.58) with
      macroscopic hypertrophy. The proliferative index increased from -3.78 cells/mm(2)
      in first stage to 2.32 cells/mm(2) in the second stage (P = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS:
      The results of the present study indicate that the rapid FLR volumetric increase
      observed in ALPPS is accompanied by histological and molecular features of
      hepatocyte cell proliferation.

PMID- 26487330
TI  - Thirty-Day Readmission After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy-a Predictable Event?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thirty-day readmission post-bariatric surgery is used as a metric for
      surgical quality and patient care. We sought to examine factors driving 30-day
      readmissions after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). METHODS: We reviewed
      1257 LSG performed between March 2012 and June 2014. Readmitted and nonreadmitted
      patients were compared in their demographics, medical histories, and index
      hospitalizations. Multivariable regression was used to identify risk factors for
      readmission. RESULTS: Forty-five (3.6 %) patients required 30-day readmissions.
      Forty-seven percent were readmitted with malaise (emesis, dehydration, abdominal
      pain) and 42 % with technical complications (leak, bleed, mesenteric vein
      thrombosis). Factors independently associated with 30-day readmission include
      index admission length of stay (LOS) >=3 days (OR 2.54, CI = [1.19, 5.40]),
      intraoperative drain placement (OR 3.11, CI = [1.58, 6.13]), postoperative
      complications (OR 8.21, CI = [2.33, 28.97]), and pain at discharge (OR 8.49, CI =
      [2.37, 30.44]). Patients requiring 30-day readmissions were 72 times more likely
      to have additional readmissions by 6 months (OR 72.4, CI = [15.8, 330.5]).
      CONCLUSIONS: The 30-day readmission rate after LSG is 3.6 %, with near equal
      contributions from malaise and technical complications. LOS, postoperative
      complications, drain placement, and pain score can aid in identifying patients at
      increased risk for 30-day readmissions. Patients should be educated on
      postoperative hydration and pain management, so readmissions can be limited to
      technical complications requiring acute inpatient management.

PMID- 26487331
TI  - Extracorporeal Hypothermic Perfusion Device for Intestinal Graft Preservation to
      Decrease Ischemic Injury During Transportation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The small intestine is one of the most ischemia-sensitive organs
      used in transplantation. To better preserve the intestinal graft viability and
      decrease ischemia-reperfusion injury, a device for extracorporeal perfusion was
      developed. We present the results for the first series of perfused human
      intestine with an intestinal perfusion unit (IPU). METHODS: Five human intestines
      were procured for the protocol. (1) An experimental segment was perfused by the
      IPU delivering cold preservation solution to the vascular and luminal side
      continually at 4 oC for 8 h. (2) Control (jejunum and ileum) segments were
      preserved in static cold preservation. Tissue samples were obtained for
      histopathologic grading according to the Park/Chiu scoring system (0 = normal, 8
      = transmural infarction). RESULTS: Jejunal experimental segments scored 2.2 with
      the Park/Chiu system compared to the control segments, which averaged 3.2.
      Overall scoring for ileum experimental and control segments was equal with 1.6.
      CONCLUSION: This data presents proof of concept that extracorporeal intestinal
      perfusion is feasible. The evidence shows that the IPU can preserve the viability
      of human intestine, and histopathologic evaluation of perfused intestine is
      favorable. Our early results can eventually lead to expanding the possibilities
      of intestinal preservation.

PMID- 26487332
TI  - Total Pancreatectomy with Celiac Axis Resection and Hepatic Artery Restoration
      Using Splenic Artery Autograft Interposition.
AB  - Although the indication of locally advanced pancreatic cancer with arterial
      involvement is controversial, the outcome of the patients with such disease
      treated by combined resection and reconstruction of the invaded artery has
      improved recently. For pancreatic body carcinoma invading the celiac axis, distal
      pancreatectomy with celiac axis resection has been safely performed. However, in
      case of pancreatic body carcinoma with involvement of the celiac axis, the common
      hepatic artery and the gastroduodenal artery, margin-negative resection requires
      total pancreatectomy with celiac axis resection and restoration of hepatic
      arterial flow. Here, we describe an interposition grafting technique using the
      splenic artery harvested from the resected specimen. This technique is effective
      and may widen the resectability of pancreatic cancer in selected patients. 

PMID- 26487333
TI  - Surgeon Volume Correlates with Reduced Mortality and Improved Quality in the
      Surgical Management of Diverticulitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Volume has been shown to be an important determinant of quality and
      cost outcomes. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of patients who
      underwent surgery for diverticulitis using the University HealthSystem Consortium
      database from 2008-2012. Outcomes evaluated included minimally invasive approach,
      stoma creation, intensive-care admission, post-operative complications, length of
      stay, and total direct hospital costs by surgeon volume. Surgeon volume was
      categorized into four categories by mean annual volumes: very-high (VHVS) (>31),
      high (HVS) (13-31), medium (MVS) (6-12), and low (LVS) (<=5). RESULTS: A total of
      19,212 patients with a mean age of 59 years, 54 % female makeup, and 55 % rate of
      private insurance were included. Similar to the unadjusted analysis,
      multivariable analysis revealed decreasing odds of stoma creation, complications,
      ICU admission, reoperation, readmission, and inpatient mortality with increasing
      surgeon volume. Additionally, compared with LVS, a higher surgeon volume was
      associated with higher rates of the minimally invasive approach. Median length of
      stay and costs were also notably lower with increasing surgeon volume.
      CONCLUSION: Quality and the use of minimally invasive technique are tightly
      associated with surgeon volume. Further studies are necessary to validate the
      direct association of volume with outcomes in surgery for diverticulitis.

PMID- 26487334
TI  - Patients with Adenocarcinoma of the Small Intestine with 9 or More Regional Lymph
      Nodes Retrieved Have a Higher Rate of Positive Lymph Nodes and Improved Survival.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the influence of regional lymph node (RLN) retrieval on stage
      migration of adenocarcinoma of the small intestine and survival. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: From the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database,1090
      patients with nonmetastatic small bowel adenocarcinoma were identified in between
      2004 and 2011. The impact of the number of RLNs removed on histopathological
      staging and oncological outcome was assessed utilizing Cox proportional hazard
      regression models with and without risk-adjustment, propensity score methods, and
      joinpoint regression analysis. RESULTS: The rate of node-positive cancer
      increased steadily with the number of retrieved RLNs up to 9 RLNs, which suggests
      that a minimum of 9 (95 % CI 5.5-10.5) retrieved RLNs are needed for the
      detection of node-positive disease (P < 0.001). From 657 of 1090 patients (60.3
      %), 9 or more RLNs were retrieved. While in 2004 only in 46.0 % of all cases 9+
      RLNs were retrieved, this rate increased to 69.3 % in 2011 (P < 0.001). The
      multivariable analysis demonstrated that the retrieval of 9+ RLNs was associated
      with better overall (hazard ratio of death [HR] = 0.67, 95 % CI 0.55-0.82, P <
      0.001) and cancer-specific survival (HR = 0.77, 95 % CI 0.61-0.96, P = 0.022).
      This finding was confirmed by a propensity score-adjusted analysis, which
      indicated increased overall (HR = 0.67, 95 % CI 0.50-0.89, P < 0.001) and cancer
      specific survival (HR = 0.67, 95 % CI 0.49-0.92, P = 0.013) in patients with the
      retrieval of 9+ RLNs. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first population
      based propensity score-adjusted investigation in small bowel adenocarcinoma. A
      sufficient number of RLNs should be retrieved to achieve an optimal oncological
      outcome

PMID- 26487335
TI  - Tolerating Uncertainty: Perceptions of the Future for Ageing Parent Carers and
      Their Adult Children with Intellectual Disabilities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Improved life expectancy means that more adults with intellectual
      disabilities are now living with ageing parents. This study explored older
      families' perceptions of the future. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were
      conducted with nine older parents and three adults with intellectual disabilities
      and analysed to produce an explanatory thematic framework. RESULTS: 'Tolerating
      uncertainty' was the major theme in participants' attempts to manage anxieties
      about the future, encompassing sub-themes of 'accepting the parenting role',
      'facing challenges', 'being supported/isolated', 'positive meaning making', 're
      evaluating as time moves on' and 'managing future thinking'. Some participants
      expressed preferences for their future which were in contrast to their parents'
      views, and provide a unique perspective that has often been neglected in prior
      research. CONCLUSIONS: This research has found commonalities in how families
      tolerate the uncertainty of the future, but also unique differences that require
      tailored interventions and prospective action by services.

PMID- 26487336
TI  - Do ICP-MS based methods fulfill the EU monitoring requirements for the
      determination of elements in our environment?
AB  - Undoubtedly, the most important advance in the environmental regulatory
      monitoring of elements of the last decade is the widespread introduction of ICP
      mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) due to standards developed by the European Committee
      for Standardization. The versatility of ICP-MS units as a tool for the
      determination of major, minor and trace elements (Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu,
      Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Ti, V and Zn) in surface water,
      groundwater, river sediment, topsoil, subsoil, fine particulates and atmospheric
      deposition is illustrated in this paper. Ranges of background concentrations for
      major, minor and trace elements obtained from a regional case study (Flanders,
      Belgium) are summarized for all of these environmental compartments and discussed
      in the context of a harmonized implementation of European regulatory monitoring
      requirements. The results were derived from monitoring programs in support of EU
      environmental quality directives and were based on a selection of (non-polluted)
      background locations. Because of the availability of ICP-MS instruments nowadays,
      it can be argued that the main hindrance for meeting the European environmental
      monitoring requirements is no longer the technical feasibility of analysis at
      these concentration levels, but rather (i) potential contamination during
      sampling and analysis, (ii) too limited implementation of quality control
      programs, validating the routinely applied methods (including sampling and low
      level verification) and (iii) lack of harmonization in reporting of the chemical
      environmental status between the individual member states. 

PMID- 26487337
TI  - Toxicopathological Effects of the Sunscreen UV Filter,  Oxybenzone (Benzophenone
      3), on Coral Planulae and Cultured  Primary Cells and Its Environmental
      Contamination in Hawaii  and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
AB  - Toxicity persistence to the nontarget amphipod Hyalella curvispina in runoff
      events following chlorpyrifos applications to soy experimental plots was compared
      in conventional and no-till management. Two application scenarios were compared:
      an early-season application with the soil almost bare and a late-season
      application after the foliage had attained complete soil cover. H. curvispina was
      exposed to chlorpyrifos using two different test systems: a short-term (48 h)
      runoff water exposure and a long-term (10 days) soil exposure. Both commonly used
      crop management practices for soybean production resulted in runoff toxicity
      following pesticide applications and represent a toxicity risk for adjacent
      inland waters. Toxicity persistence was longer after the earlier than the late
      season application, likely because of higher volatilization and
      photodecomposition losses from the soy canopy than from the soil. For the early
      season application, toxicity persisted longer in the no-till plots than in the
      conventional tillage plots. Suspended matter was higher in the conventional
      treatment. Chlorpyrifos sorption to suspended matter likely contributed to the
      shorter persistence. For the late-season application, toxicity persisted longer
      in the conventional treatment. The causes remain conjectural. The soil organic
      carbon content was higher in the no-till treatment. Sorption to organic matter
      might have contributed to the shorter chlorpyrifos toxicity persistence in no
      till management. Late applications are more frequent and prevail longer
      throughout the soy growing season. Overall, the no-till management practice seems
      preferably because shorter toxicity persistence in runoff represents a lower
      environmental risk for the adjacent inland waters.

PMID- 26487338
TI  - Acute Atrazine Exposure has Lasting Effects on Chemosensory  Responses to Food
      Odors in Crayfish (Orconectes virilis).
AB  - The herbicide atrazine is known to impact negatively olfactory-mediated behaviors
      in aquatic animals. We have shown that atrazine exposure has deleterious effects
      on olfactory-mediated behavioral responses to food odors in crayfish; however,
      recovery of chemosensory abilities post-atrazine exposure has not been
      investigated. We examined whether crayfish (Orconectes virilis) recovered
      chemosensory abilities after a 96-h exposure to sublethal, environmentally
      relevant concentrations of 80 ppb (ug/L) atrazine. Following treatment, we
      analyzed the ability of the crayfish to locate a food source using a Y-maze with
      one arm containing fish-flavored gelatin and the other containing unflavored
      gelatin. We compared the time spent in the food arm of the Y-maze, near the food
      source, as well as moving and walking speed of control and atrazine-treated
      crayfish. We also compared the number of crayfish that handled the food source
      and the amount of food consumed. Following 24-, 48-, and 72-h recovery periods in
      fresh water, behavioral trials were repeated to determine if there was any
      observable recovery of chemosensory-mediated behaviors. Atrazine-treated crayfish
      spent less time in the food arm, at the odor source, and were less successful at
      finding the food odor source than control crayfish for all times tested.
      Additionally, atrazine-treated crayfish consumed less fish-flavored than control
      crayfish; however, treatment did not affect locomotion. Overall, we found that
      crayfish are not able to recover chemosensory abilities 72 h post-atrazine
      exposure. Because crayfish rely heavily on their chemosensory abilities to
      acquire food, the negative impacts of atrazine exposure could affect population
      size in areas where atrazine is heavily applied.

PMID- 26487339
TI  - Incidence and Characteristics of Late Catch-Up Phenomenon Between Sirolimus
      Eluting Stent and Everolimus-Eluting Stent: A Propensity Matched Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We evaluated and compared the incidence and characteristics of late
      catch-up phenomenon (LCU) between everolimus-eluting stent (EES) and sirolimus
      eluting stent (SES) implantations. BACKGROUND: Late catch-up phenomenon after
      everolimus-eluting stent (EES) implantation has not yet been evaluated
      sufficiently. METHODS: Between April 2007 and May 2011, 1,234 patients with
      coronary artery disease were treated with SES and 502 patients with EES.
      Following propensity score matching, we evaluated 495 SES-treated patients and
      495 ESS-treated patients. The incidences of LCU (i.e., late target lesion
      revascularization [TLR] [1-3 years]) were compared. RESULTS: The cumulative
      incidence of TLR at 3 years was 11.9% in the SES group and 6.1% in the EES group
      (P = 0.001). The incidence of late TLR was 7.5% in the SES group and 3.4% in the
      EES group (P = 0.004). Even though not statistically significant, intravascular
      ultrasound showed a higher tendency of stent fracture (SF) in late restenosis
      lesions in the SES group than in the EES group (37.0% vs 7.7%; P = 0.052).
      Moreover, the SF rate tended to increase in late restenosis compared with early
      restenosis (within 1 year) in the SES group compared with the EES group (SES:
      37.0% vs 22.2%; P = 0.293, EES: 7.7% vs 10.0%; P = 0.846), although the increase
      was not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: EES was superior to SES in terms of
      LCU. SF may be associated with LCU after SES implantation.

PMID- 26487340
TI  - Does the Presence of a Major Psychiatric Disorder Affect Tolerance and Outcomes
      in Men With Prostate Cancer Receiving Radiation Therapy?
AB  - Prior studies have suggested that men with prostate cancer and psychiatric
      disorders (+Psy) have worse outcomes compared with those without (-Psy),
      particularly due to delayed diagnosis or reduced access to definitive treatment.
      In the current study, the toxicity and outcomes of men who were primarily
      diagnosed through prostate-specific antigen screening and who underwent
      definitive treatment with external beam radiation was investigated. The charts of
      469 men diagnosed with prostate cancer from 2003 to 2010 were reviewed. The
      presence of +Psy was based on a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
      Disorders-Fourth edition diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression,
      schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and/or generalized anxiety disorder. Kaplan
      Meier analysis was used to analyze biochemical control, distant control, prostate
      cancer-specific survival, and overall survival. One hundred patients (21.3%) were
      identified as +Psy. At a median follow-up of 73 months, there were no differences
      regarding 6-year biochemical control (79.8% -Psy vs. 80.4% +Psy, p = .50) or 6
      year distant metastatic-free survival (96.4% -Psy vs. 98.0% +Psy, p = .36). There
      were also no differences regarding the 6-year prostate cancer-specific survival
      (98.4% -Psy vs. 99.0% +Psy, p = .45) or 6-year overall survival (80.2% -Psy vs.
      82.2% +Psy, p = .35). Short- and long-term genitourinary and gastrointestinal
      toxicities were similar between the groups. On multivariate analyses with
      propensity score adjustment, +Psy was not a significant predictor for toxicity,
      biochemical recurrence, or survival. The presence of +Psy was not associated with
      higher toxicity or worse clinical outcomes, suggesting that effective removal of
      screening and treatment barriers may reduce the survival disparities of these
      patients.

PMID- 26487341
TI  - Murnane, Coley, and Baeten respond to "every good randomization deserves
      observation".

PMID- 26487342
TI  - Invited commentary: every good randomization deserves observation.
AB  - Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a promising approach to prevention of human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission, in which an HIV-negative individual
      takes a single daily dose of an antiretroviral drug so that, if exposed to HIV,
      an active antiretroviral drug is already present in his or her system. In this
      issue of the Journal, Murnane et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2015;182(10):848-856) use
      data from the Partners PrEP Study (Kenya and Uganda, 2008-2011) to estimate the
      efficacy of PrEP under perfect adherence. We discuss Murnane et al.'s work and
      then examine the larger issues of generalizability or transportability of
      findings from a randomized trial to a new setting when adherence to an
      intervention determines its effectiveness. We discuss sufficient conditions for
      generalizability and use causal directed acyclic graphs to show how these
      assumptions might play out when trials are used to make inferences about the
      effect of PrEP in current and future real-world target populations. 

PMID- 26487343
TI  - Estimating efficacy in a randomized trial with product nonadherence: application
      of multiple methods to a trial of preexposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention.
AB  - Antiretroviral preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for persons at high risk of human
      immunodeficiency virus infection is a promising new prevention strategy. Six
      randomized trials of oral PrEP were recently conducted and demonstrated efficacy
      estimates ranging from 75% to no effect, with nonadherence likely resulting in
      attenuated estimates of the protective effect of PrEP. In 1 of these trials, the
      Partners PrEP Study (Kenya and Uganda, 2008-2011), participants (4,747
      serodiscordant heterosexual couples) were randomized to receipt of tenofovir
      (TDF), coformulated TDF/emtricitabine (FTC), or placebo. Intention-to-treat
      analyses found efficacy estimates of 67% for TDF and 75% for TDF/FTC. We applied
      multiple methods to data from that trial to estimate the efficacy of PrEP with
      high adherence, including principal stratification and inverse-probability-of
      censoring (IPC) weights. Results were further from the null when correcting for
      nonadherence: 1) among the strata with an estimated 100% probability of high
      adherence (TDF hazard ratio (HR) = 0.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.07,
      0.56; TDF/FTC HR = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.52); 2) with IPC weights used to
      approximate a continuously adherent population (TDF HR = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.06,
      0.53; TDF/FTC HR = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.52); and 3) in per-protocol analysis
      (TDF HR = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.53; TDF/FTC HR = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.53). Our
      results suggest that the efficacy of PrEP with high adherence is over 80%. 

PMID- 26487344
TI  - The Public Stigma of Problem Gambling: Its Nature and Relative Intensity Compared
      to Other Health Conditions.
AB  - Problem gambling attracts considerable public stigma, with deleterious effects on
      mental health and use of healthcare services amongst those affected. However, no
      research has examined the extent of stigma towards problem gambling within the
      general population. This study aimed to examine the stigma-related dimensions of
      problem gambling as perceived by the general public compared to other health
      conditions, and determine whether the publicly perceived dimensions of problem
      gambling predict its stigmatisation. A sample of 2000 Australian adults was
      surveyed, weighted to be representative of the state population by gender, age
      and location. Based on vignettes, the online survey measured perceived origin,
      peril, concealability, course and disruptiveness of problem gambling and four
      other health conditions, and desired social distance from each. Problem gambling
      was perceived as caused mainly by stressful life circumstances, and highly
      disruptive, recoverable and noticeable, but not particularly perilous.
      Respondents stigmatised problem gambling more than sub-clinical distress and
      recreational gambling, but less than alcohol use disorder and schizophrenia.
      Predictors of stronger stigma towards problem gambling were perceptions it is
      caused by bad character, is perilous, non-recoverable, disruptive and noticeable,
      but not due to stressful life circumstances, genetic/inherited problem, or
      chemical imbalance in the brain. This new foundational knowledge can advance
      understanding and reduction of problem gambling stigma through countering
      inaccurate perceptions that problem gambling is caused by bad character, that
      people with gambling problems are likely to be violent to other people, and that
      people cannot recover from problem gambling. 

PMID- 26487345
TI  - Transcription factor and miRNA co-regulatory network reveals shared and specific
      regulators in the development of B cell and T cell.
AB  - The maturation process of lymphocyte was related to many blood diseases, such as
      lymphoma and lymphoid leukemia. Many TFs and miRNAs were separately studied in
      the development of B and T cells. In this study, we aim to discover the TF and
      miRNA co-regulation and identify key regulators in the B and T cells maturation.
      We obtained the candidate genes, miRNAs and TFs for each stage of their
      maturation, then constructed the TF-miRNA-gene feed-forward loops (FFLs) for each
      stage by our previous methods. Statistical test for FFLs indicated their
      enrichment and significance. TF-miRNA co-regulatory networks for each stage were
      constructed by combining their FFLs. Hub analysis revealed the key regulators in
      each stage, for example, MYC, STAT5A, PAX5 and miR-17 ~ 92 in the transition of
      pro-B cells into pre-B cells. We also identified a few common regulators and
      modules in two stages of B cell maturation (e.g. miR-146a/NFKB1/BCL11A) and two
      stages of T cell maturation (e.g. miR-20/CCND2/SORL1), as well as some shared
      regulators in the early stages of both B and T cell development. Our network will
      help to increase understanding of mature process of B and T cell, as well as the
      related blood diseases.

PMID- 26487346
TI  - Optimal definition of biological tumor volume using positron emission tomography
      in an animal model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The goal of the study is to investigate (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose
      positron emission tomography ((18)F-FDG-PET)'s ability to delineate the viable
      portion of a tumor in an animal model using cross-sectional histology as the
      validation standard. METHODS: Syngeneic mammary tumors were grown in female Lewis
      rats. Macroscopic histological images of the transverse tumor sections were
      paired with their corresponding FDG micro-PET slices of the same cranial-caudal
      location to form 51 pairs of co-registered images. A binary classification system
      based on four FDG-PET tumor contouring methods was applied to each pair of
      images: threshold based on (1) percentage of maximum tumor voxel counts (Cmax),
      (2) percentage of tumor peak voxel counts (Cpeak), (3) multiples of liver mean
      voxel counts (Cliver) derived from PERCIST, and (4) an edge-detection-based
      automated contouring system. The sensitivity, which represented the percentage of
      viable tumor areas correctly delineated by the gross tumor area (GTA) generated
      from a particular tumor contouring method, and the ratio (expressed in
      percentage) of the overestimated areas of a gross tumor area (GTAOE)/whole tumor
      areas on the macroscopic histology (WTAH), which represented how much a
      particular GTA extended into the normal structures surrounding the primary tumor
      target, were calculated. RESULTS: The receiver operating characteristic curves of
      all pairs of FDG-PET images have a mean area under the curve value of 0.934 (CI
      of 0.911-0.954), for representing how well each contouring method accurately
      delineated the viable tumor area. FDG-PET single value threshold tumor contouring
      based on 30 and 35 % of tumor Cmax or Cpeak and 6 * Cliver + 2 * SD achieved a
      sensitivity greater than 90 % with a GTAOE/WTAH ratio less than 10 %. Contouring
      based on 50 % of Cmax or Cpeak had a much lower sensitivity of 67.2-75.6 % with a
      GTAOE/WTAH ratio of 1.1-1.7 %. Automated edge detection was not reliable in this
      system. CONCLUSIONS: Single-value-threshold tumor contouring using (18)F-FDG-PET
      is able to accurately delineate the viable portion of a tumor. 30 and 35 % of
      Cmax, 30 and 35 % of Cpeak, and 6 * Cliver + 2 * SD are three appropriate
      threshold values to delineate viable tumor volume in our animal model. The
      commonly used threshold value of 50 % of Cmax or Cpeak failed to detect one third
      of the viable tumor volume in our model.

PMID- 26487348
TI  - Ferroelectric Single-Crystal Gated Graphene/Hexagonal-BN/Ferroelectric Field
      Effect Transistor.
AB  - The effect of a ferroelectric polarization field on the charge transport in a two
      dimensional (2D) material was examined using a graphene monolayer on a hexagonal
      boron nitride (hBN) field-effect transistor (FET) fabricated using a
      ferroelectric single-crystal substrate, (1-x)[Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3]-x[PbTiO3] (PMN
      PT). In this configuration, the intrinsic properties of graphene were preserved
      with the use of an hBN flake, and the influence of the polarization field from
      PMN-PT could be distinguished. During a wide-range gate-voltage (VG) sweep, a
      sharp inversion of the spontaneous polarization affected the graphene channel
      conductance asymmetrically as well as an antihysteretic behavior. Additionally, a
      transition from antihysteresis to normal ferroelectric hysteresis occurred,
      depending on the V(G) sweep range relative to the ferroelectric coercive field.
      We developed a model to interpret the complex coupling among antihysteresis,
      current saturation, and sudden conductance variation in relation with the
      ferroelectric switching and the polarization-assisted charge trapping, which can
      be generalized to explain the combination of 2D structured materials with
      ferroelectrics.

PMID- 26487347
TI  - Respiratory plasticity is insufficient to alleviate blood acid-base disturbances
      after acclimation to ocean acidification in the estuarine red drum, Sciaenops
      ocellatus.
AB  - The changes in ocean chemistry stemming from anthropogenic CO2 release--termed
      ocean acidification (OA)--are predicted to have wide-ranging effects on fish and
      ultimately threaten global populations. The ability of fish to adapt to
      environmental change is currently unknown, but phenotypic plasticity has been
      highlighted as a crucial factor in determining species resilience. Here we show
      that red drum, a long-lived estuarine-dependent fish species native to the Gulf
      of Mexico, exhibit respiratory plasticity that increases CO2 excretion capacity
      when acclimated to OA conditions. Specifically, fish exposed to 14 days of 1000
      uatm CO2 had a 32% reduction in branchial diffusion distance and increased
      expression of two putative CO2 channel proteins--rhag and rhcg1. No changes were
      observed in the erythrocyte CO2 transport pathways. Surprisingly, no significant
      changes in blood chemistry were observed between acclimated and acutely
      challenged animals; however, a non-significant 30 % drop in the magnitude of
      plasma C(CO2) elevation was observed. Reduced diffusion distance also comes with
      the cost of increased diffusive water loss, which would require greater
      osmoregulatory investment by the animal. OA exposure induced increased gill
      Na(+), K(+) ATPase activity and intestinal nkcc2 expression, supporting both the
      presumed osmotic stress and increased osmoregulatory investment. However, no
      differences in standard metabolic rate, maximum metabolic rate or aerobic scope
      were detected between control and OA acclimated individuals. Similarly, no
      differences in critical swim speed were detected between groups, suggesting the
      energetic cost related to respiratory plasticity is negligible against background
      metabolism. The current study demonstrated that red drum exhibit respiratory
      plasticity with only mild physiological trade-offs; however, this plasticity is
      insufficient to fully offset the OA-induced acid-base disturbance and as such is
      unlikely to impact species resilience.

PMID- 26487349
TI  - A case of familial Mediterranean fever with triple MEFV gene mutations.

PMID- 26487350
TI  - Seawater as Alternative to Freshwater in Pretreatment of Date Palm Residues for
      Bioethanol Production in Coastal and/or Arid Areas.
AB  - The large water consumption (1.9-5.9 m(3) water per m(3) of biofuel) required by
      biomass processing plants has become an emerging concern, which is particularly
      critical in arid/semiarid regions. Seawater, as a widely available water source,
      could be an interesting option. This work was to study the technical feasibility
      of using seawater to replace freshwater in the pretreatment of date palm
      leaflets, a lignocellulosic biomass from arid regions, for bioethanol production.
      It was shown that leaflets pretreated with seawater exhibited lower cellulose
      crystallinity than those pretreated with freshwater. Pretreatment with seawater
      produced comparably digestible and fermentable solids to those obtained with
      freshwater. Moreover, no significant difference of inhibition to Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae was observed between liquids from pretreatment with seawater and
      freshwater. The results showed that seawater could be a promising alternative to
      freshwater for lignocellulose biorefineries in coastal and/or arid/semiarid
      areas.

PMID- 26487353
TI  - Association of thromboxane B2 production to hypoxemic periods during sleep in
      male stroke patients.
AB  - To evaluate the possible association between sleep apneas and platelet function,
      we recorded sleep-related hypoxemic periods and measured platelet thromboxane B2
      release in 10 male patients with a previous brain infarction. Four of them
      revealed an increased morning release of thromboxane B2 compared with the night
      before, whereas six had an opposite situation. Those with an increased morning
      release revealed more hypoxemic episodes during the night than the others (median
      numbers were 58.5 and 2, respectively; p = 0.031), suggesting that sleep apneas
      may influence platelet function among male stroke victims. This finding might be
      involved in the suggested role of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome as a risk
      factor for ischemic stroke as well as the peaking of ischemic strokes in the
      early morning hours. 

PMID- 26487352
TI  - Spatiotemporal models for predicting high pollen concentration level of Corylus,
      Alnus, and Betula.
AB  - Corylus, Alnus, and Betula trees are among the most important sources of allergic
      pollen in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere and have a large impact
      on the quality of life and productivity of allergy sufferers. Therefore, it is
      important to predict high pollen concentrations, both in time and space. The aim
      of this study was to create and evaluate spatiotemporal models for predicting
      high Corylus, Alnus, and Betula pollen concentration levels, based on gridded
      meteorological data. Aerobiological monitoring was carried out in 11 cities in
      Poland and gathered, depending on the site, between 2 and 16 years of
      measurements. According to the first allergy symptoms during exposure, a high
      pollen count level was established for each taxon. An optimizing probability
      threshold technique was used for mitigation of the problem of imbalance in the
      pollen concentration levels. For each taxon, the model was built using a random
      forest method. The study revealed the possibility of moderately reliable
      prediction of Corylus and highly reliable prediction of Alnus and Betula high
      pollen concentration levels, using preprocessed gridded meteorological data.
      Cumulative growing degree days and potential evaporation proved to be two of the
      most important predictor variables in the models. The final models predicted not
      only for single locations but also for continuous areas. Furthermore, the
      proposed modeling framework could be used to predict high pollen concentrations
      of Corylus, Alnus, Betula, and other taxa, and in other countries. 

PMID- 26487354
TI  - Contribution of remote cortical dysfunction to the pathogenesis of subcortical
      aphasia: A (99m)Tc-HMPAO SPECT study.
AB  - Remote cortical effects of deep-seated lesions were studied by (99m)Tc-hexamethyl
      propylenenamine oxime single-photon emission computed tomography at about 50 days
      after stroke in a population of 16 right-handed aphasic patients. A left-sided
      regional cortical hypoperfusion was present in all cases. Significant relations
      were observed between the severity of verbal expression disorders and the degree
      of regional cortical flow decrease, suggesting that, from a given level of remote
      dysfunction, the affected cortical areas no longer would be able to play their
      functional role in language elaboration. There was no difference between the
      degree of cortical hypoperfusion, whether the morphological lesion was of
      thromboembolic or hemorrhagic origin. 

PMID- 26487355
TI  - Racial differences for lacunar infarcts documented by computed tomography: A
      comparison of black and white patients.
AB  - Lacunar stroke in 100 black and 30 white patients with lacunar syndrome and
      computed tomography (CT) positive for lacunar infarct were compared. Of blacks,
      88% were hypertensive, 77% had target-organ damage, and 86% were hypertensive for
      longer than 8 years. Of whites, 60% were hypertensive, 61% had target-organ
      damage, and 72% were hypertensive for longer than 8 years. Prior clinical stroke
      occurred in 7% of blacks and 50% of whites. Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)
      were found in 33% of blacks and 53% of whites. In blacks, CT showed single
      lacunes in 57% and multiple lacunes in 43%. In whites, CT showed single lacunes
      in 64% and multiple lacunes in 36%. Angiography was abnormal in 22% of blacks and
      54% of whites. In blacks, lacunar stroke was associated with hypertension in 88%,
      and lacunar stroke was the initial cerebrovascular manifestation in 80%; CT
      showed "silent" lacune(s) in 41% of hypertensive blacks. In whites, lacunar
      stroke was associated with hypertension in 60%, and 6% had "silent" lacunes.
      Based on CT findings, only hypertensive patients had "silent" lacunes. 

PMID- 26487356
TI  - Lacunar infarction due to carotid stenosis.
AB  - Previous reports have distinguished lacunar infarctions from larger strokes both
      on clinical grounds and on the basis of proposed pathophysiology. This report
      describes a patient with critical carotid stenosis resulting in a clinical
      syndrome and radiological findings typical of the lacunar syndrome of ataxic
      hemiparesis. This supports recent suggestions that patients with lacunar strokes
      should undergo the same evaluation as patients with larger strokes. 

PMID- 26487357
TI  - Ticlopidine versus aspirin for stroke prevention: On-treatment results from the
      ticlopidine aspirin stroke study.
AB  - Ticlopidine is the newest antiplatelet agent that has been compared with aspirin
      for stroke prevention. Results from the intent-to-treat analysis of the
      Ticlopidine Aspirin Stroke Study, a randomized, triple-blind trial, showed
      ticlopidine to be more effective than aspirin for the prevention of threatened
      stroke. We present the on-treatment analysis from this study in 3,034 eligible
      patients receiving either ticlopidine (500 mg daily) or aspirin (1,300 mg daily).
      Follow-up was for 2-6 years. During year 1, the high-risk period for stroke in
      patients with threatened stroke, ticlopidine reduced the risk of stroke over
      aspirin by 48% (p = 0.0004: the event rates were 3.4 and 6.4, respectively). The
      overall risk for fatal and nonfatal stroke was 27% (95% confidence intervals were
      6.6 and 42.3), less with ticlopidine than with aspirin. Ticlopidine significantly
      decreased the risk of fatal and nonfatal stroke in both sexes and has a different
      adverse effect profile than aspirin. More adverse effects, primarily diarrhea and
      rash, were reported with ticlopidine. 

PMID- 26487358
TI  - Delay between emergency room arrival and stroke consultation.
AB  - We reviewed retrospectively the charts of all stroke patients admitted through
      our emergency room (ER) during the first halves of 1986 (Group A) and 1992 (Group
      B). Specifically, the time elapsed between ER arrival and the request for
      consultation by neurology or neurosurgery was subjected to comparison by analysis
      of variance. In Group A, the time elapsed from arrival to consultation request
      varied between 1 and 100 min (mean, 32.5). In Group B, the same period ranged
      from 2 to 285 min (mean, 84). The difference in mean elapsed time between the two
      groups was statistically significant (<0.0001). In Group A, patients with
      hemorrhagic events had significantly shorter delay between arrival and
      consultation (p = 0.026). This was not the case in Group B. Stroke type did not
      influence the time to consultation in Group A (p = 0.18) orGroupB (p = 0.60). The
      results show that neurologic and neurosurgical consultations of stroke patients
      in the ER are delayed more now than in the past. This finding may have a
      significant impact on acute stroke intervention trials and underscores the need
      for active collaboration between stroke specialists and emergency physicians. 

PMID- 26487359
TI  - A differential effect of aspirin on prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation.
AB  - Aspirin reduces the risk of stroke in patients with nonrheumatic atrial
      fibrillation, but its efficacy may not be uniform in patient subgroups. We sought
      patient characteristics predictive of aspirin efficacy. Exploratory multivariate
      analyses of a multicenter, double-blind, randomized clinical trial comparing
      aspirin (325 mg/ day) to placebo in 1,120 patients for prevention of
      thromboembolism were performed. Patients <=75 years of age assigned to aspirin
      had a 62% (95% confidence interval, 27-81%; p = 0.002) reduction in
      thromboembolism, significantly different from older patients given aspirin (p =
      0.03). The rate of thromboembolism in patients <=75 years old treated with
      aspirin was 2.1% per year (95% confidence interval, 1.2-3.8). Patients with a
      history of hypertension were at high risk (9.0% per year) of thromboembolism
      during placebo treatment and had a 57% reduction (p = 0.005) when given aspirin;
      even so, the remaining absolute risk during aspirin therapy was 3.8% per year.
      These exploratory analyses suggest that aspirin is more effective in patients
      <=75 years old than in those >75 years old. Although aspirin is effective in
      patients with a history of hypertension, aspirin may not lower the absolute risk
      adequately, particularly in patients >75 years old. These secondary results
      require confirmation before influencing the antithrombotic prophylaxis of
      patients with atrial fibrillation in clinical practice. The adequacy of aspirin
      prophylaxis according to patient age is being assessed in the second phase of the
      study. 

PMID- 26487360
TI  - Small deep cerebral infarcts: Is there synergism between hypertension and
      diabetes?
AB  - Diabetics have a stroke risk similar to that of nondiabetic hypertensives. The
      prevalence of hypertension is greater in diabetics than in nondiabetics, and
      hypertension is probably the principal cause of the increased stroke risk in
      diabetics. Diabetes itself, however, also contributes independently to the risk
      for stroke. It has recently been suggested that a synergistic interaction between
      diabetes and hypertension is a major contributor to the risk of stroke in
      diabetics. In order to look for synergistic interaction between diabetes and
      hypertension, we compared the frequency of small deep infarcts seen on computed
      tomography [small deep infarcts (SDIs)] between a group of diabetics and a group
      of nondiabetics individually matched for age, hypertension, and sex. There were
      no significant differences between diabetics and nondiabetics in the number or
      size of SDIs, the ventricular size, or the severity of paraventricular white
      matter lesions. This study is against the presence of a synergistic effect
      between diabetes and hypertension on small cerebral arteries and suggests that
      the majority of the risk for SDIs in diabetics is due to hypertension. 

PMID- 26487361
TI  - Recognizing depression: Preliminary testing of the Whitney Observational
      Depression Index.
AB  - The preliminary results of an observational instrument for depression is
      presented. The Whitney Observational Depression Index (WODI) was developed to
      capitalize on the observational powers of both formal and informal caregivers who
      care for vulnerable populations (such as stroke victims), among whom self-report
      depression measures are unreliable or impossible to use. It is a 59-item
      checklist with a total score and subscale scores related to verbal-cognitive,
      affective, and vegetative signs noted on observation. The scale shows good
      construct, content, face, and criterion validity (convergent and divergent),
      inter-rater reliability, and within-subject reliability. The WODI shows
      significant correlations with accepted depression measures (Beck Depression
      Index, r = 0.19, p = <0.05; Zung Depression Scale, r = 0.23, p= <0.01). Further
      testing is suggested to allow factor analysis of the items and other statistical
      testing. There is optimism expressed for the use of this instrument in both
      research and clinical settings. 

PMID- 26487362
TI  - Natural history of patients with chronic occlusion of the internal carotid
      artery.
AB  - Although 3% of the elderly population may have asymptomatic unilateral internal
      carotid artery occlusion (ICAO), between 10% and 20% of patients with initial
      stroke in the carotid territory have appropriate ipsilateral extracranial ICAO.
      In the latter instance, it is often difficult to establish whether ICAO is (a) an
      acute thrombotic process on an underlying atheromatous stenosis; (b) an acute
      embolic ICAO (from heart or aorta); or (c) an old ICAO that was previously
      asymptomatic. Intracranial studies show that the first stroke ipsilateral to ICAO
      is usually associated with occlusions distal to ICAO, which suggest artery-to
      artery embolism. On the other hand, the follow-up of stroke patients with ICAO
      shows that delayed cerebral infarction distal to the established ICAO often
      involves watershed areas and may correspond to hemodynamic disturbances. Because
      the international extracranial/intracranial arterial bypass study did not show
      any surgical benefit, current management is mainly directed to stabilization of
      associated causes of hemodynamic failure (hypotension, bradycardia, etc.).
      Attempts to find subgroups that may benefit from bypass surgery are still
      ongoing. However, the prognosis of these patients is negatively influenced by a
      particularly high risk of cardiac death. 

PMID- 26487363
TI  - In vivo sub-femtoliter resolution photoacoustic microscopy with higher frame
      rates.
AB  - Microscopy based on non-fluorescent absorption dye staining is widely used in
      various fields of biomedicine for 400 years. Unlike its fluorescent counterpart,
      non-fluorescent absorption microscopy lacks proper methodologies to realize its
      in vivo applications with a sub-femtoliter 3D resolution. Regardless of the most
      advanced high-resolution photoacoustic microscopy, sub-femtoliter spatial
      resolution is still unattainable, and the imaging speed is relatively slow. In
      this paper, based on the two-photon photoacoustic mechanism, we demonstrated a in
      vivo label free laser-scanning photoacoustic imaging modality featuring high
      frame rates and sub-femtoliter 3D resolution simultaneously, which stands as a
      perfect solution to 3D high resolution non-fluorescent absorption microscopy.
      Furthermore, we first demonstrated in vivo label-free two-photon acoustic
      microscopy on the observation of non-fluorescent melanin distribution within
      mouse skin. 

PMID- 26487364
TI  - Synergistic Effect of Sorafenib and Radiation on Human Oral Carcinoma in vivo.
AB  - Oral squamous cell carcinoma often causes bone invasion resulting in poor
      prognosis and affects the quality of life for patients. Herein, we combined
      radiation with sorafenib, to evaluate the combination effect on tumor progression
      and bone erosion in an in situ human OSCC-bearing mouse model. Treatment
      procedure were arranged as following groups: (a) normal (no tumor); (b) control
      (with tumor); (c) sorafenib (10 mg/kg/day); (d) radiation (single dose of 6 Gy);
      (e) pretreatment (sorafenib treatment for 3 days prior to radiation), and (f)
      concurrent treatment (sorafenib and radiation on the same day). The inhibition of
      tumor growth and expression level of p65 of NF-kappaB in tumor tissues were the
      most significant in the pretreatment group. EMSA and Western blot showed that
      DNA/NF-kappaB activity and the expressions of NF-kappaB-associated proteins were
      down-regulated. Notably, little to no damage in mandibles and zygomas of mice
      treated with combination of sorafenib and radiation was found by micro-CT
      imaging. In conclusion, sorafenib combined with radiation suppresses radiation
      induced NF-kappaB activity and its downstream proteins, which contribute to
      radioresistance and tumorigenesis. Additionally, bone destruction is also
      diminished, suggesting that combination treatment could be a potential strategy
      against human OSCC. 

PMID- 26487365
TI  - Determination of Triazine Herbicides in Drinking Water by Dispersive Micro Solid
      Phase Extraction with Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography-High-Resolution
      Mass Spectrometric Detection.
AB  - A novel dispersive micro solid phase extraction (DMSPE) method based on a polymer
      cation exchange material (PCX) was applied to the simultaneous determination of
      the 30 triazine herbicides in drinking water with ultrahigh-performance liquid
      chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometric detection. Drinking water
      samples were acidified with formic acid, and then triazines were adsorbed by the
      PCX sorbent. Subsequently, the analytes were eluted with ammonium
      hydroxide/acetonitrile. The chromatographic separation was performed on an HSS T3
      column using water (4 mM ammonium formate and 0.1% formic acid) and acetonitrile
      (0.1% formic acid) as the mobile phase. The method achieved LODs of 0.2-30.0 ng/L
      for the 30 triazines, with recoveries in the range of 70.5-112.1%, and the
      precision of the method was better than 12.7%. These results indicated that the
      proposed method had the advantages of convenience and high efficiency when
      applied to the analysis of the 30 triazines in drinking water. 

PMID- 26487366
TI  - Developing Legacy: Health Planning in the Host City of Porto Alegre for the 2014
      Football World Cup.
AB  - AIM: To describe the process adopted to identify, classify, and evaluate legacy
      of health care planning in the host city of Porto Alegre for the Football World
      Cup 2014. BACKGROUND: There is an emerging interest in the need to demonstrate a
      sustainable health legacy from mass gatherings investments. Leaving a public
      health legacy for future host cities and countries is now an important part of
      planning for these events. PROCESS: The Ministry of Sports initiated and
      coordinated the development of projects in the host cities to identify actions,
      projects, and constructions to be developed to prepare for the World Cup. In
      Porto Alegre, a common structure was developed by the coordinating team to
      instruct legacy identification, classification, and evaluation. This structure
      was based on international documentary analysis (including official reports,
      policy documents, and web-based resources) and direct communication with
      recognized experts in the field. FINDINGS AND INTERPRETATION: Sixteen total
      legacies were identified for health surveillance (5) and health services (11).
      They were classified according to the strategic area, organizations involved,
      dimension, typology, planned or unplanned, tangible or intangible, territorial
      coverage, and situation prior to the World Cup. Possible impacts were then
      assessed as positive, negative, and potentiating, and mitigating actions were
      indicated. CONCLUSIONS: The project allowed the identification, classification,
      and development of health legacy, including risk analysis, surveillance,
      mitigation measures, and provision of emergency medical care. Although the
      project intended the development of indicators to measure the identified
      legacies, evaluation was not possible at the time of publication due to time.

PMID- 26487367
TI  - Host and microbiota interactions are critical for development of murine Crohn's
      like ileitis.
AB  - Deregulation of host-microbiota interactions in the gut is a pivotal
      characteristic of Crohn's disease. It remains unclear, however, whether
      commensals and/or the dysbiotic microbiota associated with pathology in humans
      are causally involved in Crohn's pathogenesis. Here, we show that Crohn's-like
      ileitis in Tnf(DeltaARE/+) mice is microbiota-dependent. Germ-free
      Tnf(DeltaARE/+) mice are disease-free and the microbiota and its innate
      recognition through Myd88 are indispensable for tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
      overexpression and disease initiation in this model. The epithelium of diseased
      mice shows no major defects in mucus barrier and paracellular permeability.
      However, Tnf(DeltaARE/+) ileitis associates with the reduction of lysozyme
      expressing Paneth cells, mediated by adaptive immune effectors. Furthermore, we
      show that established but not early ileitis in Tnf(DeltaARE/+) mice involves
      defective expression of antimicrobials and dysbiosis, characterized by Firmicutes
      expansion, including epithelial-attaching segmented filamentous bacteria, and
      decreased abundance of Bacteroidetes. Microbiota modulation by antibiotic
      treatment at an early disease stage rescues ileitis. Our results suggest that the
      indigenous microbiota is sufficient to drive TNF overexpression and Crohn's
      ileitis in the genetically susceptible Tnf(DeltaARE/+) hosts, whereas dysbiosis
      in this model results from disease-associated alterations including loss of
      lysozyme-expressing Paneth cells.

PMID- 26487369
TI  - Nitrogen-fluorine co-doped titania inverse opals for enhanced solar light driven
      photocatalysis.
AB  - Three dimensionally ordered nitrogen-fluorine (N-F) co-doped TiO2 inverse opals
      (IOs) were fabricated by templating with polystyrene (PS) colloidal photonic
      crystals (CPCs) by infiltration. During preparation, the TiO2 precursor was
      treated with a mixture of nitric acid and trifluoroacetic acid to facilitate N-F
      co-doping into the TiO2 lattice. Enhanced solar light absorption was observed in
      the samples as a consequence of the red shift in the electronic band gap of TiO2
      due to N-F co-doping. The photonic band gap (PBG) of these TiO2 IO films was
      tuned by varying the sphere size of the PS CPC templates. The as-prepared N-F co
      doped TiO2 IO films were used as photocatalysts for the degradation of Rhodamine
      B (RhB) dye under solar light irradiation. A significant enhancement in the
      photocatalytic activity was observed in N-F co-doped TiO2 IO films prepared using
      PS spheres of 215 nm as a template, with the red edge of the PBG closer to the
      electronic band gap (EBG) of TiO2. 100% of the dye molecules were degraded within
      2 minutes under direct solar irradiation, which is one of the fastest reaction
      times ever reported for RhB degradation in the presence of TiO2 photocatalysts.
      The N-F co-doped TiO2 IO film prepared using PS of 460 nm with its PBG centered
      at 695 nm also showed good photocatalytic activity. It was found that the IO
      films displayed improved photocatalytic activity in comparison to ordinary
      nanocrystalline (nc)-TiO2 films. The enhancement could be attributed to the
      bandgap scattering effect and the slow photon effect, leading to a significant
      improvement in solar light harvesting. 

PMID- 26487368
TI  - Atomic cobalt on nitrogen-doped graphene for hydrogen generation.
AB  - Reduction of water to hydrogen through electrocatalysis holds great promise for
      clean energy, but its large-scale application relies on the development of
      inexpensive and efficient catalysts to replace precious platinum catalysts. Here
      we report an electrocatalyst for hydrogen generation based on very small amounts
      of cobalt dispersed as individual atoms on nitrogen-doped graphene. This catalyst
      is robust and highly active in aqueous media with very low overpotentials (30
      mV). A variety of analytical techniques and electrochemical measurements suggest
      that the catalytically active sites are associated with the metal centres
      coordinated to nitrogen. This unusual atomic constitution of supported metals is
      suggestive of a new approach to preparing extremely efficient single-atom
      catalysts. 

PMID- 26487370
TI  - The mitochondrial genome of the Vespa mandarinia Smith (Hymenoptera: Vespidae:
      Vespinae) and a phylogenetic analysis of the Vespoidea.
AB  - We report the mitochondrial genome of the Vespa mandarinia Smith (GenBank
      accession no. KR059904) for the subfamily Vespinae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). This
      is the first completely sequenced mitochodrial genome from the genus Vespa. All
      of the typical mitochondrial genes were sequenced with a length of 15 902 bp. In
      the V. mandarinia mitochondrial genome, four rearrangement events occurred
      compared with the pupative ancestral arrangement of insects, corresponding to the
      shuffling of trnQ and trnM, translocation of trnY to the region between A + T
      rich region and trnI-trnM-trnQ, shuffling of trnS1 and trnE in the tRNA cluster
      of trnA-trnR-trnN-trnS1-trnE-trnF, and translocation of trnL1 from a location
      between nad1 and rrnL to the upstream of nad1 gene. Phylogenetic analysis using
      the Bayesian method based on all codon positions of the 13 protein-coding genes
      supports the monophyly of Vespidae and Formicidae. Within the Formicidae, the
      Myrmicinae and Dolichoderinae form a sister group, while within the Vespidae, the
      Eumeninae sister to lineage of Vespinae + Polistinae. Our study showed that the
      mitochondrial genomes between Vespinae and Polistinae shared more arrangement
      patterns than that between Vespinae and Eumeninae.

PMID- 26487371
TI  - Dielectric function of two-phase colloid-polymer nanocomposite.
AB  - The plasmon resonance of metal nanoparticles determines their optical response in
      the visible spectral range. Many details such as the electronic properties of
      gold near the particle surface and the local environment of the particles
      influence the spectra. We show how the cheap but highly precise fabrication of
      composite nanolayers by spin-assisted layer-by-layer deposition of
      polyelectrolytes can be used to investigate the spectral response of gold
      nanospheres (GNS) and gold nanorods (GNR) in a self-consistent way, using the
      established Maxwell-Garnett effective medium (MGEM) theory beyond the limit of
      homogeneous media. We show that the dielectric function of gold nanoparticles
      differs from the bulk value and experimentally characterize the shape and the
      surrounding of the particles thoroughly by SEM, AFM and ellipsometry. Averaging
      the dielectric functions of the layered surrounding by an appropriate weighting
      with the electric field intensity yields excellent agreement for the spectra of
      several nanoparticles and nanorods with various cover-layer thicknesses. 

PMID- 26487373
TI  - The potential distribution of Bactrocera dorsalis: considering phenology and
      irrigation patterns.
AB  - A species in the Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) complex was detected in Kenya
      during 2003 and classified as Bactrocera invadens Drew, Tsuruta & White. Having
      spread rapidly throughout Africa, it threatens agriculture due to crop damage and
      loss of market access. In a recent revision of the B. dorsalis complex, B.
      invadens was incorporated into the species B. dorsalis. The potential
      distribution of B. dorsalis has been previously modelled. However, previous
      models were based on presence data and did not incorporate information on the
      seasonal phenology of B. dorsalis, nor on the possible influence that irrigation
      may have on its distribution. Methyl eugenol-baited traps were used to collect B.
      dorsalis in Africa. Seasonal phenology data, measured as fly abundance throughout
      the year, was related to each location's climate to infer climatic growth
      response parameters. These functions were used along with African distribution
      records and development studies to fit the niche model for B. dorsalis, using
      independent global distribution records outside Africa for model validation.
      Areas at greatest risk of invasion by B. dorsalis are South and Central America,
      Mexico, southernmost USA, parts of the Mediterranean coast, parts of Southern and
      Eastern Australia and New Zealand's North Island. Under irrigation, most of
      Africa and Australia appear climatically suitable. 

PMID- 26487372
TI  - IgY antibodies in human nutrition for disease prevention.
AB  - Oral administration of preformed specific antibodies is an attractive approach
      against infections of the digestive system in humans and animals in times of
      increasing antibiotic resistances. Previous studies showed a positive effect of
      egg yolk IgY antibodies on bacterial intoxications in animals and humans.
      Immunization of chickens with specific antigens offers the possibility to create
      various forms of antibodies. Research shows that orally applied IgY's isolated
      from egg yolks can passively cure or prevent diseases of the digestive system.
      The use of these alternative therapeutic drugs provides further advantages: (1)
      The production of IgY's is a non-invasive alternative to current methods; (2) The
      keeping of chickens is inexpensive; (3) The animals are easy to handle; (4) It
      avoids repetitive bleeding of laboratory animals; (5) It is also very cost
      effective regarding the high IgY concentration within the egg yolk. Novel targets
      of these antigen specific antibodies are Helicobacter pylori and also molecules
      involved in signaling pathways in gastric cancer. Furthermore, also dental caries
      causing bacteria like Streptococcus mutans or opportunistic Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis patients are possible targets. Therefore, IgY's
      included in food for human consumption may be able to prevent or cure human
      diseases. 

PMID- 26487374
TI  - GT3X+ accelerometer placement affects the reliability of step-counts measured
      during running and pedal-revolution counts measured during bicycling.
AB  - Accelerometers provide a measure of step-count. Reliability and validity of step
      count and pedal-revolution count measurements by the GT3X+ accelerometer, placed
      at different anatomical locations, is absent in the literature. The purpose of
      this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of step and pedal
      revolution counts produced by the GT3X+ placed at different anatomical locations
      during running and bicycling. Twenty-two healthy adults (14 men and 8 women)
      completed running and bicycling activity bouts (5 minutes each) while wearing 6
      accelerometers: 2 each at the waist, thigh and shank. Accelerometer and video
      data were collected during activity. Excellent reliability and validity were
      found for measurements taken from accelerometers mounted at the waist and shank
      during running (Reliability: intraclass correlation (ICC) >= 0.99; standard error
      of measurement (SEM) <=1.0 steps; VALIDITY: Pearson >= 0.99) and at the thigh and
      shank during bicycling (Reliability: ICC >= 0.99; SEM <=1.0 revolutions;
      VALIDITY: Pearson >= 0.99). Excellent reliability was found between measurements
      taken at the waist and shank during running (ICC >= 0.98; SEM <=1.6 steps) and
      between measurements taken at the thigh and shank during bicycling (ICC >= 0.99;
      SEM <=1.0 revolutions). These data suggest that the GT3X+ can be used for
      measuring step-count during running and pedal-revolution count during bicycling.
      Only shank placement is recommended for both activities.

PMID- 26487375
TI  - Structural insights into the cooperative remodeling of membranes by
      amphiphysin/BIN1.
AB  - Amphiphysin2/BIN1 is a crescent-shaped N-BAR protein playing a key role in
      forming deeply invaginated tubes in muscle T-tubules. Amphiphysin2/BIN1
      structurally stabilizes tubular formations in contrast to other N-BAR proteins
      involved in dynamic membrane scission processes; however, the molecular mechanism
      of the stabilizing effect is poorly understood. Using cryo-EM, we investigated
      the assembly of the amphiphysin/BIN1 on a membrane tube. We found that the N-BAR
      domains self-assemble on the membrane surface in a highly cooperative manner. Our
      biochemical assays and 3D reconstructions indicate that the N-terminal
      amphipathic helix H0 plays an important role in the initiation of the tube
      assembly and further in organizing BAR-mediated polymerization by locking
      adjacent N-BAR domains. Mutants that lack H0 or the tip portion, which is also
      involved in interactions of the neighboring BAR unit, lead to a disruption of the
      polymer organization, even though tubulation can still be observed. The
      regulatory region of amphiphysin/BIN1 including an SH3 domain does not have any
      apparent involvement in the polymer lattice. Our study indicates that the H0
      helix and the BAR tip are necessary for efficient and organized self-assembly of
      amphiphysin/N-BAR. 

PMID- 26487376
TI  - Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with sequential letrozole co-treatment in
      normo/high responders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of co-administration of letrozole in an
      ovarian stimulation protocol using recombinant FSH and GnRH antagonists for ICSI
      in normo/high responders. METHODS: Computerized data of 320 antagonist ICSI/ET
      cycles with or without letrozole were retrospectively analyzed. In 105 cases,
      letrozole (5 mg/day) was started at the second day of the cycle continued for 5
      days. At the second day of letrozole, gonadotropins were added. The remaining 215
      cases were stimulated with recombinant FSH only. In all cases on day 6, GnRH
      antagonist was started. Ovarian stimulation protocols with or without letrozole
      were compared for cycle outcome parameters. RESULTS: In cycles with letrozole,
      significantly lower gonadotropin consumption and lower peak estradiol levels were
      found. In cycles with letrozole, mean number of metaphase II and fertilized
      oocytes retrieved were significantly higher compared to cycles without letrozole.
      The pregnancy and clinical pregnancy rates were similar. CONCLUSION: Should the
      number of oocytes retrieved being higher in letrozole group might indicate that
      letrozole might contribute to successful ovarian stimulation with a lower dosage
      of gonadotropins. Despite the lower peak estradiol levels, pregnancy rates being
      similar to other group also support the idea that letrozole can contribute to
      normal potential of implantation.

PMID- 26487377
TI  - Severe cerebral white matter lesions in ischemic stroke patients are associated
      with less time spent at home and early institutionalization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cerebral white matter lesions are one imaging surrogate for cerebral
      small vessel disease. These white matter lesions are associated with increased
      morbidity and mortality in both the general population and ischemic stroke
      patients. AIMS: To investigate whether severe white matter lesions in a cohort of
      ischemic stroke patients are associated with fewer days spent at home and earlier
      permanent institutionalization. METHODS: We included 391 consecutive patients
      aged 55-85 years with ischemic stroke admitted to the Helsinki University Central
      Hospital (the Stroke Aging Memory cohort) with a 21-year follow-up.
      Hospitalization and nursing home admissions were reviewed from national
      registers.white matter lesions were rated using magnetic resonance imaging
      performed three-months poststroke, dichotomized as none-to-moderate and severe.
      Kaplan-Meier plots log-rank and binary logistic regression (odds ratio) and Cox
      multivariable proportional hazards model were used to study the association of
      white matter lesions with days spent at home and the time of permanent
      institutionalization. Hazards and odds ratio with their 95% confidence intervals
      are reported. RESULTS: Severe white matter lesions were associated with fewer
      days spent at home, and more frequent, and earlier permanent institutionalization
      (1487 vs. 2354 days; log-rank P < 0.001).After adjusting for significant
      covariates from univariable analyses, severe white matter lesions were associated
      with fewer days spent at home (odds ratio 1.62; confidence interval 1.16-2.25),
      permanent institutionalization within five-years (odds ratio 2.29; confidence
      interval 1.23-4.29), and increased hazards ratio of permanent
      institutionalization during 21 years of follow-up (1.64; confidence interval
      1.119-2.26). CONCLUSIONS: After ischemic stroke, patients with severe white
      matter lesions spend fewer days at home and become permanently institutionalized
      earlier, especially within the first five-years.

PMID- 26487378
TI  - Evaluation of the impact of breast milk expression in early postpartum period on
      breastfeeding duration: a prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast milk expression (breast pumping) has become prevalent as an
      important dimension of breastfeeding behavior. It is, however, not clear whether
      increasing breast milk expression contributes to extend the duration of
      breastfeeding. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of
      breast milk expression in early postpartum period on breastfeeding duration
      amongst mothers of healthy term infants. METHODS: A prospective cohort study had
      been conducted from March to June 2010. Mothers who gave birth to healthy, full
      term and singleton babies were enrolled at discharge. These women were
      interviewed at 6 weeks postpartum about their breastfeeding behaviors. According
      to expressing patterns at 6 week postpartum, women were divided into three
      groups: direct breastfeeding (group 1), combining direct breastfeeding with
      expressing (group 2), exclusive expressing (group 3). The investigators followed
      up the women by telephone thereafter at a bimonthly basis and documented
      breastfeeding duration. Survival analysis was conducted to explore the
      association between expressing patterns at 6 weeks postpartum and breastfeeding
      duration. Associated factors of exclusive expressing at 6 weeks postpartum were
      characterized by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Four hundred one eligible
      women were enrolled at discharge. Among the 389 women who attended the face-to
      face interview at 6 weeks postpartum, 345 women continued breastfeeding. They
      were divided into 3 groups by their expressing patterns. According to survival
      analysis, women who exclusively expressed breast milk at 6 months postpartum
      (group 3) were 1.77 times as likely to stop breastfeeding as those who did not
      (group 1 and 2) (95% confidence interval: 1.25-2.48; P <0.001). There is,
      however, no significant difference of breastfeeding duration between group 1 and
      group 2. Subgroup analysis showed that exclusive expressing women who were
      exclusively breastfeeding at 6 weeks postpartum had the shortest breastfeeding
      duration. Mother's high education level, short maternity leave, breast milk
      expression in hospital and bottle-feeding in hospital were associated factors to
      exclusive expressing at 6 weeks postpartum. CONCLUSIONS: Exclusive expressing in
      the early postpartum period may not help women to achieve long-term breastfeeding
      duration, especially in women who were exclusively breastfeeding.

PMID- 26487379
TI  - A qualitative study exploring adolescents' experiences with a school-based mental
      health program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Supporting positive mental health development in adolescents is a
      major public health concern worldwide. Although several school-based programs
      aimed at preventing depression have been launched, it is crucial to evaluate
      these programs and to obtain feedback from participating adolescents. This study
      aimed to explore adolescents' experiences with a -based cognitive-behavioral
      depression prevention program. METHODS: Eighty-nine adolescents aged 13-15 years
      were divided into 12 focus groups. The focus group interviews were analyzed using
      qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Three categories and eight subcategories
      were found to be related to the experience of the school-based program. The first
      category, intrapersonal strategies, consisted of the subcategories of directed
      thinking, improved self-confidence, stress management, and positive activities.
      The second category, interpersonal awareness, consisted of the subcategories of
      trusting the group and considering others. The third category, structural
      constraints, consisted of the subcategories of negative framing and emphasis on
      performance. CONCLUSIONS: The school-based mental health program was perceived as
      beneficial and meaningful on both individual and group levels, but students
      expressed a desire for a more health-promoting approach.

PMID- 26487380
TI  - Transcriptional response to sulfide in the Echiuran Worm Urechis unicinctus by
      digital gene expression analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urechis unicinctus, an echiuran worm inhabiting the U-shaped burrows
      in the coastal mud flats, is an important commercial and ecological invertebrate
      in Northeast Asian countries, which has potential applications in the study of
      animal evolution, coastal sediment improvement and marine drug development.
      Furthermore, the worm can tolerate and utilize well-known toxicant-sulfide.
      However, knowledge is limited on the molecular mechanism of U. unicinctus
      responding to sulfide due to deficiency of its genetic information. METHODS: In
      this study, we performed Illumina sequencing to obtain the first Urechis
      unicinctus transcriptome data. Sequenced reads were assembled and then annotated
      using blast searches against Nr, Nt, Swiss-Prot, KEGG and COG. The clean tags
      from four digital gene expression (DGE) libraries were mapped to the U.
      unicinctus transcriptome. DGE analysis and functional annotation were then
      performed to reveal its response to sulfide. The expressions of 12 candidate
      genes were validated using quantitative real-time PCR. The results of qRT-PCR
      were regressed against the DGE analysis, with a correlation coefficient and p
      value reported for each of them. RESULTS: Here we first present a draft of U.
      unicinctus transcriptome using the Illumina HiSeq(TM) 2000 platform and 52,093
      unique sequences were assembled with the average length of 738 bp and N50 of 1131
      bp. About 51.6 % of the transcriptome were functionally annotated based on the
      databases of Nr, Nt, Swiss-Prot, KEGG and COG. Then based on the transcriptome,
      the digital gene expression analysis was conducted to examine the transcriptional
      response to sulfide during 6, 24 and 48 h exposure, and finally 1705, 1181 and
      1494 tag-mapped genes were identified as differentially expressed genes in the 6
      h, 24-h and 48-h libraries, then were further subjected to pathway analyses.
      CONCLUSIONS: In the DGE database of U. unicinctus, the alterations in certain
      known sulfide-related pathways indicate similar changes in response to sulfide.
      For more than 80 % of the identified pathway members, this is the first report on
      their association with sulfide stress, among which glycolysis pathway and PIDD
      involving pathways were unique and discussed in details, and were thought to play
      important roles in the sulfide tolerance of U. unicinctus. All the results are
      helpful to explain the mechanism of sulfide tolerance and detoxification.

PMID- 26487381
TI  - Background Paper for the update of meningococcal vaccination recommendations in
      Germany: use of the serogroup B vaccine in persons at increased risk for
      meningococcal disease.
AB  - In December 2013 Bexsero(r) became available in Germany for vaccination against
      serogroup B meningococci (MenB). In August 2015 the German Standing Committee on
      Vaccination (STIKO) endorsed a recommendation for use of this vaccine in persons
      at increased risk of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD). This background paper
      summarizes the evidence underlying the recommendation. Bexsero(r) is based on
      surface protein antigens expressed by about 80% of circulating serogroup B
      meningococci in Germany. The paper reviews available data on immunogenicity and
      safety of Bexsero(r) in healthy children and adolescents; data in persons with
      underlying illness and on the effectiveness in preventing clinical outcomes are
      thus far unavailable.STIKO recommends MenB vaccination for the following persons
      based on an individual risk assessment: (1) Persons with congenital or acquired
      immune deficiency or suppression. Among these, persons with terminal complement
      defects and properdin deficiency, including those under eculizumab therapy, are
      at highest risk with reported invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) incidences up
      10,000-fold higher than in the general population. Persons with asplenia were
      estimated to have a ~ 20-30-fold increased risk of IMD, while the risk in
      individuals with other immune defects such as HIV infection or
      hypogammaglobulinaemia was estimated at no more than 5-10-fold higher than the
      background risk. (2) Laboratory staff with a risk of exposure to N. meningitidis
      aerosols, for whom an up to 271-fold increased risk for IMD has been reported.
      (3) Unvaccinated household (-like) contacts of a MenB IMD index case, who have a
      roughly 100-200-fold increased IMD risk in the year after the contact despite
      chemoprophylaxis. Because the risk is highest in the first 3 months and full
      protective immunity requires more than one dose (particularly in infants and
      toddlers), MenB vaccine should be administered as soon as possible following
      identification of the serogroup of the index case.

PMID- 26487382
TI  - [Hygiene requirements in donor processes and microbiological monitoring].

PMID- 26487383
TI  - [Determining donor eligibility and donor suitability of hemochromatosis marker
      carriers ].

PMID- 26487384
TI  - [Human immunodeficiency virus: position of Blood Working Group of the Federal
      Ministry of Health].

PMID- 26487385
TI  - [Position on blood collection and use of convalescent plasma as a treatment
      option in the outbreak of severe infections].

PMID- 26487386
TI  - [Indoor air guide values for dimethylbenzene: Communication from the Committee on
      Indoor air guide values].
AB  - The German Committee on Indoor Guidelines is issuing indoor air guide values to
      protect public health. No sufficiently valid human studies are available for the
      health evaluation of xylenes in indoor air. In a validated subchronic inhalation
      animal study on m-xylene using male rats, neurotoxic effects were observed, which
      led to an decreased neuromuscular coordination as observed in a rotarod test.
      Conversion of experimental to continuous exposure leads to a LOAEC of 39 mg
      xylene/m(3) for the endpoint neurotoxicity. A health hazard guide value (RW II)
      of 0.8 mg xylene/m(3) is derived by applying an interspecies factor of 2.5, a
      factor of 10 for interindividual variability, and a factor of 2 to account for
      the higher respiratory rate of children compared to adults. A health precaution
      guide value of 0.1 mg xylene/m(3) is recommended.

PMID- 26487387
TI  - A new extension of the polarizable continuum model: Toward a quantum chemical
      description of chemical reactions at extreme high pressure.
AB  - A quantum chemical method for studying potential energy surfaces of reactive
      molecular systems at extreme high pressures is presented. The method is an
      extension of the standard Polarizable Continuum Model that is usually used for
      Quantum Chemical study of chemical reactions at a standard condition of pressure.
      The physical basis of the method and the corresponding computational protocol are
      described in necessary detail, and an application of the method to the
      dimerization of cyclopentadiene (up to 20 GPa) is reported.

PMID- 26487390
TI  - Solid-State NMR/Dynamic Nuclear Polarization of Polypeptides in Planar Supported
      Lipid Bilayers.
AB  - Dynamic nuclear polarization has been developed to overcome the limitations of
      the inherently low signal intensity of NMR spectroscopy. This technique promises
      to be particularly useful for solid-state NMR spectroscopy where the signals are
      broadened over a larger frequency range and most investigations rely on recording
      low gamma nuclei. To extend the range of possible investigations, a triple
      resonance flat-coil solid-state NMR probe is presented with microwave irradiation
      capacities allowing the investigation of static samples at temperatures of 100 K,
      including supported lipid bilayers. The probe performance allows for two
      dimensional separated local field experiments with high-power Lee-Goldberg
      decoupling and cross-polarization under simultaneous irradiation from a gyrotron
      microwave generator. Efficient cooling of the sample turned out to be essential
      for best enhancements and line shape and necessitated the development of a
      dedicated cooling chamber. Furthermore, a new membrane-anchored biradical is
      presented, and the geometry of supported membranes was optimized not only for
      good membrane alignment, handling, stability, and filling factor of the coil but
      also for heat and microwave dissipation. Enhancement factors of 17-fold were
      obtained, and a two-dimensional PISEMA spectrum of a transmembrane helical
      peptide was obtained in less than 2 h. 

PMID- 26487391
TI  - Accuracy, reliability, and efficiency of intraoral scanners for full-arch
      impressions: a systematic review of the clinical evidence.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The interest on intraoral scanners for digital impressions has been
      growing and new devices are continuously introduced on the market. It is timely
      to verify whether the several scanners proposed for full-arch digital impressions
      have been tested under clinical conditions for validity, repeatability,
      reproducibility, as well as for time efficiency, and patient acceptance. SEARCH
      METHODS: An electronic search of the literature was conducted through PubMed,
      Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase, entering the query terms
      'digital impression', 'intraoral digital impression', 'intraoral scanning',
      'intraoral scanner', 'intraoral digital scanner', combined by the Boolean
      operator 'OR'. No language or time limitation was applied. SELECTION CRITERIA:
      Only studies where digital full-arch impressions had been recorded intraorally
      were considered. RESULTS: In only eight studies full-arch scans had been
      performed intraorally. Only four studies reported data on validity,
      repeatability, reproducibility of digital measurements and their samples were
      limited to subjects in complete permanent dentition. Only two intraoral scanners,
      Lava COS and iTero, were tested. Scanning times were measured in six studies and
      varied largely. Patients' acceptance of intraoral scanning was evaluated in four
      studies, but it was not specifically assessed for children. CONCLUSIONS: The
      scientific evidence so far collected on intraoral scanning is neither exhaustive,
      nor up-to-date. Data from full-arch scans performed in children should be
      collected. For a meaningful assessment of time efficiency, agreement should be
      reached on the procedural steps to be included in the computation of scanning
      time.

PMID- 26487392
TI  - Post-training Beliefs, Intentions, and Use of Prolonged Exposure Therapy by
      Clinicians in the Veterans Health Administration.
AB  - To examine how changes in beliefs during the training process predict adoption of
      prolonged exposure therapy (PE) by veterans health administration clinicians who
      received intensive training in this evidence-based treatment. Participants
      completed a 4-day PE workshop and received expert consultation as they used PE
      with two or more training cases. Participants were surveyed prior to the
      workshop, after the workshop, after case consultation (n = 1.034), and 6 months
      after training (n = 810). Hierarchical regression was used to assess how pre
      training factors, and changes in beliefs during different stages of training
      incrementally predicted post-training intent to use PE and how many patients
      clinicians were treating with PE 6 months after training. Post-training intent to
      use PE was high (mean = 6.2, SD = 0.81 on a 1-7 scale), yet most participants
      treated only 1 or 2 patients at a time with PE. Pre-training factors predicted
      intent to use and actual use of PE. Changes in beliefs during the workshop had
      statistically significant yet modest effects on intent and use of PE. Changes in
      beliefs during case consultation had substantial effects on intent and actual use
      of PE. Pre-training factors and changes in beliefs during training (especially
      during case consultation) influence clinicians' adoption of PE. Use of PE was
      influenced not only by its perceived clinical advantages/disadvantages, but also
      by contextual factors (working in a PTSD specialty clinic, perceived control over
      one's schedule, and ability to promote PE to patients and colleagues).

PMID- 26487393
TI  - The Effect of a Change Agent on Use of Evidence-Based Mental Health Practices.
AB  - Children's service systems are faced with a critical need to disseminate evidence
      based mental health interventions. Despite the proliferation of comprehensive
      implementation models, little is known about the key active processes in
      effective implementation strategies. This proof of concept study focused on the
      effect of change agent interactions as conceptualized by Rogers' diffusion of
      innovation theory on providers' (N = 57) use of a behavioral intervention in a
      child welfare agency. An experimental design compared use for providers
      randomized to training as usual or training as usual supplemented by change agent
      interactions after the training. Results indicate that the enhanced condition
      increased use of the intervention, supporting the positive effect of change agent
      interactions on use of new practices. Change agent types of interaction may be a
      key active process in implementation strategies following training.

PMID- 26487394
TI  - Combined administration of propranolol + AG490 offers better effects on portal
      hypertensive rats with cirrhosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: AG490, the specific inhibitor of JAK2/STAT3 signaling, has
      been shown to decrease portal pressure, splanchnic hyperdynamic circulation and
      liver fibrosis in cirrhotic rats. Nonselective betablockers such as propranolol
      are the only drugs recommended in the treatment of portal hypertension. The aim
      of this study was to explore the combinative effect of treatment with propranolol
      and AG490 on portal hypertension. METHODS: Rats induced by common bile duct
      ligation were treated with vehicle, AG490, propranolol, or AG490 + propranolol
      for 2 weeks. Hemodynamics parameters were assessed. Expressions of phospho-STAT3
      protein and its down-regulated cytokines in splanchnic organs were detected by
      ELISA or western blot. Lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) and IL-6 were
      assessed by ELISA or western blot. Characterization of liver and mesentery was
      performed by histological analyses. RESULTS: Highly expressed phospho-STAT3
      protein in cirrhotic rats could successfully be inhibited by AG490 or AG490 +
      propranolol treatments but not by propranolol alone. Both AG490 and propranolol
      significantly reduced portal pressure and hyperdynamic splanchnic circulation,
      and combination of AG490 and propranolol achieved an additive effect than with
      either drug alone. AG490, alone or in combination with propranolol, inhibited
      liver fibrosis, splenomegaly and splanchnic angiogenesis. Increased markers of
      bacterial translocation (LBP and IL6) were greatly reduced by propranolol but not
      by AG490. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of propranolol and AG490 caused a greater
      improvement of portal hypertension and might therefore offer a potentially
      promising therapy in the portal hypertension treatment.

PMID- 26487395
TI  - The full metagenomics cycle.

PMID- 26487397
TI  - Magnetic Nanocomposite Cilia Tactile Sensor.
AB  - A multifunctional biomimetic nanocomposite tactile sensor is developed that can
      detect shear and vertical forces, feel texture, and measure flow with extremely
      low power consumption. The sensor's high performance is maintained within a wide
      operating range that can be easily adjusted. The concept works on rigid and
      flexible substrates and the sensors can be used in air or water without any
      modifications. 

PMID- 26487398
TI  - Indian National Association for Study of the Liver.

PMID- 26487399
TI  - Coagulopathy in cirrhosis: A prospective study to correlate  conventional tests
      of coagulation and bleeding following invasive  procedures in cirrhotics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Conventional tests of coagulation which only measure procoagulant
      factors do not correctly estimate the actual in vivo hemostatic balance in
      cirrhosis. This prospective multicenter study was conducted to evaluate safety of
      various invasive procedures in the presence of abnormal coagulation tests and to
      correlate conventional coagulation parameters with clinically significant
      bleeding in cirrhotics. METHODS: Three hundred and eighty patients (median age 54
      years, 287 males) enrolled in the study were divided into two groups (A and B),
      according to the presence or absence of abnormal coagulation parameters (defined
      as INR >=1.5 and/or platelet count <=50,000/cum). RESULTS: One hundred and twenty
      eight patients (33.68%) were qualified in group A. Alcohol was the predominant
      etiology of cirrhosis (40% and 32% in groups A and B, respectively). The two
      groups were similar in baseline characteristics other than tests of coagulation
      and severity of liver disease. Low risk procedures (abdominal paracentesis most
      common) were carried out in 47% and 53% patients in two groups, respectively.
      None of the patients in either group had clinically significant bleeding.
      Similarly, high risk procedures (central vein cannulation, liver biopsy, etc.)
      were carried out in 14% and 10%, respectively, in two groups. Three patients in
      group A developed clinically significant bleeding, however, the difference was
      statistically nonsignificant (p=0.061). None of our patients received
      periprocedural correction of abnormal coagulation parameters with plasma/platelet
      concentrate. CONCLUSIONS: Deranged conventional coagulation parameters did not
      predict clinically significant bleeding in cirrhosis. Whenever indicated, any
      invasive procedure could be safely carried out in patients with cirrhosis without
      prior correction of coagulation abnormalities.

PMID- 26487400
TI  - Familial Mediterranean fever in Armenia in 2015: some interesting lessons.

PMID- 26487401
TI  - Leptin and Adiponectin Modulate the Self-renewal of Normal Human Breast
      Epithelial Stem Cells.
AB  - Multiple mechanisms are likely to account for the link between obesity and
      increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Two adipokines, leptin and
      adiponectin, are of particular interest due to their opposing biologic functions
      and associations with breast cancer risk. In the current study, we investigated
      the effects of leptin and adiponectin on normal breast epithelial stem cells.
      Levels of leptin in human adipose explant-derived conditioned media positively
      correlated with the size of the normal breast stem cell pool. In contrast, an
      inverse relationship was found for adiponectin. Moreover, a strong linear
      relationship was observed between the leptin/adiponectin ratio in adipose
      conditioned media and breast stem cell self-renewal. Consistent with these
      findings, exogenous leptin stimulated whereas adiponectin suppressed breast stem
      cell self-renewal. In addition to local in-breast effects, circulating factors,
      including leptin and adiponectin, may contribute to the link between obesity and
      breast cancer. Increased levels of leptin and reduced amounts of adiponectin were
      found in serum from obese compared with age-matched lean postmenopausal women.
      Interestingly, serum from obese women increased stem cell self-renewal by 30%
      compared with only 7% for lean control serum. Taken together, these data suggest
      a plausible explanation for the obesity-driven increase in postmenopausal breast
      cancer risk. Leptin and adiponectin may function as both endocrine and
      paracrine/juxtacrine factors to modulate the size of the normal stem cell pool.
      Interventions that disrupt this axis and thereby normalize breast stem cell self
      renewal could reduce the risk of breast cancer.

PMID- 26487403
TI  - Conceptualising the Impact of Arousal and Affective State on Training Outcomes of
      Operant Conditioning.
AB  - Animal training relies heavily on an understanding of species-specific behaviour
      as it integrates with operant conditioning principles. Following on from recent
      studies showing that affective states and arousal levels may correlate with
      behavioural outcomes, we explore the contribution of both affective state and
      arousal in behavioural responses to operant conditioning. This paper provides a
      framework for assessing how affective state and arousal may influence the
      efficacy of operant training methods. It provides a series of three-dimensional
      conceptual graphs as exemplars to describing putative influences of both
      affective state and arousal on the likelihood of dogs and horses performing
      commonly desired behaviours. These graphs are referred to as response landscapes,
      and they highlight the flexibility available for improving training efficacy and
      the likely need for different approaches to suit animals in different affective
      states and at various levels of arousal. Knowledge gaps are discussed and
      suggestions made for bridging them. 

PMID- 26487404
TI  - Assessing Ulcerative Pododermatitis of Breeding Rabbits.
AB  - Rabbits in conventional farms are housed in wire net cages with mesh floors to
      separate them from droppings. In time, lacerations appear on the legs of adult
      rabbits causing ulcerative pododermatitis or sore hocks, a severe health and
      welfare problem. Pain causes behavioral changes; productivity is reduced and the
      most seriously affected animals die or are culled. In this study we evaluated the
      attention producers have given to this problem and its prevention by installing
      footrests in cages. We made 2,331 visits to 664 commercial farms in Spain and
      Portugal between 2001 and 2012, and evaluated morbidity by examining 105,009
      females and 10,722 males. The study highlights that the rate of farms with
      footrests increased from 27.8% in 2001 to 75.2% in 2012. Prevalence of sore hocks
      in does in 2001 was 11.4%, decreasing to 6.3% in 2012; prevention of ulcerative
      pododermatitis was associated (P < 0.001) with the presence of footrests.
      Overall, prevalence was 4.87 +/- 0.26 on farms with footrests and 13.71 +/- 0.32
      without (P < 0.01). 

PMID- 26487405
TI  - Use of Anecdotal Occurrence Data in Species Distribution Models: An Example Based
      on the White-Nosed Coati (Nasua narica) in the American Southwest.
AB  - Species distributions are usually inferred from occurrence records. However,
      these records are prone to errors in spatial precision and reliability. Although
      influence of spatial errors has been fairly well studied, there is little
      information on impacts of poor reliability. Reliability of an occurrence record
      can be influenced by characteristics of the species, conditions during the
      observation, and observer's knowledge. Some studies have advocated use of
      anecdotal data, while others have advocated more stringent evidentiary standards
      such as only accepting records verified by physical evidence, at least for rare
      or elusive species. Our goal was to evaluate the influence of occurrence records
      with different reliability on species distribution models (SDMs) of a unique
      mammal, the white-nosed coati (Nasua narica) in the American Southwest. We
      compared SDMs developed using maximum entropy analysis of combined bioclimatic
      and biophysical variables and based on seven subsets of occurrence records that
      varied in reliability and spatial precision. We found that the predicted
      distribution of the coati based on datasets that included anecdotal occurrence
      records were similar to those based on datasets that only included physical
      evidence. Coati distribution in the American Southwest was predicted to occur in
      southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona and was defined primarily by
      evenness of climate and Madrean woodland and chaparral land-cover types. Coati
      distribution patterns in this region suggest a good model for understanding the
      biogeographic structure of range margins. We concluded that occurrence datasets
      that include anecdotal records can be used to infer species distributions,
      providing such data are used only for easily-identifiable species and based on
      robust modeling methods such as maximum entropy. Use of a reliability rating
      system is critical for using anecdotal data. 

PMID- 26487406
TI  - On the Possible Detection of Lightning Storms by Elephants.
AB  - Theoretical calculations suggest that sounds produced by thunderstorms and
      detected by a system similar to the International Monitoring System (IMS) for the
      detection of nuclear explosions at distances >=100 km, are at sound pressure
      levels equal to or greater than 6 * 10(-3) Pa. Such sound pressure levels are
      well within the range of elephant hearing. Frequencies carrying these sounds
      might allow for interaural time delays such that adult elephants could not only
      hear but could also locate the source of these sounds. Determining whether it is
      possible for elephants to hear and locate thunderstorms contributes to the
      question of whether elephant movements are triggered or influenced by these
      abiotic sounds. 

PMID- 26487408
TI  - The Release of a Captive-Raised Female African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) in
      the Okavango Delta, Botswana.
AB  - Wild female elephants live in close-knit matrilineal groups and housing captive
      elephants in artificial social groupings can cause significant welfare issues for
      individuals not accepted by other group members. We document the release of a
      captive-raised female elephant used in the safari industry because of welfare and
      management problems. She was fitted with a satellite collar, and spatial and
      behavioural data were collected over a 17-month period to quantify her
      interactions with the wild population. She was then monitored infrequently for a
      further five-and-a-half years. We observed few signs of aggression towards her
      from the wild elephants with which she socialized. She used an area of comparable
      size to wild female elephants, and this continued to increase as she explored new
      areas. Although she did not fully integrate into a wild herd, she had three
      calves of her own, and formed a social unit with another female and her calf that
      were later released from the same captive herd. We recommend that release to the
      wild be considered as a management option for other captive female elephants. 

PMID- 26487407
TI  - Impact of Heat Stress on Poultry Production.
AB  - Understanding and controlling environmental conditions is crucial to successful
      poultry production and welfare. Heat stress is one of the most important
      environmental stressors challenging poultry production worldwide. The detrimental
      effects of heat stress on broilers and laying hens range from reduced growth and
      egg production to decreased poultry and egg quality and safety. Moreover, the
      negative impact of heat stress on poultry welfare has recently attracted
      increasing public awareness and concern. Much information has been published on
      the effects of heat stress on productivity and immune response in poultry.
      However, our knowledge of basic mechanisms associated to the reported effects, as
      well as related to poultry behavior and welfare under heat stress conditions is
      in fact scarce. Intervention strategies to deal with heat stress conditions have
      been the focus of many published studies. Nevertheless, effectiveness of most of
      the interventions has been variable or inconsistent. This review focuses on the
      scientific evidence available on the importance and impact of heat stress in
      poultry production, with emphasis on broilers and laying hens. 

PMID- 26487409
TI  - Animal Welfare and Food Safety Aspects of Confining Broiler Chickens to Cages.
AB  - In most areas of the world, broiler chickens are raised in floor systems, but
      cage confinement is becoming more common. The welfare of broiler chickens in
      cages is affected by movement restriction, poor bone strength due to lack of
      exercise, and prevention of key behavioral patterns such as dustbathing and
      ground scratching. Cages for broiler chickens also have a long history of causing
      skin and leg conditions that could further compromise welfare, but a lack of
      controlled studies makes it difficult to draw conclusions about newer cage
      designs. Cage environments are usually stocked at a higher density than open
      floor systems, and the limited studies available suggest that caging may lead to
      increased levels of fear and stress in the birds. Further, birds reared on the
      floor appear less likely to harbor and shed Salmonella, as litter may serve as a
      seeding agent for competitive exclusion by other microorganisms. Cages for laying
      hens used in egg production have met with substantial opposition due to welfare
      concerns and caging broiler chickens will likely be subject to the same kinds of
      social disapproval. 

PMID- 26487410
TI  - The Future of Pork Production in the World: Towards Sustainable, Welfare-Positive
      Systems.
AB  - Among land animals, more pork is eaten in the world than any other meat. The
      earth holds about one billion pigs who deliver over 100 mmt of pork to people for
      consumption. Systems of pork production changed from a forest-based to pasture
      based to dirt lots and finally into specially-designed buildings. The world pork
      industry is variable and complex not just in production methods but in economics
      and cultural value. A systematic analysis of pork industry sustainability was
      performed. Sustainable production methods are considered at three levels using
      three examples in this paper: production system, penning system and for a
      production practice. A sustainability matrix was provided for each example. In a
      comparison of indoor vs. outdoor systems, the food safety/zoonoses concerns make
      current outdoor systems unsustainable. The choice of keeping pregnant sows in
      group pens or individual crates is complex in that the outcome of a
      sustainability assessment leads to the conclusion that group penning is more
      sustainable in the EU and certain USA states, but the individual crate is
      currently more sustainable in other USA states, Asia and Latin America. A
      comparison of conventional physical castration with immunological castration
      shows that the less-common immunological castration method is more sustainable
      (for a number of reasons). This paper provides a method to assess the
      sustainability of production systems and practices that take into account the
      best available science, human perception and culture, animal welfare, the
      environment, food safety, worker health and safety, and economics (including the
      cost of production and solving world hunger). This tool can be used in countries
      and regions where the table values of a sustainability matrix change based on
      local conditions. The sustainability matrix can be used to assess current systems
      and predict improved systems of the future. 

PMID- 26487411
TI  - Modelling Farm Animal Welfare.
AB  - The use of models in the life sciences has greatly expanded in scope and advanced
      in technique in recent decades. However, the range, type and complexity of models
      used in farm animal welfare is comparatively poor, despite the great scope for
      use of modeling in this field of research. In this paper, we review the different
      modeling approaches used in farm animal welfare science to date, discussing the
      types of questions they have been used to answer, the merits and problems
      associated with the method, and possible future applications of each technique.
      We find that the most frequently published types of model used in farm animal
      welfare are conceptual and assessment models; two types of model that are
      frequently (though not exclusively) based on expert opinion. Simulation,
      optimization, scenario, and systems modeling approaches are rarer in animal
      welfare, despite being commonly used in other related fields. Finally, common
      issues such as a lack of quantitative data to parameterize models, and model
      selection and validation are discussed throughout the review, with possible
      solutions and alternative approaches suggested. 

PMID- 26487413
TI  - GeoBioScience: Red Wood Ants as Bioindicators for Active Tectonic Fault Systems
      in the West Eifel (Germany).
AB  - In a 1.140 km2 study area of the volcanic West Eifel, a comprehensive
      investigation established the correlation between red wood ant mound (RWA;
      Formica rufa-group) sites and active tectonic faults. The current stress field
      with a NW-SE-trending main stress direction opens pathways for geogenic gases and
      potential magmas following the same orientation. At the same time, Variscan and
      Mesozoic fault zones are reactivated. The results showed linear alignments and
      clusters of approx. 3,000 RWA mounds. While linear mound distribution correlate
      with strike-slip fault systems documented by quartz and ore veins and fault
      planes with slickensides, the clusters represent crosscut zones of dominant fault
      systems. Latter can be correlated with voids caused by crustal block rotation.
      Gas analyses from soil air, mineral springs and mofettes (CO2, Helium, Radon and
      H2S) reveal limiting concentrations for the spatial distribution of mounds and
      colonization. Striking is further the almost complete absence of RWA mounds in
      the core area of the Quaternary volcanic field. A possible cause can be found in
      occasionally occurring H2S in the fault systems, which is toxic at miniscule
      concentrations to the ants. Viewed overall, there is a strong relationship
      between RWA mounds and active tectonics in the West Eifel. 

PMID- 26487414
TI  - The Prospect of Market-Driven Improvements in Animal Welfare: Lessons from the
      Case of Grass Milk in Denmark.
AB  - Citizens in many European countries urge that the welfare of farm animals should
      be improved. Policy-makers propose that this could, at least to some extent, be
      achieved through increased consumption of animal products produced under labeling
      schemes guaranteeing higher standards of animal welfare. Yet considerable
      uncertainties exist about the ability of the market to promote animal welfare. So
      far the consumption of most welfare-friendly products has been limited, and the
      impact of driving and limiting factors is poorly understood. Reviewing market
      studies, we identify the factors that have shaped the relatively successful
      market for grass milk in Denmark. We conclude that the positive drivers such as
      an appealing animal welfare attribute and animal welfare being bundled with other
      qualities are essentially the same as those operating in connection with less
      successful animal welfare-friendly products. It is therefore to be expected that
      other animal welfare-friendly food products marketed via "natural behaviors" in
      the farm animals will catch the interest of consumers. However, grass milk
      consumption has been supported by proper labeling, ready availability and low
      price premiums as well as multifaceted public support. This suggests that
      successful cases require the joint presence of a number of positive drivers as
      well as low consumption barriers. 

PMID- 26487412
TI  - Exploration of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis to Improve Animal Welfare
      by Means of Genetic Selection: Lessons from the South African Merino.
AB  - It is a difficult task to improve animal production by means of genetic
      selection, if the environment does not allow full expression of the animal's
      genetic potential. This concept may well be the future for animal welfare,
      because it highlights the need to incorporate traits related to production and
      robustness, simultaneously, to reach sustainable breeding goals. This review
      explores the identification of potential genetic markers for robustness within
      the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA), since this axis plays a vital
      role in the stress response. If genetic selection for superior HPAA responses to
      stress is possible, then it ought to be possible to breed robust and easily
      managed genotypes that might be able to adapt to a wide range of environmental
      conditions whilst expressing a high production potential. This approach is
      explored in this review by means of lessons learnt from research on Merino sheep,
      which were divergently selected for their multiple rearing ability. These two
      selection lines have shown marked differences in reproduction, production and
      welfare, which makes this breeding programme ideal to investigate potential
      genetic markers of robustness. The HPAA function is explored in detail to
      elucidate where such genetic markers are likely to be found. 

PMID- 26487415
TI  - Nature of Pre-Earthquake Phenomena and their Effects on Living Organisms.
AB  - Earthquakes occur when tectonic stresses build up deep in the Earth before
      catastrophic rupture. During the build-up of stress, processes that occur in the
      crustal rocks lead to the activation of highly mobile electronic charge carriers.
      These charge carriers are able to flow out of the stressed rock volume into
      surrounding rocks. Such outflow constitutes an electric current, which generates
      electromagnetic (EM) signals. If the outflow occurs in bursts, it will lead to
      short EM pulses. If the outflow is continuous, the currents may fluctuate,
      generating EM emissions over a wide frequency range. Only ultralow and extremely
      low frequency (ULF/ELF) waves travel through rock and can reach the Earth
      surface. The outflowing charge carriers are (i) positively charged and (ii)
      highly oxidizing. When they arrive at the Earth surface from below, they build up
      microscopic electric fields, strong enough to field-ionize air molecules. As a
      result, the air above the epicentral region of an impending major earthquake
      often becomes laden with positive airborne ions. Medical research has long shown
      that positive airborne ions cause changes in stress hormone levels in animals and
      humans. In addition to the ULF/ELF emissions, positive airborne ions can cause
      unusual reactions among animals. When the charge carriers flow into water, they
      oxidize water to hydrogen peroxide. This, plus oxidation of organic compounds,
      can cause behavioral changes among aquatic animals. 

PMID- 26487416
TI  - A Longitudinal Study on Feeding Behaviour and Activity Patterns of Released
      Chimpanzees in Conkouati-Douli National Park, Republic of Congo.
AB  - Wild chimpanzee populations are still declining due to logging, disease
      transmission and hunting. The bushmeat trade frequently leads to an increase in
      the number of orphaned primates. HELP Congo was the first project to successfully
      release wild-born orphan chimpanzees into an existing chimpanzee habitat. A
      collection of post monitoring data over 16 years now offers the unique
      opportunity to investigate possible behavioural adaptations in these chimpanzees.
      We investigated the feeding and activity patterns in eight individuals via focal
      observation techniques from 1997-1999 and 2001-2005. Our results revealed a
      decline in the number of fruit and insect species in the diet of released
      chimpanzees over the years, whereas within the same period of time, the number of
      consumed seed species increased. Furthermore, we found a decline in time spent
      travelling, but an increase in time spent on social activities, such as grooming,
      as individuals matured. In conclusion, the observed changes in feeding and
      activity patterns seem to reflect important long-term behavioural and ecological
      adaptations in wild-born orphan released chimpanzees, demonstrating that the
      release of chimpanzees can be successful, even if it takes time for full
      adaptation. 

PMID- 26487417
TI  - Contrasting Attitudes towards Animal Welfare Issues within the Food Chain.
AB  - Intensive systems have facilitated the production of animal-based products at
      relatively low prices. On one hand, these methods have been increasingly
      considered to be responsible for a dramatic reduction in animal welfare, as
      indicated by the high prevalence of stereotypies in sows, brittle bones in hens,
      lameness in broilers and short life span in dairy cattle. As a consequence, large
      segments of animal welfare-sensitive consumers have been identified. On the other
      hand, price conscious consumers, if accepting higher prices, are more likely to
      require explicit justification of returns in quality. Therefore, scientifically
      validated monitoring systems for assessing the welfare of farm animals have been
      developed in order to provide a certification system, allow the differentiation
      of animal-based products through constant and reliable signaling systems, and
      promote animal welfare friendly farming systems. 

PMID- 26487418
TI  - Isotopic evidence of human mobility and diet in a prehistoric/protohistoric
      Fijian coastal environment (c. 750-150 BP).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Bourewa, on the southwest coast of Viti Levu in Fiji, is a multi
      period site that contained burials dated to the later Vuda Phase (750-150 BP), a
      period of climatic fluctuations that potentially impacted the availability of
      food resources. We aim to investigate diet and movement at this site during a
      time of possible ecological pressure and political change. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      We analyzed delta(13) C, delta(15) N, and (87) Sr/(86) Sr of these Vuda Phase
      individuals (n = 25) interred at the site. By analyzing dentin and bone, both
      childhood diet and the diet within the past few years of adults' lives were
      examined. RESULTS: The paleodietary results suggested that adult diets consisted
      largely of low trophic level marine organisms. Dentin and bone isotopic values
      differed significantly: childhood diet involved consumption of more higher
      trophic level terrestrial foods. Most individuals displayed (87) Sr/(86) Sr
      ratios expected of people living along a marine coastline. However, a few
      individuals displayed (87) Sr/(86) Sr ratios and paleodietary values (delta(13)
      Cdentin , delta(15) Ndentin ) suggestive of living further inland or consuming a
      more terrestrial-based childhood diet. DISCUSSION: The results are compared with
      past studies of sites from Fiji and nearby archipelagoes, placing our
      interpretations into a wider regional context. The Bourewa community appears to
      have consumed more low trophic level marine foods than any nearby site, possibly
      because terrestrial foods were more difficult to acquire. Interpreting the
      childhood diet is challenging due to the paucity of ethnohistoric literature on
      Fijian childhood; small meals outside of communal mealtimes or feeding children
      terrestrial animal protein as a means of cultural buffering are potential
      explanations.

PMID- 26487419
TI  - Recovery of strain-hardening rate in Ni-Si alloys.
AB  - In this study, the recovery of strain-hardening rate (RSHR) was discovered for
      the first time in polycrystalline materials (Ni-Si alloys) that have only
      dislocation activities during tensile test. Detailed microstructure
      characterizations show that the activation of dislocations in the secondary slip
      systems during tensile deformation is the major reason for this RSHR. By taking
      into account other metals that also exhibit RSHR during tension, a more general
      mechanism for the RSHR was proposed, i.e. the occurrence of a sharp decrease of
      dislocation mean free path (Lambda) during plastic deformation, caused by either
      planar defects or linear defects. 

PMID- 26487420
TI  - Hypoxia Activated Prodrugs: Factors Influencing Design and Development.
AB  - Hypoxia in tumor cells is characterized by a lack of oxygen resulting from
      reduced blood supply to the surrounding tissue, and is a common characteristic of
      solid tumors as a consequence of rapid cell growth. Hypoxia in tumors is a
      predictor of both resistance to chemotherapy and of a metastatic/aggressive form
      of cancer, and as a result, development of cancer therapies which target hypoxia
      is of vital importance. One such targeting strategy is the development of hypoxia
      activated prodrugs (HAP) which can preferentially release chemotherapeutic agents
      within hypoxic tumor regions. This targeting strategy is accomplished by
      attaching a hypoxia activated trigger to a chemotherapeutic agent and under
      oxygen-poor conditions, the agent (effector) is released into the tumor, while
      remaining intact in normal tissue, and leaving non-hypoxic cells undamaged.
      Overall, this strategy can achieve an increased therapeutic benefit over
      conventional small molecule chemotherapeutic treatments by concentrating the
      drugs within hypoxic tumor environments, while simultaneously reducing the side
      effects and toxicity issues that surround the systemic distribution of
      traditional drugs on normoxic cells. In this review, we will describe the factors
      that should be considered when designing an effective HAP, such as the mechanism
      of prodrug action, the elements that influence the rational design of HAP (i.e.
      reduction potential), and the activating enzymes of HAP. As part of this
      description, we will utilize select examples from the literature to reinforce
      these factors, and make a case for the intelligent design of new HAPs, leading to
      the development of novel hypoxia targeting chemotherapeutic agents. 

PMID- 26487421
TI  - The importance of neuronal growth factors in the ovary.
AB  - The neurotrophin family consists of nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin 3
      (NT3) and neurotrophin 4/5 (NT4/5), in addition to brain-derived neurotrophic
      factor (BDNF) and the neuronal growth factors, glial cell line-derived
      neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and vasointestinal peptide (VIP). Although there are a
      few literature reviews, mainly of animal studies, on the importance of
      neurotrophins in the ovary, we aimed to provide a complete review of
      neurotrophins as well as neuronal growth factors and their important roles in
      normal and pathological processes in the ovary. Follicular assembly is probably
      stimulated by complementary effects of NGF, NT4/5 and BDNF and their receptors.
      The neurotrophins, GDNF and VIP and their receptors have all been identified in
      preantral and antral follicles of mammalian species, including humans. Transgenic
      mice with mutations in the genes encoding for Ngf, Nt4/5 and Bdnf and their
      tropomyosin-related kinase beta receptor showed a reduction in preantral
      follicles and an abnormal ovarian morphology, whereas NGF, NT3, GDNF and VIP
      increased the in vitro activation of primordial follicles in rats and goats.
      Additionally, NGF, NT3 and GDNF promoted follicular cell proliferation; NGF, BDNF
      and VIP were shown to be involved in ovulation; VIP inhibited follicular
      apoptosis; NT4/5, BDNF and GDNF promoted oocyte maturation and NGF, NT3 and VIP
      stimulated steroidogenesis. NGF may also exert a stimulatory effect in ovarian
      cancer and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Low levels of NGF and BDNF in
      follicular fluid may be associated with diminished ovarian reserve and high
      levels with endometriosis. More knowledge of the roles of neuronal growth factors
      in the ovary has important implications for the development of new therapeutic
      drugs (such as anti-NGF agents) for ovarian cancer and PCOS as well as various
      infertility problems, warranting further research. 

PMID- 26487422
TI  - Breakdown of magnetism in sub-nanometric Ni clusters embedded in Ag.
AB  - Downsizing to the nanoscale has opened up a spectrum of new magnetic phenomena
      yet to be discovered. In this context, we investigate the magnetic properties of
      Ni clusters embedded in a metallic Ag matrix. Unlike in Ni free-standing
      clusters, where the magnetic moment increases towards the atomic value when
      decreasing the cluster size, we show, by tuning the Ni cluster size down to the
      sub-nanoscale, that there is a size limit below which the clusters become non
      magnetic when embedded in Ag. To this end, we have fabricated by DC-sputtering a
      system composed of sub-nanometer sized and non interacting Ni clusters embedded
      into a Ag matrix. A thorough experimental characterization by means of structural
      techniques (x-ray diffraction, x-ray absorption spectroscopy) and DC
      magnetization confirms that the cluster size is in the sub-nanometric range and
      shows that the magnetization of the system is dramatically reduced, reaching only
      38% of the bulk value. The experimental system has been reproduced by density
      functional theory calculations on Ni m clusters (m = 1-6, 10 and 13) embedded in
      Ag. The combination of the experimental and theoretical analysis points out that
      there is a breakdown of magnetism occurring below a cluster size of six atoms.
      According to our results, the loss of magnetic moment is not due to Ag-Ni
      hybridization but to charge transfer between the Ni sp and d orbitals, and the
      reduced magnetization observed experimentally is explained on the basis of the
      presence of a narrow cluster size-distribution where magnetic and non-magnetic
      clusters coexist. 

PMID- 26487423
TI  - "Yes" vote predicted for junior doctors' ballot on industrial action.

PMID- 26487424
TI  - Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia in a patient with an intragenic NSD1 mutation.

PMID- 26487425
TI  - How diaries written for critically ill influence the relatives: a systematic
      review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diaries written by nurses for the critically ill patient helps
      relatives cope and support the patient. When relatives participate in writing a
      diary for the critically ill, patients appreciate it. Furthermore, the diary may
      reduce post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression in patients and
      relatives. AIM: To explore how relatives perceive reading and writing in the
      diary and how it affects their well-being. SEARCH STRATEGIES: A systematic search
      was carried out in the databases PubMed, Embase, CiNAHL and PsycINFO and
      supplemented by a citation search in Scopus on four-selected articles. Finally,
      10 articles were included in this review structured by the Matrix method.
      INCLUSION CRITERIA: (a) Original scientific work, (b) relatives participation and
      experience of the diary as subject and (c) diaries studied in an intensive care
      unit setting. FINDINGS: Relatives were given instructions on how to write in the
      diary. They expressed strong feelings in the diary in a very different way than
      health care staff. The relatives used the diary themselves to gain understanding
      and to cope. The diary has been shown to prevent post-traumatic stress symptoms.
      CONCLUSION: The relatives express their love for the patient, when they author
      the diary and this may be beneficial to the relatives as it helps them cope and
      support the patient. The organized account of the time in the intensive care unit
      in the diary may explain the diary's ability to reduce the occurrence of post
      traumatic stress disorder; however, further research is needed to confirm this.
      How relatives interact through writing and reading a diary, originally intended
      for the patient, is unclear. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Providing relatives
      with a diary may help them cope. However, caution should be taken as possible
      adverse effects related to the interaction between relatives in the diary may not
      yet be known.

PMID- 26487426
TI  - Determining PM2.5 calibration curves for a low-cost particle monitor: common
      indoor residential aerosols.
AB  - Real-time particle monitors are essential for accurately estimating exposure to
      fine particles indoors. However, many such monitors tend to be prohibitively
      expensive for some applications, such as a tenant or homeowner curious about the
      quality of the air in their home. A lower cost version (the Dylos Air Quality
      Monitor) has recently been introduced, but it requires appropriate calibration to
      reflect the mass concentration units required for exposure assessment. We
      conducted a total of 64 experiments with a suite of instruments including a Dylos
      DC1100, another real-time laser photometer (TSI SidePakTM Model AM-510 Personal
      Aerosol Monitor), and a gravimetric sampling apparatus to estimate Dylos
      calibration factors for emissions from 17 different common indoor sources
      including cigarettes, incense, fried bacon, chicken, and hamburger. Comparison of
      minute-by-minute data from the Dylos with the gravimetrically calibrated SidePak
      yielded relationships that enable the conversion of the raw Dylos particle counts
      less than 2.5 MUm (in #/0.01 ft(3)) to estimated PM2.5 mass concentration (e.g.
      MUg m(-3)). The relationship between the exponentially-decaying Dylos particle
      counts and PM2.5 mass concentration can be described by a theoretically-derived
      power law with source-specific empirical parameters. A linear relationship
      (calibration factor) is applicable to fresh or quickly decaying emissions (i.e.,
      before the aerosol has aged and differential decay rates introduce curvature into
      the relationship). The empirical parameters for the power-law relationships vary
      greatly both between and within source types, although linear factors appear to
      have lower uncertainty. The Dylos Air Quality Monitor is likely most useful for
      providing instantaneous feedback and context on mass particle levels in home and
      work situations for field-survey or personal awareness applications. 

PMID- 26487427
TI  - Expression of human cell cycle regulators in the primary cell line  of the
      African savannah elephant (loxodonta africana) increases  proliferation until
      senescence, but does not  induce immortalization.
AB  - The African savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana) is one of the critically
      endangered animals. Conservation of genetic and cellular resources is important
      for the promotion of wild life-related research. Although primary cultured cells
      are a useful model for the physiology and genomics of the wild-type animals,
      their distribution is restricted due to the limited number of cell divisions
      allowed in them. Here, we tried to immortalize a primary cell line of L. africana
      with by overexpressing human mutant form of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4R24C),
      cyclin D, and telomerase (TERT). It has been shown before that the combination of
      human CDK4R24C, cyclin D, and TERT induces the efficient cellular immortalization
      of cells derived from humans, bovine, swine, and monkeys. Interestingly, although
      the combination of these three genes extended the cellular proliferation of the
      L. africana-derived cells, they did not induce cellular immortalization. This
      study suggest that control of cellular senescence in L. africana-derived cells
      would be different molecular mechanisms compared to those governing human,
      bovine, swine, and monkey cells.

PMID- 26487428
TI  - Sp1 upregulates the proximal promoter activity of the mouse collagen alpha1(XI)
      gene (Col11a1) in chondrocytes.
AB  - Type XI collagen is a cartilage-specific extracellular matrix, and is important
      for collagen fibril formation and skeletal morphogenesis. We have previously
      reported that NF-Y regulated the proximal promoter activity of the mouse collagen
      alpha1(XI) gene (Col11a1) in chondrocytes (Hida et. al. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol.
      Anim. 2014). However, the mechanism of the Col11a1 gene regulation in
      chondrocytes has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we further
      characterized the proximal promoter activity of the mouse Col11a1 gene in
      chondrocytes. Cell transfection experiments with deletion and mutation constructs
      indicated that the downstream region of the NF-Y binding site (-116 to +1) is
      also necessary to regulate the proximal promoter activity of the mouse Col11a1
      gene. This minimal promoter region has no TATA box and GC-rich sequence; we
      therefore examined whether the GC-rich sequence (-96 to -67) is necessary for the
      transcription regulation of the Col11a1 gene. Luciferase assays using a series of
      mutation constructs exhibited that the GC-rich sequence is a critical element of
      Col11a1 promoter activity in chondrocytes. Moreover, in silico analysis of this
      region suggested that one of the most effective candidates was transcription
      factor Sp1. Consistent with the prediction, overexpression of Sp1 significantly
      increased the promoter activity. Furthermore, knockdown of Sp1 expression by
      siRNA transfection suppressed the proximal promoter activity and the expression
      of endogenous transcript of the mouse Col11a1 gene. Taken together, these results
      indicate that the transcription factor Sp1 upregulates the proximal promoter
      activity of the mouse Col11a1 gene in chondrocytes. 

PMID- 26487429
TI  - Effects of rosiglitazone on proliferation and differentiation of duck
      preadipocytes.
AB  - Rosiglitazone (RSG), one member of the thiazolidinediones (TZDs), is a type of
      anti-diabetic drug in diabetic humans and animal models, whose function remains
      unknown in waterfowl. In this study, effects of RSG on duck preadipocyte
      differentiation were investigated. We detected cell viability using CCK method
      and measured the mRNA expression of key genes and protein contents involved in
      preadipocyte differentiation via qRT-PCR and ELISA kits, respectively. Lipid
      accumulation was determined via Oil Red O staining extraction, and lipolysis was
      measured by free fatty acid release in the culture medium. Results showed that
      high concentrations of RSG (50, 100 MUM) significantly decreased cell viability.
      RSG (0-10 MUM) enhanced preadipocyte differentiation in a dose-dependent manner
      and thus promoted lipid accumulation. With increasing RSG concentrations,
      cellular lipid content gradually decreased and preadipocyte differentiation was
      suppressed. mRNA expression of key genes involved in preadipocyte differentiation
      including FAS, ACC, SCD1, LPL, PLIN, SREBP1c, and ATGL were significantly
      upregulated by RSG, and the protein content of FAS, ACC, and ATGL were also
      increased in response to RSG. Meanwhile, RSG exposure increased free fatty acid
      release in the culture medium. Similar results were obtained in response to RSG
      plus oleate that was used to induce cell differentiation. These findings suggest
      that RSG does not promote duck preadipocyte viability, but it does induce duck
      preadipocyte differentiation, which might influence both lipogenesis and
      lipolysis pathways.

PMID- 26487431
TI  - Optimization of culture conditions for porcine embryonic germ cells.

PMID- 26487430
TI  - Vitamin C stimulates human gingival stem cell proliferation and expression of
      pluripotent markers.
AB  - Gingival stem cells (GSCs) are a novel source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)
      that are easily accessed from the oral cavity. GSCs were considered valuable
      autograft MSCs with particular characteristics. However, the limitation in the
      number of available GSCs remains an obstacle. Therefore, this study aimed to
      stimulate GSC proliferation by ascorbic acid (AA) and determined the effects of
      AA on GSC pluripotent potential-related gene expression. GSCs were isolated from
      gum tissue by explant culture and continuously subcultured before analysis of
      stemness and effects of AA on pluripotent-related gene expression. GSCs cultured
      with various concentrations of AA showed increased proliferation in a dose
      dependent manner. AA-treated GSCs showed significantly higher expression of SSEA
      3, Sox-2, Oct-3/4, Nanog, and TRA-1-60 compared with control cells. More
      importantly, GSCs also maintained their stemness with MSC phenotypes and failed
      to cause tumors in nude athymic mice. Our results show that AA is a suitable
      factor to stimulate GSC proliferation. 

PMID- 26487432
TI  - Long-term culture and cryopreservation does not affect the stability and
      functionality of human embryonic stem cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells.
AB  - Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are predicted to be an unlimited source of
      hepatocytes which can pave the way for applications such as cell replacement
      therapies or as a model of human development or even to predict the
      hepatotoxicity of drug compounds. We have optimized a 23-d differentiation
      protocol to generate hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) from hESCs, obtaining a
      relatively pure population which expresses the major hepatic markers and is
      functional and mature. The stability of the HLCs in terms of hepato-specific
      marker expression and functionality was found to be intact even after an extended
      period of in vitro culture and cryopreservation. The hESC-derived HLCs have shown
      the capability to display sensitivity and an alteration in the level of CYP
      enzyme upon drug induction. This illustrates the potential of such assays in
      predicting the hepatotoxicity of a drug compound leading to advancement of
      pharmacology. 

PMID- 26487433
TI  - Early Outcomes With Direct Flow Medical Versus First-Generation Transcatheter
      Aortic Valve Devices: A Single-Center Propensity-Matched Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare early outcomes between Direct Flow Medical (DFM) and 1(st)
      -generation transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) devices. BACKGROUND:
      The effectiveness of new-generation TAVR devices compared with earlier
      generations is unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: Overall, 496 patients treated
      between November 2007 and March 2014 were included: 44 (8.7%) treated with DFM,
      179 (36.9%) with Medtronic CoreValve (MCV) and 273 (54.4%) with Edwards Sapien /
      Sapien XT (SXT) valve. Because of differences in baseline characteristics,
      propensity-score matching among patients treated in the same time span (March
      2012-March 2014) was performed. The primary objective was the VARC-2 device
      success composite endpoint. Propensity-score matching identified 41 patients in
      each group. A higher device success composite endpoint was observed in DFM (DFM
      97.6% vs. MCV 65.9% vs. SXT 92.7%; P < 0.001). This was attributed to a
      significantly lower incidence of moderate-to-severe post-procedural aortic
      regurgitation (AR; 2.4% vs. 22% vs. 7.3%; P < 0.001), lower rate of valve
      embolization (0% vs. 7.3% vs. 0%; 0.041) and need for a 2nd valve implantation
      (0% vs. 7.3% vs. 0%; P = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: DFM was associated with higher
      rates of device success and a lower incidence of post-procedural AR. New
      generation devices appear to address several of the limitations of earlier
      generation devices.

PMID- 26487434
TI  - Impact of surgical correction of pectus excavatum on cardiac function: insights
      on the right ventricle. A cardiovascular magnetic resonance study?.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pectus excavatum (PE) is often regarded as a cosmetic disease, while
      its effect on cardiac function is under debate. Data regarding cardiac function
      before and after surgical correction of PE are limited. We aimed to assess the
      impact of surgical correction of PE on cardiac function by cardiovascular
      magnetic resonance (CMR). METHODS: CMR at 1.5 T was performed in 38 patients
      (mean age 21 +/- 8.3; 31 men) before and after surgical correction to evaluate
      thoracic morphology, indices and its relation to three-dimensional left and right
      ventricular cardiac function. RESULTS: Surgery was successful in all patients as
      shown by the Haller Index ratio of maximum transverse diameter of the chest wall
      and minimum sternovertebral distance [pre: 9.64 (95% CI 8.18-11.11) vs post: 3.0
      (2.84-3.16), P < 0.0001]. Right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) was reduced
      before surgery and improved significantly at the 1-year follow-up [pre: 45.7%
      (43.9-47.4%) vs 48.3% (46.9-49.5%), P = 0.0004]. Left ventricular ejection
      fraction was normal before surgery, but showed a further improvement after 1 year
      [pre: 61.0% (59.3-62.7%) vs 62.7% (61.3-64.2%), P = 0.0165]. Cardiac compression
      and the asymmetry index changed directly after surgery and were stable at the 1
      year follow-up [3.93 (3.53-4.33) vs 2.08 (1.98-2.19) and 2.36 (2.12-2.59) vs 1.38
      (1.33-1.44), respectively; P < 0.0001 for both]. None of the obtained thoracic
      indices were predictors of the improvement of cardiac function. A reduced
      preoperative RVEF was predictive of RVEF improvement. CONCLUSIONS: PE is
      associated with reduced RVEF, which improves after surgical correction. CMR has
      the capability of offering additional information prior to surgical correction.

PMID- 26487435
TI  - The significance of microvascular invasion after complete resection of early
      stage non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - A best evidence topic in thoracic surgery was written according to a structured
      protocol. The question addressed was 'in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer
      who have undergone complete resection, does the presence of microvascular
      invasion (MVI) significantly impact long-term survival or prognosis?' Altogether,
      more than 250 papers were found using the reported search, of which 12
      represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. Outcome parameters
      that were used in the assessment include 5-year overall survival, event-free or
      recurrence-free survival (RFS) and incidence of metastatic relapse. The authors,
      journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type,
      relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses were tabulated. The majority of
      the data collected were retrospective. Meta-analysis of data of over 16 000
      patients showed that when considering RFS, MVI positivity was associated with a
      significantly reduced period of RFS; pooled hazard ratio estimates by univariate
      and multivariate analyses were 3.28 (95% CI 2.14-5.05; P < 0.0001) and 3.98 (95%
      CI 2.24-7.06; P < 0.0001), respectively. Eight of the studies showed a
      significantly worse 5-year survival in the presence of MVI, whereas a further
      study found a reduced median survival with MVI. One study showed no difference,
      but concurred with five other studies that MVI was associated with a
      significantly shorter event-free or RFS. Multivariate analyses have furthermore
      demonstrated that MVI positivity correlates with larger tumour size, an increased
      risk of distant metastases, visceral pleural involvement, lymphovascular
      invasion, higher tumour grade and nodal status. We conclude that the presence of
      microvascular invasion in resected early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer is a
      negative prognostic factor. 

PMID- 26487436
TI  - Mitral valve endocarditis due to Abiotrophia defectiva in a 14th week pregnant
      woman.
AB  - Infective endocarditis during pregnancy carries a high mortality risk, both for
      the mother and for the foetus and requires a multidisciplinary team in the
      management of complicated cases. We report our experience with a 39-year old
      patient, affected by an acute active mitral endocarditis due to Abiotrophia
      defectiva at the 14th gestational week, strongly motivated to continue the
      pregnancy. Our patient successfully underwent mitral valve replacement with a
      normothermic high-flow cardiopulmonary bypass under continuous intraoperative
      foetal monitoring. Caesarean section occurred at the 38th gestational week. The
      delivery was uneventful and both the mother and child are doing well at the 16
      month follow-up. 

PMID- 26487437
TI  - Soil-Derived Microbial Consortia Enriched with Different Plant Biomass Reveal
      Distinct Players Acting in Lignocellulose Degradation.
AB  - Here, we investigated how different plant biomass, and-for one substrate-pH,
      drive the composition of degrader microbial consortia. We bred such consortia
      from forest soil, incubated along nine aerobic sequential - batch enrichments
      with wheat straw (WS1, pH 7.2; WS2, pH 9.0), switchgrass (SG, pH 7.2), and corn
      stover (CS, pH 7.2) as carbon sources. Lignocellulosic compounds (lignin,
      cellulose and xylan) were best degraded in treatment SG, followed by CS, WS1 and
      WS2. In terms of composition, the consortia became relatively stable after
      transfers 4 to 6, as evidenced by PCR-DGGE profiles obtained from each consortium
      DNA. The final consortia differed by ~40 % (bacteria) and ~60 % (fungi) across
      treatments. A 'core' community represented by 5/16 (bacteria) and 3/14 (fungi)
      bands was discerned, next to a variable part. The composition of the final
      microbial consortia was strongly driven by the substrate, as taxonomically
      diverse consortia appeared in the different substrate treatments, but not in the
      (WS) different pH one. Biodegradative strains affiliated to Sphingobacterium
      kitahiroshimense, Raoultella terrigena, Pseudomonas putida, Stenotrophomonas
      rhizophila (bacteria), Coniochaeta ligniaria and Acremonium sp. (fungi) were
      recovered in at least three treatments, whereas strains affiliated to Delftia
      tsuruhatensis, Paenibacillus xylanexedens, Sanguibacter inulus and Comamonas
      jiangduensis were treatment-specific.

PMID- 26487438
TI  - Testate Amoebae Like It Hot: Species Richness Decreases Along a Subalpine-Alpine
      Altitudinal Gradient in Both Natural Calluna vulgaris Litter and Transplanted
      Minuartia sedoides Cushions.
AB  - Most groups of higher organisms show a decrease in species richness toward high
      altitude, but the existence of such a pattern is debated for micro-eukaryotes.
      Existing data are scarce and mostly confounded with the diversity of habitats
      that also decreases with elevation. In order to disentangle these two factors,
      one approach is to consider only similar types of habitats occurring across an
      elevational gradient. We assessed the diversity and community structure of
      testate amoebae in two specific habitats: (1) natural Calluna vulgaris litter and
      (2) Minuartia sedoides cushions 7 years after their transplantation along a
      vertical transect from 1770 to 2430 m in the subalpine and alpine zones of the
      Swiss Alps. Analyses of co-variance and variance showed that testate amoeba
      species richness, equitability, and diversity declined with elevation and were
      significantly correlated to habitat type. In a redundancy analysis, the variation
      in the relative abundance of the testate amoeba taxa in Calluna vulgaris litter
      was equally explained by elevation and litter pH. This is the first study
      documenting a monotonic decrease of protist diversity in similar habitats across
      an elevational gradient.

PMID- 26487439
TI  - Propranolol for the treatment of anxiety disorders: Systematic review and meta
      analysis.
AB  - The effects of propranolol in the treatment of anxiety disorders have not been
      systematically evaluated previously. The aim was to conduct a systematic review
      and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials, addressing the efficacy of
      oral propranolol versus placebo or other medication as a treatment for
      alleviating either state or trait anxiety in patients suffering from anxiety
      disorders. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies concerned
      panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (four studies, total n = 130),
      specific phobia (two studies, total n = 37), social phobia (one study, n = 16),
      and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (one study, n = 19). Three out of four
      panic disorder trials qualified for pooled analyses. These meta-analyses found no
      statistically significant differences between the efficacy of propranolol and
      benzodiazepines regarding the short-term treatment of panic disorder with or
      without agoraphobia. Also, no evidence was found for effects of propranolol on
      PTSD symptom severity through inhibition of memory reconsolidation. In
      conclusion, the quality of evidence for the efficacy of propranolol at present is
      insufficient to support the routine use of propranolol in the treatment of any of
      the anxiety disorders. 

PMID- 26487440
TI  - Sex-specific association of rs4746172 of VCL gene with hypertension in two Han
      populations from Southern China.
AB  - Hypertension is the most common and lethal risk factor for cardiovascular disease
      (CVD). Numerous variants have been associated with hypertension, however, most of
      which failed to get replication due to ethnic differences. In this study, we
      analyzed associations of 10 newly reported single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
      in Europeans with hypertension in Chinese. A total of 1766 samples consisting of
      880 subjects with hypertension and 886 controls were collected and the SNPs were
      genotyped using multiple assays based on the SNaPshot mini-sequencing approach.
      Our results revealed a significant genotypic association of rs4746172 of VCL with
      hypertension with a lower frequency of minor allele in male subjects (OR = 0.70,
      95% CI: 0.54-0.92, p = 0.011) but not in females. To validate the result, we
      genotyped the SNPs in another Chinese population with 546 individuals, and got a
      consistent association for the rs4746172 (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.38-0.82, p = 2.4 *
      10(-3)) in males. The VCL-encoding protein was involved in cardiomyopathy that
      associated with hypertension, therefore our results suggest the rs4746172 of VCL
      may be a novel target for clinical interventions to reduce CVD risk by regulating
      blood pressure in male Chinese. 

PMID- 26487441
TI  - The Perceived and Actual Physical Activity Behaviors of African American Women.
AB  - Lack of physical activity is a leading contributor to obesity in the US. The
      unusually high rates of obesity in African-American (AA) women corroborate with
      lack of recommended levels of exercise in this population. The purpose of this
      study was to describe exercise behaviors and intention to change using the stages
      of change (SOC) model in a sample of AA women. A population-based observational
      study was conducted with 292 AA women in Florida. Outcome variables were engaging
      in aerobic, strength-based, and stretching exercise. More than half (61.25 %) did
      not engage in strength-based exercise, more than a third (37.7 %) did not engage
      in aerobic exercise, and a little less than half (45.9 %) did not participate in
      stretching exercise. SOC was the main independent variable. Women in action and
      maintenance SOC were significantly more likely to engage in aerobic exercise (OR
      16.1, 95 % CI 7.09-25.7), strength-based exercise (OR 15.4, 95 % CI 6.58-22.7),
      and stretching exercise (OR 3.80, 95 % CI 1.91-7.52). The SOC is reflective of
      actual exercise behavior in AA women. A large number of AA women do not engage in
      regular recommended levels of exercise. Understanding SOC can be essential to
      developing culturally appropriate and motivation matched interventions for
      improving AA women's exercise habits.

PMID- 26487442
TI  - Computational allosteric ligand binding site identification on Ras proteins.
AB  - A number of computational techniques have been proposed to expedite the process
      of allosteric ligand binding site identification in inherently flexible and hence
      challenging drug targets. Some of these techniques have been instrumental in the
      discovery of allosteric ligand binding sites on Ras proteins, a group of elusive
      anticancer drug targets. This review provides an overview of these techniques and
      their application to Ras proteins. A summary of molecular docking and binding
      site identification is provided first, followed by a more detailed discussion of
      two specific techniques for binding site identification in ensembles of Ras
      conformations generated by molecular simulations.

PMID- 26487443
TI  - The greedy nature of mutant RAS: a boon for drug discovery targeting cancer
      metabolism?
AB  - RAS oncogene mutations are frequently detected in human cancers. Among RAS
      mediated tumorigenesis, KRAS-driven cancers are the most frequently diagnosed and
      resistant to current therapies. Despite more than three decades of intensive
      efforts, there are still no specific therapies for mutant RAS proteins. While
      trying to block those well-established downstream pathways, such as the RAF-MAPK
      pathway and the PI3K-AKT pathway, attentions have been paid to potential effects
      of RAS on metabolic pathways and the feasibility for targeting these pathways.
      Recent studies have proved that RAS not only promotes aerobic glycolysis and
      glutamine metabolism reprograming to provide energy, but it also facilitates
      branched metabolism pathways, autophagy, and macropinocytosis. These alterations
      generate building blocks for tumor growth and strengthen antioxidant defense in
      tumor cells. All of these metabolic changes meet different demands of RAS-driven
      cancers, making them distinct from normal cells. Indeed, some achievements have
      been made to inhibit tumor growth through targeting specific metabolism rewiring
      in preclinical models. Although there is still a long way to elucidate the
      landscape of altered metabolism, we believe that specific metabolic enzymes or
      pathways could be therapeutically targeted for selective inhibition of RAS-driven
      cancers.

PMID- 26487444
TI  - Erratum to: Iron Deficiency Without Anemia Is Associated with Anger and Fatigue
      in Young Japanese Women.

PMID- 26487445
TI  - Were Plasma Trace Element Levels Changed in the Children with ADHD?

PMID- 26487446
TI  - Serum Magnesium Status in Patients Subjects with Depression in the City of Yazd
      in Iran 2013-2014.
AB  - Depression is the most common mental disorder and involves many factors. The
      regulatory effects of magnesium on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) channels make it a
      factor in the treatment of depression. The present study investigated the level
      of serum magnesium in subjects diagnosed with depression in the city of Yazd in
      Iran. This cross-sectional study was done from January 2013 to January 2014 on
      650 patients with depression who agreed to participate in this study. Diagnosis
      was made using the Beck Depression Inventory test (BDI-II); those scoring higher
      than 11 were sent to the medical school laboratory for further testing of serum
      magnesium levels. The mean age of the patients was 34.16 +/- 9.12 years. Of the
      650 subjects, 195 were male (30 %) and 455 were female (70 %). The total mean
      serum magnesium was 2.1 +/- 0.26 mg/dl. The prevalence of hypomagnesemia 13.7 %,
      hypermagnesemia 8.3 %, and sub-optimal magnesium levels was 26.5 %. Sub-optimal
      prevalence in women (28.1 %) was higher than in men (26.2 %). A significant
      relationship was observed between depression and serum magnesium level (p =
      0.02). The results indicated that the prevalence of hypomagnesemia in subjects
      diagnosed with depression is high compared to non-depressed individuals.
      Moreover, there was a significant relationship between hypomagnesemia and
      intensity of depression that suggests a role for this element in the pathogenesis
      of the disorder. The high sub-optimal prevalence among women indicates that
      increased attention should be paid to this group. 

PMID- 26487447
TI  - Generation of Dynamic Free-Form Temperature Gradients in a Disposable Microchip.
AB  - Temperature gradients (TGs) provide an effective approach to controlling solvated
      molecules and creating spatiotemporally varying thermal stimuli for biochemical
      research. Methods developed to date for generating TGs can only create a limited
      set of static temperature profiles. This article describes a method for
      establishing dynamic free-form TGs in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as well as in
      gases and liquids in contact with the PDMS. The heating mechanism relies on the
      efficient acoustic absorption by the PDMS of high-frequency (5-200 MHz) surface
      acoustic waves (SAWs). MATLAB-aided actuation of a transducer enabled the
      generation and propagation of SAWs in a controlled fashion, which permitted
      spatiotemporal control over the temperature in the PDMS microstructures. This
      technique is exploited to perform one-shot high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis
      to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DNA. The experimental results
      displayed a 10-fold higher resolution and an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio
      compared to the results obtained using a conventional real-time PCR machine. 

PMID- 26487448
TI  - Evidence for the widespread production of DSF family signal molecules by members
      of the genus Burkholderia by the aid of novel biosensors.
AB  - Many bacteria employ cis-2-unsaturated fatty acids, referred to as DSF
      (diffusible signal factor) family signals, to communicate with each other. Such
      systems have been shown to control biofilm formation, motility, production of
      hydrolytic enzymes and expression of virulence factors. We report the
      construction of novel biosensors on the basis of components of the Burkholderia
      DSF (BDSF) dependent circuitry of Burkholderia  cenocepacia H111 and evaluated
      their utility for detecting the production of DSF family signal molecules. We
      show that a luxAB-based biosensor responds to nM levels of synthetic BDSF and is
      suitable to detect a wide range of cis-2 fatty acid molecules. Using this
      biosensor we show that the production of DSF family molecules is widespread among
      members of the B. cepacia complex and demonstrate for the first time that DSF
      based molecules are also produced by plant-associated Burkholderia species.

PMID- 26487449
TI  - Characterization and isolation of immature neurons of the adult mouse piriform
      cortex.
AB  - Physiological studies indicate that the piriform or primary olfactory cortex of
      adult mammals exhibits a high degree of synaptic plasticity. Interestingly, a
      subpopulation of cells in the layer II of the adult piriform cortex expresses
      neurodevelopmental markers, such as the polysialylated form of neural cell
      adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) or doublecortin (DCX). This study analyzes the
      nature, origin, and potential function of these poorly understood cells in mice.
      As previously described in rats, most of the PSA-NCAM expressing cells in layer
      II could be morphologically classified as tangled cells and only a small
      proportion of larger cells could be considered semilunar-pyramidal transitional
      neurons. Most were also immunoreactive for DCX, confirming their immature nature.
      In agreement with this, detection of PSA-NCAM combined with that of different
      cell lineage-specific antigens revealed that most PSA-NCAM positive cells did not
      co-express markers of glial cells or mature neurons. Their time of origin was
      evaluated by birthdating experiments with halogenated nucleosides performed at
      different developmental stages and in adulthood. We found that virtually all
      cells in this paleocortical region, including PSA-NCAM-positive cells, are born
      during fetal development. In addition, proliferation analyses in adult mice
      revealed that very few cells were cycling in layer II of the piriform cortex and
      that none of them was PSA-NCAM-positive. Moreover, we have established conditions
      to isolate and culture these immature neurons in the adult piriform cortex layer
      II. We find that although they can survive under certain conditions, they do not
      proliferate in vitro either. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol
      76: 748-763, 2016.

PMID- 26487450
TI  - Enantioselective Oxidative Aerobic Dealkylation of N-Ethyl Benzylisoquinolines by
      Employing the Berberine Bridge Enzyme.
AB  - N-Dealkylation methods are well described for organic chemistry and the reaction
      is known in nature and drug metabolism; however, to our knowledge,
      enantioselective N-dealkylation has not been yet reported. In this study,
      exclusively the (S)-enantiomers of racemic N-ethyl tertiary amines (1-benzyl-N
      ethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines) were dealkylated to give the corresponding
      secondary (S)-amines in an enantioselective fashion at the expense of molecular
      oxygen. The reaction is catalyzed by the berberine bridge enzyme, which is known
      for C?C bond formation. The dealkylation was demonstrated on a 100 mg scale and
      gave optically pure dealkylated products (ee>99 %). 

PMID- 26487455
TI  - Coping and life satisfaction after stroke.
AB  - This study examined the coping strategies and life satisfaction of 73 elderly
      couples at 6-12 months after a cerebrovascular accident. Instruments included the
      Life Satisfaction Index A, the Ways of Coping Scale, and the Gulick Activity of
      Daily Living Scale. A series of mixed model analyses of variance were performed.
      A single significant main effect was obtained for the variable, Seeking Social
      Support. Stroke survivors were less likely to use Seeking Social Support coping
      strategies than were their spouses. Correlations indicated that survivors
      manifested more positive affect when (a) they did not use Accepting
      Responsibility coping strategies; (b) they did not use Escape-Avoidance coping
      strategies; (c) their spouse did not use Escape-Avoidance; and (d) their spouses
      used fewer Planful Problem Solving coping strategies. Survivors were more likely
      to express satisfaction with past actions to the extent that (a) the survivor's
      spouse did not use Confrontive Coping strategies and (b) the survivor's spouse
      did not indicate using Planful Problem Solving coping strategies. The spouse's
      affect was positive to the extent that he or she did not use Escape-Avoidance
      coping strategies. More positive affect in stroke survivors was noted when their
      functional skills allowed them to do more independent activities of daily living.
      These relationships remained constant regardless of the functional skill of the
      survivor. The study supports the idea that groups with a psychoeducational
      component would provide useful social support and coping alternatives. Continued
      rehabilitation efforts to improve daily living skills are recommended. 

PMID- 26487452
TI  - Breast and cervical cancer screening in Great Britain: Dynamic interrelated
      processes.
AB  - No previous analysis has investigated the determinants of screening uptake for
      breast and cervical cancer screening for possible spillover effects from one type
      of screening examination to the other type of screening examination with a
      dynamic bivariate panel probit model. For our analysis, we used a dynamic random
      effects bivariate panel probit model with initial conditions (Wooldridge-type
      estimator) and dependent variables were the participation of breast and cervical
      cancer screening in the recent year. The balanced panel sample consisted of 844
      women from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) from the time period 1992 to
      2008. Our analysis showed the high relevance of past screening behaviour and the
      importance of state dependency for the same and the other type of cancer
      screening examinations even after controlling for covariates and unobserved
      heterogeneity. The uptake for breast and cervical cancer screening was higher
      when the same screening examination was done one or three years earlier. This
      result is in accordance with the medical screening programmes in Great Britain.
      With regard to breast and cervical cancer screening positive spillover effects
      existed between screening examinations in the third order lags. Women with a
      previous visit to a general practitioner and individuals in the recommended age
      groups had a higher uptake for breast and cervical cancer screening. Other
      socioeconomic and health related variables had non-uniform results in both
      screening examinations. Promoting the uptake of one female prevention activity
      could also enhance the uptake of the other prevention activity. 

PMID- 26487456
TI  - Headache characteristics in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
AB  - To investigate the nature of the headache accompanying aneurysmal subarachnoid
      hemorrhage, a retrospective study was conducted. Fifty-four patients and 54
      controls completed questionnaires regarding headache, medical history, and family
      history, in an attempt to derive further information regarding symptoms and
      factors that might be predictive of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Factors
      that appear to be of importance in evaluating headache caused by subarachnoid
      hemorrhage include ominously severe headache, a history of vigorous physical
      activity precipitating headache, syncope or transient lethargy accompanying
      headache, previous medical attention for headache, a family history of aneurysmal
      subarachnoid hemorrhage, or catastrophic central nervous system event at an early
      age. An algorithm for the management of serious headache is suggested. 

PMID- 26487451
TI  - Effects of chronic sugar consumption on lipid accumulation and autophagy in the
      skeletal muscle.
AB  - PURPOSE: In recent years, the increasing consumption of soft drinks containing
      high-fructose corn syrup or sucrose has caused a rise in fructose intake, which
      has been related to the epidemic of metabolic diseases. As fructose and glucose
      intake varies in parallel, it is still unclear what the effects of the increased
      consumption of the two single sugars are. In the present study, the impact of
      chronic consumption of glucose or fructose on skeletal muscle of healthy mice was
      investigated. METHODS: C57BL/6J male mice received water (C), 15 % fructose (ChF)
      or 15 % glucose (ChG) to drink for up to 7 months. Lipid metabolism and markers
      of inflammation and autophagy were assessed in gastrocnemius muscle. RESULTS:
      Increased body weight and gastrocnemius muscle mass, as well as circulating
      glucose, insulin, and lipid plasma levels were observed in sugar-drinking mice.
      Although triglycerides increased in the gastrocnemius muscle of both ChF and ChG
      mice (+32 and +26 %, vs C, respectively), intramyocellular lipids accumulated to
      a significantly greater extent in ChF than in ChG animals (ChF +10 % vs ChG).
      Such perturbations were associated with increased muscle interleukin-6 levels
      (threefold of C) and with the activation of autophagy, as demonstrated by the
      overexpression of LC3B-II (ChF, threefold and ChG, twofold of C) and beclin-1
      (ChF, sevenfold and ChG, tenfold of C). CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest
      that intramyocellular lipids and the pro-inflammatory signaling could contribute
      to the onset of insulin resistance and lead to the induction of autophagy, which
      could be an adaptive response to lipotoxicity.

PMID- 26487457
TI  - Cerebrovascular complications of infective endocarditis.
AB  - We reviewed the cerebrovascular complications of 158 episodes of infective
      endocarditis occurring in 155 patients. Cerebrovascular complications occurred in
      21 patients (14%). The incidences of cerebral embolism, intracerebral hemorrhage,
      and subarachnoid hemorrhage were 10%, 3%, and 1%, respectively. Death occurred in
      33% of patients with cerebrovascular complications and 4% without. Patients whose
      condition was complicated by intracerebral hemorrhage had an even greater rate of
      mortality (80%). Sixty-two percent of cerebrovascular complications occurred
      within 2 days of antibiotic therapy; 29% occurred 2 weeks later. Two of three
      patients receiving open-heart surgery within 2 days of cerebrovascular
      complications died. Seventeen of 133 patients with native valve endocarditis and
      4 of 22 patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis had cerebrovascular
      complications. Echocardiographic evidence of vegetation was seen in 120 patients,
      and cerebrovascular complications were noted in 16 patients. Twelve of 62
      patients with mitral valve involvement detected by echocardiography and 4 of 40
      patients with aortic valve involvement had cerebrovascular complications.
      According to the findings of surgery or pathology, 4 of 24 patients with mitral
      valve involvement and 4 of 36 patients with aortic valve involvement had
      cerebrovascular complications. We conclude that vegetation detected by
      echocardiography does not increase the risk of cerebrovascular complicatons;
      there is no difference in the incidence of cerebrovascular complications between
      the mitral and aortic valve groups, either by the involvement of vegetation
      detected by echocardiography or the surgical or pathologic findings; there is no
      difference in the incidence of cerebrovascular complications when comparing the
      native and prosthetic valve groups or the streptococcus viridans and
      Staphylococcus aureus groups; cerebrovascular complications, especially
      intracerebral hemorrhage, increase the risk of mortality in patients with
      infective endocarditis; although most cerebrovascular complications occurred
      within 2 days of antibiotic therapy, late onset of cerebrovascular complications
      are not uncommon; and it is better to avoid early open heart surgery in patients
      whose condition is complicated by intracerebral hemorrhage or hemorrhagic
      infarction. 

PMID- 26487458
TI  - Delay time between onset of ischemic stroke and hospital arrival.
AB  - Some current experimental protocols for acute ischemic stroke require the
      initiation of treatment within hours of the onset of stroke symptoms. We
      prospectively evaluated 30 patients with acute ischemic stroke based on clinical
      and computed tomography findings. The time between the onset of stroke symptoms
      and arrival in the emergency room and subsequently on the stroke service was
      determined. Within 3, 6,12, and 24 h of the onset of stroke symptoms, 16 (53%),
      19 (63%), 22 (73%), and 25 (83%) patients had arrived at the emergency room and 0
      (0%), 4 (13%), 14 (47%), and 22 (73%) of them on the stroke service,
      respectively. From the onset of stroke symptoms, the mean arrival time to the
      emergency room was 24 h (range, 30 min to 144 h) and to the stroke service was 61
      h (range, 4-150 h). The mean time between arrival in the emergency room and
      stroke service was 8.6 h (range, 0-47 h). Even though 53% and 63% of our patients
      arrived at the emergency room within 3 and 6 h of the onset of stroke symptoms,
      only 0% and 13% of them arrived on the stroke service within the same time period
      for the initiation of treatment, respectively. Thus, in order for more patients
      to qualify for current experimental protocols, they must arrive on the stroke
      service more quickly or treatment must be initiated in the emergency room. 

PMID- 26487459
TI  - A prospective evaluation of the utility of clinical data in distinguishing acute
      large vessel from lacunar cerebral infarctions.
AB  - A stroke registry of 290 patients was developed to determine the value of various
      clinical data in discriminating acute large vessel from lacunar infarctions.
      Clinical or computed tomography (CT) localization was achieved in 98% of patients
      with infarcts. Among 216 localizable supratentorial infarcts, CT demonstrated the
      responsible lesion in 22 of 54 lacunes (42%) and 109 of 162 large vessel infarcts
      (67%). History provided the basis for localization, i.e., distinction between
      large vessel and lacunar events, in 74% with 88% sensitivity and 59% specificity;
      higher cortical function examination in 88% with 96% sensitivity and 74%
      specificity; neurologic examination in 79% with 72% sensitivity and 75%
      specificity; graphes-thesia in 57% with 63% sensitivity and 89% specificity; and
      EEG in 76% with 71% sensitivity and 100% specificity. 

PMID- 26487460
TI  - Reversal of acute ischemic hypodense lesions on computed tomography.
AB  - Hypodense ischemic lesions on computed tomography (CT) are usually associated
      with cerebral infarction and permanent tissue injury. We describe three cases of
      acute ischemic lesions detected by CT that rapidly resolved following therapy. In
      two cases, the appearance of hypodense lesions was associated with the onset of
      vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage, and resolution correlated with
      successful treatment. In the third case, multiple acute hypodense lesions in a
      patient with eclampsia improved following treatment with diuretic agents. 

PMID- 26487461
TI  - Decision analysis and carotid endarterectomy.
AB  - A data base and a framework for clinical decision analysis are provided to enable
      the clinician to determine the value of carotid endarterectomy in patients with
      transient ischemic attacks. This approach permits optimal utilization of
      available data, maximizes the value of informed consent by clearly delineating
      areas of physician and patient expertise, and permits a quantitative assessment
      of the impact of uncertainty regarding underlying variables on decision outcome.
      The results of the analysis indicate that (a) the late nonstroke death rate has
      little effect on the value of endarterectomy, (b) the patient's relative
      valuation of stroke and immediate versus delayed death are among the most crucial
      variables underlying the value of endarterectomy, and (c) endarterectomy may be
      indicated in certain patients with transient ischemic attacks, but when its
      utility is measured in terms of value rendered to the patient, its relative cost
      may be greater than that of certain life-saving operations such as heart or liver
      transplant. 

PMID- 26487462
TI  - Big-endothelin in acute ischemic stroke.
AB  - Plasma big-endothelin (BE) in 12 patients with acute severe ischemic stroke was
      studied. Six patients developed complete supratentorial infarctions, and six
      patients had severe infarctions of pons, cerebellum, and/or medulla. Significant
      elevations of BE during the first 2 weeks after the initial stroke and
      significant differences between the pathophysiological subgroups of stroke did
      not occur. Only patients with a poor outcome showed significant elevations of BE
      in contrast to patients with a better prognosis (p <= 0.05). Patients with
      supratentorial infarctions demonstrated a tendency of higher BE levels than
      patients with infratentori-al stroke (p <= 0.07). These results support the
      theory that endothelins represent the amount of damaged cerebral tissue rather
      than the endothelium leakage. Low endothelin concentrations may play a role in
      local vasodilation and reperfusion. 

PMID- 26487463
TI  - Shoulder pain in stroke patients and its effects on rehabilitation.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine whether prompt diagnosis and management
      of shoulder pain is beneficial in decreasing pain and increasing range of motion
      and functional recovery. Among 116 stroke patients receiving outpatient
      rehabilitation, 48 had shoulder pain. Twenty-eight of the patients with shoulder
      pain received occupational therapy and physiatric management. Five of the 28
      patients had specific diagnoses. Etiology of the pain in the remaining 23
      patients (Group 1) was not known, and these patients were treated with
      nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The remaining 20 (Group 2) received
      only occupational therapy and were used as the control group. Pain relief, range
      of motion (ROM) in flexion, and abduction and functional recovery were compared
      in the two groups. Results show that a significantly higher percentage of Group 1
      was found to have pain relief; 91% versus 15% with p < 0.00001 for the
      difference. A significant number of patients improved ROM for flexion and
      abduction in Group 1 versus Group 2 (p < 0.006 and p < 0.055 for the difference
      for flexion and abduction, respectively). Functional recovery was highly
      significant for Group 1,100% compared to 55% for Group 2, with p < 0.0001 for the
      difference. These results emphasize the importance of management of shoulder pain
      with NSAIDs along with ROM exercises for successful rehabilitation of hemiplegic
      patients. 

PMID- 26487464
TI  - Comparisons of polio-araiosis and leuko-araiosis in dementias of ischemic
      vascular and alzheimer types.
AB  - Computed tomography scanners were utilized to quantitate, by Hounsfield unit (HU)
      densities, normal and abnormal cerebral gray and white matter compartments and
      their perfusion values, among patients with probable dementia of ischemic
      vascular (IVD: n= 10,72.7 +/- 9.0 years) and Alzheimer's types (DAT: n = 10, 72.7
      +/- 5.8 years). Results were compared with similar measures among age-matched
      normal volunteers (n = 10, 71.0 +/- 8.2 years). "Normal" HU values for gray and
      white matter were previously obtained among younger normal volunteers (n = 27,
      49.7 +/- 8.9). After adjusting for cerebral atrophy, IVD patients showed reduced
      HU and cerebral blood flow (CBF) values in white matter, but gray matter HU
      values were only reduced in frontotemporal cortex. In DAT, mean HU and CBF values
      for cortical and subcortical gray matter were severely reduced compared with age
      matched normal and with IVD patients. Cognitive test performance correlated
      directly with volumes of hypodense cortex or "polio-araiosis" in DAT, but not in
      IVD, in which cognitive performance correlated directly with volumes of leuko
      araiosis. 

PMID- 26487465
TI  - Kinetic surface roughening and wafer bow control in heteroepitaxial growth of 3C
      SiC on Si(111) substrates.
AB  - A thin, chemically inert 3C-SiC layer between GaN and Si helps not only to avoid
      the "melt-back" effect, but also to inhibit the crack generation in the grown GaN
      layers. The quality of GaN layer is heavily dependent on the unique properties of
      the available 3C-SiC/Si templates. In this paper, the parameters influencing the
      roughness, crystalline quality, and wafer bow are investigated and engineered to
      obtain high quality, low roughness 3C-SiC/Si templates suitable for subsequent
      GaN growth and device processing. Kinetic surface roughening and SiC growth
      mechanisms, which depend on both deposition temperature and off-cut angle, are
      reported for heteroepitaxial growth of 3C-SiC on Si substrates. The narrower
      terrace width on 4 degrees  off-axis Si enhances the step-flow growth at 1200 
      degrees C, with the roughness of 3C-SiC remaining constant with increasing
      thickness, corresponding to a scaling exponent of zero. Crack-free 3C-SiC grown
      on 150-mm Si substrate with a wafer bow of less than 20 MUm was achieved. Both
      concave and convex wafer bow can be obtained by in situ tuning of the deposited
      SiC layer thicknesses. The 3C-SiC grown on off-axis Si, compared to that grown on
      on-axis Si, has lower surface roughness, better crystallinity, and smaller bow
      magnitude. 

PMID- 26487466
TI  - Percutaneous nerve field stimulation (PENS) of the occipital region as a possible
      predictor for occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) responsiveness in refractory
      headache disorders? A feasibility study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) has been reported to diminish pain
      levels in intractable chronic headache syndromes of different origin. No reliable
      objective markers exist to predict ONS responsiveness. This study investigated
      the predictive value of occipital percutaneous nerve field stimulation (PENS)
      prior to ONS. METHODS: This trial included 12 patients (CCH, CM, PTH, CH) with
      chronic refractory headache syndromes eligible for ONS. Repetitive PENS (3 * /10
      days) was performed and the headache severity/frequency monitored over four weeks
      before ONS implantation. Further assessment of PENS/ONS outcomes were stimulation
      related complications, perception/tolerance stimulation threshold, the Migraine
      Disability Scale (MIDAS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: All
      PENS responders benefited from ONS. Of the seven PENS-nonresponders with VAS
      6.1(+/-1.1), six experienced significant pain relief from ONS after three months
      and one patient failed the PENS/ONS trial (VAS 3.7 (+/-1.6)); (95% CI 3.6 to 5.7,
      p < 0.001). The VAS baseline was 8.4 (+/-0.5) and decreased significantly (50%
      reduction in severity/frequency) in five patients after PENS, while seven failed
      to improve (VAS 4.9 (+/-1.1); (95% CI 2.5 to 4.5, p < 0.001). BDI baseline (from
      22.6 (+/-4.2) to 10.6 (+/-5.9) (95% CI 7.4 to 16.6, p < 0.001)) and MIDAS
      baseline (from 143.9 (+/-14.5) to 72.8 (+/-28.7) (95% CI 1.17 to 2.3, p < 0.001))
      significantly declined after ONS. No PENS/ONS-related complications occurred.
      CONCLUSIONS: Presurgical applied occipital PENS failed to identify ONS responders
      sufficiently according to our study protocol, thus requiring further specific
      investigations to determine its predictive usefulness.

PMID- 26487467
TI  - Hypoxia triggers high-altitude headache with migraine features: A prospective
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given the high prevalence and clinical impact of high-altitude
      headache (HAH), a better understanding of risk factors and headache
      characteristics may give new insights into the understanding of hypoxia being a
      trigger for HAH or even migraine attacks. METHODS: In this prospective trial, we
      simulated high altitude (4500 m) by controlled normobaric hypoxia (FiO2 = 12.6%)
      to investigate acute mountain sickness (AMS) and headache characteristics.
      Clinical symptoms of AMS according to the Lake Louise Scoring system (LLS) were
      recorded before and after six and 12 hours in hypoxia. O2 saturation was measured
      using pulse oximetry at the respective time points. History of primary headache,
      especially episodic or chronic migraine, was a strict exclusion criterion.
      FINDINGS: In total 77 volunteers (43 (55.8%) males, 34 (44.2%) females) were
      enrolled in this study. Sixty-three (81.18%) and 40 (71.4%) participants
      developed headache at six or 12 hours, respectively, with height and SpO2 being
      significantly different between headache groups at six hours (p < 0.05). Binary
      logistic regression model revealed a significant association of SpO2 and headache
      development (p < 0.05, OR 1.123, 95% CI 1.001-1.259). In a subgroup of
      participants, with history of migraine being a strict exclusion criterion,
      hypoxia triggered migraine-like headache according to the International
      Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3 beta) in n = 5 (8%) or n = 6 (15%),
      at six and 12 hours, respectively. INTERPRETATION: Normobaric hypoxia is a
      trigger for HAH and migraine-like headache attacks even in healthy volunteers
      without any history of migraine. Our study confirms the pivotal role of hypoxia
      in the development of AMS and beyond that suggests hypoxia may be involved in
      migraine pathophysiology.

PMID- 26487468
TI  - Nurses improve migraine management in primary care.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Migraine is a common disorder with a high burden. Adequate
      treatment results in improvement of quality of life. Migraine patients are mainly
      treated by general practitioners (GPs), but there is still room for improvement.
      This study investigated whether primary care nurses could improve the treatment
      of migraine patients compared to usual care as provided by the GPs. PARTICIPANTS
      AND METHODS: We conducted a non-randomized controlled prospective trial in 235
      patients diagnosed with migraine with or without aura according to ICHD-II
      criteria, aged between 18 and 65 years. Patients with migraine treated only by
      their GP were compared to management by a nurse supervised by a GP. RESULTS: In
      the intervention group, fewer migraine patients were referred to a neurologist (p
      < 0.001). The reduction in monthly migraine days compared to baseline was more
      apparent in the intervention group at six (p = 0.09) and nine months (p = 0.006).
      There was no significant change in dichotomized HIT score (p = 0.076). Change in
      satisfaction of patients did not differ significantly (p = 0.070). CONCLUSIONS:
      The care administered by a headache nurse in the primary care setting supervised
      by a GP resulted in fewer referrals to the neurologist and more migraine-free
      days per month, but no change in HIT score. There was no difference in
      satisfaction scores between both groups.

PMID- 26487469
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26487471
TI  - EuroSpine Task Force on Research: support for spine researchers.

PMID- 26487472
TI  - The surgical vascular anatomy of the minimally invasive lateral lumbar interbody
      approach: a cadaveric and radiographic analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The minimally invasive (MI) lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF)
      approach has become increasingly popular for the treatment of degenerative lumbar
      spine disease. The neural anatomy of the lumbar plexus has been studied; however,
      the pertinent surgical vascular anatomy has not been examined in detail. The goal
      of this study is to examine the vascular structures that are relevant in relation
      to the MI-LLIF approach. METHODS: Anatomic dissection of the lumbar spines and
      associated vasculature was performed in three embalmed, adult cadavers. Right and
      left surgeon perspective views during LLIF were for a total of six approaches.
      During the dissection, all vascular elements were noted and photographed, and
      anatomical relationships to the vertebral bodies and disc spaces were analyzed.
      In addition, several axial and sagittal MRI images of the lumbar spine were
      analyzed to complement the cadaveric analysis. RESULTS: The aorta descends along
      the left anterior aspect of lumbar vertebra with an average distance of 2.1 cm
      (range 1.9-2.3 cm) to the center of each intervertebral disc. The vena cava
      descends along the right anterior aspect of lumbar vertebrates with average
      distance of 1.4 cm (range 1.3-1.6 cm) to the center of the intervertebral disc.
      Each vertebral body has two lumbar arteries (direct branches from the aorta); one
      exits to the left and one to the right side of the vertebral body. The lumbar
      arteries pass underneath the sympathetic trunk, run in the superior margin of the
      vertebral body and extend all the way across it, with average length of 3.8 cm
      (range 2.5-5 cm). The mean distance between the arteries and the inferior plate
      of the superior disc space is 4.2 mm (range 2-5 mm) and mean distance of 3.1 cm
      (range 2.8-3.8 cm) between two arteries in adjacent vertebrae. One of the
      cadavers had an expected normal anatomical variation where the left arteries at
      L3-L4 anastomosed dorsally of the vertebral bodies at the middle of the
      intervertebral disc. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the vascular anatomy of the
      lateral and anterior lumbar spine is paramount for successfully and safely
      executing the LLIF procedure. It is imperative to identify anatomical variations
      in lumbar arteries and veins with careful assessment of the preoperative imaging.

PMID- 26487473
TI  - Lumbar spinal degenerative "microinstability": hype or hope? Proposal of a new
      classification to detect it and to assess surgical treatment.
AB  - PURPOSE: The stage of unstable dysfunction, also defined as "active discopathy"
      by Nguyen in 2015 and configuring the first phase of the degenerative cascade
      described by Kirkaldy-Willis, has specific pathoanatomical and clinical
      characteristics (low back pain) in the interested vertebral segment, without the
      presence of spondylolisthesis in flexion-extension radiography. This clinical
      condition has been defined as "microinstability" (MI). The term has currently not
      been recognized by the scientific community and is subject of debate for its
      diagnostic challenge. MI indicates a clinical condition in which the patient has
      a degeneration of the lumbar spine, causing low back pain, and radiological
      examinations do not show a spondylolisthesis. METHODS: We elaborated a clinical
      score test based on preoperative radiological examinations (static and dynamic X
      Rays, CT and MRI) to detect and assess MI. Then, we enrolled 74 patients, all the
      levels from L1 to S1 were analysed, for a total amount of 370 retrospectively
      analysed levels. We excluded patients with degenerative scoliosis, as it is
      related to an advanced stage of degeneration. The test has been developed with
      the aim of furnishing quantitative data on the basis of the aforementioned
      radiological examinations and of elaborating a diagnosis and a treatment for the
      degenerative pathology in dysfunctional phase, responsible for low back pain.
      RESULTS: We performed a statistical analysis on the results obtained from the
      test in terms of significativity and predictive value with a 1-year follow-up,
      calculating the p value and the chi (2) value. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with low
      back pain and negative dynamic X-Rays, an accurate analysis of the radiological
      exams (CT, MRI, X-Rays) allows to formulate a diagnosis of suspect MI with a good
      predictive value. This situation opens many clinical and medicolegal scenarios.
      The preliminary results seem to validate the test with a good predictive value,
      especially towards ASD, but they need further studies. On the basis of the
      results obtained, the test seems to allow a good classification of the
      dysfunctional phase of the degenerative cascade, identifying and classifying MI
      as a pathologic entity, defining its pathoanatomical and clinical relevance and
      elaborating a treatment algorithm.

PMID- 26487474
TI  - An auto-adaptive optimization approach for targeting nonpoint source pollution
      control practices.
AB  - To solve computationally intensive and technically complex control of nonpoint
      source pollution, the traditional genetic algorithm was modified into an auto
      adaptive pattern, and a new framework was proposed by integrating this new
      algorithm with a watershed model and an economic module. Although conceptually
      simple and comprehensive, the proposed algorithm would search automatically for
      those Pareto-optimality solutions without a complex calibration of optimization
      parameters. The model was applied in a case study in a typical watershed of the
      Three Gorges Reservoir area, China. The results indicated that the evolutionary
      process of optimization was improved due to the incorporation of auto-adaptive
      parameters. In addition, the proposed algorithm outperformed the state-of-the-art
      existing algorithms in terms of convergence ability and computational efficiency.
      At the same cost level, solutions with greater pollutant reductions could be
      identified. From a scientific viewpoint, the proposed algorithm could be extended
      to other watersheds to provide cost-effective configurations of BMPs. 

PMID- 26487475
TI  - Metabolite Profiling of Soybean Seed Extracts from Near-Isogenic Low and Normal
      Phytate Lines Using Orthogonal Separation Strategies.
AB  - Untargeted metabolomic profiling using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry
      (LC-MS) was applied to lipid-depleted methanolic extracts of soybean seeds
      utilizing orthogonal chromatographic separations (reversed-phase and hydrophilic
      interaction) in both positive and negative ionization modes. Four near-isogenic
      lines (NILs) differing in mutations for two genes encoding highly homologous
      multidrug resistant proteins (MRPs) were evaluated. The double mutant exhibited a
      low phytate phenotype, whereas the other three NILs, the two single mutants and
      the wild type, did not. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the four LC-MS data
      sets fully separated the low phytate line from the other three. While the levels
      of neutral oligosaccharides were the same for all lines, there were significant
      metabolite differences residing in the levels of malonyl isoflavones,
      soyasaponins, and arginine. Two methanol-soluble polypeptides were also found as
      differing in abundance levels, one of which was identified as the allergen Gly m
      1. 

PMID- 26487476
TI  - War Wounded and Victims of Traffic Accidents in a Surgical Hospital in Africa: An
      Observation on Injuries.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Weapon injuries in armed conflict are likely to receive medical
      attention. Other types of injuries, like traffic accidents, continue to occur
      during armed conflict. PROBLEM: Injuries caused by weapons and by traffic
      accidents require treatment, but reports and figures to help in prioritizing care
      are scarce. METHODS: In a prospective observational study, all emergency patients
      admitted to the surgical ward in a public hospital of the Central African
      Republic were evaluated for the cause of their main injury. The proportion of
      patients injured by weapons and by traffic accidents was analyzed with respect to
      the level of violence. RESULTS: Seventy-eight patients were included in this
      study. Weapon injuries accounted for 50 (64%) admissions and traffic accidents
      for 28 (36%). These proportions varied significantly according to the weekly
      level of violence (chi(2)=46.8; P<.001). CONCLUSION: People injured in traffic
      accidents are an important, but overlooked, drain on surgical resources in low
      income countries with armed conflict. Their proportion in relation to weapon
      wounded fluctuates with the level of violence. Humanitarian medical organizations
      might prepare themselves not only for weapon injuries, but also for wounds caused
      by traffic accidents.

PMID- 26487477
TI  - Neurofibromin regulates HCN activity in Parvalbumin-positive interneurons.

PMID- 26487478
TI  - Corrigendum: strong coupling between chlorosomes of photosynthetic bacteria and a
      confined optical cavity mode.

PMID- 26487480
TI  - A reversible metal ion fueled DNA three-way junction molecular device for "turn
      on and -off" fluorescence detection of mercury ions (II) and biothiols
      respectively with high selectivity and sensitivity.
AB  - We constructed a reversible molecular device in the nanoscale based on a DNA
      three-way junction (3WJ) fueled by Hg(2+) binding and sequestration. It is highly
      responsive to external stimuli, which brings about optically detectable global
      structural changes. Such a DNA device can serve as a novel "turn-on and -off"
      fluorescent sensor for Hg(2+) and biothiol detection with high selectivity and
      sensitivity. 

PMID- 26487481
TI  - Quantum chemical MP2 results on some hydrates of cytosine: binding sites,
      energies and the first hydration shell.
AB  - A detailed quantum chemical investigation was undertaken to obtain the structure
      and energetics of cytosine hydrates Cyt.nH2O, with n = 1 to 7. The MP2(fc)/aug-cc
      pVDZ level was used as the standard, with some DFT (B3LYP) and coupled cluster
      calculations, as well as calculations with the aug-cc-pVTZ basis set added for
      comparison. In a systematic search for microhydrated forms of cytosine, we have
      found that several structures have not yet been reported in the literature. The
      energies of different isomers, as well as binding energies are compared. When
      predicting the stability of a complex, we suggest using a scheme where the water
      molecules are extracted from a finite model of bulk water. Finally, based on
      energetic data, we suggest a rational definition of the first hydration shell;
      with this definition, it contains just six water molecules. 

PMID- 26487482
TI  - Comparison of arginase isoform expression in patients with different subtypes of
      chronic rhinosinusitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although human paranasal sinuses are critical organs for nitric oxide
      production, little information is available regarding the role of arginase in
      alterations of arginine metabolism and nasal nitric oxide levels that may be
      informative for classifying chronic rhinosinusitis subtypes. METHODS: The
      expression and localisation of arginase and nitric oxide synthase isoforms in
      paranasal sinus mucosa were examined, and the fractional exhaled nitric oxide was
      measured in chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (n=18) and chronic
      rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (n = 27) patients. RESULTS: Increased arginase-2
      activities in chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps patients were
      associated with significantly lower levels of nasal fractional exhaled nitric
      oxide. Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps patients showed significant NOS2
      messenger RNA upregulation with concomitant higher levels of oral and nasal
      fractional exhaled nitric oxide. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that
      fractional exhaled nitric oxide is a valid marker for differentiating chronic
      rhinosinusitis phenotypes based on a delicate balance between arginase and nitric
      oxide synthase activities in nitric oxide production.

PMID- 26487483
TI  - The first complete mitochondrial genome of Serranidae sp. (Percoidea, Serranidae)
      and phylogenetic analysis based on Bayesian.
AB  - In the present study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Serranidae sp. was
      determined first. The entire mitochondrial genome of Serranidae sp. is 16 512 bp
      in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNA),
      22 transfer RNA genes (tRNA) and 2 main non-coding regions (the control region
      and the origin of the light-strand replication). The gene arrangement, base
      composition and tRNA structures of Serranidae sp. are similar to most of the bony
      fishes. The central conserved sequence blocks (CSB-1, CSB-2, and CSB-3) and the
      core sequence (ACATATATGT) of terminal-associated sequences were recognized in
      the control region. Meanwhile, the conserved motif 5'-GCCGG-3' was identified in
      the origin of light-strand replication of Serranidae sp. Phylogenetic tree, which
      is constructed based on the complete mitochondrial genome sequences of Serranidae
      sp., shows that Serranidae sp. is clustered with the fishes of the family
      Pentacerotidae. We expect that the mitochondrial genome of Serranidae sp. would
      play a key role in phylogenetic analysis of Serranidae.

PMID- 26487484
TI  - Proteomic analysis of neurons microdissected from formalin-fixed, paraffin
      embedded Alzheimer's disease brain tissue.
AB  - The vast majority of human tissue specimens are formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded
      (FFPE) archival samples, making this type of tissue a potential gold mine for
      medical research. It is now accepted that proteomics can be done using FFPE
      tissue and can generate similar results as snap-frozen tissue. However, the
      current methodology requires a large amount of starting protein, limiting the
      questions that can be answered in these types of proteomics studies and making
      cell-type specific proteomics studies difficult. Cell-type specific proteomics
      has the potential to greatly enhance understanding of cell functioning in both
      normal and disease states. Therefore, here we describe a new method that allows
      localized proteomics on individual cell populations isolated from FFPE tissue
      sections using laser capture microdissection. To demonstrate this technique we
      microdissected neurons from archived tissue blocks of the temporal cortex from
      patients with Alzheimer's disease. Using this method we identified over 400
      proteins in microdissected neurons; on average 78% that were neuronal and 50%
      that were associated with Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, this technique is able
      to provide accurate and meaningful data and has great potential for any future
      study that wishes to perform localized proteomics using very small amounts of
      archived FFPE tissue. 

PMID- 26487485
TI  - Energy Metabolism in Mesenchymal Stem Cells During Osteogenic Differentiation.
AB  - There is emerging interest in stem cell energy metabolism and its effect on
      differentiation. Bioenergetic changes in differentiating bone marrow mesenchymal
      stem cells (MSCs) are poorly understood and were the focus of our study. Using
      bioenergetic profiling and transcriptomics, we have established that MSCs
      activate the mitochondrial process of oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) during
      osteogenic differentiation, but they maintain levels of glycolysis similar to
      undifferentiated cells. Consistent with their glycolytic phenotype,
      undifferentiated MSCs have high levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1).
      Osteogenically induced MSCs downregulate HIF-1 and this downregulation is
      required for activation of OxPhos. In summary, our work provides important
      insights on MSC bioenergetics and proposes a HIF-based mechanism of regulation of
      mitochondrial OxPhos in MSCs.

PMID- 26487486
TI  - Absence of luteal phase defect and spontaneous pregnancy in IVF patients despite
      GnRH-agonist trigger and "freeze all policy" without luteal phase support: a
      report of four cases.
AB  - Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is commonly used for final oocyte maturation
      in "in vitro fertilization" (IVF)-treatment cycles, however, the main important
      risk is development of severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). OHSS can
      almost be avoided by using gonadotrophin-releasing-hormone agonist for final
      oocyte maturation in an antagonist protocol. However, primarily this approach
      lead to a very poor reproductive outcome, despite the use of a standard luteal
      phase support. The reason seems to be severe luteolysis. Obviously, luteolysis
      post-gonadotropin-releasing-hormone-agonist (post-GnRH-a) trigger is individual
      specific, and not all patients will develop a complete luteolysis, as expected
      previously. Luteolysis can been reverted by the administration of hCG.
      Unprotected intercourse around the time of ovulation induction and oocyte
      retrieval can lead to a spontaneous conception in IVF treatment and, endogenous
      hCG, produced by the trophoblast, will rescue the corpora lutea. Therefore, one
      should not rely on complete luteolysis after GnRH-a triggering and, especially
      patients for egg donation and pre-implantation-genetic diagnosis for single gene
      disorder, have to be counselled to avoid unprotected intercourse. 

PMID- 26487488
TI  - Resignation not accepted: employment, education and training in early
      intervention, past, present and future.

PMID- 26487487
TI  - B vitamins related to homocysteine metabolism in adults celiac disease patients:
      a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The only treatment for celiac disease is the gluten-free diet. Few
      studies have assessed the nutritional adequacy of this diet, especially of B
      vitamins related to homocysteine metabolism. The aim of this study was to assess
      the nutritional status and serum concentrations of B vitamins involved in
      homocysteine metabolism, and to determine whether the dietary intake of these
      vitamins are meeting Dietary Reference Intakes in celiac patients. METHODS: A
      cross-sectional study enrolled a total of 20 celiac patients (36.3 +/- 13.7 years
      old; 65% women), following strict gluten-free diet (GFD) and 39 healthy controls
      matched by sex and age. The dietary intake was assessed by 3-day food records,
      and serum concentrations of homocysteine and vitamins B6, B12, and folate were
      determined after overnight fasting. Comparisons between the two groups were
      performed by Student's t test or Mann-Whitney U-test, for continuous variables.
      Pearson's chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used for categorical
      variables. An alpha level of 5% were considered significant. RESULTS: Celiac
      patients had lower serum folate concentrations (7.7 +/- 3.5 ng/mL, P < 0.05) than
      controls. All celiac patients had folate intake below the Estimated Average
      Requirement (EAR) (130.8 +/- 53.6 MUg/d). However, only a small proportion of
      celiac patients had hyperhomocysteinemia. CONCLUSIONS: Celiac patients treated
      with GFD presented inadequacy of dietary folate intake and low-serum
      concentrations of folate, suggesting that more attention should be given to the
      quality of the nutrients offered by the GFD, as it constitutes a lifelong
      treatment.

PMID- 26487489
TI  - Energy-Cascaded Upconversion in an Organic Dye-Sensitized Core/Shell Fluoride
      Nanocrystal.
AB  - Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles hold promises for bioimaging, solar
      cells, and volumetric displays. However, their emission brightness and excitation
      wavelength range are limited by the weak and narrowband absorption of lanthanide
      ions. Here, we introduce a concept of multistep cascade energy transfer, from
      broadly infrared-harvesting organic dyes to sensitizer ions in the shell of an
      epitaxially designed core/shell inorganic nanostructure, with a sequential
      nonradiative energy transfer to upconverting ion pairs in the core. We show that
      this concept, when implemented in a core-shell architecture with suppressed
      surface-related luminescence quenching, yields multiphoton (three-, four-, and
      five-photon) upconversion quantum efficiency as high as 19% (upconversion energy
      conversion efficiency of 9.3%, upconversion quantum yield of 4.8%), which is
      about ~100 times higher than typically reported efficiency of upconversion at 800
      nm in lanthanide-based nanostructures, along with a broad spectral range (over
      150 nm) of infrared excitation and a large absorption cross-section of 1.47 * 10(
      14) cm(2) per single nanoparticle. These features enable unprecedented three
      photon upconversion (visible by naked eye as blue light) of an incoherent
      infrared light excitation with a power density comparable to that of solar
      irradiation at the Earth surface, having implications for broad applications of
      these organic-inorganic core/shell nanostructures with energy-cascaded
      upconversion.

PMID- 26487490
TI  - Identification and regulation of host genes related to Rice stripe virus symptom
      production.
AB  - Viral infections cause plant chlorosis, stunting, necrosis or other symptoms. The
      down-regulation of chloroplast-related genes (ChRGs) is assumed to be responsible
      for chlorosis. We identified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in Rice
      stripe virus (RSV)-infected Nicotiana benthamiana, and examined the contribution
      of 75 down-regulated DEGs to RSV symptoms by silencing them one by one using
      Tobacco rattle virus (TRV)-induced gene silencing. Silencing of 11 of the 75 down
      regulated DEGs caused plant chlorosis, and nine of the 11 were ChRGs. Silencing
      of a down-regulated DEG encoding the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A
      (eIF4A) caused leaf-twisting and stunting that were visible on RSV-infected N.
      benthamiana. A region of RSV RNA4 was complementary to part of eIF4A mRNA and
      virus-derived small interfering (vsiRNAs) from that region were present in
      infected N. benthamiana. When expressed as artificial microRNAs, those vsiRNAs
      could target NbeIF4A mRNA for regulation. We provide experimental evidence
      supporting the association of ChRGs with chlorosis and show that eIF4A is
      involved in RSV symptom development. This is also the first report demonstrating
      that siRNA derived directly from a plant virus can target a host gene for
      regulation.

PMID- 26487491
TI  - Stomatin-like protein 2 is overexpressed in epithelial ovarian cancer and
      predicts poor patient survival.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stomatin-like protein 2 (SLP-2, also known as STOML2) is a stomatin
      homologue of uncertain function. SLP-2 overexpression has been suggested to be
      associated with cancer progression, resulting in adverse clinical outcomes in
      patients. Our study aim to investigate SLP-2 expression in epithelial ovarian
      cancer cells and its correlation with patient survival. METHODS: SLP-2 mRNA and
      protein expression levels were analysed in five epithelial ovarian cancer cell
      lines and normal ovarian epithelial cells using real-time PCR and western
      blotting analysis. SLP-2 expression was investigated in eight matched-pair
      samples of epithelial ovarian cancer and adjacent noncancerous tissues from the
      same patients. Using immunohistochemistry, we examined the protein expression of
      paraffin-embedded specimens from 140 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, 20
      cases with borderline ovarian tumours, 20 cases with benign ovarian tumours, and
      20 cases with normal ovarian tissues. Statistical analyses were applied to
      evaluate the clinicopathological significance of SLP-2 expression. RESULTS: SLP-2
      mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly up-regulated in epithelial
      ovarian cancer cell lines and cancer tissues compared with normal ovarian
      epithelial cells and adjacent noncancerous ovarian tissues. Immunohistochemistry
      analysis revealed that the relative overexpression of SLP-2 was detected in 73.6
      % (103/140) of the epithelial ovarian cancer specimens, 45.0 % (9/20) of the
      borderline ovarian specimens, 30.0 % (6/20) of the benign ovarian specimens and
      none of the normal ovarian specimens. SLP-2 protein expression in epithelial
      ovarian cancer was significantly correlated with the tumour stage (P < 0.001).
      Epithelial ovarian cancer patients with higher SLP-2 protein expression levels
      had shorter progress free survival and overall survival times compared to
      patients with lower SLP-2 protein expression levels. Multivariate analyses showed
      that SLP-2 expression levels were an independent prognostic factor for survival
      in epithelial ovarian cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: SLP-2 mRNA and proteins were
      overexpressed in epithelial ovarian cancer tissues. SLP-2 protein overexpression
      was associated with advanced stage disease. Patients with higher SLP-2 protein
      expression had shorter progress free survival and poor overall survival times.
      Thus, SLP-2 protein expression was an independent prognostic factor for patients
      with epithelial ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26487492
TI  - Ethnic inequalities in acute myocardial infarction and stroke rates in Norway
      1994-2009: a nationwide cohort study (CVDNOR).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Immigrants to Norway from South Asia and Former Yugoslavia have high
      levels of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Yet, the incidence of CVD
      among immigrants in Norway has never been studied. Our aim was to study the
      burden of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke among ethnic groups in
      Norway. METHODS: We studied the whole Norwegian population (n = 2,637,057) aged
      35-64 years during 1994-2009. The Cardiovascular Disease in Norway (CVDNOR)
      project provided information about all AMI and stroke hospital stays for this
      period, as well as deaths outside hospital through linkage to the Cause of Death
      Registry. The direct standardization method was used to estimate age standardized
      AMI and stroke event rates for immigrants and ethnic Norwegians. Rate ratios (RR)
      with ethnic Norwegians as reference were calculated using Poisson regression.
      RESULTS: The highest risk of AMI was seen in South Asians (men RR = 2.27; 95 % CI
      2.08-2.49; women RR = 2.10; 95 % CI 1.76-2.51) while the lowest was seen in East
      Asians (RR = 0.38 in both men (95 % CI 0.25-0.58) and women (95 % CI 0.18-0.79)).
      Immigrants from Former Yugoslavia and Central Asia also had increased risk of AMI
      compared to ethnic Norwegians. South Asians had increased risk of stroke (men RR
      = 1.26; 95 % CI 1.10-1.44; women RR = 1.58; 95 % CI 1.32-1.90), as did men from
      Former Yugoslavia, Sub-Saharan Africa and women from Southeast Asia. CONCLUSIONS:
      Preventive measures should be aimed at reducing the excess numbers of CVD among
      immigrants from South Asia and Former Yugoslavia.

PMID- 26487494
TI  - [Granuloma annulare].
AB  - Granuloma annulare is a benign, chronic inflammatory skin disease. Its
      pathogenesis is still unclear, but reports on infections as a trigger can be
      found. In addition, some authors reported an association with other systemic
      disease, e.g., cancer, trauma, and diabetes mellitus; however, these have not
      been verified. The clinical picture of granuloma annulare ranges from the
      localized form predominantly at the extremities to disseminated, subcutaneous, or
      perforating forms. Diagnosis is based on the typical clinical presentation which
      may be confirmed by a biopsy. Histologically, necrobiotic areas within
      granulomatous inflammation are typical. The prognosis of the disease is good with
      spontaneous resolution being frequently observed, especially in localized forms.
      Disseminated manifestations tend to persist longer, and recurrences are reported.
      When choosing between different therapeutic options, the benign disease character
      versus the individual degree of suffering and the potential therapy side effects
      must be considered. For local treatment, topical application of corticosteroids
      is most common. Disseminated forms can be treated systemically with
      corticosteroids for several weeks; alternatively, dapsone, hydroxychloroquine,
      retinoids, fumaric acid, cyclosporine, and anti-TNFalpha appear to be effective.

PMID- 26487493
TI  - Helicobacter pylori modulates host cell survival regulation through the serine
      threonine kinase, 3-phosphoinositide dependent kinase 1 (PDK-1).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection affects cell survival
      signaling pathways including cell apoptosis and proliferation, which are
      considered risk factors for the development of gastric cancer when unregulated.
      In the present study, we investigated the effect of H. pylori infection on the
      phosphorylation state of 3-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (PDK-1), a master
      kinase that regulates phosphorylation of Akt (also known as protein kinase B,
      PKB) and cell survival. METHODS: The activity of PDK-1 was examined in human
      gastric epithelial cells incubated in the presence or absence of different H.
      pylori strains. In addition, the role of H. pylori type IV secretion system and
      the mechanism of H. pylori effect on PDK-1 activity was examined. RESULTS: In the
      presence of H. pylori, phosphorylation of the activation loop (serine 241) PDK-1
      was rapidly lost suggesting that dephosphorylation of PDK-1 is a target for H.
      pylori to modulate cell survival. The extent of dephosphorylation was strain
      dependent with H. pylori 60190 being the most effective. H. pylori infection of
      gastric epithelial cells resulted in altered phosphorylation and degradation of
      Akt, suggesting that PDK-1 dephosphorylation affects cell survival pathways and
      thereby may contribute to disease pathogenesis. CONCLUSION: We propose that
      dephosphorylation of PDK-1 and the resulting changes to Akt phosphorylation is
      one of the mechanisms by which infection with H. pylori alter the balance between
      apoptosis and cell proliferation and identify a host molecular mechanism
      regulated by H. pylori that ultimately contributes to carcinogenesis. Our studies
      therefore provide insights into one of the mechanisms by which H. pylori
      infection contributes to gastric cancer by regulating the activity of a cell
      survival signaling pathway.

PMID- 26487495
TI  - [Andrologically relevant findings from the perspective of the dermatologist].
AB  - In clinical practice dermatologists may be faced with andrological findings
      raising interdisciplinary problems. Consideration of them may not only improve
      the clinical course of the patient but also the dermatologist's interdisciplinary
      standing. This overview describes and explains the most important andrological
      findings, which may be apparent in a dermatologic whole-body examination. 

PMID- 26487497
TI  - Carbon-Dot-Sensitized, Nitrogen-Doped TiO2 in Mesoporous Silica for Water
      Decontamination through Nonhydrophobic Enrichment-Degradation Mode.
AB  - Mesoporous silica synthesized from the cocondensation of tetraethoxysilane and
      silylated carbon dots containing an amide group has been adopted as the carrier
      for the in situ growth of TiO2 through an impregnation-hydrothermal
      crystallization process. Benefitting from initial complexation between the
      titania precursor and carbon dot, highly dispersed anatase TiO2 nanoparticles can
      be formed inside the mesoporous channel. The hybrid material possesses an ordered
      hexagonal mesostructure with p6mm symmetry, a high specific surface area (446.27
      m(2)  g(-1) ), large pore volume (0.57 cm(3)  g(-1) ), uniform pore size (5.11
      nm), and a wide absorption band between lambda=300 and 550 nm. TiO2 nanocrystals
      are anchored to the carbon dot through Ti?O?N and Ti?O?C bonds, as revealed by X
      ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Moreover, the nitrogen doping of TiO2 is also
      verified by the formation of the Ti?N bond. This composite shows excellent
      adsorption capabilities for 2,4-dichlorophenol and acid orange 7, with an
      electron-deficient aromatic ring, through electron donor-acceptor interactions
      between the carbon dot and organic compounds instead of the hydrophobic effect,
      as analyzed by the contact angle analysis. The composite can be
      photocatalytically recycled through visible-light irradiation after adsorption.
      The narrowed band gap, as a result of nitrogen doping, and the photosensitization
      effect of carbon dots are revealed to be coresponsible for the visible-light
      activity of TiO2 . The adsorption capacity does not suffer any clear losses after
      being recycled three times. 

PMID- 26487496
TI  - Androgen receptor promotes tamoxifen agonist activity by activation of EGFR in
      ERalpha-positive breast cancer.
AB  - Tamoxifen (Tam) resistance represents a significant clinical problem in estrogen
      receptor (ER) alpha-positive breast cancer. We previously showed that decreased
      expression of Rho guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor (Rho GDI) alpha, a
      negative regulator of the Rho GTPase pathway, is associated with Tam resistance.
      We now discover that androgen receptor (AR) is overexpressed in cells with
      decreased Rho GDIalpha and seek to determine AR's contribution to resistance. We
      engineered ERalpha-positive cell lines with stable knockdown (KD) of Rho GDIalpha
      (KD cells). Resistance mechanisms were examined using microarray profiling,
      protein-interaction studies, growth and reporter gene assays, and Western blot
      analysis combined with a specific AR antagonist and other signaling inhibitors.
      Tam-resistant tumors and cell lines with low Rho GDIalpha levels exhibited
      upregulated AR expression. Microarray of Rho GDIalpha KD cells indicated that
      activation of EGFR and ERalpha was associated with Tam treatment. When AR levels
      were elevated, interaction between AR and EGFR was detected. Constitutive and Tam
      induced phosphorylation of EGFR and ERK1/2 was blocked by the AR antagonist
      Enzalutamide, suggesting that AR-mediated EGFR activation was a mechanism of
      resistance in these cells. Constitutive ERalpha phosphorylation and
      transcriptional activity was inhibited by Enzalutamide and the EGFR inhibitor
      gefitinib, demonstrating that AR-mediated EGFR signaling activated ERalpha. Tam
      exhibited agonist activity in AR overexpressing cells, stimulating ERalpha
      transcriptional activity and proliferation, which was blocked by Enzalutamide and
      gefitinib. We describe a novel model of AR-mediated Tam resistance through
      activation of EGFR signaling leading to ER activation in ERalpha-positive cells
      with low expression of Rho GDIalpha. 

PMID- 26487498
TI  - Evaluation of the Level of Knowledge of Oral Cancer Among High School Students.
AB  - The present study aims to determine the knowledge level of high school students
      regarding oral cancer. The present study included students from 20 high schools
      located in the city center of Kahramanmaras between 1 and 28 April 2015. The
      students were informed prior to the study and 2759 students who gave written
      consent were included in the study. The participants were administered a
      questionnaire that was prepared by the investigators. The questionnaire included
      25 questions that were prepared using literature in order to establish the
      knowledge level of the students about oral cancer, and it was evaluated scoring
      one point to each question. There were 1711 (62.0 %) female students and 1048
      (38.0 %) male students; the mean age was 16.01 +/- 1.09 years. The knowledge
      score of the male students was 7.48 +/- 5.15 and the knowledge score of the
      female students was 7.58 +/- 4.96. The knowledge score of the female and male
      participants was similar (p = 0.605). Of the students, 2107 (76.4 %) stated that
      they heard the expression of oral cancer before compared to 652 (23.6 %) students
      stating they did not. The study found that high school students had insufficient
      levels of knowledge about oral cancer. There was a general lack of knowledge
      about oral cancer and the risks among these students.

PMID- 26487499
TI  - Direct monitoring of bias-dependent variations in the exciton formation ratio of
      working organic light emitting diodes.
AB  - In typical operation of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), excitons are
      assumed to generate with a ratio of 1:3 for singlet and triplet excitons,
      respectively, based on a simple spin statistics model. This assumption has been
      used in designing efficient OLEDs. Despite the larger generation ratio of triplet
      excitons, physical properties of fluorescent OLEDs are usually evaluated only
      through the electroluminescence (EL) intensity from singlets and the behaviors of
      triplets during the LED operation are virtually black-boxed, because the triplets
      are mostly non-emissive. Here, we employ transient spectroscopy combined with LED
      operation for directly monitoring the non-emissive triplets of working OLEDs. The
      spectroscopic techniques are performed simultaneously with EL- and current
      measurements under various operation biases. The simultaneous measurements reveal
      that the relative formation ratio of singlet-to-triplet excitons dramatically
      changes with the magnitude of bias. The measurements also show that the
      generation efficiency of singlets scales with the bias, whereas that of triplets
      is nearly bias-independent. These features of the formation ratio and efficiency
      are compatibly explained by considering the yield of intersystem crossing and the
      energy separation of excitons from electron-hole pairs. The obtained findings via
      the spectroscopic measurements enable prediction of the formation pathways in
      OLEDs. 

PMID- 26487500
TI  - Behcet's syndrome: a critical digest of the 2014-2015 literature.
AB  - Several studies were published last year which focused on the epidemiology,
      immunopathogenesis, genetics, clinical manifestations and management of Behcet's
      syndrome. Recent epidemiologic studies support the earlier contention that the
      frequency of BS increases from North to South in Europe, BS is rare in Sub
      Saharan Africa, it follows a more severe course among young men, especially if
      the disease onset is at a young age and that in European countries, the frequency
      is higher among immigrants from BS prevalent countries compared to locals living
      in the same environment. The relationship between HLA-B51 and Behcet's was re
      emphasised and a functional role affecting cellular cytotoxicity was proposed.
      Innate immunity was explored and TLR7 copy number variations and nucleic acid
      sensors of varying inflammasome pathways were studied. Vascular relapse risk is
      decreased when BS patients are treated with immunosuppressives with or without
      anti-coagulation rather than anti-coagulation alone. Although rare in the Far
      East, the clinical picture of the vascular involvement was quite similar to the
      previously published reports. Interestingly a female predominance among those
      with cerebral vein thrombosis was noted. Venous claudication is a frequent and
      severe symptom among BS patients with lower extremity DVT. Budd-Chiari syndrome
      associated with BS is usually associated with IVC thrombosis. Silent cases exist
      and have a better prognosis. The mortality rate among the patients symptomatic
      for liver disease remains high. Methotrexate seems to be effective in the
      treatment of chronic progressive neuro-Behcet's disease. Renal involvement is an
      uncommon disorder in BS. Suicidal thoughts are increased among BS patients with
      severe organ involvement. Work-related disability in BS is high and under
      appreciated. Apremilast, an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase-4, was effective in a
      phase 2, double blind, placebo-controlled study. Adalimumab seems to be effective
      in severe uveitis of BS even after failure of infliximab. New cytokine inhibitors
      targeting IL-1 and IL-6 appear to be effective especially for uveitis and CNS
      involvement refractory to anti TNF agents. 

PMID- 26487501
TI  - Multiplane wave imaging increases signal-to-noise ratio in ultrafast ultrasound
      imaging.
AB  - Ultrafast imaging using plane or diverging waves has recently enabled new
      ultrasound imaging modes with improved sensitivity and very high frame rates.
      Some of these new imaging modalities include shear wave elastography, ultrafast
      Doppler, ultrafast contrast-enhanced imaging and functional ultrasound imaging.
      Even though ultrafast imaging already encounters clinical success, increasing
      even more its penetration depth and signal-to-noise ratio for dedicated
      applications would be valuable. Ultrafast imaging relies on the coherent
      compounding of backscattered echoes resulting from successive tilted plane waves
      emissions; this produces high-resolution ultrasound images with a trade-off
      between final frame rate, contrast and resolution. In this work, we introduce
      multiplane wave imaging, a new method that strongly improves ultrafast images
      signal-to-noise ratio by virtually increasing the emission signal amplitude
      without compromising the frame rate. This method relies on the successive
      transmissions of multiple plane waves with differently coded amplitudes and
      emission angles in a single transmit event. Data from each single plane wave of
      increased amplitude can then be obtained, by recombining the received data of
      successive events with the proper coefficients. The benefits of multiplane wave
      for B-mode, shear wave elastography and ultrafast Doppler imaging are
      experimentally demonstrated. Multiplane wave with 4 plane waves emissions yields
      a 5.8  +/-  0.5 dB increase in signal-to-noise ratio and approximately 10 mm in
      penetration in a calibrated ultrasound phantom (0.7 d MHz(-1) cm(-1)). In shear
      wave elastography, the same multiplane wave configuration yields a 2.07  +/- 
      0.05 fold reduction of the particle velocity standard deviation and a two-fold
      reduction of the shear wave velocity maps standard deviation. In functional
      ultrasound imaging, the mapping of cerebral blood volume results in a 3 to 6 dB
      increase of the contrast-to-noise ratio in deep structures of the rodent brain.

PMID- 26487503
TI  - End-of-life care provision: experiences of intensive care nurses in Iraq.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nurses play a key role in providing care for the critically ill in
      the intensive care unit (ICU). The physical, psychological, emotional and
      spiritual intimate care given by Kurdish nurses allows them to develop a
      therapeutic relationship with terminally ill patients in the ICU. AIMS: This
      study sought to explore the meaning of caring for terminally ill patients from
      the perspective of Kurdish ICU nurses. DESIGN: Van Manen's (1990) hermeneutic
      phenomenological design was adopted. METHOD: The data were collected through in
      depth semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 10 nurses working in
      ICUs. Interviews were transcribed and finally analysed according to Van Manen's
      method. RESULTS: Four major themes including emotional labour, death as a
      positive dimension, optimistic rather than futile care and working within
      constraints emerged. CONCLUSIONS: Kurdish nurses in their caring encounters with
      terminally ill patients experienced a range of feelings from emotional strain to
      being optimistic while working within limited resources in the ICU. Further
      research is needed to explore the experiences of nurses with other cultures of
      caring for terminally ill patients in ICUs. RELEVANCE TO PRACTICE: End-of-life
      care in ICU is emotionally challenging, therefore, nurses in this setting require
      psychological and spiritual support to ensure optimal care provision.

PMID- 26487502
TI  - Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) Inhibitors - emerging roles in neuronal memory,
      learning, synaptic plasticity and neural regeneration.
AB  - Epigenetic regulation of neuronal signalling through histone acetylation dictates
      transcription programs that govern neuronal memory, plasticity and learning
      paradigms. Histone Acetyl Transferases (HATs) and Histone Deacetylases (HDACs)
      are antagonistic enzymes that regulate gene expression through acetylation and
      deacetylation of histone proteins around which DNA is wrapped inside a eukaryotic
      cell nucleus. The epigenetic control of HDACs and the cellular imbalance between
      HATs and HDACs dictate disease states and have been implicated in muscular
      dystrophy, loss of memory, neurodegeneration and autistic disorders. Altering
      gene expression profiles through inhibition of HDACs is now emerging as a
      powerful technique in therapy. This review presents evolving applications of HDAC
      inhibitors as potential drugs in neurological research and therapy. Mechanisms
      that govern their expression profiles in neuronal signalling, plasticity and
      learning will be covered. Promising and exciting possibilities of HDAC inhibitors
      in memory formation, fear conditioning, ischemic stroke and neural regeneration
      have been detailed. 

PMID- 26487504
TI  - Helix aspersa gelatin as an emulsifier and emulsion stabilizer: functional
      properties and effects on pancreatic lipolysis.
AB  - Emulsions are widely used in food and pharmaceutical applications for the
      encapsulation, solubilization, entrapment, and controlled delivery of active
      ingredients. In order to fulfill the increasing demand for clean label
      excipients, natural polymers could be used to replace the potentially irritative
      synthetic surfactants used in emulsion formulation. In the present study, we have
      studied the properties of oil-in-water emulsions prepared with land snail gelatin
      (LSG) as the sole emulsifying agent, extracted and described for the first time.
      LSG was evaluated in terms of proximate composition, oil and water holding
      capacity, emulsifying and foaming properties, color and amino acid composition.
      Emulsions of trioctanoylglycerol (TC8) and olive oil were made at different
      gelatin/oil ratios and changes in droplet-size distribution were determined. The
      superior emulsifying properties of LSG, the susceptibility of gelatin protein
      emulsions increasing flocculation on storage, and the coalescence of gelatin
      emulsions following centrifugation were demonstrated. Furthermore, the effect of
      LSG on the activity of turkey pancreatic lipase (TPL) was evaluated through the
      pH-stat methodology with TC8 and olive oil emulsions. The LSG affected the TPL
      activity in a concentration-dependent way. Our results showed that LSG,
      comparably to gum arabic, increases the pancreatic lipase activity and improves
      its stability at the oil-water interface. 

PMID- 26487506
TI  - Clinical commissioning group asks GPs to scrap procedures in bid to reduce L23m
      deficit.

PMID- 26487505
TI  - Enantioselective Addition of Diethylzinc to Aldehydes Catalyzed by Chiral O,N,O
      tridentate Phenol Ligands Derived From Camphor.
AB  - Chiral O,N,O-tridentate phenol ligands bearing a camphor backbone were found to
      be effective chiral catalysts for the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to
      aromatic aldehydes, resulting in high enantioselectivities (80-95% ee) at room
      temperature.

PMID- 26487507
TI  - MOCVD Growth of High-Quality and Density-Tunable GaAs Nanowires on ITO Catalyzed
      by Au Nanoparticles Deposited by Centrifugation.
AB  - High-quality and density-tunable GaAs nanowires (NWs) are directly grown on
      indium tin oxide (ITO) using Au nanoparticles (NPs) as catalysts by metal organic
      chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Au catalysts were deposited on ITO glass
      substrate using a centrifugal method. Compared with the droplet-only method, high
      area density Au NPs were uniformly distributed on ITO. Tunable area density was
      realized through variation of the centrifugation time, and the highest area
      densities were obtained as high as 490 and 120 NP/MUm(2) for 10- and 20-nm
      diameters of Au NPs, respectively. Based on the vapor-liquid-solid growth
      mechanism, the growth rates of GaAs NWs at 430  degrees C were 18.2 and 21.5 nm/s
      for the highest area density obtained of 10- and 20-nm Au NP-catalyzed NWs. The
      growth rate of the GaAs NWs was reduced with the increase of the NW density due
      to the competition of precursor materials. High crystal quality of the NWs was
      also obtained with no observable planar defects. 10-nm Au NP-induced NWs exhibit
      wurtzite structure whereas zinc-blende is observed for 20-nm NW samples.
      Controllable density and high crystal quality of the GaAs NWs on ITO demonstrate
      their potential application in hybrid a solar cell. 

PMID- 26487508
TI  - Pathology test-ordering behaviour of Australian general practice trainees: a
      cross-sectional analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In the context of increasing over-testing and the implications for
      patient safety, to establish the prevalence and nature of pathology test-ordering
      of GP trainees, and to describe the associations of this test-ordering. DESIGN: A
      cross-sectional analysis of data from the Registrar Clinical Encounters in
      Training (ReCEnT) cohort study. SETTING: Five of Australia's 17 general practice
      regional training providers, encompassing urban-to-very remote practices.
      PARTICIPANTS: GP trainees. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of pathology tests
      ordered per problem/diagnosis managed. RESULTS: A total of 856 individual
      trainees (response rate 95.2%) contributed data from 1832 trainee-terms, 108 759
      encounters and 169 304 problems. Pathology test-ordering prevalence was 79.3
      tests (95% CI: 78.8-79.8) per 100 encounters, 50.9 (95% CI: 50.6-51.3) per 100
      problems, and at least 1 test was requested in 22.4% of consultations. Most
      commonly ordered was full blood count (6.1 per 100 problems). The commonest
      problem prompting test-ordering was 'check-up' (18.6%). Test-ordering was
      significantly associated, on multivariable analysis, with the trainee having
      worked at the practice previously; the patient being adult, male and new to both
      trainee and practice; the practice being urban; the problem/diagnosis being new;
      imaging being ordered; referral being made and follow-up being arranged. Trainees
      were significantly less likely to order tests for problems/diagnoses for which
      they had sought in-consultation information or advice. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with
      the established GPs, trainees order more pathology tests per consultation and per
      problem managed, and in a higher proportion of consultations. Our findings will
      inform educational policy to enhance quality and safety in general practice
      training.

PMID- 26487509
TI  - Observation of Exchange Anisotropy in Single-Phase Layer-Structured Oxides with
      Long Periods.
AB  - A remarkable exchange bias effect arising from the temperature-dependent
      interaction among the ferromagnetic-like cluster glasses and antiferromagnetic
      regions was observed in a newly developed single-phase multiferroic compound of
      Bi10Fe6Ti3O30 which has a nine-layer Aurivillius structure. Inhomogeneous
      distribution of magnetic Fe ions inside this long-period layered structure was
      experimentally identified via the atomic level imaging. The results confirmed the
      presence of the short-range magnetic ordering (the cluster glassy state) and the
      canted antiferromagnetism, and then the direct interaction among them was further
      confirmed. Finding of this new single-phase material accompanying this remarkable
      exchange bias effect would be beneficial to both basic physics understanding and
      the potential device development. 

PMID- 26487510
TI  - Molecular Interactions and Implications of Aldose Reductase Inhibition by PGA1
      and Clinically Used Prostaglandins.
AB  - Aldose reductase (AKR1B1) is a critical drug target because of its involvement in
      diabetic complications, inflammation, and tumorigenesis. However, to date,
      development of clinically useful inhibitors has been largely unsuccessful.
      Cyclopentenone prostaglandins (cyPGs) are reactive lipid mediators that bind
      covalently to proteins and exert anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects
      in numerous settings. By pursuing targets for modification by cyPGs we have found
      that the cyPG PGA1 binds to and inactivates AKR1B1. A PGA1-AKR1B1 adduct was
      observed, both by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry and by SDS-PAGE using biotinylated PGA1 (PGA1-B). Insight into the
      molecular interactions between AKR1B1 and PGA1 was advanced by molecular
      modeling. This anticipated the addition of PGA1 to active site Cys298 and the
      potential reversibility of the adduct, which was supported experimentally.
      Indeed, loss of biotin label from the AKR1B1-PGA1-B adduct was favored by
      glutathione, indicating a retro-Michael reaction, which unveils new implications
      of cyPG-protein interaction. PGA1 elicited only marginal inhibition of aldehyde
      reductase (AKR1A1), considered responsible for the severe adverse effects of many
      AKR1B1 inhibitors. Interestingly, other prostaglandins (PGs) inhibited the
      enzyme, including non-electrophilic PGE1 and PGE2, currently used in clinical
      practice. Moreover, both PGA1 and PGE1 reduced the formation of sorbitol in an ex
      vivo model of diabetic cataract to an extent comparable to that attained by the
      known AKR inhibitor epalrestat. Taken together, these results highlight the role
      of PGs as AKR1B1 inhibitors and the interest in PG-related molecules as leads for
      the development of novel pharmacological tools.

PMID- 26487512
TI  - Incremental diagnostic utility of gastric distension FDG PET/CT.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the diagnostic utility of gastric distension (GD) FDG PET/CT
      in both patients with known gastric malignancy and those not known to have
      gastric malignancy but with incidental focal FDG uptake in the stomach. METHODS:
      This retrospective analysis included 88 patients who underwent FDG PET/CT
      following GD with hyoscine N-butylbromide (Buscopan(r)) and water ingestion as
      part of routine clinical evaluation between 2004 and 2014. FDG PET/CT scans
      before and after GD were reported blinded to the patient clinical details in 49
      patients undergoing pretreatment staging of gastric malignancy and 39 patients
      who underwent GD following incidental suspicious gastric uptake. The PET findings
      were validated by a composite clinical standard. RESULTS: In the 49 patients
      undergoing pretreatment staging of gastric malignancy, GD improved PET detection
      of the primary tumour (from 80 % to 90 %). PET evaluation of tumour extent was
      concordant with endoscopic/surgical reports in 31 % (interpreter 1) and 45 %
      (interpreter 2) using pre-GD images and 73 % and 76 % using GD images.
      Interobserver agreement also improved with GD (kappa = 0.29 to 0.69). Metabolic
      and morphological quantitative analysis demonstrated a major impact of GD in
      normal gastric wall but no significant effect in tumour, except a minor increase
      in SUV related to a delayed acquisition time. The tumour to normal stomach SUVmax
      ratio increased from 3.8 +/- 2.9 to 9.2 +/- 8.6 (mean +/- SD) with GD (p <
      0.0001), facilitating detection and improved assessment of the primary tumour. In
      25 (64 %) of the 39 patients with incidental suspicious gastric uptake,
      acquisition after GD correctly excluded a malignant process. In 10 (71 %) of the
      remaining 14 patients with persistent suspicious FDG uptake despite GD,
      malignancy was confirmed and in 3 (21 %) an active but benign pathology was
      diagnosed. CONCLUSION: GD is a simple way to improve local staging with FDG PET
      in patients with gastric malignancy. In the setting of incidental suspicious
      gastric uptake, GD is also an effective tool for ruling out malignancy and leads
      to the avoidance of unnecessary endoscopy.

PMID- 26487513
TI  - Avulsed Nasoenteric Bridle System Magnet as an Intranasal Foreign Body.
AB  - Nasoenteric tubes provide short-term nutrition support to patients unable to take
      an adequate oral diet. Bridling systems may be used to secure tubes to guard
      against displacement. We present the first case of an avulsed magnet from a
      bridling system to raise awareness of this potential complication. The primary
      methods of securing a nasogastric tube are reviewed, and comparative assessment
      of the 3 main systems is presented. Diagnosis and management of nasal foreign
      bodies relevant to this case are reviewed and prevention/safety considerations
      discussed.

PMID- 26487514
TI  - Well-Being and Wellness in the Twenty-First Century: A Theanthropocosmic
      Approach.
AB  - In this paper, clarification and definition of the concept well-being of human
      beings are reflected upon from a faith perspective. The author will define well
      being and wellness within the following conceptual definitions: firstly, well
      being and wellness will be defined in term of African-Christian approach (the
      interconnectedness of God-human-and-world approach). Secondly, the author will
      focus on differentiation of well-being and wellness in a human being. Thirdly,
      the focal point will be on the mixing of holistic, dualist and triadic approaches
      to define well-being. 

PMID- 26487511
TI  - The Dual Estrogen Receptor alpha Inhibitory Effects of the Tissue-Selective
      Estrogen Complex for Endometrial and Breast Safety.
AB  - The conjugated estrogen /: bazedoxifene tissue-selective estrogen complex (TSEC)
      is designed to minimize the undesirable effects of estrogen in the uterus and
      breast tissues and to allow the beneficial effects of estrogen in other estrogen
      target tissues, such as the bone and brain. However, the molecular mechanism
      underlying endometrial and breast safety during TSEC use is not fully understood.
      Estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha)-estrogen response element (ERE)-DNA pull-down
      assays using HeLa nuclear extracts followed by mass spectrometry-immunoblotting
      analyses revealed that, upon TSEC treatment, ERalpha interacted with
      transcriptional repressors rather than coactivators. Therefore, the TSEC-mediated
      recruitment of transcriptional repressors suppresses ERalpha-mediated
      transcription in the breast and uterus. In addition, TSEC treatment also degraded
      ERalpha protein in uterine tissue and breast cancer cells, but not in bone cells.
      Interestingly, ERalpha-ERE-DNA pull-down assays also revealed that, upon TSEC
      treatment, ERalpha interacted with the F-box protein 45 (FBXO45) E3 ubiquitin
      ligase. The loss-of- and gain-of-FBXO45 function analyses indicated that FBXO45
      is involved in TSEC-mediated degradation of the ERalpha protein in endometrial
      and breast cells. In preclinical studies, these synergistic effects of TSEC on
      ERalpha inhibition also suppressed the estrogen-dependent progression of
      endometriosis. Therefore, the endometrial and breast safety effects of TSEC are
      associated with synergy between the selective recruitment of transcriptional
      repressors to ERalpha and FBXO45-mediated degradation of the ERalpha protein.

PMID- 26487516
TI  - Creating and Controlling Biointerfaces.

PMID- 26487515
TI  - Hydrophilins in the filamentous fungus Neosartorya fischeri (Aspergillus
      fischeri) have protective activity against several types of microbial water
      stress.
AB  - Hydrophilins are proteins that occur in all domains of life and protect cells and
      organisms against drought and other stresses. They include most of the late
      embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins and the heat shock protein (HSP) Hsp12.
      Here, the role of a predicted LEA-like protein (LeamA) and two Hsp12 proteins
      (Hsp12A and Hsp12B) of Neosartorya fischeri was studied. This filamentous fungus
      forms ascospores that belong to the most stress-resistant eukaryotic cells
      described to date. Heterologous expression of LeamA, Hsp12A and Hsp12B resulted
      in increased tolerance against salt and osmotic stress in Escherichia coli. These
      proteins were also shown to protect lactate dehydrogenase against dry heat and
      freeze-thaw cycles in vitro. Deletion of leamA caused diminished viability of
      sexual ascospores after drought and heat. This is the first report on
      functionality of Hsp12 and putative LeamA proteins derived from filamentous
      fungi, and their possible role in N. fischeri ascospore resistance against
      desiccation, high temperature and osmotic stress is discussed. 

PMID- 26487517
TI  - The association between higher body mass index and poor school performance in
      high school students.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the association between body
      mass index (BMI) and school performance in high school students by controlling
      for relevant mediators such as sleep quality, sleep duration and socioeconomic
      status. METHODS: Thirty-seven high school students (mean age: 18.16 +/- 0.44
      years) attending the same school type, i.e. 'liceo scientifico' (science-based
      high school), were enrolled. Students' self-reported weight and height were used
      to calculate BMI. Participants wore an actigraph to objectively assess the
      quality and duration of sleep. School performance was assessed through the actual
      grade obtained at the final school-leaving exam, in which higher grades indicate
      higher performance. RESULTS: BMI, get-up time, mean motor activity, wake after
      sleep onset and number of awakenings were negatively correlated with the grade,
      while sleep efficiency was positively correlated. When performing a multiple
      regression analysis, BMI proved the only significant (negative) predictor of
      grade. CONCLUSIONS: When controlling for sleep quality, sleep duration and
      socioeconomic status, a higher BMI is associated with a poorer school performance
      in high school students.

PMID- 26487519
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26487518
TI  - Notch3 Ameliorates Cardiac Fibrosis After Myocardial Infarction by Inhibiting the
      TGF-beta1/Smad3 Pathway.
AB  - Notch3 and TGF-beta1 signaling play a key role in the pathogenesis and
      progression of chronic cardiovascular disease. However, whether Notch3 protects
      against myocardial infarction (MI) and the underlying mechanisms remains unknown.
      C57BL/6 mice were randomized to be treated with Notch3 siRNA (siNotch3) or
      lentivirus carrying Notch3 cDNA (Notch3) before coronary artery ligation. Four
      weeks after constructing MI model, cardiac function and fibrosis were compared
      between groups. The cardiac fibroblast cells (CFs) were isolated from newborn
      C57BL/6 mice (1-3 days old) and transfected with lentivirus carrying Notch3 cDNA.
      TGF-beta1 (5 ng/ml), a well-known pro-fibrotic factor, was administered 72 h
      after Notch3 cDNA administration in CFs. The related proteins of fibrosis such as
      a-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA), Type I collagen, metalloprotease (MMP)-9 and the
      tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP)-2 were examined by western blot
      analysis. Notch3 cDNA treatment attenuated cardiac damage and inhibited fibrosis
      in mice with MI. Meanwhile, Notch3 siRNA administration aggravated cardiac
      function damage and markedly enhanced cardiac fibrosis in mice with MI.
      Overexpression of Notch3 inhibited TGF-beta1-induced fibroblast-myofibroblast
      transition of mouse cardiac fibroblast cells, as evidenced by down-regulating a
      SMA and Type I collagen expression. Notch3 cDNA treatment also increased MMP-9
      expression and decreased TIMP-2 expression in the TGF-beta1-stimulated cells.
      This study indicates that Notch3 is an important protective factor for cardiac
      fibrosis in a MI model, and the protective effect of Notch3 is attributable to
      its action on TGF-beta1/Smad3 signaling.

PMID- 26487520
TI  - The clinical spectrum of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
AB  - Delays in diagnosis are one of the major problems in the treatment of aneurysmal
      subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). To study reasons for delayed diagnosis, we
      reviewed the symptoms of 286 patients seen between 1978 and 1985. Delays in
      diagnosis occurred in 56 patients (19%). Less than half of our patients had the
      complete classic syndrome of the sudden onset of a violent headache, with or
      without alteration in consciousness, accompanied by nuchal rigidity. Many
      patients had atypical symptoms. Gradual evolution of symptoms, nonintense
      headaches, severe pain at other sites, disturbed consciousness, or mild meningeal
      signs often lead to misdiagnosis. Nine patients with preserved consciousness had
      minimal or no headache. Based on our experience, atypical symptoms are common
      with SAH and need to receive more emphasis. 

PMID- 26487521
TI  - Prevention of recurrent stroke in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus or
      lupus anticoagulant.
AB  - Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or lupus anticoagulant (LA) may
      have antibodies, including anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL), which may be
      associated with stroke and a high risk of recurrent stroke. Optimum preventive
      treatment is uncertain. We report and analyze experience with 26 patients with
      SLE or LA, some of whom also had aCL, who were treated with heparin and/or
      warfarin, often after failure of aspirin and/or steroids to prevent cerebral
      ischemia. Representative summaries of cases are included. Potential mechanisms of
      the thrombotic tendency in these patients are reviewed. Complications of
      anticoagulant therapy can be serious; contraindications to this treatment are
      discussed. Patients with either SLE or LA who have a history of a cerebral
      ischemic event have a high risk of recurrent stroke, which may be ameliorated by
      administering anticoagulants if there are no contraindications. 

PMID- 26487522
TI  - Noninvasive imaging of the cervical vertebral artery in the diagnosis of
      vertebrobasilar insufficiency.
AB  - The cervical vertebral arteries were visualized by real-time B-mode
      ultrasonography with duplex Doppler in 595 consecutive patients. Comparison with
      angiography in 40 patients showed a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 97%
      in identifying vertebral artery lesions. The incidence of vertebral artery
      lesions in patients with symptoms of ischemia referable to the vertebrobasilar
      distribution was 28% (24/84), significantly higher (p = 0.05) than the incidence
      of 13% (7/54) in patients with carotid artery insufficiency. Patients with
      completed strokes in the vertebrobasilar territory had an even higher incidence
      of vertebral lesions (44%,14/ 32) than patients with transient symptoms of
      vertebrobasilar insufficiency (19%, 10/52) (p < 0.001). The incidence of
      vertebral lesions in patients with nonlocalizing symptoms of syncope (8%, 5/67),
      presyncope (10%, 3/31), isolated vertigo (5%,4/77), unsteadiness (4%,2/55),
      lightheadedness (0/27), and transient global amnesia (0/18) were all
      significantly lower than the incidence in patients with focal vertebrobasilar
      symptoms (p < 0.01). Imaging of the cervical vertebral arteries by real-time B
      mode ultrasonography may be helpful in determining the etiology of symptoms in
      patients with a diagnosis of vertebrobasilar insufficiency. 

PMID- 26487523
TI  - Toward an optimal "antiplatelet" dose of aspirin: Preliminary observations.
AB  - It remains unclear which dose of aspirin (ASA) confers the optimal antiplatelet
      effect. This study focuses on long-term responses to different ASA doses by
      selected normal subjects. Their baseline platelet aggregabilities exemplified
      both the average values and the extremes of hyper-and hypoaggregability. Only 41
      mg ASA daily stopped all arachidonic acid aggregations and maximally spared
      endogenous nucleotides. When 2.8 and 9 MUM adenosine diphosphate were used as the
      aggregants, it became evident that higher ASA doses yielded still further grades
      of change both in aggregation and disaggregation. Disaggregations proved of
      special interest: distinctive for each subject, they clearly improved more on 325
      mg ASA daily than on 41 mg or 81 mg. "Low-dose" ASA, at longer dose intervals of
      48 or 72 h, may not be optimal to sustain an adequate antiplatelet effect. More
      individualized ASA doses, based on selected in vitro measurements of platelet
      function, might prove useful both in reducing the size and number of cerebral
      ischemic infarcts and in avoiding hemorrhagic complications in certain patients. 

PMID- 26487524
TI  - Potentiation of rehabilitation: Medication effects on the recovery of function
      after brain injury and stroke.
AB  - In neurologic rehabilitation nothing is currently in clinical use that is
      effective in restoring lost neurologic function. This paper presents an overview
      of the various medicines that have been studied for their potential to facilitate
      recovery after brain injury. Early studies of acetylcholine and
      anticholinesterase drugs were reported favorably, but subsequent experience with
      them has not substantiated the initial enthusiasm. In the last two decades, data
      from work on rodents and cats suggest that certain drugs may facilitate or impede
      neurologic recovery after brain injury. Human studies on the effects of d
      amphetamine and related compounds are sparse, and, although provocative, several
      problems make the results controversial. Data from studies in the laboratory
      suggest that clinicians may be impeding clinical outcome in stroke patients with
      some frequently used poststroke medications. A table lists (with references) the
      drugs that may impede recovery or reinstate deficits and drugs that may
      accelerate recovery. 

PMID- 26487525
TI  - Cardiorespiratory arrest in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
AB  - Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (ASAH) can cause sudden death from
      cardiorespiratory arrest (CRA). Successful resuscitation (SR) allows diagnosis
      and treatment of survivors. We studied incidences of CRA and the influence of SR
      in ASAH prognosis. Hospital records of patients with ASAH diagnosed by computed
      tomography, lumbar puncture, surgery, or autopsy and treated from 1980 to 1988
      were reviewed. Symptoms, aneurysm location, treatment, course, and outcome were
      tabulated. The literature was reviewed. Of 95 consecutive ASAH patients, 15 (16%,
      2 males, 13 females) had CRA, seven primary cardiac, six primary respiratory, and
      two combined CRA. Four of 11(36.4%) had posterior circulation aneurysm (PCA);13
      (86.6%) had intracerebral-ventricular clot (ICC). All were clinically Stage V,
      six improved and had angiography, two had surgery, and one (7%) survived
      hospitalization. Of other ASAH patients (37 males and 43 females), 4.4% of 68 had
      PCA, 37.5% had ICC, and 56% survived hospitalization. Of 287 patients
      hospitalized after out-of-hospital SR in the same period, 18% survived; 14 (4.9%)
      had ASAH and 1 (7%) survived hospitalization. CRA is not infrequent after onset
      of ASAH and occurs more commonly in women with PCA. Most likely, it is due to a
      very large initial hemorrhage disrupting diencephalic circulatory and respiratory
      centers. Prognosis of patients suffering CRA from ASAH is dismal and not
      influenced by SR. 

PMID- 26487526
TI  - MU3-eta(2):eta(2):eta(2)-Coordination of Primary Silane on a Triruthenium Plane.
AB  - A MU3-eta(2):eta(2):eta(2)-silane complex, [(Cp*Ru)3(MU3-eta(2):eta(2):eta(2)
      H3SitBu)(MU-H)3] (2 a; Cp* = eta(5)-C5Me5), was synthesized from the reaction of
      [{Cp*Ru(MU-H)}3(MU3-H)2] (1) with tBuSiH3. Complex 2 a is the first example of a
      silane ligand adopting a MU3-eta(2):eta(2):eta(2) coordination mode. This
      unprecedented coordination mode was established by NMR and IR spectroscopy as
      well as X-ray diffraction analysis and supported by a density functional study.
      Variable-temperature NMR analysis implied that 2 a equilibrates with a tautomeric
      MU3-silyl complex (3 a). Although 3 a was not isolated, the corresponding MU3
      silyl complex, [(Cp*Ru)3(MU3-eta(2):eta(2)-H2SiPh)(H)(MU-H)3] (3 b), was obtained
      from the reaction of 1 with PhSiH3. Treatment of 2 a with PhSiH3 resulted in a
      silane exchange reaction, leading to the formation of 3 b accompanied by the
      elimination of tBuSiH3. This result indicates that the MU3-silane complex can be
      regarded as an "arrested" intermediate for the oxidative addition/reductive
      elimination of a primary silane to a trinuclear site.

PMID- 26487527
TI  - Editorial: Extracranial-intracranial bypass study eight years later.

PMID- 26487528
TI  - Isolated dizziness in vertebrobasilar insufficiency: Clinical features,
      angiography, and follow-up.
AB  - Dizziness is the most common manifestation of vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI)
      and may occur as an isolated symptom in some patients. In order to determine if
      there is a characteristic pattern of vascular occlusion associated with this
      symptom, we reviewed the cerebral angiograms of seven patients (average age, 62
      years) who presented with isolated episodes of dizziness. Six of seven had
      atherosclerotic occlusion of the vertebrobasilar junction between the takeoff of
      the posterior and anterior inferior cerebellar arteries. The other patient had
      basilar dolichoectasia without luminal narrowing. Our data suggest that isolated
      episodes of dizziness with VBI probably result from transient ischemia in
      territories supplied by the anterior inferior cerebellar artery. Anticoagulation
      stopped the attacks in six of seven patients who had recurrent symptoms despite
      aspirin therapy. Overall the prognosis was good. 

PMID- 26487529
TI  - Silent cerebral infarction in stroke patients: Results from the klosterneuburg
      stroke data bank (Austria).
AB  - The incidence, topology, and risks of clinically silent cerebral ischemia were
      studied in a series of stroke patients entering the Klosterneuburg Stroke Data
      Bank, a prospective single-center stroke registry in Lower Austria that was
      established in 1988. Among 462 first-ever stroke patients, 340 (74%) showed only
      one lesion, which corresponded to the syndrome of their presenting stroke.
      However, 57 (12%) patients either showed an additional or a noncorresponding
      lesion, or both. Most silent strokes in our study were singular, deep, small
      infarctions (52%) by their location known to be asymptomatic, whereas eight
      additional cases with cortical involvement and one deep, large infarction could
      have been either unreported or largely asymptomatic. No significant difference
      was found for age, sex, or the hemispheric side of any lesion type (deep, small,
      or cortical), nor for the etiology of the presenting stroke. Silent cerebral
      infarctions were not associated with known additional or disproportional risk
      factors. The differing incidences and risks of silent stroke known from previous
      studies probably are not only due to the differing accuracy of neuroimaging
      techniques to detect small ischemic lesions but also to differences in awareness
      of unspecific and transient symptoms. Therefore, a continuum between clinically
      silent infarcts, unspecific symptoms, and short-lasting transient ischemia must
      be acknowledged. 

PMID- 26487530
TI  - Stroke in patients with isolated IgM anticardiolipin antibody.
AB  - Eight of 90 patients with ischemic neurologic events were found to have
      persistent, isolated high-level IgM anticardiolipin antibodies. Strokes were
      multiple in four patients. Six patients were under 50 years of age at the time of
      the first stroke. 

PMID- 26487531
TI  - Transcranial doppler and (15)O-H2O-positron emission tomography findings in
      patients with acute brain infarction and middle cerebral artery stenosis.
AB  - Transcranial Doppler (TCD) is a useful noninvasive tool for the assessment of the
      state of main intracranial arteries. Since present techniques for quantitative
      measurement of regional tissue perfusion (CBF) are invasive and expensive, the
      question was raised as to whether TCD could also be used to estimate CBF under
      normal and pathologic conditions. We compared TCD with CBF measurements using
      (15)O-H2O-positron emission tomography in 26 patients with either acute cerebral
      infarction or MCA mainstem stenosis and in 6 controls. No correlation was found
      between any blood velocity parameter and positron emission tomography blood flow
      values in middle cerebral artery territory neither in cerebrovascular patients
      nor in controls. We conclude that TCD cannot be used to quantitatively determine
      regional tissue perfusion. For optimal evaluation of brain blood supply, TCD
      should be coupled with a CBF imaging technique. 

PMID- 26487532
TI  - Selective intra-arterial thrombolysis in acute stroke: Implications for emergency
      management.
AB  - Stroke, the most common life-threatening neurological disease, is a problem
      encountered frequently in the acute phase. Therapeutic options in this major
      cause of death and disability have previously been considered limited. Two cases
      of acute stroke are presented in which emergency treatment with selective
      intraarterial thrombolysis resulted in significant resolution of neurological
      deficits. The necessity for treating acute stroke as a medical emergency and
      management implications in the acute phase are discussed. 

PMID- 26487533
TI  - Migraine and vertebrobasilar dissection: Case reports.
AB  - We report two patients with chronic migraine headaches who developed
      vertebrobasilar arterial dissections. In both cases, there was a change in both
      the character and location of the headaches, which prompted further evaluation
      with magnetic resonance imaging and angiography, which led to the diagnosis.
      Other possible risk factors for dissection in these patients included
      hypertension, exercise, and chiropractic manipulation. Both patients were treated
      with anticoagulation and recovered with little to no neurologic deficit. A review
      of the literature relating migraine and arterial dissection suggests that there
      may be an association. Although more extensive controlled studies are needed to
      demonstrate the significance of this association, we suggest that the diagnosis
      of cervicocranial arterial dissection be strongly considered in migraine patients
      who develop an abrupt change in the nature of their headaches. 

PMID- 26487534
TI  - Glioblastoma multiforme presenting with recurrent neurological deficits:
      Transient ischemic attacks or tumor attacks.
AB  - Transient ischemic attacks result from the temporary focal interruption of blood
      flow to the brain. We present three patients with glioblastoma multiforme and
      recurrent speech arrests or right-sided numbness. The clinical diagnosis of
      "transient ischemic attack" was made in each patient. This diagnosis remained
      unchanged for months to 2 years after initial presentation and investigations.
      The correct diagnosis was made with a brain biopsy in two patients and as a
      result of additional investigations in the third patient. It is important to
      remember brain tumor in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with
      recurrent brief neurological symptoms. 

PMID- 26487535
TI  - Cerebrovascular espial.
AB  - Remarks are made on various stroke topics-potential hazards in the early
      diagnosis of occlusion of the carotid, basilar, and middle cerebral arteries,
      dissection, discontinuing angicoagulants, lowering blood pressure, and delaying
      endarterectomy. The commentary also includes bolus versus continuous drip
      heparin, long-term warfarin therapy, extensive craniectomy for brain edema, the
      percentage narrowing of the carotid versus the residual diameter, stroke during
      anesthesia, the duration of a TIA, TIAs in congophilic angiopathy and the
      interpretation of transient spells of vertigo. 

PMID- 26487536
TI  - Vascular dementia: Problems with nomenclature, definition, and classification.
AB  - This article considers three aspects of vascular dementia that are a source of
      confusion and about which some consensus is needed: nomenclature, definition, and
      classification. 

PMID- 26487537
TI  - Ischemic stroke in children: Relationship to unsuspected trauma.
AB  - Thirteen cases of ischemic stroke in children were seen and followed up between
      1981 and 1990. Brain hemorrhage and strokes due to meningitis, leukemia, or other
      malignancy were excluded. In four, no cause was found. Three were related to
      trauma that preceded the stroke by up to 24 h. Two were due to cardiac emboli,
      which occurred during cardiac catheterization for dilation of stenotic valves,
      and two occurred spontaneously in association with mitral valve prolapse. One
      stroke was related to an inapparent neurocutaneous syndrome, and one was related
      to a hyperlipidemia. Follow-up showed no recurrence. School performance and
      developmental assessment was normal in 11 of 13 (one had a learning disability
      and the other had hyperactivity). Mild motor deficits persisted in five, were
      moderate in two, and were severe in one. The overall prognosis was best in
      children under 5 years. 

PMID- 26487538
TI  - Analysis of 30-day stroke mortality in a community-based registry in Warsaw,
      Poland.
AB  - Between January 1, 1991, and December 31, 1992, in the upper Mokotow district of
      Warsaw, Poland (population 182,285), 462 first-ever-in-a-lifetime (FEL) strokes
      were registered, 12% (55/462) with parenchymatous intracerebral hemorrhages
      (PICH) and 88% (407/462) with ischemic strokes. Confirmation by either computed
      tomography or autopsy was made in 72.3% of cases. The overall 30-day case
      fatality rate (CFR) for FEL strokes was 40% (186/462), 60% for PICH (33/55), and
      38% for ischemic stroke (153/407). Of the 186 patients who died within 30 days of
      their FEL stroke, 49% (91) underwent full autopsy examination. Fifty-two percent
      of these 91 patients were found to have died from direct neurological sequelae,
      21% from cardiac causes, 17% from pneumonia, 5.6% from septicemia, 2.2% from
      pulmonary emboli, and 2.2% from metastatic cancer. Despite our high 30-day stroke
      CFR compared with Western Europe and North America, mechanisms of death were
      similar. 

PMID- 26487539
TI  - MiR-129-3p promotes docetaxel resistance of breast cancer cells via CP110
      inhibition.
AB  - Docetaxel is commonly used as an effective chemotherapeutic agent in breast
      cancer treatment, but the underlying mechanisms of drug resistance are not fully
      understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible role of miR
      129-3p in breast cancer cell resistance to docetaxel. MiR-129 and miR-129-3p
      inhibitor were transfected into breast cancer cells to investigate their effects
      on chemoresistance to docetaxel. The function of miR-129-3p was evaluated by
      apoptosis, cell proliferation, and cell cycle assays. We found that miR-129-3p
      was up-regulated in MDA-MB-231/Doc cells, concurrent with CP110 down-regulation,
      compared to the parental MDA-MB-231 cells. In vitro drug sensitivity assays
      demonstrated that miR-129-3p inhibition sensitized MDA-MB-231/Doc and MCF-7 cells
      to docetaxel, whereas miR-129 overexpression enhanced MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell
      resistance to docetaxel. Ectopic miR-129 expression reduced CP110 expression and
      the luciferase activity of a CP110 3' untranslated region-based reporter
      construct in MDA-MB-231 cells, suggesting that CP110 is a direct miR-129-3p
      target. We demonstrated that restoration of CP110 expression in MDA-MB-231 and
      MCF-7 cells by miR-129 overexpression rendered the cells sensitive to docetaxel.
      In a nude xenograft model, miR-129 up-regulation significantly decreased MDA-MB
      231 cells' response to docetaxel. Our findings suggest that miR-129-3p down
      regulation potentially sensitizes breast cancer cells to docetaxel treatment. 

PMID- 26487540
TI  - BRAF alteration status and the histone H3F3A gene K27M  mutation segregate spinal
      cord astrocytoma histology.

PMID- 26487541
TI  - Axitinib: a review in advanced renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - Axitinib (Inlyta((r))) is a potent, selective inhibitor of vascular endothelial
      growth factor receptor-1, -2 and -3. This article reviews the clinical efficacy
      and tolerability of axitinib in patients with previously-treated advanced renal
      cell carcinoma (RCC), as well as summarizing its pharmacological properties.
      Axitinib was effective in the second-line treatment of advanced RCC, according to
      the results of the pivotal, phase III AXIS trial. Median progression-free
      survival (PFS) was significantly prolonged with axitinib versus sorafenib
      (primary endpoint; independent review committee assessment); this PFS benefit was
      seen in patients who had received prior treatment with cytokines or sunitinib.
      The objective response rate was also significantly higher with axitinib than with
      sorafenib, with no significant between-group difference in median overall
      survival. Axitinib had a manageable tolerability profile in the AXIS trial, with
      the most commonly reported treatment-related adverse events including diarrhoea,
      hypertension, fatigue, decreased appetite, nausea, dysphonia, hand-foot syndrome
      and hypothyroidism. In conclusion, axitinib is an important option in previously
      treated patients with advanced RCC. 

PMID- 26487542
TI  - Luminescent Iridium(III) Complexes Supported by N-Heterocyclic Carbene-based
      C^C^C-Pincer Ligands and Aromatic Diimines.
AB  - Iridium(III) hydrido complexes containing N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-based
      pincer ligand 1,3-bis(1-butylimidazolin-2-ylidene)phenyl anion (C(1)^C^C(1)) or
      1,3-bis(3-butylbenzimidazolin-2-ylidene)phenyl anion (C(2)^C^C(2)) and aromatic
      diimine (2,2'-bipyridine (bpy), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'
      bipyridine (Me2bpy), or dipyrido-[3,2-f:2',3'-h]-quinoxaline (dpq)) in the form
      of [Ir(C^C^C)(N^N)(H)](+) have been prepared. Crystal structures for these
      complexes show that the Ir-CNHC distances are 2.043(5)-2.056(5) A. The hydride
      chemical shifts for complexes bearing C(1)^C^C(1) (-20.6 to -20.3 ppm) are more
      upfield than those with C(2)^C^C(2) (-19.5 and -19.2 ppm), revealing that
      C(1)^C^C(1) is a better electron donor than C(2)^C^C(2). Spectroscopic
      comparisons and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations
      suggest that the lowest-energy electronic transition associated with these
      complexes (lambda = 340-530 nm (epsilon <= 10(3) dm(3) mol(-1) cm(-1))) originate
      from a dpi(Ir(III)) -> pi*(N^N) metal-to-ligand charge transfer transition, where
      the dpi(Ir(III)) level contain significant contribution from the C^C^C ligands.
      All these complexes are emissive in the yellow-spectral region (553-604 nm in
      CH3CN and CH2Cl2) upon photo-excitation with quantum yields of 10(-3)-10(-1). 

PMID- 26487543
TI  - Efficient Biosynthesis of Lactosucrose from Sucrose and Lactose by the Purified
      Recombinant Levansucrase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-512 FMC.
AB  - Lactosucrose, a rare trisaccharide formed from sucrose and lactose by enzymatic
      transglycosylation, is a type of indigestible carbohydrate with a good prebiotic
      effect. In this study, lactosucrose biosynthesis was efficiently carried out by a
      purified levansucrase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-512. The target gene was
      cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant enzyme was purified
      to homogeneity by nickel affinity and gel filtration chromatography. The effects
      of pH, temperature, substrate concentration, substrate ratio, and enzyme amount
      on lactosucrose biosynthesis were studied in detail, and the optimized conditions
      were determined to be pH 6.5, 50  degrees C, 27% (W/V) sucrose, 27% (W/V)
      lactose, and 5 U mL(-1) of the purified recombinant enzyme. Under the optimized
      reaction conditions, the maximal lactosucrose yield reached 224 g L(-1) after
      reaction for 1 h. Therefore, L. mesenteroides levansucrase could be considered a
      potential candidate for future industrial production of lactosucrose. 

PMID- 26487544
TI  - Reducing discretionary food and beverage intake in early childhood: a systematic
      review within an ecological framework.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the literature and map published studies on 4
      8-year-olds' intake of discretionary choices against an ecological framework
      (ANalysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity; ANGELO). DESIGN: Articles were
      identified through database searches (PubMed, PyscINFO(r), Web of Science) in
      February and March 2014 and hand-searching reference lists. Studies were assessed
      for methodological quality and mapped against the ANGELO framework by environment
      size (macro and micro setting) and type (physical, economic, policy and socio
      cultural influences). SETTING: Studies were conducted in the USA (n 18),
      Australia (n 6), the UK (n 3), the Netherlands (n 3), Belgium (n 1), Germany (n
      1) and Turkey (n 1). SUBJECTS: Children aged 4-8 years, or parents/other
      caregivers. RESULTS: Thirty-three studies met the review criteria (observational
      n 23, interventions n 10). Home was the most frequently studied setting (67 % of
      exposures/strategies), with the majority of these studies targeting family policy
      type influences (e.g. child feeding practices, television regulation). Few
      studies were undertaken in government (5.5 %) or community (11 %) settings, or
      examined economic-type influences (0 %). Of the intervention studies only four
      were categorised as effective. CONCLUSIONS: The present review is novel in its
      focus on mapping observational and intervention studies across a range of
      settings. It highlights the urgent need for high-quality research to inform
      interventions that directly tackle the factors influencing children's excess
      intake of discretionary choices. Interventions that assist in optimising a range
      of environmental influences will enhance the impact of future public health
      interventions to improve child diet quality.

PMID- 26487545
TI  - Predictive factors for a distal adjacent disorder with L3  as the lowest
      instrumented vertebra in Lenke 5C patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate what type of Lenke 5C patient benefits most from a
      fusion to L3 as the LIV. METHODS: The subjects were 16 patients who underwent
      fusion surgery to L3 as the lowest instrumented vertebra (LIV), and who were then
      observed for a minimum of 2 years postoperatively. We considered an
      unsatisfactory radiologic outcome for the distal adjacent curve (DAD) to be an L3
      or L4 tilt angle less than 10 degrees  or L3/4 disc wedging less than 10 degrees
      . Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the radiologic outcome of the
      distal curve: the distal adjacent disorder+ (DAD+) and the distal adjacent
      disorder-(DAD-). We compared global balance, Cobb angles (thoracic and lumbar),
      L3 and L4 tilt angles and L3/4/5 disc angles between the 2 groups on
      preoperative, postoperative and final radiographs. RESULTS: Seven patients (43.8
      %) met the criteria for the DAD+ group. On preoperative radiographs, there was a
      significant difference in the L3/4 disc angle: the DAD+ group opened to the
      preoperative convex side (-2.1 degrees  +/- 3.0 degrees ) and the DAD- group
      opened to the preoperative concave side (4.7 degrees  +/- 5.1 degrees ). The
      standing L3- and L4-CSVL and the L4-CSVL under traction were significantly
      different. CONCLUSIONS: In Lenke 5C patients who underwent fusion surgery to L3
      as the LIV, preoperative LIV (L3), LIV + 1 (L4) translation and L3/4 disc angle
      on standing, plus LIV + 1 translation under traction were very important
      parameters correlating with postoperative global coronal balance.

PMID- 26487546
TI  - Prospects for Creation of Cardioprotective Drugs Based on Cannabinoid Receptor
      Agonists.
AB  - Cannabinoids can mimic the infarct-reducing effect of early ischemic
      preconditioning, delayed ischemic preconditioning, and ischemic postconditioning
      against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion. They do this primarily through both CB1
      and CB2 receptors. Cannabinoids are also involved in remote preconditioning of
      the heart. The cannabinoid receptor ligands also exhibit an antiapoptotic effect
      during ischemia/reperfusion of the heart. The acute cardioprotective effect of
      cannabinoids is mediated by activation of protein kinase C, extracellular signal
      regulated kinase, and p38 kinase. The delayed cardioprotective effect of
      cannabinoid anandamide is mediated via stimulation of phosphatidylinositol-3
      kinase-Akt signaling pathway and enhancement of heat shock protein 72 expression.
      The delayed cardioprotective effect of another cannabinoid, Delta9
      tetrahydrocannabinol, is associated with augmentation of nitric oxide (NO)
      synthase expression, but data on the involvement of NO synthase in the acute
      cardioprotective effect of cannabinoids are contradictory. The adenosine
      triphosphate-sensitive K(+)channel is involved in the synthetic cannabinoid HU
      210-induced cardiac resistance to ischemia/reperfusion injury. Cannabinoids
      inhibit Na(+)/Ca(2+)exchange via peripheral cannabinoid receptor (CB2) activation
      that may also be related to the antiapoptotic and cardioprotective effects of
      cannabinoids. The cannabinoid receptor agonists should be considered as
      prospective group of compounds for creation of drugs that are able to protect the
      heart against ischemia-reperfusion injury in the clinical setting.

PMID- 26487547
TI  - Corrigendum: the microbiome of New World vultures.

PMID- 26487549
TI  - Black-CuO: surface-enhanced Raman scattering and infrared properties.
AB  - Large surface area samples of nanotextured black CuO were prepared by chemical
      etching of Cu for use in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The SERS
      intensity of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of thiophenol was proportional to
      the thickness of a nanoscale-conformal Au film deposited by magnetron sputtering
      over the black CuO. A very high SERS yield of ~10(4) counts per s per mW was
      observed for the thiophenol SAM on the thickest Au films studied here.
      Synchrotron X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to confirm that the surface
      of the chemically etched Cu was covered by high purity CuO. IR spectral
      characterization of the black CuO showed a close to linear increase in
      reflectivity from 25 to 100% over the range of 4000-500 cm(-1) wavenumbers (or
      2.5-20 MUm in wavelength). Sensing applications and thermal effects in SERS are
      discussed. 

PMID- 26487550
TI  - Stabilization of Al(III) solutions by complexation with cacodylic acid:
      speciation and binding features.
AB  - Aluminium ions are believed to play a role in a number of neurological and
      skeletal disorders in the human body. The study of the biological processes and
      molecular mechanisms that underlie these pathological disorders is rendered a
      difficult task due to the wide variety of complex species that result from the
      hydrolysis of Al(3+) ions. In addition, this ion displays a pronounced tendency
      to precipitate as a hydroxide, so certain complexing agents should be envisaged
      to stabilize Al(III) solutions in near physiological conditions. In this work, we
      show that the common buffer cacodylic acid (dimethylarsinic acid, HCac) interacts
      with Al(III) to give stable complexes, even at pH 7. After preliminary analyses
      of the speciation of the metal ion and also of the ligand, a systematic study of
      the formation of different Al/Cac complexes at different pH values has been
      conducted. UV-Vis titrations, mass spectrometry NMR measurements and DTF
      calculations were performed to enlighten the details of the speciation and
      stoichiometry of Al/Cac complexes. The results altogether show that Al/Cac dimer
      complexes prevail, but monomer and trimer forms are also present. Interestingly,
      it was found that cacodylate promotes the formation of such relatively simple
      complexes, even under conditions where the polymeric form, Al13O4(OH)24(7+),
      should predominate. The results obtained can help to shed some light into the
      reactivity of aluminium ions in biological environments.

PMID- 26487551
TI  - Early verb constructions in French: adjacency on the left edge.
AB  - Children acquiring French elaborate their early verb constructions by adding
      adjacent morphemes incrementally at the left edge of core verbs. This hypothesis
      was tested with 2657 verb uses from four children between 1;3 and 2;7. Consistent
      with the Adjacency Hypothesis, children added clitic subjects first only to
      present tense forms (as in il saute 'he jumps'); modals to infinitives (as in
      faut sauter 'has to jump'); and auxiliaries to past participles (as in a saute
      'has jumped'). Only after this did the children add subjects to the left of a
      modal or auxiliary, as in elle veut sauter 'she wants to jump', or elle a saute
      'she has jumped'. The order in which these elements were added, and the
      development in the frequencies of the constructions, all support the predictions
      of the Adjacency Hypothesis for left edge development in early verb
      constructions. 

PMID- 26487552
TI  - Cancers of the breast and prostate: a stem cell perspective.

PMID- 26487553
TI  - Disparate developmental patterns of immune responses to bacterial and viral
      infections in fish.
AB  - During early stages of development vertebrates rely on an immature immune system
      to fight pathogens, but in non mammalian species few studies have taken an in
      depth analysis of the transition from reliance on innate immune mechanisms to the
      appearance of adaptive immunity. Using rainbow trout as a model we characterized
      responses to two natural pathogens of this species, the Gram negative bacterium
      Aeromonas salmonicida and the virus VHSV, using microarray analysis at four early
      life history stages; eyed egg, post hatch, first feeding and three weeks post
      first feeding when adaptive immunity starts to be effective. All stages responded
      to both infections, but the complexity of the response increased with
      developmental stage. The response to virus showed a clear interferon response
      only from first feeding. In contrast, bacterial infection induced a marked
      response from early stages, with modulation of inflammatory, antimicrobial
      peptide and complement genes across all developmental stages. Whilst the viral
      and bacterial responses were distinct, there were modulated genes in common,
      mainly of general inflammatory molecules. This work provides a first platform to
      explore the development of fish immunity to infection, and to compare the age
      dependent changes (from embryo to adults) across vertebrates. 

PMID- 26487554
TI  - Resistance integrons: class 1, 2 and 3 integrons.
AB  - As recently indiscriminate abuse of existing antibiotics in both clinical and
      veterinary treatment leads to proliferation of antibiotic resistance in microbes
      and poses a dilemma for the future treatment of such bacterial infection,
      antimicrobial resistance has been considered to be one of the currently leading
      concerns in global public health, and reported to widely spread and extended to a
      large variety of microorganisms. In China, as one of the currently worst areas
      for antibiotics abuse, the annual prescription of antibiotics, including both
      clinical and veterinary treatment, has approaching 140 gram per person and been
      roughly estimated to be 10 times higher than that in the United Kingdom, which is
      considered to be a potential area for the emergence of "Super Bugs". Based on the
      integrons surveillance in Guangzhou, China in the past decade, this review thus
      aimed at summarizing the role of integrons in the perspective of both clinical
      setting and environment, with the focus on the occurrence and prevalence of class
      1, 2 and 3 integrons. 

PMID- 26487555
TI  - Correlation between apparent diffusion coefficients and HER2 status in gastric
      cancers: pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate whether apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value of
      gastric cancer obtained from diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) correlates with the
      HER2 status. METHODS: Forty-five patients, who had been diagnosed with gastric
      cancer through biopsy, were enrolled in this IRB-approved study. Each patient
      underwent a DWI (b values: 0 and 1,000 sec/mm(2)) prior to surgery (curative
      gastrectomy or palliative resection). Postoperative microscopic findings, HER2
      status by immunohistochemical analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization
      (FISH) were obtained. HER2 status was compared among gastric cancers with various
      histopathological features using the chi square test. The ADC values of gastric
      cancers with positive and negative HER2 were compared using the student t test.
      RESULTS: A weak yet significant correlation was observed between the mean ADC
      values and HER2 status (r = 0.312, P = 0.037) and scores (r = 0.419, P = 0.004).
      The mean ADC value of HER2-positive gastric cancers was significantly higher than
      those of HER2-negative tumors (1.211 vs. 0.984 mm(2)/s, P = 0.020). The minimal
      ADC value of HER2-positive gastric cancers was significantly higher than those of
      HER2-negative tumors (1.105 vs. 0.905 * 10(-3) mm(2)/s, P = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS:
      In this pilot study, we have demonstrated that the ADC values of gastric cancer
      correlate with the HER2 status. Future research is warranted to see if DWI can
      predict HER2 status and help in tailoring therapy for gastric cancer.

PMID- 26487556
TI  - TGFbeta signalling pathway regulates angiogenesis by endothelial cells, in an
      adipose-derived stromal cell/endothelial cell co-culture 3D gel model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the role of the TGFbeta signalling
      pathway in angiogenesis in a three-dimensional (3D) collagen gel model, with co
      culture between adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) and endothelial cells (ECs).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 3D collagen gel, implanted with green fluorescent
      protein-labelled mouse ASCs and red fluorescent protein-labelled mouse ECs, was
      established in vitro. Phenomena of angiogenesis with or without type I TGFbeta
      receptor inhibitor (LY2157299) treatment, were observed 7 days post-implantation,
      using confocal laser scanning microscopy. To detect expression of angiogenesis
      related genes, semi-quantitative PCR and quantitative real-time PCR were
      conducted. Zymography was performed to explore secretion of matrix
      metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) after
      treatment with LY2157299 of 5, 10, 20 to 50 MUm concentrations, for 24 h.
      RESULTS: Angiogenesis was found to be attenuated in co-culture gels after ASC and
      EC treatment with LY2157299. Genes VEGF-A, VEGF-B, VE-ca, FGF-1, FGF-2, PDGF,
      HGF, BMP-4 were significantly reduced in the presence of LY2157299 in both mono
      cultured and co-cultured ECs. Furthermore, reduction in co-cultured ECs was
      prominent relative to mono-cultured ECs, while the same results did not occur to
      ASCs. We further confirmed that gelatinases secreted by ECs were reduced in a
      dose-dependent manner, after treatment with LY2157299. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      indicate that in ASC/EC co-culture, the TGFbeta signalling pathway regulated
      angiogenesis via EC activity. Co-cultured ECs were regulated more significantly
      than mono-cultured ECs suggesting that inhibition of TGFbetaRI may regulate
      paracrine secretion of ASCs to further modulate EC angiogenesis.

PMID- 26487557
TI  - The 'vicious cycle' of personalised asthma action plan implementation in primary
      care: a qualitative study of patients and health professionals' views.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Personal asthma action plans (PAAPs) have been guideline recommended
      for years, but consistently under-issued by health professionals and under
      utilised by patients. Previous studies have investigated sub-optimal PAAP
      implementation but more insight is needed into barriers to their use from the
      perspective of professionals, patients and primary care teams. METHODS: A maximum
      variation sample of professional and patient participants were recruited from
      five demographically diverse general practices and another group of primary care
      professionals in one Scottish region. Interviews were digitally recorded and data
      thematically analysed using NVivo. RESULTS: Twenty-nine semi-structured
      interviews were conducted (11 adults with asthma, seven general practitioners,
      ten practice nurses, one hospital respiratory nurse). Three over-arching themes
      emerged: 1) patients generally do not value PAAPs, 2) professionals do not fully
      value PAAPs and, 3) multiple barriers reduce the value of PAAPs in primary care.
      Six patients had a PAAP but these were outdated, not reflecting their needs and
      not used. Patients reported not wanting or needing PAAPs, yet identified
      circumstances when these could be useful. Fifteen professionals had selectively
      issued PAAPs with eight having reviewed one. Many professionals did not value
      PAAPs as they did not see patients using these and lacked awareness of times when
      patients could have benefited from one. Multi-level compounding barriers emerged.
      Individual barriers included poor patient awareness and professionals not
      reinforcing PAAP use. Organisational barriers included professionals having
      difficulty accessing PAAP templates and fragmented processes including patients
      not being asked to bring PAAPs to their asthma appointments. CONCLUSIONS: Primary
      care PAAP implementation is in a vicious cycle. Professionals infrequently
      review/update PAAPs with patients; patients with out-dated PAAPs do not value or
      use these; professionals observing patients' lack of interest in PAAPs do not
      discuss these. Patients observing this do not refer to their plans and perceive
      them to be of little value in asthma self-management. Twenty-five years after
      PAAPs were first recommended, primary care practices are still not ready to
      support their implementation. Breaking this vicious cycle to create a healthcare
      context more conducive to PAAP implementation requires a whole systems approach
      with multi-faceted interventions addressing patient, professional and
      organisational barriers.

PMID- 26487558
TI  - [Post-surgical palatal mucosal swelling without clinical signs and symptoms].

PMID- 26487559
TI  - Inner Workings: Legos in the lab.

PMID- 26487561
TI  - Autophagy Induces Prosenescent Changes in Proximal Tubular S3 Segments.
AB  - Evidence suggests that autophagy promotes the development of cellular senescence.
      Because cellular senescence contributes to renal aging and promotes the
      progression from AKI to CKD, we investigated the potential effect of tubular
      autophagy on senescence induction. Compared with kidneys from control mice,
      kidneys from mice with conditional deletion of autophagy-related 5 (Atg5) for
      selective ablation of autophagy in proximal tubular S3 segments (Atg5(Delta)
      (flox/) (Delta) (flox)) presented with significantly less tubular senescence,
      reduced interstitial fibrosis, and superior renal function 30 days after
      ischemia/reperfusion injury. To correlate this long-term outcome with differences
      in the early injury process, kidneys were analyzed 2 hours and 3 days after
      reperfusion. Notably, compared with kidneys of control mice, Atg5(Delta) (flox/)
      (Delta) (flox) kidneys showed more cell death in outer medullary S3 segments at 2
      hours but less tubular damage and inflammation at day 3. These data suggest that
      the lack of autophagy prevents early survival mechanisms in severely damaged
      tubular cells. However, if such compromised cells persist, then they may lead to
      maladaptive repair and proinflammatory changes, thereby facilitating the
      development of a senescent phenotype and CKD. 

PMID- 26487562
TI  - AKI after Transcatheter or Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement.
AB  - Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an alternative to surgical
      aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for patients with symptomatic severe aortic
      stenosis who are at high risk of perioperative mortality. Previous studies showed
      increased risk of postoperative AKI with TAVR, but it is unclear whether
      differences in patient risk profiles confounded the results. To conduct a
      propensity-matched study, we identified all adult patients undergoing isolated
      aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis at Mayo Clinic Hospital in
      Rochester, Minnesota from January 1, 2008 to June 30, 2014. Using propensity
      score matching on the basis of clinical characteristics and preoperative
      variables, we compared the postoperative incidence of AKI, defined by Kidney
      Disease Improving Global Outcomes guidelines, and major adverse kidney events in
      patients treated with TAVR with that in patients treated with SAVR. Major adverse
      kidney events were the composite of in-hospital mortality, use of RRT, and
      persistent elevated serum creatinine >=200% from baseline at hospital discharge.
      Of 1563 eligible patients, 195 matched pairs (390 patients) were created. In the
      matched cohort, baseline characteristics, including Society of Thoracic Surgeons
      risk score and eGFR, were comparable between the two groups. Furthermore, no
      significant differences existed between the TAVR and SAVR groups in postoperative
      AKI (24.1% versus 29.7%; P=0.21), major adverse kidney events (2.1% versus 1.5%;
      P=0.70), or mortality >6 months after surgery (6.0% versus 8.3%; P=0.51). Thus,
      TAVR did not affect postoperative AKI risk. Because it is less invasive than
      SAVR, TAVR may be preferred in high-risk individuals.

PMID- 26487564
TI  - TIM-1 acts a dual-attachment receptor for Ebolavirus by interacting directly with
      viral GP and the PS on the viral envelope.
AB  - Ebolavirus can cause hemorrhagic fever in humans with a mortality rate of 50%
      90%. Currently, no approved vaccines and antiviral therapies are available. Human
      TIM1 is considered as an attachment factor for EBOV, enhancing viral infection
      through interaction with PS located on the viral envelope. However, reasons
      underlying the preferable usage of hTIM-1, but not other PS binding receptors by
      filovirus, remain unknown. We firstly demonstrated a direct interaction between
      hTIM-1 and EBOV GP in vitro and determined the crystal structures of the Ig V
      domains of hTIM-1 and hTIM-4. The binding region in hTIM-1 to EBOV GP was mapped
      by chimeras and mutation assays, which were designed based on structural
      analysis. Pseudovirion infection assays performed using hTIM-1 and its homologs
      as well as point mutants verified the location of the GP binding site and the
      importance of EBOV GP-hTIM-1 interaction in EBOV cellular entry.

PMID- 26487565
TI  - The creation of synthetic crystalline bovine  insulin.

PMID- 26487563
TI  - The effects of exercise training in a weight loss lifestyle intervention on
      asthma control, quality of life and psychosocial symptoms in adult obese
      asthmatics: protocol of a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma and obesity are public health problems with increasing
      prevalence worldwide. Clinical and epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that
      obese asthmatics have worse clinical control and health related quality of life
      (HRQL) despite an optimized medical treatment. Bariatric surgery is successful to
      weight-loss and improves asthma control; however, the benefits of nonsurgical
      interventions remain unknown. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a randomized controlled
      trial with 2-arms parallel. Fifty-five moderate or severe asthmatics with grade
      II obesity (BMI >= 35 kg/m(2)) under optimized medication will be randomly
      assigned into either weight-loss program + sham (WL + S group) or weight-loss
      program + exercise (WL + E group). The weight loss program will be the same for
      both groups including nutrition and psychological therapies (every 15 days, total
      of 6 sessions, 60 min each). Exercise program will include aerobic and resistance
      muscle training while sham treatment will include a breathing and stretching
      program (both programs twice a week, 3 months, 60 min each session). The primary
      outcome variable will be asthma clinical control. Secondary outcomes include
      HRQL, levels of depression and anxiety, lung function, daily life physical
      activity, body composition, maximal aerobic capacity, strength muscle and sleep
      disorders. Potential mechanism (changes in lung mechanical and airway/systemic
      inflammation) will also be examined to explain the benefits in both groups.
      DISCUSSION: This study will bring a significant contribution to the literature
      evaluating the effects of exercise conditioning in a weight loss intervention in
      obese asthmatics as well as will evaluate possible involved mechanisms. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: NCT02188940.

PMID- 26487566
TI  - A conserved co-chaperone is required for virulence in fungal plant pathogens.
AB  - The maize pathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis experiences endoplasmic reticulum
      (ER) stress during plant colonization and relies on the unfolded protein response
      (UPR) to cope with this stress. We identified the U. maydis co-chaperone,
      designated Dnj1, as part of this conserved cellular response to ER stress. ?dnj1
      cells are sensitive to the ER stressor tunicamycin and display a severe virulence
      defect in maize infection assays. A dnj1 mutant allele unable to stimulate the
      ATPase activity of chaperones phenocopies the null allele. A Dnj1-mCherry fusion
      protein localizes in the ER and interacts with the luminal chaperone Bip1. The
      Fusarium oxysporum Dnj1 ortholog contributes to the virulence of this fungal
      pathogen in tomato plants. Unlike the human ortholog, F. oxysporum Dnj1 partially
      rescues the virulence defect of the Ustilago dnj1 mutant. By enabling the fungus
      to restore ER homeostasis and maintain a high secretory activity, Dnj1
      contributes to the establishment of a compatible interaction with the host. Dnj1
      orthologs are present in many filamentous fungi, but are absent in budding and
      fission yeasts. We postulate a conserved and essential role during virulence for
      this class of co-chaperones.

PMID- 26487568
TI  - Parental perceptions of barriers to mental health services for young people.
AB  - AIM: This study explores a range of barriers that parents encountered in
      accessing mental health services. The study also explored whether parents
      experienced similar barriers to accessing services in 2003 and 2013. METHODS: One
      hundred and thirty-four parents of young people attending an initial assessment
      at a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) or headspace centre
      completed a questionnaire assessing 10 general barriers to care. These data were
      compared to those collected from 129 participants at CAMHS in 2003. RESULTS: The
      ranking of barriers to mental health care for their children was similar for both
      survey years, with 'wait time being too long' and 'help being too expensive' the
      two highest ranked barriers. Cost factors were related to not knowing that the
      services did not charge fees and having to take time off work to attend
      appointments. Multiple referral steps and uncertain wait times were the main
      concerns regarding wait times. The overall strength with which barriers were
      endorsed remained relatively low; however, at least 40% of the sample agreed they
      had experienced four of the barriers in both years. CONCLUSIONS: Despite
      relatively low endorsement of barriers, there are substantial proportions of
      parents who experienced some barriers to services, and services should continue
      working to reduce them to facilitate timely access. There is a particular need
      for more service-related information to clarify that public sector mental health
      services do not charge fees. Methods such as rapid initial assessment and
      actively managing wait lists may go some way to reducing perceived wait time
      barriers.

PMID- 26487567
TI  - Children's Mental Health and Well-Being After Parental Intimate Partner Homicide:
      A Systematic Review.
AB  - When one parent kills the other, children are confronted with multiple losses,
      involving their attachment figures and their direct living environment. In these
      complex situations, potentially drastic decisions are made, for example,
      regarding new living arrangements and contact with the perpetrating parent. We
      aimed to synthesize the empirical literature on children's mental health and well
      being after parental intimate partner homicide. A systematic search identified 17
      relevant peer-reviewed articles (13 independent samples). We recorded the
      theoretical background, methodology, and sample characteristics of the studies,
      and extracted all child outcomes as well as potential risk and protective
      factors. Children's outcomes varied widely and included psychological, social,
      physical, and academic consequences (e.g., post-traumatic stress, attachment
      difficulties, weight and appetite changes, and drops in school grades). Potential
      risk and protective factors for children's outcomes included 10 categories of pre
      , peri-, and post-homicide characteristics such as cultural background of the
      family, whether the child witnessed the homicide, and the level of conflict
      between the families of the victim and the perpetrator. We integrated the
      findings into a conceptual model of risk factors to direct clinical reflection
      and further research. 

PMID- 26487569
TI  - Influence of the surface charge of PLGA nanoparticles on their in vitro
      genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, ROS production and endocytosis.
AB  - With the ongoing commercialization of nanotechnology products, human exposure to
      nanoparticles (NPs) is set to increase dramatically and an evaluation of their
      potential adverse effects is essential. Surface charge, among other physico
      chemicals parameters, is a key criterion that should be considered when using a
      definition for nanomaterials in a regulatory context. It has recently been
      recognized as an important factor in determining the toxicity of NPs; however, a
      complete understanding of the mechanisms involved is still lacking. In this
      context, the aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of the
      surface charge modification of NPs on in vitro toxicity assays. Poly(lactic-co
      glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles bearing different surface charges,
      positive(+), neutral(n) or negative(-), were synthesized. In vitro genotoxicity
      assays (micronucleus and comet assays) coupled with an assessment of
      cytotoxicity, were performed in different cell lines (L5178Y mouse lymphoma
      cells, TK6 human B-lymphoblastoid cells and 16HBE14o- human bronchial epithelial
      cells). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and endocytosis studies were
      also performed. Our results showed that PLGA(+) NPs were cytotoxic. They are
      endocytosed by the clathrin pathway and induced ROS in the three cell lines. They
      led to chromosomal aberrations without primary DNA damage in 16HBE14o- cells,
      suggesting that aneuploidy may be considered as an important biomarker when
      assessing the genotoxic potential of NPs. Moreover, 16HBE14o- cells seem to be
      more suitable for the in vitro screening of inhaled NPs than the regulatory
      L5178Y and TK6 cells.

PMID- 26487570
TI  - Enantioselective Trichloromethylation of MBH-Fluorides with Chloroform Based on
      Silicon-assisted C-F Activation and Carbanion Exchange Induced by a Ruppert
      Prakash Reagent.
AB  - Enantioselective trichloromethylation of Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH)-type allylic
      fluorides with chloroform (HCCl3 ) under organocatalysis was achieved with high
      to excellent enantioselectivities. Silicon-assisted C?F bond activation by a
      Ruppert-Prakash reagent and direct activation of HCCl3 by a carbanion exchange
      process with trifluoromethyl (CF3 ) carbanion generated in situ from the Ruppert
      Prakash reagent realized the direct asymmetric trichloromethylation at a
      stereogenic allylic positon, without any help from transition metal catalysis,
      and under very mild conditions. Pre-activation of HCCl3 was not required. This
      method was extended to the direct enantioselective introduction of other C-H
      compounds such as alkyne, arene, indene, and FBSM without any pre-activation
      under a metal-free system.

PMID- 26487571
TI  - Reliability of blood test results in samples obtained using a 2-mL discard volume
      from the proximal lumen of a triple-lumen central venous catheter in the
      critically ill patient.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intensive care patients require a high frequency of blood testing,
      which results in a significant amount of blood loss. When blood is obtained from
      a central venous catheter (CVC), a large volume is usually discarded to obtain an
      unaltered sample for testing. AIM: To determine the reliability of complete blood
      test results in blood samples obtained from the proximal lumen of a triple-lumen
      CVC using a 2-mL discard volume DESIGN: Observational study with the prospective
      collection of data METHODS: The subjects enrolled were all patients with a
      subclavian triple-lumen CVC, older than 17 years and consecutively admitted to
      intensive care over a 2-year period. In each of the 54 participants, one blood
      sample was drawn from the proximal lumen of the catheter, discarding 1.61 mL of
      blood plus 0.39 mL of catheter deadspace (2 mL) and without interrupting infusion
      in the middle and distal lumens. A second sample was then obtained by direct
      venous puncture. The reliability of blood test results was determined by
      comparing sets of variables recorded for the two sampling methods through
      intraclass correlation coefficients in the Bland-Altman method. RESULTS: Inter
      method reliability for the variables examined was excellent, >0.75; range (0.868
      0.998). Mean differences between the two sample types for the variables most
      often determined in critically ill patients were leukocytes: 0.200 * 103 /uL, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) (0.025 to 0.375); erythrocytes: 0.045 * 106 /uL, 95% CI
      (-0.003 to 0.094); sodium: 0.074 mEq/L, 95% CI (-0.369 to 0.517); potassium: 
      0.002mEq/L, 95% CI (-0.065 to 0.061) and glucose: 2.426 mg/dL, 95% CI (0.498
      4.354). CONCLUSIONS: The sampling method proposed minimizes blood loss while
      offering reliable blood test results. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The main
      benefit of the method proposed is reduced blood loss, improving the care of a
      critically ill patient.

PMID- 26487572
TI  - Secondary Binding Interactions in a Synthetic Receptor for Trimethyllysine.
AB  - We have systematically studied how secondary interactions with neighboring lysine
      (Lys) and arginine (Arg) residues influence the binding and selectivity of the
      synthetic receptor A2 N for trimethyllysine (Kme3 ). Multiple secondary binding
      sites on A2 N are formed by carboxylates rigidly positioned over aromatic rings,
      a motif that has been shown to stabilize salt bridges. We varied the spacing
      between KmeX (X=0, 3) and an ancillary Lys or Arg and measured binding by
      isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). These studies revealed that both
      neighboring residues improve the binding of A2 N to KmeX by approximately 1 kcal
      mol(-1) , with little influence of the spacing. Nonetheless, the improvement in
      affinity caused by Arg is enthalpically driven, while for Lys it is entropically
      driven, suggesting different mechanisms by which the residues interact with the
      secondary binding site. 

PMID- 26487573
TI  - Metagenomic investigation of the geologically unique Hellenic Volcanic Arc
      reveals a distinctive ecosystem with unexpected physiology.
AB  - Hydrothermal vents represent a deep, hot, aphotic biosphere where chemosynthetic
      primary producers, fuelled by chemicals from Earth's subsurface, form the basis
      of life. In this study, we examined microbial mats from two distinct volcanic
      sites within the Hellenic Volcanic Arc (HVA). The HVA is geologically and
      ecologically unique, with reported emissions of CO2 -saturated fluids at
      temperatures up to 220 degrees C and a notable absence of macrofauna. Metagenomic
      data reveals highly complex prokaryotic communities composed of
      chemolithoautotrophs, some methanotrophs, and to our surprise, heterotrophs
      capable of anaerobic degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons. Our data suggest that
      aromatic hydrocarbons may indeed be a significant source of carbon in these
      sites, and instigate additional research into the nature and origin of these
      compounds in the HVA. Novel physiology was assigned to several uncultured
      prokaryotic lineages; most notably, a SAR406 representative is attributed with a
      role in anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation. This dataset, the largest to date from
      submarine volcanic ecosystems, constitutes a significant resource of novel genes
      and pathways with potential biotechnological applications. 

PMID- 26487574
TI  - Work-life balance/imbalance: the dominance of the middle class and the neglect of
      the working class.
AB  - The paper was stimulated by the relative absence of the working class from work
      life debates. The common conclusion from work-life studies is that work-life
      imbalance is largely a middle-class problem. It is argued here that this classed
      assertion is a direct outcome of a particular and narrow interpretation of work
      life imbalance in which time is seen to be the major cause of difficulty. Labour
      market time, and too much of it, dominates the conceptualization of work-life and
      its measurement too. This heavy focus on too much labour market time has rendered
      largely invisible from dominant work-life discourses the types of imbalance that
      are more likely to impact the working class. The paper's analysis of large UK
      data-sets demonstrates a reduction in hours worked by working-class men, more
      part-time employment in working-class occupations, and a substantial growth in
      levels of reported financial insecurity amongst the working classes after the
      2008-9 recession. It shows too that economic-based work-life imbalance is
      associated with lower levels of life satisfaction than is temporal imbalance. The
      paper concludes that the dominant conceptualization of work-life disregards the
      major work-life challenge experienced by the working class: economic precarity.
      The work-life balance debate needs to more fully incorporate economic-based work
      life imbalance if it is to better represent class inequalities. 

PMID- 26487576
TI  - It will take more than an opt-out system to increase organ donation: prioritise
      donors to receive organs.

PMID- 26487575
TI  - Views on electronic cigarette use in tobacco screening and cessation in an Alaska
      Native healthcare setting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: American Indian (AI) and Alaska Native (AN) communities confront some
      of the highest rates of tobacco use and its sequelae. METHODS: This formative
      research project sought to identify the perspectives of 41 stakeholders
      (community members receiving care within the healthcare system, primary care
      providers, and tribal healthcare system leaders) surrounding the use of
      pharmacogenetics toward tobacco cessation treatment in the setting of an AI/AN
      owned and operated health system in south central Alaska. RESULTS: Interviews
      were held with 20 adult AI/AN current and former tobacco users, 12 healthcare
      providers, and 9 tribal leaders. An emergent theme from data analysis was that
      current tobacco screening and cessation efforts lack information on electronic
      cigarette (e-cigarette) use. Perceptions of the use of e-cigarettes role in
      tobacco cessation varied. CONCLUSION: Preventive screening for tobacco use and
      clinical cessation counseling should address e-cigarette use. Healthcare provider
      tobacco cessation messaging should similarly address e-cigarettes.

PMID- 26487577
TI  - Bevacizumab/high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem-cell transplant for poor
      risk relapsed or refractory germ-cell tumors.

PMID- 26487579
TI  - Immunity and HER2-positive disease: never stop questioning.

PMID- 26487580
TI  - Metabolic phenotyping of human blood plasma: a powerful tool to discriminate
      between cancer types?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence has shown that cancer cell metabolism differs
      from that of normal cells. However, up to now it is not clear whether different
      cancer types are characterized by a specific metabolite profile. Therefore, this
      study aims to evaluate whether the plasma metabolic phenotype allows to
      discriminate between lung and breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The proton
      nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of plasma is divided into 110 integration
      regions, representing the metabolic phenotype. These integration regions reflect
      the relative metabolite concentrations and were used to train a classification
      model in discriminating between 80 female breast cancer patients and 54 female
      lung cancer patients, all with an adenocarcinoma. The validity of the model was
      examined by permutation testing and by classifying an independent validation
      cohort of 60 female breast cancer patients and 81 male lung cancer patients, all
      with an adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: The model allows to classify 99% of the breast
      cancer patients and 93% of the lung cancer patients correctly with an area under
      the curve (AUC) of 0.96 and can be validated in the independent cohort with a
      sensitivity of 89%, a specificity of 82% and an AUC of 0.94. Decreased levels of
      sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine (phospholipids with choline head group) and
      phospholipids with short, unsaturated fatty acid chains next to increased levels
      of phospholipids with long, saturated fatty acid chains seem to indicate that
      cell membranes of lung tumors are more rigid and less sensitive to lipid
      peroxidation. The other discriminating metabolites are pointing to a more
      pronounced response of the body to the Warburg effect for lung cancer.
      CONCLUSION: Metabolic phenotyping of plasma allows to discriminate between lung
      and breast cancer, indicating that the metabolite profile reflects more than a
      general cancer marker. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02362776.

PMID- 26487578
TI  - Randomized phase III trial in elderly patients comparing LV5FU2 with or without
      irinotecan for first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (FFCD 2001
      02).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) frequently occurs in elderly
      patients. However, data from a geriatric tailored randomized trial about
      tolerance to and the efficacy of doublet chemotherapy (CT) with irinotecan in the
      elderly are lacking. The benefit of first-line CT intensification remains an
      issue in elderly patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Elderly patients (75+) with
      previously untreated mCRC were randomly assigned in a 2 * 2 factorial design
      (four arms) to receive 5-FU (5-fluorouracil)-based CT, either alone (FU: LV5FU2
      or simplified LV5FU2) or in combination with irinotecan [IRI: LV5FU2-irinotecan
      or simplified LV5FU2-irinotecan (FOLFIRI)]. The CLASSIC arm was defined as LV5FU2
      or LV5FU2-irinotecan and the SIMPLIFIED arm as simplified LV5FU2 or FOLFIRI. The
      primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary end points were
      overall survival (OS), safety and objective response rate (ORR). RESULTS: From
      June 2003 to May 2010, 71 patients were randomly assigned to LV5FU2, 71 to
      simplified LV5FU2, 70 to LV5FU2-irinotecan and 70 to FOLFIRI. The median age was
      80 years (range 75-92 years). No significant difference was observed for the
      median PFS: FU 5.2 months versus IRI 7.3 months, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.84 (0.66
      1.07), P = 0.15 and CLASSIC 6.5 months versus SIMPLIFIED 6.0 months, HR = 0.85
      (0.67-1.09), P = 0.19. The ORR was superior in IRI (P = 0.0003): FU 21.1% versus
      IRI 41.7% and in CLASSIC (P = 0.04): CLASSIC 37.1% versus SIMPLIFIED 25.6%.
      Median OS was 14.2 months in FU versus 13.3 months in IRI, HR = 0.96 (0.75-1.24)
      and 15.2 months in CLASSIC versus 11.4 months in SIMPLIFIED, HR = 0.71 (0.55
      0.92). More patients presented grade 3-4 toxicities in IRI (52.2% versus 76.3%).
      CONCLUSION: In this elderly population, adding irinotecan to an infusional 5-FU
      based CT did not significantly increase either PFS or OS. Classic LV5FU2 was
      associated with an improved OS compared with simplified LV5FU2.
      CLINICALTRIALSGOV: NCT00303771.

PMID- 26487581
TI  - Risk factors for neuroendocrine neoplasms: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are rare cancers mainly of lung and
      digestive tract. Little is known on risk factors. The aim of this work is to
      define the risk factors for NEN development by extensive review and meta-analysis
      of published data. METHODS: The search was conducted on Medline, Scopus, and Web
      of Science following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and
      Meta-Analyses. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used for study quality. Meta
      analyses were conducted by primary site. Odds ratio (OR), hazard ratio, risk
      ratio, standardized incidence ratio, and associated 95% confidence intervals
      (CIs) were abstracted. Data were combined and analyses carried out for risk
      factors considered by at least two studies. Random-effects model was adopted for
      study variation. RESULTS: Of 1535 extracted articles, 24 were enrolled. Meta
      analyses were possible for pancreas, small intestine, and rectum. Risk for NEN
      associated with: (i) family history of cancer at all investigated sites (lung,
      stomach, pancreas, small intestine, appendix, and colon; OR 2.12 [95% CI 1.40
      3.22, I(2) = 0.0%, P = 0.681] at meta-analysis in pancreas); (ii) body mass index
      (BMI) or diabetes (stomach, pancreas, and small intestine; OR of 2.76 [95% CI
      1.65-4.64, I(2) = 58.5%, P = 0.090] for diabetes at meta-analysis in pancreas);
      (iii) cigarette smoking (lung, stomach, pancreas, and small intestine; OR of 1.34
      [95% CI 1.10-1.63, I(2) = 0.0%, P = 0.780] and of 1.59 [95% CI 1.07-2.37, I(2) =
      32.9%, P = 0.225] for smokers versus never-smokers at meta-analysis for pancreas
      and small intestine); (iv) alcohol consumption (pancreas and rectum; OR of 2.44
      [95% CI 1.07-5.59, I(2) = 65.8%, P = 0.054] and of 1.53 [95% CI 0.99-2.35, I(2) =
      0.0%, P = 0.630] for heavy drinkers versus never-drinkers at meta-analysis for
      pancreas and rectum). CONCLUSIONS: Family history of cancer is the most relevant
      risk factor for NEN development at all investigated sites, followed by BMI and
      diabetes. Cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption are potential risk factors
      for selected anatomical sites.

PMID- 26487582
TI  - Second-line single-agent versus doublet chemotherapy as salvage therapy for
      metastatic urothelial cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of a combination of chemotherapeutic agent
      compared with single-agent chemotherapy in the second-line setting of advanced
      urothelial carcinoma (UC) are unclear. We aimed to study the survival impact of
      single-agent compared with doublet chemotherapy as second-line chemotherapy of
      advanced UC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Literature was searched for studies including
      single-agent or doublet chemotherapy in the second-line setting after platinum
      based chemotherapy. Random-effects models were used to pool trial-level data
      according to treatment arm, including median progression-free survival (PFS),
      overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR) probability, and grade 3-4
      toxicity. Univariable and multivariable analyses, including sensitivity analyses,
      were carried out, adjusting for the percent of patients with ECOG performance
      status >=1 and hepatic metastases. RESULTS: Forty-six arms of trials including
      1910 patients were selected: 22 arms with single agent (n = 1202) and 24 arms
      with doublets (n = 708). The pooled ORR with single agents was 14.2% [95%
      confidence interval (CI) 11.1-17.9] versus 31.9% [95% CI 27.3-36.9] with doublet
      chemotherapy. Pooled median PFS was 2.69 and 4.05 months, respectively. The
      pooled median OS was 6.98 and 8.50 months, respectively. Multivariably, the odds
      ratio for ORR and the pooled median difference of PFS were statistically
      significant (P < 0.001 and P = 0.002) whereas the median difference in OS was not
      (P = 0.284). When including single-agent vinflunine or taxanes only, differences
      were significant only for ORR (P < 0.001) favoring doublet chemotherapy. No
      statistically significant differences in grade 3-4 toxicity were seen between the
      two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Despite significant improvements in ORR and PFS, doublet
      regimens did not extend OS compared with single agents for the second-line
      chemotherapy of UC. Prospective trials are necessary to elucidate the role of
      combination chemotherapy, with or without targeted agents, in the salvage
      setting. Currently, improvements in this field should be pursued considering
      single-agent chemotherapy as the foundation for new more active combinations.

PMID- 26487583
TI  - Early market access of cancer drugs in the EU.
AB  - Patient access to new cancer drugs in the EU involves centralised licensing
      decisions by regulators as well as reimbursement recommendations in the context
      of national healthcare systems. Differences in assessment criteria and evidence
      requirements may result in divergent decisions at central and national levels,
      ultimately compromising effective access to patients. Early access decisions are
      particularly challenging due to the limited clinical evidence available to
      conclude on the benefit-risk and relative (cost-) effectiveness of new high
      priced cancer drugs. We describe mechanisms to accelerate approval of promising
      anticancer drugs that fulfil an unmet medical need, review the experience from
      the European Medicines Agency, compare timelines and outcomes of reimbursement
      decisions in major EU markets, and discuss shortcomings of the current system,
      ongoing initiatives, and future steps to facilitate effective early access. 

PMID- 26487584
TI  - A clinical case of invasive lobular breast carcinoma with ERBB2 and CDH1
      mutations presenting a dramatic response to anti-HER2-directed therapy.

PMID- 26487586
TI  - Comprehensive serum cytokine analysis identifies IL-1RA and soluble IL-2Ralpha as
      predictors of event-free survival in T-cell lymphoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: T-cell malignancies are heterogeneous in their clinical presentation
      and pathology, and have a poor prognosis. New biomarkers are needed to predict
      prognosis and to provide insights into signal pathways used by these cells. The
      goal of this study was to evaluate pretreatment serum cytokines in patients with
      newly diagnosed T-cell neoplasms and correlate with clinical outcome. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: We evaluated 30 cytokines in pretreatment serum from 68 untreated
      patients and 14 normal controls. Significantly elevated cytokines were correlated
      with patterns of abnormalities, event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival
      (OS). RESULTS: Our data demonstrated significantly elevated levels (versus
      controls) of seven cytokines-epidermal growth factor (EGF), IL-6, IL-12,
      interferon gamma-induced protein (IP)-10, soluble interleukin (sIL)-2Ralpha,
      monokine induced by gamma interferon (MIG), and IL-1RA-in all T-cell neoplasms (P
      < 0.05). In the angioimmunoblastic subset, all seven cytokines except IP-10 and
      in the peripheral T-cell lymphoma (TCL)-not otherwise specified subset, only IP
      10, sIL-2Ralpha, MIG, and IL-8 were statistically elevated compared with control.
      Of these, elevated cytokines all but EGF were predictive of an inferior EFS; IL
      1RA, sIL-2Ralpha, and MIG predicted an inferior OS. In a multivariate analysis,
      sIL-2Ralpha [hazard ratio (HR) = 3.95; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.61-8.38]
      and IL-1RA (HR = 3.28; 95% CI 1.47-7.29) levels remained independent predictors
      of inferior EFS. TCL cell lines secreted high levels of sIL-2Ralpha and expressed
      the IL-2Ralpha surface receptor. CONCLUSIONS: This report describes the cytokines
      relevant to prognosis in patients with untreated TCL and provides the rationale
      to include serum IL-1RA and sIL-2Ralpha as biomarkers in future trials.
      Inhibition of these cytokines may also be of therapeutic benefit.

PMID- 26487587
TI  - PD-L1 copy number gain in nonsmall-cell lung cancer defines a new subset of
      patients for anti PD-L1 therapy.

PMID- 26487585
TI  - Prospective and clinical validation of ALK immunohistochemistry: results from the
      phase I/II study of alectinib for ALK-positive lung cancer (AF-001JP study).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusions need to be accurately and
      efficiently detected for ALK inhibitor therapy. Fluorescence in situ
      hybridization (FISH) remains the reference test. Although increasing data are
      supporting that ALK immunohistochemistry (IHC) is highly concordant with FISH,
      IHC screening needed to be clinically and prospectively validated. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: In the AF-001JP trial for alectinib, 436 patients were screened for ALK
      fusions through IHC (n = 384) confirmed with FISH (n = 181), multiplex RT-PCR (n
      = 68), or both (n = 16). IHC results were scored with iScore. RESULT: ALK fusion
      was positive in 137 patients and negative in 250 patients. Since the presence of
      cancer cells in the samples for RT-PCR was not confirmed, ALK fusion negativity
      could not be ascertained in 49 patients. IHC interpreted with iScore showed a
      99.4% (173/174) concordance with FISH. All 41 patients who had iScore 3 and were
      enrolled in phase II showed at least 30% tumor reduction with 92.7% overall
      response rate. Two IHC-positive patients with an atypical FISH pattern responded
      to ALK inhibitor therapy. The reduction rate was not correlated with IHC staining
      intensity. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed (i) that when sufficiently sensitive and
      appropriately interpreted, IHC can be a stand-alone diagnostic for ALK inhibitor
      therapies; (ii) that when atypical FISH patterns are accompanied by IHC
      positivity, the patients should be considered as candidates for ALK inhibitor
      therapies, and (iii) that the expression level of ALK fusion is not related to
      the level of response to ALK inhibitors and is thus not required for patient
      selection. REGISTRATION NUMBER: JapicCTI-101264 (This study is registered with
      the Japan Pharmaceutical Information Center).

PMID- 26487588
TI  - Early initiation of chemotherapy following complete resection of advanced ovarian
      cancer associated with improved survival: NRG Oncology/Gynecologic Oncology Group
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To determine whether time from surgery to initiation of chemotherapy
      impacts survival in advanced ovarian carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a
      post-trial ad hoc analysis of Gynecologic Oncology Group protocol 218, a phase
      III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to study the
      antiangiogenesis agent, bevacizumab, in primary and maintenance therapy for
      patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian carcinoma. Maximum attempt at
      debulking was an eligibility criterion. Stage III patients, not stage IV, were
      required to have gross macroscopic or palpable residual disease following
      surgery. The survival impact of time from surgery to initiation of chemotherapy
      was studied using Cox regression models and stratified by treatment arm, residual
      disease and other clinical and pathologic factors. RESULTS: One thousand seven
      hundred eighteen assessable patients were randomized (stage III (n = 1237); stage
      IV (n = 477), including those with complete resection (stage IV only, n = 81),
      low-volume residual (<=1 cm, n = 701), and suboptimal (>1 cm, n = 932). On
      multivariate analysis, time to chemotherapy initiation was predictive of overall
      survival (P < 0.001), with the complete resection group (i.e. stage IV)
      encountering an increased risk of death when time to initiation of chemotherapy
      exceeded 25 days (95% confidence interval 16.6-49.9 days). CONCLUSION: Survival
      for women with advanced ovarian cancer may be adversely affected when initiation
      of chemotherapy occurs >25 days following surgery. Our analysis applies to stage
      IV only as women with stage III who underwent complete resection were not
      eligible for this trial. These results, however, are consistent with Gompertzian
      first-order kinetics where patients with microscopic residual are most
      vulnerable. CLINICAL TRIALS IDENTIFIER: NCT00262847.

PMID- 26487589
TI  - A prospective study of total plasma cell-free DNA as a predictive biomarker for
      response to systemic therapy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung
      cancers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While previous studies have reported on the prognostic value of total
      plasma cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid (cfDNA) in lung cancers, few have
      prospectively evaluated its predictive value for systemic therapy response.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the
      association between changes in total cfDNA and radiologic response to systemic
      therapy in patients with stage IIIB/IV non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs).
      Paired blood collections for cfDNA and computed tomography (CT) assessments by
      RECIST v1.0 were performed at baseline and 6-12 weeks after therapy initiation.
      Total cfDNA levels were measured in plasma using quantitative real-time
      polymerase chain reaction. Associations between changes in cfDNA and radiologic
      response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were
      measured using Kruskal-Wallis and Kaplan-Meier estimates. RESULTS: A total of 103
      patients completed paired cfDNA and CT response assessments. Systemic therapy
      administered included cytotoxic chemotherapy in 57% (59/103), molecularly
      targeted therapy in 17% (17/103), and combination therapy in 26% (27/103). Median
      change in cfDNA from baseline to response assessment did not significantly differ
      by radiologic response categories of progression of disease, stable disease and
      partial response (P = 0.10). However, using radiologic response as continuous
      variable, there was a weak positive correlation between change in radiologic
      response and change in cfDNA (Spearman's correlation coefficient 0.21, P = 0.03).
      Baseline cfDNA levels were not associated with PFS [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.06, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.93-1.20, P = 0.41] or OS (HR = 1.04, 95% CI 0.93-1.17,
      P = 0.51), neither were changes in cfDNA. CONCLUSIONS: In this large prospective
      study, changes in total cfDNA over time did not significantly predict radiologic
      response from systemic therapy in patients with advanced NSCLC. Pretreatment
      levels of total cfDNA were not prognostic of survival. Total cfDNA level is not a
      highly specific predictive biomarker and future investigations in cfDNA should
      focus on tumor-specific genomic alterations using expanded capabilities of next
      generation sequencing.

PMID- 26487592
TI  - Effects of overweight and obesity on motor and mental development in infants and
      toddlers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A consequence of childhood obesity may be poor developmental
      outcomes. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the relationship between weight
      and developmental delays in young children. METHODS: We conducted a secondary
      analysis of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Birth Cohort data. Logistic
      regression models quantified the association between different weight statuses
      (normal weight <85th, overweight >=90th, obese >=95th percentile for weight) and
      delays in motor and mental development. RESULTS: Children classified as
      overweight in both waves had higher percentages of delays in wave 2 (motor [7.5
      vs. 6.2-6.4%], mental [8.6 vs. 5.9-6.7%]), as well as wave 1 and/or wave 2 (motor
      [14.8 vs. 10.9-13.0%], mental [11.9 vs. 9.0-10.1%]), compared with other
      children. This association was also found in children who were obese at both time
      points in wave 2 (motor delay [8.9 vs. 4.9-7.3%], mental delay [10.3 vs. 6.0
      7.2%]), as well as wave 1 and/or wave 2 (motor delay [14.5 vs. 10.9-12.9%],
      mental delay [14.1 vs. 9.4-10.1%]). In the adjusted models, children classified
      as always obese were more likely to have a mental delay in wave 2 (adjusted odds
      ratio [aOR] 1.89, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.21-2.95) as well as wave 1
      and/or wave 2 (aOR 1.56, 95% CI: 1.08-2.26). These children were also more likely
      to have motor delay (aOR 1.47, 95% CI: 1.02-2.13) in wave 1 and/or wave 2.
      CONCLUSION: Overweight children are more likely than their normal-weight peers to
      have motor and mental developmental delays. Preventing obesity during infancy may
      facilitate reducing developmental delays in young children.

PMID- 26487591
TI  - Single incision laparoscopic surgery for multiple colorectal cancers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate short-term outcomes of single
      incision surgery with two segmental colorectal resections and anastomoses for
      multiple synchronous colorectal cancers. METHODS: Ten patients with multiple
      colorectal cancers underwent two synchronous segmental colorectal resections and
      anastomoses. The methodology of the procedures, operative results, and
      postoperative outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: The median operative time was 270
      min (range, 146-427 min), and the median blood loss was 70 mL (range, 10-260 mL).
      No conversions to open surgery or intraoperative complications occurred. Four
      cases needed additional ports, and one case required a diverting stoma.
      CONCLUSION: SILS with two segmental colorectal resections and anastomoses was
      safely performed in all cases without severe postoperative complications. This
      procedure seems to be a feasible option for resecting multiple synchronous
      colorectal cancers.

PMID- 26487594
TI  - Etiology of stroke in Broca's aphasia.
AB  - We reviewed clinical and diagnostic data from 36 patients with Broca's aphasia
      due to stroke who were evaluated at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
      between 1982 and 1989. The group consisted of 20 women and 16 men, aged 28-80
      (median, 63.5; mean, 57.5). The presumptive cause of cerebral infarction was
      embolism in 15 patients (42%), atherothrombosis in 9 (25%), undetermined in 9
      (25%), and "other" in 3 (8%). The ratios of women to men were 8:7, 3:6, 7:2, and
      2:1, respectively. A majority of emboli were of presumed cardiac origin: atrial
      fibrillation, 7; prosthetic cardiac valve, 3; and recent myocardial infarction,
      2. Eight of nine patients with atherothrombotic infarction had complete occlusion
      of the left internal carotid artery by duplex scan and/or angiography. Our data
      demonstrate (a) Broca's aphasia is frequently caused by cerebral embolism, (b)
      carotid occlusion can result in selective infarction of anterior language areas;
      and (c) women outnumbered men in our Broca's aphasia group. The latter finding is
      in contrast to a similar study of 38 patients with Wernicke's aphasia due to
      cerebral infarction studied at our institution, in which men outnumbered women 25
      to 13, with most of the difference in the embolic and undetermined groups. Gender
      differences in types of aphasia might be due to a predilection for middle
      cerebral artery emboli to result in infarction of anterior language areas in
      women and posterior language areas in men. 

PMID- 26487590
TI  - Mapping anhedonia-specific dysfunction in a transdiagnostic approach: an ALE meta
      analysis.
AB  - Anhedonia is a prominent symptom in neuropsychiatric disorders, most markedly in
      major depressive disorder (MDD) and schizophrenia (SZ). Emerging evidence
      indicates an overlap in the neural substrates of anhedonia between MDD and SZ,
      which supported a transdiagnostic approach. Therefore, we used activation
      likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance
      imaging studies in MDD and SZ to examine the neural bases of three subdomains of
      anhedonia: consummatory anhedonia, anticipatory anhedonia and emotional
      processing. ALE analysis focused specifically on MDD or SZ was used later to
      dissociate specific anhedonia-related neurobiological impairments from potential
      disease general impairments. ALE results revealed that consummatory anhedonia was
      associated with decreased activation in ventral basal ganglia areas, while
      anticipatory anhedonia was associated with more substrates in frontal-striatal
      networks except the ventral striatum, which included the dorsal anterior
      cingulate, middle frontal gyrus and medial frontal gyrus. MDD and SZ patients
      showed similar neurobiological impairments in anticipatory and consummatory
      anhedonia, but differences in the emotional experience task, which may also
      involve affective/mood general processing. These results support that anhedonia
      is characterized by alterations in reward processing and relies on frontal
      striatal brain circuitry. The transdiagnostic approach is a promising way to
      reveal the overall neurobiological framework that contributes to anhedonia and
      could help to improve targeted treatment strategies.

PMID- 26487593
TI  - Youth's Perceptions of Parental Support and Parental Knowledge as Moderators of
      the Association Between Youth-Probation Officer Relationship and Probation Non
      compliance.
AB  - As a community-based sanction, juvenile probation exemplifies the potential of
      both communities and families to make significant contributions in promoting
      positive changes among offending youth. Yet, surprisingly little research has
      explored the nature of these relationships and its association with offending.
      This study (1) examined the associations between youth-officer relationships,
      youth perceptions of parental support and knowledge, and probation non-compliance
      and (2) explored the role of parental support and knowledge as moderators of the
      association between youth-officer relationships and probation non-compliance
      among 110 youth supervised on probation (23 % females; 60 % African American).
      The findings showed that tough or punitive youth-officer relationships were
      associated with greater counts of technical violations, but fewer counts of
      delinquent offenses. Parental support was associated with fewer counts of
      delinquent offenses and parental knowledge was associated with fewer counts of
      both delinquent offenses and technical violations. These findings provide
      evidence to the important role of both parents and probation officers and
      underscore the potential benefits of parent-officer collaboration in facilitating
      successful interventions among offending youth.

PMID- 26487595
TI  - Risk of stroke in patients with congenital bicuspid valve.
AB  - The records of 75 patients with the diagnosis of bicuspid aortic valve (BAV)
      confirmed at the time of valve replacement were reviewed retrospectively to
      assess the frequency of cerebrovascular events. There were four transient
      ischemic attacks, one stroke, and one retinal embolus; four of these could be
      explained by factors other than embolism from the aortic valve (infective
      endocarditis, two; carotid plaque, one; prolapsed mitral valve, one).
      Cerebrovascular complications occurred close in time (median, 2 months prior) to
      valve replacement. We conclude that BAV is a rare cause of cardioembolic stroke,
      which occurs only with severe valvular dysfunction. The risk of cerebrovascular
      events with a functionally normal BAV is probably very low. 

PMID- 26487596
TI  - Relationship among paretic knee extension strength, maximum weight-bearing, and
      gait speed in patients with stroke.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the intercorrelations among maximum
      weight-bearing through the paretic lower extremity, paretic knee extension
      strength, and comfortable gait speed in hemiparetic patients following stroke.
      Twenty patients, who could ambulate at least 10.0 m with no more assistance than
      contact guarding of one person, participated. Isometric muscle strength (force)
      was measured with a hand-held dynamometer. Maximum weight-bearing measurements
      were normalized against (divided by) body weight. Gait speed was determined using
      a digital stopwatch as subjects walked 8.0 m. Significant correlations (r>0.611)
      were demonstrated among the three variables. The relationship between maximum
      weight-bearing and gait speed was the strongest and was best described by a
      curvilinear model (R = 0.830). The results suggest that both maximum weight
      bearing through the paretic lower extremity and paretic knee extension strength
      are valid predictors of gait speed among patients with stroke but that the former
      is superior to the latter for such a purpose. Given their simplicity and
      objectivity, these measures can be recommended for predicting and documenting
      improvement in patients with stroke undergoing rehabilitation. 

PMID- 26487597
TI  - Treatment of adult moyamoya disease by encephalo-duro-arterio-synangiosis: Five
      case reports.
AB  - Encephalo-duro-arterio-synangiosis (EDAS) is considered the surgical treatment of
      choice for most pediatric cases of moyamoya disease, but the success of this
      treatment in adults is less clear. We have compared pre- and postoperative
      angiograms of four adults and one adolescent with symptomatic moyamoya disease
      who underwent bilateral EDAS at Hermann Hospital in Houston. The postoperative
      follow-up period ranged from 6 to 18 months. The correlation of postoperative
      collateral flow and clinical course was good: of the three patients with
      documented collateralization, two experienced excellent clinical outcomes, and
      one experienced a good outcome. One patient had minimal collateralization and
      experienced progression of her neurologic symptoms. One patient experienced a
      good outcome and refused a postoperative angiogram. 

PMID- 26487598
TI  - Ataxia-hemiparesis and cardiac embolic disease.
AB  - Ataxia-hemiparesis is a clinical stroke syndrome with mild weakness and ataxia
      out of proportion to the weakness. Although most patients with ataxia-hemiparesis
      have small (lacunar) infarctions in the brainstem, internal capsule, or corona
      radiata, the syndrome has also been reported with infection, hemorrhage, and
      neoplasm in the same region. We now report a patient who presented with right
      ataxia-hemiparesis whose initial cranial computed tomography (CT) scan was normal
      and a second CT scan showed infarctions in the right cerebellum, left thalamus,
      and left frontal cortex. Initial echocardiogram showed segmental akinesis; a
      second study revealed a thrombus in the left ventricle. Ataxia-hemiparesis can
      sometimes be secondary to multiple infarcts resulting from cardiac emboli. In
      such cases, early recognition and anticoagulation could help prevent recurrences.

PMID- 26487599
TI  - Transesophageal echocardiography in the etiologic diagnosis of stroke.
AB  - One-sixth of all cerebral infarctions are the result of cardioembolic phenomena.
      The certainty with which the diagnosis of cardioembolic stroke is made, however,
      is frequently questioned. This has partly been the result of the low sensitivity
      of traditional cardiac diagnostic procedures, such as surface transthoracic
      echocardiography and Holter monitoring. Transesophageal echocardiography is a
      relatively new technique that has been shown to increase the yield for
      demonstrating cardiac abnormalities capable of producing brain embolism,
      particularly disease of the left atrium, left atrial appendage, and atrial
      septum. The sensitivity of this technique for documenting intracardiac thrombi,
      mitral valve prolapse, left atrial spontaneous contrast, particularly in
      comparison with transthoracic echocardiography is examined after reviewing the
      published series. 

PMID- 26487600
TI  - Evaluation of coexistent carotid and coronary disease by combined angiography.
AB  - We studied 247 patients who underwent combined coronary and carotid angiography
      to determine (a) the frequency of angiographic carotid stenosis (> 50%) in
      patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and (b) the technical quality and
      safety of the combined procedure. All patients were evaluated primarily for CAD.
      Combined carotid angiography was performed for asymptomatic carotid bruits (115
      patients, 47%), transient ischemic attacks (TIA) or stroke (66 patients, 26.5%),
      or inapparent/other reasons (66 patients, 26.5%). The extracranial internal
      carotid arteries were well visualized in 219 patients (89%); poor visualization
      of the internal carotid arteries was due to overlap by the vertebral or external
      carotid arteries. The frequency of >50% internal carotid stenosis was 36% in
      patients with asymptomatic carotid bruits, 42% in patients with TIA or stroke,
      and 8% in patients without TIA, stroke, or carotid bruits. Complication rates
      during combined coronary and carotid angiography in the 247 study patients were
      not statistically different from complication rates during coronary angiography
      alone in 686 control patients. These data indicate that (a) patients with CAD who
      have asymptomatic carotid bruits or a history of TIA or stroke have a high
      frequency of carotid stenosis, and (b) combined coronary and carotid angiography
      is a safe and technically adequate procedure. 

PMID- 26487601
TI  - Evidence for arterial embolization in dissecting aneurysm of the cervical
      vertebral artery.
AB  - Ultrasonographic imaging of the right cervical vertebral artery in a 57-year-old
      man with recurrent episodes of ischemia in the vertebrobasilar territory revealed
      a dissecting aneurysm with communication of the true and false lumen. This
      finding demonstrates that arterial dissection can form a nidus for distal
      embolization and supports the use of anticoagulation in this disorder. 

PMID- 26487602
TI  - Carotid artery findings associated with infarcts in different carotid vascular
      territories.
AB  - Brain infarctions in different vascular territories may be caused by different
      principal mechanisms. To assess the importance of extracranial carotid artery
      stenosis as a cause of brain infarctions, we compared carotid findings with
      infarcts in different vascular territories within the carotid circulation in 141
      patients. Infarct location was documented with computed tomography, magnetic
      resonance imaging, or ophthalmoscopy. All patients had a carotid artery study
      (arteriography in 83 and duplex ultrasound in the remaining 58). Carotid stenosis
      ipsilateral to infarct was found in 37/69 (54%) patients with superficial
      infarcts, 7/17 (41%) patients with lenticulostriate territory infarcts, 14/24
      (58%) patients with retinal infarcts, but in only 4/31 (13%) patients with
      anterior choroidal artery territory infarcts (p = 0.001). Among patients with
      superficial infarcts, hypertension was less common (p = 0.05), and the side with
      greater carotid stenosis correlated with the side of infarction (p < 0.001).
      Extracranial carotid stenosis appears to be an important cause of infarctions in
      the carotid territory, especially in the superficial territories, but not in the
      anterior choroidal artery territory. 

PMID- 26487603
TI  - Reversible basilar artery blood flow in subclavian steal syndrome.
AB  - Transcranial Doppler ultrasound examination of intracranial vertebral and basilar
      arteries was performed on a 61-year-old man who presented with symptoms of
      amaurosis fugax and subclavian steal syndrome. During arm exercise, flow in the
      basilar artery reversed direction from cephalad to caudal, coincident with
      symptoms of vertebrobasilar insufficiency. Following bilateral carotid
      endarterectomies, exercise-induced reverse flow velocities in the basilar artery
      were markedly increased, and the patient remained asymptomatic. These findings
      suggest that collateral flow from the anterior cerebral circulation may play an
      important role in the pathogenesis of brainstem ischemia in subclavian steal
      syndrome and that transcranial Doppler may identify a subgroup of patients who
      will benefit from procedures to augment cerebral blood flow. 

PMID- 26487604
TI  - EPR Study of Backbiting in the Aqueous-Solution Polymerization of Acrylamide.
AB  - Via electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, the type of radicals
      occurring during acrylamide (AAm) homopolymerization in aqueous solution is
      investigated between -5 and +100  degrees C. The radicals are produced
      photochemically under stationary conditions. Midchain AAm radicals (MCRs) are
      clearly identified by EPR which demonstrates that secondary propagating AAm
      radicals (SPRs) undergo backbiting reactions. Above 50  degrees C, the fraction
      of MCRs even exceeds the one of SPRs. The extent of backbiting is however well
      below the one in butyl acrylate polymerization at identical temperature. 

PMID- 26487605
TI  - Silent cerebrovascular lesions in patients with first-ever stroke.
AB  - Of 200 patients admitted for first-ever stroke and no prior history of transient
      ischemic attacks, 33 (16.5%) were found to have evidence of prior subclinical
      cerebral infarction on computed tomography (CT) or autopsy, so-called "silent
      strokes." Nineteen had one additional lesion, eight had two, and six had three or
      more. Most were small, 84% involved less than half a lobe, and the majority of
      these were <1 cm. Silent lesions were significantly more prevalent in patients
      with atherothrombotic stroke and less prevalent in hemorrhagic stroke. Age and
      sex distribution were similar in both groups. Risk factor levels and 30-day
      outcome parameters were similar with the exception of average 30-day Mini-Mental
      State Examination scores, which were significantly lower in patients with two or
      more silent lesions compared with patients without silent lesions. 

PMID- 26487606
TI  - Parkinson's disease, ischemic stroke, dementia, and cranial computed tomography:
      Preliminary study.
AB  - We sought to determine whether clinical features, stroke profiles, and cranial
      computed tomography (CCT) findings differed in nondemented and demented
      Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Data were collected from our previously
      published case-control review of 119 idiopathic PD patients discharged from our
      Veterans Affairs Medical Center Neurology Service from 1982 through 1990.
      Historical, physical, age, age at onset of PD, duration of PD, motor severity,
      frequency of ischemic stroke and stroke risk factors, modified Hachinski Ischemic
      Score (MHIS), and CCT findings were recorded. We previously estimated that the
      number ofpatients with PD and dementia was 31 of 119 (26%) from our case-control
      review of idiopathic PD patients. Eighty-two male PD patients, 31 demented and 51
      nondemented, had CCT data available for review. Demented PD patients were older
      (p < 0.01), had fewer normal CT scans (p = 0.0004), and more cerebral atrophy and
      leuko-araiosis (p = 0.0003) than nondemented PD patients. Clinical
      atherosclerosis did not significantly distinguish the groups, but 9 of 31 (29%)
      demented PD patients had a modified HIS >= 5 and thus suggestive of, at least,
      multi-infarct dementia. Demented PD patients were older overall at PD onset, but
      did not appear to have significantly longer PD duration or more motor severity.
      Demented PD patients were also apt to have had a much more current CCT (p < 0.01)
      than nondemented patients. Although clinical atherosclerosis did not clearly
      separate groups, more than one-quarter of demented PD patients seem to have
      components of vascular dementia. 

PMID- 26487607
TI  - Screening cerebrovascular patients for silent myocardial ischemia with stress
      testing and ambulatory left ventricular function monitor.
AB  - Patients with symptomatic cerebrovascular disease suffer a high mortality from
      myocardial ischemia, which may occur during rest or following the conclusion of
      exercise. In a pilot study, we screened 11 patients with transient cerebral
      ischemic attack or stroke for silent myocardial ischemia using bicycle ergometer
      stress testing with electrocardiographic (EKG) monitoring and ambulatory left
      ventricular function monitoring (VEST). Three of 11 patients had nondiagnostic
      exercise EKGs due to failure to achieve their target heart rates during exercise
      but had positive VEST tests during and after exercise. One patient was falsely
      positive. VEST may be useful in combination with stress EKG for the detection of
      silent myocardial ischemia in cerebrovascular patients, but further assessment of
      the sensitivity and specificity in this patient population needs to be
      accomplished. 

PMID- 26487608
TI  - Composition of particles associated with embolic signals on transcranial doppler
      untrasonography.
AB  - The composition of particulate emboli associated with detectable signals on
      transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography has previously been studied in vitro.
      The purpose of this investigation was to study the composition of particles
      associated with similar signals in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. We
      studied carotid endarterectomy specimens from four consecutive patients with
      internal carotid artery origin, symptomatic, severe, stenosis, and preoperative
      TCD showing signals that were unidirectional from the baseline, occurred
      throughout the cardiac cycle, lasted 25-100 ms, had intensities exceeding that of
      surrounding blood by at least 12 dB, and were associated with a characteristic
      chirping sound. In all patients, signals with the preceding characteristics were
      detected in the sup-raclinoid internal carotid artery distal to the symptomatic,
      cervical stenosis. In Cases 1, 3, and 4, no signals were detected in the
      contralateral, asymptomatic supraclinoid internal carotid artery, and signals
      resolved after surgery. Examination of the endarterectomy specimens showed
      intraluminal thrombi composed of fibrin and platelets in all cases. Our findings
      suggest that TCD signals with the preceding characteristics may correspond to
      platelet and fibrin particles originating at stenotic lesions of the cervical
      internal carotid artery. 

PMID- 26487609
TI  - Circannual and latitudinal variation in the incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage.
AB  - Numerous epidemiological studies have shown a preponderance of cerebrovascular
      accidents occurring during the winter or colder months in both hemispheres.
      However, many of these studies used no or inappropriate statistical tests to
      demonstrate cyclic trends or relied on a small number of poorly documented
      cerebrovascular accident cases. Data were obtained for this study from the
      International Cooperative Aneurysm Study that evaluated 3,521 clinical records
      from 68 neurosurgical centers in 14 countries. We used the Edwards cyclic trends
      method to examine the monthly occurrence of subarachnoid hemorrhage between March
      1981 and February 1983. Significant (p < 0.05) seasonal variation was noted with
      more subarachnoid hemorrhage cases occurring during the winter relative to the
      summer in the northern hemisphere, whereas the reverse of this was noted in the
      southern hemisphere. Significant (p < 0.025) seasonal periodicity was noted above
      the latitude of 43.2 degrees  N, but not below it. This report, and others,
      suggest that subarachnoid hemorrhage may be a seasonal and geographic risk
      disease. An overview of the literature examining seasonality and cerebrovascular
      accidents is also presented. 

PMID- 26487610
TI  - Nontraumatic hemorrhagic stroke in young adults in taiwan.
AB  - We reviewed the medical records and imaging studies on the in-hospital patients
      to investigate the clinical and etiological patterns in hemorrhagic stroke in
      young patients. We evaluated 210 patients (131 males and 79 females) aged 15-45
      years who had traumatic hemorrhagic stroke between April 1, 1986, and November
      30, 1992. Nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage was diagnosed in 170 patients
      (80.9%). The main causes of nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage were
      hypertension, ruptured arteriovenous malformation, and blood dyscrasia. A cause
      was not found in 42 patients (24.7%). Subarachnoid hemorrhage was found in 40
      patients (19.1%). The main causes were ruptured aneurysms and arteriovenous
      malformations. The overall in-hospital survival of young patients with
      hemorrhagic stroke was 64.7%. Young adults with nontraumatic intracerebral and
      subarachnoid hemorrhage are a heterogeneous group. Hypertension accounts for
      about one-third of intracerebral hemorrhage and is an important preventable cause
      of hemorrhagic stroke in young adults in Taiwan. 

PMID- 26487611
TI  - Ultra-rapid identification, triage, and enrollment of stroke patients into
      clinical trials.
AB  - Effective therapy for acute ischemic stroke will require very rapid evaluation of
      patients so that treatment can begin soon enough to salvage injured but viable
      brain. Limited data suggest that neurons in the ischemic penumbra survive for a
      few hours, at the most. It is critical to know whether our medical system can
      overcome the many practical obstacles to ultra-rapid recognition,, transport, and
      treatment of stroke patients. We analyzed our patient recruitment into clinical
      treatment trials over time, attempting to identify strategies that improved
      recruitment. Specifically, we studied whether the imposition of an ultra-short
      time limit for treatment initiation, 3 h from stroke onset, impaired recruitment
      Prior to adopting the strict time limit, we enrolled about 0.4 patients per month
      per participating hospital. After adopting the limit, we enrolled about 0.7
      patients per month per hospital. Our data indicate that patient recruitment may
      be maintained and even increased despite a demanding time limit for treatment.
      The data also suggest that a very short time window of survivability of the
      ischemic penumbra should not discourage efforts to develop new methods of
      salvaging brain, for we have shown that the medical delivery system in one county
      can be modified to allow ultra-rapid patient recognition, evaluation, and
      treatment. 

PMID- 26487612
TI  - Brain infarcts in the arterial border zones: Clinical-pathologic correlations.
AB  - Most brain infarcts are correctly attributed to the circulatory alterations
      caused by the occlusion of a vessel, usually arterial. In this article, the
      authors review selected publications dealing with the mechanisms and the clinical
      expressions of brain infarcts secondary to nonocclusive causes. Hemodynamic
      crises, usually of cardiac origin, are among the main causes of the so-called
      arterial border-zone infarcts of the brain. Depending on the etiology and the
      distribution of the brain lesions, at least three separate neurologic syndromes
      have been outlined. The most frequently observed syndrome is attributed to the
      involvement, by the ischemic event, of tissues located in the border zone between
      the territories of the anterior and middle cerebral arteries. These anterior,
      bilateral arterial-border-zone infarcts produce a syndrome of bilateral brachial
      paralysis, with maximal involvement of the proximal limbs musculature, i.e., the
      "man-in-a-barrel" syndrome. Other neurologic syndromes in patients with arterial
      border-zone infarcts are associated with ischemic injury of specific anatomic
      sites. 

PMID- 26487613
TI  - Lacune-associated cerebral hypoperfusion correlates with cognitive testing.
AB  - The hypothesis was tested among 83 patients with multiple lacunar infarctions
      that cerebral hypoperfusion will correlate with cognitive impairments. Patients
      were subdivided according to Cognitive Capacity Screening Examination (CCSE)
      scores into a cognitively impaired group (Group D, n = 40; mean age, 68.2 years)
      with CCSE scores between 6 and 25 (mean, 19.9) and a cognitively intact group
      (Group I, n = 43; mean age, 66.0) with normal scores (mean, 29.4). Gray and white
      matter tissue densities were measured by plain computed tomography (CT), and
      their compartmental perfusions were estimated during stable xenon inhalation.
      Eighty infarcts in basal ganglia and white matter were detected in Group D and 62
      in Group I. Cognitive impairments correlated with (a) multiplicity and
      bilaterality of lacunes; (b) hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and multiplicity of
      risk factors for stroke; (c) hypoperfusion of white and gray matter, but
      particularly of frontal white matter; (d) leuko-araiosis; (e) aging; and (f)
      lower education. The conclusion was that hypertension and diabetes mellitus are
      potent risk factors for cerebral small vessel disease or arteriolosclerosis
      ultimately resulting in lacunar infarcts, leuko-araiosis, white matter
      hypoperfusion, and impaired cognitive test performance. 

PMID- 26487614
TI  - Takayasu's disease: Ultrasonic evaluation of extracranial and intracranial
      hemodynamics.
AB  - In Takayasu's disease, inflammatory vessel wall changes occur in the large
      extracranial arteries and may consequently influence cerebral hemodynamics. This
      study describes the extra- and intracranial hemodynamic states in three young
      patients, aged 32, 29, and 22 years, without permanent neurological deficit.
      Extracranial vessels were investigated primarily by duplex scanner and
      intracranial vessels by three-dimensional transcranial Doppler before and after
      intravenous administration of 1 g acetazolamide. The ultrasonic findings were
      confirmed by aortocervical angiography. Two patients were treated by
      corticosteroids. In spite of extracranial vessel narrowing, all three patients
      had normal MCA velocities in the resting condition. Impaired vasomotor reactivity
      was found in the middle cerebral artery corresponding to the high degree stenosis
      of the brachiocephalic trunk in one patient and in the anterior and posterior
      cerebral arteries unilaterally in two patients and bilaterally in one. Decrease
      in the pulsatility index after acetazolamide administration probably depends on
      the vasodilation and decrease in peripheral resistance. Extra- and intracranial
      Doppler ultrasound is valuable to follow the progress of arteritis and to adjust
      treatment. 

PMID- 26487616
TI  - Complex Fractionated Atrial Electrograms in Catheter Ablation of Atrial
      Fibrillation: Dead and Buried?

PMID- 26487615
TI  - Sex difference in the association between habitual daytime napping and prevalence
      of diabetes: a population-based study.
AB  - Our objective was to evaluate the associations between habitual daytime napping
      and diabetes and whether it varies by sex, menopause, and sleep quality. We
      conducted a population-based cross-sectional study in 8621 eligible individuals
      aged 40 years or older. Information on daytime napping hours, night-time sleep
      duration, history of menstruation, and sleep quality was self-reported. Diabetes
      was diagnosed according to the 1999 World Health Organization diagnostic
      criteria. The prevalence of diabetes was 19.4 % in men and 15.6 % in women.
      Increased daytime napping hours were positively associated with parameters of
      glycometabolism in women, such as fasting plasma glucose, oral glucose tolerance
      test (OGTT) 2-h plasma glucose, and Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c, all P for trend
      <0.05). In women, the prevalence of diabetes in no-habitual daytime napping
      group, 0-1-h daytime napping group, and more than 1-h daytime napping group were
      14.5, 15.6, and 20.8 %, respectively (P for trend = 0.0004). A similar trend was
      detected in postmenopausal women (P for trend = 0.002). In multivariate logistic
      regression analysis, compared with no-habitual daytime napping postmenopausal
      women, those with daytime napping more than 1 h had higher prevalent diabetes
      (odds ratios 1.36, 95 % confidence interval, 1.04-1.77). In subgroup analysis of
      postmenopausal women, associations of daytime napping levels and prevalent
      diabetes were detected in older, overweight participants with good sleep quality
      who have not retired from work. In conclusion, our study suggests that habitual
      daytime napping is associated with prevalence of diabetes in postmenopausal
      women.

PMID- 26487617
TI  - Atrial Fibrillation and the Risk of Stroke: Does Timing Matter?

PMID- 26487618
TI  - Does Atrial Fibrillation Follow Function? Ion Channel Mutations and Lone Atrial
      Fibrillation.

PMID- 26487619
TI  - Left Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation: Should We Sweat the Side Effects?

PMID- 26487620
TI  - Remote Monitoring of Implantable Defibrillators: Reducing Hospitalizations and
      Saving Lives?

PMID- 26487621
TI  - Dynamic Clamp: Insights From State-of-the-Art Experimentation.

PMID- 26487622
TI  - Ablation of Ganglionated Plexi in the Long Term: Is Half a Loaf as Good as None?

PMID- 26487623
TI  - Sustained Multiple Railroad Tracks on Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator Interval
      Plots: Mechanisms and Management.

PMID- 26487624
TI  - Lockstep.

PMID- 26487625
TI  - Diagnosing Supraventricular Tachycardia: When Physical Examination Trumps the
      Electrocardiogram.

PMID- 26487626
TI  - Postmortem Histopathological Examination of a Leadless Pacemaker Shows Partial
      Encapsulation After 19 Months.

PMID- 26487627
TI  - Letter by Jalife et al Regarding Article, "Quantitative Analysis of Localized
      Sources Identified by Focal Impulse and Rotor Modulation Mapping in Atrial
      Fibrillation".

PMID- 26487628
TI  - Response to Letter by Jalife et al Regarding Article, "Quantitative Analysis of
      Localized Sources Identified by Focal Impulse and Rotor Mapping in Atrial
      Fibrillation".

PMID- 26487629
TI  - Letter From Yamada et al Regarding Article, "Differentiation of Papillary Muscle
      From Fascicular and Mitral Annular Ventricular Arrhythmias in Patients With and
      Without Structural Heart Disease".

PMID- 26487630
TI  - Response to Letter by Yamada et al Regarding "Differentiation of Papillary Muscle
      From Fascicular and Mitral Annular Ventricular Arrhythmias in Patients With and
      Without Structural Heart Disease".

PMID- 26487631
TI  - Signalling in ciliates: long- and short-range signals and molecular determinants
      for cellular dynamics.
AB  - In ciliates, unicellular representatives of the bikont branch of evolution, inter
      and intracellular signalling pathways have been analysed mainly in Paramecium
      tetraurelia, Paramecium multimicronucleatum and Tetrahymena thermophila and in
      part also in Euplotes raikovi. Electrophysiology of ciliary activity in
      Paramecium spp. is a most successful example. Established signalling mechanisms
      include plasmalemmal ion channels, recently established intracellular Ca2+ 
      release channels, as well as signalling by cyclic nucleotides and Ca2+ . Ca2+ 
      binding proteins (calmodulin, centrin) and Ca2+ -activated enzymes (kinases,
      phosphatases) are involved. Many organelles are endowed with specific molecules
      cooperating in signalling for intracellular transport and targeted delivery.
      Among them are recently specified soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor
      attachment protein receptors (SNAREs), monomeric GTPases, H+ -ATPase/pump, actin,
      etc. Little specification is available for some key signal transducers including
      mechanosensitive Ca2+ -channels, exocyst complexes and Ca2+ -sensor proteins for
      vesicle-vesicle/membrane interactions. The existence of heterotrimeric G-proteins
      and of G-protein-coupled receptors is still under considerable debate.
      Serine/threonine kinases dominate by far over tyrosine kinases (some predicted by
      phosphoproteomic analyses). Besides short-range signalling, long-range signalling
      also exists, e.g. as firmly installed microtubular transport rails within
      epigenetically determined patterns, thus facilitating targeted vesicle delivery.
      By envisaging widely different phenomena of signalling and subcellular dynamics,
      it will be shown (i) that important pathways of signalling and cellular dynamics
      are established already in ciliates, (ii) that some mechanisms diverge from
      higher eukaryotes and (iii) that considerable uncertainties still exist about
      some essential aspects of signalling.

PMID- 26487632
TI  - Association between dementia and postoperative complications after hip fracture
      surgery in the elderly: analysis of 87,654 patients using a national
      administrative database.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mortality following hip fracture surgery is higher in patients with
      dementia than those without; however, few large-scale studies have investigated
      postoperative in-hospital complications in such patients. The aim of this study
      was to elucidate the complications that occur after hip fracture surgery in
      patients with and without dementia using a large national database. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We retrospectively identified patients aged >=70 years who underwent
      hemiarthroplasty, osteosynthesis for femoral neck fracture or osteosynthesis for
      intertrochanteric fracture, and compared the occurrence of postoperative
      complications between patients with and without dementia. Multivariate logistic
      regression analysis was performed to adjust for patient characteristics and
      hospital factors. RESULTS: A total of 87,654 patients were included in this
      study, including 9419 with dementia. Compared with the non-dementia group, the
      dementia group showed a higher incidence of overall postoperative complications
      [odds ratio (OR) 1.45; p < 0.001), surgical site infection (OR 1.58; p = 0.004),
      urinary tract infection (OR 1.87; p < 0.001) and respiratory complications (OR
      1.49; p < 0.001). The rate of postoperative complications was higher for all
      types of hip fracture surgery. The occurrence of a postoperative complication was
      significantly higher in patients aged >=80 years (OR 1.37; p < 0.001) and those
      with dementia (OR 1.45; p < 0.001), any type of malignancy (OR 1.42; p < 0.001),
      a history of cardiovascular disease (OR 1.33; p < 0.001), a history of
      cerebrovascular disease (OR 1.15; p = 0.029), chronic renal failure (OR 1.36; p <
      0.001), liver cirrhosis (OR 1.41; p < 0.001) or blood transfusion after surgery
      (OR 1.49; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight the need to pay
      particular attention to surgical site infection, urinary tract infection and
      respiratory complications in patients with preoperative dementia after hip
      fracture surgery. These results provide additional useful evidence to inform the
      management of these patients.

PMID- 26487634
TI  - C7orf30 is necessary for biogenesis of the large subunit of the mitochondrial
      ribosome.

PMID- 26487633
TI  - Predictive and Reactive Locomotor Adaptability in Healthy Elderly: A Systematic
      Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Locomotor adaptability is based on the implementation of error
      feedback information from previous perturbations to predictively adapt to
      expected perturbations (feedforward) and to facilitate reactive responses in
      recurring unexpected perturbations ('savings'). The effect of aging on predictive
      and reactive adaptability is yet unclear. However, such understanding is
      fundamental for the design and application of effective interventions targeting
      fall prevention. METHODS: We systematically searched the Web of Science, MEDLINE,
      Embase and Science Direct databases as well as the reference lists of the
      eligible articles. A study was included if it addressed an investigation of the
      locomotor adaptability in response to repeated mechanical movement perturbations
      of healthy older adults (>=60 years). The weighted average effect size (WAES) of
      the general adaptability (adaptive motor responses to repeated perturbations) as
      well as predictive (after-effects) and reactive adaptation (feedback responses to
      a recurring unexpected perturbation) was calculated and tested for an overall
      effect. A subgroup analysis was performed regarding the factor age group [i.e.,
      young (<=35 years) vs. older adults]. Furthermore, the methodological study
      quality was assessed. RESULTS: The review process yielded 18 studies [1009
      participants, 613 older adults (70 +/- 4 years)], which used various kinds of
      locomotor tasks and perturbations. The WAES for the general locomotor
      adaptability was 1.21 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.68-1.74, n = 11] for the
      older and 1.39 (95% CI 0.90-1.89, n = 10) for the young adults with a significant
      (p < 0.05) overall effect for both age groups and no significant subgroup
      differences. Similar results were found for the predictive (older: WAES 1.10, 95%
      CI 0.37-1.83, n = 8; young: WAES 1.54, 95% CI 0.11-2.97, n = 7) and reactive
      (older: WAES 1.09, 95% CI 0.22-1.96, n = 5; young: WAES 1.35, 95% CI 0.60-2.09, n
      = 5) adaptation featuring significant (p < 0.05) overall effects without subgroup
      differences. The average score of the methodological quality was 67 +/- 8 %.
      CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis provides elaborate statistical evidence
      that locomotor adaptability in general and predictive and reactive adaptation in
      particular remain highly effective in the elderly, showing only minor, not
      statistically significant age-related deficits. Consequently, interventions which
      use adaptation and learning paradigms including the application of the mechanisms
      responsible for an effective predictive and reactive dynamic stability control
      may progressively improve older adults' recovery performance and, thus, reduce
      their risk of falling.

PMID- 26487636
TI  - Uncovering productive morphosyntax in French-learning toddlers: a
      multidimensional methodology perspective.
AB  - The present study applies a multidimensional methodological approach to the study
      of the acquisition of morphosyntax. It focuses on evaluating the degree of
      productivity of an infrequent subject-verb agreement pattern in the early
      acquisition of French and considers the explanatory role played by factors such
      as input frequency, semantic transparency of the agreement markers, and
      perceptual factors in accounting for comprehension of agreement in number
      (singular vs. plural) in an experimental setting. Results on a pointing task
      involving pseudo-verbs demonstrate significant comprehension of both singular and
      plural agreement in children aged 2;6. The experimental results are shown not to
      reflect input frequency, input marker reliability on its own, or lexically driven
      knowledge. We conclude that toddlers have knowledge of subject-verb agreement at
      age 2;6 which is abstract and productive despite its paucity in the input.

PMID- 26487635
TI  - Direct evidence of mitochondrial G-quadruplex DNA by using fluorescent anti
      cancer agents.
AB  - G-quadruplex (G4) is a promising target for anti-cancer treatment. In this paper,
      we provide the first evidence supporting the presence of G4 in the mitochondrial
      DNA (mtDNA) of live cells. The molecular engineering of a fluorescent G4 ligand,
      3,6-bis(1-methyl-4-vinylpyridinium) carbazole diiodide (BMVC), can change its
      major cellular localization from the nucleus to the mitochondria in cancer cells,
      while remaining primarily in the cytoplasm of normal cells. A number of BMVC
      derivatives with sufficient mitochondrial uptake can induce cancer cell death
      without damaging normal cells. Fluorescence studies of these anti-cancer agents
      in live cells and in isolated mitochondria from HeLa cells have demonstrated that
      their major target is mtDNA. In this study, we use fluorescence lifetime imaging
      microscopy to verify the existence of mtDNA G4s in live cells. Bioactivity
      studies indicate that interactions between these anti-cancer agents and mtDNA G4
      can suppress mitochondrial gene expression. This work underlines the importance
      of fluorescence in the monitoring of drug-target interactions in cells and
      illustrates the emerging development of drugs in which mtDNA G4 is the primary
      target. 

PMID- 26487637
TI  - Assessing Child Nutrient Intakes Using a Tablet-Based 24-Hour Recall Tool in
      Rural Zambia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Detailed dietary intake data in low-income populations are needed for
      research and program evaluation. However, collection of such data by paper-based
      24-hour recall imposes substantial demands for staff time and expertise,
      training, materials, and data entry. OBJECTIVE: To describe our development and
      use of a tablet-based 24-hour recall tool for conducting dietary intake surveys
      in remote settings. METHODS: We designed a 24-hour recall tool using Open Data
      Kit software on an Android tablet platform. The tool contains a list of local
      foods, questions on portion size, cooking method, ingredients, and food source
      and prompts to guide interviewers. We used this tool to interview caregivers on
      dietary intakes of children participating in an efficacy trial of provitamin A
      biofortified maize conducted in Mkushi, a rural district in central Zambia.
      Participants were children aged 4 to 8 years not yet enrolled in school (n =
      938). Dietary intake data were converted to nutrient intakes using local food
      composition and recipe tables. RESULTS: We developed a tablet-based 24-hour
      recall tool and used it to collect dietary data among 928 children. The majority
      of foods consumed were maize, leafy vegetable, or small fish dishes. Median daily
      energy intake was 6416 kJ (1469 kcal). CONCLUSIONS: Food and nutrient intakes
      assessed using the tablet-based tool were consistent with those reported in prior
      research. The tool was easily used by interviewers without prior nutrition
      training or computing experience. Challenges remain to improve programming, but
      the tool is an innovation that enables efficient collection of 24-hour recall
      data in remote settings.

PMID- 26487638
TI  - CtxB1 outcompetes CtxB7 in Vibrio cholerae O1, Bangladesh.

PMID- 26487639
TI  - On-Line Restricted Access Molecularly Imprinted Solid-Phase Extraction of
      Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Directly from Untreated Human Plasma
      Samples Followed by HPLC-UV Analysis.
AB  - In this article, we proposed a new restricted access molecularly imprinted
      polymer coated with bovine serum albumin (RAMIP-BSA) to be used in a
      multidimensional chromatographic system applied for the analysis of six selective
      serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) directly from untreated human plasma
      samples. Fluoxetine, methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate were
      used as the template, functional monomer and cross-linker, respectively. The
      imprinted polymer was covered with a bovine serum albumin (BSA) layer via the
      interconnections between the amine groups of the BSA using glutaraldehyde as a
      cross-linker. The obtained RAMIP-BSA was able to extract the SSRIs directly from
      the human plasma, while ~100% of the proteins were excluded from the sample.
      Selectivity coefficients were calculated for fluoxetine (template) in comparison
      with venlafaxine, duloxetine, citalopram, fluvoxamine, paroxetine and sertraline,
      and the values were >1 in all cases, attesting to the presence of binding sites
      in the imprinted polymer. The method presented analytical ranges from 20 to 500
      ug/L and correlation coefficients >0.99 for all of the SSRIs (fluoxetine,
      venlafaxine, duloxetine, citalopram, fluvoxamine and sertraline). Precision and
      accuracy presented variation coefficients and relative errors <14.5% and within
      the range of -19.18 to 3.8%, respectively. In all cases, the apparent recoveries
      were >85%. The proposed method was able to analyze three samples per hour, and
      each column was used at least 50 times without any significant changes in its
      performance.

PMID- 26487640
TI  - Detection of Cannabinoids by ELISA and GC-MS Methods in a Hair Sample Previously
      Used to Detect Other Drugs of Abuse.
AB  - A forensic standard procedure is described that combines enzyme-linked
      immunoassay for screening and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for
      confirmation to detect drugs of abuse in a sample before used to detect opioids
      and cocaine. We used two equal aliquots of the same previously selected
      cannabinoid positive hair samples, one of which was subjected to acid hydrolysis.
      Afterward, both the aliquots were subjected to basic extraction and then to
      immunoassay screening. After derivatization, the GC-MS parameters were the same
      for both the aliquots for the determination of the cannabinoids (Delta(9)
      tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol and cannabinol). The results show that there
      were no statistical differences between the nonpreviously treated and the
      pretreated hair samples for the quantification of the three cannabis products for
      immunochemical procedure. No differences between the two groups were shown as for
      GC-MS confirmation procedures. All substances showed a good linearity between
      0.05 and 2 ng/mg. The limit of detection ranged from 0.02 to 0.03 ng/mg, and the
      limit of quantification was 0.05 ng/mg for all substances. To our knowledge, this
      is the first time that screening and confirmation procedures have been applied on
      the same sample of hair to detect more than one drug of abuse. 

PMID- 26487641
TI  - An Investigation of Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectral Attributes and Analytical
      Performance Characteristics of Tenofovir, Emtricitabine and Efavirenz in Human
      Plasma.
AB  - Liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectral behavior and analytical performance
      characteristics of efavirenz (EFV), emtricitabine (EMT) and tenofovir (TFV),
      i.e., individual components of Atripla((r)), were probed. This was followed by
      estimation of their analytical performance characteristics employing LC and a
      parallel direct infusion sample introduction procedure. Performance
      characteristics using both types of sample introduction procedures were compared.
      Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), linearities, i.e.,
      correlation coefficients of the calibration curves of EFV, EMT and TFV, ranged
      between 0.9300 and 0.9990 in the full scan, selected ion monitoring and mass
      spectrometry/mass spectrometry (MS-MS) modes. The limits of detection (LODs)
      ranged between 0.5 and 11.6 ug/L. The lower limits of quantification (LLOQs) and
      the upper limits of quantification (ULOQs) were in the ranges of 0.9-23.2 and 1.6
      38.7 ug/L, respectively. The LODs ranged between 0.8 and 114.7 ug/L. The LLOQs
      and the ULOQs were in the ranges of 1.6-29.4 and 2.7-49.0 ug/L, respectively. In
      the case of EMT, sodiated molecular ion at m/z 270 was used to adduce analytical
      performance characteristics from which lower detection limits were obtained
      compared with those in the literature where [M+H](+) at m/z 248 was used. 

PMID- 26487642
TI  - The Potential of Various Living Tissues for Monitoring Clenbuterol Abuse in Food
      Producing Chinese Simmental Beef Cattle.
AB  - We aimed to evaluate whether living tissues such as urine, plasma and hair were
      suitable for monitoring clenbuterol (CL) abuse after its subchronic
      administration of a growth-promoting dose to the Chinese Simmental beef cattle.
      Eight male, white and red pied Chinese Simmental beef cattle were involved in the
      experiment, and the CL dose was 16 ug/kg BW/day. Liquid chromatography tandem
      mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) was used to determine CL residues in different
      tissues, and the addition of D9-clenbuterol internal standard was applied to
      increase determination accuracy. The recovery of plasma, urine, hair and in vivo
      tissues was 88.5-114.2, 83.9-114.3, 88.6-116.9 and 85.3-121.7%, respectively. The
      results showed that CL residue concentrations in the plasma, on Days 14 after
      withdrawal and later, were lower than the limit of detection (LOD) (0.06 ng/mL)
      and CL residue in urine was lower than LOD (0.16 ng/mL) 42 days after treatment.
      CL significantly accumulated in the white and red hair and maintained more than
      7.19 +/- 2.19 pg/mg within the early withdrawal period of 70 days. A large number
      of CL were determined in all tested biological tissues, in which residues were
      higher than the maximum residue limits (MRLs) after dietary administration of CL
      for 21 days and pre-slaughter withdrawal period of ~6 h. A particular concern is
      the slow depletion of residues of CL in some tissues like gluteus and liver still
      exceeding theirs MRLs, respectively, on Days 14 or 28 days after withdrawal. Our
      study indicated that plasma and urine could be available for monitoring CL abuse
      only within a short period of time. However, hair (including light-pigmented) as
      a target matrix can be selected to perform the long-period monitor of CL. 

PMID- 26487643
TI  - High expression of myocyte enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C) is associated with adverse
      risk features and poor outcome in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia: a report from
      the Children's Oncology Group.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies have identified myocyte enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C) as
      cooperating oncogene in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and suggested a contribution
      to the aggressive nature of at least some subtypes of AML, raising the
      possibility that MEF2C could serve as marker of poor-risk AML and, therefore,
      have prognostic significance. METHODS: To test this hypothesis, we
      retrospectively quantified MEF2C expression in pretreatment bone marrow specimens
      in participants of the AAML0531 trial by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain
      reaction and correlated expression levels with disease characteristics and
      clinical outcome. RESULTS: In all 751 available patient specimens, MEF2C
      messenger RNA (mRNA) was detectable and varied >3000-fold relative to beta
      glucuronidase. Patients with the highest relative MEF2C expression (4th quartile)
      less likely achieved a complete remission after one course of chemotherapy than
      the other patients (67 vs. 78 %, P = 0.005). They also had an inferior overall
      survival (P = 0.014; at 5 years 55 +/- 8 vs. 67 +/- 4 %), inferior event-free
      survival (P < 0.001; at 5 years 38 +/- 7 vs. 54 +/- 4 %), and higher relapse risk
      than patients within the lower 3 quartiles of MEF2C expression (P < 0.001; at 5
      years 53 +/- 9 vs. 35 +/- 5 %). These differences were accounted for by lower
      prevalence of cytogenetically/molecularly defined low-risk disease (16 vs. 46 %,
      P < 0.001) and higher prevalence of standard-risk disease (68 vs. 42 %, P <
      0.001) in patients with high MEF2C expression, suggesting that MEF2C cooperates
      with additional pathogenic abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: High MEF2C expression
      identifies a subset of AML patients with adverse-risk disease features and poor
      outcome. With confirmation that high MEF2C mRNA expression leads to
      overexpression of MEF2C protein, these findings provide the rationale for
      therapeutic targeting of MEF2C transcriptional activation in AML.

PMID- 26487644
TI  - miR-320b suppresses cell proliferation by targeting c-Myc in human colorectal
      cancer cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that potentially play a
      critical role in tumorigenesis. Mounting evidence indicates that one specific
      miRNA: miR-320b is down regulated in numerous human cancers, including colorectal
      cancer (CRC); making the hypothesis that miR-320b may play a key role in
      tumorigenesis plausible. However, its role in carcinogenesis remains poorly
      defined. The goal of this study is to better clarify the role of miR-320b in
      tumor growth of CRC. METHODS: Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain
      reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to detect the expression of miR-320b in CRC
      tissues and 5 CRC cell lines. The effect of miR-320b on cell proliferation was
      analyzed in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, a luciferase reporter assay was
      performed to measure the target effects of miR-320b. Lastly, the messenger RNA
      (mRNA) and protein levels of the gene c-MYC were measured in CRC cell lines and
      tissues by qRT-PCR, and confirmed via Western blot and Immunohistochemical (IHC)
      staining. RESULTS: The results presented here showed that miR-320b expression was
      down regulated in both CRC tissues and cells. Overexpression of miR-320b in CRC
      cells was statistically correlated with a decrease of cell growth in vitro and in
      vivo, while c-MYC was identified as a target gene of miR-320b in CRC.
      Furthermore, it was found that up-regulation of c-Myc can attenuate the effects
      induced by miR-320b. CONCLUSIONS: Our identification of c-MYC as a target gene of
      miR-320b provides new insights into the pathophysiology of CRC proliferation, and
      identifies miR-320b as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of CRC.

PMID- 26487645
TI  - The potential risk of spinal cord injury from pedicle screw at the apex of
      adolescent idiopathic thoracic scoliosis: magnetic resonance imaging evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The pedicle screw placement in scoliosis correction at the apex
      underlies potential risk for neurological injury. This research is to investigate
      the relative position of spinal cord at the apex in idiopathic thoracic scoliosis
      and to explore the risk of spinal cord injury from pedicle screw at the apex.
      METHODS: Thirty-three adolescents with thoracic scoliosis were recruited in this
      study. The relative position of the spinal cord in the spinal canal was
      calculated by measuring the distance between the spinal cord and the medial wall
      of the pedicle on the convex and concave side through the axial plane of the apex
      in T2 weighted MR image. The distance from the spinal cord to the medial wall of
      pedicle between concave and convex side was compared respectively. The percentage
      of patients was calculated according to hypothesized different space (0 mm, less
      than 1 mm and less than 2 mm) between medial wall of pedicle and spinal cord at
      the apex. RESULTS: The average distance from the spinal cord to the medial wall
      of pedicle at the concave side was significantly less than that at the convex
      side (p = 0.000) of the apex in the major thoracic curves before operation. In
      the concave side of the apex, the percentage of patients was 39.4, 66.7, 84. 5 %
      in hypothesized space (0 mm, less than 1 mm and less than 2 mm) between medial
      wall of pedicle and spinal cord. However, in the convex side of apex, the
      percentage of cases was 0, 0, 3.0 % in the same hypothesized space respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: The screw placement is at a higher risk of spinal cord injury on the
      concave side than that on the convex side of apex in thoracic curve in MRI
      images. The screw placement in the concave side of apex should be evaluated
      carefully with MRI before operation.

PMID- 26487647
TI  - Postoperative radiograph of the hip arthroplasty: what the radiologist should
      know.
AB  - This pictorial review aims to provide the radiologist with simple and systematic
      guidelines for the radiographic evaluation of a hip prosthesis. Currently, there
      is a plethora of commercially available arthroplasties, making postoperative
      analysis not always straightforward. Knowledge of the different types of hip
      arthroplasty and fixating techniques is a prerequisite for correct imaging
      interpretation. After identification of the type of arthroplasty, meticulous and
      systematic analysis of the following parameters on an anteroposterior standing
      pelvic radiograph should be undertaken: leg length, vertical and horizontal
      centre of rotation, lateral acetabular inclination, and femoral stem positioning.
      Additional orthogonal views may be useful to evaluate acetabular anteversion.
      Complications can be classified in three major groups: periprosthetic lucencies,
      sclerosis or bone proliferation, and component failure or fracture. Teaching
      Points * To give an overview of the different types of currently used hip
      arthroplasties. * To provide a simple framework for a systematic approach to
      postoperative radiographs. * To discuss radiographic findings of the most common
      complications. 

PMID- 26487646
TI  - Recent time trends in incidence, outcome and premorbid treatment of atrial
      fibrillation-related stroke and other embolic vascular events: a population-based
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is increasing, due partly to
      the ageing population. The Birmingham Atrial Fibrillation Treatment of the Aged
      (BAFTA) Trial, published in 2007, provided strong evidence of the effectiveness
      of warfarin at age>=80 years, but the impact on incidence of AF-related stroke
      and peripheral embolic vascular events is uncertain. METHODS: We studied age
      specific incidence and outcome of all AF-related incident strokes and systemic
      emboli from 2002 to 2012 in the Oxford Vascular Study. RESULTS: Of 3096 acute
      cerebral or peripheral vascular events, 748 (24.2%) were AF-related. Of the 597
      disabling/fatal incident ischaemic strokes, 369 occurred at age >=80 years, of
      which 124 (33.6%) were in non-anticoagulated patients with known prior AF. There
      was no reduction in incident AF-related events after 2007 at all ages (n=231 vs
      211; adjusted RR=1.11, 0.91 to 1.36, p=0.29) or at age >=80 (137 vs 135, RR=1.15,
      0.94 to 1.40, p=0.17). Scope for improved prevention at older ages was
      considerable. Among 208 patients with incident AF-related events at age >=80 and
      known prior AF, only 19 (9.1%) were anticoagulated. Of the 189 patients not
      anticoagulated, 166 (87.8%) had no major disability prior to the event and 167
      (88.4%) had a high embolism risk score, of whom 139 (83.2%) were also at low risk
      of complications. Yet, 125/167 (74.9%) were dead or institutionalised after the
      event. Potentially preventable embolic events outnumbered warfarin-related
      intracerebral haemorrhages by about 15-fold (280 vs 19), rising to 50-fold (189
      vs 4) at age >=80 years. CONCLUSIONS: We found no reduction in incidence of AF
      related vascular events since publication of the BAFTA trial. A third of all
      disabling/fatal strokes occur in non-anticoagulated patients with known prior AF.

PMID- 26487648
TI  - Experiences of Domestic and School Violence Among Child and Adolescent
      Psychiatric Outpatients.
AB  - The experience of cumulative childhood adversities, such as exposure to domestic
      violence or abuse by caregivers, has been described as risk factor for poor
      mental health outcomes in adolescence and adulthood. We performed an
      investigation of experience of violence in all patients aged 6 to 20 years who
      had consulted the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical
      University of Vienna, as outpatients during the period of one year. We were using
      the Childhood Trauma Interview (CTI) in order to obtain information on the kind
      of violence. Seventy-five percent of all patients had reported experiences of
      violence. These youth were significantly more often involved in acts of school
      violence, thus a significant correlation between experience of domestic violence
      and violence at school could be revealed. The results of our study emphasize the
      need for interventions preventing violence both in domestic and in school
      environments.

PMID- 26487649
TI  - Risk of cancer from occupational exposure to ionising radiation: retrospective
      cohort study of workers in France, the United Kingdom, and the United States
      (INWORKS).
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Is protracted exposure to low doses of ionising radiation
      associated with an increased risk of solid cancer? METHODS: In this cohort study,
      308,297 workers in the nuclear industry from France, the United Kingdom, and the
      United States with detailed monitoring data for external exposure to ionising
      radiation were linked to death registries. Excess relative rate per Gy of
      radiation dose for mortality from cancer was estimated. Follow-up encompassed 8.2
      million person years. Of 66,632 known deaths by the end of follow-up, 17,957 were
      due to solid cancers. STUDY ANSWER AND LIMITATIONS: Results suggest a linear
      increase in the rate of cancer with increasing radiation exposure. The average
      cumulative colon dose estimated among exposed workers was 20.9 mGy (median 4.1
      mGy). The estimated rate of mortality from all cancers excluding leukaemia
      increased with cumulative dose by 48% per Gy (90% confidence interval 20% to
      79%), lagged by 10 years. Similar associations were seen for mortality from all
      solid cancers (47% (18% to 79%)), and within each country. The estimated
      association over the dose range of 0-100 mGy was similar in magnitude to that
      obtained over the entire dose range but less precise. Smoking and occupational
      asbestos exposure are potential confounders; however, exclusion of deaths from
      lung cancer and pleural cancer did not affect the estimated association. Despite
      substantial efforts to characterise the performance of the radiation dosimeters
      used, the possibility of measurement error remains. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: The
      study provides a direct estimate of the association between protracted low dose
      exposure to ionising radiation and solid cancer mortality. Although high dose
      rate exposures are thought to be more dangerous than low dose rate exposures, the
      risk per unit of radiation dose for cancer among radiation workers was similar to
      estimates derived from studies of Japanese atomic bomb survivors. Quantifying the
      cancer risks associated with protracted radiation exposures can help strengthen
      the foundation for radiation protection standards. FUNDING, COMPETING INTERESTS,
      DATA SHARING: Support from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
      Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan; Institut de Radioprotection et
      de Surete Nucleaire; AREVA; Electricite de France; US National Institute for
      Occupational Safety and Health; US Department of Energy; and Public Health
      England. Data are maintained and kept at the International Agency for Research on
      Cancer.

PMID- 26487650
TI  - Are we operating too late?  Mortality Analysis and Stochastic Simulation of Costs
      Associated with Bariatric Surgery: Reconsidering the BMI Threshold.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Present guidelines recommend bariatric surgery at BMI >= 40 kg/m2 or
      BMI >= 35 kg/m2 with obesity-related morbidity. METHODS: Evidence for cost and
      mortality/morbidity risk of bariatric surgery and obesity-related diseases was
      evaluated determining equivalency point of absolute incremental mortality risk by
      BMI and risks associated with bariatric surgery. A stochastic model was developed
      evaluating costs related to surgical procedure at a given BMI. RESULTS: Bariatric
      surgery produces significant lifetime cost savings associated with diabetes,
      gallstones, hypertension, high cholesterol, colon cancer, heart disease, and
      stroke in men at BMI 30 kg/m2 for laparoscopic gastric bypass. For women,
      laparoscopic gastric bypass saves cost at BMI 32 kg/m2 and laparoscopic gastric
      banding at BMI 37 kg/m2. In white men, relative to single-year mortality risks by
      BMI, surgical intervention becomes risk-beneficial at BMI 25 kg/m2 for
      laparoscopic gastric banding, BMI 27 kg/m2 for laparoscopic gastric bypass
      procedure and open gastric banding, and BMI 37 kg/m2 for open gastric bypass.
      Risk benefit for African-American men by procedure occurs at BMI <25 kg/m2, BMI
      27 kg/m2, and BMI 42 kg/m2, respectively. In white women, surgical intervention
      is beneficial at BMI 25.5 kg/m2 (laparoscopic gastric banding), BMI 28.5 kg/m2
      (laparoscopic gastric bypass procedure), and BMI 45 kg/m2 (open gastric banding).
      Risk benefit for black women by procedure occurs at BMI 27.5 kg/m2, BMI 33.5
      kg/m2, and BMI 50+ kg/m2, respectively. CONCLUSION: Risk and cost benefit suggest
      surgical guidelines should be reconsidered. Threshold for bariatric surgery
      should be redefined to BMI 35 kg/m2 or BMI 30 kg/m2 with comorbidities.

PMID- 26487652
TI  - From BLISS to ILLUMINATE studies: "Blys repetita placent"?

PMID- 26487653
TI  - The Multi-Lock System for Rhinoplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Among the greatest challenges in rhinoplasty are setting the nasal
      tip contour and projection, and avoiding excessive upward rotation of the nose.
      Many suture and graft fixation techniques have attempted to achieve this result
      but may still produce results lacking in refinement. This study aims to describe
      in detail a new approach to stabilize the nasal tip for a durable and more
      predictable result. METHODS: Twenty-eight surgeries were performed by the author,
      following a standardized technique which included: a modified distal onlay dorsal
      graft, a modified columella strut, and bilateral caudal septal sliver grafts.
      Follow-ups were conducted with all patients for at least 365 days. Twelve
      patients had follow-ups ranging from 456 to 619 days. RESULTS: At the nasal tip
      there was no loss of projection or rotation. One patient had a traumatic nasal
      fracture and left the study. Two patients had unilateral alar retraction not
      related to the technique described. One patient with thin nasal skin was
      submitted to a surgical revision to thin the caudal septal extension grafts and
      improve the nasal airflow. CONCLUSIONS: The Multi-Lock System for rhinoplasty is
      a good option to assure nasal length as well as projection and rotation of the
      tip. Also, it seemed to decrease the dead space of the supra-tip area which
      avoided pollybeak deformity. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V: This journal requires that
      authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of
      these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or
      the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

PMID- 26487651
TI  - Change in Sexual Dysfunction Following Bariatric Surgery.
AB  - Obesity is associated with multiple comorbidities and psychosocial burdens, but
      often sexual dysfunction (SD) is overlooked. Bariatric surgery is the most
      effective treatment for morbid obesity, and its role in reversing SD is reviewed.
      A literature search of MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and Cochrane databases was
      conducted. Fifty-six articles were identified and 32 selected for inclusion. SD
      was measured via hormonal studies, questionnaires, and a combination of both (n =
      14 males SD studies, n = 13 female SD studies, 5 = both sexes). There is an
      exponential rise in patients reporting post-surgical improvements in SD in both
      genders. The emerging use of quality of life indices to measure sexual function
      as part of a more global enjoyment of life may be a helpful adjunct to existing
      hormonal and sex-specific measures.

PMID- 26487654
TI  - Double Lateral Flap: A New Technique for Lower Eyelid Reconstruction Alternative
      to the Tenzel Procedure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The final esthetic result is a common concern of patients with eyelid
      tumors, especially young patients and those with tumors affecting the medial edge
      of the lower eyelid. METHODS: The procedure herein described combines two lateral
      flaps: one tarsoconjunctival and the other from the periosteum. The first step is
      removal of the tumor lesion. Preseptal dissection is then performed through a
      subciliary incision on both the lateral and medial halves of the eyelid up to the
      orbital rim. Next, the lateral canthal tendon, lateral attachment of the orbital
      septum, capsulopalpebral fascia, and conjunctiva are cut. This allows the medial
      displacement of the tarsoconjunctival flap, which is sutured to the defect area.
      The second flap, a periosteal strip, is used to reconstruct the tarsus and
      lateral canthal tendon, providing firm support for the posterior lamella. The
      orbicularis muscle is anchored to the orbital rim, and the skin of the lower
      eyelid is directly sutured to the subciliary incision and periosteal strip.
      RESULTS: The author successfully carried out this procedure on nine patients.
      None of the patients developed ocular irritation or postoperative epiphora.
      CONCLUSIONS: The defects that can be repaired by this technique are equivalent in
      size to those repaired by the Tenzel procedure. Unlike the semicircular flap
      procedure, this technique allows eyelid reconstruction with no vertical scarring
      and a smaller lateral incision, and it ensures soft contact between the palpebral
      rim and surface of the eyeball. This procedure confers an attractive eyelid
      appearance that may be crucial for some patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V: This
      journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a
      full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the
      Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

PMID- 26487655
TI  - Aesthetic Surgery Reality Television Shows: Do they Influence Public Perception
      of the Scope of Plastic Surgery?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this survey was to assess the influence of aesthetic
      surgery "reality television" shows viewing on the public's perception of the
      scope of plastic surgery practice. METHODS: Perceptions of the scope of plastic
      surgery (33 scenarios), aesthetic surgery "reality television" viewing patterns
      ("high," "moderate," or "low" familiarity, similarity, confidence, and influence
      viewers), sociodemographic data, and previous plastic surgery interaction were
      collected from 2148 members of the public. Response patterns were created and
      bivariate and multivariate analyses were applied to assess the possible
      determinants of overall public choice of plastic surgeons as experts in the
      plastic surgery-related scenarios. RESULTS: Both "plastic surgeons" and "plastic
      surgeons alone" were the main response patterns (all p < 0.05) in ten (83.3%)
      aesthetic interventions-related scenarios. "Plastic surgeons" and "plastic
      surgeons alone" were significantly (all p < 0.05) more identified as experts in
      ten (47.6%) and eight (38.1%) general/reconstructive-related scenarios,
      respectively. There were positive (health care professionals and prior plastic
      surgery interaction) and negative ("high-familiarity" viewers, "high-influence"
      viewers, "high-confidence" viewers, and "high-similarity" viewers) significant
      (all p < 0.05) determinants of response plastic surgeons in the bivariate and
      multivariate analyses. CONCLUSION: Aesthetic surgery "reality television" viewing
      negatively influences the public perception of the broad scope of plastic
      surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V: This journal requires that authors assign a level
      of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based
      Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online
      Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

PMID- 26487656
TI  - Inguinal Fold as a Closed-Suction Drain Exit Site in Abdominoplasty.

PMID- 26487657
TI  - Flap Failure and Wound Complications in Autologous Breast Reconstruction: A
      National Perspective.
AB  - PURPOSE: There are many options for breast reconstruction following a mastectomy,
      and data on outcomes are greatly needed for both the patient and the care
      provider. This study aims to identify the prevalence and predictors of adverse
      outcomes in autologous breast reconstruction in order to better inform patients
      and surgeons when choosing a surgical technique. METHODS: This study
      retrospectively reviewed the American College of Surgeons National Surgical
      Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) and identified each autologous breast
      reconstruction performed between 2005 and 2012. Of the 6855 autologous breast
      reconstructions, there were 2085 latissimus dorsi (LD) flap procedures, 2464
      pedicled transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap procedures, and
      2306 free flap procedures that met the inclusion criteria. The prevalence of
      complications in each of the three procedures was calculated and compared using
      chi(2) analysis for binomial categorical variables. Univariate and multivariate
      logistic regression analyses identified independent risk factors for adverse
      outcomes in autologous reconstruction as a whole. RESULTS: The prevalence of
      general complications was 10.8% in LD flaps, 20.6% in TRAM flaps, and 26.1% in
      free flaps for autologous breast reconstruction (p < 0.001). The prevalence of
      wound complications was 4.3% in LD flaps, 8.1% in TRAM flaps, and 6.2% in free
      flaps for autologous breast reconstruction (p < 0.001). The prevalence of flap
      failure was 1.1 % in LD flaps, 2.7% in TRAM flaps, and 2.4% in free flaps for
      autologous breast reconstruction (p < 0.001). Multivariate regression analysis
      showed that obesity [odds ratio (OR) 1.495, p = 0.024], hypertension (OR 1.633, p
      = 0.008), recent surgery (OR 3.431, p < 0.001), and prolonged operative times (OR
      1.944, p < 0.001) were independently associated with flap failure in autologous
      breast reconstruction procedures. When controlling for confounding variables,
      TRAM flaps were twice as likely (OR 2.279, p = 0.001) and free flaps were three
      times as likely (OR 3.172, p < 0.001) to experience flap failure when compared to
      LD flaps. CONCLUSIONS: Latissimus dorsi flaps are associated with the fewest
      short-term general complications and free flaps are associated with the most
      short-term general complications in autologous breast reconstruction. Free flaps
      are the most likely to experience flap failure, though there is no significant
      difference when compared to pedicled TRAM flaps. Free and TRAM flaps remain as
      the widely acceptable forms of breast reconstruction in the patient without many
      risk factors for flap failure or wound complications. The identified risk factors
      will aid in surgical planning and risk adjustment for both the patient and the
      care provider. Though many other factors will be taken into consideration with
      surgical planning of autologous breast reconstruction, the presence of these
      identified risk factors may encourage the use of a surgical technique associated
      with fewer adverse outcomes, like the LD flap. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This
      journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a
      full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the
      Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

PMID- 26487658
TI  - Blepharoplasty Combined with Fat Grafting: A Treatment of Complications Following
      Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Injections in Tear Troughs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAAG) can cause serious complications during
      facial augmentation. Previous studies have reported complications following PAAG
      injections to correct tear troughs. METHODS: We report a rare case of tear trough
      deformity following PAAG injections. We developed a comprehensive treatment plan
      including transcutaneous blepharoplasty and fat grafting to address the
      presenting complications. RESULTS: The patient showed flat lower lids and no more
      complications 1 year after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Blepharoplasty combined with fat
      grafting is an effective approach to eliminate PAAG injection complications in
      tear troughs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a
      level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based
      Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online
      Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

PMID- 26487659
TI  - Sexuality in Aesthetic Breast Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The breasts are important for a woman's psychological well-being,
      which may be negatively affected by distortions of breast size and shape.
      Improvements in self-esteem and sexuality are important psychological factors
      associated with motivation for cosmetic surgery. Mammaplasty is among the most
      sought-after and performed cosmetic procedures. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the impact of aesthetic breast surgery on a woman's sexuality. METHODS:
      This study was conducted in a plastic surgery clinic of a hospital university in
      Brazil, between 2009 and 2012. Forty-six patients with hypomastia and 30 patients
      with breast hypertrophy, who expressed the desire for aesthetic breast surgery,
      were selected for the study. The patients were assessed preoperatively and 6
      months postoperatively using the sexual quotient-Female version scale (QS-F). The
      QS-F is a validated Brazilian questionnaire to assess sexual function. It
      contains ten items covering five domains of female sexual function: desire and
      interest, foreplay, excitement and harmony, comfort, and orgasm and satisfaction.
      Higher QS-F scores indicate better sexual functioning. RESULTS: There was a
      significant increase in the mean total QS-F score after surgery in both groups (p
      < 0.001). No significant improvement in desire and comfort was reported by
      patients who underwent breast augmentation and in comfort by patients who
      underwent breast reduction. Improvement in sexuality after surgery was observed
      in both groups, which is consistent with the literature. CONCLUSION: Aesthetic
      breast surgery has a positive impact on the sexuality of patients. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to
      each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings,
      please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors
      www.springer.com/00266.

PMID- 26487660
TI  - "Thinking a Lot" Among the Khwe of South Africa: A Key Idiom of Personal and
      Interpersonal Distress.
AB  - "Thinking too much", and variations such as "thinking a lot", are common idioms
      of distress across the world. The contextual meaning of this idiom of distress in
      particular localities remains largely unknown. This paper reports on a systematic
      study of the content and cause, consequences, and social response and coping
      related to the local terms |x'an n|a te and |eu-ca n|a te, both translated as
      "thinking a lot", and was part of a larger ethnographic study among the Khwe of
      South Africa. Semi-structured exploratory interviews with community members
      revealed that "thinking a lot" refers to a common experience of reflecting on
      personal and interpersonal problems. Consequences were described in emotional,
      psychological, social, behavioral, and physical effects. Coping strategies
      included social support, distraction, and religious practices. Our contextualized
      approach revealed meanings and experiences of "thinking a lot" that go beyond a
      psychological state or psychopathology. The common experience of "thinking a lot"
      is situated in socio-political, economic, and social context that reflect the
      marginalized and displaced position of the Khwe. We argue that "thinking a lot"
      and associated local meanings may vary across settings, may not necessarily
      indicate psychopathology, and should be understood in individual, interpersonal,
      community, and socio-political dimensions. 

PMID- 26487661
TI  - The age-dependent plasticity highlights the conceptual interface between
      borderline personality disorder and PTSD.

PMID- 26487662
TI  - The human chemokine receptor CCRL2 suppresses chemotaxis and invasion by blocking
      CCL2-induced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK in human breast cancer cells.
AB  - The human chemokine receptor CCRL2 is a member of the atypical chemokine receptor
      family. CCRL2 is unable to couple with G-proteins and fails to induce classical
      chemokine signaling for the highly conserved DRYLAIV motif essential for
      signaling has been changed to QRYLVFL. We investigated whether CCRL2 is involved
      in the chemotaxis, invasion, and proliferation of human breast cancer cells.
      Firstly, expression of CCRL2 was determined in six breast cancer cell lines by
      real-time RT-PCR and Western blot. Then, we established stable cell lines
      overexpressing CCRL2 to explore the function of CCRL2 in chemotaxis and invasion
      by transwell assays, and the signaling downstream was further investigated. The
      effect of CCRL2 on proliferation was detected by colony formation assays and
      tumor xenograft study. We found that stable overexpression of CCRL2 in MDA-MB-231
      and BT-549 cells attenuated the chemotaxis and invasion stimulated by its ligand
      CCL2. CCRL2 inhibits p38 MAPK (p38) phosphorylation and up-regulates the
      expression of E-cadherin. This effect was eliminated by the inhibitor of p38
      MAPK. CCRL2 inhibited the growth of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Our
      results suggest that CCRL2 functions as a tumor suppressor in human breast cancer
      cells. 

PMID- 26487663
TI  - The role of protein oxidation and DNA damage in elderly hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate the role of protein oxidation and DNA
      damage in the elderly hypertensive (HT) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      study consisted of four groups: two elderly groups with 30 HT patients and 30
      normotensive healthy volunteers, and two young groups with 30 HT patients and 30
      normotensive healthy volunteers. Plasma total thiol (T-SH), advanced oxidation
      protein products (AOPPs), protein carbonyl (PCO), ischemia modified albumin
      (IMA), urine 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and prooxidant-antioxidant
      balance (PAB) levels were measured. RESULTS: In the elderly HT group AOPPs, PCO,
      8-OHdG, and PAB were significantly higher than the elderly control group. In the
      young HT group T-SH levels were significantly lower and the other oxidative
      stress parameters were significantly higher than the young control group. In the
      elderly control group AOPPs, PCO, IMA, 8-OHdG and PAB were significantly higher
      than the young control group. T-SH was significantly lower in the elderly control
      than the young control group. In the elderly HT group, T-SH levels were
      significantly lower and AOPPs, PCO, IMA, 8-OHdG, and PAB levels were
      significantly higher than the young HT group. CONCLUSION: Protein and DNA cell
      damage occurs by oxidation of free radicals throughout life. Our study supports
      the view that these radicals may be responsible for the development of
      hypertension with aging process. Urine 8-OHdG levels can be used as a marker for
      oxidative DNA damage in the elderly hypertensive patients. Finally, our results
      suggest that oxidative stress may influence both the development and progression
      of hypertension and aging.

PMID- 26487664
TI  - Specific PCR, bacterial culture, serology and  pharyngeal sampling to enhance the
      aetiological  diagnosis of cellulitis.
AB  - It is often difficult to obtain a bacteriological diagnosis in patients with
      cellulitis. We examined the utility of molecular techniques and skin and throat
      cultures, as well as serology, in providing evidence of either Staphylococcus
      aureus or group A Streptococcus (GAS) presence inpatients with cellulitis.
      Samples were collected from patients with a clinical diagnosis of cellulitis who
      were recruited into a prospective placebo-controlled clinical trial (C4C study,
      EudraCT 2013-001218-14). Specific PCR, paired serology and culture for both
      organisms were carried out on a variety of samples where appropriate. Despite
      utilizing a range of diagnostic methods,a bacteriological diagnosis was only
      achieved in 43 % of patients with a clinical diagnosis of cellulitis. Seventeen
      per cent of patients tested positive for GAS by any method but only 4 % were
      positive by PCR, whilst S. aureus was detected in 34% of samples. Bacterial
      diagnosis in cases of cellulitis remains challenging. This is probably due to a
      very low bacterial burden with toxin production resulting in inflammation
      mediating skin damage. Further consideration for the need for long courses of
      antimicrobial therapy for cellulitis therefore appears merited.

PMID- 26487665
TI  - Interrelationship between electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy, QT
      prolongation, and ischaemic stroke: the REasons for Geographic and Racial
      Differences in Stroke Study.
AB  - AIMS: To determine if the association between electrocardiographic left
      ventricular hypertrophy (ECG-LVH) and ischaemic stroke is partially explained by
      the concomitant presence of QT prolongation. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 24
      948 (mean age = 65 +/- 9.4 years; 40% black; 55% women) participants from the
      REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study were
      included in this analysis. Electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy was
      defined by the Sokolow-Lyon criteria. Heart rate-adjusted QT (QTa) was computed
      using a linear regression model. Adjudicated ischaemic stroke events were the
      outcome of interest. Cox regression was used to compute hazard ratios (HRs) and
      95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between ECG-LVH and prolonged
      QTa, in isolation and combined, with ischaemic stroke. There were 2422 (9.7%)
      participants with ECG-LVH, 820 (3.3%) with prolonged QTa, and 161 (0.6%) with
      both. Over a median follow-up of 7.6 years, 714 (2.9%) ischaemic stroke events
      occurred. After adjustment for stroke risk factors and potential confounders, an
      increased risk of ischaemic stroke was observed among participants with ECG-LVH
      and prolonged QTa (HR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.04-3.30), isolated ECG-LVH (HR = 1.40,
      95% CI = 1.13-1.75), and isolated prolonged QTa (HR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.04-2.03)
      compared with participants without either condition. When ECG-LVH and prolonged
      QTa were examined as separate variables, the risk of ischaemic stroke for each
      condition remained statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The combination of ECG
      LVH and prolonged QT is associated with a higher risk of ischaemic stroke
      compared with either condition in isolation, and the stroke risk for each
      condition does not depend on the presence of the other.

PMID- 26487666
TI  - Management of a previously unreported implantable cardioverter-defibrillator lead
      complication.

PMID- 26487667
TI  - Is a pacemaker implantation warranted in this patient?

PMID- 26487668
TI  - Patient-reported treatment satisfaction and budget impact with rivaroxaban vs.
      standard therapy in elective cardioversion of atrial fibrillation: a post hoc
      analysis of the X-VeRT trial.
AB  - AIMS: We compared patient-reported treatment satisfaction and the economic impact
      of anticoagulation therapy with rivaroxaban vs. vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in
      patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation undergoing elective cardioversion
      procedures. METHODS AND RESULTS: The current study is a post hoc analysis of the
      prospective, multicentre X-VeRT (EXplore the efficacy and safety of once-daily
      oral riVaroxaban for the prevention of caRdiovascular events in subjects with non
      valvular aTrial fibrillation scheduled for cardioversion) trial. Patient-reported
      treatment satisfaction with anticoagulation therapy was assessed using the
      Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication version II in seven countries
      (US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands). An economic model
      was also developed to estimate the impact of postponed cardioversions for two
      countries (UK and Italy). This model estimated the total costs of cardioversion,
      taking into consideration the costs for drug therapy (including extended
      treatment duration due to cardioversion postponement), international normalized
      ratio monitoring of VKAs, the cardioversion procedure, and rescheduling the
      procedure. These costs were linked to the respective X-VeRT study data to
      estimate the total costs. Patients receiving rivaroxaban in the delayed
      cardioversion group had significantly higher scores for Convenience,
      Effectiveness, and Global satisfaction (81.74 vs. 65.78; 39.41 vs. 32.95; and
      82.07 vs. 66.74, respectively; P < 0.0001). Based on the total patient population
      included in the treatment satisfaction substudy (n = 632) in the delayed
      cardioversion group in X-VeRT, the use of rivaroxaban was estimated to result in
      a saving of L421 and ?360 per patient in UK and Italian settings, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: The use of rivaroxaban in the setting of cardioversion resulted in
      greater patient satisfaction and cost savings, compared with that of VKA.

PMID- 26487669
TI  - Clinical outcomes in cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillator recipients
      80 years of age and older.
AB  - AIMS: Very elderly patients have not been well-represented in the randomized
      trials that established the benefits of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)
      in heart failure (HF) patients. We therefore compared clinical outcomes in CRT
      defibrillator (CRT-D) recipients >=80 and <80 years old. METHODS AND RESULTS: We
      compared mortality and time to first appropriate shock in 258 consecutive CRT-D
      patients >=80 years old with New York Heart Association II-IV HF, left
      ventricular ejection fraction <=35%, QRS duration >=120 ms, and no prior
      sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias to 1058 patients <80 years old implanted
      with CRT-D during the same timeframe. Comorbidities and medical therapy differed
      significantly between the groups. During 52 +/- 36 months, 123 (48%) patients
      >=80 and 474 (45%) patients <80 died; mortality was significantly higher among
      patients >=80 [corrected hazard ratio (HR) 1.39, 95% confidence interval (CI)
      1.12-1.72; P = 0.003]. Among 258 patients >=80 with device follow-up, only 20
      (8%) received an appropriate shock compared with 172 (17%) shocks in 1053
      patients <80 years old. Time to first appropriate shock was significantly shorter
      in patients <80 (corrected HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.30-0.87, P = 0.013). Older patients
      experienced 14 inappropriate shocks, and while life-threatening device
      complications were rare, complications related to the high-power components of
      the CRT-D system were not infrequent (n = 11). CONCLUSION: Mortality among CRT-D
      recipients >=80 years old is higher than in younger patients but is not
      excessive. The risk of appropriate device shocks in older patients is relatively
      low and significantly less than in younger patients. These observations suggest
      that CRT-pacemakers should be given due consideration in elderly HF patients.

PMID- 26487670
TI  - Personalized and automated remote monitoring of atrial fibrillation.
AB  - AIMS: Remote monitoring of cardiac implantable electronic devices is a growing
      standard; yet, remote follow-up and management of alerts represents a time
      consuming task for physicians or trained staff. This study evaluates an automatic
      mechanism based on artificial intelligence tools to filter atrial fibrillation
      (AF) alerts based on their medical significance. METHODS AND RESULTS: We
      evaluated this method on alerts for AF episodes that occurred in 60 pacemaker
      recipients. AKENATON prototype workflow includes two steps: natural language
      processing algorithms abstract the patient health record to a digital version,
      then a knowledge-based algorithm based on an applied formal ontology allows to
      calculate the CHA2DS2-VASc score and evaluate the anticoagulation status of the
      patient. Each alert is then automatically classified by importance from low to
      critical, by mimicking medical reasoning. Final classification was compared with
      human expert analysis by two physicians. A total of 1783 alerts about AF episode
      >5 min in 60 patients were processed. A 1749 of 1783 alerts (98%) were adequately
      classified and there were no underestimation of alert importance in the remaining
      34 misclassified alerts. CONCLUSION: This work demonstrates the ability of a
      pilot system to classify alerts and improves personalized remote monitoring of
      patients. In particular, our method allows integration of patient medical history
      with device alert notifications, which is useful both from medical and resource
      management perspectives. The system was able to automatically classify the
      importance of 1783 AF alerts in 60 patients, which resulted in an 84% reduction
      in notification workload, while preserving patient safety.

PMID- 26487671
TI  - Faecal transplants.

PMID- 26487672
TI  - Gut Lactobacillus protects against the progression of renal damage by modulating
      the gut environment in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of gut microbiota in the progression of chronic kidney
      disease (CKD) has not been fully elucidated. METHODS: Renal failure was induced
      in 6-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats by 5/6 nephrectomy (Nx). We
      analyzed the gut microbiota population to identify the relevant species
      potentially involved in inducing renal damage. Human colon Caco-2 cells were used
      to delineate the mechanism involved in the molecular changes in the gut of Nx
      rats. RESULTS: Nx rats showed an increase in Bacteroides (Bact) and a decrease in
      Lactobacillus (Lact) species compared with sham-operated rats. Lact, but not
      Bact, populations were significantly associated with urinary protein excretion.
      Treatment of Nx rats with 1 * 10(10) CFU/kg/day Lact ameliorated increased
      urinary protein excretion and higher serum levels of the uremic toxins, indoxyl
      sulfate and p-cresyl sulfate, and serum urea nitrogen levels. Lact also
      attenuated systemic inflammation in Nx rats, as evaluated by serum
      lipopolysaccharide, interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein levels. Histologically,
      renal sclerosis in Nx rats was restored by Lact treatment. A reduction in the
      expression of tight junction proteins and the Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), a
      putative Lact receptor, in the colons of Nx rats were mitigated by Lact.
      Treatment of Caco-2 cells with indole downregulated tight junction protein
      expression, which was abolished by exposure to Lact. The effects of Lact were
      reversed by treatment with OxPAPC, a TLR inhibitor. Similarly, the increase in
      the permeability of the Caco-2 cell monolayer was reversed by the administration
      of Lact. Lact upregulated TLR2 expression in Caco-2 cells. Lact also attenuated
      the increase in serum indoxyl sulfate and urea levels and urinary protein
      excretion in Nx rats even in the pseudogerm-free environment. CONCLUSIONS: Lact
      supplementation mitigated the systemic inflammation and proteinuria associated
      with renal failure, suggesting that in the gut microbiota, Lact plays a
      protective role against the progression of CKD.

PMID- 26487673
TI  - The application of multi-omics and systems biology to identify therapeutic
      targets in chronic kidney disease.
AB  - The quest for the ideal therapeutic target in chronic kidney disease (CKD) has
      been riddled with many obstacles stemming from the molecular complexity of the
      disease and its co-morbidities. Recent advances in omics technologies and the
      resulting amount of available data encompassing genomics, proteomics,
      peptidomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics has created an opportunity for
      integrating omics datasets to build a comprehensive and dynamic model of the
      molecular changes in CKD for the purpose of biomarker and drug discovery. This
      article reviews relevant concepts in omics data integration using systems
      biology, a mathematical modelling method that globally describes a biological
      system on the basis of its modules and the functional connections that govern
      their behaviour. The review describes key databases and bioinformatics tools, as
      well as the challenges and limitations of the current state of the art, along
      with practical application to CKD therapeutic target discovery. Moreover, it
      describes how systems biology and visualization tools can be used to generate
      clinically relevant molecular models with the capability to identify specific
      disease pathways, recognize key events in disease development and track disease
      progression.

PMID- 26487674
TI  - Prediabetes linked to excess glucagon in transgenic mice with pancreatic active
      AKT1.
AB  - Protein kinase B/AKT has three isoforms (AKT1-3) and is renowned for its central
      role in the regulation of cell growth and proliferation, due to its constitutive
      activation in various cancers. AKT2, which is highly expressed in insulin
      responsive tissues, has been identified as a primary regulator of glucose
      metabolism as Akt2 knockout mice (Akt2(-/-)) are glucose-intolerant and insulin
      resistant. However, the role of AKT1 in glucose metabolism is not as clearly
      defined. We previously showed that mice with myristoylated Akt1 (AKT1(Myr))
      expressed through a bicistronic Pdx1-TetA and TetO-MyrAkt1 system were
      susceptible to islet cell carcinomas, and in this study we characterized an early
      onset, prediabetic phenotype. Beginning at weaning (3 weeks of age), the glucose
      intolerant AKT1(Myr) mice exhibited non-fasted hyperglycemia, which progressed to
      fasted hyperglycemia by 5 months of age. The glucose intolerance was attributed
      to a fasted hyperglucagonemia, and hepatic insulin resistance detectable by
      reduced phosphorylation of the insulin receptor following insulin injection into
      the inferior vena cava. In contrast, treatment with doxycycline diet to turn off
      the transgene caused attenuation of the non-fasted and fasted hyperglycemia, thus
      affirming AKT1 hyperactivation as the trigger. Collectively, this model
      highlights a novel glucagon-mediated mechanism by which AKT1 hyperactivation
      affects glucose homeostasis and provides an avenue to better delineate the
      molecular mechanisms responsible for diabetes mellitus and the potential
      association with pancreatic cancer. 

PMID- 26487676
TI  - Community-level impacts of white-tailed deer on understorey plants in North
      American forests: a meta-analysis.
AB  - The impacts of introduced or overabundant large herbivores are a concern for the
      conservation of forest plant communities and the sustainability of ecosystem
      function. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are considered ecologically
      overabundant in much of North America. Previous work suggests that impacts of
      deer overabundance are broadly negative and are consequently degrading forests at
      multiple ecological and taxonomic levels. However, no quantitative synthesis
      currently exists to verify the generality or magnitude of these impacts. Here, we
      report the results of a meta-analysis quantifying the effects of deer exclusion
      on the diversity, cover and abundance of woody, herbaceous and whole community
      components of forest understories in North America. In addition, we explore the
      relationships of environmental and experimental factors on the direction and
      magnitude of plant community outcomes using meta-regression. Using 119 calculated
      effect sizes sourced from 25 peer-reviewed articles, we constructed 10 community
      specific data sets and found strongly positive diversity, cover and abundance
      responses of the woody community to deer exclusion, but no significant effects
      for the herbaceous or whole community components of forest understories. Local
      deer density and time since exclusion were significant moderators of both whole
      community and woody community richness. Local deer density also moderated the
      effects of deer exclusion on whole community cover. Plot area, in contrast,
      showed no relationship to any of the community response outcomes. We suggest that
      the use of inadequate diversity indices, non-native species replacement or legacy
      effects of chronic deer overabundance might explain why the herbaceous and whole
      community components of forest understories showed no diversity or cover
      responses to deer exclusion. We also suggest some strategies to increase
      opportunities for future quantitative syntheses of deer impacts on forests,
      including providing better access to existing and future data. Ultimately, we
      show that white-tailed deer have strongly negative impacts on forest understorey
      plant communities in North America, but these impacts are not ubiquitous for all
      components of the plant community. 

PMID- 26487675
TI  - Hypothalamic leptin gene therapy reduces body weight without accelerating age
      related bone loss.
AB  - Excessive weight gain in adults is associated with a variety of negative health
      outcomes. Unfortunately, dieting, exercise, and pharmacological interventions
      have had limited long-term success in weight control and can result in
      detrimental side effects, including accelerating age-related cancellous bone
      loss. We investigated the efficacy of using hypothalamic leptin gene therapy as
      an alternative method for reducing weight in skeletally-mature (9 months old)
      female rats and determined the impact of leptin-induced weight loss on bone mass,
      density, and microarchitecture, and serum biomarkers of bone turnover (CTx and
      osteocalcin). Rats were implanted with cannulae in the 3rd ventricle of the
      hypothalamus and injected with either recombinant adeno-associated virus encoding
      the gene for rat leptin (rAAV-Leptin, n=7) or a control vector encoding green
      fluorescent protein (rAAV-GFP, n=10) and sacrificed 18 weeks later. A baseline
      control group (n=7) was sacrificed at vector administration. rAAV-Leptin-treated
      rats lost weight (-4+/-2%) while rAAV-GFP-treated rats gained weight (14+/-2%)
      during the study. At study termination, rAAV-Leptin-treated rats weighed 17% less
      than rAAV-GFP-treated rats and had lower abdominal white adipose tissue weight (
      80%), serum leptin (-77%), and serum IGF1 (-34%). Cancellous bone volume fraction
      in distal femur metaphysis and epiphysis, and in lumbar vertebra tended to be
      lower (P<0.1) in rAAV-GFP-treated rats (13.5 months old) compared to baseline
      control rats (9 months old). Significant differences in cancellous bone or
      biomarkers of bone turnover were not detected between rAAV-Leptin and rAAV-GFP
      rats. In summary, rAAV-Leptin-treated rats maintained a lower body weight
      compared to baseline and rAAV-GFP-treated rats with minimal effects on bone mass,
      density, microarchitecture, or biochemical markers of bone turnover. 

PMID- 26487677
TI  - Origins and diversity of a cosmopolitan fern genus on an island archipelago.
AB  - Isolated oceanic islands are characterized by patterns of biological diversity
      different from that on nearby continental mainlands. Isolation can provide the
      opportunity for evolutionary divergence, but also set the stage for hybridization
      between related taxa arriving from different sources. Ferns disperse by haploid
      spores, which are produced in large numbers and can travel long distances in air
      currents, enabling these plants to become established on most oceanic islands.
      Here, we examine the origins and patterns of diversity of the cosmopolitan fern
      genus Pteridium (Dennstaedtiaceae; bracken) on the Galapagos Islands. We use
      nucleotide sequences from two plastid genes, and two nuclear gene markers, to
      examine phylogeography of Pteridium on the Galapagos Islands. We incorporate data
      from a previous study to provide a worldwide context. We also sampled new
      specimens from South and Central America. We used flow cytometry to estimate
      genome size of some accessions. We found that both plastid and nuclear haplotypes
      fall into two distinct clades, consistent with a two-diploid-species taxonomy of
      P. aquilinum and P. esculentum. As predicted, the allotetraploid P. caudatum
      possesses nuclear haplotypes from both diploid species. Samples from the
      Galapagos include P. esculentum subsp. arachnoideum, P. caudatum and possible
      hybrids between them. Multiple Pteridium taxa were also observed growing together
      at some sites. We find evidence for multiple origins of Pteridium on the
      Galapagos Islands and multiple origins of tetraploid P. caudatum throughout its
      range in Central and South America. We also posit that P. caudatum may include
      recent diploid hybrids, backcrosses to P. esculentum, as well as allotetraploid
      plants. The Galapagos Islands are positioned close to the equator where they can
      receive dispersing propagules from both hemispheres. This may partly explain the
      high levels of diversity found for this cosmopolitan fern on these islands. 

PMID- 26487678
TI  - Implanted defibrillators and cancer: the power of registries.

PMID- 26487679
TI  - Cell-cycle progress in obligate predatory bacteria is dependent upon sequential
      sensing of prey recognition and prey quality cues.
AB  - Predators feed on prey to acquire the nutrients necessary to sustain their
      survival, growth, and replication. In Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, an obligate
      predator of Gram-negative bacteria, cell growth and replication are tied to a
      shift from a motile, free-living phase of search and attack to a sessile,
      intracellular phase of growth and replication during which a single prey cell is
      consumed. Engagement and sustenance of growth are achieved through the sensing of
      two unidentified prey-derived cues. We developed a novel ex vivo cultivation
      system for B. bacteriovorus composed of prey ghost cells that are recognized and
      invaded by the predator. By manipulating their content, we demonstrated that an
      early cue is located in the prey envelope and a late cue is found within the prey
      soluble fraction. These spatially and temporally separated cues elicit discrete
      and combinatory regulatory effects on gene transcription. Together, they delimit
      a poorly characterized transitory phase between the attack phase and the growth
      phase, during which the bdelloplast (the invaded prey cell) is constructed. This
      transitory phase constitutes a checkpoint in which the late cue presumably acts
      as a determinant of the prey's nutritional value before the predator commits.
      These regulatory adaptations to a unique bacterial lifestyle have not been
      reported previously. 

PMID- 26487680
TI  - SRC-2 orchestrates polygenic inputs for fine-tuning glucose homeostasis.
AB  - Despite extensive efforts to understand the monogenic contributions to perturbed
      glucose homeostasis, the complexity of genetic events that fractionally
      contribute to the spectrum of this pathology remain poorly understood. Proper
      maintenance of glucose homeostasis is the central feature of a constellation of
      comorbidities that define the metabolic syndrome. The ability of the liver to
      balance carbohydrate uptake and release during the feeding-to-fasting transition
      is essential to the regulation of peripheral glucose availability. The liver
      coordinates the expression of gene programs that control glucose absorption,
      storage, and secretion. Herein, we demonstrate that Steroid Receptor Coactivator
      2 (SRC-2) orchestrates a hierarchy of nutritionally responsive transcriptional
      complexes to precisely modulate plasma glucose availability. Using DNA pull-down
      technology coupled with mass spectrometry, we have identified SRC-2 as an
      indispensable integrator of transcriptional complexes that control the rate
      limiting steps of hepatic glucose release and accretion. Collectively, these
      findings position SRC-2 as a major regulator of polygenic inputs to metabolic
      gene regulation and perhaps identify a previously unappreciated model that helps
      to explain the clinical spectrum of glucose dysregulation. 

PMID- 26487681
TI  - From residue coevolution to protein conformational ensembles and functional
      dynamics.
AB  - The analysis of evolutionary amino acid correlations has recently attracted a
      surge of renewed interest, also due to their successful use in de novo protein
      native structure prediction. However, many aspects of protein function, such as
      substrate binding and product release in enzymatic activity, can be fully
      understood only in terms of an equilibrium ensemble of alternative structures,
      rather than a single static structure. In this paper we combine coevolutionary
      data and molecular dynamics simulations to study protein conformational
      heterogeneity. To that end, we adapt the Boltzmann-learning algorithm to the
      analysis of homologous protein sequences and develop a coarse-grained protein
      model specifically tailored to convert the resulting contact predictions to a
      protein structural ensemble. By means of exhaustive sampling simulations, we
      analyze the set of conformations that are consistent with the observed residue
      correlations for a set of representative protein domains, showing that (i) the
      most representative structure is consistent with the experimental fold and (ii)
      the various regions of the sequence display different stability, related to
      multiple biologically relevant conformations and to the cooperativity of the
      coevolving pairs. Moreover, we show that the proposed protocol is able to
      reproduce the essential features of a protein folding mechanism as well as to
      account for regions involved in conformational transitions through the correct
      sampling of the involved conformers. 

PMID- 26487682
TI  - Knockout of Lmod2 results in shorter thin filaments followed by dilated
      cardiomyopathy and juvenile lethality.
AB  - Leiomodin 2 (Lmod2) is an actin-binding protein that has been implicated in the
      regulation of striated muscle thin filament assembly; its physiological function
      has yet to be studied. We found that knockout of Lmod2 in mice results in
      abnormally short thin filaments in the heart. We also discovered that Lmod2
      functions to elongate thin filaments by promoting actin assembly and dynamics at
      thin filament pointed ends. Lmod2-KO mice die as juveniles with hearts displaying
      contractile dysfunction and ventricular chamber enlargement consistent with
      dilated cardiomyopathy. Lmod2-null cardiomyocytes produce less contractile force
      than wild type when plated on micropillar arrays. Introduction of GFP-Lmod2 via
      adeno-associated viral transduction elongates thin filaments and rescues
      structural and functional defects observed in Lmod2-KO mice, extending their
      lifespan to adulthood. Thus, to our knowledge, Lmod2 is the first identified
      mammalian protein that functions to elongate actin filaments in the heart; it is
      essential for cardiac thin filaments to reach a mature length and is required for
      efficient contractile force and proper heart function during development. 

PMID- 26487683
TI  - Agonist antibody that induces human malignant cells to kill one another.
AB  - An attractive, but as yet generally unrealized, approach to cancer therapy
      concerns discovering agents that change the state of differentiation of the
      cancer cells. Recently, we discovered a phenomenon that we call "receptor
      pleiotropism" in which agonist antibodies against known receptors induce cell
      fates that are very different from those induced by the natural agonist to the
      same receptor. Here, we show that one can take advantage of this phenomenon to
      convert acute myeloblastic leukemic cells into natural killer cells. Upon
      induction with the antibody, these leukemic cells enter into a differentiation
      cascade in which as many as 80% of the starting leukemic cells can be
      differentiated. The antibody-induced killer cells make large amounts of perforin,
      IFN-gamma, and granzyme B and attack and kill other members of the leukemic cell
      population. Importantly, induction of killer cells is confined to transformed
      cells, in that normal bone marrow cells are not induced to form killer cells.
      Thus, it seems possible to use agonist antibodies to change the differentiation
      state of cancer cells into those that attack and kill other members of the
      malignant clone from which they originate. 

PMID- 26487684
TI  - Clique topology reveals intrinsic geometric structure in neural correlations.
AB  - Detecting meaningful structure in neural activity and connectivity data is
      challenging in the presence of hidden nonlinearities, where traditional
      eigenvalue-based methods may be misleading. We introduce a novel approach to
      matrix analysis, called clique topology, that extracts features of the data
      invariant under nonlinear monotone transformations. These features can be used to
      detect both random and geometric structure, and depend only on the relative
      ordering of matrix entries. We then analyzed the activity of pyramidal neurons in
      rat hippocampus, recorded while the animal was exploring a 2D environment, and
      confirmed that our method is able to detect geometric organization using only the
      intrinsic pattern of neural correlations. Remarkably, we found similar results
      during nonspatial behaviors such as wheel running and rapid eye movement (REM)
      sleep. This suggests that the geometric structure of correlations is shaped by
      the underlying hippocampal circuits and is not merely a consequence of position
      coding. We propose that clique topology is a powerful new tool for matrix
      analysis in biological settings, where the relationship of observed quantities to
      more meaningful variables is often nonlinear and unknown. 

PMID- 26487686
TI  - Towards critical digital health studies: Reflections on two decades of research
      in health and the way forward.
AB  - In this article, I provide some reflections on critical digital health research
      in the context of Health's 20th anniversary. I begin by outlining the various
      iterations of digital technologies that have occurred since the early 1990s--from
      Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 to Web 3.0. I then review the research that has been published
      on the topic of digital health in this journal over the past two decades and make
      some suggestions for the types of directions and theoretical perspectives that
      further sociocultural and political research could tackle. My concluding comments
      identify four main areas for further research: (1) devices and software, (2) data
      materialisations, (3) data practices and (4) data mobilities.

PMID- 26487685
TI  - Regulation of DLK1 by the maternally expressed miR-379/miR-544 cluster may
      underlie callipyge polar overdominance inheritance.
AB  - Inheritance of the callipyge phenotype in sheep is an example of polar
      overdominance inheritance, an unusual mode of inheritance. To investigate the
      underlying molecular mechanism, we profiled the expression of the genes located
      in the Delta-like 1 homolog (Dlk1)-type III iodothyronine deiodinase (Dio3)
      imprinting region in mice. We found that the transcripts of the microRNA (miR)
      379/miR-544 cluster were highly expressed in neonatal muscle and paralleled the
      expression of the Dlk1. We then determined the in vivo role of the miR-379/miR
      544 cluster by establishing a mouse line in which the cluster was ablated. The
      maternal heterozygotes of young mutant mice displayed a hypertrophic tibialis
      anterior muscle, extensor digitorum longus muscle, gastrocnemius muscle, and
      gluteus maximus muscle and elevated expression of the DLK1 protein. Reduced
      expression of DLK1 was mediated by miR-329, a member of this cluster. Our results
      suggest that maternal expression of the imprinted miR-379/miR-544 cluster
      regulates paternal expression of the Dlk1 gene in mice. We therefore propose a
      miR-based molecular working model for polar overdominance inheritance. 

PMID- 26487687
TI  - The consent process: Enabling or disabling patients' active participation?
AB  - Standards expected by doctors' regulatory bodies in respect of the process of
      consent to treatment have arguably sought to restructure the nature of the doctor
      patient relationship from one of the paternalism to that of shared decision
      making. Yet, few studies have explored empirically, from patients' perspectives,
      the extent to which the process of consent to treatment enables or disables
      patients' participation in medical decision-making. Our article examines
      patients' attitudes towards the consent process, exploring how and why these
      attitudes influence patients' active participation in decision-making and
      considering possible consequent medico-legal issues. Data were collected
      longitudinally using semi-structured interviews and field observations involving
      35 patients and 19 of their caregivers, in an English hospital between February
      and November 2014. These indicate that generally patients defer to the doctor in
      respect of treatment decision-making. Although most patients and their caregivers
      wanted detailed information and discussion, they did not necessarily expect that
      this would be provided. Furthermore, patients perceived that signing the consent
      form was an obligatory routine principally to protect doctors from legal action
      should something go wrong. Our study suggests that patients' predominantly
      paternalistic perceptions of the consent process can not only undermine attempts
      by doctors to involve them in decision-making but, as patients are now considered
      in law as informed actors, their perceptions of the consent form as not being in
      their interests could be a self-fulfilling prophecy if signing is undertaken
      without due consideration to the content.

PMID- 26487688
TI  - A personal reflection on health: 20 years on.
AB  - This article looks back to the origins of health: from the perspective of its
      Founding Editor. Reviewing the journal's original statement of aims, the terms
      'refraction' and 'moment' are selected to provide a brief discussion of health
      and illness as defining the journal's continuing focus. 

PMID- 26487689
TI  - Magnesium Modifies the Impact of Calcitriol Treatment on Vascular Calcification
      in Experimental Chronic Kidney Disease.
AB  - Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are commonly treated with vitamin D
      analogs, such as calcitriol. Recent epidemiologic evidence revealed a significant
      interaction between vitamin D and magnesium, since an inverse relationship
      between vitamin D levels and mortality mainly occurs in patients with a high
      magnesium intake. The aim of the study was to assess the mechanisms involved by
      determining whether magnesium alone or combined with calcitriol treatments
      differentially impacts vascular calcification (VC) in male Sprague-Dawley rats
      with adenine-induced CKD. Treatment with moderate doses of calcitriol (80 MUg/kg)
      suppressed parathyroid hormone to near or slightly below control levels. Given
      alone, this dose of calcitriol increased the prevalence of VC; however, when
      magnesium was given in combination, the severity of calcification was attenuated
      in the abdominal aorta (51% reduction), iliac (44%), and carotid arteries (46%)
      compared with CKD controls. The decreases in vascular calcium content were
      associated with a 20-50% increase in vascular magnesium. Calcitriol treatment
      alone significantly decreased TRPM7 protein (? to ~11%), whereas the combination
      treatment increased both mRNA (1.7*) and protein (6.8*) expression compared with
      calcitriol alone. In summary, calcitriol increased VC in certain conditions, but
      magnesium prevented the reduction in TRPM7 and reduced the severity of VC,
      thereby increasing the bioavailable magnesium in the vascular microenvironment.
      These findings suggest that modifying the adverse effect profile of calcitriol
      with magnesium may be a plausible approach to benefiting the increasing number of
      CKD patients being prescribed calcitriol. 

PMID- 26487691
TI  - Intensive chemoimmunotherapy and bilateral globe irradiation as initial therapy
      for primary intraocular lymphoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary intraocular lymphoma is a rare variant of primary CNS
      lymphoma for which the optimum treatment strategy remains unknown. METHODS: We
      performed a retrospective single-center study including patients who underwent
      uniform management from October 2007 in which patients were offered sequential
      rituximab, methotrexate, procarbazine, and vincristine (R-MPV) followed by
      binocular radiotherapy and consolidative high-dose cytarabine. RESULTS: Eleven
      patients with median age 66 years (range, 48-72) were included. All patients
      received binocular radiotherapy to a median dose of 36 Gy (range, 30.6-39.6) in
      20 fractions. Grade 3+ anemia, thrombocytopenia, and neutropenia occurred in 1
      (9%), 2 (18%), and 3 (27%) patients, respectively; raised creatinine and
      peripheral sensory neuropathy occurred in 4 (36%) and 3 (27%) patients,
      respectively. Grade 3+ ocular toxicities included cataract formation and
      keratitis in 6 (54%) and 3 (27%) patients, respectively. Ten patients (91%)
      achieved complete response and 1 (9%) partial response. After median follow-up of
      4.2 years (range, 1.8-7.6), the median progression-free survival was 3.8 years
      and the estimated 4-year overall survival was 75.8% (95% CI: 30.5%-93.7%). The
      initial site of disease progression was the CNS in 4 of 7 patients (57%) and
      within the eye in 3 of 7 (43%). Five patients achieved responses to salvage
      therapies. CONCLUSIONS: Combined modality treatment with R-MPV, binocular
      radiation, and high-dose cytarabine is effective with moderate toxicity. Both
      local and CNS relapses occur; however, the achievement of second and subsequent
      remissions is possible.

PMID- 26487690
TI  - Apparent diffusion coefficient histogram metrics correlate with survival in
      diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma: a report from the Pediatric Brain Tumor
      Consortium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is associated with poor
      survival regardless of therapy. We used volumetric apparent diffusion coefficient
      (ADC) histogram metrics to determine associations with progression-free survival
      (PFS) and overall survival (OS) at baseline and after radiation therapy (RT).
      METHODS: Baseline and post-RT quantitative ADC histograms were generated from
      fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images and enhancement regions of
      interest. Metrics assessed included number of peaks (ie, unimodal or bimodal),
      mean and median ADC, standard deviation, mode, skewness, and kurtosis. RESULTS:
      Based on FLAIR images, the majority of tumors had unimodal peaks with
      significantly shorter average survival. Pre-RT FLAIR mean, mode, and median
      values were significantly associated with decreased risk of progression; higher
      pre-RT ADC values had longer PFS on average. Pre-RT FLAIR skewness and standard
      deviation were significantly associated with increased risk of progression;
      higher pre-RT FLAIR skewness and standard deviation had shorter PFS. Nonenhancing
      tumors at baseline showed higher ADC FLAIR mean values, lower kurtosis, and
      higher PFS. For enhancing tumors at baseline, bimodal enhancement histograms had
      much worse PFS and OS than unimodal cases and significantly lower mean peak
      values. Enhancement in tumors only after RT led to significantly shorter PFS and
      OS than in patients with baseline or no baseline enhancement. CONCLUSIONS: ADC
      histogram metrics in DIPG demonstrate significant correlations between diffusion
      metrics and survival, with lower diffusion values (increased cellularity),
      increased skewness, and enhancement associated with shorter survival, requiring
      future investigations in large DIPG clinical trials.

PMID- 26487692
TI  - Enhanced atheroprotection and lesion remodelling by targeting the foam cell and
      increasing plasma cholesterol acceptors.
AB  - AIMS: Atherosclerosis development can be ameliorated by promoting reverse
      cholesterol transport (RCT) from arteries. The process involves cholesterol
      efflux from foam cells to extracellular acceptors such as apolipoprotein A-I
      (apoA-I) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) that mediate transport to the liver.
      Perilipin-2 (PLIN2) is a lipid droplet (LD)-associated protein that in
      macrophages facilitates cholesterol storage and prevents efflux. We hypothesized
      that atheroprotection would be enhanced by concurrently targeting PLIN2 to
      increase the efflux capacity of foam cells and increasing plasma apoA-I and HDL.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: PLIN2-knockout and wild-type mice lacking apolipoprotein E
      (PLIN2(-/-)/apoE(-/-) and PLIN2(+/+)/apoE(-/-)) were treated with a helper
      dependent adenoviral vector encoding human apoA-I (HDAd-AI) or with control empty
      vector. Treatment with HDAd-AI increased hepatic apoA-I production, plasma apoA-I
      and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), and apoA-I deposition in lesions to a similar extent
      in PLIN2(-/-)/apoE(-/-) and PLIN2(+/+)/apoE(-/-) mice. However, atherosclerosis
      development at the aortic sinus was considerably lower in HDAd-AI-treated PLIN2(
      /-)/apoE(-/-) mice. A more stable lesion phenotype, with increased collagen
      content, was primarily associated to treatment with HDAd-AI, but was enhanced
      under PLIN2 deficiency. PLIN2 deficiency and apoA-I cumulatively reduced LDs and
      cholesterol ester content in cultured macrophages. Neutral lipid in atheroma was
      significantly reduced in HDAd-AI-treated PLIN2(-/-)/apoE(-/-) mice, and RCT from
      macrophages to feces was enhanced in PLIN2(-/-) macrophages. CONCLUSION: These
      studies demonstrate a mutually beneficial relationship between PLIN2 deficiency
      and elevated apoA-I/HDL-C in preventing atherosclerosis development. The data
      support that targeting foam cell components to mobilize cholesterol may be a
      promising strategy to enhance the atheroprotection of plasma cholesterol
      acceptors.

PMID- 26487693
TI  - Translational failure of anti-inflammatory compounds for myocardial infarction: a
      meta-analysis of large animal models.
AB  - AIMS: Numerous anti-inflammatory drugs have been tested in large animal studies
      of myocardial infarction (MI). Despite positive results, translation of anti
      inflammatory strategies into clinical practice has proved to be difficult.
      Critical disparities between preclinical and clinical study design that influence
      efficacy may partly be responsible for this translational failure. The aim of the
      present systematic review was to better understand which factors underlie the
      failure of transition towards the clinic. METHODS AND RESULTS: Meta-analysis and
      regression of large animal studies were performed to identify sources that
      influenced effect size of anti-inflammatory compounds in large animal models of
      MI. We included 183 studies, containing 3331 large animals. Infarct size (IS) as
      a ratio of the area at risk (12.7%; 95% confidence interval, CI 11.1-14.4%, P <
      0.001) and IS as a ratio of the left ventricle (3.9%; 95% CI 3.1-4.7%, P < 0.001)
      were reduced in treatment compared with control groups. Effect size was higher
      when outcome was assessed early after MI (P = 0.013) and where studies included
      only male animals (P < 0.001). Mortality in treated animals was higher in studies
      that blinded the investigator during the experiment (P = 0.041) and depended on
      the type of drug used (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: As expected, treatment with anti
      inflammatory drugs leads to smaller infarct size in large animal MI models.
      Timing of outcome assessment, sex, and study quality are significantly associated
      with outcome and may explain part of the translational failure in clinical
      settings. Effect size depends on the type of drug used, enabling identification
      of compounds for future clinical testing.

PMID- 26487694
TI  - PDIA6 regulates insulin secretion by selectively inhibiting the RIDD activity of
      IRE1.
AB  - Protein disulfide isomerase A6 (PDIA6) interacts with protein kinase RNA-like
      endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) and inositol requiring enzyme (IRE)-1 and
      inhibits their unfolded protein response signaling. In this study, shRNA
      silencing of PDIA6 expression in insulin-producing mouse cells reduced insulin
      production (5-fold) and, consequently, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (3-4
      fold). This inhibition of insulin release was independent of the PDIA6-PERK
      interaction or PERK activity. Acute inhibition of PERK did not change the short
      term response of beta cells to glucose. Rather, PDIA6 affected insulin secretion
      by modulating one of the activities of IRE1. At 11 mM glucose and lower, the
      regulated IRE1-dependent decay (RIDD) of the mRNA activity of IRE1 was activated,
      but not its X-box binding protein (XBP)-1 splicing activity. In the absence of
      PDIA6, RIDD activity toward insulin transcripts was enhanced up to 4-fold, as
      shown by molecular assays in cultured cells and the use of a fluorescent reporter
      in intact islets. Such physiologic activation of IRE1 by glucose contrasted with
      IRE1 activation by chemical stress, when both IRE1 activities were induced. Thus,
      whereas the stimulus determines the quality of IRE1 signaling, PDIA6 attenuates
      multiple enzymatic activities of IRE1, maintaining its signaling within a
      physiologically tolerable range.

PMID- 26487696
TI  - Co-occurrence of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms and Solid Tumors Is Attributed to a
      Synergism Between Cytoreductive Therapy and the Common TERT Polymorphism
      rs2736100.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The germline telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) rs2736100_C
      variant was identified as a susceptibility factor for a variety of solid tumors
      and recently for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). METHODS: LightCycler melting
      curve analysis was applied to detect risk alleles of TERT rs2736100_C and Janus
      kinase 2 (JAK2) rs12343867_C tagging 46/1 haplotype in 584 BCR-ABL1-negative MPN,
      308 acute, and 86 chronic myeloid leukemia (AML and CML) patients and 400 healthy
      individuals. RESULTS: TERT rs2736100_C showed an increased allele frequency in
      BCR-ABL1-negative MPN patients compared with controls (62.7%+/-2.8% vs. 48.8%+/
      3.5%, P < 0.0001) regardless of molecular background or disease type, but not in
      CML or AML. Combined TERT and JAK2 hetero- or homozygosity conferred even higher
      risk for classic MPN. Common complications (thrombosis, myelofibrosis, or
      leukemia) were not associated with the TERT variant; however, adverse survival
      was noted in TERT variant carrier polycythemia vera patients. MPN patients with
      the TERT CC genotype had a higher probability (44.4%) to die from solid tumors
      compared with TERT AC/AA individuals (5.3%; P = 0.004). TERT rs2736100_C carriers
      had increased risk of solid tumors independently from cytoreductive treatment
      [3.08 (1.03-9.26), P = 0.045]. CONCLUSIONS: TERT rs2736100_C polymorphism
      predisposes to the development of BCR-ABL1-negative MPN with the co-occurrence of
      solid tumors, especially with the usage of cytoreductive treatment. IMPACT: The
      high frequency of TERT variant in the classic MPN population highlights the
      importance of the avoidance of long-term cytoreductive treatment in MPN patients.

PMID- 26487697
TI  - Structural and functional insight into the different oxidation states of SAV1875
      from Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - The DJ-1/ThiJ/PfpI superfamily is a group of proteins found in diverse organisms.
      This superfamily includes versatile proteins, such as proteases, chaperones, heat
      shock proteins and human Parkinson's disease protein. Most members of the DJ
      1/ThiJ/PfpI superfamily are oligomers and are classified into subfamilies
      depending on discriminating quaternary structures (DJ-1, YhbO and Hsp types).
      SAV1875, a conserved protein from Staphylococcus aureus, is a member of the YhbO
      type subfamily. However, its structure and function remain unknown. Thus, to
      understand the function and activity mechanism of this protein, the crystal
      structure of SAV1875 from S. aureus was determined. The overall fold of SAV1875
      is similar to that observed for the DJ-1/ThiJ/PfpI superfamily. The cysteine
      residue located in the dimeric interface (Cys(105)) forms a catalytic triad with
      His(106) and Asp(77), and it is spontaneously oxidized to Cys(105)-SO2H in the
      crystal structure. To study the oxidative propensity of Cys(105) and the
      corresponding functional differences with changes in cysteine oxidation state,
      the crystal structures of SAV1875 variants E17N, E17D and C105D, and over
      oxidized SAV1875 were determined. We identified SAV1875 as a novel member of the
      YhbO-type subfamily exhibiting chaperone function. However, if SAV1875 is over
      oxidized further with H2O2, its chaperone activity is eliminated. On the basis of
      our study, we suggest that SAV1875 functions as a chaperone and the redox state
      of Cys(105) may play an important role. 

PMID- 26487695
TI  - Skeletal muscle-specific eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2alpha
      phosphorylation controls amino acid metabolism and fibroblast growth factor 21
      mediated non-cell-autonomous energy metabolism.
AB  - The eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2alpha (eIF2alpha) phosphorylation
      dependent integrated stress response (ISR), a component of the unfolded protein
      response, has long been known to regulate intermediary metabolism, but the
      details are poorly worked out. We report that profiling of mRNAs of transgenic
      mice harboring a ligand-activated skeletal muscle-specific derivative of the
      eIF2alpha protein kinase R-like ER kinase revealed the expected up-regulation of
      genes involved in amino acid biosynthesis and transport but also uncovered the
      induced expression and secretion of a myokine, fibroblast growth factor 21
      (FGF21), that stimulates energy consumption and prevents obesity. The link
      between the ISR and FGF21 expression was further reinforced by the identification
      of a small-molecule ISR activator that promoted Fgf21 expression in cell-based
      screens and by implication of the ISR-inducible activating transcription factor 4
      in the process. Our findings establish that eIF2alpha phosphorylation regulates
      not only cell-autonomous proteostasis and amino acid metabolism, but also affects
      non-cell-autonomous metabolic regulation by induced expression of a potent
      myokine.

PMID- 26487698
TI  - Metastasis-associated S100A4 is a specific amine donor and an activity
      independent binding partner of transglutaminase-2.
AB  - Transglutaminase-2 (TG2) is best known as a Ca(2+)-dependent cross-linking
      enzyme; however, some of its extracellular matrix-related functions are
      independent of its catalytic activity and include matrix remodelling, adhesion
      and migration. S100A4 belongs to the Ca(2+)-binding EF-hand S100 protein family
      and acts both intra- and extra-cellularly through binding to various partners. It
      regulates cell migration and its overexpression is strongly associated with
      metastasis and poor survival in various cancers. It has recently been suggested
      that TG2 mediates S100A4-dependent tumour cell migration. In the present study we
      provide evidence that S100A4 is an interacting partner and also a specific amine
      donor of TG2. TG2 incorporates a glutamine donor peptide to Lys(100) in the C
      terminal random coil region of S100A4. Importantly, the enzyme activity is not
      necessary for the interaction: S100A4 also binds to TG2 in the presence of a
      specific inhibitor that keeps the enzyme in an open conformation, or to an
      enzymatically inactive mutant. We also found that S100A4 considerably enhances
      TG2-mediated adhesion of A431 epithelial carcinoma cells to the extracellular
      matrix. This role is independent of enzyme activity and requires the open
      conformation of TG2. We propose that S100A4 stabilizes the open conformation of
      TG2, which binds to its cell-surface receptor in this state and increases cell
      adhesion. 

PMID- 26487699
TI  - Zinc-induced oligomerization of zinc alpha2 glycoprotein reveals multiple fatty
      acid-binding sites.
AB  - Zinc alpha2 glycoprotein (ZAG) is an adipokine with a class I MHC protein fold
      and is associated with obesity and diabetes. Although its intrinsic ligand
      remains unknown, ZAG binds the dansylated C11 fatty acid 11
      (dansylamino)undecanoic acid (DAUDA) in the groove between the alpha1 and alpha2
      domains. The surface of ZAG has approximately 15 weak zinc-binding sites deemed
      responsible for precipitation from human plasma. In the present study the
      functional significance of these metal sites was investigated. Analytical
      ultracentrifugation (AUC) and CD showed that zinc, but not other divalent metals,
      causes ZAG to oligomerize in solution. Thus ZAG dimers and trimers were observed
      in the presence of 1 and 2 mM zinc. Molecular modelling of X-ray scattering
      curves and sedimentation coefficients indicated a progressive stacking of ZAG
      monomers, suggesting that the ZAG groove may be occluded in these. Using
      fluorescence-detected sedimentation velocity, these ZAG-zinc oligomers were again
      observed in the presence of the fluorescent boron dipyrromethene fatty acid C16
      BODIPY (4,4-difluoro-5,7-dimethyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene-3-hexadecanoic
      acid). Fluorescence spectroscopy confirmed that ZAG binds C16-BODIPY. ZAG binding
      to C16-BODIPY, but not to DAUDA, was reduced by increased zinc concentrations. We
      conclude that the lipid-binding groove in ZAG contains at least two distinct
      fatty acid-binding sites for DAUDA and C16-BODIPY, similar to the multiple lipid
      binding seen in the structurally related immune protein CD1c. In addition,
      because high concentrations of zinc occur in the pancreas, the perturbation of
      these multiple lipid-binding sites by zinc may be significant in Type 2 diabetes
      where dysregulation of ZAG and zinc homoeostasis occurs.

PMID- 26487700
TI  - Increasing medical students' engagement in public health: case studies
      illustrating the potential role of online learning.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The value of e-learning in medical education is widely recognized but
      there is little evidence of its value in teaching medical students about public
      health. Such evidence is needed because medical students' engagement with public
      health has been low. We present three recent case studies from UK medical schools
      to illustrate diverse ways in which online approaches can increase medical
      students' engagement with learning public health. METHODS: A comparative case
      study approach was used applying quantitative and qualitative data to examine
      engagement in terms of uptake/use amongst eligible students, acceptability and
      perceived effectiveness using an analytic framework based on Seven Principles of
      Effective Teaching. RESULTS: Across the three case studies, most (67-85%)
      eligible students accessed online materials, and rated them more favourably than
      live lectures. Students particularly valued opportunities to use e-learning
      flexibly in terms of time and place. Online technologies offered new ways to
      consolidate learning of key public health concepts. Although students found
      contributing to online discussions challenging, it provided opportunities for
      students to explore concepts in depth and enabled students that were
      uncomfortable speaking in face-to-face discussions to participate. CONCLUSIONS: E
      learning can be applied in diverse ways that increase medical student engagement
      with public health teaching.

PMID- 26487701
TI  - Integration, influence and change in public health: findings from a survey of
      Directors of Public Health in England.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Following the Health and Social Care Act in England, public health
      teams were formally transferred from the NHS to local authorities in April 2013.
      METHODS: Online survey of Directors of Public Health (DsPH) in local authorities
      in England (n = 152) to investigate their experience within local government 1
      year on. Tests of association were used to explore relationships between the
      perceived integration and influence of public health, and changes in how the
      public health budget was being spent. RESULTS: The organization of and managerial
      arrangements for public health within councils varied. Most DsPH felt that good
      relationships had been established within the council, and the move had made them
      more able to influence priorities for health improvement, even though most felt
      their influence was limited. Changes in commissioning using the public health
      budget were already widespread and included the de-commissioning of services.
      CONCLUSIONS: There was a widespread feeling amongst DsPH that they had greater
      influence since the reforms, and that this went across the local authority and
      beyond. Public health's influence was most apparent when the transfer of staff to
      local government had gone well, when collaborative working relationships had
      developed, and when local partnership groups were seen as being effective.

PMID- 26487702
TI  - Maternal obesity in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maternal obesity is emerging as a public health problem, recently
      highlighted together with maternal under-nutrition as a 'double burden',
      especially in African countries undergoing social and economic transition. This
      systematic review was conducted to investigate the current evidence on maternal
      obesity in Africa. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL and PsycINFO were
      searched (up to August 2014) and identified 29 studies. Prevalence, associations
      with socio-demographic factors, labour, child and maternal consequences of
      maternal obesity were assessed. Pooled risk ratios comparing obese and non-obese
      groups were calculated. RESULTS: Prevalence of maternal obesity across Africa
      ranged from 6.5 to 50.7%, with older and multiparous mothers more likely to be
      obese. Obese mothers had increased risks of adverse labour, child and maternal
      outcomes. However, non-obese mothers were more likely to have low-birthweight
      babies. The differences in measurement and timing of assessment of maternal
      obesity were found across studies. No studies were identified either on the
      knowledge or attitudes of pregnant women towards maternal obesity; or on
      interventions for obese pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that
      Africa's levels of maternal obesity are already having significant adverse
      effects. Culturally adaptable/sensitive interventions should be developed while
      monitoring to avoid undesired side effects.

PMID- 26487703
TI  - Prevalence and Risk Factors of Self-Reported Smell and Taste Alterations: Results
      from the 2011-2012 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
AB  - Chemosensory problems challenge health through diminished ability to detect
      warning odors, consume a healthy diet, and maintain quality of life. We examined
      the prevalence and associated risk factors of self-reported chemosensory
      alterations in 3603 community-dwelling adults (aged 40+ years), from the
      nationally representative, US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
      (NHANES) 2011-2012. In this new NHANES component, technicians surveyed adults in
      the home about perceived smell and taste problems, distortions, and diminished
      abilities since age 25 (termed "alterations"), and chemosensory-related health
      risks and behaviors. The prevalence of self-reported smell alteration was 23%,
      including phantosmia at 6%; taste was 19%, including dysgeusia at 5%. Prevalence
      rates increased progressively with age, highest in those aged 80+ years (smell,
      32%; taste, 27%). In multivariable logistic regression, controlling for
      sociodemographics, health behaviors, and chemosensory-related conditions, the
      strongest independent risk factor for smell alteration was sinonasal symptoms
      (odds ratio [OR] = 2.06; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.63-2.61), followed by
      heavy drinking, loss of consciousness from head injury, family income <=110%
      poverty threshold, and xerostomia. For taste, the strongest risk factor was
      xerostomia (OR = 2.65; 95% CI: 1.97-3.56), followed by nose/facial injury, lower
      educational attainment, and fair/poor health. Self-reported chemosensory
      alterations are prevalent in US adults, supporting increased attention to
      decreasing their modifiable risks, managing safety/health consequences, and
      expanding chemosensory screening/testing and treatments. 

PMID- 26487704
TI  - Gene transcripts associated with muscle strength: a CHARGE meta-analysis of 7,781
      persons.
AB  - Lower muscle strength in midlife predicts disability and mortality in later life.
      Blood-borne factors, including growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11), have
      been linked to muscle regeneration in animal models. We aimed to identify gene
      transcripts associated with muscle strength in adults. Meta-analysis of whole
      blood gene expression (overall 17,534 unique genes measured by microarray) and
      hand-grip strength in four independent cohorts (n = 7,781, ages: 20-104 yr,
      weighted mean = 56), adjusted for age, sex, height, weight, and leukocyte
      subtypes. Separate analyses were performed in subsets (older/younger than 60,
      men/women). Expression levels of 221 genes were associated with strength after
      adjustment for cofactors and for multiple statistical testing, including ALAS2
      (rate-limiting enzyme in heme synthesis), PRF1 (perforin, a cytotoxic protein
      associated with inflammation), IGF1R, and IGF2BP2 (both insulin like growth
      factor related). We identified statistical enrichment for hemoglobin
      biosynthesis, innate immune activation, and the stress response. Ten genes were
      associated only in younger individuals, four in men only and one in women only.
      For example, PIK3R2 (a negative regulator of PI3K/AKT growth pathway) was
      negatively associated with muscle strength in younger (<60 yr) individuals but
      not older (>= 60 yr). We also show that 115 genes (52%) have not previously been
      linked to muscle in NCBI PubMed abstracts. This first large-scale transcriptome
      study of muscle strength in human adults confirmed associations with known
      pathways and provides new evidence for over half of the genes identified. There
      may be age- and sex-specific gene expression signatures in blood for muscle
      strength.

PMID- 26487705
TI  - Intrauterine growth restriction perturbs nucleosome depletion at a growth hormone
      responsive element in the mouse IGF-1 gene.
AB  - Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a common human pregnancy complication.
      IUGR offspring carry significant postnatal risk for early-onset metabolic
      syndrome, which is associated with persistent reduction in IGF-1 protein
      expression. We have previously shown that preadolescent IUGR male mice have
      decreased hepatic IGF-1 mRNA and circulating IGF-1 protein at postnatal day 21,
      the age when growth hormone (GH) normally upregulates hepatic IGF-1 expression.
      Here we studied nucleosome occupancy and CpG methylation at a putative growth
      hormone-responsive element in intron 2 (in2GHRE) of the hepatic IGF-1 gene in
      normal, sham-operated, and IUGR mice. Nucleosome occupancy and CpG methylation
      were determined in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and in liver at postnatal days 14,
      21, and 42. For CpG methylation, additional time points out to 2 yr were
      analyzed. We confirmed the putative mouse in2GHRE was GH-responsive, and in
      normal mice, a single nucleosome was displaced from the hepatic in2GHRE by
      postnatal day 21, which exposed two STAT5b DNA binding sites. Nucleosome
      displacement correlated with developmentally programmed CpG demethylation.
      Finally, IUGR significantly altered the nucleosome-depleted region (NDR) at the
      in2GHRE of IGF-1 on postnatal day 21, with either complete absence of the NDR or
      with a shifted NDR exposing only one of two STAT5b DNA binding sites. An NDR
      shift was also seen in offspring of sham-operated mothers. We conclude that
      prenatal insult such as IUGR or anesthesia/surgery could perturb the proper
      formation of a well-positioned NDR at the mouse hepatic IGF-1 in2GHRE necessary
      for transitioning to an open chromatin state. 

PMID- 26487706
TI  - Integrating primary and secondary care for children and young people: sharing
      practice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To share innovative practice with enough detail to be useful for
      paediatricians involved in planning services. DESIGN: A review of practice,
      adopting a realist approach. SETTING: We collected detailed information about
      five initiatives which were presented at two meetings in July and October 2014
      and telephone interviews between July and November 2014 with key informants,
      updating information again in February 2015. RESULTS: The five case studies
      involved three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs): Islington CCG and Southwark
      and Lambeth CCG in London and Taunton CCG in the Southwest. All five initiatives
      involved acute paediatric units. We heard about four distinct types of services
      designed to bring paediatric expertise into primary care and/or improve joint
      working between paediatricians and primary care professionals: telephone
      multidisciplinary team, hospital at home, general practitioner (GP) outreach
      clinics, and advice and guidance. We defined four common ways that initiatives
      might work: promoting shared responsibility; upskilling GPs; establishing
      relationships between paediatricians and primary healthcare professionals; and by
      taking specialist care to the patient. CONCLUSIONS: We derived common aims and
      mechanisms and generated programme (mid-level) theory for each integrated care
      initiative about how they might work. These descriptions of what is being done
      can inform debate about which interventions should be prioritised for wider
      implementation. There is an urgent need for evaluation of these interventions and
      more indepth research into how mechanisms and their effectiveness could be
      assessed.

PMID- 26487707
TI  - Mode of interaction of the Galphao subunit of heterotrimeric G proteins with the
      GoLoco1 motif of Drosophila Pins is determined by guanine nucleotides.
AB  - Drosophila GoLoco motif-containing protein Pins is unusual in its highly
      efficient interaction with both GDP- and the GTP-loaded forms of the alpha
      subunit of the heterotrimeric Go protein. We analysed the interactions of Galphao
      in its two nucleotide forms with GoLoco1-the first of the three GoLoco domains of
      Pins-and the possible structures of the resulting complexes, through combination
      of conventional fluorescence and FRET measurements as well as through molecular
      modelling. Our data suggest that the orientation of the GoLoco1 motif on Galphao
      significantly differs between the two nucleotide states of the latter. In other
      words, a rotation of the GoLoco1 peptide in respect with Galphao must accompany
      the nucleotide exchange in Galphao. The sterical hindrance requiring such a
      rotation probably contributes to the guanine nucleotide exchange inhibitor
      activity of GoLoco1 and Pins as a whole. Our data have important implications for
      the mechanisms of Pins regulation in the process of asymmetric cell divisions. 

PMID- 26487708
TI  - Epsilon glutathione transferases possess a unique class-conserved subunit
      interface motif that directly interacts with glutathione in the active site.
AB  - Epsilon class glutathione transferases (GSTs) have been shown to contribute
      significantly to insecticide resistance. We report a new Epsilon class protein
      crystal structure from Drosophila melanogaster for the glutathione transferase
      DmGSTE6. The structure reveals a novel Epsilon clasp motif that is conserved
      across hundreds of millions of years of evolution of the insect Diptera order.
      This histidine-serine motif lies in the subunit interface and appears to
      contribute to quaternary stability as well as directly connecting the two
      glutathiones in the active sites of this dimeric enzyme. 

PMID- 26487709
TI  - Medical and DNBI admissions to the UK Role 3 field hospital in Iraq during Op
      TELIC.

PMID- 26487710
TI  - Operation GRITROCK: the Defence Medical Services' story and emerging lessons from
      supporting the UK response to the Ebola crisis.
AB  - This paper is a record of the UK Defence Medical Services (DMS) contribution to
      the UK response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa from the start of planning in
      July 2014 to the closure of the Ministry of Defence Ebola Virus Disease Treatment
      Unit at the end of June 2015. The context and wider UK government decisions are
      summarised. This paper describes the decisions and processes that resulted in the
      deployment of a DMS delivered Ebola Treatment Unit in conjunction with the
      Department for International Development and Save the Children. It covers
      arrangements for medical care for disease and non-battle injury, the Air
      Transportable Isolator and Force Health Protection policy, and finally, considers
      the medical lessons from this deployment. The core message is that the UK DMS are
      the only part of the UK health sector that is trained, equipped, manned and
      available to rapidly deploy and operate a complete medical unit as part of an
      international response to a health crisis. 

PMID- 26487711
TI  - Reconstitution of the receptor-binding motif of the SARS coronavirus.
AB  - The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (CoV) identified in 2003
      has infected ~8000 people worldwide, killing nearly 10% of them. The infection of
      target cells by the SARS CoV is mediated through the interaction of the viral
      Spike (S) protein (1255 amino acids) and its cellular receptor, angiotensin
      converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The SARS CoV receptor-binding domain (amino acids
      N318-T509 of S protein) harbors an extended excursion along its periphery that
      contacts ACE2 and is designated the receptor-binding motif (RBM, amino acids S432
      T486). In addition, the RBM is a major antigenic determinant, able to elicit
      production of neutralizing antibodies. Hence, the role of the RBM is a bi
      functional bioactive surface that can be demonstrated by antibodies such as the
      neutralizing human anti-SARS monoclonal antibody (mAb) 80R which targets the RBM
      and competes with the ACE2 receptor for binding. Here, we employ phage-display
      peptide-libraries to reconstitute a functional RBM. This is achieved by
      generating a vast collection of candidate RBM peptides that present a diversity
      of conformations. Screening such 'Conformer Libraries' with corresponding ligands
      has produced short RBM constructs (ca. 40 amino acids) that can bind both the
      ACE2 receptor and the neutralizing mAb 80R. 

PMID- 26487712
TI  - A solenoid design for assessing determinants of parallel beta-sheet registration.
AB  - A novel protein construct is presented that combines a homotrimeric, triple
      stranded beta-helix as a guest to a homotrimeric foldon unit from bacteriophage
      T4 fibritin. The beta-helical solenoid selected is short (46 residues) and is
      part of a subdomain of the T4 cell-puncturing device. The resultant design is
      trimeric and displays greatly enhanced stability over each sub-component alone.
      The intended goal is a design that will enable evaluation of sequence
      determinants that promote in-register versus out-of-register parallel beta-sheet
      homotrimerization. Towards that end, the importance of a set of three buried salt
      bridges was evaluated by converting them to residues otherwise consistently found
      throughout the natural solenoid at the same positions. The critical role of the
      charged residues in the salt-bridges was evident in that their elimination
      resulted in amyloid-like aggregation. 

PMID- 26487713
TI  - Stereotactic body radiotherapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients
      undergoing or eligible for long-term domiciliary oxygen therapy.
AB  - A major cause of death in patients undergoing long-term domiciliary oxygen
      therapy (LTOT) is lung cancer progression. In our institution, we actively
      perform stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) on patients with early-stage non
      small-cell lung cancer undergoing LTOT. In this study, we retrospectively
      analyzed the treatment efficacy and safety of SBRT for patients with T1-3N0M0 non
      small-cell lung cancer who had been prescribed LTOT for treatment of chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A total of 24 patients were studied. Their
      median age was 74 years (range, 63-87 years). The median duration from the start
      of LTOT to SBRT was 23 months (range, 0-85 months). Four of the 24 patients
      underwent lobectomy due to lung cancer. The median follow-up duration was 29
      months (range, 5-79 months). One patient had a local recurrence. The median
      survival time was 30 months. The 3-year overall survival was 49%. In 6 of the 24
      patients (25%), COPD presented with interstitial pneumonia. The 3-year overall
      survival for patients with COPD without interstitial pneumonia was significantly
      better than that for patients with both COPD and interstitial pneumonia (67% and
      0%, respectively; P < 0.0001). Grade 5 radiation pneumonitis occurred in one
      patient (4%) with COPD with interstitial pneumonia. SBRT was tolerated by
      patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer undergoing LTOT. SBRT should
      be considered for patients undergoing LTOT. However, clinicians should consider
      the risk of severe radiation pneumonitis in patients with interstitial pneumonia.

PMID- 26487714
TI  - C1q Deficiency Promotes Pulmonary Vascular Inflammation and Enhances the
      Susceptibility of the Lung Endothelium to Injury.
AB  - The collectin proteins are innate immune molecules found in high concentrations
      on the epithelial and endothelial surfaces of the lung. While these proteins are
      known to have important anti-inflammatory actions in the airways of the lung
      little is known of their functional importance in the pulmonary circulation. We
      recently demonstrated that the circulating collectin protein adiponectin has
      potent anti-inflammatory effects on the lung endothelium, leading us to reason
      that other structurally related proteins might have similar effects. To test this
      hypothesis, we investigated the anti-inflammatory actions of C1q in lung
      endothelial homeostasis and the pulmonary vascular response to LPS or HCl injury.
      We show that lung endothelium from C1q-deficient (C1q(-/-)) mice expresses higher
      baseline levels of the vascular adhesion markers ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin
      when compared with wild-type mice. Further, we demonstrate that these changes are
      associated with enhanced susceptibility of the lung to injury as evident by
      increased expression of adhesion markers, enhanced production of pro-inflammatory
      cytokines, and augmented neutrophil recruitment. Additionally, we found that C1q(
      /-) mice also exhibited enhanced endothelial barrier dysfunction after injury as
      manifested by decreased expression of junctional adherens proteins and enhanced
      vascular leakage. Mechanistically, C1q appears to mediate its effects by
      inhibiting phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and
      blocking nuclear translocation of the P65 subunit of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB.
      In summary, our findings indicate a previously unrecognized role for C1q in
      pulmonary vascular homeostasis and provide added support for the hypothesis that
      circulating collectin proteins have protective effects on the lung endothelium. 

PMID- 26487715
TI  - Normal Fertility Requires the Expression of Carbonic Anhydrases II and IV in
      Sperm.
AB  - HCO3 (-) is a key factor in the regulation of sperm motility. High concentrations
      of HCO3 (-) in the female genital tract induce an increase in sperm beat
      frequency, which speeds progress of the sperm through the female reproductive
      tract. Carbonic anhydrases (CA), which catalyze the reversible hydration of CO2
      to HCO3 (-), represent potential candidates in the regulation of the HCO3 (-)
      homeostasis in sperm and the composition of the male and female genital tract
      fluids. We show that two CA isoforms, CAII and CAIV, are distributed along the
      epididymal epithelium and appear with the onset of puberty. Expression analyses
      reveal an up-regulation of CAII and CAIV in the different epididymal sections of
      the knockout lines. In sperm, we find that CAII is located in the principal
      piece, whereas CAIV is present in the plasma membrane of the entire sperm tail.
      CAII and CAIV single knockout animals display an imbalanced HCO3 (-) homeostasis,
      resulting in substantially reduced sperm motility, swimming speed, and HCO3 (-)
      enhanced beat frequency. The CA activity remaining in the sperm of CAII- and CAIV
      null mutants is 35% and 68% of that found in WT mice. Sperm of the double
      knockout mutant mice show responses to stimulus by HCO3 (-) or CO2 that were
      delayed in onset and reduced in magnitude. In comparison with sperm from CAII and
      CAIV double knockout animals, pharmacological loss of CAIV in sperm from CAII
      knockout animals, show an even lower response to HCO3 (-). These results suggest
      that CAII and CAIV are required for optimal fertilization. 

PMID- 26487716
TI  - Defining the Apoptotic Trigger: THE INTERACTION OF CYTOCHROME c AND CARDIOLIPIN.
AB  - The interaction between cytochrome c and the anionic lipid cardiolipin has been
      proposed as a primary event in the apoptotic signaling cascade. Numerous studies
      that have examined the interaction of cytochrome c with cardiolipin embedded in a
      variety of model phospholipid membranes have suggested that partial unfolding of
      the protein is a precursor to the apoptotic response. However, these studies
      lacked site resolution and used model systems with negligible or a positive
      membrane curvature, which is distinct from the large negative curvature of the
      invaginations of the inner mitochondrial membrane where cytochrome c resides. We
      have used reverse micelle encapsulation to mimic the potential effects of
      confinement on the interaction of cytochrome c with cardiolipin. Encapsulation of
      oxidized horse cytochrome c in 1-decanoyl-rac-glycerol/lauryldimethylamine-N
      oxide/hexanol reverse micelles prepared in pentane yields NMR spectra essentially
      identical to the protein in free aqueous solution. The structure of encapsulated
      ferricytochrome c was determined to high precision (<r.m.s. deviation>bb ~ 0.23
      A) using NMR-based methods and is closely similar to the cryogenic crystal
      structure (<r.m.s. deviation>bb ~ 1.2 A). Incorporation of cardiolipin into the
      reverse micelle surfactant shell causes localized chemical shift perturbations of
      the encapsulated protein, providing the first view of the cardiolipin/cytochrome
      c interaction interface at atomic resolution. Three distinct sites of interaction
      are detected: the so-called A- and L-sites, plus a previously undocumented
      interaction centered on residues Phe-36, Gly-37, Thr-58, Trp-59, and Lys-60.
      Importantly, in distinct contrast to earlier studies of this interaction, the
      protein is not significantly disturbed by the binding of cardiolipin in the
      context of the reverse micelle. 

PMID- 26487717
TI  - N-helix and Cysteines Inter-regulate Human Mitochondrial VDAC-2 Function and
      Biochemistry.
AB  - Human voltage-dependent anion channel-2 (hVDAC-2) functions primarily as the
      crucial anti-apoptotic protein in the outer mitochondrial membrane, and
      additionally as a gated bidirectional metabolite transporter. The N-terminal
      helix (NTH), involved in voltage sensing, bears an additional 11-residue
      extension (NTE) only in hVDAC-2. In this study, we assign a unique role for the
      NTE as influencing the chaperone-independent refolding kinetics and overall
      thermodynamic stability of hVDAC-2. Our electrophysiology data shows that the N
      helix is crucial for channel activity, whereas NTE sensitizes this isoform to
      voltage gating. Additionally, hVDAC-2 possesses the highest cysteine content,
      possibly for regulating reactive oxygen species content. We identify
      interdependent contributions of the N-helix and cysteines to channel function,
      and the measured stability in micellar environments with differing
      physicochemical properties. The evolutionary demand for the NTE in the presence
      of cysteines clearly emerges from our biochemical and functional studies,
      providing insight into factors that functionally demarcate hVDAC-2 from the other
      VDACs. 

PMID- 26487718
TI  - Humanized Affinity-matured Monoclonal Antibody 8H9 Has Potent Antitumor Activity
      and Binds to FG Loop of Tumor Antigen B7-H3.
AB  - B7-H3 (CD276) is both an inhibitory ligand for natural killer cells and T cells
      and a tumor antigen that is widely expressed among human solid tumors. Anti-B7-H3
      mouse monoclonal antibody 8H9 has been successfully used for radioimmunotherapy
      for patients with B7-H3(+) tumors. We present the humanization, affinity
      maturation, and epitope mapping of 8H9 based on structure determination,
      modeling, and yeast display methods. The crystal structure of ch8H9 Fab fragment
      was solved to 2.5-A resolution and used as a template for humanization. By
      displaying the humanized 8H9 single chain Fv (scFv) on the surface of yeast, the
      affinity was matured by sequential random mutagenesis and fluorescence-activated
      cell sorting. Six mutations (three in the complementarity-determining region and
      three in the framework regions) were identified and incorporated into an affinity
      matured humanized 8H9 construct (hu8H9-6m) and an affinity-matured chimeric 8H9
      construct (ch8H9-6m). The hu8H9-6m scFv had a 160-fold improvement in affinity
      (0.9 nm KD) compared with parental hu8H9 scFv (144 nm KD). The IgG formats of
      ch8H9-6m and hu8H9-6m (nanomolar to subnanomolar KD) had 2-9-fold enhancements in
      affinity compared with their parental forms, potent in vitro antibody-dependent
      cell-mediated cytotoxicity (0.1-0.3 MUg/ml EC50), and high tumor uptake in mouse
      xenografts. Based on in silico docking studies and experimental validation, the
      molecular epitope of 8H9 was determined to be dependent on the FG loop of B7-H3,
      a region critical to its function in immunologic blockade and unique among anti
      B7-H3 antibodies published to date. 

PMID- 26487719
TI  - Twist1 Is Essential for Tooth Morphogenesis and Odontoblast Differentiation.
AB  - Twist1 is a basic helix-loop-helix-containing transcription factor that is
      expressed in the dental mesenchyme during the early stages of tooth development.
      To better delineate its roles in tooth development, we generated Twist1
      conditional knockout embryos (Twist2(Cre) (/+);Twist1(fl/fl)) by breeding Twist1
      floxed mice (Twist1(fl/fl)) with Twist2-Cre recombinase knockin mice (Twist2(Cre)
      (/+)). The Twist2(Cre) (/+);Twist1(fl/fl) embryos formed smaller tooth germs and
      abnormal cusps during early tooth morphogenesis. Molecular and histological
      analyses showed that the developing molars of the Twist2(Cre) (/+);Twist1(fl/fl)
      embryos had reduced cell proliferation and expression of fibroblast growth
      factors 3, 4, 9, and 10 and FGF receptors 1 and 2 in the dental epithelium and
      mesenchyme. In addition, 3-week-old renal capsular transplants of embryonic day
      18.5 Twist2(Cre) (/+);Twist1(fl/fl) molars showed malformed crowns and cusps with
      defective crown dentin and enamel. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the
      implanted mutant molars had defects in odontoblast differentiation and delayed
      ameloblast differentiation. Furthermore, in vitro ChIP assays demonstrated that
      Twist1 was able to bind to a specific region of the Fgf10 promoter. In
      conclusion, our findings suggest that Twist1 plays crucial roles in regulating
      tooth development and that it may exert its functions through the FGF signaling
      pathway. 

PMID- 26487720
TI  - Steric Crowding of the Turn Region Alters the Tertiary Fold of Amyloid-beta18-35
      and Makes It Soluble.
AB  - Abeta self-assembles into parallel cross-beta fibrillar aggregates, which is
      associated with Alzheimer's disease pathology. A central hairpin turn around
      residues 23-29 is a defining characteristic of Abeta in its aggregated state.
      Major biophysical properties of Abeta, including this turn, remain unaltered in
      the central fragment Abeta18-35. Here, we synthesize a single deletion mutant,
      DeltaG25, with the aim of sterically hindering the hairpin turn in Abeta18-35. We
      find that the solubility of the peptide goes up by more than 20-fold. Although
      some oligomeric structures do form, solution state NMR spectroscopy shows that
      they have mostly random coil conformations. Fibrils ultimately form at a much
      higher concentration but have widths approximately twice that of Abeta18-35,
      suggesting an opening of the hairpin bend. Surprisingly, two-dimensional solid
      state NMR shows that the contact between Phe(19) and Leu(34) residues, observed
      in full-length Abeta and Abeta18-35, is still intact in these fibrils. This is
      possible if the monomers in the fibril are arranged in an antiparallel beta-sheet
      conformation. Indeed, IR measurements, supported by tyrosine cross-linking
      experiments, provide a characteristic signature of the antiparallel beta-sheet.
      We conclude that the self-assembly of Abeta is critically dependent on the
      hairpin turn and on the contact between the Phe(19) and Leu(34) regions, making
      them potentially sensitive targets for Alzheimer's therapeutics. Our results show
      the importance of specific conformations in an aggregation process thought to be
      primarily driven by nonspecific hydrophobic interactions. 

PMID- 26487721
TI  - The Cysteine-rich Domain of the DHHC3 Palmitoyltransferase Is Palmitoylated and
      Contains Tightly Bound Zinc.
AB  - DHHC palmitoyltransferases catalyze the addition of the fatty acid palmitate to
      proteins on the cytoplasmic leaflet of cell membranes. There are 23 members of
      the highly diverse mammalian DHHC protein family, all of which contain a
      conserved catalytic domain called the cysteine-rich domain (CRD). DHHC proteins
      transfer palmitate via a two-step catalytic mechanism in which the enzyme first
      modifies itself with palmitate in a process termed autoacylation. The enzyme then
      transfers palmitate from itself onto substrate proteins. The number and location
      of palmitoylated cysteines in the autoacylated intermediate is unknown. In this
      study, we present evidence using mass spectrometry that DHHC3 is palmitoylated at
      the cysteine in the DHHC motif. Mutation of highly conserved CRD cysteines
      outside the DHHC motif resulted in activity deficits and a structural
      perturbation revealed by limited proteolysis. Treatment of DHHC3 with chelating
      agents in vitro replicated both the specific structural perturbations and
      activity deficits observed in conserved cysteine mutants, suggesting metal ion
      binding in the CRD. Using the fluorescent indicator mag-fura-2, the metal
      released from DHHC3 was identified as zinc. The stoichiometry of zinc binding was
      measured as 2 mol of zinc/mol of DHHC3 protein. Taken together, our data
      demonstrate that coordination of zinc ions by cysteine residues within the CRD is
      required for the structural integrity of DHHC proteins. 

PMID- 26487722
TI  - A Nucleolar PUF RNA-binding Protein with Specificity for a Unique RNA Sequence.
AB  - PUF proteins are a conserved group of sequence specific RNA-binding proteins that
      bind to RNA in a modular fashion. The RNA-binding domain of PUF proteins
      typically consists of eight clustered Puf repeats. Plant genomes code for large
      families of PUF proteins that show significant variability in their predicted Puf
      repeat number, organization, and amino acid sequence. Here we sought to determine
      whether the observed variability in the RNA-binding domains of four plant PUFs
      results in a preference for nonclassical PUF RNA target sequences. We report the
      identification of a novel RNA binding sequence for a nucleolar Arabidopsis PUF
      protein that contains an atypical RNA-binding domain. The Arabidopsis PUM23
      (APUM23) binding sequence was 10 nucleotides in length, contained a centrally
      located UUGA core element, and had a preferred cytosine at nucleotide position 8.
      These RNA sequence characteristics differ from those of other PUF proteins,
      because all natural PUFs studied to date bind to RNAs that contain a conserved
      UGU sequence at their 5' end and lack specificity for cytosine. Gel mobility
      shift assays validated the identity of the APUM23 binding sequence and supported
      the location of 3 of the 10 predicted Puf repeats in APUM23, including the
      cytosine-binding repeat. The preferred 10-nucleotide sequence bound by APUM23 is
      present within the 18S rRNA sequence, supporting the known role of APUM23 in 18S
      rRNA maturation. This work also reveals that APUM23, an ortholog of yeast Nop9,
      could provide an advanced structural backbone for Puf repeat engineering and
      target-specific regulation of cellular RNAs. 

PMID- 26487723
TI  - Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (hTERT) Transcription Requires Sp1/Sp3
      Binding to the Promoter and a Permissive Chromatin Environment.
AB  - The transcription of human telomerase gene hTERT is regulated by transcription
      factors (TFs), including Sp1 family proteins, and its chromatin environment. To
      understand its regulation in a relevant chromatin context, we employed bacterial
      artificial chromosome reporters containing 160 kb of human genomic sequence
      containing the hTERT gene. Upon chromosomal integration, the bacterial artificial
      chromosomes recapitulated endogenous hTERT expression, contrary to transient
      reporters. Sp1/Sp3 expression did not correlate with hTERT promoter activity, and
      these TFs bound to the hTERT promoters in both telomerase-positive and telomerase
      negative cells. Mutation of the proximal GC-box resulted in a dramatic decrease
      of hTERT promoter activity, and mutations of all five GC-boxes eliminated its
      transcriptional activity. Neither mutations of GC-boxes nor knockdown of
      endogenous Sp1 impacted promoter binding by other TFs, including E-box-binding
      proteins, and histone acetylation and trimethylation of histone H3K9 at the hTERT
      promoter in telomerase-positive and -negative cells. The result indicated that
      promoter binding by Sp1/Sp3 was essential, but not a limiting step, for hTERT
      transcription. hTERT transcription required a permissive chromatin environment.
      Importantly, our data also revealed different functions of GC-boxes and E-boxes
      in hTERT regulation; although GC-boxes were essential for promoter activity,
      factors bound to the E-boxes functioned to de-repress hTERT promoter. 

PMID- 26487725
TI  - Finding the Therapeutic Sweet Spot: Using Naturally Occurring Human Variants to
      Inform Drug Design.

PMID- 26487724
TI  - Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 6 (Prmt6) Is Essential for Early Zebrafish
      Development through the Direct Suppression of gadd45alphaa Stress Sensor Gene.
AB  - Histone lysine methylation is important in early zebrafish development; however,
      the role of histone arginine methylation in this process remains unclear.
      H3R2me2a, generated by protein arginine methyltransferase 6 (Prmt6), is a
      repressive mark. To explore the role of Prmt6 and H3R2me2a during zebrafish
      embryogenesis, we identified the maternal characteristic of prmt6 and designed
      two prmt6-specific morpholino-oligos (MOs) to study its importance in early
      development, application of which led to early epiboly defects and significantly
      reduced the level of H3R2me2a marks. prmt6 mRNA could rescue the epiboly defects
      and the H3R2me2a reduction in the prmt6 morphants. Functionally, microarray data
      demonstrated that growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible, alpha, a (gadd45alphaa)
      was a significantly up-regulated gene in MO-treated embryos, the activity of
      which was linked to the activation of the p38/JNK pathway and apoptosis.
      Importantly, gadd45alphaa MO and p38/JNK inhibitors could partially rescue the
      defect of prmt6 morphants, the downstream targets of Prmt6, and the apoptosis
      ratios of the prmt6 morphants. Moreover, the results of ChIP quantitative real
      time PCR and luciferase reporter assay indicated that gadd45alphaa is a
      repressive target of Prmt6. Taken together, these results suggest that maternal
      Prmt6 is essential to early zebrafish development by directly repressing
      gadd45alphaa. 

PMID- 26487727
TI  - Back to the future: Patient experience and the link to quality, safety, and
      financial performance.
AB  - Improving patient experience has emerged as an important healthcare policy
      priority across Canada. Tools and systems for monitoring patient experience
      metrics are becoming increasingly refined and standardized, and the trend toward
      greater accountability for improvements that are sustainable and affordable is
      well underway. For many healthcare professionals, this represents a renewed focus
      on core patient needs and priorities, following decades during which structural
      and technological changes have dominated healthcare agendas. Improving patient
      experience in our contemporary healthcare environment presents major challenges
      and opportunities-for Canadian health leaders. The experience of Studer Group
      partner organizations in Canada is relevant and instructive in this context.
      These organizations have adopted a model known as Evidence-Based Leadership (EBL)
      that enables and supports the alignment of all activities and behaviours toward
      specific organizational goals, including measurable patient experience
      improvements. This article reviews case studies of organizations that have
      adopted EBL. These organizations are demonstrating rapid progress in patient
      experience indicators while simultaneously making gains in critical areas such as
      clinical outcomes, safety, physician and staff engagement, and financial
      performance. Emerging evidence concerning the factors and processes that underlie
      these improvements is also discussed. 

PMID- 26487726
TI  - Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Repressor Methylation: A Link Between Smoking and
      Atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26487728
TI  - Three perspectives on partnering to close the care gap.
AB  - Given their frontline relationship with patients, community pharmacists fill a
      vital role in our healthcare system. This article offers three perspectives on
      how a team-based approach, which integrates the community pharmacist, can enhance
      patient care and reduce system costs. It is the success of these partnership
      models which have helped drive system-level change. It offers reflections by Dr.
      Ross T. Tsuyuki, among Canada's leading researchers on the subject, and presents
      some findings over his 20-year partnership with Merck in Canada. Dr. Tsuyuki's
      peer-reviewed studies have been largely centred in Alberta, one province in which
      the scope of practice for pharmacists has been expanded. 

PMID- 26487729
TI  - Just leg pain? Think again: What health leaders must know about peripheral
      arterial disease.
AB  - Approximately 800,000 Canadians have Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD).
      Peripheral arterial disease is also a leading cause of limb amputation. Yet
      public and clinical awareness of PAD is very limited. This article discusses the
      "Just Leg Pain? Think Again" awareness campaign the Canadian Association of Wound
      Care has launched in response. This article also summarizes PAD risk factors,
      screening, linkage with diabetes, treatment and care interventions, PAD care
      innovations, and the need for policy leadership on this issue. 

PMID- 26487730
TI  - Retour vers le futur: l'experience des patients et le lien avec la qualite, la
      securite et le rendement financier.
AB  - Au Canada, l'amelioration de l'experience des patients est devenue une priorite
      des politiques de sante. Le perfectionnement et la normalisation des outils et
      systemes pour surveiller les mesures de l'experience des patients augmentent,
      tandis que la tendance vers une plus grande reddition de compte sur des
      ameliorations durables et abordables se confirme. Pour de nombreux professionnels
      de la sante, ce phenomene fait foi d'un interet renouvele pour les besoins et
      priorites fondamentaux des patients, apres des decennies ou les changements
      structurels et technologiques ont domine les programmes de sante. Pour les
      leaders en sante canadiens, l'amelioration de l'experience des patients comporte
      actuellement de grands defis et de belles possibilites. A cet egard, l'experience
      des organisations partenaires du groupe Studer au Canada est a la fois pertinente
      et instructive. Ces organisations ont adopte un modele, du nom de Evidence-Based
      Leadership (EBL, ou leadership fonde sur des donnees probantes), qui favorise et
      soutient l'harmonisation de l'ensemble des activites et des comportements,
      conformement a des objectifs organisationnels precis, y compris des ameliorations
      mesurables de l'experience des patients. Le present article expose des etudes de
      cas d'organisations qui ont adopte l'EBL. Ces organisations ont realise des
      progres rapides en matiere d'indicateurs de l'experience des patients, ainsi que
      dans des secteurs essentiels comme les resultats cliniques, la securite et le
      rendement financier. Les donnees emergentes sur les facteurs et processus qui
      sous-tendent ces ameliorations sont egalement abordees. 

PMID- 26487731
TI  - Message du redacteur en chef.

PMID- 26487732
TI  - L'emergence de la therapeutique de precision: de nouveaux defis et de nouvelles
      possibilites pour les leaders en sante du Canada.
AB  - A l'ere de la medecine personnalisee et de la medecine de precision, l'approche
      envers les soins est en rapide mutation. Les cliniciens exigent de plus en plus
      d'information genetique et moleculaire et les patients s'attendent a la fournir
      pour la prevention, le depistage, le diagnostic, le pronostic, la promotion de la
      sante et le traitement d'un nombre croissant de maladies. Les leaders en sante
      canadiens doivent comprendre les changements necessaires lies a ces technologies
      perturbantes et ouvrir la voie. Le present article s'attarde sur la therapeutique
      de precision, mais contient egalement de l'information generale sur les concepts
      et la terminologie lies a la medecine personnalisee et a la medecine de
      precision. Il explore egalement le leadership en sante canadien et les problemes
      lies au systeme qui peuvent nuire a leur mise en oeuvre. L'article vise a
      inspirer, informer et mobiliser les leaders en sante canadiens a amorcer un
      dialogue sur les transformations necessaires pour preparer le systeme de sante a
      profiter des bienfaits de la therapeutique de precision. 

PMID- 26487733
TI  - Si vous pensez que c'est juste un mal de jambe... detrompez-vous: ce que les
      leaders en sante doivent savoir sur la maladie arterielle peripherique.
AB  - Environ 800 000 Canadiens ont une maladie arterielle peripherique (MAP), une
      cause majeure d'amputation. Pourtant, le public et les cliniciens connaissent
      tres peu cette maladie. Le present article traite de la campagne de
      sensibilisation Si vous pensez que c'est juste un mal de jambe... detrompez-vous
      que l'Association canadienne du soin des plaies a lancee pour contrer cette
      tendance. Il porte egalement sur les facteurs de risque et le depistage de la
      MAP, son lien avec le diabete, son traitement et ses soins, ses innovations en
      matiere de soins de la MAP et la necessite de faire preuve de leadership sur le
      plan des politiques. 

PMID- 26487734
TI  - The emergence of precision therapeutics: New challenges and opportunities for
      Canada's health leaders.
AB  - In the era of personalized and precision medicine, the approach to healthcare is
      quickly changing. Genetic and other molecular information are being increasingly
      demanded by clinicians and expected by patients for prevention, screening,
      diagnosis, prognosis, health promotion, and treatment of an increasing number of
      conditions. As a result of these developments, Canadian health leaders must
      understand and be prepared to lead the necessary changes associated with these
      disruptive technologies. This article focuses on precision therapeutics but also
      provides background on the concepts and terminology related to personalized and
      precision medicine and explores Canadian health leadership and system issues that
      may pose barriers to their implementation. The article is intended to inspire,
      educate, and mobilize Canadian health leaders to initiate dialogue around the
      transformative changes necessary to ready the healthcare system to realize the
      benefits of precision therapeutics. 

PMID- 26487735
TI  - IgG4-related double duct sign mimicking pancreatic head cancer.

PMID- 26487736
TI  - RNA structure framework: automated transcriptome-wide reconstruction of RNA
      secondary structures from high-throughput structure probing data.
AB  - SUMMARY: The rapidly increasing number of discovered non-coding RNAs makes the
      understanding of their structure a key feature toward a deeper comprehension of
      gene expression regulation. Various enzymatic- and chemically- based approaches
      have been recently developed to allow whole-genome studies of RNA secondary
      structures. Several methods have been recently presented that allow high
      throughput RNA structure probing (CIRS-seq, Structure-seq, SHAPE-seq, PARS, etc.)
      and unbiased structural inference of residues within RNAs in their native
      conformation. We here present an analysis toolkit, named RNA Structure Framework
      (RSF), which allows fast and fully-automated analysis of high-throughput
      structure probing data, from data pre-processing to whole-transcriptome RNA
      structure inference. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: RSF is written in Perl and
      is freely available under the GPLv3 license from http://rsf.hugef-research.org.
      CONTACT: salvatore.oliviero@hugef-torino.org SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
      Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID- 26487737
TI  - 'Drinking with respect': Drinking constructions of men who live in a Cape
      Winelands farm community in South Africa.
AB  - This article aims to provide a community-specific understanding of a subgroup of
      South African men who exhibit particularly high rates of hazardous alcohol
      consumption. Adopting a social constructionist framework, we interviewed 13 Cape
      Winelands men who lived on farms to explore their drinking constructions. We
      present three themes that shed light on problematic drinking in this group: (1)
      the notion of weekend binge-drinking as 'respectable' drinking, (2) drinking as
      shared activity that fulfils various psycho-social needs and (3) a sense of
      powerlessness to affect their own or their children's alcohol consumption. These
      findings are viewed against a specific socio-historical backdrop.

PMID- 26487738
TI  - Older Adults in Clinical Research and Drug Development: Closing the Geriatric
      Gap.

PMID- 26487739
TI  - Modest Associations Between Electronic Health Record Use and Acute Myocardial
      Infarction Quality of Care and Outcomes: Results From the National Cardiovascular
      Data Registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2009, national legislation promoted wide-spread adoption of
      electronic health records (EHRs) across US hospitals; however, the association of
      EHR use with quality of care and outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
      remains unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data on EHR use were collected from the
      American Hospital Association Annual Surveys (2007-2010) and data on AMI care and
      outcomes from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry Acute Coronary Treatment
      and Interventions Outcomes Network Registry-Get With The Guidelines. Comparisons
      were made between patients treated at hospitals with fully implemented EHR (n=43
      527), partially implemented EHR (n=72 029), and no EHR (n=9270). Overall EHR use
      increased from 82.1% (183/223) hospitals in 2007 to 99.3% (275/277) hospitals in
      2010. Patients treated at hospitals with fully implemented EHRs had fewer heparin
      overdosing errors (45.7% versus 72.8%; P<0.01) and a higher likelihood of
      guideline-recommended care (adjusted odds ratio, 1.40 [confidence interval, 1.07
      1.84]) compared with patients treated at hospitals with no EHR. In non-ST-segment
      elevation AMI, fully implemented EHR use was associated with lower risk of major
      bleeding (adjusted odds ratio, 0.78 [confidence interval, 0.67-0.91]) and
      mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 0.82 [confidence interval, 0.69-0.97]) compared
      with no EHR. In ST-segment-elevation MI, outcomes did not significantly differ by
      EHR status. CONCLUSIONS: EHR use has risen to high levels among hospitals in the
      National Cardiovascular Data Registry. EHR use was associated with less frequent
      heparin overdosing and modestly greater adherence to acute MI guideline
      recommended therapies. In non-ST-segment-elevation MI, slightly lower adjusted
      risk of major bleeding and mortality were seen in hospitals implemented with full
      EHRs; however, in ST-segment-elevation MI, differences in outcomes were not seen.

PMID- 26487740
TI  - Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) Extract Inhibits Tumorigenicity and Overcomes
      Cisplatin-Resistance in Ovarian Cancer Cells Through Targeting AMPK Signaling
      Cascade.
AB  - Objective Acquired chemoresistance is a major obstacle in the clinical management
      of ovarian cancer. Therefore, searching for alternative therapeutic modalities is
      urgently needed. Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is a traditional dietary
      fruit, but its extract also shows potential medicinal values in human diabetes
      and cancers. Here, we sought to investigate the extract of bitter melon (BME) in
      antitumorigenic and cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer cells.
      METHODS: Three varieties of bitter melon were used to prepare the BME. Ovarian
      cancer cell lines, human immortalized epithelial ovarian cells (HOSEs), and nude
      mice were used to evaluate the cell cytotoxicity, cisplatin resistance, and tumor
      inhibitory effect of BME. The molecular mechanism of BME was examined by Western
      blotting. RESULTS: Cotreatment with BME and cisplatin markedly attenuated tumor
      growth in vitro and in vivo in a mouse xenograft model, whereas there was no
      observable toxicity in HOSEs or in nude mice in vivo Interestingly, the
      antitumorigenic effects of BME varied with different varieties of bitter melon,
      suggesting that the amount of antitumorigenic substances may vary. Studies of the
      molecular mechanism demonstrated that BME activates AMP-activated protein kinase
      (AMPK) in an AMP-independent but CaMKK (Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein
      kinase)-dependent manner, exerting anticancer effects through activation of AMPK
      and suppression of the mTOR/p70S6K and/or the AKT/ERK/FOXM1 (Forkhead Box M1)
      signaling cascade. CONCLUSION: BME functions as a natural AMPK activator in the
      inhibition of ovarian cancer cell growth and might be useful as a supplement to
      improve the efficacy of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26487742
TI  - Semiautomated Identification of European Corn Borer  (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).
AB  - The European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner, 1796) is a serious and widely
      studied pest of corn. The most common method of its control is by means of
      insecticides. However, biological control is becoming more and more popular. The
      hymenopteran parasitoid Trichogramma sp. is the most promising and effective one
      among the biological agents and is now widely used in North America and Europe.
      Its application should occur at the time when the European corn borer is at the
      beginning of the eggs laying period. However, the discrimination between the
      European corn borer and some other species occurring in agricultural landscapes
      at the same time can be difficult, especially for farmers which are neither
      familiar with the morphological nor molecular methods of identification. The
      scope of this study is to test the ability of the automatic computer equipment to
      determine the European corn borer and to separate it from the most common
      Lepidoptera pests found in corn plantations. The experiment showed that the 97.0%
      of the 247 specimens belonging to four common pestlepidopterans were correctly
      classified by the use of a personal computer, desktop scanner, and the special
      software. The obtained results showed that this technique based on wing
      measurements can be an effective tool for monitoring of the European corn borer.
      In the future, this method can be used by farmers to identify this pest and apply
      control measures at optimal time.

PMID- 26487743
TI  - Toxicity of Six Insecticides on Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and
      Effect on Expression of Detoxification Genes.
AB  - The codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), is a key worldwide fruit pest that has
      evolved high levels of resistance to almost all classes of conventional
      insecticides. Neonicotinoids, a new reduced-risk biorational insecticide class,
      have remained an effective control approach. In this study, the toxicity and
      sublethal effect of conventional and reduced-risk biorational insecticides on
      transcripts abundance of three detoxification genes in codling moth were
      determined. Bioassays on a codling moth laboratory strain suggested that
      acetamiprid had the highest oral toxicity against the third-instar larvae
      compared with the other five pesticides. Results also indicated that acetamiprid
      exhibits long-term efficacy against codling moth even at 120 h post feeding. Real
      time quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that the detoxification genes
      CYP9A61, CpGST1, and CpCE-1 were differentially induced or suppressed by
      deltamethrin, cypermethrin, methomyl, carbaryl, and imidacloprid, depending on
      the type of insecticides; in contrast, no significant difference in CYP9A61,
      CpGST1, and CpCE-1 expressions were observed after acetamiprid exposure, when
      compared with the control. These results suggest that the reduced-risk
      biorational insecticide acetamiprid is an effective insecticide with no induction
      of detoxification genes and can be integrated into the management of codling
      moth. 

PMID- 26487741
TI  - Identifying Novel Gene Variants in Coronary Artery Disease and Shared Genes With
      Several Cardiovascular Risk Factors.
AB  - RATIONALE: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a critical determinant of morbidity
      and mortality. Previous studies have identified several cardiovascular disease
      risk factors, which may partly arise from a shared genetic basis with CAD, and
      thus be useful for discovery of CAD genes. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to improve
      discovery of CAD genes and inform the pathogenic relationship between CAD and
      several cardiovascular disease risk factors using a shared polygenic signal
      informed statistical framework. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using genome-wide
      association studies summary statistics and shared polygenic pleiotropy-informed
      conditional and conjunctional false discovery rate methodology, we systematically
      investigated genetic overlap between CAD and 8 traits related to cardiovascular
      disease risk factors: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, type 2 diabetes mellitus, C-reactive
      protein, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, and type 1 diabetes mellitus.
      We found significant enrichment of single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated
      with CAD as a function of their association with low-density lipoprotein, high
      density lipoprotein, triglycerides, type 2 diabetes mellitus, C-reactive protein,
      body mass index, systolic blood pressure, and type 1 diabetes mellitus. Applying
      the conditional false discovery rate method to the enriched phenotypes, we
      identified 67 novel loci associated with CAD (overall conditional false discovery
      rate <0.01). Furthermore, we identified 53 loci with significant effects in both
      CAD and at least 1 of low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein,
      triglycerides, type 2 diabetes mellitus, C-reactive protein, systolic blood
      pressure, and type 1 diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSIONS: The observed polygenic
      overlap between CAD and cardiometabolic risk factors indicates a pathogenic
      relation that warrants further investigation. The new gene loci identified
      implicate novel genetic mechanisms related to CAD.

PMID- 26487744
TI  - High Spatial Genetic Structure and Genetic Diversity in Chinese Populations of
      Sitobion miscanthi (Hemiptera: Aphididae).
AB  - The wheat aphid, Sitobion miscanthi Takahashi, a serious wheat pest, was
      previously considered to be highly migratory and anholocyclic in China. We
      recorded 69 alleles and 346 multilocus genotypes among 708 aphid individuals from
      12 populations in China using 5 microsatellite loci. This genotypic diversity
      indicates that at least some holocyclic lineages exist. Bayesian clustering
      analysis revealed that there are two differentiated genetic groups of S.
      misanthi, one northern and one southern, in China. Principal coordinates analysis
      of population genetic distance, pairwise F(ST)'s, and network analysis of
      individual minimum spanning distance also supported the division. Low levels of
      migration were detected between the northern and southern sampling sites, but the
      high genetic differentiation does not support the hypothesis S. miscanthi
      overwinters in the south and migrates to the north in the spring annually.

PMID- 26487745
TI  - Molecular Markers Detect Cryptic Predation on Coffee Berry Borer (Coleoptera:
      Curculionidae) by Silvanid and Laemophloeid Flat Bark Beetles (Coleoptera:
      Silvanidae, Laemophloeidae) in Coffee Beans.
AB  - The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera:
      Curculionidae), is a serious pest of coffee worldwide. It was first detected in
      Hawai'i in 2010. Two predatory beetles, Cathartus quadricollis (Coleoptera:
      Silvanidae) and Leptophloeus sp. (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae), have been observed
      in H. hampei-infested coffee. Under laboratory conditions, colony-reared C.
      quadricollis and Leptophloeus sp. prey upon all life stages of H. hampei.
      However, the H. hampei life cycle occurs almost exclusively within a coffee bean
      obscured from direct observation. Thus, it is unknown if C. quadricollis and
      Leptophloeus sp. consume H. hampei as prey in the wild. To demonstrate predation
      of H. hampei by C. quadricollis and Leptophloeus sp., a molecular assay was
      developed utilizing species-specific primers targeting short regions of the
      mitochondrial COI gene to determine species presence. Using these primers, wild
      C. quadricollis and Leptophloeus sp. were collected and screened for the presence
      of H. hampei DNA using PCR. Analysis of collections from five coffee farms
      revealed predation of C. quadricollis and Leptophloeus sp. on H. hampei. Further
      laboratory testing showed that H. hampei DNA could be detected in predators for
      as long as 48 h after feeding, indicating the farm-caught predators had preyed on
      H. hampei within 2 d of sampling. This study demonstrates the utility of
      molecular markers for the study of the ecology of predators and prey with cryptic
      behavior, and suggests C. quadricollis and Leptophloeus sp. might be useful
      biocontrol agents against H. hampei. 

PMID- 26487746
TI  - Comparison of the Feasibility and Safety of Nasotracheal Suctioning With Curved
      Edge Catheter Versus Conventional Suction Catheter in Critically Ill Subjects: A
      Prospective Randomized Crossover Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nasotracheal suctioning (NTS) is accomplished by inserting a suction
      catheter into the trachea through the nasopharynx. It is a useful procedure in
      critically ill patients whose ability to cough and mobilize secretions is
      impaired. Iotat was assumed that using a suction catheter with an angular tip
      would facilitate entry into the trachea. The primary outcome was the success rate
      and the ease of insertion by using a curved edge catheter (Tiemann type) compared
      with a conventional suction catheter. The secondary outcome was the monitoring of
      subject's vital signs during the intervention. METHODS: Non-intubated subjects
      hospitalized in 2 adult ICUs underwent 2 consecutive NTSs each, using either a 14
      French curved edge catheter or a 14 French conventional suction catheter,
      randomly. RESULTS: Twenty subjects with a mean age of 75.5 y were enrolled for a
      time period of 5 months. The tracheal access success rate was 19/52
      (successful/unsuccessful attempts) using a curved edge catheter (36.5%, 95% CI
      23.6-51.0%) compared with 12/130 (9.2%, 95% CI 4.8-15.5%) using a conventional
      suction catheter. The insertion was 5.6 times more likely to be achieved by using
      a curved edge catheter (odds ratio 5.66, 95% CI 2.49-12.84, P < .001). The number
      of attempts required to succeed in the insertion was significantly lower when
      using a curved edge catheter than when using a conventional suction catheter (for
      nasopharynx, median [range] of 1 [1] versus 2.5 [8], P = .001; for trachea,
      median [range] of 2 [9] versus 9 [9], P = .002). The time required for successful
      insertion into the nasopharynx and trachea was significantly shorter when using a
      curved edge catheter than when using a conventional suction catheter (for
      nasopharynx, median [range] of 3 [11] s versus 5.3 [18] s, P = .038; for trachea,
      median [range] of 6 [27] s versus 20 [25] s, P = .002). The traumatic rate
      (percentage of catheters with blood present on the tip) was exactly the same for
      both catheters (30%). CONCLUSIONS: It is more likely that tracheal access will be
      achieved using a curved edge catheter. A shorter process time and fewer attempts
      are required for successful NTS using a curved edge catheter, and it seems to be
      an equally safe procedure. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration NCT02261428.).

PMID- 26487747
TI  - Evidence for Autonomic Function and Its Influencing Factors in Subjects With
      COPD: A Systematic Review.
AB  - Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy is one of the factors implicated in the high
      morbidity and mortality rate in patients with COPD. Thus, several studies and
      nonsystematic reviews have increasingly reported autonomic function impairment in
      these subjects. For a better understanding, this systematic review was performed
      to evaluate not only the evidence for autonomic function impairment, but also
      factors influencing it. The results of the studies reviewed showed a strong level
      of evidence to support the impairment of heart rate variability in the time
      domain. A similar evidence level was also found to support impairment in
      baroreceptor sensitivity and muscle sympathetic nerve activity. Furthermore, this
      review identified physical activity level, muscle function, and circadian rhythm
      as the major influencing factors (strong evidence) of autonomic function in
      subjects with COPD. However, no definite conclusion could be reached for factors
      such as dyspnea, anxiety, body composition, pulmonary function, age, breathing
      frequency, ventilatory effort, quality of life, and disease severity due to
      limited, conflicting, or lack of existing evidence. The results of this review
      highlight relevant clinical messages for clinicians and other health-care
      providers regarding the role autonomic function can play as an important
      physiological marker for prognostication and stratification. Hence, autonomic
      function outcomes should be identified and considered during management of
      patients with COPD. Moreover, this review can serve as basis for future research
      aimed at assessing the interventions for autonomic function abnormalities in
      these patients.

PMID- 26487748
TI  - Using the Lower Limit of Normal Instead of the Conventional Cutoff Values to
      Define Predictors of Pulmonary Function Impairment in Subjects With Chronic Heart
      Failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Using the newer lower limit of normal criterion instead of the
      conventional cutoff values to define pulmonary function abnormalities may result
      in different predictors of pulmonary function impairment in patients with heart
      failure. Therefore, we assessed predictors of pulmonary function impairment in
      subjects with chronic heart failure according to the lower limit of normal in
      comparison with conventional cutoff values. METHODS: In this prospective cross
      sectional study, 164 chronic heart failure subjects (age 68 +/- 10 y, 78% men,
      88% New York Heart Association class I-II) with left ventricular ejection
      fraction <40% underwent pulmonary function tests. Predictors of pulmonary
      function impairment were assessed using the lower limit of normal and
      conventional cutoff values (ie, 80% predicted value and the fixed ratio of
      FEV1/FVC <0.7). RESULTS: The lower limit of normal criterion identified an extra
      independent predictor of diffusion impairment compared with the 80% predicted
      value; in addition to body mass index, pack-years, and alveolar volume, female
      sex also turned out to be an independent predictor. A smoking history of >=10
      pack-years was a significant predictor of diffusion impairment and airway
      obstruction using the lower limit of normal criterion but not using the
      conventional cutoff values. However, lowering the cutoff points of conventional
      criteria to match the more stringent lower limit of normal and thus avoid
      overdiagnosis of diffusion impairment and airway obstruction in the elderly
      produced similar results as the lower limit of normal. CONCLUSIONS: The lower
      limit of normal identifies more predictors of diffusion impairment and airway
      obstruction compared with conventional cutoff values in subjects with chronic
      heart failure with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. However, lowering the
      conventional cutoff points yielded similar results as the lower limit of normal.
      (ClinicalTrials.gov registration NCT01429376.).

PMID- 26487749
TI  - Optimizing Mask Ventilation: Literature Review and Development of a Conceptual
      Framework.
AB  - Mask ventilation is lifesaving, especially in cases of difficult intubation. Many
      publications have offered distinct techniques for optimizing mask ventilation.
      This article reviews currently available difficult mask ventilation literature
      and theory. We divide difficult mask ventilation into 3 broad categories based on
      etiology: inadequate mask seal, increased airway resistance, and decreased
      respiratory compliance. Published strategies for overcoming difficulty are
      presented and organized by etiology. 

PMID- 26487750
TI  - ITERATIVE SCATTER CORRECTION FOR GRID-LESS BEDSIDE CHEST RADIOGRAPHY: PERFORMANCE
      FOR A CHEST PHANTOM.
AB  - The aim of this work was to experimentally compare the contrast improvement
      factors (CIFs) of a newly developed software-based scatter correction to the CIFs
      achieved by an antiscatter grid. To this end, three aluminium discs were placed
      in the lung, the retrocardial and the abdominal areas of a thorax phantom, and
      digital radiographs of the phantom were acquired both with and without a
      stationary grid. The contrast generated by the discs was measured in both images,
      and the CIFs achieved by grid usage were determined for each disc. Additionally,
      the non-grid images were processed with a scatter correction software. The
      contrasts generated by the discs were determined in the scatter-corrected images,
      and the corresponding CIFs were calculated. The CIFs obtained with the grid and
      with the software were in good agreement. In conclusion, the experiment
      demonstrates quantitatively that software-based scatter correction allows
      restoring the image contrast of a non-grid image in a manner comparable with an
      antiscatter grid. 

PMID- 26487751
TI  - Interdisciplinary Strategies for Treating Oral Aversions in Children.
AB  - Oral aversion is a frequent diagnosis in the pediatric population. For a minority
      of children, feeding challenges rise to the level of requiring clinical
      evaluation and intervention. Determining the best evaluation and treatment plan
      can be challenging, but there is a consensus that treatment for children with a
      severe oral aversion involves an interdisciplinary approach. Within the team
      model, multiple strategies have demonstrated effectiveness, including
      sensorimotor skill building, behavioral modification, hunger provocation, and
      sensory integration therapy. This tutorial reviews the diagnostic and treatment
      process for a child with oral aversion, including identification of an underlying
      etiology, the medical and behavioral evaluation, and formulation of a treatment
      plan. 

PMID- 26487752
TI  - JPEN Journal Club 16. Trial Registries.

PMID- 26487753
TI  - Corrigendum.
AB  - Choban P, Dickerson R, Malone A, et al. A.S.P.E.N. clinical guidelines: nutrition
      support of hospitalized adult patients with obesity. JPEN J Parenter Enteral
      Nutr. 2013;37:714-744. (Original DOI: 10.1177/0148607113499374). 

PMID- 26487754
TI  - Highly diverse MLVA-ompA genotypes of rectal Chlamydia trachomatis among men who
      have sex with men in Brighton, UK and evidence for an HIV-related sexual network.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In this prospective study, we aimed to determine the distribution of
      genotypes by multilocus variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis plus
      analysis of the ompA gene (MLVA-ompA) of rectal Chlamydia trachomatis among men
      who have sex with men (MSM) attending Brighton Genitourinary Medicine (GUM)
      Clinic and to examine any correlations with clinical variables, including HIV
      status, and to isolate rectal C. trachomatis cultures maximising the possibility
      of obtaining complete genotyping data. METHODS: Samples were assigned genotypes
      by PCR and sequencing of the markers of the MLVA-ompA genotyping system. Rectal
      C. trachomatis was isolated in cell culture using McCoy cells. Data regarding
      demographics, HIV status, rectal symptoms and history of sexually transmitted
      infections, including C. trachomatis, were collected. RESULTS: 1809 MSM attending
      the clinic between October 2011 and January 2013 took part in the study, 112
      (6.2%) of whom had rectal samples that tested positive for C. trachomatis. 85/112
      (75.9%) C. trachomatis-positive rectal samples were assigned 66 different
      genotypes. Two distinct genotype subclusters were identified: subcluster 1
      consisted of more HIV-negative men than subcluster 2 (p=0.025), and the MLVA-ompA
      genotypes in these subclusters reflected this. Isolates were successfully
      cultured from 37 of the 112 specimens, from which 27 otherwise unobtainable (from
      direct PCR) MLVA-ompA genotypes were gained. CONCLUSIONS: The most prevalent
      genotypes were G, E and D representing some overlap with the heterosexual
      distribution in UK. Subcluster 1 consisted of more 'heterosexual genotypes' and
      significantly more HIV-negative men than subcluster 2, associated with 'MSM
      genotypes'. There was a higher diversity of C. trachomatis strains among MSM in
      Brighton than observed in other cities.

PMID- 26487755
TI  - 9p21.3 Coronary Artery Disease Risk Variants Disrupt TEAD Transcription Factor
      Dependent Transforming Growth Factor beta Regulation of p16 Expression in Human
      Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mechanism whereby the 9p21.3 locus confers risk for coronary
      artery disease remains incompletely understood. Risk alleles are associated with
      reduced expression of the cell cycle suppressor genes CDKN2A (p16 and p14) and
      CDKN2B (p15) and increased vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. We asked
      whether risk alleles disrupt transcription factor binding to account for this
      effect. METHODS AND RESULTS: A bioinformatic screen was used to predict which of
      59 single nucleotide polymorphisms at the 9p21.3 locus disrupt (or create)
      transcription factor binding sites. Electrophoretic mobility shift and luciferase
      reporter assays examined the binding and functionality of the predicted
      regulatory sequences. Primary human aortic smooth muscle cells (HAoSMCs) were
      genotyped for 9p21.3, and HAoSMCs homozygous for the risk allele showed reduced
      p15 and p16 levels and increased proliferation. rs10811656 and rs4977757
      disrupted functional TEF-1 TEC1 AbaA domain (TEAD) transcription factor binding
      sites. TEAD3 and TEAD4 overexpression induced p16 in HAoSMCs homozygous for the
      nonrisk allele, but not for the risk allele. Transforming growth factor beta,
      known to activate p16 and also to interact with TEAD factors, failed to induce
      p16 or to inhibit proliferation of HAoSMCs homozygous for the risk allele.
      Knockdown of TEAD3 blocked transforming growth factor beta-induced p16 mRNA and
      protein expression, and dual knockdown of TEAD3 and TEAD4 markedly reduced p16
      expression in heterozygous HAoSMCs. CONCLUSIONS: Here, we identify a novel
      mechanism whereby sequences at the 9p21.3 risk locus disrupt TEAD factor binding
      and TEAD3-dependent transforming growth factor beta induction of p16 in HAoSMCs.
      This mechanism accounts, in part, for the 9p21.3 coronary artery disease risk.

PMID- 26487757
TI  - Cardiac Diseases Following Childhood Cancer Treatment: Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiac disease (CD) is one of the major side effects of childhood
      cancer therapy, but until now little has been known about the relationship
      between the heart radiation dose (HRD) received during childhood and the risk of
      CD. METHODS AND RESULTS: The cohort comprised 3162 5-year survivors of childhood
      cancer. Chemotherapy information was collected and HRD was estimated. There were
      347 CDs in 234 patients, 156 of them were rated grade >=3. Cox and Poisson
      regression models were used. The cumulative incidence of any type of CD at 40
      years of age was 11.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.5-12.7) and 7.4% (95% CI,
      6.2-8.9) when only the CDs of grade >=3 were considered. In comparison with
      patients who received no anthracycline and either no radiotherapy or an
      HRD<0.1Gy, the risk was multiplied by 18.4 (95% CI, 7.1-48.0) in patients who had
      received anthracycline and no radiotherapy or a HRD <0.1Gy, by 60.4 (95% CI, 22.4
      163.0) in those who had received no anthracycline and an HRD>=30Gy, and 61.5 (95%
      CI, 19.6-192.8) in those who had received both anthracycline and an HRD>=30Gy.
      CONCLUSIONS: Survivors of childhood cancers treated with radiotherapy and
      anthracycline run a high dose-dependent risk of developing CD. CDs develop
      earlier in patients treated with anthracycline than in those treated without it.

PMID- 26487758
TI  - Effect Size Does Matter: The Long Road to Mechanistic Insight From Genome-Wide
      Association.

PMID- 26487756
TI  - Estrogen Metabolite 16alpha-Hydroxyestrone Exacerbates Bone Morphogenetic Protein
      Receptor Type II-Associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Through MicroRNA-29
      Mediated Modulation of Cellular Metabolism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a proliferative disease of
      the pulmonary vasculature that preferentially affects women. Estrogens such as
      the metabolite 16alpha-hydroxyestrone (16alphaOHE) may contribute to PAH
      pathogenesis, and alterations in cellular energy metabolism associate with PAH.
      We hypothesized that 16alphaOHE promotes heritable PAH (HPAH) via microRNA-29
      (miR-29) family upregulation and that antagonism of miR-29 would attenuate
      pulmonary hypertension in transgenic mouse models of Bmpr2 mutation. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: MicroRNA array profiling of human lung tissue found elevation of
      microRNAs associated with energy metabolism, including the miR-29 family, among
      HPAH patients. miR-29 expression was 2-fold higher in Bmpr2 mutant mice lungs at
      baseline compared with controls and 4 to 8-fold higher in Bmpr2 mice exposed to
      16alphaOHE 1.25 MUg/h for 4 weeks. Blot analyses of Bmpr2 mouse lung protein
      showed significant reductions in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma
      and CD36 in those mice exposed to 16alphaOHE and protein derived from HPAH lungs
      compared with controls. Bmpr2 mice treated with anti-miR-29 (20-mg/kg injections
      for 6 weeks) had improvements in hemodynamic profile, histology, and markers of
      dysregulated energy metabolism compared with controls. Pulmonary artery smooth
      muscle cells derived from Bmpr2 murine lungs demonstrated mitochondrial
      abnormalities, which improved with anti-miR-29 transfection in vitro; endothelial
      like cells derived from HPAH patient induced pluripotent stem cell lines were
      similar and improved with anti-miR-29 treatment. CONCLUSIONS: 16alphaOHE promotes
      the development of HPAH via upregulation of miR-29, which alters molecular and
      functional indexes of energy metabolism. Antagonism of miR-29 improves in vivo
      and in vitro features of HPAH and reveals a possible novel therapeutic target.

PMID- 26487759
TI  - Perceptions of Child Body Size and Health Care Seeking for Undernourished
      Children in Southern Malawi.
AB  - Child undernutrition affects millions of children globally, but little is known
      about the ability of adults to detect different types of child undernutrition in
      low-income countries. We used focused ethnographic methods to understand how
      Malawian parents and grandparents describe the characteristics they use to
      identify good and poor child growth, their actual or preferred patterns of health
      seeking for undernourished children, and the perceived importance of child
      undernutrition symptoms in relation to other childhood illnesses. Malawians value
      adiposity rather than stature in assessing child growth. Symptoms of
      malnutrition, including wasting and edema, were considered the least severe
      childhood illness symptoms. Parents delayed health care seeking when a child was
      ill. When they sought care, it was for symptoms such as diarrhea or fever, and
      they did not recognize malnutrition as the underlying cause. These findings can
      be used to tailor strategies for preventing and treating growth faltering in
      Malawian children.

PMID- 26487760
TI  - Lenvatinib in Advanced, Radioactive Iodine-Refractory, Differentiated Thyroid
      Carcinoma.
AB  - Management options are limited for patients with radioactive iodine refractory,
      locally advanced, or metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Prior to 2015,
      sorafenib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was the only approved
      treatment and was associated with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 11
      months and overall response rate (ORR) of 12% in a phase III trial. Lenvatinib, a
      multikinase inhibitor with high potency against VEGFR and FGFR demonstrated
      encouraging results in phase II trials. Recently, the pivotal SELECT trial
      provided the basis for the FDA approval of lenvatinib as a second targeted
      therapy for these patients. Median PFS of 18.3 months in the lenvatinib group was
      significantly improved from 3.6 months in the placebo group, with an HR of 0.21
      (95% confidence interval, 0.4-0.31; P < 0.0001). ORR was also significantly
      increased in the lenvatinib arm (64.7%) compared with placebo (1.5%). In this
      article, we will review the molecular mechanisms of lenvatinib, the data from
      preclinical studies to the recent phase III clinical trial, and the biomarkers
      being studied to further guide patient selection and predict treatment response.

PMID- 26487761
TI  - "Big Data" in Laboratory Medicine.

PMID- 26487762
TI  - Family residency and psychosomatic problems among adolescents in Sweden: The
      impact of child-parent relations.
AB  - AIMS: Profound changes in family structure took place in many countries, during
      the second part of the previous century. The purpose of this paper is to analyse
      the association between the type of family residency and psychosomatic problems
      in younger and older adolescents, particularly focusing on alternate residency,
      and to examine the impact of child-parent relations. METHODS: We used data
      collected in 2009 by Statistics Sweden among 172,298 Swedish students in Grade 6
      and Grade 9 (approximate ages 12 and 15 years old); comprising 80% and 86%,
      respectively, of the entire population of students in those grades. We collected
      the data with a questionnaire, completed anonymously in school: We used the
      Psychosomatic Problems (PSP) scale as the outcome measure. RESULTS: The type of
      family residency showed a weaker association with psychosomatic problems than the
      child-parent relationships did. Living in non-intact families increased the
      probability of adolescent psychosomatic problems by 0-0.05, compared to intact
      families. In Grade 9, there were no differences in psychosomatic problems between
      the students in alternate residency and those living with their two parents; and
      in Grade 6, these differences were relatively small. In comparison, a worse
      relationship with parents increased the probability of psychosomatic problems by
      0.11-0.17, depending on the school grade and type of family residency.
      CONCLUSIONS: The structure of the family, as well as the child-parent
      relationships needs to be taken into account, to properly estimate the magnitude
      of the family situation as a determinant of adolescent psychosomatic problems.
      Our results justify universal intervention at the policy level.

PMID- 26487763
TI  - Measuring tobacco dependence in the general population: Evaluation of the
      Cigarette Dependence Scale (CDS-12) and its adaptation to smokeless tobacco use
      (STDS-12) in two Swedish surveys.
AB  - AIMS: The 12-item Cigarette Dependence Scale (CDS-12) is an instrument suitable
      to assess tobacco dependence in non-clinical populations. The aim of this study
      was twofold: a) to evaluate the scale's performance in a smoking population
      including non-daily smokers; b) to explore the scale's adaptation to the
      assessment of dependence on smokeless tobacco. METHODS: In a cross-sectional
      study we investigated performance and construct validity of the CDS-12 and of its
      adaptation to smokeless tobacco (STDS-12) in two Swedish population samples. The
      first sample consisted of young adults (1246 ever daily smokers and 1086 ever
      daily snus (the Swedish type of moist oral snuff) users between 19 and 28 years
      of age). The second sample included 1229 current smokers and 855 current users of
      snus between 16 and 84 years of age. Score distribution, internal consistency,
      factor structure, and associations with other indicators of tobacco dependence
      were analysed. RESULTS: Both scales had a small amount of missing answers (below
      2% in most items) and had acceptable internal consistency. Factor analyses
      suggested a one-factor model. CDS-12 score and proportions classified as
      dependent were significantly higher among daily smokers compared to non-daily
      smokers, positively correlated with the number of cigarettes, and negatively with
      quit attempts as well as their duration. The same pattern was seen for STDS-12,
      apart from correlation with quit attempts. CONCLUSIONS: Both the CDS-12 and its
      adaptation to smokeless tobacco, tested for the first time in this study, appear
      to perform well in population-based samples including young and non-daily tobacco
      users.

PMID- 26487766
TI  - Retraction for Anderson et al., Recombinant Bacillus subtilis That Grows on
      Untreated Plant Biomass.

PMID- 26487764
TI  - Dietary intake in Swedish medical students during 2007-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The dietary intake in Swedish medical students has been reported for
      the periods 1987-1993 and 1994-2006. OBJECTIVE: To analyse dietary intake in
      medical students between 2007 and 2012, in relation to Nordic Nutrition
      Recommendations, to previous surveys and to a contemporary Swedish population.
      DESIGN: Nutrient intake was calculated from 3-day food records conducted by 698
      medical students. The differences between surveys were evaluated using a t-test
      and the changes over time by linear regression. RESULTS: The energy intake in
      valid female and male reporters was 8.7 and 11.9 MJ respectively. The intake of
      protein, fat and alcohol, as proportions of energy (E%) and dietary fibre, was
      within recommendations. The intake of most micronutrients was above
      recommendations, except for vitamin D, and in women, iron and folate. In women,
      E% fat increased between 2007 and 2012, while E% carbohydrate decreased. Compared
      to the 1994-2006 period, medical students in the present survey consumed less
      carbohydrates and more fat, more folate and more vitamin E. The students were
      more compliant with the dietary recommendations than the same age group of the
      Swedish population. CONCLUSIONS: Energy intake in medical students, and dietary
      intake with some exceptions, remained stable during 1987-2012, and close to the
      Nordic Nutrition Recommendations for most nutrients. Between 2007 and 2012, fat
      intake increased and carbohydrate intake decreased significantly in women and
      also tended to do so in men. Similar trends were seen in the Swedish population,
      possibly indicating the impact of diet trends such as the Low-Carb/High-Fat diet.

PMID- 26487768
TI  - Long-Term Renal Function after Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair.

PMID- 26487769
TI  - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Outcomes of Pregnancy in CKD and CKD
      Outcomes in Pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of
      published cohort studies and case-control studies to estimate (1) the risk of
      pregnancy complications among patients with CKD versus those without CKD and (2)
      the risk of CKD progression among pregnant patients versus nonpregnant controls
      with CKD. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: We searched electronic
      databases for studies published between 1946 and 2014, and we reviewed articles
      using validity criteria. Random-effects analytical methods were used. RESULTS:
      Twenty-three studies (14 with data for adverse pregnancy outcomes and 9 for renal
      outcomes) with 506,340 pregnancies were included. Pregnancy with CKD had greater
      odds of preeclampsia (odds ratio [OR], 10.36; 95% confidence interval [95% CI],
      6.28 to 17.09), premature delivery (OR, 5.72; 95% CI, 3.26 to 10.03), small for
      gestational age/low birth weight (OR, 4.85; 95% CI, 3.03 to 7.76), cesarean
      section (OR, 2.67; 95% CI, 2.01 to 3.54), and failure of pregnancy (OR, 1.80; 95%
      CI, 1.03 to 3.13). Subgroup analysis showed that odds of preeclampsia (P<0.01)
      and premature delivery (P<0.01) were higher in women with nondiabetic nephropathy
      compared with diabetic nephropathy, and the odds of preeclampsia (P=0.01) and
      premature delivery (P<0.01) were higher in women with macroproteinuria compared
      with microproteinuria. The median for follow-up time for renal events was 5 years
      (interquartile range, 5-14.7 years). There were no significant differences in the
      occurrence of renal events between CKD pregnant women and those without pregnancy
      (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.69 to 1.35). Subgroup analysis showed that publication year,
      sample size, follow-up years, type of primary disease, CKD classification, level
      of serum creatinine at baseline, proteinuria, and level of systolic BP did not
      modify the renal outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The risks of adverse maternal and fetal
      outcomes in pregnancy are higher for women with CKD versus pregnant women without
      CKD. However, pregnancy was not a risk factor for progression of renal disease in
      women with CKD before pregnancy.

PMID- 26487771
TI  - HIV testing in Europe: how can primary care contribute?

PMID- 26487770
TI  - Long-Term Renal Function after Endovascular Aneurysm Repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Endovascular repair (EVAR) is a common treatment for
      abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). However, its long-term effects on renal function
      remain unclear. We aimed to assess long-term renal dysfunction after EVAR using a
      contemporary estimate of GFR and to compare long-term renal outcomes in patients
      after EVAR with open aneurysm repair (OAR) and in patients without an AAA.
      DESIGN, SETTINGS, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: We performed a nested case
      matched analysis of 726 patients (using a prospectively maintained database for
      repairs that took place between January 2000 and May 2010 in a tertiary center):
      121 patients undergoing OAR (with data at baseline and 5 years postrepair) were
      case matched (age, sex, smoking, diabetes, baseline eGFR) to patients undergoing
      suprarenal and infrarenal fixation EVAR (242 in each group) and to 121 patients
      undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) without AAA. Changes in eGFR were
      compared (1 and 5 years). RESULTS: The OAR patients lost an average of 7.4 ml/min
      per 1.73 m2 at 5 years (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 4.8 to 10.6), compared
      with 8.2 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (95% CI, 6.5 to 10.8; P<0.001) for infrarenal
      fixation EVAR, 16.9 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (95% CI, 13.0 to 21.9, P<0.001) for
      suprarenal-fixation EVAR, and 5.4 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (95% CI, 1.7 to 7.5;
      P<0.001) for CEA. The decrease in eGFR was steeper during the first postoperative
      year, with each group losing -2.2 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (infrarenal-fixation EVAR), 
      10.7 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (suprarenal-fixation EVAR), and -4.6 ml/min per 1.73 m2
      (OAR), compared with -1.9 ml/min per 1.73 m2 for CEA. CONCLUSIONS: Elective EVAR
      is associated with a significant decline in eGFR after 5 years, which is steeper
      in the first postoperative year and more pronounced compared with a similar
      population with atherosclerotic disease.

PMID- 26487772
TI  - The STI Foundation: STIF International.

PMID- 26487773
TI  - Lymphogranuloma venereum in North-West Italy, 2009-2014.

PMID- 26487774
TI  - How and why do we do testicular ultrasounds? A national clinical development
      group survey of genitourinary medicine clinics.

PMID- 26487775
TI  - Chlamydia testing in male further education college students.

PMID- 26487776
TI  - An interview with Mike Levine.
AB  - Mike Levine, director of the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at
      Princeton University, is a developmental biologist who has dedicated his career
      to understanding how gene expression is regulated during development. Some of his
      most significant research, such as the co-discovery of the homeobox genes and his
      work on even skipped stripe 2, was performed in Drosophila, but he has since
      branched out to Ciona intestinalis, which he is using as a model to understand
      how vertebrate features have evolved. We had a lively chat with Mike at this
      year's Society for Developmental Biology (SDB) meeting, where he was awarded the
      Edwin Grant Conklin Medal. 

PMID- 26487778
TI  - Lin-28 promotes symmetric stem cell division and drives adaptive growth in the
      adult Drosophila intestine.
AB  - Stem cells switch between asymmetric and symmetric division to expand in number
      as tissues grow during development and in response to environmental changes. The
      stem cell intrinsic proteins controlling this switch are largely unknown, but one
      candidate is the Lin-28 pluripotency factor. A conserved RNA-binding protein that
      is downregulated in most animals as they develop from embryos to adults, Lin-28
      persists in populations of adult stem cells. Its function in these cells has not
      been previously characterized. Here, we report that Lin-28 is highly enriched in
      adult intestinal stem cells in the Drosophila intestine. lin-28 null mutants are
      homozygous viable but display defects in this population of cells, which fail to
      undergo a characteristic food-triggered expansion in number and have reduced
      rates of symmetric division as well as reduced insulin signaling.
      Immunoprecipitation of Lin-28-bound mRNAs identified Insulin-like Receptor (InR),
      forced expression of which completely rescues lin-28-associated defects in
      intestinal stem cell number and division pattern. Furthermore, this stem cell
      activity of lin-28 is independent of one well-known lin-28 target, the microRNA
      let-7, which has limited expression in the intestinal epithelium. These results
      identify Lin-28 as a stem cell intrinsic factor that boosts insulin signaling in
      intestinal progenitor cells and promotes their symmetric division in response to
      nutrients, defining a mechanism through which Lin-28 controls the adult stem cell
      division patterns that underlie tissue homeostasis and regeneration. 

PMID- 26487779
TI  - Trithorax regulates systemic signaling during Drosophila imaginal disc
      regeneration.
AB  - Although tissue regeneration has been studied in a variety of organisms, from
      Hydra to humans, many of the genes that regulate the ability of each animal to
      regenerate remain unknown. The larval imaginal discs of the genetically tractable
      model organism Drosophila melanogaster have complex patterning, well
      characterized development and a high regenerative capacity, and are thus an
      excellent model system for studying mechanisms that regulate regeneration. To
      identify genes that are important for wound healing and tissue repair, we have
      carried out a genetic screen for mutations that impair regeneration in the wing
      imaginal disc. Through this screen we identified the chromatin-modification gene
      trithorax as a key regeneration gene. Here we show that animals heterozygous for
      trithorax are unable to maintain activation of a developmental checkpoint that
      allows regeneration to occur. This defect is likely to be caused by abnormally
      high expression of puckered, a negative regulator of Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)
      signaling, at the wound site. Insufficient JNK signaling leads to insufficient
      expression of an insulin-like peptide, dILP8, which is required for the
      developmental checkpoint. Thus, trithorax regulates regeneration signaling and
      capacity. 

PMID- 26487777
TI  - Heparan sulfate proteoglycans: a sugar code for vertebrate development?
AB  - Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) have long been implicated in a wide range
      of cell-cell signaling and cell-matrix interactions, both in vitro and in vivo in
      invertebrate models. Although many of the genes that encode HSPG core proteins
      and the biosynthetic enzymes that generate and modify HSPG sugar chains have not
      yet been analyzed by genetics in vertebrates, recent studies have shown that
      HSPGs do indeed mediate a wide range of functions in early vertebrate
      development, for example during left-right patterning and in cardiovascular and
      neural development. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the various
      roles of HSPGs in these systems and explore the concept of an instructive heparan
      sulfate sugar code for modulating vertebrate development. 

PMID- 26487780
TI  - Epigenetic regulation of Atoh1 guides hair cell development in the mammalian
      cochlea.
AB  - In the developing cochlea, sensory hair cell differentiation depends on the
      regulated expression of the bHLH transcription factor Atoh1. In mammals, if hair
      cells die they do not regenerate, leading to permanent deafness. By contrast, in
      non-mammalian vertebrates robust regeneration occurs through upregulation of
      Atoh1 in the surviving supporting cells that surround hair cells, leading to
      functional recovery. Investigation of crucial transcriptional events in the
      developing organ of Corti, including those involving Atoh1, has been hampered by
      limited accessibility to purified populations of the small number of cells
      present in the inner ear. We used uChIP and qPCR assays of FACS-purified cells to
      track changes in the epigenetic status of the Atoh1 locus during sensory
      epithelia development in the mouse. Dynamic changes in the histone modifications
      H3K4me3/H3K27me3, H3K9ac and H3K9me3 reveal a progression from poised, to active,
      to repressive marks, correlating with the onset of Atoh1 expression and its
      subsequent silencing during the perinatal (P1 to P6) period. Inhibition of
      acetylation blocked the increase in Atoh1 mRNA in nascent hair cells, as well as
      ongoing hair cell differentiation during embryonic organ of Corti development ex
      vivo. These results reveal an epigenetic mechanism of Atoh1 regulation underlying
      hair cell differentiation and subsequent maturation. Interestingly, the
      H3K4me3/H3K27me3 bivalent chromatin structure observed in progenitors persists at
      the Atoh1 locus in perinatal supporting cells, suggesting an explanation for the
      latent capacity of these cells to transdifferentiate into hair cells, and
      highlighting their potential as therapeutic targets in hair cell regeneration. 

PMID- 26487781
TI  - 4D atlas of the mouse embryo for precise morphological staging.
AB  - After more than a century of research, the mouse remains the gold-standard model
      system, for it recapitulates human development and disease and is quickly and
      highly tractable to genetic manipulations. Fundamental to the power and success
      of using a mouse model is the ability to stage embryonic mouse development
      accurately. Past staging systems were limited by the technologies of the day,
      such that only surface features, visible with a light microscope, could be
      recognized and used to define stages. With the advent of high-throughput 3D
      imaging tools that capture embryo morphology in microscopic detail, we now
      present the first 4D atlas staging system for mouse embryonic development using
      optical projection tomography and image registration methods. By tracking 3D
      trajectories of every anatomical point in the mouse embryo from E11.5 to E14.0,
      we established the first 4D atlas compiled from ex vivo 3D mouse embryo reference
      images. The resulting 4D atlas comprises 51 interpolated 3D images in this
      gestational range, resulting in a temporal resolution of 72 min. From this 4D
      atlas, any mouse embryo image can be subsequently compared and staged at the
      global, voxel and/or structural level. Assigning an embryonic stage to each point
      in anatomy allows for unprecedented quantitative analysis of developmental
      asynchrony among different anatomical structures in the same mouse embryo. This
      comprehensive developmental data set offers developmental biologists a new,
      powerful staging system that can identify and compare differences in
      developmental timing in wild-type embryos and shows promise for localizing
      deviations in mutant development. 

PMID- 26487782
TI  - A transport and retention mechanism for the sustained distal localization of Spn
      F-IKKepsilon during Drosophila bristle elongation.
AB  - There was an error published in Development 142, 2338-2351. Otani et al. reported
      the genetic interactions between ikkepsilon and spn-F, using the allele
      ikkepsilon66. This allele was referred to in the Materials and Methods on p.
      2349, Fig. 3 on p. 2343 and Table S1. However, they subsequently found that the
      allele used in the experiments was ikkepsilon1 (also known as ikkepsilon36). This
      was as a result of misannotation in their laboratory stock list. Both alleles are
      strong loss-of-function alleles with a missense mutation in the kinase domain and
      show similar phenotypes (Oshima et al., 2006; Shapiro and Anderson, 2006).
      Therefore, this error does not affect the conclusions of the paper. The authors
      apologise to readers for this mistake.

PMID- 26487783
TI  - Defining the three cell lineages of the human blastocyst by single-cell RNA-seq.
AB  - There were errors published in Development 142, 3151-3165.In the issue published
      online on 22 September 2015, Fig. 3 was mislabelled: panels A, B, C and D should
      have been B, C, D and A, respectively. In the legend, the text prior to '(A)
      Cytoscape enrichment map...' should not have been included. The correct version
      of the figure and legend now appear online and in print.We apologise to the
      authors and readers for this mistake.

PMID- 26487784
TI  - The advancement of human pluripotent stem cell-derived therapies into the clinic.
AB  - There was an error published in Development 142, 3077-3084.On p. 3081, it was
      incorrectly stated that Dr Lorenz Studer's group is supported by the New York
      Stem Cell Foundation. The correct funding credit is the New York State Stem Cell
      Science program.The authors apologise to readers for this mistake.

PMID- 26487785
TI  - Analysis of SLC16A11 Variants in 12,811 American Indians: Genotype-Obesity
      Interaction for Type 2 Diabetes and an Association With RNASEK Expression.
AB  - Genetic variants in SLC16A11 were recently reported to be associated with type 2
      diabetes in Mexican and other Latin American populations. The diabetes risk
      haplotype had a frequency of 50% in Native Americans from Mexico but was rare in
      Europeans and Africans. In the current study, we analyzed SLC16A11 in 12,811
      North American Indians and found that the diabetes risk haplotype, tagged by the
      rs75493593 A allele, was nominally associated with type 2 diabetes (P = 0.001,
      odds ratio 1.11). However, there was a strong interaction with BMI (P = 5.1 * 10(
      7)) such that the diabetes association was stronger in leaner individuals.
      rs75493593 was also strongly associated with BMI in individuals with type 2
      diabetes (P = 3.4 * 10(-15)) but not in individuals without diabetes (P = 0.77).
      Longitudinal analyses suggest that this is due, in part, to an association of the
      A allele with greater weight loss following diabetes onset (P = 0.02). Analyses
      of global gene expression data from adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and whole
      blood provide evidence that rs75493593 is associated with expression of the
      nearby RNASEK gene, suggesting that RNASEK expression may mediate the effect of
      genotype on diabetes. 

PMID- 26487787
TI  - Rapid retraction of microvolume aqueous plugs traveling in a wettable capillary.
AB  - We report a transport behavior-specifically, rapid retraction movement-of small
      (~MUL) deionized water plugs traveling in series within a small wettable tubular
      geometry. In this study, two water plugs separated by a certain distance in a dry
      cylindrical glass capillary were moved by positive pressure airflow applied at
      the tube inlet. As the plugs travel, a thin aqueous film is generated between the
      plugs as a result of the leading plug's aqueous deposition onto the inner surface
      of the tube. The leading plug continuously loses volume by film deposition onto
      the surface and eventually ruptures. Then, the lagging plug quickly travels the
      distance initially separating the two plugs (plug retraction). Our studies show
      that the rapid retraction of the lagging plug is caused by surface tension in
      addition to the positive pressure applied. Furthermore, the plug retraction speed
      is strongly affected by tube radius and the distance between the plugs.

PMID- 26487788
TI  - A high-order boundary integral method for surface diffusions on elastically
      stressed axisymmetric rods.
AB  - Many applications in materials involve surface diffusion of elastically stressed
      solids. Study of singularity formation and long-time behavior of such solid
      surfaces requires accurate simulations in both space and time. Here we present a
      high-order boundary integral method for an elastically stressed solid with axi
      symmetry due to surface diffusions. In this method, the boundary integrals for
      isotropic elasticity in axi-symmetric geometry are approximated through modified
      alternating quadratures along with an extrapolation technique, leading to an
      arbitrarily high-order quadrature; in addition, a high-order (temporal)
      integration factor method, based on explicit representation of the mean
      curvature, is used to reduce the stability constraint on time-step. To apply this
      method to a periodic (in axial direction) and axi-symmetric elastically stressed
      cylinder, we also present a fast and accurate summation method for the periodic
      Green's functions of isotropic elasticity. Using the high-order boundary integral
      method, we demonstrate that in absence of elasticity the cylinder surface pinches
      in finite time at the axis of the symmetry and the universal cone angle of the
      pinching is found to be consistent with the previous studies based on a self
      similar assumption. In the presence of elastic stress, we show that a finite
      time, geometrical singularity occurs well before the cylindrical solid collapses
      onto the axis of symmetry, and the angle of the corner singularity on the
      cylinder surface is also estimated.

PMID- 26487786
TI  - Measurements of CD34+/CD45-dim Stem Cells Predict Healing of Diabetic Neuropathic
      Wounds.
AB  - Management of neuropathic foot ulcers in patients with diabetes (DFUs) has
      changed little over the past decade, and there is currently no objective method
      to gauge probability of successful healing. We hypothesized that studies of
      stem/progenitor cells (SPCs) in the early weeks of standard wound management
      could predict who will heal within 16 weeks. Blood and debrided wound margins
      were collected for 8 weeks from 100 patients undergoing weekly evaluations and
      treatment. SPC number and intracellular content of hypoxia-inducible factors
      (HIFs) were evaluated by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. More SPCs
      entered the bloodstream in the first 2 weeks of care in patients who healed (n =
      37) than in those who did not (n = 63). Logistic regression demonstrated that the
      number of blood-borne SPCs and the cellular content of HIFs at study entry and
      the first-week follow-up visit predicted healing. Strong correlations were found
      among week-to-week assessments of blood-borne SPC HIF factors. We conclude that
      assays of SPCs during the first weeks of care in patients with DFUs can provide
      insight into how well wounds will respond and may aid with decisions on the use
      of adjunctive measures. 

PMID- 26487789
TI  - Patient Activation: A Primary Care Tool to Tackle Overweight and Obesity.

PMID- 26487790
TI  - Managing Diabetes in Pregnancy Using Cell Phone/Internet Technology.
AB  - In Brief For pregnant women with diabetes, using cell phone/Internet technology
      to track and report self-monitoring of blood glucose results improves compliance
      and satisfaction compared to using the more traditional methods of log books,
      telephone calls, and voicemail messages. 

PMID- 26487791
TI  - Therapeutic Options for the Management of Postprandial Glucose in Patients With
      Type 2 Diabetes on Basal Insulin.
AB  - In Brief For patients with type 2 diabetes who require add-on therapy to
      metformin plus basal insulin, GLP-1 receptor agonists may be a favorable option
      because they effectively manage postprandial glucose, reduce body weight, and
      have an overall favorable safety profile compared to other agents. Given the wide
      range of treatment combinations available for type 2 diabetes management, health
      professionals must partner with patients to determine the best choices based on
      patients' individual lifestyle, resources, and treatment goals. 

PMID- 26487793
TI  - Redesigning the Traditional Community Health Screening Model to Provide Blood
      Glucose Screening and Interdisciplinary Health Education.

PMID- 26487794
TI  - Metformin-Associated Lactic Acidosis in a Patient With Normal Renal Function.

PMID- 26487792
TI  - Self-Reported Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Type 2 Diabetes Improve With an
      Intensive Lifestyle Intervention: Results From the Action for Health in Diabetes
      (Look AHEAD) Clinical Trial.
AB  - In Brief This article reports on an investigation of whether an intensive
      lifestyle intervention (ILI) would reduce gastrointestinal symptoms over 4 years
      of follow-up for participants in the Action for Health in Diabetes (Look AHEAD)
      trial compared to a diabetes support and education (DSE) group. Look AHEAD is a
      randomized, multicenter trial comparing overweight and obese adults with type 2
      diabetes treated with ILI versus DSE. ILI, and weight loss in general, had
      beneficial effects on gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, with some variability in
      the strength of the effect depending on the specific symptom and time course.
      Potential modifiers were analyzed, yet ILI retained an association with
      improvement in GI symptoms. 

PMID- 26487795
TI  - A Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion Needle Break.

PMID- 26487796
TI  - Legumes: Health Benefits and Culinary Approaches to Increase Intake.

PMID- 26487797
TI  - A Call to Action: Eliminating Diabetes Disparities in Native Communities.

PMID- 26487798
TI  - C5a and toll-like receptor 4 crosstalk in retinal pigment epithelial cells.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of the complement activation product C5a on
      toll-like receptor (TLR) 4-induced responses in RPE cells. METHODS: Confluent
      cultures of human RPE cells (ARPE-19) were stimulated with C5a,
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or a combination of the two. The expression of TLR4 was
      determined by real-time PCR and flow cytometry. Cytokine profiles were determined
      by real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The
      phosphorylation of p38, ERK 1/2, and JNK was measured by flow cytometry. RESULTS:
      C5a stimulation enhanced the expression of TLR4 in a dose- and time-dependent
      manner. C5a was able to stimulate the production of TLR4-induced IL-6 and IL-8 by
      ARPE-19 cells. Blocking experiments showed that the effect of C5a on cytokine
      production was mediated via C5aR. ERK1/2, but not JNK or p38, were involved in
      the production of IL-6 and IL-8. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that C5a can
      induce the TLR4 expression and enhance the production of TLR4-induced IL-6 and IL
      8 by ARPE-19. The effect of C5a on cytokine production was mediated by C5aR and
      the phosphorylation of ERK1/2.

PMID- 26487799
TI  - Clinical results of Trabectome surgery for open-angle glaucoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine outcomes when using
      Trabectome surgery and to evaluate factors associated with its effects in primary
      open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and exfoliation glaucoma (EXG). METHODS: This was a
      prospective, non-randomized, observational, comparative cohort study in which
      Trabectome surgery was used alone in patients with POAG or EXG. Trabectome
      surgery was considered to have failed when at least one of the following three
      criteria was fulfilled: intraocular pressure (IOP) >=21 mmHg and a <20% reduction
      below the baseline IOP on two consecutive follow-up visits 3 months or more after
      surgery; need for additional glaucoma surgery; and an increase in number of
      medications compared with baseline. RESULTS: The subjects were 32 males (34 eyes)
      and 46 females (48 eyes). POAG was observed in 43 eyes and EXG in 39 eyes. IOP
      after Trabectome surgery decreased significantly from 22.3+/-6.8 mmHg at baseline
      to 14.0+/-3.9 mmHg (23.0% reduction) at month 24 in all cases (P<0.0000). The
      success rate at 2 years was 51.2% for all cases (POAG, 50.9%; EXG, 49.2%). There
      was no significant difference in success rate between POAG and EXG (P=0.91).
      Preoperative IOP (P=0.033) and number of medications (P=0.041) were significant
      factors for surgical success/failure in multivariate logistic regression. No
      serious complications were observed. CONCLUSION: Trabectome surgery achieved
      favorable IOP control and was equally effective in patients with POAG and those
      with EXG. Its effects were influenced by preoperative IOP and number of
      preoperative medications.

PMID- 26487800
TI  - Association between a relative afferent pupillary defect using pupillography and
      inner retinal atrophy in optic nerve disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the asymmetrical light reflex of
      the control subjects and patients with optic nerve disease and to evaluate the
      relationships among the relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD), visual acuity
      (VA), central critical fusion frequency (CFF), ganglion cell complex thickness
      (GCCT), and circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (cpRNFLT) using
      spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a
      pupillography device, the RAPD scores from 15 patients with unilateral optic
      nerve disease and 35 control subjects were compared. The diagnostic accuracy of
      the RAPD amplitude and latency scores was compared using the area under the
      receiver operating characteristic curve. Thereafter, we assessed the
      relationships among the RAPD scores, VA, central CFF, GCCT, and cpRNFLT. RESULTS:
      The average RAPD amplitude score in patients with optic nerve disease was
      significantly higher than that of the control subjects (P<0.001). The average
      RAPD latency score in patients with optic nerve disease was significantly higher
      than that of the control subjects (P=0.001). The area under the receiver
      operating characteristic curve for the RAPD amplitude score was significantly
      higher than that for the latency score (P=0.010). The correlation coefficients
      for the RAPD amplitude and latency scores were 0.847 (P<0.001) and 0.874
      (P<0.001) for VA, -0.868 (P<0.001) and -0.896 (P<0.001) for central CFF, -0.593
      (P=0.020) and -0.540 (P=0.038) for GCCT, and -0.267 (P=0.337) and -0.228
      (P=0.413) for cpRNFLT, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that
      pupillography is useful for detecting optic nerve disease.

PMID- 26487801
TI  - Novel dehydroepiandrosterone troche supplementation improves the serum androgen
      profile of women undergoing in vitro fertilization.
AB  - Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is the most abundant steroid hormone in the
      circulation and has potent multifunctional activity. Epidemiological evidence
      suggests that levels of serum DHEA decrease with advancing age, and this has been
      associated with onset or progression of various age-related ailments, including
      cognitive decline and dementia, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.
      Consequently, these findings have sparked intense research interest in DHEA
      supplementation as an "antiaging" therapy. Currently, DHEA is being used by 25%
      of in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinicians as an adjuvant in assisted
      reproductive programs, yet the therapeutic benefit of DHEA is unclear. Here, we
      examined the use of novel DHEA-containing oral troches in patients undertaking
      IVF and investigated the impact of these troches on their serum androgen profile.
      This retrospective study determined the androgen profile of 31 IVF patients
      before (baseline) and after DHEA supplementation (with DHEA). Baseline serum
      measurements of testosterone (total and free), DHEA sulfate (DHEAS), sex hormone
      binding globulin (SHBG), and androstenedione were made before and after
      supplementation. Each patient received DHEA troches containing 25 mg of
      micronized DHEA, and troches were administered sublingually twice daily for a
      period of no greater than 4 months. Adjuvant treatment with DHEA boosted the
      serum concentration of a number of androgen-related analytes, including total and
      free testosterone, androstenedione, and DHEAS, while serum SHBG remained
      unchanged. Supplementation also significantly increased the free-androgen index
      in IVF patients. Interestingly, the increase in serum analyte concentration
      following DHEA supplementation was found to be dependent on body mass index
      (BMI), but not individual age. Patients with the lowest BMI (<20.0 kg/m(2))
      tended to have lower testosterone and DHEAS, but higher SHBG and androstenedione
      levels in comparison with other BMI groups postsupplementation. However, patients
      in the highest BMI group (>30.0 kg/m(2)) tended to have lower androgen responses
      following DHEA supplementation, but these were not statistically different from
      the corresponding baseline level. This method of DHEA administration results in a
      similar enhancement of testosterone, DHEAS, and androstenedione levels in
      comparison with other methods of administration. Furthermore, we showed that BMI
      significantly influences DHEA uptake and metabolism, and that BMI should be
      carefully considered during dosage calculation to ensure a significant and robust
      androgen-profile boost. 

PMID- 26487802
TI  - Arsenic sulfide inhibits cell migration and invasion of gastric cancer in vitro
      and in vivo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We previously showed that arsenic sulfide (As4S4) induced cell cycle
      arrest and apoptosis in several human solid tumor cell lines, including those of
      gastric cancer. In this study, we investigated the effect of As4S4 on the
      migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo.
      METHODS: The human gastric cancer cell lines AGS and MGC803 were selected as in
      vitro models. Wound-healing migration assay and Transwell invasion assay were
      carried out to determine the effects of As4S4 on cell migration and invasion. The
      expressions of E-cadherin, beta-catenin, Sp1, KLF4, and VEGF were measured by
      Western blotting analysis. The activities of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and
      MMP-9 in MGC803 cells were demonstrated by zymography assay. A mouse xenograft
      model was established by inoculation with MGC803 cells, then intraperitoneal
      injected with As4S4 for 3 weeks and monitored for body weight and tumor changes.
      Finally, the inhibition rate of tumor growth was calculated, and the expression
      of proteins and genes associated with tumor invasion and metastasis in tumor
      tissues were measured by immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and real-time
      polymerase chain reaction assay. RESULTS: As4S4 significantly inhibited the
      migration and invasion of gastric cancer cell lines. The expression of E-cadherin
      and KLF4 was upregulated, while the expressions of beta-catenin, VEGF, and Sp1
      were downregulated following treatment with As4S4. Moreover, the protease
      activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were suppressed by As4S4 in MGC803 cells.
      Meanwhile, As4S4 effectively suppressed the abilities of tumor growth and
      invasion in the xenograft tumor model. We found that As4S4 upregulated the
      expression of E-cadherin and downregulated the expression of beta-catenin, Sp1,
      VEGF, and CD34 in mouse tumor tissues, consistent with the results in vitro.
      CONCLUSION: As4S4 inhibited the migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells by
      blocking tumor cell adhesion, decreasing the ability of tumor cells to destroy
      the basement membrane, and therefore suppressing their angiogenesis.

PMID- 26487803
TI  - Antimicrobial activity of bone cements embedded with organic nanoparticles.
AB  - Infections after orthopedic surgery are a very unwelcome outcome; despite the
      widespread use of antibiotics, their incidence can be as high as 10%. This risk
      is likely to increase as antibiotics are gradually losing efficacy as a result of
      bacterial resistance; therefore, novel antimicrobial approaches are required.
      Parabens are a class of compounds whose antimicrobial activity is employed in
      many cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. We developed propylparaben
      nanoparticles that are hydrophilic, thus expanding the applicability of parabens
      to aqueous systems. In this paper we assess the possibility of employing paraben
      nanoparticles as antimicrobial compound in bone cements. The nanoparticles were
      embedded in various types of bone cement (poly(methyl methacrylate) [PMMA],
      hydroxyapatite, and brushite) and the antimicrobial activity was determined
      against common causes of postorthopedic surgery infections such as:
      Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, Staphylococcus
      epidermidis, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Nanoparticles at concentrations as low
      as 1% w/w in brushite bone cement were capable of preventing pathogens growth, 5%
      w/w was needed for hydroxyapatite bone cement, while 7% w/w was required for PMMA
      bone cement. No detrimental effect was determined by the addition of paraben
      nanoparticles on bone cement compression strength and cytocompatibility. Our
      results demonstrate that paraben nanoparticles can be encapsulated in bone
      cement, providing concentration-dependent antimicrobial activity; furthermore,
      lower concentrations are needed in calcium phosphate (brushite and
      hydroxyapatite) than in acrylic (PMMA) bone cements. These nanoparticles are
      effective against a wide spectrum of bacteria, including those already resistant
      to the antibiotics routinely employed in orthopedic applications, such as
      gentamicin. 

PMID- 26487804
TI  - Addition of a renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor to a calcium channel
      blocker ameliorates arterial stiffness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of controlling hypertension is to protect against
      arteriosclerosis. Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and renin-angiotensin
      aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors have been reported to have antihypertensive
      effects, but their effect on the progression of arteriosclerosis is not fully
      understood. The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) was developed to estimate
      arterial stiffness, which reflects arteriosclerosis. In this study, we
      investigated the longer term effects of CCBs and RAAS inhibitors on the
      progression of arteriosclerosis by monitoring the CAVI. METHODS: Our subjects
      were 115 consecutive, non-smoking hypertensive patients on oral treatment with a
      CCB and/or RAAS inhibitor for at least 3 years in whom the CAVI was measured on
      two occasions approximately 1 year apart during the period from January 2009 to
      December 2011. Changes in CAVI were evaluated in patients administered a CCB
      alone (group C), an RAAS inhibitor (group R) alone, or both drugs together (group
      B). Changes in laboratory findings, blood pressure, and ankle-brachial index were
      similarly evaluated. RESULTS: No significant change in laboratory findings, blood
      pressure, or ankle-brachial index was noted in any of the groups. The CAVI
      decreased slightly in group R (first recording 8.80+/-1.03, second recording
      8.57+/-0.97, P=0.517) and increased significantly in group C (first 8.45+/-0.92,
      second 8.95+/-1.04, P=0.038), but showed no significant change in group B (first
      9.01+/-1.26, second 9.05+/-1.35, P=0.851). CONCLUSION: Long-term administration
      of a CCB alone increased the CAVI, but this effect was offset by the concomitant
      use of a RAAS inhibitor, indicating that a RAAS inhibitor might protect against
      arteriosclerosis.

PMID- 26487805
TI  - Anxiety and DSM-5.
AB  - The DSM-5 process, and the publication of DSM-5 in 2013, have had a considerable
      impact on the classification of anxiety disorders. Major changes included the
      reorganization of the chapter structure, individual groupings of disorders within
      each chapter from a life span viewpoint, and the use of specifiers. The DSM-5
      chapter on anxiety disorders does not include obsessive-compulsive disorder or
      post-traumatic stress disorder. The chapter itself now reflects a developmental
      approach. The text of each disorder has been enhanced with short sections on
      development and course, risk and prognostic factors, etc. It is expected that the
      reformulation of anxiety disorders in DSM-5 will lead to greater precision in a
      variety of ways, as illustrated in the papers in this issue of Dialogues in
      Clinical Neuroscience. In summary, these changes in the way we classify anxiety
      disorders reflect our best view on the clinical empirical data and should prove
      useful in the assessment of specific anxiety disorders. 

PMID- 26487806
TI  - The overlap between anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
AB  - The anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia,
      social phobia, agoraphobia, and panic disorder. In addition to the specific
      symptoms of these disorders, there may be a common experience of anxiety and even
      dysphoria across the conditions, and of course recourse to the same drug or
      choice of drugs for treatment. This overlap probably occurs because of universal
      dimensions of distress or negative affectivity, a shared genetic predisposition,
      and a common neurobiology Evidence of shared genes is still based mainly on twin
      studies, but the shared neurobiology can be investigated directly by the
      investigation of emotional or cognitive bias either behaviorally or using
      functional brain imaging. This intermediate phenotype can then provide a
      substrate for understanding and developing medicines and psychological
      treatments. 

PMID- 26487807
TI  - A systematic review of the neural bases of psychotherapy for anxiety and related
      disorders.
AB  - Brain imaging studies over two decades have delineated the neural circuitry of
      anxiety and related disorders, particularly regions involved in fear processing
      and in obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The neural circuitry of fear processing
      involves the amygdala, anterior cingulate, and insular cortex, while cortico
      striatal-thalamic circuitry plays a key role in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
      More recently, neuroimaging studies have examined how psychotherapy for anxiety
      and related disorders impacts on these neural circuits. Here we conduct a
      systematic review of the findings of such work, which yielded 19 functional
      magnetic resonance imaging studies examining the neural bases of cognitive
      behavioral therapy (CBT) in 509 patients with anxiety and related disorders. We
      conclude that, although each of these related disorders is mediated by somewhat
      different neural circuitry, CBT may act in a similar way to increase prefrontal
      control of subcortical structures. These findings are consistent with an emphasis
      in cognitive-affective neuroscience on the potential therapeutic value of
      enhancing emotional regulation in various psychiatric conditions. 

PMID- 26487808
TI  - Separation anxiety: at the neurobiological crossroads of adaptation and illness.
AB  - Physiological and adaptive separation anxiety (SA) is intimately connected with
      the evolutionary emergence of new brain structures specific of paleomammalians,
      the growth of neomammalian--and later hominid--brain and skull size, and the
      appearance of bipedalism. All these evolutionary milestones have contributed to
      expanding the behavioral repertoire and plasticity of prehuman and human beings,
      at the cost of more prolonged dependency of the infant and of the child on
      parental care. Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) can be seen as an
      exaggerated/inappropriate manifestation of SA that constitutes a gateway to
      poorer mental and physical health. By blending epidemiological, genetic
      epidemiological, endophenotypic, and animal laboratory approaches, it is possible
      to delineate some of the mechanisms that link childhood-adolescence SA and SAD to
      health problems later in life. Causal mechanisms include gene-environment
      interplays and likely differential regulation of genes and functional net-works
      that simultaneously affect multiple behavioral and physical phenotypes after
      exposure to early-life adversity, including parental separation/loss.

PMID- 26487809
TI  - Neuroendocrine models of social anxiety disorder.
AB  - Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a highly prevalent and disabling disorder with
      key behavioral traits of social fearfulness, social avoidance, and
      submissiveness. Here we argue that hormonal systems play a key role in mediating
      social anxiety, and so may be important in SAD. Hormonal alterations, often
      established early in development through the interaction between biological and
      psychological factors (eg, genetic predisposition x early trauma), predispose to
      socially fearful, avoidant, and submissive behavior. However, whereas gene
      variants and histories of trauma persist, hormonal systems can be remodeled over
      the course of life. Hormones play a key role during the periods of all sensitive
      developmental windows (ie, prenatal, neonatal, puberty, aging), and are capable
      of opening up new developmental windows in adulthood. Indeed, the developmental
      plasticity of our social brain, and thus of social behavior in adulthood,
      critically depends on steroid hormones such as testosterone and peptide hormones
      such as oxytocin. These steroid and peptide hormones in interaction with social
      experiences may have potential for reprogramming the socially anxious brain.
      Certainly, single administrations of oxytocin and testosterone in humans reduce
      socially fearful, avoidant, and submissive behavior. Such work may ultimately
      lead to new approaches to the treatment of SAD. 

PMID- 26487810
TI  - Animal models for screening anxiolytic-like drugs: a perspective.
AB  - Contemporary biological psychiatry uses experimental animal models to increase
      our understanding of affective disorder pathogenesis. Modern anxiolytic drug
      discovery mainly targets specific pathways and molecular determinants within a
      single phenotypic domain. However, greater understanding of the mechanisms of
      action is possible through animal models. Primarily developed with rats, animal
      models in anxiety have been adapted with mixed success for mice, easy-to-use
      mammals with better genetic possibilities than rats. In this review, we focus on
      the three most common animal models of anxiety in mice used in the screening of
      anxiolytics. Both conditioned and unconditioned models are described, in order to
      represent all types of animal models of anxiety. Behavioral studies require
      careful attention to variable parameters linked to environment, handling, or
      paradigms; this is also discussed. Finally, we focus on the consequences of re
      exposure to the apparatus. Test-retest procedures can provide new answers, but
      should be intensively studied in order to revalidate the entire paradigm as an
      animal model of anxiety. 

PMID- 26487812
TI  - A history of anxiety: from Hippocrates to DSM.
AB  - This article describes the history of the nosology of anxiety disorders. Greek
      and Latin physicians and philosophers distinguished anxiety from other types of
      negative affect, and identified it as a medical disorder. Ancient Epicurean and
      Stoic philosophers suggested techniques to reach an anxiety-free state of mind
      that are reminiscent of modern cognitive psychology. Between classical antiquity
      and the late 19(th) century there was a long interval during which anxiety was
      not classified as a separate illness. However, typical cases of anxiety disorders
      kept being reported, even if under different names. In the 17(th) century, Robert
      Burton described anxiety in The Anatomy of Melancholy. Panic attacks and
      generalized anxiety disorder may be recognized in the "panophobias" in the
      nosology published by Boissier de Sauvages in the 18(th) century. Also, anxiety
      symptoms were an important component of new disease constructs, culminating in
      neurasthenia in the 19(th) century. Emil Kraepelin devoted much attention to the
      possible presence of severe anxiety in manic-depressive illness, thereby
      anticipating the "anxious distress" specifier of bipolar disorders in DSM-5. A
      pitfall to consider is that the meaning of common medical terms, such as
      melancholia, evolves according to places and epochs. 

PMID- 26487811
TI  - Biological predictors of pharmacological therapy in anxiety disorders.
AB  - At least one third of patients with anxiety disorders do not adequately respond
      to available pharmacological treatment. The reason that some patients with
      anxiety disorders respond well, but others not, to the same classes of medication
      is not yet fully understood. It is suggested that several biological factors may
      influence treatment mechanisms in anxiety and therefore could be identified as
      possible biomarkers predicting treatment response. In this review, we look at
      current evidence exploring different types of treatment predictors, including
      neuroimaging, genetic factors, and blood-related measures, which could open up
      novel perspectives in clinical management of patients with anxiety disorders. 

PMID- 26487813
TI  - Epidemiology of anxiety disorders in the 21st century.
AB  - Anxiety disorders, including panic disorder with or without agoraphobia,
      generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobias, and
      separation anxiety disorder, are the most prevalent mental disorders and are
      associated with immense health care costs and a high burden of disease. According
      to large population-based surveys, up to 33.7% of the population are affected by
      an anxiety disorder during their lifetime. Substantial underrecognition and
      undertreatment of these disorders have been demonstrated. There is no evidence
      that the prevalence rates of anxiety disorders have changed in the past years. In
      cross-cultural comparisons, prevalence rates are highly variable. It is more
      likely that this heterogeneity is due to differences in methodology than to
      cultural influences. Anxiety disorders follow a chronic course; however, there is
      a natural decrease in prevalence rates with older age. Anxiety disorders are
      highly comorbid with other anxiety disorders and other mental disorders. 

PMID- 26487814
TI  - Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders: an update on the empirical
      evidence.
AB  - A large amount of research has accumulated on the efficacy and effectiveness of
      cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders including posttraumatic
      stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, generalized
      anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobia. The purpose of
      the current article is to provide an overview of two of the most commonly used
      CBT methods used to treat anxiety disorders (exposure and cognitive therapy) and
      to summarize and discuss the current empirical research regarding the usefulness
      of these techniques for each anxiety disorder. Additionally, we discuss the
      difficulties that arise when comparing active CBT treatments, and we suggest
      directions for future research. Overall, CBT appears to be both efficacious and
      effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders, but dismantling studies are
      needed to determine which specific treatment components lead to beneficial
      outcomes and which patients are most likely to benefit from these treatment
      components. 

PMID- 26487815
TI  - Cognitive behavioral group therapy for anxiety: recent developments.
AB  - Anxiety disorders occur frequently, and can have a negative impact on the quality
      of people's lives. They often begin at an early age and can have some serious
      consequences. This article is an overview of the recent studies concerning group
      cognitive-behavioral interventions for anxiety disorders. In the last few years,
      anxiety disorder prevention for children and adolescents has become an important
      focus of research work. Group prevention programs are based on standard cognitive
      behavioral therapy (CBT) strategies and are aimed at preventing anxiety disorders
      as early as possible. Numerous cognitive behavioral group therapies for children
      as well as adults have been well studied. There are many CBT protocols that have
      been developed for treating specific anxiety disorders. Now, specialized CBT
      programs are available for individuals who suffer from different anxiety
      disorders, enabling them to be treated together in groups. 

PMID- 26487816
TI  - Taxonomic review and phylogenetic analysis of fifteen North American Entomobrya
      (Collembola, Entomobryidae), including four new species.
AB  - The chaetotaxy of 15 species of eastern North American Entomobrya is redescribed
      in order to determine potential characters for the diagnosis of cryptic lineages
      and evaluate the diagnostic and phylogenetic utility of chaetotaxy. As a result,
      four new species (Entomobrya citrensis Katz & Soto-Adames, sp. n., Entomobrya
      jubata Katz & Soto-Adames, sp. n., Entomobrya neotenica Katz & Soto-Adames, sp.
      n. and Entomobrya unifasciata Katz & Soto-Adames, sp. n.) are described, and new
      diagnoses are provided for Entomobrya assuta Folsom, Entomobrya atrocincta
      Schott, Entomobrya decemfasciata (Packard), Entomobrya ligata Folsom, Entomobrya
      multifasciata (Tullberg), and Entomobrya quadrilineata (Bueker). Furthermore,
      previously undocumented levels of intraspecific variation in macrosetal pattern
      are reported, tempering the exclusive use of chaetotaxy for species delimitation.
      Phylogenetic relationships, estimated using both morphological and molecular
      data, indicate that Entomobrya is likely paraphyletic. The phylogenies also
      suggest that unreliable character homology, likely fostered by Entomobrya's
      profusion of macrosetae, may limit the phylogenetic utility of chaetotaxy in
      groups characterized by an abundance of dorsal macrosetae. 

PMID- 26487817
TI  - Two new phragmotic ant species from Africa: morphology and next-generation
      sequencing solve a caste association problem in the genus Carebara Westwood.
AB  - Phragmotic or "door head" ants have evolved independently in several ant genera
      across the world, but in Africa only one case has been documented until now.
      Carebara elmenteitae (Patrizi) is known from only a single phragmotic major
      worker collected from sifted leaf-litter near Lake Elmenteita in Kenya, but here
      the worker castes of two species collected from Kakamega Forest, a small
      rainforest in Western Kenya, are studied. Phragmotic major workers were
      previously identified as Carebara elmenteitae and non-phragmotic major and minor
      workers were assigned to Carebara thoracica (Weber). Using evidence of both
      morphological and next-generation sequencing analysis, it is shown that
      phragmotic and non-phragmotic workers of the two different species are actually
      the same and that neither name - Carebara elmenteitae or Carebara thoracica -
      correctly applies to them. Instead, this and another closey related species from
      Ivory Coast are both morphologically different from Carebara elmenteitae, and
      thus they are described as the new species Carebara phragmotica sp. n. and
      Carebara lilith sp. n. 

PMID- 26487818
TI  - A new species of Themus (Themus) Motschulsky from Yunnan, China and a
      redescription of T. (T.) testaceicollis Wittmer, 1983 (Coleoptera, Cantharidae).
AB  - A new species is described, Themus (Themus) dimorphus sp. n. from Yunnan, China.
      Themus (Themus) testaceicollis Wittmer, 1983 is redescribed and compared with the
      new species. The two species are illustrated with habitus and genitalia of both
      sexes and abdominal sternites VIII of female. 

PMID- 26487819
TI  - New species without dead bodies: a case for photo-based descriptions, illustrated
      by a striking new species of Marleyimyia Hesse (Diptera, Bombyliidae) from South
      Africa.
AB  - A new bombyliid species Marleyimyia xylocopae Marshall & Evenhuis, sp. n., an
      apparent mimic of the carpenter bee Xylocopa flavicollis (De Geer), is described
      from South Africa on the basis of photographs only. The pros and cons of species
      descriptions in the absence of preserved type specimens are discussed. 

PMID- 26487820
TI  - Two new species of the genus Anisomysis (Anisomysis) (Crustacea, Mysida, Mysidae)
      from coral reef waters in Thailand.
AB  - Two new species of Anisomysis Hansen, 1910 (Mysida, Mysidae), Anisomysis
      (Anisomysis) spinaintus sp. n. and Anisomysis (Anisomysis) phuketensis sp. n.,
      from coral-reef waters in Thailand are described. Anisomysis (Anisomysis)
      spinaintus, collected in the Chaolao Beach, Chanthaburi Province, is
      distinguished from the closely allied species Anisomysis (Anisomysis) incisa
      Tattersall, 1936, and Anisomysis (Anisomysis) hawaiiensis Murano, 1995, by the
      presence of 6-9 spines on the apical cleft of telson, which are absent in the
      latter two allied species. The new species can also be distinguished from
      Anisomysis (Anisomysis) aikawai Ii, 1964, by the presence of a deep telson cleft
      and a large number of spines on the lateral margin of telson. Anisomysis
      (Anisomysis) phuketensis sp. n., collected in Ko Lon, Phuket, is distinguished
      from the allied species Anisomysis (Anisomysis) robustispina Panampunnayil, 1984,
      by having a short telson and a pair of long spines on the apical part of the
      telson. Keys to the subgenera and species of Anisomysis, including the two new
      species, are presented. 

PMID- 26487821
TI  - A new species of Hemichela Stock, 1954 from the South China Sea (Arthropoda,
      Pycnogonida, Ammotheidae).
AB  - A new species of pycnogonid collected by the Chinese research vessel, R/V HY IV,
      during deep sea cruises to the South China Sea in 2013, is described. The new
      species, Hemichela nanhaiensis, obtained from more than 1300 m depth, is
      distinguished from the other two species in the genus by the characters of the
      chela dactylus with 12 denticulations on the inner margin and by the presence of
      taller tubercles on the lateral processes. 

PMID- 26487822
TI  - Taxonomic studies on the ant genus Ponera Latreille, 1804 (Hymenoptera,
      Formicidae), with the description of a new species from India.
AB  - Four species of the ant genus Ponera Latreille, 1804, are recorded from India.
      The present study reports one new species Ponera sikkimensis sp. n., a divergent
      population of Ponera indica Bharti & Wachkoo, 2012 and one new record, Ponera
      paedericera Zhou, 2001 from India. An identification key and distributions for
      the four known Indian species of Ponera based on the worker caste are provided. 

PMID- 26487823
TI  - Diagnostic survey of Malagasy Nesomyrmex species-groups and revision of hafahafa
      group species via morphology based cluster delimitation protocol.
AB  - Madagascar and its surrounding islands are among the world's greatest
      biodiversity hotspots, harboring predominantly endemic and threatened communities
      meriting special attention from biodiversity scientists. Building on the
      considerable efforts in recent years to inventory the Malagasy ant fauna, the
      myrmicine genus Nesomyrmex is reviewed and (1) subdivided into four major groups
      based on salient morphological features corroborated by numeric morphology:
      angulatus-, hafahafa-, madecassus- and sikorai-groups, and (2) the hafahafa
      species-group endemic to Madagascar is revised. Diversity within hafahafa species
      group was assessed via hypothesis-free nest-centroid-clustering combined with gap
      statistic to assess the number of clusters and to determine the most probable
      boundaries between them. This combination of methods provides a highly
      automatized, objective species delineation protocol based on continuous
      morphometric data. Delimitations of clusters recognized by these exploratory
      analyses were tested via confirmatory Linear Discriminant Analysis. These results
      suggest the existence of four morphologically distinct species, Nesomyrmex
      capricornis sp. n., Nesomyrmex hafahafa sp. n., Nesomyrmex medusus sp. n. and
      Nesomyrmex spinosus sp. n.; all are described and an identification key for their
      worker castes using morphometric data is provided. Two members of the newly
      outlined hafahafa species-group, Nesomyrmex hafahafa sp. n., Nesomyrmex medusus
      sp. n., are distributed along the southeastern coast Madagascar and occupy rather
      large ranges, but two other species, Nesomyrmex capricornis sp. n. and Nesomyrmex
      spinosus sp. n., are only known to occur in small and isolated forest,
      highlighting the importance of small forest patches for conserving arthropod
      diversity. 

PMID- 26487824
TI  - How small is the smallest? New record and remeasuring of Scydosella musawasensis
      Hall, 1999 (Coleoptera, Ptiliidae), the smallest known free-living insect.
AB  - The smallest known beetle Scydosella musawasensis Hall is recorded for the second
      time. Precise measurements of its body size are given, and it is shown that the
      smallest examined representative of this species has a length of 325 um. 

PMID- 26487825
TI  - Description of Trichophoromyia ruifreitasi, a new phlebotomine species (Diptera,
      Psychodidae) from Acre State, Brazilian Amazon.
AB  - Trichophoromyia ruifreitasi sp. n. is described as a new species of sand fly from
      the genus Trichophoromyia Barretto. This description is supported with
      illustrations and photographs that detail the morphological characteristics of
      male specimens collected in the municipality of Assis Brasil, Acre State,
      Brazilian Amazon. This species is similar to Trichophoromyia auraensis
      (Mangabeira), but the two species can be easily differentiated by the
      distribution of setae on their parameres, and by the presence of a dorsal lobe in
      the parameres of the new species. 

PMID- 26487826
TI  - Revised generic placement of Brachypelma embrithes (Chamberlin & Ivie, 1936) and
      Brachypelma angustum Valerio, 1980, with definition of the taxonomic features for
      identification of female Sericopelma Ausserer, 1875 (Araneae, Theraphosidae).
AB  - The tarantula genus Sericopelma was originally defined based on male specimens,
      most notably lacking tibial spurs on leg I. Early female specimens were
      unrecognised as Sericopelma, and typically placed in Eurypelma - a dumping ground
      for problem specimens. The first females were only later recognised, but authors
      failed to adequately define female Sericopelma. Here, the holotypes of the
      southern-most alleged Brachypelma species, Brachypelma embrithes (Chamberlin &
      Ivie, 1936) and Brachypelma angustum Valerio, 1980 were examined, and finding
      both to possess defining characteristics of Sericopelma were transferred. The
      taxonomic attributes to define Sericopelma relative to Brachypelma and select
      other Neotropical genera are discussed, especially for females. As important
      diagnostic characters for Sericopelma, the single (unilobar) spermathecae swollen
      at the apex forming a P-shaped cross-section, metatarsus IV with trace scopula,
      femur IV with a dense retrolateral pad of plumose hair, plus other attributes.
      Some past confusion in these characters are clarified and Sericopelma relative to
      Brachypelma and Megaphobema mesomelas are discussed. Finally recommendations are
      given about these taxonomic changes for CITES regulations. 

PMID- 26487827
TI  - Description of a new species of Julolaelaps (Acari, Mesostigmata, Laelapidae)
      from Iran.
AB  - Julolaelaps hallidayi sp. n., was collected from soil of river verge in Brujen,
      Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province, Iran. Description and illustrations of this
      new species based on adult females are presented. Some entries are added to the
      key of Moraza and Kazemi (2012) to include the new species. 

PMID- 26487828
TI  - Two new species of Xestoblatta Hebard, 1916 from Brazil, a redescription of
      Xestoblatta roppai Rocha e Silva Albuquerque & Fraga, 1975 and a key for the
      species of the buscki group (Blattodea, Ectobiidae, Blattellinae).
AB  - Two new species of Xestoblatta from northern Brazil are described, Xestoblatta
      buhrnheimi sp. n. and Xestoblatta rondonensis sp. n., included in the buscki
      group Gurney (1939), and new characters are added to the description of
      Xestoblatta mamorensis Lopes & Oliveira, 2006. Xestoblatta roppai Rocha e
      Albuquerque-Silva & Fraga, 1975, from midwestern Brazil is redescribed, including
      its genital characters which were not previously described. Additionally, a key
      for the species of this group is provided, and photographs are given of the
      species in the habitus, of tergal modifications, and of the genitalia. 

PMID- 26487829
TI  - Three new species of Fonsecaiulus (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Cicadellini) from
      Brazil and key to species of the genus.
AB  - Three new sharpshooter species of the genus Fonsecaiulus Young, 1977 are
      described and illustrated from specimens collected in the Brazilian Atlantic
      Forest, Fonsecaiulus rectangularis and Fonsecaiulus guttiformis, and in the
      Brazilian Cerrado, Fonsecaiulus filiformis. The descriptions are based on
      features from the external morphology, color pattern, and male and female genital
      structures. Comparisons of the three new taxa with the remaining six Fonsecaiulus
      species are provided. An identification key to males of all known species of the
      genus is given. 

PMID- 26487830
TI  - Curcumin and Apigenin - novel and promising therapeutics against chronic
      neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by
      deposition of amyloid beta, neurofibrillary tangles, astrogliosis and
      microgliosis, leading to neuronal dysfunction and loss in the brain. Current
      treatments for Alzheimer's disease primarily focus on enhancement of cholinergic
      transmission. However, these treatments are only symptomatic, and no disease
      modifying drug is available for Alzheimer's disease patients. This review will
      provide an overview of the proven antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti
      amyloidogenic, neuroprotective, and cognition-enhancing effects of curcumin and
      apigenin and discuss the potential of these compounds for Alzheimer's disease
      prevention and treatment. We suggest that these compounds might delay the onset
      of Alzheimer's disease or slow down its progression, and they should enter
      clinical trials as soon as possible. 

PMID- 26487831
TI  - Neuroimmunomodulatory effects of transcranial laser therapy combined with
      intravenous tPA administration for acute cerebral ischemic injury.
AB  - At present, the only FDA approved treatment for ischemic strokes is intravenous
      administration of tissue plasminogen activator within 4.5 hours of stroke onset.
      Owing to this brief window only a small percentage of patients receive tissue
      plasminogen activator. Transcranial laser therapy has been shown to be effective
      in animal models of acute ischemic stroke, resulting in significant improvement
      in neurological score and function. NEST-1 and NEST-2 clinical trials in human
      patients have demonstrated the safety and positive trends in efficacy of
      transcranial laser therapy for the treatment of ischemic stroke when initiated
      close to the time of stroke onset. Combining intravenous tissue plasminogen
      activator treatment with transcranial laser therapy may provide better functional
      outcomes. Statins given within 4 weeks of stroke onset improve stroke outcomes at
      90 days compared to patients not given statins, and giving statins following
      transcranial laser therapy may provide an effective treatment for patients not
      able to be given tissue plasminogen activator due to time constraints. 

PMID- 26487832
TI  - Nanotechnology and bio-functionalisation for peripheral nerve regeneration.
AB  - There is a high clinical demand for new smart biomaterials, which stimulate
      neuronal cell proliferation, migration and increase cell-material interaction to
      facilitate nerve regeneration across these critical-sized defects. This article
      briefly reviews several up-to-date published studies using Arginine-Glycine
      Aspartic acid peptide sequence, nanocomposite based on polyhedral oligomeric
      silsesquioxane nanoparticle and nanofibrous scaffolds as promising strategies to
      enhance peripheral nerve regeneration by influencing cellular behaviour such as
      attachment, spreading and proliferation. The aim is to establish the potent
      manipulations, which are simple and easy to employ in the clinical conditions for
      nerve regeneration and repair. 

PMID- 26487833
TI  - A case to be made: theoretical and empirical arguments for the need to consider
      fatigue in post-stroke motor rehabilitation.

PMID- 26487835
TI  - The neuroprotective effects of human growth hormone as a potential treatment for
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PMID- 26487834
TI  - Distribution pattern of axonal cytoskeleton proteins in the human optic nerve
      head.

PMID- 26487836
TI  - The vascular stem cell niche: roadmap for transplanted neural progenitor cells
      during environmental enrichment?

PMID- 26487837
TI  - Localized regulation of the axon shaft during the emergence of collateral
      branches.

PMID- 26487838
TI  - Ubiquitin homeostasis: from neural stem cell differentiation to neuronal
      development.

PMID- 26487839
TI  - The neuroprotective potential of endoplasmic reticulum chaperones.

PMID- 26487840
TI  - Fractalkine: multiple strategies to counteract glutamate receptors activation
      leading to neuroprotection.

PMID- 26487841
TI  - A useful electroencephalography (EEG) marker of brain plasticity: delta waves.

PMID- 26487842
TI  - Combining motor learning and brain stimulation to enhance post-stroke
      neurorehabilitation.

PMID- 26487843
TI  - The neuroprotective effects of (S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine preconditioning in
      middle cerebral artery occluded rats: a perspective as a contrivance for stroke.

PMID- 26487844
TI  - Nogo-A and its functions beyond axonal inhibition: the controversial role of Nogo
      A in Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 26487845
TI  - A new mechanism for protection of dopaminergic neurons mediated by astrocytes.

PMID- 26487846
TI  - Identifying specific RGC types may shed light on their idiosyncratic responses to
      neuroprotection.

PMID- 26487847
TI  - A new tool for monitoring brain function: eye tracking goes beyond assessing
      attention to measuring central nervous system physiology.

PMID- 26487848
TI  - Central plasticity resulting from chronic low back pain in degenerative disorders
      of the spine.

PMID- 26487849
TI  - Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases and their relationships with peripheral nerve
      degeneration and regeneration.

PMID- 26487850
TI  - Neuroprotective effects of atorvastatin against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion
      injury through the inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress.
AB  - Cerebral ischemia triggers secondary ischemia/reperfusion injury and endoplasmic
      reticulum stress initiates cell apoptosis. However, the regulatory mechanism of
      the signaling pathway remains unclear. We hypothesize that the regulatory
      mechanisms are mediated by the protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum
      kinase/eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha in the endoplasmic reticulum stress
      signaling pathway. To verify this hypothesis, we occluded the middle cerebral
      artery in rats to establish focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion model. Results
      showed that the expression levels of protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum
      kinase and caspase-3, as well as the phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation
      factor 2alpha, were increased after ischemia/reperfusion. Administration of
      atorvastatin decreased the expression of protein kinase-like endoplasmic
      reticulum kinase, caspase-3 and phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor
      2alpha, reduced the infarct volume and improved ultrastructure in the rat brain.
      After salubrinal, the specific inhibitor of phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation
      factor 2alpha was given into the rats intragastrically, the expression levels of
      caspase-3 and phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha in the were
      decreased, a reduction of the infarct volume and less ultrastructural damage were
      observed than the untreated, ischemic brain. However, salubrinal had no impact on
      the expression of protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase. Experimental
      findings indicate that atorvastatin inhibits endoplasmic reticulum stress and
      exerts neuroprotective effects. The underlying mechanisms of attenuating
      ischemia/reperfusion injury are associated with the protein kinase-like
      endoplasmic reticulum kinase/eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha/caspase-3
      pathway. 

PMID- 26487851
TI  - Exercise preconditioning exhibits neuroprotective effects on hippocampal CA1
      neuronal damage after cerebral ischemia.
AB  - Recent evidence has suggested the neuroprotective effects of physical exercise on
      cerebral ischemic injury. However, the role of physical exercise in cerebral
      ischemia-induced hippocampal damage remains controversial. The aim of the present
      study was to evaluate the effects of pre-ischemia treadmill training on
      hippocampal CA1 neuronal damage after cerebral ischemia. Male adult rats were
      randomly divided into control, ischemia and exercise + ischemia groups. In the
      exercise + ischemia group, rats were subjected to running on a treadmill in a
      designated time schedule (5 days per week for 4 weeks). Then rats underwent
      cerebral ischemia induction through occlusion of common carotids followed by
      reperfusion. At 4 days after cerebral ischemia, rat learning and memory abilities
      were evaluated using passive avoidance memory test and rat hippocampal neuronal
      damage was detected using Nissl and TUNEL staining. Pre-ischemic exercise
      significantly reduced the number of TUNEL-positive cells and necrotic cell death
      in the hippocampal CA1 region as compared to the ischemia group. Moreover, pre
      ischemic exercise significantly prevented ischemia-induced memory dysfunction.
      Pre-ischemic exercise mighct prevent memory deficits after cerebral ischemia
      through rescuing hippocampal CA1 neurons from ischemia-induced degeneration. 

PMID- 26487852
TI  - Activation of immediate-early response gene c-Fos protein in the rat paralimbic
      cortices after myocardial infarction.
AB  - c-Fos is a good biological marker for detecting the pathogenesis of central
      nervous system disorders. Few studies are reported on the change in myocardial
      infarction-induced c-Fos expression in the paralimbic regions. Thus, in this
      study, we investigated the changes in c-Fos expression in the rat cingulate and
      piriform cortices after myocardial infarction. Neuronal degeneration in cingulate
      and piriform cortices after myocardial infarction was detected using cresyl
      violet staining, NeuN immunohistochemistry and Fluoro-Jade B histofluorescence
      staining. c-Fos-immunoreactive cells were observed in cingulate and piriform
      cortices at 3 days after myocardial infarction and peaked at 7 and 14 days after
      myocardial infarction. But they were hardly observed at 56 days after myocardial
      infarction. The chronological change of c-Fos expression determined by western
      blot analysis was basically the same as that of c-Fos immunoreactivity. These
      results indicate that myocardial infarction can cause the chronological change of
      immediate-early response gene c-Fos protein expression, which might be associated
      with the neural activity induced by myocardial infarction. 

PMID- 26487853
TI  - Activation of the Notch signaling pathway promotes neurovascular repair after
      traumatic brain injury.
AB  - The Notch signaling pathway plays a key role in angiogenesis and endothelial cell
      formation, but it remains unclear whether it is involved in vascular repair by
      endothelial progenitor cells after traumatic brain injury. Therefore, in the
      present study, we controlled the Notch signaling pathway using overexpression and
      knockdown constructs. Activation of the Notch signaling pathway by Notch1 or
      Jagged1 overexpression enhanced the migration, invasiveness and angiogenic
      ability of endothelial progenitor cells. Suppression of the Notch signaling
      pathway with Notch1 or Jagged1 siRNAs reduced the migratory capacity,
      invasiveness and angiogenic ability of endothelial progenitor cells. Activation
      of the Notch signaling pathway in vivo in a rat model of mild traumatic brain
      injury promoted neurovascular repair. These findings suggest that the activation
      of the Notch signaling pathway promotes blood vessel formation and tissue repair
      after brain trauma. 

PMID- 26487854
TI  - Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells transplantation promotes the release of
      endogenous erythropoietin after ischemic stroke.
AB  - This study investigated whether bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC)
      transplantation protected ischemic cerebral injury by stimulating endogenous
      erythropoietin. The model of ischemic stroke was established in rats through
      transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. Twenty-four hours later, 1 * 10(6)
      human BMSCs (hBMSCs) were injected into the tail vein. Fourteen days later, we
      found that hBMSCs promoted the release of endogenous erythropoietin in the
      ischemic region of rats. Simultaneously, 3 MUg/d soluble erythropoietin receptor
      (sEPOR) was injected into the lateral ventricle, and on the next 13 consecutive
      days. sEPOR blocked the release of endogenous erythropoietin. The neurogenesis in
      the subventricular zone was less in the hBMSCs + sEPOR group than in the hBMSCs +
      heat-denatured sEPOR group. The adhesive-removal test result and the modified
      Neurological Severity Scores (mNSS) were lower in the hBMSCs + sEPOR group than
      in the heat-denatured sEPOR group. The adhesive-removal test result and mNSS were
      similar between the hBMSCs + heat-denatured sEPOR group and the hBMSCs + sEPOR
      group. These findings confirm that BMSCs contribute to neurogenesis and improve
      neurological function by promoting the release of endogenous erythropoietin
      following ischemic stroke. 

PMID- 26487855
TI  - The key target of neuroprotection after the onset of ischemic stroke: secretory
      pathway Ca(2+)-ATPase 1.
AB  - The regulatory mechanisms of cytoplasmic Ca(2+) after myocardial infarction
      induced Ca(2+) overload involve secretory pathway Ca(2+)-ATPase 1 and the Golgi
      apparatus and are well understood. However, the effect of Golgi apparatus on
      Ca(2+) overload after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion remains unclear. Four
      vessel occlusion rats were used as animal models of cerebral ischemia. The
      expression of secretory pathway Ca(2+)-ATPase 1 in the cortex and hippocampus was
      detected by immunoblotting, and Ca(2+) concentrations in the cytoplasm and Golgi
      vesicles were determined. Results showed an overload of cytoplasmic Ca(2+) during
      ischemia and reperfusion that reached a peak after reperfusion. Levels of Golgi
      Ca(2+) showed an opposite effect. The expression of Golgi-specific secretory
      pathway Ca(2+)-ATPase 1 in the cortex and hippocampus decreased before ischemia
      and reperfusion, and increased after reperfusion for 6 hours. This variation was
      similar to the alteration of calcium in separated Golgi vesicles. These results
      indicate that the Golgi apparatus participates in the formation and alleviation
      of calcium overload, and that secretory pathway Ca(2+)-ATPase 1 tightly responds
      to ischemia and reperfusion in nerve cells. Thus, we concluded that secretory
      pathway Ca(2+)-ATPase 1 plays an essential role in cytosolic calcium regulation
      and its expression can be used as a marker of Golgi stress, responding to
      cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. The secretory pathway Ca(2+)-ATPase 1 can be
      an important neuroprotective target of ischemic stroke. 

PMID- 26487856
TI  - Dantrolene enhances the protective effect of hypothermia on cerebral cortex
      neurons.
AB  - Therapeutic hypothermia is the most promising non-pharmacological neuroprotective
      strategy against ischemic injury. However, shivering is the most common adverse
      reaction. Many studies have shown that dantrolene is neuroprotective in in vitro
      and in vivo ischemic injury models. In addition to its neuroprotective effect,
      dantrolene neutralizes the adverse reaction of hypothermia. Dantrolene may be an
      effective adjunctive therapy to enhance the neuroprotection of hypothermia in
      treating ischemic stroke. Cortical neurons isolated from rat fetuses were exposed
      to 90 minutes of oxygen-glucose deprivation followed by reoxygenation. Neurons
      were treated with 40 MUM dantrolene, hypothermia (at 33 degrees C), or the
      combination of both for 12 hours. Results revealed that the combination of
      dantrolene and hypothermia increased neuronal survival and the mitochondrial
      membrane potential, and reduced intracellular active oxygen cytoplasmic histone
      associated DNA fragmentation, and apoptosis. Furthermore, improvements in cell
      morphology were observed. The combined treatment enhanced these responses
      compared with either treatment alone. These findings indicate that dantrolene may
      be used as an effective adjunctive therapy to enhance the neuroprotective effects
      of hypothermia in ischemic stroke. 

PMID- 26487857
TI  - The E3 ubiquitin ligase seven in absentia homolog 1 may be a potential new
      therapeutic target for Parkinson's disease.
AB  - In this study, we investigated the effect of an antibody against E3 ubiquitin
      ligase seven in absentia homolog 1 (SIAH-1) in PC12 cells. 1-Methyl-4
      phenylpyridinium (MPP(+)) treatment increased alpha-synuclein, E1 and SIAH-1
      protein levels in PC12 cells, and it reduced cell viability; however, there was
      no significant change in light chain 3 expression. Treatment with an SIAH-1
      antibody decreased mRNA expression levels of alpha-synuclein, light chain 3 and
      SIAH-1, but increased E1 mRNA expression. It also increased cell viability.
      Combined treatment with MPP(+) and rapamycin reduced SIAH-1 and alpha-synuclein
      levels. Treatment with SIAH-1 antibody alone diminished alpha-synuclein
      immunoreactivity in PC12 cells, and reduced the colocalization of alpha-synuclein
      and light chain 3. These findings suggest that the SIAH-1 antibody reduces the
      monoubiquitination and aggregation of alpha-synuclein, promoting its degradation
      by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Consequently, SIAH-1 may be a potential new
      therapeutic target for Parkinson's disease. 

PMID- 26487858
TI  - Protective effects of components of the Chinese herb grassleaf sweetflag rhizome
      on PC12 cells incubated with amyloid-beta42.
AB  - The major ingredients of grassleaf sweetflag rhizome are beta-asarone and
      eugenol, which can cross the blood-brain barrier and protect neurons. This study
      aimed to observe the neuroprotective effects and mechanisms of beta-asarone and
      eugenol, components of the Chinese herb grassleaf sweetflag rhizome, on PC12
      cells. First, PC12 cells were cultured with different concentrations (between 1 *
      10(-10) M and 1 * 10(-5) M) of beta-asarone and eugenol. Survival rates of PC12
      cells were not significantly affected. Second, PC12 cells incubated with amyloid
      beta42, which reduced cell survival, were cultured under the same conditions (1 *
      10(-6) M beta-asarone and eugenol). The survival rates of PC12 cells
      significantly increased, while expression levels of the mRNAs for the pro
      apoptotic protein Bax decreased, and those for the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl
      mRNA increased. In addition, the combination of beta-asarone with eugenol
      achieved better results than either component alone. Our experimental findings
      indicate that both beta-asarone and eugenol protect PC12 cells through inhibiting
      apoptosis, and that the combination of the two is better than either alone. 

PMID- 26487859
TI  - Electroacupuncture pretreatment exhibits anti-depressive effects by regulating
      hippocampal proteomics in rats with chronic restraint stress.
AB  - The clinical effect of electroacupuncture on depression is widely recognized.
      However, the signal transduction pathways and target proteins involved remain
      unclear. In the present study, rat models of chronic restraint stress were used
      to explore the mechanism by which electroacupuncture alleviates depression. Rats
      were randomly divided into control, model, and electroacupuncture groups. Chronic
      restraint stress was induced in the model and electroacupuncture groups by
      restraining rats for 28 days. In the electroacupuncture group, electroacupuncture
      pretreatment at Baihui (GV20) and Yintang (GV29) acupoints was performed daily (1
      mA, 2 Hz, discontinuous wave, 20 minutes) prior to restraint for 28 days. Open
      field tests and body weight measurements were carried out to evaluate the
      depressive symptoms at specific time points. On day 28, the crossing number,
      rearing number, and body weights of the model group were significantly lower than
      those in the control group. Behavior test results indicated that rat models of
      depressive-like symptoms were successfully established by chronic restraint
      stress combined with solitary raising. On day 28, an isobaric tag for a relative
      and absolute quantitation-based quantitative proteomic approach was performed to
      identify differentially expressed proteins in hippocampal samples obtained from
      the model and electroacupuncture groups. The potential function of these
      differential proteins was predicted through the use of the Cluster of Orthologous
      Groups of proteins (COG) database. Twenty-seven differential proteins
      (uncharacteristic proteins expected) were selected from the model and
      electroacupuncture groups. In addition to unknown protein functions, COG are
      mainly concentrated in general prediction function, mechanism of signal
      transduction, amino acid transport and metabolism groups. This suggests that
      electroacupuncture improved depressive-like symptoms by regulating differential
      proteins, and most of these related proteins exist in nerve cells. 

PMID- 26487860
TI  - Propofol promotes spinal cord injury repair by bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell
      transplantation.
AB  - Propofol is a neuroprotective anesthetic. Whether propofol can promote spinal
      cord injury repair by bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells remains poorly
      understood. We used rats to investigate spinal cord injury repair using bone
      marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation combined with propofol
      administration via the tail vein. Rat spinal cord injury was clearly alleviated;
      a large number of newborn non-myelinated and myelinated nerve fibers appeared in
      the spinal cord, the numbers of CM-Dil-labeled bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells
      and fluorogold-labeled nerve fibers were increased and hindlimb motor function of
      spinal cord-injured rats was markedly improved. These improvements were more
      prominent in rats subjected to bone marrow mesenchymal cell transplantation
      combined with propofol administration than in rats receiving monotherapy. These
      results indicate that propofol can enhance the therapeutic effects of bone marrow
      mesenchymal stem cell transplantation on spinal cord injury in rats. 

PMID- 26487861
TI  - Differentiation of Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells into neurons in
      alginate scaffold.
AB  - Alginate scaffold has been considered as an appropriate biomaterial for promoting
      the differentiation of embryonic stem cells toward neuronal cell lineage. We
      hypothesized that alginate scaffold is suitable for culturing Wharton's jelly
      mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) and can promote the differentiation of WJMSCs
      into neuron-like cells. In this study, we cultured WJMSCs in a three-dimensional
      scaffold fabricated by 0.25% alginate and 50 mM CaCl2 in the presence of
      neurogenic medium containing 10 MUM retinoic acid and 20 ng/mL basic fibroblast
      growth factor. These cells were also cultured in conventional two-dimensional
      culture condition in the presence of neurogenic medium as controls. After 10
      days, immunofluorescence staining was performed for detecting beta-tubulin
      (marker for WJMSCs-differentiated neuron) and CD271 (motor neuron marker). beta
      Tubulin and CD271 expression levels were significantly greater in the WJMSCs
      cultured in the three-dimensional alginate scaffold than in the conventional two
      dimensional culture condition. These findings suggest that three-dimensional
      alginate scaffold cell culture system can induce neuronal differentiation of
      WJMSCs effectively. 

PMID- 26487862
TI  - Panax notoginseng saponins improve recovery after spinal cord transection by
      upregulating neurotrophic factors.
AB  - Saponins extracted from Panax notoginseng are neuroprotective, but the mechanisms
      underlying this effect remain unclear. In the present study, we established a rat
      model of thoracic (T10) spinal cord transection, and injected Panax notoginseng
      saponins (100 mg/kg) or saline 30 minutes after injury. Locomotor functions were
      assessed using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scale from 1 to 30 days
      after injury, and immunohistochemistry was carried out in the ventral horn of the
      spinal cord at 1 and 7 days to determine expression of nerve growth factor (NGF)
      and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Our results show that at 7-30 days
      post injury, the BBB score was higher in rats treated with Panax notoginseng
      saponins than in those that received saline. Furthermore, at 7 days, more NGF-
      and BDNF-immunoreactive neurons were observed in the ventral horn of the spinal
      cord of rats that had received Panax notoginseng saponins than in those that
      received saline. These results indicate that Panax notoginseng saponins caused an
      upregulation of NGF and BDNF in rats with spinal cord transection, and improved
      hindlimb motor function. 

PMID- 26487863
TI  - Buyang Huanwu decoction up-regulates Notch1 gene expression in injured spinal
      cord.
AB  - Expression of genes in the Notch signaling pathway is altered in the injured
      spinal cord, which indicates that Notch participates in repair after spinal cord
      injury. Buyang Huanwu decoction, a traditional Chinese herbal preparation, can
      promote the growth of nerve cells and nerve fibers; however, it is unclear
      whether Buyang Huanwu decoction affects the Notch signaling pathway in injured
      spinal cord. In this study, a rat model was established by injuring the T10
      spinal cord. At 2 days after injury, rats were intragastrically administered 2 mL
      of 0.8 g/mL Buyang Huanwu decoction daily until sacrifice. Real-time reverse
      transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that at 7, 14 and
      28 days after injury, the expression of Notch1 was increased in the Buyang Huanwu
      decoction group compared with controls. These findings confirm that Buyang Huanwu
      decoction can promote the expression of Notch1 in rats with incomplete spinal
      cord injury, and may indicate a mechanism to promote the repair of spinal cord
      injury. 

PMID- 26487864
TI  - Blockade of transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1
      promotes regeneration after sciatic nerve injury.
AB  - The transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1)
      provides the sensation of pain (nociception). However, it remains unknown whether
      TRPV1 is activated after peripheral nerve injury, or whether activation of TRPV1
      affects neural regeneration. In the present study, we established rat models of
      unilateral sciatic nerve crush injury, with or without pretreatment with AMG517
      (300 mg/kg), a TRPV1 antagonist, injected subcutaneously into the ipsilateral paw
      60 minutes before injury. At 1 and 2 weeks after injury, we performed
      immunofluorescence staining of the sciatic nerve at the center of injury, at 0.3
      cm proximal and distal to the injury site, and in the dorsal root ganglia. Our
      results showed that Wallerian degeneration occurred distal to the injury site,
      and neurite outgrowth and Schwann cell regeneration occurred proximal to the
      injury. The number of regenerating myelinated and unmyelinated nerve clusters was
      greater in the AMG517-pretreated rats than in the vehicle-treated group, most
      notably 2 weeks after injury. TRPV1 expression in the injured sciatic nerve and
      ipsilateral dorsal root ganglia was markedly greater than on the contralateral
      side. Pretreatment with AMG517 blocked this effect. These data indicate that
      TRPV1 is activated or overexpressed after sciatic nerve crush injury, and that
      blockade of TRPV1 may accelerate regeneration of the injured sciatic nerve. 

PMID- 26487865
TI  - Microencapsulation improves inhibitory effects of transplanted olfactory
      ensheathing cells on pain after sciatic nerve injury.
AB  - Olfactory bulb tissue transplantation inhibits P2X2/3 receptor-mediated
      neuropathic pain. However, the olfactory bulb has a complex cellular composition,
      and the mechanism underlying the action of purified transplanted olfactory
      ensheathing cells (OECs) remains unclear. In the present study, we
      microencapsulated OECs in alginic acid, and transplanted free and
      microencapsulated OECs into the region surrounding the injured sciatic nerve in
      rat models of chronic constriction injury. We assessed mechanical nociception in
      the rat models 7 and 14 days after surgery by measuring paw withdrawal threshold,
      and examined P2X2/3 receptor expression in L4-5 dorsal root ganglia using
      immunohistochemistry. Rats that received free and microencapsulated OEC
      transplants showed greater withdrawal thresholds than untreated model rats, and
      weaker P2X2/3 receptor immunoreactivity in dorsal root ganglia. At 14 days, paw
      withdrawal threshold was much higher in the microencapsulated OEC-treated
      animals. Our results confirm that microencapsulated OEC transplantation
      suppresses P2X2/3 receptor expression in L4-5 dorsal root ganglia in rat models
      of neuropathic pain and reduces allodynia, and also suggest that transplantation
      of microencapsulated OECs is more effective than transplantation of free OECs for
      the treatment of neuropathic pain. 

PMID- 26487867
TI  - Neuroprotective effects of monosialotetrahexosylganglioside.

PMID- 26487866
TI  - Axon regeneration impediment: the role of paired immunoglobulin-like receptor B.
AB  - Regenerative capacity is weak after central nervous system injury because of the
      absence of an enhancing microenvironment and presence of an inhibitory
      microenvironment for neuronal and axonal repair. In addition to the Nogo receptor
      (NgR), the paired immunoglobulin-like receptor B (PirB) is a recently discovered
      coreceptor of Nogo, myelin-associated glycoprotein, and myelin oligodendrocyte
      glycoprotein. Concurrent blocking of NgR and PirB almost completely eliminates
      the inhibitory effect of myelin-associated inhibitory molecules on axonal
      regeneration. PirB participates in a key pathological process of the nervous
      system, specifically axonal regeneration inhibition. PirB is an inhibitory
      receptor similar to NgR, but their effects are not identical. This study
      summarizes the structure, distribution, relationship with common nervous system
      diseases, and known mechanisms of PirB, and concludes that PirB is also
      distributed in cells of the immune and hematopoietic systems. Further
      investigations are needed to determine if immunomodulation and blood cell
      migration involve inhibition of axonal regeneration. 

PMID- 26487868
TI  - "World heart day 2014", Significance of cardiovascular diseases in east of Iran.

PMID- 26487869
TI  - Red cell distribution width predicts deaths in patients with acute pancreatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate the association between the red cell distribution
      width (RDW) and mortality in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP), and to assess
      the ability of RDW to predict mortality in AP patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This retrospective cohort study included 120 patients (50 males and 70 females)
      with AP who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhongshan Medical
      University from January 2011 to October 2013. Demographic data and laboratory
      measures including RDW were obtained from medical records of each patient. A
      receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess RDW
      values to predict the death of AP patients. RESULTS: The serum concentration
      levels of total Ca(2+) (P = 0.007) and albumin (P < 0.001), and the white blood
      cell counts (P = 0.005) were significantly lower, and the mortality rate (P <
      0.001) and body mass index (P < 0.001) were significantly higher (P = <0.001,
      <0.001) in patients with RDW values of >13.4% than in patients with RDW values of
      <=13.4%. RDW values were negatively correlated with the serum concentration
      levels of albumin (r = -0.212, P = 0.012) and total Ca(2+) (r = -0.206, P =
      0.033), and were positively correlated with the patient's age (r = 0.201, P =
      0.035). ROC analysis showed that the AUC for the RDW value was 0.894 (P < 0.001,
      95% confidence interval = 0.823-0.966), and the optimal cut-off value to predict
      death was 14.35 (sensitivity = 88.2%, specificity = 91.8%). CONCLUSION: Red cell
      distribution width is a potentially new and sensitive predictor of mortality in
      patients with AP.

PMID- 26487870
TI  - The rate of antibiotic utilization in Iranian under 5-year-old children with
      acute respiratory tract illness: A nationwide community-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate the prevalence of antibiotic usage in children aged <5
      years with acute respiratory tract illness (ARTI) in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Data were collected from a national health survey conducted in 2010 (Iran's
      Multiple Indicator Demographic and Health Survey). Participants of this cross
      sectional study were selected by multistage stratified cluster-random sampling
      from 31 provinces of Iran. Parents of children with <5 years of age responded to
      questions about the occurrence of any cough during the previous 2 weeks, referral
      to private/governmental/other health care systems, and utilization of any
      oral/injection form of antibiotics. Data were analyzed using SPSS software18. The
      chi-square test was used to determine antibiotic consumption in various gender
      and residency groups and also a place of residence with the referral health care
      system. RESULTS: Of the 9345 children under 5 years who participated in the
      study, 1506 cases (16.2%) had ARTI during 2 weeks prior to the interview, in whom
      1143 (75.9%) were referred to urban or rural health care centers (43.4 vs. 30.4%;
      P < 0.001). Antibiotics were utilized by 715 (62.6%) of affected children.
      Injection formulations were used for 150 (13.1%) patients. The frequency of
      receiving antibiotics was higher in urban than in rural inhabitants (66.0% vs.
      57.7% P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of total and injection antibiotics
      usage in children <5 years with ARTI is alarmingly high in Iran. Therefore,
      interventions to reduce antibiotic use are urgently needed.

PMID- 26487871
TI  - Spatial analysis of myocardial infarction in Iran: National report from the
      Iranian myocardial infarction registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of mortality and
      morbidity in Iran. No spatial analysis of MI has been conducted to date. The
      present study was conducted to determine the pattern of MI incidence and to
      identify the associated factors in Iran by province. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      study has two parts. One part is prospective and hospital-based, and the other
      part is an ecological study. In this study, the data of 20,750 new MI cases
      registered in Iranian Myocardial Infarction Registry in 2012 were used. For
      spatial analysis in global and local, spatial autocorrelation, Moran's I, Getis
      Ord, and logistic regression models were used. Data were analyzed by Stata
      software and ArcGIS 9.3. RESULTS: Based on autocorrelation coefficient, a
      specific pattern was observed in the distribution of MI incidence in different
      provinces (Moran's I: 0.75, P < 0.001). Spatial pattern of incidence was
      approximately the same in men and women. MI incidence was clustering in six
      provinces (North Khorasan, Yazd, Kerman, Semnan, Golestan, and Mazandaran). Out
      of the associated factors with clustered MI in six provinces, temperature,
      humidity, hypertension, smoking, and body mass index (BMI) could be mentioned.
      Hypertension, smoking, and BMI contributed to clustering with, respectively,
      2.36, 1.31, and 1.31 odds ratio. CONCLUSION: Addressing the place-based pattern
      of incidence and clarifying their epidemiologic dimension, including spatial
      analysis, has not yet been implemented in Iran. Report on MI incidence rate by
      place and formal borders is useful and is used in the planning and prioritization
      in different levels of health system.

PMID- 26487873
TI  - Results of distraction callus osteogenesis in hand and foot in Iran: A 15-year
      experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Distraction osteogenesis (DS) is currently an important technique for
      lengthening shortened bones of the hand and foot. Authors report their experience
      in applying DS for various conditions of the hand and foot using a distractor
      that the senior author has designed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records of patients
      who underwent DS for hand and foot conditions in a private clinic were retrieved
      between January 2001 and January 2015. Data concerning distraction, outcome, and
      complications were recorded. RESULTS: There were 17 patients, 7 males, and 10
      females with a total 24 distractions. The mean length gained was 21.2 mm (1.69)
      and the mean total treatment time was 198.58 (15.88) days. Overall, complications
      occurred in 9 (37.5%) distractions. Major complications occurred in 2 (8.33%) of
      distractions. Minor complications occurred in 7 (29.2%) distractions. CONCLUSION:
      DS is an effective modality for lengthening bones of the hand and feet for both
      traumatic and congenital conditions. Joint stiffness/contracture is an important
      complication following DS of the metatarsals.

PMID- 26487872
TI  - Weight disorders and anthropometric indices according to socioeconomic status of
      living place in Iranian children and adolescents: The CASPIAN-IV study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Excess weight in children and adolescents is a multi-factorial
      phenomenon and associated with earlier risk of obesity-related diseases. This
      study aims to assess the prevalence of weight disorders and the mean values of
      anthropometric indices according to regional, socioeconomic, and urban-rural
      variations among Iranian children and adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      nationwide study was performed in 2011-2012 among a representative multi-stage
      cluster sample of 14,880 Iranian students aged 6-8 years. The World Health
      Organization (WHO) reference curves were used to define weight disorders.
      Abdominal obesity was defined as the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) of more than
      0.5. Iran was classified into four regions according to the socioeconomic status
      (SES). RESULTS: The mean (95% confidence interval) of body mass index (BMI),
      waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC) was 18.8 (18.7, 18.9)
      kg/m(2), 67.0 (66.7, 67.3) cm, and 80.8 (80.3, 81.2) cm, respectively. The
      prevalence of underweight was 12.2%. A total of 9.7%, 11.9%, and 19.1% of
      students overweight, obese, and abdominally obese, respectively. The highest mean
      of BMI, WC, wrist circumference, HC, and WHtR were related to the second high SES
      (North-northeast) area (19.2 [18.8, 19.5], 68.3 [67.3, 69.4], 14.8 [14.7, 15.0],
      82.6 [81.1, 84.0], and 0.464 [0.460, 0.468]). In contrast, the lowest SES
      (Southeast) region had the lowest mean of these anthropometric indices (17.6
      [17.1, 18.2], 63.2 [61.7, 64.8], 14.5 [14.2, 14.8], 76.9 [74.9, 79.0], and 0.439
      [0.434, 0.444]). CONCLUSION: We found considerable differences in the prevalence
      of anthropometric measures throughout the country by SES of the region. Health
      policy making and implementing health strategies should consider SES of regions.

PMID- 26487874
TI  - Significance of pulmonary nodules in multi-detector computed tomography scan of
      noncancerous patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT) scan is one the most useful devices in chest
      imaging. CT scan can be used in mediastinal abnormality, lungs, and pleural
      evaluations. According to the high prevalence and different causes of pulmonary
      nodules, we designed this study to evaluate the prevalence and the types of
      pulmonary nodules in noncancerous patients who underwent chest multi-detector CT
      (MDCT) scan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study which was in
      our hospital to evaluate the prevalence of pulmonary nodules in noncancerous
      patients who underwent MDCT. A checklist was used for data collection containing
      number, location, size, and shape of pulmonary nodules if present in CT scan, and
      we also included patient's age and history of smoking. We analyzed the data with
      Statistical Program for Social Sciences software (version 18). RESULTS: In this
      study, 115 patients (40%) had a pulmonary nodule. The mean number of a total
      nodule in each patient was 0.8 +/- 0.07. Mean number of intra-parenchymal, sub
      pleural, and perivascular nodules were 0.34 +/- 0.04, 0.31 +/- 0.04, and 0.14 +/-
      0.02, respectively. The mean number of calcified nodules was 0.13 +/- 0.02. There
      was no significant correlation between age and nodule characteristics (P > 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: The prevalence of pulmonary nodules was quite frequent in MDCT scan
      of noncancerous cases. So, it should not be overvalued in noncancerous cases.

PMID- 26487875
TI  - Metabolic syndrome and its components associated with chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is limited information on the relationship between metabolic
      syndrome (MetS) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the Iranian population, a
      group that has a high prevalence of CKD and obesity. The aim of present study was
      to determine the relationship between MetS and CKD in West of Iran. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A total of 800 subjects aged more than 35 years admitted from 2011 to
      2013 were enrolled in the study. MetS was defined based on the Adult Treatment
      Panel III criteria, and CKD was defined from the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality
      Initiative practice guidelines. Waist circumference and body mass index were
      calculated, as well, blood samples were taken and lipid profile, plasma glucose
      levels, and serum creatinine were measured. Data were analyzed with SPSS version
      17 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: CKD was seen in 14.8% patients with
      MetS and 8.3% individuals without MetS. MetS was associated with an increased
      odds ratio (OR) for a glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) (OR: 1.91;
      95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-2.99; P = 0.004). Individuals with 2, 3, 4,
      and 5 components of the MetS had an increased OR for CKD: 2.19 (95% CI: 0.95
      3.62), 2.65 (95% CI: 1.03-4.71), 2.86 (95% CI: 1.08-5.53), and 5.03 (95% CI: 1.80
      8.57), respectively, compared with individuals with none of the components.
      CONCLUSION: We found a high prevalence of CKD in patients with MetS compared with
      the subject without MetS. Our observations raised major clinical and public
      health concerns in Iran, where both the MetS and kidney diseases are becoming
      common.

PMID- 26487876
TI  - The relationship between five-factor model and diagnostic and statistical manual
      of mental disorder-fifth edition personality traits on patients with antisocial
      personality disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that new criteria of antisocial personality disorder
      (ASPD) in diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-fifth edition
      (DSM-5) were resulted from five-factor model (FFM), there is a small amount of
      studies that investigate the relations between proposed personality traits and
      FFM. Also, cross-cultural study in this field continuously would be needed. The
      aim of the present study was to evaluate the relation between the FFM and DSM-5
      ASPD pathological traits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional
      study design. The participants consisted of 122 individuals with ASPD that
      selected from prisoners (73.0%), outpatients (18.0%), and inpatients (9.0%). They
      were recruited from Tehran Prisoners, and Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry
      Clinics of Razi and Taleghani Hospitals, Tehran, Iran, since 2013-2014. The
      Sample was selected based on judgmental sampling. The structured clinical
      interview for DSM-IV axis II disorders-Personality Questionnaire, NEO-Personality
      Inventory-Revised, and DSM-5 personality trait rating form were used to diagnosis
      and assessment of personality disorder. Pearson correlation has been used for
      data analysis. All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 16
      software. RESULTS: The results indicate that neuroticism (N) has positive
      significant relationship with hostility (r = 0.33, P < 0.01), manipulativeness (r
      = 0.25, P < 0.01), deceitfulness (r =.23, P < 0.01), impulsivity (r = 0.20, P <
      0.05), and negative relation with risk taking (r = -0.23, P < 0.01). Also, there
      was significant relationship between extraversion (E) with manipulativeness (r =
      0.28, P < 0.01) and deceitfulness (r = 0.32, P < 0.01). Agreeableness and
      conscientiousness have negative significant relation with DSM-5 traits. In
      addition, results showed that there is positive significant relationship between
      FFM and DSM-5 personality traits with DSM-fourth edition-text revision (DSM-IV
      TR) ASPD symptoms (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Except manipulativeness, deceitfulness,
      and callousness, there is positively significant relationship between DSM-5 ASPD
      traits and DSM-IV-TR ASPD symptoms. The present study helps to understand the
      adequacy of dimensional approach to evaluation of ASPD pathology, specifically on
      Iranian sample.

PMID- 26487877
TI  - Effect of Vitamin D supplementation on symptoms and C-reactive protein in
      migraine patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Migarine is the most common headache around the world including Iran.
      In recent years, Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to a global health problem.
      A few studies have been determined inverse association between serum levels of
      Vitamin D with a headache. So, in this study, we investigated the effect of
      Vitamin D supplementation on symptoms and C-reactive protein (CRP) among patients
      with migraine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was randomized, double-blind,
      and controlled-placebo clinical trial. Sixty-five migraine patients aged 10-61
      years were included for analysis. Vitamin D was administrated for 10 weeks with
      50,000 IU dosage of Vitamin D per week. Multivariate analysis of covariate and
      univariate analysis of covariate were done to determine the effects of Vitamin D
      supplementation on symptoms, including severity, duration, frequency of headache,
      and the headache diary result (HDR). RESULTS: Mean headache frequency and HDR had
      significant difference among two groups (5.9 +/- 7.0 vs. 7.0 +/- 6.0, P = 0.06
      and 85.0 +/- 134.2 vs. 132.1 +/- 147.1, P = 0.04). But, a mean difference of
      headache frequency was marginally significant (P = 0.06). These values were lower
      among the intervention group compared to placebo group. The association was not
      observed between CRP with migraine disease. CONCLUSION: In this study, we shown
      Vitamin D supplementation may be useful in decreasing frequency of headache
      attacks and HDR among patients with migraine.

PMID- 26487878
TI  - Comparison of the effectiveness and safety of formoterol versus salmeterol in the
      treatment of patients with asthma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Formoterol and salmeterol are two long-acting beta2-agonists given by
      inhalation, with bronchodilating effects lasting for at least 12 h after a single
      administration. Formoterol has a faster onset of action compared with salmeterol.
      The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis on the
      data published from previous review in order to calculate pooled estimates of
      effectiveness and safety assessment of formoterol and salmeterol in treatment of
      patients with asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we conducted an
      electronic search for medical citation databases including Cochrane, PubMed,
      Scopus, PsycInfo, and IranMedex. Besides manual search of the databases that
      record randomized clinical trials, conference proceedings, and journals related
      to asthma were included. Studies were evaluated by two independent people based
      on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the common outcomes of studies were
      entered into the RevMan 5.0.1 software, after evaluation of studies and
      extraction of data from them; and in cases where there were homogeneous studies,
      meta-analysis was performed, and for heterogeneous studies, the results were
      reported qualitatively. RESULTS: Of the 1539 studies initially found, 13 were
      included in the study. According to the meta-analysis conducted, no significant
      difference was found between the inhalation of formoterol 12 MUg and salmeterol
      50 MUg in the two outcomes of mean forced expiratory volume 1 s (FEV1), 12 h
      after inhalation of medication and Borg score (A frequently used scale for
      quantifying breathlessness) after inhalation of medication. In addition,
      salmeterol was more effective than formoterol in the two outcomes of percent
      decrease in FEV1 after inhalation of methacholine and the number of days without
      an attack. Since the two outcomes of FEV1 30-60 min after inhalation of
      medication and morning peak expiratory flow after inhalation of medication were
      heterogeneous, they had no meta-analysis capabilities, and its results were
      reported qualitatively. CONCLUSION: The data from included studies shows that,
      more efficacy has been achieved with Salmeterol, especially in some outcomes such
      as the percent decrease in FEV1 after inhalation of Methacholine, and the number
      of days without an attack; and therefore, the administration of Salmeterol seems
      to be beneficial for patients, compared with Formoterol.

PMID- 26487881
TI  - Cognitive-analytical therapy for a patient with functional neurological symptom
      disorder-conversion disorder (psychogenic myopia): A case study.
AB  - Functional neurological symptom disorder commonly presents with symptoms and
      defects of sensory and motor functions. Therefore, it is often mistaken for a
      medical condition. It is well known that functional neurological symptom disorder
      more often caused by psychological factors. There are three main approaches
      namely analytical, cognitive and biological to manage conversion disorder. Any of
      such approaches can be applied through short-term treatment programs. In this
      case, study a 12-year-old boy with the diagnosed functional neurological symptom
      disorder (psychogenic myopia) was put under a cognitive-analytical treatment. The
      outcome of this treatment modality was proved successful. 

PMID- 26487879
TI  - Antioxidant plants and diabetes mellitus.
AB  - The incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasing rapidly and it is expected
      to increase by 2030. Other than currently available therapeutic options, there
      are a lot of herbal medicines, which have been recommended for its treatment.
      Herbal medicines have long been used for the treatment of DM because of the
      advantage usually having no or less side-effects. Most of these plants have
      antioxidant activities and hence, prevent or treat hard curable diseases, other
      than having the property of combating the toxicity of toxic or other drugs. In
      this review other than presenting new findings of DM, the plants, which are used
      and have been evaluated scientifically for the treatment of DM are introduced. 

PMID- 26487880
TI  - Prevalence of dyslipidemia in Iranian children and adolescents: A systematic
      review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dyslipidemia is considered as an important modifiable risk factor for
      cardiovascular disease (CVD). The link between childhood dyslipidemia and
      occurrence of atherosclerosis and its sequels in adulthood are well-documented.
      This study aimed to systematically review the prevalence of dyslipidemia among
      Iranian children and adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic search was
      conducted on studies published from January 1990 to January 2014. The main
      international electronic data sources were PubMed and the NLM Gateway (for
      MEDLINE), Institute of Scientific Information (ISI), and SCOPUS. For Persian
      databases, we used domestic databases with systematic search capability including
      IranMedex, Irandoc, and Scientific Information Database (SID). We included all
      available population-based studies and national surveys conducted in the
      pediatric age group (aged <21 years). RESULTS: In this review, 1772 articles were
      identified (PubMed: 1464; Scopus: 11; ISI: 58; SID: 90; IranMedex: 149; Irandoc:
      57). During three refine steps and after removing of duplicates, 182 articles
      related to the study domain were selected. After quality assessment, 46 studies
      were selected for text appraisal, of which 26 qualified articles were evaluated
      at the final step. The prevalence range of hypercholesterolemia,
      hypertriglyceridemia, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low high
      density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were 3-48%, 3-50%, 5-20% and 5-88%,
      respectively. Low HDL-C and hypertriglyceridemia were the most prevalent lipid
      disorders in this group of population. CONCLUSION: Dyslipidemia is a common
      health problem among Iranian children and adolescents. Few data were available in
      preschool children. This finding provides useful information for health policy
      makers to implement action-oriented interventions for prevention and early
      control of this important CVD risk factor.

PMID- 26487882
TI  - Gastric involvement of sarcoidosis in a patient with multiple lung nodules.
AB  - Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disorder mostly could involve intrathoracic
      structures. The gastric involvement is rare and the symptoms may be non-specific.
      We herein report a case of a 56-year-old female patient who was admitted due to
      chest tightness and discomfort. Computed tomography (CT) of the thorax revealed
      bilaterally nodular lesions in the lower lobes of the lung and pleural effusion
      on the left side. Positron emission tomography/CT showed lung nodules and gastric
      involvement with mesenteric lymphadenomegalies with pathological uptake of 18F
      fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose. Pathological examination of the lung biopsy taken by
      thoracotomy demonstrated non-caseating granulomas. The gastric biopsies taken by
      endoscopy also showed non-caseating granulomas consistent with a diagnosis of
      sarcoidosis. 

PMID- 26487883
TI  - Legacy of Ebola outbreak: Potential risk of measles outbreak in Guinea, Sierra
      Leone and Liberia.

PMID- 26487884
TI  - Trend of disability prevalence in Iran: An evidence to improve disability data.

PMID- 26487885
TI  - Cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis: Usually forgotten in the clinical
      assessment of MS patients.

PMID- 26487886
TI  - Nanosizing of drugs: Effect on dissolution rate.
AB  - The solubility, bioavailability and dissolution rate of drugs are important
      parameters for achieving in vivo efficiency. The bioavailability of orally
      administered drugs depends on their ability to be absorbed via gastrointestinal
      tract. For drugs belonging to Class II of pharmaceutical classification, the
      absorption process is limited by drug dissolution rate in gastrointestinal media.
      Therefore, enhancement of the dissolution rate of these drugs will present
      improved bioavailability. So far several techniques such as physical and chemical
      modifications, changing in crystal habits, solid dispersion, complexation,
      solubilization and liquisolid method have been used to enhance the dissolution
      rate of poorly water soluble drugs. It seems that improvement of the solubility
      properties ofpoorly water soluble drugscan translate to an increase in their
      bioavailability. Nowadays nanotechnology offers various approaches in the area of
      dissolution enhancement of low aqueous soluble drugs. Nanosizing of drugs in the
      form of nanoparticles, nanocrystals or nanosuspensions not requiring expensive
      facilities and equipment or complicated processes may be applied as simple
      methods to increase the dissolution rate of poorly water soluble drugs. In this
      article, we attempted to review the effects of nanosizing on improving the
      dissolution rate of poorly aqueous soluble drugs. According to the reviewed
      literature, by reduction of drug particle size into nanometer size the total
      effective surface area is increased and thereby dissolution rate would be
      enhanced. Additionally, reduction of particle size leads to reduction of the
      diffusion layer thickness surrounding the drug particles resulting in the
      increment of the concentration gradient. Each of these process leads to improved
      bioavailability. 

PMID- 26487887
TI  - Comparison of antispasmodic effects of Dracocephalum kotschyi essential oil,
      limonene and alpha-terpineol.
AB  - Dracocephalum kotschyi is an essential oil containing plant found in Iran. In
      Iranian traditional medicine, D. kotschyi has been used as antispasmodic and
      analgesic but so far there is no pharmacological report about its antispasmodic
      activity. Therefore, the objective of this research was to study antispasmodic
      activity of the essential oil of D. kotschyi and two of its constituents namely
      limonene and alpha-terpineol. The essential oil was obtained from aerial parts of
      D. kotschyi using hydrodistillation method. The main components found in the
      essential oil were alpha-pinene (10%), neral (11%), geraniol (10%), alpha-citral
      (12%), limonene (9%) and alpha-terpineol (1.1%). For antispasmodic studies, a
      portion of rat ileum was suspended under 1 g tension in Tyrode's solution at 37 
      degrees C and gassed with O2. Effect of the D. kotschyi essential oil, limonene
      and alpha-terpineol were studied on ileum contractions induced by KCl (80 mM),
      acetylcholine (ACh, 500 nM) and electrical field stimulation (EFS). The essential
      oil, in a concentration dependent manner inhibited the response to KCl (IC50=51
      +/- 8.7 nl/ml), ACh (IC50=19 +/- 2.7 nl/ml) and EFS (IC50=15 +/- 0.5 nl/ml).
      Limonene and alpha-terpineol showed same pattern of inhibitory effect on ileum
      contraction. Their inhibitory effects were also concentration dependent. However,
      limonene was more potent than the essential oil while the alpha-terpineol was
      less potent than either limonene or the essential oil. From this experiment it
      was concluded that D. kotschyi essential oil has inhibitory effect on ileum
      contractions. Limonene contribute a major role in inhibitory effect of the
      essential oil while alpha-terpineol has weak antispasmodic activity. 

PMID- 26487888
TI  - Antiangiogenic and antiproliferative effects of black pomegranate peel extract on
      melanoma cell line.
AB  - In the present study possible effects of black pomegranate peel extract (PPE) on
      the B16F10 melanoma cells proliferation and Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial
      Cells (HUVECs) angiogenesis were investigated. PPE was added into the cell lines
      (B16F10 and HUVECs) media with different concentrations (10-450 MUg/ml). After 48
      h, the cell survival was measured by 3-(Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl
      tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Angiogenesis was investigated by matrigel assay
      (PPE (200, 300, 400 MUg/ml)); HUVECs, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
      mRNA expression was detected by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase
      chain reaction (QRT-PCR) assay. VEGF concentration in culture medium of HUVECs
      was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). PPE had positive
      anti proliferative effect on melanoma cells in a dose-dependent manner, but not
      on HUVECs. The matrigel assay results indicated that PPE significantly inhibited
      length, size and junction of the tube like structures (P<0.05). VEGF mRNA
      expression and concentration levels in culture medium of PPE treated HUVECs
      reduced significantly in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.05). Simultaneous
      inhibition of melanoma cell proliferation and angiogenesis proposed that, PPE can
      be a good candidate against melanoma development. Based on the results, PPE could
      effectively suppress angiogenesis potentially through a VEGF dependent mechanism.
      Further studies are needed to confirm these results. 

PMID- 26487889
TI  - Hydroalcoholic extract of Allium eriophyllum leaves attenuates cardiac impairment
      in rats with simultaneous type 2 diabetes and renal hypertension.
AB  - Some species of Allium family have been shown to offer cardioprotection in animal
      studies. This study aimed at examining possible role of oxidative stress in the
      cardioprotective effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Allium eriophyllum in rats
      with simultaneous type 2 diabetes and renal hypertension. Six groups of male
      Spargue-Dawley rats (8-10 rats each) including a sham-control, a diabetic group,
      a renal hypertensive group, three groups of animals with simultaneous diabetes
      and hypertension receiving vehicle, or the extract at 30 or 100 mg/kg/day were
      used. Four weeks after receiving vehicle or extract, blood pressure, fasting
      blood glucose, and serum superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase levels
      were measured, and isolated heart studies were performed. Systolic blood
      pressure, fasting blood glucose, coronary effluent creatine kinase-MB, infarct
      size and coronary resistance of diabetic hypertensive group receiving vehicle
      were significantly higher than those of the sham-control group and treatment with
      the extract prevented the increase of these variables. Moreover, rate of rise and
      decrease of left ventricular pressure, left ventricular developed pressure, rate
      pressure product and serum levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione
      reductase of diabetic hypertensive group receiving vehicle were significantly
      lower than those the sham-control group, and treatment with the extract prevented
      the decrease of these variables. The findings indicate that hydroalcoholic
      extract of A. eriophyllum leaves, possibly by an antioxidant mechanism, protected
      against simultaneous diabetes and hypertension-induced cardiac dysfunction. 

PMID- 26487890
TI  - Effect of human Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cell secretome on proliferation,
      apoptosis and drug resistance of lung cancer cells.
AB  - Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are recently found to alter the tumor
      condition. However their exact role in tumor development is not yet fully
      unraveled. MSCs were established to perform many of their actions through
      paracrine effect. Thus investigation of MSC secretome interaction with tumor
      cells may provide important information for scientists who are attempting to
      apply stem cells in the treatment of the disease. In this study we investigated
      the effect of human Wharton's jelly derived MSC (WJ-MSCs) secretome on
      proliferation, apoptotic potential of A549 lung cancer cells, and their response
      to the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin. WJ-MSCs were isolated from human
      umbilical cord and then characterized according to the International Society for
      Cellular Therapy criteria and WJ-MSC secretome was collected. BrdU cell
      proliferation assay and Annexin V-PI staining were used for the evaluation of
      cytotoxic and proapoptotic effects of WJ-MSC secretome on A549 cells. WJ-MSC
      secretome neither induced proliferation of lung cancer cells nor affected the
      apoptotic potential of the tumor cells. We also studied the combinatorial effect
      of WJ-MSC secretome and the anticancer drug doxorubicinwhich showed no induction
      of drug resistance when A549 cells was treated with combination of WJ-MSC
      secretome and doxorubicin. Although MSCs did not show antitumor properties, our
      in vitro results showed that MSC secretome was not tumorigenic and also did not
      make lung cancer cells resistant to doxorubicin. Thus MSC secretome could be
      considered safe for other medical purposes such as cardiovascular,
      neurodegenerative, and autoimmune diseases which may exist or occur in cancer
      patients. 

PMID- 26487891
TI  - Mitigation of statins-induced cytotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction by L
      carnitine in freshly-isolated rat hepatocytes.
AB  - Statins are widely used as anti hyperlipidemic agents. Hepatotoxicity is one of
      their adverse effects appearing in some patients. No protective agents have yet
      been developed to treat statins-induced hepatotoxicity. Different investigations
      have suggested L-carnitine as a hepatoprotective agent against drugs-induced
      toxicity. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of L-carnitine on the
      cytotoxic effects of statins on the freshly-isolated rat hepatocytes. Hepatocytes
      were isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats by collagenase enzyme perfusion via
      portal vein. Cells were treated with the different concentrations of statins
      (simvastatin, lovastatin and atorvastatin), alone or in combination with L
      carnitine. Cell death, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, lipid
      peroxidation, and mitochondrial depolarization were assessed as toxicity markers.
      Furthermore, the effects of statins on cellular reduced and oxidized glutathione
      reservoirs were evaluated. In accordance with previous studies, an elevation in
      ROS formation, cellular oxidized glutathione and lipid peroxidation were observed
      after statins administration. Moreover, a decrease in cellular reduced
      glutathione level and cellular mitochondrial membrane potential collapse
      occurred. L-carnitine co-administration decreased the intensity of aforementioned
      toxicity markers produced by statins treatment. This study suggests the
      protective role of L-carnitine against statins-induced cellular damage probably
      through its anti oxidative and reactive radical scavenging properties as well as
      its effects on sub cellular components such as mitochondria. The mechanism of L
      carnitine protection may be related to its capacity to facilitate fatty acid
      entry into mitochondria; possibly adenosine tri-phosphate or the reducing
      equivalents are increased, and the toxic effects of statins toward mitochondria
      are encountered. 

PMID- 26487892
TI  - Protection of lactoperoxidase activity with sugars during lyophilization and
      evaluation of its antibacterial properties.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to compare the stabilizing effect of four
      disaccharides alone or in combination on the lactoperoxidase (LP) derived from
      bovine milk during lyophilization. Sucrose, lactose, maltose, and trehalose at
      different concentrations (5-500 mM) were used to compare their protective effects
      on LP activity. The activity of lyophilized and native LP enzyme was evaluated
      using the procedure of Schindler with slight modifications. The antibacterial
      activity of the lyophilized enzyme against Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Escherichia
      coli, and Staphylococcus aureus was also investigated using the antimicrobial
      effectiveness test. Trehalose at concentration of 500 mM was the most effective
      cryoprotectant in protecting the enzyme activity. It preserved LP activity for 40
      days, while the native enzyme lost its activity after 6 days. Combinations of
      disaccharides resulted in an increment in the stability of the enzyme, compared
      to the native enzyme. Combination of 200 mM trehalose and 200 mM sucrose were
      found most effective cryoprotectant in freeze-drying of LP. The lyophilized LP
      decreased the growth rate of Ps.aeroginosa, E.coli, and S.aureus between up to
      30.8% in 10(6) cfu/ml and 53.3% in 10(5) cfu/ml. Antimicrobial efficacy of LP was
      more pronounced when 10(5) cfu/ml was used as compared to 10(6) cfu/ml. 

PMID- 26487893
TI  - Encapsulation in PLGA-PEG enhances 9- nitro-camptothecin cytotoxicity to human
      ovarian carcinoma cell line through apoptosis pathway.
AB  - Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of the cancer-related death among
      women. 9-nitrocamptothecin (9-NC) is a water-insoluble derivative of camptothecin
      used for the treatment of patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Previous studies
      showed that the encapsulation of 9-NC in poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid, PLGA)
      nanoparticles increased the cytotoxic effect of the drug on different cancer cell
      lines. In the present study, the cytotoxic effects of 9-NC, 9-NC-loaded PLGA and
      PLGA-polyethylene glycol (PLGA-PEG) nanoparticles with varying degree of PEG (5,
      10, and 15%) were evaluated on human ovarian carcinoma cell line. Furthermore,
      the mode of cell death induced by 9-NC and the optimized 9-NC-loaded PLGA-PEG
      nanoparticles on A2780 cell line were investigated. 9-NC incorporating
      nanoparticles were prepared by nanopercipitation method and their physicochemical
      characteristics were evaluated using standard methods. The results showed that
      activation of caspase-3 and -9 significantly increased by free 9-NC and PLGA-PEG
      loaded nanoparticles in A2780 cells. In contrast to the free drug which increased
      the activation of caspase-8, 9-NC-loaded PLGA-PEG nanoparticles did not alter the
      activation of caspase-8. Collectively, it appears that apoptosis induced by 9-NC
      incorporated in PLGA-PEG 5% occurred through the activation of caspase-9 rather
      than activation of caspase-8 which is the mediator of extrinsic pathway.
      Moreover, our results confirmed that 9-NC in nanoparticles at the level of gene
      expression potentiated down-regulation of Bcl-2, up regulation of Bax, and
      Smac/DIABLO leading to a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential. Taken
      together, our results showed that 9-NC incorporated in PLGA-PEG 5% nanoparticles
      is able to induce apoptosis in A2780 human ovarian carcinoma cells and has the
      potential for the treatment of ovarian carcinoma. 

PMID- 26487894
TI  - Cytotoxic evaluation of volatile oil from Descurainia sophia seeds on MCF-7 and
      HeLa cell lines.
AB  - Descurainia sophia is a plant widely distributed and used as folk medicine
      throughout the world. Different extracts of aerial parts and seeds of this plant
      have been shown to inhibit the growth of different cancer cell lines in vitro. In
      this study, cytotoxic activity of D. sophia seed volatile oil was evaluated. D.
      sophia seed powder was mixed with distilled water and left at 25  degrees C for
      17 h (E1), 23 h (E2) and 28 h (E3) to autolyse. Then, the volatile fractions of
      E1, E2, and E3 were collected after steam distillation for 3 h. Cytotoxic effects
      of the volatile oils alone or in combination with doxorubicin (mixture of E1 or
      E2 at 50 MUg/ml or E1 at 100 MUg/ml with doxorubicin at 0.1, 1, 10 MUM) against
      MCF-7 cell line were determined using MTT assay. Cytotoxic effect of E1 volatile
      oil was also determined on HeLa cell line. The results indicated that 1-buten-4
      isothiocyanate was the major isothiocyanate found in the volatile oils. The
      results of cytotoxic evaluations showed that volatile constituents were more
      toxic on MCF-7 cells with IC50< 100 MUg/ml than HeLa cells with IC50> 100 MUg/ml.
      No significant differences were observed between cytotoxic activities of E1, E2
      and E3 on MCF-7 cell line. Concomitant use of E1 and E2 (50 MUg/ml) with
      doxurubicin (1 MUM) significantly reduced the viability of MCF-7 cells compared
      to the negative control, doxorubicin alone, or each volatile fraction. The same
      result was obtained on HeLa cells, when E1 (100 MUg/ml) was concurrently used
      with doxorubicin (1 MUM). 

PMID- 26487895
TI  - The effects of increasing PGE2 on translocation of labeled albumin into rat
      brain.
AB  - Under pathophysiological conditions, infiltration of leukocyte plays a key role
      in the progression of the neuroinflammatory reaction in the CNS. Prostaglandin E2
      (PGE2) is known to accumulate at lesion sites of the post-ischemic brain.
      Although post-ischemic treatments with cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors reduce blood
      brain barrier (BBB) leukocyte infiltration, the direct effect of PGE2 on BBB has
      not been fully implemented. Therefore, the direct effect of increasing PGE2
      infusion on translocation of labeled albumin into the brain was assessed. Under
      anesthesia rats were drilled stereo-taxicaly a burr hole in the right forebrain
      and PGE2 was infused into the forebrain and the hole was occluded. The animals
      were then injected with fluorescent labeled albumin (FA), via internal right
      jugular vein and decapitated at different infusion time points. The forebrain was
      removed and each forebrain hemisphere was homogenized and fluorescence
      intensities were measured in the supernatant. The fluorescence intensities
      measured in the right and left forebrain hemispheres of the control group (0.0
      MUg PGE2) were almost identical. Four hours after infusion of PGE2 at doses
      higher than 250 MUg, fluorescence intensity increased in the right forebrain
      supernatant, even if it was not statistically significant. The fluorescence
      intensity was detectable in the brain supernatant 4 h after infusion of PGE2 in
      doses higher than 250 MUg PGE2. The highest fluorescence intensity was 16 h after
      infusion of 500 MUg PGE2, which returned to near control values after 48 h.
      Increased fluorescence intensity in the brain following PGE2 infusion is
      concluded to be associated with disruption of the BBB. 

PMID- 26487896
TI  - Quick chip assay using locked nucleic acid modified epithelial cell adhesion
      molecule and nucleolin aptamers for the capture of circulating tumor cells.
AB  - The role of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in disease diagnosis, prognosis,
      monitoring of the therapeutic efficacy, and clinical decision making is immense
      and has attracted tremendous focus in the last decade. We designed and fabricated
      simple, flat channel microfluidic devices polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS based)
      functionalized with locked nucleic acid (LNA) modified aptamers (targeting
      epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) and nucleolin expression) for quick and
      efficient capture of CTCs and cancer cells. With optimized flow rates (10
      MUl/min), it was revealed that the aptamer modified devices offered reusability
      for up to six times while retaining optimal capture efficiency (>90%) and
      specificity. High capture sensitivity (92%) and specificity (100%) was observed
      in whole blood samples spiked with Caco-2 cells (10-100 cells/ml). Analysis of
      blood samples obtained from 25 head and neck cancer patients on the EpCAM LNA
      aptamer functionalized chip revealed that an average count of 5 +/- 3 CTCs/ml of
      blood were captured from 22/25 samples (88%). EpCAM intracellular domain (EpICD)
      immunohistochemistry on 9 oral squamous cell carcinomas showed the EpICD
      positivity in the tumor cells, confirming the EpCAM expression in CTCs from head
      and neck cancers. These microfluidic devices also maintained viability for in
      vitro culture and characterization. Use of LNA modified aptamers provided added
      benefits in terms of cost effectiveness due to increased reusability and
      sustainability of the devices. Our results present a robust, quick, and efficient
      CTC capture platform with the use of simple PDMS based devices that are easy to
      fabricate at low cost and have an immense potential in cancer diagnosis,
      prognosis, and therapeutic planning. 

PMID- 26487897
TI  - Flip channel: A microfluidic device for uniform-sized embryoid body formation and
      differentiation.
AB  - This paper reports a two-layered polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic device-Flip
      channel, capable of forming uniform-sized embryoid bodies (EBs) and performing
      stem cell differentiation within the same device after flipping the microfluidic
      channel. The size of EBs can be well controlled by designing the device
      geometries, and EBs with multiple sizes can be formed within a single device to
      study EB size-dependent stem cell differentiation. During operation of the
      device, cells are positioned in the designed positions. As a result, observation
      and monitoring specific population of cells can be achieved for further analysis.
      In addition, after flipping the microfluidic channel, stem cell differentiation
      from the EBs can be performed on an unconfined flat surface that is desired for
      various differentiation processes. In the experiments, murine embryonic stem
      cells (ES-D3) are cultured and formed EBs inside the developed device. The size
      of EBs is well controlled inside the device, and the neural differentiation is
      performed on the formed EBs after flipping the channel. The EB size-dependent
      stem cell differentiation is studied using the device to demonstrate its
      functions. The device provides a useful tool to study stem cell differentiation
      without complicated device fabrication and tedious cell handling under better
      controlled microenvironments. 

PMID- 26487898
TI  - Interplay between motility and cell-substratum adhesion in amoeboid cells.
AB  - The effective migration of amoeboid cells requires a fine regulation of cell
      substratum adhesion. These entwined processes have been shown to be regulated by
      a host of biophysical and biochemical cues. Here, we reveal the pivotal role
      played by calcium-based mechanosensation in the active regulation of adhesion
      resulting in a high migratory adaptability. Using mechanotactically driven
      Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae, we uncover the existence of optimal
      mechanosensitive conditions-corresponding to specific levels of extracellular
      calcium-for persistent directional migration over physicochemically different
      substrates. When these optimal mechanosensitive conditions are met, noticeable
      enhancement in cell migration directionality and speed is achieved, yet with
      significant differences among the different substrates. In the same narrow range
      of calcium concentrations that yields optimal cellular mechanosensory activity,
      we uncovered an absolute minimum in cell-substratum adhesion activity, for all
      considered substrates, with differences in adhesion strength among them
      amplified. The blocking of the mechanosensitive ion channels with gadolinium
      i.e., the inhibition of the primary mechanosensory apparatus-hampers the active
      reduction in substrate adhesion, thereby leading to the same undifferentiated and
      drastically reduced directed migratory response. The adaptive behavioral
      responses of Dictyostelium cells sensitive to substrates with varying
      physicochemical properties suggest the possibility of novel surface analyses
      based on the mechanobiological ability of mechanosensitive and guidable cells to
      probe substrates at the nanometer-to-micrometer level. 

PMID- 26487899
TI  - Osmotically driven drug delivery through remote-controlled magnetic nanocomposite
      membranes.
AB  - Implantable drug delivery systems can provide long-term reliability,
      controllability, and biocompatibility, and have been used in many applications,
      including cancer pain and non-malignant pain treatment. However, many of the
      available systems are limited to zero-order, inconsistent, or single burst event
      drug release. To address these limitations, we demonstrate prototypes of a
      remotely operated drug delivery device that offers controllability of drug
      release profiles, using osmotic pumping as a pressure source and magnetically
      triggered membranes as switchable on-demand valves. The membranes are made of
      either ethyl cellulose, or the proposed stronger cellulose acetate polymer, mixed
      with thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel and superparamagnetic
      iron oxide particles. The prototype devices' drug diffusion rates are on the
      order of 0.5-2 MUg/h for higher release rate designs, and 12-40 ng/h for lower
      release rates, with maximum release ratios of 4.2 and 3.2, respectively. The
      devices exhibit increased drug delivery rates with higher osmotic pumping rates
      or with magnetically increased membrane porosity. Furthermore, by vapor
      deposition of a cyanoacrylate layer, a drastic reduction of the drug delivery
      rate from micrograms down to tens of nanograms per hour is achieved. By utilizing
      magnetic membranes as the valve-control mechanism, triggered remotely by means of
      induction heating, the demonstrated drug delivery devices benefit from having the
      power source external to the system, eliminating the need for a battery. These
      designs multiply the potential approaches towards increasing the on-demand
      controllability and customizability of drug delivery profiles in the expanding
      field of implantable drug delivery systems, with the future possibility of
      remotely controlling the pressure source. 

PMID- 26487901
TI  - On-chip DNA preconcentration in different media conductivities by electrodeless
      dielectrophoresis.
AB  - Electrodeless dielectrophoresis is the best choice to achieve preconcentration of
      nanoparticles and biomolecules due to its simple, robust, and easy
      implementation. We designed a simple chip with microchannels and nano-slits in
      between and then studied the trapping of DNA in high conductive medium and low
      conductive medium, corresponding to positive and negative dielectrophoresis
      (DEP), respectively. It is very important to investigate the trapping in media
      with different conductivities since one always has to deal with the sample
      solutions with different conductivities. The trapping process was analyzed by the
      fluorescent intensity changes. The results showed that DNA could be trapped at
      the nano-slit in both high and low conductive media in a lower electric field
      strength (10 V/cm) compared to the existing methods. This is a significant
      improvement to suppress the Joule heating effect in DEP related experiments. Our
      work may give insight to researchers for DNA trapping by a simple and low cost
      device in the Lab-on-a-Chip system. 

PMID- 26487900
TI  - Microfluidic size separation of cells and particles using a swinging bucket
      centrifuge.
AB  - Biomolecular separation is crucial for downstream analysis. Separation technique
      mainly relies on centrifugal sedimentation. However, minuscule sample volume
      separation and extraction is difficult with conventional centrifuge. Furthermore,
      conventional centrifuge requires density gradient centrifugation which is
      laborious and time-consuming. To overcome this challenge, we present a novel size
      selective bioparticles separation microfluidic chip on a swinging bucket
      minifuge. Size separation is achieved using passive pressure driven centrifugal
      fluid flows coupled with centrifugal force acting on the particles within the
      microfluidic chip. By adopting centrifugal microfluidics on a swinging bucket
      rotor, we achieved over 95% efficiency in separating mixed 20 MUm and 2 MUm
      colloidal dispersions from its liquid medium. Furthermore, by manipulating the
      hydrodynamic resistance, we performed size separation of mixed microbeads,
      achieving size efficiency of up to 90%. To further validate our device utility,
      we loaded spiked whole blood with MCF-7 cells into our microfluidic device and
      subjected it to centrifugal force for a mere duration of 10 s, thereby achieving
      a separation efficiency of over 75%. Overall, our centrifugal microfluidic device
      enables extremely rapid and label-free enrichment of different sized cells and
      particles with high efficiency. 

PMID- 26487902
TI  - Modeling of chemotactic steering of bacteria-based microrobot using a population
      scale approach.
AB  - The bacteria-based microrobot (Bacteriobot) is one of the most effective vehicles
      for drug delivery systems. The bacteriobot consists of a microbead containing
      therapeutic drugs and bacteria as a sensor and an actuator that can target and
      guide the bacteriobot to its destination. Many researchers are developing
      bacteria-based microrobots and establishing the model. In spite of these efforts,
      a motility model for bacteriobots steered by chemotaxis remains elusive. Because
      bacterial movement is random and should be described using a stochastic model,
      bacterial response to the chemo-attractant is difficult to anticipate. In this
      research, we used a population-scale approach to overcome the main obstacle to
      the stochastic motion of single bacterium. Also known as Keller-Segel's equation
      in chemotaxis research, the population-scale approach is not new. It is a well
      designed model derived from transport theory and adaptable to any chemotaxis
      experiment. In addition, we have considered the self-propelled Brownian motion of
      the bacteriobot in order to represent its stochastic properties. From this
      perspective, we have proposed a new numerical modelling method combining
      chemotaxis and Brownian motion to create a bacteriobot model steered by
      chemotaxis. To obtain modeling parameters, we executed motility analyses of
      microbeads and bacteriobots without chemotactic steering as well as chemotactic
      steering analysis of the bacteriobots. The resulting proposed model shows sound
      agreement with experimental data with a confidence level <0.01. 

PMID- 26487903
TI  - An integrated microfluidic chip for immunocapture, preconcentration and
      separation of beta-amyloid peptides.
AB  - We present an integrated microfluidic chip for detection of beta-amyloid (Abeta)
      peptides. Abeta peptides are major biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's
      disease (AD) in its early stages. This microfluidic device consists of three main
      parts: (1) An immunocapture microcolumn based on self-assembled magnetic beads
      coated with antibodies specific to Abeta peptides, (2) a nano-porous membrane
      made of photopolymerized hydrogel for preconcentration, and (3) a microchip
      electrophoresis (MCE) channel with fluorescent detection. Sub-milliliter sample
      volume is either mixed off-chip with antibody coated magnetic beads and injected
      into the device or is injected into an already self-assembled column of magnetic
      beads in the microchannel. The captured peptides on the beads are then
      electrokinetically eluted and re-concentrated onto the nano-membrane in a few
      nano-liters. By integrating the nano-membrane, total assay time was reduced and
      also off-chip re-concentration or buffer exchange steps were not needed. Finally,
      the concentrated peptides in the chip are separated by electrophoresis in a
      polymer-based matrix. The device was applied to the capture and MCE analysis of
      differently truncated peptides Abeta (1-37, 1-39, 1-40, and 1-42) and was able to
      detect as low as 25 ng of synthetic Abeta peptides spiked in undiluted
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The device was also tested with CSF samples from
      healthy donors. CSF samples were fluorescently labelled and pre-mixed with the
      magnetic beads and injected into the device. The results indicated that Abeta1
      40, an important biomarker for distinguishing patients with frontotemporal lobe
      dementia from controls and AD patients, was detectable. Although the sensitivity
      of this device is not yet enough to detect all Abeta subtypes in CSF, this is the
      first report on an integrated or semi-integrated device for capturing and
      analyzing of differently truncated Abeta peptides. The method is less demanding
      and faster than the conventional Western blotting method currently used for
      research. 

PMID- 26487904
TI  - Automatic sequential fluid handling with multilayer microfluidic sample isolated
      pumping.
AB  - To sequentially handle fluids is of great significance in quantitative biology,
      analytical chemistry, and bioassays. However, the technological options are
      limited when building such microfluidic sequential processing systems, and one of
      the encountered challenges is the need for reliable, efficient, and mass
      production available microfluidic pumping methods. Herein, we present a bubble
      free and pumping-control unified liquid handling method that is compatible with
      large-scale manufacture, termed multilayer microfluidic sample isolated pumping
      (mMUSIP). The core part of the mMUSIP is the selective permeable membrane that
      isolates the fluidic layer from the pneumatic layer. The air diffusion from the
      fluidic channel network into the degassing pneumatic channel network leads to
      fluidic channel pressure variation, which further results in consistent bubble
      free liquid pumping into the channels and the dead-end chambers. We characterize
      the mMUSIP by comparing the fluidic actuation processes with different parameters
      and a flow rate range of 0.013 MUl/s to 0.097 MUl/s is observed in the
      experiments. As the proof of concept, we demonstrate an automatic sequential
      fluid handling system aiming at digital assays and immunoassays, which further
      proves the unified pumping-control and suggests that the mMUSIP is suitable for
      functional microfluidic assays with minimal operations. We believe that the
      mMUSIP technology and demonstrated automatic sequential fluid handling system
      would enrich the microfluidic toolbox and benefit further inventions. 

PMID- 26487905
TI  - Flow distribution in parallel microfluidic networks and its effect on
      concentration gradient.
AB  - The architecture of microfluidic networks can significantly impact the flow
      distribution within its different branches and thereby influence tracer transport
      within the network. In this paper, we study the flow rate distribution within a
      network of parallel microfluidic channels with a single input and single output,
      using a combination of theoretical modeling and microfluidic experiments. Within
      the ladder network, the flow rate distribution follows a U-shaped profile, with
      the highest flow rate occurring in the initial and final branches. The contrast
      with the central branches is controlled by a single dimensionless parameter,
      namely, the ratio of hydrodynamic resistance between the distribution channel and
      the side branches. This contrast in flow rates decreases when the resistance of
      the side branches increases relative to the resistance of the distribution
      channel. When the inlet flow is composed of two parallel streams, one of which
      transporting a diffusing species, a concentration variation is produced within
      the side branches of the network. The shape of this concentration gradient is
      fully determined by two dimensionless parameters: the ratio of resistances, which
      determines the flow rate distribution, and the Peclet number, which characterizes
      the relative speed of diffusion and advection. Depending on the values of these
      two control parameters, different distribution profiles can be obtained ranging
      from a flat profile to a step distribution of solute, with well-distributed
      gradients between these two limits. Our experimental results are in agreement
      with our numerical model predictions, based on a simplified 2D advection
      diffusion problem. Finally, two possible applications of this work are presented:
      the first one combines the present design with self-digitization principle to
      encapsulate the controlled concentration in nanoliter chambers, while the second
      one extends the present design to create a continuous concentration gradient
      within an open flow chamber. 

PMID- 26487908
TI  - 5-Aryl-1-imino-1-oxo-[1,2,4]thiadiazines.

PMID- 26487906
TI  - Correlation between cell migration and reactive oxygen species under electric
      field stimulation.
AB  - Cell migration is an essential process involved in the development and
      maintenance of multicellular organisms. Electric fields (EFs) are one of the many
      physical and chemical factors known to affect cell migration, a phenomenon termed
      electrotaxis or galvanotaxis. In this paper, a microfluidics chip was developed
      to study the migration of cells under different electrical and chemical stimuli.
      This chip is capable of providing four different strengths of EFs in combination
      with two different chemicals via one simple set of agar salt bridges and Ag/AgCl
      electrodes. NIH 3T3 fibroblasts were seeded inside this chip to study their
      migration and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in response to different
      EF strengths and the presence of beta-lapachone. We found that both the EF and
      beta-lapachone level increased the cell migration rate and the production of ROS
      in an EF-strength-dependent manner. A strong linear correlation between the cell
      migration rate and the amount of intracellular ROS suggests that ROS are an
      intermediate product by which EF and beta-lapachone enhance cell migration.
      Moreover, an anti-oxidant, alpha-tocopherol, was found to quench the production
      of ROS, resulting in a decrease in the migration rate. 

PMID- 26487907
TI  - Higher cord blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations reduce the risk of early
      childhood eczema: in children with a family history of allergic disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent years the role of vitamin D status in early life on the
      development of allergic disease has generated much interest. The aim of this
      study was to determine whether cord blood vitamin D concentrations were
      associated with risk of early childhood allergic disease. METHODS: Measurements
      of cord blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations were available in 270
      mother-child pairs who were participating in the allergy follow-up (n = 706) of
      the Docosahexaenoic Acid to Optimise Mother Infant Outcome randomised controlled
      trial. All of the children had a hereditary risk of allergic disease. The
      diagnosis of allergic disease was made during medical assessments at 1 and 3
      years of age. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation) standardised cord blood
      25(OH)D concentration was 57.0 (24.1) nmol/L. The cumulative incidence of eczema
      to 3 years of age, n = 101/250 (40 %) was associated with standardised cord blood
      25(OH)D concentration, with a 10 nmol/L rise in 25(OH)D concentration reducing
      the risk of eczema by 8 % (relative risk 0.92, 95 % confidence interval 0.86
      0.97; P = 0.005). This association was stronger at 1 year of age, when a 10
      nmol/L rise in standardised cord blood 25(OH)D concentration reduced the risk of
      eczema by 12 % (relative risk 0.88, 95 % confidence interval 0.81-0.96; P =
      0.002). No associations between cord blood 25(OH)D concentrations and development
      of allergic sensitisation, allergic rhinitis or asthma in early childhood were
      found. CONCLUSION: In children with a family history of allergic disease, a
      higher cord blood 25(OH)D concentration appears to be associated with reduced
      risk of eczema in early childhood. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand
      Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12610000735055 (DOMInO trial: ACTRN12605000569606).

PMID- 26487909
TI  - Nitrofuranyl Methyl Piperazines as New Anti-TB Agents: Identification,
      Validation, Medicinal Chemistry, and PK Studies.
AB  - Whole-cell screening of 20,000 drug-like small molecules led to the
      identification of nitrofuranyl methylpiperazines as potent anti-TB agents. In the
      present study, validation followed by medicinal chemistry has been used to
      explore the structure-activity relationship. Ten compounds demonstrated potent
      MIC in the range of 0.17-0.0072 MUM against H37Rv Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      (MTB) and were further investigated against nonreplicating and resistant (Rif(R)
      and MDR) strains of MTB. These compounds were also tested for cytotoxicity. Among
      the 10 tested compounds, five showed submicromolar to nanomolar potency against
      nonreplicating and resistant (Rif(R) and MDR) strains of MTB along with a good
      safety index. Based on their overall in vitro profiles, the solubility and
      pharmacokinetic properties of five potent compounds were studied, and two
      analogues, 14f and 16g, were found to have comparatively better solubility than
      others tested and acceptable pharmacokinetic properties. This study presents the
      rediscovery of a nitrofuranyl class of compounds with improved aqueous solubility
      and acceptable oral PK properties, opening a new direction for further
      development. 

PMID- 26487910
TI  - Thioxo-dihydroquinazolin-one Compounds as Novel Inhibitors of Myeloperoxidase.
AB  - Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a key antimicrobial enzyme, playing a normal role in
      host defense, but also contributing to inflammatory conditions including
      neuroinflammatory diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. We synthesized
      and characterized more than 50 quinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives and showed that
      this class of compounds inhibits MPO with IC50 values as low as 100 nM.
      Representative compounds showed partially reversible inhibition that was
      competitive with respect to Amplex Red substrate and did not result in the
      accumulation of MPO Compound II. Members of this group show promise for
      therapeutic development for the treatment of diseases in which inflammation plays
      a pathogenic role. 

PMID- 26487911
TI  - Influence of Sugar Amine Regiochemistry on Digitoxigenin Neoglycoside Anticancer
      Activity.
AB  - The synthesis of a set of digitoxigenin neogluco/xylosides and corresponding
      study of their anticancer SAR revealed sugar amine regiochemistry has a dramatic
      effect upon activity. Specifically, this study noted sugar 3-amino followed by 4
      amino-substitution to be most advantageous where the solvent accessibility of the
      appended amine within neoglycoside-Na(+),K(+)-ATPase docked models correlated
      with increased anticancer potency. This study presents a preliminary model for
      potential further warhead optimization in the context of antibody-directed
      steroidal glycosides and extends the demonstrated compatibility of aminosugars in
      the context of neoglycosylation. 

PMID- 26487912
TI  - Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Polar Functionalities Containing
      Nitrodihydroimidazooxazoles as Anti-TB Agents.
AB  - Novel polar functionalities containing 6-nitro-2,3-dihydroimidazooxazole (NHIO)
      analogues were synthesized to produce a compound with enhanced solubility. Polar
      functionalities including sulfonyl, uridyl, and thiouridyl-bearing NHIO analogues
      were synthesized and evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) H37Rv.
      The aqueous solubility of compounds with MIC values <=0.5 MUg/mL were tested, and
      six compounds showed enhanced aqueous solubility. The best six compounds were
      further tested against resistant (Rif(R) and MDR) and dormant strains of MTB and
      tested for cytotoxicity in HepG2 cell line. Based on its overall in vitro
      characteristics and solubility profile, compound 6d was further shown to possess
      high microsomal stability, solubility under all tested biological conditions
      (PBS, SGF and SIF), and favorable oral in vivo pharmacokinetics and in vivo
      efficacy. 

PMID- 26487913
TI  - Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of 1,2-Dihydroisoquinolines as HIV-1
      Integrase Inhibitors.
AB  - 6-Endo-dig-cyclization is an efficient method for the synthesis of 1,2
      dihydroisoquinolines. We have synthesized few 1,2-dihydroisoquinolines having
      different functionality at the C-1, C-3, C-7, and N-2 positions for evaluation
      against HIV-1 integrase (HIV1-IN) inhibitory activity. A direct nitro-Mannich
      condensation of o-alkynylaldimines and dual activation of o-alkynyl aldehydes by
      inexpensive cobalt chloride yielded desired compounds. Out of 24 compounds, 4m
      and 6c came out as potent integrase inhibitors in in vitro strand transfer (ST)
      assay, with IC50 value of 0.7 and 0.8 MUM, respectively. Molecular docking of
      these compounds in integrase revealed strong interaction between metal and
      ligands, which stabilizes the enzyme-inhibitor complex. The ten most active
      compounds were subjected to antiviral assay. Out of those, 6c reduced the level
      of p24 viral antigen by 91%, which is comparable to RAL in antiviral assay.
      Interestingly, these compounds showed similar ST inhibitory activity in G140S
      mutant, suggesting they can act against resistant strains. 

PMID- 26487914
TI  - Inhibition of Invasion in Pancreatic Cancer Cells by Conjugate of EPA with
      beta(3,3)-Pip-OH via PI3K/Akt/NF-kB Pathway.
AB  - The present work describes the anti-invasive effect of conjugate BC06, a novel
      conjugate of EPA, (2E,4E)-4-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-ylmethylene) hex-2-enoic acid
      with beta,beta-disubstituted-beta-amino acid, beta(3,3)-Pip-OH (2-(4
      aminopiperidin-4-yl)acetic acid), in human pancreatic carcinoma. The conjugate
      BC06 inhibited invasion and migration of PANC-1 cells in wound healing, matrigel
      invasion, and gelatin degradation assays. Apart from suppressing PI3K/Akt/NF-kB
      signaling, which is involved in the up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinases,
      our study also demonstrated that dose-dependent treatment of BC06 results in the
      upregulation of TIMP-1 and E-cadherin expression. Further, BC06 was found to be
      inhibiting the metastatic ability of PANC-1 cells by reducing MMP-2 and MMP-9
      expression. These findings suggest that EPA conjugate with beta(3,3)-Pip-OH,
      BC06, may be used as an anti-invasive agent against human pancreatic carcinoma. 

PMID- 26487915
TI  - Potent Inhibitors Active against HIV Reverse Transcriptase with K101P, a Mutation
      Conferring Rilpivirine Resistance.
AB  - Catechol diether compounds have nanomolar antiviral and enzymatic activity
      against HIV with reverse transcriptase (RT) variants containing K101P, a mutation
      that confers high-level resistance to FDA-approved non-nucleoside inhibitors
      efavirenz and rilpivirine. Kinetic data suggests that RT (K101P) variants are as
      catalytically fit as wild-type and thus can potentially increase in the viral
      population as more antiviral regimens include efavirenz or rilpivirine.
      Comparison of wild-type structures and a new crystal structure of RT (K101P) in
      complex with a leading compound confirms that the K101P mutation is not a
      liability for the catechol diethers while suggesting that key interactions are
      lost with efavirenz and rilpivirine. 

PMID- 26487916
TI  - Discovery of Indazole Derivatives as a Novel Class of Bacterial Gyrase B
      Inhibitors.
AB  - Antibacterials with a novel mechanism of action offer a great opportunity to
      combat widespread antimicrobial resistance. Bacterial DNA Gyrase is a clinically
      validated target. Through physiochemical property optimization of a
      pyrazolopyridone hit, a novel class of GyrB inhibitors were discovered. Guided by
      structure-based drug design, indazole derivatives with excellent enzymatic and
      antibacterial activity as well as great animal efficacy were discovered. 

PMID- 26487917
TI  - Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel Erlotinib-NSAID Conjugates as More
      Comprehensive Anticancer Agents.
AB  - A series of novel anticancer agents were designed and synthesized based on
      coupling of different nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with the
      epidermal growth-factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, erlotinib.
      Both the antiproliferative and pharmacokinetic activity of the target compounds
      were evaluated using HCC827 and A431 tumor cell lines. Among the derivatives
      made, compounds 10a, 10c, and 21g showed superb potency, comparable to that of
      erlotinib. Furthermore, preliminary SAR analysis showed that when the NSAIDs were
      conjugated via linkage to C-6 OH versus linkage to C-7 OH of the quinazoline
      nucleus, superior anticancer activity was achieved. Finally, the in vitro
      pharmacokinetic profile of several conjugates demonstrated the desired
      dissociation kinetics as the coupled molecules were effectively hydrolyzed,
      releasing both erlotinib and the specific NSAID in a time-dependent manner. The
      conjugation strategy represents a unique and simplified approach toward
      combination therapy, particularly for the treatment of cancers where both EGFR
      overexpression and inflammation play a direct role in disease progression. 

PMID- 26487918
TI  - Lamivudine Resistance and Precore Variants in Iranian Patients With Chronic
      Hepatitis B: Correlation With Virological and Clinical Features.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-term lamivudine therapy, despite its initial effectiveness
      against hepatitis B virus (HBV), is associated with the emergence of drug
      resistance mutations in polymerase protein. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present
      study was to determine the prevalence of precore and lamivudine drug resistance
      mutations in lamivudine treated patients with chronic B hepatitis. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Sequential sera were obtained from 88 chronic HBV carriers who received
      lamivudine for more than 24 months. Polymerase and precore regions were directly
      sequenced for these groups: I (before treatment), II, and III (12 and 24 months
      after treatment, respectively). RESULTS: All patients (100%) were contained
      genotype D, subtype ayw2. One (1.1%), 12 (13.6%), and 22 (25%) members of groups
      I, II, and III had the replacement of either isoleucine or valine instead of
      methionine in tyrosine-methionine-aspartate-aspartate (YMDD) motif, respectively.
      The frequency of mutations from 0 time point to 12 and 24 months showed that
      there was an increasing trend between sequential samples (P < 0.001). In group I,
      31 (35.2%); II, 36 (41.0%) and III, 41 (46.6%) members had the precore stop codon
      mutations. The frequency of mutations from 0 time point to 12 and 24 months
      showed that there was an ascending trend between sequential samples. Indeed,
      frequency of precore stop codon was significantly increased with the passage of
      time (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Presence of drug resistance mutations among the
      patients was significant. Precore mutations were common amongst Iranian HBV
      chronic carriers under lamivudine therapy and these mutations were accompanied by
      clinical relapse.

PMID- 26487919
TI  - Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli
      Strains Isolated From Diarrheic Children in Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies performed in developed and developing countries have
      identified enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) as the emerging cause of
      pediatric diarrhea. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the phenotypic and
      genetic characteristics of EAEC strains isolated from children with diarrhea
      between 2007 - 2008 in Tehran, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EAEC strains were
      examined for virulence plasmid genes (aap, aggR, and aatA), biofilm formation,
      and drug resistance. In addition, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)
      profiles of these strains were determined. RESULTS: Significant percentage of
      local EAEC strains carried the virulence plasmid genes and formed biofilms. In
      addition, these strains showed high resistance to ampicillin (100%), tetracycline
      (65.7%), streptomycin (58.7%), chloramphenicol (52.6%), and
      trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (51.7%) and had different PFGE patterns.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that EAEC strains isolated from Iranian
      children with diarrhea were heterogeneous and showed high resistance rates
      against commonly used antibiotics, which was similar to that reported in studies
      performed in other countries.

PMID- 26487920
TI  - Effect of Propranolol Alone and in Combination with Pyrimethamine on Acute Murine
      Toxoplasmosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Toxoplasmosis is a public health problem worldwide. This complication
      principally affects immunodeficient patients and pregnant women. Toxoplasma
      gondii is an opportunistic parasite, causing severe illness among and death of
      high-risk individuals and treatment is becoming increasingly difficult owing to
      side effects and low efficacies of drugs. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we
      investigated the anti-Toxoplasma gondii efficacy of propranolol in vivo.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was performed in two separate pre-treatment and
      post-treatment groups. In each group, 18 female Balb/c mice in six subgroups (n =
      3) were used to assess the anti-Toxoplasma effect of propranolol at 2 and 3
      mg/kg/day, pyrimethamine at 50 mg/kg/day, propranolol at 2 and 3 mg/kg/day plus
      pyrimethamine, and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; as negative control).
      Treatment was performed 4, 24, and 48 hours before and after an intraperitoneal
      challenge of 1 * 10(3) tachyzoites of the virulent RH strain of T. gondii, in pre
      treatment and post-treatment groups. Mice peritoneal exudates were collected on
      the seventh day after the challenge and parasite numbers were recorded as percent
      of growth inhibition and survival rate. RESULTS: In the pre-treatment group,
      results showed that propranolol at 2 and 3 mg/kg combined with pyrimethamine was
      more effective in inhibiting growth of tachyzoites (86% and 98%, respectively)
      when compared with propranolol at 2 and 3 mg/kg (37% and 39%, respectively) and
      pyrimethamine (41%) alone. In the post-treatment group, all combined treatments
      significantly reduced parasite load. The growth inhibition of tachyzoites in mice
      receiving propranolol (2 and 3 mg/kg) was 75% and 51%, with the mean tachyzoites
      count being 1526 +/- 171.4 and 2948 +/- 1452.8, respectively, compared with
      pyrimethamine treatment outcome, which represents 99.9% growth inhibition.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated the promising prophylactic and therapeutic
      effects of propranolol against T. gondii infection. Propranolol also increases
      the efficacy of pyrimethamine in combination therapies.

PMID- 26487921
TI  - Distributions and Types of Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in
      Different Departments of a General Hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acinetobacter baumannii is the most prevalent strain in hospitals and
      different clinical departments. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to
      investigate the genetic characteristics and resistance mechanisms of A. baumannii
      isolated from clinical samples in Shaoxing people's hospital affiliated to
      Zhejiang University, Shaoxing, China. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Acinetobacter
      baumannii strains were isolated from blood, phlegm and skin of the patients
      hospitalized in different departments as respiratory medicine, plastic surgery
      and intensive care unit (ICU). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to
      characterize the isolates. Kirby-Bauer test was used to evaluate antibiotic
      resistance of the bacteria. The expression of resistance inducing genes was
      detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results
      were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: Two bacterial types, ST208, and ST218, were
      identified in all 140 samples. The ST208 mainly came from ICU and department of
      respiratory medicine, while ST218 from department of plastic surgery; 70.21% of
      ST208 and 84.78% of ST218 were carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
      (CRAB) and carbapenem-susceptible Acinetobacter baumannii (CSAB), respectively.
      Multidrug-resistance genes in CRAB isolated from the hospital mainly included,
      oxa-23, oxa-5, intl 1 and qaceDelta1-sul 1. Besides, the highest and lowest
      antibiotic resistance was observed in the strains isolated from blood samples and
      wounds, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The distribution of AB varies in different
      clinical departments and samples. In the hospital under study, the main types of
      AB were ST208 and ST218. The genes which affect the ability of antibiotic
      resistance were oxa-23, oxa-51, intl 1 and qaceDelta1-sul 1.

PMID- 26487922
TI  - Expression and Purification of the Uropathogenic Escherichia coli PapG Protein
      and its Surface Absorption on Lactobacillus reuteri: Implications for Surface
      Display System Vaccines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is one of the most common
      bacteria that can cause urinary tract infections (UTIs). Unfortunately, no human
      vaccine against UTIs has been developed. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an
      efficient and safe vaccine that is able to induce mucosal and systemic immune
      responses. The use of lactic acid bacteria as a delivery system is a promising
      method to induce the immune system. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to
      establish Lactobacillus reuteri harboring the E. coli PapG antigen on its
      surface. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, the gene encoding PapG was fused
      to the AcmA gene (which encodes an anchor protein in Lactobacillus) and cloned
      into the pEX A vector. The PapG.AcmA fusion gene was digested with BamHI and NdeI
      and sub-cloned into the pET21a expression vector at the digestion sites.
      Subsequently, the recombinant plasmids (pET21a-PapG.AcmA and pET21a-PapG) were
      transformed into the E. coli Origami strain using the calcium chloride method and
      the fusion protein was expressed under 1 mM IPTG induction. The expression of the
      fusion protein was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel
      electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and western blotting. Purification of the PapG and
      PapG.AcmA proteins was carried out using a Ni-NTA column, and surface adsorption
      was estimated on Lactobacillus. Finally, surface localization of the fusion
      protein was verified by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS:
      The PapG.AcmA fusion was successfully sub-cloned in the pET21a expression vector.
      The expression of PapG and PapG.AcmA proteins in the E. coli Origami strain was
      indicated as protein bands in SDS-PAGE and confirmed by western blotting. In
      addition, the fusion protein was displayed on the surface of L. reuteri.
      CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, we developed a method to express the PapG.AcmA
      protein on the surface of Lactobacillus. This is the first report on the
      successful application of lactic acid bacteria displaying the PapG.AcmA fusion
      protein. It will be interesting to determine the immune responses against the
      PapG protein in near future using this surface display strategy.

PMID- 26487923
TI  - Analysis of Healing Effect of Alginate Sulfate Hydrogel Dressing Containing
      Antimicrobial Peptide on Wound Infection Caused by Methicillin-Resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wound infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
      aureus are a health problem worldwide; therefore, it is necessary to develop new
      antimicrobial compounds. Considering broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and
      low probability of drug resistance to peptides, applications these peptides are
      being studied extensively. OBJECTIVES: In this study, to control drug release
      over time, an alginate sulfate-based hydrogel impregnated with the CM11 peptide
      as the antimicrobial agent was developed, and its healing effects were tested on
      skin infections caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains in a mouse
      model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal
      concentrations of the CM11 peptide and alginate hydrogel in combination with the
      peptide were determined. Forty mice were divided into 4 groups: 1 group as a
      negative control (without treatment; however, 5 mice received hydrogel dressing
      without peptide), 1 group as a positive control (2% mupirocin treatment), and 2
      groups as test groups. To establish skin infection, 200 MUL of bacterial
      suspension with 3 * 10(8) CFU/mL concentration was subcutaneously injected in the
      scapular region of the mice. On the basis of the in vitro minimal bactericidal
      concentration of the alginate hydrogel containing peptide for 15 clinical
      isolates, hydrogel containing 128 mg/L of peptide was used for wound dressing
      over an 8-day period. RESULTS: The highest and lowest numbers of wounds were
      observed on day 2 in the negative and positive control groups, respectively.
      During the 8-day period, the positive control and hydrogel containing peptide
      treatment groups showed similar levels of wound healing. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      showed that compared to standard drug treatment, treatment with hydrogel
      containing peptide had substantial antibacterial effects on S. aureus wound
      infections in mice.

PMID- 26487924
TI  - Controlled Study of Correlation of Biomechanical Profile of Hemiparetic Patients
      with Distance Travelled in Six Minutes.
AB  - The six-minute walking test (6MWT) is used to assess exercise tolerance that is
      associated with motor function of the lower limbs in hemiparetic patients. It is
      suggested that, for post-stroke subjects, performance in the 6MWT may be limited
      by biomechanical and cardiovascular factors. Our aim is to determine the
      correlation between the six-minute walk distance (6MWD) and the biomechanical
      profile of hemiparetic patients. During this cross-sectional controlled study, 10
      hemiparetic patients with heart failure underwent 6MWT (ATS protocol). Tonus
      (Ashworth Scale) and goniometry of the lower limbs were measured. The average of
      6MWD in two tests was 279+/-8 m. There was a negative correlation between the
      degree of spasticity for both the sural triceps (r=-0.57, P<0.05), quadriceps (r=
      0.58, P<0.05) and the limitation in ankle dorsiflexion and the 6MWD (r=-0.76,
      P<0.05). Also, there was correlation between hip extension and ankle dorsiflexion
      limitations with 6MWD (r=0.66, P<0.05), (r=0.77, P<0.05). The negative
      correlation between the highest spasticity in paretic limb and the 6MWD and the
      correlation between the lower movement range of paretic hip and ankle suggest
      association with these factors and gait velocity in 6MWT. Loss percentage
      represents the percentage calculation between distance traveled and the distance
      predicted achieved by patients. In this study, the negative correlation between
      the percentage of loss of 6MWD and the limitation in the ankle dorsiflexion
      movement suggests that for a minor motion arch of the ankle, there is a higher
      percentage of walking distance loss foretold. 

PMID- 26487925
TI  - Yet Another Atypical Presentation of Anti-GQ1b Antibody Syndrome.
AB  - Variants of Guillain-Barre syndrome such as Bickerstaff encephalitis and Miller
      Fisher syndrome have been reported. We report a 15-year-old boy who presented,
      after a prodromal illness, with 3-day progressive limb weakness, diplopia, and
      acute urinary retention. Clinically, he had horizontal gaze-evoked and upbeat
      nystagmus, bilateral extensor plantars in addition to quadriparesis and
      areflexia. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and spine was unremarkable and
      cerebral spinal fluid analysis showed lymphocytic pleocytosis. Nerve conduction
      study revealed symmetrical axonal neuropathy. Anti-GQ1b antibody was positive. A
      combination of IV methylprednisone followed by IVIg was instituted which led to
      remarkable clinical recovery. This case underpins the importance of recognizing
      atypical presentations of acute autonomic dysfunction and central nervous system
      features such as nystagmus, which may be associated with anti-GQ1b antibody
      syndrome. Features mimicking myelitis and brainstem encephalitis may pose
      diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma among the treating physicians. 

PMID- 26487926
TI  - Effect of Heparin on Recanalization in Acute Stroke Patients with Intra-Arterial
      Thrombi.
AB  - Anticoagulant use, such as heparin, is usually contraindicated in acute stroke
      patients. We present a study of patients, who were treated with intravenous
      heparin after a stroke that were also found to have an intraluminal thrombus.
      Prior studies imply that recanalization is achieved with heparin; however heparin
      should only prevent thrombus propagation. Therefore it is unclear whether and how
      IV heparin can achieve recanalization of intraluminal thrombi in acute stroke
      patients. A retrospective review of all acute stroke patients from a single
      stroke center who received a therapeutic IV heparin infusion from 5/2006 to
      9/2011 were included in the study. We compared patients who had complete/partial
      recanalization and/or improved flow versus those that did not, with both these
      groups on a standard intravenous heparin infusion protocol. Demographic data was
      compared between the groups. Average partial thromboplastin time (PTT) during
      heparin infusion, time between computed tomography angiographies (CTAs), time
      from stroke onset to receiving IV heparin, and vessel occluded were also compared
      between groups. Forty-one patients (19 female, 22 male) were included in the
      study with a total of 55 vessels (either carotid, middle cerebral artery,
      anterior cerebral artery, posterior cerebral artery/posterior circulation) having
      intraluminal thrombi; 31 patients had 41 vessels with either partial or complete
      recanalization of effected vessels, while 10 patients had 14 vessels that did not
      have at least one vessel recanalize while on heparin. Using t-test we noted that
      the average PTT between the vessels that had partial/complete recanalization
      group (61.74) and nonrecanalization group (66.30) was not statistical
      significantly different (P=0.37).The average time in days on heparin between
      vascular imaging studies (CTA/conventional angiogram) in the group of vessels
      with partial/complete recanalization (7.12 days) and the ones with no change
      (6.11 days) was not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.59).
      Patient's vessels receiving heparin for <24 hours versus those >24 hours did not
      significantly differ either (P=0.17). This study compares patient characteristics
      associated with recanalization of intraluminal thrombi in acute stroke patients
      on heparin. Recanalization of intraluminal thrombi are not associated with
      average PTT or duration on heparin. 

PMID- 26487927
TI  - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: New Perpectives and Update.
AB  - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Charcot's disease or Lou Gehrig's disease,
      is a term used to cover the spetrum of syndromes caracterized by progressive
      degeneration of motor neurons, a paralytic disorder caused by motor neuron
      degeneration. Currently, there are approximately 25,000 patients with ALS in the
      USA, with an average age of onset of 55 years. The incidence and prevalence of
      ALS are 1-2 and 4-6 per 100,000 each year, respectively, with a lifetime ALS risk
      of 1/600 to 1/1000. It causes progressive and cumulative physical disabilities,
      and leads to eventual death due to respiratory muscle failure. ALS is diverse in
      its presentation, course, and progression. We do not yet fully understand the
      causes of the disease, nor the mechanisms for its progression; thus, we lack
      effective means for treating this disease. In this chapter, we will discuss the
      diagnosis, treatment, and how to cope with impaired function and end of life
      based on of our experience, guidelines, and clinical trials. Nowadays ALS seems
      to be a more complex disease than it did two decades - or even one decade - ago,
      but new insights have been plentiful. Clinical trials should be seen more as
      experiments on pathogenic mechanisms. A medication or combination of medications
      that targets more than one pathogenic pathway may slow disease progression in an
      additive or synergistic fashion. 

PMID- 26487928
TI  - Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A in Neurology: Update.
AB  - This paper reviews the current and most neurological (central nervous system,
      CNS) uses of the botulinum neurotoxin type A. The effect of these toxins at
      neuromuscular junction lends themselves to neurological diseases of muscle
      overactivity, particularly abnormalities of muscle control. There are seven
      serotypes of the toxin, each with a specific activity at the molecular level.
      Currently, serotypes A (in two preparations) and B are available for clinical
      purpose, and they have proved to be safe and effective for the treatment of
      dystonia, spasticity, headache, and other CNS disorders in which muscle
      hyperactivity gives rise to symptoms. Although initially thought to inhibit
      acetylcholine release only at the neuromuscular junction, botulinum toxins are
      now recognized to inhibit acetylcholine release at autonomic cholinergic nerve
      terminals, as well as peripheral release of neuro-transmitters involved in pain
      regulation. Its effects are transient and nondestructive, and largely limited to
      the area in which it is administered. These effects are also graded according to
      the dose, allowing individualized treatment of patients and disorders. It may
      also prove to be useful in the control of autonomic dysfunction and sialorrhea.
      In over 20 years of use in humans, botulinum toxin has accumulated a considerable
      safety record, and in many cases represents relief for thousands of patients
      unaided by other therapy. 

PMID- 26487929
TI  - Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in an Iranian Patient with
      Neurofibromatosis Type I.
AB  - Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) is a common hereditary neuro-cutaneous disease,
      with known gene mutations, that mainly involves the skin and nervous system.
      Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an acquired inflammatory disease in which the myelin
      of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord is damaged. These two disease do not
      share any apparent pathological similarities. We herein present a 32-year-old
      woman with definite NF-1, who has recently been diagnosed with MS, which to the
      best of our knowledge is a rare co-occurrence. Though there are often neurologic
      sign and symptoms in patients with NF-1, they should not always be considered as
      the natural history of the disease, and other overlapped pathologies should be
      kept in mind, in order to not miss or postpone the efficient treatment. 

PMID- 26487930
TI  - Inflammatory Pseudotumors After Stem Cell Transplantation.
AB  - Inflammatory pseudotumors (IPT) are rare tumors that occur in various organs and
      tissues. The clinical picture varies from the more frequent benign lesions to
      rare malignant tumors with distant metastases. IPTs associated with hematopoietic
      stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is rarely reported. In this article, we review
      the reports of IPT after HSCT. We also review the possible factors involved in
      the pathogenesis. IPT may be rare but they are a potentially serious complication
      of HSCT. A knowledge of these entities and insistence on a definitive biopsy of
      mass lesions in the post-HSCT period can avoid unnecessary treatment such as
      radical surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. 

PMID- 26487931
TI  - A Rare Case of Myelodysplastic Syndrome with Refractory Thrombocytopenia.
AB  - Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) represent a variety of clonal abnormalities,
      possibly preleukemic and display numerous phenotypic manifestations. Specific
      mutations carry high morbidity and mortality rates due to cell line dysplasia.
      MDS commonly presents with symptoms related to anemia, and approximately two
      thirds will develop thrombocytopenia, a rare, but potentially lethal complication
      that increases complexity in treatment and morbidity, and may be due to unique
      genetic mutations leading to refractory thrombocytopenia, ultimately leading to
      an overall reduction in survival. Careful identification and monitoring of this
      patient subdivision can significantly reduce morbidity and mortality, and
      potential identification of specific gene mutations and advances in treatment
      options will hopefully provide guidance on detecting at-risk patients in the
      future. We present a case of a man with MDS-U (karyotype 46, XY, del (20)
      (q11.2q13.3) (20) with no detected JAK2 V617F mutation), who in despite of
      appropriate evidenced based treatment, continued to exhibit refractory
      thrombocytopenia. 

PMID- 26487932
TI  - B-Cell-Rich T-Cell Lymphoma Associated with Epstein-Barr Virus-Reactivation and T
      Cell Suppression Following Antithymocyte Globulin Therapy in a Patient with
      Severe Aplastic Anemia.
AB  - B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder (B-LPD) is generally characterized by the
      proliferation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected B lymphocytes. We here report
      the development of EBV-negative B-LPD associated with EBV-reactivation following
      antithymocyte globulin (ATG) therapy in a patient with aplastic anemia. The
      molecular autopsy study showed the sparse EBV-infected clonal T cells could be
      critically involved in the pathogenesis of EBV-negative oligoclonal B-LPD through
      cytokine amplification and escape from T-cell surveillances attributable to ATG
      based immunosuppressive therapy, leading to an extremely rare B-cell-rich T-cell
      lymphoma. This report helps in elucidating the complex pathophysiology of
      intractable B-LPD refractory to rituximab. 

PMID- 26487933
TI  - Long Standing Eculizumab Treatment without Anticoagulant Therapy in High-Risk
      Thrombogenic Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria.
AB  - Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an ultra-orphan disease affecting
      all hematopoietic cell types. The abnormality of red blood cells in this disease
      predisposes to intravascular complement-mediated hemolysis. Eculizumab is an
      orphan drug used to treat this rare disease. Thrombosis is the key cause of death
      in PNH patients in about 40% to 67% of cases. We report the case of a woman
      presenting with PNH complicated with serious Budd-Chiari syndrome thrombosis and
      with a stent inserted in the portal vein. She refused to take any anticoagulant
      treatment since she commenced eculizumab 4 years before. No thrombotic events
      happened since that time. This case could add an extra benefit for eculizumab,
      which could be used as an anti-thromboembolic prophylactic agent in PNH,
      especially in patients with thrombocytopenia, where the use of anticoagulant
      agents is extremely hazardous. More randomized studies might establish the use of
      eculizumab without anticoagulants to avoid serious bleeding that could happen in
      thrombocytopenic PNH patients. 

PMID- 26487934
TI  - Acute Non-Atherosclerotic ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction in an
      Adolescent with Concurrent Hemoglobin H-Constant Spring Disease and Polycythemia
      Vera.
AB  - Thrombosis is a major complication of polycythemia vera (PV) and also a well
      known complication of thalassemia. We reported a case of non-atherosclerotic ST
      segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in a 17-year-old man with
      concurrent post-splenectomized hemoglobin H-Constant Spring disease and JAK2
      V617F mutation-positive PV. The patient initially presented with extreme
      thrombocytosis (platelet counts greater than 1,000,000/uL) and three months later
      developed an acute STEMI. Coronary artery angiography revealed an acute clot in
      the right coronary artery without atherosclerotic plaque. He was treated with
      plateletpheresis, hydroxyurea and antiplatelet agents. The platelet count
      decreased and his symptoms improved. This case represents the importance of early
      diagnosis, awareness of the increased risk for thrombotic complications, and
      early treatment of PV in patients who have underlying thalassemia with marked
      thrombocytosis. 

PMID- 26487935
TI  - Acute Liver Failure in a Pediatric Patient with Congenital Dysery-Thropoietic
      Anemia Type I Treated with Deferasirox.
AB  - Congenital dyserythropoietic anemias (CDA) represent a heterogeneous group of
      disorders characterized by morphological abnormalities of erythroid precursor
      cells and various degrees of hemolysis. Iron overload is a result of continuous
      hemolysis and recurrent transfusions. It is treated with iron chelators,
      including deferasirox. We present here a case of acute liver failure in a 12
      years old girl with CDA type I treated with deferasirox and discuss the approach
      to treatment. 

PMID- 26487936
TI  - Idiopathic Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis During Pregnancy Treated with
      Steroids.
AB  - Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare and severe clinical syndrome
      characterized by a dysregulated hyperinflammatory immune response. The diagnosis
      of HLH during pregnancy is especially challenging due to the rarity of this
      condition. The highly variable clinical presentation, laboratory findings, and
      associated diagnoses accompanying this syndrome further complicate the problem. A
      pronounced hyperferritinemia in the setting of systemic signs and symptoms along
      with a negative infectious and rheumatological workup should raise suspicions for
      HLH. While treatment ideally consists of immunosuppressive chemotherapy and
      hematopoietic stem cell transplant, the potential toxicity to both the pregnant
      woman and the fetus poses a challenging decision. We report the first case of
      idiopathic HLH presenting as fever of unknown origin in a pregnant woman
      successfully treated with steroids. 

PMID- 26487937
TI  - Surgery for gallbladder cancer in the US: a need for greater lymph node
      clearance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a rare malignancy with a dismal
      prognosis. Often identified incidentally after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for
      presumably benign biliary disease, reoperation with partial hepatic resection and
      periportal lymph node dissection (LND) is frequently performed. The impact of
      lymph node (LN) clearance for GBC remains unclear. METHODS: The Surveillance,
      Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was queried for patients diagnosed
      with GBC between 1988 and 2009. Survival was calculated using Kaplan-Meier method
      and compared using log-rank test. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify
      predictors of survival. RESULTS: A total of 11,815 patients diagnosed with GBC
      were identified. Cancer-directed surgery was performed in 8,436 (71.3%) patients.
      Optimal LN clearance (defined as >=4 LNs) is associated with young age, advanced
      T-stage, no radiation therapy, and radical surgery (all <0.001). Greater LND
      improves survival for all stages (P<0.001). After adjusting for confounding
      factors, multivariable analysis of patients with node-negative disease
      demonstrated that early stage, greater LND, and radical surgery were strong
      independent predictors of survival. CONCLUSIONS: Extensive lymphadenectomy
      correlates with longer survival even in node negative patients. Extensive LND
      should be performed in patients with GBC as many patients in the USA are
      undertreated.

PMID- 26487938
TI  - Increased risk of colorectal polyps in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver
      disease undergoing liver transplant evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Screening colonoscopy is a standard part of the liver transplant (LT)
      evaluation process. We aimed to evaluate the yield of screening colonoscopy and
      determine whether non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was associated with
      an increased risk of colorectal neoplasia. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed
      all patients who completed LT evaluation at our center between 1/2008-12/2012.
      Patients <50 years old and those without records of screening colonoscopy, or
      with greater than average colon cancer risk were excluded. RESULTS: A total of
      1,102 patients were evaluated, 591 met inclusion criteria and were analyzed. The
      mean age was 60 years, 67% were male, 12% had NAFLD and 88% had other forms of
      chronic liver disease. Overall, 42% of patients had a polyp found on colonoscopy:
      23% with adenomas, 14% with hyperplastic polyps and with 1% inflammatory polyps.
      In the final multivariable model controlling for age, NAFLD [odds ratio (OR)
      2.41, P=0.001] and a history of significant alcohol use (OR 1.69, P=0.004) were
      predictive of finding a polyp on colonoscopy. In addition, NAFLD (OR 1.95,
      P=0.02), significant alcohol use (OR 1.70, P=0.01) and CTP class C (OR 0.57,
      P=0.02) were associated with adenoma, controlling for age. CONCLUSIONS: Screening
      colonoscopy in patients awaiting LT yields a high rate of polyp (43%) and adenoma
      (22%) detection, perhaps preventing the accelerated progression to carcinoma that
      can occur in immunosuppressed post-LT patients. Patients with NAFLD may be at a
      ~2 fold higher risk of adenomas and should be carefully evaluated prior to LT.

PMID- 26487940
TI  - Evaluation and comparison of postoperative levels of serum bilirubin, serum
      transaminases and alkaline phosphatase in laparoscopic cholecystectomy versus
      open cholecystectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) requires the creation of a
      pneumoperitoneum via insufflations of carbon dioxide; resulting in increased
      partial pressure of carbon dioxide (CO2) and intraperitoneal pressure which leads
      to the changes in pulmonary function and hemodynamic measurements. Hypercarbia
      leads to visceral organ ischemia including liver and venous
      stasis/thromboembolism or both due to impaired flow. The present study has been
      undertaken to see the changes in liver function tests (LFTs) after
      laparoscopic/open cholecystectomy (OC), the incidences of such change, their
      relation to age, sex, duration of surgery and to know the clinical significances
      of such disturbances. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To compare and correlate the serum
      level of bilirubin, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST),
      alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in patients who underwent LC to those who underwent
      OC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was conducted in the Department of
      Surgery at MMIMSR, MM University, Mullana, Ambala. A total number of 200 patients
      diagnosed as cholelithiasis were included in the study from May 2012 to May 2014.
      These cases were randomly divided into two groups (A and B) consisting of 100
      cases each. LC was performed in group A patients and OC was done in group B
      patients. Three blood samples were taken: (I) pre-operatively; (II) after 24
      hours of surgery; and (III) after 72 hours of surgery for comparison of the
      enzyme level alterations. RESULTS: In LC patients, there were rise in the levels
      of serum bilirubin, AST and ALT after 24 hrs of surgery from the preoperative
      value and then again fall was noted (near to normal value) after 72 hrs of
      surgery except in that of ALP. ALP levels showed slight fall after 24 hrs of
      surgery and then slight rise after 72 hrs which was within the normal limit.
      Whereas in OC patients, there were slight variations in the liver enzymes (which
      were within the normal range). CONCLUSIONS: Transient elevation of serum
      bilirubin, AST and ALT occurs after LC or after OC. The alteration in the liver
      enzymes can be attributed to CO2 pneumoperitoneum, surgical manipulations,
      diathermy, patient position, and arterial injury may also other factors. These
      changes return to normal in 3-4 days after procedure and they have no clinical
      consequences in patients with normal hepatic function but they may still cause
      worry to the surgeon regarding the integrity of biliary tree.

PMID- 26487939
TI  - Radioembolization with Yttrium-90 microspheres for patients with unresectable
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is aggressive primary malignancy of
      the liver that most commonly presents late in the disease course. As a result,
      the majority of patients are not candidates for curative therapies. Locoregional
      therapies including Yttrium-90 (Y-90) radioembolization play an important role in
      management of the vast majority of patients with HCC. METHODS: Patients with
      unnresectable HCC (n=17) treated with Y-90 radioembolization from 2005 to 2014
      were evaluated retrospectively. Data was abstracted from medical records
      including patient charts, laboratory data, and imaging. Toxicities were recorded
      using Common Terminology Criteria 3.0. Response was recorded according to
      modified RECIST (mRECIST) criteria. RESULTS: Seventeen patients received 33
      treatments with Y-90 radioembolization. A majority (65%) received TheraSphere
      with a minority (35%) receiving SIR-Spheres. The median treatment activity
      delivered was 1.725 gBq (range, 1.4-2.5 gBq). The median treatment dose delivered
      was 100 Gy (range, 90-120 Gy). The median lung shunt fraction was 2.02% (range,
      1.5-4.1%). The most common clinical toxicity among all patients was nausea and
      vomiting (59%), primarily grade 1 and 2. Other post-treatment findings included
      abdominal pain (29%), fatigue (53%), and weight loss (18%). One patient developed
      a grade 5 gastric ulcer after the treatment. A clinical benefit, defined as
      patients achieving complete response (CR), partial response (PR) or stable
      disease (SD), was seen in 48% of patients. PR was seen in 24% of cases;
      progressive disease (PD) was noted in 35%. Patients survived for a median of 8.4
      months (range, 1.3 to 21.1 months) after the first radioembolization treatment.
      Median survival after Y-90 treatment was 8.4 months among patients treated
      TheraSphere as compared with 7.8 months in patients treated with SIR-Spheres. The
      mean overall survival from the time of diagnosis was 11.7 months (range, 3.4 to
      43.2 months). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with unresectable HCC, Y-90
      radioembolization is a safe and well-tolerated procedure. Our experience suggests
      that a significant percentage of patients achieve clinical benefit including many
      with PR. Survival after treatment from this single-center, transplant center is
      in line with prior reports. Prospective, randomized data is required to compare
      radioembolization with other therapies including chemoembolization and systemic
      therapy with sorafenib.

PMID- 26487941
TI  - Palliative oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy after exposure to oxaliplatin in the
      adjuvant setting for colon cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding the efficacy of oxaliplatin-based
      chemotherapy for metastatic colon cancer patients who have already received
      adjuvant oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 22
      consecutive patients who developed recurrence after adjuvant oxaliplatin-based
      chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer and received another course of
      oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy for their metastatic disease. The main endpoint
      was progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: A total of 635 patients received
      oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer at the British Columbia
      Cancer Agency from 2006 to 2011. A total of 176 patients recurred, 22 (12.5%) of
      whom were re-exposed to oxaliplatin in the metastatic scenario. Oxaliplatin in
      combination with fluoropyrimidine was given as first, second and third line in in
      3 (13.6%), 14 (63.6%), and 5 (22.7%) patients respectively. Median time from the
      last cycle of adjuvant oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy to the first cycle of
      palliative oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy was 44.3 months. Median PFS and overall
      survival (OS) were 3.3 (95% CI, 1.4-5.1) and 10.0 months (95% CI, 5.3-14.6),
      respectively. There was no difference in PFS for patients re-exposed to
      oxaliplatin less than 36 months compared to longer (3.6 versus 3.1 months,
      P=0.793, HR =0.88). CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based study, only a small
      proportion of pts who recurred after oxaliplatin-based adjuvant therapy received
      oxaliplatin in the metastatic setting. Re-exposure of oxaliplatin in combination
      with fluoropyrimidine is associated with only modest PFS benefit. Larger studies
      evaluating the role of oxaliplatin re-exposure are needed.

PMID- 26487942
TI  - Establishing the link between hepatitis B virus infection and colorectal adenoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection has been associated with
      malignancy, most notably hepatocellular carcinoma. Previous research has shown
      that hepatitis C is associated with increased colorectal adenomas and neoplasia.
      Currently, there are no studies on the association of CHB and colorectal
      adenomas. We aimed to identify a possible link between CHB and colorectal
      adenoma. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on 588 consecutive
      patients undergoing screening or diagnostic colonoscopy that were previously
      screened or diagnosed with hepatitis B. Comparisons between categorical variables
      were analyzed with Chi Square test and t-test for continuous variables.
      Unconditional logistic regression was used to generate age-, gender-and race
      adjusted odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) comparing medication
      users with non-users. Statistical analyses were performed with SAS 9.3 software.
      RESULTS: A total of 487 patients were analyzed in the control group vs. 71 in the
      hepatitis B group. The adenoma detection rate was 23.9% in hepatitis B vs. 15.9%
      in the non-hepatitis B group for all cause colonoscopy; however this did not
      reach statistical significance. There was a significantly higher number of
      adenomas present in the distal colon compared to control (OR =2.16; 95% CI, 1.06
      4.43; P=0.04). There were no significant findings between hepatitis B infection
      with size, multiplicity or presence of proximal adenomas. There was a significant
      difference noted in regards to smoking history, BMI and age between two groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although the adenoma detection rate was higher in hepatitis B
      population vs. the non-hepatitis B group this did not reach statistical
      significance. However, we did find an association between CHB infection and the
      presence of distal colorectal adenomas. Larger prospective studies are needed to
      strengthen our findings along with future studies examining hepatitis B virus
      (HBV) and mechanisms inducing colorectal carcinogenesis.

PMID- 26487943
TI  - Outcomes of resected pancreatic cancer in patients age >=70.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine outcomes of patients >=70 years with resected pancreatic
      cancer. METHODS: A study was conducted to identify pancreatic cancer patients
      >=70 years who underwent surgery for pancreatic carcinoma from 2000 to 2012.
      Patients were excluded if they had neoadjuvant therapy. The primary endpoint was
      overall survival (OS). RESULTS: We identified 112 patients with a median follow
      up of surviving patients of 36 months. The median patient age was 77 years. The
      median and 5 year OS was 20.5 months and 19%, respectively. Univariate analysis
      (UVA) showed a significant correlation for increased mortality with N1 (P=0.03)
      as well as post-op CA19-9 >90 (P<0.001), with a trend towards decreased mortality
      with adjuvant chemoradiation (P=0.08). Multivariate analysis (MVA) showed a
      statistically significant increased mortality associated with N1 (P=0.008), post
      op CA19-9 >90 (P=0.002), while adjuvant chemoradiation (P=0.04) was associated
      with decreased mortality. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that in patients >=70,
      nodal status, post-op CA19-9, and adjuvant chemoradiation, were associated with
      OS. The data suggests that outcomes of patients >=70 years who undergo upfront
      surgical resection are not inferior to younger patients.

PMID- 26487944
TI  - Delayed diagnosis of pancreatic cancer reported as more common in a population of
      North African young adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most challenging tumor entities
      worldwide, characterized as a highly aggressive disease with dismal overall
      prognosis and an incidence rate equaling mortality rate. OBJECTIVE: In order to
      have an update about pancreatic cancer incidence and evolution in North Africa,
      we conducted an epidemiological analytical retrospective study at the level of
      three Algerian regions: Sidi-bel-Abbes, Oran and Tlemcen along the last eight
      years [2006-2013]. METHODS: We performed a retrospective hospital-based study in
      which we analyzed the records of 160 pancreatic cancer patients registered,
      evaluated and treated in a Northern African region; at the level of hospital
      centers of the three western Algerian regions from 2006 to 2013. RESULTS: Along
      the period of study, 160 patients were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; with a
      mean age of 66.2 years, and a sex ratio of 1.65; other parameters such as a
      medical history smoking and alcoholism history, tumor site; histological type as
      well as the stage of diagnosis were also enrolled in the study. Our statistical
      analyses reported a very significant correlation between patients who belonged to
      the age group of 21-40 years and the advanced stage of diagnosis (basing on TNM
      classification) with P=0.02. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatic cancer is increasingly
      diagnosed in young adults at an advanced stage in North African regions.

PMID- 26487945
TI  - Role of gemcitabine as second-line therapy after progression on FOLFIRINOX in
      advanced pancreatic cancer: a retrospective analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer of the exocrine pancreas is a highly lethal malignancy.
      Surgical resection is the only potentially curative treatment. Unfortunately,
      because of the late presentation, the majority have either locally advanced
      cancer at initial diagnosis. Systemic chemotherapy provides benefit to patients
      with advanced pancreatic cancer, improving disease-related symptoms and survival
      when compared to best supportive care alone. Based on fase III study, FOLFIRINOX
      regimen became the standard first-line treatment. But, the optimal management
      strategy for patients who fail initial FOLFIRINOX is undefined. Despite the lack
      of clinical trials that report the real benefit of gemcitabine in patients with
      advanced exocrine pancreatic cancer as second line treatment. We aim at reporting
      our experience with this regimen. METHODS: Patients with advanced exocrine
      pancreatic cancer who received gemcitabine (1.000 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8 and 15
      every 4 weeks) until disease progression, as second-line therapy at our
      institution were retrospectively evaluated. Progression-free survival (PFS) and
      overall survival (OS) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: A total
      of 20 patients were reviewed. Median age was 57 years (range, 43-74 years), and
      55% were older than 60 years. Most patients were male (80%), had metastatic
      disease (60%), and ECOG performance status of 0 or 1 (65%). PFS and OS were 2.0
      (95% CI, 1.2-2.8) and 5.7 months (95% CI, 3.9-7.4), respectively. There were no
      deaths due to the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, gemcitabine was a
      reasonable second-line treatment option for patients with advanced pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma and good ECOG performance status. Phase III trials are urgently
      needed comparing gemcitabine versus best supportive of care (BSC) can evaluate
      the real benefit of this chemotherapy after progression on FOLFIRINOX.

PMID- 26487946
TI  - Increased risk of death due to heart disease after radiotherapy for esophageal
      cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of heart disease related death (HDRD) following
      radiation therapy (RT) for esophageal cancer (EC). METHODS: Using the
      Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, two cohorts of
      patients with EC were created: (I) patients who received RT with their initial
      therapy; and (II) those who did not. Heart disease specific survival (HDSS) was
      analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods. Cox proportional-hazards regression methods
      were used for univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: We identified 40,778
      patients with EC. A total of 26,377 patients received RT and 14,401 did not. HDSS
      analysis revealed increased risk of HDRD in those receiving RT (P<0.05), with an
      absolute risk of HDRD of 2.8%, 5.3% and 9.4% at 5-, 10- and 20-year,
      respectively. Log rank test of HDSS revealed the risk of HDRD became significant
      at 8 months (P<0.05). The following were associated with HDRD: RT, age, race,
      stage at presentation, time period of diagnosis, and known comorbid condition
      keeping one from esophagectomy. On multivariate analysis, RT remained predictive
      of HDRD [hazard ratio (HR) 1.46, P<0.05]. When considering only candidates for
      definitive therapy, RT remained predictive of HDRD on univariate (HR 1.53,
      P<0.0001) and multivariate (HR 1.62, P<0.0001) analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The use of
      RT leads to increased risk of HDRD that is detectable as early as eight months
      from diagnosis. More research is needed to define optimal dose volume parameters
      to prevent cardiac death. Consideration should be given to this risk in relation
      to prognosis and the expected benefits of RT.

PMID- 26487947
TI  - Comparison of anal cancer outcomes in public and private hospital patients
      treated at a single radiation oncology center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare clinical and treatment characteristics and outcomes in
      locally advanced anal cancer, a potentially curable disease, in patients referred
      from a public or private hospital. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 112 anal
      cancer patients from a public and a private hospital who received definitive
      chemoradiotherapy at the same cancer center between 2004 and 2013. Tumor stage,
      radiotherapy delay, radiotherapy duration, and unplanned treatment breaks >=10
      days were compared using t-test and chi(2) test. Overall survival (OS), disease
      free survival (DFS), and colostomy free survival (CFS) were examined using the
      Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazard
      models for OS and DFS were developed. RESULTS: The follow-up was 14.9 months
      (range, 0.7-94.8 months). Public hospital patients presented with significantly
      higher clinical T stage (P<0.05) and clinical stage group (P<0.05), had
      significantly longer radiotherapy delays (P<0.05) and radiotherapy duration
      (P<0.05), and had more frequent radiation therapy (RT) breaks >=10 days (P<0.05).
      Three-year OS showed a marked trend in favor of private hospital patients for 3
      year OS (72.8% vs. 48.9%; P=0.171), 3-year DFS (66.3% vs. 42.7%, P=0.352), and 3
      year CFS (86.4% vs. 68.9%, P=0.299). Referral hospital was not predictive of OS
      or DFS on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Public hospital patients presented
      at later stage and experienced more delays in initiating and completing
      radiotherapy, which may contribute to the trend in poorer DFS and OS. These
      findings emphasize the need for identifying clinical and treatment factors that
      contribute to decreased survival in low socioeconomic status (SES) populations.

PMID- 26487948
TI  - Neoadjuvant therapy for gastric cancer: current evidence and future directions.
AB  - Although surgical resection remains the only potentially curative treatment for
      gastric cancer (GC), poor long-term outcomes with resection alone compel a
      multimodality approach to this disease. Multimodality strategies vary widely;
      while adjuvant approaches are typically favored in Asia and the United States
      (USA), a growing body of evidence supports neoadjuvant and/or perioperative
      strategies in locally advanced tumors. Neoadjuvant approaches are particularly
      attractive given the morbidity associated with surgical management of GC and the
      substantial risk of omission of adjuvant therapy. The specific advantages of
      chemoradiotherapy (CRT) compared to chemotherapy have not been well defined,
      particularly in the preoperative setting and trials aimed at determining the
      optimal elements and sequencing of therapy are underway. Future studies will also
      define the role of targeted and biologic therapies. 

PMID- 26487949
TI  - Systematic review on quality of life outcomes after gastrectomy for gastric
      carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite advances in chemotherapy and radiotherapy, gastrectomy is the
      only curative intervention for gastric carcinoma. This study reviews post
      operative health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after gastrectomy. METHODS: A
      literature search was conducted on PubMed for all studies published after January
      2000 matching strict eligibility criteria. Bibliographies of included studies
      were also reviewed. Quality appraisal and data tabulation were performed using
      pre-determined forms. Results were synthesised by narrative review according to
      PRISMA guidelines with full tabulation of results of all included studies.
      RESULTS: A total of 21 studies (3,575 patients) were included. Post-operative
      HRQOL improvements were demonstrated across most or all domains in different
      HRQOL instruments. Patients experienced declines in HRQOL 1 month after surgery,
      but reached at least pre-operative levels with recovery by 1 year. The greatest
      improvements were demonstrated in the emotional health domain with favourable
      functional benefits. Partial gastrectomy appears to be superior to total
      gastrectomy in physical, emotional and functional health domains. However,
      patients remain susceptible to gastrointestinal symptoms following surgery, which
      negatively impact upon HRQOL. Post-operative complications did not appear to
      affect HRQOL. Most studies were prospective, but data is heterogeneous.
      CONCLUSIONS: Gastrectomy results in significant HRQOL benefits across a broad
      range of health domains. This is critical outcome of surgery and an important
      consideration in pre-operative decision making.

PMID- 26487950
TI  - Immunotherapy for advanced gastric and esophageal cancer: preclinical rationale
      and ongoing clinical investigations.
AB  - Gastric and esophageal cancers represent a major global cancer burden and novel
      approaches are needed. Despite recent improvements in outcomes with trastuzumab
      and ramucirumab the prognosis for advanced disease remains poor, with a median
      overall survival of 1 year. Comprehensive genomic characterization has defined
      molecular subgroups and potentially actionable genomic alterations, but the
      majority of patients do not yet benefit from molecularly directed therapies.
      Breakthroughs in immune checkpoint blockade have provided new therapeutic avenues
      in melanoma, and continue to expand into other tumor types, with ongoing
      investigations in gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies. The frequency of programmed
      death ligand 1 (PD-L1) overexpression, a putative response biomarker, approaches
      forty percent in gastric cancers. Translational studies and molecular
      classification suggest gastric and esophageal cancers are candidate malignancies
      for immune checkpoint inhibition trials and early clinical data is promising.
      Here we review the mechanisms, preclinical, and early clinical data supporting
      the role for immune checkpoint blockade in gastric and esophageal cancer. 

PMID- 26487951
TI  - Trans-arterial embolisation therapies for unresectable intrahepatic
      cholangiocarcinoma: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) portends a poor
      prognosis despite standard systemic treatments which confer minimal survival
      benefits and significant adverse effects. This study aimed to assess clinical
      outcomes, complications and prognostic factors of TAE therapies using
      chemotherapeutic agents or radiation. METHODS: A literature search and article
      acquisition was conducted on PubMed (MEDLINE), OVID (MEDLINE) and EBSCOhost
      (EMBASE). Original articles published after January 2000 on trans-arterial
      therapies for unresectable ICC were selected using strict eligibility criteria.
      Radiological response, overall survival, progression-free survival, safety
      profile, and prognostic factors for overall survival were assessed. Quality
      appraisal and data tabulation were performed using pre-determined forms. Results
      were synthesized by narrative review and quantitative analysis. RESULTS: Twenty
      articles were included (n=929 patients). Thirty three percent of patients
      presented with extrahepatic metastases. After treatment, the average rate of
      complete and partial radiological response was 10% and 22.2%, respectively.
      Overall median survival time was 12.4 months with a median 30-day mortality and 1
      year survival rate of 0.6% and 53%, respectively. Acute treatment toxicity
      (within 30 days) was reported in 34.9% of patients, of which 64.3% were mild to
      moderate in severity. The most common clinical toxicities were abdominal pain,
      nausea and vomiting, and fatigue. Multiplicity, localization and vascularity of
      the tumor may predict worse overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Trans-arterial
      therapies are safe and effective treatment options which should be considered
      routinely for unresectable ICC. Consistent and standardized methodology and data
      collection is required to facilitate a meta-analysis. Randomized controlled
      trials will be valuable in the future.

PMID- 26487952
TI  - "This is not me": patient, family, cultural and clinician considerations in cases
      of severe cancer-related debility.

PMID- 26487953
TI  - Fatal hepatitis B reactivation in a patient with islet cell tumor on octreotide
      and sirolimus.
AB  - Reactivation of hepatitis B viral infection (HBVr) is a known risk in cancer
      patients with a history of chronic hepatitis B infection receiving cytotoxic or
      immunosuppressive therapies. Patients with hematologic malignancies or those who
      have received stem cell transplantation seem to be most at risk but reactivation
      has been reported with various malignancies. Reactivation can present as
      asymptomatic liver function test abnormalities (LFTs), with symptoms of abdominal
      pain, encephalopathy, or as fulminant hepatitis and liver failure. Here we report
      the first case of a patient with islet cell tumor on octreotide and sirolimus who
      developed hepatitis B reactivation with fulminant liver failure and death. 

PMID- 26487954
TI  - Liver resection for metastatic colorectal leiomyosarcoma: a single center
      experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leiomyosarcoma arising in the colorectum is a rare malignancy of the
      smooth muscles accounting for less than 1% of gastrointestinal tumors. Surgery
      remains the most accepted modality for the treatment of this entity however
      management of liver metastases remains controversial. METHODS & RESULTS: From
      1998 to 2009, five patients diagnosed with primary leiomyosarcoma of colorectal
      origin with metastatic liver disease, underwent liver resections at the American
      University of Beirut Medical Center. The median overall survival was 47 months
      (range, 7-135 months). CONCLUSIONS: Leiomyosarcoma of colorectal origin with
      liver metastasis is a very rare entity. Long-term survival can be achieved after
      surgical resection and should be considered for all patients.

PMID- 26487955
TI  - Duodenal and gallbladder metastasis of regressive melanoma: a case report and
      review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malignant melanoma involving the gastrointestinal (GI) tract may be
      primary or metastatic. Small bowel is the commonest site of GI metastases from
      cutaneous malignant melanoma, metastatic lesion in the gallbladder is extremely
      rare. CASE PRESENTATION: This case report describes the presentation of
      metastatic melanoma in duodenum and gallbladder. A 45-year-old man has presented
      melena with intermittent abdominal pain. On physical examination we found a small
      lesion between the fourth and fifth toes, associated with inguinal lymph node. An
      Abdominal ultrasound revealed diffuse duodenal thickening. Upper endoscopy was
      performed and discovered an ulcerative lesion in the second part of the duodenum.
      The biopsy with immunohistochemical stains was in favor of a duodenal location of
      melanoma. Computed tomography (CT) revealed many circumferential thickening of
      ileal loops associated with a nodular lesion in the anterior wall of the
      gallbladder. The patient was treated by palliative chemotherapy. DISCUSSION:
      Malignant melanoma of the GI tract may be primary or secondary. The small bowel
      is the most affected, but it's rare in the gallbladder. The clinical presentation
      can mimic the other intestinal tumors, and the diagnosis is based on imaging; CT
      scan and GI endoscopy have a key role on the diagnosis, and the treatment depends
      on the location and the number of lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Metastases of melanoma in
      the GI tract are uncommon, the diagnosis must be suspected in any patient with a
      history of melanoma with digestive signs.

PMID- 26487956
TI  - Cetuximab in combination with cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil induces dramatic
      response in metastatic refractory squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal.
AB  - Metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the anal canal is rare with limited
      data regarding treatment. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression has
      been observed in SCC of the anal canal and Kristen rat sarcoma vial oncogene
      (KRAS) mutations are rare. EGFR monoclonal antibodies, cetuximab and panitumumab,
      represent a potential option in this patient population. We report a metastatic
      SCC of the anal canal patient treated with cetuximab in combination with
      cisplatin plus 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) that had a dramatic response. 

PMID- 26487957
TI  - Tracheo-oesophageal fistula after palliative treatment of oesophageal cancer.
AB  - We present a case of an 86-year-old male who presented with severe pneumonia in
      the context of having undergone radiotherapy and then an oesophageal stent
      insertion for palliation of oesophageal cancer. He was diagnosed with a tracheo
      oesophageal fistula (TOF) which was successfully managed by deploying a second
      stent within the first stent. 

PMID- 26487958
TI  - Advances in cancer nanomedicine.

PMID- 26487959
TI  - Ultrasensitive detection of DNA and protein markers in cancer cells.
AB  - Cancer cells differ from normal cells in various parameters, and these
      differences are caused by genomic mutations and consequential altered gene
      expression. The genetic and functional heterogeneity of tumor cells is a major
      challenge in cancer research, detection, and effective treatment. As such, the
      use of diagnostic methods is important to reveal this heterogeneity at the single
      cell level. Droplet microfluidic devices are effective tools that provide
      exceptional sensitivity for analyzing single cells and molecules. In this review,
      we highlight two novel methods that employ droplet microfluidics for ultra
      sensitive detection of nucleic acids and protein markers in cancer cells. We also
      discuss the future practical applications of these methods. 

PMID- 26487961
TI  - Human induced pluripotent stem cells labeled with fluorescent magnetic
      nanoparticles for targeted imaging and hyperthermia therapy for gastric cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells exhibit great potential for
      generating functional human cells for medical therapies. In this paper, we report
      for use of human iPS cells labeled with fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles
      (FMNPs) for targeted imaging and synergistic therapy of gastric cancer cells in
      vivo. METHODS: Human iPS cells were prepared and cultured for 72 h. The culture
      medium was collected, and then was co-incubated with MGC803 cells. Cell viability
      was analyzed by the MTT method. FMNP-labeled human iPS cells were prepared and
      injected into gastric cancer-bearing nude mice. The mouse model was observed
      using a small-animal imaging system. The nude mice were irradiated under an
      external alternating magnetic field and evaluated using an infrared thermal
      mapping instrument. Tumor sizes were measured weekly. RESULTS: iPS cells and the
      collected culture medium inhibited the growth of MGC803 cells. FMNP-labeled human
      iPS cells targeted and imaged gastric cancer cells in vivo, as well as inhibited
      cancer growth in vivo through the external magnetic field. CONCLUSION: FMNP
      labeled human iPS cells exhibit considerable potential in applications such as
      targeted dual-mode imaging and synergistic therapy for early gastric cancer.

PMID- 26487960
TI  - Texosome-based drug delivery system for cancer therapy: from past to present.
AB  - Rising worldwide cancer incidence and resistance to current anti-cancer drugs
      necessitate the need for new pharmaceutical compounds and drug delivery system.
      Malfunction of the immune system, particularly in the tumor microenvironment,
      causes tumor growth and enhances tumor progression. Thus, cancer immunotherapy
      can be an appropriate approach to provoke the systemic immune system to combat
      tumor expansion. Texosomes, which are endogenous nanovesicles released by all
      tumor cells, contribute to cell-cell communication and modify the phenotypic
      features of recipient cells due to the texosomes' ability to transport biological
      components. For this reason, texosome-based delivery system can be a valuable
      strategy for therapeutic purposes. To improve the pharmaceutical behavior of this
      system and to facilitate its use in medical applications, biotechnology
      approaches and mimetic techniques have been utilized. In this review, we present
      the development history of texosome-based delivery systems and discuss the
      advantages and disadvantages of each system. 

PMID- 26487962
TI  - Polymeric nanocomposites loaded with fluoridated hydroxyapatite Ln(3+) (Ln = Eu
      or Tb)/iron oxide for magnetic targeted cellular imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To fabricate polymeric nanocomposites with excellent
      photoluminescence, magnetic properties, and stability in aqueous solutions, in
      order to improve specificity and sensitivity of cellular imaging under a magnetic
      field. METHODS: Fluoridated Ln(3+)-doped HAP (Ln(3+)-HAP) NPs and iron oxides
      (IOs) can be encapsulated with biocompatible polymers via a modified solvent
      exaction/evaporation technique to prepare polymeric nanocomposites with
      fluoridated Ln(3+)-HAP/iron oxide. The nanocomposites were characterized for
      surface morphology, fluorescence spectra, magnetic properties and in vitro
      cytotoxicity. Magnetic targeted cellular imaging of such nanocomposites was also
      evaluated with confocal laser scanning microscope using A549 cells with or
      without magnetic field. RESULTS: The fabricated nanocomposites showed good
      stability and excellent luminescent properties, as well as low in vitro
      cytotoxicity, indicating that the nanocomposites are suitable for biological
      applications. Nanocomposites under magnetic field achieved much higher cellular
      uptake via an energy-dependent pathway than those without magnetic field.
      CONCLUSION: The nanocomposites fabricated in this study will be a promising tool
      for magnetic targeted cellular imaging with improved specificity and enhanced
      selection.

PMID- 26487963
TI  - Single-cell analyses of circulating tumor cells.
AB  - Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a population of tumor cells mediating
      metastasis, which results in most of the cancer related deaths. The number of
      CTCs in the peripheral blood of patients is rare, and many platforms have been
      launched for detection and enrichment of CTCs. Enumeration of CTCs has already
      been used as a prognosis marker predicting the survival rate of cancer patients.
      Yet CTCs should be more potential. Studies on CTCs at single cell level may help
      revealing the underlying mechanism of tumorigenesis and metastasis. Though far
      from developed, this area of study holds much promise in providing new clinical
      application and deep understanding towards metastasis and cancer development. 

PMID- 26487964
TI  - Reality of evidence-based practice in palliative care.
AB  - There has been a paradigm shift in medicine away from tradition, anecdote and
      theoretical reasoning from the basic sciences towards evidence-based medicine
      (EBM). In palliative care however, statistically significant benefits may be
      marginal and may not be related to clinical meaningfulness. The typical treatment
      vs. placebo comparison necessitated by 'gold standard' randomised controlled
      trials (RCTs) is not necessarily applicable. The complex multimorbidity of end of
      life care involves considerations of the patient's physical, psychological,
      social and spiritual needs. In addition, the field of palliative care covers a
      heterogeneous group of chronic and incurable diseases no longer limited to
      cancer. Adequate sample sizes can be difficult to achieve, reducing the power of
      studies and high attrition rates can result in inadequate follow up periods. This
      review uses examples of the management of cancer-related fatigue and death rattle
      (noisy breathing) to demonstrate the current state of EBM in palliative care. The
      future of EBM in palliative care needs to be as diverse as the patients who
      ultimately derive benefit. Non-RCT methodologies of equivalent quality, validity
      and size conducted by collaborative research networks using a 'mixed methods
      approach' are likely to pose the correct clinical questions and derive evidence
      based yet clinically relevant outcomes. 

PMID- 26487965
TI  - Fueling the engine and releasing the break: combinational therapy of cancer
      vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors.
AB  - Immune checkpoint inhibitors are increasingly drawing much attention in the
      therapeutic development for cancer treatment. However, many cancer patients do
      not respond to treatments with immune checkpoint inhibitors, partly because of
      the lack of tumor-infiltrating effector T cells. Cancer vaccines may prime
      patients for treatments with immune checkpoint inhibitors by inducing effector T
      cell infiltration into the tumors and immune checkpoint signals. The combination
      of cancer vaccine and an immune checkpoint inhibitor may function synergistically
      to induce more effective antitumor immune responses, and clinical trials to test
      the combination are currently ongoing. 

PMID- 26487966
TI  - Advances in immunotherapy for treatment of lung cancer.
AB  - Different approaches for treating lung cancer have been developed over time,
      including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapies against activating
      mutations. Lately, better understanding of the role of the immunological system
      in tumor control has opened multiple doors to implement different strategies to
      enhance immune response against cancer cells. It is known that tumor cells elude
      immune response by several mechanisms. The development of monoclonal antibodies
      against the checkpoint inhibitor programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and its
      ligand (PD-L1), on T cells, has led to high activity in cancer patients with long
      lasting responses. Nivolumab, an anti PD-1 inhibitor, has been recently approved
      for the treatment of squamous cell lung cancer patients, given the survival
      advantage demonstrated in a phase III trial. Pembrolizumab, another anti PD-1
      antibody, has received FDA breakthrough therapy designation for treatment of non
      small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), supported by data from a phase I trial. Clinical
      trials with anti PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies in NSCLC have demonstrated very good
      tolerability and activity, with response rates around 20% and a median duration
      of response of 18 months. 

PMID- 26487968
TI  - Female breast cancer in Vietnam: a comparison across Asian specific regions.
AB  - Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies and the leading
      cause of cancer death of women over the world. A large number of females with
      breast cancer in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian (SEA) countries present at an
      early age with more aggressive tumors compared with women in Australia. Despite
      experiencing a low incidence rate, the increasing incidence rate among SEA
      countries exceeds that of the Westernized world. Changes in reproductive factors,
      environmental exposures, and lifestyle are the possible causes of this trend.
      However, limited evidence shows that these factors are associated with breast
      cancer in the Vietnamese population. Breast cancer incidence rates within Vietnam
      are not uniform and appear to be dependent on geographic location. Findings from
      this review have important implications for breast cancer control and treatment
      in Vietnam. A good understanding of the morphology of the breast and the type and
      nature of breast cancers presenting in Vietnam is required to facilitate the
      introduction of an effective national breast screening program. 

PMID- 26487967
TI  - Development of targeted therapies in treatment of glioblastoma.
AB  - Glioblastoma (GBM) is a type of tumor that is highly lethal despite maximal
      therapy. Standard therapeutic approaches provide modest improvement in
      progression-free and overall survival, necessitating the investigation of novel
      therapies. Oncologic therapy has recently experienced a rapid evolution toward
      "targeted therapy", with drugs directed against specific targets which play
      essential roles in the proliferation, survival, and invasiveness of GBM cells,
      including numerous molecules involved in signal transduction pathways. Inhibitors
      of these molecules have already entered or are undergoing clinical trials.
      However, significant challenges in their development remain because several
      preclinical and clinical studies present conflicting results. In this article, we
      will provide an up-to-date review of the current targeted therapies in GBM. 

PMID- 26487969
TI  - Quantitative proteomic analysis for high-throughput screening of differential
      glycoproteins in hepatocellular carcinoma serum.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related
      deaths. Novel serum biomarkers are required to increase the sensitivity and
      specificity of serum screening for early HCC diagnosis. This study employed a
      quantitative proteomic strategy to analyze the differential expression of serum
      glycoproteins between HCC and normal control serum samples. METHODS: Lectin
      affinity chromatography (LAC) was used to enrich glycoproteins from the serum
      samples. Quantitative mass spectrometric analysis combined with stable isotope
      dimethyl labeling and 2D liquid chromatography (LC) separations were performed to
      examine the differential levels of the detected proteins between HCC and control
      serum samples. Western blot was used to analyze the differential expression
      levels of the three serum proteins. RESULTS: A total of 2,280 protein groups were
      identified in the serum samples from HCC patients by using the 2D LC-MS/MS
      method. Up to 36 proteins were up-regulated in the HCC serum, whereas 19 proteins
      were down-regulated. Three differential glycoproteins, namely, fibrinogen gamma
      chain (FGG), FOS-like antigen 2 (FOSL2), and alpha-1,6-mannosylglycoprotein 6
      beta-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase B (MGAT5B) were validated by Western blot.
      All these three proteins were up-regulated in the HCC serum samples. CONCLUSION:
      A quantitative glycoproteomic method was established and proven useful to
      determine potential novel biomarkers for HCC.

PMID- 26487970
TI  - Acute coronary syndrome: a rare case of multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes
      with pheochromocytoma and medullary thyroid carcinoma.
AB  - Pheochromocytoma is a tumor arising from neuroectodermal chromaffin tissues in
      the adrenal gland or extra-adrenal paraganglia (paragangliomas). The prevalence
      of the tumor is 0.1%-0.6% in the hypertensive population, of which 10%-20% are
      malignant. Pheochromocytoma produces, stores, and secretes catecholamines, as
      well as leads to hypertensive crisis, arrhythmia, angina, and acute myocardial
      infarction without coronary artery diseases. We report a case of acute coronary
      syndrome (ACS) with a final diagnosis of multiple endocrine neoplasia with
      pheochromocytoma and medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). 

PMID- 26487971
TI  - Erratum to Assays for predicting and monitoring responses to lung cancer
      immunotherapy.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 87 in vol. 12, PMID: 26175924.]. 

PMID- 26487972
TI  - Surgical decompression coupled with diagnostic dynamic intraoperative angiography
      for bow hunter's syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bow hunter's syndrome, also known as rotational vertebrobasilar
      insufficiency, arises from mechanical compression of the vertebral artery during
      the neck rotation. Surgical options have been the mainstay treatment of choice.
      Postoperative imaging is typically used to assess adequate decompression. On the
      other hand, intraoperative assessment of decompression has been rarely reported.
      CASE DESCRIPTION: A 52-year-old male began to see "black spots," and experienced
      presyncope whenever he rotated his head toward the right. The patient ultimately
      underwent a dynamic diagnostic cerebral angiogram, which revealed a dominant
      right vertebral artery and complete proximal occlusion of the right vertebral
      artery with the head rotated toward the right. Subsequently, the patient
      underwent an anterior transcervical approach to the right C6/C7 transverse
      process. The bone removal occurred along with the anterior wall of the C6 foramen
      transversarium, followed by the upper portion of the anterior C6 body medially,
      and the transverse process of C6 laterally. An oblique osseofibrous band was
      noted to extend across the vertebral artery; it was dissected and severed. An
      intraoperative cerebral angiogram confirmed no existing compression of the
      vertebral artery with the head rotated toward the right. The patient recovered
      from surgery without issues; he denied recurrence of preoperative symptoms at
      follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The authors report the third instance where
      intraoperative dynamic angiography was employed with good outcomes. Although
      intraoperative cerebral angiography is an invasive procedure, which prompts
      additional risks, the authors believe the modality affords better, real-time
      visualization of the vertebral artery, allowing for assessment of the adequacy of
      the decompression. This advantage may reduce the probability for a second
      procedure, which has its own set of risks, and may counteract the risks involved
      with intraoperative dynamic angiography.

PMID- 26487973
TI  - A multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of severe cerebral vasospasm
      following bacterial meningitis: A case report and literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although cerebrovascular complications of bacterial meningitis are
      common, postmeningitic cerebral vasospasm significant enough to result in
      ischemic injury has been reported in only limited fashion. CASE DESCRIPTION: We
      describe a case of severe cerebral vasospasm following streptococcal meningitis
      managed successfully with emergency suboccipital decompression, extracranial
      intracranial bypass, intra-arterial vasodilator infusion, and maximal medical
      therapy. To our knowledge, this may be the first case in which surgical cerebral
      revascularization has been utilized to limit ischemic injury in the setting of
      postmeningitic cerebral vasospasm. CONCLUSIONS: Patients presenting with abrupt
      neurological decline following recent treatment for bacterial meningitis may be
      suffering from a reversible vasoconstriction of the cerebral arteries, and prompt
      aggressive treatment can result in a favorable outcome even in patients who
      present in very poor neurological condition.

PMID- 26487974
TI  - Intraparenchymal brain lesion biopsy guided by a rigid endoscope and navigation
      system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The authors report a continuous case series of navigation-guided
      rigid endoscopic biopsy via the transcortical route for intraparenchymal brain
      lesions to assess the feasibility and efficacy of the method. METHODS: Thirty
      four patients with intraparenchymal brain lesions found on neurovisualization
      underwent navigation-guided rigid endoscopic biopsy. Most of the preoperative
      diagnoses were glioma WHO Grade II-IV (16 cases) or malignant lymphoma (15
      cases). Intraoperative photodynamic diagnosis and intraoperative pathological
      diagnosis were used in 28 and 29 cases, respectively. In 2 cases with small and
      deep lesions, intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging was used for confirming
      the accuracy of the biopsy point. RESULTS: The sampling accuracy determined by
      postoperative imaging and the definitive diagnosis ratio were 94% (32 out of 34
      cases) and 97% (33 out of 34 cases), respectively. There was no postoperative
      mortality. In 2 patients, mild postoperative permanent morbidity (5.9%),
      presumably related to this technique, was observed in the early cases in the
      current group (34 case series). CONCLUSION: The method was estimated as safe and
      feasible for diagnostic tissue sampling of intraparenchymal brain lesions.

PMID- 26487975
TI  - The effects of sodium-2-mercaptoethanesulfonate application on the neural and
      neurovascular tissues: An experimental animal study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sodium-2-mercaptoethanesulfonate (MESNA) is a protective agent that
      is also used as "a chemical dissector" in various surgical fields. The aim of
      this study is to evaluate the toxic effects of MESNA on neural and neurovascular
      structures based on a morphological analysis and examine its safety in
      neurotological applications. METHODS: Three groups of guinea pigs were used as
      subjects. MESNA solution (50 and 100%) and saline solution were applied to the
      subarachnoid space over the brain tissue via a middle fossa approach of study and
      control groups, respectively. Effects of MESNA were assessed by means of light
      microscope. McNemar Chi-square test was used to evaluate the histopathological
      findings. Statistical significance of P < 0.05 was taken as criterion. RESULTS:
      No morphological changes were observed on vascular and neural structures in the
      study groups in both concentrations, compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS:
      On a morphological basis, a single application of MESNA does not cause any
      morphological changes that indicate a toxicity in neural and neurovascular
      structures.

PMID- 26487976
TI  - Second Annual Meeting of the International Society of Pediatric Wound Care.
AB  - The overarching goals of the International Society of Pediatric Wound Care
      (ISPeW) are to (1) set global standards for the assessment and treatment of
      pediatric wounds of varying etiologies; (2) provide a forum for international
      interprofessional collaboration among healthcare professionals, researchers,
      educators, and industry leaders dedicated to the care of pediatric wounds; (3)
      promote and support clinical research focused on the prevention, assessment, and
      treatment of pediatric wounds; (4) collaborate with wound care organizations
      worldwide on pediatric wound care issues; and (5) provide evidence-based
      pediatric wound care education to healthcare professionals, parents, and lay
      caregivers. This edition of Advances in Wound Care includes some of the work that
      was presented at the 2014 ISPeW meeting in Rome. The first article by Dr.
      Romanelli, is an in-depth description of the progression of skin physiology
      throughout its maturational stages and clinical implication. A cutting edge
      article by Dr. Timothy King then follows, with regard to scar prevention in
      postnatal tissues. This is followed by a comprehensive look at debridement
      techniques in pediatric trauma by Dr. Ankush Gosain. Next, is a cautionary
      article by Dr. Luca Spazzapan that examines the prevalence of diabetic foot
      ulcers in children and the potential for an epidemic. The last article in this
      series is from the keynote speaker, Dr. Amit Geffen, who eloquently examines the
      use of biomaterials to offload and prevent pediatric pressure ulcers.

PMID- 26487977
TI  - Skin Physiology of the Neonate and Infant: Clinical Implications.
AB  - Significance: The skin is a complex and dynamic organ that performs several vital
      functions. The maturation process of the skin starts at birth with the adaption
      of the skin to the comparatively dry environment compared to the in utero milieu.
      This adaptive flexibility results in the unique properties of infant skin. To
      deliver appropriate care to infant skin, it is necessary to understand that it is
      evolving with unique characteristics. Recent Advances: The role of biophysical
      noninvasive techniques in the assessment of skin development underlines the
      importance of an objective evaluation of skin physiology parameters. Skin
      hydration, transepidermal water loss, and pH values are measurable with specific
      instruments that give us an accurate and reproducible assessment during infant
      skin maturation. The recording of these values, following standard measurement
      procedures, allows us to evaluate the integrity of the skin barrier and to
      monitor the functionality of the maturing skin over time. Critical Issues: During
      the barrier development, impaired skin function makes the skin vulnerable to
      chemical damage, microbial infections, and skin diseases, possibly compromising
      the general health of the infant. Preterm newborns, during the first weeks of
      life, have an even less developed skin barrier and, therefore, are even more at
      risk. Thus, it is extremely important to evaluate the risk of infection, skin
      breakdown, topical agent absorption, and the risk of thermoregulation failure.
      Future Directions: Detailed and objective evaluations of infant skin maturation
      are necessary to improve infant skin care. The results of these evaluations
      should be formed into general protocols that will allow doctors and caregivers to
      give more personalized care to full-term newborns, preterm newborns, and infants.

PMID- 26487978
TI  - Debridement Techniques in Pediatric Trauma and Burn-Related Wounds.
AB  - Significance: Traumatic injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality
      in children. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the initial
      assessment and management of traumatic and burn wounds in children. Special
      attention is given to wound cleansing, debridement techniques, and considerations
      for pain management and psychosocial support for children and families. Recent
      Advances: Basic and translational research over the last 5-7 years has advanced
      our knowledge related to the optimal care of acute pediatric traumatic and burn
      wounds. Data concerning methods, volume, solution and timing for irrigation of
      acute traumatic wounds, timing and methods of wound debridement, including
      hydrosurgery and plasma knife coblation, and wound dressings are presented.
      Additionally, data concerning the long-term psychosocial outcomes following acute
      injury are presented. Critical Issues: The care of pediatric trauma and burn
      related wounds requires prompt assessment, pain control, cleansing, debridement,
      application of appropriate dressings, and close follow-up. Ideally, a
      knowledgeable multidisciplinary team cares for these patients. A limitation in
      the care of these patients is the relative paucity of data specific to the care
      of acute traumatic wounds in the pediatric population. Future Directions:
      Research is ongoing in the arenas of new debridement techniques and instruments,
      and in wound dressing technology. Dedicated research on these topics in the
      pediatric population will serve to strengthen and advance the care of pediatric
      patients with acute traumatic and burn wounds.

PMID- 26487979
TI  - Emerging Therapies for Scar Prevention.
AB  - Significance: There are ~12 million traumatic lacerations treated in the United
      States emergency rooms each year, 250 million surgical incisions created
      worldwide every year, and 11 million burns severe enough to warrant medical
      treatment worldwide. In the United States, over $20 billion dollars per year are
      spent on the treatment and management of scars. Recent Advances: Investigations
      into the management of scar therapies over the last decade have advanced our
      understanding related to the care of cutaneous scars. Scar treatment methods are
      presented including topical, intralesional, and mechanical therapies in addition
      to cryotherapy, radiotherapy, and laser therapy. Critical Issues: Current
      treatment options for scars have significant limitations. This review presents
      the current and emerging therapies available for scar management and the
      scientific evidence for scar management is discussed. Future Directions: Based
      upon our new understanding of scar formation, innovative scar therapies are being
      developed. Additional research on the basic science of scar formation will lead
      to additional advances and novel therapies for the treatment of cutaneous scars.

PMID- 26487980
TI  - Adjustability and Adaptability Are Critical Characteristics of Pediatric Support
      Surfaces.
AB  - Significance: Pressure ulcers (PUs) in newborns and children are remarkably
      different from those in adults, both in their possible causal factors and in the
      etiology and biomechanical pathways for tissue damage. Recent Advances: Pediatric
      muscle and fat tissue structures are overall softer than those of adults, making
      newborns and young children more susceptible to deformation-inflicted injuries at
      their weight-bearing soft tissues. Critical Issues: The unique medical
      environment of neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, which is overloaded
      with medical devices, wiring, tubing, electrodes, and so on, is, in fact, an
      extrinsic risk factor for device-related PUs, since accidently misplaced tubes,
      wires, or electrodes can become trapped between the skin and the mattress,
      causing large sustained soft tissue deformations around them. Future Directions:
      Mattresses that are being used in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units
      must be able to respond to frequent movements and changing positions and also be
      able to effectively adapt and conform around such misplaced tubing or wires,
      which might contact the body and deform soft tissues. We used computer
      simulations of a tube caught under a preterm neonate's arm in a supine position
      to illustrate what adaptability of the support surface means in such cases. Our
      present simulations indicate that an air-cell-based technology provides
      considerably better protection against PUs in such cases, as the air-cells are
      able to locally buckle and conform around objects that are stiffer than the
      pediatric tissues (e.g., wires, tubes, electrodes), which minimizes exposure to
      tissue deformations.

PMID- 26487981
TI  - Improvement of Distribution and Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal
      Stem Cells by Hyaluronic Acid and beta-Tricalcium Phosphate-Coated Polymeric
      Scaffold In Vitro.
AB  - Bone tissue engineering requires a well-designed scaffold that can be
      biodegradable, biocompatible, and support the stem cells to osteogenic
      differentiation. Porous polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold prepared by fused
      deposition modeling is an attractive biomaterial that has been used in clinic.
      However, PCL scaffolds lack biological function and osteoinductivity. In this
      study, we functionalized the PCL scaffolds by embedding them with a matrix of
      hyaluronic acid/beta-tricalcium phosphate (HA/TCP). Human mesenchymal stem cells
      (MSCs) were cultured on scaffolds with and without coating to investigate
      proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. The DNA amount was significantly
      higher in the HA/TCP-coated scaffold on day 21. At the gene expression level,
      HA/TCP coating significantly increased the expression of ALP and COLI on day 4.
      These data correlated with the ALP activity peaking on day 7 in the HA/TCP-coated
      scaffold. Scanning electron microscope and histological analysis revealed that
      the cell matrix and calcium deposition were distributed more uniformly in the
      coated scaffolds compared to scaffolds without coating. In conclusion, the HA/TCP
      coating improved cellular proliferation, osteogenic differentiation, and uniform
      distribution of the cellular matrix in vitro. The HA/TCP-PCL scaffold holds great
      promise to accommodate human bone marrow-derived MSCs for bone reconstruction
      purposes, which warrants future in vivo studies. 

PMID- 26487983
TI  - Understanding Democracy and Development Traps Using a Data-Driven Approach.
AB  - Methods from machine learning and data science are becoming increasingly
      important in the social sciences, providing powerful new ways of identifying
      statistical relationships in large data sets. However, these relationships do not
      necessarily offer an understanding of the processes underlying the data. To
      address this problem, we have developed a method for fitting nonlinear dynamical
      systems models to data related to social change. Here, we use this method to
      investigate how countries become trapped at low levels of socioeconomic
      development. We identify two types of traps. The first is a democracy trap, where
      countries with low levels of economic growth and/or citizen education fail to
      develop democracy. The second trap is in terms of cultural values, where
      countries with low levels of democracy and/or life expectancy fail to develop
      emancipative values. We show that many key developing countries, including India
      and Egypt, lie near the border of these development traps, and we investigate the
      time taken for these nations to transition toward higher democracy and
      socioeconomic well-being.

PMID- 26487982
TI  - Porous, Ventricular Extracellular Matrix-Derived Foams as a Platform for Cardiac
      Cell Culture.
AB  - To more closely mimic the native cellular microenvironment, 3D scaffolds derived
      from the extracellular matrix (ECM) are being developed as alternatives to
      conventional 2D culture systems. In the present study, we established methods to
      fabricate nonchemically cross-linked 3D porous foams derived entirely from
      decellularized porcine left ventricle (DLV) for use as an in vitro cardiac cell
      culture platform. Furthermore, we explored the effects of physically
      preprocessing the DLV through mechanical mincing versus cryomilling, as well as
      varying the ECM concentration on the structure, composition, and physical
      properties of the foams. Our results indicate that the less highly processed
      minced foams had a more cohesive and complex network of ECM components, enhanced
      mechanical properties, and improved stability under simulated culturing
      conditions. To validate the DLV foams, a proof-of-concept study was conducted to
      explore the early cardiomyogenic differentiation of pericardial fat adipose
      derived stem/stromal cells (pfASCs) on the minced DLV foams relative to purified
      collagen I gel controls. Differentiation was induced using a modified
      cardiomyogenic medium (MCM) or through stimulation with 5-azacytidine (5-aza),
      and cardiomyocyte marker expression was characterized by immunohistochemistry and
      real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Our results indicate
      that early markers of cardiomyogenic differentiation were significantly enhanced
      on the DLV foams cultured in MCM, suggesting a synergistic effect of the cardiac
      ECM-derived scaffolds and the culture medium on the induction of pfASC
      differentiation. Furthermore, in analyzing the response in the noninduced control
      groups, the foams were observed to provide a mildly inductive microenvironment
      for pfASC cardiomyogenesis, supporting the rationale for using tissue-specific
      ECM as a substrate for cardiac cell culture applications. 

PMID- 26487984
TI  - Utilization and Monetization of Healthcare Data in Developing Countries.
AB  - In developing countries with fledgling healthcare systems, the efficient
      deployment of scarce resources is paramount. Comprehensive community health data
      and machine learning techniques can optimize the allocation of resources to
      areas, epidemics, or populations most in need of medical aid or services.
      However, reliable data collection in low-resource settings is challenging due to
      a wide range of contextual, business-related, communication, and technological
      factors. Community health workers (CHWs) are trusted community members who
      deliver basic health education and services to their friends and neighbors. While
      an increasing number of programs leverage CHWs for last mile data collection, a
      fundamental challenge to such programs is the lack of tangible incentives for the
      CHWs. This article describes potential applications of health data in developing
      countries and reviews the challenges to reliable data collection. Four practical
      CHW-centric business models that provide incentive and accountability structures
      to facilitate data collection are presented. Creating and strengthening the data
      collection infrastructure is a prerequisite for big data scientists, machine
      learning experts, and public health administrators to ultimately elevate and
      transform healthcare systems in resource-poor settings.

PMID- 26487985
TI  - Does Medical School Training Relate to Practice? Evidence from Big Data.
AB  - On April 2nd, 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a
      historic policy in its effort to increase the transparency in the American
      healthcare system. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) would
      publicly release a dataset containing information about the types of Medicare
      services, requested charges, and payments issued by providers across the country.
      In its release, HHS stated that the data would shed light on "Medicare fraud,
      waste, and abuse." While this is most certainly true, we believe that it can
      provide so much more. Beyond the purely financial aspects of procedure charges
      and payments, the procedures themselves may provide us with additional
      information, not only about the Medicare population, but also about the
      physicians themselves. The procedures a physician performs are for the most part
      not novel, but rather recommended, observed, and studied. However, whether a
      physician decides on advocating a procedure is somewhat discretionary. Some
      patients require a clear course of action, while others may benefit from a
      variety of options. This article poses the following question: How does a
      physician's past experience in medical school shape his or her practicing
      decisions? This article aims to open the analysis into how data, such as the CMS
      Medicare release, can help further our understanding of knowledge transfer and
      how experiences during education can shape a physician's decision's over the
      course of his or her career. This work begins with an evaluation into
      similarities between medical school charges, procedures, and payments. It then
      details how schools' procedure choices may link them in other, more interesting
      ways. Finally, the article includes a geographic analysis of how medical school
      procedure payments and charges are distributed nationally, highlighting potential
      deviations.

PMID- 26487986
TI  - Does Television Viewership Predict Presidential Election Outcomes?
AB  - The days of surprise about actual election outcomes in the big data world are
      likely to be fewer in the years ahead, at least to those who may have access to
      such data. In this paper we highlight the potential for forecasting the Unites
      States presidential election outcomes at the state and county levels based solely
      on the data about viewership of television programs. A key consideration for
      relevance is that given the infrequent nature of elections, such models are
      useful only if they can be trained using recent data on viewership. However, the
      target variable (election outcome) is usually not known until the election is
      over. Related to this, we show here that such models may be trained with the
      television viewership data in the "safe" states (the ones where the outcome can
      be assumed even in the days preceding elections) to potentially forecast the
      outcomes in the swing states. In addition to their potential to forecast, these
      models could also help campaigns target programs for advertisements. Nearly two
      billion dollars were spent on television advertising in the 2012 presidential
      race, suggesting potential for big data-driven optimization of campaign spending.

PMID- 26487987
TI  - Using Big Data to Understand the Human Condition: The Kavli HUMAN Project.
AB  - Until now, most large-scale studies of humans have either focused on very
      specific domains of inquiry or have relied on between-subjects approaches. While
      these previous studies have been invaluable for revealing important biological
      factors in cardiac health or social factors in retirement choices, no single
      repository contains anything like a complete record of the health, education,
      genetics, environmental, and lifestyle profiles of a large group of individuals
      at the within-subject level. This seems critical today because emerging evidence
      about the dynamic interplay between biology, behavior, and the environment point
      to a pressing need for just the kind of large-scale, long-term synoptic dataset
      that does not yet exist at the within-subject level. At the same time that the
      need for such a dataset is becoming clear, there is also growing evidence that
      just such a synoptic dataset may now be obtainable-at least at moderate scale
      using contemporary big data approaches. To this end, we introduce the Kavli HUMAN
      Project (KHP), an effort to aggregate data from 2,500 New York City households in
      all five boroughs (roughly 10,000 individuals) whose biology and behavior will be
      measured using an unprecedented array of modalities over 20 years. It will also
      richly measure environmental conditions and events that KHP members experience
      using a geographic information system database of unparalleled scale, currently
      under construction in New York. In this manner, KHP will offer both synoptic and
      granular views of how human health and behavior coevolve over the life cycle and
      why they evolve differently for different people. In turn, we argue that this
      will allow for new discovery-based scientific approaches, rooted in big data
      analytics, to improving the health and quality of human life, particularly in
      urban contexts.

PMID- 26487988
TI  - Opportunities for New Insights on the Life-Course Risks and Outcomes of Cognitive
      Decline in the Kavli HUMAN Project.
AB  - The Kavli HUMAN Project (KHP) will provide groundbreaking insights into how
      biological, medical, and social factors interact and impact the risks for
      cognitive decline from birth through older age. It will richly measure the effect
      of cognitive decline on the ability to perform key activities of daily living. In
      addition, due to its family focus, the KHP will measure the impact on family
      members, including the amount of time that family members spend providing care to
      older adults with dementia. It will also clarify the division of caregiving
      duties among family members and the effects on caregivers' work, family life, and
      balance thereof. At the same time, for care that the family cannot provide, it
      will clarify the extent to which cognitive decline impacts healthcare utilization
      and end-of-life decision making.

PMID- 26487989
TI  - Diets and Health: How Food Decisions Are Shaped by Biology, Economics, Geography,
      and Social Interactions.
AB  - Health is shaped by both personal choices and features of the food environment.
      Food-choice decisions depend on complex interactions between biology and
      behavior, and are further modulated by the built environment and community
      structure. That lower-income families have lower-quality diets is well
      established. Yet, diet quality also varies across small geographic neighborhoods
      and can be influenced by transportation, retail, and ease of access to healthy
      foods, as well as by attitudes, beliefs, and social interactions. The learnings
      from the Seattle Obesity Study (SOS II) can be usefully applied to the much
      larger, more complex, and far more socially and ethnically diverse urban
      environment of New York City. The Kavli HUMAN Project (KHP) is ideally positioned
      to advance the understanding of health disparities by exploring the multiple
      underpinnings of food decision making. By combining geo-localized food shopping
      and consumption data with health behaviors, diet quality measures, and
      biomarkers, also coded by geographic location, the KHP will create the first-of
      its-kind bio-behavioral, economic, and cultural atlas of diet quality and health
      for New York City.

PMID- 26487990
TI  - How Genetic and Other Biological Factors Interact with Smoking Decisions.
AB  - Despite clear links between genes and smoking, effective public policy requires
      far richer measurement of the feedback between biological, behavioral, and
      environmental factors. The Kavli HUMAN Project (KHP) plans to exploit the
      plummeting costs of data gathering and to make creative use of new technologies
      to construct a longitudinal panel data set that would compare favorably to
      existing longitudinal surveys, both in terms of the richness of the behavioral
      measures and the cost-effectiveness of the data collection. By developing a more
      comprehensive approach to characterizing behavior than traditional methods, KHP
      will allow researchers to paint a much richer picture of an individual's life
      cycle trajectory of smoking, alcohol, and drug use, and interactions with other
      choices and environmental factors. The longitudinal nature of KHP will be
      particularly valuable in light of the increasing evidence for how smoking
      behavior affects physiology and health. The KHP could have a transformative
      impact on the understanding of the biology of addictive behaviors such as
      smoking, and of a rich range of prevention and amelioration policies.

PMID- 26487991
TI  - Real-Time Assessment of Wellness and Disease in Daily Life.
AB  - The next frontier in medicine involves better quantifying human traits, known as
      "phenotypes." Biological markers have been directly associated with disease
      risks, but poor measurement of behaviors such as diet and exercise limits our
      understanding of preventive measures. By joining together an uncommonly wide
      range of disciplines and expertise, the Kavli HUMAN Project will advance
      measurement of behavioral phenotypes, as well as environmental factors that
      impact behavior. By following the same individuals over time, KHP will liberate
      new understanding of dynamic links between behavioral phenotypes, disease, and
      the broader environment. As KHP advances understanding of the bio-behavioral
      complex, it will seed new approaches to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment
      of human disease.

PMID- 26487992
TI  - Infant Trauma Management in the Emergency Department: An Emergency Medicine
      Simulation Exercise.
AB  - In a trauma situation, it is essential that emergency room physicians are able to
      think clearly, make decisions quickly and manage patients in a way consistent
      with their injuries. In order for emergency medicine residents to adequately
      develop the skills to deal with trauma situations, it is imperative that they
      have the opportunity to experience such scenarios in a controlled environment
      with aptly timed feedback. In the case of infant trauma, sensitivities have to be
      taken that are specific to pediatric medicine. The following describes a
      simulation session in which trainees were tasked with managing an infantile
      patient who had experienced a major trauma as a result of a single vehicle
      accident. The described simulation session utilized human patient simulators and
      was tailored to junior (year 1 and 2) emergency medicine residents. 

PMID- 26487993
TI  - An Algorithm to Predict Success of Indirect Decompression Using the Extreme
      Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion Procedure.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to define an algorithm that will predict
      the success of indirect decompression without the need for direct decompression
      in patients undergoing lateral lumbar interbody fusions. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A
      prospective cohort study was undertaken for patients undergoing indirect
      decompression with lateral lumbar interbody fusion. Patients had to meet the
      following criteria prior to indirect fusion: lack of facet fusion on CT, absence
      of free disc fragment or compressive facet joint cyst on MRI, absence of frank
      osteoporosis, lack of congenital and/or severe spinal stenosis on MRI, and
      significant reduction (greater than 50%) in leg and back pain at rest. We then
      assessed which patients at follow-up required a second stage open decompression
      procedure because of continued back and/or leg pain.   RESULTS: Our series
      included 28 patients who underwent indirect decompression with extreme lateral
      lumbar interbody fusion. Of the 28 patients, one patient required a second stage
      open decompression at follow-up. The most common level operated on was the L4-L5
      level. Twelve patients underwent more than a single level fusion. Average
      preoperative lumbar lordosis was 29 degrees and average postoperative lordosis
      was 45 degrees. The average patient age was 66.3 years and average follow-up was
      1.21 years.   CONCLUSIONS: Our algorithm can be used as an aid to assess which
      patients may benefit from indirect decompression alone, compared to indirect
      decompression combined with posterior decompression procedures.

PMID- 26487994
TI  - Organized Pneumonia Secondary to Increasing Doses of Temozolomide.
AB  - Surgery, radiotherapy (RT), and chemotherapy have a role in the control of tumor
      growth, progression, and recurrence in high-grade gliomas. Temozolomide has been
      incorporated as the main chemotherapy agent for managing these tumors. Here, we
      present a case of a patient who developed a severe organizing pneumonia after
      increasing doses of temozolomide for a high-grade glioma. 

PMID- 26487995
TI  - Diagnostic Yield of FDG-PET/CT, MRI, and CSF Cytology in Non-Biopsiable
      Neurolymphomatosis as a Heralding Sign of Recurrent Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
AB  - Neurolymphomatosis (NL) is a rare condition associated with lymphomas in which
      various structures of the nervous system are infiltrated by malignant
      lymphocytes. Rarely, it may be the presenting feature of recurrence of lymphoma
      otherwise deemed to be in remission. It is crucial, as is the case with all types
      of nodal or visceral involvement of lymphoma, to identify the disease early and
      initiate treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Positron emission
      tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) has been shown to be a sensitive modality
      for staging, restaging, biopsy guidance, therapy response assessment, and
      surveillance for recurrence of lymphoma. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is
      another useful imaging modality, which, along with PET/CT, compliment
      cerebrospinal spinal fluid (CSF) cytology and electromyography (EMG) in the
      diagnosis of NL. Performing nerve biopsies to confirm neurolymphomatosis can be
      challenging and with associated morbidity. The case presented herein illustrates
      the practical usefulness of these tests in detecting NL as a heralding feature of
      lymphoma recurrence, especially in the absence of histopathologic correlation. 

PMID- 26487996
TI  - Safety and Patient Acceptability of Stellate Ganglion Blockade as a Treatment
      Adjunct for Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Quality Assurance
      Initiative.
AB  - OBJECTIVE:  To perform a quality assurance and performance improvement project
      through review of our single center data on the safety and patient acceptability
      of the stellate ganglion blockade (SGB) procedure for the relief of symptoms
      related to chronic post-traumatic stress disorder. BACKGROUND:  Our
      interventional pain management service has been offering trials of SGB therapy to
      assist with the management of the sympathetically mediated anxiety and
      hyperarousal symptoms of severe and treatment-refractory combat-related PTSD.
      There have been multiple case series in the literature describing the potential
      impact of this procedure for PTSD symptom management as well as the safety of
      image-guided procedures. We wished to ensure that we were performing this
      procedure safely and that patients were tolerating and accepting of this
      adjunctive treatment option. METHODS:  We conducted a review of our quality
      assurance and performance improvement data over the past 18 months during which
      we performed 250 stellate ganglion blocks for the management of PTSD symptoms to
      detect any potential complications or unanticipated side effects.  We also
      analyzed responses from an anonymous patient de-identified survey collected
      regarding the comfort and satisfaction associated with the procedure. RESULTS: 
      We did not identify any immediate post-procedural complications or delayed
      complications from any of the 250 procedures performed from November 2013 to
      April 2015. Of the 110 surveys that were returned and tabulated, 100% of the
      patients surveyed were overall satisfied with our process and with the procedure,
      100% said they would recommend the procedure to a friend, and 95% stated that
      they would be willing to undergo as many repeat procedures as necessary based on
      little discomfort and tolerable side effects. CONCLUSION:  Our quality assurance
      assessment suggests that in our center the SGB procedure for PTSD is a safe, well
      tolerated, and acceptable treatment adjunct in the management of severe symptoms
      associated with chronic treatment-refractory PTSD. Patient satisfaction responses
      are strongly suggestive of high therapeutic value, and further studies are
      indicated to determine the effectiveness, duration of action, and optimal
      treatment regimen.

PMID- 26487997
TI  - Meningiomas of the Anterior Clinoid Process: Is It Wise to Drill Out the Optic
      Canal?
AB  - INTRODUCTION:  Meningiomas of the anterior clinoid process are uncommon tumors,
      acknowledged by most experienced surgeons to be among the most challenging
      meningiomas to completely remove. In this article, we summarize our institutional
      experience removing these uncommon and challenging skull base meningiomas.
      METHODS:  We analyzed the clinical outcomes of patients undergoing surgical
      removal of anterior at our institution over an 18-year period. We characterized
      the radiographic appearance of these tumors and related tumor features to
      symptoms and ability to obtain a gross total resection. We also analyzed visual
      outcomes in these patients, focusing on visual outcomes with and without optic
      canal unroofing. RESULTS:  We identified 29 patients with anterior clinoid
      meningiomas who underwent surgical resection at our institution between 1991 and
      2007. The median length of follow-up was 7.5 years (range: 2.0 to 18.6 years).
      Similar to others, we found gross total resection was seldom safely achievable in
      these patients. Despite this, only 1/20 of patients undergoing subtotal resection
      without immediate postoperative radiosurgery experienced tumor progression. The
      optic canal was unroofed in 18/29 patients in this series, while in 11/29
      patients it was not. Notably, all five patients experiencing visual improvement
      underwent optic canal unroofing, while three of four patients experiencing visual
      worsening did not. CONCLUSIONS:   These data provide some evidence suggesting
      that unroofing the optic canal in anterior clinoid meningiomas might improve
      visual outcomes in these patients.

PMID- 26487998
TI  - Patterns of Relapse in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Tonsil - Unilateral vs.
      Bilateral Radiation in the HPV-Era.
AB  - OBJECTIVES:  In the pre-human papillomavirus (HPV) era, unilateral radiation
      therapy (URT) for tonsil cancer was associated with low contralateral failure
      rates and had less toxicity than bilateral radiation therapy (BRT). This study
      explores the validity of URT in HPV-positive tonsil cancers. METHODS:  Tonsil
      squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) treated (typically with 70 Gy radiation and
      Cisplatin-based chemotherapy) between 2001 and 2007 were reviewed. Retrospective
      p16 immunohistochemistry staining was undertaken. Baseline, treatment, and
      response data were collected. RESULTS:  Of 182 patients, 78% were p16-positive,
      were younger (predominantly male), mostly former or non-smokers, and had a more
      advanced nodal stage. With a median follow-up of 68 months, contralateral
      recurrence (CLR) rates were low (3.5% p16-positive versus 2.5% p16-negative,
      p=0.63). Overall survival (OS) was 74% for p16-positive versus 54% for p16
      negative subjects (p=0.01), but all other outcomes were similar. Analysis amongst
      only p16-positive subjects revealed URT was delivered to 37%, with CLR rates of
      7.5% versus 1.1% for those treated with BRT, p=0.05. Of the four p16-positive
      subjects treated with URT who developed contralateral recurrences, three were
      managed with neck dissection (two disease-free and one died of lung metastases)
      and one received palliative radiation to the neck and distant metastatic site.
      All disease control and survival outcomes were similar between those treated with
      URT versus BRT. CONCLUSION:  While CLRs remain rare overall, there appears to be
      a slightly increased rate among HPV-positive subjects treated with URT. However,
      overall outcomes do not appear to be impacted, suggesting that URT remains a
      reasonable approach in HPV-positive subjects.

PMID- 26487999
TI  - The Origin and History of the N-Localizer for Stereotactic Neurosurgery.
AB  - Nearly four decades after the invention of the N-localizer, its origin and
      history remain misunderstood. Some are unaware that a third-year medical student
      invented this technology. The following conspectus accurately chronicles the
      origin and early history of the N-localizer and corrects some misconceptions
      related to both. 

PMID- 26488000
TI  - SBRT Treatment of Multiple Recurrent Auricular Squamous Cell Carcinomas Following
      Surgical and Conventional Radiation Treatment Failure.
AB  - The treatment of recurrent skin cancers of the head and neck following curative
      doses of radiotherapy and/or surgery is usually palliative radiation therapy (RT)
      but with mediocre control rates leading to symptomatic local recurrences. We
      present a 93-year-old male treated with 50 Gy in five fractions for a
      subauricular cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma who initially underwent partial
      auriculectomy and accelerated concomitant boost radiotherapy (60 Gy in 21
      fractions over 23 days), and then two additional surgeries ending with completion
      auriculectomy. Re-irradiation with SBRT was well tolerated despite prior high
      dose therapy. 

PMID- 26488001
TI  - Embolization of Ruptured Aneurysm Arising From Basilar Artery Fenestration Using
      Hydrocoils.
AB  - Aneurysms arising from the basilar artery fenestration are considered among the
      rare cerebrovascular diseases. Here, we report on a 44-year-old gentleman who
      presented with the sudden onset of severe headache complicated by several
      episodes of vomiting and an altered level of consciousness. A subarachnoid
      hemorrhage in the interpeduncle and ambient cisterns was detected by computed
      tomography of the head. During left vertebral arteriography, a basilar
      fenestration with a ruptured aneurysm just above the proximal end of
      vertebrobasilar junction was identified. The aneurysm was successfully occluded
      by means of endovascular treatment using Hydrosoft coils. In the 15-month follow
      up angiography, 100% occlusion without recurrence and recanalization was
      observed. Bilateral anterior inferior cerebellar arteries and both channels of
      the basilar artery fenestration were entirely filled in follow-up angiograms. 

PMID- 26488002
TI  - Focused issue on "Melanoma".

PMID- 26488003
TI  - Recent advances in the treatment of melanoma with BRAF and MEK inhibitors.
AB  - Selective inhibition of the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway with
      either BRAF or MEK inhibition has emerged as the key component for the treatment
      of BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma. New evidence from several phase III trials
      suggests that the combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors improves tumor response
      rate and progression-free survival (PFS). Some of the serious adverse events, in
      particular, the incidence of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma seen with the
      monotherapy treatment with a BRAF inhibitor are attenuated with combination
      therapy, whereas milder side effects such as pyrexia can be more common with
      combination therapy. Although dose reductions and dose interruptions are slightly
      more common with combination therapy, overall data supports the notion that
      combination therapy is safe and improves the outcomes for metastatic melanoma
      patients compared to single agent BRAF inhibitors. 

PMID- 26488004
TI  - Predictive factors for immunotherapy in melanoma.
AB  - Immunotherapy has emerged as an exciting strategy for cancer treatment.
      Therapeutic blockade of immune checkpoint regulators favors the ability of T cell
      responses to increase anti-tumor immunity. The cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated
      antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) are two T cell-inhibitory
      receptors with independent mechanisms of action. Immune checkpoint inhibitors
      targeting either CTLA-4, PD-1 or its ligand PD-L1 are currently yielding
      promising results in terms of efficacy in several clinical studies with melanoma
      patients and are being developed and tested as immunotherapy agents for multiple
      cancer types. To date, no reliable predictors of activity and efficacy of
      immunotherapy have yet been identified or validated. Even so, determining which
      patients derive clinical benefit from immune checkpoint agents remains an
      important clinical question and efforts to identify predictive markers of
      response are ongoing. This article reviews the current potential predictive
      factors for CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoints inhibitors in melanoma. 

PMID- 26488005
TI  - Epigenetic mechanisms involved in melanoma pathogenesis and chemoresistance.
AB  - The discovery of highly recurrent mutations in melanoma, such as BRAF(V600E),
      completely changed the clinical management including therapy of melanoma
      patients. In the era of Personalized Medicine targeted melanoma therapies showed
      high response rates, currently evidenced by BRAF inhibitors or immune-stimulating
      therapies. In addition to genetic biomarkers, epigenetic knowledge in melanoma
      has undergone a major step forward in recent years. In particular, epigenetics is
      unveiling new perspectives to fight this disease, providing an encouraging number
      of DNA methylation based biomarkers that will likely improve patient
      stratification for prognosis and treatment. In this regard, putative targetable
      biomarkers or those with predictive value for the outcome of currently applied
      therapies are promising tools for future precision oncology strategies. In
      addition, the progress made in genetic and epigenetic profiling technologies and
      their reconfiguration to real-time clinical screening approaches makes
      personalized medicine in melanoma an achievable objective in upcoming years. 

PMID- 26488007
TI  - Electric vs. harmonic scalpel in treatment of primary focal hyperhidrosis with
      thoracoscopic sympathectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyperhidrosis is defined as excessive sweating beyond the physiologic
      needs of a person. Palmar hyperhidrosis in the adolescent period may have an
      impact on school work and may cause psychological problems. Thoracoscopic
      sympathectomy is now used routinely to treat patients with disabling primary
      hyperhidrosis or facial blushing. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 2008 to
      December of 2009 bilateral thoracoscopic sympathectomy Th2-Th4 was performed to
      79 patients aged from 17 to 55, who suffered from palmar, axillar or craniofacial
      hyperhidrosis. For the first 39 patients (group A) thoracoscopic sympathectomy
      was performed using electric scalpel and for the next 40 patients (group B)
      thoracoscopic sympathectomy was performed using harmonic scalpel. RESULTS: Based
      on our results we did not find any significant differences between electric or
      harmonic scalpel usages for thoracoscopic sympathectomy. Moreover, there was no
      significant difference between complications and the severity of pain, with
      slightly higher intensity of pain with harmonic scalpel usage. Both electric and
      harmonic scalpel provided adequate treatment for primary hyperhidrosis, with the
      fact that non-disposable electric scalpel costs were less than that of the
      disposable harmonic scalpel. CONCLUSIONS: Sympathectomy should be preferred for
      palmar hyperhidrosis treatment, as it is much technically shorter, simpler to
      implement, and also easier to learn. Thoracoscopic sympathectomy is safe and
      effective for the treatment of primary palmar hyperhidrosis in the adolescent
      period without any major side effects.

PMID- 26488006
TI  - Update in genetic susceptibility in melanoma.
AB  - Melanoma is the most deadly of the common skin cancers and its incidence is
      rapidly increasing. Approximately 10% of cases occur in a familial context. To
      date, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A), which was identified as the
      first melanoma susceptibility gene more than 20 years ago, is the main high-risk
      gene for melanoma. A few years later cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) was also
      identified as a melanoma susceptibility gene. The technologic advances have
      allowed the identification of new genes involved in melanoma susceptibility:
      Breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) associated protein 1 (BAP1), CXC genes, telomerase
      reverse transcriptase (TERT), protection of telomeres 1 (POT1), ACD and TERF2IP,
      the latter four being involved in telomere maintenance. Furthermore variants in
      melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor
      (MITF) give a moderately increased risk to develop melanoma. Melanoma genetic
      counseling is offered to families in order to better understand the disease and
      the genetic susceptibility of developing it. Genetic counseling often implies
      genetic testing, although patients can benefit from genetic counseling even when
      they do not fulfill the criteria for these tests. Genetic testing for melanoma
      predisposition mutations can be used in clinical practice under adequate
      selection criteria and giving a valid test interpretation and genetic counseling
      to the individual. 

PMID- 26488008
TI  - Surgical anatomy of the internal thoracic arteries and their branching pattern: a
      cadaveric study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to review the anatomic characteristics
      of internal thoracic artery (ITA) and its branches, in order to pursue the
      extension of its utilization and avoid intraoperative and postoperative
      complications. METHODS: The study was carried out on anterior chest walls
      obtained during routine autopsies of 50 specimens (30 male, 20 female).
      Macroscopic and microscopic dissection was performed and the following were
      studied: origin, length and termination of ITA, size and distance from the
      sternum, and types of branches. RESULTS: From the origin to the termination
      point, the length of the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) varied from 159 to
      220 mm; with a mean of 182.60 mm. The length of the right internal thoracic
      artery (RITA) varied from 150 to 231 mm; with a mean of 185 mm. Four types of
      branches were distinguished. The RITA mean diameter was 2.31 mm, measured at the
      2(nd) intercostal space, while the distance from the sternum was 12.77 mm,
      measured at the 3(rd) intercostal space. The LITA mean diameter was 1.98 mm with
      the distance from the sternum measured at 12.01 mm. CONCLUSIONS: ITA has become
      the primary conduit for cardiac bypass surgery; many studies have generated
      fundamental anatomical knowledge for its clinical utilization, which is always
      useful in order to avoid intraoperative and postoperative complications.

PMID- 26488009
TI  - Clinical guidelines on intraoperative neuromonitoring during thyroid and
      parathyroid surgery.

PMID- 26488010
TI  - Intraarticular hyaluronate injection for knee osteoarthritis-reconsider the
      rationale.

PMID- 26488011
TI  - Rapid infectious diseases diagnostics using Smartphones.
AB  - The "Smartphone" is an almost universal possession in high-income populations,
      and is rapidly becoming so in lower-income regions, particularly among urban
      populations, and serves social networking and a quest for information and
      knowledge. The field of infectious disease diagnostics is at a potential
      watershed moment, with the essential building blocks for the development of
      diagnostic assays being ever more available and affordable, which is leading to
      creative innovative approaches to developing much-needed accurate and simple
      point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tools for high disease burden, low-income
      settings. We review the importance and implications of a paper published in
      Science Translational Medicine on the development of a smartphone-powered and 
      controlled multiplex immunological assay that tests for HIV and syphilis
      simultaneously. This is reviewed in the context of other prototype smartphone
      enabled/assisted diagnostic devices, and how such developments might shape the
      future of the POC diagnostics field. 

PMID- 26488012
TI  - Editorial on "Comprehensive geriatric care for patients with hip fractures: a
      prospective, randomized, controlled trial" published in The Lancet on April
      25(th), 2015.
AB  - A third of elderly adults fall every year, many leading to hip fractures with a
      24% mortality rate just within the first year. As a growing number of the US
      population approaches old age, these hip fractures are expected to cost the US
      over 25 billion annually. In the near future, physicians will need to not only
      improve the treatment for a larger patient population but also reduce the medical
      costs associated. The authors in this paper sought to determine whether
      specialized geriatric care positively impacted patient outcome compared to
      standard orthopaedic care for hip fractures. The study found that geriatric care
      significantly increased patient mobility within 4 months after hip fracture and
      will likely reduce overall medical costs. Similar studies have shown promising
      results as well. Moving forward, geriatric fracture programs need more
      prospective randomized trials to determine the effectiveness of these programs to
      increase patient quality while also reducing overall medical costs. This study in
      correlation with others further demonstrates the importance and need of
      specialized geriatric programs in the US. 

PMID- 26488013
TI  - Why arthroscopic partial meniscectomy?
AB  - "Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy versus Sham Surgery for a Degenerative
      Meniscal Tear" published in the New England Journal of Medicine on December 26,
      2013 draws the conclusion that arthroscopic partial medial meniscectomy provides
      no significant benefit over sham surgery in patients with a degenerative meniscal
      tear and no knee osteoarthritis. This result argues against the current practice
      of performing arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) in patients with a
      degenerative meniscal tear. Since the number of APM performed has been
      increasing, the information provided by this study should lead to a change in
      clinical care of patients with a degenerative meniscus tear. 

PMID- 26488014
TI  - A bone to pick with Fc gamma receptors.

PMID- 26488015
TI  - The promise of lung master protocol for squamous cell carcinoma: one trial to
      rule them all, one trial to find them...?
AB  - The recently initiated lung master protocol (Lung-MAP) trial provides hope that
      the successes of targeted molecular therapy in lung adenocarcinoma can be
      extended to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). It also is a template for rapid
      translation of clinical research through regulatory approval to clinical
      practice. This is vital in cancers with multiple possible oncogenic genomic
      aberrations, for which clinical trials would be too costly and impractical to
      conduct for individual targets making up less than 10% of cases. 

PMID- 26488016
TI  - Hybrid Ivor Lewis esophagectomy with robotic assisted gastric mobilization and
      thoracoscopic esophageal dissection and anastomosis.

PMID- 26488017
TI  - Mutations in SOD1 and FUS caused juvenile-onset sporadic amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis with aggressive progression.
AB  - Juvenile onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a very rare form of motor
      neuron disease, with the first symptoms of motor neuron degeneration manifested
      before 25 years of age. Juvenile ALS is more frequently familial in nature than
      the adult-onset forms. Mutations in the alsin (ALS2), senataxin (SETX), and
      Spatacsin (SPG11) have been associated with familial ALS with juvenile onset and
      slowly progression. Here we reported two apparently sporadic ALS with juvenile
      onset and aggressive progression caused by mutations in the SOD1 and FUS gene. We
      also reviewed juvenile-onset ALS in publications. Our findings, together with
      other researches, confirms that both SOD1 and FUS mutations can lead to juvenile
      onset malignant form of ALS and should be screened in ALS patients with an
      earlier age of onset, aggressive progression, even if there is no apparent family
      history. 

PMID- 26488018
TI  - Lifestyle changes might prevent Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26488019
TI  - The world's first radical resection for lung cancer using glasses-free 3D
      thoracoscope was completed in Guangzhou.

PMID- 26488020
TI  - Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia may initially mimic lichenoid reactions.
AB  - Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia is an intriguing disease, which occurs
      particularly in women aged greater than 60 years, is not associated with tobacco
      and alcohol, and has a high risk of recurrence and malignant transformation.
      Although it is well known that the typical presentation is characterized by
      multifocal and verrucous white lesions, there is no description that its initial
      clinical presentation may simulate a lichenoid reaction. 

PMID- 26488021
TI  - Port site infection in laparoscopic surgery: A review of its management.
AB  - Laparoscopic surgery (LS), also termed minimal access surgery, has brought a
      paradigm shift in the approach to modern surgical care. Early postoperative
      recovery, less pain, improved aesthesis and early return to work have led to its
      popularity both amongst surgeons and patients. Its application has progressed
      from cholecystectomies and appendectomies to various other fields including
      gastrointestinal surgery, urology, gynecology and oncosurgery. However, LS has
      its own package of complications. Port site infection (PSI), although infrequent,
      is one of the bothersome complications which undermine the benefits of minimal
      invasive surgery. Not only does it add to the morbidity of the patient but also
      spoils the reputation of the surgeon. Despite the advances in the field of
      antimicrobial agents, sterilization techniques, surgical techniques, operating
      room ventilation, PSIs still prevail. The emergence of rapid growing atypical
      mycobacteria with multidrug resistance, which are the causative organism in most
      of the cases, has further compounded the problem. PSIs are preventable if
      appropriate measures are taken preoperatively, intraoperatively and
      postoperatively. PSIs can often be treated non-surgically, with early
      identification and appropriate management. Macrolides, quinolones and
      aminoglycosides antibiotics do show promising activity against the atypical
      mycobacteria. This review article highlights the clinical burden, presentations
      and management of PSIs in LS as shared by various authors in the literature. We
      have given emphasis to atypical mycobacteria, which are emerging as a common
      etiological agent for PSIs in LS. Although the existing literature lacks
      consensus regarding PSI management, the complication can be best avoided by
      strictly abiding by the commandments of sterilization techniques of the
      laparoscopic instruments with appropriate sterilizing agent. 

PMID- 26488022
TI  - Arrhythmogenic epilepsy and pacing need: A matter of controversy.
AB  - There is increasing awareness among the cardiology community regarding ictal
      bradyarrhythmias as a cause of loss of consciousness. A high degree of suspicion
      is necessary when diagnosing ictal bradyarrhythmias, and delay in diagnosing this
      condition may lead to morbidity associated with falls and trauma. Ictal
      bradyarrhythmias have also been suggested to be associated with sudden
      unexplained death in epilepsy, although evidence related to this association is
      limited. There is no guideline-directed therapy for symptomatic ictal
      bradyarrhythmias due to a lack of randomized, controlled trials. Cardiac
      pacemaker therapy is commonly used for these patients; however, currently, there
      is no universal agreement on the pacing indications for these patients. In this
      review, we focus on the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of ictal
      bradyarrhythmias and then discuss the pacing need based on the available
      literature data. 

PMID- 26488023
TI  - Disease that should be remembered: Sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus disease and
      short history.
AB  - Pilonidal sinus disease has led to heated debates since it was first described in
      the medical literature. Although a consensus has been built on its etiology and
      pathogenesis, the same course has not progressed for treatment modality. This
      review is a short article about the process of pilonidal sinus disease from past
      to present. Some important points were mentioned between the years 1833, which is
      accepted as the milestone for the awareness of the disease, in which it was first
      reported until the year of 1880, in which it was given its name. Although its
      name has been the same for about two centuries, some other names such as "Jeep
      Disease" have also been used depending on the population affected by the disease.
      At present, it is indisputable that the disease is acquired. Large series were
      presented about the treatment in the last two decades. Some surgical methods were
      even named after the ones who first described them and they have many supporters.
      However, since the treatment modalities have some advantages and disadvantages
      and they do not have marked superiority over others, debates still continue. We
      hope that pilonidal sinus disease will not lose its significance and be
      underrated in parallel with the developments in technology and specialization in
      medicine. 

PMID- 26488024
TI  - Improved bowel preparation increases polyp detection and unmasks significant
      polyp miss rate.
AB  - AIM: To retrospectively compare previous-day vs split-dose preparation in terms
      of bowel cleanliness and polyp detection in patients referred for polypectomy.
      METHODS: Fifty patients underwent two colonoscopies: one diagnostic in a private
      clinic and a second for polypectomy in a University Hospital. The latter
      procedures were performed within 12 wk of the index ones. Examinations were
      accomplished by two experienced endoscopists, different in each facility. Twenty
      seven patients underwent screening/surveillance colonoscopy, while the rest were
      symptomatic. Previous day bowel preparation was utilized initially and split-dose
      for polypectomy. Colon cleansing was evaluated using the Aronchick scale. We
      measured the number of detected polyps, and the polyp miss rates per-polyp.
      RESULTS: Excellent/good preparation was reported in 38 cases with previous-day
      preparation (76%) vs 46 with split-dose (92%), respectively (P = 0.03). One
      hundred and twenty-six polyps were detected initially and 169 subsequently (P <
      0.0001); 88 vs 126 polyps were diminutive (P < 0.0001), 25 vs 29 small (P =
      0.048) and 13 vs 14 equal or larger than 10 mm. The miss rates for total,
      diminutive, small and large polyps were 25.4%, 30.1%, 13.7% and 6.6%,
      respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that split-dose preparation was
      significantly associated (OR, P) with increased number of polyps detected overall
      (0.869, P < 0.001), in the right (0.418, P = 0.008) and in the left colon (0.452,
      P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Split-dose preparation improved colon cleansing, enhanced
      polyp detection and unmasked significant polyp miss rates.

PMID- 26488025
TI  - New tapered metallic stent for unresectable malignant hilar bile duct
      obstruction.
AB  - AIM: To examine the usefulness of a new tapered metallic stent (MS) in patients
      with unresectable malignant hilar bile duct obstruction. METHODS: This new
      tapered MS was placed in 11 patients with Bismuth II or severer unresectable
      malignant hilar bile duct obstruction, as a prospective study. The subjects were
      six patients with bile duct carcinoma, three with gallbladder cancer, and two
      with metastatic bile duct obstruction. Stenosis morphology was Bismuth II: 7,
      IIIa: 3, and IV: 1. UMIN Clinical Trial Registry (UMIN000004758). RESULTS: MS
      placement was 100% (11/11) successful. There were no procedural accidents. The
      mean patency period was 208.401 d, the median survival period was 142.000 d, and
      the mean survival period was 193.273 d. Occlusion rate was 36.4% (4/11); the
      causes of occlusion were ingrowth and overgrowth in 2 patients each, 18.2%,
      respectively. Patients with occlusion underwent endoscopic treatment one more
      time and all were treatable. CONCLUSION: The tapered MS proved useful in patients
      with unresectable malignant hilar bile duct obstruction because it provided a
      long patency period, enabled re-treatment by re-intervention, and no procedural
      accidents occurred.

PMID- 26488026
TI  - Littoral cell angioma: A case report.
AB  - Primary splenic lesions are rare entities among which littoral cell angioma (LCA)
      is a recently described, uncommon vascular lesion that is unique to the spleen.
      It has heretofore been described primarily in pathologic series and has been
      found mostly to behave as a benign entity. A few reports of malignant variants
      have been reported. We present a case report of a solitary LCA discovered after
      splenectomy for an incidentally discovered splenic lesion, along with a
      literature review. 

PMID- 26488027
TI  - Acute hepatitis after amiodarone infusion.
AB  - Acute hepatitis is a very rare, but potentially fatal, adverse effect of
      intravenous amiodarone. We present a case of an 88-year-old man with history of
      ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy and severely depressed left ventricular function
      that was admitted to our coronary care unit with diagnosis of decompensated heart
      failure and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. A few hours after the
      beginning of intravenous amiodarone he developed an acute hepatitis. There was a
      completely recovery within the next days after amiodarone withdrawn and other
      causes of acute hepatitis have been ruled out. This case highlights the need for
      close monitoring of hepatic function during amiodarone infusion in order to
      identify any potential hepatotoxicity and prevent a fatal outcome. Oral
      amiodarone is, apparently, a safe option in these patients. 

PMID- 26488028
TI  - Novel variant syndrome associated with congenital hepatic fibrosis.
AB  - Congenital hepatic fibrosis is part of many different malformation syndromes, of
      which oculo-encephalo-hepato-renal syndrome is the most common. These syndromes
      largely overlap, and so accurate classification of individual patients may be
      difficult. We present herein three syndromic siblings who were products of a
      consanguineous marriage. We investigated in detail at least six organ systems in
      these patients, namely the liver, brain, eye, kidneys, skeleton, and gonads. The
      common features observed in these three cases were congenital hepatic fibrosis,
      retinitis pigmentosa, truncal obesity, rotatory nystagmus, mental retardation,
      advanced myopia, and high-arched palate. The clinical dysmorphology in these
      patients was distinct and lacked the major features of the known syndromes
      associated with congenital hepatic fibrosis. Although some features of these
      presented cases are similar to those found in Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), the
      absence of some major criteria of BBS (polydactyly, renal abnormality, and
      hypogonadism) suggests that this may be a new syndrome. All three patients remain
      under follow-up in the departments of Gastroenterology, Ophthalmology, and
      Neurology at Hacettepe University. 

PMID- 26488029
TI  - Acute dapsone poisoning in a 3-year-old child: Case report with review of
      literature.
AB  - Dapsone (DDS-diamino diphenyl sulphone) is a sulfone antibiotic being used for a
      variety of clinical conditions. Poisoning in children by DDS is rarely reported.
      Poisoning in acute cases will be frequently unrecognized due to relative lack of
      severe signs and symptoms. Methemoglobinemia is the major life-threatening
      situation associated with poisoning of DDS. Hence, any delay for medical
      attention can lead to increased rate of mortality. In this case, we describe
      acute DDS poisoning in a 3-year-old child and the successful management using
      intravenous methylene blue. 

PMID- 26488030
TI  - Mediastinal small cell carcinoma with liver and bone marrow metastasis, mimicking
      lymphoma.
AB  - Primary mediastinal neuroendocrine tumors are a rare malignancy that accounts for
      < 10% of all mediastinal tumors. The case presented here involves a 52-year-old
      man who had been suffering for 3 mo from chronic cough, anorexia and substantial
      weight loss, as well as 2 wk of jaundice prior to his admission. A computed
      tomography scan showed a 4.3 cm * 6.6 cm mediastinal mass with multiple liver
      nodules scattered along both hepatic lobes. Endoscopic ultrasound showed a large
      heterogeneous hypoechoic mass at the mediastinum with multiple target-like
      nodules in the liver. Fine-needle aspiration specimens revealed numerous, small,
      round cells with hyperchromatic nuclei, scarce cytoplasm, and frequent mitotic
      features. Immunohistochemical study revealed positive results for AE1/AE3, CD56
      and chromogranin A, with negative findings for synaptophysin, CK20, vimentin,
      CK8/18 and CD45. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with a poorly
      differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma, small cell type. A bone marrow biopsy
      also revealed extensive involvement by the carcinoma. 

PMID- 26488031
TI  - Repeated pancreatitis-induced splenic vein thrombosis leads to intractable
      gastric variceal bleeding: A case report and review.
AB  - Gastric varices (GV) are one of the most common complications for patients with
      portal hypertension. Currently, histoacryl injection is recommended as the
      initial treatment for bleeding of GV, and this injection has been confirmed to be
      highly effective for most patients in many studies. However, this treatment might
      be ineffective for some types of GV, such as splenic vein thrombosis-related
      localized portal hypertension (also called left-sided, sinistral, or regional
      portal hypertension). Herein, we report a case of repeated pancreatitis-induced
      complete splenic vein thrombosis that led to intractable gastric variceal
      bleeding, which was treated by splenectomy. We present detailed radiological and
      pathological data and blood rheology analysis (the splenic artery - after a short
      gastric vein or stomach vein - gastric coronary vein - portal vein). The
      pathophysiology can be explained by the abnormal direction of blood flow in this
      patient. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case for which detailed
      pathology and blood rheology data are available. 

PMID- 26488032
TI  - Empagliflozin: a new treatment option for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - Empagliflozin is an oral sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor that
      reduces hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by decreasing renal
      glucose reabsorption and promoting urinary glucose excretion. In clinical trials,
      empagliflozin demonstrated significant improvements in glycemic control, as
      monotherapy and in combination regimens. In addition, empagliflozin was
      associated with weight loss and moderate reductions in blood pressure. In the
      EMPA-REG OUTCOME study, empagliflozin significantly reduced the risk of the
      composite primary endpoint of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial
      infarction and nonfatal stroke. Across the trials in general, empagliflozin was
      well tolerated, with no increased risk of hypoglycemia except when used with an
      insulin secretagogue or insulin. An increased risk of genital infections and
      urinary tract infections has been reported, although the association is less
      clear for urinary tract infections. Overall, empagliflozin appears to be a
      promising treatment for T2DM. 

PMID- 26488033
TI  - Filgrastim for the treatment of hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome.
AB  - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved Neupogen((r))
      (filgrastim) for the treatment of patients with radiation-induced
      myelosuppression following a radiological/nuclear incident. It is the first
      medical countermeasure currently approved by the FDA for this indication under
      the criteria of the FDA "animal rule". This article summarizes the consequences
      of high-dose radiation exposure, a description of the hematopoietic acute
      radiation syndrome (H-ARS), the use of hematopoietic growth factors in radiation
      accident victims and current available treatments for H-ARS with an emphasis on
      the use of Neupogen in this scenario.

PMID- 26488034
TI  - Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) as cancer immunotherapy.
AB  - Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is the first-in-class oncolytic virus
      immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer and was generated from an attenuated,
      recombinant herpes simplex virus. T-VEC has demonstrated therapeutic activity in
      melanoma patients and is being tested in a number of other cancers alone and in
      combination with standard cancer therapeutics and other immunotherapy agents.
      This review will discuss the current landscape of melanoma, the construction and
      application of T-VEC for melanoma along with other indications for T-VEC, as well
      as highlight some of the novel challenges with oncolytic virus immunotherapy as
      it enters into clinical practice. 

PMID- 26488035
TI  - A report from the World Conference on Lung Cancer (September 6-9, 2015 - Denver,
      Colorado, USA).
AB  - The mile-high city of Denver was the site of this year's World Conference on Lung
      Cancer, which reached its 16th event. The conference scheduled 3 days of
      intensive scientific research presentations and discussions arranged in oral,
      mini-oral and poster sessions, plus an array of additional educational sessions.
      Being the largest international gathering of lung cancer and thoracic malignancy
      clinicians and researchers, important new research on prevention, screening and
      treatment of lung cancer and other malignancies of the thorax, with special
      emphasis on thymoma and mesothelioma, was presented during the conference. 

PMID- 26488036
TI  - Cancer Vaccines - SMi's Fourth Annual Conference (September 16-17, 2015 - London,
      UK).
AB  - Recent years have seen the academic, medical and pharmaceutical communities gain
      a new understanding of the central role of the immune system in fighting cancer.
      With the approval of the first cancer vaccine by the U.S. Food and Drug
      Administration (FDA) and the success of immuno-oncology, new avenues are opening
      for the successful development of therapeutic cancer vaccines. Opportunity for
      combination therapies exploiting immune checkpoint inhibitors is being realized
      and delivery mechanisms and adjuvants are likewise being optimized. The
      incorporation of monoclonal antibodies alongside genetically engineered viral
      vectors is also being pursued. This year's conference focused on the development
      of personalized therapies and their commercial viability, with in-depth
      discussions of novel T-cell therapies, oncolytic viruses, gene therapies and
      adoptive T-cell transfer. The meeting brought together key academic and medical
      experts with leading industry figures to debate future directions and the next
      generations of tools in cancer immunotherapy. 

PMID- 26488037
TI  - The management of unresolved gastrointestinal symptoms in Australian general
      practice.
AB  - BEACH data collected in 2012-14 were used to investigate the management of
      unresolved gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in Australian general practice. This
      included the characteristics of patients who had unresolved GI symptoms managed,
      and a comparison with the management of new GI symptoms. Nearly half of the GI
      symptoms managed in 2012-14 were unresolved (had been managed previously). The
      findings suggest that general practitioners order pathology and imaging tests
      more often during first presentations of GI symptoms, and often refer patients
      when GI symptoms are unresolved.

PMID- 26488038
TI  - Managing medically unexplained illness in general practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with medically unexplained symptoms commonly present to
      general practice and experience significant disability. Many have a history of
      trauma, which complicates the therapeutic relationship between doctor and
      patient. Because diagnosis is an expected outcome of a medical interaction,
      doctors and patients can feel frustrated and lost without one. OBJECTIVE: This
      article provides practical management strategies that general practitioners (GPs)
      can use when patients present with medically unexplained symptoms. DISCUSSION:
      Three types of common presentations are discussed. Enigmatic illnesses occur when
      the doctor and patient believe that a bio-medical disease is likely, but a
      diagnosis is not forthcoming. Contested illnesses occur when a patient is
      committed to a diagnosis the doctor does not accept. Chaotic illnesses occur when
      symptoms are over-determined; there are many possible diagnoses, but none fully
      explain the complex web of distress the patient experiences. Common strategies
      for managing medically unexplained symptoms are discussed, and specific
      approaches to each presentation are outlined.

PMID- 26488039
TI  - Rare diseases are a 'common' problem for clinicians.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Approximately 8% of the Australian population live with any one of
      about 10,000 known rare diseases. This is similar to the proportion of people
      living with diabetes or asthma. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to review
      the impact of rare diseases on families and health services, and the role of the
      general practitioner (GP) and policy response in Australia. DISCUSSION: Research
      from the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit indicates that people living
      with rare diseases face significant challenges, including diagnostic delays, lack
      of available treatment and difficulty in finding the right health service.
      Families feel isolated, under-supported, and often face economic hardship. All
      GPs see people with rare diseases and have a crucial role in making appropriate
      referrals, coordinating care, supporting families, and linking them with
      psychosocial and other supports. GPs require access to current, relevant
      resources to assist them to help patients with rare diseases. A coordinated
      national approach to rare diseases is also needed in Australia.

PMID- 26488040
TI  - A powerful team: the family physician advocating for patients with a rare
      disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rare diseases are characteristically difficult to diagnose and for
      the majority, there are no effective treatments or evidence-based management
      guidelines. Although it is unrealistic to expect family physicians to recognise
      the wide clinical spectrum of rare diseases, their longitudinal and holistic
      approach to medicine place them in a unique position to consider the possibility
      of a rare disease. OBJECTIVE: This article outlines the challenges faced by the
      rare disease community, and the role of the primary care physician to advocate
      for answers as their patients transition through the healthcare system.
      DISCUSSION: The road to the diagnosis of a rare disease can test the doctor
      patient relationship. Patients often struggle for answers and family physicians
      are stymied by a lack of information. At the same time, the availability of cyber
      based health information and online rare-disease patient groups has led to the
      emergence of the 'expert' patient, who seeks a collaborative and empowering
      relationship with their physician. Following diagnosis, the family physician
      plays a crucial part in providing continuity of care, advocating access to expert
      healthcare, coordinating complex management and becoming a source of
      psychological support.

PMID- 26488041
TI  - Cancer of unknown primary site.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is the diagnosis given to patients
      with metastatic cancer with no known site of origin. OBJECTIVE: This review
      summarises the current knowledge regarding the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment
      and care of CUP. DISCUSSION: The incidence and mortality rates of CUP are
      declining in Australia. CUP was the twelfth most common cancer and fifth most
      common cause of cancer death in 2011. Smoking is the only identified risk factor.
      Incidence patterns implicate reduced access to healthcare and many registered
      cases have only a clinical diagnosis. Favourable prognosis subtypes with specific
      clinical and histopathological criteria must be recognised and treated on the
      basis of the presumed primary site. Emerging data reveal high rates of emergency
      department admission, hospitalisations and psychological distress, and low rates
      of specialist consultations for patients with CUP. General practitioners (GPs)
      have a key role in earlier identification, integrated care and preventing
      patients with CUP from falling through the cracks.

PMID- 26488042
TI  - Supporting patients with a rare disease.

PMID- 26488043
TI  - Is there a role for prazosin in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common disorder with
      significant morbidity and associated comorbidities, including mood disorders and
      substance abuse, and is frequently misdiagnosed or under-diagnosed. Management of
      PTSD requires combined psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, but some symptoms,
      particularly nightmares and sleep disturbance, are often resistant to treatment.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to inform primary healthcare professionals
      of the prevalence and significance of PTSD, and to review the evidence that
      prazosin is a useful option for managing PTSD-associated nightmares and sleep
      disturbance. DISCUSSION: PTSD should be considered in patients with treatment
      resistant mood disorders. A trauma history should be taken for these patients and
      in recognised groups of patients who have a high incidence of PTSD. The treatment
      of PTSD is challenging, frequently requiring specialist input from psychiatrists.
      Prazosin has been proven to be safe and effective in the management of nightmares
      and sleep disturbances associated with PTSD and is indicated where these
      distressing symptoms are present.

PMID- 26488044
TI  - Your questions about complementary medicines answered: St John's wort.

PMID- 26488045
TI  - An update on epistaxis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epistaxis is one of the most common ear, nose and throat (ENT)
      emergencies to present to general practitioners (GPs). The management of
      epistaxis has evolved significantly in recent years, including the use of nasal
      cautery and packs. Successful treatment requires knowledge of nasal anatomy, and
      potential risks and complications of treatment. OBJECTIVE: Epistaxis is often a
      simple and readily treatable condition. However, given the potential consequences
      of a significant bleed, GPs should have an understanding of the causes, potential
      risks and emergency management. DISCUSSION: Epistaxis can be classified into
      anterior or posterior bleeds, the former being the most common. Anterior bleeds
      can often be treated with cauterisation with silver nitrate sticks, provided
      there is good preparation, correct equipment and assistance close at hand. If
      there is a lack in any of these aspects, prompt use of nasal packing and referral
      to an emergency department or a specialist ENT service is recommended.

PMID- 26488046
TI  - Disseminated brown macules in an infant.
AB  - Urticaria pigmentosa is the most common form of mastocytosis. Mastocytosis
      usually presents at birth or early childhood, and may involve only the skin or,
      less commonly, other internal organs. Diagnosis is clinical, but a skin biopsy
      may be useful. Prognosis is usually good, and treatment focuses on the avoidance
      of certain triggers and administration of topical and systemic medications.
      Appropriate counselling of parents regarding the benign nature of this disease is
      important as most cases resolve by adolescence.

PMID- 26488047
TI  - Early detection and non-invasive diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma using a
      dermatoscope.

PMID- 26488048
TI  - Advances in radiotherapy technology for prostate cancer: What every GP should
      know.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One in five Australian men are diagnosed with prostate cancer.
      External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is an effective treatment for men suitable
      for definitive therapy. OBJECTIVE: This article outlines the processes involved
      in EBRT for prostate cancer, with particular emphasis on recent technological
      advances that have had a positive impact on patient outcomes. The patient's
      experience is explained and comparisons are made with surgery. DISCUSSION:
      Patients diagnosed with localised prostate cancer may have multiple treatment
      options. General practitioners have an important role in helping patients
      navigate their way through the information needed to make this decision.
      Radiotherapy technologies, including image guidance, intensity-modulated
      radiation therapy and stereotactic (ablative) radiation therapy are discussed in
      this article.

PMID- 26488049
TI  - Low levels of vitamin B12 can persist in the early resettlement of refugees:
      symptoms, screening and monitoring.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many refugees have vitamin B12 (B12) deficiency. It has been assumed
      that deficiency would be predictable from macrocytosis or symptoms, and
      borderline levels would improve after a period of resettlement in countries rich
      with animal-source foods. We explored B12 levels and symptoms soon after the
      refugees' arrival and 4-8 months after settlement in Australia. METHODS: Newly
      arrived refugees aged >18 years (n = 136) were tested for vitamin B12 and
      haematological indices. They also completed a language-validated questionnaire,
      which they repeated 4-8 months after arrival. B12 levels were reassessed in
      patients with levels <=240 pmol at baseline. RESULTS: We found that 21
      participants (15%) had low levels of B12 ?(<=150 pmol/L) and 65 (48%) had
      borderline B12 levels ?(151-240 pmol/L). There was no relationship between B12
      level and mean corpuscular volume, ferritin or symptoms. Borderline B12 levels
      persisted in 64% of participants at follow-up and deficiency developed in 11%.
      CONCLUSION: B12 levels cannot be predicted from macrocytosis or symptoms, and may
      not 'self-correct' after resettlement. Health assessments for newly arrived
      refugees should include B12 measurement and those with borderline levels should
      be followed up.

PMID- 26488050
TI  - Patients' and providers' satisfaction with shared medical appointments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Shared medical appointments (SMAs) are comprehensive medical visits
      conducted with groups of patients. We have previously discussed the potential and
      assessed likely support for SMAs in Australia. In this paper, we report on
      patient and provider satisfaction, and some subjective outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To
      measure patients' and providers' attitude and satisfaction with SMAs after
      attending at least two, and consider the most appropriate form of SMA suited to
      Australian conditions. METHODS: A total of 24 SMAs were conducted in eight
      medical centres in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland. Satisfaction
      and subjective outcomes from these sessions were tested in a mixed method
      analysis after more than 200 attendances. RESULTS: Satisfaction with SMAs was
      high among patients and providers. Almost all of the patients involved said they
      would continue using SMAs, if these were available. All providers wished to
      continue being involved as an alternative form of clinical management.
      DISCUSSION: The results of this pilot study, and our previously reported studies,
      suggest that SMAs could be a valuable process tool in chronic disease management
      in Australia.

PMID- 26488052
TI  - General practice ethics: Issues in family relationships.

PMID- 26488053
TI  - Long-term stability of phase-separated half-Heusler compounds.
AB  - Half-Heusler (HH) compounds have shown high figure of merit up to 1.5. Here, we
      address the long-term stability of n- and p-type HH materials. For this purpose,
      we investigated HH materials based on the Ti0.3Zr0.35Hf0.35NiSn-system after 500
      cycles (1700 h) from 373 to 873 K. Both compounds exhibit a maximum Seebeck
      coefficient of |alpha|~ 210 MUV K(-1) and a phase separation into two HH phases.
      The dendritic microstructure is temperature resistant and upon cycling the
      changes in the microstructure are so marginal that the low thermal conductivity
      values (kappa < 4 W m(-1) K(-1)) could be maintained. Our results emphasize that
      phase-separated HH compounds are suitable low cost materials and can lead to
      enhanced thermoelectric efficiencies beyond the set benchmark for industrial
      applications. 

PMID- 26488054
TI  - Port site metastases following laparoscopic liver resection for hepatocellular
      carcinoma.
AB  - A laparoscopic approach is being used increasingly in specialist centres for the
      resection of hepatocellular carcinomas and compares favourably with the
      traditional open approach, in terms of perioperative morbidity and mortality as
      well as long-term survival. We present a case of port site recurrence in a
      patient who underwent a laparoscopic left lateral segmentectomy for a
      hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosed during investigation of symptomatic
      gallstones. Nearly three years following surgery, surveillance computed
      tomography demonstrated a suspicious lesion at the site of one of the
      laparoscopic ports. Further resection was carried out and the lesion was
      confirmed histologically to be an isolated recurrence of the primary
      hepatocellular carcinoma, involving peritoneum and adominal wall. This case
      demonstrates that it is possible to encounter port site metastasis following
      laparoscopic resection of primary liver tumours although the incidence is very
      rare.

PMID- 26488055
TI  - Diagnostic role of (18)F-FDG-PET or PET/CT in salivary gland tumors: A systematic
      review.
AB  - Salivary gland tumors are rare neoplasms that have not been extensively studied
      with (18)F-FDG-PET- or PET/CT up to now. This review aims to evaluate the
      diagnostic performance of PET in this particular setting, analyzing the available
      literature. A comprehensive literature search in the PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and
      Scopus databases was performed including articles up to November 2014, resulting
      in the selection of 22 articles. The studies selected suggest that: (1) PET is
      not useful in discriminating benign from malignant SGTs because of the overlap of
      uptake in both conditions; (2) PET not only is complementary to conventional
      imaging techniques for the staging and restaging but in some cases could also be
      superior to them; (3) PET may often have a highly positive impact on clinical
      decision making. Despite many limitations affecting the analysis, PET seems to be
      useful in SGTs. However, more extensive studies and cost-effectiveness analyses
      are desirable to determine its correct position in the diagnostic flow chart.

PMID- 26488056
TI  - In memoriam, Giovanni Castrucci (1928-2015).

PMID- 26488057
TI  - Professor Fereydoun Ala.

PMID- 26488059
TI  - It's the time of year when journals get their annual impact factors.
      Introduction.

PMID- 26488058
TI  - Are Service Deliveries Studies a Priority of Mental Health  Research in Iran?

PMID- 26488060
TI  - Drug abuse scientists should use social media to engage the public   because
      their primary translational product is information.

PMID- 26488061
TI  - Reply to Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 26488062
TI  - Support for safe staffing levels in aged care.

PMID- 26488063
TI  - Dementia investment welcome but more needs to be done.

PMID- 26488064
TI  - NSW launches TV ads against privatisation.

PMID- 26488065
TI  - NSW Opposition commits to nurse-led walk-in centres.

PMID- 26488066
TI  - Perinatal depression and anxiety.

PMID- 26488067
TI  - What to Think About in 2015.
AB  - Every organization and facility has issues that they need to address. There is no
      such thing as a perfect organization or a perfect process. It is easy to get
      overwhelmed and think the challenges are too big to tackle, but don't give up!
      While some issues may require immediate changes due to compliance concerns, most
      can be made one small step at a time. The phrase "success is a journey, not a
      destination" is very applicable here and for any area within our responsibility
      where change needs to occur. Change is our only constant so we might as well
      embrace it and look forward to the future with excitement on the new
      opportunities ahead.

PMID- 26488068
TI  - ICD-10: Refresher on 7th Characters.

PMID- 26488069
TI  - Seed Crystal Homogeneity Controls Lateral and Vertical Heteroepitaxy of Monolayer
      MoS2 and WS2.
AB  - Heteroepitaxy between transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) monolayers can
      fabricate atomically thin semiconductor heterojunctions without interfacial
      contamination, which are essential for next-generation electronics and
      optoelectronics. Here we report a controllable two-step chemical vapor deposition
      (CVD) process for lateral and vertical heteroepitaxy between monolayer WS2 and
      MoS2 on a c-cut sapphire substrate. Lateral and vertical heteroepitaxy can be
      selectively achieved by carefully controlling the growth of MoS2 monolayers that
      are used as two-dimensional (2D) seed crystals. Using hydrogen as a carrier gas,
      we synthesize ultraclean MoS2 monolayers, which enable lateral heteroepitaxial
      growth of monolayer WS2 from the MoS2 edges to create atomically coherent and
      sharp in-plane WS2/MoS2 heterojunctions. When no hydrogen is used, we obtain MoS2
      monolayers decorated with small particles along the edges, inducing vertical
      heteroepitaxial growth of monolayer WS2 on top of the MoS2 to form vertical
      WS2/MoS2 heterojunctions. Our lateral and vertical atomic layer heteroepitaxy
      steered by seed defect engineering opens up a new route toward atomically
      controlled fabrication of 2D heterojunction architectures. 

PMID- 26488070
TI  - Condom effectiveness in reducing heterosexual HIV transmission: a systematic
      review and meta-analysis of studies on HIV serodiscordant couples.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to reassess the
      effectiveness of condoms in reducing heterosexual transmission of HIV. METHODS:
      Medline, Scopus, and the ISI Web of Science databases were searched up to June
      2014. Eligible studies were synthesized using random-effects models. RESULTS:
      Twenty-five studies with 10,676 HIV serodiscordant heterosexual couples were
      analyzed. The risk of HIV transmission was considerably lower among couples that
      were always using condoms compared to never-users (RR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.20-0.43)
      or inconsistent users (RR:  0.23, 0.13-0.40). The protective effect was slightly
      higher when the male rather than the female partner was infected (RR: 0.31, 0.20
      0.48; vs. RR: 0.44, 0.24-0.80), and very high in Asian settings (RR: 0.06, 0.01
      0.46). CONCLUSIONS: Though imperfect, condoms reduce HIV transmission by more
      than 70% when used consistently by HIV serodiscordant heterosexual couples.
      Social, cultural and biological differences need to be studied further to inform
      projection modelers and policy makers.

PMID- 26488071
TI  - Anode Biofilms of Geoalkalibacter ferrihydriticus Exhibit Electrochemical
      Signatures of Multiple Electron Transport Pathways.
AB  - Thriving under alkaliphilic conditions, Geoalkalibacter ferrihydriticus (Glk.
      ferrihydriticus) provides new applications in treating alkaline waste streams as
      well as a possible new model organism for microbial electrochemistry. We
      investigated the electrochemical response of biofilms of the alkaliphilic anode
      respiring bacterium (ARB) Glk. ferrihydriticus voltammetry (CV), electrochemical
      impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and chronoamperometry. We observed there to be at
      least four dominant electron transfer pathways, with their contribution to the
      overall current produced dependent on the set anode potential. These pathways
      appear to be manifested at midpoint potentials of approximately -0.14 V, -0.2 V, 
      0.24 V, and -0.27 V vs standard hydrogen electrode. The individual contributions
      of the pathways change upon equilibration from a set anode potential to another
      anode potential. Additionally, the contribution of each pathway to the overall
      current produced is reversible when the anode potential is changed back to the
      original set potential. The pathways involved in anode respiration in Glk.
      ferrihydriticus biofilms follow a similar, but more complicated, pattern as
      compared to those in the model ARB, Geobacter sulfurreducens. This greater
      diversity of electron transport pathways in Glk. ferrihydriticus could be related
      to its wider metabolic capability (e.g., higher pH and larger set of possible
      substrates, among others). 

PMID- 26488072
TI  - Efficient PEDOT:PSS-Free Polymer Solar Cells with an Easily Accessible
      Polyacrylonitrile Polymer Material as a Novel Solution-Processable Anode
      Interfacial Layer.
AB  - We demonstrate that an easily accessible polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer can
      efficiently function as a novel solution-processable anode interfacial layer
      (AIL) to boost the device performances of polymer:fullerene-based solar cells
      (PSCs). The PAN thin film was simply prepared with spin-coating of a cost
      efficient PAN solution dissolved in dimethylformamide on indium tin oxide (ITO),
      and the thin polymeric interlayer on PSC parameters and stability were
      systemically investigated. As a result, the cell efficiency of the PSC with PAN
      was remarkably enhanced compared to the device using bare ITO. Furthermore, with
      PAN, we finally achieved an excellent power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.7%
      and a very high PSC stability in PTB7:PC71BM systems, which constitute a highly
      comparable PCE and superior device lifetime relative to those of conventional
      PSCs with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) ( PEDOT: PSS).
      These results demonstrate that the inexpensive solution-processed PAN polymer can
      be an attractive PEDOT: PSS alternative and is more powerful for achieving better
      cell performances and lower cost PSC production.

PMID- 26488073
TI  - Increased circulating urocortin-3 levels is associated with polycystic ovary
      syndrome.
AB  - This study was aimed to compare serum urocortin-3 (UCN3) levels in women with
      polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and healthy women, and establish what role UCN3
      levels play in PCOS. Fifty-two patients with PCOS and 55 healthy women were
      included in the study, matched for age and body mass index. Fasting blood glucose
      (FBG), insulin, hs-CRP, UCN3 and free-testosterone levels of the all participants
      were measured. HOMA-IR was used to calculate the insulin resistance. Circulating
      UCN3 levels were significantly increased in women with PCOS than in control
      subjects (54.49 +/- 5.77 versus 51.28 +/- 5.86 pmol/l, p = 0.005). Serum insulin,
      hs-CRP and HOMA-IR levels were higher in women with PCOS than in control group.
      UCN3 levels positively correlated with hs-CRP in PCOS group (r = 0.391, p =
      0.004). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the
      area under the ROC curves were 0.732 (95% CI 0.634-0.830, p < 0.001) for UCN3
      levels. The optimal cut-off value of UCN3 for detecting PCOS was >=51.46 pmol/l,
      at which the sensitivity was 75% and specificity was 68%. Our results suggest
      that there is a potential link between PCOS and UCN3 levels. The results of this
      study support the presence of increased UCN3 levels for the association of
      inflammation with PCOS. 

PMID- 26488075
TI  - Anti-PRRSV effect and mechanism of tetrahydroaltersolanol C in vitro.
AB  - Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is an important
      arterivirus that causes substantial economic losses to the swine industry.
      Current control strategies against PRRSV are still inadequate and there is an
      urgent need for new antiviral therapies. Tetrahydroaltersolanol C (TD-C) is a new
      anthraquinone derivative isolated from the marine-derived fungi. In the present
      study, we first demonstrated its anti-PRRSV activity in vitro through assessing
      the inhibition of TD-C on cytopathic effect, viral ORF7 gene and N protein
      expressions, progeny virions production by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5
      diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, relative-quantitative RT-PCR, Western
      blotting, and indirect immunofluorescence assay. Our experimental results showed
      that TD-C could significantly inhibit PRRSV replication in a dose-dependent
      manner. The 50% effective concentration, 50% cytotoxic concentration and the
      selectivity index were 12.11, 395.31 MUM, and 32.64, respectively. Furthermore,
      the possible anti-PRRSV mechanism was explored by virucidal assay, virus
      adsorption inhibition assay, and the time-of-addition assay. The results showed
      that TD-C might inhibit the internalization and replication of PRRSV, but did not
      directly inactivate the virus or block its adsorption to cell surface. In
      conclusion, our findings indicated that TD-C possessed a significant anti-PRRSV
      activity, and provided a strong basis for further exploration of this compound as
      an antiviral agent against PRRSV. 

PMID- 26488076
TI  - Histoplasmosis in HIV-Infected Persons, Yaounde, Cameroon.

PMID- 26488077
TI  - Skin Bond Electron Relaxation Dynamics of Germanium Manipulated by Interactions
      with H2 , O2 , H2 O, H2 O2 , HF, and Au.
AB  - Although germanium performs amazingly well at sites surrounding hetero
      coordinated impurities and under-coordinated defects or skins with unusual
      properties, having important impact on electronic and optical devices,
      understanding the behavior of the local bonds and electrons at such sites remains
      a great challenge. Here we show that a combination of density functional theory
      calculations, zone-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and bond order
      length strength correlation mechanism has enabled us to clarify the physical
      origin of the Ge 3d core-level shift for the under-coordinated (111) and (100)
      skin with and without hetero-coordinated H2 , O2 , H2 O, H2 O2 , HF impurities.
      The Ge 3d level shifts from 27.579 (for an isolated atom) by 1.381 to 28.960 eV
      upon bulk formation. Atomic under-coordination shifts the binding energy further
      to 29.823 eV for the (001) and to 29.713 eV for the (111) monolayer skin.
      Addition of O2 , HF, H2 O, H2 O2 and Au impurities results in quantum entrapment
      by different amounts, but H adsorption leads to polarization. 

PMID- 26488074
TI  - Modulatory Role of Surface Coating of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoworms in
      Complement Opsonization and Leukocyte Uptake.
AB  - Notwithstanding rapid advances of nanotechnology in diagnostic imaging and drug
      delivery, the engineered nanocarriers still exhibit substantial lack of
      hemocompatibility. Thus, when injected systemically, nanoparticles are avidly
      recognized by blood leukocytes and platelets, but the mechanisms of immune
      recognition are not well understood and strategies to mitigate these phenomena
      remain underexplored. Using superparamagnetic dextran iron oxide (SPIO) nanoworms
      (NWs) we demonstrate an efficient and predominantly complement-dependent uptake
      by mouse lymphocytes, neutrophils and monocytes from normal and tumor bearing
      mice in vitro. Following intravenous injection into wild type mice, blood
      leukocytes as well as platelets became magnetically labeled, while the labeling
      was decreased by 95% in complement C3-deficient mice. Using blood cells from
      healthy and cancer patient donors, we demonstrated that neutrophils, monocytes,
      lymphocytes and eosinophils took up SPIO NWs, and the uptake was prevented by
      EDTA (a general complement inhibitor) and by antiproperdin antibody (an inhibitor
      of the alternative pathway of the complement system). Cross-linking and
      hydrogelation of SPIO NWs surface by epichlorohydrin decreased C3 opsonization in
      mouse serum, and consequently reduced the uptake by mouse leukocytes by more than
      70% in vivo. Remarkably, the cross-linked particles did not show a decrease in C3
      opsonization in human serum, but showed a significant decrease (over 60%) of the
      uptake by human leukocytes. The residual uptake of cross-linked nanoparticles was
      completely blocked by EDTA. These findings demonstrate species differences in
      complement-mediated nanoparticle recognition and uptake by leukocytes, and
      further show that human hemocompatibility could be improved by inhibitors of
      complement alternative pathway and by nanoparticle surface coating. These results
      provide important insights into the mechanisms of hemocompatibility of
      nanomedicines. 

PMID- 26488078
TI  - Circulation of human metapneumovirus among children with influenza-like illness
      in Wuhan, China.
AB  - Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a worldwide distributed pathogen of the
      respiratory tract. The objectives of this study were to identify HMPV infections
      among children with influenza-like illness (ILI) in Wuhan and to assess
      circulation patterns and molecular diversity of HMPV in this area. From July 2008
      to December 2013, a total of 3,883 throat swab samples were collected from ILI
      outpatients under 16 years old. HMPV RNA was detected in 171 samples (4.40%). All
      the four subtypes of HMPV were identified, among which A2 was the most common
      subtype (61/145, 42.1%), followed by B1, B2, and A1. During the study period,
      HMPV circulation presented a biennial alternation between high and low incidence
      in Wuhan and the seasonal peak also shift between winter and spring in two
      continuous seasons. Subtype A2, B1, and B2 co-circulated during the study period,
      with genotype A prevailing in epidemic season 2008-2009 and 2012-2013, and
      genotype B prevailing during other periods. This large-scale analysis of HMPV
      prevalence in ILI outpatient children improves the understanding of local HMPV
      circulation patterns and provides molecular epidemic evidence for comparative
      analysis of HMPV infection.

PMID- 26488079
TI  - Clinical Diagnosis of Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia.

PMID- 26488080
TI  - Pain Management With Bilateral Continuous Thoracic Paravertebral Block in a
      Patient With Fontan-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma Undergoing Hepatectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We report a case of perioperative management of a single-ventricle
      patient with Fontan-associated liver disease undergoing hepatectomy. CASE REPORT:
      A 12-year-old boy with Fontan circulation was scheduled for partial hepatectomy
      to remove a liver mass in segment 6. He received stent implantation to relieve
      conduit stenosis 6 months before the operation. The operation was performed under
      general anesthesia and with a bilateral thoracic paravertebral block (PVB). A
      continuous paravertebral infusion of levobupivacaine was administered via right
      and left catheters postoperatively. He was hemodynamically stable throughout the
      perioperative period, extubated soon after surgery, and had an uncomplicated
      postoperative course. CONCLUSIONS: An analgesic regimen including thoracic PVB
      resulted in a rapid recovery without opioid-related side effects and early
      reinitiation of anticoagulation therapy. Our case illustrates the effective
      application of thoracic PVB in congenital heart disease patients for non-cardiac
      related surgery.

PMID- 26488081
TI  - Redefining PECS Blocks for Postmastectomy Analgesia.

PMID- 26488082
TI  - A Novel Freehand (Underhand), Out-of-Plane Ultrasound Technique to Optimize
      Visualization of Needle Tip During Subacromial Bursa Injection.

PMID- 26488083
TI  - Transversus Abdominis Plane Block and Treatment of Viscerosomatic Abdominal Pain.

PMID- 26488084
TI  - The Subsartorial Plexus Block: A Variation on the Adductor Canal Block.

PMID- 26488085
TI  - The Retroclavicular Brachial Plexus Block: Additional Advantages.

PMID- 26488086
TI  - Spherical nanoparticle supported lipid bilayers for the structural study of
      membrane geometry-sensitive molecules.
AB  - Many essential cellular processes including endocytosis and vesicle trafficking
      require alteration of membrane geometry. These changes are usually mediated by
      proteins that can sense and/or induce membrane curvature. Using spherical
      nanoparticle supported lipid bilayers (SSLBs), we characterize how SpoVM, a
      bacterial development factor, interacts with differently curved membranes by
      magic angle spinning solid-state NMR. Our results demonstrate that SSLBs are an
      effective system for structural and topological studies of membrane geometry
      sensitive molecules. 

PMID- 26488087
TI  - Molecular hydrogen inhibits lipopolysaccharide-triggered NLRP3 inflammasome
      activation in macrophages by targeting the mitochondrial reactive oxygen species.
AB  - The NLRP3 inflammasome, an intracellular multi-protein complex controlling the
      maturation of cytokine interleukin-1beta, plays an important role in
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory cascades. Recently, the production
      of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) in macrophages stimulated with
      LPS has been suggested to act as a trigger during the process of NLRP3
      inflammasome activation that can be blocked by some mitochondria-targeted
      antioxidants. Known as a ROS scavenger, molecular hydrogen (H2) has been shown to
      possess therapeutic benefit on LPS-induced inflammatory damage in many animal
      experiments. Due to the unique molecular structure, H2 can easily target the
      mitochondria, suggesting that H2 is a potential antagonist of mtROS-dependent
      NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Here we have showed that, in mouse macrophages, H2
      exhibited substantial inhibitory activity against LPS-initiated NLRP3
      inflammasome activation by scavenging mtROS. Moreover, the elimination of mtROS
      by H2 resultantly inhibited mtROS-mediated NLRP3 deubiquitination, a non
      transcriptional priming signal of NLRP3 in response to the stimulation of LPS.
      Additionally, the removal of mtROS by H2 reduced the generation of oxidized
      mitochondrial DNA and consequently decreased its binding to NLRP3, thereby
      inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Our findings have, for the first
      time, revealed the novel mechanism underlying the inhibitory effect of molecular
      hydrogen on LPS-caused NLRP3 inflammasome activation, highlighting the promising
      application of this new antioxidant in the treatment of LPS-associated
      inflammatory pathological damage. 

PMID- 26488088
TI  - [Is antibiotic prophylaxis really necessary?].

PMID- 26488089
TI  - [Is antibiotic prophylaxis really necessary?].

PMID- 26488090
TI  - [WHO-5-campaign is successful].

PMID- 26488091
TI  - [High-risk medical devices: Variable evidence after approval].

PMID- 26488092
TI  - [Hypersensitivity: Special care with allopurinol in certain risk groups].

PMID- 26488093
TI  - [Thoracic pain: Hospitalisation always required?].

PMID- 26488094
TI  - [23-year old woman with painful redness on both shanks].

PMID- 26488095
TI  - [Stroke and dementia - An epidemic of our century?].

PMID- 26488096
TI  - [Management of acute ischemic stroke].
AB  - Targets of acute ischemic stroke management include verification of clinical
      diagnosis, start of basic care and decision-making about specific
      treatments.Effectiveness of most therapeutic options is time dependent. Time
      delays within the rescue chain are associated with worse outcome. Trained and
      multidisciplinary teams on Stroke Unit form the backbone of acute management.
      Moreover, technical infrastructure influences therapeutic options. Cerebral
      imaging is pivotal.The following five therapies are evidence-based: treatment on
      a stroke unit, thrombolysis within 4.5hrs after symptom onset, mechanical
      recanalization in patients with occlusion of proximal, intracranial arteries,
      early administration of Aspirin, and hemicraniectomy in patients with so-called
      malignant infarction.This article describes the necessary diagnostic steps and
      specific as well as non-specific therapeutic options that compose acute
      management within the first 72 hours. 

PMID- 26488097
TI  - [Blood pressure treatment in the acute stage of stroke].
AB  - The results of previous studies on blood pressure in acute stroke therapy allow a
      few generally valid therapeutic recommendations. Efforts should be made to
      achieve a constant blood pressure level without major fluctuations. An
      antihypertensive therapy in the acute stage of stroke should be initiated only at
      highly elevated values. High blood pressure levels can be tolerated in patients
      with ischemic stroke unless thrombolytic comes into consideration. Should this be
      desired, the blood pressure must be quickly lowered to a target range of at least
      < 180 mmHg. In the case of intracerebral hemorrhage a blood pressure reduction
      appears to be beneficial. The ESO recommends a reduction to < 140 mmHg systolic
      within one hour, according to recommendations of the ESH and the EUSI but not
      more than 20 %. 

PMID- 26488098
TI  - [Primary and secondary prevention of stroke].
AB  - The basis for primary and secondary prevention of stroke (and also TIA) are both
      a healthy lifestyle with a healthy diet, non smoking, weight reduction and
      regular exercise, and consistent treatment of arterial hypertension with a target
      of < 140 /90 mmHg. The choice of the antihypertensive is depending on concomitant
      diseases, more important than the class of antihypertensive is treatment to
      target. Reduction of cholesterol with statins in primary prevention is dependant
      on total cardiovascular risk, in secondary prevention statins are integral part
      of modern treatment in non cardioembolic stroke. Atrial fibrillation is one of
      the major causes of stroke and should be treated with anticoagulation depending
      on the CHA2DS2-VASc score. Platelet inhibition is mandatory lifelong in all non
      cardioembolic strokes, in primary prevention only for patients with high total
      cardiovascular risk. Treatment of asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis should be
      determined on an individual basis. Symptomatic carotid artery stenosis should be
      treated immediately after the index stroke. 

PMID- 26488099
TI  - [Dementia and hypertension].
AB  - Dementia and associated diseases will have increasing impact on economical and
      social system in most countries. As long as no causal therapy for dementia
      exists, primary prevention, diagnosis and control of risk factors for dementia
      are crucial. Uncontrolled hypertension is one of the most important risk factors
      for vascular dementia. An early antihypertensive treatment may reduce cognitive
      impairment or at least prolong the time to onset of dementia. 

PMID- 26488100
TI  - [Emergency ultrasound in patients with abdominal pain - where should we "look"].
AB  - Diagnostic ultrasound is without doubt the imaging technique of choice in
      patients with acute abdominal pain. Point-of-care ultrasound examinations can
      help to reduce the number of possible differential diagnoses by exclusion or - as
      a best case scenario - show us directly the correct diagnosis. Hence patients can
      benefit from a very early appropriate therapeutic approach. This article
      illustrates where and how we should "look". After focusing on basic technical
      settings, typical pathological sonomorphologic changes in patients with some of
      the most important illnesses are characterized (e. g. acute appendicitis, acute
      cholecystitis, acute diverticulitis, acute pancreatitis and urinary tract
      occlusion). Ultrasound beginners are the target group of this survey. 

PMID- 26488102
TI  - [13-year old girl with fever 6 months after returning from sub-Saharan Africa].
AB  - HISTORY AND ADMISSION FINDINGS: A 13-year-old girl presented with regular fevers,
      6 months after a prolonged trip through Africa. The patient reported relapsing
      fevers at 48 hour intervals. Each febrile episode was followed by pronounced
      fatigue and a subsequent recovery back to her usual state of health. She reported
      having taken weekly mefloquine during and after the trip to Africa.
      INVESTIGATIONS: Labortory evaluation revealed a hemoltytic anemia (hemoglobin:
      10.8 g / dl, normal range: 12.3-16.0; haptoglobin: < 13 mg / dl, normal range 38
      205). An abdominal ultrasound showed a marked splenomegaly (diameter: > 13.1 cm).
      DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND COURSE: A peripheral blood film showed Plasmodium
      parasites with marked stippling. PCR and sequenicing of the ribosomal RNA gene
      identified Plasmodium ovale. The patient responded well to oral chloroquine
      therapy and laboratory parameters normalized within 8 days. After determination
      of a normal glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity a 2-week-long therapy with
      primaquine was initiated (0,3 mg / kg per kg bodyweight of primaquine base daily
      for 14 days) to eliminate the hyponozoite stage of the parasite. CONCLUSIONS:
      Currently used prophylacic agents against Malaria (mefloquine, atovaquone /
      proguanil hydrochloride, doxyxycline) do not prevent chronic liver stage
      infection (hypnozoite stage) with Plasmodium ovale or Plasmodium vivax. After
      chemoprophylaxis tertian malaria due Plasmodium vivax or Plasmodium ovale can
      occur. Therefore, tertian malaria should always be considered in febrile
      individuals who returned from a trip to the tropics even if chemoprophylaxis was
      taken.

PMID- 26488101
TI  - [Partynight outcome].
AB  - HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS: An 18 year old girl was admitted with progressive
      painful dysphagia and a severe hemorrhagic endoscopically impassable esophagitis.
      She reported to have consumed an unknown liquid from a small flask on a party
      three weeks ago. Later on, this liquid was identified as a party- and sex-drug
      known as "Poppers", designed to be consumed by sniffing. On admission she had
      difficulties in swallowing liquids and even saliva. She had lost 8 kg of weight
      during the last 3 weeks. Clinical examination revealed tachycardia, a moderate
      tenderness in the epigastrium and sparse bowel sounds. Investigation and
      treatment: On endoscopy, there was a severe corrosion injury of the esophagus
      with a consecutive stenosis at 40 cm ab ore. The stenosis could not be passed
      even with a 4.9 mm instrument. After initial placement of a feeding tube the
      stenosis was dilated with Savary-Bougies. In the following years, the patient
      suffered from recurrent stenosis due to excessive scar formation. Repeated
      treatment with longitudinal incisions by needle knife and steroid injections
      improved symptoms to a tolerable degree. 5 years after ingestion, the patient
      still carries a long segment esophageal scarring with mild to moderate stenosis.
      CONCLUSION: The party drug Poppers is an organic nitrogen compound that has
      increasingly come into use over the past years. It may cause severe and life
      threatening esophageal chemical burn injury. Symptoms of painful dysphagia after
      intake of an "unknown" liquid party drug should raise the suspicion of an
      accidental oral ingestion of Poppers.

PMID- 26488103
TI  - [Hyperuricemia and gout].
AB  - In most cases (98-99 %) primary hyperuricemia is caused by impaired renal
      excretion of uric acid. Overproduction of uric acid is rare. Secondary
      hyperuricemia has to be differentiated from primary forms. Clinical
      manifestations of hyperuricemia are acute inflammatory arthritis, tenosynovitis,
      bursitis, chronic arthropathy and accumulation of urate crystals in the form of
      tophaceous deposits. In addition renal complications can occur. Pathophysiology
      and diagnosis of gout were described. Treatment of gout has two goals: Treatment
      of the acute gout attack, to terminate pain and disability and treatment of
      hyperuricemia by lifestyle modification and with urate lowering drugs. A serum
      uric acid value below 6 mg/dl (360 umol/L) should be achieved. 

PMID- 26488104
TI  - [Exploiting placebo and nocebo effects in patients with chronic pain].
AB  - In recent years, the knowledge behind placebo analgesia has strongly increased.
      The underlying mechanisms are depictable in a comprehensive way. They can be used
      to enhance placebo responses in all active pain treatments. Expectations of the
      patient are pivotal and can be influenced specifically by learning processes and
      instructions, both in the positive direction (placebo response), as well as in
      the negative direction (nocebo response). In conversations, these principles can
      be considered to optimize the expectation with respect to treatment outcome and
      to reduce negative cognitions. 

PMID- 26488105
TI  - [Why medicine? Analyzing students' motives for studying medicine].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite increasing numbers of physicians, shortage of doctors is a
      predominant problem in the German health care system. AIM: AIM of the present
      study is a detailed and gendered analysis of current motives to study medicine in
      order to deduce implications for securing medical care in the future. METHODS:
      Study motives of medical students from Duisburg-Essen and Muenster were assessed
      using an online questionnaire. 13 given motives had to be rated on a 5 point
      Likert-scale according to their relevance for the decision to study medicine.
      Descriptive analysis regarding age, gender, location and study period was
      performed and a dichotomization of data (agreement vs. disagreement) was
      undertaken for logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: 1545 medical students took
      part in the survey (64.5% female). "Many-faceted workspaces", "varied tasks",
      "helping patients", "scientific interest" and "good career prospects" - backward
      sorted - were the most frequent study motives indicated by medical students. The
      aspect "helping patients" was more important to female than to male students, the
      latter rated career-associated motives e. g. income, reputation etc. as more
      relevant. Only for about 8% of the respondents - independently of gender -
      compatibility of job and family was a motive to study medicine. CONCLUSION:
      Perspectively, results of this study could help to shape medicine in a way that
      will appeal to the growing up generation of doctors: a sophisticated, demanding
      and fulfilling occupation compatible with family with options to carve out a
      career for those who want to - regardless of gender. Furthermore, coaching
      programs paralleling either medical studies or work as clinician should be
      considered to improve the matching of gender-specific study motives and careers.

PMID- 26488106
TI  - [People with Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities in the Acute-In-Patient Care 
      Selected Results of a Qualitative Exploratory Study].
AB  - BACKGROUND: National and international publications indicate a higher importance
      of people with disabilities in health and nursing care. From the international
      literature it can be seen that for this target group the hospital care is to be
      regarded as deficient in many ways. AIM OF THE STUDY: This project intends to
      study on a qualitative exploratory basis experiences of employees of outpatient
      and residential care facilities for people with mental and multiple disabilities
      and family members of the target group concerning their experiences in health and
      nursing care. METHODS: 21 guided interviews with employees of outpatient and in
      patient residential facilities for people with mental and multiple disabilities
      and family members of the target group were conducted. RESULTS: 21 interviews
      could be evaluated according to Grounded Theory with the software program MAXQDA.
      The results show above all that in the perception and from the experience of the
      interviewees mainly a "lack" exists in the care of the target group, e. g., in
      time, staff, resources, qualification, cooperation and so forth. Employees of
      outpatient and inpatient residential facilities for people with mental and
      multiple disabilities and family members must contribute to a high degree to the
      care in hospitals, so that nursing and health measures are performed. CONCLUSION:
      The results point to an inadequate care of people with disabilities in hospitals.
      It is necessary to reflect critically on the medical and nursing care and to
      develop adequate measures, concepts, interventions and policies.

PMID- 26488107
TI  - Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty for Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction Following Open
      Pyeloplasty in Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Few studies have evaluated the role of laparoscopic dismembered
      pyeloplasty in the setting of recurrent ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction
      following open dismembered pyeloplasty in the pediatric population. We present
      our experience at a single institution. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective
      analysis was performed of patients treated with laparoscopic pyeloplasty for
      secondary UPJ obstruction from March 2003 to August 2011 at a single institution.
      These patients were age and temporally matched with a control group of patients
      undergoing primary laparoscopic pyeloplasty. RESULTS: In total, 5 patients were
      identified as having undergone laparoscopic pyeloplasty for secondary UPJ
      obstruction following open dismembered pyeloplasty. Operative time was longer in
      the secondary repair group compared with the control group (190 versus 141
      minutes; P = .24), although this was complicated by 1 patient in the secondary
      repair group undergoing multiple procedures. Morphine equivalent use and length
      of stay were similar (4.1 versus 6.6 mg [P = .21] and 1.4 versus 1.2 days [P =
      .67] in control patients versus secondary repair patients, respectively). All of
      the 5 (100%) patients undergoing secondary repair had successful outcomes with
      improved hydronephrosis on ultrasound, and 4 of 4 (100%) had improved or normal
      T1/2 times on postoperative mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3) renal scan. One
      family in each group declined the renal scan for personal reasons. No
      complications were noted with a mean follow-up time of 13 months in both groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic repair of secondary UPJ obstruction is a well-tolerated
      and effective option. When this technique is compared with primary laparoscopic
      pyeloplasty, results appear equivalent even after failed open repair, with
      comparable postoperative narcotic requirement and length of stay. Further studies
      are needed to better define the role of secondary laparoscopic pyeloplasty in the
      pediatric population, especially with regard to cost compared with other open and
      minimally invasive techniques.

PMID- 26488108
TI  - Transition-Metal-Free Synthesis of Carbonyl-Containing Oxindoles from N
      Arylacrylamides and alpha-Diketones via TBHP- or Oxone-Mediated Oxidative
      Cleavage of C(sp(2))-C(sp(2)) Bonds.
AB  - Carbonyl-containing oxindoles can be prepared from N-arylacrylamides and alpha
      diketones by TBHP- or oxone (KHSO5)-mediated C(sp(2))-C(sp(2)) bond cleavage and
      new C(sp(2))-C(sp(3)) bond formation. This methodology is characterized by its
      simple and transition-metal-free conditions and good functional group
      compatibility utilizing inexpensive and readily available reagents, thus
      providing a practical and efficient approach to an important class of 3-(2
      oxoethyl)indolin-2-ones which are highly valued synthetic intermediates of
      biologically active molecules. In this transformation, alkylcarbonyl-containing
      oxindoles were obtained in majority when N-arylacrylamides reacted with
      asymmetric aliphatic/aromatic alpha-diketones. On the basis of the preliminary
      experiments, a plausible mechanism of this transformation is disclosed. 

PMID- 26488110
TI  - Functional Impairment and Changes in Depression Subtypes for Women in STAR*D: A
      Latent Transition Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize the association between functional impairment and
      major depression subtypes at baseline and to characterize changes in subtypes by
      functional impairment level in women receiving citalopram in level 1 of the
      Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression trial. METHOD: Women who
      completed baseline and week 12 study visits were included. Items from the self
      reported Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology were used to define the
      latent depression subtypes. The Work and Social Adjustment Scale was used to
      classify baseline functional impairment. A latent transition analysis model
      provided estimates of the prevalence of subtype membership and transition
      probabilities by functional impairment level. RESULTS: Of the 755 women included,
      69% had major functional impairment at baseline. Regardless of functional
      impairment level, the subtypes were differentiated by depression severity,
      appetite changes, psychomotor disturbances, and insomnia. Sixty-seven percent of
      women with normal/significant functional impairment and 60% of women with major
      impairment were likely to transition to a symptom resolution subtype at week 12.
      Women with baseline major impairment who were in the severe with psychomotor
      agitation subtype at the beginning of the study were least likely to transition
      to the symptom resolution subtype (4% chance). CONCLUSIONS: Functional impairment
      level was related to both the baseline depression subtype and the likelihood of
      moving to a different subtype. These results underscore the need to incorporate
      not only depression symptoms but also functioning in the assessment and treatment
      of depression.

PMID- 26488111
TI  - Early weight gain in family-based treatment predicts greater weight gain and
      remission at the end of treatment and remission at 12-month follow-up in
      adolescent anorexia nervosa.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To Identify whether early weight gain in family-based treatment (FBT)
      predicted greater weight and remission at end of FBT and 12-month follow-up.
      METHOD: Eighty-two adolescents, with anorexia nervosa, participated in a
      randomized control trial comparing brief hospitalization for medical
      stabilization and hospitalization for weight restoration to 90% expected body
      weight (EBW) (1:1), followed by 20 sessions of FBT. Sixty-nine completed trial
      protocol. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were conducted investigating
      whether early weight-gain in FBT predicted outcomes at end of FBT and 12-month
      follow-up. Participants were analyzed according to their original randomization
      and as a combined set. Binary logistic regression was used to control for
      randomization arm effect in combined set analysis. RESULTS: Weight gain greater
      than 1.8 kg at FBT Session 4 predicted greater %EBW (99.18 SD = 6.93 vs. 92.79 SD
      = 7.74, p < .05) and remission at end of FBT (46% vs. 11%, p < .05) and at 12
      month follow-up (64% vs. 36%, p = .05). Binary logistic regression confirmed
      weight gain greater than 1.8 kg predicted remission (p < .05) while treatment arm
      randomization did not add significantly to the model. DISCUSSION: Early weight
      gain has potential to distinguish likely responders in FBT from those who may
      need more intensive intervention to achieve remission offering the potential to
      improve outcomes.

PMID- 26488112
TI  - The SF3B1 inhibitor spliceostatin A (SSA) elicits apoptosis in chronic
      lymphocytic leukaemia cells through downregulation of Mcl-1.
AB  - The pro-survival Bcl-2 family member Mcl-1 is expressed in chronic lymphocytic
      leukaemia (CLL), with high expression correlated with progressive disease. The
      spliceosome inhibitor spliceostatin A (SSA) is known to regulate Mcl-1 and so
      here we assessed the ability of SSA to elicit apoptosis in CLL. SSA induced
      apoptosis of CLL cells at low nanomolar concentrations in a dose- and time
      dependent manner, but independently of SF3B1 mutational status, IGHV status and
      CD38 or ZAP70 expression. However, normal B and T cells were less sensitive than
      CLL cells (P=0.006 and P<0.001, respectively). SSA altered the splicing of anti
      apoptotic MCL-1(L) to MCL-1(s) in CLL cells coincident with induction of
      apoptosis. Overexpression studies in Ramos cells suggested that Mcl-1 was
      important for SSA-induced killing since its expression inversely correlated with
      apoptosis (P=0.001). IL4 and CD40L, present in patient lymph nodes, are known to
      protect tumour cells from apoptosis and significantly inhibited SSA, ABT-263 and
      ABT-199 induced killing following administration to CLL cells (P=0.008). However,
      by combining SSA with the Bcl-2/Bcl-x(L) antagonists ABT-263 or ABT-199, we were
      able to overcome this pro-survival effect. We conclude that SSA combined with Bcl
      2/Bcl-x(L) antagonists may have therapeutic utility for CLL.

PMID- 26488114
TI  - Organic radicals for the enhancement of oxygen reduction reaction in Li-O2
      batteries.
AB  - We examine for the first time the ability of inert carbon free-radicals as
      soluble redox mediators to catalyze and enhance the oxygen reduction reaction in
      a (TEGDME)-based electrolyte. We demonstrate that the tris(2,4,6
      trichlorophenyl)methyl (TTM) radical is capable of chemically favoring the oxygen
      reduction reaction improving significantly the Li-O2 battery performance. 

PMID- 26488113
TI  - Complex molecular genetic abnormalities involving three or more genetic mutations
      are important prognostic factors for acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - We conducted a comprehensive analysis of 28 recurrently mutated genes in acute
      myeloid leukemia (AML) in 271 patients with de novo AML. Co-mutations were
      frequently detected in the intermediate cytogenetic risk group, at an average of
      2.76 co-mutations per patient. When assessing the prognostic impact of these co
      mutations in the intermediate cytogenetic risk group, overall survival (OS) was
      found to be significantly shorter (P=0.0006) and cumulative incidence of relapse
      (CIR) significantly higher (P=0.0052) in patients with complex molecular genetic
      abnormalities (CMGAs) involving three or more mutations. This trend was marked
      even among patients aged ?65 years who were also FLT3-ITD (FMS-like tyrosine
      kinase 3 internal tandem duplications)-negative (OS: P=0.0010; CIR: P=0.1800).
      Moreover, the multivariate analysis revealed that CMGA positivity was an
      independent prognostic factor associated with OS (P=0.0007). In stratification
      based on FLT3-ITD and CEBPA status and 'simplified analysis of co-mutations'
      using seven genes that featured frequently in CMGAs, CMGA positivity retained its
      prognostic value in transplantation-aged patients of the intermediate cytogenetic
      risk group (OS: P=0.0002. CIR: P<0.0001). In conclusion, CMGAs in AML were found
      to be strong independent adverse prognostic factors and simplified co-mutation
      analysis to have clinical usefulness and applicability. 

PMID- 26488116
TI  - Contact Tracing Activities during the Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic in Kindia and
      Faranah, Guinea, 2014.
AB  - The largest recorded Ebola virus disease epidemic began in March 2014; as of July
      2015, it continued in 3 principally affected countries: Guinea, Liberia, and
      Sierra Leone. Control efforts include contact tracing to expedite identification
      of the virus in suspect case-patients. We examined contact tracing activities
      during September 20-December 31, 2014, in 2 prefectures of Guinea using national
      and local data about case-patients and their contacts. Results show less than one
      third of case-patients (28.3% and 31.1%) were registered as contacts before case
      identification; approximately two thirds (61.1% and 67.7%) had no registered
      contacts. Time to isolation of suspected case-patients was not immediate (median
      5 and 3 days for Kindia and Faranah, respectively), and secondary attack rates
      varied by relationships of persons who had contact with the source case-patient
      and the type of case-patient to which a contact was exposed. More complete
      contact tracing efforts are needed to augment control of this epidemic. 

PMID- 26488115
TI  - Hypoxic Gene Expression of Donor Bronchi Linked to Airway Complications after
      Lung Transplantation.
AB  - RATIONALE: Central airway stenosis (CAS) after lung transplantation has been
      attributed in part to chronic airway ischemia; however, little is known about the
      time course or significance of large airway hypoxia early after transplantation.
      OBJECTIVES: To evaluate large airway oxygenation and hypoxic gene expression
      during the first month after lung transplantation and their relation to airway
      complications. METHODS: Subjects who underwent lung transplantation underwent
      endobronchial tissue oximetry of native and donor bronchi at 0, 3, and 30 days
      after transplantation (n = 11) and/or endobronchial biopsies (n = 14) at 30 days
      for real-time polymerase chain reaction of hypoxia-inducible genes. Patients were
      monitored for 6 months for the development of transplant-related complications.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Compared with native endobronchial tissues, donor
      tissue oxygen saturations (Sto2) were reduced in the upper lobes (74.1 +/- 1.8%
      vs. 68.8 +/- 1.7%; P < 0.05) and lower lobes (75.6 +/- 1.6% vs. 71.5 +/- 1.8%; P
      = 0.065) at 30 days post-transplantation. Donor upper lobe and subcarina Sto2
      levels were also lower than the main carina (difference of -3.9 +/- 1.5 and -4.8
      +/- 2.1, respectively; P < 0.05) at 30 days. Up-regulation of hypoxia-inducible
      genes VEGFA, FLT1, VEGFC, HMOX1, and TIE2 was significant in donor airways
      relative to native airways (all P < 0.05). VEGFA, KDR, and HMOX1 were associated
      with prolonged respiratory failure, prolonged hospitalization, extensive airway
      necrosis, and CAS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings implicate donor
      bronchial hypoxia as a driving factor for post-transplantation airway
      complications. Strategies to improve airway oxygenation, such as bronchial artery
      re-anastomosis and hyperbaric oxygen therapy merit clinical investigation.

PMID- 26488118
TI  - Growth and Tolerance of Preterm Infants Fed a New Extensively Hydrolyzed Liquid
      Human Milk Fortifier.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study was a comparison of growth and tolerance in premature
      infants fed either standard powdered human milk fortifier (HMF) or a newly
      formulated concentrated liquid that contained extensively hydrolyzed protein.
      METHODS: This was an unblinded randomized controlled multicenter noninferiority
      study on preterm infants receiving human milk (HM) supplemented with 2 randomly
      assigned HMFs, either concentrated liquid HMF containing extensively hydrolyzed
      protein (LE-HMF) or a powdered intact protein HMF (PI-HMF) as the control. The
      study population consisted of preterm infants <=33 weeks who were enterally fed
      HM. Infants were studied from the first day of HM fortification until day 29 or
      hospital discharge, whichever came first. RESULTS: A total of 147 preterm infants
      were enrolled. Noninferiority was observed in weight gain reported in the intent
      to-treat (ITT) analysis was 18.2 and 17.5 g . kg(-1) . day(-1) for the LE-HMF and
      PI-HMF groups, respectively. In an a priori defined subgroup of strict protocol
      followers (n = 75), the infants fed LE-HMF achieved greater weight over time than
      those fed PI-HMF (P = 0.036). The LE-HMF group achieved greater linear growth
      over time compared to the PI-HMF (P = 0.029). The protein intake from fortified
      HM was significantly higher in the LE-HMF group compared with the PI-HMF group
      (3.9 vs 3.3 g . kg(-1) . day(-1), P < 0.0001). Both fortifiers were well
      tolerated with no significant differences in overall morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Both
      fortifiers showed excellent weight gain (grams per kilograms per day), tolerance,
      and low incidence of morbidity outcomes with the infants who were strict protocol
      followers fed LE-HMF having improved growth during the study. These data point to
      the safety and suitability of this new concentrated liquid HMF (LE-HMF) in
      preterm infants. Growth with this fortifier closely matches the recent
      recommendations for a weight gain of >18 g . kg(-1) . day(-1).

PMID- 26488119
TI  - Age of Onset of Functional Constipation.
AB  - In a review of 538 children with functional constipation, we analyzed ages of
      presentation and onset, symptom duration, and behavioral/developmental problems.
      We divided the subjects into quartiles (Q1-Q4) based on age of onset. Median
      onset age was 2.3 years. The oldest group had the shortest symptom duration
      before referral at 1.8 +/- 1.8 years (compared with Q3 to Q1, P = 0.039, P =
      0.001, P < 0.001, respectively). Of the Q4 subjects, 22% had a
      behavioral/developmental problem (P < 0.001 compared with Q1-Q3). We conclude
      that most children develop functional constipation as infants and toddlers, but
      those with later onset are more likely to have behavioral/developmental issues
      and see a specialist sooner. 

PMID- 26488117
TI  - Cellular and chromatin dynamics of antibody-secreting plasma cells.
AB  - Plasma cells are terminally differentiated B cells responsible for maintaining
      protective serum antibody titers. Despite their clinical importance, our
      understanding of the linear genomic features and chromatin structure of plasma
      cells is incomplete. The plasma cell differentiation program can be triggered by
      different signals and in multiple, diverse peripheral B cell subsets. This
      heterogeneity raises questions about the gene regulatory circuits required for
      plasma cell specification. Recently, new regulators of plasma cell
      differentiation have been identified and the enhancer landscapes of naive B cells
      have been described. Other studies have revealed that the bone marrow niche
      harbors heterogeneous plasma cell subsets. Still undefined are the minimal
      requirements to become a plasma cell and what molecular features make peripheral
      B cell subsets competent to become antibody-secreting plasma cells. New
      technologies promise to reveal underlying chromatin configurations that promote
      efficient antibody secretion. For further resources related to this article,
      please visit the WIREs website.

PMID- 26488121
TI  - Hepatoblastoma in Children With Congenital Portosystemic Shunts.
AB  - Two children developed hepatoblastoma concurrent with congenital portosystemic
      shunts (PSSs) (Abernethy malformations). Both underwent operative ligation of
      their PSSs. One received concurrent tumor resection, whereas the other was deemed
      initially unresectable and underwent biopsy followed by neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
      Although benign hepatic masses, such as focal nodular hyperplasia and nodular
      regenerative hyperplasia, are common in patients with Abernethy malformations,
      malignant tumors have also been documented and should always be considered in the
      differential diagnosis of a patient with a congenital PSS and a hepatic mass. 

PMID- 26488122
TI  - Early Enteral Nutrition in Children With Acute Pancreatitis.
AB  - Nutrition is an integral part of acute pancreatitis (AP) management and is not
      adequately studied in pediatrics. The goal from the present study was to evaluate
      the effect of nutrition and fat content on the length of stay and pain severity
      in patients with AP. This is a retrospective review of our nutrition database
      between May 1, 2014 and December 1, 2014. Pain levels were similar between
      patients who were allowed to feed and patients kept nill per os. Higher fat
      intake grams per kilogram per day was associated with significantly lower pain
      scores. Early feeds are feasible in pediatric patients with AP. Pain was not
      increased in the group that had more fat in their diet. 

PMID- 26488123
TI  - Early Clinical Diagnosis of PC1/3 Deficiency in a Patient With a Novel Homozygous
      PCSK1 Splice-Site Mutation.
AB  - Autosomal recessive proprotein convertase 1/3 (PC1/3) deficiency, caused by
      mutations in the PCSK1 gene, is characterized by severe congenital malabsorptive
      diarrhea, early-onset obesity, and certain endocrine abnormalities. We suspected
      PC1/3 deficiency in a 4-month-old girl based on the presence of congenital
      diarrhea and polyuria. Sequencing the whole coding region and splice sites
      detected a novel homozygous PCSK1 splice-site mutation, c.544-2A>G, in the
      patient. The mutation resulted in the skipping of exon 5, the generation of a
      premature termination codon, and nonsense-mediated PCSK1 messenger ribonucleic
      acid decay, which was demonstrated in complementary DNA derived from fibroblasts.

PMID- 26488125
TI  - Resolution of Hepatic Artery Thrombosis in 2 Pediatric Liver Transplant Patients.
AB  - Hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) is a serious complication after liver
      transplantation. This is the first report of spontaneous resolution of HAT in
      pediatric liver transplant patients on low molecular weight heparin therapy. A
      total of 2 patients, a 26-month-old boy who presented with acute liver failure
      and required emergent liver transplantation and a 15-year-old boy with ulcerative
      colitis and autoimmune hepatitis-primary sclerosing cholangitis overlap underwent
      liver transplantation for progressive cirrhosis; both developed HAT during the
      postoperative period. They were both treated with low molecular weight heparin.
      Follow-up imaging for both patients showed resolution of HAT without evidence of
      collateral flow. 

PMID- 26488124
TI  - Iron and Vitamin D Deficiency in Healthy Young Children in Western Europe Despite
      Current Nutritional Recommendations.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Iron deficiency (ID) and vitamin D deficiency (VDD) are the 2
      most common micronutrient deficiencies in young children worldwide and may lead
      to impaired neurodevelopment and rickets, respectively. Risk factors for ID and
      VDD differ between populations. The objective of this study was to determine the
      prevalence of and risk factors for ID and VDD in 12- to 36-month-old children in
      Western Europe. METHODS: This study took place in Germany, the Netherlands, and
      the United Kingdom from 2012 to 2014. A venous blood sample was taken to
      establish iron and vitamin D status. ID was defined as serum ferritin <12 MUg/L
      in the absence of infection (high sensitivity C-reactive protein <10 mg/L). VDD
      was defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D <50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL). Furthermore,
      parents were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding their child's
      demographic- and socioeconomic characteristics, food intake, sun exposure, and
      medical history. RESULTS: In 325 children (white race 95%, boys 56%, mean age
      20.7 months) the overall prevalence of ID and VDD was 11.8% and 22.8%,
      respectively. The use of primarily cow's milk as major type of milk was
      associated with ID (odds ratio [OR] 3.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12-8.53)
      and VDD (OR 7.17, 95% CI 3.10-16.57). The use of vitamin D supplements (OR 0.20,
      95% CI 0.07-0.56) was associated with a lower prevalence of VDD. CONCLUSION:
      Despite current nutritional recommendations, ID and VDD are common in healthy
      young white children. Health programs focusing on adequate iron and vitamin D
      intake at an early age should be implemented to prevent deficiencies.

PMID- 26488126
TI  - In vivo reversal of the anticoagulant effect of rivaroxaban with four-factor
      prothrombin complex concentrate.
AB  - Four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) 50 iu/kg is able to swiftly
      restore haemostatic parameters in healthy subjects on rivaroxaban. We
      hypothesized that lower dosages of PCC may be sufficient to restore normal
      haemostasis. In this double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled study, we
      compared the effects of PCC 37.5 iu/kg, PCC 25 iu/kg, and placebo on thrombin
      generation (endogenous thrombin potential, ETP) and prothrombin time in six
      healthy subjects receiving twice-daily rivaroxaban 15 mg for 2.5 days. Fifteen
      min after infusion of PCC 37.5 iu/kg, ETP increased from 47 +/- 16% to 64 +/- 22%
      (P = 0.03; pre-rivaroxaban ETP: 92 +/- 14%) and remained higher than after
      placebo over 24 h (P = 0.001). PCC 25 iu/kg did not modify ETP within 15 min (53
      +/- 11% to 59 +/- 12%; P = 0.14) and was not different from placebo over 24 h (P
      = 0.31). ETP reached pre-rivaroxaban levels within 6 h after PCC 37.5 iu/kg
      infusion and within 12-24 h after PCC 25 iu/kg infusion. Both dosages restored
      rivaroxaban-induced prothrombin time prolongation after 15 min (P < 0.001).
      Placebo did not have an effect on coagulation parameters. 37.5 iu/kg of PCC leads
      to partial restoration of thrombin generation, whereas 25 iu/kg does not. PCC
      37.5 iu/kg may be insufficient for immediate full reversal of peak therapeutic
      rivaroxaban levels.

PMID- 26488127
TI  - Element-specific characterization of transient electronic structure of solvated
      Fe(II) complexes with time-resolved soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy.
AB  - Polypyridyl transition-metal complexes are an intriguing class of compounds due
      to the relatively facile chemical designs and variations in ligand-field
      strengths that allow for spin-state changes and hence electronic configurations
      in response to external perturbations such as pressure and light. Light-activated
      spin-conversion complexes have possible applications in a variety of molecular
      based devices, and ultrafast excited-state evolution in these complexes is of
      fundamental interest for understanding of the origins of spin-state conversion in
      metal complexes. Knowledge of the interplay of structure and valence charge
      distributions is important to understand which degrees of freedom drive spin
      conversion and which respond in a favorable (or unfavorable) manner. To track the
      response of the constituent components, various types of time-resolved X-ray
      probe methods have been utilized for a broad range of chemical and biological
      systems relevant to catalysis, solar energy conversions, and functional molecular
      devices. In particular, transient soft X-ray spectroscopy of solvated molecules
      can offer complementary information on the detailed electronic structures and
      valence charge distributions of photoinduced intermediate species: First-row
      transition-metal L-edges consist of 2p-3d transitions, which directly probe the
      unoccupied valence density of states and feature lifetime broadening in the range
      of 100 meV, making them sensitive spectral probes of metal-ligand interactions.
      In this Account, we present some of our recent progress in employing picosecond
      and femtosecond soft X-ray pulses from synchrotron sources to investigate element
      specific valence charge distributions and spin-state evolutions in Fe(II)
      polypyridyl complexes via core-level transitions. Our results on transient L-edge
      spectroscopy of Fe(II) complexes clearly show that the reduction in sigma
      donation is compensated by significant attenuation of pi-backbonding upon spin
      crossover. This underscores the important information contained in transient
      metal L-edge spectroscopy on changes in the 3d orbitals including oxidation
      states, orbital symmetries, and covalency, which largely define the chemistry of
      these complexes. In addition, ligand K-edge spectroscopy reveals the "ligand
      view" of the valence charge density by probing 1s-2p core-level transitions at
      the K-edge of light elements such as nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen. In the case of
      Fe(II) spin-conversion complexes, additional details of the metal-ligand
      interactions can be obtained by this type of X-ray spectroscopy. With new
      initiatives in and construction of X-ray free-electron laser sources, we expect
      time-resolved soft X-ray spectroscopy to pave a new way to study electronic and
      molecular dynamics of functional materials, thereby answering many interesting
      scientific questions in inorganic chemistry and material science. 

PMID- 26488128
TI  - Serogroup W Meningitis Outbreak at the Subdistrict Level, Burkina Faso, 2012.
AB  - In 2012, Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W caused a widespread meningitis
      epidemic in Burkina Faso. We describe the dynamic of the epidemic at the
      subdistrict level. Disease detection at this scale allows for a timelier
      response, which is critical in the new epidemiologic landscape created in Africa
      by the N. meningitidis A conjugate vaccine. 

PMID- 26488129
TI  - Pyogenic Intraperitoneal Pantoea agglomerans Abscesses.

PMID- 26488130
TI  - Drug-induced osteoporosis: from Fuller Albright to aromatase inhibitors.
AB  - Many commonly prescribed medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake
      inhibitors, proton pump inhibitors, thiazolidinediones, aromatase inhibitors, and
      androgen deprivation therapy, have been associated with adverse skeletal effects.
      The levels of evidence in support of a causal relationship between drug use and
      the development of bone loss and fractures are variable. For some drugs, a causal
      relationship is suspected (but not proven) based on observational studies, while
      in others causality is firmly established with randomized, controlled clinical
      trials. The mechanism of action for skeletal damage is poorly understood for some
      drugs and well known for others. Guidelines for managing bone health in patients
      taking some medications with potential skeletal toxicity have been developed
      using the best available evidence and expert opinion. This is a review of
      selected medications that have been associated with bone loss and fractures, with
      recommendations for clinical care. 

PMID- 26488131
TI  - Attachment style and oxytocin receptor gene variation interact in influencing
      social anxiety.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Social anxiety has been suggested to be promoted by an insecure
      attachment style. Oxytocin is discussed as a mediator of trust and social bonding
      as well as a modulator of social anxiety. Applying a gene-environment (G * E)
      interaction approach, in the present pilot study the main and interactive effects
      of attachment styles and oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene variation were probed in a
      combined risk factor model of social anxiety in healthy probands. METHODS:
      Participants (N = 388; 219 females, 169 males; age 24.7 +/- 4.7 years) were
      assessed for anxiety in social situations (Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory)
      depending on attachment style (Adult Attachment Scale, AAS) and OXTR rs53576 A/G
      genotype. RESULTS: A less secure attachment style was significantly associated
      with higher social anxiety. This association was partly modulated by OXTR
      genotype, with a stronger negative influence of a less secure attachment style on
      social anxiety in A allele carriers as compared to GG homozygotes. CONCLUSIONS:
      The present pilot data point to a strong association of less secure attachment
      and social anxiety as well as to a gene-environment interaction effect of OXTR
      rs53576 genotype and attachment style on social anxiety possibly constituting a
      targetable combined risk marker of social anxiety disorder.

PMID- 26488132
TI  - Solubility of C60 and PCBM in Organic Solvents.
AB  - The ability to correlate fullerene solubility with experimentally or
      computationally accessible parameters can significantly facilitate nanotechnology
      nowadays for a wide range of applications, while providing crucial insight into
      optimum design of future fullerene species. To date, there has been no single
      relationship that satisfactorily describes the existing data clearly manifesting
      the effects of solvent species, system temperature, and isomer. Using atomistic
      molecular dynamics simulations on two standard fullerene species, C60 and PCBM
      ([6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester), in a representative series of
      organic solvent media (i.e., chloroform, toluene, chlorobenzene, 1,3
      dichlorobenzene, and 1,2-dichlorobenzene), we show that a single time constant
      characterizing the dynamic stability of a tiny (angstrom-sized) solvation shell
      encompassing the fullerene particle can be utilized to effectively capture the
      known trends of fullerene solubility as reported in the literature. The
      underlying physics differs substantially between the two fullerene species,
      however. Although C60 was previously shown to be dictated by a diffusion-limited
      aggregation mechanism, the side-chain-substituted PCBM is demonstrated herein to
      proceed with an analogous reaction-limited aggregation with the "reaction rate"
      set by the fullerene rotational diffusivity in the medium. The present results
      suggest that dynamic quantities-in contrast to the more often employed, static
      ones-may provide an excellent means to characterize the complex (entropic and
      enthalpic) interplay between fullerene species and the solvent medium, shed light
      on the factors determining the solvent quality of a nanoparticle solution, and,
      in particular, offer a practical pathway to foreseeing optimum fullerene design
      and fullerene-solvent interactions. 

PMID- 26488133
TI  - Advanced Inorganic Nanoarchitectures from Oriented Self-Assembly.
AB  - Complex and well-defined nanostructures are promising for emerging properties
      with broad applications. Self-assembly processes driven by diverse interactions
      generate varied nanostructures by using versatile nanocrystals as building
      blocks, while oriented attachment growth allows individual nanocrystals to be
      integrated and fused into highly anisotropic structures. By a combination of self
      assembly technique and oriented attachment growth, many advanced nanostructures
      can be made. Such approaches can be viewed as an architecture of the nanoscale
      counterparts in the microworld, named as nanoarchitectures. 

PMID- 26488134
TI  - Determination of Estrogens in Milk Samples by Magnetic-Solid-Phase Extraction
      Technique Coupled With High-Performance Liquid Chromatography.
AB  - A magnetic-solid-phase extraction method coupled with high-performance liquid
      chromatography and diode array detection has been developed for simultaneous
      determination of 3 estrogens in milk samples. In this work, Fe3O4 NPs were
      synthesized by a simple chemical co-precipitation reaction, and the surface of
      Fe3O4 was modified with cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB; designed as
      Fe3O4@CTAB). The synthesized Fe3O4@CTAB NPs were characterized by Fourier
      transformed infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission
      electron microscope. Fe3O4@CTAB NPs have high binding affinity toward estrone
      (E1), 17beta-estradiol (17beta-E2), and diethylstilbestrol (DES). Fe3O4@CTAB NPs
      can be easily separated from sample solutions using an external magnet due to the
      high super-paramagnetic property. The separation, preconcentration procedure is
      fast and will be completed in 2 min. Estrogens linear dynamic ranges were
      achieved in the range of 10 to 1000 ng/mL with regression coefficients (R(2))
      higher than 0.9992. The limits of detection were between 0.26 and 0.61 ng/mL.
      Parameters influencing the recoveries were investigated and optimized. The
      proposed method was used for the determination of E1, 17beta-E2, and DES in milk
      samples, and recoveries were ranged from 91.3% to 105.0%, with the relative
      standard deviations in the range of 2.7% to 4.0%.

PMID- 26488135
TI  - Synthesis of the kyotorphin precursor benzoyl-L-tyrosine-L-argininamide with
      immobilized alpha-chymotrypsin in sequential batch with enzyme reactivation.
AB  - alpha-Chymotrypsin was immobilized in activated agarose support and the stability
      of the biocatalyst was assessed in three polar organic solvents, namely, ethanol,
      diglyme, and acetonitrile. Ethanol was the solvent in which the stability of the
      enzyme was higher and was then selected to perform the synthesis of the
      kyotorphin derivative benzoyl-tyrosine argininamide, evaluating enzyme
      reactivation after synthesis. Substrates for reaction were benzoyl tyrosine ethyl
      ester and argininamide, the reaction being performed under kinetic control. High
      conversion yield (85%) was obtained and the immobilized enzyme was successfully
      used in sequential batch reactor operation with enzyme reactivation after three
      batches.

PMID- 26488136
TI  - The Human Endometrium-Specific Proteome Defined by Transcriptomics and Antibody
      Based Profiling.
AB  - The human uterus includes the complex endometrial mucosa, the endometrium that
      undergoes dynamic, hormone-dependent alterations throughout the life of fertile
      females. Here we have combined a genome-wide transcriptomics analysis with
      immunohistochemistry-based protein profiling to analyze gene expression patterns
      in the normal endometrium. Human endometrial tissues from five women were used
      for deep sequencing (RNA-Seq). The mRNA and protein expression data from the
      endometrium were compared to 31 (RNA) and 44 (protein) other normal tissue types,
      to identify genes with elevated expression in the endometrium and to localize the
      expression of corresponding proteins at a cellular resolution. Based on the
      expression levels of transcripts, we could classify all putative human protein
      coding genes into categories defined by expression patterns and found altogether
      101 genes that showed an elevated pattern of expression in the endometrium, with
      only four genes showing more than five-fold higher expression levels in the
      endometrium compared to other tissues. In conclusion, our analysis based on
      transcriptomics and antibody-based protein profiling reports here comprehensive
      lists of genes with elevated expression levels in the endometrium, providing
      important starting points for a better molecular understanding of human
      reproductive biology and disease. 

PMID- 26488137
TI  - Global Nursing Issues and Development: Analysis of World Health Organization
      Documents.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze World Health Organization (WHO) documents to identify global
      nursing issues and development. DESIGN: Qualitative content analysis. METHODS:
      Documents published by the six WHO regions between 2007 and 2012 and with key
      words related to nurse/midwife or nursing/midwifery were included. Themes,
      categories, and subcategories were derived. The final coding reached 80%
      agreement among three independent coders, and the final coding for the discrepant
      coding was reached by consensus. FINDINGS: Thirty-two documents from the regions
      of Europe (n = 19), the Americas (n = 6), the Western Pacific (n = 4), Africa (n
      = 1), the Eastern Mediterranean (n = 1), and Southeast Asia (n = 1) were
      examined. A total of 385 units of analysis dispersed in 31 subcategories under
      four themes were derived. The four themes derived (number of unit of analysis, %)
      were Management & Leadership (206, 53.5), Practice (75, 19.5), Education (70,
      18.2), and Research (34, 8.8). CONCLUSIONS: The key nursing issues of concern at
      the global level are workforce, the impacts of nursing in health care,
      professional status, and education of nurses. International alliances can help
      advance nursing, but the visibility of nursing in the WHO needs to be
      strengthened. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Organizational leadership is important in order
      to optimize the use of nursing competence in practice and inform policy makers
      regarding the value of nursing to promote people's health.

PMID- 26488138
TI  - Polymer based graphene/titanium dioxide nanocomposite (GTNC): an emerging and
      efficient thermoelectric material.
AB  - An ecofriendly procedure for the synthesis of graphene-titanium dioxide
      nanocomposites (GTNC) has been developed by dispersing nano-titanium dioxide
      (TiO2) and graphene nanosheets (GNSs) in ethanol via ultrasonication followed by
      microwave irradiation. Such nanohybrids were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction
      (XRD), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier
      Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. We have also
      demonstrated the synthesis of highly conductive composites like poly(3,4
      ethylenedioxythiophene)polystyrene sulphonate ( PEDOT: PSS)-GTNC, polyvinyl
      acetate (PVAc)-GTNC, PEDOT:PSS-graphene, and PVAc-graphene by ultrasonication
      followed by hot compaction towards their thermoelectric application. The filler
      (graphene, GTNC) concentration and polymer matrix were judiciously varied and
      optimized for the sake of high electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient
      which leads to a higher power factor (PF). The PVAc based composite with a
      composition of PVAc (20%) and GTNC (80%) was found to be the most promising
      material with an electrical conductivity of 2.6 * 10(4) S m(-1) and a Seebeck
      coefficient of -42 MUV K(-1) at room temperature (RT). As a result, the PF
      reaches 47 MUW m(-1) K(-2) at RT which is approximately 37 times, 5 times and 3
      times higher than that for the PVAc-graphene based composite, the PEDOT: PSS-GTNC
      based composite and the PEDOT: PSS-graphene based composite respectively. The
      origin of the thermoelectric performance of the GTNC composite seems to be from
      the synergistic effect of graphene nanosheets and TiO2 nanoparticles. The
      composite shows a large power factor value without using any conducting polymer.

PMID- 26488139
TI  - Evaluation of the performance of the OneTouch Select Plus blood glucose test
      system against ISO 15197:2013.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Assess laboratory and in-clinic performance of the OneTouch
      Select((r)) Plus test system against ISO 15197:2013 standard for measurement of
      blood glucose. METHODS: System performance assessed in laboratory against key
      patient, environmental and pharmacologic factors. User performance was assessed
      in clinic by system-naive lay-users. Healthcare professionals assessed system
      accuracy on diabetes subjects in clinic. RESULTS: The system demonstrated high
      levels of performance, meeting ISO 15197:2013 requirements in laboratory testing
      (precision, linearity, hematocrit, temperature, humidity and altitude). System
      performance was tested against 28 interferents, with an adverse interfering
      effect only being recorded for pralidoxime iodide. Clinic user performance
      results fulfilled ISO 15197:2013 accuracy criteria. Subjects agreed that the
      color range indicator clearly showed if they were low, in-range or high and
      helped them better understand glucose results. CONCLUSION: The system evaluated
      is accurate and meets all ISO 15197:2013 requirements as per the tests described.
      The color range indicator helped subjects understand glucose results and supports
      patients in following healthcare professional recommendations on glucose targets.

PMID- 26488140
TI  - Repeated appearance and disappearance of localized surface plasmon resonance in
      1.2 nm gold clusters induced by adsorption and desorption of hydrogen atoms.
AB  - Addition of an aqueous solution of NaBH4 to a dispersion of small (~1.2 nm) gold
      clusters stabilized by poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (Au:PVP) induced a localized
      surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) absorption for a certain period of time while
      maintaining the cluster size. The duration of the LSPR band could be lengthened
      by increasing the NaBH4 concentration and shortened by increasing the
      concentration of dissolved O2, and the LSPR band could be made to appear and
      reappear repeatedly. The appearance of the LSPR band is explained by the electron
      donation to the Au core from the adsorbed H atoms that originate from NaBH4,
      whereas its disappearance is ascribed to the removal of H atoms by their reaction
      with O2. These results suggest that the transition between the metallic and non
      metallic electronic structures of the Au clusters can be reversibly induced by
      the adsorption and desorption of H atoms, which are electronically equivalent to
      Au. 

PMID- 26488141
TI  - A randomized practical behavioural trial of curriculum-based advocacy training
      for individuals with traumatic brain injury and their families.
AB  - PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To test whether a curriculum-based advocacy training programme
      improves advocacy behaviour when compared to a matched group engaged in self
      directed advocacy activities. RESEARCH DESIGN: Community-based randomized
      practical behavioural trial. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Adults with moderate-severe
      TBI 1 or more years post-injury and their family members were recruited in
      Minnesota (4 years), Iowa and Wisconsin (each 3 years) and randomized into a
      curriculum-based or self-directed advocacy training group. Both groups met on the
      same day, at separate locations in the same city, once per month for 4
      consecutive months. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Pre-post written and video
      testimony were rated using the Advocacy Behaviour Rating Scale (ABRS). Mean ABRS
      scores increased after intervention in both groups (curriculum n = 129, self
      directed n = 128), but there was no significant difference in this increase
      between groups. When groups were combined, a significant pre-post improvement in
      mean ABRS scores was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Curriculum-based advocacy training
      was not superior to a self-directed approach in improving ABRS scores. A
      significant improvement in expression of an advocacy message was observed when
      intervention groups were combined. These findings suggest that bringing together
      like-minded motivated individuals is more important than programme structure or
      content in changing advocacy behaviour.

PMID- 26488143
TI  - Frostbite Arthritis.

PMID- 26488144
TI  - Feasibility of Using Mobile Health to Promote Self-Management in Spina Bifida.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine feasibility of using the interactive Mobile Health and
      Rehabilitation (iMHere) system in spina bifida and its effects on psychosocial
      and medical outcomes. DESIGN: In a randomized controlled trial, 13 intervention
      participants using the iMHere system and receiving usual care and 10 control
      participants receiving usual care were followed for 1 year. RESULTS: Feasibility
      of use of the system was demonstrated by participants using a customized
      smartphone system for reminders to conduct various self-care tasks, upload photos
      of wounds, manage medications, complete mood surveys, and for secure messaging.
      High usage of the system was associated with positive changes in the subscales of
      the Adolescent Self-Management and Independence Scale II. CONCLUSION: Use of the
      iMHere system in spina bifida is feasible and was associated with short-term self
      reported improvements in self-management skill. This system holds promise for use
      in many diverse chronic care models to support and increase self-management
      skills.

PMID- 26488145
TI  - Effect on Pain and Symptoms of Aspiration Before Hyaluronan Injection for Knee
      Osteoarthritis: A Prospective, Randomized, Single-blind Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to observe whether synovial fluid
      aspiration of the knee joint compared to no aspiration, before and after 5 weekly
      injections of intra-articular hyaluronan, provides an improvement in knee pain
      and physical function. DESIGN: Patients were randomized to an arthrocentesis
      group (n = 92) or a nonarthrocentesis group (n = 88). In the arthrocentesis
      group, knee joints were maximally aspirated before each hyaluronan
      administration. In the nonarthrocentesis group, synovial fluid was not removed.
      Hyaluronan was injected into the knee joints once a week for 5 weeks. Patients
      were followed up for 25 weeks. Outcome measures included patient pain (using the
      100-mm visual analog scale [VAS] during a 50-foot walking test), Western Ontario
      McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) function scores, and overall
      effectiveness evaluated by patients and investigators on a scale of 1 to 6.
      RESULTS: The arthrocentesis group showed significantly greater improvement from
      baseline to week 25 in VAS pain (P < 0.001) and WOMAC function scores (P < 0.001)
      than the nonarthrocentesis group. However, the differences of patient and
      investigator assessment of effectiveness did not achieve significance.
      CONCLUSIONS: Synovial fluid drainage before injection of intra-articular
      hyaluronan significantly improved VAS pain and WOMAC function scores in patients
      with knee osteoarthritis, however, the differences of patient and investigator
      assessment did not achieve significance.

PMID- 26488147
TI  - The Authors' Response to the Letter to the Editor on "Ultrasound Guided Injection
      of the Carpal Tunnel: Do You Mind the Retinaculum?".

PMID- 26488146
TI  - Factors Associated with Mobility Outcomes in a National Spina Bifida Patient
      Registry.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide descriptive data on ambulatory ability and muscle strength
      in a large cohort of individuals with spina bifida enrolled in a National Spina
      Bifida Patient Registry and to investigate factors associated with ambulatory
      status. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of data from a multisite patient
      registry. RESULTS: Descriptive analysis of mobility variables for 2604
      individuals with spina bifida aged 5 and older are presented from 19 sites in the
      United States. Analysis of a subset of National Spina Bifida Patient Registry
      data from 380 individuals from 3 sites accompanied by data from a specialized
      spina bifida electronic medical record revealed that those with no history of a
      shunt, lower motor level, and no history of hip or knee contracture release
      surgery were more likely to be ambulatory at the community level than at the
      household or wheelchair level. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to examine
      factors associated with ambulatory status in a large sample of individuals with
      myelomeningocele and nonmyelomeningocele subtypes of spina bifida. Results of
      this study delineate the breadth of strength and functional abilities within the
      different age groups and subtypes of spina bifida. The results may inform
      physicians of the characteristics of those with varying ambulatory abilities.

PMID- 26488148
TI  - Transbronchial Cryobiopsies in the Evaluation of Lung Allografts: Do the Benefits
      Outweigh the Risks?
AB  - CONTEXT: Transbronchial cryobiopsy technique yields larger biopsies with enhanced
      quality. The benefits and safety of cryobiopsies have not been thoroughly studied
      in lung allografts. OBJECTIVE: To compare size, quality, reproducibility of
      interpretation of rejection and complications of cryobiopsies with those of
      conventional biopsies from lung allografts. DESIGN: All cryobiopsies (March 2014
      January 2015) of lung allografts performed at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, and medical
      records were reviewed. For comparison, conventional biopsies from the same
      patient or, if unavailable, from a random patient, were selected. Two
      pathologists blinded to outcome reviewed all biopsies. Specimen volume, number of
      alveoli, small airways, and pulmonary vessels were counted and statistically
      compared. RESULTS: Fifty-four biopsies (27 cryobiopsies) from 18 patients (11
      men) were reviewed. A median of 3 (range, 2-5) and 10 (range, 6-12) specimens
      were obtained with cryobiopsies and conventional biopsies, respectively.
      Cryobiopsies were larger and contained more alveoli (P < .001, both) and small
      airways (P = .04). Conventional biopsies showed more fresh alveolar hemorrhage
      (procedural) and crush artifact/atelectasis (P < .001, both). Cryobiopsies
      contained more pulmonary veins and venules (P < .001). There was no significant
      difference between the types of biopsies with respect to the reviewers' agreement
      on grades of rejection. Complications were more frequent in the cryobiopsy group,
      though the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS:
      Cryobiopsies of lung allografts are larger and have less artifact. However,
      complications occur and should be considered. Three cryobiopsy specimens appear
      sufficient for histopathologic evaluation of lung allografts.

PMID- 26488149
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26488150
TI  - Cement Selection for Cement-Retained Implant-Supported Prostheses: A Literature
      Review.
AB  - Cement-retained implant-supported prostheses are widely used for restoring
      missing teeth; however, they show some complications in comparison to screw
      retained restorations, such as difficulty in retrieving the restoration and
      biocompatibility of cement. Therefore, the practitioner should consider several
      important aspects when using this type of restoration. In this regard, one major
      concern is appropriate cement selection, with considerations including cement
      biologic compatibility, methods for limiting the excess cement, ease of removing
      the excess cement, radiographic view of the cement, and also the possibility of
      future retrieval of the prosthesis. The aim of this review article was to address
      most aspects related to this type of prosthesis in terms of cementation.

PMID- 26488151
TI  - Access and Quality of Care in Direct-to-Consumer Telemedicine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine serves millions of patients;
      however, there is limited research on the care provided. This study compared the
      quality of care at Teladoc ( www.teladoc.com ), a large DTC telemedicine company,
      with that at physician offices and compared access to care for Teladoc users and
      nonusers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Claims from all enrollees 18-64 years of age in
      the California Public Employees' Retirement System health maintenance
      organization between April 2012 and October 2013 were analyzed. We compared the
      performance of Teladoc and physician offices on applicable Healthcare
      Effectiveness Data and Information Set measures. Using geographic information
      system analyses, we compared Teladoc users and nonusers with respect to rural
      location and available primary care physicians. RESULTS: Of enrollees offered
      Teladoc (n = 233,915), 3,043 adults had a total of 4,657 Teladoc visits. For the
      pharyngitis performance measure (ordering strep test), Teladoc performed worse
      than physician offices (3% versus 50%, p < 0.01). For the back pain measure (not
      ordering imaging), Teladoc and physician offices had similar performance (88%
      versus 79%, p = 0.20). For the bronchitis measure (not ordering antibiotics),
      Teladoc performed worse than physician offices (16.7 versus 27.9%, p < 0.01). In
      adjusted models, Teladoc users were not more likely to be located within a
      healthcare professional shortage area (odds ratio = 1.12, p = 0.10) or rural
      location (odds ratio = 1.0, p = 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: Teladoc providers were less
      likely to order diagnostic testing and had poorer performance on appropriate
      antibiotic prescribing for bronchitis. Teladoc users were not preferentially
      located in underserved communities. Short-term needs include ongoing monitoring
      of quality and additional marketing and education to increase telemedicine use
      among underserved patients.

PMID- 26488152
TI  - Ammine-Stabilized Transition-Metal Borohydrides of Iron, Cobalt, and Chromium:
      Synthesis and Characterization.
AB  - Iron and cobalt borohydrides stabilized by ammonia (NH3), [Fe(NH3)6](BH4)2 and
      [Co(NH3)6](BH4)2, were synthesized along with a solid solution, [Co(NH3)6](BH4)(2
      x)Cl(x) (x ~ 1), and a bimetallic compound, [Fe(NH3)6](Li2(BH4)4). The compounds
      were prepared by new low-temperature, solvent-based synthesis methods, using
      dimethyl sulfide or liquid NH3, which allow for the removal of inert metal
      halides. The crystal structures were determined from synchrotron radiation powder
      X-ray diffraction (SR-PXD) data. [M(NH3)6](BH4)2 (M = Fe, Co) and
      [Co(NH3)6](BH4)(2-x)Cl(x) crystallize in the cubic crystal system, where the
      transition metals are octahedrally coordinated by NH3. Polymeric chains of
      lithium coordinated by four bridging BH4(-) anions are found in
      [Fe(NH3)6](Li2(BH4)4). The new compounds have high hydrogen densities of ~14 wt %
      H2 and ~140 g H2/L and release a mixture of hydrogen and NH3 gas at low
      temperatures, T < 80  degrees C. The decomposition mechanisms of the prepared
      compounds along with the composites [Fe(NH3)6](BH4)2.nNH3BH3 (n = 2, 4, 6) were
      studied by thermal analysis and in situ SR-PXD.

PMID- 26488153
TI  - Structural and Chemical Dynamics of Pyridinic-Nitrogen Defects in Graphene.
AB  - High density and controllable nitrogen doping in graphene is a critical issue to
      realize high performance graphene-based devices. In this paper, we demonstrate an
      efficient method to selectively produce graphitic-N and pyridinic-N defects in
      graphene by using the mixture plasma of ozone and nitrogen. The atomic structure,
      electronic structure, and dynamic behavior of these nitrogen defects are
      systematically studied at the atomic level by using a scanning transmission
      electron microscopy. The pyridinic-N exhibits higher chemical activity and tends
      to trap a series of transition metal atoms (Mg, Al, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, and Fe) as
      individual atoms. 

PMID- 26488154
TI  - Interactions among osteoblastic cells, Staphylococcus aureus, and chitosan
      immobilized titanium implants in a postoperative coculture system: An in vitro
      study.
AB  - Biomaterial-related infections (BRIs) have become a major challenge in the field
      of orthopedic implants. In this study, we delved into the problem of BRI and
      attempted to reduce the possibility of BRI incidence via surface modification of
      titanium (Ti) with chitosan (SA-CS-Ti). To comprehensively evaluate the anti
      infection potential of SA-CS-Ti, we first constructed a postoperative infection
      (POI) model with varying concentrations of bacteria (102  CFU/sample and 104 
      CFU/sample) and a constant number of SaOS-2 cells (105 /sample). Then, we
      biologically characterized the interactions between the SaOS-2 cells, bacteria,
      and different Ti implants using the POI model. The results from the osteoblastic
      cell and bacterial attachment tests demonstrated that the SA-CS-Ti surfaces
      exhibit superior osteogenic behavior relative to other Ti surfaces studied while
      showing significant anti-infective activities in the POI model with a low
      infection ratio (bacteria: cell ratio of 0.001:1) 30 min after infection.
      Additionally, the SA-CS-Ti surfaces showed significantly reduced (p < 0.05)
      bacteria proliferation compared to the control Ti surfaces (UN-Ti), demonstrating
      their antifouling property. The significantly increased (p < 0.05) sensitivity of
      Staphylococcus. aureus adhered to the SA-CS-Ti surfaces against cefazolin (1 mg/L
      treatment) and gentamicin (10 mg/L and 100 mg/L treatment) in the coculture
      system augmented potential of SA-CS-Ti to be used as orthopedic implants. (c)
      2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 586-594, 2016.

PMID- 26488155
TI  - A Comparative Study Between an Oil-in-Water Emulsion and Nonlipid Eye Drops Used
      for Rewetting Contact Lenses.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical impact of
      using SYSTANE BALANCE Lubricant Eye Drops (Alcon, Fort Worth, TX), an oil-in
      water emulsion, as a rewetting eye drop in symptomatic contact lens wearers.
      METHODS: Subjects who had previously experienced contact lens discomfort (CLD),
      with a mean lens wearing history of 18.6+/-12.8 years, were randomly assigned to
      use a Test (SYSTANE BALANCE Lubricant Eye Drops; n=76) or control (habitual
      nonlipid contact lens rewetting eye drop; n=30) drop over their contact lenses
      within 5 min of lens insertion and then subsequently at 2 hr intervals up to a
      maximum of 4 drops per eye daily for a 1-month period. Assessments of subjective
      comfort, comfortable wearing time, lid wiper epitheliopathy (LWE), and corneal
      staining were conducted at baseline and after 1 month, after 6 hr of lens wear.
      RESULTS: Comfort, wearing time, LWE, and corneal staining all showed
      statistically significant improvements in the test group using SYSTANE BALANCE
      Lubricant Eye Drops at the 1-month visit compared with baseline data (all P<0.01)
      and compared with the control group at the 1-month visit (P<0.01, P=0.01, P<0.01,
      and P=0.03, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The use of SYSTANE BALANCE Lubricant Eye
      Drops as a rewetting drop in a group of wearers who experienced symptoms of CLD
      improved subjective comfort scores, increased comfortable wearing time, and
      reduced signs of LWE and corneal staining, when compared with the use of non
      lipid-containing contact lens rewetting eye drops.

PMID- 26488156
TI  - Adsorptive Separation of Olefin/Paraffin Mixtures with ZIF-4.
AB  - The microporous zeolitic imidazolate framework ZIF-4 has been synthesized, and
      its ethylene/ethane and propylene/propane separation potentials have been
      evaluated by single-component adsorption isotherms and breakthrough experiments
      of the respective binary mixtures. In all experiments, a higher selectivity for
      the paraffin is observed that is manifested by a steeper equilibrium isotherm as
      well as a later breakthrough in the fixed-bed adsorber experiments. Microporous
      adsorbents with paraffin selectivity are rare but highly interesting for cyclic
      adsorption processes such as pressure-swing adsorption (PSA). 

PMID- 26488157
TI  - Extensive Penetration of Evaporated Electrode Metals into Fullerene Films:
      Intercalated Metal Nanostructures and Influence on Device Architecture.
AB  - Although it is known that evaporated metals can penetrate into films of various
      organic molecules that are a few nanometers thick, there has been little work
      aimed at exploring the interaction of the common electrode metals used in devices
      with fullerene derivatives, such as organic photovoltaics (OPVs) or perovskite
      solar cells that use fullerenes as electron transport layers. In this paper, we
      show that when commonly used electrode metals (e.g., Au, Ag, Al, Ca, etc.) are
      evaporated onto films of fullerene derivatives (such as [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric
      acid methyl ester (PCBM)), the metal penetrates many tens of nanometers into the
      fullerene layer. This penetration decreases the effective electrical thickness of
      fullerene-based sandwich structure devices, as measured by the device's geometric
      capacitance, and thus significantly alters the device physics. For the case of
      Au/PCBM, the metal penetrates a remarkable 70 nm into the fullerene, and we see
      penetration of similar magnitude in a wide variety of fullerene
      derivative/evaporated metal combinations. Moreover, using transmission electron
      microscopy to observed cross-sections of the films, we show that when gold is
      evaporated onto poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/PCBM sequentially processed OPV
      quasi-bilayers, Au nanoparticles with diameters of ~3-20 nm are formed and are
      dispersed entirely throughout the fullerene-rich overlayer. The plasmonic
      absorption and scattering from these nanoparticles are readily evident in the
      optical transmission spectrum, demonstrating that the interpenetrated metal
      significantly alters the optical properties of fullerene-rich active layers. This
      opens a number of possibilities in terms of contact engineering and light
      management so that metal penetration in devices that use fullerene derivatives
      could be used to advantage, making it critical that researchers are aware of the
      electronic and optical consequences of exposing fullerene-derivative films to
      evaporated electrode metals. 

PMID- 26488158
TI  - Downregulation of Integrins in Cancer Cells and Anti-Platelet Properties Are
      Involved in Holothurian Glycosaminoglycan-Mediated Disruption of the Interaction
      of Cancer Cells and Platelets in Hematogenous Metastasis.
AB  - Activated platelets have been recognized as an accessory character in the cascade
      of tumor hematogenous metastasis, and intervention of tumor cell attachment to
      the activated platelets or microemboli formation might be a leading strategy to
      prevent tumor cells surviving in the blood vessels and sequential metastasis.
      Recently, we have demonstrated that holothurian glycosaminoglycan (hGAG), a
      sulfated polysaccharide with potent anticoagulant activity extracted from the sea
      cucumber Holothuria leucospilota Brandt, was highly efficacious against tumor
      metastasis. In this study, we identified the potential effects of hGAG on the
      disruption of interactions of cancer cells and platelets and the underlying
      mechanisms, which were supported by the following evidence: hGAG (1) inhibited
      thrombin-induced platelet activation and aggregation, (2) reduced adhesion
      between platelet and breast cancer cells, and abrogated platelets/cancer cells
      adhering to fibrinogen, (3) attenuated platelet-cancer cell complex formation
      (the number and size of aggregates) and (4) suppressed both mRNA and protein
      levels of beta1 and beta3 integrins, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9,
      while increasing the expression of the MMP inhibitor, tissue inhibitor of
      metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 in MDA-MB-231 cells. These results suggested that both
      the antiplatelet properties and mitigation of the levels of cellular adhesion
      molecules contributed to the anticancer effects of hGAG, and might thus be
      exploited for clinical adjuvant therapy to attenuate tumor hematogenous
      metastasis. 

PMID- 26488160
TI  - Conscious Sedation Using Midazolam and Sequential Flumazenil in Cirrhotic
      Patients for Prophylactic Endoscopic Variceal Ligation.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study investigated the safety of endoscopic variceal
      ligation (EVL) under conscious sedation with midazolam and sequential flumazenil
      after procedure in these patients. METHODS: A total of 279 patients who underwent
      secondary prophylactic EVL at our institution between April 2012 and June 2014,
      were enrolled. Conscious sedation was achieved using intravenous midazolam, and
      flumazenil was routinely used as an antidote immediately after EVL. Patients with
      sleep (n = 165) and non-sleep (n = 55) endoscopy were matched using propensity
      score analysis (3:1). Frequencies of overt hepatic encephalopathy (HEP) and
      patient' satisfactions with EVL were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: Of
      the 279 patients, 155 (55.6%) were of Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) class, B or C,
      and 224 (80.3%) patients underwent sleep endoscopy. After propensity score
      analysis, overt HEP was observed in 1 (0.4%) of the 165 patients in the sedated
      group, but not found in any in the non-sedated group. Patient' satisfaction with
      EVL was better in the sedated group (p < 0.001). Twenty-nine (65.9%) of the 44
      patients with CTP class C underwent sleep endoscopy, and only one (3.4%)
      experienced overt HEP. CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic EVL under conscious sedation
      using midazolam and flumazenil is probably safe in cirrhotic patients without
      experience of HEP, even in those of CTP class C.

PMID- 26488161
TI  - Home Bodies and Wanderers: Sympatric Lineages of the Deep-Sea Black Coral
      Leiopathes glaberrima.
AB  - Colonial corals occur in a wide range of marine benthic habitats from the
      shallows to the deep ocean, often defining the structure of their local
      community. The black coral Leiopathes glaberrima is a long-lived foundation
      species occurring on carbonate outcrops in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM).
      Multiple color morphs of L. glaberrima grow sympatrically in the region.
      Morphological, mitochondrial and nuclear ribosomal markers supported the
      hypothesis that color morphs constituted a single biological species and that
      colonies, regardless of color, were somewhat genetically differentiated east and
      west of the Mississippi Canyon. Ten microsatellite loci were used to determine
      finer-scale population genetic structure and reproductive characteristics. Gene
      flow was disrupted between and within two nearby (distance = 36.4 km) hardground
      sites and two sympatric microsatellite lineages, which might constitute cryptic
      species, were recovered. Lineage one was outbred and found in all sampled
      locations (N = 5) across 765.6 km in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Lineage two was
      inbred, reproducing predominantly by fragmentation, and restricted to sites
      around Viosca Knoll. In these sites the lineages and the color phenotypes
      occurred in different microhabitats, and models of maximum entropy suggested that
      depth and slope influence the distribution of the color phenotypes within the
      Vioska Knolls. We conclude that L. glaberrima is phenotypically plastic with a
      mixed reproductive strategy in the Northern GoM. Such strategy might enable this
      long-lived species to balance local recruitment with occasional long-distance
      dispersal to colonize new sites in an environment where habitat is limited. 

PMID- 26488159
TI  - Potential for Drug-Drug Interactions between Antiretrovirals and HCV Direct
      Acting Antivirals in a Large Cohort of HIV/HCV Coinfected Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Development of direct acting antivirals (DAA) offers new benefits for
      patients with chronic hepatitis C. The combination of these drugs with
      antiretroviral treatment (cART) is a real challenge in HIV/HCV coinfected
      patients. The aim of this study was to describe potential drug-drug interactions
      between DAAs and antiretroviral drugs in a cohort of HIV/HCV coinfected patients.
      METHODS: Cross-sectional study of all HIV/HCV coinfected patients attending at
      least one visit in 2012 in the multicenter French Dat'AIDS cohort. A simulation
      of drug-drug interactions between antiretroviral treatment and DAAs available in
      2015 was performed. RESULTS: Of 16,634 HIV-infected patients, 2,511 had
      detectable anti-HCV antibodies, of whom 1,196 had a detectable HCV-RNA and were
      not receiving HCV treatment at the time of analysis. 97.1% of these patients were
      receiving cART and 81.2% had a plasma HIV RNA <50 copies/mL. cART included
      combinations of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors with a boosted
      protease inhibitor in 43.6%, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor in
      17.3%, an integrase inhibitor in 15.4% and various combinations or antiretroviral
      drugs in 23.7% of patients. A previous treatment against HCV had been
      administered in 64.4% of patients. Contraindicated associations/potential
      interactions were expected between cART and respectively sofosbuvir (0.2%/0%),
      sofosbuvir/ledipasvir (0.2%/67.6%), daclatasvir (0%/49.4%), ombitasvir/boosted
      paritaprevir (with or without dasabuvir) (34.4%/52.2%) and simeprevir (78.8%/0%).
      CONCLUSIONS: Significant potential drug-drug interactions are expected between
      cART and the currently available DAAs in the majority of HIV/HCV coinfected
      patients. Sofosbuvir/ledipasvir and sofosbuvir/daclatasvir with or without
      ribavirin appeared the most suitable combinations in our population. A close
      collaboration between hepatologists and HIV/AIDS specialists appears necessary
      for the management of HCV treatment concomitantly to cART.

PMID- 26488163
TI  - Sawfishes and Other Elasmobranch Assemblages from the Mio-Pliocene of the South
      Caribbean (Urumaco Sequence, Northwestern Venezuela).
AB  - The Urumaco stratigraphic sequence, western Venezuela, preserves a variety of
      paleoenvironments that include terrestrial, riverine, lacustrine and marine
      facies. A wide range of fossil vertebrates associated with these facies supports
      the hypothesis of an estuary in that geographic area connected with a
      hydrographic system that flowed from western Amazonia up to the Proto-Caribbean
      Sea during the Miocene. Here the elasmobranch assemblages of the middle Miocene
      to middle Pliocene section of the Urumaco sequence (Socorro, Urumaco and Codore
      formations) are described. Based on new findings, we document at least 21 taxa of
      the Lamniformes, Carcharhiniformes, Myliobatiformes and Rajiformes, and describe
      a new carcharhiniform species (?Carcharhinus caquetius sp. nov.). Moreover, the
      Urumaco Formation has a high number of well-preserved fossil Pristis rostra, for
      which we provide a detailed taxonomic revision, and referral in the context of
      the global Miocene record of Pristis as well as extant species. Using the habitat
      preference of the living representatives, we hypothesize that the fossil
      chondrichthyan assemblages from the Urumaco sequence are evidence for marine
      shallow waters and estuarine habitats. 

PMID- 26488162
TI  - The Effect of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) on Platelet Aggregation: A Systematic
      Literature Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The potential effect of ginger on platelet aggregation is a widely
      cited concern both within the published literature and to clinicians; however,
      there has been no systematic appraisal of the evidence to date. METHODS: Using
      the PRISMA guidelines, we systematically reviewed the results of clinical and
      observational trials regarding the effect of ginger on platelet aggregation in
      adults compared to either placebo or baseline data. Studies included in this
      review stipulated the independent variable was a ginger preparation or isolated
      ginger compound, and used measures of platelet aggregation as the primary
      outcome. RESULTS: Ten studies were included, comprising eight clinical trials and
      two observational studies. Of the eight clinical trials, four reported that
      ginger reduced platelet aggregation, while the remaining four reported no effect.
      The two observational studies also reported mixed findings. DISCUSSION: Many of
      the studies appraised for this review had moderate risks of bias. Methodology
      varied considerably between studies, notably the timeframe studied, dose of
      ginger used, and the characteristics of subjects recruited (e.g. healthy vs.
      patients with chronic diseases). CONCLUSION: The evidence that ginger affects
      platelet aggregation and coagulation is equivocal and further study is needed to
      definitively address this question.

PMID- 26488164
TI  - Biogeographical Interpretation of Elevational Patterns of Genus Diversity of Seed
      Plants in Nepal.
AB  - This study tests if the biogeographical affinities of genera are relevant for
      explaining elevational plant diversity patterns in Nepal. We used simultaneous
      autoregressive (SAR) models to investigate the explanatory power of several
      predictors in explaining the diversity-elevation relationships shown in genera
      with different biogeographical affinities. Delta akaike information criterion
      (DeltaAIC) was used for multi-model inferences and selections. Our results showed
      that both the total and tropical genus diversity peaked below the mid-point of
      the elevational gradient, whereas that of temperate genera had a nearly
      symmetrical, unimodal relationship with elevation. The proportion of temperate
      genera increased markedly with elevation, while that of tropical genera declined.
      Compared to tropical genera, temperate genera had wider elevational ranges and
      were observed at higher elevations. Water-related variables, rather than mid
      domain effects (MDE), were the most significant predictors of elevational
      patterns of tropical genus diversity. The temperate genus diversity was
      influenced by energy availability, but only in quadratic terms of the models.
      Though climatic factors and mid-domain effects jointly explained most of the
      variation in the diversity of temperate genera with elevation, the former played
      stronger roles. Total genus diversity was most strongly influenced by climate and
      the floristic overlap of tropical and temperate floras, while the influences of
      mid-domain effects were relatively weak. The influences of water-related and
      energy-related variables may vary with biogeographical affinities. The
      elevational patterns may be most closely related to climatic factors, while MDE
      may somewhat modify the patterns. Caution is needed when investigating the causal
      factors underlying diversity patterns for large taxonomic groups composed of taxa
      of different biogeographical affinities. Right-skewed diversity-elevation
      patterns may be produced by the differential response of taxa with varying
      biogeographical affinities to climatic factors and MDE. 

PMID- 26488165
TI  - Influence of Development and Dietary Phospholipid Content and Composition on
      Intestinal Transcriptome of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar).
AB  - The inclusion of intact phospholipids in the diet is essential during larval
      development and can improve culture performance of many fish species. The effects
      of supplementation of dietary phospholipid from marine (krill) or plant (soy
      lecithin) sources were investigated in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar. First
      feeding fry were fed diets containing either krill oil or soybean lecithin
      supplying phospholipid at 2.6%, 3.2%, 3.6% and 4.2% of diet. Fish were sampled at
      ~ 2.5 g (~1,990 degrees day post fertilization, dpf) and ~10 g (2,850 degrees
      dpf). By comparison of the intestinal transcriptome in specifically chosen
      contrasts, it was determined that by 2,850 degrees dpf fish possessed a profile
      that resembled that of mature and differentiated intestinal cell types with a
      number of changes specific to glycerophospholipid metabolism. It was previously
      shown that intact phospholipids and particularly phosphatidylcholine are
      essential during larval development and that this requirement is associated with
      the inability of enterocytes in young fry to endogenously synthesize sufficient
      phospholipid for the efficient export of dietary lipid. In the immature phase
      (~1,990 degrees dpf), the dietary phospholipid content as well as its class
      composition impacted on several biochemical and morphological parameters
      including growth, but these differences were not associated with differences in
      intestinal transcriptomes. The results of this study have made an important
      contribution to our understanding of the mechanisms associated with lipid
      transport and phospholipid biosynthesis in early life stages of fish. 

PMID- 26488167
TI  - Correction: Selecting One of Several Mating Types through Gene Segment Joining
      and Deletion in Tetrahymena thermophila.

PMID- 26488166
TI  - Proactive and Reactive Response Inhibition across the Lifespan.
AB  - One expression of executive control involves proactive preparation for future
      events, and this contrasts with stimulus driven reactive control exerted in
      response to events. Here we describe findings from a response inhibition task,
      delivered using a smartphone-based platform, that allowed us to index proactive
      and reactive inhibitory self-control in a large community sample (n = 12,496).
      Change in stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) when participants are provided with
      advance information about an upcoming trial, compared to when they are not,
      provides a measure of proactive control while SSRT in the absence of advance
      information provides a measure of reactive control. Both forms of control rely on
      overlapping frontostriatal pathways known to deteriorate in healthy aging, an age
      related decline that occurs at an accelerated rate in men compared to women. Here
      we ask whether these patterns of age-related decline are reflected in similar
      changes in proactive and reactive inhibitory control across the lifespan. As
      predicted, we observed a decline in reactive control with natural aging, with a
      greater rate of decline in men compared to women (~10 ms versus ~8 ms per decade
      of adult life). Surprisingly, the benefit of preparation, i.e. proactive control,
      did not change over the lifespan and women showed superior proactive control at
      all ages compared to men. Our results suggest that reactive and proactive
      inhibitory control partially rely on distinct neural substrates that are
      differentially sensitive to age-related change. 

PMID- 26488168
TI  - Does School-Based Health Promotion Affect Physical Activity on Weekends? And,
      Does It Reach Those Students Most in Need of Health Promotion?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a school-based health promotion program affects
      children's weekend physical activity and whether this effect varies according to
      socioeconomic-status. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental trial of school
      based programs on physical activity levels implemented in disadvantaged
      neighborhoods in Alberta, Canada. In 2009 and 2011, 7 full days of pedometer data
      were collected from cross-sectional samples of grade 5 students (age 10-11 years)
      from 10 intervention schools in low-socioeconomic neighbourhoods and 20
      comparison schools in middle-socioeconomic neighbourhoods. Multilevel models
      assessed differences in step-counts between intervention and comparison groups
      over-time by weight (objectively measured) and socioeconomic status subgroups.
      RESULTS: In 2009, children from intervention schools were less active on weekends
      relative to comparison schools (9212 vs. 11186 steps/day p<0.01). Two years
      later, daily step-counts on weekend days among children in low socioeconomic
      intervention schools increased such that they approximated those of children from
      middle socioeconomic comparison schools (12148 vs. 12121 steps/day p = 0.96). The
      relative difference in steps between intervention and comparison schools on
      weekends reduced from -21.4% to 0.2% following the intervention. The
      normalization of weekend step counts was similar for normal weight (-21.4% to
      +2.0%) and overweight (-19.1 to +3.9%) children, and was balanced across
      socioeconomic subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that school-based health
      promotion is effective for reducing inequities in physical activity levels
      outside school hours. Investments in school-based health promotion lead to
      behavior modification beyond the school environment. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01914185.

PMID- 26488170
TI  - Inequality as a Powerful Predictor of Infant and Maternal Mortality around the
      World.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maternal and infant mortality are highly devastating, yet, in many
      cases, preventable events for a community. The human development of a country is
      a strong predictor of maternal and infant mortality, reflecting the importance of
      socioeconomic factors in determinants of health. Previous research has shown that
      the Human Development Index (HDI) predicts infant mortality rate (IMR) and the
      maternal mortality ratio (MMR). Inequality has also been shown to be associated
      with worse health in certain populations. The main purpose of the present study
      was to determine the correlation and predictive power of the Inequality Adjusted
      Human Development Index (IHDI) as a measure of inequality with the Infant
      Mortality Rate (IMR), Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), Early Neonatal Mortality
      Rate (ENMR), Late Neonatal Mortality Rate (LNMR), and the Post Neonatal Mortality
      Rate (PNMR). METHODS AND FINDINGS: Data for the present study were downloaded
      from two sources: infant and maternal mortality data were downloaded from the
      Global Burden of Disease 2013 Cause of Death Database and the Human Development
      Index (HDI) and Inequality-Adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) data were
      downloaded from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Pearson
      correlation coefficients were estimated, following logarithmic transformations to
      the data, to examine the relationship between HDI and IHDI with MMR, IMR, ENMR,
      LNMR, and PNMR. Steiger's Z test for the equality of two dependent correlations
      was utilized in order to determine whether the HDI or IHDI was more strongly
      associated with the outcome variables. Lastly, we constructed OLS regression
      models in order to determine the predictive power of the HDI and IHDI in terms of
      the MMR, IMR, ENMR, LNMR, and PNMR. Maternal and infant mortality were both
      strongly and negatively correlated with both HDI and IHDI; however, Steiger's Z
      test for the equality of two dependent correlations revealed that IHDI was more
      strongly correlated than HDI with MMR (Z = 4.897, p < 0.001), IMR (Z = 2.524, p =
      0.012), ENMR (Z = 2.936, p = 0.003), LNMR (Z = 2.272, p = 0.023), and PNMR (Z =
      2.277, p = 0.023). Furthermore, side-by-side OLS regression models revealed that,
      when IHDI was used as the predictor variable instead of HDI, the R2 value was
      0.053 higher for MMR, 0.025 higher for IMR, 0.038 higher for ENMR, 0.029 higher
      for LNMR, and 0.026 higher for PNMR. CONCLUSIONS: Even when both the HDI and the
      IHDI correlate with the infant and maternal mortality rates, the IHDI is a better
      predictor for these two health indicators. Therefore, these results add more
      evidence that inequality is playing an important role in determining the health
      status of various populations in the world and more efforts should be put into
      programs to fight inequality.

PMID- 26488169
TI  - An Emerging Approach for Parallel Quantification of Intracellular Protozoan
      Parasites and Host Cell Characterization Using TissueFAXS Cytometry.
AB  - Characterization of host-pathogen interactions is a fundamental approach in
      microbiological and immunological oriented disciplines. It is commonly accepted
      that host cells start to change their phenotype after engulfing pathogens.
      Techniques such as real time PCR or ELISA were used to characterize the genes
      encoding proteins that are associated either with pathogen elimination or immune
      escape mechanisms. Most of such studies were performed in vitro using primary
      host cells or cell lines. Consequently, the data generated with such approaches
      reflect the global RNA expression or protein amount recovered from all cells in
      culture. This is justified when all host cells harbor an equal amount of
      pathogens under experimental conditions. However, the uptake of pathogens by
      phagocytic cells is not synchronized. Consequently, there are host cells
      incorporating different amounts of pathogens that might result in distinct
      pathogen-induced protein biosynthesis. Therefore, we established a technique able
      to detect and quantify the number of pathogens in the corresponding host cells
      using immunofluorescence-based high throughput analysis. Paired with multicolor
      staining of molecules of interest it is now possible to analyze the infection
      profile of host cell populations and the corresponding phenotype of the host
      cells as a result of parasite load. 

PMID- 26488172
TI  - sPLA2-IIA Augments Oxidized LDL-Induced MCP-1 Expression in Vitro Through
      Activation of Akt.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Group IIA secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2-IIA) has an
      important role in atherosclerosis. In this study, we explored whether sPLA2-IIA
      overexpression could promote atherosclerosis in normal environment alone or with
      other inflammatory factors. METHODS: Human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs)
      were transduced with Lv-GFP-sPLA2-IIA, a plasmid containing sPLA2-IIA coupled
      with green fluorescent protein (GFP). Cells were incubated in the presence or
      absence of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL), sPLA2 inhibitor LY315920 or
      PI3K/Akt inhibitor LY294002. The mRNA expression and protein secretion of
      monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were assessed by quantitative real
      time polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA), respectively. Phosphorylation of Akt was examined by western blotting.
      RESULTS: Lv-GFP-sPLA2-IIA-transduced HASMCs remained fluorescent during 72 h of
      the study period with infection ratio of around 80%. The mRNA expression and
      protein secretion of MCP-1 was not altered in groups of HASMCs, Lv-GFP transduced
      and Lv-GFP-sPLA2-IIA-transduced HASMCs (p>0.05), but was significantly increased
      in the presence of oxidized LDL especially in Lv-GFP-sPLA2-IIA transduction group
      (p<0.01). However, with the addition of LY315920, this enhancement was notably
      decreased (p<0.05). This enhancement was also markedly abolished by co-incubation
      with LY294002, paralleled with suppressed Akt phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS:
      Overexpression of sPLA2-IIA does not alter MCP-1 level at baseline, but could
      enhance the atherogenic effect of oxidized LDL in HASMCs, at least partly due to
      activation of Akt. These findings may provide a strategy for treatment of
      inflammatory cardiovascular diseases.

PMID- 26488171
TI  - Postsynaptic VAMP/Synaptobrevin Facilitates Differential Vesicle Trafficking of
      GluA1 and GluA2 AMPA Receptor Subunits.
AB  - Vertebrate organisms adapt to a continuously changing environment by regulating
      the strength of synaptic connections between brain cells. Excitatory synapses are
      believed to increase their strength by vesicular insertion of transmitter
      glutamate receptors into the postsynaptic plasma membrane. These vesicles,
      however, have never been demonstrated or characterized. For the first time, we
      show the presence of small vesicles in postsynaptic spines, often closely
      adjacent to the plasma membrane and PSD (postsynaptic density). We demonstrate
      that they harbor vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2/synaptobrevin-2)
      and glutamate receptor subunit 1 (GluA1). Disrupting VAMP2 by tetanus toxin
      treatment reduces the concentration of GluA1 in the postsynaptic plasma membrane.
      GluA1/VAMP2-containing vesicles, but not GluA2/VAMP2-vesicles, are concentrated
      in postsynaptic spines relative to dendrites. Our results indicate that small
      postsynaptic vesicles containing GluA1 are inserted directly into the spine
      plasma membrane through a VAMP2-dependent mechanism. 

PMID- 26488173
TI  - General Rules for the Clinical and Pathological Study of Primary Liver Cancer,
      Nationwide Follow-Up Survey and Clinical Practice Guidelines: The Outstanding
      Achievements of the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan.
AB  - This review outlines the significance of establishing general rules, a nationwide
      follow-up survey, and clinical practice guidelines for liver cancer in Japan. The
      general rules are an essential part of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment,
      enabling a 'common language' to be used in daily clinical practice and for the
      nationwide follow-up survey. The Japanese General Rules for the Clinical and
      Pathological Study of Primary Liver Cancer, which provide detailed descriptions
      of HCC, are excellent and are unique to Japan. Items in the General Rules for the
      Clinical and Pathological Study of Primary Liver Cancer are used substantially in
      another important project, the Nationwide Follow-Up Survey of Primary Liver
      Cancer, which has been rigorously undertaken with great effort by the Liver
      Cancer Study Group of Japan biannually since 1969. Both evidence-based and
      consensus-based treatment algorithms for HCC are used to complement each other in
      clinical practice in Japan. 

PMID- 26488175
TI  - Simultaneous Increases in Proliferation and Apoptosis of Vascular Smooth Muscle
      Cells Accelerate Diabetic Mouse Venous Atherosclerosis.
AB  - AIMS: This study was designed to demonstrate simultaneous increases in
      proliferation and apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) leading to
      accelerated vein graft remodeling and to explore the underlying mechanisms.
      METHODS: Vein grafts were performed in non-diabetic and diabetic mice. The
      cultured quiescent VSMCs were subjected to mechanical stretch stress (SS) and/or
      advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs). Harvested vein grafts and treated
      VSMCs were used to detect cell proliferation, apoptosis, mitogen-activated
      protein kinases (MAPKs) activation and SM-alpha-actin expression. RESULTS:
      Significantly thicker vessel walls and greater increases in proliferation and
      apoptosis were observed in diabetic vein grafts than those in non-diabetic. Both
      SS and AGEs were found to induce different activation of three members of MAPKs
      and simultaneous increases in proliferation and apoptosis of VSMCs, and combined
      treatment with both had a synergistic effect. VSMCs with strong SM-alpha-actin
      expression represented more activated JNKs or p38MAPK, and cell apoptosis, while
      the cells with weak SM-alpha-actin expression demonstrated preferential
      activation of ERKs and cell proliferation. In contrast, inhibition of MAPKs
      signals triggered significant decreases in VSMC proliferation, and apoptosis.
      Treatment of the cells with RNA interference of receptor of AGEs (RAGE) also
      resulted in significant decreases in both proliferation and apoptosis.
      CONCLUSIONS: Increased pressure-induced SS triggers simultaneous increases in
      proliferation and apoptosis of VSMCs in the vein grafts leading to vein
      arterializations, which can be synergistically accelerated by high glucose
      induced AGEs resulting in vein graft atherosclerosis. Either SS or AGEs and their
      combination induce simultaneous increases in proliferation and apoptosis of VSMCs
      via different activation of three members of MAPKs resulting from different VSMC
      subtypes classified by SM-alpha-actin expression levels.

PMID- 26488176
TI  - Relationship between Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Subsequent Gestational
      Diabetes Mellitus: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This nationwide population-based study aims to explore the
      relationship between polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and subsequent
      gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: Data from 1998-2012 Taiwan National
      Health Insurance Research Database were used for this study. ICD9-CM codes 256.4X
      and 648.X were used separately for the diagnoses of PCOS and GDM, which were
      further confirmed by records of blood tests or ultrasonography to ensure the
      accuracy of the diagnoses. Women diagnosed at < 15 or > 45 years of age, and
      those diagnosed with overt diabetes mellitus or GDM prior to PCOS were excluded.
      During pregnancy, each woman with a previous diagnosis of PCOS was age-matched to
      10 women without PCOS. Odds ratios (ORs) for risk of GDM were calculated by
      logistic regression analysis with adjustment for economic status and co
      morbidities. RESULTS: Among 7,629 eligible women with a valid PCOS diagnosis,
      3,109 (42.87%) had subsequent pregnancies. GDM occurred frequently among women
      with a history of PCOS as compared to those without PCOS (20.46% vs. 10.54%,
      p<0.0001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that PCOS was associated with
      GDM (adjusted OR = 2.15; 95% CI:1.96-2.37). Among 3,109 affected patients, 1,160
      (37.31%) had used medications for PCOS and 261 (8.39%) were treated with an oral
      hypoglycemic agent (OHA). There was no significant difference in development of
      GDM between the medication and no medication sub-groups (p>0.05). If not used
      after conception, OHAs did not reduce the risk of GDM (adjusted OR = 1.20; 95%
      CI:0.88-1.62). CONCLUSIONS: A history of PCOS is a significant and independent
      risk factor for development of GDM. Medication for PCOS or pre-pregnancy use of
      OHAs does not reduce the risk of GDM. When at-risk women become pregnant, they
      require closer surveillance for maternal and fetal well-being, and should follow
      a strict diet and adhere to weight gain control to avoid obstetric complications
      due to GDM.

PMID- 26488177
TI  - Soft Discoidal Polymeric Nanoconstructs Resist Macrophage Uptake and Enhance
      Vascular Targeting in Tumors.
AB  - Most nanoparticles for biomedical applications originate from the self-assembling
      of individual constituents through molecular interactions and possess limited
      geometry control and stability. Here, 1000 * 400 nm discoidal polymeric
      nanoconstructs (DPNs) are demonstrated by mixing hydrophobic and hydrophilic
      polymers with lipid chains and curing the resulting paste directly within silicon
      templates. By changing the paste composition, soft- and rigid-DPNs (s- and r
      DPNs) are synthesized exhibiting the same geometry, a moderately negative surface
      electrostatic charge (-14 mV), and different mechanical stiffness (~1.3 and 15
      kPa, respectively). Upon injection in mice bearing nonorthotopic brain or skin
      cancers, s-DPNs exhibit ~24 h circulation half-life and accumulate up to ~20% of
      the injected dose per gram tumor, detecting malignant masses as small as ~0.1%
      the animal weight via PET imaging. This unprecedented behavior is ascribed to the
      unique combination of geometry, surface properties, and mechanical stiffness
      which minimizes s-DPN sequestration by the mononuclear phagocyte system. Our
      results could boost the interest in using less conventional delivery systems for
      cancer theranosis. 

PMID- 26488178
TI  - Should the Dose of Antiplatelet Drugs Be Adjusted for Body Weight? The Example of
      Vorapaxar.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In contrast to the vast majority of pharmaceuticals on the market,
      antiplatelet agents are widely prescribed in a uniform, 'one size fits all'
      manner, without conventional dose adjustments. However, strong evidence yielded
      from clinical trials repeatedly suggests that patients with a low body weight
      (LBW), the elderly and those with renal or hepatic impairment may benefit from
      reduced doses, while younger, heavier patients, males and diabetics may benefit
      from a dose escalation. Vorapaxar, a thrombin protease-activated receptor-1
      inhibitor, has been tested in the TRA2P and TRACER clinical trials, but its
      efficacy and safety in patients with a LBW is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine
      the impact of LBW on primary end point rates (PER) and bleeding risk after
      vorapaxar, as yielded from the TRA2P and TRACER secondary FDA review. RESULTS:
      The LBW (<60 kg) groups in TRA2P (n = 1,852; 7%) and TRACER (n = 1,046; 8%) were
      small. However, the PER repeatedly suggested inferiority of vorapaxar over
      placebo in both the successful TRA2P study (10.6 vs. 8.4%; p = 0.012) and the
      failed TRACER study (19.3 vs. 18.2%; p = not significant). In TRA2P, the PER
      monotonically escalated with increasing weight for placebo, while those in the
      vorapaxar arm formed a flat U- or J-shaped distribution across the weight
      quintiles. In TRACER, the PER by weight quintile appear much higher, but also
      more random than in TRA2P. The bleeding rates in TRA2P were higher for the 2
      lowest-weight quintiles with both placebo and vorapaxar. In TRACER, bleeding
      rates were more than doubled when compared to TRA2P, and they varied little by
      weight quintile, with a slight decrease for the heaviest patients in the placebo
      population and being the highest in the 2 lowest-weight quintiles after
      vorapaxar. CONCLUSION: The FDA analyses revealed no definite proof that LBW is
      associated with reduced efficacy of vorapaxar. While these data are striking,
      they can be explained by better outcomes in LBW placebo patients already
      sufficiently treated with dual-antiplatelet therapy. In contrast to efficacy,
      both TRA2P and TRACER definitely suggest that bleeding rates after vorapaxar are
      higher in patients with LBW. Dose adjustment for antiplatelet agents may soon
      become a reality.

PMID- 26488180
TI  - Linearly Polymerized Benzene Arrays As Intermediates, Tracing Pathways to Carbon
      Nanothreads.
AB  - How might fully saturated benzene polymers of composition [(CH)6]n form under
      high pressure? In the first approach to answering this question, we examine the
      stepwise increase in saturation of a one-dimensional stack of benzene molecules
      by enumerating the partially saturated polymer intermediates, subject to
      constraints of unit cell size and energy. Defining the number of four-coordinate
      carbon atoms per benzene formula unit as the degree of saturation, a set of
      isomers for degree-two and degree-four polymers can be generated by either
      thinking of the propagation of partially saturated building blocks or by
      considering a sequence of cycloadditions. There is also one 4 + 2 reaction
      sequence that jumps directly from a benzene stack to a degree-four polymer. The
      set of degree-two polymers provides several useful signposts toward achieving
      full saturation: chiral versus achiral building blocks, certain forms of
      conformational freedom, and also dead ends to further saturation. These insights
      allow us to generate a larger set of degree-four polymers and enumerate the many
      pathways that lead from benzene stacks to completely saturated carbon
      nanothreads. 

PMID- 26488181
TI  - Divergent Gemycircularvirus in HIV-Positive Blood, France.

PMID- 26488182
TI  - 2,6-Pyridodicarboxamide-Bridged Triptycene Molecular Transmission Devices:
      Converting Rotation to Rocking Vibration.
AB  - A series of N(2),N(6)-bis(triptycene-9-yl)pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamides 1-4 were
      designed and synthesized. Due to rotational constraint of the 2,6-diamidopyridine
      bridge, the triptycene components in the systems are held together. X-ray
      structures of 1-4 show that the molecules adopt a gear-like geometry in the solid
      states. DFT (B3LYP/6-31G(d)) calculations predict the gear-like C2 conformation
      as global minimum structures for 1 and 2 and suggest that, through a slippage
      transition process, rotation of one triptycene component would give rise to a
      rocking vibration of the counter component due to the barrier for rotation of the
      triptycene components. VT NMR studies on 1-4 show that the pair of triptycene
      components undergo ceaseless slippage at room temperature but nearly freeze at
      temperatures as low as 183 K. Decreasing the temperature freezes the slippage
      between triptycene components as well, thus producing the appearance of phase
      isomers of 3 and 4. The dynamic features of the studied molecules indicate that
      this kind of molecule is able to function as a kind of molecular transmission
      device for transforming the mode of motion from rotation to rocking vibration. 

PMID- 26488179
TI  - The Features of Genetic Prion Diseases Based on Chinese Surveillance Program.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify the features of Chinese genetic prion diseases. METHODS:
      Suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) cases that were reported under CJD
      surveillance were diagnosed and subtyped using the diagnostic criteria issued by
      the WHO. The general information concerning the patient, their clinical, MRI and
      EEG data, and the results of CSF 14-3-3 and PRNP sequencing were carefully
      collected from the database of the national CJD surveillance program and analyzed
      using the SPSS 11.5 statistical software program. RESULTS: Since 2006, 69
      patients were diagnosed with genetic prion diseases and as having 15 different
      mutations. The median age of the 69 patients at disease onset was 53.5 years,
      varying from 19 to 80 years. The majority of patients displaying clinical
      symptoms were in the 50-59 years of age. FFI, T188K gCJD and E200K were the three
      most common subtypes. The disease appeared in the family histories of 43.48% of
      the patients. The clinical manifestations varied considerably among the various
      diseases. Patients who carried mutations in the N-terminus displayed a younger
      age of onset, were CSF 14-3-3 negative, had a family history of the condition,
      and experienced a longer duration of the condition. The clinical courses of T188K
      were significantly shorter than those of FFI and E200K gCJD, while the symptoms
      in the FFI group appeared at a younger age and for a longer duration. Moreover,
      the time intervals between the initial neurologist visit to the final diagnosis
      were similar among patients with FFI, T188K gCJD, E200K gCJD and other diseases.
      CONCLUSION: The features of Chinese genetic prion diseases are different from
      those seen in Europe and other Asian countries.

PMID- 26488183
TI  - Taming Healthcare Costs: Promise and Pitfalls for Women's Health.
AB  - When it comes to healthcare, women are often the primary decision makers for
      their families. Therefore, focusing on women and their health needs can have a
      profound effect on health reform efforts to control costs and improve quality for
      all segments of the population. The promise and pitfalls of cost containment
      reform in Massachusetts can serve as an informative case study for policymakers
      at the local, state, and federal levels as they attempt to reduce costs while
      maintaining quality of care. Massachusetts cost containment law, Chapter 224,
      seeks to control the healthcare cost growth through innovative approaches to
      increase efficiency and transparency including the adoption of new delivery
      system models, investments in wellness and prevention programs, and
      implementation of standard quality and evaluation measures. In this paper, we
      outline four approaches to delivering on the promise of cost containment reform
      to maximize women's access to comprehensive, quality healthcare while avoiding
      the pitfalls of cost containment's adverse impact on women's health. 

PMID- 26488184
TI  - New cytotoxic clerodane diterpenes from the leaves of Premna tomentosa.
AB  - Bio-activity directed investigation of hexane extract from the leaves of Premna
      tomentosa led to the isolation of three new clerodane diterpenes (1-3) along with
      four known compounds (4-7). The structures of new compounds were established
      using IR, MS, 1D, and 2D NMR techniques. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the crude
      hexane extract and the isolated compounds were evaluated against seven human
      cancer cell lines and results indicated that compounds 2 and 4 depicted
      significant cytotoxicity against hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. 

PMID- 26488185
TI  - Correction to Evidence of sigma- and pi-Dimerization in a Series of Phenalenyls.

PMID- 26488186
TI  - The cost-effectiveness of ustekinumab for moderate-to-severe psoriasis.
AB  - Given its chronicity and impact on quality of life, psoriasis is a costly
      disease. As new and better treatments are developed, the cost of treating
      psoriasis has risen. In this drug profile, the authors discuss ustekinumab, its
      pharmacokinetics, safety profile, and direct and indirect costs to determine its
      cost-efficacy. The authors searched PubMed with specific search phrases for
      clinical trials investigating this issue over 5 years. Eleven articles analyzed
      cost-effectiveness of ustekinumab, and the references of these articles were
      included. Studies limited to 12 weeks reported that ustekinumab may not be cost
      effective as it has high cost per injection and is costly when loading doses are
      required. Studies that went beyond 12 weeks documented that, with ustekinumab's
      infrequent dosing, it is cost-effective during the maintenance period.

PMID- 26488187
TI  - Innate Lymphoid Cells Are the Predominant Source of IL-17A during the Early
      Pathogenesis of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
AB  - RATIONALE: IL-17A is purported to help drive early pathogenesis in acute
      respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) by enhancing neutrophil recruitment.
      Although IL-17A is the archetypal cytokine of T-helper 17 cells, it is produced
      by a number of lymphocytes, the source during ARDS being unknown. OBJECTIVES: To
      identify the cellular source and the role of IL-17A in the early phase of lung
      injury. METHODS: Lung injury was induced in wild-type (C57BL/6) and IL-17
      knockout (KO) mice with aerosolized LPS (100 MUg) or Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      infection. Detailed phenotyping of the cells expressing RORgammat, the
      transcriptional regulator of IL-17 production, in the mouse lung at 24 hours was
      performed by flow cytometry. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A 100-fold reduction
      in neutrophil infiltration was observed in the lungs of the IL-17A KO compared
      with wild-type mice. The majority of RORgammat(+) cells in the mouse lung were
      the recently identified group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s). Detailed
      characterization revealed these pulmonary ILC3s (pILC3s) to be discrete from
      those described in the gut. The critical role of these cells was verified by
      inducing injury in recombinase-activating gene 2 KO mice, which lack T cells but
      retain innate lymphoid cells. No amelioration of pathology was observed in the
      recombinase-activating gene 2 KO mice. CONCLUSIONS: IL-17 is rapidly produced
      during lung injury and significantly contributes to early immunopathogenesis.
      This is orchestrated largely by a distinct population of pILC3s. Modulation of
      the activity of pILC3s may potentiate early control of the inflammatory
      dysregulation seen in ARDS, opening up new therapeutic targets.

PMID- 26488188
TI  - Geotechnical behaviour of low-permeability soils in surfactant-enhanced
      electrokinetic remediation.
AB  - Electrokinetic processes provide the basis of a range of very interesting
      techniques for the remediation of polluted soils. These techniques consist of the
      application of a current field in the soil that develops different transport
      mechanisms capable of mobilizing several types of pollutants. However, the use of
      these techniques could generate nondesirable effects related to the geomechanical
      behavior of the soil, reducing the effectiveness of the processes. In the case of
      the remediation of polluted soils with plasticity index higher than 35, an
      excessive shrinkage can be observed in remediation test. For this reason, the
      continued evaporation that takes place in the sample top can lead to the
      development of cracks, distorting the electrokinetic transport regime, and
      consequently, the development of the operation. On the other hand, when analyzing
      silty soils, in the surroundings of injection surfactant wells, high seepages can
      be generated that give rise to the development of piping processes. In this
      article methods are described to allow a reduction, or to even eliminate, both
      problems. 

PMID- 26488189
TI  - [New Dutch guideline on spinal metastasis: extended to include spinal
      localisations of haematological malignancies].
AB  - In 2015, the Dutch Neuro-Oncology Working Group produced the multidisciplinary
      evidence-based guideline 'Spinal metastasis'. The guideline applies to patients
      with spinal metastases of solid tumours and patients with spinal localisations of
      haematological malignancies. This article gives a short overview of some key
      recommendations in the areas of diagnostics, treatment and follow-up.

PMID- 26488190
TI  - [Alarm symptoms of spinal metastases in patients with cancer].
AB  - Recently, the evidence-based guideline 'Spinal metastasis' produced by the Dutch
      National Working Group on Neuro-Oncology appeared. This guideline applies to
      patients with spinal metastases and spinal localizations of haematological
      malignancies, with or without epidural extension. Timely diagnosis and treatment
      of spinal metastases is essential in order to reduce pain and neurological
      deficit in particular. An important aim of this guideline is to reduce both
      patient and doctor delay by providing information to high-risk patients and their
      general practitioners and to give clear advice on the organization of care. In
      this case report we describe two patients with spinal metastases in order to
      illustrate the difficulties in providing a timely diagnosis and optimal treatment
      for symptomatic spinal metastases. Furthermore, we provide advice to all health
      care professionals involved to secure the highest possible quality of life for
      patients with spinal metastases. 

PMID- 26488192
TI  - [Axillary lymph node dissection versus axillary radiotherapy in patients with a
      positive sentinel node: the AMAROS trial].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether axillary radiotherapy (ART) in patients with
      primary breast cancer and a tumour-positive sentinel node results in a similar
      axillary tumour recurrence rate compared with axillary lymph node dissection
      (ALND), and whether ART results in lower morbidity. DESIGN: Randomised,
      multicentre non-inferiority trial. METHOD: Patients with breast cancer <= 5 cm
      without clinical signs of lymph node metastases but with a tumour-positive
      sentinel node were randomised between ALND or ART. The primary endpoint was the 5
      year axillary recurrence rate. Secondary endpoints were disease-free survival,
      overall survival, morbidity (lymphoedema and shoulder function) and quality of
      life. (www.clinicaltrials.gov, study number NCT00014612.) RESULTS: Between 2001
      and 2010, 1425 patients with a tumour-positive sentinel node were included, 744
      of whom had been randomised to ALND and 681 to ART. After a median follow-up
      period of 6.1 years, the 5-year axillary recurrence rate was 0.43% after ALND and
      1.19% after ART; the difference was not statistically significant. The primary
      analysis was underpowered due to the low number of axillary recurrences. At 5
      years the disease-free survival rate was 86.9% after ALND and 82.7% after ART.
      Overall survival was 93.3% and 92.5% respectively. Lymphoedema was noted
      significantly more often after ALND than after ART at 1 year, 3 years and 5
      years. There were no significant differences in shoulder function or quality of
      life. CONCLUSION: Both ART and ALND produce very low axillary recurrence rates in
      patients with breast cancer <= 5 cm and a tumour-positive sentinel node. ART
      results in significantly less lymphoedema than ALND.

PMID- 26488191
TI  - [No need to spare the arm after axillary dissection: the prohibition on
      interventions such as venepuncture is obsolete].
AB  - Annually, around 11,500 patients are treated surgically for breast cancer. In the
      past, 5-25% of these underwent an axillary dissection. This procedure can entail
      complications such as lymphoedema. Known risk factors are obesity and infections
      or wounds in the arm concerned. There is a traditional assumption that
      interventions on this arm, such as venepuncture, infusion or measurement of blood
      pressure, may induce lymphoedema. This assumption has been queried in recent
      years. Based on our analysis of the current literature, we believe that the above
      mentioned interventions after non-complicated axillary dissection do not increase
      the risk of lymphoedema or other complications. We recommend changing the policy
      that prohibits interventions such as venepuncture after axillary dissection. 

PMID- 26488193
TI  - [Oocyte vitrification: for whom?].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the indications of oocyte vitrification in women who undergo
      this intervention. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHOD: We collected the
      indications of oocyte vitrification in women who underwent, or started ovarian
      stimulation for, this intervention between May 2006 and December 31st 2013.
      Indications were subcategorized into six groups: no sperm available during IVF or
      ICSI treatment, planned gonadotoxic therapy, ovarian surgery, risk on premature
      ovarian insufficiency , previous gonadotoxic therapy, and anticipated gamete
      exhaustion. RESULTS: During the study period 298 women vitrified oocytes or
      started with ovarian stimulation for oocyte vitrification. The majority of the
      women (33%) vitrified oocytes because of anticipated gamete exhaustion. Planned
      gonadotoxic treatment was for 81 women (27%) the reason for oocyte vitrification.
      CONCLUSION: With oocyte vitrification women are able to extend the time at which
      they can conceive. The future will tell whether the benefits of oocyte
      vitrification outweigh the risks and costs.

PMID- 26488194
TI  - [Axillary treatment in breast cancer: surgery, radiotherapy, or none of these?].
AB  - The AMAROS trial showed that substituting axillary lymph node dissection by
      radiotherapy of the axillary and periclavicular nodes (ART) in patients with
      sentinel node (SN) metastases results in less lymphoedema, without a significant
      difference in the 5-year axillary recurrence rate (ARR). Three surgical studies
      showed no increase in ARR after omitting axillary treatment in cases of limited
      SN metastases, provided that adjuvant systemic therapy and tangential breast
      radiotherapy were applied. On the other hand, several recent radiotherapy trials,
      including a meta-analysis by the Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative
      Group, showed that regional radiotherapy improves disease-free survival where
      there are positive axillary nodes. In view of the low ARR and good overall
      survival with contemporary breast cancer treatments, limiting axillary treatment
      and its associated morbidity is a logical development. However, it is too early
      to omit axillary treatment in all SN-positive patients. ART is a safe next step
      in reducing axillary treatment. 

PMID- 26488195
TI  - Association of Higher MERS-CoV Virus Load with Severe Disease and Death, Saudi
      Arabia, 2014.
AB  - Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes a spectrum of
      illness. We evaluated whether cycle threshold (Ct) values (which are inversely
      related to virus load) were associated with clinical severity in patients from
      Saudi Arabia whose nasopharyngeal specimens tested positive for this virus by
      real-time reverse transcription PCR. Among 102 patients, median Ct of 31.0 for
      the upstream of the E gene target for 41 (40%) patients who died was
      significantly lower than the median of 33.0 for 61 survivors (p=0.0087). In
      multivariable regression analyses, risk factors for death were age>60 years),
      underlying illness, and decreasing Ct for each 1-point decrease in Ct). Results
      were similar for a composite severe outcome (death and/or intensive care unit
      admission). More data are needed to determine whether modulation of virus load by
      therapeutic agents affects clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26488196
TI  - Economic impact of using fesoterodine for the treatment of overactive bladder
      with urge urinary incontinence in a vulnerable elderly population in the United
      States.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the costs of treating overactive bladder (OAB) with
      fesoterodine compared to no OAB pharmacotherapy among vulnerable elderly from the
      US payer perspective. METHODS: A decision analytic cost model was developed to
      estimate the 52-week costs of a cohort of vulnerable elderly with OAB initiating
      treatment with fesoterodine or no OAB pharmacotherapy. Vulnerable elderly OAB
      patients were defined as those aged >=65 years with self-reported urge urinary
      incontinence (UUI) symptoms for >=3 months, 2-15 UUI episodes/day, and at risk of
      deteriorating health by a score of >=3 on the Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES)-13.
      Patients were evaluated for fesoterodine treatment response (defined as no UUI
      episodes) and persistence at weeks 12, 26, and 52. The model included a
      hypothetical health plan with 100,000 elderly members. A total of 7096 vulnerable
      elderly subjects were identified as the model target population based on the
      percentage of vulnerable elderly and annual prevalence of OAB among vulnerable
      elderly. OAB-related costs included fesoterodine drug acquisition costs,
      healthcare resource use (inpatient hospitalization, outpatient visits, and
      physician office visits), and OAB-related co-morbidities (falls/fractures,
      urinary tract infections, depression, and nursing home admissions). All costs
      were inflated to 2013 US$ using the medical care component of the consumer price
      index (CPI). RESULTS: When 7096 vulnerable elderly OAB patients were treated with
      fesoterodine, US healthcare payers could save $11,463,981 per year, or $1616 per
      patient vs no OAB pharmacotherapy. Univariate one-way sensitivity analyses
      supported the robustness of the findings and showed results were most sensitive
      to changes in fesoterodine efficacy followed by annual costs of inpatient
      hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: From a US payer perspective, treating vulnerable
      elderly OAB patients with fesoterodine was cost-saving compared to no OAB
      pharmacotherapy.

PMID- 26488197
TI  - [NiFeSe]-hydrogenase chemistry.
AB  - The development of technology for the inexpensive generation of the renewable
      energy vector H2 through water splitting is of immediate economic, ecological,
      and humanitarian interest. Recent interest in hydrogenases has been fueled by
      their exceptionally high catalytic rates for H2 production at a marginal
      overpotential, which is presently only matched by the nonscalable noble metal
      platinum. The mechanistic understanding of hydrogenase function guides the design
      of synthetic catalysts, and selection of a suitable hydrogenase enables direct
      applications in electro- and photocatalysis. [FeFe]-hydrogenases display
      excellent H2 evolution activity, but they are irreversibly damaged upon exposure
      to O2, which currently prevents their use in full water splitting systems. O2
      tolerant [NiFe]-hydrogenases are known, but they are typically strongly biased
      toward H2 oxidation, while H2 production by [NiFe]-hydrogenases is often product
      (H2) inhibited. [NiFeSe]-hydrogenases are a subclass of [NiFe]-hydrogenases with
      a selenocysteine residue coordinated to the active site nickel center in place of
      a cysteine. They exhibit a combination of unique properties that are highly
      advantageous for applications in water splitting compared with other
      hydrogenases. They display a high H2 evolution rate with marginal inhibition by
      H2 and tolerance to O2. [NiFeSe]-hydrogenases are therefore one of the most
      active molecular H2 evolution catalysts applicable in water splitting. Herein, we
      summarize our recent progress in exploring the unique chemistry of [NiFeSe]
      hydrogenases through biomimetic model chemistry and the chemistry with [NiFeSe]
      hydrogenases in semiartificial photosynthetic systems. We gain perspective from
      the structural, spectroscopic, and electrochemical properties of the [NiFeSe]
      hydrogenases and compare them with the chemistry of synthetic models of this
      hydrogenase active site. Our synthetic models give insight into the effects on
      the electronic properties and reactivity of the active site upon the introduction
      of selenium. We have utilized the exceptional properties of the [NiFeSe]
      hydrogenase from Desulfomicrobium baculatum in a number of photocatalytic H2
      production schemes, which are benchmark systems in terms of single site activity,
      tolerance toward O2, and in vitro water splitting with biological molecules. Each
      system comprises a light-harvesting component, which allows for light-driven
      electron transfer to the hydrogenase in order for it to catalyze H2 production. A
      system with [NiFeSe]-hydrogenase on a dye-sensitized TiO2 nanoparticle gives an
      enzyme-semiconductor hybrid for visible light-driven generation of H2 with an
      enzyme-based turnover frequency of 50 s(-1). A stable and inexpensive polymeric
      carbon nitride as a photosensitizer in combination with the [NiFeSe]-hydrogenase
      shows good activity for more than 2 days. Light-driven H2 evolution with the
      enzyme and an organic dye under high O2 levels demonstrates the excellent
      robustness and feasibility of water splitting with a hydrogenase-based scheme.
      This has led, most recently, to the development of a light-driven full water
      splitting system with a [NiFeSe]-hydrogenase wired to the water oxidation enzyme
      photosystem II in a photoelectrochemical cell. In contrast to the other systems,
      this photoelectrochemical system does not rely on a sacrificial electron donor
      and allowed us to establish the long sought after light-driven water splitting
      with an isolated hydrogenase. 

PMID- 26488198
TI  - Molecular organization of the 5S rDNA gene type II in elasmobranchs.
AB  - The 5S rDNA gene is a non-coding RNA that can be found in 2 copies (type I and
      type II) in bony and cartilaginous fish. Previous studies have pointed out that
      type II gene is a paralog derived from type I. We analyzed the molecular
      organization of 5S rDNA type II in elasmobranchs. Although the structure of the
      5S rDNA is supposed to be highly conserved, our results show that the secondary
      structure in this group possesses some variability and is different than the
      consensus secondary structure. One of these differences in Selachii is an
      internal loop at nucleotides 7 and 112. These mutations observed in the
      transcribed region suggest an independent origin of the gene among Batoids and
      Selachii. All promoters were highly conserved with the exception of BoxA,
      possibly due to its affinity to polymerase III. This latter enzyme recognizes a
      dT4 sequence as stop signal, however in Rajiformes this signal was doubled in
      length to dT8. This could be an adaptation toward a higher efficiency in the
      termination process. Our results suggest that there is no TATA box in
      elasmobranchs in the NTS region. We also provide some evidence suggesting that
      the complexity of the microsatellites present in the NTS region play an important
      role in the 5S rRNA gene since it is significantly correlated with the length of
      the NTS. 

PMID- 26488199
TI  - Economic Costs of Measles Outbreak in the Netherlands, 2013-2014.
AB  - In 2013 and 2014, the Netherlands experienced a measles outbreak in orthodox
      Protestant communities with low measles-mumps-rubella vaccination coverage.
      Assessing total outbreak costs is needed for public health outbreak preparedness
      and control. Total costs of this outbreak were an estimated $4.7 million. 

PMID- 26488200
TI  - Elucidating the molecular interaction of sinigrin, a potent anticancer
      glucosinolate from cruciferous vegetables with bovine serum albumin: effect of
      methylglyoxal modification.
AB  - The present study employed the spectroscopic techniques, i.e. fluorescence, and
      circular dichroism (CD) and the molecular docking approach to investigate the
      mechanism of interaction of a potent anticancer glucosinolate, sinigrin (SIN),
      with bovine serum albumin (BSA). SIN binding to BSA resulted in the quenching of
      intrinsic fluorescence, and the analysis of results revealed the presence of
      static quenching mechanism. Based on the results, it was evident that the
      interaction of SIN with BSA was mainly stabilized by hydrogen bonding. Results
      from CD analysis revealed that the binding of SIN does not induce significant
      conformational changes in BSA. Molecular docking studies showed that four
      hydrogen bonds stabilize the binding of SIN in the site I of BSA with a binding
      energy of -6.2 kcal mol(-1). These findings will not only provide insights about
      the mechanism of interaction of sinigrin but also showed the effect of
      methylglyoxal-mediated glycation on ligand binding with BSA. 

PMID- 26488201
TI  - High Expression of Cathepsin E is Associated with the Severity of Airflow
      Limitation in Patients with COPD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It was reported that Cathepsin E (Cat E) plays a critical role in
      antigen processing and in the development of pulmonary emphysema. The aim of this
      study was to investigate the role of Cat E and airflow limitation in the
      pathogenesis of COPD. METHODS: Sixty-five patients with COPD, 20 smoking control
      subjects without COPD and 15 non-smoking healthy control subjects were enrolled.
      Cat E and EIC (Elastase inhibitory capacity) expressions were measured by ELISA
      in sputum and serum samples and compared according to different subgroups.
      RESULTS: Cat E concentrations were significantly higher in patients with COPD
      than smoking control and non-smoking control subjects (P < 0.01). The levels of
      CatE were inversely correlated with FEV1% predicted in COPD patients (r = -0.95,
      P < 0.01). The levels of EIC were inversely positively correlated with FEV1%
      predicted in COPD patients (r = 0.926, P < 0.01). Levels of Cat E were also
      inversely correlated with the levels of EIC (r = -0.922, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS:
      Cat E contributes to the severity of airflow limitation during progression of
      COPD.

PMID- 26488202
TI  - Polymorphism of Two-Dimensional Cyanine Dye J-Aggregates and Its Genesis:
      Fluorescence Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy Study.
AB  - Polymorphic J-aggregates of monomethine cyanine dye 3,3'-di(gamma-sulfopropyl)
      5,5'-dichlorotiamonomethinecyanine (TC) have been studied by fluorescence optical
      microscopy (FOM) and by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The in situ FOM
      observations in a solution drop distinguish two J-aggregate morphology classes:
      flexible strips and rigid rods. The AFM imaging of dried samples reveals a strong
      J-aggregate structural rearrangement under adsorption on a mica surface with the
      strips self-folding and the rods squashing into rectangular bilayers and much
      deeper destruction. In the present work, the following structural conclusions
      have been drawn on the basis of careful consideration of strip crystal habits and
      various structural features of squashed/destructed rods: (1) the tubular
      morphology of TC rods is directly proved by FOM measurements in the solution
      bulk; (2) the staircase model of molecular arrangement in strips is proposed
      explaining the characteristic ~44 degrees  skew angle in strip vertices; (3) a
      model of tube formation by a close-packed helical winding of flexible monolayer
      strips is proposed and justified which explains the observed J-aggregate
      polymorphism and strip-to-rod polymorphic transformations in a wide
      spatiotemporal scale; (4) at a nanoscale, an unexpectedly complex quasi-one
      dimensional organization in J-aggregate two-dimensional monolayers is observed by
      high-resolution AFM imaging of constituent nanostrips separated by a
      characteristic distance in the range of 6-10 nm. The obtained results indicate
      that the underlying monolayer structure is the same for all J-aggregate
      polymorphs. 

PMID- 26488203
TI  - High Permittivity (1 - x)Ba(Zr(0.2)Ti(0.8))O3 - x(Ba(0.7)Ca(0.3))TiO3 (x = 0.45)
      Epitaxial Thin Films with Nanoscale Phase Fluctuations.
AB  - Epitaxial (1 - x)Ba(Ti0.8Zr0.2)TiO3 - x(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3, x = 0.45 (BCZT 45), thin
      films have been deposited on (001) SrTiO3 (STO) and (001/100) SrLaAlO4 (SLAO)
      substrates by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution
      transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) confirmed the epitaxial growth of the
      films. A high structural quality has been evidenced for the BCZT/STO films.
      Geometric phase analysis (GPA) associated with the HRTEM enabled us to obtain
      microstrain analysis and the in-plane and out-of-plane lattice parameter
      variation on different areas. Tetragonality ratio fluctuations at nanoscale level
      which are relevant for the existence of nanodomains have been evidenced on the
      BCZT/STO films. The in-plane dielectric constant has been measured on
      interdigital electrodes deposited by lift-off technique on the top of the films.
      High values of dielectric permittivity (>3000) combined with low dielectric loss
      (<0.01) are obtained for BCZT 45 film deposited on STO substrate, showing nearly
      constant values between 1 kHz and 10 MHz. The high dielectric permittivity of
      BCZT thin films was attributed to their high structural quality and to the loss
      of rotation stability of the polarization associated with the presence of
      nanodomains. This results into a divergence of fluctuations of polarization
      direction and a peak of dielectric susceptibility. The enhanced switching of such
      nanodomain configuration was probed by piezoforce microscopy, by writing and
      reading domains during topography scanning. 

PMID- 26488204
TI  - Mycophenolate Mofetil Therapy in Children With Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome:
      Does Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Make a Difference?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) necessitates administration of
      corticosteroids or corticoid-sparing agents in 60% of the cases for prolonged
      periods resulting in serious adverse effects. METHODS: To avoid these
      complications, we investigated the efficacy and safety of mycophenolate mofetil
      (MMF) in our retrospective single-center study with 15 patients presenting with
      complicated courses of INS and aspired to estimate a cutoff level for
      mycophenolic acid-area under the curve (MPA-AUC) values, which can predict
      relapses with high sensitivity. RESULTS: Seven of 15 patients stayed in remission
      while receiving MMF. Average frequency of relapses was 1.39 (0.28-2.5) per year.
      In case of relapses, patients had lower predose and estimated AUC0-12 levels of
      MPA (P = 0.02 and 0.001, respectively). Based on the results of receiver
      operating characteristic analysis, we consider an estimated MPA-AUC0-12 lower
      than 44.6 mg.h.L(-1) as a risk factor for future relapses (91% sensitivity, 57%
      specificity, P = 0.06) because the prevalence of relapse is significantly lower
      (0.07 versus 0.5, P = 0.02), if the estimated MPA-AUC0-12 is >44.6 mg.h.L(-1).
      During MMF administration, we did not detect any adverse event requiring
      discontinuation of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, we demonstrate MMF as
      an alternative treatment for children with complicated INS to maintain remission
      without serious side effects. Furthermore, we propose a higher therapeutic target
      range of MPA-AUC0-12 (>45 mg.h.L(-1)) than used in transplanted children
      underlining the crucial role of therapeutic drug monitoring.

PMID- 26488205
TI  - Development and Validation of a Simple and Rapid UPLC-MS Assay for Valproic Acid
      and Its Comparison With Immunoassay and HPLC Methods.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Valproic acid (VPA), a widely used antiepileptic drug, has a narrow
      therapeutic range of 50-100 mcg/mL and shows large individual variability. It is
      very important to monitor the trough concentration of VPA using a reliable
      method. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and validate a rapid
      ultraperformance liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) method for
      quantification of VPA in human serum and to compare with fluorescence
      polarization immunoassay (FPIA), chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay
      (CMIA), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods. METHODS: The
      method included extraction of VPA in serum by deproteinization with acetonitrile.
      The analysis was performed using an EC-C18 column (2.7 MUm, 4.6 * 50 mm) under
      isocratic conditions with a mobile phase of acetonitrile/water (containing 0.1%
      formic acid) (45/55, vol/vol) at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. The detection was
      performed on a triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer using an electrospary
      probe in the negative ionization mode. The method was validated by studies of
      selectivity, linearity, lower limit of quantification, accuracy, precision,
      recovery, matrix effect, and stability. Furthermore, all the 4 methods including
      FPIA, CMIA, and HPLC were subsequently used to assay the VPA concentration in 498
      clinical serum samples collected from patients who received VPA. These methods
      were compared by Deming regression and Bland-Altman analysis. RESULTS: The
      retention time of VPA was 2.09 minutes. The calibration curve was linear over the
      concentration range of 1-200 mcg/mL, with a lower limit of quantification of 1
      mcg/mL. The interday and intraday precision (RSD %) was less than 4.6% and 4.5%,
      respectively, and the accuracy (RE %) was below 7.9%. The recoveries and matrix
      effect of VPA at concentrations of 2, 50, and 160 mcg/mL met the requirement for
      the analysis of biological samples. No obvious degradation of VPA was observed
      under various storage conditions including room temperature for 12 hour, 3 freeze
      thaw cycles, and -20 degrees C for 3 months. Regression analysis showed that the
      correlation coefficients for the UPLC-MS versus FPIA, CMIA, and HPLC were 0.989,
      0.988, and 0.987, respectively. The results of agreement tests between UPLC-MS
      and other methods showed that the mean difference of UPLC-MS and FPIA was -1.4
      mcg/mL and 95% confidence interval of -7.7 to 4.9 mcg/mL, and the values for UPLC
      MS and CMIA were -0.8 mcg/mL and -7.5 to 5.8 mcg/mL, for UPLC-MS and HPLC were
      1.1 mcg/mL and -5.7 to 7.9 mcg/mL. CONCLUSION: The rapid UPLC-MS method we
      developed showed a good analytical performance required for therapeutic drug
      monitoring, leading to potential improvements in patient care and laboratory
      management. Compared with the FPIA, CMIA, and HPLC methods, the UPLC-MS method
      correlated well and displayed comparable VPA concentrations.

PMID- 26488206
TI  - Pulsed Direct Current Electrospray: Enabling Systematic Analysis of Small Volume
      Sample by Boosting Sample Economy.
AB  - We had developed pulsed direct current electrospray ionization mass spectrometry
      (pulsed-dc-ESI-MS) for systematically profiling and determining components in
      small volume sample. Pulsed-dc-ESI utilized constant high voltage to induce the
      generation of single polarity pulsed electrospray remotely. This method had
      significantly boosted the sample economy, so as to obtain several minutes MS
      signal duration from merely picoliter volume sample. The elongated MS signal
      duration enable us to collect abundant MS(2) information on interested components
      in a small volume sample for systematical analysis. This method had been
      successfully applied for single cell metabolomics analysis. We had obtained 2-D
      profile of metabolites (including exact mass and MS(2) data) from single plant
      and mammalian cell, concerning 1034 components and 656 components for Allium cepa
      and HeLa cells, respectively. Further identification had found 162 compounds and
      28 different modification groups of 141 saccharides in a single Allium cepa cell,
      indicating pulsed-dc-ESI a powerful tool for small volume sample systematical
      analysis. 

PMID- 26488207
TI  - TAVR: Imaging Spectrum of Complications.
AB  - Transcatheter aortic valve replacement has recently become a suitable alternative
      for senile aortic stenosis in patients not suitable for surgery. With growing
      operative experience, appropriate patient selection, advances in imaging
      evaluation, and technical refinements, the outcomes have improved. Despite its
      less invasive nature, a unique set of complications and events are encountered
      during the transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure and in the
      postoperative period. Knowledge of these complications, their prompt detection,
      and quick adequate treatment are critical in reducing the mortality and
      morbidity. 

PMID- 26488208
TI  - A Rare Case of Primary Pulmonary Glomus Tumor.

PMID- 26488209
TI  - A Case of Apparent Lung Adenocarcinoma Size Reduction During Steroid Therapy.
AB  - Spontaneous regression of lung cancer is a rare phenomenon. We described a case
      of lung adenocarcinoma size reduction during steroid therapy. In this case,
      histopathologic findings showed a lung adenocarcinoma surrounded by obstructive
      pneumonia and inflammatory cell infiltration. Steroid use might have diminished
      the inflammatory response around the lung cancer, resulting in the apparent
      shrinkage of the lung cancer. This phenomenon is a potential pitfall in lung
      cancer diagnosis. 

PMID- 26488210
TI  - Thoracic Metastases From Primary Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Malignancies:
      Predictable Patterns of Metastatic Spread.
AB  - This article reviews common and uncommon patterns of thoracic metastatic disease
      in primary hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancies that are often overlooked or
      improperly diagnosed because of atypical location or imaging appearance. An
      understanding of the pathophysiology and routes of tumor spread aids in tailoring
      a search pattern allowing for more accurate evaluation of disease activity. 

PMID- 26488211
TI  - Surface-Confined Supramolecular Self-Assembly of Molecular Nanocranes for
      Chemically Lifting and Positioning C60 above a Conducting Substrate.
AB  - 2D supramolecular self-assembly is a good way to form well-defined nanostructures
      on various substrates. One of the current challenges is to extend this approach
      to 3D functional building blocks. Here, we address this issue by providing a
      strategy for the controlled lifting and positioning of functional units above a
      graphitic substrate. This is the first time that multistory cyclophane-based 3D
      tectons incorporating C60 units have been designed and synthesized. Molecular
      modelling provides a description of the 3D geometries and evidences the flexible
      character of the building blocks. Despite this later feature, the supramolecular
      self-assembly of Janus tectons on HOPG yields well-ordered adlayers incorporating
      C60 arrays at well-defined mean distances from the surface. As our approach is
      not limited to C60 , the results reported here open-up possibilities for
      applications where the topological and electronic interactions between the
      substrate and the functional unit are of prime importance. 

PMID- 26488213
TI  - Halogen-Adjusted Chemoselective Synthesis of Fluorene Derivatives with Position
      Controlled Substituents.
AB  - Fluorenes have been synthesized through an efficient novel Pd-catalyzed tandem
      cross-coupling reaction; these substrates are fascinating building blocks found
      in organic photoelectric materials. The position of the substituent on fluorenes
      could be conveniently tuned by changing the halogen in the ortho-halobenzyl
      bromide substrates when coupled with various arylboronic acids. This newly
      developed synthetic approach could achieve the potential diversity in fluorene
      based molecular architectures. 

PMID- 26488212
TI  - Clinicopathological and genetic differences between low-grade and high-grade
      colorectal mucinous adenocarcinomas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although colorectal mucinous adenocarcinomas (MCs) are conventionally
      regarded as exhibiting high-grade differentiation, they can be divided by
      differentiation into 2 groups according to the glandular appearance: low-grade
      mucinous adenocarcinoma (low-MC) and high-grade mucinous adenocarcinoma (high
      MC). METHODS: Patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) who underwent surgical
      resection between 2000 and 2012 were enrolled in this study. Among the cases with
      MC, the clinicopathological and genetic differences between low-MC and high-MC
      were investigated with next-generation sequencing. RESULTS: A total of 1373
      patients with CRC were analyzed. Forty patients (2.9%) had MC, and 13 patients
      had high-MC. Patients with MC had significantly shorter disease-free survival
      (DFS) and overall survival (OS) periods than those with nonmucinous carcinoma.
      When low-MC patients and high-MC patients were compared, those with high-MC had
      significantly shorter DFS and OS periods than those with low-MC. Multivariate
      analyses revealed that high-MC was significantly associated with both shorter DFS
      and shorter OS, but low-MC was not. A genome analysis revealed that low-MC had a
      considerably larger number of mutations than high-MC, and Kirsten rat sarcoma
      viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutations and adenomatous polyposis coli mutations
      were particularly frequently found in low-MC. In contrast, SMAD family member 4
      (SMAD4) mutations were frequently found in high-MC. CONCLUSIONS: High-MC is an
      independent prognostic factor in CRC (but low-MC is not), and it is genetically
      different from other CRCs, including low-MC. Both the clinicopathological
      differences and the genetic differences suggest that low-MC and high-MC should be
      distinguished in clinical settings.

PMID- 26488214
TI  - Influence of delta virus infection on the virologic status in Egyptian patients
      with chronic hepatitis B virus genotype D.
AB  - Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) usually have an unfavorable clinical outcome in
      chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients. In Egypt, data about epidemiology, the
      spectrum of disease, and impact of HDV on HBV infection are rare. To assess the
      prevalence, clinical and virological characteristics of HDV infection among
      Egyptian patients with chronic HBV. Adult patients with Hepatitis B surface
      antigen (HBsAg)-positive were evaluated for the presence of HDV using anti HDV
      IgG and HDV RNA by RT-PCR. Routine laboratory investigations, genotypes and
      subtypes for both HBV and HDV, abdominal sonography, and transient elastography
      (TE) were done. Liver biopsy was performed only in whenever indicated. One
      hundred and twenty-one treatment-naive chronic HBV patients were included. Wild
      HBV genotype-D2 was found in 98.2% and 81.9% were HBeAg negative. Prevalence of
      HDV was 8.3% by anti-HDV IgG and 9.9% by RT-PCR. Wild HDV genotype-IIb was
      reported in 83.3%. HDV infection was more common in males, 90.9% of delta
      patients were HBeAg negative. Compared to the mono-infected HBV, concomitant
      HBV/HDV infection was not associated with more derangment in ALT nor advanced
      stage of fibrosis. 66.7% of HDV patients had significantly lower HBV-DNA level
      compared to the non-delta patients (P < 0.001). HDV is not uncommon in Egypt. HBV
      genotype-D was associated with HDV genotype-IIb. Delta infection was associated
      with negative HBeAg status, reduction of HBV replication, but neither influenced
      the clinical course nor increased significant liver damage risk.

PMID- 26488215
TI  - Orthogonal Control of Stability and Tunable Dry Adhesion by Tailoring the Shape
      of Tapered Nanopillar Arrays.
AB  - Tapered nanopillar structures of different cross-sectional geometries including
      cone-, pencil-like, and stepwise are prepared from anodized aluminum oxide
      templates. The shape effect on the adhesion strength is investigated in
      experiments and simulation. Cone-shaped nanopillars are highly bendable under
      load and can recover after unloading, thus, warranting high adhesion strength, 34
      N cm(-2) . The pencil-like and stepwise nano-pillars are, however, easily
      fractured and are not recoverable under the same conditions. 

PMID- 26488216
TI  - Glucarpidase for the Treatment of Methotrexate-Induced Renal Dysfunction and
      Delayed Methotrexate Excretion.

PMID- 26488217
TI  - Pityriasis versicolor atrophicans: Is it true atrophy or pseudoatrophy?

PMID- 26488218
TI  - Thrombolytic-Enhanced Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation After
      Prolonged Cardiac Arrest.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of the combination of extracorporeal
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation and thrombolytic therapy on the recovery of vital
      organ function after prolonged cardiac arrest. DESIGN: Laboratory investigation.
      SETTING: University laboratory. SUBJECTS: Pigs. INTERVENTIONS: Animals underwent
      30-minute untreated ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest followed by
      extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 6 hours. Animals were allocated
      into two experimental groups: t-extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (t
      ECPR) group, which received streptokinase 1 million units, and control
      extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (c-ECPR), which did not receive
      streptokinase. In both groups, the resuscitation protocol included the following
      physiologic targets: mean arterial pressure greater than 70 mm Hg, cerebral
      perfusion pressure greater than 50 mm Hg, PaO2 150 +/- 50 torr (20 +/- 7 kPa),
      PaCO2 40 +/- 5 torr (5 +/- 1 kPa), and core temperature 33 degrees C +/- 1
      degrees C. Defibrillation was attempted after 30 minutes of extracorporeal
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A cardiac
      resuscitability score was assessed on the basis of success of defibrillation,
      return of spontaneous heart beat, weanability from extracorporeal cardiopulmonary
      resuscitation, and left ventricular systolic function after weaning. The addition
      of thrombolytic to extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation significantly
      improved cardiac resuscitability (3.7 +/- 1.6 in t-ECPR vs 1.0 +/- 1.5 in c
      ECPR). Arterial lactate clearance was higher in t-ECPR than in c-ECPR (40% +/-
      15% vs 18% +/- 21%). At the end of the experiment, the intracranial pressure was
      significantly higher in c-ECPR than in t-ECPR. Recovery of brain electrical
      activity, as assessed by quantitative analysis of electroencephalogram signal,
      and ischemic neuronal injury on histopathologic examination did not differ
      between groups. Animals in t-ECPR group did not have increased bleeding
      complications, including intracerebral hemorrhages. CONCLUSIONS: In a porcine
      model of prolonged cardiac arrest, t-ECPR improved cardiac resuscitability and
      reduced brain edema, without increasing bleeding complications. However, early
      electroencephalogram recovery and ischemic neuronal injury were not improved.

PMID- 26488220
TI  - Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Alleviates Carbon Monoxide Poisoning-Induced Delayed
      Memory Impairment by Preserving Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor-Dependent
      Hippocampal Neurogenesis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that hyperbaric oxygen therapy ameliorates
      delayed cognitive impairment after acute carbon monoxide poisoning by promoting
      neurogenesis through upregulating the brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the
      hippocampus. DESIGN: Laboratory animal experiments. SETTING: University/Medical
      center research laboratory. SUBJECTS: Adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats.
      INTERVENTIONS: Rats were divided into five groups: (1) non-carbon monoxide
      treated control, (2) acute carbon monoxide poisoning, (3) acute carbon monoxide
      poisoning followed by 7-day hyperbaric oxygen treatment, (4) carbon monoxide +
      hyperbaric oxygen with additional intracerebroventricular infusion of Fc fragment
      of tyrosine kinase receptor B protein (TrkB-Fc) chimera, and (5) acute carbon
      monoxide poisoning followed by intracerebroventricular infusion of brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor. Acute carbon monoxide poisoning was achieved by exposing the
      rats to carbon monoxide at 2,500 ppm for 40 minutes, followed by 3,000 ppm for 20
      minutes. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (at 2.5 atmospheres absolute with 100% oxygen
      for 60 min) was conducted during the first 7 days after carbon monoxide
      poisoning. Recombinant human TrkB-Fc chimera or brain-derived neurotrophic factor
      was infused into the lateral ventricle via the implanted osmotic minipump. For
      labeling of mitotic cells in the hippocampus, bromodeoxyuridine was injected into
      the peritoneal cavity. Distribution of bromodeoxyuridine and two additional adult
      neurogenesis markers, Ki-67 and doublecortin, in the hippocampus was evaluated by
      immunohistochemistry or immunofluorescence staining. Tissue level of brain
      derived neurotrophic factor was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
      Cognitive behavior was evaluated by the use of eight-arm radial maze.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Acute carbon monoxide poisoning significantly
      suppressed adult hippocampal neurogenesis evident by the reduction in number of
      bromodeoxyuridine-positive, Ki-67+, and doublecortin+ cells in the subgranular
      zone of the dentate gyrus. This suppression of adult neurogenesis by the carbon
      monoxide poisoning was appreciably alleviated by early treatment of hyperbaric
      oxygen. The hyperbaric oxygen treatment also promoted a sustained increase in
      hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor level. Blockade of hippocampal
      brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling with intracerebroventricular infusion
      of recombinant human TrkB-Fc chimera significantly blunted the protection by the
      hyperbaric oxygen on hippocampal neurogenesis; whereas intracerebroventricular
      infusion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor mimicked the action of hyperbaric
      oxygen and preserved hippocampal neurogenesis after acute carbon monoxide
      poisoning. Furthermore, acute carbon monoxide poisoning resulted in a delayed
      impairment of cognitive function. The hyperbaric oxygen treatment notably
      restored the cognitive impairment in a brain-derived neurotrophic factor
      dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: The early hyperbaric oxygen treatment may
      alleviate delayed memory impairment after acute carbon monoxide poisoning by
      preserving adult neurogenesis via an increase in hippocampal brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor content.

PMID- 26488219
TI  - Safety and Efficacy of Combined Extracorporeal CO2 Removal and Renal Replacement
      Therapy in Patients With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Acute Kidney
      Injury: The Pulmonary and Renal Support in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
      Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety and efficacy of combining extracorporeal CO2
      removal with continuous renal replacement therapy in patients presenting with
      acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute kidney injury. DESIGN: Prospective
      human observational study. SETTINGS: Patients received volume-controlled
      mechanical ventilation according to the acute respiratory distress syndrome net
      protocol. Continuous venovenous hemofiltration therapy was titrated to maintain
      maximum blood flow and an effluent flow of 45 mL/kg/h with 33% predilution.
      PATIENTS: Eleven patients presenting with both acute respiratory distress
      syndrome and acute kidney injury required renal replacement therapy.
      INTERVENTIONS: A membrane oxygenator (0.65 m) was inserted within the
      hemofiltration circuit, either upstream (n = 7) or downstream (n = 5) of the
      hemofilter. Baseline corresponded to tidal volume 6 mL/kg of predicted body
      weight without extracorporeal CO2 removal. The primary endpoint was 20% reduction
      in PaCO2 at 20 minutes after extracorporeal CO2 removal initiation. Tidal volume
      was subsequently reduced to 4 mL/kg for the remaining 72 hours. MEASUREMENTS AND
      MAIN RESULTS: Twelve combined therapies were conducted in the 11 patients. Age
      was 70 +/- 9 years, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II was 69 +/- 13,
      Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score was 14 +/- 4, lung injury score was 3
      +/- 0.5, and PaO2/FIO2 was 135 +/- 41. Adding extracorporeal CO2 removal at tidal
      volume 6 mL/kg decreased PaCO2 by 21% (95% CI, 17-25%), from 47 +/- 11 to 37 +/-
      8 Torr (p < 0.001). Lowering tidal volume to 4 mL/kg reduced minute ventilation
      from 7.8 +/- 1.5 to 5.2 +/- 1.1 L/min and plateau pressure from 25 +/- 4 to 21 +/
      3 cm H2O and raised PaCO2 from 37 +/- 8 to 48 +/- 10 Torr (all p < 0.001). On an
      average of both positions, the oxygenator's blood flow was 410 +/- 30 mL/min and
      the CO2 removal rate was 83 +/- 20 mL/min. The oxygenator blood flow (p <0.001)
      and the CO2 removal rate (p = 0.083) were higher when the membrane oxygenator was
      placed upstream of the hemofilter. There was no safety concern. CONCLUSIONS:
      Combining extracorporeal CO2 removal and continuous venovenous hemofiltration in
      patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute kidney injury is safe
      and allows efficient blood purification together with enhanced lung protective
      ventilation.

PMID- 26488222
TI  - Erratum to: A review of canola meal as an alternative feed ingredient for ducks.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s40781-015-0062-4.]. 

PMID- 26488223
TI  - The use of alvimopan for postoperative ileus in small and large bowel resections.
AB  - Transient ileus is a normal physiologic process after surgery. When prolonged, it
      is an important contributor to postoperative complications, increased length of
      stay and increased healthcare costs. Efforts have been made to prevent and manage
      postoperative ileus; alvimopan is an oral, peripheral MU-opioid receptor
      antagonist, and the only currently US FDA-approved medication to accelerate the
      return of gastrointestinal function postoperatively. 

PMID- 26488221
TI  - Gene Expression of Proresolving Lipid Mediator Pathways Is Associated With
      Clinical Outcomes in Trauma Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Specialized proresolving lipid mediators have emerged as powerful
      modulators of inflammation and activators of resolution. Animal models show
      significant benefits of specialized proresolving lipid mediators on survival and
      wound healing after major burn trauma. To date, no studies have investigated
      specialized proresolving lipid mediators and their relation to other lipid
      mediator pathways in humans after trauma. Here we determine if patients with poor
      outcomes after trauma have dysregulated lipid mediator pathways. DESIGN: We
      studied blood leukocyte expression of 18 genes critical to the synthesis,
      signaling, and metabolism of specialized proresolving lipid mediators and
      proinflammatory lipid mediators, and we correlated these expression patterns with
      clinical outcomes in trauma patients from the Inflammation and the Host Response
      to Injury study. SETTING: Seven U.S. medical trauma centers. SUBJECTS: Ninety-six
      patients enrolled in the Inflammation and Host Response to Injury study, after
      blunt trauma and unambiguously classified as having uncomplicated or complicated
      recoveries. Twenty-eight healthy volunteers were enrolled as controls.
      INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Within each patient, the 18
      genes of interest were used to calculate scores for distinct families of lipid
      mediators, including resolvins, lipoxins, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes, as
      well as leukotriene to resolvin score ratios. Scores were built using a simple
      weighting scheme, taking into consideration both dependent and independent
      activities of enzymes and receptors responsible for lipid mediator biosynthesis
      and function. Individually, ALOX12, PTGS2, PTGES, PTGDS, ALOX5AP, LTA4H, FPR2,
      PTGER2, LTB4R, HPGD, PTGR1, and CYP4F3 were expressed differentially over 28 days
      posttrauma between patients with uncomplicated and complicated recoveries (p <
      0.05). When all genes were combined into scores, patients with uncomplicated
      recoveries had differential and higher resolvin scores (p < 0.001) and lower
      leukotriene scores (p < 0.001). A final combined ratio was calculated for each
      patient, and posttrauma leukotriene score to resolvin score ratios were
      significantly lower in patients with uncomplicated clinical courses (p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: proresolving lipid mediator lipidomics and/or protein expression,
      and identifying associated therapeutic targets, may influence the clinical
      management of trauma patients.

PMID- 26488224
TI  - Opportunities and dangers for neurosurgery in the current NHS.
AB  - The NHS is entering a third decade of administrative turbulence and cost
      pressures and many view the new NHS structure and systems as complex and
      confusing. Health and social care budgets are being merged in some geographical
      areas and large efficiency savings are needed by 2020. There are risks that lie
      ahead for neurosurgery and our patients if the specialty becomes further
      fragmented and opportunities for positive change are missed. One of the new care
      models proposed in the NHS five year plan is specialist care provided across
      multiple hospital sites by a single overarching specialist trust, mirroring
      ophthalmology where the Moorfields trust provides specialist eye services in over
      20 locations in London and the South East. This model lends itself to adoption by
      neurosurgery and has the potential to increase standards, efficiency, training
      and research. 

PMID- 26488226
TI  - Nanoscale electric polarizability of ultrathin biolayers on insulating substrates
      by electrostatic force microscopy.
AB  - We measured and quantified the local electric polarization properties of
      ultrathin (~5 nm) biolayers on mm-thick mica substrates. We achieved it by
      scanning a sharp conductive tip (<10 nm radius) of an electrostatic force
      microscope over the biolayers and quantifying sub-picoNewton electric
      polarization forces with a sharp-tip model implemented using finite-element
      numerical calculations. We obtained relative dielectric constants epsilonr = 3.3,
      2.4 and 1.9 for bacteriorhodopsin, dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) and
      cholesterol layers, chosen as representative of the main cell membrane
      components, with an error below 10% and a spatial resolution down to ~50 nm. The
      ability of using insulating substrates common in biophysics research, such as
      mica or glass, instead of metallic substrates, offers both a general platform to
      determine the dielectric properties of biolayers and a wider compatibility with
      other characterization techniques, such as optical microscopy. This opens up new
      possibilities for biolayer research at the nanoscale, including nanoscale label
      free composition mapping. 

PMID- 26488225
TI  - Depression and frailty: concurrent risks for adverse health outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study used latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) to estimate the
      independent and joint associations between frailty and depression trajectories
      and likelihood of nursing home admission and falls resulting in injury. METHODS:
      Data come from five waves (2004-2012) of the Health and Retirement Study.
      Community-dwelling individuals aged 51 and older (N = 13,495) were analyzed using
      LGCM. Frailty was measured using a frailty index consisting of 30 deficits.
      Depressive symptoms were measured using the eight-item Centers for Epidemiologic
      Studies - Depression scale. Adverse health outcomes included nursing home
      admissions and falls resulting in injury. RESULTS: Prevalence of frailty
      increased over the study period (24.1%-32.1%), while the prevalence of depression
      was relatively constant over time (approximately 13%). Parallel process LGCM
      showed that more rapid increases of frailty and depressive symptoms were
      associated with higher odds of both nursing home admission and serious falls over
      time (Frailty: ORNursinghome = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.09-1.66; ORFall = 1.52, 95% CI:
      1.12-2.08; Depression: ORNursinghome = 3.63, 95% CI: 1.29-9.97; ORFall = 1.16,
      95% CI: 1.01-1.34). Associations between frailty and adverse outcomes were
      attenuated, and in some cases were no longer statistically significant, after
      accounting for concurrent depression. CONCLUSION: Frailty trajectories may be
      important indicators of risk for nursing home admissions and falls, independent
      of baseline frailty status; however, concurrent depression trajectories are
      associated with adverse outcomes to a similar degree as frailty. Focus should be
      given to distilling elements of the frailty index which confer most risk for poor
      health outcomes.

PMID- 26488227
TI  - Photoinduced water splitting via benzoquinone and semiquinone sensitisation.
AB  - The splitting of water into H and OH radicals by sensitisation of a redox-active
      chromophore with sunlight may eventually become a viable way of producing
      unlimited, clean and sustainable energy. In this work, we explore the possibility
      of photo-oxidation of water via sensitisation of benzoquinone with ultraviolet
      (UV) light in the hydrogen-bonded complex of benzoquinone with a single water
      molecule. Using state-of-the-art quantum chemical calculations, the mechanisms of
      electron/proton transfer reactions between photoexcited benzoquinone and water
      are characterised. In the benzoquinone-H2O complex, photoexcitation of the
      chromophore leads to the population of locally excited pipi* and npi* singlet
      states, which are coupled to hitherto unknown charge-transfer states. In the
      latter, an electron is transferred from the oxygen atom of the water molecule to
      the lowest pi* orbital of benzoquinone. These charge-separated states drive the
      transfer of a proton from the water molecule to the carbonyl acceptor site,
      yielding the semiquinone-OH biradical. Upon absorption of a second UV photon, the
      semiquinone radical may undergo O-H bond fission, which generates an H radical
      and restores the benzoquinone photocatalyst. Our computational results shed light
      on long-standing questions regarding the nature of the photoreactive electronic
      states in the aqueous photochemistry of benzoquinone. 

PMID- 26488228
TI  - Approaches to prepare perfluoroalkyl and pentafluorophenyl copper couples for
      cross-coupling reactions with organohalogen compounds.
AB  - The reactions of iodoperfluoroalkanes CnF2n+1I (n = 2, 3, 4) and n-BuLi at low
      temperatures give NMR spectroscopic evidence for LiCnF2n+1 which were converted
      into LiCu(CnF2n+1)2 derivatives upon treatment with 0.5 mol copper(i) bromide,
      CuBr. An alternative route to obtain perfluoroorgano copper couples, Cu(Rf)2Ag
      (Rf = n-C3F7, n-C4F9, C6F5) was achieved from the reactions of the corresponding
      perfluoroorgano silver(i) reagents, AgRf, and elemental copper through redox
      transmetallations. The composition of the resulting reactive intermediates was
      investigated by means of (19)F NMR spectroscopy and ESI mass spectrometry.
      Perfluoro-n-propyl and perfluoro-n-butyl copper-silver reagents prepared by the
      oxidative transmetallation route exhibited good properties in C-C bond formation
      reactions with acid chlorides even under moderate conditions. Substitution of
      bromine directly bound to aromatics for perfluoroalkyl groups was achieved at
      elevated temperatures, while success in halide substitution reactions using
      lithium copper couples remained poor. 

PMID- 26488229
TI  - Palm oil and cardiovascular disease: a randomized trial of the effects of hybrid
      palm oil supplementation on human plasma lipid patterns.
AB  - This study examines, for the first time, the effect of hybrid Elaeis oleifera *
      E. guineensis palm oil supplementation on human plasma lipids related to CVD risk
      factors. One hundred sixty eligible participants were randomized and assigned to
      one of the two treatments: 25 mL hybrid palm oil (HPO group) or 25 mL extra
      virgin olive oil (EVOO group) daily for 3 months. Fasting venous samples were
      obtained at baseline and after 1, 2 and 3 months for measurement of plasma lipids
      (TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and TAGs). Changes in body mass index and waist circumference
      were also assessed. Although there was an overall reduction in TC (7.4%, p <
      0.001) and in LDL-C (15.6%, p < 0.001), no significant differences were found
      between the treatment groups in a repeated measures analysis of variance for TC
      (p = 0.0525), LDL-C (p = 0.2356), HDL-C (p = 0.8293) or TAGs (p = 0.3749).
      Furthermore, HPO consumption had similar effects on plasma lipids to EVOO, thus
      providing additional support for the concept that hybrid Elaeis oleifera * E.
      guineensis palm oil can be seen as a "tropical equivalent of olive oil". 

PMID- 26488230
TI  - Evaluation of Mandibular Movement Functions Using Instrumental Ultrasound System.
AB  - PURPOSE: The article deals with routinely performed instrumental
      temporomandibular joint (TMJ) examinations and interpretation of findings
      obtained from the Arcus Digma ultrasound device in individuals with or without
      clinical symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). The aim of this study was
      to analyze mandibular movement functions and the relationship between incisors
      and condylar movement parameters during jaw opening, which may be helpful for
      clinical evaluation in these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study group
      consisted of 84 young students with no dental problems and other serious acute or
      chronic diseases in the medical history; the students were examined both
      clinically and with the Arcus Digma ultrasound device. RESULTS: Helkimo Di = I
      was the most common score in 49 participants, and Helkimo Di = II in a
      significantly (p < 0.01, Di = I vs. Di = II) smaller number of participants.
      Medical history revealed symptoms of unilateral mastication in 15 participants
      and a statistically significant increased (p < 0.02, participants with symptoms
      of unilateral mastication vs. asymptomatic) condylar range of motion parameter
      during retrusion. Also a significant decrease (p < 0.03, participants with
      symptoms of unilateral mastication vs. asymptomatic) of the incisal and condylar
      ranges of motion during mouth opening was found. Limitation of mouth opening,
      defined as a decrease of inter-incisal distance, appeared in 19 participants
      (22.6%) and in 25 participants (29.8%) measured instrumentally with the Arcus
      Digma device. A comparison of instrumental result examinations of the right and
      left TMJs showed positive correlations of the range of mandible opening movement
      with the Posselt opening movement (r = 0.75) and opening/closing movements with
      the Posselt closing movements (r = 0.70). A correlation was demonstrated (r =
      0.81) between the condylar range of motion studied on the left and on the right
      TMJ during mandible opening movement. Correlations were also found between
      opening-closing movements and the condylar range of motion of the left TMJ, and
      between the opening-closing movement and the condylar range of motion of the
      right TMJ during the opening movement. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of
      this study with instrumental Arcus Digma ultrasound device measurements of
      mandibular movements, data were provided on irregularities in TMJ function not
      detected in participants with or without clinical symptoms of TMD.

PMID- 26488231
TI  - Pediatric Chest Tubes And Pigtails: An Evidence-Based Approach To The Management
      Of Pleural Space Diseases.
AB  - Pediatric thoracostomy procedures are used in the emergency department to treat
      diseases of the pleural space. As children have unique thoracic anatomy and
      physiology, they may present with management challenges that the emergency
      clinician must consider. This issue reviews the use of chest tubes and pigtail
      catheters in pediatric patients, techniques and indications for placement, and
      possible complications. Diagnostic and treatment options for diseases of the
      pleural space, such as spontaneous pneumothorax, traumatic injury, and
      parapneumonic effusions/empyema, are examined. Additionally, this issue discusses
      the use of imaging modalities to aid in the diagnosis of pleural space diseases
      and the emerging practice of ambulatory management in certain cases. 

PMID- 26488232
TI  - Synthesis and characterisation of a mesocyclic tripodal triamine ligand.
AB  - Meso- and macrocyclic polydentate amine ligands have been widely explored in
      oxidation catalysis and for the stabilization of unstable metal-superoxide, 
      peroxide, and -oxo intermediates. Herein we report on the design and synthesis of
      a novel mesocyclic, tripodal, triamine ligand that we believe will be an
      excellent addition to this field. We explored a number of synthetic procedures
      towards the mesocyclic asymmetric tetraalkylated ligand 1. We expect that 1 will
      bind metals in a facially capping manner, yielding complexes that display pseudo
      tetrahedral geometry, potentially providing access to unprecedented late
      transition metal-oxo complexes (metal = Co, Ni, Cu). We describe the preparation
      of a library of mesocyclic polyamine synthons (8, 16, 17, 18, 19) that are
      precursors in the synthesis of 1. These synthons will be used to tailor the
      electronic properties of metal complexes of 1 and derivatives thereof. The X-ray
      crystal structures of 19 and mono- and di-protonated forms of 1b show that the
      triamine crystalises in a boat-chair conformation which is undesirable for metal
      coordination. However, solution (1)H NMR studies show that in solution both 19
      and the tetraalkylated derivative 1b are remarkably flexible. 1b reacted with
      [CuI(NCCH3)4](OTf) yielding a 1:1 copper(I) complex [CuI(NCCH3)(1b)](+).

PMID- 26488233
TI  - Shear-Induced Reactive Gelation.
AB  - In this work, we describe a method for the production of porous polymer materials
      in the form of particles characterized by narrow pore size distribution using the
      principle of shear-induced reactive gelation. Poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene)
      primary particles with diameter ranging from 80 to 200 nm are used as building
      blocks, which are assembled into fractal-like clusters when exposed to high shear
      rates generated in a microchannel. It was found that independent of the primary
      particle size, it is possible to modulate the internal structure of formed
      fractal-like aggregates having fractal dimension ranging from 2.4 to 2.7 by
      varying the residence time in the microchannel. Thermally induced
      postpolymerization was used to increase the mechanical resilience of such formed
      clusters. Primary particle interpenetration was observed by SEM and confirmed by
      light scattering resulting in an increase of fractal dimension. Nitrogen sorption
      measurements and mercury porosimetry confirmed formation of a porous material
      with surface area ranging from 20 to 40 m(2)/g characterized by porosity of 70%
      and narrow pore size distribution with an average diameter around 700 nm without
      the presence of any micropores. The strong perfusive character of the synthesized
      material was confirmed by the existence of a plateau of the height equivalent to
      a theoretical plate measured at high reduced velocities using a chromatographic
      column packed with the synthesized microclusters. 

PMID- 26488234
TI  - Differences in the calcification of preosteoblast cultured on sputter-deposited
      titanium, zirconium, and gold.
AB  - In this study, osteogenic differentiation and calcification of preosteoblast
      (MC3T3-E1) cultured on sputter-deposited titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), and gold
      (Au) on cover glasses were evaluated to understand the differences in bone
      formation ability among these three metals; these metals show the same high
      corrosion resistance, but Ti and Zr are covered by surface passive oxide film
      while Au is not covered by the oxide film. Ti and Zr promoted cellular
      proliferation without osteogenic differentiation. Cells cultured on Ti and Zr
      expressed higher levels of Runx2, Col1alpha1, and Akp2 at an earlier stage, which
      indicated faster promotion of osteogenic differentiation, as compared to those
      cultured on Au. Moreover, after 21 days of culture, the Bglap1 and Ifitm5
      expression peaks in cells cultured on Ti and Zr were higher than those in cells
      cultured on Au, which indicated faster promotion of calcification. Cells cultured
      on Ti showed an advantage in osteogenic differentiation at an early stage, while
      cells on Zr showed better calcification promotion with a long-term culture. The
      amount of extracellular calcified deposits was in good agreement with the gene
      expression results. On the other hand, the intracellular calcium content of cells
      on Au specimens was higher than that of cells on Ti and Zr specimens. The results
      indicate that preosteoblasts on Ti and Zr showed faster osteogenic
      differentiation and calcification than those on Au, whereas Au improved the
      intracellular calcium content. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater
      Res Part A: 104A: 639-651, 2016.

PMID- 26488236
TI  - How Bonding in Manganous Phosphates Affects their Mn(II)-(31)P Hyperfine
      Interactions.
AB  - Manganous phosphates have been postulated to play an important role in cells as
      antioxidants. In situ Mn(II) electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR)
      spectroscopy has been used to measure their speciation in cells. The analyses of
      such ENDOR spectra and the quantification of cellular Mn(II) phosphates has been
      based on comparisons to in vitro model complexes and heuristic modeling. In order
      to put such analyses on a more physical and theoretical footing, the Mn(II)-(31)P
      hyperfine interactions of various Mn(II) phosphate complexes have been measured
      by 95 GHz ENDOR spectroscopy. The dipolar components of these interactions
      remained relatively constant as a function of pH, esterification, and phosphate
      chain length, while the isotropic contributions were significantly affected.
      Counterintuitively, although the manganese-phosphate bonds are weakened by
      protonation and esterification, they lead to larger isotropic values, indicating
      higher unpaired-electron spin densities at the phosphorus nuclei. By comparison,
      extending the phosphate chain with additional phosphate groups lowers the spin
      density. Density functional theory calculations of model complexes quantitatively
      reproduced the measured hyperfine couplings and provided detailed insights into
      how bonding in Mn(II) phosphate complexes modulates the electron-spin
      polarization and consequently their isotropic hyperfine couplings. These results
      show that various classes of phosphates can be identified by their ENDOR spectra
      and provide a theoretical framework for understanding the in situ (31)P ENDOR
      spectra of cellular Mn(II) complexes. 

PMID- 26488235
TI  - Warming accelerates termination of a phytoplankton spring bloom by fungal
      parasites.
AB  - Climate change is expected to favour infectious diseases across ecosystems
      worldwide. In freshwater and marine environments, parasites play a crucial role
      in controlling plankton population dynamics. Infection of phytoplankton
      populations will cause a transfer of carbon and nutrients into parasites, which
      may change the type of food available for higher trophic levels. Some
      phytoplankton species are inedible to zooplankton, and the termination of their
      population by parasites may liberate otherwise unavailable carbon and nutrients.
      Phytoplankton spring blooms often consist of large diatoms inedible for
      zooplankton, but the zoospores of their fungal parasites may serve as a food
      source for this higher trophic level. Here, we investigated the impact of warming
      on the fungal infection of a natural phytoplankton spring bloom and followed the
      response of a zooplankton community. Experiments were performed in ca. 1000 L
      indoor mesocosms exposed to a controlled seasonal temperature cycle and a warm
      (+4  degrees C) treatment in the period from March to June 2014. The spring bloom
      was dominated by the diatom Synedra. At the peak of infection over 40% of the
      Synedra population was infected by a fungal parasite (i.e. a chytrid) in both
      treatments. Warming did not affect the onset of the Synedra bloom, but
      accelerated its termination. Peak population density of Synedra tended to be
      lower in the warm treatments. Furthermore, Synedra carbon: phosphorus
      stoichiometry increased during the bloom, particularly in the control treatments.
      This indicates enhanced phosphorus limitation in the control treatments, which
      may have constrained chytrid development. Timing of the rotifer Keratella
      advanced in the warm treatments and closely followed chytrid infections. The
      chytrids' zoospores may thus have served as an alternative food source to
      Keratella. Our study thus emphasizes the importance of incorporating not only
      nutrient limitation and grazing, but also parasitism in understanding the
      response of plankton communities towards global warming.

PMID- 26488237
TI  - Seedless Growth of Palladium Nanocrystals with Tunable Structures: From
      Tetrahedra to Nanosheets.
AB  - Despite the great success that has been accomplished on the controlled synthesis
      of Pd nanocrystals with various sizes and morphologies, an efficient approach to
      systematic production of well-defined Pd nanocrystals without seed-mediated
      approaches remains a significant challenge. In this work, we have developed an
      efficient synthetic method to directly produce Pd nanocrystals with a highly
      controllable feature. Three distinct Pd nanocrystals, namely, Pd nanosheets, Pd
      concave tetrahedra, and Pd tetrahedra, have been selectively prepared by simply
      introducing a small amount of ascorbic acid (AA) and/or water without the other
      synthesis conditions changed. We found that the combined use of AA and water is
      of importance for the successful production of the unique Pd nanosheets. Detailed
      catalytic investigations showed that all the obtained Pd nanocrystals exhibit
      higher activity in the formic acid electrooxidation and styrene hydrogenation
      with respect to the Pd black, and their activities are highly shape-dependent
      with Pd nanosheets demonstrating a higher activity than both the Pd concave
      tetrahedra and Pd tetrahedra, which is likely due to the simple yet important
      feature of ultrathin thickness of Pd nanosheets. The present work highlights the
      importance of structures in tuning the related properties of metallic
      nanocrystals. 

PMID- 26488238
TI  - Interactions of Bacterial Lipopolysaccharides with Gold Nanorod Surfaces
      Investigated by Refractometric Sensing.
AB  - The interface between nanoparticles and bacterial surfaces is of great interest
      for applications in nanomedicine and food safety. Here, we demonstrate that
      interactions between gold nanorods and bacterial surface molecules are governed
      by the nanoparticle surface coating. Polymer-coated gold nanorod substrates are
      exposed to lipopolysaccharides extracted from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella
      enterica and Escherichia coli, and attachment is monitored using localized
      surface plasmon resonance refractometric sensing. The number of
      lipopolysaccharide molecules attached per nanorod is calculated from the shift in
      the plasmon maximum, which results from the change in refractive index after
      analyte binding. Colloidal gold nanorods in water are also incubated with
      lipopolysaccharides to demonstrate the effect of lipopolysaccharide concentration
      on plasmon shift, zeta-potential, and association constant. Both gold nanorod
      surface charge and surface chemistry affect gold nanorod-lipopolysaccharide
      interactions. In general, anionic lipopolysaccharides was found to attach more
      effectively to cationic gold nanorods than to neutral or anionic gold nanorods.
      Some variation in lipopolysaccharide attachment is also observed between the
      three strains studied, demonstrating the potential complexity of bacteria
      nanoparticle interactions. 

PMID- 26488239
TI  - What roles do middle managers play in implementation of innovative practices?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Middle managers play key roles in hospitals as the bridge between
      senior leaders and frontline staff. Yet relatively little research has focused on
      their role in implementing new practices. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to
      expand the understanding of middle managers' influence in organizations by
      looking at their activities through the lens of two complementary conceptual
      frameworks. METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: We analyzed qualitative data from 17 Veterans
      Affairs Medical Centers with high and low potential to change organizational
      practices. We analyzed 98 interviews with staff ranging from senior leaders to
      frontline staff to identify themes within an a priori framework reflecting middle
      manager activities. FINDINGS: Analyses yielded 14 emergent themes that allowed us
      to classify specific expressions of middle manager commitment to implementation
      of innovative practices (e.g., facilitate improvement innovation, garner staff
      buy-in). In comparing middle manager behaviors in high and low change potential
      sites, we found that most emergent themes were present in both groups. However,
      the activities and interactions described differed between the groups. PRACTICE
      IMPLICATIONS: Middle managers can use the promising strategies identified by our
      analyses to guide and improve their effectiveness in implementing new practices.
      These strategies can also inform senior leaders striving to guide middle managers
      in those efforts.

PMID- 26488240
TI  - Science masterclass.

PMID- 26488241
TI  - Cell imaging: Beyond the limits.

PMID- 26488242
TI  - Q&A: Memory man.

PMID- 26488243
TI  - Q&A: End-game winner.

PMID- 26488244
TI  - Q&A: Microbe cheerleader.

PMID- 26488246
TI  - Q&A: Boson beginnings.

PMID- 26488245
TI  - Q&A: Chance encounters.

PMID- 26488247
TI  - When a Care Map is Not a True Predictor of Clinical Outcomes.

PMID- 26488250
TI  - The 2014 Doris Schwartz Gerontological Nursing Research Award: Heather M. Young,
      PhD, RN, FAAN-Living Her Legacy of Caring for Older Adults.

PMID- 26488251
TI  - Medication Management and e-Care Planning: What are the Opportunities for the
      Future?
AB  - Effective communication and coordination of care is a priority strategy to
      improve health care quality in the United States. To address this strategy, care
      coordinators are being integrated into clinical practice settings and tasked with
      developing patient-centered care plans. One component of the care plan is the
      development of a medication list. This care plan medication list facilitates many
      medication management functions performed by pharmacists, such as identifying and
      resolving medication-related problems. Health information technology enables
      access to data to assist developing the medication list for the care plan and
      also provides routes to communicate the care plan with other health care
      providers, patients, and caregivers. The current article reviews the current
      landscape for promoting effective medication-related communication and care plan
      information.

PMID- 26488252
TI  - Older Adults Engaging in Online Dating: What Gerontological Nurses Should Know.
AB  - Many older adults maintain interest in intimate partner relationships and
      actively seek dates. Online dating websites are gaining popularity as being a
      convenient way to link with potential dates, particularly for women and
      individuals who live in independent dwellings or rural areas. Several online
      dating websites market exclusively to individuals 50 and older. Although
      connecting with others via the Internet can decrease social isolation, there are
      potential risks involved in online dating. Health care providers do not always
      assess dating and sexual health in the older adult population. Nurses are in a
      position to assess the dating relationships of older patients and can ask
      targeted questions to determine if patients are in a potentially risky
      relationship. A non-judgmental attitude and compassionate approach is essential.
      Knowledge of safe practices, alerting red flags, and available resources are
      essential tools for gerontological nurses to possess.

PMID- 26488254
TI  - Institutionalizing Clinical Reasoning: A Grounded Theory of the Clinical
      Reasoning Processes RNs Use to Recognize Delirium.
AB  - Delirium is a common disorder among hospitalized older adults often leading to
      prolonged hospitalization, increased health care costs, and sometimes death. The
      goal of the current study was to construct a grounded theory that explains the
      clinical reasoning processes that RNs use to recognize delirium in older adults
      in acute care settings. Seventeen participants in three hospitals were
      interviewed. The core category that emerged from the data was institutionalizing
      clinical reasoning. Findings from the current study can be a starting point for
      RNs to bring self-awareness to variables that influence their reasoning
      processes.

PMID- 26488255
TI  - Using a Robotic Cat in Dementia Care: A Pilot Study.
AB  - The current study aimed to explore (a) reactions of individuals with dementia to
      an interactive robotic cat and their relatives' and professional caregivers'
      experiences, and (b) to measure usability in developing the care/treatment of
      individuals with dementia using interactive robotic pets. An intervention design
      in a pilot study using mixed methods was conducted in two stages: a quantitative
      single-case study (n = 4) and a qualitative interview study (n = 14). Results
      indicated less agitated behavior and better quality of life for individuals with
      dementia. Interviews showed positive effects by providing increased interaction,
      communication, stimulation, relaxation, peace, and comfort to individuals with
      dementia. The tested interactive robotic cat was also considered easy to use.
      There is an increased need for alternative/complementary forms of care to meet an
      increasing number of individuals with dementia. For some individuals with
      dementia, an interactive robot, such as a robotic cat, can increase well-being
      and quality of life.

PMID- 26488257
TI  - Electrochemical Single-Molecule Transistors with Optimized Gate Coupling.
AB  - Electrochemical gating at the single molecule level of viologen molecular bridges
      in ionic liquids is examined. Contrary to previous data recorded in aqueous
      electrolytes, a clear and sharp peak in the single molecule conductance versus
      electrochemical potential data is obtained in ionic liquids. These data are
      rationalized in terms of a two-step electrochemical model for charge transport
      across the redox bridge. In this model the gate coupling in the ionic liquid is
      found to be fully effective with a modeled gate coupling parameter, xi, of unity.
      This compares to a much lower gate coupling parameter of 0.2 for the equivalent
      aqueous gating system. This study shows that ionic liquids are far more effective
      media for gating the conductance of single molecules than either solid-state
      three-terminal platforms created using nanolithography, or aqueous media. 

PMID- 26488256
TI  - Lateralization of cervical spinal cord activity during an isometric upper
      extremity motor task with functional magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to use an isometric upper extremity motor task to
      detect activity induced blood oxygen level dependent signal changes in the
      cervical spinal cord with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Eleven healthy
      volunteers performed six 5minute runs of an alternating left- and right-sided
      isometric wrist flexion task, during which images of the cervical spinal cord
      were acquired with a reduced field-of-view T2*-weighted gradient-echo echo-planar
      imaging sequence. Spatial normalization to a standard spinal cord template was
      performed, and group average activation maps were generated in a mixed-effects
      analysis. The task activity significantly exceeded that of the control analyses.
      The activity was lateralized to the hemicord ipsilateral to the task and reliable
      across the runs at the group and subject level. Finally, a multi-voxel pattern
      analysis was able to successfully decode the left and right tasks at the C6 and
      C7 vertebral levels.

PMID- 26488259
TI  - Cooling Particle-Coated Bubbles: Destabilization beyond Dissolution Arrest.
AB  - Emulsions and foams that remain stable under varying environmental conditions are
      central in the food, personal care, and other formulated products industries.
      Foams stabilized by solid particles can provide longer-term stability than
      surfactant-stabilized foams. This stability is partly ascribed to the observation
      that solid particles can arrest bubble dissolution, which is driven by the
      Laplace pressure across the curved gas-liquid interface. We studied
      experimentally the effect of changes in temperature on the lifetime of particle
      coated air microbubbles in water. We found that a decrease in temperature
      destabilizes particle-coated microbubbles beyond dissolution arrest. A quasi
      steady model describing the effect of the change in temperature on mass transfer
      suggests that the dominant mechanism of destabilization is the increased
      solubility of the gas in the liquid, leading to a condition of undersaturation.
      Experiments at constant temperature confirmed that undersaturation alone can
      drive destabilization of particle-coated bubbles, even for vanishing Laplace
      pressure. We also found that dissolution of a particle-coated bubble can lead
      either to buckling of the coating or to gradual expulsion of particles, depending
      on the particle-to-bubble size ratio, with potential implications for controlled
      release. 

PMID- 26488258
TI  - Co-infection with Drug-Susceptible and Reactivated Latent Multidrug-Resistant
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

PMID- 26488260
TI  - [Asylum Law and Mental Health: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Coaction of
      Medical and Legal Aspects].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Interdisciplinary analysis of the consequences of laws and legal
      practice for mental health conditions of asylum seekers and psychiatric care.
      METHODS: Based on the case study of a Kurdish woman with complex trauma-related
      psychiatric disorder, who had been in psychiatric hospital care for 25 months,
      the legal and medical facts are exposed, followed by a discussion referring to
      theoretical approaches from medical anthropology. RESULTS: Immigration laws and
      legal practice can have harmful consequences, which can be interpreted as
      "structural violence". CONCLUSION: In case of traumatized refugees, the coaction
      of legal and medical aspects has to be acknowledged seriously by the medical,
      legal and political parts involved.

PMID- 26488261
TI  - [ADHD: Burden of Disease According to Subtypes in Adult Patients].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In consideration of ADHD subtype we assessed burden of disease of
      adult ADHD patients and neuroticism. METHODS: 511 adult ADHD patients were
      enrolled in the study. We measured ADHD symptoms categorically and dimensionally
      by the "Homburger ADHS-Skalen fur Erwachsene (HASE)". All participants rated
      their ADHD associated level of suffering. To assess personality traits, the
      psychometric instrument NEO-PI-R was used. RESULTS: In patients with higher
      levels of neuroticism, there was no significant difference in the level of
      suffering between the ADHD subtypes. In the group of ADHD patients which scored
      low on the neuroticism scale, ADHD combined patients are significant more
      affected compared to the predominantly hyperactive-impulsive or the predominantly
      inattentive type. CONCLUSIONS: These results underline the hypothesis that the
      burden of disease is not only related to the level of ADHD symptoms and subtype
      but also moderated by neuroticism.

PMID- 26488262
TI  - [Establishment of an Animal Based Therapy at a University Hospital for
      Psychiatry: Results of a Preliminary Study and Future Prospects].
AB  - Objective: Dogs have been integrated in human society over centuries. This
      process has selected unique social and communicative skills. Dogs are thus able
      to represent social substitutes for human counterparts in cases of social
      withdrawal. Furthermore, dogs act as "social catalysts" in promoting interhuman
      encounters. Thus, the integration of dogs in psychotherapeutic concepts
      addressing social and interpersonal deficits may be of special interest. Methods:
      The present investigation reports the results of a pilot study to establish
      animal-assisted therapy (dogs) at a psychiatric department. The animal-assisted
      intervention straddled the following areas: (1) contact making, communication and
      orientation to needs, (2) recreation and play, (3) outward orientation, (4)
      release and farewell. The sample comprised 22 subjects. Results: The results
      demonstrated in particular that the animal-assisted intervention significantly
      promoted unspecific aspects of positive affectivity and wellbeing. Evaluation of
      the overall acceptance of the dog on the psychiatric ward revealed very positive
      feedback. Conclusions: We conclude that animal-assisted therapies represent a
      significant enchrichment of the therapeutic context, that may be used to enhance
      the patients' openness and adherence to conventional therapies.

PMID- 26488263
TI  - [Evaluation of a Public Campaign on Mental Disorders - Results from "psychenet"].
AB  - Objective: From 2011 to 2014, an information and awareness campaign was conducted
      in the framework of psychenet - Hamburg network for mental health. Evaluation is
      focused on two aspects: First, the reach of the campaign is examined. Second,
      effects of the campaign's key messages on public attitudes concerning mental
      disorders are analyzed. Methods: Analyses are based on two representative
      telephone surveys, conducted in Hamburg (intervention region) and Munich (control
      region) in 2011 prior (N = 2014) and 2014 post-campaign (N = 2006). Respondents
      were asked about their awareness of the psychenet campaign and to state their
      agreement or disagreement regarding attitudes and beliefs about mental disorders.
      Results: 7.3 % (74 of 1005) of the respondents from Hamburg were aware of
      psychenet. Compared to the other respondents, this subgroup displayed a stronger
      accordance with the campaign's key messages. However, regarding the total
      population over the course of time, differences in attitudes towards mental
      disorders were minor. Conclusion: Information and awareness campaigns seem to
      have minor effects on public attitudes towards mental disorders. Effects of
      specific campaign messages need to be examined more systematically.

PMID- 26488264
TI  - [Studies to Evaluate Outpatient Mental Health Services: Are Patients' Priorities
      Considered?]
AB  - Objective: To evaluate whether outcome measures in studies to evaluate outpatient
      mental health services reflect patients' priorities. Methods: Two systematic
      literature reviews were conducted to identify, 1) patients' priorities and 2)
      outcome measures that are used for evaluating outpatient mental health care. 3)
      The findings from the literature review for patients' priorities were contrasted
      with the findings from the literature review for outcome measures. Results: 19
      patients' priorities and 48 outcome measures were identified. Only eight
      priorities were directly assessed by an outcome measure in evaluations of
      outpatient mental health care. Conclusion: The majority of studies that evaluate
      outpatient mental health care do not consider patients' priorities as an outcome.

PMID- 26488265
TI  - [Family Burden in the Case of Intellectual Disability and a Comorbid Mental
      Disorder].
AB  - Objective: Within the MEMENTA-study informal caregivers of grown-up persons with
      an intellectual disability (ID) with and without a comorbid mental disorder were
      interviewed. Main outcomes were family burden, quality of life, psychiatric
      symptomatology and problem behavior. Methods: The sample consisted of 123
      informal caregivers. Results: Problem behavior was associated with a higher
      family burden than psychiatric symptomatology. Conclusion: Rather than mental
      disorders, problem behavior seemed to be more relevant for the experience of
      family burden.

PMID- 26488266
TI  - [Subscription Rates of Psychiatric Patients to an Integrated Care Program in the
      Context of a Psychiatric Model Project].
AB  - Objective: In the past years different model projects have been developed in
      Germany to counteract the known deficits of the German psychiatric care system.
      Among these, an "integrated care" model project has been set up which offers a
      more flexible way of managing psychiatric care, especially for patients with a
      severe mental illness. It however implies an active subscription to the program.
      In this study we analyzed factors influencing patients' subscription rates.
      Methods: Subscription rates during the first 18 months of the program were
      analyzed with regard to the patients' main diagnoses and gender. Results: We
      found an overall subscription rate of 59.3 %. Diagnosis explained 24.1 % of the
      overall variance of the inpatients' subscription rate. This effect was
      significantly smaller in outpatients. No effect of gender could be observed. The
      highest subscription rate was found by patients with an affective disorder. Only
      34.6 % of the patients with an F2 diagnosis subscribed. Conclusion: The target
      groups of the program could not be sufficiently reached in this model. The need
      of a new legal basis for psychiatric care models, namely a subscription-free
      program, is thereby reinforced.

PMID- 26488267
TI  - [From the Auschwitz Syndrome to a Psyche Model--Life and Work of the Polish
      Psychiatrist Antoni Kepinski (1918-1972)].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Life and work of the Polish psychiatrist Antoni Kepinski (1918 - 1972)
      are barely known today, although his writings about the Auschwitz syndrome have
      had an impact all over the world. We present his biography and work. METHODS:
      Compilation and evaluation of literature about Kepinski's work and historical
      critical analysis of his key texts. RESULTS: Kepinski's work about the Auschwitz
      syndrome formed the basis for his understanding of the psyche and his theory on
      information metabolism. Kepinski posited that the mind processes outside stimuli
      based on its own set of values and that it determines the subject's actions. In
      doing so, it affects its environment. If these interactions are disrupted,
      pathological disorders might result. The therapist should consequently empower
      the patient to get in touch with his own value-system. CONCLUSION: Kepinskis work
      serves as a foundation for research on disease patterns that are known today as
      post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). His theory on information metabolism is
      essential for the current treatment of patients. It is therefore important to
      further explore his work and adjust it to the requirements of medical practice.

PMID- 26488268
TI  - Making ADHD Evident: Data, Practices, and Diagnostic Protocols in Portugal.
AB  - Drawing on medical anthropology and science and technology studies, I present a
      case study of the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in
      Portugal. In a country where ADHD is a relatively recent medical category, still
      undergoing validation, the diagnosis is not primarily bound to an evidence-making
      role, and its epidemiology remains largely unknown. Notwithstanding, the
      diagnosis has been carried out by child psychiatrists and developmental
      clinicians who describe it as the most prevalent disorder that affects school
      aged children and adolescents. In this article, I examine the global data, local
      diagnostic protocols, and clinical practices that are adapted and selectively
      mobilized in the making of the diagnosis, in a context in which making ADHD
      evident is at stake. The findings show that what counts as ADHD and what it means
      in each setting varies, and that the diagnosis may be understood as a situated
      process.

PMID- 26488270
TI  - Prostate Cancer Immunotherapy with Sipuleucel-T: Current Standards and Future
      Directions.
AB  - The management of advanced prostate cancer, specifically metastatic castrate
      resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), remains a therapeutic challenge. Sipuleucel-T
      (Provenge; APC8015) was approved by the FDA in 2010 for the treatment of
      asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic mCRPC patients, and it remains the only FDA
      approved immunotherapy for prostate cancer of any indication to date. Given the
      continued need to improve therapeutics in patients with advanced prostate cancer,
      as well as recent enthusiasm for cancer immunotherapy, there is a wide range of
      ongoing trials evaluating combinations of sipuleucel-T with other therapeutics.
      Additional trials are aiming to expand the application of sipuleucel-T to
      prostate cancer patients beyond the mCRPC setting. Ongoing challenges include
      understanding the full mechanism of action of sipuleucel-T, optimizing the
      sequence of sipuleucel-T in relation to other therapies for mCRPC in clinical
      practice, and the identification of surrogate markers to predict survival benefit
      in clinical trials. 

PMID- 26488269
TI  - Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Uptake After a Tailored, Online Educational
      Intervention for Female University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Educational interventions may be a strategy to increase human
      papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among female university students, but studies to
      date have shown mixed results. This study evaluated the effect of MeFirst, an
      individually tailored, online educational intervention, on HPV vaccine-related
      knowledge, vaccination intention, and uptake among previously unvaccinated female
      university students. METHODS: All female students aged 18-26 years who reported
      being unvaccinated against HPV at a midwestern university were invited via email
      to enroll. Participants completed an online survey that assessed baseline HPV
      vaccine-related knowledge, attitudes and vaccination intention. Participants (n =
      661) were then randomized to receive either an educational website automatically
      tailored to their baseline survey responses (MeFirst intervention) or a standard
      CDC information factsheet on HPV vaccine (control). Vaccine uptake and repeat
      knowledge and attitude measures were assessed with online surveys 3 months
      following the intervention and analyzed using logistic regression models.
      RESULTS: HPV vaccine uptake was similar in both the MeFirst and control groups at
      3 months following the intervention (p = 0.98). Three months after the
      intervention, the proportion of participants with high knowledge regarding HPV
      vaccination increased from baseline (32% to 50%; p < 0.0001) but the proportion
      with favorable intention was unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: We found that an
      individually tailored, online educational tool had similar effects as a
      nontailored factsheet on HPV-related knowledge, intention to HPV undergo
      vaccination, and HPV vaccine uptake among previously unvaccinated female
      university students.

PMID- 26488271
TI  - Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator in Sarcoplasmic Reticulum of
      Airway Smooth Muscle. Implications for Airway Contractility.
AB  - RATIONALE: An asthma-like airway phenotype has been described in people with
      cystic fibrosis (CF). Whether these findings are directly caused by loss of CF
      transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) function or secondary to chronic
      airway infection and/or inflammation has been difficult to determine. OBJECTIVES:
      Airway contractility is primarily determined by airway smooth muscle. We tested
      the hypothesis that CFTR is expressed in airway smooth muscle and directly
      affects airway smooth muscle contractility. METHODS: Newborn pigs, both wild type
      and with CF (before the onset of airway infection and inflammation), were used in
      this study. High-resolution immunofluorescence was used to identify the
      subcellular localization of CFTR in airway smooth muscle. Airway smooth muscle
      function was determined with tissue myography, intracellular calcium
      measurements, and regulatory myosin light chain phosphorylation status. Precision
      cut lung slices were used to investigate the therapeutic potential of CFTR
      modulation on airway reactivity. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We found that
      CFTR localizes to the sarcoplasmic reticulum compartment of airway smooth muscle
      and regulates airway smooth muscle tone. Loss of CFTR function led to delayed
      calcium reuptake following cholinergic stimulation and increased myosin light
      chain phosphorylation. CFTR potentiation with ivacaftor decreased airway
      reactivity in precision-cut lung slices following cholinergic stimulation.
      CONCLUSIONS: Loss of CFTR alters porcine airway smooth muscle function and may
      contribute to the airflow obstruction phenotype observed in human CF. Airway
      smooth muscle CFTR may represent a therapeutic target in CF and other diseases of
      airway narrowing.

PMID- 26488272
TI  - My Lifelong Passion for Biochemistry and Anaerobic Microorganisms.
AB  - Early parental influence led me first to medical school, but after developing a
      passion for biochemistry and sensing the need for a deeper foundation, I changed
      to chemistry. During breaks between semesters, I worked in various biochemistry
      labs to acquire a feeling for the different areas of investigation. The
      scientific puzzle that fascinated me most was the metabolism of the anaerobic
      bacterium Clostridium kluyveri, which I took on in 1965 in Karl Decker's lab in
      Freiburg, Germany. I quickly realized that little was known about the
      biochemistry of strict anaerobes such as clostridia, methanogens, acetogens, and
      sulfate-reducing bacteria and that these were ideal model organisms to study
      fundamental questions of energy conservation, CO2 fixation, and the evolution of
      metabolic pathways. My passion for anaerobes was born then and is unabated even
      after 50 years of study. 

PMID- 26488275
TI  - Molecular Pathogenesis of Ehrlichia chaffeensis Infection.
AB  - Ehrlichia chaffeensis is an obligatory intracellular and cholesterol-dependent
      bacterium that has evolved special proteins and functions to proliferate inside
      leukocytes and cause disease. E. chaffeensis has a multigene family of major
      outer membrane proteins with porin activity and induces infectious entry using
      its entry-triggering protein to bind the human cell surface protein DNase X.
      During intracellular replication, three functional pairs of two-component systems
      are sequentially expressed to regulate metabolism, aggregation, and the
      development of stress-resistance traits for transmission. A type IV secretion
      effector of E. chaffeensis blocks mitochondrion-mediated host cell apoptosis.
      Several type I secretion proteins are secreted at the Ehrlichia-host interface.
      E. chaffeensis strains induce strikingly variable inflammation in mice. The
      central role of MyD88, but not Toll-like receptors, suggests that Ehrlichia
      species have unique inflammatory molecules. A recent report about transient
      targeted mutagenesis and random transposon mutagenesis suggests that stable
      targeted knockouts may become feasible in Ehrlichia. 

PMID- 26488274
TI  - Bacterial Proteasomes.
AB  - Interest in bacterial proteasomes was sparked by the discovery that proteasomal
      degradation is required for the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, one
      of the world's deadliest pathogens. Although bacterial proteasomes are
      structurally similar to their eukaryotic and archaeal homologs, there are key
      differences in their mechanisms of assembly, activation, and substrate targeting
      for degradation. In this article, we compare and contrast bacterial proteasomes
      with their archaeal and eukaryotic counterparts, and we discuss recent advances
      in our understanding of how bacterial proteasomes function to influence microbial
      physiology. 

PMID- 26488276
TI  - The Unique Molecular Choreography of Giant Pore Formation by the Cholesterol
      Dependent Cytolysins of Gram-Positive Bacteria.
AB  - The mechanism by which the cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs) assemble their
      giant beta-barrel pore in cholesterol-rich membranes has been the subject of
      intense study in the past two decades. A combination of structural, biophysical,
      and biochemical analyses has revealed deep insights into the series of complex
      and highly choreographed secondary and tertiary structural transitions that the
      CDCs undergo to assemble their beta-barrel pore in eukaryotic membranes. Our
      knowledge of the molecular details of these dramatic structural changes in CDCs
      has transformed our understanding of how giant pore complexes are assembled and
      has been critical to our understanding of the mechanisms of other important
      classes of pore-forming toxins and proteins across the kingdoms of life. Finally,
      there are tantalizing hints that the CDC pore-forming mechanism is more
      sophisticated than previously imagined and that some CDCs are employed in pore
      independent processes. 

PMID- 26488277
TI  - Ion Regulation in the Malaria Parasite.
AB  - Some hours after invading the erythrocytes of its human host, the malaria
      parasite Plasmodium falciparum induces an increase in the permeability of the
      erythrocyte membrane to monovalent ions. The resulting net influx of Na(+) and
      net efflux of K(+), down their respective concentration gradients, converts the
      erythrocyte cytosol from an initially high-K(+), low-Na(+) solution to a high
      Na(+), low-K(+) solution. The intraerythrocytic parasite itself exerts tight
      control over its internal Na(+), K(+), Cl(-), and Ca(2+) concentrations and its
      intracellular pH through the combined actions of a range of membrane transport
      proteins. The molecular mechanisms underpinning ion regulation in the parasite
      are receiving increasing attention, not least because PfATP4, a P-type ATPase
      postulated to be involved in Na(+) regulation, has emerged as a potential
      antimalarial drug target, susceptible to inhibition by a wide range of chemically
      unrelated compounds. 

PMID- 26488273
TI  - Candida albicans Biofilms and Human Disease.
AB  - In humans, microbial cells (including bacteria, archaea, and fungi) greatly
      outnumber host cells. Candida albicans is the most prevalent fungal species of
      the human microbiota; this species asymptomatically colonizes many areas of the
      body, particularly the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts of healthy
      individuals. Alterations in host immunity, stress, resident microbiota, and other
      factors can lead to C. albicans overgrowth, causing a wide range of infections,
      from superficial mucosal to hematogenously disseminated candidiasis. To date,
      most studies of C. albicans have been carried out in suspension cultures;
      however, the medical impact of C. albicans (like that of many other
      microorganisms) depends on its ability to thrive as a biofilm, a closely packed
      community of cells. Biofilms are notorious for forming on implanted medical
      devices, including catheters, pacemakers, dentures, and prosthetic joints, which
      provide a surface and sanctuary for biofilm growth. C. albicans biofilms are
      intrinsically resistant to conventional antifungal therapeutics, the host immune
      system, and other environmental perturbations, making biofilm-based infections a
      significant clinical challenge. Here, we review our current knowledge of biofilms
      formed by C. albicans and closely related fungal species. 

PMID- 26488278
TI  - Physics of Intracellular Organization in Bacteria.
AB  - With the realization that bacteria achieve exquisite levels of spatiotemporal
      organization has come the challenge of discovering the underlying mechanisms. In
      this review, we describe three classes of such mechanisms, each of which has
      physical origins: the use of landmarks, the creation of higher-order structures
      that enable geometric sensing, and the emergence of length scales from systems of
      chemical reactions coupled to diffusion. We then examine the diversity of
      geometric cues that exist even in cells with relatively simple geometries, and
      end by discussing both new technologies that could drive further discovery and
      the implications of our current knowledge for the behavior, fitness, and
      evolution of bacteria. The organizational strategies described here are employed
      in a wide variety of systems and in species across all kingdoms of life; in many
      ways they provide a general blueprint for organizing the building blocks of life.

PMID- 26488279
TI  - Assembly of the Mycobacterial Cell Wall.
AB  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains one of the most successful bacterial
      pathogens, claiming over 1.3 million lives worldwide in 2013. The emergence of
      multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant isolates has prompted the need
      for new drugs and drug targets. M. tuberculosis possesses an unusual cell wall
      dominated by lipids and carbohydrates that provides a permeability barrier
      against hydrophilic drugs and is crucial for its survival and virulence. This
      large macromolecular structure, termed the mycolyl-arabinogalactan-peptidoglycan
      complex, and the phosphatidyl-myo-inositol-based lipoglycans are key features of
      the mycobacterial cell wall. Assembly of these cell wall components is an
      attractive target for the development of chemotherapeutics against tuberculosis.
      Herein, we focus on recent biochemical and molecular insights into these complex
      molecules of M. tuberculosis cell wall. 

PMID- 26488280
TI  - Mechanisms of Bacterial Colonization of the Respiratory Tract.
AB  - Respiratory tract infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality
      worldwide. Chief among these are infections involving the lower airways. The
      opportunistic bacterial pathogens responsible for most cases of pneumonia can
      cause a range of local and invasive infections. However, bacterial colonization
      (or carriage) in the upper airway is the prerequisite of all these infections.
      Successful colonizers must attach to the epithelial lining, grow on the nutrient
      limited mucosal surface, evade the host immune response, and transmit to a
      susceptible host. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms underlying these
      conserved stages of carriage. We also examine how the demands of colonization
      influence progression to disease. A range of bacteria can colonize the upper
      airway; nevertheless, we focus on strategies shared by many respiratory tract
      opportunistic pathogens. Understanding colonization opens a window to the
      evolutionary pressures these pathogens face within their animal hosts and that
      have selected for attributes that contribute to virulence and pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26488283
TI  - How Is Fe-S Cluster Formation Regulated?
AB  - Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are fundamental to numerous biological processes in
      most organisms, but these protein cofactors can be prone to damage by various
      oxidants (e.g., O2, reactive oxygen species, and reactive nitrogen species) and
      toxic levels of certain metals (e.g., cobalt and copper). Furthermore, their
      synthesis can also be directly influenced by the level of available iron in the
      environment. Consequently, the cellular need for Fe-S cluster biogenesis varies
      with fluctuating growth conditions. To accommodate changes in Fe-S demand,
      microorganisms employ diverse regulatory strategies to tailor Fe-S cluster
      biogenesis according to their surroundings. Here, we review the mechanisms that
      regulate Fe-S cluster formation in bacteria, primarily focusing on control of the
      Isc and Suf Fe-S cluster biogenesis systems in the model bacterium Escherichia
      coli. 

PMID- 26488284
TI  - Fenofibrate Reverses Palmitate Induced Impairment in Glucose Uptake in Skeletal
      Muscle Cells by Preventing Cytosolic Ceramide Accumulation.
AB  - BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: The lipid induced insulin resistance is a major
      pathophysiologic mechanism underlying glucose intolerance of varying severity.
      PPARalpha-agonists are proven as effective hypolipidemic agents. The aim of this
      study was to see if impaired glucose uptake in palmitate treated myotubes is
      reversed by fenofibrate. METHODS: Palmitate-treated myotubes were used as a model
      for insulin resistance, impaired glucose uptake, fatty acid oxidation and
      ceramide synthesis. mRNA levels of CPT1 and CPT2 were determined by PCR array and
      Q-PCR. RESULTS: The incubation of myotubes with 750 uM palmitate not only reduced
      glucose uptake but also impaired fatty acid oxidation and cytosolic ceramide
      accumulation. Palmitate upregulated CPT1b expression in L6 myotubes, while CPT2
      expression level remained unchanged. The altered stoichiometric ratio between the
      two CPT isoforms led to reduced fatty acid oxidation (FAO), ceramide accumulation
      and impaired glucose uptake, whereas administration of 200 uM fenofibrate
      significantly reversed the above abnormalities by increasing CPT2 mRNA levels and
      restoring CPT1b to CPT2 ratio. CONCLUSION: Palmitate-induced alteration in the
      stoichiometric ratio of mitochondrial CPT isoforms leads to incomplete FAO and
      enhanced cytosolic ceramide accumulation that lead to insulin resistance.
      Fenofibrate ameliorated insulin resistance by restoring the altered stoichiometry
      by upregulating CPT2 and preventing, cytoplasmic ceramide accumulation.

PMID- 26488282
TI  - Septins and Generation of Asymmetries in Fungal Cells.
AB  - Polarized growth is critical for the development and maintenance of diverse
      organisms and tissues but particularly so in fungi, where nutrient uptake,
      communication, and reproduction all rely on cell asymmetries. To achieve
      polarized growth, fungi spatially organize both their cytosol and cortical
      membranes. Septins, a family of GTP-binding proteins, are key regulators of
      spatial compartmentalization in fungi and other eukaryotes. Septins form higher
      order structures on fungal plasma membranes and are thought to contribute to the
      generation of cell asymmetries by acting as molecular scaffolds and forming
      diffusional barriers. Here we discuss the links between septins and polarized
      growth and consider molecular models for how septins contribute to cellular
      asymmetry in fungi. 

PMID- 26488281
TI  - Interactions Between the Gastrointestinal Microbiome and Clostridium difficile.
AB  - Antibiotics have significant and long-lasting effects on the intestinal
      microbiota and consequently reduce colonization resistance against pathogens,
      including Clostridium difficile. By altering the community structure of the gut
      microbiome, antibiotics alter the intestinal metabolome, which includes both host
      and microbe-derived metabolites. The mechanisms by which antibiotics reduce
      colonization resistance against C. difficile are unknown yet important for
      development of preventative and therapeutic approaches against this pathogen.
      This review focuses on how antibiotics alter the structure of the gut microbiota
      and how this alters microbial metabolism in the intestine. Interactions between
      gut microbial products and C. difficile spore germination, growth, and toxin
      production are discussed. New bacterial therapies to restore changes in bacteria
      driven intestinal metabolism following antibiotics will have important
      applications for treatment and prevention of C. difficile infection. 

PMID- 26488285
TI  - Effects of Propofol on the Dynamic Properties of Sensory Information Processing
      in the Mouse Cerebellar Cortical Molecular Layer in vivo.
AB  - Propofol is a global central nervous system depressant that affects information
      processing in the central nervous system. However, the effects of propofol on
      sensory information processing in the cerebellar cortical molecular layer are
      unknown. In this study, we examined the effects of propofol on the dynamics of
      sensory stimulation-evoked responses in the cerebellar molecular layer in
      urethane-anesthetized mice, using electrophysiological and pharmacological
      methods. Our results showed that cerebellar surface perfusion of propofol (10
      1,000 MUmol/l) significantly decreased amplitude and area under the curve (AUC)
      of the sensory stimulation-evoked inhibitory component (P1) but increased the
      rise time and decay time of P1. In contrast, administration of propofol
      significantly enhanced the sensory stimulation-evoked excitatory component (N1),
      which exhibited increases in amplitude and AUC, as well as increases in rise time
      and decay time. By blocking the GABAA receptor activity, propofol failed to
      increase the amplitude and the AUC of the excitatory postsynaptic component (N2)
      of PCs. Our present results suggest that propofol modulates the dynamic
      properties of the sensory information processing in the cerebellar molecular
      layer through the modulation of GABAA receptors activity in the adult mouse.

PMID- 26488286
TI  - Profiling Surgical Staplers: Does Staple Direction Affect the Strength of the
      Anastomosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies have been conducted regarding the optimal staple
      direction in gastrointestinal anastomosis. The purpose of this study was to
      evaluate the burst pressure of the anastomosis depending on the firing direction
      of the stapler. METHODS: Pig esophagus and small bowel were used for all
      experiments. The small intestine represented a thin intestinal tract and the
      esophagus represented a thick intestinal tract. A side-to-side anastomosis was
      performed using a linear stapler, and the burst pressure was measured. A leak
      test on the anastomosis was then performed and burst pressures measured. RESULTS:
      Burst pressures after anastomosis using a GIATM 100-3.8 were 47.4 +/- 10.4 mm Hg.
      With the same GIA, the burst pressure was significantly greater when the staples
      were driven from the small intestine into the esophagus (83.3 +/- 17.3 mm Hg).
      Using the GIATM 100-4.8, it was found that the burst pressure was significantly
      greater when the staplers were driven into the small intestine versus the
      esophagus (51.6 +/- 7.1 vs. 68.6 +/- 16.1 mm Hg). There was no significant
      difference between the different GIAs when fired in the same direction.
      CONCLUSION: Burst pressures were significantly greater when the staplers were
      driven from the small intestine into the esophagus. The direction of the staple
      line influences the strength of the anastomosis.

PMID- 26488287
TI  - Molecular Mechanism and Prediction of Sorafenib Chemoresistance in Human
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer death
      worldwide, and prognosis remains unsatisfactory when the disease is diagnosed at
      an advanced stage. Many molecular targeted agents are being developed for the
      treatment of advanced HCC; however, the only promising drug to have been
      developed is sorafenib, which acts as a multi-kinase inhibitor. Unfortunately, a
      subgroup of HCC is resistant to sorafenib, and the majority of these HCC patients
      show disease progression even after an initial satisfactory response. To date, a
      number of studies have examined the underlying mechanisms involved in the
      response to sorafenib, and trials have been performed to overcome the acquisition
      of drug resistance. The anti-tumor activity of sorafenib is largely attributed to
      the blockade of the signals from growth factors, such as vascular endothelial
      growth factor receptor and platelet-derived growth factor receptor, and the
      downstream RAF/mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated kinase
      (ERK) kinase (MEK)/ERK cascade. The activation of an escape pathway from
      RAF/MEK/ERK possibly results in chemoresistance. In addition, there are several
      features of HCCs indicating sorafenib resistance, such as epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition and positive stem cell markers. Here, we review the recent reports and
      focus on the mechanism and prediction of chemoresistance to sorafenib in HCC. 

PMID- 26488288
TI  - Comparison of Medial and Lateral Meniscus Root Tears.
AB  - The meniscus root plays an essential role in maintaining the circumferential hoop
      tension and preventing meniscal displacement. Studies on meniscus root tears have
      investigated the relationship of osteoarthritis and an anterior cruciate ligament
      tear. However, few studies have directly compared the medial and lateral root
      tears. To assess the prevalence of meniscal extrusion and its relationship with
      clinical features in medial and lateral meniscus root tears, we performed a
      retrospective review of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results of 42 knee
      patients who had meniscus posterior horn root tears and who had undergone
      arthroscopic operations. The presence of meniscal extrusion was evaluated and the
      exact extent was measured from the tibial margin. The results were correlated
      with arthroscopic findings. Clinical features including patients' ages, joint
      abnormalities, and previous trauma histories were evaluated. Twenty-two patients
      had medial meniscus root tears (MMRTs) and twenty patients had lateral meniscus
      root tears (LMRTs). Meniscal extrusion was present in 18 MMRT patients and one
      LMRT patient. The mean extent of extrusion was 4.2mm (range, 0.6 to 7.8) in the
      MMRT group and 0.9mm (range, -1.9 to 3.4) in the LMRT group. Five patients with
      MMRT had a history of trauma, while 19 patients with LMRT had a history of
      trauma. Three patients with MMRT had anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears,
      while 19 patients with LMRT had ACL tears. The mean age of the patients was 52
      years (range: 29-71 years) and 30 years (range: 14-62 years) in the MMRT and LMRT
      group, respectively. There was a significant correlation between a MMRT and
      meniscal extrusion (p<0.0001), and between an ACL tear and LMRT (p<0.0001). A
      history of trauma was significantly common in LMRT (p<0.0001). LMRT patients were
      significantly younger than MMRT patients (p<0.0001). Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L)
      grade differed significantly between MMRT and LMRT group (p<0.0001). Meniscal
      extrusion is common in patients with MMRTs. However, it is rare in patients with
      LMRTs, which are more commonly associated with a history of trauma and ACL tears.

PMID- 26488289
TI  - Functional Activation during the Rapid Visual Information Processing Task in a
      Middle Aged Cohort: An fMRI Study.
AB  - The Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVIP) task, a serial discrimination task
      where task performance believed to reflect sustained attention capabilities, is
      widely used in behavioural research and increasingly in neuroimaging studies. To
      date, functional neuroimaging research into the RVIP has been undertaken using
      block analyses, reflecting the sustained processing involved in the task, but not
      necessarily the transient processes associated with individual trial performance.
      Furthermore, this research has been limited to young cohorts. This study assessed
      the behavioural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) outcomes of the
      RVIP task using both block and event-related analyses in a healthy middle aged
      cohort (mean age = 53.56 years, n = 16). The results show that the version of the
      RVIP used here is sensitive to changes in attentional demand processes with
      participants achieving a 43% accuracy hit rate in the experimental task compared
      with 96% accuracy in the control task. As shown by previous research, the block
      analysis revealed an increase in activation in a network of frontal, parietal,
      occipital and cerebellar regions. The event related analysis showed a similar
      network of activation, seemingly omitting regions involved in the processing of
      the task (as shown in the block analysis), such as occipital areas and the
      thalamus, providing an indication of a network of regions involved in correct
      trial performance. Frontal (superior and inferior frontal gryi), parietal
      (precuenus, inferior parietal lobe) and cerebellar regions were shown to be
      active in both the block and event-related analyses, suggesting their importance
      in sustained attention/vigilance. These networks and the differences between them
      are discussed in detail, as well as implications for future research in middle
      aged cohorts. 

PMID- 26488290
TI  - Dynamic Behavior of Reciprocating Plunger Pump Discharge Valve Based on Fluid
      Structure Interaction and Experimental Analysis.
AB  - The influence of spring stiffness and valve quality on the motion behaviors of
      reciprocating plunger pump discharge valves was investigated by fluid structure
      interaction (FSI) simulation and experimental analysis. The mathematical model of
      the discharge valve motion of a 2000-fracturing pump was developed and the
      discrete differential equations were solved according to FSI and results obtained
      by ANDINA software. Results indicate that spring stiffness influences the maximum
      lift, the opening resistance and shut-off lag angle, as well as the fluid
      velocity of the clearance, the impact stress and the volume efficiency of the
      pump valve in relation to the valve quality. An optimal spring stiffness
      parameter of 14.6 N/mm was obtained, and the volumetric efficiency of the pumping
      valve increased by 40/00 in comparison to results obtained with the original
      spring stiffness of 10.09N/mm. The experimental results indicated that the
      mathematical model and FSI method could provide an effective approach for the
      subsequent improvement of valve reliability, volumetric efficiency and lifespan. 

PMID- 26488292
TI  - Chronic Liver Diseases and Liver Cancer: An Update in 2015.

PMID- 26488291
TI  - Paleopathological Study of Dwarfism-Related Skeletal Dysplasia in a Late Joseon
      Dynasty (South Korean) Population.
AB  - Skeletal dysplasias related to genetic etiologies have rarely been reported for
      past populations. This report presents the skeletal characteristics of an
      individual with dwarfism-related skeletal dysplasia from South Korea. To assess
      abnormal deformities, morphological features, metric data, and computed
      tomography scans are analyzed. Differential diagnoses include achondroplasia or
      hypochondroplasia, chondrodysplasia, multiple epiphyseal dysplasia, thalassemia
      related hemolytic anemia, and lysosomal storage disease. The diffused deformities
      in the upper-limb bones and several coarsened features of the craniofacial bones
      indicate the most likely diagnosis to have been a certain type of lysosomal
      storage disease. The skeletal remains of EP-III-4-No.107 from the Eunpyeong site,
      although incomplete and fragmented, provide important clues to the
      paleopathological diagnosis of skeletal dysplasias. 

PMID- 26488293
TI  - A Simple Method for Discovering Druggable, Specific Glycosaminoglycan-Protein
      Systems. Elucidation of Key Principles from Heparin/Heparan Sulfate-Binding
      Proteins.
AB  - Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) affect human physiology and pathology by modulating
      more than 500 proteins. GAG-protein interactions are generally assumed to be
      ionic and nonspecific, but specific interactions do exist. Here, we present a
      simple method to identify the GAG-binding site (GBS) on proteins that in turn
      helps predict high specific GAG-protein systems. Contrary to contemporary
      thinking, we found that the electrostatic potential at basic arginine and lysine
      residues neither identifies the GBS consistently, nor its specificity. GBSs are
      better identified by considering the potential at neutral hydrogen bond donors
      such as asparagine or glutamine sidechains. Our studies also reveal that an
      unusual constellation of ionic and non-ionic residues in the binding site leads
      to specificity. Nature engineers the local environment of Asn45 of antithrombin,
      Gln255 of 3-O-sulfotransferase 3, Gln163 and Asn167 of 3-O-sulfotransferase 1 and
      Asn27 of basic fibroblast growth factor in the respective GBSs to induce
      specificity. Such residues are distinct from other uncharged residues on the same
      protein structure in possessing a significantly higher electrostatic potential,
      resultant from the local topology. In contrast, uncharged residues on nonspecific
      GBSs such as thrombin and serum albumin possess a diffuse spread of electrostatic
      potential. Our findings also contradict the paradigm that GAG-binding sites are
      simply a collection of contiguous Arg/Lys residues. Our work demonstrates the
      basis for discovering specifically interacting and druggable GAG-protein systems
      based on the structure of protein alone, without requiring access to any
      structure-function relationship data. 

PMID- 26488294
TI  - Design and Characterization of Bioengineered Cancer-Like Stem Cells.
AB  - Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subset of cancer cells responsible for
      maintenance and progression of several types of cancer. Isolation, propagation,
      and the differentiation of CSCs in the proper stem niches expose the intrinsic
      difficulties for further studies. Here we show that induced cancer like stem
      cells (iCLSCs) can be generated by in vitro oncogenic manipulation of mouse
      embryonic stem cells (mESCs) with well-defined oncogenic elements; SV40 LTg and
      HrasV12 by using a mouse stem virus long terminal repeat (MSCV-LTR)-based
      retroviral system. The reprogrammed mESCs using both oncogenes were characterized
      through their oncogenic gene expression, the enhancement of proliferation, and
      unhampered maintenance of stem properties in vitro and in vivo. In addition,
      these transformed cells resulted in the formation of malignant, immature ovarian
      teratomas in vivo. To successfully further expand these properties to other
      organs and species, more research needs to be done to fully understand the role
      of a tumor- favorable microenvironment. Our current study has provided a novel
      approach to generate induced cancer like stem cells through in vitro oncogenic
      reprogramming and successfully initiated organ-specific malignant tumor formation
      in an orthotopic small animal cancer model. 

PMID- 26488295
TI  - Correction: Multivariate Meta-Analysis of Genetic Association Studies: A
      Simulation Study.

PMID- 26488296
TI  - Abscisic Acid Stimulates Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Secretion from L-Cells and Its
      Oral Administration Increases Plasma Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Levels in Rats.
AB  - In recent years, Abscisic Acid (ABA) has been demonstrated to be involved in the
      regulation of glucose homeostasis in mammals as an endogenous hormone, by
      stimulating both insulin release and peripheral glucose uptake. In addition, ABA
      is released by glucose- or GLP-1-stimulated beta-pancreatic cells. Here we
      investigated whether ABA can stimulate GLP-1 release. The human enteroendocrine L
      cell line hNCI-H716 was used to explore whether ABA stimulates in vitro GLP-1
      secretion and/or transcription. ABA induced GLP-1 release in hNCI-H716 cells,
      through a cAMP/PKA-dependent mechanism. ABA also enhanced GLP-1 transcription. In
      addition, oral administration of ABA significantly increased plasma GLP-1 and
      insulin levels in rats. In conclusion, ABA can stimulate GLP-1 release: this
      result and the previous observation that GLP-1 stimulates ABA release from beta 
      cells, suggest a positive feed-back mechanism between ABA and GLP-1, regulating
      glucose homeostasis. Type 2 diabetes treatments targeting the GLP-1 axis by
      either inhibiting its rapid clearance by dipeptidyl-peptidase IV or using GLP-1
      mimetics are currently used. Moreover, the development of treatments aimed at
      stimulating GLP-1 release from L cells has been considered as an alternative
      approach. Accordingly, our finding that ABA increases GLP-1 release in vitro and
      in vivo may suggest ABA and/or ABA analogs as potential anti-diabetic treatments.

PMID- 26488297
TI  - Molecular Genetic and Crystal Structural Analysis of 1-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-Ethanol
      Dehydrogenase from 'Aromatoleum aromaticum' EbN1.
AB  - The dehydrogenation of 1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethanol to 4-hydroxyacetophenone
      represents the second reaction step during anaerobic degradation of p-ethylphenol
      in the denitrifying bacterium 'Aromatoleum aromaticum' EbN1. Previous
      proteogenomic studies identified two different proteins (ChnA and EbA309) as
      possible candidates for catalyzing this reaction [Wohlbrand et al: J Bacteriol
      2008;190:5699-5709]. Physiological-molecular characterization of newly generated
      unmarked in-frame deletion and complementation mutants allowed defining ChnA
      (renamed here as Hped) as the enzyme responsible for 1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethanol
      oxidation. Hped [1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethanol dehydrogenase] belongs to the
      'classical' family within the short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR)
      superfamily. Hped was overproduced in Escherichia coli, purified and
      crystallized. The X-ray structures of the apo- and NAD(+)-soaked form were
      resolved at 1.5 and 1.1 A, respectively, and revealed Hped as a typical
      homotetrameric SDR. Modeling of the substrate 4-hydroxyacetophenone (reductive
      direction of Hped) into the active site revealed the structural determinants of
      the strict (R)-specificity of Hped (Phe(187)), contrasting the (S)-specificity of
      previously reported 1-phenylethanol dehydrogenase (Ped; Tyr(93)) from strain EbN1
      [Hoffken et al: Biochemistry 2006;45:82-93].

PMID- 26488298
TI  - Korean Version of a Model to Estimate Survival in Ambulatory Patients with
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma (K-MESIAH).
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: A model to estimate survival in ambulatory hepatocellular
      carcinoma patients (MESIAH) is useful for estimating patient prognosis but needs
      improvement for Korean patients, most of whom have a hepatitis B virus. We aimed
      to modify the MESIAH for better prognostication through enhancing calibration for
      Korean patient population (K-MESIAH). METHODS: Utilizing a cohort of 1,969
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients from the National Cancer Center of Korea
      between 2004 and 2009, a survival prediction model was developed using the Cox
      proportional hazards model. The model's performance was evaluated using C
      statistical and chi2-statistical analyses. External validation was performed
      using an independent cohort of 328 patients from the Seoul National University
      Bundang Hospital. RESULTS: To develop the K-MESIAH, etiology was added to the
      original risk factors (age, Model for Endstage Liver Disease, albumin, size of
      the largest nodule, number of tumor nodules, vascular invasion, metastasis, and
      alpha fetoprotein) in the MESIAH. From the internal validation study, the C
      statistics and chi2-statistics for one-, three-, and five-years of survival were
      0.83 (95% Confidence Interval: 0.82-0.85), 49.07; 0.81 (95% Confidence Interval:
      0.79-0.82), 28.95; and 0.80 (95% Confidence Interval: 0.79-0.81), 20.93,
      respectively. The K-MESIAH also showed a high prediction ability for the external
      validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: A survival prediction model for Korean HCC
      patients was developed and validated to have a high level of performance. This K
      MESIAH may be more useful in clinical practice and personalized care in a
      hepatitis B virus endemic area.

PMID- 26488299
TI  - Spatially Extensive Standardized Surveys Reveal Widespread, Multi-Decadal
      Increase in East Antarctic Adelie Penguin Populations.
AB  - Seabirds are considered to be useful and practical indicators of the state of
      marine ecosystems because they integrate across changes in the lower trophic
      levels and the physical environment. Signals from this key group of species can
      indicate broad scale impacts or response to environmental change. Recent studies
      of penguin populations, the most commonly abundant Antarctic seabirds in the west
      Antarctic Peninsula and western Ross Sea, have demonstrated that physical changes
      in Antarctic marine environments have profound effects on biota at high trophic
      levels. Large populations of the circumpolar-breeding Adelie penguin occur in
      East Antarctica, but direct, standardized population data across much of this
      vast coastline have been more limited than in other Antarctic regions. We combine
      extensive new population survey data, new population estimation methods, and re
      interpreted historical survey data to assess decadal-scale change in East
      Antarctic Adelie penguin breeding populations. We show that, in contrast to the
      west Antarctic Peninsula and western Ross Sea where breeding populations have
      decreased or shown variable trends over the last 30 years, East Antarctic
      regional populations have almost doubled in abundance since the 1980's and have
      been increasing since the earliest counts in the 1960's. The population changes
      are associated with five-year lagged changes in the physical environment,
      suggesting that the changing environment impacts primarily on the pre-breeding
      age classes. East Antarctic marine ecosystems have been subject to a number of
      changes over the last 50 years which may have influenced Adelie penguin
      population growth, including decadal-scale climate variation, an inferred mid
      20th century sea-ice contraction, and early-to-mid 20th century exploitation of
      fish and whale populations. 

PMID- 26488300
TI  - CD8+ T Cells Mediate Female-Dominant IL-4 Production and Airway Inflammation in
      Allergic Asthma.
AB  - The prevalence and severity of bronchial asthma are higher in females than in
      males after puberty. Although antigen-specific CD8+ T cells play an important
      role in the development of asthma through their suppressive effect on cytokine
      production, the contribution of CD8+ T cells to sex differences in asthmatic
      responses remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the sex-specific
      effect of CD8+ T cells in the suppression of asthma using an ovalbumin mouse
      model of asthma. The number of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)
      fluid, lung type 2 T-helper cytokine levels, and interleukin-4 (IL-4) production
      by bronchial lymph node cells were significantly higher in female wild-type (WT)
      mice compared with male mice, whereas no such sex differences were observed
      between male and female cd8alpha-disrupted mice. The adaptive transfer of male,
      but not female, CD8+ T cells reduced the number of inflammatory cells in the
      recovered BAL fluid of male recipient mice, while no such sex difference in the
      suppressive activity of CD8+ T cells was observed in female recipient mice. Male
      CD8+ T cells produced higher levels of IFN-gamma than female CD8+ T cells did,
      and this trend was associated with reduced IL-4 production by male, but not
      female, CD4+ T cells. Interestingly, IFN-gamma receptor expression on CD4+ T
      cells was significantly lower in female mice than in male mice. These results
      suggest that female-dominant asthmatic responses are orchestrated by the reduced
      production of IFN-gamma by CD8+ T cells and the lower expression of IFN-gamma
      receptor on CD4+ T cells in females compared with males. 

PMID- 26488301
TI  - PCR-Free Enrichment of Mitochondrial DNA from Human Blood and Cell Lines for High
      Quality Next-Generation DNA Sequencing.
AB  - Recent advances in sequencing technology allow for accurate detection of
      mitochondrial sequence variants, even those in low abundance at heteroplasmic
      sites. Considerable sequencing cost savings can be achieved by enriching samples
      for mitochondrial (relative to nuclear) DNA. Reduction in nuclear DNA (nDNA)
      content can also help to avoid false positive variants resulting from nuclear
      mitochondrial sequences (numts). We isolate intact mitochondrial organelles from
      both human cell lines and blood components using two separate methods: a magnetic
      bead binding protocol and differential centrifugation. DNA is extracted and
      further enriched for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) by an enzyme digest. Only 1 ng of
      the purified DNA is necessary for library preparation and next generation
      sequence (NGS) analysis. Enrichment methods are assessed and compared using mtDNA
      (versus nDNA) content as a metric, measured by using real-time quantitative PCR
      and NGS read analysis. Among the various strategies examined, the optimal is
      differential centrifugation isolation followed by exonuclease digest. This
      strategy yields >35% mtDNA reads in blood and cell lines, which corresponds to
      hundreds-fold enrichment over baseline. The strategy also avoids false variant
      calls that, as we show, can be induced by the long-range PCR approaches that are
      the current standard in enrichment procedures. This optimization procedure allows
      mtDNA enrichment for efficient and accurate massively parallel sequencing,
      enabling NGS from samples with small amounts of starting material. This will
      decrease costs by increasing the number of samples that may be multiplexed,
      ultimately facilitating efforts to better understand mitochondria-related
      diseases.

PMID- 26488302
TI  - Functional Analyses of Bitter Taste Receptors in Domestic Cats (Felis catus).
AB  - Cats are obligate carnivores and under most circumstances eat only animal
      products. Owing to the pseudogenization of one of two subunits of the sweet
      receptor gene, they are indifferent to sweeteners, presumably having no need to
      detect plant-based sugars in their diet. Following this reasoning and a recent
      report of a positive correlation between the proportion of dietary plants and the
      number of Tas2r (bitter receptor) genes in vertebrate species, we tested the
      hypothesis that if bitter perception exists primarily to protect animals from
      poisonous plant compounds, the genome of the domestic cat (Felis catus) should
      have lost functional bitter receptors and they should also have reduced bitter
      receptor function. To test functionality of cat bitter receptors, we expressed
      cat Tas2R receptors in cell-based assays. We found that they have at least 7
      functional receptors with distinct receptive ranges, showing many similarities,
      along with some differences, with human bitter receptors. To provide a
      comparative perspective, we compared the cat repertoire of intact receptors with
      those of a restricted number of members of the order Carnivora, with a range of
      dietary habits as reported in the literature. The numbers of functional bitter
      receptors in the terrestrial Carnivora we examined, including omnivorous and
      herbivorous species, were roughly comparable to that of cats thereby providing no
      strong support for the hypothesis that a strict meat diet influences bitter
      receptor number or function. Maintenance of bitter receptor function in
      terrestrial obligate carnivores may be due to the presence of bitter compounds in
      vertebrate and invertebrate prey, to the necessary role these receptors play in
      non-oral perception, or to other unknown factors. We also found that the two
      aquatic Carnivora species examined had fewer intact bitter receptors. Further
      comparative studies of factors driving numbers and functions of bitter taste
      receptors will aid in understanding the forces shaping their repertoire. 

PMID- 26488304
TI  - Crawling and Gliding: A Computational Model for Shape-Driven Cell Migration.
AB  - Cell migration is a complex process involving many intracellular and
      extracellular factors, with different cell types adopting sometimes strikingly
      different morphologies. Modeling realistically behaving cells in tissues is
      computationally challenging because it implies dealing with multiple levels of
      complexity. We extend the Cellular Potts Model with an actin-inspired feedback
      mechanism that allows small stochastic cell rufflings to expand to cell
      protrusions. This simple phenomenological model produces realistically crawling
      and deforming amoeboid cells, and gliding half-moon shaped keratocyte-like cells.
      Both cell types can migrate randomly or follow directional cues. They can squeeze
      in between other cells in densely populated environments or migrate collectively.
      The model is computationally light, which allows the study of large, dense and
      heterogeneous tissues containing cells with realistic shapes and migratory
      properties. 

PMID- 26488303
TI  - The Low Noise Limit in Gene Expression.
AB  - Protein noise measurements are increasingly used to elucidate biophysical
      parameters. Unfortunately noise analyses are often at odds with directly measured
      parameters. Here we show that these inconsistencies arise from two problematic
      analytical choices: (i) the assumption that protein translation rate is invariant
      for different proteins of different abundances, which has inadvertently led to
      (ii) the assumption that a large constitutive extrinsic noise sets the low noise
      limit in gene expression. While growing evidence suggests that transcriptional
      bursting may set the low noise limit, variability in translational bursting has
      been largely ignored. We show that genome-wide systematic variation in
      translational efficiency can-and in the case of E. coli does-control the low
      noise limit in gene expression. Therefore constitutive extrinsic noise is small
      and only plays a role in the absence of a systematic variation in translational
      efficiency. These results show the existence of two distinct expression noise
      patterns: (1) a global noise floor uniformly imposed on all genes by expression
      bursting; and (2) high noise distributed to only a select group of genes. 

PMID- 26488305
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the dwarf blue sheep, Pseudois
      schaeferi haltenorth in China.
AB  - The dwarf blue sheep (Pseudois schaeferi haltenorth) belongs the subfamily
      Caprinae, which is distributed in Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan, and Qinghai in China.
      In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Pseudois schaeferi haltenorth
      was sequenced. The mitogenome was 16 741 bp in length, consisting of 13 protein
      coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and a
      non-coding control region (D-loop region). As in other mammals, most
      mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand, except for ND6 and eight
      tRNA genes which are encoded on the light strand. The overall base composition of
      the Pseudois schaeferi haltenorth is 33.54% A, 26.37% T, 26.91% C, and 13.18% G,
      A + T (59.91%) was higher than G + C (40.09%). The phylogenetic relationships was
      analyzed using the complete mitogenome sequence, results show that P. schaeferi
      haltenorth should be a different species differ from the Genus pseudois hodgson.
      These information provide useful data for further study on the protection of
      genetic resources and the taxonomy of Caprinae.

PMID- 26488306
TI  - Exosome-mediated microRNA transfer plays a role in radiation-induced bystander
      effect.
AB  - Bystander effects can be induced through cellular communication between
      irradiated cells and non-irradiated cells. The signals that mediate this cellular
      communication, such as cytokines, reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide and even
      microRNAs, can be transferred between cells via gap junctions or extracellular
      medium. We have previously reported that miR-21, a well described DDR (DNA damage
      response) microRNA, is involved in radiation-induced bystander effects through a
      medium-mediated way. However, the mechanisms of the microRNA transfer have not
      been elucidated in details. In the present study, it was found that exosomes
      isolated from irradiated conditioned medium could induce bystander effects.
      Furthermore, we demonstrated plenty of evidences that miR-21, which is up
      regulated as a result of mimic transfection or irradiation, can be transferred
      from donor or irradiated cells into extracellular medium and subsequently get
      access to the recipient or bystander cells through exosomes to induce bystander
      effects. Inhibiting the miR-21 expression in advance can offset the bystander
      effects to some extent. From all of these results, it can be concluded that the
      exosome-mediated microRNA transfer plays an important role in the radiation
      induced bystander effects. These findings provide new insights into the functions
      of microRNAs and the cellular communication between the directly irradiated cells
      and the non-irradiated cells. 

PMID- 26488307
TI  - No Geographic Correlation between Lyme Disease and Death Due to 4
      Neurodegenerative Disorders, United States, 2001-2010.
AB  - Associations between Lyme disease and certain neurodegenerative diseases have
      been proposed, but supportive evidence for an association is lacking. Similar
      geographic distributions would be expected if 2 conditions were etiologically
      linked. Thus, we compared the distribution of Lyme disease cases in the United
      States with the distributions of deaths due to Alzheimer disease, amyotrophic
      lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), and Parkinson disease; no
      geographic correlations were identified. Lyme disease incidence per US state was
      not correlated with rates of death due to ALS, MS, or Parkinson disease; however,
      an inverse correlation was detected between Lyme disease and Alzheimer disease.
      The absence of a positive correlation between the geographic distribution of Lyme
      disease and the distribution of deaths due to Alzheimer disease, ALS, MS, and
      Parkinson disease provides further evidence that Lyme disease is not associated
      with the development of these neurodegenerative conditions. 

PMID- 26488308
TI  - Photochemistry within a water-soluble organic capsule.
AB  - Photochemistry along with life as we know it originated on earth billions of
      years ago. Supramolecular Photochemistry had its beginning when plants that
      sustain life began transforming water into oxygen by carrying out light initiated
      reactions within highly organized assemblies. Prompted by the efforts of J.
      Priestly (photosynthesis), F. Sestini, S. Cannizaro, and C. Liebermann (solid
      state photochemistry of santonin, quinones, and cinnamic acid), orderly
      scientific investigations of the link between light absorption by matter and
      molecules and the chemical and physical consequences began in the mid-1700s. By
      1970 when Molecular Photochemistry had matured, it was clear that controlling
      photochemical reactions by conventional methods of varying reaction parameters
      like temperature and pressure would be futile due to the photoreactions' very low
      activation energies and enthalpies. During the last 50 years, the excited state
      behavior of molecules has been successfully manipulated with the use of confining
      media and weak interactions between the medium and the reactant molecule. In this
      context, with our knowledge from experimentation with micelles, cyclodextrins
      (CD), cucurbitruils (CB), calixarenes (CA), Pd nanocage, crystals, and zeolites
      as media, we began about a decade ago to explore the use of a new water-soluble
      synthetic organic cavitand, octa acid (OA) as a reaction container. The
      uniqueness of OA as an organic cavitand lies in that two OA molecules form a
      closed hydrophobic capsule to encapsulate water-insoluble guest molecule(s). The
      ability to include a large number of guest molecules in OA has provided an
      opportunity to examine the excited state chemistry of organic molecules in a
      hydrophobic, confined environment. OA distinguishes itself from the well-known
      cavitands CD and CB by its active reaction cavity absorbing UV-radiation between
      200 and 300 nm and serving as energy, electron, and hydrogen donor. The freedom
      of guest molecules in OA, between that in crystals and isotropic solution can be
      transformed into photoproducts selectivity. The results of our photochemical
      investigations elaborated in this Account demonstrate that OA with a medium sized
      cavity exerts better control on excited state processes than the more common and
      familiar organic hosts such as CD, CB, CA, and micelles. By examining the
      photochemistry of a number of molecules (olefins, carbonyls, aromatics and
      singlet oxygen) that undergo varied reactions (cleavage, cycloaddition, cis-trans
      isomerization, oxidation and cyclization) within OA capsule, we have demonstrated
      that the free space within the container, the capsule influenced conformation and
      preorientation of guest molecules, supramolecular steric control, and capsular
      dynamics contribute to the altered excited state behavior. In this Account, we
      have shown that photochemistry based on concepts of physical organic and
      supramolecular chemistry continues to be a discipline with unlimited potential.
      The future of supramolecular photochemistry lies in synthetic, materials,
      medicinal, and biological chemistries. Success in these areas depends on
      synthesizing well-designed water-soluble hosts that can emulate complex
      biological assemblies, organizing and examining the behavior of supramolecular
      assemblies on solid surfaces, rendering the photoreactions catalytic, and
      delivering encapsulated drugs in a targeted fashion. 

PMID- 26488309
TI  - The Association of Reproductive Hormone Levels and All-Cause, Cancer, and
      Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in Men.
AB  - CONTEXT: Testosterone (T) levels have been associated with mortality, but
      controversy exists. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate associations
      between serum levels of total T, SHBG, free T, estradiol, LH and FSH, and
      subsequent mortality with up to 30 years of follow-up. DESIGN: This was a
      prospective cohort study consisting of men participating in four independent
      population-based surveys (MONICA I-III and Inter99) from 1982 to 2001 and
      followed until December 2012 with complete registry follow-up. SETTING AND
      PARTICIPANTS: A total of 5350 randomly selected men from the general population
      aged 30, 40, 50, 60, or 70 years at baseline participated. MAIN OUTCOMES AND
      MEASURES: All-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, and cancer
      mortality were the main outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 1533 men died during the
      follow-up period; 428 from CVD and 480 from cancer. Cox proportional hazard
      models revealed that men in highest LH quartile had an increased all-cause
      mortality compared to lowest quartile (hazard ratio [HR], 1.32; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], 1.14-1.53). Likewise, increased quartiles of LH/T and estradiol
      increased the risk of all-cause mortality (HR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.06-1.43; HR, 1.23;
      95% CI 1.06-1.43). No association to T levels was found. Higher LH levels were
      associated with increased cancer mortality (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.10-1.84)
      independently of smoking status. Lower CVD mortality was seen for men with T in
      the highest quartile compared to lowest (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.53-0.98).
      Furthermore, negative trends were seen for SHBG and free T in relation to CVD
      mortality, however insignificant. CONCLUSION: The observed positive association
      of LH and LH/T, but not T, with all-cause mortality suggests that a compensated
      impaired Leydig cell function may be a risk factor for death by all causes in
      men. Our findings underpin the clinical importance of including LH measurement in
      the diagnostic work-up of male patients seeking help for possible androgen
      insufficiency.

PMID- 26488310
TI  - COPD Patients Have Short Lung Magnetic Resonance T1 Relaxation Time.
AB  - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may provide attractive biomarkers for assessment
      of pulmonary disease in clinical trials as it is free from ionizing radiation,
      minimally invasive and allows regional information. The aim of this study was to
      characterize lung MRI T1 relaxation time as a biomarker of chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD); and specifically its relationship to smoking history,
      computed tomography (CT), and pulmonary function test (PFT) measurements in
      comparison to healthy age-matched controls. Lung T1 and inter-quartile range
      (IQR) of T1 maps from 24 COPD subjects and 12 healthy age-matched non-smokers
      were retrospectively analyzed from an institutional review board approved study.
      The subjects underwent PFTs and two separate MR imaging sessions at 1.5 tesla to
      test T1 repeatability. CT scans were performed on the COPD subjects. T1
      repeatability (intraclass correlation coefficient) was 0.72 for repeated scans
      acquired on two visits. The lung T1 was significantly shorter (p < 0.0001) and T1
      IQR was significantly larger (p = 0.0002) for the COPD subjects compared to
      healthy controls. Lung T1 significantly (p = 0.001) correlated with lung density
      assessed with CT. Strong significant correlations (p < 0.0001) between lung T1
      and all PFT measurements were observed. Cigarette exposure did not correlate with
      lung T1 in COPD subjects. In conclusion, lung MRI T1 mapping shows potential as a
      repeatable, radiation free, non-invasive imaging technique in the evaluation of
      COPD. 

PMID- 26488311
TI  - Glycosylation of Human Plasma Clusterin Yields a Novel Candidate Biomarker of
      Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Specific glycosylated peptides of clusterin are found associated with hippocampal
      atrophy. The glycosylation of clusterin from human plasma was comprehensively
      analyzed and characterized using mass spectrometry (MS)-based glycoproteomics
      analysis. All six known N-glycosylation sites are covered, three in the alpha
      subunit (alpha64N, alpha81N and alpha123N) and three in the beta subunit
      (beta64N, beta127N, and beta147N). More detailed structural characterization of
      clusterin glycopeptides was also performed, demonstrating the presence of
      glycosylated peptides and their corresponding glycans. Using liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), we have determined the
      differences in the glycoforms associated at each of the different glycosylation
      sites in plasma clusterin obtained from subjects of low hippocampal atrophy (n =
      13) and high hippocampal atrophy (n = 14). In our pilot study, the beta64N site
      shows the most significant regulations between clinical groups. Eight beta64N
      glycoforms are significantly reduced in patients with high atrophy compared with
      those with low atrophy, which demonstrates the utility of clusterin isoforms as
      diagnostic and prognostic Alzheimer's disease (AD) markers. These results provide
      a novel and robust workflow suitable for rapid verification of specific clusterin
      glycoforms with utility as AD biomarkers. 

PMID- 26488312
TI  - Chikungunya Virus as Cause of Febrile Illness Outbreak, Chiapas, Mexico, 2014.
AB  - Since chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was introduced into the Americas in 2013, its
      geographic distribution has rapidly expanded. Of 119 serum samples collected in
      2014 from febrile patients in southern Mexico, 79% were positive for CHIKV or IgM
      against CHIKV. Sequencing results confirmed CHIKV strains closely related to
      Caribbean isolates. 

PMID- 26488313
TI  - Refined models of New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1 with inhibitors: an QM/MM
      modeling study.
AB  - New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) has been identified as a potential
      target for the treatment of multi-drug resistance bacterial infections. We used
      molecular docking, normal MD, SIE, QM/MM MD simulations, QM/MM GBSA binding free
      energy, and QM/MM GBSA alanine-scanning mutagenesis techniques to investigate
      interactions of the NDM-1 with 11 inhibitors (Tigecycline, BAL30072, D-captopril,
      Penicillin G, Ampicillin, Carbenicillin, Cephalexin, Cefaclor, Nitrocefin,
      Meropenem, and Imipenem). From our normal MD and QM/MM simulations, the
      correlation coefficients between the predicted binding free energies and
      experimental values are .88 and .93, respectively. Then simulations, which
      combined QM/MM/GBSA and alanine-scanning mutagenesis techniques, were performed
      and our results show that two residues (Lys211 and His250) have the strongest
      impact on the binding affinities of the 11 NDM-1/inhibitors. Therefore, our
      approach theoretically suggests that the two residues (Lys211 and His250) are
      responsible for the selectivity of NDM-1 associated inhibitors. 

PMID- 26488314
TI  - "Blind" interviewing: Is ignorance bliss?
AB  - Current investigative interviewing guidelines [e.g., Technical Working Group:
      Eyewitness evidence. (1999). Eyewitness evidence: A guide for law enforcement.
      U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of
      Justice. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/178240.pdf ] suggest
      that interviewers review available case information prior to conducting a witness
      interview. The present study investigated the effect of interviewers' pre
      interview awareness of crime details on eyewitnesses' memory and interviewer
      behaviour shortly after a mock crime or a week later. Results indicate that blind
      interviewers with no knowledge about the crime elicited more correct information
      than those who were correctly informed about the crime. Differences in
      interviewer behaviour emerged only in the very first question of the interview:
      Blind interviewers were more likely to begin the interview with a non-suggestive
      question than the informed interviewers. Blind interviewers also recalled more
      details than the informed interviewers when asked to generate a report after the
      witness interview documenting the witness' account.

PMID- 26488315
TI  - Sensitive Trimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Surface-Enhanced Resonance Raman
      Scattering-Fluorescence Detection of Cancer Cells with Stable Magneto-Plasmonic
      Nanoprobes.
AB  - Novel magneto-plasmonic nanoprobes were designed for multimodal diagnosis of
      cancer by combination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), surface-enhanced
      resonance Raman scattering (SERRS), and fluorescence emission in the very near
      infrared (VNIR). A controlled electrostatic assembly of silver nanoparticles
      (AgNPs), superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), VNIR dye Nile Blue
      (NB), and biopolymer chitosan (Chi) was used to formulate the AgIONs-Chi
      nanoprobes. The formulation protocol did not involve organic solvents and was
      rapid and efficient as confirmed by magnetic sorting. The SERRS response of the
      nanoprobes was very intense and constant for days. It decreased linearly upon
      1000-fold dilution and was still recognizable at 0.1 nM NB concentration. After
      30 days of storage, the SERRS loss was less than 30% and the hydrodynamic size of
      the AgIONs-Chi in PBS remained below 200 nm. The gradual decrease of the ratio
      SERRS/fluorescence allowed one to monitor the release of the fluorescent molecule
      upon long-term nanoprobe dissociation. The AgIONs-Chi exhibited 2-fold higher MRI
      contrast than that of commercially available SPION suspensions. Finally, the
      nanoprobes were actively uptaken by HeLa cancer cells and ensured trimodal MRI
      SERRS-fluorescence detection of 10 MUL cell inclusions in cm-sized agarose gels
      used here as phantom models of microtumors. The above results show that the
      magneto-plasmonic AgIONs-Chi are promising substrates for SERRS analysis in
      solution and for multimodal imaging of cancer cells. 

PMID- 26488316
TI  - Correction to Emergence Flux Declines Disproportionately to Larval Density along
      a Stream Metal Gradient.

PMID- 26488317
TI  - The "high-risk" deep venous thrombosis screening protocol for trauma patients: Is
      it practical?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many centers advocate aggressive lower extremity deep venous
      thrombosis (DVT) screening using ultrasound (LUS) for patients meeting high-risk
      criteria. We hypothesized that a high-risk screening protocol is impractical and
      costly to implement. METHODS: The University of Virginia's trauma database was
      queried to identify 6,656 patients admitted between 2009 and 2013. Patient
      characteristics and outcomes were recorded. Multivariate analyses were performed
      on patients who underwent LUS to assess the association between patient
      characteristics and the development of DVT. A predictive model for DVT was
      applied to the entire population to determine performance and resources required
      for implementation. RESULTS: Overall, 2,350 (35.3%) of admitted patients
      underwent LUS. A total of 146 patients (6.2%) developed DVT. Patients who
      underwent LUS were significantly older (54.5 years vs. 50.4 years, p < 0.0001),
      had higher Injury Severity Scores (ISSs) (13.5 vs. 8.6, p < 0.0001), and had
      longer admissions to the intensive care unit (5.6 days vs. 0.9 days, p < 0.0001).
      Backward selection multivariable logistic regression identified intensive care
      unit length of stay, transfusion of blood products, spinal cord injury, and
      pelvic fracture to be associated with DVT (c statistic, 0.76). The model was
      applied to the entire population to evaluate probability of DVT (c statistic,
      0.87). Predictive performance and costs were determined using a cost per LUS of
      $228. The most sensitive threshold for screening would detect 53% of DVTs,
      require screening of 26% of all trauma patients, and cost nearly $600,000 to
      implement during the study period. CONCLUSION: Although a predictive model
      identified high-risk criteria for the development of DVT at our institution, the
      model demonstrated poor sensitivity and positive predictive value. These results
      suggest that implementing a high-risk screening protocol in trauma patients would
      require a costly and burdensome commitment of resources and that high-risk DVT
      screening protocols may not be practical or cost-effective for trauma patients.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/care management study, level IV.

PMID- 26488318
TI  - James Henry Duke, Jr., MD  (1928-2015).

PMID- 26488319
TI  - Cadaveric comparison of the optimal site for needle decompression of tension
      pneumothorax by prehospital care providers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Computed tomographic and cadaveric studies have demonstrated needle
      decompression of tension pneumothorax at the fifth intercostal space (ICS),
      anterior axillary line (AAL) has advantages over the second ICS midclavicular
      line (MCL). The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of prehospital
      care providers to accurately decompress the chest at these two locations.
      METHODS: Randomly selected US Navy hospital corpsmen (n = 25) underwent a
      standardized training session followed by timed needle decompression on unmarked
      fresh cadavers. A 14-gauge angiocatheter was inserted in the right and left
      second ICS MCL and fifth ICS AAL in a predetermined computer-generated order.
      Time from needle uncapping to insertion, accuracy, and ease of placement were
      examined. RESULTS: A total of 25 corpsmen inserted 100 needles into 25 cadavers.
      Mean (SD) age was 25.9 (3.7) years, 72.0% were male, with 4.2 (3.2) years of
      experience, and 52.0% had previously deployed. A total of 60.0% had attempted
      decompression previously, 93.3% in a model and 6.7% in a patient. Time to
      decompression did not differ between the second and fifth ICS (16.8 [10.1]
      seconds vs. 16.9 [12.3] seconds, p = 0.438). Accuracy however was superior at the
      fifth ICS, with a misplacement rate of only 22.0% versus 82.0% at the second ICS
      (p < 0.001). The aggregate distance from the target position was also
      significantly greater for the second ICS (3.1 [1.7] cm vs. 1.2 [1.5] cm, p <
      0.001). Insertion at the fifth ICS was rated as being easier than the second by
      76.0% of providers, the same by 12.0%, and more difficult by 12.0%. CONCLUSION:
      For prehospital care providers, the fifth ICS AAL can be localized and
      decompressed with a higher degree of accuracy than the traditional second ICS
      MCL. It is rated as easier to perform and can be done just as quickly. Based on
      these data, the fifth ICS AAL should be considered as an equivalent first-line
      position for needle decompression in patients with clinical evidence of a tension
      pneumothorax.

PMID- 26488320
TI  - Subcapsular hematoma in blunt splenic injury: A significant predictor of failure
      of nonoperative management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients with blunt splenic injury (BSI), patient selection,
      angiography, and embolization have contributed to low nonoperative management
      (NOM) failure rates. Despite these advances, some patients will fail NOM. We
      noted that a significant proportion of NOM failures had subcapsular hematomas
      (SCHs) identified on imaging. We sought to determine if there is a correlation
      between SCH and higher risk of NOM failure after BSI. METHODS: Our institutional
      trauma registry was queried for all patients with BSI during a 2-year period.
      Charts were reviewed to determine grade, presence of SCH, and outcome of NOM.
      Under current institutional protocol, all stable patients with BSI Grades III to
      V and those with contrast blush on computed tomography are referred for
      angiography and embolization. Failure of NOM was declared if splenectomy was
      required for bleeding after an initial plan of nonoperation. RESULTS: From May
      2012 to May 2014, 312 patients with BSI were identified. A total of 253 patients
      (81%) underwent NOM. Overall, 15 (5.9%) failed NOM. Of those undergoing NOM, 34
      had SCH and 12 failed (35.3% vs. 1.5% without SCH, p = 0.0001). Failure rates in
      Grades 1 to 4 were 2.3%, 3.8%, 8.8%, and 19.2%, respectively. NOM failure rates
      in the subset with SCH for Grades I to IV were 20%, 25%, 30.8%, and 80%,
      respectively. These are significantly higher than patients without SCH in Grades
      II to IV (0%, p = 0.003; 2.3%, p = 0.008; and 4.8%, p = 0.016) and approach
      significance in Grade I (1.2%, p = 0.11). There were no SCHs and no failures of
      NOM in Grade V injuries. CONCLUSION: The NOM failure rate of BSI patients with
      SCH is significantly higher than those without SCH. Patients with BSI Grades I to
      III slated for NOM must be observed as the failure rate approaches 30%.
      Splenectomy should be considered in patients with Grade IV BSI with SCH, as NOM
      failure rate is 80%. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, level IV.

PMID- 26488321
TI  - The elimination of anastomosis in open trauma vascular reconstruction: A novel
      technique using an animal model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The standard approach to vascular trauma involves arterial exposure
      and reconstruction using either a vein or polytetrafluoroethylene graft. We have
      developed a novel technique to repairing arterial injuries by deploying
      commercially available vascular stents through an open approach, thus eliminating
      the need for suture anastomosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the
      feasibility, stent deployment time (SDT), and stent patency of this technique in
      a ewe vascular injury model. METHODS: After proximal and distal control, a 2-cm
      superficial femoral arterial segment was resected in 8 Dorper ewes to simulate an
      arterial injury. Two stay sutures were placed in the 3- and 9-o'clock positions
      of the transected arterial ends to prevent further retraction. Ten milliliters of
      10-IU/mL heparinized saline was flushed proximally and distally. An arteriotomy
      was then created 2.5 cm from the transected distal end through which we deployed
      Gore Viabahn stents with a 20% oversize and at least 1-cm overlap with the native
      vessel on either end. The arteriotomy was then closed with 3 (1) interrupted 6-0
      Prolene sutures. The ewes were fed acetylsalicylic acid 325 mg daily. Duplex was
      performed at 2 months postoperatively to evaluate stent patency. SDT was defined
      as time from stay suture placement to arteriotomy closure. RESULTS: The 8 ewes
      weighed a mean (SD) of 34.4 (4.3) kg. The mean (SD) superficial femoral arterial
      was 4.3 (0.6) mm. Six 5 mm * 5 cm and two 6 mm * 5 cm Gore Viabahn stents were
      deployed. The mean (SD) SDT was 34 (19) minutes, with a trend toward less time
      with increasing experience (SDTmax, 60 minutes; SDTmin, 10 minutes). Duplex
      performed at 2 months postoperatively showed stent patency in five of eight
      stents. There was an association between increasing SDT and stent thrombosis.
      CONCLUSION: Open deployment of commercially available vascular stents to treat
      vascular injuries is a conceptually sound and technically feasible alternative to
      standard open repair. Larger studies are needed to refine this technique and
      minimize stent complications, which are likely technical in nature.

PMID- 26488322
TI  - A new kid on the block: Outcomes with Kcentra 1 year after approval.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As the population ages, more trauma patients are admitted with
      coagulopathy. Fresh frozen plasma is effective in reversing coagulopathy caused
      by warfarin; however, it is not appropriate for all patients. Prothrombin complex
      concentrates (PCCs) are an alternative for patients who require emergent
      reversal, minimal-volume administration and who have a supratherapeutic
      international normalized ratio (INR). A four-factor PCC initially approved in
      Europe is now available in the United States. We sought to review our experience
      with Kcentra (4F-PCC) in the first year following Food and Drug Administration
      approval. METHODS: All trauma patients admitted to an academic Level 1 trauma
      center between July 15, 2013, and July 15, 2014, who received 4F-PCC for reversal
      of warfarin-induced coagulopathy were reviewed. 4F-PCC was given as per protocol.
      Univariate analysis was performed to examine patient demographics, injury
      characteristics, coagulation studies, 4F-PCC dose, vitamin K use, transfusions,
      response to reversal, duration of reversal, complications, and mortality.
      RESULTS: Twenty-six patients met study criteria. Of these patients, 34.6% were
      reversed because of intracranial hemorrhage. The mean INR decreased from 5.7 +/-
      6.1 (range, 1.6-30) to 1.5 +/- 0.4 (range, 1.2-2.6) after 4F-PCC administration.
      One patient (3.8%) received concurrent fresh frozen plasma. For patients with an
      initial INR greater than 5.0, the mean INR decreased from 12.0 +/- 8.2 to 1.6 +/-
      0.5. Forty-eight hours following 4F-PCC administration, mean INR for all patients
      remained 1.4 +/- 0.4 (range, 1.0-2.6). Of the patients, 80.8% received vitamin K
      over this period. Fourteen patients had a pre-4F-PCC thromboelastogram; four were
      hypocoagulable. Two patients had repeat thromboelastograms after 4F-PCC was
      given, which demonstrated normal coagulation. Of the patients with intracranial
      hemorrhage, 66.7% showed radiographic progression of the initial insult on post
      4F-PCC head computed tomography, while only 11.1% progressed clinically. In
      hospital mortality was 0%. There were no thromboembolic complications.
      CONCLUSION: 4F-PCC effectively reverses elevated INRs in trauma patients with
      warfarin-induced coagulopathy, with results lasting more than 48 hours after
      administration. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, level V.

PMID- 26488323
TI  - The found down patient: A Western Trauma Association multicenter study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unconscious patients who present after being "found down" represent a
      unique triage challenge. These patients are selected for either trauma or medical
      evaluation based on limited information and have been shown in a single-center
      study to have significant occult injuries and/or missed medical diagnoses. We
      sought to further characterize this population in a multicenter study and to
      identify predictors of mistriage. METHODS: The Western Trauma Association
      Multicenter Trials Committee conducted a retrospective study of patients
      categorized as found down by emergency department triage diagnosis at seven major
      trauma centers. Demographic, clinical, and outcome data were collected. Mistriage
      was defined as patients being admitted to a non-triage-activated service.
      Logistic regression was used to assess predictors of specified outcomes. RESULTS:
      Of 661 patients, 33% were triaged to trauma evaluations, and 67% were triaged to
      medical evaluations; 56% of all patients had traumatic injuries. Trauma-triaged
      patients had significantly higher rates of combined injury and a medical
      diagnosis and underwent more computed tomographic imaging; they had lower rates
      of intoxication and homelessness. Among the 432 admitted patients, 17% of them
      were initially mistriaged. Even among properly triaged patients, 23% required
      cross-consultation from the non-triage-activated service after admission. Age was
      an independent predictor of mistriage, with a doubling of the rate for groups
      older than 70 years. Combined medical diagnosis and injury was also predictive of
      mistriage. Mistriaged patients had a trend toward increased late-identified
      injuries, but mistriage was not associated with increased length of stay or
      mortality. CONCLUSION: Patients who are found down experience significant rates
      of mistriage and triage discordance requiring cross-consultation. Although the
      majority of found down patients are triaged to nontrauma evaluation, more than
      half have traumatic injuries. Characteristics associated with increased rates of
      mistriage, including advanced age, may be used to improve resource use and
      minimize missed injury in this vulnerable patient population. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Epidemiologic study, level III.

PMID- 26488325
TI  - End-of-life care in trauma.

PMID- 26488324
TI  - The "Death Diamond": Rapid thrombelastography identifies lethal
      hyperfibrinolysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postinjury hyperfibrinolysis (HF), defined as LY30 of 3% or greater
      on rapid thrombelastography (rTEG), is associated with high mortality and large
      use of blood products. We observed that some cases of HF are reversible and are
      associated with patients who respond to hemostatic resuscitation; however, other
      cases of severe HF seem to be associated with these patients' inevitable demise.
      We therefore sought to define this unsurvivable subtype of HF as a recognizable
      rTEG tracing pattern. METHODS: We queried our trauma registry for patients who
      either died or spent at least 1 day in the intensive care unit, received at least
      1 U of packed red blood cells, and had an admission rTEG. Within this group of
      572 patients, we identified 42 pairs of nonsurvivors and survivors who matched on
      age, sex, injury mechanism, and New Injury Severity Score (NISS). We inspected
      the rTEG tracings to ascertain if any pattern was found exclusively within the
      nonsurviving group and applied these findings to the cohort of 572 patients to
      assess the predictive value for mortality. RESULTS: Within the matched group, 17%
      of the patients developed HF. Within the HF subgroup, a unique rTEG pattern was
      present in 14 HF patients who died and in none of the survivors. This pattern was
      a "diamond-shaped" tracing with a short time to maximum amplitude of 14 minutes
      or shorter and complete lysis before the LY30 point. When these criteria are
      applied to the 572 unmatched patients, this pattern had a 100% positive
      predictive value for mortality. CONCLUSION: Patients displaying the "death
      diamond" pattern on their admission rTEG are at higher risk for mortality. Given
      the volume of blood products and other resources that these patients consume,
      this thrombelastography pattern may represent an objective criterion to
      discontinue efforts at hemostatic resuscitation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Prognostic/epidemiologic study, level III.

PMID- 26488326
TI  - Mild traumatic brain injury increases risk for the development of posttraumatic
      stress disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
      occur in individuals who sustain physical injury and share a significant overlap
      in symptoms. PTSD rates in the civilian injury population range from 20% to 40%.
      The current study examined the presence of PTSD symptoms at multiple time points
      (3 months and 6 months after injury) among individuals with and without TBI after
      admission to a Level I trauma center. METHODS: This prospective cohort study
      included patients 18 years and older admitted to a Level I trauma center for 24
      hours or greater. Demographic and injury-related data were gathered in addition
      to assessments of PTSD during initial hospitalization after injury, as well as 3
      months and 6 months later. The Primary Care PTSD Screen and PTSD Checklist
      Civilian version were used to determine probable PTSD. International
      Classification of Diseases, 9th Rev. codes were used to determine mild TBI
      (MTBI). RESULTS: A total of 494 patients were enrolled at baseline, 311 (63%)
      completed 3-month follow-up, and 231 (47%) completed 6-month follow-up at the
      time of analysis. Preinjury PTSD was reported by 7% of the participants. At 3
      months, patients with MTBI evidenced a probable PTSD rate of 18%, compared with a
      rate of 9% for patients with no MTBI (p = 0.04), although this relationship
      became a nonsignificant trend (p = 0.06) when demographics were included. At 6
      months, patients with MTBI evidenced a probable PTSD rate of 26%, compared with a
      rate of 15% for patients with no MTBI (p = 0.04), and this relationship remained
      significant when demographics were included. Preinjury history of TBI did not
      predict PTSD, but incidence of TBI for the injury in which they were hospitalized
      did predict PTSD. CONCLUSION: TBI at time of injury demonstrated a nonsignificant
      trend toward higher rates of PTSD at 3 months and significantly predicted PTSD at
      6 months after injury. This important finding may help clinicians identify
      patients at high risk for PTSD after injury and target these patients for
      screening, intervention, and referral for treatment. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Prognostic study, level III.

PMID- 26488327
TI  - Complexation of Lysozyme with Sodium Poly(styrenesulfonate) via the Two-State and
      Non-Two-State Unfoldings of Lysozyme.
AB  - To provide an in-depth understanding of the complexation mechanism of protein and
      polyelectrolyte, a heating-cooling-reheating protocol was employed to study the
      unfolding and refolding behaviors of a model protein, lysozyme, in the presence
      of a negatively charged polyelectrolyte, sodium poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS). It
      was found that, with elevated PSS concentration, a new state (state I) was first
      formed via a "two-state" conversion process and this state could further convert
      to a completely unfolded state (state II) via a "non-two-state" conversion. This
      non-two-state conversion process occurs without the coexistence of states I and
      II but involves the formation of various intermediate unfolded protein
      structures. Different from the pure lysozyme that exhibited refolding upon
      cooling from its heat-denatured state, lysozyme in state I could undergo
      unfolding upon heating but no refolding upon cooling, while lysozyme in state II
      did not undergo unfolding or refolding upon thermal treatments. In addition, the
      effects of ionic strength and molecular weight of polyelectrolyte on the
      unfolding and refolding behaviors of lysozyme were also investigated. The present
      work provides a better understanding of the principles governing protein
      polyelectrolyte interactions and may have implications for the fabrication of
      biocolloids and biofilms. 

PMID- 26488328
TI  - Onyx Embolization for Isolated Type Dural Arteriovenous Fistula Using a Dual
      Lumen Balloon Catheter.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Utilization of a dual-lumen balloon may improve Onyx penetration into
      isolated dural arteriovenous fistulas (i-DAVFs). OBJECTIVE: To compare the
      results of Onyx embolization using a dual-lumen balloon with those using a non
      balloon catheter for i-DAVFs. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients underwent Onyx
      embolization for i-DAVFs using a non-balloon (n = 14) or a dual-lumen balloon
      catheter (n = 15). Since its introduction, a dual-lumen balloon catheter has been
      preferred. We compared the dual-lumen balloon group with the non-balloon catheter
      group regarding angiographic outcome, treatment-related complications, total
      procedural time, Onyx injection time, and the number of feeders requiring
      embolization. RESULTS: The dual-lumen balloon group showed complete occlusion of
      i-DAVFs in 13 and near-complete in 2 patients, while the non-balloon group showed
      complete occlusion in 5, near-complete in 5, and incomplete in 4 patients (P <
      .05). Treatment-related complications occurred in 2 patients: 1 in the non
      balloon group and 1 in the dual-lumen balloon group. The mean total procedural
      time was 62 +/- 32 minutes in the dual-lumen balloon and 171 +/- 88 minutes in
      the non-balloon group (P < .05). The mean Onyx injection time was 10 +/- 6
      minutes in the dual-lumen balloon and 49 +/- 32 minutes in the non-balloon group
      (P < .05). The median number of feeders requiring embolization was 1 (range, 1-3)
      in the dual-lumen balloon and 2 (range, 1-4) in the non-balloon group (P < .05).
      CONCLUSION: Utilization of a dual-lumen balloon catheter for Onyx embolization of
      i-DAVF seemed to significantly increase the immediate complete occlusion rate and
      decrease total procedural time, Onyx injection time, and number of feeders
      requiring embolization.

PMID- 26488329
TI  - Gamma Knife Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Brain Metastases Using Only 3 Pins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Removal of a pin during Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GK
      SRS) may be necessary to prevent collision and allow treatment. OBJECTIVE: To
      investigate outcomes after GK-SRS for treatment of brain metastases using a head
      frame immobilized to the skull with only 3 pins. METHODS: Between 2009 and 2014,
      we retrospectively reviewed the records of 1971 patients and identified 20
      patients with multiple brain metastases treated with GK-SRS in which 1 anterior
      pin was removed immediately before treatment of a single posterior lesion. GK-SRS
      was also delivered to 116 other lesions in these 20 patients using the standard 4
      pins during the same session, serving as an internal control for comparison.
      Endpoints included local control, dosimetric parameters, toxicity, and overall
      survival. RESULTS: The median number of lesions treated per session was 6 (range,
      2-14). The lesions treated using 3 pins were located in the occipital lobe (n =
      14) or the cerebellum (n = 6). Median follow-up was 12.3 months. There was 1
      local failure involving a control lesion. Lesions treated using 3 pins had a
      lower prescription isodose line. GK-SRS of a lesion using 3 pins did not cause
      any clinical toxicities or increase in radiographic edema or hemorrhage.
      CONCLUSION: Treating posteriorly located brain metastases with GK-SRS using only
      3 pins provided excellent local control and no difference in treatment toxicity,
      which may make it a safe and reasonable option for lesions that may otherwise be
      difficult to treat.

PMID- 26488330
TI  - A New Protocol for Anticoagulation With Tirofiban During Flow Diversion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Flow diversion is increasingly used to treat intracranial aneurysms.
      In previous reports, patients were pretreated with aspirin and clopidogrel before
      the intervention for the prevention of thromboembolic complications. OBJECTIVE:
      To assess the safety and efficacy of a new protocol for anticoagulation using
      tirofiban during flow diversion. METHODS: All patients received a 0.10-MUg.kg.min
      maintenance infusion of tirofiban intraoperatively without a loading dose. All
      patients were loaded with aspirin (325 mg) and clopidogrel (600 mg) just before
      the procedure or intraoperatively. No patient was pretreated with aspirin or
      clopidogrel. Thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications were recorded. RESULTS:
      A total of 46 patients were treated with this protocol. Six patients (13%) had
      sustained a subarachnoid hemorrhage and were treated with the Pipeline
      Embolization Device within 24 hours of aneurysm rupture. The mean number of
      devices was 1.2 +/- 0.66; adjunctive coiling was performed in 3 patients (6.5%).
      There were 2 complications (4.3%), 1 thromboembolic (2.2%) and 1 hemorrhagic
      (2.2%; monocular vision loss from occlusion of the central retinal artery in 1
      patient and a parenchymal hemorrhage managed conservatively in another patient).
      No patient developed thrombocytopenia or retroperitoneal, gastrointestinal, or
      genitourinary bleeding. Of 46 patients, 44 (95.7%) had a modified Rankin Scale
      score of 0 to 2 at their follow-up visit. CONCLUSION: A protocol of
      anticoagulation with tirofiban during flow diversion has an excellent safety
      profile. This protocol provides a reasonable alternative to pretreatment with
      aspirin and clopidogrel and is useful in patients with ruptured aneurysms or when
      the use of a stent is unexpected.

PMID- 26488331
TI  - A Bemisia tabaci midgut protein interacts with begomoviruses and plays a role in
      virus transmission.
AB  - Begomoviruses are a major group of plant viruses, transmitted exclusively by
      Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) in a persistent circulative non-propagative manner.
      The information regarding molecular and cellular basis underlying Begomovirus -
      whitefly interaction is very scarce. Evidences have suggested that the insect gut
      possesses some crucial protein receptors that allow specific entry of virus into
      the insect haemolymph. We have performed yeast two hybrid gut cDNA expression
      library screening against coat protein of Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus
      (ToLCV) and Cotton leaf curl Rajasthan virus (CLCuV) as bait. Midgut protein
      (MGP) was the common protein found interacting with both ToLCV and CLCuV. MGP was
      localized in whole mount B. tabaci as well as in dissected guts through confocal
      microscopy. Pull down and dot blot assays confirmed in vitro interaction between
      ToLCV/CLCuV coat protein and MGP. Immunolocalization analysis also showed
      colocalization of ToLCV/CLCuV particles and MGP within insect's gut. Finally,
      anti-MGP antibody fed B. tabaci, exhibited 70% reduction in ToLCV transmission,
      suggesting a supportive role for MGP in virus transmission. 

PMID- 26488332
TI  - Impact of continued mailed fecal tests in the patient-centered medical home: Year
      3 of the Systems of Support to Increase Colon Cancer Screening and Follow-Up
      randomized trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current study was conducted to determine the effect of continuing
      a centralized fecal occult blood test (FOBT) mailed program on screening
      adherence. METHODS: A patient-level randomized controlled trial was conducted in
      21 patient-centered medical home primary care clinics between January 2010 and
      November 2012. A total of 2208 patients ranging in age from 52 to 75 years in a
      substudy of the Systems of Support to Increase Colon Cancer Screening and Follow
      Up (SOS) trial were randomized at year 3 to continued automated interventions
      (Continued group), which included mailed information regarding colorectal cancer
      (CRC) screening choices, and were mailed stool kit tests or to a group in which
      interventions were stopped (Stopped group). The main outcomes and measures were
      the completion of CRC screening in year 3 and by subgroup characteristics,
      respectively. RESULTS: Adherence to CRC screening in year 3 was found to be
      significantly higher in patients in the Continued group compared with those in
      the Stopped group (53.3% vs 37.3%; adjusted net difference, 15.6% [P<.001]). This
      difference was entirely due to greater completion of FOBT (adjusted net
      difference, 18.0% [P<.001]). Year 3 CRC screening rates were highest in patients
      in the Continued group completing FOBT in both years 1 and 2 (77.2%), followed by
      patients completing only 1 FOBT in 1 of the 2 years (44.6%), with low rates of
      CRC testing reported among patients not completing any FOBT within the first 2
      years (18.1%). CONCLUSIONS: A centralized mailed FOBT CRC screening program
      continued to be more effective than patient-centered medical home usual-care
      interventions, but only for those patients who had previously completed FOBT
      testing. Research is needed regarding how to engage patients not completing CRC
      testing after being mailed at least 2 rounds of FOBT tests. Cancer 2016;122:312
      321. (c) 2015 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 26488333
TI  - Inhibition of Peripheral Nerve Scarring by Calcium Antagonists, Also Known as
      Calcium Channel Blockers.
AB  - The aim of this research was to investigate the impact of calcium channel
      blockers (verapamil) on the formation of scars in the sciatic nerve anastomosis
      after peripheral nerve injury. One hundred twenty healthy, male Sprague-Dawley
      rats were selected and prepared with right sciatic nerve injury for this study.
      Samples were selected at the fourth and 12th weeks, respectively, after treatment
      and observations were made on the nerve anastomosis healing and diameter. Image
      analysis and statistical processing were carried out relating to the results of
      the study. The diameter of the anastomosis of the treatment group at weeks 4 and
      12 was noticeably smaller than the control group (P < 0.05). In the treatment
      group at week 4, there were many vesicles observed in the fibroblasts' cytosol
      and in the control group, the fibroblasts exhibited high number of rough
      endoplasmic reticulum. The collagen content of the nerve scarring at week 12 in
      the treatment group was apparently less than the control group (P < 0.01). The
      calcium channel blocker (verapamil) reduced the axon resistance through the
      anastomosis during nerve regeneration. It can effectively inhibit the formation
      of scarring from nerve injury. It also provided an excellent microenvironment for
      the regeneration of nerve fibers. 

PMID- 26488334
TI  - Fabricating Continuous Supercapacitor Fibers with High Performances by
      Integrating All Building Materials and Steps into One Process.
AB  - Supercapacitor fibers are rapidly produced in minutes by an integrated one-step
      fabrication process. This method is simple and efficient for large production. A
      variety of pseudocapacitive active materials including graphene oxide, metal
      oxide, and conducting polymers can be incorporated. The resulting all-solid-state
      supercapacitor fibers show remarkable energy-storage capabilities with both high
      power and energy densities. 

PMID- 26488335
TI  - Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis induced by celecoxib.

PMID- 26488336
TI  - Identification of target proteins of mangiferin in mice with acute lung injury
      using functionalized magnetic microspheres based on click chemistry.
AB  - Prevention of the occurrence and development of inflammation is a vital
      therapeutic strategy for treating acute lung injury (ALI). Increasing evidence
      has shown that a wealth of ingredients from natural foods and plants have
      potential anti-inflammatory activity. In the present study, mangiferin, a natural
      C-glucosyl xanthone that is primarily obtained from the peels and kernels of
      mango fruits and the bark of the Mangifera indica L. tree, alleviated the
      inflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI mice. Mangiferin
      modified magnetic microspheres (MMs) were developed on the basis of click
      chemistry to capture the target proteins of mangiferin. Mass spectrometry and
      molecular docking identified 70 kDa heat-shock protein 5 (Hspa5) and tyrosine 3
      monooxygenase (Ywhae) as mangiferin-binding proteins. Furthermore, an enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) indicated that mangiferin exerted its anti
      inflammatory effect by binding Hspa5 and Ywhae to suppress downstream mitogen
      activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. Thoroughly revealing the
      mechanism and function of mangiferin will contribute to the development and
      utilization of agricultural resources from M. indica L. 

PMID- 26488338
TI  - The potential role of the left atrial septal pouch in cryptogenic stroke.
AB  - The left atrial septal pouch (LASP) is an anatomic variant of the atrial septum
      that forms a blind-ending pouch, communicating exclusively with the left atrium
      (LA). Case reports have demonstrated thrombus within LASP and in the setting of
      cryptogenic stroke. Initial epidemiologic results are mixed, one study showing
      and others not showing an association between LASP and cryptogenic stroke.
      Additional investigation should take place to determine the clinical significance
      of LASP and what interventions are required to prevent ischemic stroke in at-risk
      individuals. 

PMID- 26488339
TI  - An interesting case of intractable proctalgia cured with decompression spinal
      surgery.
AB  - We report a case of intractable proctalgia on a background of lower back and
      bilateral leg pain secondary to spinal canal stenosis and spondylolisthesis. A
      complete resolution was observed following spinal surgery. This case highlights
      consideration of a spinal aetiology when intractable proctalgia is associated
      with back and leg pain. 

PMID- 26488337
TI  - Psychosocial Late Effects in Pediatric Cancer Survivors: A Report From the
      Children's Oncology Group.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This review was conducted to update the Children's Oncology Group
      (COG) Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines (COG-LTFU Guidelines, version 4.0) regarding
      screening for psychosocial late effects of pediatric cancer. PROCEDURE: Articles
      published between August 2009 and January 2011 that addressed psychosocial late
      effects of long-term survivors of pediatric cancer (n = 35) were reviewed by a
      multidisciplinary team of COG late effect experts. RESULTS: The majority of
      studies in this time period indicate that survivors experience few psychosocial
      problems in long-term survivorship. A critical subset, however, is at increased
      risk for psychosocial late effects secondary to the treatment. Highlighted
      findings from this review include increased rates of suicidal ideation (SI), and
      health beliefs as robust predictors of SI, anxiety, and global distress.
      Survivors' health beliefs were associated with their perceptions of physical
      limitations, overall late effects, and cancer-related pain. While many
      survivorship studies continue to specify risk factors for anxiety and
      posttraumatic stress symptoms/posttraumatic stress disorder, others outcomes
      (e.g., developmental, interpersonal, and familial factors) appear to be emerging
      in importance. CONCLUSIONS: Although the majority of childhood cancer survivors
      do not experience psychosocial problems, a subset will. The recent research
      findings have been included in the new COG-LTFU Guidelines that will assist in
      the targeted assessment and the treatment of survivors' psychosocial health.

PMID- 26488340
TI  - Below-gap excitation of semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotubes.
AB  - We investigate the optoelectronic properties of the semiconducting (6,5) species
      of single-walled carbon nanotubes by measuring ultrafast transient transmission
      changes with 20 fs time resolution. We demonstrate that photons with energy below
      the lowest exciton resonance efficiently lead to linear excitation of electronic
      states. This finding challenges the established picture of a vanishing optical
      absorption below the fundamental excitonic resonance. Our result points towards
      below-gap electronic states as an intrinsic property of semiconducting nanotubes.

PMID- 26488341
TI  - Cobalt and copper pyridylmethylphosphonates with two- and three-dimensional
      structures and field-induced magnetic transitions.
AB  - Two novel metal pyridylmethylphosphonates, namely, [Co(4-pmp)] (1) and [Cu(4
      pmp)(H2O)] (2), (4-pmpH2 = 4-pyridylmethylphosphonic acid), have been
      hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared
      spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. In compound 1,
      each {PO3C} tetrahedron is corner-shared with three {CoNO3} tetrahedra and vice
      versa, thus forming a one-dimensional (1-D) inorganic chain along the a axis
      containing 8-membered rings of [(Co-O-P-O)2]. The inorganic chains are further
      connected by a 4-pmp(2-) ligand, generating a 2-D layered structure. Compound 2
      displays a three-dimensional (3-D) framework structure, in which the inorganic
      layers are pillared by the pyridyl groups of the ligand, generating a 3-D
      pillared-layered structure. The magnetic properties of 1 and 2 have been studied.
      Compounds 1 and 2 behave as metamagnets at low temperature. The critical fields
      are about 70 kOe for 1 and 47 kOe for 2 at 1.8 K. 

PMID- 26488342
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26488343
TI  - Classification of mood disorders.
AB  - This paper looks at some recent developments in the official diagnostic
      definitions (DSM-5) and in the research domain. The spectrum concept of mood
      disorders consists of the components of depression and mania, alone or in
      combination, on a continuum. Its international operational classification changes
      regularly, being based on symptoms, their duration and consequences. Causation is
      as yet unknown. DSM-5 excludes unipolar mania and mania with mild depression as
      separate diagnoses (they come under bipolar I and bipolar II disorders) and
      introduces a new hierarchy of manic symptoms, placing energy/activity above mood
      (elated, irritable). This is shown to be problematic on the basis of recent data.
      The validity of the duration criteria for mania (1 week), hypomania (4 days) and
      depression (2 weeks) is also seriously questioned. Shorter episodes are
      clinically very relevant. The definition of mania/hypomania is a persistent
      problem, contributing to frequent un- derdiagnosis of bipolar disorder in
      depressed patients. Other contributory factors include that patients often do not
      feel ill or seek treatment for the consequences of their high mood, and that
      hypomania can be hidden by substance use disorders (SUD). Hidden hypomanic
      syndromes are important because associated with treatment resistance, high
      comorbidity with anxiety/panic and SUD, psychotic and cognitive symptoms,
      dementia and higher mortality. Anxiety, too, is doubtless a mood disorder but
      there is still no concept which integrates anxiety with bipolar disorder and
      depression.

PMID- 26488344
TI  - Acute psychosis in the course of treatment of acute adrenal crisis with
      hydrocortisone in the patient with secondary adrenal insufficiency - a case
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Presentation of the risk of psychosis induced by the treatment of
      adrenal crisis with high doses of hydrocortisone. METHODS: A case analysis in the
      context of the literature. RESULTS: There are reported psychoses in the patients
      with adrenal hypofunction and hyperfunction. Psychoses following implementation
      of substitution with small doses of corticosteroids due to adrenal insufficiency
      were also observed. The hypereactivity of the glucocorticoid receptor is supposed
      mechanism. We have not found any description of psychosis connected with steroid
      administration in adrenal crisis. We present a case of 55 years old female, so
      far mentally healthy with untreated adrenocortical insufficiency secondary to
      radiotherapy of pituitary adenoma (prolactinoma) performed 3 years ago. She was
      admitted to the hospital because of acute adrenal crisis provoked by infection.
      In the fourth day of treatment with intravenous Hydrocortisone (up to 400mg/24
      hours) there occurred acute psychosis with hallucinations, delusions and life
      threatening behaviours. The patient was admitted to the psychiatric inpatient
      unit. Following 3 days of treatment with haloperidol, and decreasing the steroid
      dosage - the psychosis disappeared, without recurrence, despite of
      discontinuation of haloperidol. CONCLUSIONS: The case focuses attention on the
      risk of psychosis connected with the treatment of the adrenal crisis with high
      doses of Hydrocortisone. Because of the risk of psychiatric complications, the
      patients treated with high doses of corticosteroids, require an evaluation of
      risk factors for mental disturbances, and safety precautions in cooperation of
      endocrinologist and psychiatrist.

PMID- 26488345
TI  - Clinical utility of chosen factors in predicting post-stroke depression: a one
      year follow-up.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to identify possible interrelation between
      the presence of post-stroke depression (PSD) and chosen clinical and demographic
      parameters. METHODS: Initially 116 patients (61.4 +/- 12.6 years, women N = 42)
      hospitalized in Neurology Department, Medical University of Gdansk (April 2003 -
      December 2005) due to first ischemic stroke, were included in the study. We
      analysed demographic data, the lesion's side and location according to
      neuroimaging and global neurological deficit estimated on the first day after the
      stroke and at discharge using NIHSS (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale)
      and Barthel Index of Activity of Daily Living. Psychiatric evaluation was done:6
      (42 +/- 3 days) and 12 weeks (84 +/- 7 days), as well as 6 (+/-14 days) and 12
      months (+/-14 days) after stroke based on ICD-10 and functional assessment scale
      (Rankin Scale). RESULTS: Depression was diagnosed in 29 patients (27.6%). No
      correlation was found between PSD and sex or age. On the first day and at
      discharge patients without PSD were functioning slightly better but the
      difference was not statistically significant. We found association between the
      presence of PSD and the results of Rankin scale with the exception of degree of
      improvement during whole observation. In the group of patients with PSD left
      hemisphere strokes were slightly more common, but the difference did not reach
      statistical significance. The location of lesions in frontal lobes and basal
      ganglia was associated with presence of depression. CONCLUSIONS: We found the
      association between the presence of PSD and location of lesions (frontal lobes or
      basal ganglia), as well as with the degree of functional improvement during 12
      months after stroke.

PMID- 26488346
TI  - Relationships between various temperament dimensions, levels of selected
      cytokines and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in males, incurred as a result
      of mechanical injuries of lower extremities.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This analysis addresses the relationships between various temperament
      dimensions, levels of selected cytokines and PTSD in males, incurred as a result
      of mechanical injuries of lower extremities. METHODS: PTSD was assessed with a
      PTSD Factorial Version Inventory. Temperamental traits were evaluated by means of
      Formal Characteristics of Behaviour - Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI). Cytokine
      levels were determined using ELISA kits. The study population was selected from
      among a larger population of 80 persons. 15 persons with signs of inflammation
      were excluded. PTSD group included 33 persons, 32 subjects were included in the
      control group. RESULTS: Positive statistical correlation with PTSD was observed
      for: perseverance and emotional reactivity. On the other hand, negative
      relationship was shown between PTSD and: briskness, endurance and activity. No
      statistically significant correlations were revealed between the levels of
      selected cytokines (sIL-2, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha & IFN-gamma) and temperamental
      traits. Moreover, this study investigates the relationships between temperamental
      traits, PTSD and various personality dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Patients with
      temperamental traits such as high perseverance and emotional reactivity had a
      greater risk of PTSD. 2. Patients with temperamental traits such as high
      briskness, endurance and activity had lower risk of PTSD. 3. The level of
      cytokines (sIL-2, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma) was not dependent on the
      temperamental traits.

PMID- 26488347
TI  - Parotid salivary parameters in bulimic patients - a controlled clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether patients with purging
      type bulimia and/or non-bulimic patients, treated with serotonin reuptake
      inhibitor SI-5-HT (fluoxetine), have dental erosion and changes in selected
      buffer components of parotid saliva (bicarbonates, phosphates, urea), compared
      with the healthy population. METHODS: A controlled clinical trial was designed
      for three, age-matched, female groups of 94 patients: 1) bulimic patients treated
      with fluoxetine 40 mg/day (n = 25), 2) non-bulimic patients diagnosed with
      bipolar affective disorder, treated with fluoxetine 20mg/day (n = 25), and 3)
      healthy controls (n = 44). Parotid saliva was collected from the subjects by
      means of Lashley cup at rest and stimulated chemically with a 3% citric acid
      solution. In clinical examination the dental erosion was determined as non
      carious tooth substance loss using the Tooth Wear Index (TWI). The concentrations
      of inorganic phosphates, bicarbonate, urea and pH in saliva were measured.
      RESULTS: In the bulimic subjects higher TWI (24%) and lower levels of pH,
      bicarbonates and phosphates compared with controls were observed. There were no
      significant differences in urea concentration. CONCLUSIONS: Erosive-abrasive
      tooth surface loss seems to be a significant diagnostic tool of bulimia nervosa.
      The presence of pathological changes in teeth structure indicates the loss of
      protective properties of saliva, which is proved by pH value and concentration of
      buffer ions. It is advisable to monitor salivary parameters, such as salivary
      flow rate, pH and the concentration of buffer ions in long-term treatment with SI
      5-HT drugs in case of patients with purging-type bulimia. There is also a need
      for regular dental check-ups of the oral cavity tissues.

PMID- 26488348
TI  - Gastrointestinal motility disorders in patients with anorexia nervosa - a review
      of the literature.
AB  - Anorexia nervosa is a disease carrying havoc on many levels of the body
      functioning. The presence of numerous somatic complications as a consequence of
      starvation is an important part of the clinical picture of this disease. Symptoms
      of the gastrointestinal tract are one of the most common complaints reported by
      patients, especially in the initial period of realimentation. Most common
      symptoms are associated with gastrointestinal motility disorders. The available
      data show that as many as half of patients suffering from anorexia nervosa
      manifest significant gastrointestinal motility disorders (incomplete relaxation
      of the upper and lower oesophageal sphincter, impaired compliance of the stomach,
      delayed gastric emptying, intestinal transit extension, decreased motility of the
      rectum and anus). These disorders along with gastrointestinal tract ailments may
      impede the restoration of proper diet, if not detected early and treated. There
      are relatively few studies on gastrointestinal motility disorders in patients
      suffering from anorexia nervosa, which do not clearly answer the question whether
      these disorders are genetic, or result from cachexia and whether they disappear
      along with the restoration of the normal body weight. No reference of research
      results to the clinical practice, and the lack of standard procedures for
      diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders in patients with anorexia
      nervosa are significant problems for specialists in the field of psychiatry and
      gastroenterology. 

PMID- 26488349
TI  - The perception of relations in the family of origin of patients with eating
      disorders and the perception of relations in families of origin of their parents.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Analysis of the correlation between the assessment of current family
      relations in families of patients diagnosed with eating disorders and the
      assessment of the relations in the family of origin of their parents. METHODS: 54
      female patients with restrictive anorexia nervosa, 22 female patients with binge
      purge anorexia, 36 female patients with bulimia. Two control groups were
      included: 36 female patients with depressive disorders and 85 schoolgirls from
      Krakow. The study also covered the girls' parents. Family of Origin Scale and FAM
      Family Assessment Measure (Polish version). RESULTS: In the families of
      schoolgirls from Krakow better evaluation of the experience of intimacy and
      autonomy in the family of origin of parents of the investigated girls was
      associated with their and their children more favourable perception of relations
      in the present nuclear family. What proved particularly significant were
      perception of transgenerational experiences of the fathers. Only a few
      statistically significant correlations were observed in all clinical groups. In
      the parents of the investigated patients a weak correlation was observed between
      the current marital relations perception and transgenerational experiences
      evaluation and a significant correlation between parents' transgenerational
      experience evaluation and the assessment of the relations with their daughters.
      CONCLUSIONS: No specific correlations were found between the perception of the
      transgenerational experience of parents and evaluation of current relations in
      the nuclear family of their children with eating disorders. The results in the
      group with eating disorders suggest that the relations between parents and
      daughters are more intense than marital relations.

PMID- 26488350
TI  - The association between self-image and defence mechanisms in a group of
      adolescent patients receiving psychiatric treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between various
      areas of self-image and defence mechanisms in adolescents. The study included a
      division into groups according to whether or not they were receiving psychiatric
      treatment. METHODS: Data were obtained from two groups: a clinical group (30
      persons), consisting of adolescent patients of the Adolescent Inpatient Ward of
      the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic and a control group (40 persons),
      adolescents attending upper secondary school. The Defence Style Questionnaire DSQ
      40 and the Offer Self Image Questionnaire were used in the study. RESULTS:
      Results showed no differences, in the maturity levels of the defence mechanisms,
      between the two groups. Subjects from the clinical group had a significantly
      lower self-image of themselves than subjects from the control group.. In both
      groups, the use of mature defence mechanisms was accompanied by a positive self
      image, while the use of less mature defence mechanisms was associated with a
      lower self-image. Comparison of the groups revealed different relationships
      between the aspects of self-image and used defence mechanisms, in particular the
      mechanism of projection. Number of significant correlations was greater in the
      clinical group. CONCLUSIONS: In the context of lower self-image, the study
      revealed the importance of such defence mechanisms as projection, acting out,
      somatization or schizoid fantasies. The obtained results seem to confirm a
      hypothesis that the assessment of the maturity of defence mechanisms in the
      period of adolescence is less clear and clinically useful.

PMID- 26488351
TI  - Personality disorders in adolescence.
AB  - Adult personality disorders are well recognized and described in the literature.
      The discussion about the possibility of the presence of personality disorders in
      adolescents started about 20 years ago. Some authors claim the before the age of
      18 it is only possible to identify precursors of future personality disorders and
      such a standpoint is reflected in diagnostic criteria. This is based on the
      assumption that personality in adolescence is still not well established.
      Consequently, the criterion on the persistence of symptoms for the period of time
      cannot be met (the persistence of symptoms of personality disorders for the
      period of at least two years). Other approach postulates that problems presented
      in adolescence should not be exclusively limited to Axis I according to DSM. The
      proponents of this approach claim that current diagnostic tools are not adjusted
      to adolescents, thus it is very difficult to measure stability and persistence of
      symptoms in this age group. This paper presents literature review on personality
      disorders in adolescence. 

PMID- 26488352
TI  - The prevalence of Non-suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) among high school students in
      relation to age and sex.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The undertaken research aimed at determining the frequency of
      deliberate self-injurious behaviour (D-SIB) among the students of secondary
      schools and also the analysis of the frequency of repeated Non-Suicidal Self
      Injury (NSSI) occurrences in accordance with DSM-5 criteria in reference to the
      age and sex in the studied population. METHODS: The data was collected via survey
      method according to the questionnaire prepared in compliance with the criteria
      DSM-5 and Self-Harm Inventory. The study included randomly selected students:
      1193 boys and 1027 girls in Bialystok aged 12 and 19 (average age +/- SD:16.8 +/-
      1.65). Statistical analysis of the data was carried out using the application
      Statistica 10.0 PL, StatSoft. RESULTS: These results indicate that D-SIB and NSSI
      affect both sexes. In the studied group 8.3 % of students engage in deliberate
      self-injurious behaviour. The percentage of NSSI was 4.8% (6.3% in the group of
      boys, 3.2 % among girls; p(Chi2)=0.01). Self-cutting was most common among 15
      year-old pupils ((D-SIB:14.75%; NNSI:8.1%). The majority of respondents (82% of
      girls and 74% of boys) revealed that as a result of self-injury behaviour they
      experience relief. CONCLUSIONS: Conducting further research in the area of NSSI
      seems to be crucial due to chronicity and prevalence as well as the fact that
      numerous repeated self-injuries bringing relief or causing positive state of mind
      might indicate a mechanism similar to an addiction syndrome in adolescence.

PMID- 26488353
TI  - Transcranial magnetic stimulation in treatment of various psychiatric disorders -
      review of the most prominent studies and the latest news.
AB  - The aim of this paper was to present the current use of repetitive transcranial
      magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in psychiatric disorders with the mode of its
      application and results of most prominent studies. The most robust data concerns
      its use in major depressive disorder, while in other psychiatric disorders
      results are preliminary. TMS with the development of new techniques and new
      treatment protocols has a potential to become a very useful treatment tool in
      pharmacoresistant patients or patients intolerant of pharmacotherapy. 

PMID- 26488354
TI  - The use of DBS stimulation in mental disorders - opportunities and risks.
AB  - Enlarging the knowledge on the biological background of mental disorder is the
      cause of the growth of interest in cooperation between psychiatrists and
      neurosurgeons. The experience gained over the last 20 years in research on the
      use of neuromodulation techniques in neurological disorders suggest that deep
      brain stimulation (DBS), in addition to improving the neurological condition can
      lead to positive changes in mood and drive. The use of functional brain research
      and neuroimaging allowed us to isolate key areas for the emergence of depressive
      symptoms and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The results of recent studies on the
      use of DBS in psychiatric disorders indicate, however, both the high efficiency
      of this method and possible complications and risks associated with it. The paper
      briefly presents the opportunities of using this method in drug-resistant
      patients, not responding to other, less invasive forms of treatment, as well as
      the potential risks and difficulties. However, further research in this area are
      still required to determine the actual effectiveness of the method, the optimal
      stereotactic targets, neurostimulation parameters, the risk of side effects and
      ways to avoid them. 

PMID- 26488355
TI  - Fibromyalgia Syndrome - a multidisciplinary approach.
AB  - According to American College of Rheumatology fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a
      common health problem characterized by widespread pain and tenderness. The pain
      and tenderness, although chronic, present a tendency to fluctuate both in
      intensity and location around the body. Patients with FMS experience fatigue and
      often have sleep disorders. It is estimated that FMS affects two to four percent
      of the general population. It is most common in women, though it can also occur
      in men. FMS most often first occur in the middle adulthood, but it can start as
      early as in the teen years or in the old age. The causes of FMS are unclear.
      Various infectious agents have recently been linked with the development of FMS.
      Some genes are potentially linked with an increased risk of developing FMS and
      some other health problems, which are common comorbidities to FMS. It is the
      genes that determine individual sensitivity and reaction to pain, quality of the
      antinociceptive system and complex biochemistry of pain sensation. Diagnosis and
      therapy may be complex and require cooperation of many specialists.
      Rheumatologists often make the diagnosis and differentiate FMS with other
      disorders from the rheumatoid group. FMS patients may also require help from the
      Psychiatric Clinic (Out-Patients Clinic) due to accompanying mental problems. As
      the pharmacological treatment options are limited and only complex therapy gives
      relatively good results, the treatment plan should include elements of physical
      therapy.

PMID- 26488356
TI  - Non-adaptive reaction to disease - coping, demographic variables and trauma
      symptoms in cancer patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the presented study was to determine the relations of
      styles and strategies of coping with stress and demographic variables with the
      intensity of PTSD symptoms in persons diagnosed with cancer. The study tried to
      determine which style of coping with stress is the best predictor of
      posttraumatic symptoms in the group. METHODS: This study was conducted on the
      group of 150 patients (55 females and 95 males) that were treated for cancer.
      Polish version of the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale - mini-MAC - was
      used to study styles of coping with stress. PTSD Inventory (PTSD-C) allowing for
      the quantitative estimation of the symptoms was used measure the intensity of
      PTSD symptoms. Additionally, a demographic questionnaire containing the questions
      about the age, sex, education, and the time since the diagnosis was employed for
      the benefits of this study. RESULTS: The results of the study indicate non
      adaptive function of destructive style. In the situation of being subjected to a
      traumatic event this style is propitious to the development of the symptoms of
      posttraumatic stress disorder. The individual strategies of coping, sex and age
      are correlated with higher intensity of posttraumatic symptoms in sick persons.
      CONCLUSIONS: Destructive style, of coping with stress is less beneficial for the
      adaptation to a cancerous disease. It may significantly influence the development
      of pathological symptoms characteristic to PTSD.

PMID- 26488357
TI  - Quality of life of patients with irritable bowel syndrome before and after
      education.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to analyse the impact of education
      of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) on their quality of life.
      METHODS: The study was carried out at the Gastroenterology Outpatient Clinic of
      the Independent Public Clinical Hospital No. 4 in Lublin and Gastroenterology
      Outpatient Clinic of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski Regional Specialist Hospital
      in Lublin in the years 2010-2011. The quality of life was analysed using the
      Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL-Q R. Schalock, K. Keith). The group of 83
      patients with the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome, who gave their consent
      for inclusion in the study, was provided with information about the essence of
      the disease, disease-related diet and lifestyle, course of the disease,
      medications, and check-ups. RESULTS: Our patients educated by the physician,
      nurse and those provided with written information had substantially higher scores
      in multi-dimensional aspects of the quality of life after education. Six months
      after education patients with IBS showed a significantly higher quality of life
      in all aspects, i.e. Satisfaction, Competence/productivity,
      Empowerment/independence and Social inclusion/community integration. The
      understanding of the essence of their disease contributed to a decrease in
      anxiety associated with the neoplastic disease and worrying symptoms, which
      significantly reduced the incidence of complaints. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Quality of
      life of patients with irritable bowel syndrome is substantially reduced in all
      the examined spheres. 2. Education of patients with IBS resulted in enhanced
      quality of life and reduced disease-related complaints. 3. Education of patients
      with IBS plays a significant role in the entire therapeutic process.

PMID- 26488358
TI  - Music therapy in neurological rehabilitation settings.
AB  - The neurologic music therapy is a new scope of music therapy. Its techniques deal
      with dysfunctions resulting from diseases of the human nervous system. Music can
      be used as an alternative modality to access functions unavailable through non
      musical stimulus. Processes in the brain activated by the influence of music can
      be generalized and transferred to non-musical functions. Therefore, in clinical
      practice, the translation of non-musical therapeutic exercises into analogous,
      isomorphic musical exercises is performed. They make use of the executive
      peculiarity of musical instruments and musical structures to prime, cue and
      coordinate movements. Among musical components, a repetitive rhythm plays a
      significant role. It regulates physiologic and behavioural functions through the
      mechanism of entrainment (synchronization of biological rhythms with musical
      rhythm based on acoustic resonance). It is especially relevant for patients with
      a deficient internal timing system in the brain. Additionally, regular rhythmic
      patterns facilitate memory encoding and decoding of non-musical information hence
      music is an efficient mnemonic tool. The music as a hierarchical, compound
      language of time, with its unique ability to access affective/motivational
      systems in the brain, provides time structures enhancing perception processes,
      mainly in the range of cognition, language and motor learning. It allows for
      emotional expression and improvement of the motivation for rehabilitation
      activities. The new technologies of rhythmic sensory stimulation (i.e. Binaural
      Beat Stimulation) or rhythmic music in combination with rhythmic light therapy
      appear. This multimodal forms of stimulation are used in the treatment of stroke,
      brain injury, dementia and other cognitive deficits. Clinical outcome studies
      provide evidence of the significant superiority of rehabilitation with music over
      the one without music. 

PMID- 26488360
TI  - Conference report: Progress in Biomedicine & Neuromedicine. Workshop with Nobel
      Prize Winner Professor Erwin Neher), Krakow 21-23.06.2015.

PMID- 26488359
TI  - Reduction of suicidal ideation in patients undergoing psychotherapy in the day
      hospital for the treatment of neurotic and behavioral disorders and neurotic
      symptoms reported by them before the hospitalization.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Analysis of associations between symptoms reported before the
      beginning of the hospitalization and reduction of suicidal ideation - or its lack
      - obtained until the end of the hospitalization in patients of the day hospital
      for the treatment of neurotic and behavioral disorders. METHODS: Symptoms
      Checklist KO"O" and Life Inventory completed by 461 women and 219 men treated
      with intensive integrative psychotherapy with predominance of psychodynamic
      approach in the day hospital due to neurotic, behavioral and personality
      disorders between 2005-2013. Percentages of patients reporting SI initially and
      at the end of the treatment were 29.1% and 10.2% respectively in women and 36.5%
      and 13.7% in men. The improvement in terms of initially reported SI was obtained
      by 84.3% of women and 77.5% of men. Among patients, those initially reporting SI
      were characterized by greater intensity of neurotic symptoms (p<0.001) and
      greater intensity of nearly all of 14 subtypes of neurotic symptoms(p<0.05).
      RESULTS: Among those reporting SI, subgroups of women with greater intensity of
      Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p=0.003), Neurasthenia (p=0.005), Autonomic
      disorders (p=0.044) and women reporting episodes of uncontrollable hunger
      (p<0.01) had significantly lower chances of improvement in terms of SI than
      others. CONCLUSIONS: Patients initially reporting SI constituted approximately
      1/3 in both genders and were characterized by greater intensity of neurotic
      disorders. Among those, women with particularly higher intensity of Obsessive
      compulsive symptoms, Neurasthenia and Autonomic disorders and women reporting
      episodes of uncontrollable hunger seemed to suffer from SI that were more
      resistant to the psychotherapy. As such, those subgroups of women require special
      attention and diligent selection of the therapeutic methods.

PMID- 26488361
TI  - Help us save the National Programme for the Protection of Mental Health (open
      letter).

PMID- 26488362
TI  - Comparison of the Clinical Effectiveness of PFNA, PFLCP, and DHS in Treatment of
      Unstable Intertrochanteric Femoral Fracture.
AB  - In this study, a randomized trial was conducted to compare the clinical
      effectiveness of proximal femoral locking compression plate (PFLCP), dynamic hip
      screw (DHS), and proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA) for unstable
      intertrochanteric femoral fracture treatment. Ninety patients diagnosed with
      unstable intertrochanteric femoral fracture were enrolled in this study at the
      department of orthopedics at Linyi Second People's Hospital between May 2010 and
      May 2012. Fractures were classified according to Tronzo-Evans classification, and
      the patients were randomly divided into 3 groups, PFLCP, DHS, and PFNA, with 30
      patients in each group. The length of incision, operative time, intraoperative
      blood loss, postoperative drainage, postoperative weight-bearing ambulation time,
      and duration of fracture union were significantly lower in patients who underwent
      PFNA and PFLCP compared to patients treated with DHS. Furthermore, when the same
      clinical parameters were used for comparison, the PFNA group showed markedly
      lower values compared with the PFLCP group. The total incidence of postoperative
      complications was significantly different among the PFNA, PFLCP, and DHS groups,
      with the PFNA group exhibiting markedly lower complication rates compared with
      PFLCP and DHS groups. However, PFLCP and DHS groups did not show significant
      differences in the incidence of postoperative complications. Notably, the Harris
      hip score of PFNA group was markedly higher than the DHS group. In conclusion,
      our results provide convincing evidence that PFNA may be the most effective
      internal fixation treatment of unstable intertrochanteric femoral fracture.

PMID- 26488363
TI  - Evaluation of Surface Roughness of Ceramic and Resin Composite Material Used for
      Conservative Indirect Restorations, after Repolishing by Intraoral Means.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare the mean surface roughness (Ra) of one ceramic
      and one resin composite material used for indirect restorations, after grinding
      and repolishing by intraoral means. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The materials used
      were the lithium disilicate glass ceramic IPS e.max Press (EMP) and the indirect
      resin composite restoration system Gradia (GR). Twelve specimen disks were
      prepared from each material according to the manufacturer of each material. Five
      initial measurements of the Ra (Ra1 ) were made on each specimen as a referral
      basis, and the specimens were ground with a fine (red) diamond bur. The specimens
      were repolished using (a) Komet Dialite Polishing Kit for EMP and (b) Enhance
      Finishing and Polishing System and Prisma Gloss Polishing Paste for GR. Five
      final Ra (Ra2 ) measurements were performed on each specimen. All measurements
      were made using a laser profilometer. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also
      used to visualize the initial surface morphology and the morphological changes on
      the specimens' surface after repolishing. RESULTS: A highly significant
      difference was found between Ra1EMP and Ra2EMP (p < 0.001), between Ra1GR and
      Ra2GR (p < 0.001), as well as between Ra2EMP and Ra2GR (p < 0.001), when compared
      in pairs. A highly significant difference (p < 0.001) was also found between
      DeltaRaEMP and DeltaRaGR , with DeltaRaGR being higher than DeltaRaEMP . The RaGR
      values were higher than the RaEMP values at all times. SEM revealed that both EMP
      and GR repolished surfaces presented with irregularities; however, in GR
      specimens major voids and craters were present. CONCLUSIONS: EMP was found to
      perform better when polished by intraoral means compared with GR. Both materials
      exhibited Ra2 above the critical threshold for increased plaque accumulation and
      periodontal inflammation. If enamel-to-enamel roughness found in occlusal contact
      areas is considered as baseline, both materials were clinically acceptable after
      repolishing.

PMID- 26488365
TI  - Synthesis of novel polysubstituted N-benzyl-1H-pyrroles via a cascade reaction of
      alkynyl Fischer carbenes with alpha-imino glycine methyl esters.
AB  - An efficient and simple synthesis of novel and densely substituted N-benzyl-1H
      pyrroles 6a-r is described by a 1,4-addition/isomerization/ring
      closure/demetalation cascade process of alkynyl Fischer carbene complexes 1a-f
      and 2a and alpha-imino glycine methyl esters 3a, b, d, g, h, and k promoted with
      LDA. 

PMID- 26488364
TI  - Digital signaling decouples activation probability and population heterogeneity.
AB  - Digital signaling enhances robustness of cellular decisions in noisy
      environments, but it is unclear how digital systems transmit temporal information
      about a stimulus. To understand how temporal input information is encoded and
      decoded by the NF-kappaB system, we studied transcription factor dynamics and
      gene regulation under dose- and duration-modulated inflammatory inputs.
      Mathematical modeling predicted and microfluidic single-cell experiments
      confirmed that integral of the stimulus (or area, concentration * duration)
      controls the fraction of cells that activate NF-kappaB in the population.
      However, stimulus temporal profile determined NF-kappaB dynamics, cell-to-cell
      variability, and gene expression phenotype. A sustained, weak stimulation lead to
      heterogeneous activation and delayed timing that is transmitted to gene
      expression. In contrast, a transient, strong stimulus with the same area caused
      rapid and uniform dynamics. These results show that digital NF-kappaB signaling
      enables multidimensional control of cellular phenotype via input profile,
      allowing parallel and independent control of single-cell activation probability
      and population heterogeneity. 

PMID- 26488366
TI  - Lack of Reproductive Toxicity in Adult Male Rats Exposed to Interferon-Alpha.
AB  - Interferon-alpha (IFN- alpha), a type I IFN, is a protein with antiviral,
      antiproliferative, and immunoregulatory activities, widely used in the treatment
      of several types of cancers as well as hepatitis B and C. Decrease of libido and
      erectile dysfunction are commonly reported by male patients during treatment of
      chronic hepatitis C with IFN- alpha . However, IFN therapy-associated underlying
      factors attributed to sexual dysfunction are still not well defined. Currently,
      there are few studies investigating the effects of IFN on male reproductive
      system functions. Given that, the aim of the present investigation was to examine
      effects of subchronic exposure to IFN- alpha (5 * 10(4) U/kg and 10 * 10(4) U/kg,
      30 d) on serum hormones, sperm parameters, fertility, and testicular and
      epididymal hystopathology and morphometry in adult male Wistar rats. None of the
      evaluated parameters was markedly altered by IFN- alpha . Thus, our results
      suggest that exposure to IFN- alpha , in this experimental design, did not
      adversely affect sperm quality and fertile capacity of male rats.

PMID- 26488367
TI  - Surface Mobility and Ordered Rearrangement of Immobilized DNA Origami.
AB  - The immobilization of DNA nanostructures on a surface is a key step for the
      integration of DNA-based material in nanotechnology for electronic or sensorial
      applications. Thereby the arrangement and distribution at the substrate surface
      is of growing interest. Top-down approaches such as lithography have been
      reported, but show certain limitations regarding costs and/or throughput. Here we
      present a self-assembly effect observed when already immobilized and dried
      origami preparations were again rehydrated under certain conditions, resulting in
      a certain ordering of densely packed origami structures. We investigate the
      influence of different parameters in order to reveal the underlying mechanisms,
      and find that subsequent droplet formation and interfacial tension during the
      droplet drying play a role. Further adjustment of these parameters could develop
      the introduced effect to an additional tool for controlled integration of DNA
      nanostructures. 

PMID- 26488369
TI  - Structural and Magnetic Properties of the Iridium Double Perovskites Ba(2
      x)Sr(x)YIrO6.
AB  - The crystal structures of the series of ordered double perovskites Ba(2
      x)Sr(x)YIrO6 (0 <= x <= 2) were refined using a combination of high-resolution
      synchrotron X-ray and high-intensity neutron diffraction data. The materials
      displayed a sequence of structures Fm3m(a(0)a(0)a(0)) (x = 0.6)-->
      I4/m(a(0)a(0)c(-)) (x = 1.0)--> I2/m(a(-)a(-)c(0)) (x = 1.4)--> P2(1)/n(a(-)a(
      )c(+)) associated with increased tilting of the corner-sharing octahedra induced
      by increasing amount of the smaller Sr cation present. A similar sequence of
      transitions was induced by heating selected samples. Magnetic susceptibility
      measurements between 2 and 300 K showed no evidence for long-range magnetic
      ordering, an observation that was supported by neutron diffraction measurements,
      and rather strong spin-orbit coupling results in a Jeff = 0 ground state.

PMID- 26488368
TI  - Development and characterization of a rapid polymerizing collagen for soft tissue
      augmentation.
AB  - A liquid collagen has been developed that fibrilizes upon injection. Rapid
      polymerizing collagen (RPC) is a type I porcine collagen that undergoes
      fibrillization upon interaction with ionic solutions, such as physiological
      solutions. The ability to inject liquid collagen would be beneficial for many
      soft tissue augmentation applications. In this study, RPC was synthesized and
      characterized as a possible dermal filler. Transmission electron microscopy, ion
      induced RPC fibrillogenesis tests, collagenase resistance assay, and injection
      force studies were performed to assess RPC's physicochemical properties. An in
      vivo study was performed which consisted of a 1-, 3-, and 6-month study where RPC
      was injected into the ears of miniature swine. The results demonstrated that the
      liquid RPC requires low injection force (<7 N); fibrillogenesis and banding of
      collagen occurs when RPC is injected into ionic solutions, and RPC has enhanced
      resistance to collagenase breakdown. The in vivo study demonstrated long-term
      biocompatibility with low irritation scores. In conclusion RPC possesses many of
      the desirable properties of a soft tissue augmentation material. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 758-767, 2016.

PMID- 26488370
TI  - Multicomponent Synthesis of Functionalized Tetrahydroacridinones: Insights into a
      Mechanistic Route.
AB  - A mechanistic study of three-component reactions of various aromatic amines with
      a number of aldehydes and 1,3-diones was achieved. The unprecedented reaction
      involved a nucleophilic attack of an aromatic amine on the in situ generated
      Michael adduct intermediate followed by six-electron ring cyclizations. It is
      contrary to the common belief that advocates involvement of coupling reactions
      between a Knoevenagel adduct and an aromatic amine to deliver substituted
      tetrahydroacridinones. 

PMID- 26488371
TI  - Distance-Based Tear Lactoferrin Assay on Microfluidic Paper Device Using
      Interfacial Interactions on Surface-Modified Cellulose.
AB  - "Distance-based" detection motifs on microfluidic paper-based analytical devices
      (MUPADs) allow quantitative analysis without using signal readout instruments in
      a similar manner to classical analogue thermometers. To realize a cost-effective
      and calibration-free distance-based assay of lactoferrin in human tear fluid on a
      MUPAD not relying on antibodies or enzymes, we investigated the fluidic
      mobilities of the target protein and Tb(3+) cations used as the fluorescent
      detection reagent on surface-modified cellulosic filter papers. Chromatographic
      elution experiments in a tear-like sample matrix containing electrolytes and
      proteins revealed a collapse of attractive electrostatic interactions between
      lactoferrin or Tb(3+) and the cellulosic substrate, which was overcome by the
      modification of the paper surface with the sulfated polysaccharide iota
      carrageenan. The resulting MUPAD based on the fluorescence emission distance
      successfully analyzed 0-4 mg mL(-1) of lactoferrin in complex human tear matrix
      with a lower limit of detection of 0.1 mg mL(-1) by simple visual inspection.
      Assay results of 18 human tear samples including ocular disease patients and
      healthy volunteers showed good correlation to the reference ELISA method with a
      slope of 0.997 and a regression coefficient of 0.948. The distance-based
      quantitative signal and the good batch-to-batch fabrication reproducibility
      relying on printing methods enable quantitative analysis by simply reading out
      "concentration scale marks" printed on the MUPAD without performing any
      calibration and using any signal readout instrument. 

PMID- 26488372
TI  - Accelerated Time-Resolved Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Angiography of
      Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas Using Highly Constrained Reconstruction of Sparse
      Cerebrovascular Data Sets.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Time-resolved contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)
      is commonly used to noninvasively characterize vascular malformations. However,
      the spatial and temporal resolution of current methods often compromises the
      clinical value of the examinations. Constrained reconstruction is a temporal
      spatial correlation strategy that exploits the relative sparsity of vessels in
      space to dramatically reduce the amount of data required to generate fast high
      resolution time-resolved contrast-enhanced MRA studies. In this report, we use a
      novel temporal spatial acceleration method termed HYPRFlow to diagnose and
      classify dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs). Our hypothesis is that HYPRFlow
      images are of adequate diagnostic image quality to delineate the arterial and
      venous components of DAVFs and allow correct classification using the Cognard
      system. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eight patients with known DAVFs underwent HYPRFlow
      imaging with isotropic resolution of 0.68 mm and temporal resolution of 0.75
      second and 3-dimensional time-of-flight (3DTOF) MRA. The 3DTOF images and
      HYPRFlow images were evaluated by 2 readers and scored for arterial anatomic
      image quality. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was available for comparison
      in 7 subjects, and for these patients, each DAVF was classified according to the
      Cognard system using HYPRFlow and DSA examinations. Digital subtraction
      angiography was considered the reference examination or criterion standard.
      RESULTS: HYPRFlow imaging classification was concordant with DSA in all but 1
      case. There was no difference in the arterial image quality scores between
      HYPRFlow and 3DTOF MRA (95% confidence interval). Arterial-to-venous separation
      was rated excellent (n = 3), good (n = 4), or poor (n = 1), and arteriovenous
      shunting was easily appreciated. Undersampling artifacts were reduced by using a
      low pass filter and did not interfere with the diagnostic quality of the
      examinations. CONCLUSIONS: HYPRFlow is a novel acquisition and reconstruction
      technique that exploits the relative sparsity of intracranial vessels in space to
      increase temporal and spatial resolution and provides accurate delineation of
      DAVF vasculature.

PMID- 26488373
TI  - Parenchymal Blood Volume Assessed by C-Arm-Based Computed Tomography in Immediate
      Posttreatment Evaluation of Drug-Eluting Bead Transarterial Chemoembolization in
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess clinical utility of the
      quantitative perfusion parameter called parenchymal blood volume (PBV), as
      derived from C-arm-based computed tomography (CT), for immediate posttreatment
      assessment of drug-eluting bead (DEB) transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four patients with
      early- or intermediate-stage HCC received DEB-TACE. A total of 52 HCC lesions
      were treated and assessed by C-arm CT before and after intervention. C-arm CT
      consisted of nonenhanced and contrast-enhanced acquisitions; from these, PBV maps
      were reconstructed. Lesion diameter, maximum PBV, and unenhanced parenchyma
      density were assessed before and after treatment. Diameter of visible contrast
      media deposits as well as residual vascularization was assessed after delivery of
      DEB. All patients underwent follow-up using cross-sectional imaging. All assessed
      lesions were evaluated concerning modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid
      Tumors for HCC. RESULTS: All treated lesions showed significant decrease in PBV
      after DEB-TACE (mean difference, -15.61 mL/100 mL, P < 0.0001). Eleven lesions
      showed residual tumoral perfusion in PBV maps associated with an unfavorable
      outcome compared with completely treated lesions in terms of a lower tumor
      shrinkage over time (-0.02 +/- 0.49 vs -0.76 +/- 0.38; P < 0.0001). A contrast
      media deposit was seen in 78% of treated HCC lesions with a tendency toward
      better visibility in encapsulated lesions. Nonenhanced parenchyma density was
      significantly higher in all treated segments (149.69 +/- 58.6 vs 68.42 +/- 18.04,
      P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Parenchymal blood volume values as derived from C-arm
      CT acquisitions in combination with nonenhanced and contrast-enhanced C-arm CT
      images are useful in posttreatment assessment of DEB-TACE in HCC. Residual tumor
      perfusion in PBV maps have predictive potential for mid-term tumor response in
      HCC and could allow a more individualized treatment schedule for DEB-TACE in HCC
      patients.

PMID- 26488374
TI  - A Novel and Sensitive Approach for the Evaluation of Liver Ischemia-Reperfusion
      Injury After Liver Transplantation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the potential of x-ray
      propagation-based phase-contrast imaging (PCI) computed tomography (CT) for the
      detection and characterization of early changes after ischemia-reperfusion (IR)
      in a standardized rat liver transplantation (LTx) model. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Syngeneic orthotopic liver transplantation was performed in male Lewis rats.
      Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI)-induced changes of liver parenchyma were
      investigated in a time-dependent manner (2, 16, 24, and 32 hours). X-ray phase
      contrast images of formalin-fixated liver specimens were acquired in CT mode by
      using a voxel size of 8 * 8 * 8 MUm. Necrapoptotic cell death was visualized with
      the TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling technique, and alterations of
      liver graft microhemodynamics, that is, acinar and sinusoidal perfusion failure,
      were evaluated by in vivo fluorescence microscopy. RESULTS: Acquired and
      reconstructed PCI-CT images showed an increase in necrotic liver parenchyma
      dependent on cold storage time, measuring 5.7% +/- 1.6% after 2 hours (comparable
      to 2.6% +/- 0.4% for sham livers), 11.5% +/- 2.1% (16 hours; P < 0.05 vs
      control), 23.0% +/- 0.5% (24 hours; P < 0.001 vs control), and 31.3% +/- 2.2% (32
      hours; P < 0.001 vs control). There were a significant lower number of perfused
      acini in dependence on increasing cold storage time. The acinar perfusion index
      reached 0.970 +/- 0.006 after 2 hours of cold ischemia (comparable to 0.960 +/-
      0.009 for sham livers) and declined continuously after 16, 24, and 32 hours cold
      ischemia (0.58 +/- 0.03, 0.49 +/- 0.02, 0.41 +/- 0.03, each P < 0.0001 vs
      controls). Comparable results were found for sinusoidal perfusion, reaching 1.8%
      +/- 0.4% of nonperfused sinusoids for 2 hours of cold ischemia and 8.2% +/- 0.8%
      after 16 hours, 18.8% +/- 1.4% after 24 hours, and 39.0% +/- 2.4% after 32 hours
      (each P < 0.0001 vs controls). Prolonged cold ischemia was associated with an
      increasing number of TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling-positive cells
      (hepatocytes and sinusoidal lining cells), reaching 0.4 +/- 0.1 (sham), 0.7 +/-
      0.4 (2 hours), 6.4 +/- 1.1 (16 hours), 2.1 +/- 0.3 (24 hours), and 14.7 +/- 3.5
      (32 hours; P = 0.002) for hepatocytes. CONCLUSIONS: X-ray PCI of histological
      liver specimens can detect IR-induced tissue necrosis and can provide detailed
      complementary 3-dimensional information to standard histopathologic findings.

PMID- 26488375
TI  - Left Atrial 4-Dimensional Flow Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Stasis and Velocity
      Mapping in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Left atrial (LA) 4-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      was used to derive anatomic maps of LA stasis, peak velocity, and time-to-peak
      (TTP) velocity in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and to identify
      relationships between LA flow with LA volume and patient characteristics.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four-dimensional flow MRI for the in vivo assessment of
      time-resolved 3-dimensional LA blood flow velocities was performed in 111
      subjects: 42 patients with a history of AF and in sinus rhythm (AF-sinus), 39
      patients with persistent AF (AF-afib), 10 young healthy volunteers (HVs), and 20
      age-appropriate controls (CTRL). Data analysis included the 3-dimensional
      segmentation of the LA and the calculation of LA stasis, peak velocity, and TTP
      maps. Regional LA flow dynamics were quantified by calculating mean stasis, peak
      velocity, and TTP in the LA center region and the region adjacent to the LA wall.
      RESULTS: A sensitivity analysis identified thresholds for global LA stasis (<0.1
      m/s) and peak velocity (top 5% LA velocities), which detected significant
      differences between AF patients and controls for global LA stasis (HV, 25% +/-
      5%; CTRL, 29% +/- 10%; AF-sinus, 41% +/- 13%; AF-afib, 52% +/- 17%) and peak
      velocity (HV, 0.43 +/- 0.02 m/s; CTRL, 0.37 +/- 0.04 m/s; AF-sinus, 0.33 +/- 0.05
      m/s; AF-afib, 0.30 +/- 0.05 m/s). Regional analysis revealed significantly
      increased stasis at both LA center and wall for AF patients compared with age
      appropriate controls (29%-84% difference, P < 0.006) and for AF-afib versus AF
      sinus patients (22%-30% difference, P < 0.004). In addition, stasis close to the
      LA wall was significantly elevated (P < 0.001) compared with the LA center for
      all subject groups. Multiple regressions revealed significant (RAdj = 0.45-0.50,
      P < 0.001) relationships between impaired global LA flow (reduced velocity and
      increased stasis) with age (|beta| = 0.27-0.50, P < 0.002) and LA volume (|beta|
      = 0.26-0.50, P < 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Atrial 4-dimensional flow MRI detected
      changes in global and regional LA flow dynamics associated with AF, age, and LA
      volume. Longitudinal studies are needed to test the diagnostic value of LA flow
      metrics as potential risk factors for thromboembolic events.

PMID- 26488376
TI  - Hypotensive effect of alpha-lipoic acid after a single administration in rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The effect of alpha-lipoic acid on blood pressure was investigated
      many times in chronic studies, but there are no studies on the effect of this
      compound after a single administration. Alpha-lipoic acid is a drug used in
      diabetic neuropathy, often in obese patients, to treat hypertension. Therefore,
      knowledge of the potential antihypertensive effect of alpha-lipoic acid even
      after a single dose and possibly too much pressure reduction is interesting and
      useful. METHODS: The mechanism of the hypotensive effect of alpha-lipoic acid was
      examined in normotensive rats in vivo after a single intraperitoneal
      administration, blood pressure in the left carotid artery of the rats was
      measured prior to the administration of the compounds (alpha- lipoic acid and/or
      glibenclamide) and 80 min thereafter. RESULTS: Alpha-lipoic acid at a dosage of
      50 mg/kg b.w. i.p. significantly decreased the blood pressure from the 50th min
      after drug administration. This cardiovascular effect of this compound was
      reversed by glibenclamide, a selective KATP blocker. Glibenclamide alone at this
      dose did not significantly affect the blood pressure. Statistical significance
      was evaluated using two-way ANOVA. CONCLUSION: This suggests that alpha-lipoic
      acid affects ATP-dependent potassium channels. It is possible that this is an
      indirect effect of hydrogen sulfide because alpha-lipoic acid can increase its
      concentration. The results obtained in this study are very important because the
      patients taking alpha-lipoic acid may be treated for co-existing hypertension.
      Therefore, the possibility of blood pressure lowering by alpha-lipoic acid should
      be taken into account, although it does not lead to excessive orthostatic
      hypotension.

PMID- 26488377
TI  - Therapeutic effects of pentoxifylline on diabetic heart tissue via NOS.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Diabetes mellitus causes a decrease in cardiac output, arterial blood
      pressure, and heart rate. In this study, we aimed to investigate, at the
      molecular level, the effect of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) on heart pathology in
      type 1 diabetes and look at the therapeutic effect of pentoxifylline on this
      pathology. METHODS: In this experimental study, 50 Wistar albino male rats were
      used. The rats were divided into 5 groups: group C, control; group D, only
      diabetes; group D+PI and D+PII, diabetes + pentoxifylline; group P, only
      pentoxifylline. Group D+PI rats received 50 mg/kg/day pentoxifylline over two
      months. However, group D+PII rats received saline in the first month and 50
      mg/kg/day of pentoxifylline over the following month. At the end of two months,
      NOS expressions in heart tissue were assessed through immunohistochemistry
      analysis. The data were compared by one-way ANOVA. RESULTS: At the end of the
      experiments, there was increased cytoplasmic vacuolization, myofibrillar loss,
      cytoplasmic eosinophilia, and degeneration of cardiomyocytes; nNOS and iNOS
      expressions in group D decreased compared with that in group C. In group D+PI and
      group D+PII, nNOS and iNOS expressions improved compared with group D.
      CONCLUSION: As a result, we found that diabetes, a known chronic disease, causes
      serious damage in heart tissue. NOS plays a role in this damage, and
      pentoxifylline aided in improving nNOS and iNOS expression in this damage.

PMID- 26488378
TI  - Evaluation of left atrial volume and function in systemic sclerosis patients
      using speckle tracking and real-time three-dimensional echocardiography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate left atrial (LA) volume
      and functions using real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) and
      speckle tracking in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients. METHODS: The study was
      designed as a cross-sectional observational study. We studied 41 consecutive SSc
      patients (38 females, mean age: 49.5+/-11.6 years) and 38 healthy controls (35
      females, mean age: 48.5+/-10.8 years). Patients with evidence or history of
      cardiovascular disease and patients with risk factors as hypertension, diabetes
      and chronic renal failure were excluded from the study. All study subjects
      underwent standard echocardiography; LA speckle tracking and RT3DE was performed
      to assess LA volume and phasic functions. Differences between numeric variables
      were tested using the independent sample Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test,
      where appropriate. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between SSC
      patients and controls regarding left ventricular (LV) systolic functions and two
      dimensional (2-D) atrial diameters. Presence of LV diastolic dysfunction (LVDD)
      was evaluated and graded according to recommendations of the American Society of
      Echocardiography. Accordingly, LVDD was observed to be significantly more
      frequent in SSc patients; 16 SSc patients (39%) and 5 controls (12.8%) were
      observed to have LVDD (p=0.007). With regard to results obtained from RT3DE, LA
      maximum, minimum, and before atrial contraction volumes were significantly higher
      (40.5+/-14.6 vs. 32.6+/-8.9, 15.5+/-8.4 vs. 9.9+/-3.5 and 28.7+/-11.7 vs. 21.4+/
      7.0 mL respectively, p<0.05 for all), whereas LA active emptying fraction, LA
      total emptying fraction, LA expansion index, and passive emptying fraction values
      were significantly (47.1+/-12.0 vs. 52.9+/-10.1%, 62.8+/-10.5 vs. 69.5+/-6.7%,
      187.5+/-76.0 vs. 246.6+/-96.0, 29.6+/-9.3 vs. 34.4+/-11.0% respectively, p<0.05
      for all) in SSc patients than in controls. In addition, regarding results
      obtained from speckle tracking echocardiography, atrial peak-systolic
      longitudinal strain (epsilon), early negative strain rate (SR), late negative SR,
      and peak positive SR values were observed to be significantly lower in SSc
      patients. CONCLUSION: LA volumes were significantly increased, and LA reservoir,
      conduit, and contractile functions were significantly impaired in SSc patients
      compared with controls. LA volume and functional analyses with RT3DE and speckle
      tracking may facilitate the recognition of subtle LA dysfunction in SSc patients.

PMID- 26488379
TI  - Heart rate variability and heart rate turbulence in patients with polycystic
      ovary syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cardiac autonomic dysfunction may develop in patients with polycystic
      ovary syndrome (PCOS). Heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate turbulence
      (HRT) are used in assessing cardiac autonomic functions. The goal of this study
      was to compare the cardiac autonomic functions in patients with PCOS and healthy
      controls. To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating cardiac autonomic
      functions in patients with PCOS with respect to both HRV and HRT. METHODS: Twenty
      three patients with PCOS (mean age 22.8+/-3.9 years) and 25 healthy female
      volunteers who were matched for age and body mass index (BMI) (mean age 23.5+/
      6.2 years) were enrolled in this as case-control study. Twenty-four hour
      ambulatory electrocardiogram recordings of all participants were taken using
      Pathfinder software. The time domain parameters of HRV and HRT, including
      turbulence onset (TO) and turbulence slope, were calculated. Diagnosis of PCOS
      was made with physical and laboratory findings of hirsutism or biochemical
      hyperandrogenism and chronic anovulation. Diabetes mellitus, other hormon
      disorders or hormon therapy, pregnancy, atrial fibrilation, obesite, chronic
      diseases, disorders of the autonomic nervous system, a history of drug use
      affecting the autonomic nervous system were excluded. RESULTS: There were no
      significant differences in HRV and HRT parameters between the two groups.
      Cardiovascular risk factors, such as BMI, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose,
      and lipid parameters, were also similar. Triangular index measure of HRV was
      negatively correlated with high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (r=-0.47,
      p<0.05), while age and BMI were significantly correlated with TO (r=0.31 and
      0.47, respectively; p<0.05 for all). CONCLUSION: Cardiac autonomic functions were
      not found to be altered in patients with PCOS in comparison with healthy
      controls. These results may be explained with the absence of concomitant
      cardiovascular risk factors with the patients being in the early stage of the
      disease.

PMID- 26488380
TI  - Effects of balanced propofol sedation on QT, corrected QT, and P-wave dispersion
      on upper endoscopy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Combined sedation with propofol and benzodiazepines, known as balanced
      propofol sedation (BPS), was developed to increase patient comfort during
      endoscopy. However, the effects of BPS on P-wave dispersion (Pwd), QT interval,
      and corrected QT (QTc) interval after endoscopy have not been investigated.
      METHODS: The study population consisted of 40 patients with BPS and 42 without
      sedation who were scheduled to undergo upper endoscopy in this cross-sectional
      prospective study. Patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, renal failure,
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, or valvular heart
      disease and those on medications that interfere with cardiac conduction times
      were excluded. Electrocardiograms (ECGs) was recorded in all patients pre
      endoscopy and 10 min post-endoscopy. QT, QT dispersion (QTd), and Pwd were
      defined from 12-lead ECG. The QTc interval was calculated using Bazett's formula.
      All analyses were performed using SPSS 15.0. RESULTS: Post-endoscopy P max
      duration and Pwd were prolonged compared with baseline values (86+/-13 ms vs.
      92+/-10 ms and 29+/-12 ms vs. 33+/-12 ms, respectively; p<0.05). Post-endoscopy
      QTc and QTd were decreased compared with baseline values, but these decreases
      were not statistically significant (431+/-25 ms vs. 416+/-30 ms and 62+/-28 ms
      vs. 43+/-22 ms, respectively; p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study showed that
      P-wave duration and Pwd values increased after endoscopy with a combination of
      midazolam and propofol sedation. Physicians should be made aware of the potential
      effects of BPS in terms on P-wave duration and Pwd values.

PMID- 26488381
TI  - Galectin-3 levels in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and its
      relationship with left ventricular mass index and function.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cardiac fibrosis is an important contributor to adverse left
      ventricular (LV) remodeling and arrhythmias in patients with hypertrophic
      cardiomyopathy (HCM). Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a novel marker of cardiac fibrosis
      and inflammation. In this study, we investigated Gal-3 levels in patients with
      HCM and controls and assessed the relationship between Gal-3 level and
      echocardiographic indices using strain echocardiography in patients with HCM.
      METHODS: Forty patients with HCM in sinus rhythm and 35 healthy controls were
      prospectively enrolled in this case-control study. The HCM diagnosis was based on
      two-dimensional echocardiographic demonstration of a hypertrophied and non
      dilated left ventricle (LV) with a wall thickness >=15 mm in one or more LV
      myocardial segments in the absence of any cardiac or systemic disease capable of
      inducing LV hypertrophy. Patients with one of the followings were excluded:
      coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation episodes on 24-h Holter
      electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring, history of an invasive intervention to
      alleviate an LV outflow (LVOT) obstruction, inadequate image quality, renal
      disease, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, liver cirrhosis, and pulmonary
      fibrosis. Global LV longitudinal, circumferential strain and strain rates, peak
      torsion, and LV mass index (LVMI) of all subjects were assessed by
      echocardiography. Gal-3 levels were measured in all subjects. RESULTS: Left
      ventricular global longitudinal strain (-13.37+/-4.6% vs. -18.93+/-2.5%, p<0.001)
      and strain rate (0.66+/-0.22 s-1 vs. 1.08+/-0.14 s-1, respectively; p<0.001)
      values were lower in patients with HCM than in controls. Gal-3 levels were
      significantly higher in patients with HCM than in controls (16.9+/-6.64 ng/mL vs.
      13.21+/-3.42 ng/mL, p=0.005). Gal-3 levels were associated with the thickness of
      the interventricular septum (r=0.444, p=0.004) and LVMI (r=0.365, p=0.021);
      however, they were not associated with LV global longitudinal strain (p=0.42) or
      strain rate (p=0.28). CONCLUSION: Gal-3 levels increased and were correlated with
      the degree of LV hypertrophy in patients with HCM. Gal-3 is not a good marker of
      decreased myocardial LV diastolic and systolic functions in these patients.

PMID- 26488382
TI  - Association between platelet to lymphocyte ratio and saphenous vein graft disease
      in patients with stable angina pectoris.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to investigate the relation of platelet to
      lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in saphenous vein graft disease (SVGD) in patients with
      stable angina pectoris after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. METHODS: A
      total of 455 patients were included in the study. There were 210 patients with
      SVGD and 245 patients without SVGD. The effects of different variables on SVGD
      were computed in logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The platelet count,
      lymphocyte count, PLR, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), Na, and ALT were
      significantly associated with SVGD. In multivariate regression analysis, HDL and
      PLR were found to be significantly associated with SVGD. CONCLUSION: To the best
      of our knowledge, this is the first study showing the significant association of
      PLR with SVGD. This study suggests that PLR can be used as a marker of SVGD
      because it is an easily available and inexpensive test.

PMID- 26488384
TI  - Phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric classic Passerini reaction.
AB  - An efficient enantioselective classic three-component Passerini reaction with a
      broad substrate scope in the presence of a chiral phosphoric acid catalyst has
      been developed. This represents the general example for classic three-component
      Passerini reaction with good to excellent enantioselectivies involving aromatic
      aldehydes and the bulky pivalaldehyde under mild reaction conditions. The feature
      of this method is highlighted by using a chiral phosphoric acid to activate
      carboxylic acid, aldehyde, and isocyanide for the facile construction of widely
      useful complex compounds. 

PMID- 26488383
TI  - Determination of reference values for tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion
      in healthy Turkish children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) is an
      echocardiographic measurement used for evaluating right ventricular systolic
      function. While established reference values of TAPSE exist for the adult
      population, only a limited number of studies have attempted to evaluate reference
      values for the pediatric population. The aim of the present study was to
      determine the reference values for TAPSE in healthy children in Turkey. METHODS:
      A total of 765 healthy children aged between 0 and 18 years, all of whom were
      referred to our clinic with cardiac murmurs, were evaluated prospectively.
      Patients with no cardiac pathologies or other disorders were excluded from the
      study. The measurement of TAPSE was obtained using a 2D-guided M-mode technique
      with echocardiography, and the relationship between age and surface area with
      TAPSE was investigated. The statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS
      20.0 software package (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA, 2012). RESULTS: The mean
      TAPSE value was found to be 19.56+/-5.54 mm, and no significant difference was
      identified between male and female children. TAPSE values showed a positive
      correlation with increasing age and surface area. The mean TAPSE value was 9.09+/
      1.36 mm in newborns and 25.91+/-3.60 mm in the 13-18 years age group. A negative
      correlation was seen between TAPSE and heart rate. CONCLUSION: In the present
      study, the reference values for TAPSE in healthy Turkish children were presented
      in percentile tables and the corresponding z-scores were determined. These
      reference values may be useful in daily practice for the evaluation of right
      ventricular systolic function in children.

PMID- 26488385
TI  - Sensitivity to Polymyxin B in El Tor Vibrio cholerae O1 Strain, Kolkata, India.

PMID- 26488386
TI  - Solvent Effects on the Formation of Surface Nanodroplets by Solvent Exchange.
AB  - Solvent exchange is a simple process to form oil nanodroplets at solid-liquid
      interfaces with well-defined location and morphology. In this process, a good
      solvent of the oil is displaced by a poor solvent, leading to the nucleation and
      growth of oil droplets from a transient oversaturation at the mixing front. Our
      recent work has shown that the final volume of the droplets is related to the
      flow conditions. In this work, we investigate the effects of the type and the
      composition of solvents on the droplet formation under the same flow conditions.
      Water nanodroplets were produced by ethanol/cyclohexane (solution A) and
      cyclohexane (solution B) on a hydrophilic substrate. We found that the droplet
      size increases first and then decreases with an increase of the initial ethanol
      concentration in solution A. This is attributed to the phase separation of
      ethanol-cyclohexane-water; in particular, the composition of solution A on the
      phase boundary above the Ouzo region. The same reason also contributes to the
      lower efficiency in droplet formation for a longer alkane. The important
      implication from this work is that the maximal droplet volume is limited by the
      phase separation of the solvents used in the solvent exchange. 

PMID- 26488387
TI  - Induction Therapy versus Initial Surgery in Advanced Thymic Tumors: Perioperative
      and Oncological Outcome.
AB  - Background Despite the intense debate concerning management of advanced thymic
      tumors, no specific oncological strategies have been yet recommended. We report
      our 13 years' experience to investigate this issue. Methods From 01/2001 to
      12/2013, the clinical data of 28 patients treated for Masaoka stages III-IV
      thymic tumors were retrospectively reviewed. Eleven potentially nonresectable
      patients (Group A) underwent induction chemotherapy plus surgery, while immediate
      surgery was performed in 17 patients (Group B). The endpoint was to compare the
      two groups on (1) surgical resectability; (2) postoperative course; (3) disease
      free survival; and (4) overall survival. Results Both groups were comparable in
      terms of age, gender, clinical stage, clinical tumor size, histology, and
      adjuvant therapy. Length of surgery was statistically longer in Group A (p =
      0.015). Combined surgery and R0 resection was similarly performed in both groups
      (p = 0.14 and p = 0.99, respectively). The 3-year overall survival was 71.4% for
      Group A and 93.3% for Group B (p = 0.84). On the other hand, 3-year disease-free
      survival was 40.5 and 53.7% for Group A and B, respectively (p = 0.67). At
      multivariate analysis, gender was the strongest predictor for recurrence (hazard
      ratio = 5.71 [1.22; 26.67], p = 0.03). Conclusion Our results suggest that
      induction therapy allows obtaining acceptable clinical responses as well as
      resectability, survival, and recurrence rates. In selected patients with
      "clinically resectable" stage III-IV cancers, surgery (as first step of a
      multimodality therapy) could be a feasible treatment option.

PMID- 26488389
TI  - Service Transformed: Illustrations of Women Veterans Past and Present.

PMID- 26488388
TI  - "It's Not All About My Baby's Sleep": A Qualitative Study of Factors Influencing
      Low-Income African American Mothers' Sleep Quality.
AB  - Low-income African American mothers are at particular risk for poor postpartum
      sleep. This study sought to understand facilitators and barriers that exist to
      getting a good night's sleep among these high-risk mothers. Semistructured
      interviews with 18 low-income African Americans (3-6 months postpartum) were
      conducted. Most mothers described their own sleep quality to be poor, despite the
      fact that their babies' sleep improved substantially from the newborn period.
      Mothers kept themselves awake due to their own internal worry and anxiety, along
      with external factors that were largely independent of babies' sleep, including
      work and school commitments and the home environment. For the few mothers with
      good sleep quality, time management and family support were strong facilitators.
      Findings lay the groundwork for sleep improvement interventions.

PMID- 26488391
TI  - Can we predict future allergies from our infant gut microbiota?

PMID- 26488392
TI  - Peer-Review Fraud--Hacking the Scientific Publication Process.

PMID- 26488390
TI  - Suppression of von Hippel-Lindau Protein in Fibroblasts Protects against
      Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis.
AB  - We have reported that von Hippel-Lindau protein (pVHL) expression is elevated in
      human and mouse fibrotic lungs and that overexpression of pVHL stimulates
      fibroblast proliferation. We sought to determine whether loss of pVHL in
      fibroblasts prevents injury and fibrosis in mice that are treated with bleomycin.
      We generated heterozygous fibroblast-specific pVHL (Fsp-VHL) knockdown mice (Fsp
      VHL(+/-)) and homozygous Fsp-VHL knockout mice (Fsp-VHL(-/-)) by crossbreeding
      vhlh 2-lox mice (VHL(fl/fl)) with Fsp-Cre recombinase mice. Our data show that
      Fsp-VHL(-/-) mice, but not Fsp-VHL(+/-) mice, have elevated red blood cell
      counts, hematocrit, hemoglobin content, and expression of hypoxia-inducible
      factor (HIF) targets, indicating HIF activation. To examine the role of pVHL in
      bleomycin-induced lung injury and fibrosis in vivo, we administered PBS or
      bleomycin to age-, sex-, and strain-matched 8-week-old VHL(fl/fl), Fsp-VHL(+/-),
      and Fsp-VHL(-/-) mice. In Fsp-VHL(+/-) and Fsp-VHL(-/-) mice, bleomycin-induced
      collagen accumulation, fibroblast proliferation, differentiation, and matrix
      protein dysregulation were markedly attenuated. Suppression of pVHL also
      decreased bleomycin-induced Wnt signaling and prostaglandin E2 signaling but did
      not affect bleomycin-induced initial acute lung injury and lung inflammation.
      These results indicate that pVHL has a pivotal role in bleomycin-induced
      pulmonary fibrosis, possibly via an HIF-independent pathway. Paradoxically, pVHL
      does not affect bleomycin-induced lung injury and inflammation, indicating a
      separation of the mechanisms involved in injury/inflammation from those involved
      in pulmonary fibrosis.

PMID- 26488393
TI  - Establishment of a Novel Bladder Cancer Xenograft Model in Humanized
      Immunodeficient Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to develop a novel model by
      transplanting human bladder cancer xenografts into humanized immunodeficient mice
      (SCID). METHODS: The animals first underwent sublethal irradiation and then were
      subjected to simultaneous transplantation of human lymphocytes (5 * 107
      cells/mouse i.p.) and human bladder cancer cells (3 * 106 cells/mouse s.c.).
      RESULTS: The xenografts developed in all 12 mice that had received bladder cancer
      BIU-87 cells, and the tumor specimens were evaluated histologically. All 6 model
      mice expressed human CD3 mRNA and/or protein in the peripheral blood, spleens and
      xenografts. The mean proportion of human CD3+ cells was 19% with a level of human
      IgG 532.4 u/ml in the peripheral blood at Week 6 after transplant inoculation.
      The re-constructed human immune system in these mice was confirmed to be
      functional by individual in vitro testing of their proliferative, secretory and
      cytotoxic responses. CONCLUSION: The successful engraftment of the human bladder
      cancer xenografts and the establishment of the human immune system in our in vivo
      model described here may provide a useful tool for the development of novel
      therapeutic strategies targeting at bladder cancer.

PMID- 26488394
TI  - Cavernous Hemangiomas of the Pediatric Calvaria.
AB  - This series reports 2 pediatric cases of calvarial cavernous hemangioma
      (cavernoma, cavernous malformation) treated surgically at Children's Hospital
      Colorado between 2008 and 2010. Both cases presented as painless bony masses
      which enlarged over time. Both patients underwent surgical resection without
      complication and have remained recurrence free since surgery. Because so few
      cases have been reported among pediatric populations, little is known regarding
      the epidemiology and prognosis of calvarial cavernous hemangiomas in children.
      These cases represent interesting additions to the small body of literature on
      these rare tumors. 

PMID- 26488395
TI  - Identification of Critical Amino Acids Conferring Lethality in VopK, a Type III
      Effector Protein of Vibrio cholerae: Lessons from Yeast Model System.
AB  - VopK, a type III effector protein, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of
      Vibrio cholerae strains belonging to diverse serogroups. Ectopic expression of
      this protein exhibits strong toxicity in yeast model system. In order to map
      critical residues in VopK, we scanned the primary sequence guided by available
      data on various toxins and effector proteins. Our in silico analysis of VopK
      indicated the presence of predicted MCF1-SHE (SHxxxE) serine peptidase domain at
      the C-terminus region of the protein. Substitution of each of the predicted
      catalytic triad residues namely Ser314, His353 and Glu357 with alanine resulted
      in recombinant VopK proteins varying in lethality as evaluated in yeast model
      system. We observed that replacement of glutamate357 to alanine causes complete
      loss in toxicity while substitutions of serine314 and histidine353 with alanine
      exhibited partial loss in toxicity without affecting the stability of variants.
      In addition, replacement of another conserved serine residue at position 354
      (S354) within predicted S314H353E357 did not affect toxicity of VopK. In essence,
      combined in silico and site directed mutagenesis, we have identified critical
      amino acids contributing to the lethal activity of VopK in yeast model system. 

PMID- 26488396
TI  - The Utility of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Severity Predictor of Acute
      Appendicitis, Length of Hospital Stay and Postoperative Complication Rates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerous screening tools have been reported to aid in diagnosing
      appendicitis, but have poor severity prediction and lack accurate estimation of
      postoperative complications or total length of hospital stay (LOS). AIM: This
      study aims at evaluating the utility of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) ratio in
      predicting the severity of appendicitis, LOS and 30-day complication rates.
      METHODS: Patients who underwent appendicectomy over a 4-year period were
      evaluated. Demographics, blood results, severity of appendicitis, LOS and 30-day
      complications were recorded. Recommended cut-off values of NLR and C-reactive
      protein (CRP) for severity of appendicitis were determined using receiver
      operating characteristic analysis. The Mann-Whitney test was performed to assess
      the correlations between LOS and 30-day complications with NLR. RESULTS: A total
      of 663 patients were included in the study of which 57.3% (n = 380) were male
      with mean patient age of 23.6 years, and 461 appendix specimens (69.6%) had
      simple inflammation on histological evaluation. A NLR of >6.35 or CRP of >55.6
      were statistically associated with severe acute appendicitis, with a median of
      one extra hospital day admission (p < 0.0001). Mean NLR was statistically higher
      in patients with postoperative co(13.69 for severe vs. 7.29 for simple
      appendicitis group, p = 0.016). CONCLUSION: We advocate that NLR is a useful
      adjunct in predicting severity of appendicitis. It aids in delineating severe
      inflammation requiring surgery without substantial delay.

PMID- 26488397
TI  - Periconceptional and Gestational Exposure to Antibiotics and Childhood Asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that maternal antibiotics exposure during
      pregnancy may increase the risk of childhood asthma, but the results were
      inconsistent. Furthermore, most studies did not examine periconception period as
      an exposure window. We aim to assess the associations between maternal exposure
      to specific antibiotics before and during pregnancy and the risk of asthma in
      early childhood. METHODS: Data from the Collaborative Perinatal Project were
      used. Maternal exposure to antibiotics before and during pregnancy was recorded
      at each prenatal visit. A total of 39,907 singleton children were followed up to
      7 years of age. Multilevel multiple logistic regression models were used to
      control for potential confounders and account for multiple pregnancies per woman.
      RESULTS: Maternal use of penicillin or chloramphenicol was associated with an
      increased risk of asthma in the offspring (adjusted odds ratio = 1.21, 95%
      confidence interval 1.08-1.36 for penicillin; 1.72 [1.14-2.59] for
      chloramphenicol). The risk was significantly increased if penicillin or
      chloramphenicol was used in the 1st trimester (1.09 [1.04-1.13] for penicillin
      and 1.23 [1.01-1.51] for chloramphenicol). CONCLUSION: Maternal exposure to
      certain antibiotics is associated with childhood asthma by 7 years of age. Early
      pregnancy may be a sensitive window.

PMID- 26488399
TI  - Challenges of Clinical Research on Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - Challenges of clinical practice and research on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
      were reviewed. There are several differences in clinical practice between Japan
      and the Western countries such as tumor markers, understanding of pathological
      early HCC, imaging diagnosis, treatment strategy, staging system and
      subclassification of HCC. Further studies are warranted for the clinical
      practices of Japan to be adopted in the rest of the world. 

PMID- 26488398
TI  - Brca1 Mutations Enhance Mouse Reproductive Functions by Increasing Responsiveness
      to Male-Derived Scent.
AB  - We compared the gene expression profiles of ovarian granulosa cells harboring
      either mutant or wild type Brca1 to follow up on our earlier observation that
      absence of a functional Brca1 in these important regulators of menstrual/estrous
      cycle progression leads to prolongation of the pre-ovulatory phase of the estrous
      cycle and to increased basal levels of circulating estradiol. Here we show that
      ovarian granulosa cells from mice carrying a conditional Brca1 gene knockout
      express substantially higher levels of olfactory receptor mRNA than granulosa
      cells from wild type littermates. This led us to hypothesize that reproductive
      functions in mutant female mice might be more sensitive to male-derived scent
      than in wild type female mice. Indeed, it is well established that isolation from
      males leads to complete cessation of mouse estrous cycle activity while exposure
      to olfactory receptor ligands present in male urine leads to resumption of such
      activity. We found that Brca1-/- female mice rendered anovulatory by unisexual
      isolation resumed ovulatory activity more rapidly than their wild type
      littermates when exposed to bedding from cages where males had been housed. The
      prime mediator of this increased responsiveness appears to be the ovary and not
      olfactory neurons. This conclusion is supported by the fact that wild type mice
      in which endogenous ovaries had been replaced by Brca1-deficient ovarian
      transplants responded to male-derived scent more robustly than mutant mice in
      which ovaries had been replaced by wild type ovarian transplants. Our findings
      not only have important implications for our understanding of the influence of
      olfactory signals on reproductive functions, but also provide insights into
      mechanisms whereby genetic risk factors for breast and extra uterine Mullerian
      carcinomas may influence menstrual activity in human, which is itself an
      independent risk factor for these cancers. 

PMID- 26488400
TI  - Early Viral Response Predicts the Efficacy of Antiviral Triple Therapy with
      Simeprevir, Peg-Interferon and Ribavirin in Patients Infected with Hepatitis C
      Virus Genotype 1.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Triple therapy using peg-interferon, ribavirin and simeprevir (PEG
      IFN/RBV/SMV) has reportedly resulted in high-sustained virological response (SVR)
      rates in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), especially in naive cases and
      relapsers to prior PEG-IFN/RBV therapy. Here, we retrospectively analyzed the
      antiviral response associated with a triple regimen, in the context of early
      reduction of viral load during treatment. METHODS: Forty-six CHC patients with
      HCV genotype 1b were treated with PEG-IFN/RBV/SMV triple therapy: 20 were naive
      cases, 12 were relapsers and 14 were non-responders to prior PEG-IFN/RBV therapy.
      We evaluated rapid virological response (RVR), complete early virological
      response (EVR), viral clearance at the end of the treatment (EOT) and at 12 weeks
      after the EOT (SVR12). In addition, we quantified the serum HCV-RNA on the 1st
      day and the 7th day after initiating treatment. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis
      revealed that response to prior treatment was identified as an independent factor
      for achieving SVR12 after triple therapy (p = 0.0005). The achievement of serum
      HCV-RNA <2 log(10) IU/ml on day 7, RVR, EVR and EOT were associated with SVR12 (p
      = 0.0050, p = 0.0002, p = 0.0009 and p = 0.0002, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:
      Rapid decline of HCV is a predictive factor for the achievement of SVR12, even in
      antiviral triple therapy with PEG-IFN/RBV/SMV. An extended treatment period
      should be applied for patients who show detectable serum HCV-RNA at week 4.

PMID- 26488401
TI  - Nicotinic Activity of Arecoline, the Psychoactive Element of "Betel Nuts",
      Suggests a Basis for Habitual Use and Anti-Inflammatory Activity.
AB  - Habitual chewing of "betel nut" preparations constitutes the fourth most common
      human self-administration of a psychoactive substance after alcohol, caffeine,
      and nicotine. The primary active ingredient in these preparations is arecoline,
      which comes from the areca nut, the key component of all such preparations.
      Arecoline is known to be a relatively non-selective muscarinic partial agonist,
      accounting for many of the overt peripheral and central nervous system effects,
      but not likely to account for the addictive properties of the drug. We report
      that arecoline has activity on select nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR)
      subtypes, including the two classes of nAChR most related to the addictive
      properties of nicotine: receptors containing alpha4 and beta2 subunits and those
      which also contain alpha6 and beta3 subunits. Arecoline is a partial agonist with
      about 6-10% efficacy for the alpha4* and alpha6* receptors expressed in Xenopus
      oocytes. Additionally, arecoline is a silent agonist of alpha7 nAChR; while it
      does not activate alpha7 receptors when applied alone, it produces substantial
      activation when co-applied with the positive allosteric modulator PNU-120696.
      Some alpha7 silent agonists are effective inhibitors of inflammation, which might
      account for anti-inflammatory effects of arecoline. Arecoline's activity on nAChR
      associated with addiction may account for the habitual use of areca nut
      preparations in spite of the well-documented risk to personal health associated
      with oral diseases and cancer. The common link between betel and tobacco suggests
      that partial agonist therapies with cytisine or the related compound varenicline
      may also be used to aid betel cessation attempts. 

PMID- 26488402
TI  - A Conserved Secondary Structural Element in the Coding Region of the Influenza A
      Virus Nucleoprotein (NP) mRNA Is Important for the Regulation of Viral
      Proliferation.
AB  - Influenza A virus is a threat to humans due to seasonal epidemics and infrequent,
      but dangerous, pandemics that lead to widespread infection and death. Eight
      segments of RNA constitute the genome of this virus and they encode greater than
      eight proteins via alternative splicing of coding (+)RNAs generated from the
      genomic (-)RNA template strand. RNA is essential in its life cycle. A
      bioinformatics analysis of segment 5, which encodes nucleoprotein, revealed a
      conserved structural motif in the (+)RNA. The secondary structure proposed by
      energy minimization and comparative analysis agrees with structure predicted
      based on experimental data using a 121 nucleotide in vitro RNA construct
      comprising an influenza A virus consensus sequence and also an entire segment 5
      (+)RNA (strain A/VietNam/1203/2004 (H5N1)). The conserved motif consists of three
      hairpins with one being especially thermodynamically stable. The biological
      importance of this conserved secondary structure is supported in experiments
      using antisense oligonucleotides in cell line, which found that disruption of
      this motif led to inhibition of viral fitness. These results suggest that this
      conserved motif in the segment 5 (+)RNA might be a candidate for oligonucleotide
      based antiviral therapy. 

PMID- 26488404
TI  - Correction: Intratumor Heterogeneity of ALK-Rearrangements and Homogeneity of
      EGFR-Mutations in Mixed Lung Adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 26488403
TI  - On the Ultrastructure and Function of Rhogocytes from the Pond Snail Lymnaea
      stagnalis.
AB  - Rhogocytes, also termed "pore cells", occur as solitary or clustered cells in the
      connective tissue of gastropod molluscs. Rhogocytes possess an enveloping lamina
      of extracellular matrix and enigmatic extracellular lacunae bridged by
      cytoplasmic bars that form 20 nm diaphragmatic slits likely to act as a molecular
      sieve. Recent papers highlight the embryogenesis and ultrastructure of these
      cells, and their role in heavy metal detoxification. Rhogocytes are the site of
      hemocyanin or hemoglobin biosynthesis in gastropods. Based on electron
      microscopy, we recently proposed a possible pathway of hemoglobin exocytosis
      through the slit apparatus, and provided molecular evidence of a common
      phylogenetic origin of molluscan rhogocytes, insect nephrocytes and vertebrate
      podocytes. However, the previously proposed secretion mode of the respiratory
      proteins into the hemolymph is still rather hypothetical, and the possible role
      of rhogocytes in detoxification requires additional data. Although our previous
      study on rhogocytes of the red-blooded (hemoglobin-containing) freshwater snail
      Biomphalaria glabrata provided much new information, a disadvantage was that the
      hemoglobin molecules were not unequivocally defined in the electron microscope.
      This made it difficult to trace the exocytosis pathway of this protein.
      Therefore, we have now performed a similar study on the rhogocytes of the blue
      blooded (hemocyanin-containing) freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis. The
      intracellular hemocyanin could be identified in the electron microscope, either
      as individual molecules or as pseudo-crystalline arrays. Based on 3D-electron
      microscopy, and supplemented by in situ hybridization, immunocytochemistry and
      stress response experiments, we provide here additional details on the structure
      and hemocyanin biosynthesis of rhogocytes, and on their response in animals under
      cadmium and starvation stress. Moreover, we present an advanced model on the
      release of synthesized hemocyanin molecules through the slit apparatus into the
      hemolymph, and the uptake of much smaller particles such as cadmium ions from the
      hemolymph through the slit apparatus into the cytoplasm. 

PMID- 26488405
TI  - New Insight into Old Bacillus Lipase: Solvent Stable Mesophilic Lipase
      Demonstrating Enzyme Activity towards Cold.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bacillus lipases are grouped in subfamily 1.4, which are the smallest
      known lipases having a molecular mass of 19.6 kDa. Lipases active in a wide range
      of temperatures, specifically at low temperatures, have an advantage under low
      water conditions for industrial application. METHODS: The lipase gene was cloned
      and expressed in Escherichia coli. The protein was purified and biochemically
      characterized in detail. RESULTS: A lipase gene was cloned from a mesophilic
      Bacillus isolate. Sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame of 633 bp in
      length. The predicted molecular mass of protein was 22.6 kDa. The purified enzyme
      displayed optimal activity at 35  degrees C and pH 8.0. Interestingly, this
      mesophilic enzyme was also cold active showing retention of 75 and 55% relative
      enzyme activity at 20 and 10  degrees C, respectively. The purified lipase was
      stable in various organic solvents (50% v/v) and ionic liquids (5% v/v). The
      enzyme displayed maximum activity with paranitrophenyl laurate (C12). kcat/Km
      values for the purified lipase were calculated to be 5.8 +/- 0.6 * 10(-6).
      CONCLUSIONS: The lipase showed tolerance to various solvents as well as activity
      at low temperature. Therefore, this lipase might be of great potential to be
      employed in various industrial applications.

PMID- 26488406
TI  - Obesity and Pulmonary Function in African Americans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity prevalence in United States (US) adults exceeds 30% with
      highest prevalence being among blacks. Obesity is known to have significant
      effects on respiratory function and obese patients commonly report respiratory
      complaints requiring pulmonary function tests (PFTs). However, there is no large
      study showing the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and PFTs in healthy
      African Americans (AA). OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of BMI on PFTs in AA
      patients who did not have evidence of underlying diseases of the respiratory
      system. METHODS: We reviewed PFTs of 339 individuals sent for lung function
      testing who had normal spirometry and lung diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide
      (DLCO) with wide range of BMI. RESULTS: Functional residual capacity (FRC) and
      expiratory reserve volume (ERV) decreased exponentially with increasing BMI, such
      that morbid obesity resulted in patients breathing near their residual volume
      (RV). However, the effects on the extremes of lung volumes, at total lung
      capacity (TLC) and residual volume (RV) were modest. There was a significant
      linear inverse relationship between BMI and DLCO, but the group means values
      remained within the normal ranges even for morbidly obese patients. CONCLUSIONS:
      We showed that BMI has significant effects on lung function in AA adults and the
      greatest effects were on FRC and ERV, which occurred at BMI values < 30 kg/m2.
      These physiological effects of weight gain should be considered when interpreting
      PFTs and their effects on respiratory symptoms even in the absence of disease and
      may also exaggerate existing lung diseases.

PMID- 26488407
TI  - Large-Scale Biomonitoring of Remote and Threatened Ecosystems via High-Throughput
      Sequencing.
AB  - Biodiversity metrics are critical for assessment and monitoring of ecosystems
      threatened by anthropogenic stressors. Existing sorting and identification
      methods are too expensive and labour-intensive to be scaled up to meet management
      needs. Alternately, a high-throughput DNA sequencing approach could be used to
      determine biodiversity metrics from bulk environmental samples collected as part
      of a large-scale biomonitoring program. Here we show that both morphological and
      DNA sequence-based analyses are suitable for recovery of individual taxonomic
      richness, estimation of proportional abundance, and calculation of biodiversity
      metrics using a set of 24 benthic samples collected in the Peace-Athabasca Delta
      region of Canada. The high-throughput sequencing approach was able to recover all
      metrics with a higher degree of taxonomic resolution than morphological analysis.
      The reduced cost and increased capacity of DNA sequence-based approaches will
      finally allow environmental monitoring programs to operate at the geographical
      and temporal scale required by industrial and regulatory end-users. 

PMID- 26488408
TI  - Heterodimerization of Two Pathological Mutants Enhances the Activity of Human
      Phosphomannomutase2.
AB  - The most frequent disorder of glycosylation is due to mutations in the gene
      encoding phosphomannomutase2 (PMM2-CDG). For this disease, which is autosomal and
      recessive, there is no cure at present. Most patients are composite heterozygous
      and carry one allele encoding an inactive mutant, R141H, and one encoding a
      hypomorphic mutant. Phosphomannomutase2 is a dimer. We reproduced composite
      heterozygosity in vitro by mixing R141H either with the wild type protein or the
      most common hypomorphic mutant F119L and compared the quaternary structure, the
      activity and the stability of the heterodimeric enzymes. We demonstrated that the
      activity of R141H/F119L heterodimers in vitro, which reproduces the protein found
      in patients, has the same activity of wild type/R141H, which reproduces the
      protein found in healthy carriers. On the other hand the stability of R141H/F119L
      appears to be reduced both in vitro and in vivo. These findings suggest that a
      therapy designed to enhance protein stability such as those based on
      pharmacological chaperones or modulation of proteostasis could be beneficial for
      PMM2-CDG patients carrying R141H/F119L genotype as well as for other genotypes
      where protein stability rather than specific activity is affected by mutations. 

PMID- 26488409
TI  - Complete mitochondrial genome of the speckled dace Rhinichthys osculus, a widely
      distributed cyprinid minnow of western North America.
AB  - The speckled dace Rhinichthys osculus (order Cypriniformes), also known as the
      carpita pinta, is a small cyprinid minnow native to western North America. Here,
      we report the sequencing of the full mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of R.
      osculus from a male fish collected from the Amargosa River Canyon in eastern
      California, USA. The assembled mitogenome is 16 658 base pair (bp) nucleotides,
      and encodes 13 protein-coding genes, and includes both a 12S and a 16S rRNA, 22
      tRNAs, and a 985 bp D-loop control region. Mitogenome synteny reflects that of
      other Ostariophysian fishes with the majority of genes and RNAs encoded on the
      heavy strand (H-strand) except nd6, tRNA-Gln, tRNA-Ala, tRNA-Asn, tRNA-Cys, tRNA
      Tyr, tRNA-Ser, tRNA-Glu, and tRNA-Pro. The availability of this R. osculus
      mitochondrial genome - the first complete mitogenome within the lineage of
      Rhinichthys riffle daces - provides a foundation for resolving evolutionary
      relationships among morphologically differentiated populations of R. osculus.

PMID- 26488410
TI  - Effects of Sublethal Doses of Imidacloprid on Young Adult Honeybee Behaviour.
AB  - Imidacloprid (IMI), a neonicotinoid used for its high selective toxicity to
      insects, is one of the most commonly used pesticides. However, its effect on
      beneficial insects such as the honeybee Apis mellifera L is still controversial.
      As young adult workers perform in-hive duties that are crucial for colony
      maintenance and survival, we aimed to assess the effect of sublethal IMI doses on
      honeybee behaviour during this period. Also, because this insecticide acts as a
      cholinergic-nicotinic agonist and these pathways take part in insect learning and
      memory processes; we used IMI to assess their role and the changes they suffer
      along early adulthood. We focused on appetitive behaviours based on the proboscis
      extension response. Laboratory reared adults of 2 to 10 days of age were exposed
      to sublethal IMI doses (0.25 or 0.50ng) administered orally or topically prior to
      behavioural assessment. Modification of gustatory responsiveness and impairment
      of learning and memory were found as a result of IMI exposure. These outcomes
      differed depending on age of evaluation, type of exposure and IMI dose, being the
      youngest bees more sensitive and the highest oral dose more toxic. Altogether,
      these results imply that IMI administered at levels found in agroecosystems can
      reduce sensitivity to reward and impair associative learning in young honeybees.
      Therefore, once a nectar inflow with IMI traces is distributed within the hive,
      it could impair in-door duties with negative consequences on colony performance. 

PMID- 26488411
TI  - Genome-Wide Association Study of Peripheral Arterial Disease in a Japanese
      Population.
AB  - Characteristics of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are the occlusion or
      stenosis of multiple vessel sites caused mainly by atherosclerosis and chronic
      lower limb ischemia. To identify PAD susceptible loci, we conducted a genome-wide
      association study (GWAS) with 785 cases and 3,383 controls in a Japanese
      population using 431,666 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). After staged
      analyses including a total of 3,164 cases and 20,134 controls, we identified 3
      novel PAD susceptibility loci at IPO5/RAP2A, EDNRA and HDAC9 with genome wide
      significance (combined P = 6.8 x 10-14, 5.3 x 10-9 and 8.8 x 10-8, respectively).
      Fine-mapping at the IPO5/RAP2A locus revealed that rs9584669 conferred risk of
      PAD. Luciferase assay showed that the risk allele at this locus reduced
      expression levels of IPO5. To our knowledge, these are the first genetic risk
      factors for PAD. 

PMID- 26488412
TI  - Mutational robustness and resilience of a replicative cis-element of RNA virus:
      Promiscuity, limitations, relevance.
AB  - Since replication of RNA-viruses is generally a low-fidelity process, it would be
      advantageous, if specific interactions of their genomic cis-elements with
      dedicated ligands are relatively tolerant to mutations. The
      specificity/promiscuity trade-off of such interactions was addressed here by
      investigating structural requirements of the oriL (also known as the clover leaf
      like element), of poliovirus RNA, a replicative cis-element containing a
      conserved essential tetraloop functionally interacting with the viral protein
      3CD. The sequence of this tetraloop and 2 adjacent base-pairs was randomized in
      the viral genome, and viable viruses were selected in susceptible cells.
      Strikingly, each position of this octanucleotide in 62 investigated viable
      viruses could be occupied by any nucleotide (with the exception of one position,
      which lacked U), though with certain sequence preferences, confirmed by
      engineering mutant viral genomes whose phenotypic properties were found to
      correlate with the strength of the cis-element/ligand interaction. The results
      were compatible with a hypothesis that functional recognition by 3CD requires
      that this tetraloop should stably or temporarily adopt a YNMG-like (Y=U/C, N=any
      nucleotide, M=A/C) fold. The fitness of "weak" viruses could be increased by
      compensatory mutations "improving" the tetraloops. Otherwise, the recognition of
      "bad" tetraloops might be facilitated by alterations in the 3CD protein. The
      virus appeared to tolerate mutations in its cis-element relaying on either
      robustness (spatial structure degeneracy) or resilience (a combination of dynamic
      RNA folding, low-fidelity replication modifying the cis-element or its ligand,
      and negative selection). These mechanisms (especially resilience involving
      metastable low-fit intermediates) can also contribute to the viral evolvability. 

PMID- 26488413
TI  - Rewriting the Central European Early Bronze Age Chronology: Evidence from Large
      Scale Radiocarbon Dating.
AB  - The transition from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age in Central Europe has
      often been considered as a supra-regional uniform process, which led to the
      growing mastery of the new bronze technology. Since the 1920s, archaeologists
      have divided the Early Bronze Age into two chronological phases (Bronze A1 and
      A2), which were also seen as stages of technical progress. On the basis of the
      early radiocarbon dates from the cemetery of Singen, southern Germany, the
      beginning of the Early Bronze Age in Central Europe was originally dated around
      2300/2200 BC and the transition to more complex casting techniques (i.e., Bronze
      A2) around 2000 BC. On the basis of 140 newly radiocarbon dated human remains
      from Final Neolithic, Early and Middle Bronze Age cemeteries south of Augsburg
      (Bavaria) and a re-dating of ten graves from the cemetery of Singen, we propose a
      significantly different dating range, which forces us to re-think the traditional
      relative and absolute chronologies as well as the narrative of technical
      development. We are now able to date the beginning of the Early Bronze Age to
      around 2150 BC and its end to around 1700 BC. Moreover, there is no transition
      between Bronze (Bz) A1 and Bronze (Bz) A2, but a complete overlap between the
      type objects of the two phases from 1900-1700 BC. We thus present a revised
      chronology of the assumed diagnostic type objects of the Early Bronze Age and
      recommend a radiocarbon-based view on the development of the material culture.
      Finally, we propose that the traditional phases Bz A1 and Bz A2 do not represent
      a chronological sequence, but regionally different social phenomena connected to
      the willingness of local actors to appropriate the new bronze technology. 

PMID- 26488414
TI  - Genotypic Tannin Levels in Populus tremula Impact the Way Nitrogen Enrichment
      Affects Growth and Allocation Responses for Some Traits and Not for Others.
AB  - Plant intraspecific variability has been proposed as a key mechanism by which
      plants adapt to environmental change. In boreal forests where nitrogen
      availability is strongly limited, nitrogen addition happens indirectly through
      atmospheric N deposition and directly through industrial forest fertilization.
      These anthropogenic inputs of N have numerous environmental consequences,
      including shifts in plant species composition and reductions in plant species
      diversity. However, we know less about how genetic differences within plant
      populations determine how species respond to eutrophication in boreal forests.
      According to plant defense theories, nitrogen addition will cause plants to shift
      carbon allocation more towards growth and less to chemical defense, potentially
      enhancing vulnerability to antagonists. Aspens are keystone species in boreal
      forests that produce condensed tannins to serve as chemical defense. We conducted
      an experiment using ten Populus tremula genotypes from the Swedish Aspen
      Collection that express extreme levels of baseline investment into foliar
      condensed tannins. We investigated whether investment into growth and phenolic
      defense compounds in young plants varied in response to two nitrogen addition
      levels, corresponding to atmospheric N deposition and industrial forest
      fertilization. Nitrogen addition generally caused growth to increase, and tannin
      levels to decrease; however, individualistic responses among genotypes were found
      for height growth, biomass of specific tissues, root:shoot ratios, and tissue
      lignin and N concentrations. A genotype's baseline ability to produce and store
      condensed tannins also influenced plant responses to N, although this effect was
      relatively minor. High-tannin genotypes tended to grow less biomass under low
      nitrogen levels and more at the highest fertilization level. Thus, the ability in
      aspen to produce foliar tannins is likely associated with a steeper reaction norm
      of growth responses, which suggests a higher plasticity to nitrogen addition, and
      potentially an advantage when adapting to higher concentrations of soil nitrogen.

PMID- 26488415
TI  - Invasive Pneumococcal Disease 3 Years after Introduction of 10-Valent
      Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, the Netherlands.
AB  - Three years after a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was replaced by a 10
      valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in the Netherlands, we observed a decrease
      in incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae
      serotypes 1, 5, and 7F. Our data do not support or exclude cross-protection
      against serotype 19A. 

PMID- 26488416
TI  - Effect of White Kidney Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L. var. Beldia) on Small
      Intestine Morphology and Function in Wistar Rats.
AB  - The chronic ingestion of raw or undercooked kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
      causes functional and morphological derangement in various tissues. The major
      objectives of this study were to investigate the gavage effects of a raw Beldia
      bean variety that is widely consumed in Tunisia, on the small intestine
      morphology and jejunal absorption of water, electrolytes, and glucose in Wistar
      rats. Twenty young male rats were randomly divided into two groups of 10 rats.
      The first group served as the control and was gavaged with 300 mg of a rodent
      pellet flour suspension (RPFS), whereas the second experimental group was
      challenged with 300 mg of a Beldia bean flour suspension (BBFS) for 10 days.
      Histological studies were performed using light and electron microcopy. The
      intestinal transport of water, sodium, potassium, and glucose was studied by
      perfusing the jejunal loops of the small bowels in vivo. The feeding experiments
      indicated that BBFS did not affect weight gain. Histomorphometric analyses showed
      that the villus heights, crypt depths, and crypt/villus ratios in the jejunum and
      ileum were greater in the BBFS-fed rats than controls. Electron microscopy
      studies demonstrated that the rats exposed to RPFS exhibited intact intestinal
      tracts; however, the BBFS-treated rats demonstrated intestinal alterations
      characterized by abnormal microvillus architectures, with short and dense or long
      and slender features, in addition to the sparse presence of vesicles near the
      brush border membrane. BBFS administration did not significantly affect glucose
      absorption. However, significant decreases were observed in water and electrolyte
      absorption compared with the uptake of the controls. In conclusion, raw Beldia
      beans distorted jejunum morphology and disturbed hydroelectrolytic flux.

PMID- 26488418
TI  - Lung Transplantation in Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung transplantation is a therapeutic option for patients with end
      stage lung disease and a survival benefit has been described in patients with
      alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (A1ATD). The aims of the current study were to
      determine the survival and health benefits of lung transplantation in UK patients
      with A1ATD compared to carefully matched non-transplant patients. METHODS:
      Patients with the PiZZ (alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency) genotype who had
      undergone lung transplantation between 1996 and 2011 were identified from the UK
      A1ATD registry. Lung physiology, health status and survival were compared pre-
      and post-transplant using carefully matched non-transplant patients. RESULTS:
      Thirty-two A1ATD patients who had undergone lung transplant were identified. Lung
      function decline pre-transplant was not different to the closely matched non
      transplanted cohort. The transplant group pre-transplant, although matched for
      FEV1, had lower gas transfer measurements, (mean KCO% predicted 41.0% SE +/- 3.86
      vs 55.6% SE +/- 3.10 p < 0.001) and worse health status (SGRQ mean score 64.2 SE
      +/- 2.5 vs 55.3 SE +/- 2.0, p < 0.001). Post-transplant, physiology and health
      status improved significantly (p < 0.002). However, the post-operative mortality
      over 5 years was no better than for a second group of non-transplant patients
      further matched for gas transfer or a third group also matched for SGRQ.
      CONCLUSION: Patients who underwent lung transplant had lower gas transfer and
      quality-of-life pre-transplant compared to non-transplant patients matched for
      FEV1, age and sex, suggesting that these parameters provide extra information
      helpful in decision making. Lung transplantation for A1ATD patients significantly
      improves quality-of-life but not survival.

PMID- 26488419
TI  - Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Oxygen Sensor: Enhanced Oxygen Sensitivity at Room
      Temperature and Mechanism of Sensing.
AB  - A pyrolysis assisted method was applied for the synthesis of defect controlled
      carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by varying different growth temperatures. The fabricated
      resistive devices containing a random network of CNTs were tested for oxygen
      sensing under standard room-temperature and pressure conditions. Nanotubes grown
      at moderate growth temperatures (870  degrees C), when exposed to different
      concentrations of oxygen, displayed a higher sensitivity (3.6%), with fast
      response and recovery times of about 60 and 180 s, respectively, compared to
      nanotubes grown at higher and lower temperatures. A room-temperature oxygen
      detection concentration as low as 0.3% is achieved. The fast response and
      recovery of CNTs are explained in terms of physisorption of oxygen molecules at
      (i) carboxyl functional sites and (ii) graphitic carbon sites (pristine CNT)
      rather than chemisorption at (iii) defected sites. Interestingly, the density
      functional theory simulated interaction energies (Eads) of oxygen molecules with
      defected CNTs (-3.381 eV) and pristine CNTs (-0.753 eV) are higher than that of
      the carboxyl functional sites (-0.551 eV) and are well correlated with the
      observed sensing response and recovery times of CNT sensors. Our results show
      that the carboxyl sites provide lower activation energy or shorter time for
      desorption of oxygen molecules to yield higher response and fast recovery of the
      CNT sensors. 

PMID- 26488417
TI  - Path Similarity Analysis: A Method for Quantifying Macromolecular Pathways.
AB  - Diverse classes of proteins function through large-scale conformational changes
      and various sophisticated computational algorithms have been proposed to enhance
      sampling of these macromolecular transition paths. Because such paths are curves
      in a high-dimensional space, it has been difficult to quantitatively compare
      multiple paths, a necessary prerequisite to, for instance, assess the quality of
      different algorithms. We introduce a method named Path Similarity Analysis (PSA)
      that enables us to quantify the similarity between two arbitrary paths and
      extract the atomic-scale determinants responsible for their differences. PSA
      utilizes the full information available in 3N-dimensional configuration space
      trajectories by employing the Hausdorff or Frechet metrics (adopted from
      computational geometry) to quantify the degree of similarity between piecewise
      linear curves. It thus completely avoids relying on projections into low
      dimensional spaces, as used in traditional approaches. To elucidate the
      principles of PSA, we quantified the effect of path roughness induced by thermal
      fluctuations using a toy model system. Using, as an example, the closed-to-open
      transitions of the enzyme adenylate kinase (AdK) in its substrate-free form, we
      compared a range of protein transition path-generating algorithms. Molecular
      dynamics-based dynamic importance sampling (DIMS) MD and targeted MD (TMD) and
      the purely geometric FRODA (Framework Rigidity Optimized Dynamics Algorithm) were
      tested along with seven other methods publicly available on servers, including
      several based on the popular elastic network model (ENM). PSA with clustering
      revealed that paths produced by a given method are more similar to each other
      than to those from another method and, for instance, that the ENM-based methods
      produced relatively similar paths. PSA applied to ensembles of DIMS MD and FRODA
      trajectories of the conformational transition of diphtheria toxin, a particularly
      challenging example. For the AdK transition, the new concept of a Hausdorff-pair
      map enabled us to extract the molecular structural determinants responsible for
      differences in pathways, namely a set of conserved salt bridges whose charge
      charge interactions are fully modelled in DIMS MD but not in FRODA. PSA has the
      potential to enhance our understanding of transition path sampling methods,
      validate them, and to provide a new approach to analyzing conformational
      transitions.

PMID- 26488420
TI  - Encephalitis-Associated Human Metapneumovirus Pneumonia in Adult, Australia.
AB  - Human metapneumovirus pneumonia, most commonly found in children, was diagnosed
      in an adult with encephalitis. This case suggests that testing for human
      metapneumovirus RNA in nasopharyngeal aspirate and cerebrospinal fluid samples
      should be considered in adults with encephalitis who have a preceding respiratory
      infection. 

PMID- 26488421
TI  - Structural modeling of HLA-B*1502/peptide/carbamazepine/T-cell receptor complex
      architecture: implication for the molecular mechanism of carbamazepine-induced
      Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis.
AB  - Drug-induced adverse reactions are a significant problem in healthcare worldwide
      and are estimated to cost billions of dollars annually in the United States. A
      portion of such reactions is observed to strongly associate with certain human
      leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles; one of the strongest associations is the HLA
      B*1502 protein with carbamazepine (CBZ)-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic
      epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) - the odds ratio value can even be higher than one
      thousand. The particularly strong association in CBZ-induced SJS/TEN suggests
      that the HLA-B*1502 is not only a genetic marker but also a participant in the
      pathogenesis of the disease. In the current study, we attempt to computationally
      model the atomic-level structure of the complete HLA-B*1502/peptide/CBZ/T-cell
      receptor (TCR) complex architecture based on prior knowledge obtained from
      epidemiological investigations as well as in vitro and in vivo assays. The model
      tells a different story about the molecular mechanism of CBZ-induced SJS/TEN from
      that previously reported for abacavir (ABC)-induced hypersensitivity (HSR); the
      CBZ molecule is located at the interface between HLA-B*1502/peptide and TCR,
      directly contacts the P3-P6 residues of antigen peptide, and bound within a
      pocket region encompassed by two TCR CDR3 fingers. Molecular dynamics simulation
      and binding energy analysis further reveal that the CBZ shows considerably high
      affinity to TCR over HLA-B*1502/peptide, which can tightly interact with the
      former rather than the latter. From the model, two hypotheses are proposed that
      can well explain most previous observations and are expected to guide next wet
      lab experiments. This study could help to promote our understanding of the
      molecular mechanism and pathological implication underlying CBZ-induced SJS/TEN. 

PMID- 26488423
TI  - Steam Pyrolysis of Polyimides: Effects of Steam on Raw Material Recovery.
AB  - Aromatic polyimides (PIs) have excellent thermal stability, which makes them
      difficult to recycle, and an effective way to recycle PIs has not yet been
      established. In this work, steam pyrolysis of the aromatic PI Kapton was
      performed to investigate the recovery of useful raw materials. Steam pyrolysis
      significantly enhanced the gasification of Kapton at 900  degrees C, resulting in
      1963.1 mL g(-1) of a H2 and CO rich gas. Simultaneously, highly porous activated
      carbon with a high BET surface area was recovered. Steam pyrolysis increased the
      presence of polar functional groups on the carbon surface. Thus, it was concluded
      that steam pyrolysis shows great promise as a recycling technique for the
      recovery of useful synthetic gases and activated carbon from PIs without the need
      for catalysts and organic solvents. 

PMID- 26488424
TI  - Cangrelor (Kengreal)--an IV antiplatelet drug for PCI.

PMID- 26488422
TI  - Delta-Opioid Receptor (deltaOR) Targeted Near-Infrared Fluorescent Agent for
      Imaging of Lung Cancer: Synthesis and Evaluation In Vitro and In Vivo.
AB  - In the United States, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death and ranks
      second in the number of new cases annually among all types of cancers. Better
      methods or tools for diagnosing and treating this disease are needed to improve
      patient outcomes. The delta-opioid receptor (deltaOR) is reported to be
      overexpressed in lung cancers and not expressed in normal lung. Thus, we decided
      to develop a lung cancer-specific imaging agent targeting this receptor. We have
      previously developed a deltaOR-targeted fluorescent imaging agent based on a
      synthetic peptide antagonist (Dmt-Tic) conjugated to a Cy5 fluorescent dye. In
      this work, we describe the synthesis of Dmt-Tic conjugated to a longer wavelength
      near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) dye, Li-cor IR800CW. Binding affinity of Dmt-Tic
      IR800 for the deltaOR was studied using lanthanide time-resolved fluorescence
      (LTRF) competitive binding assays in cells engineered to overexpress the deltaOR.
      In addition, we identified lung cancer cell lines with high and low endogenous
      expression of the deltaOR. We confirmed protein expression in these cell lines
      using confocal fluorescence microscopy imaging and used this technique to
      estimate the cell-surface receptor number in the endogenously expressing lung
      cancer cell lines. The selectivity of Dmt-Tic-IR800 for imaging of the deltaOR in
      vivo was shown using both engineered cell lines and endogenously expressing lung
      cancer cells in subcutaneous xenograft models in mice. In conclusion, the deltaOR
      specific fluorescent probe developed in this study displays excellent potential
      for imaging of lung cancer. 

PMID- 26488425
TI  - Drugs for hypothyroidism.

PMID- 26488426
TI  - In brief: a new albuterol inhaler (ProAir RespiClick) for asthma.

PMID- 26488427
TI  - The impact of sarcopenia on survival and complications in surgical oncology: A
      review of the current literature.

PMID- 26488428
TI  - 64Cu-DOTA as a surrogate positron analog of Gd-DOTA for cardiac fibrosis
      detection with PET: pharmacokinetic study in a rat model of chronic MI.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics of
      (64)Cu-DOTA (1,4,7,10-azacyclododecane-N,N',N'',N'''-tetraacetic acid), a
      positron surrogate analog of the late gadolinium (Gd)-enhancement cardiac
      magnetic resonance agent, Gd-DOTA, in a rat model of chronic myocardial
      infarction (MI) and its microdistribution in the cardiac fibrosis by
      autoradiography. METHODS: DOTA was labeled with (64)Cu-acetate. CD rats (n=5)
      with MI by left anterior descending coronary artery ligation and normal rats
      (n=6) were injected intravenously with (64)Cu-DOTA (18.5 MBq, 0.02 mmol DOTA/kg).
      Dynamic PET imaging was performed for 60 min after injection. (18)F
      Fluorodeoxyglucose ([(18)F]-FDG) PET imaging was performed to identify the viable
      myocardium. For the region of interest analysis, the (64)Cu-DOTA PET image was
      coregistered to the [(18)F]-FDG PET image. To validate the PET images, slices of
      heart samples from the base to the apex were analyzed using autoradiography and
      by histological staining with Masson's trichrome. RESULTS: (64)Cu-DOTA was
      rapidly taken up in the infarct area. The time-activity curves demonstrated that
      (64)Cu-DOTA concentrations in the blood, fibrotic tissue, and perfusion-rich
      organs peaked within a minute post injection; thereafter, it was rapidly washed
      out in parallel with blood clearance and excreted through the renal system. The
      blood clearance curve was biphasic, with a distribution half-life of less than 3
      min and an elimination half-life of ~21.8 min. The elimination half-life of
      (64)Cu-DOTA from the focal fibrotic tissue (~22.4 min) and the remote myocardium
      (~20.1 min) was similar to the blood elimination half-life. Consequently, the
      uptake ratios of focal fibrosis-to-blood and remote myocardium-to-blood remained
      stable for the time period between 10 and 60 min. The corresponding ratios
      obtained from images acquired from 30 to 60 min were 1.09 and 0.59, respectively,
      indicating that the concentration of (64)Cu-DOTA in the focal fibrosis was 1.85
      (1.09/0.59) times greater than that in the remote myocardium. Thus, this finding
      indicates that the extracellular volume fraction was 1.85 times greater in the
      focal fibrosis than in the remote myocardium. The accumulation of (64)Cu-DOTA in
      fibrotic tissue was further supported by autoradiography and histology images.
      The autoradiography images of (64)Cu-DOTA in the fibrotic tissues were
      qualitatively superimposed over the histology images of the fibrotic tissues. The
      histology images of the infarct areas were characterized by a heterogeneous
      distribution of thin bands of fibrotic collagen, myocytes, and expanded
      extracellular space. CONCLUSION: (64)Cu-DOTA is a useful surrogate positron
      analog of Gd-DOTA, enabling quantitative measurement of the uptake values in
      fibrotic tissues by dynamic PET imaging and calculation of the extracellular
      volume fractions of the fibrotic tissues. At a microscopic level, the
      distribution of (64)Cu-DOTA is nonuniform, corresponding to the heterogeneous
      distribution of expanded extracellular space in the setting of MI.

PMID- 26488429
TI  - Photoprotolytic Processes of Umbelliferone and Proposed Function in Resistance to
      Fungal Infection.
AB  - The photoprotolytic processes of 7-hydroxy-coumarin (Umb) were investigated by
      steady-state and time-resolved-fluorescence techniques. We found that the Umb
      compound is a photoacid with pK(a)* ~ 0.4 and a rate constant of the excited
      state proton transfer (ESPT) to water of 2 * 10(10) s(-1). Umb is also a
      photobase and accepts an excess proton in solution and also directly from weak
      acids like acetic acid. When Umb is adsorbed on cellulose it also functions as a
      photoacid and a photobase. Hydroxycoumarins are known to accumulate next to
      fungal-, bacterial-, and viral-infected regions in the leaves and stems of plants
      in general and also in trees. We propose that these compounds when irradiated by
      sunlight UV, combat the fungi or bacteria by excited-state proton-transfer
      reactions. These photoprotolytic reactions provide a universal resistance
      mechanism to infections in plants.

PMID- 26488433
TI  - Snail-like Particles from Compartmentalized Microfibers.
AB  - Electrohydrodynamic cojetting has been employed to synthesize compartmentalized
      microfibers from thermally responsive hydrogels. The synthesis of the hydrogels
      as well as their transformation into compartmentalized microcylinders is
      discussed. After programmable shape-shifting, snail-like particles are obtained
      that undergo functional and structural reconfiguration in response to a change in
      temperature.

PMID- 26488431
TI  - High speed sCMOS-based oblique plane microscopy applied to the study of calcium
      dynamics in cardiac myocytes.
AB  - Oblique plane microscopy (OPM) is a form of light sheet microscopy that uses a
      single high numerical aperture microscope objective for both fluorescence
      excitation and collection. In this paper, measurements of the relative collection
      efficiency of OPM are presented. An OPM system incorporating two sCMOS cameras is
      then introduced that enables single isolated cardiac myocytes to be studied
      continuously for 22 seconds in two dimensions at 667 frames per second with 960 *
      200 pixels and for 30 seconds with 960 * 200 * 20 voxels at 25 volumes per
      second. In both cases OPM is able to record in two spectral channels, enabling
      intracellular calcium to be studied via the probe Fluo-4 AM simultaneously with
      the sarcolemma and transverse tubule network via the membrane dye Cellmask
      Orange. The OPM system was then applied to determine the spatial origin of
      spontaneous calcium waves for the first time and to measure the cell transverse
      tubule structure at their point of origin. Further results are presented to
      demonstrate that the OPM system can also be used to study calcium spark
      parameters depending on their relationship to the transverse tubule structure.

PMID- 26488434
TI  - A multivariate approach using attenuated total reflectance mid-infrared
      spectroscopy to measure the surface mannoproteins and beta-glucans of yeast cell
      walls during wine fermentations.
AB  - Yeast cells possess a cell wall comprising primarily glycoproteins, mannans, and
      glucan polymers. Several yeast phenotypes relevant for fermentation, wine
      processing, and wine quality are correlated with cell wall properties. To
      investigate the effect of wine fermentation on cell wall composition, a study was
      performed using mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy coupled with multivariate methods
      (i.e., PCA and OPLS-DA). A total of 40 yeast strains were evaluated, including
      Saccharomyces strains (laboratory and industrial) and non-Saccharomyces species.
      Cells were fermented in both synthetic MS300 and Chardonnay grape must to
      stationery phase, processed, and scanned in the MIR spectrum. PCA of the
      fingerprint spectral region showed distinct separation of Saccharomyces strains
      from non-Saccharomyces species; furthermore, industrial wine yeast strains
      separated from laboratory strains. PCA loading plots and the use of OPLS-DA to
      the data sets suggested that industrial strains were enriched with cell wall
      proteins (e.g., mannoproteins), whereas laboratory strains were composed mainly
      of mannan and glucan polymers. 

PMID- 26488435
TI  - Quality of Life Assessment in Retinoblastoma: A Cross-Sectional Study of 122
      Survivors from India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With current modalities, cure rates of retinoblastoma are high and
      hence the number of survivors is increasing. However, data on quality of life
      (QOL) are minimal. PROCEDURE: We analyzed QOL in 122 retinoblastoma survivors
      using the PedsQL(TM) 4.0 generic core scale. The self-reported questionnaire was
      filled by children of more than 5 years of age who had completed treatment for
      more than 12 months. The questionnaire consists of 23 questions on physical,
      social, emotional, and school domains on a scale from 0 to 4. This was converted
      to a scale from 0 to 100, where higher values represented better QOL. The QOL was
      compared with 50 siblings. Factors predicting the QOL were assessed. RESULTS: The
      median age of retinoblastoma survivors was 98 months (range 60-247) and 68% were
      males. Overall QOL was significantly poorer in retinoblastoma survivors as
      compared with the controls. The emotional health domain of QOL was significantly
      affected. Difficulties in maintaining friendships and competing were reported in
      the social health domain. The school health domain showed significantly higher
      absenteeism. However, the physical health domain, including household work,
      exercise, and self-care, was similar in both the groups. Lower age at diagnosis
      (<= 18 months) predicted better QOL (P = 0.05), whereas age at assessment, sex,
      IRSS stage, and previous surgery and radiotherapy were not predictive of poor
      QOL. CONCLUSIONS: We found a significantly poorer QOL in retinoblastoma survivors
      with the psychosocial health domain being more affected than the physical domain.
      Age less than 18 months at diagnosis predicted better QOL.

PMID- 26488436
TI  - The excitonic photoluminescence mechanism and lasing action in band-gap-tunable
      CdS(1-x)Se(x) nanostructures.
AB  - Bandgap tunable semiconductor materials have wide application in integrated
      optoelectronic and communication devices. The CdS1-xSex ternary semiconductor
      materials covering green-red bands have been reported previously, but their basic
      band-gap and optical properties crucial to the performance of the CdS1-xSex-based
      optoelectronic devices have not been deeply understood. In this paper, we
      theoretically simulated and discussed the feasibility of bandgap-tunable CdS1
      xSex nanomaterials for designing wavelength tunable microlasers. Then we
      fabricated the CdS1-xSex nanobelts with their band gap ranging from 2.4 to 1.74
      eV by adjusting the composition ratio x in the vapor-phase-transport growth
      process. The temperature-dependent photoluminescence and exciton-related optical
      constants of the CdS1-xSex nanobelts were carefully demonstrated. Finally, the
      wavelength-tunable Fabry-Perot lasing in CdS1-xSex nanobelts was obtained, and
      the Fabry-Perot lasing mechanism was numerically simulated by the FDTD method.
      The systematic results on the mechanism of the tunable band gap, exciton
      properties and lasing of the CdS1-xSex nanostructure help us deeply understand
      the intrinsic optical properties of this material, and will build a strong
      foundation for future application of green-red wavelength-tunable CdS1-xSex
      microlasers. 

PMID- 26488437
TI  - Emerging strategies to treat ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms.
AB  - Population screening programmes and a falling population prevalence of smoking
      have led to a declining incidence of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms in men.
      However, ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms remain a common vascular surgical
      emergency, with an increasing proportion of ruptures being in women. About one
      quarter of the ruptures have a juxta-renal aneurysm and are more challenging to
      repair using endovascular technologies. Endovascular technologies may not reduce
      the overall mortality, compared with open surgical repair, but appear to offer
      early benefits with respect to patient quality of life at acceptable cost.
      Challenges over the next 5 years include widening the access to repair,
      developing an accurate bedside risk scoring tool, as well as optimising
      strategies for pre-operative resuscitation, standardising peri-operative care and
      the management of post-operative complications.

PMID- 26488438
TI  - Straightforward synthesis of iron cyclopentadienone N-heterocyclic carbene
      complexes.
AB  - Novel iron complexes bearing both cyclopentadienone and N-heterocyclic carbene
      ancillary ligands were obtained by a straightforward synthesis from Fe2(CO)9. The
      preparation represents a rare example of silver transmetallation involving iron.
      The reaction is general and occurs in the presence of variously functionalized
      NHC and cyclopentadienones. 

PMID- 26488439
TI  - Anxiety and Depression Symptoms Among Farmers: The HUNT Study, Norway.
AB  - Agriculture has undergone profound changes, and farmers face a wide variety of
      stressors. Our aim was to study the levels of anxiety and depression symptoms
      among Norwegian farmers compared with other occupational groups. Working
      participants in the HUNT3 Survey (The Nord-Trondelag Health Study, 2006-2008),
      aged 19-66.9 years, were included in this cross-sectional study. We compared
      farmers (women, n = 317; men, n = 1,100) with HUNT3 participants working in other
      occupational groups (women, n = 13,429; men, n = 10,026), classified according to
      socioeconomic status. We used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to
      measure anxiety and depression symptoms. Both male and female farmers had higher
      levels of depression symptoms than the general working population, but the levels
      of anxiety symptoms did not differ. The differences in depression symptom levels
      between farmers and the general working population increased with age. In an age
      adjusted logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) for depression
      caseness (HADS-D >=8) when compared with the general working population was 1.49
      (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-1.83) in men and 1.29 (95% CI: 0.85-1.95) in
      women. Male farmers had a higher OR of depression caseness than any other
      occupational group (OR = 1.94, 95% CI: 1.52-2.49, using higher-grade
      professionals as reference). Female farmers had an OR similar to men (2.00, 95%
      CI: 1.26-3.17), but lower than other manual occupations. We found that farmers
      had high levels of depression symptoms and average levels of anxiety symptoms
      compared with other occupational groups. 

PMID- 26488440
TI  - Co-operative motion of multiple benzoquinone disks at the air-water interface.
AB  - Self-motion of physical-chemical systems is a promising avenue for studying and
      developing mechanical functions with inanimate systems. In this paper, we
      investigate spontaneous motion of collections of solid macroscopic benzoquinone
      (BQ) disks at the air-water interface without intervention of chemical reactions.
      The BQ particles slowly dissolve and create heterogeneous interfacial tension
      fields on the water surface that drive the motion. Spontaneous, continuous
      locomotion was observed between multiple BQ particles, along with coupling,
      collisions, cycling and collective foraging for interfacial free energy. Analysis
      of the motion suggests co-operative behavior depends strongly on particle shape. 

PMID- 26488442
TI  - Genetic differences in ChTLR15 gene polymorphism and expression involved in
      Salmonella enterica natural and artificial infection respectively, of Chinese
      native chicken breeds, with a focus on sexual dimorphism.
AB  - Chicken Toll-like receptor 15 (ChTLR15) has been shown to participate in immune
      activation in response to various pathogens and in the innate defence against
      infection. Two genetically distinct Chinese breeds of chicken (Qinyuan Partridge
      and Baier breeds) were used to study the correlation between ChTLR15 single
      nucleotide polymorphisms and the natural infection status of salmonella in hens,
      and also to examine genetic and sex-specific effects on ChTLR15 mRNA expression
      in heterophils and spleen during acute infection with Salmonella enterica serovar
      Enteritidis (SE) from 1 to 10 days after experimental infection. Three single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (G168A, C726T and A1166G) in a single exon of ChTLR15
      were identified in the two breeds, but only C726T showed a significant
      association with salmonella infection. Compared with layer-type Baier chicks,
      meat-type Qingyuan chicks showed a higher tolerance for capture stress and (SE)
      infection, as measured, respectively, by the modified body weight of chicks in
      the control group and in the infection group. Meanwhile, ChTLR15 down-regulation
      in heterophils and up-regulation in spleen were involved in the response to
      pathogenic SE colonization during the acute infection period. These significant
      genetic effects in females led to greater differences in both innate and adaptive
      immune responses than those exhibited in males. These results suggest that
      genetics, time and gender play important roles in the modulation of ChTLR15 mRNA
      level elicited by the SE-mediated immune response differentially in the two
      genetically distinct breeds, with a focus on sexual dimorphism. 

PMID- 26488444
TI  - Practical experiences with eribulin in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
AB  - There is currently no standard therapy for women with metastatic or locally
      recurrent breast cancer. The microtubule polymerization inhibitor eribulin,
      approved in March 2011, is the first monochemotherapy with a proven survival
      benefit and tolerable toxicity in this patient group. Using a retrospective
      analysis of 27 mostly heavily pretreated patients in two large German breast
      cancer centers, the efficacy and tolerability of eribulin in daily practice were
      compared with the results of the pivotal EMBRACE and 301 studies. Despite the
      patients being older and having more advanced disease, the retrospective analysis
      showed a comparable progression-free survival of 3.7 months. When eribulin was
      used in an early-line treatment, the progression-free survival observed was 7
      weeks longer compared with use in a late-line therapy. The differences in
      tolerability were not significant. Overall, the results confirm that eribulin
      represents an effective and tolerable therapeutic option for metastatic breast
      cancer in daily practice. 

PMID- 26488441
TI  - HIV Tat controls RNA Polymerase II and the epigenetic landscape to
      transcriptionally reprogram target immune cells.
AB  - HIV encodes Tat, a small protein that facilitates viral transcription by binding
      an RNA structure (trans-activating RNA [TAR]) formed on nascent viral pre
      messenger RNAs. Besides this well-characterized mechanism, Tat appears to
      modulate cellular transcription, but the target genes and molecular mechanisms
      remain poorly understood. We report here that Tat uses unexpected regulatory
      mechanisms to reprogram target immune cells to promote viral replication and
      rewire pathways beneficial for the virus. Tat functions through master
      transcriptional regulators bound at promoters and enhancers, rather than through
      cellular 'TAR-like' motifs, to both activate and repress gene sets sharing common
      functional annotations. Despite the complexity of transcriptional regulatory
      mechanisms in the cell, Tat precisely controls RNA polymerase II recruitment and
      pause release to fine-tune the initiation and elongation steps in target genes.
      We propose that a virus with a limited coding capacity has optimized its genome
      by evolving a small but 'multitasking' protein to simultaneously control viral
      and cellular transcription. 

PMID- 26488445
TI  - The Challenges of Living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Summary of a summit on
      patient and health care provider perspectives.

PMID- 26488443
TI  - Proapoptotic effect of control-released basic fibroblast growth factor on skin
      wound healing in a diabetic mouse model.
AB  - The ability of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) to improve wound healing is
      attenuated by its short half-life in free form. This study aimed to enhance skin
      wound healing in a diabetes mouse model while concomitantly decreasing scar
      formation using control-released bFGF together with acidic gelatin hydrogel
      microspheres (AGHMs). Bilateral full-thickness wounds (10 mm in diameter) were
      made on the backs of db/db mice. Forty-five mice were divided into three groups,
      and the base of the wound under the panniculus carnosus and the wound periphery
      were injected with phosphate-buffered saline (300 MUL) containing (1) control
      released bFGF (50 MUg), (2) control-released bFGF (20 MUg), or (3) AGHMs alone.
      The size of the wound area was recorded on each postoperative day (POD). Mice
      were sacrificed on postoperative day 4, 7, 10, 14, and 28, and skin wound
      specimens were obtained to assess the endothelium/angiogenesis index via cluster
      of differentiation 31 immunohistochemistry, the proliferation index via Ki-67
      immunohistochemistry, and the myofibroblast and fibroblast apoptosis indices by
      terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling and alpha
      smooth muscle actin or vimentin staining, respectively. Epithelialization rates
      and indices of proliferation and myofibroblast/fibroblast apoptosis were higher
      in the bFGF groups than in the AGHM group, mainly within 2 weeks of injury. No
      dose-effect relationship was found for control-released bFGF, although the
      actions of 50 MUg bFGF seemed to last longer than those of 20 MUg bFGF.
      Therefore, control-released bFGF may accelerate diabetic skin wound healing and
      induce myofibroblast/fibroblast apoptosis, thereby reducing scar formation. 

PMID- 26488446
TI  - Binding of Folic Acid Induces Specific Self-Aggregation of Lactoferrin:
      Thermodynamic Characterization.
AB  - In the study presented here, we investigated the interaction at pH 5.5 between
      folic acid (FA) and lactoferrin (LF), a positively charged protein. We found a
      binding constant Ka of 10(5) M(-1) and a high stoichiometry of 10 mol of FA/mol
      of LF. The size and charge of the complexes formed evolved during titration
      experiments. Increasing the ionic strength to 50 mM completely abolished the
      isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) signal, suggesting the predominance of
      electrostatic interactions in the exothermic binding obtained. We developed a
      theoretical model that explains the complex triphasic ITC profile. Our results
      revealed a two-step mechanism: FA/LF interaction followed by self-association of
      the complexes thus formed. We suggest that 10 FA molecules bind to LF to form
      saturated reactive complexes (FA10/LF) that further self-associate into
      aggregates with a finite size of around 15 nm. There is thus a critical
      saturation degree of the protein, above which the self-association can take
      place. We present here the first results that provide comprehensive details of
      the thermodynamics of FA/LF complexation-association. Given the high
      stoichiometry, allowing a load of 55 mg of FA/g of LF, we suggest that FA/LF
      aggregates would be an effective vehicle for FA in fortified drinks. 

PMID- 26488447
TI  - Organocatalyzed Multicomponent Synthesis of Isoxazolidin-5-ones.
AB  - An unprecedented multicomponent organocatalyzed Knoevenagel-aza-Michael
      cyclocondensation reaction between Meldrum's acid, hydroxylamines, and aldehydes
      afforded a straightforward entry to a large array of racemic and syn
      diastereoenriched isoxazolidinones as synthetically useful scaffolds. This
      process revealed a markedly facile aza-Michael-cyclocondensation sequence as a
      key domino reaction between RCO2NHOH and transient alkylidene Meldrum's acid upon
      Bronsted base catalysis. 

PMID- 26488448
TI  - Diagnostic utility of BNP, corin and furin as biomarkers for cardiovascular
      complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.
AB  - CONTEXT: The number of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is
      progressively increasing, and diabetic cardiovascular complications have become a
      public health problem. Brain or B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a cardiac
      hormone synthesized as a pre-pro-peptide. pro-BNP is produced by cleaving the
      signal peptide then two proprotein convertases, corin and furin cleave pro-BNP to
      form a biologically active hormone. Two corin single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) have been reported to alter corin protein conformation and impair its
      biological activity. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the potential role of
      corin and furin in comparison to BNP as biomarkers for predicting cardiovascular
      complications in T2DM patients. The association of corin gene SNPs with corin
      levels was also examined. METHODS: Seventy-five subjects were recruited in this
      study, including 25 T2DM patients with complications, 25 T2DM patients without
      complications as well as 25 healthy subjects. Plasma BNP, corin and furin levels
      were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Two corin SNPs were
      genotyped using allele specific oligonucleotide-polymerase chain reaction.
      RESULTS: Both furin and BNP were found to be more sensitive than corin (80%
      versus 56%, p = 0.008), whereas furin showed higher specificity when compared to
      BNP (96% versus 84%, p = 0.041) and corin (96% versus 64%, p < 0.0001) in
      predicting cardiovascular complications in T2DM patients. Corin SNPs are not
      associated with corin levels, neither in the entire study cohort nor in the
      subgroup of T2DM patients with cardiovascular complications (p > 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Furin may be useful, either alone or in combination with other
      biomarkers, for cardiovascular risk stratification assessment in T2DM patients.

PMID- 26488449
TI  - Capture and Release of Cancer Cells by Combining On-Chip Purification and Off
      Chip Enzymatic Treatment.
AB  - As "liquid biopsies", circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been thought to hold
      significant insights for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Despite the advances of
      microfluidic techniques that improve the capture of CTCs to a certain extent,
      recovering the captured CTCs with enhanced purity at the same time remains a
      challenge. Here, by combining on-chip purification and off-chip enzymatic
      treatment, we demonstrate a two-stage strategy to enhance the purity of captured
      cancer cells from blood samples. The on-chip purification introduces a stirring
      flow to increase the capture sensitivity and decrease nonspecifically bounded
      cells. The off-chip enzymatic treatment enables the cancer cells to be released
      from the attached magnetic beads, further improving the purity and enabling next
      reculture. For the proof-of-concept study, spiked cancer cells are successfully
      obtained from unprocessed whole blood with high recovery rate (~68%) and purity
      (~61%), facilitating subsequent RNA expression analysis. 

PMID- 26488450
TI  - A curcumin-based molecular probe for near-infrared fluorescence imaging of tau
      fibrils in Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - In recent years, there has been growing interest in the near-infrared (NIR)
      fluorescence imaging of tau fibrils for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's
      disease (AD). In order to develop a curcumin-based NIR fluorescent probe for tau
      fibrils, structural modification of the curcumin scaffold was attempted by
      combining the following rationales: the curcumin derivative should preserve its
      binding affinity to tau fibrils, and, upon binding to tau fibrils, the probe
      should show favorable fluorescence properties. To meet these requirements, we
      designed a novel curcumin scaffold with various aromatic substituents. Among the
      series, the curcumin derivative with a (4-dimethylamino-2,6-dimethoxy)phenyl
      moiety showed a significant change in its fluorescence properties (22.9-fold
      increase in quantum yield; Kd, 0.77 MUM; lambdaem, 620 nm; Phi, 0.32) after
      binding to tau fibrils. In addition, fluorescence imaging of tau-green
      fluorescent protein-transfected SHSY-5Y cells with confirmed that detected tau
      fibrils in live cells. 

PMID- 26488451
TI  - A Family of {Cr(III)2Ln(III)2} Butterfly Complexes: Effect of the Lanthanide Ion
      on the Single-Molecule Magnet Properties.
AB  - We report the synthesis of several heterometallic 3d-4f complexes which result
      from the replacement of the Dy(III) ions in the
      [Cr(III)2Dy(III)2(OMe)2(mdea)2(O2CPh)4(NO3)2] single-molecule magnet (SMM) by the
      trivalent Pr, Nd, Gd, Tb, Ho, and Er lanthanide ions. The parent {Cr2Dy(III)2}
      compound displayed an anisotropy barrier to magnetization reversal of 53 cm(-1),
      with magnetic hysteresis observed up to 3.5 K and with large coercive fields at
      low temperatures (2.7 T at 1.8 K). Magnetic studies for the new complexes
      revealed significantly different static and dynamic magnetic behavior in
      comparison to the parent {Cr(III)2Dy(III)2} complex. When Ln(III) = Pr, a
      complete loss of SMM behavior is found, but when Ln(III) = Nd or Er, frequency
      dependent tails in the out-of-phase susceptibility at low temperatures are
      observed, indicative of slow magnetic relaxation, but with very small anisotropy
      barriers and fast relaxation times. When Ln(III) = Tb and Ho, SMM behavior is
      clearly revealed with anisotropy barriers of 44 and 36 cm(-1), respectively.
      Magnetic hysteresis is also observed up to 2.5 and 1.8 K (0.003 T/s) for the Tb
      and Ho complexes, respectively. A large loss of the magnetization is, however,
      observed at zero-field, and as a result, the large coercivity which is present in
      the {Cr2Dy2} example is lost. The {Cr2Tb2} and {Cr2Ho2} complexes are rare
      examples of Tb- and Ho-based SMMs which reveal both slow relaxation in the
      absence of a static dc field (ac susceptibility) and open hysteresis loops above
      1.8 K. 

PMID- 26488452
TI  - Characterizing the degradation of alginate hydrogel for use in multilumen
      scaffolds for spinal cord repair.
AB  - Alginate was studied as a degradable nerve guidance scaffold material in vitro
      and in vivo. In vitro degradation rates were determined using rheology to measure
      the change in shear modulus vs time. The shear modulus decreased from 155 kPa to
      5 kPa within 2 days; however, alginate samples maintained their superficial
      geometry for over 28 days. The degradation behavior was supported by materials
      characterization data showing alginate consisted of high internal surface area
      (400 m2 /g), which likely facilitated the release of cross-linking cations
      resulting in the rapid decrease in shear modulus. To assess the degradation rate
      in vivo, multilumen scaffolds were fabricated using a fiber templating technique.
      The scaffolds were implanted in a 2-mm-long T3 full transection rodent spinal
      cord lesion model for 14 days. Although there was some evidence of axon guidance,
      in general, alginate scaffolds degraded before axons could grow over the 2-mm
      long lesion. Enabling alginate-based scaffolds for nerve repair will likely
      require approaches to slow its degradation. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J
      Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 611-619, 2016.

PMID- 26488453
TI  - Tenofovir Therapy for Hepatitis B May Be Commonly Prescribed Without HIV Testing.

PMID- 26488454
TI  - G2P[4]-RotaTeq Reassortant Rotavirus in Vaccinated Child, United States.

PMID- 26488455
TI  - Spiropyran-Decorated SiO2-Pt Janus Micromotor: Preparation and Light-Induced
      Dynamic Self-Assembly and Disassembly.
AB  - The controlled self-assembly of self-propelled Janus micromotors may give the
      micromotors some potential applications in many fields. In this work, we design a
      kind of SiO2-Pt Janus catalytic micromotor functionalized by spiropyran (SP)
      moieties on the surface of the SiO2 hemisphere. The spiropyran-modified SiO2-Pt
      Janus micromotor exhibits autonomous self-propulsion in the presence of hydrogen
      peroxide fuel in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)/H2O (1:1 in volume) mixture. We
      demonstrate that the self-propelled Janus micromotors can dynamically assemble
      into multiple motors because of the electrostatic attractions and pi-pi stacking
      between MC molecules induced by UV light irradiation (lambda = 365 nm) and also
      quickly disassemble into mono motors when the light is switched to green light
      (lambda = 520 nm) for the first time. Furthermore, the assembled Janus motors can
      move together automatically with different motion patterns propelled by the
      hydrogen peroxide fuels upon UV irradiation. The work provides a new approach not
      only to the development of the potential application of Janus motors but also to
      the fundamental science of reversible self-assembly and disassembly of Janus
      micromotors. 

PMID- 26488456
TI  - A Highly Selective Ratiometric Two-Photon Fluorescent Probe for Human Cytochrome
      P450 1A.
AB  - Cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A), one of the most important phase I drug-metabolizing
      enzymes in humans, plays a crucial role in the metabolic activation of
      procarcinogenic compounds to their ultimate carcinogens. Herein, we reported the
      development of a ratiometric two-photon fluorescent probe NCMN that allowed for
      selective and sensitive detection of CYP1A for the first time. The probe was
      designed on the basis of substrate preference of CYP1A and its high capacity for
      O-dealkylation, while 1,8-naphthalimide was selected as fluorophore because of
      its two-photon absorption properties. To achieve a highly selective probe for
      CYP1A, a series of 1,8-naphthalimide derivatives were synthesized and used to
      explore the potential structure-selectivity relationship, by using a panel of
      human CYP isoforms for selectivity screening. After screening and optimization,
      NCMN displayed the best combination of selectivity, sensitivity and ratiometric
      fluorescence response following CYP1A-catalyzed O-demetylation. Furthermore, the
      probe can be used to real-time monitor the enzyme activity of CYP1A in complex
      biological systems, and it has the potential for rapid screening of CYP1A
      modulators using tissue preparation as enzyme sources. NCMN has also been
      successfully used for two-photon imaging of intracellular CYP1A in living cells
      and tissues, and showed high ratiometric imaging resolution and deep-tissue
      imaging depth. In summary, a two-photon excited ratiometric fluorescent probe
      NCMN has been developed and well-characterized for sensitive and selective
      detection of CYP1A, which holds great promise for bioimaging of endogenous CYP1A
      in living cells and for further investigation on CYP1A associated biological
      functions in complex biological systems. 

PMID- 26488457
TI  - Single-Center, Adult Chronic Intestinal Failure Cohort Analyzed According to the
      ESPEN-Endorsed Recommendations, Definitions, and Classifications.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: The objective of this study was to describe a clinically well
      defined, single-center, intestinal failure (IF) cohort based on a template of
      definitions and classifications endorsed by the European Society for Clinical
      Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN). METHODS: A cross-sectional, retrospective,
      adult IF cohort, receiving parenteral support (PS), was extracted from the
      Copenhagen IF database at the tertiary IF center, Copenhagen University Hospital,
      Rigshospitalet, Denmark. RESULTS: Rigshospitalet provided PS to 188 adult
      patients with IF on December 31, 2011. Six patients received only fluids and
      electrolytes, while 97% required parenteral energy (17 +/- 12 kcal/kg/d).
      Although 92% of the cohort had undergone intestinal resection, only 53% were
      classified as patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) according to the
      pathophysiological classification. In the remaining cohort, patients were
      distributed as 5% with intestinal fistula, 12% with intestinal dysmotility, 5%
      with mechanical obstruction, and 14% with mucosal diseases. Twelve percent had a
      combination of pathophysiological causes. The patients with SBS (n = 100) were
      subdivided according to bowel anatomy into group 1 (jejuno/ileostomy, n = 82),
      group 2 (jejuno-colonic-anastomosis, n = 16), and group 3 (jejuno-ileo-colonic
      anastomosis, n = 2). When evaluating the cohort requirements for PS using the
      ESPEN chronic IF classification based on the need for fluid volume and energy,
      53% of the patients with IF were distributed in the maximum categories.
      CONCLUSION: The orphan condition of IF with its large patient heterogeneity
      mandates establishment of uniform definitions and a harmonization of
      classifications. As illustrated, the ESPEN-endorsed definitions and
      classifications are well designed and may serve as a common uniform template to
      facilitate both intra- and intercenter comparisons between reference centers and
      thus outcome results.

PMID- 26488458
TI  - Cytochrome c Complexes with Cardiolipin Monolayer Formed under Different Surface
      Pressure.
AB  - The formation of the complex of cytochrome c (Cytc) with a phospholipid
      cardiolipin (CL) in mitochondria is a crucial event in apoptosis development.
      There are two viewpoints on the structure of the complex. (1) Cytc is bound on
      the surface of the lipid bilayer. (2) The complex is a hydrophobic nanoparticle
      Cytc-CL formed by Cytc molten globule, covered by CL monolayer.1 In the present
      work, we attempted to bridge the gap between these two structures. We
      investigated the interaction between Cytc and Langmuir monolayers of CL. The
      surface pressure increase during incorporation of Cytc into CL monolayer obeys
      the equation: pi = pi0 + Deltapiinfinity[1 - exp(-betat)], where beta is pseudo
      first-order rate constant of Cytc binding, directly proportional to the initial
      Cytc concentration c0. Parameters Deltapiinfinity and the rate beta measured in
      different conditions were virtually equal for natural bovine CL and peroxidation
      resistant tetraoleoyl CL in all experiments. Surface area-surface pressure
      isotherms of Cytc alone and in combination with a CL monolayer were similar in
      shape. Apparently, the protein exposes hydrophilic groups to the water phase and
      hydrophobic to the air or to the hydrocarbon chains of CL. The 30% ethanol
      dramatically accelerated the adsorption of Cytc on the water surface. The protein
      lipid surface films showed, in compression-expansion cycles, that hysteresis
      loops were observed always when Cytc present, reproducible in repeating cycles.
      Taken together, our data show that when incorporated in a lipid monolayer or
      after adsorption on the water-air interface, Cytc undergoes conformational
      transition. In that, one part of the globule sphere becomes predominantly
      hydrophobic and the other, hydrophilic and charged ("stratified" Cytc). We
      hypothesize that in CL-containing bilayer membranes, Cytc incorporation into the
      lipid monolayer would result in membrane folding with subsequent formation of
      either catalytically reactive "bubbles" inside the bilayer, formed by Cytc-CL, or
      the appearance of hydrophilic pores. The role of lipid peroxidation catalyzed by
      Cytc-CL in the appearance of pores and apoptosis is also discussed. 

PMID- 26488459
TI  - Stiripentol for focal refractory epilepsy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review published
      in 2014 (Issue 1). For nearly 30% of people with epilepsy, seizures are not
      controlled by current treatments. Stiripentol is a new antiepileptic drug (AED)
      that was developed in France and was approved by the European Medicines Agency
      (EMA) in 2007 for the treatment of Dravet syndrome as adjunctive therapy with
      valproate and clobazam, with promising effects. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the
      efficacy and tolerability of stiripentol as add-on treatment for patients with
      focal refractory epilepsy who are taking AEDs. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the
      Cochrane Epilepsy Group Specialised Register (10 August 2015), the Cochrane
      Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; August 2015, Issue 8)and MEDLINE
      (Ovid) (1946 to 10 August 2015). We contacted Biocodex (the manufacturer of
      stiripentol) and epilepsy experts to identify published, unpublished and ongoing
      trials. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled add-on trials of stiripentol in
      patients with focal refractory epilepsy. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Review
      authors independently selected trials for inclusion and extracted data. Outcomes
      investigated included 50% or greater reduction in seizure frequency, seizure
      freedom, adverse effects, treatment withdrawal and changes in quality of life.
      MAIN RESULTS: On the basis of our selection criteria, we included no new studies
      in the present review. However, we did include one study from the earlier review
      (32 children with focal epilepsy). This study adopted a 'responder enriched'
      design and found no clear evidence of a reduction in seizure frequency (>= 50%
      seizure reduction) (risk ratio (RR) 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.81 to
      2.82) nor evidence of seizure freedom (RR 1.18, 95% CI 0.31 to 4.43) when add-on
      stiripentol was compared with placebo. Stiripentol led to a greater risk of
      adverse effects considered as a whole (RR 2.65, 95% CI 1.08 to 6.47). When
      specific adverse events were considered, confidence intervals were very wide and
      showed the possibility of substantial increases and small reductions in risks of
      neurological (RR 2.65, 95% CI 0.88 to 8.01) or gastrointestinal adverse effects
      (RR 11.56, 95% CI 0.71 to 189.36). Researchers noted no clear reduction in the
      risk of study withdrawal (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.30 to 1.47), which was high in both
      groups (35.0% in add-on placebo and 53.3% in stiripentol group). The external
      validity of this study was limited because only responders to stiripentol (i.e.
      patients experiencing a >= 50% decrease in seizure frequency compared with
      baseline) were included in the randomised add-on placebo-controlled double-blind
      phase. Furthermore, carry-over and withdrawal effects probably influenced
      outcomes related to seizure frequency. Very limited information derived from the
      only included study shows that adverse effects considered as a whole seemed to
      occur significantly more often with add-on stiripentol than with add-on placebo.
      AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Since the last version of this review was published, we
      have found no new studies. Hence, we have made no changes to the conclusions of
      this update as presented in the initial review. We can draw no conclusions to
      support the use of stiripentol as add-on treatment for focal refractory epilepsy.
      Additional large, randomised, well-conducted trials are needed.

PMID- 26488460
TI  - A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis of the Relationships between Depression,
      Anxiety, and Sexual Problems over Time.
AB  - Sexual dysfunctions are related to depressive and anxiety disorders, but the
      nature of these relationships remains unclear. This study examined the
      relationship among symptoms of these disorders over time by comparing (a) a model
      that included causal relationships, (b) a model that accounted for change over
      time with a shared underlying factor (or latent liability) among all the
      disorders, and (c) a model that conceptualized sexual dysfunctions as unrelated
      to depressive and anxiety disorders over time. Participants (n = 1,012) completed
      online self-report measures of sexual dysfunctions and depressive and anxiety
      disorders across six time points at either weekly or monthly intervals. Models 1
      and 2 provided equal best fit for men and women based on data collected four
      weeks apart, but there were no evident causal relationships in Model 1.
      Subsequent analyses using data collected one week and six months apart found
      Model 2 provided robust fit for women, but these data were not examined for men
      due to inadequate sample sizes. The results are consistent with a shared latent
      liability of internalizing psychopathology driving the change in these disorders
      over time, which provides a clear direction for an empirically driven nosology
      and for future research into transdiagnostic treatments.

PMID- 26488461
TI  - Molecular Aluminum Additive for Burn Enhancement of Hydrocarbon Fuels.
AB  - Additives to hydrocarbon fuels are commonly explored to change the combustion
      dynamics, chemical distribution, and/or product integrity. Here we employ a novel
      aluminum-based molecular additive, Al(I) tetrameric cluster [AlBrNEt3]4 (Et =
      C2H5), to a hydrocarbon fuel and evaluate the resultant single-droplet combustion
      properties. This Al4 cluster offers a soluble alternative to nanoscale
      particulate additives that have recently been explored and may mitigate the
      observed problems of particle aggregation. Results show the [AlBrNEt3]4 additive
      to increase the burn rate constant of a toluene-diethyl ether fuel mixture by
      ~20% in a room temperature oxygen environment with only 39 mM of active aluminum
      additive (0.16 wt % limited by additive solubility). In comparison, a roughly
      similar addition of nano-aluminum particulate shows no discernible difference in
      burn properties of the hydrocarbon fuel. High speed video shows the [AlBrNEt3]4
      to induce microexplosive gas release events during the last ~30% of the droplet
      combustion time. We attribute this to HBr gas release based on results of
      temperature-programmed reaction (TPR) experiments of the [AlBrNEt3]4 dosed with
      O2 and D2O. A possible mechanism of burn rate enhancement is presented that is
      consistent with microexplosion observations and TPR results. 

PMID- 26488463
TI  - Precision, reproducibility, and accuracy of bone crest level measurements of CBCT
      cross sections using different resolutions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the precision, reproducibility, and accuracy of alveolar
      crest level measurements on CBCT images obtained with different voxel sizes.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: CBCT exams were made of 12 dried human mandibles with
      voxel dimensions of 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 mm. Bone crest level was measured directly
      on the mandibles with a digital caliper and on CBCT images. Images were measured
      twice by two examiners. Intra- and interexaminer precision and reproducibility
      were assessed using paired and t-tests, respectively. Accuracy was evaluated
      using t-tests. RESULTS: Precision and reproducibility of bone crest level
      tomographic measurements was good for all voxel sizes evaluated. The images with
      0.2-mm voxel size showed a decreased number of intraexaminer errors. A high
      accuracy for measurements of bone crest level was observed for all CBCT
      definitions, except for the mandibular incisors using the 0.4-mm voxel size.
      CONCLUSIONS: Precision and reproducibility of alveolar bone level measurements
      were good for various voxel sizes. CBCT images demonstrated good accuracy for 0.2
      mm and 0.3-mm voxel sizes. The mandibular incisor region needs better resolution
      than that provided by 0.4-mm voxel size for bone crest level measurements.

PMID- 26488462
TI  - Baculovirus expression: old dog, new tricks.
AB  - Since its inception more than 30 years ago, the baculovirus expression vector
      system (BEVS) has been used prolifically to produce heterologous proteins for
      research and development. In the cell, a cornerstone of biological activity are
      multiprotein complexes, catalyzing essential functions. BEVS has been uniquely
      successful to unlock such complex assemblies for high-resolution structural and
      functional analysis. Synthetic biology approaches have been implemented to
      optimize multigene assembly methods, accelerating upstream processes. Specialized
      baculoviral genomes are being created with functions tailored to enhance
      production of particular target protein classes. Here we comment on current and
      emerging developments in the field and their potential to accelerate protein
      complex research. 

PMID- 26488464
TI  - Electrical impedance tomography: functional lung imaging on its way to clinical
      practice?
AB  - Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) has the potential to become a bedside tool
      for monitoring and guiding ventilator therapy as well as tracking the development
      of chronic lung diseases. This review article summarizes recent publications
      (from 2011) dealing with the applications of pulmonary EIT. Original papers on
      EIT lung imaging in clinical settings are analyzed and divided into several
      categories according to the lung pathology of the study subjects. Studies on
      children and infants are presented separately from studies on adult patients.
      Information on the study objectives and main results, the number of studied
      patients, the performed ventilatory maneuvers or interventions and the analyzed
      EIT information is given. Limitations that hinder EIT to become a routinely used
      tool in a clinical setting are also discussed. 

PMID- 26488465
TI  - Vaccine-Resistant Malaria.

PMID- 26488467
TI  - Endothelial Cell Autophagy in Atherosclerosis is Regulated by miR-30-Mediated
      Translational Control of ATG6.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endothelial cell injury and subsequent death play an essential
      role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Autophagy of endothelial cells has a
      protective role against development of atherosclerosis, whereas the molecular
      regulation of endothelial cell autophagy is unclear. MicroRNA-30 (miR-30) is a
      known autophagy suppressor in some biological processes, while it is unknown
      whether this regulatory axis may be similarly involved in the development of
      atherosclerosis. Here, we aimed to answer these questions in the current study.
      METHODS: We examined the levels of endothelial cell autophagy in ApoE (-/-) mice
      suppled with high-fat diet (HFD), a mouse model for atherosclerosis (simplified
      as HFD mice). We analyzed the levels of autophagy-associated protein 6 (ATG6, or
      Beclin-1) and the levels of miR-30 in the purified CD31+ endothelial cells from
      mouse aorta. Prediction of the binding between miR-30 and 3'-UTR of ATG6 mRNA was
      performed by bioinformatics analyses and confirmed by a dual luciferase reporter
      assay. The effects of miR-30 were further analyzed in an in vitro model using
      oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-treated human aortic endothelial cells
      (HAECs). RESULTS: HFD mice developed atherosclerosis in 12 weeks, while the
      control ApoE (-/-) mice that had received normal diet (simplified as NOR mice)
      did not. Compared to NOR mice, HFD mice had significantly lower levels of
      endothelial cell autophagy, resulting from decreases in ATG6 protein, but not
      mRNA. The decreases in ATG6 in endothelial cells were due to HFD-induced
      increases in miR-30, which suppressed the translation of ATG6 mRNA via 3'-UTR
      binding. These in vivo findings were reproduced in vitro on ox-LDL-treated HAECs.
      CONCLUSION: Upregulation of miR-30 by HFD may impair the protective effects of
      endothelial cell autophagy against development of atherosclerosis through
      suppressing protein translation of ATG6.

PMID- 26488468
TI  - Bilateral Optic Pathway Ganglioglioma: The Fifth Case in the Literature.
AB  - Gangliogliomas are mixed tumors which contain both glial and neuronal elements.
      The optic pathway is a very rare location for gangliogliomas, with less than 23
      cases reported in the literature. Bilateral involvement of the entire optic
      pathway was reported in only 4 cases before. Because of similar radiological
      appearance of other pathological entities such as gliomas and craniopharyngiomas,
      histopathological diagnosis is essential. We report a ganglioglioma case that
      involved both optic pathways. A 12-year-old patient suffering from visual
      deterioration for 6 months was evaluated. After a visual field test and
      radiological examinations, a microsurgical biopsy procedure was performed.
      Pathological examination revealed dysplastic/neoplastic ganglion cells and
      neoplastic glial cells, and the diagnosis was a World Health Organization (WHO)
      grade 1 ganglioglioma. The patient is scheduled for adjuvant radiotherapy with
      the hope of prevention of progression. 

PMID- 26488469
TI  - Detection of Alicyclobacillus spp. in Fruit Juice by Combination of
      Immunomagnetic Separation and a SYBR Green I Real-Time PCR Assay.
AB  - An approach based on immunomagnetic separation (IMS) and SYBR Green I real-time
      PCR (real-time PCR) with species-specific primers and melting curve analysis was
      proposed as a rapid and effective method for detecting Alicyclobacillus spp. in
      fruit juices. Specific primers targeting the 16S rDNA sequences of
      Alicyclobacillus spp. were designed and then confirmed by the amplification of
      DNA extracted from standard strains and isolates. Spiked samples containing known
      amounts of target bacteria were used to obtain standard curves; the correlation
      coefficient was greater than 0.986 and the real-time PCR amplification
      efficiencies were 98.9%- 101.8%. The detection limit of the testing system was
      2.8*101 CFU/mL. The coefficient of variation for intra-assay and inter-assay
      variability were all within the acceptable limit of 5%. Besides, the performance
      of the IMS-real-time PCR assay was further investigated by detecting naturally
      contaminated kiwi fruit juice; the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were
      91.7%, 95.9% and 95.3%, respectively. The established IMS-real-time PCR procedure
      provides a new method for identification and quantitative detection of
      Alicyclobacillus spp. in fruit juice. 

PMID- 26488470
TI  - Reversible Growth Hormone Excess in Two Girls with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and
      Optic Pathway Glioma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A total of 12 children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) with
      optic pathway glioma (OPG) and growth hormone (GH) excess are reported to date,
      but no data exist on the long-term outcome. We describe 2 girls with NF-1 with
      OPG and GH excess treated with somatostatin analogue (SSa) who maintained a
      normal GH axis after stopping SSa therapy. METHODS: The diagnosis of GH excess
      was established from auxological data, persistently high levels of insulin-like
      growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and a lack of GH suppression during an oral glucose
      tolerance test. RESULTS: Both patients were started on SSa treatment. During
      treatment, growth deceleration and normal IGF-1 levels were documented. The first
      case stopped treatment following the development of SSa side effects. The second
      case interrupted SSa when, closed to her final height, a normal IGF-1 level was
      documented. While off treatment, both cases maintained normal IGF-1 levels and
      appropriate growth velocity for their age and development, with normal GH
      secretion on biochemical testing. Both cases received treatment for central
      precocious puberty. CONCLUSION: GH excess in NF-1 children with OPG can be
      reversed and only short-term SSa therapy may be required. The aetiology remains
      undetermined, but the course suggests a hypothalamic dysfunction.

PMID- 26488471
TI  - PFTK1 Promotes Gastric Cancer Progression by Regulating Proliferation, Migration
      and Invasion.
AB  - PFTK1, also known as PFTAIRE1, CDK14, is a novel member of Cdc2-related
      serine/threonine protein kinases. Recent studies show that PFTK1 is highly
      expressed in several malignant tumors such as hepatocellular carcinoma,
      esophageal cancer, breast cancer, and involved in regulation of cell cycle,
      tumors proliferation, migration, and invasion that further influence the
      prognosis of tumors. However, the expression and physiological significance of
      PFTK1 in gastric cancer remain unclear. In this study, we analyzed the expression
      and clinical significance of PFTK1 by Western blot in 8 paired fresh gastric
      cancer tissues, nontumorous gastric mucosal tissues and immunohistochemistry on
      161 paraffinembedded slices. High PFTK1 expression was correlated with the tumor
      grade, lymph node invasion as well as Ki-67. Through Cell Counting Kit (CCK)-8
      assay, flow cytometry, colony formation, wound healing and transwell assays, the
      vitro studies demonstrated that PFTK1 overexpression promoted proliferation,
      migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells, while PFTK1 knockdown led to the
      opposite results. Our findings for the first time supported that PFTK1 might play
      an important role in the regulation of gastric cancer proliferation, migration
      and would provide a novel promising therapeutic strategy against human gastric
      cancer. 

PMID- 26488472
TI  - The Effect of Timing of Female Vibrational Reply on Male Signalling and Searching
      Behaviour in the Leafhopper Aphrodes makarovi.
AB  - Sexual communication in animals often involves duetting characterized by a
      coordinated reciprocal exchange of acoustic signals. We used playback experiments
      to study the role of timing of a female reply in the species-specific duet
      structure in the leafhopper Aphrodes makarovi (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). In
      leafhoppers, mate recognition and location is mediated exclusively by species-
      and sex-specific substrate-borne vibrational signals and a female signal emitted
      in reply to male advertisement calls is essential for recognition and successful
      location of the female. In A. makarovi, males have to initiate each exchange of
      vibrational signals between partners, and in a duet the beginning of a female
      reply overlaps the end of the male advertisement call. Results of playback
      treatments in which female replies were delayed and did not overlap with the male
      call revealed that in order to trigger an appropriate behavioural response of the
      male, female reply has to appear in a period less than 400 ms after the end of
      the initiating male call. Results also suggest that males are not able to detect
      a female reply while calling, since female reply that did not continue after the
      end of male call triggered male behaviour similar to behaviour observed in the
      absence of female reply. Together, our results show that vibrational duets are
      tightly coordinated and that the species-specific duet structure plays an
      important role in mate recognition in location processes. 

PMID- 26488473
TI  - Subclassification of BCLC B Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Treatment
      Strategies: Proposal of Modified Bolondi's Subclassification (Kinki Criteria).
AB  - Intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a very heterogeneous tumor
      in terms of tumor size (>3 cm ~ over 10 cm), tumor number (4 ~ over 20) and liver
      function (Child-Pugh score 5-9). However, transarterial chemoembolization is the
      only recommended treatment option according to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer
      (BCLC) staging. Bolondi's subclassification of BCLC B stage is feasible; however,
      there are several weak points. Therefore, by modifying Bolondi's
      subclassification, we have proposed a more simplified subclassification, Kinki
      criteria. The Kinki criteria consist of 2 factors: liver function (Child-Pugh
      score 5-7 or 8, 9) and tumor status (Beyond Milan and within up-to-7 criteria; IN
      and OUT). The Kinki criteria classifies BCLC B stage from B1 (Child-Pugh score 5
      7 and within up-to-7), B2 (Child-Pugh score 5-7 and beyond up-to-7) and B3 (Child
      Pugh score 8, 9 and any tumor status). These criteria are simple and easy to
      apply to clinical practice. Therefore, these criteria will stratify the
      heterogeneous population of BCLC B group patient well and give the treatment
      indication according to each substage. These criteria should be further validated
      both retrospectively and prospectively. 

PMID- 26488474
TI  - Usefulness of Cytokeratin-18M65 in Diagnosing Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis in
      Japanese Population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate cytokeratin-18M65 (CK-18M65) for
      distinguishing between simple steatosis (SS) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
      (NASH) against healthy individuals (HIs) in Japanese population. METHODS: The
      serum from 24 HIs, 21 patients with SS and 20 patients with NASH were examined.
      Serum CK-18M65 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS:
      Aspartate aminotransferase was significantly different between NASH patients and
      HIs with p < 0.0001 (SS patients and HIs: p < 0.0001), as was alanine
      aminotransferase between NASH patients and HIs with p < 0.0001 (SS patients and
      HIs: p < 0.0001). Serum CK-18M65 increased in a stepwise fashion in HIs and also
      in SS and NASH patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that
      NASH could be diagnosed with the use of CK-18M65 alone (p = 0.0285, OR 1.0038,
      95% CI 1.0004-1.0073). At the optimal cut-off level of 548 U/l, CK-18M65 had an
      AUC value of 0.7369, 60.00% sensitivity and 85.70% specificity. In patients with
      NASH, no significant difference was observed between low fibrosis (Stage 0-1,
      794.30 +/- 454.41, n = 10) and high fibrosis (Stage 2-3, 809.70 +/- 641.43, n =
      10; p = 0.5967) and between slight steatosis (<33%, 512.89 +/- 229.65, n = 9) and
      moderate steatosis (>=33%, 655.13 +/- 480.78, n = 32) in patients with non
      alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD; p = 0.7647) with the use of CK-18M65.
      CONCLUSION: Serum CK-18M65 distinguished NASH from SS, but could not assess the
      severity of steatosis in NAFLD patients or the grade of fibrosis in NASH patients
      in Japanese population.

PMID- 26488475
TI  - West Nile Virus Surveillance in 2013 via Mosquito Screening in Northern Italy and
      the Influence of Weather on Virus Circulation.
AB  - West Nile virus (WNV) is a recently re-emerged health problem in Europe. In
      Italy, an increasing number of outbreaks of West Nile disease, with occurrences
      of human cases, have been reported since 2008. This is particularly true in
      northern Italy, where entomological surveillance systems have been implemented at
      a regional level. The aim of this study was to use, for the first time, all the
      entomological data collected in the five regions undergoing surveillance for WNV
      in northern Italy to characterize the viral circulation (at a spatial and
      temporal scale), identify potential mosquito vectors, and specify relationships
      between virus circulation and meteorological conditions. In 2013, 286 sites
      covering the entire Pianura Padana area were monitored. A total of 757,461
      mosquitoes were sampled. Of these, 562,079 were tested by real-time PCR in 9,268
      pools, of which 180 (1.9%) were positive for WNV. The largest part of the
      detected WNV sequences belonged to lineage II, demonstrating that, unlike those
      in the past, the 2013 outbreak was mainly sustained by this WNV lineage. This
      surveillance also detected the Usutu virus, a WNV-related flavivirus, in 241
      (2.6%) pools. The WNV surveillance systems precisely identified the area affected
      by the virus and detected the viral circulation approximately two weeks before
      the occurrence of onset of human cases. Ninety percent of the sampled mosquitoes
      were Culex pipiens, and 178/180 WNV-positive pools were composed of only this
      species, suggesting this mosquito is the main WNV vector in northern Italy. A
      significantly higher abundance of the vector was recorded in the WNV circulation
      area, which was characterized by warmer and less rainy conditions and greater
      evapotranspiration compared to the rest of the Pianura Padana, suggesting that
      areas exposed to these conditions are more suitable for WNV circulation. This
      observation highlights warmer and less rainy conditions as factors able to
      enhance WNV circulation and cause virus spillover outside the sylvatic cycle. 

PMID- 26488476
TI  - The Profile of Heparanase Expression Distinguishes Differentiated Thyroid
      Carcinoma from Benign Neoplasms.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The search for a specific marker that could help to distinguish
      between differentiated thyroid carcinoma and benign lesions remains elusive in
      clinical practice. Heparanase (HPSE) is an endo-beta-glucoronidase implicated in
      the process of tumor invasion, and the heparanase-2 (HPSE2) modulates HPSE
      activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of heparanases in the
      development and differential diagnosis of follicular pattern thyroid lesions.
      METHODS: HPSE and HPSE2 expression by qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry evaluation,
      western blot analysis and HPSE enzymatic activity were evaluated. RESULTS: The
      expression of heparanases by qRT-PCR showed an increase of HPSE2 in thyroid
      carcinoma (P = 0.001). HPSE activity was found to be higher in the malignant
      neoplasms than in the benign tumors (P<0.0001). On Western blot analysis, HPSE2
      isoforms were detected only in malignant tumors. The immunohistochemical assay
      allowed us to establish a distinct pattern for malignant and benign tumors.
      Carcinomas showed a typical combination of positive labeling for neoplastic cells
      and negative immunostaining in colloid, when compared to benign tumors
      (P<0.0001). The proposed diagnostic test presents sensitivity and negative
      predictive value of around 100%, showing itself to be an accurate test for
      distinguishing between malignant and benign lesions. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      shows, for the first time, a distinct profile of HPSE expression in thyroid
      carcinoma suggesting its role in carcinogenesis.

PMID- 26488478
TI  - Correction: Multi-Method Approach for Characterizing the Interaction between
      Fusarium verticillioides and Bacillus thuringiensis Subsp. Kurstaki.

PMID- 26488477
TI  - Sex and STEM Occupation Predict Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) Scores in Half a
      Million People.
AB  - This study assesses Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scores in a 'big data' sample
      collected through the UK Channel 4 television website, following the broadcasting
      of a medical education program. We examine correlations between the AQ and age,
      sex, occupation, and UK geographic region in 450,394 individuals. We predicted
      that age and geography would not be correlated with AQ, whilst sex and occupation
      would have a correlation. Mean AQ for the total sample score was m = 19.83 (SD =
      8.71), slightly higher than a previous systematic review of 6,900 individuals in
      a non-clinical sample (mean of means = 16.94) This likely reflects that this big
      data sample includes individuals with autism who in the systematic review score
      much higher (mean of means = 35.19). As predicted, sex and occupation differences
      were observed: on average, males (m = 21.55, SD = 8.82) scored higher than
      females (m = 18.95; SD = 8.52), and individuals working in a STEM career (m =
      21.92, SD = 8.92) scored higher than individuals non-STEM careers (m = 18.92, SD
      = 8.48). Also as predicted, age and geographic region were not meaningfully
      correlated with AQ. These results support previous findings relating to sex and
      STEM careers in the largest set of individuals for which AQ scores have been
      reported and suggest the AQ is a useful self-report measure of autistic traits. 

PMID- 26488479
TI  - Use of in vivo Expression Technology for the Identification of Putative Host
      Adaptation Factors of the Lyme Disease Spirochete.
AB  - The causative agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, is an obligate
      parasite that requires either a tick vector or a mammalian host for survival.
      Identification of the bacterial genes that are specifically expressed during
      infection of the mammalian host could provide targets for novel therapeutics and
      vaccines. In vivo expression technology (IVET) is a reporter-based promoter trap
      system that utilizes selectable markers to identify promoters of bacterial host
      specific genes. Using previously characterized genes for in vivo and in vitro
      selection, this study utilized an IVET system that allows for selection of B.
      burgdorferi sequences that act as active promoters only during murine infection.
      This promoter trap system was able to successfully distinguish active promoter
      sequences both in vivo and in vitro from control sequences and a library of
      cloned B. burgdorferi genomic fragments. However, a bottleneck effect during the
      experimental mouse infection limited the utility for genome-wide promoter
      screening. Overall, IVET was demonstrated as a tool for the identification of in
      vivo-induced promoter elements of B. burgdorferi, and the observed infection
      bottleneck apparent using a polyclonal infection pool provides insight into the
      dynamics of experimental infection with B. burgdorferi. 

PMID- 26488480
TI  - The MRI marker gene MagA attenuates the oxidative damage induced by iron overload
      in transgenic mice.
AB  - We aimed to create transgenic (Tg) mice engineered for magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI). To ascertain if MagA expression contributes to oxidative stress and iron
      metabolism, we report the generation of Tg mice in which ubiquitous expression of
      MagA can be detected by MRI in vivo. Expression of MagA in diverse tissues of Tg
      mice was assessed, and iron accumulation and deposition of nanoparticles in
      tissues were analyzed. Levels of antioxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation and
      cytokine production were determined, and iron metabolism-related proteins were
      also detected. MagA Tg showed no apparent pathologic symptoms and no histologic
      changes compared with wild-type (WT) mice. Overexpression of MagA resulted in
      specific alterations of the transverse relaxation rate (R2) of water. Transgene
      dependent changes in R2 were detectable by MRI in iron-overloaded mice. We also
      evaluated antioxidant abilities between WT and Tg groups or two iron-overloaded
      groups. Together with the data of cytokines and iron metabolism-related proteins,
      we inferred that MagA could regulate nanoparticle production and thus attenuate
      the oxidative damage induced by iron overload. The novel MagA Tg mouse, which
      expresses an MRI reporter in many tissues, would be a valuable model of MagA
      molecular imaging in which to study diseases related to iron metabolism. 

PMID- 26488481
TI  - Mosquito-specific microRNA-1890 targets the juvenile hormone-regulated serine
      protease JHA15 in the female mosquito gut.
AB  - Females of the hematophagous mosquito species require a vertebrate blood meal to
      supply amino acids and other nutrients necessary for egg development, serving as
      the driving force for the spread of many vector-borne diseases in humans. Blood
      digestion utilizes both early and late phase serine proteases (SPs) that are
      differentially regulated at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level.
      To uncover the regulatory complexity of SPs in the female mosquito midgut, we
      investigated involvement of miRNAs in regulating the juvenile hormone (JH)
      controlled chymotrypsin-like SP, JHA15. We identified regulatory regions
      complementary to the mosquito-specific miRNA, miR-1890, within the 3' UTR of
      JHA15 mRNA. The level of the JHA15 transcript is highest post eclosion and
      drastically declines post blood meal (PBM), exhibiting an opposite trend to miR
      1890 that peaks at 24 h PBM. Depletion of miR-1890 results in defects in blood
      digestion, ovary development and egg deposition. JHA15 mRNA and protein levels
      are elevated in female mosquitoes with miR-1890 inhibition. JHA15 RNA
      interference in the miR-1890 depletion background alleviates miR-1890 depletion
      phenotypes. The miR-1890 gene is activated by the 20-hydroxyecdysone pathway that
      involves the ecdysone receptor and the early genes, E74B and Broad Z2. Our study
      suggests that miR-1890 controls JHA15 mRNA stability in a stage- and tissue-
      specific manner.

PMID- 26488482
TI  - A Fungal-Prokaryotic Consortium at the Basalt-Zeolite Interface in Subseafloor
      Igneous Crust.
AB  - We have after half a century of coordinated scientific drilling gained insight
      into Earth's largest microbial habitat, the subseafloor igneous crust, but still
      lack substantial understanding regarding its abundance, diversity and ecology.
      Here we describe a fossilized microbial consortium of prokaryotes and fungi at
      the basalt-zeolite interface of fractured subseafloor basalts from a depth of 240
      m below seafloor (mbsf). The microbial consortium and its relationship with the
      surrounding physical environment are revealed by synchrotron-based X-ray
      tomographic microscopy (SRXTM), environmental scanning electron microscopy
      (ESEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The base of the consortium is represented by
      microstromatolites-remains of bacterial communities that oxidized reduced iron
      directly from the basalt. The microstromatolites and the surrounding basalt were
      overlaid by fungal cells and hyphae. The consortium was overgrown by
      hydrothermally formed zeolites but remained alive and active during this event.
      After its formation, fungal hyphae bored in the zeolite, producing millimetre
      long tunnels through the mineral substrate. The dissolution could either serve to
      extract metals like Ca, Na and K essential for fungal growth and metabolism, or
      be a response to environmental stress owing to the mineral overgrowth. Our
      results show how microbial life may be maintained in a nutrient-poor and extreme
      environment by close ecological interplay and reveal an effective strategy for
      nutrient extraction from minerals. The prokaryotic portion of the consortium
      served as a carbon source for the eukaryotic portion. Such an approach may be a
      prerequisite for prokaryotic-eukaryotic colonisation of, and persistence in,
      subseafloor igneous crust. 

PMID- 26488483
TI  - Characterization of Sugarcane Mosaic Virus Scmv1 and Scmv2 Resistance Regions by
      Regional Association Analysis in Maize.
AB  - Sugarcane Mosaic Virus (SCMV) causes one of the most severe virus diseases in
      maize worldwide, resulting in reduced grain and forage yield in susceptible
      cultivars. In this study, two association panels consisting of 94 inbred lines
      each, from China and the U.S., were characterized for resistance to two isolates:
      SCMV-Seehausen and SCMV-BJ. The population structure of both association panels
      was analyzed using 3072 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. The Chinese
      and the U.S. panel were both subdivided into two sub-populations, the latter
      comprised of Stiff Stalk Synthetic (SS) lines and Non Stiff Stalk Synthetic
      (NSS). The relative kinships were calculated using informative 2947 SNPs with
      minor allele frequency >= 5% and missing data <= 20% for the Chinese panel and
      2841 SNPs with the same characteristics were used for the U.S. panel. The Scmv1
      region was genotyped using 7 single sequence repeat (SSR) and sequence-tagged
      site (STS) markers, and 12 SSR markers were used for the Scmv2 region in the U.S.
      panel, while 5 of them were used for the Chinese panel. For all traits, a MLM
      (Mix Linear Model) controlling both population structure and relative kinship (Q
      + K) was used for association analysis. Three markers Trx-1, STS-11, and STS-12
      located in the Scmv1 region were strongly associated (P = 0.001) with SCMV
      resistance, and explained more than 16.0%, 10.6%, and 19.7% of phenotypic
      variation, respectively. 207FG003 located in the Scmv2 region was significantly
      associated (P = 0.001) with SCMV resistance, and explained around 18.5% of
      phenotypic variation. 

PMID- 26488484
TI  - Footwear Decreases Gait Asymmetry during Running.
AB  - Previous research on elderly people has suggested that footwear may improve
      neuromuscular control of motion. If footwear does in fact improve neuromuscular
      control, then such an influence might already be present in young, healthy
      adults. A feature that is often used to assess neuromuscular control of motion is
      the level of gait asymmetry. The objectives of the study were (a) to develop a
      comprehensive asymmetry index (CAI) that is capable of detecting gait asymmetry
      changes caused by external boundary conditions such as footwear, and (b) to use
      the CAI to investigate whether footwear influences gait asymmetry during running
      in a healthy, young cohort. Kinematic and kinetic data were collected for both
      legs of 15 subjects performing five barefoot and five shod over-ground running
      trials. Thirty continuous gait variables including ground reaction forces and
      variables of the hip, knee, and ankle joints were computed for each leg. For each
      individual, the differences between the variables for the right and left leg were
      calculated. Using this data, a principal component analysis was conducted to
      obtain the CAI. This study had two main outcomes. First, a sensitivity analysis
      suggested that the CAI had an improved sensitivity for detecting changes in gait
      asymmetry caused by external boundary conditions. The CAI may, therefore, have
      important clinical applications such as monitoring the progress of neuromuscular
      diseases (e.g. stroke or cerebral palsy). Second, the mean CAI for shod running
      (131.2 +/- 48.5; mean +/- standard deviation) was significantly lower (p = 0.041)
      than the CAI for barefoot running (155.7 +/- 39.5). This finding suggests that in
      healthy, young adults gait asymmetry is reduced when running in shoes compared to
      running barefoot, which may be a result of improved neuromuscular control caused
      by changes in the afferent sensory feedback. 

PMID- 26488485
TI  - Fosfomycin Resistance in Escherichia coli, Pennsylvania, USA.
AB  - Fosfomycin resistance in Escherichia coli is rare in the United States. An
      extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing E. coli clinical strain identified in
      Pennsylvania, USA, showed high-level fosfomycin resistance caused by the fosA3
      gene. The IncFII plasmid carrying this gene had a structure similar to those
      found in China, where fosfomycin resistance is commonly described. 

PMID- 26488488
TI  - Correction. Elevated Plasma Ceramides in Depression.

PMID- 26488486
TI  - Antipsychotic Use in a Diverse Population With Dementia: A Retrospective Review
      of the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Database.
AB  - A cross-sectional analysis examined medication records in the National
      Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Database for community-dwelling patients with
      dementia who visited an Alzheimer's Disease Center between 2008 and 2014.
      Hispanic participants had a 1.62-fold greater use of antipsychotic medications,
      which was largely accounted for by a higher prevalence of neuropsychiatric
      symptoms and more severe dementia compared with non-Hispanic whites. These
      results are consistent with reports of later transition to nursing home care
      among Hispanic participants. Further studies are needed to clarify ethnic
      differences in how families and physicians address dementia progression and
      neuropsychiatric symptoms in community-dwelling patients with dementia. 

PMID- 26488489
TI  - Neurobiology of Implicit and Explicit Bias: Implications for Clinicians.

PMID- 26488490
TI  - The Influence of Malnutrition and Micronutrient Status on Anemic Risk in Children
      under 3 Years Old in Poor Areas in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malnutrition and anemia affect large numbers of young children living
      in poor areas of China. Multi-micronutrient deficiencies may be related to the
      prevalence of anemia in different populations, and identifying the risk factors
      that render children susceptible to anemia is the first step in combating anemia
      effectively. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1370 children
      under 3 years old were selected based on probability proportional to size
      sampling principles from poor counties of China. Basic characteristics data were
      collected by questionnaire; then anthropometrics and hemoglobin were measured in
      the field and anemia prevalence evaluated. Venous blood was drawn from children
      aged 12-35 months (N = 553) to evaluate micronutrient status. Logistic regression
      was used to identify the risk factors for children's anemia. RESULTS: Among
      children aged 0-35 months, the prevalence of stunting, low body weight and
      wasting was 17.5%, 8.6% and 5.1%, respectively, and 25.6% of the children were
      affected by anemia, with more anemic infants and younger children than older
      children (P <0.01). There were 26.5%, 12.8%, 14.1% and 20.0% of the children aged
      12-35 months affected by iron deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, folic acid
      deficiency and vitamin B12 deficiency, respectively. For children aged 0-11
      months who were breastfed, the mothers' anemic status was the only factor
      associated with the child's anemia (OR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.2-5.4, P < 0.05). For
      children aged 12-35 months, multivariate logistic regression indicated that
      anemia was significantly associated with iron and vitamin B12 deficiency (OR =
      5.3; 95% CI: 1.9-14.5, P < 0.01) and monotonous diet (OR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.7,
      P < 0.05) after adjusting for age and gender. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of
      anemia was higher in children under 2 years old and requires urgent intervention.
      An effective intervention strategy should include iron and vitamin B12
      supplements, improving dietary diversity and controlling breastfeeding mothers'
      anemia.

PMID- 26488491
TI  - Pegfilgrastim for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia in
      patients with solid tumors.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Neutropenia and febrile neutropenia are the most common and most
      severe bone marrow toxicities of chemotherapy. Recombinant granulocyte-colony
      stimulating factors (G-CSFs), both daily (filgrastim and biosimilars, and
      lenograstim) and long-acting (pegfilgrastim and lipegfilgrastim) formulations,
      are currently available to counteract the negative consequences of these side
      effects. AREAS COVERED: The purpose of this article is to review the
      physiopathology of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia and its consequences,
      and the current evidence regarding the pharmacological properties, clinical
      efficacy and cost-effectiveness of pegfilgrastim as a strategy to prevent
      chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia in patients with solid tumors. EXPERT
      OPINION: Chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia and its complications are still
      a major health-care concern, and the inappropriate employment of G-CSFs in
      clinical practice can partially explain its burden. Pegfilgrastim has
      pharmacological advantages over daily G-CSFs that makes it easily administrable,
      thus reducing the chance of incorrect delivery. The once-per-cycle administration
      might explain the findings derived from observational studies suggesting a
      possible superior efficacy of pegfilgrastim over daily G-CSFs. For patients at
      higher risk of failure with daily G-CSF prophylaxis (e.g. risk of non-compliance,
      difficulties on performing regular hemograms, high risk of developing febrile
      neutropenia), pegfilgrastim might be the most appropriate option.

PMID- 26488492
TI  - A Novel Electrochemiluminescence Immunosensor for the Analysis of HIV-1 p24
      Antigen Based on P-RGO@Au@Ru-SiO2 Composite.
AB  - Ru(bpy)3(2+)-doped silica (Ru-SiO2) nanoparticles and gold-nanoparticle-decorated
      graphene (P-RGO@Au) were combined to form a P-RGO@Au@Ru-SiO2 composite. The
      composite was used to develop a novel sandwich-type electrochemiluminescence
      immunosensor for the analysis of HIV-1 p24 antigen. The composite worked as
      carrier to immobilize target antibody and to build a sandwich-type
      electrochemiluminescence immunosensor through an interaction between antigen and
      antibody. Importantly, high ECL signal could be obtained due to the large amounts
      of Ru(bpy)3(2+) molecules per Ru-SiO2 nanoparticle. The P-RGO@Au composite with
      good conductivity and high surface area not only accelerated the electron
      transfer rate but also improved the loading of both ECL molecules and capture
      antibody, which could further increase the ECL response and result in high
      sensitivity. Taking advantage of both Ru-SiO2 nanoparticles and the P-RGO@Au
      composite, the proposed immunosensor exhibited a linear range from 1.0 * 10(-9)
      to 1.0 * 10(-5) mg mL(-1) with a detection limit of 1.0 * 10(-9) mg mL(-1) for
      HIV-1 p24 antigen. The proposed ECL immunosensor was used to analyze HIV-1 p24
      antigen in human serum, and satisfactory recoveries were obtained, indicating
      that the proposed method is promising for practical applications in the clinical
      diagnosis of HIV infection. 

PMID- 26488493
TI  - Increased Wounding of Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) Calves by Kelp
      Gulls (Larus dominicanus) at Peninsula Valdes, Argentina.
AB  - At least 626 southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) calves died at the
      Peninsula Valdes calving ground, Argentina, between 2003 and 2014. Intense gull
      harassment may have contributed to these deaths. In the 1970s, Kelp Gulls (Larus
      dominicanus) began feeding on skin and blubber pecked from the backs of living
      right whales at Valdes. The frequency of gull attacks has increased dramatically
      over the last three decades and mother-calf pairs are the primary targets. Pairs
      attacked by gulls spend less time nursing, resting and playing than pairs not
      under attack. In successive attacks, gulls open new lesions on the whales' backs
      or enlarge preexisting ones. Increased wounding could potentially lead to
      dehydration, impaired thermoregulation, and energy loss to wound healing. The
      presence, number and total area of gull-inflicted lesions were assessed using
      aerial survey photographs of living mother-calf pairs in 1974-2011 (n = 2680) and
      stranding photographs of dead calves (n = 192) in 2003-2011. The percentage of
      living mothers and calves with gull lesions increased from an average of 2% in
      the 1970s to 99% in the 2000s. In the 1980s and 1990s, mothers and calves had
      roughly equal numbers of lesions (one to five), but by the 2000s, calves had more
      lesions (nine or more) covering a greater area of their backs compared to their
      mothers. Living mother-calf pairs and dead calves in Golfo Nuevo had more lesions
      than those in Golfo San Jose in the 2000s. The number and area of lesions
      increased with calf age during the calving season. Intensified Kelp Gull
      harassment at Peninsula Valdes could be compromising calf health and thereby
      contributing to the high average rate of calf mortality observed in recent years,
      but it cannot explain the large year-to-year variance in calf deaths since 2000. 

PMID- 26488494
TI  - Workplace Safety Concerns among Co-workers of Responder Returning from Ebola
      Affected Country.
AB  - We surveyed public health co-workers regarding attitudes toward a physician who
      returned to New Hampshire after volunteering in the West African Ebola outbreak.
      An unexpectedly large (18.0%) proportion of staff expressed discomfort with the
      Ebola responder returning to work. Employers should take proactive steps to
      address employee fears and concerns. 

PMID- 26488495
TI  - Self-nanoemulsifying powders for improved oral delivery of poorly water-soluble
      drugs.

PMID- 26488497
TI  - Dietary Patterns and Socioeconomic Status in the Very Old: The Newcastle 85+
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dietary patterns (DP) are associated with health outcomes in younger
      adults but there is a lack of evidence in the very old (aged 85+) on DP and their
      association with sociodemographic factors, lifestyle, health and functioning
      measures. Higher socioeconomic status (SES) has been linked with healthier DP but
      it is not known whether these associations are sustained in the very old.
      OBJECTIVE: We aimed to (a) characterise DP in the very old and (b) assess the
      relationships between three SES indicators (education, occupational class and
      area-deprivation index [IMD]) and DP. METHODS: Complete dietary data at baseline
      (2006/07) for 793 participants in the Newcastle 85+ Study were established
      through 24-hr multiple pass recall. We used Two-Step clustering and 30 food
      groups to derive DP, and multinomial logistic regression models to assess the
      association with SES. RESULTS: We identified three distinct DP (characterised as
      'High Red Meat', 'Low Meat', and 'High Butter') that varied with key
      sociodemographic, health and functioning measures. 'Low Meat' participants were
      more advantaged (i.e. higher education and occupational class, and lived in more
      affluent areas in owned homes), were least disabled, cognitively impaired, and
      depressed, and were more physically active than those in the other DP. After
      adjusting for other lifestyle factors, cognitive status and BMI, lower
      educational attainment remained a significant predictor of 'High Red Meat' and
      'High Butter' membership compared with 'Low Meat' ('High Red Meat': OR [95% CI]
      for 0-9 and 10-11 years of education vs. >=12 years: 5.28 [2.85-9.79], p<0.001
      and 3.27 [1.65-6.51], p = 0.001, respectively; 'High Butter': 3.32 [1.89-5.82],
      p<0.001 and 2.83 [1.52-5.28], p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of very old
      adults, we detected a favourable DP ('Low Meat'), which was associated with
      better health and functioning and higher SES.

PMID- 26488499
TI  - On-Line Analysis and Kinetic Behavior of Arsenic Release during Coal Combustion
      and Pyrolysis.
AB  - The kinetic behavior of arsenic (As) release during coal combustion and pyrolysis
      in a fluidized bed was investigated by applying an on-line analysis system of
      trace elements in flue gas. This system, based on inductively coupled plasma
      optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), was developed to measure trace elements
      concentrations in flue gas quantitatively and continuously. Obvious variations of
      arsenic concentration in flue gas were observed during coal combustion and
      pyrolysis, indicating strong influences of atmosphere and temperature on arsenic
      release behavior. Kinetic laws governing the arsenic release during coal
      combustion and pyrolysis were determined based on the results of instantaneous
      arsenic concentration in flue gas. A second-order kinetic law was determined for
      arsenic release during coal combustion, and the arsenic release during coal
      pyrolysis followed a fourth-order kinetic law. The results showed that the
      arsenic release rate during coal pyrolysis was faster than that during coal
      combustion. Thermodynamic calculations were carried out to identify the forms of
      arsenic in vapor and solid phases during coal combustion and pyrolysis,
      respectively. Ca3(AsO4)2 and Ca(AsO2)2 are the possible species resulting from As
      Ca interaction during coal combustion. Ca(AsO2)2 is the most probable species
      during coal pyrolysis. 

PMID- 26488498
TI  - Motor Skill Learning Is Associated with Phase-Dependent Modifications in the
      Striatal cAMP/PKA/DARPP-32 Signaling Pathway in Rodents.
AB  - Abundant evidence points to a key role of dopamine in motor skill learning,
      although the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms are still poorly
      understood. Here, we used a skilled-reaching paradigm to first examine changes in
      the expression of the plasticity-related gene Arc to map activity in cortico
      striatal circuitry during different phases of motor skill learning in young
      animals. In the early phase, Arc mRNA was significantly induced in the medial
      prefrontal cortex (mPFC), cingulate cortex, primary motor cortex, and striatum.
      In the late phase, expression of Arc did not change in most regions, except in
      the mPFC and dorsal striatum. In the second series of experiments, we studied the
      learning-induced changes in the phosphorylation state of dopamine and cAMP
      regulated phosphoprotein, 32k Da (DARPP-32). Western blot analysis of the
      phosphorylation state of DARPP-32 and its downstream target cAMP response element
      binding protein (CREB) in the striatum revealed that the early, but not late,
      phase of motor skill learning was associated with increased levels of phospho
      Thr34-DARPP-32 and phospho-Ser133-CREB. Finally, we used the DARPP-32 knock-in
      mice with a point mutation in the Thr34 regulatory site (i.e., protein kinase A
      site) to test the significance of this pathway in motor skill learning. In
      accordance with our hypothesis, inhibition of DARPP-32 activity at the Thr34
      regulatory site strongly attenuated the motor learning rate and skilled reaching
      performance of mice. These findings suggest that the cAMP/PKA/DARPP-32 signaling
      pathway is critically involved in the acquisition of novel motor skills, and also
      demonstrate a dynamic shift in the contribution of cortico-striatal circuitry
      during different phases of motor skill learning. 

PMID- 26488500
TI  - Common Polymorphisms in the NFKBIA Gene and Cancer Susceptibility: A Meta
      Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: NFKBIA encodes the inhibitors of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB),
      which regulate the translation of the genes involved in the inflammatory and
      immune reactions. Polymorphisms (rs2233406, rs3138053, and rs696) of NFKBIA have
      been implicated in susceptibility to many cancer types. MATERIAL AND METHODS: To
      evaluate the association between polymorphisms of NFKBIA and cancer
      susceptibility, a meta-analysis including a total of 7182 cancer cases and 10 057
      controls from 28 case-control studies was performed. Data were extracted and
      pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.
      RESULTS: Combined data demonstrated that rs3138053 polymorphism of NFKBIA was
      associated with cancer susceptibility in an allelic model (C vs. T: OR=10.754,
      95%CI=4.175-27.697, Pheterogeneity=0.000), while the polymorphism of rs696
      appeared to play a protective role in tumorigenesis (CC+CT vs. TT: OR=0.879,
      95%CI=0.787-0.982, Pheterogeneity=0.107). When stratification analysis was
      performed by cancer type, an increased association of rs3138053 was recognized in
      hepatocarcinoma (C vs. T: OR=42.180, 95%CI=27.970-63.612, Pheterogeneity=0.007),
      while a decreased association of rs696 was identified in Hodgkin lymphoma (C vs.
      T: OR=0.792, 95%CI=0.656-0.956, Pheterogeneity=0.116; CC vs. TT: OR=0.658,
      95%CI=0.448-0.965, Pheterogeneity=0.076; CC vs. CT+TT: OR=0.734, 95%CI=0.562
      0.958, Pheterogeneity=0.347). By ethnicity, rs696 appears to be a protective
      candidate among Caucasians (CT vs. TT: OR=0.809, 95%CI=0.676-0.969,
      Pheterogeneity=0.459). CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrated that the rs3138053
      polymorphism of NFKBIA gene is a candidate for susceptibility to overall cancers,
      while rs696 plays a protective role.

PMID- 26488496
TI  - Promising approaches to circumvent the blood-brain barrier: progress, pitfalls
      and clinical prospects in brain cancer.
AB  - Brain drug delivery is a major challenge for therapy of central nervous system
      (CNS) diseases. Biochemical modifications of drugs or drug nanocarriers, methods
      of local delivery, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption with focused
      ultrasound and microbubbles are promising approaches which enhance transport or
      bypass the BBB. These approaches are discussed in the context of brain cancer as
      an example in CNS drug development. Targeting to receptors enabling transport
      across the BBB offers noninvasive delivery of small molecule and biological
      cancer therapeutics. Local delivery methods enable high dose delivery while
      avoiding systemic exposure. BBB disruption with focused ultrasound and
      microbubbles offers local and noninvasive treatment. Clinical trials show the
      prospects of these technologies and point to challenges for the future. 

PMID- 26488502
TI  - Promotion of Nursing Student Civility in Nursing Education: A Concept Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Substantive research into the development of civility within nursing
      education is long overdue. Behaviors learned by nursing students while in the
      school of nursing transfer to the work environment and culture of nursing. This
      paper reveals a concept analysis of civility within nursing education using
      Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis method. CONCLUSION: Civility is defined to
      provide clarity for the current terminology of civility within nursing education.
      Nurse educators must set socially acceptable behavioral expectations in the
      learning environment, establishing positive interpersonal relationships with
      students, maintaining moral and academic integrity, and role model civil
      behaviors. Suggestions are included to help nurse educators outline acceptable
      behaviors in the learning environment and promote the development of civility.
      PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The development of civil behaviors in nursing students
      will carry into professional practice after graduation. Civility is necessary to
      establish meaningful interpersonal relationships, supportive communication, and
      optimum learning environments to ensure quality patient care with optimum
      outcomes. Woodworth.

PMID- 26488503
TI  - Mifepristone With Buccal Misoprostol for Medical Abortion: A Systematic Review.

PMID- 26488501
TI  - Quantitative Differences in Nuclear beta-catenin and TCF Pattern Embryonic Cells
      in C. elegans.
AB  - The Wnt signaling pathway plays a conserved role during animal development in
      transcriptional regulation of distinct targets in different developmental
      contexts but it remains unclear whether quantitative differences in the nuclear
      localization of effector proteins TCF and beta-catenin contribute to context
      specific regulation. We investigated this question in Caenorhabditis elegans
      embryos by quantifying nuclear localization of fluorescently tagged SYS-1/beta
      catenin and POP-1/TCF and expression of Wnt ligands at cellular resolution by
      time-lapse microscopy and automated lineage tracing. We identified reproducible,
      quantitative differences that generate a subset of Wnt-signaled cells with a
      significantly higher nuclear concentration of the TCF/beta-catenin activating
      complex. Specifically, beta-catenin and TCF are preferentially enriched in nuclei
      of daughter cells whose parents also had high nuclear levels of that protein, a
      pattern that could influence developmental gene expression. Consistent with this,
      we found that expression of synthetic reporters of POP-1-dependent activation is
      biased towards cells that had high nuclear SYS-1 in consecutive divisions. We
      identified new genes whose embryonic expression patterns depend on pop-1. Most of
      these require POP-1 for either transcriptional activation or repression, and
      targets requiring POP-1 for activation are more likely to be expressed in the
      cells with high nuclear SYS-1 in consecutive divisions than those requiring POP-1
      for repression. Taken together, these results indicate that SYS-1 and POP-1
      levels are influenced by the parent cell's SYS-1/POP-1 levels and this may
      provide an additional mechanism by which POP-1 regulates distinct targets in
      different developmental contexts. 

PMID- 26488504
TI  - In Reply.

PMID- 26488505
TI  - Feminism and the Moral Imperative for Contraception.

PMID- 26488506
TI  - In Reply.

PMID- 26488507
TI  - Care of the Pregnant Patient With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

PMID- 26488508
TI  - In Reply.

PMID- 26488509
TI  - Trends and Predictors of Cerclage Use in the United States From 2005 to 2012.

PMID- 26488510
TI  - In Reply.

PMID- 26488514
TI  - College Publications.

PMID- 26488515
TI  - ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 154 Summary: Operative Vaginal Delivery.

PMID- 26488516
TI  - ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 155 Summary: Urinary Incontinence in Women.

PMID- 26488517
TI  - ACOG Obstetric Care Consensus No. 3 Summary: Periviable Birth.
AB  - Approximately 0.5% of all births occur before the third trimester of pregnancy,
      and these very early deliveries result in the majority of neonatal deaths and
      more than 40% of infant deaths. A recent executive summary of proceedings from a
      joint workshop defined periviable birth as delivery occurring from 20 0/7 weeks
      to 25 6/7 weeks of gestation. When delivery is anticipated near the limit of
      viability, families and health care teams are faced with complex and ethically
      challenging decisions. Multiple factors have been found to be associated with
      short-term and long-term outcomes of periviable births in addition to gestational
      age at birth. These include, but are not limited to, nonmodifiable factors (eg,
      fetal sex, weight, plurality), potentially modifiable antepartum and intrapartum
      factors (eg, location of delivery, intent to intervene by cesarean delivery or
      induction for delivery, administration of antenatal corticosteroids and magnesium
      sulfate), and postnatal management (eg, starting or withholding and continuing or
      withdrawing intensive care after birth). Antepartum and intrapartum management
      options vary depending upon the specific circumstances but may include short-term
      tocolytic therapy for preterm labor to allow time for administration of antenatal
      steroids, antibiotics to prolong latency after preterm premature rupture of
      membranes or for intrapartum group B streptococci prophylaxis, and delivery,
      including cesarean delivery, for concern regarding fetal well-being or fetal
      malpresentation. Whenever possible, periviable births for which maternal or
      neonatal intervention is planned should occur in centers that offer expertise in
      maternal and neonatal care and the needed infrastructure, including intensive
      care units, to support such services. This document describes newborn outcomes
      after periviable birth, provides current evidence and recommendations regarding
      interventions in this setting, and provides an outline for family counseling with
      the goal of incorporating informed patient preferences. Its intent is to provide
      support and guidance regarding decisions, including declining and accepting
      interventions and therapies, based on individual circumstances and patient
      values. 

PMID- 26488518
TI  - ACOG Committee Opinion No. 645 Summary: Dual Therapy for Gonococcal Infections.
AB  - Gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported bacterial sexually transmitted
      disease in the United States, with an estimated 820,000 new Neisseria gonorrhoeae
      infections occurring each year. Antimicrobial resistance limits treatment
      success, heightens the risk of complications, and may facilitate the transmission
      of sexually transmitted infections. Neisseria gonorrhoeae has developed
      resistance to the sulfonamides, the tetracyclines, and penicillin. Dual therapy
      with ceftriaxone and azithromycin remains the only recommended first-line regimen
      for the treatment of gonorrhea in the United States. Dual therapy with
      ceftriaxone and azithromycin should be administered together on the same day,
      preferably simultaneously, and under direct observation. Pregnant women who are
      infected with N gonorrhoeae should be treated with the recommended dual therapy.
      A test-of-cure is not needed for individuals diagnosed with uncomplicated
      urogenital or rectal gonorrhea who are treated with the recommended or
      alternative regimens. Repeat N gonorrhoeae infection is prevalent among patients
      who have been diagnosed with and treated for gonorrhea in the preceding several
      months. Most of these infections result from reinfection; therefore, clinicians
      should advise patients with gonorrhea to be retested 3 months after treatment.
      Pregnant women with antenatal gonococcal infection should be retested in the
      third trimester unless recently treated. 

PMID- 26488519
TI  - ACOG Committee Opinion No. 646 Summary: Ethical Considerations for Including
      Women as Research Participants.
AB  - Inclusion of women in research studies is necessary for valid inferences about
      health and disease in women. The generalization of results from trials conducted
      in men may yield erroneous conclusions that fail to account for the biologic
      differences between men and women. Although significant changes in research
      design and practice have led to an increase in the proportion of women included
      in research trials, knowledge gaps remain because of a continued lack of
      inclusion of women, especially those who are pregnant, in premarketing research
      trials. This document provides a historical overview of issues surrounding women
      as participants in research trials, followed by an ethical framework and
      discussion of the issues of informed consent, contraception requirements,
      intimate partner consent, and the appropriate inclusion of pregnant women in
      research studies. 

PMID- 26488520
TI  - ACOG Committee Opinion No. 647 Summary: Limitations of Perineal Lacerations as an
      Obstetric Quality Measure.
AB  - Perineal lacerations are a common occurrence with vaginal delivery. Although
      perineal lacerations are tracked easily from coding data, there are a variety of
      problems with using rates of such tears as a quality measure. The rate of severe
      perineal lacerations should not be used as a measure of obstetric quality for the
      following three reasons: 1) third-degree and fourth-degree perineal lacerations
      may not be defined uniformly; 2) severe perineal lacerations are associated
      strongly with nonmodifiable risk factors; and 3) diminishing the use of operative
      vaginal delivery, in an effort to decrease severe perineal lacerations, likely
      would result in an increased rate of cesarean delivery. Measuring the rate of
      episiotomy with unassisted vaginal deliveries is an alternative candidate for
      quality measurement, but it requires validation before widespread implementation.

PMID- 26488521
TI  - ACOG Committee Opinion No. 646: Ethical Considerations for Including Women as
      Research Participants.
AB  - Inclusion of women in research studies is necessary for valid inferences about
      health and disease in women. The generalization of results from trials conducted
      in men may yield erroneous conclusions that fail to account for the biologic
      differences between men and women. Although significant changes in research
      design and practice have led to an increase in the proportion of women included
      in research trials, knowledge gaps remain because of a continued lack of
      inclusion of women, especially those who are pregnant, in premarketing research
      trials. This document provides a historical overview of issues surrounding women
      as participants in research trials, followed by an ethical framework and
      discussion of the issues of informed consent, contraception requirements,
      intimate partner consent, and the appropriate inclusion of pregnant women in
      research studies. 

PMID- 26488522
TI  - ACOG Committee Opinion No. 647: Limitations of Perineal Lacerations as an
      Obstetric Quality Measure.
AB  - Perineal lacerations are a common occurrence with vaginal delivery. Although
      perineal lacerations are tracked easily from coding data, there are a variety of
      problems with using rates of such tears as a quality measure. The rate of severe
      perineal lacerations should not be used as a measure of obstetric quality for the
      following three reasons: 1) third-degree and fourth-degree perineal lacerations
      may not be defined uniformly; 2) severe perineal lacerations are associated
      strongly with nonmodifiable risk factors; and 3) diminishing the use of operative
      vaginal delivery, in an effort to decrease severe perineal lacerations, likely
      would result in an increased rate of cesarean delivery. Measuring the rate of
      episiotomy with unassisted vaginal deliveries is an alternative candidate for
      quality measurement, but it requires validation before widespread implementation.

PMID- 26488523
TI  - ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 154: Operative Vaginal Delivery.

PMID- 26488524
TI  - ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 155: Urinary Incontinence in Women.

PMID- 26488525
TI  - ACOG Obstetric Care Consensus No. 3: Periviable Birth.
AB  - Approximately 0.5% of all births occur before the third trimester of pregnancy,
      and these very early deliveries result in the majority of neonatal deaths and
      more than 40% of infant deaths. A recent executive summary of proceedings from a
      joint workshop defined periviable birth as delivery occurring from 20 0/7 weeks
      to 25 6/7 weeks of gestation. When delivery is anticipated near the limit of
      viability, families and health care teams are faced with complex and ethically
      challenging decisions. Multiple factors have been found to be associated with
      short-term and long-term outcomes of periviable births in addition to gestational
      age at birth. These include, but are not limited to, nonmodifiable factors (eg,
      fetal sex, weight, plurality), potentially modifiable antepartum and intrapartum
      factors (eg, location of delivery, intent to intervene by cesarean delivery or
      induction for delivery, administration of antenatal corticosteroids and magnesium
      sulfate), and postnatal management (eg, starting or withholding and continuing or
      withdrawing intensive care after birth). Antepartum and intrapartum management
      options vary depending upon the specific circumstances but may include short-term
      tocolytic therapy for preterm labor to allow time for administration of antenatal
      steroids, antibiotics to prolong latency after preterm premature rupture of
      membranes or for intrapartum group B streptococci prophylaxis, and delivery,
      including cesarean delivery, for concern regarding fetal well-being or fetal
      malpresentation. Whenever possible, periviable births for which maternal or
      neonatal intervention is planned should occur in centers that offer expertise in
      maternal and neonatal care and the needed infrastructure, including intensive
      care units, to support such services. This document describes newborn outcomes
      after periviable birth, provides current evidence and recommendations regarding
      interventions in this setting, and provides an outline for family counseling with
      the goal of incorporating informed patient preferences. Its intent is to provide
      support and guidance regarding decisions, including declining and accepting
      interventions and therapies, based on individual circumstances and patient
      values. 

PMID- 26488526
TI  - ACOG Committee Opinion No. 645: Dual Therapy for Gonococcal Infections.
AB  - Gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported bacterial sexually transmitted
      disease in the United States, with an estimated 820,000 new Neisseria gonorrhoeae
      infections occurring each year. Antimicrobial resistance limits treatment
      success, heightens the risk of complications, and may facilitate the transmission
      of sexually transmitted infections. Neisseria gonorrhoeae has developed
      resistance to the sulfonamides, the tetracyclines, and penicillin. Dual therapy
      with ceftriaxone and azithromycin remains the only recommended first-line regimen
      for the treatment of gonorrhea in the United States. Dual therapy with
      ceftriaxone and azithromycin should be administered together on the same day,
      preferably simultaneously, and under direct observation. Pregnant women who are
      infected with N gonorrhoeae should be treated with the recommended dual therapy.
      A test-of-cure is not needed for individuals diagnosed with uncomplicated
      urogenital or rectal gonorrhea who are treated with the recommended or
      alternative regimens. Repeat N gonorrhoeae infection is prevalent among patients
      who have been diagnosed with and treated for gonorrhea in the preceding several
      months. Most of these infections result from reinfection; therefore, clinicians
      should advise patients with gonorrhea to be retested 3 months after treatment.
      Pregnant women with antenatal gonococcal infection should be retested in the
      third trimester unless recently treated. 

PMID- 26488527
TI  - The cardiovascular status of isoflurane-anaesthetized horses with and without
      dexmedetomidine constant rate infusion evaluated at equivalent depths of
      anaesthesia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare cardiac index and oxygen extraction at equivalent depths of
      anaesthesia between isoflurane-anaesthetized horses and horses anesthetized with
      isoflurane and dexmedetomidine CRI. STUDY DESIGN: Sequential, blinded,
      randomized, balanced, crossover study. ANIMALS: Eight horses weighing a mean +/-
      standard deviation of 478 +/- 58 kg. METHODS: Horses were premedicated with 0.03
      mg kg(-1) acepromazine intramuscularly (IM) and 8 MUg kg(-1) dexmedetomidine
      intravenously (IV). Anaesthesia was induced with 2.5 mg kg(-1) ketamine and 0.1
      mg kg(-1) midazolam IV and maintained with isoflurane in oxygen and air. Horses
      were mechanically ventilated. Fractional concentration of end-tidal isoflurane
      (Fe'Iso) was stabilized at 1.7% with a CRI of 0.9% NaCl (IsoNaCl), or at 1.1%
      with 1.75 MUg kg(-1)  hour(-1) dexmedetomidine (IsoDex). Mean arterial blood
      pressure was maintained above 60 mmHg by dobutamine infusion. Following
      nociceptive electrical stimulation, Fe'Iso was stabilized at a 0.1% lower
      concentration and nociceptive stimulation was repeated. This procedure was
      continued until the horse moved. Fe'Iso values prior to the concentration at
      which movement occurred were considered to indicate equivalent depths of
      anaesthesia between treatments. Cardiac index and oxygen extraction were compared
      at equivalent depths of anaesthesia using a paired Student's t-test. RESULTS:
      Cardiac index differed between IsoNaCl at 61 +/- 12 mL kg(-1)  minute(-1) and
      IsoDex at 48 +/- 10 mL kg(-1)  minute(-1) (p = 0.047). In addition, oxygen
      extraction differed between IsoNaCl at 3.4 +/- 0.8 mL kg(-1)  minute(-1) and
      IsoDex at 4.5 +/- 0.5 mL kg(-1)  minute(-1) (p = 0.0042). Two horses receiving
      IsoNaCl were administered dobutamine at equivalent depths of anaesthesia (7.0 and
      28.8 MUg kg(-1)  hour(-1) , respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
      Cardiovascular function in horses receiving isoflurane and 1.75 MUg kg(-1) 
      minute(-1) dexmedetomidine is more compromised than in horses receiving a higher
      concentration of isoflurane and 0.9% NaCl CRI.

PMID- 26488528
TI  - Practice patterns and organizational commitment of inpatient nurse practitioners.
AB  - PURPOSE: Nurse practitioners (NPs) deliver a wide array of healthcare services in
      a variety of settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the practice
      patterns and organizational commitment of inpatient NPs. METHODS: A quantitative
      design was used with a convenience sample (n = 183) of NPs who attended the
      American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) national conference. The NPs
      were asked to complete a demographic questionnaire, the Practice Patterns of
      Acute Nurse Practitioners tool and the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire.
      CONCLUSIONS: Over 85% of inpatient practice time consists of direct and indirect
      patient care activities. The remaining nonclinical activities of education,
      research, and administration were less evident in the NP's workweek. This
      indicates that the major role of inpatient NPs continues to be management of
      acutely ill patients. Moderate commitment was noted in the Organizational
      Commitment Questionnaire. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Supportive hospital/nursing
      leadership should acknowledge the value of the clinical and nonclinical roles of
      inpatient NPs as they can contribute to the operational effectiveness of their
      organization. By fostering the organizational commitment behaviors of
      identification, loyalty, and involvement, management can reap the benefits of
      these professionally dedicated providers.

PMID- 26488529
TI  - The Expendables: Natural selection driving reduced gene function (Comment on DOI
      10.1002/bies.201500083).

PMID- 26488531
TI  - Alemtuzumab, Fludarabine, Low-Dose TBI, and Double Umbilical Cord Transplant for
      Primary Graft Failure in a Patient with Recurrent HLH.
AB  - Graft failure occurs at relatively low frequency, but commonly in hemophagocytic
      lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), especially with umbilical cord blood transplant
      (UCBT). No standard approaches to management of graft failure exist. We present a
      challenging case of relapsed HLH following first UCBT with primary graft failure
      following second UCBT. We report a novel reduced intensity conditioning regimen
      of alemtuzumab, 4 Gy total body irradiation and fludarabine for salvage of
      primary graft failure followed by double UCBT. The reported patient successfully
      engrafted with 100% donor chimerism following salvage UCBT with no occurrence of
      acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease.

PMID- 26488532
TI  - Chronic nasal dysfunction in children: Allergic rhinitis? Infectious? What to do
      if neither?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review challenges in the diagnosis, work-up, and management
      of healthy children who present to the otolaryngologist with nasal dysfunction.
      Common symptoms include chronic nasal congestion, with or without rhinorrhea,
      with or without previous empirically treated 'allergic rhinitis' and/or 'sinus'
      infection. Symptoms are often unresolved despite chronic use of intranasal
      steroid, antihistamine, and/or leukotriene receptor antagonists. RECENT FINDINGS:
      There are no published studies addressing nasal symptoms in children who test
      negative for allergies yet report persistent nasal obstruction, congestion,
      and/or rhinorrhea. Recent publications continue to address efficacy of medical
      and/or surgical treatment for allergic rhinitis or acute/chronic rhinosinusitis.
      Best practice for children who 'fail' medical therapy but have impaired quality
      of life because of nasal dysfunction remains unknown. SUMMARY: Chronic nasal
      symptoms are common in childhood despite daily treatment using intranasal
      steroid, antihistamines, and/or leukotriene receptor antagonist therapies. Diet
      and dietary habit history should be included during evaluation and differential
      diagnosis as excessive dairy and sugar may contribute to chronic symptoms.
      Children who fail medical therapy for persistent nasal symptoms, allergic or not,
      should be referred and considered for outfracture of inferior turbinates and
      inferior turbinoplasty. Turbinate reduction procedures have demonstrated
      significant improvement in all domains of SinoNasal Quality of Life as measured
      by 'SN-5' survey.

PMID- 26488533
TI  - Pediatric otolaryngology, molecular diagnosis of hereditary hearing loss: next
      generation sequencing approach.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is the most common sensory
      birth defect. The purpose of this article is to review the advances in next
      generation sequencing (NGS) and molecular diagnosis of hereditary hearing loss.
      RECENT FINDINGS: Early diagnosis and detection of SNHL is critical for the
      development of appropriate speech and language, as neuroplasticity peaks in the
      first few years of life. There has been increased accuracy of NGS genetic
      testing, which has helped created a paradigm shift in the diagnosis of hearing
      loss. The diagnostic yield of genetic testing now approaches that of radiographic
      imaging; however, there remains a difference in cost and time delay. With the
      introduction of comprehensive genetic panels, 23-129 genes can be sequenced from
      the same blood sample. SUMMARY: Diagnostic genetic testing of SNHL in the past
      has been confined to a few genes through Sanger sequencing. The advent of NGS
      allows for development of comprehensive genetic panels, which test for up to 129
      genes while improving the accuracy and efficiency of testing. This type of
      testing may become more common as the costs decrease and more genes are
      discovered.

PMID- 26488534
TI  - Perspectives in the reconstruction of paediatric facial paralysis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In this review article, aimed at those likely to encounter but
      relatively unfamiliar with paediatric facial paralysis, we summarize
      reconstructive options in its surgical management. RECENT FINDINGS: The article
      looks at static and dynamic reconstructions available to address the problems
      encountered in the different anatomical regions of paralyzed face. SUMMARY:
      Although multiple surgical options are available for each anatomical region,
      decision-making should be taken in a multidisciplinary environment, and take into
      account the individual requirements of the family and patients.

PMID- 26488535
TI  - Adult obstructive sleep apnoea and the larynx.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The review examines current evidence and thinking regarding
      the relationship between the larynx and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in adults.
      RECENT FINDINGS: Drug-induced sleep endoscopy has an emerging role in the
      identification of laryngeal obstruction associated with sleep apnoea and may be
      adjunctive to awake dynamic assessment in specific cases. Nocturnal stridor and
      OSA is a common and treatable finding in patients with multiple system atrophy.
      Acromegaly can cause OSA by obstruction at the laryngeal level via supraglottic
      soft tissue hypertrophy or decreased vocal fold mobility. Emerging evidence
      suggests a relationship between OSA, laryngopharyngeal reflux, and laryngeal
      sensory dysfunction including chronic cough. The mechanisms remain unclear and
      warrant further investigation. SUMMARY: The larynx plays an important role in
      assessment and treatment of adult sleep apnoea. Laryngeal afferent sensory
      pathways play a critical role in reflexes controlling airway patency during
      sleep. Airway obstruction at the laryngeal level should be considered and
      assessed especially in OSA patients nonresponsive to standard therapies. Isolated
      laryngeal airway obstruction is rare but identification of specific conditions is
      important as they are amenable to appropriate treatments. OSA can also affect
      normal laryngeal function. People with OSA exhibit higher levels of laryngeal
      inflammation, laryngopharyngeal reflux, and chronic cough. Treatment with
      continuous positive airway pressure has a potential role in improving laryngeal
      symptomatology in these cases.

PMID- 26488536
TI  - Stabilization of ultrafine metal nanocatalysts on thin carbon sheets.
AB  - A novel strategy was proposed to anchor ultrafine metal nanoparticles (NPs) on
      thin carbon sheets for highly stable and efficient heterogeneous catalysts. In
      this facile approach, a dense monolayer of ultrafine AuNPs was sandwiched between
      a silica core and a resin shell, followed by carbonization of the shell at a high
      temperature and then selective removal of the silica core. The shrinkage of the
      shells during carbonization facilitates partial embedment of the AuNPs on the
      carbon shell surface and provides superior stability against particle sintering
      during high temperature/mechanical post-treatments and catalytic reactions. It
      was also found that diffusion of reactants to the surface of AuNPs could be
      maximized by reducing the thickness of the hollow shells or simply by cracking
      the shells into thin carbon sheets, both significantly benefiting the catalytic
      efficiency. The advantages of this ultra-stable architecture together with the
      densely dispersed catalytic sites were demonstrated by their high stability and
      superior catalytic activity in reducing hydrophilic 4-nitrophenol and hydrophobic
      nitrobenzene. 

PMID- 26488537
TI  - Technique profile: mesenteric reconstructions for occlusive disease.
AB  - Visceral ischemic syndromes are rare but catastrophic disorders. In acute
      presentations, treatment modalities include thrombolytic therapy, open surgical
      revascularization and percutaneous endovascular therapy. Endovascular therapy has
      become the most commonly utilized treatment option for chronic mesenteric
      ischemia and should be considered the first line of therapy for patients with
      anatomically suitable lesions or excessive open surgical risk. Open surgical
      revascularization has been associated with outstanding long-term outcomes. The
      various surgical and endovascular techniques and their associated outcomes for
      the treatment of mesenteric ischemic syndromes are reviewed in detail. 

PMID- 26488538
TI  - Synthesis and properties of mono- and dimetal Fischer multicarbene complexes
      derived from thiophene and thieno[2,3-b]thiophene.
AB  - Access to multicarbene complexes of a fused thienothiophene substrate was
      obtained by the use of the tetrabrominated thieno[2,3-b]thiophene precursor in a
      lithium-bromide exchange reaction, followed by nucleophilic attack on metal
      hexacarbonyls (M = Cr, W). Subsequent alkylation afforded unique triscarbene
      complexes [M(CO)4{{C(OEt)}2C6H1S2C(OEt)}M(CO)5] (M = Cr 12, W 13) featuring three
      non-equivalent carbene ligands on a single thiophene linker, as well as the
      bischelated tetracarbene complexes [M(CO)4{{C(OEt)}2C6S2{C(OEt)}2}M(CO)4] (M = Cr
      14, W 15). The triscarbene complexes 12 and 13 are the first examples of multi
      alkoxycarbene complexes featuring three non-equivalent carbene ligands. The
      reaction also afforded the chelated mononuclear biscarbene complexes
      [M(CO)4{C(OEt)}2C6H2S2] (M = Cr 10, W 11) in low yields. Similarly, employing
      tetrabromothiophene as precursor yielded the mononuclear chelate biscarbene
      complexes [M(CO)4{C(OEt)}2C4H2S] (M = Cr 6, W 7) and the dinuclear tetracarbene
      complexes [M(CO)4{{C(OEt)}2C4S{C(OEt)}2}M(CO)4] (M = Cr 8, W 9). Modification of
      the classic Fischer carbene synthetic methodology to a process of stepwise
      additions of lithiating agent and metal carbonyls to thieno[2,3-b]thiophene,
      facilitates the formation of the mixed metal biscarbene complex
      [W(CO)5C(OEt){C6H2S2}C(OEt)Cr(CO)5] 5, as analogue of the homonuclear biscarbene
      complexes [M(CO)5C(OEt){C6H2S2}C(OEt)M(CO)5], (M = Cr 3, W 4). The monocarbene
      complexes [M(CO)5{C(OEt)C6H3S2}], (M = Cr 1, W 2) were also obtained in high
      yields, and the molecular structures of the tungsten complexes, with the
      exception of 9 and 11, were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction
      studies. 

PMID- 26488540
TI  - Practical Solutions for Pesticide Safety: A Farm and Research Team Participatory
      Model.
AB  - Development of the Practical Solutions for Pesticide Safety guide used
      participatory research strategies to identify and evaluate solutions that reduce
      pesticide exposures for workers and their families and to disseminate these
      solutions. Project principles were (1) workplace chemicals belong in the
      workplace, and (2) pesticide handlers and farm managers are experts, with direct
      knowledge of production practices. The project's participatory methods were
      grounded in self-determination theory. Practical solutions were identified and
      evaluated based on five criteria: practicality, adaptability, health and safety,
      novelty, and regulatory compliance. Research activities that had more personal
      contact provided better outcomes. The Expert Working Group, composed of farm
      managers and pesticide handlers, was key to the identification of solutions, as
      were farm site visits. Audience participation, hands-on testing, and orchard
      field trials were particularly effective in the evaluation of potential
      solutions. Small work groups in a Regional Advisory Committee provided the best
      direction and guidance for a "user-friendly" translational document that provided
      evidence-based practical solutions. The "farmer to farmer" format of the guide
      was endorsed by both the Expert Working Group and the Regional Advisory
      Committee. Managers and pesticide handlers wanted to share their solutions in
      order to "help others stay safe," and they appreciated attribution in the guide.
      The guide is now being used in educational programs across the region. The
      fundamental concept that farmers and farmworkers are innovators and experts in
      agricultural production was affirmed by this study. The success of this process
      demonstrates the value of participatory industrial hygiene in agriculture. 

PMID- 26488541
TI  - Anharmonicities and coherent vibrational dynamics of phosphate ions in bulk H2O.
AB  - Phosphates feature prominently in the energetics of metabolism and are important
      solvation sites of DNA and phospholipids. Here we investigate the ion H2PO4(-) in
      aqueous solution combining 2D IR spectroscopy of phosphate stretching vibrations
      in the range from 900-1300 cm(-1) with ab initio calculations and hybrid quantum
      classical molecular dynamics based simulations of the non-linear signal. While
      the line shapes of diagonal peaks reveal ultrafast frequency fluctuations on a
      sub-100 fs timescale caused by the fluctuating hydration shell, an analysis of
      the diagonal and cross-peak frequency positions allows for extracting inter-mode
      couplings and anharmonicities of 5-10 cm(-1). The excitation with spectrally
      broad pulses generates a coherent superposition of symmetric and asymmetric PO2(
      ) stretching modes resulting in the observation of a quantum beat in aqueous
      solution. We follow its time evolution through the time-dependent amplitude and
      the shape of the cross peaks. The results provide a complete characterization of
      the H2PO4(-) vibrational Hamiltonian including fluctuations induced by the native
      water environment. 

PMID- 26488542
TI  - The soot of all evil.
AB  - Nanoparticles of carbon black in cigarette smoke trigger inflammation in the
      lung. 

PMID- 26488543
TI  - TGF-beta improves myocardial function and prevents apoptosis induced by anoxia
      reoxygenation, through the reduction of endoplasmic reticulum stress.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is known for its role in
      ventricular remodeling, inflammatory response, cell survival, and apoptosis.
      However, its role in improving myocardial function in rat hearts subjected to
      ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) and protecting against apoptosis induced in
      cardiomyocytes by anoxia-reoxygenation (A/R) has not been elucidated. This study
      investigated the protective effects and molecular mechanisms of TGF-beta on
      myocardial function and cardiomyocyte apoptosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used
      TUNEL staining, we tested cell viability, and we measured mitochondrial membrane
      potential and levels of mitochondrial ROS after 6 h of simulated anoxia together
      with various durations of simulated reoxygenation in H9c2 cells. We further
      observed the contractile function in rat hearts after they were subjected to 30
      min global ischemia and 180 min reperfusion. Pretreatment with TGF-beta markedly
      inhibited apoptosis in H9c2 cells, as evidenced by increased cell viability and
      decreased numbers of TUNEL-positive cells, maintained mitochondrial membrane
      potential, and diminished mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species
      (ROS). These changes were associated with the inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum
      (ER) stress-dependent markers of apoptosis (GRP78, CHOP, caspase-12, and JNK),
      and the modulation of the expression of Bcl2/Bax. Furthermore, TGF-beta improved
      I/R-induced myocardial contractile dysfunction. All of these protective effects
      were concentration-dependent. CONCLUSION: Our results show that TGF-beta prevents
      A/R-induced apoptosis of cardiomyocytes and improves myocardial function in rat
      hearts injured by I/R.

PMID- 26488544
TI  - IN MEMORIAM: REMEMBERING ALIES MUSKIN.

PMID- 26488547
TI  - Conjugation of Hyaluronic Acid onto Surfaces via the Interfacial Polymerization
      of Dopamine to Prevent Protein Adsorption.
AB  - A versatile, convenient, and cost-effective method that can be used for grafting
      antifouling materials onto different surfaces is highly desirable in many
      applications. Here, we report the one-step fabrication of antifouling surfaces
      via the polymerization of dopamine and the simultaneous deposition of anionic
      hyaluronic acid (HA) on Au substrates. The water contact angle of the Au surfaces
      decreased from 84.9 degrees  to 24.8 degrees  after the attachment of a highly
      uniform polydopamine (PDA)/HA hybrid film. The results of surface plasmon
      resonance analysis showed that the Au-PDA/HA surfaces adsorbed proteins from
      solutions of bovine serum albumin, lysozyme, beta-lactoglobulin, fibrinogen, and
      soybean milk in ultralow or low amounts (4.8-31.7 ng/cm(2)). The hydrophilicity
      and good antifouling performance of the PDA/HA surfaces is attributable to the HA
      chains that probably attached onto their upper surface via hydrogen bonding
      between PDA and HA. At the same time, the electrostatic repulsion between PDA and
      HA probably prevents the aggregation of PDA, resulting in the formation of a
      highly uniform PDA/HA hybrid film with the HA chains (with a stretched structure)
      on the upper surface. We also developed a simple method for removing this PDA/HA
      film and recycling the Au substrates by using an aqueous solution of NaOH as the
      hydrolyzing agent. The Au surface remained undamaged, and a PDA/HA film could be
      redeposited on the surface, with the surface exhibiting good antifouling
      performance even after 10 such cycles. Finally, it was found that this grafting
      method is applicable to other substrates, including epoxy resins, polystyrene,
      glass, and steel, owing to the strong adhesion of PDA with these substrates. 

PMID- 26488548
TI  - Sulfonamide and Tertiary Amine as Nucleophiles in Pd(II)-Catalyzed Diamination of
      Alkynes: Synthesis of Tetracyclic Indolobenzothiazine S,S-Dioxides.
AB  - Pd(II)-catalyzed oxidative double cyclization of the 1,2-diarylethynes bearing an
      N-methyl-N-(2-methoxycarbonyl)ethylamino and an aminosulfonyl group afforded
      indolobenzothiazine S,S-dioxides in good to excellent yields. The 2
      (methoxycarbonyl)ethyl group attached to the indolyl nitrogen is readily removed
      under basic conditions (DBU, DMF, 120  degrees C) to provide the corresponding
      tetracycles with a free indolyl nitrogen in excellent yields. 

PMID- 26488549
TI  - Heat shock protein 72 (Hsp72) specific induction and temporal stability in urine
      samples as a reliable biomarker of acute kidney injury (AKI).
AB  - We demonstrated that urinary heat shock protein of 72 KDa (Hsp72) is a sensitive
      biomarker for the early detection of acute kidney injury (AKI). However, whether
      Hsp72 induction during an AKI episode is kidney-specific is unknown, as well as,
      the degree of Hsp72 stability in urine samples. In rats that underwent bilateral
      renal ischemia and reperfusion (I/R), Hsp72 levels were evaluated in several
      tissues and in collected urines under different storage and temperature
      conditions, as well as in variable numbers of freeze-thaw cycles. The effect of
      room temperature and five freeze-thaw cycles on urinary Hsp72 levels was also
      evaluated in urine samples from AKI patients. We found that Hsp72 increased
      exclusively in the renal cortex of I/R group, emphasizing its performance as an
      AKI biomarker. Urinary-Hsp72 remained constant at room temperature (48 h), during
      9 months of storage and was not affected by five freeze/thaw cycles. 

PMID- 26488550
TI  - Does lipophilicity affect the effectiveness of a transmembrane anion transporter?
      Insight from squaramido-functionalized bis(choloyl) conjugates.
AB  - Six squaramido-functionalized bis(choloyl) conjugates were synthesized and fully
      characterized on the basis of NMR ((1)H and (13)C) and ESI MS (LR and HR) data.
      Their transmembrane anionophoric activity was investigated in detail by means of
      chloride ion selective electrode technique and pyranine assay. The data indicate
      that this set of compounds is capable of promoting the transmembrane transport of
      anions presumably via proton/anion symport and anion exchange processes, and that
      lipophilicity in terms of clog P from 3.90 to 8.32 affects the apparent ion
      transport rate in a concentration-dependent fashion. Detailed kinetic analysis on
      the data obtained from both the chloride efflux and pH discharge experiments
      reveals that there may exist an optimum clog P range for the intrinsic ion
      transport rate. However, lipophilicity exhibits little effect on the
      effectiveness of this set of compounds in terms of either k2/Kdiss or EC50
      values. 

PMID- 26488551
TI  - Molecular Tectonics: Design of Enantiopure Luminescent Heterometallic Ir(III)
      Cd(II) Coordination Network.
AB  - With the aim of combining luminescence and chirality in heterometallic Ir(III)
      Cd(II) coordination networks, synthetic strategies for the formation of new
      Ir(III)-based chiral metallatectons ([Ir(dFppy)2(1)][PF6]), both as a racemic
      mixture of Delta and Lambda enantiomers (rac-[Ir(dFppy)2(1)][PF6]) and as
      enantiopure complexes (Delta-[Ir(dFppy)2(1)][PF6] and Lambda
      [Ir(dFppy)2(1)][PF6]), were developed. The final compounds were characterized
      both in solution and in the crystalline phase. Notably, their crystal structures
      were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction, and their photophysical
      properties in solution and in the solid state were investigated. Combination of
      the cationic linear metallatecton with Cd(2+) iodide salt ([CdI3](-)), behaving
      as an anionic two-connecting node, leads to the formation of 1D chiral and
      neutral heterometallic Ir(III)-Cd(II) luminescent coordination networks both as a
      racemic mixture and as enantiomerically pure infinite architectures. The latter
      have been structurally studied in the solid state by X-ray diffraction both on
      single crystals and on microcrystalline powders. The infinite coordination
      networks display phosphorescence in the solid state at ca. 600 nm upon excitation
      at 400 nm. 

PMID- 26488552
TI  - Inhibition of heme oxygenase activity using a microparticle formulation of zinc
      protoporphyrin in an acute hemolytic newborn mouse model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased bilirubin production due to hemolysis can lead to neonatal
      hyperbilirubinemia. Inhibition of heme oxygenase (HO), the rate-limiting enzyme
      in heme catabolism, by metalloporphyrins (Mps) may be an ideal preventive
      strategy for neonatal hemolytic disease. Zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) is a
      naturally occurring Mp, potent, not phototoxic, with minimal HO-1 upregulation,
      but is not orally absorbed. Recently, we designed a lipid-based ZnPP formulation
      (ZnPP-Lipid), which is orally absorbed by newborn mice. Here, we evaluated the
      efficacy of ZnPP-Lipid in heme-loaded newborn mice, a model analogous to
      hemolytic infants. METHODS: After 24 h of heme administration (30 umol/kg s.c.),
      4-d-old mice were given 30 umol ZnPP-Lipid/kg via intragastric injections. After
      3 h, liver and brain HO activity were measured. HO-1 upregulation was assessed by
      determinations of HO-1 protein, promoter activity, and mRNA by Western blot, in
      vivo bioluminescence imaging, and RT-PCR, respectively. RESULTS: After heme
      loading, liver HO activity significantly increased ~1.6-fold, which was inhibited
      in a dose-dependent manner by ZnPP-Lipid. A dose of 30 umol/kg returned activity
      to control levels. Brain HO activity was not inhibited. No significant increases
      in liver and brain HO-1 protein, promoter activity, and mRNA were observed.
      CONCLUSION: ZnPP-Lipid is effective and thus has potential for treating neonatal
      hyperbilirubinemia due to hemolysis.

PMID- 26488553
TI  - Dummy/pacifier use in preterm infants increases blood pressure and improves heart
      rate control.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preterm infants are at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome
      (SIDS). Use of a dummy/pacifier is thought to be protective against SIDS;
      accordingly, we assessed the effects of dummy/pacifier use on blood pressure,
      cerebral oxygenation, and heart rate control over the first 6 mo of life after
      term corrected age (CA) when SIDS risk is greatest. METHODS: Thirty-five preterm
      infants were studied longitudinally at 2-4 wk, 2-3 mo, and 5-6 mo CA. Cardiac
      control was assessed from spectral indices of heart rate variability (HRV) in the
      low frequency (LF) and the high frequency (HF) range, and the ratio of HF/LF
      indicating sympathovagal balance was calculated. RESULTS: Overall, at 2-3 mo,
      mean arterial pressure was significantly higher in the supine position in
      dummy/pacifier users in both quiet sleep (70 +/- 2 vs. 60 +/- 2 mm Hg; P < 0.05)
      and active sleep (74 +/- 3 vs. 69 +/- 2 mm Hg; P < 0.05). Dummy/pacifier users
      had higher LF HRV and LF/HF ratio and lower HF HRV. CONCLUSION: Dummy/pacifier
      use increased blood pressure during sleep, at the age of greatest SIDS risk.
      Overall, LF HRV was elevated and HF HRV reduced in dummy/pacifier users,
      suggesting that dummy use alters cardiac control in preterm infants.

PMID- 26488554
TI  - Seasonal variations in growth and body composition of 8-11-y-old Danish children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Earlier studies on seasonality in growth reported the largest height
      gains during spring and largest body weight gains during autumn. We examined
      seasonality in height, body weight, BMI, fat mass index (FMI), and fat-free mass
      index (FFMI) among contemporary Danish 8-11-y olds. METHODS: A total of 760
      children from the OPUS School Meal Study provided >2,200 measurements on height,
      body weight, and composition between September and June. Average velocities were
      calculated using change-score analyses based on 3-mo intervals. As a
      complementary analysis, point velocities derived from estimated growth curves
      were fitted using semiparametric regression that included covariate adjustment
      and allowed flexible modeling of the time trend. RESULTS: Average velocities
      showed the following trends: height was higher than the average (6.10 cm/y) in
      January-April. Body weight was below the average (4.02 kg/y) in August-January
      and above in January-May; BMI (average: 0.49 kg/ m(2)/y) and FFMI (average: 0.17
      kg/m(2)/y) showed similar trends. In contrast, FMI was above the average (0.38
      kg/m(2)/y) in November-March. Similar trends were seen for point velocities.
      CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest seasonality in growth and body composition of
      Danish children. We recovered the well-known height velocity peak during spring
      time, but unlike earlier studies, we found coincident peaks in body weight, BMI,
      and FFMI velocities.

PMID- 26488556
TI  - Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Child Successfully Treated with 9-Month Drug
      Regimen.

PMID- 26488555
TI  - Insomnia Symptoms Are Associated With Abnormal Endothelial Function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Insomnia is a prevalent sleep disorder, and it has been increasingly
      associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The reasons for this
      relationship are not completely understood but may involve endothelial
      dysfunction. In this study, we hypothesized that insomnia symptoms would be
      associated with reduced endothelial function. METHODS: Working adults (n = 496,
      67.5% female, 78.6% white, mean age 48.7 [SD, 10.8] years, body mass index 28.2
      [SD, 6.7] kg/m, diabetes 5.8%, hypertension 20.0%, hyperlipidemia 17.9%, heart
      disease 2.6%) enrolled in the Emory-Georgia Tech Predictive Health Institute
      study completed baseline demographic, clinical, depression (Beck Depression
      Inventory II), anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder 7), sleep (Pittsburg Sleep
      Quality Index), and noninvasive endothelial function (brachial artery flow
      mediated dilation [FMD]) measures. Insomnia symptoms were defined as subjective
      sleep latency of 30 minutes or longer, nighttime or early morning awakenings,
      and/or sleep medication use occurring 3 times or more per week in the past month.
      RESULTS: Insomnia symptoms were reported by 39.5% of participants. Multivariable
      regression models showed that insomnia symptoms, age, baseline artery diameter,
      and dyslipidemia were inversely related to FMD. After adjusting for age, baseline
      artery diameter, and dyslipidemia, participants reporting insomnia symptoms had
      lower FMD than did participants reporting better sleep (adjusted FMD mean, 6.13%
      [SD, 0.28%] vs 6.83% [SD, 0.26%], P = .035). CONCLUSION: In this study, insomnia
      symptoms were associated with reduced FMD. Research examining the therapeutic
      benefits of treating insomnia on endothelial function and future cardiovascular
      risk is warranted.

PMID- 26488557
TI  - Novel Active Surface Prepared by Embedded Functionalized Clays in an Acrylate
      Coating.
AB  - The research on a self-decontaminating surface has received significant attention
      because of the growth of pathogenic microorganisms on surfaces. In this study, a
      novel and simple technique for producing an active surface with antimicrobial
      functionality is demonstrated. A tethering platform was developed by grafting the
      biocide ampicillin (Amp) to a nanoclay and dispersing the nanoclay in a UV
      curable acrylate coating applied on polypropylene films as the substrate. A
      coupling agent, [3-(glycidyloxy)propyl]trimethoxysilane, was used as a linker
      between the nanoclay and Amp. The Amp-functionalized clay was further modified
      with an organic surfactant to improve the compatibility with the coating. Several
      characterization assays, such as Fourier infrared transform analysis,
      thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction, were conducted to confirm the
      presence of Amp in the nanoclay. Transmission electron microscopy images revealed
      that the clay particles were well dispersed in the coating and had a partial
      exfoliated morphology. The active coating surface was effective in inhibiting the
      growth of Gram-positive Listeria monocytogenes and Gram-negative Salmonella
      Typhimurium via contact. These findings suggest the potential for the development
      of active surfaces with the implementation of nanotechnology to achieve diverse
      functionalities.

PMID- 26488558
TI  - Dynamic signaling cascades: reversible covalent reaction-coupled molecular
      switches.
AB  - The research of systems chemistry exploring complex mixtures of interacting
      synthetic molecules has been burgeoning recently. Herein we demonstrate for the
      first time the coupling of molecular switches with a dynamic covalent reaction
      (DCR) and the modulation of created chemical cascades with a variety of inputs,
      thus closely mimicking a biological signaling system. A novel Michael type DCR of
      10-methylacridinium perchlorate and monothiols exhibiting excellent
      regioselectivity and tunable affinity was discovered. A delicate balance between
      the unique reactivity of the reactant and the stability of the adduct leads to
      the generation of a strong acid in a thermodynamically controlled system. The
      dynamic cascade was next created via coupling of the DCR and a protonation
      induced configurational switch (E/Z isomerization) through a proton relay.
      Detailed examination of the interdependence of the equilibrium enabled us to
      rationally optimize the cascade and also shed light on the possible intermediate
      of the switching process. Furthermore, relative independence of the coupled
      reactions was verified by the identification of stimuli that are able to
      facilitate one reaction but suppress the other. To further enhance systematic
      complexity, a second DCR of electrophilic aldehydes and thiols was employed for
      the reversible inhibition of the binary system, thus achieving the interplay of
      multiple equilibria. Finally, a fluorescence switch was turned on through
      coupling with the DCR, showcasing the versatility of our strategy. The results
      described herein should pave the way for the exploitation of multifunctional
      dynamic covalent cascades. 

PMID- 26488559
TI  - WITHDRAWN: Prophylactic steroids for pediatric open heart surgery.

PMID- 26488560
TI  - Natural Rubber-Filler Interactions: What Are the Parameters?
AB  - Reinforcement of a polymer matrix through the incorporation of nanoparticles
      (fillers) is a common industrial practice that greatly enhances the mechanical
      properties of the composite material. The origin of such mechanical reinforcement
      has been linked to the interaction between the polymer and filler as well as the
      homogeneous dispersion of the filler within the polymer matrix. In natural rubber
      (NR) technology, knowledge of the conditions necessary to achieve more efficient
      NR-filler interactions is improving continuously. This study explores the
      important physicochemical parameters required to achieve NR-filler interactions
      under dilute aqueous conditions by varying both the properties of the filler
      (size, composition, surface activity, concentration) and the aqueous solution
      (ionic strength, ion valency). By combining fluorescence and electron microscopy
      methods, we show that NR and silica interact only in the presence of ions and
      that heteroaggregation is favored more than homoaggregation of silica-silica or
      NR-NR. The interaction kinetics increases with the ion valence, whereas the
      morphology of the heteroaggregates depends on the size of silica and the volume
      percent ratio (dry silica/dry NR). We observe dendritic structures using silica
      with a diameter (d) of 100 nm at a ~20-50 vol % ratio, whereas we obtain
      raspberry-like structures using silica with d = 30 nm particles. We observe that
      in liquid the interaction is controlled by the hydrophilic bioshell, in contrast
      to dried conditions, where hydrophobic polymer dominates the interaction of NR
      with the fillers. A good correlation between the nanoscopic aggregation behavior
      and the macroscopic aggregation dynamics of the particles was observed. These
      results provide insight into improving the reinforcement of a polymer matrix
      using NR-filler films. 

PMID- 26488561
TI  - Gender Differences in the Development of Sexual Excitation and Inhibition Through
      the Life Course: Preliminary Findings from a Representative Study in Flanders.
AB  - The dual control model proposes that there are individual differences in the
      propensity for sexual excitation and sexual inhibition. Research to date has
      considered the effect of age on these traits as a simple linear effect, and
      studies examining gender differences in age effects are lacking. There are,
      however, indications that the associations of age with excitation and inhibition
      are nonlinear and that there might be gender differences in these associations.
      The aim of this study was to examine how these traits develop through an
      individual's life and whether there are gender differences in this development.
      In this study we applied polynomial regression analyses to examine the
      interaction effects of age and gender on sexual excitation and inhibition. We
      used data from a representative cross-sectional survey on sexual health in
      Flanders (N = 1,825; mean age = 43.77; SD = 17.98). Most of the associations of
      excitation and inhibition with age were nonlinear, and there were substantial
      gender differences in these associations. This indicates that the interplay
      between age, gender, and excitation and inhibition should be taken into account
      in research on (dys)functional sexuality.

PMID- 26488562
TI  - Growth of Ammonium Bisulfate Clusters by Adsorption of Oxygenated Organic
      Molecules.
AB  - Quantum chemical calculations were employed to model the interactions of the
      [(NH4(+))4(HSO4(-))4] ammonium bisulfate cluster with one or more molecular
      products of monoterpene oxidation. A strong interaction was found between the
      bisulfate ion of this cluster and a carboxylic acid, aldehyde, or ketone
      functionality of the organic molecule. Free energies of adsorption for carboxylic
      acids were in the -70 to -73 kJ/mol range, while those for aldehydes and ketones
      were in the -46 to -50 kJ/mol range. These values suggest that a small ambient
      [(NH4(+))4(SO4(-))4]cluster is able to adsorb an oxygenated organic molecule.
      While adsorption of the first molecule is highly favorable, adsorption of
      subsequent molecules is less so, suggesting that sustained uptake of organic
      molecules does not occur, and thus is not a pathway for continuing growth of the
      cluster. This result is consistent with ambient measurements showing that
      particles below ~1 nm grow slowly, while those above 1 nm grow at an increasing
      rate presumably due to a lower surface energy barrier enabling the uptake of
      organic molecules. This work provides insight into the molecular level
      interactions which affect sustained cluster growth by uptake of organic
      molecules. 

PMID- 26488563
TI  - Polymyxin B versus colistin: an update.
AB  - Polymyxin B and colistin (polymyxin E) are polypeptide antibiotics that were
      developed in the 1940s, but fell into disfavor due to their high toxicity rates.
      These two antibiotics were previously regarded to be largely equivalent, due to
      similarities in their chemical structure and spectrum of activity. In recent
      years, several pertinent differences, especially in terms of potency and
      disposition, have been revealed between polymyxin B and colistin. These
      differences are mainly attributed to the fact that polymyxin B is administered
      parenterally in its active form, while colistin is administered parenterally as
      an inactive pro-drug, colistimethate. In this review, we summarize the
      similarities and differences between polymyxin B and colistin. We also discuss
      the potential clinical implications of these findings, and provide our
      perspectives on how polymyxins should be employed to preserve their utility in
      this era of multi-drug resistance. 

PMID- 26488564
TI  - T-type channels: release a brake, engage a gear.

PMID- 26488566
TI  - The Urban Medicine Program: Developing Physician-Leaders to Serve Underserved
      Urban Communities.
AB  - PURPOSE: Medical school graduates are poorly prepared to address health care
      inequities found in urban, underserved communities. The University of Illinois
      College of Medicine developed the Urban Medicine Program (UMed) to prepare
      students for the roles of advocate, researcher, policy maker, and culturally
      competent practitioner through a four-year curriculum integrating principles of
      public health with direct interventions in local, underserved communities. This
      study assessed the program's effectiveness and evaluated early outcomes. METHOD:
      The authors analyzed data for UMed students (graduating classes 2009-2013) from
      pre- and postseminar assessments and longitudinal community project progress
      reports. They also compared UMed and non-UMed outcomes from the same classes,
      using graduation data and data from two surveys: Medical Students' Attitudes
      Toward the Underserved (MSATU) and the Intercultural/Professional Assessment.
      RESULTS: UMed students were more likely than non-UMed students to endorse MSATU
      constructs ("Universal medical care is a right" [P = .01], "Access to basic
      medical care is a right" [P = .03], "Access is influenced by social determinants"
      [P = .03]); to be selected for the Gold Humanism Honor Society (P < .0001); to
      complete joint degrees (P < .0001); and to enter primary care residencies (P =
      .002). CONCLUSIONS: Early outcomes reveal that a longitudinal, experiential
      curriculum can provide students with competencies that may prepare them for
      leadership roles in advocacy, research, and policy making. Contact with diverse
      communities inculcates-in medical students with predispositions toward helping
      underserved populations-the self-efficacy and skills to positively influence
      underserved, urban communities.

PMID- 26488567
TI  - The New Academic Environment and Faculty Misconduct.
AB  - Faculty members are expected to abide by codes of conduct that are delineated in
      institutional policies and to behave ethically when engaging in scientific
      pursuits. As federal funds for research decrease, faculty members face increasing
      pressure to sustain their research activities, and many have developed new
      collaborations and pursued new entrepreneurial opportunities. As research
      collaborations increase, however, there may be competition to get credit as the
      first person to develop ideas, make new discoveries, and/or publish new findings.
      This increasingly competitive academic environment may contribute to intentional
      or unintentional faculty misconduct. The authors, who work in the Dean's Office
      at a large U.S. medical school (University of California, San Francisco),
      investigate one to two cases of alleged misconduct each month. These
      investigations, which are stressful and unpleasant, may culminate in serious
      disciplinary action for the faculty member. Further, these allegations sometimes
      result in lengthy and acrimonious civil litigation. This Perspective provides
      three examples of academic misconduct: violations of institutional conflict-of
      interest policies, disputes about intellectual property, and authorship
      conflicts.The authors also describe prevention and mitigation strategies that
      their medical school employs, which may be helpful to other institutions.
      Prevention strategies include training campus leaders, using attestations to
      reduce violations of institutional policies, encouraging open discussion and
      written agreements about individuals' roles and responsibilities, and defining
      expectations regarding authorship and intellectual property at the outset.
      Mitigation strategies include using mediation by third parties who do not have a
      vested academic, personal, or financial interest in the outcome. 

PMID- 26488565
TI  - Genetic Diversity and Protective Efficacy of the RTS,S/AS01 Malaria Vaccine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The RTS,S/AS01 vaccine targets the circumsporozoite protein of
      Plasmodium falciparum and has partial protective efficacy against clinical and
      severe malaria disease in infants and children. We investigated whether the
      vaccine efficacy was specific to certain parasite genotypes at the
      circumsporozoite protein locus. METHODS: We used polymerase chain reaction-based
      next-generation sequencing of DNA extracted from samples from 4985 participants
      to survey circumsporozoite protein polymorphisms. We evaluated the effect that
      polymorphic positions and haplotypic regions within the circumsporozoite protein
      had on vaccine efficacy against first episodes of clinical malaria within 1 year
      after vaccination. RESULTS: In the per-protocol group of 4577 RTS,S/AS01
      vaccinated participants and 2335 control-vaccinated participants who were 5 to 17
      months of age, the 1-year cumulative vaccine efficacy was 50.3% (95% confidence
      interval [CI], 34.6 to 62.3) against clinical malaria in which parasites matched
      the vaccine in the entire circumsporozoite protein C-terminal (139 infections),
      as compared with 33.4% (95% CI, 29.3 to 37.2) against mismatched malaria (1951
      infections) (P=0.04 for differential vaccine efficacy). The vaccine efficacy
      based on the hazard ratio was 62.7% (95% CI, 51.6 to 71.3) against matched
      infections versus 54.2% (95% CI, 49.9 to 58.1) against mismatched infections
      (P=0.06). In the group of infants 6 to 12 weeks of age, there was no evidence of
      differential allele-specific vaccine efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest
      that among children 5 to 17 months of age, the RTS,S vaccine has greater activity
      against malaria parasites with the matched circumsporozoite protein allele than
      against mismatched malaria. The overall vaccine efficacy in this age category
      will depend on the proportion of matched alleles in the local parasite
      population; in this trial, less than 10% of parasites had matched alleles.
      (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and others.).

PMID- 26488568
TI  - Educating for the 21st-Century Health Care System: An Interdependent Framework of
      Basic, Clinical, and Systems Sciences.
AB  - In the face of a fragmented and poorly performing health care delivery system,
      medical education in the United States is poised for disruption. Despite broad
      based recommendations to better align physician training with societal needs,
      adaptive change has been slow. Traditionally, medical education has focused on
      the basic and clinical sciences, largely removed from the newer systems sciences
      such as population health, policy, financing, health care delivery, and teamwork.
      In this article, authors examine the current state of medical education with
      respect to systems sciences and propose a new framework for educating physicians
      in adapting to and practicing in systems-based environments. Specifically, the
      authors propose an educational shift from a two-pillar framework to a three
      pillar framework where basic, clinical, and systems sciences are interdependent.
      In this new three-pillar framework, students not only learn the interconnectivity
      in the basic, clinical, and systems sciences but also uncover relevance and
      meaning in their education through authentic, value-added, and patient-centered
      roles as navigators within the health care system. Authors describe the Systems
      Navigation Curriculum, currently implemented for all students at the Penn State
      College of Medicine, as an example of this three-pillar educational model. Simple
      adjustments, such as including occasional systems topics in medical curriculum,
      will not foster graduates prepared to practice in the 21st-century health care
      system. Adequate preparation requires an explicit focus on the systems sciences
      as a vital and equal component of physician education.

PMID- 26488569
TI  - Use of a Night Float System to Comply With Resident Duty Hours Restrictions:
      Perceptions of Workplace Changes and Their Effects on Professionalism.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although some evidence suggests that resident duty hours reforms can
      lead to shift-worker mentality and loss of patient ownership, other evidence
      links long hours and fatigue to poor work performance and loss of empathy,
      suggesting the restrictions could positively affect professionalism. The authors
      explored perceived impacts of a 16-hour duty restriction, achieved using a night
      float (NF) system, on the workplace and professionalism. METHOD: In 2013, the
      authors conducted semistructured interviews with 18 residents, 9 staff
      physicians, and 3 residency program directors in the McGill University core
      internal medicine residency program regarding their perceptions of the program's
      12-hour shift-based NF system. Interviews were transcribed and coded for common
      themes. The authors used a descriptive qualitative methodology. RESULTS:
      Participants viewed implementation of the NF system as leading to decreased
      physical and mental exhaustion, more consistent interaction with patients, and
      more stable team structure within shifts compared with the previous 24-hour call
      system. These workplace changes were felt to improve teamwork and patient
      ownership within shifts, quality of work performed, and empathy. Across shifts,
      however, more frequent sign-overs, stricter application of shift time boundaries,
      and loose integration between daytime and NF teams were perceived as leading to
      emergence of shift-worker mentality around sign-over. Perceptions of optimal
      patient ownership changed from the traditional single-physician-24/7 model to
      team-based shared ownership. CONCLUSIONS: Duty hours restrictions, as exemplified
      by an NF system, have both positive and negative impacts on professionalism.
      Interventions and training toward effective team-based care are needed to curb
      emergence of shift-worker mentality.

PMID- 26488570
TI  - Reporting Achievement of Medical Student Milestones to Residency Program
      Directors: An Educational Handover.
AB  - PROBLEM: Competency-based education, including assessment of specialty-specific
      milestones, has become the dominant medical education paradigm; however, how to
      determine baseline competency of entering interns is unclear-as is to whom this
      responsibility falls. Medical schools should take responsibility for providing
      residency programs with accurate, competency-based assessments of their
      graduates. APPROACH: A University of Michigan ad hoc committee developed (spring
      2013) a post-Match, milestone-based medical student performance evaluation for
      seven students matched into emergency medicine (EM) residencies. The committee
      determined EM milestone levels for each student based on assessments from the EM
      clerkship, end-of-third-year multistation standardized patient exam, EM boot camp
      elective, and other medical school data. OUTCOMES: In this feasibility study, the
      committee assessed nearly all 23 EM milestones for all seven graduates, shared
      these performance evaluations with the program director (PD) where each student
      matched, and subsequently surveyed the PDs regarding this pilot. Of the five
      responding PDs, none reported using the traditional medical student performance
      evaluation to customize training, four (80%) indicated that the proposed
      assessment provided novel information, and 100% answered that the assessment
      would be useful for all incoming trainees. NEXT STEPS: An EM milestone-based,
      post-Match assessment that uses existing assessment data is feasible and may be
      effective for communicating competency-based information about medical school
      graduates to receiving residency programs. Next steps include further aligning
      assessments with competencies, determining the benefit of such an assessment for
      other specialties, and articulating the national need for an effective
      educational handover tool between undergraduate and graduate medical education
      institutions.

PMID- 26488571
TI  - Identifying and Promoting Best Practices in Residency Application and Selection
      in a Complex Academic Health Network.
AB  - Medical education institutions have a social mandate to produce a diverse
      physician workforce that meets the public's needs. Recent reports have framed the
      admission process outcome of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education
      (UGME and PGME) programs as a key determinant of the collective contributions
      graduating cohorts will make to society, creating a sense of urgency around the
      issue of who gets accepted. The need for evidence-informed residency application
      and selection processes is growing because of the increasing size and diversity
      of the applicant pool and the need for equity, fairness, social accountability,
      and health human resource planning. The selection literature, however, is
      dominated by a UGME focus and emphasizes determination of desirable qualities of
      future physicians and selection instrument reliability and validity. Gaps remain
      regarding PGME selection, particularly the creation of specialty-specific
      selection criteria, suitable outcome measures, and reliable selection systems.In
      this Perspective, the authors describe the University of Toronto's centralized
      approach to defining system-level best practices for residency application and
      selection. Over the 2012-2013 academic year, the Best Practices in Application
      and Selection working group reviewed relevant literature and reports, consulted
      content experts, surveyed local practices, and conducted iterative stakeholder
      consultations on draft recommendations. Strong agreement arose around the
      resulting 13 principles and 24 best practices, which had either empirical support
      or face validity. These recommendations, which are shared in this article, have
      been adopted by the university's PGME advisory committee and will inform a
      national initiative to improve trainees' transition from UGME to PGME in Canada. 

PMID- 26488572
TI  - The Effect of Differential Weighting of Academics, Experiences, and Competencies
      Measured by Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) on Race and Ethnicity of Cohorts
      Accepted to One Medical School.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine whether academic scores, experience scores, and Multiple Mini
      Interview (MMI) core personal competencies scores vary across applicants' self
      reported ethnicities, and whether changes in weighting of scores would alter the
      proportion of ethnicities underrepresented in medicine (URIM) in the entering
      class composition. METHOD: This study analyzed retrospective data from 1,339
      applicants to the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School interviewed for
      entering classes 2011-2013. Data analyzed included two academic scores-grade
      point average (GPA) and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
      service/clinical/research (SCR) scores, and MMI scores. Independent-samples t
      tests evaluated whether URIM ethnicities differed from non-URIM across GPA, MCAT,
      SCR, and MMI scores. A series of "what-if" analyses were conducted to determine
      whether alternative weighting methods would have changed final admissions
      decisions and entering class composition. RESULTS: URIM applicants had
      significantly lower GPAs (P < .001), MCATs (P < .001), and SCR scores (P < .001).
      However, this pattern was not found with MMI score (non-URIM 10.4 [1.6], URIM
      10.4 [1.3], P = .55). Alternative weighting analyses show that including
      academic/experiential scores impacts the percentage of URIM acceptances. URIM
      acceptance rate declined from 57% (100% MMI) to 43% (10% GPA/10% MCAT/10% SCR/70%
      MMI), 39% (30% GPA/70% MMI), to as low as 22% (50% MCAT/50% MMI). CONCLUSIONS:
      Sole reliance on the MMI for final admissions decisions, after threshold
      academic/experiential preparation are met, promotes diversity with the accepted
      applicant pool; weighting of "the numbers" or what is written about the
      application may decrease the acceptance of URIM applicants.

PMID- 26488573
TI  - Design and evaluation of a UV LED Photocatalytic Reactor Using Anodized TiO2
      Nanotubes.
AB  - A bench-scale flow-through photocatalytic reactor using light emitting diodes
      (LED) as light source and a TiO2 nanotube array (TN) as immobilized catalyst has
      been designed, fabricated and tested on commonly studied contaminants. The
      photoreactor is comprised of 144, 365-nm UV-LED lamps mounted along the inner
      periphery of an annular cylinder. An ordered array of TN, as catalyst, was
      immobilized by electrochemical anodization of a titanium cylinder and placed in
      the center of the reactor. Synthesized TN was characterized by scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Laboratory
      investigations were conducted on the photoreactor to treat 4-chlorophenol (4-CP),
      atrazine and methylene blue. The performance of the photoreactor at different
      flow rates and at varying distances of photocatalyst from the light source was
      monitored. The photocatalytic reaction rates increased with bubbling oxygen into
      the reservoir. Significant improvement was observed when H2O2 was added and
      degradation to detection limits was observed. 

PMID- 26488574
TI  - Dachengqi Decoction Attenuates Inflammatory Response via Inhibiting HMGB1
      Mediated NF-kappaB and P38 MAPK Signaling Pathways in Severe Acute Pancreatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a sudden inflammation of the
      pancreas. The traditional Chinese medicine formula Dachengqi decoction (DCQD) is
      proven to be beneficial in the comprehensive treatment for pancreatitis patients
      in clinical practice. However, the molecular mechanism of DCQD on SAP remains
      unclear. High mobility group box 1(HMGB1) that functions as a damage-associated
      molecular pattern molecule (DAMP) has attracted much interest. METHODS: In this
      study, we used lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and cerulein to induce severe acute
      pancreatitis in C57BL/6 mice with subsequent administration with low, medium and
      high dose (2.3 g/kg, 7 g/kg and 21 g/kg, respectively) of DCQD. RESULTS: DCQD
      treatment improved the pathological score and decreased serum amylase and lipase
      in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, it suppressed the immune cell-induced
      secretion of HMGB1 and its translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, thus
      repressing the expression of IL-6 and TNF-alpha. Further, pretreatment with DCQD
      decreased responses of TLRs, and suppressed the activation of NF-kappaB and p38
      MAPK pathway. CONCLUSION: Decreasing the secretion of HMGB1 could reduce pro
      inflammatory cytokines, which may help cutting down the risks of development from
      localized pathological changes to a systemic inflammatory response syndrome and
      even lead to multiple organ failure.

PMID- 26488575
TI  - Inhibition of Matriptase Activity Results in Decreased Intestinal Epithelial
      Monolayer Integrity In Vitro.
AB  - Barrier dysfunction in inflammatory bowel diseases implies enhanced paracellular
      flux and lowered transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) causing effective
      invasion of enteropathogens or altered intestinal absorption of toxins and drug
      compounds. To elucidate the role of matriptase-driven cell surface proteolysis in
      the maintenance of intestinal barrier function, the 3-amidinophenylalanine
      derived matriptase inhibitor, MI-432 was used on porcine IPEC-J2 cell monolayer.
      Studies with two fluorescent probes revealed that short (2 h) treatment with MI
      432 caused an altered distribution of oxidative species between intracellular and
      extracellular spaces in IPEC-J2 cells. This perturbation was partially
      compensated when administration of inhibitor continued for up to 48 h.
      Significant decrease in TER between apical and basolateral compartments of MI-432
      treated IPEC-J2 cell monolayers proved that matriptase is one of the key
      effectors in the maintenance of barrier integrity. Changes in staining pattern of
      matriptase and in localization of the junctional protein occludin were observed
      suggesting that inhibition of matriptase by MI-432 can also exert an effect on
      paracellular gate opening via modulation of tight junctional protein assembly.
      This study confirms that non-tumorigenic IPEC-J2 cells can be used as an
      appropriate small intestinal model for the in vitro characterization of
      matriptase-related effects on intestinal epithelium. These findings demonstrate
      indirectly that matriptase plays a pivotal role in the development of barrier
      integrity; thus matriptase dysfunction can facilitate the occurence of leaky gut
      syndrome observed in intestinal inflammatory diseases. 

PMID- 26488579
TI  - 25th Anniversary State-of-the-Art Expert Discussion With Todd A. Ponsky, MD,
      FACS, on the Advances of Surgical Practice in Pediatric Hernia Repair.

PMID- 26488577
TI  - Presence of Zea luxurians (Durieu and Ascherson) Bird in Southern Brazil:
      Implications for the Conservation of Wild Relatives of Maize.
AB  - Records of the occurrence of wild relatives of maize in South American lowlands
      are unprecedented, especially in sympatric coexistence with landraces. This fact
      is relevant, because regions of occurrence of wild relatives of cultivated plants
      should be a priority for conservation, even if they do not correspond to the
      center of origin of the species. The aim of this study was to identify and
      characterize the wild relatives of maize in the Far West of Santa Catarina,
      southern Brazil. Therefore, phenotypic characterization was performed for five
      populations, based on 22 morphological traits deemed as fundamental for
      classifying the species of the genus Zea, and validated through the
      characterization of chromosomal knobs of two populations. The occurrence and
      distribution of teosinte populations were described through semi-structured
      interviews applied to a sample of 305 farmers. A total of 136 teosinte
      populations were identified; 75% of them occur spontaneously, 17% are cultivated
      populations, and 8% occur both ways, for the same farm. Populations that were
      characterized morphologically had trapezoidal fruits mostly, upright tassel
      branch (4-18), non-prominent main branch and glabrous glumes, with two protruding
      outer ribs and 8 inner ribs, on average. Cytogenetic analysis identified 10 pairs
      of homologous chromosomes (2n = 20) with 26 knobs, located in the terminal region
      of all chromosomes. The similarity of these results with the information reported
      in the literature indicates that the five populations of wild relatives of maize
      in this region of Santa Catarina belong to the botanical species Zea luxurians. 

PMID- 26488576
TI  - Genetic Polymorphisms in Vitamin D Metabolism and Signaling Genes and Risk of
      Breast Cancer: A Nested Case-Control Study.
AB  - Genetic polymorphisms in vitamin D metabolism and signaling genes have been
      inconsistently associated with risk of breast cancer, though few studies have
      examined SNPs in vitamin D-related genes other than the vitamin D receptor (VDR)
      gene and particularly have not examined the association with the retinoid X
      receptor alpha (RXRA) gene which may be a key vitamin D pathway gene. We
      conducted a nested case-control study of 734 cases and 1435 individually matched
      controls from a population-based prospective cohort study, the Northern Sweden
      Mammary Screening Cohort. Tag and functional SNPs were genotyped for the VDR,
      cytochrome p450 24A1 (CYP24A1), and RXRA genes. We also genotyped specific SNPs
      in four other genes related to vitamin D metabolism and signaling (GC/VDBP,
      CYP2R1, DHCR7, and CYP27B1). SNPs in the CYP2R1, DHCR7, and VDBP gene regions
      that were associated with circulating 25(OH)D concentration in GWAS were also
      associated with plasma 25(OH)D in our study (p-trend <0.005). After taking into
      account the false discovery rate, these SNPs were not significantly associated
      with breast cancer risk, nor were any of the other SNPs or haplotypes in VDR,
      RXRA, and CYP24A1. We observed no statistically significant associations between
      polymorphisms or haplotypes in key vitamin D-related genes and risk of breast
      cancer. These results, combined with the observation in this cohort and most
      other prospective studies of no association of circulating 25(OH)D with breast
      cancer risk, do not support an association between vitamin D and breast cancer
      risk. 

PMID- 26488580
TI  - Characteristics of Hypovascular versus Hypervascular Well-Differentiated
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma Smaller Than 2 cm - Focus on Tumor Size, Markers and
      Imaging Detectability.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The characteristics of hypovascular and hypervascular well
      differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) were compared in terms of tumor
      size, tumor markers and detectability by imaging modalities. METHODS: Well
      differentiated HCC nodules that are smaller than 2 cm (n = 27) were evaluated in
      27 patients using histopathology and divided into 2 groups: hypovascular (n = 10)
      and hypervascular (n = 17). The diagnostic sensitivity of imaging modalities was
      then evaluated for efficiency in disclosing tumor size and tumor markers in the 2
      types. RESULTS: No difference was observed in tumor size and tumor markers
      between the 2 types; however, the sensitivity of contrast-enhanced CT, contrast
      enhanced ultrasonography and arterioportal angiography was significantly
      different between the 2 types, whereas that by Gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl
      diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (Gd-EOB
      DTPA MRI) demonstrated no difference. CONCLUSION: Hypovascular HCC could be
      diagnosed by Gd-EOB-DTPA MRI in the hepatobiliary phase.

PMID- 26488582
TI  - Performance Assessment of Internal Quality Control (IQC) Products in Blood
      Transfusion Compatibility Testing in China.
AB  - Internal quality control (IQC) is a critical component of laboratory quality
      management, and IQC products can determine the reliability of testing results. In
      China, given the fact that most blood transfusion compatibility laboratories do
      not employ IQC products or do so minimally, there is a lack of uniform and
      standardized IQC methods. To explore the reliability of IQC products and methods,
      we studied 697 results from IQC samples in our laboratory from 2012 to 2014. The
      results showed that the sensitivity and specificity of the IQCs in anti-B testing
      were 100% and 99.7%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the IQCs in
      forward blood typing, anti-A testing, irregular antibody screening, and cross
      matching were all 100%. The reliability analysis indicated that 97% of anti-B
      testing results were at a 99% confidence level, and 99.9% of forward blood
      typing, anti-A testing, irregular antibody screening, and cross-matching results
      were at a 99% confidence level. Therefore, our IQC products and methods are
      highly sensitive, specific, and reliable. Our study paves the way for the
      establishment of a uniform and standardized IQC method for pre-transfusion
      compatibility testing in China and other parts of the world. 

PMID- 26488581
TI  - Transgenic Rice Expressing Ictb and FBP/Sbpase Derived from Cyanobacteria
      Exhibits Enhanced Photosynthesis and Mesophyll Conductance to CO2.
AB  - To find a way to promote the rate of carbon flux and further improve the
      photosynthetic rate in rice, two CO2-transporting and fixing relevant genes, Ictb
      and FBP/Sbpase, which were derived from cyanobacteria with the 35SCaMV promotor
      in the respective constructs, were transformed into rice. Three homologous
      transgenic groups with Ictb, FBP/Sbpase and the two genes combined were
      constructed in parallel, and the functional effects of these two genes were
      investigated by physiological, biochemical and leaf anatomy analyses. The results
      indicated that the mesophyll conductance and net photosynthetic rate were higher
      at approximately 10.5-36.8% and 13.5-34.6%, respectively, in the three groups but
      without any changes in leaf anatomy structure compared with wild type. Other
      physiological and biochemical parameters increased with the same trend in the
      three groups, which showed that the effect of FBP/SBPase on improving
      photosynthetic capacity was better than that of ICTB and that there was an
      additive effect in ICTB+FBP/SBPase. ICTB localized in the cytoplasm, whereas
      FBP/SBPase was successfully transported to the chloroplast. The two genes might
      show a synergistic interaction to promote carbon flow and the assimilation rate
      as a whole. The multigene transformation engineering and its potential utility
      for improving the photosynthetic capacity and yield in rice were discussed. 

PMID- 26488584
TI  - Correction: Exome Sequencing in 53 Sporadic Cases of Schizophrenia Identifies 18
      Putative Candidate Genes.

PMID- 26488583
TI  - Bulliform Phytolith Research in Wild and Domesticated Rice Paddy Soil in South
      China.
AB  - Bulliform phytoliths play an important role in researching rice origins as they
      can be used to distinguish between wild and domesticated rice. Rice bulliform
      phytoliths are characterized by numerous small shallow fish-scale decorations on
      the lateral side. Previous studies have shown that domesticated rice has a larger
      number of these decorations than wild rice and that the number of decorations >=9
      is a useful feature for identifying domesticated rice. However, this standard was
      established based on limited samples of modern rice plants. In this study, we
      analyzed soil samples from both wild and domesticated rice paddies. Results
      showed that, in wild rice soil samples, the proportion of bulliform phytoliths
      with >=9 decorations was 17.46% +/- 8.29%, while in domesticated rice soil
      samples, the corresponding proportion was 63.70% +/- 9.22%. This suggests that
      the proportion of phytoliths with >=9 decorations can be adopted as a criterion
      for discriminating between wild and domesticated rice in prehistoric soil. This
      indicator will be of significance in improving the application of fish-scale
      decorations to research into rice origins and the rice domestication process. 

PMID- 26488585
TI  - Epidemiology of Primary Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis, Vladimir Region,
      Russia.
AB  - We studied the epidemiology of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in Vladimir
      Region, Russia, in 2012. Most cases of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB) were
      caused by transmission of drug-resistant strains, and >33% were in patients
      referred for testing after mass radiographic screening. Early diagnosis of drug
      resistance is essential for preventing transmission of MDR TB. 

PMID- 26488586
TI  - Attentional Selection Can Be Predicted by Reinforcement Learning of Task-relevant
      Stimulus Features Weighted by Value-independent Stickiness.
AB  - Attention includes processes that evaluate stimuli relevance, select the most
      relevant stimulus against less relevant stimuli, and bias choice behavior toward
      the selected information. It is not clear how these processes interact. Here, we
      captured these processes in a reinforcement learning framework applied to a
      feature-based attention task that required macaques to learn and update the value
      of stimulus features while ignoring nonrelevant sensory features, locations, and
      action plans. We found that value-based reinforcement learning mechanisms could
      account for feature-based attentional selection and choice behavior but required
      a value-independent stickiness selection process to explain selection errors
      while at asymptotic behavior. By comparing different reinforcement learning
      schemes, we found that trial-by-trial selections were best predicted by a model
      that only represents expected values for the task-relevant feature dimension,
      with nonrelevant stimulus features and action plans having only a marginal
      influence on covert selections. These findings show that attentional control
      subprocesses can be described by (1) the reinforcement learning of feature values
      within a restricted feature space that excludes irrelevant feature dimensions,
      (2) a stochastic selection process on feature-specific value representations, and
      (3) value-independent stickiness toward previous feature selections akin to
      perseveration in the motor domain. We speculate that these three mechanisms are
      implemented by distinct but interacting brain circuits and that the proposed
      formal account of feature-based stimulus selection will be important to
      understand how attentional subprocesses are implemented in primate brain
      networks. 

PMID- 26488587
TI  - Pupil Diameter Tracks the Exploration-Exploitation Trade-off during Analogical
      Reasoning and Explains Individual Differences in Fluid Intelligence.
AB  - The ability to adaptively shift between exploration and exploitation control
      states is critical for optimizing behavioral performance. Converging evidence
      from primate electrophysiology and computational neural modeling has suggested
      that this ability may be mediated by the broad norepinephrine projections
      emanating from the locus coeruleus (LC) [Aston-Jones, G., & Cohen, J. D. An
      integrative theory of locus coeruleus-norepinephrine function: Adaptive gain and
      optimal performance. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 28, 403-450, 2005]. There is
      also evidence that pupil diameter covaries systematically with LC activity.
      Although imperfect and indirect, this link makes pupillometry a useful tool for
      studying the locus coeruleus norepinephrine system in humans and in high-level
      tasks. Here, we present a novel paradigm that examines how the pupillary response
      during exploration and exploitation covaries with individual differences in fluid
      intelligence during analogical reasoning on Raven's Advanced Progressive
      Matrices. Pupillometry was used as a noninvasive proxy for LC activity, and
      concurrent think-aloud verbal protocols were used to identify exploratory and
      exploitative solution periods. This novel combination of pupillometry and verbal
      protocols from 40 participants revealed a decrease in pupil diameter during
      exploitation and an increase during exploration. The temporal dynamics of the
      pupillary response was characterized by a steep increase during the transition to
      exploratory periods, sustained dilation for many seconds afterward, and followed
      by gradual return to baseline. Moreover, the individual differences in the
      relative magnitude of pupillary dilation accounted for 16% of the variance in
      Advanced Progressive Matrices scores. Assuming that pupil diameter is a valid
      index of LC activity, these results establish promising preliminary connections
      between the literature on locus coeruleus norepinephrine-mediated cognitive
      control and the literature on analogical reasoning and fluid intelligence. 

PMID- 26488588
TI  - The Speed of Serial Attention Shifts in Visual Search: Evidence from the N2pc
      Component.
AB  - Finding target objects among distractors in visual search display is often
      assumed to be based on sequential movements of attention between different
      objects. However, the speed of such serial attention shifts is still under
      dispute. We employed a search task that encouraged the successive allocation of
      attention to two target objects in the same search display and measured N2pc
      components to determine how fast attention moved between these objects. Each
      display contained one digit in a known color (fixed-color target) and another
      digit whose color changed unpredictably across trials (variable-color target)
      together with two gray distractor digits. Participants' task was to find the
      fixed-color digit and compare its numerical value with that of the variable-color
      digit. N2pc components to fixed-color targets preceded N2pc components to
      variable-color digits, demonstrating that these two targets were indeed selected
      in a fixed serial order. The N2pc to variable-color digits emerged approximately
      60 msec after the N2pc to fixed-color digits, which shows that attention can be
      reallocated very rapidly between different target objects in the visual field.
      When search display durations were increased, thereby relaxing the temporal
      demands on serial selection, the two N2pc components to fixed-color and variable
      color targets were elicited within 90 msec of each other. Results demonstrate
      that sequential shifts of attention between different target locations can
      operate very rapidly at speeds that are in line with the assumptions of serial
      selection models of visual search. 

PMID- 26488589
TI  - Information Processing in the Mental Workspace Is Fundamentally Distributed.
AB  - The brain is a complex, interconnected information processing network. In humans,
      this network supports a mental workspace that enables high-level abilities such
      as scientific and artistic creativity. Do the component processes underlying
      these abilities occur in discrete anatomical modules, or are they distributed
      widely throughout the brain? How does the flow of information within this network
      support specific cognitive functions? Current approaches have limited ability to
      answer such questions. Here, we report novel multivariate methods to analyze
      information flow within the mental workspace during visual imagery manipulation.
      We find that mental imagery entails distributed information flow and shared
      representations throughout the cortex. These findings challenge existing,
      anatomically modular models of the neural basis of higher-order mental functions,
      suggesting that such processes may occur at least in part at a fundamentally
      distributed level of organization. The novel methods we report may be useful in
      studying other similarly complex, high-level informational processes. 

PMID- 26488590
TI  - A Neural Correlate of Strategic Exploration at the Onset of Adolescence.
AB  - The onset of adolescence is associated with an increase in the behavioral
      tendency to explore and seek novel experiences. However, this exploration has
      rarely been quantified, and its neural correlates during this period remain
      unclear. Previously, activity within specific regions of the rostrolateral PFC
      (rlPFC) in adults has been shown to correlate with the tendency for exploration.
      Here we investigate a recently developed task to assess individual differences in
      strategic exploration, defined as the degree to which the relative uncertainty of
      rewards directs responding toward less well-evaluated choices, in 62 girls aged
      11-13 years from whom resting state fMRI data were obtained in a separate
      session. Behaviorally, this task divided our participants into groups of
      explorers (n = 41) and nonexplorers (n = 21). When seed ROIs within the rlPFC
      were used to interrogate resting state fMRI data, we identified a lateralized
      connection between the rlPFC and posterior putamen/insula whose strength
      differentiated explorers from nonexplorers. On the basis of Granger causality
      analyses, the preponderant direction of influence may proceed from posterior to
      anterior. Together, these data provide initial evidence concerning the neural
      basis of exploratory tendencies at the onset of adolescence. 

PMID- 26488591
TI  - Reduction of Dual-task Costs by Noninvasive Modulation of Prefrontal Activity in
      Healthy Elders.
AB  - Dual tasking (e.g., walking or standing while performing a cognitive task)
      disrupts performance in one or both tasks, and such dual-task costs increase with
      aging into senescence. Dual tasking activates a network of brain regions
      including pFC. We therefore hypothesized that facilitation of prefrontal cortical
      activity via transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) would reduce dual
      task costs in older adults. Thirty-seven healthy older adults completed two
      visits during which dual tasking was assessed before and after 20 min of real or
      sham tDCS targeting the left pFC. Trials of single-task standing, walking, and
      verbalized serial subtractions were completed, along with dual-task trials of
      standing or walking while performing serial subtractions. Dual-task costs were
      calculated as the percent change in markers of gait and postural control and
      serial subtraction performance, from single to dual tasking. Significant dual
      task costs to standing, walking, and serial subtraction performance were observed
      before tDCS (p < .01). These dual-task costs were less after real tDCS as
      compared with sham tDCS as well as compared with either pre-tDCS condition (p <
      .03). Further analyses indicated that tDCS did not alter single task performance
      but instead improved performance solely within dual-task conditions (p < .02).
      These results demonstrate that dual tasking can be improved by modulating
      prefrontal activity, thus indicating that dual-task decrements are modifiable and
      may not necessarily reflect an obligatory consequence of aging. Moreover, tDCS
      may ultimately serve as a novel approach to preserving dual-task capacity into
      senescence. 

PMID- 26488592
TI  - Xanthelasma Is Associated with an Increased Amount of Epicardial Adipose Tissue.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we aimed to compare the amount of epicardial
      adipose tissue in subjects with and without xanthelasma. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
      Fifty-two subjects with xanthelasma and 52 age- and gender-matched control
      subjects were enrolled in this study. Epicardial adipose tissue was assessed by
      measuring epicardial fat thickness (EFT) with echocardiography. Participants were
      dichotomized according to median EFT, which was 4 mm. The group with EFT >4 mm
      was defined as the supramedian group. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated by
      weight (kilograms) divided by height (meters) squared. Conditional logistic
      regression analysis was performed to find independent factors associated with
      supramedian EFT (>4 mm). RESULTS: Subjects with xanthelasma had higher BMI (31.2
      +/- 5.6 vs. 28.6 +/- 5.7, p = 0.01) and higher levels of total cholesterol (216
      +/- 54 vs. 181 +/- 42 mg/dl, p < 0.001), LDL cholesterol (142 +/- 45 vs. 115 +/-
      36 mg/dl, p = 0.003) and triglycerides (median, 154 vs. 101 mg/dl, p = 0.01) than
      control subjects. EFT was significantly higher in subjects with xanthelasma than
      in controls (5.04 +/- 2.02 vs. 3.81 +/- 2.03 mm, p = 0.002). In the conditional
      logistic regression analysis, the presence of xanthelasma (OR, 3.55; 95% CI, 1.43
      8.78, p = 0.006) and lower HDL cholesterol level (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.92-0.99, p
      = 0.023) were independently associated with supramedian EFT. CONCLUSION: The
      amount of epicardial adipose tissue found in subjects with xanthelasma was higher
      than in subjects without xanthelasma. In addition, the presence of xanthelasma
      was independently associated with supramedian EFT.

PMID- 26488593
TI  - The safety and tolerability of beta blockers in heart failure with reduced
      ejection fraction: is the current underutilization of this evidence-based therapy
      justified?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Beta blockers are one of the cornerstones for treatment of Heart
      Failure with Reduced Ejection fraction (HFRef), yet their use is often limited by
      adverse effects, either perceived or real. We performed a review of available
      data using PubMed.gov utilizing beta blocker, heart failure, reduced ejection
      fraction and safety as key words. AREAS COVERED: Several well designed, large
      scale randomized clinical trials including CIBS-II (bisoprolol), MERIT-HF
      (metoprolol succinate), and Copernicus (carvedilol) among others, have been
      conducted in patients with HFRef and demonstrated an improvement in cardiac
      mortality and morbidity. Despite the preponderance of data supporting the use of
      beta blockers for patients HFRef, these medications remain underutilized and/or
      are often prescribed at lower than recommended dosages. Some of the reluctance to
      embrace beta blockade may be attributed to concern on the part of both the
      patient and prescriber about the non-cardiac adverse effects of this class of
      drugs. We have reviewed several recent reviews and meta-analyses of trials of
      beta blocker in heart failure which have conclusively demonstrated their
      tolerability in the populations studied. EXPERT OPINION: In the final section of
      this paper we provide our opinions regarding initiating and optimizing beta
      blocker therapy for patients with HFRef.

PMID- 26488595
TI  - High Surface Area Antimony-Doped Tin Oxide Electrodes Templated by Graft
      Copolymerization. Applications in Electrochemical and Photoelectrochemical
      Catalysis.
AB  - Mesoporous ATO nanocrystalline electrodes of micrometer thicknesses have been
      prepared from ATO nanocrystals and the grafted copolymer templating agents poly
      vinyl chloride-g-poly(oxyethylene methacrylate). As-obtained electrodes have high
      interfacial surface areas, large pore volumes, and rapid intraoxide electron
      transfer. The resulting high surface area materials are useful substrates for
      electrochemically catalyzed water oxidation. With thin added shells of TiO2
      deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and a surface-bound Ru(II) polypyridyl
      chromophore, they become photoanodes for hydrogen generation in the presence of a
      reductive scavenger. 

PMID- 26488594
TI  - The Different Substrate Characteristics of Arrhythmogenic Triggers in Idiopathic
      Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Tachycardia and Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular
      Dysplasia: New Insight from Noncontact Mapping.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the different substrate
      characteristics of repetitive premature ventricular complexed (PVC) trigger sites
      by the non-contact mapping (NCM). METHODS: Thirty-five consecutive patients,
      including 14 with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia
      (ARVC) and 21 with idiopathic right ventricular outflow tract tachycardia (RVOT
      VT), were enrolled for electrophysiological study and catheter ablation guided by
      the NCM. Substrate and electrogram (Eg) characteristics of the earliest
      activation (EA) and breakout (BO) sites of PVCs were investigated, and these were
      confirmed by successful PVC elimination. RESULTS: Overall 35 dominant focal PVCs
      were identified. PVCs arose from the focal origins with preferential conduction,
      breakout, and spread to the whole right ventricle. The conduction time and
      distance from EA to BO site were both longer in the ARVC than the RVOT group. The
      conduction velocity was similar between the 2 groups. The negative deflection of
      local unipolar Eg at the EA site (EA slope3,5,10ms values) was steeper in the
      RVOT, compared to ARVC patients. The PVCs of ARVC occurred in the diseased
      substrate in the ARVC patients. More radiofrequency applications were required to
      eliminate the triggers in ARVC patients. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: The
      substrate characteristics of PVC trigger may help to differentiate between
      idiopathic RVOT VT and ARVC. The slowing and slurred QS unipolar electrograms and
      longer distance from EA to BO in RVOT endocardium suggest that the triggers of
      ARVC may originate from mid- or sub-epicardial myocardium. More extensive
      ablation to the trigger site was required in order to create deeper lesions for a
      successful outcome.

PMID- 26488596
TI  - Resveratrol Prevents High Fluence Red Light-Emitting Diode Reactive Oxygen
      Species-Mediated Photoinhibition of Human Skin Fibroblast Migration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Skin fibrosis is a significant medical problem that leads to a
      functional, aesthetic, and psychosocial impact on quality-of-life. Light-emitting
      diode-generated 633-nm red light (LED-RL) is part of the visible light spectrum
      that is not known to cause DNA damage and is considered a safe, non-invasive,
      inexpensive, and portable potential alternative to ultraviolet phototherapy that
      may change the treatment paradigm of fibrotic skin disease. OBJECTIVE: The goal
      of our study was to investigate the how reactive oxygen species (ROS) free
      radicals generated by high fluence LED-RL inhibit the migration of skin
      fibroblasts, the main cell type involved in skin fibrosis. Fibroblast migration
      speed is increased in skin fibrosis, and we studied cellular migration speed of
      cultured human skin fibroblasts as a surrogate measure of high fluence LED-RL
      effect on fibroblast function. To ascertain the inhibitory role of LED-RL
      generated ROS on migration speed, we hypothesized that resveratrol, a potent
      antioxidant, could prevent the photoinhibitory effects of high fluence LED-RL on
      fibroblast migration speed. METHODS: High fluence LED-RL generated ROS were
      measured by flow cytometry analysis using dihydrorhodamine (DHR). For purposes of
      comparison, we assessed the effects of ROS generated by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
      on fibroblast migration speed and the ability of resveratrol, a well known
      antioxidant, to prevent LED-RL and H2O2 generated ROS-associated changes in
      fibroblast migration speed. To determine whether resveratrol could prevent the
      high fluence LED-RL ROS-mediated photoinhibition of human skin fibroblast
      migration, treated cells were incubated with resveratrol at concentrations of
      0.0001% and 0.001% for 24 hours, irradiated with high fluences LED-RL of 480,
      640, and 800 J/cm2. RESULTS: High fluence LED-RL increases intracellular
      fibroblast ROS and decreases fibroblast migration speed. LED-RL at 480, 640 and
      800 J/cm2 increased ROS levels to 132.8%, 151.0%, and 158.4% relative to matched
      controls, respectively. These LED-RL associated increases in ROS were prevented
      by pretreating cells with 0.0001% or 0.001% resveratrol. Next, we quantified the
      effect of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-associated ROS on fibroblast migration speed,
      and found that while H2O2-associated ROS significantly decreased relative
      fibroblast migration speed, pretreatment with 0.0001% or 0.001% resveratrol
      significantly prevented the decreases in migration speed. Furthermore, we found
      that LED-RL at 480, 640 and 800 J/cm2 decreased fibroblast migration speed to
      83.0%, 74.4%, and 68.6% relative to matched controls, respectively. We
      hypothesized that these decreases in fibroblast migration speed were due to
      associated increases in ROS generation. Pretreatment with 0.0001% and 0.001%
      resveratrol prevented the LED-RL associated decreases in migration speed.
      CONCLUSION: High fluence LED-RL increases ROS and is associated with decreased
      fibroblast migration speed. We provide mechanistic support that the decreased
      migration speed associated with high fluence LED-RL is mediated by ROS, by
      demonstrating that resveratrol prevents high fluence LED-RL associated migration
      speed change. These data lend support to an increasing scientific body of
      evidence that high fluence LED-RL has anti-fibrotic properties. We hypothesize
      that our findings may result in a greater understanding of the fundamental
      mechanisms underlying visible light interaction with skin and we anticipate
      clinicians and other researchers may utilize these pathways for patient benefit.

PMID- 26488597
TI  - Pneumococcal Infection among Children before Introduction of 13-Valent
      Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, Cambodia.
AB  - Vaccination of children with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) was initiated
      in Cambodia in 2015. To determine baseline data, we collected samples from
      children in 2013 and 2014. PCV13 serotypes accounted for 62.7% of colonizing
      organisms in outpatients and 88.4% of invasive pneumococci overall; multidrug
      resistance was common. Thus, effectiveness of vaccination should be high. 

PMID- 26488598
TI  - Similar but Different: Dynamic Social Network Analysis Highlights Fundamental
      Differences between the Fission-Fusion Societies of Two Equid Species, the Onager
      and Grevy's Zebra.
AB  - Understanding why animal societies take on the form that they do has benefited
      from insights gained by applying social network analysis to patterns of
      individual associations. Such analyses typically aggregate data over long time
      periods even though most selective forces that shape sociality have strong
      temporal elements. By explicitly incorporating the temporal signal in social
      interaction data we re-examine the network dynamics of the social systems of the
      evolutionarily closely-related Grevy's zebras and wild asses that show broadly
      similar social organizations. By identifying dynamic communities, previously
      hidden differences emerge: Grevy's zebras show more modularity than wild asses
      and in wild asses most communities consist of solitary individuals; and in
      Grevy's zebras, lactating females show a greater propensity to switch communities
      than non-lactating females and males. Both patterns were missed by static network
      analyses and in general, adding a temporal dimension provides insights into
      differences associated with the size and persistence of communities as well as
      the frequency and synchrony of their formation. Dynamic network analysis provides
      insights into the functional significance of these social differences and
      highlights the way dynamic community analysis can be applied to other species. 

PMID- 26488599
TI  - Biscationic Tartaric Acid-Based Amphiphiles: Charge Location Impacts
      Antimicrobial Activity.
AB  - Cationic amphiphiles have received increasing attention as antimicrobials given
      their unique ability to disrupt bacteria cell membranes. While extensive research
      has demonstrated that amphiphiles' hydrophobic-to-charge ratio significantly
      modulates antibacterial activity, less work has focused on elucidating the
      specific impact of charge location on amphiphile bioactivity. In this study, two
      series of cationic amphiphiles, termed bola-like and gemini-like, were
      synthesized with analogous hydrophobic-to-charge ratios yet differing charge
      location, and their resulting antibacterial activity was assessed. Bola-like
      amphiphiles exhibited preferential activity against two Gram-positive bacteria,
      with activity increasing with increasing hydrophobicity, whereas gemini-like
      amphiphiles were active against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria,
      with activity decreasing with increasing hydrophobicity. After identifying lead
      compounds from each amphiphile series (bola- and gemini-like), biophysical
      experiments indicated that both amphiphiles were membrane-active; notably, the
      lead gemini-like amphiphile exhibited a strong dependence on electrostatic
      interactions for membrane interaction. In contrast, the lead bola-like amphiphile
      exhibited a reliance on both hydrophobic and electrostatic contributions. These
      results demonstrate that charge location significantly impacts cationic
      amphiphiles' antibacterial and membrane activity. 

PMID- 26488600
TI  - Genetic Analysis of East Asian Grape Cultivars Suggests Hybridization with Wild
      Vitis.
AB  - Koshu is a grape cultivar native to Japan and is one of the country's most
      important cultivars for wine making. Koshu and other oriental grape cultivars are
      widely believed to belong to the European domesticated grape species Vitis
      vinifera. To verify the domesticated origin of Koshu and four other cultivars
      widely grown in China and Japan, we genotyped 48 ancestry informative single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and estimated wild and domesticated ancestry
      proportions. Our principal components analysis (PCA) based ancestry estimation
      revealed that Koshu is 70% V. vinifera, and that the remaining 30% of its
      ancestry is most likely derived from wild East Asian Vitis species. Partial
      sequencing of chloroplast DNA suggests that Koshu's maternal line is derived from
      the Chinese wild species V. davidii or a closely related species. Our results
      suggest that many traditional East Asian grape cultivars such as Koshu were
      generated from hybridization events with wild grape species. 

PMID- 26488601
TI  - Sexual behavioral pattern, consequences and adopted solutions among senior
      secondary schools students in a military barracks in Nigeria.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the sexual behavioral pattern, consequences, and adopted
      solutions among senior secondary schools students in Ojo military barracks,
      Lagos. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 400 senior
      secondary schools students in Ojo military barracks, Lagos, selected using a
      multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using pre-tested, self
      administered semi-structured questionnaires. Data was analysed using statistical
      package for social sciences version 17. Tests of statistical significance were
      carried out using chi2-test, and a p-value of <0.05 was considered significant.
      RESULTS: The majority of them 391 (97.8%), were in the age group (10-19 years)
      while the mean age was 15+/-2.4 for males and 15+/-2.2 for females, respectively.
      One hundred and fifty four (38.5%) of the respondents have had penetrative sexual
      intercourse and were influenced mainly by peer pressure (p=0.0000). Their age at
      first sexual intercourse ranged between 10-19 years. Ten (6.5%) of the
      respondents (all males) had their sexual debut with a commercial sex worker. More
      girls 41 (56.2%) than boys 12 (14.8%), were forced into sexual intercourse
      (p=0.0000). Over half of the sexually active respondents had at least two sexual
      partners for either sex. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study have shown that
      young people living in the barracks indulged in sexual activity at very early
      ages and engaged in risky sexual behavior. We therefore recommend an improved
      multi-sectoral approach in reproductive health and sexually transmitted
      infections including HIV/AIDS education.

PMID- 26488602
TI  - Barriers in communication and available resources to facilitate conversation
      about infertility with girls diagnosed with Turner syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Delayed discussion about infertility with individuals affected by
      Turner syndrome (TS) has been found to result in psychological and social harm.
      The aim of this study was to identify barriers experienced when discussing
      infertility and determine resource types that may facilitate this conversation.
      METHODS: An electronic survey, given to caregivers of girls with TS diagnosed at
      <5 years. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Fifty percent of parents surveyed had spoken
      to their daughter about their possible infertility. Parents who had not yet
      discussed infertility with their daughter had younger daughters and reported more
      barriers in having the conversation. Although most individuals did not use
      resources to facilitate the conversation, they did express interest in additional
      resources.

PMID- 26488603
TI  - Obesity-associated sympathetic overactivity in children and adolescents: the role
      of catecholamine resistance in lipid metabolism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity in children and adolescents is characterized by chronic
      sympathetic overdrive and reduced epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis. This
      resistance to catecholamines occurs during the dynamic phase of fat accumulation.
      This review will focus on the relationship between sympathetic-adrenal activity
      and lipid metabolism, thereby highlighting the role of catecholamine resistance
      in the development of childhood obesity. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Catecholamine
      resistance causes lipid accumulation in adipose tissue by reducing lipolysis,
      increasing lipogenesis and impeding free fatty acid (FFA) transportation.
      Exercise improves catecholamine resistance, as evidenced by attenuated systemic
      sympathetic activity, reduced circulating catecholamine levels and enhanced beta
      adrenergic receptor signaling. Insulin resistance is mostly a casual result
      rather than a cause of childhood obesity. Therefore, catecholamine resistance in
      childhood obesity may promote insulin signaling in adipose tissue, thereby
      increasing lipogenesis. This review outlines a series of evidence for the role of
      catecholamine resistance as an upstream mechanism leading to childhood obesity.

PMID- 26488604
TI  - Changes in facial appearance from neonate to adult in 3-M syndrome patient with
      novel CUL7 gene mutations.
AB  - 3-M syndrome (OMIM #273750, #612921, and #614205) is a rare autosomal recessive
      growth disorder that is characterized by pre- and postnatal growth retardation,
      normal intelligence, and characteristic faces. This syndrome also has
      characteristic radiological features, such as slender long bones and tall
      vertebral bodies. Three genes, cullin 7 (CUL7), coiled-coil domain containing 8,
      and obscurin-like 1 are genetic candidates of 3-M syndrome. Patients with 3-M
      syndrome have a characteristic facial appearance, including a triangular face,
      frontal bossing, an anteverted nose, dolichocephaly, and a long philtrum.
      However, information on adult 3-M syndrome patients, including facial appearance,
      is scarce. We report an adult female with 3-M syndrome that was caused by novel
      compound heterozygous mutations (c.4023-1 G>A in splice acceptor site of exon 22
      and c.4359_4363dupGGCTG in exon 23) in the CUL7 gene. We also report the growth
      chart and changes in facial appearance of this patient from the neonate to adult.

PMID- 26488605
TI  - Neurotransmitter receptor complexes: methods for bioanalysis, their potentials
      and limitations.
AB  - Neurotransmitter receptors are key elements for brain function, but work so far
      has been focusing on the individual receptor subunits. It is, however, the
      receptor complexes that execute work rather than the subunits; of course, the
      multitude of possible combinations of the many receptors forming homomeric or
      heteromeric complexes is hampering studies. Moreover, not only receptors are
      observed in the complexes but also their corresponding protein kinases,
      phosphatases, and anchoring proteins, to name a few. Studying receptor complexes
      is still an analytical challenge. Thus far, no methods exist to unequivocally
      characterize or even quantify these assemblies. Major problems and limitations
      for the analysis exist, such as solubility, as the use of detergents is critical
      and may dissociate the receptor complexes as well as their separation in the
      native state. Gel-based techniques are able to separate and semiquantitatively
      quantify receptor complexes by subsequent immunochemical methods but do not allow
      the characterization of complex components. Immunoprecipitation methods are
      highly dependent on antibody availability and specificity, and the result of
      coimmunoprecipitation does not verify the direct physical interaction of proteins
      in the immunoprecipitate. Antibody shift assays are suitable to identify
      individual known proteins within a complex as are immunogold electron microscopic
      techniques and energy transfer technologies. Most techniques are simply showing
      the proximity of proteins rather than their physical interaction. Although
      fluorescence correlation spectroscopy is a promising technique, the use for
      quantification or comparing biological samples is limited. A lot of work remains
      to be done to provide tools for the characterization and quantification of
      receptor complexes in the brain. 

PMID- 26488606
TI  - Biochemical effects of lead exposure on oxidative stress and antioxidant status
      of battery manufacturing workers of Western Maharashtra, India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lead induces oxidative stress and alters the antioxidant status of
      population exposed to high lead levels, i.e. battery manufacturing workers. The
      aim of this study was to know the current scenario of blood lead (PbB) levels and
      their effect on the oxidative stress parameter, i.e. serum lipid peroxide (LP),
      and antioxidant parameters, such as red blood cell (RBC)-superoxide dismutase
      (SOD), RBC-catalase (CAT), plasma ceruloplasmin (CP), and serum nitrite, of
      battery manufacturing workers. METHODS: Forty-three battery manufacturing workers
      from Western Maharashtra, India, with ages between 19 and 42 years, were selected
      as study group and compared with 38 age-matched, healthy male subjects (control
      group). From both group subjects, 10 mL of blood sample was drawn by puncturing
      the antecubital vein, and PbB, serum LP, RBC-SOD, RBC-CAT, plasma CP, and serum
      nitrite were estimated using standard methods. RESULTS: The PbB levels of the
      battery manufacturing workers were significantly higher (p<0.001, 1050%) as
      compared with the control subjects. The serum LP levels were significantly
      increased (p<0.001, 96.86%); all antioxidant status parameters such as RBC-SOD
      (p<0.001, -26.32%), RBC-CAT (p<0.001, -51.57%), and plasma CP (p<0.001, -35.13%)
      were significantly decreased; and serum nitrite levels (p<0.001, 154%) were
      significantly increased in the battery manufacturing workers as compared with the
      control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Despite modern techniques used to reduce lead
      exposure in battery manufacturing workers, PbB levels remain high, inducing
      oxidative stress and altering the antioxidant status of battery manufacturing
      workers.

PMID- 26488607
TI  - In Vitro Generation of Functional Liver Organoid-Like Structures Using Adult
      Human Cells.
AB  - In this study we used differentiated adult human upcyte(r) cells for the in vitro
      generation of liver organoids. Upcyte(r) cells are genetically engineered cell
      strains derived from primary human cells by lenti-viral transduction of genes or
      gene combinations inducing transient proliferation capacity (upcyte(r) process).
      Proliferating upcyte(r) cells undergo a finite number of cell divisions, i.e., 20
      to 40 population doublings, but upon withdrawal of proliferation stimulating
      factors, they regain most of the cell specific characteristics of primary cells.
      When a defined mixture of differentiated human upcyte(r) cells (hepatocytes,
      liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)) was
      cultured in vitro on a thick layer of MatrigelTM, they self-organized to form
      liver organoid-like structures within 24 hours. When further cultured for 10 days
      in a bioreactor, these liver organoids show typical functional characteristics of
      liver parenchyma including activity of cytochromes P450, CYP3A4, CYP2B6 and
      CYP2C9 as well as mRNA expression of several marker genes and other enzymes. In
      summary, we hereby describe that 3D functional hepatic structures composed of
      primary human cell strains can be generated in vitro. They can be cultured for a
      prolonged period of time and are potentially useful ex vivo models to study liver
      functions. 

PMID- 26488608
TI  - Degradation of Amino Acids and Structure in Model Proteins and Bacteriophage MS2
      by Chlorine, Bromine, and Ozone.
AB  - Proteins are important targets of chemical disinfectants. To improve the
      understanding of disinfectant-protein reactions, this study characterized the
      disinfectant:protein molar ratios at which 50% degradation of oxidizable amino
      acids (i.e., Met, Tyr, Trp, His, Lys) and structure were observed during HOCl,
      HOBr, and O3 treatment of three well-characterized model proteins and
      bacteriophage MS2. A critical question is the extent to which the targeting of
      amino acids is driven by their disinfectant rate constants rather than their
      geometrical arrangement. Across the model proteins and bacteriophage MS2 (coat
      protein), differing widely in structure, methionine was preferentially targeted,
      forming predominantly methionine sulfoxide. This targeting concurs with its high
      disinfectant rate constants and supports its hypothesized role as a sacrificial
      antioxidant. Despite higher HOCl and HOBr rate constants with histidine and
      lysine than for tyrosine, tyrosine generally was degraded in preference to
      histidine, and to a lesser extent, lysine. These results concur with the
      prevalence of geometrical motifs featuring histidines or lysines near tyrosines,
      facilitating histidine and lysine regeneration upon Cl[+1] transfer from their
      chloramines to tyrosines. Lysine nitrile formation occurred at or above oxidant
      doses where 3,5-dihalotyrosine products began to degrade. For O3, which lacks a
      similar oxidant transfer pathway, histidine, tyrosine, and lysine degradation
      followed their relative O3 rate constants. Except for its low reactivity with
      lysine, the O3 doses required to degrade amino acids were as low as or lower than
      for HOCl or HOBr, indicating its oxidative efficiency. Loss of structure did not
      correlate with loss of particular amino acids, suggesting the need to
      characterize the oxidation of specific geometric motifs to understand structural
      degradation. 

PMID- 26488609
TI  - Regulation of PKR by RNA: formation of active and inactive dimers.
AB  - PKR is a member of the eIF2alpha family of protein kinases that inhibit
      translational initiation in response to stress stimuli and functions as a key
      mediator of the interferon-induced antiviral response. PKR contains a dsRNA
      binding domain that binds to duplex regions present in viral RNAs, resulting in
      kinase activation and autophosphorylation. An emerging theme in the regulation of
      protein kinases is the allosteric linkage of dimerization and activation. The PKR
      kinase domain forms a back-to-back parallel dimer that is implicated in
      activation. We have developed a sensitive homo-Forster resonance energy transfer
      assay for kinase domain dimerization to directly probe the relationship among RNA
      binding, activation, and dimerization. In the case of perfect duplex RNAs,
      dimerization is correlated with activation and dsRNAs containing 30 bp or more
      efficiently induce kinase domain dimerization and activation. However, more
      complex duplex RNAs containing a 10-15 bp 2'-O-methyl RNA barrier produce kinase
      dimers but do not activate. Similarly, inactivating mutations within the PKR
      dimer interface that disrupt key electrostatic and hydrogen binding interactions
      fail to abolish dimerization. Our data support a model in which activating RNAs
      induce formation of a back-to-back parallel PKR kinase dimer whereas
      nonactivating RNAs either fail to induce dimerization or produce an alternative,
      inactive dimer configuration, providing an additional mechanism for
      distinguishing between host and pathogen RNA. 

PMID- 26488610
TI  - Diagnostic Value of MR Imaging in the Diagnosis of Adnexal Torsion.
AB  - PURPOSE: To retrospectively evaluate the diagnostic performance of magnetic
      resonance (MR) imaging for the diagnosis of adnexal torsion in a series of
      patients with an equivocal adnexal mass at ultrasonography (US) in the context of
      acute or subacute pelvic pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The institutional ethics
      committee approved the study and waived informed consent. All patients with acute
      or subacute pelvic pain who were undergoing MR examination for the exploration of
      an equivocal adnexal mass (January 2007 to December 2012) with surgical
      exploration or clinical and radiologic follow-up of at least 3 months were
      retrospectively included (n = 58). The prospective interpretations were recorded.
      Additionally, three radiologists who were blinded to the clinical, US, and
      surgical data retrospectively and independently reviewed MR images. Features
      associated with adnexal torsion were identified by using univariate and recursive
      partitioning multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients (38%) had a
      diagnosis of adnexal torsion. The accuracy of MR imaging at the time of
      prospective interpretation was 80.6% (25 of 31 patients) and 85.1% (23 of 27
      patients) in acute and subacute torsion, respectively. The accuracy of image
      interpretation by each retrospective reader was 83.9% (26 of 31 patients), 90.3%
      (28 of 31 patients), and 83.9% (26 of 31 patients) in the context of acute pelvic
      pain and 92.6% (25 of 27 patients), 88.9% (24 of 27 patients), and 81.5% (22 of
      27 patients) in the context of subacute pelvic pain for readers 1, 2, and 3,
      respectively. At multivariate analysis, the whirlpool sign (odds ratio = 6.5 [95%
      confidence interval: 1.36, 31.0], P = .01) and a thickened tube (>10 mm) (odds
      ratio = 8.2 [95% confidence interval: 1.2, 56.8], P = .03) were associated with
      adnexal torsion, with substantial interreader agreement (kappa = 0.71-0.84 and
      0.82-0.86, respectively). The presence of adnexal hemorrhagic content was
      associated with nonviable ovaries in seven of 10 patients (70%) and with viable
      ovaries in 12 of 45 patients (27%) (P = .009). CONCLUSION: MR imaging is an
      accurate technique for the diagnosis of adnexal torsion in patients who have an
      adnexal mass with acute or subacute pelvic pain.

PMID- 26488611
TI  - To See or Not to See: Do Front of Pack Nutrition Labels Affect Attention to
      Overall Nutrition Information?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Front of pack (FOP) nutrition labels are concise labels located on
      the front of food packages that provide truncated nutrition information. These
      labels are rapidly gaining prominence worldwide, presumably because they attract
      attention and their simplified formats enable rapid comparisons of nutritional
      value. METHODS: Eye tracking was conducted as US consumers interacted with actual
      packages with and without FOP labels to (1) assess if the presence of an FOP
      label increases attention to nutrition information when viewers are not
      specifically tasked with nutrition-related goals; and (2) study the effect of FOP
      presence on consumer use of more comprehensive, traditional nutrition information
      presented in the Nutritional Facts Panel (NFP), a mandatory label for most
      packaged foods in the US. RESULTS: Our results indicate that colored FOP labels
      enhanced the probability that any nutrition information was attended, and
      resulted in faster detection and longer viewing of nutrition information.
      However, for cereal packages, these benefits were at the expense of attention to
      the more comprehensive NFP. Our results are consistent with a potential short cut
      effect of FOP labels, such that if an FOP was present, participants spent less
      time attending the more comprehensive NFP. For crackers, FOP labels increased
      time spent attending to nutrition information, but we found no evidence that
      their presence reduced the time spent on the nutrition information in the NFP.
      CONCLUSIONS: The finding that FOP labels increased attention to overall nutrition
      information by people who did not have an explicit nutritional goal suggests that
      these labels may have an advantage in conveying nutrition information to a wide
      segment of the population. However, for some food types this benefit may come
      with a short-cut effect; that is, decreased attention to more comprehensive
      nutrition information. These results have implications for policy and warrant
      further research into the mechanisms by which FOP labels impact use of nutrition
      information by consumers for different foods.

PMID- 26488614
TI  - Vieussens ring: an important coronary collateral circulation from the conus
      artery to the left anterior descending artery.

PMID- 26488613
TI  - Robuvit(r) and endurance in triathlon: improvements in training performance,
      recovery and oxidative stress.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this registry study was to evaluate the effects of
      supplementation with Robuvit(r) (Quercus robur wood extract, or "QR") on
      performance and endurance in triathlon by evaluating amateur athletes in a period
      of 2 weeks of training. Supplementation with QR may improve training efficiency
      (by decreasing post-triathlon, muscular pain, cramps and by improving recovery
      time). Robuvit(r) should decrease post-training plasma free radicals (PFR).
      METHODS: Sixty-one subjects (age range 30-40) were included in the study.
      Subjects followed a free diet. An isotonic saline drink was suggested to all
      subjects. RESULTS: After 2 weeks there were 27 subjects using the supplement and
      27 without supplementation. The groups were comparable. All subjects improved in
      training considering the 3 events (swim, biking, run). The improvement was
      greater with Robuvit(r) (P<0.05) for the swim and biking (P<0.05); the running
      time decreased by 12.32% in subjects using Robuvit(r) (3.6% in controls; P<0.05).
      The improvement the total triathlon time was -10.56% with Robuvit(r) in
      comparison to -3.41% in controls. SAFETY: no side effects or tolerance problems
      were reported; all QR capsules were used as indicated. CONCLUSION: In conclusion,
      the -10.56% shorter total trioathlon time was considered as very good
      improvement, considering that for this type of athletes being almost at the top
      of their form it is difficult to improve even further without severe training.
      Training was considered better (on an analogue scale) in the QR group (P<0.05).
      Postrun muscular pain, cramps, localized pain, straining and the recovery time,
      were all considered better with QR (P<0.05). Plasma free radical (PFR) values 1
      hour after the final run were, on average,16.98% higher in controls (P<0.05),
      indicating a higher level of oxidative stress. Higher levels of PFR are
      associated with a slower recovery. All routine blood tests were normal at
      inclusion and after the final triathlon. After the final test run triathlon
      athletes using QR had a lower increase of UBR and LDH (indicator of hemolysis).
      These two tests were significantly increased in controls (P<0.05) but not in the
      Robuvit(r) group. Robuvit(r) supplementation improved training, results and
      decreased hemolysis.

PMID- 26488612
TI  - A Tendon Cell Specific RNAi Screen Reveals Novel Candidates Essential for Muscle
      Tendon Interaction.
AB  - Tendons are fibrous connective tissue which connect muscles to the skeletal
      elements thus acting as passive transmitters of force during locomotion and
      provide appropriate body posture. Tendon-derived cues, albeit poorly understood,
      are necessary for proper muscle guidance and attachment during development. In
      the present study, we used dorsal longitudinal muscles of Drosophila and their
      tendon attachment sites to unravel the molecular nature of interactions between
      muscles and tendons. We performed a genetic screen using RNAi-mediated knockdown
      in tendon cells to find out molecular players involved in the formation and
      maintenance of myotendinous junction and found 21 candidates out of 2507 RNAi
      lines screened. Of these, 19 were novel molecules in context of myotendinous
      system. Integrin-betaPS and Talin, picked as candidates in this screen, are known
      to play important role in the cell-cell interaction and myotendinous junction
      formation validating our screen. We have found candidates with enzymatic
      function, transcription activity, cell adhesion, protein folding and
      intracellular transport function. Tango1, an ER exit protein involved in collagen
      secretion was identified as a candidate molecule involved in the formation of
      myotendinous junction. Tango1 knockdown was found to affect development of muscle
      attachment sites and formation of myotendinous junction. Tango1 was also found to
      be involved in secretion of Viking (Collagen type IV) and BM-40 from hemocytes
      and fat cells. 

PMID- 26488615
TI  - Modulation of ERP components by task instructions in a cued go/no-go task.
AB  - The present study investigated how components of ERPs are modulated when
      participants optimize speed versus accuracy in a cued go/no-go task. Using a
      crossover design, 35 participants received instructions to complete the task
      prioritizing response speed in half of the task, and accurate responding in the
      other half of the task. Analysis was performed on the contingent negative
      variation (CNV), P3go, and P3no-go and the corresponding independent components
      (IC), as identified by group independent component analysis. After speed
      instructions, the IC CNV(late), P3go(anterior), P3no-go(early), and P3no-go(late)
      all had larger amplitudes than after accuracy instructions. Furthermore, both the
      IC P3go(posterior) and IC P3go(anterior) had shorter latencies after speed than
      after accuracy instructions. The results demonstrate that components derived from
      the CNV and P3 components are facilitated when participants optimize response
      speed. These findings indicate that these ERP components reflect executive
      processes enabling adjustment of behavior to changing demands.

PMID- 26488617
TI  - Accuracy and precision of oscillometric blood pressure in standing conscious
      horses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arterial blood pressure (BP) is a relevant clinical parameter that
      can be measured in standing conscious horses to assess tissue perfusion or pain.
      However, there are no validated oscillometric noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP)
      devices for use in horses. ANIMALS: Seven healthy horses from a teaching and
      research herd. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy and precision of
      systolic arterial pressure (SAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), and mean
      arterial pressure (MAP) in conscious horses obtained with an oscillometric NIBP
      device when compared to invasively measured arterial BP. METHODS: An arterial
      catheter was placed in the facial or transverse facial artery and connected to a
      pressure transducer. A cuff for NIBP was placed around the tail base. The BP was
      recorded during normotension, dobutamine-induced hypertension, and subnormal BP
      induced by acepromazine administration. Agreement analysis with replicate
      measures was utilized to calculate bias (accuracy) and standard deviation (SD) of
      bias (precision). RESULTS: A total of 252 pairs of invasive arterial BP and NIBP
      measurements were analyzed. Compared to the direct BP measures, the NIBP MAP had
      an accuracy of -4 mm Hg and precision of 10 mm Hg. SAP had an accuracy of -8 mm
      Hg and a precision of 17 mm Hg and DAP had an accuracy of -7 mm Hg and a
      precision of 14 mm Hg. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: MAP from the evaluated
      NIBP monitor is accurate and precise in the adult horse across a range of BP,
      with higher variability during subnormal BP. MAP but not SAP or DAP can be used
      for clinical decision making in the conscious horse.

PMID- 26488616
TI  - CYP3A4 intronic SNP rs35599367 (CYP3A4*22) alters RNA splicing.
AB  - Cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) metabolizes 30-50% of clinically used drugs. Large
      interperson variability in CYP3A4 activity affects response to CYP3A4 substrate
      drugs. We had demonstrated that an intronic single nucleotide polymorphism
      rs35599367 (CYP3A4*22, located in intron 6) reduces mRNA/protein expression;
      however, the underlying mechanism remained unknown. Here we show that CYP3A4*22
      is associated with a two-fold or greater increase in formation of a nonfunctional
      CYP3A4 alternative splice variant with partial intron 6 retention in human liver
      (P=0.006), but not in small intestines. Consistent with this observation, in
      vitro transfection experiments with a CYP3A4 minigene (spanning from intron 5 to
      intron 7) demonstrated that plasmids carrying the rs35599367 minor T allele
      caused significantly greater intron 6 retention than the C allele in liver
      derived HepG2 cells, but not in intestine-derived LS-174T cells. These results
      indicate that tissue-specific increased formation of nonfunctional alternative
      splice variant causes reduced CYP3A4 mRNA/protein expression in CYP3A4*22
      carriers. 

PMID- 26488618
TI  - Characterization of operating parameters for XMuLV inactivation by low pH
      treatment.
AB  - To ensure the viral safety of protein therapeutics made in mammalian cells,
      purification processes include dedicated viral clearance steps to remove or
      inactivate adventitious and endogenous viruses. One such dedicated step is low pH
      treatment, a robust and effective method commonly used in monoclonal antibody
      production to inactivate enveloped viruses. To characterize the operating space
      for low pH viral inactivation, we performed a statistically designed experiment
      evaluating the effect of pH, temperature, hold duration, acid type, and buffer
      concentration on inactivation of the retrovirus model, XMuLV. An additional
      single factor experiment was performed to study the effect of protein
      concentration. These data were used to generate predictive models of inactivation
      at each time point studied, which can be used to identify conditions for robust
      and effective XMuLV inactivation. At pH 3.6, XMuLV inactivation was rapid,
      robust, and relatively unaffected by the other factors studied, providing support
      for this as a generic viral inactivation condition for products that can tolerate
      this low pH. At pH 3.7 and 3.8, other factors besides pH affected XMuLV
      inactivation. By understanding the impact of each factor on inactivation, the
      factors can be manipulated within the operating space to ensure effective
      inactivation while achieving desired product quality goals.

PMID- 26488619
TI  - The metabolomic study on atherosclerosis mice and its application in a
      traditional Chinese medicine Sishen granule.
AB  - Although an atherosclerosis (AS) model using low-density lipoprotein receptor
      deletion mice has been widely applied, its pathological pathway in metabolite
      level is still not clear. To further reveal the metabolite profile and identify
      the potential biomarkers in AS development, a serum metabolomic approach was
      developed based on reversed-phase liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight
      mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF-MS). The established metabolomic platform was also
      used for elucidating the therapeutic mechanism of a traditional Chinese medicine
      named Sishen granule (SSKL). Twenty-one potential biomarkers in AS mouse serum
      were identified. Through functional analysis of these biomarkers, inflammation,
      proliferation, dysfunction of energy metabolism and amino acid metabolism were
      considered the most relevant pathological changes in AS. DNA damage products were
      found for the first time in the metabolomic study of AS. The network established
      by 20 biomarkers revealed that pyruvate metabolism, citrate cycle, fatty acid
      metabolism and urea metabolism were seriously disturbed. This metabolomic study
      not only supplied a systematic view of the progression of AS but also provided a
      theoretical basis for the treatment of AS. This metabolomic study also
      demonstrated that SSKL had therapeutic effectiveness for AS through partly
      reversing the inflammation reaction and amino acid metabolism dysfunction.
      Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 

PMID- 26488620
TI  - Cholera Transmission in Ouest Department of Haiti: Dynamic Modeling and the
      Future of the Epidemic.
AB  - In the current study, a comprehensive, data driven, mathematical model for
      cholera transmission in Haiti is presented. Along with the inclusion of short
      cycle human-to-human transmission and long cycle human-to-environment and
      environment-to-human transmission, this novel dynamic model incorporates both the
      reported cholera incidence and remote sensing data from the Ouest Department of
      Haiti between 2010 to 2014. The model has separate compartments for infectious
      individuals that include different levels of infectivity to reflect the
      distribution of symptomatic and asymptomatic cases in the population. The
      environmental compartment, which serves as a source of exposure to toxigenic V.
      cholerae, is also modeled separately based on the biology of causative bacterium,
      the shedding of V. cholerae O1 by humans into the environment, as well as the
      effects of precipitation and water temperature on the concentration and survival
      of V. cholerae in aquatic reservoirs. Although the number of reported cholera
      cases has declined compared to the initial outbreak in 2010, the increase in the
      number of susceptible population members and the presence of toxigenic V.
      cholerae in the environment estimated by the model indicate that without further
      improvements to drinking water and sanitation infrastructures, intermittent
      cholera outbreaks are likely to continue in Haiti. 

PMID- 26488621
TI  - Efficient modification of the myostatin gene in porcine somatic cells and
      generation of knockout piglets.
AB  - Myostatin (MSTN) is a negative regulator of myogenesis, and disruption of its
      function causes increased muscle mass in various species. Here, we report the
      generation of MSTN-knockout (KO) pigs using genome editing technology combined
      with somatic-cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Transcription activator-like effector
      nuclease (TALEN) with non-repeat-variable di-residue variations, called Platinum
      TALEN, was highly efficient in modifying genes in porcine somatic cells, which
      were then used for SCNT to create MSTN KO piglets. These piglets exhibited a
      double-muscled phenotype, possessing a higher body weight and longissimus muscle
      mass measuring 170% that of wild-type piglets, with double the number of muscle
      fibers. These results demonstrate that loss of MSTN increases muscle mass in
      pigs, which may help increase pork production for consumption in the future.

PMID- 26488622
TI  - Reply to: Glucarpidase for the Treatment of Methotrexate-Induced Renal
      Dysfunction and Delayed Methotrexate Excretion.

PMID- 26488623
TI  - Evaluation of Tear Osmolarity Changes After Photorefractive Keratectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess tear film stability, ocular surface disease index (OSDI)
      score, Schirmer test value, tear film breakup time (TBUT), and tear osmolarity
      after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). METHODS: We enrolled 50 eyes from 25
      patients who were PRK candidates (15 men, 10 women). The mean age was 31.9 +/-
      4.5 years. Dry eye severity was evaluated using OSDI questionnaire, TBUT,
      Schirmer test, and tear osmolarity preoperatively and in each postoperative
      follow-up visit during the 4-month follow-up period. RESULTS: Tear osmolarity
      changed from 302 +/- 5.9 mOsm/L preoperatively to 308.8 +/- 5.8 mOsm/L (P <
      0.0001) and 304.1 +/- 9.4 mOsm/L (P = 0.40) after 2 and 4 months, respectively.
      Schirmer test did not change significantly 4 months after PRK (P = 0.410). TBUT
      decreased significantly after 2 months and did not return to its preoperative
      value after 4 months. Subjective complaints measured by OSDI score, improved
      after 4 months compared with the preoperative level. CONCLUSIONS: Although dry
      eye tests (Schirmer, TBUT, and tear osmolarity) are abnormal 2 months after PRK,
      they returned to preoperative values after 4 months. We can conclude that post
      PRK dry eye is a transient complication which will last less than 4 months with
      regular use of topical lubricants.

PMID- 26488624
TI  - Fungal Infections After Boston Type 1 Keratoprosthesis Implantation: Literature
      Review and In Vitro Antifungal Activity of Hypochlorous Acid.
AB  - PURPOSE: To review the current literature describing cases of fungal keratitis
      and endophthalmitis after Boston keratoprosthesis (KPro) implantation and to
      characterize the antifungal activity of 0.01% hypochlorous acid against medically
      relevant fungi. METHODS: A literature review of fungal keratitis or
      endophthalmitis in KPro patients from January 2001 to April 2015, and an in vitro
      time kill assay characterizing the fungicidal activity of 0.01% hypochlorous acid
      against fungi causing ocular infections. RESULTS: Fifteen publications,
      predominantly retrospective case series, were identified. Infection rates after
      KPro implantation ranged from 0.009 to 0.02 fungal infections per patient-year of
      follow-up. The largest single-surgeon series reported an incidence of 2.4% for
      fungal endophthalmitis during a 10-year period. Causative organisms included both
      yeasts and molds. Outcomes were favorable if infections were caught early and
      treated appropriately; less favorable outcomes were reported in developing
      countries where fungal species are endemic and resources are limited. 0.01%
      hypochlorous acid is rapidly fungicidal, reducing the number of viable yeast
      cells or mold conidia by at least 99.99% within 60 seconds. The antifungal
      activity extended to all molds (Acremonium kiliense, Aspergillus flavus,
      Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium solani, and Mucor indicus) and yeast species
      (Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis) tested. CONCLUSIONS: Fungal
      infections remain a lifelong concern in patients after KPro implantation. There
      is a growing need for a standard antifungal prophylaxis regimen, especially in
      the developing world. The rapid broad-spectrum in vitro fungicidal activity of
      0.01% hypochlorous acid against all fungi tested makes it an attractive candidate
      as an antifungal prophylaxis in KPro patients.

PMID- 26488625
TI  - Aspheric Ablation Depth as the Target Depth for Enhanced Wavefront-Guided Myopic
      Retreatments After Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To propose a new adjustment method and present the clinical result of
      wavefront-guided myopic laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) retreatment
      with an aspheric program-targeted central ablation depth to avoid refractive
      overcorrection. METHODS: Thirty-two eyes (of 20 consecutive patients) that
      underwent wavefront-guided LASIK myopic retreatment between January 2009 and
      February 2012 after primary wavefront-guided LASIK for myopia were included.
      Wavefront-guided retreatments were performed using the Bausch and Lomb Technolas
      217z100 excimer laser system. Wavefront-guided retreatments were adjusted by
      setting the ablation depth corresponding to the ablation depth determined by the
      aspheric program. The refractive outcome, visual outcome, and outcome of high
      order aberrations (HOAs) were analyzed. Linear mixed models were also used to
      evaluate the predicting factors for retreatment offset. RESULTS: Mean age was
      29.5 +/- 3.1 years. Spherical equivalent (SE) before retreatment was -1.0 +/-
      0.44 diopters (D) (range, -2.25 to -0.5). Twelve months postoperatively, SE was 
      0.03 +/- 0.12 D, and 31 of 32 eyes had an uncorrected visual acuity 20/20 or
      better. All eyes were within +/-0.5 D. None of the eyes had lost >2 lines of
      Snellen visual acuity. Safety and efficacy indices were 1.03 and 1.00,
      respectively. Total HOA, coma, and trefoil were reduced significantly (P = 0.028,
      P = 0.036, P = 0.034, respectively). Predictive factors for the amount of offset
      required are significantly related to preoperative SE (P = 0.006) and spherical
      aberration (P = 0.03, adjusted by SE). CONCLUSIONS: Setting the target ablation
      depth using the aspheric program provided high refractive predictability with a
      satisfactory visual outcome, significant reduction of HOAs, and no
      overcorrections.

PMID- 26488626
TI  - Autofluorescence Signatures of Seven Pathogens: Preliminary in Vitro
      Investigations of a Potential Diagnostic for Acanthamoeba Keratitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Acanthamoeba keratitis can cause devastating damage to the human cornea
      and is often difficult to diagnose by routine clinical methods. In this
      preliminary study, we investigated whether Acanthamoeba may be distinguished from
      other common corneal pathogens through its autofluorescence response. Although
      only a small number of pathogens were studied, the identification of a unique
      Acanthamoeba signature would indicate that autofluorescence spectroscopy as a
      diagnostic method merits further investigation. METHODS: Samples of 7 common
      pathogens (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
      Elizabethkingia miricola, Achromobacter ruhlandii, Candida albicans, and
      Acanthamoeba castellanii) in solution were excited with ultraviolet light at a
      number of successive, narrow wavebands between 260 and 400 nm, and their
      fluorescence response recorded. Principal Component Analysis was used to allow
      better visualization of the differences in response to UV light for different
      species. RESULTS: Acanthamoeba was found to possess a characteristic
      autofluorescence response and was easily distinguished from E. coli, S. aureus,
      P. aeruginosa, E. miricola, A. ruhlandii, and C. albicans over a wide range of
      excitation wavelengths. We also found a clear discrimination between E. coli, C.
      albicans, and P. aeruginosa at an excitation wavelength of 274 nm, whereas E.
      miricola, S. aureus, and A. ruhlandii could be separated using an excitation
      wavelength of 308 nm. CONCLUSIONS: Our results, although preliminary, indicate
      that autofluorescence spectroscopy shows promise as a diagnostic technique for
      keratitis. We intend to expand the set of pathogens studied before assessing the
      feasibility of the technique in vivo by introducing cultures onto pig corneas.

PMID- 26488627
TI  - Iris Fixation of Unstable Anterior Chamber Intraocular Lenses.
AB  - PURPOSE: To present a surgical approach for the treatment of unstable anterior
      chamber intraocular lenses (ACIOLs). METHODS: We present a series of 8 patients
      who underwent iris fixation of an unstable open-looped ACIOL associated with
      progressive corneal damage. The loops of the intraocular lens were firmly fixated
      to the iris using 9-0 or 10-0 polypropylene sutures. In 2 cases, iris fixation
      was associated with penetrating keratoplasty. The other cases were performed
      using a relatively closed-system technique. RESULTS: All procedures were
      uneventful, with no intraoperative or postoperative complications. Suture
      fixation effectively prevented anterior-posterior or propelling movement. The
      ACIOLs in all cases were stable and well centered at the end of follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: Fixation of an existing unstable angle-supported ACIOL to the iris
      is an effective and simple alternative to intraocular lens exchange and posterior
      chamber fixation.

PMID- 26488628
TI  - Retroillumination Photography Analysis Enhances Clinical Definition of Severe
      Fuchs Corneal Dystrophy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Retroillumination photography analysis (RPA) provides an objective
      assessment of the number and distribution of guttae in Fuchs corneal dystrophy.
      Here, we assess its correlation with clinical grading using slit-lamp
      biomicroscopy across varying levels of severity. METHODS: Retroillumination
      photographs were conducted for 95 affected corneas with slit-lamp flash
      photography after pupillary dilation. Individual guttae were counted manually and
      the position of individual points recorded. Clinical grading using the Krachmer
      scale was documented for each eye during examination, and regression analyses
      were performed to identify the strength of association with number of guttae. We
      assessed range at each stage of clinical grading and used the Mann-Whitney U test
      to assess whether clinical grading levels demonstrated successively higher
      numbers of guttae. RESULTS: Krachmer score ranged from 1 to 5, with mean of 2.6.
      Mean numbers of guttae at each level of severity were 289 (1+), 999 (2+), 2669
      (3+), 5474 (4+), and 7133 (5+). Each stage demonstrated significantly higher
      numbers of guttae than its preceding level except from 4+ to 5+ (P = 0.30),
      consistent with the definition of 4+ as the highest level defined by the presence
      of guttae. Higher levels of clinical grading were associated with larger ranges
      of guttae (P < 0.01). A linear regression model resulted in a strong fit between
      RPA and Krachmer score (r = 0.81). CONCLUSIONS: In this largest study of RPA data
      and comparison with subjective clinical grading of Fuchs dystrophy severity, RPA
      correlates strongly and demonstrates enhanced definition of severity at advanced
      stages of disease.

PMID- 26488629
TI  - Incidence of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Chemical Burns to the Eye.
AB  - PURPOSE: This population-based observational study was designed to estimate the
      incidence and distribution of SJS-spectrum (Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic
      epidermal necrolysis, and toxic epidermal Necrolysis/Stevens-Johnson syndrome
      overlap) and chemical burns (alkali or acid burn of the cornea/conjunctiva) in
      the United States and extrapolate these numbers to the world. METHODS: All
      patients evaluated in 961 hospital-based US emergency departments between July 1,
      2010, and June 30, 2012 were identified retrospectively using the Nationwide
      Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) from the Agency for Healthcare Research and
      Quality. SJS-spectrum and chemical burn cases were identified using the
      International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification
      diagnostic codes. RESULTS: A mean of 3834 new SJS-spectrum cases per year were
      identified in the United States, resulting in an incidence rate of 12.35 new
      cases per million per year. Similarly, a mean of 15,865 new chemical burn cases
      per year were identified, resulting in an incidence rate of 51.10 new cases per
      million per year. CONCLUSIONS: If the incidence of SJS-spectrum is approximately
      uniform the world-over, extrapolation from the US figure would amount to
      approximately 86,500 new cases per year in the world. Extrapolation of ocular
      chemical burns to the world is difficult because the incidence and severity are
      anticipated to be higher in the developing world than in the United States.
      Still, using a US incidence rate, a minimum of 357,710 burn accidents would be
      expected to occur worldwide every year; there are presently too few data
      available to calculate the degree of severity and bilaterality.

PMID- 26488630
TI  - Assessment of the Tear Meniscus Using Optical Coherence Tomography in Patients
      With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze tear meniscus dimensions with Fourier domain-optical
      coherence tomography (FD-OCT) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS:
      Patients with type 2 diabetes without diabetic retinopathy (DR) (n = 54), with
      nonproliferative DR (n = 45), with proliferative DR (PDR) (n = 25), and controls
      (n = 45) were enrolled. Hemoglobin A1c and Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy
      Study (ETDRS) stages of DR were evaluated. Schirmer test (ST), tear breakup time
      test, and fluorescein corneal staining were carried out. Tear meniscus height
      (TMH), tear meniscus depth (TMD), and tear meniscus area (TMA) were obtained by
      FD-OCT. RESULTS: TMH, TMD, and TMA in the diabetes and control groups were 233 +/
      79 MUm, 148 +/- 53 MUm, and 0.026 +/- 0.015 mm, and 261 +/- 67 MUm, 167 +/- 49
      MUm, and 0.032 +/- 0.017 mm, respectively. All parameters were lower in diabetes
      (all P < 0.01). And the values in PDR were 185 +/- 90 MUm, 117 +/- 50 MUm, and
      0.017 +/- 0.010 mm which were lower than those in control and nonproliferative DR
      (227 +/- 71 MUm, 144 +/- 50 MUm, and 0.023 +/- 0.010 mm) (all P < 0.01). TMH,
      TMD, and TMA correlated with ST (P < 0.01, P = 0.02, and P < 0.01, respectively)
      and the corneal staining score (all P < 0.01). Patients with longer diabetes
      duration and a history of panretinal photocoagulation showed significantly
      decreased TMH, TMD, and TMA (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: OCT, along with tear breakup
      time and ST, is an effective way to assess tear function in type 2 diabetes.
      Patients with PDR and a history of panretinal photocoagulation showed lower tear
      meniscus parameters. The decrease in tear meniscus parameters was correlated with
      diabetes duration.

PMID- 26488631
TI  - A Simple and Reliable Technique to Orient Donor Corneal Tissue Using the Radial
      Width of the Surgical Limbus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop a method based on identification of the widest region of the
      surgical limbus that can yield quick and accurate orientation of excised human
      donor corneas. METHODS: Corneoscleral tissue from donors 49 to 75 years old was
      marked at the temporal sclera at the time of recovery. Digital images obtained
      from 20 corneas stored in viewing chambers, retroilluminated and viewed from the
      endothelial side, were used to quantify the per-degree radial width of the
      surgical limbus, defined as the distance from the scleral spur to clear cornea.
      To evaluate differences in radial width among regions, measurements were compared
      with the intracorneal mean limbal width, and a per-degree z-score was calculated
      by averaging among corneas. Using images of corneas with the temporal mark masked
      and the sidedness known, 6 observers were subjected to a blinded trial of 10
      corneas to determine the central point of the widest limbal region of each
      cornea. RESULTS: Compared with the intracorneal mean, the mean radial width of
      the surgical limbus was greatest in the superior quadrant, and the difference
      compared with the inferior, nasal, and temporal quadrants was significant (P <
      0.0001). The superior region was identified with 100% accuracy in blinded trials.
      The average absolute difference between the predicted and actual central point of
      the superior limbus was 9.75 +/- 0.30 degrees. CONCLUSIONS: The radial width of
      the surgical limbus is greatest in the superior region of the cornea and can be
      used as a diagnostic feature to orient donor corneal tissue.

PMID- 26488632
TI  - Systemic Comorbidities of Dry Eye Syndrome: The Korean National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Survey V, 2010 to 2012.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify systemic comorbidities in patients with dry eye syndrome in
      South Korea. METHODS: From 2010 to 2012, 17,364 participants aged 20 or older
      were randomly included in the nationwide Korean National Health and Nutrition
      Examination Survey V. The prevalence of dry eye syndrome and demographics of
      these patients were investigated. We performed conditional logistic regression
      analyses based on age, sex, residential area, education level, occupation type,
      and household income level to obtain the odds ratio for each systemic comorbidity
      among subjects with and without dry eye syndrome. RESULTS: The prevalence of dry
      eye syndrome in this study was 10.4%. Age [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.02],
      female gender (AOR: 3.01), and indoor occupation (AOR: 1.30) were associated with
      a higher prevalence of dry eye syndrome and found to be less prevalent in those
      residing in rural areas (AOR: 0.73) and with lower education levels (AOR: 0.66
      0.99). With regard to systemic comorbidities, dyslipidemia (AOR: 1.63),
      degenerative arthritis (AOR: 1.56), rheumatoid arthritis (AOR: 1.44), thyroid
      disease (AOR: 1.79), and renal failure (AOR: 2.56) were associated with a
      significantly higher prevalence of dry eye syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: We found that
      patients with dry eye syndrome have a higher prevalence of several systemic
      comorbidities. A more comprehensive therapeutic approach considering the effect
      of systemic medication may be necessary in these patients.

PMID- 26488633
TI  - Packaged triboelectric nanogenerator with high endurability for severe
      environments.
AB  - Many factors in the environment (such as dust, moisture and rain) severely
      influence the output performance of a triboelectric nanogenerator (TNG), which
      greatly limits its application. In this work, we designed and fabricated a kind
      of packaged TNG (PTNG) that can work normally in dust and humidity for harvesting
      noise energy. Under a sound wave of 110 dB and 200 Hz, the PTNG can generate a
      maximum output voltage of 72 V and a maximum output current of 0.66 mA. In the
      structure of the PTNG, the frictional layers are fully isolated from the ambient
      environment, which makes it work steadily in dusty and humid conditions without
      any damping of the output performance. Moreover, it can be used as a stable power
      source to directly light up 24 red commercial light emitting diodes (LEDs) driven
      by sound even in a severely rainy environment. This PTNG has great potential to
      be applied in real environments, which is critically important to the application
      of TNGs. 

PMID- 26488634
TI  - Potential role of immunoglobulin replacement therapy on MRI measures in multiple
      sclerosis: a systematic review.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis is a chronic immune-mediated disease of the nervous system. In
      the early disease course, axonal loss and neurodegeneration occurs that could
      possibly lead to irreversible neurological impairments. Preventing brain atrophy
      may have important clinical implications affecting treatment decisions in the
      future. In recent years, research efforts have directed towards finding agents to
      modify the disease and reduce brain volume loss. Intravenous immunoglobulin
      (IVIg) may have some potential roles in this regard. 

PMID- 26488635
TI  - Interplay between singlet and triplet excited states in a conformationally locked
      donor-acceptor dyad.
AB  - The synthesis and photophysical characterization of a palladium(II) porphyrin -
      anthracene dyad bridged via short and conformationally rigid
      bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene spacer were achieved. A spectroscopic investigation of
      the prepared molecule in solution has been undertaken to study electronic energy
      transfer in excited singlet and triplet states between the anthracene and
      porphyrin units. By using steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence
      spectroscopy it was shown that excitation of the singlet excited state of the
      anthracene leads to energy transfer to the lower-lying singlet state of
      porphyrin. Alternatively, excitation of the porphyrin followed by intersystem
      crossing to the triplet state leads to very fast energy transfer to the triplet
      state of anthracene. The rate of this energy transfer has been determined by
      transient absorption spectroscopy. Comparative studies of the dynamics of triplet
      excited states of the dyad and reference palladium octaethylporphyrin (PdOEP)
      have been performed.

PMID- 26488636
TI  - Selective Activation of Shoulder, Trunk, and Arm Muscles: A Comparative Analysis
      of Different Push-Up Variants.
AB  - CONTEXT: The push-up is a widely used exercise for upper limb strengthening that
      can be performed with many variants. A comprehensive analysis of muscle
      activation during the ascendant phase (AP) and descendant phase (DP) in different
      variants could be useful for trainers and rehabilitators. OBJECTIVE: To obtain
      information on the effect of different push-up variants on the electromyography
      (EMG) of a large sample of upper limb muscles and to investigate the role of the
      trunk and abdomen muscles during the AP and DP. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.
      SETTING: University laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Eight healthy,
      young volunteers without a history of upper extremity or spine injury.
      INTERVENTION(S): Participants performed a set of 10 repetitions for each push-up
      variant: standard, wide, narrow, forward (FP), and backward (BP). Surface EMG of
      12 selected muscles and kinematics data were synchronously recorded to describe
      the AP and DP. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Mean EMG activity of the following
      muscles was analyzed: serratus anterior, deltoideus anterior, erector spinae,
      latissimus dorsi, rectus abdominis, triceps brachii caput longus, triceps brachii
      caput lateralis, obliquus externus abdominis, pectoralis major sternal head,
      pectoralis major clavicular head, trapezius transversalis, and biceps brachii.
      RESULTS: The triceps brachii and pectoralis major exhibited greater activation
      during the narrow-base variant. The highest activation of abdomen and back
      muscles was recorded for the FP and BP variants. The DP demonstrated the least
      electrical activity across all muscles, with less marked differences for the
      abdominal and erector spinae muscles because of their role as stabilizers.
      CONCLUSIONS: Based on these findings, we suggest the narrow-base variant to
      emphasize triceps and pectoralis activity and the BP variant for total upper body
      strength conditioning. The FP and BP variants should be implemented carefully in
      participants with low back pain because of the greater activation of abdominal
      and back muscles.

PMID- 26488637
TI  - Metal Ni-loaded g-C3N4 for enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution activity: the
      change in surface band bending.
AB  - A series of Ni@g-C3N4 composites were synthesized by a simple solvent thermal
      method using melamine and acetylacetone nickel as precursors. The results of X
      ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and high resolution
      transmission electron microscopy indicate that Ni was successfully loaded on g
      C3N4. And the Ni loaded greatly enhances the photocatalytic H2 evolution activity
      of g-C3N4 compared to the pure g-C3N4. In order to study the role of Ni, the
      surface photovoltage, the surface photocurrent and photoluminescence measurements
      were used to investigate the photogenerated charge properties of g-C3N4. What is
      more, Mott-Schottky plots and work function measurements confirmed the surface
      band bending change of g-C3N4 contacting with Ni. Those results demonstrate that
      Ni coating deepens surface band bending of g-C3N4, resulting in higher separation
      efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers, which is contributed to the
      enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution activity. 

PMID- 26488639
TI  - Atomistic Glimpse of the Orderly Chaos of One Protein.

PMID- 26488640
TI  - Dipole-Potential-Mediated Effects on Ion Pump Kinetics.
AB  - The kinetics of conformational changes of P-type ATPases necessary for the
      occlusion or deocclusion of transported ions are known to be sensitive to the
      composition of the surrounding membrane, e.g., phospholipid content, mole
      percentage of cholesterol, and the presence of lipid-bound anions. Research has
      shown that many membrane components modify the dipole potential of the lipid head
      group region. Based on the observation that occlusion/deocclusion reactions of
      ion pumps perturb the membrane surrounding the protein, a mechanism is suggested
      whereby dipole potential modifiers induce preferential stabilization or
      destabilization of occluded or nonoccluded states of the protein, leading to
      changes in the forward and backward rate constants for the transition. The
      mechanism relies on the assumption that conformational changes of the protein are
      associated with changes in its hydrophobic thickness that requires a change in
      local lipid packing density to allow hydrophobic matching with the membrane. The
      changes in lipid packing density cause changes in local lipid dipole potential
      that are responsible for the dependence of conformational kinetics on dipole
      potential modifiers. The proposed mechanism has the potential to explain effects
      of lipid composition on the kinetics of any membrane protein undergoing
      significant changes in its membrane cross-sectional area during its activity. 

PMID- 26488641
TI  - 3D Data Mapping and Real-Time Experiment Control and Visualization in Brain
      Slices.
AB  - Here, we propose two basic concepts that can streamline electrophysiology and
      imaging experiments in brain slices and enhance data collection and analysis. The
      first idea is to interface the experiment with a software environment that
      provides a 3D scene viewer in which the experimental rig, the brain slice, and
      the recorded data are represented to scale. Within the 3D scene viewer, the user
      can visualize a live image of the sample and 3D renderings of the recording
      electrodes with real-time position feedback. Furthermore, the user can control
      the instruments and visualize their status in real time. The second idea is to
      integrate multiple types of experimental data into a spatial and temporal map of
      the brain slice. These data may include low-magnification maps of the entire
      brain slice, for spatial context, or any other type of high-resolution structural
      and functional image, together with time-resolved electrical and optical signals.
      The entire data collection can be visualized within the 3D scene viewer. These
      concepts can be applied to any other type of experiment in which high-resolution
      data are recorded within a larger sample at different spatial and temporal
      coordinates. 

PMID- 26488642
TI  - MDTraj: A Modern Open Library for the Analysis of Molecular Dynamics
      Trajectories.
AB  - As molecular dynamics (MD) simulations continue to evolve into powerful
      computational tools for studying complex biomolecular systems, the necessity of
      flexible and easy-to-use software tools for the analysis of these simulations is
      growing. We have developed MDTraj, a modern, lightweight, and fast software
      package for analyzing MD simulations. MDTraj reads and writes trajectory data in
      a wide variety of commonly used formats. It provides a large number of trajectory
      analysis capabilities including minimal root-mean-square-deviation calculations,
      secondary structure assignment, and the extraction of common order parameters.
      The package has a strong focus on interoperability with the wider scientific
      Python ecosystem, bridging the gap between MD data and the rapidly growing
      collection of industry-standard statistical analysis and visualization tools in
      Python. MDTraj is a powerful and user-friendly software package that simplifies
      the analysis of MD data and connects these datasets with the modern interactive
      data science software ecosystem in Python. 

PMID- 26488643
TI  - Traction Forces of Endothelial Cells under Slow Shear Flow.
AB  - Endothelial cells are constantly exposed to fluid shear stresses that regulate
      vascular morphogenesis, homeostasis, and disease. The mechanical responses of
      endothelial cells to relatively high shear flow such as that characteristic of
      arterial circulation has been extensively studied. Much less is known about the
      responses of endothelial cells to slow shear flow such as that characteristic of
      venous circulation, early angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, intracranial aneurysm,
      or interstitial flow. Here we used a novel, to our knowledge, microfluidic
      technique to measure traction forces exerted by confluent vascular endothelial
      cell monolayers under slow shear flow. We found that cells respond to flow with
      rapid and pronounced increases in traction forces and cell-cell stresses. These
      responses are reversible in time and do not involve reorientation of the cell
      body. Traction maps reveal that local cell responses to slow shear flow are
      highly heterogeneous in magnitude and sign. Our findings unveil a low-flow regime
      in which endothelial cell mechanics is acutely responsive to shear stress. 

PMID- 26488644
TI  - Mapping the Processivity Determinants of the Kinesin-3 Motor Domain.
AB  - Kinesin superfamily members play important roles in many diverse cellular
      processes, including cell motility, cell division, intracellular transport, and
      regulation of the microtubule cytoskeleton. How the properties of the family
      defining motor domain of distinct kinesins are tailored to their different
      cellular roles remains largely unknown. Here, we employed molecular-dynamics
      simulations coupled with energetic calculations to infer the family-specific
      interactions of kinesin-1 and kinesin-3 motor domains with microtubules in
      different nucleotide states. We then used experimental mutagenesis and single
      molecule motility assays to further assess the predicted residue-wise
      determinants of distinct kinesin-microtubule binding properties. Collectively,
      our results identify residues in the L8, L11, and alpha6 regions that contribute
      to family-specific microtubule interactions and whose mutation affects motor
      microtubule complex stability and processive motility (the ability of an
      individual motor to take multiple steps along its microtubule filament). In
      particular, substitutions of prominent kinesin-3 residues with those found in
      kinesin-1, namely, R167S/H171D, K266D, and R346M, were found to decrease kinesin
      3 processivity 10-fold and thus approach kinesin-1 levels. 

PMID- 26488645
TI  - Active Biochemical Regulation of Cell Volume and a Simple Model of Cell Tension
      Response.
AB  - Active contractile forces exerted by eukaryotic cells play significant roles
      during embryonic development, tissue formation, and cell motility. At the
      molecular level, small GTPases in signaling pathways can regulate active cell
      contraction. Here, starting with mechanical force balance at the cell cortex, and
      the recent discovery that tension-sensitive membrane channels can catalyze the
      conversion of the inactive form of Rho to the active form, we show mathematically
      that this active regulation of cellular contractility together with osmotic
      regulation can robustly control the cell size and membrane tension against
      external mechanical or osmotic shocks. We find that the magnitude of active
      contraction depends on the rate of mechanical pulling, but the cell tension can
      recover. The model also predicts that the cell exerts stronger contractile forces
      against a stiffer external environment, and therefore exhibits features of
      mechanosensation. These results suggest that a simple system for maintaining
      homeostatic values of cell volume and membrane tension could explain cell tension
      response and mechanosensation in different environments. 

PMID- 26488646
TI  - Discrimination of Kinetic Models by a Combination of Microirradiation and
      Fluorescence Photobleaching.
AB  - Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is an excellent tool to measure
      the chemical rate constants of fluorescently labeled proteins in living cells.
      Usually FRAP experiments are conducted with the protein concentrations being in a
      steady state, i.e., when the association and dissociation of the proteins are
      equilibrated. This is a strong limitation because situations in which rate
      constants change with time are of great scientific interest. In this study, we
      present an approach in which FRAP is used shortly after DNA damage introducing
      laser microirradiation, which results in the recruitment of the DNA clamp protein
      proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) to DNA lesions. We establish different
      kinetic models that are compatible with the observed PCNA recruitment data if
      FRAP is not used. By using FRAP at different time points during protein
      accumulation, we can not only exclude two out of three models, but we can also
      determine the rate constants with increased reliability. This study thus
      demonstrates the feasibility of using FRAP during protein recruitment and its
      application in the discrimination of possible kinetic models. 

PMID- 26488647
TI  - Characterizing Cellular Biophysical Responses to Stress by Relating Density,
      Deformability, and Size.
AB  - Cellular physical properties are important indicators of specific cell states.
      Although changes in individual biophysical parameters, such as cell size,
      density, and deformability, during cellular processes have been investigated in
      great detail, relatively little is known about how they are related. Here, we use
      a suspended microchannel resonator (SMR) to measure single-cell density, volume,
      and passage time through a narrow constriction of populations of cells subjected
      to a variety of environmental stresses. Osmotic stress significantly affects
      density and volume, as previously shown. In contrast to density and volume, the
      effect of an osmotic challenge on passage time is relatively small.
      Deformability, as determined by comparing passage times for cells with similar
      volume, exhibits a strong dependence on osmolarity, indicating that passage time
      alone does not always provide a meaningful proxy for deformability. Finally, we
      find that protein synthesis inhibition, cell-cycle arrest, protein kinase
      inhibition, and cytoskeletal disruption result in unexpected relationships among
      deformability, density, and volume. Taken together, our results suggest that by
      measuring multiple biophysical parameters, one can detect unique characteristics
      that more specifically reflect cellular behaviors. 

PMID- 26488648
TI  - Cytoskeletal Network Morphology Regulates Intracellular Transport Dynamics.
AB  - Intracellular transport is essential for maintaining proper cellular function in
      most eukaryotic cells, with perturbations in active transport resulting in
      several types of disease. Efficient delivery of critical cargos to specific
      locations is accomplished through a combination of passive diffusion and active
      transport by molecular motors that ballistically move along a network of
      cytoskeletal filaments. Although motor-based transport is known to be necessary
      to overcome cytoplasmic crowding and the limited range of diffusion within
      reasonable timescales, the topological features of the cytoskeletal network that
      regulate transport efficiency and robustness have not been established. Using a
      continuum diffusion model, we observed that the time required for cellular
      transport was minimized when the network was localized near the nucleus. In
      simulations that explicitly incorporated network spatial architectures, total
      filament mass was the primary driver of network transit times. However, filament
      traps that redirect cargo back to the nucleus caused large variations in network
      transport. Filament polarity was more important than filament orientation in
      reducing average transit times, and transport properties were optimized in
      networks with intermediate motor on and off rates. Our results provide important
      insights into the functional constraints on intracellular transport under which
      cells have evolved cytoskeletal structures, and have potential applications for
      enhancing reactions in biomimetic systems through rational transport network
      design. 

PMID- 26488649
TI  - Increased Energy Demand during Adrenergic Receptor Stimulation Contributes to
      Ca(2+) Wave Generation.
AB  - While beta-adrenergic receptor (beta-AR) stimulation ensures adequate cardiac
      output during stress, it can also trigger life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.
      We have previously shown that proarrhythmic Ca(2+) waves during beta-AR
      stimulation temporally coincide with augmentation of reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) production. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that increased energy
      demand during beta-AR stimulation plays an important role in mitochondrial ROS
      production and Ca(2+)-wave generation in rabbit ventricular myocytes. We found
      that beta-AR stimulation with isoproterenol (0.1 MUM) decreased the mitochondrial
      redox potential and the ratio of reduced to oxidated glutathione. As a result,
      beta-AR stimulation increased mitochondrial ROS production. These metabolic
      changes induced by isoproterenol were associated with increased sarcoplasmic
      reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) leak and frequent diastolic Ca(2+) waves. Inhibition of
      cell contraction with the myosin ATPase inhibitor blebbistatin attenuated
      oxidative stress as well as spontaneous SR Ca(2+) release events during beta-AR
      stimulation. Furthermore, we found that oxidative stress induced by beta-AR
      stimulation caused the formation of disulfide bonds between two ryanodine
      receptor (RyR) subunits, referred to as intersubunit cross-linking. Preventing
      RyR cross-linking with N-ethylmaleimide decreased the propensity of Ca(2+) waves
      induced by beta-AR stimulation. These data suggest that increased energy demand
      during sustained beta-AR stimulation weakens mitochondrial antioxidant defense,
      causing ROS release into the cytosol. By inducing RyR intersubunit cross-linking,
      ROS can increase SR Ca(2+) leak to the critical level that can trigger
      proarrhythmic Ca(2+) waves. 

PMID- 26488650
TI  - Measuring the Refractive Index of Bovine Corneal Stromal Cells Using Quantitative
      Phase Imaging.
AB  - The cornea is the primary refractive lens in the eye and transmits >90% of
      incident visible light. It has been suggested that the development of
      postoperative corneal haze could be due to an increase in light scattering from
      activated corneal stromal cells. Quiescent keratocytes are thought to produce
      crystallins that match the refractive index of their cytoplasm to the surrounding
      extracellular material, reducing the amount of light scattering. To test this, we
      measured the refractive index (RI) of bovine corneal stromal cells, using
      quantitative phase imaging of live cells in vitro, together with confocal
      microscopy. The RI of quiescent keratocytes (RI = 1.381 +/- 0.004) matched the
      surrounding matrix, thus supporting the hypothesis that keratocyte cytoplasm does
      not scatter light in the normal cornea. We also observed that the RI drops after
      keratocyte activation (RI = 1.365 +/- 0.003), leading to a mismatch with the
      surrounding intercellular matrix. Theoretical scattering models showed that this
      mismatch would reduce light transmission in the cornea. We conclude that corneal
      transparency depends on the matching of refractive indices between quiescent
      keratocytes and the surrounding tissue, and that after surgery or wounding, the
      resulting RI mismatch between the activated cells and their surrounds
      significantly contributes to light scattering.

PMID- 26488651
TI  - Temperature Effect on Ionic Current and ssDNA Transport through Nanopores.
AB  - We have investigated the role of electrostatic interactions in the transport of
      nucleic acids and ions through nanopores. The passage of DNA through nanopores
      has so far been conjectured to involve a free-energy barrier for entry, followed
      by a downhill translocation where the driving voltage accelerates the polymer. We
      have tested the validity of this conjecture by using two toxins, alpha-hemolysin
      and aerolysin, which differ in their shape, size, and charge. The characteristic
      timescales in each toxin as a function of temperature show that the entry barrier
      is ~15 kBT and the translocation barrier is ~35 kBT, although the electrical
      force in the latter step is much stronger. Resolution of this fact, using a
      theoretical model, reveals that the attraction between DNA and the charges inside
      the barrel of the pore is the most dominant factor in determining the
      translocation speed and not merely the driving electrochemical potential
      gradient.

PMID- 26488652
TI  - alpha-Tocopherol Is Well Designed to Protect Polyunsaturated Phospholipids: MD
      Simulations.
AB  - The presumptive function for alpha-tocopherol (alphatoc) in membranes is to
      protect polyunsaturated lipids against oxidation. Although the chemistry of the
      process is well established, the role played by molecular structure that we
      address here with atomistic molecular-dynamics simulations remains controversial.
      The simulations were run in the constant particle NPT ensemble on hydrated lipid
      bilayers composed of SDPC (1-stearoyl-2-docosahexaenoylphosphatidylcholine, 18:0
      22:6PC) and SOPC (1-stearoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine, 18:0-18:1PC) in the
      presence of 20 mol % alphatoc at 37 degrees C. SDPC with SA (stearic acid) for
      the sn-1 chain and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) for the sn-2 chain is
      representative of polyunsaturated phospholipids, while SOPC with OA (oleic acid)
      substituted for the sn-2 chain serves as a monounsaturated control. Solid-state
      (2)H nuclear magnetic resonance and neutron diffraction experiments provide
      validation. The simulations demonstrate that high disorder enhances the
      probability that DHA chains at the sn-2 position in SDPC rise up to the bilayer
      surface, whereby they encounter the chromanol group on alphatoc molecules. This
      behavior is reflected in the van der Waals energy of interaction between alphatoc
      and acyl chains, and illustrated by density maps of distribution for acyl chains
      around alphatoc molecules that were constructed. An ability to more easily
      penetrate deep into the bilayer is another attribute conferred upon the chromanol
      group in alphatoc by the high disorder possessed by DHA. By examining the
      trajectory of single molecules, we found that alphatoc flip-flops across the SDPC
      bilayer on a submicrosecond timescale that is an order-of-magnitude greater than
      in SOPC. Our results reveal mechanisms by which the sacrificial hydroxyl group on
      the chromanol group can trap lipid peroxyl radicals within the interior and near
      the surface of a polyunsaturated membrane. At the same time, water-soluble
      reducing agents that regenerate alphatoc can access the chromanol group when it
      locates at the surface.

PMID- 26488653
TI  - Effect of the N-Terminal Helix and Nucleotide Loading on the Membrane and
      Effector Binding of Arl2/3.
AB  - The small GTP-binding proteins Arl2 and Arl3, which are close homologs, share a
      number of interacting partners and act as displacement factors for prenylated and
      myristoylated cargo. Nevertheless, both proteins have distinct biological
      functions. Whereas Arl3 is considered a ciliary protein, Arl2 has been reported
      to be involved in tubulin folding, mitochondrial function, and Ras signaling. How
      these different roles are attained by the two homolog proteins is not fully
      understood. Recently, we showed that the N-terminal amphipathic helix of Arl3,
      but not that of Arl2, regulates the release of myristoylated ciliary proteins
      from the GDI-like solubilizing factor UNC119a/b. In the biophysical study
      presented here, both proteins are shown to exhibit a preferential localization
      and clustering in liquid-disordered domains of phase-separated membranes.
      However, the membrane interaction behavior differs significantly between both
      proteins with regard to their nucleotide loading. Whereas Arl3 and other Arf
      proteins with an N-terminal amphipathic helix require GTP loading for the
      interaction with membranes, Arl2 binds to membranes in a nucleotide-independent
      manner. In contrast to Arl2, the N-terminal helix of Arl3 increases the binding
      affinity to UNC119a. Furthermore, UNC119a impedes membrane binding of Arl3, but
      not of Arl2. Taken together, these results suggest an interplay among the
      nucleotide status of Arl3, the location of the N-terminal helix, membrane
      fluidity and binding, and the release of lipid modified cargos from carriers such
      as UNC119a. Since a specific Arl3-GEF is postulated to reside inside cilia, the N
      terminal helix of Arl3*GTP would be available for allosteric regulation of
      UNC119a cargo release only inside cilia. 

PMID- 26488654
TI  - The Effect of Membrane Lipid Composition on the Formation of Lipid
      Ultrananodomains.
AB  - Some lipid mixtures form membranes containing submicroscopic (nanodomain) ordered
      lipid domains (rafts). Some of these nanodomains are so small (radius <5 nm) that
      they cannot be readily detected with Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET)
      labeled lipid pairs with large Ro. We define such domains as ultrananodomains. We
      studied the effect of lipid structure/composition on the formation of
      ultrananodomains in lipid vesicles using a dual-FRET-pair approach in which only
      one FRET pair had Ro values that were sufficiently small to detect the
      ultrananodomains. Using this approach, we measured the temperature dependence of
      domain and ultrananodomain formation for vesicles composed of various mixtures
      containing a high-Tm lipid (brain sphingomyelin (SM)) or dipalmitoyl
      phosphatidylcholine (DPPC)), low-Tm lipid (dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) or
      1-palmitoyl 2-oleoyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC)), and a lower (28 mol %) or
      higher (38 mol %) cholesterol concentration. For every lipid combination tested,
      the thermal stabilities of the ordered domains were similar, in agreement with
      our prior studies. However, the range of temperatures over which ultrananodomains
      formed was highly lipid-type dependent. Overall, vesicles that were closest to
      mammalian plasma membrane in lipid composition (i.e., with brain SM, POPC, and/or
      higher cholesterol) formed ultrananodomains in preference to larger domains over
      the widest temperature range. Relative to DPPC, the favorable effect of SM on
      ultrananodomain formation versus larger domains was especially large. In
      addition, the favorable effect of a high cholesterol concentration, and of POPC
      versus DOPC, on the formation of ultrananodomains versus larger domains was
      greater in vesicles containing SM than in those containing DPPC. We speculate
      that it is likely that natural mammalian lipids are tuned to maximize the
      tendency to form ultrananodomains relative to larger domains. The observation
      that domain size is more sensitive than domain formation to membrane composition
      has implications for how membrane domain properties may be regulated in vivo.

PMID- 26488655
TI  - Influence of Hydroxylation, Chain Length, and Chain Unsaturation on Bilayer
      Properties of Ceramides.
AB  - Mammalian ceramides constitute a family of at least a few hundred closely related
      molecules distinguished by small structural differences, giving rise to
      individual molecular species that are expressed in distinct cellular
      compartments, or tissue types, in which they are believed to execute distinct
      functions. We have examined how specific structural details influence the bilayer
      properties of a selection of biologically relevant ceramides in mixed bilayers
      together with sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine, and cholesterol. The ceramide
      structure varied with regard to interfacial hydroxylation, the identity of the
      headgroup, the length of the N-acyl chain, and the position of cis-double bonds
      in the acyl chains. The interactions of the ceramides with sphingomyelin, their
      lateral segregation into ceramide-rich domains in phosphatidylcholine bilayers,
      and the effect of cholesterol on such domains were studied with DSC and various
      fluorescence-based approaches. The largest differences arose from the presence
      and relative position of cis-double bonds, causing destabilization of the
      ceramide's interactions and lateral packing relative to common saturated and
      hydroxylated species. Less variation was observed as a consequence of interfacial
      hydroxylation and the N-acyl chain length, although an additional hydroxyl in the
      sphingoid long-chain base slightly destabilized the ceramide's interactions and
      packing relative to a nonhydroxyceramide, whereas an additional hydroxyl in the N
      acyl chain had the opposite effect. In conclusion, small structural details
      conferred variance in the bilayer behavior of ceramides, some causing more
      dramatic changes in the bilayer properties, whereas others imposed only fine
      adjustments in the interactions of ceramides with other membrane lipids,
      reflecting possible functional implications in distinct cell or tissue types. 

PMID- 26488656
TI  - Can Specific Protein-Lipid Interactions Stabilize an Active State of the Beta 2
      Adrenergic Receptor?
AB  - G-protein-coupled receptors are eukaryotic membrane proteins with broad
      biological and pharmacological relevance. Like all membrane-embedded proteins,
      their location and orientation are influenced by lipids, which can also impact
      protein function via specific interactions. Extensive simulations totaling 0.25
      ms reveal a process in which phospholipids from the membrane's cytosolic leaflet
      enter the empty G-protein binding site of an activated beta2 adrenergic receptor
      and form salt-bridge interactions that inhibit ionic lock formation and prolong
      active-state residency. Simulations of the receptor embedded in an anionic
      membrane show increased lipid binding, providing a molecular mechanism for the
      experimental observation that anionic lipids can enhance receptor activity.
      Conservation of the arginine component of the ionic lock among Rhodopsin-like G
      protein-coupled receptors suggests that intracellular lipid ingression between
      receptor helices H6 and H7 may be a general mechanism for active-state
      stabilization. 

PMID- 26488657
TI  - Thermodynamic Interrogation of the Assembly of a Viral Genome Packaging Motor
      Complex.
AB  - Viral terminase enzymes serve as genome packaging motors in many complex double
      stranded DNA viruses. The functional motors are multiprotein complexes that
      translocate viral DNA into a capsid shell, powered by a packaging ATPase, and are
      among the most powerful molecular motors in nature. Given their essential role in
      virus development, the structure and function of these biological motors is of
      considerable interest. Bacteriophage lambda-terminase, which serves as a
      prototypical genome packaging motor, is composed of one large catalytic subunit
      tightly associated with two DNA recognition subunits. This protomer assembles
      into a functional higher-order complex that excises a unit length genome from a
      concatemeric DNA precursor (genome maturation) and concomitantly translocates the
      duplex into a preformed procapsid shell (genome packaging). While the enzymology
      of lambda-terminase has been well described, the nature of the catalytically
      competent nucleoprotein intermediates, and the mechanism describing their
      assembly and activation, is less clear. Here we utilize analytical
      ultracentrifugation to determine the thermodynamic parameters describing motor
      assembly and define a minimal thermodynamic linkage model that describes the
      effects of salt on protomer assembly into a tetrameric complex. Negative stain
      electron microscopy images reveal a symmetric ring-like complex with a compact
      stem and four extended arms that exhibit a range of conformational states.
      Finally, kinetic studies demonstrate that assembly of the ring tetramer is
      directly linked to activation of the packaging ATPase activity of the motor, thus
      providing a direct link between structure and function. The implications of these
      results with respect to the assembly and activation of the functional packaging
      motor during a productive viral infection are discussed. 

PMID- 26488658
TI  - Nucleosome Core Particle Disassembly and Assembly Kinetics Studied Using Single
      Molecule Fluorescence.
AB  - The stability of the nucleosome core particle (NCP) is believed to play a major
      role in regulation of gene expression. To understand the mechanisms that
      influence NCP stability, we studied stability and dissociation and association
      kinetics under different histone protein (NCP) and NaCl concentrations using
      single-pair Forster resonance energy transfer and alternating laser excitation
      techniques. The method enables distinction between folded, unfolded, and
      intermediate NCP states and enables measurements at picomolar to nanomolar NCP
      concentrations where dissociation and association reactions can be directly
      observed. We reproduced the previously observed nonmonotonic dependence of NCP
      stability on NaCl concentration, and we suggest that this rather unexpected
      behavior is a result of interplay between repulsive and attractive forces within
      positively charged histones and between the histones and the negatively charged
      DNA. Higher NaCl concentrations decrease the attractive force between the histone
      proteins and the DNA but also stabilize H2A/H2B histone dimers, and possibly
      (H3/H4)2 tetramers. An intermediate state in which one DNA arm is unwrapped,
      previously observed at high NaCl concentrations, is also explained by this salt
      induced stabilization. The strong dependence of NCP stability on ion and histone
      concentrations, and possibly on other charged macromolecules, may play a role in
      chromosomal morphology. 

PMID- 26488659
TI  - Secondary Structure Analysis of a Functional Construct of Caveolin-1 Reveals a
      Long C-Terminal Helix.
AB  - Caveolin-1 is an integral membrane protein that is the primary component of cell
      membrane invaginations called caveolae. While caveolin-1 is known to participate
      in a myriad of vital cellular processes, structural data on caveolin-1 of any
      kind is severely limited. In order to rectify this dearth, secondary structure
      analysis of a functional construct of caveolin-1, containing the intact C
      terminal domain, was performed using NMR spectroscopy in lyso
      myristoylphosphatidylglycerol micelles. Complete backbone assignments of caveolin
      1 (residues 62-178) were made, and it was determined that residues 62-79 were
      dynamic; residues 89-107, 111-128, and 132-175 were helical; and residues 80-88,
      108-110, and 129-131 represent unstructured breaks between the helices. 

PMID- 26488660
TI  - A Thermodynamic Model for Genome Packaging in Hepatitis B Virus.
AB  - Understanding the fundamentals of genome packaging in viral capsids is important
      for finding effective antiviral strategies and for utilizing benign viral
      particles for gene therapy. While the structure of encapsidated genomic materials
      has been routinely characterized with experimental techniques such as cryo
      electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction, much less is known about the molecular
      driving forces underlying genome assembly in an intracellular environment and its
      in vivo interactions with the capsid proteins. Here we study the thermodynamic
      basis of the pregenomic RNA encapsidation in human Hepatitis B virus in vivo
      using a coarse-grained molecular model that captures the essential components of
      nonspecific intermolecular interactions. The thermodynamic model is used to
      examine how the electrostatic interaction between the packaged RNA and the highly
      charged C-terminal domains (CTD) of capsid proteins regulate the nucleocapsid
      formation. The theoretical model predicts optimal RNA content in Hepatitis B
      virus nucleocapsids with different CTD lengths in good agreement with mutagenesis
      measurements, confirming the predominant role of electrostatic interactions and
      molecular excluded-volume effects in genome packaging. We find that the amount of
      encapsidated RNA is not linearly correlated with the net charge of CTD tails as
      suggested by earlier theoretical studies. Our thermodynamic analysis of the
      nucleocapsid structure and stability indicates that ~10% of the CTD residues are
      free from complexation with RNA, resulting in partially exposed CTD tails. The
      thermodynamic model also predicts the free energy of complex formation between
      macromolecules, which corroborates experimental results for the impact of CTD
      truncation on the nucleocapsid stability.

PMID- 26488661
TI  - Structural Basis for the Inhibition of Gas Hydrates by alpha-Helical Antifreeze
      Proteins.
AB  - Kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) are used commercially to inhibit gas hydrate
      formation and growth in pipelines. However, improvement of these polymers has
      been constrained by the lack of verified molecular models. Since antifreeze
      proteins (AFPs) act as KHIs, we have used their solved x-ray crystallographic
      structures in molecular modeling to explore gas hydrate inhibition. The internal
      clathrate water network of the fish AFP Maxi, which extends to the protein's
      outer surface, is remarkably similar to the {100} planes of structure type II
      (sII) gas hydrate. The crystal structure of this water web has facilitated the
      construction of in silico models for Maxi and type I AFP binding to sII hydrates.
      Here, we have substantiated our models with experimental evidence of Maxi binding
      to the tetrahydrofuran sII model hydrate. Both in silico and experimental
      evidence support the absorbance-inhibition mechanism proposed for KHI binding to
      gas hydrates. Based on the Maxi crystal structure we suggest that the inhibitor
      adsorbs to the gas hydrate lattice through the same anchored clathrate water
      mechanism used to bind ice. These results will facilitate the rational design of
      a next generation of effective green KHIs for the petroleum industry to ensure
      safe and efficient hydrocarbon flow.

PMID- 26488662
TI  - Disorder-to-Order Transition of an Active-Site Loop Mediates the Allosteric
      Activation of Sortase A.
AB  - Intrinsically disordered proteins and intrinsically disordered regions are
      implicated in many biological functions and associated with many diseases, but
      their conformational characterizations are challenging. The disordered
      beta6/beta7 loop of Staphylococcus aureus sortase A is involved in the binding of
      both sorting signals and calcium. Calcium binding allosterically activates the
      enzyme, but the detailed mechanism has been unclear. Here we adapted the replica
      exchange with solute tempering method to sample the conformations of the
      beta6/beta7 loop, in apo form and in three liganded forms (bound with a sorting
      signal or calcium or both). The extensive molecular dynamics simulations yield
      atomic details of the disordered-to-order transition of the loop and suggest a
      mechanism for allosteric activation: calcium binding results in partial closure
      and ordering of the loop, thereby leading to preorganization of the binding
      pocket for the sorting signal. The approach has general applicability to the
      study of intrinsically disordered regions. 

PMID- 26488663
TI  - Local Crystalline Structure in an Amorphous Protein Dense Phase.
AB  - Proteins exhibit a variety of dense phases ranging from gels, aggregates, and
      precipitates to crystalline phases and dense liquids. Although the structure of
      the crystalline phase is known in atomistic detail, little attention has been
      paid to noncrystalline protein dense phases, and in many cases the structures of
      these phases are assumed to be fully amorphous. In this work, we used small-angle
      neutron scattering, electron microscopy, and electron tomography to measure the
      structure of ovalbumin precipitate particles salted out with ammonium sulfate. We
      found that the ovalbumin phase-separates into core-shell particles with a core
      radius of ~2 MUm and shell thickness of ~0.5 MUm. Within this shell region,
      nanostructures comprised of crystallites of ovalbumin self-assemble into a well
      defined bicontinuous network with branches ~12 nm thick. These results
      demonstrate that the protein gel is comprised in part of nanocrystalline protein.

PMID- 26488664
TI  - Critical Timing without a Timer for Embryonic Development.
AB  - Timing of embryonic development is precisely controlled, but the mechanisms
      underlying biological timers are still unclear. Here, a validated model for
      timing under control of Sonic Hedgehog is revisited and generalized to an
      arbitrary number of genes. The developmental dynamics where a temporal sequence
      of gene expression recapitulates a steady-state spatial pattern can be realized
      through a simple network close to criticality, controlled by the duration of
      exposure to a morphogen. Criticality simultaneously accounts for many observed
      biological properties, such as timing, multistability, and canalization of
      genetic expression. This process can be parsimoniously generalized in many
      dimensions with a minimum number of genes, all repressing each other with
      asymmetrical strengths, which also explains sequential activation of different
      fates. Separation of timescales allows for a simple analytical interpretation.
      Finally, it is shown that even in the presence of noise, coupling between cells
      preserves criticality and robust patterning. The model offers a simple
      theoretical framework for the study of emergent developmental timers. 

PMID- 26488665
TI  - Theory of Triplet Excitation Transfer in the Donor-Oxygen-Acceptor System:
      Application to Cytochrome b6f.
AB  - Theoretical consideration is presented of the triplet excitation dynamics in
      donor-acceptor systems in conditions where the transfer is mediated by an oxygen
      molecule. It is demonstrated that oxygen may be involved in both real and virtual
      intramolecular triplet-singlet conversions in the course of the process under
      consideration. Expressions describing a superexchange donor-acceptor coupling
      owing to a participation of the bridging twofold degenerate oxygen's virtual
      singlet state are derived and the transfer kinetics including the sequential
      (hopping) and coherent (distant) routes are analyzed. Applicability of this
      theoretical description to the pigment-protein complex cytochrome b6f, by
      considering the triplet excitation transfer from the chlorophyll a molecule to
      distant beta-carotene, is discussed. 

PMID- 26488667
TI  - Ambulatory Continuous Peripheral Nerve Blocks and the Perioperative Surgical
      Home.

PMID- 26488666
TI  - DNA-Binding Kinetics Determines the Mechanism of Noise-Induced Switching in Gene
      Networks.
AB  - Gene regulatory networks are multistable dynamical systems in which attractor
      states represent cell phenotypes. Spontaneous, noise-induced transitions between
      these states are thought to underlie critical cellular processes, including cell
      developmental fate decisions, phenotypic plasticity in fluctuating environments,
      and carcinogenesis. As such, there is increasing interest in the development of
      theoretical and computational approaches that can shed light on the dynamics of
      these stochastic state transitions in multistable gene networks. We applied a
      numerical rare-event sampling algorithm to study transition paths of spontaneous
      noise-induced switching for a ubiquitous gene regulatory network motif, the
      bistable toggle switch, in which two mutually repressive genes compete for
      dominant expression. We find that the method can efficiently uncover detailed
      switching mechanisms that involve fluctuations both in occupancies of DNA
      regulatory sites and copy numbers of protein products. In addition, we show that
      the rate parameters governing binding and unbinding of regulatory proteins to DNA
      strongly influence the switching mechanism. In a regime of slow DNA
      binding/unbinding kinetics, spontaneous switching occurs relatively frequently
      and is driven primarily by fluctuations in DNA-site occupancies. In contrast, in
      a regime of fast DNA-binding/unbinding kinetics, switching occurs rarely and is
      driven by fluctuations in levels of expressed protein. Our results demonstrate
      how spontaneous cell phenotype transitions involve collective behavior of both
      regulatory proteins and DNA. Computational approaches capable of simulating
      dynamics over many system variables are thus well suited to exploring dynamic
      mechanisms in gene networks. 

PMID- 26488668
TI  - Effects of female sex hormones on expression of the Ang-(1-7)/Mas-R/nNOS pathways
      in rat brain.
AB  - Female sex hormones are considered to reduce the risk of ischemic stroke. As a
      part of the renin-angiotensin system, angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] has recently
      been reported to play a role in protecting neuronal tissues from ischemic stroke.
      Thus, we examined the effects of female sex hormones on the levels of Ang-(1-7)
      and its downstream pathways in the brain. Female rats were ovariectomized and
      17beta-estradiol (17beta-EST), progesterone (PGR), or a combination of 17beta-EST
      plus PGR were administered. Our data demonstrated that lack of female sex
      hormones significantly decreased the levels of Ang-(1-7) in the cerebral cortex
      and hippocampal CA1 area. Also, we observed a linear relationship between cortex
      levels of Ang-(1-7) and plasma brain natriuretic peptide levels (as an indicator
      for risk of ischemic stroke). We further showed that lack of female sex hormones
      decreased the expression of Ang-(1-7), Mas-receptor (Mas-R), and neuronal nitric
      oxide synthase (nNOS). Overall, our findings show for the first time that Ang-(1
      7) and Mas-R/nNOS in the cortex are influenced by circulating 17beta-EST and (or)
      PGR, whereas Ang-(1-7) and its pathways in the hippocampal CA1 area are primarily
      altered by 17beta-EST. This suggests that female sex hormones play a role in
      regulating the expression of Ang-(1-7) and its pathways during ischemic brain
      injuries. 

PMID- 26488670
TI  - Evidence for Conformational Mechanism on the Binding of TgMIC4 with beta
      Galactose-Containing Carbohydrate Ligand.
AB  - A deeper understanding of the role of sialic/desialylated groups during TgMIC4
      glycoproteins interactions has importance to better clarify the odd process of
      host cell invasion by members of the apicomplexan phylum. Within this context, we
      evaluated the interaction established by recombinant TgMIC4 (the whole molecule)
      with sialylated (bovine fetuin) and desialylated (asialofetuin) glycoproteins by
      using functionalized quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM
      D). A suitable receptive surface containing recombinant TgMIC4 for monitoring
      beta-galactose-containing carbohydrate ligand (limit of quantification ~ 40 MUM)
      was designed and used as biomolecular recognition platform to study the binding
      and conformational mechanisms of TgMIC4 during the interaction with glycoprotein
      containing (fetuin), or not, terminal sialic group (asialofetuin). It was
      inferred that the binding/interaction monitoring depends on the presence/absence
      of sialic groups in target protein and is possible to be differentiated through a
      slower binding kinetic step using QCM-D approach (which we are inferring to be
      thus associated with beta-galactose ligand). This slower binding/interaction step
      is likely supposed (from mechanical energetic analysis obtained in QCM-D
      measurements) to be involved with Toxoplasma gondii (the causative agent of
      toxoplasmosis) parasitic invasion accompanied by ligand (galactose) induced
      binding conformational change (i.e., cell internalization process can be
      additionally dependent on structural conformational changes, controlled by the
      absence of sialic groups and to the specific binding with galactose), in addition
      to TgMIC4-glycoprotein solely recognition binding process. 

PMID- 26488671
TI  - Benzoic Acid Catalyzed Annulations of alpha-Amino Acids and Aromatic Aldehydes
      Containing an ortho-Michael Acceptor: Access to 2,5-Dihydro-1H-benzo[c]azepines
      and 10,11-Dihydro-5H-benzo[e]pyrrolo[1,2-a]azepines.
AB  - A novel one-pot efficient synthesis of 2,5-dihydro-1H-benzo[c]azepines and 10,11
      dihydro-5H-benzo[e]pyrrolo[1,2-a]azepines from alpha-amino acids and aromatic
      aldehydes containing an ortho-Michael acceptor is reported via decarboxylative
      annulations without metal catalysts in yields of 52-91%. Under microwave
      irradiation, this protocol provides rapid access to polycyclic ring systems (only
      5 min in most cases). 

PMID- 26488672
TI  - The role of medical and psychosocial factors for unfavourable coronary risk
      factor control.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This project aims to identify socio-demographic, medical and
      psychosocial factors (study factors) associated with coronary risk control and
      prognosis, and to test their impact in a representative sample of coronary heart
      disease (CHD) patients. DESIGN: The first phase includes a cross-sectional study
      designed to explore the association between the study factors and coronary risk
      factor control in CHD patients. Data from hospital records, a questionnaire,
      clinical examination and blood samples were collected. The independent effects of
      study factors on subsequent coronary events will be explored prospectively by
      controlling for baseline coronary risk factors. In the second phase, we will test
      the effect of tailored interventions to modify the study factors associated with
      unfavourable risk profile in phase I. RESULTS: In all 1366 patients (21% women),
      aged 18-80 years with a coronary event on average 17 (2-38) months prior to study
      participation were identified (83% participation rate). Of the 239 patients who
      refused participation, 229 patients consented to analysis of hospital record data
      (non- participants). CONCLUSIONS: If the study variables contribute to CHD risk
      factors and prognosis, the present project may be important for the development
      of prevention programs by tailoring these to the patients perceived needs and
      behaviour profiles.

PMID- 26488673
TI  - Differences in ability to perform activities of daily living among women with
      fibromyalgia: A cross-sectional study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills
      (AMPS), the physical function subscales of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire
      (FIQ PF) and the 36-item Short Form (SF-36 PF) can identify subgroups of women
      with fibromyalgia with clinically relevant differences in ability to perform
      activities of daily living. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: A total of
      257 women with fibromyalgia. METHODS: Participants were evaluated with the AMPS
      (measuring activities of daily living motor and activities of daily living
      process ability), FIQ and SF-36. AMPS independence cut-offs were used to divide
      the participants into 4 subgroups. Clinically relevant differences between
      subgroups were investigated based on the AMPS, FIQ PF and SF-36 PF. RESULT:
      Participants in the 4 AMPS-derived subgroups demon-strated clinically relevant
      differences in observed activities of daily living motor and process ability.
      Neither the FIQ PF nor the SF-36 PF could differentiate between subgroups with
      clinically relevant differences in AMPS activities of daily living process
      ability. CONCLUSION: Activities of daily living process skills reflect underlying
      organizational and adaptive capacities of the individual and are relevant targets
      for interventions aiming at improving activities of daily living ability. Since
      self-report instruments do not capture differences in activities of daily living
      process ability, clinicians should include observations-based assessment of
      activities of daily living ability in order to individualize interventions
      offered.

PMID- 26488674
TI  - K2Pb3(CO3)3F2 and KCdCO3F: Novel Fluoride Carbonates with Layered and 3D
      Framework Structures.
AB  - Two new mixed metal fluoride carbonates, KCdCO3F and K2Pb3(CO3)3F2, have been
      synthesized by solvothermal and solid-state techniques. KCdCO3F crystallizes in
      the acentric nonpolar space group P6m2, and its structure features a three
      dimensional anionic framework in which the CdCO3 layers are further
      interconnected by bridging F(-) anions with the negative charge balanced by K(+)
      cations. K2Pb3(CO3)3F2 crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group P63/mmc,
      and its structure exhibits a layered anionic skeleton featuring corner-shared
      PbO6F and PbO6F2 polyhedra. UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy studies show
      that the short-wavelength absorption edges of KCdCO3F and K2Pb3(CO3)3F2 are 227
      and 287 nm, respectively. The second harmonic generation (SHG) measurement
      reveals that KCdCO3F is a phase-matchable material for generation of doubled
      frequency light at both 532 and 266 nm, with a large SHG response of
      approximately 5.2 times that of KH2PO4 (KDP) at 532 nm and a moderate SHG
      response of approximately 0.75 times that of beta-BaB2O4 (BBO) at 266 nm.
      Therefore, it is a promising UV material for fourth harmonic generation on a 1064
      nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. 

PMID- 26488676
TI  - Treatment of Antipsychotic-Related Akathisia Revisited: The Role of Serotonin 2A
      Receptor Antagonists.
AB  - Akathisia remains a prevalent, clinically significant, and therapeutically
      challenging adverse event associated with antipsychotic treatment. Compelling
      evidence supports therapeutic efficacy and clinical utility of agents with marked
      serotonin 2A receptor antagonism, primarily low-dose mirtazapine, as an effective
      and well-tolerated antiakathisia treatment.

PMID- 26488675
TI  - Fast Versus Slow Strategy of Switching Patients With Schizophrenia to
      Aripiprazole From Other Antipsychotics.
AB  - This study aimed to compare strategies differing in the speed of switching
      schizophrenic patients to aripiprazole from other antipsychotic agents, with dual
      administration for 2 weeks and then tapering off the current antipsychotic in
      fast (within 1 week) versus slow (within 4 weeks) strategies. This 8-week, open
      label, randomized, parallel study assigned patients with a primary Diagnostic and
      Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, diagnosis of
      schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder to either the fast-switching (n = 38)
      or slow-switching (n = 41) group. Efficacy assessments at 5 time points included
      Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and Clinical Global Impression scale. Safety
      assessments included extrapyramidal symptoms, metabolic profile, serum prolactin
      level, QTc interval, and adverse events. Drug concentrations and cytochrome P450
      CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 genotypes were also measured. The fast- and slow-switching
      groups were comparable in demographical and clinical features at baseline and
      dropout rate. In the intention-to-treat analysis using mixed-effects models,
      there were significant within-group decreases over time in the Positive and
      Negative Syndrome Scale total scores (P = 0.03) and its subscores except for
      positive subscores, whereas no between-group differences were found. A reduction
      in body weight (P = 0.01) and lower levels of total cholesterol (P = 0.03),
      triglycerides (P = 0.03), and prolactin (P = 0.01) were noted in both groups but
      no increase in extrapyramidal symptoms or prolongation of QTc. The blood
      concentrations of aripiprazole in all patients were in a therapeutic range at day
      56, with CYP2D6*10 polymorphisms being associated with aripiprazole
      concentrations. In conclusion, there is no significant difference between the
      fast- and slow-switching strategy in terms of improvements in clinical symptoms
      and metabolic profile in this 8-week study.

PMID- 26488677
TI  - Comparison of Site-Based Versus Central Ratings in a Study of Generalized Anxiety
      Disorder.
AB  - Lack of standardization across sites and raters, poor interrater reliability, and
      possible scoring bias affecting the primary outcome measure contribute to a high
      failure rate in anxiety trials. Remote centralized raters who are blinded to
      protocol inclusion and exclusion criteria as well as visit number may standardize
      assessments across raters and eliminate scoring bias, decreasing placebo response
      and thereby increasing signal detection. The purpose of the primary study was to
      test the safety and efficacy of an anxiolytic in a double-blind, placebo
      controlled (no active comparator), multicenter trial. However, there was an
      additional prospective objective to explore site ratings compared with remote
      centralized ratings in the cohort of subjects on placebo. Site raters assessed
      subjects 6 times over an 8-week period. The primary outcome measure was the week
      8 site-rated Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A). Remote centralized raters by
      telephone independently rated these subjects on the HAM-A at baseline and week 6.
      Of the 122 subjects selected by site raters and therefore randomized, remote
      centralized raters would have admitted 59 (48%) and excluded 63 (52%), based on
      their HAM-A ratings. The mean change from baseline in HAM-A total score in the
      placebo group admitted to the study by site raters was 9.3, significantly higher
      than the 5.9 point mean change on placebo as measured by the remote centralized
      raters.The data are consistent with the potential for qualification bias at
      baseline when rated by sites. The results make a strong case for using strategies
      to ensure that baseline scoring is truly independent of the pressure to enroll.

PMID- 26488678
TI  - The Ascendancy of Second-Generation Antipsychotics as Frontline Antimanic Agents.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Knowledge of the factors affecting the adoption of new medications
      can enhance mental health care and guide quality improvement and policy
      development. Food and Drug Administration indications for treating bipolar
      disorder with several second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) in the 2000s
      represent an opportunity to identify factors that impact the spread of a then
      innovative treatment through a new population. METHODS: Analysis of Department of
      Veterans Affairs administrative data identified the population of 170,811
      veterans diagnosed with bipolar disorder from 2003 to 2010. We analyzed time
      trends and predictors of antimanic choice (SGA vs other) among the 40,512
      outpatients with bipolar disorder who initiated their first VA outpatient
      antimanic prescription, using multinomial logistic regression in month-by-month
      analyses. We conducted classwise analyses and investigated prespecified
      predictors among specific agents. RESULTS: In classwise analyses, SGAs supplanted
      lithium, valproate, and carbamazepine/oxcarbazepine as the most commonly
      initiated antimanics by 2007. Psychosis, but not other indices of severity,
      predicted SGA initiation. Demographic analyses did not identify substantial
      disparities in initiation of SGAs. Drug-specific analyses revealed some
      consideration of medical comorbidities in choosing among specific antimanic
      agents, although effect sizes were small. Most patients initiating an antimanic
      had received an antidepressant in the previous year. DISCUSSION: Second
      generation antipsychotics quickly became the frontline antimanic treatment for
      bipolar disorder, although antidepressants most commonly predated antimanic
      prescriptions. Second-generation antipsychotics were used for a broad range of
      patients rather than being restricted to a severely ill subpopulation. The modest
      association of antimanic choice with relevant medical comorbidities suggests that
      continued attention to quality prescribing practices is warranted.

PMID- 26488679
TI  - Self-assembly of Natural and Unnatural Nucleobases at Surfaces and Interfaces.
AB  - The self-assembly of small organic molecules interacting via non-covalent forces
      is a viable approach towards the construction of highly ordered nanostructured
      materials. Among various molecular components, natural and unnatural nucleobases
      can undergo non-covalent self-association to form supramolecular architectures
      with ad hoc structural motifs. Such structures, when decorated with appropriate
      electrically/optically active units, can be used as scaffolds to locate such
      units in pre-determined positions in 2D on a surface, thereby paving the way
      towards a wide range of applications, e.g., in optoelectronics. This review
      discusses some of the basic concepts of the supramolecular engineering of natural
      and unnatural nucleobases and derivatives thereof as well as self-assembly
      processes on conductive solid substrates, as investigated by scanning tunnelling
      microscopy in ultra-high vacuum and at the solid/liquid interface. By unravelling
      the structure and dynamics of these self-assembled architectures with a sub
      nanometer resolution, a greater control over the formation of increasingly
      sophisticated functional systems is achieved. The ability to understand and
      predict how nucleobases interact, both among themselves as well as with other
      molecules, is extremely important, since it provides access to ever more complex
      DNA- and RNA-based nanostructures and nanomaterials as key components in
      nanomechanical devices. 

PMID- 26488680
TI  - Corrigendum: Fertilization competence of the egg-coating envelope is regulated by
      direct interaction of dicalcin and gp41, the Xenopus laevis ZP3.

PMID- 26488681
TI  - Human Infection with Sporolactobacillus laevolacticus, Marseille, France.

PMID- 26488682
TI  - Highly Robust Silver Nanowire Network for Transparent Electrode.
AB  - Solution-processed silver nanowire networks are one of the promising candidates
      to replace a traditional indium tin oxide as next-generation transparent and
      flexible electrodes due to their ease of processing, moderate flexibility, high
      transparency, and low sheet resistance. To date, however, high stability of the
      nanowire networks remains a major challenge because the long-term usages of these
      electrodes are limited by their poor thermal and chemical stabilities. Existing
      methods for addressing this challenge mainly focus on protecting the nanowire
      network with additional layers that require vacuum processes, which can lead to
      an increment in manufacturing cost. Here, we report a straightforward strategy of
      a sol-gel processing as a fast and robust way to improve the stabilities of
      silver nanowires. Compared with reported nanoparticles embedded in nanowire
      networks, better thermal and chemical stabilities are achieved via sol-gel
      coating of TiO2 over the silver nanowire networks. The conformal surface coverage
      suppressed surface diffusion of silver atoms and prevented chemical corrosion
      from the environment. These results highlight the important role of the
      functional layer in providing better thermal and chemical stabilities along with
      improved electrical properties and mechanical robustness. The silver
      nanowire/TiO2 composite electrodes were applied as the source and drain
      electrodes for In2O3 thin-film transistors (TFTs) and the devices exhibited
      improved electrical performance annealed at 300  degrees C without the
      degradation of the electrodes. These key findings not only demonstrated a general
      and effective method to improve the thermal and chemical stabilities of metal
      nanowire networks but also provided a basic guideline toward rational design of
      highly efficient and robust composite electrodes. 

PMID- 26488683
TI  - Ni/Cu-Catalyzed Defluoroborylation of Fluoroarenes for Diverse C-F Bond
      Functionalizations.
AB  - Ni/Cu-catalyzed transformation of fluoroarenes to arylboronic acid pinacol esters
      via C-F bond cleavage has been achieved. Further versatile derivatization of an
      arylboronic ester has allowed for the facile two-step conversion of a fluoroarene
      to diverse functionalized arenes, demonstrating the synthetic utility of the
      method. 

PMID- 26488684
TI  - Integration of Switchable DNA-Based Hydrogels with Surfaces by the Hybridization
      Chain Reaction.
AB  - A novel method to assemble acrylamide/acrydite DNA copolymer hydrogels on
      surfaces, specifically gold-coated surfaces, is introduced. The method involves
      the synthesis of two different copolymer chains consisting of hairpin A, HA,
      modified acrylamide copolymer and hairpin B, HB, acrylamide copolymer. In the
      presence of a nucleic acid promoter monolayer associated with the surface, the
      hybridization chain reaction between the two hairpin-modified polymer chains is
      initiated, giving rise to the cross-opening of hairpins HA and HB and the
      formation of a cross-linked hydrogel on the surface. By the cofunctionalization
      of the HA- and HB-modified polymer chains with G-rich DNA tethers that include
      the G-quadruplex subunits, hydrogels of switchable stiffness are generated. In
      the presence of K(+)-ions, the hydrogel associated with the surface is
      cooperatively cross-linked by duplex units of HA and HB, and K(+)-ion-stabilized
      G-quadruplex units, giving rise to a stiff hydrogel. The 18-crown-6-ether
      stimulated elimination of the K(+)-ions dissociates the bridging G-quadruplex
      units, resulting in a hydrogel of reduced stiffness. The duplex/G-quadruplex
      cooperatively stabilized hydrogel associated with the surface reveals switchable
      electrocatalytic properties. The incorporation of hemin into the G-quadruplex
      units electrocatalyzes the reduction of H2O2. The 18-crown-6-ether stimulated
      dissociation of the hemin/G-quadruplex bridging units leads to a catalytically
      inactive hydrogel. 

PMID- 26488685
TI  - Hydrodynamics of Particles at an Oil-Water Interface.
AB  - This study is a theoretical and experimental investigation of the hydrodynamics
      of the mutual approach of two floating spherical particles moving along an oil
      water interface. An analytical expression is obtained for the (inertialess)
      Stokes drag for an isolated particle translating on a flat interface as a
      function of the immersion depth into the water phase for the case in which the
      viscosity of the oil is much larger than that of the water. An approximation for
      the viscous drag due to the mutual approach of identical spheres is formulated as
      the product of the isolated drag multiplied by the resistance of approaching
      spheres in an infinite medium. Experiments are undertaken on the capillary
      attraction of large, millimeter-sized Teflon spheres floating at the interface
      between a very viscous oil and water. With the use of image visualization and
      particle tracking, the separation distance as a function of time [[Formula: see
      text](t)] is measured along with the immersion depth and predicted by setting the
      capillary attraction force equal to the viscous drag resistance. The excellent
      agreement validates the approximating formula. 

PMID- 26488686
TI  - Cognitive behavioural therapy (brief versus standard duration) for schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive behavioural therapy for people with schizophrenia is a
      psychotherapeutic approach that establishes links between thoughts, emotions and
      behaviours and challenges dysfunctional thoughts. There is some evidence to
      suggest that cognitive behavioural therapy for people with psychosis (CBTp) might
      be an effective treatment for people with schizophrenia. There are however,
      limitations in its provision due to available resource and training issues. One
      way to tackle this issue might be to offer a brief version of CBTp. OBJECTIVES:
      To review the effects of brief CBTp (6 to 10 regular sessions given in less than
      4 months and using a manual) for people with schizophrenia compared with standard
      CBTp (12 to 20 regular sessions given in 4 to 6 months and using a manual).
      SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group's Trials Register
      (August 21, 2013 and August 26, 2015) which is based on regular searches of
      CINAHL, BIOSIS, AMED, EMBASE, PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and registries of
      Clinical Trials. There are no language, date, document type, or publication
      status limitations for inclusion of records in the register. We inspected all
      references of the selected articles for further relevant trials. We also
      contacted experts in the field regarding brief CBTp studies. SELECTION CRITERIA:
      Randomised controlled trials involving adults with schizophrenia or related
      disorders, comparing brief cognitive behavioural therapy for people with
      psychosis versus standard CBTp. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors
      independently screened and assessed studies for inclusion using pre-specified
      inclusion criteria. MAIN RESULTS: We found only seven studies which used a brief
      version of CBTp, but no study compared brief CBTp with CBTp of standard duration.
      No studies could be included. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Currently there is no
      literature available to compare brief with standard CBTp for people with
      schizophrenia. We cannot, therefore, conclude whether brief CBTp is as effective,
      less effective or even more effective than standard courses of the same therapy.
      This lack of evidence for brief CBTp has serious implications for research and
      practice. Well planned, conducted and reported randomised trials are indicated.

PMID- 26488687
TI  - Gender, Race, and Risk: Intersectional Risk Management in the Sale of Sex Online.
AB  - Sex worker experience of risk (e.g., physical violence or rape) is shaped by
      race, gender, and context. For web-based sex workers, experience of risk is
      comparatively minimal; what is unclear is how web-based sex workers manage risk
      and if online advertising plays a role in risk management. Building on
      intersectionality theory and research exploring risk management in sex work, we
      content-analyzed 600 escort advertisements from Backpage.com (
      http://www.backpage.com ) to explore risk management in web-based sex work. To
      guide our research we asked: Do advertisements contain risk management messages?
      Does the use of risk management messaging differ by sex worker race or gender?
      Which groups have the highest overall use of risk management messages? Through a
      multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) we found that advertisements
      contained risk management messages and that uses of these phrases varied by race
      and gender. Blacks, women, and transgender women drove the use of risk management
      messages. Black and White transgender women had the highest overall use of these
      phrases. We conclude that risk management is an intersectional practice and that
      the use of risk management messages is a venue-specific manifestation of broader
      risk management priorities found in all venues where sex is sold.

PMID- 26488688
TI  - Voriconazole-associated phototoxic dermatoses and skin cancer.
AB  - Voriconazole's antifungal spectrum, oral bioavailability, and proven efficacy in
      treatment of invasive mycoses have led to its widespread off-label use for
      antifungal prophylaxis. There is an increasing recognition that long-term
      voriconazole use is associated with accelerated sun-induced skin changes that
      include acute phototoxicity reactions, photoaging, actinic keratosis and esp.
      among immunocompromised patients, skin cancers. The mechanisms underlying these
      dermatologic adverse events are not clearly understood. Population-risks of long
      term voriconazole use need to be prospectively investigated. This review aims to
      provide an in-depth assessment of published literature and highlight salient
      findings from retrospective studies and case series. A broad practical guideline
      for assessment and management of these patients is provided. 

PMID- 26488689
TI  - Structures of multidrug and toxic compound extrusion transporters and their
      mechanistic implications.
AB  - Multidrug resistance poses grand challenges to the effective treatment of
      infectious diseases and cancers. Integral membrane proteins from the multidrug
      and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) family contribute to multidrug resistance by
      exporting a wide variety of therapeutic drugs across cell membranes. MATE
      proteins are conserved from bacteria to humans and can be categorized into the
      NorM, DinF and eukaryotic subfamilies. MATE transporters hold great appeal as
      potential therapeutic targets for curbing multidrug resistance, yet their
      transport mechanism remains elusive. During the past 5 years, X-ray structures of
      4 NorM and DinF transporters have been reported and guided biochemical studies to
      reveal how MATE transporters extrude different drugs. Such advances, although
      substantial, have yet to be discussed collectively. Herein I review these
      structures and the unprecedented mechanistic insights that have been garnered
      from those structure-inspired studies, as well as lay out the outstanding
      questions that present exciting opportunities for future work. 

PMID- 26488690
TI  - Transitional Chaos or Enduring Harm? The EHR and the Disruption of Medicine.

PMID- 26488691
TI  - A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Total Knee Replacement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: More than 670,000 total knee replacements are performed annually in
      the United States; however, high-quality evidence to support the effectiveness of
      the procedure, as compared with nonsurgical interventions, is lacking. METHODS:
      In this randomized, controlled trial, we enrolled 100 patients with moderate-to
      severe knee osteoarthritis who were eligible for unilateral total knee
      replacement. Patients were randomly assigned to undergo total knee replacement
      followed by 12 weeks of nonsurgical treatment (total-knee-replacement group) or
      to receive only the 12 weeks of nonsurgical treatment (nonsurgical-treatment
      group), which was delivered by physiotherapists and dietitians and consisted of
      exercise, education, dietary advice, use of insoles, and pain medication. The
      primary outcome was the change from baseline to 12 months in the mean score on
      four Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score subscales, covering pain,
      symptoms, activities of daily living, and quality of life (KOOS4); scores range
      from 0 (worst) to 100 (best). RESULTS: A total of 95 patients completed the 12
      month follow-up assessment. In the nonsurgical-treatment group, 13 patients (26%)
      underwent total knee replacement before the 12-month follow-up; in the total-knee
      replacement group, 1 patient (2%) received only nonsurgical treatment. In the
      intention-to-treat analysis, the total-knee-replacement group had greater
      improvement in the KOOS4 score than did the nonsurgical-treatment group (32.5 vs.
      16.0; adjusted mean difference, 15.8 [95% confidence interval, 10.0 to 21.5]).
      The total-knee-replacement group had a higher number of serious adverse events
      than did the nonsurgical-treatment group (24 vs. 6, P=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: In
      patients with knee osteoarthritis who were eligible for unilateral total knee
      replacement, treatment with total knee replacement followed by nonsurgical
      treatment resulted in greater pain relief and functional improvement after 12
      months than did nonsurgical treatment alone. However, total knee replacement was
      associated with a higher number of serious adverse events than was nonsurgical
      treatment, and most patients who were assigned to receive nonsurgical treatment
      alone did not undergo total knee replacement before the 12-month follow-up.
      (Funded by the Obel Family Foundation and others; MEDIC ClinicalTrials.gov
      number, NCT01410409.).

PMID- 26488692
TI  - Changing Trends in P. falciparum Burden, Immunity, and Disease in Pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prevention of reinfection and resurgence is an integral component of
      the goal to eradicate malaria. However, the adverse effects of malaria
      resurgences are not known. METHODS: We assessed the prevalence of Plasmodium
      falciparum infection among 1819 Mozambican women who delivered infants between
      2003 and 2012. We used microscopic and histologic examination and a quantitative
      polymerase-chain-reaction (qPCR) assay, as well as flow-cytometric analysis of
      IgG antibody responses against two parasite lines. RESULTS: Positive qPCR tests
      for P. falciparum decreased from 33% in 2003 to 2% in 2010 and increased to 6% in
      2012, with antimalarial IgG antibody responses mirroring these trends. Parasite
      densities in peripheral blood on qPCR assay were higher in 2010-2012 (geometric
      mean [+/-SD], 409+/-1569 genomes per microliter) than in 2003-2005 (44+/-169
      genomes per microliter, P=0.02), as were parasite densities in placental blood on
      histologic assessment (50+/-39% of infected erythrocytes vs. 4+/-6%, P<0.001).
      The malaria-associated reduction in maternal hemoglobin levels was larger in 2010
      2012 (10.1+/-1.8 g per deciliter in infected women vs. 10.9+/-1.7 g per deciliter
      in uninfected women; mean difference, -0.82 g per deciliter; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], -1.39 to -0.25) than in 2003-2005 (10.5+/-1.1 g per deciliter vs.
      10.6+/-1.5 g per deciliter; difference, -0.12 g per deciliter; 95% CI, -0.67 to
      0.43), as was the reduction in birth weight (2863+/-440 g in women with past or
      chronic infections vs. 3070+/-482 g in uninfected women in 2010-2012; mean
      difference, -164.5 g; 95% CI, -289.7 to -39.4; and 2994+/-487 g vs. 3117+/-455 g
      in 2003-2005; difference, -44.8 g; 95% CI, -139.1 to 49.5). CONCLUSIONS:
      Antimalarial antibodies were reduced and the adverse consequences of P.
      falciparum infections were increased in pregnant women after 5 years of a decline
      in the prevalence of malaria. (Funded by Malaria Eradication Scientific Alliance
      and others.).

PMID- 26488693
TI  - A Phase 3 Randomized Trial of Nicotinamide for Skin-Cancer Chemoprevention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nonmelanoma skin cancers, such as basal-cell carcinoma and squamous
      cell carcinoma, are common cancers that are caused principally by ultraviolet
      (UV) radiation. Nicotinamide (vitamin B3) has been shown to have protective
      effects against damage caused by UV radiation and to reduce the rate of new
      premalignant actinic keratoses. METHODS: In this phase 3, double-blind,
      randomized, controlled trial, we randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, 386
      participants who had had at least two nonmelanoma skin cancers in the previous 5
      years to receive 500 mg of nicotinamide twice daily or placebo for 12 months.
      Participants were evaluated by dermatologists at 3-month intervals for 18 months.
      The primary end point was the number of new nonmelanoma skin cancers (i.e., basal
      cell carcinomas plus squamous-cell carcinomas) during the 12-month intervention
      period. Secondary end points included the number of new squamous-cell carcinomas
      and basal-cell carcinomas and the number of actinic keratoses during the 12-month
      intervention period, the number of nonmelanoma skin cancers in the 6-month
      postintervention period, and the safety of nicotinamide. RESULTS: At 12 months,
      the rate of new nonmelanoma skin cancers was lower by 23% (95% confidence
      interval [CI], 4 to 38) in the nicotinamide group than in the placebo group
      (P=0.02). Similar differences were found between the nicotinamide group and the
      placebo group with respect to new basal-cell carcinomas (20% [95% CI, -6 to 39]
      lower rate with nicotinamide, P=0.12) and new squamous-cell carcinomas (30% [95%
      CI, 0 to 51] lower rate, P=0.05). The number of actinic keratoses was 11% lower
      in the nicotinamide group than in the placebo group at 3 months (P=0.01), 14%
      lower at 6 months (P<0.001), 20% lower at 9 months (P<0.001), and 13% lower at 12
      months (P=0.001). No noteworthy between-group differences were found with respect
      to the number or types of adverse events during the 12-month intervention period,
      and there was no evidence of benefit after nicotinamide was discontinued.
      CONCLUSIONS: Oral nicotinamide was safe and effective in reducing the rates of
      new nonmelanoma skin cancers and actinic keratoses in high-risk patients. (Funded
      by the National Health and Medical Research Council; ONTRAC Australian New
      Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number, ACTRN12612000625875.).

PMID- 26488695
TI  - Drug-Induced Megaloblastic Anemia.

PMID- 26488696
TI  - IMAGES IN CLINICAL MEDICINE. Bullous Pemphigoid.

PMID- 26488694
TI  - Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

PMID- 26488697
TI  - CASE RECORDS of the MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL. Case 33-2015. A 57-Year-Old
      Woman with Hair Loss and Deepening Voice.

PMID- 26488698
TI  - Parachutes and Preferences--A Trial of Knee Replacement.

PMID- 26488699
TI  - Declining Malaria Transmission and Pregnancy Outcomes in Southern Mozambique.

PMID- 26488700
TI  - Palbociclib in Hormone-Receptor-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer.

PMID- 26488701
TI  - Palbociclib in Hormone-Receptor-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer.

PMID- 26488702
TI  - Somatic Mutations and Clonal Hematopoiesis in Aplastic Anemia.

PMID- 26488703
TI  - Somatic Mutations and Clonal Hematopoiesis in Aplastic Anemia.

PMID- 26488704
TI  - Somatic Mutations and Clonal Hematopoiesis in Aplastic Anemia.

PMID- 26488705
TI  - Somatic Mutations and Clonal Hematopoiesis in Aplastic Anemia.

PMID- 26488706
TI  - Ischemic Optic Neuropathies.

PMID- 26488707
TI  - Ischemic Optic Neuropathies.

PMID- 26488708
TI  - Ischemic Optic Neuropathies.

PMID- 26488709
TI  - Ischemic Optic Neuropathies.

PMID- 26488710
TI  - The 21st Century Cures Act.

PMID- 26488711
TI  - The 21st Century Cures Act.

PMID- 26488712
TI  - The 21st Century Cures Act.

PMID- 26488713
TI  - The 21st Century Cures Act.

PMID- 26488714
TI  - Intravenous Immune Globulin for Statin-Triggered Autoimmune Myopathy.

PMID- 26488715
TI  - IMAGES IN CLINICAL MEDICINE. Megaduodenum in Systemic Sclerosis.

PMID- 26488716
TI  - Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans in a Patient With Cowden Syndrome: Revisiting the
      PTEN and PDGF Pathways.
AB  - PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome, of which Cowden syndrome (CS) is the most
      recognized variant, is characterized by multiple benign and malignant tumors of
      ectodermal, mesodermal, and endodermal origins, secondary to germline mutation in
      the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) gene. Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans
      (DFSP) is a locally aggressive malignant fibroblastic/myofibroblastic tumor of
      the skin, characterized by the t(17:22)(q22:q13) translocation resulting in
      fusion of the COL1A1 and PDGFB genes. An association between CS and DFSP has not
      been reported in the literature to date. The authors have encountered a male
      patient with CS and a history of DFSP that developed adjacent to a sclerotic
      fibroma on the parietal scalp, both excised at age 7. He presented at age 21 with
      an enlarging pink nodule at the same site on the parietal scalp. Excision
      revealed a dermal and subcutaneous storiform spindle cell proliferation with fat
      entrapment and positive staining for CD34, consistent with DFSP. Fluorescence in
      situ hybridization confirmed PDGFB gene rearrangement. PTEN expression in the
      patient's recurrent DFSP was nearly absent when compared with that of sporadic
      DFSP. To our knowledge, this is the first report of DFSP in a patient with CS.
      Although the association is likely to be coincidental, the authors revisited the
      PTEN and the PDGF pathways to speculate any possible interplay of the 2
      conditions on a molecular level. 

PMID- 26488717
TI  - Umbilical Granuloma in a 2-Month-Old Patient: Histopathology of a Common Clinical
      Entity.
AB  - Umbilical granulomas are the most common anomaly of the umbilicus in neonates and
      infants. These lesions are characterized by an overgrowth of granulation tissue
      that persists at the base of the umbilical cord after its separation.
      Histologically, they consist of granulation tissue, which is composed of
      fibroblasts, inflammatory cells, and vascular endothelial cells set in an
      edematous stroma. Although umbilical granulomas are commonly seen clinically,
      there are no reports of their histopathology in the literature. The authors
      present the histology of this clinical finding in a 2-month-old infant, as it is
      important for the pathologist to be aware of this benign entity and distinguish
      it from other umbilical anomalies that may be of greater clinical significance. 

PMID- 26488718
TI  - Multiple Clustered Dermatofibromas Associated With Pulmonary Arterial
      Hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dermatofibromas (DFs) are common, benign, fibrohistiocytic tumors of
      the skin. Clinically, if they present in a rapid succession, they are termed
      multiple eruptive DFs. When they arise in a localized distribution, they are
      termed multiple clustered dermatofibromas (MCDFs). These DF variants are rare,
      and the subtype of multiple eruptive DFs has been associated with autoimmune
      diseases, hypertriglyceridemia, pregnancy, HIV, and primary pulmonary
      hypertension. Conversely, there is a paucity of published clinical associations
      with MCDF. METHODS: A 23-year-old white woman with pulmonary arterial
      hypertension presented with a 7-year history of multiple, asymptomatic, firm,
      brown, and violaceous papules clustered on the right hip. RESULTS:
      Histopathologic examination of the biopsies demonstrated acanthotic epidermis,
      proliferation of cytologically bland fibrohistiocytic spindle cells in a
      fascicular pattern in the dermis, and collagen trapping on the periphery.
      Immunohistochemistry was focally positive for factor XIIIa and negative for CD34,
      thus supporting the clinical diagnosis of MCDF. CONCLUSIONS: A case of MCDF
      associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension is presented. To date, there have
      been greater than 25 reported cases of MCDF, but only one other publication has
      described an associated systemic comorbidity.

PMID- 26488719
TI  - An Unusual Growth on the Nipple: Question.

PMID- 26488720
TI  - An Unusual Growth on the Nipple: Answer.

PMID- 26488721
TI  - Removal and Re-use of Tar-contaminated Sediment by Freeze-dredging at a Coking
      Plant Lulea, Sweden.
AB  - Submerged tar-contaminated sediment are generally very loose, which makes
      remediation challenging. We tested if a modified version of freeze-dredging could
      be used to remove and dewater such sediment in a canal down-stream a coking
      plant. PVC hoses carrying a heat medium were placed horizontally in the submerged
      sediment. Five days of freezing allowed straightforward removal of most of the
      sediment. Flat freeze cells were placed side by side in the canal to remove the
      rest. The freeze-thaw process increased the dry substance content from
      approximately 50 to 80%. Outdoors storage under rainy conditions did not re-wet
      the dried sediment. The material was successfully used as feed-stock in the
      coking plant, with the double cost-benefit of avoided transportation to deposit
      and reduced use of coal. The study demonstrates that freeze-dredging can
      facilitate removal, storage and beneficial re-use of submerged tar-contaminated
      sediment.

PMID- 26488724
TI  - Thoracoscopic CDH Repair--A Survey on Opinion and Experience Among IPEG Members.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thoracoscopic repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) has
      become a popular approach. As there is an ongoing discussion on whether the
      benefits of the thoracoscopic repair outweigh the potential side effects, we
      aimed to investigate the opinion and experience of the members of the
      International Pediatric Endosurgery Group (IPEG) on this topic. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: An online survey was conducted between October and December 2013 on
      behalf of the IPEG Research Committee. All 536 IPEG members were contacted by e
      mail and asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire that included 28 items on
      the management of CDH. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-one pediatric surgeons
      completed the questionnaire. Contraindications to thoracoscopic repair included
      the following: patient on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) (78%);
      preoperative need for ECMO (42%); right-sided hernia (15%); liver in chest (32%);
      weight <2.5 kg (35%); and persistent right-to-left shunting (41%). Fifty-two
      percent of participants said that during thoracoscopic CDH repair they would
      tolerate any pH. In contrast, 48% indicated that they would only tolerate
      pH/partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) levels down/up to 7.2/80 mm Hg (range: pH, 6.9
      7.3; pCO2, 55-100 mm Hg). If a patch was needed, 39% of participants said they
      would continue thoracoscopically, 31% would convert, and 31% stated that the
      decision would depend on the size of the defect. Fifty-seven percent of
      participants reported recurrences after thoracoscopic repair, which occurred
      within 6 months in 43% of the cases, after 6 months in 37%, and both before and
      after in 20% of the cases. Overall, 50% of surgeons stated that CDH can be
      repaired equally by thoracoscopy and open approaches, and 50% disagreed with this
      statement. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracoscopic CDH repair is currently being performed by
      89% of all participating IPEG members. ECMO, either active or previously, and
      persistent right-to-left shunting are the main deterrents to thoracoscopic
      repair. The fact that only 50% of surgeons stated that CDH can be repaired
      equally by thoracoscopy and open surgery suggests that future studies should
      focus on identifying the appropriate patient population.

PMID- 26488725
TI  - The Inhibition by Oxaliplatin, a Platinum-Based Anti-Neoplastic Agent, of the
      Activity of Intermediate-Conductance Ca2+-Activated K+ Channels in Human Glioma
      Cells.
AB  - Oxaliplatin (OXAL) is a third-generation organoplatinum which is effective
      against advanced cancer cells including glioma cells. How this agent and other
      related compounds interacts with ion channels in glioma cells is poorly
      understood. OXAL (100 uM) suppressed the amplitude of whole-cell K+ currents
      (I(K)); and, either DCEBIO or ionomycin significantly reversed OXAL-mediated
      inhibition of I(K) in human 13-06-MG glioma cells. In OXAL-treated cells, TRAM-34
      did not suppress I(K) amplitude in these cells. The intermediate-conductance
      Ca(2+)-activated K+ (IK(Ca)) channels subject to activation by DCEBIO and to
      inhibition by TRAM-34 or clotrimazole were functionally expressed in these cells.
      Unlike cisplatin, OXAL decreased the probability of IK(Ca)-channel openings in a
      concentration-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 67 uM. No significant change
      in single-channel conductance of IK(Ca) channels in the presence of OXAL was
      demonstrated. Neither large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels nor inwardly
      rectifying K+ currents in these cells were affected in the presence of OXAL. OXAL
      also suppressed the proliferation and migration of 13-06-MG cells in a
      concentration- and time-dependent manner. OXAL reduced IK(Ca)-channel activity in
      LoVo colorectal cancer cells. Taken together, the inhibition by OXAL of IK(Ca)
      channels would conceivably be an important mechanism through which it acts on the
      functional activities of glioma cells occurring in vivo.

PMID- 26488726
TI  - The Relationship of Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Insulin Resistance among
      Nondiabetic Canadians: A Longitudinal Analysis of Participants of a Preventive
      Health Program.
AB  - Observational and intervention studies have revealed inconsistent findings with
      respect to the relationship between vitamin D and insulin resistance. No
      intervention studies have been conducted in community samples whereas this may be
      particularly relevant to the primary prevention of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and
      cardiovascular disease (CVD). In the present study we examined whether temporal
      improvements in vitamin D status, measured as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D
      [25(OH)D], reduce the risk of insulin resistance among individuals without T2D.
      We accessed and analyzed data from 5730 nondiabetic participants with repeated
      measures of serum 25(OH)D who enrolled in a preventive health program. We used
      the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and applied
      logistic regression to quantify the independent contribution of baseline serum
      25(OH)D and temporal increases in 25(OH)D on HOMA-IR. The median time between
      baseline and follow up was 1.1 year. On average serum 25(OH)D concentrations
      increased from 89 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) at baseline to 122 nmol/L at
      follow up. Univariate analyses showed that relative to participants with baseline
      serum 25(OH)D less than 50 nmol/L, participants with baseline concentrations of
      "50-<75", "75-<100", "100-<125", and >=125 nmol/L were 0.76 (95% confidence
      intervals: 0.61-0.95), 0.54 (0.43-0.69), 0.48 (0.36-0.64) and 0.36 (0.27-0.49)
      times as likely to have insulin resistance at follow up, respectively. More
      importantly, relative to participants without temporal increases in 25(OH)D,
      those with increases in serum 25(OH)D of "<25", "25-<50", "50-<75", ">=75" nmol/L
      were 0.92 (0.72-1.17), 0.86 (0.65-1.13), 0.66 (0.47-0.93), and 0.74 (0.55-0.99)
      times as likely to have insulin resistance at follow up, respectively. In the
      subgroup of participants without insulin resistance at baseline, this was 0.96
      (0.72-1.27), 0.78 (0.56-1.10), 0.66 (0.44-0.99), and 0.67 (0.48-0.94),
      respectively. These observations suggest that improvements in vitamin D status
      reduce the risk for insulin resistance and herewith may contribute to the primary
      prevention of T2D and CVD. 

PMID- 26488728
TI  - Desperate Prawns: Drivers of Behavioural Innovation Vary across Social Contexts
      in Rock Pool Crustaceans.
AB  - Innovative behaviour may allow animals to cope with changes in their environment.
      Innovative propensities are known to vary widely both between and within species,
      and a growing body of research has begun to examine the factors that drive
      individuals to innovate. Evidence suggests that individuals are commonly driven
      to innovate by necessity; for instance by hunger or because they are physically
      unable to outcompete others for access to resources. However, it is not known
      whether the factors that drive individuals to innovate are stable across
      contexts. We examined contextual variation in the drivers of innovation in rock
      pool prawns (Palaemon spp), invertebrates that face widely fluctuating
      environments and may, through the actions of tides and waves, find themselves
      isolated or in groups. Using two novel foraging tasks, we examined the effects of
      body size and hunger in prawns tested in solitary and group contexts. When tested
      alone, small prawns were significantly more likely to succeed in a spatial task,
      and faster to reach the food in a manipulation task, while hunger state had no
      effect. In contrast, size had no effect when prawns were tested in groups, but
      food-deprived individuals were disproportionately likely to innovate in both
      tasks. We suggest that contextual variation in the drivers of innovation is
      likely to be common in animals living in variable environments, and may best be
      understood by considering variation in the perception of relative risks and
      rewards under different conditions. 

PMID- 26488727
TI  - Acinetobacter baumannii Repeatedly Evolves a Hypermutator Phenotype in Response
      to Tigecycline That Effectively Surveys Evolutionary Trajectories to Resistance.
AB  - The evolution of hypermutators in response to antibiotic treatment in both
      clinical and laboratory settings provides a unique context for the study of
      adaptive evolution. With increased mutation rates, the number of hitchhiker
      mutations within an evolving hypermutator population is remarkably high and
      presents substantial challenges in determining which mutations are adaptive.
      Intriguingly however, hypermutators also provide an opportunity to explore deeply
      the accessible evolutionary trajectories that lead to increased organism fitness,
      in this case the evolution of antibiotic resistance to the clinically relevant
      antibiotic tigecycline by the hospital pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii. Using a
      continuous culture system, AB210M, a clinically derived strain of A. baumannii,
      was evolved to tigecycline resistance. Analysis of the adapted populations showed
      that nearly all the successful lineages became hypermutators via movement of a
      mobile element to inactivate mutS. In addition, metagenomic analysis of
      population samples revealed another 896 mutations that occurred at a frequency
      greater than 5% in the population, while 38 phenotypically distinct individual
      colonies harbored a total of 1712 mutations. These mutations were scattered
      throughout the genome and affected ~40% of the coding sequences. The most highly
      mutated gene was adeS, a known tigecycline-resistance gene; however, adeS was not
      solely responsible for the high level of TGC resistance. Sixteen other genes
      stood out as potentially relevant to increased resistance. The five most
      prominent candidate genes (adeS, rpsJ, rrf, msbA, and gna) consistently re
      emerged in subsequent replicate population studies suggesting they are likely to
      play a role in adaptation to tigecycline. Interestingly, the repeated evolution
      of a hypermutator phenotype in response to antibiotic stress illustrates not only
      a highly adaptive strategy to resistance, but also a remarkably efficient survey
      of successful evolutionary trajectories. 

PMID- 26488730
TI  - Real-Life Clinical Practice with Sorafenib in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma:
      A Single-Center Experience Second Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Sorafenib has become a standard therapy for advanced hepatocellular
      carcinoma following the demonstration of significant increase in progression-free
      survival as well as overall survival (OS) in the 2-phase III trials. We examined
      efficacy and adverse events (AEs) in patients treated with sorafenib over a 6
      year period since approval in Japan. METHODS: Two hundred and forty-one patients
      treated with sorafenib at the Kinki University Hospital were retrospectively
      analyzed clinically for the factors related to survival periods, tumor response
      evaluated by the Response Evaluation Criteria In Cancer of the Liver (RECICL) and
      AEs. RESULTS: OS was 14.3 months. According to the RECICL, the objective response
      and disease control rates were 18.6% (43 of 241) and 61.1% (137 of 241),
      respectively. AEs were seen in 77.3% (187 of 241), with Grade 3 or higher in
      23.6% (57 of 241). The most frequent AE was hand-foot skin reaction in 109
      patients (45.0%), and 28 patients (11.8%) showed Grade 3 or higher. Significant
      factors contributing to the OS were treatment duration (p = 0.0204), up-to-7
      criteria (p = 0.0400), increase of Child-Pugh score (p = 0.0008) and tumor
      response determined by the RECICL (p = 0.0007). CONCLUSION: Based on the
      analysis, using many cases at a single center, we concluded that continuation of
      treatment with sorafenib for >=90 days without decrease of liver function was
      critical if tumor response was determined as stable disease or higher.

PMID- 26488732
TI  - Use of Whole-Genome Sequencing to Link Burkholderia pseudomallei from Air
      Sampling to Mediastinal Melioidosis, Australia.
AB  - The frequency with which melioidosis results from inhalation rather than
      percutaneous inoculation or ingestion is unknown. We recovered Burkholderia
      pseudomallei from air samples at the residence of a patient with presumptive
      inhalational melioidosis and used whole-genome sequencing to link the
      environmental bacteria to B. pseudomallei recovered from the patient. 

PMID- 26488731
TI  - Root Transcriptome Analysis of Wild Peanut Reveals Candidate Genes for Nematode
      Resistance.
AB  - Wild peanut relatives (Arachis spp.) are genetically diverse and were adapted to
      a range of environments during the evolution course, constituting an important
      source of allele diversity for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. The
      wild diploid A. stenosperma harbors high levels of resistance to a variety of
      pathogens, including the root-knot nematode (RKN) Meloidogyne arenaria, through
      the onset of the Hypersensitive Response (HR). In order to identify genes and
      regulators triggering this defense response, a comprehensive root transcriptome
      analysis during the first stages of this incompatible interaction was conducted
      using Illumina Hi-Seq. Overall, eight cDNA libraries were produced generating
      28.2 GB, which were de novo assembled into 44,132 contigs and 37,882 loci.
      Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and clustered according to
      their expression profile, with the majority being downregulated at 6 DAI, which
      coincides with the onset of the HR. Amongst these DEGs, 27 were selected for
      further qRT-PCR validation allowing the identification of nematode-responsive
      candidate genes that are putatively related to the resistance response. Those
      candidates are engaged in the salycilic (NBS-LRR, lipocalins, resveratrol
      synthase) and jasmonic (patatin, allene oxidase cyclase) acids pathways, and also
      related to hormonal balance (auxin responsive protein, GH3) and cellular
      plasticity and signaling (tetraspanin, integrin, expansin), with some of them
      showing contrasting expression behavior between Arachis RKN-resistant and
      susceptible genotypes. As these candidate genes activate different defensive
      signaling systems, the genetic (HR) and the induced resistance (IR), their
      pyramidding in one genotype via molecular breeding or transgenic strategy might
      contribute to a more durable resistance, thus improving the long-term control of
      RKN in peanut. 

PMID- 26488733
TI  - Interact with learning.

PMID- 26488734
TI  - Surgical site infection in elderly patients with hip fractures, silver-coated
      versus regular dressings: a randomised prospective trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Surgical site infection (SSI) after hip fracture surgery is a well
      known complication with serious consequences for both the patient and the medical
      system. Silver ion treatment is considered an effective antibacterial agent,
      however, the use of silver dressing (SD) in the primary prevention of SSIs is
      controversial. The aims of this study were to compare SD with regular dressing
      (RD) in the prevention of SSI in elderly patients undergoing surgery for hip
      fractures, and to compare costs. METHOD: A matched group of 55 patients with hip
      fractures undergoing surgery with dynamic hip screw, cephalomedullary nail or
      hemiarthroplasty were randomised to either SD or RD groups. The dressings were
      applied in the operating theatre, and the patients were followed for one week for
      clinical signs of infection (discharge, erythema and fever). The RDs were
      replaced daily. The SDs were not removed for 5-7 days and kept moist. Skin swabs
      were taken from the wound surface on postoperative day 5-7 for bacterial skin
      colonisation. RESULTS: The SD (n=31) and RD (n=24) groups were similar in age,
      sex and comorbidities. Infection signs were seen in two (2/31, 6.4%) of the SD
      patients compared with 2 (2/24, 8.3%) RD patients (p=1.0). Skin colonisation by
      bacteria at postoperative day 5-7 was tested in 27 patients: it was higher in the
      SD group (positive skin swab, 12/19, 63.2%) compared to the RD group (4/8, 50%,
      p=0.67). The use of SD added ~US$5 (UK ~L3.19) per patient. CONCLUSION: The use
      of SD was associated with higher costs than RD, but not superior in preventing
      SSIs in elderly patients undergoing hemiarthroplasty or fixation of hip
      fractures. SD was also not effective in reducing bacterial skin colonisation
      following hip fracture and surgery.

PMID- 26488735
TI  - Keratin gel in the management of Epidermolysis bullosa.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) describes a number of genetically inherited
      conditions which cause skin fragility and minor trauma leading to skin damage,
      skin loss and wounding. Owing to the fragility of the skin and requirement for
      frequent dressing changes, at present, the optimal dressing(s) is not clear. Our
      objective was to assess the use of a keratin gel in the management of wounds in
      patients with different forms of EB. METHOD: We treated patients with different
      types of EB and a range of wounds with a novel keratin gel. In a convenience
      sample of consecutive patients, we introduced the keratin gel into their
      treatment regimen maintaining other aspects of their care. RESULTS: Patients
      reported faster healing and more resilient healed skin. Of the ten patients
      treated in this pilot study, six found the gel effective; two found it
      ineffective; and in two patients, it caused itching leading to discontinuation of
      the treatment. CONCLUSION: The results of this case study series suggest that
      keratin gel can be useful in the management of EB and are consistent with
      previous published experiences.

PMID- 26488736
TI  - Hand amputations: epidemiology, management and resurfacing options for soft
      tissue coverage.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Agricultural hand injuries occur mainly among young adults, many
      affecting the dominant hand, thereby impeding patients' ability to work or cope
      with social obligations. This study was carried out with the aim of collecting
      data on the epidemiology and management of agricultural hand injuries in Indian
      subjects. METHOD: The study was conducted in the Department of Plastic and
      Reconstructive Surgery, JN Medical College, AMU, Aligarh, India, from October
      2009 to December 2013. Patients with agricultural hand injuries were included.
      Data collected included socio-demographic details, mode and type of injury, type
      of reconstruction, complications, length of hospital stay and assessment of post
      reconstruction status. These data were tabulated and analysed. RESULTS: The
      typical patient was young (mean 33.2 years), of lower socio-economic status and
      with a total disregard for safety regulations. There is clustering of cases
      during the wheat harvest season (April-June). Wheat thresher injuries were the
      most common cause of partial hand amputation (51%), especially during this
      season. This was followed by fodder cutting (kutti/chara) machine injury,
      especially in females and children (36%). A simple classification for these
      injuries has been described and Grade II injury was the commonest. Reverse radial
      forearm flap was the most suitable regional flap for coverage, whereas thoraco
      umbilical flap was the most commonly used distant flap. Patients who had the
      single-stage procedure had a significantly shorter stay. CONCLUSION: Agricultural
      hand injuries are not totally avoidable and their incidence can be reduced by
      proper education, but the low economic and literacy status of the patients is a
      big hurdle. The forearm offers many flaps for reconstruction of hand, which can
      be used in defects on dorsal or palmar aspect of hand and results in early
      discharge from the hospital and early rehabilitation. In patients with associated
      injury to the forearm, abdominal flaps can be used for cover.

PMID- 26488738
TI  - A national survey by the SDMA: use of evidence in nursing practice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recently, two surveys were conducted by the Surgical Dressing
      Manufacturers Association (SDMA) to investigate the evidence required to support
      wound care products. These showed very clearly that industry provides significant
      amounts of evidence in a way that appears to meet the expectations of relevant
      health professionals and their practice for treating patients with wounds. The
      responses of health professionals refuted the opinion that evidence may be
      lacking for wound care products. Hopefully, the results of these surveys also add
      weight to the argument that the Cochrane Review approach is not always the most
      appropriate for wound care-where the comorbidities of patients are variable and
      often plural.

PMID- 26488737
TI  - Comparative trial of Aloe vera/olive oil combination cream versus phenytoin cream
      in the treatment of chronic wounds.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Aloe vera is a medicinal plant that has been traditionally used to
      accelerate wound healing. Olive oil is also a natural product that may contribute
      to wound healing owing to its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. The
      present study aimed to evaluate the effect of an Aloe vera-olive oil (AVO)
      combination cream on the healing process of chronic wounds. METHOD: In this
      randomised, double-blind, comparator-controlled, parallel-group trial, patients
      with chronic wounds were treated with either AVO cream or phenytoin cream as the
      standard treatment for a period of 30 days. Wound healing was evaluated using
      Bates-Jensen assessment tool and the severity of pain was assessed using a visual
      analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: After initial assessment, 60 patients with chronic
      wounds (41 with pressure ulcer, 13 with diabetic wounds and 6 with venous
      ulcers), were recruited and randomised into 2 groups of 30. After 30 days of
      treatment, significant improvements in the wound size, depth, and edges; necrotic
      tissue type and amount; exudate type and amount; colour of wound surroundings;
      and peripheral tissue oedema score were observed in the AVO cream group
      (p<0.001). The total score of wound healing showed significant improvement with
      both AVO (p<0.001) and phenytoin (p<0.01) creams, although AVO was more
      efficacious (p<0.001). Likewise, although both treatments reduced the initial VAS
      score, the efficacy of AVO was significantly greater (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: AVO
      cream significantly accelerates biological healing of chronic wounds and helps to
      reduce pain severity with a higher efficacy compared with phenytoin cream.

PMID- 26488740
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26488739
TI  - Treatment of pressure ulcers in patients with declining renal function using
      arginine, glutamine and beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate.
AB  - The aim of this study is to examine the efficacy on healing pressure ulcers (PU)
      of using a supplement combination containing arginine, glutamine and beta-hydroxy
      beta-methylbutyrate, which was given to two elderly patients with renal
      dysfunction. The PU was surgically opened, decompressed and treated by drugs. A
      half quantity of the defined dose of the supplement combination, with an enteral
      nutrition product, was administered to the patients twice a day. This combination
      improved the PUs, with no effect on renal function. This novel finding may
      provide a nutritional rationale of arginine, glutamine and beta-hydroxy-beta
      methylbutyrate for PUs associated with renal dysfunction. 

PMID- 26488741
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26488743
TI  - Correction: Overcoming Stagnation in the Levels and Distribution of Child
      Mortality: The Case of the Philippines.

PMID- 26488742
TI  - Neuromuscular Activation of the Vastus Intermedius Muscle during Isometric Hip
      Flexion.
AB  - Although activity of the rectus femoris (RF) differs from that of the other
      synergists in quadriceps femoris muscle group during physical activities in
      humans, it has been suggested that the activation pattern of the vastus
      intermedius (VI) is similar to that of the RF. The purpose of present study was
      to examine activation of the VI during isometric hip flexion. Ten healthy men
      performed isometric hip flexion contractions at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of
      maximal voluntary contraction at hip joint angles of 90 degrees , 110 degrees 
      and 130 degrees . Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to record activity of
      the four quadriceps femoris muscles and EMG signals were root mean square
      processed and normalized to EMG amplitude during an isometric knee extension with
      maximal voluntary contraction. The normalized EMG was significantly higher for
      the VI than for the vastus medialis during hip flexion at 100% of maximal
      voluntary contraction at hip joint angles of 110 degrees  and 130 degrees  (P <
      0.05). The onset of VI activation was 230-240 ms later than the onset of RF
      activation during hip flexion at each hip joint angle, which was significantly
      later than during knee extension at 100% of maximal voluntary contraction (P <
      0.05). These results suggest that the VI is activated later than the RF during
      hip flexion. Activity of the VI during hip flexion might contribute to stabilize
      the knee joint as an antagonist and might help to smooth knee joint motion, such
      as in the transition from hip flexion to knee extension during walking, running
      and pedaling. 

PMID- 26488745
TI  - Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in 3 Persons, South Korea, 2015.
AB  - In May 2015, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection was
      laboratory confirmed in South Korea. Patients were a man who had visited the
      Middle East, his wife, and a man who shared a hospital room with the index
      patient. Rapid laboratory confirmation will facilitate subsequent prevention and
      control for imported cases. 

PMID- 26488744
TI  - Soluble CD40 Ligand in Sera of Subjects Exposed to Leishmania infantum Infection
      Reduces the Parasite Load in Macrophages.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While CD40L is typically a membrane glycoprotein expressed on
      activated T cells and platelets that binds and activates CD40 on the surface on
      antigen presenting cells, a soluble derivative (sCD40L) that appears to retain
      its biological activity after cleavage from cell membrane also exists. We
      recently reported that sCD40L is associated with clinical resolution of visceral
      leishmaniasis and protection against the disease. In the present study we
      investigated if this sCD40L is functional and exerts anti-parasitic effect in L.
      infantum-infected macrophages. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Macrophages from
      normal human donors were infected with L. infantum promastigotes and incubated
      with either sera from subjects exposed to L. infantum infection, monoclonal
      antibodies against human CD40L, or an isotype control antibody. We then evaluated
      infection by counting the number of infected cells and the number of parasites in
      each cell. We also measured a variety of immune modulatory cytokines in these
      macrophage culture supernatants by Luminex assay. The addition of sCD40L, either
      recombinant or from infected individuals' serum, decreased both the number of
      infected macrophages and number of intracellular parasites. Moreover, this
      treatment increased the production of IL-12, IL-23, IL-27, IL-15, and IL1beta
      such that negative correlations between the levels of these cytokines with both
      the infection ratio and number of intracellular parasites were observed.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: sCD40L from sera of subjects exposed to L. infantum is
      functional and improves both the control of parasite and production of
      inflamatory cytokines of infected macrophages. Although the mechanisms involved
      in parasite killing are still unclear and require further exploration, these
      findings indicate a protective role of sCD40L in visceral leishmaniasis.

PMID- 26488746
TI  - Spectrum-Dependent Spiro-OMeTAD Oxidization Mechanism in Perovskite Solar Cells.
AB  - We propose a spectrum-dependent mechanism for the oxidation of 2,2',7,7'
      tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9'-spirobifluorene (Spiro-OMeTAD) with
      bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide lithium salt (LiTFSI), which is commonly used in
      perovskite solar cells as the hole transport layer. The perovskite layer plays
      different roles in the Spiro-OMeTAD oxidization for various spectral ranges. The
      effect of oxidized Spiro-OMeTAD on the solar cell performance was observed and
      characterized. With the initial long-wavelength illumination (>450 nm), the
      charge recombination at the TiO2/Spiro-OMeTAD interface was increased due to the
      higher amount of the oxidized Spiro-OMeTAD. On the other hand, the increased
      conductivity of the Spiro-OMeTAD layer and enhanced charge transfer at the
      Au/Spiro-OMeTAD interface facilitated the solar cell performance.

PMID- 26488747
TI  - Neuroimaging Evaluation for First Attack of Unprovoked Nonfebrile Seizure in
      Pediatrics: When to Order?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of neuroimaging studies in evaluating pediatric
      patients presenting with a first attack of nonfebrile seizure. METHOD: We
      reviewed the medical records of pediatric patients aged 28 days to 12 years who
      were admitted between 1 January and 31 December 2013 with a first attack of
      unprovoked, afebrile seizure. These patients had undergone neuroimaging studies.
      The exclusion criterion was patients with known predisposing conditions for
      seizure. The computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      results were either normal or abnormal, and the abnormal ones were further
      classified into clinically insignificant or significant. Descriptive analysis was
      performed to summarize the data. RESULT: Fifty children were identified with a
      mean age of 5.2 +/- 3.8 years. Of the 50 subjects, 29 (58.0%) were males and 21
      (42.0%) were females. Sixteen patients (32.0%) had abnormal neuroimaging studies
      (CT scan, MRI or both); however, only 1 was considered to have a clinically
      significant abnormality, later diagnosed as Moyamoya disease. CONCLUSION: In this
      study, the neuroimaging studies were found not to be useful in evaluating
      pediatric patients presenting with a first attack of unprovoked, nonfebrile
      seizures.

PMID- 26488748
TI  - The Mediating Role of Early Maladaptive Schemas in the Relation between Co
      Rumination and Depression in Young Adults.
AB  - Research on co-rumination has investigated its relationship with internalizing
      symptoms, but few studies have addressed underlying maladaptive cognitive
      affective processes that may play an important role in the maintenance of this
      relation. This study examines if Young's schema domains mediate the relation
      between co-rumination and depression in a community sample of non-clinical young
      adults. Participants completed the Co-Rumination Questionnaire, Young Schema
      Questionnaire-L3, and Teate Depression Inventory. Correlations and path analysis
      were calculated for the full sample and separately by gender. The schema domains
      of Overvigilance/Inhibition and Other-Directedness fully mediated the relation
      between co-rumination and depression. When analyses were performed separately for
      males and females, mediation persisted only for females. Findings suggest that
      among young women, co-rumination with a friend may be associated with depressive
      symptoms because of its activation of specific maladaptive cognitive schemas.
      Better understanding of the content and processes underpinning co-rumination may
      have important implications for the prevention and treatment of depression. 

PMID- 26488749
TI  - Angiotensin Receptor Blockers Decrease the Risk of Major Adverse Cardiovascular
      Events in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease on Maintenance Dialysis: A
      Nationwide Matched-Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) cause the leading cause of
      morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on
      maintenance Hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD). Many randomized
      controlled trials (RCTs) have proved that angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)
      can reduce the risk of MACE in the people with normal or impaired kidney function
      without dialysis. This study seeks to clarify whether ARBs therapy could also
      attenuate this risk in patients with ESRD on maintenance dialysis. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The National Health Research Institute provided a database of one
      million random subjects for the study. A random sample was taken of 1800 patients
      >=18 years y/o with ESRD on dialysis without a history of MACE and use of ARBs
      within 6-months prior to enrollment. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis
      was used to identify the risk factors and compute the hazard ratios accompanying
      95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: In these 1800 patients, 1061 had never used
      ARBs, while 224 had used them for 1-90 days, and 515 had used them for more than
      90 days. We found that ARBs significantly decrease the incidences of acute
      myocardial infarctions (AMI), coronary artery diseases (CAD) requiring coronary
      stent or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), peripheral artery
      disease (PAD) requiring percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), and acute
      stroke. Cumulative prescription days of ARBs beyond 365-760 days or more were
      found to be negatively correlated with incidence of MACEs. For patients with dual
      comorbidity (i.e., mellitus and hyperlipidemia), 91-365 cumulative prescription
      days might also attenuate the risk. CONCLUSIONS: For patients on maintenance
      dialysis, the use of ARBs could significantly attenuate the risk of major
      cardiovascular events: AMI, acute stroke, and PAD requiring PTA.

PMID- 26488750
TI  - Projected Future Vegetation Changes for the Northwest United States and Southwest
      Canada at a Fine Spatial Resolution Using a Dynamic Global Vegetation Model.
AB  - Future climate change may significantly alter the distributions of many plant
      taxa. The effects of climate change may be particularly large in mountainous
      regions where climate can vary significantly with elevation. Understanding
      potential future vegetation changes in these regions requires methods that can
      resolve vegetation responses to climate change at fine spatial resolutions. We
      used LPJ, a dynamic global vegetation model, to assess potential future
      vegetation changes for a large topographically complex area of the northwest
      United States and southwest Canada (38.0-58.0 degrees N latitude by 136.6-103.0
      degrees W longitude). LPJ is a process-based vegetation model that
      mechanistically simulates the effect of changing climate and atmospheric CO2
      concentrations on vegetation. It was developed and has been mostly applied at
      spatial resolutions of 10-minutes or coarser. In this study, we used LPJ at a 30
      second (~1-km) spatial resolution to simulate potential vegetation changes for
      2070-2099. LPJ was run using downscaled future climate simulations from five
      coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (CCSM3, CGCM3.1(T47), GISS
      ER, MIROC3.2(medres), UKMO-HadCM3) produced using the A2 greenhouse gases
      emissions scenario. Under projected future climate and atmospheric CO2
      concentrations, the simulated vegetation changes result in the contraction of
      alpine, shrub-steppe, and xeric shrub vegetation across the study area and the
      expansion of woodland and forest vegetation. Large areas of maritime cool forest
      and cold forest are simulated to persist under projected future conditions. The
      fine spatial-scale vegetation simulations resolve patterns of vegetation change
      that are not visible at coarser resolutions and these fine-scale patterns are
      particularly important for understanding potential future vegetation changes in
      topographically complex areas. 

PMID- 26488751
TI  - Assessment of the Economic Impact of Belimumab for the Treatment of Systemic
      Lupus Erythematosus in the Italian Setting: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of
      belimumab, a new biological treatment specifically developed for the treatment of
      Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), in the Italian setting. SLE is a chronic non
      organ specific autoimmune disease characterized by a disregulation of the immune
      system that involves many organs and systems. METHODS: A cost-effectiveness micro
      simulation model with a lifetime horizon originally developed for the UK was
      adapted to the Italian setting. The analysis compared Standard of Care (SoC)
      alone vs belimumab plus SoC from a National Healthcare Service (NHS) and societal
      perspective. Health-economic consequences of treatments and organ damage
      progression were calculated. When available, Italian data were used, otherwise UK
      costs were converted using Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs). Utility values were
      based on the EQ-5DTM assessments in the belimumab clinical trials (BLISS 52 and
      76). Results were discounted with 3% for costs and effects. A maximum belimumab
      treatment duration of 6 years was assumed and wastage costs were considered.
      RESULTS: Cost per life year gained (Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio, ICER)
      and cost per Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) (Incremental Cost-Utility Ratio,
      ICUR) were ?22,990 and ?32,859, respectively. These values reduced to ?20,119 and
      ?28,754, respectively, when indirect costs were included. CONCLUSIONS: It may be
      concluded that in the Italian setting and according to the guidelines of the
      Italian Association of Health Economics (IAHE), belimumab was shown to be cost
      effective, in terms of both ICER and ICUR, (?25-40,000/QALY).

PMID- 26488752
TI  - Environmental Effects of Nanoceria on Seed Production of Common Bean (Phaseolus
      vulgaris): A Proteomic Analysis.
AB  - The rapidly growing literature on the response of edible plants to nanoceria has
      provided evidence of its uptake and bioaccumulation, which delineates a possible
      route of entry into the food chain. However, little is known about how the
      residing organic matter in soil may affect the bioavailability and resulting
      impacts of nanoceria on plants. Here, we examined the effect of nanoceria
      exposure (62.5-500 mg/kg) on kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) productivity and
      seed quality as a function of soil organic matter content. Cerium accumulation in
      the seeds produced from plants in organic matter enriched soil showed a dose
      dependent increase, unlike in low organic matter soil treatments. Seeds obtained
      upon nanoceria exposure in soils with higher organic matter were more susceptible
      to changes in nutrient quality. A quantitative proteomic analysis of the seeds
      produced upon nanoceria exposure provided evidence for upregulation of stress
      related proteins at 62.5 and 125 mg/kg nanoceria treatments. Although the plants
      did not exhibit overt toxicity, the major seed proteins primarily associated with
      nutrient storage (phaseolin) and carbohydrate metabolism (lectins) were
      significantly down-regulated in a dose dependent manner upon nanoceria exposure.
      This study thus suggests that nanoceria exposures may negatively affect the
      nutritional quality of kidney beans at the cellular and molecular level. More
      confirmatory studies with nanoceria along different species using alternative and
      orthogonal "omic" tools are currently under active investigation, which will
      enable the identification of biomarkers of exposure and susceptibility. 

PMID- 26488753
TI  - Reproduction in Risky Environments: The Role of Invasive Egg Predators in
      Ladybird Laying Strategies.
AB  - Reproductive environments are variable and the resources available for
      reproduction are finite. If reliable cues about the environment exist, mothers
      can alter offspring phenotype in a way that increases both offspring and maternal
      fitness ('anticipatory maternal effects'-AMEs). Strategic use of AMEs is likely
      to be important in chemically defended species, where the risk of offspring
      predation may be modulated by maternal investment in offspring toxin level,
      albeit at some cost to mothers. Whether mothers adjust offspring toxin levels in
      response to variation in predation risk is, however, unknown, but is likely to be
      important when assessing the response of chemically defended species to the
      recent and pervasive changes in the global predator landscape, driven by the
      spread of invasive species. Using the chemically defended two-spot ladybird,
      Adalia bipunctata, we investigated reproductive investment, including egg toxin
      level, under conditions that varied in the degree of simulated offspring
      predation risk from larval harlequin ladybirds, Harmonia axyridis. H. axyridis is
      a highly voracious alien invasive species in the UK and a significant intraguild
      predator of A. bipunctata. Females laid fewer, larger egg clusters, under
      conditions of simulated predation risk (P+) than when predator cues were absent
      (P-), but there was no difference in toxin level between the two treatments.
      Among P- females, when mean cluster size increased there were concomitant
      increases in both the mass and toxin concentration of eggs, however when P+
      females increased cluster size there was no corresponding increase in egg toxin
      level. We conclude that, in the face of offspring predation risk, females either
      withheld toxins or were physiologically constrained, leading to a trade-off
      between cluster size and egg toxin level. Our results provide the first
      demonstration that the risk of offspring predation by a novel invasive predator
      can influence maternal investment in toxins within their offspring. 

PMID- 26488754
TI  - Adsorption of Selected Antibiotics to Resins in Extracorporeal Blood
      Purification.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Extracorporeal blood purification systems (EBS) use specific
      adsorbents for the elimination of toxins and cytokines. The aim of this study was
      to test different adsorbents for their ability to reduce antibiotics in parallel
      to extracorporeal blood purification therapy. METHODS: The in vitro adsorption
      experiments were carried out in human plasma with a newly established hydrophobic
      resin (Amberchrom CG161c) and adsorbents commercially available and approved in
      the clinics. The concentration of antibiotic was chosen equivalent to the
      recommended therapeutic dosage applied intravenously and was measured in plasma
      using ELISA test kits and high-performance liquid chromatography methods.
      RESULTS: The adsorbent that reduced all tested antibiotics in plasma close to the
      detection limit was the dia MARS AC250, which is an activated charcoal involved
      in the Molecular Adsorbents Recirculation System. CONCLUSION: For better
      antibiotic monitoring in sepsis treatment, further investigations have to be
      performed to determine the clearance rate of antibiotics by different EBS
      devices.

PMID- 26488755
TI  - Secondary Structure Alterations of Histones H2A and H2B in X-Irradiated Human
      Cancer Cells: Altered Histones Persist in Cells for at Least 24 Hours.
AB  - We measured and compared the circular dichroism (CD) spectra and secondary
      structures of histone proteins H2A, H2B and their variants extracted from X
      irradiated and unirradiated human HeLa cells. Compared to unirradiated cells, a
      relative increase in alpha-helix structure and decrease in other secondary
      structures was observed in X-irradiated cells. These structural alterations
      persisted for at least 24 h, which is substantially longer than the 2 h generally
      known to be required for DNA double-strand break repair. 

PMID- 26488756
TI  - Triptolide Mitigates Radiation-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis.
AB  - Triptolide (TPL) may mitigate radiation-induced late pulmonary side effects
      through its inhibition of global pro-inflammatory cytokines. In this study, we
      evaluated the effect of TPL in C57BL/6 mice, the animals were exposed to
      radiation with vehicle (15 Gy), radiation with TPL (0.25 mg/kg i.v., twice weekly
      for 1, 2 and 3 months), radiation and celecoxib (CLX) (30 mg/kg) and sham
      irradiation. Cultured supernatant of irradiated RAW 264.7 and MLE-15 cells and
      lung lysate in different groups were enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays at 33 h.
      Respiratory rate, pulmonary compliance and pulmonary density were measured at 5
      months in all groups. The groups exposed to radiation with vehicle and radiation
      with TPL exhibited significant differences in respiratory rate and pulmonary
      compliance (480 +/- 75/min vs. 378 +/- 76/min; 0.6 +/- 0.1 ml/cm H2O/p kg vs. 0.9
      +/- 0.2 ml/cm H2O/p kg). Seventeen cytokines were significantly reduced in the
      lung lysate of the radiation exposure with TPL group at 5 months compared to that
      of the radiation with vehicle group, including profibrotic cytokines implicated
      in pulmonary fibrosis, such as IL-1beta, TGF- beta1 and IL-13. The radiation
      exposure with TPL mice exhibited a 41% reduction of pulmonary density and a 25%
      reduction of hydroxyproline in the lung, compared to that of radiation with
      vehicle mice. The trichrome-stained area of fibrotic foci and pathological
      scaling in sections of the mice treated with radiation and TPL mice were
      significantly less than those of the radiation with vehicle-treated group. In
      addition, the radiation with TPL-treated mice exhibited a trend of improved
      survival rate compared to that of the radiation with vehicle-treated mice at 5
      months (83% vs. 53%). Three radiation-induced profibrotic cytokines in the
      radiation with vehicle-treated group were significantly reduced by TPL treatment,
      and this partly contributed to the trend of improved survival rate and pulmonary
      density and function and the decreased severity of pulmonary fibrosis at 5
      months. Our findings indicate that TPL could be a potential new agent to mitigate
      radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis. 

PMID- 26488757
TI  - A Simple Model to Quantify Radiolytic Production following Electron Emission from
      Heavy-Atom Nanoparticles Irradiated in Liquid Suspensions.
AB  - We present a simple model for a component of the radiolytic production of any
      chemical species due to electron emission from irradiated nanoparticles (NPs) in
      a liquid environment, provided the expression for the G value for product
      formation is known and is reasonably well characterized by a linear dependence on
      beam energy. This model takes nanoparticle size, composition, density and a
      number of other readily available parameters (such as X-ray and electron
      attenuation data) as inputs and therefore allows for the ready determination of
      this contribution. Several approximations are used, thus this model provides an
      upper limit to the yield of chemical species due to electron emission, rather
      than a distinct value, and this upper limit is compared with experimental
      results. After the general model is developed we provide details of its
      application to the generation of HO* through irradiation of gold nanoparticles
      (AuNPs), a potentially important process in nanoparticle-based enhancement of
      radiotherapy. This model has been constructed with the intention of making it
      accessible to other researchers who wish to estimate chemical yields through this
      process, and is shown to be applicable to NPs of single elements and mixtures.
      The model can be applied without the need to develop additional skills (such as
      using a Monte Carlo toolkit), providing a fast and straightforward method of
      estimating chemical yields. A simple framework for determining the HO* yield for
      different NP sizes at constant NP concentration and initial photon energy is also
      presented.

PMID- 26488759
TI  - Alterations in electrodermal activity and cardiac parasympathetic tone during
      hypnosis.
AB  - Exploring autonomic nervous system (ANS) changes during hypnosis is critical for
      understanding the nature and extent of the hypnotic phenomenon and for
      identifying the mechanisms underlying the effects of hypnosis in different
      medical conditions. To assess ANS changes during hypnosis, electrodermal activity
      and pulse rate variability (PRV) were measured in 121 young adults. Participants
      either received hypnotic induction (hypnosis condition) or listened to music
      (control condition), and both groups were exposed to test suggestions. Blocks of
      silence and experimental sound stimuli were presented at baseline, after
      induction, and after de-induction. Skin conductance level (SCL) and high
      frequency (HF) power of PRV measured at each phase were compared between groups.
      Hypnosis decreased SCL compared to the control condition; however, there were no
      group differences in HF power. Furthermore, hypnotic suggestibility did not
      moderate ANS changes in the hypnosis group. These findings indicate that hypnosis
      reduces tonic sympathetic nervous system activity, which might explain why
      hypnosis is effective in the treatment of disorders with strong sympathetic
      nervous system involvement, such as rheumatoid arthritis, hot flashes,
      hypertension, and chronic pain. Further studies with different control conditions
      are required to examine the specificity of the sympathetic effects of hypnosis. 

PMID- 26488760
TI  - Innovative technology for colostomy irrigation: assessing the impact on patients.
AB  - AIM: The main purpose of the trial was to evaluate the opinions expressed by a
      sample of subjects with permanent colostomy, as a result of the use of a new
      device designed for the execution of transtomal intestinal irrigation; their
      feedback was analyzed in relation to the concept of Quality of Life. METHODS: The
      device was tested on a sample of 14 colostomized patients (10 men and 4 women,
      aged between 42 and 77 years) who were used to perform intestinal irrigation
      procedures independently and routinely, with standard technique. After testing
      the new device, the patients included in the study were asked to fill out a
      questionnaire built ad hoc for their situation. RESULTS: The analysis of the data
      collected led to the following conclusions: 93% of the patients described the new
      irrigation method as simpler than the standard procedure; the majority of the
      patients assessed bowel emptying as good; 64% of patients reported excellent
      comfort experienced during the procedure; the presence of a regulator to adjust
      the instillation speed of water into the intestinal lumen was considered useful
      to control the flow of the incoming fluid CONCLUSION: The use of the device
      guaranteed: psychological tranquility, minimum manual intervention, full
      achievement of the expected results and decrease in the issues normally
      encountered with the standard irrigation method. The practical features of the
      new device ensure easy and straightforward carrying out of the procedure; this
      ease of use affects the stomized patient's everyday life by reducing the time of
      procedure completion, thus positively influencing the perception of the patients'
      Quality of Life.

PMID- 26488758
TI  - FAS Death Receptor: A Breast Cancer Subtype-Specific Radiation Response Biomarker
      and Potential Therapeutic Target.
AB  - Although a standardized approach to radiotherapy has been used to treat breast
      cancer, regardless of subtype (e.g., luminal, basal), recent clinical data
      suggest that radiation response may vary significantly among subtypes. We
      hypothesized that this clinical variability may be due, in part, to differences
      in cellular radiation response. In this study, we utilized RNA samples for
      microarray analysis from two sources: 1. Paired pre- and postirradiation breast
      tumor tissue from 32 early-stage breast cancer patients treated in our unique
      preoperative radiation Phase I trial; and 2. Sixteen biologically diverse breast
      tumor cell lines exposed to 0 and 5 Gy irradiation. The transcriptome response to
      radiation exposure was derived by comparing gene expression in samples before and
      after irradiation. Genes with the highest coefficient of variation were selected
      for further evaluation and validated at the RNA and protein level. Gene editing
      and agonistic antibody treatment were performed to assess the impact of gene
      modulation on radiation response. Gene expression in our cohort of luminal breast
      cancer patients was distinctly different before and after irradiation. Further,
      two distinct patterns of gene expression were observed in our biologically
      diverse group of breast cancer cell lines pre- versus postirradiation. Cell lines
      that showed significant change after irradiation were largely luminal subtype,
      while gene expression in the basal and HER2+ cell lines was minimally impacted.
      The 100 genes with the most significant response to radiation in patients were
      identified and analyzed for differential patterns of expression in the radiation
      responsive versus nonresponsive cell lines. Fourteen genes were identified as
      significant, including FAS, a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family
      known to play a critical role in programed cell death. Modulation of FAS in
      breast cancer cell lines altered radiation response phenotype and enhanced
      radiation sensitivity in radioresistant basal cell lines. Our findings suggest
      that cell-type-specific, radiation-induced FAS contributes to subtype-specific
      breast cancer radiation response and that activation of FAS pathways may be
      exploited for biologically tailored radiotherapy.

PMID- 26488761
TI  - Obstructive jaundice secondary to endoclip migration into common bile duct after
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
AB  - Obstructive jaundice is a rare condition due to foreign body in common bile. In
      this article we report a 69 year-old man who was diagnosed obstructive jaundice
      secondary to the endoscopic clip migration. The patient had been performed
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy 5 years ago and had recovered without any
      complications. He presented with abdominal pain and jaundice. The magnetic
      resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) revealed filling defect in choledoch
      consistent with a bile duct stone. The endoscopic retrograde
      cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) exhibited an endoclip migration into the common
      bile duct which caused bile duct stone. Endoclips can migrate into bile duct and
      cause obstructive jaundice. ERCP is the first option for its treatment. 

PMID- 26488762
TI  - Evaluation of the clinical performance of a new foam with silver sulfadiazine 1.

PMID- 26488763
TI  - Combined robotically-assisted laparoscopic left hepatectomy and total
      hysterectomy of enlarged uterus.

PMID- 26488764
TI  - Our preliminary experiences in topical administration of insulin in addition to
      vacuum assisted closure for wound healing in diabetic patients.

PMID- 26488765
TI  - How can the risk of medicolegal claims in Italy be reduced?

PMID- 26488766
TI  - The Development of Functional Overreaching Is Associated with a Faster Heart Rate
      Recovery in Endurance Athletes.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to investigate whether heart rate recovery
      (HRR) may represent an effective marker of functional overreaching (f-OR) in
      endurance athletes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-one experienced male triathletes
      were tested (10 control and 21 overload subjects) before (Pre), and immediately
      after an overload training period (Mid) and after a 2-week taper (Post).
      Physiological responses were assessed during an incremental cycling protocol to
      exhaustion, including heart rate, catecholamine release and blood lactate
      concentration. Ten participants from the overload group developed signs of f-OR
      at Mid (i.e. -2.1 +/- 0.8% change in performance associated with concomitant high
      perceived fatigue). Additionally, only the f-OR group demonstrated a 99% chance
      of increase in HRR during the overload period (+8 +/- 5 bpm, large effect size).
      Concomitantly, this group also revealed a >80% chance of decreasing blood lactate
      (-11 +/- 14%, large), plasma norepinephrine (-12 +/- 37%, small) and plasma
      epinephrine peak concentrations (-51 +/- 22%, moderate). These blood measures
      returned to baseline levels at Post. HRR change was negatively correlated to
      changes in performance, peak HR and peak blood metabolites concentrations.
      CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that i) a faster HRR is not systematically
      associated with improved physical performance, ii) changes in HRR should be
      interpreted in the context of the specific training phase, the athletes perceived
      level of fatigue and the performance response; and, iii) the faster HRR
      associated with f-OR may be induced by a decreased central command and by a lower
      chemoreflex activity.

PMID- 26488767
TI  - Prostate cancer incidence in 43 populations worldwide: An analysis of time trends
      overall and by age group.
AB  - Prostate cancer is a significant public health burden and a major cause of
      morbidity and mortality among men worldwide. Analyzing geographic patterns and
      temporal trends may help identify high-risk populations, suggest the degree of
      PSA testing, and provide clues to etiology. We used incidence data available from
      the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and certain cancer
      registries for 43 populations across five continents during a median period of 24
      years. Trends in overall prostate cancer rates showed five distinct patterns
      ranging from generally monotonic increases to peaking of rates followed by
      declines, which coincide somewhat with changes in the prevalence of PSA testing.
      Trends in age-specific rates generally mirrored those in the overall rates, with
      several notable exceptions. For populations where overall rates increased rapidly
      and then peaked, exemplified in North America and Oceania, the highest incidence
      tended to be most pronounced and occurred during earlier calendar years among
      older men compared with younger ones. For populations with almost continual
      increases in overall rates, exemplified in Eastern Europe and Asia, peaks were
      evident among men aged >= 75 years in many instances. Rates for ages 45-54 years
      did not clearly stabilize or decline in the majority of studied populations.
      Global geographic variation remained substantial for both overall and age
      specific incidence rates regardless of levels of PSA testing, with the lowest
      rates consistently in Asia. Explanations for the persistent geographic
      differences and the continuing increases of especially early-onset prostate
      cancer remain unclear.

PMID- 26488768
TI  - Methyltransferase-like 17 physically and functionally interacts with estrogen
      receptors.
AB  - Estrogen exerts its physiological and pathological functions through two estrogen
      receptors (ERs), ERalpha and ERbeta, which act as transcription factors.
      Coregulators, including coactivators and corepressors, have been shown to be
      crucial for regulation of ER transcriptional activity. Although many coregulators
      have been identified to regulate activities of ERs, novel coregulators are still
      needed to be investigated. Here, we show that human methyltransferase-like 17
      (METTL17), whose function is unknown, physically interacts with ERalpha and
      ERbeta, and functionally acts as a coactivator for ERs. METTL17 interacts with ER
      in vitro and in yeast and mammalian cells. Activation function-1 (AF1) and AF2
      domains of ERs are responsible for the interaction between METTL17 and ERs.
      Knockdown of METTL17 reduces transcriptional activities of ERalpha and ERbeta in
      breast cancer cells, whereas METTL17 overexpression increases ERalpha and ERbeta
      transcriptional activities. Inhibition of METTL17 expression decreases mRNA and
      protein levels of ER target genes, including PR, cathepsin D, and pS2. Moreover,
      METTL17 knockdown reduces breast cancer cell growth. These results indicate that
      METTL17 is a novel coactivator of ERs and may play a role in breast
      tumorigenesis.

PMID- 26488769
TI  - Scale-down of continuous protein producing Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultivations
      using a two-compartment system.
AB  - In the biotechnological industry, economic decisions in investment are typically
      based on laboratory-scale experiments. Scale-down as a tool is therefore of high
      industrial importance to transfer the processes into larger production scale
      without loss in performance. In this study, large-scale prolonged continuous
      cultivations with a heterologous protein producing Saccharomyces cerevisiae
      strain have been scaled-down to a two-compartment scale-down reactor system. The
      effects of glucose, pH, and oxygen concentration gradients have been investigated
      by comparison with corresponding 300 mL standard continuous cultivations. It was
      found that substrate gradients within a limited range result in increased
      productivity of the heterologous protein under regulation of glycolytic TPI
      promoter and delay the decrease of protein and trehalose production during
      continuous cultivation. Based on these results, it is argued that introduction of
      variations in substrate concentration can be beneficial for industrial continuous
      cultivations.

PMID- 26488771
TI  - Does the Presence of Risk Factors for Fetal Growth Restriction Increase the
      Probability of Antenatal Detection? A French National Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Screening for fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a major component of
      prenatal care. We investigated whether the presence of maternal and pregnancy
      risk factors for FGR improves the antenatal suspicion of FGR for infants born
      small-for-gestational age (SGA) as well as their impact on screening specificity.
      METHODS: Data are from a representative sample of births from the 2010 French
      National Perinatal Survey (n = 14 100). Detection of FGR was determined by a
      suspicion of FGR noted in medical charts. Analyses were performed for singleton
      infants with birthweight under the 10th percentile (SGA), under the 3rd
      percentile (severely SGA), and above the 10th percentile (false positives) of
      French references. We studied risk factors for FGR (medical and obstetric
      conditions, advanced maternal age, nulliparity, body mass index and smoking)
      using multivariable Poisson regression to derive adjusted risk ratios (aRR).
      RESULTS: Of SGA infants, 21.7% were suspected of FGR. The presence of obstetric
      and medical risk factors for FGR was associated with higher suspicion among SGA
      infants [RR 2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7, 2.7]. However, despite the
      presence of these factors, 60% and 40% of SGA and severely SGA infants,
      respectively, were not suspected of FGR. Two per cent of normal birthweight
      infants were suspected of FGR, increasing to 5% when obstetric and medical risk
      factors were present. Smoking and older maternal age were unrelated to suspicion
      while females were more likely to be suspected of FGR. CONCLUSION: Our results
      suggest that better risk assessment could improve antenatal identification of
      FGR. Sex-specific fetal growth references should be used to avoid systematic bias
      linked to sex.

PMID- 26488770
TI  - Musculoskeletal Symptoms and Risk of Burnout in Child Care Workers - A Cross
      Sectional Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: German child care workers' job satisfaction is influenced by the
      consequences of unfavourable underlying conditions. Child care workers tend to
      suffer from psychosocial stress, as they feel that their work is undervalued. The
      objective of the present study is to investigate how the psychosocial factors of
      the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model influence musculoskeletal symptoms (MS)
      and the risk of burnout. To our knowledge this is the first study investigating
      the association between the factors of the ERI model and MS in child care
      workers. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Data from 199 child care workers were examined in
      a cross-sectional study. Psychosocial factors were recorded with the ERI
      questionnaire. MS was recorded with the Nordic Questionnaire and risk of burnout
      with the Personal Burnout scale of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Multivariate
      analysis was performed using linear and logistic regression models. The response
      rate was 57%. In most of the sample (65%), an effort-reward imbalance was
      observed. 56% of the child care workers were at risk of burnout and 58% reported
      MS. Factors associated with risk of burnout were subjective noise exposure (OR:
      4.4, 95%CI: 1.55-12.29) and overcommitment (OR: 3.4; 95%CI: 1.46-7.75). There
      were statistically significant associations between MS and overcommitment (low
      back pain-OR: 2.2, 95%CI: 1.04-4.51), low control (overall MS OR: 3.8; 95%CI:
      1.68-3.37) and risk of burnout (overall MS OR: 2.3, 95%CI: 1.01-5.28). For ERI no
      statistically significant associations were found with reference to risk of
      burnout or MS. CONCLUSION: Overcommitment in child care workers is related to MS
      and risk of burnout. There is also evidence that low control is associated with
      MS and subjective noise exposure with risk of burnout. Effort-reward imbalance is
      not related to either outcome. This occupational health risk assessment
      identifies changeable working factors in different types of facilities.

PMID- 26488773
TI  - How Can We Improve Outcomes Assessment?

PMID- 26488772
TI  - Systemic Lead Toxicity.
AB  - A 4-year-old girl with slow mentation had increasing knee tenderness and limping
      gait. 

PMID- 26488774
TI  - Femoral Bone Plug in Total Knee Replacement.
AB  - The intramedullary alignment guides used in total knee replacement disrupt the
      intramedullary vessels, resulting in greater postoperative blood loss. The use of
      an autologous bone plug to seal the intramedullary femoral canal has been shown
      to be effective in reducing postoperative bleeding. The authors present a simple
      technique to create a bone plug from the anterior chamfer femoral cut to
      perfectly seal the intramedullary canal of the femur.

PMID- 26488775
TI  - Outcomes of a Newer-Generation Cementless Total Knee Arthroplasty Design.
AB  - Newer-generation cementless total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) aim to improve
      durability, function, and longevity. In a large series of cementless TKAs at a
      mean 4-year follow-up, the authors evaluated (1) survivorship, (2) range of
      motion, (3) patient-reported outcomes, and (4) complications. Mean age was 66
      years (range, 34-88 years) and mean body mass index was 32.5 kg/m(2) (range, 20
      54 kg/m(2)). Aseptic and septic implant survivorships were 99.6% and 99.5%,
      respectively. Mean extension, flexion, and Knee Society scores improved
      significantly. There were 3 septic failures. Aseptic failures included 3 aseptic
      loosenings, 1 polyethylene revision, and 1 revision to a cemented patella. This
      study showed excellent clinical and patient-reported outcomes of cementless TKA.

PMID- 26488776
TI  - Optimizing Stability in Femoral Neck Fracture Fixation.
AB  - Optimizing stability of femoral neck fracture fixation is important in obtaining
      a successful outcome. The mechanical problems and strategies for achieving
      optimal stability differ depending on patients' age and degree of osteoporosis.
      Femoral neck fractures in younger adults usually result from high-energy trauma
      and have a vertical fracture pattern. Strategies for optimizing fixation
      stability in this group include placing additional screws at right angles to the
      fracture plane and medial buttress plate augmentation. In elderly patients, screw
      position relative to the intact cortical femoral neck bone is of critical
      importance. Additional strategies for optimizing fixation stability in this group
      include the concept of length stable fixation, use of adjunctive calcium
      phosphate cement, and use of novel fixed angle fixation implants.

PMID- 26488777
TI  - Protocol-Based Arthroplasty: Less Is More.
AB  - EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: As a result of reading this article, physicians should be
      able to: 1. State an argument for, and background information on, patient
      centered arthroplasty protocols. 2. Describe specific recommendations for
      designing a simplified arthroplasty care pathway that is reproducible in other
      institutions. 3. Discuss cost-effectiveness research on the latest value
      delivering protocols. 4. Recognize areas of continued research and opportunities
      for future improvement in protocol development. Total joint arthroplasty is a
      successful orthopedic procedure that is performed in high volume in the United
      States and internationally. As economic pressures continue to mount in the US
      health care system, it will become increasingly important to minimize cost and
      improve quality and value. At the authors' institution, a protocol-based
      arthroplasty model is used, in many ways based on simplification of the patient
      care pathway. The largely evidence-based protocol has its foundation in
      eliminating unnecessary dogmatic practices, enhancing the patient experience, and
      achieving cost-effectiveness. The authors believe that a model like this can be
      applied to joint arthroplasty practices across the country in the future to
      maximize the value delivered to patients.

PMID- 26488778
TI  - Bilateral Portal Percutaneous Endoscopic Debridement and Lavage for Lumbar
      Pyogenic Spondylitis.
AB  - Common management approaches for spinal infections include conservative
      administration of antibiotics and aggressive surgical debridement. Minimally
      invasive endoscopic treatment has been reported and is gaining widespread
      attention because of its simplicity and effectiveness. This study retrospectively
      evaluated the clinical outcomes of bilateral portal percutaneous endoscopic
      debridement and lavage with dilute povidone-iodine solution in the treatment of
      patients with lumbar pyogenic spondylitis. From January 2007 to December 2011, a
      total of 22 patients diagnosed with single-level lumbar pyogenic spondylitis
      underwent bilateral portal percutaneous endoscopic debridement and lavage with
      dilute povidone-iodine solution at the authors' institution. Clinical outcomes
      were assessed by careful physical examination, visual analog scale pain score,
      modified MacNab criteria functional score, regular serologic testing, and imaging
      studies to determine whether percutaneous endoscopic debridement and lavage
      treatment was successful or if surgical intervention was required. Causative
      bacteria were identified in 19 (86.4%) of 22 biopsy specimens. Eighteen patients
      had satisfactory relief of back pain and uneventful recovery after this
      treatment. The success rate was 81.8% (18 of 22). Both visual analog scale and
      modified MacNab criteria scores improved significantly in successfully treated
      patients. No major surgical complications were noted, except for 3 patients who
      had residual or subsequent paresthesia in the affected lumbar segment.
      Percutaneous endoscopic debridement and lavage is a minimally invasive procedure
      that can yield a higher bacterial diagnosis, relieve back pain, and help to
      eradicate lumbar pyogenic spondylitis. It is an effective alternative treatment
      for patients with spinal infection before extensive open surgery.

PMID- 26488779
TI  - Variability in Fluoroscopic Image Acquisition During Operative Fixation of Ankle
      Fractures.
AB  - The goal of this study was to determine whether injury, level of surgeon
      training, and patient factors are associated with increased use of fluoroscopy
      during open reduction and internal fixation of ankle fractures. These
      relationships are not well defined. The study was a retrospective chart review of
      patients treated at an academic institution with primary open reduction and
      internal fixation of an ankle. Patient demographics, including sex, age, and body
      mass index, were collected, as was surgeon year of training (residency and
      fellowship). Image acquisition data included total number of images, total
      imaging time, and cumulative dose. Ankle fractures were classified according to
      the Weber and Lauge-Hansen classifications and the number of fixation points.
      Bivariate analysis and multiple regression models were used to predict increasing
      fluoroscopic image acquisition. Alpha was set at 0.05. Of 158 patients
      identified, 58 were excluded. After bivariate analysis, fracture complexity and
      year of training showed a significant correlation with increasing image
      acquisition. After multiple regression analysis, fracture complexity and year of
      training remained clinically significant and were independent predictors of
      increased image acquisition. Increasing fracture complexity resulted in 20
      additional images, 16 additional seconds, and an increase in radiation of 0.7
      mGy. Increasing year of training resulted in an additional 6 images and an
      increase of 0.35 mGy in cumulative dose. The findings suggest that protocols to
      educate trainee surgeons in minimizing the use of fluoroscopy would be beneficial
      at all levels of training and should target multiple fracture patterns.

PMID- 26488780
TI  - National Trends in Operative Treatment of Pediatric Fractures in the Ambulatory
      Setting.
AB  - This study evaluated the expanding role of freestanding ambulatory surgery
      centers in pediatric fracture care based on the only national ambulatory surgery
      database within the United States. Released by the Centers for Disease Control
      and Prevention in 1996 and again in 2006, these reports were used to estimate the
      volume of outpatient pediatric operative fracture care in the United States over
      a decade, based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision,
      Clinical Modification, procedure codes. Particular attention focused on the
      prevalence of open vs closed vs percutaneous fixation. The estimated number of
      pediatric patients who presented to outpatient facilities and required operative
      fracture care between 1996 and 2006 increased by 88%, from 74,577 +/- 4663 to
      140,152 +/- 9138. During this time, the use of outpatient surgical services for
      pediatric fractures increased threefold, from 10% +/- 1% in 1996 to 32% +/- 2% in
      2006. An even greater preference for freestanding ambulatory surgery centers was
      observed during this same time by a factor of 7, from 3% +/- 1% to 21% +/- 4%.
      Additionally, a trend toward higher volumes of open and percutaneous fixation in
      freestanding ambulatory surgery centers and not in hospital-associated outpatient
      centers was observed. This study showed the expanding role of freestanding
      ambulatory surgery centers in the surgical treatment of pediatric fractures based
      on data from the only national ambulatory surgery database in the United States.
      The proportion of open and percutaneous treatment vs closed reduction of
      fractures in these facilities also greatly increased. Further study is needed to
      evaluate clinical outcomes and determine which fractures are most appropriately
      treated in the ambulatory vs hospital setting.

PMID- 26488781
TI  - Orthostetrics: Management of Orthopedic Conditions in the Pregnant Patient.
AB  - Managing orthopedic conditions in pregnant patients leads to challenges that must
      be carefully considered so that the safety of both the mother and the fetus is
      maintained. Both perioperative and intraoperative considerations must be made
      based on physiologic changes during pregnancy, risks of radiation, and
      recommendations for monitoring. Operative timing, imaging, and medication
      selection are also factors that may vary based on trimester and clinical
      scenario. Pregnancy introduces unique parameters that can result in undesirable
      outcomes for both mother and fetus if not handled appropriately. Ultimately,
      pregnant patients offer a distinct challenge to the orthopedic surgeon in that
      the well-being of 2 patients must be considered in all aspects of care. In
      addition, not only does pregnancy affect the management of orthopedic conditions
      but the pregnant state also causes physiologic changes that may actually induce
      various pathologies. These pregnancy-related orthopedic conditions can interfere
      with an otherwise healthy pregnancy and should be recognized as possible
      complications. Although the management of orthopedic conditions in pregnancy is
      often conservative, pregnancy does not necessarily preclude safely treating
      pathologies operatively. When surgery is considered, regional anesthesia provides
      less overall drug exposure to the fetus and less variability in fetal heart rate.
      Intraoperative fluoroscopy can be used when appropriate, with 360 degrees  fetal
      shielding if possible. Lateral decubitus positioning is ideal to prevent
      hypotension associated with compression of the inferior vena cava.

PMID- 26488783
TI  - Glomus Tumors: A Review of Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Detect
      Satellite Lesions.
AB  - Glomus tumors are malformations of the neuromyoarterial system that commonly
      develop in the digits and cause exquisite tenderness, especially with cold
      temperatures. Treatment typically involves surgical excision, although there is a
      tendency to avoid aggressive resections, which may lead to aesthetically
      displeasing nail plate deformities. In a minority of patients, symptoms may
      persist and the tumor may recur. The etiology of the persistent of symptoms is
      debatable. One theory for the persistence of symptoms is an incomplete initial
      excision of the glomus tumor. Another theory suggests that clinically unapparent
      satellite lesions exist at the time of diagnosis that are not excised, and they
      later mature into symptomatic recurrent tumors. Although not clinically visible,
      if present, these satellite lesions should be seen on preoperative magnetic
      resonance imaging. The authors reviewed all cases of pathology-confirmed glomus
      tumors in the past 7 years at a single institution in which preoperative magnetic
      resonance imaging using a high-powered 3.0 Tesla (General Electric,
      Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom) magnet was performed. Six cases met inclusion
      criteria and only 1 case developed a recurrent glomus tumor. None of the cases
      were found to have satellite lesions associated with the primary glomus tumor on
      magnetic resonance imaging. Preventing recurrence seems to be dependent on the
      completeness of the initial excision. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging is
      a valuable tool used to delineate the extent of the tumor for surgical planning.

PMID- 26488782
TI  - Obesity Increases Early Complications After High-Energy Pelvic and Acetabular
      Fractures.
AB  - Elevated body mass index has been identified as a potential risk factor for
      complications in operatively treated pelvic trauma. Although obesity is an
      independent risk factor for morbidity and mortality following high-energy blunt
      force trauma, there is little information on the immediate complications
      following isolated pelvic and acetabular fractures in obese patients with trauma.
      The authors hypothesized that obesity (body mass index >=30 kg/m(2)) is a risk
      factor for complications in both operative and nonoperative pelvic and acetabular
      fractures. The authors conducted a 5-year retrospective data collection of all
      patients with isolated pelvic and acetabular fractures presenting to a Level I
      trauma center, excluding pediatric (age <18 years) patients, those with ballistic
      injuries, and those with concomitant long bone fractures or an Abbreviated Injury
      Scale score of greater than 2 in any other body region. Complications during the
      immediate hospitalization period were identified by the institution's Trauma
      Registry of the American College of Surgeons database, including wound infection,
      dehiscence, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolus, pneumonia, and development
      of decubitus ulcers. Mean body mass index was 27.4 +/- 6.8 kg/m(2), with 68
      (27.0%) obese patients. Mean body mass index of patients with complications was
      significantly higher (31.9 +/- 9.5 vs 27.0 +/- 6.5 kg/m(2); P=.001). Logistic
      regression showed that obesity was a significant risk factor for complications
      (odds ratio, 2.87; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-8.04), after adjusting for age
      (odds ratio, 1.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.06) and Injury Severity Score
      (odds ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.32). Obesity is associated
      with increasing complications following operative fixation of pelvic and
      acetabular fractures. However, it is important to recognize that even
      nonoperative management of pelvic and acetabular fractures in obese patients can
      have early complications. This study showed a significant obesity-related risk of
      complications after trauma in both operative and nonoperative pelvic injuries.

PMID- 26488784
TI  - Radiostereometric and Radiographic Analysis of Glenoid Component Motion After
      Total Shoulder Arthroplasty.
AB  - Aseptic glenoid component loosening is a common cause of total shoulder
      arthroplasty (TSA) failure, but early detection is difficult because pain often
      appears late and radiolucent lines are of uncertain significance. This study
      sought to answer the following questions: (1) What types of glenoid component
      motion may be observed during the first 3 years following implantation?; (2) Is
      the appearance of radiolucent lines around the glenoid component a reliable
      indicator of component motion?; and (3) Are clinical outcomes correlated with
      early glenoid component motion within the first 3 years after TSA? Eleven
      patients (mean age, 60.6 years) underwent TSA using a cemented, all-polyethylene
      glenoid component with tantalum bead implantation. Clinical outcomes (American
      Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons [ASES] score, visual analog scale [VAS] pain score,
      and range of motion) were compared pre- and postoperatively, and radiolucencies
      were graded according to the criteria of Lazarus et al. Patients were evaluated
      using radiostereometric analysis at 6 months and 1, 2, and 3 years
      postoperatively to measure component micromotion in translation and rotation. At
      a mean follow-up of 50.2 months, mean ASES score had improved from 30.3 to 81.3
      (P<.001), mean VAS pain score had improved from 8 to 1 (P<.001), active forward
      flexion had improved from 109 degrees  to 155 degrees  (P=.001), active external
      rotation had improved from 28 degrees  to 54 degrees  (P=.003), and internal
      rotation had improved from the level of the sacrum to L3 (P=.002). Radiolucencies
      were detected around none of the components at 1 year, 6 components at 2 years,
      and 5 components at 3 years, and these radiolucencies were mostly found around
      components that experienced high levels of rotational motion.

PMID- 26488785
TI  - Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency and Its Association With Metabolic Disease in
      Korean Orthopedic Patients.
AB  - Vitamin D is considered essential for bone and muscle health, and some studies
      have demonstrated the positive effects of vitamin D on metabolic diseases and
      cancer. Nevertheless, a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency has been reported
      in various populations, regardless of country or race. However, no studies
      regarding the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Korean orthopedic patients
      currently exist. This cross-sectional study included 272 male and 937 female
      patients aged 50 years and older who were consecutively admitted to the authors'
      orthopedic department. Vitamin D (25-hydroxy vitamin D), bone turnover markers
      (osteocalcin, c-telopeptide), and bone mineral density were measured. The
      prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its association with other factors were
      evaluated. Mean patient age was 67.2 +/- 8.9 years, and mean level of vitamin D
      was 16.1 +/- 9.1 ng/mL. Overall, 91.2% of patients had deficient (<20 ng/mL;
      70.6%) or insufficient (20-30 ng/mL; 20.6%) levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D level
      did not vary by age group or sex. The level of vitamin D was significantly
      associated with osteocalcin, c-telopeptide, calcium, alkaline phosphatase, total
      cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glucose
      (P<.01). Vitamin D level in Korean orthopedic patients of this region was
      extremely low, regardless of sex and age. Although vitamin D was not directly
      associated with bone mineral density, there were significant associations between
      vitamin D and other factors related to bone health and metabolic diseases.

PMID- 26488786
TI  - Anatomic and Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in Patients Older Than 80 Years.
AB  - Anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and reverse total shoulder
      arthroplasty (RSA) are routinely performed in patients older than 80 years. Often
      unaware of the differences between the 2 procedures, patients may expect similar
      outcomes from these procedures. This article reports the outcomes of primary TSA
      and RSA in patients older than 80 years, with attention directed toward
      differences in outcomes between the procedures. The authors evaluated a
      consecutive series of patients who were at least 80 years old and were treated
      with primary shoulder arthroplasty and had a minimum follow-up of 2 years. Of
      these patients, 18 underwent primary TSA for osteoarthritis and 33 underwent
      primary RSA for rotator cuff tear arthropathy. Pain scores, function scores, and
      range of motion were evaluated preoperatively and at final follow-up.
      Perioperative and postoperative complications, transfusion rates, length of stay,
      and subjective satisfaction with the outcome were reported. In these patients,
      TSA and RSA were similarly effective in improving pain scores, functional scores,
      and range of motion measurements. Patients who had TSA reported significantly
      greater satisfaction with surgery and had superior American Shoulder and Elbow
      Society total and function scores, forward elevation, and external rotation, but
      similar net improvement from preoperative levels. Although no significant
      differences were shown in complications, length of stay, or requirement for
      transfusion, patients treated with RSA had higher rates of transfusion and
      postoperative complications. Both procedures were similarly effective treatments
      for patients older than 80 years and showed similar improvements in pain,
      function, and motion. Patients undergoing RSA were less likely to have good to
      excellent results, with higher complication and transfusion rates.

PMID- 26488787
TI  - Frozen Autograft-Prosthesis Composite Reconstruction in Malignant Bone Tumors.
AB  - Several methods are available using an endoprosthesis or biological
      reconstruction for malignant bone tumors. Methods that use allograft-prosthesis
      composites have shown promising results. In 1999, the authors developed a method
      of reconstruction that uses a tumor-bearing autograft treated with liquid
      nitrogen. This technique was modified to produce a pedicle frozen autograft to
      maintain anatomical continuity on one side. In this study, the results of bone
      reconstructions using frozen autograft-prosthesis composites were retrospectively
      evaluated. The demographic data, histological records, surgical procedures,
      functional scores, and complications of 22 patients who had bone sarcoma or
      metastasis and at least 2 years of follow-up were reviewed. There were 19
      patients with primary bone sarcoma and 3 with bone metastasis. Average age was 36
      years (range, 9-73 years), and mean follow-up was 63 months (range, 24-176
      months). Reconstructions were performed on 10 proximal femurs, 5 distal femurs, 4
      proximal tibias, 1 proximal humerus, 1 proximal radius, and 1 hemipelvis. There
      were 12 pedicle-freezing and 10 free-freezing procedures. Union rate was 90%
      (9/10), and average union time was 9.5 months. Average Musculoskeletal Tumor
      Society score was 89.3%. Complications included 1 fracture, 2 infections, 3 soft
      tissue recurrences, and 1 posterior interosseous nerve palsy. The authors
      concluded that the frozen autograft-prosthesis composite demonstrated excellent
      Musculoskeletal Tumor Society scores, a low complication rate, and a good union
      rate and was superior when used with the pedicle-freezing technique.

PMID- 26488788
TI  - Prediction of Clinically Significant Leg-Length Discrepancy in Congenital
      Disorders.
AB  - Leg-length discrepancy greater than 2 to 2.5 cm can potentially have an adverse
      effect on our walking and standing mechanisms and requires proper correction
      involving surgical treatment. However, for minor leg-length discrepancy in
      childhood, decision making for the indications for and timing of epiphysiodesis
      is difficult because of unpredictable final discrepancy. The purpose of this
      study was to analyze longitudinal changes of minor leg-length discrepancy in
      congenital disorders and to determine earlier predictive values for the
      clinically significant discrepancy. Twenty-one patients with congenital disorders
      who had minor leg-length discrepancy less than 2 cm at the first presentation
      were retrospectively evaluated. The patients were divided into 2 groups according
      to leg-length discrepancy at latest follow-up: the significant group (n=11) had
      25 mm or more of leg-length discrepancy and the minor group (n=10) had less than
      25 mm of leg-length discrepancy. The authors evaluated longitudinal changes of
      leg-length discrepancy within the first 10 years by mixed-effects regression
      model. All patients showed monotonically increasing leg-length discrepancy with
      age, except for 2 (neurofibromatosis type 1 and macrodactyly of the foot) who
      demonstrated fluctuating leg-length discrepancy. Mean annual rate of leg-length
      discrepancy change in the significant group was 2.1 mm across the first decade of
      life and was significantly larger than that in the minor group (difference in
      slope, 1.3 mm; P<.0001). In minor leg-length discrepancy associated with
      congenital disorders, the incidence of clinically significant leg-length
      discrepancy can be predictable by the annual rate of leg-length discrepancy
      change in the first decade of life.

PMID- 26488789
TI  - Gender Effect on the Outcome of Partial Medial Meniscectomy.
AB  - Complex posterior horn tears of the medial meniscus are common. Previous reports
      performed statistical stratifications to address the influence of gender on
      outcome following arthroscopic partial medial meniscectomy with variable
      conclusions. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical results of
      arthroscopic partial meniscectomy of the knee between men and women with complex
      medial meniscal tear type while controlling for other variables that may affect
      outcome. This study compared groups of 86 men and 49 women who were followed
      prospectively using the Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale, the visual analogue scale,
      and patient's satisfaction. Mean age at operation was 51 years and mean follow-up
      was 26 months. Mean Lysholm score improved from 69 preoperatively to 82.1
      postoperatively (P<.001) in the male group and from 64.2 preoperatively to 73.5
      postoperatively (P=.04) in the female group. At last follow-up, 68 (79%) men and
      35 (71%) women stated that they were satisfied with the operation. In both
      groups, the severity of chondral lesions was found to be negatively correlated to
      the preoperative score. Women had more severe chondral lesions at arthroscopy
      than men. This comparative study showed no significant difference between men and
      women in terms of clinical improvement following arthroscopic partial
      meniscectomies of complex tear types in stable knees with intact lateral
      meniscus. Women had lower functionality pre- and postoperatively, which
      correlated with more severe chondral degeneration at surgery compared with men.

PMID- 26488790
TI  - Relationship Between the Superior Gluteal Vessels and Nerve at the Greater
      Sciatic Notch.
AB  - Bleeding from the superior gluteal (SG) blood vessels at the greater sciatic
      notch is frequently encountered during acetabular fracture surgery. The purpose
      of this study is to define the positional anatomy of the superior gluteal vessels
      and nerve (SGVAN) at the greater sciatic notch. Twenty-three hemipelvi were
      dissected in whole human cadavers. The greater sciatic notch and SGVAN were
      visualized via a posterior surgical approach, identified deep in the greater
      sciatic notch, and traced superficially. Branches of the SGVAN and their
      anatomical relationship to each other were recorded. In the notch, SG arteries
      comprised a single vessel in 18 (78%) of 23 specimens, with all of these dividing
      at varying distances (1-3.5 cm) along the lateral ilium after dividing into
      superior and inferior branches. The SG artery branches were contiguous with
      periosteum of the bony notch in all specimens. More than 1 SG nerve branch was
      seen in the greater sciatic notch of all specimens, including an inferior branch
      that exited caudal or caudal-superficial to the SG vessels. The caudal-most SG
      nerve branch was directly adjacent to the bony notch's periosteum in 15 (65%) of
      23 specimens. The SGVAN are at risk in patients undergoing acetabular fracture
      surgery. Individuals performing surgery along the acetabulum's posterior column
      would expect to encounter a major SG nerve branch (deep inferior) before
      encountering the SG vessels in all cases. Iatrogenic injuries to the SGVAN might
      be prevented by avoiding use of cautery in this area if hemorrhage is
      encountered.

PMID- 26488791
TI  - Cementless Acetabular Reconstruction for Arthropathy in Old Acetabular Fractures.
AB  - This study was conducted to identify the factors influencing mechanical failure
      of cementless acetabular reconstruction for arthropathy after operative treatment
      of acetabular fractures. Fifty-six patients (56 hips) undergoing cementless total
      hip arthroplasty were enrolled and followed for a mean of 120 months (range, 60
      180 months). The 10-year survival rate, with mechanical failure (radiographic
      loosening or revision due to aseptic loosening) as the endpoint, was analyzed
      with respect to sex, age, body mass index (BMI), acetabular bone deficiency,
      sclerotic changes to the acetabulum, and use of the Trabecular Metal (TM) cup
      (Zimmer, Inc, Warsaw, Indiana). Mean 10-year survival rates of the acetabular
      component were as follows: 80% (range, 65%-96%) in males and 100% in females
      (P=.032); 77% (range, 60%-95%) in patients younger than 50 years and 91% (range,
      82%-100%) in older patients (P=.027); 88% (range, 78%-98%) in patients with a BMI
      less than 30 kg/m(2) and 81% (range, 74%-89%) in patients with a BMI of 30
      kg/m(2) or higher (P=.068); 54% (range, 32%-76%) in patients manifesting large
      acetabular deficiency and 90% (range, 78%-100%) in the remaining patients
      (P<.001); 78% (range, 65%-91%) in patients with the presence of sclerotic
      acetabulum and 92% (range, 86%-100%) in patients with the absence of sclerotic
      acetabulum (P=.022); and 82% (range, 73%-100%) in patients who received a
      conventional shell and 100% in patients who received the TM cup (P=.039). Male
      sex, age younger than 50 years, large acetabular deficiency, and sclerotic
      changes of the acetabulum were significant factors contributing to the mechanical
      failure of cementless acetabular reconstruction performed for old acetabular
      fractures treated with open reduction and internal fixation. Use of the TM cup
      seemed able to prolong the endurance of the acetabular component in the
      subsequent reconstruction.

PMID- 26488792
TI  - Snapping Knee Syndrome of the Medial Hamstrings.
AB  - Snapping of the medial hamstrings is a rare condition, with few cases reported
      throughout the literature. The snapping sensation reportedly occurs when a
      hamstring tendon passes over the medial tibial condyle, a muscle belly, or
      another tendon. The semitendinosus tendon is frequently involved, but concomitant
      involvement of the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons has also been described.
      Although the exact etiology remains unclear, authors have theorized that the
      condition results from a congenital malformation or degradation of the accessory
      tendinous expansions of the semitendinosus. Whereas most cases resolve with
      conservative treatments, select cases require surgical intervention. Both the
      distal surgical release and tendon harvest have proved viable surgical
      procedures, achieving symptom alleviation with minimal patient morbidity. In this
      article, a case of medial snapping hamstring tendons involving both the
      semitendinosus and gracilis tendons is reviewed. A 17-year-old African American
      girl presented with extreme pain and snapping on the posteromedial aspect of her
      knee was appreciated. Radiographs were ordered and showed no acute fracture, no
      acute dislocation, normal medial joint space, normal lateral joint space, and
      normal patellofemoral space. Conservative and surgical options were reviewed, and
      the patient elected to undergo harvest of the tendons. Four weeks
      postoperatively, the patient reported complete resolution of symptoms. To date,
      there has been no recurrence of symptoms. The authors hope to increase awareness
      of this condition and add to the existing body of literature.

PMID- 26488793
TI  - Use of Massive Allografts to Manage Hydatid Bone Disease of the Femur.
AB  - Hydatid disease is caused by the parasitic tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus.
      Osseous involvement accounts for 0.5% to 4% of cases in humans. Patients usually
      are from endemic zones and are initially asymptomatic, presenting with pain and
      edema at a later stage of disease. However, large lesions may present initially
      as pathologic fractures. Standard radiographs usually show expansive osteolytic
      lesions associated with initial cortical thinning, with compromise of the
      metaphysis or epiphysis, and may involve the diaphysis. The finding of periosteal
      reaction, osteocondensation, calcification, and clear delimitation of the lesions
      excludes the diagnosis of osseous hydatidosis. However, there are no specific
      radiographic signs in the affected bone. There is no generally accepted treatment
      algorithm for osseous hydatid disease. The usual treatment is surgical resection
      of the affected bone, followed by antihelmintic therapy. Some patients can be
      treated with intralesional procedures, such as curettage and allograft or
      polymethyl methacrylate cement. However, in some advanced cases, such as those
      with pathologic fractures or recurrences, wide resection may be needed. Several
      reconstructive alternatives have been reported, such as megaprosthesis, massive
      allograft, or alloprosthesis composite. The authors retrospectively reviewed 2
      cases of femoral hydatidosis treated with wide resection and reconstruction with
      massive bone allograft. One patient had 5 years of follow-up, and the other had 9
      years. No signs of relapse or complications were recorded, and functional
      outcomes evaluated with the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society scale showed excellent
      results. These 2 cases support the use of a massive bone allograft as a valid
      alternative to reconstruction after extensive bone resection for hydatidic
      disease.

PMID- 26488794
TI  - Cardiac Perforation and Multiple Emboli After Percutaneous Vertebroplasty.
AB  - Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive technique for treating
      vertebral compression fractures and tumors. Although percutaneous vertebroplasty
      is considered a relatively safe and technically simple procedure, it is also
      associated with life-threatening complications as a result of cement leakage,
      including cardiac perforation and pulmonary embolism. A 63-year-old woman
      underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty for an L3 vertebral fracture and had cement
      leaks into the inferior vena cava, pulmonary arteries, and right heart chambers,
      with a free wall perforation. Surgical removal of the cement emboli was
      recommended as a result of apparent penetration of the ventricle and the fragile
      nature of polymethyl methacrylate. A cardiopulmonary bypass was immediately
      performed via a right atriotomy. A foreign body 10 cm in length was removed from
      the right atrium and ventricle. Arteriotomies were then performed, and 4 cement
      filaments were retrieved from the pulmonary arteries. The inferior vena cava was
      also surgically opened, allowing extraction of a cement fragment that was 12 cm
      long. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient fully recovered.
      This is the first report of the migration of a cement fragment larger than 10 cm
      that had migrated and embedded in the heart chamber. This report showed that
      imaging analysis is valuable when cement leakage is detected during percutaneous
      vertebroplasty and can be used to avoid serious complications and improve patient
      outcomes.

PMID- 26488795
TI  - FE analysis of the effects of simplifications in experimental testing on
      micromotions of uncemented femoral knee implants.
AB  - Experimental testing of orthopaedic implants requires simplifications concerning
      load application and activities being analyzed. This computational study
      investigated how these simplifications affect micromotions at the bone-implant
      interface of an uncemented femoral knee implant. As a basis, validated in vivo
      loads of the stance phase of gait and a deep knee bend were adopted. Eventually,
      three configurations were considered: (i) simulation of the complete loading
      cycle; (ii) inclusion of only tibiofemoral loads (ignoring patellofemoral loads);
      and (iii) applying only a single peak tibiofemoral force. For all loading
      conditions the largest micromotions found at the proximal anterior flange.
      Without the patellofemoral force, peak micromotions increased 6% and 22% for gait
      and deep knee bend, respectively. By applying a single peak tibiofemoral force
      micromotions were overestimated. However, the peak micromotions corresponded to
      the maximum tibiofemoral force, and strong micromotion correlations were found
      between a complete loading cycle and a single peak load (R(2)  = 0.73 and R(2)  =
      0.89 for gait and deep knee bend, respectively). Deep knee bend resulted in
      larger micromotions than gait. Our study suggests that a simplified peak force
      can be used to assess the stability of cementless femoral components. For more
      robust testing, implants should be subjected to different loading modes. (c) 2015
      Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res
      34:812-819, 2016.

PMID- 26488796
TI  - Feasible, Efficient and Necessary, without Exception - Working with Sex Workers
      Interrupts HIV/STI Transmission and Brings Treatment to Many in Need.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW: High rates of partner change in sex work-whether in
      professional, 'transactional' or other context-disproportionately drive
      transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Several countries
      in Asia have demonstrated that reducing transmission in sex work can reverse
      established epidemics among sex workers, their clients and the general
      population. Experience and emerging research from Africa reaffirms unprotected
      sex work to be a key driver of sexual transmission in different contexts and
      regardless of stage or classification of HIV epidemic. This validation of the
      epidemiology behind sexual transmission carries an urgent imperative to realign
      prevention resources and scale up effective targeted interventions in sex work
      settings, and, given declining HIV resources, to do so efficiently. Eighteen
      articles in this issue highlight the importance and feasibility of such
      interventions under four themes: 1) epidemiology, data needs and modelling of sex
      work in generalised epidemics; 2) implementation science addressing practical
      aspects of intervention scale-up; 3) community mobilisation and 4) the treatment
      cascade for sex workers living with HIV. CONCLUSION: Decades of empirical
      evidence, extended by analyses in this collection, argue that protecting sex work
      is, without exception, feasible and necessary for controlling HIV/STI epidemics.
      In addition, the disproportionate burden of HIV borne by sex workers calls for
      facilitated access to ART, care and support. The imperative for Africa is rapid
      scale-up of targeted prevention and treatment, facilitated by policies and action
      to improve conditions where sex work takes place. The opportunity is a wealth of
      accumulated experience working with sex workers in diverse settings, which can be
      tapped to make up for lost time. Elsewhere, even in countries with strong
      interventions and services for sex workers, an emerging challenge is to find ways
      to sustain them in the face of declining global resources.

PMID- 26488797
TI  - Synthesis, Anticancer Activity, and Genome Profiling of Thiazolo Arene Ruthenium
      Complexes.
AB  - Sixteen hydrazinyl-thiazolo arene ruthenium complexes of the general formula
      [(eta(6)-p-cymene)Ru(N,N'-hydrazinyl-thiazolo)Cl]Cl were synthesized. All
      complexes were tested in vitro for their antiproliferative activity on three
      tumor cell lines (HeLa, A2780, and A2780cisR) and on a noncancerous cell line
      (HFL-1). A superior cytotoxic activity of the ruthenium complexes as compared to
      cisplatin and oxaliplatin, on both cisplatin-sensitive and cisplatin resistant
      ovarian cancer cells, was observed. In addition, the biological activity of two
      selected derivatives was evaluated using microarray gene expression assay and
      ingenuity pathway analysis. p53 signaling was identified as an important pathway
      modulated by both arene ruthenium compounds. New activated molecules such as FAS,
      ZMAT3, PRMT2, BBC3/PUMA, and PDCD4, whose overexpressions are correlated with
      overcoming resistance to cisplatin therapy, were also identified as potential
      targets. Moreover, the arene ruthenium complexes can be used in association with
      cisplatin to prevent cisplatin resistance development and synergistically to
      induce cell death in ovarian cancer cells. 

PMID- 26488798
TI  - Reply to: Glucarpidase for the Treatment of Methotrexate-Induced Renal
      Dysfunction and Delayed Methotrexate Excretion.

PMID- 26488799
TI  - Topical amitriptyline and ketamine for the treatment of neuropathic pain.
AB  - A neuropathy is a disturbance of function or pathological change in nerves. In
      some cases, peripheral neuropathic pain may occur due to a lesion or disease of
      the peripheral somatosensory nervous system. Efficacy of different agents for
      peripheral neuropathic pain conditions is less than optimal. The administration
      of topical analgesics might be an option, due to the potential of reduced adverse
      effects and increased patient compliance. There is major interest in compounding
      topical analgesics for peripheral neuropathic pain, but several challenges remain
      for this approach. Topical analgesics have the potential to be a valuable
      additional approach for the management of peripheral neuropathic pain. Topical
      amitriptyline-ketamine combination (AK) is a promising agent for peripheral
      neuropathic pain conditions. Some studies have shown its efficacy in neuropathic
      pain conditions. However, this data was not uniformely obtained and its role
      remains still controversial. Efficacy may depend on many factors, including the
      choice of the vehicle, the concentration, the pain site, and specific diseases.
      More studies are necessary to support the use of AK in clinical practice. 

PMID- 26488800
TI  - All-optical investigation of tunable picosecond magnetization dynamics in
      ferromagnetic nanostripes with a width down to 50 nm.
AB  - Ferromagnetic nanostripes are important elements for a number of interesting
      technologies including magnetic racetrack memory, spin logic and magnonics.
      Understanding and controlling magnetization dynamics in such nanostripes are
      hence important problems in nanoscience and technology. Here we present an all
      optical excitation and detection of ultrafast magnetization dynamics, including
      spin waves, in 5 MUm long Ni80Fe20 nanostripes with varying stripe widths from
      200 nm down to 50 nm. We observed a strong width dependent variation in the
      frequency, anisotropy and the spatial nature of spin waves in these systems. The
      effect of inter-stripe interaction is also studied and the 50 nm wide stripe is
      found to be nearly magnetostatically isolated, allowing us to detect the dynamics
      of a 50 nm wide individual stripe using an all-optical measurement technique. The
      tunability in magnetization dynamics with stripe widths is important for their
      applications in various spin based technologies. 

PMID- 26488801
TI  - Hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol sulfate metabolites protect against the oxidized
      cholesterol pro-oxidant effect in Caco-2 human enterocyte-like cells.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of the sulfate metabolites
      of hydroxytyrosol (HT) and tyrosol (TYR) to act as antioxidants counteracting the
      pro-oxidant effect of oxidized cholesterol in intestinal cells. For this purpose,
      we synthesized sulfate metabolites of HT and TYR using a chemical methodology and
      examined their antioxidant activity in Caco-2 monolayers in comparison with the
      parent compounds. Exposure to oxidized cholesterol led to ROS production,
      oxidative damage, as indicated by the MDA increase, a decrease of reduced
      glutathione concentration and an enhancement of glutathione peroxidase activity.
      All the tested compounds were able to counteract the oxidizing action of oxidized
      cholesterol; HT and TYR sulfate metabolites showed an efficiency in protecting
      intestinal cells comparable to that of the parent compounds, strengthening the
      assumption that the potential beneficial effect of the parent compounds is
      retained, although extensive metabolisation occurs, the resulting metabolites
      being able to exert a biological action themselves. 

PMID- 26488802
TI  - Incidence of Mastitis in the Neonatal Period in a Traditional Breastfeeding
      Society: Results of a Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mastitis is a painful problem experienced by breastfeeding women,
      especially in the first few weeks postpartum. There have been limited studies of
      the incidence of mastitis from traditionally breastfeeding societies in South
      Asia. This study investigated the incidence, determinants, and management of
      mastitis in the first month postpartum, as well as its association with
      breastfeeding outcomes at 4 and 6 months postpartum, in western Nepal. SUBJECTS
      AND METHODS: Subjects were a subsample of 338 mothers participating in a larger
      prospective cohort study conducted in 2014 in western Nepal. Mothers were
      interviewed during the first month postpartum and again at 4 and 6 months to
      obtain information on breastfeeding practices. The association of mastitis and
      determinant variables was investigated using multivariable logistic regression,
      and the association with breastfeeding duration was examined using Kaplan-Meier
      estimation. RESULTS: The incidence of mastitis was 8.0% (95% confidence interval,
      5.1%, 10.8%) in the first month postpartum. Prelacteal feeding (adjusted odds
      ratio = 2.76; 95% confidence interval, 1.03, 7.40) and cesarean section (adjusted
      odds ratio = 3.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.09, 11.42) were associated with a
      higher likelihood of mastitis. Kaplan-Meier estimation showed no significant
      difference in the duration of exclusive breastfeeding among the mothers who
      experienced an episode of mastitis and those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: Roughly
      one in 10 (8.0%) women experienced mastitis in the first month postpartum, and
      there appeared to be little effect of mastitis on breastfeeding outcomes.
      Traditional breastfeeding practices should be encouraged, and the management of
      mastitis should be included as a part of lactation promotion.

PMID- 26488803
TI  - Attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) imaging of
      tissues and live cells.
AB  - FTIR spectroscopic imaging is a label-free, non-destructive and chemically
      specific technique that can be utilised to study a wide range of biomedical
      applications such as imaging of biopsy tissues, fixed cells and live cells,
      including cancer cells. In particular, the use of FTIR imaging in attenuated
      total reflection (ATR) mode has attracted much attention because of the small,
      but well controlled, depth of penetration and corresponding path length of
      infrared light into the sample. This has enabled the study of samples containing
      large amounts of water, as well as achieving an increased spatial resolution
      provided by the high refractive index of the micro-ATR element. This review is
      focused on discussing the recent developments in FTIR spectroscopic imaging,
      particularly in ATR sampling mode, and its applications in the biomedical science
      field as well as discussing the future opportunities possible as the imaging
      technology continues to advance. 

PMID- 26488804
TI  - Improvement of saccadic functions after dosing with methadone in opioid addicted
      individuals.
AB  - In the current experiment, we used the saccadometric test to study the effect of
      a single therapeutic dose of methadone on the integrity of cortico-subcortical
      brain functioning. In this prospective study, we used the Saccadometer System
      (Advanced Clinical Instrumentation, Cambridge, UK). The saccadometric test was
      performed before and 1.5 hours after methadone dosing. We analyzed the following
      saccadic parameters: latency, duration, amplitude, average and peak velocity, and
      processing performance (promptness) as well as a number of different types of
      saccades (like correct/incorrect, under/overshoot, and left-sided/right-sided).
      The sample consists of 40 subjects with an average 18 years of opioid addiction.
      The mean age is 35.3 +/- 7 (80% males and 20% females). The mean period of heroin
      dependence is 15.3 +/- 6.3 years. The mean daily dose of methadone in
      substitution therapy is 90 +/- 26.5 mg. After administration of a single
      therapeutic dose of methadone, there were statistically significant differences
      in the values of saccade duration and latency when compared to the values before
      the drug administration. Average duration of saccade was significantly longer
      [51.40 +/- 8.75 ms versus 48.93 +/- 6.91 ms, z = 2.53, p = .01] and average
      latency was significantly longer [198.85 +/- 52.57 ms versus 183.05 +/- 30.95 ms,
      z = 2.09 p < .03]. This is the first study to test the therapeutic effect of
      daily methadone dosing on the integrity of the cortico-subcortical brain
      functions as measured by the saccadometry. More research is needed to explore the
      effect of illicit opioid use on the integrity of brain structures and functions,
      and the protective effect of opioid agonist therapy on reversing the damaging
      effects of illicit opioid use. 

PMID- 26488805
TI  - Intraday glucose fluctuation is common in preterm infants receiving intermittent
      tube feeding.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We previously reported on three preterm infants with blood glucose
      abnormalities after reaching full enteral feeding. Recently, it has been shown
      that clinically stable preterm infants may have large fluctuations in blood
      glucose after the establishment of enteral nutrition. We hypothesized that
      intraday glucose fluctuation is a common finding in preterm infants, but improves
      at term post-conceptual age. This report describes a case series. METHODS: From
      June 2010 to July 2012, 13 preterm infants (29.5 +/- 2.1 post-conceptual weeks,
      1144 +/- 319 g) were enrolled in this study. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)
      was conducted on average at 33.5 +/- 1.4 post-conceptual weeks, when they
      received gastric tube feeding every 3 h in the absence of i.v. glucose supply.
      RESULTS: Eight infants (62%) had large intraday glucose fluctuation with repeated
      hyperglycemic (>150 mg/dL) and hypoglycemic (<50 mg/dL) events. In five infants,
      follow-up CGM at 36-38 weeks post-conceptual age showed more stable glycemic
      changes without any abnormal glucose levels. CONCLUSIONS: On CGM, in some preterm
      infants intermittent tube feeding resulted in large intraday glucose fluctuation
      at 31-35 post-conceptual weeks, but the pattern disappeared before discharge (36
      38 post-conceptual weeks).

PMID- 26488806
TI  - Adjusted Hospital Sentinel Lymph Node Positivity Rates in Melanoma: A Novel
      Potential Measure of Quality.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our objectives were to examine whether hospital characteristics are
      associated with lower- and higher-than-expected sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB)
      positivity rates and whether hospitals with lower- or higher-than-expected SLNB
      positivity rates have worse patient outcomes. BACKGROUND: Surgeon and pathologist
      SLNB technical errors may lead to incorrect melanoma staging. A hospital's SLNB
      positivity rate may reflect its SLNB proficiency for melanoma, but this has never
      been investigated. METHODS: Stage IA-III melanoma patients undergoing SLNB were
      identified from the National Cancer Data Base (2004-2010). Hospital-level SLNB
      positivity rates were adjusted for patient- and tumor factors. Hospitals were
      divided into terciles of adjusted SLNB positivity rates. Hospital characteristics
      (using multinomial logistic regression) and survival (using Cox modeling) were
      examined across terciles. RESULTS: Of 33,639 SLNB patients (from 646 hospitals),
      2916 (8.7%) had at least 1 positive lymph node. Hospitals with lower- (low
      tercile) and higher-than-expected (high tercile) SLNB positivity rates were more
      likely to be low-volume hospitals (low tercile: relative risk ratio (RRR) = 2.57,
      P = 0.002; high tercile: RRR = 2.3, P = 0.004) compared to hospitals with
      expected rates (middle tercile). Stage I patients treated at lower-than-expected
      SLNB positivity rate hospitals had worse 5-year survival than those treated at
      expected SLNB positivity rate hospitals (90.0% vs 91.9%, P = 0.014; hazard ratio
      = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.05-1.57); survival differences were not observed by SLNB
      positivity rates for stage II/III. CONCLUSIONS: Adjusted hospital SLNB positivity
      rates varied widely. Surgery at hospitals with lower-than-expected SLNB
      positivity rates was associated with decreased survival. Hospital SLNB positivity
      rates may be a novel measure to confidentially report to hospitals for internal
      quality assessment.

PMID- 26488807
TI  - Activation of Protein Kinase A in Mature Osteoblasts Promotes a Major Bone
      Anabolic Response.
AB  - Protein kinase A (PKA) regulates osteoblast cell function in vitro and is
      activated by important bone mass modulating agents. We determined whether PKA
      activation in osteoblasts is sufficient to mediate a bone anabolic response.
      Thus, a mouse model conditionally expressing a constitutively active PKA (CA-PKA)
      in osteoblasts (CA-PKA-OB mouse) was developed by crossing a 2.3-kb alpha1 (I)
      collagen promoter-Cre mouse with a floxed-CA-PKA mouse. Primary osteoblasts from
      the CA-PKA-OB mice exhibited higher basal PKA activity than those from control
      mice. Microcomputed tomographic analysis revealed that CA-PKA-OB female mice had
      an 8.6-fold increase in femoral but only 1.16-fold increase in lumbar 5 vertebral
      bone volume/total volume. Femur cortical thickness and volume were also higher in
      the CA-PKA-OB mice. In contrast, alterations in many femoral microcomputed
      tomographic parameters in male CA-PKA-OB mice were modest. Interestingly, the 3
      dimensional structure model index was substantially lower both in femur and
      lumbar 5 of male and female CA-PKA-OB mice, reflecting an increase in the plate
      to rod-like structure ratio. In agreement, femurs from female CA-PKA-OB mice had
      greater load to failure and were stiffer compared with those of control mice.
      Furthermore, the CA-PKA-OB mice had higher levels of serum bone turnover markers
      and increased osteoblast and osteoclast numbers per total tissue area compared
      with control animals. In summary, constitutive activation of PKA in osteoblasts
      is sufficient to increase bone mass and favorably modify bone architecture and
      improve mechanical properties. PKA activation in mature osteoblasts is,
      therefore, an important target for designing anabolic drugs for treating diseases
      with bone loss. 

PMID- 26488808
TI  - Vitamin D Regulates Fatty Acid Composition in Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Through
      Elovl3.
AB  - Fatty acids (FAs) are a major energy source in the body. White adipose tissue
      (WAT) is a primary site where FAs are stored as triacylglycerols. Brown adipose
      tissue also stores and recruits FAs as a carbon source for uncoupled beta
      oxidation during thermogenesis. The deletion of the vitamin D nuclear hormone
      receptor (VDR) gene in mice (VDRKO) results in a lean WAT phenotype with
      increased levels of expression of the brown adipose tissue marker Ucp1 in the
      WAT. However, the impact of vitamin D/VDR on FA composition in WAT has not been
      explored in detail. To address this question, we examined the FA composition of
      sc and visceral white adipose depots of VDRKO mice. We found that the levels of a
      subset of saturated and monounsaturated FAs of C18-C24 are specifically increased
      in the sc adipose depot in VDRKO mice. We revealed that a specific elongase
      enzyme (Elovl3), which has an important role in brown fat biology, is directly
      regulated by VDR and likely contributes to the altered FA composition in VDRKO
      mice. We also demonstrate that Elovl3 is regulated by vitamin D in vivo and
      tissue specifically in the sc WAT depot. We discovered that regulation of Elovl3
      expression is mediated by ligand-dependent VDR occupancy of a negative-response
      element in the promoter proximal region of the Elovl3 gene. These data suggest
      that vitamin D/VDR tissue specifically modulates FA composition in sc WAT through
      direct regulation of Elovl3 expression. 

PMID- 26488809
TI  - Gut-Busters: IL-17 Ain't Afraid of No IL-23.
AB  - Interleukin-23 (IL-23) is considered a critical regulator of IL-17 in
      lymphocytes. Whereas antibodies targeting IL-23 ameliorate colitis, IL-17
      neutralization exacerbates disease. In this issue, Cua and colleagues and Maxwell
      and colleagues show that IL-17 maintains intestinal barrier integrity, helping
      explain this dichotomy (Lee et al., 2015; Maxwell et al., 2015).

PMID- 26488810
TI  - Loss of CD47 Makes Dendritic Cells See Red.
AB  - Whereas dendritic cells (DCs) can be activated in many ways to trigger immunity,
      hardly anything is known about the mechanisms that counterbalance DC activation.
      Cyster and colleagues now demonstrate that the "self" molecule CD47 on
      erythrocytes critically restricts splenic DC activation. 

PMID- 26488811
TI  - Keeping Off the Weight with DCs.
AB  - Long studied as modulators of insulin sensitivity, adipose tissue immune cells
      have recently been implicated in regulating fat mass and weight gain. In this
      issue of Immunity, Reisner and colleagues (2015) report that ablation of perforin
      expressing dendritic cells induces T cell expansion, worsening autoimmunity and
      surprisingly increasing adiposity.

PMID- 26488812
TI  - Licensed to Ill: IL-9 Generation in Immature Mast Cells Permits Food-Elicited
      Anaphylaxis.
AB  - Food-specific IgE is central to the pathobiology of food allergy, but not
      sufficient to induce disease. Chen et al. (2015) demonstrate that food-elicited
      reactions require an immature mast cell that generates IL-9 to induce its own
      maturation.

PMID- 26488813
TI  - Short, but Smart: SCFAs Train T Cells in the Gut to Fight Autoimmunity in the
      Brain.
AB  - In this issue of Immunity, Haghikia and colleagues (2015) demonstrate that
      dietary fatty acids, by modulating gut microbes and their metabolism, regulate
      mucosal immune cells to impact systemic immunity. Using this mechanism, dietary
      and bacteria-derived medium-chain and long-chain fatty acids exacerbate, whereas
      short-chain fatty acids ameliorate, autoimmunity in the brain. 

PMID- 26488814
TI  - Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy: The Whole Picture Is Better Than a
      Glimpse.
AB  - Predicting cancer patients' response to therapy is essential for curing disease
      and improving quality of life. Garraway and colleagues demonstrate that the
      frequency and number of neoantigens, non-synonymous mutations, and adaptive
      immune genes, but not the assessment of individual recurrent neoantigens or
      mutations, predicts patient responses to immunotherapy. 

PMID- 26488818
TI  - Tuning and Switching Enantioselectivity of Asymmetric Carboligation in an Enzyme
      through Mutational Analysis of a Single Hot Spot.
AB  - Enantioselective bond making and breaking is a hallmark of enzyme action, yet
      switching the enantioselectivity of the reaction is a difficult undertaking, and
      typically requires extensive screening of mutant libraries and multiple
      mutations. Here, we demonstrate that mutational diversification of a single
      catalytic hot spot in the enzyme pyruvate decarboxylase gives access to both
      enantiomers of acyloins acetoin and phenylacetylcarbinol, important
      pharmaceutical precursors, in the case of acetoin even starting from the
      unselective wild-type protein. Protein crystallography was used to rationalize
      these findings and to propose a mechanistic model of how enantioselectivity is
      controlled. In a broader context, our studies highlight the efficiency of
      mechanism-inspired and structure-guided rational protein design for enhancing and
      switching enantioselectivity of enzymatic reactions, by systematically exploring
      the biocatalytic potential of a single hot spot. 

PMID- 26488817
TI  - Dietary Fatty Acids Directly Impact Central Nervous System Autoimmunity via the
      Small Intestine.
AB  - Growing empirical evidence suggests that nutrition and bacterial metabolites
      might impact the systemic immune response in the context of disease and
      autoimmunity. We report that long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) enhanced
      differentiation and proliferation of T helper 1 (Th1) and/or Th17 cells and
      impaired their intestinal sequestration via p38-MAPK pathway. Alternatively,
      dietary short-chain FAs (SCFAs) expanded gut T regulatory (Treg) cells by
      suppression of the JNK1 and p38 pathway. We used experimental autoimmune
      encephalomyelitis (EAE) as a model of T cell-mediated autoimmunity to show that
      LCFAs consistently decreased SCFAs in the gut and exacerbated disease by
      expanding pathogenic Th1 and/or Th17 cell populations in the small intestine.
      Treatment with SCFAs ameliorated EAE and reduced axonal damage via long-lasting
      imprinting on lamina-propria-derived Treg cells. These data demonstrate a direct
      dietary impact on intestinal-specific, and subsequently central nervous system
      specific, Th cell responses in autoimmunity, and thus might have therapeutic
      implications for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 26488816
TI  - Ubiquitin Ligase TRIM62 Regulates CARD9-Mediated Anti-fungal Immunity and
      Intestinal Inflammation.
AB  - CARD9 is a central component of anti-fungal innate immune signaling via C-type
      lectin receptors, and several immune-related disorders are associated with CARD9
      alterations. Here, we used a rare CARD9 variant that confers protection against
      inflammatory bowel disease as an entry point to investigating CARD9 regulation.
      We showed that the protective variant of CARD9, which is C-terminally truncated,
      acted in a dominant-negative manner for CARD9-mediated cytokine production,
      indicating an important role for the C terminus in CARD9 signaling. We identified
      TRIM62 as a CARD9 binding partner and showed that TRIM62 facilitated K27-linked
      poly-ubiquitination of CARD9. We identified K125 as the ubiquitinated residue on
      CARD9 and demonstrated that this ubiquitination was essential for CARD9 activity.
      Furthermore, we showed that similar to Card9-deficient mice, Trim62-deficient
      mice had increased susceptibility to fungal infection. In this study, we utilized
      a rare protective allele to uncover a TRIM62-mediated mechanism for regulation of
      CARD9 activation. 

PMID- 26488819
TI  - Deconvoluting the Effect of the Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Domains of an
      Amphiphilic Integral Membrane Protein in Lipid Bicontinuous Cubic Mesophases.
AB  - Lipidic bicontinuous cubic mesophases with encapsulated amphiphilic proteins are
      widely used in a range of biological and biomedical applications, including in
      meso crystallization, as drug delivery vehicles for therapeutic proteins, and as
      biosensors and biofuel cells. However, the effect of amphiphilic protein
      encapsulation on the cubic phase nanostructure is not well-understood. In this
      study, we illustrate the effect of incorporating the bacterial amphiphilic
      membrane protein Ag43, and its individual hydrophobic beta(43) and hydrophilic
      alpha(43) domains, in bicontinuous cubic mesophases. For the monoolein,
      monoalmitolein, and phytantriol cubic phases with and without 8% w/w cholesterol,
      the effect of the full length amphiphilic protein Ag43 on the cubic phase
      nanostructure was more significant than the sum of the individual hydrophobic
      beta(43) and hydrophilic alpha(43) domains. Several factors were found to
      potentially influence the impact of the hydrophobic beta(43) domain on the cubic
      phase internal nanostructure. These include the size of the hydrophobic beta(43)
      domain relative to the thickness of the lipid bilayer, as well as its charge and
      diameter. The size of the hydrophilic alpha(43) domain relative to the water
      channel radius of the cubic mesophase was also found to be important. The
      secondary structure of the Ag43 proteins was affected by the hydrophobic
      thickness and physicochemical properties of the lipid bilayer and the water
      channel diameter of the cubic phase. Such structural changes may be small but
      could potentially affect membrane protein function. 

PMID- 26488815
TI  - Natural Killer Cell Memory.
AB  - Natural killer (NK) cells have historically been considered short-lived cytolytic
      cells that can rapidly respond against pathogens and tumors in an antigen
      independent manner and then undergo cell death. Recently, however, NK cells have
      been shown to possess traits of adaptive immunity and can acquire immunological
      memory in a manner similar to that of T and B cells. In this review, we discuss
      evidence of NK cell memory and the mechanisms involved in the generation and
      survival of these innate lymphocytes. 

PMID- 26488820
TI  - Real-world treatment patterns, comorbidities, and disease-related complications
      in patients with multiple myeloma in the United States.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe multiple myeloma (MM) treatment patterns and
      comorbidities over time in the US. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Study patients
      were newly diagnosed with MM (ICD-9-CM 203.0x) between 1 July 2006 and 31 March
      2014 and had >=6 months of data prior to the initial MM diagnosis in MarketScan
      Research Databases. Patients were followed until inpatient death or the end of
      data. First-line, second-line, and third-line treatment regimens were identified
      following diagnosis and were described over time based upon the start date of the
      first line of therapy (2006-2007, 2008-2014, 2013-2014). Comorbid conditions and
      disease-related complications were examined during the 6 months prior to the line
      of therapy start dates. RESULTS: A total of 24,507 MM patients were examined
      (mean age: 65.2 years, 54.1% male, mean follow-up: 23 months, 16.2% transplant).
      Across all lines of therapy, the proportion of patients on thalidomide-based
      regimens decreased over time. In the first line, bortezomib-based regimens became
      more common from 2006-2007 to 2008-2014 (2006-2007: 17.0%, 2008-2014: 44.3%, 2013
      2014: 49.4%). In the second line, lenalidomide- and bortezomib-based regimens
      were the most common (2013-2014: lenalidomide: 28.9%, bortezomib: 26.2%). The
      combination regimen of lenalidomide + bortezomib became more common in the first
      and second lines. In the third line, carfilzomib- and/or pomalidomide-based
      regimens were 37.0% in 2013-2014. Skeletal-related events, hypertension, anemia,
      and chronic kidney disease were the most prevalent comorbidities and disease
      related complications. During the 6 months prior to each line of therapy, the
      prevalence of the majority of the comorbidities and complications increased as
      patients progressed to higher lines of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: MM treatment
      patterns have been dynamic over time. Comorbid conditions and myeloma-related
      complications increase as patients progress and may worsen MM patients' prognoses
      over time. Combination regimens such as lenalidomide + bortezomib are more widely
      used as first- and second-line therapy. Newly approved agents (carfilzomib,
      pomalidomide) are the prevailing treatments in the third line and are under
      further investigation for earlier lines of therapy.

PMID- 26488821
TI  - Correction to "Bridging the Gap: Electron Relay and Plasmonic Sensitization of
      Metal Nanocrystals for Metal Clusters".

PMID- 26488822
TI  - All-cause and circulatory disease-related hospitalization, by generation status:
      Evidence from linked data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Immigrants tend to have better health than the Canadian-born.
      However, the "healthy immigrant" effect diminishes over time and varies by source
      country. This study examines whether lower hospitalization rates persist from the
      first (G1) to the second generation (G2) of immigrants, compared with other
      Canadians (G3+). All-cause and circulatory disease-related hospitalization rates
      were examined by generation, with special attention to people of Chinese and
      South Asian descent. DATA AND METHODS: Data from the 2006 Census-hospitalization
      linkage database (which excludes Quebec) were analysed using logistic regression.
      Age-standardized all-cause (excluding pregnancy) and circulatory disease-related
      hospitalization rates were derived for the urban population aged 30 or older for
      the 2006/2007 to 2008/2009 fiscal years. RESULTS: Over the generations,
      immigrants' all-cause and circulatory disease-related hospitalization rates
      converged with those of the Canadian population overall. Compared with G3+, the
      age-adjusted odds of all-cause hospitalization among men were 0.49 (CI = 0.48
      0.51) for recent G1 immigrants, 0.78 (CI = 0.77-0.79) for long-term G1
      immigrants, and 0.95 (CI = 0.94-0.97) for G2. Adjustments for socioeconomic
      status reduced the difference, especially between G2 and G3+. For South Asians,
      rates converged for circulatory disease, notably among men. Hospitalization rates
      for people of Chinese descent rose across generations, but remained significantly
      below rates for G3+. INTERPRETATION: The lower circulatory disease-related
      hospitalization risk experienced by G1 is maintained in G2 among people of
      Chinese descent, but not among South Asians.

PMID- 26488823
TI  - Linking 2006 Census and hospital data in Canada.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Record linkage is commonly used in health research to fill data gaps.
      This study summarizes the linkage of the 2006 Census of Population (excluding
      Quebec) to hospital data from the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD). DATA AND
      METHODS: Hierarchical deterministic exact matching was employed to link 2006
      Census and DAD (2006/2007, 2007/2008 and 2008/2009) data, based on linkage keys
      derived from three variables common to both files-date of birth, postal code and
      sex. The full census file (short-form; 23.4 million) was used for record linkage;
      the 20% file (long-form; 4.65 million) representing the study cohort was used for
      validation. Linked files were compared across jurisdictions, years and other
      selected covariates in terms of eligibility for linkage, keys linked, and linkage
      and coverage rates. RESULTS: Overall, 80% of linkage keys identified in the DAD
      were linked to the 2006 Census. The percentage of long-form census respondents
      linked to at least one hospital record ranged between 5% and 8% across
      jurisdictions; linkage rates were higher among known high users of hospital
      services: older age groups, lower-income individuals, and Aboriginal people. In
      general, the linked census file represents the majority of hospital events that
      occurred during the study period. Coverage rates (weighted/unweighted) varied by
      geography and age group, with lower weighted rates for the territories and some
      younger age groups. INTERPRETATION: With hierarchical deterministic exact
      matching, census data can be linked to multiple years of DAD data. Incorporation
      of updated postal codes from tax files reduced linkage rate attrition over time.
      Lower coverage rates for the territories and younger age groups suggest that
      these populations may be underrepresented in the linked files.

PMID- 26488824
TI  - Oral contraceptive use among women aged 15 to 49: Results from the Canadian
      Health Measures Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oral contraceptives (OCs) have been available in Canada for over 50
      years and are the most commonly used method of reversible contraception. OCs have
      evolved over time, with decreasing estrogen doses, new progestins, and different
      dosing regimens. Detailed data about OCs use among Canadian women are lacking.
      DATA AND METHODS: Data from Statistics Canada's 2007/2009 and 2009/2011 Canadian
      Health Measures Survey (CHMS) were used to estimate OC use, by selected
      sociodemographic characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors, and estrogen dose
      and progestin type. Logistic regression was used to model relationships between
      OC use and sociodemographic factors. RESULTS: An estimated 1.3 million (16%)
      women aged 15 to 49 reported taking OCs in the previous month. OC use decreased
      with age (30% among 15- to 19-year-olds; 3% among 40- to 49-year-olds). OC users
      were significantly more likely than non-users to be nulliparous, sexually active
      and Canadian-born. At ages 35 to 49, users were less likely than non-users to
      have one or more cardiovascular risk factors. Almost all (99%) OC users took
      combined formulations containing ethinyl estradiol (EE) and progestin. Two-thirds
      of OCs users took formulations containing 30 or more mcg of EE. Women aged 15 to
      24 were more likely than those aged 35 to 49 to use lower-dose formulations (less
      than 30 mcg of EE). INTERPRETATION: A substantial percentage of reproductive-aged
      Canadian women, particularly younger women, used OCs. OC use varied by
      sociodemographic and some cardiovascular risk factors. The majority took
      formulations containing 30 or more mcg of EE.

PMID- 26488825
TI  - Could a Coagulation Nurse Liaison Improve Compliance With Venous Thromboembolism
      Prophylaxis in Medical Patients?
AB  - Medical patients worldwide are undertreated with venous thromboembolism
      prophylaxis. Our hypothesis was that the rate of prophylactic anticoagulation
      therapy for high-risk patients would improve with the use of a coagulation nurse
      liaison. Six months after appointing a nurse for this role, prophylaxis rates
      significantly improved, and patients were more likely to receive appropriate
      thromboprophylaxis. A coagulation nurse liaison substantially improves
      thromboprophylaxis in a medical ward. 

PMID- 26488826
TI  - Programmable Downregulation of Enzyme Activity Using a Fever and NIR-Responsive
      Molecularly Imprinted Nanocomposite.
AB  - A fever and NIR-responsive molecularly imprinted nanocomposite is designed for
      programmable downregulation of enzyme activity. The target enzyme can be captured
      specifically and its activity can be downregulated only when body temperature
      increases abnormally. Upon NIR irradiation, the temperature of the destination
      region can increase accordingly inducing a further decrease in the enzyme
      activity. 

PMID- 26488827
TI  - Clear as Glass.
AB  - Beginning with the first issue of 2016, the Oncology Nursing Forum (ONF) will
      join many other journals in publishing the contribution of each of the listed
      authors to the article. Why has this taken us so long? In part, this is an
      editorial decision, and I have always thought that nurses are honest and would
      not include anyone on a manuscript who had not contributed in a meaningful way to
      the writing of the manuscript. That belief has not changed. 

PMID- 26488828
TI  - Glycosylated Hemoglobin A1c and Lack of Association With Symptom Severity in
      Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy for Solid Tumors.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of high blood sugar at the levels of
      diabetic or prediabetic states during cancer treatment because patients
      undergoing chemotherapy (CTX) experience multiple symptoms that vary among
      individuals and may be affected by glucose levels. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross
      sectional. SETTING: Two comprehensive cancer centers, one Veterans Affairs
      hospital, and four community-based oncology programs. SAMPLE: 244 outpatients
      with breast, gastrointestinal, gynecologic, and lung cancers. METHODS: Patients
      completed demographic and symptom questionnaires. Glycosylated hemoglobin A1c
      (HbA1c) was evaluated to determine diabetic state. Descriptive statistics and one
      way analyses of variance were used in the analyses. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES:
      HbA1c, symptom severity scores, patient and clinical characteristics (e.g., age,
      gender, comorbidities, sociodemographic information, body mass index [BMI],
      lifestyle factors). FINDINGS: HbA1c results showed 9% of the sample in the
      diabetic and 26% in the prediabetic state. Patients in the diabetic state
      reported a higher number of comorbid conditions and were more likely to be
      African American. Patients in the prediabetic state were older aged. Patients in
      the diabetic and prediabetic states had a higher BMI compared to nondiabetic
      patients. No differences in symptom severity or quality-of-life (QOL) scores were
      found among the three diabetic states. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to
      evaluate for associations between diabetic states and symptom severity and QOL
      scores in patients receiving CTX. This study confirmed that older age, as well as
      having higher BMI and having multiple comorbidities, were associated with
      increased mean glycemic levels. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Clinicians should
      assess and identify patients with diabetes or prediabetes undergoing treatment
      for cancer. Patients who are older aged, those with a high BMI, and those with
      multiple comorbid conditions may be at increased risk for higher glycemic states.

PMID- 26488829
TI  - A Phenomenologic Study of Family Caregivers of Patients With Head and Neck
      Cancers.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe and understand the lived experience of family
      caregivers of patients with head and neck cancers (HNCs). RESEARCH APPROACH:
      Phenomenology using van Manen's human science approach?. SETTING: Two hospital
      systems providing regional cancer care in upstate New York. ?. PARTICIPANTS: Nine
      family caregivers of patients with HNCs who had completed treatment?.
      METHODOLOGIC APPROACH: Qualitative analysis of semi-structured, conversational
      interviews about the lived experience of family caregivers. FINDINGS: Five major
      themes emerged related to the lived experiences of this sample of caregivers.
      CONCLUSIONS: Family caregivers of patients with HNCs play a fundamental role in
      the post-treatment phase of care, including meeting specific physical and
      psychosocial needs. Further investigation should explore the relationship between
      information needs and the experience of vigilance and fear. INTERPRETATION:
      Nurses must include caregivers in physical and psychosocial plans of care.
      Balancing and meeting information needs of caregivers to avoid undue emotional
      stress and recognizing their support needs are valuable components of care.

PMID- 26488830
TI  - The Teachable Moment After Cancer Diagnosis: Perceptions From Oncology Nurses.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To determine oncology nurses' perspectives of the
      receptiveness of survivors to receiving health behavior guidance, with secondary
      purposes to (a) explore other elements of oncology nurses' perceptions of the
      teachable moment and (b) examine differences in outcomes between American and
      Canadian nurses?. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey.? SETTING: In- and outpatient
      oncology nursing departments in the United States and Canada. SAMPLE: 310 members
      of the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology (CANO/ACIO) and the Oncology
      Nursing Society (ONS) who currently care for patients?. METHODS: Oncology nurses
      recruited through emails distributed through the CANO/ACIO and ONS Listservs
      completed online investigator-developed surveys. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES:
      Measures related to oncology nurses' perceptions of survivors' receptiveness to
      health behavior change counseling and the teachable moment (i.e., general
      receptiveness, perceived benefits, guidance and referral seeking, long- and short
      term effectiveness, best time, and best resources). FINDINGS: Oncology nurses
      reported that survivors were receptive to receiving guidance on health behaviors,
      particularly during teachable moments after diagnosis and during treatment. They
      also perceived that a fairly low percentage of survivors asked for guidance about
      health behavior change; relatively few made improvements to their health
      behaviors.? CONCLUSIONS: Survivors are reported to be interested in receiving
      guidance concerning health behavior change during key teachable moments. Oncology
      nurses may need to initiate conversations with survivors, offer education
      regarding the benefits of positive health behavior change, and provide ongoing
      support throughout the cancer trajectory. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Oncology
      nurses may use findings from the current study to guide their health behavior
      change counseling with survivors?.

PMID- 26488831
TI  - Physical Activity and Self-Rated Health Status Among Older Adult Cancer
      Survivors: Does Intensity of Activity Play a Role?
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between routine physical activity
      and self-rated health status in older adults with cancer.. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional. SETTING: Community-dwelling older adult survivors who completed a
      screening tool and subsequent detailed interview from the 2004 wave of the
      National Long-Term Care Survey, a nationally representative study of Medicare
      beneficiaries aged 65 years or older.? SAMPLE: 251 older adult cancer survivors
      who regularly engaged in routine physical activity. METHODS: Participants were
      asked about chronic health conditions, depression, activities of daily living,
      participation in physical activities, self-rated health status, and
      sociodemographic characteristics. A weighted ordered probit model was used to
      estimate variables that predict self-reported health status. MAIN RESEARCH
      VARIABLES: Self-rated health status and participation in physical activity.?
      FINDINGS: Age and higher education level were found to be significant correlates
      of health status (p < 0.05) in the first model. Although education was not
      significant in subsequent models, age, functional disability, and depression all
      were identified as significant correlates of health status (p < 0.01). In the
      final model, in which moderate and vigorous activity participation were entered,
      older adult survivors who engaged in vigorous physical activity showed higher
      levels of health status than those who engaged in light physical activity (p <
      0.05), but number of chronic health conditions was not significantly associated
      with health status. CONCLUSIONS: The association between vigorous activity and
      health status points to the primacy of physical activity within a post-cancer
      treatment health regimen.?. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Health programs and
      policies need to address physical activity to improve the overall well-being of
      older adult cancer survivors.

PMID- 26488832
TI  - Interventions for Nurse-Related Barriers in Cancer Pain Management.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe the findings and critique the studies of
      interventions for nursing staff to improve pain management in adults with cancer.
      DATA SOURCES: Publications were identified through database searches. Studies
      that describe interventions to overcome nurse-related barriers in cancer pain
      management practices were included in this review. DATA SYNTHESIS: Nine studies
      were found that met the inclusion criteria. All studies were experimental and
      conducted from 1993-2013. CONCLUSIONS: Increase in knowledge, change of attitudes
      and behaviors, and good relationships with specialists were found to be
      influential in overcoming existing nursing barriers to pain management in cancer
      survivors. Educational interventions are more effective in increasing knowledge
      than in improving attitudes. Specialists were acknowledged as important resources
      and role models for nurses, particularly when trust was established between the
      two. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: A number of interventions have been developed to
      address healthcare provider barriers. However, scarce literature exists on
      whether interventions that aim to overcome nurse-related barriers have been
      successful. This literature review provides critical insights on the
      effectiveness of interventions aimed to overcome barriers to effective pain
      management by nurses for adults with cancer?.

PMID- 26488833
TI  - Feasibility of a Text Messaging Intervention to Promote Self-Management for
      Patients Prescribed Oral Anticancer Agents.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To determine proof of concept of a mobile health (mHealth)
      intervention delivering text messages (texts) to self-manage among patients
      prescribed oral anticancer agents (OAs) and to examine preliminary efficacy on
      symptoms and medication adherence. DESIGN: A longitudinal randomized, controlled
      trial. SETTING: Two community cancer centers in the midwestern United States and
      a national specialty pharmacy. SAMPLE: 80 adults with cancer who were newly
      prescribed OAs?. METHODS: Adherence and symptoms were assessed weekly for 10
      weeks in both groups. The intervention group received daily texts for adherence
      and weekly for symptoms for 21-28 days, and satisfaction with the intervention
      was assessed?. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Medication adherence and symptom
      severity. FINDINGS: Mean age was 58.5 years (SD = 10.7 years), 48 participants
      were female, and 48 were Caucasian. Fewer symptoms were found in the intervention
      group with a moderate effect size. Adherence was higher in the text group using
      medical record and prescription data (n = 26) with greater relative dose
      intensity of moderate to large effect size. Regarding acceptability, 57% (83 of
      145) of eligible participants consented, 39 of 40 participants completed the
      entire intervention, 30 participants read texts all of the time, and 34
      participants were satisfied with the intervention.? CONCLUSIONS: Proof of concept
      and preliminary efficacy of an mHealth intervention using texts to promote self
      management for patients prescribed OAs was demonstrated. Patients had high
      satisfaction with the texts, and adherence and symptoms improved after the
      intervention. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Texts show promise for patients with
      cancer who must manage their OAs. Additional research is needed prior to use in
      practice.

PMID- 26488834
TI  - Secondary Exposure of Family Members to Cyclophosphamide After Chemotherapy of
      Outpatients With Cancer: A Pilot Study.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To measure the total amount of cyclophosphamide (CPA)
      excreted in the urine of patients with cancer and their cohabitating family
      members seven days after CPA administration. DESIGN: Biological monitoring.?.
      SETTING: Home setting with outpatients receiving chemo-therapy. SAMPLE: 8
      patients administered CPA, 10 cohabitating family members, and 10 control
      participants. METHODS: During the first seven days after CPA administration,
      urine samples were collected from the participants. The samples were analyzed for
      the unchanged form of CPA using gas chromatography in tandem with mass
      spectroscopy. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: CPA levels?. FINDINGS: CPA was detected in
      112 of 276 patient urine samples. The last sample containing detectable CPA
      levels was collected after more than 48 hours in 63% of the patients, with a
      maximum length of five days post-treatment. In addition, 243 urine samples were
      collected from family members, and CPA was detected in the samples of five family
      members (17-252 ng per member). CPA was not detected in any control participants.
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that family members in close contact with
      patients receiving CPA are at high risk for drug exposure as many as seven days
      post-treatment?. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Nurses should educate patients and
      their family members about preventing exposure to antineoplastic drugs in the
      home setting.?

PMID- 26488836
TI  - Case Study Research Methodology in Nursing Research.
AB  - Through data collection methods using a holistic approach that focuses on
      variables in a natural setting, qualitative research methods seek to understand
      participants' perceptions and interpretations. Common qualitative research
      methods include ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory, and historic
      research. Another type of methodology that has a similar qualitative approach is
      case study research, which seeks to understand a phenomenon or case from multiple
      perspectives within a given real-world context. 

PMID- 26488835
TI  - Involvement in Decision Making and Satisfaction With Treatment Among Partners of
      Patients With Newly Diagnosed Localized Prostate Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To examine partner involvement in treatment decision making
      for localized prostate cancer, congruence between partner involvement and patient
      preference, reasons for partner noninvolvement, and partner satisfaction with
      patient treatment?. DESIGN: Cross-sectional exploratory study.? SETTING: 100
      counties in North Carolina. SAMPLE: 281 partners of men with newly diagnosed
      localized prostate cancer. METHODS: Participants completed a phone survey.
      Logistic regression analyses were used. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Partners'
      involvement in treatment decision making, partner satisfaction with treatment,
      activities of partner involvement, and reasons for noninvolvement. FINDINGS: Of
      the 228 partners (81%) related to decision making, 205 (73%) were very satisfied
      with the treatment the patients received, and partner involvement was congruent
      with patient preference in 242 partners (86%). Partners reported several reasons
      for noninvolvement. CONCLUSIONS: Most partners engaged in multiple activities
      during treatment decision making for localized prostate cancer and were satisfied
      with the patient's treatment. Partner involvement was mostly congruent with
      patient preference. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Partners' active involvement in
      treatment decision making for localized prostate cancer (e.g., being involved in
      patients' conversations with doctors) should be encouraged and facilitated for
      those who prefer this type of decision making. ?.

PMID- 26488837
TI  - Practice Innovations, Change Management, and Resilience in Oncology Care
      Settings.
AB  - Our commitment to advancing nursing practice and quality care for our patients
      must be at the forefront of our minds. Nursing's role in designing and
      implementing new innovations is integral to the advancement of healthcare
      delivery across the country. 

PMID- 26488838
TI  - Virchow's Node and Carcinoma of Unknown Primary.
AB  - Virchow's node is the enlargement of the left supraclavicular lymph node and is
      considered by clinicians to be a strong indicator of metastatic abdominal
      malignancy. Virchow's node is located medially and is a deep-seeded node, making
      it difficult to assess in a healthy individual. 

PMID- 26488839
TI  - Next-Generation Gene Sequencing: Looking Beyond Hereditary Breast and Ovarian
      Cancer.
AB  - Oncology nurses have long been aware of the significance of recognizing patients'
      hereditary risk of cancer. Obtaining an accurate family history is an integral
      part of patient assessment and has helped to guide referrals for genetic
      counseling and testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOC)
      and Lynch syndrome. 

PMID- 26488840
TI  - Keep Caregivers Safe: Reduce Secondary Exposure to Chemotherapy.
AB  - Chemotherapy exposure during drug administration and provision of care is a known
      risk for oncology nurses and other healthcare workers. Guidelines to minimize
      exposure to hazardous drugs, such as chemotherapy, have long been in place to
      decrease potential health risks. 

PMID- 26488841
TI  - Psychological and Physical Interventions for ?the Management of Cancer-Related
      Pain in Pediatric and Young Adult Patients: An Integrative Review.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To identify and appraise current evidence related to the
      effectiveness of psychological and physical (nonpharmacologic) pain management
      modalities for children and young adults with cancer?. DATA SOURCES: Electronic
      searches in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science (from database
      inception to June 2013) for clinical trials. DATA SYNTHESIS: A total of 32 unique
      studies were identified. Substantial heterogeneity existed across identified
      studies, precluding meta-analysis. Therefore, a narrative review of included
      studies is presented. Studies featured psychological and/or physical pain
      interventions for children and young adults (N = 1,171) aged 1-21 years with a
      variety of cancer diagnoses. Interventions included aromatherapy, art therapy,
      distraction, hypnosis, physical activity, physical positioning, touch therapy,
      and multimodal cognitive-behavior therapy. Twenty-two studies (69%) reported
      success in preventing or reducing pain intensity. The level of evidence and
      methodologic quality of studies were generally low?. CONCLUSIONS: Current
      nonpharmacologic pain interventions for pediatric and young adult patients with
      cancer are diverse. Several modalities significantly decreased pain intensity,
      suggesting that these strategies may be effective methods of pain treatment,
      particularly in the case of painful medical procedures. Future well-designed,
      multicenter, randomized, controlled trials are needed to further discern
      treatment effects on pain and other health outcomes in this population and to
      compare the relative effectiveness of different modalities. IMPLICATIONS FOR
      NURSING: Nurses play a key role in pain assessment and management in pediatric
      and young adult patients with cancer. The studies included in this review
      constitute the beginnings of an evidence base that supports the need to implement
      psychological and physical interventions to improve pain outcomes in pediatric
      and young adult patients with cancer.

PMID- 26488843
TI  - Integrative Review: Effects of Music on Cancer Pain in Adults.
AB  - PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION: To evaluate the literature for music's effect on adult
      cancer pain.?. LITERATURE SEARCH: An electronic literature search from 1986-2014
      was conducted to evaluate the effects of quantitative music among adults with
      cancer pain in settings including homes, hospitals, and palliative care units.
      Databases used were PubMed (MEDLINE) and Scopus.? DATA EVALUATION: The study
      designs, methods, measures, outcomes, and limitations were evaluated
      independently by the primary author and verified by the second author. The
      primary outcome measure of interest was the effect of music in cancer pain.
      SYNTHESIS: Of 82 studies, 5 of them--totaling 248 participants--met eligibility
      criteria. Review of findings suggests a paucity of innovative approaches for
      using music to mitigate cancer pain among adults. Psychological outcomes,
      anxiety, depression, and mood were understudied. Advanced pain, multiple cancer
      types, and lack of racial diversity characterize the samples.? CONCLUSIONS:
      Modern treatments for cancer have improved survival rates; however, patients
      often experience tumor- and treatment-related pain. Pharmacologic and
      nonpharmacologic methods may minimize cancer pain. The use of music as an adjunct
      to pain medication requires additional studies, particularly on mechanisms of its
      effect on pain among diverse, large samples with multiple cancer pain types. A
      limitation of this review is the small number of available studies to date.
      IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The evidence for music therapy in the management of
      pain is limited. Integrative methods using music may represent an important
      intervention that nurses may be able to suggest as an inexpensive, nontoxic, and
      readily available intervention for potentially minimizing cancer pain.

PMID- 26488844
TI  - Nipple-Areola Tattoos: Making the Right Referral.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To examine oncology care providers' knowledge of tattooing
      options for patients who have elected to have breast reconstruction as part of
      their breast cancer treatment. ?. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: A
      large metropolitan cancer center in New York and various locations across the
      United States?. SAMPLE: 68 oncology care providers who work with women with
      breast cancer, distributed into two groups. METHODS: Descriptive statistics were
      used to summarize online survey responses for the two groups, with inferential
      comparisons made with logistic regression models?. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES:
      Healthcare profession, discussion of reconstructive tattoo options with patients,
      knowledge of providers of reconstructive tattoos outside of traditional
      healthcare settings, and recommendations made to patients?. FINDINGS: RNs were
      significantly less likely to recommend a professional tattoo artist to a patient
      than non-RNs, despite a similar proportion of both groups believing that a tattoo
      artist would provide the patient with a better tattoo than healthcare providers
      (HCPs). CONCLUSIONS: Additional research is needed to identify education deficits
      in HCPs regarding tattoo reconstruction options. HCPs are recommending
      potentially substandard options for nipple-areola tattooing, even though many
      believe that tattoo artists, who are outside of the traditional healthcare
      setting, could provide better outcomes for patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING:
      Nurses and other HCPs require additional education about nipple-areola tattoo
      options for patients following breast cancer surgery?.

PMID- 26488842
TI  - Working Toward Normalcy Post-Treatment: A Qualitative Study of Older Adult Breast
      and Prostate Cancer Survivors.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To develop a better understanding of how older adult
      survivors of early-stage breast and prostate cancer managed the work of
      recovery.?. RESEARCH APPROACH: Multiple case study design embedded in a larger
      randomized, controlled trial of a nurse-led patient navigation intervention. ?.
      SETTING: Community-based research conducted via in-home visits and by phone with
      participants residing in non-metropolitan areas of a mid-Atlantic state.?
      PARTICIPANTS: Rural-dwelling adults aged 60 years or older with early-stage
      breast or prostate cancer and the people who support them (11 dyads).?
      METHODOLOGIC APPROACH: An approach to grounded theory analysis was used to
      evaluate the fit between existing theoretical knowledge and case findings and to
      generate new knowledge about the cancer recovery process.? FINDINGS: Working
      toward normalcy was a core process of cancer recovery prompted by participants'
      internal experiences and external interactions with their environments. This
      ongoing, iterative, and active process involved multiple concurrent strategies
      that were not necessarily medically oriented or cancer specific. Working toward
      normalcy resulted in movement along a continuum of self-appraisal anchored
      between participants experiencing life as completely disrupted by cancer to a
      life back to normal. A greater sense of normalcy was associated with higher
      engagement in valued activities and increased physical and psychological well
      being.? CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the core process of working toward normalcy,
      multiple theories from nursing, sociology, psychology, and gerontology helped to
      explain case findings. This knowledge could serve as a foundation on which to
      design survivorship care that supports the goals of cancer survivors working
      toward normalcy post-treatment. INTERPRETATION: Post-treatment wellness goals can
      include a desire to reestablish or maintain a sense of normalcy. Nursing actions
      that promote survivors' efforts to be perceived as capable, stay engaged in
      valued activities and roles, maintain a sense of control over their lives and
      bodies, and make plans for the future may help meet this goal. Existing theories
      about identity, dignity, inner strength, and the work of illness can inform
      nursing interventions. ?

PMID- 26488845
TI  - Uncommon Candida Species Fungemia among Cancer Patients, Houston, Texas, USA.
AB  - Many uncommon Candida species that cause bloodstream infections (BSIs) are not
      well-characterized. We investigated the epidemiology, antifungal use,
      susceptibility patterns, and factors associated with all-cause death among cancer
      patients in whom uncommon Candida spp. BSIs were diagnosed at a cancer treatment
      center during January 1998-September 2013. Of 1,395 Candida bloodstream isolates,
      79 from 68 patients were uncommon Candida spp. The incidence density of uncommon
      Candida spp. BSIs and their proportion to all candidemia episodes substantively
      increased during the study period, and the rise was associated with increasing
      use of echinocandin antifungal drugs. Thirty-seven patients had breakthrough
      infections during therapy or prophylaxis with various systemic antifungal drugs
      for >7 consecutive days; 21 were receiving an echinocandin. C. kefyr (82%), and
      C. lusitaniae (21%) isolates frequently showed caspofungin MICs above the
      epidemiologic cutoff values. These findings support the need for institutional
      surveillance for uncommon Candida spp. among cancer patients.

PMID- 26488846
TI  - [Cu(o-phthalate)(phenanthroline)] Exhibits Unique Superoxide-Mediated NCI-60
      Chemotherapeutic Action through Genomic DNA Damage and Mitochondrial Dysfunction.
AB  - The in cellulo catalytic production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by
      copper(II) and iron(II) complexes is now recognized as a major mechanistic model
      in the design of effective cytotoxins of human cancer. The developmental complex,
      [Cu(o-phthalate)(1,10-phenanthroline)] (Cu-Ph), was recently reported as an
      intracellular ROS-active cytotoxic agent that induces double strand breaks in the
      genome of human cancer cells. In this work, we report the broad-spectrum action
      of Cu-Ph within the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Developmental Therapeutics
      Program (DTP), 60 human cancer cell line screen. The activity profile is compared
      to established clinical agents-via the COMPARE algorithm-and reveals a novel mode
      of action to existing metal-based therapeutics. In this study, we identify the
      mechanistic activity of Cu-Ph through a series of molecular biological studies
      that are compared directly to the clinical DNA intercalator and topoisomerase II
      poison doxorubicin. The presence of ROS-specific scavengers was employed for in
      vitro and intracellular evaluation of prevailing radical species responsible for
      DNA oxidation with superoxide identified as playing a critical role in this
      mechanism. The ROS targeting properties of Cu-Ph on mitochondrial membrane
      potential were investigated, which showed that it had comparable activity to the
      uncoupling ionophore, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazine. The induction
      and origins of apoptotic activation were probed through detection of Annexin V
      and the activation of initiator (8,9) and executioner caspases (3/7) and were
      structurally visualized using confocal microscopy. Results here confirm a unique
      radical-induced mechanistic profile with intracellular hallmarks of damage to
      both genomic DNA and mitochondria. 

PMID- 26488848
TI  - Anionic chemistry of noble gases: formation of Mg-NG (NG = Xe, Kr, Ar) compounds
      under pressure.
AB  - While often considered to be chemically inert, the reactivity of noble gas
      elements at elevated pressures is an important aspect of fundamental chemistry.
      The discovery of Xe oxidation transformed the doctrinal boundary of chemistry by
      showing that a complete electron shell is not inert to reaction. However, the
      reductive propensity, i.e., gaining electrons and forming anions, has not been
      proposed or examined for noble gas elements. In this work, we demonstrate, using
      first-principles electronic structure calculations coupled to an efficient
      structure prediction method, that Xe, Kr, and Ar can form thermodynamically
      stable compounds with Mg at high pressure (>=125, >=250, and >=250 GPa,
      respectively). The resulting compounds are metallic and the noble gas atoms are
      negatively charged, suggesting that chemical species with a completely filled
      shell can gain electrons, filling their outermost shell(s). Moreover, this work
      indicates that Mg2NG (NG = Xe, Kr, Ar) are high-pressure electrides with some of
      the electrons localized at interstitial sites enclosed by the surrounding atoms.
      Previous predictions showed that such electrides only form in Mg and its
      compounds at very high pressures (>500 GPa). These calculations also demonstrate
      strong chemical interactions between the Xe 5d orbitals and the quantized
      interstitial quasiatom (ISQ) orbitals, including the strong chemical bonding and
      electron transfer, revealing the chemical nature of the ISQ. 

PMID- 26488847
TI  - Lead Telluride Quantum Dot Solar Cells Displaying External Quantum Efficiencies
      Exceeding 120%.
AB  - Multiple exciton generation (MEG) in semiconducting quantum dots is a process
      that produces multiple charge-carrier pairs from a single excitation. MEG is a
      possible route to bypass the Shockley-Queisser limit in single-junction solar
      cells but it remains challenging to harvest charge-carrier pairs generated by MEG
      in working photovoltaic devices. Initial yields of additional carrier pairs may
      be reduced due to ultrafast intraband relaxation processes that compete with MEG
      at early times. Quantum dots of materials that display reduced carrier cooling
      rates (e.g., PbTe) are therefore promising candidates to increase the impact of
      MEG in photovoltaic devices. Here we demonstrate PbTe quantum dot-based solar
      cells, which produce extractable charge carrier pairs with an external quantum
      efficiency above 120%, and we estimate an internal quantum efficiency exceeding
      150%. Resolving the charge carrier kinetics on the ultrafast time scale with pump
      probe transient absorption and pump-push-photocurrent measurements, we identify a
      delayed cooling effect above the threshold energy for MEG. 

PMID- 26488849
TI  - Hierarchical Micro/Nano Structures by Combined Self-Organized Dewetting and
      Photopatterning of Photoresist Thin Films.
AB  - Photoresists are the materials of choice for micro/nanopatterning and device
      fabrication but are rarely used as a self-assembly material. We report for the
      first time a novel interplay of self-assembly and photolithography for
      fabrication of hierarchical and ordered micro/nano structures. We create self
      organized structures by the intensified dewetting of unstable thin (~10 nm to 1
      MUm) photoresist films by annealing them in an optimal solvent and nonsolvent
      liquid mixture that allows spontaneous dewetting to form micro/nano smooth dome
      like structures. The density, size (~100 nm to millimeters), and
      curvature/contact angle of the dome/droplet structures are controlled by the film
      thickness, composition of the dewetting liquid, and time of annealing. Ordered
      dewetted structures are obtained simply by creating spatial variation of
      viscosity by ultraviolet exposure or by photopatterning before dewetting.
      Further, the structures thus fabricated are readily photopatterned again on the
      finer length scales after dewetting. We illustrate the approach by fabricating
      several three-dimensional structures of varying complexity with secondary and
      tertiary features.

PMID- 26488850
TI  - Yoga versus standard care for schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Yoga is an ancient spiritual practice that originated in India and is
      currently accepted in the Western world as a form of relaxation and exercise. It
      has been of interest for people with schizophrenia to determine its efficacy as
      an adjunct to standard-care treatment. OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of yoga
      versus standard care for people with schizophrenia. SEARCH METHODS: We searched
      the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group Trials Register (November 2012 and January 29,
      2015), which is based on regular searches of MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL,
      BIOSIS, AMED, PsycINFO, and registries of clinical trials. We searched the
      references of all included studies. There were no language, date, document type,
      or publication status limitations for inclusion of records in the register.
      SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) including people with
      schizophrenia comparing yoga to standard-care control. DATA COLLECTION AND
      ANALYSIS: The review team independently selected studies, quality rated these,
      and extracted data. For binary outcomes, we calculated risk ratio (RR) and its
      95% confidence interval (CI), on an intention-to-treat basis. For continuous
      data, we estimated the mean difference (MD) between groups and its 95% CI. We
      employed mixed-effect and fixed-effect models for analyses. We examined data for
      heterogeneity (I(2) technique), assessed risk of bias for included studies, and
      created 'Summary of findings' tables using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations
      Assessment, Development and Evaluation). MAIN RESULTS: We included eight studies
      in the review. All outcomes were short term (less than six months). There were
      clear differences in a number of outcomes in favour of the yoga group, although
      these were based on one study each, with the exception of leaving the study
      early. These included mental state (improvement in Positive and Negative Syndrome
      Scale, 1 RCT, n = 83, RR 0.70 CI 0.55 to 0.88, medium-quality evidence), social
      functioning (improvement in Social Occupational Functioning Scale, 1 RCT, n = 83,
      RR 0.88 CI 0.77 to 1, medium-quality evidence), quality of life (average change
      36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) quality-of-life subscale, 1 RCT, n = 60, MD
      15.50, 95% CI 4.27 to 26.73, low-quality evidence), and leaving the study early
      (8 RCTs, n = 457, RR 0.91 CI 0.6 to 1.37, medium-quality evidence). For the
      outcome of physical health, there was not a clear difference between groups
      (average change SF-36 physical-health subscale, 1 RCT, n = 60, MD 6.60, 95% CI 
      2.44 to 15.64, low-quality evidence). Only one study reported adverse effects,
      finding no incidence of adverse events in either treatment group. This review was
      subject to a considerable number of missing outcomes, which included global
      state, change in cognition, costs of care, effect on standard care, service
      intervention, disability, and activities of daily living. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS:
      Even though we found some positive evidence in favour of yoga over standard-care
      control, this should be interpreted cautiously in view of outcomes largely based
      each on one study with limited sample sizes and short-term follow-up. Overall,
      many outcomes were not reported and evidence presented in this review is of low
      to moderate quality - -too weak to indicate that yoga is superior to standard
      care control for the management of schizophrenia.

PMID- 26488851
TI  - Correction to: Hum Gene Ther 2015;26(8):525-537 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2015.064.

PMID- 26488853
TI  - Flux theory for Poisson distributed pores with Gaussian permeability.
AB  - The mean of the solute flux through membrane pores depends on the random
      distribution and permeability of the pores. Mathematical models including such
      randomness factors make it possible to obtain statistical parameters for pore
      characterization. Here, assuming that pores follow a Poisson distribution in the
      lipid phase and that their permeabilities follow a Gaussian distribution, a
      mathematical model for solute dynamics is obtained by applying a general result
      from a previous work regarding any number of different kinds of randomly
      distributed pores. The new proposed theory is studied using experimental
      parameters obtained elsewhere, and a method for finding the mean single pore flux
      rate from liposome flux assays is suggested. This method is useful for pores
      without requiring studies by patch-clamp in single cells or single-channel
      recordings. However, it does not apply in the case of ion-selective channels, in
      which a more complex flux law combining the concentration and electrical gradient
      is required. 

PMID- 26488854
TI  - Efficacy of Current Practices for Pain Assessment in Premature Ventilated Infants
      in the NICU Exposed to a High Number of Pain-Associated Procedures.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study infant factors, characteristics of pain scores, and analgesic
      practices associated with patient-days in the NICU with a high frequency of pain
      associated procedures (defined as >10 pain-associated procedures in the day).
      METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional study that
      used medical record audits of premature, ventilated infants. The primary two
      institution study yielded data for 196 patient-days. Data included 804 pain
      scores and 836 pain-associated procedures. RESULTS: A high frequency of pain
      associated procedures occurred in 8% of days at Site A and in 25% of days at Site
      B. Prevalence of days with high frequency of pain-associated procedures differed
      by institution, and was higher at the institution where infants were more mature
      at birth and had fewer surgical procedures. High frequency of pain-associated
      procedures was related to endotracheal intubation at both institutions. There
      were no elevated pain scores and no documented analgesic administrations on days
      with over 20 pain-associated procedures. CONCLUSIONS: High exposure to pain
      associated procedures during a 24-hour period for a premature, ventilated infant
      is rarely associated with elevated pain scores or analgesic administration.
      Prevalence of days with high-procedural exposure at an institution appears to be
      closely related to use of invasive ventilation and to individual institutional
      practices. Examination and discussion of the daily frequency of pain-associated
      procedures for premature, ventilated infants (especially for those receiving
      invasive ventilation) may be helpful in developing approaches for attenuating the
      cumulative pain experience for these babies. Resources that are expended on
      regular pain reassessment documentation processes in the NICU may need to be
      reconsidered in light of the very low yield for clinical alterations in care in
      this setting.

PMID- 26488855
TI  - Father Involvement and Psychological Well-Being of Pregnant Women.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study examined the relationships among father of the baby
      involvement during pregnancy, depressive symptoms, and psychological well-being
      in African American women. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Using a prospective study
      design, a sample of 95 pregnant African American women receiving prenatal care at
      a medical center in Chicago completed the self-report instruments about father of
      the baby involvement, depressive symptoms, and psychological well-being twice
      during pregnancy, once at between 15 and 25 weeks and once between 25 and 37
      weeks. RESULTS: Eighty percent of women reported that the father of the baby was
      involved during their pregnancy. Twenty-eight percent of women had clinically
      relevant depressive symptoms (CES-D scores >=16) at the first data collection and
      25% of women had clinically relevant depressive symptoms at the second data
      collection. Compared with women who reported no father involvement during
      pregnancy, women who reported father involvement during pregnancy had lower
      levels of depressive symptoms and higher levels of psychological well-being.
      CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Fathers' involvement is important during pregnancy; nurses
      should encourage fathers to participate at prenatal visits and ask questions, and
      educate fathers on pregnancy process and procedures during prenatal care.

PMID- 26488852
TI  - Targets to treat metabolic syndrome in polycystic ovary syndrome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Metabolic syndrome is comprised of a combination of the following
      states: increased insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, and
      increased abdominal obesity. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have an
      increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome over the course of their lives.
      Metabolic syndrome increases risk of major cardiovascular events, morbidity,
      quality of life, and overall health care costs. Though metabolic syndrome in
      women with PCOS is an area of great concern, there is no effective individual
      medical therapeutic to adequately treat this issue. AREAS COVERED: This article
      will review key aspects of metabolic syndrome in PCOS. We will discuss classic
      and novel therapeutics to address metabolic syndrome in women with PCOS. We will
      conclude with the importance of developing strategic interventions to increase
      the compliance to lifestyle and dietary modification, in addition to appreciation
      of the emerging pharmaceutical therapeutics available. EXPERT OPINION: Innovation
      in lifestyle modification, including diet, exercise, with and without dedicated
      stress reduction techniques is the future in treatment of metabolic syndrome in
      PCOS. Application of novel interventions, such as group medical care, may improve
      future adherence to lifestyle modification recommendations, in addition to or in
      combination with pharmaceutical therapeutics.

PMID- 26488856
TI  - Developmental Screening and Follow-up by Nurses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and Modified Checklist for
      Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) are commonly used screening tools for developmental
      delay and autism, respectively. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of
      implementing 18-month developmental and autism screening by mail, with a
      standardized follow-up process for abnormal screen results. METHODS: Within a
      prospective cohort study design, parents of 892 children received by mail the 18
      month ASQ and M-CHAT questionnaires between December 2008 and September 2009. A
      registered nurse scored the questionnaires and, if needed, administered follow-up
      screening or set up a referral to Early Intervention or subspecialty pediatrics.
      Medical record reviews determined clinical outcomes of children who required
      intervention after initial screening through September 2010. Additionally,
      demographic factors were evaluated for association with responding to the
      questionnaires. RESULTS: The ASQ and M-CHAT questionnaires were returned by 529
      (59.3%) of the parents. Parents of White children (390/575 [67.8%]) and those
      with private insurance (457/660 [69.2%]) were significantly more likely to return
      screening questionnaires than parents of non-White (64/171 [37.4%]; P < .001) and
      government-insured children (58/169 [34.3%]; P < .001), respectively. Of the 529
      children with returned surveys, 109 (20.6%) did not pass at least 1 of the
      initial screens and 12 (2.3%) were referred after not passing the follow-up
      screening process. CONCLUSIONS: Developmental and autism screening by mail is not
      a sufficient method to comprehensively screen a general pediatric population. A
      nurse-completed, standardized follow-up process after an initial failed
      developmental screen may increase the yield of appropriate Early Intervention or
      subspecialty referrals.

PMID- 26488857
TI  - Magnesium Sulfate for Neuroprotection.

PMID- 26488858
TI  - Gluten-Free Diets.

PMID- 26488859
TI  - mHealth and Collecting Research Data From Patients With Mobile Tablet Apps.

PMID- 26488860
TI  - WASH: Highlighting Global Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Initiatives.

PMID- 26488862
TI  - Nurse Staffing and Care During the Immediate Postpartum Recovery Period.

PMID- 26488864
TI  - The imbalance of sex-hormones related to depressive symptoms in obese men.
AB  - Obese men may present hypogonadothrofic hypogonadism, mainly related to higher
      insulinemia and aromatase activity. Our objectives were to evaluate the
      relationship of sex-hormones profiles and frequency of depressive symptoms in 43
      obese men, in a cross-sectional study. They had 19-60 years, and body mass index
      30-50 kg/m(2). LH, total and free testosterone (TT and FT), estradiol (E2), sex
      hormone binding globulin, estradiol/total testosterone ratio (E2/T) were
      analyzed. Depressive symptoms were evaluated by "beck depression inventory"
      (BDI), and significant depression was considered if BDI >= 16.Thirty-four (80%)
      presented low TT levels, but only 4 (14%) had low free testosterone and
      hypogonadism symptoms; 12 of 43 (28%) presented increased E2. Forty five (56%)
      presented depressive symptoms, but 16 (28% of the 45) had significant depression.
      BDI correlated positively with E2 (r = 0.407; p = 0.001) and E2/T (r = 0.473; p =
      0.001), but not TT or FT. Patients with significant depressive showed higher
      levels of estradiol (136 +/- 48 versus 103 +/- 48 pg/ml, p = 0.02) and E2/T (16.0
      +/- 9.9 versus 9.8 +/- 4.6; p = 0.002) (mean +/- SD).In conclusion, obese men may
      present relatively excess of estradiol and deficiency in testosterone, leading to
      an imbalance between these two hormones. The greater this imbalance, the more
      depressive symptoms had our patients. 

PMID- 26488865
TI  - Application of Video-Assisted Thyroidectomy for Cervicomediastinal Goiter.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the past several decades we have seen that most cervicomediastinal
      goiters (CMGs) can be removed through a cervical lower collar incision, but in
      some circumstances a median sternotomy or a thoracotomy is mandatory. In the last
      few years, video-assisted thyroidectomy (VAT) has been developed, and the
      indications are that its usage is becoming more widespread. This study aimed to
      evaluate the technical feasibility and safety of VAT for CMG. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Over a 5-year period (2009-2014), 602 patients underwent conventional
      thyroidectomy (CT), and 356 cases underwent VAT in the Department of General
      Surgery, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
      Among all those patients, 33 (3.4%) were diagnosed with CMGs and operated on.
      These patients were divided into two groups: the CT group included 18 patients,
      and the VAT group included 15 patients. The incision length, operative time,
      blood loss, hospitalization time, and postoperative complications were recorded
      and analyzed. RESULTS: All 15 procedures in the VAT group were performed
      successfully with the help of endoscopy, whereas for 2 of the 18 patients (11.1%)
      in the CT group, a partial median sternotomy had to be done due to poor exposure
      and abnormal hemorrhage. Significant differences in the incisional length,
      operative time, and intraoperative blood loss occurred between the CT and VAT
      groups. The patients who underwent VAT had a better cosmetic result without going
      through an additional incision. There was no difference in the resected goiter
      weight between the two groups. The patients who underwent VAT recovered more
      rapidly and had a shorter hospitalization time than those in the CT group (P =
      .000). No significant difference was found in postoperative complications between
      the two different approaches. During a mean follow-up through 28 months (range, 3
      66 months), no recurrence occurred. CONCLUSIONS: VAT is a safe and feasible
      approach for patients with CMG. The procedure has relatively satisfactory
      cosmetic effect and faster postoperative recovery.

PMID- 26488866
TI  - Adsorption of Oxyanions from Industrial Wastewater using Perlite-Supported
      Magnetite.
AB  - Most studies on oxyanion adsorption focus on their removal from synthetic
      solutions. It is often claimed that the considered adsorbents can be used to
      treat real (industrial) wastewaters, but this is seldom tested. Perlite-supported
      magnetite was characterized first by determining its specific surface area,
      magnetite content and by examining the coating. Tests on a synthetic solution
      showed that at the ideal pH values (pH 3 to 5), the order of adsorption is Mo(VI)
      > As(V) > Sb(V) > Cr(VI) > Se(VI). Most oxyanions can be removed for more than
      75% with an adsorbent dosage of 1 g/l. Furthermore, perlite-supported magnetite
      has a higher removal efficiency for oxyanions than commercially available
      adsorbents and comparable adsorbents described in literature. Perlite-supported
      magnetite is suitable for treating real wastewaters: it can remove several
      oxyanions simultaneously from the considered industrial wastewater, but the
      adsorption order changes due to the presence of interfering anions.

PMID- 26488867
TI  - Correlates of Family Satisfaction with Hospice Care: General Inpatient Hospice
      Care versus Routine Home Hospice Care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The quality of communication and support provided to families is
      associated with greater satisfaction with hospice care. Prior work has not
      explored whether the predictors of family satisfaction are different in different
      hospice care settings. OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to explore whether
      correlates of family satisfaction are different in general inpatient hospice care
      versus routine home hospice care. METHODS: Survey data from bereaved family
      members of approximately 1600 patients from a nonprofit, midsized hospice in
      western Pennsylvania were used. Data was obtained from Family Evaluation of
      Hospice Care (FEHC) survey responses from 2008-2013 and separated into two
      groups, general inpatient hospice care and routine home hospice care. The
      analysis was completed using a binomial logistic regression model. RESULTS: Three
      variables were associated with greater overall satisfaction in both care
      settings: being kept informed about the patient's condition (adjusted odds ratio
      [AOR]: 9.64, CI: 6.56-14.36); being provided with clear/consistent information
      (AOR: 2.34, CI: 1.47-3.72); and the perception that patients were provided with
      adequate treatment for anxiety (AOR: 2.64, CI: 1.19-5.81). Two variables,
      sufficient discussion with hospice team members concerning family members'
      religious or spiritual beliefs (AOR: 1.64, CI: 1.17-2.30) and being provided with
      the correct amount of emotional support after the patient's death (AOR: 2.01, CI:
      1.10-3.66), were correlated with greater satisfaction in routine home hospice
      care only. CONCLUSIONS: Good communication is strongly associated with greater
      family satisfaction across hospice care settings. Hospices must ensure that they
      provide patients and families with consistent information and support.

PMID- 26488868
TI  - Rotavirus P[8] Infections in Persons with Secretor and Nonsecretor Phenotypes,
      Tunisia.
AB  - To determine whether rotavirus infections are linked to secretor status, we
      studied samples from children in Tunisia with gastroenteritis. We phenotyped
      saliva for human blood group antigens and tested feces for rotavirus. Rotavirus
      was detected in 32/114 patients. Secretor genotyping showed that P[8] rotavirus
      infected secretors and nonsecretors, and infection correlated with presence of
      Lewis antigen. 

PMID- 26488869
TI  - Mortality Risk Factors for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Outbreak, South
      Korea, 2015.
AB  - As of July 15, 2015, the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare had reported
      186 case-patients with Middle East respiratory syndrome in South Korea. For 159
      case-patients with known outcomes and complete case histories, we found that
      older age and preexisting concurrent health conditions were risk factors for
      death. 

PMID- 26488870
TI  - Improving Dielectric Properties of PVDF Composites by Employing Surface Modified
      Strong Polarized BaTiO3 Particles Derived by Molten Salt Method.
AB  - BaTiO3/polyvinylidene fluoride (BT/PVDF) is the extensive reported composite
      material for application in modern electric devices. However, there still exists
      some obstacles prohibiting the further improvement of dielectric performance,
      such as poor interfacial compatibility and low dielectric constant. Therefore, in
      depth study of the size dependent polarization and surface modification of BT
      particle is of technological importance in developing high performance BT/PVDF
      composites. Here, a facile molten-salt synthetic method has been applied to
      prepare different grain sized BT particles through tailoring the calcination
      temperature. The size dependent spontaneous polarizationof BT particle was
      thoroughly investigated by theoretical calculation based on powder X-ray
      diffraction Rietveld refinement data. The results revealed that 600 nm sized BT
      particles possess the strong polarization, ascribing to the ferroelectric size
      effect. Furthermore, the surface of optimal BT particles has been modified by
      water-soluble polyvinylprrolidone (PVP) agent, and the coated particles exhibited
      fine core-shell structure and homogeneous dispersion in the PVDF matrix. The
      dielectric constant of the resulted composites increased significantly,
      especially, the prepared composite with 40 vol % BT loading exhibited the largest
      dielectric constant (65, 25  degrees C, 1 kHz) compared with the literature
      values of BT/PVDF at the same concentration of filler. Moreover, the energy
      storage density of the composites with tailored structure was largely enhanced at
      the low electric field, showing promising application as dielectric material in
      energy storage device. Our work suggested that introduction of strong polarized
      ferroelectric particles with optimal size and construction of core-shell
      structured coated fillers by PVP in the PVDF matrix are efficacious in improving
      dielectric performance of composites. The demonstrated approach can also be
      applied to the design and preparation of other polymers-based nanocomposites
      filled with ferroelectric particles to achieve desirable dielectric properties. 

PMID- 26488872
TI  - The Pathological Buying Screener: Development and Psychometric Properties of a
      New Screening Instrument for the Assessment of Pathological Buying Symptoms.
AB  - The study was designed to develop a new screening instrument for pathological
      buying (PB), and to examine its psychometric properties in a large-scale sample.
      By using a facet theoretical approach and based on literature as well as on
      clinical experience, a 20-item Pathological Buying Screener (PBS) was developed
      and administered to a representative German sample (n = 2,539). Valid data were
      available from 2,403 participants who were subjects for three subsequent
      empirical studies. The first study explored the factor structure using
      exploratory factor analyses in a subsample of 498 participants. Based on factor
      loadings, a 13-item version with the two factors loss of control / consequences
      and excessive buying behavior was revealed. This two-factor model was confirmed
      in study 2 by confirmatory factor analysis performed on another subsample (n =
      1,905). Study 3 investigated age and gender effects and convergent validity of
      the PBS using the Compulsive Buying Scale (CBS) in the full sample (N = 2,403).
      The total PBS score was adequately correlated with the CBS score. Hierarchical
      regression analyses with the CBS score as the dependent variable and the two PBS
      factors as the predictors indicated an own incremental validity of the two
      factors in participants <= 65 years. The reliability of the total score as well
      as of the two subscales was good to excellent. Overall, the PBS represents a
      useful measure for PB. Future studies are needed to replicate the two-factor
      structure in clinical samples and to define a valid cutoff for PB. 

PMID- 26488871
TI  - Incidence of Hospitalized Pneumococcal Pneumonia among Adults in Guatemala, 2008
      2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of pneumonia worldwide.
      However, the burden of pneumococcal pneumonia among adults in low- and middle
      income countries is not well described. METHODS: Data from 2008-2012 was analyzed
      from two surveillance sites in Guatemala to describe the incidence of
      pneumococcal pneumonia in adults. A case of hospitalized pneumococcal pneumonia
      was defined as a positive pneumococcal urinary antigen test or blood culture in
      persons aged >= 18 years hospitalized with an acute respiratory infection (ARI).
      RESULTS: Among 1595 adults admitted with ARI, 1363 (82%) had either urine testing
      (n = 1286) or blood culture (n = 338) performed. Of these, 188 (14%) had
      pneumococcal pneumonia, including 173 detected by urine only, 8 by blood culture
      only, and 7 by both methods. Incidence rates increased with age, with the lowest
      rate among 18-24 year-olds (2.75/100,000) and the highest among >=65 year-olds
      (31.3/100,000). The adjusted incidence of hospitalized pneumococcal pneumonia was
      18.6/100,000 overall, with in-hospital mortality of 5%. CONCLUSIONS: An important
      burden of hospitalized pneumococcal pneumonia in adults was described,
      particularly for the elderly. However, even adjusted rates likely underestimate
      the true burden of pneumococcal pneumonia in the community. These data provide a
      baseline against which to measure the indirect effects of the 2013 introduction
      of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in children in Guatemala.

PMID- 26488874
TI  - Diversity and Systematics of Schizomavella Species (Bryozoa: Bitectiporidae) from
      the Bathyal NE Atlantic.
AB  - Eight NE Atlantic and Mediterranean species, which were originally assigned to
      the genus Schizoporella (Family Schizoporellidae) when introduced, are
      redescribed and stabilized by typification. Seven of these species are
      transferred to the bitectiporid genus Schizomavella: S. fischeri, S. glebula, S.
      neptuni, S. obsoleta, S. richardi, S. triaviculata, and S. triaviculata var.
      paucimandibulata, which is here raised to species rank. The eighth species,
      Schizoporella fayalensis, is transferred to the lanceoporid genus Stephanotheca.
      Schizomavella obsoleta and S. glebula are considered junior subjective synonyms
      of S. fischeri and S. richardi, respectively. Two new species are described:
      Schizomavella rectangularis n. sp. from the Strait of Gibraltar, and
      Schizomavella phterocopa n. sp. from the Great Meteor Bank. A new subgenus,
      Calvetomavella n. subgen. is established as a result of a phylogenetic analysis
      based on morphological characters; it includes S. neptuni, S. triaviculata, S.
      paucimandibulata and S. phterocopa n. sp., together with Schizomavella discoidea
      and Schizomavella noronhai. The rest of the species remain in the nominotypical
      subgenus Schizomavella.

PMID- 26488875
TI  - Cholangiocarcinoma in Cirrhosis: Value of Hepatocyte Specific Magnetic Resonance
      Imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma (ICC)
      remains elusive at imaging, which is a critical issue in cirrhotic patients in
      whom a diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be established only by
      imaging. AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential of MRI in the
      diagnosis of ICC in cirrhosis using 'hepatocyte-specific' Gadolinium (Gd)-based
      contrast agents. METHODS: Sixteen histologically proven and retrospectively
      identified ICCs on cirrhosis were investigated with hepatocyte-specific magnetic
      resonance contrast agents (6 in Bologna with Gd-EOB-DTPA and 10 in Milan with Gd
      BOPTA). The control group consisted of 41 consecutively and prospectively
      collected nodules (31 HCCs) imaged with Gd-EOB-DTPA. RESULTS: Fifteen ICC nodules
      (94%) displayed hypointensity in the hepatobiliary phase, suggesting malignancy.
      Thirteen cholangiocarcinomas (81%) showed hyperenhancement in the venous phase.
      Only 2 cholangiocarcinoma nodules showed hypoenhancement in the venous phase,
      corresponding to washout, in both cases preceded by rim enhancement in arterial
      phase. All the hepatocarcinomas showed hypointensity in hepatobiliary phase, but
      was always preceded by hypointensity in the venous phase; arterial rim
      enhancement was never observed in any hepatocarcinoma or regenerative nodule.
      CONCLUSIONS: MRI with hepatocyte-specific Gd-based contrast agents showed a
      pattern of malignancy in almost all the ICCs, concurrently avoiding misdiagnosis
      with hepatocarcinoma. These findings suggest a greater diagnostic capacity for
      this technique compared with the results of MRI with conventional contrast agents
      reported in the literature in this setting.

PMID- 26488877
TI  - Long-Term Dietary Fructose Causes Gender-Different Metabolic and Vascular
      Dysfunction in Rats: Modulatory Effects of Resveratrol.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: There is limited knowledge on the gender differences in the
      effects of dietary fructose. In the current study, we investigated whether long
      term fructose intake impacts metabolic parameters and vascular reactivity
      differently between male and female rats. Moreover, we tested whether resveratrol
      has a gender-specific effectiveness on the alterations. METHODS: Male and female
      rats were divided into four groups as control; resveratrol; fructose and
      resveratrol plus fructose. Fructose was given to the rats as 10% solution in
      drinking water for 24 weeks. All rats were fed with the standard diet with or
      without resveratrol. RESULTS: High-fructose diet increased plasma insulin,
      triglyceride and VLDL levels as well as omental weights in both genders. Long
      term dietary fructose causes marked increase in body weight of males, but not
      females. Dietary fructose impaired endothelial relaxation to acetylcholine and
      intensified contraction to phenylephrine in the aortas of male and female rats,
      but differently it also reduced insulin-induced vasodilation in aortas of female
      rats. These changes were associated with decreased expression levels of
      endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) mRNA and protein, but increased in
      inducible NOS (iNOS), in aortas of male and female rats. Dietary fructose
      suppressed expression levels of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and insulin receptor substrate
      2 (IRS-2) mRNA in aortas from female rats. Resveratrol supplementation
      efficiently restored fructose-induced metabolic and vascular dysfunction in both
      genders probably by regulating eNOS and iNOS production. Moreover, the
      augmentations in SIRT1 and IRS-2 mRNA in females and IRS-1 mRNA in males may
      possibly contribute to the beneficial effects of resveratrol as well. CONCLUSION:
      Long-term fructose intake may differently affect metabolic and vascular function
      between male and female rats, which are modified by resveratrol.

PMID- 26488878
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26488876
TI  - Three-Dimensional Microfluidic Tri-Culture Model of the Bone Marrow
      Microenvironment for Study of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
AB  - Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) initiates and progresses in the bone marrow,
      and as such, the marrow microenvironment is a critical regulatory component in
      development of this cancer. However, ALL studies were conducted mainly on flat
      plastic substrates, which do not recapitulate the characteristics of marrow
      microenvironments. To study ALL in a model of in vivo relevance, we have
      engineered a 3-D microfluidic cell culture platform. Biologically relevant
      populations of primary human bone marrow stromal cells, osteoblasts and human
      leukemic cells representative of an aggressive phenotype were encapsulated in 3-D
      collagen matrix as the minimal constituents and cultured in a microfluidic
      platform. The matrix stiffness and fluidic shear stress were controlled in a
      physiological range. The 3-D microfluidic as well as 3-D static models
      demonstrated coordinated cell-cell interactions between these cell types compared
      to the compaction of the 2-D static model. Tumor cell viability in response to an
      antimetabolite chemotherapeutic agent, cytarabine in tumor cells alone and tri
      culture models for 2-D static, 3-D static and 3-D microfluidic models were
      compared. The present study showed decreased chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity of
      leukemic cells in 3-D tri-culture models from the 2-D models. The results
      indicate that the bone marrow microenvironment plays a protective role in tumor
      cell survival during drug treatment. The engineered 3-D microfluidic tri-culture
      model enables systematic investigation of effects of cell-cell and cell-matrix
      interactions on cancer progression and therapeutic intervention in a controllable
      manner, thus improving our limited comprehension of the role of
      microenvironmental signals in cancer biology. 

PMID- 26488880
TI  - Correction: Indirect Energy Flows in Niche Model Food Webs: Effects of Size and
      Connectance.

PMID- 26488879
TI  - In Vitro Production of Echioidinin, 7-O-Methywogonin from Callus Cultures of
      Andrographis lineata and Their Cytotoxicity on Cancer Cells.
AB  - Andrographis lineata is an herbal medicinal plant used in traditional medicine as
      a substitute for Andrographis paniculata. Here, using mature leaf explants of A.
      lineata we demonstrate for the first time the callus induction established on MS
      medium containing 1.0 mg l-1 IAA. Dried callus was subjected to solvent
      extraction with acetone. Further the acetone residue was separated by silica gel
      column chromatography, crystallized and characterized on the basis of nuclear
      magnetic resonance (proton and c13) and liquid chromatographic mass spectroscopy.
      This analysis revealed the occurrence of two known flavones namely, 7-O
      methylwogonin (MW) and Echioidinin (ED). Furthermore, these compounds were tested
      for their cytotoxicity against leukemic cell line, CEM. We identify that ED and
      MW induced cytotoxicity in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Further
      increase in the LDH release upon treatment with ED and MW further confirmed our
      cytotoxicity results against leukemic cell line. Strikingly, MW was more potent
      than ED when compared by trypan blue and MTT assays. Our results recapitulate the
      utility of callus cultures for the production of plant specific bioactive
      secondary metabolites instead of using wild plants. Together, our in vitro
      studies provide new insights of A. lineata callus cultures serving as a source
      for cancer chemotherapeutic agents. 

PMID- 26488881
TI  - Allergens Induce the Release of Lactoferrin by Neutrophils from Asthmatic
      Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the evidence that Lactoferrin (Lf) is involved in allergic
      asthma processes, it is unknown whether neutrophils can be one of the main
      cellular sources of this key inflammatory mediator directly in response of an IgE
      mediated stimulus. The present study was undertaken to analyze this question.
      METHODS: Neutrophils from healthy subjects (n = 34) and neutrophils from allergic
      asthmatic patients (n = 102) were challenged in vitro with specific allergens to
      which the patients were sensitized, PAF, or agonist mAbs against IgE-receptors,
      and the levels of Lf were measured in the culture supernatant. The levels of
      serum IgE together with the severity of symptoms were also analyzed. RESULTS: Lf
      was released into the culture supernatant of neutrophils from allergic asthmatic
      patients in response to allergens and PAF. This response was highly allergen
      specific, and did not happen in neutrophils from healthy donors. Allergen effect
      was mimicked by Abs against FcepsilonRI and galectin-3 but not by FcepsilonRII.
      The levels of released Lf correlated well with the levels of serum specific IgE
      and severity of asthma symptoms. These observations represent a novel view of
      neutrophils as an important source of Lf in allergic asthma. Importantly, the
      levels of released Lf by neutrophils could therefore be used to evaluate disease
      severity in allergic asthmatic patients.

PMID- 26488883
TI  - Dermatan Sulfate-Free Mice Display Embryological Defects and Are Neonatal Lethal
      Despite Normal Lymphoid and Non-Lymphoid Organogenesis.
AB  - The epimerization of glucuronic acid into iduronic acid adds structural
      variability to chondroitin/dermatan sulfate polysaccharides. Iduronic acid
      containing domains play essential roles in processes such as coagulation,
      chemokine and morphogen modulation, collagen maturation, and neurite sprouting.
      Therefore, we generated and characterized, for the first time, mice deficient in
      dermatan sulfate epimerase 1 and 2, two enzymes uniquely involved in dermatan
      sulfate biosynthesis. The resulting mice, termed DKO mice, were completely devoid
      of iduronic acid, and the resulting chondroitin sulfate chains were structurally
      different from the wild type chains, from which a different protein binding
      specificity can be expected. As a consequence, a vast majority of the DKO mice
      died perinatally, with greatly variable phenotypes at birth or late embryological
      stages such as umbilical hernia, exencephaly and a kinked tail. However, a
      minority of embryos were histologically unaffected, with apparently normal lung
      and bone/cartilage features. Interestingly, the binding of the chemokine CXCL13,
      an important modulator of lymphoid organogenesis, to mouse DKO embryonic
      fibroblasts was impaired. Nevertheless, the development of the secondary lymphoid
      organs, including the lymph nodes and spleen, was normal. Altogether, our results
      indicate an important role of dermatan sulfate in embryological development and
      perinatal survival. 

PMID- 26488882
TI  - Involvement of Membrane Blebbing in Immunological Disorders and Cancer.
AB  - Cellular blebbing is a unique form of dynamic protrusion emanating from the
      plasma membrane which can be either apoptotic or nonapoptotic in nature. Blebs
      have been observed in a wide variety of cell types and in response to multiple
      mechanical and chemical stimuli. They have been linked to various physiological
      and pathological processes including tumor motility and invasion, as well as to
      various immunological disorders. They can form and retract extremely rapidly in
      seconds or minutes, or slowly over hours or days. This review focuses on recent
      evidence regarding the role of blebbing in cell locomotion with particular
      emphasis on its role in tumor metastasis, indicating the role of specific
      causative molecules. The phenomenon of blebbing has been observed in endocrine
      resistant breast cancer cells in response to brief exposure to extracellular
      alkaline pH, which leads to enhanced invasive capacity. Genetic or
      pharmacological targeting of cellular blebs could serve as a potential
      therapeutic option to control tumor metastasis. 

PMID- 26488884
TI  - Redox Interactions of Tc(VII), U(VI), and Np(V) with Microbially Reduced Biotite
      and Chlorite.
AB  - Technetium, uranium, and neptunium are contaminants that cause concern at nuclear
      facilities due to their long half-life, environmental mobility, and
      radiotoxicity. Here we investigate the impact of microbial reduction of Fe(III)
      in biotite and chlorite and the role that this has in enhancing mineral
      reactivity toward soluble TcO4(-), UO2(2+), and NpO2(+). When reacted with
      unaltered biotite and chlorite, significant sorption of U(VI) occurred in low
      carbonate (0.2 mM) buffer, while U(VI), Tc(VII), and Np(V) showed low reactivity
      in high carbonate (30 mM) buffer. On reaction with the microbially reduced
      minerals, all radionuclides were removed from solution with U(VI) reactivity
      influenced by carbonate. Analysis by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS)
      confirmed reductive precipitation to poorly soluble U(IV) in low carbonate
      conditions and both Tc(VII) and Np(V) in high carbonate buffer were also fully
      reduced to poorly soluble Tc(IV) and Np(IV) phases. U(VI) reduction was inhibited
      under high carbonate conditions. Furthermore, EXAFS analysis suggested that in
      the reaction products, Tc(IV) was associated with Fe, Np(IV) formed
      nanoparticulate NpO2, and U(IV) formed nanoparticulate UO2 in chlorite and was
      associated with silica in biotite. Overall, microbial reduction of the Fe(III)
      associated with biotite and chlorite primed the minerals for reductive scavenging
      of radionuclides: this has clear implications for the fate of radionuclides in
      the environment. 

PMID- 26488885
TI  - Characterization of Bacterial Communities Associated with the Tyrian Purple
      Producing Gland in a Marine Gastropod.
AB  - Dicathais orbita is a marine mollusc recognised for the production of anticancer
      compounds that are precursors to Tyrian purple. This study aimed to assess the
      diversity and identity of bacteria associated with the Tyrian purple producing
      hypobranchial gland, in comparison with foot tissue, using a high-throughput
      sequencing approach. Taxonomic and phylogenetic analysis of variable region V1-V3
      of 16S rRNA bacterial gene amplicons in QIIME and MEGAN were carried out. This
      analysis revealed a highly diverse bacterial assemblage associated with the
      hypobranchial gland and foot tissues of D. orbita. The dominant bacterial phylum
      in the 16S rRNA bacterial profiling data set was Proteobacteria followed by
      Bacteroidetes, Tenericutes and Spirochaetes. In comparison to the foot, the
      hypobranchial gland had significantly lower bacterial diversity and a different
      community composition, based on taxonomic assignment at the genus level. A higher
      abundance of indole producing Vibrio spp. and the presence of bacteria with
      brominating capabilities in the hypobranchial gland suggest bacteria have a
      potential role in biosynthesis of Tyrian purple in D. orbita. 

PMID- 26488888
TI  - Keynote Lectures.

PMID- 26488886
TI  - Description of a New Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species (Chelonoidis; Testudines:
      Testudinidae) from Cerro Fatal on Santa Cruz Island.
AB  - The taxonomy of giant Galapagos tortoises (Chelonoidis spp.) is currently based
      primarily on morphological characters and island of origin. Over the last decade,
      compelling genetic evidence has accumulated for multiple independent evolutionary
      lineages, spurring the need for taxonomic revision. On the island of Santa Cruz
      there is currently a single named species, C. porteri. Recent genetic and
      morphological studies have shown that, within this taxon, there are two
      evolutionarily and spatially distinct lineages on the western and eastern sectors
      of the island, known as the Reserva and Cerro Fatal populations, respectively.
      Analyses of DNA from natural populations and museum specimens, including the type
      specimen for C. porteri, confirm the genetic distinctiveness of these two
      lineages and support elevation of the Cerro Fatal tortoises to the rank of
      species. In this paper, we identify DNA characters that define this new species,
      and infer evolutionary relationships relative to other species of Galapagos
      tortoises. 

PMID- 26488887
TI  - Construction of Nanowire Heterojunctions: Photonic Function-Oriented
      Nanoarchitectonics.
AB  - Nanophotonics has received broad research interest because it may provide an
      alternative opportunity to overcome the fundamental limitations of electronic
      circuits. So far, diverse photonic functions, such as light generation,
      modulation, and detection, have been realized based on various nano-materials.
      The exact structural features of these material systems, including geometric
      characteristics, surface morphology, and material composition, play a key role in
      determining the photonic functions. Therefore, rational designs and constructions
      of materials on both morphological and componential levels, namely
      nanoarchitectonics, are indispensable for any photonic device with specific
      functionalities. Recently, a series of nanowire heterojunctions (NWHJs), which
      are usually made from two or more kinds of material compositions, were
      constructed for novel photonic applications based on various interactions between
      different materials at the junctions, for instance, energy transfer, exciton
      plasmon coupling, or photon-plasmon coupling. A summary of these works is
      necessary to get a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between
      photonic functions and architectonics of NWHJs, which will be instructive for
      designing novel photonic devices towards integrated circuits. Here, photonic
      function oriented nanoarchitectonics based on recent breakthroughs in
      nanophotonic devices are discussed, with emphasis on the design mechanisms,
      fabrication strategies, and excellent performances. 

PMID- 26488890
TI  - Poster Presentations.

PMID- 26488891
TI  - Gene transfer of two entry inhibitors protects CD4+ T cell from HIV-1 infection
      in humanized mice.
AB  - Targeting viral entry is the most likely gene therapy strategy to succeed in
      protecting the immune system from pathogenic HIV-1 infection. Here, we evaluated
      the efficacy of a gene transfer lentiviral vector expressing a combination of
      viral entry inhibitors, the C46 peptide (an inhibitor of viral fusion) and the P2
      CCL5 intrakine (a modulator of CCR5 expression), to prevent CD4+ T-cell infection
      in vivo. For this, we used two different models of HIV-1-infected mice, one in
      which ex vivo genetically modified human T cells were grafted into
      immunodeficient NOD.SCID.gammac-/-mice before infection and one in which
      genetically modified T cells were derived from CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors
      grafted few days after birth. Expression of the transgenes conferred a major
      selective advantage to genetically modified CD4+ T cells, the frequency of which
      could increase from 10 to 90% in the blood following HIV-1 infection. Moreover,
      these cells resisted HIV-1-induced depletion, contrary to non-modified cells that
      were depleted in the same mice. Finally, we report lower normalized viral loads
      in mice having received genetically modified progenitors. Altogether, our study
      documents that targeting viral entry in vivo is a promising avenue for the future
      of HIV-1 gene therapy in humans.

PMID- 26488892
TI  - HBV carriage in children born from HIV-seropositive mothers in Senegal: The need
      of birth-dose HBV vaccination.
AB  - Hepatitis B is a major public health problem in Senegal, a country with high
      prevalence and a transmission occurring mainly during infancy. Only, one 6-8
      weeks vaccination campaign was initiated in 2005 and it was part of the expanded
      program of immunization. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of
      HBsAg in children born from HIV-seropositive mothers by using dried blood
      specimens. Specimens were collected between July 2007 and November 2012 from
      children aged 2-48 weeks in Dakar and decentralized sites working on HIV mother
      to-child transmission prevention. HBsAg detection was performed using Architect
      HBsAg Qualitative II kit (Abbott Diagnostics, Ireland) and for all reactive
      samples confirmation was done using Architect HBsAg Qualitative II Confirmatory
      kit (Abbott Diagnostics, Ireland). Nine hundred thirty samples were collected
      throughout the country with 66% out of Dakar, the capital city. The median age
      was 20 weeks and 88% of children were less than 1 year of age with a sex ratio of
      1.27 in favor of boys. HBsAg was detected in 28 cases giving a global prevalence
      of 3%. According to age, HBsAg prevalences were 5.1% for children less than 6
      weeks, 4.1% and 4.6%, respectively, for those aged 12-18 weeks and 18-24 weeks of
      age. The HIV prevalence was 2.6% with no HIV/HBV co-infection. This study showed
      a high rate of HBV infection in children under 24 months, highlighting the need
      to promote birth-dose HBV vaccination as recommended by WHO.

PMID- 26488893
TI  - Effects of Grammaticality and Morphological Complexity on the P600 Event-Related
      Potential Component.
AB  - We investigated interactions between morphological complexity and grammaticality
      on electrophysiological markers of grammatical processing during reading. Our
      goal was to determine whether morphological complexity and stimulus
      grammaticality have independent or additive effects on the P600 event-related
      potential component. Participants read sentences that were either well-formed or
      grammatically ill-formed, in which the critical word was either morphologically
      simple or complex. Results revealed no effects of complexity for well-formed
      stimuli, but the P600 amplitude was significantly larger for morphologically
      complex ungrammatical stimuli than for morphologically simple ungrammatical
      stimuli. These findings suggest that some previous work may have inadequately
      characterized factors related to reanalysis during morphosyntactic processing.
      Our results show that morphological complexity by itself does not elicit P600
      effects. However, in ungrammatical circumstances, overt morphology provides a
      more robust and reliable cue to morphosyntactic relationships than null
      affixation. 

PMID- 26488894
TI  - Network Properties of the Ensemble of RNA Structures.
AB  - We describe the first dynamic programming algorithm that computes the expected
      degree for the network, or graph G = (V, E) of all secondary structures of a
      given RNA sequence a = a1, ..., an. Here, the nodes V correspond to all secondary
      structures of a, while an edge exists between nodes s, t if the secondary
      structure t can be obtained from s by adding, removing or shifting a base pair.
      Since secondary structure kinetics programs implement the Gillespie algorithm,
      which simulates a random walk on the network of secondary structures, the
      expected network degree may provide a better understanding of kinetics of RNA
      folding when allowing defect diffusion, helix zippering, and related conformation
      transformations. We determine the correlation between expected network degree,
      contact order, conformational entropy, and expected number of native contacts for
      a benchmarking dataset of RNAs. Source code is available at
      http://bioinformatics.bc.edu/clotelab/RNAexpNumNbors. 

PMID- 26488895
TI  - Effects of Early Hypertension Control after Ischaemic Stroke on the Outcome: A
      Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence suggests that high blood pressure (BP)
      increases the risk of cerebral oedema and haemorrhagic transformation of the
      ischaemic stroke (IS), and that low BP in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) is
      associated with a poor prognosis. The best possible management of hypertension
      after AIS is still uncertain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: English databases were
      searched to identify relevant randomized controlled trials assessing the effects
      of early BP lowering (started within the first 48 h) after IS on outcome from
      January 1990 to August 2015. We set strict inclusion criteria and used the Review
      Manager 5.2 software from Cochrane Collaboration to calculate the combined risk
      ratio (RR). RESULT: Eight studies met our criteria. Early BP lowering after AIS
      did not significantly affect the risk of early and long-term death (RR 1.22; 95%
      CI 0.69-2.16 and RR 1.03; 95% CI 0.62-1.71), early and long-term dependency (RR
      1.02; 95% CI 0.94-1.10 and RR 1.07; 95% CI 0.84-1.36), early and long-term death
      or dependency (RR 1.04; 95% CI 0.94-1.19 and RR 1.00; 95% CI 0.95-1.05), long
      term stroke recurrence (RR 0.74; 95% CI 0.49-1.11), long-term myocardial
      infarction (RR 0.99; 95% CI 0.27-3.61), and long-term vascular events (RR 0.97;
      95% CI 0.72-1.31). CONCLUSION: Our results revealed neither support nor
      opposition to early BP lowering (started within 48 h) after AIS; individualized
      BP management based on the patients' condition may be a good choice.

PMID- 26488896
TI  - Proton pump inhibitors and risk of periampullary cancers--A nested case-control
      study.
AB  - Considerable attention has been focused on long-term use of proton pump inhibitor
      (PPI) medications in relation to increased risk of cancer via stimulation of DNA
      damaged cells. The aim of this study is to examine the dose-dependent effect of
      PPI on periampullary cancers in a national population-based cohort. A nested case
      control analysis was constructed based on Taiwan's National Health Insurance
      Research Database and the Taiwan Cancer Registry between the years 2000 and 2010.
      Cases involving patients diagnosed with periampullary cancers were selected and
      controls were matched to cases according to age, sex and observational period. A
      "PPI user" was defined as any patient receiving more than 28 cumulative defined
      daily doses as measured by prescription drug claims. Conditional logistic
      regression analysis was conducted to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CIs) according to the level of PPI exposure. A total of
      7,681 cases and 76,762 matched controls were included with a mean follow-up
      period of 6.6 years (SD: 2.0). The odds of PPI exposure in patients with
      periampullary cancers were higher than that of control patients with an adjusted
      OR of 1.35 (95% CIs: 1.16-1.57). Our results also showed that PPI exposure was
      slightly linked to periampullary cancers in dose-dependent manner. A similar
      association was observed in patients who solely took PPI but no eradication
      therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection. Long-term PPI use was associated with
      an increased risk of periampullary cancers in the current population-based study.
      Physicians must weigh potential risks of long-term maintenance against
      therapeutic benefit. 

PMID- 26488897
TI  - Valproic acid sensitizes human glioma cells to gefitinib-induced autophagy.
AB  - Autophagy and apoptosis represent important cellular processes involved in cancer
      cell killing mechanisms. Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor gefitinib and
      valproic acid have been implicated in the treatment of malignancies including
      glioma involving autophagic and apoptotic mechanisms. Therefore, it is
      interesting to investigate whether a combination of gefitinib and valproic acid
      shows better cancer cell killing effect on human glioma cells. We found that a
      nontoxic concentration of valproic acid sensitized U87 and T98G glioma cells to
      gefitinib cytotoxicity by inhibiting cell growth and long-term clonogenic
      survival. The augmented consequences were accompanied by the formation of
      autophagic vacuoles, conversion of microtubule-associated protein-1 light chain 3
      II (LC3-II), and degradation of p62. Autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenosine and
      chloroquine and genetic silencing of LC3 but not broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor
      attenuated gefitinib/valproic acid-induced growth inhibition. Gefitinib/valproic
      acid-induced autophagy was accompanied by the activation of liver kinase-B1
      (LKB1)/AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/ULK1. Silencing of AMPK and ULK1
      suppressed gefitinib/valproic acid-induced autophagy and growth inhibition.
      Mechanistic studies showed that gefitinib/valproic acid increased intracellular
      reactive oxygen species generation and N-acetyl cysteine attenuated
      gefitinib/valproic acid-caused autophagy and growth inhibition. In addition to
      demonstrating the autophagic mechanisms of gefitinib/valproic acid, the results
      of this study further suggest that intracellular oxidative stress and the
      LKB1/AMPK signaling might be a potential target for the development of
      therapeutic strategy against glioma.

PMID- 26488898
TI  - Optimization of naringenin and p-coumaric acid hydroxylation using the native E.
      coli hydroxylase complex, HpaBC.
AB  - Flavonoids are a growing class of bioactive natural products with distinct and
      interesting bioactivity both in vitro and in vivo. The extraction of flavonoids
      from plant sources is limited by their low natural abundance and commonly results
      in a mixture of products that are difficult to separate. However, due to recent
      advances, the microbial production of plant natural products has developed as a
      promising alternative for flavonoid production. Through optimization of media,
      induction temperature, induction point, and substrate delay time, we demonstrate
      the highest conversion of naringenin to eriodictyol (62.7 +/- 2.7 mg/L) to date,
      using the native E. coli hydroxylase complex, HpaBC. We also show the first
      evidence of in vivo HpaBC activity towards the monohydroxylated flavan-3-ol
      afzelechin with catechin product titers of 34.7 +/- 1.5 mg/L. This work confirms
      the wide applicability of HpaBC towards realizing efficient de novo production of
      various orthohydroxylated flavonoids and flavonoid derived products in E. coli.

PMID- 26488899
TI  - Gender in Science and Engineering Faculties: Demographic Inertia Revisited.
AB  - The under-representation of women on faculties of science and engineering is
      ascribed in part to demographic inertia, which is the lag between retirement of
      current faculty and future hires. The assumption of demographic inertia implies
      that, given enough time, gender parity will be achieved. We examine that
      assumption via a semi-Markov model to predict the future faculty, with
      simulations that predict the convergence demographic state. Our model shows that
      existing practices that produce gender gaps in recruitment, retention, and career
      progression preclude eventual gender parity. Further, we examine sensitivity of
      the convergence state to current gender gaps to show that all sources of
      disparity across the entire faculty career must be erased to produce parity: we
      cannot blame demographic inertia. 

PMID- 26488900
TI  - Laser and electron-beam powder-bed additive manufacturing of metallic implants: A
      review on processes, materials and designs.
AB  - Additive manufacturing (AM), also commonly known as 3D printing, allows the
      direct fabrication of functional parts with complex shapes from digital models.
      In this review, the current progress of two AM processes suitable for metallic
      orthopaedic implant applications, namely selective laser melting (SLM) and
      electron beam melting (EBM) are presented. Several critical design factors such
      as the need for data acquisition for patient-specific design, design dependent
      porosity for osteo-inductive implants, surface topology of the implants and
      design for reduction of stress-shielding in implants are discussed. Additive
      manufactured biomaterials such as 316L stainless steel, titanium-6aluminium
      4vanadium (Ti6Al4V) and cobalt-chromium (CoCr) are highlighted. Limitations and
      future potential of such technologies are also explored.

PMID- 26488901
TI  - Population Trend and Elasticities of Vital Rates for Steller Sea Lions
      (Eumetopias jubatus) in the Eastern Gulf of Alaska: A New Life-History Table
      Analysis.
AB  - Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) numbers are beginning to recover across
      most of the western distinct population segment following catastrophic declines
      that began in the 1970s and ended around the turn of the century. This study
      makes use of contemporary vital rate estimates from a trend-site rookery in the
      eastern Gulf of Alaska (a sub-region of the western population) in a matrix
      population model to estimate the trend and strength of the recovery across this
      region between 2003 and 2013. The modeled population trend was projected into the
      future based on observed variation in vital rates and a prospective elasticity
      analysis was conducted to determine future trends and which vital rates pose the
      greatest threats to recovery. The modeled population grew at a mean rate of 3.5%
      per yr between 2003 and 2013 and was correlated with census count data from the
      local rookery and throughout the eastern Gulf of Alaska. If recent vital rate
      estimates continue with little change, the eastern Gulf of Alaska population
      could be fully recovered to pre-decline levels within 23 years. With density
      dependent growth, the population would need another 45 years to fully recover.
      Elasticity analysis showed that, as expected, population growth rate (lambda) was
      most sensitive to changes in adult survival, less sensitive to changes in
      juvenile survival, and least sensitive to changes in fecundity. A population
      decline could be expected with only a 6% decrease in adult survival, whereas a
      32% decrease in fecundity would be necessary to bring about a population decline.
      These results have important implications for population management and suggest
      current research priorities should be shifted to a greater emphasis on survival
      rates and causes of mortality. 

PMID- 26488903
TI  - Anaplastic Ependymoma in a Child With Sickle Cell Anemia: A Case Report
      Highlighting Treatment Challenges for Young Children With Central Nervous System
      Tumors and Underlying Vasculopathy.
AB  - A 3-year-old boy with sickle cell anemia (SCA) presented with progressive daily
      emesis and was found to have an anaplastic ependymoma. Radiation therapy and
      chemotherapy are usually employed after subtotal resections of anaplastic
      ependymomas, although the benefits from chemotherapy are unclear. To mitigate the
      risks of adjuvant treatment in this patient at risk for SCA-associated
      vasculopathy, renal impairment, and other end-organ damage, proton beam
      irradiation without chemotherapy was chosen. Scheduled packed red blood cell
      transfusions were instituted to maintain sickle hemoglobin levels less than 30%.
      This case highlights treatment complexities for malignant brain tumors in
      patients predisposed to treatment-related adverse effects. 

PMID- 26488904
TI  - Arresting HIV: Fostering Partnerships between Sex Workers and Police to Reduce
      HIV Risk and Promote Professionalization within Policing Institutions: A Realist
      Review.
AB  - In many countries around the world sex work is criminalised and its regulatory
      control is therefore often in the hands of the police. In addition to the impact
      of this criminalised legal environment, much literature describes the negative
      impact that certain police practices can have on the ability of sex workers and
      the programs that work with sex workers to access essential HIV prevention,
      treatment, care and support services. This situation has resulted in persistent
      concentrated HIV epidemics among sex workers in many countries of the world. The
      need for multi-sector partnerships between police and HIV programs is
      increasingly recognised in various UN declarations and resolutions yet
      descriptions of the process or key ingredients required to actually establish and
      sustain these necessary partnerships between police and sex workers [or the
      programs that provide essential services to sex workers] are sparse. The paper
      seeks to establish key considerations and critical processes that are required to
      foster partnerships that if further investigated and scaled up, could result in
      an enhanced enabling environment for the provision of essential HIV services for
      sex workers around the globe. This paper is based on a realist review that
      investigated isolated examples of partnership formation between law enforcement
      and HIV programs working with sex workers. This methodology research is designed
      to work with complex social interventions and is based on the emerging 'realist'
      approach to evaluation. A realist review methodology was chosen given the paucity
      of relevant literature in this vein and the authors' familiarity with the grey
      literature and relationships with experts who work in this sphere. The review
      found that political and police leadership, civil society strengthening and
      police reform in relation to HIV, are critical factors and key ingredients in
      changing the enabling environment in which sex work takes place to ensure that
      HIV prevention, individual and public health as well as HIV prevention and the
      promotion of human rights are the number one priority. Further research into this
      relationship is needed to provide evidence for effective HIV programming with
      police. 

PMID- 26488905
TI  - Atomoxetine monotherapy compared with combination therapy for the treatment of
      ADHD: a retrospective chart review study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) in ADHD
      patients treated with atomoxetine (ATX) monotherapy versus ATX combination
      therapy with another ADHD-indicated medication. METHODS: This was a 2-site
      retrospective observational chart review study of child and adult ADHD patients,
      not necessarily treatment naive, but treated >=50 days post baseline with an
      endpoint assessment. To adjust for measured confounders, monotherapy (n = 77)
      versus combination (n = 108) cohort comparisons were performed using propensity
      score stratification and adjusted ANCOVA. RESULTS: There were no significant
      baseline cohort differences after propensity stratification. CGI-S scores after a
      mean 264 days of treatment were not statistically significantly different between
      cohorts, with no cohort differences observed in any assessed symptom subcategory.
      The cohorts were similar in discontinuation due to any reason, adverse event, and
      lack of efficacy. CONCLUSION: ATX combination therapy showed no evidence of
      additional benefit over ATX monotherapy in the treatment of ADHD in a community
      based setting.

PMID- 26488902
TI  - Identification of Non-nucleoside Human Ribonucleotide Reductase Modulators.
AB  - Ribonucleotide reductase (RR) catalyzes the rate-limiting step of dNTP synthesis
      and is an established cancer target. Drugs targeting RR are mainly nucleoside in
      nature. In this study, we sought to identify non-nucleoside small-molecule
      inhibitors of RR. Using virtual screening, binding affinity, inhibition, and cell
      toxicity, we have discovered a class of small molecules that alter the
      equilibrium of inactive hexamers of RR, leading to its inhibition. Several unique
      chemical categories, including a phthalimide derivative, show micromolar IC50s
      and KDs while demonstrating cytotoxicity. A crystal structure of an active
      phthalimide binding at the targeted interface supports the noncompetitive mode of
      inhibition determined by kinetic studies. Furthermore, the phthalimide shifts the
      equilibrium from dimer to hexamer. Together, these data identify several novel
      non-nucleoside inhibitors of human RR which act by stabilizing the inactive form
      of the enzyme. 

PMID- 26488906
TI  - Controlled ligand distortion and its consequences for structure, symmetry,
      conformation and spin-state preferences of iron(II) complexes.
AB  - The ligand-field strength in metal complexes of polydentate ligands depends
      critically on how the ligand backbone places the donor atoms in three-dimensional
      space. Distortions from regular coordination geometries are often observed. In
      this work, we study the isolated effect of ligand-sphere distortion by means of
      two structurally related pentadentate ligands of identical donor set, in the
      solid state (X-ray diffraction, (57)Fe-Mossbauer spectroscopy), in solution (NMR
      spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy, conductometry), and with quantum-chemical
      methods. Crystal structures of hexacoordinate iron(II) and nickel(II) complexes
      derived from the cyclic ligand L(1) (6-methyl-6-(pyridin-2-yl)-1,4-bis(pyridin-2
      ylmethyl)-1,4-diazepane) and its open-chain congener L(2) (N(1),N(3),2-trimethyl
      2-(pyridine-2-yl)-N(1),N(3)-bis(pyridine-2-ylmethyl) propane-1,3-diamine) reveal
      distinctly different donor set distortions reflecting the differences in ligand
      topology. Distortion from regular octahedral geometry is minor for complexes of
      ligand L(2), but becomes significant in the complexes of the cyclic ligand L(1),
      where trans elongation of Fe-N bonds cannot be compensated by the rigid ligand
      backbone. This provokes trigonal twisting of the ligand field. This distortion
      causes the metal ion in complexes of L(1) to experience a significantly weaker
      ligand field than in the complexes of L(2), which are more regular. The reduced
      ligand-field strength in complexes of L(1) translates into a marked preference
      for the electronic high-spin state, the emergence of conformational isomers, and
      massively enhanced lability with respect to ligand exchange and oxidation of the
      central ion. Accordingly, oxoiron(IV) species derived from L(1) and L(2) differ
      in their spectroscopic properties and their chemical reactivity.

PMID- 26488907
TI  - A portable microcolumn based on silver nanoparticle functionalized glass fibers
      and its SERS application.
AB  - We presented a facile method for the preparation of a portable detection column
      integrated with silver nanoparticle (Ag NP) functionalized glass fibers for
      surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Ag NPs were immobilized onto the
      surface of fibers through a two-step self-assembly process, and the cycling of
      the assembly process was repeated to optimize the SERS activity. The optimized
      fibers coated with homogeneous and dense Ag NPs were combined with a glass
      column, displaying good reproducibility. This combination could construct more
      "hot spots" and the spatial intra-channel structure for high mass transfer, and
      provide more sufficient interactions between the probing laser and metallic
      nanoparticles. The capability of the prepared column to have high sensitivity to
      dyes was demonstrated by the measurements of rhodamine 6G, alizarin red and
      methyl orange, with low concentrations of 28 pM, 64 pM and 0.36 nM, respectively.
      The SERS-active column fabricated by a facile, low-cost and high-yield approach
      is expected to be an effective and practical means for on-site application when
      rapid separation and detection of analytes in the liquid sample is needed. 

PMID- 26488908
TI  - PEGylated Cu3BiS3 hollow nanospheres as a new photothermal agent for 980 nm-laser
      driven photothermochemotherapy and a contrast agent for X-ray computed tomography
      imaging.
AB  - Developing multifunctional near-infrared (NIR) light-driven photothermal agents
      is in high demand for efficient cancer therapy. Herein, PEGylated Cu3BiS3 hollow
      nanospheres (HNSs) with an average diameter of 80 nm were synthesized through a
      facile ethylene glycol-mediated solvothermal route. The obtained PEGylated
      Cu3BiS3 HNSs exhibited strong NIR optical absorption with a large molar
      extinction coefficient of 4.1 * 10(9) cm(-1) M(-1) at 980 nm. Under the
      irradiation of a 980 nm laser with a safe power density of 0.72 W cm(-2), Cu3BiS3
      HNSs produced significant photothermal heating with a photothermal transduction
      efficiency of 27.5%. The Cu3BiS3 HNSs also showed a good antitumoral drug
      doxorubicin (DOX) loading capacity and pH- and NIR-responsive DOX release
      behaviors. At a low dosage of 10 MUg mL(-1), HeLa cells could be efficiently
      killed through a synergistic effect of chemo- and photothermo-therapy
      respectively based on the DOX release and the photothermal effect of Cu3BiS3
      HNSs. In addition, Cu3BiS3 HNSs displayed a good X-ray computed tomography (CT)
      imaging capability. Furthermore, Cu3BiS3 HNSs could be used for efficient in vivo
      photothermochemotherapy and X-ray CT imaging of mice bearing melanoma skin
      cancer. This multifunctional theranostic nanomaterial shows potential promise for
      cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26488909
TI  - Motivation to quit or reduce gambling: Associations between Self-Determination
      Theory and the Transtheoretical Model of Change.
AB  - Motivation for change and recovery from addiction has been commonly assessed
      using the Transtheoretical Model's stages of change. Analogous to readiness for
      change, this measure of motivation may not recognize other elements of motivation
      relevant to successful change. The aim of this study was to examine the
      relationship between stages of change and reasons for change according to the
      Self-Determination Theory among problem gamblers motivated to quit. Motivations
      for change were examined for 200 adult problem gamblers with intent to quit in
      the next 6 months (contemplation stage) or 30 days (preparation stage). Analyses
      revealed that higher autonomous motivation for quitting gambling predicted
      greater likelihood of being in the preparation stage, whereas those with higher
      external motivation for change were less likely to be farther along the stage of
      change continuum. The findings suggest that autonomous motivations relate to
      readiness for quitting gambling, and may predict successful resolution from
      problem gambling. 

PMID- 26488910
TI  - Antimicrobial Resistance and Molecular Typing of Salmonella Stanley Isolated from
      Humans, Foods, and Environment.
AB  - Salmonella enterica serovar Stanley is an important serovar that has been
      increasingly identified in human salmonellosis. The present study aimed to
      investigate the antimicrobial resistance and molecular typing of 88 Salmonella
      Stanley strains isolated from humans (diarrhea patients, n = 64; and healthy
      carrier, n = 1), foods (aquatic products, n = 16; vegetable, n = 1; and pork, n =
      1), and environment (waste water, n = 2; and river water, n = 3) in Shanghai,
      China from 2006 to 2012. Nearly half of the strains were resistant to
      sulfafurazole (43/88, 48.9%), and many were resistant to streptomycin (35/88,
      39.8%), tetracycline (22/88, 25%), and nalidixic acid (19/88, 21.6%).
      Approximately a quarter of the strains (24/88, 27.3%) were resistant to more than
      three antimicrobials, and five had ACSSuT resistance type. Six clusters (A-F)
      were identified by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) with 80% similarity.
      Interestingly, strains in the same cluster identified by PFGE possessed similar
      antibiotic resistance patterns. PFGE typing also indicated that aquatic products
      might serve as a transmission reservoir for Salmonella Stanley infections in
      humans.

PMID- 26488911
TI  - Suppression of Sertoli cell tumour development during the first wave of
      spermatogenesis in inhibin alpha-deficient mice.
AB  - A dynamic partnership between follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and activin is
      required for normal Sertoli cell development and fertility. Disruptions to this
      partnership trigger Sertoli cells to deviate from their normal developmental
      pathway, as observed in inhibin alpha-knockout (Inha-KO) mice, which feature
      Sertoli cell tumours in adulthood. Here, we identified the developmental windows
      by which adult Sertoli cell tumourigenesis is most FSH sensitive. FSH was
      suppressed for 7 days in Inha-KO mice and wild-type littermates during the 1st,
      2nd or 4th week after birth and culled in the 5th week to assess the effect on
      adult Sertoli cell development. Tumour growth was profoundly reduced in adult
      Inha-KO mice in response to FSH suppression during Weeks 1 and 2, but not Week 4.
      Proliferative Sertoli cells were markedly reduced in adult Inha-KO mice following
      FSH suppression during Weeks 1, 2 or 4, resulting in levels similar to those in
      wild-type mice, with greatest effect observed at the 2 week time point. Apoptotic
      Sertoli cells increased in adult Inha-KO mice after FSH suppression during Week
      4. In conclusion, acute FSH suppression during the 1st or 2nd week after birth in
      Inha-KO mice profoundly suppresses Sertoli cell tumour progression, probably by
      inhibiting proliferation in the adult, with early postnatal Sertoli cells being
      most sensitive to FSH action.

PMID- 26488912
TI  - Nanocathodoluminescence Reveals Mitigation of the Stark Shift in InGaN Quantum
      Wells by Si Doping.
AB  - Nanocathodoluminescence reveals the spectral properties of individual InGaN
      quantum wells in high efficiency light emitting diodes. We observe a variation in
      the emission wavelength of each quantum well, in correlation with the Si dopant
      concentration in the quantum barriers. This is reproduced by band profile
      simulations, which reveal the reduction of the Stark shift in the quantum wells
      by Si doping. We demonstrate nanocathodoluminescence is a powerful technique to
      optimize doping in optoelectronic devices. 

PMID- 26488913
TI  - Examining the Impact of Public Service Announcements on Help Seeking and Stigma:
      Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - Health communication campaigns often seek to diminish stigma and promote care
      seeking, with public service announcements (PSAs) frequently prominent in these
      campaigns. One example is the Australian-based beyondblue campaign. As an
      alternative approach, campaigns may seek to reduce stigma by promoting stories of
      recovery. Participants completed measures of stigmatizing and empowering
      attitudes at pre-, post-, and 72-hour follow-up after being randomized to a PSA
      recovery-oriented video, treatable disease-oriented video (beyondblue), or
      control. When exposed to the recovery-oriented PSA, participants showed
      significant reduction in stigmatizing attitudes from pre- to posttest than
      beyondblue or the control group with the emergence of nonsignificant trends
      identified at follow-up. Findings suggest a recovery-oriented video leads to
      better change on measures of stigma and affirming attitudes than beyondblue.
      Despite the aforementioned findings, results failed to show either the recovery
      or beyondblue videos had a significant impact on intent to seek treatment. 

PMID- 26488914
TI  - Sleep Paralysis Among Egyptian College Students: Association With Anxiety
      Symptoms (PTSD, Trait Anxiety, Pathological Worry).
AB  - Among Egyptian college students in Cairo (n = 100), this study examined the
      relationship between sleep paralysis (SP) and anxiety symptoms, viz.,
      posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trait anxiety, and pathological worry. SP
      rates were high; 43% of participants reported at least one lifetime episode of
      SP, and 24% of those who reported at least one lifetime episode had experienced
      four or more episodes during the previous year. Fourteen percent of men had
      experienced SP as compared to 86% of women. As hypothesized, relative to non-SP
      experiencers, participants who had SP reported higher symptoms of PTSD, trait
      anxiety, and pathological worry. Also, as hypothesized, the experiencing of
      hypnogogic/hypnopompic hallucinations during SP, even after controlling for
      negative affect, was highly correlated with symptoms of PTSD and trait anxiety.
      The study also investigated possible mechanisms by examining the relationship of
      hallucinations to anxiety variables. 

PMID- 26488915
TI  - Does Sense of Control Predict Depression Among Individuals After Psychiatric
      Hospital Discharge?
AB  - Sense of control is known to be related to depression. Yet, few studies have
      examined the role of sense of control as related to depression for discharged
      psychiatric patients. In this study the longitudinal relationship between sense
      of control and depressive mood was examined using the MacArthur Violence Risk
      Assessment Study, a 6-wave, 1-year study of 948 ethnically diverse postdischarge
      psychiatric patients. Sense of control was decomposed into 2 components (i.e., a
      time-invariant as well as a time-varying component) and so as to examine which
      component of sense of control would more accurately explain this relationship.
      Results demonstrated that time-varying sense of control significantly predicted
      changes in depressive mood during the transition to community environment. Time
      invariant sense of control, however, was not significantly related to changes in
      depressive mood. Findings of this study hold important implications for
      intervention practice with people before or after psychiatric discharge,
      including the need for incorporation of therapeutic and psychoeducational efforts
      that bolster sense of control. 

PMID- 26488917
TI  - Exploring Attachment Patterns in Patients With Comorbid Borderline Personality
      and Substance Use Disorders.
AB  - Studies exploring attachment patterns in samples of patients with borderline
      personality disorder (BPD) report a combination of preoccupied and fearful
      avoidant patterns. This has been interpreted as reflecting the approach-avoidance
      dilemma of BPD. Comorbid substance use disorders (SUD) have not been considered
      in these studies, despite the high proportions of SUD among BPD patients and
      despite the more avoidant attachment in SUD samples. This cross-sectional,
      naturalistic study explores attachment patterns in a sample of comorbid (BPD and
      SUD) patients, comparing them to two samples of patients with either SUD or BPD
      only. Within-group comparisons replicated findings of both preoccupied and
      fearful-avoidant attachment in BPD and comorbid groups. But between-group
      comparisons showed that comorbid patients were significantly less preoccupied (p
      = 0.018) and more dismissing-avoidant (p = 0.030). Although both groups were
      similar in several psychiatric measures, attachment patterns of the comorbid
      group were more similar to substance abusers than to borderline patients. 

PMID- 26488916
TI  - A Qualitative Study of Mental Health Problems Among Orphaned Children and
      Adolescents in Tanzania.
AB  - Low- and middle-income countries have a high number of orphans, many of whom have
      unmet mental health needs. Effective mental health interventions are needed;
      however, it is necessary to understand how mental health symptoms and needs are
      perceived locally to tailor interventions and refine measurement of intervention
      effects. We used an existing rapid ethnographic assessment approach to identify
      mental health problems from the perspective of orphans and guardians to inform a
      subsequent randomized controlled trial of a Western-developed, evidence-based
      psychosocial intervention, Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Local
      Kiswahili-speaking interviewers conducted 73 free list interviews and 34 key
      informant interviews. Results identified both common cross-cultural experiences
      and symptoms as well as uniquely described symptoms (e.g., lacking peace, being
      discriminated against) not typically targeted by the intervention or included on
      standardized measures of intervention effects. We discuss implications for
      adapting mental health interventions in low- and middle-income countries and
      assessing effectiveness. 

PMID- 26488918
TI  - Extrasensory Perception Experiences and Childhood Trauma: A Rorschach
      Investigation.
AB  - This study investigated whether people who report recurrent extrasensory
      perception (ESP) experiences (telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition) have
      suffered more traumatic experiences and traumatic intrusions. Thirty-one
      nonclinical participants reporting recurrent ESP experiences were compared with a
      nonclinical sample of 31 individuals who did not report recurrent ESP phenomena.
      Past traumatic experiences were assessed via a self-report measure of trauma
      history (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire); traumatic intrusions were assessed via
      a performance-based personality measure (Rorschach Traumatic Content Index).
      Participants also completed the Anomalous Experience Inventory, the Minnesota
      Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2, the Dissociative Experience Scale, and the
      Revised Paranormal Belief Scale. The ESP group reported higher levels of
      emotional abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect, and traumatic
      intrusions. The association between ESP experiences and trauma was partly
      mediated by the effects of dissociation and emotional distress. Implications for
      health professionals are discussed. Results also showed the reliability of the
      twofold method of assessment of trauma. 

PMID- 26488919
TI  - Protein-Specific Imaging of O-GlcNAcylation in Single Cells.
AB  - Thousands of intracellular proteins are post-translationally modified with O
      GlcNAc, and O-GlcNAcylation impacts the function of modified proteins and
      mediates diverse biological processes. However, the ubiquity of this important
      glycosylation makes it highly challenging to probe the O-GlcNAcylation state of a
      specific protein at the cellular level. Herein, we report the development of a
      FLIM-FRET-based strategy, which exploits the spatial proximity of the O-GlcNAc
      moiety and the attaching protein, for protein-specific imaging of O-GlcNAcylation
      in single cells. We demonstrated this strategy by imaging the O-GlcNAcylation
      state of tau and beta-catenin inside the cells. Furthermore, the changes in tau O
      GlcNAcylation were monitored when the overall cellular O-GlcNAc was
      pharmacologically altered by using the OGT and OGA inhibitors. We envision that
      the FLIM-FRET strategy will be broadly applicable to probe the O-GlcNAcylation
      state of various proteins in the cells. 

PMID- 26488920
TI  - The Supersized Class III Lanthipeptide Stackepeptin Displays Motif Multiplication
      in the Core Peptide.
AB  - Lanthipeptides are ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified
      peptides bearing the characteristic amino acids lanthionine and/or labionin.
      Here, we report on the discovery and characterization of the stackepeptins,
      produced by the Actinomycete Stackebrandtia nassauensis DSM-44728(T). The
      stackepeptins are the first supersized class III lanthipeptides to be discovered.
      Unlike other class III lanthipeptides, they consist of three lanthionine/labionin
      moieties instead of two. In this study, both in vivo and in vitro maturation of
      the peptides have been investigated. Studies involving the wild type strain
      showed culture medium-dependent production of three stackepeptins consisting of
      one common N-terminal labionin ring and varying dehydration and cyclization
      patterns in the C-terminal rings. On the other hand, in vitro assessment of the
      heterologously expressed modifying enzyme StaKC, yielded one major product with
      an N-terminal lanthionine and C-terminal labionins. The discrepancy between in
      vivo and in vitro processing was discovered to be sequence-dependent and also
      implies that in vivo processing is facilitated by additional factors in the cell.
      Furthermore, a Ser -> Ala scan revealed the importance of C-terminal ring
      formation for full in vitro maturation of the stackepeptins. StaKC showed
      promiscuity toward the phosphorylating cosubstrate with a significant preference
      for purine nucleotides. Finally, in contrast to other known class III
      lanthipeptides, in vitro experiments showed that the leader peptide might not be
      required for partial dehydration by the modifying enzyme. 

PMID- 26488922
TI  - [Molecular Concepts of Immunomodulation for the Treatment of Metastatic Renal
      Cell Carcinomas: Where are We Now?].
AB  - The introduction of molecular targeted agents has started to transform the
      treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), leading to a significant
      improvement of the prognosis of patients affected by that disease. However,
      treatment of metastatic disease still remains challenging as almost all patients
      will experience tumour progression and long-term survivors are very rare. This
      clearly warrants a continued search for improved treatment options. In recent
      years, the development of new substances and treatment approaches involving the
      targeted activation and modulation of the immune system have moved immunotherapy
      back into the focus of interest. A major development is the use of checkpoint
      inhibitors, which enable a targeted (re)activation of T cells. The following
      article describes the current methods used to improve standard treatment with the
      established targeted substances and discusses them along with the new
      immunooncological approaches of checkpoint modulation in the context of the
      treatment of mRCC patients. 

PMID- 26488921
TI  - Protonation and Trapping of a Small pH-Sensitive Near-Infrared Fluorescent
      Molecule in the Acidic Tumor Environment Delineate Diverse Tumors in Vivo.
AB  - Enhanced glycolysis and poor perfusion in most solid malignant tumors create an
      acidic extracellular environment, which enhances tumor growth, invasion, and
      metastasis. Complex molecular systems have been explored for imaging and treating
      these tumors. Here, we report the development of a small molecule, LS662, that
      emits near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence upon protonation by the extracellular
      acidic pH environment of diverse solid tumors. Protonation of LS662 induces
      selective internalization into tumor cells and retention in the tumor
      microenvironment. Noninvasive NIR imaging demonstrates selective retention of the
      pH sensor in diverse tumors, and two-photon microscopy of ex vivo tumors reveals
      significant retention of LS662 in tumor cells and the acid tumor
      microenvironment. Passive and active internalization processes combine to enhance
      NIR fluorescence in tumors over time. The low background fluorescence allows
      tumors to be detected with high sensitivity, as well as dead or dying cells to be
      delineated from healthy cells. In addition to demonstrating the feasibility of
      using small molecule pH sensors to image multiple aggressive solid tumor types
      via a protonation-induced internalization and retention pathway, the study
      reveals the potential of using LS662 to monitor treatment response and tumor
      targeted drug delivery. 

PMID- 26488923
TI  - Red Blood Cell Membrane as a Biomimetic Nanocoating for Prolonged Circulation
      Time and Reduced Accelerated Blood Clearance.
AB  - For decades, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been widely incorporated into
      nanoparticles for evading immune clearance and improving the systematic
      circulation time. However, recent studies have reported a phenomenon known as
      "accelerated blood clearance (ABC)" where a second dose of PEGylated
      nanomaterials is rapidly cleared when given several days after the first dose.
      Herein, we demonstrate that natural red blood cell (RBC) membrane is a superior
      alternative to PEG. Biomimetic RBC membrane-coated Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles
      (Fe(3)O(4) @RBC NPs) rely on CD47, which is a "don't eat me" marker on the RBC
      surface, to escape immune clearance through interactions with the signal
      regulatory protein-alpha (SIRP-alpha) receptor. Fe(3)O(4) @RBC NPs exhibit
      extended circulation time and show little change between the first and second
      doses, with no ABC suffered. In addition, the administration of Fe(3)O(4) @RBC
      NPs does not elicit immune responses on neither the cellular level (myeloid
      derived suppressor cells (MDSCs)) nor the humoral level (immunoglobulin M and G
      (IgM and IgG)). Finally, the in vivo toxicity of these cell membrane-camouflaged
      nanoparticles is systematically investigated by blood biochemistry, hematology
      testing, and histology analysis. These findings are significant advancements
      toward solving the long-existing clinical challenges of developing biomaterials
      that are able to resist both immune response and rapid clearance.

PMID- 26488924
TI  - A Facile Surface Passivation of Hematite Photoanodes with TiO2 Overlayers for
      Efficient Solar Water Splitting.
AB  - The surface modification of semiconductor photoelectrodes with passivation
      overlayers has recently attracted great attention as an effective strategy to
      improve the charge-separation and charge-transfer processes across semiconductor
      liquid interfaces. It is usually carried out by employing the sophisticated
      atomic layer deposition technique, which relies on reactive and expensive
      metalorganic compounds and vacuum processing, both of which are significant
      obstacles toward large-scale applications. In this paper, a facile water-based
      solution method has been developed for the modification of nanostructured
      hematite photoanode with TiO2 overlayers using a water-soluble titanium complex
      (i.e., titanium bis(ammonium lactate) dihydroxide, TALH). The thus-fabricated
      nanostructured hematite photoanodes have been characterized by X-ray diffraction,
      scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
      Photoelectrochemical measurements indicated that a nanostructured hematite
      photoanodes modified with a TiO2 overlayer exhibited a photocurrent response ca.
      4.5 times higher (i.e., 1.2 mA cm(-2) vs RHE) than that obtained on the bare
      hematite photoanode (i.e., 0.27 mA cm(-2) vs RHE) measured under standard
      illumination conditions. Moreover, a cathodic shift of ca. 190 mV in the water
      oxidation onset potential was achieved. These results are discussed and explored
      on the basis of steady-state polarization, transient photocurrent response, open
      circuit potential, intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy, and impedance
      spectroscopy measurements. It is concluded that the TiO2 overlayer passivates the
      surface states and suppresses the surface electron-hole recombination, thus
      increasing the generated photovoltage and the band bending. The present method
      for the hematite electrode modification with a TiO2 overlayer is effective and
      simple and might find broad applications in the development of stable and high
      performance photoelectrodes. 

PMID- 26488925
TI  - Electric Destabilization of Supramolecular Lipid Vesicles Subjected to Fast
      Electric Pulses.
AB  - Biological membranes are weakly permeable to hydrophilic molecules and ions and
      electric pulses can induce their transient permeabilization, but this process is
      not well characterized. We directly assay the electropermeabilization process, on
      the minimum model of lipid vesicles, by using a highly sensitive fluorescence
      method based on manganese ion transport. The approach gives access, at the single
      lipid self-assembly level, to the transmembrane potential needed to detect
      divalent ion permeabilization on supramolecular giant unilamellar lipid vesicles.
      The critical values are strongly dependent on the lipid composition and are
      observed to vary from 10 to 150 mV. These values appear to be much lower than
      those previously reported in the literature for cells and vesicles. The detection
      method appears to be a decisive parameter as it is controlled by the transport of
      the reporter dye. We also provide evidence that the electropermeabilization
      process is a transient transition of the lipid self-organization due to the loss
      of assembly cohesion induced by bioelectrochemical perturbations of the
      zwitterionic interface with the solution. 

PMID- 26488926
TI  - [Evidences 2015].

PMID- 26488927
TI  - [The assessment of the effectiveness of long vs standard-length catheters in
      reducing complications: a randomized controlled trial].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: From 30 to 80% of hospitalized patients is inserted a peripheral
      venous catheter (PVC). The PVC may be associated to several infective and non
      infective complications. AIMS: To assess whether a long-length vs standard-length
      PCV reduces the incidence of CRCs; to assess the patients' preferences and costs.
      METHODS: Randomized clinical trial on 211 patients (339 cannulas) admitted to an
      emergency medical and surgical wards. Patients were included if >18 years and
      prescribed a PVC. After the randomization the PVC were inspected daily, until
      removal. RESULTS: 186 complications occurred with the standard CVPs vs 16 with
      the midline, per 1000 catheter days; 47 phlebitis were observed in patients with
      standard PVCs vs none in those with midline; also infiltrations (66 vs 2 per 1000
      catheter days), asymptomatic thromboses (34 vs 7 per 1000 catheter days),
      occlusions and accidental removals were greatly reduced. The higher cost of
      midline is counterbalanced by the complications prevented. In addition midline
      patients referred less limitations (96% vs 50.7%) and an higher satisfaction
      (91.9% vs 53.7%). CONCLUSIONS: The midline catheters radically reduce PVC
      associated complications, are preferred by patients and the higher costs should
      be weighted against the complications avoided.

PMID- 26488928
TI  - [The impact of closed system and 7 days intravascular administration set
      replacement on catheter related infections in a general intensive care unit: a
      before-after study].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The incidence of catheter related Bloodstream infections (BSI) is
      high in intensive care units (ICU). AIM: To evaluate the BSI rate in a population
      of patients admitted to a General ICU before and after the implementation of the
      2011 CDC guidelines. METHODS: Retrospective observational study on patients
      admitted from January 2009 to December 2013. The infusion and monitoring lines
      were changed every 96 hours for the first 30 months, and every 7 days for the
      next 30. In all patients a closed infusion line with needle-free connectors
      pressure was used (Microclave). The following catheters were considered in the
      study: central venous catheter (CVC), arterial cannula (ART) and Swan Ganz
      catheter (SG). RESULTS: During the period with change every 96 hours 15 BSI were
      observed over 13395 catheters/days (C/D), 1.12 per 1000 C/D, while when lines
      where changed every 7 days 11 BSI were observed over 13120 C/D, 0.83 per 1000
      C/D. A statistically significant reduction of BSI was observed in SG catheters
      (4.17 vs. no BSI p = 0.02), while the CVCS (1.12 vs 1.45 - p = 0.37) and ART
      (0.35 vs 0.36 - p = 0.61) infection rates remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: The
      replacement of infusion lines every 7 days in our sample did not increase the
      BSI, helping to reduce the costs.

PMID- 26488929
TI  - [Post-dural puncture headache: risk factors, associated variables and
      interventions].
AB  - AIM: To identify nurses' doubts and questions (about lumbar puncture, related
      nursing interventions and post-dural puncture headache - PDPH) and to find
      answers in the available literature. METHODS: 26 nurses were asked to identify
      open questions and a literature review was conducted searching on Medline,
      Cochrane database of Systematic Reviews and Cinahl. RESULTS: Atraumatic needles,
      small gauge, cranial bevel oriented insertion and stylet reinsertion are
      variables that reduce the risk of PDPH. Bed rest has no efficacy in reducing this
      complication. On the contrary, it may increase the risk of PDPH. There are not
      enough evidences about the efficacy of additional fluid intake after the
      procedure. It's not clear if the risk of PDPH could be affected by the position
      during lumbar puncture and the volume of cerebrospinal fluid withdrawn.
      CONCLUSIONS: This literature review clarifies some aspects of lumbar puncture and
      PDPH: the use of traumatic or atraumatic needles, the bevel orientation and
      stylet reinsertion, bed rest. More research is needed to study the efficacy of
      other interventions, still uncertain (patient position during the procedure,
      volume of cerebrospinal fluid withdrawn, hydration and analgesic drugs'
      efficacy).

PMID- 26488930
TI  - [The emotional labor of nursing: critical incidents and coping strategies].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Despite the suggestion to adopt a balanced approach between
      detachment and involvement, the nurse-patient relationship is always embedded
      with emotional conflicts. AIMS: To collect data on how nurses manage the
      emotional support to patients. METHOD: The study adopted the theoretical
      perspective of the emotional work. Fifty-three nurses completed a questionnaire
      investigating everyday "emotional accidents." The data were analyzed considering
      the strategies employed to address and resolve them. RESULTS: All nurses exert an
      emotional work to try to outcome the dissonance between subjective emotions and
      emotional rules required by the professional role. There are three strategies:
      normalizing, regressive, transformative. Most of the emotional efforts are aimed
      at showing emotions in accordance with the role, even if they are dissonant with
      respect to the subjective feelings (surface acting). CONCLUSIONS: Nurses are
      expected to practice an "emotional neutrality", but their profession continually
      exposes them to a heavy emotional work that may be at the basis of emotional
      exhaustion and burnout. Strategies should be adopted to prevent stress and health
      damages.

PMID- 26488931
TI  - [Elderly, drugs, nursing homes: when settings matter more than problems].

PMID- 26488932
TI  - [The new drugs of 2014: what is worthwile saving].

PMID- 26488934
TI  - The association between hot flushes and smoking in midlife women: a meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several epidemiological studies have investigated the association
      between hot flushes and smoking, but the results are inconsistent. This meta
      analysis was performed to estimate an overall effect of former smoking and
      current smoking on the risk of hot flushes in midlife women. METHODS: We searched
      PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for observational studies addressing the
      association between hot flushes and smoking until March 2015. Data were
      independently extracted and analyzed using odds ratio with 95% confidence
      intervals (CI) based on the random-effects model. RESULTS: We identified 621
      references and included eight studies with 27 054 participants. The odds ratio of
      an association between hot flushes and former smoking was estimated as 1.31 (95%
      CI 1.22-1.41) and that of current smoking was estimated as 1.97 (95% CI 1.81
      2.14). No evidence of heterogeneity and publication bias was observed.
      CONCLUSION: The findings from this meta-analysis indicated that former and
      current smoking are associated with an increased risk of hot flushes. However,
      more evidence based on large, prospective cohort studies is required to provide
      stronger evidence whether former and current smoking may be associated with an
      increased risk of hot flushes.

PMID- 26488935
TI  - Evaluation of the correlation between body mass index and endometriosis among
      Iranian fertile women.
AB  - AIMS: The investigations have revealed an inverse correlation between body mass
      index (BMI) and endometriosis. Endometriosis is a common gynecological disease
      among women of reproductive age, which is defined as the implantation of
      endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterus. In this respect, we aimed to
      study the correlation between endometriosis and BMI in Iranian fertile women.
      METHODS: In a case-control design, 46 fertile women with endometriosis and 53
      matched controls were recruited. All of the patients had a laparoscopy or
      laparotomy surgery and histologically confirmed endometriosis. The control group
      was selected from healthy volunteers who referred to gynecologist for tubal
      ligation or surgery of benign gynecological diseases. The participants were
      interviewed based on a structured questionnaire which covered inquiries regarding
      demographics, reproductive and menstrual history. RESULTS: Statistical analysis
      was performed by categorizing the BMI to four main groups: >30, 25-29.9, 18.5
      24.9 and <18.5. The results showed a significant inverse correlation between BMI
      and endometriosis (p = 0.039). BMI over 30 was observed in 26% of healthy
      controls versus 13% of endometriosis patients. On the other hand, BMI under 18.5
      were detected in 3 individuals, all of them belonged to the endometriosis group.
      DISCUSSION: Recent investigations have emphasized the role of BMI in
      endometriosis. The results of this study suggest that lower BMI is associated
      with an increased risk of endometriosis. As a parameter easily obtained, BMI may
      be useful for risk assessment of endometriosis.

PMID- 26488936
TI  - Clinical presentation and treatment responses in IgM-related AL amyloidosis.
AB  - Amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is a multi-organ disease due to deposition
      of misfolded monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains. IgM AL amyloidosis is a rare
      variant, about 6% of AL amyloidosis cases, and more data are needed for treatment
      guidance. In IgM AL amyloidosis, the clonal cell of origin may be a plasma or
      lymphoplasmacytic cell, and treatments targeting each are employed. We describe
      presenting clinical and laboratory features of 95 patients with IgM AL
      amyloidosis treated at Boston University Amyloidosis Center from 1996 to 2012.
      The median diagnosis age was 66 years (range: 38-89) with 56% males. Organ
      involvement rates were: kidney (51%); heart (40%); lymph nodes (25%) and
      gastrointestinal tract (17%). Treatment responses were analyzed for 46 patients
      seen after 2003. Five treatment regimens were assigned by bone marrow pathology
      and patient-specific factors. Overall hematologic response rates and very good
      partial or complete hematologic response rates, respectively, were: high-dose
      melphalan/stem cell transplant (HDM/SCT) 100%;80%, Bortezomib 82%;27%, Rituximab
      80%;27%, immunomodulatory agents (IMids) 75%;0%, and standard dose alkylating
      agents (Melphalan or cyclophosphamide) 63%;19%. Overall, 5-year survival rates
      were significantly higher in patients with a hematological response: 79.2 +/-
      8.5% versus 41 +/- 14.9% in non-responders, which is more favorable than
      typically expected in AL amyloidosis. 

PMID- 26488937
TI  - RmtC and RmtF 16S rRNA Methyltransferase in NDM-1-Producing Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa.
AB  - We investigated 16S rRNA methyltransferases in 38 blaNDM-1-positive Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa isolates and found RmtC in 3 isolates, 1 of which also harbored RmtF.
      The isolates were clonally unrelated; rmtC and rmtF genes were located on a
      chromosome with the blaNDM-1 gene. Strategies are needed to limit the spread of
      such isolates. 

PMID- 26488940
TI  - Pediatric Thoracoscopy and Bronchial Blockers: The Continued Search for the Ideal
      One-Lung Ventilation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Thoracoscopic surgical procedures in small infants and children
      require a growing demand for lung isolation in pediatric anesthesia practice.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2006 and September 2014, 16 children
      underwent thoracoscopic procedures that needed one-lung ventilation using a
      bronchial blocker. RESULTS: The thoracoscopic procedure was performed at a mean
      age of 99 months (range, 6-186 months) and a mean weight of 33 kg (range, 7-68
      kg) without any conversion to open surgery in any case. We were able to achieve
      one-lung ventilation in all patients. The quality of lung deflation was excellent
      in all patients except in 1 due to malposition of the bronchial blocker, whereas
      dislodgement of this device occurred in 2 cases. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a
      bronchial blocker provided a highly effective means of one-lung ventilation for
      children undergoing the thoracoscopic approach.

PMID- 26488939
TI  - Expression of histone methyltransferases as novel biomarkers for renal cell tumor
      diagnosis and prognostication.
AB  - Renal cell tumors (RCTs) are the most lethal of the common urological cancers.
      The widespread use of imaging entailed an increased detection of small renal
      masses, emphasizing the need for accurate distinction between benign and
      malignant RCTs, which is critical for adequate therapeutic management. Histone
      methylation has been implicated in renal tumorigenesis, but its potential
      clinical value as RCT biomarker remains mostly unexplored. Hence, the main goal
      of this study was to identify differentially expressed histone methyltransferases
      (HMTs) and histone demethylases (HDMs) that might prove useful for RCT diagnosis
      and prognostication, emphasizing the discrimination between oncocytoma (a benign
      tumor) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC), especially the chromophobe subtype
      (chRCC). We found that the expression levels of 3 genes--SMYD2, SETD3, and NO66-
      was significantly altered in a set of RCTs, which was further validated in a
      large independent cohort. Higher expression levels were found in RCTs compared to
      normal renal tissues (RNTs) and in chRCCs comparatively to oncocytomas. SMYD2 and
      SETD3 mRNA levels correlated with protein expression assessed by
      immunohistochemistry. SMYD2 transcript levels discriminated RCTs from RNT, with
      82.1% sensitivity and 100% specificity [area under curve (AUC) = 0.959], and
      distinguished chRCCs from oncocytomas, with 71.0% sensitivity and 73.3%
      specificity (AUC = 0.784). Low expression levels of SMYD2, SETD3, and NO66 were
      significantly associated with shorter disease-specific and disease-free survival,
      especially in patients with non-organ confined tumors. We conclude that
      expression of selected HMTs and HDMs might constitute novel biomarkers to assist
      in RCT diagnosis and assessment of tumor aggressiveness.

PMID- 26488941
TI  - Late-onset hypogonadism: the advantages of treatment with human chorionic
      gonadotropin rather than testosterone.
AB  - The traditional pharmacological treatment of patients with late onset
      hypogonadism (LOH) is represented by different formulations of testosterone (T)
      or alternatively by the extractive human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). The
      hormone replacement treatment (HRT) is associated with the potential increase of
      hematocrit, serum concentrations of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostate
      volume. Moreover, the gynecomastia represent a condition frequently associated
      with HRT. Recent evidences showed the role of leydig cells in the 25
      hydroxylation of vitamin D and the elevated frequency of hypovitaminosis D among
      LOH patients. Finally, another important aspect of LOH is represented by the
      frequency of secondary infertility due to age or to traditional HRT. This study
      evaluated 40 LOH patients treated for 6 months with extractive HCG (n = 10
      patients) and three different formulations of T: transdermal (n = 10 patients),
      undecaonate (n = 10 patients) and enantate (n = 10 patients). Hormonal,
      anthropometric, metabolic and sperm parameters were evaluated and compared.
      Moreover, the main safety parameters and the results of the main questionnaires
      were evaluated. After treatment, HCG group showed serum concentrations of 25-OH
      vitamin D significantly higher (p < 0.05) and serum concentrations of oestrogens
      significantly lower (p < 0.05) compared with other groups. Moreover, they showed
      a mean value of hematocrit, PSA and prostate volume significantly lower (p <
      0.05) compared with other groups. Finally, all the groups treated with T showed a
      significant reduction (p < 0.05) of sperm density and of percentage of
      spermatozoa with progressive motility compared with HCG group.

PMID- 26488942
TI  - Abnormal Methylation Status of the GNAS Exon 1A Region in
      Pseudohypohyperparathyroidism Combined With Turner Syndrome.
AB  - Pseudohypohyperparathyroidism (PHHP) is a rare type of pseudohypoparathyroidism
      (PHP), which seems to have a normal skeletal response to parathyroid hormone but
      shows renal resistance. Almost all patients with PHHP have PHP Ib, a subtype of
      PHP that is usually caused by GNAS methylation defects, often in exon 1A. Some
      features of Albright hereditary osteodystrophy can occasionally be found in
      patients with PHHP, but these features are also common in Turner syndrome. The
      authors report on an extremely rare case of a patient with PHHP and Turner
      syndrome, a 47-year-old woman who sought medical attention for hypocalcemia and
      elevated parathyroid hormone. She had no family history of hypocalcemia and no
      STX16 gene deletions. She had a mosaic karyotype of 46, X, del(X)(p11.4)/45, XO.
      Pyrosequencing was performed to determine the GNAS exon 1A methylation. The
      degree of methylation found in exon 1A of the patient was lower than her
      unaffected relatives. 

PMID- 26488938
TI  - Interventions to improve water quality for preventing diarrhoea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diarrhoea is a major cause of death and disease, especially among
      young children in low-income countries. In these settings, many infectious agents
      associated with diarrhoea are spread through water contaminated with faeces.In
      remote and low-income settings, source-based water quality improvement includes
      providing protected groundwater (springs, wells, and bore holes), or harvested
      rainwater as an alternative to surface sources (rivers and lakes). Point-of-use
      water quality improvement interventions include boiling, chlorination,
      flocculation, filtration, or solar disinfection, mainly conducted at home.
      OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of interventions to improve water quality
      for preventing diarrhoea. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Infectious
      Diseases Group Specialized Register (11 November 2014), CENTRAL (the Cochrane
      Library, 7 November 2014), MEDLINE (1966 to 10 November 2014), EMBASE (1974 to 10
      November 2014), and LILACS (1982 to 7 November 2014). We also handsearched
      relevant conference proceedings, contacted researchers and organizations working
      in the field, and checked references from identified studies through 11 November
      2014. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-RCTs, and
      controlled before-and-after studies (CBA) comparing interventions aimed at
      improving the microbiological quality of drinking water with no intervention in
      children and adults. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors
      independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. We used meta-analyses to
      estimate pooled measures of effect, where appropriate, and investigated potential
      sources of heterogeneity using subgroup analyses. We assessed the quality of
      evidence using the GRADE approach. MAIN RESULTS: Forty-five cluster-RCTs, two
      quasi-RCTs, and eight CBA studies, including over 84,000 participants, met the
      inclusion criteria. Most included studies were conducted in low- or middle-income
      countries (LMICs) (50 studies) with unimproved water sources (30 studies) and
      unimproved or unclear sanitation (34 studies). The primary outcome in most
      studies was self-reported diarrhoea, which is at high risk of bias due to the
      lack of blinding in over 80% of the included studies. Source-based water quality
      improvementsThere is currently insufficient evidence to know if source-based
      improvements such as protected wells, communal tap stands, or
      chlorination/filtration of community sources consistently reduce diarrhoea (one
      cluster-RCT, five CBA studies, very low quality evidence). We found no studies
      evaluating reliable piped-in water supplies delivered to households. Point-of-use
      water quality interventionsOn average, distributing water disinfection products
      for use at the household level may reduce diarrhoea by around one quarter (Home
      chlorination products: RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.91; 14 trials, 30,746
      participants, low quality evidence; flocculation and disinfection sachets: RR
      0.69, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.82, four trials, 11,788 participants, moderate quality
      evidence). However, there was substantial heterogeneity in the size of the effect
      estimates between individual studies.Point-of-use filtration systems probably
      reduce diarrhoea by around a half (RR 0.48, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.59, 18 trials,
      15,582 participants, moderate quality evidence). Important reductions in
      diarrhoea episodes were shown with ceramic filters, biosand systems and
      LifeStraw(r) filters; (Ceramic: RR 0.39, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.53; eight trials, 5763
      participants, moderate quality evidence; Biosand: RR 0.47, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.57;
      four trials, 5504 participants, moderate quality evidence; LifeStraw(r): RR 0.69,
      95% CI 0.51 to 0.93; three trials, 3259 participants, low quality evidence).
      Plumbed in filters have only been evaluated in high-income settings (RR 0.81, 95%
      CI 0.71 to 0.94, three trials, 1056 participants, fixed effects model).In low
      income settings, solar water disinfection (SODIS) by distribution of plastic
      bottles with instructions to leave filled bottles in direct sunlight for at least
      six hours before drinking probably reduces diarrhoea by around a third (RR 0.62,
      95% CI 0.42 to 0.94; four trials, 3460 participants, moderate quality
      evidence).In subgroup analyses, larger effects were seen in trials with higher
      adherence, and trials that provided a safe storage container. In most cases, the
      reduction in diarrhoea shown in the studies was evident in settings with improved
      and unimproved water sources and sanitation. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Interventions
      that address the microbial contamination of water at the point-of-use may be
      important interim measures to improve drinking water quality until homes can be
      reached with safe, reliable, piped-in water connections. The average estimates of
      effect for each individual point-of-use intervention generally show important
      effects. Comparisons between these estimates do not provide evidence of
      superiority of one intervention over another, as such comparisons are confounded
      by the study setting, design, and population.Further studies assessing the
      effects of household connections and chlorination at the point of delivery will
      help improve our knowledge base. As evidence suggests effectiveness improves with
      adherence, studies assessing programmatic approaches to optimising coverage and
      long-term utilization of these interventions among vulnerable populations could
      also help strategies to improve health outcomes.

PMID- 26488944
TI  - Meningoencephalitis Following Ipilimumab Administration in Metastatic Melanoma.

PMID- 26488943
TI  - Farnesoid X Receptor Expression Reduced in Obese Rat Model With Insulin
      Resistance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) plays important roles in regulation of
      lipid, glucose and energy metabolism. The aim of the study was to observe
      expression level of FXR in obese rat models with insulin (INS) resistance.
      METHODS: A total of 100 Wistar male rats were randomly assigned to either
      standard diet (n = 20) or high-fat diet (HFD, n = 80) for 6 weeks. Oral glucose
      tolerance tests were administrated, and the extent of INS resistance was assessed
      at the end of the 6th weeks. In addition, the expression of FXR in the liver was
      tested by techniques of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and
      immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Obese rats in HFD group showed elevated body
      weight, area under blood glucose curve, fasting INS, total cholesterol, low
      density lipoproteins and serum bile acid levels compared with rats in standard
      diet group (P < 0.05). The level of INS remained high at all time points after
      the INS injection in oral glucose tolerance tests. As for FXR expression levels,
      a nearly 50% reduction was calculated in the liver of HFD rats compared with rats
      fed normal diet. CONCLUSIONS: FXR is decreased in obese animal models associated
      with INS resistance. Regulation of bile acids and FXR in the stage of obesity may
      prevent more metabolism disorders.

PMID- 26488945
TI  - Frequency and Etiology of Ventilator-Associated Events in the Medical Intensive
      Care Unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed
      new criteria based on a significant deterioration in oxygenation to identify
      ventilator-associated events (conditions). The aim of this study was to determine
      how frequently this happened and what caused these conditions. METHODS:
      Electronic medical records and x-rays from 281 ventilator episodes in the medical
      intensive care unit were reviewed to determine the characteristics of patients
      requiring ventilation and the number of patients meeting the criteria for
      ventilator-associated conditions (VACs). RESULTS: This cohort included 257
      patients (55.4% men) who required 281 episodes of mechanical ventilation. The
      mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Healthy Evaluation II score was 13.5 +/- 5.9.
      The initial mean PaO2/FiO2 was 210 +/- 110. The median number of ventilator days
      was 4 (interquartile range: 3-9). The overall mortality was 32.3%. Nineteen
      patients (11.7% of eligible episodes) met the CDC criteria for a VAC; 6 met FiO2
      criteria (31.6%) and 13 met positive end expiratory pressure criteria (68.4%).
      Twelve patients (63.2%) had an increased white blood cell count (>12k/MUL) during
      the event. Eleven patients had an increase in temperature (>38 degrees C) during
      this period. The etiology of these conditions included pneumonia (n = 4),
      atelectasis (n = 4), congestive heart failure (n = 5), acute respiratory distress
      syndrome (n = 2), and miscellaneous reasons (n = 4). CONCLUSIONS: VACs occurred
      in 11.7% of patients in our medical intensive care unit. The etiology of these
      events was diverse and did not usually reflect complications. These new CDC
      criteria for institutional reporting of complications during mechanical
      ventilation do not necessarily identify complications or provide a good method
      for comparing outcomes in hospitals.

PMID- 26488946
TI  - Cutaneous Colon Metastases Mimicking Elefantiasis Verrucosa Nostra.

PMID- 26488948
TI  - Are NHS race equality policies up to standard?

PMID- 26488947
TI  - The Effect of Community-Based Specialist Palliative Care Teams on Place of Care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prior research on community-based specialist palliative care teams
      used outcome measures of place of death and/or dichotomous outcome measures of
      acute care use in the last two weeks of life. However, existing research seldom
      measured the diverse places of care used and their timing prior to death.
      OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to examine the place of care in the last 30
      days of life. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, patients who received
      care from a specialist palliative care team (exposed) were matched by propensity
      score to patients who received usual care in the community (unexposed) in
      Ontario, Canada. Measured was the percentage of patients in each place of care in
      the last month of life as a proportion of the total cohort. RESULTS: After
      matching, 3109 patients were identified in each group, where 79% had cancer and
      77% received end-of-life home care. At 30 days compared to 7 days before death,
      the exposed group's proportions rose from 33% to 41% receiving home care and 14%
      to 15% in hospital, whereas the unexposed group's proportions rose from 28% to
      32% receiving home care and 16% to 22% in hospital. Linear trend analysis
      (proportion over time) showed that the exposed group used significantly more home
      care services and fewer hospital days (p < 0.001) than the unexposed group. On
      the last day of life (place of death), the exposed group had 18% die in an in
      patient hospital bed compared to 29% in usual care. CONCLUSION: Examining place
      of care in the last month can effectively illustrate the service use trajectory
      over time.

PMID- 26488949
TI  - Advice to be 'flexible' on staffing ratios could backfire, says RCN.

PMID- 26488950
TI  - Kline slams managers' race record.

PMID- 26488951
TI  - Capping agency staff rates 'will not resolve huge financial deficits'.

PMID- 26488952
TI  - Nursing put on shortage occupancy list for visas.

PMID- 26488953
TI  - Pauline Cafferkey's condition improves after Ebola relapse.

PMID- 26488954
TI  - Nurses awarded royal honours.

PMID- 26488955
TI  - CQC report on standards of care finds safety is the biggest concern.

PMID- 26488956
TI  - Hospitals should do more to reduce incidence of falls, says RCP report.

PMID- 26488957
TI  - Positive portraits for older people's unit.

PMID- 26488958
TI  - Nurse peer joins the House of Lords.

PMID- 26488960
TI  - RCN rejects a return to second level nursing roles.

PMID- 26488961
TI  - Running the rule over revalidation: how does the system measure up?

PMID- 26488967
TI  - Cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 26488968
TI  - 'I want nurses to flourish in all areas'.

PMID- 26488969
TI  - At what age are you too old to treat?

PMID- 26488970
TI  - Specialty that boosts survival.

PMID- 26488981
TI  - NICE BNF.

PMID- 26488983
TI  - Celebration of black history is as relevant now as ever.

PMID- 26488984
TI  - Every general practice should appoint a carers' champion.

PMID- 26488985
TI  - Safe staffing is much too important to be treated like a children's game.

PMID- 26488986
TI  - Time for reflection is a strength of the revalidation process.

PMID- 26488987
TI  - Poor choice of words to describe mental health therapy.

PMID- 26488989
TI  - The first nurses to revalidate won't have years to prepare.

PMID- 26488990
TI  - BME contribution would remain 'invisible' without this month.

PMID- 26488992
TI  - How to administer intramuscular injections.

PMID- 26488993
TI  - Thrombolysis for patients with acute ischaemic stroke.
AB  - Stroke is the leading cause of physical disability, and thrombolysis is a
      promising treatment for acute ischaemic stroke. Alteplase has significant
      benefits for patients if it is administered within four and a half hours of
      stroke onset. This article uses a case study approach to explore a patient's
      journey through admission, triage, eligibility and administration of alteplase
      therapy. It emphasises the post-monitoring role of the nurse. 

PMID- 26488994
TI  - Prevention and management of comorbid diabetes and depression.
AB  - As the population ages, an increasing number of people are developing long-term
      conditions. This is a challenge for healthcare systems in terms of funding and
      support, and comorbidities add to the economic burden. This article considers the
      comorbid conditions diabetes and depression, which healthcare professionals
      increasingly encounter in clinical practice. It explores the reasons why diabetes
      and depression are associated, the influencing factors, and the bidirectional
      causes of diabetes and depression. In addition, the effects that a diagnosis of
      depression might have on a person having difficulty managing their diabetes are
      examined, and potential treatment strategies identified. 

PMID- 26488995
TI  - Communication.

PMID- 26488996
TI  - Managing venous leg ulcers and oedema using compression hosiery.
AB  - Increasing demand for services and rising costs in the NHS have resulted in
      reduced consultation times and resources for clinicians when treating patients
      with compression therapy. This article emphasises the importance of considering
      alternative treatment approaches, while encouraging patient choice, independence
      and self-care. One alternative treatment is the use of compression hosiery kits
      for the management of venous leg ulceration and oedema. 

PMID- 26488997
TI  - Efficiency and cost effectiveness of negative pressure wound therapy.
AB  - Negative pressure wound therapy can be used to treat wounds of varying aetiology.
      This article presents findings of a literature review investigating the
      efficiency and cost effectiveness of this form of therapy. Since negative
      pressure wound therapy is becoming more common, it is important to understand the
      evidence base for its use to ensure optimum care outcomes for patients and cost
      effectiveness. 

PMID- 26488998
TI  - Making the trial run.

PMID- 26489000
TI  - Let's sit down and talk about it.

PMID- 26489001
TI  - Five steps to work happiness.

PMID- 26489002
TI  - A lack of understanding?

PMID- 26489003
TI  - Genetic and/or non-genetic causes for inter-individual and inter-cellular
      variability in transporter protein expression: implications for understanding
      drug efficacy and toxicity.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Drug transporters are differentially expressed in many polarized
      tissues. The varied distribution and expression of transporters determines the
      net transcellular transport and influences the disposition of many clinically
      used drugs. ATP-binding cassette (ABC) and Solute Carrier (SLC) transporters
      interact dynamically to mediate the passage of drugs across cells. The variable
      expression of drug transporters could be attributed to genetic and non-genetic
      factors, which accounts for the differences in drug response among individuals,
      in terms of both efficacy and adverse effects. AREAS COVERED: The authors provide
      the background of ABC and SLC transporters, and highlight the fact that their
      expression is cell-specific and the study of a transporter in isolation is not an
      adequate measure of its function. The technologies and approaches to characterize
      the function of transporters, as well as the genetic and non-genetic factors
      underlying their variable expression in specific cells and among individuals were
      reviewed. EXPERT OPINION: Many studies have utilized tissue homogenization
      techniques to isolate mRNA for quantifying transporter expression levels. We
      highlight that transporter expression is cell-specific and mRNA expression does
      not always reflect its total functionality. In addition, transporter expression
      in immortalized cell lines may not mirror its expression in the target tissue
      site.

PMID- 26489004
TI  - Mycobacterium sherrisii Pulmonary Disease, Burkina Faso.

PMID- 26489005
TI  - Simple Chemical Solution Deposition of Co3O4 Thin Film Electrocatalyst for Oxygen
      Evolution Reaction.
AB  - Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is the key reaction in electrochemical processes,
      such as water splitting, metal-air batteries, and solar fuel production. Herein,
      we developed a facile chemical solution deposition method to prepare a highly
      active Co3O4 thin film electrode for OER, showing a low overpotential of 377 mV
      at 10 mA/cm(2) with good stability. An optimal loading of ethyl cellulose
      additive in a precursor solution was found to be essential for the morphology
      control and thus its electrocatalytic activity. Our results also show that the
      distribution of Co3O4 nanoparticle catalysts on the substrate is crucial in
      enhancing the inherent OER catalytic performance. 

PMID- 26489006
TI  - Key Amino Acids in the Bacterial (6-4) Photolyase PhrB from Agrobacterium fabrum.
AB  - Photolyases can repair pyrimidine dimers on the DNA that are formed during UV
      irradiation. PhrB from Agrobacterium fabrum represents a new group of prokaryotic
      (6-4) photolyases which contain an iron-sulfur cluster and a DMRL chromophore. We
      performed site-directed mutagenesis in order to assess the role of particular
      amino acid residues in photorepair and photoreduction, during which the FAD
      chromophore converts from the oxidized to the enzymatically active, reduced form.
      Our study showed that Trp342 and Trp390 serve as electron transmitters. In the
      H366A mutant repair activity was lost, which points to a significant role of
      His366 in the protonation of the lesion, as discussed for the homolog in
      eukaryotic (6-4) photolyases. Mutants on cysteines that coordinate the Fe-S
      cluster of PhrB were either insoluble or not expressed. The same result was found
      for proteins with a truncated C-terminus, in which one of the Fe-S binding
      cysteines was mutated and for expression in minimal medium with limited Fe
      concentrations. We therefore assume that the Fe-S cluster is required for protein
      stability. We further mutated conserved tyrosines that are located between the
      DNA lesion and the Fe-S cluster. Mutagenesis results showed that Tyr424 was
      essential for lesion binding and repair, and Tyr430 was required for efficient
      repair. The results point to an important function of highly conserved tyrosines
      in prokaryotic (6-4) photolyases. 

PMID- 26489007
TI  - Renoprotective Mechanism of Remote Ischemic Preconditioning Based on
      Transcriptomic Analysis in a Porcine Renal Ischemia Reperfusion Injury Model.
AB  - Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is a well-known phenomenon in which tissues are
      exposed to a brief period of ischemia prior to a longer ischemic event. This
      technique produces tissue tolerance to ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI).
      Currently, IPC's mechanism of action is poorly understood. Using a porcine single
      kidney model, we performed remote IPC with renal IRI and evaluated the IPC
      mechanism of action. Following left nephrectomy, 15 female Yorkshire pigs were
      divided into three groups: no IPC and 90 minutes of warm ischemia (control),
      remote IPC immediately followed by 90 minutes of warm ischemia (rIPCe), and
      remote IPC with 90 minutes of warm ischemia performed 24 hours later (rIPCl).
      Differential gene expression analysis was performed using a porcine-specific
      microarray. The microarray analysis of porcine renal tissues identified 1,053
      differentially expressed probes in preconditioned pigs. Among these, 179 genes
      had altered expression in both the rIPCe and rIPCl groups. The genes were largely
      related to oxidation reduction, apoptosis, and inflammatory response. In the
      rIPCl group, an additional 848 genes had altered expression levels. These genes
      were primarily related to immune response and inflammation, including those
      coding for cytokines and cytokine receptors and those that play roles in the
      complement system and coagulation cascade. In the complement system, the membrane
      attack complex was determined to be sublytic, because it colocalized with
      phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase. Furthermore, alpha 2
      macroglobulin, tissue plasminogen activator, uterine plasmin trypsin inhibitor,
      and arginase-1 mRNA levels were elevated in the rIPCl group. These findings
      indicate that remote IPC produces renoprotective effects through multiple
      mechanisms, and these effects develop over a long timeframe rather than
      immediately following IPC. 

PMID- 26489008
TI  - The Role of Scent Marking in Mate Selection by Female Pumas (Puma concolor).
AB  - Mate selection influences individual fitness, is often based on complex cues and
      behaviours, and can be difficult to study in solitary species including
      carnivores. We used motion-triggered cameras at 29 community scrapes (i.e. scent
      marking locations used by multiple individuals) and home range data from 39 GPS
      collared pumas (Puma concolor) to assess the relevance of communication
      behaviours for mate selection by female pumas in California. Female pumas visited
      community scrapes irregularly and visitation bouts appeared to be correlated with
      oestrus. Female pumas on average selected from 1.7 collared males, and selection
      was based on multiple cues that varied among the different time periods measured
      (i.e. the female's visitation bout and in 90 days previous to the consorting
      event). Female mate selection over the course of a visitation bout was based on
      frequency of the male visitation, mass, and age. In the 90 days previous to
      consorting, the number of scrapes a male created was the most important
      contributor to selection, which was likely related to his residency status. We
      also found that at least 14% of females mated with multiple males, thus possibly
      confusing paternity. Our findings provide a mechanistic understanding of how
      female pumas use scent and auditory communication at community scrapes to select
      dominant resident males to mate with. 

PMID- 26489010
TI  - Hepatic DNA Methylation Is Affected by Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk in Patients
      with and without Hepatitis Virus.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Several studies revealed that the proportion of hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) without hepatitis virus infection (NBNC-HCC) is increasing. On
      the other hand, epigenetic alterations are reportedly responsible for HCC
      development. Here, we identified HCC risk factors that are associated with DNA
      methylation in the background liver tissue of NBNC-HCC patients. METHODS: We
      performed methylation analysis in 37 pairs of virus-positive and 22 pairs of NBNC
      HCC and non-cancerous livers using a HumanMethylation450 BeadChip array. After
      the selection of differentially methylated CpGs (DM-CpGs) in cancerous and non
      cancerous livers, we analyzed DNA methylation of DM-CpGs within the adjacent non
      cancerous liver tissue that is affected by specific HCC risk factors. RESULTS: A
      total of 38,331 CpGs were selected as DM-CpGs using the following criteria:
      difference of beta-value between HCC and non-cancerous liver >=0.15 and false
      discovery rate (FDR) q < 1.0E-12. We subsequently selected the DM-CpGs that had
      methylation differences with the background liver tissue (that has FDR q < 0.35).
      Among the virus-positive patients, the type of hepatitis virus was mostly
      associated with differences in methylation within the background liver tissues.
      However, we found that background methylation patterns were most significantly
      associated with aging in NBNC patients. Interestingly, age-related methylation
      differences in DM-CpGs were also observed in NBNC-HCC tissues. CONCLUSIONS:
      Hepatitis viruses affect the methylation profiles within background liver
      tissues. However, difference in background methylation was mostly associated with
      age in NCBC-HCC patients; some age-related methylation events could contribute to
      emergence of NBNC-HCC in elderly individuals.

PMID- 26489011
TI  - Estimating Potential Increased Bladder Cancer Risk Due to Increased Bromide
      Concentrations in Sources of Disinfected Drinking Waters.
AB  - Public water systems are increasingly facing higher bromide levels in their
      source waters from anthropogenic contamination through coal-fired power plants,
      conventional oil and gas extraction, textile mills, and hydraulic fracturing.
      Climate change is likely to exacerbate this in coming years. We estimate bladder
      cancer risk from potential increased bromide levels in source waters of
      disinfecting public drinking water systems in the United States. Bladder cancer
      is the health end point used by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
      (EPA) in its benefits analysis for regulating disinfection byproducts in drinking
      water. We use estimated increases in the mass of the four regulated
      trihalomethanes (THM4) concentrations (due to increased bromide incorporation) as
      the surrogate disinfection byproduct (DBP) occurrence metric for informing
      potential bladder cancer risk. We estimate potential increased excess lifetime
      bladder cancer risk as a function of increased source water bromide levels.
      Results based on data from 201 drinking water treatment plants indicate that a
      bromide increase of 50 MUg/L could result in a potential increase of between 10(
      3) and 10(-4) excess lifetime bladder cancer risk in populations served by
      roughly 90% of these plants. 

PMID- 26489012
TI  - Use of an Innovative Personality-Mindset Profiling Tool to Guide Culture-Change
      Strategies among Different Healthcare Worker Groups.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Important culture-change initiatives (e.g. improving hand hygiene
      compliance) are frequently associated with variable uptake among different
      healthcare worker (HCW) categories. Inherent personality differences between
      these groups may explain change uptake and help improve future intervention
      design. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used an innovative personality-profiling tool
      (ColourGrid(r)) to assess personality differences among standard HCW categories
      at five large Australian hospitals using two data sources (HCW participant
      surveys [PS] and generic institution-wide human resource [HR] data) to: a)
      compare the relative accuracy of these two sources; b) identify differences
      between HCW groups and c) use the observed profiles to guide design strategies to
      improve uptake of three clinically-important initiatives (improved hand hygiene,
      antimicrobial stewardship and isolation procedure adherence). RESULTS: Results
      from 34,243 HCWs (HR data) and 1045 survey participants (PS data) suggest that
      HCWs were different from the general population, displaying more individualism,
      lower power distance, less uncertainty avoidance and greater cynicism about
      advertising messages. HR and PS data were highly concordant in identifying
      differences between the three key HCW categories (doctors, nursing/allied-health,
      support services) and predicting appropriate implementation strategies. Among
      doctors, the data suggest that key messaging should differ between full-time vs
      part-time (visiting) senior medical officers (SMO, VMO) and junior hospital
      medical officers (HMO), with SMO messaging focused on evidence-based compliance,
      VMO initiatives emphasising structured mandatory controls and prestige loss for
      non-adherence, and for HMOs focusing on leadership opportunity and future career
      risk for non-adherence. DISCUSSION: Compared to current standardised approaches,
      targeted interventions based on personality differences between HCW categories
      should result in improved infection control-related culture-change uptake.
      Personality profiling based on HR data may represent a useful means of developing
      a national culture-change "blueprint" for HCW education.

PMID- 26489013
TI  - Atherosclerosis-Associated Endothelial Cell Apoptosis by MiR-429-Mediated Down
      Regulation of Bcl-2.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endothelial cell injury and subsequent apoptosis play a key role
      in the development and pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, which is hallmarked by
      dysregulated lipid homeostasis, aberrant immunity and inflammation, and plaque
      instability-associated coronary occlusion. Nevertheless, our understanding of the
      mechanisms underlying endothelial cell apoptosis is still limited. MicroRNA-429
      (miR-29) is a known cancer suppressor that promotes cancer cell apoptosis.
      However, it is unknown whether miR-429 may be involved in the development of
      atherosclerosis through similar mechanisms. We addressed these questions in the
      current study. METHODS: We examined the levels of endothelial cell apoptosis in
      ApoE (-/-) mice suppled with high-fat diet (HFD), a mouse model for
      atherosclerosis (simplified as HFD mice). We analyzed the levels of anti
      apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and the levels of miR-429 in the purified CD31+
      endothelial cells from mouse aorta. Prediction of the binding between miR-429 and
      3'-UTR of Bcl-2 mRNA was performed by bioinformatics analyses and confirmed by a
      dual luciferase reporter assay. The effects of miR-429 were further analyzed in
      an in vitro model using oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-treated human
      aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). RESULTS: HFD mice developed atherosclerosis in
      12 weeks, while the control ApoE (-/-) mice that had received normal diet
      (simplified as NOR mice) did not. HFD mice had significantly lower percentage of
      endothelial cells and significantly higher percentage of mesenchymal cells in the
      aorta than NOR mice. Significantly higher levels of endothelial cell apoptosis
      were detected in HFD mice, resulting from decreases in Bcl-2 protein, but not
      mRNA. The decreases in Bcl-2 in endothelial cells were due to increased levels of
      miR-429, which suppressed the translation of Bcl-2 mRNA via 3'-UTR binding. These
      in vivo findings were reproduced in vitro on ox-LDL-treated HAECs. CONCLUSION:
      Atherosclerosis-associated endothelial cell apoptosis may result from down
      regulation of Bcl-2, through increased miR-429 that binds and suppresses
      translation of Bcl-2 mRNA.

PMID- 26489014
TI  - Home Non-Invasive Ventilation Fails to Improve Quality of Life in the Elderly:
      Results from a Multicenter Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Home non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is a widely used treatment for
      chronic hypoventilation but little is known on its impact in the elderly. In a
      multicenter prospective cohort study, we studied tolerance and efficacy of
      domiciliary NIV in patients aged 75 or more compared to younger ones. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: 264 patients with at least a six-month follow-up were analyzed. Among
      them, 82 were elderly. In the elderly and the younger, we found an improvement of
      arterial blood gas, the Epworth sleepiness scale and the Pittsburgh sleep quality
      index at 6 months. Mean daily use of NIV at 6 months was 7 hours and the rate of
      non-adherent patients was similar in both group. Health-related quality of life
      (HRQL) assessed by SF-36 questionnaires did not change significantly after NIV
      initiation in the elderly whereas HRQL improved in the less than 75. On
      univariate analysis, we found that diabetes was a predictive factor for non
      adherence in the elderly (Odds ratio: 3.95% confidence interval: 1.06-8.52).
      CONCLUSION: NIV was efficient in the elderly while evaluation at 6 months showed
      a good adherence but failed to improve HRQL.

PMID- 26489016
TI  - A Solvothermal Route Decorated on Different Substrates: Controllable Separation
      of an Oil/Water Mixture to a Stabilized Nanoscale Emulsion.
AB  - A facile solvothermal route is developed to fabricate polydivinylbenzene (PDVB)
      and decorate the polymer onto porous substrates. "Controllable" separation can be
      realized by selecting substrates with different pore sizes. The PDVB-modified
      mesh shows superhydrophobicity/superoleophilicity, and can be used for
      oil/seawater mixture separation, while the PDVB-modified membrane exhibits high
      hydrophobicity/superoleophilicity, and is able to separate surfactant stabilized
      nanoscale water-in-oil emulsions. 

PMID- 26489015
TI  - Depletion of M. tuberculosis GlmU from Infected Murine Lungs Effects the
      Clearance of the Pathogen.
AB  - M. tuberculosis N-acetyl-glucosamine-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GlmUMtb) is a
      bi-functional enzyme engaged in the synthesis of two metabolic intermediates N
      acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate (GlcNAc-1-P) and UDP-GlcNAc, catalyzed by the C-
      and N-terminal domains respectively. UDP-GlcNAc is a key metabolite essential for
      the synthesis of peptidoglycan, disaccharide linker, arabinogalactan and
      mycothiols. While glmUMtb was predicted to be an essential gene, till date the
      role of GlmUMtb in modulating the in vitro growth of Mtb or its role in survival
      of pathogen ex vivo / in vivo have not been deciphered. Here we present the
      results of a comprehensive study dissecting the role of GlmUMtb in arbitrating
      the survival of the pathogen both in vitro and in vivo. We find that absence of
      GlmUMtb leads to extensive perturbation of bacterial morphology and substantial
      reduction in cell wall thickness under normoxic as well as hypoxic conditions.
      Complementation studies show that the acetyl- and uridyl- transferase activities
      of GlmUMtb are independently essential for bacterial survival in vitro, and
      GlmUMtb is also found to be essential for mycobacterial survival in THP-1 cells
      as well as in guinea pigs. Depletion of GlmUMtb from infected murine lungs, four
      weeks post infection, led to significant reduction in the bacillary load. The
      administration of Oxa33, a novel oxazolidine derivative that specifically
      inhibits GlmUMtb, to infected mice resulted in significant decrease in the
      bacillary load. Thus our study establishes GlmUMtb as a strong candidate for
      intervention measures against established tuberculosis infections. 

PMID- 26489018
TI  - Retinal Pigment Epithelium Tears: Risk Factors, Mechanism and Therapeutic
      Monitoring.
AB  - Tears of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) are most commonly associated with
      vascularised RPE detachment due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and
      they usually involve a deleterious loss in visual acuity. Recent studies suggest
      an increase in RPE tear incidences since the introduction of anti-vascular
      endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapies as well as a temporal association
      between the tear event and the intravitreal injection. As the number of AMD
      patients and the number of administered anti-VEGF injections increase, both the
      challenge of RPE tear prevention and the treatment after RPE tear formation have
      become more important. At the same time, the evolution of retinal imaging has
      significantly contributed to a better understanding of RPE tear development in
      recent years. This review summarises the current knowledge on RPE tear
      development, predictive factors, and treatment strategies before and after RPE
      tear formation. 

PMID- 26489017
TI  - NF-Protocadherin Regulates Retinal Ganglion Cell Axon Behaviour in the Developing
      Visual System.
AB  - Cell adhesion molecules play a central role in mediating axonal tract development
      within the nascent nervous system. NF-protocadherin (NFPC), a member of the non
      clustered protocadherin family, has been shown to regulate retinal ganglion cell
      (RGC) axon and dendrite initiation, as well as influencing axonal navigation
      within the mid-optic tract. However, whether NFPC mediates RGC axonal behaviour
      at other positions within the optic pathway remains unclear. Here we report that
      NFPC plays an important role in RGC axonogenesis, but not in intraretinal
      guidance. Moreover, axons with reduced NFPC levels exhibit insensitivity to
      Netrin-1, an attractive guidance cue expressed at the optic nerve head. Netrin-1
      induces rapid turnover of NFPC localized to RGC growth cones, suggesting that the
      regulation of NFPC protein levels may underlie Netrin-1-mediated entry of RGC
      axons into the optic nerve head. At the tectum, we further reveal a function for
      NFPC in controlling RGC axonal entry into the final target area. Collectively,
      our results expand our understanding of the role of NFPC in RGC guidance and
      illustrate that this adhesion molecule contributes to axon behaviour at multiple
      points in the optic pathway. 

PMID- 26489019
TI  - 2014 outbreak of enterovirus D68 in North America.
AB  - Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is an emerging picornavirus which causes severe
      respiratory disease, predominantly in children. In 2014, the largest and most
      widespread outbreak of EV-D68 described to date was reported in North America.
      Hospitals throughout the United States and Canada reported surges in patient
      volumes and resource utilization from August to October, 2014. In the US a total
      of 1,153 infections were confirmed in 49 states, although this is an
      underestimate of the likely millions of cases that occurred but were not tested.
      EV-D68 was detected in 14 patients who died; the role of the virus in these
      deaths is unknown. A possible association between EV-D68 and cases of acute
      flaccid paralysis with spinal cord gray matter lesions, known as acute flaccid
      myelitis, was observed during the outbreak and is under investigation. The 2014
      outbreak of EV-D68 in North America demonstrates the public health importance of
      this emerging pathogen.

PMID- 26489020
TI  - Molecular Phylogeny Supports Repeated Adaptation to Burrowing within Small-Eared
      Shrews Genus of Cryptotis (Eulipotyphla, Soricidae).
AB  - Small-eared shrews of the New World genus Cryptotis (Eulipotyphla, Soricidae)
      comprise at least 42 species that traditionally have been partitioned among four
      or more species groups based on morphological characters. The Cryptotis mexicana
      species group is of particular interest, because its member species inhibit a
      subtly graded series of forelimb adaptations that appear to correspond to
      locomotory behaviors that range from more ambulatory to more fossorial.
      Unfortunately, the evolutionary relationships both among species in the C.
      mexicana group and among the species groups remain unclear. To better understand
      the phylogeny of this group of shrews, we sequenced two mitochondrial and two
      nuclear genes. To help interpret the pattern and direction of morphological
      changes, we also generated a matrix of morphological characters focused on the
      evolutionarily plastic humerus. We found significant discordant between the
      resulting molecular and morphological trees, suggesting considerable convergence
      in the evolution of the humerus. Our results indicate that adaptations for
      increased burrowing ability evolved repeatedly within the genus Cryptotis. 

PMID- 26489021
TI  - MCA-NMF: Multimodal Concept Acquisition with Non-Negative Matrix Factorization.
AB  - In this paper we introduce MCA-NMF, a computational model of the acquisition of
      multimodal concepts by an agent grounded in its environment. More precisely our
      model finds patterns in multimodal sensor input that characterize associations
      across modalities (speech utterances, images and motion). We propose this
      computational model as an answer to the question of how some class of concepts
      can be learnt. In addition, the model provides a way of defining such a class of
      plausibly learnable concepts. We detail why the multimodal nature of perception
      is essential to reduce the ambiguity of learnt concepts as well as to communicate
      about them through speech. We then present a set of experiments that demonstrate
      the learning of such concepts from real non-symbolic data consisting of speech
      sounds, images, and motions. Finally we consider structure in perceptual signals
      and demonstrate that a detailed knowledge of this structure, named compositional
      understanding can emerge from, instead of being a prerequisite of, global
      understanding. An open-source implementation of the MCA-NMF learner as well as
      scripts and associated experimental data to reproduce the experiments are
      publicly available. 

PMID- 26489022
TI  - High Intensity Interval- vs Moderate Intensity- Training for Improving
      Cardiometabolic Health in Overweight or Obese Males: A Randomized Controlled
      Trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the effects of six weeks of high intensity interval training
      (HIIT) vs continuous moderate intensity training (MIT) for improving body
      composition, insulin sensitivity (SI), blood pressure, blood lipids, and
      cardiovascular fitness in a cohort of sedentary overweight or obese young men. We
      hypothesized that HIIT would result in similar improvements in body composition,
      cardiovascular fitness, blood lipids, and SI as compared to the MIT group,
      despite requiring only one hour of activity per week compared to five hours per
      week for the MIT group. METHODS: 28 sedentary overweight or obese men (age, 20 +/
      1.5 years, body mass index 29.5 +/- 3.3 kg/m2) participated in a six week
      exercise treatment. Participants were randomly assigned to HIIT or MIT and
      evaluated at baseline and post-training. DXA was used to assess body composition,
      graded treadmill exercise test to measure cardiovascular fitness, oral glucose
      tolerance to measure SI, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to assess
      lipoprotein particles, and automatic auscultation to measure blood pressure.
      RESULTS: A greater improvement in VO2peak was observed in MIT compared to HIIT
      (11.1% vs 2.83%, P = 0.0185) in the complete-case analysis. No differences were
      seen in the intention to treat analysis, and no other group differences were
      observed. Both exercise conditions were associated with temporal improvements in
      % body fat, total cholesterol, medium VLDL, medium HDL, triglycerides, SI, and
      VO2peak (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Participation in HIIT or MIT exercise training
      displayed: 1) improved SI, 2) reduced blood lipids, 3) decreased % body fat, and
      4) improved cardiovascular fitness. While both exercise groups led to similar
      improvements for most cardiometabolic risk factors assessed, MIT led to a greater
      improvement in overall cardiovascular fitness. Overall, these observations
      suggest that a relatively short duration of either HIIT or MIT training may
      improve cardiometabolic risk factors in previously sedentary overweight or obese
      young men, with no clear advantage between these two specific regimes (Clinical
      Trial Registry number NCT01935323). TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov
      NCT01935323.

PMID- 26489023
TI  - Prognostic Value of the Six-Second Spirometry in Patients with Chronic
      Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The six-second spirometry has been proposed as an alternative to
      diagnose airflow limitation, although its prognostic value in patients with
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains unknown. The purpose of this
      study was to determine the prognostic value of the postbronchodilator forced
      expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced expiratory volume in 6 seconds (FEV6)
      ratio and FEV6 in COPD patients. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The study population
      consisted of 2,614 consecutive stable patients with COPD. The patients were
      monitored for an average period of 4.3 years regarding mortality,
      hospitalizations by COPD exacerbations, diagnosis of lung cancer, and annual lung
      function decline. The overall rate of death was 10.7 (95%CI: 8.7-12.7) per 1000
      person-years. In addition to male gender, age and comorbidity, FEV6 (hazard ratio
      [HR]: 0.981, 95%CI: 0.968-0.003) and FEV1/FEV6 quartiles (lowest quartile (<74%
      pred.): HR 3.558, 95%CI: 1.752-7.224; and second quartile (74-84% pred.): HR
      2.599, 95%CI: 1.215-5.561; versus best quartile (>0.89% pred.)) were
      independently associated with mortality, whereas FEV1 was not retained in the
      model. 809 patients (30.9%) had at least one hospital admission due to COPD
      exacerbation. In addition to sex, age, smoking and comorbidity, FEV1 and
      FEV1/FEV6 quartiles were independent risk factors of hospitalization. FEV6 was
      the only spirometric parameter independently related with lung function annual
      decline, while the FEV6 and FEV1/FEV6 quartiles were independent risk factors for
      lung cancer. CONCLUSIONS: In a general COPD outpatient population, airflow
      obstruction assessed by the FEV1/FEV6 is an independent risk factor for both
      death and hospitalization.

PMID- 26489024
TI  - Testing the Prey-Trap Hypothesis at Two Wildlife Conservancies in Kenya.
AB  - Protecting an endangered and highly poached species can conflict with providing
      an open and ecologically connected landscape for coexisting species. In Kenya,
      about half of the black rhino (Diceros bicornis) live in electrically fenced
      private conservancies. Purpose-built fence-gaps permit some landscape
      connectivity for elephant while restricting rhino from escaping. We monitored the
      usage patterns at these gaps by motion-triggered cameras and found high traffic
      volumes and predictable patterns of prey movement. The prey-trap hypothesis (PTH)
      proposes that predators exploit this predictable prey movement. We tested the PTH
      at two semi-porous reserves using two different methods: a spatial analysis and a
      temporal analysis. Using spatial analysis, we mapped the location of predation
      events with GPS and looked for concentration of kill sites near the gaps as well
      as conducting clustering and hot spot analysis to determine areas of
      statistically significant predation clustering. Using temporal analysis, we
      examined the time lapse between the passage of prey and predator and searched for
      evidence of active prey seeking and/or predator avoidance. We found no support
      for the PTH and conclude that the design of the fence-gaps is well suited to
      promoting connectivity in these types of conservancies. 

PMID- 26489026
TI  - National outcomes of kidney transplantation from deceased diabetic donors.
AB  - Use of deceased diabetic donor kidneys has increased over recent decades.
      However, scarce patient and allograft survival data are available taking into
      account recipient diabetes status. Here we performed a retrospective cohort study
      using data from the United Network of Organ Sharing in patients transplanted from
      1994 to 2014. Multivariable Cox regression assessed recipient outcomes of 9074
      diabetic vs. 152,555 non-diabetic donor kidneys. Recipients of diabetic donor
      kidneys had elevated rates of all-cause allograft failure (hazard ratio 1.21, 95%
      confidence interval 1.16-1.26) and death (1.19, 1.13-1.24) compared to recipients
      of kidneys from non-diabetic donors. Younger recipients of diabetic donor kidneys
      had worse allograft survival than older recipients of non-diabetic donor kidneys.
      There was significant interaction between donor and recipient diabetes status. To
      minimize the effect of unmeasured confounders, we used paired analyses of
      recipients of mate-kidneys from the same donor, with one diabetic recipient and
      the other non-diabetic. Among discordant recipient pairs of diabetic donor
      kidneys, diabetic recipients had significantly higher risk of allograft failure
      (1.27, 1.05-1.53) and death (1.53, 1.22-1.93) than non-diabetic recipients. After
      stratifying by Kidney Donor Profile Index risk category, diabetic recipients of
      diabetic donor kidneys continued to have worse allograft survival compared to all
      other patients. Thus, risks are associated with the use of diabetic donor
      kidneys. Understanding these risks will enable clinicians to better educate
      potential recipients.Kidney International advance online publication, 21 October
      2015; doi:10.1038/ki.2015.325.

PMID- 26489025
TI  - Raloxifene improves skeletal properties in an animal model of cystic chronic
      kidney disease.
AB  - Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have an increased risk of fracture.
      Raloxifene is a mild antiresorptive agent that reduces fracture risk in the
      general population. Here we assessed the impact of raloxifene on the skeletal
      properties of animals with progressive CKD. Male Cy/+ rats that develop autosomal
      dominant cystic kidney disease were treated with either vehicle or raloxifene for
      five weeks. They were assessed for changes in mineral metabolism and skeletal
      parameters (microCT, histology, whole-bone mechanics, and material properties).
      Their normal littermates served as controls. Animals with CKD had significantly
      higher parathyroid hormone levels compared with normal controls, as well as
      inferior structural and mechanical skeletal properties. Raloxifene treatment
      resulted in lower bone remodeling rates and higher cancellous bone volume in the
      rats with CKD. Although it had little effect on cortical bone geometry, it
      resulted in higher energy to fracture and modulus of toughness values than
      vehicle-treated rats with CKD, achieving levels equivalent to normal controls.
      Animals treated with raloxifene had superior tissue-level mechanical properties
      as assessed by nanoindentation, and higher collagen D-periodic spacing as
      assessed by atomic force microscopy. Thus, raloxifene can positively impact whole
      bone mechanical properties in CKD through its impact on skeletal material
      properties. 

PMID- 26489027
TI  - Prioritization and burden analysis of rare variants in 208 candidate genes
      suggest they do not play a major role in CAKUT.
AB  - The leading cause of end-stage renal disease in children is attributed to
      congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT). Familial clustering
      and mouse models support the presence of monogenic causes. Genetic testing is
      insufficient as it mainly focuses on HNF1B and PAX2 mutations that are thought to
      explain CAKUT in 5-15% of patients. To identify novel, potentially pathogenic
      variants in additional genes, we designed a panel of genes identified from
      studies on familial forms of isolated or syndromic CAKUT and genes suggested by
      in vitro and in vivo CAKUT models. The coding exons of 208 genes were analyzed in
      453 patients with CAKUT using next-generation sequencing. Rare truncating, splice
      site variants, and non-synonymous variants, predicted to be deleterious and
      conserved, were prioritized as the most promising variants to have an effect on
      CAKUT. Previously reported disease-causing mutations were detected, but only five
      were fully penetrant causal mutations that improved diagnosis. We prioritized 148
      candidate variants in 151 patients, found in 82 genes, for follow-up studies.
      Using a burden test, no significant excess of rare variants in any of the genes
      in our cohort compared with controls was found. Thus, in a study representing the
      largest set of genes analyzed in CAKUT patients to date, the contribution of
      previously implicated genes to CAKUT risk was significantly smaller than
      expected, and the disease may be more complex than previously assumed.

PMID- 26489028
TI  - Comparison of low-dose intravenous cyclophosphamide with oral mycophenolate
      mofetil in the treatment of lupus nephritis.
AB  - No previous study has compared mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) with low-dose
      cyclophosphamide (CYC) in the treatment of lupus nephritis (LN). To do so, we
      recruited patients with LN (class III, IV, or V) and randomized them to receive
      either low-dose CYC or oral MMF. Those with crescentic LN, a serum creatinine
      over 265 MUmol/l, and neurological or pulmonary lupus were excluded. MMF was
      prescribed at daily doses of 1.5-3 g for 24 weeks, while CYC was administered as
      six fortnightly infusions of 500 mg each. All patients received three
      methylprednisolone injections, followed by oral corticosteroids. Maintenance
      therapy with azathioprine and low-dose corticosteroid was started at end of
      induction therapy. The primary end point was treatment response at 24 weeks,
      while secondary end points were complete remission, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
      Disease Activity Index and adverse events. Of the 173 patients recruited, 100
      were equally randomized to receive either CYC or MMF. Baseline characteristics
      were similar, except for higher 24 h proteinuria in the CYC group. At 24 weeks,
      37 patients in each group achieved the primary end point. The complete remission
      rate was 50% in CYC and 54% in MMF group. Gastrointestinal symptoms were
      significantly more frequent in patients receiving MMF (52 vs. 4%). However, other
      adverse events were similar. Thus, low-dose intravenous CYC is comparable in
      safety and efficacy to oral MMF in the induction treatment of less severe LN. 

PMID- 26489029
TI  - Whole exome sequencing identifies causative mutations in the majority of
      consanguineous or familial cases with childhood-onset increased renal
      echogenicity.
AB  - Chronically increased echogenicity on renal ultrasound is a sensitive early
      finding of chronic kidney disease that can be detected before manifestation of
      other symptoms. Increased echogenicity, however, is not specific for a certain
      etiology of chronic kidney disease. Here, we performed whole exome sequencing in
      79 consanguineous or familial cases of suspected nephronophthisis in order to
      determine the underlying molecular disease cause. In 50 cases, there was a
      causative mutation in a known monogenic disease gene. In 32 of these cases whole
      exome sequencing confirmed the diagnosis of a nephronophthisis-related
      ciliopathy. In 8 cases it revealed the diagnosis of a renal tubulopathy. The
      remaining 10 cases were identified as Alport syndrome (4), autosomal-recessive
      polycystic kidney disease (2), congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary
      tract (3), and APECED syndrome (1). In 5 families, in whom mutations in known
      monogenic genes were excluded, we applied homozygosity mapping for variant
      filtering and identified 5 novel candidate genes (RBM48, FAM186B, PIAS1, INCENP,
      and RCOR1) for renal ciliopathies. Thus, whole exome sequencing allows the
      detection of the causative mutation in 2/3 of affected individuals, thereby
      presenting the etiologic diagnosis, and allows identification of novel candidate
      genes.

PMID- 26489031
TI  - Non-Random Distribution of 5S rDNA Sites and Its Association with 45S rDNA in
      Plant Chromosomes.
AB  - 5S and 45S rDNA sites are the best mapped chromosome regions in eukaryotic
      chromosomes. In this work, a database was built gathering information about the
      position and number of 5S rDNA sites in 784 plant species, aiming to identify
      patterns of distribution along the chromosomes and its correlation with the
      position of 45S rDNA sites. Data revealed that in most karyotypes (54.5%,
      including polyploids) two 5S rDNA sites (a single pair) are present, with 58.7%
      of all sites occurring in the short arm, mainly in the proximal region. In
      karyotypes of angiosperms with only 1 pair of sites (single sites) they are
      mostly found in the proximal region (52.0%), whereas in karyotypes with multiple
      sites the location varies according to the average chromosome size. Karyotypes
      with multiple sites and small chromosomes (<3 um) often display proximal sites,
      while medium-sized (between 3 and 6 um) and large chromosomes (>6 um) more
      commonly show terminal or interstitial sites. In species with holokinetic
      chromosomes, the modal value of sites per karyotype was also 2, but they were
      found mainly in a terminal position. Adjacent 5S and 45S rDNA sites were often
      found in the short arm, reflecting the preferential distribution of both sites in
      this arm. The high frequency of genera with at least 1 species with adjacent 5S
      and 45S sites reveals that this association appeared several times during
      angiosperm evolution, but it has been maintained only rarely as the dominant
      array in plant genera. 

PMID- 26489032
TI  - The Occurrence of Beer Spoilage Lactic Acid Bacteria in Craft Beer Production.
AB  - Beer is one of the world's most ancient and widely consumed fermented alcoholic
      beverages produced with water, malted cereal grains (generally barley and wheat),
      hops, and yeast. Beer is considered an unfavorable substrate of growth for many
      microorganisms, however, there are a limited number of bacteria and yeasts, which
      are capable of growth and may spoil beer especially if it is not pasteurized or
      sterile-filtered as craft beer. The aim of this research study was to track beer
      spoilage lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inside a brewery and during the craft beer
      production process. To that end, indoor air and work surface samples, collected
      in the brewery under study, together with commercial active dry yeasts, exhausted
      yeasts, yeast pellet (obtained after mature beer centrifugation), and spoiled
      beers were analyzed through culture-dependent methods and PCR-DGGE in order to
      identify the contaminant LAB species and the source of contamination.
      Lactobacillus brevis was detected in a spoiled beer and in a commercial active
      dry yeast. Other LAB species and bacteria ascribed to Staphylococcus sp.,
      Enterobaceriaceae, and Acetobacter sp. were found in the brewery. In conclusion,
      the PCR-DGGE technique coupled with the culture-dependent method was found to be
      a useful tool for identifying the beer spoilage bacteria and the source of
      contamination. The analyses carried out on raw materials, by-products, final
      products, and the brewery were useful for implementing a sanitization plan to be
      adopted in the production plant. 

PMID- 26489033
TI  - From corneal shape to ocular wavefront in eyes with aspheric IOLs: the
      feasibility of IOL customisation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine if it is possible to predict the ocular wavefront
      aberrations of eyes with an aspheric IOL from the corneal shape and other readily
      available eye characteristics. A reliable prediction is a prerequisite for future
      IOL customisation. METHODS: Sixty pseudophakic eyes with aspheric IOLs of 60
      patients were included. The corneal shape and the ocular wavefront aberrations
      were measured postoperatively with a Scheimpflug camera and an aberrometer,
      respectively. The elevation data of the anterior corneal surface were fitted by
      Zernike polynomials. Linear regression models for the Zernike coefficients
      describing the ocular wavefront aberrations up till the fourth order were
      determined, with as independent variables the Zernike coefficients describing the
      corneal shape, the eye (right/left), IOL power, and axial length. RESULTS: Linear
      regression equations with an explained variance (adjusted R-square) above 0.50
      were found for five Zernike aberration terms: defocus (z(2,0); adjusted R-square
      0.90), the astigmatism terms (0.81 for oblique astigmatism [z(2,-2)] and 0.88 for
      regular astigmatism [z(2,2)]), vertical coma (z(3,-1); 0.52), and spherical
      aberration (z(4,0); 0.71). CONCLUSION: The defocus, astigmatism, vertical coma,
      and spherical aberration terms of the ocular wavefront are strongly associated
      with the corneal shape in pseudophakic eyes and may thus be predicted from the
      corneal shape and other eye characteristics.

PMID- 26489035
TI  - Predation Risk within Fishing Gear and Implications for South Australian Rock
      Lobster Fisheries.
AB  - Depredation of southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) within fishing gear by the
      Maori octopus (Pinnoctopus cordiformis) has economic and ecological impacts on
      valuable fisheries in South Australia. In addition, depredation rates can be
      highly variable resulting in uncertainties for the fishery. We examined how in
      pot lobster predation was influenced by factors such as lobster size and sex,
      season, fishing zone, and catch rate. Using mixed modelling techniques, we found
      that in-pot predation risk increased with lobster size and was higher for male
      lobsters. In addition, the effect of catch rate of lobsters on predation risk by
      octopus differed among fishing zones. There was both a seasonal and a spatial
      component to octopus predation, with an increased risk within discrete fishing
      grounds in South Australia at certain times of the year. Information about
      predation within lobster gear can assist fishery management decision-making,
      potentially leading to significant reduction in economic losses to the fishery. 

PMID- 26489034
TI  - 2015 ACC/AHA/SCAI focused update on primary percutaneous coronary intervention
      for patients with ST-elevation myocardial Infarction: An update of the 2011
      ACCF/AHA/SCAI guideline for percutaneous coronary intervention and the 2013
      ACCF/AHA guideline for the management of ST-elevation myocardial infarction: A
      report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task
      Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Society for Cardiovascular
      Angiography and Interventions.

PMID- 26489036
TI  - Screening and assessment of performance and molecule quality attributes of
      industrial cell lines across different fed-batch systems.
AB  - The major challenge in the selection process of recombinant cell lines for the
      production of biologics is the choice, early in development, of a clonal cell
      line presenting a high productivity and optimal cell growth. Most importantly,
      the selected candidate needs to generate a product quality profile which is
      adequate with respect to safety and efficacy and which is preserved across cell
      culture scales. We developed a high-throughput screening and selection strategy
      of recombinant cell lines, based on their productivity in shaking 96-deepwell
      plates operated in fed-batch mode, which enables the identification of cell lines
      maintaining their high productivity at larger scales. Twelve recombinant cell
      lines expressing the same antibody with different productivities were selected
      out of 470 clonal cell lines in 96-deepwell plate fed-batch culture. They were
      tested under the same conditions in 50 mL vented shake tubes, microscale and lab
      scale bioreactors in order to confirm the maintenance of their performance at
      larger scales. The use of a feeding protocol and culture conditions which are
      essentially the same across the different scales was essential to maintain
      productivity and product quality profiles across scales. Compared to currently
      used approaches, this strategy has the advantage of speeding up the selection
      process and increases the number of screened clones for getting high-producing
      recombinant cell lines at manufacturing scale with the desired performance and
      quality.

PMID- 26489037
TI  - Influence of CYP2D6 and beta2-adrenergic receptor gene polymorphisms on the
      hemodynamic response to propranolol in Chinese Han patients with cirrhosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Propranolol is widely used to prevent gastroesophageal
      variceal bleeding; however, some patients could not benefit from propranolol.
      This study is to evaluate the relationship between CYP2D6 and beta2-adrenergic
      receptor (beta2-AR) gene polymorphisms and the hemodynamic response to
      propranolol in Chinese Han patients. METHODS: The clinical data of patients with
      gastroesophageal varices undergoing hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG)
      measurement before and 7 days after oral propranolol administration in our
      department were collected. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms of CYP2D6 and
      beta2-AR genes were detected. The relationship was identified by logistic
      regression model. RESULTS: Thirty patients were involved in the analysis. Sixty
      milligram propranolol twice each day was well tolerated by all the patients. The
      initial and secondary average of HVPG was 17.4 +/- 5.8 mmHg vs. 13.2 +/- 4.8
      mmHg, respectively (t = 5.726, P < 0.001). Twenty patients responded to
      propranolol. The mean reduction value of HVPG was 6.6 +/- 3.6 mmHg (range from 3
      to 19). Genotype analysis showed: 20 homozygotes for C/C188 and 10 for
      heterozygous C/T188, 8 homozygotes for G/G4268 and 22 heterozygotes for G/C4268,
      14 homozygotes for Gly16 and 10 heterozygotes, and 6 homozygotes for Arg16, 27
      homozygotes for Gln27 and 3 heterozygotes. The multivariate logistic regression
      analysis indicated that CYP2D6 (188C>T) genotype was an independent predicting
      factor for HVPG response to propranolol (P = 0.033). CONCLUSIONS: CYP2D6 (188C>T)
      gene polymorphisms influence the hemodynamic response to propranolol in this
      population of Chinese Han patients with gastroesophageal varices. However, HVPG
      response cannot be completely predicted from CYP2D6 and beta2-AR gene
      polymorphisms.

PMID- 26489039
TI  - Bond Strength of Artificial Teeth Attached to a Microwave-Polymerized Denture
      Base Resin after Immersion in Disinfectant Solutions.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the bond strength between two types of acrylic resin teeth
      and a microwave denture base resin after immersion in disinfectant solutions for
      180 days. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty specimens made of acrylic resin teeth
      (Biotone and Biotone IPN) attached to a microwave polymerized denture base resin
      (Nature-Cryl MC) were divided into eight groups (n = 10) according to the
      treatment (distilled water-control, 2% chlorhexidine digluconate, 1% sodium
      hypochlorite and sodium perborate solution-Corega Tabs). The shear strength tests
      (MPa) were carried out using a universal testing machine with a 0.5 mm/min speed.
      Data analysis was performed using ANOVA and multiple comparison Student-Newman
      Keuls post hoc test (alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: Biotone IPN showed similar results
      among the groups (distilled water, 8.25 +/- 1.81 MPa; chlorhexidine, 7.81 +/-
      3.34 MPa; hypochlorite, 7.75 +/- 3.72 MPa; and Corega Tabs, 7.58 +/- 2.27 MPa,
      whereas Biotone showed significantly lower shear bond strength values for the
      groups immersed in Corega Tabs (5.25 +/- 3.27 MPa) and chlorhexidine (6.08 +/-
      2.35 MPa). CONCLUSIONS: Soaking the dentures in 1% sodium hypochlorite could be
      recommended as a disinfectant solution for dentures fabricated with conventional
      acrylic resin denture teeth and microwave denture base resin. For dentures
      fabricated with IPN teeth and microwave denture base resin, all the soaking
      solutions evaluated in this study could be suggested to denture wearers.

PMID- 26489038
TI  - 1,3-Oxazin-6-one Derivatives and Bohemamine-Type Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids from a
      Marine-Derived Streptomyces spinoverrucosus.
AB  - Two new 1,3-oxazin-6-one derivatives (1 and 2) and six new bohemamine-type
      pyrrolizidine alkaloids (3-8) were isolated from the marine-derived Streptomyces
      spinoverrucosus strain SNB-048. Their structures including the absolute
      configurations were fully elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, ECD
      spectra, quantum chemical calculations, and chemical methods. Compounds 1 and 2
      possess a gamma-lactam moiety and a 1,3-oxazin-6-one system. 

PMID- 26489040
TI  - New guanidine-containing nanocomposites impeding the growth of Staphylococcus
      epidermidis 33 and the biofilm formation.
AB  - New water-soluble nanocomposites (AgNCs) based on Ag and copolymers of 2,2
      diallyl-1,1,3,3-tetraethylguanidiniumchloride with N-vinylpyrrolidone [poly(AGC
      VP)] and vinylacetate [poly(AGC-VA)] have been developed. Antibacterial action of
      new silver nanocomposites on S. epidermidis 33 (planctonic cells and biofilms) is
      reported in this study. AgNCs strongly inhibited biofilms formation of S.
      epidermidis 33. The viability of S. epidermidis 33 cells in biofilms was
      considerably reduced by new AgNCs. It has been shown that S. epidermidis 33
      inactivation in biofilms occurs at AgNC concentrations > 5 times higher as
      compared to those inhibiting completely the planktonic cells. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 630-638, 2016.

PMID- 26489041
TI  - C-N Coupling of Amides with Alcohols Catalyzed by N-Heterocyclic Carbene
      Phosphine Iridium Complexes.
AB  - N-Heterocyclic carbene-phosphine iridium complexes (NHC-Ir) were developed/found
      to be a highly reactive catalyst for N-monoalkylation of amides with alcohols via
      hydrogen transfer. The reaction produced the desired product in high isolated
      yields using a wide range of substrates with low catalyst loading and short
      reaction times. 

PMID- 26489030
TI  - Genetic Predictors of Depressive Symptoms in the Look AHEAD Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Numerous studies have found elevated depressive symptoms among
      individuals with Type 2 diabetes, yet the mechanisms remain unclear. We examined
      whether genetic loci previously associated with depressive symptoms predict
      depressive symptoms among overweight/obese individuals with Type 2 diabetes or
      change in depressive symptoms during behavioral weight loss. METHODS: The
      Illumina CARe iSelect (IBC) chip and Cardiometabochip were characterized in 2118
      overweight or obese participants with Type 2 diabetes from Look AHEAD (Action for
      Health in Diabetes), a randomized trial to determine the effects of intensive
      life-style intervention and diabetes support and education on cardiovascular
      morbidity and mortality. Primary analyses focused on baseline Beck Depression
      Inventory (BDI) scores and depressive symptom change at 1 year. RESULTS: Of eight
      single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in six loci, three a priori SNPs in two
      loci (chromosome 5: rs60271; LBR: rs2230419, rs1011319) were associated with
      baseline BDI scores, but in the opposite direction of prior research. In joint
      analysis of 90,003 IBC and Cardiometabochip SNPs, rs1543654 in the region of
      KCNE1 predicted change in BDI scores at Year 1 in diabetes support and education
      (beta = -1.05, standard error [SE] = 0.21, p = 6.9 * 10(-7)) at the level of chip
      wide significance, while also showing a nominal association with baseline BDI
      (beta = 0.35, SE = 0.16, p = .026). Adjustment for antidepressant medication
      and/or limiting analyses to non-Hispanic white individuals did not meaningfully
      alter results. CONCLUSIONS: Previously reported genetic associations with
      depressive symptoms did not replicate in this cohort of overweight/obese
      individuals with Type 2 diabetes. We identified KCNE1 as a potential novel locus
      associated with depressive symptoms.

PMID- 26489043
TI  - It's About Time: A Survival Approach to Gestational Weight Gain and Preterm
      Delivery.
AB  - There is substantial interest in understanding the impact of gestational weight
      gain on preterm delivery (delivery <37 weeks). The major difficulty in analyzing
      the association between gestational weight gain and preterm delivery lies in
      their mutual dependence on gestational age, as weight naturally increases with
      increasing pregnancy duration. In this study, we untangle this inherent
      association by reframing preterm delivery as time to delivery and assessing the
      relationship through a survival framework, which is particularly amenable to
      dealing with time-dependent covariates, such as gestational weight gain. We
      derive the appropriate analytical model for assessing the relationship between
      weight gain and time to delivery when weight measurements at multiple time points
      are available. Since epidemiologic data may be limited to weight gain
      measurements taken at only a few time points or at delivery only, we conduct
      simulation studies to illustrate how several strategically timed measurements can
      yield unbiased risk estimates. Analysis of the study of successive small-for
      gestational-age births demonstrates that a naive analysis that does not account
      for the confounding effect of time on gestational weight gain suggests a strong
      association between higher weight gain and later delivery (hazard ratio: 0.89,
      95% confidence interval = 0.84, 0.93). Properly accounting for the confounding
      effect of time using a survival model, however, mitigates this bias (hazard
      ratio: 0.98, 95% confidence interval = 0.97, 1.00). These results emphasize the
      importance of considering the effect of gestational age on time-varying
      covariates during pregnancy, and the proposed methods offer a convenient
      mechanism to appropriately analyze such data.See Video Abstract at
      http://links.lww.com/EDE/B13. 

PMID- 26489042
TI  - Advanced technologies for the molecular diagnosis of fragile X syndrome.
AB  - Fragile X syndrome (FXS), a trinucleotide repeat disorder, is the most common
      heritable form of cognitive impairment. Since the discovery of the FMR1 gene in
      1991, great strides have been made in the field of molecular diagnosis for FXS.
      Cytogenetic analysis, which was the method of diagnosis in the early 1990, was
      replaced by Southern blot and PCR analysis albeit with some limitations. In the
      past few years many PCR-based methodologies, able to amplify large full mutation
      expanded alleles, with or without methylation, have been proposed. Reviewed here
      are the advantages, disadvantages and limitations of the most recent developments
      in the field of FXS diagnosis. 

PMID- 26489044
TI  - Polyphenolic extract from Hibiscus sabdariffa reduces body fat by inhibiting
      hepatic lipogenesis and preadipocyte adipogenesis.
AB  - Diets high in fat lead to excess lipid accumulation in adipose tissue, which is a
      crucial factor in the development of obesity, hepatitis, and hyperlipidemia. In
      this study, we investigated the anti-obesity effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa
      extract (HSE) in vivo. Hamsters fed a high-fat diet (HFD) develop symptoms of
      obesity, which were determined based on body weight changes and changes in plasma
      and serum triglycerides, free fatty acid concentrations, total cholesterol
      levels, LDL-C levels, HDL-C levels, and adipocyte tissue weight. HFD-fed hamsters
      were used to investigate the effects of HSE on symptoms of obesity such as
      adipogenesis and fatty liver, loss of blood glucose regulation, and serum ion
      imbalance. Interestingly, HSE treatment effectively reduced the effects of the
      HFD in hamsters in a dose-dependent manner. Further, after inducing maturation of
      preadipocytes, Hibiscus sabdariffa polyphenolic extract (HPE) was shown to
      suppress the adipogenesis of adipocytes. However, HPE does not affect the
      viability of preadipocytes. Therefore, both HSE and HPE are effective and viable
      treatment strategies for preventing the development and treating the symptoms of
      obesity. 

PMID- 26489045
TI  - Patient-reported outcomes in the single-tablet regimen (STaR) trial of
      rilpivirine/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate versus
      efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in antiretroviral treatment
      naive adults infected with HIV-1 through 48 weeks of treatment.
AB  - This 96-week, randomized, open-label study was designed to assess the efficacy
      and safety of two single-tablet regimens in treatment naive HIV-1-infected
      adults: rilpivirine (RPV) + emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (FTC/TDF)
      and efavirenz (EFV) + FTC/TDF. Assessments included patient-reported Medication
      Adherence Self-Report Inventory, SF-12v2 Quality of Life assessment, HIV
      Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire, and HIV Symptom Index Questionnaire through
      Week 48. Additional evaluations included study drug discontinuations due to
      treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). A total of 786 participants (n=394
      RPV/FTC/TDF, n=392 EFV/FTC/TDF) were included. Fewer RPV/FTC/TDF-treated than
      EFV/FTC/TDF-treated participants discontinued study drug due to TEAEs (2.5% vs.
      8.7%), with 41% (14/34) TEAE-related discontinuations in the EFV/FTC/TDF group
      occurring within the first four weeks of treatment. Treatment adherence and
      satisfaction remained high through Week 48 and quality of life improved from
      baseline in both groups. There were no significant between-group differences in
      virologic success (HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL) regardless of adherence (<95% or
      >=95%). Significant between-group differences favouring RPV/FTC/TDF were observed
      for the HIV SIQ symptoms of difficulty falling or staying asleep (p = .022) and
      diarrhea or loose bowel movements (p = .002). In conclusion, 48-week treatment
      with RPV/FTC/TDF or EFV/FTC/TDF was associated with high adherence, high
      treatment satisfaction, and improved quality of life. TEAE-related
      discontinuations and patient-reported symptoms indicate that RPV/FTC/TDF may be
      somewhat better tolerated than EFV/FTC/TDF. 

PMID- 26489046
TI  - The Role of Extrinsic Rewards and Cue-Intention Association in Prospective Memory
      in Young Children.
AB  - The current study examined, for the first time, the effect of cue-intention
      association, as well as the effects of promised extrinsic rewards, on prospective
      memory in young children, aged 5-years-old (n = 39) and 7-years-old (n = 40).
      Children were asked to name pictures for a toy mole, whilst also having to
      remember to respond differently to certain target pictures (prospective memory
      task). The level to which the target picture was associated with the intention
      was manipulated across two conditions (low- or high-association) for all
      participants, whilst half of the participants were promised a reward for good
      prospective memory performance. Results showed a main effect of age, with the 7
      year-olds outperforming the 5-year-olds. Furthermore, there was a main effect of
      reward, with those promised a reward performing better than those who were not.
      No effect was found for cue-association, with the participants of both age groups
      performing equally well in both association conditions. No significant
      interactions were found between any of the variables. The potentially important
      role of reward in young children's everyday prospective memory tasks, and
      possible reasons for the lack of a reflexive-associative effect, are discussed. 

PMID- 26489047
TI  - Simultaneous electrochemical detection of catechol and hydroquinone based on gold
      nanoparticles@carbon nanocages modified electrode.
AB  - In the present study, carbon nanocages (CNCs) decorated with gold nanoparticles
      (AuNPs) with diameters of 2-5 nm were synthesized by simply mixing their
      solutions. The sizes of the AuNPs are small enough to diffuse into the inside of
      the CNCs by electrostatic incorporation and their morphologies were characterized
      by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive
      spectrometry, Raman spectrometry and ultraviolet visible absorption spectra. The
      AuNPs@CNCs modified electrode was prepared for simultaneous highly sensitive
      determination of catechol (CC) and hydroquinone (HQ). This modified electrode
      demonstrated fantastic eletrochemical catalytic activities towards CC and HQ by
      cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The calibration curves
      showed a linear response between the peak currents and the concentrations of CC
      and HQ. A wide dynamic detection range of 1.0-250.0 MUM and 0.1-200.0 MUM with a
      low detection limits (S/N = 3) of 0.0986 MUM and 0.0254 MUM can be obtained for
      CC and HQ respectively. The present method was successfully employed for
      determination of CC and HQ in a practical sample. 

PMID- 26489049
TI  - Subtyping of Salmonella Food Isolates Suggests the Geographic Clustering of
      Serotype Telaviv.
AB  - Salmonella is commonly found in a variety of food products and is a major cause
      of bacterial foodborne illness throughout the world. In this study, we
      investigated the prevalence and diversity of Salmonella in eight different food
      types: sheep ground meat, cow ground meat, chicken meat, cow offal, traditional
      Sanliurfa cheese, unripened feta cheese, pistachios, and isot (a spice blend of
      dried red peppers specific to Sanliurfa), traditionally and commonly consumed in
      Turkey. Among 192 food samples, Salmonella was detected in 59 samples, with the
      highest prevalence in raw poultry parts (58%) and offal (58%) samples, while
      Salmonella was not detected in pistachios and dried red pepper. Resultant
      Salmonella isolates were characterized by serotyping, multilocus sequence typing
      (MLST), and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Ten different serotypes
      represented 10 MLST sequence types (STs) with 1 novel ST and 17 PFGE types.
      Antimicrobial resistance profiling revealed that 30.5% of the isolates were
      resistant to two or more antimicrobials. Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica
      serotype Telaviv, which is rare throughout the world, was the second most common
      serotype isolated from food samples in this study, suggesting that this serotype
      might be one of the subtypes that is endemic to Turkey. 

PMID- 26489048
TI  - Antibody Derived Peptides for Detection of Ebola Virus Glycoprotein.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current Ebola virus (EBOV) detection methods are costly and
      impractical for epidemic scenarios. Different immune-based assays have been
      reported for the detection and quantification of Ebola virus (EBOV) proteins. In
      particular, several monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been described that bind
      the capsid glycoprotein (GP) of EBOV GP. However, the currently available
      platforms for the design and production of full-length mAbs are cumbersome and
      costly. The use of antibody fragments, rather than full-length antibodies, might
      represent a cost-effective alternative for the development of diagnostic and
      possibly even therapeutic alternatives for EBOV. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We
      report the design and expression of three recombinant anti-GP mAb fragments in
      Escherichia coli cultures. These fragments contained the heavy and light variable
      portions of the three well-studied anti-GP full-length mAbs 13C6, 13F6, and KZ52,
      and are consequently named scFv-13C6, scFv-13F6, and Fab-KZ52, respectively. All
      three fragments exhibited specific anti-GP binding activity in ELISA experiments
      comparable to that of full-length anti-GP antibodies (i.e., the same order of
      magnitude) and they are easily and economically produced in bacterial cultures.
      CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Antibody fragments might represent a useful, effective,
      and low cost alternative to full-length antibodies in Ebola related capture and
      diagnostics applications.

PMID- 26489050
TI  - Preconditioning with peristaltic external pneumatic compression does not acutely
      improve repeated Wingate performance nor does it alter blood lactate
      concentrations during passive recovery compared with sham.
AB  - Application of dynamic external pneumatic compression (EPC) during recovery from
      athletic activities has demonstrated favorable effects on flexibility, soreness,
      swelling, and blood lactate (BLa) concentrations. However, the effects of
      "preconditioning" with a peristaltic pulse EPC device on subsequent performance
      and BLa concentrations have not been characterized. Herein, we demonstrate that
      pretreatment for 30 min with EPC has no effect on subsequent supramaximal
      exercise performance or BLa concentrations during passive recovery. 

PMID- 26489051
TI  - Supplementation with a proprietary blend of ancient peat and apple extract may
      improve body composition without affecting hematology in resistance-trained men.
AB  - Adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) is primarily known as a cellular source of
      energy. Increased ATP levels may have the potential to enhance body composition.
      A novel, proprietary blend of ancient peat and apple extracts has been reported
      to increase ATP levels, potentially by enhancing mitochondrial ATP production.
      Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to determine the supplement's
      effects on body composition when consumed during 12 weeks of resistance training.
      Twenty-five healthy, resistance-trained, male subjects (age, 27.7 +/- 4.8 years;
      height, 176.0 +/- 6.5 cm; body mass, 83.2 +/- 12.1 kg) completed this study.
      Subjects supplemented once daily with either 1 serving (150 mg) of a proprietary
      blend of ancient peat and apple extracts (TRT) or placebo (PLA). Supervised
      resistance training consisted of 8 weeks of daily undulating periodized training
      followed by a 2-week overreach and a 2-week taper phase. Body composition was
      assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and ultrasound at weeks 0, 4, 8,
      10, and 12. Vital signs and blood markers were assessed at weeks 0, 8, and 12.
      Significant group * time (p < 0.05) interactions were present for ultrasound
      determined cross-sectional area, which increased in TRT (+0.91 cm(2)) versus PLA
      (-0.08 cm(2)), as well as muscle thickness (TRT: +0.46; PLA: +0.04 cm). A
      significant group * time (p < 0.05) interaction existed for creatinine (TRT:
      +0.06; PLA: +0.15 mg/dL), triglycerides (TRT: +24.1; PLA: -20.2 mg/dL), and very
      low-density lipoprotein (TRT: +4.9; PLA: -3.9 mg/dL), which remained within
      clinical ranges. Supplementation with a proprietary blend of ancient peat and
      apple extracts may enhance resistance training-induced skeletal muscle
      hypertrophy without affecting fat mass or blood chemistry in healthy males. 

PMID- 26489052
TI  - Assessment of the MyWellness Key accelerometer in people with type 2 diabetes.
AB  - Accelerometers are designed to measure physical activity (PA) objectively. The
      MyWellness Key (MWK) accelerometer has been validated primarily in younger,
      normal-weight populations. The aims of this study were to examine the accuracy of
      the MWK against directly measured lab-based exercise and free-living PA in people
      with type 2 diabetes, many of whom are older and overweight or obese. Thirty-five
      participants with type 2 diabetes completed the protocol, which included a
      laboratory-based session and a free-living phase. In the laboratory visit,
      participants completed a structured treadmill protocol wearing MWKs on each hip
      (all subjects) and bra cup (women only). The speed where each MWK switched from
      recording light- to moderate-intensity activity was determined for each MWK worn.
      In the free-living phase, participants wore the MWK for all waking hours for 2
      weeks, and recorded exercise in PA diaries immediately after each exercise
      session. The mean cut-points between low ("Free") and moderate ("Play") intensity
      for the right and left waist-worn MWKs were 4.1 +/- 0.5 km/h and 5.0 +/- 0.9 km/h
      for the bra-mounted MWK; ideal cut-point would be 4.0 km/h. In the free-living
      phase, the Spearman correlation between PA according to PA diary and the waist
      worn MWK was 0.81 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.76, 0.85; P < 0.001), but only
      0.66 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.77; P < 0.001) when on the bra. In conclusion, the waist
      worn MWK measured PA volume accurately, and was acceptably accurate at
      discriminating between low- and moderate-intensity PA in people with type 2
      diabetes. The MWK underestimated PA volume and intensity when worn on a bra. 

PMID- 26489053
TI  - Null current hysteresis for acetylacetonate electron extraction layer in
      perovskite solar cells.
AB  - Solution processed zirconium acetylacetonate (Zr(acac)) is successfully employed
      as an electron extraction layer, replacing conventional titanium oxide, in planar
      CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite solar cells. The as-prepared Zr(acac) film possesses high
      transparency, high conductivity, a smooth morphology, high wettability,
      compatibility with PbI2 DMF solution, and an energy level matching that of
      CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite material. An average power conversion efficiency of about
      11.93%, along with a high fill factor of 74.36%, an open circuit voltage of 1.03
      V, and a short-circuit current density of 15.58 mA cm(-2) is achieved. The
      overall performance of the devices is slight better than that of cells using
      ruthenium acetylacetonate (Ru(acac)). The differences between solar cells with
      different electron extraction layers in charge recombination, charge transport
      and transfer and lifetime are further explored and it is demonstrate that
      Zr(acac) is a more effective and promising electron extraction layer. This work
      provides a simple, and cost effective route for the preparation of an effective
      hole extraction layer. 

PMID- 26489054
TI  - A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparison of NeuroSENSE and Bispectral Brain
      Monitors During Propofol-Based Versus Sevoflurane-Based General Anesthesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: NeuroSENSE is a depth of anesthesia monitor that uses automated
      electroencephalogram quantification. The Wavelet-based Anesthetic Value for
      Central Nervous System (WAVCNS) index calculated by this monitor is based on
      wavelet analysis of a normalized electroencephalogram signal in the gamma
      frequency band. The aim of this study was to determine the extent of disagreement
      between the Bispectral Index (BIS) and the WAVCNS index during propofol-based and
      sevoflurane-based maintenance of general anesthesia in a routine surgical
      population. METHODS: Patients undergoing elective surgery were enrolled in the
      study and randomly assigned to receive either propofol or sevoflurane for the
      maintenance of anesthesia and remifentanil in both groups. Anesthesiologists were
      blinded to monitors in both groups. Discordance between the 2 monitors was
      assessed by the count of discrepancy in recommendation (DR) (type 1 defined as
      one parameter <40 and the other >60, or type 2 defined as BIS and WAVCNS values
      on different sides of a threshold [40 or 60]) and also by the proportion of
      agreement (P0) between WAVCNS and BIS, obtained every 5 seconds, in 3 categories
      of index (<40, 40-60, and >60). RESULTS: The analyzed data set consisted of 22
      patients (36,872 data pairs) in the propofol group and 24 patients (32,826 data
      pairs) in the sevoflurane group. The type 1 DR rarely occurred in both the groups
      (<1%); however, the median (interquartile range) type 2 DR was significantly more
      frequent in the propofol group (20.6% [7.0-36.9] vs 4.5% [2.3-12.4]; P = 0.0005).
      The median difference in P0 was 11.53% (95% confidence interval, 0.57-21.32).
      Major disagreement between WAVCNS index and BIS was related to the weight of
      burst suppression pattern for the index calculation. CONCLUSIONS: Disagreement
      between BIS and NeuroSENSE during the maintenance of general anesthesia was worse
      in the propofol group than that in the sevoflurane groups. The disagreement
      increases during deep anesthesia or in the occurrence of burst suppression.

PMID- 26489057
TI  - Corrigendum: The Bright Future of Unconventional sigma/pi-Hole Interactions.

PMID- 26489056
TI  - No Difference in Adverse Events Between Surgically Treated Reduced and Unreduced
      Distal Radius Fractures.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine if closed reduction is worthwhile for the subset of
      patients who choose operative treatment before attempted reduction of their
      distal radius fracture. We hypothesize that there are no differences in (1)
      adverse events and (2) subsequent surgeries between patients treated with
      manipulative reduction compared with those that were splinted without reduction.
      DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Three affiliated urban hospitals in
      a single city in the United States. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: One thousand five
      hundred eleven consecutive adult patients who underwent open reduction and
      internal fixation of their distal radius fracture between January 1, 2007, and
      December 31, 2012, of whom 102 (7%) were not reduced before surgery.
      INTERVENTION: Manipulative reduction compared with splinting without reduction.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Adverse events were defined as any infections,
      hematomas treated operatively, disproportionate finger stiffness, (transient)
      neuropathology after surgery, delayed carpal tunnel release, malunion,
      reoperation for loss of alignment, hardware removal, and tendon ruptures within 1
      year after surgery. Outcome measures were grouped to determine the overall
      adverse event rate and subsequent surgery rate. RESULTS: We found no difference
      in specific adverse events between unreduced and reduced fractures. After
      adjusting for possible confounding variables by logistic regression, we found no
      difference in overall rates of adverse events (adjusted odds ratio unreduced
      fractures 1.2, 95% confidence interval 0.67-2.0) and subsequent surgeries
      (adjusted odds ratio unreduced fractures 0.65, 95% confidence interval 0.23-1.8).
      CONCLUSIONS: Leaving the fracture unreduced before surgery was not associated
      with increased adverse events or subsequent surgeries. For patients who make an
      informed decision to undergo operative treatment for their closed neurovascular
      intact displaced distal radius fracture, manipulative reduction may not be
      helpful.

PMID- 26489058
TI  - Spotlights on our sister journals: ChemPhysChem 15/2015.

PMID- 26489055
TI  - Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Nonoperative Versus Operative Treatment
      of Acute Acromio-Clavicular Joint Dislocation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To perform a randomized clinical trial of operative versus
      nonoperative treatment of acute acromio-clavicular (AC) joint dislocations using
      modern surgical fixation and both patient-based and surgeon-based outcome
      measures to determine which treatment method was superior. DESIGN: Prospective,
      randomized. SETTING: Multicenter. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Eight-three patients
      with acute (<28 days from the time of injury) complete (grade III, IV, and V)
      dislocations of the AC joint. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomized to operative
      repair with hook plate fixation versus nonoperative treatment (operative repair,
      40; nonoperative treatment, 43). MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Disabilities of the
      Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score at 1 year after injury. Assessment also
      included a complete clinical assessment, evaluation of the constant score, and a
      radiographic evaluation at 6 weeks, and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. RESULTS:
      There were no demographic differences between the 2 groups, and the mechanisms of
      injury were similar between the 2 groups. The DASH scores (a disability score,
      lower score is better) were significantly better in the nonoperative group at 6
      weeks (operative, 45; nonoperative, 31; P = 0.014) and 3 months (operative, 29;
      nonoperative, 16; P = 0.005). There were no significant differences between the
      groups at 6 months (operative, 14; nonoperative, 12; P = 0.442), 1 year
      (operative, 9; nonoperative, 9; P = 0.997), or 2 years (operative, 5;
      nonoperative, 6; P = 0.439) after injury. Constant scores were similar (better
      scores in the nonoperative group at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months; P = 0.0001;
      and no difference thereafter). Although radiographic results were better in the
      operative group, the reoperation rate was significantly lower in the nonoperative
      group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although hook plate fixation resulted in superior
      radiographic alignment, it was not clinically superior to nonoperative treatment
      of acute complete dislocations of the AC joint. The nonoperative group had better
      early scores, although both groups improved from a significant level of initial
      disability to a good or excellent result (mean DASH score, 5-6; mean constant
      score, 91-95) at 2 years. At present, there is no clear evidence that operative
      treatment with the currently available hook plate improves short-term outcome for
      complete AC joint dislocations.

PMID- 26489059
TI  - Theoretical Insights into the Tuning of Metal Binding Sites of Paddlewheels in
      rht-Metal-Organic Frameworks.
AB  - Theoretical investigations of CO2 sorption are performed in four members of the
      highly tunable rht-metal-organic framework (MOF) platform. rht-MOFs contain two
      Cu(2+) ions that comprise the metal paddlewheels and both are in chemically
      distinct environments. Indeed, one type of Cu(2+) ion faces toward the center of
      the linker whereas the other type faces away from the center of the linker.
      Electronic structure calculations on the series of rht-MOFs demonstrate that one
      of the Cu(2+) ions has a consistently higher charge magnitude relative to the
      other. As a consequence, the Cu(2+) ion with the higher partial positive charge
      acts as the favored sorbate binding site at initial loading as revealed by grand
      canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations that include many-body polarization. It
      was found that the charge distribution about the copper paddlewheels is dependent
      on the type of functional groups present on the linker. This study demonstrates
      how the binding site about the metal paddlewheels in the rht-MOF platform can be
      controlled by changing the functionality on the organic ligand. 

PMID- 26489060
TI  - Synthesis, X-Ray Structure, Magnetic Properties, and a Study of
      Intra/Intermolecular Radical-Radical Interactions of a Triradical TEMPO Compound.
AB  - A novel triradical compound with a P=S core and three branches functionalized
      with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) radicals is synthesized and
      characterized by IR, (1) H NMR, (31) P NMR, and EPR spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF
      mass spectrometry, and its chemical structure is confirmed by X-ray diffraction
      analysis. The triradical shows neither spin exchange interactions between its
      radical units nor detectable dipolar interactions. This is consistent with the
      separation between the radical units found in its X-ray diffraction structure,
      and discounts the existence of intramolecular interactions. This conclusion is
      confirmed by an EPR concentration study. The concentration at which
      intermolecular interactions start to appear is determined (5*10(-3)  m) and this
      concentration should be taken into account as a higher concentration limit when
      studies on intramolecular radical-radical interactions in polyradicals with
      similar structure are required. SQUID magnetometry analysis of the compound shows
      antiferromagnetic interactions between the spin carriers of different molecules;
      that is, antiferromagnetic intermolecular interactions. 

PMID- 26489061
TI  - Highly Oxidized Platinum Nanoparticles Prepared through Radio-Frequency
      Sputtering: Thermal Stability and Reaction Probability towards CO.
AB  - Platinum-oxide nanoparticles were prepared through the radio-frequency (RF)
      discharge sputtering of a Pt electrode in an oxygen atmosphere. The structure,
      particles size, electronic properties, and surface composition of the RF
      sputtered particles were studied by using transmission electron microscopy and X
      ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The application of the RF discharge method
      resulted in the formation of highly oxidized Pt(4+) species that were stable
      under ultrahigh vacuum conditions up to 100  degrees C, indicating the capability
      of Pt(4+) -O species to play an important role in the oxidation catalysis under
      real conditions. The thermal stability and reaction probability of Pt(4+) oxide
      species were analyzed and compared with those of Pt(2+) species. The reaction
      probability of PtO2 nanoparticles at 90  degrees C was found to be about ten
      times higher than that of PtO-like structures. 

PMID- 26489062
TI  - Defining Physiological Predictors of Peripartum Maternal Bacteremia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine physiological and laboratory parameters
      associated with peripartum maternal bacteremia. STUDY DESIGN: This case-control
      study matched 115 cases (women with fever and bacteremia during the peripartum
      period) to 285 controls (defined as the next two febrile women with negative
      blood cultures at the same institution) from two academic medical centers from
      2009 to 2013. Conditional logistic regression models were used to evaluate the
      association of physiological and laboratory parameters with maternal bacteremia
      at the time of initial and maximum fever. RESULTS: At the time of initial fever,
      temperature > 103 degrees F (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 5.58, 95% confidence
      interval [CI]: 2.05-15.19) and respiratory rate (RR) > 20 respirations per minute
      (aOR: 5.27, 95% CI: 2.32-11.96) were associated with bacteremia. At the time of
      maximum fever, temperature (> 102 degrees F, aOR: 3.37, 95% CI: 1.61-7.06; > 103
      degrees F, aOR: 7.96, 95% CI: 3.56-17.82), heart rate > 110 beats per minute
      (aOR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.21-3.99), and RR > 20 (aOR: 3.65, 95% CI: 1.65-8.08) were
      associated with bacteremia. Bandemia > 10% (aOR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.07-5.54) was
      associated with bacteremia. CONCLUSION: Physiological and laboratory parameters
      associated with maternal bacteremia differed from those reported with sepsis in
      the adult critical care population. Further studies of objective markers are
      needed to improve detection and treatment of peripartum bacteremia.

PMID- 26489063
TI  - Extreme Obesity and Postcesarean Wound Complications in the Maternal-Fetal
      Medicine Unit Cesarean Registry.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between
      obesity and wound complications after cesarean delivery. METHODS: A secondary
      cohort analysis of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Unit Cesarean Registry. We
      stratified the exposure, maternal body mass index (BMI) at delivery, as not obese
      (BMI < 30), obese (BMI 30-45), and extremely obese (BMI > 45). Our primary
      outcome was wound complication composite of wound infection, endometritis, wound
      opening, seroma/hematoma, and hospital readmission. Our secondary outcomes
      included infection composite (wound infection and endometritis) and each
      individual outcome included in the primary composite. We performed unadjusted and
      multivariable logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: We included 38,229 women who
      underwent cesarean; 39% were not obese, 55% were obese, and 6% were extremely
      obese. In our cohort, 40% of women underwent repeat cesarean and 57% underwent
      cesarean after labor. Extremely obese women had increased risk for any wound
      complication (14%, adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.65; 95% confidence interval [CI],
      1.44-1.89), endometritis (8.3%, AOR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.07-1.49), wound infection
      (2.0%, AOR, 3.77; 95% CI, 2.60-5.46), wound opening (0.8%, AOR, 5.47; 95% CI,
      2.79-10.71), and wound infection-related hospital readmission (3.6%, AOR, 2.97;
      95% CI, 2.26-3.91) compared with nonobese women. Obese women had increased risk
      for any wound complication (9.6%, AOR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.06-1.23) and postcesarean
      infection (7.7%, AOR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.03-1.22) but not other outcomes.
      CONCLUSION: In a large multicenter cohort study, we found that extreme obesity
      was associated with substantial increase in maternal postcesarean complications,
      and the association between obesity and postcesarean complications appears dose
      related. These findings validate associations found in single-center studies.

PMID- 26489064
TI  - Persistent Urogenital Sinus: Diagnostic Imaging for Clinical Management. What
      Does the Radiologist Need to Know?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Persistent urogenital sinus (PUGS) is a congenital pathological
      condition characterized by an abnormal communication between the urethra and
      vagina. It may be a part of a complex syndrome and can be more often associated
      with congenital malformations affecting the genitourinary tract system (33%) such
      as intersex, rectovaginal communication, bladder agenesis, absence of vagina, and
      hydrocolpos. The correct radiological assessment of PUGS is especially useful for
      clinicians since the exact anatomical evaluation of this abnormality is a crucial
      factor for surgical planning. The imaging study modalities, which are essentially
      based on ultrasonography, voiding cystourethrography, and magnetic resonance
      imaging, could be misinterpreted if not correctly performed. AIM: The aim of this
      article is to highlight this rare pathological condition and to help general
      radiologists in achieving the correct technical approach for the diagnosis.
      Special attention will be paid in discussing the role of different imaging
      modalities and their contribution to the diagnosis and clinical management of
      patients.

PMID- 26489065
TI  - A reversed-phase compatible thin-layer chromatography autography for the
      detection of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.
AB  - A dual readout autographic assay to detect acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
      present in complex matrices adsorbed on reversed-phase or normal-phase thin-layer
      chromatography plates is described. Enzyme gel entrapment with an amphiphilic
      copolymer was used for assay development. The effects of substrate and enzyme
      concentrations, pH, incubation time, and incubation temperature on the
      sensitivity and the detection limit of the assay were evaluated. Experimental
      design and response surface methodology were used to optimize conditions with a
      minimum number of experiments. The assay allowed the detection of 0.01% w/w of
      physostigmine in both a spiked Sonchus oleraceus L. extract chromatographed on
      normal phase and a spiked Pimenta racemosa (Mill.) J.W. Moore leaf essential oil
      chromatographed on reversed phase. Finally, the reversed-phase thin-layer
      chromatography assay was applied to reveal the presence of an inhibitor in the
      Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf essential oil. The developed assay is able to
      detect acetylcholinesterase inhibitors present in complex matrixes that were
      chromatographed in normal phase or reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography. The
      detection limit for physostigmine on both normal and reversed phase was of 1*10(
      4) MUg. The results can be read by a change in color and/or a change in
      fluorescence. 

PMID- 26489068
TI  - [Legalization of cannabis: between political irresponsibility and loss of
      responsibility of psychiatrists].
AB  - In Italy a political parliamentary majority, recognized by all the press as
      "cross party", is going to approve the law that will legalize the use of
      cannabis. As diversified in different Countries, it is a phenomenon which affects
      substantially homogeneous many European nations, as well as several states of the
      USA and other Countries of the world. The authors, after listing the main harmful
      effects of cannabis, especially in young people, on cognitive functions and on
      the onset of several psychotic disorders, express the need for reflection by the
      mental health experts on a problem of extreme relevance and urgency care.

PMID- 26489069
TI  - [Closing forensic psychiatric hospitals in Italy: a new deal for mental health
      care?].
AB  - The date of March 31, 2015, following the Law 81/2014, has marked a historical
      transition with the final closure of the six forensic psychiatric hospitals in
      Italy. This law identifies a new pathway of care that involves small-scale high
      therapeutic profile facilities (Residenze per la Esecuzione della Misura di
      Sicurezza, REMS) instead of the old forensic psychiatric hospitals. The Law
      promotes a new recovery-oriented rehabilitation approach for the persons with
      mental disorders who committed a criminal offence, but lack criminal
      responsibility and deemed as socially dangerous. After a brief description of
      what happens abroad, this article highlights the positive aspects of the law
      that, as a whole, has to be considered innovative and unavoidable. The main
      debated problems are also reviewed, including the lack of changes to the Criminal
      Code; the improper equation between insanity and mental illness and social
      dangerousness; the evaluation of "socially dangerousness", based solely on
      "subjective qualities" of the person, assessed out of his/her context, without
      paying attention to family and social conditions suitable for discharge; the
      expensive implementation of the REMS, mainly based on security policies and less
      on care and rehabilitation, the delay in their construction, and the search for
      residential alternatives structures; the uncertain boundaries of professional
      responsibility. Finally, several actions are suggested that can support the
      implementation of the law: information programs addressed to the general
      population; training activities for mental health professionals; systematic
      monitoring and evaluation of the outcomes of the care provided to the forensic
      psychiatric population; implementation of Agreement Protocols and a better
      cooperation with the judiciary. Scientific societies dealing with psychosocial
      rehabilitation need to be involved in such issues relating to the identification
      of the best care and rehabilitation pathways, which should be implemented
      following closure of forensic psychiatric hospitals. 

PMID- 26489070
TI  - Drug interactions with vortioxetine, a new multimodal antidepressant.
AB  - This article summarized the available knowledge on clinically relevant drug
      interactions of vortioxetine, a new antidepressant with a "multimodal"
      serotonergic mechanism of action, recently approved for the treatment of major
      depressive disorder. Although information is still limited and mainly based on
      studies performed in healthy volunteers, vortioxetine appears to have a favorable
      drug interaction profile. Concerning the potential for pharmacokinetic drug
      interactions, vortioxetine has little to no effect on various cytochrome P450
      (CYP) isoforms and therefore is not expected to markedly affect plasma
      concentrations of other medications metabolized by these enzymes. This is a major
      advantage when compared to other antidepressants which are known to inhibit the
      activity of one or more CYP isoforms. On the other hand, dosage adjustments may
      be required when vortioxetine is coadministered with strong CYP2D6 inhibitors or
      broad-spectrum CYP inducers. Vortioxetine carries a relatively low risk for
      pharmacodynamic drug interactions, at least as compared to first-generation
      antidepressants. Like other antidepressants enhancing serotonergic activity,
      vortioxetine is associated with a potential risk of serotonin syndrome when used
      in combination with other serotonergic agents. Based on all available clinical
      data, vortioxetine has no increased risk of serotonin syndrome when used without
      other serotoninergic agents and at therapeutic doses.

PMID- 26489071
TI  - [Gambling Disorder: epidemiology, diagnosis, interpretative models and
      intervention].
AB  - Gambling disorder is a frequently underdiagnosed and disabling disorder with a
      prevalence greatly increased in recent decades. For various reasons, only a small
      part of pathological gamblers seek a support making difficult an early
      identification and delaying the administration of appropriate treatment. In DSM
      5, the disorder has been reclassified from an "Impulse-Control Disorder not
      elsewhere classified" to one of the "Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders"
      with the intention of improve the diagnosis, to better targeting the treatment
      and to stimulating further research efforts directed to the disorder. This
      article reviews assessment techniques, psychosocial and neurobiological factors
      in the development of pathological gambling and treatment strategies. 

PMID- 26489072
TI  - [A survey on the use of patent expired drugs in psychiatric disorders: the
      psychiatrists' and neurologists' opinion and competence].
AB  - The use of generic drugs is an increasing phenomenon in Italy, as well as in most
      other Countries. In front of this, the level of information of medical doctors
      about their characteristics is still frequently uncompletely defined and
      insufficiently documented. The Survey "InfoMind" explored by an on line
      questionnaire the level of knowledge and the principal modes of use of generic
      drugs in a wide group of Italian Psychiatrists and Neurologists. The attention
      was focused on the use of generic drugs both in general and in the field of
      antidepressant treatments. In the group of participants (246) who fulfilled the
      questionnaire, a valid degree of attention to the critical issues related to the
      use of generic drugs and a variable level of information with respect to the
      explored areas were found. Main topics of discordant opinions were those of the
      pharmacokinetic differences among generic and original drugs, the related
      potential influence on clinical response, the regulatory rules on production and
      quality control of generic drugs respect to original. The main issues emerged as
      critical also respect the use of antidepressant drugs. Also the opinions
      regarding the legal implications of the choice of prescribed drugs appear
      variable and of the greatest interest. 

PMID- 26489073
TI  - Sexual dysfunctions in people with first-episode psychosis assessed according to
      a gender perspective.
AB  - AIM: Patients with chronic mental disorders often can suffer from sexual
      dysfunction. Nevertheless, the sexual functioning of new patients with first
      episode psychosis has been little explored. The aim of this study was to
      investigate gender differences in sexual functioning in people with first-episode
      psychosis. METHODS: A group of 40 males and 37 females with first-episode
      psychosis took part in the research. We administered a psychiatric protocol
      composed of the PANSS, UKU and SCID-DSM-IV diagnosis. RESULTS: We found that the
      42.5% of the male group had sexual dysfunctions while the percentage of the
      female group was 37.8%. The correlation between sexual dysfunctions and
      psychopathology did not reveal any association in males. However, in females,
      general psychopathology and positive symptoms are linked to the alteration of
      vaginal lubrication: (r=0.547; p=0.003) and (r=0.485; p=0.011), although orgasm
      alteration was also associated with general psychopathology (r=0.500; p=0.013).
      Moreover, we found a relation between the alteration of vaginal lubrication with
      depression(r=0.627; p<0.0001) and disorder of volition (r=0.600; p<0.001).
      DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the association between
      sexual dysfunctions and psychopathology regarded only women. Therefore, during
      the taking charge of patients it is fundamental to consider the gender-specific
      relationship between psychopathology and sexual problems.

PMID- 26489074
TI  - Alexithymia and self-reflectiveness in bronchial asthma.
AB  - The aim of the study was to investigate the role of alexithymia in bronchial
      asthma (BA) patients with low respiratory functioning hypothesizing that it could
      be used to differentiate a group of patients with clinically significant anxiety
      and depressive symptoms. We also aimed to investigate whether alexithymia was
      associated with reduced cognitive insight. Patients (n=153) were administered the
      State- Trait Anxiety Inventory-State subscale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the
      Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS).
      Alexithymia could help differentiate a group of patients with low respiratory
      functioning. Twenty-two percent of patients included in this subsample had airway
      obstruction, and 51% reported severe alexithymia. Patients with severe airway
      obstruction and high alexithymia (compared to other patients) also reported
      higher self-reflectiveness, and more depressive symptoms. Clinicians have to be
      aware of the presence of a subgroup of asthma patients with low respiratory
      functioning who report severe alexithymia. These patients often report moderate
      to severe depression and frequent doubts about one's own beliefs.

PMID- 26489075
TI  - [Me pinxit, me fecit].

PMID- 26489076
TI  - FRAX and fracture prediction without bone mineral density.
AB  - The major application of FRAX in osteoporosis is to direct pharmacological
      interventions to those at high risk of fracture. Whereas the efficacy of
      osteoporosis treatment, with the possible exception of alendronate, is largely
      independent of baseline bone mineral density (BMD), it remains a widely held
      perception that osteoporosis therapies are only effective in the presence of low
      BMD. Thus, the use of FRAX in the absence of BMD to identify individuals
      requiring therapy remains the subject of some debate and is the focus of this
      review. The clinical risk factors used in FRAX have high evidence-based validity
      to identify a risk responsive to intervention. The selection of high-risk
      individuals with FRAX, without knowledge of BMD, preferentially selects for low
      BMD and thus identifies a risk that is responsive to pharmacological
      intervention. The prediction of fractures with the use of clinical risk factors
      alone in FRAX is comparable to the use of BMD alone to predict fractures and is
      suitable, therefore, in the many countries where facilities for BMD testing are
      sparse. In countries where access to BMD is greater, FRAX can be used without BMD
      in the majority of cases and BMD tests reserved for those close to a probability
      based intervention threshold. Thus concerns surrounding the use of FRAX in
      clinical practice without information on BMD are largely misplaced. 

PMID- 26489077
TI  - Antiallergic effects of anti-interleukin-33 are associated with suppression of
      immunoglobulin light chain and inducible nitric oxide synthase.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to find novel genes that are significantly induced in
      allergic mice and that are significantly downregulated with anti-interleukin (IL)
      33 treatment. METHODS: Thirty-six mice were allocated into each of group A
      (intraperitoneal [i.p.]) sensitized and intranasally challenged to saline
      solution), group B (sensitized and challenged to ovalbumin), group C (sensitized
      and challenged with ovalbumin, and null treatment with i.p. saline solution), and
      group D (sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin, and treatment with anti-IL-33
      i.p. injection). We counted the number of nose-scratching in 10 minutes, serum
      ovalbumin-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), and titers of cytokines (IL-1, IL-4,
      IL-5, IL-10, IL-13) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. By using one whole lung from
      each mouse, we performed microarray analysis and real-time polymerase chain
      reaction. RESULTS: group D showed a significantly reduced nose-scratching events
      and lower serum ovalbumin-specific IgE compared with groups B and C. All the
      cytokines in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were significantly decreased after
      anti-IL-33 treatment. Microarray analysis revealed that group B (immunoglobulin
      free light chain [IgFLC], 89.1 times; nitric oxide synthase [NOS] 2, 11.5 times)
      and group C (IgFLC, 141.6 times; NOS2, 11.7 times) had significantly increased
      expression of IgFLC and NOS2 genes compared with group A. After anti-IL-33
      treatment, group D showed significantly decreased expression of both IgFLC (49.3
      times) and NOS2 (6.5 times). In real-time polymerase chain reaction, groups B and
      C had significantly increased expression of these genes (IgFLC, 10.4 times and 29
      times, respectively; NOS2, 3.8 times and 4.5 times, respectively). After
      treatment, group D showed significantly decreased expression of IgFLC (5.0 times)
      and NOS2 (2.5 times). CONCLUSION: The antiallergic effect of anti-IL-33 can be
      explained by suppression of IgFLC and NOS2 in a murine model of allergic
      rhinitis.

PMID- 26489078
TI  - Orientation Dependent MR Signal Decay Differentiates between People with MS,
      Their Asymptomatic Siblings and Unrelated Healthy Controls.
AB  - R2* relaxometry of the brain is a quantitative magnetic resonance technique which
      is influenced by iron and myelin content across different brain regions. Multiple
      sclerosis (MS) is a common inflammatory, demyelinating disease affecting both
      white and grey matter regions of the CNS. Using R2*, increased iron deposition
      has been described in deep gray matter of MS patients. Iron accumulation might
      promote oxidative stress in the brain, which can lead to cell death and
      neurodegeneration. However, recent histological work indicates that iron may be
      reduced within the normal appearing white matter (WM) in MS. In the present study
      we analyzed the R2* signal across the white matter in 39 patients with MS, 31
      asymptomatic age matched siblings of patients and 30 age-matched controls. The
      measurement of R2* in white matter is affected by the signal's dependency on
      white matter fibre orientation with respect to the main magnetic field which can
      be accounted using diffusion tensor imaging. We observed a clear separation of
      the three study groups in R2*. The values in the MS group were significantly
      lower compared to the siblings and controls, while the siblings group presented
      with significantly higher R2* values than both unrelated healthy controls and
      patients. Furthermore, we found significantly decreased normal-appearing white
      matter R2* values in patients with more severe disease course. Angle resolved
      analysis of R2* improves the sensitivity for detecting subtle differences in WM
      R2* compared to standard histogram based analyses. Our findings suggest that the
      decreased R2* values in MS are due to diffuse tissue damage and decreased myelin
      in the normal appearing and diffusely abnormal WM. The increased R2* in
      unaffected siblings may identify a predisposition to increased iron and the
      potential for oxidative stress as a risk factor for developing MS. 

PMID- 26489079
TI  - The Relationship between Post-Traumatic Symptoms, Parenting Style, and Resilience
      among Adolescents in Liaoning, China: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In China, a growing number of adolescents have experienced traumatic
      events that have resulted in PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Post
      traumatic symptoms are common psychological problems in adolescents who have
      experienced traumatic events. However, existing studies tend to focus on the
      factors influencing PTSD, such as the response styles and social support, and
      studies on the relationships between parenting style, resilience and post
      traumatic symptoms are still rare. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the relationships
      between parenting style, resilience and post-traumatic symptoms among adolescents
      in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from June to December
      2013 in the Liaoning Province, China. N = 5765 adolescents (aged 12 to 18 years
      old) were ultimately chosen to participate. The Chinese version of the Essen
      Trauma Inventory for Kids and Juveniles (ETI-KJ), a modified version of the
      Parental Authority Questionnaire, and the Chinese Resilience Scale were used to
      estimate the post-traumatic symptoms, parenting style, and resilience,
      respectively. Pearson's correlations, multiple linear regression analyses and
      structural equation modeling (SEM) were applied to analyze the data. RESULTS: Of
      the adolescents, 39.76% (N = 2292) had been exposed to traumatic events during
      their lives. The prevalence of probable PTSD at the time of the interview (one
      month-prevalence) was 12.65%. Parenting style and resilience were significantly
      associated with post-traumatic symptoms. According to the SEM, parenting style
      had a significant direct effect on resilience (0.70, P<0.01) and post-traumatic
      symptoms (-0.15, P<0.05), and resilience had a significant direct effect on the
      post-traumatic symptoms (-0.43, P<0.01). Furthermore, parenting style had a
      significant indirect effect (-0.43*0.70 = -0.30. P<0.01) on the post-traumatic
      symptoms through resilience. The SEM significantly explained 49% of the variance
      in resilience and 30% of the variance in post-traumatic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS:
      Parenting style and resilience have significant effects on adolescents' post
      traumatic symptoms. Schools and social-related departments could share knowledge
      on the impact of parenting style with parents enabling them to improve their own
      parenting style and their children's resilience and ability to respond
      effectively to traumatic events.

PMID- 26489080
TI  - Adolescent Heavy Drinking Does Not Affect Maturation of Basic Executive
      Functioning: Longitudinal Findings from the TRAILS Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Excessive alcohol use is assumed to affect maturation of
      cognitive functioning in adolescence. However, most existing studies that have
      tested this hypothesis are seriously flawed due to the use of selective groups
      and/or cross-sectional designs, which limits the ability to draw firm
      conclusions. This longitudinal study investigated whether patterns of alcohol use
      predicted differences in maturation of executive functioning in adolescence.
      Additionally, gender was tested as a possible moderator. METHODS: We used data
      from the Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), which comprises
      a cohort of 2,230 Dutch adolescents. Maturation of executive functioning was
      measured by assessing the standardized improvement on each of four basic
      executive functions (i.e., inhibition, working memory, and shift- and sustained
      attention) between ages 11 and 19. Participants were assigned to one of six
      (heavy) drinking groups (i.e., non-drinkers, light drinkers, infrequent heavy
      drinkers, increased heavy drinkers, decreased heavy drinkers, and chronic heavy
      drinkers). We conducted linear regression analyses, and adjusted for relevant
      confounders. RESULTS: The six drinking groups did not reveal significant
      differences in maturation between drinking groups. E.g., maturation executive
      functioning of chronic heavy drinkers in comparison to non-drinkers; inhibition:
      B = -0.14, 95% CI [-0.41 to 0.14], working memory: B = -0.03, 95% CI [-0.26 to
      0.21], shift attention: B = 0.13, 95% CI [-0.17 to 0.41], sustained attention: B
      = 0.12, 95% CI [-0.60 to 0.36]. Furthermore, gender was not found to be a
      significant moderator. CONCLUSIONS: Four years of weekly heavy drinking (i.e.,
      chronic heavy drinkers) did not result in measurable impairments in four basic
      executive functions. Thus, regular heavy drinking in adolescence does not seem to
      affect these basic behavioural measures of executive functioning.

PMID- 26489081
TI  - The COMTp.Val158Met Polymorphism and Cognitive Performance in Adult Development,
      Healthy Aging and Mild Cognitive Impairment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact of genetic polymorphisms on cognition is assumed to
      increase with age as losses of brain resources have to be compensated for. We
      investigate the relation of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT)p.Val158Met
      polymorphism and cognitive capacity in the course of adult development, healthy
      aging and the development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in two birth cohorts
      of subjects born between 1930 and 1932 or between 1950 and 1952. METHODS:
      Thorough neuropsychological assessment was conducted in a total of 587
      participants across three examination waves between 1993 and 2008. The COMT
      genotype was determined as a restriction fragment length polymorphism after PCR
      amplification and digestion with NlaIII. RESULTS: Significant effects of the
      COMTp.Val158Met polymorphism were identified for attention and cognitive
      flexibility in the younger but not the older cohort. CONCLUSION: These results
      confirm the importance of the COMTp.Val158Met genotype on tasks assessing
      attention and cognitive flexibility in midlife but not in healthy aging and the
      development of MCI. Our findings suggest that the influence of COMT changes as a
      function of age, decreasing from midlife to aging.

PMID- 26489082
TI  - Cone-Beam CT Angiography for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Current Status.
AB  - Cone-beam CT (CBCT) is generated during a rotational sweep of the C-arm around
      the patient, and can be a valuable imaging technique, providing in situ cross
      sectional imaging. It is easy to evaluate the morphologic characteristics of
      hepatic arteries from multiple views with the use of various reconstruction
      techniques, such as maximum intensity projection (MIP) and volume rendering. CBCT
      angiography is capable of providing more information than the standard 2
      dimensional angiography in visualizing hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and
      targeting tumors though precise microcatheter placement in close proximity to
      HCCs. It can also be useful in evaluating treatment success at the time of the
      procedure. It is anticipated that CBCT could reduce radiation exposure, the
      overall procedure time and contrast material use because it allows immediate
      feedback for an efficient angiographic procedure. Therefore, CBCT angiography is
      an exciting technology with the potential to significantly impact the practice of
      interventional radiology. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of
      the principles, clinical applications and technique of CBCT angiography for HCC
      treatment. 

PMID- 26489083
TI  - Criteria Used in Clinical Practice to Guide Immunosuppressive Treatment in
      Patients with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Current guidelines recommend immunosuppressive treatment (IT)
      in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and elevated
      aminotransferase levels more than five times the upper limit of normal and
      elevated serum IgG-levels above twice the upper limit of normal. Since there is
      no evidence to support this recommendation, we aimed to assess the criteria that
      guided clinicians in clinical practice to initiate IT in patients with previously
      diagnosed PSC. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of 196 PSC patients from
      seven German hepatology centers, of whom 36 patients had received IT solely for
      their liver disease during the course of PSC. Analyses were carried out using
      methods for competing risks. RESULTS: A simplified autoimmune hepatitis (AIH)
      score >5 (HR of 36, p<0.0001) and a modified histological activity index (mHAI)
      greater than 3/18 points (HR 3.6, p = 0.0274) were associated with the initiation
      of IT during the course of PSC. Of note, PSC patients who subsequently received
      IT differed already at the time of PSC diagnosis from those patients, who did not
      receive IT during follow-up: they presented with increased levels of IgG (p =
      0.004) and more frequently had clinical signs of cirrhosis (p = 0.0002).
      CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study which investigates the parameters associated
      with IT in patients with PSC in clinical practice. A simplified AIH score >5 and
      a mHAI score >3, suggesting concomitant features of AIH, influenced the decision
      to introduce IT during the course of PSC. In German clinical practice, the
      cutoffs used to guide IT may be lower than recommended by current guidelines.

PMID- 26489084
TI  - National Analysis of Short-Term Outcomes and Volume-Outcome Relationships for
      Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in the Era of Commercialization.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We queried the 2012 National Inpatient Sample in order to (1) further
      describe the short-term outcomes for transcatheter aortic valve replacement
      (TAVR) and (2) characterize possible volume-outcome relationships and other
      prognostic factors for this procedure. METHODS: Demographics and inhospital
      outcomes were tabulated for all patients, as were hospital characteristics and
      procedural-volume data for all centers at which patients underwent TAVR. Logistic
      regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors for
      mortality or morbidity. RESULTS: 7,635 patients aged >= 18 years received TAVR
      during the study period; 84.5% (n = 6,450) underwent transfemoral TAVR and the
      rest were treated transapically. The median age was 83 years (IQR 77-88 years)
      and cardiovascular comorbidities were widespread. Overall inhospital mortality
      was 5.0% (n = 380), and 1.4% (n = 105) of the patients experienced a stroke. All
      cause procedure-related morbidity was 24.7% (n = 1,885). Annual hospital TAVR
      volume did not predict inhospital mortality or morbidity (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.99
      1.00, p = 0.111 and OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.99-1.00, p = 0.947, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis helps to confirm the short-term safety profile of TAVR
      and further demonstrates that inhospital outcomes have remained acceptable as
      this procedure has become commercialized.

PMID- 26489085
TI  - Enhancing Butanol Production under the Stress Environments of Co-Culturing
      Clostridium acetobutylicum/Saccharomyces cerevisiae Integrated with Exogenous
      Butyrate Addition.
AB  - In this study, an efficient acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation strategy
      integrating Clostridium acetobutylicum/Saccharomyces cerevisiae co-culturing
      system with exogenous butyrate addition, was proposed and experimentally
      conducted. In solventogenic phase, by adding 0.2 g-DCW/L-broth viable S.
      cerevisiae cells and 4.0 g/L-broth concentrated butyrate solution into C.
      acetobutylicum culture broth, final butanol concentration and butanol/acetone
      ratio in a 7 L anaerobic fermentor reached the highest levels of 15.74 g/L and
      2.83 respectively, with the increments of 35% and 43% as compared with those of
      control. Theoretical and experimental analysis revealed that, the proposed
      strategy could, 1) extensively induce secretion of amino acids particularly
      lysine, which are favorable for both C. acetobutylicum survival and butanol
      synthesis under high butanol concentration environment; 2) enhance the
      utilization ability of C. acetobutylicum on glucose and over-produce
      intracellular NADH for butanol synthesis in C. acetobutylicum metabolism
      simultaneously; 3) direct most of extra consumed glucose into butanol synthesis
      route. The synergetic actions of effective amino acids assimilation, high rates
      of substrate consumption and NADH regeneration yielded highest butanol
      concentration and butanol ratio in C. acetobutylicum under this stress
      environment. The proposed method supplies an alternative way to improve ABE
      fermentation performance by traditional fermentation technology. 

PMID- 26489087
TI  - 15th ESASO Retina Academy. October 22-24, 2015, Barcelona, Spain: Abstracts.

PMID- 26489086
TI  - Mechanical Loading Synergistically Increases Trabecular Bone Volume and Improves
      Mechanical Properties in the Mouse when BMP Signaling Is Specifically Ablated in
      Osteoblasts.
AB  - Bone homeostasis is affected by several factors, particularly mechanical loading
      and growth factor signaling pathways. There is overwhelming evidence to validate
      the importance of these signaling pathways, however, whether these signals work
      synergistically or independently to contribute to proper bone maintenance is
      poorly understood. Weight-bearing exercise increases mechanical load on the
      skeletal system and can improves bone quality. We previously reported that
      conditional knockout (cKO) of Bmpr1a, which encodes one of the type 1 receptors
      for Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs), in an osteoblast-specific manner
      increased trabecular bone mass by suppressing osteoclastogenesis. The cKO bones
      also showed increased cortical porosity, which is expected to impair bone
      mechanical properties. Here, we evaluated the impact of weight-bearing exercise
      on the cKO bone phenotype to understand interactions between mechanical loading
      and BMP signaling through BMPR1A. Male mice with disruption of Bmpr1a induced at
      9 weeks of age, exercised 5 days per week on a motor-driven treadmill from 11 to
      16 weeks of age. Trabecular bone volume in cKO tibia was further increased by
      exercise, whereas exercise did not affect the trabecular bone in the control
      genotype group. This finding was supported by decreased levels of osteoclasts in
      the cKO tibiae. The cortical porosity in the cKO bones showed a marginally
      significant decrease with exercise and approached normal levels. Exercise
      increased ductility and toughness in the cKO bones. Taken together, reduction in
      BMPR1A signaling may sensitize osteoblasts for mechanical loading to improve bone
      mechanical properties. 

PMID- 26489088
TI  - Evaluation in a Dog Model of Three Antimicrobial Glassy Coatings: Prevention of
      Bone Loss around Implants and Microbial Assessments.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study is to evaluate, in a ligature-induced
      peri-implantitis model, the efficacy of three antimicrobial glassy coatings in
      the prevention of biofilm formation, intrasulcular bacterial growth and the
      resulting peri-implant bone loss. METHODS: Mandibular premolars were bilaterally
      extracted from five beagle dogs. Four dental implants were inserted on each
      hemiarch. Eight weeks after, one control zirconia abutment and three with
      different bactericidal coatings (G1n-Ag, ZnO35, G3) were connected. After a
      plaque control period, bacterial accumulation was allowed and biofilm formation
      on abutments was observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Peri-implantitis
      was induced by cotton ligatures. Microbial samples and peri-implant crestal bone
      levels of all implant sites were obtained before, during and after the breakdown
      period. RESULTS: During experimental induce peri-implantitis: colony forming
      units counts from intrasulcular microbial samples at implants with G1n-Ag coated
      abutment remained close to the basal inoculum; G3 and ZnO35 coatings showed
      similar low counts; and anaerobic bacterias counts at control abutments exhibited
      a logarithmic increase by more than 2. Bone loss during passive breakdown period
      was no statistically significant. Additional bone loss occurred during ligature
      induce breakdown: 0.71 (SD 0.48) at G3 coating, 0.57 (SD 0.36) at ZnO35 coating,
      0.74 (SD 0.47) at G1n-Ag coating, and 1.29 (SD 0.45) at control abutments; and
      statistically significant differences (p<0.001) were found. The lowest bone loss
      at the end of the experiment was exhibited by implants dressing G3 coated
      abutments (mean 2.1; SD 0.42). SIGNIFICANCE: Antimicrobial glassy coatings could
      be a useful tool to ward off, diminish or delay peri-implantitis progression.

PMID- 26489089
TI  - Where Failure Is Not an Option -Personalized Medicine in Astronauts.
AB  - Drug safety and efficacy are highly variable among patients. Most patients will
      experience the desired drug effect, but some may suffer from adverse drug
      reactions or gain no benefit. Pharmacogenetic testing serves as a pre-treatment
      diagnostic option in situations where failure or adverse events should be avoided
      at all costs. One such situation is human space flight. On the international
      space station (ISS), a list of drugs is available to cover typical emergency
      settings, as well as the long-term treatment of common conditions for the use in
      self-medicating common ailments developing over a definite period. Here, we
      scrutinized the list of the 78 drugs permanently available at the ISS (year 2014)
      to determine the extent to which their metabolism may be affected by genetic
      polymorphisms, potentially requiring genotype-specific dosing or choice of an
      alternative drug. The purpose of this analysis was to estimate the potential
      benefit of pharmacogenetic diagnostics in astronauts to prevent therapy failure
      or side effects. 

PMID- 26489090
TI  - Cardioembolism and Involvement of the Insular Cortex in Patients with Ischemic
      Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate whether topographical characteristics of insular
      involvement in ischemic stroke are associated with cardioembolism. METHODS AND
      FINDINGS: A consecutive series of patients hospitalized for ischemic stroke
      within 7 days of symptom onset were identified. Based on diffusion-weighted
      imaging, we included those who had ischemic lesions in the middle cerebral artery
      (MCA) territory. Each patient was assigned to one of two groups based on the
      presence or absence of insular involvement. The primary outcome was the frequency
      of cardioembolism, which was compared based on insular involvement. Of 1,311
      patients with ischemic stroke in the MCA territory, 112 had insular involvement
      (8.5%). The frequency of cardioembolism in patients with insular involvement
      (52.7%) was significantly higher than that in patients without insular
      involvement (30.4%, P < 0.001). Although insular involvement was associated with
      a severe baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (13 vs. 4), it
      did not independently affect the 3-month functional outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In
      cases of stroke in the MCA territory, involvement of the insular cortex may be
      associated with a risk of cardioembolism.

PMID- 26489092
TI  - The Customer Isn't Always Right-Conservation and Animal Welfare Implications of
      the Increasing Demand for Wildlife Tourism.
AB  - Tourism accounts for 9% of global GDP and comprises 1.1 billion tourist arrivals
      per annum. Visits to wildlife tourist attractions (WTAs) may account for 20-40%
      of global tourism, but no studies have audited the diversity of WTAs and their
      impacts on the conservation status and welfare of subject animals. We scored
      these impacts for 24 types of WTA, visited by 3.6-6 million tourists per year,
      and compared our scores to tourists' feedback on TripAdvisor. Six WTA types
      (impacting 1,500-13,000 individual animals) had net positive conservation/welfare
      impacts, but 14 (120,000-340,000 individuals) had negative conservation impacts
      and 18 (230,000-550,000 individuals) had negative welfare impacts. Despite these
      figures only 7.8% of all tourist feedback on these WTAs was negative due to
      conservation/welfare concerns. We demonstrate that WTAs have substantial negative
      effects that are unrecognised by the majority of tourists, suggesting an urgent
      need for tourist education and regulation of WTAs worldwide. 

PMID- 26489091
TI  - Disrupted Ipsilateral Network Connectivity in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The current practice under which patients with refractory epilepsy are
      surgically treated is based mainly on the identification of specific cortical
      areas, mainly the epileptogenic zone, which is believed to be responsible for
      generation of seizures. A better understanding of the whole epileptic network and
      its components and properties is required before more effective and less invasive
      therapies can be developed. The aim of the present study was to partially
      characterize the evolution of the functional network during the preictal-ictal
      transition in partial seizures in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).
      METHODS: Scalp and foramen ovale (FOE) recordings from twenty-two TLE patients
      were analyzed under the complex network perspective. The density of links,
      average path length, average clustering coefficient, and modularity were
      calculated during the preictal and the ictal stages. Both linear-Pearson
      correlation-and non-linear-phase synchronization-measures were used as proxies of
      functional connectivity between the electrode locations areas. The transition
      from one stage to the other was evaluated in the whole network and in the mesial
      sub-networks. The results were compared with a voltage-dependent measure, namely,
      the spectral entropy. RESULTS: Changes in the global functional network during
      the transition from the preictal to the ictal stage show, in the linear case,
      that in sixteen cases (72.7%) the density of the links increased during the
      seizure, with a decrease in the average path length in fifteen cases (68.1%).
      There was also a preictal and ictal imbalance in functional connectivity during
      both stages (77.2% to 86.3%). The SE dropped during the seizure in 95.4% of the
      cases, but did not show any tendency towards lateralization. When using the
      nonlinear measure of functional connectivity, the phase synchronization, similar
      results were obtained. CONCLUSIONS: In TLE patients, the transition to the ictal
      stage is accompanied by increasing global synchronization and a more ordered
      spectral content of the signals, indicated by lower spectral entropy. The
      interictal connectivity imbalance (lower ipsilateral connectivity) is sustained
      during the seizure, irrespective of any appreciable imbalance in the spectral
      entropy of the mesial recordings.

PMID- 26489093
TI  - Changes in T-Tubules and Sarcoplasmic Reticulum in Ventricular Myocytes in Early
      Cardiac Hypertrophy in a Pressure Overload Rat Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pressure-overload (PO) causes cardiac hypertrophy (CH), and
      eventually leads to heart failure (HF). HF ventricular myocytes present
      transverse-tubules (TT) loss or disarrangement and decreased sarcoplasmic
      reticulum (SR) density, and both contribute to altered Ca2+ signaling and heart
      dysfunction. It has been shown that TT remodeling precedes HF, however, it is
      unknown whether SR structural and functional remodeling also starts early in CH.
      METHODS: Using confocal microscopy, we assessed TT (with Di-8-ANNEPS) and SR
      (with SR-trapped Mag-Fluo-4) densities, as well as SR fluorophore diffusion
      (fluorescence recovery after photobleach; FRAP), cytosolic Ca2+ signaling and ex
      vivo cardiac performance in a PO rat hypertrophy model induced by abdominal
      aortic constriction (at 6 weeks). RESULTS: Rats developed CH, while cardiac
      performance, basal and upon beta-adrenergic stimulation, remained unaltered. TT
      density decreased by ~14%, without spatial disarrangement, while SR density
      decreased by ~7%. More important, FRAP was ~30% slower, but with similar maximum
      recovery, suggesting decreased SR interconnectivity. Systolic and diastolic Ca2+
      signaling and SR Ca2+ content were unaltered. CONCLUSION: SR remodeling is an
      early CH event, similar to TT remodeling, appearing during compensated
      hypertrophy. Nevertheless, myocytes can withstand those moderate structural
      changes in SR and TT, preserving normal Ca2+ signaling and contractility.

PMID- 26489094
TI  - Is It Necessary Managing Carnivores to Reverse the Decline of Endangered Prey
      Species? Insights from a Removal Experiment of Mesocarnivores to Benefit
      Demographic Parameters of the Pyrenean Capercaillie.
AB  - Mesopredator control has long been used to alleviate the effect of elevated
      predation pressure on vulnerable, threatened or valuable species. However, the
      convenience of using mesopredator controls is technically questionable and
      scientifically-sound research is therefore required to evaluate the impact of
      predation on prey case by case. In this study we evaluated the effect of the
      alteration of terrestrial mesopredator dynamics on the demographic parameters of
      a relict capercaillie Tetrao urogallus aquitanicus population currently in
      decline for which the impact of predation has not previously been assessed. We
      used a six-year mesocarnivore removal experiment (2008-2013) together with seven
      years of previous demographic information on capercaillies (1999-2007) within a
      before-after control-impact (BACI) design to evaluate the effect of mesocarnivore
      removal on capercaillie demographic parameters and on spatial behaviour of the
      most frequent predatory mesocarnivores of the capercaillie (Martes spp. and red
      fox Vulpes vulpes). Using a dynamic site-occupancy approach, the reduction of
      mesocarnivore population levels as a result of removal was clear for marten
      species, mainly during key months for capercaillie reproduction, but not for the
      red fox. Our results show that the breeding success of capercaillies was enhanced
      in areas where carnivores were removed and was inversely related to the
      occupation level of the studied mesocarnivores, although being only significant
      for Martes spp. Moreover, capercaillie predation rates were lower and adult
      survival seemingly higher in treatment during the removal phase. Cost-effective,
      long-term management interventions to ensure the recovery of this threatened
      capercaillie population are discussed in the light of the results. At our study
      area, the decision for implementing predation management should be included
      within a broader long-term conservation perspective. In this regard, a more
      feasible and sustainable management intervention in ecological and economic terms
      may be to balance the impact of mesocarnivores on capercaillies through the
      recovery of apex predators. 

PMID- 26489097
TI  - Behavioral Addictions.

PMID- 26489095
TI  - EAST Organizes Drosophila Insulator Proteins in the Interchromosomal Nuclear
      Compartment and Modulates CP190 Binding to Chromatin.
AB  - Recent data suggest that insulators organize chromatin architecture in the
      nucleus. The best studied Drosophila insulator proteins, dCTCF (a homolog of the
      vertebrate insulator protein CTCF) and Su(Hw), are DNA-binding zinc finger
      proteins. Different isoforms of the BTB-containing protein Mod(mdg4) interact
      with Su(Hw) and dCTCF. The CP190 protein is a cofactor for the dCTCF and Su(Hw)
      insulators. CP190 is required for the functional activity of insulator proteins
      and is involved in the aggregation of the insulator proteins into specific
      structures named nuclear speckles. Here, we have shown that the nuclear
      distribution of CP190 is dependent on the level of EAST protein, an essential
      component of the interchromatin compartment. EAST interacts with CP190 and
      Mod(mdg4)-67.2 proteins in vitro and in vivo. Over-expression of EAST in S2 cells
      leads to an extrusion of the CP190 from the insulator bodies containing Su(Hw),
      Mod(mdg4)-67.2, and dCTCF. In consistent with the role of the insulator bodies in
      assembly of protein complexes, EAST over-expression led to a striking decrease of
      the CP190 binding with the dCTCF and Su(Hw) dependent insulators and promoters.
      These results suggest that EAST is involved in the regulation of CP190 nuclear
      localization. 

PMID- 26489096
TI  - Experiences of Community-Living Older Adults Receiving Integrated Care Based on
      the Chronic Care Model: A Qualitative Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Integrated care models aim to solve the problem of fragmented and
      poorly coordinated care in current healthcare systems. These models aim to be
      patient-centered by providing continuous and coordinated care and by considering
      the needs and preferences of patients. The objective of this study was to
      evaluate the opinions and experiences of community-living older adults with
      regard to integrated care and support, along with the extent to which it meets
      their health and social needs. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted
      with 23 older adults receiving integrated care and support through "Embrace," an
      integrated care model for community-living older adults that is based on the
      Chronic Care Model and a population health management model. Embrace is currently
      fully operational in the northern region of the Netherlands. Data analysis was
      based on the grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Responses of participants
      concerned two focus areas: 1) Experiences with aging, with the themes "Struggling
      with health," "Increasing dependency," "Decreasing social interaction," "Loss of
      control," and "Fears;" and 2) Experiences with Embrace, with the themes
      "Relationship with the case manager," "Interactions," and "Feeling in control,
      safe, and secure". The prospect of becoming dependent and losing control was a
      key concept in the lives of the older adults interviewed. Embrace reinforced the
      participants' ability to stay in control, even if they were dependent on others.
      Furthermore, participants felt safe and secure, in contrast to the fears of
      increasing dependency within the standard care system. CONCLUSION: The results
      indicate that integrated care and support provided through Embrace met the health
      and social needs of older adults, who were coping with the consequences of aging.

PMID- 26489100
TI  - Can a Bug in the Gut Act Like a Drug in the Brain?
AB  - Microorganisms inhabiting the gut exist in a symbiotic relationship with our
      bodies, performing many essential metabolic tasks for human physiology. The gut
      brain axis is a bidirectional communication system integrating neural, hormonal,
      and immunological signaling between the gut and brain. There is strong
      experimental evidence from animal studies that the intestinal microbiome has an
      important role in the control of brain development, function, and behavior. A
      small number of clinical studies, mainly in healthy individuals, using probiotic
      formulations as an experimental probe suggest that gut bugs may indeed act like a
      drug and affect the brain, but much more work is needed.

PMID- 26489101
TI  - Risky Behaviors and Social Networking Sites: How Is YouTube Influencing Our
      Youth?
AB  - Choking, cutting, and setting oneself on fire are just a few of the risky
      behaviors that the YouTube video sharing website has allowed youth around the
      world to view, emulate, and comment on. Some researchers contend that the viewing
      of videos may normalize these behaviors for youth. Disturbing current trends are
      explored to illustrate the darker side of YouTube. Psychiatric-mental health
      nurses (PMHNs) are in key positions to help parents and youth better understand
      the benefits and risks of social networking sites, including YouTube, and to
      encourage healthy and safe use of the Internet. Nursing implications are offered
      for PMHNs, educators, health care providers, and parents who have contact with
      this population.

PMID- 26489102
TI  - Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses' Exposure to Clients With Problematic Internet
      Experiences: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study.
AB  - The current study explored the type and number of problematic Internet
      experiences (PIE) encountered by psychiatric-mental health nurses (PMHN) in
      clinical practice and analyzed PMHNs' clinical cases of clients with PIE. A mixed
      methods quantitative survey with a qualitative component measured the types and
      number of PIE cases via a descriptive survey and derived themes using narrative
      inquiry methodology from written case descriptions. A sample of 16 PMHNs provided
      quantitative data and nine participants summarized clinical cases. PMHNs reported
      92 adult and 33 child cases of PIE. Six themes were derived from the narrative
      data: (a) searching for pornography; (b) developing online romantic
      relationships; (c) online gaming is ruining my life; (d) spending excessive time
      on the Internet; (e) coming to terms with online sexual behaviors and addiction;
      and (f) cyberbullying. Implications for PMHN practice include the need for
      further assessment and intervention as PIE increase in the future.

PMID- 26489103
TI  - The Impact of Disordered Gambling Among Older Adults.
AB  - The current study is a secondary analysis that describes the mental, social, and
      economic health impacts of disordered gambling in older adults recovering from
      pathological gambling. The study sought to answer the following research
      questions: (a) What are the problem behaviors in the mental, social, and economic
      health dimensions?; and (b) What is the association between mental, social, and
      economic health impact dimensions and the South Oaks Gambling Screen score? The
      study population comprised a convenience sample of 40 older adults recovering
      from pathological gambling in the Midwestern United States. Participants were
      originally recruited from Gamblers Anonymous((r)) meetings and gambling treatment
      centers. Significant findings for the current study population were: gambling
      causing depression, being fired from a job due to gambling, and still paying off
      gambling debt. Nurses should evaluate effects of disordered gambling, assess for
      disordered gambling, and include a financial assessment in routine care of this
      patient population.

PMID- 26489104
TI  - Addiction to Work: A Critical Review of the Workaholism Construct and
      Recommendations for Assessment.
AB  - Workaholism was first conceptualized in the early 1970s as a behavioral
      addiction, featuring compulsive use and interpersonal conflict. The current
      article briefly examines the empirical and theoretical literature over the past
      four decades. In relation to conceptualization and measurement, how the concept
      of workaholism has worsened from using dimensions based on anecdotal evidence, ad
      hoc measures with weak theoretical foundation, and poor factorial validity of
      multidimensional conceptualizations is highlighted. Benefits of building on the
      addiction literature to conceptualize workaholism are presented (including the
      only instrument that has used core addiction criteria: the Bergen Work Addiction
      Scale). Problems estimating accurate prevalence estimates of work addiction are
      also presented. Individual and sociocultural risk factors, and the negative
      consequences of workaholism from the addiction perspective (e.g., depression,
      burnout, poor health, life dissatisfaction, family/relationship problems) are
      discussed. The current article summarizes how current research can be used to
      evaluate workaholism by psychiatric-mental health nurses in clinical practice,
      including primary care and mental health settings.

PMID- 26489105
TI  - Behind Bars: Experiences Conducting Behavioral Addictions Research in a County
      Jail.
AB  - Individuals who are incarcerated experience disparities in mental health,
      warranting study by nurse researchers. However, nurse researchers' unfamiliarity
      with the jail environment may pose a barrier to conducting research with this
      vulnerable population. The current article presents an account of the planning
      and implementation needed to study perceived health and gambling behavior in
      county jail inmates. The challenges and rewards of research that aim to better
      understand the mental health issues affecting this population are also
      identified. Developing relationships with jail personnel and understanding the
      incarcerated population and their surroundings are key to conducting research in
      this environment.

PMID- 26489107
TI  - SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF AZITHROMYCIN IN THE TREATMENT OF LOWER RESPIRATORY
      INFECTIONS: AN INTERNATIONAL, MULTICENTER, NON-COMPARATIVE STUDY.
AB  - The aim of this study was to describe clinical effectiveness of azithromycin in
      the management of lower respiratory tract infections in daily clinical practice,
      to examine duration of symptoms after therapy initiation, and to record any
      possible adverse effects of azithromycin treatment. A total of 153 patients were
      included in the analysis of the effectiveness of azithromycin: 94 patients with
      community acquired pneumonia (CAP) and 59 with acute exacerbation of chronic
      bronchitis (AECB). Clinical effectiveness was assessed as improvement, cure or
      failure after three-day treatment with azithromycin. The assessment was based on
      a calculation of clinical score for each diagnosis before treatment and on days
      4, 10 and 28 after treatment initiation. Clinical effectiveness of azithromycin
      was 93.6% in CAP group and 94.9% in AECB group. Azithromycin led to relief of
      symptoms within three days in 88.6% of CAP patients and 77.2% of AECB patients.
      Overall, 15 adverse events were reported in 14 (9.1%) patients. The most common
      adverse events were abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting, each reported in four
      (2.6%) patients. Accordingly, azithromycin was found to have high clinical
      effectiveness and a small number of adverse events in the treatment of lower
      respiratory tract infections. ISRCTN38391551.

PMID- 26489108
TI  - [Committee for guideline of febrile seizure].

PMID- 26489109
TI  - Lessons learned from the endovascular management of blunt thoracic aortic
      injuries: A single-centre experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blunt thoracic aortic injuries (BTAIs) remain a leading cause of
      death after blunt trauma. In severe injuries, thoracic endovascular aortic repair
      (TEVAR) has provided a less invasive alternative to conventional open repair.
      OBJECTIVE: To report the TEVAR-related complications and uncertainties in
      patients who presented with traumatic pseudoaneurysms (grade III BTAI). METHODS:
      From April 2004 to February 2012, 55 patients (42 male, mean age 34.7 years) with
      severe BTAI were treated with stent grafts. Computed tomography (CT) was used to
      diagnose the injuries, and follow-up scans were planned at 6 and 12 months. We
      report the complications and the technical uncertainties related to the
      procedure. RESULTS: Successful sealing of the injury sites was achieved in all
      patients, either with a thoracic stent graft (53/55) or infrarenal aortic
      aneurysm extender cuffs (2/55). During hospitalisation, 13 patients died after
      TEVAR (mean 14 days). Procedure-related complications included left common
      carotid artery coverage (1/55), ischaemic left leg (1/55) and graft collapse
      (1/55). The procedurerelated uncertainties included excessive graft oversizing
      (15/55), poor graft apposition to the inner curve of the aorta (19/55) and left
      subclavian artery coverage (24/55). CONCLUSION: Stent grafts appear safe and
      effective in treating pseudoaneurysms caused by BTAI. However, they are likely to
      be associated with long-term complications and monitoring strategies of >30 years
      may be necessary.

PMID- 26489110
TI  - Selective angioembolisation for splenic salvage following blunt abdominal trauma.
AB  - Isolated high-grade splenic injury following blunt abdominal trauma is an
      uncommon finding. The selected use of catheter-directed angiography and
      angioembolisation for splenic salvage has been successful in haemodynamically
      stable patients.

PMID- 26489111
TI  - Robert Maurice Andre Giraud.

PMID- 26489112
TI  - Resident remediation: start from scratch--the author's reply.

PMID- 26489113
TI  - Reference intervals data mining: getting the right paper--the author's reply.

PMID- 26489114
TI  - [New approach to corneal nerve fibers morphometry in diabetes mellitus on the
      basis of confocal biomicroscopy].
AB  - AIM: to develop a new approach to morphometric analysis of corneal nerve fibers
      (CNF) and to evaluate their age-related changes in type 1 and type 2 diabetes
      mellitus patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study enrolled 150 participants (300
      eyes) aged from 13 to 83 years, of them 37 type 1 diabetes patients (74 eyes), 51
      type 2 diabetes patients (102 eyes), and 62 healthy volunteers (124 eyes). All
      participants were examined with HRT III Rostock Corneal Module (Heidelberg
      Engineering GmbH). Digital images thus obtained were analyzed with specially
      developed original software that automatically computes coefficients of CNF
      orientation symmetry and anisotropy. RESULTS: A strong inverse correlation has
      been found between the coefficient of CNF orientation anisotropy and glycated
      hemoglobin levels (r = -0.83, p < 0.001 and r = -0.79, p < 0.005 in patients with
      type 1 and type 2 diabetes respectively) as well as the duration of the disease
      (r = -0,7, p < 0.005 and r = -0.72, p < 0.001, type 1 and type 2 diabetes
      respectively). On the contrary, the coefficient of CNF orientation symmetry has
      been shown to be directly correlated with both glycated hemoglobin levels (r =
      0.64, p < 0.005 and r = 0.78, p < 0.05, type 1 and type 2 diabetes respectively)
      and the duration of the disease (r = 0.62, p < 0.05 and r = 0.73, p < 0.05, type
      1 and type 2 diabetes respectively). Interocular asymmetry in both coefficients
      was found in diabetic patients but not in the controls. On the basis of the
      proposed coefficients, age-related changes in corneal nerve fibers orientation
      have been determined. Normally, the degree of CNF tortuosity increases with age.
      The rate of this increase is the highest before the age of 35-40. As shown, type
      1 diabetes is associated with low coefficients of CNF orientation anisotropy and
      high coefficients of CNF orientation symmetry as compared to type 2 diabetes in
      the same age group. CONCLUSION: As suggested by the results, the two proposed
      coefficients that describe the state of corneal nerve fibers can possibly be used
      for diagnosis and monitoring of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). However, to
      produce enough evidence, further studies should be conducted.

PMID- 26489115
TI  - [Tomography findings in optic nerve head and retina in differential diagnosis
      between normal-tension glaucoma and ischemic optic neuropathies].
AB  - AIM: to determine tomography findings in optic nerve head (ONH) and retinal nerve
      fiber layer (RFNL) that may be valuable for differential diagnosis between normal
      tension glaucoma (NTG) and ischemic optic neuropathy (ION) outcome. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Group 1 consisted of 17 patients (32 eyes) with NTG, group 2--17
      patients (24 eyes) with ION outcome. The control group included 22 patients (22
      eyes) with no sighs of optic neuropathy. Optic nerve head and retina assessment
      included scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (HRT 111) and optical coherence tomography
      (Stratus OCT 3000). Statistical analyses were performed using Statistica 10
      software suite. RESULTS: Statistically significant changes in HRT parameters,
      namely, the mean RNFL thickness, retinal height variation along the contour line,
      and RB discriminant function, were observed in both study groups as compared to
      the controls. NTG patients also showed lower rim indices, larger cups, smaller
      values of the FSM discriminant function, and lower GPS (glaucoma probability
      score) than both ION patients and the controls. OCT findings included a
      statistically significant decrease in RNFL thickness in both study groups as
      compared to the controls. As for the difference between the groups, it was
      unreliable. Quadrant comparisons of RNFL thicknesses revealed that lower quadrant
      RNFL thinning was more significant in NTG patients, while temporal quadrant RNFL
      thinning--in ION patients. CONCLUSION: Both conditions are associated with a
      similar degree of RNFL thinning, as confirmed by OCT, however, HRT changes are
      much more pronounced in NTG than in ION patients.

PMID- 26489116
TI  - [Distortion of vitreous structure in eyes with lens dislocation].
AB  - AIM: to study the range of structural changes in the vitreous and to determine
      spatial position of the lens in case of its dislocation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A
      total of 47 patients (94 eyes) with so-called senile cataract aged from 59 to 83
      years were examined. The state of the vitreous was evaluated by means of digital
      ultrasound examination. RESULTS: Combined structural changes in the basis and
      cortex of the vitreous in eyes with lens and/or its elements dislocation have
      been analyzed. The possibility of lens evaluation in terms of its integrity and
      topography as well as spatial position of its elements has been shown. The
      relationship between the vitreous and lens changes has also been established.
      CONCLUSION: Digital ultrasound examination is capable of producing a 3D image of
      the eye, thus, allowing to assess spatial defects of the vitreous and to
      determine the position of the lens in case of its dislocation.

PMID- 26489117
TI  - [Contribution of hemodynamic disturbances in magistral vessels to optic
      neuropathy progression and ocular tension changes in endocrine ophthalmopathy].
AB  - AIM: to investigate the contribution of various hemodynamic disturbances in
      magistral vessels to optic neuropathy (ON) progression and ocular tension changes
      in endocrine ophthalmopathy (EOP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 39 patients
      (78 eyes) with subclinical EOP (clinical activity score, CAS <= 2) associated
      with Graves' disease (n = 32, 64 eyes) or autoimmune thyroiditis (n = 7, 14 eyes)
      were examined. Orbit echography was performed in all patients. Blood flow was
      assessed with a Voluson 730 PRO ultrasound diagnostic system ("Kretz", Austria)
      in triplex mode (B-scan, color Doppler flow mapping in combination with pulse
      wave Doppler). Thus obtained hemodynamic parameters in ophthalmic artery, central
      retinal artery (CRA), central retinal vein (CRV), short posterior ciliary
      arteries (SPCA), and long posterior ciliary arteries (LPCA) were analyzed. To
      reveal the role of hemodynamic disturbances in the above mentioned vessels in ON
      progression and eye pressure maintenance, the patients were divided into 7
      groups. Only those eyes, whose peripheral indices were increased by more than 25%
      of normal values and diastolic blood flow decreased by not less than 25%, were
      selected for further study. Intraocular pressure changes were evaluated by group
      mean (Mmean = M +/- m mmHg), optic neuropathy progression--by the difference in
      group mean depth (dB) and number of scotomas between the first and the last visit
      (6 months of observation). RESULTS: In almost all types of perfusion
      disturbances, the resultant chronic ocular ischemia causes a decrease in IOP. The
      only exception, as shown, is simultaneous involvement of CRA, SPCA, and LPCA. The
      level of blood flow disturbance determines the severity of qualitative and
      quantitative changes in eyes with EOP-associated ON. The rate of ON progression
      directly correlates with baseline IOP values on day zero. CONCLUSION: Long
      lasting chronic impairment of blood supply of the eyeball leads to reduction in
      ocular tension and progression of optic neuropathy. Combined perfusion
      disturbances in CRA and LPCA as well as in CRA, LPCA, and SPCA can be considered
      a high-risk factor, while SPCA and/or LPCA involvement--a moderate-risk factor.

PMID- 26489118
TI  - [Fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography findings in central
      fundus of myopic patients].
AB  - Myopia prevalence grows alike in many countries, including Russia, regardless of
      geographical and population conditions. AIM: to assess fundus changes in myopic
      patients at different ocular axial lengths by means of modern diagnostic tools.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study enrolled 97 patients (194 eyes) aged 45 +/- 20.17
      years with myopia of different degrees. Besides a standard ophthalmic
      examination, all patients underwent fundus fluorescein angiography and optical
      coherence tomography. RESULTS: The occurrence of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)
      atrophy (diffuse or focal) has been shown to increase with increasing ocular
      axial length. Only 27 eyes (28.1%) appeared intact. As myopia progression implies
      axial growth of the eye, it is associated with a more severe decrease in choroid,
      RPE, and photoreceptor layer thicknesses: the longer the anterior-posterior axis,
      the thinner the above mentioned fundus structures. Age-related changes in the
      fundus are also likely to be more pronounced in longer axes. Myopic traction
      maculopathy, which in our case appeared the main cause of increased retinal
      thickness, was diagnosed in 105 eyes, "outer" macular retinoschisis--in 40 eyes.
      CONCLUSION: Thus, modern diagnostic tools, such as fluorescein angiography and
      optical coherence tomography, enable objective assessment of the central fundus.

PMID- 26489119
TI  - [Clinical and immunological comparisons of therapeutic regimens for corneal
      infiltrates secondary to adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis].
AB  - The problem with post-adenoviral corneal infiltrates is that they cause a
      significant and persistent decrease in visual function, while corticosteroids in
      monotherapy bring only temporary improvement. AIM: to perform a comparative
      evaluation of topical corticosteroids and 0.05% cyclosporine A efficacy in the
      treatment of post-adenoviral corneal infiltrates on the basis of clinical
      presentation and local cytokine status. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved
      two groups of patients after adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis: group 1 (25
      patients, 45 eyes) were prescribed a diminishing regimen of corticosteroid eye
      drops for 12 weeks and corneal protectors; group 2 (24 patients, 42 eyes)
      received the same treatment as described above plus topical 0.05% cyclosporine A
      for 6 months. The follow-up period was from 6 to 12 months. Visual acuity
      measurements, biomicroscopy, and pneumatic tonometry were performed at months 1,
      3, and 6. Local cytokine status was assessed by studying cytokine gene expression
      in cell culture from conjunctival scrapings and cytokines levels in the
      supernatant. The tests were done before the beginning of the treatment in both
      groups, at month 1 in group 1, at month 4 in group 2 (i.e. in a month after the
      cessation of dexamethasone) and also in a group of healthy volunteers (30
      persons, 30 eyes). RESULTS: Long-term combined anti-inflammatory therapy with
      corticosteroids and 0.05% cyclosporine A in patients with post-adenoviral corneal
      infiltrates has yielded positive clinical results, including a persistent
      increase in visual acuity and complete resolution of corneal opacities (92.8%).
      In addition, we revealed a correlation between local cytokine status changes and
      clinical results. CONCLUSION: The proposed therapeutic regimen enabled complete
      suppression of residual interferon-alpha antiviral activity, an increase in
      interleukin-4 that regulates local humoral immunity, and a decrease (down to a
      complete suppression) in anti-inflammatory interleukin-2, which is responsible
      for activation of cell-mediated immunity, thus, resulting in resolution of the
      immune-mediated inflammation in the cornea.

PMID- 26489120
TI  - [Role of infection in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration].
AB  - AIM: to study the role of infectious agents in the development and progression of
      AMD by means of serodiagnostic assay for a complex of ophthalmotropic and
      opportunistic infections. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study enrolled 61 patients
      (23 men, 38 women) aged 43-68 years and diagnosed in accordance with AREDS
      classification of AMD. Serodiagnostic tests were performed for 11 infections with
      the purpose of identifying antigen-specific antibodies in the serum. RESULTS:
      Activation markers of one or several infections were detected in most of the
      patients with AMD. CONCLUSION: Herpes viruses (HSV1 and CMV) along with some
      opportunistic pathogens are important factors in the pathogenesis of AMD,
      thereby, specific treatment should be performed in these patients.

PMID- 26489121
TI  - [Central retinal changes after ranibizumab injection for wet age-related macular
      degeneration].
AB  - AIM: to assess the dynamics of macular morphofunctional parameters in wet age
      related macular degeneration after three injections of ranibizumab. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: A total of 76 patients with classic choroidal neovascular membrane were
      examined. The latter could be seen on optical coherence tomography scans before
      the treatment as an optically heterogeneous formation beneath the neurosensory
      epithelium. The point of fixation was located 2-10 degrees from the fovea
      according to microperimetry testing. Wedge-like reduction of light sensitivity
      down to 0-2 dB corresponded to the area of neovascularization. RESULTS: Macular
      sensitivity improved from 7.24 +/- 2.73 dB to 13.88 +/- 1.94 dB (p < 0.05) after
      a course of three ranibizumab injections, the most significant changes taking
      place after the third one. The point of fixation moved somewhat back to the fovea
      after each injection. Morphological parameters of neovascular membranes gradually
      decreased: after the first injection the height went down to 20.29 +/- 17.84 um
      and the width--down to 1200 +/- 300 um on average, after the second one the
      height was 14.39 +/- 9.83 um, width--1000 +/- 175 um, after the third one the
      height and the width were 13.31 +/- 8.13 um and 900 +/- 100 um correspondingly (p
      < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Antivascular therapy reduces the pathological effect of
      neovascular membrane throughout the whole treatment period. The dynamics of
      studied parameters are characterized by an apparent response to the first
      injection, which indicates the advisability of further treatment.

PMID- 26489122
TI  - [Comparative analysis of the results of balloon dacryoplasty for stenoses at
      different levels of the vertical portion of lacrimal pathways].
AB  - AIM: to compare the effectiveness of balloon dacryoplasty (DCP) for stenoses at
      different levels of the vertical portion of lacrimal pathways and to establish
      the necessity of consequent intubation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 120
      clinical cases in 85 patients (66 females and 19 males with the mean age of 53.61
      +/- 11.82 years) have been analyzed. Patients with cervical stenosis of the
      lacrimal sac constituted two groups: group 1 (19 patients, 30 balloon DCP
      surgeries) and group 2 (22 patients, 30 balloon DCP surgeries with Ritleng
      intubation). Two other groups consisted of patients with nasolacrimal orifice
      stenosis: group 3 (21 patients, 30 balloon DCP surgeries) and group 4 (23
      patients, 30 balloon DCP surgeries with Ritleng intubation). Besides routine
      examinations, the assessment included collection of Munk's scores for epiphora,
      evaluation of health-related quality of life, lacrimal meniscometry, lacrimal
      scintigraphy, contrast enhanced multi-slice spiral computed tomography of
      lacrimal pathways, and single-photon emission computed tomography. The follow-up
      period was 6 months. RESULTS: In group 1 a complete recovery was achieved in 18
      (60.00%) cases, improvement--in 9 (30.00%) cases, while a relapse occurred in 3
      (3.00%) cases; in group 2, there were 18 (60.00%) recoveries, 10 (33.33%)
      improvements, and 2 (6.67%) relapses; in group 3--12 (40.00%) recoveries, 5
      (16.66%) improvements, and 13 (43.34%) relapses; in group 4--19 (63.33%)
      recoveries, 8 (26.67%) improvements, and 3 (10.00%) relapses. CONCLUSION: Balloon
      dacryoplasty is effective in restoring patency of occluded lacrimal pathways.
      Success rate is higher in cervical stenoses of the lacrimal sac than in
      nasolacrimal orifice stenoses. Ritleng intubation after balloon DCP favors better
      outcomes in patients with nasolacrimal orifice stenosis.

PMID- 26489123
TI  - [Chemical microanalysis of mineral deposits on explanted hydrophilic acrylic
      intraocular lenses].
AB  - AIM: to perform chemical microanalysis of mineral deposits on the surface of
      explanted hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lenses (IOL). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two
      soft IOLs made of hydrophilic acryl (one, however, hydrophobic surface coated)
      and explanted 3 and 6 years after implantation were examined by scanning electron
      microscopy (EVO LS10, "Karl Zeiss", Germany). Chemical composition of the lens
      surface was studied using an energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS X-Max50, Oxford,
      Great Britain). RESULTS: Chemical microanalysis allowed identification of the
      deposits, which turned out to be non-stoichiometric hydroxylapatite (also,
      hydroxyapatite (HA)) crystals with zinc impurity (up to 1.4%weight). CONCLUSION:
      The two samples represent two stages of a single process. The early stage is
      associated with newly formed HA crystals that are unable to cause any significant
      changes to the lens surface. However, as spherocrystals grow, they exert a
      crystallization effort that moves their growth centers apart with subsequent lens
      rupture and deformation. Crystal morphology undergoes dynamic changes: while
      primary (newly formed) crystals are sheaf-like, mature are spheres. A growing HA
      is non-stoichiometric. Zinc abundance accounts for appearance of its separate
      mineral phase. Hydrophilic properties of acrylic polymer determine its high
      affinity for HA crystals. Hydrophobic coating (sample no.1) does not completely
      prevent lens opacification due to mineral deposits on its surface.

PMID- 26489124
TI  - [Experimental study on ocular hypotensive efficacy of parenteral metoprolol].
AB  - AIM: to evaluate ocular hypotensive efficacy of parenteral metoprolol in an
      experiment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 3 series of experiments on 24
      rabbits were performed. The first series involved a single subconjunctival
      injection of 0.3 mg of metoprolol in the right eye, while the left served as a
      control. During the second series the rabbits received 0.5 mg of metoprolol
      intramuscularly. The third series also implied a subconjunctival injection of 0.3
      mg of metoprolol in the right eye, however, supplemented with timolol 0.5%
      instilled in the left. In all rabbits tonometry was performed before the
      injection and then in 30 min, 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, and 24 hours. Biomicroscopy and
      ophthalmoscopy were also performed before and 1, 3, and 7 days after the
      injection. CONCLUSIONS: The maximum reduction (down to 30% from the baseline) of
      intraocular pressure (IOP) was registered in intramuscular metoprolol rabbits.
      Subconjunctival metoprolol was associated with a faster and more pronounced
      decrease in IOP as compared to timolol instillations. In case of local or
      systemic parenteral administration the hypotensive effect of metoprolol lasts for
      more than a day.

PMID- 26489125
TI  - Results of CAM therapy in amblyopic patients.
AB  - AIM: to evaluate changes in visual acuity and compliance after CAM therapy in
      patients that initially failed to respond to occlusion or were non-compliant.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty nine patients aged 4-10 years that failed to improve
      under occlusion therapy were included in this prospective study. Patients were
      divided into two groups according to the age (16 patients of 4-7 years of age and
      13 patients of 8-10 years of age) and two other groups according to the type of
      amblyopia (15 anisometropic and 14 strabismic cases). CAM stimulation was
      prescribed to all patients for six days. Occlusion therapy was then recommenced.
      Best corrected visual acuity was measured before the CAM course, immediately
      after, at 3- and 6-month follow-ups, and on the last visit. RESULTS: Visual
      acuities in all study groups increased significantly immediately after the CAM
      therapy with further improvement during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: CAM
      therapy for amblyopia is helpful in improving visual acuity as well as patients'
      compliance to subsequent occlusion therapy.

PMID- 26489126
TI  - [Corneal collagen cross-linking for keratoconus].
AB  - Over the last decade, corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) has become a
      conventional treatment method for progressive keratoconus. Laboratory studies
      have shown that CXL increases the diameter of collagen fibers and also the number
      of intra- and interfibrillar cross-links, thus, increasing biomechanical strength
      of the irradiated cornea. As confirmed by a series of clinical and randomized
      controlled trials, CXL is able to slow down and, perhaps, to stop the progression
      of keratoconus. In most post-CXL patients visual acuity improves, while
      keratometric readings, spherical equivalent, and higher order aberrations reduce.
      Although published results prove CXL effective in the treatment of progressive
      keratoconus, its late consequences are yet unknown. This article reviews the
      stages of CXL development and results of published experimental and clinical
      studies. Prospects for CXL modifications that do not require epithelial
      debridement are discussed.

PMID- 26489127
TI  - [Justification of the use of particular biopolymers as matrix materials for
      artificial corneas].
AB  - This article reviews distinctive features, advantages, and drawbacks of different
      biopolymers used to construct the 3D matrices of artificial corneas. Modern
      requirements for matrices are provided.

PMID- 26489128
TI  - [Triggering factors and pathogenesis of radiation cataract].
AB  - Cataract is one of the most common eye diseases in the world. Many factors,
      including genetic, metabolic, nutritional, and environmental, are involved in its
      formation. It is necessary to know main causal agents and cellular mechanism of
      cataractogenesis. The tissue of the lens is considered radiosensitive, thus, lens
      opacities are possible late effects of exposure to ionizing radiation. The use of
      medical radiation for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes grows worldwide.
      At the same time, there continues to be much confusion regarding the actual
      threshold dose of radiation exposure for cataract formation. Eye safety and the
      risk of cataract development are not entirely clear. However, with an ever
      widening range of interventional procedures, one should take attempts to reduce
      the risk for radiation cataract.

PMID- 26489129
TI  - [In memory of professor Oleg Vasil'evich Grusha].

PMID- 26489130
TI  - [Professor V.V. Shmeleva--an army doctor, scientist, and teacher].
AB  - This article is dedicated to the life and work (research, medical, educational)
      of V.V. Shmeleva, professor and Great Patriotic War participant. She was the head
      of ophthalmology department at the City Clinical Hospital No 67 and promoted the
      implementation of cataract cryoextraction into clinical practice. As a professor
      at the Order of Lenin Central Institute of Advanced Medical Training she was
      engaged in postgraduate training of ophthalmologists. V.V. Shmeleva is the author
      of Cataract monograph and many scientific articles. She was also the senior
      secretary of the Vestnik oftal'mologii journal for more than 25 years.

PMID- 26489131
TI  - ASNA: The Voice for Alabama Nurses.

PMID- 26489132
TI  - ASNA Helps Young Professionals Advance Their Career.

PMID- 26489133
TI  - Ethics and Professional Conduct.

PMID- 26489134
TI  - Report Sexual Harassment and Put a Stop to it!

PMID- 26489135
TI  - To Eat or Not to Eat? Nurses Offer Healthy Advice to Colleagues and Their
      Patients.

PMID- 26489136
TI  - Improving Adolescent Health through STD, HIV an Unintended Pregnancy Awareness.

PMID- 26489137
TI  - Bed Bugs: They Still are Among Us!!

PMID- 26489138
TI  - The effect of SNPs on expression levels in Nimblegen RNA expression microarrays.
AB  - In this paper the effect of SNPs on expression levels in Nimblegen RNA expression
      microarrays is investigated. A vast number of replicates of probe pairs
      representing both alleles of SNPs on 14 loci allows accurate estimation of the
      difference in signal intensities both within and between probe pairs. The
      majority of probe-pairs with sufficiently high expression have significant
      differences in expression levels within the pair and the difference shows
      concordance with the genotype of the samples. With two or more replicates of each
      probe, the allele-to-allele variance dominates the error in estimating the
      difference within the probe-pair, ten replicates are needed for adequate power in
      calling a true difference within a single probe-pair. Using the expression level
      of the probe within the probe-pair that has the higher value gives more accurate
      estimates. When using probes at loci containing known SNP's one should use probes
      containing both alleles of the SNP.

PMID- 26489139
TI  - Modelling and structural characteristics analysis of gene networks for prostate
      cancer.
AB  - Analysing structure of gene networks is an important way to understand regulatory
      mechanisms of organism at the molecular level. In this work, gene mutual
      information networks are constructed based on gene expression profiles in
      prostate tissues with and without cancer. In order to contrast structural
      difference of normal and diseased networks, curves of four structural parameters
      are given with the change of thresholds. Then threshold discrimination intervals
      and discrimination weights are defined. A method of finding structural key genes
      with significant degree-difference is proposed. The finding of key genes will
      help the biomedical scientists to further research the pathogenesis of prostate
      cancer. Finally randomisation test is performed to prove that these structural
      parameters can distinguish normal and prostate cancer in their structures
      compared with these results in real data.

PMID- 26489140
TI  - Discovering essential proteins based on PPI network and protein complex.
AB  - Most computational methods for identifying essential proteins focus on the
      topological centrality of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. However,
      these methods have limitations, such as the difficulty for identifying essential
      proteins with low centrality values and the poor performance for incomplete PPI
      network. In this paper, protein complex is proven to be an important factor for
      determining protein essentiality and a new centrality measure, complex
      centrality, is proposed. The weighted average of complex centrality and subgraph
      centrality, called harmonic centrality (HC), is proposed to predict essential
      proteins. It combines PPI network topology and protein complex information and
      has better performance than methods based on PPI network. The improvement is
      higher when the PPI network is incomplete. Furthermore, a weighted PPI network is
      generated by integrating cellular localisation and biological process to a PPI
      network. The performance of HC measure is improved 5% in this weighted PPI
      network.

PMID- 26489141
TI  - CORE: core-based synthetic minority over-sampling and borderline majority under
      sampling technique.
AB  - Class imbalance learning has recently drawn considerable attention among
      researchers. In this area, a rare class is the class of primary interest from the
      aim of classification. Unfortunately, traditional machine learning algorithms
      fail to detect this class because a huge majority class overwhelms a tiny
      minority class. In this paper, we propose a new technique called CORE to handle
      the class imbalance problem. The objective of CORE is to strengthen the core of a
      minority class and weaken the risk of misclassified minority instances nearby the
      borderline of a majority class. These core and borderline regions are defined by
      the applicability of a safe level. As a result, a minority class is more crowed
      and dominant. The experiment shows that CORE can significantly improve the
      predictive performance of a minority class when its dataset is imbalance.

PMID- 26489142
TI  - Signal transduction in the activation of spermatozoa compared to other signalling
      pathways: a biological networks study.
AB  - In this paper we represented Spermatozoa Activation (SA) the process that leads
      male gametes to reach their fertilising ability of sea urchin, Caenorhabditis
      elegans and human as biological networks, i.e. as networks of nodes (molecules)
      linked by edges (their interactions). Then, we compared them with networks
      representing ten pathways of relevant physio-pathological importance and with a
      computer-generated network. We have found that the number of nodes and edges
      composing each network is not related with the amount of published papers on each
      specific topic and that all the topological parameters examined are similar in
      all the networks, thus conferring them a scale free topology and small world
      behaviour. In conclusion, SA topology, independently from the reproductive
      biology of considered organism, as others signalling networks is characterised by
      robustness against random failure, controllability and efficiency in signal
      transmission.

PMID- 26489143
TI  - Condensing position-specific scoring matrixs by the Kidera factors for ligand
      binding site prediction.
AB  - Position-specific scoring matrix (PSSM) has been widely used for identifying
      protein functional sites. However, it is 20-dimentional and contains many
      redundant features. The Kidera factors were reported to contain information
      relating almost all physical properties of amino acids, but it requires
      appropriate weighting coefficients to express their properties. We developed a
      novel method, named as KSPSSMpred, which integrated PSSM and the Kidera Factors
      into a 10-dimensional matrix (KSPSSM) for ligand-binding site prediction. Flavin
      adenine dinucleotide (FAD) was chosen as a representative ligand for this study.
      When compared with five other feature-based methods on a benchmark dataset,
      KSPSSMpred performed the best. This study demonstrates that, KSPSSM is an
      effective feature extraction method which can enrich PSSM with information
      relating 188 physical properties of residues, and reduce 50% feature dimensions
      without losing information included in the PSSM.

PMID- 26489144
TI  - Metabolites production improvement by identifying minimal genomes and essential
      genes using flux balance analysis.
AB  - With the advancement in metabolic engineering technologies, reconstruction of the
      genome of host organisms to achieve desired phenotypes can be made. However, due
      to the complexity and size of the genome scale metabolic network, significant
      components tend to be invisible. We proposed an approach to improve metabolite
      production that consists of two steps. First, we find the essential genes and
      identify the minimal genome by a single gene deletion process using Flux Balance
      Analysis (FBA) and second by identifying the significant pathway for the
      metabolite production using gene expression data. A genome scale model of
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae for production of vanillin and acetate is used to test
      this approach. The result has shown the reliability of this approach to find
      essential genes, reduce genome size and identify production pathway that can
      further optimise the production yield. The identified genes and pathways can be
      extendable to other applications especially in strain optimisation.

PMID- 26489145
TI  - To screen the effective software for analysing gene interactions from Kashin-Beck
      disease genome profiling pathway and network, according to the tool of GeneMANIA.
AB  - In order to screen the more effective software for the pathway and network
      analysis of Kashin-Beck disease, gene microarrays, TranscriptomeBrowser, MetaCore
      and GeneMANIA were used for analysis. Three significant chondrocytic pathways and
      one network were screened by TranscriptomeBrowser; one significant pathway and
      one network were identified by MetaCore. BAX, APAF1, CASP6, BCL2, VEGF, SOCS3,
      BAK, TGFBI, TNFAIP6, TNFRSF11B and THBS1 were significant genes associated with
      the biological function of chondrocyte or cartilage involved in the
      TranscriptomeBrowser or MetaCore results. The interactions between the
      significant genes and their adjacent genes were searched and classified in
      GeneMANIA. In pathway analysis results, TranscriptomeBrowser is superior to get
      the interaction of pathway and co-expression compared with MetaCore; MetaCore is
      superior to get the interaction of physical interaction compared with
      TranscriptomeBrowser. In network analysis results, TranscriptomeBrowser contains
      more interaction message of co-localisation, MetaCore contains, more interaction
      message of co-expression.

PMID- 26489146
TI  - [EXAMINATION OF TUBERCULOSIS OUTBREAK INDEX CASES IN OSAKA CITY].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze tuberculosis outbreak index cases in order to improve
      preventative measures. METHODS: Outbreaks reported in Osaka City between 2008 and
      2014 were investigated. The index cases were examined according to category
      group, sex, age, chest radiograph findings, sputum smear examination, patient
      delay, doctor delay, total delay in case finding, and adherence to regular health
      examinations. As controls, 467 patients in Osaka City with newly registered
      sputum smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis in 2011 were included. RESULTS:
      Thirteen outbreaks occurred. The group categories included enterprises (9
      outbreaks), preparatory schools (2), a junior high school (1), and other (1). The
      group of index cases consisted of 12 men (92.3%) and one woman (7.7%), with a
      mean age of 39.1 years; 11 (84.6%) were 30 to 50 years of age. Their ages ranged
      from 15 to 54 years. Of the control group of patients with sputum smear-positive
      pulmonary tuberculosis, 69.2% were 60 years or older, with a mean age of 65.4
      years. These results suggest that the index case group was significantly younger
      (p < 0.001). There were ten cases (76.9%) of patient delay (initial visit 2
      months or more after onset), and 8 (61.5%) of total delay (diagnosed 3 months or
      more after onset). These rates were significantly higher than those in the
      control group (p < 0.001). There were regular health examinations in four cases;
      among those, one did not see a doctor and another did not receive further
      examination. Chest radiographs revealed cavities in 12 cases (92.3%). All sputum
      smears were positive, with grades of 1 + in one case (7.7%), 2 + in two cases
      (15.4%), and 3 + in 10 cases (76.9%). These cases had a significantly higher rate
      of smear positivity than those in the control group (p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: The
      index cases were predominantly male, in their prime, and had higher infectivity
      rates. These findings suggest the importance of preventing delays in case
      findings and receiving regular and adequate health examinations.

PMID- 26489147
TI  - [CLINICO-MICROBIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MYCOBACTERIUM KANSASII PULMONARY
      DISEASE AT A SPECIALIZED MYCOBACTERIOSIS HOSPITAL IN TOKYO, JAPAN].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium kansasii is the second most common nontuberculous
      mycobacterial pulmonary disease pathogen in Japan. Fibrocavitary disease is
      characteristic of M. kansasii pulmonary disease in male patients. OBJECTIVE: To
      clarify the clinico-microbiological characteristics of M. kansasii pulmonary
      disease in recent years in a Tokyo hospital specializing in mycobacteriosis.
      METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on 77 M. kansasii culture
      positive cases from January 2003 to December 2010. Sequence analysis of the hsp65
      gene using PCR-restriction enzyme pattern analysis (hsp65-PRA) was used to
      identify bacterial genotypes. RESULTS: Seventy-four cases fulfilled the
      diagnostic criteria for inclusion. Female patients comprised 22% of cases (16
      cases, 63.2 +/- 24.6 years of age) and were older than male patients (58 cases,
      55.5 +/- 17.5 years of age). Although the peak distribution among men was
      patients in their 50s, female patients showed a bimodal distribution with
      increased occurrence in older women. Radiological examination showed that
      approximately 90% of male and younger female patients had fibrocavitary disease.
      However, elderly female patients tended to have nodular bronchiectatic disease.
      Genotype analysis revealed that all bacterial strains from both genders were
      subtype I. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to previous reports, the number of female
      patients with M. kansasii pulmonary disease had increased, with an unusual age
      distribution. These different age-related radiological findings might be due to
      host factors.

PMID- 26489148
TI  - [A HEALTHY ADULT WITH DISSEMINATED NONTUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIAL INFECTION WITH
      MULTIPLE BONE LESIONS].
AB  - A 54-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of fever, dyspnea, and low
      back pain. Chest computed tomography showed a 30-mm mass in the left lung and
      bilateral pleural fluids, multiple bone lesions, enlarged lymph nodes, and skin
      abscesses. Mycobacterium avium was isolated from his sputum, a pleural fluid
      sample, the right cervical lymph node, and a precordial skin abscess. We thus
      diagnosed his illness as disseminated nontuberculous mycobacterial infection
      (DNTM) and treated him with multiple chemotherapeutic agents. However, the
      disease progressed, and he ultimately died. He was not in an obvious
      immunocompromised state. DNTM with multiple bone lesions in a healthy adult is
      very rare and we therefore report this case.

PMID- 26489149
TI  - [A TUBERCULOUS PSEUDO-ANEURYSM OF THE ABDOMINAL AORTA COMPLICATED BY MILIARY
      TUBERCULOSIS].
AB  - A 66-year-old man was transferred to our hospital on November 2010 owing to a
      diagnosis of miliary tuberculosis. Treatment was initially started with INH, RFP,
      PZA, and EB. However, PZA and EB were discontinued because of their adverse
      effects. Subsequently, chest radiographic and laboratory findings gradually
      improved. However, the patient experienced lumbago, which exacerbated towards the
      end of March 2011. An abdominal CT scan showed an abdominal mass at the L3-L5
      level between the abdominal aorta and lumbar vertebra. On the basis of the
      findings of abdominal ultrasonography, MRI, and PET-CT, infectious abdominal
      aortic aneurysm was highly suspected. Therefore, vascular graft replacement
      surgery was performed at the beginning of May 2011. The result of
      histopathological analysis showed the presence of acid-fast bacteria in the
      aneurysm and the lymph nodes around it, revealing that the aneurysm was due to
      systemic miliary tuberculosis. After the surgery, the patient was administered
      LVFX in addition to INH and RFP for 18 months and showed no recurrence.

PMID- 26489150
TI  - [ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA COMPLICATED BY DISSEMINATED TUBERCULOSIS AT DIAGNOSIS].
AB  - A 58-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of fever and night
      sweating. Laboratory examinations showed pancytopenia on admission. Examination
      of bone marrow smear specimens revealed many myeloblasts, thus the diagnosis of
      acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was made. In contrast, many central necrotic
      epithelioid granulomas were found in clot specimens prepared from the same bone
      marrow sample. Computed tomography showed small lymphadenopathies and
      hepatosplenomegaly. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated only from the urine
      culture. These findings of the bone marrow and the urine culture led to the
      diagnosis of disseminated tuberculosis. Therefore, these results mentioned above
      led to the diagnosis of AML complicated with disseminated tuberculosis. After
      disseminated tuberculosis treatment with anti-tuberculosis drugs, induction
      chemotherapy for AML helped the patient to achieve complete remission (CR).
      During treatment and CR, he showed a paradoxical reaction with lymph node
      enlargement without worsening of disseminated tuberculosis. This is a rare case
      of AML complicated by disseminated tuberculosis.

PMID- 26489151
TI  - [A SURGICAL CASE OF MYCOBACTERIUM KANSASII LUNG DISEASE MIMICKING PRIMARY LUNG
      CANCER].
AB  - We report a rare surgical case of a solitary pulmonary nodule due to
      Mycobacterium kansasii. A 59-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for
      examination of an abnormal shadow in the left upper lobe incidentally found on a
      chest radiogram. Computed tomography of the chest showed that the nodule was
      located in the left segment 1+2 and was irregularly shaped with a diameter of 35
      mm. Thoracic fluorine-18 fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography showed
      a high metabolic pulmonary lesion, with a maximum standardized uptake value of
      5.1, consistent with findings for lung cancer. A bronchoscopy was performed to
      establish the diagnosis of lung cancer; however, it failed to show malignant
      cells. Because we could not confirm the diagnosis by bronchoscopic examination,
      video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed. The intraoperative rapid
      diagnosis of the nodule was epithelioid cell granuloma. Smear test of the
      resected specimen was positive for acid-fast bacilli, and a culture was also
      positive for mycobacteria, which were identified as Mycobacterium kansasii.
      Antibiotic treatment for M. kansasii infection was administered for a year after
      the surgical resection. Few cases of Mycobacterium kansasii infection present
      with solitary pulmonary nodules.

PMID- 26489152
TI  - [EVALUATION STANDARD OF EXTERNAL QUALITY ASSESSMENT PROGRAMME FOR DRUG
      SUSCEPTIBILITY TESTING OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS IN JAPANESE LABORATORIES:
      PROFICIENCY TESTING IN 2004-2010].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the results of the external quality assessments (EQA) for
      anti-tuberculosis drug susceptibility testing (DST) and to set-up its rational
      passing criterion. METHOD: Each participating laboratory in EQA performed DST,
      and the sensitivity, specificity, agreement (efficiency) and kappa coefficient
      were calculated from the results. We analysed the data of seven EQA results for
      DST from 2004 to 2010. RESULTS: A total of 20, 20, 10, 5, 10, 10, and 10 strains
      of M. tuberculosis with known susceptibility were sent to each participating
      laboratory in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively. The
      total of participating laboratories was 564. Each laboratory was asked to perform
      DST with its routine methods and reported 25,100 test results in these seven
      years. The laboratories showed relatively high specificity than sensitivity, and
      an improving sensitivity through the years. Sixteen laboratories participated the
      EQA continuously, and the sensitivity and specificity to isoniazid (INH),
      rifampicin (RFP), streptomycin (SM) and ethambutol (EB) were 0.999 (95% CI 0.992
      1.000) and 0.998 (95% CI 0.991-1.000), 0.985 (95% CI 0.973-0.992) and 0.997 (95%
      CI 0.989-0.999), 0.932 (95% CI 0.912-0.948) and 0.977 (95% CI 0.962-0.986), and
      0.965 (95% CI 0.947-0.977) and 0.978 (95% CI 0.966-0.986), respectively.
      DISCUSSION: The analyses revealed that the accuracy of DST for INH and RFP was
      highly maintained throughout the years. However, SM showed a high unevenness of
      performance quality and required situational considerations for evaluation. In
      conclusion, the EQA for DST would require a minimum number of 10 strains for each
      assessment, and INH and RFP should show over 95% of sensitivity and specificity
      with over 90% of efficiency to SM and EB as passing remark.

PMID- 26489153
TI  - [STUDY OF DIRECT TB-LAMP USING NON-CENTRIFUGAL SPUTUMS ABOUT EFFICIENCY FOR RAPID
      DIAGNOSIS OF TUBERCULOSIS].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficiency of the direct tuberculosis-loop-mediated
      isothermal amplification (TB-LAMP) assay by using non-centrifuged sputum samples.
      STUDY PERIOD AND METHODS: The study was conducted between June 2013 and February
      2014. We collected 111 sputum samples from patients who had been radiographically
      diagnosed with tuberculosis and had not received any treatments for longer than 5
      days. In the direct TB-LAMP assay, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification kit
      and 60-MUL sputum samples were used. A direct smear microscopy test was used as
      the smear test. Then, the same sputum samples were processed with a CCE
      pretreatment reagent, and 100 MUL of the solution samples were cultured by using
      the mycobacterial growth indicator tube (MGIT) culture method. RESULTS: Forty-six
      of the 111 samples were positive in the smear microscopy tests. All the smear
      positive samples were positive in both the MGIT and direct TB-LAMP assay (100%).
      The mean positive detection time with the direct TB-LAMP assay was 13 minutes 55
      seconds. Of 56 smear-negative and MGIT positive samples, 44 (78.6%) were judged
      to be positive using the direct TB-LAMP assay, with a mean positive detection
      time of 15 minutes 59 seconds. DISCUSSION: The direct TB-LAMP assay using non
      centrifuged sputum samples was demonstrated to have a high detection rate and
      thus may be considered useful for rapid and effective tuberculosis diagnosis.

PMID- 26489154
TI  - [A CASE OF NON-TUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIOSIS WITH PLEURAL EFFUSION AND THICKENING
      IN A PATIENT WITH AN OCCUPATIONAL HISTORY OF ASBESTOS EXPOSURE].
AB  - We report a case of a 75-year-old man with pleural effusion and an occupational
      history of asbestos exposure. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography
      computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) examination revealed FDG up-takes along his
      pleura, leading to an initial suspicion of pleural mesothelioma. Pathological
      findings of a diagnostic video-associated pleural biopsy showed epithelioid cell
      granuloma. Repeated sputum cultures were positive for Mycobacterium
      intracellulare. The patient was diagnosed with pleuritis caused by non
      tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). NTM should be considered a potential cause of
      pleuritis.

PMID- 26489155
TI  - [TUBERCULOSIS ANNUAL REPORT 2013--(2) Tuberculosis in Pediatric and Elderly
      Patients].
AB  - In 2013, 66 patients with pediatric tuberculosis (TB; age range: 0-14 years) were
      newly notified in Japan, corresponding to a notification rate of 0.40 per 100,000
      population. Since 2006, the annual number of notified patients with pediatric TB
      has been less than 100. Among the 66 patients with pediatric TB who were notified
      in 2013, 27 (40.9%) were aged 0-4 years, 14 (21.2%) were aged 5-9 years, and 25
      (37.9%) were aged 10-14 years. The largest proportion of pediatric TB patients
      was aged 0-4 years. In 2013, two cases of TB meningitis and no cases of miliary
      TB were reported in children. Case detection occurred at rates similar to
      previous years, with 20 patients (30.3%) identified at medical institutions and
      33 (50%) via household contact investigations. Since 2000, the number of all
      elderly patients (aged 65 years or older) with TB had decreased rapidly and
      remained stable until recently. However, the number of such patients has declined
      gradually since 2012. The proportion of TB patients aged 65 years or older has
      consistently increased to as high as 64.5% in 2013; notably, the proportion of TB
      patients aged 80 years or older has also increased to 36.1%. Since 1999, the TB
      notification rates in Japan have been consistently higher among patients aged 85
      years or older than among those aged 65-84 years. The rate of notification for TB
      patients aged 65 years or older decreased by 0.6% from 2012 (13,307 patients) to
      2013 (13,227 patients). The proportion of bacteriologically positive TB patients
      among the general population of pulmonary TB (PTB) patients was higher among
      those aged 65 years or older than among those aged 15-64 years. Among all
      symptomatic patients, the proportion of PTB patients with only non-respiratory
      symptoms increased with age to 30.3% among those aged 85 years or older. The
      proportion of TB patients with a patient delay of two months or longer was lower
      among patients aged 65 years or older than among those aged 15-64 years (14.2%
      vs. 25.6%), whereas the proportion of TB patients with a doctor delay of one
      month or longer was slightly higher among patients aged 65 years or older than
      among those aged 15-64 years (23.0% vs. 20.3%). Among TB patients aged 65 years
      or older who were newly notified in 2012, 32.2% died within one year after the
      initiation of TB treatment; of these patients, 19.2% died within three months.
      Among patients aged 65 years or older, the proportion of deaths within three
      months after the initiation of TB treatment increased substantially with age from
      7.8% of those aged 65-69 years to 37.7% of those aged 90 years or older.

PMID- 26489156
TI  - [A CLINICAL EXPERIENCE OF RIFAMPICIN SUPPOSITORY FOR THE TREATMENT OF PULMONARY
      TUBERCULOSIS].
AB  - PURPOSE: The usefulness of a rifampicin (RFP) suppository for treatment of
      pulmonary tuberculosis was examined in patients who had difficulty with oral
      consumption of medication. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Among inpatients receiving first
      time treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis susceptible to both isoniazid (INH) and
      RFP, and who underwent standard 3- or 4-drug treatments including INH and RFP, we
      compared the number of days required for obtaining two and three consecutive
      negative sputum smears and cultures, respectively, in patients who received
      hospital-made suppositories or standard oral RFP administration. RESULTS: There
      was no significant difference between groups in the number of days required for
      negative cultures and smears; although the times were equivalent, there were more
      number of elderly patients and those in generally poor condition in the RFP
      suppository group than the oral intake group. CONCLUSION: RFP suppositories may
      be one method for administration of standard tuberculosis treatment in patients
      with difficulty in oral consumption of medication.

PMID- 26489157
TI  - [A CASE OF PULMONARY MYCOBACTERIUM ABSCESSUS INFECTION SUCCESSFULLY TREATED WITH
      SHORT-TERM CAM, AMK, AND IPM/cs FOLLOWED BY LONG-TERM ORAL CAM AND LVFX].
AB  - A 78-year-old woman who had been treated for two years with ITCZ for chronic
      pulmonary aspergillosis associated with prior pulmonary tuberculosis was admitted
      to our hospital because of general fatigue and hemosputum along with
      deterioration of her chest radiographic findings. Mycobacterium abscessus had
      been isolated once from her sputum one year before admission. We performed
      fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) in order to help establish a final diagnosis.
      Sputum aspirated from her bronchus on FOB stained positive for acid-fast bacilli
      and was negative for Tbc and MAC using PCR. From these results, we diagnosed the
      patient with pulmonary M. abscessus infection. Chemotherapy with AMK, IPM/cs, and
      CAM was initiated. Because her symptoms rapidly improved, we switched the
      chemotherapy to long-term oral CAM and LVFX, and she has been in a good condition
      at 12 months after the initiation of the therapy. Recently, subtypes of M.
      abscessus complex, such as M. massiliense, have been recognized, which are more
      sensitive to chemotherapy. Considering the good response to therapy, there is a
      possibility that is the patient in the current case had a M. massiliense
      infection.

PMID- 26489158
TI  - [TUBERCULOSIS ANNUAL REPORT 2013--(3) Case Finding and Condition of Tuberculosis
      on Diagnosis].
AB  - In 2013, tuberculosis (TB) case findings from the nationwide TB surveillance data
      in Japan were reviewed with regard to the mode of detection, symptom at
      diagnosis, diagnostic delay, proportion of far-advanced cavitary lesions, co
      existence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and diabetes mellitus
      (DM), and drug susceptibility testing (DST). Among the 20,495 new TB cases in
      2013, 83.1% were diagnosed when the patients sought medical attention for TB
      symptoms or attended medical facilities because of other chief complaints. Among
      the 15,972 patients with pulmonary TB, 26.4% had only respiratory symptoms, 30.5%
      had respiratory and non-respiratory symptoms, 17.8% had only non-respiratory
      symptoms, and 24.5% were asymptomatic. The proportion of patient and doctor
      delays among the 11,933 symptomatic pulmonary TB cases was analyzed. A large
      proportion--around 30%--of patients aged 45-54 years with symptomatic pulmonary
      TB exhibited a patient delay of >= 2 months. The proportion of patients with a
      total delay (i.e., the sum of patient and doctor delays) of >= 3 months exhibited
      a similar tendency to that of those with a patient delay. The proportion of
      patients aged >= 65 years with a doctor delay of >= 1 month surpassed that of age
      matched patients with a patient delay. Among symptomatic smear-positive TB, a
      patient delay of >= 2 months exhibited a bimodal distribution, and its peak was >
      35%. The proportion of patient delay in those aged 30-39 years decreased compared
      to that of recent years. Meanwhile, the proportion of patients--approximately 15%
      -with a doctor delay of >= 1 month was relatively stable across all the age
      groups. The proportion of patients with pulmonary TB who had far-advanced
      cavities in the lungs increased from 1.5% in 1975 to approximately 2% and then
      remained stable from 1985 to 2013. Among the 50 new TB cases with HIV in 2013, 5
      occurred in women and 10 in foreigners. From 2007 to 2013, there were 416
      patients with newly diagnosed TB and HIV infections, 359 (86.3%) and 57 (13.7%)
      of whom were men and women, respectively, including 86 (20.7%) foreigners. The
      proportions of newly diagnosed TB cases with DM in 2013 were 14.5%
      (2,964/20,495), of which 16.6% (2,072/12,504) occurred in men and 11.2%
      (892/7,991) in women. The DST results were obtained through the surveillance
      system for 7,701 (73.2%) of 10,523 culture-positive pulmonary TB cases in 2013.
      In previously untreated patients, the proportions of patients with multi-drug
      resistant TB, any isoniazid resistance, and any rifampicin resistance were 0.4%,
      4.5%, and 0.6%, respectively; meanwhile, in previously treated patients, the
      proportions were 3.7%, 8.0%, and 5.1%, respectively. In previously untreated
      patients, the proportions of multi-drug resistant TB and any isoniazid resistance
      decreased comparing with 2012.

PMID- 26489159
TI  - [DISSEMINATED NONTUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIOSIS THAT IS POSITIVE FOR NEUTRALIZING
      ANTI-INTERFERON-GAMMA AUTOANTIBODIES: A NEW DISEASE CONCEPT BASED ON HOST
      FACTORS].
AB  - Disseminated nontuberculous mycobacteriosis (NTM infection) is a disease that
      causes multiple organ lesions and occurs against an immunodeficiency background.
      Several host factors for this disease have been identified. Recently,
      neutralizing anti-interferon-gamma autoantibodies (IFN-gamma Ab) have been
      detected in some cases of disseminated NTM infection that had no previously known
      immunodeficiency, garnering attention as a new form of acquired immunodeficiency.
      We previously reported on methods for detecting IFN-gamma Ab in clinical
      specimens as part of the diagnostic process that are being used to evaluate
      suspected cases at various institutions. Overseas reports of positive results
      were achieved by administration of the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab in addition
      to antibacterial chemotherapy in cases of intractable disseminated NTM infection
      that tested positive for IFN-gamma Ab. This highlights the importance of
      diagnosis as well. Clinicians should consider the existence of this pathology.
      Although many host factors for NTM infection have yet to be identified, IFN-gamma
      Ab positivity should be investigated further as a new disease concept, not only
      for its pathological dimensions but also from the standpoint of treatment
      strategies. In the future, more cases need to be examined and analyzed to obtain
      further epidemiological and pathological findings.

PMID- 26489160
TI  - Continuing Professional Development.

PMID- 26489161
TI  - 2015 Sanford Scholars Day Abstracts.

PMID- 26489162
TI  - Heart Failure.
AB  - Heart failure is a major public health concern. It is the most common reason for
      hospitalization. It commonly affects older population and given the increasing
      life expectancy coupled with improved management of chronic medical conditions,
      the number of patients with heart failure is expected to increase. Heart failure
      has been recently categorized into heart failure with reduced and preserved
      ejection fraction. Despite differences in the two types, mortality remains high
      and similar in both conditions. Over the past few decades, numerous medical and
      device based therapies have been developed for the management of heart failure.
      These therapies have improved outcomes for the patients both in terms of
      morbidity and mortality. The objective of this review is to provide an overview
      of management of heart failure, specifically heart failure with reduced ejection
      fraction. It is of paramount importance for all health care providers to be aware
      of therapies for management of heart failure. We will also briefly discuss the
      role of mechanical circulatory support as an emerging new therapy for patients
      with advanced heart failure.

PMID- 26489163
TI  - Medication Therapy Management--An Opportunity to Collaborate.

PMID- 26489164
TI  - Extenuating Circumstances: Tobacco Cessation.

PMID- 26489165
TI  - Patient Education: The Leap of Parenting.

PMID- 26489166
TI  - DAKOTACARE Update: Shared Decision Making in the Internet Age.

PMID- 26489168
TI  - Orphans knocking on the door.

PMID- 26489167
TI  - Has the 340B Program Lost Its Way?

PMID- 26489169
TI  - Biosimilars Charge the Market But Still Face Many Hurdles.

PMID- 26489170
TI  - Still too many hysterectomies performed.

PMID- 26489171
TI  - PBMs: New Power And Influence.

PMID- 26489172
TI  - PBMs Just Say No to Some Drugs--But Not to Others.

PMID- 26489173
TI  - Come in and Talk With Us, Pharma.

PMID- 26489174
TI  - A Canary in the Coal Mine for Co-Ops?

PMID- 26489175
TI  - Lung Cancer Screening Comes of Age.

PMID- 26489176
TI  - Surgical Stick-to-itiveness.

PMID- 26489178
TI  - Value-based reimbursement coming on strong while the fall of FFS medicine
      accelerates.

PMID- 26489177
TI  - A Discrete Choice Experiment to Elicit Patient Willingness to Pay for Attributes
      of Treatment-Induced Symptom Relief in Comorbid. Insomnia.
AB  - PURPOSE: Insomnia is a burdensome, commonly comorbid condition. How patients
      value various aspects of the safety and efficacy of available drugs has not been
      studied. The aim of the present study was to quantify patient-rated utility by
      studying willingness to pay (WTP) for attributes of symptom relief via a discrete
      choice experiment (DCE). METHODOLOGY: Adult primary care patients (West Virginia
      University Hospital) with comorbid insomnia were enrolled. The attributes and
      levels examined were sleep onset latency (SOL; 10, 20,30 minutes), awakenings (1,
      2, 3), wake time after sleep onset (WASO; 15,45, 60 minutes), total sleep time
      (TST; 6, 7, 8 hours), hangover (none, mild, moderate), FDA-approved duration of
      use (short term, not restricted to short term, no restrictions), and out-of
      pocket cost per month ($20, $35, $50). Willingness to pay (WTP) data were
      analyzed using a random effects binary logistic regression model. RESULTS: A
      total of 82 patients completed the DCE (74 analyzed). SOL, WASO, TST, and cost
      were all found to predict treatment choice. Higher values of SOL, WASO, and cost
      resulted in decreased preference for a particular treatment, while higher TST
      predicted increased preference. Modeling revealed an estimated marginal WTP of
      $66.69 for an example product that improved SOL by 10 minutes, reduced WASO by 15
      minutes, and improved TST by 1 hour. CONCLUSION: Patient WTP for symptomatic
      relief in insomnia can help clinicians fine-tune interventions based on patient
      preferences, provide evidence for drug formulary and reimbursement decisions, and
      potentially guide the development of novel drugs.

PMID- 26489179
TI  - WOMEN AND SCIENCE.

PMID- 26489180
TI  - WOMEN, SCIENCE AND SUFFRAGE IN WORLD WAR I.
AB  - World War I is often said to have benefited British women by giving them the vote
      and by enabling them to take on traditionally male roles, including ones in
      science, engineering and medicine. In reality, conventional hierarchies were
      rapidly re-established after the Armistice. Concentrating mainly on a small group
      of well-qualified scientific and medical women, marginalized at the time and also
      in the secondary literature, I review the attitudes they experienced and the work
      they undertook during and immediately after the war. The effects of century-old
      prejudices are still felt today.

PMID- 26489181
TI  - WHITE COATS AND NO TROUSERS: NARRATING THE EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN TECHNICIANS IN
      MEDICAL LABORATORIES, 1930-90.
AB  - Laboratory technicians are a vital part of any working lab. Not only is their
      knowledge and expertise important for the success of research, but they also
      often maintain the lab's intellectual and social life. Despite the importance of
      their work, they are rarely acknowledged in publications, and leave only a few
      traces within the historical recordthe voices of women laboratory technicians are
      even harder to uncover. This paper attempts to correct this imbalance by
      presenting the narratives of women who worked as laboratory technicians at places
      such as the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), the Wellcome Research
      Laboratories, and established hospital and university labs in Cambridge, Oxford
      and London. The data were collected though narrative interviews. Specifically,
      the paper looks at the roles of these women within the lab, their experiences of
      the social and gender dynamics of the lab, and the development of expertise in
      regard to the work they carried out and the extent to which they received credit
      for their contributions to science.

PMID- 26489182
TI  - WOMEN PEERS IN THE SCIENTIFIC REALM: SARAH BOWDICH (LEE)'S EXPERT COLLABORATIONS
      WITH GEORGES CUVIER, 1825-33.
AB  - The accepted rule for women contributing to nineteenth-century science before
      1851 was that they could play only secondary roles in its production and
      authorship--as translators, illustrators, popularizers--and these by virtue of
      kinship or marriage to eminent scientists in the field or the laboratory. Sarah
      Bowdich (Lee) (1791-1856) presents an important amendment to this rule. As an
      explorer of West Africa on an equal scientific footing with her husband, and then
      a writer of science independently after his early death, she had other key roles
      as Georges Cuvier's cross-Channel scientific collaborator and as his first
      biographer. This article investigates and reframes Sarah's many individual
      achievements in science and its writing, to examine the larger questions of her
      case. How were her publications and 'uneasy career' in science possible? Can
      research on women in science today find inspiration in her example?

PMID- 26489183
TI  - MARGARET FOUNTAINE: A LEPIDOPTERIST REMEMBERED.
AB  - Margaret Fountaine (1862-1940) was a lepidopterist during a period of transition
      and professionalization in natural history. Over her lifespan she collected more
      than 22000 butterflies, published extensively and wrote a diary of more than a
      million words. Wealthy and independent, Fountaine toured Europe in her early
      twenties and then, over the next 50 years, travelled the globe collecting
      butterflies. Fountaine straddles many of the boundaries that historians have
      constructed to aid understanding of natural history in this period, specifically
      those defining gender roles, the nature of scientific knowledge and the divide
      between amateur and professional. Fountaine reminds us that these categories are
      never a clear or perfect division and that the reality of natural history
      research and exchange was much more complex than these boundaries often allow
      for. Fountaine herself is under-researched and this article contains a useful
      account of her entomological career.

PMID- 26489184
TI  - CAROLINE HERSCHEL: AGENCY AND SELF-PRESENTATION.
AB  - Caroline Herschel was rare among her female contemporaries in gaining public
      recognition for her work in science, yet her role in this process and her role in
      designing her training have never previously been studied. We know that access to
      education and participation in science was different for men and women in the
      eighteenth century. However, drawing on feminist, pedagogical and biographical
      approaches to history, I argue that although access depended on a variety of
      factors, a more consistent gender divide came in lessons on how to learn, and in
      what was regarded as appropriate behaviour. Caroline's skill--so often
      misunderstood--was to be aware of the differences and to use them to her own
      advantage.

PMID- 26489186
TI  - Taboo?

PMID- 26489185
TI  - THE HIGH-ALTITUDE RESEARCH OF MABEL PUREFOY FITZGERALD, 1911-13.
AB  - Home schooled without a science education, Mabel Purefoy FitzGerald (1872-1973)
      attended physiology lectures at Oxford in 1897, even though the school was closed
      to women. She found work as a researcher, published early noted papers and earned
      the active respect and support of senior scientists of her day. Her laboratory
      work with the physiologist J. S. Haldane saw her invited to the join the Pikes
      Peak Expedition in 1911. While the male team members measured the physiological
      effects of long-term residency at 14101 feet, as the sole woman FitzGerald took
      measurements of haemoglobin and alveolar air from herself and from mining staff
      and families at altitudes from 6000 to 12500 feet, travelling to remote mining
      communities in the Colorado Rockies. A subsequent expedition collected data at
      lower altitudes. Recorded in two papers, the results presented pioneering
      evidence of the role of oxygen in breathing.

PMID- 26489187
TI  - God Bless You, Ray.

PMID- 26489188
TI  - It Can't Be Done...

PMID- 26489190
TI  - The Train is Leaving the Station...

PMID- 26489191
TI  - The Community Dental Health Coordinator: beyond the pilot study.

PMID- 26489192
TI  - Address to the House of Delegates IDA President Elect Dr. Chad Leighty. June 13,
      2015.

PMID- 26489193
TI  - Stop and Embrace Your Instincts.

PMID- 26489194
TI  - Mucogingival Surgery--A Review of Clinical Procedures and Case Reports.

PMID- 26489195
TI  - "IDon't Run to Add Days to My Life I Run to Add Life to My Days".

PMID- 26489196
TI  - In Medio Stat Virtis. .

PMID- 26489197
TI  - President's Message.

PMID- 26489198
TI  - The Legacy Continues: FLORIDA NURSES FOUNDATION ... SHAPING THE FUTURE OF
      NURSING.

PMID- 26489199
TI  - I'm a Nurse ... I Didn't Sign Up for This! De-escalating the Aggressive and
      Violent Patient.

PMID- 26489200
TI  - Public Health Nursing: A Rich History.

PMID- 26489201
TI  - Implementing Training for Nursing Students on Bullying Awareness and Intervention
      Strategies.

PMID- 26489202
TI  - Becoming a Courageous Follower.

PMID- 26489203
TI  - Strengthening Nursing Engagement in Research and Evidence-Based Practice with a
      Successful MSN Student Research Practicum.

PMID- 26489204
TI  - The Evolution of a Nurse: A Systemic Journey.

PMID- 26489205
TI  - Seeing With the Ears.

PMID- 26489206
TI  - Depth-of-Focus Affects 3D Perception in Stereoscopic Displays.
AB  - Stereoscopic systems present binocular images on planar surface at a fixed
      distance. They induce cues to flatness, indicating that images are presented on a
      unique surface and specifying the relative depth of that surface. The center of
      interest of this study is on a second problem, arising when a 3D object distance
      differs from the display distance. As binocular disparity must be scaled using an
      estimate of viewing distance, object depth can thus be affected through disparity
      scaling. Two previous experiments revealed that stereoscopic displays can affect
      depth perception due to conflicting accommodation and vergence cues at near
      distances. In this study, depth perception is evaluated for farther accommodation
      and vergence distances using a commercially available 3D TV. In Experiment I, we
      evaluated depth perception of 3D stimuli at different vergence distances for a
      large pool of participants. We observed a strong effect of vergence distance that
      was bigger for younger than for older participants, suggesting that the effect of
      accommodation was reduced in participants with emerging presbyopia. In Experiment
      2, we extended 3D estimations by varying both the accommodation and vergence
      distances. We also tested the hypothesis that setting accommodation open loop by
      constricting pupil size could decrease the contribution of focus cues to
      perceived distance. We found that the depth constancy was affected by
      accommodation and vergence distances and that the accommodation distance effect
      was reduced with a larger depth-of-focus. We discuss these results with regard to
      the effectiveness of focus cues as a distance signal. Overall, these results
      highlight the importance of appropriate focus cues in stereoscopic displays at
      intermediate viewing distances.

PMID- 26489207
TI  - Bilateral Advantages in Subitizing With Visual Masking.
AB  - Performance on a range of visual-processing tasks has been shown to improve when
      information is split bilaterally across the left and right visual hemifields
      rather than being restricted to a single visual hemifield. However, a recent
      study by Delvenne et al. found no such bilateral advantage for subitizing, which
      is our ability to rapidly and accurately enumerate small quantities of objects.
      This finding is particularly surprising, as it contradicts the prediction of
      FINgers of INSTantiation theory that subitizing should benefit from bilateral
      presentation. Our study investigated the issue by determining if there are any
      circumstances where a bilateral advantage for subitization occurs. Contrary to
      Delvenne et al., we found that subitizing could show bilateral advantages, but
      only when the display was backward-masked. We discuss these findings in relation
      to how the rate of encoding and the time available for this encoding may affect
      bilateral advantages in subitizing. A general model is proposed under which
      bilateral advantages could be explained.

PMID- 26489208
TI  - No Relationship Between Binocular Rivalry Rate and Eye-Movement Profiles in
      Healthy Individuals: A Bayes Factor Analysis.
AB  - Binocular rivalry (BR) is an intriguing phenomenon in which conflicting images
      are presented, one to each eye, resulting in perceptual alternations between each
      image. The rate of BR has been proposed as a potential endophenotype for bipolar
      disorder because (a) it is well established that this highly heritable
      psychiatric condition is associated with slower BR rate than in controls, and (b)
      an individual's BR rate is approximately 50% genetically determined. However, eye
      movements (EMs) could potentially account for the slow BR trait given EM
      anomalies are observed in psychiatric populations, and there has been report of
      an association between saccadic rate and BR rate in healthy individuals. Here, we
      sought to assess the relationship between BR rate and EMs in healthy individuals
      (N = 40, mean age = 34.4) using separate BR and EM tasks, with the latter
      measuring saccades during anticipatory, antisaccade, prosaccade, self-paced, free
      viewing, and smooth-pursuit tasks. No correlation was found between BR rate and
      any EM measure for any BR task (p > .01) with substantial evidence favoring this
      lack of association (BF(01) > 3). This finding is in contrast to previous data
      and has important implications for using BR rate as an endophenotype. If
      replicated in clinical psychiatric populations, EM interpretations of the slow BR
      trait can be excluded.

PMID- 26489209
TI  - An Illumination Representation Approach to the Chevreul Effect.
AB  - Within cognitive science of brightness and color perception, the argument has
      repeatedly been brought forward that it is necessary to consider mental
      representations for illuminations as well as mental representations for surfaces
      as integral elements of the functional architecture of the perceptual system.
      Here, we show that such an approach of dual semantic categories for perceptual
      representations can fruitfully be applied to the Chevreul effect, a brightness
      phenomenon of enhanced contrast at borders that played a prototypical role for a
      very different type of approaches. In these approaches, mechanisms processing
      retinal intensities are postulated that result in just one brightness dimension
      without explicitly referring to semantic categories of the perceptual system
      (surface vs. illumination representation). We argue that the Chevreul effect
      arises as a result of an interpretation by the visual system that the Chevreul
      stimulus is covered by a gradual illumination. Our first experiment shows that
      the Chevreul effect diminishes substantially when this interpretation is
      prevented by separating the elements of the Chevreul stimulus in depth. In the
      second experiment, we show that the strength of the Chevreul effect is strongly
      affected by embedding the Chevreul stimulus into three-dimensional scenes that
      either support or conflict with the interpretation of an illumination gradient
      across the stimulus.

PMID- 26489210
TI  - What Is Suspicious When Trying to be Inconspicuous? Criminal Intentions Inferred
      From Nonverbal Behavioral Cues.
AB  - The present study investigates whether nonverbal behavioral cues to hidden
      criminal intentions during the build-up phase of a criminal act can be measured.
      To this end, we created recordings of actors once in a search situation and once
      committing a mock crime (theft or bomb placing) in a public crowded area. For
      ecological validation, we used authentic CCTV footage of real crimes in
      Experiment I. In this experiment, the two behavioral clusters pattern of movement
      in space and nonverbal communication behavior were analyzed. The results showed a
      deviance in pattern of movement in space for offenders' compared with the
      nonoffenders' condition as well as a bystanders' baseline. There was no
      significant difference between nonverbal communication behavior in the offenders'
      and nonoffenders' conditions. Experiment 2 was conducted to examine the two
      behavior clusters use of object- and self-adaptors while controlling for
      interpersonal differences. The results showed an increased use of object- and
      decreased use of self-adaptors during the build-up phase of a mock crime compared
      with a control condition (search). Thus, nonverbal behavior of offenders seems to
      differ from nonverbal behavior of nonoffenders. However, this holds only under
      the conditions of a valid baseline and of judging not only a single, typical
      behavioral cue but a whole cluster of nonverbal behaviors, such as pattern of
      movement in space or use of object-adaptors in general.

PMID- 26489211
TI  - Are You Suggesting That's My Hand? The Relation Between Hypnotic Suggestibility
      and the Rubber Hand Illusion.
AB  - Hypnotic suggestibility (HS) is the ability to respond automatically to
      suggestions and to experience alterations in perception and behavior.
      Hypnotically suggestible participants are also better able to focus and sustain
      their attention on an experimental stimulus. The present study explores the
      relation between HS and susceptibility to the rubber hand illusion (RHI). Based
      on previous research with visual illusions, it was predicted that higher HS would
      lead to a stronger RHI. Two behavioral output measures of the RHI, an implicit
      (proprioceptive drift) and an explicit (RHI questionnaire) measure, were
      correlated against HS scores. Hypnotic suggestibility correlated positively with
      the implicit RHI measure contributing to 30% of the variation. However, there was
      no relation between HS and the explicit RHI questionnaire measure, or with
      compliance control items. High hypnotic suggestibility may facilitate, via
      attentional mechanisms, the multisensory integration of visuoproprioceptive
      inputs that leads to greater perceptual mislocalization of a participant's hand.
      These results may provide insight into the multisensory brain mechanisms involved
      in our sense of embodiment.

PMID- 26489212
TI  - Visual art and visual perception.

PMID- 26489213
TI  - Developmental improvement and age-related decline in unfamiliar face matching.
AB  - Age-related changes have been documented widely in studies of face recognition
      and eyewitness identification. However, it is not clear whether these changes
      arise from general developmental differences in memory or occur specifically
      during the perceptual processing of faces. We report two experiments to track
      such perceptual changes using a 1-in- 10 (experiment 1) and 1-in-1 (experiment 2)
      matching task for unfamiliar faces. Both experiments showed improvements in face
      matching during childhood and adult-like accuracy levels by adolescence. In
      addition, face-matching performance declined in adults of the age of 65 years.
      These findings indicate that developmental improvements and aging-related
      differences in face processing arise from changes in the perceptual encoding of
      faces. A clear face inversion effect was also present in all age groups. This
      indicates that those age-related changes in face matching reflect a quantitative
      effect, whereby typical face processes are engaged but do not operate at the best
      possible level. These data suggest that part of the problem of eyewitness
      identification in children and elderly persons might reflect impairments in the
      perceptual processing of unfamiliar faces.

PMID- 26489214
TI  - What's that smell? An ecological approach to understanding preferences for
      familiar odors.
AB  - How do odor preferences arise? Following Palmer and Schloss's (2010, PNAS, 107,
      8877-8882) ecological valence theory of color preferences, we propose that
      preference for an odor is determined by preferences for all objects and/or
      entities associated with that odor. The present results showed that preferences
      for familiar odors were strongly predicted by average preferences for all things
      associated with the odors (eg people liked the apple odor which was associated
      with mostly positive things, such as apples, soap, and candy, but disliked the
      fish odor, which was associated with mostly negative things, such as dead fish,
      trash, and vomit). The odor WAVEs (weighted affective valence estimates)
      performed significantly better than one based on preference for only the namesake
      object (eg predicting preference for the apple odor based on preference for
      apples). These results suggest that preferences for familiar odors are based on a
      summary statistic, coding the valence of previous odor-related experiences. We
      discuss how this account of odor preferences is consistent with the idea that
      odor preferences exist to guide organisms to approach beneficial objects and
      situations and avoid harmful ones.

PMID- 26489215
TI  - Postural responses to various frequencies of vibration of the triceps surae and
      forefoot sole during quiet standing.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the role of somatosensory input to the
      sensory reference system in quiet standing. We applied vibration (0.5 mm
      amplitude, 1-60 Hz) to the triceps surae and the forefoot sole to stimulate the
      muscle spindles and the mechanoreceptors, respectively, and evaluated postural
      responses. Thirteen young healthy adults who showed backward-lean and forward
      lean responses to vibration at high and low frequencies, respectively,
      participated in the full experiment. The lowest vibration frequencies inducing
      backward-lean responses (B-LF) were 15-55 Hz for the triceps surae and 16-60 Hz
      for the forefoot sole. The highest frequencies inducing forward-lean responses (F
      HF) were 3-18 Hz for the triceps surae and 1-20 Hz for the forefoot sole. When
      vibration was simultaneously applied to the triceps surae and forefoot sole at F
      HF, no response was induced in 70% of trials. A forward-lean response was induced
      in the remaining 30% of trials. Simultaneous vibration of the triceps surae and
      forefoot sole at B-LF induced backward-lean responses in all trials. All postural
      responses occurred 0.5-4.3 s after vibration onset. Postural responses to high
      frequency vibration conceivably occur as a compensatory movement to the
      illusionary perception that standing position is deviating forward from quiet
      standing, which must be a reference position. Postural responses to low-frequency
      vibration possibly occur to equalize the positional information that is received
      from the triceps surae and the forefoot sole. Both postural responses are likely
      to involve the sensory reference system, which is located in the supraspinal
      nervous system.

PMID- 26489216
TI  - Attentional biases and recognition accuracy: What happens when multiple own- and
      other-race faces are encountered simultaneously?
AB  - Adults recognize own-race faces more accurately than other-race faces. We
      investigated three characteristics of laboratory investigations hypothesized to
      minimize the magnitude of the own-race recognition advantage (ORA): lack of
      competition for attention and instructions that emphasize individuating faces
      during the study phase, and a lack of uncertainty during the test phase. Across
      two experiments, participants studied faces individually, in arrays comprising
      multiple faces and household objects, or in naturalistic scenes (presented on an
      eye-tracker); they were instructed to remember everything, memorize faces, or
      form impressions ofpeople. They then completed one of two recognition tasks--an
      old/new recognition task or a lineup recognition task. Task instructions
      influenced time spent looking at faces but not the allocation of attention to own
      versus other-race faces. The magnitude of the ORA was independent of both task
      instructions and test protocol, with some modulation by how faces were presented
      in the study phase. We discuss these results in light of current theories of the
      ORA.

PMID- 26489217
TI  - From sensation to perception: Using multivariate classification of visual
      illusions to identify neural correlates of conscious awareness in space and time.
AB  - An important goal of cognitive neuroscience is understanding the neural
      underpinnings of conscious awareness. Although the low-level processing of
      sensory input is well understood in most modalities, it remains a challenge to
      understand how the brain translates such input into conscious awareness. Here, I
      argue that the application of multivariate pattern classification techniques to
      neuroimaging data acquired while observers experience perceptual illusions
      provides a unique way to dissociate sensory mechanisms from mechanisms underlying
      conscious awareness. Using this approach, it is possible to directly compare
      patterns of neural activity that correspond to the contents of awareness,
      independent from changes in sensory input, and to track these neural
      representations over time at high temporal resolution. I highlight five recent
      studies using this approach, and provide practical considerations and limitations
      for future implementations.

PMID- 26489218
TI  - Facial cosmetics have little effect on attractiveness judgments compared with
      identity.
AB  - The vast majority of women in modern societies use facial cosmetics, which modify
      facial cues to attractiveness. However, the size of this increase remains unclear
      -how much more attractive are individuals after an application of cosmetics?
      Here, we utilised a 'new statistics' approach, calculating the effect size of
      cosmetics on attractiveness using a within-subjects design, and compared this
      with the effect size due to identity--that is, the inherent differences in
      attractiveness between people. Women were photographed with and without
      cosmetics, and these images were rated for attractiveness by a second group of
      participants. The proportion of variance in attractiveness explained by identity
      was much greater than the variance within models due to cosmetics. This result
      was unchanged after statistically controlling for the perceived amount of
      cosmetics that each model used. Although cosmetics increase attractiveness, the
      effect is small, and the benefits of cosmetics may be inflated in everyday
      thinking.

PMID- 26489219
TI  - Seeing red on the road.
AB  - Human and animal research has found that red perception is associated with
      specific behavioral reactions, generally characterized by intense responses.
      Here, we explored whether red cars are perceived as more dangerous than other
      colored cars. One hundred Spanish drivers examined several road scenarios which
      involved hazardous cars with different colors: red, green, yellow, black, gray,
      and white. Driver's behavior (response time and probability of braking) and the
      perceived level of risk for each scenario were analyzed. Although car color
      affected participants' response times, contrary to expectations, red cars did not
      elicit faster responses or higher perceived levels of risk.

PMID- 26489220
TI  - Change magnitude does not guide attention in an object change detection task.
AB  - Investigations of change detection consistently reveal an effect of change
      magnitude: changes involving more object parts are detected more easily than
      those involving fewer parts. Whether large changes improve detection by providing
      stronger preattentive signals to the change location is subject to debate. We
      report a cued object change detection experiment that tested this hypothesis
      while controlling for stimulus familiarity, semantic knowledge, and change type
      (addition versus deletion). We found strong magnitude effects regardless of
      whether trials were validly or invalidly cued. The size of the cueing effects,
      which were exhibited for all the change magnitudes examined, did not decrease
      with the number of parts changing. These findings provide little support for a
      preattentive guidance hypothesis and instead support the thesis that change
      detection requires attention.

PMID- 26489221
TI  - How perception affects racial categorization: On the influence of initial visual
      exposure on labelling people as diverse individuals or racial subjects.
AB  - In research on racial categorization we tend to focus on socialization, on
      environmental influences, and on social factors. One important factor, though, is
      perception itself In our experiment we let people label persons on dimensions
      which they could freely use. The participants were initially exposed to a full
      series either of black faces or of white faces. We observed a clear effect of
      initial exposure on explicit verbal categorizations. When initially exposed to
      white faces, participants used racial labels for the subsequent black faces only.
      In contrast, racial labels were used for black as well as white faces after
      initial exposure to black faces, which indicates a shift to in-group
      categorization after having initially inspected black faces. In conclusion, this
      effect documents highly adaptive categorizations caused by visual context alone,
      suggesting that racial thoughts are based on relatively volatile category
      representations.

PMID- 26489222
TI  - What's up with witch rings?
AB  - 'Witch rings' are well-known novelty rings that show a size-change illusion when
      rotated. We have replicated the illusion of expansion of the reflections in the
      rings in a variety of contexts with animations, though not as yet so successfully
      imitated the sense that the whole ring expands and contracts.

PMID- 26489223
TI  - Life After ICD-10.

PMID- 26489224
TI  - Answering the TOUGH ICD10 Questions.

PMID- 26489225
TI  - REMEDIATING ICD-10 KNOWLEDGE LOSS. .

PMID- 26489226
TI  - Ten skills that make a great leader.

PMID- 26489227
TI  - Privacy HOLES in the 'Hidden Healthcare System'.

PMID- 26489228
TI  - The Evolving Role of the Privacy and Security Officer.

PMID- 26489229
TI  - Rules of the Road Differ for Inpatient and Outpatient ICD-10 Coding.

PMID- 26489230
TI  - Achieving Health Information Systems Interoperability.

PMID- 26489231
TI  - Evaluating the Information Governance Principles for Healthcare: Compliance and
      Availability.

PMID- 26489232
TI  - Electronic Documentation Templates Support ICD-10-CM/PCS Implementation
      (Updated).

PMID- 26489233
TI  - How Deep Do You Dig into ICD-10-PCS Coding?

PMID- 26489234
TI  - Injection and Infusion Coding Offers High Stakes.

PMID- 26489235
TI  - A Final Message.

PMID- 26489236
TI  - Ashley Coerver, DDS, Moore, OK.

PMID- 26489237
TI  - ODA Past President Perspective: Scott Waugh, DDS, ODA President 2002-2003.

PMID- 26489238
TI  - Treating Diastemous Spaces without Orthodontics.

PMID- 26489239
TI  - OHCA Dental Audit Findings Summary.

PMID- 26489240
TI  - Bench Warmers Go play outside--your muscles will thank you.

PMID- 26489241
TI  - The Blame Game. How to go head-to-head with diabetes stigma--and come out a
      winner.

PMID- 26489243
TI  - Playing against type. THE CHALLENGES OF DIAGNOSING TYPE 1 DABETES IN ADULTS.

PMID- 26489244
TI  - Jeremy Hunt fails to rule out cuts to health visitors.

PMID- 26489242
TI  - The Motivating Factor. What impels you to use your blood glucose meter?

PMID- 26489245
TI  - Baby P child death 'likely' to happen again, say health visitors.

PMID- 26489246
TI  - Revalidation issues highlighted in case studies.

PMID- 26489247
TI  - Revalidation: The professional development discussion.
AB  - The professional development discussion (PDD) will be an essential component of
      revalidation with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The Unite/CPHVA professional
      officers who participated in the pilot found the PDD to be the most beneficial
      part of the revalidation process. This article explores the experience of a PDD
      from both the revalidatee and the fellow registrant perspective. It goes on to
      make recommendations for ensuring an effective PDD.

PMID- 26489248
TI  - Smoking in pregnancy: The dangers of carbon monoxide exposure.

PMID- 26489249
TI  - Vitamin D-Day.

PMID- 26489250
TI  - The management of eczema in children.
AB  - Eczema is very common in children and impacts significantly on the quality of
      life of children and their families and carers. Poor adherence remains the main
      cause of treatment failure. Rigorous and consistent use of treatments is key to
      relieving symptoms, but many parents experience significant barriers to
      application. Community practitioners are ideally placed to educate parents in the
      use of emollients, and where necessary topical corticosteroids, identify and
      discuss problems and help parents to develop strategies to overcome difficulties.
      Food allergy is associated with eczema, particularly in infants and the risk
      increases with severity. Community practitioners need to be confident in its
      recognition and management.

PMID- 26489251
TI  - Postnatal Depression: Don't reinvent the wheel.
AB  - Poor mental health accounts for 23% of all ill health in the UK, with the cost of
      treating it expected to double in the next 20 years. In addition, postnatal
      depression (PND) in both mothers and fathers can have a detrimental long-term
      impact on a child's cognitive, social and behavioural development. This paper
      discusses the development process of an innovative evidence-based resource which
      involved professional expertise and parent involvement. This unique resource
      helps to recognise PND in both mothers and fathers and will support health
      visitors in making a real impact in improving outcomes for children and families.

PMID- 26489252
TI  - A Home-Start peer support scheme for women with low mood following childbirth.
AB  - Perinatal mental health problems vary in impact and severity, and can have long
      lasting effects on maternal health and child psychological health and
      development. The evidence to support the effectiveness of postnatal peer and
      volunteer support schemes to improve the long-term health of women is mixed, with
      some studies highlighting positive effects in terms of reducing symptoms of
      depression. Using data from a peer support scheme designed to support women with
      low mood following childbirth, this paper provides insight into the initial
      support needs of women, alongside the challenges of using volunteer and peer
      support services. This paper provides health visitors and others working in
      community settings with an understanding of how volunteer befriending services
      may, or may not work in community settings. The data suggests that Home-Start
      does have a positive impact on the lives of some women, however more work is
      required in order to understand which aspects of the Home-Start intervention
      women find effective and why.

PMID- 26489253
TI  - Short-term benefits from the Incredible Years Parents and Babies Programme in
      Powys.
AB  - The Incredible Years parent and babies programme has been delivered widely across
      Wales, mainly in high disadvantage Flying Start areas, following training for
      group leaders funded by the Welsh Government. The programme targets parents and
      their babies during the first year of their life and contains all of the key
      components of effective parenting programmes, discussion, observation of
      effective parenting skills and practice. The Children and Young People's
      partnership in Powys, a rural county in East Wales, incorporated the programmes
      into their early intervention/prevention strategy. This paper reports on the
      results from twelve groups with pre- and post-course measures from 79 (64%) group
      participants. Results showed significant benefits for parents in terms of
      improved mental health and parenting confidence post-course. These results
      provide short-term evidence of effectiveness and confirm the decision by Powys to
      deliver this evidence informed programme.

PMID- 26489254
TI  - Last word with ... Jackie Smith.

PMID- 26489255
TI  - Minnesota Supreme Court Holds that Medical Staff Bylaws are an Enforceable
      Contract.

PMID- 26489256
TI  - Health Information Exchange Improves Referral Management Workflow.

PMID- 26489257
TI  - Practicing in Michigan.

PMID- 26489258
TI  - Why Michigan Is an Ideal Place to Practice Medicine.

PMID- 26489259
TI  - Four Ways to Transfer Your Assets After You Die.

PMID- 26489260
TI  - Michigan's Vaccination Waiver Rules Are Strengthened.

PMID- 26489261
TI  - Michigan State Medical Alliance Promoting and Continuing Legislative Action.

PMID- 26489262
TI  - Nightmares to Dreams, Dreams to Reality.

PMID- 26489263
TI  - 2014 HIPAA Enforcement Actions Show You Must Take Documentation Requirements
      Seriously.

PMID- 26489264
TI  - Diagnostic Error Identified as the Most Common Allegation in Malpractice
      Lawsuits.

PMID- 26489265
TI  - Lock and Key.

PMID- 26489266
TI  - What is Physician Leadership?

PMID- 26489267
TI  - Take Financial Leadership in 2015.

PMID- 26489268
TI  - Protecting Persons Aged 65 Years and Older Against Pneumococcal Disease.

PMID- 26489269
TI  - On Being a Leader.

PMID- 26489270
TI  - Prior authorization: Undermining our health care system.

PMID- 26489271
TI  - We are listening.

PMID- 26489272
TI  - Here's to your success.

PMID- 26489273
TI  - The ACA exchange in Georgia: Confusion, frustration & questions.

PMID- 26489274
TI  - An update on the ICD-10 transition.

PMID- 26489275
TI  - An update on the Physicians' Institute for Excellence in Medicine.

PMID- 26489276
TI  - Georgia's primary care physician supply and its ties to chronic diseases.

PMID- 26489278
TI  - The need to educate medical students about health care policy.

PMID- 26489277
TI  - Tuition loan repayment program available for rural physicians.

PMID- 26489279
TI  - Should physicians exclude vaccine-refusing families from their practices?

PMID- 26489280
TI  - Expert witnesses in medical malpractice cases.

PMID- 26489281
TI  - Being a defendant.

PMID- 26489282
TI  - Where we practice: Gainesville.

PMID- 26489283
TI  - Retiring physicians: Maintenance and destruction of medical records.

PMID- 26489285
TI  - Repealing the SGR & alternative payment models: What H.R. 2 means for physicians.

PMID- 26489284
TI  - Patient dies after doctor's office visit.

PMID- 26489286
TI  - Life lessons: continued.

PMID- 26489287
TI  - President's Perspective.

PMID- 26489288
TI  - Oral and maxillofacial pathology. Case of the month. Multiple myeloma.

PMID- 26489289
TI  - SPIT TOBACCO: A Changing Landscape.

PMID- 26489290
TI  - The Surgical Management of Head and Neck Cancer by Oral and Maxillofacial
      Surgeons in Texas.

PMID- 26489291
TI  - Zirconia with Aluminum Oxide Sandblasting Treatment Followed by MDP-containing
      Primer has Greater Bond Strength than Zirconia with No Surface Treatment (UT CAT
      # 2812).

PMID- 26489292
TI  - Knowledge Assessment of the Dental Community in Texas on the Role of Human
      Papilloma Virus in Oropharyngeal Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The epidemiology of oral cancer is changing. From 1988 to 2004, there
      has been a dramatic increase in Human Papilloma virus (HPV) positive
      oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPC) in the U.S. At the same time there
      have been decreasing rates of OPC associated with the traditional risk factors of
      smoking and alcohol consumption. The epidemiology of oral cancer is changing. As
      the epidemiology changes, it is important that the dental community recognize
      these factors. The goal of this study was to assess the baseline level of
      knowledge about HPV and OPC within the Texas dental community. METHODS:
      Practicing dentists and dental hygienists from Texas dental professional networks
      and dental students from the three Texas schools of dentistry were recruited to
      participate in the study. Participants were requested to access and complete a 7
      item online survey. To ensure anonymity, a third party practice facilitator or
      department administrator disseminated the survey link to participants. RESULTS:
      Of the 457 surveys completed, 100% of respondents reported conducting oral soft
      tissue examinations at least annually. However, only 73% included the oropharynx
      in their exam. Less than 50% of dental professionals selected the correct
      location of the greatest increase in oral cancer incidence during the last 10
      years. Less than 30% of each of the groups answered correctly in indicating the
      age group with the most rapidly increasing incidence of oral cancer.
      Approximately 40% of all groups indicated that a biopsy from the posterior
      oropharynx should be tested for HPV. CONCLUSION: Survey results across Texas
      dentists, dental hygienists, and Texas dental students demonstrated a lack of
      knowledge of the changing profile of oral cancer regarding HPV-associated OPC.
      This aim of this initial phase was to determine the baseline level of knowledge
      surrounding the risks associated with oropharyngeal cancer in the survey
      population. Our goal is to utilize these findings to develop educational
      interventions that will be disseminated throughout the dental community in Texas
      to improve diagnosis of these devastating cancers.

PMID- 26489293
TI  - Updates Regarding Diagnostic Adjuncts for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - The 5-year survival rate for oral cancer (66%) is still one of the lowest among
      major human cancers, and delayed diagnosis until an advanced stage is thought to
      be the main factor contributing to this low survival rate. The detection and
      diagnosis of oral cancer is currently based on clinical visual examination and
      histopathological evaluation of a biopsy specimen. In response to the need for
      early detection of oral cancer, several diagnostic adjuncts have been developed
      and sold commercially over the years, including vital tissue staining, brush
      cytology, light-based visualization adjuncts, and the most recently developed
      test for salivary biomarkers for oral cancer. The purpose of this article is to
      review the current knowledge and research regarding these diagnostic adjuncts
      developed for early detection of oral cancer. Clinicians are best served by an
      awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of each adjunct, and to always
      consider and correlate with the clinical findings when interpreting the test
      results from these adjuncts.

PMID- 26489294
TI  - An Article to Share with your Team: CARE ENOUGH TO PROVIDE AN EXCEPTIONAL PATIENT
      EXPERIENCE.

PMID- 26489295
TI  - [Potential Source Contribution Analysis of the Particulate Matters in Shanghai
      During the Heavy Haze Episode in Eastern and Middle China in December, 2013].
AB  - A heavy haze pollution episode occurred in early December, 2013 in middle and
      eastern China, which lasted for a long period, and covered a large area. During
      this episode, the hourly maximum concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in Shanghai
      exceeded 700 ug.m-3 and 600 ug.m-3, respectively. To obtain the major air mass
      transportation path, trajectories reaching urban Shanghai area were analyzed
      using HYSPLIT model and cluster analysis. Potential Source Contribution Function
      (PSCF) and Concentration-Weighted Trajectory (CWT) methods were applied to study
      the potential source regions and the individual contributions to PM10 in Shanghai
      in December, 2013. The results showed that the northwest and the north paths were
      the major air mass transport paths in December, among which 79. 6% of the total
      trajectories came from mainland, while 20. 4% reached Shanghai through the ocean.
      These were the main transportation paths causing high PM10 mass concentration in
      December in Shanghai. The potential regions affecting the heavy haze episode in
      early December in Shanghai were distributed in the Yangtze River Delta including
      Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui. Besides, air mass from Shandong, Hebei and Henan
      also had certain impact. The results showed that regional and even super-regional
      pollution joint control was of significant importance to reduce the frequent
      heavy air pollution episodes.

PMID- 26489296
TI  - [Composition and Regional Characteristics of Atmosphere Aerosol and Its Water
      Soluble Ions over the Yangtze River Delta Region in a Winter Haze Period].
AB  - To investigate the pollution characteristics of water soluble ions in fine
      atmospheric particles in Yangtze River Delta during the haze period from 18th to
      24th Jan 2013, a joint sampling campaign using Andersen sampler was conducted at
      five cities (including Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Lin'an and Ningbo). The
      analysis of size distribution of these ionic species coupled with the local
      meteorological conditions may shed some insightful light on the haze formation
      mechanism in this region. The result has shown: firstly, during the observation
      period, when Yangtze River Delta located at high pressure or in the front of high
      pressure, and has a large pressure gradient, the lower atmosphere has a
      significant airflow divergence in favor of pollutant dispersion; while located in
      weak low pressure and weak high pressure, the equalizing pressure field is not
      favorable for pollutant dispersion, especially accompanied with lower atmosphere
      convergence airflow. Secondly, during the hazy period, the concentration of fine
      particles and total water-soluble inorganic ions (TWSS) has increased
      dramatically; the increasing proportions of TWSS in fine particles are: Hangzhou
      0. 9%, Lin'an 4. 2%, Nanjing 8. 1%. The particle size of secondary ions of SO(4)2
      , NO3-, NH4+ complies fine mode(particle size <2. 1 um), whose peaks migrates
      from 0. 43-0. 65 um to 0. 65-1. 1 um during the observation period, the peak of
      particle size of Ca2+ , Mg2+ appears at 4.7-5. 8 um, while the ions of Na+, Cl-,
      K+ show a bimodal distribution. Moreover, secondary inorganic ions play a
      significant role in the formation of haze pollution, where the concentrations of
      secondary inorganic ions of NH4+, SO2- and NO3 have higher increasing rates;
      their relative proportions of increasing from each monitoring points are:
      Hangzhou 3%, Lin'an 55% and Nanjing 64.9%. Finally, SO(4)2- has the highest mass
      contribution to SNA, up to 45% ; also, the NO-/SO- ratios in each monitoring
      points are always higher than a fair 0. 5, which could indicate the significant
      contribution of mobile source towards this particle pollution.

PMID- 26489297
TI  - [Chemical Species of PM2.5 in the Urban Area of Beijing].
AB  - From August 2012 to July 2013, 220 groups of PM2.5 samples were continuously
      collected at four locations in the urban area of Beijing (Shijingshan,
      Chegongzhuang, Dongsi, and Tongzhou), and the primary chemical species of PM2.5
      were analysed by the chemical mass balance method. It was found that the mass of
      PM2.5 obtained from chemical mass balance method agreed well with the value from
      gravimetric measurement, with a good correlation of 0. 95 in spring, autumn, and
      winter. However, the correlation seasonally changed in summer, with a relatively
      lower correlation coefficient of 0. 77. The concentrations of OM, EC, SO(4)2-,
      NO3-, NH4+, Cl-, crustal matter, and trace species were 31. 4, 3. 8, 19. 9, 21.
      6, 14. 4, 4. 0, 15. 4, and 2. 9 ug.m-3, which accounted for 25. 1%, 3. 0% , 15.
      9%, 17. 2%, 11. 5%, 3. 2%, 12. 3%, and 2. 3% of PM2, , respectively. Besides
      crustal matter, concentrations of the primary chemical species in PM2.5 from the
      west to the east gradually increased. The most serious PM pollution occurred
      between 11 and 14 February 2013, during which concentrations of OM, SO2-, NO3-,
      NH4+ were 1. 9, 5. 0, 3.2 and 4. 2 times as high as the annual average. SO(4)2-
      was recognized as the most important species for the pollution in the process. OM
      was the largest component of urban PM2.5 during both heating and non-heating
      periods. Comparing to non-heating period, the concentrations of OM, NH4+, NO3-,
      and SO(4)2- all increased during the heating period, except for the component of
      crust and EC. The biggest difference between the two periods was the component of
      Cl- (4. 4 fold), which can be attributed to the burning of coal. For unknown
      components, the main component was moisture, which accounted for about 6.0% in
      urban PM2.5. The highest moisture appeared in summer (6. 5%), followed by spring
      and winter, and the least appeared in fall (3. 7% ).

PMID- 26489298
TI  - [Numerical Study on the Characteristics of Regional Transport of PM2.5 in
      Shandong Province During Spring in 2014].
AB  - In this paper, spatial and temporal distribution, transportation and deposition
      of PM2.5 in Shandong Province in Spring, 2014 were all analyzed by applying PSAT
      of CAMx model and we also developed a transport matrix of PM2.5 between different
      cities in Shandong. The results showed that rho(PM2.5) presented obvious spatial
      distribution characteristics; rho(PM2.5) was higher in the western part compared
      to that in peninsula and rho(PM2.5) was mainly concentrated below 2 000 m in
      vertical direction. Simulated horizontal transport flux of PM2.5 was up to 110
      ug.(m2.s)-1 and the total deposition amount of PM2.5 was 23. 05 x 10(4) t in
      Shandong during Spring, 2014. Analysis of regional contribution found that the
      pollutants mainly came from local districts and the average external transport
      contribution to the whole Shandong province was about 21. 08% +/- 3. 83% while it
      was 40. 45% +/- 5. 96% between different cities; the contribution rates of
      Jinjinji distrcit, background and boundary conditions gradually increased by 7.
      56% and 6. 18% respectively as the altitude increased.

PMID- 26489299
TI  - [Characteristics of Water-Soluble Inorganic Ions in PM2.5 Emitted from Coal-Fired
      Power Plants].
AB  - To characterize the primary PM2.5 emission from coal-fired power plants in China,
      and to quantitatively evaluate the effects of flue gas denitrification and
      desulfurization on PM2.5 emission, a pulverized coal fired (PC) power plant and a
      circulating fluidized bed (CFB) plant were selected for measuring the mass
      concentration and water-soluble ion composition of PM2.5 in flue gas. The results
      showed that the mass concentration of PM2.5 generated from the CFB was much
      higher than that from the PC, while the mass concentrations of PM2.5 emitted from
      these two plants were very similar, because the CFB was equipped with an
      electrostatic-bag precipitator (EBP) with higher PM2.5 removal efficiency than
      the common electrostatic precipitator (ESP). Although the total concentration of
      water-soluble ions in PM2.5 generated from the PC was lower than that from the
      CFB, the total concentration of water-soluble ions in PM2.5 emitted from the PC
      was much higher than that from the CFB, which implied that PM2.5 emission from
      the PC was greatly affected by the flue gas treatment installations. For example,
      the flue gas denitrification system produced H2SO4 mist, part of which reacted
      with the excessive NH3 in the flue gas to form NH4HSO4 in PM2.5 and to increase
      the acidity of PM2.5. In addition, the escaping of desulfurization solution
      during the flue gas desulfurization process could also introduce NH4+ and SO2-
      into PM2.5. Therefore, although the main water-soluble ions in PM2.5 generated
      from both of the plants were Ca2+ and SO(4)2-, the major cation was changed to
      NH4+ when emitted from PC.

PMID- 26489300
TI  - [Direct Observation on the Temporal and Spatial Patterns of the CO2 Concentration
      in the Atmospheric of Nanjing Urban Canyon in Summer].
AB  - Direct observation of urban atmospheric CO2 concentration is vital for the
      research in the contribution of anthropogenic activity to the atmospheric
      abundance since cities are important CO2 sources. The observations of the
      atmospheric CO2 concentration at multiple sites/heights can help us learn more
      about the temporal and spatial patterns and influencing mechanisms. In this
      study, the CO2 concentration was observed at 5 sites (east, west, south, north
      and middle) in the main city area of Nanjing from July 18 to 25, 2014, and the
      vertical profile of atmospheric CO2 concentration was measured in the middle site
      at 3 heights (30 m, 65 m and 110 m). The results indicated that: (1) An obvious
      vertical CO2 gradient was found, with higher CO2 concentration [molar fraction of
      427. 3 x 10(-6) (+/-18. 2 x 10(-6))] in the lower layer due to the strong
      influences of anthropogenic emissions, and lower CO2 concentration in the upper
      layers [411. 8 x 10(-6) (+/-15. 0 x 10(-6)) and 410. 9 x 10(-6) (+/-14. 6 x 10(
      6)) at 65 and 110 m respectively] for the well-mixed condition. The CO2
      concentration was higher and the vertical gradient was larger when the atmosphere
      was stable. (2) The spatial distribution pattern of CO2 concentration was
      dominated by wind and atmospheric stability. During the observation, the CO2
      concentration in the southwest was higher than that in the northeast region with
      the CO2 concentration difference of 7. 8 x 10(-6), because the northwest wind was
      prevalent. And the CO2 concentration difference reduced with increasing wind
      speed since stronger wind diluted CO2 more efficiently. The more stable the
      atmosphere was, the higher the CO2 concentration was. (3) An obvious diurnal
      variation of CO2 concentration was shown in the 5 sites. A peak value occurred
      during the morning rush hours, the valley value occurred around 17:00 (Local
      time) and another high value occurred around 19:00 because of evening rush hour
      sometimes.

PMID- 26489301
TI  - [Emission Factors of Vehicle Exhaust in Beijing].
AB  - Based on the investigation of basic data such as vehicle type composition,
      driving conditions, ambient temperature and oil quality, etc., emission factors
      of vehicle exhaust pollutants including carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides
      (NOx), hydrocarbons (HC) and particulate matter(PM) were calculated using COPERT
      IV model. Emission factors of typical gasoline passenger cars and diesel trucks
      were measured using on-board measurement system on actual road. The measured and
      modeled emission factors were compared and the results showed that: the measured
      emission factors of CO, NOx and HC were 0. 96, 0. 64 and 4. 89 times of the
      modeled data for passenger cars conforming to the national IV emission standard.
      For the light, medium and heavy diesel trucks conforming to the national III
      emission standard, the measured data of CO emission factors were 1.61, 1. 07 and
      1.76 times of the modeled data, respectively, the measured data of NOx emission
      factors were 1. 04, 1. 21 and 1. 18 times of the modeled data, and the measured
      data of HC emission factors were 3. 75, 1. 84 and 1. 47 times of the modeled
      data, while the model data of PM emission factors were 1. 31, 3. 42 and 6. 42
      times of the measured data, respectively.

PMID- 26489302
TI  - [Adsorption Capacity of the Air Particulate Matter in Urban Landscape Plants in
      Different Polluted Regions of Beijing].
AB  - Urban landscape plants, as one of the important factors of the urban ecosystem,
      play an important role in stagnating airborne particulates and purifying urban
      atmospheric environment. In this article, six kinds of common garden plants were
      studied, and aerosol generator (QRJZFSQ-I) was used to measure the ability of
      their leaves to stagnate atmospheric particulates (TSP and PM2.5) in different
      polluted regions. Meanwhile, environmental scanning electron microscope was used
      to observe changes in the leaf structure of the tested tree species. The results
      showed: (1)Among the tested tree species, the ability of coniferous species to
      stagnate atmospheric particulates was higher than that of broad-leaved species
      per unit leaf area. Pinus tabuliformis stagnated the highest volume of (3. 89+/-
      0. 026) ug . m-2, followed by Pinus bungeana of (2. 82 +/- 0. 392) ug . cm-2, and
      Populus tomentosa stagnated the minimum of (2. 00 +/- 0. 118) ug . cm-2; (2)
      Through observing the leaf microstructure morphology, coniferous species were
      found to have tightly packed stomas, stoma density and surface roughness higher
      than those of broad-leaved species, and they could also secrete oil; (3) In
      different polluted regions, the leaves of the same tree species showed
      significant difference in stagnating TSP. Per unit leaf area, the tree species
      leaves situated around the 5th Ring Road had higher ability to absorb TSP than
      the tree species leaves at Botanical Garden, while their abilities to absorb
      PM2.5 showed no significant difference; (4) In different polluted regions,
      significantly adaptive changes were found in leaf structure. Comparing to the
      region with light pollution, the outer epidermal cells of the plant leaves in
      region with heavy pollution shrank, and the roughness of the leaf skin textures
      as well as the stomatal frequency and villous length increased. In spite of the
      significant changes in plant leaves exposed to the heavy pollution, these plants
      could still maintain normal and healthy growth.

PMID- 26489303
TI  - [Major Air Pollutant Emissions of Coal-Fired Power Plant in Yangtze River Delta].
AB  - The emission factor method was used to estimate major air pollutant emissions of
      coal-fired power plant in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region of the year 2012.
      Results showed that emissions of SO2, NOx, dust, PM10, PM2.5 were respectively
      473 238, 1 566 195, 587 713, 348 773 and 179 820 t. For SO2 and NOx, 300 MW and
      above class units made contributions of 85% and 82% in emission; while in the
      respect of dust, PM10 and PM2.5 contribution rates of 100 MW and below class
      units were respectively 81%, 53% and 40%. Considering the regional distribution,
      Jiangsu discharged the most, followed by Zhejiang, Shanghai. According to
      discharge data of several local power plants, we also calculated and made a
      comparative analysis of emission factors in different unit levels in Shanghai,
      which indicated a lower emission level. Assuming an equal level was reached in
      whole YRD, SO2 emission would cut down 55. 8% - 65. 3%; for NOx and dust
      emissions were 50. 5% - 64. 1% and 3. 4% - 11. 3%, respectively. If technologies
      and pollution control of lower class units were improved, the emission cuts would
      improve. However, according to the pollution realities of YRD, we suggested to
      make a multiple-cuts plan, which could effectively improve the reaional
      atmospheric environment.

PMID- 26489304
TI  - [Estimation of N2O Emission from Anhui Croplands by Using a Regional Nitrogen
      Cycling Model IAP-N].
AB  - N2O emissions from seven categories of Anhui croplands in 2011 were estimated by
      using a regional nitrogen cycling model IAP-N. The required statistical data were
      from each city's statistical yearbook in Anhui Province. The emission factors
      were from the published field data. The results showed that total N2O emissions
      from Anhui croplands in 2011 were 35. 1 thousand ton, in which direct and
      indirect N2O emissions were, respectively, 27. 6 thousand ton and 6. 6 thousand
      ton, and N2O emission from residues/straws burning in the field was 800 ton.
      Huaibei Plain (Region I) and Jianghuai Hilly (Region II) were the main
      contribution regions in Anhui, accounting for 41% and 35% of its regional total
      N2O emissions, respectively. The most important source for direct N2O emission is
      the year round upland fields with 74% contribution of the province total direct
      N2O emission. The second important source in Region II and Region III is upland
      cropping season of the rotation fields with rice and upland-crops, accounting for
      19% and 14% , respectively. While in Region IV, the second direct N2O emission
      sources are tea gardens and orchards, accounting for 22%. About two-thirds of the
      indirect N2O were from atmospheric nitrogen deposition. The results can provide a
      scientific basis for policy makers to make agricultural soils GHG mitigation
      measures in Anhui Province, such as reasonable use of fertilizers.

PMID- 26489305
TI  - [Evaluation on the Impacts of Different Background Determination Methods on CO2
      Sources and Sinks Estimation and Seasonal Variations].
AB  - To accurately determine background conditions or extract sources and sinks
      information from the observed atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration is
      crucial for quantitative estimation of regional and global carbon budget and
      future trends of atmospheric CO2. In this study, the synchronized observed
      surface winds and carbon monoxide (CO) concentration have been examined to test
      their effectiveness as filter factors to determine CO2 background conditions at
      Waliguan site. The results show that the surface winds and CO concentrations can
      be used as filter factor in winter, but they are not very effective in summer.
      Three statistical methods, robust estimation of background signal (REBS), Fourier
      transform algorithm (FTA) and a new developed moving average filtering (MAF), are
      applied to atmospheric CO2 background selection. The result suggested that our
      new developed MAF method, which can well estimate the elevated and sequestered
      CO2 concentrations due to using changing and adjusting filter criteria at every
      two-week fitting window, is thus better than the other two statistical methods. A
      good consistency is indicated by the three methods for estimating the elevated
      CO2 caused by local or regional emissions, but it showed large discrepancies when
      determining the sequestered CO2. The result suggested that the three methods can
      reasonable extract those anthropogenic influenced episodes, but only MAF method
      would well identify those episodes due to terrestrial CO2 fluxes. Mean seasonal
      amplitude of atmospheric CO2 at Waliguan during 1995-2008 is 10. 3 x 10(-6)
      estimated by MAF method, which is in good agreement with previous studies.
      Whereas, the seasonal amplitudes derived by REBS method are much lower, only with
      a value of ~9. 1 x 10(-6) during 1995-2008, which will result in an
      underestimation of regional or global CO2 fluxes.

PMID- 26489306
TI  - [Measured and Predicted Aquatic Life Criteria and Risk Assessment of Chromium
      (VI) in Liaohe River].
AB  - In this study, toxicity data of aquatic species in Liaohe River for heavy metal
      chromium (VI) was collected and selected. The aquatic life criteria for chromium
      (VI) in Liaohe River was derived based on these toxicity data. Moreover, water
      samples of 25 sites in Liaohe River were collected, and the concentrations of
      chromium (VI) in these samples were analyzed. Finally, ecological risk assessment
      of chromium (VI) in Liaohe River was performed. Moreover, interspecies
      correlation estimation method (ICE) established by US EPA was used to predict the
      acute toxicity of species in Liaohe River, and aquatic life criteria based on
      predicted toxicity data was derived. The results showed that: the measured CMC
      (criteria maximum concentration), measured CCC (criteria continuous
      concentration) and the predicted CMC were 17. 73, 12. 15 and 13. 97 ug . L -1,
      respectively. Therefore, the ICE method could be used to predict the aquatic life
      criteria, because the predicted criteria value was very similar to the measured
      criteria value. Analysis of chromium (V) showed that the chromium (VI)
      concentrations of the 25 sites in Liaohe River were all below Class I or Class II
      water quality standards (GB 3838-2002), and the water quality was in good
      condition. However, for the potential risk of chromium (VI) exposure to the
      aquatic life of Liaohe River, the result of ecological risk assessment showed
      that chromium (V) concentrations in 7 sites exceeded the CCC in July, and
      chromium (VI) concentrations in 6 sites exceeded the CCC in December. Therefore,
      unacceptable effect on aquatic species caused by chromium (VI) exposure might
      have occurred in some sites of Liaohe River.

PMID- 26489307
TI  - [Pollution and Potential Ecology Risk Evaluation of Heavy Metals in River Water,
      Top Sediments on Bed and Soils Along Banks of Bortala River, Northwest China].
AB  - This paper focuses on the sources, pollution status and potential ecology risks
      of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Hg, As, Cd, Pb, and Zn) in the surface water, top
      sediment of river bed and soil along banks of Bortala River, which locates in the
      oasis region of Xinjiang, northwest China. Results showed that: (1) As a whole,
      contents of 7 tested heavy metals of Bortala River were low, while the maximum
      values of Hg, Cd, Pb, and Cr in the river water were significantly higher than
      those of Secondary Category of the Surface Water Quality Standards of People's
      Republic of China (GB 3838-2002) and Drinking Water Guideline from WHO. Analysis
      showed that the heavy metals contents of top sediment on river bed and soils
      along river banks were significantly higher than those of the river water.
      (Correlation analysis and enrichment factor (EF) calculation showed that in the
      river water, top sediment on river bed and soils along river banks, Hg, Cd, Pb,
      and Cr mainly originated from industrial emissions, urban and rural anthropogenic
      activities, transportation and agricultural production activities; While Cu, Zn,
      and As mainly originated from natural geological background and soil parent
      materials. (3) Pollution assessment showed that in three matrices, the single
      factor pollution index(Pi) and the integrated pollution index (Pz) of 7 heavy
      metals were all lower than 1, and they all belonged to safe and clean levels. (4)
      Potential ecology risk evaluation showed that as a whole the single factor
      potential ecological risk (Eir) and the integrated potential ecology risks (RI)
      of 7 heavy metals were relatively low, and would not cause threats to the health
      of water and soil environment of river basin, while the potential ecology risks
      of Cd, Hg, Pb, and Cr were significantly higher than those of other heavy metals.

PMID- 26489308
TI  - [Influencing Factors for Hydrochemistry and delta13CDIC of Karst Springs].
AB  - To gain more knowledge on the change of karst spring and its influencing factors,
      the hydrochemistry and delta13CDIC of Baishuwan spring, Lanhuagou spring and
      Hougou spring were monitored in rainy season (from June 2014 to October 2014) and
      contrasted with the results obtained in dry season. The results showed that more
      carbonate rock was dissolved and less CO2 was consumed in rainy season. And for
      Lanhuagou spring and Hougou spring, the CO2 consumption was less than the
      production. Compared to other months in rainy season, the least carbonate rock
      dissolution and the most CO2 consumption were observed in July 2014. Influenced
      by hydrodynamic condition, carbonate rock dissolved by HNO3 and H2SO4 increased
      while that dissolved by H2CO3 decreased during the rainy season. The delta13CDIC
      increased due to the HNO3 and H2SO4 dissolution of carbonate rock and the
      dehydration of HCO3-. Therefore, delta13CDIC correlated negatively to HCO3-
      concentration and positively to NO3- + SO(4)2- concentration. It was indicated
      that the hydrochemistry and delta13CDIC of karst springs were affected by the
      HNO3, H2SO4 and hydrodynamic condition.

PMID- 26489309
TI  - [Hydrochemical Characteristics and the Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Flux in Liuzhou
      Section of Liujiang Basin].
AB  - An important aspect of the current global change research is using river chemical
      composition to reveal the chemical weathering process and its effect of carbon
      sink. In this study, water samples were collected and analyzed 2 ~3 times per
      month from January to December in 2013. The hydrochemistry belonged to HCO3-Ca
      type. Ca+ and HCO3- were the main cation and anion, which reflected that the
      hydrochemical characteristics of river were mainly affected by the dissolution of
      carbonate rock. The concentration of main ions varied with the seasons, which
      reflected that the crest value occurred in winter, followed by those in autumn
      and spring, and the lowest value was observed in summer. Due to the interaction
      of effect of dilution and effect of C2, the seasonal variation of Ca2+ and HCO3-
      showed that the highest value was in autumn and the lowest value was in summer.
      The seasonal variation law of other ions should be attributed to the effect of
      dilution or agricultural activities or combined action of them. Both carbonic
      acid and sulfuric acid took part in the chemical weathering of carbonate rocks as
      evidenced by stoichiometric analysis. Besides, the delta34S of sulfate ion of the
      river waters (delta34S: from 7. 65 per thousand to 8. 55 per thousand) showed
      that SO2- was originated mainly from oxidation of sulfide minerals in ore
      deposits and acid rain. Chemical mass balance method was applied to estimate the
      proportion of HCO- coming from carbonate weathering by sulfuric acid. The result
      was 28. 26% . On this basis, the total carbon flux of carbon ( by CO2
      calculation) in Liuzhou section calculated month by month was about 8. 95 x 10(5)
      t . a-1. What's more, the carbon flux showed a positive correlation with flow,
      which implied that the discharge of catchment was the main influencing factor of
      carbon flux rather than the HCO3- concentration.

PMID- 26489310
TI  - [Characteristics of Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus Pollution and
      Eutrophication Assessment of Secondary River in Urban Chongqing].
AB  - To understand the secondary river quality in Chongqing urban area, six typical
      secondary rivers were chosen to investigate the pollution characteristics of
      total nitrogen and total phosphorus and to evaluate the water eutrophication
      level according to the monitoring data of water physicochemical characteristics
      and chlorophyll content from April 2013 to March 2014. The study results showed
      that: the six rivers mentioned above have been seriously polluted by TN and TP,
      with the monthly mean values of TN and TP far exceeding the universally accepted
      threshold values of water eutrophication. Water eutrophicaton appraisal result
      indicated that all rivers in each season were in a state of eutrophication, and
      the eutrophication level could be arranged in the order of Panxi River > Qingshui
      River > Tiaodeng River > Huaxi River > Funiu River > Chaoyang River. The seasonal
      changes in TN and TP of secondary rivers were significant, with high
      concentrations of TN and TP in spring and winter, and lower concentrations in
      summer and autumn. TN and TP of the rivers showed a trend of increasing from the
      upstream to the downstream in each season. Pollutant concentration accumulated
      gradually along rivers and the maximum accumulation rate reached 1. 25 mg . (L .
      km) -1. Therefore, further study on urban secondary river pollution
      characteristics is of great significance to urban water pollution control.

PMID- 26489311
TI  - [Static Migration and Release of Dibutyl-Phthalate in the Fluctuating Zone of
      Three Gorges Reservoir].
AB  - Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) have received increasing attention in recent years
      due to their widespread use and hazards to human health and fertility in the
      environment. In order to understand the migration and release processes of
      organic pollutants in huge fluctuating zone soil, Dibutyl-phthalate(DBP) was
      chosen as a typical substance, and its migration and release characteristics in
      the fluctuating zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir to overlying water and the
      impacts of DBP concentration in the soil, ionic strength and the concentration of
      organic mater in overlying water on the process were studied using static
      flooding method. The results showed that DBP migrated from the soil to the
      overlying water in the early days after flooding, and the release process of DBP
      was divided into two phases: one was quick release with a relatively short
      releasing time and a rapid releasing rate; the other was slow release with a
      relatively long releasing time and a slow releasing rate. The migration and
      release processes were well fitted by two-compartment first-order kinetics. After
      different concentrations DBP were added into soil, the rate of quick release
      increased with the increasing DBP concentrations in soil while the percent of
      quick release decreased with the increasing DBP concentrations. The results of
      rate of slow release and the percent of slow release were on the contrary. The
      water conditions of overlying water could impact the migration and releasing
      process of DBP when the soil in fluctuating zone was flooded. The amount of DBP
      released into the overlying water would increase when the ionic strength in the
      water increased. At the same time, when the ionic strength increased, in spite of
      the decreasing quick release rate, the percent of quick release increased. The
      higher concentration of organic matter in overlying water, the more the amount of
      DBP released into the overlying water. At the same time, all of the rates of
      quick release, slow release and the percent of quick release would increase with
      the increasing concentrations of organic matter, while there was almost no
      influence on the percent of slow release of DBP.

PMID- 26489312
TI  - [Effect of Drought and Subsequent Re-wetting Cycles on Transferable Nitrogen and
      Its Form Distribution in the Sediment of Water Level Fluctuating Zone in the
      Tributary of Three Gorge Reservoir Areas].
AB  - Nitrogen is the most comment source of eutrophication in freshwater systems. In
      current study, we investigated the various forms of transferable nitrogen in
      sediments, which potentially contributed to the nitrogen output into waters.
      Sediments samples were collected in the water level fluctuating zone of Pengxi
      River crossing three hydrological sections, e. g. upstream, midstream and
      downstream and two water level altitudes, 160 m and 170 m, with multiple depths
      for each site, 0-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-80, 80-100 cm. To characterize the response
      of transformation of nitrogen in sediment of the water level fluctuating zone
      towards cycles of drought and re-wetting processes, we analyzed the content and
      distribution of transferable nitrogen (TF-N) and its forms. The result showed
      that the changing of the amount of total nitrogen followed the pattern of
      upstream > midstream > downstream, the mean value was in the range of 313.02-3
      255.53 mg. kg-1, while the content of total transferable nitrogen was on an
      average of 639.40 mg . kg-1 and coincided with the pattern of total nitrogen. In
      addition, TF-N followed the pattern of OSF-N > IMOF-N > OSF-N > IEF-N. It
      indicated that both OSF-N and IMOF-N dominated the form of TF-N in sediments by
      proportions of 50. 9% and 33. 3%, respectively. Since the transformation rate of
      OSF-N into dissolved phase was relatively slow, its contribution as a source of
      nitrogen to eutrophication was limited. We, thus, concluded that IMOF-N was the
      most important fraction which could be potentially affected by water fluctuation
      and contributed as dissolved nitrogen into water phase. This study indicated that
      the manner of manipulating water resource in the Three Gorges Reservoir area has
      raised the potential risk of transforming IMOF-N from sediment into water phase.

PMID- 26489313
TI  - [Distribution of Chlorophyll-a and Eutrophication State in Tianchi Lake of
      Tianshan Mountains in Summer].
AB  - From June to August in 2014, the distributions of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and
      correlations with environmental factors were investigated, the eutrophication
      status and causes were discussed in Tianchi Lake of Tianshan Mountains. The
      results showed that the Chl-a concentrations ranged from 2. 11 to 4. 06 ug. L -1
      with a mean value of (2. 8 +/- 0. 69) ug . L-1 in summer, the vertical
      distribution of Chl-a in different monitoring zones had a similar characteristic
      that the Chl-a concentration in epilimnionis (2-12 m) was higher than those at
      the surface (0-2 m) and hypolimnion (below 12 m). The Chl-a concentration had
      significant negative correlations with depth and conductivity, significant
      positive correlations with water temperature, pH value, the concentration of
      dissolved oxygen, the cell density of algae and TP, and less correlation with TN.
      The mean concentrations of TN and TP in Tianchi Lake in summer were 0.27 mg . L-1
      and 0.035 mg. L-1 respectively, both of which exceeded the international
      standards of general eutrophic lakes. The modified Carlson trophic state index
      was used to assess the eutrophication status of Tianchi Lake, which is currently
      at a moderate eutrophication level. The reasons might be the increased nutrients
      attributed to soil erosion, and algae blooms due to the changes in the
      composition of hydrobios. Therefore, it is important to use ecological
      restoration and management to protect the water quality and surrounding
      vegetation, which may mitigate the risk of eutrophication in Tianchi Lake.

PMID- 26489314
TI  - [Vertical Distribution Characteristics and Analysis in Sediments of Xidahai
      Lake].
AB  - The organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), the
      morphological changes of phosphorus and the particle size in columnar sediment
      core of Xidahai Lake were analyzed, to discuss the vertical distribution
      characteristics and influencing factors. The results showed that the contents of
      OM, TN and TP were 0. 633% -2. 756%, 0. 150% -0. 429% and 648. 00 - 1 480.67 mg .
      kg-1 respectively. The contents of Ca-P, IP and OM changed less, the contents of
      Fe/Al-P, OP, TP and TN fluctuated from 1843 to 1970; The contents of Ca-P, IP and
      TP tended to decrease, the contents of Fe/Al-P, OP and OM first decreased and
      then increased to different degree, TN fluctuated largely from 1970 to 1996; The
      nutrient elements contents showed relatively large fluctuation from 1996 to 2009,
      the average contents of Fe/Al-P, OP and OM were the highest in the three stages.
      The sediment core nutrients pollution sources were mainly from industrial
      wastewater, sewage and the loss of fertilizers of Xidahai Lake. The ratio of C/N
      in the sediments showed that organic matter was mainly from aquatic organisms.
      The sediment particle size composition was dominated by clay and fine silt. The
      correlation studies showed that Ca-P, IP and TP were significantly positively
      correlated, showing that the contribution of Ca-P to IP and TP growth was large.

PMID- 26489315
TI  - [Phytoplankton Community Structure and Water Quality Assessment in Jialing River
      After the Impoundment of Caojie Reservoir].
AB  - The variation of phytoplankton community and the water quality in Jialing River
      after the impoundment of Caojie Reservoir was studied in this paper. There were
      145 species of phytoplankton under the membership of 8 divisions and 74 genera.
      Bacillariophyta was the first dominant division, with a total of 57 species of 23
      genera, accounted for 39. 3% of total phytoplankton species, followed by
      Chlorophyta, with 53 species of 28 genera and accounted for 36. 6%. Only 35
      species of 23 genera belonged to Euglenphyta, Cryptophyta, Pyrrophyta,
      Chrysophyta, and Cyanophyta. The average phytoplankton abundance was 1. 82 x
      10(5)cell . L-1, and the top three taxon of most abundant were Bacillariophyta,
      Cryptophyta and Pyrrophyta, accounted for 39. 2%, 29. 9%, and 24. 5% of total
      abundance, respectively. The cell abundance in spring was significantly higher
      than those in other seasons. The dominant species included Aulacoseria granulata,
      Melosira varians, Peridiniopsis niei, Komma caudata, Cryptomonas erosa etc.,
      indicated by the dominant index. Excluded by cluster analysis, the influence on
      phytoplankton had initially emerged after the impoundment of Caojie Reservoir.
      The reservoir area could be divided into different ecological regions
      longitudinally after Caojie Reservoir impoundment, which had an important impact
      on the phytoplankton. Meanwhile, the phytoplankton and flow velocity between
      upstream and downstream of the dam significantly varied. Shannon-Wiener species
      diversity index, Margalef species richness index and Pielous evenness index
      ranged 2. 06 - 3. 55, 0. 76 - 1. 90 and 0. 50 - 0. 78, respectively. The
      evaluation results of phytoplankton community structure showed that the eutrophic
      state was at medium eutrophication level, while diversity analysis results
      indicated light to moderate pollution.

PMID- 26489316
TI  - [Analysis of Prokaryotic Community Structure in River Waters of the Ningbo
      Sanjiang Mouth].
AB  - The prokaryotic community structure in river waters of the Ningbo Sanjiang Mouth
      was analyzed for the first time using 16S rRNA gene based-Illumina Miseq high
      throughput sequencing. A total of 215 504 high-quality sequences were obtained,
      and the results of alpha-diversity analysis revealed that Yongjiang River
      Watershed (YRW) harbored high diversity and richness of prokaryotic communities.
      Taxonomic assignment analysis indicated that beta-Proteobacterium, Actinobacteria
      and Bacteroidetes dominated in the river water of YRW, and accounted for 78. 88%
      of the total prokaryotic communities. Hydrological condition may play an
      important role in influencing the composition and structure of YRW prokaryotic
      community. In addition, several kinds of sewer- and fecal-pollution indicator
      bacterial groups were observed in this area with the highest abundance of
      pollution indicator bacteria occurring in the water sample of Yuyao River,
      implying that the Yuyao River might have a high potential risk of sewer- and
      fecal-pollution. Moreover, a total of 76 species and 18 subspecies of potential
      pathogenic bacteria, which accounted for 2. 19% and 0. 40% of total sequences
      respectively, were identified using BLASTN analysis with a local pathogenic
      bacteria database. Overall, this study provided an important basic data for
      shedding light on the structure and ecological function of YRW prokaryotic
      community.

PMID- 26489317
TI  - [Effects of Perfluoroalkyl Substances on the Microbial Community Structure in
      Surface Sediments of Typical River, China].
AB  - In order to reveal the relationship between Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)
      contamination and the bacterial community composition, surface sediment samples
      were collected along the Xiaoqing River in Shandong Province in April and July
      2014 (XQ1-XQ10), where many PFASs manufacturers were located. PFASs were
      quantified by HPLC/MS-MS, related environmental factors affecting the microbial
      community structure were measured, and the microbial community structure in
      surface sediments was measured by the second-generation sequencing technology
      Illumina MiSeq. The results not only revealed the degree of PFASs pollution in
      the sediments of Xiaoqing River, but also illustrated the relationship between
      PFASs pollution and the microbial community structure. Among the twelve kinds of
      PFASs detected in this study, PFOA was the predominant compound, and the highest
      PFOA concentrations were detected in the sample of XQ5 (April: 456. 2 ng. g-1;
      July: 748.7 ng . g-1) located at the downstream of Xiaoqing River with many
      fluoropolymer producing facilities. PFOA contamination was the main factor
      affecting the microbial community structure in April, accordingly community
      richness and evenness were significantly negatively correlated with PFOA levels.
      The abundance of Thiobacillus increased with the increasing PFOA concentration in
      the sediment PFOA. This suggested that Thiobacillus was sensitive to PFOA
      pollution and might be the potential indicator to reveal the degree of PFOA
      pollution in sediment. When the concentrations of PFOA were below 100 ng . g-1,
      no significant effects on the microbial community structure were observed.

PMID- 26489318
TI  - [Coupling Effects of Decomposed Potamogeton crispus and Growing Ceratophyllum
      demersum on Water Quality and Plant Growth].
AB  - In order to study the coupling effects of decomposed Potamogeton crispus (P.
      crispus) and growing Ceratophyllum demersum (C. demersum) on water quality and
      the effects of different decomposed biomass on plant growth, the simulating
      experiments for seasonal changes of submerged macrophytes were conducted. The
      results indicated that the nutrient concentrations in water remained at a
      relatively low level with different decomposed biomass and they remained stable
      after 29 days of the experiment. The concentrations of total dissolved nitrogen
      (DTN), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorous (TP), total dissolved phosphorous
      (DTP), organic carbon (TOC) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) were lower than 0. 514, 0.
      559, 0. 080, 0. 014, 13. 94 and 26. 546 mg . L-1, respectively. The obvious
      improving effects on water quality were observed under coupling condition of
      decomposition and growth, especially when the treatment of decomposed P. crispus
      was 20 g, and the removal efficiency of TN, DTN, TP, DTP, TOC and Chl-a reached
      89. 67% , 52. 51%, 94. 99%, 55. 59% and 98. 55%, respectively. Compared with the
      physiology of C. demersum in the early stage, the contents of total chlorophyll,
      soluble protein and malondialdehyde all increased under different decomposed
      biomass conditions, which suggested that the nutrient released from decomposed P.
      crispus promoted the growth of C. demersum. The coupling effects between P.
      crispus decomposition and C. demersum growth showed better improving effect on
      water quality and growth of C. demersum with treatment of 20 g decomposed P.
      crispus.

PMID- 26489319
TI  - [Bioretention Media Screening for the Removal of Phosphorus in Urban Stormwater].
AB  - Urban runoff is an increasingly important source of excess phosphorus (P) to
      local receiving waters. Bioretention, a promising technology for urban stormwater
      pollution treatment, was investigated to determine whether the mixture of purple
      soil and sand could adsorb sufficient P at low concentrations in urban
      stormwater. The TP concentrations of urban runoff from variously impervious areas
      in Chongqing City ranged from 0. 04 to 7. 00 mg . L-1 (mean +/- S. D. = 0. 75 mg
      . L-1 +/- 1. 08 mg . L-1); the TDP concentrations ranged from 0. 02-0. 46 mg . L
      1 ( mean +/- S. D. = 0. 15 mg . L-1 +/- 0. 10 mg . L-1). The media adsorption
      benchmark was determined for a bioretention facility sized at 10% of the 100%
      impervious catchment area and having 10 years of capacity according to annual
      rainfall pattern and the runoff TDP range. The media benchmark for adsorption was
      calculated as 7. 5 mg . kg-1 at soluble P concentration of 0. 30 mg . L-1 which
      provided the necessary stormwater treatment. The oxalate-extractable aluminum and
      iron content influenced the P sorption capacity for neutral and acid purple
      soils. A strong positive linear relationship was observed between the oxalate
      ratio [OR = (Alox + Feox)/Pox] and media P sorption capacity. The media mixture
      of 20% purple soil and 80% sand showed excellent P removal, meeting the developed
      benchmark for adsorptive behavior. The media mixture in a large-scale (60 cm)
      column consistently produced soluble reactive phosphorus effluent event with mean
      concentrations <0. 05 mg . L-1. The media mixture of purple soil and sand can be
      used as a bioretention media to treat low-concentration phosphorus in urban
      runoff under various hydrologic and pollutant concentration conditions.

PMID- 26489320
TI  - [Treatment of Urban Runoff Pollutants by a Multilayer Biofiltration System].
AB  - In order to control the non-point source pollution from road runoff in Wuxi City
      effectively, a multilayer biofiltration system was designed to remove a variety
      of pollutants according to the characteristics of road runoff in Wuxi, and the
      experimental research was carried out to study the effect on rainwater pollution
      purification. The results show that the system has a good performance on removing
      suspended solids (SS), organic pollutant (COD), nitrogen and phosphorus: all
      types of multilayer biofiltration systems have a high removal rate for SS, which
      can reach 90%. The system with activated carbon (GAC) has higher removal rates
      for COD and phosphorus. The system with zeolite (ZFM) has a relatively better
      removal efficiency for nitrogen. The addition of wood chips in the system can
      significantly improve the system efficiency for nitrogen removal. Between the two
      configurations of layered and distributed wood chips, configurations of
      distributed wood chips reach higher COD, phosphorus and nitrogen pollutants
      removal efficiencies since they can reduce the release of wood chips dissolution.

PMID- 26489321
TI  - [Effect of Three Typical Disinfection Byproducts on Bacterial Antibiotic
      Resistance].
AB  - The effect of typical disinfection byproducts (DBPs) on bacterial antibiotic
      resistance was investigated in this study. chlorodibromomethane (CDBM),
      iodoacetic acid (IAA) and chloral hydrate (CH) were selected, which belong to
      trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs) and aldehydes, respectively.
      After exposure to the selected DBPs, the resistance change of the tested strains
      to antibiotics was determined. As a result, all of the three DBPs induced
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 to gain increased resistance to the five antibiotics
      tested, and the DBPs ranked as IAA > CH > CDBM according to their enhancement
      effects. Multidrug resistance could also be enhanced by treatment with IAA. The
      same result was observed in Escherichia coli K12, suggesting that the effect of
      DBPs on antibiotic resistance was a common phenomenon. The mechanism was probably
      that DBPs stimulated oxidative stress, which induced mutagenesis. And the
      antibiotic resistance mutation frequency could be increased along with
      mutagenesis. This study revealed that the acquisition of bacterial antibiotic
      resistance might be related to DBPs in drinking water systems. Besides the
      genotoxicological risks, the epidemiological risks of DBPs should not be
      overlooked.

PMID- 26489322
TI  - [Laboratory Investigation of DNAPL Migration Behavior and Distribution at Varying
      Flow Velocities Based on Light Transmission Method].
AB  - The migration and distribution of dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAFL) in
      subsurtace are attectea ny many factors. We selected PCE as the substitute
      contaminant, and performed several well-controlled two-dimensional sandbox
      experiments to investigate the effect of flow velocity on DNAPL infiltration and
      redistribution. Light transmission method (LTM) was used to monitor the transport
      process of DNAPL in the sandbox and quantitatively measure DNAPL saturation. The
      spatial moments based on measured DNAPL saturation were used to describe the
      average spatial behavior of DNAPL plume at various times. Experimental results
      showed a strong correlation between results obtained by LTM and the known amounts
      of DNAPL added into the sandbox (R2 >0.98). The LTM accurately reflected the
      infiltration and redistribution processes. The results of DNAPL saturation and
      first moment (mass center) showed that the increased velocity promoted not only
      lateral but also vertical migration, leading to an inclined percolation path.
      Also vertical migration reacted more sensitive to flow velocity. The second
      moment (spread variance) showed that the increased velocity promoted lateral and
      vertical spread, increasing the pollution scope. The histogram of DNAPL
      saturation showed a unimodal distribution at low flow velocity, but showed a
      bimodal distribution at lager flow velocity, and the distance between two peaks
      became higher with the increasing flow velocity.

PMID- 26489323
TI  - [Comparative Study of Benzotriazole Electrochemical Oxidation at Boron-doped
      Diamond and PbO2 Anodes].
AB  - Electrochemical systems were built to investigate the degradation of
      benzotriazole (BTA) on boron-doped diamond (BUU) and PbO2 anodes and give an
      insight into the mineralization ability of two electrodes in terms of the amount
      and activity of hydroxyl radicals. Results of bulk electrolysis showed that both
      BDD and PbO2 displayed perfect BTA degradation performance after 12 hours'
      electrolysis, with the removal percentages of 99. 48% and 98. 36%, respectively,
      while the mineralization ability of BDD was much stronger than that of PbO2, with
      the efficiency of 87. 69% for BDD and 35. 96% for PbO2. Less hydroxyl radical and
      hydrogen production in BDD system suggested the less amount of active sites on
      BDD surface, thus further verified that the generated hydroxyl radical amount was
      not the primary factor determining the mineralization ability of anodes. However,
      BDD displayed larger binding energy of adsorbed oxygen and thinner adsorption
      layer than those of PbO2, indicating that the BDD electrode surface was of
      greater catalytic activity, thus the generated hydroxyl radicals were more free,
      which was the key to its better mineralization ability.

PMID- 26489324
TI  - [Sorption of o-Phthalate onto Calcite in Open-System].
AB  - The batch sorption methods were deployed to study the sorpti of p-phthalate on
      calcite in open-system. Results show that: (1) The o-phthalate sorption reached
      the equilibrium within 3 hours. Both pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order
      models described the kinetic characteristics well; (2) The o-phthalate sorption
      rate decreased with pH (7. 7-9.7). This phenomenon was due to the competition
      effect of HCO3- and CO(3)2-, and the electrostatic effect on the surface; (3) The
      o-phthalate sorption rate also decreased with the increase in ionic strength.
      This was due to the rise in concentration of HCO3- and CO(3)2- induced by salt
      effect; (4) Compared with m-phthalate and p-phthalate, o-phthalate sorption rate
      was much higher due to the proximity of its two carboxyl groups which easily
      formed a chelate ring of surface complex. By studying the factors that influence
      o-phthalate sorption onto calcite, the sorption mechanism can be well understood.
      This mechanism can be applied in the removal of o-phthalate from the environment.

PMID- 26489325
TI  - [Adsorption Behaviors of Lead on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube-Hydroxyapatite
      Composites].
AB  - Multi-walled carbon nanotube-hydroxyapatite composites (MWCNT-HAP) were employed
      as the sorbent to study the sorption characteristic of Pb (II) using batch
      experiments. Effects of dosage of adsorbent, pH, ionic strength, contact time,
      initial concentration of lead and temperature were investigated. The results
      indicated that the removal of lead to MWCNT-HAP composites was strongly dependent
      on dosage of adsorbent, pH, temperature, and independent of ionic strength. The
      maximum adsorption capacity of lead was about 716. 13 mg.g-1 at 20 degrees C,
      with a solid/liquid ratio of 0.08 g.L-1, pH0 = 5.5 and an initial concentration
      of 100 mg.L-1. The adsorption of Pb(II) on MWCNT-HAP composites was a fast
      process and could reach the equilibrium within 60 minutes. Ninety percent of the
      maximum adsorption capacity could be reached in 30 minutes. The kinetic data were
      fitted to pseudo-second-order kinetic model reasonably well. The kinetic sorption
      of Pb(II) on MWCNT-HAP was well described by pseudo-second-order kinetic model.
      The negative free energy calculated from the temperature dependent sorption
      isotherms suggested that the sorption of Pb(II) on MWCNT-HAP composites was a
      spontaneous process, and high temperature favored the adsorption process. The
      higher correlation coefficient values (R2 = 0. 999 8 - 1. 000 0) of Langmuir
      isotherm model at different temperatures suggested that Langmuir model could be
      used to simulate the sorption of Pb(II) on MWCNT-HAP. The adsorption mechanism
      mainly involves surface complexation between the lead ions and the surface oxygen
      containing functional groups of the MWCNT-HAP, dissolution of HAP and
      precipitation of pyromorphite [Pb10 (PO4)6 (OH) 2], ion exchange reaction between
      Pb2+ and Ca2+ of hydroxyapatite.

PMID- 26489326
TI  - [Synthesis and Study on Adsorption Property of Congo Red Molecularly Imprinted
      Polymer Nanospheres].
AB  - Molecularly imprinted polymer nanospheres (MIP) were prepared with Congo red as
      the template, methacrylic acid (MAA) as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol
      dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the cross linker, azodiisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an
      initiator, and acetonitrile as the porogen by precipitation polymerization. The
      morphology of MIP was characterized by SEM and TEM which showed that the diameter
      of MIP was nanometer grade (90 nm) and the shape was homogeneous. The specific
      surface area and pore volumes of MIP and NIP were examined through Brunauer-Emett
      Teller method of nitrogen adsorption experiments. Then, the adsorption and
      selective recognition ability of MIPs were evaluated using the equilibrium
      rebinding experiments. The results indicated that the prepared MIP showed a good
      selectivity recognition ability to its template. It concluded that MIP could be
      employed as an effective material for removing Congo red from waste water.

PMID- 26489327
TI  - [Simultaneous Removal of Cd (II) and Phenol by Titanium Dioxide-Titanate
      Nanotubes Composite Nanomaterial Synthesized Through Alkaline-Acid Hydrothermal
      Method].
AB  - A composite nanomaterial, TiO2/TNTs, was synthesized by TiO2 (P25) through
      alkaline and acid hydrothermal reaction, which possessed both titanate nanotubes
      (TNTs) and TiO2 phase. It was found that the adsorption kinetics of Cd(II) onto
      TiO2/TNTs was very quick, and the adsorption could reach the equilibrium within
      30 min. In addition, the maximum adsorption capacity of Cd(II) was as large as
      120. 34 mg.g-1 calculated from Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorption mechanism
      of Cd(II) was ion-exchange between Cd2+ and Na+/H+ located in the interlayers of
      TNTs. However, the adsorption capacity of phenol on TiO2/TNTs was so small that
      the photocatalysis for phenol degradation was needed. In the adsorption
      photocatalysis system, the removal efficiencies of Cd(II) and phenol could reach
      up to 99. 6% and 99.7%, respectively. Especially, removal of Cd(II) was
      attributed to adsorption by TNTs of the composite nanomaterial, while removal of
      phenol was resulted from photocatalytic reaction by the TiO2 phase. Moreover, the
      co-existing Cd(II) enhanced the photocatalytic degradation of phenol due to the
      enhancement on photocatalytic activity of TiO2/TNTs after Cd(II) was adsorbed. Co
      existing Na+ did not show obvious effect on the co-removal of Cd(II) and phenol
      by TiO2/TNTs, but adsorption of Cd(II) was inhibited in the presence of Ca2+ as
      it could compete for the adsorption sites and enhance the aggregation of the
      material. Furthermore, TiO2/TNTs could be efficiently reused after desorption via
      HNO3 and regeneration via NaOH, and the removal efficiencies of Cd(II) and phenol
      were still as high as 91. 7% and 98. 1% even after three cycles. This study
      proposed a method to synthesize a material which had both adsorptive and
      photocatalytic performance, and it was of great importance for application of
      nanomaterials in the simultaneous removal of heavy metals and organic pollutants.

PMID- 26489328
TI  - [Immobilization of Estrogen-degrading Bacteria to Remove the 17beta-estradiol and
      Diethylstilbestrol from Polluted Water and Cow Dung].
AB  - Estradiol (E2) and diethylstilbestrol (DES) can be enriched in sewage and cow
      dung, posing serious threats to human and ecological health. Strain Rhodococcus
      sp. JX-2 and strain Serratia sp. S, which could degrade 17beta-estradiol and
      diethylstilbestrol, respectively, were immobilized by alginate and then added
      into sewage and cow dung to remove E2 and DES. The immobilization was determined
      by orthogonal experiment, and the removal of E2 and DES from sewage and cow dung
      was compared between treatments of immobilized bacteria, free bacteria and
      control without bacteria. The influencing factors including inoculation amount,
      pH value, moisture content, turning time on the removal of E2 and DES were
      investigated. The optimal conditions of JX-2 and S immobilization were as
      follows: Strain JX-2: strain S (V/V) 1: 1, alginate concentration 5%, calcium
      chloride concentration 4%, bacteria-cement ratio 1 : 2. The immobilized strains
      removed 99. 42% and 84. 59% of the 2 mg.L-1 E2 and DES under laboratory
      conditions, respectively. The optimal conditions for E2 and DES removal from
      water by the immobilized strains were as follows: 300 g.L-1 inoculation volume of
      immobilized strains and pH 5. 0-6. 0. Immobilized bacteria could completely
      remove DES and remove 95. 85% of E2 from water. The optimal conditions for E2 and
      DES removal from cow dung by the immobilized strains were: inoculation volume 600
      g.kg-1, moisture content 70% and pile turning time 12 h. The immobilized bacteria
      could completely remove E2 and remove 97. 41% of DES from cow dung.

PMID- 26489329
TI  - [Optoelectronic PCB Wastewater Treatment by Partial Nitrification-ANAMMOX
      Integrative Reactor].
AB  - The feasibility and operating characteristics of treatment of printed circuit
      board (PCB) wastewater by using autotrophic nitrogen removal process in partial
      nitrification and ANAMMOX integrative reactor were investigated. The reactor had
      startup successfully and achieved the stable nitrogen removal efficiency. The
      results showed that, after 80d operation, the nitrogen removal rate increased and
      was up to 1. 29 kg . (m3 . d)-1, the effluent NH4+-N and NO2- -N were decreased
      and stabilized at 4. 0 mg . L -1, 9. 8 mg . L-1 respectively, when the influent
      concentration of NH4+-N maintained at 220 mg . L -1. At the same time, the
      concentration of total nitrogen was less than 50 mg . L-1 in effluent, which meet
      the quality emissions requirements. The NO2- -N production rate was up to 2. 05
      kg . (m3 . d)-1 by nitrite bacteria in aerobic zone, and the highest nitrogen
      removal rate was 2. 91 kg . (m3 . d) -1 by ANAMMOX. bacteria in anaerobic zone,
      which illuminated functional bacteria were steadily grown in the corresponding
      region. The inorganic ammmonia in PCB wastewater could be removed by autotrophic
      nitrogen removal process in nitrification and ANAMMOX integrative reactor.

PMID- 26489330
TI  - [Treatment of Petrochemical Treatment Plant Secondary Effluent by Fenton
      Oxidation].
AB  - Fenton oxidation was applied to treat the petrochemical treatment plant secondary
      effluent by the continuous flow configuration. The effect of Fenton agent dosage
      on the COD and phosphorus removal and the variation of the dissolved organic
      matter characteristics during the treatment process were investigated. The
      results showed the average COD and PO(4)3- -P concentrations were 64.8 mg.L-1 and
      0. 79 mg.L-1, respectively. When the dosage of H2O (30%), FeSO4.7H2O and PAM were
      0. 4 mL.L-1, 0. 8 mg.L-1 and 0. 9 mg.L-1 and the residence time was 30 min, the
      average removal rate of COD and PO(4)3- -P were 24. 3% and 95. 5% respectively.
      The effluent COD was lower than 50 mg.L-1. The percentage of dissolved organic
      matters with molecular weight less than 1 x 10(3) was 80. 4% in the raw
      wastewater, however, the percentage increased to 95. 6% when treated by Fenton
      oxidation. Three-dimensional fluorescence analysis showed that the Fenton
      oxidation can effectively remove protein and phenols. GC-MS results showed that
      there were about 117 kinds of organic matters detected in the secondary effluent,
      while the number reduced to 27 after oxidation by Fenton. The organics containing
      unsaturated bond had a better removal than those of other types of organics.
      Fenton oxidation can be used in the advanced treatment of petrochemical secondary
      effluent.

PMID- 26489331
TI  - [Comprehensive Toxicity Evaluation and Toxicity Identification Used in Tannery
      and Textile Wastewaters].
AB  - To better evaluate the toxicity of tannery and textile effluents from various
      emission stages, the research attempted battery of toxicological bioassays and
      toxicological indices. The bioassays employed Microtox test, zebra fish embryo
      larval test and algae (Chlorella vulgaris) test. Meanwhile, toxicological indices
      including Toxicity Unit (TU), Average Toxicity (AvTx), Toxic Print (TxPr), Most
      Sensitive Test (MST) and Potential Ecotoxic Effects Probe (PEEP) were applied.
      The results illustrated that PEEP was the most comprehensive index to take
      account of the emissions and toxic potential of effluents. PEEP values showed
      that the reduction rates of toxicity in tannery and textile effluents were 36. 8%
      and 23. 2%, respectively. Finally, based on the Microtox toxicity test, toxicants
      in textile effluent were identified through the toxicity identification
      evaluation (TIE) studies. The results indicated that the main toxicant of textile
      effluent was non-polar organic pollutants, followed by filterable compounds,
      heavy metals, oxidizing substances and volatile components.

PMID- 26489332
TI  - [Carbon/nitrogen Removal and Bacterial Community Structure Change in an A/O
      Activated Sludge System Under Different Dissolved Oxygen Conditions].
AB  - Carbon and nitrogen removal performance and microbial community structure under
      different dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions (3, 2, 1 and 0. 5 mg . L -1) in an
      anoxic/oxic (A/O) system were investigated. The results showed that the A/O
      activated sludge system still had an excellent performance in removing carbon and
      nutrient under low DO condition (0. 5 mg . L-1). The removal rates of chemical
      oxygen demand (COD), ammonia (NH4+ -N) and total nitrogen (TN) were 89. 7%, 98.
      3% and 88. 0% respectively. The PCR-DGGE analysis showed that the bacterial
      community structure changed greatly under different DO conditions. However, there
      was still a high bacterial diversity even at low DO level, which ensured the
      functional stability of the A/O system. On the basis of the results of the
      phylogenetic tree, bacterial communities were observed to be very abundant, and
      Proteobacteria was identified as the dominant bacteria.

PMID- 26489333
TI  - [ORP in the Main Anoxic Stage as the Control Parameter for Nitrogen and
      Phosphorus Removal in the Single Sludge System with a Continuous Flow].
AB  - To optimize the performance of nitrogen and phosphorus removal, based on test
      results and mass balance, the feasibility of control for nitrogen and phosphorus
      removal in the single sludge system with a continuous flow using ORP in the main
      anoxic stage (ORPm) was investigated, meanwhile, the objective laws of conversion
      for nitrogen and phosphorus under different ORPm were expounded. During the
      experiments, nitration liquid internal circulation flow rate was controlled as
      the variable. The OPRm was controlled by PLC automatically, and the other
      operation parameters remained unchanged. The experiments tested six different
      ORPs in main anoxic stage affecting nitrogen and phosphorus removal, i.e., -143, 
      123, -105, -95, -72, and -57 mV. The ammonia concentration changed a little in
      effluent under the condition of different ORP.s, however, the TN and TP
      concentrations changed obviously. When the ORPm was controlled as -95 mV, the
      active sludge reached the maximal nitrogen and phosphorus removal with the
      continuous flow. According to mass balance calculation, when ORPm increased from 
      143 mV to -57 mV, (1) In the main anoxic stage, nitrate nitrogen reaction rates
      were 214. 40, 235. 16, 241. 16, 244. 02, 240. 90 and 233. 65 mg.h-1,
      respectively; the amount of total nitrogen conversions were 244. 92, 255. 85,
      328. 04, 347. 45, 336. 42 and 320. 60 mg.h-1, respectively; both reaction rates
      reached the peak at the ORPm of -95 mV; (2)Phosphorus release rates in anaerobic
      stage were -214. 12, -228. 64, -259. 26, -264.54, -256.92 and -252.84 mg.h-1,
      respectively; total phosphorus absorption rates were 252. 15, 275.85, 332. 25,
      338. 10, 336. 15 and 324. 30 mg.h-1, respectively, and phosphorus absorption
      rates were 30. 27, 62. 14, 124. 58, 154. 41, 150. 41 and 138. 30 mg.h-1,
      respectively, in the main anoxic stage; phosphorus absorption rates reached the
      peak when ORPm was -95 mV. The experiments revealed that ORPm could be used as
      the control parameter of nitrogen and phosphorus removal in single sludge system
      with a continuous flow.

PMID- 26489334
TI  - [Cultivation of Aerobic Granular Sludge with Real Low Concentration Domestic
      Wastewater and Its Denitrification Performances Under the Continuous Flow].
AB  - The COD, ammonia and total nitrogen removal efficiency, as well as the physical
      properties of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) and its denitrification kinetics were
      studied in the continuous flow reactor. The experimental results showed that the
      AGS was successfully cultivated in the continuous flow system within 40 days. The
      nitrogen and carbon removal efficiencies were gradually improved with the
      improvement of sludge granulation. In the running stage of 41 - 60 days, the COD,
      ammonia and TN removal efficiency could reach 85. 54% , 95. 5% and 65. 56%,
      respectively. And the nitrate and nitrite nitrogen accumulation was not high in
      the reaction process. Mature AGS had more void structure and a large number of
      extracellular polymeric substances. It had significant advantages compared with
      the seed sludge in the aspects of moisture content, wet density, sedimentation
      rate, mechanical strength, and SVI values. The simultaneous nitrification and
      denitrification efficiency was 81. 69% , the nitrification rate and
      denitrification rate were 5.78 mg . (L.h) -1 and 4. 90 mg . (L.h) -1,
      respectively.

PMID- 26489335
TI  - [Heavy Metal Contamination in Farmland Soils at an E-waste Disassembling Site in
      Qingyuan, Guangdong, South China].
AB  - Crude e-waste dismantling activities have caused a series of environmental
      pollution problems, and the pollutants released from the dismantling activities
      would finally pose high risks to human health by means of the accumulation
      through food chains. To explore the contamination status of heavy metals to the
      surrounding farmland soils in Longtang and Shijiao Town, Qingyuan, Guangdong,
      China, 22 farmland soil samples were collected and analyzed for the contents,
      spatial distributions and chemical forms of 6 heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Cd, Zn, Cr
      and Ni). The results showed that the 6 heavy metals exhibited obvious
      accumulations when compared to the corresponding background values in Guangdong
      Province. According to farmland environmental quality evaluation standard for
      edible agricultural products HJ 332-2006, the pollution severity of heavy metals
      was evaluated by monomial pollution index and Nemerow synthetic pollution index
      methods, the results indicated that 72. 7% of the soil samples contained one or
      more kinds of heavy metals with higher concentrations than the corresponding
      standard values, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were the main metals in the polluted soils,
      and for the proportion of contaminated soil samples in all the 22 samples, Cd was
      the highest, followed by Cu, and finally Pb and Zn. Nemerow synthetic pollution
      index further revealed that 68. 2% of soil samples were contaminated, and among
      them 53. 3% of samples were heavily contaminated. Most of the heavy metals were
      well correlated with each other at the 0. 05 or 0. 01 level, which indicated that
      primitive e-waste recycling activities were an important source of the heavy
      metal contamination in Longtang and Shijiao Town. The contents of Cd, Pb, Cu and
      Zn in surface soils were higher than those of other soil layers, and the contents
      of these 4 metals in deep soils (20- 100 cm) did not show significant decreases
      with the increasing depths. The contents of Cr and Ni maintained constant, and
      exhibited no statistical differences with the sampling depths. Sequential
      leaching tests showed that the active fractions of Pb, Cu and Cd ranged from 36.
      9% to 90. 6%, 39. 6% to 93. 9% and 43. 7% to 99. 6%, with mean values of 61. 3%
      65. 3% and 80. 7%, respectively. The active fractions of these three metals in
      most samples accounted for more than half of their own total contents, which
      would cause a high ecological risk.

PMID- 26489336
TI  - [Residues and Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Organochlorine Pesticides
      DDTs in Soil of Linyi City, Shandong Province].
AB  - Surface soil samples were collected every 36 km2 from Linyi City to study the
      residues, composition and origin, influencing factors, spatial distribution and
      environment quality characteristics of soil DDTs. Measurements were taken for
      DDTs, OrgC, N, etc. for all samples. The results indicated that the detectable
      rate of DDTs was 71. 75%, and the mean content of DDTs was 0. 035 ug.g-1. p,p'
      DDT and p,p'-DDE were the predominant contaminant compounds, with mean
      concentrations of 0.033 ug.g-1 and 0.010 ug.g-1, and accounted for 60. 99% and
      34. 62% of the detectable samples, respectively. The degradation rate of DDTs
      suggested that 58% surface soils were recently inputted, these newly inputted
      locations were especially distributed in the middle to south of the study area,
      meanwhile, p,p'-DDD/p,p'-DDE revealed that the degradation of DDTs was mainly
      under oxidizing condition, and o,p'-DDT/p,p'-DDT illustrated that 71. 37% DDTs in
      soils of the study area were concerned with technical DDTs sources. Besides, the
      correlation, analysis showed that the external factors affecting the distribution
      of DDTs included OrgC, N, C and pH etc. and the higher the p, p'-DDT proportion
      of DDTs, the greater the effect. The distribution of DDTs had an obvious point
      source characteristic, and significant concentration centers were located nearby
      the cities and counties, typically, the DDTs concentrations of middle to southern
      area were much higher. However, DDTs environmental quality assessment suggested
      that the pollution level was relatively low, and the soil was mainly classified
      into grade I or II, which accounted for 78. 95% and 21. 05% of the whole study
      area, respectively.

PMID- 26489337
TI  - [Assessment of Soil Fluorine Pollution in Jinhua Fluorite Ore Areas].
AB  - The contents of. soil total fluorine (TF) and water-soluble fluorine (WF) were
      measured in fluorite ore areas located in Jinhua City. The single factor index,
      geoaccumulation index and health risk assessment were used to evaluate fluorine
      pollution in soil in four fluorite ore areas and one non-ore area, respectively.
      The results showed that the TF contents in soils were 28. 36-56 052. 39 mg.kg-1
      with an arithmetic mean value of 8 325.90 mg.kg-1, a geometric mean of 1 555. 94
      mg.kg-1, and a median of 812. 98 mg.kg-1. The variation coefficient of TF was
      172. 07% . The soil WF contents ranged from 0. 83 to 74. 63 mg.kg-1 with an
      arithmetic mean value of 16. 94 mg.kg-1, a geometric mean of 10. 59 mg.kg-1, and
      a median of 10. 17 mg.kg-1. The variation coefficient of WF was 100. 10%. The
      soil TF and WF contents were far higher than the national average level of the
      local fluorine epidemic occurrence area. The fluoride pollution in soil was
      significantly affected by human factors. Soil fluorine pollution in Yangjia,
      Lengshuikeng and Huajie fluorite ore areas was the most serious, followed by
      Daren fluorite ore area, and in non-ore area there was almost no fluorine
      pollution. Oral ingestion of soils was the main exposure route. Sensitivity
      analysis of model parameters showed that children's weight exerted the largest
      influence over hazard quotient. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation
      was found among the three kinds of evaluation methods.

PMID- 26489338
TI  - [Response of Straw and Straw Biochar Returning to Soil Carbon Budget and Its
      Mechanism].
AB  - Direct straw returning and straw carbonization returning are the main measures of
      straw returning. Because of the differences in structure and nature as well as
      returning process between straw and straw biochar, the soil respiration and soil
      carbon budget after returning must have significant differences. In this study,
      outdoor pot experiment was carried out to study the response of soil respiration
      and carbon budget to straw and straw biochar returning and its possible
      mechanism. The results showed that soil respiration of straw biochar returning
      [mean value 21. 69 umol.(m2.s)-1] was significantly lower than that of direct
      straw returning [mean value 65.32 umol.(m2.s)-1], and its soil organic carbon
      content ( mean value 20. 40 g . kg-1) and plant biomass (mean value 138. 56 g)
      were higher than those of direct straw returning (mean values 17. 76 g . kg-1 and
      76. 76 g). Considering the carbon loss after the biochar preparation process, its
      soil carbon budget was also significantly higher than that of direct straw
      returning, so it was a low carbon mode of straw returning. Direct straw returning
      significantly promoted soil dehydrogenase activity, soil beta-glycosidase
      activity and soil microorganism quantity, leading to higher soil respiration, but
      straw biochar did play an obvious role in promoting the microbial activity index.
      Easily oxidizable carbon (EOC) and biodegradability of straw biochar were lower
      than those of straw, which showed that straw biochar had higher stability, and
      was more difficult to degrade for soil microorganisms so its soil microbial
      activity was generally lower, and could be retained in the soil for a long time.

PMID- 26489339
TI  - [Changes of Soil Organic Carbon and Its Influencing Factors of Apple Orchards and
      Black Locusts in the Small Watershed of Loess Plateau, China].
AB  - Orchard and black locust are two typical plants for comprehensive control in the
      small watershed of land uses in Loess area. The analysis of soil carbon
      sequestration function changes of growing two plants is important to gain a deep
      understanding of soil carbon cycle process and its influencing factors of
      terrestrial ecosystems under the condition of small watershed comprehensive
      control. The experiment was conducted in the Changwu State Key Agro-Ecological
      Station, Shanxi, China. SOC, TN, fine root biomass and litter amount were
      determined at different age apple orchards and black locusts on the slope land of
      Wangdonggou watershed to study the variation characteristics of soil organic
      carbon and its influencing factors under two measurements. The results showed
      that: (1) SOC and TN contents in apple orchards significantly decreased with the
      increased age, whereas those in black locust showed an increased tendency with
      the age increased. Compared with the adjacent cropland,the SOC and TN contents in
      year 3, year 8, year 12 and year 18 apple orchards were decreased 3. 26%, 10.
      54%, 18. 08%, 22. 55% and - 8. 08%, - 0. 48%, 4. 97%, 16. 91%, respectively.
      However,SOC and TN contents increased 5. 31%, 32. 36%, 44. 13% and 2. 49%, 15.
      75%, 24. 22%, in year 12, year 18 and year 25 black locusts, respectively. (2)
      The fine root biomass in year 3, year 8, year 12, and year 18 apple orchards were
      about 25. 97% 66. 23%, 85. 71% and 96. 10% of the adjacent cropland,
      respectively; and the litter amounts were all 0 g . m-2. However, compared with
      adjacent cropland, The fine root biomass in year 12, year 18 and year 25 black
      locusts were increased 23. 53%, 79. 41%, 157. 35%, respectively; and the litter
      input rates were 194, 298 , 433 g . (m2 . a) -1, respectively. (3) The difference
      of organic matter input was the major factor which drove the variability of soil
      carbon sequestration function of apple orchard and black locust ecosystems.

PMID- 26489340
TI  - [Impacts of Land Use Changes on Soil Light Fraction and Particulate Organic
      Carbon and Nitrogen in Jinyun Mountain].
AB  - Four land types including the subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, sloping
      farmland, orchard and abandoned land were selected to collect soil samples from 0
      to 60 cm depth at the same altitude of sunny slope in the Jinyun Mountain in this
      study. Soil light fraction organic carbon and nitrogen ( LFOC and LFON), and
      particulate organic carbon and nitrogen (POC and PON) were determined and the
      distribution ratios and C/N ratios were calculated. The results showed that the
      contents of LFOC and LFON decreased significantly by 71. 42% and 38. 46% after
      the forest was changed into sloping farmland (P <0. 05) but the change was not
      significant when it was changed into orchard (P >0. 05), while the contents of
      LFOC and LFON increased significantly by 3. 77 and 1. 38 times after the sloping
      farmland was changed into abandoned land (P <0. 05). The contents of POC and PON
      did not vary markedly after the forest was converted into orchard or sloping
      farmland, while the POC and PON contents increased markedly by 4. 12 and 1. 25
      times after the sloping farmland was abandoned. Those above results indicated
      that abandoned land was easy for active organic carbon and nitrogen accumulation;
      on the contrary, sloping farmland was easy to lose soil labile carbon and
      nitrogen. The LFOC and LFON distribution ratios were significantly reduced by 31.
      20% and 30. 08%, respectively after the forest was changed into the sloping
      farmland, and increased by 18. 74% and 20. 33% respectively after the forest was
      changed into the orchard. Nevertheless, the distribution ratios of LFOC and LFON
      were changed little by converting the forest into the sloping farmland and
      orchard. The distribution ratios of LFOC, LFON, POC and PON all increased
      significantly after the farmland was abandoned (P <0. 05). Those results showed
      that the activity of soil organic carbon and nitrogen was enhanced after forest
      reclamation, while reduced after the sloping farmland was abandoned. The ratios
      of carbon to nitrogen in soil organic matter, light fraction organic matter and
      particulate organic matter were in the order of abandoned land (12. 93) > forest
      (8. 53) > orchard (7. 52) > sloping farmland (4. 40), abandoned land (16. 32) >
      forest (14. 29) > orchard (11. 32) > sloping farmland (7. 60), abandoned land
      (23. 41) > sloping farmland (13. 85 ) > forest (10. 30) > orchard (9. 64), which
      indicated that the degree of organic nitrogen mineralization was higher after
      forest cultivation and lower after the sloping farmland was abandoned.

PMID- 26489341
TI  - [Soil Enzyme Activities and Their Relationships to Environmental Factors in a
      Typical Oasis in the Upper Reaches of the Tarim River].
AB  - The intensity and direction of soil biochemical process can be reflected by soil
      enzyme. The relationship between enzyme activity of soil and environmental
      factors is deeply studied in this paper, which can contribute to explore the soil
      ecological process and to provide scientific evidence for scientific regulation
      of soil system. Soil samples from new cropland, ten-years cropland, thirty-years
      cropland, orchard, plantation, natural forest, grassland, saline land and desert
      in the upper reaches of the Tarim River were collected. The relationships between
      soil enzyme activities and environmental factors were analyzed by traditional
      statistics and redundancy analysis ( RDA) . The results showed that soil enzyme
      activities in this area were low, with the average of enzyme properties as
      follows: catalase, urease, invertase and alkaline phosphatase, with activity of
      4. 27 mL . g -1, 0. 34 mg . g -1, 2. 08 mL . g -1 and 0. 08 mg . g -1,
      respectively. According to the RDA results, the total nitrogen, organic matter,
      available potassium, soil moisture and total salt were significantly correlated
      with enzyme activity while a relatively significant correlationship between bulk
      density and enzyme activity was found. There was no significant correlationship
      between available potassium/pH and enzyme activity. The importance of
      environmental factors to soil enzyme activities could be arranged as total
      nitrogen > organic matter > available potassium > soil moisture > total salt >
      bulk density > available potassium > pH.

PMID- 26489342
TI  - [Effects of Different Residue Part Inputs of Corn Straws on CO2 Efflux and
      Microbial Biomass in Clay Loam and Sandy Loam Black Soils].
AB  - The decomposed rate of crop residues is a major determinant for carbon balance
      and nutrient cycling in agroecosystem. In this study, a constant temperature
      incubation study was conducted to evaluate CO2 emission and microbial biomass
      based on four different parts of corn straw (roots, lower stem, upper stem and
      leaves) and two soils with different textures (sandy loam and clay loam) from the
      black soil region. The relationships between soil CO2 emission, microbial biomass
      and the ratio of carbon (C) to nitrogen (N) and lignin of corn residues were
      analyzed by the linear regression. Results showed that the production of CO2 was
      increased with the addition of different parts of corn straw to soil, with the
      value of priming effect (PE) ranged from 215. 53 umol . g-1 to 335. 17 umol . g 
      1. Except for corn leaves, the cumulative CO2 production and PE of clay loam soil
      were significantly higher than those in sandy loam soil. The correlation of PE
      with lignin/N was obviously more significant than that with lignin concentration,
      nitrogen concentration and C/N of corn residue. The addition of corn straw to
      soil increased the contents of MBC and MBN and decreased MBC/MBN, which suggested
      that more nitrogen rather than carbon was conserved in microbial community. The
      augmenter of microbial biomass in sandy loam soil was greater than that in clay
      loam soil, but the total dissolved nitrogen was lower. Our results indicated that
      the differences in CO2 emission with the addition of residues to soils were
      primarily ascribe to the different lignin/N ratio in different corn parts; and
      the corn residues added into the sandy loam soil could enhance carbon
      sequestration, microbial biomass and nitrogen holding ability relative to clay
      loam soil.

PMID- 26489343
TI  - [Isolation, Identification of a p-tert-Butylcatechol-Degradaing Strains and
      Optimization for Its Degradation by Response Surface Methodology].
AB  - A bacterial strain YHl that used p-tert-Butylcatechol (TBC) as the sole carbon
      and energy source was isolated from the activated sludge of the wastewater
      treatment plant of a chemical factory. The strain was identified as Pseudomonas
      corrugate by morphological characteristics, physiological and biochemical
      properties, BIOLOG and the 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The degration rate of TBC
      was above 82% with an initial concentration of 500 mg.L-1 at 24-36 degrees C and
      an initial pH of 7. 0-10. 0. Through single-factor experiments of its degradation
      characteristics of strain YH1, the results showed that its optimal additional
      carbon and nitrogen sources were sucrose and tryptone, the optimal temperature
      was 30 degrees C, the optimal initial pH was 7. 0, and the optimal inoculation
      volume was 2%. In order to improve the TBC degradation rate, the concentrations
      of sucrose and tryptone and initial pH were identified as the main factors by
      Placket-Burman Assay. Then these factors reached their optimal region by Steepest
      Ascent. Finally, the optimal levels of those main factors were further optimized
      using Box-Behnken design and response surface analysis. The optimal conditions
      were as follows: sucrose concentration 3% (rho), tryptone concentration 1. 44%
      (rho), TBC concentration 400 mg.L-1, initial pH value 8. 12, inoculation amount
      2. 97% (phi), temperature 30 degrees C, training time 96 h. Under the optimal
      conditions mentioned above, the TBC degradation rate reached 98. 21%. Enzymology
      analysis and localization experiments showed that the TBC-degrading enzymes were
      intracellular proteins and the synthesis of catechol 1,2-dioxygenase (C12O) could
      be induced by TBC. Through design of specific PCR primers for the degrading
      enzymes, the gene encoding the catechol 1,2-dioxygenase was amplified from YHL.
      It was found that genes encoding TBC-degrading enzyme were located on plasmids by
      the plasmid detection and elimination experiments. In addition, YH1 was tolerant
      to high concentration of NaCl and many kinds of heavy metal ions, and resistant
      to multiple antibiotics. This paper provided some information for the effective
      treatment of complex industrial wastewater.

PMID- 26489345
TI  - [Coupled Cytotoxicity of C60 Nano-Crystal Particle with Cu2+ to the Mouse
      Peritoneal Macrophage RAW 264.7].
AB  - This work evaluated the cytotoxicity effect of nC60 nano-crystal particle
      associated with Cu2+ by using mouse peritoneal microphage RAW264. 7 as the test
      cell line. The results showed that when exposed to nC60 of 6. 6 mg . L-1 and 9. 9
      mg . L-1 for 24h, the cell viability decreased 45% and 70% , respectively, and
      had obvious time-response and dose-response. It was found that Cu2, could reduce
      the toxicity of nC60 on RAW 264. 7. The cell viability reduced to 25% when
      exposed to 6. 6 mg . L-1 nC60 with 2 mg . L-1 Cu2+, and reduced to 15% when
      exposed to 9. 9 mg . L-1 nC60 with 5 mg . L-1 Cu2+. The nC60 could adsorb Cu2+
      and the adsorption isotherm was fitted to the Langmuir adsorptiqn isotherm. The
      adsprption of Cu2+ on the surface of nC60 may decrease the cytotoxicity nC60 on
      RAW 264.7.

PMID- 26489344
TI  - [Isolation, Identification and Characteristic Analysis of an Oil-producing
      Chlorella sp. Tolerant to High-strength Anaerobic Digestion Effluent].
AB  - A Chlorella strain tolerant to high-strength anaerobic digestion effluent was
      isolated from the anaerobic digestion effluent with a long-term exposure to air.
      The strain was identified as a Chlorella by morphological and molecular
      biological methods, and named Chlorella sp. BWY-1, The anaerobic digestion
      effluent used in this study was from a biogas plant with the raw materials of
      swine wastewater after solid-liquid separation. The Chlorella regularis (FACHB
      729) was used as the control strain. The comparative study showed that Chlorella
      sp, BWY-Ihad relatively higher growth rate, biomass accumulation capacity and
      pollutants removal rate in BG11. and different concentrations of anaerobic
      digestion effluent. Chlorella sp. BWY-1 had the highest growth rate and biomass
      productivity (324.40 mg.L-1) in BG11, but its lipid productivity and lipid
      content increased with the increase of anaerobic digestion effluent
      concentration, In undiluted anaerobic digestion effluent, the lipid productivity
      and lipid content of Chlorella sp. BWY-1 were up to 44. 43% and 108. 70 mg.L-1,
      respectively. Those results showed that the isolated algal strain bad some
      potential applications in livestock wastewater treatment and bioenergy
      production, it could be combined with a solid-liquid separation, anaerobic
      fermentation and other techniques for processing livestock wastewater and
      producing biodiesel.

PMID- 26489346
TI  - [Simultaneous Analysis of 18 Glucocorticoids in Surface Water].
AB  - A method of ultra-performance liquid chomatography tandam mass spectrometry(UPLC
      MS/MS) combined with solid-phase extraction (SPE) has been developed for
      simultaneous analysis of 18 glucocorticoids in surface water. The analytes were
      first enriched and purified through a HLB cartridge, and eluted with
      acetonitrile/ethyl acetate (1:1, V/V), then detected by UPLC-MS/MS. The detection
      used gradient elution process with methanol and 0. 1% formic acid/water (V/V) as
      the mobile phase to achieve baseline separations of these 18 analytes. The linear
      range was 1. 0-1 000 ug.L-1. The method detection limits (MDLs) were 0. 10-1. 0
      ng.L-1 except for cortisone acetate and cortisol acetate(10 ng.L-1) with overall
      mean recoveries of 65% - 108% in surface water. Application of this method for 5
      surface waters from Beijing area showed that 8 glucocorticoids were detected with
      the concentration range of 0. 20-476 ng.L-1. Triamcinolone, triamcinolone
      acetonide, cortisol acetate and clobetasol propionate were detected for the first
      time in surface water samples, suggesting that this method is efficient for real
      sample analysis.

PMID- 26489347
TI  - Progress and Persistence in Action.

PMID- 26489348
TI  - Women, Poverty, and Trauma: An Empowerment Practice Approach.
AB  - This article describes an empowerment approach for working with diverse women who
      experience poverty, trauma, and multiple structural oppressions. The approach is
      the result of 20 years of experience developing, implementing, and evaluating
      this practice in a metropolitan community, and is grounded in women's empowerment
      theory and relational-cultural theory. The interventions combine social work's
      clinical interventions with community organizing strategies to promote personal
      and collective empowerment, supporting the "personal is political" tenet of
      feminist practice. The interventions, including nonclinical interviews, story
      circles, and leadership and advocacy education and training, can guide
      practitioners in providing services and programs that create a space for women to
      make changes in their personal lives and in their community. Program outcomes
      report successful changes for women in improving symptoms, increasing self
      efficacy, and engaging in community advocacy. Women who participated also
      reported an increased sense of power, balancing commonality and difference among
      women, and a sense of hope for their future.

PMID- 26489349
TI  - Sex Trafficking: Policies, Programs, and Services.
AB  - Sex trafficking (ST), a contemporary form of female slavery, is a human rights
      issue of critical concern to social work. The global response to ST has been
      substantial, and 166 countries have adopted anti-ST legislation. Despite
      considerable efforts to combat ST, the magnitude is increasing. To date, the
      majority of anti-ST efforts have focused on criminalization policies that target
      traffickers or purchasers of sexual services, who are predominantly male;
      prevention programming and services for predominantly female victims have
      received less support. Therapeutic services to assist pornography addicts and
      purchasers of sexual services are also necessary. In this article, authors
      examine current anti-ST policies, programs, and services, both domestically and
      globally, and present an innovative paradigm that addresses social inequities and
      emphasizes prevention programming. They conclude with a discussion of the
      paradigm's implications for social work policies, practices, and services.

PMID- 26489350
TI  - Reproductive Health in the United States: A Review of the Recent Social Work
      Literature.
AB  - Reproductive health is an important area affecting a woman's overall health and
      well-being. The examination of reproductive health and barriers to care is
      pertinent to the social work profession and should be a focus of social work
      practice, education, research, and advocacy. The authors conducted a literature
      search of articles published in the social work literature from 2010 to 2014. The
      findings reveal important published articles that increase our knowledge of the
      reproductive health of women in the United States. Most published articles
      focused on pregnancy and birth outcomes. Articles also addressed sexually
      transmitted infections; abortion; intimate partner violence; prostitution; access
      to care; cancer screening; views toward contraception; hysterectomies;
      breastfeeding; menopause; and the intersection of reproductive rights, religion,
      and social justice. This review also identified unexamined areas that require
      further social work attention and consideration.

PMID- 26489351
TI  - The State of Intimate Partner Violence Intervention: Progress and Continuing
      Challenges.
AB  - Over the past 40 years, intimate partner violence (IPV) has evolved from an
      emerging social problem to a socially unacceptable crime. The Violence Against
      Women Act of 1994 encourages state policies that focus on criminal justice
      intervention, including mandatory arrest and prosecution. Services offered to
      victim-survivors of IPV are often tied to criminal justice intervention, or
      otherwise encourage separation. These interventions have been seen as effectively
      using the authority of the state to enhance women's power relative to that of
      abusive men. However, these interventions do not serve the needs of women who,
      for cultural or personal reasons, want to remain in their relationship, or
      marginalized women who fear the power of the state due to institutionalized
      violence, heterosexism, and racism. The one-size-fits-all approach that
      encourages prosecution and batterer intervention programs for offenders and
      shelter and advocacy for victim-survivors fails to adhere to the social work
      value of client self-determination and the practice principle of meeting clients
      where they are. It is imperative that social workers in all areas of practice are
      aware of IPV policies, services, and laws. Social workers' challenge moving
      forward is to develop innovative and evidence-based interventions that serve all
      victim-survivors of IPV

PMID- 26489352
TI  - Why Women Join the Military: Enlistment Decisions and Postdeployment Experiences
      of Service Members and Veterans.
AB  - Over the past three decades women's enlistment has continued to increase. In an
      effort to help social workers better meet the needs of female veterans, this
      study sought to learn women's enlistment motivations and postdeployment
      experiences. This qualitative study was nested within the Women Veterans Cohort
      Study. Using a semistructured interview guide, authors interviewed 18 enlisted
      female service members and veterans. The themes that emerged, based on grounded
      theory, included not only opportunity and calling, but also outcomes.
      Unexpectedly, enlistment resulted in a professional military career, with over
      half of the participants making the military their life's work. Further study on
      the motivation, retention, and the reintegration needs of women postmilitary is
      necessary, particularly with military recruitment targets of 20 percent women by
      the year 2020 and the increased awareness of the military as a potentially
      hostile work environment for women.

PMID- 26489353
TI  - Muslim Women in America and Hijab: A Study of Empowerment, Feminist Identity, and
      Body Image.
AB  - This article presents an exploratory, qualitative study of 12 Muslim women living
      in the Triangle area of North Carolina, who were interviewed regarding their
      voluntary practice of hijab (Muslim tradition of veiling), exercise of choice in
      hijab, their relationship to feminist belief and identity, female empowerment,
      and body image. Through examining the influence of political movements in concert
      with market capitalism, this article examines how the hijab and those who
      voluntarily practice this Muslim tradition challenge or contradict mainstream
      images of what is marketed in the West as feminist. Moreover, this article seeks
      to examine how, if at all, the hijab empowers those women who practice it,
      whether it offers an avenue of female empowerment and liberation not
      traditionally included in prevailing feminist thought, and how this may
      contribute to third-wave feminist theory. This article informs social work
      practitioners of the strength of Muslim women, the exercise of choice in hijab,
      and contributions to feminist thought as participants respond to assumptions of
      oppression, patriarchal control, and prejudice in a post-9/11 society.

PMID- 26489354
TI  - Family Planning for Low-Income African American Families: Contributions of Social
      Work Pioneer Ophelia Settle Egypt.
AB  - Historically, African Americans made huge contributions to the field of social
      welfare and the social work profession, yet little has been written about them in
      the professional literature. This article explores the contributions of
      pioneering social worker Ophelia Settle Egypt. A thorough assessment of her
      pioneering role would reveal her unique work as an educator, researcher, and
      grassroots social worker, but the focus here is on her innovative commitment to
      the Planned Parenthood movement. Egypt's work around population control in her
      Southeast Washington, DC, neighborhood with low-income African American families
      in the early 1950s became a labor of love in her community that can help inform
      current practice approaches in urban environments with African American
      populations.

PMID- 26489355
TI  - Conquering the Black Girl Blues.
AB  - An examination of the literature on epidemiology, etiology, and use of services
      for this population reveals an insufficient application of culturally congruent
      approaches to intervening with black women. An exploration of the social work
      practice literature and other relevant fields indicate that black feminist
      perspectives offer the opportunity to gain a clearer understanding of the
      intersection and influence of oppression among black women struggling with
      psychiatric issues and provide a useful framework for mental health practice with
      this population. This article discusses the evolving black feminist thought and
      summarizes the scholarship on black women's mental health services needs and
      utilization issues. The article includes a discussion of black feminisms as an
      emerging mental health perspective, arguing that black feminist perspectives in
      therapy provide an ideal framework for services that are responsive to the values
      and health needs of black women. The article concludes with a case vignette that
      illustrates some of its points.

PMID- 26489356
TI  - Graduate Social Work Faculty's Support for Educational Content on Women and on
      Sexism.
AB  - Social work faculty play an important role in preparing students to address
      sexism and engage in culturally competent practice with women. This study
      examines the nature of U.S. and Anglo-Canadian graduate social work faculty's
      support for content on women and on sexism. Although support appears high for
      both content areas, results suggest that faculty endorsement for content on women
      is significantly greater than that for sexism. Further, bivariate and
      multivariate analyses indicate that the nature of support differs for each
      content area. Implications for social work education are discussed.

PMID- 26489357
TI  - Social Innovation from the Inside: Considering the "Intrapreneurship" Path.

PMID- 26489358
TI  - Finding Joy in Social Work (Private Practice, Too!).

PMID- 26489359
TI  - MR diffusion-weighted imaging-based subcutaneous tumour volumetry in a
      xenografted nude mouse model using 3D Slicer: an accurate and repeatable method.
AB  - Accurate and repeatable measurement of the gross tumour volume(GTV) of
      subcutaneous xenografts is crucial in the evaluation of anti-tumour therapy.
      Formula and image-based manual segmentation methods are commonly used for GTV
      measurement but are hindered by low accuracy and reproducibility. 3D Slicer is
      open-source software that provides semiautomatic segmentation for GTV
      measurements. In our study, subcutaneous GTVs from nude mouse xenografts were
      measured by semiautomatic segmentation with 3D Slicer based on morphological
      magnetic resonance imaging(mMRI) or diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI)(b = 0,20,800
      s/mm(2)) . These GTVs were then compared with those obtained via the formula and
      image-based manual segmentation methods with ITK software using the true tumour
      volume as the standard reference. The effects of tumour size and shape on GTVs
      measurements were also investigated. Our results showed that, when compared with
      the true tumour volume, segmentation for DWI(P = 0.060-0.671) resulted in better
      accuracy than that mMRI(P < 0.001) and the formula method(P < 0.001).
      Furthermore, semiautomatic segmentation for DWI(intraclass correlation
      coefficient, ICC = 0.9999) resulted in higher reliability than manual
      segmentation(ICC = 0.9996-0.9998). Tumour size and shape had no effects on GTV
      measurement across all methods. Therefore, DWI-based semiautomatic segmentation,
      which is accurate and reproducible and also provides biological information, is
      the optimal GTV measurement method in the assessment of anti-tumour treatments. 

PMID- 26489360
TI  - Broadening the scope of social neuroscience.

PMID- 26489362
TI  - Anisotropic photocurrent response at black phosphorus-MoS2 p-n heterojunctions.
AB  - We investigate the photocurrent generation mechanisms at a vertical p-n
      heterojunction between black phosphorus (BP) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2)
      flakes through polarization-, wavelength-, and gate-dependent scanning
      photocurrent measurements. When incident photon energy is above the direct band
      gap of MoS2, the photocurrent response demonstrates a competitive effect between
      MoS2 and BP in the junction region. In contrast, if the incident photon energy is
      below the band gap of MoS2 but above the band gap of BP, the photocurrent
      response at the p-n junction exhibits the same polarization dependence as that at
      the BP-metal junction, which is nearly parallel to the MoS2 channel. This result
      indicates that the photocurrent signals at the MoS2-BP junction primarily result
      from the direct band gap transition in BP. These fundamental studies shed light
      on the knowledge of photocurrent generation mechanisms in vertical 2D
      semiconductor heterojunctions, offering a new way of engineering future two
      dimensional materials based optoelectronic devices. 

PMID- 26489361
TI  - Physiological, pharmacokinetic and liver metabolism comparisons between 3-, 6-,
      12- and 18-month-old male Sprague Dawley rats under ketamine-xylazine anesthesia.
AB  - The main objective of this study was to compare the physiological changes
      (withdrawal and corneal reflexes, respiratory and cardiac frequency, blood oxygen
      saturation, and rectal temperature) following intraperitoneal administration of
      ketamine (80 mg/kg) and xylazine (10 mg/kg) to 3-, 6-, 12- and 18-month-old male
      Sprague Dawley rats (n=6/age group). Plasma pharmacokinetics, liver metabolism,
      and blood biochemistry were examined for a limited number of animals to better
      explain anesthetic drug effects. Selected organs were collected for
      histopathology. The results for the withdrawal and corneal reflexes suggest a
      shorter duration and decreased depth of anesthesia with aging. Significant
      cardiac and respiratory depression, as well as decreased blood oxygen saturation,
      occurred in all age groups however, cardiac frequency was the most affected
      parameter with aging, since the 6-, 12-, and 18-month-old animals did not
      recuperate to normal values during recovery from anesthesia. Pharmacokinetic
      parameters (T1/2 and AUC) increased and drug clearance decreased with aging,
      which strongly suggests that drug exposure is associated with the physiological
      results. The findings for liver S9 fractions of 18-month-old rats compared with
      the other age groups suggest that following a normal ketamine anesthetic dose (80
      mg/kg), drug metabolism is impaired, leading to a significant increase of drug
      exposure. In conclusion, age and related factors have a substantial effect on
      ketamine and xylazine availability, which is reflected by significant changes in
      pharmacokinetics and liver metabolism of these drugs, and this translates into
      shorter and less effective anesthesia with increasing age. 

PMID- 26489364
TI  - Non-invasive Measurement of Thermal Diffusivity Using High-Intensity Focused
      Ultrasound and Through-Transmission Ultrasonic Imaging.
AB  - Thermal diffusivity at the site ablated by high-intensity focused ultrasound
      (HIFU) plays an important role in the final therapeutic outcome, as it influences
      the temperature's spatial and temporal distribution. Moreover, as tissue thermal
      diffusivity is different in tumors as compared with normal tissue, it could also
      potentially be used as a new source of imaging contrast. The aim of this study
      was to examine the feasibility of combining through-transmission ultrasonic
      imaging and HIFU to estimate thermal diffusivity non-invasively. The concept was
      initially evaluated using a computer simulation. Then it was experimentally
      tested on phantoms made of agar and ex vivo porcine fat. A computerized imaging
      system combined with a HIFU system was used to heat the phantoms to temperatures
      below 42 degrees C to avoid irreversible damage. Through-transmission scanning
      provided the time-of-flight values in a region of interest during its cooling
      process. The time-of-flight values were consequently converted into mean values
      of speed of sound. Using the speed-of-sound profiles along with the developed
      model, we estimated the changes in temperature profiles over time. These changes
      in temperature profiles were then used to calculate the corresponding thermal
      diffusivity of the studied specimen. Thermal diffusivity for porcine fat was
      found to be lower by one order of magnitude than that obtained for agar
      (0.313*10(-7)m(2)/s vs. 4.83*10(-7)m(2)/s, respectively, p < 0.041). The fact
      that there is a substantial difference between agar and fat implies that non
      invasive all-ultrasound thermal diffusivity mapping is feasible. The suggested
      method may particularly be suitable for breast scanning. 

PMID- 26489363
TI  - Advance care planning as a shared endeavor: completion of ACP documents in a
      multidisciplinary cancer program.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We examined the roles of oncology providers in advance care planning
      (ACP) delivery in the context of a multidisciplinary cancer program. METHODS:
      Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 200 women with recurrent and/or
      metastatic breast or gynecologic cancer. Participants were asked to name
      providers they deemed important in their cancer care and whether they had
      discussed and/or completed ACP documentation. Evidence of ACP documentation was
      obtained from chart reviews. RESULTS: Fifty percent of participants self-reported
      completing an advance directive (AD) and 48.5% had named a healthcare power of
      attorney (HPA), 38.5% had completed both, and 39.0% had completed neither
      document. Among women who self-reported completion of the documents, only 24.0%
      and 14.4% of women respectively had documentation of an AD and HPA in their
      chart. Completion of an AD was associated with number (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]
      = 1.49) and percentage (AOR = 6.58) of providers with whom the participant had a
      conversation about end-of-life decisions. Participants who named a social worker
      or nurse practitioner were more likely to report having completed an AD.
      Participants who named at least one provider in common (e.g., named the same
      oncologist) were more likely to have comparable behaviors related to naming a HPA
      (AOR = 1.13, p = 0.011) and completion of an AD (AOR = 1.06, p = 0.114).
      CONCLUSIONS: Despite the important role of physicians in facilitating ACP
      discussions, involvement of other staff was associated with a greater likelihood
      of completion of ACP documentation. Patients may benefit from opportunities to
      discuss ACP with multiple members of their cancer care team. Copyright (c) 2015
      John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26489365
TI  - Transcutaneous Ultrasound: Elastographic Lymph Node Evaluation. Current Clinical
      Applications and Literature Review.
AB  - Distinguishing malignant versus benign lymphadenopathies is a major diagnostic
      dilemma in clinical medicine. Metastatic deposits in normal-sized lymph nodes
      (LNs) can be smaller than a millimeter, thus presenting a diagnostic challenge.
      In most clinical settings, however, enlarged LNs detected on imaging need to be
      classified as malignant or benign. Ultrasound seems to be a very reliable method
      for LN characterization because of the high resolution, especially in the
      subcutaneous areas. However, B-mode and Doppler-ultrasound criteria for
      characterization of a lymphadenopathy as benign or malignant are lacking
      specificity. Newer methods such as elastography seem to be valuable for
      identifying metastatic deposits within LNs and may help discriminate malignant
      and benign LNs. This review summarizes the different elastographic methods
      available and provides an overview of the relevant publications. According to the
      literature, elastography can be used for identifying metastatic deposits, to
      guide fine needle aspiration and to non-invasively choose the most suspicious LN
      of a group of enlarged LNs for targeted biopsy. 

PMID- 26489366
TI  - Nickel embedded in N-doped porous carbon for the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to
      p-aminophenol in sulphuric acid.
AB  - An acid-resistant catalyst composed of nickel embedded in N-doped porous carbon
      is developed for the catalytic hydrogenation of nitrobenzene (NB) to p
      aminophenol (PAP). The catalyst, due to a special electron donation from nickel
      to the N-doped porous carbon, shows an excellent catalytic performance and
      stability in sulphuric acid solution. 

PMID- 26489367
TI  - Circadian PER2::LUC rhythms in the olfactory bulb of freely moving mice depend on
      the suprachiasmatic nucleus but not on behaviour rhythms.
AB  - The temporal order of physiology and behaviour in mammals is regulated by the
      coordination of the master circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
      and peripheral clocks in various tissues outside the SCN. Because the circadian
      oscillator(s) in the olfactory bulb (OB) is regarded as SCN independent, we
      examined the relationship between the SCN master clock and the circadian clock in
      the OB. We also examined the role of vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor 2 in
      the circadian organization of the OB. We continuously monitored the circadian
      rhythms of a clock gene product PER2 in the SCN and OB of freely moving mice by
      means of a bioluminescence reporter and an optical fibre implanted in the brain.
      Robust circadian rhythms were detected in the OB and SCN for up to 19 days.
      Bilateral SCN lesions abolished the circadian behaviour rhythms and disorganized
      the PER2 rhythms in the OB. The PER2 rhythms in the OB showed more than one
      oscillatory component of a similar circadian period, suggesting internal
      desynchronization of constituent oscillators. By contrast, significant circadian
      PER2 rhythms were detected in the vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor 2
      deficient mice, despite the substantial deterioration or abolition of circadian
      behavioural rhythms. These findings indicate that the circadian clock in the OB
      of freely moving mice depends on the SCN master clock but not on the circadian
      behavioural rhythms. The circadian PER2::LUC rhythm in the cultured OB was as
      robust as that in the cultured SCN but reset by slice preparation, suggesting
      that culturing of the slice reinforces the circadian rhythm.

PMID- 26489368
TI  - Synergetic effect enhanced photoelectrocatalysis.
AB  - We report synergetic effect enhanced photoelectrocatalysis, in which Fe(3+) and
      Br(-) are used as the acceptors of photogenerated charges on TiO2 nanoparticles.
      The kinetic rate of interfacial charge transfer is promoted from (4.0 +/- 0.5) *
      10(-4) cm s(-1) (TiO2/(O2, Br(-))) to (1.5 +/- 0.5) * 10(-3) cm s(-1)
      (TiO2/(Fe(3+), Br(-))). The synergetic effect provides a valuable approach to the
      design of photoelectrocatalytic systems. 

PMID- 26489369
TI  - Linking vertebral number to performance of aquatic escape responses in the
      axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum).
AB  - Environmental conditions during early development in ectothermic vertebrates can
      lead to variation in vertebral number among individuals of the same species. It
      is often seen that individuals of a species raised at cooler temperatures have
      more vertebrae than individuals raised at warmer temperatures, although the
      functional consequences of this variation in vertebral number on swimming
      performance are relatively unclear. To investigate this relationship, we tested
      how vertebral number in axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) affected performance of
      aquatic escape responses (C-starts). Axolotls were reared at four temperatures
      (12-24 degrees C) encompassing their natural thermal range and then transitioned
      to a mean temperature (18 degrees C) three months before C-starts were recorded.
      Our results showed variation in vertebral number, but that variation was not
      significantly affected by developmental temperature. C-start performance among
      axolotls was significantly correlated with caudal vertebral number, and
      individuals with more caudal vertebrae were able to achieve greater curvature
      more quickly during their responses than individuals with fewer vertebrae.
      However, our results show that these individuals did not achieve greater
      displacements or velocities, and that developmental temperature did not have any
      effect on C-start performance. We highlight that the most important aspects of
      escape swim performance (i.e., how far individuals get from a threat and how
      quickly they move the most important parts of the body away from that threat) are
      consistent across individuals regardless of developmental temperature and
      morphological variation. 

PMID- 26489370
TI  - Synthesis of a new beta-amino acid with a 3-deoxy-L-ara furnaoside side chain:
      the influence of the side chain on the conformation of alpha/beta-peptides.
AB  - The important role of side chains in the stabilization of helical folds in
      peptidic foldamers containing C-linked carbo-beta-amino acids (beta-Caa), an
      interesting class of beta-amino acids, with carbohydrate side chains has been
      extensively elaborated. As a pragmatic approach to alleviate the interference of
      substituents in the side chains on the folding propensities of the peptides, they
      are often modified or removed. The present study reports the synthesis of a new
      beta-Caa with a 3-deoxy-L-ara furanoside side chain, [(R)-beta-Caa(da)], from D
      glucose, and its use in the synthesis of alpha/beta-peptides in 1 : 1 alternation
      with D-Ala. The synthesis of peptides using (R)-beta-Caa(da), was facile unlike
      those from (R)-beta-Caa(a) having the L-ara furanoside side chain. The detailed
      NMR, molecular dynamics (MD) and CD studies on the new alpha/beta-peptides showed
      the presence of robust left-handed 11/9-mixed helices. The study demonstrates
      that the new (R)-beta-Caa(da), behaves differently compared to the other two
      related monomers, (R)-beta-Caa(x) with the D-xylo furanoside side chain and (R)
      beta-Caa(a).

PMID- 26489371
TI  - Evaluation of an Immunochromatographic Test to the Diagnosis of Canine
      Brucellosis Caused by Brucella canis.
AB  - This study evaluated the performance of an immunochromatographic test (ICT) for
      the diagnosis of canine brucellosis caused by Brucella canis, comparing its
      results with that of the rapid slide agglutination test with and without the use
      of 2-mercaptoethanol and the agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGID). The
      microbiological culture, PCR and clinical examination were used as reference.
      According to the results obtained in clinical examination, blood culture, culture
      of semen and vaginal swab and PCR in blood, semen and vaginal swab, a total of
      102 dogs were divided into three groups: B. canis-infected dogs (Group 1), B.
      canis-non-infected dogs (Group 2) and dogs with suspected brucellosis (Group 3).
      The diagnostic sensitivity of RSAT, 2ME-RSAT, AGID and ICT in Group 1 was,
      respectively, 75%, 37.5%, 27.8% and 89.58%. The diagnostic specificity of RSAT,
      2ME-RSAT, AGID and ICT in Group 2 was, respectively, 91%, 100%, 100%, and 100%.
      In dogs with suspected brucellosis, 9.67% were RSAT positive, none was positive
      by 2ME-RSAT, 3.22% were AGID positive and 6.45% were ICT positive. The main
      drawback concerning canine brucellosis diagnosis is the lack of a highly
      sensitive serological assay to be used as a screening test to the rapid
      identification of infected animals. The ICT showed a high diagnostic specificity
      and a diagnostic sensitivity value greater than that observed in the RSAT, 2ME
      RSAT and AGID. However, 10.41% of infected dogs had negative results by ICT.
      These dogs were positive by microbiological culture and/or PCR, indicating active
      infection and consequently a higher potential of spreading Brucella. Although
      rapid and simple to perform, the ICT lacked sensitivity to be used as a screening
      test.

PMID- 26489372
TI  - Improving Australian care home medicine supply services: Evaluation of a quality
      improvement intervention.
AB  - AIM: The study aims to determine the impact of a quality improvement intervention
      on how accurately and suitably medicines are supplied to residents of residential
      aged-care facilities (RACFs). METHODS: Between September 2012 and January 2013,
      pharmacy-supplied dose administration aids (DAAs) were audited at 45 Victorian
      RACFs (Australia). RACFs had previously received an intervention (education
      session/toolkit) and were involved in an earlier DAA audit. Recently supplied
      DAAs containing regular medicines were compared to prescriber-prepared medicine
      charts to identify, and classify risks of, inaccurate or unsuitable packing
      incidents. RESULTS: Of 2389 DAAs audited for 983 residents, 770 incidents in 502
      DAAs were identified. The overall DAA incident rate increased significantly from
      11.5% pre-intervention to 21.0% post-intervention (P < 0.001). The proportion of
      DAAs affected by incidents classified as 'insignificant' or 'minor' risk
      increased post-intervention (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Further wide-scale
      evaluation of RACF medicine supply services is needed. Interventions that are
      effective in reducing DAA incidents should be explored.

PMID- 26489373
TI  - Therapeutic Apheresis: Why?

PMID- 26489376
TI  - Observation of a two-dimensional liquid of Frohlich polarons at the bare SrTiO3
      surface.
AB  - The polaron is a quasi-particle formed by a conduction electron (or hole)
      together with its self-induced polarization in a polar semiconductor or an ionic
      crystal. Among various polarizable examples of complex oxides, strontium titanate
      (SrTiO3) is one of the most studied. Here we examine the carrier type and the
      interplay of inner degrees of freedom (for example, charge, lattice, orbital) in
      SrTiO3. We report the experimental observation of Frohlich polarons, or large
      polarons, at the bare SrTiO3 surface prepared by vacuum annealing. Systematic
      analyses of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and X-ray absorption
      spectra show that these Frohlich polarons are two-dimensional and only exist with
      inversion symmetry breaking by two-dimensional oxygen vacancies. Our discovery
      provides a rare solvable field theoretical model, and suggests the relevance of
      large (bi)polarons for superconductivity in perovskite oxides, as well as in high
      temperature superconductors. 

PMID- 26489377
TI  - White matter microstructural damage and depressive symptoms in patients with mild
      cognitive impairment and cerebral small vessel disease: the VMCI-Tuscany Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Disruption of cortical-subcortical circuits related to
      small vessel disease (SVD) may predispose to depression in the elderly. We aimed
      to determine the independent association between white matter (WM)
      microstructural damage, evaluated with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and
      depressive symptoms in a cohort of elderly subjects with mild cognitive
      impairment (MCI) and SVD. METHODS: The vascular mild cognitive impairment (VMCI)
      Tuscany Study is an observational multicentric longitudinal study that enrolled
      patients with MCI and moderate to severe degrees of WM hyperintensities on MRI.
      Lacunar infarcts, cortical atrophy, medial temporal lobe atrophy, microbleeds,
      and DTI-derived indices (mean diffusivity, MD and fractional anisotropy, FA) were
      evaluated on baseline MRI. Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) (score 0-15) was used
      to assess depressive symptoms. An extensive neuropsychological battery,
      Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale, and the Short Physical Performance
      Battery were used for cognitive, functional, and motor assessments, respectively.
      RESULTS: Seventy-six patients (mean age: 75.1 +/- 6.8 years) were included.
      Univariate analyses showed a significant association between GDS score and both
      DTI-derived indices (MD: r = 0.307, p = 0.007; FA: r = -0.245; p = 0.033). The
      association remained significant after adjustment for age, WM hyperintensities
      severity, global cognitive, functional and motor performances, and antidepressant
      therapy (MD: r = 0.361, p = 0.002; FA: r = -0.277; p = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: These
      results outline the presence of an association between WM microstructural damage
      and depressive symptoms in MCI patients with SVD. This relationship does not seem
      to be mediated by disability, cognitive, and motor impairment, thus supporting
      the vascular depression hypothesis.

PMID- 26489378
TI  - 'Now I use words like asymmetry and unstable': nurses' experiences in using a
      standardized assessment for motor performance within routine child health care.
AB  - RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: There is an increasing recognition that early
      intervention is important for children with motor disorders. The use of
      standardized assessment methods within the Swedish Child Health Services (CHS)
      may improve early identification of these children and thereby their development
      and quality of care. Given the key role of nurses within the CHS, we explored
      their experiences of using a structured assessment of motor performance (SOMP-I)
      in a clinical setting, and investigated possible barriers and facilitators for
      implementation of the method within the CHS. METHODS: The study was conducted in
      2013 in Uppsala County, Sweden. Ten child health nurses participated in two focus
      group interviews, which were analysed using systematic text condensation.
      RESULTS: The analysis yielded three themes: (1) increased knowledge and
      professional pride - nurses described their desire to provide high-quality care
      for which SOMP-I was a useful tool; (2) improved parent-provider relationship -
      nurses felt that using SOMP-I involved both the parents and their infant to a
      greater extent than routine care; and (3) conditions for further implementation -
      nurses described that the time and effort needed to master new skills must be
      considered and practical barriers, such as lack of examination space, resource
      constraints and difficulties in documenting the assessment must be addressed
      before implementing the SOMP-I method in routine care. CONCLUSION: Child health
      nurses felt that the SOMP-I method fitted well with their professional role and
      increased the quality of care provided. However, significant barriers to
      implementing SOMP-I into routine child health care were described.

PMID- 26489380
TI  - Re: Adductor Canal Blockade Following Total Knee Arthroplasty-Continuous or
      Single-Shot Technique?

PMID- 26489379
TI  - Laser in infrapopliteal and popliteal stenosis 2 study (LIPS2): Long-term
      outcomes of laser-assisted balloon angioplasty versus balloon angioplasty for
      below knee peripheral arterial disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laser-assisted balloon angioplasty (LABA) has been shown to be more
      effective in achieving angiographic success for treatment for below knee
      peripheral artery disease (PAD) compared with balloon angioplasty alone(BA).
      However, long-term outcomes of LABA compared with BA for popliteal and
      infrapopliteal PAD are unknown. METHODS: We evaluated data on 726 patients
      undergoing LABA (n = 395) and BA (n = 331) for popliteal and infrapopliteal PAD
      retrospectively at a single center (2007-2012). Outcomes included long-term
      ipsilateral major limb amputation, revascularization and mortality (median follow
      up = 36 months). RESULTS: Baseline features were similar in two groups with the
      exception of more TASC-D lesions (92.4 vs. 66.5%; P < 0.0001) and chronic total
      occlusions (86.4 vs. 49.5%; P < 0.0001) in LABA group. Angiographic success was
      higher in LABA compared with BA (97.7 vs. 89.2%; P < 0.0001). Ipsilateral major
      limb amputation (4.1 vs. 5.1%, P = 0.48) and repeat revascularization (25.1 vs.
      23.3%, P = 0.47) were similar in LABA and BA patients despite unfavorable
      baseline angiographic characteristics in the former. Compared with BA, death was
      more frequently in LABA group (35.2 and 26.3%, P = 0.01), a reflection of higher
      comorbid conditions in this group (adjusted HR 1.05, 95% CI 0.79-1.39).
      CONCLUSION: Despite worse baseline angiographic characteristics compared with BA,
      LABA was associated with higher angiographic success and similar ipsilateral
      major amputation, repeat revascularization, and long-term mortality. Future
      randomized clinical trial should evaluate the efficacy of LABA compared with BA
      (particularly drug-eluting) in improving limb salvage and reducing repeat
      revascularization in these high-risk PAD patients.

PMID- 26489381
TI  - Abductor Biomechanics Clinically Impact the Total Hip Arthroplasty Dislocation
      Rate: A Prospective Long-Term Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Factors related to the patient, implant, and surgery have been
      associated to the rate of dislocation for total hip arthroplasty (THA). We ask if
      the position of the cup and the reconstruction of the abductor mechanism actually
      lower the THA dislocation rate. METHODS: We evaluated 1318 patients (1414 hips)
      undergoing cementless THA between 1992 and 2012. All THAs had a 28- or a 32-mm
      femoral head size. Hip reconstruction was radiologically assessed evaluating cup
      position and the hip rotation center according to Ranawat. The reconstruction of
      the abductor mechanism was measured using 2 variables: the lever arm distance and
      the height of the greater trochanter. RESULTS: There were 38 dislocations (2.7%).
      After controlling the relevant confounding variables, such as demographic and
      implant data, multivariate regression analysis showed that the most important
      factors associated with dislocation were a greater distance to the anatomic hip
      rotation center and hips outside 2 safe windows for cup position (acetabular
      inclination and version angles) and abductor mechanism (lever arm distance and
      height of the greater trochanter). CONCLUSION: A proper reconstruction of the hip
      is essential to decrease the risk of dislocation after primary THA. The weakness
      of the abductor muscles of the hip may be one of the most important causes for
      dislocation.

PMID- 26489383
TI  - Comparison of methods to quantify histone H2AX phosphorylation and its usefulness
      for prediction of radiosensitivity.
AB  - PURPOSE: The number of radio-induced double-strand breaks is correlated with the
      number of histone gamma-H2AX (gamma-H2AX) foci. For this reason, foci
      quantification is a useful tool to measure radiation-induced DNA damage and the
      number of foci has been suggested as a predictive biomarker of radiosensitivity.
      The aim of the present study was to evaluate the reproducibility of different
      microscopic methodologies and flow cytometry analysis to score gamma-H2AX
      induction, and its suitability to distinguish a radiosensitive (RS) cell line
      from a radioresistant (RR) one. MATERIALS AND METHODS: gamma-H2AX analyses were
      performed by semi-automated and automated microscopic methods and by flow
      cytometry before and after irradiation in two human lymphoblastoid cell lines and
      in lymphocytes from three healthy donors. RESULTS: Reproducible results were
      obtained by all the methodologies tested, although not all showed the same
      sensitivity. The RS cell line always showed higher foci counts and higher levels
      of immunofluorescence intensity after irradiation than the RR cell line.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that microscopic methodologies with z-stage
      capacity give the most accurate results after 1 Gy irradiation. However, for high
      doses of ionizing radiation, flow cytometry gives reliable results. Further
      studies will be necessary to determine the usefulness of gamma-H2AX analysis to
      predict adverse side reactions in radiotherapy patients.

PMID- 26489382
TI  - Defective mitochondrial fission augments NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
AB  - Despite the fact that deregulated NLRP3 inflammasome activation contributes to
      the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory or metabolic disorders, the underlying
      mechanism by which NLRP3 inflammasome signaling is initiated or potentiated
      remains poorly understood. Much attention is being paid to mitochondria as a
      regulator of NLRP3 inflammasome activation, but little is known about the role of
      mitochondrial dynamics for the inflammasome pathway. Here, we present evidence
      that aberrant mitochondrial elongation caused by the knockdown of dynamin-related
      protein 1 (Drp1) lead to a marked increase in NLRP3-dependent caspase-1
      activation and interleukin-1-beta secretion in mouse bone marrow-derived
      macrophages. Conversely, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone, a chemical
      inducer of mitochondrial fission, clearly attenuated NLRP3 inflammasome assembly
      and activation. Augmented activation of NLRP3 inflammasome by mitochondrial
      elongation is not resulted from the increased mitochondrial damages of Drp1
      knockdown cells. Notably, enhanced extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)
      signaling in Drp1-knockdown macrophages is implicated in the potentiation of
      NLRP3 inflammasome activation, possibly via mediating mitochondrial localization
      of NLRP3 to facilitate the assembly of NLRP3 inflammasome. Taken together, our
      results provide a molecular insight into the importance of mitochondrial dynamics
      in potentiating NLRP3 inflammasome activation, leading to aberrant inflammation. 

PMID- 26489384
TI  - Bio-based Wrinkled Surfaces Harnessed from Biological Design Principles of Wood
      and Peroxidase Activity.
AB  - A new and simple approach for surface wrinkling inspired by polymer assemblies in
      wood fibers is introduced. A hard skin is synthesized on a linear polysaccharide
      support that resembles the structural units of the cell wall. This skin, a wood
      mimetic layer, is produced through immersion in a solution containing phenolic
      precursor and subsequent surface reaction by horseradish peroxidase. A patterned
      surface with micron-scale wrinkles is formed upon drying and as a result of
      inhomogeneous shrinkage. We demonstrate that the design of the wrinkled surfaces
      can be controlled by the molecular structure of the phenolic precursor,
      temperature, and drying stress. It is noteworthy that this is a totally bio-based
      system involving green materials and processes. 

PMID- 26489385
TI  - Amorphous Vanadium Oxide/Carbon Composite Positive Electrode for Rechargeable
      Aluminum Battery.
AB  - Amorphous vanadium oxide/carbon composite (V2O5/C) was first applied to the
      positive electrode active material for rechargeable aluminum batteries.
      Electrochemical properties of V2O5/C were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and
      charge-discharge tests. Reversible reduction/oxidation peaks were observed for
      the V2O5/C electrode and the rechargeable aluminum cell showed the maximum
      discharge capacity over 200 mAh g(-1) in the first discharging. The XPS analyses
      after discharging and the following charging exhibited that the redox of vanadium
      ion in the V2O5/C active material occurred during discharging and charging, and
      the average valence of V changed between 4.14 and 4.85. 

PMID- 26489386
TI  - Optically Active Nanostructured ZnO Films.
AB  - Inorganic nanomaterials endowed with hierarchical chirality could open new
      horizons in physical theory and applications because of their fascinating
      properties. Here, we report chiral ZnO films coated on quartz substrates with a
      hierarchical nanostructure ranging from atomic to micrometer scale. Three levels
      of hierarchical chirality exist in the ZnO films: helical ZnO crystalline
      structures that form primary helically coiled nanoplates, secondary helical
      stacking of these nanoplates, and tertiary nanoscale circinate aggregates formed
      by several stacked nanoplates. These films exhibited optical activity (OA) at 380
      nm and in the range of 200-800 nm and created circularly polarized luminescence
      centered at 510 nm and Raman OA at 50-1400 cm(-1) , which was attributed to
      electronic transitions, scattering, photoluminescent emission, and Raman
      scattering in a dissymmetric electric field. The unprecedented strong OA could be
      attributed to multiple light scattering and absorption-enhanced light harvesting
      in the hierarchical structures. 

PMID- 26489387
TI  - Prognostic implications of epilepsy in glioblastomas.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The role of seizures and antiepileptic treatments associated with
      glioblastoma is a current topic of discussion. The objective of this study is to
      characterize and establish implications of epilepsy associated with glioblastoma.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the medical history, focused on
      epileptic features of 134 histologically diagnosed glioblastoma over a period of
      4 years. RESULTS: The sample group had an average age of 56 years and 66% were
      male. Complete tumor resection was performed in 66% and 64.2% received further
      radio-oncologic treatment. The average survival rate was 12.4 months and 11.5%
      survived to 5 years. Epileptic seizures were the presentation symptom in 27% of
      cases and 51% suffered seizures during the disease, 26% become drug-resistant.
      Focal evolving to a bilateral convulsive seizures were the most frequent type.
      Epileptic seizures at presentation independently predicted longer survival
      (p<0.001). Furthermore, a history of epilepsy or seizures during disease improved
      survival. Late onset seizures, recurrences or status epilepticus during the
      course of the disease indicated tumor progression or the final stages of life.
      Prophylactic antiepileptic drugs did not prevent seizures. Similarly, there was
      no difference in survival between patients who did not use antiepileptic drugs
      and those using valproate or levetiracetam. Patients under 60 years, full
      oncologic treatment and secondary glioblastomas were factors that improved
      survival (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Previous history of epilepsy or the onset of
      seizures as a presentation symptom in glioblastomas predict longer survival. Half
      of patients have seizures during the course of the disease. Antiepileptic drugs
      alone do not increase survival in glioblastoma patients.

PMID- 26489388
TI  - Attenuating pain flare: a new role for an old therapy?

PMID- 26489389
TI  - Dexamethasone in the prophylaxis of radiation-induced pain flare after palliative
      radiotherapy for bone metastases: a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled,
      phase 3 trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pain flare occurs after palliative radiotherapy, and dexamethasone
      has shown potential for prevention of such flare. We aimed to compare the
      efficacy of dexamethasone with that of placebo in terms of reduction of incidence
      of pain flare. METHODS: In this double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled
      phase 3 trial, patients from 23 Canadian centres were randomly allocated (1:1)
      with a web-based system and minimisation algorithm to receive either two 4 mg
      dexamethasone tablets or two placebo tablets taken orally at least 1 h before the
      start of radiation treatment (a single 8 Gy dose to bone metastases; day 0) and
      then every day for 4 days after radiotherapy (days 1-4). Patients were eligible
      if they had a non-haematological malignancy and bone metastasis (or metastases)
      corresponding to the clinically painful area or areas. Patients reported their
      worst pain scores and opioid analgesic intake before treatment and daily for 10
      days after radiation treatment. They completed the European Organisation for
      Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life QLQ-C15-PAL, the bone
      metastases module (EORTC QLQ-BM22), and the Dexamethasone Symptom Questionnaire
      at baseline, and at days 10 and 42 after radiation treatment. Pain flare was
      defined as at least a two-point increase on a scale of 0-10 in the worst pain
      score with no decrease in analgesic intake, or a 25% or greater increase in
      analgesic intake with no decrease in the worst pain score from days 0-10,
      followed by a return to baseline levels or below. Primary analysis of incidence
      of pain flare was by intention-to-treat (patients with missing primary data were
      classified as having pain flare). This study is registered with
      ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01248585, and is completed. FINDINGS: Between May
      30, 2011, and Dec 11, 2014, 298 patients were enrolled. 39 (26%) of 148 patients
      randomly allocated to the dexamethasone group and 53 (35%) of 150 patients in the
      placebo group had a pain flare (difference 8.9%, lower 95% confidence bound 0.0,
      one-sided p=0.05). Two grade 3 and one grade 4 biochemical hyperglycaemic events
      occurred in the dexamethasone group (without known clinical effects) compared
      with none in the placebo group. The most common adverse events were bone pain (61
      [41%] of 147 vs 68 [48%] of 143), fatigue (58 [39%] of 147 vs 49 [34%] of 143),
      constipation (47 [32%] of 147 vs 37 [26%] of 143), and nausea (34 [23%] of 147 vs
      34 [24%] of 143), most of which were mild grade 1 or 2. INTERPRETATION:
      Dexamethasone reduces radiation-induced pain flare in the treatment of painful
      bone metastases. FUNDING: The NCIC CTG's programmatic grant from the Canadian
      Cancer Society Research Institute.

PMID- 26489390
TI  - Intervention decision-making processes and information preferences of parents of
      children with autism spectrum disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: When a child is diagnosed with autism, parents are faced with the
      task of choosing from many different intervention options. To find information
      about the options available, parents turn to a number of different sources. This
      study explores parents' (n = 23) intervention decision-making processes and
      information preferences following the diagnosis of ASD for their child. METHODS:
      Qualitative thematic analysis of verbatim transcripts from interviews and focus
      groups involving parents of children with an autism diagnosis was undertaken.
      RESULTS: Analysis of the results revealed that there are concurrent emotional and
      pragmatic intervention 'journeys' undertaken by parents post diagnosis, which
      encompass the primary themes of: (1) information sources used, (2) parents'
      information preferences and (3) factors influencing intervention decision making.
      Parents described a journey from the point of diagnosis that involved seeking
      information on ASD interventions from multiple sources, with the Internet being
      the primary source. They were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information
      available, and their preferences for information varied according to their stage
      in the journey post diagnosis. Parents had a 'trial and error' approach to
      choosing ASD interventions, with confidence increasing as they became more
      familiar with their child's condition, and had opportunities to explore numerous
      information sources about their child's diagnosis. While confidence increased
      over time, consideration of the effectiveness or evidence supporting
      interventions remained largely absent throughout the journey. CONCLUSION: This
      study highlights the need for parents of children with ASD to be supported to
      make informed intervention decisions, particularly with consideration for
      research evidence.

PMID- 26489391
TI  - Cu-Ag core-shell nanoparticles with enhanced oxidation stability for printed
      electronics.
AB  - In this work, we synthesized uniform Cu-Ag core-shell nanoparticles using a
      facile two-step process that consists of thermal decomposition and galvanic
      displacement methods. The core-shell structure of these nanoparticles was
      confirmed through characterization using transmission electron microscopy, energy
      dispersive spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction. Furthermore, we investigated the
      oxidation stability of the Cu-Ag core-shell nanoparticles in detail. Both
      qualitative and quantitative x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses confirm
      that the Cu-Ag core-shell nanoparticles have considerably higher oxidation
      stability than Cu nanoparticles. Finally, we formulated a conductive ink using
      the synthesized nanoparticles and coated it onto glass substrates. Following the
      sintering process, we compared the resistivity of the Cu-Ag core-shell
      nanoparticles with that of the Cu nanoparticles. The results of this study
      clearly show that the Cu-Ag core-shell nanoparticles can potentially be used as
      an alternative to Ag nanoparticles because of their superior oxidation stability
      and electrical properties. 

PMID- 26489392
TI  - A telephone questionnaire in order to assess functional outcome after post
      traumatic limb salvage surgery: Development and preliminary validation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic limb salvage surgery is challenging and evaluation of
      the results remains arduous. No questionnaire specifically assessing functional
      outcome after post-traumatic limb salvage surgery of the lower extremity exists.
      Due to regionalization of specialized care, the patients' travel time to the
      hospital increases. To overcome a higher patients' travel burden, patients'
      follow up by telephone is an option. We aimed to develop a telephone
      questionnaire in order to assess functional outcome after post-traumatic limb
      salvage surgery of the lower extremity. METHODS: From a review of scores of
      functional assessment of the lower limb surgery, we have developed a telephone
      questionnaire. A prospective study was performed to validate this telephone
      questionnaire. Twenty patients were included. The participants were called to
      complete the telephone questionnaire twice with an interval of a week. The
      Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) was
      completed during the second telephone call. The internal consistency was analyzed
      by the Cronbach's alpha (alpha). With the outcome scores of both completions, the
      test-retest reliability was analyzed by the interclass correlation coefficient
      (ICC) 2,k with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI). The outcome scores of the
      second telephone questionnaire and the WOMAC questionnaire were used for the
      construct validity analysis by the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (r(s))
      with a 95% CI. RESULTS: The internal consistency analysis revealed a alpha=0.62
      which improved to alpha=0.92 after removing one question from the telephone
      questionnaire. The final version of the telephone questionnaire comprises 32
      questions, divided in 3 subscales: function, daily life and psychology. The total
      score varies between 0 and 86 points. The test-retest reliability was ICC
      2,k=0.93 (95% CI: 0.82-0.97) and the construct validity was r(s)=0.92 (95% CI:
      0.81-0.97). CONCLUSIONS: We present a specific telephone questionnaire in order
      to assess functional outcomes after posttraumatic limb salvage surgery of the
      lower extremity. Further research on a large number of patients will be necessary
      to validate this newly developed questionnaire.

PMID- 26489393
TI  - Return to work outcomes for workers with mental health conditions: A
      retrospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to describe predictors of sustained
      return to work (RTW) among a cohort of workers with compensated work-related
      mental health conditions (MHCs); and to examine predictors of subsequent absences
      due to the same condition. METHODS: This study was a retrospective analysis of
      compensation claims data in Victoria, Australia. We selected workers with an
      accepted wage replacement claim due to a work-related MHC from 1 January 2002 to
      31 December 2009, with two years of follow-up data. RESULTS: We identified 8358
      workers meeting our inclusion criteria. The median age of workers was 44 years
      (Interquartile range (IQR): 36-51) and 56% were female. In a multivariable Cox
      regression analysis, older age, being from a small organisation, working in some
      specific industry segments, consulting a psychiatrist or psychologist, using
      medications, and having a previous claim were all associated with a delayed RTW.
      Workers experiencing work pressure, assault/workplace violence or other mental
      stress factors, working in the public administration and safety industry and
      having a medical incapacity certification between 3-4 days and 5-7 days had a
      higher rate of multiple RTW attempts. CONCLUSION: This study identified a number
      of risk factors associated with a delayed RTW and multiple attempts at RTW.
      Predictors may help identify high-risk groups and facilitate the RTW process of
      workers with MHCs.

PMID- 26489394
TI  - Exchange nailing for femoral diaphyseal fracture non-unions: Risk factors for
      failure.
AB  - The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for failure of exchange
      nailing for femoral diaphyseal fracture non-unions. The study cohort comprised 40
      patients with femoral diaphyseal non-unions treated by exchange nailing, of which
      six were open injuries. The median time to exchange nailing from primary fixation
      was 8.4 months. The main outcome measures were union, number of secondary
      fixation procedures required to achieve union and time to union. Multiple causes
      for non-union were found in 16 (40%) cases, with infection present in 12 (30.0%)
      patients. Further surgical procedures were required in nine (22.5%) cases, one of
      whom (2.5%) required the use of another fixation modality to achieve union. Union
      was ultimately achieved with exchange nailing in 34/37 (91.9%) patients. The
      median time to union after the exchange nailing was 9.4 months. Cigarette smoking
      and infection were risk factors for failure of exchange nailing. Multivariate
      analysis found infection to be the strongest predictor of exchange failure
      (p<0.05). Exchange nailing is an effective treatment for aseptic femoral
      diaphyseal fracture non-union. However, 50% of patients undergoing exchange
      nailing in the presence of infection required at least one further procedure. It
      is important to counsel patients of this so that they can plan for it and do not
      consider that the first exchange operation has failed. 

PMID- 26489397
TI  - Assessment of Fatty Acid Profile and Seed Mineral Nutrients of Two Soybean
      (Glycine max L.) Cultivars Under Elevated Ultraviolet-B: Role of ROS, Pigments
      and Antioxidants.
AB  - Current scenarios under global climate change envisage a considerable increase in
      ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation in near future which may affect the productivity
      and yield quality of major agricultural crops. Present investigation was
      conducted to examine various defense strategies adopted against elevated UV-B
      (ambient + 7.2 kJ m-(2) day-(1) ) and their impact on seed nutrients, content and
      quality of oil including fatty acid profile of two soybean cultivars (JS-335 and
      PS-1042). Elevated UV-B (eUV-B) exposure leads toward higher unsaturation of
      fatty acids and changes in other oil quality parameters (acid, iodine and
      saponification value) indicated that eUV-B favored the synthesis of long-chain
      fatty acids with fewer carboxylic acid groups, making the oil rancid, with
      undesirable flavor and low nutritional value. The effect was more severe in JS
      335 as compared to PS-1042. Negative effects were also seen on nutrients of
      soybean seeds. Adverse effects resulted due to insufficient quenching of ROS
      (superoxide radical and hydrogen peroxide) by the defense system and thus unable
      to overcome the imposed oxidative stress. Credit of better performance by PS-1042
      against eUV-B may be given to the adoption of efficient defense strategies like
      higher wax deposition, increase in lignin and flavonoids (quercetin and
      kaempferol) contents. 

PMID- 26489395
TI  - Zebrafish Models for Human Acute Organophosphorus Poisoning.
AB  - Terrorist use of organophosphorus-based nerve agents and toxic industrial
      chemicals against civilian populations constitutes a real threat, as demonstrated
      by the terrorist attacks in Japan in the 1990 s or, even more recently, in the
      Syrian civil war. Thus, development of more effective countermeasures against
      acute organophosphorus poisoning is urgently needed. Here, we have generated and
      validated zebrafish models for mild, moderate and severe acute organophosphorus
      poisoning by exposing zebrafish larvae to different concentrations of the
      prototypic organophosphorus compound chlorpyrifos-oxon. Our results show that
      zebrafish models mimic most of the pathophysiological mechanisms behind this
      toxidrome in humans, including acetylcholinesterase inhibition, N-methyl-D
      aspartate receptor activation, and calcium dysregulation as well as inflammatory
      and immune responses. The suitability of the zebrafish larvae to in vivo high
      throughput screenings of small molecule libraries makes these models a valuable
      tool for identifying new drugs for multifunctional drug therapy against acute
      organophosphorus poisoning. 

PMID- 26489398
TI  - TORC2: a novel target for treating age-associated memory impairment.
AB  - Memory decline is one of the greatest health threats of the twenty-first century.
      Because of the widespread increase in life expectancy, 20 percent of the global
      population will be over 60 in 2050 and the problems caused by age-related memory
      loss will be dramatically aggravated. However, the molecular mechanisms
      underlying this inevitable process are not well understood. Here we show that the
      activity of the recently discovered mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR)
      complex 2 (mTORC2) declines with age in the brain of both fruit flies and rodents
      and that the loss of mTORC2-mediated actin polymerization contributes to age
      associated memory loss. Intriguingly, treatment with a small molecule that
      activates mTORC2 (A-443654) reverses long-term memory (LTM) deficits in both aged
      mice and flies. In addition, we found that pharmacologically boosting either
      mTORC2 or actin polymerization enhances LTM. In contrast to the current
      approaches to enhance memory that have primarily targeted the regulation of gene
      expression (epigenetic, transcriptional, and translational), our data points to a
      novel, evolutionarily conserved mechanism for restoring memory that is dependent
      on structural plasticity. These insights into the molecular basis of age-related
      memory loss may hold promise for new treatments for cognitive disorders. 

PMID- 26489399
TI  - Cyclic and constant hyperoxia cause inflammation, apoptosis and cell death in
      human umbilical vein endothelial cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Perioperative high-dose oxygen (O2 ) exposure can cause hyperoxia.
      While the effect of constant hyperoxia on the vascular endothelium has been
      investigated to some extent, the impact of cyclic hyperoxia largely remains
      unknown. We hypothesized that cyclic hyperoxia would induce more injury than
      constant hyperoxia to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). METHODS:
      HUVECs were exposed to cyclic hyperoxia (5-95% O2 ) or constant hyperoxia (95% O2
      ), normoxia (21% O2 ), and hypoxia (5% O2 ). Cell growth, viability (Annexin
      V/propidium iodide and 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium
      bromide, MTT) lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), release, cytokine (interleukin, IL and
      macrophage migration inhibitory factor, MIF) release, total antioxidant capacity
      (TAC), and superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) of cell lysate were assessed at
      baseline and 8, 24, and 72 h. A signal transduction pathway finder array for gene
      expression analysis was performed after 8 h. RESULTS: Constant and cyclic
      hyperoxia-induced gradually detrimental effects on HUVECs. After 72 h, constant
      or cyclic hyperoxia exposure induced change in cytotoxic (LDH +12%, P = 0.026;
      apoptosis +121/61%, P < 0.01; alive cells -15%, P < 0.01; MTT -16/15%, P < 0.01),
      inflammatory (IL-6 +142/190%, P < 0.01; IL-8 +72/43%, P < 0.01; MIF +147/93%, P <
      0.01), or redox-sensitive (SOD +278%, TAC-25% P < 0.01) markers. Gene expression
      analysis revealed that constant and cyclic hyperoxia exposure differently
      activates oxidative stress, nuclear factor kappa B, Notch, and peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Extreme hyperoxia exposure
      induces inflammation, apoptosis and cell death in HUVECs. Although our findings
      cannot be transferred to clinical settings, results suggest that hyperoxia
      exposure may cause vascular injury that could play a role in determining
      perioperative outcome.

PMID- 26489400
TI  - Multistate product traceforward investigation to link imported romaine lettuce to
      a US cyclosporiasis outbreak - Nebraska, Texas, and Florida, June-August 2013.
AB  - During June-August 2013, 25 US states reported 631 cyclosporiasis cases including
      Nebraska and Iowa where a regional investigation implicated common-source
      imported salad mix served in two chain restaurants. At least two common-origin
      growing fields were likely sources of contaminated romaine lettuce. Using
      producer- and distributor-provided data, we conducted a grower-specific
      traceforward investigation to reveal exposures of ill US residents elsewhere who
      reported symptom onset during 11 June-1 July 2013, the time period established in
      the Nebraska and Iowa investigation. Romaine lettuce shipped on 2-6 June from one
      of these Mexico-origin growing fields likely caused cyclosporiasis in 78 persons
      reporting illness onsets from 11 June to 1 July in Nebraska, Texas, and Florida.
      Nationwide, 97% (314/324) of persons confirmed with cyclosporiasis with symptom
      onset from 11 June to 1 July 2013 resided in 11 central and eastern US states
      receiving approximately two-thirds of romaine lettuce from this field. This
      grower's production practices should be investigated to determine potential
      sources of contamination and to develop recommendations to prevent future
      illnesses.

PMID- 26489401
TI  - Development and persistence of DAA resistance associated mutations in patients
      failing HCV treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) combined with pegylated
      interferon (PegIFN) and ribavirin (RBV) are still a standard treatment in
      patients with genotype 1HCV infection. However, virologic response could be
      impaired by baseline or early selection of resistant HCV strains. OBJECTIVES: The
      aim of this study was to determine the onset and persistence of resistance
      associated mutations (RAMs) in the NS3 and NS5B genes of DAA-naive patients
      failing treatment. STUDY DESIGN: Direct sequencing of HCV NS3 was performed in 49
      DAA-naive patients with HCV genotype 1 infection. RESULTS: Eight out of 23
      patients (34.7%) failed PegIFN/RBV/telaprevir during the 12-weeks of therapy.
      Treatment failure was associated with the development of RAMs at amino-acids
      36,54,80 and 155 of the HCV protease in 6/8 patients (75%). Among patients
      treated with PegIFN/RBV/boceprevir treatment, 4/18 (22.2%) failed therapy. Of
      these, 2 (50%) carried virus strains which developed a RAM at amino-acids 54 and
      155. Among HCV strains with RAMs, 7 belonged to genotype 1a and 1 to 1b. Finally,
      in 6/10 (60%) patients, drug-resistant variants could still be detected for up to
      3-7 months after stopping therapy. CONCLUSIONS: A higher rate (p=0.49) of
      treatment failure was observed in patients receiving telaprevir- compared to the
      boceprevir-based combination. In addition, compared with genotype 1b, genotype 1a
      was associated with higher rates (p=0.01) of treatment failure due to virus
      resistant strains. Resistance testing at baseline and during DAA treatment should
      be taken into consideration when treating patients with new HCV combination
      therapies.

PMID- 26489402
TI  - Atypical exanthems associated with HHV-6 reactivation after hematopoietic cell
      transplantation.

PMID- 26489403
TI  - A quality by design approach to scale-up of high-shear wet granulation process.
AB  - High-shear wet granulation is a complex process that in turn makes scale-up a
      challenging task. Scale-up of high-shear wet granulation process has been studied
      extensively in the past with various different methodologies being proposed in
      the literature. This review article discusses existing scale-up principles and
      categorizes the various approaches into two main scale-up strategies - parameter
      based and attribute-based. With the advent of quality by design (QbD) principle
      in drug product development process, an increased emphasis toward the latter
      approach may be needed to ensure product robustness. In practice, a combination
      of both scale-up strategies is often utilized. In a QbD paradigm, there is also a
      need for an increased fundamental and mechanistic understanding of the process.
      This can be achieved either by increased experimentation that comes at higher
      costs, or by using modeling techniques, that are also discussed as part of this
      review. 

PMID- 26489404
TI  - Meanings of feeling well among women with Parkinson's disease.
AB  - We conducted a qualitative inquiry to describe the meanings of feeling well as
      experienced by women with Parkinson's disease. Nine women were interviewed and we
      analysed the interviews using a reflective lifeworld approach based on
      phenomenological epistemology. We present the analysis as five constituents: the
      body as unnoticed; being able to move on; feeling joy by being connected; finding
      peace and harmony; and being the director of one's own life. Our findings can be
      used to understand and promote well-being among women with Parkinson's disease.
      In care meetings, knowledge about the lived and experienced health processes
      supports the women's striving to not let illness dominate their experience of
      daily life. 

PMID- 26489405
TI  - Determinants of stunting and severe stunting among under-fives in Tanzania:
      evidence from the 2010 cross-sectional household survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stunting is one of the main public health problems in Tanzania. It is
      caused mainly by malnutrition among children aged less than 5 years. Identifying
      the determinants of stunting and severe stunting among such children would help
      public health planners to reshape and redesign new interventions to reduce this
      health hazard. This study aimed to identify factors associated with stunting and
      severe stunting among children aged less than five years in Tanzania. METHODS:
      The sample is made up of 7324 children aged 0-59 months, from the Tanzania
      Demographic and Health Surveys 2010. Analysis in this study was restricted to
      children who lived with the respondent (women aged 15-49 years). Stunting and
      severe stunting were examined against a set of individual-, household- and
      community-level factors using simple and multiple logistic regression analyses.
      RESULTS: The prevalence of stunting and severe stunting were 35.5% [95%
      Confidence interval (CI): 33.3-37.7] and 14.4% (95 % CI: 12.9-16.1) for children
      aged 0-23 months and 41.6% (95 % CI: 39.8-43.3) and 16.1% (95 % CI: 14.8-17.5)
      for children aged 0-59 months, respectively. Multivariable analyses showed that
      the most consistent significant risk factors for stunted and severely-stunted
      children aged 0-23 and 0-59 months were: mothers with no schooling, male
      children, babies perceived to be of small or average size at birth by their
      mothers and unsafe sources of drinking water [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for
      stunted children aged 0-23 months = 1.37; 95% CI: (1.07, 1.75)]; [AOR for
      severely stunted children aged 0-23 months = 1.50; 95% CI: (1.05, 2.14)], [AOR
      for stunted children aged 0-59 months = 1.42; 95% CI: (1.13, 1.79)] and [AOR for
      severely stunted children aged 0-59 months = 1.26; 95% CI: (1.09, 1.46)].
      CONCLUSIONS: Community-based interventions are needed to reduce the occurrence of
      stunting and severe stunting in Tanzania. These interventions should target
      mothers with low levels of education, male children, small- or average-size
      babies and households with unsafe drinking water.

PMID- 26489406
TI  - Chronic Subdural Hematoma Associated with Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension:
      Therapeutic Strategies and Outcomes of 55 Cases.
AB  - Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) has increasingly been recognized, and
      it is well known that SIH is sometimes complicated by chronic subdural hematoma
      (SDH). In this study, 55 cases of SIH with SDH were retrospectively analyzed,
      focusing on therapeutic strategies and outcomes. Of 169 SIH cases (75 males, 84
      females), 55 (36 males, 19 females) were complicated by SDH. SIH was diagnosed
      based on clinical symptoms, neuroimaging, and/or low cerebrospinal fluid
      pressure. Presence of orthostatic headache and diffuse meningeal enhancement on
      magnetic resonance imaging were regarded as the most important criteria. Among 55
      SIH with SDH cases, 13 improved with conservative treatment, 25 initially
      received an epidural blood patch (EBP), and 17 initially underwent irrigation of
      the hematomas. Of the 25 initially treated with EBP, 7 (28.0%) needed SDH surgery
      and 18 (72.0%) recovered fully without surgery. Of 17 SDH cases initially treated
      with surgery, 6 (35.7%) required no EBP therapy and the other 11 (64.3%) needed
      EBP and/or additional SDH operations. In the latter group, 2 cases had transient
      severe complications during and after the procedures. One of these 2 cases
      developed a hoarse voice complication. Despite this single, non-severe
      complication, all enrolled in this study achieved good outcomes. The present
      study suggests that patients initially receiving SDH surgery may need additional
      treatments and may occasionally have complications. If conservative treatment is
      insufficient, EBP should be performed prior to hematoma irrigation. 

PMID- 26489407
TI  - The Associated Venous Anomalies Variant and Adjacent Brain Function on Iron
      Sensitive Image Indicate Surgical Risk of Cavernous Malformation.
AB  - The cavernous malformations (CMs) associated with venous anomalies (VAs) are now
      being described with increasing frequency. Assessment of the associated VAs is
      overlooked in surgical management of the CM. The clinical profiles of CMs with
      VAs were reviewed to investigate the value of T2* gradient echo
      (GRE)/susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) in surgical risk evaluation. Twenty
      six patients with symptomatic CMs associated with VAs between 2008 and 2013 were
      identified. Demographic, clinical, and radiological data were reviewed and
      functional outcomes were assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). The T2*
      GRE/SWI could allow more accurate evaluation of the boundary and drainage
      vicinity of VAs than contrast-enhanced images (6 vs. 2 patients with VAs on the
      eloquent region). Patients with VAs adjacent to eloquent brain showed poorer
      outcomes than those who had VAs in non-eloquent areas (P = 0.005), while the CMs
      adjacent to eloquent brain did not correlated with poor outcomes (P = 0.15). Type
      I and III variants of VAs were also significantly associated with poor outcomes,
      compared with type II variant (P = 0.002). Careful evaluation of VAs variant type
      and the association between VAs and eloquent brain is helpful for the management
      of CMs associated with VAs. We recommend T2* GRE/SWI in patients with CMs to
      assess the associated VAs. The evaluation of VA drainage vicinity on T2* GRE/SWI
      would be more useful for designing treatment strategies and risk stratification. 

PMID- 26489408
TI  - Modelling control of Schistosoma haematobium infection: predictions of the long
      term impact of mass drug administration in Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Effective control of schistosomiasis remains a challenging problem
      for endemic areas of the world. Given knowledge of the biology of transmission
      and past experience with mass drug administration (MDA) programs, it is important
      to critically evaluate the likelihood that MDA programs will achieve substantial
      reductions in Schistosoma prevalence. In implementing the World Health
      Organization Roadmap for Neglected Tropical Diseases it would useful for
      policymaking to model projections of the status of Schistosoma control in MDA
      treated areas in the next 5-10 years. METHODS: Calibrated mathematical models
      were used to project the effects of different frequency and coverage of MDA for
      schistosomiasis haematobia control in present-day endemic communities, taking
      into account uncertainties of parasite biology and input data. The modeling
      approach in this analysis was the Stratified Worm Burden model developed in our
      earlier works, calibrated using data from longitudinal S. haematobium control
      trials in Kenya. RESULTS: Model-based simulations of MDA control in typical low
      risk and higher-risk communities indicated that infection prevalence can be
      substantially reduced within 10 years only when there is a high degree of
      community participation (>70 %) with at least annual MDA. Significant risk for re
      emergence of infection remains if MDA is suspended. CONCLUSIONS: In a stable
      (stationary) ecosystem, Schistosoma reproduction and transmission are
      sufficiently robust that the process of human infection continues, even under
      pressure from aggressive MDA. MDA alone is unlikely to interrupt transmission,
      and once mass treatment is suspended, the prevalence of human infection is likely
      to rebound to pre-control levels over a period of 25-30 years. MDA success in
      achieving very low levels of infection prevalence is highly dependent on
      treatment coverage and frequency within the local human population, and requires
      that both adults and children be included in drug delivery coverage. Ultimately,
      supplemental snail control and significant improvements in sanitation will be
      required to achieve full control of schistosomiasis by elimination of ongoing
      Schistosoma transmission.

PMID- 26489409
TI  - PALB2 mutations in breast cancer patients from a multi-ethnic region in northwest
      China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Germline mutations in PALB2 gene make a small contribution to
      heritable breast cancer susceptibility. A recent report has revealed that women
      with mutations in the PALB2 gene were more than nine times as likely to develop
      breast cancer compared to those without. The aim of this study is to understand
      the status of PALB2 mutations among Chinese high-risk breast cancer patients in a
      multi-ethnic region in China. METHODS: 152 patients with hereditary
      predisposition to breast cancer from the Xinjing region of China were enrolled in
      the study, and 100 control samples from healthy women were collected in the same
      locality. We sequenced the coding sequences and flanking intronic regions of
      PALB2 gene from DNA samples obtained from all subjects by direct sequencing.
      RESULTS: A total of 4 deleterious PALB2 mutations were identified in 152 breast
      cancer patients with a prevalence of about 2.6 % (4/152). The PALB2 mutation
      prevalence was 3.2 % (3/95) in cases with family history of breast cancer. In
      addition to the four deleterious mutations, we identified nine missense variants
      in 12 patients, using the prediction Softwares SIFT and PolyPhen, four of which
      might be disease associated (in 5 patients). Two of the 4 patients with
      deleterious mutations and 2 of the 5 patients presenting putative deleterious
      missense mutations had triple-negative breast cancer. No PALB2 mutation carriers
      were identified in 100 healthy controls. CONCLUSION: PALB2 mutations account for
      a small, but not negligible, proportion of patients with hereditary
      predisposition to breast cancer in the Xinjing region of China.

PMID- 26489410
TI  - Comprehensive Characterization of AMP-Activated Protein  Kinase Catalytic Domain
      by Top-Down Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a serine/threonine protein kinase that is
      essential in regulating energy metabolism in all eukaryotic cells. It is a
      heterotrimeric protein complex composed of a catalytic subunit (alpha) and two
      regulatory subunits (beta and gamma). C-terminal truncation of AMPKalpha at
      residue 312 yielded a protein that is active upon phosphorylation of Thr172 in
      the absence of beta and gamma subunits, which is refered to as the AMPK catalytic
      domain and commonly used to substitute for the AMPK heterotrimeric complex in in
      vitro kinase assays. However, a comprehensive characterization of the AMPK
      catalytic domain is lacking. Herein, we expressed a His-tagged human AMPK
      catalytic domin (denoted as AMPKDelta) in E. coli, comprehensively characterized
      AMPKDelta in its basal state and after in vitro phosphorylation using top-down
      mass spectrometry (MS), and assessed how phosphorylation of AMPKDelta affects its
      activity. Unexpectedly, we found that bacterially-expressed AMPKDelta was basally
      phosphorylated and localized the phosphorylation site to the His-tag. We found
      that AMPKDelta had noticeable basal activity and was capable of phosphorylating
      itself and its substrates without activating phosphorylation at Thr172. Moreover,
      our data suggested that Thr172 is the only site phosphorylated by its upstream
      kinase, liver kinase B1, and that this phosphorylation dramatically increases the
      kinase activity of AMPKDelta. Importantly, we demonstrated that top-down MS in
      conjunction with in vitro phosphorylation assay is a powerful approach for
      monitoring phosphorylation reaction and determining sequential order of
      phosphorylation events in kinase-substrate systems.

PMID- 26489411
TI  - High-Resolution Ambient MS Imaging of Negative Ions in Positive Ion Mode: Using
      Dicationic Reagents with the Single-Probe.
AB  - We have used the Single-probe, a miniaturized sampling device utilizing in-situ
      surface microextraction for ambient mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, for the high
      resolution MS imaging (MSI) of negatively charged species in the positive
      ionization mode. Two dicationic compounds, 1,5-pentanediyl-bis(1
      butylpyrrolidinium) difluoride [C5(bpyr)2F2] and 1,3-propanediyl
      bis(tripropylphosphonium) difluoride [C3(triprp)2F2], were added into the
      sampling solvent to form 1+ charged adducts with the negatively charged species
      extracted from tissues. We were able to detect 526 and 322 negatively charged
      species this way using [C5(bpyr)2F2] and [C3(triprp)2F2], respectively, including
      oleic acid, arachidonic acid, and several species of phosphatidic acid,
      phosphoethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylinositol, and others. In conjunction with the identification of the
      non-adduct cations, we have tentatively identified a total number of 1200 and 828
      metabolites from mouse brain sections using [C5(bpyr)2F2] and [C3(triprp)2F2],
      respectively, through high mass accuracy measurements (mass error <5 ppm); MS/MS
      analyses were also performed to verify the identity of selected species. In
      addition to the high mass accuracy measurement, we were able to generate high
      spatial resolution (~17 MUm) MS images of mouse brain sections. Our study
      demonstrated that utilization of dicationic compounds in the surface
      microextraction with the Single-probe device can perform high mass and spatial
      resolution ambient MSI measurements of broader types of compounds in tissues.
      Other reagents can be potentially used with the Single-probe device for a variety
      of reactive MSI studies to enable the analysis of species that are previously
      intractable.

PMID- 26489412
TI  - [The epigenome. Target for innovative therapies in head and neck  carcinoma].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC) is a
      complex and multistage process, which is characterized by the accumulation of
      genetic and epigenetic aberrations. Most of our knowledge concerning the
      regulation of gene expression by the epigenome is based on changes in DNA
      methylation and post-translational histone modifications that affect the
      phenotypic plasticity of cells under physiological and pathological conditions.
      STATE OF THE ART: Numerous experimental studies have unraveled the impact of
      epigenetic alterations during initiation and malignant progression of HNSCC and
      substantiate their contribution in the context of tumor stem cells and treatment
      resistance. Due to their stability epigenetic modifications serve as promising
      diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and the reversible nature makes key
      regulators attractive targets for innovative treatment options.

PMID- 26489413
TI  - Clinical efficiency of Piezo-ICSI using micropipettes with a wall thickness of
      0.625 MUm.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purposes of the present study are to assess the clinical efficiency
      of Piezo-intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and to improve the Piezo-ICSI
      method for human oocytes. METHODS: We examined three ICSI methods to determine
      their clinical efficiency by comparing the survival, fertilization, good-quality
      day-3 embryo, pregnancy, and live birth rates. The three ICSI methods tested were
      conventional ICSI (CI) (using beveled spiked micropipettes with a wall thickness
      of 1 MUm), conventional Piezo-ICSI (CPI) (using flat-tipped micropipettes with a
      wall thickness of 0.925 MUm), and improved Piezo-ICSI (IPI) (using flat-tipped
      micropipettes with a wall thickness of 0.625 MUm). We collectively investigated
      2020 mature oocytes retrieved from 437 patients between October 2010 and January
      2014. RESULTS: The survival rates after CI, CPI, and IPI were 90, 95, and 99 %,
      respectively. The fertilization rates after CI, CPI, and IPI were 68, 75, and 89
      %, respectively. The good-quality day-3 embryo rates after CI, CPI, and IPI were
      37, 43, and 55 %, respectively. The pregnancy rates after the transfer of good
      quality day-3 embryo of CI, CPI, and IPI were 19, 21, and 31 %, respectively. The
      live birth rates of CI, CPI, and IPI were 15, 16, and 25 %, respectively.
      Significantly higher survival, fertilization, good-quality day-3 embryo,
      pregnancy, and live birth rates were obtained using IPI. CONCLUSIONS: When
      comparing the IPI to the CI and CPI, the results revealed that the Piezo-ICSI
      using flat-tipped micropipettes with a wall thickness of 0.625 MUm significantly
      improves survival, fertilization, good-quality day-3 embryo, pregnancy, and live
      birth rates.

PMID- 26489414
TI  - Elective single-embryo transfer improves cumulative pregnancy outcome in young
      patients but not in women of advanced reproductive age.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study is to assess the significance of
      elective single-embryo transfer (eSET) in older women. METHODS: The outcomes of
      assisted reproductive technology between 2001 and 2013 at single institution were
      retrospectively evaluated. Cumulative live birth rates (CLBRs) in one oocyte
      retrieval cycle were compared between those who underwent eSET and multiple
      embryo transfer (MET) in fresh cycles. RESULTS: The outcomes of 429 eSET cycles
      and 965 MET cycles were compared. CLBRs in eSET were higher than those of MET in
      women under 37 and were comparable in women aged 37 and over. The analysis of the
      outcomes separately in three age subgroups showed a significantly higher CLBR in
      young eSET (aged under 37) than that in young MET and similar CLBR between older
      (aged 37-40 and over 40) eSET and MET. Multiple birth rates were lower in eSET in
      all age groups. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that, in women
      aged under 37, number of frozen embryos, presence of good-quality embryos, and
      eSET were significantly related to cumulative live birth. In women aged between
      37 and 40, age and number of frozen embryos were significantly related, while
      eSET was not. CONCLUSIONS: eSET in women under 37 resulted in increased CLBR
      compared with MET. In women aged between 37 and 40, CLBR in eSET group was
      similar with that in MET group. In both age groups, eSET reduced multiple birth
      rates. The significance of eSET in older women is limited presently, and further
      research on the strategy to improve cumulative outcomes is necessary.

PMID- 26489416
TI  - Impact of temperature-humidity index on egg-laying characteristics and related
      stress and immunity parameters of Japanese quails.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of temperature-humidity index
      (THI) level on productive parameters, welfare, and immunity in Japanese quails.
      One hundred and eighty (180) birds of Japanese quail, 14 weeks old, were used.
      Birds were divided randomly into three equal groups, control (at low THI, less
      than 70), H1 (at moderate THI, 70-75), and H2 (at high THI, 76-80). Birds in the
      control group had higher body weight (281.2 g, p = 0.001), egg mass (745 g, p =
      0.001), fertility (85.4 %, p = 0.039), hatchability (80.4 %, p = 0.001), and
      immune response titer to Newcastle disease virus (p = 0.031), compared with H2
      group. Furthermore, the thermoneutral group had higher internal egg quality score
      [albumen height (5.14 mm, p = 0.001), yolk height (10.88 mm, p = 0.015), yolk
      index (42.32 %, p = 0.039), and Haugh unit (92.67, p = 0.001)]. Nevertheless,
      there were no significant differences in fertility percentage, immune response,
      and corticosterone concentration between control and H1 group. Birds in the H2
      group had the lowest total leucocytic count and lymphocyte percentage (p = 0.001
      and 0.020, respectively) but the highest H/L ratio (0.83, p = 0.001).
      Corticosterone concentration was lower in control and H1 groups (5.49 and 6.41
      ng/mL, respectively, p = 0.024) than that in H2 group. Japanese quail exposed to
      heat stress revealed drop in production and immunological parameters, as well as
      a detrimental effects on welfare. Thus, practical approaches might be used to
      reduce the detrimental effects of greater THI level. 

PMID- 26489417
TI  - Dynamically downscaling predictions for deciduous tree leaf emergence in
      California under current and future climate.
AB  - Models that predict the timing of deciduous tree leaf emergence are typically
      very sensitive to temperature. However, many temperature data products, including
      those from climate models, have been developed at a very coarse spatial
      resolution. Such coarse-resolution temperature products can lead to highly biased
      predictions of leaf emergence. This study investigates how dynamical downscaling
      of climate models impacts simulations of deciduous tree leaf emergence in
      California. Models for leaf emergence are forced with temperatures simulated by a
      general circulation model (GCM) at ~200-km resolution for 1981-2000 and 2031-2050
      conditions. GCM simulations are then dynamically downscaled to 32- and 8-km
      resolution, and leaf emergence is again simulated. For 1981-2000, the regional
      average leaf emergence date is 30.8 days earlier in 32-km simulations than in
      ~200-km simulations. Differences between the 32 and 8 km simulations are small
      and mostly local. The impact of downscaling from 200 to 8 km is ~15 % smaller in
      2031-2050 than in 1981-2000, indicating that the impacts of downscaling are
      unlikely to be stationary. 

PMID- 26489415
TI  - Opioid substitution and antagonist therapy trials exclude the common addiction
      patient: a systematic review and analysis of eligibility criteria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Eligibility criteria that result in the exclusion of a substantial
      number of patients from randomized trials jeopardize the generalizability of
      treatment effect to much of the clinical population. This is important when
      evaluating opioid substitution and antagonist therapies (OSATs), especially given
      the challenges associated with treating the opioid-dependent population. We aimed
      to identify OSAT trials' eligibility criteria, quantify the percentage of the
      clinical population excluded by these criteria, and determine how OSAT guidelines
      incorporate evidence from these trials. METHODS: We performed a systematic review
      to identify the eligibility criteria used across trials. We searched Medline,
      EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Cochrane Clinical Trials
      Registry (CTR), World Health Organization International CTR Platform Search
      Portal, and the National Institutes of Health CTR databases from inception to
      January 1, 2014. To quantify the effect of trials' eligibility criteria on
      generalizability, we applied these criteria to data from an observational study
      of opioid-dependent patients (n = 394). We then accessed the Canadian, American,
      British, and World Health Organization (WHO) OSAT guidelines to evaluate how
      evidence is used in the recommendations. RESULTS: Among the 60 trials identified
      the majority (>=50 % of trials) exclude patients with psychiatric (60 %) and
      physical comorbidity (51.7 %). Additionally, we found 19 trials exclude patients
      with current alcohol/substance-use problems (31.7 %), and 29 (48.3 %) exclude
      patients taking psychotropic medications. These criteria were restrictive and in
      some cases rendered 70 % of the observational sample ineligible. North American
      OSAT guidelines made strong recommendations supported by evidence with poor
      generalizability. National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and WHO
      guidelines for opioid misuse provide a critical assessment of the literature used
      to inform their recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: Trials assessing OSATs often
      exclude patients with concurrent disorders. If the excluded patients respond
      differently to treatment, results from these trials are likely to overestimate
      the true effectiveness of OSATs. North American guidelines should consider these
      limitations when drafting clinical recommendations.

PMID- 26489418
TI  - Evaluating the role of a trypsin inhibitor from soap nut (Sapindus trifoliatus L.
      Var. Emarginatus) seeds against larval gut proteases, its purification and
      characterization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The defensive capacities of plant protease Inhibitors (PI) rely on
      inhibition of proteases in insect guts or those secreted by microorganisms; and
      also prevent uncontrolled proteolysis and offer protection against proteolytic
      enzymes of pathogens. METHODS: An array of chromatographic techniques were
      employed for purification, homogeneity was assessed by electrophoresis.
      Specificity, Ki value, nature of inhibition, complex formation was carried out by
      standard protocols. Action of SNTI on insect gut proteases was computationally
      evaluated by modeling the proteins by threading and docking studies by piper
      using Schrodinger tools. RESULTS: We have isolated and purified Soap Nut Trypsin
      Inhibitor (SNTI) by acetone fractionation, ammonium sulphate precipitation, ion
      exchange and gel permeation chromatography. The purified inhibitor was
      homogeneous by both gel filtration and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE).
      SNTI exhibited a molecular weight of 29 kDa on SDS-PAGE, gel filtration and was
      negative to Periodic Acid Schiff's stain. SNTI inhibited trypsin and pronase of
      serine class. SNTI demonstrated non-competitive inhibition with a Ki value of
      0.75 +/- 0.05*10-10 M. The monoheaded inhibitor formed a stable complex in 1:1
      molar ratio. Action of SNTI was computationally evaluated on larval gut proteases
      from Helicoverpa armigera and Spodoptera frugiperda. SNTI and larval gut
      proteases were modeled and docked using Schrodinger software. Docking studies
      revealed strong hydrogen bond interactions between Lys10 and Pro71, Lys299 and
      Met80 and Van Der Waals interactions between Leu11 and Cys76amino acid residues
      of SNTI and protease from H. Armigera. Strong hydrogen bonds were observed
      between SNTI and protease of S. frugiperda at positions Thr79 and Arg80, Asp90
      and Gly73, Asp2 and Gly160 respectively. CONCLUSION: We conclude that SNTI
      potentially inhibits larval gut proteases of insects and the kinetics exhibited
      by the protease inhibitor further substantiates its efficacy against serine
      proteases.

PMID- 26489419
TI  - SIS and SIR Epidemic Models Under Virtual Dispersal.
AB  - We develop a multi-group epidemic framework via virtual dispersal where the risk
      of infection is a function of the residence time and local environmental risk.
      This novel approach eliminates the need to define and measure contact rates that
      are used in the traditional multi-group epidemic models with heterogeneous
      mixing. We apply this approach to a general n-patch SIS model whose basic
      reproduction number [Formula: see text] is computed as a function of a patch
      residence-time matrix [Formula: see text]. Our analysis implies that the
      resulting n-patch SIS model has robust dynamics when patches are strongly
      connected: There is a unique globally stable endemic equilibrium when [Formula:
      see text], while the disease-free equilibrium is globally stable when [Formula:
      see text]. Our further analysis indicates that the dispersal behavior described
      by the residence-time matrix [Formula: see text] has profound effects on the
      disease dynamics at the single patch level with consequences that proper
      dispersal behavior along with the local environmental risk can either promote or
      eliminate the endemic in particular patches. Our work highlights the impact of
      residence-time matrix if the patches are not strongly connected. Our framework
      can be generalized in other endemic and disease outbreak models. As an
      illustration, we apply our framework to a two-patch SIR single-outbreak epidemic
      model where the process of disease invasion is connected to the final epidemic
      size relationship. We also explore the impact of disease-prevalence-driven
      decision using a phenomenological modeling approach in order to contrast the role
      of constant versus state-dependent [Formula: see text] on disease dynamics. 

PMID- 26489420
TI  - Immobilization of inorganic pyrophosphatase on nanodiamond particles retaining
      its high enzymatic activity.
AB  - Nanodiamond (ND) particles are popular platforms for the immobilization of
      molecular species. In the present research, enzyme Escherichia coli inorganic
      pyrophosphatase (PPase) was immobilized on detonation ND through covalent or
      noncovalent bonding and its enzymatic activity was characterized. Factors
      affecting adsorption of PPase such as ND size and surface chemistry were studied.
      The obtained material is a submicron size association of ND particles and protein
      molecules in approximately equal amounts. Both covalently and noncovalently
      immobilized PPase retains a significant enzymatic activity (up to 95% of its
      soluble form) as well as thermostability. The obtained hybrid material has a very
      high enzyme loading capacity (~1 mg mg(-1)) and may be considered as a promising
      delivery system of biologically active proteinaceous substances, particularly in
      the treatment of diseases such as calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition
      disease and related pathologies. They can also be used as recoverable
      heterogeneous catalysts in the traditional uses of PPase.

PMID- 26489421
TI  - Perceptions of the preparedness of medical graduates for internship
      responsibilities in district hospitals in Kenya: a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aga Khan University is developing its undergraduate medical education
      curriculum for East Africa. In Kenya, a 1 year internship is mandatory for
      medical graduates' registration as practitioners. The majority of approved
      internship training sites are at district hospitals. The purposes of this study
      were to determine: (1) whether recent Kenyan medical graduates are prepared for
      their roles as interns in district hospitals upon graduation from medical school;
      (2) what working and training conditions and social support interns are likely to
      face in district hospital; and (3) what aspects of the undergraduate curriculum
      need to be addressed to overcome perceived deficiencies in interns' competencies.
      METHODS: Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were conducted
      with current interns and clinical supervisors in seven district hospitals in
      Kenya. Perceptions of both interns and supervisors regarding interns'
      responsibilities and skills, working conditions at district hospitals, and
      improvements required in medical education were obtained. RESULTS: Findings
      included agreement across informants on deficiencies in interns' practical skills
      and experience of managing clinical challenges. Supervisors were generally
      critical regarding interns' competencies, whereas interns were more specific
      about their weaknesses. Supervisor expectations were higher in relation to
      surgical procedures than those of interns. There was agreement on the limited
      learning, clinical facilities and social support available at district hospitals
      including, according to interns, inadequate supervision. Supervisors felt they
      provided adequate supervision and that interns lacked the ability to initiate
      communication with them. Both groups indicated transition challenges from medical
      school to medical practice attributable to inadequate practical experience. They
      indicated the need for more direct patient care responsibilities and clinical
      experience at a district hospital during undergraduate training. CONCLUSION:
      Perception of medical graduates' unpreparedness seemed to stem from a failure to
      implement the apprenticeship model of learning in medical school and lack of
      prior exposure to district hospitals. These findings will inform curriculum
      development to meet stakeholder requirements, improve the quality of graduates,
      and increase satisfaction with transition to practice.

PMID- 26489422
TI  - Evaluation of the role of HLA-DR antigens in Japanese type 1 autoimmune
      hepatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of HLA-DR antigens in the clinicopathological features of
      autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is not clearly understood. We examined the
      implications of HLA-DR antigens in Japanese AIH, including the effect of HLA-DR4
      on the age and pattern of AIH onset, clinicopathological features, and treatment
      efficacy. METHODS: A total of 132 AIH patients consecutively diagnosed and
      treated in 2000-2014 at 2 major hepatology centers of eastern Tokyo district were
      the subjects of this study. The frequency of HLA-DR phenotypes was compared with
      that in the healthy Japanese population. AIH patients were divided into HLA-DR4
      positive or HLA-DR4-negative groups and further sub-classified into elderly and
      young-to-middle-aged groups, and differences in clinical and histological
      features were examined. Clinical features associated with the response to
      immunosuppressive therapy were also determined. RESULTS: The frequency of the HLA
      DR4 phenotype was significantly higher in AIH than in control subjects (59.7 %
      vs. 41.8 %, P < 0.001), and the relative risk was 2.14 (95 % CI; 1.51-3.04). HLA
      DR4-positive AIH patients were younger than HLA-DR4-negative patients (P =
      0.034). Serum IgG and IgM levels were higher (P < 0.001 and P = 0.007,
      respectively) in HLA-DR4-positive patients. These differences were more prominent
      in elderly AIH patients. However, there was no difference in IgG and IgM levels
      between HLA-DR4-positive and HLA-DR4-negative patients of the young-to-middle
      aged group. There were no differences in the histological features. In patients
      with refractory to immunosuppressive therapy, higher total bilirubin, longer
      prothrombin time, lower serum albumin, and lower platelet count were found.
      Imaging revealed splenomegaly to be more frequent in refractory patients than in
      non-refractory patients (60.0 % vs. 30.8 %, P = 0.038). HLA-DR phenotype
      distribution was similar regardless of response to immunosuppressive therapy.
      CONCLUSIONS: HLA-DR4 was the only DR antigen significantly associated with
      Japanese AIH. The clinical features of HLA-DR4-positive AIH differed between
      elderly patients and young-to-middle-aged patients. Treatment response depended
      on the severity of liver dysfunction but not on HLA-DR antigens.

PMID- 26489423
TI  - The effect of EGB on proliferation of gastric carcinoma SGC7901 cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGB) on the
      proliferation and cell cycles of gastric carcinoma SGC7901 cells, and make a
      preliminary exploration on possible molecular mechanisms associated with its
      inhibitory effect. METHODS: Human gastric carcinoma SGC7901 cells were cultured
      in vitro, and treated with various concentrations (100, 200, 300, 400 mg/L) of
      EGB for different incubation periods (24, 48 and 72 h). CCK-8 assay was used to
      detect cell proliferation and flow cytometry was performed to analyze the effect
      of EGB on cell cycles. In addition, mRNA and protein level of two cell cycle
      regulators cyclin D1 and c-myc in SGC7901 cells treated with EGB were determined
      using PCR and Western blot. And subcutaneous xenograft model of gastric carcinoma
      in nude mice was established to evaluate the anti-cancer effect of EGB in vivo.
      RESULTS: The proliferation of gastric carcinoma SGC7901 cells was inhibited by
      EGB in dose- and time-dependent manner. Flow cytometry showed cell cycle arrest
      in EGB-treated cells, with increased percentage of cells in G1 phase and
      decreased percentage in S stage. In addition, the mRNA and protein level of
      cyclin D1 and c-myc genes were significantly down-regulated in cells with EGB
      treatment with the concentration increasing. CONCLUSION: EGB conferred an
      inhibitory effect on the proliferation of gastric carcinoma SGC7901 cells both in
      vitro and in vivo. The inhibitory effect was dose dependent and possibly depended
      on inhibiting cell cycle through G1 arrest induction by suppressing cyclin D1 and
      c-myc expression.

PMID- 26489424
TI  - Landscape of early clinical trials for childhood and adolescence cancer in Spain.
AB  - PURPOSE: Despite numerous advances, survival remains dismal for children and
      adolescents with poor prognosis cancers or those who relapse or are refractory to
      first line treatment. There is, therefore, a major unmet need for new drugs.
      Recent advances in the knowledge of molecular tumor biology open the door to more
      adapted therapies according to individual alterations. Promising results in the
      adult anticancer drug development have not yet been translated into clinical
      practice. We report the activity in early pediatric oncology trials in Spain.
      METHODS: All members of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology
      (SEHOP) were contacted to obtain information about early trials open in each
      center. RESULTS: 22 phase I and II trials were open as of May 2015: 15 for solid
      tumors (68 %) and 7 for hematological malignancies (32 %). Fourteen (64 %) were
      industry sponsored. Since 2010, four centers have joined the Innovative Therapies
      For Children With Cancer, an international consortium whose aim is developing
      novel therapies for pediatric cancers. A substantial number of studies have
      opened in these 5 years, improving the portfolio of trials for children. Results
      of recently closed trials show the contribution of Spanish investigators, the
      introduction of molecularly targeted agents and their benefits. CONCLUSIONS:
      Clinical trials are the way to evaluate new drugs, avoiding the use of off-label
      drugs that carry significant risks. The Spanish pediatric oncology community
      through the SEHOP is committed to develop and participate in collaborative
      academic trials, to favor the advancement and optimization of existing therapies
      in pediatric cancer.

PMID- 26489425
TI  - CCR6 overexpression predicted advanced biological behaviors and poor prognosis in
      patients with gastric cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: CCR6 expression is deregulated in some human malignancies and may be
      involved in the tumor progression. The aim of the present study was to determine
      the CCR6 expression in gastric cancer (GC) and to clarify its clinical
      significance. METHODS: We used western blotting to examine CCR6 protein
      expression in GC tissues and matched adjacent non-tumor tissues.
      Immunohistochemistry was performed on a large cohort of 372 postoperative GC
      samples. Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression model were
      used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Upregulated CCR6 protein expression was
      observed in the GC tissues by western blotting compared with the adjacent non
      cancerous gastric tissues. High CCR6 expression was detected in 56.5 % (210/372)
      samples and significantly associated with the extracapsular extension of the
      tumor, tumor relapse and poor overall survival in GC (P < 0.001). Further
      analysis demonstrated that the CCR6 expression level stratified the patient
      outcome in stage II, stage III, T3/4, N positive and poorly
      differentiated/undifferentiated tumor subgroups. The Cox regression analysis
      showed that high expression of CCR6 was an independent prognostic factor for GC
      patients. CONCLUSIONS: CCR6 expression may be a novel biomarker for predicting
      clinical outcomes for GC patients.

PMID- 26489427
TI  - BMJ editor writes to Hunt over misuse of weekend mortality data.

PMID- 26489426
TI  - Recommendations in the management of epithelial appendiceal neoplasms and
      peritoneal dissemination from mucinous tumours (pseudomyxoma peritonei).
AB  - The epithelial appendiceal neoplasms are uncommon and are usually detected as an
      unexpected surgical finding. The general surgeon should be aware of the diversity
      of its clinical manifestations and biological behaviors along with the
      significance of the surgical treatment on the progression of the illness and the
      prognosis of the patients. The operative findings and, especially, tumor
      histology, determine the type of surgery. Intestinal histologic subtype behaves
      and should be treated similarly to the right colon neoplasms; while mucinous
      tumors, often discordant between histology and its aggressiveness, can be treated
      with a simple appendectomy or require complex oncological surgeries. Mucinous
      tumors are often associated with the presence of mucin or tumor implants in the
      abdominal cavity, being the clinical syndrome known as pseudomyxoma peritonei
      (PMP). PMP tends to present an indolent but deadly evolution and requires a
      multimodal approach as a single treatment with curative potential: complete
      cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic Intra-peritoneal chemotherapy (CCRS +
      HIPEC) now considered the standard of care in this pathology. The general surgeon
      should be aware of the governing principles of the treatment of appendiceal
      neoplasms with or without peritoneal dissemination, know the therapeutic
      frontiers in every situation (avoiding unnecessary or counterproductive
      surgeries) and sending early these patients to specialised centres in the radical
      management of malignant diseases of the peritoneum in the conditions and with the
      necessary information to facilitate a possible radical treatment.

PMID- 26489429
TI  - Conflicts in serving both non-profit and for-profit medical centres.

PMID- 26489428
TI  - Host lung immunity is severely compromised during tropical pulmonary
      eosinophilia: role of lung eosinophils and macrophages.
AB  - Eosinophils play a central role in the pathogenesis of tropical pulmonary
      eosinophilia, a rare, but fatal, manifestation of filariasis. However, no
      exhaustive study has been done to identify the genes and proteins of eosinophils
      involved in the pathogenesis of tropical pulmonary eosinophilia. In the present
      study, we established a mouse model of tropical pulmonary eosinophilia that
      mimicked filarial manifestations of human tropical pulmonary eosinophilia
      pathogenesis and used flow cytometry-assisted cell sorting and real-time RT-PCR
      to study the gene expression profile of flow-sorted, lung eosinophils and lung
      macrophages during tropical pulmonary eosinophilia pathogenesis. Our results show
      that tropical pulmonary eosinophilia mice exhibited increased levels of IL-4, IL
      5, CCL5, and CCL11 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung parenchyma along
      with elevated titers of IgE and IgG subtypes in the serum. Alveolar macrophages
      from tropical pulmonary eosinophilia mice displayed decreased phagocytosis,
      attenuated nitric oxide production, and reduced T-cell proliferation capacity,
      and FACS-sorted lung eosinophils from tropical pulmonary eosinophilia mice
      upregulated transcript levels of ficolin A and anti-apoptotic gene Bcl2,but
      proapoptotic genes Bim and Bax were downregulated. Similarly, flow-sorted lung
      macrophages upregulated transcript levels of TLR-2, TLR-6, arginase-1, Ym-1, and
      FIZZ-1 but downregulated nitric oxide synthase-2 levels, signifying their
      alternative activation. Taken together, we show that the pathogenesis of tropical
      pulmonary eosinophilia is marked by functional impairment of alveolar
      macrophages, alternative activation of lung macrophages, and upregulation of anti
      apoptotic genes by eosinophils. These events combine together to cause severe
      lung inflammation and compromised lung immunity. Therapeutic interventions that
      can boost host immune response in the lungs might thus provide relief to patients
      with tropical pulmonary eosinophilia.

PMID- 26489430
TI  - Optimizing and validating the technical infrastructure of a novel tele-cystoscopy
      system.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Bladder cancer is the most costly malignancy to manage per capita
      due to the technical nature and intensity of follow-up. There are few urologists
      in rural areas, often necessitating that patients travel hours to receive follow
      up care multiple times per year. We plan to train registered nurses and allied
      health professionals to perform cystoscopies which are monitored and interpreted
      in real-time by board-certified urologists. The key is to ensure optimal picture
      resolution to guarantee this technology is not inferior to traditional
      cystoscopy. Our objective was to develop the technical infrastructure needed for
      a tele-cystoscopy system through assessment of the transmitted video quality
      using expert reviewers and crowd-sourcing. METHODS: All combinations of the tele
      cystoscopy system were systematically tested using a single Thiel cadaver. The
      videos were reviewed by expert urologists and general reviewers using a crowd
      sourcing website. The video quality responses were assessed to determine
      concordance between each set of reviewers, and to determine the optimal equipment
      that should be selected for the tele-cystoscopy system. RESULTS: Of eight
      equipment combinations, only two were of high enough quality to be appropriate
      for medical use. We found there to be strong concordance of responses between the
      expert and crowd-sourced responses. The trade-offs between cost and tele
      cystoscopy system component quality were compared with efficiency frontiers to
      elucidate the optimal system. DISCUSSION: We created and tested the feasibility
      of a tele-cystoscopy system that was deemed suitable for medical diagnosis by a
      group of experts. We further validated tele-cystoscopy video quality using both
      experts and recently validated crowd-sourcing.

PMID- 26489433
TI  - Mapping Unhealthy Behavior Among Economically Active Men Using GIS in Suburban
      and Rural Areas of Sri Lanka.
AB  - The burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and certain behavioral risk factors
      related to NCDs (unhealthy behaviors) are becoming more common. This survey aims
      to map out such common unhealthy behaviors among all men 35 to 50 years old in a
      Medical Officer of Health area in the Western Province of Sri Lanka using a
      geographical information system (GIS) and an interviewer administered
      questionnaire by visiting all households in the study area. Data were analyzed
      with ARC GIS and SPSS software. Geographical areas where men with unhealthy
      behaviors cluster together (clusters) were identified and visually and
      statistically related to locations of schools, places of religious worship, and
      factories in the area. It was revealed that clusters of unhealthy behaviors are
      mostly seen in areas with less population density. Smoking and alcohol are
      clustering in estate areas occupied by Tamils. This way GIS mapping could be used
      to identify and reduce the burden of NCDs by visualizing clusters and how certain
      locations affect their spread. 

PMID- 26489431
TI  - Increased male fertility using fertility-related biomarkers.
AB  - Conventional semen analyses are used to evaluate male factor
      fertility/infertility in humans and other animals. However, their clinical value
      remains controversial. Therefore, new tools that more accurately assess male
      fertility based on sperm function and fertilization mechanism are of interest
      worldwide. While protein markers in spermatozoa that might help differentiate
      fertile and infertile sperm have been identified, studies are in their infancy,
      and the markers require validation in field trials. In the present study, to
      discover more sensitive biomarkers in spermatozoa for predicting male fertility,
      we assessed protein expression in capacitated spermatozoa. The results
      demonstrated that cytochrome b-c1 complex subunit 2 (UQCRC2) was abundantly
      expressed in high-litter size spermatozoa (>3-fold). On the other hand,
      equatorin, beta-tubulin, cytochrome b-c1 complex subunit 1 (UQCRC1), speriolin,
      Ras-related protein Rab-2A (RAB2A), spermadhesin AQN-3, and seminal plasma sperm
      motility inhibitor were abundantly expressed in low-litter size spermatozoa (>3
      fold). Moreover, RAB2A and UQCRC1 expression negatively correlated with litter
      size, while UQCRC2 expression positively correlated with litter size. Finally,
      the putative biomarkers predicted litter size in field trials. Our study suggests
      that biomarkers present in spermatozoa after capacitation can help differentiate
      superior male fertility from below-average fertility with high sensitivity. 

PMID- 26489434
TI  - Differentiation of Isodon japonica and Adulterants Based on Identification and
      Quantitation 14 Diterpenoids Using LC-MS-MS Library Search Approach and
      Hierarchical Cluster Analysis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical differences between
      genunine Isodon japonica and its adulterants. A linear ion trap liquid
      chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analytical method has been developed
      for the identification and quantification of 14 major diterpenoids in I.
      japonica. Data acquisition was multiple reaction monitoring transitions mode
      followed by an information-dependent acquisition using the enhanced product ion
      (EPI) scan in a single run. The target compounds were further identified and
      confirmed using an EPI spectral library. Overall validation of the assay was
      carried out including linearity, accuracy, precision, limits of detection and
      quantification. The results demonstrated that the method was selective, sensitive
      and reliable. The determination results of 21 batches of I. japonica and
      adulterants were then analyzed and differentiated by hierarchical clustering
      analysis. 

PMID- 26489435
TI  - Structural Analysis and Quantitative Determination of Clevidipine Butyrate
      Impurities Using an Advanced RP-HPLC Method.
AB  - Eleven potential impurities, including process-related compounds and degradation
      products, have been analyzed by comprehensive studies on the manufacturing
      process of clevidipine butyrate. Possible formation mechanisms could also be
      devised. MS and NMR techniques have been used for the structural characterization
      of three previously unreported impurities (Imp-3, Imp-5 and Imp-11). To separate
      and quantify the potential impurities in a simultaneous fashion, an efficient and
      advanced RP-HPLC method has been developed. In doing so, four major degradation
      products (Imp-2, Imp-4, Imp-8 and Imp-10) can be observed under varying stress
      conditions. This analytical method has been validated according to ICH guidelines
      with respect to specificity, accuracy, linearity, robustness and stability. The
      method described has been demonstrated to be applicable in routine quality
      control processes and stability evaluation studies of clevidipine butyrate. 

PMID- 26489436
TI  - Dynamic control of light emission faster than the lifetime limit using VO2 phase
      change.
AB  - Modulation is a cornerstone of optical communication, and as such, governs the
      overall speed of data transmission. Currently, the two main strategies for
      modulating light are direct modulation of the excited emitter population (for
      example, using semiconductor lasers) and external optical modulation (for
      example, using Mach-Zehnder interferometers or ring resonators). However, recent
      advances in nanophotonics offer an alternative approach to control spontaneous
      emission through modifications to the local density of optical states. Here, by
      leveraging the phase-change of a vanadium dioxide nanolayer, we demonstrate
      broadband all-optical direct modulation of 1.5 MUm emission from trivalent erbium
      ions more than three orders of magnitude faster than their excited state
      lifetime. This proof-of-concept demonstration shows how integration with phase
      change materials can transform widespread phosphorescent materials into high
      speed optical sources that can be integrated in monolithic nanoscale devices for
      both free-space and on-chip communication.

PMID- 26489437
TI  - Personality and morphological traits affect pigeon survival from raptor attacks.
AB  - Personality traits have recently been shown to impact fitness in different animal
      species, potentially making them similarly relevant drivers as morphological and
      life history traits along the evolutionary pathways of organisms. Predation is a
      major force of natural selection through its deterministic effects on individual
      survival, but how predation pressure has helped to shape personality trait
      selection, especially in free-ranging animals, remains poorly understood. We used
      high-precision GPS tracking to follow whole flocks of homing pigeons (Columba
      livia) with known personalities and morphology during homing flights where they
      were severely predated by raptors. This allowed us to determine how the
      personality and morphology traits of pigeons may affect their risk of being
      predated by raptors. Our survival model showed that individual pigeons, which
      were more tolerant to human approach, slower to escape from a confined
      environment, more resistant to human handling, with larger tarsi, and with
      lighter plumage, were more likely to be predated by raptors. We provide rare
      empirical evidence that the personality of prey influences their risk of being
      predated under free-ranging circumstances. 

PMID- 26489438
TI  - Developmental clock compromises human twin model created by embryo splitting.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Is the quality of the human embryos generated by twinning in
      vitro comparable to the quality of the embryos created by fertilization? SUMMARY
      ANSWER: Our data suggest that the human twin embryos created in vitro are
      unsuitable not only for clinical use but also for research purposes. WHAT IS
      KNOWN ALREADY: Pregnancy from in vitro generated monozygotic twins by embryo
      splitting or twinning leads to live birth of healthy animals. Similar strategies,
      however, have been less successful in primates. Recent reports suggest that the
      splitting of human embryos might result in viable, morphologically adequate
      blastocysts, although the qualitative analyses of the embryos created in such a
      way have been very limited. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This study was a
      comparative analysis of embryos generated by twinning in vitro and the embryos
      created by in vitro fertilization. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: We
      analysed morphokinetics and developmental competence of 176 twin embryos created
      by splitting of 88 human embryos from either early (2-5 blastomeres, n = 43) or
      late (6-10 blastomeres, n = 45) cleavage stages. We compared the data with
      morphometrics of embryos created by in vitro fertilization and resulting in
      pregnancy and live birth upon single blastocyst transfer (n = 42). MAIN RESULTS
      AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: The morphokinetic data suggested that the human
      preimplantation development is subjected to a strict temporal control. Due to a
      'developmental clock', the size of twin embryos was proportionate to the number
      of cells used for their creation. Furthermore, the first fate decision was
      somewhat delayed; the inner cell mass (ICM) became distinguishable later in the
      twin than in the normal blastocysts obtained through fertilization. If an ICM was
      present at all, it was small and of poor quality. The majority of the cells in
      the twin embryos expressed ICM and trophectoderm markers simultaneously.
      LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: We created monozygotic twins by blastomere
      separation from cleavage stage embryos. Embryo twinning by blastocyst bisection
      may circumvent limitations set by the developmental clock. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF
      THE FINDINGS: Taken together, our data suggest that the human twin embryos
      created in vitro are unsuitable not only for clinical use but also for research
      purposes.

PMID- 26489439
TI  - The necessity to define the sub-optimal responders.

PMID- 26489440
TI  - Reply: Is it necessary to recognize the sub-optimal responder.

PMID- 26489441
TI  - High-level production of violacein by the newly isolated Duganella violaceinigra
      str. NI28 and its impact on Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - A violacein-producing bacterial strain was isolated and identified as a relative
      of Duganella violaceinigra YIM 31327 based upon phylogenetic analyses using the
      16S rRNA, gyrB and vioA gene sequences and a fatty acid methyl ester (FAME)
      analysis. This new strain was designated D. violaceinigra str. NI28. Although
      these two strains appear related based upon these analyses, the new isolate was
      phenotypically different from the type strain as it grew 25% faster on nutrient
      media and produced 45-fold more violacein. When compared with several other
      violacein producing strains, including Janthinobacterium lividum, D.
      violaceinigra str. NI28 was the best violacein producer. For instance, the crude
      violacein yield with D. violaceinigra str. NI28 was 6.0 mg/OD at 24 hours, a
      value that was more than two-fold higher than all the other strains. Finally, the
      antibacterial activity of D. violaceinigra str. NI28 crude violacein was assayed
      using several multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Addition of 30 MUM crude
      violacein led to a 96% loss in the initial S. aureus population while the minimum
      inhibitory concentration was 1.8 MUM. Consequently, this novel isolate represents
      a phenotypic variant of D. violaceinigra capable of producing much greater
      quantities of crude violacein, an antibiotic effective against multidrug
      resistant S. aureus. 

PMID- 26489442
TI  - A phase II/III randomized study to compare the efficacy and safety of rigosertib
      plus gemcitabine versus gemcitabine alone in patients with previously untreated
      metastatic pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 26489443
TI  - Statistical controversies in clinical research: assessing pathologic complete
      response as a trial-level surrogate end point for early-stage breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A trial-level surrogate end point for a randomized clinical trial may
      allow assessment of the relative benefits of the treatment to be performed at an
      earlier time point and potentially with a smaller sample size. However,
      determining whether an end point is a reliable trial-level surrogate based on
      results of previous trials is not straightforward. The question of trial-level
      surrogacy is easily confused with the question of individual-level surrogacy, and
      this confusion can lead to controversy. A recent example concerns the evaluation
      of pathologic complete response (pCR) as a surrogate for event-free survival
      (EFS) and overall survival (OS) in early-stage breast cancer. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The differences between individual-level surrogacy (i.e. for patients
      receiving a specific treatment, the surrogate end point predicts the definitive
      end point) and trial-level surrogacy (the results of the trial for the surrogate
      end point predict the results of the trial for the definitive end point) are
      discussed. Trial-level data used in two previous meta-analyses evaluating pCR as
      a trial-level surrogate for EFS and OS were re-analyzed using methods that
      appropriately account for the variability in pCR rates as well as the variability
      in the hazard ratios for EFS and OS. RESULTS: There is no evidence that pCR is a
      trial-level surrogate for EFS or OS, nor is there evidence that pCR could be used
      reliably to screen out nonpromising agents from further drug development.
      CONCLUSIONS: At present, neoadjuvant RCTs should continue to follow patients to
      observe EFS and OS to assess clinical benefit, and they should be designed with
      sufficient sample size to reliably assess EFS. However, one cannot rule out the
      possibility that future meta-analyses involving more trials and in which the
      patient population or class of treatments is restricted could suggest the
      validity of pCR as a trial-level surrogate for EFS or OS in some focused
      settings.

PMID- 26489444
TI  - Treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in patients with renal cell carcinoma in
      the UK: insights from the RECCORD registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the RECCORD registry was to gather real-world UK data on
      the use of targeted therapies in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and assess clinical
      outcomes. Here, demographic and outcome data are presented with the treatment
      patterns and demographic profile of patients on the registry. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Patients were retrospectively identified at seven UK hospitals with
      large cancer centres in England (5), Scotland (1) and Wales (1). Anonymised data
      were collected through an online registry covering demographics, treatments and
      outcomes. Five hundred and fourteen UK adult patients with metastatic RCC were
      included in the study for analysis. Patients were included if they were treated
      for metastatic RCC at one of the seven centres, and started systemic anti-cancer
      treatment from March 2009 to November 2012 inclusive. In addition to demographic
      factors, the principal outcome measures were overall survival (OS), time to
      disease progression and toxicity. RESULTS: The majority of first-line treatment
      was with sunitinib; first-line use of pazopanib increased as the study
      progressed. 15.8% of patients received second-line treatment, half of whom were
      prescribed everolimus. Median OS (from initiation of first-line treatment) was
      23.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 18.6-29.1 months), similar to that
      reported for clinical trials of targeted RCC therapies [Ljungberg B, Campbell SC,
      Choi HY et al. The epidemiology of renal cell carcinoma. Eur Urol 2011; 60: 615
      621; Abe H, Kamai T. Recent advances in the treatment of metastatic renal cell
      carcinoma. Int J Urol 2013; 20: 944-955; Motzer RJ, Hutson TE, Tomczak P et al.
      Overall survival and updated results for sunitinib compared with interferon alfa
      in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. J Clin Oncol 2009; 27: 3584
      3590]. OS was significantly longer for those who received second-line treatment
      after disease progression (33.0 months; 95% CI 30.8-35.2 months) than those who
      did not (20.9 months; 95% CI 16.4-25.3 months; P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: RECCORD
      is a large 'real-world' database assessing metastatic RCC treatment patterns and
      outcomes. Treatment patterns changed over time as targeted therapies were
      approved and became widely available; survival data in RECCORD are consistent
      with those reported for systemic treatments in clinical trials. Kaplan-Meier
      analysis of results demonstrated that receiving second-line therapy was a major
      prognostic factor for longer OS.

PMID- 26489445
TI  - Comprehensive analyses using next-generation sequencing and immunohistochemistry
      enable precise treatment in advanced gastric cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In advanced gastric cancer (AGC), most clinical trials are designed
      on the basis of protein expression or gene amplification of specific genes.
      Recently, next-generation sequencing (NGS) allowed us to comprehensively profile
      the tumor gene status. This study aimed to elucidate the profiling between gene
      alterations and protein expression in AGC to aid in future clinical trials on
      AGC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor samples from
      121 stage III/IV gastric cancer patients were examined for protein expression of
      tyrosine kinase receptors (RTKs; ERBB2, EGFR, c-MET, and FGFR2) using
      immunohistochemistry (IHC). Furthermore, 409 cancer-related genes were sequenced
      to detect mutations and copy number variations using NGS. RESULTS: Most ERBB2
      overexpression (IHC 3+) cases (80.0%) had ERBB2 amplification and did not have
      other RTK amplification or oncogene mutations. However, one-fourth of MET
      overexpression cases (25.0%) had ERBB2 alterations. EGFR and FGFR2 overexpression
      cases had ERBB2 alterations or other gene alterations such as KRAS or PIK3CA. On
      the other hand, most of the four RTK amplification cases (88.2%) were mutually
      exclusive with each amplification. However, RTK amplification did not simply
      correlate with protein overexpression, whereas cases with RTK high-level
      amplification had protein overexpression and rarely showed other co-existing gene
      alterations. CONCLUSION: AGC involves a complicated arrangement of protein
      expression and gene alterations. Comprehensive analyses of NGS and IHC will be
      necessary to design the optimal therapy for treating the appropriate population
      of patients in future clinical trials.

PMID- 26489446
TI  - How much evidence isn't in evidence-based guidelines?

PMID- 26489447
TI  - Spectrometry of the Earth using Neutrino Oscillations.
AB  - The unknown constituents of the interior of our home planet have provoked the
      human imagination and driven scientific exploration. We herein demonstrate that
      large neutrino detectors could be used in the near future to significantly
      improve our understanding of the Earth's inner chemical composition. Neutrinos,
      which are naturally produced in the atmosphere, traverse the Earth and undergo
      oscillations that depend on the Earth's electron density. The Earth's chemical
      composition can be determined by combining observations from large neutrino
      detectors with seismic measurements of the Earth's matter density. We present a
      method that will allow us to perform a measurement that can distinguish between
      composition models of the outer core. We show that the next-generation large
      volume neutrino detectors can provide sufficient sensitivity to reject extreme
      cases of outer core composition. In the future, dedicated instruments could be
      capable of distinguishing between specific Earth composition models and thereby
      reshape our understanding of the inner Earth in previously unimagined ways. 

PMID- 26489448
TI  - Nanographene charge trapping memory with a large memory window.
AB  - Nanographene is a promising alternative to metal nanoparticles or semiconductor
      nanocrystals for charge trapping memory. In general, a high density of
      nanographene is required in order to achieve high charge trapping capacity. Here,
      we demonstrate a strategy of fabrication for a high density of nanographene for
      charge trapping memory with a large memory window. The fabrication includes two
      steps: (1) direct growth of continuous nanographene film; and (2) isolation of
      the as-grown film into high-density nanographene by plasma etching. Compared with
      directly grown isolated nanographene islands, abundant defects and edges are
      formed in nanographene under argon or oxygen plasma etching, i.e. more isolated
      nanographene islands are obtained, which provides more charge trapping sites. As
      fabricated nanographene charge trapping memory shows outstanding memory
      properties with a memory window as wide as ~9 V at a relative low sweep voltage
      of +/-8 V, program/erase speed of ~1 ms and robust endurance of >1000 cycles. The
      high-density nanographene charge trapping memory provides an outstanding
      alternative for downscaling technology beyond the current flash memory. 

PMID- 26489449
TI  - Insertion and confinement of air bubbles inside a liquid marble.
AB  - Nanoparticles at the air/liquid interface can serve as solid separating barriers
      to form stable foams or liquid marbles depending on the wettability of the
      nanoparticles. This paper presents an effect that enables the insertion and
      confinement of air bubbles inside a liquid marble, based on encapsulating an air
      bubble surrounded by surfactant molecules or hydrophilic particles. We have
      demonstrated that more than one bubble can be inserted and trapped inside one
      liquid marble so that liquid marbles can be divided into several separate
      compartments. The findings presented here may stimulate fundamental studies of
      this novel bubble-marble phenomenon, as well as developments of various practical
      applications. 

PMID- 26489450
TI  - Highly efficient and durable TiN nanofiber electrocatalyst supports.
AB  - To date, carbon-based materials including various carbon nanostructured materials
      have been extensively used as an electrocatalyst support for proton exchange
      membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) applications due to their practical nature. However,
      carbon dissolution or corrosion caused by high electrode potential in the
      presence of O2 and/or water has been identified as one of the main failure modes
      for the device operation. Here, we report the first TiN nanofiber (TNF)-based
      nonwoven structured materials to be constructed via electrospinning and
      subsequent two-step thermal treatment processes as a support for the PEMFC
      catalyst. Pt catalyst nanoparticles (NPs) deposited on the TNFs (Pt/TNFs) were
      electrochemically characterized with respect to oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)
      activity and durability in an acidic medium. From the electrochemical tests, the
      TNF-supported Pt catalyst was better and more stable in terms of its catalytic
      performance compared to a commercially available carbon-supported Pt catalyst.
      For example, the initial oxygen reduction performance was comparable for both
      cases, while the Pt/TNF showed much higher durability from an accelerated
      degradation test (ADT) configuration. It is understood that the improved
      catalytic roles of TNFs on the supported Pt NPs for ORR are due to the high
      electrical conductivity arising from the extended connectivity, high inertness to
      the electrochemical environment and strong catalyst-support interactions. 

PMID- 26489451
TI  - A near infrared luminescent metal-organic framework for temperature sensing in
      the physiological range.
AB  - A near infrared pumped luminescent metal-organic framework thermometer
      Nd(0.577)Yb(0.423)BDC-F4, with near infrared fluorescence and excellent
      sensitivity in the physiological temperature range (293-313 K), has been first
      realized, and might be potentially applied for biomedical systems.

PMID- 26489452
TI  - Layer like porous materials with hierarchical structure.
AB  - Many chemical compositions produce layered solids consisting of extended sheets
      with thickness not greater than a few nanometers. The layers are weakly bonded
      together in a crystal and can be modified into various nanoarchitectures
      including porous hierarchical structures. Several classes of 2-dimensional (2D)
      materials have been extensively studied and developed because of their potential
      usefulness as catalysts and sorbents. They are discussed in this review with
      focus on clays, layered transition metal oxides, silicates, layered double
      hydroxides, metal(iv) phosphates and phosphonates, especially zirconium, and
      zeolites. Pillaring and delamination are the primary methods for structural
      modification and pore tailoring. The reported approaches are described and
      compared for the different classes of materials. The methods of characterization
      include identification by X-ray diffraction and microscopy, pore size analysis
      and activity assessment by IR spectroscopy and catalytic testing. The discovery
      of layered zeolites was a fundamental breakthrough that created unprecedented
      opportunities because of (i) inherent strong acid sites that make them very
      active catalytically, (ii) porosity through the layers and (iii) bridging of 2D
      and 3D structures. Approximately 16 different types of layered zeolite structures
      and modifications have been identified as distinct forms. It is also expected
      that many among the over 200 recognized zeolite frameworks can produce layered
      precursors. Additional advances enabled by 2D zeolites include synthesis of
      layered materials by design, hierarchical structures obtained by direct synthesis
      and top-down preparation of layered materials from 3D frameworks.

PMID- 26489453
TI  - Dynamic cross-flow filtration: enhanced continuous small-scale solid-liquid
      separation.
AB  - In a previous study, a small-scale dynamic filtration device (SFD) was analyzed
      and the basic mechanisms governing the filtration process were characterized. The
      present work aims at improving the device's performance in terms of actual
      production. Various operation modes were tested in order to increase permeate
      flow and concentration factors (CF), while maintaining a fully continuous
      production mode. Both, a vacuum-enhanced and a pulsating operation mode, proved
      to be superior to the currently implemented open-operation mode. For example, for
      lactose, an increase of the CF could be achieved from 1.7 in open mode to 7.6 in
      pulsating operation mode. The investigated operation strategy enables process
      control systems to rapidly react to fluctuating feeds that may occur due to
      changes in upstream manufacturing steps. As a result, not only filtration
      performance in terms of permeate rate but also process flexibility can be
      significantly increased. Overall, vacuum-enhanced operation was shown to be most
      promising for integration into an industrial environment. The option to elevate
      achievable concentration factors, ease of flow monitoring as well as the ability
      to react to changes in the feed conditions allow for effective and efficient
      continuous small-scale filtration. 

PMID- 26489454
TI  - Simultaneous Intravascular Ultrasound Usage Overcomes Misinterpretation When
      Evaluating Lipid-Rich Plaques With Optical Frequency Domain Imaging--Ex Vivo
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of optical
      frequency domain imaging (OFDI) in lipid-rich plaque detection and determine the
      causes of "misinterpretation," and evaluate whether these limitations can be
      overcome with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) using ex-vivo human coronaries.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: The OFDI images and corresponding 218 histological segments
      were evaluated. Segments with a poor signal and diffuse borders on OFDI,
      classified as lipid-rich plaques, were compared with the histological segments
      and IVUS images. Using histological images as the gold standard, the sensitivity,
      specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of OFDI for
      the detection of lipid-rich plaques were 93%, 93%, 85%, and 97%, respectively.
      The causes of false-positive diagnosis of lipid-rich plaque (11 segments) were
      superficial macrophage infiltration causing signal attenuation (8/11 segments,
      73%) and tangential signal dropout of light (3/11 segments, 27%), whereas the
      cause of false-negative diagnosis was thickening of the fibrous cap (5 segments,
      100%). Simultaneous IVUS helped to correct the misinterpretation of OFDI results
      and improved the diagnostic accuracy; the sensitivity, specificity, positive
      predictive value, and negative predictive value of OFDI with adjunct use of IVUS
      were 96%, 99%, 99%, and 98%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: OFDI occasionally over-
      or underestimates the existence of lipid-rich plaques, which may be overcome with
      adjunctive usage of IVUS.

PMID- 26489455
TI  - Prognostic Significance of Peripheral Microvascular Endothelial Dysfunction in
      Heart Failure With Reduced Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction plays a crucial role in heart failure (HF),
      but the association between peripheral microvascular endothelial function
      assessed by reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) and
      prognosis remains unknown in HF with reduced left ventricular (LV) ejection
      fraction (HFREF). We prospectively investigated the association between
      peripheral microvascular endothelial function and HF-related near-future
      cardiovascular outcomes in HFREF patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: The 362 HFREF
      patients (LVEF <50%) were followed for HF-related events (composite of
      cardiovascular death and HF hospitalization) up to 3 years. A natural logarithmic
      scaled RH-PAT index (Ln-RHI) was obtained for each patient. A total of 82 HF
      related events were recorded. The lower-RHI group (Ln-RHI <=0.49, median)
      experienced a higher rate of HF-related events compared with the higher-RHI group
      by Kaplan-Meier analysis (30.9% vs. 14.4%, log-rank test: P<0.001). Multivariable
      Cox hazard analysis identified Ln-RHI as an independent predictor for HF-related
      events (per 0.1, hazard ratio: 0.84, 95% confidence interval: 0.75-0.95,
      P=0.005). Adding Ln-RHI to the Meta-analysis Global Group in Chronic HF risk
      score (MAGGICs) and Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM), powerful prognostic
      predictors of HF, significantly improved the net reclassification index (MAGGICs:
      20.11%, P=0.02, SHFM: 24.88%, P<0.001), and increased the C-statistics for
      prediction of HF-related events (MAGGICs+Ln-RHI: from 0.612 to 0.670, SHFM+Ln
      RHI: from 0.662 to 0.695). CONCLUSIONS: Peripheral microvascular endothelial
      dysfunction assessed by RH-PAT was associated with future HF-related events in
      HFREF.

PMID- 26489456
TI  - Calpains and Coronary Vascular Disease.
AB  - Despite many advances in percutaneous and surgical interventions in the treatment
      of coronary artery disease (CAD), up to one-third of patients are still either
      not candidates or receive suboptimal revascularization. Calpains are a class of
      calcium-activated non-lysosomal cysteine proteases that serve as a proteolytic
      unit for cellular homeostasis. Uncontrolled activation of calpain has been found
      to be involved in the pathogenesis of myocardial reperfusion injury, cardiac
      hypertrophy, myocardial stunning and cardiac ischemia. Inhibition of calpains has
      been shown to significantly attenuate myocardial stunning and reduced infarct
      size after ischemia-reperfusion. Calpain inhibition therefore serves as a
      potential medical therapy for patients suffering from a number of diseases,
      including CAD.

PMID- 26489458
TI  - Striatal Cholinergic Interneurons Control Motor Behavior and Basal Ganglia
      Function in Experimental Parkinsonism.
AB  - Despite evidence showing that anticholinergic drugs are of clinical relevance in
      Parkinson's disease (PD), the causal role of striatal cholinergic interneurons
      (CINs) in PD pathophysiology remains elusive. Here, we show that optogenetic
      inhibition of CINs alleviates motor deficits in PD mouse models, providing direct
      demonstration for their implication in parkinsonian motor dysfunctions. As neural
      correlates, CIN inhibition in parkinsonian mice differentially impacts the
      excitability of striatal D1 and D2 medium spiny neurons, normalizes pathological
      bursting activity in the main basal ganglia output structure, and increases the
      functional weight of the direct striatonigral pathway in cortical information
      processing. By contrast, CIN inhibition in non-lesioned mice does not affect
      locomotor activity, equally modulates medium spiny neuron excitability, and does
      not modify spontaneous or cortically driven activity in the basal ganglia output,
      suggesting that the role of these interneurons in motor function is highly
      dependent on dopamine tone. 

PMID- 26489457
TI  - Prolyl Isomerase Pin1 Regulates Axon Guidance by Stabilizing CRMP2A Selectively
      in Distal Axons.
AB  - Axon guidance relies on precise translation of extracellular signal gradients
      into local changes in cytoskeletal dynamics, but the molecular mechanisms
      regulating dose-dependent responses of growth cones are still poorly understood.
      Here, we show that during embryonic development in growing axons, a low level of
      Semaphorin3A stimulation is buffered by the prolyl isomerase Pin1. We demonstrate
      that Pin1 stabilizes CDK5-phosphorylated CRMP2A, the major isoform of CRMP2 in
      distal axons. Consequently, Pin1 knockdown or knockout reduces CRMP2A levels
      specifically in distal axons and inhibits axon growth, which can be fully rescued
      by Pin1 or CRMP2A expression. Moreover, Pin1 knockdown or knockout increases
      sensitivity to Sema3A-induced growth cone collapse in vitro and in vivo, leading
      to developmental abnormalities in axon guidance. These results identify an
      important isoform-specific function and regulation of CRMP2A in controlling axon
      growth and uncover Pin1-catalyzed prolyl isomerization as a regulatory mechanism
      in axon guidance.

PMID- 26489459
TI  - New Functional Signatures for Understanding Melanoma Biology from Tumor Cell
      Lineage-Specific Analysis.
AB  - Molecular signatures specific to particular tumor types are required to design
      treatments for resistant tumors. However, it remains unclear whether tumors and
      corresponding cell lines used for drug development share such signatures. We
      developed similarity core analysis (SCA), a universal and unsupervised
      computational framework for extracting core molecular features common to tumors
      and cell lines. We applied SCA to mRNA/miRNA expression data from various
      sources, comparing melanoma cell lines and metastases. The signature obtained was
      associated with phenotypic characteristics in vitro, and the core genes CAPN3 and
      TRIM63 were implicated in melanoma cell migration/invasion. About 90% of the
      melanoma signature genes belong to an intrinsic network of transcription factors
      governing neural development (TFAP2A, DLX2, ALX1, MITF, PAX3, SOX10, LEF1, and
      GAS7) and miRNAs (211-5p, 221-3p, and 10a-5p). The SCA signature effectively
      discriminated between two subpopulations of melanoma patients differing in
      overall survival, and classified MEKi/BRAFi-resistant and -sensitive melanoma
      cell lines.

PMID- 26489460
TI  - Preventing Allograft Rejection by Targeting Immune Metabolism.
AB  - Upon antigen recognition and co-stimulation, T lymphocytes upregulate the
      metabolic machinery necessary to proliferate and sustain effector function. This
      metabolic reprogramming in T cells regulates T cell activation and
      differentiation but is not just a consequence of antigen recognition. Although
      such metabolic reprogramming promotes the differentiation and function of T
      effector cells, the differentiation of regulatory T cells employs different
      metabolic reprogramming. Therefore, we hypothesized that inhibition of glycolysis
      and glutamine metabolism might prevent graft rejection by inhibiting effector
      generation and function and promoting regulatory T cell generation. We devised an
      anti-rejection regimen involving the glycolytic inhibitor 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG),
      the anti-type II diabetes drug metformin, and the inhibitor of glutamine
      metabolism 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON). Using this triple-drug regimen, we
      were able to prevent or delay graft rejection in fully mismatched skin and heart
      allograft transplantation models.

PMID- 26489461
TI  - Antagonizing Neuronal Toll-like Receptor 2 Prevents Synucleinopathy by Activating
      Autophagy.
AB  - Impaired autophagy has been implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases, such
      as Parkinson's disease (PD), and might be responsible for deposition of
      aggregated proteins in neurons. However, little is known about how neuronal
      autophagy and clearance of aggregated proteins are regulated. Here, we show a
      role for Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), a pathogen-recognizing receptor in innate
      immunity, in regulation of neuronal autophagy and clearance of alpha-synuclein, a
      protein aggregated in synucleinopathies, including in PD. Activation of TLR2
      resulted in the accumulation of alpha-synuclein aggregates in neurons as a result
      of inhibition of autophagic activity through regulation of the AKT/mTOR pathway.
      In contrast, inactivation of TLR2 resulted in autophagy activation and increased
      clearance of neuronal alpha-synuclein, and hence reduced neurodegeneration, in
      transgenic mice and in in vitro models. These results uncover roles of TLR2 in
      regulating neuronal autophagy and suggest that the TLR2 pathway may be targeted
      for autophagy activation strategies in treating neurodegenerative disorders.

PMID- 26489462
TI  - T-type Calcium Channel Regulation of Neural Tube Closure and EphrinA/EPHA
      Expression.
AB  - A major class of human birth defects arise from aberrations during neural tube
      closure (NTC). We report on a NTC signaling pathway requiring T-type calcium
      channels (TTCCs) that is conserved between primitive chordates (Ciona) and
      Xenopus. With loss of TTCCs, there is a failure to seal the anterior neural
      folds. Accompanying loss of TTCCs is an upregulation of EphrinA effectors. Ephrin
      signaling is known to be important in NTC, and ephrins can affect both cell
      adhesion and repulsion. In Ciona, ephrinA-d expression is downregulated at the
      end of neurulation, whereas, with loss of TTCC, ephrinA-d remains elevated.
      Accordingly, overexpression of ephrinA-d phenocopied TTCC loss of function, while
      overexpression of a dominant-negative Ephrin receptor was able to rescue NTC in a
      Ciona TTCC mutant. We hypothesize that signaling through TTCCs is necessary for
      proper anterior NTC through downregulation of ephrins, and possibly elimination
      of a repulsive signal.

PMID- 26489463
TI  - Whisking-Related Changes in Neuronal Firing and Membrane Potential Dynamics in
      the Somatosensory Thalamus of Awake Mice.
AB  - The thalamus transmits sensory information to the neocortex and receives
      neocortical, subcortical, and neuromodulatory inputs. Despite its obvious
      importance, surprisingly little is known about thalamic function in awake
      animals. Here, using intracellular and extracellular recordings in awake head
      restrained mice, we investigate membrane potential dynamics and action potential
      firing in the two major thalamic nuclei related to whisker sensation, the ventral
      posterior medial nucleus (VPM) and the posterior medial group (Pom), which
      receive distinct inputs from brainstem and neocortex. We find heterogeneous state
      dependent dynamics in both nuclei, with an overall increase in action potential
      firing during active states. Whisking increased putative lemniscal and
      corticothalamic excitatory inputs onto VPM and Pom neurons, respectively. A
      subpopulation of VPM cells fired spikes phase-locked to the whisking cycle during
      free whisking, and these cells may therefore signal whisker position. Our results
      suggest differential processing of whisking comparing thalamic nuclei at both sub
      and supra-threshold levels.

PMID- 26489464
TI  - Impaired LRP6-TCF7L2 Activity Enhances Smooth Muscle Cell Plasticity and Causes
      Coronary Artery Disease.
AB  - Mutations in Wnt-signaling coreceptor LRP6 have been linked to coronary artery
      disease (CAD) by unknown mechanisms. Here, we show that reduced LRP6 activity in
      LRP6(R611C) mice promotes loss of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC)
      differentiation, leading to aortic medial hyperplasia. Carotid injury augmented
      these effects and led to partial to total vascular obstruction. LRP6(R611C) mice
      on high-fat diet displayed dramatic obstructive CAD and exhibited an accelerated
      atherosclerotic burden on LDLR knockout background. Mechanistically, impaired
      LRP6 activity leads to enhanced non-canonical Wnt signaling, culminating in
      diminished TCF7L2 and increased Sp1-dependent activation of PDGF signaling. Wnt3a
      administration to LRP6(R611C) mice improved LRP6 activity, led to TCF7L2
      dependent VSMC differentiation, and rescued post-carotid-injury neointima
      formation. These findings demonstrate the critical role of intact Wnt signaling
      in the vessel wall, establish a causal link between impaired LRP6/TCF7L2
      activities and arterial disease, and identify Wnt signaling as a therapeutic
      target against CAD. 

PMID- 26489465
TI  - Post-transcriptional Regulation of Nkx2-5 by RHAU in Heart Development.
AB  - RNA G-quadruplexes (G4s) play important roles in RNA biology. However, the
      function and regulation of mRNA G-quadruplexes in embryonic development remain
      elusive. Previously, we identified RHAU (DHX36, G4R1) as an RNA helicase that
      resolves mRNA G-quadruplexes. Here, we find that cardiac deletion of Rhau leads
      to heart defects and embryonic lethality in mice. Gene expression profiling
      identified Nkx2-5 mRNA as a target of RHAU that associates with its 5' and 3'
      UTRs and modulates its stability and translation. The 5' UTR of Nkx2-5 mRNA
      contains a G-quadruplex that requires RHAU for protein translation, while the 3'
      UTR of Nkx2-5 mRNA possesses an AU-rich element (ARE) that facilitates RHAU
      mediated mRNA decay. Thus, we uncovered the mechanisms underlying Nkx2-5 post
      transcriptional regulation during heart development. Meanwhile, this study
      demonstrates the function of mRNA 5' UTR G-quadruplex-mediated protein
      translation in organogenesis. 

PMID- 26489466
TI  - Influx-Operated Ca(2+) Entry via PKD2-L1 and PKD1-L3 Channels Facilitates Sensory
      Responses to Polymodal Transient Stimuli.
AB  - The polycystic TRP subfamily member PKD2-L1, in complex with PKD1-L3, is involved
      in physiological responses to diverse stimuli. A major challenge to understanding
      whether and how PKD2-L1/PKD1-L3 acts as a bona fide molecular transducer is that
      recombinant channels usually respond with small or undetectable currents. Here,
      we discover a type of Ca(2+) influx-operated Ca(2+) entry (ICE) that generates
      pronounced Ca(2+) spikes. Triggered by rapid onset/offset of Ca(2+), voltage, or
      acid stimuli, Ca(2+)-dependent activation amplifies a small Ca(2+) influx via the
      channel. Ca(2+) concurrently drives a self-limiting negative feedback (Ca(2+)
      dependent inactivation) that is regulated by the Ca(2+)-binding EF hands of PKD2
      L1. Our results suggest a biphasic ICE with opposite Ca(2+) feedback regulation
      that facilitates sensory responses to multimodal transient stimuli. We suggest
      that such a mechanism may also occur for other sensory modalities and other
      Ca(2+) channels.

PMID- 26489467
TI  - Structural and Functional Characterization of CRM1-Nup214 Interactions Reveals
      Multiple FG-Binding Sites Involved in Nuclear Export.
AB  - CRM1 is the major nuclear export receptor. During translocation through the
      nuclear pore, transport complexes transiently interact with phenylalanine-glycine
      (FG) repeats of multiple nucleoporins. On the cytoplasmic side of the nuclear
      pore, CRM1 tightly interacts with the nucleoporin Nup214. Here, we present the
      crystal structure of a 117-amino-acid FG-repeat-containing fragment of Nup214, in
      complex with CRM1, Snurportin 1, and RanGTP at 2.85 A resolution. The structure
      reveals eight binding sites for Nup214 FG motifs on CRM1, with intervening
      stretches that are loosely attached to the transport receptor. Nup214 binds to N-
      and C-terminal regions of CRM1, thereby clamping CRM1 in a closed conformation
      and stabilizing the export complex. The role of conserved hydrophobic pockets for
      the recognition of FG motifs was analyzed in biochemical and cell-based assays.
      Comparative studies with RanBP3 and Nup62 shed light on specificities of CRM1
      nucleoporin binding, which serves as a paradigm for transport receptor
      nucleoporin interactions.

PMID- 26489468
TI  - Poly(ADP-Ribose) Mediates the BRCA2-Dependent Early DNA Damage Response.
AB  - Breast cancer susceptibility gene 2 (BRCA2) plays a key role in DNA damage repair
      for maintaining genomic stability. Previous studies have shown that BRCA2
      contains three tandem oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding folds (OB-folds)
      that are involved in DNA binding during DNA double-strand break repair. However,
      the molecular mechanism of BRCA2 in DNA damage repair remains elusive.
      Unexpectedly, we found that the OB-folds of BRCA2 recognize poly(ADP-ribose)
      (PAR) and mediate the fast recruitment of BRCA2 to DNA lesions, which is
      suppressed by PARP inhibitor treatment. Cancer-associated mutations in the OB
      folds of BRCA2 disrupt the interaction with PAR and abolish the fast relocation
      of BRCA2 to DNA lesions. The quickly recruited BRCA2 is important for the early
      recruitment of exonuclease 1(EXO1) and is involved in DNA end resection, the
      first step of homologous recombination (HR). Thus, these findings uncover a
      molecular mechanism by which BRCA2 participates in DNA damage repair. 

PMID- 26489469
TI  - Structure of a Human 4E-T/DDX6/CNOT1 Complex Reveals the Different Interplay of
      DDX6-Binding Proteins with the CCR4-NOT Complex.
AB  - The DEAD-box protein DDX6 is a central component of translational repression
      mechanisms in maternal mRNA storage in oocytes and microRNA-mediated silencing in
      somatic cells. DDX6 interacts with the CCR4-NOT complex and functions in concert
      with several post-transcriptional regulators, including Edc3, Pat1, and 4E-T. We
      show that the conserved CUP-homology domain (CHD) of human 4E-T interacts
      directly with DDX6 in both the presence and absence of the central MIF4G domain
      of CNOT1. The 2.1-A resolution structure of the corresponding ternary complex
      reveals how 4E-T CHD wraps around the RecA2 domain of DDX6 and contacts CNOT1.
      Although 4E-T CHD lacks recognizable sequence similarity with Edc3 or Pat1, it
      shares the same DDX6-binding surface. In contrast to 4E-T, however, the Edc3 and
      Pat1 FDF motifs dissociate from DDX6 upon CNOT1 MIF4G binding in vitro. The
      results underscore the presence of a complex network of simultaneous and/or
      mutually exclusive interactions in DDX6-mediated repression.

PMID- 26489470
TI  - Discovery and Characterization of piRNAs in the Human Fetal Ovary.
AB  - Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), a class of 26- to 32-nt non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs),
      function in germline development, transposon silencing, and epigenetic
      regulation. We performed deep sequencing and annotation of untreated and
      periodate-treated small RNA cDNA libraries from human fetal and adult germline
      and reference somatic tissues. This revealed abundant piRNAs originating from 150
      piRNA-encoding genes, including some exhibiting gender-specific expression, in
      fetal ovary and adult testis-developmental periods coinciding with mitotic cell
      divisions expanding fetal germ cells prior to meiotic divisions. The absence of
      reads mapping uniquely to annotated piRNA genes demonstrated their paucity in
      fetal testis and adult ovary and absence in somatic tissues. We curated human
      piRNA-expressing regions and defined their precise borders and observed piRNA
      guided cleavage of transcripts antisense to some piRNA-producing genes. This
      study provides insights into sex-specific mammalian piRNA expression and function
      and serves as a reference for human piRNA analysis and annotation.

PMID- 26489471
TI  - Partial Loss of Rpl11 in Adult Mice Recapitulates Diamond-Blackfan Anemia and
      Promotes Lymphomagenesis.
AB  - Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) is characterized by anemia and cancer
      susceptibility and is caused by mutations in ribosomal genes, including RPL11.
      Here, we report that Rpl11-heterozygous mouse embryos are not viable and that
      Rpl11 homozygous deletion in adult mice results in death within a few weeks,
      accompanied by bone marrow aplasia and intestinal atrophy. Importantly, Rpl11
      heterozygous deletion in adult mice results in anemia associated with decreased
      erythroid progenitors and defective erythroid maturation. These defects are also
      present in mice transplanted with inducible heterozygous Rpl11 bone marrow and,
      therefore, are intrinsic to the hematopoietic system. Additionally, heterozygous
      Rpl11 mice present increased susceptibility to radiation-induced lymphomagenesis.
      In this regard, total or partial deletion of Rpl11 compromises p53 activation
      upon ribosomal stress or DNA damage in fibroblasts. Moreover, fibroblasts and
      hematopoietic tissues from heterozygous Rpl11 mice present higher basal cMYC
      levels. We conclude that Rpl11-deficient mice recapitulate DBA disorder,
      including cancer predisposition. 

PMID- 26489472
TI  - DNA Topology and Global Architecture of Point Centromeres.
AB  - DNA is wrapped in a left-handed fashion around histone octasomes containing the
      centromeric histone H3 variant CENP-A. However, DNA topology studies have
      suggested that DNA is wrapped in a right-handed manner around the CENP-A
      nucleosome that occupies the yeast point centromere. Here, we determine the DNA
      linking number difference (DeltaLk) stabilized by the yeast centromere and the
      contribution of the centromere determining elements (CDEI, CDEII, and CDEIII). We
      show that the intrinsic architecture of the yeast centromere stabilizes +0.6
      units of DeltaLk. This topology depends on the integrity of CDEII and CDEIII, but
      it is independent of cbf1 binding to CDEI and of the variable length of CDEII.
      These findings suggest that the interaction of the CBF3 complex with CDEIII and a
      distal CDEII segment configures a right-handed DNA loop that excludes CDEI. This
      loop is then occupied by a CENP-A histone complex, which does not have to be
      inherently right-handed.

PMID- 26489473
TI  - Hoxa2 Selects Barrelette Neuron Identity and Connectivity in the Mouse
      Somatosensory Brainstem.
AB  - Mouse whiskers are somatotopically mapped in brainstem trigeminal nuclei as
      neuronal modules known as barrelettes. Whisker-related afferents form barrelettes
      in ventral principal sensory (vPrV) nucleus, whereas mandibular input targets
      dorsal PrV (dPrV). How barrelette neuron identity and circuitry is established is
      poorly understood. We found that ectopic Hoxa2 expression in dPrV neurons is
      sufficient to attract whisker-related afferents, induce asymmetrical dendrite
      arbors, and allow ectopic barrelette map formation. Moreover, the thalamic area
      forming whisker-related barreloids is prenatally targeted by both vPrV and dPrV
      axons followed by perinatal large-scale pruning of dPrV axons and refinement of
      vPrV barrelette input. Ectopic Hoxa2 expression allows topographically directed
      targeting and refinement of dPrV axons with vPrV axons into a single whisker
      related barreloid map. Thus, a single HOX transcription factor is sufficient to
      switch dPrV into a vPrV barrelette neuron program and coordinate input-output
      topographic connectivity of a dermatome-specific circuit module. 

PMID- 26489475
TI  - Re: Massimiliano Spaliviero, Bing Ying Poon, Christoph A. Karlo, et al. An
      Arterial Based Complexity (ABC) Scoring System to Assess the Morbidity Profile of
      Partial Nephrectomy. Eur Urol 2016;69:72-9.

PMID- 26489474
TI  - Contractile Defect Caused by Mutation in MYBPC3 Revealed under Conditions
      Optimized for Human PSC-Cardiomyocyte Function.
AB  - Maximizing baseline function of human pluripotent stem cell-derived
      cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) is essential for their effective application in models
      of cardiac toxicity and disease. Here, we aimed to identify factors that would
      promote an adequate level of function to permit robust single-cell contractility
      measurements in a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) model of
      hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). A simple screen revealed the collaborative
      effects of thyroid hormone, IGF-1 and the glucocorticoid analog dexamethasone on
      the electrophysiology, bioenergetics, and contractile force generation of hPSC
      CMs. In this optimized condition, hiPSC-CMs with mutations in MYBPC3, a gene
      encoding myosin-binding protein C, which, when mutated, causes HCM, showed
      significantly lower contractile force generation than controls. This was
      recapitulated by direct knockdown of MYBPC3 in control hPSC-CMs, supporting a
      mechanism of haploinsufficiency. Modeling this disease in vitro using human cells
      is an important step toward identifying therapeutic interventions for HCM.

PMID- 26489477
TI  - Re: Raj Satkunasivam, Sheaumei Tsai, Sumeet Syan, et al. Robotic Unclamped
      "Minimal-margin" Partial Nephrectomy: Ongoing Refinement of the Anatomic Zero
      ischemia Concept. Eur Urol 2015;68:705-12.

PMID- 26489476
TI  - Systematic Identification of MicroRNAs That Impact on Proliferation of Prostate
      Cancer Cells and Display Changed Expression in Tumor Tissue.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Systematic approaches to functionally identify key players in
      microRNA (miRNA)-target networks regulating prostate cancer (PCa) proliferation
      are still missing. OBJECTIVE: To comprehensively map miRNA regulation of genes
      relevant for PCa proliferation through phenotypic screening and tumor expression
      data. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Gain-of-function screening with 1129
      miRNA molecules was performed in five PCa cell lines, measuring proliferation,
      viability, and apoptosis. These results were integrated with changes in miRNA
      expression from two cohorts of human PCa (188 tumors in total). For resulting
      miRNAs, the predicted targets were collected and analyzed for patterns with gene
      set enrichment analysis, and for their association with biochemical recurrence
      free survival. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Rank product
      statistical analysis was used to evaluate miRNA effects in phenotypic screening
      and for expression differences in the prostate tumor cohorts. Expression data
      were analyzed using the significance analysis of microarrays (SAM) method and the
      patient material was subjected to Kaplan-Meier statistics. RESULTS AND
      LIMITATIONS: Functional screening identified 25 miRNAs increasing and 48 miRNAs
      decreasing cell viability. Data integration resulted in 14 miRNAs, with aberrant
      expression and effect on proliferation. These miRNAs are predicted to regulate
      >3700 genes, of which 28 were found up-regulated and 127 down-regulated in PCa
      compared with benign tissue. Seven genes, FLNC, MSRB3, PARVA, PCDH7, PRNP, RAB34,
      and SORBS1, showed an inverse association to their predicted miRNA, and were
      identified to significantly correlate with biochemical recurrence free survival
      in PCa patients. CONCLUSIONS: A systematic in vitro screening approach combined
      with in vivo expression and gene set enrichment analysis provide unbiased means
      for revealing novel miRNA-target links, possibly driving the oncogenic processes
      in PCa. PATIENT SUMMARY: This study identified novel regulatory molecules, which
      impact on PCa proliferation and are aberrantly expressed in clinical tumors.
      Thus, our study reveals regulatory nodes with potential for therapy.

PMID- 26489478
TI  - Foodborne outbreaks caused by Cyclospora: the message is more important than the
      messenger.

PMID- 26489479
TI  - Insecticidal and sterilizing effect of Olyset Duo(r), a permethrin and
      pyriproxyfen mixture net against pyrethroid-susceptible and -resistant strains of
      Anopheles gambiae s.s.: a release-recapture assay in experimental huts.
AB  - In the context of the widespread distribution of pyrethroid resistance among
      malaria vectors, we did a release-recapture trial in experimental huts to
      investigate the insecticidal and sterilizing effects of a novel long-lasting net
      (LN), Olyset(r) Duo, incorporating a mixture of permethrin (PER) and the insect
      growth regulator (IGR), pyri-proxyfen (PPF). An LN containing PPF alone and a
      classic Olyset(r) Net were tested in parallel as positive controls. The effect of
      progressive number of holes (6, 30, or 150) that may accrue in nets over time was
      simulated. We used two laboratory Anopheles gambiae s.s. strains: the susceptible
      Kisumu strain and the pyrethroid-resistant VK-Per strain having solely kdr as
      resistance mechanism. The effect of these nets on the reproductive success of
      blood-fed females that survived the different LNs conditions was recorded.
      Regardless of the mosquito strain, the LNs containing PPF alone with as many as
      30 holes drastically reduced the number of eggs laid by females succeeding in
      feeding, i.e. fecundity by 98% and egg hatching rate (fertility) by 93% relative
      to untreated control net. Very few of the resistant females blood fed and
      survived under the Olyset(r) Duo with similar number of holes (up to 30) but of
      these few, the inhibition of reproductive success was 100%. There was no evidence
      that the Olyset(r) Duo LN with 150 holes impacted fecundity or fertility of the
      resistant colony. The efficacy of Olyset(r) Duo is encouraging and clearly
      illustrates that this new net might be a promising tool for malaria transmission
      control and resistance management.

PMID- 26489481
TI  - Selective CO2 reduction on a polycrystalline Ag electrode enhanced by anodization
      treatment.
AB  - Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to CO on polycrystalline silver (Ag) was greatly
      improved by a simple anodization treatment. A CO faradaic efficiency of 92.8% was
      achieved at an overpotential of 0.50 V in an aqueous electrolyte. This study
      suggests that the enhanced performance is due to a preferred (220) orientation
      and a thin silver oxide layer formed by anodization. 

PMID- 26489480
TI  - Efficacy of Olyset(r) Duo, a permethrin and pyriproxyfen mixture net against wild
      pyrethroid-resistant Anopheles gambiae s.s. from Cote d'Ivoire: an experimental
      hut trial.
AB  - Pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors has spread across sub-Saharan Africa.
      Alternative tools and molecules are urgently needed for effective vector control.
      One of the most promising strategies to prevent or delay the development of
      resistance is to use at least two molecules having unrelated modes of action in
      combination in the same bed net. We evaluated in experimental huts in Cote
      d'Ivoire, a new polyethylene long-lasting insecticidal net (LN) product,
      Olyset(r) Duo, incorporating permethrin (PER) and pyriproxyfen (PPF), an insect
      growth regulator (IGR). PPF alone or in combination with permethrin had a
      significant impact on fertility (7-12% reduction relative to control) and no
      effect on fecundity of wild multi-resistant An. gambiae s.s. These results
      triggered crucial research questions on the behaviour of targeted mosquitoes
      around the LN. To maximize the sterilizing effect of PPF in the combination,
      there would be a need for a trade-off between the necessary contact time of the
      insect with PPF and the surface content of the pyrethroid insecticide that is
      bioavailable and induces excito-repellency.

PMID- 26489482
TI  - Prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes associated with physical restraint use in
      mechanically ventilated adults.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose was to describe characteristics and outcomes of restrained
      and nonrestrained patients enrolled in a randomized trial of protocolized
      sedation compared with protocolized sedation plus daily sedation interruption and
      to identify patient and treatment factors associated with physical restraint.
      METHODS: This was a post hoc secondary analysis using Cox proportional hazards
      modeling adjusted for center- and time-varying covariates to evaluate predictors
      of restraint use. RESULTS: A total of 328 (76%) of 430 patients were restrained
      for a median of 4 days. Restrained patients received higher daily doses of
      benzodiazepines (105 vs 41 mg midazolam equivalent, P < .0001) and opioids (1524
      vs 919 MUg fentanyl equivalents, P < .0001), more days of infusions
      (benzodiazepines 6 vs 4, P < .0001; opioids 7 vs 5, P = .02), and more daily
      benzodiazepine boluses (0.2 vs 0.1, P < .0001). More restrained patients received
      haloperidol (23% vs 12%, P = .02) and atypical antipsychotics (17% vs 4%, P =
      .003). More restrained patients experienced unintentional device removal (26% vs
      3%, P < .001) and required reintubation (8% vs 1%, P = .01). In the multivariable
      analysis, alcohol use was associated with decreased risk of restraint (hazard
      ratio, 0.22; 95% confidence interval, 0.08-0.58). CONCLUSIONS: Physical restraint
      was common in mechanically ventilated adults managed with a sedation protocol.
      Restrained patients received more opioids and benzodiazepines. Except for alcohol
      use, patient characteristics and treatment factors did not predict restraint use.

PMID- 26489483
TI  - Endothelial cell-specific molecule-1/endocan: Diagnostic and prognostic value in
      patients suffering from severe sepsis and septic shock.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aims to assess the diagnostic and prognostic value of endocan
      in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock on a medical intensive care unit
      (ICU). METHODS: 150 patients suspected for at least severe sepsis were enrolled
      on a medical ICU. On days 1, 3, and 8, plasma levels of endocan, procalcitonin
      (PCT), and interleukin (IL)-6 were measured. Follow-up on all-cause mortality was
      performed after 30 days and 6 months. RESULTS: Endocan correlated with Acute
      Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Sequential Organ Failure
      Assessment (SOFA), and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) (P < .006).
      Endocan was higher in patients with at least severe sepsis compared with systemic
      inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) or sepsis patients (P = .0006) on days 1,
      3, and 8. With a minimum sensitivity of 70%, uniform cutoff levels were set for
      >= sepsis at 1.8 ng/mL, for >= severe sepsis at 2.6 ng/mL, for >= septic shock at
      2.9 ng/mL. On day 1, endocan levels of the fourth quartile were significantly
      associated with 30-days and 6-months mortality compared to lower levels. After
      adjustment in Cox regressions, endocan still revealed prognostic value.
      CONCLUSIONS: Endocan showed diagnostic capacity to diagnose patients with severe
      sepsis and septic shock and revealed prognostic information for 30-days and 6
      months all-cause mortality.

PMID- 26489484
TI  - Speckle filtering of medical ultrasonic images using wavelet and guided filter.
AB  - Speckle noise is an inherent yet ineffectual residual artifact in medical
      ultrasound images, which significantly degrades quality and restricts accuracy in
      automatic diagnostic techniques. Speckle reduction is therefore an important step
      prior to the analysis and processing of the ultrasound images. A new de-noising
      method based on an improved wavelet filter and guided filter is proposed in this
      paper. According to the characteristics of medical ultrasound images in the
      wavelet domain, an improved threshold function based on the universal wavelet
      threshold function is developed. The wavelet coefficients of speckle noise and
      noise-free signal are modeled as Rayleigh distribution and generalized Gaussian
      distribution respectively. The Bayesian maximum a posteriori estimation is
      applied to obtain a new wavelet shrinkage algorithm. The coefficients of the low
      frequency sub-band in the wavelet domain are filtered by guided filter. The
      filtered image is then obtained by using the inverse wavelet transformation.
      Experiments with the comparison of the other seven de-speckling filters are
      conducted. The results show that the proposed method not only has a strong de
      speckling ability, but also keeps the image details, such as the edge of a
      lesion. 

PMID- 26489485
TI  - Neurobiological origin of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: A review of imaging
      studies.
AB  - Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are relatively common occurrences in
      epilepsy centers. Pathophysiology of PNES is still poorly understood. In this
      paper, the evidence for a neurobiological origin of PNES will be reviewed. Recent
      evidence suggests altered functional and structural brain connectivity as an
      underlying pathophysiological mechanism in patients with PNES. Pursuing the
      concept of connectome in patients with PNES and comparing the findings with
      healthy individuals may result in a breakthrough in identifying the exact
      neurobiological origin of PNES. Finding the neurobiological bases and
      identification of biomarkers of PNES will potentially have important clinical
      implications in formulating better diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for
      affected patients. 

PMID- 26489486
TI  - A systematic review and meta-analysis of the epidemiology and burden of venous
      thromboembolism among pregnant women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pregnancy-related venous thromboembolism (VTE) is one of the leading
      causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVES: To review the
      epidemiology, and humanistic and economic burden of pregnancy-related VTE. SEARCH
      STRATEGY: Medline, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Econlit,
      Science Direct, JSTOR, Oxford Journals, and Cambridge Journals were searched for
      reports published between January 2000 and December 2012. Keywords related to
      VTE, pregnancy, and epidemiology and the humanistic and economic burdens were
      combined. SELECTION CRITERIA: Eligible studies evaluated the incidence,
      mortality, recurrence, complications, quality-of-life, and economic burden of VTE
      among pregnant women, and had been published in English. DATA COLLECTION AND
      ANALYSIS: Background information of the study, participants' characteristics, and
      study outcomes were collected. Meta-analyses of data were performed. MAIN
      RESULTS: Twenty studies were included, none of which investigated the economic
      burden. The pooled overall incidence of pregnancy-related VTE was 1.2 per 1000
      deliveries. The pooled VTE case fatality rate was 0.68% and the recurrence rate
      was 4.27%. The pooled risk of major bleeding was 1.05%. Post-thrombotic syndrome
      seemed to have a negative effect on quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Although the
      incidence of VTE was found to be relatively low during pregnancy and the
      postpartum period, the clinical burden is high. Further research is required to
      assess the economic burden of pregnancy-relate VTE.

PMID- 26489487
TI  - Exploring disparities in prenatal care between refugees and local South African
      women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore possible disparities in prenatal care between refugees and
      South African women attending public health facilities in an urban setting in
      South Africa. METHODS: A cross-sectional, mixed methods study was conducted at
      four public health clinics providing prenatal services in Durban between January
      29, 2013, and June 15, 2013. Pretested client-satisfaction questionnaires were
      administered to 200 women attending immunization services at the clinics whose
      infants were aged 6 months or younger. An additional 16 refugees participated in
      in-depth interviews. Finally, a maternity chart audit was conducted to compare
      the quality of basic prenatal care. RESULTS: Among the women enrolled, 78 (39.0%)
      were refugees and 122 (61.0%) were South African citizens. Dissatisfaction was
      reported by 23 (19.3%) of 119 citizens and 32 (43.2%) of 74 refugees (P<0.001).
      However, the maternity chart audit of 68 participants (31 refugees, 37 citizens)
      did not reveal significant disparities in the quality of prenatal care. The most
      recurring categories arising in the in-depth interviews were linguistic barriers
      and the challenges faced when using informal interpreters. CONCLUSION: There were
      no significant disparities in prenatal care; however, refugees unable to
      communicate in the local languages reported that they were not provided with
      relevant health information and occasionally faced restricted access to prenatal
      services.

PMID- 26489488
TI  - Obstetric anal sphincter injury rates among primiparous women with different
      modes of vaginal delivery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether rates of obstetric anal sphincter injuries
      (OASIS) are continuing to increase and whether risk of OASIS according to mode of
      delivery is constant over time. METHODS: In a retrospective population-based
      study, data were obtained for vaginal singleton vertex deliveries at 37-41 weeks
      of pregnancy among primiparous women in New South Wales, Australia, between
      January 2001 and December 2011. Annual OASIS rates were determined among non
      instrumental, forceps, and vacuum deliveries with and without episiotomy.
      Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine adjusted odds ratios for
      each delivery mode category by year. Trends in adjusted odds ratios over time for
      each delivery category were compared. RESULTS: OASIS occurred in 955 (4.1%) of 23
      081 deliveries in 2001 and 1487 (5.9%) of 25 081 deliveries in 2011. After
      adjustment for known risk factors, the only delivery categories to show
      statistically significant increases in OASIS over the study period were non
      instrumental deliveries without episiotomy (linear trend P<0.001) and forceps
      deliveries with episiotomy (linear trend P=0.004). CONCLUSION: Overall, OASIS
      rates have continued to increase. Known risk factors do not fully explain the
      increase in OASIS rates in non-instrumental deliveries without an episiotomy and
      in forceps deliveries with an episiotomy.

PMID- 26489489
TI  - A systematic review and meta-analysis of progestogen use for maintenance
      tocolysis after preterm labor in women with intact membranes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of progestogens for maintenance tocolysis remains
      controversial, with randomized controlled trials having conflicting results on
      their efficacy. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the use of progestational agents for
      maintenance tocolysis after preterm labor in a systematic review of randomized
      controlled trials. SEARCH STRATEGY: Electronic databases were searched for
      reports published before December 2014. Keywords included "tocolysis,"
      "progesterone," "preterm labor," "17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone," and "vaginal
      progesterone." SELECTION CRITERIA: Only randomized controlled trials involving
      progestational agents for maintenance tocolysis were included. DATA COLLECTION
      AND ANALYSIS: Outcomes were analyzed on an intent-to-treat basis and meta
      analysis was performed where appropriate. Relative risks and mean differences
      with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. MAIN RESULTS: Four studies (362
      women) were included. There were no significant differences between
      progestational agents and placebo/no treatment in terms of delivery before
      34weeks or before 37weeks of pregnancy, time from randomization to delivery, and
      respiratory distress syndrome. Progestogens were associated with an increase in
      the neonatal birth weight (mean difference 203.32g, 95% confidence interval
      110.85-295.80; P=0.032). CONCLUSIONS: The current evidence does not support the
      routine use of progestational agents for maintenance tocolysis after an episode
      of preterm labor.

PMID- 26489490
TI  - Naviculocuneiform Coalition: Case Reports of Two Sibling Soccer Players.
AB  - Tarsal coalitions are an abnormal union between 2 tarsal bones. They occur most
      commonly between the calcaneus and talus or the calcaneus and navicular but can
      also arise from other joints in the foot. Isolated cases of coalitions between
      the medial cuneiform and navicular are extremely rare, and only a few cases have
      been reported. Treatment recommendations are, therefore, sparse, and no long-term
      follow-up data have been reported. We present the case of 2 sisters, each
      diagnosed with a symptomatic naviculocuneiform coalition. To our knowledge, this
      is the first reported case in 2 first-degree relatives. Both sisters were
      involved in sports and presented with pain during physical activities. After
      conservative treatment had failed, they were both treated successfully with
      surgical excision of the coalition and arthrodiastasis, followed by a progressive
      return to activities. At the last follow-up examination at 5 and 3 years
      postoperatively, they remained pain free and fully involved in college soccer,
      making excision of a naviculocuneiform coalition with arthrodiastasis a valid
      treatment in the young athletic population. 

PMID- 26489491
TI  - Duration of dual antiplatelet therapy after coronary stenting.

PMID- 26489492
TI  - MicroRNAs in Parasitic Helminthiases: Current Status and Future Perspectives.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a variety of roles in diverse biological processes at the
      post-transcriptional regulatory level. Although numerous miRNAs have been
      identified in parasitic helminths, we still know little about their biological
      functions. As molecular signatures that can be stably detectable in serum and
      plasma, worm-derived miRNAs have shown promise as markers for the early detection
      of particular helminth infections. In addition, host miRNAs are dysregulated
      during the development of pathology associated with helminthiases and show
      potential as therapeutic intervention targets. This review discusses the possible
      biological roles of helminth miRNAs, the prediction of their specific targets,
      their application in diagnosis and anti-pathology therapy interventions, and the
      potential functions of miRNAs in extracellular vesicle cargo, such as exosomes,
      in helminth-host interplay. 

PMID- 26489493
TI  - Broad patterns in domestic vector-borne Trypanosoma cruzi transmission dynamics:
      synanthropic animals and vector control.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chagas disease (caused by Trypanosoma cruzi) is the most important
      neglected tropical disease (NTD) in Latin America, infecting an estimated 5.7
      million people in the 21 countries where it is endemic. It is one of the NTDs
      targeted for control and elimination by the 2020 London Declaration goals, with
      the first goal being to interrupt intra-domiciliary vector-borne T. cruzi
      transmission. A key question in domestic T. cruzi transmission is the role that
      synanthropic animals play in T. cruzi transmission to humans. Here, we ask, (1)
      do synanthropic animals need to be targeted in Chagas disease prevention
      policies?, and (2) how does the presence of animals affect the efficacy of vector
      control? METHODS: We developed a simple mathematical model to simulate domestic
      vector-borne T. cruzi transmission and to specifically examine the interaction
      between the presence of synanthropic animals and effects of vector control. We
      used the model to explore how the interactions between triatomine bugs, humans
      and animals impact the number and proportion of T. cruzi-infected bugs and
      humans. We then examined how T. cruzi dynamics change when control measures
      targeting vector abundance are introduced into the system. RESULTS: We found that
      the presence of synanthropic animals slows the speed of T. cruzi transmission to
      humans, and increases the sensitivity of T. cruzi transmission dynamics to vector
      control measures at comparable triatomine carrying capacities. However, T. cruzi
      transmission is amplified when triatomine carrying capacity increases with the
      abundance of syntathoropic hosts. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that in
      domestic T. cruzi transmission scenarios where no vector control measures are in
      place, a reduction in synanthropic animals may slow T. cruzi transmission to
      humans, but it would not completely eliminate transmission. To reach the 2020
      goal of interrupting intra-domiciliary T. cruzi transmission, it is critical to
      target vector populations. Additionally, where vector control measures are in
      place, synanthropic animals may be beneficial.

PMID- 26489494
TI  - A new formulation of cannabidiol in cream shows therapeutic effects in a mouse
      model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The present study was designed to investigate the efficacy of a new
      formulation of alone, purified cannabidiol (CBD) (>98 %), the main non
      psychotropic cannabinoid of Cannabis sativa, as a topical treatment in an
      experimental model of autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the most commonly used
      model for multiple sclerosis (MS). Particularly, we evaluated whether
      administration of a topical 1 % CBD-cream, given at the time of symptomatic
      disease onset, could affect the EAE progression and if this treatment could also
      recover paralysis of hind limbs, qualifying topical-CBD for the symptomatic
      treatment of MS. METHODS: In order to have a preparation of 1 % of CBD-cream,
      pure CBD have been solubilized in propylene glycoland basic dense cream O/A. EAE
      was induced by immunization with myelin oligodendroglial glycoprotein peptide
      (MOG35-55) in C57BL/6 mice. After EAE onset, mice were allocated into several
      experimental groups (Naive, EAE, EAE-1 % CBD-cream, EAE-vehicle cream, CTRL-1 %
      CBD-cream, CTRL-vehicle cream). Mice were observed daily for signs of EAE and
      weight loss. At the sacrifice of the animals, which occurred at the 28(th) day
      from EAE-induction, spinal cord and spleen tissues were collected in order to
      perform histological evaluation, immunohistochemistry and western blotting
      analysis. RESULTS: Achieved results surprisingly show that daily treatment with
      topical 1 % CBD-cream may exert neuroprotective effects against EAE, diminishing
      clinical disease score (mean of 5.0 in EAE mice vs 1.5 in EAE + CBD-cream), by
      recovering of paralysis of hind limbs and by ameliorating histological score
      typical of disease (lymphocytic infiltration and demyelination) in spinal cord
      tissues. Also, 1 % CBD-cream is able to counteract the EAE-induced damage
      reducing release of CD4 and CD8alpha T cells (spleen tissue localization was
      quantified about 10,69 % and 35,96 % of positive staining respectively in EAE
      mice) and expression of the main pro-inflammatory cytokines as well as several
      other direct or indirect markers of inflammation (p-selectin, IL-10, GFAP, Foxp3,
      TGF-beta, IFN-gamma), oxidative injury (Nitrotyrosine, iNOS, PARP) and apoptosis
      (Cleaved caspase 3). CONCLUSION: All these data suggest an interesting new
      profile of CBD that could lead to its introduction in the clinical management of
      MS and its associated symptoms at least in association with current conventional
      therapy.

PMID- 26489495
TI  - Case report: an unexpected link between partial deletion of the SHANK3 gene and
      Heller's dementia infantilis, a rare subtype of autism spectrum disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deletions and mutations involving the SHANK3 gene lead to a
      nonspecific clinical presentation with moderate to profound intellectual
      disability, severely delayed or absent speech, and autism spectrum disorders
      (ASD). Better knowledge of the clinical spectrum of SHANK3 haploinsufficiency is
      useful to facilitate clinical care monitoring and to guide molecular diagnosis,
      essential for genetic counselling. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we report a detailed
      clinical description of a 10-year-old girl carrying a pathogenic interstitial
      22q13.3 deletion encompassing only the first 17 exons of SHANK3. The clinical
      features displayed by the girl strongly suggested the diagnosis of dementia
      infantilis, described by Heller in 1908, also known as childhood disintegrative
      disorder. CONCLUSION: Our present case confirms several observations according to
      which regression may be part of the clinical phenotype of SHANK3
      haploinsufficiency. Therefore, we think it is crucial to look for mutations in
      the gene SHANK3 in patients diagnosed for childhood disintegrative disorder or
      any developmental disorder with a regressive pattern involving social and
      communicative skills as well as cognitive and instinctual functions, with onset
      around 3 years.

PMID- 26489496
TI  - [Molecular Prognostic Markers and Their Clinical Relevance in Chronic Lymphocytic
      Leukemia].
AB  - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is the most common leukemia in Western countries
      affecting particularly elderly adults. Despite the constantly improving therapy
      options, chronic lymphocytic leukemia is still an incurable disease owing to
      considerable clinical and bio-logical heterogeneity. Pathogenesis of chronic
      lymphocytic leukemia is not fully understood; however, aberrant antigenic
      stimulation, apoptosis deregulation and microenvironmental interactions play a
      crucial role in disease development. The most important molecular prognostic
      markers with clinical relevance include mutation status of heavychain
      immunoglobulin genes (IGHV), presence of cytogenetic aberrations and TP53 and ATM
      gene mutations. Recent implementation of next generation sequencing technologies
      has enabled more accurate analysis of both wellestablished and novel potential
      prognostic markers. The most relevant candidates are mutations in SF3B1, NOTCH1
      and BIRC3 genes, which are now intensively studied with respect to their clinical
      importance. The other examined molecular mechanisms of chronic lympho-cytic
      leukemia pathogenesis include deregulation of B cell receptor signalization and
      abnormal regulation of gene expression by microRNA. The precise characterization
      of molecular abnormalities improves the risk stratification of chronic
      lymphocytic leukemia patients, which could possibly benefit from new treatment
      approaches.

PMID- 26489497
TI  - [Significance of Minimal Residual Disease in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia].
AB  - Newly introduced highly effective treatment options increase the importance of
      minimal residual disease measurement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Minimal
      residual disease is gaining interest mainly as a predictive marker; however,
      clinical significance of minimal residual dis-ease in chronic lymphocytic
      leukemia in many different situations remains unresolved. Factors with a possible
      impact on the clinical significance of minimal residual disease are as follows:
      technique for minimal residual disease quantification, treatment regimen,
      peripheral blood vs. bone marrow analysis or time -point for sampling. Highly
      sensitive methods now available to evaluate minimal residual disease can detect a
      single chronic lymphocytic leukemia cell in 10(-4)- 10(-5) leukocytes using
      either allele -specific oligonucleotide polymerase chain reaction or multicolor
      flow cytometry. Minimal residual disease quantification as a surrogate marker to
      assess treatment efficacy in routine hematological practice has to be further
      evaluated.

PMID- 26489498
TI  - [Monoclonal Antibodies in the Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia in 2015].
AB  - Chemotherapy combinations with monoclonal antibodies are now the basis for
      treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Rituximab, the most widely used anti
      CD20 antibody in routine clinical practice, led not only to improvement of
      progression-free survival, but also to improvement of overall survival in
      previously untreated patients with good performance status in combination with
      fludarabine and cyclophosphamide. This regimen has become the standard treatment
      for patients in good physical condition. Rituximab and the newest anti-CD20
      antibody obinutuzumab in combination with chlorambucil, as compared with
      chlorambucil alone, prolonged overall survival in previously untreated patients
      with significant comorbidities, and the combination of anti-CD20 antibody with
      chlorambucil has become the standard regimen in this group of patients.
      Alemtuzumab and ofatumumab improved treatment results in refractory chronic
      lymphocytic leukemia. Targeted therapy with combination chemotherapy and
      monoclonal antibody in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia represents a
      significant advance in the treatment of this disease.

PMID- 26489499
TI  - [Therapeutic Options for "Slow go" Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia].
AB  - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a disease of older patients, most of them
      suffering from significant comorbidities or functional limitations (so -called
      'slow- go' patients). Unfortunately, clinical trials in chronic lymphocytic
      leukemia have until recently focused mainly on the subgroup of younger patients
      in good overall condition ('go- go' patients). Clinico- biological parameters,
      such as performance status, calculated creatinine clearance, the number and
      severity of comorbidities along with individual clinical assessment can help
      guide decisions relating to the objectives and ultimately the intensity of
      treatment. Two large randomized studies have recently demonstrated that the
      addition of monoclonal antibodies against CD20 (obinutuzumab, rituximab and
      ofatumumab) to chlorambucil in untreated 'slow- go' patients resulted in a
      significant increase in the number of complete remissions, progression-free
      survival and even overall survival (for obinutuzumab and rituximab) with an
      acceptable safety profile. Chemoimmunotherapy combining chlorambucil with anti
      CD20 antibody is thus the new standard 1st line therapy in this group of
      patients. Treatment of relapsed/ refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 'slow
      go' patients is very difficult and specific data is sparse. In this indication,
      we have witnessed an extraordinary breakthrough by means of small oral inhibitors
      interfering with B -cell receptor downstream signaling pathways: ibrutinib, the
      Brutons tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and idelalisib, the inhibitor of
      phosphatidylinositol 3- kinase delta. Both drugs radically changed the approach
      to the treatment of relapsed/ refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia; relatively
      mild toxicity also predetermines their use in elderly/ comorbid patients. Other
      treatment options for relapsed/ refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia in this
      subgroup include alemtuzumab, ofatumumab, high-dose glucocorticoids + anti-CD20
      antibodies, or bendamustine + rituximab regimen. This review summarizes current
      data regarding the treatment of elderly and comorbid patients with chronic
      lymphocytic leukemia.

PMID- 26489500
TI  - [Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia with TP53 Aberrations].
AB  - Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia with deletion of the short arm of
      chromosome 17 (17p -) or mutation of the TP53 gene have significantly worse
      prognosis with a higher risk of progression to symptomatic disease, worse and
      shorter responses to chemo immunotherapy, and more frequent occurrence of
      Richters syndrome. TP53 deletion/ mutation is currently the only genetic
      abnormality that independently predicts response to treatment and also affects
      the choice of therapeutic approach in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This work
      summarizes treatment options available for this poor prognosis variant of chronic
      lymphocytic leukemia. Traditional chemo immunotherapy (e. g. FCR) does not offer
      longterm disease control, and patients with TP53 deletion/ mutation were usually
      considered to undergo allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. New molecules from
      the group of BCR inhibitors or BCL2 antagonists achieve excellent efficacy in
      chronic lymphocytic leukemia with del17p even in relapsed/ refractory (R/ R)
      cases, with a higher percentage of responses and prolonged survival without
      progression. Clinical trials are ongoing to determine optimal therapeutic
      approach and to induce longterm remission of the disease. The new molecules
      change algorithms for treatment of patients with TP53 aberration, including
      indication for allogeneic transplantation. Especially younger patients should be
      consulted in centers of intensive hematological care to consider their inclusion
      into clinical trials testing new molecules or to indicate allogeneic
      transplantation at the optimal time.

PMID- 26489501
TI  - [Small Molecules in the Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia in 2015 and in
      the Near Future].
AB  - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is one of the most common lymphoid malignancies and
      is characterized by a highly heterogeneous clinical course. Combined regimens,
      such as fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab have led to improvements in
      survival in younger patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and have become
      the standard of care in fit patients. However, the majority of chronic
      lymphocytic leukemia patients are elderly and not all patients are eligible for
      aggressive chemoimmunotherapy. In addition, patients with poor- risk cytogenetics
      have inferior responses to standard treatments with often shorter durations of
      response. Furthermore, the treatment outcomes of refractory disease are dismal.
      Nevertheless, there has been a dramatic change in therapeutic paradigms in the
      past year. Several new drugs have been approved for the treatment of chronic
      lymphocytic leukemia, including ibrutinib and idelalisib. These new molecules are
      orally active agents and both target the B -cell receptor associated kinases.
      Ibrutinib is a selective, irreversible inhibitor of Bruton tyrosine kinase,
      whereas idelalisib selectively targets phosphatidylinositol 3- kinase (PI3K)
      delta isoform. These agents have demonstrated remarkable activity in patients
      with relapsed/ refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia, as well as patients with
      high-risk deletion of the 17p chromosome and/ or TP53 mutation. This review
      focuses on some of the novel small molecules that are currently approved or in
      advanced clinical development.

PMID- 26489502
TI  - [News in the Supportive Care of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia].
AB  - Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia have disrupted cellular and humoral
      immunity with quantitative and qualitative impairment of the cells of the immune
      system. Immunity disbalance leads to increased incidence of infections and
      autoimmune cytopenias. Supportive care for chronic lymphocytic leukemia focuses
      on prevention and treatment of these complications and consists of antimicrobial
      prophylaxis, substitution of immunoglobulins, immunosuppressive therapy, growth
      factors and blood transfusions.

PMID- 26489503
TI  - [Malignant Lymphomas - Past, Present and Future].
AB  - This review summarizes the key steps on the way to understanding lymphoma biology
      and management. The history of lymphomas started in 1832 when Thomas Hodgkin
      first presented lymphomas. Classification of lymphoproliferative tumors has
      changed almost every 10 years as a reflection of deeper knowledge of this
      disease. Systemic therapy has developed in several steps starting by monotherapy
      with different chemotherapeutic agents, followed by the era of combination
      chemotherapy and by the rituximab era, which significantly changed the treatment
      paradigm. Several years ago, we entered into the fourth era characterized by many
      different targeted treatments. Radiotherapy remains an important part of lymphoma
      management. Lymphoproliferative tumors incidence is growing but mortality has
      started to decline starting in the year 2000 as the reflection of targeted
      therapy based on biology and pathogenesis.

PMID- 26489504
TI  - [Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma -  Modern Dia-gnostics and Molecularly Targeted
      Treatment].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diffuse large B -cell lymphoma is a common label for a number of
      clinico pathological entities, which differ in molecular pathogenesis, clinical
      presentation and prognosis. Exact correlation between clinico pathological and
      molecular subtypes of diffuse large B -cell lymphoma was not optimally defined;
      however, key signal transduction pathways were identified; blockage of these
      pathways may be therapeutically significant. AIM: The purpose of this review is
      to show current approach to dia-gnostics of diffuse large B -cell lymphoma on
      molecular levels, to summarize current firstline treatment options for newly
      diagnosed diffuse large B -cell lymphoma patients and to introduce new treatment
      possibilities, which are currently under investigation in clinical trials.
      RESULTS: Current molecular dia-gnostics of diffuse large B -cell lymphoma is
      evolving in two main directions. One direction is classification according to
      gene expression or protein levels. According to these studies, patients may be
      divided into subgroups according to the cell of origin or according their stromal
      signature. Most frequently used is classification accord-ing cell of origin
      (COO), which divides diffuse large B-cell lymphomas into GCB subtype (germinal B
      cell like) or ABC subtype (activated B-cell like). Second direction is studying
      genetic information on DNA level, where genetic mutations, deletions,
      amplifications and losses of heterozygozity are identified, which may be specific
      for subgroups defined by gene expression analysis, but may go across them. Both
      these directions aim at identifying signaling pathways important for survival and
      proliferation of tumor cells and in these, to identify targets for
      pharmacological block-age. Currently, standard of first-line treatment for all
      patients is antracyclinebased regimen with rituximab, which improved prognosis in
      both cell of origin subtypes, even if patients in the ABC subgroup have still
      inferior outcome. There is a number of new drugs with promising effectivity,
      which are studied in different phases of clinical trials (lenalidomide,
      bortezomib, idelalisib, venetoclax), but their possible effectivity will be
      limited only for precisely defined molecular subtypes of diffuse large B -cell
      lymphoma. CONCLUSION: The advent of new targeted drugs for diffuse large B- cell
      lymphoma is still awaited. For their effective use, besides the proof of their
      effectivity in randomized studies, also the extension of use of molecular methods
      in routine diagnostics and ensuring their wide availability will be necessary.

PMID- 26489505
TI  - [Follicular Lymphoma].
AB  - Follicular lymphomas represent the second most frequent lymphoma subtype.
      Translocation t(14;18)(q32;q21) is a characteristic biologic hallmark. It is not
      sufficient to drive follicular lymphomas development and subsequent molecular
      defect appears which lead to follicular lymphomas development and progression.
      The microenvironment plays an important role. The disease is usually diagnosed in
      an advanced clinical stage. The course is mostly indolent, but there is a
      subgroup characterized by rapid progression. The outcome has been improved with
      median of progression free survival between 6-7 years and overall survival
      between 10 and 15 years. The outcome improvement was caused by introduction of
      immunotherapy - rituximab, both in induction as well as in maintenance therapy.
      Despite this improvement, subsequent relapses occur, they can be managed by a
      variety of approaches based on many factors. The most adverse event is
      histological transformation. The present review briefly summarizes understanding
      of biology, clinical course and management.

PMID- 26489506
TI  - [Mantle Cell Lymphoma -  Cutting edge Dia-gnostics and Treatment Approaches].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mantle cell lymphoma represents a specific subtype of B -cell non
      Hodgkin lymphoma characterized on the molecular level by translocation
      t(11;14)(q13;q32) leading to aberrant overexpression of cyclin D1 and
      deregulation of the cell cycle. Despite sporadic indolent forms of mantle cell
      lymphoma, majority of patients present with advanced aggressive disease that
      requires immediate treatment. Despite chemosensitive nature of mantle cell
      lymphoma, approximately 10% patients present with a refractory disease, and the
      vast majority of patients who initially respond to therapy, relapse sooner or
      later. The course of mantle cell lymphoma thus represents a chronically relapsing
      malignancy requiring further and further lines of therapies. Prognosis of
      relapsed or refractory (R/ R) mantle cell lymphoma is dismal. AIM: The goal of
      this article is to provide a cutting -edge review of currently used diagnostic
      and treatment approaches for mantle cell lymphoma. RESULTS: Several key
      modifications of the therapeutic algorithm of mantle cell lymphoma treatment
      implemented in the past 10 years resulted in significantly improved prognosis of
      patients. The milestones in the therapy of mantle cell lymphoma include
      incorporation of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab into induction therapy,
      intensification of polychemotherapeutic regimen including implementation of high
      dose cytarabine, consolidation of response with high-dose therapy and autologous
      stem cell transplantation (HDT ASCT) in younger fit patients, and maintenance
      therapy with rituximab in the elderly patients. Besides such "optimization" of
      frontline therapy, introduction of novel antilymphoma agents into therapy of R/ R
      mantle cell lymphoma also contributed (and will contribute in the future) to
      improved prognosis of mantle cell lymphoma. Among these agents, there is a new
      cytostatic drug bendamustine, Bruton tyrosine- kinase inhibitor ibrutinib,
      immunomodulatory agent lenalidomide, mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus and proteasome
      inhibitor bortezomib. CONCLUSION: The overall survival of mantle cell lymphoma
      virtually doubled in the recent 10 years as a result of two key factors: 1.
      optimization of frontline therapy with "conventional" antilymphoma agents, and 2.
      brand new possibilities of therapy for R/ R mantle cell lymphoma thanks to the
      introduction of novel antilymphoma agents. Combinatorial approaches using most
      efficacious combinations of novel and "conventional" anti-mantle cell lymphoma
      agents will definitely lead to further improvements of survival parameters in
      mantle cell lymphoma patients in near future.

PMID- 26489507
TI  - [Hodgkin's Lymhoma - the Treatment Aproaches Development and Current Trends].
AB  - Hodgkins lymphoma is a relatively rare malignant disease, mostly affecting
      younger adults. It represents one of the most curable disease among all lymphomas
      and other malignant diseases of adult age, with curability more than 80%. The
      progress of curability and long term survival demonstrates the development of
      oncologic approach during the last few decades, depicted in this article,
      particularly by introduction of combined modality treatment (chemotherapy and
      radiotherapy), progress in radiotherapy technique, implementation of high
      intensity regimens for advanced stages and use of novel drugs as well. Because of
      high curability rate and young age of most of the patients, late toxic effects
      are of significant relevance. The ongoing clinical research is focused on better
      prognostic stratification offering the patients more individualized treatment by
      risk and response disease evaluation, aiming to reduce toxicity while maintaining
      high curability and introduction of novel, less toxic drugs and their use in
      early phases of treatment.

PMID- 26489508
TI  - [Salvage Treatment and the Role of Transplantation in Lymphomas].
AB  - Despite achieving promising treatment results in patients with lymphoma, there is
      still a significant proportion of patients who relapse or have refractory
      disease. Salvage therapy followed by high dose treatment with autologous stem-
      cell transplantation is the standard of care in many of them. The role allogeneic
      stem- cell transplantation, especially after reduced intensity conditioning, is
      under extensive investigation. This review article presents current knowledge and
      recommendation in the salvage treatment of relapsed/ refractory lymphomas.

PMID- 26489509
TI  - [Current Approaches in Cancer Immunotherapy].
AB  - Methods of cancer immunotherapy have finally entered clinical medicine after
      years of preclinical research. Currently, there are several methods, which have
      proven to be very effective even in cases of incurable cancer. Antitumor
      monoclonal antibodies are among major therapeutic anti-cancer drugs and have been
      successfully used for many ears. Novel group of antibodies are immunomodulatory
      antibodies which can break tumor -specific immune tolerance and induce regression
      of tumors by nonspecific activation of immune system. Bispecific antibodies
      represent a novel class of anticancer agents which can induce expansion of T
      cells in vivo, blinatumomab is an example of such agents and is currently
      available for the treatment of acute B -cell leukemia. Cellular immunotherapy is
      also very effective, especially the use of Chimeric receptor modified T-cells for
      the therapy of B- cell lymphoproliferative diseases. Although it is a very
      complicated and expensive method, it is highly effective approach which can
      induce remission even in previously hopeless conditions. The goal of this article
      is to explain the basic principles of cancer immunotherapy and summarize the
      newest findings in this field.

PMID- 26489510
TI  - Comparative study on gene set and pathway topology-based enrichment methods.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enrichment analysis is a popular approach to identify pathways or
      sets of genes which are significantly enriched in the context of differentially
      expressed genes. The traditional gene set enrichment approach considers a pathway
      as a simple gene list disregarding any knowledge of gene or protein interactions.
      In contrast, the new group of so called pathway topology-based methods integrates
      the topological structure of a pathway into the analysis. METHODS: We
      comparatively investigated gene set and pathway topology-based enrichment
      approaches, considering three gene set and four topological methods. These
      methods were compared in two extensive simulation studies and on a benchmark of
      36 real datasets, providing the same pathway input data for all methods. RESULTS:
      In the benchmark data analysis both types of methods showed a comparable ability
      to detect enriched pathways. The first simulation study was conducted with KEGG
      pathways, which showed considerable gene overlaps between each other. In this
      study with original KEGG pathways, none of the topology-based methods
      outperformed the gene set approach. Therefore, a second simulation study was
      performed on non-overlapping pathways created by unique gene IDs. Here, methods
      accounting for pathway topology reached higher accuracy than the gene set
      methods, however their sensitivity was lower. CONCLUSIONS: We conducted one of
      the first comprehensive comparative works on evaluating gene set against pathway
      topology-based enrichment methods. The topological methods showed better
      performance in the simulation scenarios with non-overlapping pathways, however,
      they were not conclusively better in the other scenarios. This suggests that
      simple gene set approach might be sufficient to detect an enriched pathway under
      realistic circumstances. Nevertheless, more extensive studies and further
      benchmark data are needed to systematically evaluate these methods and to assess
      what gain and cost pathway topology information introduces into enrichment
      analysis. Both types of methods for enrichment analysis require further
      improvements in order to deal with the problem of pathway overlaps.

PMID- 26489511
TI  - Danhong injection in the treatment of chronic stable angina: study protocol for a
      randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic stable angina is a leading cause of death worldwide. Danhong
      injection, a complementary alternative medicine for chronic stable angina, has
      been demonstrated to be effective in numerous studies and is widely prescribed to
      patients. However, the methodological quality of most prior studies was found to
      be, in general, low. Therefore, we designed this randomized controlled trial to
      evaluate the efficacy and safety of using Danhong injection to treat chronic
      stable angina. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a randomized multicentre, double-blind,
      placebo-controlled, adaptive clinical trial. A total of 870 patients meeting the
      eligibility criteria will be randomly assigned into either the Danhong injection
      or the placebo group in a 2:1 ratio. Participants will then undergo a 2-week
      treatment regimen and a 76-day follow-up period. Because this is an adaptive
      trial, two interim analyses are prospectively planned. These will be performed
      after one-third and two-thirds of the patients, respectively, have completed the
      trial. Based on the results of these interim analyses, a data monitoring
      committee will determine how to modify aspects of the study without undermining
      the validity and integrity of the trial. The primary outcome measure is the
      proportion of patients who show a clinically significant change, which is defined
      as at least a 20-point improvement in angina frequency score on the Seattle
      Angina Questionnaire, which will be administered on day 30. Other secondary
      efficacy and safety outcomes will also be assessed. DISCUSSION: This trial will
      provide high-quality evidence regarding the use of Danhong injection to treat
      chronic stable angina. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01681316 .

PMID- 26489512
TI  - The German AugUR study: study protocol of a prospective study to investigate
      chronic diseases in the elderly.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The majority of patients suffering from chronic health disabilities
      is beyond 70 years of age. Typical late-onset chronic diseases include those
      affecting the heart, the kidney, cancer, and conditions of the eye such as age
      related macular degeneration. These diseases disable patients for many years and
      largely compromise autonomy in daily life. Due to challenges in recruiting the
      elderly, the collection of population-based epidemiological data as a
      prerequisite to understand associated risk factors and mechanisms is commonly
      done in the general population within an age-range of 20 to 70 years.
      METHODS/DESIGN: We establish the German AugUR study (Age-related diseases:
      understanding genetic and non-genetic influences - a study at the University of
      Regensburg), a prospective study in the mobile elderly general population in and
      around Regensburg in eastern Bavaria. In the long term, we aim to recruit 3,000
      persons of Caucasian ethnicity with at least 70 years of age via residents'
      registration offices and conduct 3-year follow-ups. The study protocol includes a
      standardized interview regarding social and life-style factors, medication
      history, quality-of-life, and existing diagnoses of common diseases. The
      participants undergo medical examinations for ophthalmological, cardiovascular or
      diabetes-related conditions, and general measurements of body shape and fitness.
      The program is particularly tailored for the elderly. Biobanking of whole blood,
      serum, plasma, and urine is conducted and standard laboratory measurements are
      performed in fresh samples. DISCUSSION: AugUR is specifically designed as a
      research platform to host studies of late onset diseases. Consequently, this
      platform will help (1) to unravel the genetic and non-genetic etiology of disease
      development and progression, (2) to serve as control group of elderly individuals
      for comparisons with various patient groups, (3) to derive prevalence and
      incidence data on chronic diseases, and (4) to provide clinical reference
      parameters for the elderly mobile general population. This data will foster our
      understanding of disease mechanisms, which may ultimately help to improve
      prevention, diagnosis, and therapy for frequent chronic diseases. Here we present
      the baseline study protocol of AugUR.

PMID- 26489513
TI  - SIRT1 protects against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury via activating eNOS
      in diabetic rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetic patients are more sensitive to myocardial ischemic injury
      than non-diabetic patients. Silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) is a
      nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent histone deacetylase making the heart
      more resistant to ischemic injury. As SIRT1 expression is considered to be
      reduced in diabetic heart, we therefore hypothesized that up-regulation of SIRT1
      in the diabetic heart may overcome its increased susceptibility to ischemic
      injury. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with high-fat diet and
      injected with streptozotocin once to induce diabetes. Diabetic rats received
      injections of adenoviral vectors encoding SIRT1 (Ad-SIRT1) at five myocardial
      sites. Four days after adenoviral injection, the rats were subjected to
      myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (MI/R). Outcome measures included left
      ventricular function, infarct size, cellular death and oxidative stress. RESULTS:
      Delivery of Ad-SIRT1 into the hearts of diabetic rats markedly increased SIRT1
      expression. Up-regulation of SIRT1 in diabetic hearts improved cardiac function
      and reduced infarct size to the extent as in non-diabetic animals following MI/R,
      which was associated with reduced serum creatine kinase-MB, lactate dehydrogenase
      activities and cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Moreover, Ad-SIRT1 reduced the increase
      in the superoxide generation and malonaldialdehyde content and simultaneously
      increased the antioxidant capability. Furthermore, Ad-SIRT1 increased eNOS
      phosphorylation and reduced eNOS acetylation in diabetic hearts. NOS inhibitor L
      NAME inhibited SIRT1-enhanced eNOS phosphorylation, and blunted SIRT1-mediated
      anti-apoptotic and anti-oxidative effects and cardioprotection. CONCLUSIONS:
      Overexpression of SIRT1 reduces diabetes-exacerbated MI/R injury and oxidative
      stress via activating eNOS in diabetic rats. The findings suggest SIRT1 may be a
      promising novel therapeutic target for diabetic cardiac complications.

PMID- 26489514
TI  - Runx2 contributes to the regenerative potential of the mammary epithelium.
AB  - Although best known for its role in bone development and associated structures
      the transcription factor RUNX2 is expressed in a wide range of lineages,
      including those of the mammary gland. Previous studies have indicated that Runx2
      can regulate aspects of mammary cell function and influence the properties of
      cancer cells. In this study we investigate the role of Runx2 in the mammary
      stem/progenitor population and its relationship with WNT signalling. Results show
      that RUNX2 protein is differentially expressed throughout embryonic and adult
      development of the murine mammary gland with high levels of expression in mammary
      stem-cell enriched cultures. Importantly, functional analysis reveals a role for
      Runx2 in mammary stem/progenitor cell function in in vitro and in vivo
      regenerative assays. Furthermore, RUNX2 appears to be associated with WNT
      signalling in the mammary epithelium and is specifically upregulated in mouse
      models of WNT-driven breast cancer. Overall our studies reveal a novel function
      for Runx2 in regulating mammary epithelial cell regenerative potential, possibly
      acting as a downstream target of WNT signalling. 

PMID- 26489515
TI  - Rearrangement of MICU1 multimers for activation of MCU is solely controlled by
      cytosolic Ca(2.).
AB  - Mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake is a vital process that controls distinct cell and
      organelle functions. Mitochondrial calcium uptake 1 (MICU1) was identified as key
      regulator of the mitochondrial Ca(2+) uniporter (MCU) that together with the
      essential MCU regulator (EMRE) forms the mitochondrial Ca(2+) channel. However,
      mechanisms by which MICU1 controls MCU/EMRE activity to tune mitochondrial Ca(2+)
      signals remain ambiguous. Here we established a live-cell FRET approach and
      demonstrate that elevations of cytosolic Ca(2+) rearranges MICU1 multimers with
      an EC50 of 4.4 MUM, resulting in activation of mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake. MICU1
      rearrangement essentially requires the EF-hand motifs and strictly correlates
      with the shape of cytosolic Ca(2+) rises. We further show that rearrangements of
      MICU1 multimers were independent of matrix Ca(2+) concentration, mitochondrial
      membrane potential, and expression levels of MCU and EMRE. Our experiments
      provide novel details about how MCU/EMRE is regulated by MICU1 and an original
      approach to investigate MCU/EMRE activation in intact cells. 

PMID- 26489516
TI  - Comprehensive microRNA profiling in acetaminophen toxicity identifies novel
      circulating biomarkers for human liver and kidney injury.
AB  - Our objective was to identify microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers of drug-induced liver
      and kidney injury by profiling the circulating miRNome in patients with
      acetaminophen overdose. Plasma miRNAs were quantified in age- and sex-matched
      overdose patients with (N = 27) and without (N = 27) organ injury (APAP-TOX and
      APAP-no TOX, respectively). Classifier miRNAs were tested in a separate cohort (N
      = 81). miRNA specificity was determined in non-acetaminophen liver injury and
      murine models. Sensitivity was tested by stratification of patients at hospital
      presentation (N = 67). From 1809 miRNAs, 75 were 3-fold or more increased and 46
      were 3-fold or more decreased with APAP-TOX. A 16 miRNA classifier model
      accurately diagnosed APAP-TOX in the test cohort. In humans, the miRNAs with the
      largest increase (miR-122-5p, miR-885-5p, miR-151a-3p) and the highest rank in
      the classifier model (miR-382-5p) accurately reported non-acetaminophen liver
      injury and were unaffected by kidney injury. miR-122-5p was more sensitive than
      ALT for reporting liver injury at hospital presentation, especially combined with
      miR-483-3p. A miRNA panel was associated with human kidney dysfunction. In mice,
      miR-122-5p, miR-151a-3p and miR-382-5p specifically reported APAP toxicity -
      being unaffected by drug-induced kidney injury. Profiling of acetaminophen
      toxicity identified multiple miRNAs that report acute liver injury and potential
      biomarkers of drug-induced kidney injury. 

PMID- 26489518
TI  - The Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier on an oxide surface: a combined Monte-Carlo and in
      situ scanning tunneling microscopy approach.
AB  - The controlled growth of epitaxial films of complex oxides requires an atomistic
      understanding of key parameters determining final film morphology, such as
      termination dependence on adatom diffusion, and height of the Ehrlich-Schwoebel
      (ES) barrier. Here, through an in situ scanning tunneling microscopy study of
      mixed-terminated La5/8Ca3/8MnO3 (LCMO) films, we image adatoms and observe pile
      up at island edges. Image analysis allows determination of the population of
      adatoms at the edge of islands and fractions on A-site and B-site terminations. A
      simple Monte-Carlo model, simulating the random walk of adatoms on a sinusoidal
      potential landscape using Boltzmann statistics is used to reproduce the
      experimental data, and provides an estimate of the ES barrier as ~0.18 +/- 0.04
      eV at T = 1023 K, similar to those of metal adatoms on metallic surfaces. These
      studies highlight the utility of in situ imaging, in combination with basic Monte
      Carlo methods, in elucidating the factors which control the final film growth in
      complex oxides. 

PMID- 26489517
TI  - Aquaporin-9-expressing neutrophils are required for the establishment of contact
      hypersensitivity.
AB  - Aquaporin-9 (AQP9), a water/glycerol channel protein, is expressed in several
      immune cells including neutrophils; however, its role in immune response remains
      unknown. Here we show the involvement of AQP9 in hapten-induced contact
      hypersensitivity (CHS), as a murine model of skin allergic contact dermatitis,
      using AQP9 knockout (AQP9(-/-)) mice. First, the CHS response to hapten
      dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) was impaired in AQP9(-/-) mice compared with wild
      type (WT) mice. Adoptive transfer of sensitized AQP9(-/-) draining lymph node
      (dLN) cells into WT recipients resulted in a reduced CHS response, indicating
      impaired sensitization in AQP9(-/-) mice. Second, administration of WT
      neutrophils into AQP9(-/-) mice during sensitization rescued the impaired CHS
      response. Neutrophil recruitment to dLNs upon hapten application was attenuated
      by AQP9 deficiency. Coincidentally, AQP9(-/-) neutrophils showed a reduced CC
      chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) ligand-induced migration efficacy, which was
      attributed to the attenuated recruitment of neutrophils to dLNs. Furthermore, we
      found that neutrophil deficiency, observed in AQP9(-/-) or neutrophil-depleted
      mice, decreased IL-17A production by dLN cells, which might be responsible for T
      cell activation during a subsequent CHS response. Taken together, these findings
      suggest that AQP9 is required for the development of sensitization during
      cutaneous acquired immune responses via regulating neutrophil function. 

PMID- 26489519
TI  - Cell populations can use aneuploidy to survive telomerase insufficiency.
AB  - Telomerase maintains ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, telomeres. Telomerase loss
      results in replicative senescence and a switch to recombination-dependent
      telomere maintenance. Telomerase insufficiency in humans leads to telomere
      syndromes associated with premature ageing and cancer predisposition. Here we use
      yeast to show that the survival of telomerase insufficiency differs from the
      survival of telomerase loss and occurs through aneuploidy. In yeast grown at
      elevated temperatures, telomerase activity becomes limiting: haploid cell
      populations senesce and generate aneuploid survivors--near diploids monosomic for
      chromosome VIII. This aneuploidy results in increased levels of the telomerase
      components TLC1, Est1 and Est3, and is accompanied by decreased abundance of
      ribosomal proteins. We propose that aneuploidy suppresses telomerase
      insufficiency through redistribution of cellular resources away from ribosome
      synthesis towards production of telomerase components and other non-ribosomal
      proteins. The aneuploidy-induced re-balance of the proteome via modulation of
      ribosome biogenesis may be a general adaptive response to overcome functional
      insufficiencies.

PMID- 26489520
TI  - Associations between endothelial nitric oxide synthase polymorphisms and risk of
      diabetic nephropathy: an updated meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genetic polymorphism of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) has
      been implicated in the risk of diabetic nephropathy (DN), but the published
      findings were inconsistent. We performed a comprehensive meta-analysis to derive
      a more precise estimation of the association between genetic polymorphisms of
      eNOS and the risk of DN. METHODS: Six online database were researched on the
      associations between polymorphisms of eNOS (T786C, G894T, 4b/4a) and DN risk.
      PRISMA statement and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium assessment were used in this
      report. Odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were estimated based on the
      following genetic contrast/models: allelic model, dominant model, recessive model
      and co-dominant model. The publication bias and sensitivity analysis were also
      performed to guarantee the statistical power. RESULTS: A total of 49 case-control
      studies with 11,990/9754/5131 participants for DN/DM/HC group were eligible for
      meta-analysis (7/25/31 studies for T786C/G984T/4b/a). For the eNOS-T786C, C
      allele showed a weak association between C allele and DN risk in DN/T2DM group.
      For eNOS-G894T, there was an association between T allele and DN risk in the
      global, Asian and African population in DN/T2DM group. For the eNOS-4b/4a, 4a
      allele was found contributing significantly to increased DN risk in the global
      population. CONCLUSION: Our comprehensive meta-analysis suggests that three
      polymorphisms of eNOS may be the increased risk factors of DN development,
      especially in Asian population and T2DM group.

PMID- 26489521
TI  - Coenzyme Q10 and alpha-Tocopherol Prevent the Lipid Peroxidation of Cooled Equine
      Semen.
AB  - Biotechnology applied for equine semen increases the levels of reactive oxygen
      species and reduces the natural antioxidant defence, by both dilution and removal
      of seminal plasma. Therefore, the aims of this study were to evaluate the effect
      of adding coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and alpha-tocopherol (alpha-TOH) to the cooling
      extender, singly or in combination, on sperm parameters, and their effectiveness
      in preventing lipid peroxidation (LPO) of equine semen during cooling at 5
      degrees C for 72 h. Ten adult stallions of proven fertility were used, using two
      ejaculates each, subjecting them to the treatments with the following
      concentrations: alpha-TOH: 2 mm; CoQ10: 40 MUg/ml; and CoQ10 + alpha-TOH: 40
      MUg/ml + 2 mm for control (C) without the addition of antioxidants and for
      vehicle control (EtOH) with 100 MUl ethanol. The CoQ10 group had a higher
      percentage of total motility (69.1 +/- 16.2%) compared to control (62.1 +/-
      16.2%) and EtOH (58.1 +/- 18.6%). CoQ10 + alpha-TOH and alpha-TOH groups were
      most effective in preventing LPO compared to controls (1765.9 +/- 695.9, 1890.8
      +/- 749.5, 2506.2 +/- 769.4 ng malondialdehyde/10(8) sptz, respectively). In
      conclusion, CoQ10 and alpha-TOH were effective during the cooling process of
      equine semen at 5 degrees C for 72 h, providing increased levels of total
      motility, as well as lower LPO.

PMID- 26489523
TI  - Probing the Ca(2+)-assisted pi-pi interaction during Ca(2+)-dependent protein
      folding.
AB  - Protein folding is governed by a balance of non-covalent interactions, of which
      cation-pi and pi-pi play important roles. Theoretical calculations revealed a
      strong cooperativity between cation-pi involving alkali and alkaline earth metal
      ions and pi-pi interactions, but however, no experimental evidence was provided
      in this regard. Here, we characterized a Ca(2+)-binding self-processing module
      (SPM), which mediates a highly-specific Ca(2+)-dependent autocatalytic processing
      of iron-regulated protein FrpC secreted by the pathogenic Gram-negative bacterium
      Neisseria meningitidis. The SPM undergoes a Ca(2+)-induced transition from an
      intrinsically unstructured conformation to the compact protein fold that is
      ultimately stabilized by the pi-pi interaction between two unique tryptophan
      residues arranged in the T-shaped orientation. Moreover, the pair of tryptophans
      is located in a close vicinity of a calcium-binding site, suggesting the
      involvement of a Ca(2+)-assisted pi-pi interaction in the stabilization of the
      tertiary structure of the SPM. This makes the SPM an excellent model for the
      investigation of the Ca(2+)-assisted pi-pi interaction during Ca(2+)-induced
      protein folding. 

PMID- 26489522
TI  - Demographic, medical, and psychosocial predictors of benefit finding among
      caregivers of childhood cancer survivors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a growing body of literature examining benefit finding, or
      finding positive outcomes in the face of adversity, among both adults and
      children with chronic conditions, and to some degree among caregivers. This study
      examined demographic, medical, and psychosocial predictors of greater benefit
      finding specifically among caregivers of childhood cancer survivors. METHODS:
      Caregivers of children who had completed treatment for cancer (n = 83) completed
      measures assessing child and caregiver demographic information and caregiver
      coping (active, acceptance, emotion-focused, and avoidant), optimism, social
      support, caregiving burden, posttraumatic stress symptoms, illness impact (how
      much caregivers feel impacted by their child's illness in various domains), and
      benefit finding (positive outcomes). RESULT: Regression analyses indicated that
      positive spiritual coping, optimism, and illness impact uniquely predicted
      overall benefit finding for caregivers of childhood cancer survivors. CONCLUSION:
      Results point to adaptive tendencies that are associated with finding benefits
      when caring for a childhood cancer survivor and suggest potential avenues for
      intervention among this population. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26489524
TI  - Hollow silica-copper-carbon anodes using copper metal-organic frameworks as
      skeletons.
AB  - Hollow silica-copper-carbon (H-SCC) nanocomposites are first synthesized using
      copper metal-organic frameworks as skeletons to form Cu-MOF@SiO(2) and then
      subjected to heat treatment. In the composites, the hollow structure and the void
      space from the collapse of the MOF skeleton can accommodate the huge volume
      change, buffer the mechanical stress caused by lithium ion insertion/extraction
      and maintain the structural integrity of the electrode and a long cycling
      stability. The ultrafine copper with a uniform size of around 5 nm and carbon
      with homogeneous distribution from the decomposition of the MOF skeleton can not
      only enhance the electrical conductivity of the composite and preserve the
      structural and interfacial stabilization, but also suppress the aggregation of
      silica nanoparticles and cushion the volume change. In consequence, the resulting
      material as an anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) delivers a reversible
      capacity of 495 mA h g(-1) after 400 cycles at a current density of 500 mA g(-1).
      The synthetic method presented in this paper provides a facile and low-cost
      strategy for the large-scale production of hollow silica/copper/carbon
      nanocomposites as an anode in LIBs.

PMID- 26489525
TI  - Life Cycle Assessment of Titania Perovskite Solar Cell Technology for Sustainable
      Design and Manufacturing.
AB  - Perovskite solar cells have attracted enormous attention in recent years due to
      their low cost and superior technical performance. However, the use of toxic
      metals, such as lead, in the perovskite dye and toxic chemicals in perovskite
      solar cell manufacturing causes grave concerns for its environmental performance.
      To understand and facilitate the sustainable development of perovskite solar cell
      technology from its design to manufacturing, a comprehensive environmental impact
      assessment has been conducted on titanium dioxide nanotube based perovskite solar
      cells by using an attributional life cycle assessment approach, from cradle to
      gate, with manufacturing data from our laboratory-scale experiments and upstream
      data collected from professional databases and the literature. The results
      indicate that the perovskite dye is the primary source of environmental impact,
      associated with 64.77% total embodied energy and 31.38% embodied materials
      consumption, contributing to more than 50% of the life cycle impact in almost all
      impact categories, although lead used in the perovskite dye only contributes to
      about 1.14% of the human toxicity potential. A comparison of perovskite solar
      cells with commercial silicon and cadmium-tellurium solar cells reveals that
      perovskite solar cells could be a promising alternative technology for future
      large-scale industrial applications.

PMID- 26489526
TI  - Serum concentration and skin tissue expression of insulin-like growth factor 2 in
      canine generalized demodicosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that insulin-like growth factor-2 (IGF
      2) levels are altered in skin injury; there are no data evaluating the serum
      concentration and skin tissue expression of IGF-2 in canine generalized
      demodicosis. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To assess serum concentrations of IGF-2
      collected from dogs with generalized demodicosis compared to healthy dogs and to
      determine the location of IGF-2 in the skin of affected dogs. METHODS: Blood and
      skin samples were collected from 12 dogs of differing breeds and gender at 1-2
      years of age that had a confirmed diagnosis of generalized demodicosis. Age
      matched control skin and blood samples were collected from 11 normal dogs of
      different breeds and gender. Serum IGF-2 concentrations were measured by enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay. Skin tissue expression of IGF-2 was analysed by
      immunohistochemical methods. RESULTS: Serum concentration and skin tissue
      expression of IGF-2 were increased in dogs with generalized demodicosis compared
      with control dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: These findings indicate
      that keratinocytes, histiocytes and fibrocytes in the dermis are positive for IGF
      2; they may be a source of the elevated serum IGF-2 levels in dogs with
      generalized demodicosis.

PMID- 26489527
TI  - Hepatic splenosis.

PMID- 26489528
TI  - Markers of subsyndromal depression in very old persons.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors associated with subsyndromal depression (SSD)
      in very old persons, and to develop a model for prediction of SSD among very old
      persons. METHODS: A cross-sectional, population-based study was undertaken on 85
      year-old persons in Sweden. Data were collected from a postal questionnaire,
      assessments in the participants' homes and at reception visits. Depressiveness
      was screened with GDS-15 (Geriatric Depression Scale), and the results were
      classified into three outcome categories: non-depression (ND), SSD and syndromal
      depression. Data were analysed with binary logistic, ordinal logistic and linear
      regression. RESULTS: With univariate logistic regression 20 factors associated
      with SSD were identified in very old persons, and the four hypothesized domains-
      sociodemographic factors, declining physical functioning, neuropsychiatric
      factors and existential factors--significantly related to SSD. The multivariate
      logistic model included seven independent factors that increase the likelihood of
      SSD instead of ND (lower self-perceived health, life not meaningful, problems
      with self-care, use of tranquilizing medication, no contact with neighbours,
      history of affective disorder and history of stroke). The ordinal logistic and
      the linear regression models resulted in seven partly different factors for
      predicting SSD and depressiveness, in the very old. CONCLUSIONS: The identified
      markers may help clinicians with the detection, prevention and treatment of SSD
      in very old persons. The findings indicate the importance of a comprehensive
      functional approach to diagnosing and treating depressiveness in this population,
      and the findings might be interpreted as offering support for the coexistence of
      a dimensional and a categorical view on depressive disorders.

PMID- 26489529
TI  - Evaluation of a protocol-based intervention to promote timely switching from
      intravenous to oral paracetamol for post-operative pain management: an
      interrupted time series analysis.
AB  - RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Timely switching from intravenous to oral therapy
      ensures optimized treatment and efficient use of health care resources.
      Intravenous (IV) paracetamol is widely used for post-operative pain management
      but not always switched to the oral form in a timely manner, leading to
      unnecessary increase in expenditure. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a
      multifaceted intervention to promote timely switching from the IV to oral form in
      the post-operative setting. METHODS: An evidence-based prescribing protocol was
      designed and implemented by the clinical pharmacy team in a single district
      general hospital in Egypt. The protocol specified the criteria for appropriate
      prescribing of IV paracetamol. Doctors were provided with information and
      educational sessions prior to implementation. A prospective, quasi-experimental
      study was undertaken to evaluate its impact on IV paracetamol utilization and
      costs. Data on monthly utilization and costs were recorded for 12 months before
      and after implementation (January 2012 to December 2013). Data were analysed
      using interrupted time series analysis. RESULTS: Prior to implementation, in
      2012, total spending on IV paracetamol was 674 154.00 Egyptian Pounds (L.E.)
      ($23,668.00). There was a non-significant (P > 0.05) downward trend in
      utilization (-32 ampoules per month) and costs [reduction of 632 L.E. ($222) per
      month]. Following implementation, immediate decrease in utilization and costs (P
      < 0.05) and a trend change over the follow-up period were observed. Average
      monthly reduction was 26% (95% CI: 24% to 28%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A
      multifaceted, protocol-based intervention to ensure timely switching from IV-to
      oral paracetamol achieved significant reduction in utilization and cost of IV
      paracetamol in the first 5 months of its implementation.

PMID- 26489530
TI  - Microhydration Effects on the Ultrafast Photodynamics of Cytosine: Evidences for
      a Possible Hydration-Site Dependence.
AB  - Ultrafast excited-state deactivation dynamics of small cytosine (Cy) and 1
      methylcytosine (1mCy) microhydrates, Cy?(H2O)1-3 and 1mCy?(H2O)1,2, produced in a
      supersonic expansion have been studied by mass-selected femtosecond pump-probe
      photoionization spectroscopy at about 267 nm excitation. The seeded supersonic
      expansion of Ar/H2O gas mixtures allowed an extensive structural relaxation of Cy
      and 1mCy microhydrates to low-energy isomers. With the aid of electronic
      structure calculations, we assigned the observed ultrafast dynamics to the
      dominant microhydrate isomers of the amino-keto tautomer of Cy and 1mCy. Excited
      state lifetimes of Cy?(H2O)1-3 measured here are 0.2-0.5 ps. Comparisons of the
      Cy?H2O and 1mCy?H2O transients suggest that monohydration at the amino Watson
      Crick site induces a substantially stronger effect than at the sugar-edge site in
      accelerating excited-state deactivation of Cy.

PMID- 26489531
TI  - Outcomes of One straight-line flow with and without pedal arch in patients with
      critical limb ischemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare the outcomes of revascularization
      strategies for patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) whereby single vessel
      run off to the foot was established with or without flow into a patent pedal
      arch. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from 312 consecutive patients
      with CLI who underwent endovascular therapy (EVT) between December 2009 and
      February 2011. Below-the-knee angiography identified one vessel run off in 137
      patients (44%), and we aimed to compare the outcomes between those patients where
      revascularization resulted in one-straight-line flow into a patent pedal arch (76
      limbs, Group A) versus those who attained one straight-line flow to the distal
      end of a tibial vessel without flow into a patent pedal arch (61 limbs, Group B).
      The study endpoints were amputation free survival rate, limb salvage rate and
      wound healing rate at 12 months after EVT. RESULTS: Amputation free survival rate
      differed significantly between groups (88.2% in group A vs. 65.6% in group B, P =
      0.01). Limb salvage rate also differed between groups (98.4% vs.89.3%, P = 0.03).
      Wound healing rate showed a trend towards difference between the two groups
      (89.4% vs. 80.6% P = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with CLI where only one
      vessel runoff can be established to the foot, direct flow into a patent pedal
      arch is essential to improve their clinical outcomes. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc.

PMID- 26489532
TI  - Azobenzene C-Nucleosides for Photocontrolled Hybridization of DNA at Room
      Temperature.
AB  - Herein, we report the reversible light-regulated destabilization of DNA duplexes
      by using azobenzene C-nucleoside photoswitches. The incorporation of two
      different azobenzene residues into DNA and their photoswitching properties are
      described. These new residues demonstrate a photoinduced destabilization effect
      comparable to the widely applied D-threoninol-linked azobenzene switch, which is
      currently the benchmark. The photoswitches presented herein show excellent
      photoswitching efficiencies in DNA duplexes - even at room temperature - which
      are superior to commonly used azobenzene-based nucleic acid photoswitches. In
      addition, these photoswitching residues exhibit high thermal stability and
      excellent fatigue resistance, thus rendering them one of the most efficient
      candidates for the regulation of duplex stability with light. 

PMID- 26489533
TI  - Chasing the Mirage: a grounded theory of the clinical reasoning processes that
      Registered Nurses use to recognize delirium.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to construct a grounded theory that explains the
      clinical reasoning processes that registered nurses use to recognize delirium in
      older adults in acute care hospitals. BACKGROUND: Delirium is under-recognized in
      acute hospital settings, this may stem from underdeveloped clinical reasoning
      processes. Little is known about registered nurses' (RNs) clinical reasoning
      processes in complex situations such as delirium recognition. DESIGN: A grounded
      theory approach was used to analyse interview data about the clinical reasoning
      processes of RNs in acute hospital settings. METHOD: Seventeen RNs were
      recruited. Concurrent data collection and comparative analysis and theoretical
      sampling were conducted in 2013-2014. FINDINGS: The core category to emerge from
      the data was 'chasing the mirage', which describes RNs' clinical reasoning
      processes to recognize delirium during their interaction with older adults.
      CONCLUSION: Understanding the reasoning that contributes to delirium under
      recognition provides a strategy by which, this problem can be brought to the
      forefront of RNs' awareness and intervention. Delirium recognition will
      contribute to quality care for older adults.

PMID- 26489534
TI  - A fluorosurfactant and photoreducible Cu(II)-tren click catalyst: surfactant and
      catalytic properties at liquid/liquid interfaces.
AB  - The fluorous copper(ii) complex [Cu(II)(trenRf6)3-benzoylbenzoate]3
      benzoylbenzoate 2, composed of a highly fluorophilic tris(2-aminoethyl)amine
      ligand and two 3-benzoylbenzoates as counterions and photosensitizers, was
      synthesized from the dinuclear complex [Cu(3-benzoylbenzoate)4(H2O)2] 1 which was
      characterized by X-ray analysis. Complex 2, which is highly soluble in
      perfluorocarbons, moderately soluble in organic solvents while insoluble in
      water, was found to be a very effective fluorosurfactant. At the air/water
      interface it formed a Langmuir film, which upon compression slowly collapsed at
      about 28 mN m(-1), which corresponds to a surface area of about 220 A(2) per
      molecule. Tensiometric measurements revealed that 2 is more rapidly adsorbed at
      the diisopropyl ether (DIPE)/water interface than the perfluorodecalin
      (PFD)/water one, leading to a decrease of the interfacial tensions of about 14 mN
      m(-1) and 40 mN m(-1), respectively. Photoreduction of 2 occurs effectively in H
      donating solvents such as THF and DIPE, or even in PFD ensuring that an electron
      donor, such as propargyl alcohol, is present in a separate aqueous phase. Complex
      2, when combined with light (365 nm), catalyzes the click reaction between the
      azide 3 and alkyne 4 under homogeneous conditions (methanol), to afford the
      disaccharide 5. Under emulsified biphasic DIPE/water or PFD/water conditions, the
      reactions proceeded well. However, it was shown that a fast and significant
      amount of copper and 3-benzoylbenzoate counterion was transferred into the
      aqueous phase, and that most of the catalysis could be ascribed to a copper
      species solubilised in the aqueous phase, and not to the fluorous copper complex
      accumulated at the interface. 

PMID- 26489535
TI  - Nanoscale UiO-MOF-based luminescent sensors for highly selective detection of
      cysteine and glutathione and their application in bioimaging.
AB  - We report a practical approach, the first of its kind, to construct nanoscale UiO
      type metal-organic framework (Mi-UiO-66 and Mi-UiO-67) fluorescent probes for the
      detection of Cys and GSH. They showed high sensitivity (10(-11) M) and
      selectivity for Cys and GSH, and their fluorescence imaging of Cys and GSH in
      living cells was well demonstrated. 

PMID- 26489536
TI  - Mitigating measles outbreaks in West Africa post-Ebola.
AB  - The Ebola outbreak in 2014-2015 devastated the populations, economies and
      healthcare systems of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. With this devastation
      comes the impending threat of outbreaks of other infectious diseases like
      measles. Strategies for mitigating these risks must include both prevention,
      through vaccination, and case detection and management, focused on surveillance,
      diagnosis and appropriate clinical care and case management. With the high
      transmissibility of measles virus, small-scale reactive vaccinations will be
      essential to extinguish focal outbreaks, while national vaccination campaigns are
      needed to guarantee vaccination coverage targets are reached in the long term.
      Rapid and multifaceted strategies should carefully navigate challenges present in
      the wake of Ebola, while also taking advantage of current Ebola-related
      activities and international attention. Above all, resources and focus currently
      aimed at these countries must be utilized to build up the deficit in
      infrastructure and healthcare systems that contributed to the extent of the Ebola
      outbreak. 

PMID- 26489537
TI  - Sexual transmission of Lyme disease: challenging the tickborne disease paradigm.
AB  - Lyme disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi has become a major
      worldwide epidemic. In this article, we explore the clinical, epidemiological and
      experimental evidence for sexual transmission of Lyme disease in animal models
      and humans. Although the likelihood of sexual transmission of the Lyme spirochete
      remains speculative, the possibility of Lyme disease transmission via intimate
      human contact merits further study. 

PMID- 26489538
TI  - Personalized treatment of severe pneumonia in cancer patients.
AB  - Patients with cancer are at increased risk for sepsis as a consequence of
      immunosuppression. The hospital mortality remains elevated and it could be
      attributed to antibiotic failure because of the presence of multiresistant
      pathogens. Once the patient is critically ill, the use of the American Thoracic
      Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America classification does not seem very
      useful in the assessment of outcomes and the choice of antimicrobials. In
      critically ill patients, the characteristics of clinical response to antibiotics
      are usually inaccurate and occur late in the course of disease. So, the
      sequential evaluation of C-reactive protein-ratio is useful in the early
      identification of patients with antibiotic failure. To achieve safe and efficient
      antimicrobial therapy, we proposed an algorithm that may aid clinicians in their
      decision-making process. 

PMID- 26489539
TI  - Prevention of viral infections in patients with multiple myeloma: the role of
      antiviral prophylaxis and immunization.
AB  - Viral infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with
      myeloma. Over the last decade, treatment of myeloma has undergone a paradigm
      shift with the use of immunomodulatory drugs, proteasome inhibitors and
      autologous stem cell transplantation, resulting in changes to risk periods and
      risk factors for viral infection. Viral infections affecting this patient group
      fall broadly into reactivation of latent viral infections (e.g., varicella zoster
      and hepatitis B) and acquisition of acute viral respiratory infections. The
      periods following autologous stem cell transplantation and progressive disease
      are identified as increased risk for viral infections. This review focuses on
      evidence-based prevention strategies for key viral infections, particularly
      approaches to prophylaxis and immunization. Recommended prevention strategies are
      summarized using a risk-stratified approach. Further studies evaluating
      preventative measures for newly identified risk periods are required. 

PMID- 26489540
TI  - [Mechanisms of Epstein-Barr Virus-Mediated Oncogenesis].
AB  - Epstein-Barr virus(EBV), a ubiquitous human double-stranded DNA virus, is
      associated with a variety of malignancies including Burkitt's lymphoma, Hodgkin's
      lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and gastric carcinoma. Latent EBV infections
      have been discovered in cases of EBV -associated cancers, suggesting that EBV
      latent genes contribute to oncogenesis. Here, I describe mechanisms of
      oncogenesis associated with EBV, focusing on functions of EBV latent membrane
      protein(LMP)and EBV-encoded small RNA (EBER). LMP2A, which mimics B cell receptor
      signaling, and LMP1, which mimics CD40 signaling, collaboratively contribute to
      malignant lymphoma development. It has been reported that LMP2A-mediated
      intracellular signaling plays significant roles in epithelial carcinogenesis.
      However, it has also been demonstrated that EBER, which is expected to have a
      double-stranded RNA(dsRNA)structure, triggers signal transduction via host viral
      RNA sensors, RIG-I and TLR3, causing EBV-associated pathogenesis, including
      carcinogenesis.

PMID- 26489541
TI  - [Chemoradiation Therapy].
AB  - Chemoradiation therapy (CRT) is a standard treatment for various cancers,
      including squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, non-small cell lung
      cancer, and rectal cancer. Regarding the sequence of radiation therapy and
      chemotherapy, concurrent CRT has yielded superior clinical results. However, CRT
      causes an increase in acute and late toxicities, despite improving local control
      and survival rates. The introduction of high-precision radiation therapy such as
      intensity modulated radiation therapy and newly developed chemotherapeutic drugs
      or molecularly targeted agents may further improve clinical outcomes while
      keeping treatment-related toxicities at an acceptable level.

PMID- 26489542
TI  - [New Combination Therapy to Improve the Functional Preservation Rate of the
      Larynx in Laryngeal, Oropharyngeal, and Hypopharyngeal Cancers].
AB  - A new combination therapy has been developed to achieve high overall survival and
      functional laryngeal preservation rates in head and neck cancers, which require
      laryngectomy. In order to treat the primary site without resection,
      superselective intra-arterial infusions with DCF anterogradely and 60 mg/m2 of
      DOC and 60 mg/m2 of CDDP via the femoral artery on day 1 were administered,
      followed by continuous intravenous instillation of 750 mg/m2/day of 5-FU for 5
      days from day 2. The 5- year survival rate was 70.4% in laryngeal cancer, 72.8%
      in oropharyngeal cancer, and 68.5% in hypopharyngeal cancer. The 5-year
      functional laryngeal preservation rate was 71.0% in laryngeal cancer, 63.4% in
      oropharyngeal cancer, and 65.2% in hypopharyngeal cancer. In addition to regional
      lymph node control, a thorough neck dissection was performed. Good overall
      survival and functional laryngeal preservation rates were achieved.

PMID- 26489543
TI  - [Current Status and Future Prospects of Chemoradiotherapy for Esophageal Cancer].
AB  - Chemoradiotherapy is a very important factor and one of the 2 pillars of
      esophageal cancer treatment. Although esophagectomy is the standard treatment for
      clinical stage I(T1N0M0)esophageal cancer, chemoradiotherapy is reported to be
      effective. Currently, a phaseIII clinical trial is underway to compare patients
      who undergo esophagectomy and those who receive radical chemoradiotherapy.
      Esophagectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is the standard treatment for
      clinical stageII/III(except for T4) esophageal cancer, whereas chemoradiotherapy
      is regarded as the standard treatment for patients who wish to preserve their
      esophagus, those who refuse surgery, and those with inoperable disease.
      Chemoradiotherapy, rather than surgical treatment, is usually selected for
      clinical stageIV (T4/M1LYM) esophageal cancer. While curability increases with
      chemoradiotherapy, late adverse events such as cardiopulmonary toxicity and
      safety problems with salvage treatment of cases with residual tumor or recurrent
      cancer have been observed. New irradiation techniques using radiation technology
      are being developed, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). These
      innovations are expected to improve treatment results by avoiding irradiation of
      at-risk organs, without reducing the target radiation volume. New treatments,
      including salvage protocols, introduction of new radiotherapy equipment such as
      IMRT, and new drugs, are being developed, and further advances are anticipated.

PMID- 26489544
TI  - [Chemoradiotherapy for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer].
AB  - The use of FOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel for unresectable
      pancreatic cancer is currently approved in Japan. Although the efficacies of
      these regimens were investigated only in patients with metastatic pancreatic
      cancer, they are also expected to be effective for locally advanced pancreatic
      cancer. Meanwhile, chemoradiotherapy is recognized as a treatment option for
      locally advanced pancreatic cancer. S-1 or capecitabine-based chemoradiotherapy
      is being developed in Japan or in Western countries, respectively. Recently, the
      concept of induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy has been accepted
      and applied in clinical trials. In the JCOG1106 trial, induction gemcitabine
      followed by S-1 and concurrent radiotherapy demonstrated promising results. This
      regimen has been recognized as a very promising one for chemoradiotherapy in
      Japan. However, the optimal therapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer
      remains controversial, especially in terms of which between chemotherapy and
      chemoradiotherapy is superior. 

PMID- 26489545
TI  - [Current Status and Perspective of Chemoradiotherapy for Uterine Cervical
      Cancer].
AB  - Fifteen years has passed since the NCI announced the clinical importance of
      concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in radiotherapy for patients with
      locoregionally advanced uterine cervical cancer. Numerous clinical trials have
      been performed to further improve the outcomes of CCRT. In addition to
      investigations of chemotherapeutic regimens and schedules, adaptation of novel
      radiotherapy methods such as image-guided brachytherapy (IGBT) and intensity
      modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is encouraged in CCRT for cervical cancer.

PMID- 26489546
TI  - [Gemcitabine in Combination with Cisplatin in Patients with Unresectable Advanced
      or Recurrent Biliary Tract Cancer--A Multicenter Prospective Observational Study
      in Fukuoka].
AB  - The standard chemotherapy for the treatment of unresectable advanced and
      recurrent biliary tract cancers is considered gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) on
      the basis of favorable results reported in the ABC-02 study from the UK and the
      BT22 study from Japan. However, the GC cohort of the BT22 study consisted of only
      42 patients, and we considered it necessary to confirm the effectiveness and
      safety of GC chemotherapy in a multicenter prospective observational study in
      Fukuoka. Thirty-seven patients were enrolled in this study, including two
      patients with recurrent disease. The median patient age was 67.5 years (range, 43
      84 years). Twelve patients had intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, 13 patients had
      extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and 12 patients had gallbladder cancer. The
      median survival time (MST) was 14.9 months, the 1-year survival rate was 54.5%,
      and the median progression free survival (PFS) was 7.7 months. No chemotherapy
      related deaths occurred, and Grade 3/4 adverse events were mainly hematological
      events including leucopenia in 13 (35.1%) patients and neutropenia in 12 (32.4%).
      The MST, 1-year survival rate, median PFS, and rate of Grade 3/4 adverse events
      in our study were similar to those of the BT22 study. In conclusion, this
      multicenter prospective observational study confirms the effectiveness and safety
      of GC chemotherapy for the treatment of unresectable advanced and recurrent
      biliary tract cancers.

PMID- 26489547
TI  - [Determination of the Appropriate Timing of Aprepitant Administration for Nausea
      in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer Receiving Combination Chemotherapy with
      Docetaxel, Nedaplatin(Divided Doses for 5 Days), and 5-fluorouracil].
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine the appropriate timing of aprepitant
      administration in patients with oral cancer by comparing the antiemetic effect of
      aprepitant administered on the first day (first-day group) and third day (third
      day group) of combination chemotherapy with docetaxel, nedaplatin (divided doses
      for 5 days), and 5-fluorouracil. 1. In both groups, very few cases of vomiting
      were observed. Therefore, we could not compare the incidence of vomiting. 2. The
      mean highest grade of nausea in the third-day group was significantly higher than
      that in the first-day group (2.33+/-0.71 vs 0.78+/-0.22, p=0.002; U-test). 3. In
      addition, the mean area under the curve of the chronological changes in the grade
      of nausea in the third-day group was significantly higher than that in the first
      day group (13.44+/-9.58 vs 3.11+/-3.59, p=0.019; U-test). 4. The incidence of
      nausea of grade 2 or higher in the first-day group was significantly lower than
      that in the third-day group (11.1% [1/9] vs 88.9% [8/9], p<0.001; c 2 test).
      These results indicate that initiation of aprepitant administration on the first
      day of combination chemotherapy with docetaxel, nedaplatin, and 5-fluorouracil
      successfully prevented the development of nausea in patients with oral cancer.

PMID- 26489548
TI  - [Introduction and PDCA-Management of a Liaison-Clinical Pathway with Cancer
      Patients after a Curative Operation].
AB  - Our hospital was appointed as an Osaka designated cancer care hospital in April
      2012. At that time, we introduced the same liaison-clinical pathway with cancer
      patients after a curative operation in all of Osaka. Based on the management of
      the plan-do-check-act cycle, we found problems in the clinical pathway. These
      problems included the following: the clinical pathway was not known, was
      complicated, was troubling for patients, and not well understood by doctors. To
      solve these problems, we planned and carried out the following five measures. The
      first was public information, followed by practice processes, informed consent,
      patient referral documents, and clinical pathway investigation reports. We were
      able to promote the use of the liaison-clinical pathway by constantly improving
      these measures. 

PMID- 26489549
TI  - [Thrombophlebitis in an Elderly Japanese Woman Treated with Tamoxifen for Breast
      Cancer].
AB  - In this study, we report the rare case of an elderly woman who developed
      thrombophlebitis after being treated with tamoxifen for breast cancer. She
      visited our department with a lump in her left breast. She underwent core needle
      biopsy, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer (invasive ductal carcinoma, ER-
      and PgR-positive, HER2-negative). We chose hormonal therapy because surgical
      treatment was deemed too invasive considering her general status. She was
      administered tamoxifen (20 mg/day) instead of an aromatase inhibitor in
      consideration of her osteoporosis. Six months after initiating tamoxifen therapy,
      she exhibited swelling in her left leg. Computed tomography and ultrasound
      revealed thrombophlebitis in her left femoral vein. She stopped taking tamoxifen
      and started warfarin potassium as thrombolytic therapy, after which
      thrombophlebitis was relieved. Advanced age may be a risk factor for
      thrombophlebitis associated with tamoxifen treatment; therefore, precautions
      should be taken accordingly.

PMID- 26489550
TI  - [A Case of Abdominal Para-Aortic Lymph Node Recurrence of Gastric Cancer Treated
      with Radiotherapy, Surviving More Than 5 Years].
AB  - A 66-year-old man was diagnosed with advanced type 2 gastric cancer and underwent
      total gastrectomy. The pathological diagnosis was T3N2H0P0CY0M0, stage IIIB
      gastric cancer. Consequently, the patient received adjuvant S-1 therapy for 12
      months. Thirty months after the operation, para-aortic lymph node recurrence was
      evident by computed tomography (CT). As a result, combination chemotherapy with
      paclitaxel, 5-fluorouracil, and cisplatin was initiated. However, after three
      courses of chemotherapy, abdominal CT showed progressive disease of the recurrent
      lymph node. Thereafter, radiotherapy at a total dose of 56 Gy was performed.
      After the radiotherapy treatment, abdominal CT demonstrated a remarkable
      reduction of the recurrent lymph node. The patient remains alive, with no signs
      of relapse, 70 months later. Therefore, this case suggests that radiotherapy may
      represent an effective treatment for localized remote lymph node recurrence of
      gastric cancer.

PMID- 26489551
TI  - [Long-Term Survival of a Patient with KRAS Mutated Colon Cancer Successfully
      Treated with Regorafenib].
AB  - A 65-year-old woman underwent iliocecal resection for cecal cancer. During post
      operative follow-up, she was diagnosed with metastasis to the abdominal wall and
      a curative resection was performed. After 12 courses of adjuvant chemotherapy
      with a modified combination of folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin
      (mFOLFOX6), recurrence was noted in the lung. A curative resection was
      successfully performed and she was subsequently treated with bevacizumab and a
      combination of folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI). One year
      after surgical resection, recurrence in the remnant lung was diagnosed. Because
      of the KRAS mutation, she could not be treated with anti-epidermal growth factor
      antibodies. The metastatic lung tumor continued to enlarge. Therefore, we
      selected regorafenib as third-line chemotherapy. After treatment with
      regorafenib, the size of the target lesion decreased significantly.

PMID- 26489552
TI  - [Improved Response to 5-FU Using Dose Adjustment and Elastomeric Pump Selection
      Based on Monitoring of the 5-FU Level--A Case Report].
AB  - A 6 1-year-old man with unresectable multiple hepatic metastases after resection
      of sigmoid colon carcinoma was treated with irinotecan and infused 5-fluorouracil
      (5-FU) plus Leucovorin (FOLFIRI). Since the levels of tumor markers increased,
      the 5-FU dose was increased from 2,700 to 3,000 mg/m2 using a Jackson-type pump
      and an extended infusion time of 53 hours. The blood level of 5-FU was 507 ng/mL
      16 hours after starting the infusion. The pump was then changed to a bottle-type
      pump with the same dose of 3,000 mg/m2. At 16 hours, the 5-FU level was 964.5
      ng/mL. The areas under the concentration vs. time curve (AUC mg?h/L)were 21 and
      44 mg?h/L for the Jackson- and bottle-type pumps, respectively. Owing to the
      development of Grade 3 stomatitis and hand-foot syndrome, 5-FU was reduced to
      2,700 mg/m2 with a bottle-type pump. The AUC decreased to 27 mg?h/L, but the
      liver metastases were reduced and the adverse effects subsided to Grade 1. This
      case shows that individual dose adjustment of 5-FU to the appropriate AUC based
      on pharmacokinetic monitoring of the blood 5-FU level can improve the response,
      reduce adverse effects, and have a clinical benefit.

PMID- 26489553
TI  - [Cooperation between a Hospital without Dentists and Local Dental Associations in
      Oral Management of Cancer Patients].
AB  - Severe oral mucositis induced by cancer chemotherapy can cause intolerable pain
      and increase the risk of systemic infections, necessitating dose reduction and
      discontinuation of antineoplastic agents. Moreover, this adverse effect may have
      an impact on patient nutrition and quality of life. An effective and prophylactic
      intervention should be useful for alleviating this complication. Because Nagoya
      Memorial Hospital has neither a dentistry nor an oral surgery department, we
      collaborated with dental associations near the hospital. First, we performed a
      questionnaire survey on the present status of the members of the local dental
      associations. The survey showed that 86% of the community dentists were
      interested in communicating with our hospital. In addition, they agreed to
      provide us with information on their specialty and status of amenities. In
      discussion with the community dentists, we decided on fax-based communication for
      collaboration to improve the quality of oral management in cancer patients. Three
      seminar series were conducted to share updated information on cancer treatment
      and enhance communication between the medical doctors and the dentists. Our
      hospital has registered 129 community dentists and enrolled 81 cancer patients in
      this medical and dental cooperation initiative. 

PMID- 26489554
TI  - [Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase Activity during Fulvestrant Therapy for Aromatase
      Inhibitor-Resistant Metastatic Breast Cancer].
AB  - We evaluated the clinical significance of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)
      during fulvestrant therapy for aromatase inhibitor (AI)-resistant metastatic
      breast cancer. IDO activity can be measured by the tryptophan (Trp)/kynurenine
      (Kyn) ratio. Trp and Kyn were measured with high performance liquid
      chromatography (HPLC). Patients with AI resistant metastatic breast cancer had a
      28.6% response rate to fulvestrant therapy, and the clinical benefit rate was
      76.2%. AI-resistant metastatic breast cancer patients with distant metastases had
      a lower serum Trp/Kyn level than patients who had local recurrences. During
      fulvestrant therapy, IDO activity significantly decreased in the fulvestrant
      responder group compared to that in the fulvestrant non-responder group. During
      fulvestrant therapy, the IDO activity correlated with the number of metastatic
      lesions. These results suggest that measuring the Trp/Kyn ratio is useful for
      evaluating immunological metastatic status during endocrine therapy.

PMID- 26489555
TI  - [Therapeutic Potential of Targeting Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Esophageal
      Cancer].
AB  - Advances in molecular and cellular biochemistry, such as the development of
      targeted cancer therapy, have dramatically improved the prognosis of cancer
      patients. Emerging data have suggested that bevacizumab treatment may act by
      controlling the cancer microenvironment. Many reports have examined the
      interaction of cancer cells with the tumor microenvironment, and cancer
      associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are thought to play a central role in this process.
      We speculated that the cancer microenvironment and in particular, CAFs, strongly
      influence the development of esophageal cancer. We have analyzed the signaling
      pathways of molecular targets. However, inhibition of a single signaling pathway
      is insufficient to treat cancer effectively. Photoimmunotherapy is a molecular
      targeted specific cancer therapy using near-infrared radiation, which was
      introduced by Mitsunaga et al. in 2011. We are using its specific method of
      killing cells to target CAFs. We will report the results of its effect on cancer
      cells in the future.

PMID- 26489556
TI  - [Local Microwave Hyperthermia for Advanced or Recurrent Breast Cancer].
AB  - The purpose of our study was to test the efficacy and toxicity of hyperthermia
      for treating breast cancer. Ten patients received treatment (AC, paclitaxel, S-1,
      and aromatase inhibitor) in combination with hyperthermia. The hyperthermia
      device was a microwave heating device with water loaded and water-cooled
      waveguides. The temperature was monitored subcutaneously in the skin under the
      aperture of the waveguide. Two patients had a partial response to treatment with
      only mild toxicity (grade 1 acute skin toxicity). Therefore, hyperthermia
      combined with chemotherapy for treating breast cancer seems to be effective and
      generally tolerable. A larger patient cohort is needed to confirm these results
      in the future.

PMID- 26489557
TI  - [Skeletal Mass Depletion Is a Negative Prognostic Factor in Gastrointestinal
      Cancer Patients in the Terminal Stage].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Skeletal mass depletion has been reported to be a prognostic factor
      for cancer patients. However, special and expensive devices are required to
      measure skeletal mass, and this is a major reason why skeletal mass is not used
      extensively for prognostic marker in clinical settings. We developed a new method
      to measure skeletal mass for use as a prognostic marker using CT images without
      special and expensive devices. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of
      skeletal mass as measured by this new method as a prognostic marker for
      gastrointestinal cancer patients. METHOD: Patients who died from gastrointestinal
      cancer between March 2010 and October 2013 were included. We measured the right
      sided maximum psoas muscle cross sectional area (MPCA) by using CT images before
      surgery and after the patients developed a terminal condition. The maximum psoas
      muscle cross sectional area ratio (MPCA-R) was defined as follows: MPCA-R=MPCA
      before surgery/MPCA after developing a terminal condition. We evaluated the
      correlation between MPCA-R and survival. RESULT: Fifty-nine patients were
      included. The median survival was 44 days, and MPCA-R was significantly
      correlated with survival (p=0.001). On receiver operating characteristic (ROC)
      analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) to predict 30-day and 90-day survival
      was 0.710 and 0.748, respectively. CONCLUSION: MPCA-R is a new and novel
      prognostic marker for gastrointestinal cancer patients in terminal condition.

PMID- 26489558
TI  - [Pretreatment and Posttreatment Evaluations of Circulating Tumor Cells(CTC)in
      Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer].
AB  - Recently, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) of cancer patients have been analyzed as
      a biomarker of disease progression and as a new prognostic tool.We conducted a
      pilot study to determine whether CTCs present before and after chemotherapy or
      peptide vaccination predicted outcome in patients with metastatic breast cancer
      (MBC). CTCs were isolated from the peripheral blood of MBC patients and evaluated
      using the CellSearch(r)System (Janssen Diagnostics). The expression of the HLA
      classI molecule in the CTCs was analyzed simultaneously by using a flow
      cytometric system. A CTC-positive test result was defined as five or more
      CTCs/7.5 mL blood. Nine patients (median [range] age, 64.2 years [44-80 years])
      were included. Four (57.1%) of 7 MBC patients with Luminal A subtype tested
      positive for CTC.Of 6 MBC patients, 5 (83.3%) had a decreased mean number of
      CTCs, from 35.8/7.5 to 0.4/7.5 mL, after 3 courses of systemic chemotherapy.
      Furthermore, CTC-HLA class Iexpression level was decreased in 2 (66.7%) of 3
      patients after cytotoxic chemotherapy but increased in 4 (80.0%) of 5 patients
      after 6 vaccinations with tumor-specific peptide vaccines. The number of CTCs and
      CTC-HLA class I expression level in the patients with MBC changed after the
      treatment with systemic chemotherapy or peptide-vaccine therapy.

PMID- 26489559
TI  - [Identification of Circulating Tumor Cell(CTC)in Breast Cancer Patients Using a
      Newly Established CTC Detecting System].
AB  - We developed a new circulating tumor cell (CTC) chip in order to identify CTCs in
      the peripheral blood of cancer patients. In this study, we aimed to identify CTCs
      in the blood of breast cancer patients by using this CTC detecting system. In
      addition, we used this system to evaluate the response to anticancer agents. We
      were able to identify CTCs in 5 of 6 patients. In addition, the system showed
      that the number of CTCs had decreased after chemotherapy. Thus, the CTC detecting
      system was useful in the identification of CTCs in the breast cancer patients and
      in the early prediction of response to anticancer agents.

PMID- 26489560
TI  - [Immuno-Nutritional Factors Affecting the Incidence of Surgical Site
      Infection(SSI)after Rectal Cancer Surgery].
AB  - BACKGROUND: We analyzed immune nutritional factors that affected the incidence of
      SSI in rectal cancer surgery. METHOD: A total of 103 patients who underwent
      rectal cancer resection were enrolled in this retrospective study. The risk
      factors (DM, BMI<18.5, >=25.0, PNI<=40, G/L>2, CONUT>=2, mGPS D) for SSI
      (Grade>=II) were analyzed. RESULT: The factors that significantly affected SSI
      (in 13 cases) was PNI<=40 on univariate analysis. In the analysis adjusted by age
      and sex, mGPS D and PNI<=40 were significant factors. In the stepwise selection
      method, PNI<=40 was selected as an independent factor. CONCLUSION: As a risk
      factor for SSI after rectal cancer surgery, PNI<=40 and mGPS were risk factors.

PMID- 26489561
TI  - [Clinical Experience of Nutritional Support in Patients Treated with
      Chemoradiotherapy for Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer].
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated the efficacy of nutritional support in patients
      treated with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locally advanced esophageal cancer
      (LAEC). METHODS: Eleven patients treated with CRT for locally advanced esophageal
      squamous cell carcinoma were included. Oral intake energy expenditure (OIE) and
      total energy expenditure (TEE) of all patients were calculated. Oral nutrition
      supplementations (ONSs) were utilized as nutritional therapy for the patients
      with malnutrition (OIE/TEE<0.6). Enteral nutrition (EN) was used in the patients
      with tumor obstruction. RESULT: Two patients (18.9%) received ONS and 2 other
      patients received EN. Seven patients were able to take enough energy in the meal.
      The mean energy charge was increased from 67.9%to 84.9%. Nine patients (81.8%)
      completed the treatment regimen. During the CRT period, the prognostic
      nutritional index (PNI) and C-reactive protein level (mg/dL) were not
      significantly different. The body mass index decreased to 0.39 kg/m2 (p=0.039)
      and the mean weight loss was 1.57%. The overall response rate was 81.8%.
      CONCLUSION: The nutritional support in the patients treated with CRT for LAEC is
      effective for maintaining nutritional status. Moreover, the response rate is
      satisfactory.

PMID- 26489562
TI  - [Examination of the Response Rate of Paclitaxel and Bevacizumab Therapy for
      Metastatic Advanced Breast Cancer According to the Lymphopenia Grade].
AB  - Bevacizumab is a well-established anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody that inhibits
      angiogenesis. Herein, we examined the response rates according to the grade of
      lymphopenia in metastatic breast cancer patients treated with
      bevacizumab+paclitaxel therapy. The objective responses were evaluated according
      to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) Guideline v1.1.
      Toxicity was evaluated according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse
      Events (CTCAE) v4.0. Twenty study patients were divided into group A (grade 2-4
      lymphopenia) and group B (grade 1 lymphopenia or no decreased lymphocyte count)
      and compared. The mean progression-free survival (PFS)was 77.7 days in group A
      (n=7) and 56.8 days in group B (n=13). There was no significant difference
      between both groups (p=0.67, logrank test). The response rate (RR) was 14.3%
      (CR=0, PR=1, SD=3, PD=3) in group A, while in group B, it was 23.0% (CR=0, PR=3,
      SD= 6, PD=4). Furthermore, the clinical benefit rate (CBR) bwas 57.1% in group A
      and 69.2% in group B.

PMID- 26489563
TI  - [Effect of Natural Killer Cell Infiltration on the Growth of Breast Cancer
      Patient-Derived Tumor Xenografts].
AB  - Natural killer (NK) cells, a component of the innate immunity, play important
      roles in tumor suppression. In this study, three human breast cancer patient
      derived tumor xenografts (PDXs), established by the transplantation of surgical
      specimens, were passaged in immunodeficient NOD/SCID mice or NSG mice, that
      further lacks NK cell activity. The intensity of the relative growth suppression
      between NOD/SCID and NSG mice was clearly different depending on the PDX lines,
      and it was associated with the intensities of the CD49b-positive NK cell
      infiltration in the PDX tumor tissues. However, no obvious association was
      observed between the mRNA expression levels of the NK cell ligands in the PDX
      tumor cells and the intensity of NK cell infiltration into the PDX tumors. These
      results suggest that the suppressive effect of NK cells on the growth of breast
      cancer PDX is highly variable depending on the PDX lines. Further studies are
      needed to elucidate the molecular mechanism of NK cell infiltration in PDX
      tumors.

PMID- 26489564
TI  - [The Postoperative C-Reactive Protein Level Is an Early Predictor of Infectious
      Complications after Gastric Cancer Resection].
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate whether postoperative serum C
      reactive protein (CRP) levels can be used to predict the risk of postoperative
      infections in patients undergoing gastric cancer resection. METHODS: Data from 77
      patients who had undergone open gastrectomy for gastric cancer between 2008 and
      2014 were retrospectively collected. Clinical details including postoperative
      white blood cell(WBC)count, CRP levels, and platelet (Plt) counts were obtained.
      The occurrence of complications as defined by the Clavien-Dindo classification
      was the outcome, particularly anastomotic leakage or pancreatic fistula. The
      diagnostic accuracy was determined by measuring the area under the receiver
      operating characteristic( ROC)curve. RESULTS: The overall incidence of
      anastomotic leakage or pancreatic fistula was 9.1%. Using CRP on POD 3 had
      superior diagnostic accuracy for anastomotic leakage or pancreatic fistula (area
      under the curve [AUC]: 0.898, 95%CI: 0.809-0.987). A cut off of 20.1 mg/dL for
      the CRP level on POD 3 yielded a sensitivity of 85.7% and a negative predictive
      value of 98.3%for the detection of anastomotic leakage or pancreatic fistula.
      CONCLUSIONS: Elevated CRP levels on POD 3 may help physicians predict the
      occurrence of postoperative complications after gastric cancer resection,
      particularly anastomotic leakage and pancreatic fistula.

PMID- 26489565
TI  - [Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase Activity during I131-Radioisotope Therapy for
      Metastatic Thyroid Cancer].
AB  - We evaluated the clinical significance of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)
      during I131-radioisotope therapy for metastatic thyroid cancer. The IDO activity
      can be measured by the tryptophan (Trp)/kynurenine (Kyn) ratio. Trp and Kyn were
      measured by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The serum
      Trp/Kyn levels of were lower in thyroid cancer patients with lung metastases than
      in patients without metastases. The IDO activity increased after the development
      of lung metastases from thyroid cancer. The IDO activity was correlated with the
      number of metastatic lesions during I131-radioisotope therapy. These results
      suggest that measurement of the Trp/Kyn ratio is useful in the evaluation of the
      immunological metastatic status during I131-radioisotope therapy.

PMID- 26489566
TI  - [Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy with CyberKnife(r)for Liver Metastases from
      Colorectal Cancer].
AB  - For treatment of colorectal liver metastases, liver resection is recommended for
      resectable cases in the clinical guidelines for colorectal cancer. On the other
      hand, there are currently no data supporting the efficacy of radiation therapy as
      a topical treatment, and this treatment can therefore not presently be
      recommended. With CyberKnife(r), it is possible to perform stereotactic radiation
      therapy using a linear accelerator with high accuracy, even for lesions in the
      trunk area such as liver metastases. Between December 2009 and September 2014 in
      our hospital, we performed radiation treatment using CyberKnife(r) for 14 cases
      with 22 colorectal liver metastases. As a result, we obtained response and local
      control rates of 76.2%and 81.0%, respectively. Moreover, no advanced adverse
      events were observed. Thus, we consider that CyberKnife(r) treatment for
      colorectal liver metastases is effective as a topical treatment, with low
      invasiveness and high safety.

PMID- 26489567
TI  - [A Case of Mucinous Cystadenocarcinoma of the Retroperitoneum Supposed to Be
      Derived from Ectopic Ovarian Tissue].
AB  - Most tumors arising in the retroperitoneum are non-epithelial, and epithelial
      tumors are very rare. We report a case of mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the
      retroperitoneum supposed to be derived from ectopic ovarian tissue. A 56-year-old
      woman was admitted to the hospital because of abdominal distention, and an
      abdominal CT scan revealed a cystic tumor of the right lower retroperitoneum. We
      had been observing the patient for 10 years for this lesion, but at this point,
      the tumor showed an increase in size and nodules had appeared inside of the cyst.
      It was presumed to be malignant, and so the decision was made to perform
      resection. Upon laparotomy, a large cystic tumor was found in the right iliac
      fossa displacing the ascending colon and the cecum medially. The cyst had no
      connection with any surrounding structures. The tumor was a simple large cyst,
      measuring 9*7 cm, with a protruding papillary tumor inside. The inner space of
      the cyst was filled with mucinous fluid. Histologically, the tumor was diagnosed
      as a mucinous cystadenocarcinoma. The patient has currently been undergoing
      follow-up for 7 months with no evidence of recurrence. 

PMID- 26489568
TI  - [Experience of the Pharmacotherapy against Appendix and Sigmoid Colon Signet Ring
      Cell Carcinoma with the Peritoneal Dissemination].
AB  - We report 2 cases of signet ring cell carcinoma of the appendix and colon. Case
      1: A 61-year-old man was admitted for lower abdominal pain. Colonoscopy revealed
      an elevated lesion in the orifice of the appendix. Signet ring cell carcinoma was
      diagnosed on biopsy. The surgical findings showed multiple peritoneal
      dissemination nodules, while the primary tumor was unresectable owing to
      extensive invasion into the retroperitoneum. The histopathological findings were
      signet ring cell carcinoma, T4b (retroperitoneum), NX, P3, Stage IV. Although the
      patient received 14 courses of treatment with S-1 as postoperative chemotherapy,
      he died of his illness at 32 postoperative months. Case 2: A 76-year-old man was
      admitted for abdominal pain. Perforation of the lower gastrointestinal tract was
      diagnosed on abdominal CT, and an emergency operation was performed. The surgical
      findings demonstrated a large number of peritoneal dissemination nodules, cecal
      invasion of a sigmoid tumor, and perforation of the ascending colon. The primary
      tumor was thought to be unresectable, and the perforated segment was resected.
      The histopathological findings were signet ring cell carcinoma, T4b (cecum), NX,
      P3, Stage IV. Although 11 courses of treatment using FOLFIRI+Bev were
      administered as postoperative chemotherapy, the patient died of his illness at 26
      postoperative months.

PMID- 26489569
TI  - [A Case of Adenosquamous Carcinoma of the Ascending Colon].
AB  - We report a case of adenosquamous carcinoma of the colon. A 70-year-old woman
      underwent a colonoscopic examination because of a positive fecal occult blood
      test. Colonoscopy demonstrated a type 2 tumor of the ascending colon, and a
      biopsy specimen showed poorly-moderately differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma.
      We performed a right hemicolectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy. The histopathology of
      the tumor demonstrated adenosquamous adenocarcinoma. Primary adenosquamous
      carcinoma of the colon is relatively rare and has a poor prognosis. Therefore,
      adenosquamous carcinoma of the colon may require strict follow-up. 

PMID- 26489570
TI  - [A Case of Radical Resection of Rectal Cancer with Multiple Liver and Lung
      Metastases after Preoperative Chemotherapy].
AB  - We report a case of radical resection of rectal cancer with multiple liver and
      lung metastases after preoperative chemotherapy. A 54-year-old woman presented
      with abdominal pain and loss of body weight due to rectal cancer with multiple
      liver and lung metastases. Therefore, the patient received 14 courses of
      bevacizumab+mFOLFOX6, and 7 courses of panitumumab+FOLFIRI. After the
      chemotherapy, the size of the distant metastases reduced by 62% on computed
      tomography, according to RECIST. Due to the reduction in size, a conversion
      surgery was attempted. First, an abdominal operation with laparoscopy was
      performed, and 2 months later an operation to resect the lung metastases via
      thoracoscopy was performed. Currently, 3 months after surgery, the patient is
      alive, without recurrence.

PMID- 26489571
TI  - [Difficulty in Preoperative Diagnosis of Residual Gastric Cancer after Distal
      Gastrectomy for Duodenal Ulcer].
AB  - A 67-year-old man underwent distal gastrectomy via the Billroth II method (B-II)
      for a duodenal ulcer. He presented with appetite loss and nausea in May 2014.
      Gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed wall thickness around gastrojejunostomy and
      the gastric mucosal fold. Biopsy and re-biopsy revealed a group 2 tumor.
      Laparotomy for diagnosis was performed because of stenosis and tumor progression.
      Intraoperative frozen section examination revealed adenocarcinoma in the lymph
      nodes of the jejunum. Residual gastrectomy with reconstruction using the Roux-en
      Y method was performed for residual gastric cancer. Histopathological findings
      revealed pT4a, pN0, pM1 for the tumor in the lymph nodes of the jejunum, pStage
      IV. A distorted gastrojejunostomy site and the presence of anastomotic strictures
      are important for the rapid diagnosis of residual gastric cancer.

PMID- 26489572
TI  - [Two Cases of Small Bowel Obstruction Due to Postoperative Adhesions Treated with
      Laparoscopic Adhesiolysis].
AB  - We occasionally require surgical treatment for postoperative adhesion ileus. One
      patient had adhesion ileus 14 times in 14 years after distal gastrectomy and
      Billroth-Ireconstruction for gastric cancer. He underwent laparoscopic
      adhesiolysis for a small bowel obstruction that adhered to the entire surface.
      Another patient experienced adhesion ileus 7 times in 1.5 years after distal
      gastrectomy and Billroth-Ireconstruction for gastric cancer. He underwent
      laparoscopic adhesiolysis for a small bowel obstruction adhering to the scar and
      the retroperitoneum. After laparoscopic treatment, he underwent an open operation
      for ischemic colitis but no small bowel obstruction was found. Laparoscopic
      adhesiolysis was found to be useful in both cases.

PMID- 26489573
TI  - [Study of the Response Rate and Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio in Breast Cancer
      Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy].
AB  - The neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is associated with the outcomes of some
      cancer patients such as those with digestive cancer. Herein, we examined the
      relationship between the response rate following neoadjuvant chemotherapy and NLR
      in breast cancer patients. We recruited 19 primary breast cancer patients who
      were administered neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We evaluated the effects of this
      treatment and classified the patients into responder (CR and PR) and non
      responder (SD and PD) groups. We measured the value of NLR before or at the start
      of nab-PTX treatment, and 7 days after nab-PTX (1-1) and nab-PTX (4-3) treatment.
      The average age was 58.6 years. The responder and non-responder groups comprised
      14 and 5 cases, respectively. The average values of NLR before or at the start of
      the nab-PTX phase were 4.33 and 5.05 in the responder and non-responder groups,
      respectively. The average NLR values 7 days after nab-PTX (1-1) were 6.72 and
      5.60 in the responder and non-responder groups, respectively. The NLR values 7
      days after nab-PTX (4-3) were 2.40 and 2.65 for the responder and non-responder
      groups, respectively. There were no significant differences between the responder
      and non-responder groups for each treatment phase.

PMID- 26489574
TI  - [Preoperative Chemotherapy and Risk Factors for Colorectal Liver Metastases].
AB  - Between February 2007 and December 2013, 65 liver resections for colorectal
      metastases were performed in our institution. Preoperative chemotherapy was
      conducted in 47 patients, of whom 42 were treated with modified FOLFOX6
      (mFOLFOX6)-based preoperative chemotherapy. For cases of solitary tumors smaller
      than 2 cm that are located in the liver surface area, we selected upfront
      surgery. In the patients who underwent preoperative chemotherapy and upfront
      surgery, the 3-year OS was 73.9% (Grade A: 81.8%, Grade B: 77.8%, and Grade C:
      0%) and the 5-year OS was 62.5%. The 3-year OS in the preoperative chemotherapy
      group was 63.3%. OS did not differ significantly between the patients who were
      grouped according to the time of metastasis onset or the extent of metastasis
      according to the Japanese classification. In the multivariate analysis, no
      statistical differences were found between the risk factors for recurrence.
      However, further follow up is needed. Moreover, we believe that the relationships
      of morphological response to chemotherapy, pathological response, and clinical
      prognosis should be assessed in the future.

PMID- 26489575
TI  - [Clinicopathological Features and Outcomes of Treatment for HER2 Positive Gastric
      Cancer].
AB  - In March 2011, trastuzumab was approved for treating human epidermal growth
      factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive advanced gastric cancer (AGC) in Japan.
      Therefore, all patients with AGC should be evaluated for HER2 status. In this
      study, we analyzed the clinicopathological features and current status of
      treatment in HER2 positive gastric cancer. One hundred 6 gastric cancer patients
      were examined for HER2 expression in our hospital between March 2011 and August
      2014. Sixteen patients (15.1%) were HER2 positive. There was no correlation
      between HER2 status and age, sex, and location of tumor; however, HER2 positivity
      was significantly more frequent in patients with intestinal type tumors and had a
      tendency towards being more frequent in patients with macroscopic types 0, 1 or
      2. Trastuzumab was administered to 10 patients with HER2 positive AGC. The total
      number of doses of trastuzumab was 1 to 44 (median 7.5), and the therapeutic
      effect of trastuzumab combination chemotherapy was 1 patient with a complete
      response and 4 with a partial response. Adverse events due to trastuzumab were
      not observed. The incidence of HER2 over-expression was 15.1%, and trastuzumab
      combination chemotherapy was relatively safe and effective.

PMID- 26489576
TI  - [A Case of Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Successfully Treated by Conversion
      Surgery after Multidisciplinary Treatment].
AB  - A 70-year-old woman who complained of abdominal pain and a prolapsed tumor from
      the anus was diagnosed with an intestinal obstruction resulting from anal canal
      cancer. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a huge
      tumor (11*5*12 cm) invading the vagina and levator ani muscle. Enlarged inguinal
      lymph nodes on both sides indicated metastasis. The clinical stage was T4b
      (vagina, levator ani muscle, and pudenda) N0H0M1a (LYM), stage IV (Japanese
      Classification of Colorectal Carcinoma: 8th edition). As curative resection was
      not possible, a transvers colostomy was performed to relieve the intestinal
      obstruction. This was followed by chemoradiotherapy (45 Gy/1.8 Gy*25; TS-1, 80
      mg/body for 2 weeks and a 1-week interval, for 2 courses) and up to 10 courses of
      Bev+mFOLFOX6 continuously. After this regimen, there was a remarkable reduction
      in tumor size. Positron emission tomography-CT revealed no FDG uptake in the
      primary rectal site or inguinal lymph nodes, but a maximum standardized uptake
      value (SUVmax) of 6.3 was detected in the vagina. Six weeks after chemotherapy,
      the patient underwent a pelvic exenteration including resection of the vagina,
      bladder, and pudenda. The pathological stage was yp T4b (vagina) N0H0M0, stageII.
      Curative resection was performed, and the patient had a Grade 2 pathological
      response after chemoradiotherapy.

PMID- 26489577
TI  - [A Case of HER-2 Positive Advanced Gastric Cancer Responding to
      Capecitabine+Cisplatin+Trastuzumab Chemotherapy].
AB  - A 67-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for type 1 gastric cancer. We
      diagnosed the patient with advanced gastric cancer (tub2>por, HER2-positive), and
      the clinical findings were T4aN1M1 (lung), Stage IV. The patient had cancer
      cachexia. As first-line chemotherapy, a regimen consisting of capecitabine (X)
      (1,600 mg/m2/day, days 1-14), cisplatin (P) (60 mg/m2/day, day 1), and
      trastuzumab (H) (8 mg/kg/day>6 mg/kg/day, day 1) was administered every 3 weeks
      and repeated 6 times. After receiving 6 courses, the patient's general condition
      and cancer cachexia symptoms improved. The size of the primary lesion
      significantly decreased, and lung metastasis was not visible on a PET scan.
      Simultaneously, a new 0-IIc tumor was detected in the cardia, and a biopsy
      revealed a malignant lymphoma. Total gastrectomy and D2 lymph node dissection
      without splenectomy were performed. The final diagnosis was T4aN0M0. After
      treatment, the tumor was histologically evaluated as Grade 1b, and the remnant
      cancer cells were found to be HER2-negative (loss of HER2). The patient has been
      alive for 5 months and is receiving adjuvant chemotherapy comprising capecitabine
      and trastuzumab. Following chemotherapy containing trastuzumab, the patient with
      cachexia who was diagnosed with unresectable HER2-positive advanced gastric
      cancer showed improvement in the cachexia symptoms and the disappearance of lung
      metastasis.

PMID- 26489578
TI  - [A Case of Extranodal Nasal Type, NK/T Cell Lymphoma in the Ileum with Perforated
      Peritonitis during Chemotherapy].
AB  - A 65-year-old woman complaining of melena and a high fever was admitted to our
      hospital. Colonoscopy revealed a large tumor with a wide ulcer in the terminal
      ileum, and nasal type, extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma was suspected via biopsy.
      Owing to rapid progression of hepatocellular damage with hepatomegaly and
      splenomegaly, chemotherapy with CHOP was initiated immediately. Two days later,
      the patient developed panperitonitis, and emergency laparotomy was performed. The
      tumor in the terminal ileum widely adhered to the bladder, where a deep
      perforated ulcer was found, for which palliative ileocecal resection was
      performed. Enlargement of the residual tumor caused an abdominal abscess,
      intestinal obstruction, and hepatic failure, and the patient died 75 days after
      surgery. In summary, we initiated chemotherapy to control the deteriorating
      systemic condition of the patient. However, nasal type, extranodal NK/T cell
      lymphoma is a rapidly progressing lymphoma occasionally accompanied by
      perforation of the tumor. Surgery preceding chemotherapy should be considered an
      alternative treatment.

PMID- 26489579
TI  - [A Case of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor of the Stomach after
      Pancreatoduodenectomy].
AB  - We report a case of gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the stomach 17 years after
      pancreatoduodenectomy(PD). The patient was an 83-year-old man who had undergone
      PD for chronic pancreatitis at 65 years of age. Gastric endoscopy revealed a 2.5
      cm gastric submucosal tumor on the lesser curvature of the stomach, which was the
      gastrojejunostomy site. As the gross appearance of the tumor showed ulceration at
      the top of the tumor, the patient underwent total gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y
      reconstruction. Histopathological examination demonstrated that the tumor was a
      GIST of the stomach. Currently, 5 years after surgery, no recurrence has been
      observed. Therefore, postsurgical care for a malignant disease may require a
      strict follow-up for a long time.

PMID- 26489580
TI  - [A Case of Resected Gastric Cancer Invading the Esophagus with Esophageal
      Recurrence That Responded to Weekly Docetaxel/Cisplatin Chemotherapy].
AB  - A 77-year-old man underwent total gastrectomy with D1+ lymph node dissection
      after being diagnosed with cT4aN2M0, cStage IIIB gastric cancer. Peritoneal
      dissemination was detected in the bursa omentalis. The pathological diagnosis
      after surgery was pT4aN3b (21/41) M1 (P1). He was treated with 6 courses of S-1
      chemotherapy. Two years after surgery, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed
      the presence of a tumor in the mid-thoracic esophagus. It was diagnosed to as
      metastatic esophageal cancer and treated with combination chemotherapy consisting
      of docetaxel (25 mg/m2, days 1, 8, 15) and cisplatin (25 mg/m2, days 1, 8, 15) in
      a 28-day cycle. A clinically complete response was observed after 5 courses of
      chemotherapy. Currently, the patient is alive with no signs of recurrence 12
      months after the initial recurrence.

PMID- 26489581
TI  - [A Case of Esophageal Cancer in a Patient with CMV Reactivation after Neoadjuvant
      Chemoradiation Therapy].
AB  - A 68-year-old woman was diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer with lymph node
      metastasis, for which she received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. During therapy,
      she had loss of appetite and weight; therefore, we inserted a nasal feeding tube
      for her nutrition, after which, she gained weight soon. After therapy, she had a
      high fever with lymphocytopenia and was diagnosed with cytomegalovirus infection
      because of significantly high CMV antigenemia. Ganciclovir was administered
      immediately, and she recovered soon. Two months later, we performed
      esophagectomy, and she recovered without complications. Immediate diagnosis of
      CMV infection, ganciclovir administration, and nutrition through a feeding tube
      were useful for the esophageal cancer patient in this report who had
      immunosuppression and malnutrition during chemoradiation.

PMID- 26489582
TI  - [Relationship between Polymorphisms and the Efficacy of Cetuximab].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cetuximab has shown efficacy in patients with
      metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Recent studies have demonstrated that
      cetuximab induces antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), mediated
      via the fragment c gamma receptors(FcgR)in mCRC. Since the establishment of KRAS
      mutations as a major negative predictor of efficacy, additional biomarkers have
      been found to be useful for the improvement of selection of patients likely to be
      responsive to cetuximab. We investigated the relationship between polymorphisms
      and the outcome of mCRC patients treated with cetuximab. METHODS: In this study,
      57 patients were evaluated. The relationships of FcgR polymorphisms with response
      rate (RR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were
      analyzed. RESULTS: The FcgR polymorphisms were not significantly related to RR,
      PFS, and OS. Compared with the other haplotypes, the haplotype containing the
      131H and 158V alleles was related to a lower RR (p=0.018). The diplotypes
      containing 131H and 158V alleles had significantly lower RR than the other
      diplotypes (p=0.038). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that FcgR polymorphisms may be
      associated with the outcome of mCRC patients treated with cetuximab and FOLFIRI.
      However, these results are currently controversial, and detailed investigations
      are needed to confirm the relationship between FcgRs polymorphisms and cetuximab
      efficacy.

PMID- 26489583
TI  - [Treatment Strategy for Stage IV Rectal Cancer].
AB  - Eighteen consecutive patients who underwent rectal resection following
      preoperative chemotherapy for cStage IV rectal cancer at our institute, between
      2009 and 2014, were retrospectively assessed. Preoperative chemotherapy with
      mFOLFOX6, SOX, XELOX, and other anticancer agents was administered to 8, 5, 3,
      and 2 patients, respectively. Combined molecular targeted therapy was
      administered to 12 patients. The response evaluation showed that an antitumor
      effect was observed in 10 and 8 patients with local tumors who achieved a partial
      response (PR) and stable disease (SD), respectively, and in 9 and 9 patients with
      distant metastases who achieved a PR and SD, respectively. The operative
      procedures included high/low anterior resection (n=12), intersphincteric
      resection (n=2), and abdominoperineal resection/Hartmann's operation (n=4). An
      ileostomy was performed in 6 patients before chemotherapy. Postoperative
      complications occurred in 6 patients. Two patients with an ileostomy had
      anastomotic insufficiency, but recovered without reoperation. There was no
      significant difference in overall survival (p=0.382) when these patients were
      compared with 45 cStage IV rectal cancer patients who underwent surgery without
      preoperative chemotherapy. However, the rate of curability B was higher in
      patients who received preoperative chemotherapy (44.4%) compared to those who did
      not (26.7%). The results of this study are inconclusive and have not determined
      whether preoperative chemotherapy results in better long-term survival for cStage
      IV rectal cancer patients. However, preoperative chemotherapy might contribute to
      higher operative curability.

PMID- 26489584
TI  - [Short-Term Outcome of TAS-102 for Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer].
AB  - We retrospectively analyzed 7 patients with refractory colorectal cancer treated
      with TAS-102 as salvage therapy. Subjects were 3 men and 4 women. The median age
      at initiation of TAS-102 was 71 years (range, 41-82 years). The number of target
      organs was 1 in 5 patients, 2 in 1 patient, and 3 in 1 patient. The median
      treatment courses were 2 courses (range, 1-6 courses). The reason for
      discontinuation was hematological toxicity in 1 patient, patients' wish in 3
      patients, disease progression in 2 patients, and worsening of general condition
      in 1 patient. The median survival time since the first administration of TAS-102
      was 9 months.

PMID- 26489585
TI  - [Everolimus plus Exemestane in Postmenopausal Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients].
AB  - The purpose of our study was to test the efficacy and toxicity of everolimus plus
      exemestane therapy for breast cancer. Between 2014 and 2015, 20 patients
      diagnosed with breast carcinoma were selected for this retrospective study.
      Patients received everolimus plus exemestane. As a result, 4 patients showed a
      partial response to treatment and the median PFS was 2.5 months (range, 1-9). The
      most common adverse events (AEs) associated with combination therapy were
      stomatitis, rash, dysgeusia, and non-infectious lung disease. The AEs reported
      were mostly grade 1 and 2, and manageable with appropriate intervention.
      Therefore, everolimus plus exemestane therapy for breast cancer seems to be
      effective and generally tolerable.

PMID- 26489586
TI  - [A Case of Concurrent Cancer of the Esophagus and Stomach with Severe Sepsis
      following Chemotherapy].
AB  - A 66-year-old man was diagnosed with synchronous early esophageal cancer and
      advanced gastric cancer. He received CDDP-based combination chemotherapy
      (docetaxcel, CDDP, and TS-1). During chemotherapy for gastric cancer, he suddenly
      developed septic shock, requiring intensive treatment with antibiotics,
      intravenous immunoglobulin, circulatory and respiratory care, and hemoperfusion
      with a polymyxin B column. He also had disseminated intravascular coagulation
      (DIC), complicated by sepsis. Recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin (rTM) was
      administered to treat DIC. The intensive treatments described above allowed the
      patient to recover from septic shock and DIC several days later. Early and
      adequate treatment could be used to rescue a compromised cancer-bearing patient
      from septic shock following chemotherapy.

PMID- 26489587
TI  - [A Case of Von Hippel-Lindau Disease with Nonfunctioning Pancreatic
      Neuroendocrine Tumors Treated by Duodenum-Preserving Resection of the Head of the
      Pancreas and Spleen-Preserving Resection of the Tail of the Pancreas].
AB  - A 26-year-old woman presented to our department with a diagnosis of multiple
      nonfunctioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. She had a family history of
      pheochromocytoma and a medical history of bilateral adrenalectomy for
      pheochromocytoma at the age of 25 years. During follow-up treatment for adrenal
      insufficiency after the surgery, highly enhanced tumors in the pancreas were
      detected on contrast-enhanced CT. Other examinations found that the patient did
      not satisfy the clinical criteria for von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease.
      Considering her age and risk of developing multiple heterotopic and
      heterochronous tumors, we performed a duodenum-preserving resection of the head
      of the pancreas and spleen-preserving resection of the tail of the pancreas with
      informed consent. The histopathological findings revealed that all of the tumors
      were NET G1. She underwent genetic testing postoperatively and was diagnosed with
      VHL disease. This diagnosis meant that we were able to create an optimal
      treatment plan for the patient. If a tumor predisposition syndrome is suspected,
      VHL disease should be borne in mind and genetic testing after genetic counseling
      should be duly considered.

PMID- 26489588
TI  - [A Case of Pseudo-Meigs Syndrome Associated with Metachronous Ovarian Metastasis
      from Ascending Colon Cancer].
AB  - We experienced a case of pseudo-Meigs syndrome associated with metachronous
      metastasis to the ovary from ascending colon cancer. A 65-year-old woman
      underwent curative surgery for ascending colon cancer at another hospital. A
      follow-up CT carried out 3 months after the surgery revealed a right ovarian
      tumor and a large amount of ascites. The patient was diagnosed with ovarian
      metastasis from ascending colon cancer with carcinomatous peritonitis. Palliative
      care was recommended, and she presented at our department for a second opinion.
      In spite of a large amount of ascites and pleural effusion, no disseminating
      tumor was detected on contrast-enhanced CT at our hospital, and we recommended
      that she undergo a diagnostic laparotomy. The laparotomy was negative for
      carcinomatous peritonitis and a right oophorectomy was performed. The
      histopathological findings indicated that the ovarian tumor was consistent with
      metastasis from ascending colon cancer. After the surgery, we initiated
      chemotherapy with mFOLFOX6+bevacizumab and the symptoms were well controlled. A
      follow-up CT carried out 11 months after the surgery revealed a left ovarian
      tumor and increased ascites, and the patient underwent a left oophorectomy. Then,
      chemotherapy with the same regimen was administered for 12 months, and she did
      not develop any signs of recurrence for 27 months after the surgery. Ovarian
      metastasis from colon cancer may occasionally cause pseudo-Meigs syndrome, and it
      is important to be aware of the usefulness of oophorectomy for the control of
      ascites and pleural effusion. 

PMID- 26489589
TI  - Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma presenting as a ghost abdominal mass.

PMID- 26489590
TI  - The short- and long-term effectiveness of transcatheter arterial embolization in
      patients with intractable hematuria.
AB  - PURPOSE: Selective transarterial embolization (TAE) of the internal iliac artery
      is a well-known alternative technique to control intractable bladder hemorrhage
      (IBH). We explored the short- and long-term effectiveness of, and clinical
      outcomes after, TAE in patients with IBH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this
      retrospective study, we reviewed the hospital records of 18 IBH patients non
      responsive to conservative medications who underwent TAE between January 2003 and
      May 2014. The early- and long-term effectiveness of TAE was investigated in the
      context of hematuria control, complications, mortality, requirement for blood
      transfusions, and hematocrit level. RESULTS: Sixteen of the 18 patients underwent
      endovascular treatment; the technical success rate was 88%. TAE allowed complete
      remission in 16 patients (100% clinical success). On follow-up, mean hematocrit
      (P=0.003) and hemoglobin (P=0.005) levels significantly improved. Thirteen of the
      16 patients (81%) required no further emergency admission after TAE during a mean
      follow-up period of 18.1months (range, 3-105months). CONCLUSION: TAE is a
      feasible, effective, and safe technique in both the short- and long-term for the
      treatment of IBH.

PMID- 26489591
TI  - Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in seroprevalence studies of Q fever: the need
      for cut-off adaptation and the consequences for prevalence data.
AB  - Large outbreaks of Q fever have recently increased the awareness of this disease
      as a public health issue. Knowledge of the general impact of Q fever relies
      mainly on seroprevalence studies and it is fundamental that seroprevalence is
      assessed accurately. Therefore we evaluated the few enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assays (ELISAs) commercially available for this purpose. An outbreak in 2005 in
      Jena, a city of 100,000 inhabitants, gave us the opportunity for the evaluation.
      However, we found disappointingly low sensitivities for two (42% and 51%) of
      three commercial ELISAs for detecting past infection. Nevertheless, all assays
      had good classification potential but cut-off adaptation is needed. Based on the
      unequal worldwide distribution of the differently performing tests in studies, Q
      fever seroprevalence is likely to be underestimated in studies from Europe
      whereas the data from North America and Australia are likely to be more reliable.

PMID- 26489592
TI  - Culicoides vector species on three South American camelid farms seropositive for
      bluetongue virus serotype 8 in Germany 2008/2009.
AB  - Palearctic species of Culicoides (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae), in particular of the
      Obsoletus and Pulicaris complexes, were identified as putative vectors of
      bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8) on ruminant farms during the epizootic in
      Germany from 2006 to 2009. BTV may cause severe morbidity and mortality in
      ruminants and sporadically in South American camelids (SAC). However, the fauna
      of Culicoides spp. on SAC farms has not been investigated. Therefore, the
      ceratopogonid fauna was monitored on three farms with BTV-seropositive SAC in
      Germany. Black-light traps were set up on pastures and in stables from summer
      2008 to autumn 2009. Additionally, ceratopogonids were caught in emergence traps
      mounted on llama dung and dung-free pasture from spring to autumn 2009. After
      morphological identification, selected Culicoides samples were analysed for BTV
      RNA by real-time RT-PCR. The effects of the variables 'location', 'temperature'
      and 'humidity' on the number of Culicoides caught in black-light traps were
      modelled using multivariable Poisson regression. In total, 26 species of
      Culicoides and six other genera of biting midges were identified. The most
      abundant Culicoides spp. collected both outdoors and indoors with black-light
      traps belonged to the Obsoletus (77.4%) and Pulicaris (16.0%) complexes. The
      number of Culicoides peaked in summer, while no biting midges were caught during
      the winter months. Daily collections of Culicoides were mainly influenced by the
      location and depended on the interaction of temperature and humidity. In the
      emergence traps, species of the Obsoletus complex predominated the collections.
      In summary, the absence of BTV-RNA in any of the analysed Culicoides midges and
      in the BTV-seropositive SAC on the three farms together with the differences in
      the pathogenesis of BTV-8 in SAC compared to ruminants suggests a negligible role
      of SAC in the spread of the virus. Although SAC farms may provide similar
      suitable habitats for putative Culicoides vectors than ruminant farms, the
      results suggest that geographic and meteorological factors had a stronger
      influence on Culicoides abundance than the animal species.

PMID- 26489593
TI  - CIUSuite: A Quantitative Analysis Package for Collision Induced Unfolding
      Measurements of Gas-Phase Protein Ions.
AB  - Ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) is a technology of growing importance for
      structural biology, providing complementary 3D structure information for
      biomolecules within samples that are difficult to analyze using conventional
      analytical tools through the near-simultaneous acquisition of ion collision cross
      sections (CCSs) and masses. Despite recent advances in IM-MS instrumentation, the
      resolution of closely related protein conformations remains challenging.
      Collision induced unfolding (CIU) has been demonstrated as a useful tool for
      resolving isocrossectional protein ions, as they often follow distinct unfolding
      pathways when subjected to collisional heating in the gas phase. CIU has been
      used for a variety of applications, from differentiating binding modes of
      activation state-selective kinase inhibitors to characterizing the domain
      structure of multidomain proteins. With the growing utilization of CIU as a tool
      for structural biology, significant challenges have emerged in data analysis and
      interpretation, specifically the normalization and comparison of CIU data sets.
      Here, we present CIUSuite, a suite of software modules designed for the rapid
      processing, analysis, comparison, and classification of CIU data. We demonstrate
      these tools as part of a series of workflows for applications in comparative
      structural biology, biotherapeutic analysis, and high throughput screening of
      kinase inhibitors. These examples illustrate both the potential for CIU in
      general protein analysis as well as a demonstration of best practices in the
      interpretation of CIU data. 

PMID- 26489594
TI  - Robust measurement of vitamin A status in plasma and blood dried on paper.
AB  - Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children
      and increases the risk of disease and death from severe infections. In addition,
      fat soluble vitamin A and associated retinoids directly regulate the expression
      of genes involved in fatty acid metabolism. Conventional methods for measuring
      vitamin A involve venipuncture, centrifugation and refrigeration all of which
      make measuring vitamin A in nutritional surveys expensive. We aimed to develop a
      simple and robust system for measurement of retinol (biomarker for vitamin A)
      using dried blood spot (DBS) samples. Low recoveries and inconsistent results
      reported by others were found to be due to poor extraction efficiency rather than
      retinol instability. Maintaining acid conditions during extraction resulted in
      recoveries >95% with <6.5% of coefficient of variation. Using isocratic high
      performance liquid chromatography, separation was achieved in <3.5 min. Detector
      response was linear (R(2)=0.9939) within a range of 0.05-2 MUg/mL, with a limit
      of quantification of 0.05 MUg/mL. Retinol in DBS was shown to be stable (>95%) at
      room temperature for up to 10 weeks. DBS values for retinol were highly
      correlated with venous blood samples from 24 healthy subjects (r=0.9724) and were
      consistent with results from a commercial laboratory. This simple and reliable
      method for the determination of vitamin A status should prove particularly
      valuable for population studies and large clinical trials.

PMID- 26489595
TI  - pH-responsive ion transport in polyelectrolyte multilayers of
      poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid
      co-maleic acid) (PSS-MA) bearing strong- and weak anionic groups.
AB  - The layer-by-layer construction of interfacial architectures displaying stimuli
      responsive control of mass transport is attracting increasing interest in
      materials science. In this work, we describe the creation of interfacial
      architectures displaying pH-dependent ionic transport properties which until now
      have not been observed in polyelectrolyte multilayers. We describe a novel
      approach to create pH-controlled ion-rectifying systems employing polyelectrolyte
      multilayers assembled from a copolymer containing both weakly and strongly
      charged pendant groups, poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) (PSS-MA),
      alternately deposited with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC). The
      conceptual framework is based on the very contrasting and differential
      interactions of PSS and MA units with PDADMAC. In our setting, sulfonate groups
      play a structural role by conferring stability to the multilayer due to the
      strong electrostatic interactions with the polycations, while the weakly
      interacting MA groups remain "silent" within the film and then act as on-demand
      pH-responsive units. When these multilayers are combined with a strong cationic
      capping layer that repels the passage of cationic probes, a pH-gateable rectified
      transport of anions is observed. Concomitantly, we also observed that these
      functional properties are significantly affected when multilayers are subjected
      to extensive pH cycling as a consequence of irreversible morphological changes
      taking place in the film. We envision that the synergy derived from combining
      weak and strong interactions within the same multilayer will play a key role in
      the construction of new interfacial architectures displaying tailorable ion
      transport properties. 

PMID- 26489596
TI  - Risk factors associated with benzodiazepine use among people who inject drugs in
      an urban Canadian setting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Though known to have abuse potential, benzodiazepine medications
      remain widely prescribed. Furthermore, issues related to benzodiazepine use by
      people who inject drugs (PWID) remain to be fully characterized. We therefore
      sought to examine the prevalence of and risk factors associated with
      benzodiazepine use in a street-involved urban population. METHODS: Between May
      1996 and November 2013, data were derived from two open prospective cohort
      studies in Vancouver, Canada, restricted to PWID. Multivariable logistic
      regression with generalized estimating equations (GEE) was used to determine
      factors independently associated with benzodiazepine use. RESULTS: Over the study
      period, 2806 individuals were recruited, including 949 (34%) women. Of these,
      1080 (38.5%) participants reported benzodiazepine use at least once during the
      study period. In the multivariable analysis, Caucasian ethnicity, >= daily heroin
      injection, >= daily cocaine injection, non-fatal overdose, incarceration, syringe
      sharing, and unsafe sex were all independently associated with benzodiazepine
      use. Conversely, older age, homelessness, and >= daily crack smoking were
      negatively associated with benzodiazepine use. CONCLUSIONS: Use of
      benzodiazepines was common in this urban setting and was associated with several
      markers of addiction severity and significant health and social vulnerabilities
      including syringe sharing and unsafe sex. These findings underscore the need to
      promote treatment for benzodiazepine use, safer benzodiazepine prescribing,
      including greater recognition of the limited indications for evidence-based use
      of this medication class.

PMID- 26489597
TI  - Connecting low-income smokers to tobacco treatment services.
AB  - The Affordable Care Act calls for using population-level incentive-based
      interventions, and cigarette smoking is one of the most significant health
      behaviors driving costs and adverse health in low-income populations. Telehealth
      offers an opportunity to facilitate delivery of evidence-based smoking cessation
      services as well as incentive-based interventions to low-income populations.
      However, research is needed on effective strategies for linking smokers to
      services, how to couple financial incentives with telehealth, and on how to scale
      this to population-level practice. The current paper evaluates primary
      implementation and follow-up results of two strategies for connecting low-income,
      predominantly female smokers to a telephone tobacco quitline (QL). The population
      based program consisted of participant-initiated phone contact and two
      recruitment strategies: (1) direct mail (DM) and (2) opportunistic telephone
      referrals with connection (ORC). Both strategies offered financial incentives for
      being connected to the QL, and all QL connections were made by trained patient
      navigators through a central call center. QL connections occurred for 97% of DM
      callers (N=870) and 33% of ORC callers (N=4550). Self-reported continuous smoking
      abstinence (i.e., 30 smoke-free days at seven-month follow-up) was 20% for the DM
      group and 16% for ORC. These differences between intervention groups remained in
      ordered logistic regressions adjusting for smoking history and demographic
      characteristics. Each recruitment strategy had distinct advantages; both
      successfully connected low-income smokers to cessation services and encouraged
      quit attempts and continuous smoking abstinence. Future research and population
      based programs can utilize financial incentives and both recruitment strategies,
      building on their relative strengths. 

PMID- 26489598
TI  - Response to Mustafa 2015: The Safewards study lacks rigour despite its randomised
      design.

PMID- 26489599
TI  - Discovery of an ultra-short linear antibacterial tetrapeptide with anti-MRSA
      activity from a structure-activity relationship study.
AB  - The overuse and misuse of antibiotics has resulted in the emergence of drug
      resistant pathogenic bacteria, including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus
      aureus (MRSA), the primary pathogen responsible for human skin and soft-tissue
      infections. Antibacterial peptides are known to kill bacteria by rapidly
      disrupting their membranes and are deemed plausible alternatives to conventional
      antibiotics. One advantage of their membrane-targeting mode of action is that
      bacteria are unlikely to develop resistance as changing their cell membrane
      structure and morphology would likely involve extensive genetic mutations.
      However, major concerns in using peptides as antibacterial drugs include their
      instability towards plasma proteases, toxicity towards human cells due to their
      membrane-targeting mode of action and high manufacturing cost. These concerns can
      be mitigated by developing peptides as topical agents, by the judicial selection
      of amino acids and developing very short peptides respectively. In this
      preliminary report, we reveal a linear, non-hemolytic tetrapeptide with rapid
      bactericidal activity against MRSA developed from a structure-activity
      relationship study based on the antimicrobial hexapeptide WRWRWR-NH2. Our finding
      opens promising avenues for the development of ultra-short antibacterials to
      treat multidrug-resistant MRSA skin and soft tissue infections. 

PMID- 26489600
TI  - A Sensitivity Analysis and Opportunity Cost Evaluation of the Surgical Council on
      Resident Education Curriculum.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study purpose is to evaluate the Surgical Council on Resident
      Education (SCORE) Curriculum regarding American Board of Surgery Qualifying
      Examination (ABS QE) outcomes. The goal is to perform effect size analyses,
      sensitivity analyses, and sample size analyses with opportunity cost estimates
      required to favor the SCORE Curriculum subscription regarding ABS QE outcomes.
      METHODS: Published data were used to construct 2 * 2 matrices regarding ABS QE
      outcome (pass/fail) and SCORE subscription status (subscriber/nonsubscriber).
      Post hoc analyses of effect sizes and sample sizes, with opportunity cost
      estimates, were performed to evaluate ABS QE outcomes favoring SCORE subscription
      (2-tailed and 1-tailed tests) using an alpha = 0.05. RESULTS: The absolute risk
      increase of SCORE subscription on ABS QE outcome was 1.6% (number needed to treat
      = 63). Sensitivity analyses showed that a pass rate difference of 4.9% to 7.5%
      was required to favor SCORE subscription (all p < 0.05). Sample size analyses
      required an 8- to 18-fold increase to favor SCORE subscription to achieve
      statistical significance with an opportunity cost of $6.0 to $13.5 million
      ($30,000-$67,000/program), not adjusting for inflation. CONCLUSIONS: The number
      needed to treat and pass rate differences required to favor SCORE subscription
      are large. The opportunity costs of SCORE subscription are substantial. Residency
      programs with more limited resources should determine if the subscription costs
      are financially sound.

PMID- 26489601
TI  - Exploring the Content of Intraoperative Teaching.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Much teaching to surgical residents takes place in the operating
      room (OR). The explicit content of what is taught in the OR, however, has not
      previously been described. This study investigated the content of what is taught
      in the OR, specifically during laparoscopic cholecystectomies (LCs), for which a
      cognitive task analysis (CTA), explicitly delineating individual steps, was
      available in the literature. METHODS: A checklist of necessary technical and
      decision-making steps to be executed during performance of LCs, anchored in the
      previously published CTA, was developed. A convenience sample of LCs was
      identified over a 12-month period from February 2011 to February 2012. Using the
      checklist, a trained observer recorded explicit teaching that occurred regarding
      these steps during each observed case. All observations were tallied and
      analyzed. RESULTS: In all, 51 LCs were observed; 14 surgery attendings and 33
      residents participated in the observed cases. Of 1042 observable teaching points,
      only 560 (53.7%) were observed during the study period. As a proportion of all
      observable steps, technical steps were observed more frequently, 377 (67.3%),
      than decision-making steps, 183 (32.7%). Also when focusing on technical and
      decision-making steps alone, technical steps were taught more frequently (60.9%
      vs 43.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Only approximately half of all possible observable
      teaching steps were explicitly taught during LCs in this study. Technical steps
      were more frequently taught than decision-making steps. These findings may have
      important implications: a better understanding of the content of intraoperative
      teaching would allow educators to steer residents' preoperative preparation,
      modulate intraoperative instruction by members of the surgical faculty, and guide
      residents to the most appropriate teaching venues.

PMID- 26489602
TI  - Applying participatory approaches in the evaluation of surveillance systems: A
      pilot study on African swine fever surveillance in Corsica.
AB  - The implementation of regular and relevant evaluations of surveillance systems is
      critical in improving their effectiveness and their relevance whilst limiting
      their cost. The complex nature of these systems and the variable contexts in
      which they are implemented call for the development of flexible evaluation tools.
      Within this scope, participatory tools have been developed and implemented for
      the African swine fever (ASF) surveillance system in Corsica (France). The
      objectives of this pilot study were, firstly, to assess the applicability of
      participatory approaches within a developed environment involving various
      stakeholders and, secondly, to define and test methods developed to assess
      evaluation attributes. Two evaluation attributes were targeted: the acceptability
      of the surveillance system and its the non-monetary benefits. Individual semi
      structured interviews and focus groups were implemented with representatives from
      every level of the system. Diagramming and scoring tools were used to assess the
      different elements that compose the definition of acceptability. A contingent
      valuation method, associated with proportional piling, was used to assess the non
      monetary benefits, i.e., the value of sanitary information. Sixteen stakeholders
      were involved in the process, through 3 focus groups and 8 individual semi
      structured interviews. Stakeholders were selected according to their role in the
      system and to their availability. Results highlighted a moderate acceptability of
      the system for farmers and hunters and a high acceptability for other
      representatives (e.g., private veterinarians, local laboratories). Out of the 5
      farmers involved in assessing the non-monetary benefits, 3 were interested in
      sanitary information on ASF. The data collected via participatory approaches
      enable relevant recommendations to be made, based on the Corsican context, to
      improve the current surveillance system. 

PMID- 26489603
TI  - Nursing students' perspectives on clinical instructors' effective teaching
      strategies: A descriptive study.
AB  - An important factor contributing to the quality of clinical education is
      instructors' teaching performance. The aim of this study was to identify clinical
      instructors' most effective teaching strategies from nursing and midwifery
      students' perspectives. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. All third-
      and fourth-year bachelor's nursing and midwifery students studying at the Nursing
      and Midwifery Faculty of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences were recruited
      to the study by using the census method. The study instrument consisted of a
      demographic questionnaire and the self-report 30-item Clinical Instructors'
      Effective Teaching Strategies Inventory. The SPSS v.16.0 was used for data
      analysis. The most effective teaching strategies of clinical instructors from
      nursing and midwifery students' perspectives were respectively 'treating
      students, clients, and colleagues with respect' and 'being eager for guiding
      students and manage their problems'. Clinical instructors need to be eager for
      education and also be able to establish effective communication with students.
      Empowering clinical instructors in specialized and technical aspects of clinical
      education seems necessary. 

PMID- 26489604
TI  - The lymph node pre-metastatic niche.
AB  - Lymph node metastases occur frequently during the progression of many types of
      cancer, and their presence often reflects poor prognosis. The drainage of tumor
      derived factors such as antigens, growth factors, cytokines, and exosomes through
      the lymphatic system to the regional lymph nodes plays an important role in the
      pre-metastatic conditioning of the microenvironment in lymph nodes, making them
      receptive and supportive metastatic niches for disseminating tumor cells.
      Modified immunological responses and remodeling of the vasculature are the most
      studied tumor-induced pre-metastatic changes in the lymph node microenvironment
      that promote metastasis, although other metastasis-relevant alterations are also
      starting to be studied. Here, I review our current understanding of the lymph
      node pre-metastatic niche, how tumors condition this niche, and the relevance of
      this conditioning for our understanding of the process of metastasis.

PMID- 26489605
TI  - The biology and clinical implications of prostate cancer dormancy and metastasis.
AB  - Disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) are detected early in the disease process in
      prostate cancer (PCa) patients and can persist after radical prostatectomy. DTCs
      can remain dormant in patients with no evidence of disease for a prolonged period
      of time only to recur 10 or more years later. Recent advances in single-cell
      genomics and transcriptomics have provided much needed insight into DTC biology
      and cancer dormancy in patients. With the development of new in vitro and
      preclinical models, researchers recapitulate the clinical events in patients and
      therefore allow further elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer
      dormancy and escape. In this review, we explore novel ideas on the detection,
      heterogeneous transcriptomic profiles, molecular and cellular mechanisms of
      dormancy, and potential mechanisms underlying dormancy escape by DTCs. As such,
      there is hope that identifying and targeting novel dormancy-associated pathways
      in patients with residual disease will have significant clinical implications for
      the treatment of PCa patients in the future. 

PMID- 26489606
TI  - The lung metastatic niche.
AB  - Cancer cells that succeed in forming lung metastases need to survive in a foreign
      microenvironment and to protect themselves against immune surveillance. Lung
      metastatic niches facilitate this process. They can develop as pre-metastatic
      niches by inflammatory events that are provoked by primary tumors before tumor
      cell arrival, and/or they can be post-formed by reciprocal signaling between
      metastasizing tumor cells and local non-tumor cells. Primary tumor-derived
      factors induce expression of chemokines in the lungs to which bone marrow-derived
      myeloid cells are recruited. These cells work in concert with lung-specific
      resident cells to establish pre-metastatic niches. The role of the endogenous
      TLR4-dependent innate immune system in pre-metastatic niche formation illustrates
      this point. During lung infection, endotoxin induces inflammation by increasing
      vascular permeability and leukocyte mobilization to the lungs through the
      endotoxin receptor TLR4 that is expressed in endothelial cells and leukocytes,
      respectively. This innate immune system can be hijacked by primary tumors to
      generate a pre-metastatic niche. Specifically, primary tumor-produced chemokine
      CCL2 works in an endocrine manner to induce pulmonary overexpression of
      endogenous TLR4 ligands such as S100A8 and SAA3 resulting in lung inflammation
      similar to that caused by endotoxin. An endotoxin analog Eritoran inhibits pre
      metastatic niche formation in this system.

PMID- 26489607
TI  - MicroRNA let-7g cooperates with interferon/ribavirin to repress hepatitis C virus
      replication.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNA) have been implicated in HCV infection. The present study
      analyzed the effects of let-7g on HCV infection in vitro, in clinical tissue and
      serum samples. Here, we show that the expression of let-7g in serum and liver
      tissue is significantly higher in patients with sustained virologic response
      (SVR). We show that interferon (IFN)/ribavirin (RBV) induces let-7g expression
      through p38/AP-1 signaling. Overexpression of let-7g reduced HCV gene or core
      protein level and inhibited the HCV viral load. The let-7g and IFN/RBV have
      additively inhibitory effect on HCV replication. These data implicate let-7g as a
      new therapeutic drug to additively cooperate with IFN/RBV to repress HCV
      replication. Key messages: let-7g expression is increased in serum and liver
      tissue of patients with SVR. Interferon/ribavirin induces let-7g expression
      through p38/AP-1 signaling. Overexpression of let-7g can repress HCV replication.
      Let-7g additively cooperates with interferon/ribavirin to repress HCV
      replication. Lin28B silencing can reverse let-7g expression and repress HCV
      replication.

PMID- 26489608
TI  - The brain metastatic niche.
AB  - Metastasizing cancer cells that arrest in brain microvessels have to face an
      organ microenvironment that is alien, and exclusive. In order to survive and
      thrive in this foreign soil, the malignant cells need to successfully master a
      sequence of steps that includes close interactions with pre-existing brain
      microvessels, and other nonmalignant cell types. Unfortunately, a relevant number
      of circulating cancer cells is capable of doing so: brain metastasis is a
      frequent and devastating complication of solid tumors, becoming ever more
      important in times where the systemic tumor disease is better controlled and life
      of cancer patients is prolonged. Thus, it is very important to understand which
      environmental cues are necessary for effective brain colonization. This review
      gives an overview of the niches we know, including those who govern cancer cell
      dormancy, survival, and proliferation in the brain. Colonization of pre-existing
      niches related to stemness and resistance is a hallmark of successful brain
      metastasis. A deeper understanding of those host factors can help to identify the
      most vulnerable steps of the metastatic cascade, which might be most amenable to
      therapeutic interventions.

PMID- 26489609
TI  - Cardiac troponin T in patients with cardiac implantable  electronic devices
      undergoing magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been safely performed in many
      patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) using institution
      specific protocols. A potential risk of MRI is myocardial heating and cardiac
      injury, which might be detectable with cardiac Troponin (cTn). We evaluated this
      in patients with CIEDs undergoing MRI. METHODS: Prospective data were collected
      from 2008 to the present in patients with CIEDs undergoing clinically indicated
      MRI performed under institutional protocol. Cardiac Troponin T (cTnT) levels were
      drawn both before and 24-36 h after the procedure. The collective data were
      retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: MRI exams (n=512) were performed in 398
      patients. Of these, there were 348 unique scans with cTnT recorded before and
      after MRI (median age 68, IQ 56-78; 62%men). cTnT did not significantly change
      for the group as a whole (0.00+/-0.056). There were 22 (6.3 %) exams with cTnT
      change >=0.002 ng/mL following MRI (range 0.01-0.09 ng/mL). There were no
      clinically significant events in these patients directly attributable to MR.
      There were no significant changes in pacing threshold or impedance in the group
      with elevated cardiac biomarkers. CONCLUSION: There are very few situations where
      myocardial injury as detected by cTnT in patients undergoing MRI with CIEDs could
      be detected. No adverse clinical events or functional changes of the device were
      noted, even in those with increases in cTnT. Our experience supports that MRI can
      be performed safely for appropriately selected patients under close clinical
      observation. Proactive monitoring with the present iteration of cardiac
      biomarkers appears to be of limited utility, but prospective monitoring with high
      sensitivity assays may be able to detect subclinical myocardial damage.

PMID- 26489610
TI  - Association between dissociated firing in isolated pulmonary veins  and the
      initiation and maintenance of atrial fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Whether dissociated firing (DiFi) in isolated pulmonary veins (PVs)
      implies arrhythmogenicity of the particular PVand, therefore, a better outcome of
      PV isolation (PVI) for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) is debated. METHODS:
      Thirty-one patients undergoing their first PVI for PAF were studied.
      Isoproterenol was infused for induction, and the triggering PV was identified.
      During sustained PAF, sequential recordings were made with a decapolar circular
      mapping catheter from each PV. The dominant frequency (DF) was determined using
      fast Fourier transformation. Spontaneous DiFi was monitored for 30 min after PVI.
      RESULTS: PAF was triggered by the PVs in all patients. Fourteen (45 %) patients
      had DiFi after PVI in at least one PV. It was recorded most commonly from the
      left upper (84 %) and lower (67 %), less commonly from the right upper (31 %) PV.
      Out of the 23 PVs with DiFi, 13 (57 %) showed sporadic ectopic beats while 10 (44
      %) had sustained ectopic rhythm or isolated tachycardia. There was no difference
      in size between PVs with or without DiFi (5.9+/-1.2 vs. 5.6+/-1.0 cm ostial
      perimeter, p=0.40). Triggering PVs more commonly showed any DiFi, compared to
      nontriggering PVs (68 vs. 27 %, p=0.003) and more commonly had sustained DiFi (53
      vs. 0 %, p<0.001). During PAF PVs with any DiFi showed faster maximal DF compared
      to PVs without DiFi (7.1+/-1.3 vs. 5.9+/-1.1 Hz, p=0.001). Higher maximal DF was
      recorded in PVs with sustained versus sporadic DiFi versus PVs without DiFi (7.5
      +/-0.9 vs. 6.8+/-1.6 vs. 5.9+/-1.1 Hz, respectively, p=0.002). Patients with DiFi
      after PVI had a longer mean time to recurrent PAF compared to those without DiFi
      (52 vs. 32 months, p=0.048). CONCLUSIONS: Dissociated firing in isolated PVs is
      associated with their role in the initiation and maintenance of PAF.

PMID- 26489612
TI  - Efficacy and safety of tacrolimus vs. cyclophosphamide for idiopathic membranous
      nephropathy: A meta-analysis of Chinese adults.
AB  - The efficacy and safety of tacrolimus (TAC) and cyclophosphamide (CTX) in the
      treatment of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) were compared in Chinese
      adult patients using a meta- analysis of the available literatures. Randomized
      controlled clinical trials (RCTs) of the treatment of primary IMN with TAC or CTX
      combined with corticosteroids in the English databases PubMed, Embase and
      Cochrane, as well as Chinese databases, were searched. Qualified studies were
      subjected to quality assessment and meta-analysis. A total of 8 RCTs, including
      359 Chinese patients, were included in the meta-analysis. The complete remission
      rate and overall remission rate in the TAC treatment group after 6 months of
      treatment were higher than those in the CTX treatment group. No significant
      difference in remission rate was found after 12 months of treatment. There was no
      significant difference in the adverse reaction between the two groups at the 6th
      or 12th months. TAC-based treatment was associated with a faster response than
      CTX at the 6th month, but there was no significant difference between the two
      groups at 12th month in Chinese adults. Further study is needed to evaluate the
      long-term efficacy and safety of this treatment regimen. 

PMID- 26489611
TI  - Tie-1: A potential target for anti-angiogenesis therapy.
AB  - The tyrosine kinase system angiopoietin (Ang)/Tie interacts with vascular
      endothelial growth factor pathway and regulates vessel quiescence in adults as
      well as later steps of the angiogenic cascade related to vessel maturation. Since
      all Angs are able to bind to Tie-2 but none binds to Tie-1, the function of Tie-2
      and its ligands have captured attention. However, emerging evidence indicates
      unique roles of the orphan receptor Tie-1 in angiogenesis under physiological and
      pathological conditions. It is required for maintaining vascular endothelial cell
      integrity and survival during murine embryo development and in adult and may be
      involved in modulating differentiation of hematopoietic cells in adult. Tie-1
      exhibits poor tyrosine kinase activity and signals via forming heterodimers with
      Tie-2, inhibiting Tie-2 signaling mediated by Angs. This inhibition can be
      relieved by Tie-1 ectodomain cleavage mediated by tumor- and inflammatory-related
      factors, which causes destabilization of vessels and initiates vessel remodeling.
      Up-regulated Tie-1 expression has been found not only in some leukemia cells and
      tumor related endothelial cells but also in cytoplasm of carcinoma cells of a
      variety of human solid tumors, which is associated with tumor progression. In
      addition, it has pro-inflammatory functions in endothelial cells and is involved
      in some inflammatory diseases associated with angiogenesis. Recent research
      indicated that Tie-1 gene ablation exhibited significant effects on tumor blood-
      and lymph-angiogenesis and improved anti-Ang therapy, suggesting Tie-1 may be a
      potential target for tumor anti-angiogenesis treatment. 

PMID- 26489613
TI  - Effect of BRCA2 mutation on familial breast cancer survival: A systematic review
      and meta-analysis.
AB  - Reports of BRCA2 genetic mutations on the prognosis of familial breast cancer
      (BC) patients have been contradictory. True difference in survival, if it exists,
      would have important implications for genetic counseling and in treatment of
      hereditary BC. The purpose of this study was to compare overall survival rate
      (OSR) among BRCA2 mutation carriers, non-carriers and sporadic BC patients. We
      searched the PUBMED and EMBASE databases and retrieved 4529 articles using
      keywords that included breast cancer, BRCA, prognosis and survival. Nine articles
      were selected for systematic review and among them 6 were included in our meta
      analysis. We used the fixed and random effect models to calculate the summary
      odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). BRCA2 mutation
      carriers had significantly higher long-term OSR than non-carriers (OR=0.69 [95%
      CI=0.5-0.95]), while both short-term and long-term OSR of BRCA2 mutation carriers
      did not differ from those of patients with sporadic disease (OR=1.11 [95% CI=0.74
      1.65]; 0.85 [95% CI=0.38-1.94], respectively). For BC-specific survival rate
      (BCSSR), BRCA2 mutation carriers had a similar BCSSR to the non-carriers (OR=0.61
      [95% CI=0.28-1.34]). There was no significant difference in disease-free survival
      (DFS) between BRCA2 mutation carriers and patients with sporadic disease. Our
      results suggest that BRCA2 mutation increases long-term OSR in hereditary BC,
      which reminds us a new prospect of management of the disease. 

PMID- 26489614
TI  - Prodynorphin gene promoter polymorphism and temporal lobe epilepsy: A meta
      analysis.
AB  - Previous studies have reported the association of prodynorphin (PDYN) promoter
      polymorphism with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) susceptibility, but the results
      remain inconclusive. To further precisely evaluate this association, we performed
      a meta-analysis. Published studies of TLE and PDYN polymorphism up to February
      2015 were identified. Subgroup analysis by TLE subtype was performed. Moreover,
      sensitivity, heterogeneity, and publication bias were also analyzed. Seven case
      control studies were finally included in this meta-analysis with 875 TLE cases
      and 1426 controls. We did not find synthetic evidence of association between PDYN
      promoter polymorphism and TLE susceptibility (OR=1.184, 95% CI: 0.873-1.606,
      P=0.277). Similar results were also obtained in non-familial-risk TLE subgroup.
      However, in the familial-risk TLE subgroup analysis, a significant association
      was observed (OR=1.739, 95% CI: 1.154-2.619, P=0.008). In summary, this meta
      analysis suggests that PDYN gene promoter polymorphism might contribute to
      familial-risk TLE. 

PMID- 26489615
TI  - CYP2C8-derived epoxyeicosatrienoic acids decrease oxidative stress-induced
      endothelial apoptosis in development of atherosclerosis: Role of Nrf2 activation.
AB  - The aim of the present study is to investigate how cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP)
      2C8-derived epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) regulate the nuclear factor
      erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway and protect against
      oxidative stress-induced endothelial injuries in the development and progression
      of atherosclerosis. In this study, cultured human umbilical vein endothelial
      cells (HUVECs) were transfected with CYP2C8 or pretreated with exogenous EETs (1
      MUmol/L) before TNF-alpha (20 ng/mL) stimulation. Apoptosis and intracellular ROS
      production were determined by flow cytometry. The expression levels of ROS
      associated NAD(P)H subunits gp91 and p47, the anti-oxidative enzyme catalase
      (CAT), Nrf2, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)
      were detected by Western blotting. The results showed that CYP2C8-derived EETs
      decreased apoptosis of HUVECs treated with TNF-alpha. Pretreatment with 11, 12
      EET also significantly blocked TNF-alpha-induced ROS production. In addition, 11,
      12-EET decreased oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, the ability of
      11, 12-EET to protect cells against TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis via oxidative
      stress was abrogated by transient transfection with Nrf2-specific small
      interfering RNA (siRNA). In conclusion, CYP2C8-derived EETs prevented TNF-alpha
      induced HUVECs apoptosis via inhibition of oxidative stress associated with the
      Nrf2 signaling. 

PMID- 26489616
TI  - Prognostic significance of lymphovascular invasion in bladder cancer after
      surgical resection: A meta-analysis.
AB  - Bladder cancer remains a commonly diagnosed malignancy worldwide, bringing huge
      economic burden and high morbidity for patients. Assessment of prognostic
      significance of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is a critical issue in the surgical
      management of bladder cancer after transurethral resection or radical cystectomy.
      A systematic search of PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library was performed up to
      Oct 10, 2014 to identify eligible studies. Outcomes of interest were collected
      from studies comparing overall survival (OS), cancer specific survival (CSS) and
      recurrence free survival (RFS) in patients with the LVI. Results of studies were
      pooled, and combined hazard ratios (HRs) with corresponding 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs) for survival were used as the effect size estimation. Funnel
      plots were done to show the publication bias, while the forest plots and subgroup
      analyses were used to limit the heterogeneity. A total of 20 studies (10 663
      patients) met the eligibility criteria and were included for this meta-analysis.
      Our pooled results showed that there were significant differences in OS (pooled
      HR, 1.71; 95%CI, 1.52-1.92; P<0.00001), CSS (pooled HR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.80-2.81;
      P<0.00001) and RFS (pooled HR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.57-2.32; P<0.00001) between the
      patients with LVI and the patients without LVI. There were significant
      heterogeneities observed in the studies concerning the relationship between LVI
      and CSS, RFS. There was no clear evidence of publication bias. When tumor stage
      was beyond T3, LVI lost its predictive value for CSS and RFS. For the patients
      who had negative lymph nodes, LVI was still an adverse predictor. Our pooled
      results demonstrate that LVI indicates poor prognosis of patients with bladder
      cancer after surgical procedures, and it can be of particular importance in
      clinical practice. However, these results need to be further confirmed by more
      adequately designed prospective studies. 

PMID- 26489617
TI  - Biventricular repair versus uni-ventricular repair for pulmonary atresia with
      intact ventrical septum: A systematic review.
AB  - The management of pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PA/IVS)
      remains controversial. The goal of separating systematic and pulmonary
      circulation can be achieved by biventricular or uni-ventricular (Fontan or one
      and a half ventricle repair) strategies. Although outcomes have been improved,
      these surgical procedures are still associated with high mortality and morbidity.
      An optimal strategy for definitive repair has yet to be defined. We searched
      databases for genetically randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing
      biventricular with uni-ventricular repair for patient with PA/IVS. Data
      extraction and quality assessment were performed following the guidelines of the
      Cochrane Collaboration. Primary outcome measures were overall survival, and
      secondary criteria included exercise function, arrhythmia-free survival and
      treatment-related mortality. A total number of 669 primary citations were
      screened for relevant studies. Detailed analysis revealed that no RCTs were found
      to adequately address the research question and no systematic meta-analysis would
      have been carried out. Nevertheless, several retrospective analyses and case
      series addressed the question of finding right balance between biventricular and
      uni-ventricular repair for patient with PA/IVS. In this review, we will discuss
      the currently available data. 

PMID- 26489618
TI  - Melanocortin-4 receptor expression in the cuneiform nucleus is involved in
      modulation of opioidergic signaling.
AB  - Substantial evidence has suggested that deep brain stimulation of the cuneiform
      nucleus has become a remarkable treatment option for intractable pain, but the
      possible mechanism is poorly understood. Using a melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R)
      green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter knockin mouse, we showed that a large
      number of MC4R-GFP-positive neurons were expressed in the cuneiform nucleus.
      Immunofluorescence revealed that approximately 40%-50% of MC4R-GFP-positive
      neurons expressed mu opioid receptors, indicating that they were opioidergic
      signaling. Our findings support the hypothesis that MC4R expression in the
      cuneiform nucleus is involved in the modulation of opioidergic signaling. 

PMID- 26489619
TI  - The function and meaning of receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand in arterial
      calcification.
AB  - Osteoclast-like cells are known to inhibit arterial calcification. Receptor
      activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL) is likely to act as an inducer of
      osteoclast-like cell differentiation. However, several studies have shown that
      RANKL promotes arterial calcification rather than inhibiting arterial
      calcification. The present study was conducted in order to investigate and
      elucidate this paradox. Firstly, RANKL was added into the media, and the monocyte
      precursor cells were cultured. Morphological observation and Tartrate resistant
      acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining were used to assess whether RANKL could induce
      the monocyte precursor cells to differentiate into osteoclast-like cells. During
      arterial calcification, in vivo and in vitro expression of RANKL and its
      inhibitor, osteoprotegerin (OPG), was detected by real-time PCR. The extent of
      osteoclast-like cell differentiation was also assessed. It was found RANKL could
      induce osteoclast-like cell differentiation. There was no in vivo or in vitro
      expression of osteoclast-like cells in the early stage of calcification. At that
      time, the ratio of RANKL to OPG was very low. In the late stage of calcification,
      a small amount of osteoclast-like cell expression coincided with a relatively
      high ratio of RANKL to OPG. According to the results, the ratio of RANKL to OPG
      was very low during most of the arterial calcification period. This made it
      possible for OPG to completely inhibit RANKL-induced osteoclast-like cell
      differentiation. This likely explains why RANKL had the ability to induce
      osteoclast-like cell differentiation but acted as a promoter of calcification
      instead. 

PMID- 26489620
TI  - Kinetin inhibits proliferation of hepatic stellate cells by interrupting cell
      cycle and induces apoptosis by down-regulating ratio of Bcl-2/Bax.
AB  - Liver fibrosis is an important health problem that can further progress into
      cirrhosis or liver cancer, and result in significant morbidity and mortality.
      Inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs)
      may be the key point to reverse liver fibrosis. At present, anti-fibrosis drugs
      are rare. Kinetin is a type of plant-derived cytokinin which has been reported to
      control differentiation and induce apoptosis of human cells. In this study, the
      HSCs were incubated with different concentrations of kinetin. The proliferation
      of rat HSCs was measured by MTT assay, cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed by
      flow cytometry, and the apoptosis was examined by TUNEL method. The expression of
      Bcl-2 and Bax proteins was detected by immunocytochemistry staining. It was found
      that kinetin could markedly inhibit proliferation of HSCs. In a concentration
      range of 2 to 8 MUg/mL, the inhibitory effects of kinetin on proliferation of
      HSCs were increased with the increased concentration and the extension of time (P
      < 0.01). Flow cytometry indicated that kinetin could inhibit the DNA synthesis
      from G0/G1 to S phase in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.01). The apoptosis rates
      of the HSCs treated with 8, 4 and 2 MUg/mL kinetin (25.62% +/- 2.21%, 15.31% +/-
      1.9% and 6.18% +/- 1.23%, respectively) were increased significantly compared
      with the control group (3.81% +/- 0.93%) (P < 0.01). All the DNA frequency
      histogram in kinetin-treated groups showed obvious hypodiploid peak (sub-G1
      peak), and with the increase of kinetin concentrations, the apoptosis rate of
      HSCs also showed a trend of increase. It was also found that kinetin could down
      regulate the expression of Bcl-2, and up-regulate the expression of Bax, leading
      to the decreased ratio of Bcl-2/Bax significantly. The kinetin-induced apoptosis
      of HSCs was positively correlated with the expression of Bax, and negatively with
      the expression of Bcl-2. It was concluded that kinetin can inhibit activation and
      proliferation of HSCs by interrupting the cell cycle at G1/S restriction point
      and inducing apoptosis of HSCs via reducing the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax.

PMID- 26489621
TI  - IL-17 Induces MPTP opening through ERK2 and P53 signaling pathway in human
      platelets.
AB  - The opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) plays a critical
      role in platelet activation. However, the potential trigger of the MPTP opening
      in platelet activation remains unknown. Inflammation is the crucial trigger of
      platelet activation. In this study, we aimed to explore whether and how the
      important inflammatory cytokine IL-17 is associated with MPTP opening in
      platelets activation by using MPTP inhibitor cyclosporine-A (CsA). The
      mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsim) was detected to reflect MPTP opening
      levels. And the platelet aggregation, activation, and the primary signaling
      pathway were also tested. The results showed that the MPTP opening levels were
      increased and Deltapsim reduced in platelets administrated with IL-17. Moreover,
      the levels of aggregation, CD62P, PAC-1, P53 and the phosphorylation of ERK2 were
      enhanced along with the MPTP opening in platelets pre-stimulated with IL-17.
      However, CsA attenuated these effects triggered by IL-17. It was suggested that
      IL-17 could induce MPTP opening through ERK2 and P53 signaling pathway in
      platelet activation and aggregation. 

PMID- 26489622
TI  - Dexmedetomidine alleviates pulmonary edema by upregulating AQP1 and AQP5
      expression in rats with acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide.
AB  - This study aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which dexmedetomidine alleviates
      pulmonary edema in rats with acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS). Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: normal saline
      control (NS) group, receiving intravenous 0.9% normal saline (5 mL/kg); LPS
      group, receiving intravenous LPS (10 mg/kg); small-dose dexmedetomidine (S)
      group, treated with a small dose of dexmedetomidine (0.5 MUg . kg(-1) . h(-1));
      medium-dose dexmedetomidine (M) group, treated with a medium dose of
      dexmedetomidine (2.5 MUg . kg(-1) . h(-1)); high-dose dexmedetomidine (H) group,
      treated with a high dose of dexmedetomidine (5 MUg . kg(-1) . h(-1)). The rats
      were sacrificed 6 h after intravenous injection of LPS or NS, and the lungs were
      removed for evaluating histological characteristics and determining the lung
      wet/dry weight ratio (W/D). The levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)
      and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) in the lung tissues were assessed by enzyme-
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mRNA and protein expression levels of
      aquaporin-1 (AQP1) and aquaporin-5 (AQP5) were detected by RT-PCR,
      immunohistochemistry, and Western blotting. The lung tissues from the LPS groups
      were significantly damaged, which were less pronounced in the H group but not in
      the small-dose dexmedetomidine group or medium-dose dexmedetomidine group. The
      W/D and the concentrations of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta in the pulmonary tissues
      were increased in the LPS group as compared with those in NS group, which were
      reduced in the H group but not in S group or M group (P<0.01). The expression of
      AQP1 and AQP5 was lower in the LPS group than in the NS group, and significantly
      increased in the H group but not in the S group or M group (P<0.01). Our findings
      suggest that dexmedetomidine may alleviate pulmonary edema by increasing the
      expression of AQP-1 and AQP-5.

PMID- 26489623
TI  - Effects of dendritic cell-activated and cytokine-induced killer cell therapy on
      22 children with acute myeloid leukemia after chemotherapy.
AB  - The efficiency of dendritic cell-activated and cytokine-induced killer cell (DC
      CIK) therapy on children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after chemotherapy was
      investigated. Mononuclear cells were collected from children achieving complete
      remission after chemotherapy, cultured in vitro and transfused back into the same
      patient. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) was injected subcutaneously every other day 10
      times at the dose of 1 * 10(6) units. Peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets and
      minimal residual disease (MRD) were detected by flow cytometry. Function of bone
      marrow was monitored by methods of morphology, immunology, cytogenetics and
      molecular biology. The side effects were also observed during the treatment. The
      average follow-up period for all the 22 patients was 71 months and relapse
      occurred in two AML patients (9.1%). The percentage of CD3(+)/CD8(+) cells in
      peripheral blood of 15 patients at the 3rd month after DC-CIK treatment (36.73%
      +/- 12.51%) was dramatically higher than that before treatment (29.20% +/- 8.34%,
      P < 0.05). The MRD rate was >0.1% in 5 patients before the treatment, and became
      lower than 0.1% 3 months after the treatment. During the transfusion of DC-CIK,
      side effects including fever, chills and hives appeared in 7 out of 22 (31.82%)
      cases but disappeared quickly after symptomatic treatments. There were no changes
      in electrocardiography and liver-renal functions after the treatment. MRD in
      children with AML can be eliminated by DC-CIK therapy which is safe and has fewer
      side effects.

PMID- 26489624
TI  - Angiogenic factors are associated with development of acute graft-versus-host
      disease after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
AB  - Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is a serious complication after
      allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, the
      mechanisms of aGVHD are not well understood. We aim to investigate the roles of
      the three angiogenic factors: angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), Ang-2 and vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the development of aGVHD. Twenty-one patients
      who underwent allo-HSCT were included in our study. The dynamic changes of Ang-1,
      Ang-2 and VEGF were monitored in patients before and after allo-HSCT. In vitro,
      endothelial cells (ECs) were treated with TNF-beta in the presence or absence of
      Ang-1, and then the Ang-2 level in the cell culture medium and the tubule
      formation by ECs were evaluated. After allo-HSCT, Ang-1, Ang-2 and VEGF all
      exhibited significant variation, suggesting these factors might be involved in
      the endothelial damage in transplantation. Patients with aGVHD had lower Ang-1
      level at day 7 but higher Ang-2 level at day 21 than those without aGVHD,
      implying that Ang-1 may play a protective role in early phase yet Ang-2 is a
      promotion factor to aGVHD. In vitro, TNF-beta promoted the release of Ang-2 by
      ECs and impaired tubule formation of ECs, which were both weakened by Ang-1,
      suggesting that Ang-1 may play a protective role in aGVHD by influencing the
      secretion of Ang-2, consistent with our in vivo tests. It is concluded that
      monitoring changes of these factors following allo-HSCT might help to identify
      patients at a high risk for aGVHD. 

PMID- 26489625
TI  - A novel schiff base zinc coordination compound inhibits proliferation and induces
      apoptosis of human osteosarcoma cells.
AB  - Various kinds of schiff base metal complexes have been proven to induce apoptosis
      of tumor cells. However, it remains largely unknown whether schiff base zinc
      complexes induce apoptosis in human cancer cells. Here, we synthesized a novel
      schiff base zinc coordination compound (SBZCC) and investigated its effects on
      the growth, proliferation and apoptosis of human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells. A
      novel SBZCC was synthesized by chemical processes and used to treat MG-63 cells.
      The cell viability was determined by CCK-8 assay. The cell cycle progression,
      mitochondrial membrane potential and apoptotic cells were analyzed by flow
      cytometry. The apoptosis-related proteins levels were determined by
      immunoblotting. Treatment of MG-63 cells with SBZCC resulted in inhibition of
      cell proliferation and cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. Moreover, SBZCC
      significantly reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential and induced apoptosis,
      accompanied with increased Bax/Bcl-2 and FlasL/Fas expression as well as caspase
      3/8/9 cleavage. Our results demonstrated that the synthesized novel SBZCC could
      inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of MG-63 cells via activating both
      the mitochondrial and cell death receptor apoptosis pathways, suggesting that
      SBZCC is a promising agent for the development as anticancer drugs. 

PMID- 26489626
TI  - A novel thermosensitive in-situ gel of gabexate mesilate for treatment of
      traumatic pancreatitis: An experimental study.
AB  - Gabexate mesilate (GM) is a trypsin inhibitor, and mainly used for treatment of
      various acute pancreatitis, including traumatic pancreatitis (TP), edematous
      pancreatitis, and acute necrotizing pancreatitis. However, due to the
      characteristics of pharmacokinetics, the clinical application of GM still needs
      frequently intravenous administration to keep the blood drug concentration, which
      is difficult to manage. Specially, when the blood supply of pancreas is directly
      damaged, intravenous administration is difficult to exert the optimum therapy
      effect. To address it, a novel thermosensitive in-situ gel of gabexate mesilate
      (GMTI) was developed, and the optimum formulation of GMTI containing 20.6% (w/w)
      P-407 and 5.79% (w/w) P188 with different concentrations of GM was used as a
      gelling solvent. The effective drug concentration on trypsin inhibition was
      examined after treatment with different concentrations of GMTI in vitro, and GM
      served as a positive control. The security of GMTI was evaluated by hematoxylin
      eosin (HE) staining, and its curative effect on grade II pancreas injury was also
      evaluated by testing amylase (AMS), C-reactive protein (CRP) and trypsinogen
      activation peptide (TAP), and pathological analysis of the pancreas. The trypsin
      activity was slightly inhibited at 1.0 and 5.0 mg/mL in GM group and GMTI group,
      respectively (P<0.05 vs. P-407), and completely inhibited at 10.0 and 20.0 mg/mL
      (P<0.01 vs. P-407). After local injection of 10 mg/mL GMTI to rat leg muscular
      tissue, muscle fiber texture was normal, and there were no obvious red blood
      cells and infiltration of inflammatory cells. Furthermore, the expression of AMS,
      CRP and TAP was significantly increased in TP group as compared with control
      group (P<0.01), and significantly decreased in GM group as compared with TP group
      (P<0.01), and also slightly inhibited after 1.0 and 5.0 mg/mL GMTI treatment as
      compared with TP group (P<0.05), and significantly inhibited after 10.0 and 20.0
      mg/mL GMTI treatment as compared with TP group (P<0.01). HE staining results
      demonstrated that pancreas cells were uniformly distributed in control group, and
      they were loosely arranged, partially dissolved, with deeply stained nuclei in TP
      group. Expectedly, after gradient GMTI treatment, pancreas cells were gradually
      restored to tight distribution, with slightly stained nuclei. This preliminary
      study indicated that GMTI could effectively inhibit pancreatic enzymes, and
      alleviate the severity of trauma-induced pancreatitis, and had a potential drug
      developing and clinic application value. 

PMID- 26489627
TI  - Role of inhibition of osteogenesis function by Sema4D/Plexin-B1 signaling pathway
      in skeletal fluorosis in vitro.
AB  - Skeletal fluorosis is a chronically metabolic bone disease with extensive
      hyperostosis osteosclerosis caused by long time exposure to fluoride. Skeletal
      fluorosis brings about a series of abnormal changes of the extremity, such as
      joint pain, joint stiffness, bone deformity, etc. Differentiation and maturation
      of osteoblasts were regulated by osteoclasts via Sema4D/Plexin-B1 signaling
      pathway. Furthermore, the differentiation and maturation of osteoclasts are
      conducted by osteoblasts via RANKL/RANK/OPG pathway. Both of these processes form
      a feedback circuit which is a key link in skeletal fluorosis. In this study, an
      osteoblast-osteoclast co-culture model in vitro was developed to illustrate the
      mechanism of skeletal fluorosis. With the increase of fluoride concentration, the
      expression level of Sema4D was decreased and TGF-beta1 was increased
      continuously. OPG/RANKL mRNA level, however, increased gradually. On the basis of
      that, the inhibition of Sema4D/Plexin-B1/RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway caused by
      fluoride promoted the level of TGF-beta1 and activated the proliferation of
      osteoblasts. In addition, osteroprotegerin (OPG) secreted by osteoblasts was up
      regulated by fluoride. The competitive combination of OPG and RANKL was
      strengthened and the combination of RANKL and RANK was hindered. And then the
      differentiation and maturation of osteoclasts were inhibited, and bone absorption
      was weakened, leading to skeletal fluorosis. 

PMID- 26489628
TI  - Synaptic vesicle protein2A decreases in amygdaloid-kindling pharmcoresistant
      epileptic rats.
AB  - Synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) involvement has been reported in the animal
      models of epilepsy and in human intractable epilepsy. The difference between
      pharmacosensitive epilepsy and pharmacoresistant epilepsy remains poorly
      understood. The present study aimed to observe the hippocampus SV2A protein
      expression in amygdale-kindling pharmacoresistant epileptic rats. The
      pharmacosensitive epileptic rats served as control. Amygdaloid-kindling model of
      epilepsy was established in 100 healthy adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. The
      kindled rat model of epilepsy was used to select pharmacoresistance by testing
      their seizure response to phenytoin and phenobarbital. The selected
      pharmacoresistant rats were assigned to a pharmacoresistant epileptic group (PRE
      group). Another 12 pharmacosensitive epileptic rats (PSE group) served as
      control. Immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to
      determine SV2A expression in the hippocampus tissue samples from both the PRE and
      the PSE rats. Immunohistochemistry staining showed that SV2A was mainly
      accumulated in the cytoplasm of the neurons, as well as along their dendrites
      throughout all subfields of the hippocampus. Immunoreactive staining level of
      SV2A-positive cells was 0.483 +/- 0.304 in the PRE group and 0.866 +/- 0.090 in
      the PSE group (P < 0.05). Real-time PCR analysis demonstrated that 2(
      DeltaDeltaCt) value of SV2A mRNA was 0.30 +/- 0.43 in the PRE group and 0.76 +/-
      0.18 in the PSE group (P < 0.05). Western blotting analysis obtained the similar
      findings (0.27 +/- 0.21 versus 1.12 +/- 0.21, P < 0.05). PRE rats displayed a
      significant decrease of SV2A in the brain. SV2A may be associated with the
      pathogenesis of intractable epilepsy of the amygdaloid-kindling rats.

PMID- 26489629
TI  - High levels of testosterone inhibit ovarian follicle development by repressing
      the FSH signaling pathway.
AB  - The effect of high concentrations of testosterone on ovarian follicle development
      was investigated. Primary follicles and granulosa cells were cultured in vitro in
      media supplemented with a testosterone concentration gradient. The combined
      effects of testosterone and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) on follicular
      growth and granulosa cell gonadotropin receptor mRNA expression were also
      investigated. Follicle growth in the presence of high testosterone concentrations
      was promoted at early stages (days 1-7), but inhibited at later stage (days 7-14)
      of in vitro culture. Interestingly, testosterone-induced follicle development
      arrest was rescued by treatment with high concentrations of FSH (400 mIU/mL). In
      addition, in cultured granulosa cells, high testosterone concentrations induced
      cell proliferation, and increased the mRNA expression level of FSH receptor
      (FSHR), and luteinized hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor. It was concluded that
      high concentrations of testosterone inhibited follicle development, most likely
      through regulation of the FSH signaling pathway, although independently from FSHR
      downregulation. These findings are an important step in further understanding the
      pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome. 

PMID- 26489630
TI  - Knockdown of Bmi1 inhibits bladder cancer cell growth both in vitro and in vivo
      by blocking cell cycle at G1 phase and inducing apoptosis.
AB  - Bmi1 is a member of the polycomb group family of proteins, and it drives the
      carcinogenesis of various cancers and governs the self-renewal of multiple types
      of stem cells. However, its role in the initiation and progression of bladder
      cancer is not clearly known. The present study aimed to investigate the function
      of Bmi1 in the development of bladder cancer. Bmi1 expression was detected in
      human bladder cancer tissues and their adjacent normal tissues (n=10) by
      immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Bmi1 small
      interference RNA (siRNA) was synthesized and transfected into human bladder
      carcinoma cells (EJ) by lipofectamine 2000. The Bmil expression at mRNA and
      protein levels was measured in EJ cells transfected with Bmil siRNA (0, 80, 160
      nmol/L) by qRT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Cell viability and Ki67
      expression (a marker of cell proliferation) were determined in Bmi1 siRNA
      transfected cells by CCK-8 assay and qRT-PCR, respectively. Cell cycle of
      transfected cells was flow-cytometrically determined. Immunofluorescence and
      Western blotting were used to detect the expression levels of cell cycle
      associated proteins cyclin D1 and cyclin E in the cells. Pro-apoptotic proteins
      Bax and caspase 3 and anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 were detected by Western
      blotting as well. Additionally, xenograft tumor models were established by
      inoculation of EJ cells (infected with Bmil shRNA/pLKO.1 lentivirus or not) into
      nude mice. The tumor volumes were measured every other day for 14 days. The
      results showed that the Bmil expression was significantly increased in bladder
      tumor tissues when compared with that in normal tissues (P<0.05). Perturbation of
      Bmi1 expression by using siRNA could significantly inhibit the proliferation of
      EJ cells (P<0.05). Bmi1 siRNA-transfected EJ cells were accumulated in G1 phase
      and the expression levels of cyclin D1 and cyclin E were down-regulated. Bax and
      caspase-3 expression levels were significantly increased and Bcl-2 levels
      decreased after Bmi1 knockdown. Tumor volume was conspicuously reduced in mice
      injected with EJ cells with Bmi1 knockdown. Our findings indicate that Bmi1 is a
      potential driver oncogene of bladder cancer and it may become a potential
      treatment target for human bladder cancer.

PMID- 26489631
TI  - Total triterpenoids from Ganoderma Lucidum suppresses prostate cancer cell growth
      by inducing growth arrest and apoptosis.
AB  - In this study, one immortalized human normal prostatic epithelial cell line (BPH)
      and four human prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP, 22Rv1, PC-3, and DU-145) were
      treated with Ganoderma Lucidum triterpenoids (GLT) at different doses and for
      different time periods. Cell viability, apoptosis, and cell cycle were analyzed
      using flow cytometry and chemical assays. Gene expression and binding to DNA were
      assessed using real-time PCR and Western blotting. It was found that GLT dose
      dependently inhibited prostate cancer cell growth through induction of apoptosis
      and cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. GLT-induced apoptosis was due to activation of
      Caspases-9 and -3 and turning on the downstream apoptotic events. GLT-induced
      cell cycle arrest (mainly G1 arrest) was due to up-regulation of p21 expression
      at the early time and down-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) and
      E2F1 expression at the late time. These findings demonstrate that GLT suppresses
      prostate cancer cell growth by inducing growth arrest and apoptosis, which might
      suggest that GLT or Ganoderma Lucidum could be used as a potential therapeutic
      drug for prostate cancer. 

PMID- 26489632
TI  - Surgical challenges for lateral ventricle meningiomas: A consecutive series of 21
      patients.
AB  - Lateral ventricular meningiomas (LVMs) are especially rare, and they often remain
      "silent" until they become very large. Several surgical approaches exist, but the
      optimal surgical strategy for them remains a challenge. The incidence, clinical
      features, radiological manifestations, pathological findings, and especially the
      surgical strategy in 21 patients with LVMs were analyzed retrospectively. The
      mean age of patients was 42.7 years (range, 17 to 78 years). Raised intracranial
      pressure was the main presenting symptom. The definite diagnosis of LVMs in most
      cases was made by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
      Six patients were subjected to plain CT scans, 15 to contrast MR scans, and 4 to
      a magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA). Large tumors were seen in most cases with
      an average diameter of more than 4.3 cm. Of the 21 cases of LVMs in our series,
      LVMs were resected in 16 cases via a posterior parieto-occipital transcortical
      approach, 2 cases via a transcallosal approach, and 3 cases via a posterior
      middle temporal gyrus approach. In 8 out of 21 cases, the tumors were located in
      the left lateral ventricle. The gross total surgical excision was achieved in 18
      (86%) patients, and all LVMs were pathologically confirmed to be benign. Nine
      patients were followed up (range: 11 months-4.6 years). Eight (88.9%) cases
      obtained good recovery and one (11.1%) obtained moderate disability. Four
      approaches are available for the surgical treatment of LVMs. The choice of
      surgical approaches depends on tumor location, laterality, size and extension,
      and the function of the brain must be taken into account. Intracapsular resection
      and piecemeal resection of LVMs can be safely and easily performed. Preoperative
      MRA scan is important to know the feeder of LVMs and peripheral blood supply. 

PMID- 26489633
TI  - Modified titration intratympanic gentamicin injection for unilateral intractable
      Meniere's disease.
AB  - This study looked into the efficacy of a modified titration protocol of
      intratympanic gentamicin injection (ITG) in the patients with unilateral
      intractable Meniere's disease (MD). Modified titration protocol of ITG at a low
      dose (20 mg/mL) was administered to 10 patients with definite unilateral
      intractable MD. After initial first two fixed ITGs on weekly basis, the patients
      might or might not be given any more injections, depending on the appearance of
      unilateral vestibular loss (UVL). ITG was terminated if the patients satisfied
      the criteria of UVL. All patients were followed-up for at least two years. The
      effects of ITG on the vertigo attack, functional level scores and postural
      balance were evaluated. Of the 10 cases, 8 showed the sign of UVL after receiving
      initial two ITGs and were not given any more intratympanic injections, and the
      other 2 patients were administered three ITGs. A two-year follow-up revealed that
      complete and substantial vertigo control was achieved in 9 cases, and limited
      vertigo control in 1 patient. Hearing level was lowered in 2 patients. The
      posture stability and functional level scores were improved. Our study showed
      that the modified titration protocol of ITG at a low dose could effectively
      control vertigo in patients with unilateral intractable MD. 

PMID- 26489634
TI  - Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms of ABCB1, OPRM1 and COMT with pain
      perception in cancer patients.
AB  - Pain perception is influenced by multiple factors. The single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) of some genes were found associated with pain perception.
      This study aimed to examine the association of the genotypes of ABCB1 C3435T,
      OPRM1 A118G and COMT V108/158M (valine 108/158 methionine) with pain perception
      in cancer patients. We genotyped 146 cancer pain patients and 139 cancer patients
      without pain for ABCB1 C3435T (rs1045642), OPRM1 A118G (rs1799971) and COMT
      V108/158M (rs4680) by the fluorescent dye-terminator cycle sequencing method, and
      compared the genotype distribution between groups with different pain intensities
      by chi-square test and pain scores between groups with different genotypes by non
      parametric test. The results showed that in these cancer patients, the frequency
      of variant T allele of ABCB1 C3435T was 40.5%; that of G allele of OPRM1 A118G
      was 38.5% and that of A allele of COMT V108/158M was 23.3%. No significant
      difference in the genotype distribution of ABCB1 C3435T (rs1045642) and OPRM1
      A118G (rs1799971) was observed between cancer pain group and control group
      (P=0.364 and 0.578); however, significant difference occurred in the genotype
      distribution of COMT V108/158M (rs4680) between the two groups (P=0.001). And the
      difference could not be explained by any other confounding factors. Moreover, we
      found that the genotypes of COMT V108/158M and ABCB1 C3435T were associated with
      the intensities of pain in cancer patients. In conclusion, our results indicate
      that the SNPs of COMT V108/158M and ABCB1 C3435T significantly influence the pain
      perception in Chinese cancer patients. 

PMID- 26489635
TI  - Effect of topical propranolol gel on plasma renin, angiotensin II and vascular
      endothelial growth factor in superficial infantile hemangiomas.
AB  - The effect of topical propranolol gel on the levels of plasma renin, angiotensin
      II (ATII) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in superficial infantile
      hemangiomas (IHs) was investigated. Thirty-three consecutive children with
      superficial IHs were observed pre-treatment, 1 and 3 months after application of
      topical propranolol gel for the levels of plasma renin, ATII and VEGF in
      Department of General Surgery of Dongfang Hospital from February 2013 to February
      2014. The plasma results of IHs were compared with those of 30 healthy infants of
      the same age from out-patient department. The clinical efficiency of topical
      propranolol gel at 1st, and 3rd month after application was 45%, and 82%
      respectively. The levels of plasma renin, ATII and VEGF in patients pre-treatment
      were higher than those in healthy infants (565.86 +/- 49.66 vs. 18.19 +/- 3.56,
      3.20 +/- 0.39 vs 0.30 +/- 0.03, and 362.16 +/- 27.29 vs. 85.63 +/- 8.14, P <
      0.05). The concentrations of VEGF and renin at 1st and 3rd month after treatment
      were decreased obviously as compared with those pre-treatment (271.51 +/- 18.59
      vs. 362.16 +/- 27.29, and 405.18 +/- 42.52 vs. 565.86 +/- 49.66 P < 0.05; 240.80
      +/- 19.89 vs. 362.16 +/- 27.29, and 325.90 +/- 35.78 vs. 565.86 +/- 49.66, P <
      0.05, respectively), but the levels of plasma ATII declined slightly (2.96 +/-
      0.37 vs. 3.20 +/- 0.39, and 2.47 +/- 0.27 vs. 3.20 +/- 0.39, P > 0.05). It was
      indicated that the increased renin, ATII and VEGF might play a role in the onset
      or development of IHs. Propranolol gel may suppress the proliferation of IHs by
      reducing VEGF.

PMID- 26489636
TI  - Fracture and migration of implantable venous access port catheters: Cause
      analysis and management of 4 cases.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate the causes and managements of the fractures and
      migrations of the implantable venous access port catheter (IVAPC). The fracture
      or migration of IVAPC occurred in 4 patients who were treated between May 2012
      and January 2014 in Union Hospital, Wuhan, China. The port catheter leakage was
      found in 2 cases during drug infusion. Catheters that dislodged to the superior
      vena cava and right atrium were confirmed by port angiogram. The two dislodged
      catheters were successfully retrieved by interventional procedures. Catheter
      fracture occurred in two cases during port removal. One catheter was eventually
      removed from the subclavian vein through right clavicle osteotomy and subclavian
      venotomy, and the other removed by external jugular venotomy. Flushing the port
      in high pressure and injury of the totally implantable venous access port (TIVP)
      during implantation are usually responsible for catheter displacement.
      Interventional retrieval procedure can be used if the catheter dislodges to the
      vena cava and right atrium. Catheter fracture may occur during removal if
      clipping syndrome occurs or the catheter is sutured very tight during
      implantation. 

PMID- 26489637
TI  - Repetitive magnetic stimulation promotes neural stem cells proliferation by
      upregulating MiR-106b in vitro.
AB  - Neural stem cells (NSCs) proliferation can be influenced by repetitive
      transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in vivo via microRNA-106b-25 cluster,
      but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This study investigated the
      involvement of microRNA-106b-25 cluster in the proliferation of NSCs after
      repetitive magnetic stimulation (rMS) in vitro. NSCs were stimulated by rMS
      (200/400/600/800/1000 pulses per day, with 10 Hz frequency and 50% maximum
      machine output) over a 3-day period. NSCs proliferation was detected by using ki
      67 and EdU staining. Ki-67, p21, p57, cyclinD1, cyclinE, cyclinA, cdk2, cdk4
      proteins and miR-106b, miR-93, miR-25 mRNAs were detected by Western blotting and
      qRT-PCR, respectively. The results showed that rMS could promote NSCs
      proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. The proportions of ki-67+ and Edu+
      cells in 1000 pulses group were 20.65% and 4.00%, respectively, significantly
      higher than those in control group (9.25%, 2.05%). The expression levels of miR
      106b and miR-93 were significantly upregulated in 600-1000 pulses groups compared
      with control group (P<0.05 or 0.01 for all). The expression levels of p21 protein
      were decreased significantly in 800/1000 pulses groups, and those of cyclinD1,
      cyclinA, cyclinE, cdk2 and cdk4 were obviously increased after rMS as compared
      with control group (P<0.05 or 0.01 for all). In conclusion, our findings
      suggested that rMS enhances the NSCs proliferation in vitro in a dose-dependent
      manner and miR-106b/p21/cdks/cyclins pathway was involved in the process. 

PMID- 26489639
TI  - Acceptability of physical examination by male doctors in medical care: Taking
      breast palpation as an example.
AB  - In this study, we conducted an investigation among medical workers, patients and
      college students concerning their acceptability of breast palpation performed by
      male doctors (hereinafter referred to as "acceptability", or "the examination",
      respectively, if not otherwise indicated), to get the information about their
      acceptability and reasons for accepting or declining the examination among the
      three population. A questionnaire investigation was conducted in 500 patients
      with breast diseases, 700 students of medical colleges, and 280 medical workers
      working in hospitals. The subjects were asked to choose between two options:
      accept or do not accept (the examination). The subjects were asked to fill out
      the questionnaire forms on free and anonymous basis and the questionnaire forms
      were collected on spot, immediately after completion. The questionnaires
      collected were coded, sorted out and checked. Data of the eligible questionnaires
      were input into Epidata software and analyzed by SPSS. Upon the establishment of
      the database, the intra-group data were tested by utilizing chi(2) test. Among
      1480 questionnaires, 1293 (90.41%) questionnaires were retrieved. Our results
      showed that 56.78% of patients reported that they could accept breast palpation
      by male doctors. About 59.66% of medical staff expressed their acceptance of the
      examination, but only 35.03% of students said the examination. On the basis of
      this study, we were led to conclude that the examination is not well accepted by
      different populations, and therefore, (1) medical professionals and
      administrators should pay attention to the gender-related ethics in their
      practice and the feeling of patients should be respected when medical
      examinations involve private or sensitive body parts; (2) to this end, related
      departments should be properly staffed with doctors of both sexes, and this is
      especially true of the departments involving the examination or treatment of
      private or sensitive body parts; (3) health education should, among other things,
      include helping female patients to overcome the fear and anxiety in such
      examinations. This is of great importance since some women may miss the
      opportunity to get timely diagnosis. 

PMID- 26489638
TI  - Toxic potential of palytoxin.
AB  - This review briefly describes the origin, chemistry, molecular mechanism of
      action, pharmacology, toxicology, and ecotoxicology of palytoxin and its
      analogues. Palytoxin and its analogues are produced by marine dinoflagellates.
      Palytoxin is also produced by Zoanthids (i.e. Palythoa), and Cyanobacteria
      (Trichodesmium). Palytoxin is a very large, non-proteinaceous molecule with a
      complex chemical structure having both lipophilic and hydrophilic moieties.
      Palytoxin is one of the most potent marine toxins with an LD50 of 150 ng/kg body
      weight in mice exposed intravenously. Pharmacological and electrophysiological
      studies have demonstrated that palytoxin acts as a hemolysin and alters the
      function of excitable cells through multiple mechanisms of action. Palytoxin
      selectively binds to Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase with a Kd of 20 pM and transforms the pump
      into a channel permeable to monovalent cations with a single-channel conductance
      of 10 pS. This mechanism of action could have multiple effects on cells.
      Evaluation of palytoxin toxicity using various animal models revealed that
      palytoxin is an extremely potent neurotoxin following an intravenous,
      intraperitoneal, intramuscular, subcutaneous or intratracheal route of exposure.
      Palytoxin also causes non-lethal, yet serious toxic effects following dermal or
      ocular exposure. Most incidents of palytoxin poisoning have manifested after oral
      intake of contaminated seafood. Poisonings in humans have also been noted after
      inhalation, cutaneous/systemic exposures with direct contact of aerosolized
      seawater during Ostreopsis blooms and/or through maintaining aquaria containing
      Cnidarian zoanthids. Palytoxin has a strong potential for toxicity in humans and
      animals, and currently this toxin is of great concern worldwide. 

PMID- 26489640
TI  - A Practical Approach to Juvenile Dermatomyositis and Juvenile Scleroderma.
AB  - Juvenile dermatomyositis and juvenile scleroderma are rare multisystem autoimmune
      disorders. Although they share some pathognomonic hallmarks with adult onset
      myositis or scleroderma, there are significant differences in presentation,
      characteristics and associated features when the diseases present in childhood.
      In view of this, and the rarity of the conditions, it is important for care to be
      led by teams with expertise in pediatric rheumatology conditions. Prognosis has
      improved significantly in the West; likely due to early diagnosis and aggressive
      treatment with immunosuppressive medications. However, this trend is not
      replicated in the developing world. Early recognition of these diseases is
      crucial to achieve rapid and sustained remission and prevent disease or
      medication associated complications. This article aims to provide a practical
      overview for recognition, diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.

PMID- 26489641
TI  - [Wolfgang Oehmichen : 11.11.1923 - 27.09.2014].

PMID- 26489642
TI  - [Report of the working group on dermatopathology].

PMID- 26489643
TI  - A new direction for grid cells.
AB  - Krupic, Bauza, Burton, Barry, & O'Keefe (Grid cell symmetry is shaped by
      environmental geometry. Nature, 518, 232-235, 2015) found that the grids of grid
      cells in the entorhinal cortex of rats become sparser at the sharp end of a
      trapezoidal space. This makes grids, and grid cells, unsuitable for measuring
      distance traveled (odometry) and suggests that grid cells may have more to do
      with sorting out directions. 

PMID- 26489645
TI  - Hyperkalaemia on the surgical ward.

PMID- 26489644
TI  - ABCG1 regulates mouse adipose tissue macrophage cholesterol levels and ratio of
      M1 to M2 cells in obesity and caloric restriction.
AB  - In addition to triacylglycerols, adipocytes contain a large reserve of
      unesterified cholesterol. During adipocyte lipolysis and cell death seen during
      severe obesity and weight loss, free fatty acids and cholesterol become available
      for uptake and processing by adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs). We hypothesize
      that ATMs become cholesterol enriched and participate in cholesterol clearance
      from adipose tissue. We previously showed that ABCG1 is robustly upregulated in
      ATMs taken from obese mice and further enhanced by caloric restriction. Here, we
      found that ATMs taken from obese and calorie-restricted mice derived from
      transplantation of WT or Abcg1-deficient bone marrow are cholesterol enriched.
      ABCG1 levels regulate the ratio of classically activated (M1) to alternatively
      activated (M2) ATMs and their cellular cholesterol content. Using WT and Abcg1(-/
      ) cultured macrophages, we found that Abcg1 is most highly expressed by M2
      macrophages and that ABCG1 deficiency is sufficient to retard macrophage
      chemotaxis. However, changes in myeloid expression of Abcg1 did not protect mice
      from obesity or impaired glucose homeostasis. Overall, ABCG1 modulates ATM
      cholesterol content in obesity and weight loss regimes leading to an alteration
      in M1 to M2 ratio that we suggest is due to the extent of macrophage egress from
      adipose tissue. 

PMID- 26489646
TI  - Duty of candour should not be tied to an "apology".

PMID- 26489647
TI  - Transcriptomic characterization of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLHCC) tumors all carry a deletion of ~
      400 kb in chromosome 19, resulting in a fusion of the genes for the heat shock
      protein, DNAJ (Hsp40) homolog, subfamily B, member 1, DNAJB1, and the catalytic
      subunit of protein kinase A, PRKACA. The resulting chimeric transcript produces a
      fusion protein that retains kinase activity. No other recurrent genomic
      alterations have been identified. Here we characterize the molecular pathogenesis
      of FLHCC with transcriptome sequencing (RNA sequencing). Differential expression
      (tumor vs. adjacent normal tissue) was detected for more than 3,500 genes (log2
      fold change >= 1, false discovery rate <= 0.01), many of which were distinct from
      those found in hepatocellular carcinoma. Expression of several known oncogenes,
      such as ErbB2 and Aurora Kinase A, was increased in tumor samples. These and
      other dysregulated genes may serve as potential targets for therapeutic
      intervention.

PMID- 26489648
TI  - Mitochondrial retrograde signaling regulates neuronal function.
AB  - Mitochondria are key regulators of cellular homeostasis, and mitochondrial
      dysfunction is strongly linked to neurodegenerative diseases, including
      Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Mitochondria communicate their bioenergetic status
      to the cell via mitochondrial retrograde signaling. To investigate the role of
      mitochondrial retrograde signaling in neurons, we induced mitochondrial
      dysfunction in the Drosophila nervous system. Neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction
      causes reduced viability, defects in neuronal function, decreased redox
      potential, and reduced numbers of presynaptic mitochondria and active zones. We
      find that neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction stimulates a retrograde signaling
      response that controls the expression of several hundred nuclear genes. We show
      that the Drosophila hypoxia inducible factor alpha (HIFalpha) ortholog Similar
      (Sima) regulates the expression of several of these retrograde genes, suggesting
      that Sima mediates mitochondrial retrograde signaling. Remarkably, knockdown of
      Sima restores neuronal function without affecting the primary mitochondrial
      defect, demonstrating that mitochondrial retrograde signaling is partly
      responsible for neuronal dysfunction. Sima knockdown also restores function in a
      Drosophila model of the mitochondrial disease Leigh syndrome and in a Drosophila
      model of familial Parkinson's disease. Thus, mitochondrial retrograde signaling
      regulates neuronal activity and can be manipulated to enhance neuronal function,
      despite mitochondrial impairment. 

PMID- 26489650
TI  - Mutation-biased adaptation in Andean house wrens.

PMID- 26489651
TI  - Of goals and habits.

PMID- 26489649
TI  - Xist imprinting is promoted by the hemizygous (unpaired) state in the male germ
      line.
AB  - The long noncoding X-inactivation-specific transcript (Xist gene) is responsible
      for mammalian X-chromosome dosage compensation between the sexes, the process by
      which one of the two X chromosomes is inactivated in the female soma. Xist is
      essential for both the random and imprinted forms of X-chromosome inactivation.
      In the imprinted form, Xist is paternally marked to be expressed in female
      embryos. To investigate the mechanism of Xist imprinting, we introduce Xist
      transgenes (Tg) into the male germ line. Although ectopic high-level Xist
      expression on autosomes can be compatible with viability, transgenic animals
      demonstrate reduced fitness, subfertility, defective meiotic pairing, and other
      germ-cell abnormalities. In the progeny, paternal-specific expression is
      recapitulated by the 200-kb Xist Tg. However, Xist imprinting occurs efficiently
      only when it is in an unpaired or unpartnered state during male meiosis. When
      transmitted from a hemizygous father (+/Tg), the Xist Tg demonstrates paternal
      specific expression in the early embryo. When transmitted by a homozygous father
      (Tg/Tg), the Tg fails to show imprinted expression. Thus, Xist imprinting is
      directed by sequences within a 200-kb X-linked region, and the hemizygous
      (unpaired) state of the Xist region promotes its imprinting in the male germ
      line. 

PMID- 26489652
TI  - Probing exoplanet clouds with optical phase curves.
AB  - Kepler-7b is to date the only exoplanet for which clouds have been inferred from
      the optical phase curve--from visible-wavelength whole-disk brightness
      measurements as a function of orbital phase. Added to this, the fact that the
      phase curve appears dominated by reflected starlight makes this close-in giant
      planet a unique study case. Here we investigate the information on coverage and
      optical properties of the planet clouds contained in the measured phase curve. We
      generate cloud maps of Kepler-7b and use a multiple-scattering approach to create
      synthetic phase curves, thus connecting postulated clouds with measurements. We
      show that optical phase curves can help constrain the composition and size of the
      cloud particles. Indeed, model fitting for Kepler-7b requires poorly absorbing
      particles that scatter with low-to-moderate anisotropic efficiency, conclusions
      consistent with condensates of silicates, perovskite, and silica of submicron
      radii. We also show that we are limited in our ability to pin down the extent and
      location of the clouds. These considerations are relevant to the interpretation
      of optical phase curves with general circulation models. Finally, we estimate
      that the spherical albedo of Kepler-7b over the Kepler passband is in the range
      0.4-0.5.

PMID- 26489653
TI  - Holocentromeres in Rhynchospora are associated with genome-wide centromere
      specific repeat arrays interspersed among euchromatin.
AB  - Holocentric chromosomes lack a primary constriction, in contrast to monocentrics.
      They form kinetochores distributed along almost the entire poleward surface of
      the chromatids, to which spindle fibers attach. No centromere-specific DNA
      sequence has been found for any holocentric organism studied so far. It was
      proposed that centromeric repeats, typical for many monocentric species, could
      not occur in holocentrics, most likely because of differences in the centromere
      organization. Here we show that the holokinetic centromeres of the Cyperaceae
      Rhynchospora pubera are highly enriched by a centromeric histone H3 variant
      interacting centromere-specific satellite family designated "Tyba" and by
      centromeric retrotransposons (i.e., CRRh) occurring as genome-wide interspersed
      arrays. Centromeric arrays vary in length from 3 to 16 kb and are intermingled
      with gene-coding sequences and transposable elements. We show that
      holocentromeres of metaphase chromosomes are composed of multiple centromeric
      units rather than possessing a diffuse organization, thus favoring the
      polycentric model. A cell-cycle-dependent shuffling of multiple centromeric units
      results in the formation of functional (poly)centromeres during mitosis. The
      genome-wide distribution of centromeric repeat arrays interspersing the
      euchromatin provides a previously unidentified type of centromeric chromatin
      organization among eukaryotes. Thus, different types of holocentromeres exist in
      different species, namely with and without centromeric repetitive sequences. 

PMID- 26489654
TI  - An intrinsic mechanism of secreted protein aging and turnover.
AB  - The composition and functions of the secreted proteome are controlled by the life
      spans of different proteins. However, unlike intracellular protein fate,
      intrinsic factors determining secreted protein aging and turnover have not been
      identified and characterized. Almost all secreted proteins are
      posttranslationally modified with the covalent attachment of N-glycans. We have
      discovered an intrinsic mechanism of secreted protein aging and turnover linked
      to the stepwise elimination of saccharides attached to the termini of N-glycans.
      Endogenous glycosidases, including neuraminidase 1 (Neu1), neuraminidase 3
      (Neu3), beta-galactosidase 1 (Glb1), and hexosaminidase B (HexB), possess
      hydrolytic activities that temporally remodel N-glycan structures, progressively
      exposing different saccharides with increased protein age. Subsequently,
      endocytic lectins with distinct binding specificities, including the Ashwell
      Morell receptor, integrin alphaM, and macrophage mannose receptor, are engaged in
      N-glycan ligand recognition and the turnover of secreted proteins. Glycosidase
      inhibition and lectin deficiencies increased protein life spans and abundance,
      and the basal rate of N-glycan remodeling varied among distinct proteins,
      accounting for differences in their life spans. This intrinsic multifactorial
      mechanism of secreted protein aging and turnover contributes to health and the
      outcomes of disease. 

PMID- 26489656
TI  - Reply to Lessios and Marko et al.: Early and progressive migration across the
      Isthmus of Panama is robust to missing data and biases.

PMID- 26489655
TI  - The adherens junctions control susceptibility to Staphylococcus aureus alpha
      toxin.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus is both a transient skin colonizer and a formidable human
      pathogen, ranking among the leading causes of skin and soft tissue infections as
      well as severe pneumonia. The secreted bacterial alpha-toxin is essential for S.
      aureus virulence in these epithelial diseases. To discover host cellular factors
      required for alpha-toxin cytotoxicity, we conducted a genetic screen using
      mutagenized haploid human cells. Our screen identified a cytoplasmic member of
      the adherens junctions, plekstrin-homology domain containing protein 7 (PLEKHA7),
      as the second most significantly enriched gene after the known alpha-toxin
      receptor, a disintegrin and metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10). Here we report a new,
      unexpected role for PLEKHA7 and several components of cellular adherens junctions
      in controlling susceptibility to S. aureus alpha-toxin. We find that despite
      being injured by alpha-toxin pore formation, PLEKHA7 knockout cells recover after
      intoxication. By infecting PLEKHA7(-/-) mice with methicillin-resistant S. aureus
      USA300 LAC strain, we demonstrate that this junctional protein controls disease
      severity in both skin infection and lethal S. aureus pneumonia. Our results
      suggest that adherens junctions actively control cellular responses to a potent
      pore-forming bacterial toxin and identify PLEKHA7 as a potential nonessential
      host target to reduce S. aureus virulence during epithelial infections. 

PMID- 26489657
TI  - Do large molecular sequence divergences imply an early closure of the Isthmus of
      Panama?

PMID- 26489658
TI  - Appearance of an early closure of the Isthmus of Panama is the product of biased
      inclusion of data in the metaanalysis.

PMID- 26489659
TI  - Feasibility of controlling hookworm infection through preventive chemotherapy: a
      simulation study using the individual-based WORMSIM modelling framework.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Globally, hookworms infect 440 million people in developing
      countries. Especially children and women of childbearing age are at risk of
      developing anaemia as a result of infection. To control hookworm infection and
      disease (i.e. reduce the prevalence of medium and heavy infection to <1 %), the
      World Health Organization has set the target to provide annual or semi-annual
      preventive chemotherapy (PC) with albendazole (ALB) or mebendazole (MEB) to at
      least 75 % of all children and women of childbearing age in endemic areas by
      2020. Here, we predict the feasibility of achieving <1 % prevalence of medium and
      heavy infection, based on simulations with an individual-based model. METHODS: We
      developed WORMSIM, a new generalized individual-based modelling framework for
      transmission and control of helminths, and quantified it for hookworm
      transmission based on published data. We simulated the impact of standard and
      more intense PC strategies on trends in hookworm infection, and explored the
      potential additional impact of interventions that improve access to water,
      sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). The individual-based framework allowed us to take
      account of inter-individual heterogeneities in exposure and contribution to
      transmission of infection, as well as in participation in successive PC rounds.
      RESULTS: We predict that in low and medium endemic areas, current PC strategies
      (including targeting of WCBA) will achieve control of hookworm infection (i.e.
      the parasitological target) within 2 years. In highly endemic areas, control can
      be achieved with semi-annual PC with ALB at 90 % coverage, combined with
      interventions that reduce host contributions to the environmental reservoir of
      infection by 50 %. More intense PC strategies (high frequency and coverage) can
      help speed up control of hookworm infection, and may be necessary in some
      extremely highly endemic settings, but are not a panacea against systematic non
      participation to PC. CONCLUSIONS: Control of hookworm infection by 2020 is
      feasible with current PC strategies (including targeting of WCBA). In highly
      endemic areas, PC should be combined with health education and/or WASH
      interventions.

PMID- 26489660
TI  - Metamorphic remodeling of morphology and the body cavity in Phoronopsis harmeri
      (Lophotrochozoa, Phoronida): the evolution of the phoronid body plan and life
      cycle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Phoronids undergo a remarkable metamorphosis, in which some parts of
      the larval body are consumed by the juvenile and the body plan completely
      changes. According to the only previous hypothesis concerning the evolution of
      the phoronid body plan, a hypothetical ancestor of phoronids inhabited a U-shaped
      burrow in soft sediment, where it drew the anterior and posterior parts of the
      body together and eventually fused them. In the current study, we investigated
      the metamorphosis of Phoronopsis harmeri with light, electron, and laser confocal
      microscopy. RESULTS: During metamorphosis, the larval hood is engulfed by the
      juvenile; the epidermis of the postroral ciliated band is squeezed from the
      tentacular epidermis and then engulfed; the larval telotroch undergoes cell death
      and disappears; and the juvenile body forms from the metasomal sack of the larva.
      The dorsal side of the larva becomes very short, whereas the ventral side becomes
      very long. The terminal portion of the juvenile body is the ampulla, which can
      repeatedly increase and decrease in diameter. This flexibility of the ampulla
      enables the juvenile to dig into the sediment. The large blastocoel of the larval
      collar gives rise to the lophophoral blood vessels of the juvenile. The dorsal
      blood vessel of the larva becomes the definitive median blood vessel. The
      juvenile inherits the larval protocoel, mesocoel, and metacoel. Late in
      metamorphosis, however, the protocoel loses its epithelial structure: the
      desmosomes between cells and the basal lamina under the cells disappear. This
      loss may reflect a reduction of the protocoel, which is a characteristic of some
      recent phoronids. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our investigation of P. harmeri
      metamorphosis, we hypothesize that the phoronid ancestor was worm-like animal
      that possessed preoral, tentacular, and trunk coeloms. It lived on the soft
      sediment and collected food with its tentacles. When threatened, this worm-like
      ancestor buried itself in the soft sediment by means of the ventral protrusion
      into which the loop of the intestine and the blood vessels were drawn. We propose
      that this behavior gave rise to the body plan of all recent phoronids. The
      evolution of phoronid life cycle seems having more in common with"intercalation"
      than "terminal addition" theories.

PMID- 26489661
TI  - Comparing three forms of early intervention for youth with borderline personality
      disorder (the MOBY study): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Borderline personality disorder is a severe mental disorder that
      usually has its onset in youth, but its diagnosis and treatment are often
      delayed. Psychosocial 'early intervention' is effective in improving symptoms and
      behaviours, but no trial has studied adaptive functioning as a primary outcome,
      even though this remains the major persistent impairment in this patient group.
      Also, the degree of complexity of treatment and requirements for implementation
      in mainstream health services are unclear. The primary aim of this trial is to
      evaluate the effectiveness of three forms of early intervention for borderline
      personality disorder in terms of adaptive functioning. Each treatment is defined
      by combining either a specialised or a general service delivery model with either
      an individual psychotherapy or a control psychotherapy condition. METHODS/DESIGN:
      The study is a parallel-group, single-blind, randomised controlled trial, which
      has randomised permuted blocking, stratified by depression score, sex and age.
      The treatments are: (1) the specialised Helping Young People Early service model
      plus up to 16 sessions of individual cognitive analytic therapy; (2) the Helping
      Young People Early service plus up to 16 sessions of a control psychotherapy
      condition known as 'befriending'; (3) a general youth mental health care model
      plus up to 16 sessions of befriending. Participants will comprise 135 help
      seeking youth aged 15-25 years with borderline personality disorder. After
      baseline assessment, staff blind to the study design and treatment group
      allocation will conduct assessments at 3, 6, 12 and 18 months. At the 12-month
      primary endpoint, the primary outcome is adaptive functioning (measures of social
      adjustment and interpersonal problems); secondary outcomes include measures of
      client satisfaction, borderline personality disorder features, depression and
      substance use. DISCUSSION: The results of this trial will help to clarify the
      comparative effectiveness of a specialised early intervention service model over
      and above general youth mental health care, along with the contribution of
      individual cognitive analytic therapy over and above specialised general clinical
      care in early intervention for borderline personality disorder. Consequently, the
      findings will also inform the level of training and competency required for
      effective delivery of early intervention services. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered
      with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN12610000100099 on 1
      February 2010.

PMID- 26489664
TI  - Use of physical restraints in nursing homes: a multicentre cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although many countries have implemented strict legal rules, the
      prevalence of physical restraints in nursing homes seems to remain high. In
      Switzerland, data related to the frequency of physical restraints are scarce and
      little is known about associations with resident and nursing home
      characteristics. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and
      types of physical restraints in nursing homes in two Swiss cantons and to explore
      whether resident-related and organisational factors are associated with the use
      of physical restraints. METHODS: We conducted a multicentre cross-sectional
      study. Twenty nursing homes with 1362 residents from two culturally different
      cantons were included. Data on physical restraints and residents' characteristics
      were extracted from residents' records (11/2013 to 2/2014). Organisational data
      were collected by questionnaires addressing nursing home directors or nursing
      managers. Sample size calculation and outcome analysis took cluster-adjustment
      into account. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analysis
      with nursing homes as random effect were used for investigation. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of residents with at least one physical restraint was 26.8 % (95 %
      confidence interval [CI] 19.8-33.8). Centre prevalence ranged from 2.6 to 61.2 %.
      Bilateral bedrails were most frequently used (20.3 %, 95 % CI 13.5-27.1). Length
      of residence, degrees of care dependency and mobility limitation were
      significantly positively associated with the use of physical restraint, but none
      of the organisational characteristics was significantly associated. CONCLUSION:
      Approximately a quarter of the nursing home residents included in our study
      experienced physical restraints. Since variation between nursing homes was
      pronounced, it seems to be worthwhile to explore nursing homes with particularly
      low and high use of physical restraints in future research, especially by using
      qualitative methods. There is a need for effective interventions aiming at
      restraint-free nursing care. Development of interventional approaches should
      consider specific residents' characteristics associated with restraint use.

PMID- 26489665
TI  - Mechanical testing of pericardium for manufacturing prosthetic heart valves.
AB  - Mammalian pericardia are currently used for the production of percutaneous
      prosthetic heart valves. The characteristics of biological tissues largely
      influence the durability of prosthetic devices used in the percutaneous approach
      and in traditional surgery, too. This paper reviews methodologies employed to
      assess and compare mechanical properties of pericardial patches from different
      mammalian species in order to identify the biomaterials adequate for
      manufacturing prosthetic heart valves. 

PMID- 26489663
TI  - Study protocol for the randomised controlled trial: Ketamine augmentation of ECT
      to improve outcomes in depression (Ketamine-ECT study).
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a robust empirical evidence base supporting the acute
      efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for severe and treatment resistant
      depression. However, a major limitation, probably contributing to its declining
      use, is that ECT is associated with impairment in cognition, notably in
      anterograde and retrograde memory and executive function. Preclinical and
      preliminary human data suggests that ketamine, used either as the sole
      anaesthetic agent or in addition to other anaesthetics, may reduce or prevent
      cognitive impairment following ECT. A putative hypothesis is that ketamine,
      through antagonising glutamate receptors, protects from excess excitatory
      neurotransmitter stimulation during ECT. The primary aim of the ketamine-ECT
      study is to investigate whether adjunctive ketamine can attenuate the cognitive
      impairment caused by ECT. Its secondary aim is to examine if ketamine increases
      the speed of clinical improvement with ECT. METHODS/DESIGN: The ketamine ECT
      study is a multi-site randomised, placebo-controlled, double blind trial. It was
      originally planned to recruit 160 moderately to severely depressed patients who
      had been clinically prescribed ECT. This recruitment target was subsequently
      revised to 100 patients due to recruitment difficulties. Patients will be
      randomly allocated on a 1:1 basis to receive either adjunctive ketamine or saline
      in addition to standard anaesthesia for ECT. The primary neuropsychological
      outcome measure is anterograde verbal memory (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test
      Revised delayed recall task) after 4 ECT treatments. Secondary cognitive outcomes
      include verbal fluency, autobiographical memory, visuospatial memory and digit
      span. Efficacy is assessed using observer and self-report efficacy measures of
      depressive symptomatology. The effects of ECT and ketamine on cortical activity
      during cognitive tasks will be studied in a sub-sample using functional near
      infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). DISCUSSION: The ketamine-ECT study aims to
      establish whether or not adjunctive ketamine used together with standard
      anaesthesia for ECT will significantly reduce the adverse cognitive effects
      observed after ECT. Potential efficacy benefits of increased speed of symptom
      improvement and a reduction in the number of ECT treatments required will also be
      assessed, as will safety and tolerability of adjunctive ketamine. This study will
      provide important evidence as to whether adjunctive ketamine is routinely
      indicated for ECT given for depression in routine NHS clinical practice. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials: ISRCTN14689382 (assigned 30/07/2012);
      EudraCT Number: 2011-005476-41.

PMID- 26489666
TI  - Aortic root morphology: a paradigm for successful reconstruction.
AB  - Aortic root (AoR) components provide synchronous and precise 3D deformation of
      the aortic root during the cardiac cycle in order to ensure closure and opening
      of the three leaflets over a lifetime. Any deviation from the natural 3D
      morphology, such as with AoR annulus dilatation, enlarged sinuses and/or
      dilatation of the sinotubular junction, as in the case of ascending aortic
      dilatation, may result in disruption of the natural AoR function. Surgical
      treatment of AoR pathology has two modalities: the replacement of the aortic
      valve by artificial prosthesis or by preservation of the three leaflets and
      reconstruction of the aortic root components. Currently, there are two basic
      aortic root reconstruction procedures: aortic root sparing and aortic valve
      reimplantation techniques. Regardless of the technique used, the restoration of
      adequate cusp coaptation, is from a technical point of view, the most important
      element to consider. To achieve this, there are two requirements that need to be
      met: (i) the valve coaptation should be superior to the level of the aortic root
      base by at least 8 mm and (ii) the coaptation height per se has to be >=5 mm.
      Successful restoration of the aortic root requires adequate technical skills,
      detailed knowledge of aortic root anatomy and topography, and also knowledge of
      the spatial pattern of AoR elements. Recently, there has been growing interest in
      aortic root reconstructive procedures as well their modifications. As such, the
      aim of this review is to analyse aortic root topography and 3D anatomy from a
      surgical point of view. The review also focuses on potential risk regions that
      one should be aware of before the surgical journey into the 'deep waters area' of
      the AoR begins. 

PMID- 26489667
TI  - Effects of low glycaemic index/low glycaemic load vs. high glycaemic index/ high
      glycaemic load diets on overweight/obesity and associated risk factors in
      children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - The objective of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to
      synthesize the available literature data investigating the effects of low
      glycaemic index/low glycamic load dietary regimens on anthropometric parameters,
      blood lipid profiles, and indicators of glucose metabolism in children and
      adolescents. Literature search was performed using the electronic databases
      MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of trials with restrictions to
      randomized controlled trials, but no limitations concerning language and
      publication date. Parameters taken into account were: body weight, body mass
      index, z-score of body mass index, fat mass, fat-free mass, height, waist
      cicrumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, total cholesterol, LDL
      cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, diastolic and systolic blood
      pressure, fasting serum glucose, fasting serum insulin, HOMA-index, glycosylated
      haemoglobin, and C-reactive protein. Meta-analyses were performed for each
      parameter to assess pooled effect in terms of weighted mean differences between
      the post-intervention (or differences in means) of the low glycaemic index diets
      and the respective high glycaemic index counterparts. Data analysis was performed
      using the Review Manager 5.3. software. Nine studies enrolling 1.065 children or
      adolescents met the inclusion criteria. Compared to diets providing a high
      gylcaemic index, low glycaemic index protocols resulted in significantly more
      pronounced decreases in serum triglycerides [mean differences -15.14 mg/dl, 95%
      CI (-26.26, -4.00)] and HOMA-index [mean difference -0.70, 95%-CI (-1.37, -0.04),
      fixed-effects model only]. Other parameters under investigation were not affected
      by either low or high glycaemic indices. The present systematic review and meta
      analysis provides evidence of a beneficial effect of a low glycaemic index/load
      diet in children and adolescents being either overweight or obese. Regarding the
      limitations of this analysis, further studies adopting a homogenous design are
      necessary to assure the present findings. Since low glycaemic index/load regimens
      were not associated with a deterioration of the outcome parameters, these diets
      should not be categorically excluded when looking for alternatives to change
      lifestyle habits in this age group.

PMID- 26489669
TI  - Room-temperature carbon monoxide oxidation by oxygen over Pt/Al2O3 mediated by
      reactive platinum carbonates.
AB  - Room-temperature carbon monoxide oxidation, important for maintaining clean air
      among other applications, is challenging even after a century of research into
      carbon monoxide oxidation. Here we report using time-resolved diffuse reflectance
      infrared spectroscopy, X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and mass
      spectrometry a platinum carbonate-mediated mechanism for the room-temperature
      oxidation of carbon monoxide. By applying a periodic reduction-oxidation mode of
      operation we further show that this behaviour is reversible and can be formed
      into a catalytic cycle that requires molecular communication between metallic
      platinum nanoparticles and highly dispersed oxidic platinum centres. A new
      possibility for the attainment of low-temperature oxidation of carbon monoxide is
      therefore demonstrated. 

PMID- 26489668
TI  - A functional module-based exploration between inflammation and cancer in
      esophagus.
AB  - Inflammation contributing to the underlying progression of diverse human cancers
      has been generally appreciated, however, explorations into the molecular links
      between inflammation and cancer in esophagus are still at its early stage. In our
      study, we presented a functional module-based approach, in combination with
      multiple data resource (gene expression, protein-protein interactions (PPI),
      transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations) to decipher the underlying
      links. Via mapping differentially expressed disease genes, functional disease
      modules were identified. As indicated, those common genes and interactions tended
      to play important roles in linking inflammation and cancer. Based on crosstalk
      analysis, we demonstrated that, although most disease genes were not shared by
      both kinds of modules, they might act through participating in the same or
      similar functions to complete the molecular links. Additionally, we applied pivot
      analysis to extract significant regulators for per significant crosstalk module
      pair. As shown, pivot regulators might manipulate vital parts of the module
      subnetworks, and then work together to bridge inflammation and cancer in
      esophagus. Collectively, based on our functional module analysis, we demonstrated
      that shared genes or interactions, significant crosstalk modules, and those
      significant pivot regulators were served as different functional parts underlying
      the molecular links between inflammation and cancer in esophagus. 

PMID- 26489671
TI  - Chronic Wound Biofilms: Pathogenesis and Potential Therapies.
AB  - Chronic wounds are a growing medical problem that cause high rates of morbidity
      and mortality, costing the healthcare industry in the United States millions of
      dollars annually. Chronic wound healing is hampered by the presence of bacterial
      infections that form biofilms, in which the bacteria are encased in
      exopolysaccharide (EPS) and are less metabolically active than their free-living
      counterparts. Bacterial biofilms make chronic wounds more refractory to treatment
      and slow tissue repair by stimulating chronic inflammation at the wound site.
      Bacterial species communicate through a mechanism known as quorum sensing (QS) to
      regulate and coordinate the gene expression that is important for virulence
      factor production, including biofilm formation. This review focuses on the
      relationships between chronic wounds, biofilms, and QS in the virulence of
      chronic-wound pathogens. 

PMID- 26489670
TI  - New Insights into the RNA-Binding and E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Activities of Roquins.
AB  - Roquins are a family of highly conserved RNA-binding proteins that also contain a
      RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase domain. They repress constitutive decay elements
      containing mRNAs and play a critical role in RNA homeostasis and immunological
      self-tolerance. Here we present the crystal structures of the RNA-binding region
      of Roquin paralog RC3H2 in both apo- and RNA-bound forms. The RNA-binding region
      has a bipartite architecture composed of ROQ and HEPN domains, and can bind to
      stem-loop and double-stranded RNAs simultaneously. The two domains undergo a
      large orientation change to accommodate RNA duplex binding. We profiled E2
      ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes that pair with Roquins and found that RC3H1 and
      RC3H2 interact with two sets of overlapping but not identical E2 enzymes to drive
      the assembly of polyubiquitin chains of different linkages. Crystal structures,
      small-angle X-ray scattering, and E2 profiling revealed that while the two
      paralogs are highly homologous, RC3H2 and RC3H1 are different in their structures
      and functions. We also demonstrated that RNA duplex binding to RC3H2 cross-talks
      with its E3 ubiquitin ligase function using an in vitro auto-ubiquitination
      assay. 

PMID- 26489672
TI  - Computational Approach to Annotating Variants of Unknown Significance in Clinical
      Next Generation Sequencing.
AB  - Next generation sequencing (NGS) has become a common technology in the clinical
      laboratory, particularly for the analysis of malignant neoplasms. However, most
      mutations identified by NGS are variants of unknown clinical significance (VOUS).
      Although the approach to define these variants differs by institution, software
      algorithms that predict variant effect on protein function may be used. However,
      these algorithms commonly generate conflicting results, potentially adding
      uncertainty to interpretation. In this review, we examine several computational
      tools used to predict whether a variant has clinical significance. In addition to
      describing the role of these tools in clinical diagnostics, we assess their
      efficacy in analyzing known pathogenic and benign variants in hematologic
      malignancies. 

PMID- 26489673
TI  - Measurement of HbA1c in Gingival Crevicular Blood Using a High-Pressure Liquid
      Chromatography Procedure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To validate an ion exchange high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)
      method for measuring glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in gingival crevicular blood
      (GCB) spotted on filter paper, for use in screening dental patients for diabetes.
      METHODS: We collected the GCB specimens for this study from the oral cavities of
      patients during dental visits, using rigorous strategies to obtain GCB that was
      as free of debris as possible. The analytical performance of the HPLC method was
      determined by measuring the precision, linearity, carryover, stability of HbA1c
      in GCB, and correlation of HbA1c results in GCB specimens with finger-stick blood
      (FSB) specimens spotted on filter paper. RESULTS: The coefficients of variation
      (CVs) for the inter- and intrarun precision of the method were less than 2.0%.
      Linearity ranged between 4.2% and 12.4%; carryover was less than 2.0%, and the
      stability of the specimen was 6 days at 4 degrees C and as many as 14 days at -70
      degrees C. Linear regression analysis comparing the HbA1c results in GCB with FSB
      yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.993, a slope of 0.981, and an intercept of
      0.13. The Bland-Altman plot showed no difference in the HbA1c results from the
      GCB and FSB specimens at normal, prediabetes, and diabetes HbA1c levels.
      CONCLUSION: We validated an HPLC method for measuring HbA1c in GCB; this method
      can be used to screen dental patients for diabetes.

PMID- 26489674
TI  - Expression of FOXP1 and Colorectal Cancer Prognosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Forkhead box gene P1 (FOXP1) has proven to be a valuable prognostic
      biomarker in lymphomas, but little is known about this gene in colorectal cancer
      (CRC). OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression of FOXP1 in CRC and its
      potential associations with outcome in CRC. METHODS: We studied the expression
      pattern of FOXP1 retrospectively via immunohistochemistry in a series of 165 -
      CRC cases. Fluorescent in situ hybridization and RNA sequencing on FOXP1
      knockdown cell lines were performed to investigate the mechanism of action and
      target genes of FOXP1. RESULTS: Complete loss of nuclear FOXP1 expression was
      observed in 11.5% of the subjects. A total of 70.9% of subjects showed a
      heterogeneous FOXP1 expression pattern, and 17.6% of them had high FOXP1
      expression. Impaired expression of FOXP1 was significantly correlated with
      reduced survival rates by multivariate analysis (P = .004). We found no
      chromosomal aberrations involving FOXP1 in individuals with FOXP1 negativity via
      immunohistochemical testing. RNA sequencing revealed that genes involved in
      inflammation and cell proliferation were differentially expressed after FOXP1
      knockdown. CONCLUSIONS: In our case series, loss of FOXP1 was associated with
      reduced survival rates in CRC tissue. Also, FOXP1 affects proliferation and
      inflammatory reaction in colorectal neoplasia.

PMID- 26489675
TI  - Nitrous Oxide Abuse and Vitamin B12 Action in a 20-Year-Old Woman: A Case Report.
AB  - Herein, we report a case of a 20-year-old (ethnicity not reported) woman with a
      history of nitrous oxide abuse and clinical symptoms consistent with spinal cord
      subacute combined degeneration with associated low serum concentrations of
      vitamin B12, elevated methylmalonic acid levels, and radiologic evidence of
      demyelination of the dorsal region of the spinal column. The health of the
      patient improved dramatically with B12 supplementation. In this case, we discuss
      the interaction of nitrous oxide with the enzymatic pathways involved in the
      biochemistry of vitamin B12. 

PMID- 26489676
TI  - Elevated CA125 Levels in a 72-Year-Old Ethnic Indian Patient: A Diagnostic
      Pointer Toward Tuberculosis?
AB  - Serum CA 125 is widely used as a tumor marker for epithelial ovarian cancer. Our
      laboratory receives few requests for evaluation of this marker in men. In males
      an elevation of this marker may occur due to malignant and benign lesions of
      organs derived from the coelomic epithelium. However, in the absence of evidence
      of a neoplasm (via clinical examination and other diagnostic modalities), it is
      useful to consider a diagnosis of tuberculosis, particularly in regions where the
      disease is endemic. Herein, we describe one such case that we investigated at our
      medical center in Kolkata, India. 

PMID- 26489677
TI  - B Lymphoblastic Leukemia With a Novel t(11;15) (q23;q15) and Unique Burkittoid
      Morphologic and Immunophenotypic Findings in a 9-Year-Old Boy.
AB  - B lymphoblastic leukemia is a B progenitor cell neoplasm with a range of immature
      immunophenotypes and several associated cytogenetic lesions. In contrast, Burkitt
      leukemia/lymphoma is a mature B lymphocyte neoplasm with a characteristic
      germinal center immunophenotype and MYC rearrangement. With modern
      immunophenotyping and cytogenetic methods, the distinction between these 2
      entities is seldom ambiguous. Herein, we report a case of a 9-year-old white boy
      with circulating leukemic cells that demonstrate morphologic overlap between
      Burkitt leukemia and B lymphoblastic leukemia. Flow cytometry and
      immunohistochemical stains demonstrated expression of sets of markers with
      overlap between immature and mature immunophenotypes. While the leukemic cells
      tested positive for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), they expressed
      CD20, BCL6 (in a subset), and lambda-restricted surface light chain. Molecular
      studies confirmed a true clonal light chain rearrangement, whereas fluorescent in
      situ hybridization (FISH) results were negative for MYC rearrangement. Metaphase
      cytogenetics identified a novel gene rearrangement, t(11;15)(q23;q15), that does
      not involve the MLL gene. This unique cytogenetic abnormality involves the loss
      of INO80, an adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) with DNA binding ability. This
      cytogenetic abnormality may represent a unique feature of this overlap entity of
      B lymphoblastic lymphoma that expresses markers of maturity and demonstrates
      Burkitt-like morphology. 

PMID- 26489678
TI  - Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma in a 33-Year-Old White Man.
AB  - PATIENT DEMOGRAPHICS: A 33-year-old white man. CHIEF COMPLAINT: Longstanding bump
      on the roof of the mouth. TREATMENT: The patient was referred to an oral
      maxillofacial surgeon for a pathology consultation. The patient had been
      experiencing pain on both sides of his jaw, but the oral mass was not painful
      (Image 1). MEDICAL HISTORY: The patient has no history of smoking, is slightly
      overweight with a body mass index of 26.5, and has no systemic or chronic medical
      conditions. EXAMINATION FINDINGS: On initial examination by the oral surgeon, the
      vital signs of the patient were normal. An indurated lesion was noted on the left
      hard palate of the patient. Suspecting a benign lesion or possible
      carcinoma/neoplasm, the oral surgeon scheduled and performed an excisional biopsy
      (Image 2). The mass was sent for pathological processing. POSTOPERATIVE CARE:
      This included a diet of soft foods, with daily rinsing using 0.12% chlorhexidine
      gluconate, with a follow-up appointment made for 2 weeks later. PRINCIPAL
      LABORATORY FINDINGS: Figure 1; Image 3; Image 4.

PMID- 26489679
TI  - Invasive Paget Disease of the Nipple of Luminal-B Subtype With Axillary Lymph
      Node Metastasis in a 60-Year-Old White Woman.
AB  - Herein, we report a rare case of invasive Paget disease of the nipple with
      axillary-lymph-node metastasis in a 60-year-old white woman. The patient had
      intermittent, bloody nipple discharge without skin changes of the nipple-areolar
      region. We considered the clinical diagnosis of intraductal papilloma. A
      subareolar core biopsy revealed invasive ductal carcinoma in deep dermal tissue
      without the overlying epidermis biopsied. The patient underwent total mastectomy
      and axillary sentinel lymph-node biopsy that demonstrated invasive Paget disease
      of the nipple with 3.5-mm depth of invasion, ductal carcinoma in-situ in the
      underlying breast parenchyma, and macrometastasis (5.0 mm) in the sentinel lymph
      node. Prognostic marker studies of the metastatic site revealed a profile similar
      to that in the invasive mammary Paget disease (estrogen receptor
      [ER]+/progesterone receptor [PR]+/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2]
      /proliferation index [Ki-67] of 30%). The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy
      and experienced no disease recurrence at 20-months of follow-up. This case of
      luminal-B subtype invasive Paget disease as the source of regional metastasis is
      unique in the literature, to our knowledge. 

PMID- 26489680
TI  - Schistosoma haematobium Infection That Mimics Bladder Cancer in a 66-Year-Old
      Ethnic Egyptian Man.
AB  - PATIENT: 66-year-old ethnic Egyptian man. CHIEF COMPLAINT: Hematuria. HISTORY OF
      PRESENT ILLNESS: The patient had a history of multiple episodes of gross
      hematuria for the past 5 years. Because the hematuria usually resolved on its
      own, he did not seek medical attention during that time. Bladder cancer was
      suspected. PAST MEDICAL HISTORY: The patient had a history of coronary artery
      disease, hypertension, nephrolithiasis, congestive heart failure, lifelong
      smoking, and ischemic cardiomyopathy. He has been taking the anticoagulants
      clopidogrel (Plavix) and warfarin (Coumadin). RESIDENCY HISTORY: The patient is
      originally from Egypt and has been living in the United States for the past 10
      years. PRINCIPAL LABORATORY FINDINGS: A complete blood count showed a hemoglobin
      of 13.0 g per dL (reference range, 14.0 to 18.0 g per dL), hematocrit 40% (40% to
      54%), red blood cell count (RBC) 4.65 * 10(9) per L (4.60 to 6.00), and platelet
      count 179 * 10(9) per L (150 to 450). The urinalysis results showed 3+ protein,
      4+ blood, and urine RBC of greater than 100 per high power field (hpf). The
      urinalysis results did not indicate the presence of parasitic ova or adult
      parasites. Based on these results, the physician ordered cystoscopic testing,
      suspecting bladder cancer. Analysis of the bladder tissue showed inflammation
      (Image 1) and several ova that were consistent with developing Schistosoma (Image
      2). Many of the ova were calcified and surrounded by severely inflamed tissue
      (Image 3).

PMID- 26489681
TI  - Prenatal Detection and Postnatal Follow-Up of Segmental Aneusomies of Chromosome
      13 in 4 Consecutive Pregnancies in an Ethnic South Indian Family With a
      Maternally Inherited Balanced Translocation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the postnatal clinical manifestation of an antenatally
      detected unbalanced rearrangement involving chromosome 13 in an ethnic South
      Indian couple. METHODS: We used conventional cytogenetics on fetal cells obtained
      from prenatal specimens and on peripheral blood lymphocytes from consanguineous
      family members to ascertain the chromosomal abnormalities. RESULTS: We report the
      reproductive outcomes of a maternally inherited chromosome translocation
      involving chromosome 9 and 13 and the informed decisions of the couple, after
      genetic counseling in India, regarding their 4 pregnancies. CONCLUSION: This case
      report highlights the current practice in India of offering prenatal diagnosis
      and preimplantation genetic diagnosis to individuals who are carriers of balanced
      translocations, to reduce the risk of conceiving chromosomally abnormal
      offspring.

PMID- 26489682
TI  - Quality Improvement in the Coagulation Laboratory: Reducing the Number of
      Insufficient Blood Draw Specimens for Coagulation Testing.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To report the efforts of our laboratory to reduce quantity-not
      sufficient (QNS) specimens via several methods and to directly measure the effect
      of expired collection tubes on the amount of blood that can be drawn. METHODS: We
      tracked the number of QNS venous-blood specimens per month received by our
      coagulation laboratory from March 2008 to December 2012. Interventions involved
      communications that informed nurses and phlebotomists how to avoid drawing QNS
      specimens and floor sweeps, in which laboratory staff searched for and removed
      expired vacuum-based blood-collection tubes (VBCTs) from inpatient hospital
      floors. Also, we assessed 11 healthy donors to determine the amount of blood that
      could be drawn into expired VBCTs. RESULTS: During the study period, the rate of
      QNS specimens dropped from a mean of 0.7% to 0.3%. In expired VBCTs collected
      from healthy donors, we observed a statistically significant difference in the
      amount of blood drawn into nonexpired vs expired VBCTs (P <.001). Also, there was
      a negative relationship between the number of months that the VBCT had been
      expired and the amount of blood that could be drawn into the VBCTs (P <.001). For
      every month that VBCTs were expired, the amount of blood drawn decreased by
      approximately 1.8 mm (0.1 mL), using linear regression analysis. CONCLUSION: Our
      evidence strongly suggests that expired VBCTs consistently and progressively
      yield QNS specimens. Methods to reduce blood draws from expired VBCTs may include
      communications promoting proper blood draw technique, floor sweeps to remove
      expired VBCTs, and improved inventory management.

PMID- 26489683
TI  - Benchmarking to Identify Practice Variation in Test Ordering: A Potential Tool
      for Utilization Management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Appropriate test utilization is usually evaluated by adherence to
      published guidelines. In many cases, medical guidelines are not available.
      Benchmarking has been proposed as a method to identify practice variations that
      may represent inappropriate testing. This study investigated the use of
      benchmarking to identify sites with inappropriate utilization of testing for a
      particular analyte. METHODS: We used a Web-based survey to compare 2 measures of
      vitamin D utilization: overall testing intensity (ratio of total vitamin D orders
      to blood-count orders) and relative testing intensity (ratio of 1,25(OH)2D to
      25(OH)D test orders). RESULTS: A total of 81 facilities contributed data. The
      average overall testing intensity index was 0.165, or approximately 1 vitamin D
      test for every 6 blood-count tests. The average relative testing intensity index
      was 0.055, or one 1,25(OH)2D test for every 18 of the 25(OH)D tests. Both indexes
      varied considerably. CONCLUSIONS: Benchmarking can be used as a screening tool to
      identify outliers that may be associated with inappropriate test utilization.

PMID- 26489684
TI  - Osmotic Edema Rapidly Increases Neuronal Excitability Through Activation of NMDA
      Receptor-Dependent Slow Inward Currents in Juvenile and Adult Hippocampus.
AB  - Cellular edema (cell swelling) is a principal component of numerous brain
      disorders including ischemia, cortical spreading depression, hyponatremia, and
      epilepsy. Cellular edema increases seizure-like activity in vitro and in vivo,
      largely through nonsynaptic mechanisms attributable to reduction of the
      extracellular space. However, the types of excitability changes occurring in
      individual neurons during the acute phase of cell volume increase remain unclear.
      Using whole-cell patch clamp techniques, we report that one of the first effects
      of osmotic edema on excitability of CA1 pyramidal cells is the generation of slow
      inward currents (SICs), which initiate after approximately 1 min. Frequency of
      SICs increased as osmolarity decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Imaging of
      real-time volume changes in astrocytes revealed that neuronal SICs occurred while
      astrocytes were still in the process of swelling. SICs evoked by cell swelling
      were mainly nonsynaptic in origin and NMDA receptor-dependent. To better
      understand the relationship between SICs and changes in neuronal excitability,
      recordings were performed in increasingly physiological conditions. In the
      absence of any added pharmacological reagents or imposed voltage clamp, osmotic
      edema induced excitatory postsynaptic potentials and burst firing over the same
      timecourse as SICs. Like SICs, action potentials were blocked by NMDAR
      antagonists. Effects were more pronounced in adult (8-20 weeks old) compared with
      juvenile (P15-P21) mice. Together, our results indicate that cell swelling
      triggered by reduced osmolarity rapidly increases neuronal excitability through
      activation of NMDA receptors. Our findings have important implications for
      understanding nonsynaptic mechanisms of epilepsy in relation to cell swelling and
      reduction of the extracellular space. 

PMID- 26489685
TI  - Expression of the Astrocyte Water Channel Aquaporin-4 in the Mouse Brain.
AB  - Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is a bidirectional water channel that is found on astrocytes
      throughout the central nervous system. Expression is particularly high around
      areas in contact with cerebrospinal fluid, suggesting that AQP4 plays a role in
      fluid exchange between the cerebrospinal fluid compartments and the brain.
      Despite its significant role in the brain, the overall spatial and region
      specific distribution of AQP4 has yet to be fully characterized. In this study,
      we used Western blotting and immunohistochemical techniques to characterize AQP4
      expression and localization throughout the mouse brain. We observed AQP4
      expression throughout the forebrain, subcortical areas, and brainstem. AQP4
      protein levels were highest in the cerebellum with lower expression in the cortex
      and hippocampus. We found that AQP4 immunoreactivity was profuse on glial cells
      bordering ventricles, blood vessels, and subarachnoid space. Throughout the
      brain, AQP4 was expressed on astrocytic end-feet surrounding blood vessels but
      was also heterogeneously expressed in brain tissue parenchyma and neuropil, often
      with striking laminar specificity. In the cerebellum, we showed that AQP4
      colocalized with the proteoglycan brevican, which is synthesized by and expressed
      on cerebellar astrocytes. Despite the high abundance of AQP4 in the cerebellum,
      its functional significance has yet to be investigated. Given the known role of
      AQP4 in synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, the widespread and region
      specific expression pattern of AQP4 suggests involvement not only in fluid
      balance and ion homeostasis but also local synaptic plasticity and function in
      distinct brain circuits. 

PMID- 26489687
TI  - Managing suicidal ideation in a breast cancer cohort seeking reconstructive
      surgery.

PMID- 26489686
TI  - A Distinct Class of Antibodies May Be an Indicator of Gray Matter Autoimmunity in
      Early and Established Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients.
AB  - *These authors contributed equally to the work in this manuscript.We have
      previously identified a distinct class of antibodies expressed by B cells in the
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of early and established relapsing remitting multiple
      sclerosis (RRMS) patients that is not observed in healthy donors. These
      antibodies contain a unique pattern of mutations in six codons along VH4 antibody
      genes that we termed the antibody gene signature (AGS). In fact, patients who
      have such B cells in their CSF are identified as either having RRMS or developing
      RRMS in the future. As mutations in antibody genes increase antibody affinity for
      particular antigens, the goal for this study was to investigate whether AGS(+)
      antibodies bind to brain tissue antigens. Single B cells were isolated from the
      CSF of 10 patients with early or established RRMS. We chose 32 of these B cells
      that expressed antibodies enriched for the AGS for further study. We generated
      monoclonal full-length recombinant human antibodies (rhAbs) and used both
      immunological assays and immunohistochemistry to investigate the capacity of
      these AGS(+) rhAbs to bind brain tissue antigens. AGS(+) rhAbs did not recognize
      myelin tracts in the corpus callosum. Instead, AGS(+) rhAbs recognized neuronal
      nuclei and/or astrocytes, which are prevalent in the cortical gray matter. This
      pattern was unique to the AGS(+) antibodies from early and established RRMS
      patients, as AGS(+) antibodies from an early neuromyelitis optica patient did not
      display the same reactivity. Prevalence of CSF-derived B cells expressing AGS(+)
      antibodies that bind to these cell types may be an indicator of gray matter
      directed autoimmunity in early and established RRMS patients. 

PMID- 26489688
TI  - Self-aggregated nanoparticles of linoleic acid-modified glycol chitosan conjugate
      as delivery vehicles for paclitaxel: preparation, characterization and
      evaluation.
AB  - A series of linoleic acid-modified glycol chitosan (LAGC) conjugates were
      synthesized and characterized by FTIR and (1)H NMR. The effect of the amount of
      linoleic acid (LA) on the physicochemical properties of LAGC conjugates was
      investigated. The mean diameters of three LAGC nanoparticles determined by
      dynamic light scattering ranged from 204 to 289 nm. The critical aggregation
      concentration values of LAGC conjugates in aqueous solution were 0.0148, 0.0348,
      and 0.0807 mg/ml, respectively. Paclitaxel (PTX) was physically loaded into the
      LAGC nanoparticles by a dialysis method. The drug loading content and
      encapsulation efficiency of PTX-loaded LAGC (PTX-LAGC) nanoparticles increased
      with an increasing ratio of the hydrophobic LA to hydrophilic glycol chitosan in
      the conjugates. PTX-LAGC nanoparticles were almost spherical in shape observed by
      transmission electron microscopy. In vitro release revealed that PTX release from
      the nanoparticles was reduced as the LA substitution degree of LAGC conjugates
      increased. Compared with the commercial formulation Taxol, PTX-LAGC-1
      nanoparticles exhibited comparable cellular uptake and cytotoxicity against HepG2
      cells in vitro. Importantly, PTX-LAGC-1 nanoparticles demonstrated the stronger
      antitumor efficacy against hepatic H22 tumor-bearing mice than Taxol (p < 0.05).
      Therefore, glycolipid-like LAGC nanoparticles had a potential as delivery
      vehicles for tumor therapy.

PMID- 26489689
TI  - Biplot evaluation of test environments and identification of mega-environment for
      sugarcane cultivars in China.
AB  - Test environments and classification of regional ecological zones into mega
      environments are the two key components in regional testing of sugarcane
      cultivars. This study aims to provide the theoretical basis for test environment
      evaluation and ecological zone division for sugarcane cultivars. In the present
      study, sugarcane yield data from a three-year nationwide field trial involving 21
      cultivars and 14 pilot test locations were analysed using both analysis of
      variance (ANOVA) and heritability adjusted-genotype main effect plus genotype
      environment interaction (HA-GGE) biplot. The results showed that among the
      interactive factors, the GE interaction had the greatest impact, while the
      genotype and year interaction showed the lowest impact. Kaiyuan, Lincang and
      Baoshan of Yunnan, Zhangzhou and Fuzhou of Fujian, and Hechi, Liuzhou and
      Chongzuo of Guangxi, and Lingao of Hainan were ideal test environments with a
      demonstrated high efficiency in selecting new cultivars with a wide adaptability,
      whereas Baise of Guangxi was not. Based on HA-GGE biplot analysis, there are
      three ecological sugarcane production zones in China, the Southern China Inland
      Zone, the Southwestern Plateau Zone, and the Southern Coastal Zone. The HA-GGE
      biplot analysis here presents the ideal test environments and also identifies the
      mega-environment for sugarcane cultivars in China. 

PMID- 26489691
TI  - Angiogenic effect of platelet-rich plasma combined with gelatin hydrogel granules
      injected into murine subcutis.
AB  - Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which contains highly concentrated platelets, is
      produced by centrifuging whole blood. It is a safe and readily available source
      of a wide range of growth factors necessary for angiogenesis. Gelatin hydrogel
      granules have been designed and prepared for the controlled release of many
      growth factors. The angiogenic effect of human PRP was examined in vitro, and the
      effect of its subcutaneous injection with gelatin hydrogel granules into murine
      subcutis was evaluated. Human PRP was prepared using a double-spin method. The
      concentration of growth factors and the platelet count were examined in PRP and
      in vitro, and the angiogenic activity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells
      (HUVECs) in co-culture with human dermal fibroblast cells (NHDFs) in the presence
      and absence of PRP was evaluated. Then, in vivo, PRP, either free or with gelatin
      hydrogel granules, was injected subcutaneously into tiebacks on mice. Using a
      microscope and Kurabo angiogenesis image analyser software, the area containing
      newly formed capillaries was evaluated histologically and the microvascular
      network score was calculated. PRP was shown to contain high concentrations of
      PDGF, VEGF and TGFbeta and had an angiogenic effect on the co-culture system. PRP
      with gelatin hydrogel granules significantly enlarged the area containing newly
      formed capillaries and promoted the microvascular network in murine subcutaneous
      tissue. PRP encapsulated in gelatin hydrogel microspheres shows promise for
      enhancing angiogenic effects in murine subcutis and could represent a potential
      therapeutic combination for the treatment of ischaemic disorders. Copyright (c)
      2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26489690
TI  - Chromium exposure and incidence of metabolic syndrome among American young adults
      over a 23-year follow-up: the CARDIA Trace Element Study.
AB  - Studies suggest that chromium deficiency is associated with elevated levels of
      fasting blood glucose, circulating insulin, cholesterol and triglycerides, and
      decreased proportion of lean body mass. However, data directly relating chromium
      levels to metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk are lacking. A total of 3,648 American
      adults from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study,
      aged 20-32 years, were prospectively examined for the incidence of MetS and its
      five components from 1987-88 to 2010-11. Baseline toenail chromium levels were
      measured with instrumental neutron-activation analysis. Incident MetS was defined
      by the NCEP-ATP III criteria. During the 23-year follow-up, 878 incident MetS
      cases were identified. Baseline toenail chromium was inversely associated with
      incidence of MetS as well as its blood lipid components. The multivariable
      adjusted hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) of MetS comparing the
      highest to the lowest quartiles of toenail chromium levels was 0.80 (0.66-0.98;
      Plinear trend = 0.006). The adjusted HRs were 0.82 (0.68-0.98; Ptrend = 0.045)
      for having abnormal triglycerides levels and 0.75 (0.64-0.88; Ptrend  = 0.030)
      for having abnormal HDL cholesterol levels. Toenail chromium levels were
      inversely and longitudinally associated with incidence of MetS in American young
      adults. This inverse association was mainly explained by its relation to blood
      lipids. 

PMID- 26489692
TI  - Void-Assisted Ion-Paired Proton Transfer at Water-Ionic Liquid Interfaces.
AB  - At the water-trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium
      tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate ([P14,6,6,6][FAP]) ionic liquid
      interface, the unusual electrochemical transfer behavior of protons (H(+)) and
      deuterium ions (D(+)) was identified. Alkali metal cations (such as Li(+), Na(+),
      K(+)) did not undergo this transfer. H(+)/D(+) transfers were assisted by the
      hydrophobic counter anion of the ionic liquid, [FAP](-), resulting in the
      formation of a mixed capacitive layer from the filling of the latent voids within
      the anisotropic ionic liquid structure. This phenomenon could impact areas such
      as proton-coupled electron transfers, fuel cells, and hydrogen storage where
      ionic liquids are used as aprotic solvents.

PMID- 26489693
TI  - Contact dermatitis in patients undergoing serial intravitreal injections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) medication, injected
      intravitreally, is currently the standard of care in patients with different
      retinal pathologies. Since its introduction in 2006, an increasing number of
      patients have undergone this procedure in Ghent University Hospital. Strikingly,
      more patients were diagnosed with contact dermatitis caused by ophthalmic
      products used during intravitreal injection procedure. OBJECTIVES: To identify
      which of the substances used during intravitreal injection is most likely to
      cause contact dermatitis. PATIENTS/MATERIALS/METHODS: Sixteen patients who
      developed a burning and stinging sensation and swelling of the eyelids after
      intravitreal injection were tested. All patients were patch tested with the
      Belgian baseline series, as well as a cosmetic, a pharmaceutical and an
      ophthalmic series, including the different eye drops used during the intravitreal
      injection procedure. RESULTS: Fourteen of 16 patients reacted to at least one of
      the substances used during the injection procedure. Nine patients reacted to
      phenylephrine (56%), 5 to iso-Betadine((r)) ophthalmic solution (31%), and 3
      patients to sodium metabisulfite (16%). CONCLUSIONS: The most common causal
      allergen was phenylephrine, being positive in 56% of patients. Patients most
      likely become sensitized because of the high frequency of usage of phenylephrine
      during repeated intravitreal injections and follow-up consultations.

PMID- 26489694
TI  - Theranostic etoposide phosphate/indium nanoparticles for cancer therapy and
      imaging.
AB  - Etoposide phosphate (EP), a water-soluble anticancer prodrug, is widely used for
      treatment of many cancers. After administration it is rapidly converted to
      etoposide, its parent compound, which exhibits anticancer activity. Difficulty in
      parenteral administration necessitates the development of a suitable nanoparticle
      delivery system for EP. Here we have used indium both as a carrier to deliver
      etoposide phosphate to tumor cells and as a SPECT imaging agent through
      incorporation of (111)In. Etoposide phosphate was successfully encapsulated
      together with indium in nanoparticles, and exhibited dose dependent cytotoxicity
      and induction of apoptosis in cultured H460 cancer cells via G2/M cell cycle
      arrest. In a mouse xenograft lung cancer model, etoposide phosphate/indium
      nanoparticles induce tumor cell apoptosis, leading to significant enhancement of
      tumor growth inhibition compared to the free drug. 

PMID- 26489695
TI  - JAK-2 V617F mutation increases heparanase procoagulant activity.
AB  - Patients with polycythaemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythaemia (ET) and
      primary myelofibrosis (PMF) are at increased risk of arterial and venous
      thrombosis. In patients with ET a positive correlation was observed between JAK-2
      V617F mutation, that facilitates erythropoietin receptor signalling, and
      thrombotic events, although the mechanism involved is not clear. We previously
      demonstrated that heparanase protein forms a complex and enhances the activity of
      the blood coagulation initiator tissue factor (TF) which leads to increased
      factor Xa production and subsequent activation of the coagulation system. The
      present study was aimed to evaluate heparanase procoagulant activity in
      myeloproliferative neoplasms. Forty bone marrow biopsies of patients with ET, PV,
      PMF and chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) were immunostained to heparanase, TF
      and TF pathway inhibitor (TFPI). Erythropoietin receptor positive cell lines U87
      human glioma and MCF-7 human breast carcinoma were studied. Heparanase and TFPI
      staining were more prominent in ET, PV and PMF compared to CML. The strongest
      staining was in JAK-2 positive ET biopsies. Heparanase level and procoagulant
      activity were higher in U87 cells transfected to over express JAK-2 V617F
      mutation compared to control and the effect was reversed using JAK-2 inhibitors
      (Ruxolitinib, VZ3) and hydroxyurea, although the latter drug did not inhibit JAK
      2 phosphorylation. Erythropoietin increased while JAK-2 inhibitors decreased the
      heparanase level and procoagulant activity in U87 and MCF-7 parental cells. In
      conclusion, JAK-2 is involved in heparanase up-regulation via the erythropoietin
      receptor. The present findings may potentially point to a new mechanism of
      thrombosis in JAK-2 positive ET patients. 

PMID- 26489696
TI  - Identifying the causes, prevention and management of crises in dementia. An
      online survey of stakeholders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Crisis situations in dementia can lead to hospital admission or
      institutionalisation. Offering immediate interventions may help avoid admission,
      whilst stabilising measures can help prevent future crises. OBJECTIVE: Our
      objective was to identify the main causes of crisis and interventions to treat or
      prevent crisis in persons with dementia based on different stakeholder
      perspectives. METHODS: An online questionnaire was developed to identify the
      causes of crisis and appropriate interventions in a crisis. Participants included
      people with dementia, family carers and staff working in health and social care,
      including emergency and voluntary sectors, and academia. RESULTS: The results
      ranked the main causes of crisis, interventions that can prevent a crisis and
      interventions that can be useful in a crisis. Wandering, falls and infection were
      highly rated as risk factors for crises across all stakeholder groups. Consumers
      rated aggression as less important but severity of memory impairment as much more
      important than the other groups did. Education and support for family carers and
      home care staff were highly valued for preventing crises. Well-trained home care
      staff, communication equipment, emergency contacts and access to respite were
      highly valued for managing crises. CONCLUSIONS: We identified triggers and
      interventions that different stakeholders see as important for crisis in
      dementia. Recognition of these may be critical to planning effective and accepted
      support and care for people with dementia.

PMID- 26489697
TI  - Out-of-hospital paediatric emergencies: a prospective, population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We wanted to study the incidence, distribution and characteristics of
      paediatric out-of-hospital emergency care on a population level. This knowledge
      could ameliorate the design and education of emergency medical services and their
      personnel. METHODS: We studied all (n = 1863) emergency medical services
      responses and the patient records for paediatric patients (age 0-16 years) in
      Helsinki, Finland (population 603,968, paediatric population 92,742) during a 12
      month period (2012). Patient characteristics, diagnoses, time intervals, medical
      treatments, procedures, vital measurements and outcome of out-of-hospital
      treatment were available for analysis. RESULTS: The incidence of emergency
      medical services -treated paediatric out-of-hospital emergencies was 3.8/1000
      inhabitants and 20/1000 1-16-year-old inhabitants. This formed 4.5% of all
      emergency calls, while children have a threefold share of the population (15%).
      Falls, dyspnoea, seizures and poisonings account for half of all emergencies. Few
      patients suffered from a life-threatening condition or trauma. Cardiac arrest or
      need for advanced life support measures (e.g. intubation) was rare. After
      evaluation by the emergency medical services, only half of the patients (56%)
      needed ambulance transportation to hospital. Only 30 (3.7%) of the non
      transported patients made an unpremeditated visit to the emergency department
      after the original contact with the emergency medical services. All of them were
      well upon arrival to the emergency department. CONCLUSION: Paediatric out-of
      hospital emergencies are infrequent and have specific characteristics differing
      from the adult population. The design and training of emergency medical services
      and their personnel should focus on evaluation and management of the most
      frequent situations.

PMID- 26489698
TI  - Evaluation of community-based treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis in
      Bangladesh.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) threatens global TB control because
      it is difficult to diagnose and treat. Community-based programmatic management of
      drug-resistant TB (cPMDT) has made therapy easier for patients, but data on these
      models are scarce. Bangladesh initiated cPMDT in 2012, and in 2013, we sought to
      evaluate programme performance. METHODS: In this retrospective review, we
      abstracted demographic, clinical, microbiologic and treatment outcome data for
      all patients enrolled in the cPMDT programme over 6 months in three districts of
      Bangladesh. We interviewed a convenience sample of patients about their
      experience in the programme. RESULTS: Chart review was performed on 77 patients.
      Sputum smears and cultures were performed, on average, once every 1.35 and 1.36
      months, respectively. Among 74 initially culture-positive patients, 70 (95%)
      converted their cultures and 69 (93%) patients converted the cultures before the
      sixth month. Fifty-two (68%) patients had evidence of screening for adverse
      events. We found written documentation of musculoskeletal complaints for 16 (21%)
      patients, gastrointestinal adverse events for 16 (21%), hearing loss for eight
      (10%) and psychiatric events for four (5%) patients; conversely, on interview of
      60 patients, 55 (92%) reported musculoskeletal complaints, 54 (90%) reported
      nausea, 36 (60%) reported hearing loss, and 36 (60%) reported psychiatric
      disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The cPMDT programme in Bangladesh appears to be
      programmatically feasible and clinically effective; however, inadequate
      monitoring of adverse events raises some concern. As the programme is brought to
      scale nationwide, renewed efforts at monitoring adverse events should be
      prioritised.

PMID- 26489699
TI  - Circular motion analysis of time-varying bioimpedance.
AB  - This paper presents a step forward towards the analysis of a linear periodically
      time-varying (PTV) bioimpedance ZPTV(jw, t), which is an important subclass of a
      linear time-varying (LTV) bioimpedance. Similarly to the Fourier coefficients of
      a periodic signal, a PTV impedance can be decomposed into frequency dependent
      impedance phasors, [Formula: see text], that are rotating with an angular speed
      of wr = 2pir/TZ. The vector length of these impedance phasors corresponds to the
      amplitude of the rth-order harmonic impedance |Zr( jw)| and the initial phase is
      given by Phir(w, t0) = [Symbol: see text]Zr( jw) + 2pirt0/TZ, with t0?[0, T]
      being a time instant within the measurement time T. The impedance period TZ
      stands for the cycle length of the bio-system under investigation; for example,
      the elapsed time between two consecutive R-waves in the electrocardiogram or the
      breathing periodicity in case of the heart or lungs, respectively. First, it is
      demonstrated that the harmonic impedance phasor [Formula: see text], at a
      particular measured frequency k, can be represented by a rotating phasor, leading
      to the so-called circular motion analysis technique. Next, the two dimensional
      (2D) representation of the harmonic impedance phasors is then extended to a three
      dimensional (3D) coordinate system by taking into account the frequency
      dependence. Finally, we introduce a new visualizing tool to summarize the
      frequency response behavior of ZPTV( jw, t) into a single 3D plot using the local
      Frenet-Serret frame. This novel 3D impedance representation is then compared with
      the 3D Nyquist representation of a PTV impedance. The concepts are illustrated
      through real measurements conducted on a PTV RC-circuit.

PMID- 26489700
TI  - Torsion of an ectopic spleen: a possible late complication of paraoesophageal
      hernia repair.

PMID- 26489701
TI  - Aortic iatrogenic perforation during transseptal puncture and successful
      occlusion with Amplatzer ductal occluder in a case of mitral paravalvular leak
      closure.
AB  - Complications of transseptal puncture are significant and potentially life
      threatening. Aortic perforation is one of these complications and it needs to be
      repaired immediately. We report the case of a 48-year-old female with a history
      of rheumatic mitral valve disease. She underwent three previous mitral valve
      replacements. Her last echocardiogram reported an anterolateral leak in the
      mitral prosthesis. Catheterization was performed. During the procedure, when
      attempting to perform transseptal puncture, catheterization was complicated by a
      forcefully puncture of the aortic root by the Brockenbrough needle followed by an
      immediately advancement of an 8-Fr Mullins sheath. We decided to leave the 8-Fr
      sheath in the aortic root recognizing the danger of removing the sheath and
      finally we advanced a 6/4 mm Amplatzer ductal occluder (ADO I) through the
      Mullins sheath and under fluoroscopy and TEE guidance we achieved a successful
      deployment of the device and closure of the perforation. Subsequently, the
      paravalvular leak was closed with an Amplatzer Vascular Plug (AVP III 10/5 mm).
      There are only three cases of a similar technique for the same injury in which
      the authors describe successful closing of aortic perforation with percutaneous
      closure devices. Our case is the first described during a mitral paravalvular
      leak closure. It is also the first to describe a different technique of leaving
      the Mullins sheath in the aortic root and advancing the Amplatzer device through
      it to achieve successful closure of the aortic perforation. We preferred the
      percutaneous closure over open-heart repair. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26489702
TI  - What Do People Find Incompatible With Causal Determinism?
AB  - Four studies explored people's judgments about whether particular types of
      behavior are compatible with determinism. Participants read a passage describing
      a deterministic universe, in which everything that happens is fully caused by
      whatever happened before it. They then assessed the degree to which different
      behaviors were possible in such a universe. Other participants evaluated the
      extent to which each of these behaviors had various features (e.g., requiring
      reasoning). We assessed the extent to which these features predicted judgments
      about whether the behaviors were possible in a deterministic universe.
      Experiments 1 and 2 found that people's judgments about whether a behavior was
      compatible with determinism were not predicted by their judgments about whether
      that behavior relies on physical processes in the brain and body, is uniquely
      human, is unpredictable, or involves reasoning. Experiment 3, however, found that
      a distinction between what we call "active" and "passive" behaviors can explain
      people's judgments. Experiment 4 extended these findings, showing that we can
      measure this distinction in several ways and that it is robustly predicted by two
      different cues. Taken together, these results suggest that people carve up
      mentally guided behavior into two distinct types-understanding one type to be
      compatible with determinism, but another type to be fundamentally incompatible
      with determinism.

PMID- 26489703
TI  - Prevalence of comorbidities and evaluation of their screening in
      spondyloarthritis: results of the international cross-sectional ASAS-COMOSPA
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased risk of some comorbidities has been reported in
      spondyloarthritis (SpA). Recommendations for detection/management of some of
      these comorbidities have been proposed, and it is known that a gap exists between
      these and their implementation in practice. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate (1) the
      prevalence of comorbidities and risk factors in different countries worldwide,
      (2) the gap between available recommendations and daily practice for management
      of these comorbidities and (3) the prevalence of previously unknown risk factors
      detected as a result of the present initiative. METHODS: Cross-sectional
      international study with 22 participating countries (from four continents),
      including 3984 patients with SpA according to the rheumatologist. STATISTICAL
      ANALYSIS: The prevalence of comorbidities (cardiovascular, infection, cancer,
      osteoporosis and gastrointestinal) and risk factors; percentage of patients
      optimally monitored for comorbidities according to available recommendations and
      percentage of patients for whom a risk factor was detected due to this study.
      RESULTS: The most frequent comorbidities were osteoporosis (13%) and
      gastroduodenal ulcer (11%). The most frequent risk factors were hypertension
      (34%), smoking (29%) and hypercholesterolaemia (27%). Substantial intercountry
      variability was observed for screening of comorbidities (eg, for LDL cholesterol
      measurement: from 8% (Taiwan) to 98% (Germany)). Systematic evaluation (eg, blood
      pressure (BP), cholesterol) during this study unveiled previously unknown risk
      factors (eg, elevated BP (14%)), emphasising the suboptimal monitoring of
      comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of comorbidities in SpA has been
      shown. Rigorous application of systematic evaluation of comorbidities may permit
      earlier detection, which may ultimately result in an improved outcome of patients
      with SpA.

PMID- 26489705
TI  - Competition Between Different Social Ranked Rams has Similar Effects on
      Testosterone and Sexual Behaviour Throughout the Year.
AB  - Dominant rams have preferential access to females, as they frequently interrupt
      sexual behaviour from subordinated. Testosterone concentrations are directly
      linked to sexual and aggressive behaviour and have important variations along the
      year. Therefore, it may be expected that the effects of dominance relationships
      on reproductive behaviour differ according to testosterone concentrations, and
      thus to the period of the year. The aim of this study was to compare the effects
      of dominance relationships on testosterone and sexual behaviour in different
      moments of the year in rams. Twelve rams were maintained in a single group.
      Social rank was determined in January (maximum reproductive development), May
      (regression of the reproductive status) and August (lowest reproductive
      activity), and the four rams with higher (HR) and the four with lower (LR)
      success index were used. Testosterone serum concentration was weekly measured
      four times during each experimental period. Sexual behaviour was evaluated in
      each period with an oestrous ewe, and with the oestrous ewe and another ram from
      the other social rank (each HR with each LR ram). Testosterone concentration was
      greater in HR than LR rams in January (p = 0.03), and all the behaviours were
      displayed more frequently in non-competitive than in competitive tests (p <
      0.05). Rams modified their sexual strategy in competitive environments decreasing
      the display of sexual behaviour independently of their social status. This effect
      was observed consistently throughout the year: high-ranked rams have greater
      testosterone concentrations than LR rams only during the pre-rut, when they
      naturally compete to join the groups of ewes.

PMID- 26489704
TI  - Clinical and radiographic outcome of a treat-to-target strategy using
      methotrexate and intra-articular glucocorticoids with or without adalimumab
      induction: a 2-year investigator-initiated, double-blinded, randomised,
      controlled trial (OPERA).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study clinical and radiographic outcomes after withdrawing 1
      year's adalimumab induction therapy for early rheumatoid arthritis (eRA) added to
      a methotrexate and intra-articular triamcinolone hexacetonide treat-to-target
      strategy (NCT00660647). METHODS: Disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD)
      naive patients with eRA started methotrexate (20 mg/week) and intra-articular
      triamcinolone (20 mg/ml) for 2 years. In addition, they were randomised to
      receive placebo adalimumab (DMARD group, n=91) or adalimumab (40 mg/every other
      week) (DMARD+adalimumab group, n=89) during the first year. Sulfasalazine and
      hydroxychloroquine were added if disease activity persisted after 3 months.
      During year 2, synthetic DMARDs continued. Adalimumab was (re)initiated if active
      disease reoccurred. Clinical response, remission, disability, quality of life and
      radiographic changes were assessed. RESULTS: One year after adalimumab
      withdrawal, treatment profiles and clinical responses did not differ between
      groups. In the DMARD/DMARD+adalimumab groups, the median 2-year methotrexate dose
      was 20/20 mg/week (p=0.45), triple DMARD therapy had been initiated in 33/27
      patients (p=0.49), adalimumab was (re)initiated in 12/12 patients and cumulative
      triamcinolone dose was 160/120 mg (p=0.15). The treatment target (disease
      activity score, 4 variables, C-reactive protein (DAS28CRP) <=3.2 or DAS28>3.2
      without swollen joints) was achieved at all visits in >=85% of patients in year
      2; remission rates were DAS28CRP<2.6:69%/66%; Clinical Disease Activity Index
      <=2.8:55%/57%; Simplified Disease Activity Index <3.3:54%/49%; American College
      of Rheumatology/European League against Rheumatism (28 joints):44%/45% (p=0.66
      1.00). Radiographic progression (Deltatotal Sharp score/year) was similar
      1.31/0.53 (p=0.12). Erosive progression (Deltaerosion score (ES)/year) was year
      1:0.57/0.06 (p=0.02); year 2:0.38/0.05 (p=0.005). Proportion of patients without
      erosive progression (DeltaES<=0) was year 1: 59%/76% (p=0.03); year 2:64%/79%
      (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: An aggressive triamcinolone and synthetic DMARD treat-to
      target strategy in eRA provided excellent 2-year clinical and radiographic
      disease control independent of adalimumab induction therapy. ES progression was
      slightly less during and following adalimumab induction therapy. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00660647.

PMID- 26489706
TI  - Expedient Mechanosynthesis of N,N-Dialkyl Imidazoliums and Silver(I)-Carbene
      Complexes in a Ball-Mill.
AB  - The absence of solvent, associated with intensive mechanical agitation, allowed
      the first mechanosynthesis of high-value silver(I)-carbene complexes and the
      corresponding N,N-dialkylimidazolium precursors. This procedure gave outstanding
      results in terms of yield and reaction time, when compared to solution-based
      conditions previously described in literature, and was generalized to
      unprecedented compounds. Silver(I)-carbene complexes could either be obtained
      from N,N-dialkylimidazolium salts or directly from imidazole and alkyl halides in
      a one-pot two-step procedure without isolating the imidazolium intermediate.
      Additionally, an efficient one-pot three-step sequence, including imidazole
      alkylation, silver metalation, and transmetalation is reported. 

PMID- 26489707
TI  - Synthesis, characterization and antibacterial behavior of water-soluble
      carbosilane dendrons containing ferrocene at the focal point.
AB  - A series of novel water-soluble ammonium-terminated carbosilane dendrons
      containing a ferrocene unit at the focal point were synthesized, in order to
      combine the unique redox activity of ferrocene and the precisely designed
      structure of the dendrons with the aim to evaluate them as a new class of
      potential organometallic-based antibacterial compounds. The synthetic route is
      based on the initial amination of ferrocenecarboxaldehyde with carbosilane
      dendrons that contain allyl groups on the surface followed by reduction of the in
      situ prepared imine product, and the subsequent functionalization of the
      periphery with terminal amine groups by hydrosilylation reactions. Systems
      quaternized with HCl are soluble and stable in water or other protic solvents.
      The obtained compounds were spectrally and electrochemically (cyclic voltammetry)
      characterized, and diffusion-ordered spectroscopy experiments were conducted to
      determine the size of the dendritic wedges in solution. The antibacterial
      activity of these compounds was evaluated using Gram-positive bacteria
      (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli), which
      shows that the first and second generations of cationic dendrons are broad
      spectrum antibacterial agents, i.e. selective and effective in both bacterial
      strains. 

PMID- 26489708
TI  - The regioselective iodination of quinolines, quinolones, pyridones, pyridines and
      uracil.
AB  - A radical based direct C-H iodination protocol for quinolines, quinolones,
      pyridones, pyridines, and uracil has been developed. The iodination occurs in a
      C3 selective manner for quinolines and quinolones. Pyridones and pyridines
      undergo C3 and C5 iodination, while dimethyl uracil undergoes C5 iodination.
      Scope of the method was demonstrated through the rapid synthesis of both electron
      rich as well as electron poor heteroaromatic iodides. The protocol was found to
      be scalable and general, while a mechanism has been proposed. 

PMID- 26489709
TI  - Association of endoscopic ultrasonographic parameters and gastrointestinal
      stromal tumors (GISTs): can endoscopic ultrasonography be used to screen gastric
      GISTs for potential malignancy?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous research shows that only 10-30% of gastrointestinal stromal
      tumors (GISTs) are malignant. Nonetheless, some reports suggest that all of them
      have some degree of potential for malignancy. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is
      a useful technique for differentiation of subepithelial lesions in the
      gastrointestinal tract. We explored EUS characteristics that might predict the
      malignancy potential of GISTs. METHODS: In this retrospective review of the
      medical records from 1999 through 2007, patients who had gastric stromal tumors
      diagnosed prior to surgery using EUS were enrolled. The EUS images, procedure
      records and tissue histopathology were reviewed. All patients were positive for C
      kit. RESULTS: Of the 110 patients enrolled, 57 were males, and 53 were females.
      Most (67%) of the GISTs were located in the gastric body. The lesion size ranged
      from 6.3 to 150 mm (mean +/- SD: 39.73 +/- 22.49 mm). The high-risk GIST group
      had 19 (17.3%) patients, the intermediate-risk group had 12 (10.9%) patients and
      the low/very low-risk group had 79 (71.8%) patients. Thirty patients had cystic
      lesions (27.3%), while six patients had calcification in the lesion (5.5%).
      Additionally, 27 patients (24.5%) had surface ulceration visible on endoscopy.
      GISTs at high risk for malignancy were highly associated with lesion size (p <
      0.0001), cystic change (p = 0.015) and surface ulceration (p = 0.036) but not
      with calcification (p = 0.667). We also found that mitosis was associated with
      lesion size (p < 0.0001) rather than other parameters. Age was not predictive of
      malignancy potential (p = 0.316). However, tumor size is the only one independent
      risk factor for malignancy (p <= 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary results
      show that large gastric GISTs with cystic change and surface ulceration may
      associate with a risk of malignancy, warranting more aggressive management.
      Nevertheless, the tumor size is more important than other factors.

PMID- 26489710
TI  - Gendered Processes in Hospice Palliative Home Care for Seniors With Cancer and
      Their Family Caregivers.
AB  - There has been limited investigation into the processes that shape gender
      (in)equities in hospice palliative home care. As part of a larger critical
      ethnographic study, we examined how and why gender relations occur in this
      context. Using a critical feminist lens, we conducted in-depth interviews with
      clients living with terminal cancer, their family caregivers and primary nurses;
      observations of agency home visits; and review of institutional documents. A
      gender-based analysis revealed that gender enactments of Regulating Gender
      Relations were legitimized through ideological processes of Normalizing Gender
      Relations and Equalizing Gender Relations (Re)produced through institutional
      discourses of individualism and egalitarianism, these gendered processes both
      advantaged and disadvantaged men and women in hospice palliative home care.
      Findings suggest that to promote equity, health care providers and policy makers
      must attend to gender as a prevalent social determinant of health and health
      care. Implications for policy, practice, education, and research are discussed.

PMID- 26489711
TI  - Reframing Narratives of Aboriginal Health Inequity: Exploring Cree Elder
      Resilience and Well-Being in Contexts of Historical Trauma.
AB  - A large body of literature explores historical trauma or intergenerational trauma
      among Aboriginal communities around the globe. This literature connects
      contemporary forms of social suffering and health inequity to broader historical
      processes of colonization and the residential school systems in Canada. There are
      tendencies within this literature, however, to focus on individual pathology and
      victimization while minimizing notions of resilience or well-being. Through a
      social constructionist lens, this research examined how interpersonal responses
      to historical traumas can be intertwined with moments of and strategies for
      resilience. Detailed narrative interviews occurred with four Aboriginal Cree
      elders living in central Saskatchewan, Canada, who all experienced historical
      trauma to some extent. From this analysis, we argue that health research among
      Aboriginal populations must be sensitive to the complex individual and social
      realities that necessarily involve both processes of historical and contemporary
      traumas as well as resilience, strength, and well-being.

PMID- 26489712
TI  - "It's in the Cards": The Contribution of Illustrated Metaphor Cards to Exploring
      Values Within Narratives.
AB  - In this article, we present the use of illustrated metaphorical cards as a
      technique to enrich the qualitative narrative interview. We examine the
      advantages of incorporating a projective tool to assist in constructing and
      understanding personal narratives of people living with severe mental illness. We
      interviewed 25 participants-staff and members of a clubhouse in Israel (an
      international community model of rehabilitation in mental health)-and sought to
      understand their stories focused on personal and organizational values. The
      findings revealed that, in most cases, the cards contributed to data collection
      by enhancing the interviewees' ability for expression and by facilitating richer,
      more comprehensive stories and descriptions. This in turn enhanced the
      researcher's ability to understand the messages and stories presented. The
      research conclusions discuss the cards' potential contribution to improving data
      collection and analysis. The cards became an additional channel for expressing
      participants' experiences, emotions, and unique voice.

PMID- 26489713
TI  - Laparoscopic-Assisted Live Donor Nephrectomy: A Comparison of Conventional and
      Transvaginal Routes for Kidney Extraction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic approach has become the standard procedure for living
      donor nephrectomy in many transplant centers. Because the conventional approach
      results in cosmetic problems and pain during laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy,
      transvaginal extraction of an intact kidney has been recently introduced as a
      minimally invasive technique. Here, we aimed to investigate whether transvaginal
      extraction of an intact kidney during laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy is
      associated with decreased postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting, and morphine
      consumption. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective data analysis included a
      total of 27 female donors who underwent laparoscopic removal of a single kidney
      for living donor nephrectomy through conventional or transvaginal route. Data
      collected included age, body mass index, ASA scores, histocompatibility,
      additional medical disorders, peri- and postoperative complications,
      postoperative pain scores with visual analogue pain scores (VAS), length of
      postoperative stay, morphine consumption, degree of nausea and vomiting, level of
      sedation, and pruritus. RESULTS: No significant differences between the
      transvaginal and conventional groups were observed in VAS scores and morphine
      consumption at postoperative 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours. Although not reaching
      statistical significance, according to analysis of morphine consumption, there
      was a trend toward decreasing analgesic requirements in the transvaginal group at
      postoperative 12 and 24 hours. There were no significant differences between the
      groups in terms of degree of nausea or vomiting, or length of postoperative
      hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that with a more desirable cosmetic
      result, transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery-assisted
      living donor nephrectomy (TVNALDN) is a suitable new minimally invasive
      laparoscopic technique associated with reduced postoperative pain and analgesic
      requirements in select women.

PMID- 26489714
TI  - Testing for clarithromycin hypersensitivity: A diagnostic challenge in childhood.

PMID- 26489715
TI  - Knowledge, practice, and views on precautionary allergen labeling for the
      management of patients with IgE-mediated food allergy--a survey of Australasian
      and UK health care professionals.

PMID- 26489716
TI  - Deferasirox desensitization.

PMID- 26489717
TI  - Predominance of Clostridium difficile ribotypes 012, 027 and 046 in a university
      hospital in Chile, 2012.
AB  - In a 1-year survey at a university hospital we found that 20.6% (81/392) of
      patients with antibiotic associated diarrohea where positive for C. difficile.
      The most common PCR ribotypes were 012 (14.8%), 027 (12.3%), 046 (12.3%) and
      014/020 (9.9). The incidence rate was 2.6 cases of C. difficile infection for
      every 1000 outpatients. 

PMID- 26489718
TI  - Invasive giant hogweeds in Poland: Risk of burns among forestry workers and plant
      distribution.
AB  - The Caucasian giant hogweeds (Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden. and Heracleum
      mantegazzianum Sommier et Lever) are aggressive invaders that are successfully
      spreading in different parts of the world. Exposure of human skin to these plants
      may lead to phototoxicity and even chemical burns manifested by cutaneous, full
      thickness, and long-lasting dermatitis, and in extreme cases, massive skin
      necrosis. Forestry workers are a group with potentially increased risk of
      exposure to these plants because of the outdoor nature of their work and their
      active involvement in managing invasive species. Therefore, in this study, we
      aimed at investigating their level of awareness with regard to the giant hogweeds
      in Poland. The morphology of the plants, health threats, treatment, and control
      methods were all considered. We also evaluated the distribution of these plants
      within forest districts in Poland. For this reason, we surveyed 1563 employees
      (forest rangers, manual workers, and administration staff) of the State Forests
      National Forest Holding in Poland "State Forests," working in 367 different
      forest districts. It was initially found that the forestry workers were generally
      aware of the giant hogweeds' morphology and phototoxicity. More than 20% of the
      surveyed individuals had been exposed to these plants at least once in their
      lives, but only less than half of them were aware of proceeding afterward. At the
      same time, <35% of those surveyed had any knowledge of the control and management
      of these giant hogweeds. As demonstrated by our study, stands of these species
      are widely distributed within the Polish forest districts (reported in over 50%).
      Therefore, there is an urgent need to implement an efficient, multistrategic, and
      long-term approach to both control their spread and protect human health. 

PMID- 26489719
TI  - Surface-enhanced Raman scattering imaging of cancer cells and tissues via sialic
      acid-imprinted nanotags.
AB  - Molecularly imprinted nanoparticles were prepared as surface-enhanced Raman
      scattering tags for the selective imaging of cancer cells and tissues against
      normal cells and tissues relying on the use of sialic acid-templated imprinting
      to recognize cancer cells, which are over-expressed with sialic acid at the
      surface. 

PMID- 26489720
TI  - Epidemiology and clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26489721
TI  - How Paul Hugenholtz helped shape the European Society of Cardiology as it is
      today.

PMID- 26489722
TI  - Three capsid amino acids notably influence coxsackie B3 virus stability.
AB  - Coxsackievirus B3 strain 28 (CVB3/28) is less stable at 37  degrees C than eight
      other CVB3 strains with which it has been compared, including four in this study.
      In a variant CVB3/28 population selected for increased stability at 37  degrees
      C, the capsid proteins of the stable variant differed from the parental CVB3/28
      by two mutations in Vp1 and one mutation in Vp3, each of which resulted in
      altered protein sequences. Each of the amino acid changes was individually
      associated with a more stable virus. Competition between CVB3/28 and a more
      stable derivative of the strain showed that propagation of the less stable virus
      was favoured in receptor-rich HeLa cells. 

PMID- 26489723
TI  - General Approach to the Immobilization of Glycoenzyme Chains Inside Calcium
      Alginate Beads for Bioassay.
AB  - A general method to obtain the efficient entrapment of mixtures of glycoenzymes
      in calcium alginate hydrogel is proposed in this paper. As a proof of principle,
      three glycoenzymes acting in series (trehalase, glucose oxidase, and horseradish
      peroxidase) have been coimmobilized in calcium alginate beads. The release of the
      enzymes from the hydrogel mesh (leakage) is avoided by exploiting the enzyme's
      aggregation induced by the concanavalin A. The aggregation process has been
      monitored by dynamic light scattering technique, while both enzyme encapsulation
      efficiency and leakage have been quantified spectrophotometrically. Obtained data
      show an encapsulation efficiency above 95% and a negligible leakage from the
      beads when enzyme aggregates are larger than 300 nm. Operational stability of "as
      prepared" beads has been largely improved by a coating of alternated shells of
      polycation poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and of alginate. As a test for
      the effectiveness of the overall procedure, analytical bioassays exploiting the
      enzyme-containing beads have been developed for the optical determination of
      glucose and trehalose, and limit of detection values of 0.2 and of 40 MUM,
      respectively, have been obtained. 

PMID- 26489724
TI  - Patent foramen ovale: Unanswered questions.
AB  - The foramen ovale is a remnant of the fetal circulation that remains patent in 20
      25% of the adult population. Although long overlooked as a potential pathway that
      could produce pathologic conditions, the presence of a patent foramen ovale (PFO)
      has been associated with a higher than expected frequency in a variety of
      clinical syndromes including cryptogenic stroke, migraines, sleep apnea,
      platypnea-orthodeoxia, deep sea diving associated decompression illness, and high
      altitude pulmonary edema. A unifying hypothesis is that a chemical or particulate
      matter from the venous circulation crosses the PFO conduit between the right and
      left atria to produce a variety of clinical syndromes. Although observational
      studies suggest a therapeutic benefit of PFO closure compared to medical therapy
      alone in patients with cryptogenic stroke, 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
      did not confirm the superiority of PFO closure for the secondary prevention of
      stroke. However, meta-analyses of these RCTs demonstrate a significant benefit of
      PFO closure over medical therapy alone. Similarly, observational studies provide
      support for PFO closure for symptomatic relief of migraines. But one
      controversial randomized study failed to replicate the results of the
      observational studies while another two demonstrated a partial benefit. The goal
      of this review is to discuss the clinical conditions associated with PFO and
      provide internists and primary care physicians with current data on PFO trials,
      and clinical insight to help guide their patients who are found to have a PFO on
      echocardiographic testing. 

PMID- 26489726
TI  - Assessing the intersection of cardiovascular disease, venous thromboembolism, and
      polycystic ovary syndrome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: No study has examined how the relationship between polycystic ovary
      syndrome (PCOS) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (aCVD), of ischemic
      stroke (ISCH), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and peripheral vascular disease
      (PAD), differ in the presence of venous thromboembolism (VTE). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis using Truven Health Analytics
      MarketScan(r) Commercial databases from 2004-2011. The association between women
      aged 18-64 years with and without PCOS, and aCVD was assessed using VTE
      stratified multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS: Overall, women with
      PCOS were more likely to have aCVD, (aOR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.10-1.46) especially
      ISCH (aOR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.30-1.88), than women without PCOS. When stratified by
      VTE status, women with PCOS and a VTE diagnosis had a decreased odds of having
      any aCVD (aOR 0.67; 95% CI, 0.46-0.98), and VTE diagnosis more often preceded the
      occurrence of ISCH and AMI among women with PCOS compared with women without
      PCOS. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, women with PCOS were more likely to have aCVD, with
      stroke being the most prevalent manifestation. Although VTE often occurred before
      any aCVD, it appeared to have an inverse association with the development of
      ISCH, AMI, and PAD among women with PCOS, suggesting that aggressively treating
      VTE or aCVD early may limit the chances of developing the other thrombogenic
      condition among women with PCOS.

PMID- 26489725
TI  - Pulsed EPR characterization of HIV-1 protease conformational sampling and
      inhibitor-induced population shifts.
AB  - The conformational landscape of HIV-1 protease (PR) can be experimentally
      characterized by pulsed-EPR double electron-electron resonance (DEER). For this
      characterization, nitroxide spin labels are attached to an engineered cysteine
      residue in the flap region of HIV-1 PR. DEER distance measurements from spin
      labels contained within each flap of the homodimer provide a detailed description
      of the conformational sampling of apo-enzyme as well as induced conformational
      shifts as a function of inhibitor binding. The distance distribution profiles are
      further interpreted in terms of a conformational ensemble scheme that consists of
      four unique states termed "curled/tucked", "closed", "semi-open" and "wide-open"
      conformations. Reported here are the DEER results for a drug-resistant variant
      clinical isolate sequence, V6, in the presence of FDA approved protease
      inhibitors (PIs) as well as a non-hydrolyzable substrate mimic, CaP2. Results are
      interpreted in the context of the current understanding of the relationship
      between conformational sampling, drug resistance, and kinetic efficiency of HIV
      1PR as derived from previous DEER and kinetic data for a series of HIV-1PR
      constructs that contain drug-pressure selected mutations or natural
      polymorphisms. Specifically, these collective results support the notion that
      inhibitor-induced closure of the flaps correlates with inhibitor efficiency and
      drug resistance. This body of work also suggests DEER as a tool for studying
      conformational sampling in flexible enzymes as it relates to function. 

PMID- 26489727
TI  - Cancer cells BXPC3 and MCF7 differentially reverse the inhibition of thrombin
      generation by apixaban, fondaparinux and enoxaparin.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cancer cells may alter the efficiency of the antithrombotic agents.
      To explore this possibility, the present study compared the capacity of the LMWH
      enoxaparin and the specific inhibitors of Xa (apixaban and fondaparinux) to
      inhibit thrombin generation triggered by pancreas adenocarcinoma cells (BXPC3)
      and human breast carcinoma cells (MCF7). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples of
      platelet poor (PPP) or platelet rich plasma (PRP) spiked with apixaban,
      fondaparinux or enoxaparin were added in micro wells carrying cancer cells and
      assessed for thrombin generation. In the control experiment thrombin generation
      was triggered with tissue factor reagent. RESULTS: The three antithrombotics
      inhibited thrombin generation in a concentration dependent manner. The BXPC3 and
      MCF7 cells reversed in a different intensity the effect of the studied agents.
      According to the histological type of the cancer the antithrombotic efficiency of
      apixaban was preserved or partially reversed. Fondaparinux, was more vulnerable
      to the presence of cancer cells as compared to apixaban. The effect of BXCP3 or
      MCF7 cells on the antithrombotic potency of enoxaparin was of similar magnitude
      as that on apixaban. CONCLUSIONS: The type of cancer cells is determinant for the
      antithrombotic efficiency of the specific factor Xa inhibitors. In contrast it
      does not significantly influence the potency of enoxaparin. The present study
      shows that the impact of the type of cancer cells on the antithrombotic activity
      of the specific Xa inhibitors should not be neglected. This has to be taken into
      consideration for the design of dose-finding studies of the direct orally active
      FXa inhibitors in patients with different histological types of cancer.

PMID- 26489728
TI  - Prevention of occlusive arterial thrombus formation by a single loading dose of
      prasugrel suppresses neointimal hyperplasia in mice.
AB  - The present study examined the effects of prasugrel in a mouse model of
      thrombosis-induced neointimal hyperplasia. Following carotid artery injury by
      application of ferric chloride solution, thrombus formation was assessed on Day 1
      and neointimal thickening was assessed on Day 21. Single administrations of
      prasugrel at 0.3-3mg/kg (p.o.) resulted in a dose-related and sustained
      inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation through 24h. Single and multiple
      (1 and 3 weeks) administration of prasugrel (3mg/kg loading and 1mg/kg/day
      maintenance doses) resulted in a marked inhibition of neointimal thickening in
      the injured artery. In the dose-response study, a single administration of
      prasugrel at 0.3-3mg/kg (p.o.) dose-relatedly inhibited thrombus formation and
      neointimal thickening on Days 1 and 21, respectively. The degree of neointimal
      hyperplasia in the injured artery correlated significantly with the thrombus
      indices, time to occlusion and patency rate. To explore possible mechanisms of
      inhibition of neointimal hyperplasia by prasugrel, mRNA expression levels of
      inflammatory and fibrosis markers were determined in injured arteries. Prasugrel
      treatment resulted in reduced MCP-1, ICAM-1 and TGF-beta mRNA levels on Day 2
      (24h after the injury) and Day 8 (1 week after the injury) in the target
      arteries. In conclusion, we found that a single oral loading dose of prasugrel
      markedly prevented neointimal hyperplasia by inhibiting platelet activation and
      thrombus formation and was associated with inhibition of the expression of
      inflammatory and fibrosis markers, including MCP-1, ICAM-1 and TGF-beta, in the
      injured arteries.

PMID- 26489730
TI  - Influence of the presence of natural monosaccharides in the quantification of
      alpha-dicarbonyl compounds in high content sugar samples. A comparative study by
      ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-single quadrupole mass spectrometry
      using different derivatization reactions.
AB  - The goal of this work is to evaluate the formation of side alpha-dicarbonyl
      compounds in high content sugar samples. These compounds may be originated from
      fructose and glucose, during different derivatization reactions. The formation of
      D-glucosone, 3-deoxyglucosone, glyoxal, and methylglyoxal, using three
      derivatization agents (5,6-diamino-2,4-hydroxypyrimidine, 2,4,5-triamine-6
      hydroxypyrimidine, and o-phenylenediamine), and ultra-high pressure liquid
      chromatography in combination with MS detection, has been assessed in the
      presence of different levels of monosaccharides. 2,4,5-triamine-6-hydroxy
      pyrimidine appears to be the most suitable for the analysis of alpha-dicarbonyl
      compounds, in this kind of food samples, and was selected as optimum reagent for
      the quantification of these compounds. The validation of the method was performed
      through the establishment of external standard calibration curves and analytical
      figures of merit, and it showed good linearity over a wide concentration range
      (r(2)>0.99), and limits of detection and quantification lower than 42MUgL(-1) and
      142MUgL(-1), respectively. The validated method has been successfully applied to
      the determination of the target compounds in honey samples. The intraday and
      interday assay variability in the analysis of real samples was below 2.3 and
      5.7%, respectively, for all analytes. 

PMID- 26489729
TI  - Quantification of experimental venous thrombus resolution by longitudinal
      nanogold-enhanced micro-computed tomography.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The assessment of thrombus size following treatments directed at
      preventing thrombosis or enhancing its resolution has generally relied on
      physical or histological methods. This cross-sectional design imposes the need
      for increased numbers of animals for experiments. Micro-computed tomography
      (microCT) has been used to detect the presence of venous thrombus in experimental
      models but has yet to be used in a quantitative manner. In this study, we
      investigate the use of contrast-enhanced microCT for the longitudinal assessment
      of experimental venous thrombus resolution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thrombi
      induced by stenosis of the inferior vena cava in mice were imaged by contrast
      enhanced microCT at 1, 7 and 14 days post-induction (n=18). Thrombus volumes were
      determined longitudinally by segmentation and 3D volume reconstruction of microCT
      scans and by standard end-point histological analysis at day 14. An additional
      group of thrombi were analysed solely by histology at 1, 7 and 14 days post
      induction (n=15). RESULTS: IVC resident thrombus was readily detectable by
      contrast-enhanced microCT. MicroCT-derived measurements of thrombus volume
      correlated well with time-matched histological analyses (ICC=0.75, P<0.01).
      Thrombus volumes measured by microCT were significantly greater than those
      derived from histological analysis (P<0.001). Intra- and inter-observer analyses
      were highly correlated (ICC=0.99 and 0.91 respectively, P<0.0001). Further
      histological analysis revealed noticeable levels of contrast agent extravasation
      into the thrombus that was associated with the presence of neovascular channels,
      macrophages and intracellular iron deposits. CONCLUSION: Contrast-enhanced
      microCT represents a reliable and reproducible method for the longitudinal
      assessment of venous thrombus resolution providing powerful paired data.

PMID- 26489731
TI  - Coronary artery calcium in hypertension: a review.
AB  - Coronary artery calcium (CAC) is a powerful independent predictor of future
      cardiovascular events. However, the clinical utility of calcium score testing
      specifically among patients with hypertension is not well defined. We performed a
      review of studies involving both high blood pressure (BP) and CAC to assess
      several aspects of the interrelationship. Among four specific topics evaluated,
      the main objective was to assess the independent association of CAC with
      cardiovascular risk among patients with hypertension. From 6822 identified
      publications, 21 studies met criteria for inclusion. All studies (n = 14) that
      reported the relationship between BP values and the presence or extent of
      coronary calcium found positive associations. The results from two studies
      linking coronary calcium with the risk for developing hypertension were mixed.
      Each of the five studies that evaluated the relationships between CAC score in
      regard to future cardiovascular events and/or all-cause mortality in patients
      with high BP reported independent positive associations. The inclusion of calcium
      score results into prediction models improved risk stratification when
      statistically evaluated. The findings of this review demonstrate that CAC testing
      is likely to be of clinical utility for tailoring the medical management of
      patients with high BP, particularly among individuals with mild or
      prehypertension. Future trials testing the clinical effectiveness of a calcium
      score-based treatment algorithm should be considered.

PMID- 26489732
TI  - Proximal Scallop in Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair to Overcome Neck
      Issues in the Arch.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate initial experience with a custom made proximal scalloped
      stent graft for thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) of aortic aneurysms
      involving the arch. METHODS: Between September 2012 and November 2014, patients
      presenting with a thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) with short or angulated neck
      were selected for treatment by custom made proximal scalloped Relay Plus stent
      grafts (ABS Bolton Medical, Barcelona, Spain). Prospectively acquired data
      relating to patient demographics, procedure details, clinical outcomes, and
      complications were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Ten selected patients (50%
      male, mean age 77 +/- 8 years) were treated using a thoracic custom made Relay
      Plus stent graft, three of whom underwent additional cervical supra-aortic trunk
      revascularizations. TAA were fusiform in four cases, saccular in three, and three
      patients were treated for proximal type I endoleaks after previous standard
      TEVAR. The graft was landed in zone 2 in 3 cases, in zone 1 in 4 cases, and in
      zone 0 in 3 cases. The custom made scallop was designed to preserve flow in the
      left subclavian artery in three patients, in the left common carotid artery in
      four, and in the innominate artery in three. No proximal type I endoleak occurred
      and proximal sealing was achieved in all cases, with a technical success rate of
      100%. All targeted vessels were patent. During a mean follow up of 12 +/- 5
      months, no conversion to open surgical repair and no aortic rupture occurred. One
      patient died post-operatively from myocardial infarction and one patient suffered
      a stroke with complete recovery. One patient had a distal type I endoleak on the
      6 month CT scan and is scheduled for distal extension. No paraplegia, retrograde
      dissection and no other aortic related complications were recorded. CONCLUSIONS:
      Proximal scalloped stent grafts appear to be an effective additional tool for
      TEVAR of TAA when dealing with short or angulated proximal necks.

PMID- 26489734
TI  - Maternal obesity legacy: exercise it away!

PMID- 26489735
TI  - Innate and adaptive immunity to human beta cell lines:  implications for beta
      cell therapy.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Genetically engineered human beta cell lines provide a novel
      source of human beta cells to study metabolism, pharmacology and beta cell
      replacement therapy. Since the immune system is essentially involved in beta cell
      destruction in type 1 diabetes and after beta cell transplantation, we
      investigated the interaction of human beta cell lineswith the immune system to
      resolve their potential for immune intervention protocol studies. METHODS: Human
      pancreatic beta cell lines (EndoC-betaH1 and ECi50) generated by targeted
      oncogenesis in fetal pancreas were assessed for viability after innate and
      adaptive immune challenges. Beta cell lines were pre-conditioned with T helper
      type 1 (Th1) cytokines or high glucose to mimic inflammatory and hyperglycaemia
      stressed conditions. Beta cells were then co-cultured with auto- and alloreactive
      cytotoxic T cells (CTL), natural killer (NK) cells, supernatant fraction from
      activated autoreactive Th1 cells, or alloantibodies in the presence of complement
      or effector cells. RESULTS: Low HLA expression protected human beta cell lines
      from adaptive immune destruction, but it was associated with direct killing by
      activated NK cells. Autoreactive Th1 cell inflammation, rather than glucose
      stress, induced increased beta cell apoptosis and upregulation of HLA, increasing
      beta cell vulnerability to killing by auto- and alloreactive CTL and alloreactive
      antibodies. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: We demonstrate that genetically
      engineered human beta cell lines can be used in vitro to assess diverse immune
      responses that may be involved in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes in humans
      and beta cell transplantation, enabling preclinical evaluation of novel immune
      intervention strategies protecting beta cells from immune destruction.

PMID- 26489733
TI  - Engineering immunity: Modulating dendritic cell subsets and lymph node response
      to direct immune-polarization and vaccine efficacy.
AB  - While successful vaccines have been developed against many pathogens, there are
      still many diseases and pathogenic infections that are highly evasive to current
      vaccination strategies. Thus, more sophisticated approaches to control the type
      and quality of vaccine-induced immune response must be developed. Dendritic cells
      (DCs) are the sentinels of the body and play a critical role in immune response
      generation and direction by bridging innate and adaptive immunity. It is now well
      recognized that DCs can be separated into many subgroups, each of which has a
      unique function. Better understanding of how various DC subsets, in lymphoid
      organs and in the periphery, can be targeted through controlled delivery; and how
      these subsets modulate and control the resulting immune response could greatly
      enhance our ability to develop new, effective vaccines against complex diseases.
      In this review, we provide an overview of DC subset biology and discuss current
      immunotherapeutic strategies that utilize DC targeting to modulate and control
      immune responses. 

PMID- 26489736
TI  - Electrophysiological validation of STN-SNr boundary depicted by susceptibility
      weighted MRI.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Direct targeting of subthalamic nucleus (STN) without secondary
      electrophysiological verification during deep brain stimulation (DBS) is
      replacing atlas-based indirect targeting techniques. Recent groups have reported
      increased contrast and better delineation of STN and substantia nigra (SNr) in
      susceptibility-weighted imaging protocols (SWI). We aim to validate the STN-SNr
      boundary seen in MRI- SWI by correlating with intraoperative microelectrode
      recordings (MER) as a part of developing a multi-contrast DBS MRI planning
      protocol. METHODS: Prospective service evaluation involving electrophysiological
      verification by correlation of MER trajectory and STN-SNr boundary seen in SWI in
      seven consecutive patients undergoing DBS surgery were analyzed. The angle of
      inclination of the STN-SNr boundary and DBS trajectory in the coronal plane were
      calculated. Considering 4-mm dispersion of a coronal 3 MER array, we predicted,
      measured, and correlated the depths at which each electrode engaged the boundary.
      RESULTS: All central microelectrodes identified the STN-SNr boundary within 1 mm
      of the predicted depth with 100 % accuracy. Ninety percent of the lateral MER
      identified the STN-SNr boundary as predicted from SWI and angle of the encounter
      of the MER front. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates that STN morphology can be
      depicted using SWI MRI and coincides reliably with the electrophysiological MER
      boundary. Thus, this imaging modality can be used to refine STN direct targeting
      protocols in DBS surgery for PD.

PMID- 26489737
TI  - Extended endoscopic endonasal transclival clipping of posterior circulation
      aneurysms--an alternative to the transcranial approach.

PMID- 26489738
TI  - Professor Dr. John Anthony Jane, M.D., Ph.D., FRCS (C) The man of values and
      vision.

PMID- 26489739
TI  - Thoracic shock wave injury causes behavioral abnormalities in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is caused by complex mechanisms of
      systemic, local and cerebral responses to blast exposure. However, the molecular
      mechanisms of cognitive impairment after exposure to blast waves are not clearly
      known. We tested the hypothesis that thoracic injury induced functional and
      morphological impairment in the brain, leading to behavioral abnormalities.
      METHODS: Mice were exposed to laser-induced shock waves (LISWs) impacting the
      thorax and assessed for behavioral outcome at 7 and 28 days post injury.
      Hippocampus and lung were collected for histopathological analysis and gene
      expression profiling after injury. RESULTS: Thoracic injury transiently decreased
      the heart rate, blood pressure, peripheral oxyhemoglobin saturation and cerebral
      blood flow immediately after LISW exposure. Although LISWs exposure caused
      pulmonary contusions, hemorrhage was not apparent in the brain. At 7 and 28 days
      after, the injured mice exhibited impaired short-term memory and depression-like
      behavior compared with controls. Histological assessments showed an increase in
      neuronal cell death after shock wave exposure, especially in the CA3 region of
      the hippocampus. Moreover, shock wave exposure altered the expression of
      functionally relevant genes in the hippocampus at 1 h and 1 day post injury.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the LISW-induced thoracic injury with no
      direct impact on the brain affected the hippocampal gene expression and led to
      morphological alterations, resulting in behavioral abnormalities. Therefore, body
      protection may be extremely important in the effective prevention against blast
      induced alterations in brain function.

PMID- 26489740
TI  - High-order nonlinear excitations in the Joyeux-Buyukdagli model of DNA.
AB  - By means of the semidiscrete multiple-scale method, we study the existence and
      properties of high-order envelope solitons and discrete breathers in a
      homogeneous DNA chain model that is based on pairing enthalpies and site
      dependent finite stacking. We obtain the analytical solutions for an envelope
      soliton, and find that at the Brillouin zone center, discrete breather solutions
      can appear below the bottom of the phonon band. The behavior of two solitons in
      collisions and the stability of discrete breathers are confirmed by numerical
      simulations of the exact equations of the system. 

PMID- 26489741
TI  - GERD Is Associated with Higher Long-Term Reoperation Rates After Bariatric
      Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although bariatric surgery is a safe and effective treatment for
      morbid obesity, long-term reoperation remains a significant source of morbidity
      and mortality for the patient. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of
      all patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass (LGBP) or laparoscopic sleeve
      gastrectomy (LSG) surgeries at our institution between 2009 and 2013. Main
      outcome of interest was reoperation rate up to current date. Final logistic
      regression model included age, gender, BMI at time of operation, race (Caucasian
      vs African American), surgery time, length of stay, history of diabetes, history
      of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), type of surgery, and readmission.
      RESULTS: A total of 533 patients underwent either LGBP or LSG surgery between
      2009 and 2013. Overall reoperation rate was 9.0% and mean follow-up was 43.9
      months (median 45). When stratified by race, preoperative GERD in Caucasians was
      associated with a significant 2.2-fold increased risk of reoperation (OR 2.2, 95%
      CI 1.0-4.8, P = .043). GERD in African Americans had a small nonsignificant
      increased risk. Other significant predictors included length of stay and
      readmission (OR 2.1, P = 0.029; OR 5.0, P < 0.000). CONCLUSION: Preoperative GERD
      in Caucasian bariatric patients is associated with a higher risk of reoperation.
      Lengthy hospital stay and readmission within 30 days of laparoscopic bariatric
      surgery are independent predictors of higher reoperation rates.

PMID- 26489742
TI  - Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Liver Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: At a recently concluded Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association
      Annual Meeting, a Clinical Practice Guidelines Conference Series was convened
      with the topic focusing on Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Prophylaxis in Liver
      Surgery. The symposium brought together hepatobiliary surgeons from three
      continents as well as medical experts in hematology and coagulation. METHODS: The
      content of the discussion included literature reviews, evaluation of multi
      institutional VTE outcome data, and examination of practice patterns at multiple
      high-volume centers. RESULTS: Literature review demonstrated that, within
      gastrointestinal surgery, liver resection patients are at particularly high-risk
      for VTE. Recent evidence clearly indicates a direct relationship between the
      magnitude of hepatectomy and postoperative VTE rates, however, the PT/INR does
      not accurately reflect the coagulation status of the post-hepatectomy patient.
      Evaluation of available data and practice patterns regarding the utilization and
      timing of anticoagulant VTE prophylaxis led to recommendations regarding
      preoperative and postoperative thromboprophylaxis for liver surgery patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: This conference was effective in consolidating our knowledge of
      coagulation abnormalities after liver resection. Based on the expert review of
      the available data and practice patterns, a number of recommendations were
      developed.

PMID- 26489743
TI  - Elevated Alkaline Phosphatase Prior to Transarterial Chemoembolization for
      Neuroendocrine Tumors Predicts Worse Outcomes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We hypothesized that an elevated preoperative alkaline phosphatase
      (AP) predicted worse outcomes for patients undergoing transarterial
      chemoembolization (TACE) for neuroendocrine tumor (NET) liver metastases.
      METHODS: We reviewed all patients who underwent TACE for metastatic NET between
      2009 and 2013. Survival was evaluated using preprocedure variables. RESULTS: One
      hundred and nine patients underwent 210 TACE procedures. The average age was 57.7
      years (range 20-78). Primary sites included pancreas (N = 20), other
      gastrointestinal (N = 52), lung (N = 9), and unknown (N = 28). The tumor was
      grade 1 in 68 (62 %), grade 2 in 21 (19 %), and grade 3 in 3 (3 %). Extrahepatic
      disease was present in 54 (50 %) and greater than 50 % hepatic tumor burden by
      imaging in 63 (58 %). Elevated bilirubin occurred in 8 (7 %), elevated AP in 22
      (20 %), elevated ALT in 21 (19 %), and elevated AST in 41 (38 %). Univariate
      predictors included tumor grade (43 vs 27 vs 21 months, p = 0.015), hepatic tumor
      burden (59 vs 37 months, p = 0.009), and elevated AP (59 vs 23 months, p <
      0.001). On multivariate analysis, only elevated AP (p = 0.001) predicted worse
      survival. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated AP prior to TACE for metastatic NET portends a
      worse survival outcome, even more so than tumor grade or extent of hepatic
      disease.

PMID- 26489744
TI  - Staple Line Reinforcement During Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: Absorbable
      Monofilament, Barbed Suture, Fibrin Glue, or Nothing? Results of a Prospective
      Randomized Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is associated with serious
      complications, such as staple line (SL) leaks and bleeding. In order to prevent
      the occurrence of these complications, surgeons have advocated the need to
      strengthen the staple line. The aim of this randomized controlled study was to
      compare the efficacy of three different ways of strengthening of the SL in LSG in
      preventing surgical post-operative complications. METHODS: Between April 2012 and
      December 2014, 600 patients (pts) scheduled for LSG were prospectively randomized
      into groups without SL reinforcement (group A) or with SL reinforcement including
      fibrin glue coverage (group B), or oversewn SL with imbricating absorbable
      (MonocrylTM; group C) or barbed (V lock(r)) running suture (group D). Primary
      endpoints were post-operative leaks, bleeding, and stenosis, while secondary
      outcomes consisted of the time to perform the staple line reinforcement (SLR) and
      total operative time. RESULTS: Mean SLR operative time was lower for group B (3.4
      +/- 1.3 min) compared with that for groups C (26.8 +/- 8.5 min) and D (21.1 +/-
      8.4 min) (p < 0.0001). Mean total operative time was 100.7 +/- 16.4 min (group
      A), 104.4 +/- 22.1 min (group B), 126.2 +/- 18.9 min (group C), and 124.6 +/-
      22.8 (group D) (p < 0.0001). Post-operative leaks, bleeding, and stenosis were
      recorded in 14 pts (2.3 %), 5 pts (0.8 %), and 7 pts (1.1 %), respectively,
      without statistical difference between the groups. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests
      that SLR during LSG, with an imbricating or non-imbricating running suture or
      with fibrin glue, is an unrewarding surgical act with the sole effect of
      prolonging the operative time.

PMID- 26489745
TI  - Managing Relationship Decay : Network, Gender, and Contextual Effects.
AB  - Relationships are central to human life strategies and have crucial fitness
      consequences. Yet, at the same time, they incur significant maintenance costs
      that are rarely considered in either social psychological or evolutionary
      studies. Although many social psychological studies have explored their dynamics,
      these studies have typically focused on a small number of emotionally intense
      ties, whereas social networks in fact consist of a large number of ties that
      serve a variety of different functions. In this study, we examined how entire
      active personal networks changed over 18 months across a major life transition.
      Family relationships and friendships differed strikingly in this respect. The
      decline in friendship quality was mitigated by increased effort invested in the
      relationship, but with a striking gender difference: relationship decline was
      prevented most by increased contact frequency (talking together) for females but
      by doing more activities together in the case of males.

PMID- 26489746
TI  - Selective Cooperation in the Supermarket : Field Experimental Evidence for
      Indirect Reciprocity.
AB  - Numerous laboratory experiments suggest that mechanisms of indirect reciprocity
      might account for human cooperation. However, conclusive field data supporting
      the predictions of indirect reciprocity in everyday life situations is still
      scarce. Here, we attempt to compensate for this lack by examining the
      determinants of cooperative behavior in a German supermarket. Our methods were as
      follows: Confederates of the experimenter lined up at the checkout, apparently to
      buy a single item. As an act of cooperation, the waiting person in front (the
      potential helper) could allow the confederate to go ahead. By this means, the
      potential helper could take a cost (additional waiting time) by providing the
      confederate with a benefit (saved waiting time). We recorded the potential
      helpers' behavior and the number of items they purchased as a quantitative
      measure proportional to the confederate's benefit. Moreover, in a field
      experimental design, we varied the confederates' image by manipulating the item
      they purchased (beer vs. water). As predicted, the more waiting time they could
      save, the more likely the confederates were to receive cooperation. This
      relationship was moderated by the confederates' image. Cost-to-benefit ratios
      were required to be more favorable for beer-purchasing individuals to receive
      cooperation. Our results demonstrate that everyday human cooperation can be
      studied unobtrusively in the field and that cooperation among strangers is
      selective in a way that is consistent with current models of indirect
      reciprocity.

PMID- 26489747
TI  - Inducing involuntary and voluntary mental time travel using a laboratory
      paradigm.
AB  - Although involuntary past and future mental time travel (MTT) has been examined
      outside the laboratory in diary studies, MTT has primarily been studied in the
      context of laboratory studies using voluntary construction tasks. In this study,
      we adapted and extended a paradigm previously used to elicit involuntary and
      voluntary memories (Schlagman & Kvavilashvili in Memory & Cognition, 36, 920-932,
      2008). Our aim was - for the first time - to examine involuntary and voluntary
      future MTT under controlled laboratory conditions. The involuntary task involved
      a monotonous task that included potential cues for involuntary MTT. Temporal
      direction was manipulated between participants whereas retrieval mode was
      manipulated within participants. We replicated robust past-future differences,
      such as the future positivity bias. Additionally, we replicated key voluntary
      involuntary differences: Involuntary future representations had similar
      characteristics as involuntary memories in that they were elicited faster, were
      more specific, and garnered more emotional impact than their voluntary
      counterparts. We also found that the future and past involuntary MTT led to both
      positive and negative mood impact, and that the valence of the impact was
      associated with the emotional valence of the event. This study advances
      scientific understanding of involuntary future representations in healthy
      populations and validates a laboratory paradigm that can be flexibly and
      systematically utilized to explore different characteristics of voluntary and
      involuntary MTT, which has not been possible within naturalistic paradigms. 

PMID- 26489748
TI  - Comparison of diagnostic performance for perinatal and paediatric post-mortem
      imaging: CT versus MRI.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare the diagnostic yield of whole-body post-mortem computed
      tomography (PMCT) imaging to post-mortem magnetic resonance (PMMR) imaging in a
      prospective study of fetuses and children. METHODS: We compared PMCT and PMMR to
      conventional autopsy as the gold standard for the detection of (a) major
      pathological abnormalities related to the cause of death and (b) all diagnostic
      findings in five different body organ systems. RESULTS: Eighty two cases (53
      fetuses and 29 children) underwent PMCT and PMMR prior to autopsy, at which 55
      major abnormalities were identified. Significantly more PMCT than PMMR
      examinations were non-diagnostic (18/82 vs. 4/82; 21.9 % vs. 4.9 %, diff 17.1 %
      (95 % CI 6.7, 27.6; p < 0.05)). PMMR gave an accurate diagnosis in 24/55 (43.64
      %; 95 % CI 31.37, 56.73 %) compared to 18/55 PMCT (32.73 %; 95 % CI 21.81,
      45.90). PMCT was particularly poor in fetuses <24 weeks, with 28.6 % (8.1, 46.4
      %) more non-diagnostic scans. Where both PMCT and PMMR were diagnostic, PMMR gave
      slightly higher diagnostic accuracy than PMCT (62.8 % vs. 59.4 %). CONCLUSION:
      Unenhanced PMCT has limited value in detection of major pathology primarily
      because of poor-quality, non-diagnostic fetal images. On this basis, PMMR should
      be the modality of choice for non-invasive PM imaging in fetuses and children.
      KEY POINTS: * Overall 17.1 % more PMCT examinations than PMMR were non-diagnostic
      * 28.6 % more PMCT were non-diagnostic than PMMR in fetuses <24 weeks * PMMR
      detected almost a third more pathological abnormalities than PMCT * PMMR gave
      slightly higher diagnostic accuracy when both were diagnostic.

PMID- 26489749
TI  - Association between breast cancer, breast density, and body adiposity evaluated
      by MRI.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Despite the lack of reliable methods with which to measure breast
      density from 2D mammograms, numerous studies have demonstrated a positive
      association between breast cancer and breast density. The goal of this study was
      to study the association between breast cancer and body adiposity, as well as
      breast density quantitatively assessed from 3D MRI breast images. METHODS: Breast
      density was calculated from 3D T1-weighted MRI images. The thickness of the upper
      abdominal adipose layer was used as a surrogate marker for body adiposity. We
      evaluated the correlation between breast density, age, body adiposity, and breast
      cancer. RESULTS: Breast density was calculated for 410 patients with unilateral
      invasive breast cancer, 73 patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and 361
      controls without breast cancer. Breast density was inversely related to age and
      the thickness of the upper abdominal adipose layer. Breast cancer was only
      positively associated with body adiposity and age. CONCLUSION: Age and body
      adiposity are predictive of breast density. Breast cancer was not associated with
      breast density; however, it was associated with the thickness of the upper
      abdominal adipose layer, a surrogate marker for body adiposity. Our results based
      on a limited number of patients warrant further investigations. KEY POINTS: * MRI
      breast density is negatively associated with body adiposity. * MRI breast density
      is negatively associated with age. * Breast cancer is positively associated with
      body adiposity. * Breast Cancer is not associated with MRI breast density.

PMID- 26489750
TI  - Secondhand smoke and incidence of dental caries in deciduous teeth among children
      in Japan: population based retrospective cohort study.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Does maternal smoking during pregnancy and exposure of infants to
      tobacco smoke at age 4 months increase the risk of caries in deciduous teeth?
      METHODS: Population based retrospective cohort study of 76 920 children born
      between 2004 and 2010 in Kobe City, Japan who received municipal health check-ups
      at birth, 4, 9, and 18 months, and 3 years and had information on household
      smoking status at age 4 months and records of dental examinations at age 18
      months and 3 years. Smoking during pregnancy and exposure of infants to
      secondhand smoke at age 4 months was assessed by standardised parent reported
      questionnaires. The main outcome measure was the incidence of caries in deciduous
      teeth, defined as at least one decayed, missing, or filled tooth assessed by
      qualified dentists without radiographs. Cox regression was used to estimate
      hazard ratios of exposure to secondhand smoke compared with having no smoker in
      the family after propensity score adjustment for clinical and lifestyle
      characteristics. STUDY ANSWER AND LIMITATIONS: Prevalence of household smoking
      among the 76 920 children was 55.3% (n=42 525), and 6.8% (n=5268) had evidence of
      exposure to tobacco smoke. A total of 12 729 incidents of dental caries were
      observed and most were decayed teeth (3 year follow-up rate 91.9%). The risk of
      caries at age 3 years was 14.0% (no smoker in family), 20.0% (smoking in
      household but without evidence of exposure to tobacco smoke), and 27.6% (exposure
      to tobacco smoke). The propensity score adjusted hazard ratios of the two
      exposure groups compared with having no smoker in the family were 1.46 (95%
      confidence interval 1.40 to 1.52) and 2.14 (1.99 to 2.29), respectively. The
      propensity score adjusted hazard ratio between maternal smoking during pregnancy
      and having no smoker in the family was 1.10 (0.97 to 1.25). WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:
      Exposure to tobacco smoke at 4 months of age was associated with an approximately
      twofold increased risk of caries, and the risk of caries was also increased among
      those exposed to household smoking, by 1.5-fold, whereas the effect of maternal
      smoking during pregnancy was not statistically significant. FUNDING, COMPETING
      INTERESTS, DATA SHARING: This study was supported by a grant in aid for
      scientific research 26860415. The authors have no competing interests or
      additional data to share.

PMID- 26489751
TI  - Data sharing is desirable, but benefits should not be exaggerated.

PMID- 26489752
TI  - Erratum to: Transoral laser microsurgery for the treatment of oropharyngeal
      cancer: the Dalhousie University experience.

PMID- 26489753
TI  - Modelling strategies to break transmission of lymphatic filariasis--aggregation,
      adherence and vector competence greatly alter elimination.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With ambitious targets to eliminate lymphatic filariasis over the
      coming years, there is a need to identify optimal strategies to achieve them in
      areas with different baseline prevalence and stages of control. Modelling can
      assist in identifying what data should be collected and what strategies are best
      for which scenarios. METHODS: We develop a new individual-based, stochastic
      mathematical model of the transmission of lymphatic filariasis. We validate the
      model by fitting to a first time point and predicting future timepoints from
      surveillance data in Kenya and Sri Lanka, which have different vectors and
      different stages of the control programme. We then simulate different treatment
      scenarios in low, medium and high transmission settings, comparing once yearly
      mass drug administration (MDA) with more frequent MDA and higher coverage. We
      investigate the potential impact that vector control, systematic non-compliance
      and different levels of aggregation have on the dynamics of transmission and
      control. RESULTS: In all settings, increasing coverage from 65 to 80 % has a
      similar impact on control to treating twice a year at 65 % coverage, for fewer
      drug treatments being distributed. Vector control has a large impact, even at
      moderate levels. The extent of aggregation of parasite loads amongst a small
      portion of the population, which has been estimated to be highly variable in
      different settings, can undermine the success of a programme, particularly if
      high risk sub-communities are not accessing interventions. CONCLUSION: Even
      moderate levels of vector control have a large impact both on the reduction in
      prevalence and the maintenance of gains made during MDA, even when parasite loads
      are highly aggregated, and use of vector control is at moderate levels. For the
      same prevalence, differences in aggregation and adherence can result in very
      different dynamics. The novel analysis of a small amount of surveillance data and
      resulting simulations highlight the need for more individual level data to be
      analysed to effectively tailor programmes in the drive for elimination.

PMID- 26489754
TI  - Mitochondrial genomes and comparative analyses of Culex camposi, Culex coronator,
      Culex usquatus and Culex usquatissimus (Diptera:Culicidae), members of the
      coronator group.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Coronator Group currently encompasses six morphologically similar
      species (Culex camposi Dyar, Culex coronator Dyar and Knab, Culex covagarciai
      Forattini, Culex usquatus Dyar, Culex usquatissimus Dyar, and Culex ousqua Dyar).
      Culex coronator has been incriminated as a potential vector of West Nile Virus
      (WNV), Saint Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLEV), and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis
      Virus (VEEV). The complete mitochondrial genome of Cx. coronator, Cx. usquatus,
      Cx.usquatissimus, and Cx. camposi was sequenced, annotated, and analyzed to
      provide genetic information about these species. RESULTS: The mitochondrial
      genomes of Cx. coronator, Cx. usquatus, Cx.usquatissimus, and Cx. camposi varied
      from 15,573 base pairs in Cx. usquatus to 15,576 in Cx. coronator. They contained
      37 genes (13 protein-encoding genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes) and the AT
      rich control region. Comparative analyses of the 37 genes demonstrated the
      mitochondrial genomes to be composed of variable and conserved genes. Despite the
      small size, the ATP8, ATP6 plus NADH5 protein-encoding genes were polymorphic,
      whereas tRNAs and rRNAs were conserved. The control region contained some poly-T
      stretch. The Bayesian phylogenetic tree corroborated that both the Coronator
      Group and the Culex pipens complex are monophyletic taxa. CONCLUSIONS: The
      mitochondrial genomes of Cx. coronator, Cx. usquatus, Cx. usquatissimus and Cx.
      camposi share the same gene composition and arrangement features that match to
      those reported for most Culicidae species. They are composed of the same 37 genes
      and the AT-rich control region, which contains poly-T stretches that may be
      involved in the functional role of the mitochondrial genome. Taken together,
      results of the dN/dS ratios, the sliding window analyses and the Bayesian
      phylogenetic analyses suggest that ATP6, ATP8 and NADH5 are promising genes to be
      employed in phylogenetic studies involving species of the Coronator Group, and
      probably other species groups of the subgenus Culex. Bayesian topology
      corroborated the morphological hypothesis of the Coronator Group as monophyletic
      lineage within the subgenus Culex.

PMID- 26489755
TI  - T. gondii rhoptry protein ROP18 induces apoptosis of neural cells via endoplasmic
      reticulum stress pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The neurotropic parasite T. gondii is widespread among mammalian
      hosts including humans. During the course of T. gondii infection, the central
      nervous system is the most commonly damaged of all invasive organs. The
      polymorphic rhoptry protein ROP18 has been identified as a key factor in the
      pathogenesis of T. gondii; however, the molecular mechanism by which this protein
      exerts neuropathogenesis remains elusive. METHODS: Immunofluorescence staining
      was performed to detect neuropathogenesis of the mouse brain tissues. The
      apoptosis of neural cells and the expressions of related proteins in the
      endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER Stress)-mediated apoptosis pathway were detected
      by flow cytometry and Western blotting. RESULTS: Immunofluorescence staining
      reveals induction of the propidium iodide (PI) - positive neural cells in mouse
      cerebral cortex and hippocampus infected with ROP18 over-expressing transgenic
      tachyzoites. Western blotting analyses reveal that ROP18 increases the
      expressions of cleaved caspase-12, CHOP and cleaved caspase-3 when compared to
      the control groups. After the pretreatment of Z-ATAD-FMK (a specific caspase-12
      inhibitor), the apoptotic level of neural cells had an apparent decline, and
      correspondingly, the expressions of those related proteins were notably
      decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings here highlight that the virulence factor
      ROP18 in T. gondii may contribute to neuronal apoptosis through the ER stress
      mediated apoptosis pathway, which may be a potential molecular mechanism
      responsible for neurological disorders of toxoplasmosis.

PMID- 26489756
TI  - Effectiveness of guided self-help in decreasing expressed emotion in family
      caregivers of people diagnosed with depression in Thailand: a randomised
      controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High expressed emotion (EE) can extend the duration of illness and
      precipitate relapse; however, little evidence-based information is available to
      assist family caregivers of individuals with depression. In the present
      exploratory study, we examined the effectiveness of a cognitive behaviour therapy
      (CBT) based guided self-help (GSH) manual in decreasing EE in caregivers of
      people with depression, in Thailand. METHOD: A parallel group randomised
      controlled trial was conducted, following CONSORT guidelines, with 54 caregivers
      who were allocated equally to GSH or control group (standard outpatient
      department support). In addition, both groups were contacted weekly by telephone.
      EE was assessed, using the Family Questionnaire (FQ), at baseline, post-test
      (Week 8) and follow-up (Week 12). RESULTS: FQ scores at baseline indicated that
      both groups had similar, though moderately high level of EE. However, between
      baseline and post-test EE scores decreased markedly in the intervention group,
      but in contrast, they increased slightly in the control group. Between post-test
      and follow-up, little change took place in the EE scores of either group.
      Overall, the intervention group recipients of GSH showed a significant decrease
      in EE whereas the control group recipients of standard outpatient department
      support reported a slight increase in EE. CONCLUSION: These findings provide
      preliminary evidence that GSH is beneficial in reducing EE in caregivers, which
      is advantageous to family members with depression and caregivers. The approach
      may be used as an adjunct to the limited outpatient department support given to
      caregivers by mental health professionals and, perhaps, to caregivers who do not
      attend these departments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian and New Zealand Clinical
      Trials Registry
      https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=366639.
      Registered 21 July 2014.

PMID- 26489757
TI  - Smoking as a predictor of frailty: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence on longitudinal associations between smoking and frailty is
      scarce. The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature
      on smoking as a predictor of frailty changes among community-dwelling middle-aged
      and older population. METHODS: A systematic search was performed using three
      electronic databases: MEDLINE, Embase and Scopus for studies published from 2000
      through May 2015. Reference lists of relevant articles, articles shown as related
      citations in PubMed and articles citing the included studies in Google Scholar
      were also reviewed. Studies were included if they were prospective observational
      studies investigating smoking status as a predictor and subsequent changes in
      frailty, defined by validated criteria among community-dwelling general
      population aged 50 or older. A standardised data collection tool was used to
      extract data. Methodological quality was examined using the Newcastle-Ottawa
      Scale for cohort studies. RESULTS: A total of 1020 studies were identified and
      systematically reviewed for their titles, abstracts and full-text to assess their
      eligibilities. Five studies met inclusion criteria and were included in this
      review. These studies were critically reviewed and assessed for validity of their
      findings. Despite different methodologies and frailty criteria used, four of the
      five studies consistently showed baseline smoking was significantly associated
      with developing frailty or worsening frailty status at follow-up. Although not
      significant, the other study showed the same trend in male smokers. It is of note
      that most of the estimate measures were either unadjusted or only adjusted for a
      limited number of important covariates. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review
      provides the evidence of smoking as a predictor of worsening frailty status in
      community-dwelling population. Smoking cessation may potentially be beneficial
      for preventing or reversing frailty.

PMID- 26489758
TI  - A successful longitudinal graduate tracking system for monitoring Australian
      medical school graduate outcomes.
AB  - CONTEXT: Maintaining an adequate health workforce in rural and remote Australia
      is challenging. The Australian Government has addressed this challenge by
      encouraging the admission of rural background students and supporting the growth
      of regionally based academic health faculties and clinical schools. ISSUE: It is
      imperative to assess the relevance and effectiveness of regionally based academic
      health faculties and clinical schools so standards can be maintained and health
      workforce supply and distribution can be maximised to benefit local populations.
      APPROACH: The James Cook University (JCU) College of Medicine and Dentistry, the
      first regional Australian medical school, has developed a longitudinal tracking
      system for its medical graduates. Processes include administering an exit survey
      to each cohort immediately prior to graduation (which also collects each
      graduate's details and consent to be contacted for follow-up studies and
      practice/career choice data), a FacebookTM page to search for hard-to-trace
      graduates, and accessing the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority
      (AHPRA) website. CONCLUSIONS: The comprehensive personal contact tracking system
      backed by the AHPRA website has resulted in a 98% complete longitudinal tracking
      database, and thus a comprehensive picture of the practice location of JCU
      medical graduates from 2006 to 2013, enabling exploration of the patterns of
      practice to be conducted with considerable confidence. It is intended that the
      tracking database will be maintained for many years to allow regular follow-up of
      graduates well into their established careers. However, as graduate numbers
      increase at the JCU medical school, personal contact will be made with the
      majority of graduates on a less frequent basis.

PMID- 26489759
TI  - A novel channel selection method for optimal classification in different motor
      imagery BCI paradigms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For sensorimotor rhythms based brain-computer interface (BCI)
      systems, classification of different motor imageries (MIs) remains a crucial
      problem. An important aspect is how many scalp electrodes (channels) should be
      used in order to reach optimal performance classifying motor imaginations. While
      the previous researches on channel selection mainly focus on MI tasks paradigms
      without feedback, the present work aims to investigate the optimal channel
      selection in MI tasks paradigms with real-time feedback (two-class control and
      four-class control paradigms). METHODS: In the present study, three datasets
      respectively recorded from MI tasks experiment, two-class control and four-class
      control experiments were analyzed offline. Multiple frequency-spatial synthesized
      features were comprehensively extracted from every channel, and a new enhanced
      method IterRelCen was proposed to perform channel selection. IterRelCen was
      constructed based on Relief algorithm, but was enhanced from two aspects: change
      of target sample selection strategy and adoption of the idea of iterative
      computation, and thus performed more robust in feature selection. Finally, a
      multiclass support vector machine was applied as the classifier. The least number
      of channels that yield the best classification accuracy were considered as the
      optimal channels. One-way ANOVA was employed to test the significance of
      performance improvement among using optimal channels, all the channels and three
      typical MI channels (C3, C4, Cz). RESULTS: The results show that the proposed
      method outperformed other channel selection methods by achieving average
      classification accuracies of 85.2, 94.1, and 83.2 % for the three datasets,
      respectively. Moreover, the channel selection results reveal that the average
      numbers of optimal channels were significantly different among the three MI
      paradigms. CONCLUSIONS: It is demonstrated that IterRelCen has a strong ability
      for feature selection. In addition, the results have shown that the numbers of
      optimal channels in the three different motor imagery BCI paradigms are distinct.
      From a MI task paradigm, to a two-class control paradigm, and to a four-class
      control paradigm, the number of required channels for optimizing the
      classification accuracy increased. These findings may provide useful information
      to optimize EEG based BCI systems, and further improve the performance of
      noninvasive BCI.

PMID- 26489760
TI  - A syringe-sharing model for the spread of HIV: application to Omsk, Western
      Siberia.
AB  - A system of two differential equations is used to model the transmission dynamics
      of human immunodeficiency virus between 'persons who inject drugs' (PWIDs) and
      their syringes. Our vector-borne disease model hinges on a metaphorical urn from
      which PWIDs draw syringes at random which may or may not be infected and may or
      may not result in one of the two agents becoming infected. The model's parameters
      are estimated with data mostly from the city of Omsk in Western Siberia. A linear
      trend in PWID prevalence in Omsk could only be fitted by considering a time
      dependent version of the model captured through a secular decrease in the
      probability that PWIDs decide to share a syringe. A global sensitivity analysis
      is performed with 14 parameters considered random variables in order to assess
      their impact on average numbers infected over a 50-year projection. With obvious
      intervention implications the drug injection rate and the probability of syringe
      cleansing are the only parameters whose coefficients of correlations with numbers
      of infected PWIDs and infected syringes have an absolute value close to or larger
      than 0.40.

PMID- 26489761
TI  - Corrigendum: Rh D blood group conversion using transcription activator-like
      effector nucleases.

PMID- 26489762
TI  - Gene Expression Profiling Identifies Interferon Signalling Molecules and IGFBP3
      in Human Degenerative Annulus Fibrosus.
AB  - Low back pain is a major cause of disability especially for people between 20 and
      50 years of age. As a costly healthcare problem, it imposes a serious socio
      economic burden. Current surgical therapies fail to replace the normal disc in
      facilitating spinal movements and absorbing load. The focus of regenerative
      medicine is on identifying biomarkers and signalling pathways to improve our
      understanding about cascades of disc degeneration and allow for the design of
      specific therapies. We hypothesized that comparing microarray profiles from
      degenerative and non-degenerative discs will lead to the identification of
      dysregulated signalling and pathophysiological targets. Microarray data sets were
      generated from human annulus fibrosus cells and analysed using IPA ingenuity
      pathway analysis. Gene expression values were validated by qRT-PCR, and
      respective proteins were identified by immunohistochemistry. Microarray analysis
      revealed 238 differentially expressed genes in the degenerative annulus fibrosus.
      Seventeen of the dysregulated molecular markers showed log2-fold changes greater
      than +/-1.5. Various dysregulated cellular functions, including cell
      proliferation and inflammatory response, were identified. The most significant
      canonical pathway induced in degenerative annulus fibrosus was found to be the
      interferon pathway. This study indicates interferon-alpha signalling pathway
      activation with IFIT3 and IGFBP3 up-regulation, which may affect cellular
      function in human degenerative disc. 

PMID- 26489763
TI  - Lysine-specific demethylase 1 mediates epidermal growth factor signaling to
      promote cell migration in ovarian cancer cells.
AB  - Epigenetic abnormalities play a vital role in the progression of ovarian cancer.
      Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1/KDM1A) acts as an epigenetic regulator and is
      overexpressed in ovarian tumors. However, the upstream regulator of LSD1
      expression in this cancer remains elusive. Here, we show that epidermal growth
      factor (EGF) signaling upregulates LSD1 protein levels in SKOV3 and HO8910
      ovarian cancer cells overexpressing both LSD1 and the EGF receptor. This effect
      is correlated with a decrease in the dimethylation of H3K4, a major substrate of
      LSD1, in an LSD1-dependent manner. We also show that inhibition of PI3K/AKT, but
      not MEK, abolishes the EGF-induced upregulation of LSD1 and cell migration,
      indicating that the PI3K/PDK1/AKT pathway mediates the EGF-induced expression of
      LSD1 and cell migration. Significantly, LSD1 knockdown or inhibition of LSD1
      activity impairs both intrinsic and EGF-induced cell migration in SKOV3 and
      HO8910 cells. These results highlight a novel mechanism regulating LSD1
      expression and identify LSD1 as a promising therapeutic target for treating
      metastatic ovarian cancer driven by EGF signaling. 

PMID- 26489764
TI  - The role of the Src Homology-2 domain containing protein B (SHB) in beta cells.
AB  - This review will describe the SH2-domain signaling protein Src Homology-2 domain
      containing protein B (SHB) and its role in various physiological processes
      relating in particular to glucose homeostasis and beta cell function. SHB
      operates downstream of several tyrosine kinase receptors and assembles signaling
      complexes in response to receptor activation by interacting with other signaling
      proteins via its other domains (proline-rich, phosphotyrosine-binding and
      tyrosine-phosphorylation sites). The subsequent responses are context-dependent.
      Absence of Shb in mice has been found to exert effects on hematopoiesis,
      angiogenesis and glucose metabolism. Specifically, first-phase insulin secretion
      in response to glucose was impaired and this effect was related to altered
      characteristics of focal adhesion kinase activation modulating signaling through
      Akt, ERK, beta catenin and cAMP. It is believed that SHB plays a role in
      integrating adaptive responses to various stimuli by simultaneously modulating
      cellular responses in different cell-types, thus playing a role in maintaining
      physiological homeostasis. 

PMID- 26489765
TI  - Wisp1 mediates Bmp3-stimulated mesenchymal stem cell proliferation.
AB  - Adipose tissue expansion, resulting from adipocyte hyperplasia and/or
      hypertrophy, is a hallmark of obesity. Adipocytes are derived from mesenchymal
      stem cells (MSCs) through adipogenesis, a process involving three key steps:
      proliferation, commitment and differentiation. Although studies have elaborated
      on the mechanisms regulating adipocyte commitment and differentiation, the
      factors that control MSC proliferation remain largely unknown. Previously, we
      demonstrated that bone morphogenetic protein 3 (Bmp3), the expression of which
      was upregulated in our rat model of hyperplasic visceral adiposity, potently
      stimulated MSC proliferation. In the present study, we investigate the molecular
      target of Bmp3. We conducted DNA microarray analysis on MSCs treated with and
      without Bmp3 and identified WNT1-inducible signaling pathway protein 1 (Wisp1) as
      a differentially expressed gene, whose expression was upregulated 3.7-fold by
      Bmp3. Wisp1 is a proliferative agent in various non-adipose cell types and is
      implicated in adipogenesis. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that Wisp1
      mediates Bmp3 stimulation of MSC proliferation. We showed that Bmp3 increased the
      expression of Wisp1 as early as 3 h following Bmp3 treatment in MSCs.
      Importantly, the upregulated Wisp1 expression preceded Bmp3-induced MSC
      proliferation, as determined by [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation. Furthermore,
      treatment of MSCs with recombinant Wisp1 led to a concentration-dependent
      increase in [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation with a maximal increase of 300%. In
      addition, siRNA-mediated knockdown of Wisp1 expression attenuated Bmp3-induced
      MSC proliferation. Taken together, our present findings reveal Wisp1 as a novel
      target of Bmp3 and suggest that the Bmp3/Wisp1 signaling pathway play a key role
      in MSC proliferation, and consequently adipogenesis. 

PMID- 26489766
TI  - Pyrexia of unknown origin 90 years on: a paradigm of modern clinical medicine.
AB  - In 1925, Sir Thomas Horder, a leading physician of his day, gave a lecture,
      published in this journal, entitled 'Some cases of pyrexia without physical
      signs'. The paper highlighted what was already a familiar clinical presentation
      "which taxes our resources to the utmost". Fast-forward through 90 years of
      careful clinical description, technological innovation in diagnosis and
      treatment, emergent infections, novel diagnoses, demographic shifts, and radical
      changes in the health economy. Sir Thomas would find certain aspects familiar,
      and others revolutionary, in the differential diagnosis and management of the
      21st century patient with pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO). Within high-income
      settings, the proportion of cases due to infection has declined, albeit unevenly.
      The era of untreated HIV, and the consequences of iatrogenic intervention and
      immunosuppression, led to Durack and Street's subclassification of the condition
      in the early 1990 s into classic, nosocomial, neutropenic and HIV-associated PUO.
      Shifts towards ambulatory care have driven a change in the definition of many
      diseases. An era of observant clinicians, who lent their names to eponymous
      syndromes, followed by meticulous serological, genetic and clinicopathological
      correlation, generated a battery of diagnoses that, along with malignancy, form a
      large proportion of diagnoses in more recent clinical care. In the current era,
      universal access to cross-sectional imaging and an infinite array of laboratory
      tests has undermined the attention paid to history and examination. In some areas
      of the clinical assessment, such as assessing the fever pattern, this shift is
      supported by research evidence. The issues that need to be addressed in the next
      90 years of technological innovation, information sharing and health service
      transformation are likely to include: transcriptomic approaches to diagnosis; the
      place of positron emission tomography (PET) in the diagnostic pathway; the
      optimal management of high ferritin states; and the most cost-effective
      diagnostic environment, in the face of this era of specialisation and
      fragmentation of care. In the meantime, this review covers some important early
      21st century lessons to be shared in avoiding diagnostic pitfalls and choosing
      empirical therapy.

PMID- 26489767
TI  - Clinical and diagnostic findings in patients with elevated cerebrospinal
      bilirubin.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) spectroscopy can identify subarachnoid
      haemorrhage (SAH) when CT is negative in patients presenting with acute severe
      headache. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical use
      and usefulness of CSF spectrophotometry. Secondary objectives were to identify
      other causes of elevated CSF bilirubin, to analyse headache descriptions and to
      compare clinical features in patients with an elevated CSF bilirubin among those
      with and without an intracranial vascular cause of SAH (avSAH). METHODS:
      Consecutive patients admitted to two hospitals in Enniskillen and Londonderry
      between 1 January 2004 and 30 September 2014 with CSF spectroscopy bilirubin
      results were identified from a clinical chemistry laboratory dataset. Patients
      with elevated CSF bilirubin were studied. Clinical demographics, delays to
      investigation and final diagnoses were recorded. Patients with avSAH were
      compared with patients without avSAH. RESULTS: Among 1813 patients with CSF
      spectrophotometry results, requests increased more than threefold during the
      study (p<0.001). Fifty-six patients had elevated CSF bilirubin. Ten (17.9%) had
      avSAH, of which 8 (14.3%) had aneurysmal SAH. Non-vascular causes of elevated CSF
      bilirubin included meningitis, spontaneous intracranial hypotension and
      carcinomatous meningitis. Headache descriptions varied. Time from headache onset
      to admission, CT scan and lumbar puncture did not differ significantly for
      patients with avSAH and non-avSAH. CSF red cell counts were higher among patients
      with avSAH than patients with non-avSAH (p=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: CSF bilirubin
      measurement has an important role in identifying avSAH in CT-negative patients
      presenting with a thunderclap headache. Better clinical selection of patients is
      required as CSF spectrophotometry, although sensitive, is not specific for SAH.

PMID- 26489768
TI  - Methoxy poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly (glutamic acid)-graft-6-(2
      nitroimidazole) hexyl amine nanoparticles for potential hypoxia-responsive
      delivery of doxorubicin.
AB  - Tumor microenvironment-responsive nano drug delivery vehicles are gaining
      mounting attention in the field of biomedical sciences. The hypoxic response of
      the tumorous cells due to very low partial pressure of oxygen (some time less
      than 2.5 mm of Hg) in the tumor tissues makes hypoxia-responsive drug delivery
      system as the more appealing in cancer chemotherapy. Based on these
      considerations, we synthesized hypoxia-responsive polymeric materials methoxy
      poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly (glutamic acid)-graft-6-(2-nitroimidazole)
      hexyl amine (mPEG-b-PLG-g-NID) by conjugation of the hydrophobic nitro imidazole
      derivative (NID)[6-(2-nitroimidazole) hexyl amine] with the pendant carboxylic
      group of poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly (L-glutamic acid)(mPEG-b-PLG). The
      structure and degree of substitution were confirmed by proton NMR, FTIR, and UV
      Vis spectroscopy. The degree of substitution was found to enhance with the
      increase in NID to polymer ratio. The hypoxia response of the material was
      evaluated by UV-Vis spectroscopy and zeta potential measurements. Doxorubicin was
      hydrophobically encapsulated in the micellar core of the hypoxia-responsive
      nanoparticles. The drug-loaded micelles showed faster release in hypoxic
      condition as compared to normoxic conditions. Moreover, the developed polymeric
      system was found non-toxic to MCF-7 cell line, thus suggesting its
      biocompatibility and suitability as drug delivery device.

PMID- 26489769
TI  - Principal nonlinear dynamical modes of climate variability.
AB  - We suggest a new nonlinear expansion of space-distributed observational time
      series. The expansion allows constructing principal nonlinear manifolds holding
      essential part of observed variability. It yields low-dimensional hidden time
      series interpreted as internal modes driving observed multivariate dynamics as
      well as their mapping to a geographic grid. Bayesian optimality is used for
      selecting relevant structure of nonlinear transformation, including both the
      number of principal modes and degree of nonlinearity. Furthermore, the optimal
      characteristic time scale of the reconstructed modes is also found. The technique
      is applied to monthly sea surface temperature (SST) time series having a duration
      of 33 years and covering the globe. Three dominant nonlinear modes were extracted
      from the time series: the first efficiently separates the annual cycle, the
      second is responsible for ENSO variability, and combinations of the second and
      the third modes explain substantial parts of Pacific and Atlantic dynamics. A
      relation of the obtained modes to decadal natural climate variability including
      current hiatus in global warming is exhibited and discussed. 

PMID- 26489770
TI  - Psychometric properties of the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory: an item
      response theory approach.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Classical psychometric methods have been used to demonstrate the
      validity and reliability of the 42-item Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory
      (FCRI). Our aim was to expand on this evidence with information on the
      discriminative value of the individual items when administered to people with a
      personal history of melanoma, using an item response theory (IRT) approach.
      METHODS: We used a two-parameter IRT model to examine all items of the FCRI,
      primarily regarding whether people with a personal history of melanoma use the
      response scale as expected (as indicated by item characteristic curves), and
      whether the items can discriminate between those low and high on the constructs
      assessed by the instrument. RESULTS: The sample was comprised of 286 adults with
      a personal history of melanoma (58% male, mean age: 59.1 years). The established
      factor structure of the FCRI was generally confirmed. IRT highlighted several
      items with problematic item characteristic curves, including most items in the
      Reassurance and Coping Strategies domains. Several other items exhibited poor
      discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this IRT analysis, we outline suggestions
      for refinement of the FCRI and potential development of a short-form, that could
      reduce respondent burden. Generalisability of these findings beyond melanoma
      warrants further examination. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26489771
TI  - Immobilization of gold nanoclusters inside porous electrospun fibers for
      selective detection of Cu(II): A strategic approach to shielding pristine
      performance.
AB  - Here, a distinct demonstration of highly sensitive and selective detection of
      copper (Cu(2+)) in a vastly porous cellulose acetate fibers (pCAF) has been
      carried out using dithiothreitol capped gold nanocluster (DTT.AuNC) as
      fluorescent probe. A careful optimization of all potential factors affecting the
      performance of the probe for effective detection of Cu(2+) were studied and the
      resultant sensor strip exhibiting unique features including high stability,
      retained parent fluorescence nature and reproducibility. The visual colorimetric
      detection of Cu(2+) in water, presenting the selective sensing performance
      towards Cu(2+) ions over Zn(2+), Cd(2+) and Hg(2+) under UV light in naked eye,
      contrast to other metal ions that didn't significantly produce such a change. The
      comparative sensing performance of DTT.AuNC@pCAF, keeping the nonporous CA fiber
      (DTT.AuNC@nCAF) as a support matrix has been demonstrated. The resulting weak
      response of DTT.AuNC@nCAF denotes the lack of ligand protection leading to the
      poor coordination ability with Cu(2+). The determined detection limit (50 ppb) is
      far lower than the maximum level of Cu(2+) in drinking water (1.3 ppm) set by
      U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). An interesting find from this study
      has been the specific oxidation nature between Cu(2+) and DTT.AuNC, offering
      solid evidence for selective sensors. 

PMID- 26489773
TI  - Controlled Synthesis of N-Doped Carbon Nanospheres with Tailored Mesopores
      through Self-Assembly of Colloidal Silica.
AB  - Limited strategies have been established to prepare monodisperse mesoporous
      carbon nanospheres (MCNs) with tailored pore sizes. In this work, a method is
      reported to synthesize MCNs by combining polymerization of aniline with co
      assembly of colloidal silica nanoparticles. The controlled self-assembly behavior
      of colloidal silica enables the formation of uniform composite nanospheres and
      convenient modulation over mesopores. After carbonization and removal of
      sacrificial templates, the resultant MCNs possess tunable mesopores (7-42 nm) and
      spherical diameters (90-300 nm), as well as high surface area (785-1117 m(2)  g(
      1) ), large pore volume (1.46-2.01 cm(3)  g(-1) ) and abundant nitrogen moieties
      (5.54-8.73 at %). When serving as metal-free electrocatalysts for the oxygen
      reduction reaction (ORR), MCNs with an optimum pore size of 22 nm, compared to
      those with 7 and 42 nm, exhibit the best ORR performance in alkaline medium. 

PMID- 26489772
TI  - Diagnosis lost: Differences between children who had and who currently have an
      autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.
AB  - Autism spectrum disorder diagnoses sometimes change due to misdiagnosis,
      maturation, or treatment. This study uses a probability-based national survey-the
      Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Services-to compare currently diagnosed (n =
      1420) and previously diagnosed (n = 187) children aged 6-17 years based on
      retrospective parental reports of early concerns about their children's
      development, responses to those concerns by doctors and other healthcare
      providers, the type of provider who made the first autism spectrum disorder
      diagnosis, and the autism spectrum disorder subtype diagnoses received (if any).
      Propensity score matching was used to control for differences between the groups
      on children's current level of functioning and other current characteristics that
      may have been related to diagnosis loss. Approximately 13% of the children ever
      diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder were estimated to have lost the
      diagnosis, and parents of 74% of them believed it was changed due to new
      information. Previously diagnosed children were less likely to have parents with
      early concerns about verbal skills, nonverbal communication, learning, and
      unusual gestures or movements. They were also less likely to have been referred
      to and diagnosed by a specialist. Previously diagnosed children were less likely
      to have ever received a diagnosis of Asperger's disorder or autistic disorder.

PMID- 26489774
TI  - Antisite defects in layered multiferroic CuCr(0.9)In(0.1)P2S6.
AB  - The CuCr1-xInxP2S6 system represents a large family of metal chalcogenophosphates
      that are unique and promising candidates for 2D materials with functionalities
      such as ferroelectricity. In this work, we carried out detailed microstructural
      and chemical characterization of these compounds using aberration-corrected STEM,
      in order to understand the origin of these different ordering phenomena.
      Quantitative STEM-HAADF imaging and analysis identified the stacking order of an
      8-layer thin flake, which leads to the identification of anti-site In(3+)(Cu(+))
      doping. We believe that these findings will pave the way towards understanding
      the ferroic coupling phenomena in van der Waals lamellar compounds, as well as
      their potential applications in 2-D electronics. 

PMID- 26489775
TI  - Global assessment of the severity of epilepsy (GASE) Scale in children: Validity,
      reliability, responsiveness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Global Assessment of Severity of Epilepsy (GASE) Scale is a single
      item, 7-point global rating scale designed for neurologist-report of overall
      severity of epilepsy in children. Building on previous preliminary evidence of
      its validity and reliability for research and clinical use, this study evaluated
      the GASE Scale's construct validity, reliability, and responsiveness to changes
      in severity of epilepsy. METHODS: Data used for the study arose from the Health
      Related Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy Study (HERQULES), a 2-year
      multicenter prospective cohort study (n = 374) with observations taken at
      baseline, and 6, 12, and 24 months after diagnosis. Construct validity and
      reliability were quantified using Spearman's correlation and intraclass
      correlation coefficient (ICC). Responsiveness was assessed using both
      distribution-based and anchor-based indices. RESULTS: The GASE Scale was at least
      moderately correlated (r >= 0.30) with several key clinical aspects and most
      strongly correlated with frequency and intensity of seizures and interference of
      epilepsy or drugs with daily activities (r > 0.30). Total variation in GASE Scale
      scores explained by seven core clinical aspects of epilepsy increased over time
      (R(2) = 28% at baseline to R(2) = 70% at 24 months). The GASE Scale had modest
      test-retest reliability (ICC range: 0.52-0.64) and was responsive to changes in
      clinical criteria (standardized response mean range: 0.49-0.68; probability of
      change range: 0.69-0.75; Guyatt's responsiveness statistic range: 0.56-0.84). The
      GASE Scale showed potential to discriminate "stable" and "changed" patients
      according to select criteria and to a composite score (area under the receiver
      operating characteristic [ROC] curve range: 0.50-0.67). SIGNIFICANCE: Results
      offer additional evidence in support of the GASE Scale's validity, reliability,
      as well as responsiveness to changes in severity of epilepsy in children. We
      conclude that the GASE Scale is a potentially useful tool for assessing the
      severity of epilepsy in both clinical and research settings.

PMID- 26489777
TI  - Regarding "On the role of competent ligaments...".

PMID- 26489776
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of exercise as a therapy for behavioural and psychological
      symptoms of dementia within the EVIDEM-E randomised controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although available evidence is modest, exercise could be beneficial in
      reducing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. We aim to evaluate
      the cost-effectiveness of a dyadic exercise regimen for individuals with dementia
      and their main carer as therapy for behavioural and psychological symptoms of
      dementia. METHODS: Cost-effectiveness analysis within a two-arm, pragmatic,
      randomised, controlled, single-blind, parallel-group trial of a dyadic exercise
      regimen (individually tailored, for 20-30 min at least five times per week). The
      study randomised 131 community-dwelling individuals with dementia and clinically
      significant behavioural and psychological symptoms with a carer willing and able
      to participate in the exercise regimen; 52 dyads provided sufficient cost data
      for analyses. RESULTS: Mean intervention cost was L284 per dyad. For the
      subsample of 52 dyads, the intervention group had significantly higher mean cost
      from a societal perspective (mean difference L2728.60, p = 0.05), but costs were
      not significantly different from a health and social care perspective. The
      exercise intervention was more cost-effective than treatment as usual from both
      societal and health and social care perspectives for the measure of behavioural
      and psychological symptoms (Neuropsychiatric Inventory). It does not appear cost
      effective in terms of cost per quality-adjusted life year gain. CONCLUSIONS: The
      exercise intervention has the potential to be seen as cost-effective when
      considering behavioural and psychological symptoms but did not appear cost
      effective when considering quality-adjusted life year gains.

PMID- 26489778
TI  - Gait Analysis in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Living in a Residential
      Facility.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mobility limitations are of particular interest in people with
      intellectual disabilities. The aim of this study was to present feasibility and
      mean values of gait parameters in people with intellectual disability and it was
      hypothesized that several trials would be necessary to gain stable values for
      this cohort. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-two adults with intellectual disability
      living in a residential facility were asked to do four walks in both normal and
      fast speed conditions over an instrumented walkway. Mean values of gait
      parameters were calculated over two different trial combinations, with TC1&2
      representing the mean value of trials 1 and 2, and TC1-4 representing the mean
      over all four trials. RESULTS: All participants (Mage  = 59.6 years; SD = 16.71)
      successfully performed the protocol. Gait parameters remained constant over all
      trials. No significant differences were found between the trial combination TC1&2
      and trial combination TC1-4. CONCLUSION: Gait analysis was found to be feasible
      in people with intellectual disability. Overall, the present authors recommend
      performing two trials and to calculate the means of gait parameters over these
      two trials to gain stable values.

PMID- 26489779
TI  - Validation of functional fetal autonomic brain age score fABAS in 5 min short
      recordings.
AB  - With the objective of evaluating the functional maturation age and developmental
      disturbances we have previously introduced the fetal autonomic brain age score
      (fABAS) using 30 min fetal magnetocardiographic recordings (fMCG, Jena). The
      score is based on heart rate pattern indices that are related to universal
      principles of developmental biology. The present work aims at the validation of
      the fABAS methodology on 5 min recordings from an independent database (fMCG,
      Bochum).We found high agreement of fABAS obtained from Jena normal fetuses (5 min
      subsets, n =  364) and Bochum recordings (n =  322, normal fetuses). fABAS of 48
      recordings from fetuses with intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR, Bochum) was
      reduced in most of the cases, a result consistent with IUGR fetuses from Jena
      previously reported. fABAS calculated from 5 min snapshots only partly covers the
      accuracy when compared to fABAS from 30 min recordings. More precise diagnosis
      requires longer recordings.fABAS obtained from fMCG recordings is a strong
      candidate for standardized assessment of functional maturation age and
      developmental disturbances. Even 5 min recordings seem to be valuable for
      screening for maturation problems.

PMID- 26489781
TI  - Using simulation for teaching femoral arterial access: A multicentric
      collaboration.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of simulation training on complications
      associated with femoral arterial access obtained by first year cardiology
      fellows. BACKGROUND: Prior studies demonstrate a higher incidence of arterial
      access related complications among patients undergoing invasive cardiac
      procedures. METHODS: First year cardiology fellows at four teaching hospitals in
      Michigan tracked their femoral access experience and any associated complications
      between July 2011 and June 2013. Fellows starting their academic training in July
      2012 were first trained on a specially developed simulator before starting their
      rotation in the catheterization laboratory. The primary outcome was access
      proficiency, defined as five successful femoral access attempts without any
      complication or need to seek help from a more experienced team member. RESULTS: A
      total of 1,278 femoral access attempts were made by 21 fellows in 2011-2012
      compared with 869 femoral access attempts made by 21 fellows in 2012-2013. There
      was a lower rate of access related complications in patients undergoing access
      attempts by first year fellows in year 2 compared with year 1 (2.1% versus 4.5%,
      P = 0.003). The number of procedures to achieve procedural proficiency was
      significantly higher in year 1 compared with year 2 (median 20 versus 10, P =
      0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Incorporation of simulation in the training of first year
      fellows was associated with an improvement in proficiency and a clinically
      meaningful reduction in vascular complications.

PMID- 26489782
TI  - Zinc promotes clot stability by accelerating clot formation and modifying fibrin
      structure.
AB  - Zinc released from activated platelets binds fibrin(ogen) and attenuates
      fibrinolysis. Although zinc also affects clot formation, the mechanism and
      consequences are poorly understood. To address these gaps, the effect of zinc on
      clot formation and structure was examined in the absence or presence of factor
      (F) XIII. Zinc accelerated a) plasma clotting by 1.4-fold, b) fibrinogen clotting
      by 3.5- and 2.3-fold in the absence or presence of FXIII, respectively, c)
      fragment X clotting by 1.3-fold, and d) polymerisation of fibrin monomers
      generated with thrombin or batroxobin by 2.5- and 1.8-fold, respectively. Whereas
      absorbance increased up to 3.3-fold when fibrinogen was clotted in the presence
      of zinc, absorbance of fragment X clots was unaffected by zinc, consistent with
      reports that zinc binds to the alphaC-domain of fibrin(ogen). Scanning electron
      microscopic analysis revealed a two-fold increase in fibre diameter in the
      presence of zinc and in permeability studies, zinc increased clot porosity by 30
      fold with or without FXIII. Whereas FXIII increased clot stiffness from 128 +/-
      19 Pa to 415 +/- 27 Pa in rheological analyses, zinc reduced clot stiffness by 10
      and 8.5-fold in the absence and presence of FXIII, respectively. Clots formed in
      the presence of zinc were more stable and resisted rupture with or without FXIII.
      Therefore, zinc accelerates clotting and reduces fibrin clot stiffness in a FXIII
      independent manner, suggesting that zinc may work in concert with FXIII to
      modulate clot strength and stability. 

PMID- 26489783
TI  - A SPoARC in the Dark: Spatialization in Verbal Immediate Memory.
AB  - In 2011, van Dijck and Fias described a positional SNARC (Spatial-Numerical
      Association of Response Codes) effect: the SPoARC (Spatial-Positional Association
      of Response Codes). To-be-remembered items (e.g., numbers, words) presented
      centrally on a screen seemed to acquire a left-to-right spatial dimension. If
      confirmed, this spatialization could be crucial for immediate memory theories.
      However, given the intricate links between visual and spatial dimensions, this
      effect could be due to the visual presentation (on a computer screen), which
      could have probed the left-to-right direction of reading/writing. To allow a
      generalization of this effect, we adapted van Dijck and Fias's (2011) task using
      an auditory version of Sternberg's paradigm. Lists of five consonants were
      auditorily presented at a rate of 3 s/item. A SPoARC effect was observed. The
      consequences are discussed first from an immediate memory perspective, putting
      forward the view that order could be coded through spatialization, and then in
      terms of similarities between SPoARC and SNARC.

PMID- 26489784
TI  - Highly Lewis Acidic Arylboronate Esters Capable of Colorimetric Turn-On Response.
AB  - A series of boronate-pi-acceptor compounds containing different types of pi
      bridges (1,4-phenylen or thien-2,5-diyl or furan-2,5-diyl) that link the
      switchable boronate ester group with the efficient TCF acceptor group (TCF=2
      dicyanomethylen-3-cyano-4,5,5-trimethyl-2,5-dihydrofuran) has been synthesized. A
      TCF chromophore of this type undergoes transition to a donor-pi-acceptor compound
      upon coordination of Lewis bases at the Lewis acidic boron center, which is
      accompanied by an enhanced intramolecular charge-transfer interaction. The Lewis
      acid character has been investigated by spectroscopic measurements (UV/Vis, NMR
      spectroscopies) as well as DFT and ab initio-based calculations. It is shown that
      the TCF acceptor group and thiophene or furan pi-bridges directly bound to the
      boron atom cooperatively increase the Lewis acidity. UV/Vis titration experiments
      confirm fluoride binding constants in the range of up to 10(8)  M(-1) in CH2 Cl2
      . In addition to the strong boron fluoride binding motif, Lewis interactions also
      occur with weaker Lewis bases, such as pyridine or aliphatic alcohols. The unique
      combination of chromophoric and Lewis acidic properties is responsible for the
      intense colorimetric turn-on response detectable after complex formation. 

PMID- 26489785
TI  - Extending the Scope of the B(C6 F5 )3 -Catalyzed C=N Bond Reduction:
      Hydrogenation of Oxime Ethers and Hydrazones.
AB  - The B(C6 F5 )3 -catalyzed hydrogenation is applied to aldoxime triisopropylsilyl
      ethers and hydrazones bearing an easily removable phthaloyl protective group. The
      C?N reduction of aldehyde-derived substrates (oxime ethers and hydrazones) is
      enabled by using 1,4-dioxane as the solvent known to participate as the Lewis
      basic component in FLP-type heterolytic dihydrogen splitting. More basic ketone
      derived hydrazones act as Lewis bases themselves in the FLP-type dihydrogen
      activation and are therefore successfully hydrogenated in nondonating toluene.
      The difference in reactivity between aldehyde- and ketone-derived substrates is
      also reflected in the required catalyst loading and dihydrogen pressure. 

PMID- 26489786
TI  - Ternary cooperative assembly--polymeric condensation of photoactive viologen,
      phosphonate-terminated dendrimers and crystalline anatase nanoparticles.
AB  - Photoactive viologen fragments were covalently embedded within the material
      framework during the self-assembly and sol-gel polymerisation of phosphonate
      terminated dendrimers and soluble titanium-oxo-species. The resulting porous
      anisotropic phosphonate-bridged-crystalline anatase materials serve as new hosts
      to disperse and stabilize small gold nanoparticles. 

PMID- 26489787
TI  - The criteria for optimal down-regulation with gonadotropin-releasing hormone
      agonist: a retrospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to investigate whether the degree of
      down-regulation using GnRH-agonists is associated with pregnancy outcomes. STUDY
      DESIGN: This retrospective analysis was performed on 2708 cycles from 2514
      patients undergoing down-regulation with the luteal phase long protocol. The
      serum oestradiol (E2D) and luteinising hormone (LHD) levels, the diameter of the
      largest follicle (DLFD) and the endometrial-thickness (ENTD) after down
      regulation were used to evaluate the degree of down-regulation. One-way analysis
      of variance with the Bonferroni adjustment, the chi-square test and multivariate
      logistic regression analyses were used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: The
      cumulative clinical pregnancy rates (CCPR) and the cumulative live birth rates
      (CLBR) were higher in the cycles with E2D < 30 pg/ml (63.7%, OR = 1.405 (1.055
      1.870) and 56.8%, OR = 1.372 (1.039-1.813)) and 30-55pg/ml (66.8%, OR = 1.439
      (1.104-1.874) and 59.8%, OR = 1.397 (1.080-1.806)) than in those with E2D > 55
      pg/ml (62.8% and 54.7%). There was a trend towards lower CCPRs and CLBRs in the
      cycles with DLFD > 10 mm or ENTD >= 6 mm; however, this difference was not
      significant. CONCLUSION: The degree of down-regulation is associated with ovarian
      response, pregnancy, and live birth. We propose the following criteria for
      optimal down-regulation: E2D 30-55 pg/ml, ENTD < 6 mm, and no apparent ovarian
      activity.

PMID- 26489788
TI  - Gut microbiota and the risk of childhood asthma.

PMID- 26489789
TI  - Regional investigation of a cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to imported romaine
      lettuce - Nebraska and Iowa, June-August 2013.
AB  - A regional, multistate investigation into a June-August 2013 cyclosporiasis
      outbreak was conducted in Nebraska, Iowa, and neighbouring states. Cases were
      confirmed on the basis of laboratory and clinical findings. Of 227 cases in Iowa
      (n = 140) and Nebraska (n = 87) residents, 162 (71%) reported dining at chain A/B
      restaurants - 96% reported house salad consumption. A case-control study
      identified chain A/B house salad as the most likely vehicle. Traceback was
      conducted to ascertain production lot codes of bagged salad mix (iceberg and
      romaine lettuce, red cabbage, and carrots) served as house salad in implicated
      restaurants. A single production lot code of salad mix supplied by both a common
      producer and distributor was linked to the majority of confirmed cases in persons
      reporting regional chain A/B exposure. The salad mix linked to illnesses
      contained imported romaine lettuce from two separate single-grower fields-of
      origin and ?1 additional field from another grower.

PMID- 26489790
TI  - A 45-Year-Old Undiagnosed Cirrhotic Patient with Hepatopulmonary Syndrome as
      First Presentation: A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a pulmonary complication
      characterized by a triad of chronic liver disease, arterial hypoxemia, and
      pulmonary vascular dilations. Agitated saline contrast echocardiography is a
      simple inexpensive criterion standard procedure for confirming the diagnosis of
      HPS. CASE REPORT: Here, we discuss a case of a 45-year-old male Indian patient
      with no medical history who presented to our hospital with exertional dyspnea,
      hypoxia, and classical signs of HPS. A diagnosis of cirrhosis was made on the
      basis of history, liver enzymes, and ultrasound, while HPS was diagnosed using
      transthoracic echocardiography with agitated saline. CONCLUSIONS: HPS, although a
      complication of cirrhosis, can be the initial presentation in undiagnosed
      cirrhotic patients. Thus, it is important to include HPS in differentials when
      dealing with cases of progressive dyspnea. Also, the possibility of a liver
      disease etiology should be explored in patients with unexplained hypoxemia.

PMID- 26489791
TI  - Peer Review: Lessons Learned in A Pediatric Radiology Department.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to illustrate types of diagnostic errors and
      feedback given to radiologists, using cases to support and clarify these
      categories. A comment-enhanced peer review system may be leveraged to generate a
      comprehensive feedback categorization scheme. These include errors of
      observation, errors of interpretation, inadequate patient data gathering, errors
      of communication, interobserver variability, informational feedback, and
      compliments. Much of this feedback is captured through comments associated with
      interpretative agreements. 

PMID- 26489792
TI  - Diagnostic Inefficiency of Nonselective Spinal Angiography (Flush Aortography) in
      the Evaluation of the Normal and Pathological Spinal Vasculature.
AB  - Selective spinal angiography was introduced in the 1960s to palliate the poor
      sensitivity of nonselective techniques for the evaluation of the spinal cord
      vasculature. Recent advances made in the field of angiography seem to have
      prompted a renewed interest for nonselective spinal angiography, or flush
      aortograms. This pictorial essay, illustrated with 2 cases of presurgical
      evaluation of the spinal cord supply and 2 cases of spinal vascular malformation,
      suggests that nonselective techniques remain insufficient to properly document
      the normal or pathological spinal vasculature. While flush aortography can play a
      role as a complement to spinal angiography, for example, to locate vessels
      eluding selective catheterization, relying on nonselective studies to rule out
      the presence of a spinal vascular malformation or to identify the normal spinal
      cord supply before surgical interventions may lead to false-negative
      investigations with potentially devastating consequences. 

PMID- 26489793
TI  - Nonurgent Use of the Emergency Department by Pediatric Patients: A Theory-Guided
      Approach for Primary and Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.
AB  - Providing quality, cost-effective care to children and their families in the
      appropriate setting is the goal of nurse practitioners in primary and acute care.
      However, increased utilization of the emergency department (ED) for nonurgent
      care threatens cost-effective quality care, interrupts continuity of care, and
      contributes to ED overcrowding. To date, descriptive research has identified
      demographics of those using the ED for nonurgent care, the chief complaints of
      children seeking nonurgent care, the cost to the health care system of pediatric
      nonurgent care, and characteristics of associated primary care settings. Using
      Donabedian's Model of Quality of Healthcare and a Theory of Dependent Care by
      Taylor and colleagues, acute and primary care pediatric nurse practitioners can
      incorporate interventions that will channel care to the appropriate setting and
      educate caregivers regarding common childhood illnesses and the value of
      continuity of care. By using a theoretical framework as a guide, this article
      will help both acute and primary care pediatric nurse practitioners understand
      why parents seek nonurgent care for their children in the ED and actions they can
      take to ensure that care is provided in an optimal setting.

PMID- 26489794
TI  - Highly Sensitive FRET-FCS Detects Amyloid beta-Peptide Oligomers in Solution at
      Physiological Concentrations.
AB  - Oligomers formed by the amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) are pathogens in Alzheimer's
      disease. Increased knowledge on the oligomerization process is crucial for
      understanding the disease and for finding treatments. Ideally, Abeta
      oligomerization should be studied in solution and at physiologically relevant
      concentrations, but most popular techniques of today are not capable of such
      analyses. We demonstrate here that the combination of Forster Resonance Energy
      Transfer and Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FRET-FCS) has a unique
      ability to detect small subpopulations of FRET-active molecules and oligomers.
      FRET-FCS could readily detect a FRET-active oligonucleotide present at levels as
      low as 0.5% compared to FRET-inactive dye molecules. In contrast, three
      established fluorescence fluctuation techniques (FCS, FCCS, and PCH) required
      fractions between 7 and 11%. When applied to the analysis of Abeta, FRET-FCS
      detected oligomers consisting of less than 10 Abeta molecules, which coexisted
      with the monomers at fractions as low as 2 +/- 2%. Thus, we demonstrate for the
      first time direct detection of small fractions of Abeta oligomers in solution at
      physiological concentrations. This ability of FRET-FCS could be an indispensable
      tool for studying biological oligomerization processes, in general, and for
      finding therapeutically useful oligomerization inhibitors. 

PMID- 26489795
TI  - Appropriate conditions for applying NaOH-pretreated two-phase olive milling waste
      for codigestion with food waste to enhance biogas production.
AB  - The high methane gas production potential of two phase olive milling waste
      (2POMW) makes its application to biogas plants in business an economical process
      to increase the productivity of the plants. The objective of this study was to
      investigate the appropriate conditions for the codigestion of NaOH-pretreated
      2POMW with food waste. NaOH pretreatment can increase the methane production by
      increasing the soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD), but it may cause inhibition
      because of higher levels of alkalinity, sodium ion, volatile fatty acids and long
      chain fatty acids (LCFAs). Therefore, the first experimental phase of this study
      aimed to investigate the effect of different mixing ratios of 2POMW to food
      waste. A continuous stirred tank reactor experiment with different mixing ratios
      of 3%, 4.3%, 5.7% and 8.3% (2POMW: food waste) was conducted. NaOH pretreatment
      in the range of 6-20% was used. A mixing ratio up to 4.3%, when 10% NaOH
      pretreatment was used, caused no inhibition and increased methane production by
      445.9mL/g-VS(2POMW). For this mixing ratio an additional experimental phase was
      conducted with the 20% NaOH pretreatment as the 20% NaOH pretreatment had the
      highest sCOD. The methane gas production was increased by 503.6mL/g-VS(2POMW).
      However, pH adjustment was required for applying this concentration of the high
      alkalinity 20% NaOH-pretreated 2POMW. Therefore, we consider using 10% NaOH
      pretreatment in a mixing ratio of 4.3% to be more applicable. The increase in
      methane gas production was correlated to the oleic acid concentration inside the
      reactors. The high oleic acid concentration of 61.8mg/L for the 8.3% mixing ratio
      was responsible for the strong inhibition. This study showed that adjusting the
      appropriate mixing ratio of the NaOH-pretreated 2POMW could increase the
      electricity production of a reactor that regularly receives food waste. 

PMID- 26489796
TI  - Changes in microbial dynamics during vermicomposting of fresh and composted
      sewage sludge.
AB  - Municipal sewage sludge is a waste with high organic load generated in large
      quantities that can be treated by biodegradation techniques to reduce its risk to
      the environment. This research studies vermicomposting and vermicomposting after
      composting of sewage sludge with the earthworm specie Eisenia andrei. In order to
      determine the effect that earthworms cause on the microbial dynamics depending on
      the treatment, the structure and activity of the microbial community was assessed
      using phospholipid fatty acid analysis and enzyme activities, during 112days of
      vermicomposting of fresh and composted sewage sludge, with and without
      earthworms. The presence of earthworms significantly reduced microbial biomass
      and all microbial groups (Gram+ bacteria, Gram- bacteria and fungi), as well as
      cellulase and alkaline phosphatase activities. Combined composting
      vermicomposting treatment showed a lesser development of earthworms, higher
      bacterial and fungal biomass than vermicomposting treatment and greater
      differences, compared with the control without earthworms, in cellulase, beta
      glucosidase, alkaline and acid phosphatase. Both treatments were suitable for the
      stabilization of municipal sewage sludge and the combined composting
      vermicomposting treatment can be a viable process for maturation of fresh
      compost. 

PMID- 26489797
TI  - New insights into the photodissociation of methyl iodide at 193 nm:
      stereodynamics and product branching ratios.
AB  - The stereodynamics of methyl iodide photodissociation after excitation at 193 nm
      has been studied using a combination of slice imaging and resonance enhanced
      multiphoton ionization (REMPI) detection of the methyl and iodine products. A
      weak anisotropic ring appearing in the image corresponding to vibrationally
      excited CH3(nu1 = 1) confirms the production of ground state I((2)P3/2) atoms at
      this excitation wavelength as a signature of the predissociation channel reported
      previously [M. G. Gonzalez et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2011, 135, 021102] tentatively
      assigned to the coupling between the B-band (3)R1 Rydberg state and the A-band
      (1)Q1 repulsive state. Direct REMPI detection of ground state iodine atoms
      indicates that most of the I((2)P3/2) species are produced in correlation with
      highly internally excited methyl radicals, in excellent agreement with the recent
      results of Xu and Pratt [Xu et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2013, 139, 214310; Xu et al.,
      J. Phys. Chem. A, 2015, 119, 7548]. From the comparison between the CH3(nu)
      second order Dixon's bipolar moments beta(2)(0)(20), beta(0)(0)(22),
      beta(2)(0)(02) and beta(2)(0)(22) measured in this work and those reported
      previously for the B-band origin and the A-band, a general picture of the CH3I
      photodissociation stereodynamics in terms of different effects, such as the
      breakdown of the unique recoil direction (URD) approximation, the non-adiabatic
      curve crossings and the depolarization induced by the parent molecule rotation,
      is drawn.

PMID- 26489799
TI  - Social Anxiety and Loneliness in Adults Who Solicit Minors Online.
AB  - This study examined the association of social anxiety, loneliness, and
      problematic Internet use (PIU) with the online solicitation of minors. Within a
      convenience sample of adult Internet users from Germany, Finland, and Sweden ( N
      = 2,828), we compared the responses of participants who had not interacted
      sexually with strangers online ( n = 2,049) with participants who sexually
      interacted with unknown adults online ( n = 642), and both groups with adults who
      sexually solicited unknown minors online ( n = 137). Online sexual interaction
      with adults was associated with higher levels of social anxiety, loneliness, and
      PIU compared with not sexually interacting with strangers online. Sexually
      soliciting minors online was associated with higher levels of social anxiety,
      loneliness, and PIU compared with sexually interacting with adults and not
      sexually interacting with strangers at all. Interestingly, compared with those
      with adult contacts, loneliness was specifically pronounced for participants who
      solicited children, whereas social anxiety and PIU were pronounced for
      participants soliciting adolescents. These findings suggest that social anxiety,
      loneliness, and PIU may be among the motivators for using the Internet to solicit
      individuals of different age groups for sexual purposes. These factors emerged as
      specifically relevant for adults who sexually solicited minors and who reported
      greater impairments compared with adults who sexually interacted with adults.
      These characteristics may thus be important to consider for assessment and
      treatment procedures for individuals soliciting minors online.

PMID- 26489800
TI  - Volunteers in Circles of Support and Accountability Job Demands, Job Resources,
      and Outcome.
AB  - In Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA), volunteers support a medium- to
      high-risk sex offender in his process toward desistance by developing a long-term
      empathic relationship. More knowledge is needed about the impact of this work on
      volunteers themselves. In a sample of 40 Dutch CoSA volunteers-at the time
      constituting 37% of the national population of 108 then active CoSA volunteers-we
      measured outcome in terms of volunteer satisfaction, determination to continue,
      compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary stress, vicarious growth, civic
      capacities, and professional skills. We explored theoretically derived predictors
      of positive and negative outcome, and conceptualized them within the Job Demands
      Resources model (JD-R). Volunteers reported mainly positive effects, especially
      high levels of volunteer satisfaction, compassion satisfaction, and determination
      to continue. Results indicated that job demands and most of the internal job
      resources were of minor importance. External job resources, especially social
      support and connectedness, were associated with positive outcome. Connectedness
      mediated the effect of social support on compassion satisfaction.

PMID- 26489798
TI  - Role of the single deaminase domain APOBEC3A in virus restriction,
      retrotransposition, DNA damage and cancer.
AB  - The apolipoprotein mRNA editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3; A3)
      proteins are a family of seven cytidine deaminases (A3A, A3B, A3C, A3D, A3F, A3G
      and A3H) that restrict certain viral infections. These innate defence factors are
      best known for their ability to restrict the replication of human
      immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) lacking a functional Vif protein (HIV
      1Deltavif) through the deamination of cytidine residues to uridines during
      reverse transcription, ultimately leading to lethal G -> A changes in the viral
      genome. The best studied of the A3 proteins has been APOBEC3G because of its
      potent activity against HIV-1Deltavif. However, one member of this family, A3A,
      has biological properties that make it unique among the A3 proteins. In this
      review, we will focus on the structural and phylogenetic features of the human
      and non-human primate A3A proteins, their role in the restriction of retroviruses
      and other viruses, and current findings on other biological properties affected
      by this protein. 

PMID- 26489801
TI  - Large-scale data reporting of paediatric morbidity and mortality in developing
      countries: it can be done.
AB  - Although the WHO recommends all countries use International Classification of
      Diseases (ICD)-10 coding for reporting health data, accurate health facility data
      are rarely available in developing or low and middle income countries. Compliance
      with ICD-10 is extremely resource intensive, and the lack of real data seriously
      undermines evidence-based approaches to improving quality of care and to clinical
      and public health programme management. We developed a simple tool for the
      collection of accurate admission and outcome data and implemented it in 16
      provincial hospitals in Papua New Guinea over 6 years. The programme was low cost
      and easy to use by ward clerks and nurses. Over 6 years, it gathered data on the
      causes of 96,998 admissions of children and 7128 deaths. National reports on
      child morbidity and mortality were produced each year summarising the incidence
      and mortality rates for 21 common conditions of children and newborns, and the
      lessons learned for policy and practice. These data informed the National Policy
      and Plan for Child Health, triggered the implementation of a process of clinical
      quality improvement and other interventions to reduce mortality in the neediest
      areas, focusing on diseases with the highest burdens. It is possible to collect
      large-scale data on paediatric morbidity and mortality, to be used locally by
      health workers who gather it, and nationally for improving policy and practice,
      even in very resource-limited settings where ICD-10 coding systems such as those
      that exist in some high-income countries are not feasible or affordable.

PMID- 26489802
TI  - Optimising adherence to childhood pneumonia treatment: the design and development
      of patient instructions and a job aid for amoxicillin dispersible tablets.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pneumonia is the leading cause of death from infection in children
      worldwide. Despite global treatment recommendations that call for children with
      pneumonia to receive amoxicillin dispersible tablets, only one-third of children
      with pneumonia receive any antibiotics and many do not complete the full course
      of treatment. Poor adherence to antibiotics may be driven in part by a lack of
      user-friendly treatment instructions. OBJECTIVE: In order to optimise childhood
      pneumonia treatment adherence at the community level, we developed a user
      friendly product presentation for caregivers and a job aid for healthcare
      providers (HCPs). This paper aims to document the development process and offers
      a model for future health communication tools. METHODS: We employed an iterative
      design process that included document review, key stakeholder interviews,
      engagement with a graphic designer and pre-testing design concepts among target
      users in India and Kenya. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative
      research were used in the description of results. RESULTS: Though resources for
      pneumonia treatment are available in some countries, their content is incomplete
      and inconsistent with global recommendations. Document review and stakeholder
      interviews provided the information necessary to convey to caregivers and
      recommendations for how to present this information. Target users in India and
      Kenya confirmed the need to support better treatment adherence, recommended
      specific modifications to design concepts and suggested the development of a
      companion job aid. There was a consensus among caregivers and HCPs that these
      tools would be helpful and improve adherence behaviours. CONCLUSIONS: The
      development of user-friendly instructions for medications for use in low-resource
      settings is a critically important but time-intensive and resource-intensive
      process that should involve engagement with target audiences.

PMID- 26489803
TI  - Trauma-related Pott's puffy tumour.

PMID- 26489805
TI  - Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Asymptomatic Nonsevere Aortic Stenosis: Should We
      Worry?

PMID- 26489804
TI  - Relation of Left Ventricular Mass to Prognosis in Initially Asymptomatic Mild to
      Moderate Aortic Valve Stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prognostic importance of left ventricular (LV) mass in nonsevere
      asymptomatic aortic stenosis has not been documented in a large prospective
      study. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cox regression analysis was used to assess the impact
      of echocardiographic LV mass on rate of major cardiovascular events in 1656
      patients (mean age, 67 years; 39.6% women) with mild-to-moderate asymptomatic
      aortic stenosis participating in the Simvastatin Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis
      (SEAS) study. Patients were followed during 4.3 years of randomized treatment
      with combined simvastatin 40 mg and ezetimibe 10 mg daily or placebo. At
      baseline, LV mass index was 45.9+14.9 g/m(2.7), and peak aortic jet velocity was
      3.09+0.54 m/s. During follow-up, 558 major cardiovascular events occurred. In Cox
      regression analyses, 1 SD (15 g/m(2.7)) higher baseline LV mass index predicted
      increases in hazards of 12% for major cardiovascular events, 28% for ischemic
      cardiovascular events, 34% for cardiovascular mortality, and 23% for combined
      total mortality and hospitalization for heart failure (all P<0.01), independent
      of confounders. In time-varying models, taking the progressive increase in LV
      mass index during follow-up into account, 1 SD higher in-study LV mass index was
      consistently associated with 13% to 61% higher hazard for cardiovascular events
      (all P<0.01), independent of age, sex, body mass index, valvuloarterial
      impedance, LV ejection fraction and concentricity, and the presence of
      concomitant hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Higher LV mass index is independently
      associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality during
      progression of aortic stenosis. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL:
      http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00092677.

PMID- 26489807
TI  - Preventing new-onset diabetes in thiazide-treated patients.

PMID- 26489806
TI  - Cognitive rehabilitation in a child with Joubert Syndrome: Developmental trends
      and adaptive changes in a single case report.
AB  - We report the clinical and rehabilitative follow up of M, a female child carrying
      a compound heterozygous pathogenic mutations in the TCTN1 gene and affected by
      Joubert Syndrome (JS). JS is a congenital cerebellar ataxia characterized by "the
      molar tooth sign" on axial MRI, a pathognomonic neuroradiological malformation
      involving the cerebellum and brainstem. JS presents with high
      phenotypic/cognitive variability, and little is known about cognitive
      rehabilitation programs. We describe the therapeutic settings, intensive
      rehabilitation targets and outcome indexes in M's cognitive development. Using a
      single case evidence-based approach, we attempt to distinguish the effectiveness
      of the intervention from the overall developmental trend. We assume that an
      adequate amount of focused, goal directed treatment in a relative short period of
      time can be at least as effective as one provided in longer time, and much less
      interfering with the child's everyday life. We conclude by discussing specific
      issues in cognitive development and rehabilitation in JS and, more broadly, in
      cerebellar malformations. 

PMID- 26489808
TI  - Type 2 diabetes in migrant south Asians: mechanisms, mitigation, and management.
AB  - South Asians, particularly when living in high-income countries, are at a
      substantially elevated risk of type 2 diabetes compared with white Europeans, and
      typically develop the disease 5-10 years earlier and at a lower BMI. Migrant
      south Asians seem to be more insulin resistant than white Europeans across the
      life course and potentially experience beta-cell exhaustion at a younger age.
      Differences in adiposity (high percentage of body fat and high proportion of deep
      subcutaneous and visceral fat) and skeletal muscle (low percentage of lean mass
      and low cardiorespiratory fitness) are likely to contribute these factors. No
      clear evidence is available suggesting genetic factors make a major contribution
      to the increased risk of diabetes in south Asians, but epigenetic factors might
      have a role. Irrespective of future mechanistic discoveries, south Asians need to
      be encouraged and helped-by various culturally appropriate methods--to maintain a
      high physical activity level and low bodyweight across the life course to prevent
      diabetes. In clinical terms, cardiovascular risks have attenuated over time in
      migrant south Asians with diabetes but retinopathy and renal complication risks
      remain high because of the high levels of glycaemia and rapid glycaemic
      deterioration noted in this population. We review these aspects and suggest areas
      for future research.

PMID- 26489810
TI  - Some advances in the field of physico-chemical characterization of pathological
      microcrystals.
AB  - Recent advances in the characterization of microcrystals in tissue samples based
      on physico-chemical techniques are reviewed. It is a new opportunity for the
      physician to access early a diagnosis of rare but severe pathologies and to start
      a specific therapy able to delay or to stop an irreversible alteration of the
      organ, for example to avoid dialysis and transplantation when kidney is mainly
      affected. To date, more than 400 biopsies of kidneys containing crystals were
      performed and characterized using such techniques. The data collected on
      crystals, tissue alteration, clinical and biological investigations are of prime
      importance to help a better understanding of biochemical process involved in
      crystal formation. Such techniques may be applied to microcrystalline pathologies
      affecting other organs than kidney, namely prostate, pancreas, thyroid, breast...
      Multicentric and international collaborations were developed, thus offering new
      opportunities in studying pathophysiology of deposited microcrystals and their
      consequences. In fact, crystals may be the consequence of various pathologies,
      but they are also involved in the dysfunction of the tissue where they
      accumulate. Two techniques are mainly applied to such diagnosis: scanning
      electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, including
      synchrotron radiation infrared microspectroscopy. 

PMID- 26489811
TI  - Pitfalls in the biological diagnosis of common hemoglobin disorders.
AB  - In West-European countries, hemoglobin disorders are no more rare diseases.
      Programs for diagnosis of heterozygous carriers have been established to prevent
      cases with major sickle cell disease or thalassemias. These studies have been
      done essentially by high performance liquid chromatography on cation-exchange
      columns and electrophoresis (mostly capillary electrophoresis). They have been
      done through systematic population studies or premarital diagnosis. We describe
      in this work the frequent or rare pitfalls encountered, which led to false
      negative or positive diagnosis both in the field of sickle cell disease and
      thalassemias. In the absence of a well identified hemoglobin disorder in the
      proband's family, it is a rule that the use of a single test is insufficient to
      identify formally HbS. The presence of HbS could also be masked by another
      hemoglobin abnormality. The sole measurement of HbA2 level is insufficient to
      characterize a thalassemic trait: this level needs always to be interpreted
      considering RBC parameters and iron metabolic status. In difficult cases, the
      definitive answer may require a family study and/or a molecular genetic
      characterization. 

PMID- 26489812
TI  - Thrombin time and anti-IIa dabigatran's activity: hypothesis of thrombin time's
      predictive value.
AB  - Dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa(r)) is a new oral anticoagulant, competitive
      inhibitor, selective, fast, direct and reversible of thrombin. Dabigatran has an
      impact on a large panel of used coagulation tests. There is no relationship
      between thrombin time's lengthening and anti-IIa activity. This study defines
      thrombin time's predictive value, when its time is normal. The result of negative
      value is 97,6%. 255 patients were studied between January 2013 and July 2014.
      Thrombin time and anti-IIa activity were dosed for each patient. This study can
      be an assistant for therapeutic decision for laboratories without specialized
      test. 

PMID- 26489809
TI  - Effect of amiloride, or amiloride plus hydrochlorothiazide, versus
      hydrochlorothiazide on glucose tolerance and blood pressure (PATHWAY-3): a
      parallel-group, double-blind randomised phase 4 trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Potassium depletion by thiazide diuretics is associated with a rise
      in blood glucose. We assessed whether addition or substitution of a potassium
      sparing diuretic, amiloride, to treatment with a thiazide can prevent glucose
      intolerance and improve blood pressure control. METHODS: We did a parallel-group,
      randomised, double-blind trial in 11 secondary and two primary care sites in the
      UK. Eligible patients were aged 18-80 years; had clinic systolic blood pressure
      of 140 mm Hg or higher and home systolic blood pressure of 130 mmHg or higher on
      permitted background drugs of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors,
      angiotensin-receptor blockers, beta blockers, calcium-channel blockers, or direct
      renin inhibitors (previously untreated patients were also eligible in specific
      circumstances); and had at least one component of the metabolic syndrome in
      addition to hypertension. Patients with known diabetes were excluded. Patients
      were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to 24 weeks of daily oral treatment with starting
      doses of 10 mg amiloride, 25 mg hydrochlorothiazide, or 5 mg amiloride plus 12.5
      mg hydrochlorothiazide; all doses were doubled after 12 weeks. Random assignment
      was done via a central computer system. Both participants and investigators were
      masked to assignment. Our hierarchical primary endpoints, assessed on a modified
      intention-to-treat basis at 12 and 24 weeks, were the differences from baseline
      in blood glucose measured 2 h after a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT),
      compared first between the hydrochlorothiazide and amiloride groups, and then
      between the hydrochlorothiazide and combination groups. A key secondary endpoint
      was change in home systolic blood pressure at 12 and 24 weeks. This trial is
      registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00797862, and the MHRA, Eudract
      number 2009-010068-41, and is now complete. FINDINGS: Between Nov 18, 2009, and
      Dec 15, 2014, 145 patients were randomly assigned to amiloride, 146 to
      hydrochlorothiazide, and 150 to the combination group. 132 participants in the
      amiloride group, 134 in the hydrochlorothiazide group, and 133 in the combination
      group were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. 2 h glucose
      concentrations after OGTT, averaged at 12 and 24 weeks, were significantly lower
      in the amiloride group than in the hydrochlorothiazide group (mean difference 
      0.55 mmol/L [95% CI -0.96 to -0.14]; p=0.0093) and in the combination group than
      in the hydrochlorothiazide group (-0.42 mmol/L [-0.84 to -0.004]; p=0.048). The
      mean reduction in home systolic blood pressure during 24 weeks did not differ
      significantly between the amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide groups, but the fall
      in blood pressure in the combination group was significantly greater than that in
      the hydrochlorothiazide group (p=0.0068). Hyperkalaemia was reported in seven
      (4.8%) patients in the amiloride group and three (2.3%) patients in the
      combination group; the highest recorded potassium concentration was 5.8 mmol/L in
      a patient in the amiloride group. 13 serious adverse events occurred but the
      frequency did not differ significantly between groups. INTERPRETATION: The
      combination of amiloride with hydrochlorothiazide, at doses equipotent on blood
      pressure, prevents glucose intolerance and improves control of blood pressure
      compared with montherapy with either drug. These findings, together with previous
      data about morbidity and mortality for the combination, support first-line use of
      amiloride plus hydrochlorothiazide in hypertensive patients who need treatment
      with a diuretic. FUNDING: British Heart Foundation and National Institute for
      Health Research.

PMID- 26489813
TI  - Fragmented red cells reference range (Sysmex XN((r)) automated blood cell
      counter).
AB  - Fragmented red cells (FRCs) is a new parameter automatedly determined by recent
      blood cell counters. Their count might be of interest because FRCs are supposed
      to reflect schistocytes counts measured on a stained peripheral blood smear
      observed under the microscope. But FRCs depend from the technical procedure used
      to detect them and thus reference ranges are device-dependent. The XN-9000((r))
      is one of the last model from Sysmex series. We aimed to establish reference
      range for FRCs, from 2389 controls. The mean +/- SD was 0.32% +/- 0.81, the
      median 0.02% (95% confidence interval ot the mean: 0.29-0.35%). We observed that
      the percentage of red blood cells with less than 17 pg of hemoglobin content
      (Hypo-He) was correlated to FRC increase, Hypo-He increase resulting in spurious
      FRCs majoration. FRCs reference range should be useful for: 1) laboratory staff
      in order to select which blood smears to check optically; 2) Sysmex company to
      set-up more optimal rules proposed with the counter (automated making of blood
      smear). 

PMID- 26489814
TI  - Association study between some renin-angiotensin system gene variants and
      essential hypertension in a sample of Algerian population: case control study.
AB  - Essential hypertension is an important risk factor for the development of
      cardiovascular disease. We aim in this study to analyse the relationship between
      AGT M235T gene variant and ACE I/D gene variant with essential hypertension in a
      sample of the Algerian population of the Oran city. A case-control study has been
      performed in 145 subjects including; 75 hypertensives and 70 controls from
      Algerian population of Oran city. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with
      restrictive fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used to detect the M235T
      variant of angiotensinogen (AGT) gene and a nested PCR to determine ACE I/D gene
      variant. The genotypic and allelic distribution of the M235Tvariant of the AGT
      gene did not differ in hypertensives and normotensives group (X(2) =7.81, P<0.05;
      X(2) =4.67, respectively) thus there was no association between the T allele and
      hypertension (OR=1.64; 95%CI [1.01-2.69]). The genotypic and allelic frequencies
      of the ACE I/D variant did differ significantly between hypertensives and
      controls (X(2)=13.98, P<0.05; X(2) =12.66, P<0.05, respectively) where a
      significant association between the D allele of the ACE I/D gene and essential
      hypertension has been observed (OR=0.46; 95%CI [0.27-0.75]). We reported a high
      prevalence of the D and T allele in hypertensives female. This study shows that
      the M235T variant of the AGT gene is not associated with essential hypertension
      while a significant association has been reported with the D allele in this
      sample of Algerian population of the Oran city. 

PMID- 26489815
TI  - 6(th) International symposium " Critical care testing and blood gases ".

PMID- 26489816
TI  - A case of hypercalcemia Indications for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D prescription.
AB  - Circulating vitamin D is found in various forms: 25-hydroxyvitamin D or
      calcidiol, majority circulating form, is a "pro-hormon" which will be converted
      to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D or calcitriol, hormone corresponding to vitamin D
      active form. While determination of 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum levels reflects
      vitamin D status of patients, determination of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D serum
      level is only indicated in rare cases of suspected hypersensitivity vitamin D in
      children or of sarcoidosis in adults. There are too many confusion between these
      two vitamin forms, resulting in inappropriate prescription of 1,25
      dihydroxyvitamin D. Here, we describe a case of hypersensitivity to vitamin D by
      mutation of CYP24A1. We propose to review the interest of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D
      assay in different pathologies, to describe the assay techniques and remind the
      good prescribing practices of this parameter. 

PMID- 26489817
TI  - Type I hyperlipidaemia caused by lipoprotein lipase deficiency in a nurseling:
      the role of the clinical laboratory in processing biological samples and
      contributing to the diagnosis and therapeutic follow-up of patients.
AB  - We describe the case of a two-months-old nurseling admitted to the paediatric
      emergency unit for vomiting. Upon clinical examination, the paediatrician found
      the child pale with an alteration of the general condition, a tachycardia and
      severe hepatomegaly. Blood sampling revealed hyperlipasemia at 228 IU/L and
      lactescent plasma, prompting the biologist to complete the prescription by lipid
      profile analysis. Severe hypertriglyceridaemia peaking at 47 mmol/L was then
      identified. The hypothesis of acute pancreatitis due to familial chylomicronaemia
      was proposed. The diagnosis of type I hyperlipidaemia due to complete lipoprotein
      lipase deficiency was later confirmed by the molecular genetic identification of
      a homozygous mutation in the LPL gene encoding the enzyme. This disease is
      extremely rare, and occurrence of first clinical symptoms before one year of age
      is possible although exceptional. The treatment, including digestive rest and
      parenteral nutrition, allowed rapid improvement of the acute episode and long
      term dietary management prevented recurrent acute pancreatitis. In addition to
      the importance of clinical and laboratory cooperation, this case report provides
      an opportunity for discussing the analytical interferences and pre-analytical
      procedures involved in the exploration of biological parameters in hyperlipaemic
      plasma. 

PMID- 26489818
TI  - Pyrimidine 5'-nucleotidase deficiency associated to a polymalformative syndrome.
AB  - A pyrimidine 5'-nucleotidase deficiency in an adult is reported. Interestingly,
      the P5'N-1 deficiency was associated to a polymalformative syndrome and was
      characterized by a chronic, pancytopenic evolution with concomitant
      dyserythropoiesis. 

PMID- 26489819
TI  - Female hypofertility: collaboration between clinician and biologist.
AB  - Hypofertility is defined as the absence of conception after one year of trying.
      Women's exploration needs biologist attendance for the ovarian reserve evaluation
      and radiologist attendance for the exploration of the uterus, the fallopian tubes
      and the ovary. The management of women's treatment as ovarian stimulation combine
      hormonal levels and transvaginal ultrasonography during all the treatment. The
      collaboration between clinician and biologist is necessary for the diagnosis and
      during women's infertily treatment. 

PMID- 26489820
TI  - Molecular dynamics insights into human aquaporin 2 water channel.
AB  - In this study, the first molecular dynamics simulation of the human aquaporin 2
      is performed and for a better understanding of the aquaporin 2 permeability
      performance, the characteristics of water transport in this protein channel and
      key biophysical parameters of AQP2 tetramer including osmotic and diffusive
      permeability constants and the pore radius are investigated. For this purpose,
      recently recovered high resolution X-ray crystal structure of' the human
      aquaporin 2 is used to perform twenty nanosecond molecular dynamics simulation of
      fully hydrated tetramer of this protein embedded in a lipid bilayer. The
      resulting water permeability characteristics of this protein channel showed that
      the water permeability of the human AQP2 is in a mean range in comparison with
      other human aquaporins family. Finally, the results reported in this research
      demonstrate that molecular dynamics simulation of human AQP2 provided useful
      insights into the mechanisms of water permeation and urine concentration in the
      human kidney. 

PMID- 26489821
TI  - Electrocardiographic detection of pulmonary hypertension in patients with
      systemic sclerosis using the ventricular gradient.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a leading cause of death in systemic
      sclerosis (SSc) patients. The current study assessed the ability of the ECG
      derived ventricular gradient (VG-RVPO) to detect PH and predict all-cause
      mortality in PH patients with subtypes of SSc differing in the extent of multi
      organ involvement. METHODS: ECGs were obtained from 196 patients with limited and
      77 patients with diffuse SSc included from our screening programme on cardiac
      complications. The association of the VG-RVPO with (1) the presence of PH, (2)
      conventional screening parameters and (3) survival in PH patients was assessed.
      RESULTS: In limited SSc patients an elevated VG-RVPO corresponded with the
      presence of PH (-5+/-12 mV.ms vs -22+/-16 mV.ms, P<0.01), correlated
      significantly with conventional screening parameters and had a better diagnostic
      performance than the presence of a right heart axis (AUC 0.81 vs 0.60; P=0.04).
      These differences were not observed in patients with diffuse SSc. An elevated VG
      RVPO was associated with decreased survival in all SSc patients with PH (3 year
      survival 30% vs 64%, P=0.02). CONCLUSION: An elevated VG-RVPO is associated with
      PH in limited SSc patients and with decreased survival in all SSc patients with
      PH.

PMID- 26489822
TI  - Trends in sepsis incidence and outcomes among people with or without type 2
      diabetes mellitus in Spain (2008-2012).
AB  - AIMS: There is conflicting evidence on how type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)
      influences in-hospital mortality (IHM) in sepsis. We aimed to compare trends in
      outcomes for sepsis in people with or without T2DM in Spain between 2008 and
      2012. METHODS: We identified all cases with any sepsis diagnosis using national
      hospital discharge data. We evaluated annual incidence rates for sepsis
      stratified by T2DM status. We calculated IHM and analyzed trends over time. In a
      multivariate analysis including potential confounding factors, we tested T2DM as
      an independent factor for IHM. RESULTS: Overall, 217,280 cases of any-stage
      sepsis were diagnosed, of whom 50,611 (23.3%) had T2DM. The annual incidence of
      sepsis increased during the 5-year period (from 76.5 to 113.3cases/10(5)
      population). The incidence increase was higher for the population with T2DM (from
      16.8 to 27.1 cases/10(5) population; 61.3% relative increment). People with T2DM
      were significantly older (75.8 +/- 11.2 years vs. 71.0 +/- 16.4 years) and
      suffered from more coexisting medical conditions. In the univariate analysis,
      mortality was higher for the population with T2DM only when septic shock was
      present (53.3% vs. 51.9%; P=0.002). IHM decreased over time both in participants
      with (from 45.7% to 38.1%) and without T2DM (from 46.1% to 39.5%). After
      accounting for all other potential confounders, T2DM was significantly associated
      with a lower IHM (odds ratio=0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.86-0.90).
      CONCLUSIONS: In Spain, the annual increase in sepsis incidence was higher in
      people with T2DM, but the risk of dying with sepsis during admission was
      moderately lower in people with T2DM.

PMID- 26489823
TI  - Women with a history of gestational diabetes on long-term follow up have normal
      vascular function despite more dysglycemia, dyslipidemia and adiposity.
AB  - AIMS: Previous gestational diabetes (GDM) is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes
      and increased metabolic risk, but the link with vascular dysfunction is not
      clear. This study examined vascular function in women 4-10 years after a
      diagnosis of GDM who had a normal oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in the first
      postpartum year. METHODS: We studied 90 women with a history of GDM and 59 age
      matched controls, examining differences in insulin resistance as measured by the
      Homeostatic Model Assessment (HOMA-IR) and glucose responses during an OGTT,
      adiposity, lipid profile and C-reactive protein (CRP). Using pulse wave analysis,
      we also measured cardiac function, vascular compliance, and systemic vascular
      resistance. RESULTS: Women with a history of GDM had higher measures of adiposity
      (body mass index 28.9 +/- 6.5 vs. 26.6 +/- 6.9 kg/m(2), P=0.04, waist-hip ratio
      0.85 +/- 0.06 vs. 0.79 +/- 0.07, P<0.001), dyslipidemia (LDL cholesterol 2.78 +/-
      0.64 vs. 2.41 +/- 0.56 mmol/L, P<0.001, total cholesterol: HDL cholesterol 3.93
      +/- 1.2 vs. 3.21 +/- 0.82 mmol/L, P<0.001) and abnormal glucose metabolism (50%
      vs. 12%, P<0.001). However, there was no difference in CRP, HOMA-IR, or measures
      of cardiovascular function including pulse rate, pulse pressure, mean arterial
      pressure, cardiac output, systemic vascular resistance, small and large artery
      elasticity index. After controlling for adiposity, blood pressure, lipids and
      CRP, glycemic status did not contribute to vascular function. CONCLUSION: Despite
      a higher incidence of adiposity, dyslipidemia, and impaired glycemia, women with
      a history of GDM who had a normal postpartum OGTT did not have impaired vascular
      function 4-10 years postpartum, when compared to healthy controls.

PMID- 26489824
TI  - Higher insulin infusion rate but not 24-h insulin consumption is associated with
      hypoglycemia in critically ill patients.
AB  - AIMS: To assess the association between insulin infusion rates, and 24-h insulin
      consumption on hypoglycemia in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: This was a
      retrospective case-control study, conducted at an academic institution in the
      United States. Adult patients admitted to the ICU receiving intravenous insulin
      infusions for blood glucose control were included. Hypoglycemic (blood glucose
      <70 mg/dL) patients were matched 1:1 with non-hypoglycemic controls based on age,
      gender, and body mass index. Multivariable conditional logistic regression
      analyses were conducted to determine the effect of: (1) weight-adjusted insulin
      infusion rate (units/kg/h), (2) non-weight-adjusted insulin infusion rate
      (units/h), or (3) 24-h insulin consumption (units/day) on hypoglycemia. RESULTS:
      A total of 122 patients were included in the study (61 cases, 61 controls).
      Compared to those patients who received <0.05 units/kg/h, the odds of
      hypoglycemia was higher in those who received was >=0.1 units/kg/h (OR 4.57, 95%
      CI 1.45-14.41, p=0.010). Compared to those patients who received <4 units/h, the
      odds of hypoglycemia was higher in those who received was >=8 units/h (4.17, 95%
      CI 1.18-14.75, p=0.027). The risk of hypoglycemia did not increase with higher 24
      h insulin consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Higher insulin infusion rates rather than 24
      h insulin consumption may be associated with hypoglycemia in critically ill
      patients in the ICU.

PMID- 26489825
TI  - [Congenital hip dysplasia, screening and therapy].
AB  - Congenital hip dysplasia and hip dislocation are relatively common pathological
      conditions of the musculoskeletal system in infants. An early and certain
      diagnosis can now be achieved by sonographic hip screening within the framework
      of screening examination programs. This early diagnostic procedure in infants is
      essential particularly for a conservative treatment strategy. Therefore, apart
      from possessing in-depth knowledge, training of the examiner in specialist
      courses is of central importance. This article presents an overview of the entity
      of congenital hip dysplasia and hip dislocation, the diagnostics and treatment
      with special emphasis on recent developments.

PMID- 26489826
TI  - Estimation of dietary flavonoid intake and major food sources of Korean adults.
AB  - Epidemiological studies have suggested that flavonoids exhibit preventive effects
      on degenerative diseases. However, lack of sufficient data on flavonoid intake
      has limited evaluating the proposed effects in populations. Therefore, we aimed
      to estimate the total and individual flavonoid intakes among Korean adults and
      determine the major dietary sources of these flavonoids. We constructed a
      flavonoid database of common Korean foods, based on the food list reported in the
      24-h recall of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
      (KNHANES) 2007-2012, using data from the Korea Functional Food Composition Table,
      US Department of Agriculture flavonoid database, Phenol-Explorer database and
      other analytical studies. This database, which covers 49 % of food items and 76 %
      of food intake, was linked with the 24-h recall data of 33 581 subjects aged >=19
      years in the KNHANES 2007-2012. The mean daily intake of total flavonoids in
      Korean adults was 318.0 mg/d, from proanthocyanidins (22.3%), flavonols (20.3%),
      isoflavones (18.1%), flavan-3-ols (16.2%), anthocyanidins (11.6%), flavanones
      (11.3%) and flavones (0.3%). The major contributing food groups to the flavonoid
      intake were fruits (54.4%), vegetables (20.5%), legumes and legume products
      (16.2%) and beverages and alcohols (3.1%), and the major contributing food items
      were apples (21.9%), mandarins (12.5%), tofu (11.5%), onions (9.6%) and grapes
      (9.0%). In the regression analysis, the consumption of legumes and legume
      products, vegetables and fruits predicted total flavonoid intake the most. The
      findings of this study could facilitate further investigation on the health
      benefits of flavonoids and provide the basic information for establishing
      recommended flavonoid intakes for Koreans.

PMID- 26489827
TI  - Nonclinical Safety and Toxicology.
AB  - Nonclinical safety pharmacology and toxicology testing of drug candidates assess
      the potential adverse effects caused by the drug in relation to its intended use
      in humans. Hazards related to a drug have to be identified and the potential
      risks at the intended exposure have to be evaluated in comparison to the
      potential benefit of the drug. Preclinical safety is thus an integral part of
      drug discovery and drug development. It still causes significant attrition during
      drug development.Therefore, there is a need for smart selection of drug
      candidates in drug discovery including screening of important safety endpoints.
      In the recent years,there was significant progress in computational and in vitro
      technology allowing in silico assessment as well as high-throughput screening of
      some endpoints at very early stages of discovery. Despite all this progress, in
      vivo evaluation of drug candidates is still an important part to safety testing.
      The chapter provides an overview on the most important areas of nonclinical
      safety screening during drug discovery of small molecules.

PMID- 26489828
TI  - New Compound Classes: Protein-Protein Interactions.
AB  - "Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are one of the most promising new targets in
      drug discovery. With estimates between 300,000 and 650,000 in human physiology,
      targeted modulation of PPIs would tremendously extend the "druggable" genome. In
      fact, in every disease a wealth of potentially addressable PPIs can be found
      making pharmacological intervention based on PPI modulators in principle a
      generally applicable technology. An impressing number of success stories in small
      molecule PPI inhibition and natural-product PPI stabilization increasingly
      encourage academia and industry to invest in PPI modulation. In this chapter
      examples of both inhibition as well as stabilization of PPIs are reviewed
      including some of the technologies which has been used for their identification."

PMID- 26489829
TI  - Predictive In Vivo Models for Oncology.
AB  - Experimental oncology research and preclinical drug development both
      substantially require specific, clinically relevant in vitro and in vivo tumor
      models. The increasing knowledge about the heterogeneity of cancer requested a
      substantial restructuring of the test systems for the different stages of
      development. To be able to cope with the complexity of the disease, larger panels
      of patient-derived tumor models have to be implemented and extensively
      characterized. Together with individual genetically engineered tumor models and
      supported by core functions for expression profiling and data analysis, an
      integrated discovery process has been generated for predictive and personalized
      drug development.Improved "humanized" mouse models should help to overcome
      current limitations given by xenogeneic barrier between humans and mice.
      Establishment of a functional human immune system and a corresponding human
      microenvironment in laboratory animals will strongly support further
      research.Drug discovery, systems biology, and translational research are moving
      closer together to address all the new hallmarks of cancer, increase the success
      rate of drug development, and increase the predictive value of preclinical
      models.

PMID- 26489830
TI  - Genome-wide survey of two-component signal transduction systems in the plant
      growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Two-component systems (TCS) play critical roles in sensing and
      responding to environmental cues. Azospirillum is a plant growth-promoting
      rhizobacterium living in the rhizosphere of many important crops. Despite
      numerous studies about its plant beneficial properties, little is known about how
      the bacterium senses and responds to its rhizospheric environment. The
      availability of complete genome sequenced from four Azospirillum strains (A.
      brasilense Sp245 and CBG 497, A. lipoferum 4B and Azospirillum sp. B510) offers
      the opportunity to conduct a comprehensive comparative analysis of the TCS gene
      family. RESULTS: Azospirillum genomes harbour a very large number of genes
      encoding TCS, and are especially enriched in hybrid histidine kinases (HyHK)
      genes compared to other plant-associated bacteria of similar genome sizes. We
      gained further insight into HyHK structure and architecture, revealing an
      intriguing complexity of these systems. An unusual proportion of TCS genes were
      orphaned or in complex clusters, and a high proportion of predicted soluble HKs
      compared to other plant-associated bacteria are reported. Phylogenetic analyses
      of the transmitter and receiver domains of A. lipoferum 4B HyHK indicate that
      expansion of this family mainly arose through horizontal gene transfer but also
      through gene duplications all along the diversification of the Azospirillum
      genus. By performing a genome-wide comparison of TCS, we unraveled important
      'genus-defining' and 'plant-specifying' TCS. CONCLUSIONS: This study shed light
      on Azospirillum TCS which may confer important regulatory flexibility.
      Collectively, these findings highlight that Azospirillum genomes have broad
      potential for adaptation to fluctuating environments.

PMID- 26489831
TI  - What is required in terms of mass drug administration to interrupt the
      transmission of schistosome parasites in regions of endemic infection?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis is endemic in 54 countries, but has one of the lowest
      coverages by mass drug administration of all helminth diseases. However, with
      increasing drug availability through donation, the World Health Organisation has
      set a goal of increasing coverage to 75 % of at-risk children in endemic
      countries and elimination in some regions. In this paper, we assess the impact on
      schistosomiasis of the WHO goals in terms of control and elimination. METHODS: We
      use an age-structured deterministic model of schistosome transmission in a human
      community and the effect of mass drug administration. The model is fitted to
      baseline data from a longitudinal re-infection study in Kenya and validated
      against the subsequent re-infection data. We examine the impact on host worm
      burden of the current treatment trend, extrapolated to meet the WHO goals, and
      its sensitivity to uncertainty in important parameters. We assess the feasibility
      of achieving elimination. RESULTS: Model results show that the current treatment
      trend, extrapolated to the WHO goals, is able to greatly reduce host worm
      burdens. If coverage is continued at the same level beyond 2020, elimination is
      possible for low to moderate transmission settings, where transmission intensity
      is defined by the basic reproduction number, R0. Low levels of adult coverage
      have a significant impact on worm burden in all settings. Model validation
      against the re-infection survey demonstrates that the age-structured model is
      able to match post-treatment data well in terms of egg output, but that some
      details of re-infection among school children and young adults are not currently
      well represented. CONCLUSIONS: Our work suggests that the current WHO treatment
      goals should be successful in bringing about a major reduction in schistosome
      infection in treated communities. If continued over a 15 year period, they are
      likely to result in elimination, at least in areas with lower transmission.

PMID- 26489832
TI  - Development of quality indicators and data assessment strategies for the
      prevention of central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The number of catheter related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) could
      be reduced and the outcome improved if specific standards in the quality of care
      were maintained. Therefore, the development of quality assurance (QA) procedures
      was commissioned to be included in the national mandatory QA programme in
      Germany. METHODS: Indicators representing quality deficiencies and potential for
      improvement of quality in relation to prevention and management of central venous
      catheters (CVC) were developed by (1) evidence-based literature searches and the
      compiling of an indicator register; (2) a multi-professional expert panel
      including patient representatives who selected indicators from this register by
      using a modified RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method; (3) defining methods for data
      assessment, risk adjustment and feedback of indicator results to service
      providers; and (4) consulting all relevant medical societies and other
      stakeholders with regard to the QA procedures that had been developed. RESULTS:
      Thirty-two indicators for CRBSI prevention and management were eventually
      approved by the expert panel. These indicators represent quality of care at
      predefined points with regard to indication, insertion and care of CVCs,
      management of sepsis, general hygiene and training of health care personnel.
      Fourteen indicators represent processes, together with 7 representing structures
      and 11 outcomes. For assessing these indicators, data was obtained from four
      sources: claims data from health insurance funds, routine claims data from
      hospital electronic information systems, case specific longitudinal documentation
      from service providers and cross-sectional annual assessment of structures.
      CONCLUSIONS: It was possible to develop indicators for mandatory QA procedures on
      CRBSI that take into account the different perspectives of all stakeholders
      involved. Despite efforts to use routine data for documentation wherever
      possible, most indicators required extra documentation.

PMID- 26489833
TI  - Electrophysiologically-Active Maize Volatiles Attract Gravid Female European Corn
      Borer, Ostrinia nubilalis.
AB  - The European corn borer (ECB) is an important pest of maize in the northern
      hemisphere, but no reliable techniques exist for monitoring females during their
      reproductive period. In this study, we aimed to identify host-plant volatiles
      used by gravid Z-strain females in search for oviposition sites. Headspace of
      maize plants, to which gravid females orientated in a wind tunnel, was collected,
      and physiologically-active components were identified by using gas chromatography
      (GC) coupled with electroantennographic detection followed by GC-mass
      spectrometry. The antennae of female moths consistently responded to two maize
      volatiles, nonanal and decanal. Although these compounds are individually not
      characteristic for maize, a synthetic mix in a ratio found in maize headspace,
      1:2.4 at 1 MUg MUl(-1) induced source contact and landing responses similar to
      maize plants in the wind tunnel. However, fewer females took flight in response
      to the mix, and those that took flight did so with an increased latency. To our
      knowledge, this is the first blend of host-plant volatiles that has been found to
      be physiologically active and to be able to induce attraction of gravid ECB
      females under laboratory conditions. Future tests will evaluate the
      attractiveness of the blend to the E-strain of ECB, the attractiveness of the
      blend in the field, and its potential in monitoring ECB populations.

PMID- 26489834
TI  - Characterizing noise structure in single-cell RNA-seq distinguishes genuine from
      technical stochastic allelic expression.
AB  - Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) facilitates identification of new cell
      types and gene regulatory networks as well as dissection of the kinetics of gene
      expression and patterns of allele-specific expression. However, to facilitate
      such analyses, separating biological variability from the high level of technical
      noise that affects scRNA-seq protocols is vital. Here we describe and validate a
      generative statistical model that accurately quantifies technical noise with the
      help of external RNA spike-ins. Applying our approach to investigate stochastic
      allele-specific expression in individual cells, we demonstrate that a large
      fraction of stochastic allele-specific expression can be explained by technical
      noise, especially for lowly and moderately expressed genes: we predict that only
      17.8% of stochastic allele-specific expression patterns are attributable to
      biological noise with the remainder due to technical noise. 

PMID- 26489835
TI  - Postoperative inspiratory muscle training in addition to breathing exercises and
      early mobilization improves oxygenation in high-risk patients after lung cancer
      surgery: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim was to investigate whether 2 weeks of inspiratory muscle
      training (IMT) could preserve respiratory muscle strength in high-risk patients
      referred for pulmonary resection on the suspicion of or confirmed lung cancer.
      Secondarily, we investigated the effect of the intervention on the incidence of
      postoperative pulmonary complications. METHODS: The study was a single-centre,
      parallel-group, randomized trial with assessor blinding and intention-to-treat
      analysis. The intervention group (IG, n = 34) underwent 2 weeks of postoperative
      IMT twice daily with 2 * 30 breaths on a target intensity of 30% of maximal
      inspiratory pressure, in addition to standard postoperative physiotherapy.
      Standard physiotherapy in the control group (CG, n = 34) consisted of breathing
      exercises, coughing techniques and early mobilization. We measured respiratory
      muscle strength (maximal inspiratory/expiratory pressure, MIP/MEP), functional
      performance (6-min walk test), spirometry and peripheral oxygen saturation
      (SpO2), assessed the day before surgery and again 3-5 days and 2 weeks
      postoperatively. Postoperative pulmonary complications were evaluated 2 weeks
      after surgery. RESULTS: The mean age was 70 +/- 8 years and 57.5% were males.
      Thoracotomy was performed in 48.5% (n = 33) of cases. No effect of the
      intervention was found regarding MIP, MEP, lung volumes or functional performance
      at any time point. The overall incidence of pneumonia was 13% (n = 9), with no
      significant difference between groups [IG 6% (n = 2), CG 21% (n = 7), P = 0.14].
      An improved SpO2 was found in the IG on the third and fourth postoperative days
      (Day 3: IG 93.8 +/- 3.4 vs CG 91.9 +/- 4.1%, P = 0.058; Day 4: IG 93.5 +/- 3.5 vs
      CG 91 +/- 3.9%, P = 0.02). We found no association between surgical procedure
      (thoracotomy versus thoracoscopy) and respiratory muscle strength, which was
      recovered in both groups 2 weeks after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Two weeks of
      additional postoperative IMT, compared with standard physiotherapy alone, did not
      preserve respiratory muscle strength but improved oxygenation in high-risk
      patients after lung cancer surgery. Respiratory muscle strength recovered in both
      groups 2 weeks after surgery. CLINICAL TRIALSGOV ID: NCT01793155.

PMID- 26489836
TI  - Two giant thoracic aortic aneurysms with thoracic vertebral erosion.

PMID- 26489837
TI  - Inflammatory response following stent grafting for acute aortic syndrome.

PMID- 26489838
TI  - Multiscale modelling of single-ventricle hearts for clinical decision support: a
      Leducq Transatlantic Network of Excellence.

PMID- 26489839
TI  - Retraction of biased journal articles.

PMID- 26489840
TI  - A small-molecule compound belonging to a class  of 2,4-disubstituted 1,3,4
      thiadiazine-5-ones  inhibits intracellular growth and persistence  of Chlamydia
      trachomatis.
AB  - Chlamydia trachomatis is one of the most common sexually transmitted pathogens in
      the world and often causes chronic inflammatory diseases that are insensitive to
      antibiotics. The type 3 secretion system (T3SS) of pathogenic bacteria is a
      promising target for therapeutic intervention aimed at bacterial virulence and
      can be an attractive alternative for the treatment of chronic infections.
      Recently, we have shown that a small-molecule compound belonging to a class of
      2,4-disubstituted 1,3,4-thiadiazine-5-ones produced through the chemical
      modification of the thiohydrazides of oxamic acids, designated CL-55, inhibited
      the intracellular growth of C. trachomatis in a T3SS-dependent manner. To assess
      the feasibility of CL-55 as a therapeutic agent, our aim was to determine which
      point(s) in the developmental cycle CL-55 affects. We found that CL-55 had no
      effect on the adhesion of elementary bodies (EBs) to host cells but significantly
      suppressed EB internalization. We further found that CL-55 inhibited the
      intracellular division of reticulate bodies (RBs). An ultrastructural analysis
      revealed loss of contact between the RBs and the inclusion membrane in the
      presence of CL-55. Finally, we found that our T3SS inhibitor prevented the
      persistence of Chlamydia in cell culture and its reversion to the infectious
      state. Our findings indicate that our T3SS inhibitor may be effective in the
      treatment of both productive and persistent infections.

PMID- 26489841
TI  - Corrigendum: Quantifying the Antiviral Effect of IFN on HIV-1 Replication in Cell
      Culture.

PMID- 26489842
TI  - Enabling or Cultivating? The Role of Prostate Cancer Patients' Received Partner
      Support and Self-Efficacy in the Maintenance of Pelvic Floor Exercise Following
      Tumor Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To manage incontinence following tumor surgery, prostate cancer
      patients are advised to perform pelvic floor exercise (PFE). Patients' self
      efficacy and support from partners were shown to facilitate PFE. Whereas support
      may enhance self-efficacy (enabling function), self-efficacy may also cultivate
      support (cultivation function). PURPOSE: Cross-lagged inter-relationships among
      self-efficacy, support, and PFE were investigated. METHOD: Post-surgery patient
      reported received support, self-efficacy, PFE, and partner-reported provided
      support were assessed from 175 couples at four times. Autoregressive models
      tested interrelations among variables, using either patients' or partners'
      reports of support. RESULTS: Models using patients' data revealed positive
      associations between self-efficacy and changes in received support, which
      predicted increased PFE. Using partners' accounts of support provided, these
      associations were partially cross-validated. Furthermore, partner-provided
      support was related with increases in patients' self-efficacy. CONCLUSION:
      Patients' self-efficacy may cultivate partners' support provision for patients'
      PFE, whereas evidence of an enabling function of support as a predictor of self
      efficacy was inconsistent.

PMID- 26489843
TI  - The Interdependence of Advanced Cancer Patients' and Their Family Caregivers'
      Mental Health, Physical Health, and Self-Efficacy over Time.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The challenges of advanced cancer have health implications for
      patients and their family caregivers from diagnosis through end of life. The
      nature of the patient/caregiver experience suggests that their mental and
      physical health maybe interdependent, but limited empirical evidence exists.
      PURPOSE: This study used social cognitive theory as a framework to investigate
      individual and interpersonal influences on patients' and their family caregivers'
      mental health, physical health, and self-efficacy as individuals to manage the
      challenges of advanced disease over time. METHODS: Patients and caregivers (484
      patient-caregiver dyads) completed surveys at baseline, 3 and 6 months.
      Longitudinal dyadic analysis techniques were used to examine (i)the influence
      that patients and caregivers had on their own mental health, physical health, and
      self-efficacy (actor effects)and (ii) the influence that they had on each other's
      health outcomes (partner effects). We also examined the influence of self
      efficacy on mental and physical health over time. RESULTS: Consistent with our
      hypotheses, each person's mental health, physical health, and self-efficacy had
      significant effects on their own outcomes over time (actor effects). Patients and
      caregivers influenced one another's mental and physical health (partner effects),
      but not their self-efficacy. In addition, patients and caregivers with higher
      self-efficacy had better mental health, and their partners had better physical
      health. CONCLUSIONS: Patients' and caregivers' mental and physical health were
      interdependent. Each person's cancer-related self-efficacy influenced their own
      mental and physical health. However, a person's self-efficacy did not influence
      the other person's self-efficacy.

PMID- 26489844
TI  - Discrimination, Racial/Ethnic Identity, and Substance Use Among Latina/os: Are
      They Gendered?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prior research suggests that stronger racial/ethnic identification
      offsets negative effects of discrimination on substance use. Yet research in this
      area and on whether gender modifies this association is limited for Latina/os.
      PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study is to examine whether different sources
      of discrimination (everyday and racial/ethnic) are associated with substance use
      (alcohol use disorder, smoking), if racial/ethnic identity buffers this
      association, and the potential moderating role of gender among these variables.
      METHODS: We present cross-sectional, US population-based data from the Latina/o
      adult sample (1427 females and 1127 males) of the National Latino and Asian
      American Study. Respondents completed self-reported measures of everyday and
      racial/ethnic discrimination, racial/ethnic identity, smoking status, and
      Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV)
      lifetime alcohol use disorder. RESULTS: Weighted logistic regression analyses
      showed that before inclusion of three-way interactions and adjusting for
      covariates, everyday discrimination predicted increased risk for any DSM-IV
      lifetime alcohol use disorders. Moderation analyses revealed that the effect of
      everyday discrimination on the risk of being a current smoker was strongest for
      Latino men with high levels of racial/ethnic identity compared to those with low
      racial/ethnic identity. No differences were noted among Latino women. There were
      no main or interaction effects of racial/ethnic discrimination for any substance
      use outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest differential associations for type of
      discrimination and outcome and that the role of racial/ethnic identity is gender
      specific for smoking, appearing particularly detrimental for Latino men reporting
      high levels of racial/ethnic identity.

PMID- 26489846
TI  - Spontaneous penetration of gold nanoparticles through the blood brain barrier
      (BBB).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The blood brain barrier (BBB) controls the brain microenvironment and
      limits penetration of the central nervous system (CNS) by chemicals, thus
      creating an obstacle to many medical imaging and treatment procedures. Research
      efforts to identify viable routes of BBB penetration have focused on structures
      such as micelles, polymeric nanoparticles and liposomes as drug carriers,
      however, many of them failed to provide unequivocal proof of BBB penetration.
      Here we proved that gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) penetrate the BBB in rats to reach
      brain regions. RESULTS: Injection of AuNPs to the abdominal cavity of rats
      resulted in levels of gold found in blood, urine, brain regions and body organs.
      After perfusion the concentration of gold in brain regions diminished
      dramatically indicating that most of the gold was in venous blood and not in the
      brain tissues. Injection of Na, K or Ca ion channel blockers reduced BBB
      penetration by half. A biological half-life of 12.9 +/- 4.9 h was found for the
      gold nanoparticles. Possible mechanisms for the transport of AuNPs through the
      BBB are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: BBB penetration by AuNPs is spontaneous without
      the application of an external field. A major amount of gold resides in blood
      vessels therefore perfusion required. Ion channel blockers can be used to control
      the transport of AuNPs.

PMID- 26489847
TI  - Filament Geometry Induced Bipolar, Complementary, and Unipolar Resistive
      Switching under the Same Set Current Compliance in Pt/SiOx/TiN.
AB  - The decidedly unusual co-occurrence of bipolar, complementary, and unipolar
      resistive switching (BRS, CRS, and URS, respectively) behavior under the same
      high set current compliance (set-CC) is discussed on the basis of filament
      geometry in a Pt/SiOx/TiN stack. Set-CC-dependent scaling behavior with relations
      Ireset ~ R0(-alpha) and Vreset ~ R0(-beta) differentiates BRS under low set-CC
      from other switching behaviors under high set-CC due to a low alpha and beta
      involving a narrow filamentary path. Because such co-occurrence is observed only
      in the case of a high alpha and beta involving a wide filamentary path, such a
      path can be classified into three different geometries according to switching
      behavior in detail. From the cyclic switching and a model simulation, we conclude
      that the reset of BRS originates from a narrower filamentary path near the top
      electrode than that of CRS due to the randomness of field-driven migration even
      under the same set-CC. Also, we conclude that URS originates from much narrower
      inversed conical filamentary path. Therefore, filament-geometry-dependent
      electric field and/or thermal effects can precisely describe the entire switching
      behaviors in this experiment. 

PMID- 26489845
TI  - Prevalence of obesity in panama: some risk factors and associated diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To estimate the prevalence of obesity in Panama and determine some
      risk factors and associated diseases in adults aged 18 years and older. METHODS:
      A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the provinces of Panama and
      Colon where 60.4 % of all Panamanians 18 years or older reside, by administering
      a survey regarding the consumption of protective and predisposing foods and
      assessing the development of obesity by measuring the weight, height, and waist
      circumference of 3590 people. A single-stage, probabilistic, and randomized
      sampling strategy employing multivariate stratification was used. Individuals
      with a body mass index >= 30 kg/m(2) (men and women) were considered obese.
      Prevalence and descriptive analysis were conducted according to sex using Odds
      Ratio, with statistical significance set at a p value <= 0.05. RESULTS: The
      general prevalence of obesity was 27.1 % (30.9 % women and 18.3 % men). In women,
      obesity was associated with living in urban areas, being 40-59 years of age,
      being Afro-Panamanian, consuming beverages / foods rich in sugar, being
      physically inactive and having a family history of obesity. In men, obesity was
      associated with living in urban areas, consuming beverages/foods rich in sugar,
      and having a family history of obesity. Almost the totality of obese women (97.9
      %), and 80.0 % of men with obesity had abdominal obesity according to the WHO
      classification. In both sexes, obesity was a risk factor associated to type 2
      Diabetes Mellitus, hypertension, LDL values >= 100 mg/dL, and low HDL values (<50
      mg/dL for women and < 40 mg/dL for men), Odds Ratio > 1.0; P < 0.05. CONCLUSIONS:
      Obesity represents a very serious threat to Panamanian public health. Our study
      confirms a direct association in Panama between excess weight, hypertension, type
      2 Diabetes Mellitus, LDL values >= 100 mg/dL and low HDL values for women and men
      (<50 mg/dL and < 40 mg/dL, respectively). Intervention / treatment programs
      should be targeted, specially, to Afro-Panamanian women, whom are 40-59 years
      old, living in urban areas, and those having a family history of obesity.

PMID- 26489848
TI  - A new Mooney test.
AB  - Since its introduction in 1957, the Mooney test has continued to see active use
      in studies of visual perception, in studies using brain imaging, and in clinical
      research. Mooney's original version is of limited length, however, and was
      designed to be administered by time-consuming personal interview. We have
      developed a new, extended version of the Mooney test that is suitable for online
      testing and for use in a test-retest paradigm. The Mooney-Verhallen Test (MVT)
      comprises 144 trials, takes on average less than 10 min to complete, and has a
      Spearman-Brown-corrected test-retest reliability of rho = .89. We outline our
      methods for developing the stimuli and for selecting the final stimulus set, and
      we present the results from two rounds of testing on two independent samples of
      374 participants and 505 participants, respectively. The test is freely available
      for scientific use.

PMID- 26489849
TI  - Sphericity estimation bias for repeated measures designs in simulation studies.
AB  - In this study, we explored the accuracy of sphericity estimation and analyzed how
      the sphericity of covariance matrices may be affected when the latter are derived
      from simulated data. We analyzed the consequences that normal and nonnormal data
      generated from an unstructured population covariance matrix-with low (epsilon =
      .57) and high (epsilon = .75) sphericity-can have on the sphericity of the matrix
      that is fitted to these data. To this end, data were generated for four types of
      distributions (normal, slightly skewed, moderately skewed, and severely skewed or
      log-normal), four sample sizes (very small, small, medium, and large), and four
      values of the within-subjects factor (K = 4, 6, 8, and 10). Normal data were
      generated using the Cholesky decomposition of the correlation matrix, whereas the
      Vale-Maurelli method was used to generate nonnormal data. The results indicate
      the extent to which sphericity is altered by recalculating the covariance matrix
      on the basis of simulated data. We concluded that bias is greater with spherical
      covariance matrices, nonnormal distributions, and small sample sizes, and that it
      increases in line with the value of K. An interaction was also observed between
      sample size and K: With very small samples, the observed bias was greater as the
      value of K increased.

PMID- 26489850
TI  - [Conjunctival melanoma: a systemic disease: Novel surgical and adjuvant
      therapies].

PMID- 26489851
TI  - The role of the Black Church in the lives of young Black men who have sex with
      men.
AB  - In the USA, the Black Church is among the most important institutions in the
      Black community, offering numerous spiritual, social and health benefits. Yet,
      the presence of homonegativity in many Black Churches may mitigate those effects
      for gay Black youth. This research examines the role of the Church in the lives
      of gay and bisexual Black youth to understand how they reconcile any tension
      between their religious and sexual identities. Through interviews with pastors of
      Black churches (n = 21) and young Black men who have sex with men (n = 30), we
      explored homonegativity and young men's experiences within the Black Church.
      Findings reveal that despite the prevalence of homonegativity within Black
      churches, religious involvement remains important for young men and many remain
      involved in non-affirming churches. The importance of the Church for young men
      stems from their significant involvement as youth and the integration of
      religion, family and community. Young men may not be able to leave their
      religious homes as readily as other gay youth given the cultural relevance of the
      Church. As a result, young men made attempts to conceal their sexuality in church
      to avoid shame and gossip and find opportunities to balance their sexuality and
      religiosity. 

PMID- 26489852
TI  - Difficulty accessing data from randomised trials of drugs for heart failure: a
      call for action.

PMID- 26489853
TI  - Metabolomics reveals metabolic changes in male reproductive cells exposed to
      thirdhand smoke.
AB  - Thirdhand smoke (THS) is a new term for the toxins in cigarette smoke that linger
      in the environment long after the cigarettes are extinguished. The effects of THS
      exposure on male reproduction have not yet been studied. In this study, metabolic
      changes in male germ cell lines (GC-2 and TM-4) were analyzed after THS treatment
      for 24 h. THS-loaded chromatography paper samples were generated in a laboratory
      chamber system and extracted in DMEM. At a paper: DMEM ratio of 50 MUg/ml, cell
      viability in both cell lines was normal, as measured by the MTT assay and markers
      of cytotoxicity, cell cycle, apoptosis and ROS production were normal as measured
      by quantitative immunofluorescence. Metabolomic analysis was performed on
      methanol extracts of GC-2 and TM-4 cells. Glutathione metabolism in GC-2 cells,
      and nucleic acid and ammonia metabolism in TM-4 cells, was changed significantly
      by THS treatment. RT-PCR analyses of mRNA for enzyme genes Gss and Ggt in GC-2
      cells, and TK, SMS and Glna in TM-4 cells reinforced these findings, showing
      changes in the levels of enzymes involved in the relevant pathways. In
      conclusion, exposure to THS at very low concentrations caused distinct metabolic
      changes in two different types of male reproductive cell lines. 

PMID- 26489854
TI  - Hydrothermal Synthesis of Silver Vanadium Oxide (Ag0.35V2O5) Nanobelts for
      Sensing Amines.
AB  - A simple hydrothermal method for the synthesis of Ag0.35V2O5 nanobelts with the
      assistance of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is reported in this study. The
      experimental variables that may affect the nanoparticle structures were
      investigated. And several advanced techniques, such as TEM, HRTEM, X-ray
      diffraction (XRD), were used to characterize the morphology and composition of
      the as-prepared nanobelts. The mechanism of the formation and growth of
      Ag0.35V2O5 nanobelts was also investigated and discussed. The results show that
      SDS, as a weak reducing agent, plays a crucial role in the formation of
      Ag0.35V2O5. According to N2 sorption isothermals, the as-prepared Ag0.35V2O5
      nanobelts are found to exhibit relative high surface area. The gas sensing
      performance of the Ag0.35V2O5 nanobelts towards organic amine was tested. It is
      found that the nanobelts show superior sensitivity of amine(s) to V2O5 particles,
      lower detection limit (5 ppm), and higher selectivity of amine versus ammonia at
      an optimized working temperature of ~260  degrees C. Moreover, the density
      functional theory (DFT) simulation was conducted to better understand the sensing
      mechanism. These findings may be useful in designing promising materials to
      detect amine gases for medical or food industrial applications. 

PMID- 26489855
TI  - Core-shell of FePt@SiO2-Au magnetic nanoparticles for rapid SERS detection.
AB  - In this study, multifunctional hybrid nanoparticles composed of iron platinum
      (FePt), silica (SiO2), and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) had been developed for
      surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) application. Core-shell structure of
      SiO2 and FePt nanoparticles (FePt@SiO2) was fabricated through sol-gel process
      and then immobilized gold nanoparticles onto the surface of FePt@SiO2, which
      displays huge Raman enhancement effect and magnetic separation capability. The
      resulting core-shell nanoparticles were subject to evaluation by transmission
      electron microscopy (TEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), zeta
      potential measurement, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). TEM
      observation revealed that the particle size of resultant nanoparticles displayed
      spherical structure with the size ~30 nm and further proved the successful
      immobilization of Au onto the surface of FePt@SiO2. Zeta potential measurement
      exhibited the successful reaction between FePt@SiO2 and AuNPs. The rapid SERS
      detection and identification of small biomolecules (adenine) and microorganisms
      (gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus) was conducted through Raman
      spectroscopy. In summary, the novel core-shell magnetic nanoparticles could be
      anticipated to apply in the rapid magnetic separation under the external magnetic
      field due to the core of the FePt superparamagnetic nanoparticles and label-free
      SERS bio-sensing of biomolecules and bacteria. 

PMID- 26489856
TI  - PLGA-PEG Nanoparticles Coated with Anti-CD45RO and Loaded with HDAC Plus Protease
      Inhibitors Activate Latent HIV and Inhibit Viral Spread.
AB  - Activating HIV-1 proviruses in latent reservoirs combined with inhibiting viral
      spread might be an effective anti-HIV therapeutic strategy. Active specific
      delivery of therapeutic drugs into cells harboring latent HIV, without the use of
      viral vectors, is a critical challenge to this objective. In this study,
      nanoparticles of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-polyethylene glycol diblock
      copolymers conjugated with anti-CD45RO antibody and loaded with the histone
      deacetylase inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) and/or protease
      inhibitor nelfinavir (Nel) were tested for activity against latent virus in
      vitro. Nanoparticles loaded with SAHA, Nel, and SAHA + Nel were characterized in
      terms of size, surface morphology, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, drug
      release, and toxicity to ACH-2 cells. We show that SAHA- and SAHA + Nel-loaded
      nanoparticles can target latently infected CD4(+) T-cells and stimulate virus
      production. Moreover, nanoparticles loaded with SAHA + NEL were capable of both
      activating latent virus and inhibiting viral spread. Taken together, these data
      demonstrate the potential of this novel reagent for targeting and eliminating
      latent HIV reservoirs. 

PMID- 26489857
TI  - Self-reported sexually transmitted infections among female university students.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the occurrence of self-reported sexually transmitted
      infections (STIs) and associated factors among female university students
      requesting contraceptive counselling. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross-sectional
      study. Female university students (n = 353) completed a waiting-room
      questionnaire in connection with contraceptive counselling at a Student Health
      Centre in Uppsala, Sweden. RESULTS: Ninety-three (26.3%) female students had
      experienced an STI. The three most frequently reported STIs were chlamydia
      trachomatis, condyloma, and genital herpes. The experience of an STI was
      significantly associated with the total number of sexual partners (OR 1.060, 95%
      CI 1.030-1.091, P < 0.001), being heterosexual (OR 4.640, 95% CI 1.321-16.290, P
      = 0.017), having experienced an abortion (OR 2.744, 95% CI 1.112-6.771, P =
      0.028), not being HPV-vaccinated (OR 2.696, 95% CI 1.473-4.935, P = 0.001), and
      having had intercourse on first night without using a condom (OR 2.375, 95% CI
      1.182-4.771, P = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Contraceptive counselling should also
      include information about primary and secondary prevention of STI, such as the
      importance of correct use of a condom and STI testing, to prevent a further
      spread of STIs.

PMID- 26489858
TI  - Untangling the biological effects of cerium oxide nanoparticles: the role of
      surface valence states.
AB  - Cerium oxide nanoparticles (nanoceria; CNPs) have been found to have both pro
      oxidant and anti-oxidant effects on different cell systems or organisms. In order
      to untangle the mechanisms which underlie the biological activity of nanoceria,
      we have studied the effect of five different CNPs on a model relevant aquatic
      microorganism. Neither shape, concentration, synthesis method, surface charge
      (zeta-potential), nor nominal size had any influence in the observed biological
      activity. The main driver of toxicity was found to be the percentage of surface
      content of Ce(3+) sites: CNP1 (58%) and CNP5 (40%) were found to be toxic whereas
      CNP2 (28%), CNP3 (36%) and CNP4 (26%) were found to be non-toxic. The colloidal
      stability and redox chemistry of the most and least toxic CNPs, CNP1 and CNP2,
      respectively, were modified by incubation with iron and phosphate buffers.
      Blocking surface Ce(3+) sites of the most toxic CNP, CNP1, with phosphate
      treatment reverted toxicity and stimulated growth. Colloidal destabilization with
      Fe treatment only increased toxicity of CNP1. The results of this study are
      relevant in the understanding of the main drivers of biological activity of
      nanoceria and to define global descriptors of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs)
      bioactivity which may be useful in safer-by-design strategies of nanomaterials. 

PMID- 26489859
TI  - Specific hopanoid classes differentially affect free-living and symbiotic states
      of Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens.
AB  - A better understanding of how bacteria resist stresses encountered during the
      progression of plant-microbe symbioses will advance our ability to stimulate
      plant growth. Here, we show that the symbiotic system comprising the nitrogen
      fixing bacterium Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens and the legume Aeschynomene
      afraspera requires hopanoid production for optimal fitness. While methylated
      (2Me) hopanoids contribute to growth under plant-cell-like microaerobic and
      acidic conditions in the free-living state, they are dispensable during
      symbiosis. In contrast, synthesis of extended (C35) hopanoids is required for
      growth microaerobically and under various stress conditions (high temperature,
      low pH, high osmolarity, bile salts, oxidative stress, and antimicrobial
      peptides) in the free-living state and also during symbiosis. These defects might
      be due to a less rigid membrane resulting from the absence of free or lipidA
      bound C35 hopanoids or the accumulation of the C30 hopanoid diploptene. Our
      results also show that C35 hopanoids are necessary for symbiosis only with the
      host Aeschynomene afraspera but not with soybean. This difference is likely
      related to the presence of cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides in Aeschynomene
      nodules that induce drastic modification in bacterial morphology and physiology.
      The study of hopanoid mutants in plant symbionts thus provides an opportunity to
      gain insight into host-microbe interactions during later stages of symbiotic
      progression, as well as the microenvironmental conditions for which hopanoids
      provide a fitness advantage. IMPORTANCE: Because bradyrhizobia provide fixed
      nitrogen to plants, this work has potential agronomical implications. An
      understanding of how hopanoids facilitate bacterial survival in soils and plant
      hosts may aid the engineering of more robust agronomic strains, especially
      relevant in regions that are becoming warmer and saline due to climate change.
      Moreover, this work has geobiological relevance: hopanes, molecular fossils of
      hopanoids, are enriched in ancient sedimentary rocks at discrete intervals in
      Earth history. This is the first study to uncover roles for 2Me- and C35
      hopanoids in the context of an ecological niche that captures many of the
      stressful environmental conditions thought to be important during (2Me)-hopane
      deposition. Though much remains to be done to determine whether the conditions
      present within the plant host are shared with niches of relevance to the rock
      record, our findings represent an important step toward identifying conserved
      mechanisms whereby hopanoids contribute to fitness.

PMID- 26489860
TI  - Evolutionary landscape of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex from the
      viewpoint of PhoPR: implications for virulence regulation and application to
      vaccine development.
AB  - Different members of the Mycobacterium genus have evolved to cause tuberculosis
      in diverse human populations and in a variety of animal species. Our cumulative
      knowledge of mycobacterial genomes indicates that mutations in the PhoPR two
      component virulence system were acquired not only during the natural evolution of
      mycobacterial species but also during in vitro subculture, which has given rise
      to the attenuated reference strain H37Ra or to different daughter strains of
      Mycobacterium bovis BCG. PhoPR is a well-known regulator of pathogenic
      phenotypes, including secretion of the virulence factor ESAT-6, biosynthesis of
      acyltrehalose-based lipids, and modulation of antigen export, in members of the
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). Evolutionarily conserved polymorphisms
      in PhoPR from Mycobacterium africanum, M. bovis, or M. tuberculosis H37Ra result
      in loss of functional phenotypes. Interestingly, some members of the MTBC have
      acquired compensatory mutations to counteract these polymorphisms and, probably,
      to maintain their pathogenic potential. Some of these compensatory mutations
      include the insertion of the IS6110 element upstream from phoPR in a particular
      M. bovis strain that is able to transmit between humans or polymorphisms in M.
      africanum and M. bovis that affect the regulatory region of the espACD operon,
      allowing PhoPR-independent ESAT-6 secretion. This review highlights the
      increasing knowledge of the significance of PhoPR in the evolution of the MTBC
      and its potential application in the construction of new attenuated vaccines
      based on phoPR inactivation. In this context, the live attenuated vaccine MTBVAC,
      based on a phoP fadD26 deletion mutant of M. tuberculosis, is the first vaccine
      of this kind to successfully enter into clinical development, representing a
      historic milestone in the field of human vaccinology. 

PMID- 26489861
TI  - Convergence of alarmone and cell cycle signaling from trans-encoded sensory
      domains.
AB  - Despite the myriad of different sensory domains encoded in bacterial genomes,
      only a few are known to control the cell cycle. Here, suppressor genetics was
      used to unveil the regulatory interplay between the PAS (Per-Arnt-Sim) domain
      protein MopJ and the uncharacterized GAF (cyclic GMP-phosphodiesterase-adenylyl
      cyclase-FhlA) domain protein PtsP, which resembles an alternative component of
      the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) transferase system. Both of these systems
      indirectly target the Caulobacter crescentus cell cycle master regulator CtrA,
      but in different ways. While MopJ acts on CtrA via the cell cycle kinases DivJ
      and DivL, which control the removal of CtrA at the G1-S transition, our data show
      that PtsP signals through the conserved alarmone (p)ppGpp, which prevents CtrA
      cycling under nutritional stress and in stationary phase. We found that PtsP
      interacts genetically and physically with the (p)ppGpp synthase/hydrolase SpoT
      and that it modulates several promoters that are directly activated by the cell
      cycle transcriptional regulator GcrA. Thus, parallel systems integrate
      nutritional and systemic signals within the cell cycle transcriptional network,
      converging on the essential alphaproteobacterial regulator CtrA while also
      affecting global cell cycle transcription in other ways. IMPORTANCE: Many
      alphaproteobacteria divide asymmetrically, and their cell cycle progression is
      carefully regulated. How these bacteria control the cell cycle in response to
      nutrient limitation is not well understood. Here, we identify a multicomponent
      signaling pathway that acts on the cell cycle when nutrients become scarce in
      stationary phase. We show that efficient accumulation of the master cell cycle
      regulator CtrA in stationary-phase Caulobacter crescentus cells requires the
      previously identified stationary-phase/cell cycle regulator MopJ as well as the
      phosphoenolpyruvate protein phosphotransferase PtsP, which acts via the conserved
      (p)ppGpp synthase SpoT. We identify cell cycle-regulated promoters that are
      affected by this pathway, providing an explanation of how (p)ppGpp-signaling
      might couple starvation to control cell cycle progression in Caulobacter spp. and
      likely other Alphaproteobacteria. This pathway has the potential to integrate
      carbon fluctuation into cell cycle control, since in phosphotransferase systems
      it is the glycolytic product phosphenolpyruvate (PEP) rather than ATP that is
      used as the phosphor donor for phosphorylation.

PMID- 26489862
TI  - Nonreplicating influenza A virus vaccines confer broad protection against lethal
      challenge.
AB  - New vaccine technologies are being investigated for their ability to elicit
      broadly cross-protective immunity against a range of influenza viruses. We
      compared the efficacies of two intranasally delivered nonreplicating influenza
      virus vaccines (H1 and H5 S-FLU) that are based on the suppression of the
      hemagglutinin signal sequence, with the corresponding H1N1 and H5N1 cold-adapted
      (ca) live attenuated influenza virus vaccines in mice and ferrets. Administration
      of two doses of H1 or H5 S-FLU vaccines protected mice and ferrets from lethal
      challenge with homologous, heterologous, and heterosubtypic influenza viruses,
      and two doses of S-FLU and ca vaccines yielded comparable effects. Importantly,
      when ferrets immunized with one dose of H1 S-FLU or ca vaccine were challenged
      with the homologous H1N1 virus, the challenge virus failed to transmit to naive
      ferrets by the airborne route. S-FLU technology can be rapidly applied to any
      emerging influenza virus, and the promising preclinical data support further
      evaluation in humans. IMPORTANCE: Influenza viruses continue to represent a
      global public health threat, and cross-protective vaccines are needed to prevent
      seasonal and pandemic influenza. Currently licensed influenza vaccines are based
      on immunity to the hemagglutinin protein that is highly variable. However, T cell
      responses directed against highly conserved viral proteins contribute to
      clearance of the virus and confer broadly cross-reactive and protective immune
      responses against a range of influenza viruses. In this study, two nonreplicating
      pseudotyped influenza virus vaccines were compared with their corresponding live
      attenuated influenza virus vaccines, and both elicited robust protection against
      homologous and heterosubtypic challenge in mice and ferrets, making them
      promising candidates for further evaluation in humans.

PMID- 26489863
TI  - Herpesvirus entry mediator on radiation-resistant cell lineages promotes ocular
      herpes simplex virus 1 pathogenesis in an entry-independent manner.
AB  - Ocular herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection leads to a potentially blinding
      immunoinflammatory syndrome, herpes stromal keratitis (HSK). Herpesvirus entry
      mediator (HVEM), a widely expressed tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor
      superfamily member with diverse roles in immune signaling, facilitates viral
      entry through interactions with viral glycoprotein D (gD) and is important for
      HSV-1 pathogenesis. We subjected mice to corneal infection with an HSV-1 mutant
      in which HVEM-mediated entry was specifically abolished and found that the HVEM
      entry mutant produced clinical disease comparable to that produced by the control
      virus. HVEM-mediated induction of corneal cytokines, which correlated with an
      HVEM-dependent increase in levels of corneal immune cell infiltrates, was also gD
      independent. Given the complexity of HVEM immune signaling, we used hematopoietic
      chimeric mice to determine which HVEM-expressing cells mediate HSV-1 pathogenesis
      in the eye. Regardless of whether the donor was a wild-type (WT) or HVEM knockout
      (KO) strain, HVEM KO recipients were protected from ocular HSV-1, suggesting that
      HVEM on radiation-resistant cell types, likely resident cells of the cornea,
      confers wild-type-like susceptibility to disease. Together, these data indicate
      that HVEM contributes to ocular pathogenesis independently of entry and point to
      an immunomodulatory role for this protein specifically on radiation-resistant
      cells. IMPORTANCE: Immune privilege is maintained in the eye in order to protect
      specialized ocular tissues, such as the translucent cornea, from vision-reducing
      damage. Ocular herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection can disrupt this immune
      privilege, provoking a host response that ultimately brings about the majority of
      the damage seen with the immunoinflammatory syndrome herpes stromal keratitis
      (HSK). Our previous work has shown that HVEM, a host TNF receptor superfamily
      member that also serves as a viral entry receptor, is a critical component
      contributing to ocular HSV-1 pathogenesis, although its precise role in this
      process remains unclear. We hypothesized that HVEM promotes an inflammatory
      microenvironment in the eye through immunomodulatory actions, enhancing disease
      after ocular inoculation of HSV-1. Investigating the mechanisms responsible for
      orchestrating this aberrant immune response shed light on the initiation and
      maintenance of HSK, one of the leading causes of infectious blindness in the
      developed world.

PMID- 26489864
TI  - Binding of alphaherpesvirus glycoprotein H to surface alpha4beta1-integrins
      activates calcium-signaling pathways and induces phosphatidylserine exposure on
      the plasma membrane.
AB  - Intracellular signaling connected to integrin activation is known to induce
      cytoplasmic Ca(2+) release, which in turn mediates a number of downstream
      signals. The cellular entry pathways of two closely related alphaherpesviruses,
      equine herpesviruses 1 and 4 (EHV-1 and EHV-4), are differentially regulated with
      respect to the requirement of interaction of glycoprotein H (gH) with alpha4beta1
      integrins. We show here that binding of EHV-1, but not EHV-4, to target cells
      resulted in a rapid and significant increase in cytosolic Ca(2+) levels. EHV-1
      expressing EHV-4 gH (gH4) in lieu of authentic gH1 failed to induce Ca(2+)
      release, while EHV-4 with gH1 triggered significant Ca(2+) release. Blocking the
      interaction between gH1 and alpha4beta1-integrins, inhibiting phospholipase C
      (PLC) activation, or blocking binding of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) to its
      receptor on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) abrogated Ca(2+) release.
      Interestingly, phosphatidylserine (PS) was exposed on the plasma membrane in
      response to cytosolic calcium increase after EHV-1 binding through a scramblase
      dependent mechanism. Inhibition of both Ca(2+) release from the ER and scramblase
      activation blocked PS scrambling and redirected virus entry to the endocytic
      pathway, indicating that PS may play a role in facilitating virus entry directly
      at the plasma membrane. IMPORTANCE: Herpesviruses are a large family of enveloped
      viruses that infect a wide range of hosts, causing a variety of diseases. These
      viruses have developed a number of strategies for successful entry into different
      cell types. We and others have shown that alphaherpesviruses, including EHV-1 and
      herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), can route their entry pathway and do so by
      manipulation of cell signaling cascades to ensure viral genome delivery to
      nuclei. We show here that the interaction between EHV-1 gH and cellular
      alpha4beta1-integrins is necessary to induce emptying of ER calcium stores, which
      induces phosphatidylserine exposure on the plasma membrane through a scramblase
      dependent mechanism. This change in lipid asymmetry facilitates virus entry and
      might help fusion of the viral envelope at the plasma membrane. These findings
      will help to advance our understanding of herpesvirus entry mechanism and may
      facilitate the development of novel drugs that can be implemented for prevention
      of infection and disease.

PMID- 26489865
TI  - Knockout of Epstein-Barr virus BPLF1 retards B-cell transformation and lymphoma
      formation in humanized mice.
AB  - BPLF1 of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is classified as a late lytic cycle protein but
      is also found in the viral tegument, suggesting its potential involvement at both
      initial and late stages of viral infection. BPLF1 possesses both deubiquitinating
      and deneddylating activity located in its N-terminal domain and is involved in
      processes that affect viral infectivity, viral DNA replication, DNA repair, and
      immune evasion. A recently constructed EBV BPLF1-knockout (KO) virus was used in
      conjunction with a humanized mouse model that can be infected with EBV, enabling
      the first characterization of BPLF1 function in vivo. Results demonstrate that
      the BPLF1-knockout virus is approximately 90% less infectious than wild-type (WT)
      virus. Transformation of human B cells, a hallmark of EBV infection, was delayed
      and reduced with BPLF1-knockout virus. Humanized mice infected with EBV BPLF1
      knockout virus showed less weight loss and survived longer than mice infected
      with equivalent infectious units of WT virus. Additionally, splenic tumors formed
      in 100% of mice infected with WT EBV but in only 25% of mice infected with BPLF1
      KO virus. Morphological features of spleens containing tumors were similar to
      those in EBV-induced posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) and were
      almost identical to cases seen in human diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The
      presence of EBV genomes was detected in all mice that developed tumors. The
      results implicate BPLF1 in human B-cell transformation and tumor formation in
      humanized mice. IMPORTANCE: Epstein-Barr virus infects approximately 90% of the
      world's population and is the causative agent of infectious mononucleosis. EBV
      also causes aggressive lymphomas in individuals with acquired and innate immune
      disorders and is strongly associated with diffuse large B-cell lymphomas,
      classical Hodgkin lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
      Typically, EBV initially infects epithelial cells in the oropharynx, followed by
      a lifelong persistent latent infection in B-cells, which may develop into
      lymphomas in immunocompromised individuals. This work is the first of its kind in
      evaluating the effects of EBV's BPLF1 in terms of pathogenesis and
      lymphomagenesis in humanized mice and implicates BPLF1 in B-cell transformation
      and tumor development. Currently, there is no efficacious treatment for EBV, and
      therapeutic targeting of BPLF1 may lead to a new path to treatment for
      immunocompromised individuals or transplant recipients infected with EBV.

PMID- 26489867
TI  - Dialog Across Boundaries: A Tribute to Dieter Falkenhagen.

PMID- 26489866
TI  - The human skin double-stranded DNA virome: topographical and temporal diversity,
      genetic enrichment, and dynamic associations with the host microbiome.
AB  - Viruses make up a major component of the human microbiota but are poorly
      understood in the skin, our primary barrier to the external environment. Viral
      communities have the potential to modulate states of cutaneous health and
      disease. Bacteriophages are known to influence the structure and function of
      microbial communities through predation and genetic exchange. Human viruses are
      associated with skin cancers and a multitude of cutaneous manifestations. Despite
      these important roles, little is known regarding the human skin virome and its
      interactions with the host microbiome. Here we evaluated the human cutaneous
      double-stranded DNA virome by metagenomic sequencing of DNA from purified virus
      like particles (VLPs). In parallel, we employed metagenomic sequencing of the
      total skin microbiome to assess covariation and infer interactions with the
      virome. Samples were collected from 16 subjects at eight body sites over 1 month.
      In addition to the microenviroment, which is known to partition the bacterial and
      fungal microbiota, natural skin occlusion was strongly associated with skin
      virome community composition. Viral contigs were enriched for genes indicative of
      a temperate phage replication style and also maintained genes encoding potential
      antibiotic resistance and virulence factors. CRISPR spacers identified in the
      bacterial DNA sequences provided a record of phage predation and suggest a
      mechanism to explain spatial partitioning of skin phage communities. Finally, we
      modeled the structure of bacterial and phage communities together to reveal a
      complex microbial environment with a Corynebacterium hub. These results reveal
      the previously underappreciated diversity, encoded functions, and viral-microbial
      dynamic unique to the human skin virome. IMPORTANCE: To date, most cutaneous
      microbiome studies have focused on bacterial and fungal communities. Skin viral
      communities and their relationships with their hosts remain poorly understood
      despite their potential to modulate states of cutaneous health and disease.
      Previous studies employing whole-metagenome sequencing without purification for
      virus-like particles (VLPs) have provided some insight into the viral component
      of the skin microbiome but have not completely characterized these communities or
      analyzed interactions with the host microbiome. Here we present an optimized
      virus purification technique and corresponding analysis tools for gaining novel
      insights into the skin virome, including viral "dark matter," and its potential
      interactions with the host microbiome. The work presented here establishes a
      baseline of the healthy human skin virome and is a necessary foundation for
      future studies examining viral perturbations in skin health and disease.

PMID- 26489868
TI  - Current Techniques and Outcomes in Extracorporeal Life Support.

PMID- 26489869
TI  - Implantation of Total Artificial Heart in a Patient With Absent Superior Vena
      Cava.

PMID- 26489871
TI  - Ruthenium Oxidase Catalysis for Site-Selective C-H Alkenylations with Ambient O2
      as the Sole Oxidant.
AB  - Ruthenium(II) oxidase catalysis by direct dioxygen-coupled turnover enabled step
      economical oxidative C-H alkenylation reactions at ambient pressure. Versatile
      ruthenium(II) biscarboxylate catalysts displayed ample substrate scope and proved
      applicable to weakly coordinating and removable directing groups. The twofold C-H
      functionalization strategy was characterized by exceedingly mild reaction
      conditions as well as excellent positional selectivity.

PMID- 26489872
TI  - Phosphine-free synthesis of Ag-In-Se alloy nanocrystals with visible emissions.
AB  - As promising heavy metal-free emitting materials, Ag-In-Se nanocrystals (NCs) are
      conventionally synthesized using organic phosphine agents and exhibit near
      infrared emissions. In this work, we demonstrate a rapid phosphine-free approach
      for synthesizing Ag-In-Se alloy NCs with the emissions tunable to the visible
      region on the basis of the phosphine-free dissolution of Se powder. At room
      temperature, Se powder is reduced by dodecanethiol and dissolved in oleylamine to
      produce a Se precursor. The resultant Se precursor is highly active, which
      permits rapid synthesis at a relatively low temperature, such as at 90  degrees C
      for 150 s. By optimizing the size, structure, and composition, the
      photoluminescence quantum yield of the as-synthesized Ag-In-Se NCs is enhanced to
      up to 10%. The growth of the Ag-In-Se NCs involves composition and phase
      transition, which strongly depend on the reaction temperature. The Ag2Se nuclei
      form first, and the Ag-In-Se NCs are produced by doping In(3+) into the preformed
      Ag2Se nuclei. Tetragonal phase Ag-In-Se is obtained below 170  degrees C, while
      the orthorhombic phase appears over 190  degrees C. The potential of Ag-In-Se NCs
      as red emitting phosphors for lighting-emitting diodes is further demonstrated. 

PMID- 26489875
TI  - Changes in induction methods have not influenced cesarean section rates among
      women with induced labor.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Induction of labor has become more common in most countries during
      the last decade. We have compared methods and routines of labor induction as
      practiced in Norway in 2003 and 2013, and surveyed practices with regard to
      induction of labor without a medical indication in 2013. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A
      telephone interview with all delivery units in Norway was conducted in 2003. Data
      on preferred induction methods, use of prostaglandin, dosages, dose intervals and
      routes of administration were collected. In 2013, the same questionnaire was
      used, with additional questions on induction of labor without a medical
      indication. Data on overall cesarean section and induction rates were obtained
      from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. RESULTS: From 2003 to 2013 the
      induction rate increased by 62% and the cesarean section rate by 6%. The cesarean
      section rate in women with induced labor remained stable at 17.1 and 17.4%,
      respectively. In 2003, 31 of 43 hospitals used dinoprostone for cervical ripening
      and induction. In 2013, 34 of 39 hospitals used misoprostol. A cervical balloon
      was used in three of 43 hospitals in 2003 compared with 31 of 39 in 2013. All but
      one hospital induced labor without a strict medical indication in 2013.
      CONCLUSION: The preferred methods for induction of labor changed within a decade
      to the use of misoprostol and cervical balloon. Induction of labor without strict
      medical indications is widely practiced. The changed induction methods have not
      influenced the cesarean section rates in women with induced labors.

PMID- 26489873
TI  - Epitope specific T-cell responses against influenza A in a healthy population.
AB  - Pre-existing human CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell-mediated immunity may be a useful
      correlate of protection against severe influenza disease. Identification and
      evaluation of common epitopes recognized by T cells with broad cross-reactivity
      is therefore important to guide universal influenza vaccine development, and to
      monitor immunological preparedness against pandemics. We have retrieved an
      optimal combination of MHC class I and class II restricted epitopes from the
      Immune Epitope Database (www.iedb.org), by defining a fitness score function
      depending on prevalence, sequence conservancy and HLA super-type coverage.
      Optimized libraries of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell epitopes were selected from
      influenza antigens commonly present in seasonal and pandemic influenza strains
      from 1934 to 2009. These epitope pools were used to characterize human T-cell
      responses in healthy donors using interferon-gamma ELISPOT assays. Upon
      stimulation, significant CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell responses were induced,
      primarily recognizing epitopes from the conserved viral core proteins.
      Furthermore, the CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells were phenotypically characterized
      regarding functionality, cytotoxic potential and memory phenotype using flow
      cytometry. Optimized sets of T-cell peptide epitopes may be a useful tool to
      monitor the efficacy of clinical trials, the immune status of a population to
      predict immunological preparedness against pandemics, as well as being candidates
      for universal influenza vaccines. 

PMID- 26489874
TI  - The Test Your Memory cognitive screening tool: sociodemographic and
      cardiometabolic risk correlates in a population-based study of older British men.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the association of Test Your Memory (TYM)
      defined cognitive impairment groups with known sociodemographic and
      cardiometabolic correlates of cognitive impairment in a population-based study of
      older adults. METHODS: Participants were members of the British Regional Heart
      Study, a cohort across 24 British towns initiated in 1978-1980. Data stemmed from
      1570 British men examined in 2010-2012, aged 71-92 years. Sociodemographic and
      cardiometabolic factors were compared between participants defined as having TYM
      scores in the normal cognitive ageing, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and severe
      cognitive impairment (SCI) groups, defined as >=46 (45 if >=80 years of age),
      >=33 and <33, respectively. RESULTS: Among 1570 men, 636 (41%) were classified in
      the MCI and 133 (8%) in the SCI groups. Compared with participants in the normal
      cognitive ageing category, individuals with SCI were characterized primarily by
      lower socio-economic position (odds ratio (OR) = 6.15, 95% confidence interval
      (CI) 4.00-9.46), slower average walking speed (OR = 3.36, 95% CI 2.21-5.10),
      mobility problems (OR = 4.61, 95% CI 3.04-6.97), poorer self-reported overall
      health (OR = 2.63, 95% CI 1.79-3.87), obesity (OR = 2.59, 95% CI 1.72-3.91) and
      impaired lung function (OR = 2.25, 95% CI 1.47-3.45). A similar albeit slightly
      weaker pattern was observed for participants with MCI. CONCLUSION:
      Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors as well as adiposity measures, lung
      function and poor overall health are associated with cognitive impairments in
      late life. The correlates of cognitive abilities in the MCI and SCI groups, as
      defined by the TYM, resemble the risk profile for MCI and Alzheimer's disease
      outlined in current epidemiological models.

PMID- 26489876
TI  - Effect of socioeconomic status (SES) disparity on neural development in female
      African-American infants at age 1 month.
AB  - There is increasing interest in both the cumulative and long-term impact of early
      life adversity on brain structure and function, especially as the brain is both
      highly vulnerable and highly adaptive during childhood. Relationships between SES
      and neural development have been shown in children older than age 2 years. Less
      is known regarding the impact of SES on neural development in children before age
      2. This paper examines the effect of SES, indexed by income-to-needs (ITN) and
      maternal education, on cortical gray, deep gray, and white matter volumes in
      term, healthy, appropriate for gestational age, African-American, female infants.
      At 5 weeks postnatal age, unsedated infants underwent MRI (3.0T Siemens Verio
      scanner, 32-channel head coil). Images were segmented based on a locally
      constructed template. Utilizing hierarchical linear regression, SES effects on
      MRI volumes were examined. In this cohort of healthy African-American female
      infants of varying SES, lower SES was associated with smaller cortical gray and
      deep gray matter volumes. These SES effects on neural outcome at such a young age
      build on similar studies of older children, suggesting that the biological
      embedding of adversity may occur very early in development.

PMID- 26489877
TI  - "FISHed" out the diagnosis: A case of DiGeorge syndrome.
AB  - Our patient presented with congenital heart disease (CHD: Tetralogy of Fallot),
      hypocalcemia, hypoparathyroidism, and facial dysmorphisms. Suspecting DiGeorge
      syndrome (DGS), a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis for 22q11.2
      deletion was made. The child had a hemizygous deletion in the 22q11.2 region,
      diagnostic of DGS. Unfortunately, the patient succumbed to the heart disease. DGS
      is the most common microdeletion syndrome, and probably underrecognized due to
      the varied manifestations. This case stresses the importance of a detailed
      physical examination and a high index of suspicion for diagnosing this genetic
      condition. Timely diagnosis can help manage and monitor these patients better and
      also offer prenatal diagnosis in the next pregnancy. 

PMID- 26489879
TI  - Stable folding intermediates prevent fast interconversion between the closed and
      open states of Mad2 through its denatured state.
AB  - Different states of metamorphic proteins can interconvert under physiological
      conditions to realize corresponding functions. The mechanism behind the
      conversion is critical for understanding how these proteins work. We report a
      combined thermodynamic and kinetic study on the folding/unfolding process of the
      open and closed conformers of mitotic arrest deficient protein 2 (Mad2), a
      metamorphic protein. It has been observed that open Mad2 (O-Mad2) can convert to
      closed Mad2 (C-Mad2). Our results show that O-Mad2 and C-Mad2 have similar
      thermodynamic stability, which explains the presence of metamorphosis. The
      folding/unfolding kinetics suggest that the conversion between O-Mad2 and C-Mad2
      would be much faster than that reported previously if this conversion goes
      through the denatured state (U) directly, i.e. through an O-Mad2-denatured state
      (U)-C-Mad2 (O-U-C) pathway. This inconsistency implies that there exist stable
      intermediates in between the native and denatured states of Mad2, which would
      either slow down the O-U-C interconversion or prevent it going through the
      denatured state. 

PMID- 26489878
TI  - Engineering a genetically encoded competitive inhibitor of the KEAP1-NRF2
      interaction via structure-based design and phage display.
AB  - In its basal state, KEAP1 binds the transcription factor NRF2 (Kd = 5 nM) and
      promotes its degradation by ubiquitylation. Changes in the redox environment lead
      to modification of key cysteines within KEAP1, resulting in NRF2 protein
      accumulation and the transcription of genes important for restoring the cellular
      redox state. Using phage display and a computational loop grafting protocol, we
      engineered a monobody (R1) that is a potent competitive inhibitor of the KEAP1
      NRF2 interaction. R1 bound to KEAP1 with a Kd of 300 pM and in human cells freed
      NRF2 from KEAP1 resulting in activation of the NRF2 promoter. Unlike cysteine
      reactive small molecules that lack protein specificity, R1 is a genetically
      encoded, reversible inhibitor designed specifically for KEAP1. R1 should prove
      useful for studying the role of the KEAP1-NRF2 interaction in several disease
      states. The structure-based phage display strategy employed here is a general
      approach for engineering high-affinity binders that compete with naturally
      occurring interactions. 

PMID- 26489880
TI  - Association of moderate chronic kidney disease with insufficient improvement of
      fractional flow reserve after stent implantation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the association of moderate chronic
      kidney disease (CKD) with fractional flow reserve (FFR) after stent implantation.
      BACKGROUND: Patients with moderate CKD have a higher prevalence of severe and
      diffuse coronary artery disease, and have increased risk of cardiovascular events
      even after stent implantation. On the other hand, in some patients, FFR could not
      be sufficiently improved even after stent implantation. However, the association
      between these pathophysiological processes is unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: A
      total of 102 patients with stable angina, in whom a stent was implanted for the
      left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) lesion, were included. Patients
      with a severely decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR; > CKD stage 4) were
      excluded. Patients were stratified into 3 groups: those with an estimated GFR
      (eGFR) >= 60 mL per min per 1.73 m(2) (stage 0-2), 45 to 59 mL per min per 1.73
      m(2) (stage 3a), and 30 to 44 mL per min per 1.73 m(2) (stage 3b). FFR after
      stent implantation (post-stent FFR) was significantly lower in the stage 3b group
      than in both the stage 0-2 group and the stage 3a group (P < 0.01). Post-stent
      FFR had a significant positive correlation with eGFR (r = 0.223, P = 0.024).
      Multivariate analysis demonstrated that eGFR was an independent predictor of post
      stent FFR. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate CKD was independently associated with
      insufficient improvement of FFR after stent implantation. This can partly explain
      the poor prognosis of patients with CKD. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26489881
TI  - Pretreatment with rivaroxaban attenuates stroke severity in rats by a dual
      antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory mechanism.
AB  - Stroke outcome is more favourable in patients receiving oral anticoagulants
      compared with non-anticoagulated patients. The reasons for this "stroke
      attenuating" property of oral anticoagulants are largely unknown. This study
      examined whether prestroke anticoagulation with rivaroxaban, a novel direct
      factor Xa inhibitor, influences stroke severity, thrombin-mediated intracerebral
      thrombus formation and pro-inflammatory processes in a rat model of brain
      ischaemia/reperfusion injury. Male Wistar rats were anticoagulated with
      rivaroxaban and subjected to 90 minutes of transient middle cerebral artery
      occlusion. Infarct size, functional outcome and the occurrence of intracranial
      haemorrhage (ICH) were assessed until day 7. Thrombin generation was determined
      by measuring the amount of thrombin/antithrombin complex. Intracerebral thrombus
      formation was evaluated by histology and Western blot. CD68-immunoreactivity and
      the expression of cytokines and adhesion molecules were investigated to assess
      postischaemic inflammation. The integrity of the blood-brain barrier was analysed
      using fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran. Rats pretreated with rivaroxaban
      developed significantly smaller strokes and less severe functional deficits
      compared with controls. Although rivaroxaban strongly reduced thrombin-mediated
      thrombus formation, this was not accompanied by an increased risk of ICH. In
      addition, rivaroxaban dampened the inflammatory response in the ischaemic brain
      by downregulating ICAM-1 expression and the activation of CD68+-immune cells. In
      contrast, rivaroxaban had no effect on the integrity of the blood-brain barrier
      after stroke. Here, we identified reduced thrombo-inflammation as a major
      determinant of the stroke-protective property of rivaroxaban in rats. Further
      studies are needed to assess the therapeutic potential of novel oral
      anticoagulants in the acute phase after a stroke. 

PMID- 26489882
TI  - Strong TCR-mediated signals suppress integrated stress responses induced by
      KDELR1 deficiency in naive T cells.
AB  - KDEL receptor 1 (KDELR1) regulates integrated stress responses (ISR) to promote
      naive T-cell survival in vivo. In a mouse line having nonfunctional KDELR1, T-Red
      (naive T-cell reduced) mice, polyclonal naive T cells show excessive ISR and
      eventually undergo apoptosis. However, breeding T-Red mice with TCR-transgenic
      mice bearing relatively high TCR affinity rescued the T-Red phenotype, implying a
      link between ISR-induced apoptosis and TCR-mediated signaling. Here, we showed
      that strong TCR stimulation reduces ISR in naive T cells. In mice lacking
      functional KDELR1, surviving naive T cells expressed significantly higher levels
      of CD5, a surrogate marker of TCR self-reactivity. In addition, higher TCR
      affinity/avidity was confirmed using a tetramer dissociation assay on the
      surviving naive T cells, suggesting that among the naive T-cell repertoire, those
      that receive relatively stronger TCR-mediated signals via self-antigens survive
      enhanced ISR. Consistent with this observation, weak TCR stimulation with altered
      peptide ligands decreased the survival and proliferation of naive T cells,
      whereas stimulation with ligands having higher affinity had no such effect. These
      results suggest a novel role of TCR-mediated signals in the attenuation of ISR in
      vivo. 

PMID- 26489883
TI  - TANK-binding kinase 1-dependent or -independent signaling elicits the cell-type
      specific innate immune responses induced by the adenovirus vector.
AB  - Adenovirus vectors (Adv) elicit innate immune responses via several pattern
      recognition receptors. Although it has been suggested that various Adv-induced
      mechanisms play important roles in the induction of innate immunity in vitro, the
      impacts of these mechanisms in vivo remain unclear. Viral nucleic acids elicit
      innate immune responses through the recognition of cytosolic nucleic acid sensors
      and transduce intracellular signals to TANK-binding kinase (TBK) 1. In this
      study, to determine the impacts of viral nucleic acids on innate immune responses
      in vivo, we administered transgene-expressing Adv to Tbk1-deficient mice. The
      systemic Adv administration failed to induce type I interferons (type I IFNs) in
      the spleen, but not the liver, of Tbk1-deficient mice, resulting in the increase
      of transgene-expressing cells in the spleen, but not the liver. Moreover, Adv
      failed to induce type I IFNs in the bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells, but not
      the mouse embryonic fibroblasts, from Tbk1-deficient mice in vitro. These results
      support the idea that Adv elicit innate immunity in immune cells and non-immune
      cells in a TBK1-dependent and TBK1-independent manner, respectively. 

PMID- 26489884
TI  - Guanosine and its modified derivatives are endogenous ligands for TLR7.
AB  - Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7and 8 were considered to recognize single-strand RNA
      (ssRNA) from viruses. Although these receptors also respond to synthetic small
      chemical ligands, such as CL075 and R848, it remains to be determined whether
      these receptors sense natural small molecules or not. In the structure of human
      TLR8 (huTLR8) with ssRNA, there are two ligand-binding sites: one binds a uridine
      and the other binds an oligoribonucleotide (ORN). This finding demonstrates that
      huTLR8 recognizes degradation products of ssRNA, suggesting the presence of
      natural small ligands. We here show that TLR7 works as the sensor for guanosine
      (G)/2'-deoxyguanosine (dG) in the presence of ORN where ORN strengthens TLR7
      interaction with G/dG. In addition, modified nucleosides such as 7
      methylguanosine, 8-hydroxyguanosine (8-OHG) and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG)
      activated TLR7 with ORNs. Importantly, 8-OHdG-a well-known oxidative DNA damage
      marker with unknown function-induced strong cytokine production comparable to G
      and dG both in mouse and human immune cells. Although 8-OHdG bound TLR7/ORN with
      lower affinity than dG did in isothermal titration calorimetry, administered 8
      OHdG was metabolically more stable than dG in the serum, indicating that 8-OHdG
      acts on TLR7 as an endogenous ligand in vivo To address a role of G analogs in
      the disease state, we also examined macrophages from Unc93b1 (D34A/D34A) mice,
      which suffer from TLR7-dependent systemic inflammation, and found that Unc93b1
      (D34A/D34A) macrophages showed significantly enhanced response to G alone or 8
      OHdG with ORN. In conclusion, our results provide evidence that G, dG, 8-OHG and
      8-OHdG are novel endogenous ligands for TLR7.

PMID- 26489885
TI  - Unexpected Efficiency of a Luminescent Samarium(III) Complex for Combined Visible
      and Near-Infrared Biphotonic Microscopy.
AB  - An original samarium(III) complex based on a triazacyclononane platform
      functionalized with a charge-transfer antenna chromophore exhibited optimized
      brightness and was successfully used as an emissive species for two-photon
      microscopy experiments in both the visible and near-infrared spectral ranges. 

PMID- 26489886
TI  - Combined evaluation of risk factors predicting poor ovarian responders in Chinese
      patients undergoing in vitro fertilization.
AB  - This study aimed to explore the parameters associated with poor ovarian response
      (POR) to develop an early warning score model (EWSM) for detecting POR in Chinese
      women undergoing in vitro fertilization, in order to improve the outcomes.
      Between 2005 and 2011, we recruited 736 patients with POR after IVF and 736
      individuals with normal ovarian response after IVF as controls. Clinical
      parameters were determined to evaluate the ovarian reserve. We then compared the
      clinical parameters between the POR and control groups, and performed a
      multivariate analysis to determine the independent factors associated with
      ovarian response. Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) was used to analyze the
      predicted values of individual and combined risk factors. The predicted values
      were further tested in another cohort of 957 patients. Age, basal follicle
      stimulating hormone (bFSH), antral follicle count (AFC), and FSH/luteinizing
      hormone (LH) ratio were identified as independent factors associated with ovarian
      response. The EWSM was established using a combination of these parameters. The
      sensitivity and specificity of the EWSM were 74.6% and 93.6%, respectively. In
      conclusion, combination of individual risk factors could predict POR with high
      specificity. The EWSM may help in the evaluation of IVF treatment at an early
      stage. 

PMID- 26489888
TI  - Structure and bonding of [(SIPr)AgX] (X = Cl, Br, I and OTf).
AB  - A series of iso-structural complexes [(SIPr)AgX] (X = Cl, Br, I, OTf; SIPr = 1,3
      bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazolidene) were synthesised, including the first
      example of a N-heterocyclic carbene silver(I) complex containing an O-bound
      triflate. Bond Energy Dissociation and Natural Orbitals for Chemical Valence bond
      analyses (BEDA & ETS-NOCV) revealing a significant NHC -> M sigma-back-donation,
      which influences the stability and sigma-donicity of these complexes.

PMID- 26489887
TI  - Highly Luminescent, Water-Soluble Lanthanide Fluorobenzoates: Syntheses,
      Structures and Photophysics, Part I: Lanthanide Pentafluorobenzoates.
AB  - Highly luminescent, photostable, and soluble lanthanide pentafluorobenzoates have
      been synthesized and thoroughly characterized, with a focus on Eu(III) and
      Tb(III) complexes as visible emitters and Nd(III) , Er(III) , and Yb(III)
      complexes as infrared emitters. Investigation of the crystal structures of the
      complexes in powder form and as single crystals by using X-ray diffraction
      revealed five different structural types, including monomeric, dimeric, and
      polymeric. The local structure in different solutions was studied by using X-ray
      absorption spectroscopy. The photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) of terbium
      and europium complexes were 39 and 15 %, respectively; the latter value was
      increased almost twice by using the heterometallic complex [Tb0.5 Eu0.5 (pfb)3
      (H2 O)] (Hpfb=pentafluorobenzoic acid). Due to the effectively utilized
      sensitization strategy (pfb)(-) ->Tb->Eu, a pure europium luminescence with a
      PLQY of 29 % was achieved. 

PMID- 26489889
TI  - Pentanuclear [2.2] spirocyclic lanthanide(III) complexes: slow magnetic
      relaxation of the Dy(III) analogue.
AB  - The reaction of LnCl3.6H2O (Ln = Dy(3+), Tb(3+) and Ho(3+)) with the multisite
      coordinating ligand N'-(2-hydroxy-3-(hydroxymethyl)-5
      methylbenzylidene)acetohydrazide (LH3) in the presence of pivalic acid (PivH)
      leads to the formation of three isostructural homometallic pentanuclear
      complexes, [Dy5(LH)4(eta(1)-Piv)(eta(2)-Piv)3(MU2
      eta(2)eta(1)Piv)2(H2O)].Cl.9.5H2O.5MeOH (1), [Tb5(LH)4(eta(1)-Piv)(eta(2)
      Piv)3(MU2-eta(2)eta(1)Piv)2(H2O)].Cl.10.5H2O.2MeOH.2CHCl3 (2) and
      [Ho5(LH)4(eta(1)-Piv)(eta(2)-Piv)3(MU2-eta(2)eta(1)Piv)2(H2O)].Cl.14.5H2O.2CHCl3
      (3). 1-3 are monocationic and are comprised of four doubly deprotonated [LH](2-)
      ligands along with six pivalate ions. These complexes possess a [2.2] spirocyclic
      topology formed by the fusion of two triangles of Ln(III) ions at a common
      vertex. The magneto chemical analysis reveals the presence of antiferromagnetic
      exchange interactions at low temperature, and the Dy(III) complex 1 gives an out
      of-phase signal with a small curvature in alternating current (ac) magnetic
      susceptibility measurement. Application of a 3000 G static field during ac
      measurement intensifies the signals, revealing a second slow relaxation process
      in the Dy(III) analogue. 

PMID- 26489890
TI  - Nanogold supported on manganese oxide doped alumina microspheres as a highly
      active and selective catalyst for CO oxidation in a H2-rich stream.
AB  - Manganese oxide-doped Al2O3 microspheres were synthesized via a redox method, and
      were then deposited with Au nanoparticles using a deposition-precipitation
      method. The obtained catalyst is not only highly active and selective for the
      preferential oxidation of CO in a H2-rich stream, but also shows excellent
      stability in the co-presence of H2O and CO2 at 80  degrees C. 

PMID- 26489891
TI  - Prepregnancy Obesity and Primary Cesareans among Otherwise Low-Risk Mothers in 38
      U.S. States in 2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The United States has recently experienced increases in both its rate
      of obesity and its cesarean rate. Our objective was to use a new item measuring
      prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) on the U.S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth
      to examine at a population level the relationship between maternal obesity and
      primary cesarean delivery for women at otherwise low risk for cesarean delivery.
      METHODS: By 2012, 38 states with 86 percent of United States births had adopted
      the U.S. Standard Certificate. The sample was limited to the 2,233,144 women who
      had a singleton, vertex, term (37-41 weeks) birth in 2012 and no prior cesarean.
      We modeled the likelihood of a primary cesarean by BMI category, controlling for
      maternal socio-demographic and medical characteristics. RESULTS: Overall, 46.4
      percent of otherwise low-risk mothers had a prepregnancy BMI in the overweight
      (25.1%) or obese (21.3%) categories, with the obese category distributed as
      follows: obese I (BMI 30.0-34.9, 12.4%); obese II (BMI 35.0-39.9, 5.5%); and
      obese III (BMI 40+, 3.5%). Obesity rates were highest among American Indian and
      Alaska Native (32.5%) and non-Hispanic black mothers (30.5%). After adjustment
      for demographic and medical risks, the adjusted risk ratios (95% confidence
      intervals) of cesarean for low-risk primiparas were: 1.61 (1.60-1.63) for obese
      I, 1.86 (1.83-1.88) for obese II, and 2.21 (2.18-2.25) for obese III mothers
      compared with mothers in the normal weight category. DISCUSSION: A relationship
      between prepregnancy obesity and primary cesarean delivery among relatively low
      risk mothers remained even after controlling for social and medical risk factors.

PMID- 26489892
TI  - Neural Stem Cells Rescue Cognitive and Motor Dysfunction in a Transgenic Model of
      Dementia with Lewy Bodies through a BDNF-Dependent Mechanism.
AB  - Accumulation of alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) into insoluble aggregates occurs in
      several related disorders collectively referred to as synucleinopathies. To date,
      studies have used neural stem cells (NSCs) to examine questions about alpha-syn
      propagation, but have overlooked the therapeutic potential of NSC transplantation
      to modulate cognition in disorders such as dementia with Lewy bodies or
      Parkinson's disease dementia. Here, we show that striatal transplantation of NSCs
      into aged alpha-syn transgenic mice significantly improves performance in
      multiple cognitive and motor domains. This recovery is associated with NSC
      expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which restores depleted
      levels and modulates dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems. Most importantly,
      transplantation of BDNF-depleted NSCs fails to improve behavior, whereas AAV
      mediated BDNF delivery mimics the benefits of NSC transplantation, supporting a
      critical role for this neurotrophin in functional improvement. Thus, NSC
      transplantation could offer a promising approach to treat the understudied yet
      devastating cognitive components of many synucleinopathies. 

PMID- 26489893
TI  - Long Noncoding RNA ADINR Regulates Adipogenesis by Transcriptionally Activating
      C/EBPalpha.
AB  - C/EBPalpha is a critical transcriptional regulator of adipogenesis. How
      C/EBPalpha transcription is itself regulated is poorly understood, however, and
      remains a key question that needs to be addressed for a complete understanding of
      adipogenic development. Here, we identify a lncRNA, ADINR (adipogenic
      differentiation induced noncoding RNA), transcribed from a position ~450 bp
      upstream of the C/EBPalpha gene, that orchestrates C/EBPalpha transcription in
      vivo. Depletion of ADINR leads to a severe adipogenic defect that is rescued by
      overexpression of C/EBPalpha. Moreover, we reveal that ADINR RNA specifically
      binds to PA1 and recruits MLL3/4 histone methyl-transferase complexes so as to
      increase H3K4me3 and decrease H3K27me3 histone modification in the C/EBPalpha
      locus during adipogenesis. These results show that ADINR plays important roles in
      regulating the differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells into adipocytes by
      modulating C/EBPalpha in cis. 

PMID- 26489894
TI  - Distinct Processes and Transcriptional Targets Underlie CDX2 Requirements in
      Intestinal Stem Cells and Differentiated Villus Cells.
AB  - Lgr5-expressing intestinal stem cells (ISCs) renew the adult gut epithelium by
      producing mature villus cells (VCs); the transcriptional basis for ISC functions
      remains unclear. RNA sequencing analysis identified transcripts modulated during
      differentiation of Lgr5(+) ISCs into VCs, with high expression of the intestine
      restricted transcription factor (TF) gene Cdx2 in both populations. Cdx2-deleted
      mouse ISCs showed impaired proliferation and long-term inability to produce
      mature lineages, revealing essential ISC functions. Chromatin immunoprecipitation
      sequencing analysis of CDX2 in Lgr5(+) ISCs, coupled with mRNA profiling of
      control and Cdx2(-/-) ISCs, identified features of CDX2 regulation distinct from
      VCs. Most CDX2 binding in ISCs occurs in anticipation of future gene expression,
      but whereas CDX2 primarily activates VC genes, direct ISC targets are activated
      and repressed. Diverse CDX2 requirements in stem and differentiated cells may
      reflect the versatility of TFs that specify a tissue in development and control
      the same tissue in adults. 

PMID- 26489895
TI  - Progressive Chromatin Condensation and H3K9 Methylation Regulate the
      Differentiation of Embryonic and Hematopoietic Stem Cells.
AB  - Epigenetic regulation serves as the basis for stem cell differentiation into
      distinct cell types, but it is unclear how global epigenetic changes are
      regulated during this process. Here, we tested the hypothesis that global
      chromatin organization affects the lineage potential of stem cells and that
      manipulation of chromatin dynamics influences stem cell function. Using nuclease
      sensitivity assays, we found a progressive decrease in chromatin digestion among
      pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs), multipotent hematopoietic stem cells
      (HSCs), and mature hematopoietic cells. Quantitative high-resolution microscopy
      revealed that ESCs contain significantly more euchromatin than HSCs, with a
      further reduction in mature cells. Increased cellular maturation also led to
      heterochromatin localization to the nuclear periphery. Functionally, prevention
      of heterochromatin formation by inhibition of the histone methyltransferase G9A
      resulted in delayed HSC differentiation. Our results demonstrate global chromatin
      rearrangements during stem cell differentiation and that heterochromatin
      formation by H3K9 methylation regulates HSC differentiation. 

PMID- 26489896
TI  - ESC-Derived Basal Forebrain Cholinergic Neurons Ameliorate the Cognitive Symptoms
      Associated with Alzheimer's Disease in Mouse Models.
AB  - Degeneration of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs) is associated with
      cognitive impairments of Alzheimer's disease (AD), implying that BFCNs hold
      potentials in exploring stem cell-based replacement therapy for AD. However,
      studies on derivation of BFCNs from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are limited, and
      the application of ESC-derived BFCNs remains to be determined. Here, we report on
      differentiation approaches for directing both mouse and human ESCs into mature
      BFCNs. These ESC-derived BFCNs exhibit features similar to those of their in vivo
      counterparts and acquire appropriate functional properties. After transplantation
      into the basal forebrain of AD model mice, ESC-derived BFCN progenitors
      predominantly differentiate into mature cholinergic neurons that functionally
      integrate into the endogenous basal forebrain cholinergic projection system. The
      AD mice grafted with mouse or human BFCNs exhibit improvements in learning and
      memory performances. Our findings suggest a promising perspective of ESC-derived
      BFCNs in the development of stem cell-based therapies for treatment of AD. 

PMID- 26489897
TI  - Cryopreserved human umbilical cord patch for in-utero spina bifida repair.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify a patch system to repair surgically created spina bifida
      in a sheep model for its efficacy in healing the skin defect, protecting the
      underlying spinal cord and reducing the Chiari II malformation. METHODS: Spina
      bifida was created surgically in 16 fetuses from eight timed-pregnant sheep at
      gestational age of 75 days. Two fetuses did not survive the procedure. Repeat
      hysterotomy was performed at 95 days' gestation to cover the defect with either
      biocellulose film with underwater adhesive (BCF-adhesive) (n = 7) or human
      umbilical cord with suture (HUC-suture) (n = 7). Three fetuses without formation
      of the defect served as reference controls. The skin healing was examined by
      direct visualization after a planned Cesarean section at term, followed by
      histological analysis using hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome stains.
      Mid-sagittal sections of the fetal cranium and upper cervical spine were analyzed
      by a pediatric neuroradiologist who was blinded to the type of patch received.
      RESULTS: Three fetuses that received the BCF-adhesive and six fetuses that
      received the HUC-suture survived to term for final analysis. As a result of
      dislodgment of the BCF-adhesive, all spina bifida defects repaired using BCF
      adhesive were not healed and showed exposed spinal cord with leakage of
      cerebrospinal fluid. In contrast, all spinal defects repaired by HUC-suture were
      healed with complete regrowth of epidermal, dermal and subdermal tissue
      components, with no exposed spinal cord. The maximal skin wound width was 21 +/-
      3.6 mm in the BCF-adhesive group but 3 +/- 0.8 mm in the HUC-suture group (P <
      0.001). The spinal cord area (P = 0.001) and the number of anterior horn cells (P
      = 0.03) was preserved to a greater degree in the HUC-suture group than in the BCF
      adhesive group, whilst psammoma bodies, signifying neuronal degeneration, were
      only observed in the BCF-adhesive group. Anatomic changes, indicative of Chiari
      II malformation, were seen in all three fetuses of the BCF-adhesive group but in
      none of the HUC-suture group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Cryopreserved umbilical cord
      graft is a promising regenerative patch for intrauterine repair of spina bifida.

PMID- 26489898
TI  - Serological survey in the Finnish human population implies human-to-human
      transmission of Ljungan virus or antigenically related viruses.
AB  - Ljungan virus (LV) is a picornavirus related to human parechoviruses (HPeV). The
      virus has been found in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and several other rodent
      species, and suggested to have zoonotic potential. Thus far, seroepidemiological
      data on LV infections in humans are scarce. In this study, we aimed to
      characterize the demographic and geographical distribution of LV-reactive
      antibodies in Finland, and to investigate its occurrence in patients suspected of
      having a rodent-borne disease, nephropathia epidemica (NE) caused by Puumala
      hantavirus (PUUV). Using an immunofluorescence assay (LV strain 145SLG), we
      screened human sera (n = 1378) and found LV-reactive antibodies in 36% of
      samples. The probability of possessing LV-reactive antibodies peaked at age of 14
      years, suggesting that most infections occur in childhood. The prevalence of LV
      reactive antibodies was significantly higher in the urbanized area surrounding
      Helsinki than in more rural Central Finland. These findings are uncharacteristic
      of a rodent-borne pathogen, and therefore we consider human-to-human transmission
      of one or several Ljungan-like viruses as a likely cause for most of the observed
      antibody responses. 

PMID- 26489899
TI  - Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Reduces Cytotoxic Effects Caused by Dental Monomers: A
      Hypothesis.
AB  - Resin monomers from dental composite materials leached due to incomplete
      polymerization or biodegradation may cause contact allergies and damage dental
      pulp. The cytotoxicity of dental resin monomers is due to a disturbance of
      intracellular redox equilibrium, characterized by an overproduction of reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) and depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH). Oxidative stress
      caused by dental resin monomers leads to the disturbance of vital cell functions
      and induction of cell apoptosis in affected cells. The nuclear factor-erythroid 2
      related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway plays a key role in the cellular defense system
      against oxidative and electrophilic stress. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) can
      activate the Nrf2 pathway and induce expression of a multitude of antioxidants
      and phase II enzymes that can restore redox homeostasis. Therefore, here, we
      tested the hypothesis that EGCG-mediated protection against resin monomer
      cytotoxicity is mediated by activation of the Nrf2 pathway. This study will help
      to elucidate the mechanism of resin monomer cytotoxicity and provide information
      that will be helpful in improving the biocompatibility of dental resin materials.

PMID- 26489900
TI  - Correction of Residual Radial Translation of the Distal Fragment in Distal Radius
      Fracture Open Reduction.
AB  - Distal radius fractures are common injuries of the upper extremity requiring
      treatment. In recent years, volar locking plate (VLP) fixation has become favored
      for operative treatment with the main goals being anatomic reduction and rigid
      fixation allowing for an early range of motion rehabilitation protocol. VLP
      fixation is excellent at correcting sagittal plane alignment with restoration of
      volar tilt. However, plate designs do not have any intrinsic features to their
      designs to assist with correction of coronal plane translation. One possible
      sequela of distal radius fractures is residual instability of the distal
      radioulnar joint. This instability can lead to pain and disability after
      treatment of distal radius fractures requiring further interventions. It has been
      demonstrated that coronal plane malreduction with residual radial translation of
      the distal fragment may contribute to ongoing distal radioulnar joint instability
      after distal radius fractures. We describe a technique for intraoperative
      correction of residual radial translation. It may be used when radial translation
      is recognized during internal fixation with a VLP or when correction of radial
      translation is required as part of a corrective osteotomy for radial malunion. 

PMID- 26489901
TI  - Visible light-triggered disruption of micelles of an amphiphilic block copolymer
      with BODIPY at the junction.
AB  - A visible light-cleavable polymer is synthesised to overcome the limitations of
      UV-sensitive polymers. Photocleavable BODIPY functionalized with an ATRP
      initiator and alkyne was used to obtain an amphiphilic block copolymer by
      conducting the click reaction and polymerization simultaneously. Micellar
      assembly of the polymer was disintegrated under visible light irradiation with
      controlled release of cargo. 

PMID- 26489902
TI  - Ratiometric Fluorescent Detection of Phosphate in Aqueous Solution Based on Near
      Infrared Fluorescent Silver Nanoclusters/Metal-Organic Shell Composite.
AB  - Synthesis of near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent AgNCs with high quantum yield and
      stability is challenging but important for sensing and bioimaging application.
      Here, we report the fabrication of AgNCs/metal-organic shell composite via the
      deposition of metal-organic (zinc-nitrogen) coordination shell around AgNCs for
      ratiometric detection of phosphate. The composite exhibits NIR emission at 720 nm
      with 30 nm red-shift in comparison to bare AgNCs and a weak emission at 510 nm
      from the shell. The absolute quantum yield of NIR fluorescence of the composite
      is 15%, owing to FRET from the shell to the AgNCs core under the excitation at
      430 nm. Besides, the composite is stable due to the protection of the shell. On
      the basis of the composite, a novel ratiometric fluorescence probe for the
      detection of phosphate in aqueous solution with good sensitivity and selectivity
      was developed. The limit of detection (3s) is 0.06 MUM, and the relative standard
      deviation for 10 replicate detections of 10 MUM phosphate was 0.6%. The
      recoveries of spiked phosphate in water, human urine, and serum samples ranged
      from 94.1% to 103.4%. 

PMID- 26489903
TI  - Editorial overview: Membranes.

PMID- 26489904
TI  - Structure-barrier property relationship of biodegradable poly(butylene succinate)
      and poly[(butylene succinate)-co-(butylene adipate)] nanocomposites: influence of
      the rigid amorphous fraction.
AB  - Composites composed of polyesters, poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) or
      poly[(butylene succinate)-co-(butylene adipate)] (PBSA), and 5 wt% of
      montmorillonite (CNa) or organo-modified montmorillonite (C30B) were melt
      processed and transformed into films by either compression-molding or extrusion
      calendering. XRD, rheological measurements and TEM images clearly indicated that
      films containing CNa are microcomposites, while nanocomposites were observed for
      those containing C30B. Using Flash DSC, it was possible, for the first time, not
      only to measure the heat capacity step at the glass transition of these two
      materials in their amorphous state, but also to investigate whether the
      preparation technique influenced the Rigid Amorphous Fraction (RAF) in our PBS-
      and PBSA-based nanocomposites. In this work, we have successfully shown the
      correlation between the microstructure of the films and their barrier properties,
      and especially the role played by the RAF. Indeed, the lowest permeabilities to
      gases and to water were determined in the films containing the highest RAF in
      both PBS- and PBSA-based materials. 

PMID- 26489905
TI  - p6gag domain confers cis HIV-1 Gag-Pol assembly and release capability.
AB  - During virus assembly, HIV-1 Gag-Pol is packaged into virions via interaction
      with Pr55gag. Studies suggest that Gag-Pol by itself is incapable of virus
      particle assembly or cell release, perhaps due to the lack of a budding domain in
      the form of p6gag, which is truncated within Gag-Pol because of a ribosomal
      frameshift during Gag translation. Additionally (or alternatively), large
      molecular size may not support Gag-Pol assembly into virus-like particles (VLPs)
      or release from cells. To test these hypotheses, we constructed Gag-Pol
      expression vectors retaining and lacking p6gag, and then reduced Gag-Pol
      molecular size by removing various lengths of the Pol sequence. Results indicate
      that Gag-Pol constructs retaining p6gag were capable of forming VLPs with a WT
      HIV-1 particle density. Gag-Pol molecular size reduction via partial removal of
      the Pol sequence mitigated the Gag-Pol assembly defect to a moderate degree. Our
      results suggest that the Gag-Pol assembly and budding defects are largely due to
      a lack of p6gag, but also in part due to size limitation. 

PMID- 26489906
TI  - Unified variable selection in semi-parametric models.
AB  - We propose a Bayesian variable selection method in semi-parametric models with
      applications to genetic and epigenetic data (e.g., single nucleotide
      polymorphisms and DNA methylation, respectively). The data are individually
      standardized to reduce heterogeneity and facilitate simultaneous selection of
      categorical (single nucleotide polymorphisms) and continuous (DNA methylation)
      variables. The Gaussian reproducing kernel is applied to the transformed data to
      evaluate joint effect of the variables, which may include complex interactions
      between, e.g., single nucleotide polymorphisms and DNA methylation. Indicator
      variables are introduced to the model for the purpose of variable selection. The
      method is demonstrated and evaluated using simulations under different scenarios.
      We apply the method to identify informative DNA methylation sites and single
      nucleotide polymorphisms in a set of genes based on their joint effect on
      allergic sensitization. The selected single nucleotide polymorphisms and
      methylation sites have the potential to serve as early markers for allergy
      prediction, and consequently benefit medical and clinical research to prevent
      allergy before its manifestation.

PMID- 26489907
TI  - Monitoring of embryonic and fetal losses in different breeds of goats using real
      time B-mode ultrasonography.
AB  - Compared to cattle and sheep, few studies had been undertaken to evaluate the
      incidence of embryonic and fetal losses (EFL) in goats. The objectives of the
      present study were to characterize the timing of EFL and to identify the factors
      that are associated with EFL in goats such as breed, age, parity, method of
      estrous synchronization, and breeding. Moreover, this study aimed to ensure
      whether a relationship existed between serum progesterone (P4) and EFL. Goats (n
      = 151) of different breeds (70 Zaraiebi, 42 Damascus, and 39 Cross goats [Baladi
      * Damascus]) were evaluated by ultrasonography to monitor EFL during different
      stages of gestation (D20-23, D26-29, D33-36, D40-45, and D47-54 after breeding).
      Blood samples were collected at D7, D20, and at each ultrasonographic scanning to
      clarify changes of serum P4 levels concurrently with EFL. Results revealed that
      45 of 109 goats (41.28%) were exposed to EFL. A higher EFL % was observed between
      D20 to 23 and D47 to 54 (19.61%) compared with D47 to 54 to birth (11.76%).
      Moreover, a higher EFL % was observed in Zaraiebi goats compared with others. Age
      and goat parity had no significant effect on the EFL % in all goats. A high EFL %
      were observed in goats synchronized by P4 sponge, as well as artificially
      inseminated goats compared with goats with spontaneous estrus, and bred by
      natural mating, respectively. Serum P4 at D7 or D20 after breeding showed
      nonsignificant difference between normal pregnant goats and goats that
      experienced EFL. Unlike goats that experienced partial EFL, goats that
      experienced total EFL between D20 to 23 and D26 to 29 showed an abrupt P4
      reduction (85.06%; P < 0.01) suggesting the probability of endocrine disruption
      of the CL. However, goats that were exposed to total EFL between D26 and 29 to
      D33 to 36 showed a low P4 reduction (24.90%; P < 0.05), which might be considered
      as an effect rather than a cause of EFL. In conclusion, different factors such as
      breed, estrous synchronization, breeding, and stage of pregnancy may be involved
      in EFL in goats. Therefore, improvement of the goat management in the early stage
      of pregnancy is important to decrease EFL % in goats. Although the P4 did not
      show any significant difference between normal pregnancy goats and goats that
      experienced EFL, CL disruption should be taken into the consideration, at least,
      in goats exposed to total embryonic losses. 

PMID- 26489908
TI  - Effect of leptin on in vitro development of ovine preantral ovarian follicles.
AB  - The influence of human or ovine leptin on in vitro culture of preantral follicles
      (PFs) isolated from sheep ovaries was investigated. Among the 12 different
      concentrations (0-1000 ng/mL) of human leptin tested, proportion of PFs
      exhibiting growth, mean increase in diameter, antrum formation, and maturation of
      the oocytes to MII stage were the best in 10 ng/mL. Culture of sheep ovarian PFs
      in TCM 199 supplemented with 10 ng/mL of human or ovine leptin FSH (2.5 MUg/mL),
      thyroxine (1 MUg/mL), insulinlike growth factor I (10 ng/mL), and GH (1 mIU/mL)
      resulted in significantly (P <= 0.05) greater average increase in diameter (11
      and 9 vs. 6 MUm), better proportions of PFs exhibiting growth (66% and 58% vs.
      48%), antrum formation (51% and 51% vs. 34%), and maturation of oocytes to MII
      stage (24% and 22% vs. 7%) than the control medium. It is concluded that (1) the
      optimum dose of leptin for the growth of sheep PFs in vitro was 10 ng/mL, (2)
      human or ovine leptin supported similar development in vitro of PFs in sheep, (3)
      inclusion of leptin along with FSH, thyroxine, insulinlike growth factor I, and
      GH resulted in only a marginal further improvements in in vitro development of
      sheep PFs'. 

PMID- 26489909
TI  - Reversible estrous cycle suppression in prepubertal female rabbits treated with
      slow-release deslorelin implants.
AB  - The aim of this study was to examine the long-term effect of a 4.7-mg deslorelin
      GnRH analog implant on ovarian function in the prepubertal female rabbit. Seven
      female rabbits (group 1) were treated with the implant at the age of 60 days. The
      implant was inserted subcutaneously in the umbilical region. Two animals (group
      2) were not treated and served as a control group. The vulva of all 9 animals was
      examined for the presence of typical cyclical changes, additionally the
      occurrence of mounting behavior was recorded. Ovarian function was checked by
      administration of a short-acting GnRH agonist to induce ovulation and
      pseudopregnancy (0.8 MUg of buserelin per animal intramuscularly). Ten days after
      each treatment with buserelin, blood was collected for progesterone measurement
      to confirm pseudopregnancy. After implant insertion, the first blood collection
      (Day 10) was done without preceding induction of ovulation to screen for implant
      induced ovulation and pseudopregnancy. The implant was in situ for 273 days, and
      during this time span, 12 attempts of induction of ovulation were carried out in
      intervals of 21 days, beginning at the age of 81 days. Afterward, it was removed
      under local anesthesia and 3 further inductions of ovulation by the same scheme
      were conducted. The insertion of the implant led to the establishment of a
      pseudopregnancy in 2 of 7 animals; the remaining 5 animals did not show elevated
      progesterone values. Attempts to induce ovulation by administration of the short
      acting GnRH analog while the slow-release GnRH analog implant was in place were
      not successful in treated animals, and progesterone concentrations were basal.
      The effect was reversible as ovulation could be induced in 2 subsequent cycles in
      all animals by the third induction of ovulation after implant removal. Induction
      of ovulation in control animals at the age of 110 and 131 days resulted in
      elevated progesterone levels after 10 days. No adverse side effects could be
      observed in implant-treated animals. The typical red coloration of the vulva
      could be seen in group 2 and after implant removal in group 1. The results
      suggest that in 5 of 7 rabbits, puberty was delayed by the treatment with the 4.7
      mg deslorelin slow-release analog until the implant had been removed. In the
      other animals, the treatment induced an initial flare-up phenomenon. Afterward,
      the treatment could reversibly suppress ovarian function in all 7 treated
      animals. 

PMID- 26489910
TI  - Association between antral follicle count and reproductive measures in New
      Zealand lactating dairy cows maintained in a pasture-based production system.
AB  - The antral follicle count (AFC) in cattle is consistent throughout the estrous
      cycle of individual cows, and cows with a lower AFC have lower fertility. We
      assessed the AFC at random stages of the estrous cycle, examined the correlation
      between AFC classifications, and determined the relationship between the most
      rapid and practical laboratory-based AFC classification (AFC of follicles of >= 2
      mm in diameter) and fertility measures in New Zealand lactating dairy cows. Cows
      detected in estrus (n = 202) or not (n = 239) during the first 4 weeks of the
      breeding season were subjected to ultrasonography and classified as having a
      high, medium, or low AFC at the time of scanning (on-site classification). Images
      from ultrasound scanning were recorded onto video for accurate follicle counting
      in an imaging laboratory. A strong association (P < 0.05) between the AFC of
      follicles with a diameter of 2 mm or greater and fertility was observed. Cows
      with a high AFC had a shorter (P < 0.05) interval from calving to conception by
      artificial insemination (AI; 82.4 +/- 1.6 vs. 87.3 +/- 1.2 days) and greater
      pregnancy rates (PRs; i.e., PR to the first AI [68.1% vs. 45.3%], 6-week PR
      [81.9% vs. 67.3%], and overall PR [91.3% vs. 79.7%]) than cows with a low AFC.
      The AFC was positively associated (P < 0.0001) with age. Progesterone
      concentrations during diestrus were greater (P < 0.05) in high-AFC cows (7.6 +/-
      0.3 ng/mL) than in low-AFC cows (6.5 +/- 0.3 ng/mL), whether these were pregnant
      (7.7 +/- 0.3 ng/mL) or not (6.3 +/- 0.2 ng/mL). A rapid on-site scoring system
      determined that cows classified as having a high AFC had a shorter (P < 0.05)
      interval from calving to the first AI (76.5 +/- 1.7 vs. 82.3 +/- 1.9 days) and
      were more likely to show estrus (P < 0.01; 56.8% vs. 36.4%) and have a CL at the
      beginning of the breeding season (P < 0.01; 93.4% vs. 79.6%) than cows with a low
      on-site AFC. Collectively, we have confirmed an association between AFC2 and
      fertility, and these results support the hypothesis that cows with a greater
      number of antral follicles are more fertile than cows with a lesser number of
      follicles. Although the on-site classification was related to resumption of
      estrous cycles after calving, associations with other fertility measurements
      could not be observed, highlighting a need for further refinement of the on-site
      classification system for rapid phenotyping of the AFC.

PMID- 26489911
TI  - Supporting the mental health of trafficked people.

PMID- 26489912
TI  - Characteristics of trafficked adults and children with severe mental illness: a
      historical cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence regarding the mental health needs of trafficked people is
      limited; however, prevalence of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder is
      high among trafficked people who are in contact with shelter services. We aimed
      to investigate the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of trafficked
      people with severe mental illness. METHODS: We did a historical cohort study of
      trafficked people in contact with secondary mental health services in South
      London, UK, between Jan 1, 2006, and July 31, 2012. We searched and retrieved
      comprehensive clinical electronic health records for over 200 000 patients from
      the Case Register Interactive Search database to identify trafficked patients. A
      matched cohort of non-trafficked adults was generated by simple computer
      generated random selection of potential controls for each case within the
      parameters of matching criteria. We extracted data on sociodemographic and
      clinical characteristics and abuse history, and used multiple imputation to deal
      with missing data. We fitted logistic regression models to compare trafficked and
      non-trafficked patients. FINDINGS: We identified 133 trafficked patients,
      including 37 children. 78 (81%) of 96 adults and 25 (68%) of 37 children were
      female. 19 (51%) of 37 children were trafficked for sexual exploitation. Among
      both adults and children, the most commonly recorded diagnoses were post
      traumatic stress disorder, severe stress, or adjustment disorder (27 adults [28%]
      and ten children [27%]) and affective disorders (33 adults [34%] and ten children
      [27%]). Records documented childhood physical or sexual abuse among trafficked
      adults (41 [43%]) and children (28 [76%]), and adulthood abuse among trafficked
      adults (58 [60%]). Trafficked adults were more likely to be compulsorily admitted
      as a psychiatric inpatient than non-trafficked adults (adjusted odds ratio 7.61,
      95% CI 2.18-26.60; p=0.002) and had longer admissions (1.48, 1.01-2.15; p=0.045).
      No association was found between trafficking status and either adverse pathway
      into care (adjusted odds ratio 0.91, 95% CI 0.40-2.05; p=0.82) or substance
      misuse problems (0.55, 0.27-1.17; p=0.12). INTERPRETATION: Severe mental illness
      in trafficked people is associated with longer admissions and high levels of
      abuse before and after trafficking. Evidence is needed on the effectiveness of
      interventions to promote recovery for this vulnerable group. FUNDING: Department
      of Health Policy Research Programme.

PMID- 26489913
TI  - Role of self-assembly coated Er(3+): YAlO3/TiO2 in intimate coupling of visible
      light-responsive photocatalysis and biodegradation reactions.
AB  - Conventionally used ultraviolet light can result in dissolved organic carbon
      (DOC) increasing and biofilm damage in intimate coupling of photocatalysis and
      biodegradation (ICPB). Visible-light-responsive photocatalysis offers an
      alternative for achieving ICPB. In this study, composite-cubes were developed
      using self-assembly to coat a thin and even layer of visible-light-responsive
      photocatalyst (Er(3+): YAlO3/TiO2) on sponge-type carriers, followed by biofilm
      cultivation. The degradations of phenol (50 mg L(-1)) were compared for four
      protocols in circulating beds: adsorption (AD), visible-light-responsive
      photocatalysis (VPC), biodegradation (B), and intimately coupled visible-light
      responsive photocatalysis and biodegradation (VPCB). The phenol and DOC removal
      efficiencies using VPCB in 16 h were 99.8% and 65.2%, respectively, i.e., higher
      than those achieved using VPC (71.6% and 50.0%) or B (99.4% and 58.2%). The
      phenol removal of 96.3% could be obtained even after 3 additional cycles. The
      6.17-min intermediate detected by HPLC, continuously accumulated for VPC,
      appeared at 1-6 h and then was completely removed for VPCB in 10 h. ICPB was
      further illustrated in that most of the biofilm was protected in the carrier
      interiors, with less protection on the carrier exterior in VPCB. A self
      regulation mechanism that helped photocatalyst exposure to visible-light
      irradiation was identified, promoting the combined photocatalysis and
      biodegradation.

PMID- 26489914
TI  - VOCs elimination and health risk reduction in e-waste dismantling workshop using
      integrated techniques of electrostatic precipitation with advanced oxidation
      technologies.
AB  - Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted during the electronic waste dismantling
      process (EWDP) were treated at a pilot scale, using integrated electrostatic
      precipitation (EP)-advanced oxidation technologies (AOTs, subsequent
      photocatalysis (PC) and ozonation). Although no obvious alteration was seen in
      VOC concentration and composition, EP technology removed 47.2% of total suspended
      particles, greatly reducing the negative effect of particles on subsequent AOTs.
      After the AOT treatment, average removal efficiencies of 95.7%, 95.4%, 87.4%, and
      97.5% were achieved for aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons,
      halogenated hydrocarbons, as well as nitrogen- and oxygen-containing compounds,
      respectively, over 60-day treatment period. Furthermore, high elimination
      capacities were also seen using hybrid technique of PC with ozonation; this was
      due to the PC unit's high loading rates and excellent pre-treatment abilities,
      and the ozonation unit's high elimination capacity. In addition, the non-cancer
      and cancer risks, as well as the occupational exposure cancer risk, for workers
      exposed to emitted VOCs in workshop were reduced dramatically after the
      integrated technique treatment. Results demonstrated that the integrated
      technique led to highly efficient and stable VOC removal from EWDP emissions at a
      pilot scale. This study points to an efficient approach for atmospheric
      purification and improving human health in e-waste recycling regions. 

PMID- 26489915
TI  - Role of ingestion route in the perfluoroalkyl substance bioaccumulation by
      Chironomus plumosus larvae in sediments amended with carbonaceous materials.
AB  - The role of ingestion route in the bioaccumulation of six types of perfluoroalkyl
      substances (PFASs) by Chironomus plumosus larvae in sediments amended with four
      types of carbonaceous materials (CMs) was studied. The results showed that the
      body burden of PFASs decreased in the presence of CMs at mass ratios of 0.2-2%,
      regardless of ingestion. PFASs accumulated by the larvae with ingestion exposure
      were higher than those without ingestion, and the role of ingestion route was
      altered in the presence of CMs. The contribution of ingestion route to PFAS
      bioaccumulation was 2.7-31.6% without CMs, and it increased to more than 61.4% in
      the presence of fullerene at mass ratios of 0.2-2%. The enhancement of the
      ingestion route contribution caused by CMs is due to the fact that the CMs can be
      ingested and CM-associated PFASs can be partly desorbed in larvae. The maximum
      desorption efficiency of perfluorooctanoic acid was 20.8% from fullerene by the
      larval digestive juice. This study suggests that CM-associated PFASs could be
      accumulated partly by organisms, and the ecological risk of PFASs might increase
      in some cases with the presence of CMs. This should be considered when applying
      CMs in PFAS and other hydrophobic organic compound pollution remediation. 

PMID- 26489916
TI  - Leaching modelling of slurry-phase carbonated steel slag.
AB  - In the present work the influence of accelerated mineral carbonation on the
      leaching behaviour of basic oxygen furnace steel slag was investigated. The
      environmental behaviour of the material as evaluated through the release of major
      elements and toxic metals under varying pH conditions was the main focus of the
      study. Geochemical modelling of the eluates was used to derive a theoretical
      description of the underlying leaching phenomena for the carbonated material as
      compared to the original slag. Among the investigated elements, Ca and Si were
      most appreciably affected by carbonation. A very clear effect of carbonation on
      leaching was observed for silicate phases, and lower-Ca/Si-ratio minerals were
      found to control leaching in carbonated slag eluates as compared to the
      corresponding untreated slag sample as a result of Ca depletion from the residual
      slag particles. Clear evidence was also gained of solubility control for Ca, Mg
      and Mn by a number of carbonate minerals, indicating a significant involvement of
      the original slag constituents in the carbonation process. The release of toxic
      metals (Zn, V, Cr, Mo) was found to be variously affected by carbonation, owing
      to different mechanisms including pH changes, dissolution/precipitation of
      carbonates as well as sorption onto reactive mineral surfaces. The leaching test
      results were used to derive further considerations on the expected metal release
      levels on the basis of specific assumptions on the relevant pH domains for the
      untreated and carbonated slag. 

PMID- 26489917
TI  - Biodegradation of 4-nitroaniline by plant-growth promoting Acinetobacter sp.
      AVLB2 and toxicological analysis of its biodegradation metabolites.
AB  - 4-nitroaniline (4-NA) is one of the major priority pollutants generated from
      industrial productions and pesticide transformation; however very limited
      biodegradation details have been reported. This work is the first to report 4-NA
      biodegradation kinetics and toxicity reduction using a newly isolated plant
      growth promoting bacterium, Acinetobacter sp. AVLB2. The 4-NA-dependent growth
      kinetics parameters: MUmax, Ks and Ki, were determined to be 0.039 h(-1), 6.623
      mg L(-1) and 25.57 mg L(-1), respectively using Haldane inhibition model, while
      the maximum biodegradation rate (Vmax) of 4-NA was at 0.541 mg L(-1) h(-1) and
      0.551 mg L(-1) h(-1), following Michaelis-Menten and Hanes-Woolf models,
      respectively. Biodegradation pathway of 4-NA by Acinetobacter sp. AVLB2 was
      proposed, and successfully led to the reduction of 4-NA toxicity according to the
      following toxicity assessments: microbial toxicity using Escherichia coli
      DH5alpha, phytotoxicity with Vigna radiata and Crotalaria juncea, and
      cytogenotoxicity with Allium cepa root-tip cells. In addition, Acinetobacter sp.
      AVLB2 possess important plant-growth promoting traits, both in the presence and
      absence of 4-NA. This study has provided a new insight into 4-NA biodegradation
      ability and concurrent plant-growth promoting activities of Acinetobacter sp.
      AVLB2, which may indicate its potential role for rhizoremediation, while
      sustaining crop production even under 4-NA stressed environment.

PMID- 26489918
TI  - An eHealth Application in Head and Neck Cancer Survivorship Care: Health Care
      Professionals' Perspectives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although many cancer survivors could benefit from supportive care,
      they often do not utilize such services. Previous studies have shown that patient
      reported outcomes (PROs) could be a solution to meet cancer survivors' needs, for
      example through an eHealth application that monitors quality of life and provides
      personalized advice and supportive care options. In order to develop an effective
      application that can successfully be implemented in current health care, it is
      important to include health care professionals in the development process.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate health care professionals'
      perspectives toward follow-up care and an eHealth application, OncoKompas, in
      follow-up cancer care that monitors quality of life via PROs, followed by
      automatically generated tailored feedback and personalized advice on supportive
      care. METHODS: Health care professionals involved in head and neck cancer care
      (N=11) were interviewed on current follow-up care and the anticipated value of
      the proposed eHealth application (Step 1). A prototype of the eHealth
      application, OncoKompas, was developed (Step 2). Cognitive walkthroughs were
      conducted among health care professionals (N=21) to investigate perceived
      usability (Step 3). Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed
      by 2 coders. RESULTS: Health care professionals indicated several barriers in
      current follow-up care including difficulties in detecting symptoms, patients'
      perceived need for supportive care, and a lack of time to encourage survivors to
      obtain supportive care. Health care professionals expected the eHealth
      application to be of added value. The cognitive walkthroughs demonstrated that
      health care professionals emphasized the importance of tailoring care. They
      considered the navigation structure of OncoKompas to be complex. Health care
      professionals differed in their opinion toward the best strategy to implement the
      application in clinical practice but indicated that it should be incorporated in
      the HNC cancer care pathway to ensure all survivors would benefit. CONCLUSIONS:
      Health care professionals experienced several barriers in directing patients to
      supportive care. They were positive toward the development and implementation of
      an eHealth application and expected it could support survivors in obtaining
      supportive care tailored to their needs. The cognitive walkthroughs revealed
      several points for optimizing the application prototype and developing an
      efficient implementation strategy. Including health care professionals in an
      early phase of a participatory design approach is valuable in developing an
      eHealth application and an implementation strategy meeting stakeholders' needs.

PMID- 26489919
TI  - Uncertainties of deformable image registration for dose accumulation of high-dose
      regions in bladder and rectum in locally advanced cervical cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the dose accumulation for bladder and rectum by deformable
      image registration (DIR) and direct addition (DA) of dose volume histogram
      parameters in magnetic resonance image-guided adaptive brachytherapy (IGABT). Two
      DIR algorithms, contour- and intensity-based, also have been analyzed. METHODS
      AND MATERIALS: Patients (n = 21) treated with IGABT for carcinoma cervix under
      the IntErnational study on MRI-guided BRachytherapy in locally Advanced CErvical
      cancer protocol were analyzed. Each patient underwent two HDR-BT applications, 1
      week apart with two fractions of 7 Gy each delivered per application. For each
      application, magnetic resonance imaging, volume delineation, reconstruction,
      treatment planning (BT1 and BT2), and dose evaluation were carried out. BT1 and
      BT2 images were registered using an intensity-based DIR, followed by deformable
      dose accumulation (DDA), which was then compared with DA. To compare the
      intensity-based DIR to other DIR approaches, nine patients were further evaluated
      using an in-house contour-based DIR algorithm for bladder dose accumulation.
      RESULTS: Mean (+/-standard deviation; range) percentage variation between DA and
      DDA was found to be 2.4% (+/-3.3;-1.8, 11.5) and 5.2% (+/-5.1;-1.7, 16.5) for the
      rectum and bladder, respectively. The differences between the DA and DDA were
      found to be statistically significant for both rectum (p = 0.008) and bladder (p
      = 0.0003). Intensity-based DIR algorithm resulted in a larger mean deviation
      between DDA and DA as compared with contour-based DIR, although statistically
      insignificant (p = 0.32). The difference between DDA and DA was 2.4 +/- 2.0% and
      1.3 +/- 1.2%, for intensity- and contour-based DIR, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: DA
      of dose volume histogram parameters provides a good estimate to the dose to the
      organs at risk; DIR based on image intensities may lead to systematic
      underestimation of dose due to implausible DIR.

PMID- 26489920
TI  - Prostate-specific antigen bounce after curative brachytherapy for early-stage
      prostate cancer: A study of 274 African-Caribbean patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer incidence in the African-Caribbean population ranks
      among the highest worldwide. We aim to evaluate the prostate-specific antigen
      (PSA) kinetics after brachytherapy, which so far remains unknown in this
      population. METHODS AND MATERIALS: From 2005 to 2013, 371 patients received
      (125)I brachytherapy of 145 Gy for early-stage prostate cancer. Eligibility
      criteria were cTNM <=T2c, Gleason score <=7, and initial PSA <=15 ng/mL.
      Pretreatment androgen deprivation therapy was allowed. PSA bounce was defined as
      an increase of >=0.4 ng/mL, lasting >=6 months, followed by a decrease without
      any anticancer therapy. We examined PSA kinetics during followup. RESULTS: For
      the 274 patients with at least 24 months followup, median age was 62 years old
      (range, 45-76). Initial PSA was <10 ng/mL in 244 and 10-15 ng/mL in 30 patients;
      40 received androgen deprivation therapy. With a median followup of 50 months
      (range, 24-125), PSA declined continuously in 168 (61%) patients, bounced in 87
      (31%), and initially declined and then rose in 22 (8%) patients. Among these
      latter patients, 18 presented clinical recurrence. Mean bounce intensity was 2.0
      ng/mL (median, 1.2; range, 0.4-12.4). Bounces occurred in average 12 months after
      brachytherapy. Patients with bounce were significantly younger: mean age 59 vs.
      63 years old in patients without bounce, p <0.001. Bounce was also significantly
      associated with the immediate post-brachytherapy PSA, mean 4.0 among bounce cases
      vs. 2.9 among non-bounce cases, p < 0.001. Bounce was not associated with
      recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: PSA bounce in our African-Caribbean population seemed
      earlier and was more intense than described in other populations. Early increase
      of PSA should not be ascribed to treatment failure.

PMID- 26489921
TI  - Significant association of brachytherapy boost with reduced prostate cancer
      specific mortality in contemporary patients with localized, unfavorable-risk
      prostate cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: A randomized trial recently found that adding brachytherapy (BT) boost
      to external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) improves biochemical recurrence-free
      survival but not prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM). We investigated the
      relationship between BT boost and PCSM in a modern cohort from a large population
      based database. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We conducted an analysis of patients in
      Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results diagnosed with intermediate- or high
      risk prostate cancer in 2004-2011, treated with EBRT only or EBRT + BT. The
      cumulative incidence of PCSM was evaluated in the presence of other-cause
      mortality as a competing risk. Propensity score matching and multivariable Fine
      and Gray proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the association of
      combined modality RT on PCSM. RESULTS: A total of 52,535 patients were
      identified, of which 19.6% were treated with EBRT + BT. One-third of cases were
      high-risk. On multivariable analysis, the adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) of PCSM for
      EBRT + BT vs. EBRT alone was 0.69 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55-0.87, p =
      0.002), and the adjusted incidence of PCSM was 1.8% vs. 2.7% at 8 years,
      respectively. In subgroup analyses, the AHR for PCSM was also significantly
      reduced with EBRT + BT for high-risk disease (AHR 0.70; 95% CI, 0.52-0.94, p =
      0.02; adjusted incidence of PCSM at 8 years, 5.4% vs. 7.6%), but not for
      intermediate-risk disease. CONCLUSIONS: BT boost was associated with a moderate
      reduction to PCSM in men with localized unfavorable-risk prostate cancer. Those
      most likely to benefit are younger patients with high-risk disease.

PMID- 26489922
TI  - Hypofractionated high-dose-rate plesiotherapy in nonmelanoma skin cancer
      treatment.
AB  - PURPOSE: Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the commonest cancer in humans. NMSC
      treatment currently includes surgery, radiation therapy, and topical approaches.
      The objective was to analyze and compare the outcomes, toxicity, and cosmesis of
      NMSC treated by two hypofractionated high-dose-rate (HDR) plesiotherapy
      techniques. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A retrospective institutional clinical study
      of 134 basal cell or squamous cell skin carcinomas treated at Radiation Oncology
      Department. Lesions were treated from November 2006 to December 2011 with a
      moderate hypofractionated HDR plesiotherapy using a fixed applicator or a
      customized mold. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 33 months, overall disease
      free survival at 3 and 5 years was 95.12% and 93.36%, respectively. For Leipzig
      applicator, disease-free survival at 3 years was 94.9% and 94.9% at 5 years, for
      customized mold was 93.1% at 3 years and 88% at 5 years. Complete regression was
      achieved in 98% of lesions. Two lesions persisted after treatment; both had been
      treated by a Leipzig applicator. Six lesions suffered local recurrence (five
      Leipzig applicators and three molds, p = 0.404). Grade <2 acute toxicity noted in
      57.3% of patients. Only 2.2% of lesions had Grade 4 acute toxicity. Borderline
      significant increase of toxicity was associated with customized molds (p =
      0.067). Larger tumors were associated with higher acute skin toxicity. The
      cosmesis outcomes were excellent or good in 82% of patients, fair in 13%, and not
      available in 5%. CONCLUSIONS: Hypofractionated HDR plesiotherapy is an effective
      and well-tolerated treatment for NMSC with different toxicity levels depending on
      the plesiotherapy technique used.

PMID- 26489923
TI  - Treatment outcomes with permanent brachytherapy in high-risk prostate cancer
      patients stratified into prognostic categories.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whether a previously reported substratification system can
      be extrapolated to patients with high-risk prostate cancer treated with permanent
      interstitial brachytherapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Four hundred six National
      Comprehensive Cancer Network patients with high-risk prostate cancer treated with
      permanent prostate brachytherapy with or without supplemental external beam
      radiotherapy were stratified into good (prostate-specific antigen >20 or Gleason
      score >=8 or >=T3), intermediate (prostate-specific antigen >20 and >=T3), and
      poor (Gleason score >=8 with >=1 additional high-risk feature) prognostic
      cohorts. Because of only 1 patient with intermediate high-risk disease, the
      analysis was performed on patients in the good and poor cohorts. Biochemical
      failure (BF), prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM), distant metastasis, and
      overall mortality were assessed as function of prognostic group. Multiple
      parameters were evaluated for impact on outcome. RESULTS: With a median followup
      time of 7.9 years, 10- and 14-year rates of BF and PCSM for the entire cohort
      were 7.8% and 3.7%, respectively. The BF rate was significantly greater in the
      poor prognostic category (16.8% vs. 7.8%, p = 0.041). The poor prognostic
      category was the strongest predictor of BF in univariate and multivariate
      analyses. No statistically significant differences in PCSM, distant metastasis,
      or overall mortality were identified between the good and poor prognostic
      categories. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with high-risk prostate cancer treated with a
      brachytherapy approach have excellent long-term biochemical control and cancer
      specific survival. The poor prognostic high-risk category had a higher rate of BF
      compared with the good prognostic category without a higher rate of PCSM or
      distant metastasis.

PMID- 26489924
TI  - Health workforce governance: Processes, tools and actors towards a competent
      workforce for integrated health services delivery.
AB  - A competent health workforce is a vital resource for health services delivery,
      dictating the extent to which services are capable of responding to health needs.
      In the context of the changing health landscape, an integrated approach to
      service provision has taken precedence. For this, strengthening health workforce
      competencies is an imperative, and doing so in practice hinges on the oversight
      and steering function of governance. To aid health system stewards in their
      governing role, this review seeks to provide an overview of processes, tools and
      actors for strengthening health workforce competencies. It draws from a purposive
      and multidisciplinary review of literature, expert opinion and country
      initiatives across the WHO European Region's 53 Member States. Through our
      analysis, we observe distinct yet complementary roles can be differentiated
      between health services delivery and the health system. This understanding is a
      necessary prerequisite to gain deeper insight into the specificities for
      strengthening health workforce competencies in order for governance to rightly
      create the institutional environment called for to foster alignment.
      Differentiating between the contribution of health services and the health system
      in the strengthening of health workforce competencies is an important distinction
      for achieving and sustaining health improvement goals. 

PMID- 26489926
TI  - General and abdominal adiposity in a representative sample of Portuguese adults:
      dependency of measures and socio-demographic factors' influence.
AB  - The aims of this study were: (i) to estimate the dependency between BMI and
      waist:height ratio (WHtR) as measures of general and abdominal adiposity, and
      (ii) to evaluate the influence of socio-demographic factors on both measures and
      on their dependency in risk classification. Data from a cross-sectional study
      conducted in 2009 among a representative sample of 3529 Portuguese adults were
      used. Height, weight and waist were measured and socio-demographic data (sex,
      age, education level, occupational status, marital status, region of residence)
      were obtained. Using logistic regression, crude and adjusted OR for high general
      (BMI>=25.0 kg/m2) and abdominal (WHtR>=0.5) adiposity, and for incompatible
      classification between them, were calculated. Above half (50.8%) of the
      respondents had high BMI and 42.1% had high WHtR, and the rates were higher in
      men than in women. There was an inverse association between education level and
      both adiposity measures. The lowest prevalence of high general and abdominal
      adiposity was observed in students and singles, whereas the highest was found in
      retired, widowed and respondents from Azores, Madeira and Alentejo. Nearly a
      quarter of respondents (24.0%) were incompatibly classified by BMI and WHtR, with
      higher prevalence in men than in women and in low- than in high-educated people.
      Future surveys should focus on developing at least sex-specific cut-offs for both
      measures. Implementation of effective strategies for preventing and reducing high
      adiposity levels in Portugal should be directed primarily to men, older, low
      educated individuals, as well as those living in the islands and poor regions of
      the country.

PMID- 26489925
TI  - Circulating Growth Differentiation Factor 11/8 Levels Decline With Age.
AB  - RATIONALE: Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) and GDF8 are members of the
      transforming growth factor-beta superfamily sharing 89% protein sequence
      homology. We have previously shown that circulating GDF11 levels decrease with
      age in mice. However, a recent study by Egerman et al reported that GDF11/8
      levels increase with age in mouse serum. OBJECTIVE: Here, we clarify the
      direction of change of circulating GDF11/8 levels with age and investigate the
      effects of GDF11 administration on the murine heart. METHODS AND RESULTS: We
      validated our previous finding that circulating levels of GDF11/8 decline with
      age in mice, rats, horses, and sheep. Furthermore, we showed by Western analysis
      that the apparent age-dependent increase in GDF11 levels, as reported by Egerman
      et al, is attributable to cross-reactivity of the anti-GDF11 antibody with
      immunoglobulin, which is known to increase with age. GDF11 administration in mice
      rapidly activated SMAD2 and SMAD3 signaling in myocardium in vivo and decreased
      cardiac mass in both young (2-month-old) and old (22-month-old) mice in a dose
      dependent manner after only 9 days. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms an age
      dependent decline in serum GDF11/8 levels in multiple mammalian species and that
      exogenous GDF11 rapidly activates SMAD signaling and reduces cardiomyocyte size.
      Unraveling the molecular basis for the age-dependent decline in GDF11/8 could
      yield insight into age-dependent cardiac pathologies.

PMID- 26489927
TI  - Migrant crisis in Europe: implications for intensive care specialists.

PMID- 26489928
TI  - Negative randomized clinical trials (RCTs): further insight from the
      biostatistician's point of view.

PMID- 26489929
TI  - Whole exome sequencing identifies a heterozygous missense variant in the PRDM5
      gene in a family with Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome.
AB  - Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome (ARS) is a disorder affecting the anterior segment of
      the eye, often leading to secondary glaucoma and several systemic malformations.
      It is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion that has been associated with
      genetic defects in PITX2 and FOXC1. Known genes CYP1b1, PITX2, and FOXC1 were
      excluded by Sanger sequencing. The purpose of current study is to identify the
      underlying genetic causes in ARS family by whole exome sequencing (WES). WES was
      performed for affected proband of family, and variants were prioritized based on
      in silico analyses. Segregation analysis of candidate variants was performed in
      family members. A novel heterozygous PRDM5 missense variant (c.877A>G;
      p.Lys293Glu) was found to segregate with the disease in an autosomal dominant
      fashion. The novel missense variant was absent from population-matched controls,
      the Exome Variant Server, and an in-house exome variant database. The Lys293Glu
      variant is predicted to be pathogenic and affects a lysine residue that is
      conserved in different species. Variants in the PRDM5 gene were previously
      identified in anterior segment defects, i.e., autosomal recessive brittle cornea
      syndrome and keratoconus. The results of this study suggest that genetic variants
      in PRDM5 can lead to various syndromic and nonsyndromic disorders affecting the
      anterior segment of the eye. 

PMID- 26489931
TI  - Does the informal caregiver notice HIV associated mild cognitive impairment in
      people living with HIV?
AB  - HIV associated minor neurocognitive disorder (MND) may be difficult to identify
      as key signs and symptoms (S & S) may be due to other clinical conditions. Using
      a self-assessment booklet "HIV and associated MND" we recruited 123 people living
      with HIV (PLHIV) from three sites: two hospital HIV clinics and a sexual health
      clinic in Sydney, Australia. Patients may down play S & S. Caregivers may notice
      subtle changes. By including caregivers, we aimed to find whether the caregivers
      noticed S & S undetected by the PLHIV. This is a sub-study of a prospective
      observational multi-site study aimed to validate the usefulness of a patient self
      assessment tool (HIV-associated MND booklet). Using the booklet, participants and
      their caregivers subsequently identified S & S of MND. Sixty-four per cent (79)
      did not nominate a caregiver to be contacted. Participants from 2 sites 44 (36%)
      nominated caregivers to be contacted. Twenty-five caregivers identified more than
      four S & S of MND. S & S reported most by caregivers related to participants
      being more tired at the end of the day (76%). Participants agreed (77%).
      Participants also reported that they found it more difficult to remember things
      such as taking medications or attending medical appointments (67%). The most
      agreed on symptom was the requirement for increased concentration to get the same
      things done (Kappa P 0.599 <0.001 and McNemar 0.289). For each question at least
      one caregiver identified a symptom when the PLHIV did not. Caregivers were more
      likely than participants to report irritability and communication difficulties.
      It is important to include caregivers when investigating PLHIV for MND, as
      caregivers may validate the experience of the patient, and may also be uniquely
      placed to identify S & S not otherwise identified. 

PMID- 26489930
TI  - Pangenome analysis of Bifidobacterium longum and site-directed mutagenesis
      through by-pass of restriction-modification systems.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bifidobacterial genome analysis has provided insights as to how these
      gut commensals adapt to and persist in the human GIT, while also revealing
      genetic diversity among members of a given bifidobacterial (sub)species.
      Bifidobacteria are notoriously recalcitrant to genetic modification, which
      prevents exploration of their genomic functions, including those that convey
      (human) health benefits. METHODS: PacBio SMRT sequencing was used to determine
      the whole genome seqeunces of two B. longum subsp. longum strains. The B. longum
      pan-genome was computed using PGAP v1.2 and the core B. longum phylogenetic tree
      was constructed using a maximum-likelihood based approach in PhyML v3.0.
      M.blmNCII was cloned in E. coli and an internal fragment if arfBarfB was cloned
      into pORI19 for insertion mutagenesis. RESULTS: In this study we present the
      complete genome sequences of two Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum strains.
      Comparative analysis with thirty one publicly available B. longum genomes allowed
      the definition of the B. longum core and dispensable genomes. This analysis also
      highlighted differences in particular metabolic abilities between members of the
      B. longum subspecies infantis, longum and suis. Furthermore, phylogenetic
      analysis of the B. longum core genome indicated the existence of a novel
      subspecies. Methylome data, coupled to the analysis of restriction-modification
      systems, allowed us to substantially increase the genetic accessibility of B.
      longum subsp. longum NCIMB 8809 to a level that was shown to permit site-directed
      mutagenesis. CONCLUSIONS: Comparative genomic analysis of thirty three B. longum
      representatives revealed a closed pan-genome for this bifidobacterial species.
      Phylogenetic analysis of the B. longum core genome also provides evidence for a
      novel fifth B. longum subspecies. Finally, we improved genetic accessibility for
      the strain B. longum subsp. longum NCIMB 8809, which allowed the generation of a
      mutant of this strain.

PMID- 26489932
TI  - Erratum: RTN1 mediates progression of kidney disease by inducing ER stress.

PMID- 26489933
TI  - Short-term forecasting of the prevalence of clinical trachoma: utility of
      including delayed recovery and tests for infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization aims to control blinding trachoma by
      2020. Decisions on whether to start and stop mass treatments and when to declare
      that control has been achieved are currently based on clinical examination data
      generated in population-based surveys. Thresholds are based on the district-level
      prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) in children aged 1-9
      years. Forecasts of which districts may and may not meet TF control goals by the
      2020 target date could affect resource allocation in the next few years. METHODS:
      We constructed a hidden Markov model fit to the prevalence of two clinical signs
      of trachoma and PCR data in 24 communities from the recent PRET-Niger trial. The
      prevalence of TF in children in each community at 36 months was forecast given
      data from earlier time points. Forecasts were scored by the likelihood of the
      observed results. We assessed whether use of TF with additional TI and PCR data
      rather than just the use of TF alone improves forecasts, and separately whether
      incorporating a delay in TF recovery is beneficial. RESULTS: Including TI and PCR
      data did not significantly improve forecasts of TF. Forecasts of TF prevalence at
      36 months by the model with the delay in TF recovery were significantly better
      than forecasts by the model without the delay in TF recovery (p = 0.003). A zero
      inflated truncated normal observation model was better than a truncated normal
      observation model, and better than a sensitivity-specificity observation model.
      CONCLUSION: The results in this study suggest that future studies could consider
      using just TF data for forecasting, and should include a delay in TF recovery.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00792922.

PMID- 26489934
TI  - Archived DNA reveals fisheries and climate induced collapse of a major fishery.
AB  - Fishing and climate change impact the demography of marine fishes, but it is
      generally ignored that many species are made up of genetically distinct locally
      adapted populations that may show idiosyncratic responses to environmental and
      anthropogenic pressures. Here, we track 80 years of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)
      population dynamics in West Greenland using DNA from archived otoliths in
      combination with fish population and niche based modeling. We document how the
      interacting effects of climate change and high fishing pressure lead to dramatic
      spatiotemporal changes in the proportions and abundance of different genetic
      populations, and eventually drove the cod fishery to a collapse in the early
      1970s. Our results highlight the relevance of fisheries management at the level
      of genetic populations under future scenarios of climate change. 

PMID- 26489935
TI  - Monitoring the Competence of a New Keto-tetrahydrocarbazole Based Fluorosensor
      Under Homogeneous, Micro-Heterogeneous and Serum Albumin Environments.
AB  - We present here a detailed photophysical study of a recently synthesised
      fluorophore 8-methyl-8,9-dihydro-5H-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-b]carbazol-6(7H)-one. This
      is a synthetic precursor of bio-active carbazole skeleton Clausenalene.
      Spectroscopic investigation of the fluorophore has been carried out in different
      protic and aprotic solvents, as well as in binary solvent mixtures, using
      absorption, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence techniques. This
      fluorophore is particularly responsive to the hydrogen bonding nature as well as
      polarity of the solvent molecules. When considered in micelles and beta
      cyclodextrin, this behaves as a reporter of its immediate microenvironment.
      Steady state and time resolved fluorometric and circular dichroism techniques
      have been used to explore the binding interaction of the fluorophore with
      transport proteins, bovine serum albumin and human serum albumin. The probable
      binding sites of the fluorophore in the proteinous environments have been
      evaluated from fluorescence resonance energy transfer study. Laser flash
      photolysis experiments also have been performed to observe the triplet excited
      state interaction between the fluorophore and albumin proteins. 

PMID- 26489936
TI  - A case of meningococcal meningitis with multiple cerebellar microbleeds detected
      by susceptibility-weighted imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bacterial meningitis is a fatal infectious disease of the central
      nervous system complicating intravascular involvements. Multiple microbleeds are
      rarely identified as complications because of the limited detection threshold of
      conventional imaging modalities. We report the first case of meningococcal
      meningitis with successful identification of multiple microbleeds in the
      cerebellum by susceptibility-weighted imaging. CASE PRESENTATION: A 19-year-old
      Japanese female was brought to our emergency department because of fever and
      coma. A spinal tap was performed and turbid yellow fluid was collected. A
      diagnosis of bacterial meningitis was established and the patient was admitted to
      an intensive care unit. Dexamethasone and Antibiotics were administered and
      Neisseria meningitides was cultured from the spinal fluid. On day 10,
      postcontrast magnetic resonance imaging identified enhanced subarachnoid space in
      the cerebellum. Susceptibility-weighted imaging showed spotty low-intensity
      signals in the cerebellar tissue, indicating microbleeds. The patient made a full
      recovery from coma and was discharged without neurological sequelae on day 24.
      CONCLUSION: Meningococcal meningitis can cause multiple microbleeds in the
      cerebellum. In this report, we successfully identified microbleeds by
      susceptibility-weighed imaging. Using this imaging modality, further
      investigations will clarify its clinical incidence and significance.

PMID- 26489938
TI  - Multiplex characterization of human pathogens  including species and antibiotic
      resistance gene  identification.
AB  - The efficient medical treatment of infections requires detailed information about
      the pathogens involved and potential antibiotic-resistance mechanisms. The
      dramatically increasing incidence of multidrug-resistant bacteria especially
      highlights the importance of sophisticated diagnostic tests enabling a fast
      patient-customized therapy. However, the current molecular detection methods are
      limited to either the detection of species or only a few antibiotic-resistance
      genes.In this work, we present a human pathogen characterization assay using a
      rRNA gene microarray identifying 75 species comprising bacteria and fungi. A
      statistical classifier was developed to facilitate the automated species
      identification. Additionally, the clinically most important beta-lactamases were
      identified simultaneously in a 100-plex reaction using padlock probes and the
      same microarray. The specificity and sensitivity of the combined assay was
      determined using clinical isolates. The detection limit was 10(5) c.f.u. ml(-1),
      recovering 89 % of the detectable beta-lactamase-encoding genes specifically. The
      total assay time was less than 7 hand the modular character of the antibiotic
      resistance detection allows the easy integration of further genetic targets. In
      summary, we present a fast, highly specific and sensitive multiplex pathogen
      characterization assay.

PMID- 26489937
TI  - Required duration of mass ivermectin treatment for onchocerciasis elimination in
      Africa: a comparative modelling analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) has set ambitious targets for the
      elimination of onchocerciasis by 2020-2025 through mass ivermectin treatment. Two
      different mathematical models have assessed the feasibility of reaching this goal
      for different settings and treatment scenarios, namely the individual-based
      microsimulation model ONCHOSIM and the population-based deterministic model
      EPIONCHO. In this study, we harmonize some crucial assumptions and compare model
      predictions on common outputs. METHODS: Using a range of initial endemicity
      levels and treatment scenarios, we compared the models with respect to the
      following outcomes: 1) model-predicted trends in microfilarial (mf) prevalence
      and mean mf intensity during 25 years of (annual or biannual) mass ivermectin
      treatment; 2) treatment duration needed to bring mf prevalence below a
      provisional operational threshold for treatment interruption (pOTTIS, i.e. 1.4
      %), and 3) treatment duration needed to drive the parasite population to local
      elimination, even in the absence of further interventions. Local elimination was
      judged by stochastic fade-out in ONCHOSIM and by reaching transmission
      breakpoints in EPIONCHO. RESULTS: ONCHOSIM and EPIONCHO both predicted that in
      mesoendemic areas the pOTTIS can be reached with annual treatment, but that this
      strategy may be insufficient in very highly hyperendemic areas or would require
      prolonged continuation of treatment. For the lower endemicity levels explored,
      ONCHOSIM predicted that the time needed to reach the pOTTIS is longer than that
      needed to drive the parasite population to elimination, whereas for the higher
      endemicity levels the opposite was true. In EPIONCHO, the pOTTIS was reached
      consistently sooner than the breakpoint. CONCLUSIONS: The operational thresholds
      proposed by APOC may have to be adjusted to adequately reflect differences in pre
      control endemicities. Further comparative modelling work will be conducted to
      better understand the main causes of differences in model-predicted trends. This
      is a pre-requisite for guiding elimination programmes in Africa and refining
      operational criteria for stopping mass treatment.

PMID- 26489939
TI  - My space, my body, my sexual subjectivity: social media, sexual practice and
      parental control among teenage girls in urban Chiang Mai.
AB  - This ethnographic study conducted among young women aged 18-21 years in Chiang
      Mai, northern Thailand, explored the parental control mechanisms imposed by Thai
      middle-class families on the sexuality of their daughters. It addressed the ways
      in which young women tactically use the social media in order to negotiate the
      sexual controls they encountered in everyday life. Taking the teenage girls'
      point of view, this paper argues that, as active agents, young women achieve a
      certain level of sexual autonomy and construct their own sexual selves in modern
      northern Thai society, despite their parents' attempts to prevent this. The paper
      highlights the ways in which social media are used by Thai girls in order to
      achieve such a goal. Research findings should inform the development of future
      programmes on sexual health promotion, parental skills and sexual communication
      between Thai parents and their children.

PMID- 26489940
TI  - Consideration on the health risk reduction related to attainment of the new
      particulate matter standards in Poland: A top-down policy risk assessment
      approach.
AB  - Policies can influence health of a population in various ways. Numerous
      epidemiological studies supported by toxicological investigations demonstrate a
      positive association between ambient concentrations of airborne particulate
      matter and increased adverse cardio-respiratory events, including morbidity and
      mortality. The aim of this paper was to present the concept of the top-down
      health policy risk assessment approach model developed to estimate the expected
      health risk reduction associated with policy aiming at attaining the new
      particulate matter <= 10 MUm in diameter (PM10) standards in Poland. The top-down
      approach guides the analysis of causal chains from the policy to health outcomes.
      In this case study we tried to estimate the predicted health effects of the
      policy change over the past 20 years. Since Polish annual standard for PM10
      changed from 50 MUg/m3 in 1990 to 40 MUg/m3 in 2010, we calculated the relative
      risk associated with decreasing PM10 in diameter to 10 MUg/m3 in the annual level
      of PM10 for 6 adverse health effects. The relative risk slightly decreased for
      almost all adverse health effects, which means that the relative decrease in the
      incidence of health effects from the baseline incidence should range from about
      0.5-0.6% for heart disease admissions to > 1% for respiratory admissions. The
      obtained results indicate that implementation of the new ambient air standards
      could influence improvement of the health status of Polish population. A top-down
      policy health risk assessment model can be one of the main tools in this process,
      providing harmonized guidance how to seek evidence-based information, which could
      serve policy-makers.

PMID- 26489941
TI  - Factorization methods applied to characterize the sources of volatile organic
      compounds in Montreal, Quebec.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The study objective was to assemble emission characteristics of the
      sources of the ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and to elaborate methods
      of organizing them into the sources' chemical profiles. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The
      UNMIX--sensor modeling method from the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA)-
      was used to process the VOC concentration data acquired over the years 2000-2009
      for 175 VOC species in 4 air quality monitoring stations in Montreal, Quebec.
      RESULTS: The method enabled to assess VOC emissions from the typically
      distributed sources existing in urban environment and VOC occurrences
      characterizing the local, or point-like, sources. The distributed sources were
      inextricably associated with hydrocarbons from exhaust, heavier hydrocarbons from
      contaminated urban soil, fugitive evaporations of gasoline and liquefied
      petroleum gases (LPG), leakage from the industrial and commercial use of
      solvents, and the inert, ozone depleting gases permeating urban atmosphere. The
      sources' profiles were charted involving 60-120 VOC species per source. Spatial
      distribution of the sources was examined. CONCLUSIONS: The UNMIX application and
      the source profiling methods, by building robust chemical profiles of VOC
      sources, provided information that can be used to assign the measured VOC
      emissions to physical sources. This, in turn, provides means of assessing the
      impact of environmental policies, on one hand, and of industrial activities on
      the other hand on VOC air pollution.

PMID- 26489942
TI  - Work environment factors and work sustainability in Norwegian cooks.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cooks have increased morbidity and mortality. A high turnover has
      also been reported. We aimed to elucidate work environment and work
      sustainability in Norwegian cooks. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A questionnaire
      inquiring about working conditions and work participation was sent to 2082 cooks
      who had qualified from 1988 onwards. Of these, 894 responded. Time at work was
      analyzed with Kaplan-Meier plots and possible determinants for quitting work as a
      cook was analyzed with Cox regression. RESULTS: The median time at work was 16.6
      years. There were differences in sustainability between types of kitchens for
      both sexes (p = 0.00). The median time in the profession was 9.2 years for the
      cooks in restaurants, while the cooks in institutions and canteens showed a
      substantially higher sustainability with 75.4% still at work after 10 years, and
      57% still at work after 20 years in the profession. Of those still at work as a
      cook, 91.4% reported a good or very good contentment, and the 67.4% who expected
      to stay in the profession the next 5 years frequently answered that excitement of
      cooking, the social working environment, and the creative features of cooking
      were reasons to continue. Musculoskeletal complaints were the most common health
      related reason for leaving work as a cook, while working hours was the most
      common non-health-related reason. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant differences
      in work sustainability between the cooks in the different types of kitchens. The
      identified determinants for length of time in the occupation can be used for
      preventive purposes.

PMID- 26489943
TI  - Byssinosis and COPD rates among factory workers manufacturing hemp and jute.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Prior studies have been performed on cotton textile plants throughout
      the world. This study was planned to identify the rate of byssinosis and chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in hemp and jute workers and those who
      worked with both of them. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was realized in a
      factory which consecutively processed hemp and jute. The study enrollment
      included 266 people, 164 of whom were active workers and 102 were retired. A
      questionnaire, plain chest X-rays, physical examination and pulmonary function
      tests were performed. Dust levels were measured in various sections of the
      factory during 8 h work shifts. Endotoxin levels of various quality hemp fibers
      and dusts were measured. RESULTS: The rate of byssinosis (28.2%) was higher among
      the workers that who exposed to both jute and hemp dust. The frequency of chronic
      bronchitis in retired workers who previously smoked was higher (20%) as compared
      to currently smoking workers (17%). High dust levels were measured in some parts
      of the factory (mean (M) = 2.69 mg/m3). Working in dense dust areas, active
      smoking, being older than 40 years of age, being an ex-smoker, and working in the
      factory for a period exceeding 15 years were significantly associated with
      bronchitis and emphysema development. High endotoxin levels were determined for
      fine hemp dust (605 EU/mg), coarse hemp dust (336 EU/mg) and poor quality hemp
      fibers (114 EU/mg), whereas in fresh hemp stalks the level of endotoxin was
      determined to be lower (0.27 EU/mg). CONCLUSIONS: Because of high exposures to
      jute and hemp dusts that are associated with high byssinosis rates, personal
      protection and environmental hygiene is crucial to prevention of byssinosis.

PMID- 26489944
TI  - Prevalence of temporomandibular disorders among junior high school students who
      play wind instruments.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether playing wind instruments has adverse
      effects on musculoskeletal functions among junior high school students who play
      in music clubs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 210 junior high school
      students (35 boys, 175 girls) belonging to 1 of 4 different school clubs that
      practiced playing wind instruments more than 6 days/week. The mean age of the
      participants was 14 years. The study was performed using a questionnaire survey
      and an electromyographic examination of jaw and cervical muscle activities during
      playing wind instruments. RESULTS: The prevalence of temporomandibular disorders
      (TMD) among the children playing woodwind (WW) or brass wind (BW) instruments was
      higher than in those playing non-wind (NW) instruments. Long duration of playing
      WW with a reed mouthpiece or BW with a small mouthpiece was suggested to affect
      the incidence of TMD, which was more marked in girls than in boys, irrespective
      of height or weight. Muscle activity in the masseter muscle during playing an
      instrument was significantly higher in the BW with a small mouthpiece group than
      in the NW group (p < 0.05). In cervical muscles, muscle activity of both the
      sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles was higher during playing BW than in
      the case of other instruments, and activity in the sternocleidomastoid muscle was
      significantly higher in the BW with a small mouthpiece group than in the case of
      other instrument groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Playing wind instruments may
      have adverse effects on musculoskeletal functions among junior high school
      students playing in music clubs as compared with playing NW instruments. The
      prevalence of TMD among the students playing wind instruments was higher than in
      those playing other instruments. Long duration of playing those instruments
      affects musculoskeletal function, and this effect is more marked in girls than in
      boys, irrespective of height or weight.

PMID- 26489945
TI  - Quality of life, work ability and other important indicators of women's
      occupational health.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Work ability may be considered as an important aspect of well-being
      and health status. One of the most important factors in association with work
      ability is health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study has been
      to determine the association between work ability, individual characteristics and
      HRQoL of female workers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The design of this study has been
      cross-sectional. The work ability index (WAI) and Short-Form General Health
      Survey (SF-12) questionnaires were used to collect data. Three hundred and twenty
      female workers were selected from food supplier factories in Karaj. One-way
      analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation analysis, independent sample t-test
      and multiple linear regression methods were used to analyze data. RESULTS: Mean
      (M) and standard deviation (SD) of the WAI stood at 35.02 and 5.57, respectively.
      The categories of the WAI for women being as follows: 8.8% poor, 62% moderate,
      25.4% good and 3.7% excellent. Mean+/-SD for the physical component summary (PCS)
      and mental component summary (MCS) of quality of life was 58.84+/-11.12 and
      57.45+/-9.94, respectively. There was a positive significant association between
      the PCS and MCS with the WAI (p = 0.0001). Workers with higher education had a
      better work ability (p = 0.002) and shift-work workers had a worse work ability
      (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Work ability of majority of women was moderate.
      Considering mean age of studied women (27.6 years old), this work ability is not
      satisfactory. Physical and mental components of the HRQoL were the important
      factors associated with work ability.

PMID- 26489946
TI  - Relationships between occupational functioning and stress among radio journalists
      -Assessment by means of the Psychosocial Risk Scale.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Job characteristics and the consequences of everyday stress among
      radio journalists who are not exposed to traumatic events have not been studied
      sufficiently before. We aimed at determining the most common job characteristics
      and their stressfulness; relationships between stress exposure, health and
      occupational functioning; differences between radio journalists and other
      journalists, and also the psychosocial risk for health and functioning in this
      group. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The studied group involved 208 journalists, 134 of
      whom worked in radio stations. The respondents filled in the Psychosocial Risks
      Scale (PRS) developed by the Department of Health and Work Psychology of the
      Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lodz, Poland. RESULTS: Requirement of
      mental effort and readiness to response quickly for most of the time as well as
      limited possibilities for promotion were the most frequent journalists'
      complaints. We confirmed that higher levels of stress resulted in worse
      functioning--the radio journalists who experienced lower stress assessed their
      health status and ability to work better, were more satisfied with particular
      aspects of their work, and were more involved in their work. They also presented
      a significantly lower turnover intention. Moreover, the radio journalists were
      more involved in their work than other journalists, but experienced lower
      satisfaction, took more sick leaves and had more days of absence. CONCLUSIONS:
      Well-known relationships between stress level, satisfaction and occupational
      functioning were confirmed. The most important conclusion refers to the fact that
      psychosocial risks and stress analysis should be based on the understanding of
      specificity of each occupation or even position. It is so, because the same job
      characteristic may pose a challenge for one person, while for another--it can
      result in extreme discomfort and anxiety--such an attitude broadens understanding
      of the phenomenon. We also confirmed that the PRS is a well-designed method,
      appropriate to investigate an individual perception of job environment and its
      stressfulness. Future research on causal relationships between the variables is
      recommended.

PMID- 26489947
TI  - Entry into vocational rehabilitation program following work-related hand injury:
      Potential candidates.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This case-control study aimed to investigate the predictors of return
      to work (RTW) following work-related major forearm, wrist or hand injury at the
      preparation stage of return to work. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 80 clients
      were recruited and divided into 2 groups depending on their readiness of RTW. The
      groups were compared with each other with regard to their demographics,
      compensation status, hand injury severity, health perception, and time off work
      (TOW) using correlation coefficient. Predictors of RTW were measured by logistic
      regression analysis. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in
      demographics and the severity of hand injury between 2 groups. Self-perceived
      physical functioning (p = 0.04), vitality (p = 0.01), mental health (p = 0.03)
      and TOW (p = 0.001) were significantly different between Action group and
      Preparation group. With binary logistic regression analysis, self-perceived
      vitality (odds ratio (OR) = 1.041) and TOW (OR = 0.996) were shown to be strongly
      predictive of RTW at the preparation stage of return to work. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study has shown that shorter TOW and better self-perceived vitality could predict
      early readiness for RTW after major work-related forearm, wrist or hand injury.

PMID- 26489948
TI  - Hemimellitene (1,2,3-trimethylbenzene) in the liver, lung, kidney, and blood, and
      dimethylbenzoic acid isomers in the liver, lung, kidney and urine of rats after
      single and repeated inhalation exposure to hemimellitene.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study has been to explore hemimellitene distribution
      in blood, liver, lung and kidney as well as toxicokinetics of its elimination
      from blood of rats after single and repeated inhalation exposure to this
      compound. Tissue distribution and excretion with urine of 2-dimethylbenzoic acids
      (2,3-DMBA and 2,6-DMBA) were also evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Male outbred
      IMP:WIST rats were used in the experiment. The animals were exposed to
      hemimellitene vapors at the nominal concentration of 25 ppm, 100 ppm, and 250 ppm
      in the dynamic inhalation chambers for 6 h for single exposure purpose and for 4
      weeks (6 h/day for 5 day/week) for repeated exposure purposes. RESULTS:
      Significantly lower concentrations of hemimellitene were detected in the blood
      and tissues of animals after repeated inhalation exposure of animals to
      hemimellitene vapors, which points to reduced retention of the chemical in the
      lungs of the experimental rats. The trend of hemimellitene elimination from the
      blood depended solely on exposure intensity, irrespective of exposure time, both
      after single and repeated exposure. As regards the 2 determined hemimellitene
      metabolites, the major trend of the metabolic transformation involved formation
      of 2,3-DMBA. CONCLUSIONS: The significantly higher urinary 2,3-DMBA concentration
      after repeated exposure shows that hemimellitene induces enzymatic processes in
      the rat.

PMID- 26489949
TI  - Ischaemic heart disease among workers in occupations associated with heavy
      lifting.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate a hypothesized positive association between employment
      in occupations where heavy lifting is likely to occur, and the risk of ischaemic
      heart disease (IHD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Male blue-collar workers from Denmark
      (N = 516,180) were monitored with respect to hospital treatment or death due to
      IHD, through national registers over the years 2001-2010. Poisson regression was
      used to estimate relative rates of IHD between "workers in occupations which,
      according to an expert opinion, are likely to involve heavy lifting" and "other
      blue-collar workers." Prevalent cases were excluded from the analysis. RESULTS:
      The rate ratio was estimated at 0.97 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.94-1.00)
      for deaths or hospitalizations due to IHD and 1.07 (95% CI: 0.94-1.21) for deaths
      due to IHD. CONCLUSIONS: The results do not support the hypothesis that
      occupational heavy lifting is an important risk factor for IHD.

PMID- 26489950
TI  - Implementation of smoke-free homes in Poland.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) constitutes a threat to
      the health of many people. In order to diminish ETS exposure, countries
      (including Poland) implemented legal restrictions of smoking in public places and
      worksites. Currently more attention is also paid to reduce overall and
      residential ETS exposure by voluntary smoke-free home policy adoption. The aim of
      current analysis was to evaluate the prevalence and determinants of implementing
      smoking bans at place of residence among economically active males and females in
      Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data from cross-sectional, household study - Global
      Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS 2009-2010) were analyzed. The logistic regression
      model was applied for appropriate calculations. RESULTS: Out of 3696 studied
      subjects only 37.1% adopted total smoking ban within the home. Decreased
      likelihood of adopting total smoking bans was associated with current smoker
      status, low education attainment, lack of awareness on adverse health
      consequences of ETS, low level of support for tobacco control policies, and
      cohabitation with a smoker in both genders. Having smoke-free homes was also
      linked with age in women, place of residence and work smoking policy in indoor
      areas in men. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted activities to encourage adopting voluntary
      smoke-free rules among groups least likely to implement 100% smoking bans in the
      home and activities to decrease social acceptance of smoking in the presence of
      nonsmokers, children, pregnant woman are urgently needed.

PMID- 26489951
TI  - An ecological study on the association between characteristics of hospital units
      and the risk of occupational injuries and adverse events on the example of an
      Italian teaching hospital.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We explored the association of workplace characteristics with
      occupational injuries and adverse events in an Italian teaching hospital.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: This ecological study was conducted using data routinely
      collected in the University Hospital of Udine, Northeastern Italy. Poisson
      regression models were used to investigate, at the hospital unit level, the
      association between 5 outcomes, including: occupational injuries, patient falls,
      medication errors, other adverse events and near-misses, and various
      characteristics of the units. RESULTS: The proportion of female workers in a
      unit, the average number of sick-leave days and of overtime hours, the number of
      medical examinations requested by employees, and being a surgical unit were
      significantly associated with some of the outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Despite
      ecological nature of the study, which does not allow for inferences to be drawn
      at the individual level, the results of our study provide useful clues to support
      strategies and interventions directed towards healthier work environments and
      better patient care in hospitals.

PMID- 26489952
TI  - Estimate of radon exposure in geothermal spas in Poland.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Geothermal waters may contain soluble, radioactive radon gas. Spa
      facilities that use geothermal water may be a source of an increased radiation
      dose to people who stay there. It has been necessary to assess the exposure to
      radon among people: workers and visitors of spa centers that use geothermal
      waters. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In 2013, workers of the Nofer Institute of
      Occupational Medicine measured concentrations of radon over the geothermal water
      surfaces in 9 selected Polish spa centers which use geothermal water for
      recreational and medicinal purposes. The measurements were performed by active
      dosimetry using Lucas scintillation cells. RESULTS: According to our research,
      the doses received by the personnel in Polish geothermal spas are < 0.6 mSv/year.
      In 1 of the investigated spas, the estimated annual dose to the staff may exceed
      3 mSv/year. CONCLUSIONS: In Polish geothermal spas, neither the workers nor the
      visitors are at risk of receiving doses that exceed the safe limits.

PMID- 26489953
TI  - A novel surfactant-, NaCl-, and protease-tolerant beta-mannanase from Bacillus
      sp. HJ14.
AB  - A glycoside hydrolase family 5 beta-mannanase-encoding gene was cloned from
      Bacillus sp. HJ14 isolated from saline soil in Heijing town. Coding sequence of
      mature protein (without the predicted signal peptide from M1 to A30) was
      successfully expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Purified recombinant
      mannanase (rMan5HJ14) exhibited optimal activity at pH 6.5 and 65  degrees C. The
      enzyme showed good salt tolerance, retaining more than 56 % beta-mannanase
      activity at 3.0-30.0 % (w/v) NaCl and more than 94 % of the initial activity
      after incubation with 3.0-30.0 % (w/v) NaCl at 37  degrees C for 60 min. Almost
      no mannanase activity was lost after incubation of rMan5HJ14 with trypsin,
      proteinase K, and Alcalase at 37  degrees C for 60 min. Surfactants and chelating
      agents, namely SDS, CTAB, Tween 80, Triton X-100, EDTA, and sodium
      tripolyphosphate, showed little or no effect (retaining >82.4 % activity) on
      enzymatic activity. Liquid detergents, namely Tupperware, Walch, Bluemoon, Tide,
      and OMO, also showed little or no effect (retaining >72.4 % activity) on
      enzymatic activity at 0.5-2.0 % (v/v). The enzyme further presents a high
      proportion (11.97 %) of acidic amino acid residues (D and E), which may affect
      the SDS and NaCl tolerance of the enzyme. Together, the mannanase may be an
      alternative for potential use in liquid detergent industry. 

PMID- 26489955
TI  - Predictors of early breastfeeding initiation among mothers of children under 24
      months of age in rural part of West Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recommends initiation of breastfeeding
      within the first hour after childbirth. In developing countries alone, early
      initiation of breastfeeding could save as many as 1.45 million lives each year by
      reducing deaths mainly due to diarrheal disorders and lower respiratory tract
      infections in children. The current study aimed to determine the rate and the
      predictors of breastfeeding initiation in East Wollega Zones of West Ethiopia.
      METHODS: A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May
      2014 among 594 mothers who had children less than 24 months. Multi stage cluster
      sampling method was used to select the study population. Eligible mothers were
      invited to interview using pretested questionnaires to gather data regarding
      sociodemographics, health-related variables, breastfeeding initiation, and
      current breastfeeding practices. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was
      used to identify independent predictors of early initiation of breastfeeding
      after controlling for confounding variables. RESULTS: A sample of 593 mothers was
      included in the study. Breastfeeding was initiated by 83.1 % of mothers within
      the first hour of childbirth. Being a housewife (AOR (95 % CI) = 2.48 (1.54-
      3.99)) and infant received colostrum (AOR (95 % CI) =2.22 (1.08-4.55)) were
      significant positive predictors for early breastfeeding initiation as revealed by
      logistic regression. The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that
      the mothers who had no radio and/or TV in the household (AOR (95 % CI = 0.55
      (0.35-0.88)), were not exposure to health information (AOR (95 % CI) = 0.44 (0.25
      0.75)), and infants were provided with prelacteal feeds (AOR (95 % CI)=0.30 (0.14
      0.65)) were less likely to initiate breastfeeding. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of
      timely initiation of breastfeeding was high. Breastfeeding promotion program is
      essential to encourage the practice of timely initiation of breastfeeding, and
      reduce the practice of providing prelacteal feeds within three days of life. Thus
      appropriate health information is vital to boost early initiation of
      breastfeeding.

PMID- 26489956
TI  - Assessing the health of the general population in England: how do the three- and
      five-level versions of EQ-5D compare?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The EQ-5D is a brief, generic measure of health status that can be
      easily incorporated into population health surveys. There are two versions of the
      EQ-5D for use in adult populations, one with 3 response levels in each of the
      instrument's 5 dimensions (EQ-5D-3L) and one with 5 levels in each dimension (EQ
      5D-5L). We compared the two versions as measures of self-reported health status
      in representative samples of the English general population. METHODS: EQ-5D-5L
      data were available from 996 respondents selected at random from residential
      postcodes who took part in the EQ-5D-5L value set for England study. EQ-5D-3L
      data were available from 7294 participants included in the 2012 Health Survey for
      England. Responses on the 3L and 5L versions of EQ-5D were compared by examining
      score distributions on the two versions, both in terms of the profile
      (dimensions) and the EQ-VAS. To determine the extent of variations in score
      according to respondent characteristics, we analysed health status reporting on
      the descriptive profile, EQ-5D Index, and EQ-VAS of both versions of EQ-5D by
      age, sex, and educational background. We used X (2) to test for differences
      between respondent categories when analyzing EQ-5D profile data and the t test
      when analyzing EQ-5D Index and VAS scores. RESULTS: The 5L version of EQ-5D led
      to a considerably reduced ceiling effect and a larger proportion of respondents
      reporting severe health problems compared to the 3L. The 5L version also led to
      the use of a wider spread of health states; just 3 health states on the 3L
      covered 75 % of the sample, compared to 12 states on the 5L. Both versions showed
      poorer health status in older respondents, females, and those in a lower
      educational category and the EQ-5D-5L descriptive system, though not the Index or
      VAS, discriminated better between age groups than the 3L. There were no
      appreciable differences between the two versions in their ability to discriminate
      between groups defined by gender or educational level. CONCLUSIONS: The new,
      expanded 5L version of EQ-5D may be a more useful instrument for the measurement
      of health status in population health surveys than the original 3L version.

PMID- 26489957
TI  - Low public health risk of MERS-CoV in people returning from the Hajj.

PMID- 26489958
TI  - Fluorine doping: a feasible solution to enhancing the conductivity of high
      resistance wide bandgap Mg0.51Zn0.49O active components.
AB  - N-type doping of high-resistance wide bandgap semiconductors, wurtzite high-Mg
      content MgxZn1-xO for instance, has always been a fundamental application
      motivated research issue. Herein, we report a solution to enhancing the
      conductivity of high-resistance Mg0.51Zn0.49O active components, which has been
      reliably achieved by fluorine doping via radio-frequency plasma assisted
      molecular beam epitaxial growth. Fluorine dopants were demonstrated to be
      effective donors in Mg0.51Zn0.49O single crystal film having a solar-blind 4.43
      eV bandgap, with an average concentration of 1.0 * 10(19) F/cm(3).The
      dramatically increased carrier concentration (2.85 * 10(17) cm(-3) vs ~10(14) cm(
      3)) and decreased resistivity (129 Omega . cm vs ~10(6) Omega cm) indicate that
      the electrical properties of semi-insulating Mg0.51Zn0.49O film can be delicately
      regulated by F doping. Interestingly, two donor levels (17 meV and 74 meV)
      associated with F were revealed by temperature-dependent Hall measurements. A
      Schottky type metal-semiconductor-metal ultraviolet photodetector manifests a
      remarkably enhanced photocurrent, two orders of magnitude higher than that of the
      undoped counterpart. The responsivity is greatly enhanced from 0.34 mA/W to 52
      mA/W under 10 V bias. The detectivity increases from 1.89 * 10(9) cm Hz(1/2)/W to
      3.58 * 10(10) cm Hz(1/2)/W under 10 V bias at room temperature.These results
      exhibit F doping serves as a promising pathway for improving the performance of
      high-Mg-content MgxZn1-xO-based devices. 

PMID- 26489959
TI  - Opting Out and Leaning In: The Life Course Employment Profiles of Early Baby Boom
      Women in the United States.
AB  - Most literature on female employment focuses on the intersection between women's
      labor supply and family events such as marriage, divorce, or childbearing. Even
      when using longitudinal data and methods, most studies estimate average net
      effects over time and assume homogeneity among women. Less is known about
      diversity in women's cumulative work patterns over the long run. Using group
      based trajectory analysis, I model the employment trajectories of early Baby Boom
      women in the United States from ages 20 to 54. I find that women in this cohort
      can be classified in four ideal-type groups: those who were consistently detached
      from the labor force (21 %), those who gradually increased their market
      attachment (27 %), those who worked intensely in young adulthood but dropped out
      of the workforce after midlife (13 %), and those who were steadily employed
      across midlife (40 %). I then explore a variety of traits associated with
      membership in each of these groups. I find that (1) the timing of family events
      (marriage, fertility) helps to distinguish between groups with weak or strong
      attachment to the labor force in early adulthood; (2) external constraints
      (workplace discrimination, husband's opposition to wife's work, ill health)
      explain membership in groups that experienced work trajectory reversals; and (3)
      individual preferences influence labor supply across women's life course. This
      analysis reveals a high degree of complexity in women's lifetime working
      patterns, highlighting the need to understand women's labor supply as a fluid
      process.

PMID- 26489960
TI  - Can video recording revolutionise medical quality?

PMID- 26489961
TI  - Preclinical metabolism and disposition of luseogliflozin, a novel
      antihyperglycemic agent.
AB  - 1. We investigated the metabolism and disposition of luseogliflozin, a sodium
      glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, in rats and dogs, as well as in vitro
      metabolism in rats, dogs and humans. In addition, we studied its localization in
      the rat kidney. 2. [14C]Luseogliflozin was rapidly and well absorbed (>86% of the
      dose) after oral administration to rats and dogs. The drug-derived radioactivity
      was mainly excreted via the feces in both species. 3. The predominant
      radioactivity component in the excreta was associated with the metabolites, with
      only a minor fraction of unchanged luseogliflozin. The major metabolites were two
      glucuronides (M8 and M16) in the rats, and the O-deethylated form (M2) and other
      oxidative metabolites (M3 and M17) in the dogs. 4. The in vitro metabolism in dog
      and human hepatocytes was significantly slower than that in the rat hepatocytes.
      The biotransformation in animal hepatocytes was similar to that observed in vivo.
      Incubation with human hepatocytes resulted in the formation of metabolites,
      including M2, M3, M8 and M17, via multiple metabolic pathways. 5.
      [14C]Luseogliflozin was well-distributed to its target organ, the kidney, and was
      found to be localized in the renal cortex, which shows SGLT2 expression. This
      characteristic distribution was inhibited by preinjection of phlorizin, an SGLT
      inhibitor, suggesting that the renal radioactivity was associated with SGLT2.

PMID- 26489963
TI  - [Toxic substances to reproduction: Styrene].

PMID- 26489954
TI  - Complement activation, regulation, and molecular basis for complement-related
      diseases.
AB  - The complement system is an essential element of the innate immune response that
      becomes activated upon recognition of molecular patterns associated with
      microorganisms, abnormal host cells, and modified molecules in the extracellular
      environment. The resulting proteolytic cascade tags the complement activator for
      elimination and elicits a pro-inflammatory response leading to recruitment and
      activation of immune cells from both the innate and adaptive branches of the
      immune system. Through these activities, complement functions in the first line
      of defense against pathogens but also contributes significantly to the
      maintenance of homeostasis and prevention of autoimmunity. Activation of
      complement and the subsequent biological responses occur primarily in the
      extracellular environment. However, recent studies have demonstrated autocrine
      signaling by complement activation in intracellular vesicles, while the presence
      of a cytoplasmic receptor serves to detect complement-opsonized intracellular
      pathogens. Furthermore, breakthroughs in both functional and structural studies
      now make it possible to describe many of the intricate molecular mechanisms
      underlying complement activation and the subsequent downstream events, as well as
      its cross talk with, for example, signaling pathways, the coagulation system, and
      adaptive immunity. We present an integrated and updated view of complement based
      on structural and functional data and describe the new roles attributed to
      complement. Finally, we discuss how the structural and mechanistic understanding
      of the complement system rationalizes the genetic defects conferring uncontrolled
      activation or other undesirable effects of complement. 

PMID- 26489964
TI  - Are invasive plants more competitive than native conspecifics? Patterns vary with
      competitors.
AB  - Invasive plants are sometimes considered to be more competitive than their native
      conspecifics, according to the prediction that the invader reallocates resources
      from defense to growth due to liberation of natural enemies ['Evolution of
      Increased Competitive Ability' (EICA) hypothesis]. However, the differences in
      competitive ability may depend on the identity of competitors. In order to test
      the effects of competitors, Ageratina adenophora plants from both native and
      invasive ranges competed directly, and competed with native residents from both
      invasive (China) and native (Mexico) ranges respectively. Invasive A. adenophora
      plants were more competitive than their conspecifics from native populations when
      competing with natives from China (interspecific competition), but not when
      competing with natives from Mexico. Invasive A. adenophora plants also showed
      higher competitive ability when grown in high-density monoculture communities of
      plants from the same population (intrapopulation competition). In contrast,
      invasive A. adenophora plants showed lower competitive ability when competing
      with plants from native populations (intraspecific competition). Our results
      indicated that in the invasive range A. adenophora has evolved to effectively
      cope with co-occurring natives and high density environments, contributing to
      invasion success. Here, we showed the significant effects of competitors, which
      should be considered carefully when testing the EICA hypothesis. 

PMID- 26489965
TI  - The synergistic effect of folate and RGD dual ligand of nanographene oxide on
      tumor targeting and photothermal therapy in vivo.
AB  - Effective delivery of nanoparticles to the target site is necessary for
      successful biomedical applications. Inefficient targeting is a major concern for
      nanomedicines in cancer therapy. Conjugation of multiple targeting ligands to the
      nanoparticle surface might further enhance the targeting efficiency by a co
      operative effect of individual ligands. In this study, a dual ligand targeting
      nanographene oxide (nGO) was developed by non-covalent interaction with folate
      and cRGD functionalized pluronic, which allowed precise control of ligand number
      on the nGO surface and ensured stability under physiological conditions. The
      tumor targeting abilities of single and dual ligand decorated nGOs were evaluated
      in vitro by using KB cells, over-expressing folate and integrin alphavbeta3
      receptors. In vitro cellular uptake analysis by flow cytometry and confocal laser
      scanning microscopy showed enhanced uptake of dual ligand modified nGO compared
      to any of the single ligand modified nGOs. The cellular uptake of dual targeted
      cRGD-FA-nGO was increased by 1.9 and 2.4 folds compared to single targeted cRGD
      nGO or FA-nGO, respectively. The in vivo biodistribution experiment in a mouse
      xenograft model also confirmed the synergistic targeting effect of cRGD and
      folate dual functionalized nGO. A significantly higher tumor accumulation of cRGD
      FA-nGO was observed compared to cRGD-nGO or FA-nGO. The higher tumor accumulation
      of dual targeted nGO resulted in complete ablation of tumor tissue through an
      enhanced photothermal effect by NIR laser irradiation. Therefore, co
      functionalization of a nanoparticle by cRGD and folate is a potentially useful
      way to enhance the tumor targeting efficacy. 

PMID- 26489967
TI  - Expanding the Ligand Framework Diversity of Carbodicarbenes and Direct Detection
      of Boron Activation in the Methylation of Amines with CO2.
AB  - A simple and convergent synthetic strategy used to increase the diversity of the
      carbodicarbene ligand framework through incorporation of unsymmetrical pendant
      groups is reported. Structural analysis and spectroscopic studies of ligands and
      their Rh complexes are reported. Reactivity studies reveal carbodicarbenes as
      competent organocatalysts for amine methylation using CO2 as a synthon. A unique
      B?H-activated boron-carbodicarbene complex was isolated as a reaction
      intermediate, providing mechanistic insight into the CO2 functionalization
      process. 

PMID- 26489966
TI  - Sensitivity of GC-EI/MS, GC-EI/MS/MS, LC-ESI/MS/MS, LC-Ag(+) CIS/MS/MS, and GC
      ESI/MS/MS for analysis of anabolic steroids in doping control.
AB  - This study compared the sensitivity of various separation and ionization methods,
      including gas chromatography with an electron ionization source (GC-EI), liquid
      chromatography with an electrospray ionization source (LC-ESI), and liquid
      chromatography with a silver ion coordination ion spray source (LC-Ag(+) CIS),
      coupled to a mass spectrometer (MS) for steroid analysis. Chromatographic
      conditions, mass spectrometric transitions, and ion source parameters were
      optimized. The majority of steroids in GC-EI/MS/MS and LC-Ag(+) CIS/MS/MS
      analysis showed higher sensitivities than those obtained with other analytical
      methods. The limits of detection (LODs) of 65 steroids by GC-EI/MS/MS, 68
      steroids by LC-Ag(+) CIS/MS/MS, 56 steroids by GC-EI/MS, 54 steroids by LC
      ESI/MS/MS, and 27 steroids by GC-ESI/MS/MS were below cut-off value of 2.0 ng/mL.
      LODs of steroids that formed protonated ions in LC-ESI/MS/MS analysis were all
      lower than the cut-off value. Several steroids such as unconjugated C3-hydroxyl
      with C17-hydroxyl structure showed higher sensitivities in GC-EI/MS/MS analysis
      relative to those obtained using the LC-based methods. The steroids containing 4,
      9, 11-triene structures showed relatively poor sensitivities in GC-EI/MS and GC
      ESI/MS/MS analysis. The results of this study provide information that may be
      useful for selecting suitable analytical methods for confirmatory analysis of
      steroids.

PMID- 26489968
TI  - MicroRNA expression profiling in bladder cancer: the challenge of next-generation
      sequencing in tissues and biofluids.
AB  - Bladder cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease characterized by a high recurrence
      rate that necessitates continuous cystoscopic surveillance. MicroRNAs (miRNAs)
      are detectable in tissues and biofluids such as plasma/serum and urine. They
      represent promising biomarkers with potential not only for detecting BC but also
      informing on prognosis and monitoring treatment response. In this review, the
      many aspects of the application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) to evaluate
      miRNA expression in BC is discussed, including technical issues as well as a
      comparison with results obtained by qRT-PCR. The available studies investigating
      miRNA profiling in BC by NGS are described, with particular attention to the
      potential applicability on biofluids. Altered miRNA levels have been observed in
      BC tissues by NGS, but these results so far only partially overlapped among
      studies and with previous data obtained by qRT-PCR. The discrepancies can be
      ascribed to the small groups of BC patients sequenced. The few available studies
      on biofluids are mainly focused on implementing RNA isolation and sequencing
      workflow. Using NGS to analyze miRNAs in biofluids can potentially provide
      results comparable to tissues with no invasive procedures for the patients. In
      particular, the analyses performed on exosomes/microvesicles appear to be more
      informative. Thanks to the improvement of both wet-lab procedures and
      pipelines/tools for data analyses, NGS studies on biofluids will be performed on
      a larger scale. MiRNAs detected in urine and serum/plasma will demonstrate their
      potentiality to describe the variegated scenario of BC and to become relevant
      clinical markers. 

PMID- 26489969
TI  - Facial speech gestures: the relation between visual speech processing,
      phonological awareness, and developmental dyslexia in 10-year-olds.
AB  - Successful communication in everyday life crucially involves the processing of
      auditory and visual components of speech. Viewing our interlocutor and processing
      visual components of speech facilitates speech processing by triggering auditory
      processing. Auditory phoneme processing, analyzed by event-related brain
      potentials (ERP), has been shown to be associated with impairments in reading and
      spelling (i.e. developmental dyslexia), but visual aspects of phoneme processing
      have not been investigated in individuals with such deficits. The present study
      analyzed the passive visual Mismatch Response (vMMR) in school children with and
      without developmental dyslexia in response to video-recorded mouth movements
      pronouncing syllables silently. Our results reveal that both groups of children
      showed processing of visual speech stimuli, but with different scalp
      distribution. Children without developmental dyslexia showed a vMMR with typical
      posterior distribution. In contrast, children with developmental dyslexia showed
      a vMMR with anterior distribution, which was even more pronounced in children
      with severe phonological deficits and very low spelling abilities. As anterior
      scalp distributions are typically reported for auditory speech processing, the
      anterior vMMR of children with developmental dyslexia might suggest an attempt to
      anticipate potentially upcoming auditory speech information in order to support
      phonological processing, which has been shown to be deficient in children with
      developmental dyslexia.

PMID- 26489970
TI  - Incretin therapies: highlighting common features and differences in the modes of
      action of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase-4
      inhibitors.
AB  - Over the last few years, incretin-based therapies have emerged as important
      agents in the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D). These agents exert their effect
      via the incretin system, specifically targeting the receptor for the incretin
      hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which is partly responsible for
      augmenting glucose-dependent insulin secretion in response to nutrient intake
      (the 'incretin effect'). In patients with T2D, pharmacological
      doses/concentrations of GLP-1 can compensate for the inability of diabetic beta
      cells to respond to the main incretin hormone glucose-dependent insulinotropic
      polypeptide, and this is therefore a suitable parent compound for incretin-based
      glucose-lowering medications. Two classes of incretin-based therapies are
      available: GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4)
      inhibitors. GLP-1RAs promote GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) signalling by providing GLP
      1R stimulation through 'incretin mimetics' circulating at pharmacological
      concentrations, whereas DPP-4 inhibitors prevent the degradation of endogenously
      released GLP-1. Both agents produce reductions in plasma glucose and, as a result
      of their glucose-dependent mode of action, this is associated with low rates of
      hypoglycaemia; however, there are distinct modes of action resulting in differing
      efficacy and tolerability profiles. Furthermore, as their actions are not
      restricted to stimulating insulin secretion, these agents have also been
      associated with additional non-glycaemic benefits such as weight loss,
      improvements in beta-cell function and cardiovascular risk markers. These
      attributes have made incretin therapies attractive treatments for the management
      of T2D and have presented physicians with an opportunity to tailor treatment
      plans. This review endeavours to outline the commonalities and differences among
      incretin-based therapies and to provide guidance regarding agents most suitable
      for treating T2D in individual patients. 

PMID- 26489972
TI  - Longitudinal Geographic Miss (LGM) in Robotic Assisted Versus Manual Percutaneous
      Coronary Interventions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of robotic-assisted percutaneous coronary
      intervention (RA-PCI) versus manual PCI (M-PCI) on the incidence of Longitudinal
      Geographic Miss (LGM). BACKGROUND: The safety and feasibility of RA-PCI has been
      established in preclinical animal trials and human clinical trials. Patients with
      LGM have been shown to have worse clinical outcomes including significantly
      increased incidences of MACE. METHODS: Patients with significant coronary artery
      disease underwent RA-PCI in the PRECISE study (n=164) and standard M-PCI in the
      STLLR trial (n = 1,509). Longitudinal geographic miss was defined as cases where
      the entire length of the injured or stenotic segment was not fully covered by the
      total length of the stent. The incidence of LGM was compared between RA-PCI and M
      PCI cohorts. RESULTS: The RA-PCI cohort had a significantly greater prevalence of
      previous MI, previous coronary revascularization, and unstable angina. The
      robotic cohort exhibited a lower incidence of LGM when compared to the M-PCI
      patients, 12.2% to 43.1%, respectively (P < 0.0001). To account for the
      differences in baseline characteristics between the two studies, a propensity
      score analysis was conducted. The propensity modeling showed similar rates of LGM
      in both a larger group of patients that met key PRECISE study inclusion/exclusion
      criteria adjusted for propensity score (9.3% vs 55.0%; P < 0.0001) and in a
      smaller, matched on propensity score, subset of patients (10.3% vs 64.1%; P <
      0.0001). CONCLUSION: Robotic-assisted PCI had significantly lower incidence of
      LGM compared to standard M-PCI. Reducing LGM potentially improves long-term
      clinical outcomes through reduction in MACE.

PMID- 26489971
TI  - F8 intron 22 inversions and SNP rs73563631 in unrelated families with severe
      haemophilia A: clinical features and gene testing implications.

PMID- 26489973
TI  - Safety and Efficacy of Immediate Rotational Atherectomy in Nondilatable Calcified
      Coronary Lesions Complicated by Coronary Artery Dissection (RAISE).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the safety and efficacy of immediate rotational
      atherectomy (RA) in nondilatable calcified coronary lesions complicated by
      coronary dissection during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND:
      In the presence of coronary dissection in nondilatable calcified coronary
      lesions, conservative management is suggested to permit the dissection to heal
      prior to treatment with RA. However, many patients have frequent angina attacks
      and some patients develop serious complications during this period. METHODS: One
      hundred and nighty-eight patients with severe coronary calcification underwent
      PCI, and were randomized into immediate (n = 105) or delayed RA group (n = 93)
      when coronary dissections occur. The primary endpoint of the present study was
      all-cause death including cardiac and non-cardiac death in 4 years follow-up. Non
      fatal myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, cardiac tamponade, stroke, target
      lesion revascularization, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV heart
      failure were analyzed as secondary end points. RESULTS: At a follow-up of 4
      years, event-free survival rates were not statistically different between the
      immediate and delayed RA group (81.9% vs 80.6%, P = 0.820). Rates of PCI- and RA
      related major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and severe RA-related complications
      were not statistically different between groups. Luminal loss was not
      significantly different between the immediate and delayed RA group as evaluated
      by Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Two cases in the delayed RA group experienced
      myocardial infarction during the 4-week waiting. CONCLUSION: This study indicates
      that immediate RA during PCI is safe and effective in patients with coronary
      artery dissection.

PMID- 26489974
TI  - Effect of Hospital Volume on Outcomes of Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair: An
      Early US Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) is a complex procedure for
      patients with mitral regurgitation who cannot get surgery. However, there is a
      lack of data on how hospital volumes affect these outcomes. METHODS: We performed
      a cross sectional study based on Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's
      Nationwide Inpatient Sample database of 2012 and identified subjects using the
      ICD-9-CM procedure code of 35.97, which was introduced in October 2010 for
      percutaneous mitral valve repair if present in the primary or secondary procedure
      field. Hospital volumes were divided into tertiles. The primary outcome was a
      composite of in-hospital mortality and peri-procedural complications. Length of
      stay and hospitalization cost were also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 95
      (weighted n = 475) TMVR procedures were identified. The mean age of the overall
      cohort was 70 years; 43.2% were female and 63.2% had a significant baseline
      burden of co-morbidities. The composite of in-hospital mortality and peri
      procedural complications decreased with increasing TMVR hospital volume: 48.7% in
      the first tertile, 17.4% in the second tertile, and 9.1% in the third tertile.
      Additionally, we saw a decrease in the length of stay and a trend in decrease in
      the hospitalization cost. CONCLUSION: In hospitals performing TMVR, higher
      hospital volumes are associated with a reduction in a composite of in-hospital
      mortality and post-procedural complications, in addition to the shorter length of
      stay.

PMID- 26489975
TI  - Altered neural activation during prepotent response inhibition in breast cancer
      survivors treated with chemotherapy: an fMRI study.
AB  - While impairments in executive functions have been reported in breast cancer
      survivors (BCS) who have undergone adjuvant chemotherapy, only a limited number
      of functional neuroimaging studies have associated alterations in cerebral
      activity with executive functions deficits in BCS. Using fMRI, the current study
      assessed the neural basis underlying a specific facet of executive function,
      namely prepotent response inhibition. 12 BCS who self-reported cognitive problems
      up to 3 years following cancer treatment and 12 female healthy comparisons (HC)
      performed the Stroop task. We compared their neural activation between the
      incongruent and neutral experimental conditions. Relative to the HC group, BCS
      showed lower blood-oxygen level dependent signal in several frontal regions,
      including the anterior cingulate cortex, a region critical for response
      inhibition. Our data indicates reduced neural activation in BCS during a
      prepotent response inhibition task, providing support for the prevailing notion
      of neural alterations observed in BCS treated with chemotherapy.

PMID- 26489977
TI  - Disrupted default mode network connectivity in male adolescents with conduct
      disorder.
AB  - Conduct disorder (CD) is a serious behavioral disorder of childhood and
      adolescence. The default mode network (DMN) is a brain network which supports
      self-referential cognitive processes and is typically deactivated during task
      performance. The aim of this study was to investigate DMN connectivity in male
      adolescents with pure CD compared to typically-developing controls. Eighteen male
      adolescents with CD and 18 sex-, age- and education-matched typically-developing
      (TD) participants were recruited. Current and lifetime psychiatric disorders were
      assessed using the Chinese version of the Schedule for Affective Disorder and
      Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version. Resting state
      functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were obtained using a 3.0 T
      scanner. Independent components analysis (ICA) was used to investigate functional
      connectivity between the DMN and related brain regions. DMN activity was observed
      in medial prefrontal, posterior cingulate, and lateral parietal cortices, and
      extended to the brainstem. Adolescents with CD showed significantly reduced
      functional connectivity within the bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC),
      bilateral precuneus and right superior temporal gyrus relative to TD controls. CD
      is associated with reduced functional connectivity within the DMN and between the
      DMN and other regions. These preliminary results suggest that deficits in DMN
      functional connectivity may serve as a biomarker of CD.

PMID- 26489976
TI  - ADHD and cannabis use in young adults examined using fMRI of a Go/NoGo task.
AB  - Children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at
      increased risk for substance abuse. Response inhibition is a hallmark of ADHD,
      yet the combined effects of ADHD and regular substance use on neural networks
      associated with response inhibition are unknown. Task-based functional Magnetic
      Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data from young adults with childhood ADHD with (n = 25)
      and without (n = 25) cannabis use >= monthly in the past year were compared with
      a local normative comparison group (LNCG) with (n = 11) and without (n = 12)
      cannabis use. Go/NoGo behavioral and fMRI data were evaluated for main and
      interaction effects of ADHD diagnosis and cannabis use. ADHD participants made
      significantly more commission errors on NoGo trials than controls. ADHD
      participants also had less frontoparietal and frontostriatal activity,
      independent of cannabis use. No main effects of cannabis use on response
      inhibition or functional brain activation were observed. An interaction of ADHD
      diagnosis and cannabis use was found in the right hippocampus and cerebellar
      vermis, with increased recruitment of these regions in cannabis-using controls
      during correct response inhibition. ADHD participants had impaired response
      inhibition combined with less fronto-parietal/striatal activity, regardless of
      cannabis use history. Cannabis use did not impact behavioral response inhibition.
      Cannabis use was associated with hippocampal and cerebellar activation, areas
      rich in cannabinoid receptors, in LNCG but not ADHD participants. This may
      reflect recruitment of compensatory circuitry in cannabis using controls but not
      ADHD participants. Future studies targeting hippocampal and cerebellar-dependent
      function in these groups may provide further insight into how this circuitry is
      altered by ADHD and cannabis use.

PMID- 26489978
TI  - Increased spatial granularity of left brain activation and unique age/gender
      signatures: a 4D frequency domain approach to cerebral lateralization at rest.
AB  - Cerebral lateralization is a well-studied topic. However, most of the research to
      date in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been carried out on
      hemodynamic fluctuations of voxels, networks, or regions of interest (ROIs). For
      example, cerebral differences can be revealed by comparing the temporal
      activation of an ROI in one hemisphere with the corresponding homotopic region in
      the other hemisphere. While this approach can reveal significant information
      about cerebral organization, it does not provide information about the full
      spatiotemporal organization of the hemispheres. The cerebral differences revealed
      in literature suggest that hemispheres have different spatiotemporal organization
      in the resting state. In this study, we evaluate cerebral lateralization in the
      4D spatiotemporal frequency domain to compare the hemispheres in the context of
      general activation patterns at different spatial and temporal scales. We use a
      gender-balanced resting fMRI dataset comprising over 600 healthy subjects ranging
      in age from 12 to 71, that have previously been studied with a network specific
      voxel-wise and global analysis of lateralization (Agcaoglu, et al. NeuroImage,
      2014). Our analysis elucidates significant differences in the spatiotemporal
      organization of brain activity between hemispheres, and generally more
      spatiotemporal fluctuation in the left hemisphere especially in the high spatial
      frequency bands, and more power in the right hemisphere in the low and middle
      spatial frequencies. Importantly, the identified effects are not visible in the
      context of a typical assessment of voxelwise, regional, or even global
      laterality, thus our study highlights the value of 4D spatiotemporal frequency
      domain analyses as a complementary and powerful tool for studying brain function.

PMID- 26489979
TI  - BAS-drive trait modulates dorsomedial striatum activity during reward response
      outcome associations.
AB  - According to the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory, behavioral studies have found
      that individuals with stronger reward sensitivity easily detect cues of reward
      and establish faster associations between instrumental responses and reward.
      Neuroimaging studies have shown that processing anticipatory cues of reward is
      accompanied by stronger ventral striatum activity in individuals with stronger
      reward sensitivity. Even though establishing response-outcome contingencies has
      been consistently associated with dorsal striatum, individual differences in this
      process are poorly understood. Here, we aimed to study the relation between
      reward sensitivity and brain activity while processing response-reward
      contingencies. Forty-five participants completed the BIS/BAS questionnaire and
      performed a gambling task paradigm in which they received monetary rewards or
      punishments. Overall, our task replicated previous results that have related
      processing high reward outcomes with activation of striatum and medial frontal
      areas, whereas processing high punishment outcomes was associated with stronger
      activity in insula and middle cingulate. As expected, the individual differences
      in the activity of dorsomedial striatum correlated positively with BAS-Drive. Our
      results agree with previous studies that have related the dorsomedial striatum
      with instrumental performance, and suggest that the individual differences in
      this area may form part of the neural substrate responsible for modulating
      instrumental conditioning by reward sensitivity.

PMID- 26489980
TI  - Streamlining the learning process for TAVI: Insight from a comparative analysis
      of the OCEAN-TAVI and the massy registries.
AB  - BACKGROUNDS: To facilitate the learning process of transcatheter aortic valve
      implantation (TAVI) in Japan, unique supporting systems (e.g., on-site proctor
      and web-based screening systems) have been developed. Nevertheless, little is
      known about real-world clinical outcomes after TAVI in Japan compared with their
      European counterparts. METHODS: From the optimized catheter valvular intervention
      (OCEAN-TAVI, Japan) and the Institut Cardiovasculaire Paris Sud (Massy, France)
      registries, we evaluated a total of 134 and 178 patients, respectively, who
      underwent transfemoral TAVI during the same time period. RESULTS: Among the
      French cohort, about half of the patients (N = 81, 45.5%) were treated with the
      Edwards SAPIEN XT. Body surface area was significantly smaller in the Japanese
      cohort, although operative risks for both cohorts were almost the same. A greater
      percentage of patients in the Japanese cohort were implanted with 23 mm valves
      compared with the French cohort (73.1% vs. 23.0%, P < 0.001), reflecting the
      smaller annulus diameter (21.8 +/- 1.6 vs. 23.8 +/- 2.4 mm, P < 0.001). All-cause
      30-day mortality (0% vs. 0.6%, P = 1.000) and 30-day combined safety endpoint
      based on the Valve Academic Research Consortium 2 (VARC2) criteria (9.7% vs.
      11.2%, P = 0.713) were similar when limiting the analysis to patients treated
      with the Edwards SAPIEN XT. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the unfavorable aortic anatomy
      of the Japanese patients, their clinical outcomes after transfemoral TAVI were
      excellent with the same degree of safety as in an experienced European institute.
      This minimized learning process achieved the use of unique support systems.

PMID- 26489981
TI  - Boosting Proton Conductivity in Highly Robust 3D Inorganic Cationic Extended
      Frameworks through Ion Exchange with Dihydrogen Phosphate Anions.
AB  - The limited long-term hydrolytic stability of rapidly emerging 3D-extended
      framework materials (MOFs, COFs, MOPs, etc.) is still one of major barriers for
      their practical applications as new solid-state electrolytes in fuel cells. To
      obtain hydrolytically stable materials, two H2 PO4 (-) -exchanged 3D inorganic
      cationic extended frameworks (CEFs) were successfully prepared by a facile anion
      exchange method. Both anion-exchanged CEFs (YbO(OH)P and NDTBP) show
      significantly enhanced proton conductivity when compared with the original
      materials (YbO(OH)Cl and NDTB) with an increase of up to four orders-of
      magnitude, reaching 2.36*10(-3) and 1.96*10(-2)  S cm(-1) at 98 % RH and 85 
      degrees C for YbO(OH)P and NDTBP, respectively. These values are comparable to
      the most efficient proton-conducting MOFs. In addition, these two anion-exchanged
      materials are stable in boiling water, which originates from the strong
      electrostatic interaction between the H2 PO4 (-) anion and the cationic host
      framework, showing a clear advance over all the acid-impregnated materials (H2
      SO4 @MIL-101, H3 PO4 @MIL-101, and H3 PO4 @Tp-Azo) as practical solid-state fuel
      cell electrolytes. This work offers a new general and efficient approach to
      functionalize 3D-extended frameworks through an anion-exchange process and
      achieves water-stability with ultra-high proton conductivity above 10(-2)  S cm(
      1) . 

PMID- 26489982
TI  - Design of Lead(II) Metal-Organic Frameworks Based on Covalent and Tetrel Bonding.
AB  - Three solid materials, [Pb(HL)(SCN)2 ]?CH3 OH (1), [Pb(HL)(SCN)2 ] (2), and
      [Pb(L)(SCN)]n (3), were obtained from Pb(SCN)2 and an unsymmetrical bis-pyridyl
      hydrazone ligand that can act both as a bridging and as a chelating ligand. In
      all three the lead center is hemidirectionally coordinated and is thus sterically
      optimal for participation in tetrel bonding. In the crystal structures of all
      three compounds, the lead atoms participate in short contacts with thiocyanate
      sulfur or nitrogen atoms. These contacts are shorter than the sums of the van der
      Waals radii (3.04-3.47 A for Pb???S and 3.54 A for Pb???N) and interconnect the
      covalently bonded units (monomers, dimers, and 2D polymers) into supramolecular
      assemblies (chains and 3D structures). DFT calculations showed these contacts to
      be tetrel bonds of considerable energy (6.5-10.5 kcal mol(-1) for Pb???S and 16.5
      kcal mol(-1) for Pb???N). A survey of structures in the CSD showed that similar
      contacts often appear in crystals of Pb(II) complexes with regular geometries,
      which leads to the conclusion that tetrel bonding plays a significant role in the
      supramolecular chemistry of Pb(II) . 

PMID- 26489984
TI  - 2-Phosphino-1,3-diphosphonium ions.
AB  - A series of 2-phosphino-1,3-diphosphonium trifluoromethanesulfonate salts has
      been prepared and comprehensively characterized. The compounds represent rare
      examples of salts containing triphosphorus dications and establish important
      structural and spectroscopic parameters and trends for catenated phosphorus
      chains. 

PMID- 26489983
TI  - Iodine status of pregnant women in a metropolitan city which proved to be an
      iodine-sufficient area. Is mandatory salt iodisation enough for pregnant women?
AB  - The objective of this study was to assess the iodine status of pregnant women in
      a metropolitan city which was stated as iodine sufficient area after salt
      iodination program. This multicenter, cross-sectional study was carried out on
      3543 pregnant women. Age, gestational weeks, smoking, consumption of iodized
      salt, dietary salt restriction, history of stillbirth, abortus and congenital
      malformations were questioned. Spot urine samples were analyzed for urine iodine
      concentration (UIC). The outcomes were: (a) median UIC in three trimesters of
      pregnancy and (b) frequency of ID among pregnant women. The median UIC was 73
      ug/L. The median UIC was 77 ug/L (1-324), 73 ug/L (1-600) and 70 ug/L (1-1650) in
      three trimesters of pregnancy, respectively (p: 0.14). UIC <50 ug/L was observed
      in 36.6% (n: 1295) and UIC<150 ug/L was observed in 90.7% (n: 3214) of pregnant
      women. Only 1% (n: 34) of the pregnant women had UIC levels higher than 500 ug/L.
      This study showed that more than 90% of the pregnant women in this iodine
      sufficient city are facing some degree of iodine deficiency during their
      pregnancy. A salt iodization program might be satisfactory for the non-pregnant
      population, but it seems to be insufficient for the pregnant population.

PMID- 26489985
TI  - Facile fabrication of structure-tunable bead-shaped hybrid microfibers using a
      Rayleigh instability guiding strategy.
AB  - A method allowing the fabrication of quantum-dot or photonic crystal loaded bead
      shaped hybrid microfiber arrays in a Rayleigh instability driven drop-sliding
      manner is demonstrated. 

PMID- 26489986
TI  - Risk factors for recurrent admissions with diabetic ketoacidosis: a case-control
      observational study.
AB  - AIM: To perform a detailed analysis of patients with recurrent diabetic
      ketoacidosis admissions in order to establish risk factors for readmission.
      METHODS: The medical records of all adults and young people (> 15 years) with
      Type 1 diabetes admitted to Auckland City Hospital over a 15-year period from
      1997 to 2011 with a primary diagnosis of ketoacidosis were analysed. Patients
      readmitted with ketoacidosis within 5 years of their index admission were
      identified and compared with patients without ketoacidosis readmission who were
      matched for age, gender, ethnicity and duration of diabetes. RESULTS: A total of
      268 patients accounted for a total of 412 admissions. In all, 58 patients had
      more than one admission for diabetic ketoacidosis during this period. Of these,
      40 patients readmitted with diabetic ketoacidosis were compared with matched
      control subjects (n = 40) who had only one admission for diabetic ketoacidosis.
      The mean +/- sd age of the cohort was 31 +/- 12 years. The readmission group had
      more severe diabetic ketoacidosis and poorer glycaemic control. Alcohol abuse was
      commonly noted in both groups, with insulin dose omission being the main
      contributor to the development of ketoacidosis. Both groups had high rates of
      clinic non-attendance. There were no other differences noted between the groups.
      CONCLUSION: When patients with recurrent diabetic ketoacidosis were matched for
      age, duration of diabetes, gender and ethnicity with patients who had only one
      admission for diabetic ketoacidosis, few differences were noted. This makes
      designing intervention strategies to reduce readmission with diabetic
      ketoacidosis difficult.

PMID- 26489987
TI  - Is the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program
      surgical risk calculator applicable for breast cancer patients undergoing breast
      conserving surgery?
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to analyze the applicability of the National Surgical
      Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) calculator to patients undergoing breast
      conserving surgery. METHODS: A total of 287 consecutive patients treated with
      breast-conserving surgery from 2010 to 2012 were identified retrospectively. The
      risk calculator was applied to each patient to generate an individual risk
      profile. Risk calculations were then compared with actual outcomes. The
      performance of the risk calculator was evaluated using 2 metrics: the Brier score
      and c statistic. RESULTS: The NSQIP calculator performed adequately for all
      complications, with Brier scores less than .05. However, 37 patients (12.9%)
      returned to the operating room for oncologic indications. Twenty-nine patients
      (10.1%) had positive margins, whereas 8 patients (2.8%) returned due to an
      upgrade in diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: When considering return to the operating room
      for oncologic management, the observed rate of 13.9% is significantly higher than
      the NSQIP prediction. This deviation must be addressed when using the NSQIP risk
      calculator model during preoperative risk discussion.

PMID- 26489988
TI  - Establishing benchmarks for the management of elevated liver enzymes and/or
      dilated biliary trees in an urban safety net hospital: analysis of 915 subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The push for public reporting of outcomes necessitates relevant
      benchmarks for disease states across different settings. This study establishes
      benchmarks for choledocholithiasis management in a safety net hospital setting.
      METHODS: We reviewed all patients admitted to our acute care surgery service with
      biochemical evidence of choledocholithiasis who underwent same-admission
      cholecystectomy (CCY) between July 2012 and December 2013. RESULTS: During this
      18-month period, 915 patients were admitted with biochemical evidence of
      choledocholithiasis. Descriptive statistics for the cohort are provided, which
      include a 51% rate of obesity and 95% rate of pathologic cholecystitis.
      Conversion rates of 4% and complication rates of 6% were found. The majority had
      a CCY without biliary imaging (n = 630, 68.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Relevant benchmarks
      are characterized, and results of a practice pattern of omitting pre- or
      intraoperative biliary tree imaging are described. These findings serve as a
      first benchmark of choledocholithiasis management for urban safety net hospitals.

PMID- 26489989
TI  - Impact of adding a second layer to a single unlocked closure of a Cesarean
      uterine incision: randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate short- and long-term effects on residual myometrial
      thickness (RMT) of adding a second layer to a single unlocked closure of a
      Cesarean uterine incision. METHODS: This was a randomized double-blind controlled
      trial. Healthy nulliparous women scheduled for first-time elective Cesarean
      delivery were operated on using a modified version of the Misgav Ladach surgical
      technique. The women were examined by transabdominal ultrasound before discharge
      from the maternity ward and by transvaginal saline contrast sonohysterography at
      a minimum of 5 months postpartum. RESULTS: Seventy-six nulliparae met the
      criteria and agreed to participate in the study. Thirty-five women were assigned
      to the single-layer technique and 38 to the double-layer unlocked closure
      technique. Groups were comparable regarding gestational age at delivery, duration
      of surgery and perioperative blood loss. There was no difference in RMT between
      the two groups, both at time of discharge (mean +/- SD, 20.2 +/- 8.0 mm vs 21.0
      +/- 9.7 mm) and after 5 months postpartum (mean, 5.7 +/- 2.9 mm vs 5.7 +/- 2.2
      mm). RMT was approximately half that of the normal myometrium at both
      examinations. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that double-layer
      closure of a Cesarean uterine incision does not increase RMT compared with single
      layer closure when an unlocked technique is used.

PMID- 26489990
TI  - Minimally invasive oesophagectomy: the Ivor Lewis approach.
AB  - Oesophagectomy is a challenging operation involving multiple body cavities. The
      traditional open approach has several described techniques. The Ivor Lewis
      approach is one of the most commonly utilized approaches and includes a
      laparotomy and a thoracotomy. Traditionally, this has resulted in some morbidity.
      This article describes a stepwise approach to a minimally invasive Ivor Lewis
      oesophagectomy including laparoscopic mobilization of the stomach, formation of
      the gastric conduit, placement of a feeding jejunostomy tube, thoracoscopic
      oesophageal mobilization and resection and a stapled oesophago-gastric
      anastomosis. Common pitfalls and technical insights will be presented. 

PMID- 26489991
TI  - The reliability and validity of the informant AD8 by comparison with a series of
      cognitive assessment tools in primary healthcare.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The validity and reliability of the informant AD8 in primary
      healthcare has not been established. Therefore, the present study examined the
      validity and reliability of the informant AD8 in government subsidized primary
      healthcare centers in Singapore. METHODS: Eligible patients (>=60 years old) were
      recruited from primary healthcare centers and their informants received the AD8.
      Patient-informant dyads who agreed for further cognitive assessments received the
      Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA),
      Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and a locally validated formal neuropsychological
      battery at a research center in a tertiary hospital. RESULTS: 1,082 informants
      completed AD8 assessment at two primary healthcare centers. Of these, 309
      patients-informant dyads were further assessed, of whom 243 (78.6%) were CDR = 0;
      22 (7.1%) were CDR = 0.5; and 44 (14.2%) were CDR>=1. The mean administration
      time of the informant AD8 was 2.3 +/- 1.0 minutes. The informant AD8 demonstrated
      good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85); inter-rater reliability
      (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) = 0.85); and test-retest reliability
      (weighted kappa = 0.80). Concurrent validity, as measured by the correlation
      between total AD8 scores and CDR global (R = 0.65, p < 0.001), CDR sum of boxes
      (R = 0.60, p < 0.001), MMSE (R = -0.39, p < 0.001), MoCA (R = -0.41, p < 0.001),
      as well as the formal neuropsychological battery (R = -0.46, p < 0.001), was good
      and consistent with previous studies. Construct validity, as measured by
      convergent validity (R >= 0.4) between individual items of AD8 with CDR and
      neuropsychological domains was acceptable. CONCLUSIONS: The informant AD8
      demonstrated good concurrent and construct validity and is a reliable measure to
      detect cognitive dysfunction in primary healthcare.

PMID- 26489992
TI  - In Memoriam: Mark Jeffery Chaffin (1952-2015): Flying by the Data.

PMID- 26489995
TI  - Veterinary team interactions, part 2: the personal effect.
AB  - Modern veterinary practices consist of multiple professions/occupations, often
      spread over multiple branches. Within these teams are identifiable 'key people'
      who are central to information and resource flow. Key people are frequently the
      appointed leaders, such as practice managers, but also include emergent leaders.
      Veterinary surgeons are commonly involved in the flow of higher order
      interactions such as problem solving, while administrators are often involved in
      information interactions. These key people are repeatedly boundary spanners,
      sharing resources across physical boundaries such as branches. Their marginal
      status (belonging to multiple groups) also allows them to interact across
      professional boundaries. Lower order interactions including asking for
      information and advice are often interprofessional; however, higher order
      interactions tend to be intraprofessional. Analysis of interaction reciprocity
      between professions demonstrated the prevalence of a profession based hierarchy,
      with veterinary surgeons at the top. Being social outside of work with a
      colleague is also linked to work based interactions. The results of this paper
      demonstrate the need for practices to consider key people and support them
      appropriately. Further to this, they suggest that, to promote an effective team,
      interactions should be based on experience as much as professional status, and
      that social interactions should be encouraged. 

PMID- 26489996
TI  - Liver copper concentrations in cull cattle in the UK: are cattle being copper
      loaded?
AB  - With the release of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural
      Affairs/Advisory Committee on Animal Feed Guidance Note for Supplementing Copper
      to Bovines it was noted that the current copper status of the national herd was
      not known. Liver samples were recovered from 510 cull cattle at a single abattoir
      across a period of three days. The samples were wet-ashed and liver copper
      concentrations determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
      analysis. Breed, age and previous location information were obtained from the
      British Cattle Movement Service. Dairy breeds had higher liver copper
      concentrations than beef breeds. Holstein-Friesian and 'other' dairy breeds had
      38.3 per cent and 40 per cent of cattle above the Animal Health and Veterinary
      Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) reference range (8000 umol/kg dry matter),
      respectively, whereas only 16.9 per cent of animals in the combined beef breeds
      exceeded this value. It was found that underlying topsoil copper concentration
      was not related to liver copper content and that age of the animal also had
      little effect on liver concentration. In conclusion, over 50 per cent of the
      liver samples tested had greater-than-normal concentrations of copper with almost
      40 per cent of the female dairy cattle having liver copper concentrations above
      the AHVLA reference range, indicating that a significant proportion of the UK
      herd is at risk of chronic copper toxicity.

PMID- 26489997
TI  - We need to talk about error: causes and types of error in veterinary practice.
AB  - Patient safety research in human medicine has identified the causes and common
      types of medical error and subsequently informed the development of interventions
      which mitigate harm, such as the WHO's safe surgery checklist. There is no such
      evidence available to the veterinary profession. This study therefore aims to
      identify the causes and types of errors in veterinary practice, and presents an
      evidence based system for their classification. Causes of error were identified
      from retrospective record review of 678 claims to the profession's leading
      indemnity insurer and nine focus groups (average N per group=8) with vets, nurses
      and support staff were performed using critical incident technique. Reason's
      (2000) Swiss cheese model of error was used to inform the interpretation of the
      data. Types of error were extracted from 2978 claims records reported between the
      years 2009 and 2013. The major classes of error causation were identified with
      mistakes involving surgery the most common type of error. The results were
      triangulated with findings from the medical literature and highlight the
      importance of cognitive limitations, deficiencies in non-technical skills and a
      systems approach to veterinary error. 

PMID- 26489998
TI  - Suppression of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis by autologous T
      regulatory cells.
AB  - Adoptive transfer of regulatory T (Treg) cells have been employed effectively for
      suppression of several animal models for autoimmune diseases. In order to employ
      Treg cell therapy in patients, it is necessary to generate Treg cells from the
      patient's own cells (autologous) that would be able to suppress effectively the
      disease in vivo, upon their reintroduction to the patient. Towards this
      objective, we report in the present study on a protocol for a successful immune
      regulation of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) by ex vivo-
      generated autologous Treg cells. For this protocol bone marrow (BM) cells, are
      first cultured in the presence of GM-CSF, giving rise to a population of
      CD11c(+)MHCII(+)CD45RA(+)CD8(-) DCs (BMDCs). Splenic CD4(+) T cells are then co
      cultured with the differentiated BM cells and expand to 90% of Foxp3(+) Treg
      cells. In vitro assay exhibits a similar dose dependent manner in the suppression
      of T effector cells proliferation between Treg cells obtained from either healthy
      or sick donors. In addition, both Treg cells inhibit similarly the secretion of
      IFN-gamma from activated splenocytes. Administration of 1 * 10(6) ex-vivo
      generated Treg cells, I.V, to EAMG rats, modulates the disease following a single
      treatment, given 3 days or 3 weeks after disease induction. Similar disease
      inhibition was achieved when CD4 cells were taken from either healthy or sick
      donors. The disease suppression was accompanied by reduced levels of total AChR
      specific antibodies in the serum. Moreover, due to the polyclonality of the
      described Treg cell, we have examined whether this treatment approach could be
      also employed for the treatment of other autoimmune diseases involving Treg
      cells. Indeed, we demonstrated that the ex-vivo generated autologous Treg cells
      suppress Adjuvant Arthritis (AA) in rats. This study opens the way for the
      application of induced autologous Treg cell therapy for myasthenia gravis, as
      well as for other human autoimmune diseases involving Treg cells.

PMID- 26489999
TI  - Larval Temperature-Food Effects on Adult Mosquito Infection and Vertical
      Transmission of Dengue-1 Virus.
AB  - Temperature-food interactions in the larval environment can affect life history
      and population growth of container mosquitoes Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes
      albopictus Skuse, the primary vectors of chikungunya and dengue viruses. We used
      Ae. aegypti, Ae. albopictus, and dengue-1 virus (DENV-1) from Florida to
      investigate whether larval rearing temperature can alter the effects of larval
      food levels on Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus life history and DENV-1 infection
      and vertical transmission. Although we found no effect of larval treatments on
      survivorship to adulthood, DENV-1 titer, or DENV-1 vertical transmission, rates
      of vertical transmission up to 16-24% were observed in Ae. albopictus and Ae.
      aegypti, which may contribute to maintenance of this virus in nature. Larval
      treatments had no effect on number of progeny and DENV-1 infection in Ae.
      aegypti, but the interaction between temperature and food affected number of
      progeny and DENV-1 infection of the female Ae. albopictus parent. The cooler
      temperature (24 degrees C) yielded the most progeny and this effect was
      accentuated by high food relative to the other conditions. Low and high food led
      to the highest (~90%) and lowest (~65%) parental infection at the cooler
      temperature, respectively, whereas intermediate infection rates (~75-80%) were
      observed for all food conditions at the elevated temperature. These results
      suggest that temperature and food availability have minimal influence on rate of
      vertical transmission and a stronger influence on adults of Ae. albopictus than
      of Ae. aegypti, which could have consequences for dengue virus epidemiology. 

PMID- 26490000
TI  - Selective Insecticide Applications Directed Against Triatoma infestans
      (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) Affected a Nontarget Secondary Vector of Chagas Disease,
      Triatoma garciabesi.
AB  - The control of nondomiciliated triatomine species adapted to peridomestic
      habitats represents a challenge because they are connected to sylvatic colonies,
      and pyrethroid insecticides have limited effects outdoors. The effects of
      residual insecticide spraying have rarely been assessed on secondary triatomines.
      Triatoma garciabesi (Carcavallo, Martinez, Cichero, Prosen & Ronderos, 1967) is a
      nontarget vector that inhabits the dry western Chaco region, and a member of the
      Triatoma sordida Stal 1859 complex. Little is known on the capacity of T.
      garciabesi to invade and establish viable domestic or peridomestic colonies, and
      on its response to residual insecticide sprays directed against Triatoma
      infestans Klug 1834. The presence and abundance of triatomines were assessed by
      timed manual collections annually or biannually (spring and fall) during 10 yr
      after a community-wide insecticide spraying campaign and selective insecticide
      sprays directed against T. infestans in a rural village of northwestern
      Argentina. T. garciabesi mainly occupied peridomestic habitats associated with
      chickens, and was unable to colonize human sleeping quarters. Trees with chickens
      occurred in nearly all houses and were infested in >25% of the occasions. The
      abundance of bugs at house-compound level was best explained by a generalized
      estimating equation model that included selective insecticide sprays during the
      previous semester (negative effects), chicken abundance (positive effects),
      seasonality, and their interactions. Our results suggest that insecticide
      applications targeting T. infestans affected the abundance of T. garciabesi, and
      reduced the likelihood of future infestation. 

PMID- 26490001
TI  - Computational modeling of self-trapped electrons in rutile TiO2.
AB  - In conjunction with the constrained density functional theory, a valence-bond
      representation has been employed to model the migration of anionic polaron in
      bulk rutile TiO2. It was found that the charge delocalization of a self-trapped
      electron proceeded predominately along the c crystal axis of rutile, thus
      exhibiting pronounced directional heterogeneity of polaron migration. As a
      result, the extrapolated polaron activation energies are 0.026 eV and 0.195 eV
      along the [001] and [111] lattice vectors, respectively. According to the
      Holstein theory, the difference on the activation energy makes the polaron drift
      over 100 times faster along the c crystal axis than on the ab crystal plane at
      room temperature. The notable anisotropy of the anionic polaron was also
      reflected through the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) g-matrix, whose
      principal component along [001] is substantially smaller than that along [110] or
      [110]. Finally, the extent of polaron charge was probed by our calculated
      isotropic hyperfine coupling constants on two groups of crystallographically
      inequivalent (17)O atoms, which manifest distinct strengths of spin-orbit
      interaction with the unpaired electron.

PMID- 26490003
TI  - Online emergency department ratings, patient satisfaction and the age-old issue
      of communication.

PMID- 26490002
TI  - Establishing the validity of English GP Patient Survey items evaluating out-of
      hours care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A 2014 national audit used the English General Practice Patient
      Survey (GPPS) to compare service users' experience of out-of-hours general
      practitioner (GP) services, yet there is no published evidence on the validity of
      these GPPS items. OBJECTIVES: Establish the construct and concurrent validity of
      GPPS items evaluating service users' experience of GP out-of-hours care. METHODS:
      Cross-sectional postal survey of service users (n=1396) of six English out-of
      hours providers. Participants reported on four GPPS items evaluating out-of-hours
      care (three items modified following cognitive interviews with service users),
      and 14 evaluative items from the Out-of-hours Patient Questionnaire (OPQ).
      Construct validity was assessed through correlations between any reliable
      (Cochran's alpha>0.7) scales, as suggested by a principal component analysis of
      the modified GPPS items, with the 'entry access' (four items) and 'consultation
      satisfaction' (10 items) OPQ subscales. Concurrent validity was determined by
      investigating whether each modified GPPS item was associated with thematically
      related items from the OPQ using linear regressions. RESULTS: The modified GPPS
      item-set formed a single scale (alpha=0.77), which summarised the two-component
      structure of the OPQ moderately well; explaining 39.7% of variation in the 'entry
      access' scores (r=0.63) and 44.0% of variation in the 'consultation satisfaction'
      scores (r=0.66), demonstrating acceptable construct validity. Concurrent validity
      was verified as each modified GPPS item was highly associated with a distinct set
      of related items from the OPQ. CONCLUSIONS: Minor modifications are required for
      the English GPPS items evaluating out-of-hours care to improve comprehension by
      service users. A modified question set was demonstrated to comprise a valid
      measure of service users' overall satisfaction with out-of-hours care received.
      This demonstrates the potential for the use of as few as four items in
      benchmarking providers and assisting services in identifying, implementing and
      assessing quality improvement initiatives.

PMID- 26490004
TI  - The use of patient experience survey data by out-of-hours primary care services:
      a qualitative interview study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: English National Quality Requirements mandate out-of-hours primary
      care services to routinely audit patient experience, but do not state how it
      should be done. OBJECTIVES: We explored how providers collect patient feedback
      data and use it to inform service provision. We also explored staff views on the
      utility of out-of-hours questions from the English General Practice Patient
      Survey (GPPS). METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted with 31 staff
      (comprising service managers, general practitioners and administrators) from 11
      out-of-hours primary care providers in England, UK. Staff responsible for patient
      experience audits within their service were sampled and data collected via face
      to-face semistructured interviews. RESULTS: Although most providers regularly
      audited their patients' experiences by using patient surveys, many participants
      expressed a strong preference for additional qualitative feedback. Staff provided
      examples of small changes to service delivery resulting from patient feedback,
      but service-wide changes were not instigated. Perceptions that patients lacked
      sufficient understanding of the urgent care system in which out-of-hours primary
      care services operate were common and a barrier to using feedback to enable
      change. Participants recognised the value of using patient experience feedback to
      benchmark services, but perceived weaknesses in the out-of-hours items from the
      GPPS led them to question the validity of using these data for benchmarking in
      its current form. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of clarity around how out-of-hours
      providers should audit patient experience hinders the utility of the National
      Quality Requirements. Although surveys were common, patient feedback data had
      only a limited role in service change. Data derived from the GPPS may be used to
      benchmark service providers, but refinement of the out-of-hours items is needed.

PMID- 26490005
TI  - Diminished Progression of Periapical Lesions with Zoledronic Acid in
      Ovariectomized Rats.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of
      systemically administered zoledronic acid (ZOL) on the progression of periapical
      lesions in estrogen-deficient rats. METHODS: Female Wistar rats were divided into
      the following groups: SHAM-veh, sham surgery treated with vehicle (physiological
      saline); OVX-veh, ovariectomy treated with vehicle; SHAM-ZOL, sham surgery
      treated with ZOL; and OVX-ZOL, ovariectomy treated with ZOL. Vehicle or ZOL was
      administered intravenously once a week for 4 weeks. The pulp of the mandibular
      first molar of all rats was exposed to the oral environment to induce a
      periapical lesion, and the lesions were analyzed after 7 and 30 days. The
      mandibles were examined by micro-computed tomographic imaging and
      histopathologic, histometric, and immunohistochemical analyses. RESULTS:
      Histopathologically, the OVX-veh group had more severe inflammation and bone loss
      and a larger number of cells that were positive for tartrate-resistant acid
      phosphatase compared with the SHAM-veh and OVX-ZOL groups; the SHAM-veh and OVX
      ZOL groups were similar to each other. The SHAM-ZOL group had the lowest
      magnitude of these conditions. Tomographically, the OVX-veh group had greater
      bone loss than the other groups at both time points. The SHAM-veh, SHAM-ZOL, and
      OVX-ZOL groups had similar bone loss at both time points. In the sagittal section
      on day 30, the SHAM-ZOL group had lower bone loss compared with the SHAM-veh and
      OVX-ZOL groups. CONCLUSIONS: The hypoestrogenic condition aggravates the
      progression of periapical lesions. ZOL therapy may help contain bone destruction
      of periapical lesions.

PMID- 26490006
TI  - Identification of the IFN-beta response in H3N2 canine influenza virus infection.
AB  - Canine influenza viruses (CIVs) circulate continuously in the dog population,
      providing opportunities for exposure to humans and other species. Although the
      dog genome has been sequenced, innate immunity in dogs is not well characterized,
      which limits the understanding of H3N2 canine influenza virus pathogenesis.
      Equally, how this virus evades the canine host innate immune response to
      successfully establish infection remains unclear. To analyse the IFN-beta
      response to CIV infection in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, the canine IFN-beta
      promoter sequence and its positive regulatory domain motifs were first cloned and
      identified using a luciferase reporter system. Next, we found that infection with
      the CIV strain GD/12 blocked the IFN-beta response primarily by inhibiting the NF
      kappaB and IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) signalling pathways. Expression of
      GD/12 non-structural protein 1 alone was sufficient to inhibit Sendai virus
      induced NF-kappaB and IRF3 activation by suppressing p65 and IRF3
      phosphorylation, suggesting the important role of this protein in the CIV
      mediated inhibition of the IFN-beta response. These results suggest that
      inhibition of the IFN-beta signalling pathway may have played a role in CIV
      establishment and spread in dog populations. 

PMID- 26490007
TI  - Variation in rates of breast cancer surgery: A national analysis based on French
      Hospital Episode Statistics.
AB  - AIMS: Minimum volume thresholds were introduced in France in 2008 to improve the
      quality of cancer care. We investigated whether/how the quality of treatment
      decisions in breast cancer surgery had evolved before and after this policy was
      implemented. METHODS: We used Hospital Episode Statistics for all women having
      undergone breast conserving surgery (BCS) or mastectomy in France in 2005 and
      2012. Three surgical procedures considered as better treatment options were
      analyzed: BCS, immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) and sentinel lymph node
      biopsy (SLNB). We studied the mean rates and variation according to the hospital
      profile and volume. RESULTS: Between 2005 and 2012, the volume of breast cancer
      surgery increased by 11% whereas one third of the hospitals no longer performed
      this type of surgery. In 2012, the mean rate of BCS was 74% and similar in all
      hospitals whatever the volume. Conversely, IBR and SLNB rates were much higher in
      cancer centers (CC) and regional teaching hospitals (RTH) [IBR: 19% and 14%
      versus 8% on average; SLNB: 61% and 47% versus 39% on average]; the greater the
      hospital volume, the higher the IBR and SLNB rates (p < 0.0001). Overall,
      whatever the surgical procedure considered, inter-hospital variation in rates
      declined substantially in CC and RTH. CONCLUSIONS: We identified considerable
      variation in IBR and SLNB rates between French hospitals. Although more complex
      and less standardized than BCS, most clinical guidelines recommended these
      procedures. This apparent heterogeneity suggests unequal access to high-quality
      procedures for women with breast cancer.

PMID- 26490008
TI  - Pattern injuries from blows with the muzzle end of a handgun.
AB  - Pistols, revolvers and blank guns are not only used to discharge cartridges, but
      also for hits to the victim. In such cases, the blows preferably affect the head
      and/or the interposed hands protecting the body. The impact is mostly exerted
      either by the grip of a pistol or the butt of a revolver. In vigorous thrusts
      inflicted with the muzzle end of the weapon, the edge of the barrel may produce
      circular punch lesions with central skin flaps roughly corresponding to the bore.
      As in other kinds of pistol-whipping, the scalp wounds may be associated with
      fractures of the skull and even with brain contusions. Using the example of a
      homicide committed by pistol-whipping, the morphological features of blunt
      injuries from a handgun's muzzle are presented. The characteristic wound pattern
      found on the victim's head could be reproduced experimentally by forceful blows
      to the forehead of a slaughtered pig. In the case presented, the dominant hand of
      the perpetrator showed friction blisters due to prolonged striking with an
      unhandy tool in the form of a pistol. 

PMID- 26490009
TI  - Undiscovered regions on the molecular landscape of flagellar assembly.
AB  - The bacterial flagellum is a motility structure and one of the most complicated
      motors in the biosphere. A flagellum consists of several dozens of building
      blocks in different stoichiometries and extends from the cytoplasm to the
      extracellular space. Flagellar biogenesis follows a strict spatio-temporal regime
      that is guided by a plethora of flagellar assembly factors and chaperones. The
      goal of this review is to summarize our current structural and mechanistic
      knowledge of this intricate process and to identify the undiscovered regions on
      the molecular landscape of flagellar assembly. 

PMID- 26490010
TI  - Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding in adolescents: Results at two years
      including psychosocial aspects.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Obesity now affects 3%-4% of the pediatric population and
      contributes to the increase in cardiac mortality in adulthood. Bariatric surgery
      is the best treatment for weight loss and the obesity-associated comorbidities in
      adults. We report here our experience of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding
      (LAGB) in adolescents. METHODS: The medical charts of the first 16 patients
      operated on in our center were reviewed. Data were compiled concerning weight
      loss, physical and biological comorbidities, health-related quality of life (QOL)
      and surgical complications before surgery and during 24months of follow-up.
      RESULTS: The maximal pre-operative median body mass index was 43.0kg.m(-2),
      decreasing to 33.0kg.m(-2) at 2years post-LAGB, which corresponded to a 49.2%
      excess body weight loss (p<0.001). Most comorbidities (glucose intolerance,
      hypertension and sleep apnea) resolved within the first year post-LAGB and QOL
      was improved on the PedsQLTM scales. No severe surgical complications were noted,
      with only three re-interventions for device failure (2) or band removal (1).
      CONCLUSION: LAGB is well tolerated in adolescents and shows a beneficial impact
      on weight loss and obesity-related comorbidities. Associated with global
      management, it may have a positive impact on patients' QOL and social and
      psychological status.

PMID- 26490011
TI  - The long-term neurodevelopmental and psychological outcomes of gastroschisis: A
      cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Previous gastroschisis specific neurodevelopmental studies have
      focused on the first 3years of life. The aim of this study was to assess the
      intellectual, behavioral and neurological outcomes of older children and
      adolescents born with gastroschisis. STUDY DESIGN: Of 99 gastroschisis survivors
      born in Western Australia, 1992 to 2005, and who were at least 5years old, 42
      agreed to take part in this study. The study assessed: intellectual ability, with
      age appropriate Wechsler intelligence scales; neurological status; hearing;
      vision; behavioral status with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
      (SDQ); and parenting style with the Parenting Relationship Questionnaire (PRQ).
      All results were compared to normative means. RESULTS: Median age at follow-up
      was 10years (range 5-17). No child had evidence of cerebral palsy or hearing
      loss; 1 child had amblyopia. Psychometric tests were completed in 39 children:
      mean full scale IQ was 98.2 (standard deviation [SD] 10.7); the working memory
      index was the only subscale to show a significant decrease from the normative
      mean (mean 95.5, SD 12.4, p=0.038). The mean SDQ behavioral scores were
      significantly lower for 3 of 5 domains and the Total Difficulties score. PRQ
      scores were significantly abnormal for 4 of 7 domains: Communication, Discipline,
      Satisfaction with School and Relational Frustration. CONCLUSIONS: Overall
      intellectual abilities were within a normal range. The decrease in working memory
      index and the behavioral and parenting relationship impairments could be an
      effect of perinatal factors, gastroschisis management and complications or the
      complexity of the socio-economic environment.

PMID- 26490012
TI  - Text Message and Internet Support for Coronary Heart Disease Self-Management:
      Results From the Text4Heart Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mobile technology has the potential to deliver behavior change
      interventions (mHealth) to reduce coronary heart disease (CHD) at modest cost.
      Previous studies have focused on single behaviors; however, cardiac
      rehabilitation (CR), a component of CHD self-management, needs to address
      multiple risk factors. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate the effectiveness of
      a mHealth-delivered comprehensive CR program (Text4Heart) to improve adherence to
      recommended lifestyle behaviors (smoking cessation, physical activity, healthy
      diet, and nonharmful alcohol use) in addition to usual care (traditional CR).
      METHODS: A 2-arm, parallel, randomized controlled trial was conducted in New
      Zealand adults diagnosed with CHD. Participants were recruited in-hospital and
      were encouraged to attend center-based CR (usual care control). In addition, the
      intervention group received a personalized 24-week mHealth program, framed in
      social cognitive theory, sent by fully automated daily short message service
      (SMS) text messages and a supporting website. The primary outcome was adherence
      to healthy lifestyle behaviors measured using a self-reported composite health
      behavior score (>=3) at 3 and 6 months. Secondary outcomes included clinical
      outcomes, medication adherence score, self-efficacy, illness perceptions, and
      anxiety and/or depression at 6 months. Baseline and 6-month follow-up assessments
      (unblinded) were conducted in person. RESULTS: Eligible patients (N=123)
      recruited from 2 large metropolitan hospitals were randomized to the intervention
      (n=61) or the control (n=62) group. Participants were predominantly male
      (100/123, 81.3%), New Zealand European (73/123, 59.3%), with a mean age of 59.5
      (SD 11.1) years. A significant treatment effect in favor of the intervention was
      observed for the primary outcome at 3 months (AOR 2.55, 95% CI 1.12-5.84; P=.03),
      but not at 6 months (AOR 1.93, 95% CI 0.83-4.53; P=.13). The intervention group
      reported significantly greater medication adherence score (mean difference: 0.58,
      95% CI 0.19-0.97; P=.004). The majority of intervention participants reported
      reading all their text messages (52/61, 85%). The number of visits to the website
      per person ranged from zero to 100 (median 3) over the 6-month intervention
      period. CONCLUSIONS: A mHealth CR intervention plus usual care showed a positive
      effect on adherence to multiple lifestyle behavior changes at 3 months in New
      Zealand adults with CHD compared to usual care alone. The effect was not
      sustained to the end of the 6-month intervention. A larger study is needed to
      determine the size of the effect in the longer term and whether the change in
      behavior reduces adverse cardiovascular events. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN
      12613000901707;
      https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=364758&isReview=
      rue (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6c4qhcHKt).

PMID- 26490013
TI  - Searching for new strategies against polymicrobial biofilm infections: guanylated
      polymethacrylates kill mixed fungal/bacterial biofilms.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Biofilm-related human infections have high mortality rates due to
      drug resistance. Cohabitation of diverse microbes in polymicrobial biofilms is
      common and these infections present additional challenges for treatment compared
      with monomicrobial biofilms. Here, we address this therapeutic gap by assessing
      the potential of a new class of antimicrobial agents, guanylated
      polymethacrylates, in the treatment of polymicrobial biofilms built by two
      prominent human pathogens, the fungus Candida albicans and the bacterium
      Staphylococcus aureus. METHODS: We used imaging and quantitative methods to test
      the antibiofilm efficacy of guanylated polymethacrylates, a new class of drugs
      that structurally mimic antimicrobial peptides. We further compared guanylated
      polymethacrylates with first-line antistaphylococcal and anti-Candida agents used
      as combinatorial therapy against polymicrobial biofilms. RESULTS: Guanylated
      polymethacrylates were highly effective as a sole agent, killing both C. albicans
      and S. aureus when applied to established polymicrobial biofilms. Furthermore,
      they outperformed multiple combinations of current antimicrobial drugs, with one
      of the tested compounds killing 99.98% of S. aureus and 82.2% of C. albicans at a
      concentration of 128 mg/L. The extracellular biofilm matrix provided protection,
      increasing the MIC of the polymethacrylates by 2-4-fold when added to planktonic
      assays. Using the C. albicans bgl2DeltaDelta mutant, we implicate matrix
      polysaccharide beta-1,3 glucan in the mechanism of protection. Data for two
      structurally distinct polymers suggest that this mechanism could be minimized
      through chemical optimization of the polymer structure. Finally, we demonstrate
      that a potential application for these polymers is in antimicrobial lock therapy.
      CONCLUSIONS: Guanylated polymethacrylates are a promising lead for the
      development of an effective monotherapy against C. albicans/S. aureus
      polymicrobial biofilms.

PMID- 26490014
TI  - Detection of MRSA ST3061-t843-mecC and ST398-t011-mecA in white stork nestlings
      exposed to human residues.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to analyse the prevalence of tracheal
      carriage of Staphylococcus aureus/MRSA in storks and to study the resistance and
      virulence genes in the obtained isolates. METHODS: Tracheal samples from 92 stork
      nestlings of two landfill-associated and two natural-habitat colonies were
      inoculated in specific media for S. aureus and MRSA recovery. Antimicrobial
      susceptibility was tested, and the presence of resistance, virulence and immune
      evasion cluster (IEC) genes was analysed by PCR. S. aureus isolates were
      characterized by spa and agr typing. Staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC) mec
      type was determined for mecC-positive isolates, and MLST was performed for 17
      selected S. aureus isolates. RESULTS: S. aureus isolates were identified in 32/92
      samples (34.8%), and 38 isolates were recovered. The prevalence of S. aureus was
      higher in nestlings from landfills (24/43, 55.8%) than in those from natural
      habitats (8/49, 16.3%). Three birds from landfill-associated colonies carried
      MRSA, two with mecA-positive strains [clonal complex (CC) 5-spa-t002 and CC398
      spa-t011] and one with a mecC-positive strain [sequence type (ST) 3061-CC130-spa
      t843-agr-III-SCCmecXI). None of the MRSA isolates presented IEC genes. Thirty
      five MSSA isolates, which showed 18 different spa types (ascribed to CC5, CC7,
      CC22, CC30, CC45, CC59, CC133 and CC398), were obtained. The agr types detected
      were I (63%), II (29%) and III (8%). Resistance and virulence genes identified in
      MSSA were blaZ (n = 25), erm(T) (n = 9), erm(A) (n = 1), tet(M) (n = 2), fexA (n
      = 3), str (n = 2), tst (n = 2), eta (n = 1) and cna (n = 15). The IEC types B, C,
      D and G were found in MSSA isolates, and two new STs were identified (ST3060 and
      ST3061). CONCLUSIONS: White storks are frequently tracheal carriers of S. aureus,
      including ST398 isolates. MRSA isolates of lineages CC398-mecA and CC130-mecC
      were detected in storks from landfill-associated colonies exposed to human
      residues.

PMID- 26490015
TI  - Improving antibiotic prescribing quality by an intervention embedded in the
      primary care practice accreditation: the ARTI4 randomized trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Antibiotic overprescribing is a significant problem. Multifaceted
      interventions improved antibiotic prescribing quality; their implementation and
      sustainability, however, have proved difficult. We analysed the effectiveness of
      an intervention embedded in the quality cycle of primary care practice
      accreditation on quantity and quality of antibiotic prescribing for respiratory
      tract and ear infections (RTIs). METHODS: This was a pragmatic, cluster
      randomized intervention trial in 88 Dutch primary care practices. The
      intervention (physician education and audit/feedback on antibiotic prescribing
      quantity and quality) was integrated in practice accreditation by defining an
      improvement plan with respect to antibiotic prescribing for RTIs. Numbers and
      types of dispensed antibiotics were analysed from 1 year prior to the
      intervention to 2 years after the intervention (pharmacy data). Overprescribing,
      underprescribing and non-first-choice prescribing for RTIs were analysed at
      baseline and 1 year later (self-registration). RESULTS: There were significant
      differences between intervention and control practices in the changes in
      dispensed antibiotics/1000 registered patients (first year: -7.6% versus -0.4%, P
      = 0.002; second year: -4.3% versus +2%, P = 0.015), which was more pronounced for
      macrolides and amoxicillin/clavulanate (first year: -12.7% versus +2.9%, P =
      0.001; second year: -7.8% versus +6.7%, P = 0.005). Overprescribing for RTIs
      decreased from 44% of prescriptions to 28% (P < 0.001). Most general
      practitioners (GPs) envisaged practice accreditation as a tool for guideline
      implementation. CONCLUSIONS: GP education and an audited improvement plan around
      antibiotics for RTIs as part of primary care practice accreditation sustainably
      improved antibiotic prescribing. Tools should be sought to further integrate and
      facilitate education and audit/feedback in practice accreditation.

PMID- 26490016
TI  - Transmission of MRSA between humans and animals on duck and turkey farms.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of MRSA
      on duck and turkey farms, identify risk factors for human carriage and study
      transmission between animals and humans. METHODS: On 10 duck and 10 turkey farms,
      samples were taken from animals, poultry houses, home residences and humans and
      cultured using pre-enrichment and selective enrichment. MRSA isolates were typed
      by spa typing and multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA)
      typing. A subset of isolates from animals and humans was investigated using whole
      genome mapping. RESULTS: MRSA was found on one duck farm and three turkey farms.
      On duck farms, all humans were MRSA negative. On turkey farms, 5 of 11 farmers, 2
      of 32 family members and 15 of 49 samples from the home residences were MRSA
      positive. Individuals with daily contact with turkeys were significantly more
      often MRSA positive than individuals without daily contact. All MRSA isolates
      belonged to livestock-associated MLVA complex 398, belonged to spa type t011,
      were negative for Panton-Valentine leucocidin, were mecC negative and were mecA
      positive. Whole-genome mapping proved a valuable tool to study the transmission
      of livestock-associated MRSA and showed that on two turkey farms the isolates
      from the animals and humans were indistinguishable or closely related, indicating
      transmission. CONCLUSIONS: MRSA carriage in individuals in daily contact with
      turkeys was significantly higher than that in individuals only living on the
      farms or than in the general Dutch population. Therefore, persons with a high
      degree of contact with turkeys have an increased risk of MRSA carriage, and we
      propose that they should be screened prior to hospitalization in order to
      decrease the risk of nosocomial transmission.

PMID- 26490017
TI  - 2015 ACC/AHA/SCAI Focused Update on Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
      for Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: An Update of the 2011
      ACCF/AHA/SCAI Guideline for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and the 2013
      ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A
      Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task
      Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Society for Cardiovascular
      Angiography and Interventions.

PMID- 26490018
TI  - Effect of supplementation of fermented milk drink containing probiotic
      Lactobacillus casei Shirota on the concentrations of aflatoxin biomarkers among
      employees of Universiti Putra Malaysia: a randomised, double-blind, cross-over,
      placebo-controlled study.
AB  - Human exposure to aflatoxin is through the diet, and probiotics are able to bind
      aflatoxin and prevent its absorption in the small intestine. This study aimed to
      determine the effectiveness of a fermented milk drink containing Lactobacillus
      casei Shirota (LcS) (probiotic drink) to prevent aflatoxin absorption and reduce
      serum aflatoxin B1-lysine adduct (AFB1-lys) and urinary aflatoxin M1
      concentrations. The present study was a randomised, double-blind, cross-over,
      placebo-controlled study with two 4-week intervention phases. In all, seventy-one
      subjects recruited from the screening stage were divided into two groups--the
      Yellow group and the Blue group. In the 1st phase, one group received probiotic
      drinks twice a day and the other group received placebo drinks. Blood and urine
      samples were collected at baseline, 2nd and 4th week of the intervention. After a
      2-week wash-out period, the treatments were switched between the groups, and
      blood and urine samples were collected at the 6th, 8th and 10th week (2nd phase)
      of the intervention. No significant differences in aflatoxin biomarker
      concentrations were observed during the intervention. A within-group analysis was
      further carried out. Aflatoxin biomarker concentrations were not significantly
      different in the Yellow group. Nevertheless, ANOVA for repeated measurements
      indicated that AFB1-lys concentrations were significantly different (P=0.035)
      with the probiotic intervention in the Blue group. The 2nd week AFB1-lys
      concentrations (5.14 (SD 2.15) pg/mg albumin (ALB)) were significantly reduced
      (P=0.048) compared with the baseline (6.24 (SD 3.42) pg/mg ALB). Besides, the 4th
      week AFB1-lys concentrations were significantly lower (P<0.05) with probiotic
      supplementation than with the placebo. Based on these findings, a longer
      intervention study is warranted to investigate the effects of continuous LcS
      consumption to prevent dietary aflatoxin exposure.

PMID- 26490020
TI  - Systematic overview of cost-effectiveness thresholds in ten countries across four
      continents.
AB  - AIM: To provide an overview of thresholds for incremental cost-effectiveness
      ratios (ICERs) representing willingness-to-pay (WTP) across multiple countries
      and insights into exemptions pertaining to the ICER (e.g., cancer). To compare
      ICER thresholds to individual country's estimated ability-to-pay. MATERIALS &
      METHODS: We included AHRQ/USA, BIQG-GOEG/Austria, CADTH/Canada,
      DAHTA@DIMDI/Germany, DECIT-CGATS/Brazil, HAS/France, HITAP/Thailand,
      IQWiG/Germany, LBI-HTA/Austria, MSAC/Australia, NICE/England/Wales and
      SBU/Sweden. ICER thresholds were derived from systematic literature/website
      search/expert surveys. WTP was compared with ATP using Spearman's rank
      correlation. RESULTS: Two general and explicitly acknowledged thresholds
      (England/Wales, Thailand), implicit thresholds in six countries and different
      ICER thresholds/decision-making rules in oncology were identified. Correlation
      between WTP and ability-to-pay was moderate. DISCUSSION: Our overview supports
      country-specific discussions on WTP and on how to define value(s) within
      societies.

PMID- 26490019
TI  - ChEC-seq kinetics discriminates transcription factor binding sites by DNA
      sequence and shape in vivo.
AB  - Chromatin endogenous cleavage (ChEC) uses fusion of a protein of interest to
      micrococcal nuclease (MNase) to target calcium-dependent cleavage to specific
      genomic loci in vivo. Here we report the combination of ChEC with high-throughput
      sequencing (ChEC-seq) to map budding yeast transcription factor (TF) binding.
      Temporal analysis of ChEC-seq data reveals two classes of sites for TFs, one
      displaying rapid cleavage at sites with robust consensus motifs and the second
      showing slow cleavage at largely unique sites with low-scoring motifs. Sites with
      high-scoring motifs also display asymmetric cleavage, indicating that ChEC-seq
      provides information on the directionality of TF-DNA interactions. Strikingly,
      similar DNA shape patterns are observed regardless of motif strength, indicating
      that the kinetics of ChEC-seq discriminates DNA recognition through sequence
      and/or shape. We propose that time-resolved ChEC-seq detects both high-affinity
      interactions of TFs with consensus motifs and sites preferentially sampled by TFs
      during diffusion and sliding. 

PMID- 26490021
TI  - Racah materials: role of atomic multiplets in intermediate valence systems.
AB  - We address the long-standing mystery of the nonmagnetic insulating state of the
      intermediate valence compound SmB6. Within a combination of the local density
      approximation (LDA) and an exact diagonalization (ED) of an effective discrete
      Anderson impurity model, the intermediate valence ground state with the f-shell
      occupation <n4f> = 5.6 is found for the Sm atom in SmB6. This ground state is a
      singlet, and the first excited triplet state ~3 meV higher in the energy. SmB6 is
      a narrow band insulator already in LDA, with the direct band gap of ~10 meV. The
      electron correlations increase the band gap which now becomes indirect. Thus, the
      many-body effects are relevant to form the indirect band gap, crucial for the
      idea of "topological Kondo insulator" in SmB6. Also, an actinide analog PuB6 is
      considered, and the intermediate valence singlet ground state is found for the Pu
      atom. We propose that [Sm, Pu]B6 belong to a new class of the intermediate
      valence materials with the multi-orbital "Kondo-like" singlet ground-state.
      Crucial role of complex spin-orbital f(  n)-f ( n+1) multiplet structure
      differently hybridized with ligand states in such Racah materials is discussed. 

PMID- 26490022
TI  - Pilot Analysis of Asbestos-induced Diffuse Pleural Thickening with Respiratory
      Compromise.
AB  - We investigated the clinical features of asbestos-induced diffuse pleural
      thickening (DPT) with severe respiratory compromise. We conducted a retrospective
      study of consecutive subjects with asbestos-induced DPT. Medical data such as
      initial symptoms, radiological findings, respiratory function test results, and
      clinical course were collected and analyzed. There were 24 patients between 2003
      and 2012. All were men, and the median age at the development of DPT was 74
      years. The top occupational category associated with asbestos exposure was
      dockyard workers. The median duration of asbestos exposure was 35.0 years, and
      the median latency from first exposure to the onset of DPT was 49.0 years. There
      were no significant differences in respiratory function test results between the
      higher and lower Brinkman index groups or between unilateral and bilateral DPT.
      Thirteen patients had a history of benign asbestos pleural effusion (BAPE), and
      the median duration from pleural fluid accumulation to DPT with severe
      respiratory compromise was 28.4 months. DPT with severe respiratory compromise
      can develop after a long latency following occupational asbestos exposure and a
      history of BAPE. 

PMID- 26490023
TI  - A Case-matched Comparative Study of Laparoscopic and Open Total Proctocolectomy
      for Ulcerative Colitis.
AB  - The aim of this single-institution, retrospective, observational case-control
      study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic proctocolectomy
      (PC) for ulcerative colitis (UC), by comparing it with a case-control series of
      open PC. Twenty UC patients who underwent laparoscopic PC were retrospectively
      compared with the open PC group of 12 patients matched for age, sex, and urgency
      of the operation. In the laparoscopic PC group, the operative time was
      significantly longer, but the amount of blood loss was significantly smaller. The
      open PC patients underwent an intraoperative blood transfusion significantly more
      often, and the serum C-reactive protein level on the first postoperative day was
      significantly higher in the open PC group. In the laparoscopic PC group, the rate
      of severe postoperative morbidities, grades 3 and 4 on the Clavien-Dindo
      classification, was significantly lower, and the median length of hospital stay
      was significantly shorter. Laparoscopic PC for patients with UC showed superior
      perioperative outcomes to open PC, except for longer operative time. 

PMID- 26490024
TI  - Characteristics and Costs of Ladder Fall Injuries: A Report from a Single
      Emergency Center in Okayama.
AB  - We sought to identify the incidence, injury patterns, and financial burden of
      ladder fall injuries to provide a reference for reinforcing guidelines on the
      prevention of such injuries. We enrolled the patients who were injured in a
      ladder-related fall and required intensive care between April 2012 and March 2014
      at Okayama University Hospital, a tertiary care hospital in Okayama City:9
      patients injured in 7 stepladder falls and 2 straight ladder falls. The median
      patient age was 69 years, and 8 were males. Six falls occurred in non
      occupational settings. Head injuries predominated, and the injury severity score
      ranged from 2 to 35 (mean=21+/-12). At the time of discharge from the intensive
      care unit, one patient had died and 5 patients had some neurological
      disabilities. The case fatality rate was 11%. The total cost of care during the
      review period was ?16,705,794, with a mean cost of ?1,856,199 per patient. Ladder
      fall injuries are associated with a high rate of neurological sequelae and pose a
      financial burden on the health insurance system. A prevention education campaign
      targeting at older-aged males in non-occupational settings may be a worthwhile
      health service investment in this community. 

PMID- 26490025
TI  - Inhibitory Effects of Edaravone, a Free Radical Scavenger, on Cytokine-induced
      Hyperpermeability of Human Pulmonary Microvascular Endothelial Cells:A Comparison
      with Dexamethasone and Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitor.
AB  - Lung hyperpermeability affects the development of acute respiratory distress
      syndrome (ARDS), but therapeutic strategies for the control of microvascular
      permeability have not been established. We examined the effects of edaravone,
      dexamethasone, and N-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) on permeability changes in
      human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVEC) under a hypercytokinemic
      state. Human PMVEC were seeded in a Boyden chamber. After monolayer confluence
      was achieved, the culture media were replaced respectively by culture media
      containing edaravone, dexamethasone, and L-NMMA. After 24-h incubation, the
      monolayer was stimulated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and
      interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta). Fluorescein-labeled dextran was added. Then the
      trans-human PMVEC leak was measured. Expressions of vascular endothelial-cadherin
      (VE-cadherin) and zonula occludens-1 protein (ZO-1) were evaluated using real
      time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence microscopy.
      The results showed that TNF-alpha+IL-1beta markedly increased pulmonary
      microvascular permeability. Pretreatment with edaravone, dexamethasone, or L-NMMA
      attenuated the hyperpermeability and inhibited the cytokine-induced reduction of
      VE-cadherin expression on immunofluorescence staining. Edaravone and
      dexamethasone increased the expression of ZO-1 at both the mRNA and protein
      levels. Edaravone and dexamethasone inhibited the permeability changes of human
      PMVEC, at least partly through an enhancement of VE-cadherin. Collectively, these
      results suggest a potential therapeutic approach for intervention in patients
      with ARDS. 

PMID- 26490026
TI  - Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with or without Concurrent Hormone Therapy in Estrogen
      Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer: NACED-Randomized Multicenter Phase II Trial.
AB  - Although in the neoadjuvant setting for estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast
      cancers, chemotherapy or hormone therapy alone does not result in satisfactory
      tumor response, it is unknown whether concurrent chemo-endocrine therapy is
      superior to chemotherapy alone in clinical outcomes. We conducted a randomized
      phase II trial to test the responses of ER-positive patients to concurrent
      administration of chemo-endocrine therapy in the neoadjuvant setting. Women with
      stage II-III, ER-positive, invasive breast cancer (n=28) received paclitaxel
      followed by fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide (T-FEC) and were
      randomized to receive concurrent chemo-endocrine therapy consisting of goserelin
      administered subcutaneously for premenopausal women or an aromatase inhibitor for
      postmenopausal women. The primary endpoint was the pathological complete response
      (pCR) rate after neoadjuvant therapy. Twenty-eight patients were randomized.
      There were no significant differences in pCR rate between the concurrent group
      (12.5%;2/16) and the chemotherapy alone group (8.3%;1/12). Tumor size after
      therapy was significantly reduced in the concurrent therapy group (p=0.035), but
      not in the chemotherapy-alone group (p=0.622). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with
      concurrent hormone therapy provided no significant improvement in pCR rate in ER
      positive breast cancers. These preliminary results should be followed up by
      further studies. 

PMID- 26490027
TI  - Primary Duodenal Follicular Lymphoma Treated With Rituximab Monotherapy and
      Followed-up for 15 Years.
AB  - A 41-year-old woman was diagnosed with duodenal follicular lymphoma. She had no
      other lesions and was assigned to a "watch and wait" policy. Swelling of the
      inguinal lymph nodes appeared 45 months later, and rituximab monotherapy resulted
      in complete remission. However, follicular lymphoma recurred in the stomach,
      rectum and mesenteric and external iliac lymph nodes 81 months after the therapy.
      The patient received rituximab monotherapy again and has remained in complete
      remission in the fifteenth year after the initial diagnosis. This case suggests
      the usefulness of rituximab monotherapy in the long-term management of intestinal
      follicular lymphoma. 

PMID- 26490028
TI  - Liver Sarcoidosis with Unique MRI Images Using Gadolinium Ethoxybenzyl
      Diethylenetriamine Pentaacetic Acid.
AB  - Sarcoidosis is a systemic disease characterized by the formation of non-caseating
      granulomas in multiple organs. In the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, imaging
      modalities such as ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) are useful;however, there are few reports of MRI imaging
      using gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB) MRI. A
      46-year-old Japanese female with suspected pulmonary sarcoidosis was admitted to
      our hospital because low-density mottles in the liver were observed incidentally
      by chest CT. The low-density mottles were not enhanced at the arterial phase or
      portal phase by abdominal CT and MRI, and decreased uptake was observed in the
      hepatobiliary phase of Gd-EOB MRI. No hematological disorder was observed except
      for a slight increase of biliary enzymes. The lesion was diagnosed as liver
      sarcoidosis by the liver biopsy. Since the patient refused steroid therapy, we
      prescribed ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). 600mg/day. The serum levels of biliary
      enzymes were normalized and the abdominal CT findings gradually improved after
      the initiation of UDCA medication. Gd-EOB MRI showed unique hypointense areas in
      the liver at the hepatobiliary phase, which might be useful in the diagnosis of
      liver sarcoidosis. 

PMID- 26490029
TI  - Paecilomyces lilacinus-induced Scleritis Following Bleb-associated
      Endophthalmitis after Trabeculectomy.
AB  - Paecilomyces lilacinus (P. lilacinus) is a rare cause of fungal scleritis. We
      herein report a case of P. lilacinus-induced scleritis following bleb-associated
      endophthalmitis after trabeculectomy that was successfully treated with surgical
      excision of the affected sclera in combination with antifungal medication. An 85
      year-old female underwent trabeculectomy of the left eye. A dellen formed in the
      corneal periphery due to limbal elevation of the filtering bleb and progressed to
      an infectious corneal ulcer, leading to blebitis. Eight days after the onset of
      blebitis, the patient was diagnosed with endophthalmitis, which resolved after
      vitrectomy. The growth of P. lilacinus was identified on swabs of the conjunctiva
      and the corneal specimen. Scleritis developed after the resolution of the
      endophthalmitis, and an early excision of the affected sclera, in addition to
      antifungal medication, resolved it completely. However, the scleritis recurred in
      a different region of the left eye. After 7 months of antifungal medication, the
      left eye showed no residual infection. When treating P. lilacinus-induced
      scleritis, surgical excision of the affected sclera has been shown to be an
      effective treatment strategy. Nevertheless, it is possible that the infection may
      recur in another part of the eyeball after the complete resolution of the primary
      lesion. 

PMID- 26490030
TI  - Cytomegalovirus as an Insidious Pathogen Causing Duodenitis.
AB  - A 60-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis treated with methotrexate for a
      decade complained of slight epigastric discomfort. A positive cytomegalovirus
      (CMV) antigenemia test indicated the probability of CMV-related gastrointestinal
      infection, for which esophagogastroduodenoscopy was performed. Endoscopic
      findings showed a non-specific duodenal mucosal lesion;however, pathological
      investigation revealed evidence of CMV duodenitis. There is scarce information on
      the clinical and pathological features of CMV-related duodenitis, likely due to
      its low prevalence. CMV infection in the upper gastrointestinal tract should be
      considered as a differential diagnosis in high-risk individuals, particularly
      those with symptoms relating to the digestive system. Biopsy examinations are
      preferable for the definitive diagnosis of CMV gastrointestinal infection, even
      without specific endoscopic features. 

PMID- 26490031
TI  - Erratum. Venous Thromboembolism after Total Hip Arthroplasty Diagnosed by
      Enhanced Computed Tomography:Comparison of Selective Thromboprophylaxis and No
      Thromboprophylaxis.
AB  - Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is the most effective treatment for advanced or end
      stage hip osteoarthritis. However, venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains one of
      its unresolved complications. We reviewed the records of 322 patients undergoing
      primary THA and investigated the efficacy of anticoagulant prophylaxis for VTE.
      Our study cohort consisted of 60 patients who received no anticoagulants, 100
      patients who received a factor Xa inhibitor (fondaparinux), 100 patients who
      received low molecular weight heparin (enoxaparin), and 62 patients who
      selectively received no anticoagulant prophylaxis due to perioperative bleeding,
      weight, and/or hemoglobin concentration. Enhanced 64-slice multidetector row
      computed tomography was performed postoperatively for 7 days in all cases. The
      incidence of VTE in the four groups was 15%, 9.0%, 6.0%, and 6.4%, respectively.
      The incidence of VTE was significantly lower in the groups receiving
      anticoagulant prophylaxis and the group selectively receiving no anticoagulant
      prophylaxis than in the group receiving no anticoagulants. Complications of
      fondaparinux therapy included hepatic dysfunction in 4 cases (4.0%), minor
      bleeding in 2 cases (2.0%), persistent wound drainage in 3 cases (3.0%), and
      eruption in 1 case (1.0%). The complications of enoxaparin therapy were
      persistent wound drainage in 1 case (1.0%) and progression of anemia in 1 case
      (1.0%). The incidence of VTE was low in patients who selectively received no
      anticoagulant prophylaxis, so we conclude that anticoagulant prophylaxis should
      be used selectively in THA cases.

PMID- 26490032
TI  - Structure and agency in long-distance truck drivers' lived experiences of condom
      use for HIV prevention.
AB  - Condom promotion has emerged as a mainstay of targeted HIV prevention
      interventions in India, with its emphasis on individual behaviour change and
      personal responsibility. However, such approaches often do not account for
      marginalised populations' structural vulnerability to HIV, arising from social,
      economic and political factors in the lived environment. In this paper, I use a
      critical health communication framework to analyse how structure and agency
      interact in influencing condom use among long-distance truck drivers in India.
      Drawing on an abductive discourse analysis of condom-use discourses among
      truckers and peer educators in two Indian cities, findings reveal that while
      truckers understand the biomedical logic of condoms as barriers, they also
      express anxiety about condom breakage and experience structural barriers to
      condom use. The paper concludes by calling for greater attention to structural
      vulnerabilities in future HIV prevention efforts with truck drivers. 

PMID- 26490034
TI  - Effects of self-administered methamphetamine on discrimination learning and
      reversal in nonhuman primates.
AB  - RATIONALE: Frequent exposure to methamphetamine has been reported to adversely
      influence cognitive behavior and, in particular, inhibitory control processes.
      OBJECTIVE: The present studies were conducted in squirrel monkeys to assess the
      effects of daily intravenous methamphetamine self-administration on touch screen
      based repeated acquisition and discrimination reversal tasks thought to reflect
      behavioral dimensions of, respectively, learning and response inhibition.
      METHODS: First, stable methamphetamine-maintained behavior was established in
      each subject (0.35-1.6 mg/kg/session), and subsequently, a second daily session
      of discrimination learning was conducted (20 h later). Subjects first learned to
      discriminate between two simultaneously presented stimuli (acquisition) and,
      subsequently, to re-learn the discrimination with the contingencies switched
      (reversal). The role of the interval between self-administration and touch screen
      sessions was evaluated, as well as the effects of abrupt methamphetamine
      discontinuation. RESULTS: Results indicate that daily methamphetamine self
      administration markedly disrupted the development of discrimination learning,
      initially requiring nearly twice the number of trials to master discriminations.
      The magnitude of adverse effects in individual subjects correlated to the level
      of daily methamphetamine intake. Importantly, however, behavioral disruption of
      discrimination learning was surmounted following remedial training. Once
      criterion levels of discrimination performance were achieved, subsequent
      development of reversal performance was largely unaffected except when the
      interval between self-administration and touch screen session was short and,
      thus, likely a result of methamphetamine's direct effects. Discontinuation of
      methamphetamine produced no disruption in acquisition or reversal. CONCLUSION:
      These results indicate that self-administered methamphetamine can markedly
      disrupt learning processes and highlight key differences in its effects on
      different aspects of discrimination learning.

PMID- 26490033
TI  - Genome-wide protein-protein interactions and protein function exploration in
      cyanobacteria.
AB  - Genome-wide network analysis is well implemented to study proteins of unknown
      function. Here, we effectively explored protein functions and the biological
      mechanism based on inferred high confident protein-protein interaction (PPI)
      network in cyanobacteria. We integrated data from seven different sources and
      predicted 1,997 PPIs, which were evaluated by experiments in molecular mechanism,
      text mining of literatures in proved direct/indirect evidences, and "interologs"
      in conservation. Combined the predicted PPIs with known PPIs, we obtained 4,715
      no-redundant PPIs (involving 3,231 proteins covering over 90% of genome) to
      generate the PPI network. Based on the PPI network, terms in Gene ontology (GO)
      were assigned to function-unknown proteins. Functional modules were identified by
      dissecting the PPI network into sub-networks and analyzing pathway enrichment,
      with which we investigated novel function of underlying proteins in protein
      complexes and pathways. Examples of photosynthesis and DNA repair indicate that
      the network approach is a powerful tool in protein function analysis. Overall,
      this systems biology approach provides a new insight into posterior functional
      analysis of PPIs in cyanobacteria. 

PMID- 26490035
TI  - Inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) enhances cue-induced reinstatement
      of nicotine-seeking behavior in mice.
AB  - RATIONALE: Tobacco smoking is still a major population health issue. The
      endocannabinoid system has been shown to control drug-seeking behaviors. There
      are two main endocannabinoids: anandamide degraded by fatty acid amide hydrolase
      (FAAH) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) degraded by monoacylglycerol lipase
      (MAGL). OBJECTIVES: The role of MAGL has only been explored recently, and so far,
      no study have been performed to evaluate the effects of MAGL inhibitor on
      nicotine reinforcing properties and cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine
      seeking. METHODS: Here, we investigated the effects of the MAGL inhibitor JZL184
      on nicotine self-administration under fixed and progressive-ratio schedules of
      reinforcement and on cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine seeking in mice. We
      also evaluated the effects of JZL184 on food self-administration for possible non
      specific effects. RESULTS: JZL184 (0, 8, and 16 mg/kg) did not affect food
      taking, nicotine taking, or motivation for nicotine. MAGL inhibition by JZL184
      (16 mg/kg) increased reinstatement of previously extinguished nicotine seeking
      induced by presentation of nicotine-associated cues, but did not produce
      reinstatement on its own. CONCLUSIONS: This study implicates involvement of 2-AG
      in nicotine-seeking behaviors.

PMID- 26490036
TI  - Copy number variations in the genome of the Qatari population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The populations of the Arabian Peninsula remain the least represented
      in public genetic databases, both in terms of single nucleotide variants and of
      larger genomic mutations. We present the first high-resolution copy number
      variation (CNV) map for a Gulf Arab population, using a hybrid approach that
      integrates array genotyping intensity data and next-generation sequencing reads
      to call CNVs in the Qatari population. METHODS: CNVs were detected in 97
      unrelated Qatari individuals by running two calling algorithms on each of two
      primary datasets: high-resolution genotyping (Illumina Omni 2.5M) and high depth
      whole-genome sequencing (Illumina PE 100bp). The four call-sets were integrated
      to identify high confidence CNV regions, which were subsequently annotated for
      putative functional effect and compared to public databases of CNVs in other
      populations. The availability of genome sequence was leveraged to identify
      tagging SNPs in high LD with common deletions in this population, enabling their
      imputation from genotyping experiments in the future. RESULTS: Genotyping
      intensities and genome sequencing data from 97 Qataris were analyzed with four
      different algorithms and integrated to discover 16,660 high confidence CNV
      regions (CNVRs) in the total population, affecting ~28 Mb in the median Qatari
      genome. Up to 40% of all CNVs affected genes, including novel CNVs affecting
      Mendelian disease genes, segregating at different frequencies in the 3 major
      Qatari subpopulations, including those with Bedouin, Persian/South Asian, and
      African ancestry. Consistent with high consanguinity levels in the Bedouin
      subpopulation, we found an increased burden for homozygous deletions in this
      group. In comparison to known CNVs in the comprehensive Database of Genomic
      Variants, we found that 5% of all CNVRs in Qataris were completely novel, with an
      enrichment of CNVs affecting several known chromosomal disorder loci and genes
      known to regulate sugar metabolism and type 2 diabetes in the Qatari cohort.
      Finally, we leveraged the availability of genome sequence to find suitable
      tagging SNPs for common deletions in this population. CONCLUSION: We combine four
      independently generated datasets from 97 individuals to study CNVs for the first
      time at high-resolution in a Gulf Arab population.

PMID- 26490037
TI  - Evaluating long-term effectiveness of sleeping sickness control measures in
      Guinea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human African Trypanosomiasis threatens human health across Africa.
      The subspecies T.b. gambiense is responsible for the vast majority of reported
      HAT cases. Over the past decade, expanded control efforts accomplished a
      substantial reduction in HAT transmission, spurring the WHO to include Gambian
      HAT on its roadmap for 2020 elimination. To inform the implementation of this
      elimination goal, we evaluated the likelihood that current control interventions
      will achieve the 2020 target in Boffa prefecture in Guinea, which has one of the
      highest prevalences for HAT in the country, and where vector control measures
      have been implemented in combination with the traditional screen and treat
      strategy. METHODS: We developed a three-species mathematical model of HAT and
      used a Bayesian melding approach to calibrate the model to epidemiological and
      entomological data from Boffa. From the calibrated model, we generated the
      probabilistic predictions regarding the likelihood that the current HAT control
      programs could achieve elimination by 2020 in Boffa. RESULTS: Our model
      projections indicate that if annual vector control is implemented in combination
      with annual or biennial active case detection and treatment, the probability of
      eliminating HAT as public health problem in Boffa by 2020 is over 90%. Annual
      implementation of vector control alone has a significant impact but a decreased
      chance of reaching the objective (77%). However, if the ongoing control efforts
      are interrupted, HAT will continue to remain a public health problem. In the
      presence of a non-human animal transmission reservoir, intervention strategies
      must be maintained at high coverage, even after 2020 elimination, to prevent HAT
      reemerging as a public health problem. CONCLUSIONS: Complementing active
      screening and treatment with vector control has the potential to achieve the
      elimination target before 2020 in the Boffa focus. However, surveillance must
      continue after elimination to prevent reemergence.

PMID- 26490038
TI  - Proposed HPV vaccination syndrome is unsubstantiated.

PMID- 26490039
TI  - Knee effusion: ultrasound as a useful tool for the detection of calcium
      pyrophosphate crystals.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of
      ultrasound (US) and conventional radiography (CR) for the detection of calcium
      pyrophosphate (CPP) crystals in patients with knee effusion. Consecutive patients
      >=50 years old with knee effusion were included. All patients underwent
      arthrocentesis with aspiration of synovial fluid (SF) and subsequent analysis of
      CPP crystals using plain light and polarizing light microscopy. US and CR of the
      involved knee were performed immediately after arthrocentesis. CR results were
      read by an experienced rheumatologist, searching for chondrocalcinosis. US
      examinations were carried out by an experienced rheumatologist blinded to all
      clinical and imaging data. The following US abnormal findings were considered
      indicative of CPP crystals deposition (CPPD): (1) hyperechoic bands within the
      femoral hyaline cartilage layer, and (2) hyperechoic sparkling spots in meniscal
      fibrocartilage. A total of 75 knees were evaluated in the same number of
      patients. Analysis of SF revealed CPP crystals in 15 out of 75 (20 %) knees: all
      (10) patients with previous diagnosis of CPPD, 3 patients with previous diagnosis
      of primary knee osteoarthritis (OA) and 2 patients without previous definitive
      diagnosis of a rheumatic condition. Using SF analysis as reference method,
      sensitivity and specificity for US findings was 60 and 96.7 %, respectively,
      while CR showed a sensitivity of 40 % and a specificity of 83.3 %. US results
      showed high specificity with acceptable sensitivity to detect CPP crystals in
      patients with knee effusion. Compared with CR, US results had better specificity
      and sensitivity. US may be used in daily rheumatologic practice when CPPD is
      suspected. 

PMID- 26490041
TI  - Retrieval of Disseminated Tumor Cells Colonizing the Bone  in Murine Breast
      Cancer Metastasis Models.
AB  - In breast cancer, the most frequent site of metastasis is bone. Disseminated
      tumor cells (DTCs) can be detected in the bone marrow of patients by their
      expression of epithelial oroncogenic markers [1], and the presence and frequency
      of these DTCs are associated with poor prognosis. However, many of the details
      behind this process remain elusive, including the biological properties and fates
      of these apparently indolent cancer cells. To provide pre-clinical models of
      DTCs, we have developed a procedure that allows for controlled and enhanced
      delivery of tumor cells to the bone in animal experiments via injection into the
      iliac artery of the hind limb [2]. To our surprise, we found that most cancer
      cells became integrated into the solid bone matrix shortly after arriving in the
      bone, and only a minority can be flushed out with the bone marrow.Here we
      describe a method that helps to retrieve DTCs homing to the bone in which we
      achieve an improved recovery of those tumor cells closely associated with the
      bone microenvironment. In our view it is especially important to analyze these
      tumor cell subpopulations, as they may take full advantage of growth-, survival-
      and immune-protective signals provided by neighbor cells. We also show a pilot
      study on how this approach may be applied to the analysis of cancer dormancy. Our
      study suggests that the detection and retrieval of DTCs in clinical studies are
      incomplete because they are conducted exclusively with bone marrow aspirates.

PMID- 26490040
TI  - Vaccination with the variable tick protein of the relapsing fever spirochete
      Borrelia hermsii protects mice from infection by tick-bite.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tick-borne relapsing fevers of humans are caused by spirochetes that
      must adapt to both warm-blooded vertebrates and cold-blooded ticks. In western
      North America, most human cases of relapsing fever are caused by Borrelia
      hermsii, which cycles in nature between its tick vector Ornithodoros hermsi and
      small mammals such as tree squirrels and chipmunks. These spirochetes alter their
      outer surface by switching off one of the bloodstream-associated variable major
      proteins (Vmps) they produce in mammals, and replacing it with the variable tick
      protein (Vtp) following their acquisition by ticks. Based on this reversion to
      Vtp in ticks, we produced experimental vaccines comprised on this protein and
      tested them in mice challenged by infected ticks. METHODS: The vtp gene from two
      isolates of B. hermsii that encoded antigenically distinct types of proteins were
      cloned, expressed, and the recombinant Vtp proteins were purified and used to
      vaccinate mice. Ornithodoros hermsi ticks that were infected with one of the two
      strains of B. hermsii from which the vtp gene originated were used to challenge
      mice that received one of the two Vtp vaccines or only adjuvant. Mice were then
      followed for infection and seroconversion. RESULTS: The Vtp vaccines produced
      protective immune responses in mice challenged with O. hermsi ticks infected with
      B. hermsii. However, polymorphism in Vtp resulted in mice being protected only
      from the spirochete strain that produced the same Vtp used in the vaccine; mice
      challenged with spirochetes producing the antigenically different Vtp than the
      vaccine succumbed to infection. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that by having
      knowledge of the phenotypic changes made by B. hermsii as the spirochetes are
      acquired by ticks from infected mammals, an effective vaccine was developed that
      protected mice when challenged with infected ticks. However, the Vtp vaccines
      only protected mice from infection when challenged with that strain producing the
      identical Vtp. A vaccine containing multiple Vtp types may have promise as an
      oral vaccine for wild mammals if applied to geographic settings such as small
      islands where the mammal diversity is low and the Vtp types in the B. hermsii
      population are defined.

PMID- 26490043
TI  - Caenorhabditis elegans star formation and negative chemotaxis induced by
      infection with corynebacteria.
AB  - Caenorhabditis elegans is one of the major model systems in biology based on
      advantageous properties such as short life span, transparency, genetic
      tractability and ease of culture using an Escherichia coli diet. In its natural
      habitat, compost and rotting plant material, this nematode lives on bacteria.
      However, C. elegans is a predator of bacteria, but can also be infected by
      nematopathogenic coryneform bacteria such Microbacterium and Leucobacter species,
      which display intriguing and diverse modes of pathogenicity. Depending on the
      nematode pathogen, aggregates of worms, termed worm-stars, can be formed, or
      severe rectal swelling, so-called Dar formation, can be induced. Using the human
      and animal pathogens Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans as
      well as the non-pathogenic species Corynebacterium glutamicum, we show that these
      coryneform bacteria can also induce star formation slowly in worms, as well as a
      severe tail-swelling phenotype. While C. glutamicum had a significant, but minor
      influence on survival of C. elegans, nematodes were killed after infection with
      C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans. The two pathogenic species were avoided by the
      nematodes and induced aversive learning in C. elegans. 

PMID- 26490042
TI  - HEart and BRain interfaces in Acute ischemic Stroke (HEBRAS)--rationale and
      design of a prospective oberservational cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An effective diagnostic work-up in hospitalized patients with acute
      ischemic stroke is vital to optimize secondary stroke prevention. The HEart and
      BRain interfaces in Acute ischemic Stroke (HEBRAS) study aims to assess whether
      an enhanced MRI set-up and a prolonged Holter-ECG monitoring yields a higher rate
      of pathologic findings as compared to diagnostic procedures recommended by
      guidelines (including stroke unit monitoring for at least 24 h, echocardiography
      and ultrasound of brain-supplying arteries). METHODS/DESIGN: Prospective
      observational single-center study in 475 patients with acute ischemic stroke and
      without known atrial fibrillation. Patients will receive routine diagnostic care
      in hospital as wells as brain MRI, cardiac MRI, MR angiography of the brain
      supplying arteries and Holter-monitoring for up to 10 days. Study patients will
      be followed up for cardiovascular outcomes at 3 and 12 months after enrollment.
      DISCUSSION: By comparing the results of routine diagnostic care to the study
      specific MRI/ECG approach, the primary outcome of HEBRAS is the proportion of
      stroke patients with pathologic diagnostic findings. Predefined secondary
      outcomes are the association of stroke localization, autonomic dysbalance and
      cardiac dysfunction as well as the effect of impaired heart-rate-variability on
      long-term clinical outcome. The investigator-initiated HEBRAS study will assess
      whether an enhanced MRI approach and a prolonged ECG monitoring yield a higher
      rate of pathological findings than current standard diagnostic care to determine
      stroke etiology. These findings might influence current diagnostic
      recommendations after acute ischemic stroke. Moreover, HEBRAS will determine the
      extent and clinical impact of stroke-induced cardiac damage. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02142413.

PMID- 26490044
TI  - Modulation of local field potentials by high-frequency stimulation of afferent
      axons in the hippocampal CA1 region.
AB  - Modulation of the rhythmic activity of local field potentials (LFP) in neuronal
      networks could be a mechanism of deep brain stimulation (DBS). However, exact
      changes of LFP during the periods of high-frequency stimulation (HFS) of DBS are
      unclear because of the interference of dense stimulation artifacts with high
      amplitudes. In the present study, we investigated LFP changes induced by HFS of
      afferent axons in the hippocampal CA1 region of urethane-anesthetized rats by
      using a proper algorithm of artifact removal. Afterward, the LFP changes in the
      frequency bands of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text],
      [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] rhythms were studied by power
      spectrum analysis and coherence analysis for the recorded signals collected in
      the pyramidal layer and in the stratum radiatum of CA1 region before, during and
      after 1-min long 100 and 200[Formula: see text]Hz HFS. Results showed that the
      power of LFP rhythms in higher-frequency band ([Formula: see text] rhythm)
      increased in the pyramidal layer and the power of LFP rhythms in lower-frequency
      bands ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] rhythms)
      decreased in the stratum radiatum during HFS. The synchronization of [Formula:
      see text] rhythm decreased and the synchronization of [Formula: see text] rhythm
      increased during HFS in the stratum radiatum. These results suggest that axonal
      HFS could modulate LFP rhythms in the downstream brain areas with a plausible
      underlying mechanism of partial axonal blockage induced by HFS. The study
      provides new evidence to support the mechanism of DBS modulating rhythmic
      activity of neuronal populations. 

PMID- 26490045
TI  - Multiple-site mutations of phage Bp7 endolysin improves its activities against
      target bacteria.
AB  - The widespread use of antibiotics has caused serious drug resistance. Bacteria
      that were once easily treatable are now extremely difficult to treat. Endolysin
      can be used as an alternative to antibiotics for the treatment of drug-resistant
      bacteria. To analyze the antibacterial activity of the endolysin of phage Bp7
      (Bp7e), a 489-bp DNA fragment of endolysin Bp7e was PCR-amplified from a phage
      Bp7 genome and cloned, and then a pET28a-Bp7e prokaryotic expression vector was
      constructed. Two amino acids were mutated (L99A, M102E) to construct pET28a
      Bp7Deltae, with pET28a-Bp7e as a template. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that
      BP7e belongs to a T4-like phage endolysin group. Bp7e and its mutant Bp7Deltae
      were expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) as soluble proteins. They were
      purified by affinity chromatography, and then their antibacterial activities were
      analyzed. The results demonstrated that the recombinant proteins Bp7e and
      Bp7Deltae showed obvious antibacterial activity against Micrococcus lysodeikticus
      but no activity against Staphylococcus aureus. In the presence of malic acid,
      Bp7e and Bp7Deltae exhibited an effect on most E. coli strains which could be
      lysed by phage Bp7, but no effect on Salmonella paratyphi or Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa. Moreover, Bp7Deltae with double-site mutations showed stronger
      antibacterial activity and a broader lysis range than Bp7e. 

PMID- 26490046
TI  - Modification of additive effect between vitamins and ETS on childhood asthma risk
      according to GSTP1 polymorphism: a cross -sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma is characterized by airway inflammation, and bronchial airways
      are particularly susceptible to oxidant-induced tissue damage. OBJECTIVE: To
      investigate the effect of dietary antioxidant intake and environmental tobacco
      smoke (ETS) on the risk of childhood asthma according to genotypes susceptible to
      airway diseases. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 1124 elementary
      school children aged 7-12 years old. Asthma symptoms and smoking history were
      measured using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood
      (ISAAC) questionnaire. Intake of vitamin A (including retinol and beta-carotene),
      C, and E was measured by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).
      GSTP1 polymorphisms were genotyped from peripheral blood samples. RESULTS: ETS
      was significantly associated with presence of asthma symptoms (adjusted odds
      ratio [aOR], 2.48; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.29-4.76) and diagnosis (aOR,
      1.91; 95 % CI, 1.19-3.06). Dietary antioxidant intake was not associated with
      asthma symptoms, although ETS plus low vitamin A intake showed a significant
      positive association with asthma diagnosis (aOR, 2.23; 95 % CI, 1.10-4.54).
      Children with AA at nucleotide 1695 in GSTP1 who had been exposed to ETS and a
      low vitamin A intake have an increased risk of asthma diagnosis (aOR, 4.44; 95 %
      CI,1.58-12.52) compared with children who had not been exposed to the two risk
      factors. However, ETS exposure and low vitamin A intake did not significantly
      increase odds of asthma diagnosis in children with AG or GG genotypes.
      CONCLUSION: Low vitamin A intake and ETS exposure may increase oxidative stress
      and thereby risk for childhood asthma. These relationships may be modified by
      gene susceptibility alleles of GSTP1.

PMID- 26490048
TI  - Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), soluble lectin-like
      oxidized LDL receptor 1 (sLOX-1) and ankle brachial index in patients with
      differentiated thyroid cancer.
AB  - The cardiovascular effects of short-term overt hypothyroidism are not well known.
      We investigated proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), soluble
      lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor 1 (sLOX-1) and the ankle brachial index (ABI)
      in thyroid cancer patients with short-term overt hypothyroidism due to thyroid
      hormone withdrawal (THW). Twenty-one patients requiring radioactive iodine (RAI)
      ablation or scanning and 36 healthy control subjects were enrolled. Patients were
      evaluated in the subclinical thyrotoxic phase when they were on suppressive
      levothyroxine therapy and in the overt hypothyroid phase due to THW for four
      weeks. PCSK9, sLOX-1, lipids and ABI were measured in the patient and control
      groups. Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and Apo B levels were
      increased in short overt hypothyroidism compared with the control group
      (p<0.001). PCSK9 levels increased before THW and after THW in the patients
      compared to control group (p<0.001, p=0.004, respectively). sLOX-1 levels were
      not different between patients with short term overt hypothyroidism and control
      group (p=0.27). ABI was found to be significantly decreased in patients with
      thyroid cancer before and after THW compared to control group (p=0.04, p=0.002
      respectively). PCSK9 levels were correlated negatively with ABI (r=-0.38,
      p=0.004). In conclusion; our study demonstrated that patients with differentiated
      thyroid cancer both before and after THW which is a short term overt hypothyroid
      phase, had increased PCSK9 levels and decreased ABI. Short term overt
      hypothyroidism also leads to increased HDL, LDL, total cholesterol, Apo A and Apo
      B levels. 

PMID- 26490047
TI  - Reproductive health and lifestyle factors associated with health-related quality
      of life among perinatally HIV-infected adolescents in Uganda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With increased survival of perinatally HIV - infected adolescents due
      to antiretroviral therapy (ART), the focus of HIV care has shifted to health
      related quality of life (HRQoL) as a measure of disease progression, effects of
      ART co-morbidity and prognosis. We assessed factors associated with better HRQoL
      in perinatally HIV -infected adolescents in Uganda by determining the
      associations between sexual and reproductive health (SRH) or lifestyle
      experiences on HRQoL. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, data on SRH, lifestyle
      experiences, socio demographic factors, communication with parents on sexuality
      and satisfaction of SRH services in ART clinics were collected from 614 HIV
      perinatally infected adolescents aged 10-19 using an interviewer-administered
      survey questionnaire. HRQoL data were collected using the Medical Outcomes Study
      HIV Health Survey instrument (MOS-HIV). Factors associated with better HRQoL were
      analysed using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: The mean age was 16.2 +/-
      2.1 years, 362 (58.8 %) were females and 210 (34.2 %) were sexually active.
      Adolescents on ART were twice likely to present with better physical health (AOR
      = 2.07, 95 % CI: 1.24-3.46) and four times more likely to present with better
      mental health (AOR = 3.9, 95 % CI: 2.22-6.92) than those who were not on ART.
      There were no statistically significant associations between SRH (ever had sex,
      ever been pregnant, condom use, contraceptive use) or life style factors and
      physical health or mental health. Those with secondary or tertiary education were
      more likely to present with a better mental health (AOR = 5.3, 95 % CI: 1.86
      15.41) compared those who had attained primary or no education. Participants who
      desired to have a child in future more likely (AOR 1.7, 95 % CI: 1.05-3.00) to
      present with a better mental health. Lack of communication with guardians on
      sexuality (AOR = 0.6, 95 % CI: 0.40-0.89), or dissatisfaction with SRH services
      (AOR 0.34, 95 % CI: 0.18-0.62) were associated with poorer mental health.
      CONCLUSION: Among perinatally HIV-infected adolescents in Uganda, being on ART
      was associated with better physical and mental health while lack of communication
      with guardians on sexuality or dissatisfaction with SRH services was associated
      with poor mental health. Adolescents with pregnancy intentions were more likely
      to have a better mental health.

PMID- 26490049
TI  - Clinical and endocrinological characteristics of adrenal incidentaloma in Osaka
      region, Japan.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and endocrinological
      characteristics of adrenal incidentalomas in Osaka region, Japan. The study was a
      multicenter retrospective analysis of 150 patients with adrenal incidentalomas
      who underwent radiographic and endocrine evaluations between 2005 and 2013. Most
      adrenal incidentalomas were discovered by computed tomography (77.0%) and the
      rest were identified by abdominal ultrasonography (14.6%), magnetic resonance
      imaging (4.2%), or positron emission tomography (4.2%). Adrenal incidentalomas
      were more frequently localized on the left side than on the right. The average
      diameter of tumors was 21 +/- 11 mm. On endocrinological evaluation, 14 patients
      were diagnosed with primary aldosteronism (9.3%), 10 with subclinical Cushing's
      syndrome (6.7%), 7 with pheochromocytoma (4.7%), 7 with Cushing's syndrome
      (4.7%), 2 with both subclinical Cushing's syndrome and primary aldosteronism
      (1.3%), and 110 with non-functioning tumors (73.3%). Patients with functioning
      tumors were significantly younger and had larger tumor diameters than those with
      non-functioning tumors. Except for hypertension, complications were comparable
      between patients with functioning and non-functioning tumors, including the
      presence of glucose intolerance, cardiovascular disease, and dyslipidemia. In
      conclusion, a higher prevalence of primary aldosteronism was observed compared
      with a previous report. Complications were comparable between patients with
      functioning and non-functioning tumors, including the frequencies of glucose
      intolerance, cardiovascular disease, and dyslipidemia. Long-term follow-up is
      required in patients with non-functioning tumors because the frequency of
      complications, such as glucose intolerance, cardiovascular disease, and
      dyslipidemia, was equal to that in patients with functioning tumors. 

PMID- 26490050
TI  - Managing risk of hepatitis B after sharps injuries.

PMID- 26490051
TI  - Structural and functional analysis of cell adhesion and nuclear envelope nano
      topography in cell death.
AB  - The cell death mechanisms of necrosis and apoptosis generate biochemical and
      morphological changes in different manners. However, the changes that occur in
      cell adhesion and nuclear envelope (NE) topography, during necrosis and
      apoptosis, are not yet fully understood. Here, we show the different alterations
      in cell adhesion function, as well as the topographical changes occurring to the
      NE, during the necrotic and apoptotic cell death process, using the xCELLigence
      system and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Studies using xCELLigence technology
      and AFM have shown that necrotic cell death induced the expansion of the cell
      adhesion area, but did not affect the speed of cell adhesion. Necrotic nuclei
      showed a round shape and presence of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). Moreover, we
      found that the process of necrosis in combination with apoptosis (termed
      nepoptosis here) resulted in the reduction of the cell adhesion area and cell
      adhesion speed through the activation of caspases. Our findings showed, for the
      first time, a successful characterization of NE topography and cell adhesion
      during necrosis and apoptosis, which may be of importance for the understanding
      of cell death and might aid the design of future drug delivery methods for anti
      cancer therapies. 

PMID- 26490052
TI  - Sacral nerve stimulation for faecal incontinence - efficacy confirmed from a two
      centre prospectively maintained database.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) has been recognised as an effective
      treatment for faecal incontinence. Many unresolved questions could be answered
      when comparing large data-series from different centres providing prospective
      data. AIM: To present data, from an international two-centre SNS prospective
      database (SNSPD) on functional outcome and management of surgical complications
      in patients treated with SNS for faecal incontinence. METHOD: The SNSPD was
      designed in order to gather detailed pre- and perioperative information followed
      by a close follow-up in all patients undergoing SNS for bowel dysfunction. The
      SNSPD was open for inclusion of newly SNS implanted patients in May 2009, and
      closed on 31 December 2013. Two-centres Aarhus, Denmark, and Nantes, France,
      included and monitored all patients implanted due to bowel dysfunction according
      to database criteria. RESULTS: In total, 164 faecal incontinent patients with a
      median follow-up of 22 (range 1-50) months were implanted. The Wexner
      incontinence score improved from 15 (range, 3-20) at baseline to 9 (range, 0-20)
      at latest follow-up (P < 0.001) and VAS impact on daily life improved from 85.5
      (range, 3-100) to 20 (range, 0-100) (P < 0.001). Additional surgical intervention
      was required in 19.5 % during follow-up. Repositioning of the pacemaker due to
      pain or migration was the most common complication in 12.1 %. Infections leading
      to explantation occurred in 3.0 %.

PMID- 26490053
TI  - CT imaging for prediction of complications and recurrence in acute uncomplicated
      diverticulitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The first randomized clinical trial of antibiotics in uncomplicated
      diverticulitis (the AVOD study) showed no benefit of antibiotics. The aim of this
      study was to re-evaluate the computed tomography (CT) scans of the patients in
      the AVOD study to find out whether there were CT findings that were missed and to
      study whether CT signs in uncomplicated diverticulitis could predict
      complications or recurrence. METHODS: The CT scan images from patients included
      in the AVOD study were re-evaluated and graded by two independent reviewers for
      different signs of diverticulitis, including complications, such as extraluminal
      gas or the presence of an abscess. RESULTS: Of the 623 patients included in the
      study, 602 CT scans were obtained and re-evaluated. Forty-four (7 %) patients
      were found to have complications on the admitting CT scan that had been
      overlooked. Twenty-seven had extraluminal gas and 17 had an abscess. Four of
      these patients deteriorated and required surgery, but the remaining patients
      improved without complications. Of the 18 patients in the no-antibiotic group, in
      whom signs of complications on CT were overlooked, 15 recovered without
      antibiotics. No CT findings in patients with uncomplicated diverticulitis could
      predict complications or recurrence. CONCLUSION: No CT findings that could
      predict complications or recurrence were found. A weakness in the initial
      assessment of the CT scans to detect extraluminal gas and abscess was found but,
      despite this, the majority of patients recovered without antibiotics. This
      further supports the non-antibiotic strategy in uncomplicated diverticulitis.

PMID- 26490054
TI  - Is transanal total mesorectal excision a reproducible and oncologically adequate
      technique? A pilot study in a single center.
AB  - PURPOSE: An oncologically effective total mesorectal excision (TME) still
      represents a technical challenge, especially in the presence of a low rectal
      cancer and anatomical restraints such as obesity or narrow pelvis. Recently, few
      reports have shown that transanal TME was feasible and associated with good
      outcomes. Nevertheless, a widespread employment of the technique has yet to
      happen due to the doubts about the reproducibility of the results outside a
      tertiary specialized center. METHODS: Between February 2014 and June 2015,
      patients with low rectal cancer underwent a transanal TME with laparoscopic
      assistance. The end points included the oncologic adequacy of the mesorectal
      excision and the perioperative outcomes. RESULTS: Eleven patients (9 male, median
      age 70.5 years) with proven low rectal cancer were enrolled in the study. The
      median distance of the tumor from the anal verge was 5 cm (2-7). Four patients
      (36.4 %) received preoperative chemoradiation. The median operative time was 360
      min (275-445). Postoperative morbidity (36.4 %) included one (9.1 %) anastomotic
      leak requiring a reoperation. The median length of hospital stay was 8 days (3
      28). The median distance from the circumferential and distal resection margins
      were, respectively, 5 (1-20) and 10 (5-20) mm, and the mean number of harvested
      lymph nodes was 21.7 (11-50). All cases had a complete or nearly complete
      mesorectal plane of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Although technically challenging, the
      initial results suggest that transanal TME could be a feasible, oncologically
      safe, and reproducible operation. However, more robust studies are required to
      assess the short- and long-term outcomes.

PMID- 26490056
TI  - Practising what we preach: using cognitive load theory for workshop design and
      evaluation.
AB  - Theory-based instructional design is a top priority in medical education. The
      goal of this Show and Tell article is to present our theory-driven approach to
      the design of instruction for clinical educators. We adopted cognitive load
      theory as a framework to design and evaluate a series of professional development
      workshops that were delivered at local, national and international academic
      conferences in 2014. We used two rating scales to measure participants' cognitive
      load. Participants also provided narrative comments as to how the workshops could
      be improved. Cognitive load ratings from 59 participants suggested that the
      workshop design optimized learning by managing complexity for different levels of
      learners (intrinsic load), stimulating cognitive processing for long-term memory
      storage (germane load), and minimizing irrelevant distracters (extraneous load).
      Narrative comments could also be classified as representing intrinsic,
      extraneous, or germane load, which provided specific directions for ongoing
      quality improvement. These results demonstrate that a cognitive load theory
      approach to workshop design and evaluation is feasible and useful in the context
      of medical education.

PMID- 26490055
TI  - A scoring model for predicting survival following primary tumour resection in
      stage IV colorectal cancer patients with unresectable metastasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stage IV colorectal cancer patients with unresectable metastasis who
      undergo elective primary tumour resection experience heterogeneous post-operative
      survival. We aimed to develop a scoring model for predicting post-operative
      survival using pre-operative variables to identify patients who are least likely
      to experience extended survival following the procedure. METHODS: Survival data
      were collected from stage IV colorectal cancer patients who had undergone
      elective primary tumour resection between January 1999 and December 2007.
      Coefficients of significant covariates from the multivariate Cox regression model
      were used to compute individual survival scores to classify patients into three
      prognostic groups. A survival function was derived for each group via Kaplan
      Meier estimation. Internal validation was performed. RESULTS: Advanced age
      (hazard ratio, HR 1.43 (1.16-1.78)); poorly differentiated tumour (HR 2.72 (1.49
      5.04)); metastasis to liver (HR 1.76 (1.33-2.33)), lung (HR 1.37 (1.10-1.71)) and
      bone (HR 2.08 ((1.16-3.71)); carcinomatosis (HR 1.68 (1.30-2.16));
      hypoalbuminaemia (HR 1.30 (1.04-1.61) and elevated carcinoembryonic antigen
      levels (HR 1.89 (1.49-2.39)) significantly shorten post-operative survival. The
      scoring model separated patients into three prognostic groups with distinct
      median survival lengths of 4.8, 12.4 and 18.6 months (p < 0.0001). Internal
      validation revealed a concordance probability estimate of 0.65 and a time
      dependent area under receiver operating curve of 0.75 at 6 months. Temporal split
      sample validation implied good local generalizability to future patient
      populations (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Predicting survival following elective
      primary tumour resection using pre-operative variables has been demonstrated with
      the scoring model developed. Model-based survival prognostication can support
      clinical decisions on elective primary tumour resection eligibility.

PMID- 26490057
TI  - Raman fingerprinting of single dielectric nanoparticles in plasmonic nanopores.
AB  - Plasmonic nano-apertures are commonly used for the detection of small particles
      such as nanoparticles and proteins by exploiting electrical and optical
      techniques. Plasmonic nanopores are metallic nano-apertures sitting on a thin
      membrane with a tiny hole. It has been shown that plasmonic nanopores with a
      given geometry identify internal molecules using Surface Enhanced Raman
      Spectroscopy (SERS). However, label-free identification of a single dielectric
      nanoparticle requires a highly localized field comparable to the size of the
      particle. Additionally, the particle's Brownian motion can jeopardize the amount
      of photons collected from a single particle. Here, we demonstrate that the
      combination of optical trapping and SERS can be used for the detection and
      identification of 20 nm polystyrene nanoparticles in plasmonic nanopores. This
      work is anticipated to contribute to the detection of small bioparticles, optical
      trapping and nanotribology studies. 

PMID- 26490058
TI  - Spontaneous Mirror-Symmetry Breaking in Isotropic Liquid Phases of
      Photoisomerizable Achiral Molecules.
AB  - Spontaneous mirror-symmetry breaking is of fundamental importance in science as
      it contributes to the development of chiral superstructures and new materials and
      has a major impact on the discussion around the emergence of uniform chirality in
      biological systems. Herein we report chirality synchronization, leading to
      spontaneous chiral conglomerate formation in isotropic liquids of achiral and
      photoisomerizable azobenzene-based rod-like molecules. The position of fluorine
      substituents at the aromatic core is found to have a significant effect on the
      stability and the temperature range of these chiral liquids. Moreover, these
      liquid conglomerates occur in a new phase sequence adjacent to a 3D tetragonal
      mesophase. 

PMID- 26490060
TI  - Native Amazonian children forego egalitarianism in merit-based tasks when they
      learn to count.
AB  - Cooperation often results in a final material resource that must be shared, but
      deciding how to distribute that resource is not straightforward. A distribution
      could count as fair if all members receive an equal reward (egalitarian
      distributions), or if each member's reward is proportional to their merit (merit
      based distributions). Here, we propose that the acquisition of numerical concepts
      influences how we reason about fairness. We explore this possibility in the
      Tsimane', a farming-foraging group who live in the Bolivian rainforest. The
      Tsimane' learn to count in the same way children from industrialized countries
      do, but at a delayed and more variable timeline, allowing us to de-confound
      number knowledge from age and years in school. We find that Tsimane' children who
      can count produce merit-based distributions, while children who cannot count
      produce both merit-based and egalitarian distributions. Our findings establish
      that the ability to count - a non-universal, language-dependent, cultural
      invention - can influence social cognition.

PMID- 26490059
TI  - Weight maintenance: challenges, tools and strategies for primary care physicians.
AB  - Obesity is recognized as a chronic disease and one of the major healthcare
      challenges facing us today. Weight loss can be achieved via lifestyle,
      pharmacological and surgical interventions, but weight maintenance remains a
      lifetime challenge for individuals with obesity. Guidelines for the management of
      obesity have highlighted the role of primary care providers (PCPs). This review
      examines the long-term outcomes of clinical trials to identify effective weight
      maintenance strategies that can be utilized by PCPs. Because of the broad nature
      of the topic, a structured PubMed search was conducted to identify relevant
      research articles, peer-reviewed reviews, guidelines and articles published by
      regulatory bodies. Trials have demonstrated the benefit of sustained weight loss
      in managing obesity and its comorbidities. Maintaining 5-10% weight loss for >=1
      year is known to ameliorate many comorbidities. Weight maintenance with lifestyle
      modification - although challenging - is possible but requires long-term support
      to reinforce diet, physical activity and behavioural changes. The addition of
      pharmacotherapy to lifestyle interventions promotes greater and more sustained
      weight loss. Clinical evidence and recently approved pharmacotherapy has given
      PCPs improved strategies to support their patients with maintenance of weight
      loss. Further studies are needed to assess the translation of these strategies
      into clinical practice. 

PMID- 26490061
TI  - Selective class I histone deacetylase inhibitors suppress persistent spontaneous
      nociception and thermal hypersensitivity in a rat model of bee venom-induced
      inflammatory pain.
AB  - To confirm whether class I histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) are effective
      in relief of peripheral inflammatory pain, the effects of two selective
      inhibitors, MS-275 and MGCD0103, were studied in rats inflamed by subcutaneous
      (s.c.) injection of bee venom (BV). The BV test is characterized by displaying
      both persistent spontaneous nociception (PSN) and primary hypersensitivity.
      Intrathecal (i.t.) pre-treatment of either MS-275 or MGCD0103 with a single dose
      of 60 nmol/20 MUL resulted in profound suppression of both PSN and primary
      thermal hypersensitivity but without significant influence upon the primary
      mechanical hypersensitivity and mirror-image thermal hypersensitivity. Moreover,
      the up-regulation of both HDAC1 and HDAC2 induced by s.c. BV injection was
      completely suppressed by i.t. pre-treatment of MS-275. The present results
      provide with another new line of evidence showing involvement of epigenetic
      regulation of chromatin structure by HDAC1/2-mediated histone hypoacetylation in
      the BV-induced PSN and thermal hypersensitivity and demonstrate the beneficial
      effects of class I HDACIs in prevention of peripheral inflammatory pain from
      occurring. 

PMID- 26490062
TI  - Brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the anterior cingulate cortex is involved in
      the formation of fear memory.
AB  - Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a small dimeric secretory protein,
      plays a vital role in activity-dependent synaptic plasticity, learning and
      memory. It has been shown that BDNF in the hippocampus and amygdala participates
      in the formation of fear memory. However, little is known about the functional
      role of BDNF in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). To address this question, we
      examined the mRNA and protein levels of BDNF in the ACC of rats at various time
      points after fear conditioning, using quantitative real-time PCR and enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that BDNF exhibited a
      temporally specific increase in both mRNA and protein levels after CS (tone) and
      US (foot shock) was paired. Such increase did not occur after the animals were
      exposed to CS or US alone. When BDNF antibody was locally infused into the ACC
      prior to CS-US pairing, both contextual and auditory fear memories were severely
      impaired. Taken together, these results suggest that BDNF in the ACC is required
      for the formation of fear memory. 

PMID- 26490063
TI  - [Effects of blockade of 5-HT2A receptors in inflammatory site on complete
      Freund's adjuvant-induced chronic hyperalgesia and neuropeptide Y expression in
      the spinal dorsal horn in rats].
AB  - 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) released in inflammatory tissues plays a pivotal role
      in pain hypersensitivity. However, it is not clear whether 5-HT2A receptors in
      the inflamed tissues mediate this effect. The present study investigated the
      contribution of 5-HT2A receptors in the periphery to chronic inflammatory pain.
      Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) was injected subcutaneously in the hindpaw of
      rats. The selective 5-HT2A receptor antagonist ketanserin was given in the
      inflamed site. Paw withdrawal latency responding to heat or mechanical stimuli
      was measured. Expression of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the spinal dorsal horn and
      dorsal root ganglia (DRG) was assayed using immunohistochemistry technique. The
      results showed that ketanserin administered in the inflamed site inhibited
      thermal hyperalgesia in a dose-dependent manner (20, 40 and 80 ug) induced by the
      intraplantar injection of CFA. Ketanserin given once per day at a dose of 80 ug
      abolished heat hyperalgesia and also attenuated mechanical allodynia on the third
      day. CFA injection increased the expression of NPY in superficial laminae of the
      spinal cord, but not in the DRG. The local treatment of ketanserin completely
      inhibited CFA-induced increase in NPY expression in superficial laminae of the
      spinal cord. These results indicated that activation of 5-HT2A receptors in the
      inflamed tissues was involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory pain and the
      blockade of 5-HT2A receptors in the periphery could relieve pain hypersensitivity
      and normalize the cellular disorder in the spinal dorsal horn associated with
      pathological pain. The present study suggests that the peripheral 5-HT2A
      receptors can be a promising target for pharmaceutical therapy to treat chronic
      inflammatory pain without central nervous system side effects.

PMID- 26490064
TI  - [The influence of sex and menstrual cycle on conditioned acquisition and
      extinction: Event-related potential research].
AB  - Previous studies have indicated phase-related differences in conditioned
      acquisition and extinction. In recent years, many researchers used event-related
      potential (ERP) technology to assess the extent of the acquisition and
      extinction. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the sex- and menstrual
      cycle-dependent effects on the conditioned acquisition and extinction using ERP
      technology. Thirty-two females at two phases (menses phase, FM, and luteal phase,
      FL) of their menstrual cycle and 16 males participated in the experiment. The
      experiment consisted of two stages: acquisition stage and extinction stage. In
      the acquisition stage, in the predictable context, a condition stimulus (CS) was
      always followed by the presentation of a negative picture or a neutral picture;
      but in the unpredictable context, a CS was paired with a negative picture or a
      neutral picture 20% of the time. In the extinction stage, only CS was presented.
      The results showed that at acquisition stage, significant larger P2 amplitudes
      were recorded in female subjects in FL and FM in comparison with those of males.
      The female subjects in FL may acquire the strongest CS-US conditional connection.
      At extinction stage, the female subjects in FL showed larger P2 amplitudes than
      males, but there were no significant differences in P2 amplitudes between the
      males and females in FM. The results suggest that the females in FL allocate more
      attention resources to the acquisition of a conditioned response and delayed
      extinction. In conclusion, we suggest that female menstrual cycle may modulate
      conditioned acquisition and extinction processes, and our ERP data may provide an
      explanation for the premenstrual dysphoric disorder. 

PMID- 26490065
TI  - [Effect of sodium nitrite on phosphorylation of cytoskeletal proteins and spatial
      learning and memory in rats].
AB  - The present study was aimed to explore the effect of sodium nitrite on
      cytoskeletal protein phosphorylation and spatial learning and memory in rats.
      Rats were served with drinking water containing sodium nitrite (100 mg/kg) for 60
      days, then, the ability of spatial learning and memory of the rats was measured
      by Morris water maze. Phosphorylation level of tau and neurofilament, and the
      expression of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) catalytic subunit in the hippocampus
      were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. In comparison with the
      rats served with normal tap water, the rats served with sodium nitrite water
      showed significantly longer latency to find the hidden platform in Morris water
      maze (P < 0.05), elevated phosphorylation level of tau and neurofilament, and
      decreased expression of PP2A catalytic subunit (P < 0.05). These results
      indicated that administration of sodium nitrite could impair the spatial learning
      and memory of the rats, and the hyperphosphorylation of cytoskeletal proteins and
      the down-regulation of PP2A might be underlying mechanisms for the impairment. 

PMID- 26490067
TI  - [Toxic effect of formaldehyde on mouse different brain regions].
AB  - The aim of this study was to explore the mechanism of the nervous system lesions
      induced by formaldehyde (FA). Male Balb/c mice were exposed to gaseous
      formaldehyde for 7 days (8 h/d) with three different concentrations (0, 0.5 and
      3.0 mg/m(3)). A group of animals injected with the nitric oxide synthase
      inhibitor L-NMMA (0.01 mL/g) was also set and exposed to 3.0 mg/m(3) FA. The
      concentrations of cAMP, cGMP, NO and the activity of NOS in cerebral cortex,
      hippocampus and brain stem were determined by corresponding assay kits. The
      results showed that, compared with the control (0 mg/m(3) FA) group, the cAMP
      contents in cerebral cortex and brain stem were significantly increased in 0.5
      mg/m(3) FA group (P < 0.05), but decreased in 3.0 mg/m(3) FA group (P < 0.05);
      The concentration of cAMP in hippocampus was significantly decreased in 3.0
      mg/m(3) FA group (P < 0.05). In comparison with the control group, L-NMMA group
      showed unchanged cAMP contents and NOS activities in different brain regions, but
      showed increased cGMP contents in hippocampus and NO contents in cerebral cortex
      (P < 0.05). In addition, compared with 3.0 mg/m(3) FA group, L-NMMA group showed
      increased contents of cAMP and reduced NOS activities in different brain regions,
      as well as significantly decreased cGMP contents in cerebral cortex and brain
      stem and NO content in brain stem. These results suggest that the toxicity of FA
      on mouse nervous system is related to NO/cGMP and cAMP signaling pathways.

PMID- 26490066
TI  - [Alteration of neural oscillations in hippocampal CA3 area in the fast avoidance
      response rat before and after electric shock avoidance training].
AB  - The purpose of the present study is to explore the relationship of spatial
      learning ability and specific electrical activities of neural oscillations in the
      rat. The fast and general avoidance response groups were selected on the basis of
      the animals' responses to the electric shock in Y type maze, and their local
      field potentials (LFPs) of hippocampal CA3 area were recorded by wireless
      telemetry before and after shock avoidance training, respectively. The components
      of neural oscillations related to spatial identifying and learning ability were
      analyzed. The results showed that, compared with the general avoidance response
      group, the fast avoidance response group did not show any differences of LFPs in
      hippocampal CA3 area before electric shock avoidance trial, but showed
      significantly increased percentages of 0-10 Hz and 30-40 Hz rhythm in right
      hippocampal CA3 area after the shock avoidance training (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05).
      Fast Fourier transform showed that percentage increase of 0-10 Hz band occurred
      mainly in theta (3-7 Hz) frequency, and 30-40 Hz frequency change was equivalent
      to the gamma1 band. Furthermore, compared with those before training, only the
      percentages of beta, beta2 (20-30 Hz) and gamma1 rhythm increased (P < 0.01 or P
      < 0.05) in fast avoidance response rats after training, while the theta rhythm
      percentage remained unchanged. In contrast, theta rhythm percentage and the large
      amplitude (intensity: +2.5 - -2.5 db) theta waves in right CA3 area of general
      avoidance response rats were significantly reduced after training (P < 0.01).
      These results suggest that the increased percentages of beta2 and gamma1 rhythm
      and high-level (unchanged) percentage of theta rhythm in the right hippocampus
      CA3 area might be related to strong spatial cognition ability of fast avoidance
      response rats.

PMID- 26490068
TI  - [Effect of Kv1.3 and KCa3.1 potassium ion channels on the proliferation and
      migration of monocytes/macrophages].
AB  - This study was aimed to investigate the effects of blockade of Ca(2+) activated
      channel KCa3.1 and voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.3 of the
      monocytes/macrophages on inflammatory monocyte chemotaxis. Chemotaxis assay was
      used to test the inflammatory Ly-6C(hi) monocyte chemotaxis caused by the
      monocytes/macrophages. The proliferation of monocytes/macrophages was detected by
      cell counting kit-8 (CCK8). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied
      to detect the C-C motif ligand 7 (CCL7) in cultured media. The results showed
      that the recruitment of Ly-6C(hi) monocyte induced by monocytes/macrophages was
      suppressed by the potent Kv1.3 blocker Stichodactyla helianthus neurotoxin (ShK)
      or the specific KCa3.1 inhibitor TRAM-34. Meanwhile, the proliferation of
      monocytes/macrophages was significantly inhibited by ShK. The response of Ly
      6C(hi) monocyte pretreated with ShK or TRAM-34 to CCL2 was declined. These
      results suggest that KCa3.1 and Kv1.3 may play an important role in
      monocytes/macrophages' proliferation and migration.

PMID- 26490070
TI  - [The influence of interfered circadian rhythm on pregnancy and neonatal rats].
AB  - The aim of this study was to observe the influence of interfered circadian rhythm
      on pregnancy of rats and growth of neonatal rats, and to explore the relationship
      between the interfered circadian rhythm and the changes of melatonin and
      progesterone. Continuous light was used to inhibit melatonin secretion and
      therefore the interfered circadian rhythm animal model was obtained. The
      influence of interfered circadian rhythm on delivery of pregnant rats was
      observed. Serum was collected from rats during different stages of pregnancy to
      measure the concentrations of melatonin and progesterone. In order to observe the
      embryo resorption rate, half of pregnant rats were randomly selected to undergo a
      laparotomy, and the remainder was used to observe delivery and assess the growth
      of neonatal rats after delivery. The results showed that the interfered circadian
      rhythm induced adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes, including an increase of
      embryo resorption rate and a decrease in the number of live births; inhibited the
      secretion of melatonin along with decreased serum progesterone level; prolonged
      the stage of labor, but not the duration of pregnancy; and disturbed the fetal
      intrauterine growth and the growth of neonatal rats. The results suggest that
      interfered circadian rhythm condition made by continuous light could make adverse
      effects on both pregnant rats and neonatal rats. The results of our study may
      provide a way to modulate pregnant women's circadian rhythm and a possibility of
      application of melatonin on pregnant women. 

PMID- 26490069
TI  - [Metabotropic glutamate receptor 8 activation promotes the apoptosis of lung
      carcinoma A549 cells in vitro].
AB  - This study aims to detect the expression of metabotropic glutamate receptors
      (mGluRs) in lung carcinoma A549 cells, and to investigate the effects of mGluR8
      and mGluR4 activation on the growth of A549 cells in vitro. The mRNA expression
      levels of the 8 subtypes of mGluRs in A549 cells were determined by real-time
      PCR. Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the protein expression of mGluR4
      and mGluR8 in A549 cells and lung tissue sections obtained from lung
      adenocarcinoma patients. To observe the effects of mGluR8 and mGluR4 activation
      on the growth of A549 cells, the cultured cells were treated with (S)-3,4-DCPG
      (an agonist of mGluR8) and VU0155041 (an agonist of mGluR4), respectively, and
      then the cell viability was analyzed by CCK-8 kit, the percentage of DNA
      synthesis was detected by EdU incorporation, and the apoptosis of the cells was
      measured by hoechst 33258 staining and flow cytometry. The results showed that
      there were low expressions of mGluR1, mGluR5, mGluR6, mGluR7 mRNA, no expression
      of mGluR2 and mGluR3 mRNA, and high expressions of mGluR8 and mGluR4 mRNA in A549
      cells. Accordingly, there were also mGluR4 and mGluR8 protein expressions in the
      A549 cells and the lung adenocarcinoma tissue sections. VU0155041 had no effect
      on the growth of A549 cells, but (S)-3,4-DCPG significantly decreased the cells'
      growth in a dose-dependent manner and increased the apoptosis of the cells. The
      results revealed a role of mGluR8 in the growth and apoptosis of A549 cells and
      suggested a potential target for clinical treatment of lung cancer.

PMID- 26490071
TI  - [Research progress of TRPV4 and cerebral ischemic reperfusion injury].
AB  - Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channel is a member of transient
      receptor potential superfamily. TRPV4 is selectively permeable to calcium.
      Activation of the TRPV4 channel induces an increase in intracellular calcium
      concentration and plays an important role under physiological and pathological
      conditions. Especially, there is evidence showing that TRPV4 is involved in
      cerebral ischemic reperfusion injury. The present paper reviewed some research
      progress about the role of TRPV4 in cerebral ischemic reperfusion injury.

PMID- 26490073
TI  - Successful percutaneous coronary intervention for complex bifurcated lesions with
      combination of "Reverse wire technique" and "Reverse bent wiring with the crusade
      catheter" novel wire manipulation technique.
AB  - We encountered a case of percutaneous coronary intervention for complex
      bifurcated lesions in the mid portion of the left anterior descending (LAD)
      artery. The diagonal artery branched from the LAD artery with a markedly
      angulated pattern and there was severe stenosis from just proximal to this
      diagonal artery. The "reverse wire technique facilitated with the Crusade
      catheter" enabled us to cross a guidewire through to the markedly angulated
      diagonal side branch (SB). Next, we adopted a mini-crushing stent strategy for
      this true bifurcated lesion. Thereafter, we adopted "reverse bent wiring with the
      Crusade catheter" for wire re-crossing to the incarcerated side branch, and
      successfully completed all procedures. This technique for successful wire re
      crossing is simple but can be very effective in specific situations in practical
      percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Many PCI operators may empirically
      adopt this kind of wire manipulation technique. However, this case is the first
      report in the world describing the application of a "reverse bent wiring with the
      Crusade catheter" for wire re-crossing through a double-folded stent strut to a
      SB at the optimal point of the bifurcation. In this case, we made the most of the
      Crusade catheter. This catheter is a very useful device for multifactorial use in
      practical PCI. It can help us to perform complex PCI procedures successfully.

PMID- 26490074
TI  - Biofunctionalization of Polyoxometalates with DNA Primers, Their Use in the
      Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Electrochemical Detection of PCR Products.
AB  - The bioconjugation of polyoxometalates (POMs), which are inorganic metal oxido
      clusters, to DNA strands to obtain functional labeled DNA primers and their
      potential use in electrochemical detection have been investigated. Activated
      monooxoacylated polyoxotungstates [SiW11 O39 {Sn(CH2 )2 CO}](8-) and [P2 W17 O61
      {Sn(CH2 )2 CO}](6-) have been used to link to a 5'-NH2 terminated 21-mer DNA
      forward primer through amide coupling. The functionalized primer was
      characterized by using a battery of techniques, including electrophoresis, mass
      spectrometry, as well as IR and Raman spectroscopy. The functionality of the POM
      labeled primers was demonstrated through hybridization with a surface-immobilized
      probe. Finally, the labeled primers were successfully used in the polymerase
      chain reaction (PCR) and the PCR products were characterized by using
      electrophoresis. 

PMID- 26490075
TI  - Obstetric and perinatal complications in an oocyte donation programme. Is it time
      to limit the number of embryos to transfer?
AB  - The aim of this study is to describe obstetric and perinatal complications in
      pregnancies from oocyte donation (OD) cycles, delivering in our centre and to
      determine the impact of maternal age. Retrospective observational study of a 225
      singleton pregnancies, 113 multiple pregnancies and 447 live birth. Pearson's
      chi(2) test or Fisher's exact test were used for the statistical analysis. A
      higher incidence of obstetric complications was observed in multiple compared to
      singleton pregnancies with regard to preeclampsia (24.8% versus 8%), premature
      rupture of membranes (9.7% versus 1.8%), preterm delivery at <37 weeks (54.9%
      versus 10.2%) and caesarean section (81.4% versus 64%) (p < 0.05). If the age
      factor is added, the caesarean sections are higher in the single pregnancy group
      aged >=40 years than in the group of <40 years (73.5% versus 49.4%) (p < 0.05). A
      higher incidence is found in multiple versus singleton pregnancies for low birth
      weight (<2500 g) (61.1% versus 8.2%), admissions to the intensive care unit
      (15.2% versus 4.7%) and perinatal mortality (13.50/00 versus 00/00) (p < 0.05).
      It is necessary to consider preconception counselling prior to an OD cycle to
      inform patients about the incidence complications observed and recommend to
      transfer only a single embryo. 

PMID- 26490076
TI  - pH-Dependent solution dynamics of a manganese(II) polyoxometalate,
      [Mn4(H2O)2(P2W15O56)2](16-), and [Mn(H2O)6](2+).
AB  - The aqueous reaction dynamics of the manganese(II)-functionalised Wells-Dawson
      polyoxometalate [Mn4(H2O)2(P2W15O56)2](16-) has been determined as a function of
      pH using variable temperature (17)O NMR, and compared with that of the well
      studied monomeric manganese(II) hexa-aqua ion, [Mn(H2O)6](2+). While the rate of
      aquo-ligand exchange on the hexa-aqua ion remains independent of pH in the range
      3.2-6.0, the rate of water exchange of the polyoxometalate ion varies by a factor
      of fifteen, from 1.98 * 10(7) s(-1) at pH 3.2 to 1.3 * 10(6) s(-1) at pH 6.0.
      This decrease in the rate of exchange correlates with the deprotonation of the
      polyoxometalate framework.

PMID- 26490077
TI  - Direct electrochemical analysis in complex samples using ITO electrodes modified
      with permselective membranes consisting of vertically ordered silica mesochannels
      and micelles.
AB  - Herein we report a simple and cost-effective method for the direct
      electrochemical detection of redox-active small organic analytes in complex
      media, such as soil dispersions, human serum and milk, without sample pre
      treatment using an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode modified with permselective
      membranes consisting of vertically ordered surfactant micelles and silica
      mesochannels (OSM@SM). The OSM@SM/ITO electrode displayed excellent anti
      interference and anti-fouling ability. 

PMID- 26490078
TI  - Statin Intolerance: the Clinician's Perspective.
AB  - Muscle problems and other adverse symptoms associated with statin use are
      frequent reasons for non-adherence and discontinuation of statin therapy, which
      results in inadequate control of hyperlipidemia and increased cardiovascular
      risk. However, most patients who experience adverse symptoms during statin use
      are able to tolerate at least some degree of statin therapy. Given the profound
      cardiovascular benefits derived from statins, an adequate practical approach to
      statin intolerance is, therefore, of great clinical importance. Statin
      intolerance can be defined as the occurrence of myalgia or other adverse symptoms
      that are attributed to statin therapy and that lead to its discontinuation. In
      reality, these symptoms are actually unrelated to statin use in many patients,
      especially in those with atypical presentations following long periods of
      treatment. Thus, the first step in approaching patients with adverse symptoms
      during the course of statin therapy is identification of those patients for whom
      true statin intolerance is unlikely, since most of these patients would probably
      be capable of tolerating adequate statin therapy. In patients with statin
      intolerance, an altered dosing regimen of very low doses of statins should be
      attempted and, if tolerated, should gradually be increased to achieve the highest
      tolerable doses. In addition, other lipid-lowering drugs may be needed, either in
      combination with statins, or alone, if statins are not tolerated at all.
      Stringent control of other risk factors can aid in reducing cardiovascular risk
      if attaining lipid treatment goals proves difficult. 

PMID- 26490079
TI  - MicroRNA Biomarkers for Coronary Artery Disease?
AB  - MicroRNA (miRNA, miR) measurements in patients with coronary heart disease are
      hampered by the confounding effects of medication commonly used in cardiovascular
      patients such as statins, antiplatelet drugs, and heparin administration. Statins
      reduce the circulating levels of liver-derived miR-122. Antiplatelet medication
      attenuates the release of platelet-derived miRNAs. Heparin inhibits the
      polymerase chain reactions, in particular the amplification of the exogenous
      Caenorhabditis elegans spike-in control, thereby resulting in an artefactual rise
      of endogenous miRNAs. As these limitations have not been previously recognised, a
      reevaluation of the current miRNA literature, in particular of case-control
      studies in patients with cardiovascular disease or coronary interventions, is
      required. 

PMID- 26490080
TI  - Advances in the Detection and Monitoring of Atrial Fibrillation for Patients with
      Cryptogenic Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a significant etiologic cause of acute ischemic
      stroke (AIS) that leads to disabling deficits as well as significant morbidity
      and mortality in this population. Approximately 25 % of AIS is considered to be
      cryptogenic with no etiology ascertained at the time of the index event. Recent
      advances from the EMBRACE and CRYSTAL-AF trial have improved detection and
      treatment of AF and subsequently lead to changes in guidelines. However, with
      improved detection rates, the duration and frequency cutoffs for treating AF are
      currently being investigated to ensure optimization of patient selection and
      subsequent treatment.

PMID- 26490081
TI  - Role of Ezetimibe in Lipid-Lowering and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention.
AB  - With the goal of decreasing low-density cholesterol (LDL-C) to mitigate risk of
      both primary and secondary cardiovascular outcomes, statins have been the
      cornerstone of therapy, significantly reducing the incidence of coronary
      atherosclerotic vascular disease. Previous studies suggest that adding other non
      statin LDL-lowering agents may further lower LDL-C without negative side effects.
      Recent guidelines support the hypothesis that driving the LDL-C level below
      previously recommended targets may have a beneficial effect. Ezetimibe, a
      cholesterol absorption blocker that inhibits the Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1)
      receptor, has been the focus of recent trials that support its use in
      cardiovascular risk reduction. For patients not at goal on statin therapy alone,
      ezetimibe has proven to be a safe, well-tolerated medication that may be used as
      an adjunct to statin therapy to further reduce LDL-C, resulting in a significant
      mortality benefit. 

PMID- 26490082
TI  - Efficacy and acceptability of very low energy diets in overweight and obese
      people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review with meta-analyses.
AB  - AIMS: To explore the efficacy and acceptability of very low energy diets in
      overweight or obese adults with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Controlled trials and
      qualitative studies of individuals with Type 2 diabetes that compared very low
      energy diets with standard care, minimal interventions, other weight loss
      interventions, less intensive very low energy diet interventions and very low
      energy diets with additional components were eligible for inclusion. Meta
      analyses of changes in weight, blood glucose levels and attrition rates were
      performed. Acceptability of very low energy diets was assessed by attrition
      rates, number and severity of side effects, and by qualitative evaluations of the
      interventions. RESULTS: Four randomized, five non-randomized controlled trials
      and no qualitative studies (21 references, 9 studies, 346 participants) were
      identified. Meta-analyses showed that very low energy diets induced greater
      weight losses than minimal interventions, standard care or low energy diets at 3
      and 6 months. No conclusive evidence for differences in outcomes between very low
      energy diets and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery was found. Greater differences
      in energy prescription between intervention and comparator arms were associated
      with greater differences in weight loss and fasting blood glucose levels at 3
      months. Attrition rates did not differ between the very low energy diets and the
      comparator arms at any measurement point. CONCLUSIONS: Very low energy diets are
      effective in substantial weight loss among people with Type 2 diabetes. Levels of
      adherence to very low energy diets in controlled studies appear to be high,
      although details about behaviour support provided are usually poorly described.

PMID- 26490083
TI  - Psychotropic drugs for the management of cancer-related fatigue: a systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common symptom affecting 60-90% of cancer
      survivors, and effective management for CRF is not yet available. Recently, an
      increasing number of trials examining the use of psychotropic drugs for the
      treatment of CRF have been performed, but these trials have yielded inconsistent
      results. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis aimed at assessing the effect
      and safety of psychotropic drugs for the management of CRF. Ten eligible trials
      of the psychotropic drugs methylphenidate and modafinil in a total of 1582
      participants treated for CRF were subjected to statistical analyses. A meta
      analysis of seven of these studies indicated that methylphenidate was superior to
      placebo for the treatment of CRF. Another meta-analysis of three studies
      evaluating modafinil found that this drug was no better than placebo. Adverse
      events were similar between both methylphenidate and modafinil and the placebo
      groups. Our meta-analysis indicated that the treatment of CRF with
      methylphenidate appears to be effective, whereas modafinil provides no benefit.
      These results of this analysis warrant further trials to confirm the efficacy and
      safety of psychotropic drugs for the treatment of CRF.

PMID- 26490084
TI  - "I should be doing more for my parent:" Chinese adult children's worry about
      performance in providing care for their oldest-old parents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In China, as is the case in most of the world, family is the largest
      source of support for frail older adults. Confucian filial piety expectations
      hold children-in particular sons-responsible for the care of aging parents in
      China. During the course of caregiving, in addition to positive feelings, the
      caregiver may feel overwhelmed, entrapped, and worried about their performance,
      which can have negative health consequences. The purpose of this exploratory
      study is to examine one dimension of caregiver burden "worry about performance"
      (WaP) and investigate whether variables inspired by Pearlin's Stress Process
      Model help to explain the variation of WaP, so that at-risk caregivers can be
      identified and supported. METHODS: Multiple regression was used to analyze CLHLS
      data from 895 Chinese adult children providing care for their oldest old parent
      in eight coastal provinces in China. WaP was measured by two items from the Zarit
      Burden Inventory. Independent variables representing concepts from Pearlin's
      Stress Process Model and control variables were included in the models. RESULTS:
      Compared to a model of control variables only, using independent variables
      inspired by Pearlin's Stress Process Model increased the ability to explain the
      variation in WaP by three fold to 14%. The following variables increased WaP:
      parent's IADL level, the amount of time spent caregiving, being a daughter,
      reporting an emotionally close relationship with the parent, sharing a residence
      with the parent. CONCLUSION: Despite not being able to fully operationalize
      Pearlin's Model with this dataset, analyzing variables that represent concepts
      from the model was useful in increasing the ability to explain the variation in
      WaP. Results suggest that caregiver support directed at daughters may be
      particularly beneficial.

PMID- 26490085
TI  - Estimation of pulse wave velocity in patients with peripheral artery disease: a
      word of caution.

PMID- 26490086
TI  - Time course of cardiac inflammation during nitric oxide synthase inhibition in
      SHR: impact of prior transient ACE inhibition.
AB  - We have previously demonstrated that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)
      inhibition with enalapril produces persistent effects that protect against future
      nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor (L-arginine methyl ester, L-NAME)-induced
      cardiac dysfunction and outer wall collagen deposition in spontaneously
      hypertensive rats (SHR). In the present study, we dissect the cytokine/chemokine
      release profile during NOS inhibition, its correlation to pathological cardiac
      remodeling and the impact of transient ACE inhibition on these effects. Adult
      male SHR were treated with enalapril (E+L) or tap water (C+L) for 2 weeks
      followed by a 2-week washout period. Rats were then subjected to 0, 3, 7 or 10
      days of L-NAME treatment. The temporal response to NOS inhibition was evaluated
      by measuring arterial pressure, cardiac remodeling and cytokine/chemokine levels.
      L-NAME equivalently increased blood pressure and myocardial and vascular injury
      in C+L and E+L rats. However, pulse pressure (PP) was only transiently altered in
      C+L rats. The levels of several inflammatory mediators were increased during L
      NAME treatment. However, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10 and monocyte
      chemoattractant protein-1 were uniquely increased in C+L hearts; whereas IL-4 and
      fractalkine were only elevated in E+L hearts. By days 7 and 10 of L-NAME
      treatment, there was a significant increase in the cardiac density of macrophages
      and proliferating cells, respectively only in C+L rats. Although myocardial
      injury was similar in both treatment groups, PP was not changed and there was a
      distinct cardiac chemokine/cytokine signature in rats previously treated with
      enalapril that may be related to the lack of proliferative response and
      macrophage infiltration in these hearts.

PMID- 26490087
TI  - Combination of serum angiopoietin-2 and uterine artery Doppler for prediction of
      preeclampsia.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of the combination of
      serum angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) levels and uterine artery Doppler for the detection
      of preeclampsia in women at 16-18 weeks of gestation and to identify other
      pregnancy complications that could be predicted with these combined tests.
      Maternal serum Ang-2 levels were measured, and uterine artery Doppler was
      performed in 400 pregnant women. The main outcome was preeclampsia. The
      predictive values of this combination were calculated. Twenty-five women (6.3%)
      developed preeclampsia. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value
      (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of uterine artery Doppler combined with
      serum Ang-2 levels for the prediction of preeclampsia were 24.0%, 94.4%, 22.2%
      and 94.9%, respectively. For the prediction of early-onset preeclampsia, the
      sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 57.1%, 94.1%, 14.8% and 99.2%,
      respectively. Patients with abnormal uterine artery Doppler and abnormal serum
      Ang-2 levels (above 19.5 ng ml(-1)) were at higher risk for preterm delivery
      (relative risk=2.7, 95% confidence interval 1.2-5.8). Our findings revealed that
      the combination of uterine artery Doppler and serum Ang-2 levels at 16-18 weeks
      of gestation can be used to predict early-onset preeclampsia but not overall
      preeclampsia. Thus, this combination may be a useful early second trimester
      screening test for the prediction of early-onset preeclampsia. 

PMID- 26490088
TI  - Seeking a blood pressure-independent measure of vascular properties.
AB  - Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and pulse pressure (PP) are blood pressure (BP)
      dependent surrogates for vascular stiffness. Considering that there are no
      clinically useful markers for arterial stiffness that are BP-independent, our
      objective was to identify novel indices of arterial stiffness and compare them
      with previously described markers. PWV and PP were measured in young and old male
      Fisher rats and in young and old male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) over
      a wide range of BPs. The BP dependence of these and several other indices of
      vascular stiffness were evaluated. An index incorporating PWV and PP was also
      constructed. Both PWV and PP increase in a non-linear manner with rising BP for
      both strains of animals (Fisher and SHRs). Age markedly changes the relationship
      between PWV or PP and BP. The previously described Ambulatory Arterial Stiffness
      Index (AASI) was able to differentiate between young and old vasculature, whereas
      the Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI) did not reliably differentiate between the
      two. The novel Arterial Stiffness Index (ASI) differentiated stiffer from more
      compliant vasculature. Considering the limitations of the currently available
      indices of arterial stiffness, we propose a novel index of intrinsic arterial
      stiffness, the ASI, which is robust over a range of BPs and allows one to
      distinguish between compliant and stiff vasculature in both Fisher rats and SHRs.
      Further studies are necessary to validate this index in other settings. 

PMID- 26490091
TI  - A mechanism-based pharmacological evaluation of efficacy of Flacourtia indica in
      management of dyslipidemia and oxidative stress in hyperlipidemic rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Flacourtia indica (Burm. f.) Merr. is a medicinal plant indigenous to
      India and is broadly used worldwide for the treatment of a variety of health
      ailments. The present study was experimented on hyperlipidemic Charles Foster
      rats with the aim to explore the possible mechanism responsible for the
      antidyslipidemic activity of the hydromethanolic extract from F. indica leaves
      (FIL). METHODS: Hyperlipidemia was induced by a single intraperitoneal dose of
      Triton WR-1339 in Charles Foster rats. The plasma lipid levels were estimated in
      control and treated groups. The antioxidant potential of F. indica was assessed
      in both enzymatic and non-enzymatic systems. An acute toxicity study of high
      performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-fingerprinted extract was carried out in
      Swiss albino mice. RESULTS: The F. indica extract at a dose of 150 mg/kg
      significantly lowers the plasma level of total cholesterol (17%), triglycerides
      (13%), and phospholipids (16%) by increasing post-heparin lipolytic activity
      (19%) and lecithin-cholesterol-acyltransferase activity (20%) in Triton-induced
      hyperlipidemic rats. In addition, the F. indica extract showed significant in
      vitro antioxidant and anti-adipogenic activity. HPLC analysis indicates the
      presence of flavanones and flavones in the extract, and the extract was found to
      be non-toxic up to a dose of 2000 mg/kg body weight in the acute oral toxicity
      study. CONCLUSIONS: These finding suggest that F. indica holds significant
      potential in preventing clinical deterioration induced by dyslipidemia along with
      oxidative stress.

PMID- 26490090
TI  - The risk factors for labor onset hypertension.
AB  - Our aim was to clarify the perinatal outcomes of and risk factors for
      hypertension that is first detected after labor onset (labor onset hypertension,
      LOH), which may be a risk factor for eclampsia and stroke during labor. A total
      of 1349 parturient women who did not exhibit preeclampsia or gestational
      hypertension prior to labor were examined. The patients were classified into four
      groups: the normotensive (n=1023) (whose systolic blood pressure (SBP) remained
      below 140 mm Hg throughout labor), mild LOH (n=241) (whose maximum SBP during
      labor ranged from 140 to 159 mm Hg), severe LOH (n=66) (whose maximum SBP during
      labor ranged from 160 to 179 mm Hg) and emergent LOH groups (n=19) (whose maximum
      SBP during labor was greater than 180 mm Hg). The perinatal outcomes and patient
      characteristics of the four groups were compared. Twenty-four percent of the
      pregnant women who remained normotensive throughout pregnancy developed
      hypertension during labor. One of the patients in the emergent LOH group
      developed eclampsia. The blood pressure at delivery and frequencies of hypotensor
      use, interventional delivery and low Apgar scores differed significantly among
      the four groups. The following risk factors for severe/emergent LOH were
      extracted: being over 35 years old, a body mass index at delivery of >30, an SBP
      at 36 weeks' gestation of 130-134 mm Hg, an SBP at admission of 130-139 mm Hg,
      proteinuria (a score of 2+ on the dipstick test) and severe edema. The risk
      factors for severe/emergent LOH were identified in this study. In high risk
      cases, repeatedly measuring maternal blood pressure during delivery might help
      detect critical hypertension early. 

PMID- 26490092
TI  - Ultrasonographic findings of the various diseases presenting as calf pain.
AB  - There are various causes of calf pain. The differential diagnoses affecting the
      lower leg include cystic lesions, trauma-related lesions, infection or
      inflammation, vascular lesions, neoplasms, and miscellaneous entities. Ultrasound
      (US) provide detailed anatomical information of the calf structures, and it
      offers the ability to confirm, other calf abnormalities, particularly when deep
      vein thrombosis (DVT) is ruled out. The purpose of this article is to review the
      causes of a painful calf presenting as DVT and incidental findings found as part
      of the work-up of DVT, and to provide a broad overview of US findings and
      clinical features of these pathologies. 

PMID- 26490093
TI  - The effectiveness of mobile-health behaviour change interventions for
      cardiovascular disease self-management: A systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mobile wireless devices (mHealth) have been used to deliver
      cardiovascular disease self-management interventions to educate and support
      patients in making healthy lifestyle changes. This systematic review aimed to
      determine the effectiveness of mHealth interventions on behavioural lifestyle
      changes and medication adherence for cardiovascular disease self-management.
      METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted from inception through
      to 3 March 2015 using MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library.
      Eligible studies used an experimental trial design to determine the effectiveness
      of an mHealth intervention to change lifestyle behaviours in any cardiovascular
      disease population. Data extracted included intervention and comparison group
      characteristics with a specific focus on the use of behaviour change techniques.
      RESULTS: Seven studies met our inclusion criteria and were included in the
      qualitative synthesis. All interventions were delivered in part by mobile phone
      text messaging. Three studies were effective at improving adherence to medication
      and two studies increased physical activity behaviour. No effects were observed
      on dietary behaviour or smoking cessation, measured in one study each. Simple
      text messaging interventions appeared to be most effective; however, no clear
      relationships were found between study findings and intervention dose, duration
      or behaviour change techniques targeted. CONCLUSIONS: Our review found mHealth
      has the potential to change lifestyle behaviour. Results are still limited to a
      small number of trials, inconsistent outcome measures and ineffective reporting
      of intervention characteristics. Large scale, longitudinal studies are now
      warranted to gain a clear understanding of the effects of mHealth on behaviour
      change in the cardiovascular disease population.

PMID- 26490094
TI  - Phenylsilane as a safe, versatile alternative to hydrogen for the synthesis of
      actinide hydrides.
AB  - The thorium and uranium dihydride dimer complexes [(C5Me5)2An(H)(MU-H)]2 (An =
      Th, U) have been easily prepared using phenylsilane, which is an efficient and
      safer alternative to hydrogen gas. The synthetic utility of this new hydriding
      method has been demonstrated by the preparation of a variety of organometallic
      complexes, including, for the first time, (C5Me5)2U(SMe)2, (C5Me5)2Th(C4Ph4),
      (C5Me5)2U(C4Ph4), (C5Me5)2ThS5, and (C5Me5)2U(bipy) using [(C5Me5)2An(H)(MU-H)]2
      (An = Th, U) as multi-electron reductants.

PMID- 26490095
TI  - Synthesis and biological evaluation of 1,3-diaryl pyrazole derivatives as
      potential antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agents.
AB  - Three series of 1,3-diaryl pyrazole derivatives bearing aminoguanidine or furan-2
      carbohydrazide moieties have been synthesized, characterized and evaluated for
      antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities. Most of the synthesized compounds
      showed potent inhibition of several Gram-positive bacterial strains (including
      multidrug-resistant clinical isolates) and Gram-negative bacterial strains with
      minimum inhibitory concentration values in the range of 1-64 MUg/mL. Compounds
      6g, 6l and 7l presented the most potent inhibitory activity against Gram-positive
      bacteria (e.g. Staphylococcus aureus 4220), Gram-negative bacteria (e.g.
      Escherichia coli 1924) and the fungus, Candida albicans 7535, with minimum
      inhibitory concentration values of 1 or 2 MUg/mL. Compared with previous studies,
      these compounds exhibited a broad spectrum of inhibitory activity. Furthermore,
      compound 7l showed the greatest anti-inflammatory activity (93.59% inhibition, 30
      min after intraperitoneal administration), which was more potent than the
      reference drugs ibuprofen and indomethacin.

PMID- 26490096
TI  - Single water solvation dynamics in the 4-aminobenzonitrile-water cluster cation
      revealed by picosecond time-resolved infrared spectroscopy.
AB  - The dynamics of a solvent is important for many chemical and biological
      processes. Here, the migration dynamics of a single water molecule is triggered
      by the photoionization of the 4-aminobenzonitrile-water (4ABN-W) cluster and
      monitored in real time by picosecond time-resolved IR (ps TRIR) spectroscopy. In
      the neutral cluster, water is hydrogen-bonded to the CN group. When this CN-bound
      cluster is selectively ionized with an excess energy of 1238 cm(-1), water
      migrates with a lifetime of tau = 17 ps from the CN to the NH2 group, forming a
      more stable 4ABN(+)-W(NH) isomer with a yield of unity. By decreasing the
      ionization excess energy, the yield of the CN -> NH2 reaction is reduced. The
      relatively slow migration in comparison to the ionization-induced solvent
      dynamics in the related acetanilide-water cluster cation (tau = 5 ps) is
      discussed in terms of the internal excess energy after photoionization and the
      shape of the potential energy surface. 

PMID- 26490097
TI  - Quantifying the prevalence of frailty in English hospitals.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Population ageing has been associated with an increase in comorbid
      chronic disease, functional dependence, disability and associated higher health
      care costs. Frailty Syndromes have been proposed as a way to define this group
      within older persons. We explore whether frailty syndromes are a reliable
      methodology to quantify clinically significant frailty within hospital settings,
      and measure trends and geospatial variation using English secondary care data set
      Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). SETTING: National English Secondary Care
      Administrative Data HES. PARTICIPANTS: All 50,540,141 patient spells for patients
      over 65 years admitted to acute provider hospitals in England (January 2005-March
      2013) within HES. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: We explore the
      prevalence of Frailty Syndromes as coded by International Statistical
      Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death (ICD-10) over time, and
      their geographic distribution across England. We examine national trends for
      admission spells, inpatient mortality and 30-day readmission. RESULTS: A rising
      trend of admission spells was noted from January 2005 to March 2013 (daily
      average admissions for month rising from over 2000 to over 4000). The overall
      prevalence of coded frailty is increasing (64,559 spells in January 2005 to
      150,085 spells by Jan 2013). The majority of patients had a single frailty
      syndrome coded (10.2% vs total burden of 13.9%). Cognitive impairment and falls
      (including significant fracture) are the most common frailty syndromes coded
      within HES. Geographic variation in frailty burden was in keeping with known
      distribution of prevalence of the English elderly population and location of
      National Health Service (NHS) acute provider sites. Overtime, in-hospital
      mortality has decreased (>65 years) whereas readmission rates have increased
      (esp.>85 years). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a novel methodology to reliably
      quantify clinically significant frailty. Applications include evaluation of
      health service improvement over time, risk stratification and optimisation of
      services.

PMID- 26490098
TI  - Developing and validating a risk prediction model for acute care based on frailty
      syndromes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Population ageing may result in increased comorbidity, functional
      dependence and poor quality of life. Mechanisms and pathophysiology underlying
      frailty have not been fully elucidated, thus absolute consensus on an operational
      definition for frailty is lacking. Frailty scores in the acute medical care
      setting have poor predictive power for clinically relevant outcomes. We explore
      the utility of frailty syndromes (as recommended by national guidelines) as a
      risk prediction model for the elderly in the acute care setting. SETTING: English
      Secondary Care emergency admissions to National Health Service (NHS) acute
      providers. PARTICIPANTS: There were N=2,099,252 patients over 65 years with
      emergency admission to NHS acute providers from 01/01/2012 to 31/12/2012 included
      in the analysis. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcomes investigated
      include inpatient mortality, 30-day emergency readmission and
      institutionalisation. We used pseudorandom numbers to split patients into train
      (60%) and test (40%). Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves and ordering
      the patients by deciles of predicted risk was used to assess model performance.
      Using English Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data, we built multivariable
      logistic regression models with independent variables based on frailty syndromes
      (10th revision International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries and
      Causes of Death (ICD-10) coding), demographics and previous hospital utilisation.
      Patients included were those>65 years with emergency admission to acute provider
      in England (2012). RESULTS: Frailty syndrome models exhibited ROC scores of 0.624
      0.659 for inpatient mortality, 0.63-0.654 for institutionalisation and 0.57-0.63
      for 30-day emergency readmission. CONCLUSIONS: Frailty syndromes are a valid
      predictor of outcomes relevant to acute care. The models predictive power is in
      keeping with other scores in the literature, but is a simple, clinically relevant
      and potentially more acceptable measurement for use in the acute care setting.
      Predictive powers of the score are not sufficient for clinical use.

PMID- 26490099
TI  - Does smoking cessation result in improved mental health? A comparison of
      regression modelling and propensity score matching.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Smokers report that smoking is therapeutic; a recent meta-analysis
      suggests the contrary. However, the association in that review may be explained
      by group-membership bias and confounding. Propensity score matching (PSM) aims to
      produce causal estimates from observational data. We examined the association
      between cessation and change in mental health before and after PSM. DESIGN: A
      secondary analysis of prospective data from 5 placebo-controlled randomised
      trials for smoking reduction. PARTICIPANTS: All participants were adult smokers
      and had smoked for at least 3 years. Participants were excluded if they were
      pregnant, breast feeding, under psychiatric care, deemed to be unfit by a general
      practitioner or part of a cessation programme. In total, 937 participants
      provided smoking data at both 6-month and 12-month follow-ups. Of these, 68 were
      confirmed as abstinent at both 6 and 12 months and 589 as continuous smokers at
      both follow-ups. PRIMARY OUTCOME: Change in mental health (36-item Short Form
      Survey (SF-36), scored 0-100) from baseline (while all participants were smokers)
      to 12-month follow-up (after cessation) was compared between quitters and
      continuing smokers with and without adjustment, and after PSM. RESULTS: Before
      matching, quitters' mental health scores improved compared with continuing
      smokers', the mean difference and 95% CI was 5.5 (1.6 to 9.4). After adjustment,
      the difference was 4.5 (0.6 to 8.5), and after PSM, the difference was 3.4 (-2.2
      to 8.9). CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in mental health after smoking cessation may
      be partly but not completely explained by group membership bias and confounding.

PMID- 26490101
TI  - Effect of grain size on the monoclinic transformation, hardness, roughness, and
      modulus of aged partially stabilized zirconia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Low-temperature-degradation (LTD) has been reported to cause property
      changes in yttria-tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (Y-TZP). The current study
      measured monoclinic phase transformation of Y-TZP with different grain sizes and
      corresponding property changes due to artificial aging. NULL HYPOTHESIS: the
      grain size of aged Y-TZP will not influence its transformation, roughness,
      hardness or modulus of elasticity. METHODS: Four groups of Y-TZP were examined
      with differing grain sizes (n=5). The line intercept technique was used to
      determine grain sizes on SEM images (100,000*). Artificial aging was accomplished
      by autoclaving at 2 bar pressure for 5 h. X-ray diffraction (30 mA, 40 kV) was
      used to measure tetragonal to monoclinic transformation (t->m). Surface roughness
      analysis was performed using a non-contact surface-profilometer. Nano-hardness
      and modulus of elasticity were measured using nano-indentation. RESULTS: SEM
      analyses showed different grain sizes for each sample group (0.350 MUm, 0.372
      MUm, 0.428 MUm, and 0.574 MUm). The fraction of t->m transformation increased as
      grain size increased; furthermore, aging of zirconia caused increased roughness.
      Modulus and hardness after aging displayed no significant correlation or
      interaction with grain size. SIGNIFICANCE: Smaller grains caused less
      transformation, and aging caused increased roughness, but grain size did not
      influence the amount of increased surface roughness. Future studies are needed to
      determine the effects of grain size on the wear and fracture properties of dental
      zirconia.

PMID- 26490100
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of calculated serum osmolarity to predict dehydration in
      older people: adding value to pathology laboratory reports.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess which osmolarity equation best predicts directly measured
      serum/plasma osmolality and whether its use could add value to routine blood test
      results through screening for dehydration in older people. DESIGN: Diagnostic
      accuracy study. PARTICIPANTS: Older people (>=65 years) in 5 cohorts: Dietary
      Strategies for Healthy Ageing in Europe (NU-AGE, living in the community),
      Dehydration Recognition In our Elders (DRIE, living in residential care), Fortes
      (admitted to acute medical care), Sjostrand (emergency room) or Pfortmueller
      cohorts (hospitalised with liver cirrhosis). REFERENCE STANDARD FOR HYDRATION
      STATUS: Directly measured serum/plasma osmolality: current dehydration (serum
      osmolality>300 mOsm/kg), impending/current dehydration (>=295 mOsm/kg). INDEX
      TESTS: 39 osmolarity equations calculated using serum indices from the same blood
      draw as directly measured osmolality. RESULTS: Across 5 cohorts 595 older people
      were included, of whom 19% were dehydrated (directly measured osmolality>300
      mOsm/kg). Of 39 osmolarity equations, 5 showed reasonable agreement with directly
      measured osmolality and 3 had good predictive accuracy in subgroups with diabetes
      and poor renal function. Two equations were characterised by narrower limits of
      agreement, low levels of differential bias and good diagnostic accuracy in
      receiver operating characteristic plots (areas under the curve>0.8). The best
      equation was osmolarity=1.86*(Na++K+)+1.15*glucose+urea+14 (all measured in
      mmol/L). It appeared useful in people aged >=65 years with and without diabetes,
      poor renal function, dehydration, in men and women, with a range of ages, health,
      cognitive and functional status. CONCLUSIONS: Some commonly used osmolarity
      equations work poorly, and should not be used. Given costs and prevalence of
      dehydration in older people we suggest use of the best formula by pathology
      laboratories using a cutpoint of 295 mOsm/L (sensitivity 85%, specificity 59%),
      to report dehydration risk opportunistically when serum glucose, urea and
      electrolytes are measured for other reasons in older adults. TRIAL REGISTRATION
      NUMBERS: DRIE: Research Register for Social Care, 122273; NU-AGE:
      ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01754012.

PMID- 26490102
TI  - 'Mini reimplantation' for the management of primary obstructed megaureter.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The management of primary obstructed megaureter (POM) ranges from
      temporary double-J stenting to conventional ureteric reimplantation with
      tapering. Of late, several authors have favored refluxing reimplantation. In the
      present study the outcomes of 'mini reimplantation', where no tapering or
      advancement of the ureter was performed, have been analyzed. METHODS: Records of
      all children (n = 28) who underwent reimplantation for POM from 2004 to 2014 were
      retrospectively analyzed. During the initial 5 years, a Cohen's reimplantation
      with excisional tapering was performed (Group 1, n = 15). Due to complications,
      the technique was modified in the second 5 years (Group 2, n = 13). In this
      group, after opening the bladder, the distal narrow segment and grossly dilated
      POM (around 3-5 cm) were excised (Figure). After closing the detrusor behind the
      ureter, the ureter was reimplanted again at the original position without
      tapering or advancement. Bladder mucosa was closed cranial to the new ureteric
      orifice, providing a ureter:tunnel ratio of 1:2 (mini reimplantation). All
      patients underwent repeat ultrasonogram and MAG3 renogram, with indirect at 6
      months and 1 year after stent removal to exclude obstruction/vesicoureteral
      reflux (VUR). RESULTS: In Group 1, a significantly higher proportion (P = 0.04)
      of patients (5/15) had to undergo repeat procedures for complications, compared
      with none in Group 2. In Group 1, there were two redo reimplants for recurrent
      obstructions; two nephrectomies for non-functioning kidneys; and one ureterostomy
      for pyonephrosis. Postoperative Grade 2-3 VUR was encountered in 3/15 patients in
      Group 1, and 2/13 patients in Group 2. These patients could be managed with
      antibiotic prophylaxis and no intervention was required. DISCUSSION: Conventional
      management of POM involved initial cutaneous ureterostomy, followed by
      reimplantation with tapering of the ureter. Megaureter reimplantation with and
      without tapering has been reported to have no significant difference in outcomes
      between them. To avoid a potentially difficult operation in a small infant
      bladder, a refluxing reimplantation has been proposed; however, there is a high
      re-operation rate following this technique. The author feels that the reported
      technique is superior to the refluxing reimplantation, as there is no need for re
      operation. The limitations of this study were the small numbers and short follow
      up. However, the proposed 'mini reimplantation' with no tapering or advancement
      had good success rates in this small series. Further larger studies are required
      to support or negate the usefulness of this technique.

PMID- 26490105
TI  - Hepatitis B virus X protein induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition by
      repressing E-cadherin expression via upregulation of E12/E47.
AB  - Previous reports have demonstrated that hepatitis B virus (HBV) X protein (HBx)
      represses E-cadherin expression to induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition
      (EMT), an essential component of cancer progression to more aggressive phenotypes
      characterized by tumour invasion, migration and metastasis; however, the
      underlying mechanism for this phenomenon is still unclear. In this study, we
      found that ectopic expression of HBx in human hepatocytes using overexpression
      and 1.2-mer WT HBV replicon systems upregulated levels of the transcriptional
      repressors E12 and E47, resulting in inactivation of the E-cadherin promoter,
      containing three E-box motifs, and subsequent repression of its expression.
      E12/E47 knockdown using a specific small interfering RNA almost completely
      abolished the potential of HBx to repress E-cadherin expression. HBx inhibited
      the ubiquitin-dependent proteasomal degradation of E12/E47 without affecting
      their expression at the transcriptional level. Upregulation of E12/E47 by HBx
      ultimately led to EMT in human hepatocytes, as demonstrated by morphological
      changes, altered protein levels of EMT markers, including E-cadherin,
      plakoglobin, fibronectin, vimentin and N-cadherin, and increased capacity for
      cell detachment and migration. 

PMID- 26490103
TI  - Antiproteinuric therapy and Fabry nephropathy: factors associated with preserved
      kidney function during agalsidase-beta therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nephropathy is an important feature of classical Fabry disease, which
      results in alpha-galactosidase A deficiency and cellular globotriaosylceramide
      accumulation. We report the safety and efficacy of antiproteinuric therapy with
      ACE inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) in a study of classical
      Fabry patients receiving recombinant agalsidase-beta therapy. METHODS AND DESIGN:
      The goal was maintenance of urine protein to creatinine ratio (UPCR) <0.5 g/g or
      a 50% reduction in baseline UPCR for 24 patients at eight study sites. The change
      in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was assessed over 21 months of
      treatment. RESULTS: 18 out of 24 patients achieved the UPCR goal with eGFR slopes
      that were significantly better than six patients who did not achieve the UPCR
      goal (-3.6 (-4.8 to -1.1) versus -7.0 (-9.0 to -5.6) mL/min/1.73 m(2)/year,
      respectively, p=0.018). Despite achieving the UPCR goal, 67% (12/18 patients)
      still progressed with an eGFR slope <-2 mL/min/1.73 m(2)/year. Regression
      analysis showed that increased age at initiation of agalsidase-beta therapy was
      significantly associated with worsened kidney outcome. Hypotension and
      hyperkalaemia occurred in seven and eight patients, respectively, which required
      modification of antiproteinuric therapy but was not associated with serious
      adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: This study documents the effectiveness of agalsidase
      beta (1 mg/kg/2 weeks) and antiproteinuric therapy with ACE inhibitors and/or ARB
      in patients with severe Fabry nephropathy. Patients had preservation of kidney
      function if agalsidase-beta treatment was initiated at a younger age, and UPCR
      maintained at or below 0.5 g/g with antiproteinuric therapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION
      NUMBER: NCT00446862.

PMID- 26490106
TI  - Rate of discontinuation and drug survival of biologic therapies in rheumatoid
      arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of drug registries and health
      care databases.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the proportion of RA patients who discontinued biologics in
      world registries and health care databases and to identify causes and predictors
      of discontinuation. METHODS: Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science
      electronic databases and ACR and EULAR meeting abstracts were used. The selection
      of studies from world registries and health care databases including RA patients
      treated with biologics was independently performed. Data extracted from articles
      and abstracts were combined using a random effects model. Meta-analyses of
      percentages and hazard ratios were used to assess discontinuation. RESULTS:
      Ninety-eight studies with >200 000 patients from 11 242 articles and 119
      abstracts met the inclusion criteria. Overall discontinuation rates of TNF
      inhibitors at 0.5, 1, 2, 3 and 4 years were 21, 27, 37, 44 and 52%, respectively.
      Discontinuation of etanercept was significantly lower at 3 and 4 years (35% and
      41%, respectively) than infliximab and adalimumab (46% and 52%, respectively).
      Predictors of time to discontinuation were etanercept [hazard ratios (HRs) 0.58
      and 0.77 versus infliximab and adalimumab, respectively), concomitant use of
      DMARDs (HR 0.77), disease duration (HR 1.01) and female sex (HR 1.18). Studies
      from registries conducted after 2005 and from countries with lower biologics
      access showed higher percentages of discontinuation. Relevant data on abatacept
      and tocilizumab were missing. CONCLUSION: In RA, treatment with etanercept has a
      lower percentage of discontinuation than infliximab and adalimumab. Concomitant
      use of DMARDs, disease duration before treatment with a biologic and female sex
      predict time to discontinuation.

PMID- 26490107
TI  - Erratum: Exosomes secreted by nematode parasites transfer small RNAs to mammalian
      cells and modulate innate immunity.

PMID- 26490104
TI  - MKS1 regulates ciliary INPP5E levels in Joubert syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Joubert syndrome (JS) is a recessive ciliopathy characterised by a
      distinctive brain malformation 'the molar tooth sign'. Mutations in >27 genes
      cause JS, and mutations in 12 of these genes also cause Meckel-Gruber syndrome
      (MKS). The goals of this work are to describe the clinical features of MKS1
      related JS and determine whether disease causing MKS1 mutations affect cellular
      phenotypes such as cilium number, length and protein content as potential
      mechanisms underlying JS. METHODS: We measured cilium number, length and protein
      content (ARL13B and INPP5E) by immunofluorescence in fibroblasts from individuals
      with MKS1-related JS and in a three-dimensional (3D) spheroid rescue assay to
      test the effects of disease-related MKS1 mutations. RESULTS: We report MKS1
      mutations (eight of them previously unreported) in nine individuals with JS. A
      minority of the individuals with MKS1-related JS have MKS features. In contrast
      to the truncating mutations associated with MKS, all of the individuals with MKS1
      related JS carry >= 1 non-truncating mutation. Fibroblasts from individuals with
      MKS1-related JS make normal or fewer cilia than control fibroblasts, their cilia
      are more variable in length than controls, and show decreased ciliary ARL13B and
      INPP5E. Additionally, MKS1 mutant alleles have similar effects in 3D spheroids.
      CONCLUSIONS: MKS1 functions in the transition zone at the base of the cilium to
      regulate ciliary INPP5E content, through an ARL13B-dependent mechanism. Mutations
      in INPP5E also cause JS, so our findings in patient fibroblasts support the
      notion that loss of INPP5E function, due to either mutation or mislocalisation,
      is a key mechanism underlying JS, downstream of MKS1 and ARL13B.

PMID- 26490108
TI  - Conscientiousness and fruit and vegetable consumption: exploring behavioural
      intention as a mediator.
AB  - Clear associations have emerged between conscientiousness and health behaviours,
      such that higher levels of conscientiousness are predictive of beneficial health
      behaviours. This study investigated the conscientiousness-fruit and vegetable
      consumption relationship and whether behavioural intention mediated this
      relationship. A large sample of adults (N = 2136) completed an online battery of
      questionnaires measuring conscientiousness, behavioural intentions to consume
      fruit and vegetables, together with self-reported behaviour. Correlation analysis
      revealed that conscientiousness and each of its facets were positively associated
      with behavioural intention and self-reported behaviour. Hierarchical multiple
      regression analyses revealed that after controlling for age, gender and
      education, total conscientiousness, and the facets of responsibility,
      industriousness, order and virtue predicted self-reported behaviour. Further
      analysis revealed that in line with the Theory of Planned Behaviour, behavioural
      intention fully mediated the conscientiousness-fruit and vegetable behaviour
      relationship. In conclusion, low levels of conscientiousness were found to be
      associated with lower fruit and vegetable intentions, with the latter also
      associated with fruit and vegetable consumption.

PMID- 26490109
TI  - Games and Telerehabilitation for Balance Impairments and Gaze Dysfunction:
      Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Digital media and gaming have received considerable interest from
      researchers and clinicians as a model for learning a broad range of complex tasks
      and facilitating the transfer of skills to daily life. These emerging
      rehabilitation technologies have the potential to improve clinical outcomes and
      patient participation because they are engaging, motivating, and accessible. Our
      research goal is to develop preventative and therapeutic point-of-care eHealth
      applications that will lead to equivalent or better long-term health outcomes and
      health care costs than existing programs. We have produced a novel computer-aided
      tele-rehabilitation platform that combines computer game-based exercises with
      tele-monitoring. OBJECTIVE: Compare the therapeutic effectiveness of an in-home,
      game-based rehabilitation program (GRP) to standard care delivered in an
      outpatient physical therapy clinic on measures of balance, gaze control,
      dizziness, and health-related quality of life. METHODS: A randomized, controlled,
      single-blind pilot trial will be conducted. Fifty-six participants with a
      diagnosis of peripheral vestibular disorder will be randomly assigned to either
      usual physical therapy (comparator group) or to a game-based intervention
      (experimental group). Measures to be assessed will include gaze control, dynamic
      balance, and self-reported measures of dizziness. RESULTS: The project was funded
      and enrollment was started in August 2014. To date, 36 participants have been
      enrolled. There have been 6 drop-outs. It is expected that the study will be
      completed January 2016 and the first results are expected to be submitted for
      publication in Spring of 2016. CONCLUSIONS: A successful application of this
      rehabilitation program would help streamline rehabilitation services, leverage
      therapist time spent with clients, and permit regular practice times at the
      client's convenience. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02134444;
      https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02134444 (Archived by WebCite at
      http://www.webcitation.org/6cE18bqqY).

PMID- 26490110
TI  - Graft revascularization is essential for non-invasive monitoring of transplanted
      islets with radiolabeled exendin.
AB  - Islet transplantation is a novel promising strategy to cure type 1 diabetes.
      However, the long-term outcome is still poor, because both function and survival
      of the transplant decline over-time. Non-invasive imaging methods have the
      potential to enable monitoring of islet survival after transplantation and the
      effects of immunosuppressive drugs on transplantation outcome. (111)In-labeled
      exendin-3 is a promising tracer to visualize native and transplanted islets by
      SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography). In the present study, we
      hypothesized that islet microvasculature plays an important role determining the
      uptake of exendin-3 in islets when monitoring transplant survival. We observed
      (111)In-exendin-3 accumulation in the transplant as early as three days after
      transplantation and an increase in the uptake up to three weeks post
      transplantation. Islet-revascularization correlated with the increase in (111)In
      exendin-3 uptake, whereas fully re-established islet vasculature coincided with a
      stabilized uptake of the radiotracer in the transplant. Here, we demonstrate the
      importance of islet vasculature for in vivo delivery of radiotracers to
      transplanted islets and we demonstrate that optimal and stable uptake of exendin
      four weeks after transplantation opens the possibility for long-term monitoring
      of islet survival by SPECT imaging. 

PMID- 26490111
TI  - Selling safety: the use of celebrities in improving awareness of safety in
      commercial aviation.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the influential power of a celebrity to
      convey key safety messages in commercial aviation using a pre-flight safety
      briefing video. In addition, the present research sought to examine the
      effectiveness of subtitles in aiding the recall of these important messages as
      well as how in-cabin aircraft noise affects recall of this information. A total
      of 101 participants were randomly divided into four groups (no noise without
      subtitles, no noise with subtitles, noise without subtitles and noise with
      subtitles) and following exposure to a pre-recorded pre-flight safety briefing
      video were tested for recall of key safety messages within that video.
      Participants who recognised and recalled the name of the celebrity in the safety
      briefing video recalled significantly more of the messages than participants who
      did not recognise the celebrity. Subtitles were also found to be effective,
      however, only in the presence of representative in-cabin aircraft noise.
      Practitioner Summary: Passenger attention to pre-flight safety briefings on
      commercial aircraft is poor. Utilising the celebrity status of a famous person
      may overcome this problem. Results suggest that celebrities do increase the
      recall of safety-related information. 

PMID- 26490112
TI  - Dietary patterns in Swedish adults; results from a national dietary survey.
AB  - Dietary patterns derived by statistical procedures is a way to identify overall
      dietary habits in specific populations. The aim of this study was to identify and
      characterise dietary patterns in Swedish adults using data from the national
      dietary survey Riksmaten adults 2010-11 (952 women, 788 men). Principal component
      analyses were used and two patterns were identified in both sexes: a healthy
      pattern loading positively on vegetables, fruits, fish and seafood, and vegetable
      oils, and negatively on refined bread and fast food, and a Swedish traditional
      pattern loading positively on potatoes, meat and processed meat, full-fat milk
      products, sweet bakery products, sweet condiments and margarine. In addition, a
      light-meal pattern was identified in women with positive loadings on fibre-rich
      bread, cheese, rice, pasta and food grain dishes, substitute products for meat
      and dairy products, candies and tea. The healthy pattern was positively
      correlated to dietary fibre (r 0.51-0.58) and n-3 (r 0.25-0.31) (all P<0.0001),
      and had a higher nutrient density of folate, vitamin D and Se. The Swedish
      traditional and the light-meal pattern were positively correlated to added sugar
      (r 0.20-0.25) and the Swedish traditional also to SFA (r 0.13-0.21) (all
      P<0.0001); both patterns were in general negatively correlated to micronutrients.
      Dietary pattern scores were associated with, for example, age, physical activity,
      education and income. In conclusion, we identified three major dietary patterns
      among Swedish adults. The patterns can be further used for examining the
      association between whole diet and health outcomes. 

PMID- 26490113
TI  - Intrafollicular expression and potential regulatory role of cocaine- and
      amphetamine-regulated transcript in the ovine ovary.
AB  - Follicular growth is regulated by a complex interaction of pituitary
      gonadotropins with local regulatory molecules. Previous studies demonstrated an
      important role for cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) in
      regulation of granulosa cell estradiol production associated with dominant
      follicle selection in cattle. However, intraovarian expression and actions of
      CART in other species, including sheep, are not known. The objective of this
      study was to investigate the expression of CART in sheep follicles and determine
      the effects of CART on indices of ovine granulosa cell function linked to
      follicular development. Results demonstrated the expression of CART messenger RNA
      and prominent intraovarian localization of CART peptide in granulosa cells of
      sheep follicles. Granulosa cell CART messenger RNA was lower, but follicular
      fluid estradiol concentrations were higher in large (>5 mm) follicles vs smaller
      3- to 5-mm follicles harvested from sheep ovaries of abattoir origin. CART
      treatment inhibited follicle stimulating hormone-induced estradiol production by
      cultured ovine granulosal cells and also blocked the follicle stimulating hormone
      induced increase in granulosa cell numbers. Results demonstrate expression of
      CART in sheep follicular tissues and suggest potential biological actions of
      CART, which are inhibitory to ovine follicular growth and development.

PMID- 26490114
TI  - Regulation and localization of vascular endothelial growth factor within the
      mammary glands during the transition from late gestation to lactation.
AB  - The vascular network within the developing mammary gland (MG) grows in concert
      with the epithelium to prepare for lactation, although the mechanisms
      coordinating this vascular development are unresolved. Vascular endothelial
      growth factor A (VEGF-A) mediates angiogenesis and vascular permeability in the
      MG during pregnancy and lactation, where its expression is upregulated by
      prolactin. Given our previous finding that late-gestational hyperprolactinemia
      induced by domperidone (DOM) increased subsequent milk yield from gilts, we
      sought to establish changes in vascular development during late gestation and
      lactation in the MGs of these pigs and determine whether DOM altered MG
      angiogenesis and the factors regulating it. Gilts received either no treatment (n
      = 6) or DOM (n = 6) during late gestation, then had their MG biopsied from late
      gestation through lactation to assess microvessel density, VEGF-A distribution
      and messenger RNA expression, and aquaporin (AQP) gene expression. Microvessel
      density in the MG was unchanged during gestation then increased between days 2
      and 21 of lactation (P < 0.05). The local expression of messenger RNA for VEGF
      A120, VEGF-A147, VEGF-A164, VEGF-A164b, VEGF-A188, VEGF receptors-1 and -2, and
      AQP1 and AQP3 all generally increased during the transition from gestation to
      lactation (P < 0.05). Immunostaining localized VEGF-A to the apical cytoplasm of
      secretory epithelial cells, consistent with a far greater concentration of VEGF-A
      in colostrum and/or milk vs plasma (P < 0.0001). There was no effect of DOM on
      any of the variables analyzed. In summary, we found that vascular development in
      the MG increases during lactation in first-parity gilts and that VEGF-A is a part
      of the mammary secretome. Although late-gestational hyperprolactinemia increases
      milk yield, there was no evidence that it altered vascular development. 

PMID- 26490115
TI  - PLCbeta3 mediates cortactin interaction with WAVE2 in MCP1-induced actin
      polymerization and cell migration.
AB  - Monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP1) stimulates vascular smooth muscle cell
      (VSMC) migration in vascular wall remodeling. However, the mechanisms underlying
      MCP1-induced VSMC migration have not been understood. Here we identify the
      signaling pathway associated with MCP1-induced human aortic smooth muscle cell
      (HASMC) migration. MCP1, a G protein-coupled receptor agonist, activates
      phosphorylation of cortactin on S405 and S418 residues in a time-dependent
      manner, and inhibition of its phosphorylation attenuates MCP1-induced HASMC G
      actin polymerization, F-actin stress fiber formation, and migration. Cortactin
      phosphorylation on S405/S418 is found to be critical for its interaction with
      WAVE2, a member of the WASP family of cytoskeletal regulatory proteins required
      for cell migration. In addition, the MCP1-induced cortactin phosphorylation is
      dependent on PLCbeta3-mediated PKCdelta activation, and siRNA-mediated down
      regulation of either of these molecules prevents cortactin interaction with
      WAVE2, affecting G-actin polymerization, F-actin stress fiber formation, and
      HASMC migration. Upstream, MCP1 activates CCR2 and Galphaq/11 in a time-dependent
      manner, and down-regulation of their levels attenuates MCP1-induced PLCbeta3 and
      PKCdelta activation, cortactin phosphorylation, cortactin-WAVE2 interaction, G
      actin polymerization, F-actin stress fiber formation, and HASMC migration.
      Together these findings demonstrate that phosphorylation of cortactin on S405 and
      S418 residues is required for its interaction with WAVE2 in MCP1-induced
      cytoskeleton remodeling, facilitating HASMC migration. 

PMID- 26490116
TI  - The alpha-arrestin ARRDC3 mediates ALIX ubiquitination and G protein-coupled
      receptor lysosomal sorting.
AB  - The sorting of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to lysosomes is critical for
      proper signaling and cellular responses. We previously showed that the adaptor
      protein ALIX regulates lysosomal degradation of protease-activated receptor-1
      (PAR1), a GPCR for thrombin, independent of ubiquitin-binding ESCRTs and receptor
      ubiquitination. However, the mechanisms that regulate ALIX function during PAR1
      lysosomal sorting are not known. Here we show that the mammalian alpha-arrestin
      arrestin domain-containing protein-3 (ARRDC3) regulates ALIX function in GPCR
      sorting via ubiquitination. ARRDC3 colocalizes with ALIX and is required for PAR1
      sorting at late endosomes and degradation. Depletion of ARRDC3 by small
      interfering RNA disrupts ALIX interaction with activated PAR1 and the CHMP4B
      ESCRT-III subunit, suggesting that ARRDC3 regulates ALIX activity. We found that
      ARRDC3 is required for ALIX ubiquitination induced by activation of PAR1. A
      screen of nine mammalian NEDD4-family E3 ubiquitin ligases revealed a critical
      role for WWP2. WWP2 interacts with ARRDC3 and not ALIX. Depletion of WWP2
      inhibited ALIX ubiquitination and blocked ALIX interaction with activated PAR1
      and CHMP4B. These findings demonstrate a new role for the alpha-arrestin ARRDC3
      and the E3 ubiquitin ligase WWP2 in regulation of ALIX ubiquitination and
      lysosomal sorting of GPCRs. 

PMID- 26490089
TI  - Effects of calcium channel blocker-based combinations on intra-individual blood
      pressure variability: post hoc analysis of the COPE trial.
AB  - Visit-to-visit blood pressure (BP) variability is an important predictor of
      stroke. However, which antihypertensive drug combination is better at reducing
      visit-to-visit BP variability and therefore at reducing stroke incidence remains
      uncertain. We have previously reported that the dihydropyridine calcium channel
      blocker benidipine combined with a beta-blocker appeared to be less beneficial in
      reducing the risk of stroke than a combination of benidipine and thiazide. Here,
      we further compare the visit-to-visit BP variability among three benidipine-based
      regimens, namely angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), beta-blocker and thiazide
      combinations. The present post hoc analysis included 2983 patients without
      cardiovascular events or death during the first 18 months after randomization. We
      compared the BP variability (defined as the s.d. and the coefficient of variation
      (CV)), maximum systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) of the clinic mean on
      treatment BPs obtained at 6-month intervals, starting 6 months after the
      treatment initiation, among the 3 treatments (ARB, n=1026; beta-blocker, n=966;
      thiazide, n=991). During the first 6-36 months after randomization, both the s.d.
      and CV-BPs were lower in the benidipine-thiazide group than in the benidipine
      beta-blocker group (s.d.-SBP, P=0.019; s.d.-DBP, P=0.030; CV-SBP, P=0.012; CV
      DBP, P=0.022). The s.d. and CV in the ARB group did not reach statistical
      significance compared with the other two groups. The maximum BPs did not differ
      among the three treatments. These findings suggest that the benidipine-thiazide
      combination may reduce visit-to-visit BP variability more than the benidipine
      beta-blocker combination. 

PMID- 26490117
TI  - CARTS biogenesis requires VAP-lipid transfer protein complexes functioning at the
      endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi interface.
AB  - Vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein (VAP) is an endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER)-resident integral membrane protein that controls a nonvesicular
      mode of ceramide and cholesterol transfer from the ER to the Golgi complex by
      interacting with ceramide transfer protein and oxysterol-binding protein (OSBP),
      respectively. We report that VAP and its interacting proteins are required for
      the processing and secretion of pancreatic adenocarcinoma up-regulated factor,
      whose transport from the trans-Golgi network (TGN) to the cell surface is
      mediated by transport carriers called "carriers of the trans-Golgi network to the
      cell surface" (CARTS). In VAP-depleted cells, diacylglycerol level at the TGN was
      decreased and CARTS formation was impaired. We found that VAP forms a complex
      with not only OSBP but also Sac1 phosphoinositide phosphatase at specialized ER
      subdomains that are closely apposed to the trans-Golgi/TGN, most likely
      reflecting membrane contact sites. Immobilization of ER-Golgi contacts
      dramatically reduced CARTS production, indicating that association-dissociation
      dynamics of the two membranes are important. On the basis of these findings, we
      propose that the ER-Golgi contacts play a pivotal role in lipid metabolism to
      control the biogenesis of transport carriers from the TGN. 

PMID- 26490118
TI  - Autophagy protects against de novo formation of the [PSI+] prion in yeast.
AB  - Prions are self-propagating, infectious proteins that underlie several
      neurodegenerative diseases. The molecular basis underlying their sporadic
      formation is poorly understood. We show that autophagy protects against de novo
      formation of [PSI(+)], which is the prion form of the yeast Sup35 translation
      termination factor. Autophagy is a cellular degradation system, and preventing
      autophagy by mutating its core components elevates the frequency of spontaneous
      [PSI(+)] formation. Conversely, increasing autophagic flux by treating cells with
      the polyamine spermidine suppresses prion formation in mutants that normally show
      a high frequency of de novo prion formation. Autophagy also protects against the
      de novo formation of another prion, namely the Rnq1/[PIN(+)] prion, which is not
      related in sequence to the Sup35/[PSI(+)] prion. We show that growth under
      anaerobic conditions in the absence of molecular oxygen abrogates Sup35 protein
      damage and suppresses the high frequency of [PSI(+)] formation in an autophagy
      mutant. Autophagy therefore normally functions to remove oxidatively damaged
      Sup35, which accumulates in cells grown under aerobic conditions, but in the
      absence of autophagy, damaged/misfolded Sup35 undergoes structural transitions
      favoring its conversion to the propagatable [PSI(+)] form. 

PMID- 26490121
TI  - NUT carcinoma of the thorax: Case report and review of the literature.
AB  - NUT (nuclear protein in testis) carcinomas are exceedingly rare neoplasms with
      specific molecular alterations and often follow a devastating course. Thus, a
      precise early diagnosis is of utmost importance. Known from the sinonasal region
      for years, the new 2015 WHO classification now also recognizes the existence of
      this entity in the thorax, specifically the lungs and the mediastinum. However,
      yet available data on this entity are sparse. Here, we report on a 31 years old
      female patient with an aggressively growing tumor localized in the median line
      that was initially sampled by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial
      biopsies. Pathological assessment of the biopsy specimens revealed a NUT
      carcinoma with typical morphological characteristics and an uncommon NUT
      translocation variant with a NSD3-NUT fusion. Diagnosis was further confirmed in
      the subsequent resection specimen. We describe specific clinical,
      histomorphological, and molecular characteristics of this tumor and provide a
      comprehensive review of the current literature on these rare neoplasms. 

PMID- 26490120
TI  - Oligomerization and endocytosis of Hedgehog is necessary for its efficient
      exovesicular secretion.
AB  - Hedgehog (Hh) is a secreted morphogen involved in both short- and long-range
      signaling necessary for tissue patterning during development. It is unclear how
      this dually lipidated protein is transported over a long range in the aqueous
      milieu of interstitial spaces. We previously showed that the long-range signaling
      of Hh requires its oligomerization. Here we show that Hh is secreted in the form
      of exovesicles. These are derived by the endocytic delivery of cell surface Hh to
      multivesicular bodies (MVBs) via an endosomal sorting complex required for
      transport (ECSRT)-dependent process. Perturbations of ESCRT proteins have a
      selective effect on long-range Hh signaling in Drosophila wing imaginal discs. Of
      importance, oligomerization-defective Hh is inefficiently incorporated into
      exovesicles due to its poor endocytic delivery to MVBs. These results provide
      evidence that nanoscale organization of Hh regulates the secretion of Hh on ESCRT
      derived exovesicles, which in turn act as a vehicle for long-range signaling. 

PMID- 26490122
TI  - Transcutaneous Bilirubinometry for Preterm Infants-Are There More Things to
      Consider?

PMID- 26490119
TI  - Caenorhabditis elegans polo-like kinase PLK-1 is required for merging parental
      genomes into a single nucleus.
AB  - Before the first zygotic division, the nuclear envelopes of the maternal and
      paternal pronuclei disassemble, allowing both sets of chromosomes to be
      incorporated into a single nucleus in daughter cells after mitosis. We found that
      in Caenorhabditis elegans, partial inactivation of the polo-like kinase PLK-1
      causes the formation of two nuclei, containing either the maternal or paternal
      chromosomes, in each daughter cell. These two nuclei gave rise to paired nuclei
      in all subsequent cell divisions. The paired-nuclei phenotype was caused by a
      defect in forming a gap in the nuclear envelopes at the interface between the two
      pronuclei during the first mitotic division. This was accompanied by defects in
      chromosome congression and alignment of the maternal and paternal metaphase
      plates relative to each other. Perturbing chromosome congression by other means
      also resulted in failure to disassemble the nuclear envelope between the two
      pronuclei. Our data further show that PLK-1 is needed for nuclear envelope
      breakdown during early embryogenesis. We propose that during the first zygotic
      division, PLK-1-dependent chromosome congression and metaphase plate alignment
      are necessary for the disassembly of the nuclear envelope between the two
      pronuclei, ultimately allowing intermingling of the maternal and paternal
      chromosomes. 

PMID- 26490123
TI  - Neurodevelopmental Profile, Growth, and Psychosocial Environment of Preterm
      Infants with Difficult Feeding Behavior at Age 2 Years.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of difficult feeding behaviors in very
      preterm infants at age 2 years with growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes and
      family factors and functioning. STUDY DESIGN: Eighty children born <=30 weeks
      gestation were studied from birth until age 2 years. Feeding difficulties were
      assessed using the Eating Subscale of the Infant-Toddler Social Emotional
      Assessment at age 2 years, along with growth measurement and developmental
      testing. Maternal mental health and family factors were assessed using
      standardized questionnaires. ANOVA and chi(2) analyses were performed to
      determine associations between feeding difficulties and growth,
      neurodevelopmental outcomes, and family characteristics. RESULTS: Twenty-one
      children (26%) were at risk for feeding difficulties, and an additional 18 (23%)
      had definite feeding difficulties at age 2 years. Those with feeding difficulties
      were more likely to be subject to a range of neurodevelopmental problems,
      including impaired cognition (P = .02), language (P = .04), motor (P = .01), and
      socioemotional (P < .007) skills. Compared with the parents of children with
      fewer feeding difficulties, parents of the children with feeding difficulties had
      higher parenting stress (P = .02) and reported more difficulty managing their
      child's behavior (P = .002) and more frequent parent-child interaction problems
      (P = .002). No associations were found between difficult feeding behaviors and
      growth, maternal mental health, or family factors. CONCLUSION: Difficult feeding
      behaviors in children born very preterm appear to be highly comorbid with other
      developmental and family challenges, including neurodevelopmental impairment and
      parent-child interaction difficulties. Focusing on improving feeding skills, in
      conjunction with supporting positive parent-child interactions, may be beneficial
      for improving outcomes.

PMID- 26490124
TI  - Biomarkers of Insulin for the Diagnosis of Hyperinsulinemic Hypoglycemia in
      Infants and Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate thresholds of various biomarkers for defining excess
      insulin activity to recognize congenital hyperinsulinism. STUDY DESIGN: This was
      a retrospective chart review of diagnostic fasting tests in children with ketotic
      hypoglycemia (n = 30) and genetically/pathology confirmed congenital
      hyperinsulinism (n = 28). Sensitivity and specificity for congenital
      hyperinsulinism were determined for plasma insulin, beta-hydroxybutyrate, free
      fatty acids (FFA), C-peptide, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP
      1), and the glycemic response to glucagon (through the glucagon stimulation test
      [GST]) at the time of hypoglycemia. RESULTS: Only 23 of the 28 subjects with
      congenital hyperinsulinism had detectable insulin (median, 6.7 MUIU/mL), and
      insulin was undetectable in all subjects with ketotic hypoglycemia. Compared with
      ketotic hypoglycemia, subjects with congenital hyperinsulinism had higher GST
      values (57 vs 13 mg/dL; DeltaGST >=30 mg/dL in 24 of 27 subjects with congenital
      hyperinsulinism vs 0 of 30 subjects with ketotic hypoglycemia) and C-peptide
      levels (1.55 vs 0.11 ng/mL), with lower levels of FFA (0.82 vs 2.51 mM) and IGFBP
      1 (59.5 vs 634 ng/mL). At the time of hypoglycemia, the upper limits of beta
      hydroxybutyrate and FFA in subjects with congenital hyperinsulinism were higher
      than reported previously (beta-hydroxybutyrate <1.8 mM and FFA <1.7 mM),
      providing the best sensitivity for congenital hyperinsulinism vs ketotic
      hypoglycemia. A C-peptide level >=0.5 ng/mL was 89% sensitive and 100% specific,
      and an IGFBP-1 level <=110 ng/mL was 85% sensitive and 96.6% specific.
      CONCLUSION: Because low or undetectable insulin level during hypoglycemia does
      not exclude the diagnosis of hyperinsulinism, C-peptide and IGFBP-1 may inform
      the diagnosis of congenital hyperinsulinism. In this group of children with well
      defined congenital hyperinsulinism, thresholds for "suppressed" beta
      hydroxybutyrate and FFA are higher than previously reported levels.

PMID- 26490125
TI  - A Need for Better Studies to Identify Those Populations at Greatest Risk of a
      Pollutant-Related Health Effect.

PMID- 26490126
TI  - Impact of Continuous Capnography in Ventilated Neonates: A Randomized,
      Multicenter Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the time spent within a predefined safe range of CO2 (30-60
      mmHg) during conventional ventilation between infants who were monitored with
      distal end-tidal CO2 (dETCO2, or capnography) and those who were not. STUDY
      DESIGN: For this randomized, controlled multicenter study, ventilated infants
      with a double-lumen endotracheal tube were randomized to 1 of 2 groups: the open
      (monitored) group, in which data from the capnograph were recorded, displayed to
      the medical team, and used for patient care, and the masked group, in which data
      from the capnograph were recorded. However, the measurements were masked and not
      available for patient care. dETCO2 was compared with PaCO2 measurements recorded
      for patient care. RESULTS: Fifty-five infants (25 open, 30 masked) participated
      in the study (median gestational age, 28.6 weeks; range, 23.5-39.0 weeks). The 2
      groups were comparable. dETCO2 was in good correlation (r = 0.73; P < .001) and
      adequate agreement (mean +/- SD of the difference, 3.0 +/- 8.5 mmHg) with PaCO2.
      Compared with infants in the masked group, those in the monitored group had
      significantly (P = .03) less time with an unsafe dETCO2 level (high: 3.8% vs 8.8%
      or low: 3.8% vs 8.9%). The prevalence of intraventricular hemorrhage or
      periventricular leukomalacia rate was lower in the monitored group (P = .02) and
      was significantly (P < .05) associated with the independent factors dETCO2
      monitoring and gestational age. CONCLUSION: Continuous dETCO2 monitoring improved
      control of CO2 levels within a safe range during conventional ventilation in a
      neonatal intensive care unit. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov:
      NCT01572272.

PMID- 26490127
TI  - Treating Pain in Preterm Infants: Moving from Opioids to Acetaminophen.

PMID- 26490128
TI  - Helping Hospitalized Patients with Hypertension: The Case for Hydralazine.

PMID- 26490129
TI  - Obesity, Vascular Changes, and the Development of Atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26490131
TI  - Successful Embolization of a Huge Hepatic Artery Pseudoaneurysm after Blunt
      Abdominal Trauma.

PMID- 26490130
TI  - Low Serum Magnesium Levels and Its Association with High Blood Pressure in
      Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of hypomagnesemia with prehypertension
      (preHTN) and hypertension in children. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 3954 apparently
      healthy Mexican children were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Exclusion
      criteria were type 2 diabetes; hepatic, renal, or endocrine disease; impaired
      fasting glucose; chronic diarrhea; and intake of vitamins or magnesium
      supplements in the previous 6 months. preHTN was defined by systolic and/or
      diastolic blood pressure >=90th to <95th percentile and hypertension by systolic
      and/or diastolic blood pressure >=95th percentile, according to age, sex, and
      height percentile. Hypomagnesemia was defined by serum magnesium concentration
      <1.8 mg/dL (<0.74 mmol/L). To control for potential sources of bias related to
      age, participants were allocated into 2 groups, aged 6-10 years and 11-15 years.
      RESULTS: The prevalence of preHTN and hypertension was 12.2% and 6.4%,
      respectively, in children aged 6-10 years and 13.9% and 10.6% in those aged 11-15
      years. Hypomagnesemia was identified in 59 children with preHTN (27.3%) and 52
      (45.6%) with hypertension in the 6-10 year age group, and in 115 children with
      preHTN (36.0%) and 109 (49.6%) with hypertension in the 11-15 year age group.
      Adjusted multiple logistic regression analysis showed that in children in both
      age groups, hypomagnesemia was associated with both preHTN (6-10 years: OR, 2.18,
      P < .0005; 11-15 years: OR, 1.38, P = .018) and hypertension (6-10 years: OR,
      4.87, P < .0005; 11-15 years: OR, 1.83, P = .0002). CONCLUSION: Our results
      indicate that serum magnesium level <1.8 mg/dL is significantly associated with
      preHTN and hypertension in apparently healthy children.

PMID- 26490133
TI  - Bioinspired superhydrophobic surfaces, fabricated through simple and scalable
      roll-to-roll processing.
AB  - A simple, scalable, non-lithographic, technique for fabricating durable
      superhydrophobic (SH) surfaces, based on the fingering instabilities associated
      with non-Newtonian flow and shear tearing, has been developed. The high viscosity
      of the nanotube/elastomer paste has been exploited for the fabrication. The
      fabricated SH surfaces had the appearance of bristled shark skin and were robust
      with respect to mechanical forces. While flow instability is regarded as adverse
      to roll-coating processes for fabricating uniform films, we especially use the
      effect to create the SH surface. Along with their durability and self-cleaning
      capabilities, we have demonstrated drag reduction effects of the fabricated films
      through dynamic flow measurements. 

PMID- 26490134
TI  - Vertebral Augmentation for Osteoporotic Compression Fractures.
AB  - Vertebral augmentation procedures such as vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty were
      developed to reduce pain and improve quality of life for patients with
      osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. However, the use of vertebral
      augmentation has been debated and questioned since its inception. This article
      addresses some of these issues. 

PMID- 26490132
TI  - Growth Asymmetry, Head Circumference, and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Infants
      with Single Ventricles.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the variability in asymmetric growth and its association
      with neurodevelopment in infants with single ventricle (SV). STUDY DESIGN: We
      analyzed weight-for-age z-score minus head circumference-for-age z-score (HCAZ),
      relative head growth (cm/kg), along with individual growth variables in subjects
      prospectively enrolled in the Infant Single Ventricle Trial. Associations between
      growth indices and scores on the Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI) and Mental
      Developmental Index (MDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II (BSID-II)
      at 14 months were assessed. RESULTS: Of the 230 subjects enrolled in the Infant
      Single Ventricle trial, complete growth data and BSID-II scores were available in
      168 (73%). Across the cohort, indices of asymmetric growth varied widely at
      enrollment and before superior cavopulmonary connection (SCPC) surgery. BSID-II
      scores were not associated with these asymmetry indices. In bivariate analyses,
      greater pre-SCPC HCAZ correlated with higher MDI (r = 0.21; P = .006) and PDI (r
      = 0.38; P < .001) and a greater HCAZ increase from enrollment to pre-SCPC with
      higher PDI (r = 0.15; P = .049). In multivariable modeling, pre-SCPC HCAZ was an
      independent predictor of PDI (P = .03), but not MDI. CONCLUSION: In infants with
      SV, growth asymmetry was not associated with neurodevelopment at 14 months, but
      pre-SCPC HCAZ was associated with PDI. Asymmetric growth, important in other high
      risk infants, is not a brain-sparing adaptation in infants with SV. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00113087.

PMID- 26490135
TI  - An integrated linkage map reveals candidate genes underlying adaptive variation
      in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha).
AB  - Salmonids are an important cultural and ecological resource exhibiting near
      worldwide distribution between their native and introduced range. Previous
      research has generated linkage maps and genomic resources for several species as
      well as genome assemblies for two species. We first leveraged improvements in
      mapping and genotyping methods to create a dense linkage map for Chinook salmon
      Oncorhynchus tshawytscha by assembling family data from different sources. We
      successfully mapped 14 620 SNP loci including 2336 paralogs in subtelomeric
      regions. This improved map was then used as a foundation to integrate genomic
      resources for gene annotation and population genomic analyses. We anchored a
      total of 286 scaffolds from the Atlantic salmon genome to the linkage map to
      provide a framework for the placement 11 728 Chinook salmon ESTs. Previously
      identified thermotolerance QTL were found to colocalize with several candidate
      genes including HSP70, a gene known to be involved in thermal response, as well
      as its inhibitor. Multiple regions of the genome with elevated divergence between
      populations were also identified, and annotation of ESTs in these regions
      identified candidate genes for fitness related traits such as stress response,
      growth and behaviour. Collectively, these results demonstrate the utility of
      combining genomic resources with linkage maps to enhance evolutionary inferences.

PMID- 26490136
TI  - Identification of novel and conserved microRNAs in Panax notoginseng roots by
      high-throughput sequencing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that are important
      regulators of gene expression, and play major roles in plant development and
      their response to the environment. Root extracts from Panax notoginseng contain
      triterpene saponins as their principal bioactive constituent, and demonstrate
      medicinal properties. To investigate the novel and conserved miRNAs in P.
      notoginseng, three small RNA libraries constructed from 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old
      roots in which root saponin levels vary underwent high-throughput sequencing.
      METHODS: P. notoginseng roots, purified from 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old roots, were
      extracted for RNA, respectively. Three small libraries were constructed and
      subjected to next generation sequencing. RESULTS: Sequencing of the three
      libraries generated 67,217,124 clean reads from P. notoginseng roots. A total of
      316 conserved miRNAs (belonging to 67 miRNA families and one unclassified family)
      and 52 novel miRNAs were identified. MIR156 and MIR166 were the largest miRNA
      families, while miR156i and miR156g showed the highest abundance of miRNA
      species. Potential miRNA target genes were predicted and annotated using Cluster
      of Orthologous Groups, Gene Ontology, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and
      Genomes. Comparing these miRNAs between root samples revealed 33 that were
      differentially expressed between 2- and 1-year-old roots (8 increased, 25
      decreased), 27 differentially expressed between 3- and 1-year-old roots (7
      increased, 20 decreased), and 29 differentially expressed between 3- and 2-year
      old roots (8 increased, 21 decreased). Two significantly differentially expressed
      miRNAs and four miRNAs predicted to target genes involved in the terpenoid
      backbone biosynthesis pathway were selected and validated by quantitative reverse
      transcription PCR. Furthermore, the expression patterns of these six miRNAs were
      analyzed in P. notoginseng roots, stems, and leaves at different developmental
      stages. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified a large number of P. notoginseng
      miRNAs and their target genes, functional annotations, and gene expression
      patterns. It provides the first known miRNA profiles of the P. notoginseng root
      development cycle.

PMID- 26490137
TI  - Spatial heterogeneity in projected leprosy trends in India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leprosy is caused by infection with Mycobacterium leprae and is
      characterized by peripheral nerve damage and skin lesions. The disease is
      classified into paucibacillary (PB) and multibacillary (MB) leprosy. The 2012
      London Declaration formulated the following targets for leprosy control: (1)
      global interruption of transmission or elimination by 2020, and (2) reduction of
      grade-2 disabilities in newly detected cases to below 1 per million population at
      a global level by 2020. Leprosy is treatable, but diagnosis, access to treatment
      and treatment adherence (all necessary to curtail transmission) represent major
      challenges. Globally, new case detection rates for leprosy have remained fairly
      stable in the past decade, with India responsible for more than half of cases
      reported annually. METHODS: We analyzed publicly available data from the Indian
      Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and fit linear mixed-effects regression
      models to leprosy case detection trends reported at the district level. We
      assessed correlation of the new district-level case detection rate for leprosy
      with several state-level regressors: TB incidence, BCG coverage, fraction of
      cases exhibiting grade 2 disability at diagnosis, fraction of cases in children,
      and fraction multibacillary. RESULTS: Our analyses suggest an endemic disease in
      very slow decline, with substantial spatial heterogeneity at both district and
      state levels. Enhanced active case finding was associated with a higher case
      detection rate. CONCLUSIONS: Trend analysis of reported new detection rates from
      India does not support a thesis of rapid progress in leprosy control.

PMID- 26490138
TI  - Number of positive blood cultures, biofilm formation, and adhesin genes in
      differentiating true coagulase-negative staphylococci bacteremia from
      contamination.
AB  - The significance of the number of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS)-positive
      blood cultures remains obscure in regards to determining true bacteremia versus
      contamination. The goal of this study was to determine the predictors of real CNS
      bloodstream infection among intensive care unit (ICU) patients. ICU patients with
      at least one CNS-positive blood culture were identified from the microbiology
      database. Biofilm formation was tested by glass tube and microtiter plate assay.
      mecA gene, ica operon genes (icaA, icaB, icaD), and adhesin genes (aap, bap,
      atlE, fbe, fnbA) were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). CNS were
      recovered from 120 septic episodes, 20 of which were true CNS bacteremias,
      whereas from the remaining 100 episodes, the isolated CNS were characterized as
      contaminants. The number of positive blood cultures was significantly associated
      with true CNS bacteremia. Nineteen true bacteremic Staphylococcus epidermidis
      strains were compared to 38 contaminants. Biofilm synthesis was documented in 37
      isolates associated with the presence of the ica operon (p = 0.048). There were
      39, 26, 38, 21, and 10 strains positive for the presence of atlE, bap, fbe, aap,
      and fnbA genes, respectively. Rifampicin resistance, absence of severe sepsis,
      number of S. epidermidis-positive blood cultures, and absence of the bap gene
      were independently associated with true S. epidermidis bacteremia as compared to
      contaminant strains. The number of positive blood cultures is associated with
      true CNS bacteremia. The presence of adhesin genes may play a role in
      differentiating true infection from contamination, whereas absence of the bap
      gene is associated with true S. epidermidis bacteremia.

PMID- 26490139
TI  - Low rates of endocarditis in healthcare-associated Staphylococcus aureus
      bacteremia suggest that echocardiography might not always be required.
AB  - Healthcare-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (HA-SAB) is an
      increasingly frequently observed complication of medical treatment. Current
      guidelines recommend evaluation with echocardiography and preferably
      transesophageal echocardiography for the exclusion of infectious endocarditis
      (IE). We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients with HA-SAB between 1
      January 2007 and 31 July 2012. Patients were divided into those with a high
      degree of clinical suspicion of IE (prosthetic intracardiac device, hemodialysis
      or positive blood cultures for 4 days or more) or those with a low degree of
      clinical suspicion of IE (absence of high-risk features based on previous
      literature as strong indicators of endocarditis). Three hundred and fifty-eight
      patients with HA-SAB were evaluated to determine the prevalence of IE, including
      298 (83 %) who had echocardiography. Fourteen patients (4 %) had a final
      diagnosis of IE after echocardiography. In the group with a high degree of
      clinical suspicion 11 out of 84 patients (13 %) had IE. In the group with a low
      degree of clinical suspicion group 3 out 274 patients (1.1 %) had IE. HA-SAB has
      a low rate of IE, especially in the absence of high-risk features such as
      prolonged bacteremia, intracardiac prosthetic devices, and hemodialysis.
      Echocardiographic imaging in this low-risk population of patients is rarely
      helpful and may generally be avoided, although careful clinical follow-up is
      warranted. Patients with HA-SAB who have mechanical valves, intracardiac devices,
      prolonged bacteremia or dialysis dependency have a high incidence of IE and
      should be evaluated thoroughly using echocardiography.

PMID- 26490140
TI  - Temporal changes in blood-brain barrier permeability and cerebral perfusion in
      lacunar/subcortical ischemic stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cerebral microvascular abnormality is frequently associated with
      lacunar and subcortical ischemic lesions. We performed acute and follow-up CT
      perfusion scans over the first 3 months after ischemic stroke to investigate
      disturbances of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and cerebral perfusion in patients
      with lacunar/subcortical lesions compared to those with cortical lesions alone.
      METHODS: Thirty-one patients with lacunar/subcortical infarct (n = 14) or with
      cortical large vessel infarct (n = 17) were recruited and underwent a CT
      perfusion study at admission, 24 h, 7 days and 3 months after stroke using a two
      phase imaging protocol. Functional maps of BBB permeability surface area product
      (BBB-PS), cerebral blood flow (CBF) and blood volume (CBV) at follow-up were co
      registered with those at admission, and the measurements in non-infarcted
      ipsilateral basal ganglia and thalamus were compared within each group and
      between the two groups. RESULTS: For the lacunar/subcortical group, BBB-PS within
      non-infarcted ipsilateral basal ganglia and thalamus peaked at day 7 compared to
      all other time points, and was significantly higher than the cortical group at
      day 7 and month 3. The CBF and CBV in the same region were significantly lower at
      admission and transient hyperemia was seen at day 7 in the lacunar/subcortical
      group. CONCLUSION: Disturbed BBB-PS and compromised cerebral perfusion over the
      first 3 months post stroke were shown in the non-infarcted basal ganglia and
      thalamus of lacunar/subcortical stroke using CT perfusion. Future studies are
      required to elucidate the relationship of post-stroke BBB disturbances to chronic
      cognitive impairment.

PMID- 26490141
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of Anoplocephala perfoliata, the first
      representative for the family Anoplocephalidae.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial (mt) genome sequences are widely used to understand
      phylogenetic relationships among parasites. However, no complete mt genome
      sequence is available in the family Anoplocephalidae to date. This study
      sequenced and annotated the complete mt genome of Anoplocephala perfoliata
      (Anoplocephalidae), and investigated its phylogenetic relationships with other
      species from the families Hymenolepididae, Dipylidiidae and Taeniidae of the
      order Cyclophyllidea using the amino acid sequences of the 12 proteins in their
      mt genomes. METHODS: The complete mt genome of A. perfoliata was amplified by
      Long-range PCR, sequenced using primer walking and annotated by comparing with
      those of other cestodes. Its phylogenetic relationship with the species from the
      families Hymenolepididae, Dipylidiidae and Taeniidae was inferred using the 12
      protein sequences based on Maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. RESULTS: The
      complete circular mt genome sequence for A. perfoliata is 14,459 bp in size, and
      includes 12 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes and 22 tRNA genes. The mt gene
      arrangement of A. perfoliata is identical to those of previously reported
      Hymenolepis diminuta (Hymenolepididae) and Dipylidium caninum (Dipylidiidae), but
      slightly different from those of other taeniids due to an order switch between
      tRNA(S2) and tRNA(L1). The phylogenetic analyses showed that the Dipylidiidae was
      more closely related to Anoplocephalidae and Hymenolepididae than to Taeniidae.
      The relationship among the four families obtained by Maximum likelihood and
      Bayesian inferences based on predicted amino acid sequences of protein-coding
      genes is consistent with that based on their mt gene arrangement similarities.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study determined the first mt genome for the family
      Anoplocephalidae, providing rich sources for selecting useful molecular markers
      for ecological and phylogenetic studies. Analyses on mt genome sequences of the
      four families of cestodes provide novel insights into their phylogenetic
      relationships. Of course, more taxon sampling is necessary for future
      phylogenetic studies of these cestodes using mt genome sequences.

PMID- 26490142
TI  - Integration of Wearable Solutions in AAL Environments with Mobility Support.
AB  - The overall demographic profile of current societies point to a significant
      growth of the elderly people. Associated with the increase of the average hope of
      life and consequent increase in chronic diseases, there is the need for
      protection and daily care. Increasing investments in technology, such as Ambient
      Assisted Living (AAL) solutions, promote the quality of live extending the time
      people can live in their desired environment. This paper proposes the design,
      deployment, and real testbed of an e-health wearable monitoring system based on
      the integration of several AAL tools and platforms for elderly's bio-signals
      monitoring. This solution includes electrocardiography (ECG), respiration rate,
      beats per minute, body temperature, and falls detention and notification. The
      paper also describes, in detail, the real pilot and analyzes some early results
      concerning the users quality of experience, and the found results are very
      promising. 

PMID- 26490143
TI  - A Semantic Big Data Platform for Integrating Heterogeneous Wearable Data in
      Healthcare.
AB  - Advances supported by emerging wearable technologies in healthcare promise
      patients a provision of high quality of care. Wearable computing systems
      represent one of the most thrust areas used to transform traditional healthcare
      systems into active systems able to continuously monitor and control the
      patients' health in order to manage their care at an early stage. However, their
      proliferation creates challenges related to data management and integration. The
      diversity and variety of wearable data related to healthcare, their huge volume
      and their distribution make data processing and analytics more difficult. In this
      paper, we propose a generic semantic big data architecture based on the
      "Knowledge as a Service" approach to cope with heterogeneity and scalability
      challenges. Our main contribution focuses on enriching the NIST Big Data model
      with semantics in order to smartly understand the collected data, and generate
      more accurate and valuable information by correlating scattered medical data
      stemming from multiple wearable devices or/and from other distributed data
      sources. We have implemented and evaluated a Wearable KaaS platform to smartly
      manage heterogeneous data coming from wearable devices in order to assist the
      physicians in supervising the patient health evolution and keep the patient up-to
      date about his/her status. 

PMID- 26490144
TI  - iMStrong: Deployment of a Biosensor System to Detect Cocaine Use.
AB  - Biosensor systems are increasingly promoted for use in behavioral interventions.
      Portable biosensors might offer advancement over self-report use and can provide
      improved opportunity for detection and intervention in patients undergoing drug
      treatment programs. Fifteen participants wore a biosensor wristband capable of
      detecting multiple physiologic markers of sympathetic nervous system (SNS)
      arousal for 30 days. Urine drug screening and drug use self-report were obtained
      twice per week. A parameter trajectory description method was applied to capture
      abrupt changes in magnitude of three measures of SNS activity: Electrodermal
      activity (EDA), skin temperature and motion. Drug use events detected by the
      biosensor were verified using a triad of parameters: the biosensor data, urine
      drug screens, and patient self-report of substance use. Twelve positive cocaine
      urine screens were identified. Thirteen self-reported episodes of cocaine use
      were recorded. Distinct episodes with biometric parameters consistent with
      cocaine use were identified on biosensor data. Eleven potential cocaine use
      episodes were identified by biosensors that were missed by both self-report and
      drug screening. Study participants found mobile biosensors to be acceptable, and
      compliance with the protocol was high. Episodes of cocaine use, as measured by
      supraphysiologic changes in biophysiometric parameters, were detected by analysis
      of biosensor data in instances when self-report or drug screening or both failed.
      Biosensors have substantial potential in detecting substance abuse, in
      understanding the context of use in real time, and in evaluating the efficacy of
      behavioral interventions for drug abuse.

PMID- 26490145
TI  - Mild Depression Detection of College Students: an EEG-Based Solution with Free
      Viewing Tasks.
AB  - Depression is a common mental disorder with growing prevalence; however current
      diagnoses of depression face the problem of patient denial, clinical experience
      and subjective biases from self-report. By using a combination of linear and
      nonlinear EEG features in our research, we aim to develop a more accurate and
      objective approach to depression detection that supports the process of diagnosis
      and assists the monitoring of risk factors. By classifying EEG features during
      free viewing task, an accuracy of 99.1%, which is the highest to our knowledge by
      far, was achieved using kNN classifier to discriminate depressed and non
      depressed subjects. Furthermore, through correlation analysis, comparisons of
      performance on each electrode were discussed on the availability of single
      channel EEG recording depression detection system. Combined with wearable EEG
      collecting devices, our method offers the possibility of cost effective wearable
      ubiquitous system for doctors to monitor their patients with depression, and for
      normal people to understand their mental states in time.

PMID- 26490146
TI  - Data Division Scheme Based on Homomorphic Encryption in WSNs for Health Care.
AB  - The use of wireless sensor networks for wearable computing in health care is
      growing quickly. Numerous applications are already in use, such as blood pressure
      monitors and heart rate monitors. As such, it is very important for system
      designers to consider how to protect patient privacy, especially in wireless
      sensor networks. After studying and analyzing the features of wireless sensor
      networks in medical systems, a data division scheme was proposed in this paper,
      provided the advantages of homomorphic encryption. In the proposed scheme, even
      if a forwarding node is compromised, the attacker will not be able to eavesdrop
      on the data, resulting in much stronger privacy than existing schemes.
      Experimental results shows that the scheme provides a good trade off in resources
      consumed and system security, and is efficient for encrypting or decrypting
      sensitive medical data. 

PMID- 26490147
TI  - CCS_WHMS: A Congestion Control Scheme for Wearable Health Management System.
AB  - Wearable computing is becoming a more and more attracting field in the last years
      thanks to the miniaturisation of electronic devices. Wearable healthcare
      monitoring systems (WHMS) as an important client of wearable computing technology
      has gained a lot. Indeed, the wearable sensors and their surrounding healthcare
      applications bring a lot of benefits to patients, elderly people and medical
      staff, so facilitating their daily life quality. But from a research point of
      view, there is still work to accomplish in order to overcome the gap between
      hardware and software parts. In this paper, we target the problem of congestion
      control when all these healthcare sensed data have to reach the destination in a
      reliable manner that avoids repetitive transmission which wastes precious energy
      or leads to loss of important information in emergency cases, too. We propose a
      congestion control scheme CCS_WHMS that ensures efficient and fair data delivery
      while used in the body wearable system part or in the multi-hop inter bodies
      wearable ones to get the destination. As the congestion detection paradigm is
      very important in the control process, we do experimental tests to compare
      between state of the art congestion detection methods, using MICAz motes, in
      order to choose the appropriate one for our scheme. 

PMID- 26490148
TI  - A Lightweight Encryption Scheme Combined with Trust Management for Privacy
      Preserving in Body Sensor Networks.
AB  - With the pervasiveness of smart phones and the advance of wireless body sensor
      network (BSN), mobile Healthcare (m-Healthcare), which extends the operation of
      Healthcare provider into a pervasive environment for better health monitoring,
      has attracted considerable interest recently. However, the flourish of m
      Healthcare still faces many challenges including information security and privacy
      preservation. In this paper, we propose a secure and privacy-preserving framework
      combining with multilevel trust management. In our scheme, smart phone resources
      including computing power and energy can be opportunistically gathered to process
      the computing-intensive PHI (personal health information) during m-Healthcare
      emergency with minimal privacy disclosure. In specific, to leverage the PHI
      privacy disclosure and the high reliability of PHI process and transmission in m
      Healthcare emergency, we introduce an efficient lightweight encryption for those
      users whose trust level is low, which is based on mix cipher algorithms and pair
      of plain text and cipher texts, and allow a medical user to decide who can
      participate in the opportunistic computing to assist in processing his
      overwhelming PHI data. Detailed security analysis and simulations show that the
      proposed framework can efficiently achieve user-centric privacy protection in m
      Healthcare system. 

PMID- 26490149
TI  - The Effect of Electrode Designs Based on the Anatomical Heart Location for the
      Non-Contact Heart Activity Measurement.
AB  - This research is an extension of a previous research [1] on the different effects
      of sensor location that is relatively suitable for heart rate sensing. This
      research aimed to elucidate the causes of wide variations in heart rate
      measurements from the same sensor position among subjects, as observed in
      previous research [1], and to enhance designs of the inductive textile electrode
      to overcome these variations. To achieve this, this study comprised two parts: In
      part 1, X-ray examinations were performed to determine the cause of the wide
      variations noted in the findings from previous research [1], and we found that at
      the same sensor position, the heart activity signal differed with slight
      differences in the positions of the heart of each subject owing to individual
      differences in the anatomical heart location. In part 2, three types of dual-loop
      type textile electrodes were devised to overcome variations in heart location
      that were confirmed in part 1 of the study. The variations with three types of
      sensor designs were compared with that with a single-round type of electrode
      design, by using computer simulation and by performing a t-test on the data
      obtained from the experiments. We found that the oval-oval shaped, dual-loop-type
      textile electrode was more suitable than the single round type for determining
      morphological characteristics as well as for measuring appropriate heart activity
      signals. Based on these results, the oval-oval, dual-loop-type was a better
      inductive textile electrode that more effectively overcomes individual
      differences in heart location during heart activity sensing based on the magnetic
      induced conductivity principle. 

PMID- 26490150
TI  - Design of QoS-Aware Multi-Level MAC-Layer for Wireless Body Area Network.
AB  - With the advances in wearable computing and various wireless technologies, there
      is an increasing trend to outsource body signals from wireless body area network
      (WBAN) to outside world including cyber space, healthcare big data clouds, etc.
      Since the environmental and physiological data collected by multimodal sensors
      have different importance, the provisioning of quality of service (QoS) for the
      sensory data in WBAN is a critical issue. This paper proposes multiple level
      based QoS design at WBAN media access control layer in terms of user level, data
      level and time level. In the proposed QoS provisioning scheme, different users
      have different priorities, various sensory data collected by different sensor
      nodes have different importance, while data priority for the same sensor node
      varies over time. The experimental results show that the proposed multi-level
      based QoS provisioning solution in WBAN yields better performance for meeting QoS
      requirements of personalized healthcare applications while achieving energy
      saving. 

PMID- 26490151
TI  - A Fatigue Measuring Protocol for Wireless Body Area Sensor Networks.
AB  - As players and soldiers preform strenuous exercises and do difficult and tiring
      duties, they are usually the common victims of muscular fatigue. Keeping this in
      mind, we propose FAtigue MEasurement (FAME) protocol for soccer players and
      soldiers using in-vivo sensors for Wireless Body Area Sensor Networks (WBASNs).
      In FAME, we introduce a composite parameter for fatigue measurement by setting a
      threshold level for each sensor. Whenever, any sensed data exceeds its threshold
      level, the players or soldiers are declared to be in a state of fatigue.
      Moreover, we use a vibration pad for the relaxation of fatigued muscles, and then
      utilize the vibrational energy by means of vibration detection circuit to
      recharge the in-vivo sensors. The induction circuit achieves about 68 % link
      efficiency. Simulation results show better performance of the proposed FAME
      protocol, in the chosen scenarios, as compared to an existing Wireless Soccer
      Team Monitoring (WSTM) protocol in terms of the selected metrics. 

PMID- 26490152
TI  - An Adaptive Sensor Data Segments Selection Method for Wearable Health Care
      Services.
AB  - As cloud computing and wearable devices technologies mature, relevant services
      have grown more and more popular in recent years. The healthcare field is one of
      the popular services for this technology that adopts wearable devices to sense
      signals of negative physiological events, and to notify users. The development
      and implementation of long-term healthcare monitoring that can prevent or quickly
      respond to the occurrence of disease and accidents present an interesting
      challenge for computing power and energy limits. This study proposed an adaptive
      sensor data segments selection method for wearable health care services, and
      considered the sensing frequency of the various signals from human body, as well
      as the data transmission among the devices. The healthcare service regulates the
      sensing frequency of devices by considering the overall cloud computing
      environment and the sensing variations of wearable health care services. The
      experimental results show that the proposed service can effectively transmit the
      sensing data and prolong the overall lifetime of health care services. 

PMID- 26490153
TI  - Reactive oxygen species involved in apoptosis induction of human respiratory
      epithelial (A549) cells by Streptococcus agalactiae.
AB  - Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus; GBS) is an important pathogen
      and is associated with pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis in neonates and adults.
      GBS infections induce cytotoxicity of respiratory epithelial cells (A549) with
      generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and loss of mitochondrial membrane
      potential (psim). The apoptosis of A549 cells by GBS was dependent on the
      activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9 with increased pro-apoptotic Bim and Bax
      molecules and decreased Bcl-2 pro-survival protein. Treatment of infected A549
      cells with ROS inhibitors (diphenyleniodonium chloride or apocynin) prevented
      intracellular ROS production and apoptosis. Consequently, oxidative stress is
      included among the cellular events leading to apoptosis during GBS human invasive
      infections. 

PMID- 26490154
TI  - Gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for pineal region tumors: a study of 147 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of gamma
      knife radiosurgery (GKRS) in the treatment of pineal region tumors (PRTs).
      METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 147 cases of PRTs primarily treated with
      GKRS at our hospital between 1999 and 2009. Mean follow-up time was 67 months
      (range 60.5-100.1). The local tumor control rates (LTCRs) and overall survival
      rates were calculated to evaluate the results of the GKRS treatment. RESULTS: At
      2 months after GKRS, tumor volume was significantly reduced in 91 cases (61.9%).
      At 6 months, average tumor volume was 4.2 cm(3) as compared to 8.47 cm(3) before
      GKRS. By 1 year after GKRS, the tumor completely disappeared in 57 patients.
      Fourteen patients underwent second treatment, and one patient had third
      treatment. The overall survival rates were 72.1% at 3 years and 66.7% at 5 years
      for all patients and 62.4% at 3 years and 54.5% at 5 years for germ cell tumors
      (GCTs). The LTCRs were 94.30% at 3 years and 90.80% at 5 years for all patients
      and 88.00% at 3 years and 77.27% at 5 years for GCTs. CONCLUSIONS: GKRS is an
      effective and safe modality that can be widely used to PRTs as the primary
      therapy.

PMID- 26490155
TI  - Correlates Between Force and Postural Tremor in Older Individuals with Essential
      Tremor.
AB  - Essential tremor (ET) is commonly associated with kinetic tremor. However, other
      forms of tremor, such as force and postural tremor, may occur in ET with less
      severity. This study objectively assessed force and postural tremor
      characteristics in ET with the purpose of identifying the relationships between
      these tremors. Ten individuals with ET (age 71 +/- 5 years) and ten healthy
      controls (age 70 +/- 5 years) participated in the study. Force tremor was
      quantified as fluctuations in index finger abduction force during isometric
      contractions at 10 % maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and 60 % MVC. Postural
      tremor was quantified as index finger acceleration when the subjects held their
      entire arm unsupported, and when their arm was supported so that only the index
      finger could move. Time- and frequency-domain parameters were extracted from
      tremor data, and then correlations within, and between, tremor subtypes were
      examined. ET force tremor was dependent on contraction intensity whereas postural
      tremor was unaffected by the level of limb support. Significant correlations
      existed between frequency components of postural tremor and force tremor
      amplitude. Force tremor amplitude normalised to the level of contraction
      intensity correlated to the proportion of power for postural tremor. These
      correlations were observed for both contraction intensities and both levels of
      postural support. The proportion of power represents the output of central
      oscillators in ET patients and therefore correlated well to force tremor. Given
      that significant relationships existed between spectral features of postural
      tremor and the overall force tremor amplitude, it is clear that these tremor
      modalities are not completely independent in older adults with ET.

PMID- 26490157
TI  - Valley depolarization in monolayer WSe2.
AB  - We have systematically examined the circular polarization of monolayer WSe2 at
      different temperature, excitation energy and exciton density. The valley
      depolarization in WSe2 is experimentally confirmed to be governed by the
      intervalley electron-hole exchange interaction. More importantly, a non-monotonic
      dependence of valley circular polarization on the excitation power density has
      been observed, providing the experimental evidence for the non-monotonic
      dependence of exciton intervalley scattering rate on the excited exciton density.
      The physical origination of our experimental observations has been proposed to be
      in analogy to the D'yakonov-Perel' mechanism that is operative in conventional
      GaAs quantum well systems. Our experimental results are fundamentally important
      for well understanding the valley pseudospin relaxation in atomically thin
      transition metal dichalcogenides. 

PMID- 26490158
TI  - Weathering of a carbon nanotube/epoxy nanocomposite under UV light and in water
      bath: impact on abraded particles.
AB  - Weathering processes can influence the surface properties of composites with
      incorporated nanoparticles. These changes may affect the release behavior of
      nanoparticles when an abrasion process is applied. Therefore, the influence of
      two different weathering processes, immersion in water and exposure to UV light,
      on the properties of abraded particles from a carbon nanotube (CNT)/epoxy
      nanocomposite was investigated. The investigation included the measurement of the
      weathering impact on the surface chemistry of the exposed samples, the particle
      size of abraded particles, the quantity of exposed CNTs in the respirable part of
      the abraded particles, and the toxicity of abraded particles, measured by in
      vitro toxicity tests using the THP-1 monocyte-derived macrophages. The results
      showed that weathering by immersion in water had no influence on the properties
      of abraded particles. The exposure to UV light caused a degradation of the epoxy
      on the surface, followed by delamination of an approx. 2.5 MUm thick layer. An
      increased quantity of exposed CNTs in abraded particles was not found; on the
      contrary, longer UV exposure times decreased the released fraction of CNTs from
      0.6% to 0.4%. The toxicity tests revealed that abraded particles from the
      nanocomposites did not induce additional acute cytotoxic effects compared to
      particles from the neat epoxy. 

PMID- 26490156
TI  - Outcomes and second-look arthroscopic evaluation after combined arthroscopic
      treatment of tibial plateau and tibial eminence avulsion fractures: a 5-year
      minimal follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tibial eminence avulsion fracture often co-occurs with tibial plateau
      fracture, which leads to difficult concomitant management. The value of
      simultaneous arthroscopy-assisted treatment continues to be debated despite its
      theoretical advantages. We describe a simple arthroscopic suture fixation
      technique and hypothesize that simultaneous treatment is beneficial. METHODS:
      Patients with a tibial eminence avulsion fracture and a concurrent tibial plateau
      fracture who underwent simultaneous arthroscopically assisted treatment between
      2005 and 2008 were enrolled in this retrospective study. Second-look arthroscopic
      evaluation and Rasmussen scores of clinical and radiographic parameters were used
      to assess simultaneous treatment. RESULTS: Forty-one patients (41 knees) met the
      inclusion criteria. All 41 fractures were successfully united. All patients had
      side-to-side differences of less than 3 mm and negative findings in Lachman and
      pivot-shift tests at their final follow-up. The mean postoperative Rasmussen
      clinical score was 27.3 (range: 19-30), and the mean radiologic score was 16.5
      (range: 12-18). Clinical and radiographic outcomes in 98 % of the patients were
      good or excellent. There were no complications directly associated with
      arthroscopy in any patient. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous arthroscopic suture
      fixation of associated tibial eminence avulsion fracture did not interfere with
      the plates and screws used to stabilize the tibial plateau fracture. It gave the
      knee joint adequate stability, minimal surgical morbidity, and satisfactory
      radiographic and clinical outcomes in a minimum follow-up of 5 years and in the
      arthroscopic second-look assessments.

PMID- 26490159
TI  - Knoevenagel Adducts as Trimethylenemethane Dipole Surrogates.
AB  - Knoevenagel adducts derived from readily available acetoxyacetone and malonic
      acid derivatives served as trimethylenemethane surrogates for formal 1,3
      difunctionalization through a sequence of selective gamma-deprotonation/alpha
      alkylation and palladium(0)-catalyzed allylic alkylation. Herein, we report the
      discovery and development of a three-component 1,3-difunctionalization of
      Knoevenagel adducts as well as a unique palladium(0)-catalyzed branch-selective
      allylic alkylation. 

PMID- 26490160
TI  - Authors' reply to De Schryver and colleagues.

PMID- 26490161
TI  - Nanoscale petrographic and geochemical insights on the origin of the
      Palaeoproterozoic stromatolitic phosphorites from Aravalli Supergroup, India.
AB  - Stromatolites composed of apatite occur in post-Lomagundi-Jatuli successions
      (late Palaeoproterozoic) and suggest the emergence of novel types of
      biomineralization at that time. The microscopic and nanoscopic petrology of
      organic matter in stromatolitic phosphorites might provide insights into the
      suite of diagenetic processes that formed these types of stromatolites.
      Correlated geochemical micro-analyses of the organic matter could also yield
      molecular, elemental and isotopic compositions and thus insights into the role of
      specific micro-organisms among these communities. Here, we report on the
      occurrence of nanoscopic disseminated organic matter in the Palaeoproterozoic
      stromatolitic phosphorite from the Aravalli Supergroup of north-west India.
      Organic petrography by micro-Raman and Transmission Electron Microscopy
      demonstrates syngeneity of the organic matter. Total organic carbon contents of
      these stromatolitic phosphorite columns are between 0.05 and 3.0 wt% and have a
      large range of delta(13) Corg values with an average of -18.50/00 (1sigma =
      4.50/00). delta(15) N values of decarbonated rock powders are between -1.2 and
      +2.70/00. These isotopic compositions point to the important role of biological
      N2 -fixation and CO2 -fixation by the pentose phosphate pathway consistent with a
      population of cyanobacteria. Microscopic spheroidal grains of apatite (MSGA)
      occur in association with calcite microspar in microbial mats from stromatolite
      columns and with chert in the core of diagenetic apatite rosettes. Organic matter
      extracted from the stromatolitic phosphorites contains a range of molecular
      functional group (e.g. carboxylic acid, alcohol, and aliphatic hydrocarbons) as
      well as nitrile and nitro groups as determined from C- and N-XANES spectra. The
      presence of organic nitrogen was independently confirmed by a CN(-) peak detected
      by ToF-SIMS. Nanoscale petrography and geochemistry allow for a refinement of the
      formation model for the accretion and phototrophic growth of stromatolites. The
      original microbial biomass is inferred to have been dominated by cyanobacteria,
      which might be an important contributor of organic matter in shallow-marine
      phosphorites.

PMID- 26490162
TI  - Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy Plate Contouring and Proximal Load Screw
      Angulation Affect Osteotomy Compression.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of contouring a tibial plateau leveling
      osteotomy (TPLO) plate, the associated angulation of the dynamic compression
      plate (DCP) hole relative to the long axis of the tibia, and angulation of the
      screw relative to the DCP hole on the osteotomy compression generated by load
      screws in a TPLO model. STUDY DESIGN: In vitro biomechanical study. STUDY
      POPULATION: Polyoxymethylene (POM) rod and synthetic cortical bone substitute
      model (n = 9). METHODS: The distal portion of a Slocum TPLO plate was attached to
      a horizontally positioned POM rod that was connected to a load cell. A segment of
      synthetic cortical bone substitute was attached to the end mount of the testing
      frame and adjusted to conform to the angle of the proximal portion of the TPLO
      plate. A 3.5 mm cortical bone screw was inserted in the proximal DCP hole and
      tightened to 1.5 Nm. The peak longitudinal load (N) was recorded. Screw insertion
      and data collection were repeated for proximal plate angles of 0-40 degrees  at 5
      degrees  increments. RESULTS: A significant increase in the compression generated
      was observed as the plate angle was increased from 0 degrees  to 10 degrees . The
      compression ceased to significantly increase until the plate was bent more than
      20 degrees , after which a significant decrease in compression was noted. A
      marked reduction in the compression generated occurred at plate angles greater
      than 30 degrees . CONCLUSION: Angulation of the DCP hole and screw insertion
      angle can have deleterious effects on the magnitude of osteotomy compression.

PMID- 26490163
TI  - Burns During Pregnancy: Implications for Maternal-Perinatal Providers and
      Guidelines for Practice.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: When a major burn is suffered during pregnancy, the obstetric
      provider is challenged to respond on an evidence basis because personal
      experience usually is lacking. Currently, there is a paucity of publications to
      inform the obstetrician, guide practice, and impact early critical decision
      making. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to summarize the available
      information on early management of burns during pregnancy and to identify
      components of best practices for optimal outcome. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: The
      PubMed database was searched for relevant titles and abstracts involving pregnant
      patients suffering from second-/third-degree burns. Among these studies, the
      bibliographies were investigated for further relevant literature. A total of 114
      studies were identified during the initial search, and only studies published in
      English and French were included for a total of 42. Variable data were available
      for 1141 patients, with complete data for 139 cases. Mediation and regression
      analysis were used for available data. Insufficient data were available to
      undertake a systematic review. RESULTS: Total body surface area of burns (TBSAB)
      was positively associated with maternal death, and the odds of maternal mortality
      increase by 1.08 per percentage increase of TBSAB (P < 0.001). Fetal survival
      depends on maternal survival (P <= 0.001). Maternal survival declines
      incrementally when TBSAB exceeds 55%, and inhalation injury further exacerbates
      maternal-perinatal risk. CONCLUSIONS: Emergent assessment of the pregnant burn
      victimincludes determination of gestational age, extent of TBSAB, presence of
      inhalation injury, and continuous fetal monitoring. If gestational age is 24
      weeks or longer and TBSAB exceeds 55%, urgent cesarean delivery appears desirable
      for the mother and baby. RELEVANCE: A specific analysis of maternal-perinatal
      outcome based on TBSAB and gestational age is relevant to obstetric and emergency
      providers who provide care to pregnant burn patients.

PMID- 26490165
TI  - Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery for Benign Conditions: Progress and
      Challenges.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review is to evaluate the progress made in
      laparoscopic and hysteroscopic gynecologic surgery and address challenges still
      faced by surgeons using minimally invasive techniques to improve the care of
      women with noncancerous gynecologic problems. METHODS: Relevant literature was
      reviewed and evidence-based arguments put forward in the article for the progress
      that has been made and the deficiencies that still exist. RESULTS: In the last 2
      decades, enormous progress has been made in providing minimally invasive surgical
      options for women with gynecologic diseases. The progress has been especially
      striking in the performance of hysterectomy, the most common major surgery
      performed on nonpregnant women. The recent controversy over power morcellation
      has revealed a poor understanding of the literature concerning leiomyosarcoma
      leading to confusion and consequently denial of minimally invasive surgical
      options for many women. Hysteroscopic surgery has been evolving rapidly with the
      development of hysteroscopic morcellator, global endometrial ablation systems,
      and hysteroscopic tubal sterilization. CONCLUSIONS: Although huge advances have
      been made in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, high-quality evidence from
      well-designed clinical trials is lacking for many of the new technologies.
      Accurate estimates regarding the risk of occult leiomyosarcoma are also lacking.
      Additional research is urgently needed to address these deficiencies.

PMID- 26490164
TI  - Infections and Brain Development.
AB  - Several different bodies of evidence support a link between infection and altered
      brain development. Maternal infections, such as influenza and human
      immunodeficiency virus, have been linked to the development of autism spectrum
      disorders, differences in cognitive test scores, and bipolar disorder; an
      association that has been shown in both epidemiologic and retrospective studies.
      Several viral, bacterial, and parasitic illnesses are associated with alterations
      in fetal brain structural anomalies including brain calcifications and
      hydrocephalus. The process of infection can activate inflammatory pathways
      causing the release of various proinflammatory biomarkers and histological
      changes consistent with an infectious intrauterine environment (chorioamnionitis)
      or umbilical cord (funisitis). Elevations in inflammatory cytokines are
      correlated with cerebral palsy, schizophrenias, and autism. Animal studies
      indicate that the balance of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines is
      critical to the effect prenatal inflammation plays in neurodevelopment. Finally,
      chorioamnionitis is associated with cerebral palsy and other abnormal
      neurodevelopmental outcomes. In conclusion, a plethora of evidence supports,
      albeit with various degrees of certainty, the theory that maternal infection and
      inflammation that occur during critical periods of fetal development could
      theoretically alter brain structure and function in a time-sensitive manner. 

PMID- 26490166
TI  - Difficult temperament and negative parenting in early childhood: a genetically
      informed cross-lagged analysis.
AB  - A genetically informed longitudinal cross-lagged model was applied to twin data
      to explore etiological links between difficult temperament and negative parenting
      in early childhood. The sample comprised 313 monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ)
      twin pairs. Difficult temperament and negative parenting were assessed at ages 2
      and 3 using parent ratings. Both constructs were interrelated within and across
      age (rs .34-.47) and showed substantial stability (rs .65-.68). Difficult
      temperament and negative parenting were influenced by genetic and environmental
      factors at ages 2 and 3. The genetic and nonshared environmental correlations (rs
      .21-.76) at both ages suggest overlap at the level of etiology between the
      phenotypes. Significant bidirectional associations between difficult temperament
      and negative parenting were found. The cross-lagged association from difficult
      temperament at age 2 to negative parenting at age 3 and from negative parenting
      at age 2 and difficult temperament at age 3 were due to genetic, shared
      environmental, and nonshared environmental factors. Substantial novel genetic and
      nonshared environmental influences emerged at age 3 and suggest change in the
      etiology of these constructs over time.

PMID- 26490168
TI  - FancJ (Brip1) loss-of-function allele results in spermatogonial cell depletion
      during embryogenesis and altered processing of crossover sites during meiotic
      prophase I in mice.
AB  - Fancj, the gene associated with Fanconi anemia (FA) Complementation Group J,
      encodes a DNA helicase involved in homologous recombination repair and the
      cellular response to replication stress. FANCJ functions in part through its
      interaction with key DNA repair proteins, including MutL homolog-1 (MLH1), Breast
      Cancer Associated gene-1 (BRCA1), and Bloom syndrome helicase (BLM). All three of
      these proteins are involved in a variety of events that ensure genome stability,
      including the events of DNA double strand break (DSB) repair during prophase I of
      meiosis. Meiotic DSBs are repaired through homologous recombination resulting in
      non-crossovers (NCO) or crossovers (CO). The frequency and placement of COs are
      stringently regulated to ensure that each chromosome receives at least one CO
      event, and that longer chromosomes receive at least one additional CO, thus
      facilitating the accurate segregation of homologous chromosomes at the first
      meiotic division. In the present study, we investigated the role of Fancj during
      prophase I using a gene trap mutant allele. Fancj (GT/GT) mutants are fertile,
      but their testes are very much smaller than wild-type littermates, predominantly
      as a result of impeded spermatogonial proliferation and mildly increased
      apoptosis during testis development in the fetus. This defect in spermatogonial
      proliferation is consistent with mutations in other FA genes. During prophase I,
      early events of synapsis and DSB induction/repair appear mostly normal in Fancj
      (GT/GT) males, and the FANCJ-interacting protein BRCA1 assembles normally on
      meiotic chromosome cores. However, MLH1 focus frequency is increased in Fancj
      (GT/GT) males, indicative of increased DSB repair via CO, and is concomitant with
      increased chiasmata at diakinesis. This increase in COs in the absence of FANCJ
      is associated with increased localization of BLM helicase protein, indicating
      that BLM may facilitate the increased rate of crossing over in Fancj (GT/GT)
      males. Taken together, these results demonstrate a critical role for FANCJ in
      spermatogenesis at two stages: firstly in the proliferative activity that gives
      rise to the full complement of testicular spermatogonia and secondly in the
      establishment of appropriate CO numbers during prophase I. 

PMID- 26490169
TI  - Activity of telomerase and telomeric length in Apis mellifera.
AB  - Telomerase is an enzyme that adds repeats of DNA sequences to the ends of
      chromosomes, thereby preventing their shortening. Telomerase activity is
      associated with proliferative status of cells, organismal development, and aging.
      We report an analysis of telomerase activity and telomere length in the honeybee,
      Apis mellifera. Telomerase activity was found to be regulated in a development
      and caste-specific manner. During the development of somatic tissues of larval
      drones and workers, telomerase activity declined to 10 % of its level in embryos
      and remained low during pupal and adult stages but was upregulated in testes of
      late pupae, where it reached 70 % of the embryo level. Upregulation of telomerase
      activity was observed in the ovaries of late pupal queens, reaching 160 % of the
      level in embryos. Compared to workers and drones, queens displayed higher levels
      of telomerase activity. In the third larval instar of queens, telomerase activity
      reached the embryo level, and an enormous increase was observed in adult brains
      of queens, showing a 70-fold increase compared to a brain of an adult worker.
      Southern hybridization of terminal TTAGG fragments revealed a high variability of
      telomeric length between different individuals, although the same pattern of
      hybridization signals was observed in different tissues of each individual.

PMID- 26490170
TI  - Speeding up chromosome evolution in Phaseolus: multiple rearrangements associated
      with a one-step descending dysploidy.
AB  - The genus Phaseolus L. has been subject of extensive cytogenetic studies due to
      its global economic importance. It is considered karyotypically stable, with most
      of its ca. 75 species having 2n = 22 chromosomes, and only three species
      (Phaseolus leptostachyus, Phaseolus macvaughii, and Phaseolus micranthus), which
      form the Leptostachyus clade, having 2n = 20. To test whether a simple
      chromosomal fusion was the cause of this descending dysploidy, mitotic
      chromosomes of P. leptostachyus (2n = 20) were comparatively mapped by
      fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) using bacterial artificial chromosomes
      (BACs) and ribosomal DNA (rDNA) probes. Our results corroborated the conservation
      of the 5S and 45S rDNA sites on ancestral chromosomes 10 and 6, respectively. The
      reduction from x = 11 to x = 10 was the result of the insertion of chromosome 10
      into the centromeric region of chromosome 11, supporting a nested chromosome
      fusion (NCF) as the main cause of this dysploidy. Additionally, the terminal
      region of the long arm of chromosome 6 was translocated to this larger
      chromosome. Surprisingly, the NCF was accompanied by several additional
      translocations and inversions previously unknown for the genus, suggesting that
      the dysploidy may have been associated to a burst of genome reorganization in
      this otherwise stable, diploid plant genus.

PMID- 26490167
TI  - Reorganization of the interchromosomal network during keratinocyte
      differentiation.
AB  - The well-established human epidermal keratinocyte (HEK) differentiation model was
      investigated to determine possible alterations in chromosome territory (CT)
      association during differentiation. The seven human chromosomes (1, 4, 11, 12,
      16, 17, and 18) selected for this analysis are representative of the chromosome
      size and gene density range of the overall human genome as well as including a
      majority of genes involved in epidermal development and differentiation (CT1, 12,
      and 17). Induction with calcium chloride (Ca(2+)) resulted in morphological
      changes characteristic of keratinocyte differentiation. Combined multi
      fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and computational image analysis on the
      undifferentiated (0 h) and differentiated (24 h after Ca(2+) treatment) HEK
      revealed that (a) increases in CT volumes correspond to overall nuclear volume
      increases, (b) radial positioning is gene density-dependent at 0 h but neither
      gene density- nor size-dependent at 24 h, (c) the average number of
      interchromosomal associations for each CT is gene density-dependent and similar
      at both time points, and (d) there are striking differences in the single and
      multiple pairwise interchromosomal association profiles. Probabilistic network
      models of the overall interchromosomal associations demonstrate major
      reorganization of the network during differentiation. Only ~40 % of the CT
      pairwise connections in the networks are common to both 0 and 24 h HEK. We
      propose that there is a probabilistic chromosome positional code which can be
      significantly altered during cell differentiation in coordination with
      reprogramming of gene expression.

PMID- 26490171
TI  - [Report from the management board].

PMID- 26490172
TI  - [Report of the presidial committee].

PMID- 26490173
TI  - Studies of Household Air Pollution and Subclinical Indicators of Cardiovascular
      Disease Fill Important Knowledge Gaps.

PMID- 26490174
TI  - Synthesis of Long, Palladium End-Capped Polyynes through the Use of Asymmetric 1
      Iodopolyynes.
AB  - The synthesis of a unique series of long, asymmetric 1-iodopolyynes (1-Cn I and 2
      Cn I) with the sp-hybridized carbon chain up to a decapentayne is reported. These
      compounds were then used as substrates in reactions with Pd(PPh3 )4 leading to
      another series of palladium end-capped polyynes, which were unstable in solution.
      Organometallic octatetraynes 1-C8 [Pd]I, 2-C8 [Pd]I, and decapentayne 1-C10 [Pd]I
      are palladium end-capped polyyne compounds with the longest carbon chains
      reported so far. All the complexes as well as their organic precursors were fully
      characterized by NMR, HRMS(ESI), IR, TGA-DTA, and UV/Vis techniques, and the X
      ray crystal structures of two silyl-protected precursors and one palladium
      complex are presented. The synthetic approach for palladium species is envisioned
      as a general route for the synthesis of labile organometallic polyynes. 

PMID- 26490176
TI  - Vitamin D and benign gynaecological diseases: a critical analysis of the current
      evidence.
AB  - Vitamin D is a fat-soluble pro-hormone that plays an important role in bone
      homeostasis; beside this principal function, vitamin D promotes modulation of
      cell growth, neuromuscular and immune function, and reduction of inflammation. In
      addition, several in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that vitamin D
      deficiency could increase the risk of cancer, autoimmune and cardiovascular
      diseases. Moreover, vitamin D plays also an important role in female
      reproduction, because vitamin D receptors are expressed in ovarian tissue,
      endometrium, fallopian epithelial cells as well as in decidua and placenta. We
      aimed to review the most updated evidence, which suggests a link between vitamin
      D metabolism and the development of some gynaecological diseases, such as
      endometriosis, uterine fibroids and polycystic ovary syndrome. 

PMID- 26490177
TI  - Directed synthesis of {Cu2(II)Zn2(II)} and {Cu8(II)Zn8(II)} heterometallic
      complexes.
AB  - Two new heterometallic complexes [Cu2Zn2(H4L)2(CH3COO)2Cl2].2.5CH3OH.0.5H2O (1)
      and [Cu8Zn8(OH)8(H4L)8](Cl)2(ClO4)6.16H2O (2) have been synthesised following two
      different preparative routes, by using the polydentate ligand Bis-tris propane
      (H6L = 2,2'-(propane-1,3-diyldiimino)bis[2-(hydroxymethyl)propane-1,3-diol]).
      Herein, we describe the synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties of 1, a
      tetramer which forms in the absence of base and 2, a hexadecanuclear complex with
      a remarkable double-concentric ring structure that forms in the presence of base.
      Antiferromagnetic coupling between Cu(II) ions is observed in both compounds
      despite the long distances between paramagnetic metal centres, due to the
      involvement of diamagnetic Zn(II) ions in the magnetic exchange pathway.

PMID- 26490178
TI  - How many MSM in Europe could benefit from PrEP--a 9 billion Euro question?

PMID- 26490180
TI  - Plasmonic multi-shell nanomatryoshka particles as highly tunable SERS tags with
      built-in reporters.
AB  - Here we report on the synthesis and averaged SERS measurements of multi-shell
      nanomatryoshka SERS tags. By tuning the number of shells or by changing the Raman
      reporters in different gap layers, their Raman intensities and spectral bands
      were tunable. These tags show great potential for SERS-based biosensing and
      bioimaging. 

PMID- 26490181
TI  - Mass-gathering Events: The Public Health Challenge of the Kumbh Mela 2013.
AB  - Mass-gathering (MG) events pose challenges to the most adept of public health
      practitioners in ensuring the health safety of the population. These MGs can be
      for sporting events, musical festivals, or more commonly, have religious
      undertones. The Kumbh Mela 2013 at Allahabad, India may have been the largest
      gathering of humanity in history with nearly 120 million pilgrims having thronged
      the venue. The scale of the event posed a challenge to the maintenance of public
      health security and safety. A snapshot of the experience of managing the hygiene
      and sanitation aspects of this mega event is presented herein, highlighting the
      importance of proactive public health planning and preparedness. There having
      been no outbreaks of disease is vindication of the steps undertaken in planning
      and preparedness, notwithstanding obvious limitations of unsanitary behaviors and
      traditional beliefs of those attending the festival. The evident flaw on post
      event analyses was the failure to cater adequately for environmental mopping-up
      operations after the festival. Besides, a system of real-time monitoring of
      disease and morbidity patterns, harnessing low cost technology alternatives,
      should be planned for at all such future events.

PMID- 26490179
TI  - Gout in the Spine: Imaging, Diagnosis, and Outcomes.
AB  - Gout is characterized by the deposition of monosodium urate crystals and by acute
      and chronic inflammation in response to crystals so deposited. Multiple case
      reports and series describe the deposition of monosodium urate in the spine as a
      rare manifestation of gout, but the actual prevalence of spinal involvement is
      unknown and likely to be higher than generally anticipated. Here we review the
      characteristics of 131 previously reported cases of spinal involvement in gout.
      We focus in particular on the use of imaging modalities and the extent to which
      they correlate with presenting symptoms and tissue diagnoses. The recent
      innovation of using dual-energy computerized tomography to identify urate crystal
      deposition holds promise for reducing the need for surgical intervention and for
      establishing a true prevalence rate for spinal gout. 

PMID- 26490182
TI  - A novel homozygous mutation in HSF4 causing autosomal recessive congenital
      cataract.
AB  - Cataract is defined as opacity in the crystalline lens and congenital cataract
      occurs during the first year of life. Until now, mutations of more than 50 genes
      in congenital cataract have been reported with various modes of inheritance.
      Among them, HSF4 mutations have been reported in autosomal dominant, autosomal
      recessive and age-related forms of cataract. The inheritance patterns of these
      mutations depend on their mutational positions in HSF4: autosomal dominant or
      recessive mutations are respectively found either in a DNA-binding domain or in
      (or downstream of) hydrophobic repeats. Here we report a novel homozygous HSF4
      mutation (c.521T>C, p.Leu174Pro) in two affected sibs of an Iranian
      consanguineous family using whole exome sequencing. The mutation is predicted as
      highly pathogenic by in silico analysis (SIFT, Polyphen2 and MutationTaster) and
      is not found in any of control databases. This mutation is located in a
      hydrophobic repeat of the HSF4 protein, which is consistent with the mode of
      inheritance as an autosomal recessive trait. 

PMID- 26490183
TI  - Unravelling the mechanism of action of enzyme replacement therapy in Fabry
      disease.
AB  - Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked recessive glycosphingolipid-storage
      disorder caused by deficient activity of the lysosomal enzyme alpha-galactosidase
      A. Intravenous enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been used to supplement
      deficient enzyme activity in patients with FD. Despite its clinical effect and
      manifestations, clear criteria for the clinical effectiveness and cost
      effectiveness of ERT have not been well established. In this study, we
      investigated the pharmacodynamic actions and short-term effects of ERT in
      patients with FD through direct molecular profiling from blood samples of
      patients before and after ERT. Based on this comparison, we observed that
      immune/inflammation-related pathways and growth factor-related pathways such as
      innate/adaptive immune pathway, lymphocyte proliferation and leukocyte
      proliferation were actively regulated under ERT. We also found that TINAGL1,
      DAAM2, CDK5R1 and MYO5B known to be related with clinical symptoms of FD showed
      increased levels after ERT, leading to the amelioration of clinical
      manifestations. Especially the catabolic process-related genes, including USP15
      and ERUN1, showed direct increasing after ERT in vivo in male patients. These
      results suggest that male patients with FD respond more actively to ERT than do
      female patients with FD. Pathway analysis revealed that oxidative phosphorylation
      pathway-related genes are downregulated under ERT. ERT has a role to protect the
      proteins from oxidative damage and such deactivation of oxidative phosphorylation
      is one of direct pharmacodynamic actions of ERT. These results extended our
      understanding of the pathophysiology of ERT. To our knowledge, this is the first
      study to observe the molecular basis for the mechanism of ERT in vivo through the
      comprehensive comparison of transcriptome study with next-generation sequencing
      data. 

PMID- 26490184
TI  - MECP2 missense mutations outside the canonical MBD and TRD domains in males with
      intellectual disability.
AB  - Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is a nuclear protein highly expressed in
      neurons that is involved in transcriptional modulation and chromatin remodeling.
      Mutations in MECP2 in females are associated with Rett syndrome, a neurological
      disorder characterized by a normal neonatal period, followed by the arrest of
      development and regression of acquired skills. Although it was initially thought
      that MECP2 pathogenic mutations in males were not compatible with life, starting
      from 1999 about 60 male patients have been identified and their phenotype varies
      from severe neonatal encephalopathy to mild intellectual disability. Targeted
      next-generation sequencing of a panel of intellectual disability related genes
      was performed on two unrelated male patients, and two missense variants in MECP2
      were identified (p.Gly185Val and p.Arg167Trp). These variants lie outside the
      canonical methyl-CpG-binding domain and transcription repression domain domains,
      where the pathogenicity of missense variants is more difficult to establish. In
      both families, variants were found in all affected siblings and were inherited
      from the asymptomatic mother, showing skewed X-chromosome inactivation. We report
      here the first missense variant located in AT-hook domain 1 and we underline the
      importance of MECP2 substitutions outside the canonical MeCP2 domains in X-linked
      intellectual disability. 

PMID- 26490185
TI  - Diagnostic exome sequencing for patients with a family history of consanguinity:
      over 38% of positive results are not autosomal recessive pattern.
AB  - Diagnostic exome sequencing (DES) is an effective tool for diagnosis in
      intractable cases where the underlying cause is thought be genetic. It is
      commonly assumed that patients with a family history of consanguinity will have
      increased detection rates for rare autosomal recessive Mendelian disorders
      through DES. Herein, we analyzed the diagnostic yield and relevant inheritance
      patterns within the DES cases with a reported consanguineous family history. Of
      the first 500 unselected cases referred for DES, 40 (8.0%) had a known
      consanguineous family history. Among the 40 cases, 13 (32.5%) received a
      definitive molecular diagnosis through DES and such positive rate is similar to
      that of families with no reported consanguinity (139/460, 30.2%, P=0.63).
      Although homozygous alterations likely related to consanguinity have been
      identified in eight positive cases, the other five (38.4%) causative mutations
      were unrelated to autosomal recessive inheritance. Our retrospective analysis
      demonstrated that individuals with known consanguinity were not more likely to
      have a positive DES result and a significant portion of the positive findings
      were not within an autosomal recessive gene. These results highlight that all
      applicable inheritance patterns should be considered for patients with a known
      family history of consanguinity. 

PMID- 26490186
TI  - Genetic mutation analysis in Japanese patients with non-syndromic congenital
      heart disease.
AB  - Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect occurring in
      humans and some transcriptional factors have been identified as causative.
      However, additional mutation analysis of these genes is necessary to develop
      effective diagnostic and medical treatment methods. We conducted sequence
      analysis of the coding regions of NKX2.5, GATA4, TBX1, TBX5, TBX20, CFC1 and ZIC3
      in 111 Japanese patients with non-syndromic CHD and 9 of their relatives. All
      patient samples were also analyzed by multiplex ligation-dependent probe
      amplification using probes involved in chromosome deletion related to CHD. Five
      novel variations of TBX5, GATA4 and TBX20 were detected in 6 of the patients,
      whereas none were found in 200 controls. The TBX5 variation p.Pro108Thr, located
      in the T-box domain, was identified in a patient with tricuspid atresia, an exon
      intron boundary variation of GATA4 (IVS4+5G>A) was detected in a Tetralogy of
      Fallot patient and an 8p23 microdeletion was detected in one patient with
      atrioventricular septal defect and psychomotor delay. A total of seven non
      synonymous polymorphisms were found in the patients and controls. Accumulation of
      novel variations of genes involving the cardiac development may be required for
      better understanding of CHD. 

PMID- 26490188
TI  - Estimation of genetic parameters for reproductive traits in alpacas.
AB  - One of the main deficiencies affecting animal breeding programs in Peruvian
      alpacas is the low reproductive performance leading to low number of animals
      available to select from, decreasing strongly the selection intensity. Some
      reproductive traits could be improved by artificial selection, but very few
      information about genetic parameters exists for these traits in this specie. The
      aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for six reproductive traits
      in alpacas both in Suri (SU) and Huacaya (HU) ecotypes, as well as their genetic
      relationship with fiber and morphological traits. Dataset belonging to Pacomarca
      experimental farm collected between 2000 and 2014 was used. Number of records for
      age at first service (AFS), age at first calving (AFC), copulation time (CT),
      pregnancy diagnosis (PD), gestation length (GL), and calving interval (CI) were,
      respectively, 1704, 854, 19,770, 5874, 4290 and 934. Pedigree consisted of 7742
      animals. Regarding reproductive traits, model of analysis included additive and
      residual random effects for all traits, and also permanent environmental effect
      for CT, PD, GL and CI traits, with color and year of recording as fixed effects
      for all the reproductive traits and also age at mating and sex of calf for GL
      trait. Estimated heritabilities, respectively for HU and SU were 0.19 and 0.09
      for AFS, 0.45 and 0.59 for AFC, 0.04 and 0.05 for CT, 0.07 and 0.05 for PD, 0.12
      and 0.20 for GL, and 0.14 and 0.09 for CI. Genetic correlations between them
      ranged from -0.96 to 0.70. No important genetic correlations were found between
      reproductive traits and fiber or morphological traits in HU. However, some
      moderate favorable genetic correlations were found between reproductive and
      either fiber and morphological traits in SU. According to estimated genetic
      correlations, some reproductive traits might be included as additional selection
      criteria in HU. 

PMID- 26490187
TI  - Tumor-suppressive microRNAs (miR-26a/b, miR-29a/b/c and miR-218) concertedly
      suppressed metastasis-promoting LOXL2 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - In spite of considerable advances in multimodality therapy, including surgery,
      radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the overall survival rate for patients with head
      and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is very poor (only 15-45%).
      Understanding the molecular mechanisms of metastatic pathways underlying HNSCC
      using currently available genomic approaches might improve therapies for and
      prevention of the disease. Our previous studies showed that three tumor
      suppressive microRNAs (miRNAs), miR-26a/b, miR-29a/b/c and miR-218, significantly
      inhibited cancer cell migration and invasion. Therefore, we hypothesized that
      these miRNAs-regulated target genes deeply contributed to cancer metastasis.
      These tumor-suppressive miRNAs directly regulate LOXL2 expression in HNSCC cells
      by using in silico analysis and luciferase reporter assays. Overexpressed LOXL2
      was confirmed in HNSCC clinical specimens, and silencing of LOXL2 inhibited
      cancer cell migration and invasion in HNSCC cell lines. Our present data showed
      that tumor-suppressive miRNAs regulation of LOXL2 will provide new insights into
      the novel molecular mechanisms of HNSCC metastasis. 

PMID- 26490190
TI  - Evaluation of Statistical Treatments of Left-Censored Environmental Data Using
      Coincident Uncensored Data Sets. II. Group Comparisons.
AB  - The main classes of statistical treatments that have been used to determine if
      two groups of censored environmental data arise from the same distribution are
      substitution methods, maximum likelihood (MLE) techniques, and nonparametric
      methods. These treatments along with using all instrument-generated data (IN),
      even those less than the detection limit, were evaluated by examining 550 data
      sets in which the true values of the censored data were known, and therefore
      "true" probabilities could be calculated and used as a yardstick for comparison.
      It was found that technique "quality" was strongly dependent on the degree of
      censoring present in the groups. For low degrees of censoring (<25% in each
      group), the Generalized Wilcoxon (GW) technique and substitution of ?2/2 times
      the detection limit gave overall the best results. For moderate degrees of
      censoring, MLE worked best, but only if the distribution could be estimated to be
      normal or log-normal prior to its application; otherwise, GW was a suitable
      alternative. For higher degrees of censoring (each group >40% censoring), no
      technique provided reliable estimates of the true probability. Group size did not
      appear to influence the quality of the result, and no technique appeared to
      become better or worse than other techniques relative to group size. Finally, IN
      appeared to do very well relative to the other techniques regardless of censoring
      or group size. 

PMID- 26490189
TI  - Inducing ovulation in wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) during the anovulatory
      season.
AB  - As part of the development of a germplasm biobank to preserve the genetic
      diversity of threatened wood bison (Bison bison athabascae), a 2 * 2 factorial
      study was designed to determine the effects of ovulation induction agent and
      follicle maturity on the ovulatory response in wood bison during the anovulatory
      season. Bison (n=32) were assigned randomly to four groups (n=8/group) and
      treated with either pLH or hCG when a growing dominant follicle was either 8-9 mm
      or >=10 mm. The ovaries were examined daily by ultrasonography to determine the
      timing of ovulation, and 7 days post-treatment to assess CL development. The
      proportion of bison that ovulated was greater in bison treated with hCG than pLH
      ([15/16] 94% vs. [8/16] 50%; P<0.05), and when the dominant follicle was >=10 mm
      vs. 8-9 mm at the time of treatment (88% vs. 56%; P<0.05). The interval from
      treatment to ovulation was 37.0 +/- 1.3h and was not affected by induction agent
      or follicle size. However, synchrony of ovulation tended to be greater (P=0.10)
      in the >=10 mm group vs. the 8-9 mm group, and the ensuing corpus luteum was
      larger (15.3 +/- 0.43 mm vs. 13.4 +/- 0.36; P<0.05). In conclusion, both
      ovulation inducing agent and follicle size influenced the ovulatory response in
      bison during the anovulatory season. Treatment with hCG was more effective than
      pLH for inducing ovulation in wood bison, and the effect was greater when
      treatment was given when the growing dominant follicle was >=10 mm.

PMID- 26490192
TI  - Resistive switching memory devices based on electrical conductance tuning in
      poly(4-vinyl phenol)-oxadiazole composites.
AB  - Nonvolatile memory devices, based on electrical conductance tuning in thin films
      of poly(4-vinyl phenol) (PVP) and 2-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-5-(4-biphenylyl)-1,3,4
      oxadiazole (PBD) composites, are fabricated. The current-voltage characteristics
      of the fabricated devices show different electrical conductance behaviors, such
      as the write-once read-many-times (WORM) memory effect, the rewritable flash
      memory effect and insulator behavior, which depend on the content of PBD in the
      PVP + PBD composites. The OFF and ON states of the WORM and rewritable flash
      memory devices are stable under a constant voltage stress or a continuous pulse
      voltage stress at a read voltage. The memory mechanism is deduced from the
      modeling of the nature of currents in both states in the devices. 

PMID- 26490191
TI  - Effect of breakfast omission: Constrained to morning?

PMID- 26490193
TI  - Hollow Co@C prepared from a Co-ZIF@microporous organic network: magnetic
      adsorbents for aromatic pollutants in water.
AB  - This work shows the new engineering strategy of magnetic adsorbents by the
      combination of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) and microporous organic
      network (MON) chemistry. ZIF-67 nanoparticles containing Co(2+) ions were coated
      with MON. The thermolysis of ZIF-67@MON under argon resulted in hollow carbon
      materials bearing cobalt nanoparticles which showed promising performance as
      magnetic adsorbents for aromatic pollutants in water. 

PMID- 26490194
TI  - Genetics and phenotypes in inflammatory bowel disease.

PMID- 26490196
TI  - The Institute of Medicine: ensuring integrity and independence in scientific
      advice on health.
AB  - National science and medical academies across the world serve a range of roles
      and functions. In particular, the benefits of an independent academy tasked with
      the provision of formal advice are compelling. For nearly half a century, the
      Institute of Medicine (IOM) has served the USA and the world by providing
      independent, authoritative advice on issues related to health and medicine. Its
      influence reaches deep into the health and policy worlds. This paper provides
      insight into the principles, processes, and governance that confer unique
      credibility to IOM advice. The IOM can serve as a useful model for other
      academies to consider for strengthening their work or when other countries
      contemplate the creation of a new academy. 

PMID- 26490197
TI  - Low-temperature heat capacities of confined liquid benzene, implying the behavior
      of ordinary bulk liquids.
AB  - Isobaric heat capacities C p of benzene confined in silica MCM-41 mesopores with
      average diameters equal to and smaller than 2.9 nm were measured by precise
      adiabatic calorimetry. The confined benzene samples revealed no thermal anomaly
      due to crystallization/fusion and vitrified at low temperatures. The C p curves
      displayed a hump and a considerably quick decrease on the low-temperature side of
      the hump as the pore diameter increased. The enthalpy-relaxation effects observed
      on intermittent heating showed that the anomaly of the C p hump and quick
      decrease is not assigned to a glass transition. The bend in the temperature
      dependence of density reported previously was interpreted as corresponding to the
      quick decrease in C p . We concluded that the anomalous C p and density behaviors
      originated from the ordering/excitation in the configurational state, close to
      the ground state, of confined molecular aggregate and proposed a scenario that
      explains the general C p curves of ordinary bulk supercooled liquids in
      equilibrium at low temperatures below the glass-transition temperatures. 

PMID- 26490198
TI  - Reproductive traits and number of matings in males and females of Cerambyx
      welensii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) an emergent pest of oaks.
AB  - The longhorn beetle Cerambyx welensii is an emerging pest involved in oak decline
      episodes, whose damage is increasingly reported in dehesa open woodlands.
      Knowledge of the reproductive biology of C. welensii is a crucial goal due to its
      new pest status. In this study, we assess the reproductive traits of both sexes
      in the laboratory (25 degrees C and 60% relative humidity ). In females, body
      length was 44.9 +/- 0.9 mm (mean +/- SE), fecundity 132 +/- 12 eggs, fertility 70
      +/- 1 %, longevity 70 +/- 3 days, preoviposition period 2 +/- 0.2 days,
      oviposition period 44 +/- 3 days and postoviposition period 19 +/- 3 days.
      Fecundity was positively correlated with female size, longevity and oviposition
      period. Daily fecundity was 3.0 +/- 0.2 eggs/day and showed a fluctuating
      synovigenic pattern with a slight decreasing trend over time. Egg length was 4.24
      +/- 0.01 mm and egg volume 8.14 +/- 0.04 mm3. Egg size was correlated with female
      size but the relative size of eggs was larger in smaller females. Incubation time
      was 13.9 +/- 0.1 days and hatching did not depend on egg size. Neonate size was
      positively correlated with egg length. Females were polyandrous (more than 20
      lifetime matings) but multiple mating did not increase fecundity, fertility or
      longevity. In males, body length was 43.7 +/- 0.6 mm and longevity 52 +/- 3 days.
      Unlike with females, longevity was positively correlated with male size. Males
      were polygynous (up to 30 lifetime matings) but mating history did not affect
      male longevity. Rather to the contrary, long-lived males mated more times because
      they had more mating chances. Lastly, C. welensii reproductive traits were
      compared with those other Cerambycidae species and discussed from an adaptive
      perspective. Our data will be useful to improve management of C. welensii in
      order to prevent or mitigate its impact in dehesa woodlands and other oak
      forests. 

PMID- 26490199
TI  - Effects of a plant product consisting of green tea and curcuma extract on milk
      production and the expression of hepatic genes involved in endoplasmic stress
      response and inflammation in dairy cows.
AB  - During the periparturient phase, cows are typically in an inflammation-like
      condition, and it has been proposed that inflammation associated with the
      induction of stress of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in the liver contributes to
      the development of fatty liver syndrome and ketosis. In the present study, the
      hypothesis that supplementation of dairy cows with a plant product consisting of
      green tea (95%) and curcuma extract (5%) rich in polyphenols attenuates
      inflammation and ER stress in the liver during early lactation was investigated.
      Twenty-seven cows were assigned to two groups, either a control group (n=14) or a
      treatment group (n=13). Both groups of cows received a total mixed ration, and
      the ration of the treatment group was supplemented with 0.175 g of the plant
      product per kg dry matter from week 3 prepartum to week 9 postpartum. Dry matter
      intake and energy balance during week 2 to week 9 postpartum were not different
      between the two groups. However, cows supplemented with the plant product had a
      greater amount of energy-corrected milk during week 2 to week 9 postpartum and
      lower concentrations of triacylglycerols and cholesterol in the liver in week 1
      and week 3 postpartum than cows of the control group (p<0.05). Cows supplemented
      with the plant product showed a trend towards a reduced mRNA concentration of
      haptoglobin (p<0.10), while relative mRNA concentrations of eight genes of the
      unfolded protein response considered in the liver were not different between the
      two groups of cows. Relative hepatic mRNA concentration of fibroblast growth
      factor, a stress hormone induced by various stress conditions, was reduced at
      week 1 and week 3 postpartum in cows supplemented with the plant product
      (p<0.05). Overall, the data of this study suggest that--although there were only
      minor effects on the occurrence of ER stress and inflammation--a supplementation
      of polyphenols might be useful to improve milk yield and prevent fatty liver
      syndrome in dairy cows.

PMID- 26490200
TI  - Effects of the dietary ratio of ruminal degraded to undegraded protein and feed
      intake on intestinal flows of endogenous nitrogen and amino acids in goats.
AB  - This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the dietary ratio of ruminal
      degraded protein (RDP) to ruminal undegraded protein (RUP) and the dry matter
      intake (DMI) on the intestinal flows of endogenous nitrogen (N) and amino acids
      (AA) in goats. The experiment was designed as a 4*4 Latin square using four
      ruminally, duodenally and ileally cannulated goats. The treatments were arranged
      in a 2*2 factorial design; two ratios of RDP to RUP (65:35 and 45:55, RDP1 and
      RDP2, respectively) and two levels at 95% and 75% of voluntary feed intake (DMI1
      and DMI2, respectively) were fed to the goats. There were no significant
      differences in the N intake, duodenal flow of total N, undegraded feed N,
      microbial N, endogenous N or ileal flow of endogenous N, but the duodenal and
      ileal flow of endogenous N numerically decreased by approximately 22% and 9%,
      respectively, when the feed intake changed from DMI1 (0.63 kg/d) to DMI2 (0.50
      kg/d). The dietary ratio of RDP to RUP had significant effects (p<0.05) on the
      ileal flows of endogenous leucine, phenylalanine and cysteine. The present
      results implied that the duodenal flows of endogenous N and AA decreased when the
      dietary RDP to RUP ratio and DMI decreased, and the flow of endogenous AA at the
      ileum also decreased when the DMI decreased but increased with decreasing RDP to
      RUP ratios.

PMID- 26490201
TI  - Influence of feeding a fish oil-containing diet to young, lean, adult dogs:
      effects on lipid metabolites, postprandial glycaemia and body weight.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the effect of feeding a fish oil (FO)
      containing diet on lipid and protein metabolism, postprandial glycaemia and body
      weight in young, lean, adult dogs. Eight female Beagles were randomly assigned to
      one of two isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets, Control or FO, in a crossover
      design. At the beginning of the experiment and at 30 and 60 d, a baseline blood
      sample was collected and the dogs then were fed their daily ration. Nitrogen
      balance began at 07:00 h on day 63 of each experimental period and ended at 07:00
      h on day 69. On day 66 of each period, a single dose (7.5 mg/kg) of (15)N-glycine
      was administered orally to each dog via gelatin capsule. Postprandial glycaemia
      did not differ between treatments or among sampling days within treatment.
      Cholesterol concentration was increased (p<0.05) on the Control treatment
      throughout the experiment when compared to values of day 0. Dogs fed the FO
      treatment had higher plasma triglyceride and ghrelin concentrations than those
      fed the Control treatment. Body weight and food intake did not differ between
      dietary treatments. Faecal excretion was increased (p<0.05) in the FO treatment.
      Dry matter digestibility was decreased (p<0.05) and fat digestibility tended
      (p<0.10) to decrease in the FO treatment. Overall, feeding a FO-containing diet
      showed a protective effect against the rise of plasma cholesterol and it
      increased plasma ghrelin concentration. However, FO supplementation did not
      appear to affect protein metabolism or postprandial glycaemia in adult lean dogs.

PMID- 26490204
TI  - A checklist for photovoltaic research.

PMID- 26490203
TI  - Sculpting the band gap: a computational approach.
AB  - Materials with optimized band gap are needed in many specialized applications. In
      this work, we demonstrate that Hellmann-Feynman forces associated with the gap
      states can be used to find atomic coordinates that yield desired electronic
      density of states. Using tight-binding models, we show that this approach may be
      used to arrive at electronically designed models of amorphous silicon and carbon.
      We provide a simple recipe to include a priori electronic information in the
      formation of computer models of materials, and prove that this information may
      have profound structural consequences. The models are validated with plane-wave
      density functional calculations. 

PMID- 26490210
TI  - Material witness: Materials touch across the void.

PMID- 26490195
TI  - Inherited determinants of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis phenotypes: a
      genetic association study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are the two major forms of
      inflammatory bowel disease; treatment strategies have historically been
      determined by this binary categorisation. Genetic studies have identified 163
      susceptibility loci for inflammatory bowel disease, mostly shared between Crohn's
      disease and ulcerative colitis. We undertook the largest genotype association
      study, to date, in widely used clinical subphenotypes of inflammatory bowel
      disease with the goal of further understanding the biological relations between
      diseases. METHODS: This study included patients from 49 centres in 16 countries
      in Europe, North America, and Australasia. We applied the Montreal classification
      system of inflammatory bowel disease subphenotypes to 34,819 patients (19,713
      with Crohn's disease, 14,683 with ulcerative colitis) genotyped on the Immunochip
      array. We tested for genotype-phenotype associations across 156,154 genetic
      variants. We generated genetic risk scores by combining information from all
      known inflammatory bowel disease associations to summarise the total load of
      genetic risk for a particular phenotype. We used these risk scores to test the
      hypothesis that colonic Crohn's disease, ileal Crohn's disease, and ulcerative
      colitis are all genetically distinct from each other, and to attempt to identify
      patients with a mismatch between clinical diagnosis and genetic risk profile.
      FINDINGS: After quality control, the primary analysis included 29,838 patients
      (16,902 with Crohn's disease, 12,597 with ulcerative colitis). Three loci (NOD2,
      MHC, and MST1 3p21) were associated with subphenotypes of inflammatory bowel
      disease, mainly disease location (essentially fixed over time; median follow-up
      of 10.5 years). Little or no genetic association with disease behaviour (which
      changed dramatically over time) remained after conditioning on disease location
      and age at onset. The genetic risk score representing all known risk alleles for
      inflammatory bowel disease showed strong association with disease subphenotype
      (p=1.65 * 10(-78)), even after exclusion of NOD2, MHC, and 3p21 (p=9.23 * 10(
      18)). Predictive models based on the genetic risk score strongly distinguished
      colonic from ileal Crohn's disease. Our genetic risk score could also identify a
      small number of patients with discrepant genetic risk profiles who were
      significantly more likely to have a revised diagnosis after follow-up (p=6.8 *
      10(-4)). INTERPRETATION: Our data support a continuum of disorders within
      inflammatory bowel disease, much better explained by three groups (ileal Crohn's
      disease, colonic Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis) than by Crohn's disease
      and ulcerative colitis as currently defined. Disease location is an intrinsic
      aspect of a patient's disease, in part genetically determined, and the major
      driver to changes in disease behaviour over time. FUNDING: International
      Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Consortium members funding sources (see
      Acknowledgments for full list).

PMID- 26490211
TI  - Biological filaments: Self-healing microtubules.

PMID- 26490212
TI  - Bioinspired composites: Making a tooth mimic.

PMID- 26490213
TI  - Protein polymers: Encoding phase transitions.

PMID- 26490214
TI  - Active matter: Fleeting defects line up.

PMID- 26490215
TI  - Dielectric nanostructures: Ultrafast responses.

PMID- 26490216
TI  - Programmable and adaptive mechanics with liquid crystal polymer networks and
      elastomers.
AB  - Liquid crystals are the basis of a pervasive technology of the modern era. Yet,
      as the display market becomes commoditized, researchers in industry, government
      and academia are increasingly examining liquid crystalline materials in a variety
      of polymeric forms and discovering their fascinating and useful properties. In
      this Review, we detail the historical development of liquid crystalline polymeric
      materials, with emphasis on the thermally and photogenerated macroscale
      mechanical responses--such as bending, twisting and buckling--and on local
      feature development (primarily related to topographical control). Within this
      framework, we elucidate the benefits of liquid crystallinity and contrast them
      with other stimuli-induced mechanical responses reported for other materials. We
      end with an outlook of existing challenges and near-term application
      opportunities.

PMID- 26490217
TI  - The Transformation of Diabetes Care Through the Use of Person-Centered Data.
AB  - The health care industry is undergoing a major transformation. Despite spending
      more on health care than any other country, the United States has not seen a
      commensurate improvement in the quality of care. Chronic disease management puts
      the greatest burden on the health care system with estimates suggesting that 3 of
      4 health care dollars are spent on managing chronic disease. Moreover, the number
      of older patients with chronic conditions, like diabetes, is rising as expected,
      which only serves to worsen the physician shortage problem we are currently
      experiencing, and further increase health care costs. Unless new models of health
      care are established for these patients, they simply will not be served.
      Consistent with the message above, there are generally 3 universal health care
      needs, (1) improved outcomes, (2) expanded access, and (3) optimized cost and
      efficiency. It is likely the future state will involve value-based health care,
      with payment based on outcomes, not services rendered, and incentives tied more
      directly to the value delivered. Medical device providers will be held more
      accountable for positive outcomes, and to ensure success, they will need to
      create better solutions with their therapies. Instead of the touch point with
      patients being solely at the time of a procedure or sale of the device, it is
      likely companies will need to drive toward a more comprehensive partnership with
      patients, providers, and payers, extending the scope of services and interactions
      to provide a continuum of care. In general, companies will need to start to think
      of their most important customers as people living with a condition, as opposed
      to patients needing immediate medical devices. In this article, I discuss the
      challenges of health care today and present some of the opportunities to revamp
      health care delivery in diabetes by leveraging the pervasive use of mobile
      technologies and digital data. 

PMID- 26490218
TI  - Network analysis of wildlife translocations in New Zealand.
AB  - AIMS: To identify network measures with relevance to disease spread in a network
      of movements derived from the Department of Conservation (DOC) translocation
      records from 1970 to mid-2014, and to identify conservation sites that should be
      prioritised for surveillance activities and improvements to data collection to
      make the best use of network analysis techniques in the future. METHODS: Data
      included the source and destination of translocated specimens, the species and
      the dates the translocations were expected to occur. The data were used to
      construct a directed, non-weighted network in which a translocation event
      represented a tie in the network. Network density, in-degree (movements entering
      a node of interest) and out-degree (movements leaving a node of interest) and
      reciprocity were calculated. RESULTS: The data analysed consisted of 692 unique
      translocations between 307 sites, with the majority (518; 73%) being for birds.
      The constructed network for bird, reptile and frog translocations comprised 260
      nodes, with 34/260 (13%) having two-way movements and 47/260 (18%) non-reciprocal
      movements. The median degree score (sum of in- and out-degree) was two (min 0,
      max 36) with a mean of 3.5 in a right skewed distribution. Most sites acted as
      receivers or senders of consignments with only a few having both high in- and
      high out-degree, and thus had characteristics that made them sites of interest
      for surveillance activities. These included the National Wildlife Centre at Mount
      Bruce, Tiritiri Matangi Island and Te Kakahu (Chalky Island). CONCLUSIONS: The
      presence of linking sites that join larger clusters within the network creates
      the potential for rapid disease spread if a pathogen were to be introduced. The
      important sites that supply or receive specimens for translocations are already
      well recognised by those performing translocations in New Zealand, and this paper
      provides further information by quantifying their role within the network.

PMID- 26490219
TI  - Distributed parameter estimation in unreliable sensor networks via broadcast
      gossip algorithms.
AB  - In this paper, we present an asynchronous algorithm to estimate the unknown
      parameter under an unreliable network which allows new sensors to join and old
      sensors to leave, and can tolerate link failures. Each sensor has access to
      partially informative measurements when it is awakened. In addition, the proposed
      algorithm can avoid the interference among messages and effectively reduce the
      accumulated measurement and quantization errors. Based on the theory of
      stochastic approximation, we prove that our proposed algorithm almost surely
      converges to the unknown parameter. Finally, we present a numerical example to
      assess the performance and the communication cost of the algorithm. 

PMID- 26490220
TI  - Melatonin prevents lung injury induced by hepatic ischemia-reperfusion through
      anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptosis effects.
AB  - Melatonin is a free radical scavenger and broad-spectrum antioxidant with
      immunomodulatory effects. The objective of the study is to investigate the
      effects of melatonin in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) induced lung injury
      and explore its underlying mechanisms. Hepatic I/R injury was induced via portal
      vein and hepatic artery occlusion for 30min followed by 3-h reperfusion. Male
      Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: sham, I/R+ Vehicle and
      I/R+melatonin. Melatonin (10mg/kg) or vehicle was injected intravenously 15min
      before ischemia and 10min before reperfusion. The histology of the liver and
      lung, plasma aminotransferase and cytokine secretion, and apoptosis in the lung
      were evaluated. The phosphorylation of JNK, p38, and NF-kB and Nrf2 nuclear
      translocation in the lung was examined by Western blotting. We found that
      melatonin administration significantly attenuated hepatic I/R induced lung injury
      in rats. Melatonin inhibited the pro-inflammatory responses and enhanced
      antioxidative responses. Melatonin alleviated pathological changes of the lung
      and liver, and inhibited apoptosis of cells in the lung. Phosphorylation of JNK,
      p38 and NF-kB and Nrf2 nuclear translocation was increased significantly in the
      lung by hepatic I/R. Melatonin administration inhibited the activation of JNK,
      p38, and NF-kB, however, melatonin further enhanced Nrf2 activation. We conclude
      that melatonin exerts a protective effect in hepatic I/R induced lung injury by
      attenuating the pro-inflammatory responses, inhibiting cell apoptosis, which was
      mediated in part through JNK, p38 MAPK, NF-kB and Nrf2 signaling pathways.
      Melatonin may be a promising therapeutic strategy for hepatic I/R induced lung
      injury. 

PMID- 26490221
TI  - GTS-21 attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory cytokine production in
      vitro by modulating the Akt and NF-kappaB signaling pathway through the alpha7
      nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: GTS-21, a selective alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist,
      has recently been established as a promising treatment for inflammation. However,
      the detailed molecular mechanism of GTS-21 in suppressing pro-inflammatory
      cytokine production is only partially explored. The study aimed to analyze
      cytokine expression suppressed by GTS-21 with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced
      inflammation in vitro and to gain insights into the role of Akt/NF-kappaB
      signaling pathway in this process. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cell Counting Kit-8
      (CCK-8) assay was performed to detect drug cytotoxicity. RAW 264.7 cells were
      stimulated with LPS and treated with GTS-21. Interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, or
      tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha production was detected using enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. Western blot was used to assess the expression patterns of
      signal transduction protein. Nuclear translocation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB
      was analyzed by confocal fluorescence microscopy. In addition, alpha7 nicotinic
      acetylcholine receptors (alpha7 nAChR) were detected on RAW264.7, and the alpha7
      nAChR-specific antagonist was adopted to verify whether the effect of GTS-21 was
      mediated by alpha7 nAChR. RESULTS: The CCK-8 assay showed that GTS-21 did not
      significantly affect cell proliferation. The production of IL-1beta, IL-6, and
      TNF-alpha decreased after being treated with GTS-21 in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7
      cells. GTS-21 also suppressed LPS-induced phosphorylation of NF-kappaBp65,
      IKKalpha/beta, IkappaBalpha, and Akt, as well as NF-kappaB p65 nuclear
      translocation. Moreover, alpha7 nAChR was expressed on the surfaces of RAW264.7
      cells, and the alpha7 nAChR-specific antagonist almost completely prohibited the
      inhibitory effect of GTS-21 on NF-kappaB activation. CONCLUSION: These findings
      indicate that GTS-21 suppresses LPS-induced inflammation by inhibiting the Akt/NF
      kappaB signal pathway through alpha7 nAChR. GTS-21 has a potential application in
      inflammatory disease therapy.

PMID- 26490222
TI  - Arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (AGAT) deficiency: Clinical features and long
      term outcomes in 16 patients diagnosed worldwide.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arginine:glycine aminotransferase (AGAT) (GATM) deficiency is an
      autosomal recessive inborn error of creative synthesis. OBJECTIVE: We performed
      an international survey among physicians known to treat patients with AGAT
      deficiency, to assess clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes of this
      ultra-rare condition. RESULTS: 16 patients from 8 families of 8 different ethnic
      backgrounds were included. 1 patient was asymptomatic when diagnosed at age 3
      weeks. 15 patients diagnosed between 16 months and 25 years of life had
      intellectual disability/developmental delay (IDD). 8 patients also had
      myopathy/proximal muscle weakness. Common biochemical denominators were
      low/undetectable guanidinoacetate (GAA) concentrations in urine and plasma, and
      low/undetectable cerebral creatine levels. 3 families had protein truncation/null
      mutations. The rest had missense and splice mutations. Treatment with creatine
      monohydrate (100-800 mg/kg/day) resulted in almost complete restoration of brain
      creatine levels and significant improvement of myopathy. The 2 patients treated
      since age 4 and 16 months had normal cognitive and behavioral development at age
      10 and 11 years. Late treated patients had limited improvement of cognitive
      functions. CONCLUSION: AGAT deficiency is a treatable intellectual disability.
      Early diagnosis may prevent IDD and myopathy. Patients with unexplained IDD with
      and without myopathy should be assessed for AGAT deficiency by determination of
      urine/plasma GAA and cerebral creatine levels (via brain MRS), and by GATM gene
      sequencing.

PMID- 26490223
TI  - Phase Diagram and High-Temperature Superconductivity of Compressed Selenium
      Hydrides.
AB  - Recent discovery of high-temperature superconductivity (Tc = 190 K) in sulfur
      hydrides at megabar pressures breaks the traditional belief on the Tc limit of 40
      K for conventional superconductors, and opens up the doors in searching new high
      temperature superconductors in compounds made up of light elements. Selenium is a
      sister and isoelectronic element of sulfur, with a larger atomic core and a
      weaker electronegativity. Whether selenium hydrides share similar high
      temperature superconductivity remains elusive, but it is a subject of
      considerable interest. First-principles swarm structure predictions are performed
      in an effort to seek for energetically stable and metallic selenium hydrides at
      high pressures. We find the phase diagram of selenium hydrides is rather
      different from its sulfur analogy, which is indicated by the emergence of new
      phases and the change of relative stabilities. Three stable and metallic species
      with stoichiometries of HSe2, HSe and H3Se are identified above ~120 GPa and they
      all exhibit superconductive behaviors, of which the hydrogen-rich HSe and H3Se
      phases show high Tc in the range of 40-110 K. Our simulations established the
      high-temperature superconductive nature of selenium hydrides and provided useful
      route for experimental verification. 

PMID- 26490225
TI  - Microparticle levels after arterial injury and NO therapy in diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about how arterial injury, nitric oxide (NO), or the
      diabetic milieu impact microparticle (MP) levels in the vasculature. We
      hypothesized that MP levels would increase following local arterial injury, and
      that NO would modify MP levels differently based on the metabolic environment.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Type 1 diabetes was induced in male Lean Zucker (LZ) rats
      with streptozotocin, and type 2 diabetes was induced in male Zucker diabetic
      fatty rats through diet. Lean Zucker rats served as nondiabetic controls. The rat
      carotid balloon injury was performed +/- NO (n > 4/group). Blood was obtained at
      intervals from baseline to 14 d after injury and analyzed for platelet MP (PMP),
      leukocyte MP (LMP), and endothelial MP (EMP) using fluorescence-activated cell
      sorting (FACS) analysis. RESULTS: At baseline, type 1 diabetic rats had the
      highest EMP levels (P < 0.05). After arterial injury, type 1 and type 2 diabetic
      rats had a transient increase in EMP levels (P < 0.05) before decreasing below
      baseline levels. Both LMP and PMP levels generally declined after injury in all
      three animal models but were the lowest in both type 1 and type 2 diabetic rats.
      NO therapy had little impact on MP levels in nondiabetic and type 1 diabetic rats
      after injury. Conversely, NO caused a dramatic increase in EMP, LMP, and PMP
      levels in type 2 diabetic animals at early time points after injury (P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that the diabetic milieu impacts MP levels at
      baseline, after arterial injury and with NO treatment.

PMID- 26490226
TI  - Lateral thoracic artery perforator-based flap: a new experimental model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe a new experimental perforator
      based flap in rats, supplied by lateral thoracic artery perforator. METHODS:
      Through out the study, two control and two experimental groups were created
      consisting of six rats in each group. In the first control group (group 1), mid
      axillary line and the fourth intercostal space intersection were used as the
      center of the flap. A 3 * 2 cm flap was designed and elevated above the cutaneous
      maximus muscle by transecting all connections with the muscle. In the second
      control group (group 2), the flap was extended caudally, and 3 * 6 cm flap was
      designed. Then, the flap was elevated in the same manner as it was described for
      group 1. In the first experimental group (group 3) 3 * 2 cm flap and in the
      second experimental group (group 4) 3 * 6 cm flap were designed like control
      groups. The flaps were islanded on a single musculocutan perforator arising from
      lateral thoracic artery. The surviving skin paddle areas were calculated on
      postoperative day 7. RESULTS: The flap viability was calculated 0% for control
      groups (groups 1 and 2), 100% for the first experimental group (group 3), between
      33.3% and 37.7% for the second experimental group (group 4; mean +/- standard
      deviation, 34.76% +/- 1.92%). CONCLUSIONS: This new lateral thoracic artery
      perforator-based flap has a constant anatomy and reliable survival pattern. Also,
      easy harvesting and the possibility of designing two flaps per animal make this
      new flap an appealing model for pathophysiological or pharmacologic researches.

PMID- 26490224
TI  - Modeling of autosomal-dominant retinitis pigmentosa in Caenorhabditis elegans
      uncovers a nexus between global impaired functioning of certain splicing factors
      and cell type-specific apoptosis.
AB  - Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a rare genetic disease that causes gradual blindness
      through retinal degeneration. Intriguingly, seven of the 24 genes identified as
      responsible for the autosomal-dominant form (adRP) are ubiquitous spliceosome
      components whose impairment causes disease only in the retina. The fact that
      these proteins are essential in all organisms hampers genetic, genomic, and
      physiological studies, but we addressed these difficulties by using RNAi in
      Caenorhabditis elegans. Our study of worm phenotypes produced by RNAi of splicing
      related adRP (s-adRP) genes functionally distinguishes between components of U4
      and U5 snRNP complexes, because knockdown of U5 proteins produces a stronger
      phenotype. RNA-seq analyses of worms where s-adRP genes were partially
      inactivated by RNAi, revealed mild intron retention in developing animals but not
      in adults, suggesting a positive correlation between intron retention and
      transcriptional activity. Interestingly, RNAi of s-adRP genes produces an
      increase in the expression of atl-1 (homolog of human ATR), which is normally
      activated in response to replicative stress and certain DNA-damaging agents. The
      up-regulation of atl-1 correlates with the ectopic expression of the pro
      apoptotic gene egl-1 and apoptosis in hypodermal cells, which produce the
      cuticle, but not in other cell types. Our model in C. elegans resembles s-adRP in
      two aspects: The phenotype caused by global knockdown of s-adRP genes is cell
      type-specific and associated with high transcriptional activity. Finally, along
      with a reduced production of mature transcripts, we propose a model in which the
      retina-specific cell death in s-adRP patients can be induced through genomic
      instability. 

PMID- 26490228
TI  - Metabolic and functional changes in retinitis pigmentosa: comparing retinal
      vessel oximetry to full-field electroretinography, electrooculogram and
      multifocal electroretinography.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine a relationship between the retinal vessel saturation
      alterations and the residual retinal function measured by means of full-field
      electroretinography (full-field ERG), electrooculogram (EOG) and multifocal
      electroretinography (mfERG) in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). METHODS:
      Retinal vessel oximetry (RO), full-field ERG, EOG and mfERG were performed on 43
      eyes of 22 patients suffering from RP and were compared to those of 26 eyes of 13
      healthy controls. The oxygen saturation in the first and second branch retinal
      arterioles (A-SO2 ) and venules (V-SO2 ) was measured, and their difference (A-V
      SO2 ) was calculated. Full-field ERG amplitudes, EOG parameters and averaged
      mfERG response amplitudes (within central 3 degrees , between 3 degrees  and 8
      degrees , 8 degrees  and 15 degrees , 15 degrees  and 24 degrees ) were evaluated
      in relation to the RO measurements. RESULTS: V-SO2 correlated negatively with the
      full-field ERG and EOG values, with increasing functional damage the V-SO2 was
      higher. The RP group was well distinguished from the controls when the RO
      measurements were correlated to the averaged N1 (baseline to trough), but also to
      the N1P1 (trough-to-peak) mfERG response amplitudes. Receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) curve of V-SO2 , compared to those of N1 and N1P1 mfERG
      response averages (15-24 degrees ), presented a high differential margin between
      RP and controls (p < 0.001), shown by an area under the ROC curve of 0.912 (95%
      CI: 0.840-0.984). CONCLUSION: Retinal vessel saturation showed a significant
      relation to full-field ERG, EOG and mfERG. Thus, retinal vessel oximetry could
      potentially complement electrophysiological tests in monitoring disease
      progression in patients with RP.

PMID- 26490227
TI  - Sublobar resection is equivalent to lobectomy for T1a non-small cell lung cancer
      in the elderly: a Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anatomic lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection is
      considered the optimal management for early stage non-small cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC). Limited lung resection may be preferable in the elderly population, who
      are more likely to have poor pulmonary reserve and multiple comorbidities. Our
      primary objective was to compare the survival of patients aged >= 75 y who
      underwent sublobar resection or lobectomy for stage IA NSCLC. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We queried the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database for
      patients aged >= 75 y who were diagnosed with stage IA NSCLC from 1998-2007.
      Patients were divided into three groups based on the type of surgery performed
      (wedge resection, segmentectomy, and lobectomy). Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox
      proportional hazard model were used for survival analysis. RESULTS: A total of
      1640 patients were analyzed. Lobectomy was performed in 1051 patients, 119
      underwent segmentectomy, and 470 patients had wedge resection. Overall and cancer
      specific survival were significantly lower in the wedge resection group as
      compared with those in lobectomy (P < 0.05). However, for T1a tumors, no
      significant difference was found in risk adjusted 5-y cancer-specific survival
      for patients who underwent wedge resection, segmentectomy (hazard ratio, 1.009;
      95% confidence interval 0.624-1.631; P = 0.972), or lobectomy (hazard ratio,
      0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.691-1.388; P = 0.908). CONCLUSIONS: Sublobar
      resection is not inferior to lobectomy for T1a N0 M0 NSCLC in the elderly and
      should be considered a viable alternative in this high-risk population.

PMID- 26490230
TI  - Performance Invalidity Base Rates Among Healthy Undergraduate Research
      Participants.
AB  - Few studies have examined base rates of suboptimal effort among healthy,
      undergraduate students recruited for neuropsychological research. An and
      colleagues (2012, Conducting research with non-clinical healthy undergraduates:
      Does effort play a role in neuropsychological test performance? Archives of
      Clinical Neuropsychology, 27, 849-857) reported high rates of performance
      invalidity (30.8%-55.6%), calling into question the validity of findings
      generated from samples of college students. In contrast, subsequent studies have
      reported much lower base rates ranging from 2.6% to 12%. The present study
      replicated and extended previous work by examining the performance of 108 healthy
      undergraduates on the Dot Counting Test, Victoria Symptom Validity Test, Word
      Memory Test, and a brief battery of neuropsychological measures. During initial
      testing, 8.3% of the sample scored below cutoffs on at least one Performance
      Validity Test, while 3.7% were classified as invalid at Time 2 (M interval = 34.4
      days). The present findings add to a growing number of studies that suggest
      performance invalidity base rates in samples of non-clinical, healthy college
      students are much lower than An and colleagues initial findings. Although
      suboptimal effort is much less problematic than suggested by An and colleagues,
      recent reports as high as 12% indicate including measures of effort may be of
      value when using college students as participants. Methodological issues and
      recommendations for future research are presented. 

PMID- 26490229
TI  - Development of a simple genotyping method for the HLA-A*31:01-tagging SNP in
      Japanese.
AB  - AIM: To construct a simple, low-cost typing method for the surrogate marker of
      HLA-A*31:01, a risk factor for carbamazepine (CBZ) related Stevens-Johnson
      syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN). MATERIALS & METHODS: DNAs from
      Japanese SJS/TEN patients were used for genotyping and developing the assay.
      RESULTS: HLA-A*31:01 was confirmed to be significantly associated with
      definite/probable cases of CBZ-related SJS/TEN (p = 0.0040). Three single
      nucleotide polymorphisms, rs1150738, rs3869066 and rs259945, were in absolute
      linkage disequilibrium with HLA-A*31:01 in 210 Japanese SJS/TEN patients. Robust
      genotyping of rs3869066 in ZNRD1-AS1 was developed using polymerase chain
      reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assays. CONCLUSION: Single
      nucleotide polymorphism genotyping is less time consuming and cheaper than
      conventional HLA typing, and would be useful for identifying Japanese patients at
      risk of CBZ-related SJS/TEN.

PMID- 26490231
TI  - A Confirmatory Factor Analytic Study of the Wechsler Memory Scale-III in an
      Elderly Norwegian Sample.
AB  - This study compared the factor structure of the translated Wechsler Memory Scale
      III (WMS-III), which is the latest available version in Norway, with the original
      U.S. version. A sample of 122 healthy, elderly Norwegians (mean age: 74; standard
      deviation = 8.8) completed the WMS-III. The factor structure of the translated
      WMS-III was tested, using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, with comparison of model
      fit based on five a priori hypothesized models. Several model fit indices pointed
      to a three-factor model (working memory, visual memory, and auditory memory)
      providing the best fit to the data. Our study supports updated findings of the
      original WMS-III in nonclinical samples and suggests that the translated version
      is structurally equal to the original. The study supports the cross-cultural
      validity of the WMS-III. However, based on the present data, one might expect
      scores on the Family Pictures subtest to fall below scores on other WMS-III
      subtests in elderly Norwegians. 

PMID- 26490232
TI  - [Manufacture and Utilization of a Low-level Radioactive 68Ge/68Ga Generator in a
      Radiochemistry Laboratory Course].
AB  - The low-level radioactivity of a (68)Ge/(68)Ga generator is a suitable tool for
      measuring radioactive growth and decay after (68)Ga milking due to their
      desirable nuclear decay properties, such as the EC decay of (68)Ge with no gamma
      ray emission andthe beta(+) decay of (68)Ga with a weak gamma-ray emission. To
      experience andund erstandrad ioactive equilibrium during a university laboratory
      course, we surveyedandtestedthe production of a small amount of (68)Ge and set up
      educational programs to manufacture a (68)Ge/(68)Ga generator for measuring the
      growth andd ecay of (68)Ga. The irradiation of natGa with 25 MUA of a 30 MeV
      proton beam from a cyclotron for 4 h yields ca. 111 MBq of (68)Ge, which was
      sufficient to supply to several universities. For use as the adsorbent of the
      generator column, particles of hydrated tin (VI) oxide were prepared from
      precipitated tin hydroxide gel. Repeated elution of (68)Ga from the handmade
      (68)Ge/(68)Ga generator gave constant amounts of (68)Ga with acceptable
      breakthrough of (68)Ge. The feedback from the student's experience with the
      (68)Ge/(68)Ga generator was evaluatedby annual questionnaire surveys, which were
      given to all students taking the course every year from 2012 to 2014. It has been
      made clear that more than half of the students were interested in the
      (68)Ge/(68)Ga generator program, andthis interest increasedfrom 54.9%in 2012 to
      78.6%in 2014. A low-level radioactive (68)Ge/(68)Ga generator is thus expectedto
      be a suitable experimental tool for demonstrating the phenomenon of radioactivity
      to students in an intriguing way. 

PMID- 26490233
TI  - [Evaluation of Resolution Characteristics in Three-dimensional MR Imaging Using
      Single Plate Thin-Ramp Method].
AB  - Recent remarkable progress of fast imaging techniques in 3D MRI has emphasized
      the importance of evaluation of its resolution characteristics. A trial point
      spread function (PSF) measurement was conducted using the ramp method, a
      conventional measurement method for the slice profile of 2D imaging, as an
      approach to evaluate the resolution characteristics of 3D imaging. However,
      problems peculiar to 3D imaging have arisen, such as artifacts and offsets in the
      slice selective direction. Therefore, we attempted PSF measurement using a
      phantom having a single-plate construction with only a simple ramp part (Single
      Plate Thin-Ramp Method) to respond to these shortcomings. By employing
      appropriate positioning and simple post processing, we obtained a PSF easily in
      both phase encoding and slice selective directions without the artifacts and
      offsets described above. Furthermore, it was possible to evaluate the change of
      resolution characteristics depending on the scan condition in three-dimensional
      MR image. 

PMID- 26490234
TI  - [Usefulness of the Training of Trigger Point in Coronary CT Using Test Bolus
      Tracking Method].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Test bolus tracking (TBT) method has been used in coronary CT
      examination, because it is possible to examine the optimum contrast timing.
      However, the scan timing highly depends on an operators' recognition of peak in
      test bolus, thus there is a possibility of variation in contrast effect. PURPOSE:
      The aim of this study is to improve the variation of contrast effect among the
      operators. METHODS: The training for the operators was conducted to acknowledge
      them the optimal trigger points. The mean CT value and standard deviation of the
      ascending aorta were calculated to compare before and after the training.
      RESULTS: The mean CT value of the ascending aorta after the training was 485.02+/
      73.06 HU, compared to 462.53+/-78.26 HU before the training. Standard deviation
      was significantly lower than before the training. CONCLUSION: The variation of
      contrast effect between the operators has been reduced by the training, and
      reproducibility of the examination has been improved.

PMID- 26490235
TI  - [The Efficacy of Interpretation Support of Radiogram is a Research Theme as
      JSRT].

PMID- 26490236
TI  - [Diffusion-weighted MR Imaging: Basic Principles and Clinical Applications].

PMID- 26490237
TI  - [10. Summarize of Feature Article about the Cerebral Disease].

PMID- 26490238
TI  - [Participation/Dispatch Reports on International Conferences in 2015].

PMID- 26490239
TI  - [Participation/Dispatch Report on the Korean Society of Radiological Science in
      2015].

PMID- 26490240
TI  - [Review of Workshop "Plactice: How to Learn and Teach Normal Chest Radiograph?"].

PMID- 26490241
TI  - [IMDRF Tokyo Meeting (The Activities for Harmonization and Convergence of Medical
      Device Regulations)].

PMID- 26490242
TI  - [Lay the Foundations for Ten Years from Now].

PMID- 26490243
TI  - An International Survey to Understand Infection Control Practices for Spinal Cord
      Stimulation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are associated with significant
      healthcare costs and morbidity. Limited research exists specific to the
      prevention of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) SSIs. The objectives of this
      international survey were to examine current infection control practices for SCS
      trials and implants and to compare reported responses with evidence-based
      recommendations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 33-question survey was developed based
      on an extensive literature review for infection control policies. The survey was
      hosted on the Internet. Dispersion of the survey occurred through professional
      associations and device manufacturers. Responses to 15 questions directly related
      to defined CDC, NICE, and SCIP evidence-based infection control practice
      recommendations were classified as either compliant or noncompliant. The survey
      was open for 20 days. Responses also were grouped and analyzed based on
      geographic location, practice location, and procedural volumes. RESULTS: Five
      hundred six physicians responded to the survey. Compliance rates for CDC, NICE,
      SCIP infection control practice recommendations were low with only four of the 15
      questions having compliance rates >=80%. Areas associated with high levels of
      noncompliance included weight-based antibiotic dosing, hair removal strategies,
      double gloving, surgical dressing, skin antiseptic agent selection, and
      postoperative continuation of antibiotics. Geographic and practice type
      variations existed for particular infection control practices. Procedural volume
      influenced operative implant times with low physician procedural volumes
      associated with extended operative times. CONCLUSIONS: The survey provided
      significant insight into current practices and will assist in the development of
      specific SCS infection control policies. Based on the survey, further education
      is warranted on infection control strategies for physicians performing spinal
      cord stimulator trials and implants.

PMID- 26490245
TI  - Voltage-Gated R-Type Calcium Channel Inhibition via Human MU-, delta-, and kappa
      opioid Receptors Is Voltage-Independently Mediated by Gbetagamma Protein
      Subunits.
AB  - Elucidating the mechanisms that modulate calcium channels via opioid receptor
      activation is fundamental to our understanding of both pain perception and how
      opioids modulate pain. Neuronal voltage-gated N-type calcium channels (Cav2.2)
      are inhibited by activation of G protein-coupled opioid receptors (ORs). However,
      inhibition of R-type (Cav2.3) channels by MU- or kappa-ORs is poorly defined and
      has not been reported for delta-ORs. To investigate such interactions, we
      coexpressed human MU-, delta-, or kappa-ORs with human Cav2.3 or Cav2.2 in human
      embryonic kidney 293 cells and measured depolarization-activated Ba(2+) currents
      (IBa). Selective agonists of MU-, delta-, and kappa-ORs inhibited IBa through
      Cav2.3 channels by 35%. Cav2.2 channels were inhibited to a similar extent by
      kappa-ORs, but more potently (60%) via MU- and delta-ORs. Antagonists of delta-
      and kappa-ORs potentiated IBa amplitude mediated by Cav2.3 and Cav2.2 channels.
      Consistent with G protein betagamma (Gbetagamma) interaction, modulation of
      Cav2.2 was primarily voltage-dependent and transiently relieved by depolarizing
      prepulses. In contrast, Cav2.3 modulation was voltage-independent and unaffected
      by depolarizing prepulses. However, Cav2.3 inhibition was sensitive to pertussis
      toxin and to intracellular application of guanosine 5'-[beta-thio]diphosphate
      trilithium salt and guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate tetralithium salt.
      Coexpression of Gbetagamma-specific scavengers-namely, the carboxyl terminus of
      the G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 or membrane-targeted myristoylated
      phosducin-attenuated or abolished Cav2.3 modulation. Our study reveals the
      diversity of OR-mediated signaling at Cav2 channels and identifies neuronal
      Cav2.3 channels as potential targets for opioid analgesics. Their novel
      modulation is dependent on pre-existing OR activity and mediated by membrane
      delimited Gbetagamma subunits in a voltage-independent manner.

PMID- 26490244
TI  - Plasmodium parasites mount an arrest response to dihydroartemisinin, as revealed
      by whole transcriptome shotgun sequencing (RNA-seq) and microarray study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Control of malaria is threatened by emerging parasite resistance to
      artemisinin and derivative drug (ART) therapies. The molecular detail of how
      Plasmodium malaria parasites respond to ART and how this could contribute to
      resistance are not well understood. To address this question, we performed a
      transcriptomic study of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) response in P. falciparum K1
      strain and in P. berghei ANKA strain using microarray and RNA-seq technology.
      RESULTS: Microarray data from DHA-treated P. falciparum trophozoite stage
      parasites revealed a response pattern that is overall less trophozoite-like and
      more like the other stages of asexual development. A meta-analysis of these data
      with previously published data from other ART treatments revealed a set of common
      differentially expressed genes. Notably, ribosomal protein genes are down
      regulated in response to ART. A similar pattern of trophozoite transcriptomic
      change was observed from RNA-seq data. RNA-seq data from DHA-treated P.
      falciparum rings reveal a more muted response, although there is considerable
      overlap of differentially expressed genes with DHA-treated trophozoites. No genes
      are differentially expressed in DHA-treated P. falciparum schizonts. The
      transcriptional response of P. berghei to DHA treatment in vivo in infected mice
      is similar to the P. falciparum in vitro culture ring and trophozoite responses,
      in which ribosomal protein genes are notably down-regulated. CONCLUSIONS: Ring
      and trophozoite stage Plasmodium respond to ART by arresting metabolic processes
      such as protein synthesis and glycolysis. This response can be protective in
      rings, as shown by the phenomenon of dormancy. In contrast, this response is not
      as protective in trophozoites owing to their commitment to a highly active and
      vulnerable metabolic state. The lower metabolic demands of schizonts could
      explain why they are less sensitive and unresponsive to ART. The ART response
      pattern is revealed clearly from RNA-seq data, suggesting that this technology is
      of great utility for studying drug response in Plasmodium.

PMID- 26490246
TI  - Inactivation of Human Cytochrome P450 3A4 and 3A5 by Dronedarone and N-Desbutyl
      Dronedarone.
AB  - Dronedarone is an antiarrhythmic agent approved in 2009 for the treatment of
      atrial fibrillation. An in-house preliminary study demonstrated that dronedarone
      inhibits cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 and 3A5 in a time-dependent manner. This study
      aimed to investigate the inactivation of CYP450 by dronedarone. We demonstrated
      for the first time that both dronedarone and its main metabolite N-desbutyl
      dronedarone (NDBD) inactivate CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 in a time-, concentration-, and
      NADPH-dependent manner. For the inactivation of CYP3A4, the inactivator
      concentration at the half-maximum rate of inactivation and inactivation rate
      constant at an infinite inactivator concentration are 0.87 uM and 0.039 minute(
      1), respectively, for dronedarone, and 6.24 uM and 0.099 minute(-1),
      respectively, for NDBD. For CYP3A5 inactivation, the inactivator concentration at
      the half-maximum rate of inactivation and inactivation rate constant at an
      infinite inactivator concentration are 2.19 uM and 0.0056 minute(-1) for
      dronedarone and 5.45 uM and 0.056 minute(-1) for NDBD. The partition ratios for
      the inactivation of CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 by dronedarone are 51.1 and 32.2, and the
      partition ratios for the inactivation of CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 by NDBD are 35.3 and
      36.6. Testosterone protected both CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 from inactivation by
      dronedarone and NDBD. Although the presence of Soret peak confirmed the formation
      of a quasi-irreversible metabolite-intermediate complex between dronedarone/NDBD
      and CYP3A4/CYP3A5, partial recovery of enzyme activity by potassium ferricyanide
      illuminated an alternative irreversible mechanism-based inactivation (MBI). MBI
      of CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 was further supported by the discovery of glutathione
      adducts derived from the quinone oxime intermediates of dronedarone and NDBD. In
      conclusion, dronedarone and NDBD inactivate CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 via unique dual
      mechanisms of MBI and formation of the metabolite-intermediate complex. Our novel
      findings contribute new knowledge for future investigation of the underlying
      mechanisms associated with dronedarone-induced hepatotoxicity and clinical drug
      drug interactions.

PMID- 26490248
TI  - Quantitative evaluation of the strategy to eliminate human African
      trypanosomiasis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The virulent vector-borne disease, Gambian human African
      trypanosomiasis (HAT), is one of several diseases targeted for elimination by the
      World Health Organization. This article utilises human case data from a high
      endemicity region of the Democratic Republic of Congo in conjunction with a suite
      of novel mechanistic mathematical models to address the effectiveness of on-going
      active screening and treatment programmes and compute the likely time to
      elimination as a public health problem (i.e. <1 case per 10,000 per year).
      METHODS: The model variants address uncertainties surrounding transmission of HAT
      infection including heterogeneous risk of exposure to tsetse bites, non
      participation of certain groups during active screening campaigns and potential
      animal reservoirs of infection. RESULTS: Model fitting indicates that variation
      in human risk of tsetse bites and participation in active screening play a key
      role in transmission of this disease, whilst the existence of animal reservoirs
      remains unclear. Active screening campaigns in this region are calculated to have
      been effective, reducing the incidence of new human infections by 52-53 % over a
      15-year period (1998-2012). However, projections of disease dynamics in this
      region indicate that the elimination goal may not be met until later this century
      (2059-2092) under the current intervention strategy. CONCLUSIONS: Improvements to
      active detection, such as screening those who have not previously participated
      and raising overall screening levels, as well as beginning widespread vector
      control in the area have the potential to ensure successful and timely
      elimination.

PMID- 26490249
TI  - Characterization of intermittency in zooplankton behaviour in turbulence.
AB  - We consider Lagrangian velocity differences of zooplankters swimming in still
      water and in turbulence. Using cumulants, we quantify the intermittency
      properties of their motion recorded using three-dimensional particle tracking
      velocimetry. Copepods swimming in still water display an intermittent behaviour
      characterized by a high probability of small velocity increments, and by
      stretched exponential tails. Low values arise from their steady cruising
      behaviour while heavy tails result from frequent relocation jumps. In turbulence,
      we show that at short time scales, the intermittency signature of active copepods
      clearly differs from that of the underlying flow, and reflects the frequent
      relocation jumps displayed by these small animals. Despite these differences, we
      show that copepods swimming in still and turbulent flow belong to the same
      intermittency class that can be modelled by a log-stable model with non
      analytical cumulant generating function. Intermittency in swimming behaviour and
      relocation jumps may enable copepods to display oriented, collective motion under
      strong hydrodynamic conditions and thus, may contribute to the formation of
      zooplankton patches in energetic environments. 

PMID- 26490250
TI  - Physicochemical analysis of slip flow phenomena in liquids under nanoscale
      confinement.
AB  - Eyring theory employs the statistical mechanical theory of absolute reaction
      rates to analyse the transport mechanisms in fluids. A physicochemical
      methodology combining molecular dynamics (MD) and Eyring theory of reaction rates
      is proposed for investigating the liquid slip on a solid wall in the nanoscale
      domain. The method involves the determination of activation energy required for
      the flow process directly from the MD trajectory information and then calculate
      the important transport properties of the confined fluid from the activation
      energy. In order to demonstrate the universal applicability of the proposed
      methodology in nanofluidics, the slip flow behavior of argon, water and ionic
      liquid confined in various nanostructures has been investigated. The slip length
      is found to be size dependent in all the cases. The novelty of this method is
      that the variations in slip length are explained on the basis of molecular
      interactions and the subsequent changes in the activation energy. 

PMID- 26490251
TI  - Insertion and self-diffusion of a monotopic protein, the Aquifex aeolicus sulfide
      quinone reductase, in supported lipid bilayers.
AB  - Monotopic proteins constitute a class of membrane proteins that bind tightly to
      cell membranes, but do not span them. We present a FRAPP (Fluorescence Recovery
      After Patterned Photobleaching) study of the dynamics of a bacterial monotopic
      protein, SQR (sulfide quinone oxidoreductase) from the thermophilic bacteria
      Aquifex aeolicus, inserted into two different types of lipid bilayers (EggPC: L
      alpha-phosphatidylcholine (Egg, Chicken) and DMPC: 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phosphocholine) supported on two different types of support (mica or glass). It
      sheds light on the behavior of a monotopic protein inside the bilayer. The
      insertion of SQR is more efficient when the bilayer is in the fluid phase than in
      the gel phase. We observed diffusion of the protein, with no immobile fraction,
      and deduced from the diffusion coefficient measurements that the resulting
      inserted object is the same whatever the incubation conditions, i.e. homogeneous
      in terms of oligomerization state. As expected, the diffusion coefficient of the
      SQR is smaller in the gel phase than in the fluid phase. In the supported lipid
      bilayer, the diffusion coefficient of the SQR is smaller than the diffusion
      coefficient of phospholipids in both gel and fluid phase. SQR shows a diffusion
      behavior different from the transmembrane protein alpha-hemolysin, and consistent
      with its monotopic character. Preliminary experiments in the presence of the
      substrate of SQR, DecylUbiquinone, an analogue of quinone, component of
      transmembrane electrons transport systems of eukaryotic and prokaryotic
      organisms, have been carried out. Finally, we studied the behavior of SQR, in
      terms of insertion and diffusion, in bilayers formed with lipids from Aquifex
      aeolicus. All the conclusions that we have found in the biomimetic systems
      applied to the biological system. 

PMID- 26490252
TI  - Downregulation of programmed cell death 10 is associated with tumor cell
      proliferation, hyperangiogenesis and peritumoral edema in human glioblastoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neovascularization and peritumoral edema are hallmarks of
      glioblastoma (GBM). Programmed cell death 10 (PDCD10) plays a pivotal role in
      regulating apoptosis, neoangiogenesis and vessel permeability and is implicated
      in certain tumor signaling pathways. However, little is known about PDCD10 in
      GBM. We aimed to investigate the expression pattern of PDCD10 and to identify the
      association of its expression with some molecular and clinical parameters in
      human GBM. METHODS: mRNA and protein expression of PDCD10 were examined
      respectively by real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting in GBM (n = 27),
      astrocytoma grade II (n = 13) and control (n = 11). The protein level of p-Akt
      and GFAP was detected by Western blot. Double-imunofluorecent staining was
      performed to reveal the cellular expression profile of PDCD10. Brain edema and
      microvascular density (MVD) were respectively analyzed based on pre-operative MRI
      and after laminin immnostaining. MGMT promoter methylation was detected by
      methylation specific PCR. RESULTS: mRNA and protein levels of PDCD10 were
      significantly downregulated in GBM, concomitantly accompanied by the activation
      of Akt. PDCD10 immunoreactivity was absent in proliferating tumor cells,
      endothelial cells and GFAP-positive cells, but exclusively present in the hypoxic
      pseudopalisading cells which underwent apoptosis. Moreover, loss of PDCD10 was
      associated with a higher MVD and a more severe peritumoral edema but not with
      MGMT promoter methylation in GBM. CONCLUSION: We report for the first time that
      PDCD10 expression is downregulated in GBM, which is associated with the
      activation of Akt signaling protein. PDCD10 is potentially implicated in tumor
      proliferation and apoptosis, hyperangiogenesis and peritumoral edema in GBM.

PMID- 26490253
TI  - The spliceosome, a potential Achilles heel of MYC-driven tumors.
AB  - Alterations in RNA splicing are frequent in human tumors. Two recent studies of
      lymphoma and breast cancer have identified components of the spliceosome - the
      core splicing machinery - that are essential for malignant transformation driven
      by the transcription factor MYC. These findings provide a direct link between MYC
      and RNA splicing deregulation, and raise the exciting possibility of targeting
      spliceosome components in MYC-driven tumors. 

PMID- 26490254
TI  - Multisensory Stimulation to Improve Low- and Higher-Level Sensory Deficits after
      Stroke: A Systematic Review.
AB  - The aim of this systematic review was to integrate and assess evidence for the
      effectiveness of multisensory stimulation (i.e., stimulating at least two of the
      following sensory systems: visual, auditory, and somatosensory) as a possible
      rehabilitation method after stroke. Evidence was considered with a focus on low
      level, perceptual (visual, auditory and somatosensory deficits), as well as
      higher-level, cognitive, sensory deficits. We referred to the electronic
      databases Scopus and PubMed to search for articles that were published before May
      2015. Studies were included which evaluated the effects of multisensory
      stimulation on patients with low- or higher-level sensory deficits caused by
      stroke. Twenty-one studies were included in this review and the quality of these
      studies was assessed (based on eight elements: randomization, inclusion of
      control patient group, blinding of participants, blinding of researchers, follow
      up, group size, reporting effect sizes, and reporting time post-stroke). Twenty
      of the twenty-one included studies demonstrate beneficial effects on low- and/or
      higher-level sensory deficits after stroke. Notwithstanding these beneficial
      effects, the quality of the studies is insufficient for valid conclusion that
      multisensory stimulation can be successfully applied as an effective
      intervention. A valuable and necessary next step would be to set up well-designed
      randomized controlled trials to examine the effectiveness of multisensory
      stimulation as an intervention for low- and/or higher-level sensory deficits
      after stroke. Finally, we consider the potential mechanisms of multisensory
      stimulation for rehabilitation to guide this future research. 

PMID- 26490255
TI  - Neurologic Disorders in Immunocompetent Patients with Autochthonous Acute
      Hepatitis E.
AB  - Neurologic disorders, mainly Guillain-Barre syndrome and Parsonage-Turner
      syndrome (PTS), have been described in patients with hepatitis E virus (HEV)
      infection in industrialized and developing countries. We report a wider range of
      neurologic disorders in nonimmunocompromised patients with acute HEV infection.
      Data from 15 French immunocompetent patients with acute HEV infection and
      neurologic disorders were retrospectively recorded from January 2006 through June
      2013. The disorders could be divided into 4 main entities: mononeuritis
      multiplex, PTS, meningoradiculitis, and acute demyelinating neuropathy. HEV
      infection was treated with ribavirin in 3 patients (for PTS or mononeuritis
      multiplex). One patient was treated with corticosteroids (for mononeuropathy
      multiplex), and 5 others received intravenous immunoglobulin (for PTS,
      meningoradiculitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, or Miller Fisher syndrome). We
      conclude that pleiotropic neurologic disorders are seen in HEV-infected
      immunocompetent patients. Patients with acute neurologic manifestations and
      aminotransferase abnormalities should be screened for HEV infection.

PMID- 26490256
TI  - Perceived discrimination amongst young people in socio-economically disadvantaged
      communities: Parental support and community identity buffer (some) negative
      impacts of stigma.
AB  - There is increasing acceptance that children are not unaware of when they are
      targets of discrimination. However, discrimination as a consequence of socio
      economic disadvantage remains understudied. The aim of this study was to examine
      the impact of perceived discrimination on well-being, perceptions of safety and
      school integration amongst children growing up within socio-economically
      disadvantaged communities in Limerick, Ireland. Mediation analysis was used to
      explore these relationships and to examine the potential role of parental support
      and community identity in boys and girls in the 6th to 9th year of compulsory
      education (N = 199). Results indicate perceived discrimination contributed to
      negative outcomes in terms of school integration, perceptions of safety and
      levels of well-being. Age and gender differences were observed which
      disadvantaged boys and younger children. All negative outcomes were buffered by
      parental support. Community identity also protected young people in terms of
      feelings of school integration and risk but not in terms of psychological well
      being. Findings are discussed in terms of the different role of family and
      community supports for children negotiating negative social representations of
      their community.

PMID- 26490258
TI  - Cycloamidination of Aminoalkenes with Nitriles: Synthesis of Substituted 2
      Imidazolines and Tetrahydropyrimidines.
AB  - The first catalytic cycloamidination of aminoalkenes with nitriles has been
      achieved by using rare-earth complexes. This reaction is equivalent to the
      desired intramolecular hydroamination of alkenylamidines, and allows a new direct
      access to substituted 2-imidazolines and tetrahydropyrimidines in high yields
      under operationally simple reaction conditions. Moreover, the methodology is also
      efficient for synthesis of symmetric and unsymmetric bridged diimidazolines.
      Compared with the traditional stepwise-mediated synthetic approaches, the present
      method avoids the use of additives and harsh reaction conditions, and thus leads
      to a completely different product distribution. Mechanistic data suggest that the
      reaction involves the initial NH activation by lanthanide complex followed by
      nitrile insertion into a Ln-N bond to form an amidinate lanthanide intermediate
      which undergoes the cyclization.

PMID- 26490259
TI  - Age-related changes in murine myometrial transcript profile are mediated by
      exposure to the female sex hormones.
AB  - In humans, the risk of operative first delivery increases linearly with maternal
      age. We previously hypothesized that prolonged, cyclical, prepregnancy exposure
      to estrogen and progesterone contributes to uterine aging. Here, we test this
      hypothesis. Myometrium was obtained from four groups of virgin mice: (i) 10- to
      12-week- and 28- to 30-week-old mice; (ii) 10- to 12-week- and 38- to 40-week-old
      mice; (iii) 38-week-old mice that had an ovariectomy or sham operation early in
      life; (iv) 38-week-old mice that had been treated with progesterone or vehicle
      containing implants from 8 to 36 weeks. Transcript profiling was carried out
      using Affymetrix Gene ST 1.1 arrays, and data were normalized. We identified 60
      differentially regulated transcripts associated with advancing age (group 1). We
      validated these changes in group 2 (P for overlap = 5.8 * 10(-46) ). Early
      ovariectomy prevented the age-related changes in myometrial transcript profile.
      Similarly, progesterone-mediated long-term ovarian suppression prevented the age
      related changes in myometrial transcript profile. Interferon regulatory factor 7
      (Irf7) mRNA was regulated by age and hormonal exposure, and was identified as a
      predicted regulator of the other differentially expressed transcripts by both
      promoter sequence and canonical pathway activation analysis (P = 8.47 * 10(-5)
      and P < 10(-10) , respectively). Immunohistochemistry demonstrated IRF7 in both
      mouse and human myometrium. We conclude the following: (i) Myometrial aging in
      mice is associated with reproducible changes in transcript profile; (ii) these
      changes can be prevented by interventions which inhibit cyclical changes in the
      female sex hormones; and (iii) IRF7 may be an important regulator of myometrial
      function and aging. 

PMID- 26490260
TI  - Auditory Sensory Substitution is Intuitive and Automatic with Texture Stimuli.
AB  - Millions of people are blind worldwide. Sensory substitution (SS) devices (e.g.,
      vOICe) can assist the blind by encoding a video stream into a sound pattern,
      recruiting visual brain areas for auditory analysis via crossmodal interactions
      and plasticity. SS devices often require extensive training to attain limited
      functionality. In contrast to conventional attention-intensive SS training that
      starts with visual primitives (e.g., geometrical shapes), we argue that sensory
      substitution can be engaged efficiently by using stimuli (such as textures)
      associated with intrinsic crossmodal mappings. Crossmodal mappings link images
      with sounds and tactile patterns. We show that intuitive SS sounds can be matched
      to the correct images by naive sighted participants just as well as by
      intensively-trained participants. This result indicates that existing crossmodal
      interactions and amodal sensory cortical processing may be as important in the
      interpretation of patterns by SS as crossmodal plasticity (e.g., the
      strengthening of existing connections or the formation of new ones), especially
      at the earlier stages of SS usage. An SS training procedure based on crossmodal
      mappings could both considerably improve participant performance and shorten
      training times, thereby enabling SS devices to significantly expand blind
      capabilities. 

PMID- 26490257
TI  - Splenium development and early spoken language in human infants.
AB  - The association between developmental trajectories of language-related white
      matter fiber pathways from 6 to 24 months of age and individual differences in
      language production at 24 months of age was investigated. The splenium of the
      corpus callosum, a fiber pathway projecting through the posterior hub of the
      default mode network to occipital visual areas, was examined as well as pathways
      implicated in language function in the mature brain, including the arcuate
      fasciculi, uncinate fasciculi, and inferior longitudinal fasciculi. The
      hypothesis that the development of neural circuitry supporting domain-general
      orienting skills would relate to later language performance was tested in a large
      sample of typically developing infants. The present study included 77 infants
      with diffusion weighted MRI scans at 6, 12 and 24 months and language assessment
      at 24 months. The rate of change in splenium development varied significantly as
      a function of language production, such that children with greater change in
      fractional anisotropy (FA) from 6 to 24 months produced more words at 24 months.
      Contrary to findings from older children and adults, significant associations
      between language production and FA in the arcuate, uncinate, or left inferior
      longitudinal fasciculi were not observed. The current study highlights the
      importance of tracing brain development trajectories from infancy to fully
      elucidate emerging brain-behavior associations while also emphasizing the role of
      the splenium as a key node in the structural network that supports the
      acquisition of spoken language.

PMID- 26490261
TI  - A physical entrapment method for the preparation of carbon nanotube reinforced
      macroporous adsorption resin with enhanced selective extraction performance.
AB  - In this paper, we demonstrate a novel carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced
      macroporous adsorption resin (MAR) for the first time. The CNTs were dispersed in
      water via sonication, and then in situ physically entrapped in the pores of MAR
      by capillary forces and sonication. The resulting CNT reinforced MAR (CNT-MAR)
      was proved by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and confocal laser scanning
      microscopy (CLSM), and subsequently applied to extract a mixture of 8 types, 14
      natural products. For comparison, the extraction efficiency of original MAR
      without CNTs was also evaluated. After extraction, the supernatants were detected
      via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results indicated that the
      introduction of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into the pores of MAR can significantly
      improve the adsorptive selectivity of MAR for natural products. The original MAR
      without CNTs has almost the same adsorption capacity for selectively extracting 3
      types of natural products (phenols, alkaloids and anthraquinones). However, the
      CNT-MAR only could selectively extract anthraquinones and the adsorption capacity
      for three anthraquinone natural products is 1.46-1.83 times higher than that of
      unmodified MAR. In order to achieve the highest extraction efficiency of CNT-MAR
      for anthraquinone natural products, the main extraction parameters such as the
      extraction time and the pH value were also optimized. The CNT-MAR demonstrated an
      excellent ability to extract anthraquinone natural products with high selectivity
      and adsorption capacity. Due to its low cost, easy preparation and use, and
      operational characteristics, it shows great potential for selective extraction of
      natural products. 

PMID- 26490263
TI  - SDH-NET: a South-North-South collaboration to build sustainable research
      capacities on social determinants of health in low- and middle-income countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is desirable that health researchers have the ability to conduct
      research on health equity and contribute to the development of their national
      health system and policymaking processes. However, in low- and middle-income
      countries (LMICs), there is a limited capacity to conduct this type of research
      due to reasons mostly associated with the status of national (health) research
      systems. Building sustainable research capacity in LMICs through the
      triangulation of South-North-South (S-N-S) collaborative networks seems to be an
      effective way to maximize limited national resources to strengthen these
      capacities. This article describes how a collaborative project (SDH-Net), funded
      by the European Commission, has successfully designed a study protocol and a S-N
      S collaborative network to effectively support research capacity building in
      LMICs, specifically in the area of social determinants of health (SDH); this
      project seeks to elaborate on the vital role of global collaborative networks in
      strengthening this practice. METHODS: The implementation of SDH-Net comprised
      diverse activities developed in three phases. Phase 1: national level mapping
      exercises were conducted to assess the needs for SDH capacity building or
      strengthening in local research systems. Four strategic areas were defined,
      namely research implementation and system performance, social appropriation of
      knowledge, institutional and national research infrastructure, and research
      skills and training/networks. Phase 2: development of tools to address the
      identified capacity building needs, as well as knowledge management and network
      strengthening activities. Phase 3: identifying lessons learned in terms of
      research ethics, and how policies can support the capacity building process in
      SDH research. RESULTS: The implementation of the protocol has led the network to
      design innovative tools for strengthening SDH research capacities, under a
      successful S-N-S collaboration that included national mapping reports, a global
      open-access learning platform with tools and resources, ethical guidelines for
      research, policy recommendations, and academic contributions to the global SDH
      discourse. CONCLUSIONS: The effective triangulation of S-N-S partnerships can be
      of high value in building sustainable research capacity in LMICs. If designed
      appropriately, these multicultural, multi-institutional, and multidisciplinary
      collaborations can enable southern and northern academics to contextualize global
      research according to their national realities.

PMID- 26490262
TI  - Nuclear import mechanism of neurofibromin for localization on the spindle and
      function in chromosome congression.
AB  - Neurofibromatosis type-1 (NF-1) is caused by mutations in the tumor suppressor
      gene NF1; its protein product neurofibromin is a RasGTPase-activating protein, a
      property that has yet to explain aneuploidy, most often observed in astrocytes in
      NF-1. Here, we provide a mechanistic model for the regulated nuclear import of
      neurofibromin during the cell cycle and for a role in chromosome congression.
      Specifically, we demonstrate that neurofibromin, phosphorylated on Ser2808, a
      residue adjacent to a nuclear localization signal in the C-terminal domain (CTD),
      by Protein Kinase C-epsilon (PKC-epsilon), accumulates in a Ran-dependent manner
      and through binding to lamin in the nucleus at G2 in glioblastoma cells.
      Furthermore, we identify CTD as a tubulin-binding domain and show that a
      phosphomimetic substitution of its Ser2808 results in a predominantly nuclear
      localization. Confocal analysis shows that endogenous neurofibromin localizes on
      the centrosomes at interphase, as well as on the mitotic spindle, through direct
      associations with tubulins, in glioblastoma cells and primary astrocytes. More
      importantly, analysis of mitotic phenotypes after siRNA-mediated depletion shows
      that acute loss of this tumor suppressor protein leads to aberrant chromosome
      congression at the metaphase plate. Therefore, neurofibromin protein abundance
      and nuclear import are mechanistically linked to an error-free chromosome
      congression. Concerned with neurofibromin's, a tumor suppressor, mechanism of
      action, we demonstrate in astrocytic cells that its synthesis, phosphorylation by
      Protein Kinase C-epsilon on Ser2808 (a residue adjacent to a nuclear localization
      sequence), and nuclear import are cell cycle-dependent, being maximal at G2.
      During mitosis, neurofibromin is an integral part of the spindle, while its
      depletion leads to aberrant chromosome congression, possibly explaining the
      development of chromosomal instability in Neurofibromatosis type-1. Read the
      Editorial Highlight for this article on page 11. Cover Image for this issue: doi:
      10.1111/jnc.13300. 

PMID- 26490265
TI  - Ultrathin g-C3 N4 Nanosheets Coupled with AgIO3 as Highly Efficient
      Heterostructured Photocatalysts for Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic
      Activity.
AB  - The photocatalytic activity of graphite-like carbon nitride (g-C3 N4 ) could be
      enhanced by heterojunction strategies through increasing the charge-separation
      efficiency. As a surface-based process, the heterogeneous photocatalytic process
      would become more efficient if a larger contact region existed in the
      heterojunction interface. In this work, ultrathin g-C3 N4 nanosheets (g-C3 N4 
      NS) with much larger specific surface areas are employed instead of bulk g-C3 N4
      (g-C3 N4 -B) to prepare AgIO3 /g-C3 N4 -NS nanocomposite photocatalysts. By
      taking advantage of this feature, the as-prepared composites exhibit remarkable
      performances for photocatalytic wastewater treatment under visible-light
      irradiation. Notably, the optimum photocatalytic activity of AgIO3 /g-C3 N4 -NS
      composites is almost 80.59 and 55.09 times higher than that of pure g-C3 N4 -B
      towards the degradation of rhodamine B and methyl orange pollutants,
      respectively. Finally, the stability and possible photocatalytic mechanism of the
      AgIO3 /g-C3 N4 -NS system are also investigated. 

PMID- 26490266
TI  - Prognostic impact of TID in regadenoson MPI: Some patients and certain events.

PMID- 26490268
TI  - Erratum to: Global standards for global health in a globalized economy!

PMID- 26490267
TI  - Prognostic value of transient ischemic dilation with regadenoson myocardial
      perfusion imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transient ischemic dilation (TID) of the left ventricle seen on
      myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is sometimes used as a marker of severe
      coronary artery disease. The prognostic value of TID obtained using regadenoson,
      a selective adenosine A2A receptor agonist, as a stress agent for MPI has not
      been studied. METHODS: TID ratio was measured using an automated software program
      on consecutive patients with normal and abnormal perfusion pattern on regadenoson
      MPI at a single institution. An abnormal TID was defined as greater than 1.33.
      The primary outcome was a composite of cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial
      infarction (MI), and late coronary revascularization (CR, >90 days after MPI).
      RESULTS: The study population consisted of 887 patients (62 +/- 12 years, 66%
      male, 48% diabetes, 46% prior CR, 75% with abnormal perfusion pattern, left
      ventricular ejection fraction-LVEF 55 +/- 6%). An abnormal TID was present in 51
      (6%) patients. Baseline characteristics were not different based on the presence
      or absence of TID. Early CR (<=90 days) was performed in 11 (22%) patients with
      vs 92 (11%) patients without TID (P = .04). During a mean follow-up of 29 +/- 19
      months, the primary outcome occurred in 271 (31%) patients (22% cardiac death, 6%
      MI, 9% late CR). TID was associated with increased risk of the primary outcome
      (log-rank P = .017), an association largely driven by late CR. In a Cox
      proportional model adjusted for multiple variables including perfusion defect
      size (PDS) and LVEF, the hazard ratio for TID was 1.92 (95% CI 1.20-3.08, P =
      .007). In the subset of patients with normal perfusion pattern, there was no
      association between TID and outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: TID on regadenoson MPI carries
      important prognostic information that is independent from PDS and LVEF, but this
      association is restricted to patients with abnormal perfusion on imaging.

PMID- 26490270
TI  - Clear guidance on calcium and vitamin D supplements is lacking.

PMID- 26490269
TI  - Evaluation and directed evolution for thermostability improvement of a GH 13
      thermostable alpha-glucosidase from Thermus thermophilus TC11.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thermal stable alpha-glucosidases with transglycosylation activity
      could be applied to the industrial production of oligosaccharides as well as
      conjugation of sugars to biologically useful materials. Therefore, alpha
      glucosidases isolated from thermophiles have gained attention over the past
      decade. In this study, the characterization of a highly thermostable alpha
      glucosidase and its thermostability improved mutant from newly isolated strain
      Thermus thermophilus TC11 were investigated. RESULTS: The recombinant alpha
      glucosidase (TtAG) from Thermus thermophilus TC11 was expressed in Escherichia
      coli BL21 (DE3) and purified. The purified enzyme had a molecular mass of 184 kDa
      and consisted of 59-kDa subunits; it showed hydrolytic activity for pNP-alpha-D
      glucopyranoside (pNPG), sucrose, trehalose, panose, and isomaltooligosaccharides
      and very low activity for maltose. The highest specific activity of 288.96 U/mg
      was observed for pNPG at 90  degrees C and pH 5.0; Pb(2+) provided a 20 %
      activity increase. TtAG was stable at 70  degrees C for more than 7 h and had a
      half-life of 195 min at 80  degrees C and 130 min at 90  degrees C.
      Transglycosylation activity was also observed with sucrose and trehalose as
      substrates. TtAG showed differences on substrate specificity, transglycosylation,
      multimerization, effects of metal ions and optimal pH from other reported Thermus
      alpha-glucosidases. One single-substitution TtAG mutant Q10Y with improved
      thermostability was also obtained from random mutagenesis library. The site
      saturation mutagenesis and structural modelling analysis indicated that Q10Y
      substitution stabilized TtAG structure via additional hydrogen bonding and
      hydrophobic interactions. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that TtAG is a highly
      thermostable and more acidic alpha-glucosidase distinct from other reported
      Thermus alpha-glucosidases. And this work also provides new insights into the
      catalytic and thermal tolerance mechanisms of alpha-glucosidases, which may guide
      molecular engineering of alpha-glucosidase and other thermostable enzymes for
      industrial application.

PMID- 26490271
TI  - Post-mortem investigation of young deceased individuals with ischemic heart
      disease-outcome of supplementary genetic testing for dyslipidemia.

PMID- 26490272
TI  - Erratum to: Author's Reply to Brocherie and Millet: 'Is the Wet-Bulb Globe
      Temperature (WGBT) Index Relevant for Exercise in the Heat?'

PMID- 26490273
TI  - Redox Regulation of Dihydrofolate Reductase: Friend or Troublemaker?

PMID- 26490274
TI  - Neovascularization Driven by MicroRNA Delivery to the Endothelium.

PMID- 26490275
TI  - Road Repairs: Does Exposure to Traffic Affect Mechanisms of Vascular Injury and
      Repair?

PMID- 26490276
TI  - Chemokines.

PMID- 26490277
TI  - Correction.
AB  - In the article by Boren et al, which appeared in the October 2015 issue of the
      journal (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2015;35:2218-2224. DOI:
      10.1161/ATVBAHA.115.305614), a correction was needed. Jesper Lundbom has been
      added as the seventh author. The authors apologize for the omission.

PMID- 26490278
TI  - Correction.
AB  - In the article by Heuslein et al, which published online ahead of print on
      September 3, 2015 (DOI: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.115.305775), a correction was needed.
      Brett R. Blackman was added as the penultimate author of the article. The article
      has been corrected for publication in the November 2015 issue.

PMID- 26490279
TI  - Mechanisms of favorable effects of Rho kinase inhibition on myocardial remodeling
      and systolic function after experimental myocardial infarction in the rat.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the molecular mechanisms
      by which cardiac Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase (ROCK)
      activation after myocardial infarction (MI) does intervene in cardiac systolic
      function decline and remodeling. METHODS: Simultaneous measurement of different
      cardiac ROCK target proteins levels, in vivo left ventricular (LV) systolic
      function, myocardial fibrosis and hypertrophy in rats with MI under ROCK
      inhibition with fasudil. RESULTS: Seven days after MI, the ventricular mass
      increased significantly by 5.6% in the MI group and was reduced with fasudil. LV
      systolic dysfunction improved significantly with fasudil whereas cardiac ROCK
      activation was reduced to sham levels. The ROCK inhibitor also reduced increased
      cardiac levels of both ROCK1 and ROCK2 isoforms, cardiomyocyte ROCK2 fluorescence
      levels and beta-myosin heavy chain (MHC) levels in addition to myocardial
      collagen volume fraction decline. Compared with sham rats, troponin
      phosphorylation levels after MI were similar and ROCK inhibition reduced them. MI
      significantly increased phosphorylation levels of extracellular-signal-regulated
      kinase (ERK) 42 and ERK 44 by twofold and 63%, respectively, whereas in the
      fasudil-treated MI group these levels were similar to those in the sham group. MI
      significantly increased phosphorylated levels of the transcription factor GATA-4
      and the ROCK inhibitor normalized them. CONCLUSIONS: LV systolic dysfunction
      after MI was strongly associated with cardiac ROCK activation and subsequent
      phosphorylation of ROCK target proteins that promote ventricular remodeling such
      as beta-MHC and the ERK/GATA-4 pathway. ROCK inhibition with fasudil
      significantly improved systolic function, diminished myocardial fibrosis and
      normalized beta-MHC and ERK/GATA-4 phosphorylation levels.

PMID- 26490281
TI  - tert-Butyl Iodide Mediated Reductive Fischer Indolization of Conjugated
      Hydrazones.
AB  - A novel reductive Fischer indolization of readily available N-aryl conjugated
      hydrazones with tert-butyl iodide has been developed. In this reaction, tert
      butyl iodide is used as anhydrous HI source, and the generated HI acts as a
      Bronsted acid and a reducing agent. This operationally simple method allows
      access to various indole derivatives. Furthermore, the procedure can be applied
      to the synthesis of biologically active compounds. 

PMID- 26490280
TI  - Breast Cancer Survivorship and Cardiovascular Disease: Emerging Approaches in
      Cardio-Oncology.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and breast cancer cause
      substantial morbidity and mortality in women and are major public health concerns
      in the USA. While aggressive screening and targeted, advanced treatment for
      breast cancer have had a measurable impact on breast cancer survival, treatment
      is not without significant cardiotoxic effects. Anthracycline-based chemotherapy
      can lead to left ventricular dysfunction and failure, as well as a decline in
      exercise tolerance and cardio-pulmonary reserve despite preserved ejection
      fraction. Trastuzumab, a newer monoclonal antibody targeting the Her2 receptor
      used in the treatment of Her2+ cancer, is also linked to left ventricular
      dysfunction, although the long-term cardiac effects are presently unclear.
      Radiation treatment particularly for left-sided breast cancer has been associated
      with increased rates of ischemic heart disease. As women have increasing survival
      and cure rates from early breast cancer, long-term consequences on the heart that
      are secondary to therapy are a major concern. These need to be identified,
      treated, and avoided when possible. Further research and clear surveillance
      guidelines are needed to aid the practicing clinician in CVD prevention in breast
      cancer survivors.

PMID- 26490282
TI  - Radial palsy in the emergency department.

PMID- 26490283
TI  - Best evidence topic reports. BET 1: is long-term Rivaroxaban superior to Warfarin
      in pulmonary embolism?
AB  - A short cut review was carried out to establish whether Rivaroxaban is superior
      to warfarin in the management of pulmonary embolism. Three studies were directly
      relevant to the question. The author, date and country of publication, patient
      group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of
      these papers are tabulated. The clinical bottom line is that Rivaroxaban is a
      promising alternative to warfarin in the management of pulmonary embolism. 

PMID- 26490285
TI  - Best evidence topic reports. BET 2: does a normal CT scan within 6 h rule out
      subarachnoid haemorrhage?
AB  - A short cut review was carried out to establish whether a normal CT scan within 6
      h of onset of a severe, sudden onset headache can be used to rule out a
      subarachnoid haemorrhage. Four studies were directly relevant to the question.
      The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type,
      relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated.
      The clinical bottom line is that a CT scan performed on a third generation
      scanner with thin slices, reported by a radiologist experienced in reporting CT
      brain scans, within 6 h of onset of the headache can be used to rule out a
      subarachnoid haemorrhage. 

PMID- 26490286
TI  - Impacts of terminal modification of [Ru(phen)2dppz](2+) on the luminescence
      properties: a theoretical study.
AB  - [Ru(phen)2dppz](2+) and other closely related ruthenium(II) complexes containing
      pi-extended ligands were found to be non or weakly emissive in water, while
      exhibiting significant luminescence intensity growth when bound to DNA, however,
      a satisfactory interpretation has not been provided on this "light switch"
      mechanism. In the present study, we investigated the vertical transitions and
      triplet excited states of [Ru(phen)2dppz](2+) (1), [Ru(phen)2dppzi](2+) (2) and
      [Ru(phen)2dppz-idzo](2+) (3) in the gas phase and aqueous solution, through time
      dependent-density functional theory (TDDFT). Based on the optimized (3)MLCT and
      (3)LLCT structures and energies, we found that the (3)MLCT state might be
      responsible for the emissions of the complexes. Interesting connections between
      the singlet vertical transitions and the luminescence properties were noticed.
      Through ZORA-TDDFT calculation with perturbative SOC, we evaluated the
      intersystem crossing between the lowest singlet excited state, and both (3)MLCT
      state and (3)LLCT state, which gave a reasonable explanation for the luminescence
      properties of these complexes.

PMID- 26490287
TI  - Prefrontal spatial working memory network predicts animal's decision making in a
      free choice saccade task.
AB  - While neurons in the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) encode spatial information
      during the performance of working memory tasks, they are also known to
      participate in subjective behavior such as spatial attention and action
      selection. In the present study, we analyzed the activity of primate PFC neurons
      during the performance of a free choice memory-guided saccade task in which the
      monkeys needed to choose a saccade direction by themselves. In trials when the
      receptive field location was subsequently chosen by the animal, PFC neurons with
      spatially selective visual response started to show greater activation before cue
      onset. This result suggests that the fluctuation of firing before cue
      presentation prematurely biased the representation of a certain spatial location
      and eventually encouraged the subsequent choice of that location. In addition,
      modulation of the activity by the animal's choice was observed only in neurons
      with high sustainability of activation and was also dependent on the spatial
      configuration of the visual cues. These findings were consistent with known
      characteristics of PFC neurons in information maintenance in spatial working
      memory function. These results suggest that precue fluctuation of spatial
      representation was shared and enhanced through the working memory network in the
      PFC and could finally influence the animal's free choice of saccade direction.
      The present study revealed that the PFC plays an important role in decision
      making in a free choice condition and that the dynamics of decision making are
      constrained by the network architecture embedded in this cortical area. 

PMID- 26490288
TI  - Synchronization of motor unit firings: an epiphenomenon of firing rate
      characteristics not common inputs.
AB  - Synchronous motor unit firing instances have been attributed to anatomical inputs
      shared by motoneurons. Yet, there is a lack of empirical evidence confirming the
      notion that common inputs elicit synchronization under voluntary conditions. We
      tested this notion by measuring synchronization between motor unit action
      potential trains (MUAPTs) as their firing rates progressed within a contraction
      from a relatively low force level to a higher one. On average, the degree of
      synchronization decreased as the force increased. The common input notion
      provides no empirically supported explanation for the observed synchronization
      behavior. Therefore, we investigated a more probable explanation for
      synchronization. Our data set of 17,546 paired MUAPTs revealed that the degree of
      synchronization varies as a function of two characteristics of the motor unit
      firing rate: the similarity and the slope as a function of force. Both are
      measures of the excitation of the motoneurons. As the force generated by the
      muscle increases, the firing rate slope decreases, and the synchronization
      correspondingly decreases. Different muscles have motor units with different
      firing rate characteristics and display different amounts of synchronization.
      Although this association is not proof of causality, it consistently explains our
      observations and strongly suggests further investigation. So viewed,
      synchronization is likely an epiphenomenon, subject to countless unknown neural
      interactions. As such, synchronous firing instances may not be the product of a
      specific design and may not serve a specific physiological purpose. Our
      explanation for synchronization has the advantage of being supported by empirical
      evidence, whereas the common input does not. 

PMID- 26490289
TI  - Parallel updating and weighting of multiple spatial maps for visual stability
      during whole body motion.
AB  - It is known that the brain uses multiple reference frames to code spatial
      information, including eye-centered and body-centered frames. When we move our
      body in space, these internal representations are no longer in register with
      external space, unless they are actively updated. Whether the brain updates
      multiple spatial representations in parallel, or whether it restricts its
      updating mechanisms to a single reference frame from which other representations
      are constructed, remains an open question. We developed an optimal integration
      model to simulate the updating of visual space across body motion in multiple or
      single reference frames. To test this model, we designed an experiment in which
      participants had to remember the location of a briefly presented target while
      being translated sideways. The behavioral responses were in agreement with a
      model that uses a combination of eye- and body-centered representations, weighted
      according to the reliability in which the target location is stored and updated
      in each reference frame. Our findings suggest that the brain simultaneously
      updates multiple spatial representations across body motion. Because both
      representations are kept in sync, they can be optimally combined to provide a
      more precise estimate of visual locations in space than based on single-frame
      updating mechanisms. 

PMID- 26490290
TI  - Functional plasticity in the respiratory drive to thoracic motoneurons in the
      segment above a chronic lateral spinal cord lesion.
AB  - A previous neurophysiological investigation demonstrated an increase in
      functional projections of expiratory bulbospinal neurons (EBSNs) in the segment
      above a chronic lateral thoracic spinal cord lesion that severed their axons. We
      have now investigated how this plasticity might be manifested in thoracic
      motoneurons by measuring their respiratory drive and the connections to them from
      individual EBSNs. In anesthetized cats, simultaneous recordings were made
      intracellularly from motoneurons in the segment above a left-side chronic (16 wk)
      lesion of the spinal cord in the rostral part of T8, T9, or T10 and
      extracellularly from EBSNs in the right caudal medulla, antidromically excited
      from just above the lesion but not from below. Spike-triggered averaging was used
      to measure the connections between pairs of EBSNs and motoneurons. Connections
      were found to have a very similar distribution to normal and were, if anything
      (nonsignificantly), weaker than normal, being present for 42/158 pairs, vs.
      55/154 pairs in controls. The expiratory drive in expiratory motoneurons appeared
      stronger than in controls but again not significantly so. Thus we conclude that
      new connections made by the EBSNs following these lesions were made to neurons
      other than alpha-motoneurons. However, a previously unidentified form of
      functional plasticity was seen in that there was a significant increase in the
      excitation of motoneurons during postinspiration, being manifest either in
      increased incidence of expiratory decrementing respiratory drive potentials or in
      an increased amplitude of the postinspiratory depolarizing phase in inspiratory
      motoneurons. We suggest that this component arose from spinal cord interneurons. 

PMID- 26490292
TI  - Neural population encoding and decoding of sound source location across sound
      level in the rabbit inferior colliculus.
AB  - At lower levels of sensory processing, the representation of a stimulus feature
      in the response of a neural population can vary in complex ways across different
      stimulus intensities, potentially changing the amount of feature-relevant
      information in the response. How higher-level neural circuits could implement
      feature decoding computations that compensate for these intensity-dependent
      variations remains unclear. Here we focused on neurons in the inferior colliculus
      (IC) of unanesthetized rabbits, whose firing rates are sensitive to both the
      azimuthal position of a sound source and its sound level. We found that the
      azimuth tuning curves of an IC neuron at different sound levels tend to be linear
      transformations of each other. These transformations could either increase or
      decrease the mutual information between source azimuth and spike count with
      increasing level for individual neurons, yet population azimuthal information
      remained constant across the absolute sound levels tested (35, 50, and 65 dB
      SPL), as inferred from the performance of a maximum-likelihood neural population
      decoder. We harnessed evidence of level-dependent linear transformations to
      reduce the number of free parameters in the creation of an accurate cross-level
      population decoder of azimuth. Interestingly, this decoder predicts monotonic
      azimuth tuning curves, broadly sensitive to contralateral azimuths, in neurons at
      higher levels in the auditory pathway. 

PMID- 26490293
TI  - Doctor's Knowledge and Practices of Traumatic Brain Injury Management in Chinese
      Prehospital Settings.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The incidence and mortality of traumatic brain injury (TBI) has
      increased rapidly in the last decade in China. Appropriate ambulance service can
      reduce case-fatality rates of TBI significantly. This study aimed to explore the
      factors (age, gender, education level, clinical experience, professional title,
      organization, specialty before prehospital care, and training frequency) that
      could influence prehospital doctors' knowledge level and practices in TBI
      management in China, Hubei Province. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire
      survey was conducted in two cities in Hubei Province. The self-administered
      questionnaire consisted of demographic information and questions about
      prehospital TBI management. Independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were
      used to analyze group differences in the average scores in terms of demographic
      character. General linear regression was used to explore associated factors in
      prehospital TBI management. RESULTS: A total of 56 questionnaires were handed out
      and 52 (93%) were returned. Participants received the lowest scores in TBI
      treatment (0.64; SD=0.08) and the highest scores in TBI assessment (0.80;
      SD=0.14). According to the regression model, the education level was associated
      positively with the score of TBI identification (P=.019); participants who worked
      in the emergency department (ED; P=.011) or formerly practiced internal medicine
      (P=.009) tended to get lower scores in TBI assessment; participants' scores in
      TBI treatment were associated positively with the training frequency (P=.011);
      and no statistically significant associated factor was found in the overall TBI
      management. CONCLUSION: This study described the current situation of prehospital
      TBI management. The prehospital doctors' knowledge level and practices in TBI
      management were quantified and the influential factors hidden underneath were
      explored. The results indicated that an appropriate continuing medical education
      (CME) program enables improvement of the quality of ambulance service in China.

PMID- 26490291
TI  - Triptans disrupt brain networks and promote stress-induced CSD-like responses in
      cortical and subcortical areas.
AB  - A number of drugs, including triptans, promote migraine chronification in
      susceptible individuals. In rats, a period of triptan administration over 7 days
      can produce "latent sensitization" (14 days after discontinuation of drug)
      demonstrated as enhanced sensitivity to presumed migraine triggers such as
      environmental stress and lowered threshold for electrically induced cortical
      spreading depression (CSD). Here we have used fMRI to evaluate the early changes
      in brain networks at day 7 of sumatriptan administration that may induce latent
      sensitization as well as the potential response to stress. After continuous
      infusion of sumatriptan, rats were scanned to measure changes in resting state
      networks and the response to bright light environmental stress. Rats receiving
      sumatriptan, but not saline infusion, showed significant differences in default
      mode, autonomic, basal ganglia, salience, and sensorimotor networks. Bright light
      stress produced CSD-like responses in sumatriptan-treated but not control rats.
      Our data show the first brain-related changes in a rat model of medication
      overuse headache and suggest that this approach could be used to evaluate the
      multiple brain networks involved that may promote this condition. 

PMID- 26490294
TI  - Estimating cut points: A simple method for new wearables.
AB  - Wearable technology is readily available for continuous assessment due to a
      growing number of commercial devices with increased data capture capabilities.
      However, many commercial devices fail to support suitable parameters (cut points)
      derived from the literature to help quantify physical activity (PA) due to
      differences in manufacturing. A simple metric to estimate cut points for new
      wearables is needed to aid data analysis. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this pilot
      study was to investigate a simple methodology to determine cut points based on
      ratios between sedentary behaviour (SB) and PA intensities for a new wrist worn
      device (PRO-DiaryTM) by comparing its output to a validated and well
      characterised 'gold standard' (ActiGraphTM). STUDY DESIGN: Twelve participants
      completed a semi-structured (four-phase) treadmill protocol encompassing SB and
      three PA intensity levels (light, moderate, vigorous). The outputs of the devices
      were compared accounting for relative intensity. RESULTS: Count ratios (6.31,
      7.68, 4.63, 3.96) were calculated to successfully determine cut-points for the
      new wrist worn wearable technology during SB (0-426) as well as light (427-803),
      moderate (804-2085) and vigorous (>= 2086) activities, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      Our findings should be utilised as a primary reference for investigations seeking
      to use new (wrist worn) wearable technology similar to that used here (i.e., PRO
      DiaryTM) for the purposes of quantifying SB and PA intensities. The utility of
      count ratios may be useful in comparing devices or SB/PA values estimated across
      different studies. However, a more robust examination is required for different
      devices, attachment locations and on larger/diverse cohorts.

PMID- 26490295
TI  - A population-based longitudinal study of suicide risk in male schizophrenia
      patients: Proximity to hospital discharge and the moderating effect of premorbid
      IQ.
AB  - Suicide is a major cause of death in schizophrenia. Identifying factors which
      increase the risk of suicide among schizophrenia patients might help focus
      prevention efforts. This study examined risk of suicide in male schizophrenia
      patients using population-based data, examining the timing of suicide in relation
      to the last hospital discharge, and the effect of premorbid IQ on risk of
      suicide. Data on 930,000 male adolescents from the Israeli military draft board
      were linked with data from the Israeli Psychiatric Hospitalization Case Registry
      and vital statistics from the Israeli Ministry of Health. The relationship
      between premorbid IQ and risk for suicide was examined among 2881 males
      hospitalized with schizophrenia and compared to a control group of 566,726 males
      from the same cohort, who were not hospitalized for a psychiatric disorder, using
      survival analysis methods. Over a mean follow-up period of 9.9 years (SD=5.8,
      range: 0-22 years), 77/3806 males with schizophrenia died by suicide (a suicide
      rate of 204.4 per 100,000 person-years). Approximately 48% of the suicides
      occurred within a year of discharge from the last hospital admission for
      schizophrenia. Risk of suicide was higher in male schizophrenia patients with
      high premorbid IQ (HR=4.45, 95% CI=1.37-14.43) compared to those with normal
      premorbid IQ. These data indicate that male schizophrenia patients with high
      premorbid IQ are at particularly high risk of suicide, and the time of peak risk
      is during the first year after the last hospitalization discharge.

PMID- 26490296
TI  - Economic evaluation among Chinese patients with nosocomial pneumonia caused by
      methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and treated with linezolid or
      vancomycin: a secondary, post-hoc analysis based on a Phase 4 clinical trial
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess cost-effectiveness of linezolid vs vancomycin in treating
      nosocomial pneumonia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA
      NP) in China and the impact of renal failure on healthcare resource utilization
      (HCRU) and costs. METHODS: Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted based on
      data from the ZEPHyR trial, with efficacy measured by treatment success and costs
      calculated from HCRU. Confidence intervals (CI) for cost, efficacy and
      incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) were calculated by non-parametric
      bootstrap. Chi-square test was used for renal failure rate and t-test for
      HCRU/cost comparisons. Impact of renal failure was assessed using regression
      model. RESULTS: Data from 448 patients (1:1 linezolid:vancomycin) were analyzed.
      More patients treated with linezolid achieved success (55% [95% CI = 48-62%])
      than with vancomycin (45% [38-52%]). Treatment cost were Y79,551 (95% CI =
      Y72,421-Y86,680) for linezolid vs Y77,587 (Y70,656-Y84,519) for vancomycin in
      Beijing, Y90,995 (Y82,598-Y99,393) vs Y89,448 (Y81,295-Y97,601) in Guangzhou,
      Y82,383 (Y74,956-Y89,810) vs Y80,799 (Y73,545-Y88,054) in Nanjing and Y59,413
      (Y54,366-Y64,460) vs Y57,804 (Y52,613-Y62,996) in Xi'an. Per successful
      treatment, the ICER of linezolid over vancomycin were Y19,719 (-Y143,553 to
      Y320,980) (Beijing), Y15,532 (-Y185,411 to Y349,693) (Guangzhou), Y15,904 (
      Y161,935 to Y314,987) (Nanjing) and Y16,145 (-Y100,738 to Y234,412) (Xi'an). From
      simulations, the majority of linezolid cases had greater efficacy and higher
      costs and more than one third had greater efficacy and lower costs. More
      vancomycin patients developed renal failure (15% vs 4%, p < 0.001). Patients with
      renal failure had higher cost (Nanjng: Y100,449 (SD = Y65,080) vs Y74,944 (SD =
      Y49,632), p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Linezolid was more cost-effective than
      vancomycin in treating MRSA-NP from a Chinese payer's perspective, and associated
      with less renal failure, HCRU and cost.

PMID- 26490297
TI  - Constitutive NF-kappaB activation in AML: Causes and treatment strategies.
AB  - For more than a decade, it has been known that NF-kappaB is constitutively
      activated in a majority of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients which
      contributes to the resistance to apoptosis. Inhibition of NF-kappaB has been
      shown to induce apoptosis in AML cells, but the clinical effectiveness of NF
      kappaB inhibitors has been inadequate. In recent years, possible causes
      underlying this continuous NF-kappaB activity have been elucidated. It has been
      shown that chromosomal translocations or mutations leading to development of
      leukemia drive the increase in NF-kappaB activity. Furthermore,
      autocrine/paracrine cytokine signaling and increased expression of NF-kappaB
      signaling components play an important role in the continuous NF-kappaB
      activation. Moreover, high proteasome activity, which positively regulates NF
      kappaB activity, is often observed in AML patients. In the present study, we
      described these underlying molecular mechanisms leading to constitutive NF-kappaB
      activity and discussed the novel treatment strategies based on the inhibition of
      NF-kappaB activation. 

PMID- 26490299
TI  - Carotenemia and hepatomegaly in an atopic child on an exclusion diet for a food
      allergy.
AB  - Eczema is a frequent childhood manifestation and a few atopic children are
      allergic to certain foods or aeroallergens. Anxious parents of atopic children
      often have a fear of topical steroid-related side-effects, and some may try a
      range of elimination diets to avoid allergies. Elimination diets increase the
      risk of anaphylaxis on re-exposure to previously tolerated foods from the loss of
      oral tolerance. Unbalanced diets together with an inadvertent excessive
      consumption of fruits and vegetables may lead to carotenemia from the carotenoids
      in the plant foods. Carotenemia is benign but unusual diets and the consumption
      of preformed vitamin A in health supplements can lead to vitamin A toxicity. We
      discuss a child with eczema on an exclusion diet presenting with anaphylaxis to
      dairy food. He had carotenemia with hepatomegaly, which resolved on dietary
      management.

PMID- 26490298
TI  - Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of high blood pressure among Chinese
      rural population in Haimen, Jiangsu.
AB  - Nowadays, high blood pressure (HBP) is one of the most common chronic diseases in
      China. This survey aims to assess HBP prevalence, and related disease awareness,
      treatment and control among rural population in Haimen, Jiangsu province, China.
      A total of 7538 rural residents, aged over 18 years, from four randomly selected
      villages in Haimen, were selected to participate in the blood pressure
      examination in September 2010, the male-to-female ratio of participants was
      1:1.57. In all, 2034 patients were diagnosed with HBP. The total crude prevalence
      of HBP was 26.98%, the overall standardized prevalence of HBP was 24.38%. Both
      male and female prevalence rates demonstrate ascending trend with age. Awareness,
      treatment and control rates among all patients were 68.34%, 61.46% and 27.43%
      respectively, whereas the corresponding rates in young group (18-44 years) were
      lower (50.94%, 35.85%, 24.53%). Improving treatment coverage and efficacy should
      be the focus of HBP prevention in rural areas in China. 

PMID- 26490300
TI  - Disordered Eating/Eating Disorder: Hidden Perils of the Nation's Fight against
      Fat.
AB  - The nation's fight against fat has not reduced obesity, but it has had other
      worrying effects. Mental health researchers have raised the possibility that the
      intense pressures to lose weight have heightened the risks of developing eating
      disorders, especially among the young. Medical anthropology can help connect the
      dots between the war on fat and disordered eating, identifying specific
      mechanisms, pathways, and contextual forces that may lie beyond the scope of
      biomedical and psychiatric research. This article develops a biocitizenship
      approach that focuses on the pathologization of heaviness, the necessity of
      having a thin, fit body to belonging to the category of worthy citizen, and the
      work of pervasive fat-talk in defining who can belong. Ethnographic narratives
      from California illuminate the dynamics in individual lives, while lending
      powerful support to the idea that the battle against fat is worsening disordered
      eating and eating disorders among vulnerable young people.

PMID- 26490301
TI  - Identification of aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) species of economic importance in
      Kenya using DNA barcodes and PCR-RFLP-based approach.
AB  - Aphids are among pests of economic importance throughout the world. Together with
      transmitting plant viruses, aphids are capable of inflicting severe crop
      production losses. They also excrete honeydew that favours the growth of sooty
      mold which reduces the quality of vegetables and fruits and hence their market
      values. Rapid and accurate identification of aphids to the species level is a
      critical component in effective pest management and plant quarantine systems.
      Even though morphological taxonomy has made a tremendous impact on species-level
      identifications, polymorphism, morphological plasticity and immature stages are
      among the many challenges to accurate identification. In addition, their small
      size, presence of cryptic species and damaged specimens dictate the need for a
      strategy that will ensure timely and accurate identification. In this study,
      polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)
      based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene and DNA barcoding were
      applied to identify different aphid species collected from different agro
      ecological zones of Kenya. Three restriction enzymes RsaI, AluI and Hinf1
      produced patterns that allowed unambiguous identification of the species except
      Aphis craccivora and Aphis fabae. Analyses of the barcode region indicated
      intraspecific and interspecific sequence divergences of 0.08 and 6.63%,
      respectively. DNA barcoding identified all species, including the morphologically
      indistinguishable A. craccivora and A. fabae and separated two subspecies of A.
      fabae. Based on these results, both PCR-RFLPs and DNA barcoding could provide
      quick and accurate tools for identification of aphid species within Aphididae
      subsequently aiding in effective pest management programmes and enhance plant
      quarantine systems. 

PMID- 26490302
TI  - Transition energies of benzoquinone anions are immune to symmetry breaking by a
      single water molecule.
AB  - p-Benzoquinone is the prototypical member of the quinone class of molecules with
      a basic functionality relevant for the primary reactions of photosynthesis. As
      electronically excited quinone anions are formed in near-resonant electron
      transfer, key issues are how the local environment affects excited-state energy
      levels and deexcitation times. The former we address here with action
      spectroscopy of mass-selected bare radical anions (pBQ(-)) and one-water pBQ(
      ).H2O complexes, isolated in vacuo. The complex represents a precursor for
      internal proton transfer to form the semiquinone free radical, the first chemical
      product in the light-driven electron transport chain. Both ions display bands in
      the visible and ultraviolet with, importantly, almost identical maxima. Despite
      localizing negative charge, thereby breaking the high orbital symmetries, water
      is surprisingly innocent. This finding implies that natural fluctuations in the
      quinone microenvironment cause only minor variations in excited-state energies
      and thus electron-transfer rates. Hence quinones are robust participants in
      electron transport. 

PMID- 26490303
TI  - Interplay between electronic and structural properties in the Pb/Ag(1 0 0)
      interface.
AB  - We report an investigation of the structural and electronic properties of a Pb
      monolayer (ML) grown on Ag(1 0 0), by combining x-ray photoelectron diffraction
      (XPD) and angle resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES). The Pb atoms are
      found to arrange in a pseudo-hexagonal adlayer commensurate to the underlying
      square Ag substrate, resulting in a coincidence cell with c([Formula: see text])
      periodicity. The electronic structure of the Pb ML in proximity of the Fermi
      level consists in three p-derived bands, which show different degrees of
      hybridization with the substrate for their different orbital characters. In
      particular, we report that the p xy states disperse without forming energy gap,
      in contrast to previous ARPES studies of the Pb ML on different metallic
      substrates. We attribute the absence of energy gap to the commensurability
      between substrate and adlayer, resulting in a higher two-dimensionality of the Pb
      ML. 

PMID- 26490304
TI  - Short-term enriched environment exposure facilitates fear extinction in adult
      rats: The NPY-Y1 receptor modulation.
AB  - Neuropeptides have an important role in several psychiatric conditions. Among
      them, neuropeptide Y (NPY) seems to be essential to modulate some features of
      stress-related disorders. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), characterized by
      inappropriate fear generalization to safe situations may be modulated by NPY
      manipulation since this neuropeptide is involved in the promotion of coping with
      stress. Experimentally, coping strategies have been obtained after exposure in
      enriched environment (EE) rather than standard one. Thus, in the present study we
      aimed to assess whether short-term EE situation and NPY-Y1 receptor (Y1r)
      modulation may affect the extinction of contextual fear conditioning, an
      experimental approach to PTSD. Here we show that EE-rats have the contextual fear
      extinction facilitated, and this facilitation was reverted by central infusion of
      BIBO3304, a nonpeptide Y1r antagonist. In addition, protein analysis revealed an
      upregulation of hippocampal Y1r in conditioned EE-rats, but no changes were
      observed in EE-rats that were not conditioned. Our results demonstrated that
      protective properties of EE on fear extinction can be regulated, at least in
      part, by activation of NPY-signaling through Y1r within hippocampus, an area that
      plays a major role in contextual memories. Overall, the activation of Y1r is
      important to promote better and faster perception of self-location (context), and
      to reduce fear generalization in rats exposed to EE. 

PMID- 26490305
TI  - Association between GWAS-Derived rs966423 Genetic Variant and Overall Mortality
      in Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Five germline genetic variants (rs116909374, rs965513, rs944289,
      rs966423, and rs2439302) have been associated in genome-wide association studies
      (GWAS) with increased risk of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), but their role
      in mortality of patients has not been established. Also, no preoperative marker
      of the clinical outcome of thyroid cancer had yet been identified. The aim of the
      study was to investigate the relationship between the variants and overall
      mortality in patients with DTC. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Retrospective study of 1,836
      patients (1,643 women, 193 men) with median age at diagnosis of 49 years and
      overall median follow-up time of 8.7 years after initial treatment at a single
      comprehensive cancer center between 1990 and 2013. RESULTS: Among 5 variants,
      rs966423 was associated with increased mortality, which was 6.4% (33 of 518)
      versus 3.7% (47 of 1,259) in TT carriers versus CC/CT carriers (P = 0.017). The
      HR of TT versus TC/CC carriers was 1.6 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02-2.49;
      P = 0.038] after adjustment for age at diagnosis and sex. Importantly, the
      association of rs966423 with mortality remained valid when clinicopathologic risk
      factors were included in the model (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.14-3.13; P = 0.014).
      Higher rs966423-associated patient mortality of TT versus CC/CT carriers was also
      observed in interaction with angioinvasion (adjusted HR, 3.48; 95% CI, 1.67-7.22;
      P < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (adjusted HR, 3.47; 95% CI, 1.16-10.4; P =
      0.018), extrathyroidal invasion (adjusted HR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.15-3.73; P =
      0.013). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of the rs966423-TT genotype was associated with
      a significant increase in overall mortality of patients with DTC. Contrary to
      BRAF mutation and other somatic changes, the status of germline rs966423 is known
      before the treatment and might be used in the management of mortality risk by
      means of modification of therapy.

PMID- 26490306
TI  - Systemic Tolerance Mediated by Melanoma Brain Tumors Is Reversible by
      Radiotherapy and Vaccination.
AB  - PURPOSE: Immune responses to antigens originating in the central nervous system
      (CNS) are generally attenuated, as collateral damage can have devastating
      consequences. The significance of this finding for the efficacy of tumor-targeted
      immunotherapies is largely unknown. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The B16 murine melanoma
      model was used to compare cytotoxic responses against established tumors in the
      CNS and in the periphery. Cytokine analysis of tissues from brain tumor-bearing
      mice detected elevated TGFbeta secretion from microglia and in the serum and
      TGFbeta signaling blockade reversed tolerance of tumor antigen-directed CD8 T
      cells. In addition, a treatment regimen using focal radiation therapy and
      recombinant Listeria monocytogenes was evaluated for immunologic activity and
      efficacy in this model. RESULTS: CNS melanomas were more tolerogenic than
      equivalently progressed tumors outside the CNS as antigen-specific CD8 T cells
      were deleted and exhibited impaired cytotoxicity. Tumor-bearing mice had elevated
      serum levels of TGFbeta; however, blocking TGFbeta signaling with a small
      molecule inhibitor or a monoclonal antibody did not improve survival. Conversely,
      tumor antigen-specific vaccination in combination with focal radiation therapy
      reversed tolerance and improved survival. This treatment regimen was associated
      with increased polyfunctionality of CD8 T cells, elevated T effector to T
      regulatory cell ratios, and decreased TGFbeta secretion from microglia.
      CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that CNS tumors may impair systemic antitumor
      immunity and consequently accelerate cancer progression locally as well as
      outside the CNS, whereas antitumor immunity may be restored by combining
      vaccination with radiation therapy. These findings are hypothesis-generating and
      warrant further study in contemporary melanoma models as well as human trials.

PMID- 26490307
TI  - The Impact of T2/FLAIR Evaluation per RANO Criteria on Response Assessment of
      Recurrent Glioblastoma Patients Treated with Bevacizumab.
AB  - PURPOSE: The RANO criteria have not been assessed using outcome data from
      prospective trials. We examined the radiologic data of patients with recurrent
      glioblastoma from the randomized phase II trial (AVF3708g) to determine the
      effect of including T2/FLAIR evaluation as per RANO criteria on measurements of
      objective response rates (ORRs) and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with
      assessment based on contrast enhancement (Macdonald criteria). EXPERIMENTAL
      DESIGN: The ORRs and median PFS were determined using the RANO criteria and
      compared with those obtained using the Macdonald criteria. Landmark analyses were
      performed at 2, 4, and 6 months, and Cox proportional hazard models were used to
      determine the associations between OR and progression with subsequent survival.
      RESULTS: The ORRs were 0.331 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.260-0.409] and
      0.393 (95% CI, 0.317-0.472) by RANO and Macdonald criteria, respectively (P <
      0.0001). The median PFS was 4.6 months (95% CI, 4.1-5.5) using RANO criteria,
      compared with 6.4 months (95% CI, 5.5-7.1) as determined by Macdonald criteria (P
      = 0.01). At 2-, 4-, and 6-month landmarks, both OR status and PFS determined by
      either RANO or Macdonald criteria were predictive of overall survival [OS; hazard
      ratios for 4-month landmark (OR HR = 1.93, P = 0.0012; PFS HR, 4.23, P <
      0.0001)]. CONCLUSIONS: The inclusion of T2/FLAIR assessment resulted in
      statistically significant differences in median PFS and ORRs compared with
      assessment of solely enhancing tumor (Macdonald criteria), although OR and PFS
      determined by both RANO and Macdonald criteria correlated with OS.

PMID- 26490308
TI  - Prognostic Utility of Molecular Factors by Age at Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: We hypothesized that adverse prognostic associations of specific tumor
      molecular factors vary by patient age at colorectal cancer diagnosis.
      EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We examined the prognostic associations and interactions by
      age at colorectal cancer diagnosis (<60 vs. 60-74 vs. >=75 years old) of key
      molecular factors-CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP), microsatellite
      instability (MSI), KRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA mutations, and nuclear CTNNB1
      expression status-on colorectal cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall
      survival (OS), using 1,280 incident colorectal cancer cases (median age, 69
      years; range, 38-91 years) within the Nurses' Health Study and Health
      Professionals Follow-up Study cohorts. RESULTS: MSI-high was associated with
      better survival, whereas BRAF mutation was associated with worse survival, but
      these associations did not appreciably differ by age group. Status of CIMP, KRAS
      mutation, or PIK3CA mutation was not associated with prognosis regardless of age.
      Nuclear CTNNB1 expression was associated with a trend toward worse prognosis
      among older adults [age >= 75 years; multivariate HR, 1.67; 95% confidence
      interval (CI), 0.89-3.13 (for CSS); multivariate HR, 1.44; 95% CI, 0.93-2.24 (for
      OS)] but not among younger patients, and there was a statistically significant
      interaction by age (Pinteraction = 0.03 for CSS; Pinteraction = 0.007 for OS).
      CONCLUSIONS: Tumor nuclear CTNNB1 expression may be associated with higher
      mortality among older patients with colorectal cancer but not among younger
      patients. Our findings need to be confirmed in independent datasets. Detailed
      exploration of tumor molecular signatures in older patients with colorectal
      cancer in large populations is warranted.

PMID- 26490310
TI  - A Phase I First-in-Human Study of Nesvacumab (REGN910), a Fully Human Anti
      Angiopoietin-2 (Ang2) Monoclonal Antibody, in Patients with Advanced Solid
      Tumors.
AB  - PURPOSE: Nesvacumab (REGN910) is a fully human immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1)
      monoclonal antibody that specifically binds and inactivates the Tie2 receptor
      ligand Ang2 with high affinity, but shows no binding to Ang1. The main objectives
      of this trial were to determine the safety, tolerability, dose-limiting
      toxicities (DLT), and recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of nesvacumab.
      EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Nesvacumab was administered intravenously every two weeks
      with dose escalations from 1 to 20 mg/kg in patients with advanced solid tumors.
      RESULTS: A total of 47 patients were treated with nesvacumab. No patients in the
      dose escalation phase experienced DLTs, therefore a maximum tolerated dose (MTD)
      was not reached. The most common nesvacumab-related adverse events were fatigue
      (23.4%), peripheral edema (21.3%), decreased appetite, and diarrhea (each 10.6%;
      all grade <= 2). Nesvacumab was characterized by linear kinetics and had a
      terminal half-life of 6.35 to 9.66 days in a dose-independent manner. Best
      response by RECIST 1.1 in 43 evaluable patients included 1 partial response
      (adrenocortical carcinoma) of 24 weeks duration. Two patients with hepatocellular
      carcinoma had stable disease (SD) > 16 weeks, with tumor regression and >50%
      decrease in alpha-fetoprotein. Analyses of putative angiogenesis biomarkers in
      serum and tumor biopsies were uninformative for treatment duration. CONCLUSIONS:
      Nesvacumab safety profile was acceptable at all dose levels tested. Preliminary
      antitumor activity was observed in patients with treatment-refractory advanced
      solid tumors. On the basis of cumulative safety, antitumor activity,
      pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data, the 20 mg/kg dose was determined to be
      the RP2D.

PMID- 26490309
TI  - Targeting Cancer Stem Cells in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Clinical evidence suggests increased cancer stem cells (CSCs) in a tumor
      mass may contribute to the failure of conventional therapies because CSCs seem to
      be more resistant than differentiated tumor cells. Thus, unveiling the mechanism
      regulating CSCs and candidate target molecules will provide new strategy to cure
      the patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The stem-like cell properties were determined
      by a prostasphere assay and dye exclusion assay. To find critical stem cell
      marker and reveal regulation mechanism, basic biochemical and molecular biologic
      methods, such as quantitative real-time PCR, Western blot, reporter gene assay,
      and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, were used. In addition, to determine the
      effect of combination therapy targeting both CSCs and its progeny, in vitro MTT
      assay and in vivo xenograft model was used. RESULTS: We demonstrate immortalized
      normal human prostate epithelial cells, appeared nontumorigenic in vivo, become
      tumorigenic, and acquire stem cell phenotype after knocking down a tumor
      suppressor gene. Also, those stem-like cells increase chemoresistance to
      conventional anticancer reagent. Mechanistically, we unveil that Wnt signaling is
      a key pathway regulating well-known stem cell marker CD44 by directly interacting
      to the promoter. Thus, by targeting CSCs using Wnt inhibitors synergistically
      enhances the efficacy of conventional drugs. Furthermore, the in vivo mouse model
      bearing xenografts showed a robust inhibition of tumor growth after combination
      therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study provides strong evidence of CSC in
      castration-resistant prostate cancer. This new combination therapy strategy
      targeting CSC could significantly enhance therapeutic efficacy of current
      chemotherapy regimen only targeting non-CSC cells.

PMID- 26490311
TI  - Analysis of mTOR Gene Aberrations in Melanoma Patients and Evaluation of Their
      Sensitivity to PI3K-AKT-mTOR Pathway Inhibitors.
AB  - PURPOSE: mTOR is a validated target in cancer. It remains to be determined
      whether melanoma patients bearing mTOR mutation could be selected for treatment
      with PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway inhibitors. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: A total of 412
      melanoma samples were included. Gene aberrations in all exons of mTOR were
      detected by Sanger sequencing and confirmed by using Agilent's SureSelect Target
      Enrichment System. HEK293T cells stably expressing mTOR mutants were constructed
      by using transcription activator-like effector nucleases technique. Function of
      mTOR mutants and in vitro sensitivity of gain-of-function mTOR mutations to PI3K
      AKT-mTOR pathway inhibitors were analyzed. RESULTS: The overall incidence of
      somatic nonsynonymous mutations of mTOR was 10.4% (43/412). mTOR nonsynonymous
      mutations were relatively more frequent in acral (11.0%) and mucosal (14.3%)
      melanomas than in chronic sun-induced damage (CSD; 6.7%) and non-CSD (3.4%)
      melanomas. Of the 43 cases with mTOR mutations, 41 different mutations were
      detected, affecting 25 different exons. The median survival time for melanoma
      patients with mTOR nonsynonymous mutation was significantly shorter than that for
      patients without mTOR nonsynonymous mutation (P = 0.028). Transient expression of
      mTOR mutants in HEK293T cells strongly activated the mTOR-p70S6K pathway. In
      HEK293T cells with stable expression of H1968Y or P2213S mTOR mutants, LY294002
      and AZD5363 showed higher potency than temsirolimus or BYL719 in inhibiting the
      PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway and cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: mTOR nonsynonymous
      mutations are frequent in melanoma patients. mTOR nonsynonymous mutation may
      predict a worse prognosis of melanoma. Clinical trials with PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway
      inhibitors may be beneficial for melanoma patients with specific mTOR mutations.

PMID- 26490312
TI  - Loss of Glycogen Debranching Enzyme AGL Drives Bladder Tumor Growth via Induction
      of Hyaluronic Acid Synthesis.
AB  - PURPOSE: We demonstrated that amylo-alpha-1-6-glucosidase-4-alpha
      glucanotransferase (AGL) is a tumor growth suppressor and prognostic marker in
      human bladder cancer. Here we determine how AGL loss enhances tumor growth,
      hoping to find therapeutically tractable targets/pathways that could be used in
      patients with low AGL-expressing tumors. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We
      transcriptionally profiled bladder cell lines with different AGL expression. By
      focusing on transcripts overexpressed as a function of low AGL and associated
      with adverse clinicopathologic variables in human bladder tumors, we sought to
      increase the chances of discovering novel therapeutic opportunities. RESULTS: One
      such transcript was hyaluronic acid synthase 2 (HAS2), an enzyme responsible for
      hyaluronic acid (HA) synthesis. HAS2 expression was inversely proportional to
      that of AGL in bladder cancer cells and immortalized and normal urothelium. HAS2
      driven HA synthesis was enhanced in bladder cancer cells with low AGL, and this
      drove anchorage-dependent and independent growth. siRNA-mediated depletion of
      HAS2 or inhibition of HA synthesis by 4-methylumbelliferone (4MU) abrogated in
      vitro and xenograft growth of bladder cancer cells with low AGL. AGL and HAS2
      mRNA expression in human tumors was inversely correlated in patient datasets.
      Patients with high HAS2 and low AGL tumor mRNA expression had poor survival,
      lending clinical support to xenograft findings that HAS2 drives growth of tumors
      with low AGL. CONCLUSIONS: Our study establishes HAS2-mediated HA synthesis as a
      driver of growth of bladder cancer with low AGL and provides preclinical
      rationale for personalized targeting of HAS2/HA signaling in patients with low
      AGL-expressing tumors.

PMID- 26490313
TI  - Correlating Surrogate Endpoints with Overall Survival at the Individual Patient
      Level in BRAFV600E-Mutated Metastatic Melanoma Patients Treated with Vemurafenib.
AB  - PURPOSE: Surrogate endpoints are needed that correlate with overall survival
      (OS). We analyzed individual patient tumor data from a phase III trial of
      vemurafenib versus dacarbazine (BRIM3) to identify criteria for tumor measures
      that correlated with OS. Correlates were validated using a separate data set from
      a phase II trial of vemurafenib (BRIM2). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Deidentified tumor
      measurements and OS data from BRIM3 and from BRIM2 were analyzed. Target tumor
      measurement data and nontarget tumor data were available from pretreatment, weeks
      6,12, and every 9 weeks thereafter. In the BRIM3 data set, associations of OS
      with both early tumor response (first 12 weeks) and time to progression (TTP)
      were assessed. Different definitions of response and progression were explored.
      Findings were validated using the BRIM2 data set. RESULTS: Thresholds of early
      response were explored ranging from any degree of tumor shrinkage to 100% tumor
      shrinkage. Correlation was weak at all thresholds tested. TTP, however, was more
      strongly correlated with OS. The strongest correlation was seen when progression
      was defined as >=50% increase in the sum of tumor diameters or appearance of new
      tumors. This was confirmed by similar analyses in the BRIM2 cohort. CONCLUSIONS:
      TTP defined as >=50% increase in the sum of tumor diameters or appearance of new
      tumors was more strongly associated with OS than early tumor shrinkage in
      melanoma patients treated with RAF inhibitor. In future trials, consideration
      should be given to replacing response rate with TTP or PFS as preferable clinical
      endpoints in early-phase studies.

PMID- 26490314
TI  - In Vivo Detection of Succinate by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy as a Hallmark
      of SDHx Mutations in Paraganglioma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Germline mutations in genes encoding mitochondrial succinate
      dehydrogenase (SDH) are found in patients with paragangliomas, pheochromocytomas,
      gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and renal cancers. SDH inactivation leads to a
      massive accumulation of succinate, acting as an oncometabolite and which levels,
      assessed on surgically resected tissue are a highly specific biomarker of SDHx
      mutated tumors. The aim of this study was to address the feasibility of detecting
      succinate in vivo by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: A
      pulsed proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) sequence was developed,
      optimized, and applied to image nude mice grafted with Sdhb(-/-) or wild-type
      chromaffin cells. The method was then applied to patients with paraganglioma
      carrying (n = 5) or not (n = 4) an SDHx gene mutation. Following surgery,
      succinate was measured using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and SDH
      protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in resected tumors.
      RESULTS: A succinate peak was observed at 2.44 ppm by (1)H-MRS in all Sdhb(-/-)
      derived tumors in mice and in all paragangliomas of patients carrying an SDHx
      gene mutation, but neither in wild-type mouse tumors nor in patients exempt of
      SDHx mutation. In one patient, (1)H-MRS results led to the identification of an
      unsuspected SDHA gene mutation. In another case, it helped define the
      pathogenicity of a variant of unknown significance in the SDHB gene. CONCLUSIONS:
      Detection of succinate by (1)H-MRS is a highly specific and sensitive hallmark of
      SDHx mutations. This noninvasive approach is a simple and robust method allowing
      in vivo detection of the major biomarker of SDHx-mutated tumors.

PMID- 26490315
TI  - Fluorescent Image-Guided Surgery with an Anti-Prostate Stem Cell Antigen (PSCA)
      Diabody Enables Targeted Resection of Mouse Prostate Cancer Xenografts in Real
      Time.
AB  - PURPOSE: The inability to visualize cancer during prostatectomy contributes to
      positive margins, cancer recurrence, and surgical side effects. A molecularly
      targeted fluorescent probe offers the potential for real-time intraoperative
      imaging. The goal of this study was to develop a probe for image-guided prostate
      cancer surgery. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: An antibody fragment (cys-diabody, cDb)
      against prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) was conjugated to a far-red
      fluorophore, Cy5. The integrity and binding of the probe to PSCA was confirmed by
      gel electrophoresis, size exclusion, and flow cytometry, respectively.
      Subcutaneous models of PSCA-expressing xenografts were used to assess the
      biodistribution and in vivo kinetics, whereas an invasive intramuscular model was
      utilized to explore the performance of Cy5-cDb-mediated fluorescence guidance in
      representative surgical scenarios. Finally, a prospective, randomized study
      comparing surgical resection with and without fluorescent guidance was performed
      to determine whether this probe could reduce the incidence of positive margins.
      RESULTS: Cy5-cDb demonstrated excellent purity, stability, and specific binding
      to PSCA. In vivo imaging showed maximal signal-to-background ratios at 6 hours.
      In mice carrying PSCA(+) and negative (-) dual xenografts, the mean fluorescence
      ratio of PSCA(+/-) tumors was 4.4:1. In surgical resection experiments, residual
      tumors <1 mm that were missed on white light surgery were identified and resected
      using fluorescence guidance, which reduced the incidence of positive surgical
      margins (0/8) compared with white light surgery alone (7/7). CONCLUSIONS:
      Fluorescently labeled cDb enables real-time in vivo imaging of prostate cancer
      xenografts in mice, and facilitates more complete tumor removal than conventional
      white light surgery alone.

PMID- 26490317
TI  - Genomic Landscape of CXCR4 Mutations in Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia.
AB  - PURPOSE: Whole-genome sequencing has revealed MYD88 L265P and CXCR4 mutations
      (CXCR4(mut)) as the most prevalent somatic mutations in Waldenstrom
      macroglobulinemia. CXCR4 mutation has proved to be of critical importance in
      Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, in part due to its role as a mechanism of
      resistance to several agents. We have therefore sought to unravel the different
      aspects of CXCR4 mutations in Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:
      We have scanned the two coding exons of CXCR4 in Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia
      using deep next-generation sequencing and Sanger sequencing in 98 patients with
      Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia and correlated with SNP array landscape and
      mutational spectrum of eight candidate genes involved in TLR, RAS, and BCR
      pathway in an integrative study. RESULTS: We found all mutations to be
      heterozygous, somatic, and located in the C-terminal domain of CXCR4 in 25% of
      the Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. CXCR4 mutations led to a truncated receptor
      protein associated with a higher expression of CXCR4. CXCR4 mutations pertain to
      the same clone as to MYD88 L265P mutations but were mutually exclusive to
      CD79A/CD79B mutations (BCR pathway). We identified a genomic signature in
      CXCR4(mut) Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia traducing a more complex genome. CXCR4
      mutations were also associated with gain of chromosome 4, gain of Xq, and
      deletion 6q. CONCLUSIONS: Our study panned out new CXCR4 mutations in Waldenstrom
      macroglobulinemia and identified a specific signature associated to CXCR4(mut),
      characterized with complex genomic aberrations among MYD88L265P Waldenstrom
      macroglobulinemia. Our results suggest the existence of various genomic subgroups
      in Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia.

PMID- 26490316
TI  - Stress-Related Signaling Pathways in Lethal and Nonlethal Prostate Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Recent data suggest that neuroendocrine signaling may influence
      progression in some cancers. We aimed to determine whether genes within the five
      major stress-related signaling pathways are differentially expressed in tumor
      tissue when comparing prostate cancer patients with lethal and nonlethal disease.
      EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We measured mRNA expression of 51 selected genes involved in
      predetermined stress-related signaling pathways (adrenergic, glucocorticoid,
      dopaminergic, serotoninergic, and muscarinic systems) in tumor tissue and normal
      prostate tissue collected from prostate cancer patients in the Physicians' Health
      Study (n = 150; n = 82 with normal) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study
      (n = 254; n = 120 with normal). We assessed differences in pathway expression in
      relation to prostate cancer lethality as the primary outcome and to biomarkers as
      secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Differential mRNA expression of genes within the
      adrenergic (P = 0.001), glucocorticoid (P < 0.0001), serotoninergic (P = 0.0019),
      and muscarinic (P = 0.0045) pathways in tumor tissue was associated with the risk
      of lethality. The adrenergic pathway was also statistically significant (P =
      0.001) when comparing against differential expression of genes not involved in
      the pathways. In adjacent normal prostate tissue, none of the pathways was
      clearly differentially expressed between lethal and nonlethal prostate cancer.
      The glucocorticoid and adrenergic pathways were associated with cell
      proliferation, while the glucocorticoid pathway was additionally associated with
      angiogenesis and perineural invasion. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that stress
      related signaling pathways, particularly the adrenergic and glucocorticoid, may
      be dysregulated in the tumors of men whose prostate cancer proves to be lethal,
      and motivates further investigation of these pathways in functional studies.

PMID- 26490318
TI  - What We Write about When We Write About AAC: The Past 30 Years of Research and
      Future Directions.
AB  - For the past 30 years, the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
      journal has both documented and instigated change in the field of AAC. We
      reviewed the papers published in the AAC journal from 1985-2014 in order to
      identify trends in research and publication activities. Intervention research
      made up the largest proportion of the four types of research (i.e., intervention,
      descriptive, experimental, and instrument and measurement development) reported
      in the journal. Intervention research has most commonly focused on the individual
      with complex communication needs, and most frequently on younger individuals
      (aged 17 and younger) with developmental disabilities. While much has been
      learned in the past 30 years, there continues to be a need for high quality
      research in a large number of areas. There is a special need for reports of
      interventions with older individuals with complex communication needs as a result
      of acquired disabilities, and for information on effective interventions for the
      communication partners of persons with complex communication needs.

PMID- 26490319
TI  - Direct association between diet and the stability of human atherosclerotic
      plaque.
AB  - Mediterranean diet has been suggested to explain why coronary heart disease
      mortality is lower in southern than northern Europe. Dietary habits can be
      revealed by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) measurement of carbon
      (delta(13)C) and nitrogen (delta(15)N) in biological tissues. To study if diet is
      associated with human plaque stability, atherosclerotic plaques from carotid
      endarterectomy on 56 patients (21 Portuguese and 35 Swedish) were analysed by
      IRMS and histology. Plaque components affecting rupture risk were measured.
      Swedish plaques had more apoptosis, lipids and larger cores, as well as fewer
      proliferating cells and SMC than the Portuguese, conferring the Swedish a more
      rupture-prone phenotype. Portuguese plaques contained higher delta(13)C and
      delta(15)N than the Swedish, indicating that Portuguese plaques were more often
      derived from marine food. Plaque delta(13)C correlated with SMC and proliferating
      cells, and inversely with lipids, core size, apoptosis. Plaque delta(15)N
      correlated with SMC and inversely with lipids, core size and apoptosis. This is
      the first observational study showing that diet is reflected in plaque components
      associated with its vulnerability. The Portuguese plaques composition is
      consistent with an increased marine food intake and those plaques are more stable
      than those from Swedish patients. Marine-derived food is associated with plaque
      stability. 

PMID- 26490320
TI  - Factors associated with tonic-clonic seizures in patients with drug-resistant
      mesial temporal epilepsy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Among different seizure types, tonic-clonic seizures are more
      significant because they are more often associated with morbidity. No prior study
      has been done to investigate risk factors associated with tonic-clonic seizures
      in patients with mesial temporal epilepsy. METHODS: In this retrospective study,
      all drug-resistant mesial temporal epilepsy patients in the database of patients
      who underwent epilepsy surgery at Jefferson comprehensive epilepsy center were
      recruited. These patients were prospectively registered in a database from 1986
      till 2014. Patients' age, gender, epilepsy risk factors, age at seizure onset,
      and preoperative seizure type(s) were registered routinely. Potential risk
      factors associated with experiencing preoperative tonic-clonic seizures were
      investigated. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-five patients (132 males and 143
      females) were studied. Aura type was associated with experiencing perioperative
      tonic-clonic seizures. Patients with epigastric auras less frequently reported
      having tonic-clonic seizures compared with those who had other types of auras
      (odds ratio: 0.37 and 95% confidence interval: 0.19-0.70; p=0.001) and those who
      did not have any auras (odds ratio: 0.35 and 95% confidence interval: 0.16-0.77;
      p=0.008). CONCLUSION: Epigastric auras may indicate that a specific anatomic
      location is involved in epileptogenesis from which generalization is harder
      because of that location's poor connections with other brain regions.

PMID- 26490321
TI  - We-Measure: Toward a low-cost portable posturography for patients with multiple
      sclerosis using the commercial Wii balance board.
AB  - This study was aimed at investigating whether postural sway measures derived from
      a standard force platform were similar to those generated by a custom-written
      software ("We-Measure") acquiring and processing data from a commercial Nintendo
      balance board (BB). For this purpose, 90 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS)
      and 50 healthy controls (HC) were tested in a single-day session with a reference
      standard force platform and a BB-based system. Despite its acceptable between
      device agreement (tested by visual evaluation of Bland-Altman plot), the low-cost
      BB-based system tended to overestimate postural sway when compared to the
      reference standard force platform in both MS and HC groups (on average +30% and
      +54%, respectively). Between-device reliability was just adequate (MS: 66%, HC:
      47%), while test-retest reliability was excellent (MS: 84%, HC: 88%). Concurrent
      validity evaluation showed similar performance between the reference standard
      force platform and the BB-based system in discriminating fallers and non-fallers
      among patients with MS. All these findings may encourage the use of this balance
      board-based new device in longitudinal study, rather than in cross-sectional
      design, thus providing a potential useful tool for multicenter settings. 

PMID- 26490322
TI  - Detection of human mammaglobin A mRNA in peripheral blood of breast cancer
      patients before treatment and association with metastasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mammaglobin A (MGA), mainly expressed in the breast epithelium, is
      overexpressed in breast cancer, and has been established as a tumor and
      promissory marker for the early detection of metastasis. AIM: The main aim of
      this study was to evaluate the association between the presence of the MGA
      transcript in the peripheral blood of Brazilian breast cancer patients and
      healthy women and the development of breast cancer and tumor progression.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: The expression of the MGA transcript in peripheral blood of
      102 breast cancer patients and 102 healthy women was assessed by RT-PCR. RESULTS:
      MGA mRNA was expressed in the peripheral blood of 39 breast cancer patients and
      in none of the women from the control group. The presence of MGA was
      significantly associated with presence of metastasis and age at onset after 60
      years. The presence of MGA mRNA in peripheral blood displayed a sensitivity of
      38.2%, specificity of 100.0%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 100.0%, and
      negative predictive value (NPV) of 61.8% as a breast cancer marker. CONCLUSION:
      This study provides additional evidence of the presence of MGA in the peripheral
      blood of breast cancer patients, and its applicability as an efficient biomarker
      for breast cancer (High specificity and PPV). To our knowledge, this is the first
      study to assess the expression of MGA mRNA in peripheral blood obtained from the
      Brazilian population.

PMID- 26490323
TI  - Clinical presentation of intraocular retinoblastoma; 5-year hospital-based
      registry in Egypt.
AB  - PURPOSE: To study the presenting signs of Retinoblastoma in Egypt at Egypt's main
      pediatric oncology referral center. METHODS: This is a prospective descriptive
      study (hospital-based registry) conducted at Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt
      between July 2007 and December 2012. RESULTS: Out of 262 patients diagnosed with
      retinoblastoma, 244 were suffering from intra-ocular disease at presentation. One
      hundred thirty-nine (57%) patients presented with unilateral disease, while 105
      (43%) suffered bilateral disease. The mean age at presentation was 20.6 +/- 17
      months, averaging 18.87 +/- 11.76 months for bilateral and 25.72 +/- 18.78 months
      for unilateral disease. The most common clinical presentation was leukocoria in
      180 (73.8%) patients, strabismus in 32 (13.1%) patients and decreased visual
      acuity in 12 (4.9%) patients. Group D and E disease represented 62% of all
      affected eyes. Patients with advanced disease (Group C-E) had longer duration of
      symptoms. CONCLUSION: In Egypt, retinoblastoma patients present more frequently
      with advanced disease. There is an ever-increasing need to develop a national
      team dedicated to studying disease significance and formulating a national
      awareness program.

PMID- 26490324
TI  - The rules of the game in graduate entry nursing: A longitudinal case study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Graduate Entry Nursing programmes are pre-registration nursing
      curricula designed for candidates who already have a health related degree. The
      programmes aim to attract highly motivated individuals who have a commitment to
      nursing and hold the cognitive abilities associated with studying in higher
      education including critical thinking styles and capability to study
      independently. These attributes are termed within the literature as
      "graduateness". They are viewed by some as advantages to nursing. In contrast,
      however, there remains widespread scepticism amongst the public and some
      professionals towards those who are academically educated entering nursing.
      OBJECTIVES: To explore how GEN students anticipate, experience, explain and
      respond to attitudes which imply resistance to those who are academically
      educated. DESIGN: Longitudinal case study informed by the conventions advocated
      by Yin (2014). SETTINGS: School of Health Sciences in a British University.
      PARTICIPANTS: Eight GEN students participated over the two year duration of their
      programme. Twelve clinical assessors with a minimum of four months' experience of
      supporting GEN students in practice. METHODS: Students took part in individual
      interviews at six monthly periods which were informed by the content of diaries
      maintained throughout their clinical placements. Clinical assessors took part in
      focus group discussions. Practice documentation was accessed to identify the
      progression of clinical competency along with written feedback received by
      students from clinical assessors. RESULTS: Results demonstrate the ways in which
      GEN students position themselves performatively in order to pre-empt or challenge
      negative stereotypes relating to their competence, compassion and commitment.
      CONCLUSIONS: Students employ a number of strategies to navigate the challenges of
      learning within an environment in which they are viewed with suspicion and
      distrust.

PMID- 26490325
TI  - Literature review: Use of commercial films as a teaching resource for health
      sciences students.
AB  - PURPOSE: Analyze some of the characteristics of the publications focused on
      commercial cinema as a learning tool for university students engaged in health
      sciences degrees. DESIGN AND METHODS: The review was based on the search of
      information in three electronic databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL and ERIC. FINDINGS: 54
      papers were selected and analyzed. CONCLUSION: Cinema is a commonly used
      resource; however there is still a lack of studies demonstrating its usefulness
      and validity. This review is limited on its analysis by the fact that a large
      number of experiences are described as having a loose design.

PMID- 26490326
TI  - Broad distribution of ataxin 1 silencing in rhesus cerebella for spinocerebellar
      ataxia type 1 therapy.
AB  - Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 is one of nine polyglutamine expansion diseases and
      is characterized by cerebellar ataxia and neuronal degeneration in the cerebellum
      and brainstem. Currently, there are no effective therapies for this disease.
      Previously, we have shown that RNA interference mediated silencing of ATXN1 mRNA
      provides therapeutic benefit in mouse models of the disease. Adeno-associated
      viral delivery of an engineered microRNA targeting ATXN1 to the cerebella of well
      established mouse models improved motor phenotypes, neuropathy, and
      transcriptional changes. Here, we test the translatability of this approach in
      adult rhesus cerebella. Nine adult male and three adult female rhesus macaque
      were unilaterally injected with our therapeutic vector, a recombinant adeno
      associated virus type 1 (rAAV1) expressing our RNAi trigger (miS1) and co
      expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (rAAV1.miS1eGFP) into the deep
      cerebellar nuclei using magnetic resonance imaging guided techniques combined
      with a Stealth Navigation system (Medtronics Inc.). Transduction was evident in
      the deep cerebellar nuclei, cerebellar Purkinje cells, the brainstem and the
      ventral lateral thalamus. Reduction of endogenous ATXN1 messenger RNA levels were
      >=30% in the deep cerebellar nuclei, the cerebellar cortex, inferior olive, and
      thalamus relative to the uninjected hemisphere. There were no clinical
      complications, and quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest that this
      therapeutic intervention strategy and subsequent reduction of ATXN1 is well
      tolerated. Collectively the data illustrate the biodistribution and tolerability
      of rAAV1.miS1eGFP administration to the adult rhesus cerebellum and are
      supportive of clinical application for spinocerebellar ataxia type 1.

PMID- 26490327
TI  - The challenges for research on deep brain stimulation and memory.

PMID- 26490329
TI  - Enhanced habit formation in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome.
AB  - Tics are sometimes described as voluntary movements performed in an automatic or
      habitual way. Here, we addressed the question of balance between goal-directed
      and habitual behavioural control in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome and formally
      tested the hypothesis of enhanced habit formation in these patients. To this aim,
      we administered a three-stage instrumental learning paradigm to 17 unmedicated
      and 17 antipsychotic-medicated patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome and
      matched controls. In the first stage of the task, participants learned stimulus
      response-outcome associations. The subsequent outcome devaluation and 'slip-of
      action' tests allowed evaluation of the participants' capacity to flexibly adjust
      their behaviour to changes in action outcome value. In this task, unmedicated
      patients relied predominantly on habitual, outcome-insensitive behavioural
      control. Moreover, in these patients, the engagement in habitual responses
      correlated with more severe tics. Medicated patients performed at an intermediate
      level between unmedicated patients and controls. Using diffusion tensor imaging
      on a subset of patients, we also addressed whether the engagement in habitual
      responding was related to structural connectivity within cortico-striatal
      networks. We showed that engagement in habitual behaviour in patients with Gilles
      de la Tourette syndrome correlated with greater structural connectivity within
      the right motor cortico-striatal network. In unmedicated patients, stronger
      structural connectivity of the supplementary motor cortex with the sensorimotor
      putamen predicted more severe tics. Overall, our results indicate enhanced habit
      formation in unmedicated patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. Aberrant
      reinforcement signals to the sensorimotor striatum may be fundamental for the
      formation of stimulus-response associations and may contribute to the habitual
      behaviour and tics of this syndrome.

PMID- 26490328
TI  - TRPV1 on astrocytes rescues nigral dopamine neurons in Parkinson's disease via
      CNTF.
AB  - Currently there is no neuroprotective or neurorestorative therapy for Parkinson's
      disease. Here we report that transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) on
      astrocytes mediates endogenous production of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF),
      which prevents the active degeneration of dopamine neurons and leads to
      behavioural recovery through CNTF receptor alpha (CNTFRalpha) on nigral dopamine
      neurons in both the MPP(+)-lesioned or adeno-associated virus alpha-synuclein rat
      models of Parkinson's disease. Western blot and immunohistochemical analysis of
      human post-mortem substantia nigra from Parkinson's disease suggests that this
      endogenous neuroprotective system (TRPV1 and CNTF on astrocytes, and CNTFRalpha
      on dopamine neurons) might have relevance to human Parkinson's disease. Our
      results suggest that activation of astrocytic TRPV1 activates endogenous
      neuroprotective machinery in vivo and that it is a novel therapeutic target for
      the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 26490330
TI  - Differential relationships between apathy and depression with white matter
      microstructural changes and functional outcomes.
AB  - Small vessel disease is a stroke subtype characterized by pathology of the small
      perforating arteries, which supply the sub-cortical structures of the brain.
      Small vessel disease is associated with high rates of apathy and depression,
      thought to be caused by a disruption of white matter cortical-subcortical
      pathways important for emotion regulation. It provides an important biological
      model to investigate mechanisms underlying these key neuropsychiatric disorders.
      This study investigated whether apathy and depression can be distinguished in
      small vessel disease both in terms of their relative relationship with white
      matter microstructure, and secondly whether they can independently predict
      functional outcomes. Participants with small vessel disease (n = 118; mean age =
      68.9 years; 65% male) defined as a clinical and magnetic resonance imaging
      confirmed lacunar stroke with radiological leukoaraiosis were recruited and
      completed cognitive testing, measures of apathy, depression, quality of life and
      diffusion tensor imaging. Healthy controls (n = 398; mean age = 64.3 years; 52%
      male) were also studied in order to interpret the degree of apathy and depression
      found within the small vessel disease group. Firstly, a multilevel structural
      equation modelling approach was used to identify: (i) the relationships between
      median fractional anisotropy and apathy, depression and cognitive impairment; and
      (ii) if apathy and depression make independent contributions to quality of life
      in patients with small vessel disease. Secondly, we applied a whole-brain voxel
      based analysis to investigate which regions of white matter were associated with
      apathy and depression, controlling for age, gender and cognitive functioning.
      Structural equation modelling results indicated both apathy (r = -0.23, P <=
      0.001) and depression (r = -0.41, P <= 0.001) were independent predictors of
      quality of life. A reduced median fractional anisotropy was significantly
      associated with apathy (r = -0.38, P <= 0.001), but not depression (r = -0.16, P
      = 0.09). On voxel-based analysis, apathy was associated with widespread reduction
      in white matter integrity, with the strongest effects in limbic association
      tracts such as the anterior cingulum, fornix and uncinate fasciculus. In
      contrast, when controlling for apathy, we found no significant relationship
      between our white matter parameters and symptoms of depression. In conclusion,
      white matter microstructural changes in small vessel disease are associated with
      apathy but not directly with depressive symptoms. These results suggest that
      apathy, but not depression, in small vessel disease is related to damage to
      cortical-subcortical networks associated with emotion regulation, reward and goal
      directed behaviour.

PMID- 26490331
TI  - Olesoxime suppresses calpain activation and mutant huntingtin fragmentation in
      the BACHD rat.
AB  - Huntington's disease is a fatal human neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG
      repeat expansion in the HTT gene, which translates into a mutant huntingtin
      protein. A key event in the molecular pathogenesis of Huntington's disease is the
      proteolytic cleavage of mutant huntingtin, leading to the accumulation of toxic
      protein fragments. Mutant huntingtin cleavage has been linked to the
      overactivation of proteases due to mitochondrial dysfunction and calcium
      derangements. Here, we investigated the therapeutic potential of olesoxime, a
      mitochondria-targeting, neuroprotective compound, in the BACHD rat model of
      Huntington's disease. BACHD rats were treated with olesoxime via the food for 12
      months. In vivo analysis covered motor impairments, cognitive deficits, mood
      disturbances and brain atrophy. Ex vivo analyses addressed olesoxime's effect on
      mutant huntingtin aggregation and cleavage, as well as brain mitochondria
      function. Olesoxime improved cognitive and psychiatric phenotypes, and
      ameliorated cortical thinning in the BACHD rat. The treatment reduced cerebral
      mutant huntingtin aggregates and nuclear accumulation. Further analysis revealed
      a cortex-specific overactivation of calpain in untreated BACHD rats. Treated
      BACHD rats instead showed significantly reduced levels of mutant huntingtin
      fragments due to the suppression of calpain-mediated cleavage. In addition,
      olesoxime reduced the amount of mutant huntingtin fragments associated with
      mitochondria, restored a respiration deficit, and enhanced the expression of
      fusion and outer-membrane transport proteins. In conclusion, we discovered the
      calpain proteolytic system, a key player in Huntington's disease and other
      neurodegenerative disorders, as a target of olesoxime. Our findings suggest that
      olesoxime exerts its beneficial effects by improving mitochondrial function,
      which results in reduced calpain activation. The observed alleviation of
      behavioural and neuropathological phenotypes encourages further investigations on
      the use of olesoxime as a therapeutic for Huntington's disease.

PMID- 26490332
TI  - Re-establishing ataxin-2 downregulates translation of mutant ataxin-3 and
      alleviates Machado-Joseph disease.
AB  - Machado-Joseph disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated
      with the polyQ-expanded ataxin-3 (encoded by ATXN3), for which no therapy is
      available. With the aim of clarifying the mechanism of neurodegeneration, we
      hypothesized that the abnormally long polyQ tract would interact aberrantly with
      ataxin-2 (encoded by ATXN2), another polyQ protein whose function has recently
      been linked to translational regulation. Using patient's samples and cellular and
      animal's models we found that in Machado-Joseph disease: (i) ataxin-2 levels are
      reduced; and (ii) its subcellular localization is changed towards the nucleus.
      Restoring ataxin-2 levels by lentiviral-mediated overexpression: (i) reduced
      mutant ataxin-3 levels; and (ii) rescued behaviour defects and neuropathology in
      a transgenic mouse model of Machado-Joseph disease. Conversely (i) mutating the
      ataxin-2 motif that enables binding to its natural interactor and translation
      activator poly(A)-binding protein; or (ii) overexpressing poly(A)-binding
      protein, had opposite effects, increasing mutant ataxin-3 translation and
      aggregation. This work suggests that in Machado-Joseph disease, mutant ataxin-3
      drives an abnormal reduction of ataxin-2 levels, which overactivates poly(A)
      binding protein, increases translation of mutant ataxin-3 and other proteins and
      aggravates Machado-Joseph disease. Re-establishment of ataxin-2 levels reduces
      mutant ataxin-3 and alleviates Machado-Joseph disease pathogenesis opening a new
      avenue for therapeutic intervention in this and potentially other polyQ
      disorders.

PMID- 26490333
TI  - Preclinical properties and human in vivo assessment of 123I-ABC577 as a novel
      SPECT agent for imaging amyloid-beta.
AB  - Non-invasive imaging of amyloid-beta in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer's
      disease, may support earlier and more accurate diagnosis of the disease. In this
      study, we assessed the novel single photon emission computed tomography tracer
      (123)I-ABC577 as a potential imaging biomarker for amyloid-beta in the brain. The
      radio-iodinated imidazopyridine derivative (123)I-ABC577 was designed as a
      candidate for a novel amyloid-beta imaging agent. The binding affinity of (123)I
      ABC577 for amyloid-beta was evaluated by saturation binding assay and in vitro
      autoradiography using post-mortem Alzheimer's disease brain tissue.
      Biodistribution experiments using normal rats were performed to evaluate the
      biokinetics of (123)I-ABC577. Furthermore, to validate (123)I-ABC577 as a
      biomarker for Alzheimer's disease, we performed a clinical study to compare the
      brain uptake of (123)I-ABC577 in three patients with Alzheimer's disease and
      three healthy control subjects. (123)I-ABC577 binding was quantified by use of
      the standardized uptake value ratio, which was calculated for the cortex using
      the cerebellum as a reference region. Standardized uptake value ratio images were
      visually scored as positive or negative. As a result, (123)I-ABC577 showed high
      binding affinity for amyloid-beta and desirable pharmacokinetics in the
      preclinical studies. In the clinical study, (123)I-ABC577 was an effective marker
      for discriminating patients with Alzheimer's disease from healthy control
      subjects based on visual images or the ratio of cortical-to-cerebellar binding.
      In patients with Alzheimer's disease, (123)I-ABC577 demonstrated clear retention
      in cortical regions known to accumulate amyloid, such as the frontal cortex,
      temporal cortex, and posterior cingulate. In contrast, less, more diffuse, and
      non-specific uptake without localization to these key regions was observed in
      healthy controls. At 150 min after injection, the cortical standardized uptake
      value ratio increased by ~ 60% in patients with Alzheimer's disease relative to
      healthy control subjects. Both healthy control subjects and patients with
      Alzheimer's disease showed minimal (123)I-ABC577 retention in the white matter.
      These observations indicate that (123)I-ABC577 may be a useful single photon
      emission computed tomography imaging maker to identify amyloid-beta in the human
      brain. The availability of an amyloid-beta tracer for single photon emission
      computed tomography might increase the accessibility of diagnostic imaging for
      Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26490336
TI  - Sensitive probes of protein structure and dynamics in well-controlled
      environments: combining mass spectrometry with fluorescence spectroscopy.
AB  - Combining the selectivity of mass spectrometry (MS) with laser-induced
      fluorescence (LIF) presents a promising route to probe the intrinsic
      conformation, stability and dynamics of biological macromolecules. However,
      applications to proteins are in their infancy. Recent advances include the
      realization of Forster (fluorescence) resonance energy transfer (FRET) to provide
      nm-range distance constraints in de-solvated proteins, and measurement of dynamic
      fluorescence quenching rates to assess shorter-range interactions in peptides and
      Trp-cage. Temperature-dependent experiments employing FRET and dynamic quenching
      as conformational probes enable determination of enthalpy and entropy of
      conformational change in de-solvated biomolecules. These developments show the
      feasibility of using MS-LIF to dissect complex molecular interactions. For
      example, MS-LIF of protein-ligand complexes and partially hydrated proteins will
      better elucidate the energetics of specific binding interactions and the role of
      the solvent in protein structure and folding. 

PMID- 26490337
TI  - Piperacillin/tazobactam continuous infusion at 12G/1.5G per day in CF patients
      results in target plasma-concentrations.

PMID- 26490335
TI  - Primary motor cortex of the parkinsonian monkey: altered encoding of active
      movement.
AB  - Abnormalities in the movement-related activation of the primary motor cortex (M1)
      are thought to be a major contributor to the motor signs of Parkinson's disease.
      The existing evidence, however, variably indicates that M1 is under-activated
      with movement, overactivated (due to a loss of functional specificity) or
      activated with abnormal timing. In addition, few models consider the possibility
      that distinct cortical neuron subtypes may be affected differently. Those gaps in
      knowledge were addressed by studying the extracellular activity of antidromically
      identified lamina 5b pyramidal-tract type neurons (n = 153) and
      intratelencephalic-type corticostriatal neurons (n = 126) in the M1 of two
      monkeys as they performed a step-tracking arm movement task. We compared movement
      related discharge before and after the induction of parkinsonism by
      administration of MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) and
      quantified the spike rate encoding of specific kinematic parameters of movement
      using a generalized linear model. The fraction of M1 neurons with movement
      related activity declined following MPTP but only marginally. The strength of
      neuronal encoding of parameters of movement was reduced markedly (mean 29%
      reduction in the coefficients from the generalized linear model). This relative
      decoupling of M1 activity from kinematics was attributable to reductions in the
      coefficients that estimated the spike rate encoding of movement direction (-22%),
      speed (-40%), acceleration (-49%) and hand position (-33%). After controlling for
      MPTP-induced changes in motor performance, M1 activity related to movement itself
      was reduced markedly (mean 36% hypoactivation). This reduced activation was
      strong in pyramidal tract-type neurons (-50%) but essentially absent in
      corticostriatal neurons. The timing of M1 activation was also abnormal, with
      earlier onset times, prolonged response durations, and a 43% reduction in the
      prevalence of movement-related changes beginning in the 150-ms period that
      immediately preceded movement. Overall, the results are consistent with proposals
      that under-activation and abnormal timing of movement-related activity in M1
      contribute to parkinsonian motor signs but are not consistent with the idea that
      a loss of functional specificity plays an important role. Given that pyramidal
      tract-type neurons form the primary efferent pathway that conveys motor commands
      to the spinal cord, the dysfunction of movement-related activity in pyramidal
      tract-type neurons is likely to be a central factor in the pathophysiology of
      parkinsonian motor signs. 

PMID- 26490334
TI  - Common polygenic variation enhances risk prediction for Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - The identification of subjects at high risk for Alzheimer's disease is important
      for prognosis and early intervention. We investigated the polygenic architecture
      of Alzheimer's disease and the accuracy of Alzheimer's disease prediction models,
      including and excluding the polygenic component in the model. This study used
      genotype data from the powerful dataset comprising 17 008 cases and 37 154
      controls obtained from the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP).
      Polygenic score analysis tested whether the alleles identified to associate with
      disease in one sample set were significantly enriched in the cases relative to
      the controls in an independent sample. The disease prediction accuracy was
      investigated in a subset of the IGAP data, a sample of 3049 cases and 1554
      controls (for whom APOE genotype data were available) by means of sensitivity,
      specificity, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and
      positive and negative predictive values. We observed significant evidence for a
      polygenic component enriched in Alzheimer's disease (P = 4.9 * 10(-26)). This
      enrichment remained significant after APOE and other genome-wide associated
      regions were excluded (P = 3.4 * 10(-19)). The best prediction accuracy AUC =
      78.2% (95% confidence interval 77-80%) was achieved by a logistic regression
      model with APOE, the polygenic score, sex and age as predictors. In conclusion,
      Alzheimer's disease has a significant polygenic component, which has predictive
      utility for Alzheimer's disease risk and could be a valuable research tool
      complementing experimental designs, including preventative clinical trials, stem
      cell selection and high/low risk clinical studies. In modelling a range of sample
      disease prevalences, we found that polygenic scores almost doubles case
      prediction from chance with increased prediction at polygenic extremes.

PMID- 26490338
TI  - Neuroanatomical characteristics of deep and superficial needling using LI11 as an
      example.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare the neuroanatomical characteristics of the deep and
      superficial tissues at acupuncture point LI11 using a neural tracing technique,
      in order to examine the neural basis of potential differences between deep and
      superficial needling techniques. METHODS: In order to mimic the situations of the
      deep and superficial needling, the retrograde neural tracer Alexa Fluor 488
      conjugate of cholera toxin subunit B (AF488-CTB) was injected into the muscle or
      subcutaneous tissue, respectively, at acupuncture point LI11 in eight rats (n=4
      each). Three days following injection, the distribution of motor and sensory
      neurons labelled with AF488-CTB was examined in the spinal cord and dorsal root
      ganglia (DRG) under a fluorescent microscope. RESULTS: For both types of
      injection, labelled motor and sensory neurons were distributed on the side
      ipsilateral to the injection in the spinal cord and DRG between spinal levels C5
      and T1. The number of labelled motor neurons following intramuscular injection
      was significantly higher than subcutaneous injection. By contrast, the number of
      labelled sensory neurons following subcutaneous injection was significantly
      higher in number and extended over a greater number of spinal segments compared
      to intramuscular injection. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that the motor and
      sensory innervation of muscle and subcutaneous tissue beneath LI11 differ, and
      suggest that acupuncture signals induced by deep and superficial needling
      stimulation may be transmitted through different neural pathways.

PMID- 26490342
TI  - Diameter Dependence of Lattice Thermal Conductivity of Single-Walled Carbon
      Nanotubes: Study from Ab Initio.
AB  - The effects of temperature, tube length, defects, and surface functionalization
      on the thermal conductivity (kappa) of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)
      were well documented in literature. However, diameter dependence of thermal
      conductivity of SWCNTs received less attentions. So far, diverse trends of the
      diameter dependence have been discussed by different methods and all the previous
      results were based on empirical interatomic potentials. In this paper, we
      emphasize to clarify accurate kappa values of SWCNTs with different diameters and
      in-plane kappa of graphene. All the studies were under the framework of
      anharmonic lattice dynamics and Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) based on first
      principle calculations. We try to infer the right trend of diameter dependent
      thermal conductivity of SWCNTs. We infer that graphene is the limitation as SWCNT
      with an infinite diameter. We analyzed the thermal conductivity contributions
      from each phonon mode in SWCNTs to explain the trend. Meanwhile, we also identify
      the extremely low thermal conductivity of ultra-thin SWCNTs. 

PMID- 26490343
TI  - The rehabilitative effects on written language of a combined language and
      parietal dual-tDCS treatment in a stroke case.
AB  - In this paper we report the effect of a combined transcranial direct current
      stimulation (tDCS) and speech language therapy on linguistic deficits following
      left brain damage in a stroke case. We show that simultaneous electrical
      excitatory stimulation to the left and inhibitory stimulation to the right
      parietal regions (dual-tDCS) affected writing and reading rehabilitation,
      enhancing speech therapy outcomes. The results of a comparison with healthy
      controls showed that application of dual-tDCS could improve, in particular, sub
      lexical transcoding and, specifically, the reading of non-words with increasing
      length and complexity. Positive repercussions on patient's quality of functional
      communication were also ascertained. Significant changes were also found in other
      language and cognitive tasks not directly treated (comprehension and constructive
      apraxia).

PMID- 26490344
TI  - Physical Activity Program Is Helpful for Improving Quality of Life in Patients
      with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
AB  - Given the crucial events in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) such as joint and
      muscle pain, fatigue, depression, obesity and osteoporosis, the very thought of
      exercising can be challenging. This prospective study included 60 patients
      diagnosed with SLE in stable condition. A randomly selected group of 30 women had
      aerobic training on a bicycle ergometer for a period of 15 minutes, 3 times per
      week for 6 weeks, while the second group of 30 women performed isotonic exercises
      (to stretch and lengthen muscles and improve the range of motion) for 30 minutes,
      3 times per week during the same period. Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Short Form
      36 (SF36) questionnaire on the quality of life and Beck depression inventory
      (BDI) were analyzed at baseline and after 6 weeks. At baseline FSS score was 53.8
      +/- 5.7 and after the physical activity FSS score was 29.1 +/- 7.8 (FSS >= 36;
      fatigue is present). The largest number of patients (66.7%) was in a moderate
      depressed state at the baseline, while after physical activities 61.7% of
      patients, had a mild mood disturbance. There were significant differences (p <
      0.001) in values of all areas of quality of life questionnaire SF36 before and
      after the implementation of physical activity. The type of physical activity had
      no influence in FSS and BDI values. Continuous physical activity, regardless of
      its type, significantly improved quality of life of SLE patients. We recommend
      regular physical activity as an integral part of modern therapeutic approach in
      this patient population. 

PMID- 26490345
TI  - Beneficial effects of previous exercise training on renal changes in
      streptozotocin-induced diabetic female rats.
AB  - This study evaluated the effects of aerobic exercise performed both previously
      and after the induction of diabetes mellitus on changes of renal function and
      structure in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Female wistar rats were
      divided into five groups: sedentary control (C + Se); trained control (C + Ex);
      sedentary diabetic (D + Se); trained diabetic (D + Ex) and previously trained
      diabetic (D + PEx). The previous exercise consisted of treadmill running for four
      weeks before the induction of diabetes mellitus. After induction of diabetes
      mellitus with streptozotocin, the D + PEx, D + Ex and C + Ex groups were
      submitted to eight weeks of aerobic exercise. At the end of the training
      protocol, we evaluate the serum glucose, insulin and 17beta-estradiol levels,
      renal function and structure, proteinuria, and fibronectin, collagen IV and
      transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta1) renal expressions. Induction of
      diabetes mellitus reduced the insulin and did not alter 17beta-estradiol levels,
      and exercise did not affect any of these parameters. Previous exercise training
      attenuated the loss of body weight, the blood glucose, the increase of glomerular
      filtration rate and prevented the proteinuria in the D + PEx group compared to D
      + Se group. Previous exercise also reduced glomerular hypertrophy, tubular and
      glomerular injury, as well as the expressions of fibronectin and collagen IV.
      These expressions were associated with reduced expression of TGF-beta1. In
      conclusion, our study shows that regular aerobic exercise especially performed
      previously to induction of diabetes mellitus improved metabolic control and has
      renoprotective action on the diabetic kidney.

PMID- 26490346
TI  - Sulforaphane attenuates the development of atherosclerosis and improves
      endothelial dysfunction in hypercholesterolemic rabbits.
AB  - The aim of the present work was to explore possible protective effects of
      sulforaphane (SFN) against atherosclerosis development and endothelial
      dysfunction in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Rabbits were assigned to three
      groups of five: group I fed normal chow diet for four weeks, group II fed 1% high
      cholesterol diet (HCD) and group III fed HCD + SFN (0.25 mg/kg/day). Blood
      samples were collected for measurement of serum triglycerides (TGs), total
      cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), lactate
      dehydrogenase (LDH) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Aortic malondialdehyde (MDA),
      reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total nitrite/nitrate
      (NOx) were measured. Vascular reactivity and intima/media (I/M) ratio were
      analyzed. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) activation in aortic endothelial
      cells was identified immunohistochemically. HCD induced significant increases in
      serum TGs, TC, LDL-C, LDH, and CRP, and aortic MDA and SOD. Moreover, HCD caused
      significant reductions in serum HDL-C, aortic GSH and NOx. SFN administration
      significantly decreased HCD-induced elevations in serum TC, LDL-C, CRP, and LDH.
      while significantly increased HDL-C and GSH levels and normalized aortic SOD and
      NOx. Additionally, SFN significantly improved rabbit aortic endothelium-dependent
      relaxation to acetylcholine. Moreover, SFN significantly reduced the elevation in
      I/M ratio. This effect was confirmed by aortic histopathologic examination. The
      expression of NF-kappaB in aortic tissue showed a marked reduction upon treatment
      with SFN. In conclusion, this study reveals that SFN has the ability to
      ameliorate HCD-induced atherosclerotic lesions progression and vascular
      dysfunction, possibly via its lipid-lowering and antioxidant effects and
      suppression of NF-kappaB-mediated inflammation.

PMID- 26490347
TI  - A novel approach identifies the first transcriptome networks in bats: a new
      genetic model for vocal communication.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bats are able to employ an astonishingly complex vocal repertoire for
      navigating their environment and conveying social information. A handful of
      species also show evidence for vocal learning, an extremely rare ability shared
      only with humans and few other animals. However, despite their potential for the
      study of vocal communication, bats remain severely understudied at a molecular
      level. To address this fundamental gap we performed the first transcriptome
      profiling and genetic interrogation of molecular networks in the brain of a
      highly vocal bat species, Phyllostomus discolor. RESULTS: Gene network analysis
      typically needs large sample sizes for correct clustering, this can be
      prohibitive where samples are limited, such as in this study. To overcome this,
      we developed a novel bioinformatics methodology for identifying robust co
      expression gene networks using few samples (N=6). Using this approach, we
      identified tissue-specific functional gene networks from the bat PAG, a brain
      region fundamental for mammalian vocalisation. The most highly connected network
      identified represented a cluster of genes involved in glutamatergic synaptic
      transmission. Glutamatergic receptors play a significant role in vocalisation
      from the PAG, suggesting that this gene network may be mechanistically important
      for vocal-motor control in mammals. CONCLUSION: We have developed an innovative
      approach to cluster co-expressing gene networks and show that it is highly
      effective in detecting robust functional gene networks with limited sample sizes.
      Moreover, this work represents the first gene network analysis performed in a bat
      brain and establishes bats as a novel, tractable model system for understanding
      the genetics of vocal mammalian communication.

PMID- 26490348
TI  - Acoustic noise reduction in T 1- and proton-density-weighted turbo spin-echo
      imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To reduce acoustic noise levels in T 1-weighted and proton-density
      weighted turbo spin-echo (TSE) sequences, which typically reach acoustic noise
      levels up to 100 dB(A) in clinical practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five acoustic
      noise reduction strategies were combined: (1) gradient ramps and shapes were
      changed from trapezoidal to triangular, (2) variable-encoding-time imaging was
      implemented to relax the phase-encoding gradient timing, (3) RF pulses were
      adapted to avoid the need for reversing the polarity of the slice-rewinding
      gradient, (4) readout bandwidth was increased to provide more time for gradient
      activity on other axes, (5) the number of slices per TR was reduced to limit the
      total gradient activity per unit time. We evaluated the influence of each measure
      on the acoustic noise level, and conducted in vivo measurements on a healthy
      volunteer. Sound recordings were taken for comparison. RESULTS: An overall
      acoustic noise reduction of up to 16.8 dB(A) was obtained by the proposed
      strategies (1-4) and the acquisition of half the number of slices per TR only.
      Image quality in terms of SNR and CNR was found to be preserved. CONCLUSIONS: The
      proposed measures in this study allowed a threefold reduction in the acoustic
      perception of T 1-weighted and proton-density-weighted TSE sequences compared to
      a standard TSE-acquisition. This could be achieved without visible degradation of
      image quality, showing the potential to improve patient comfort and scan
      acceptability.

PMID- 26490349
TI  - Association between shift work and the risk of death from biliary tract cancer in
      Japanese men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence suggesting that shift work involving
      night work may increase cancer risk. METHODS: We examined the association between
      working rotating shifts and the risk of death from biliary tract cancer among
      Japanese men who participated in the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study. Of the
      46,395 men recruited, 22,224 men aged 40-65 at baseline (1988-1990) who reported
      working full-time or were self-employed were included in the present analysis.
      The study subjects were followed through December 31, 2009. Information regarding
      occupation and lifestyle factors was collected using a self-administered
      questionnaire. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the hazard
      ratio (HR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) for the risk of death from biliary
      tract cancer in relation to shift work. RESULTS: During a mean 17-year follow-up,
      we observed 94 biliary tract cancer deaths, including 23 deaths from gallbladder
      cancer and 71 deaths from extrahepatic bile duct cancer. Overall, shift work was
      associated with a statistically non-significant increase in the risk of biliary
      tract cancer, with an HR of 1.50 (95 % CI: 0.81-2.77), among rotating shift
      workers. When the analysis was limited to extrahepatic bile duct cancer, a
      significant association appeared, with a multivariable-adjusted HR of 1.93 (95 %
      CI: 1.00-3.72) for rotating shift workers. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that
      shift work may be associated with increased risk of death from extrahepatic bile
      duct cancer in this cohort of Japanese men. The association with gallbladder
      cancer remains unclear because of the small number of deaths.

PMID- 26490350
TI  - Bayesian calibration of simulation models for supporting management of the
      elimination of the macroparasitic disease, Lymphatic Filariasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mathematical models of parasite transmission can help integrate a
      large body of information into a consistent framework, which can then be used for
      gaining mechanistic insights and making predictions. However, uncertainty,
      spatial variability and complexity, can hamper the use of such models for
      decision making in parasite management programs. METHODS: We have adapted a
      Bayesian melding framework for calibrating simulation models to address the need
      for robust modelling tools that can effectively support management of lymphatic
      filariasis (LF) elimination in diverse endemic settings. We applied this
      methodology to LF infection and vector biting data from sites across the major LF
      endemic regions in order to quantify model parameters, and generate reliable
      predictions of infection dynamics along with credible intervals for modelled
      output variables. We used the locally calibrated models to estimate breakpoint
      values for various indicators of parasite transmission, and simulate timelines to
      parasite extinction as a function of local variations in infection dynamics and
      breakpoints, and effects of various currently applied and proposed LF
      intervention strategies. RESULTS: We demonstrate that as a result of parameter
      constraining by local data, breakpoint values for all the major indicators of LF
      transmission varied significantly between the sites investigated. Intervention
      simulations using the fitted models showed that as a result of heterogeneity in
      local transmission and extinction dynamics, timelines to parasite elimination in
      response to the current Mass Drug Administration (MDA) and various proposed MDA
      with vector control strategies also varied significantly between the study sites.
      Including vector control, however, markedly reduced the duration of interventions
      required to achieve elimination as well as decreased the risk of recrudescence
      following stopping of MDA. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated how a Bayesian data
      model assimilation framework can enhance the use of transmission models for
      supporting reliable decision making in the management of LF elimination.
      Extending this framework for delivering predictions in settings either lacking or
      with only sparse data to inform the modelling process, however, will require
      development of procedures to estimate and use spatio-temporal variations in model
      parameters and inputs directly, and forms the next stage of the work reported
      here.

PMID- 26490351
TI  - Analyzing pathogenic (double-stranded (ds) DNA-specific) plasma cells via
      immunofluorescence microscopy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: While protective plasma cells (PCs) are an important part of the
      individual's immune defense, autoreactive plasma cells such as dsDNA-specific
      plasma cells contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases like systemic
      lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the research on dsDNA-specific plasma cells
      was restricted to the ELISpot technique, with its limitations, as no other
      attempt for identification of dsDNA-reactive plasma cells had been successful.
      METHODS: With improved fluorochrome labeling of dsDNA, removal of DNA aggregates,
      and enhanced blocking of unspecific binding, we were able to specifically detect
      dsDNA-reactive plasma cells by immunofluorescence microscopy. RESULTS: Via this
      novel technique we were able to distinguish short-lived (SLPCs) and long-lived
      (LLPCs) autoreactive plasma cells, discriminate dsDNA-specific plasma cells
      according to their immunoglobulin class (IgG, IgM, and IgA) and investigate
      autoreactive (dsDNA) and vaccine-induced ovalbumin (Ova) plasma cells in
      parallel. CONCLUSIONS: The detection of autoreactive dsDNA-specific plasma cells
      via immunofluorescence microscopy allows specific studies on pathogenic and
      protective plasma cell subsets and their niches, detailed evaluation of
      therapeutic treatments and therefore offers new possibilities for basic and
      clinical research.

PMID- 26490352
TI  - Perioperative care of infants with pyloric stenosis.
AB  - Pyloric stenosis (PS) is one of the most common surgical conditions affecting
      neonates and young infants. The definitive treatment for PS is surgical
      pyloromyotomy, either open or laparoscopic. However, surgical intervention should
      never be considered urgent or emergent. More importantly, emergent medical
      intervention may be required to correct intravascular volume depletion and
      electrolyte disturbances. Given advancements in surgical and perioperative care,
      morbidity and mortality from PS should be limited. However, either may occur
      related to poor preoperative resuscitation, anesthetic management difficulties,
      or postoperative complications. The following manuscript reviews the current
      evidence-based medicine regarding the perioperative care of infants with PS with
      focus on the preoperative assessment and correction of metabolic abnormalities,
      intraoperative care including airway management (particularly debate related to
      rapid sequence intubation), maintenance anesthetic techniques, and techniques for
      postoperative pain management. Additionally, reports of applications of regional
      anesthesia for either postoperative pain control or as an alternative to general
      anesthesia are discussed. Management recommendations are provided whenever
      possible. 

PMID- 26490353
TI  - Characterization of the disposition of fostamatinib in Japanese subjects
      including pharmacokinetic assessment in dry blood spots: results from two phase I
      clinical studies.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aims of the present study were to characterize the pharmacokinetics
      of fostamatinib in two phase I studies in healthy Japanese subjects after single-
      and multiple-dose administration, and to evaluate the utility of dried blood spot
      (DBS) sampling. METHODS: In study A, 40 Japanese and 16 white subjects were
      randomized in a double-blind parallel group study consisting of seven cohorts,
      which received either placebo or a fostamatinib dose between 50 and 200 mg after
      single and multiple dosing. Pharmacokinetics of R406 (active metabolite of
      fostamatinib) in plasma and urine was assessed, and safety was intensively
      monitored. Study B was an open-label study that assessed fostamatinib 100 and 200
      mg in 24 Japanese subjects. In addition to plasma and urine sampling (as for
      study A), pharmacokinetics was also assessed in blood. RESULTS: Mean maximum
      plasma concentration (C max) and area under total plasma concentration-time curve
      (AUC) increased with increasing dose in Japanese subjects. Steady state was
      achieved in 5-7 days for all doses. C max and AUC were both higher in Japanese
      subjects administered a 150-mg single dose than in white subjects. This
      difference was maintained for steady state exposure by day 10. Overall, R406
      blood concentrations were consistent and ~2.5-fold higher than in plasma. Minimal
      (<0.1 %) R406 was excreted in urine. Fostamatinib was well tolerated at all
      doses. CONCLUSIONS: Fostamatinib pharmacokinetics following single- and multiple
      dose administration was approximately dose proportional at all doses <=150 mg and
      greater than dose proportional at 200 mg in Japanese subjects. Japanese subjects
      administered fostamatinib 150 mg had higher exposure than white subjects. R406
      could be measured in DBS samples and distributed into red blood cells, and DBS
      sampling was a useful method for assessing R406 pharmacokinetics.

PMID- 26490354
TI  - Off-label and unlicensed drug treatments in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: an
      Italian multicentre study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The use of medicines among newborns admitted to intensive care units is
      characterized by a high prevalence of off-label/unlicensed use and a wide
      variability in the absence of international guidelines. A prospective cross
      sectional study was organized with the aim to analyse drug prescriptions among
      all 107 Italian level III neonatal intensive care units. METHODS: An online
      questionnaire was used to collect detailed information for each newborn, and a
      classification was made about the license status of all prescriptions. In
      addition, prescriptions were analysed taking into account a practical guide
      prepared by the Italian Society of Neonatology (ISN). RESULTS: The 1-day survey
      (May-July 2014) regarded 220 newborn infants admitted to 36/107 Italian neonatal
      intensive care units: 191 prematures and 29 born at term. In total, 720
      prescriptions (corresponding to 79 different drugs) were analysed: 191 (26.5 %)
      followed the terms of the product license, 529 (73.5 %) were off-label or
      unlicensed: 193/220 newborns (87.7 %) received at least one off-label/unlicensed
      prescription. Antiinfectives were the most common medicine used, followed by
      respiratory drugs and antianaemics; in an off-label manner, the most common was
      cardiovascular and central nervous system (CNS) drugs, gastrointestinals and
      antiinfectives. The most common categories of off-label use were age (34.4 %) and
      dosing frequency (20.6 %). Compared to ISN practical guide, prescriptions adhered
      more frequently to indications (100 % for ampicillin/sulbactam, >80 % for
      ampicillin, fluconazole, fentanyl, ranitidine and vancomicin). CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results confirm the high prevalence of off-label/unlicensed drug use in the
      neonatal population and underline a better adherence to indications based on
      clinical practice, suggesting the need to update information contained in the
      data sheets of medicines.

PMID- 26490355
TI  - Prevalence and predictors of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug/analgesic
      therapeutic duplication in the South Korean ambulatory care setting.
AB  - PURPOSE: Therapeutic duplication (TD) in prescriptions is a common cause of
      inappropriate drug use. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of TD in the
      Korean ambulatory setting and to determine the patient and prescriber
      characteristics that were associated with TD of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
      drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics. METHODS: Ambulatory care cases with
      NSAID/analgesic prescriptions were extracted from the National Health Insurance
      database for January-March 2011. The Korean TD classification (64 ingredients)
      was used to define cases of TD. Multivariate logistic regression was used to
      determine the predictors of TD. The independent variables in the regression model
      included patient characteristics (sex, age, insurance type, comorbidity,
      diagnosis, and number of prescribed drugs) and prescriber characteristics (type
      of medical institution and specialty). RESULTS: Among 21 million patients, we
      identified 59,636,222 ambulatory care visits with NSAID/analgesic prescriptions;
      13.3 % of these cases involved TD. The most frequent duplications were
      diclofenac/aceclofenac (12.4 % of TDs), diclofenac/talniflumate (11.2 %), and
      diclofenac/loxoprofen sodium (10.7 %). Male sex, older age, and a Charlson
      comorbidity index of >=1 were associated with an increased likelihood of TD.
      Arthritis, injection administration (OR 3.676, 95 % CI 3.670-3.683), and the
      number of drugs per prescription were associated with an increased likelihood of
      TD. Orthopedic and pediatric specialties were associated with an increased
      likelihood of TD. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to determine the
      prevalence of NSAID TD and the factors that were associated with its occurrence
      in South Korea. These results may help prevent TD and improve appropriate
      medication use.

PMID- 26490356
TI  - Comparison of clinical outcomes of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer
      harbouring epidermal growth factor receptor exon 19 or exon 21 mutations after
      tyrosine kinase inhibitors treatment: a meta-analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Exon 19 deletion and exon 21 L858R mutation were the most common
      epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. We examined the clinical
      impact of these two mutations in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      after EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. METHODS: The outcomes of
      interest were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and
      objective response rates (ORR), network meta-analysis and direct meta-analysis
      were conducted to calculate the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs between these two
      mutations. We also investigated the association between EGFR mutation types and
      clinical characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 4835 patients from 26 trials were
      assessed. EGFR-TKIs, compared with chemotherapy, significantly prolonged PFS and
      OS in both exon 19 deletion and exon 21 L858R mutation based on 8 trials. Network
      meta-analysis revealed that treatment with EGFR-TKIs had greater benefit in exon
      19 deletion than in exon 21 L858R mutation. Furthermore, direct meta-analysis
      from 12 studies showed the similar result; patients with exon 19 deletion had a
      significantly longer PFS compared with exon 21 L858R mutation (HR, 0.69; 95 % CI,
      0.57-0.82; P < 0.001). There were also greater benefit on OS (HR, 0.61; 95 % CI,
      0.43-0.86; P = 0.005) and higher ORR (OR, 2.14; 95 % CI, 1.63-2.81; P < 0.001).
      Additionally, we found that a significant association between the type of
      mutation and age (P < 0.001) or smoking status (P = 0.022), but no other
      significant differences were detected in sex, histologic subtype and performance
      status between these two mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with NSCLC and EGFR
      exon 19 deletion had a longer PFS, OS and higher response rates after EGFR-TKI
      therapy compared with exon 21 L858R mutation.

PMID- 26490357
TI  - A limited sampling strategy based on maximum a posteriori Bayesian estimation for
      a five-probe phenotyping cocktail.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cocktail approach using a combination of probes to phenotype several
      cytochromes P450 or transporters is of high interest in anticipating drug-drug
      interactions and personalized medicine. Its clinical use remains however limited
      by the intensive sampling scheme required to obtain phenotyping indexes (PI)
      which consists in calculating the area under the concentration-time curves. We
      proposed to use maximum a posteriori Bayesian estimation (MAPBE) that
      incorporates available information from the whole population to derive PI from a
      few individual observations. The performance of a limited sampling strategy (LSS)
      based on MAPBE was evaluated for a five-probe cocktail. METHODS: The studied
      cocktail included midazolam, tolbutamide, caffeine, dextromethorphan, omeprazole
      and their relevant metabolites. Prior information for MAPBE was obtained by
      nonlinear mixed-effect modelling of data from a pilot study. Sampling times were
      chosen based on optimal design theory using the Bayesian Fisher information
      matrix. Through a simulation study, we investigated the predicted PI in terms of
      bias and imprecision for varying number and timing of samples. RESULTS: Some
      three-point Bayesian designs gave mean prediction errors in [-5 %, 5 %], root
      mean square errors below 30 % for all probes, except dextromethorphan whose model
      should be consolidated further with additional data. This approach gave overall
      less outlier predicted values than single-point metrics and was more flexible to
      the timing of the latest sampling. CONCLUSIONS: MAPBE is accurate for predicting
      simultaneously several PI while being flexible in terms of integrating clinical
      constraints. Therefore, LSS based on MAPBE could help reduce the time of presence
      in hospital for individuals to be phenotyped.

PMID- 26490358
TI  - Corrigendum: Control of eight predominant Eimeria spp. involved in economic
      coccidiosis of broiler chicken by a chemically characterized essential oil.

PMID- 26490359
TI  - Quantification of normal cerebral oxygen extraction and oxygen metabolism by
      phase-based MRI susceptometry: evaluation of repeatability using two different
      imaging protocols.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Global oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and cerebral metabolic rate
      of oxygen (CMRO2 ) were quantified in a test-retest study. Cerebral blood flow
      (CBF) data, required for CMRO2 estimation, were obtained using dynamic
      susceptibility contrast MRI (DSC-MRI). OEF and CMRO2 were quantified using two
      separate data sets, that is, conventional high-resolution (HR) gradient echo
      (GRE) phase maps as well as echo planar imaging (EPI) phase maps taken from the
      baseline (precontrast) part of the DSC-MRI time series. The EPI phase data were
      included to elucidate whether an extra HR-GRE scan is needed to obtain
      information about OEF and CMRO2 , or if this information can be extracted from
      the DSC-MRI experiment only. METHODS: Twenty healthy volunteers were scanned
      using 3 T MRI on two occasions. Oxygen saturation levels were obtained from phase
      data measured in the great cerebral vein of Galen, based on HR-GRE as well as EPI
      phase maps. In combination with DSC-MRI CBF, this allowed for calculation of OEF
      and CMRO2 . RESULTS: High-resolution-gradient echo- and EPI-based phase images
      resulted in similar OEF spread and repeatability, with coefficients of
      variation/intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.26/0.95 and 0.23/0.81,
      respectively. Absolute OEF values (HR-GRE: 0.40 +/- 0.11, EPI: 0.35 +/- 0.08)
      were consistent with literature data. CMRO2 showed similar repeatability,
      somewhat increased spread and reasonable absolute values (HR-GRE: 3.23 +/- 1.26
      ml O2 /100 g min-1 , EPI: 2.79 +/- 0.89 ml O2 /100 g min-1 ). DISCUSSION: In
      general, the results obtained by HR-GRE and EPI showed comparable
      characteristics. The EPI methodology could potentially be improved using a
      slightly modified DSC-MRI protocol (e.g. with regard to spatial resolution and
      slice gap).

PMID- 26490360
TI  - Programmable gradational micropatterning of functional materials using maskless
      lithography controlling absorption.
AB  - The demand for patterning functional materials precisely on surfaces of stimuli
      responsive devices has increased in many research fields. In situ polymerization
      technology is one of the most convenient ways to place the functional materials
      on a desired location with micron-scale accuracy. To fabricate stimuli-responsive
      surfaces, controlling concentration of the functional material is much as
      important as micropatterning them. However, patterning and controlling
      concentration of the functional materials simultaneously requires an additional
      process, such as preparing multiple co-flow microfluidic structures and numbers
      of solutions with various concentrations. Despite applying these processes,
      fabricating heterogeneous patterns in large scale (millimeter scale) is still
      impossible. In this study, we propose an advanced in situ polymerization
      technique to pattern the surface in micron scale in a concentration-controlled
      manner. Because the concentration of the functional materials is manipulated by
      self-assembly on the surface, a complex pattern could be easily fabricated
      without any additional procedure. The complex pattern is pre-designed with
      absorption amount of the functional material, which is pre-determined by the
      duration of UV exposure. We show that the resolution reaches up to 2.5 MUm and
      demonstrate mm-scale objects, maintaining the same resolution. We also fabricated
      Multi-bit barcoded micro particles verify the flexibility of our system. 

PMID- 26490361
TI  - Guanidinium-Induced Denaturation by Breaking of Salt Bridges.
AB  - Despite its wide use as a denaturant, the mechanism by which guanidinium (Gdm(+)
      ) induces protein unfolding remains largely unclear. Herein, we show evidence
      that Gdm(+) can induce denaturation by disrupting salt bridges that stabilize the
      folded conformation. We study the Gdm(+) -induced denaturation of a series of
      peptides containing Arg/Glu and Lys/Glu salt bridges that either stabilize or
      destabilize the folded conformation. The peptides containing stabilizing salt
      bridges are found to be denatured much more efficiently by Gdm(+) than the
      peptides containing destabilizing salt bridges. Complementary 2D-infrared
      measurements suggest a denaturation mechanism in which Gdm(+) binds to side-chain
      carboxylate groups involved in salt bridges. 

PMID- 26490363
TI  - Rapid flame synthesis of internal Mo(6+) doped TiO2 nanocrystals in situ
      decorated with highly dispersed MoO3 clusters for lithium ion storage.
AB  - The rational design of nanoheterostructured materials has attracted much
      attention because of its importance for developing highly efficient LIBs. Herein,
      we have demonstrated that internal Mo(6+) doped TiO2 nanocrystals in situ
      decorated with highly dispersed MoO3 clusters have been realized by a facile and
      rapid flame spray pyrolysis route for electrochemical energy storage. In such
      intriguing nanostructures, internal Mo(6+) doping can improve the conductivity of
      electrode materials and facilitate rapid Li(+) intercalation and ion transport
      and the heteroassembly of highly dispersed ultrafine MoO3 clusters with excellent
      electrochemical activity endows the TiO2 with extra Li(+) ion storage ability as
      well as incorporates Mo(6+). Thus, the as-prepared nanohybrid electrodes exhibit
      a high specific capacity and superior rate capability due to the maximum
      synergetic effect of TiO2, Mo(6+) and ultrafine MoO3 clusters. Moreover, the
      aerosol flame process with a unique temperature gradient opens a new strategy to
      design novel hybrid materials by the simultaneous doping and heteroassembly
      engineering for next-generation LIBs. 

PMID- 26490362
TI  - Drug Permeation Characterization of Inhaled Dry Powder Formulations in Air-Liquid
      Interfaced Cell Layer Using an Improved, Simple Apparatus for Dispersion.
AB  - PURPOSE: An improved, simple apparatus was developed to easily and uniformly
      disperse dry powders onto an air-liquid interfaced cultured cell layer. We
      investigated drug permeation in cell cultures with access to the air-liquid
      interface (ALI) following deposition of a dry powder using the apparatus. METHOD:
      The improved apparatus for dispersing the powders was assembled. Dry powders
      containing model drugs were prepared and dispersed onto the cell layer with ALI.
      After the dispersion, the permeation of each model drug was measured and compared
      with other samples (solutions with the same compositions). RESULTS: The improved
      apparatus could with ease uniformly disperse 40% of the loading dose onto the
      cell layer with ALI. Dry powders showed higher drug permeability compared to the
      samples. without cytotoxicity or an effect on tight junctions. The high drug
      permeability of dry powders was independent of the molecular weight of model
      drugs. The contribution of active transport was small, while an increase in
      passive drug transport via trans- and paracellular routes was observed.
      CONCLUSIONS: Inhaled dry powder formulations achieved higher drug permeability
      than their solution formulations in ALI. A high local concentration of drugs on
      the cell layer, caused by direct attachment of the inhaled dry powder,
      contributed to increased drug permeability via both trans- and paracellular
      routes.

PMID- 26490364
TI  - Estrogen receptor beta signaling alters cellular inflammasomes activity after
      global cerebral ischemia in reproductively senescence female rats.
AB  - Periodic treatments with estrogen receptor subtype-beta (ER-beta) agonist reduce
      post-ischemic hippocampal injury in ovariectomized rats. However, the underlying
      mechanism of how ER-beta agonists protect the brain remains unknown. Global
      cerebral ischemia activates the innate immune response, and a key component of
      the innate immune response is the inflammasome. This study tests the hypothesis
      that ER-beta regulates inflammasome activation in the hippocampus, thus reducing
      ischemic hippocampal damage in reproductively senescent female rats that received
      periodic ER-beta agonist treatments. First, we determined the effect of
      hippocampal ER-beta silencing on the expression of the inflammasome proteins
      caspase 1, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), and
      interleukin (IL)-1beta. Silencing of ER-beta attenuated 17beta-estradiol mediated
      decrease in caspase 1, ASC, and IL-1beta. Next, we tested the hypothesis that
      periodic ER-beta agonist treatment reduces inflammasome activation and ischemic
      damage in reproductively senescent female rats. Periodic ER-beta agonist
      treatments significantly decreased inflammasome activation and increased post
      ischemic live neuronal counts by 32% (p < 0.05) as compared to the vehicle
      treated, reproductively senescent rats. Current findings demonstrated that ER
      beta activation regulates inflammasome activation and protects the brain from
      global ischemic damage in reproductively senescent female rats. Further
      investigation on the role of a periodic ER-beta agonist regimen to reduce the
      innate immune response in the brain could help reduce the incidence and the
      impact of global cerebral ischemia in post-menopausal women. We propose that
      estrogen receptor subtype-beta (ER-beta) activation regulates inflammasome
      activation and protects the brain from global ischemic damage in reproductively
      senescent female rats. 

PMID- 26490366
TI  - Naphthalene Imide Conjugates: Formation of Supramolecular Assemblies, and the
      Encapsulation and Release of Dyes through DNA-Mediated Disassembly.
AB  - We report the synthesis of two new amphiphilic conjugates 1 and 2 based on
      naphthalene di- and monoimide chromophores and the investigation of their
      photophysical, self-assembly and DNA-binding properties. These conjugates showed
      aqueous good solubility and exhibited strong interactions with DNA and
      polynucleotides such as poly(dG?dC)-poly(dG?dC) and poly(dA?dT)-poly(dA?dT). The
      interaction of these conjugates with DNA was evaluated by photo- and biophysical
      techniques. These studies revealed that the conjugates interact with DNA through
      intercalation with association constants in the order of 5-8*10(4)  M(-1) . Of
      these two conjugates, bolaamphiphile 1 exhibited a supramolecular assembly that
      formed vesicles with an approximate diameter of 220 nm in the aqueous medium at a
      critical aggregation concentration of 0.4 mM, which was confirmed by SEM and TEM.
      These vesicular structures showed a strong affinity for hydrophobic molecules
      such as Nile red through encapsulation. Uniquely, when exposed to DNA the
      vesicles disassembled, and therefore this transformation could be utilised for
      the encapsulation and release of hydrophobic molecules by employing DNA as a
      stimulus. 

PMID- 26490368
TI  - Air pollution: 6.6 million premature deaths in 2050!

PMID- 26490367
TI  - Protocol for the development of a CONSORT-equity guideline to improve reporting
      of health equity in randomized trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health equity concerns the absence of avoidable and unfair
      differences in health. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) can provide evidence
      about the impact of an intervention on health equity for specific disadvantaged
      populations or in general populations; this is important for equity-focused
      decision-making. Previous work has identified a lack of adequate reporting
      guidelines for assessing health equity in RCTs. The objective of this study is to
      develop guidelines to improve the reporting of health equity considerations in
      RCTs, as an extension of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials
      (CONSORT). METHODS/DESIGN: A six-phase study using integrated knowledge
      translation governed by a study executive and advisory board will assemble
      empirical evidence to inform the CONSORT-equity extension. To create the
      guideline, the following steps are proposed: (1) develop a conceptual framework
      for identifying "equity-relevant trials," (2) assess empirical evidence regarding
      reporting of equity-relevant trials, (3) consult with global methods and content
      experts on how to improve reporting of health equity in RCTs, (4) collect broad
      feedback and prioritize items needed to improve reporting of health equity in
      RCTs, (5) establish consensus on the CONSORT-equity extension: the guideline for
      equity-relevant trials, and (6) broadly disseminate and implement the CONSORT
      equity extension. DISCUSSION: This work will be relevant to a broad range of RCTs
      addressing questions of effectiveness for strategies to improve practice and
      policy in the areas of social determinants of health, clinical care, health
      systems, public health, and international development, where health and/or access
      to health care is a primary outcome. The outcomes include a reporting guideline
      (CONSORT-equity extension) for equity-relevant RCTs and a knowledge translation
      strategy to broadly encourage its uptake and use by journal editors, authors, and
      funding agencies.

PMID- 26490369
TI  - Reliability of Semi-Automated Segmentations in Glioblastoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: In glioblastoma, quantitative volumetric measurements of contrast
      enhancing or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) hyperintense tumor
      compartments are needed for an objective assessment of therapy response. The aim
      of this study was to evaluate the reliability of a semi-automated, region-growing
      segmentation tool for determining tumor volume in patients with glioblastoma
      among different users of the software. METHODS: A total of 320 segmentations of
      tumor-associated FLAIR changes and contrast-enhancing tumor tissue were performed
      by different raters (neuroradiologists, medical students, and volunteers). All
      patients underwent high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging including a 3D
      FLAIR and a 3D-MPRage sequence. Segmentations were done using a semi-automated,
      region-growing segmentation tool. Intra- and inter-rater-reliability were
      addressed by intra-class-correlation (ICC). Root-mean-square error (RMSE) was
      used to determine the precision error. Dice score was calculated to measure the
      overlap between segmentations. RESULTS: Semi-automated segmentation showed a high
      ICC (> 0.985) for all groups indicating an excellent intra- and inter-rater
      reliability. Significant smaller precision errors and higher Dice scores were
      observed for FLAIR segmentations compared with segmentations of contrast
      enhancement. Single rater segmentations showed the lowest RMSE for FLAIR of 3.3 %
      (MPRage: 8.2 %). Both, single raters and neuroradiologists had the lowest
      precision error for longitudinal evaluation of FLAIR changes. CONCLUSIONS: Semi
      automated volumetry of glioblastoma was reliably performed by all groups of
      raters, even without neuroradiologic expertise. Interestingly, segmentations of
      tumor-associated FLAIR changes were more reliable than segmentations of contrast
      enhancement. In longitudinal evaluations, an experienced rater can detect
      progressive FLAIR changes of less than 15 % reliably in a quantitative way which
      could help to detect progressive disease earlier.

PMID- 26490371
TI  - Gold-Catalyzed Ring Expansion of Alkynyl Heterocycles through 1,2-Migration of an
      Endocyclic Carbon-Heteroatom Bond.
AB  - A mild and efficient gold-catalyzed oxidative ring-expansion of a series of
      alkynyl heterocycles using pyridine-N-oxide as the oxidant has been developed,
      which affords highly valuable six- or seven-membered heterocycles with wide
      functional group toleration. The reaction consists of a regioselective oxidation
      and a chemoselective migration of an endocyclic carbon-heteroatom bond (favored
      over C-H migration) with the order of migratory aptitude for carbon-heteroatom
      bonds being C-S>C-N>C-O. In the absence of an oxidant, polycyclic products are
      readily constructed through a ring-expansion/Nazarov cyclization reaction
      sequence.

PMID- 26490370
TI  - Limbic-Auditory Interactions of Tinnitus: An Evaluation Using Diffusion Tensor
      Imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Tinnitus is defined as an imaginary subjective perception in the
      absence of an external sound. Convergent evidence proposes that tinnitus
      perception includes auditory, attentional and emotional components. The aim of
      this study was to investigate the thalamic, auditory and limbic interactions
      associated with tinnitus-related distress by Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI).
      METHODS: A total of 36 tinnitus patients, 20 healthy controls underwent an
      audiological examination, as well as a magnetic resonance imaging protocol
      including structural and DTI sequences. All participants completed the Tinnitus
      Handicap Inventory (THI) and Visual Analog Scales (VAS) related with tinnitus.
      The fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values
      were obtained for the auditory cortex (AC), inferior colliculus (IC), lateral
      lemniscus (LL), medial geniculate body (MGB), thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN),
      amygdala (AMG), hippocampus (HIP), parahippocampus (PHIP) and prefrontal cortex
      (PFC). RESULTS: In tinnitus patients the FA values of IC, MGB, TRN, AMG, HIP
      decreased and the ADC values of IC, MGB, TRN, AMG, PHIP increased significantly.
      The contralateral IC-LL and bilateral MGB FA values correlated negatively with
      hearing loss. A negative relation was found between the AMG-HIP FA values and THI
      and VAS scores. Bilateral ADC values of PHIP and PFC significantly correlated
      with the attention deficiency-VAS scores. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this is the
      first DTI study to investigate the grey matter structures related to tinnitus
      perception and the significant correlation of FA and ADC with clinical parameters
      suggests that DTI can provide helpful information for tinnitus. Magnifying the
      microstructures in DTI can help evaluate the three faces of tinnitus nature:
      hearing, emotion and attention.

PMID- 26490372
TI  - Physical properties and biocompatibility of an injectable calcium-silicate-based
      root canal sealer: in vitro and in vivo study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the physical properties and
      biological effects of an experimentally developed injectable premixed calcium
      silicate root canal sealer (Endoseal) in comparison with mineral trioxide
      aggregate (MTA) and a resin-based sealer (AHplus). METHODS: The pH, solubility,
      dimensional change, flow, and radiopacity of the materials were evaluated.
      Biocompatibility was evaluated on the basis of cell morphology and a viability
      test using MC3T3-E1 cells. For evaluate inflammatory reaction, the tested sealers
      were implanted into dorsal subcutaneous connective tissue of Sprague Dawley rats.
      After 7 days, the implants with the surrounding tissue were retrieved, and
      histological evaluation was performed. RESULTS: Endoseal showed high alkalinity
      similar to that of MTA. The solubility of the tested materials was similar. The
      dimensional change and flow of Endoseal was significantly higher than that of
      other materials (P < 0.05). The radiopacity of Endoseal was lower than that of
      AHplus (P < 0.05). The biocompatibility was similar to those of MTA. Inflammatory
      reaction of Endoseal was similar with that of MTA, but lower than that of AHplus
      (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that Endoseal has favorable
      physical properties and biocompatibility. Therefore, we suggest that Endoseal has
      the potential to be used as a predictable root canal sealer.

PMID- 26490373
TI  - Functional assessment of the fundus autofluorescence pattern in Best vitelliform
      macular dystrophy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify the fundus autofluorescence (FAF) patterns in Best
      vitelliform macular dystrophy (VMD). METHODS: Patients affected by VMD in
      vitelliform, pseudohypopyon, and vitelliruptive stages underwent a complete
      ophthalmological examination, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA),
      short-wavelength FAF (SW-FAF), near-infrared FAF (NIR-FAF) and microperimetry.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: the identification of the correlation between SW-FAF and
      NIR-FAF patterns of the foveal region with BCVA, and central retinal sensitivity
      in eyes affected by VMD. The secondary outcomes included the definition of the
      frequency of foveal patterns on SW-FAF and NIR-FAF. RESULTS: Thirty-seven of 64
      (58 %), 8 of 64 (12.5 %) and 19 of 64 (29.5 %) eyes showed vitelliform,
      pseudohypopyon, and vitelliruptive stages respectively. Three main FAF patterns
      were identified on both techniques: hyper-autofluorescent pattern, hypo
      autofluorescent pattern, and patchy pattern. BCVA was significantly different in
      eyes with hypo-autofluorescent and patchy patterns with respect to eyes showing a
      hyper-autofluorescent pattern. Similar differences were registered in the FS
      according to SW-FAF classification. However, the FS differed in each subgroup in
      the NIR-FAF analysis. Subgroup analyses were performed on the patchy pattern,
      combining FAF and fundus abnormalities. Considering both FAF techniques, the BCVA
      differed between the vitelliform and pseudohypopyon stages, and between the
      vitelliform and vitelliruptive stages. In the NIR-FAF classification, there was a
      significant statistical difference in the FS between each subgroup; in the SW
      FAF, there was a significant difference between the vitelliform and
      pseudohypopyon stages and the vitelliform and vitelliruptive stages. CONCLUSIONS:
      Three main FAF patterns can be identified in VMD. The patchy pattern is the most
      frequent, accounting for 70 % of eyes on SW-FAF and 80 % of eyes on NIR-FAF. A
      tighter correlation links the classification of NIR-FAF patterns and FS.
      Longitudinal investigations are warranted to evaluate the course of FAF patterns
      and their role in disease monitoring.

PMID- 26490374
TI  - Investigating the ocular temperature rise during femtosecond laser lens
      fragmentation: an in vitro study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the trend of temperature variation during lens
      fragmentation simulated by a femtosecond laser on an in vitro eye model. METHODS:
      In our experimental study, a convex cylinder of gelatinous material, usually
      employed in femtosecond laser calibration, was used to simulate both an anterior
      segment and a crystalline lens during fragmentation performed with the Victus
      femtosecond laser (Technolas Perfect Vision GmbH, Germany; Bausch + Lomb
      Incorporated, USA). Two radiated energies (7000 nJ and 9000 nJ) and three cutting
      patterns (crosses, circles and cross + circle) were applied. Trends of
      temperature variation as a function of time were obtained using a T-type
      thermocouple. RESULTS: The maximum value of temperature rise during lens
      fragmentation ranged from 3.53 to 5.13  degrees C; the rise was directly
      proportional to the intensity of the radiated energy (7000 nJ or 9000 nJ) and the
      cutting pattern performed. This behavior was experimentally represented by an
      asymmetric function with a characteristic bell curve shape, whereas it was
      mathematically described by a transport diffusive model. CONCLUSIONS: Since the
      temperature rise at the fragmentation volume base resulted to be around 5 
      degrees C in our in vitro study, lens fragmentation performed using the Victus
      femtosecond laser might be considered safe form a thermal point of view.

PMID- 26490375
TI  - The BMJ, take heed: almost all studies have some degree of bias.

PMID- 26490377
TI  - Computational Identification, Target Prediction, and Validation of Conserved
      miRNAs in Insulin Plant (Costus pictus D. Don).
AB  - Insulin plant (Costus pictus D. Don) is an economically important medicinal plant
      for the content of its high value secondary metabolites, bioactive compounds, and
      remarkable flowering features. MicroRNAs are a class of short (~21 nucleotides),
      endogenous, noncoding RNA molecules that play a vital role in regulating gene
      expression. Here, we used a computer-based homology approach to identify
      conserved miRNAs in Transcribed Sequence Assemblies (TSA) of C. pictus. It led us
      to identify 42 miRNAs of 13 different families in C. pictus for the first time.
      Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays, we further confirmed
      the expression of 8 miRNAs (miR394, miR159b, miR166k, miR172, miR159f, miR166,
      miR144, and miR858) in young and mature leaf tissues. A total of 109 potential
      target genes of the identified miRNAs were subsequently predicted in rice (Oryza
      sativa L.) genome. The target genes encode transcription factors, enzymes, and
      various functional proteins involved in the regulation of several metabolic
      pathways. The findings in the present study lay the foundation for further
      research on miRNAs and miRNA-mediated gene regulation in this important medicinal
      plant. 

PMID- 26490376
TI  - Facial asymmetry assessment in adults using three-dimensional surface imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of three-dimensional (3D) surface imaging is becoming more
      popular and accepted in the fields of Medicine and Dentistry. The present study
      aims to develop a technique to automatically localise and quantify soft-tissue
      asymmetry in adults using 3D facial scans. This may be applied as a diagnostic
      tool to monitor growth and dynamic changes and to evaluate treatment outcomes.
      METHODS: 3D facial surface data were captured from 55 adults comprising 28
      symmetrical faces and 27 asymmetrical faces using a 3dMDface system. A landmark
      independent method, which compared the original and the mirrored 3D facial data,
      was developed to quantify the asymmetry. A Weibull distribution-based
      probabilistic model was generated from the root-mean-square (RMS) error data for
      the symmetrical group to designate a level of asymmetry which represented a
      normal range. RESULTS: Statistically significant (p < 0.0001) differences in the
      RMS error values were found when comparing symmetrical with asymmetrical groups
      and a similarly significant difference was identified between the lower and the
      upper face of the asymmetrical group. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed 3D imaging-based
      method of identifying and quantifying facial soft-tissue asymmetry was fast and
      effective. The Weibull distribution-based comparison of a person's asymmetry with
      respect to a large sample of symmetrical faces may also be used to evaluate
      growth, soft-tissue compensations and surgical outcomes.

PMID- 26490378
TI  - Aspergillus niger Enhance Bioactive Compounds Biosynthesis As Well As Expression
      of Functional Genes in Adventitious Roots of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.
AB  - In the present study, the culture conditions for the accumulation of Glycyrrhiza
      uralensis adventitious root metabolites in balloon-type bubble bioreactors
      (BTBBs) have been optimized. The results of the culture showed that the best
      culture conditions were a cone angle of 90 degrees  bioreactor and 0.4-0.6-0.4
      vvm aeration volume. Aspergillus niger can be used as a fungal elicitor to
      enhance the production of defense compounds in plants. With the addition of a
      fungal elicitor (derived from Aspergillus niger), the maximum accumulation of
      total flavonoids (16.12 mg g(-1)) and glycyrrhetinic acid (0.18 mg g(-1))
      occurred at a dose of 400 mg L(-1) of Aspergillus niger resulting in a 3.47-fold
      and 1.8-fold increase over control roots. However, the highest concentration of
      polysaccharide (106.06 mg g(-1)) was achieved with a mixture of elicitors
      (Aspergillus niger and salicylic acid) added to the medium, resulting in a 1.09
      fold increase over Aspergillus niger treatment alone. Electrospray ionization
      tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS(n)) analysis was performed, showing that seven
      compounds were present after treatment with the elicitors, including uralsaponin
      B, licorice saponin B2, liquiritin, and (3R)-vestitol, only identified in the
      mixed elicitor treatment group. It has also been found that elicitors
      (Aspergillus niger and salicylic acid) significantly upregulated the expression
      of the cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H), beta-amyrin synthase (beta-AS), squalene
      epoxidase (SE) and a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP72A154) genes, which are
      involved in the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds, and increased superoxide
      dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) activity. 

PMID- 26490379
TI  - Low-Cost Synthesis of Smart Biocompatible Graphene Oxide Reduced Species by Means
      of GFP.
AB  - The aim of this work is focused on the engineering of biocompatible complex
      systems composed of an inorganic and bio part. Graphene oxide (GO) and/or
      graphite oxide (GtO) were taken into account as potential substrates to the
      linkage of the protein such as Anemonia sulcata recombinant green fluorescent
      protein (rAsGFP). The complex system is obtained through a reduction process
      between GO/GtO and rAsGFP archiving an environmentally friendly biosynthesis.
      Spectroscopic measurements support the formation of reduced species. In
      particular, photoluminescence shows a change in the activity of the protein when
      a bond is formed, highlighted by a loss of the maximum emission signal of rAsGFP
      and a redshift of the maximum absorption peak of the GO/GtO species. Moreover,
      the hemolysis assay reveals a lower value in the presence of less oxidized
      graphene species providing evidence for a biocompatible material. This singular
      aspect can be approached as a promising method for circulating pharmaceutical
      preparations via intravenous administration in the field of drug delivery. 

PMID- 26490380
TI  - Physicochemical Biomolecular Insights into Buffalo Milk-Derived Nanovesicles.
AB  - Milk is a natural nutraceutical produced by mammals. The nanovesicles of milk
      play a role in horizontal gene transfer and confer health-benefits to milk
      consumers. These nanovesicles contain miRNA, mRNA, and proteins which mediate the
      intercellular communication. In this work, we isolated and characterized the
      buffalo milk-derived nanovesicles by dynamic light scattering (DLS), nanoparticle
      tracking analysis (NTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Western probing, and
      Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The DLS data suggested a bimodal
      size distribution with one mode near 50 nm and the other around 200 nm for the
      nanovesicles. The NTA and SEM data also supported the size of nanovesicles within
      a range of 50-200 nm. The FTIR measurements of nanovesicles identified some
      prominent absorption bands attributable to the proteins (1300-1700 cm(-1), amide
      A and amide B bands), lipids (2800-3100 cm(-1)), polysaccharides, and nucleic
      acids (900-1200 cm(-1)). The comparative expression profiles of immune miRNA
      signatures (miR-15b, miR-21, miR-27b, miR-125b, miR-155, and miR-500) in
      nanovesicles isolated from milk, serum, and urine revealed that these miRNAs are
      present abundantly (P < 0.05) in milk-derived nanovesicles. Milk miRNAs (miR-21
      and 500) that were also found stable under different household storage conditions
      indicated that these could be biologically available to milk consumers. Overall,
      nanovesicles are a new class of bioactive compounds from buffalo milk with high
      proportion of stable immune miRNAs compared to urine and plasma of same animals. 

PMID- 26490381
TI  - Updates on drug-target network; facilitating polypharmacology and data
      integration by growth of DrugBank database.
AB  - Network pharmacology elucidates the relationship between drugs and targets. As
      the identified targets for each drug increases, the corresponding drug-target
      network (DTN) evolves from solely reflection of the pharmaceutical industry trend
      to a portrait of polypharmacology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      potentials of DrugBank database in advancing systems pharmacology. We constructed
      and analyzed DTN from drugs and targets associations in the DrugBank 4.0
      database. Our results showed that in bipartite DTN, increased ratio of identified
      targets for drugs augmented density and connectivity of drugs and targets and
      decreased modular structure. To clear up the details in the network structure,
      the DTNs were projected into two networks namely, drug similarity network (DSN)
      and target similarity network (TSN). In DSN, various classes of Food and Drug
      Administration-approved drugs with distinct therapeutic categories were linked
      together based on shared targets. Projected TSN also showed complexity because of
      promiscuity of the drugs. By including investigational drugs that are currently
      being tested in clinical trials, the networks manifested more connectivity and
      pictured the upcoming pharmacological space in the future years. Diverse
      biological processes and protein-protein interactions were manipulated by new
      drugs, which can extend possible target combinations. We conclude that network
      based organization of DrugBank 4.0 data not only reveals the potential for
      repurposing of existing drugs, also allows generating novel predictions about
      drugs off-targets, drug-drug interactions and their side effects. Our results
      also encourage further effort for high-throughput identification of targets to
      build networks that can be integrated into disease networks.

PMID- 26490382
TI  - Record high magnetic exchange and magnetization blockade in Ln2@C79N (Ln =
      Gd(III) and Dy(III)) molecules: a theoretical perspective.
AB  - Ab initio and DFT calculations reveal a very strong ferromagnetic exchange of the
      order of 200 cm(-1) in an endohedral radical hetero-metallo-fullerene molecule
      Gd2@C79N. Calculations performed on the anisotropic Dy2@C79N molecule reveal that
      very strong Dy-radical exchange not only quenches the QTM effects but also
      immensely enhances the barrier height for magnetization reversal. 

PMID- 26490383
TI  - FGF21 Revolutions: Recent Advances Illuminating FGF21 Biology and Medicinal
      Properties.
AB  - The biology of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) has evolved through its first
      decade at a revolutionary pace with dramatic refinements in this relatively short
      span of time. This field is poised now with a deeper understanding of its
      specific physiological role, pathological ramifications for its inappropriate
      function, and a much-enriched context of the complex hormonal network in which it
      serves to regulate metabolism. As a derivative of these discoveries, the
      application of FGF21 as a medicinal agent has emerged with structurally optimized
      protein-based analogs being preclinically explored in multiple species, and, more
      recently, through clinical studies. These novel findings set a foundation for
      ongoing inquiries that structure future research into this intriguing protein. 

PMID- 26490385
TI  - Influence of Alkoxy Groups on the Photoinduced Dynamics of Organic Molecules
      Exemplified on Alkyl Vinyl Ethers.
AB  - A series of different alkyl vinyl ethers is investigated to decipher the possible
      reaction channels upon photoexcitation to the pi3s-Rydberg and the pipi*-valence
      state at 200 nm using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and on-the-fly
      time-dependent density functional theory dynamics simulations. The results
      indicate two possible relaxation pathways: (1) a radiationless decay through the
      pipi*-state back to the ground state via torsion of the C?C double bond, in
      accordance with the dynamics found in ethylene; and (2) a fast dissociation of
      the C-O bond between the alkyl and the vinoxy group in the pisigma*-state. The
      latter state can be accessed only after excitation to the pi3s-Rydberg state
      (quantum yield of ~50% according to the dynamics simulations). Additionally, the
      excited state barrier leading to formation of a vinyl radical was found to be too
      high to be crossed. These results indicate that the dynamics of ethers crucially
      depend on the excitation wavelength and that the pisigma*-state constitutes an
      important competitive reaction channel that leads to dissociation of the
      molecules. 

PMID- 26490386
TI  - Wilderness First Aid Training as a Tool for Improving Basic Medical Knowledge in
      South Sudan.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The challenges presented by traumatic injuries in low-resource
      communities are especially relevant in South Sudan. This study was conducted to
      assess whether a 3-day wilderness first aid (WFA) training course taught in South
      Sudan improved first aid knowledge. Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities
      (SOLO) Schools designed the course to teach people with limited medical knowledge
      to use materials from their environment to provide life-saving care in the event
      of an emergency. METHODS: A pre-test/post-test study design was used to assess
      first aid knowledge of 46 community members in Kit, South Sudan, according to a
      protocol approved by the University of New England Institutional Review Board.
      The course and assessments were administered in English and translated in real
      time to Acholi and Arabic, the two primary languages spoken in the Kit region.
      Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and correlation analyses were conducted.
      RESULTS: Results included a statistically significant improvement in first aid
      knowledge after the 3-day training course: t(38)=3.94; P<.001. Although men
      started with more health care knowledge: (t(37)=2.79; P=.008), men and women
      demonstrated equal levels of knowledge upon course completion: t(37)=1.56; P=.88.
      CONCLUSIONS: This research, which may be the first of its kind in South Sudan,
      provides evidence that a WFA training course in South Sudan is efficacious. These
      findings suggest that similar training opportunities could be used in other parts
      of the world to improve basic medical knowledge in communities with limited
      access to medical resources and varying levels of education and professional
      experiences.

PMID- 26490384
TI  - Establishing the Role of PPARbeta/delta in Carcinogenesis.
AB  - The role of the nuclear hormone receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated
      receptor beta/delta (PPARbeta/delta) in carcinogenesis is controversial because
      conflicting studies indicate that it both inhibits and promotes tumorigenesis. In
      this review, we focus on recent studies on PPARbeta/delta including the
      significance of increased or decreased PPARbeta/delta expression in cancers; a
      range of opposing mechanisms describing how PPARbeta/delta agonists, antagonists,
      and inverse agonists regulate tumorigenesis and/or whether there may be cell
      context-specific mechanisms; and whether activating or inhibiting PPARbeta/delta
      is feasible for cancer chemoprevention and/or therapy. Research questions that
      need to be addressed are highlighted to establish whether PPARbeta/delta can be
      effectively targeted for cancer chemoprevention. 

PMID- 26490387
TI  - Adropin concentrations in term pregnancies with normal, restricted and increased
      fetal growth.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine levels of adropin (implicated in insulin resistance and
      endothelial dysfunction) in intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR), large (LGA)
      and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) pregnancies. METHODS: Cord-blood (UC)
      adropin and insulin concentrations were measured in 30 IUGR, 30 LGA and 20 AGA
      full-term infants and their mothers (MS). RESULTS: No significant differences in
      adropin concentrations were observed between the three groups. In the IUGR group
      MS adropin was significantly decreased when neonates had higher birth weights [b
      = -0.003, 95% CI -0.006 to 0.0, p = 0.043]. In all groups, MS adropin levels were
      positively correlated with UC ones (r = 0.282, p = 0.011) and were significantly
      increased in female neonates [b = 0.977, 95% CI 0.122-1.832, p = 0.026]. In the
      LGA group, MS insulin was negatively correlated with UC adropin (r =  -0.362 p =
      0.049). CONCLUSIONS: Increased maternal adropin levels in severe IUGR cases might
      represent a regulatory feedback mechanism against endothelial placental
      dysfunction. The positive correlation between maternal and umbilical cord adropin
      levels implies its transplacental transfer. Increased maternal adropin levels in
      female neonates could be attributed to interaction of adropin with fetal
      estrogens through vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The negative
      correlation between maternal insulin and fetal adropin levels in the LGA group is
      probably attributed to their respective insulin resistance.

PMID- 26490388
TI  - Increased observation services in Medicare beneficiaries with chest pain.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We examined trends in the use of observation services and the
      relationship between index service type (observation services, emergency
      department [ED] visits, inpatient stays) and both clinical outcomes and Medicare
      payments. METHODS: We created a yearly cohort panel of Medicare beneficiaries
      with chest pain. We evaluate the relationships between index service type and 30
      day clinical outcomes using a multinomial logit model and between index service
      type and Medicare payments using generalized linear models. RESULTS: In 2009, 24%
      of patients with chest pain received observation services; this rose to 29% in
      2011. Conversely, 20% were treated as hospital inpatients in 2009; this fell to
      16% in 2011. In the adjusted analysis, the risk of 30-day return to the hospital
      was 7% less (95% confidence interval, 5%-8%) for those receiving observation
      services as compared with inpatients. Average Medicare payments ranged from $3032
      for beneficiaries initially treated in the ED to $3885 for those initially
      treated in observation to $6545 for those initially treated as inpatients.
      DISCUSSION: Patients treated in observation are less likely than those treated in
      the ED or as inpatients to have an adverse event within 30 days. Adjusted
      Medicare payments, including the index stay and the subsequent 30 days, were
      substantially less for those treated in observation as compared with those
      treated as inpatients, but more than for those treated and released from the ED.
      Higher rates of observation service use do not appear to be negatively affecting
      patient outcomes and may lower costs relative to inpatient treatment.

PMID- 26490389
TI  - Flow Cytometry II: Mass and Imaging Cytometry.

PMID- 26490390
TI  - Pharmacomechanical thrombolysis with a rotator thrombolysis device in iliofemoral
      deep venous thrombosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is a life-threatening and morbid
      pathology. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of an early thrombolysis
      procedure using a rotator thrombolysis device. METHODS: Sixty-seven patients with
      acute proximal DVT were enrolled in the study. Patients' data were recorded
      retrospectively. Initially, an infrarenal retrievable vena cava filter was placed
      through the femoral vein. Then, a rotator thrombolysis device and a thrombolytic
      agent injection were applied to the occluded segments of the deep veins by
      puncturing the popliteal vein. RESULTS: The identified reasons were trauma
      (43.3%), pregnancy (20.9%), undiagnosed (11.9%), major surgical operation
      (10.5%), immobilization (7.5%), and malignancy (5.9%). Immediate total
      recanalization was conducted in all patients, and the leg diameters returned to
      normal ranges in the early postoperative period. Hospital mortality or severe
      complications were not detected. CONCLUSION: New thrombolytic devices seem to
      reduce in-hospital mortality risks and may potentially decrease post-thrombotic
      morbidity.

PMID- 26490392
TI  - Dietary vitamin, mineral and herbal supplement use: a cross-sectional survey of
      before and during pregnancy use in Sydney, Australia.
AB  - AIM: To describe the use of dietary vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements
      before and during pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pregnant women attending for
      antenatal care at two tertiary Sydney hospitals between January and March 2014
      completed an anonymous survey. Information on general maternal and pregnancy
      characteristics and the use of dietary and herbal supplements, including type,
      duration and sources of information, was collected. Frequency and contingency
      tabulations were performed. RESULTS: A total of 612 women agreed to participate
      (91% response rate). Of 589 women included in the analysis, mean gestational age
      at the time of survey was 28.5 weeks (SD 8.3), 55% had no children, and 67% were
      tertiary-educated. Overall, 62.9% of women reported taking a multivitamin (MV)
      and/or folic acid (FA) supplement in the 3 months prepregnancy, and 97.5% took a
      MV and/or FA in the first trimester. At the time of the survey, 93.8% of women
      were taking at least one supplement (median 2, range 1-13). During pregnancy,
      79.1% of women were taking MVs, including 59.2% taking MV only and 19.9% taking
      MV and FA. The five most common supplements outside of a MV were FA (31%), iron
      (30%), vitamin D (23%), calcium (13%) and fish oil (12%). Reported herbal
      supplement rates were low. CONCLUSION: Folic acid, MVs and other supplements use
      during and prepregnancy is relatively high, although prepregnancy FA
      supplementation rates could still be improved. Further research on the actual
      dosages and dietary intakes consumed is needed to examine whether pregnant women
      have adequate intake of nutrients, regardless of supplement use.

PMID- 26490391
TI  - A De Novo Deletion in the Regulators of Complement Activation Cluster Producing a
      Hybrid Complement Factor H/Complement Factor H-Related 3 Gene in Atypical
      Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome.
AB  - The regulators of complement activation cluster at chromosome 1q32 contains the
      complement factor H (CFH) and five complement factor H-related (CFHR) genes. This
      area of the genome arose from several large genomic duplications, and these low
      copy repeats can cause genome instability in this region. Genomic disorders
      affecting these genes have been described in atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome,
      arising commonly through nonallelic homologous recombination. We describe a novel
      CFH/CFHR3 hybrid gene secondary to a de novo 6.3-kb deletion that arose through
      microhomology-mediated end joining rather than nonallelic homologous
      recombination. We confirmed a transcript from this hybrid gene and showed a
      secreted protein product that lacks the recognition domain of factor H and
      exhibits impaired cell surface complement regulation. The fact that the formation
      of this hybrid gene arose as a de novo event suggests that this cluster is a
      dynamic area of the genome in which additional genomic disorders may arise.

PMID- 26490393
TI  - Effect of TV and radio family planning messages on the probability of modern
      contraception utilization in post-Soviet Central Asia.
AB  - : This study evaluates the effects of family planning message broadcast on radio
      and TV on the probability of modern contraception utilization in post-Soviet
      Central Asia. Viewing family planning messages on TV improves the chances of
      using modern contraception for a woman who actually saw the messages by about 11
      and 8 per cent in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, respectively. If every woman in
      Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan had an opportunity to watch a family planning message
      on TV, then the likelihood of using modern contraception would have improved by
      10 and 7 per cent in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, respectively. By contrast, the
      effect of hearing family planning messages on radio is not significant in both
      countries. (c) 2015 The Authors. International Journal of Health Planning and
      Management published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY MESSAGES: Viewing family
      planning messages on TV improves the chances of using modern contraception for a
      woman who actually saw the messages by about 11 and 8 per cent in Kyrgyzstan and
      Tajikistan, respectively. If every woman in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan had an
      opportunity to watch a family planning message on TV, then the probability of
      using modern contraception would have improved by 10 and 7 per cent in Kyrgyzstan
      and Tajikistan, respectively. Consequently, using TV family planning messages in
      both countries should be encouraged. In comparison, the effect of hearing family
      planning messages on radio is not significant in both countries.

PMID- 26490394
TI  - Comparing staging by positron emission tomography with contrast-enhanced computed
      tomography and by pathology in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the ability of positron emission
      tomography with contrast-enhanced computed tomography to correctly stage head and
      neck squamous cell carcinomas, in comparison with pathological staging. METHODS:
      Positron emission tomography computed tomography was used to determine the tumour
      node-metastasis classification and overall cancer stage in 85 head and neck
      squamous cell carcinoma patients who underwent pre-operative imaging using this
      modality and primary surgery between July 2010 and January 2013. Staging by
      positron emission tomography computed tomography was retrospectively compared
      with staging using pathological specimens. Agreement between imaging stage and
      pathological stage was examined by univariate and multivariate analysis both
      overall and for each primary tumour site. RESULTS: This imaging modality was 87.5
      per cent sensitive and 44.8 per cent specific in identifying regional cervical
      metastases, and had false positive and false negative rates of 18.8 per cent and
      8.2 per cent, respectively. The positive predictive and negative predictive
      values were 75.4 per cent and 65.0 per cent, respectively. Univariate and
      multivariate analyses revealed a significant agreement between positron emission
      tomography computed tomography and pathological node classification in older
      patients and for the oral cavity primary tumour site. There was significant
      agreement between both methods in the overall classification only for tumours
      classified as T3 or greater. CONCLUSION: Positron emission tomography computed
      tomography should be used with caution for the pre-operative staging of head and
      neck cancers because of its high false positive and false negative rates.

PMID- 26490395
TI  - Autotransplantation of premolars to the maxillary incisor region: a long-term
      follow-up of 12-22 years.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the long-term outcome of treatment of missing maxillary
      incisor teeth by transplantation of premolars, with special reference to
      aesthetics and patient satisfaction. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty subjects who
      had undergone transplantation of premolars to the maxillary incisor area were
      recalled for follow-up varying between 12 and 22 years post-surgery. Twelve
      subjects presented for examination, including radiography and three subjects
      participated only by answering questions. Three reference groups-general
      practitioners, orthodontists, and lay people-evaluated the aesthetic results from
      photographs. Patient satisfaction was evaluated by interviews and OHIP-14.
      RESULTS: The mean age at transplantation was 12.3 years: 1 subject had been 20
      years old and 11 were in the range of 9-14 years. Twelve to 22 years after
      autotransplantation, 5 subjects could not be reached: of the 15 who could be
      contacted, the survival rate was 15 out of 15. In the 12 subjects who presented
      for clinical examination, 11 out of the 12 transplants were assessed as
      successful. Nine transplants were restored with crowns and five had been
      recontoured with composite build-ups. In one patient, no restorative treatment
      had been undertaken. The subjects were satisfied with the aesthetic result.
      CONCLUSION: Autotransplantation of premolars is an appropriate method for
      treatment of missing maxillary anterior teeth. Subjects with a transplanted tooth
      to the maxillary anterior region perceive their oral health as good long term.

PMID- 26490398
TI  - Reconciling randomness and precision.

PMID- 26490399
TI  - Plant cell biology: CRISPR-Cas protection from plant viruses.

PMID- 26490401
TI  - Electronic structure of CoPt based systems: from bulk to nanoalloys.
AB  - An accurate description of the local electronic structure is necessary for
      guiding the design of materials with targeted properties in a controlled way. For
      complex materials like nanoalloys, self-consistent tight-binding calculations
      should be a good alternative to ab initio methods, for handling the most complex
      and large systems (hundreds to thousands of atoms), provided that these
      parameterized method is well founded from ab initio ones that they intend to
      replace. Ab initio calculations (density functional theory) enabled us to derive
      rules for charge distribution as a function of structural change and alloying
      effects in Co and Pt based systems, from bulk to nanoalloys. A general local
      neutrality rule per site, orbital and species was found. Based on it, self
      consistent tight-binding calculations could be implemented and applied to CoPt
      nanoalloys. A very good agreement is obtained between tight-binding and DFT
      calculations in terms of local electronic structure. 

PMID- 26490402
TI  - Cyclic enaminones. Part I: stereocontrolled synthesis using diastereoselective
      and catalytic asymmetric methods.
AB  - Cyclic enaminones are versatile intermediates to construct a variety of azacyclic
      frameworks and have been widely used in alkaloid synthesis. Here, we summarize
      three approaches for stereoselective syntheses of cyclic enaminones and their
      functionalized derivatives. These include chiral substrates (chirons) as starting
      materials, syntheses employing non-catalytic (stoichiometric) reagents, and
      catalytic asymmetric methods. 

PMID- 26490403
TI  - The Nick Norgan Award 2015.

PMID- 26490400
TI  - Transcriptional regulation of hepatic lipogenesis.
AB  - Fatty acid and fat synthesis in the liver is a highly regulated metabolic pathway
      that is important for very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) production and thus
      energy distribution to other tissues. Having common features at their promoter
      regions, lipogenic genes are coordinately regulated at the transcriptional level.
      Transcription factors, such as upstream stimulatory factors (USFs), sterol
      regulatory element-binding protein 1C (SREBP1C), liver X receptors (LXRs) and
      carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP) have crucial roles in
      this process. Recently, insights have been gained into the signalling pathways
      that regulate these transcription factors. After feeding, high blood glucose and
      insulin levels activate lipogenic genes through several pathways, including the
      DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK), atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) and AKT
      mTOR pathways. These pathways control the post-translational modifications of
      transcription factors and co-regulators, such as phosphorylation, acetylation or
      ubiquitylation, that affect their function, stability and/or localization.
      Dysregulation of lipogenesis can contribute to hepatosteatosis, which is
      associated with obesity and insulin resistance. 

PMID- 26490405
TI  - Sediment-bound metals as indicators of anthropogenic change in estuarine
      environments.
AB  - Sedimentary metal indicators were used to assess the environmental 'health' of 38
      estuaries on the central Australian east coast. Unlike many environmental
      indicators, the mean enrichment quotient (MEQ) provides the pristine condition
      and magnitude of anthropogenic change in estuarine condition, not confounded by
      natural spatial and temporal variation. MEQ is the mean normalised surficial
      concentration of Cu, Pb and Zn divided by their normalised background
      concentration. MEQs, identified from an extensive sedimentary database (n=2269),
      were used to derive a Metal Enrichment Index (MEI) comprising five impact
      categories. Population density and proportion of urbanised catchment were
      consistent with increased sedimentary metal concentrations, whereas estuarine
      sensitivity and metal enrichment were poorly correlated. No correlation was
      established between metal enrichment and estuary type or sedimentary facies. MEI
      can be used as a tool to meet the needs of policy-makers and estuarine managers
      by providing a tool by which human-induced change may be measured. 

PMID- 26490404
TI  - Complex folding and misfolding effects of deer-specific amino acid substitutions
      in the beta2-alpha2 loop of murine prion protein.
AB  - The beta2-alpha2 loop of PrP(C) is a key modulator of disease-associated prion
      protein misfolding. Amino acids that differentiate mouse (Ser169, Asn173) and
      deer (Asn169, Thr173) PrP(C) appear to confer dramatically different structural
      properties in this region and it has been suggested that amino acid sequences
      associated with structural rigidity of the loop also confer susceptibility to
      prion disease. Using mouse recombinant PrP, we show that mutating residue 173
      from Asn to Thr alters protein stability and misfolding only subtly, whilst
      changing Ser to Asn at codon 169 causes instability in the protein, promotes
      oligomer formation and dramatically potentiates fibril formation. The doubly
      mutated protein exhibits more complex folding and misfolding behaviour than
      either single mutant, suggestive of differential effects of the beta2-alpha2 loop
      sequence on both protein stability and on specific misfolding pathways. Molecular
      dynamics simulation of protein structure suggests a key role for the solvent
      accessibility of Tyr168 in promoting molecular interactions that may lead to
      prion protein misfolding. Thus, we conclude that 'rigidity' in the beta2-alpha2
      loop region of the normal conformer of PrP has less effect on misfolding than
      other sequence-related effects in this region. 

PMID- 26490406
TI  - Metal concentrations in the growth bands of Porites sp.: A baseline record on the
      history of marine pollution in the Gulf of Mannar, India.
AB  - The present study was carried out on the Porites coral growth bands (1979 to
      2014) to measure the metal accumulation for assessing the environmental pollution
      status. The concentrations of studied metals are compared with similar global
      studies, which indicate that the metals are probably derived from natural
      sources. The identical peaks of Fe and Mn are perfectly matched with Cu, Cr and
      Ni concentrations. However, the metal profile trend is slightly depressed from a
      regular trend in Zn, Cd and Pb peaks. The metal accumulation affinity of the reef
      skeleton is ranked in the following order Cr>Cd>Pb>Fe>Mn>Cu>Ni>Zn. The
      distribution of metal constituents in coral growth bands is primarily controlled
      by Fe and Mn in the reef skeleton. Other reef associated metals such as Pb and Cd
      are derived from other sources like coastal developments and anthropogenic
      sources. 

PMID- 26490408
TI  - Radioactivity in the Kuwait marine environment--Baseline measurements and review.
AB  - The Arabian Gulf region is moving towards a nuclear energy option with the first
      nuclear power plant now operational in Bushehr, Iran, and others soon to be
      constructed in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. Radiological safety is becoming a
      prime concern in the region. This study compiles available data and presents
      recent radionuclide data for the northern Gulf waters, considered as pre-nuclear
      which will be a valuable dataset for future monitoring work in this region.
      Radionuclide monitoring in the marine environment is a matter of prime concern
      for Kuwait, and an assessment of the potential impact of radionuclides requires
      the establishment and regular updating of baseline levels of artificial and
      natural radionuclides in various environmental compartments. Here we present
      baseline measurements for (210)Po, (210)Pb, (137)Cs, (90)Sr, and (3)H in Kuwait
      waters. The seawater concentration of (3)H, (210)Po, (210)Pb, (137)Cs, and (90)Sr
      vary between 130-146, 0.48-0.68, 0.75-0.89, 1.25-1.38 and 0.57-0.78 mBq L(-1),
      respectively. The (40)K concentration in seawater varies between 8.9-9.3 Bq L(
      1). The concentration of (40)K, total (210)Pb, (137)Cs, (90)Sr, (226)Ra, (228)Ra,
      (238)U, (235)U, (234)U, (239+240)Pu and (238)Pu were determined in sediments and
      range, respectively, between 353-445, 23.6-44.3, 1.0-3.1, 4.8-5.29, 17.3-20.5, 15
      16.4, 28.7-31.4, 1.26-1.30, 29.7-30.0, 0.045-0.21 and 0.028-0.03 Bq kg(-1) dry
      weight. Since, radionuclides are concentrated in marine biota, a large number of
      marine biota samples covering several trophic levels, from microalgae to sharks,
      were analyzed. The whole fish concentration of (40)K, (226)Ra, (224)Ra, (228)Ra,
      (137)Cs, (210)Po and (90)Sr range between 230-447, 0.7-7.3, <0.5-6.6, <0.5-15.80,
      <0.17, 0.88-4.26 and 1.86-5.34 Bq kg(-1) dry weight, respectively. (210)Po was
      found to be highly concentrated in several marine organisms with the highest
      (210)Po concentration found in Marica marmorata (193.5-215.6 Bq kg(-1) dry
      weight). (210)Po in most dissected fish samples shows increasing concentrations
      in the following order: edible tissue, gills, digestive system, liver and fecal
      matter. Fish fecal pellets had (210)Po concentrations several orders of magnitude
      higher than the seawater, fish muscle, and the fishes' ingested food. The high
      (210)Po concentration in fish fecal matter, suggest that the bulk of (210)Po
      content in fish was eventually excreted back into the environment as fecal
      pellets. In most fish high concentrations were noted in liver, with the highest
      (210)Po concentration recorded in shark liver (126.2-141.5 Bq kg(-1) wet).
      Moreover, (210)Po concentration in the soft tissue of molluscs (10.36-215.60 Bq
      kg(-1) dry weight) was far higher than that in fish muscle (0.05-7.49 Bq kg(-1)
      wet weight). A seasonal drop in (210)Po concentration in seawater was observed to
      vary with the abundance of phytoplankton and macroalgae due possibly to
      biological dilution. (137)Cs concentration in all the fish sampled was below the
      detection limit, and the concentration in seawater was also low; hence such low
      levels provide an opportunity to use this radionuclide as an indicator for any
      future radiocesium releases in this region.

PMID- 26490409
TI  - The roles of polyculture with Eucheuma gelatinae and Gafrarium tumidum in
      purification of eutrophic seawater and control of algae bloom.
AB  - To control algae bloom and eutrophication in the tropical semi-closed harbor of
      the Hongsha Bay in Sanya, China, polyculture systems with macroalgae Eucheuma
      gelatinae and bivalves Gafrarium tumidum were studied. First, nine polyculture
      combinations with E. gelatinae and G. tumidum were selected in a pool. Two
      combinations were then chosen by response surface analysis and used for further
      study to validate their effect on controlling the microalgae density and reducing
      the nutrition concentration in the pool. Subsequently, the two selected
      combinations were used to study the effect on the purification of eutrophic
      seawater and control of algae bloom in a sea mesocosm. The results indicated that
      polyculture with E. gelatinae and G. tumidum enhanced the purification of
      eutrophic seawater and control of algae bloom. These two polyculture combinations
      are considered suitable for the Hongsha Bay of Sanya in China. The two
      combinations present an excellent effect on controlling the microalgae density
      and reducing the nutrition concentration. 

PMID- 26490407
TI  - Changes in the water quality conditions of Kuwait's marine waters: Long term
      impacts of nutrient enrichment.
AB  - This work analyses a 30 year water quality data set collated from chemical
      analyses of Kuwait's marine waters. Spatial patterns across six sites in Kuwait
      Bay and seven sites located in the Arabian Gulf are explored and discussed in
      terms of the changing influences associated with point and diffuse sources.
      Statistical modelling demonstrated significant increases for dissolved nutrients
      over the time period. Kuwait marine waters have been subject to inputs from urban
      development, untreated sewage discharges and decreasing river flow from the Shatt
      al-Arab River. Chlorophyll biomass showed a small but significant reduction; the
      high sewage content of the coastal waters from sewage discharges likely favouring
      the presence of smaller phytoplankton taxa. This detailed assessment of temporal
      data of the impacts of sewage inputs into Kuwait's coastal waters establishes an
      important baseline permitting future assessments to be made as sewage is
      upgraded, and the river continues to be extracted upstream.

PMID- 26490410
TI  - Trace element and stable isotope analysis of fourteen species of marine
      invertebrates from the Bay of Fundy, Canada.
AB  - The Bay of Fundy, Canada, is a macrotidal bay with a highly productive intertidal
      zone, hosting a large abundance and diversity of marine invertebrates. We
      analysed trace element concentrations and stable isotopic values of delta(15)N
      and delta(13)C in 14 species of benthic marine invertebrates from the Bay of
      Fundy's intertidal zone to investigate bioaccumulation or biodilution of trace
      elements in the lower level of this marine food web. Barnacles (Balanus balanus)
      consistently had significantly greater concentrations of trace elements compared
      to the other species studied, but otherwise we found low concentrations of non
      essential trace elements. In the range of trophic levels that we studied, we
      found limited evidence of bioaccumulation or biodilution of trace elements across
      species, likely due to the species examined occupying similar trophic levels in
      different food chains. 

PMID- 26490411
TI  - Mercury and selenium in tissues and stomach contents of the migratory sailfish,
      Istiophorus platypterus, from the Eastern Pacific: Concentration,
      biomagnification, and dietary intake.
AB  - Mercury and selenium were assessed in the sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus, from
      the Eastern Pacific. Sixty-seven individuals were sampled, muscle, liver, kidney,
      gonads and the prey found in the stomach contents were isolated during fishing
      2011-2013 tournaments. Hg exhibited the following pattern (MUg g(-1) wet weight):
      liver (0.57 +/- 0.07)>muscle (0.56 +/- 0.04)>kidney (0.44 +/- 0.08)>gonad (0.14
      +/- 0.01). The maximum concentration of Se was found in kidneys (14.1 +/- 1.9 MUg
      g(-1)), and the minimum in muscles (0.67 +/- 0.03 MUg g(-1)). High Se:Hg ratios
      were found for muscle (4.1 +/- 0.3), kidney (132.4 +/- 12.1), liver (54.0 +/-
      4.4) and gonads (88.2 +/- 7.9); Hg:Se molar ratios were several orders of
      magnitude lower (muscle<0.4 and liver, kidney and gonad<0.03). Sailfish feed
      mainly on fishes and cephalopods with low Hg levels (<0.13 MUg g(-1)), these
      results indicate biomagnification of Hg and Se. The muscle of I. platypterus
      should be consumed (according the provisional tolerable weekly intake) by people
      cautiously so as not to exceed the recommended intake of 215 g per week.

PMID- 26490412
TI  - Polluter identification with spaceborne radar imagery, AIS and forward drift
      modeling.
AB  - This study defines and assesses a new operational concept to identify the origin
      of pollution at sea, based on Synthetic Aperture Radar, Automatic Identification
      System, and a forward drift model. As opposed to traditional methodologies where
      the SAR detected pollution is backtracked in the past, our approach assumes that
      all the vessels pollute all along their way. Based on all the AIS data flows, the
      forward-tracked simulated pollutions are then compared to the detected pollution,
      and the potential polluter can be finally identified. Case studies are presented
      to showcase its usefulness in a variety of maritime situations with a focus on
      orphan pollutions in a dense traffic area. Out of the identification of the
      suspected polluters, the age and eventually the type of the pollution can be
      retrieved. 

PMID- 26490413
TI  - Coral reefs in the Gulf are mostly dead now, but can we do anything about it?
AB  - This article discusses two key issues: firstly, the demise of reefs in the Gulf
      which is happening probably more rapidly than elsewhere; and secondly, the
      reasons why this remains such an intractable problem. Most reasons for this
      decline are scientifically well understood, though clearly not by the region's
      managers. Several factors may cause people to ignore the problem, even though
      habitat loss is vastly costly to the region. About 70% of the Gulf's reefs have
      essentially disappeared in a few decades, and although scientific indicators
      confirm that this is happening, it is commonly discounted as even being a
      possibility. Management of human interactions with the Gulf's marine systems
      remains very inadequate, to the detriment of the Gulf's marine systems and its
      people. It is clear that this not a scientific issue any longer but rather it is
      a political problem and failure. 

PMID- 26490414
TI  - I'm sexy and I glow it: female ornamentation in a nocturnal capital breeder.
AB  - In many species, males rely on sexual ornaments to attract females. Females, by
      contrast, rarely produce ornaments. The glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca) is an
      exception where wingless females glow to attract males that fly in search of
      females. However, little is known about the factors that promote the evolution of
      female ornaments in a sexual selection context. Here, we investigated if the
      female ornament of the glow-worm is a signal of fecundity used in male mate
      choice. In support of this, we found brightness to correlate with female
      fecundity, and males to prefer brighter dummy females. Thus, the glow emitted by
      females is a reliable sexual signal of female fecundity. It is likely that male
      preference for the fecundity-indicating ornament has evolved because of large
      variation among females in fecundity, and because nocturnal males cannot directly
      assess female size and fecundity. These results indicate that female
      ornamentation may evolve in capital breeders (i.e. those in which stored
      resources are invested in reproduction) when females vary significantly in
      fecundity and this variation cannot be assessed directly by males.

PMID- 26490415
TI  - Physiological ramifications for loggerhead turtles captured in pelagic longlines.
AB  - Bycatch of endangered loggerhead turtles in longline fisheries results in high
      rates of post-release mortality that may negatively impact populations. The
      factors contributing to post-release mortality have not been well studied, but
      traumatic injuries and physiological disturbances experienced as a result of
      capture are thought to play a role. The goal of our study was to gauge the
      physiological status of loggerhead turtles immediately upon removal from longline
      gear in order to refine our understanding of the impacts of capture and the
      potential for post-release mortality. We analysed blood samples collected from
      longline- and hand-captured loggerhead turtles, and discovered that capture in
      longline gear results in blood loss, induction of the systemic stress response,
      and a moderate increase in lactate. The method by which turtles are landed and
      released, particularly if released with the hook or line still attached, may
      exacerbate stress and lead to chronic injuries, sublethal effects or delayed
      mortality. Our study is the first, to the best of our knowledge, to document the
      physiological impacts of capture in longline gear, and our findings underscore
      the importance of best practices gear removal to promote post-release survival in
      longline-captured turtles.

PMID- 26490416
TI  - Nest architecture shapes the collective behaviour of harvester ants.
AB  - Structures influence how individuals interact and, therefore, shape the
      collective behaviours that emerge from these interactions. Here I show that the
      structure of a nest influences the collective behaviour of harvester ant
      colonies. Using network analysis, I quantify nest architecture and find that as
      chamber connectivity and redundancy of connections among chambers increase, so
      does a colony's speed of recruitment to food. Interestingly, the volume of the
      chambers did not influence speed of recruitment, suggesting that the spatial
      organization of a nest has a greater impact on collective behaviour than the
      number of workers it can hold. Thus, by changing spatial constraints on social
      interactions organisms can modify their behaviour and impact their fitness.

PMID- 26490417
TI  - The butterfly Papilio xuthus detects visual motion using chromatic contrast.
AB  - Many insects' motion vision is achromatic and thus dependent on brightness rather
      than on colour contrast. We investigate whether this is true of the butterfly
      Papilio xuthus, an animal noted for its complex retinal organization, by
      measuring head movements of restrained animals in response to moving two-colour
      patterns. Responses were never eliminated across a range of relative colour
      intensities, indicating that motion can be detected through chromatic contrast in
      the absence of luminance contrast. Furthermore, we identify an interaction
      between colour and contrast polarity in sensitivity to achromatic patterns,
      suggesting that ON and OFF contrasts are processed by two channels with different
      spectral sensitivities. We propose a model of the motion detection process in the
      retina/lamina based on these observations.

PMID- 26490418
TI  - Out of the frying pan into the air--emersion behaviour and evaporative heat loss
      in an amphibious mangrove fish (Kryptolebias marmoratus).
AB  - Amphibious fishes often emerse (leave water) when faced with unfavourable water
      conditions. How amphibious fishes cope with the risks of rising water
      temperatures may depend, in part, on the plasticity of behavioural mechanisms
      such as emersion thresholds. We hypothesized that the emersion threshold is
      reversibly plastic and thus dependent on recent acclimation history rather than
      on conditions during early development. Kryptolebias marmoratus were reared for 1
      year at 25 or 30 degrees C and acclimated as adults (one week) to either 25 or 30
      degrees C before exposure to an acute increase in water temperature. The emersion
      threshold temperature and acute thermal tolerance were significantly increased in
      adult fish acclimated to 30 degrees C, but rearing temperature had no significant
      effect. Using a thermal imaging camera, we also showed that emersed fish in a low
      humidity aerial environment (30 degrees C) lost significantly more heat (3.3
      degrees C min(-1)) than those in a high humidity environment (1.6 degrees C min(
      1)). In the field, mean relative humidity was 84%. These results provide evidence
      of behavioural avoidance of high temperatures and the first quantification of
      evaporative cooling in an amphibious fish. Furthermore, the avoidance response
      was reversibly plastic, flexibility that may be important for tropical amphibious
      fishes under increasing pressures from climatic change.

PMID- 26490419
TI  - Mitochondrial membrane potential: a trait involved in organelle inheritance?
AB  - Which mitochondria are inherited across generations? Are transmitted mitochondria
      functionally silenced to preserve the integrity of their genetic information, or
      rather are those mitochondria with the highest levels of function (as indicated
      by membrane potential Deltapsim) preferentially transmitted? Based on
      observations of the unusual system of doubly uniparental inheritance of
      mitochondria and of the common strictly maternal inheritance mode, I formulate a
      general hypothesis to explain which mitochondria reach the primordial germ cells
      (PGCs), and how this happens. Several studies indicate that mitochondrial
      movements are driven by microtubules and that mitochondria with high Deltapsim
      are preferentially transported. This can be applied also to the mitochondria that
      eventually populate embryonic PGCs, so I propose that Deltapsim may be a trait
      that allows for the preferential transmission of the most active (and healthy)
      mitochondria. The topics discussed here are fundamental in cell biology and
      genetics but remain controversial and a subject of heated debate; I propose an
      explanation for how a Deltapsim-dependent mechanism can cause the observed
      differences in mitochondrial transmission.

PMID- 26490420
TI  - Correction to 'Colour learning when foraging for nectar and pollen: bees learn
      two colours at once'.

PMID- 26490421
TI  - Letter to the nutritionDay study.

PMID- 26490422
TI  - Expedient screening for HIV-1 protease inhibitors using a simplified
      immunochromatographic assay.
AB  - A colloidal gold-based immunochromatographic (IC) strip test was developed and
      validated for the detection of HIV-1 protease (HIV-PR) activity and inhibitory
      effect of HIV-PR inhibitors (PIs). It is a unique 'two-step' process requiring
      the combination of proteolysis of HIV-PR and an immunochromatographic reaction.
      Monoclonal antibodies to the free C-terminus of HIV matrix protein (HIV-MA)
      conjugated to gold particles and a monoclonal antibody against intact and cleaved
      forms of the HIV-MA are immobilized on the 'Test'-line of the IC strip. Using
      lopinavir, a potent HIV protease inhibitor, the IC-strip was optimized to detect
      inhibitory activity against HIV-protease. At a lopinavir concentration of
      1000ng/mL (its suggested minimum effective concentration), a HIV-PRH6
      concentration of 6mg/mL and incubation period of 60min were the optimal
      conditions. A preliminary comparison between a validated high-performance liquid
      chromatography assay and the IC-strip to semi-quantify HIV protease inhibitor
      concentrations (lopinavir and atazanavir) demonstrated good agreement. This
      simplified method is suitable for the rapid screening of novel protease
      inhibitors for future therapeutic use. Moreover, the IC strip could also be
      optimized to semi-quantify PIs concentrations in plasma samples. 

PMID- 26490424
TI  - Ultralow thermal sensitivity of phase and propagation delay in hollow core
      optical fibres.
AB  - Propagation time through an optical fibre changes with the environment, e.g., a
      change in temperature alters the fibre length and its refractive index. These
      changes have negligible impact in many key fibre applications, e.g.,
      telecommunications, however, they can be detrimental in many others. Examples are
      fibre-based interferometry (e.g., for precise measurement and sensing) and fibre
      based transfer and distribution of accurate time and frequency. Here we show
      through two independent experiments that hollow-core photonic bandgap fibres have
      a significantly smaller sensitivity to temperature variations than traditional
      solid-core fibres. The 18 times improvement observed, over 3 times larger than
      previously reported, makes them the most environmentally insensitive fibre
      technology available and a promising candidate for many next-generation fibre
      systems applications that are sensitive to drifts in optical phase or absolute
      propagation delay. 

PMID- 26490423
TI  - Combination Therapy Targeting Ribosome Biogenesis and mRNA Translation
      Synergistically Extends Survival in MYC-Driven Lymphoma.
AB  - Ribosome biogenesis and protein synthesis are dysregulated in many cancers, with
      those driven by the proto-oncogene c-MYC characterized by elevated Pol I-mediated
      ribosomal rDNA transcription and mTORC1/eIF4E-driven mRNA translation. Here, we
      demonstrate that coordinated targeting of rDNA transcription and PI3K-AKT-mTORC1
      dependent ribosome biogenesis and protein synthesis provides a remarkable
      improvement in survival in MYC-driven B lymphoma. Combining an inhibitor of rDNA
      transcription (CX-5461) with the mTORC1 inhibitor everolimus more than doubled
      survival of EMU-Myc lymphoma-bearing mice. The ability of each agent to trigger
      tumor cell death via independent pathways was central to their synergistic
      efficacy. CX-5461 induced nucleolar stress and p53 pathway activation, whereas
      everolimus induced expression of the proapoptotic protein BMF that was
      independent of p53 and reduced expression of RPL11 and RPL5. Thus, targeting the
      network controlling the synthesis and function of ribosomes at multiple points
      provides a potential new strategy to treat MYC-driven malignancies. SIGNIFICANCE:
      Treatment options for the high proportion of cancers driven by MYC are limited.
      We demonstrate that combining pharmacologic targeting of ribosome biogenesis and
      mTORC1-dependent translation provides a remarkable therapeutic benefit to EMU-Myc
      lymphoma-bearing mice. These results establish a rationale for targeting ribosome
      biogenesis and function to treat MYC-driven cancer.

PMID- 26490425
TI  - Enhanced scope for extension of patent term for pharmaceuticals under Australian
      law.

PMID- 26490428
TI  - The determinants of presenteeism: a comprehensive investigation of stress-related
      factors at work, health, and individual factors among the aging workforce.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify the determinants of
      presenteeism, taking health and individual factors into account. METHODS: A
      quantitative analysis applying structural equation modelling analysis was
      conducted on the basis of secondary data from the Health and Retirement Survey
      (2008 wave), which measured presenteeism and its determinants. RESULTS: Stress
      related factors at work (beta =-0.35, p<0.001), individual factors (alpha =-0.27,
      p<0.001), and health (beta =0.24, p<0.001) were significantly related to
      presenteeism. Individual factors were found to be directly correlated with stress
      related factors at work (beta =0.22, p<0.001). Significant indirect effects
      between stress-related factors at work and presenteeism (Sobel z=-6.61; p<0.001)
      and between individual factors and presenteeism (Sobel z=-4.42; p<0.001), which
      were mediated by health, were also found. Overall, the final model accounted for
      37% (R(2)=0.37) of the variance in presenteeism. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates
      some important and practical guidelines for employers to avoid the burdens of
      stress-related presenteeism among their employees. These findings could help
      select target factors in the design and implementation of effective presenteeism
      interventions in the aging working population.

PMID- 26490427
TI  - Study of risk factors for atopic sensitization, asthma, and bronchial
      hyperresponsiveness in animal laboratory workers.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this estudy was to investigate the influence of allergen
      exposure levels and other risk factors for allergic sensitization, asthma, and
      bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in workers exposed to laboratory animals.
      METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study performed at two universities, 123
      workplaces with 737 subjects. Dust samples were collected from laboratories and
      animal facilities housing rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, or hamsters and
      analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure allergen
      concentrations. We also sampled workplaces without animals. Asthma was defined by
      both symptoms and BHR to mannitol. The concentrations of allergens were tested
      for association with a skin prick test, respiratory symptoms, spirometry data,
      and BHR. This multivariate analysis was performed by using Poisson regression to
      estimate the relative risk (RR) for the exposed group. RESULTS: Our sample
      comprised students and workers, with 336 subjects in the nonexposed group and 401
      subjects in the exposed group. Sixty-nine subjects (17%) had positive results in
      the skin prick test for animal allergens in the exposed group; in the nonexposed
      group, 10 subjects had positive results (3%) (p<0.001). Exposure to laboratory
      animals over 2.8 years was associated with atopic sensitization (RR=1.85; 95%
      confidence interval: 1.09-3.15; p=0.02). Allergen concentration was not
      associated with sensitization, asthma, or BHR. CONCLUSION: Exposure to laboratory
      animals was associated with atopic sensitization. However, we did not find a
      cutoff allergen concentration that increased the risk for sensitization. Duration
      of exposure seems to be more relevant to sensitization than concentration of
      allergens in dust.

PMID- 26490429
TI  - Bioaccumulation and enantioselectivity of type I and type II pyrethroid
      pesticides in earthworm.
AB  - In this study, the bioavailability and enantioselectivity differences between
      bifenthrin (BF, typeIpyrethroid) and lambad-cyhalothrin (LCT, type II pyrethroid)
      in earthworm (Eisenia fetida) were investigated. The bio-soil accumulation
      factors (BSAFs) of BF was about 4 times greater than that of LCT. LCT was
      degraded faster than BF in soil while eliminated lower in earthworm samples.
      Compound sorption plays an important role on bioavailability in earthworm, and
      the soil-adsorption coefficient (K(oc)) of BF and LCT were 22 442 and 42 578,
      respectively. Metabolic capacity of earthworm to LCT was further studied as no
      significant difference in the accumulation of LCT between the high and low dose
      experiment was found. 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (PBCOOH), a metabolite of LCT
      produced by earthworm was detected in soil. The concentration of PBCOOH at high
      dose exposure was about 4.7 times greater than that of in low dose level at the
      fifth day. The bioaccumulation of BF and LCT were both enantioselective in
      earthworm. The enantiomer factors of BF and LCT in earthworm were approximately
      0.12 and 0.65, respectively. The more toxic enantiomers ((+)-BF and (-)-LCT) had
      a preferential degradation in earthworm and leaded to less toxicity on earthworm
      for racemate exposure. In combination with other studies, a liner relationship
      between Log BSAF(S) and Log K(ow) was observed, and the Log BSAF(S) decreased
      with the increase of Log K(ow).

PMID- 26490430
TI  - Granular encapsulation of light hydrophobic liquids (LHL) in LHL-salt water
      systems: Particle induced densification with quartz sand.
AB  - Addition of granular materials to floating crude oil slicks can be effective in
      capturing and densifying the floating hydrophobic phase, which settles by
      gravity. Interaction of light hydrophobic liquids (LHL) with quartz sand was
      investigated in LHL-salt water systems. The LHLs studied were decane,
      tetradecane, hexadecane, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene, and 2
      cholorotoluene. Experiments were conducted with fine quartz sand (passing sieve
      No. 40 with openings 0.425 mm). Each LHL was dyed with few crystals of Sudan IV
      dye for ease of visual observation. A volume of 0.5 mL of each LHL was added to
      100 mL salt water (34 g/L). Addition of one gram of quartz sand to the floating
      hydrophobic liquid layer resulted in formation of sand-encapsulated globules,
      which settled due to increased density. All LHLs (except for a few globules of
      decane) formed globules covered with fine sand particles that were heavy enough
      to settle by gravity. The encapsulated globules were stable and retained their
      shape upon settling. Polarity of hydrophobic liquids as the main factor of
      aggregation with minerals was found to be insufficient to explain LHL aggregation
      with sand. Contact angle measurements were made by submerging a large quartz
      crystal with the LHL drop on its surface into salt water. A positive correlation
      was observed between the wetting angle of LHL and the LHL volume captured (r =
      0.75). The dependence of the globule density on globule radius was analyzed in
      relation to the coverage (%) of globule surface (LHL-salt water interface) by
      fine quartz particles.

PMID- 26490431
TI  - Unique Challenges of Type 1 Diabetes in the Preschool Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Extremely young children aged <=6 years old represent a unique
      population among patients with type 1 diabetes in terms of glycemic variation,
      diabetes management and complications. OBJECTIVE: We describe distinct features
      of diabetes care and outcomes in preschool age children. METHODS: We searched
      PubMed, Google Scholar, and authors' bibliographies in order to extract articles
      specific to type 1 diabetes in preschool age children. FINDINGS: The preschool
      age group is beset by many challenges to diabetes care, including more frequent
      hypo- and hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia unawareness, decreased residual beta cell
      function, and greater long-term neurocognitive effects from severe hypoglycemia
      and chronic hyperglycemia. Randomized controlled trials show that equally good
      metabolic control can be obtained with multiple daily injections or an insulin
      pump. Several non-randomized trials, including an 8 year longitudinal study, show
      lower hemoglobin A1C and decreased hypoglycemia on insulin pumps. Sensor
      augmented pump therapy resulted in superior A1C as long as sensors were used
      regularly. In contrast to adults, continuous glucose monitoring has little to no
      impact on A1C, although parents appreciate the improved monitoring for
      hypoglycemia. Children with onset of diabetes prior to age 5 are at risk for
      younger onset of microalbuminuria, however do not develop earlier onset
      retinopathy than children diagnosed after 5 years. Both severe hypoglycemia and
      chronic hyperglycemia have negative impact on neurocognition. CONCLUSION: Special
      knowledge about this young population is helpful for practitioners and parents.

PMID- 26490432
TI  - Family History of Type 2 Diabetes: Does Having a Diabetic Parent Increase the
      Risk?
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is well established that there is an important genetic
      predisposition for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). OBJECTIVE: To summarise
      available epidemiological data regarding T2DM transmission in various
      populations. METHOD: Narrative review. RESULTS: The estimated risk for the
      diagnosis of T2DM increases approximately by 2-4 times, when father, mother or
      both have this condition. Conversely, many T2DM patients have family members with
      DM. Studies have suggested that the likelihood of T2DM in the next generation is
      higher in the event of a diabetic mother than father. Both genetic factors, such
      as mitochondrial DNA mutations, and environmental components, such as intra
      uterine environment, have been implicated in the higher maternal transmission of
      T2DM. Despite the above findings, some studies in populations with high frequency
      of T2DM have not corroborated the predominantly maternal transmission. Such works
      have shown either an excess paternal or an equal transmission of T2DM.
      CONCLUSION: It appears that potential biases in reporting family history data,
      especially between the various racial groups, have contributed to the controversy
      over the existence of excess maternal transmission of DM.

PMID- 26490433
TI  - The Listeria monocytogenes Core-Genome Sequence Typer (LmCGST): a bioinformatic
      pipeline for molecular characterization with next-generation sequence data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Next-generation sequencing provides a powerful means of molecular
      characterization. However, methods such as single-nucleotide polymorphism
      detection or whole-chromosome sequence analysis are computationally expensive,
      prone to errors, and are still less accessible than traditional typing methods.
      Here, we present the Listeria monocytogenes core-genome sequence typing method
      for molecular characterization. This method uses a high-confidence core (HCC)
      genome, calculated to ensure accurate identification of orthologs. We also
      developed an evolutionarily relevant nomenclature based upon phylogenetic
      analysis of HCC genomes. Finally, we created a pipeline (LmCGST;
      https://sourceforge.net/projects/lmcgst/files/) that takes in raw next-generation
      sequencing reads, calculates a subject HCC profile, compares it to an expandable
      database, assigns a sequence type, and performs a phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS:
      We analyzed 29 high-quality, closed Listeria monocytogenes chromosome sequences
      and identified loci that are reliable targets for automated molecular
      characterization methods. We identified 1013 open-reading frames that comprise
      our high-confidence core (HCC) genome. We then populated a database with HCC
      profiles from 114 taxa. We sequenced 84 randomly selected isolates from the
      Listeriosis Reference Service for Canada's collection and analysed them with the
      LmCGST pipeline. In addition, we generated pulsed-field gel electrophoresis,
      ribotyping, and in silico multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) data for the 84
      isolates and compared the results to those obtained using the CGST method. We
      found that all of the methods yielded results that are generally congruent.
      However, due to the increased numbers of categories, the CGST method provides
      much greater discriminatory power than the other methods tested here.
      CONCLUSIONS: We show that the CGST method provides increased discriminatory power
      relative to typing methods such as pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, ribotyping,
      and multi-locus sequence typing while it addresses several shortcomings of other
      methods of molecular characterization with next-generation sequence data. It uses
      discrete, well-defined groupings (types) of organisms that are phylogenetically
      relevant and easily interpreted. In addition, the CGST scheme can be expanded to
      include additional loci and HCC profiles in the future. In total, the CGST method
      provides an approach to the molecular characterization of Listeria monocytogenes
      with next-generation sequence data that is highly reproducible, easily
      standardized, portable, and accessible.

PMID- 26490434
TI  - A feasibility study to inform the design of a randomised controlled trial to
      identify the most clinically effective and cost-effective length of
      Anticoagulation with Low-molecular-weight heparin In the treatment of Cancer
      Associated Thrombosis (ALICAT).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism is common in cancer patients and requires
      anticoagulation with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH). Current data recommend
      LMWH for anticoagulation as far as 6 months, yet guidelines recommend LMWH beyond
      6 months in patients who have ongoing or active cancer. This recommendation,
      based on expert consensus, has not been evaluated in a clinical study.
      OBJECTIVES: (1) To identify the most clinically and cost-effective length of
      anticoagulation with LMWH in the treatment of cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT);
      (2) to identify practicalities of conducting a full randomised controlled trial
      (RCT) with regard to recruitment, retention and outcome measurement; and (3) to
      explore the barriers for progressing to a full RCT. DESIGN: The Anticoagulation
      with Low-molecular-weight heparin In the treatment of Cancer-Associated
      Thrombosis (ALICAT) trial is a randomised, multicentre, feasibility mixed-methods
      study with three components: (1) a RCT comparing ongoing LMWH treatment for CAT
      with cessation of LMWH at 6 months' treatment (current licensed practice) in
      patients with locally advanced or metastatic cancer, consulted in three clinical
      settings (haematology outpatients, oncology outpatients and primary care); (2) a
      nested qualitative study, including focus groups with clinicians to investigate
      attitudes for recruiting to the study and identify the challenges of progressing
      to a full RCT, and semistructured interviews with patients and relatives to
      explore their attitudes towards participating in the study, and potential
      barriers and concerns to participation; and (3) a UK-wide survey exercise to
      develop a classification and enumeration system for the CAT models and pathways
      of care. SETTING: A haematology outpatients department, an oncology outpatients
      department and primary care. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with ongoing active or
      metastatic cancer who have received 6 months of LMWH for CAT. INTERVENTIONS:
      Ongoing LMWH treatment for CAT versus cessation of LMWH at 6 months' treatment in
      patients with locally advanced or metastatic cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: (i)
      The number of eligible patients over 12 months; (ii) the number of recruited
      patients over 12 months (target recruitment rate of 30% of eligible patients);
      and (iii) the proportion of randomised participants with recurrent venous
      thromboembolisms (VTEs) during follow-up. RESULTS: Following several delays in
      setting up the RCT component of the study, 5 out of 32 eligible patients
      consented to be randomised to the RCT suggesting progression to a full RCT was
      not feasible. Reasons for non-consenting were primarily based on a fixed
      preference for continuing or discontinuing treatment after 6 months of
      anticoagulation, and a fear of randomisation to their non-preferred option. Views
      were largely influenced by patients' initial experience of CAT. Focus groups with
      clinicians revealed that they would be reticent to recruit to such a study as
      they had fixed views of best management despite the lack of evidence. Patient
      pathway modelling suggested that there is a broad heterogeneity of practice with
      respect to CAT management and co-ordination, with no consensus on which specialty
      should best manage such cases. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the RCT reflect
      recruitment from the oncology site only and provide no recruitment data from
      haematology centres. However, it is unlikely that these other sites would have
      access to more eligible patients. The management of cancer-associated thrombosis
      beyond 6 months will remain a clinical challenge. As it is unlikely that a
      prospective study will successfully recruit, other strategies to accrue relevant
      data are necessary. Currently the LONGHEVA (Long-term treatment for cancer
      patients with deep-venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) registry is in
      development to prospectively evaluate this important and common clinical
      scenario. STUDY REGISTRATION: This study is registered as clinical trials.gov
      number NCT01817257 and International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number
      (ISRCTN) 37913976. FUNDING DETAILS: Funding for the ALICAT trial was provided by
      the Health Technology Assessment programme (10/145/01) in response to a themed
      funding call. The study was designed in accordance with the initial funding brief
      and feedback from the review process.

PMID- 26490435
TI  - Evaluation of BRCA1-related molecular features and microRNAs as prognostic
      factors for triple negative breast cancers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The BRCA1 gene plays a key role in triple negative breast cancers
      (TNBCs), in which its expression can be lost by multiple mechanisms: germinal
      mutation followed by deletion of the second allele; negative regulation by
      promoter methylation; or miRNA-mediated silencing. This study aimed to establish
      a correlation among the BRCA1-related molecular parameters, tumor characteristics
      and clinical follow-up of patients to find new prognostic factors. METHODS: BRCA1
      protein and mRNA expression was quantified in situ in the TNBCs of 69 patients.
      BRCA1 promoter methylation status was checked, as well as cytokeratin 5/6
      expression. Maintenance of expressed BRCA1 protein interaction with BARD1 was
      quantified, as a marker of BRCA1 functionality, and the tumor expression profiles
      of 27 microRNAs were determined. RESULTS: miR-548c-5p was emphasized as a new
      independent prognostic factor in TNBC. A combination of the tumoral expression of
      miR-548c and three other known prognostic parameters (tumor size, lymph node
      invasion and CK 5/6 expression status) allowed for relapse prediction by logistic
      regression with an area under the curve (AUC) = 0.96. BRCA1 mRNA and protein in
      situ expression, as well as the amount of BRCA1 ligated to BARD1 in the tumor,
      lacked any associations with patient outcomes, likely due to high intratumoral
      heterogeneity, and thus could not be used for clinical purposes. CONCLUSIONS: In
      situ BRCA1-related expression parameters could be used for clinical purposes at
      the time of diagnosis. In contrast, miR-548c-5p showed a promising potential as a
      prognostic factor in TNBC.

PMID- 26490436
TI  - Possible changes in the transmissibility of trachoma following MDA and
      transmission reduction: implications for the GET2020 goals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of mass drug administration (MDA) and the implementation of
      transmission reduction measures are essential to successfully control and
      eliminate a wide range of NTDs, including the ocular disease trachoma. Immunity
      to trachoma infection acts by reducing the duration of an individual's infectious
      period and by reducing their infectivity with each successive infection. METHODS:
      In this study, we use a model of trachoma infection, which includes population
      immunity, to explore the impact of treatment and transmission reduction measures
      on trachoma prevalence. Specifically, we investigate the possibility of
      increasing transmissibility of trachoma arising as MDA and transmission reduction
      measures are scaled up in endemic settings. RESULTS: We demonstrate this increase
      in transmissibility by calculating the effective reproduction number during
      several simulated control programmes and show that it is related to a decrease in
      the level of immunity in the population. CONCLUSIONS: This effect should be
      studied in the field by measuring the rate of return of infection and disease in
      at least two separate age groups. If the decline of population immunity is
      operating, it should be accounted for when planning for the GET2020 goal of
      eliminating blinding trachoma by 2020.

PMID- 26490438
TI  - Dysregulated miRNA in progression of hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic
      review.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most frequent cancer and the third
      cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The primary risk factor for HCC is
      liver cirrhosis secondary to persistent infection with hepatitis B virus or
      hepatitis C virus. Although a number of cellular phenomena and molecular events
      have been reported to facilitate tumor initiation, progression and metastasis,
      the exact etiology of HCC has not yet been fully uncovered. miRNA, a class of non
      coding RNA, negatively regulate post-transcriptional processes that participate
      in crucial biological processes, including development, differentiation,
      apoptosis and proliferation. In the liver, specific miRNA can be negative
      regulators of gene expression. Recent studies have uncovered the contribution of
      miRNA to cancer pathogenesis as they can function as oncogenes or tumor
      suppressor genes. In addition, other studies have demonstrated their potential
      value in the clinical management of patients with HCC as some miRNA may be used
      as prognostic or diagnostic markers. In this review, we summarize the current
      knowledge about the roles of miRNA in the carcinogenesis and progression of HCC. 

PMID- 26490437
TI  - Associations of socioeconomic determinants with community clinic awareness and
      visitation among women: evidence from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey
      2011.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although Bangladesh has achieved tremendous success in health care
      over the last four decades, it still lagged behind in the areas of maternal and
      child malnutrition and primary health care (PHC). To increase access to PHC, the
      Bangladesh government established approximately 18,000 community clinics (CCs).
      The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of socioeconomic
      determinants of women aged 12-49 years with the CCs awareness and visitation.
      METHODS: We analyzed secondary data provided by Bangladesh Demographic and Health
      Survey-2011. A two-stage cluster sampling was used to collect the data. A total
      of 18,222 ever married women aged 12-49 years were identified from selected
      households and 17,842 were interviewed. The main outcome measures of our study
      were awareness and visitation of CCs. Bivariate logistic regression was used to
      calculate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to examine the
      associations between the awareness and visiting CCs with socioeconomic
      determinants. RESULTS: Low prevalence of awareness about CC (18 %) was observed
      among studied women and only 17 % of them visited CCs. Significant associations
      (P < 0.05) with CCs awareness and visitation were observed among aged 20-29 years
      (adjusted OR = 1.18; 95% CI = 1.03-1.35 and adjusted OR = 1.49; 95% CI = 1.05
      2.11), primary education (adjusted OR = 1.20; 95% CI = 1.08-1.34 and adjusted OR
      = 1.37; 95% CI = 1.05-1.78), and poorest family (adjusted OR = 1.21; 95% CI =
      1.03-1.42 and adjusted OR = 2.36; 95% CI = 1.56-3.55, respectively), after
      controlling potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness and visitation of CCs
      were found to be positively associated with lower economic conditions, young age,
      and primary education. Awareness and access to CCs might be increased through
      community activities that involve health care workers. The government should also
      lower barriers to PHC access through CCs by providing adequate logistics, such as
      human resources and equipment.

PMID- 26490439
TI  - Cortical representation of facial and tongue movements: a task functional
      magnetic resonance imaging study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) mapping can present the
      activated cortical area during movement, while little is known about precise
      location in facial and tongue movements. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the
      representation of facial and tongue movements by task fMRI. METHODS: Twenty right
      handed healthy subjects were underwent block design task fMRI examination. Task
      movements included lip pursing, cheek bulging, grinning and vertical tongue
      excursion. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM8) was applied to analysis the
      data. RESULTS: One-sample t-test was used to calculate the common activation area
      between facial and tongue movements. Also, paired t-test was used to test for
      areas of over- or underactivation in tongue movement compared with each group of
      facial movements. CONCLUSIONS: The common areas within facial and tongue
      movements suggested the similar motor circuits of activation in both movements.
      Prior activation in tongue movement was situated laterally and inferiorly in
      sensorimotor area relative to facial movements. Prior activation of tongue
      movement was investigated in left superior parietal lobe relative to lip pursing.
      Also, prior activation in bilateral cuneus lobe in grinning compared with tongue
      movement was detected.

PMID- 26490440
TI  - Accuracy of genomic selection for age at puberty in a multi-breed population of
      tropically adapted beef cattle.
AB  - Genomic selection is becoming a standard tool in livestock breeding programs,
      particularly for traits that are hard to measure. Accuracy of genomic selection
      can be improved by increasing the quantity and quality of data and potentially by
      improving analytical methods. Adding genotypes and phenotypes from additional
      breeds or crosses often improves the accuracy of genomic predictions but requires
      specific methodology. A model was developed to incorporate breed composition
      estimated from genotypes into genomic selection models. This method was applied
      to age at puberty data in female beef cattle (as estimated from age at first
      observation of a corpus luteum) from a mix of Brahman and Tropical Composite beef
      cattle. In this dataset, the new model incorporating breed composition did not
      increase the accuracy of genomic selection. However, the breeding values
      exhibited slightly less bias (as assessed by deviation of regression of phenotype
      on genomic breeding values from the expected value of 1). Adding additional
      Brahman animals to the Tropical Composite analysis increased the accuracy of
      genomic predictions and did not affect the accuracy of the Brahman predictions. 

PMID- 26490441
TI  - Engineering a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate supply for cadaverine production by using
      Escherichia coli whole-cell biocatalysis.
AB  - Although the routes of de novo pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) biosynthesis have
      been well described, studies of the engineering of an intracellular PLP supply
      are limited, and the effects of cellular PLP levels on PLP-dependent enzyme-based
      whole-cell biocatalyst activity have not been described. To investigate the
      effects of PLP cofactor availability on whole-cell biocatalysis, the ribose 5
      phosphate (R5P)-dependent pathway genes pdxS and pdxT of Bacillus subtilis were
      introduced into the lysine decarboxylase (CadA)-overexpressing Escherichia coli
      strain BL-CadA. This strain was then used as a whole-cell biocatalyst for
      cadaverine production from L-lysine. Co-expression strategies were evaluated, and
      the culture medium was optimised to improve the biocatalyst performance. As a
      result, the intracellular PLP concentration reached 1144 nmol/gDCW, and a
      specific cadaverine productivity of 25 g/gDCW/h was achieved; these values were
      2.4-fold and 2.9-fold higher than those of unmodified BL-CadA, respectively.
      Additionally, the resulting strain AST3 showed a cadaverine titre (p = 0.143,
      alpha = 0.05) similar to that of the BL-CadA strain with the addition of 0.1 mM
      PLP. These approaches for improving intracellular PLP levels to enhance whole
      cell lysine bioconversion activity show great promise for the engineering of a
      PLP cofactor to optimise whole-cell biocatalysis. 

PMID- 26490443
TI  - Boredom in the Workplace: A New Look at an Old Problem.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We review historical and more recent efforts in boredom research and
      related fields. A framework is presented that organizes the various facets of
      boredom, particularly in supervisory control settings, and research gaps and
      future potential areas for study are highlighted. BACKGROUND: Given the ubiquity
      of boredom across a wide spectrum of work environments--exacerbated by
      increasingly automated systems that remove humans from direct, physical system
      interaction and possibly increasing tedium in the workplace--there is a need not
      only to better understand the multiple facets of boredom in work environments but
      to develop targeted mitigation strategies. METHOD: To better understand the
      relationships between the various influences and outcomes of boredom, a systems
      based framework, called the Boredom Influence Diagram, is proposed that describes
      various elements of boredom and their interrelationships. RESULTS: Boredom is
      closely related to vigilance, attention management, and task performance. This
      review highlights the need to develop more naturalistic experiments that reflect
      the characteristics of a boring work environment. CONCLUSION: With the increase
      in automation, boredom in the workplace will likely become a more prevalent issue
      for motivation and retention. In addition, developing continuous measures of
      boredom based on physiological signals is critical. APPLICATION: Personnel
      selection and improvements in system and task design can potentially mitigate
      boredom. However, more work is needed to develop and evaluate other potential
      interventions.

PMID- 26490442
TI  - The Effects of Cell Phone and Text Message Conversations on Simulated Street
      Crossing.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A fully immersive, high-fidelity street-crossing simulator was used to
      examine the effects of texting on pedestrian street-crossing performance.
      BACKGROUND: Research suggests that street-crossing performance is impaired when
      pedestrians engage in cell phone conversations. Less is known about the impact of
      texting on street-crossing performance. METHOD: Thirty-two young adults completed
      three distraction conditions in a simulated street-crossing task: no distraction,
      phone conversation, and texting. A hands-free headset and a mounted tablet were
      used to conduct the phone and texting conversations, respectively. Participants
      moved through the virtual environment via a manual treadmill, allowing them to
      select crossing gaps and change their gait. RESULTS: During the phone
      conversation and texting conditions, participants had fewer successful crossings
      and took longer to initiate crossing. Furthermore, in the texting condition,
      smaller percentage of time with head orientation toward the tablet, fewer number
      of head orientations toward the tablet, and greater percentage of total
      characters typed before initiating crossing predicted greater crossing success.
      CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that (a) texting is as unsafe as phone
      conversations for street-crossing performance and (b) when subjects completed
      most of the texting task before initiating crossing, they were more likely to
      make it safely across the street. APPLICATION: Sending and receiving text
      messages negatively impact a range of real-world behaviors. These results may
      inform personal and policy decisions.

PMID- 26490444
TI  - A CNT@MoSe2 hybrid catalyst for efficient and stable hydrogen evolution.
AB  - Exploration of high-efficiency Pt-free electrochemical catalysts for hydrogen
      evolution reaction (HER) is considered as a great challenge for the development
      of sustainable and carbon dioxide free energy conversion systems. In this work, a
      unique hierarchical nanostructure of few-layered MoSe2 nanosheets perpendicularly
      grown on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is synthesized through a one-step solvothermal
      reaction. This rationally designed architecture based on a highly conductive CNT
      substrate possesses fully exposed active edges and open structures for fast
      ion/electron transfer, thus leading to remarkable HER activity with a low onset
      potential of -0.07 V vs. RHE (reversible hydrogen electrode), a small Tafel slope
      of 58 mV per decade and excellent long-cycle stability. Therefore, this noble
      metal-free and highly efficient catalyst enables prospective applications for
      industrial, renewable hydrogen production. 

PMID- 26490447
TI  - Efficient Rhodium-Catalyzed Multicomponent Reaction for the Synthesis of Novel
      Propargylamines.
AB  - [{Rh(MU-Cl)(H)2 (IPr)}2 ] (IPr = 1,3-bis-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazole-2
      ylidene) was found to be an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of novel
      propargylamines by a one-pot three-component reaction between primary arylamines,
      aliphatic aldehydes, and triisopropylsilylacetylene. This methodology offers an
      efficient synthetic pathway for the preparation of secondary propargylamines
      derived from aliphatic aldehydes. The reactivity of [{Rh(MU-Cl)(H)2 (IPr)}2 ]
      with amines and aldehydes was studied, leading to the identification of complexes
      [RhCl(CO)IPr(MesNH2 )] (MesNH2 = 2,4,6-trimethylaniline) and [RhCl(CO)2 IPr]. The
      latter shows a very low catalytic activity while the former brought about
      reaction rates similar to those obtained with [{Rh(MU-Cl)(H)2 (IPr)}2 ]. Besides,
      complex [RhCl(CO)IPr(MesNH2 )] reacts with an excess of amine and aldehyde to
      give [RhCl(CO)IPr{MesN?CHCH2 CH(CH3 )2 }], which was postulated as the active
      species. A mechanism that clarifies the scarcely studied catalytic cycle of A3 
      coupling reactions is proposed based on reactivity studies and DFT calculations. 

PMID- 26490445
TI  - A pig-to-mouse coronary artery transplantation model for investigating the
      pathogenicity of anti-pig antibody.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rejection of Gal-free (GTKO) donor pig cardiac xenografts is strongly
      associated with vascular non-Gal antibody binding, endothelial cell (EC) injury,
      and activation and microvascular thrombosis. We adopted a pig-to-SCID/beige small
      animal transplant model to compare the pathogenicity of baboon and human anti-pig
      antibody. METHODS: Wild-type (GT(+) ) or GTKO porcine coronary arteries (PCAs)
      were transplanted into the infrarenal aorta of SCID/beige mice. Three days after
      transplant, recipients were infused with anti-pig antibody (anti-SLA class I, an
      isotype control, naive or sensitized baboon serum, or naive human serum). PCAs
      were recovered 24 h after antibody infusion and examined using histology,
      immunohistochemistry, and in situ hybridization. RESULTS: Dose-dependent
      intragraft thrombosis occurred after infusion of anti-SLA I antibody (but not
      isotype control) in GT(+) and GTKO PCA recipients. Naive baboon serum induced
      thrombosis in GT(+) grafts. Thrombosis was significantly reduced by pre-treating
      naive baboon serum with Gal polymer and not observed when this serum was infused
      to GTKO PCA recipients. Naive human serum caused dose-dependent intragraft
      thrombosis of GTKO PCAs. In all cases, thrombosis involved graft-specific
      vascular antibody and complement deposition, macrophage adherence, EC
      delamination, and subendothelial thrombus formation. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      provides the first direct in vivo comparison of the pathogenicity of naive human
      and baboon serum. The results suggest that human preformed non-Gal antibody may
      have increased pathogenicity compared to baboon. This model, which showed a
      rejected graft histopathology similar to antibody-mediated rejection in cardiac
      xenotransplantation, may be useful to assess the pathogenicity of individual
      protein or carbohydrate specific non-Gal reactive antibodies.

PMID- 26490448
TI  - Evaluation of Minerals, Phytochemical Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of
      Mexican, Central American, and African Green Leafy Vegetables.
AB  - The green leafy vegetables Cnidoscolus aconitifolius and Crotalaria longirostrata
      are native to Mexico and Central America, while Solanum scabrum and Gynandropsis
      gynandra are native to Africa. They are consumed in both rural and urban areas in
      those places as a main food, food ingredient or traditional medicine. Currently,
      there is limited information about their nutritional and phytochemical
      composition. Therefore, mineral, vitamin C, phenolic and flavonoid concentration,
      and antioxidant activity were evaluated in multiple accessions of these leafy
      vegetables, and their mineral and vitamin C contribution per serving was
      calculated. The concentrations of Ca, K, Mg and P in these leafy vegetables were
      0.82-2.32, 1.61-7.29, 0.61-1.48 and 0.27-1.44 mg/g fresh weight (FW),
      respectively. The flavonoid concentration in S. scabrum accessions was up to 1413
      MUg catechin equivalents/g FW, while the highest antioxidant activities were
      obtained in C. longirostrata accessions (52-60 MUmol Trolox equivalents/g FW).
      According to guidelines established by the US Food and Drug Administration, a
      serving size (30 g FW) of C. longirostrata would be considered an excellent
      source of Mo (20 % or more of the daily value), and a serving of any of these
      green leafy vegetables would be an excellent source of vitamin C. Considering the
      importance of the minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants in human health and
      their presence in these indigenous green leafy vegetables, efforts to promote
      their consumption should be implemented.

PMID- 26490449
TI  - Inhibitory Activities of Thai Medicinal Plants with Promising Activities Against
      Malaria and Cholangiocarcinoma on Human Cytochrome P450.
AB  - Malaria and cholangiocarcinoma remain important public health problems in
      tropical countries including Southeast Asian nations. Newly developed
      chemotherapeutic and plant-derived drugs are urgently required for the control of
      both diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the propensity to
      inhibit cytochrome P450-mediated hepatic metabolism (CYP1A2, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and
      CYP3A4) of the crude ethanolic extract of eight Thai medicinal plants with
      promising activities against malaria and cholangiocarcinoma, using human liver
      microsomes in vitro. Piper chaba Linn. (PC) and Atractylodes lancea (thung.) DC.
      (AL) exhibited the most potent inhibitory activities on CYP1A2-mediated
      phenacetin O-deethylation with mean IC50 of 0.04 and 0.36 ug/mL, respectively.
      Plumbago indica Linn. (PI) and Dioscorea membranacea Pierre. (DM) potently
      inhibited CYP2C19-mediated omeprazole 5-hydroxylation (mean IC50 4.71 and 6.92
      ug/mL, respectively). DM, Dracaena loureiri Gagnep. (DL) and PI showed the
      highest inhibitory activities on dextromethorphan O-demethylation (mean IC50 2.93
      9.57 ug/mL). PC, DM, DL and PI exhibited the most potent inhibitory activities on
      CYP3A4-mediated nifedipine oxidation (mean IC50 1.54-6.43 ug/mL). Clinical
      relevance of the inhibitory potential of DM, PC and PI is of concern for the
      further development of these plants for the treatment of malaria and/or
      cholangiocarcinoma.

PMID- 26490450
TI  - Additional right-sided upper "Half-Mini-Thoracotomy" for aortocoronary bypass
      grafting during minimally invasive multivessel revascularization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting (MICS
      CABG) has been shown to result in excellent clinical outcomes overall adoption
      rates still remain low. Traditional strategies for minimally invasive multivessel
      revascularization - usually performed through single-thoracotomy - have to deal
      with restricted grafting possibilities and possible increased susceptibility of
      arterial grafts to competitive flow, restraining their applicability to very
      specific indications or hybrid approaches and on top, are prone to conversion to
      full-sternotomy in case of left internal thoracic artery (LITA) insufficiency.
      METHODS: Here, we present a novel alternative to the traditional MICS-CABG
      approaches by adding a right-sided upper "half-mini-thoracotomy", which allows
      for aortocoronary bypass grafting in standard "off-pump" manner and adoption of
      similar revascularization principles as with conventional CABG during minimally
      invasive multivessel revascularization, though reducing restrictions inherent to
      current MICS-CABG strategies. RESULTS: So far, feasibility and safety of this new
      approach has been successfully shown in 7 consecutive patients requiring surgical
      revascularization with no procedure-specific complications and graft
      configuration as well as intraoperative flow assessment comparable to those of
      similar patients operated via standard full-sternotomy off-pump coronary artery
      bypass (OPCAB) surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Further evaluation warranted, this technique
      might have the potential to develop into an additional approach for minimally
      invasive multivessel revascularization, especially in cases where competitive
      flow to arterial grafts is feared, while also serving as a bailout-strategy for
      traditional approaches in case of LITA insufficiency.

PMID- 26490452
TI  - Long-term outcome of moderate hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy for
      meningiomas.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this work was to evaluate long-term results of moderate
      hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (hFSRT) for intracranial meningiomas.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: In all, 77 consecutive patients with 80 lesions were
      included. Median age was 65 years (range 23-82 years), male/female ratio was
      21/56, and the median Karnofsky performance status was 90 (range 60-100). In 31
      lesions (39 %), diagnosis was based upon clinical and radiological data; 37
      lesions were histologically proven as World Health Organization (WHO) grade I and
      12 grade II meningiomas. Median treatment volume was 23 cc. Prescribed doses were
      45 Gy in 15 fractions of 3 Gy (15 * 3 Gy) or 42 Gy in 14 fractions of 3 Gy (14 *
      3 Gy). RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 56 months, 49 (61 %) lesions received
      14 * 3 Gy and 31 (39 %) 15 * 3 Gy. Local control (LC) rate remained unchanged at
      84 % at 5 and 10 years. Overall survival and disease-specific survival (DSS) were
      76 and 93 % at 5 years, 72 and 89 % at 10 years, respectively. With univariate
      analysis, previous surgery and WHO grade II tumor were negative prognostic
      factors for LC and DSS. With multivariate analysis only tumor grade was an
      independent prognostic factor for LC. No clinically significant acute and/or late
      toxicities were observed. CONCLUSION: Moderate hFSRT was effective and safe with
      an excellent tolerance profile. It can be an alternative treatment option for
      patients with recurrent or inoperable large meningiomas. The low number of
      fractions administered with hFSRT led to reduce treatment-related discomfort for
      patients. Grade II tumor and previous surgery were negative prognosis factors.

PMID- 26490453
TI  - Copper-catalyzed silylation of p-quinone methides: new entry to dibenzylic
      silanes.
AB  - An efficient and general copper(I)-catalyzed silylation of p-quinone-methides is
      described. Non-symmetric dibenzylic silanes are obtained in high yields under
      mild reaction conditions. These compounds can be used as bench-stable benzylic
      carbanion precursors.

PMID- 26490451
TI  - Communicating Cardiovascular Disease Risk to People with Psoriasis: What
      Techniques do Practitioners Use?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psoriasis can be associated with unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such
      as smoking, excess alcohol use and insufficient physical activity, consequently
      increasing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Health care practitioners are
      expected to discuss lifestyle risk factors with patients with a view to reducing
      health-related risk for patients. However, little is known about the techniques
      used to communicate information about risk to patients with psoriasis. PURPOSE:
      We aimed to examine how primary care practitioners communicate risk information
      when conducting CVD risk assessments. METHOD: Consultations (n = 44) between
      primary care practitioners (general practitioners and practice nurses) and
      patients with psoriasis across 10 practices were audio-recorded and analysed
      using content analysis. A coding frame was used to record specific techniques
      used by practitioners to communicate risk information. RESULTS: Most frequently
      used communication methods were verbal descriptors of risk factors accompanied by
      numerical data (n = 28) rather than verbal descriptors alone (n = 16).
      Practitioners did not use numerical risk communication methods alone. Where CVD
      risk factors were discussed with patients (n = 156 occasions across all
      consultations), interpretations of this information was provided to patients on
      131 (84 %) occasions. However, specific advice about behaviour/risk modification
      was only given on 60 (38.5 %) out of a possible 156 occasions. CONCLUSIONS:
      Specific advice about how to change lifestyle behaviour to modify CVD risk
      factors was not always given by the practitioner, particularly when discussing
      behavioural risk factors. Developing a best practice for communicating complex
      health risk information would ensure that people with psoriasis are empowered to
      make lifestyle modifications to reduce CVD risk.

PMID- 26490454
TI  - "You can't always get what you want": from doctrine to practicability of study
      designs for clinical investigation in endometriosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients, now generally well informed through dedicated websites and
      support organizations, are beginning to look askance at clinical experimentation.
      We conducted a survey investigation to verify whether women with endometriosis
      would still accept to participate in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) on
      treatment for pelvic pain. METHODS: A total of 500 patients consecutively self
      referring to an academic outpatient endometriosis clinic, were asked to compile
      two questionnaires focused on hypothetical comparisons between a new drug and a
      standard drug, and between medical and surgical treatment, for endometriosis
      associated pelvic pain. The main outcome measure was the percentage of patients
      willing to participate in a theoretical RCT. RESULTS: A total of 239 (48 %) women
      would decline participation in a comparative study on a new drug and a standard
      drug, as 204 (41 %) would prefer the former medication, and 35 (7 %) the latter.
      Fifty women (10 %) would participate in a RCT, but only 24 (5 %) would accept
      blinding. The most frequently chosen option was the patient preference trial
      (211; 42 %). No significant differences were observed in demographic and clinical
      characteristics between the 50 women who would accept and the 450 who would
      decline to be enrolled in a RCT. A total of 229 women (46 %) would decline
      participation in a comparative study on medical versus surgical treatment, as 186
      (37 %) would prefer pharmacological therapy and 43 (9 %) a surgical procedure.
      Only 11 (2 %) women would participate in such a RCT. More than half of the women
      (260; 52 %) selected the patient preference trial. No significant variations in
      distributions of answers were observed between women who did or did not undergo a
      previous surgical procedure. CONCLUSION: Only a small minority of the women
      included in our study sample would accept randomization, and even less so
      blinding. Patient preference appears to play a central role when planning
      interventional trials on endometriosis-associated pelvic pain. Adequately
      designed observational analytic studies could be considered when recruitment in a
      RCT appears cumbersome.

PMID- 26490455
TI  - Swallowable fluorometric capsule for wireless triage of gastrointestinal
      bleeding.
AB  - Real-time detection of gastrointestinal bleeding remains a major challenge
      because there does not yet exist a minimally invasive technology that can both i)
      monitor for blood from an active hemorrhage and ii) uniquely distinguish it from
      blood left over from an inactive hemorrhage. Such a device would be an important
      tool for clinical triage. One promising solution, which we have proposed
      previously, is to inject a fluorescent dye into the blood stream and to use it as
      a distinctive marker of active bleeding by monitoring leakage into the
      gastrointestinal tract with a wireless fluorometer. This paper reports, for the
      first time to our knowledge, the development of a swallowable, wireless capsule
      with a built-in fluorometer capable of detecting fluorescein in blood, and
      intended for monitoring gastrointestinal bleeding in the stomach. The embedded,
      compact fluorometer uses pinholes to define a microliter sensing volume and to
      eliminate bulky optical components. The proof-of-concept capsule integrates
      optics, low-noise analog sensing electronics, a microcontroller, battery, and low
      power Zigbee radio, all into a cylindrical package measuring 11 mm * 27 mm and
      weighing 10 g. Bench-top experiments demonstrate wireless fluorometry with a
      limit-of-detection of 20 nM aqueous fluorescein. This device represents a major
      step towards a technology that would enable simple, rapid detection of active
      gastrointestinal bleeding, a capability that would save precious time and
      resources and, ultimately, reduce complications in patients. 

PMID- 26490456
TI  - Hypoxia regulates the hematopoietic stem cell niche.
AB  - Bone marrow, the site of hematopoiesis throughout adulthood, is a physiologically
      hypoxic organ. Thus, various biological oxygen sensors and their signaling
      cascades play a pivotal role in hematopoietic systems in the bone marrow under
      both physiologic and pathologic conditions. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are
      hypoxic stress sensor proteins that are stabilized under homeostatic or stress
      induced hypoxia. In the hypoxic bone marrow, HIFs play crucial roles in
      hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and in the cells of the HSC niche. The signals
      downstream of the HIFs maintain HSC quiescence, survival, and metabolic
      homeostasis through both cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms.
      Leukemic stem cells (LSCs) hijack these delicate hypoxia-sensing mechanisms to
      sustain their self-renewal potential, promoting disease progression and drug
      resistance even under normoxic conditions. This review focuses on HIF-mediated
      oxygen-sensing mechanisms of adult HSCs and LSCs and their niche cells in the
      hypoxic bone marrow.

PMID- 26490457
TI  - Loss of function mutation of the Slc38a3 glutamine transporter reveals its
      critical role for amino acid metabolism in the liver, brain, and kidney.
AB  - Glutamine, the most abundant amino acid in mammals, is critical for cell and
      organ functions. Its metabolism depends on the ability of cells to take up or
      release glutamine by transporters located in the plasma membrane. Several solute
      carrier (SLC) families transport glutamine, but the SLC38 family has been thought
      to be mostly responsible for glutamine transport. We demonstrate that despite the
      large number of glutamine transporters, the loss of Snat3/Slc38a3 glutamine
      transporter has a major impact on the function of organs expressing it. Snat3
      mutant mice were generated by N-ethyl-N-nitrosurea (ENU) mutagenesis and showed
      stunted growth, altered amino acid levels, hypoglycemia, and died around 20 days
      after birth. Hepatic concentrations of glutamine, glutamate, leucine,
      phenylalanine, and tryptophan were highly reduced paralleled by downregulation of
      the mTOR pathway possibly linking reduced amino acid availability to impaired
      growth and glucose homeostasis. Snat3-deficient mice had altered urea levels
      paralleled by dysregulation of the urea cycle, gluconeogenesis, and glutamine
      synthesis. Mice were ataxic with higher glutamine but reduced glutamate and gamma
      aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in brain consistent with a major role of Snat3 in
      the glutamine-glutamate cycle. Renal ammonium excretion was lower, and the
      expression of enzymes and amino acid transporters involved in ammoniagenesis were
      altered. Thus, SNAT3 is a glutamine transporter required for amino acid
      homeostasis and determines critical functions in various organs. Despite the
      large number of glutamine transporters, loss of Snat3 cannot be compensated,
      suggesting that this transporter is a major route of glutamine transport in the
      liver, brain, and kidney.

PMID- 26490458
TI  - Modulation of spontaneous intracellular Ca2+ fluctuations and spontaneous
      cholinergic transmission in rat chromaffin cells in situ by endogenous GABA
      acting on GABAA receptors.
AB  - Using fluorescence [Ca(2+)]i imaging in rat adrenal slices, we characterized the
      effects of agonists and antagonists of the GABAA receptor (GABAA-R) on resting
      intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i) and spontaneous [Ca(2+)]i fluctuations (SCFs) in
      hundreds of individual chromaffin cells (CCs) recorded simultaneously in situ.
      Muscimol, a GABAA-R agonist (20 MUM; 25 s), induced an increase of resting
      [Ca(2+)]i in 43 +/- 3 % of CCs, a decrease in 26 +/- 2 %, and no response in 30
      +/- 5 %. In Ca(2+)-free external medium, SCFs ceased completely and muscimol
      failed to elicit [Ca(2+)]i rises. All muscimol-induced [Ca(2+)]i changes were
      blocked by the GABAA-R antagonist bicuculline, suggesting that they result from
      changes in membrane potential depending on the cell's Cl(-) equilibrium
      potential. Unexpectedly, bicuculline increased the amplitude and frequency of
      SCFs in 54 % of CCs, revealing a tonic inhibition of SCFs by ambient GABA acting
      through GABAA-R. Mecamylamine (a specific nicotinic cholinergic blocker)
      decreased basal SCF activity in 18 % of CCs and inhibited bicuculline-induced SCF
      intensification, suggesting that spontaneous acetylcholine (ACh) release from
      nerve endings contributes to SCF generation in CCs in situ and that blockade of
      presynaptic GABAA-Rs intensifies SCFs in part through the disinhibition of
      spontaneous cholinergic transmission. Electrophysiological experiments confirmed
      that spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents recorded from CCs in situ were
      enhanced by bicuculline. To our knowledge, this is the first description of a
      regulatory effect of endogenous GABA on synaptic currents and SCFs of adrenal
      CCs. These findings denote a novel GABA-mediated presynaptic and postsynaptic
      regulatory mechanism of CC activity which may participate in the control of
      catecholamine secretion.

PMID- 26490459
TI  - Acute and chronic nociceptive phases observed in a rat hind paw
      ischemia/reperfusion model depend on different mechanisms.
AB  - Complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS1) may be evoked by
      ischemia/reperfusion, eliciting acute and chronic pain that is difficult to
      treat. Despite this, the underlying mechanism of CRPS1 has not been fully
      elucidated. Therefore, the goal of this study is to evaluate the involvement of
      inflammation, oxidative stress, and the transient receptor potential ankyrin 1
      (TRPA1) channel, a chemosensor of inflammation and oxidative substances, in an
      animal model of chronic post-ischemia pain (CPIP). Male Wistar rats were
      subjected to 3 h hind paw ischemia/reperfusion (CPIP model). Different parameters
      of nociception, inflammation, ischemia, and oxidative stress were evaluated at 1
      (acute) and 14 (chronic) days after CPIP. The effect of a TRPA1 antagonist and
      the TRPA1 immunoreactivity were also observed after CPIP. In the CPIP acute
      phase, we observed mechanical and cold allodynia; increased levels of tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha (hind paw), ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) (serum),
      protein carbonyl (hind paw and spinal cord), lactate (serum), and 4-hydroxy-2
      nonenal (4-HNE, hind paw and spinal cord); and higher myeloperoxidase (MPO) and N
      acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAGase) activities (hind paw). In the CPIP chronic
      phase, we detected mechanical and cold allodynia and increased levels of IMA
      (serum), protein carbonyl (hind paw and spinal cord), and 4-HNE (hind paw and
      spinal cord). TRPA1 antagonism reduced mechanical and cold allodynia 1 and 14
      days after CPIP, but no change in TRPA1 immunoreactivity was observed. Different
      mechanisms underlie acute (inflammation and oxidative stress) and chronic
      (oxidative stress) phases of CPIP. TRPA1 activation may be relevant for
      CRPS1/CPIP-induced acute and chronic pain.

PMID- 26490461
TI  - Measurement of relative Ca2+ permeability during sustained activation of TRPV1
      receptors.
AB  - Some cation permeable ligand-gated ion channels, including the capsaicin
      sensitive TRPV1, have been reported to exhibit a time-dependent increase in
      permeability to large inorganic cations during sustained activation, a phenomenon
      termed "pore dilation." TRPV1 conducts substantial Ca(2+) entry, and it has been
      suggested that this channel undergoes a time-dependent change in Ca(2+)
      permeability relative to Na(+) (P Ca/P Na) that parallels pore dilation. However,
      our experiments employing whole cell patch clamp photometry and single channel
      recordings to directly measure relative Ca(2+) current in TRPV1 expressing HEK293
      cells show that relative Ca(2+) influx remains constant for the duration of
      capsaicin-evoked channel activation. Further, we present evidence from patch
      clamp photometry experiments suggesting that sustained activation of Ca(2+)
      permeable ion channels in the voltage-clamp configuration leads to rapid
      saturation of the pipette Ca(2+) chelator, and that subsequent observed shifts in
      the current reversal potentials in the presence of extracellular Ca(2+) are
      likely due to intracellular accumulation of this ion and a movement of the Ca(2+)
      equilibrium potential (E Ca) towards zero. Finally, using an adapted reversal
      potential-based protocol in which cells are only exposed to Ca(2+) after
      sustained capsaicin exposure in the absence of added extracellular Ca(2+), we
      demonstrate that the calculated P Ca/P Na is unaffected by duration of TRPV1
      activation. In conclusion, we find no evidence in support of a time-dependent
      change in P Ca/P Na for TRPV1. Our data further urges caution in estimating
      relative Ca(2+) permeability using reversal potentials, as there is a limited
      time window in which the cytosolic Ca(2+) chelator included in the patch pipette
      can prevent localised elevations in cytosolic free Ca(2+) and thus allow for an
      accurate estimate of this important channel permeability parameter.

PMID- 26490460
TI  - Moderate inhibition of mitochondrial function augments carotid  body hypoxic
      sensitivity.
AB  - A functional role for the mitochondria in acute O2 sensing in the carotid body
      (CB) remains undetermined. Whilst total inhibition of mitochondrial activity
      causes intense CB stimulation, it is unclear whether this response can be
      moderated such that graded impairment of oxidative phosphorylation might be a
      mechanism that sets and modifies the O2 sensitivity of the whole organ. We
      assessed NADH autofluorescence and [Ca2+]i in freshly dissociated CB type I cells
      and sensory chemoafferent discharge frequency in an intact CB preparation, in the
      presence of varying concentrations of nitrite (NO2 -), a mitochondrial nitric
      oxide (NO) donor and a competitive inhibitor of mitochondrial complex IV. NO2 -
      increased CB type I cell NADH in a manner that was dose-dependent and rapidly
      reversible. Similar concentrations of NO2 - raised type I cell [Ca2+]i via L-type
      channels in a PO2-dependent manner and increased chemoafferent discharge
      frequency. Moderate inhibition of the CB mitochondria by NO2 - augmented
      chemoafferent discharge frequency during graded hypoxia, consistent with a
      heightened CB O2 sensitivity. Furthermore, NO2 - also exaggerated chemoafferent
      excitation during hypercapnia signifying an increase in CB CO2 sensitivity. These
      data show that NO2 - can moderate the hypoxia sensitivity of the CB and thus
      suggest that O2 sensitivity could be set and modified in this organ by
      interactions between NO and mitochondrial complex IV.

PMID- 26490463
TI  - Peptide Arrays on Planar Supports.
AB  - On a past volume of this monograph we have reviewed general aspects of the varied
      technologies available to generate peptide arrays. Hallmarks in the development
      of the technology and a main sketch of preparative steps and applications in
      binding assays were used to walk the reader through details of peptide arrays. In
      this occasion, we resume from that work and bring in some considerations on
      quantitative evaluation of measurements as well as on selected reports applying
      the technology. 

PMID- 26490464
TI  - High-Throughput Microarray Incubations Using Multi-Well Chambers.
AB  - Peptide microarrays are ideal tools for a variety of applications ranging from
      epitope mapping to immune monitoring. Here we present a method for high
      throughput screening of biological samples using only standard microtiter plate
      equipment. Parallel incubation of a large number of samples with a small library
      of peptides is enabled by printing multiple identical mini-arrays on one
      microarray slide and further combining four slides to yield an incubation frame
      possessing the dimensions of a 96-well microtiter plate. Applying conventional
      lab equipment such as ELISA washers, hundreds of samples can be processed in 1
      day yielding approx. 200 data points in triplicates per sample. 

PMID- 26490462
TI  - An Overview of Neural Differentiation Potential of Human  Adipose Derived Stem
      Cells.
AB  - There is wide interest in application of adult stem cells due to easy to obtain
      with a minimal patient discomfort, capable of producing cell numbers in large
      quantities and their immunocompatible properties without restriction by ethical
      concerns. Among these stem cells, multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from
      human adipose tissue are considered as an ideal source for various regenerative
      medicine. In spite of mesodermal origin of human adipose-derived stem cells
      (hADSCs), these cells have differentiation potential toward mesodermal and non
      mesodermal lineages. Up to now, several studies have shown that hADSCs can
      undergo transdifferentiation and produce cells outside of their lineage,
      especially into neural cells when they are transferred to a specific cell
      environment. The purpose of this literature review is to provide an overview of
      the existing state of knowledge of the differentiation potential of hADSCs,
      specifically their ability to give rise to neuronal cells. The following review
      discusses different protocols considered for differentiation of hADSCs to neural
      cells, the neural markers that are used in each procedure and possible mechanisms
      that are involved in this differentiation.

PMID- 26490465
TI  - Analysis of Protein Tyrosine Kinase Specificity Using Positional Scanning Peptide
      Microarrays.
AB  - Protein tyrosine kinases phosphorylate their substrates within the context of
      specific consensus sequences surrounding the site of modification. We describe a
      peptide microarray approach to rapidly determine tyrosine kinase phosphorylation
      site motifs. This method uses a peptide library that systematically substitutes
      each of the amino acid residues at multiple positions surrounding a central
      tyrosine residue. Peptide substrates are synthesized as biotin conjugates for
      immobilization on avidin-coated slides. Following incubation of the slide with
      protein kinase and radiolabeled ATP, the relative extent of phosphorylation of
      each of the peptides is quantified by phosphor imaging. This method allows small
      quantities of kinase to be analyzed rapidly in parallel, facilitating analysis of
      large numbers of kinases. 

PMID- 26490466
TI  - Secondary Structure Determination of Peptides and Proteins After Immobilization.
AB  - The presentation of immobilized peptides and other small biomolecules attached to
      surfaces can be greatly affected by the attachment chemistry and linking
      moieties, resulting in altered activity and specificity. For this reason, it is
      critical to understand how the various aspects of surface immobilization
      underlying substrate properties, tether structure, and site of linkage-affect the
      secondary and quaternary structures of the immobilized species. Here, we present
      methods for attaching cysteine-containing peptides to quartz surfaces and
      determining the secondary structure of surface-immobilized peptides. We
      specifically show that, even when covalently immobilized, changes in peptide
      conformation can still occur, with measurement occurring in real time. 

PMID- 26490467
TI  - Peptides and Anti-peptide Antibodies for Small and Medium Scale Peptide and Anti
      peptide Affinity Microarrays: Antigenic Peptide Selection, Immobilization, and
      Processing.
AB  - This chapter describes the principles of selection of antigenic peptides for the
      development of anti-peptide antibodies for use in microarray-based multiplex
      affinity assays and also with mass-spectrometry detection. The methods described
      here are mostly applicable to small to medium scale arrays. Although the same
      principles of peptide selection would be suitable for larger scale arrays (with
      100+ features) the actual informatics software and printing methods may well be
      different. Because of the sheer number of proteins/peptides to be processed and
      analyzed dedicated software capable of processing all the proteins and an
      enterprise level array robotics may be necessary for larger scale efforts. This
      report aims to provide practical advice to those who develop or use arrays with
      up to ~100 different peptide or protein features. 

PMID- 26490468
TI  - Low-Cost Peptide Microarrays for Mapping Continuous Antibody Epitopes.
AB  - With the increasing need for understanding antibody specificity in antibody and
      vaccine research, pepscan assays provide a rapid method for mapping and profiling
      antibody responses to continuous epitopes. We have developed a relatively low
      cost method to generate peptide microarray slides for studying antibody binding.
      Using a setup of an IntavisAG MultiPep RS peptide synthesizer, a Digilab
      MicroGrid II 600 microarray printer robot, and an InnoScan 1100 AL scanner, the
      method allows the interrogation of up to 1536 overlapping, alanine-scanning, and
      mutant peptides derived from the target antigens. Each peptide is tagged with a
      polyethylene glycol aminooxy terminus to improve peptide solubility, orientation,
      and conjugation efficiency to the slide surface. 

PMID- 26490469
TI  - The Peptide Microarray-Based Resonance Light Scattering Assay for Sensitively
      Detecting Intracellular Kinase Activity.
AB  - The peptide microarray technology is a robust, reliable, and efficient technique
      for large-scale determination of enzyme activities, and high-throughput profiling
      of substrate/inhibitor specificities of enzymes. Here, the activities of cyclic
      adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) in different cell
      lysates have been detected by a peptide microarray-based resonance light
      scattering (RLS) assay with gold nanoparticle (GNP) probes. Highly sensitive
      detection of PKA activity in 0.1 MUg total cell proteins of SHG-44 (human glioma
      cell) cell lysate (corresponding to 200 cells) is achieved by a selected peptide
      substrate. The experimental results also demonstrate that the RLS assay can be
      employed to evaluate the chemical regulation of intracellular kinase activity. 

PMID- 26490470
TI  - Anomalous Reflection of Gold: A Novel Platform for Biochips.
AB  - The importance of protein detection system for protein functions analyses in
      recent post-genomic era is rising with the emergence of label-free protein
      detection methods. We are focusing on a simple and practical label-free optical
      detection method called anomalous reflection (AR) of gold. When a molecular layer
      forms on the gold surface, significant reduction in reflectivity can be observed
      at wavelengths of 400-500 nm. This allows the detection of molecular interactions
      by monitoring changes in reflectivity. In this chapter, we describe the AR method
      with three different application platforms: (1) gold, (2) gold containing
      alloy/composite (AuAg2O), and (3) metal-insulator-metal (MIM) thin layers. The
      AuAg2O composite and MIM are implemented as important concepts for signal
      enhancement process for the AR technique. Moreover, the observed molecular
      adsorption and activity is aided by a three-dimensional surface geometry,
      performed using poly(amidoamine) or PAMAM dendrimer modification. The described
      system is suitable to be used as a platform for high-throughput detection system
      in a chip format. 

PMID- 26490471
TI  - High-Throughput Peptide Screening on a Bimodal Imprinting Chip Through MS-SPRi
      Integration.
AB  - Screening of high affinity and high specificity peptide probes towards various
      targets is important in the biomedical field while traditional peptide screening
      procedure is manual and tedious. Herein, a bimodal imprinting microarray system
      to embrace the whole peptide screening process is presented. Surface Plasmon
      Resonance imaging (SPRi) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of
      flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) are combined for both quantitative and
      qualitative identification of the peptide. The method provides a solution for
      high efficiency peptide screening. 

PMID- 26490472
TI  - Analyzing Peptide Microarray Data with the R pepStat Package.
AB  - In this chapter we demonstrate the use of R Bioconductor packages pepStat and
      Pviz on a set of paired peptide microarrays generated from vaccine trial data.
      Data import, background correction, normalization, and summarization techniques
      are presented. We introduce a sliding mean method for amplifying signal and
      reducing noise in the data, and show the value of gathering paired samples from
      subjects. Useful visual summaries are presented, and we introduce a simple method
      for setting a decision rule for subject/peptide responses that can be used with a
      set of control peptides or placebo subjects. 

PMID- 26490473
TI  - Chemoselective Strategies to Peptide and Protein Bioprobes Immobilization on
      Microarray Surfaces.
AB  - Ordered and reproducible bioprobe immobilization onto sensor surfaces is a
      critical step in the development of reliable analytical devices. A growing
      awareness of the impact of the immobilization scheme on the consistency of the
      generated data is driving the demand for chemoselective approaches to immobilize
      biofunctional ligands, such as peptides, in a predetermined and uniform fashion.
      Herein, the most intriguing strategies to selective and oriented peptide
      immobilization are described and discussed. The aim of the current work is to
      provide the reader a general picture on recent advances made in this field,
      highlighting the potential associated with each chemoselective strategy. Case
      studies are described to provide illustrative examples, and cross-references to
      more topic-focused and exhaustive reviews are proposed throughout the text. 

PMID- 26490474
TI  - Manufacturing of Peptide Microarrays Based on Catalyst-Free Click Chemistry.
AB  - Immobilization of peptides to a solid surface is frequently an important first
      step before they can be probed with a variety of biological samples in a
      heterogeneous assay format for research and clinical diagnostic purposes.
      Peptides can be derivatized in many ways to subsequently covalently attach them
      to an activated solid surface such as epoxy-functionalized glass slides. Here, we
      describe a clean, efficient, and reproducible fabrication process based on
      catalyst-free click chemistry compatible with the construction of low- to high
      density peptide microarrays. 

PMID- 26490475
TI  - Clickable Polymeric Coating for Oriented Peptide Immobilization.
AB  - A new methodology for the fabrication of an high-performance peptide microarray
      is reported, combining the higher sensitivity of a layered Si-SiO2 substrate with
      the oriented immobilization of peptides using a N,N-dimethylacrylamide-based
      polymeric coating that contains alkyne monomers as functional groups. This
      clickable polymer allows the oriented attachment of azido-modified peptides via a
      copper-mediated azide/alkyne cycloaddition. A similar coating that does not
      contain the alkyne functionality has been used as comparison, to demonstrate the
      importance of a proper orientation for facilitating the probe recognition and
      interaction with the target antibody. 

PMID- 26490476
TI  - Oriented Peptide Immobilization on Microspheres.
AB  - Reproducible immobilization of peptides and proteins on microsphere surfaces is a
      critical factor for optimal sensitivity and selectivity in bead-based assays.
      However, peptides with unusually large numbers of lysine residues-whose amines
      are targeted in the most common microsphere immobilization chemistries-may be
      particularly challenging to use in bead-based arrays, as they may lose activity
      through multipoint attachments and incorrect presentation. For this reason, it is
      imperative to achieve site-directed attachment chemistry, such that a single site
      of attachment provides reproducibly oriented peptides on the microsphere surface.
      This can be achieved by inserting a unique targetable residue, such as a
      cysteine. Here, we present methods for attaching cysteine-containing peptides to
      standard carboxy-functionalized microsphere surfaces using thiol- rather than
      amine-directed chemistries. We show that the presence of a cationic detergent
      (CTAB) and a "passivating" agent such as beta-mercaptoethanol facilitates
      improved bead recovery after peptide immobilization and may enhance functionality
      of the attached peptides. 

PMID- 26490477
TI  - A Cell Microarray Format: A Peptide Release System Using a Photo-Cleavable Linker
      for Cell Toxicity and Cell Uptake Analysis.
AB  - There has been increasing interest in the potential use of microarray
      technologies to perform systematic and high-throughput cell-based assays. We are
      currently focused on developing more practical array formats and detection
      methods that will enable researchers to conduct more detailed analyses in cell
      microarray studies. In this chapter, we describe the construction of a novel
      peptide-array format system for analyzing cellular toxicity and cellular uptake.
      In this system, a peptide is immobilized at the bottom of a conventional 96-well
      plate using a photo-cleavable linker. The peptide can then be released from the
      bottom by irradiating the desired wells with UV light, thus allowing the
      cytotoxicity or cellular uptake of the peptide to be monitored. This system will
      facilitate the realization of high-throughput cell arrays for cellomics analyses
      and cell-based phenotypic drug screens. 

PMID- 26490478
TI  - Peptide Microarrays for Medical Applications in Autoimmunity, Infection, and
      Cancer.
AB  - The diversity of the antigen-specific humoral immune response reflects the
      interaction of the immune system with pathogens and autoantigens. Peptide
      microarray analysis opens up new perspectives for the use of antibodies as
      diagnostic biomarkers and provides unique access to a more differentiated
      serological diagnosis. This review focusses on latest applications of peptide
      microarrays for the serologic medical diagnosis of autoimmunity, infectious
      diseases, and cancer. 

PMID- 26490480
TI  - IgE and IgG4 Epitope Mapping of Food Allergens with a Peptide Microarray
      Immunoassay.
AB  - Peptide microarrays are a powerful tool to identify linear epitopes of food
      allergens in a high-throughput manner. The main advantages of the microarray
      based immunoassay are the possibility to assay thousands of targets
      simultaneously, the requirement of a low volume of serum, the more robust
      statistical analysis, and the possibility to test simultaneously several
      immunoglobulin subclasses. Among them, the last one has a special interest in the
      field of food allergy, because the development of tolerance to food allergens has
      been associated with a decrease in IgE and an increase in IgG4 levels against
      linear epitopes. However, the main limitation to the clinical use of microarray
      is the automated analysis of the data. Recent studies mapping the linear epitopes
      of food allergens with peptide microarray immunoassays have identified peptide
      biomarkers that can be used for early diagnosis of food allergies and to predict
      their severity or the self-development of tolerance. Using this approach, we have
      worked on epitope mapping of the two most important food allergens in the Spanish
      population, cow's milk and chicken eggs. The final aim of these studies is to
      define subsets of peptides that could be used as biomarkers to improve the
      diagnosis and prognosis of food allergies. This chapter describes the protocol to
      produce microarrays using a library of overlapping peptides corresponding to the
      primary sequences of food allergens and data acquisition and analysis of IgE- and
      IgG4-binding epitopes. 

PMID- 26490479
TI  - Synthetic Peptide-Based ELISA and ELISpot Assay for Identifying Autoantibody
      Epitopes.
AB  - Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is an invaluable diagnostic tool to
      detect serum autoantibody binding to target antigen. To map the autoantigenic
      epitope(s), overlapping synthetic peptides covering the total sequence of a
      protein antigen are used. A large set of peptides synthesized on the crown of
      pins can be tested by Multipin ELISA for fast screening. Next, to validate the
      results, the candidate epitope peptides are resynthesized by solid-phase
      synthesis, coupled to ELISA plate directly, or in a biotinylated form, bound to
      neutravidin-coated surface and the binding of autoantibodies from patients' sera
      is tested by indirect ELISA. Further, selected epitope peptides can be applied in
      enzyme-linked immunospot assay to distinguish individual, citrullinated peptide
      specific autoreactive B cells in a pre-stimulated culture of patients'
      lymphocytes. 

PMID- 26490481
TI  - IgE Epitope Mapping Using Peptide Microarray Immunoassay.
AB  - IgE epitope mapping of food allergens contributes to a better understanding of
      the pathogenesis of food allergy and may become an additional tool for food
      allergy diagnosis/prognosis. Microarray platforms which allow for simultaneous
      screening of a large number of peptides corresponding to the sequences of food
      allergens are ideally suited for large-scale IgE epitope mapping. Here we
      describe the method of performing a reliable and sensitive peptide microarray
      immunoassay, which was developed in our lab and results in the identification of
      candidate IgE epitope biomarkers useful in determining allergic disease severity
      and prognosis, as well as in the prediction of treatment outcomes. A gastric
      digestion model that can be applied to prescreen peptides and reduce costs in the
      peptide microarray is also described in this chapter. 

PMID- 26490482
TI  - Spot Synthesis: An Optimized Microarray to Detect IgE Epitopes.
AB  - Peptide microarrays have become increasingly more affordable in recent years with
      the SPOT technique being one of the most frequently used methods for synthesis
      and screening of peptides in arrays. Here, a protocol is presented for the
      identification of the amino acid sites involved in the conversion of human IgG to
      IgE response during the passive administration of therapeutic, anti-snake venom
      sera. Similarly, the minimal region of both the IgG and IgE binding epitopes,
      important for its interaction with ligand, were identified. As the ratio of
      concentrations for IgG to IgE in human serum is 1:10,000, also presented is a
      reproductive protocol of chemiluminescence-scanning for the detection of both
      immunoglobulins. 

PMID- 26490483
TI  - Mapping of Epitopes Occurring in Bovine alpha(s1)-Casein Variants by Peptide
      Microarray Immunoassay.
AB  - Immunoglobulin E epitope mapping of milk proteins reveals important information
      about their immunologic properties. Genetic variants of alphaS1-casein, one of
      the major allergens in bovine milk, are until now not considered when discussing
      the allergenic potential. Here we describe the complete procedure to assess the
      allergenicity of alphaS1-casein variants B and C, which are frequent in most
      breeds, starting from milk with identification and purification of casein
      variants by isoelectric focusing (IEF) and anion-exchange chromatography,
      followed by in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of the casein variants,
      identification of the resulting peptides by matrix-assisted laser
      desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), in silico
      analysis of the variant-specific peptides as allergenic epitopes, and
      determination of their IgE-binding properties by microarray immunoassay with
      cow's milk allergic human sera. 

PMID- 26490484
TI  - Authors' reply to Waldron and Doherty.

PMID- 26490486
TI  - Photocyclization Reactions of Diarylethenes via the Excited Triplet State.
AB  - Cyclization reactions of three diarylethene derivatives, 1,2-bis(2-methyl-3
      benzothienyl)perfluorocyclopentene (BT), 1,2-bis(2-hexyl-3
      benzothienyl)perfluorocyclopentene (BTHex), and 1,2-bis(2-isopropyl-3
      benzothienyl)perfluorocyclopentene (BTiPr), via their excited triplet states were
      studied by means of steady-state and nanosecond transient absorption
      spectroscopy. The excited triplet states of BT, BTHex, and BTiPr were generated
      by energy transfer from the photoexcited triplet states of sensitizers such as
      xanthone, phenanthrene, and pyrene. The single-step quantum yields of the
      cyclization reactions from the excited triplet states of BT, BTHex, and BTiPr
      were determined to be 0.34, 0.53, and 0.65, respectively. The triplet energies of
      these three BTs were estimated to be 190-200 kJ mol(-1). 

PMID- 26490485
TI  - Terminal delirium misdiagnosed as major psychiatric disorder: Palliative care in
      a psychiatric inpatient unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Delirium is a neuropsychiatric condition characterized by acute
      change in cognition and disturbance of consciousness. A similar state during the
      final days of life is termed "terminal delirium." METHOD: We present three cases
      with end-stage chronic medical problems without any significant psychiatric
      history who were admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit or a locked dementia
      unit for management of "depression," "dementia," or "psychosis." CONCLUSIONS:
      Early diagnosis of terminal delirium helps prevent patients, family members, and
      staff from undergoing severe emotional distress and facilitates appropriate end
      of-life care.

PMID- 26490487
TI  - Long-term outcomes of patients with intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia
      treated with autologous hematopoietic cell transplant in first complete
      remission.
AB  - In 2014, autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (autoHCT) was removed from the
      National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines as a recommended treatment for
      patients with intermediate-risk AML in first complete remission (CR1). We
      reviewed the outcomes of all patients with intermediate-risk AML treated with
      autoHCT in CR1 at our institution. Of 334 patients who underwent autoHCT for AML
      between 1988 and 2013, 133 patients with intermediate-risk AML in CR1 were
      identified. Cytogenetics were diploid in 97 (73%). With a median follow-up of 4.1
      years (range 0.1-17), median overall survival (OS) is 6.7 years; at 5 years post
      transplant, 59% of patients remain alive and 43% remain relapse-free. Forty-eight
      percent of relapsing patients proceeded to salvage alloHCT. Our findings
      demonstrate that nearly half of patients with intermediate-risk AML in CR1
      achieve sustained remissions, and that salvage alloHCT is feasible in those who
      relapse. AutoHCT therefore remains a reasonable option for intermediate-risk
      patients with AML in CR1.

PMID- 26490488
TI  - Improving patient-centered communication: Results of a randomized controlled
      trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Patient-centered communication is a key element for improving the
      quality of care in terms of therapeutic relationship, patient participation, and
      treatment process. Postgraduate trainings provide an essential way of promoting
      patient centeredness on the job where learning opportunities are often limited by
      time, patient volume, and economic pressure. In the present study, changes in
      patient centeredness during clinical routines of postgraduate physicians
      (internal medicine) after a three-day communication training were assessed.
      METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a primary care clinic.
      The intervention consisted of a communication training that aimed to enhance
      patient centeredness in postgraduate physicians. The training was based on a need
      assessment and the principles of deliberate practice. Workplace-based assessment
      of physicians' communication behavior was obtained using the Roter Interaction
      Analysis System. RESULTS: Three months after the intervention, trained physicians
      showed significantly increased patient centeredness (F=5.36, p=.04; d=0.42).
      CONCLUSION: The communication training significantly improved patient
      centeredness during routine clinical practice. Thus, this training provides a
      structured and theory-based concept to foster patient centeredness. PRACTICE
      IMPLICATIONS: The results support the implementation of communication trainings
      as a part of faculty development and medical specialization training.

PMID- 26490490
TI  - Clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis: clinical features, response to medications
      and malignancy-associated risk factors in a specific tertiary-care-centre cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM) is a subset of
      dermatomyositis (DM) characterized by the typical DM cutaneous manifestations but
      without myositis. There is a relative paucity of characterized cases of CADM in
      the peer-reviewed medical literature. OBJECTIVES: To characterize the clinical
      features, response to medications and malignancy-associated risk factors of
      patients with CADM with available baseline data seen at a single tertiary-care
      centre. METHODS: A retrospective review was undertaken of 44 patients with CADM
      with available clinical and serological data prior to onset of treatment.
      RESULTS: Patients with CADM comprised 18% of all patients with DM with baseline
      data available at our institution. Although the majority of patients showed
      improvement with the first prescribed treatment, most required additional
      medications to control their CADM. Six of 44 patients had an associated
      malignancy. Photosensitivity and periungual erythema were found to be associated
      with absence of malignancy (P = 0.03 and P = 0.02, respectively). Patients with
      malignancy-associated CADM were found to be more likely to have a cutaneous
      response with the first prescribed treatment than patients without malignancy (P
      = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: CADM represents a significant subset of the DM population.
      As with classic DM, the cutaneous manifestations of CADM often represent a
      therapeutic challenge. A subset of patients with CADM has underlying
      malignancies, and these may differ from those typically associated with classic
      DM. Differences in serological abnormalities, cutaneous manifestations and
      response to first treatment among patients with CADM with and without malignancy
      were found, and suggest distinct pathophysiologies among CADM subsets.
      Characterization of this cohort expands the knowledge about this unique DM
      subset.

PMID- 26490489
TI  - 18F-FDG PET/CT focal, but not osteolytic, lesions predict the progression of
      smoldering myeloma to active disease.
AB  - Identification of patient sub-groups with smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) at
      high risk of progression to active disease (MM) is an important goal. 18F-FDG
      PET/CT (positron emission tomography (PET) integrated with computed tomography
      (PET/CT) using glucose labelled with the positron-emitting radionuclide (18)F)
      allows for assessing early skeletal involvement. Identification of osteolytic
      lesions by this technique has recently been incorporated into the updated
      International Myeloma Working Group criteria for MM diagnosis. However, no data
      are available regarding the impact of focal lesions (FLs) without underlying
      osteolysis on time to progression (TTP) to MM. We hence prospectively studied a
      cohort of 120 SMM patients with PET/CT. PET/CT was positive in 16% of patients (1
      FL: 8, 2 FLs: 3, >3 FLs: 6, diffuse bone marrow involvement: 2). With a median
      follow-up of 2.2 years, 38% of patients progressed to MM, in a median time of 4
      years, including 21% with skeletal involvement. The risk of progression of those
      with positive PET/CT was 3.00 (95% confidence interval 1.58-5.69, P=0.001), with
      a median TTP of 1.1 versus 4.5 years for PET/CT-negative patients. The
      probability of progression within 2 years was 58% for positive versus 33% for
      negative patients. In conclusion, PET/CT positivity significantly increased the
      risk of progression of SMM to MM. PET/CT could become a new tool to define high
      risk SMM. 

PMID- 26490491
TI  - Inability to match energy intake with energy expenditure at sustained near
      maximal rates of energy expenditure in older men during a 14-d cycling
      expedition.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The upper rates of energy expenditure (EE) and the corresponding
      regulation of energy intake (EI), as described in younger trained subjects, are
      not well elucidated in older subjects. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to investigate EE
      in older men during prolonged cycling and determine whether it is sufficiently
      matched by EI to maintain energy balance. In addition, we investigated appetite
      ratings and concentrations of appetite-regulating hormones. DESIGN: Six men (mean
      +/- SE age: 61 +/- 3 y) completed 2706 km of cycling, from Copenhagen to
      Nordkapp, in 14 d. EE was measured by using doubly labeled water, and food and
      drink intake was recorded by the accompanying scientific staff. Energy balance
      was calculated as the discrepancy between EI and EE and from changes in body
      energy stores as derived from deuterium dilution. Fasting hormones were measured
      before and after cycling, and appetite ratings were recorded twice daily.
      RESULTS: EE (+/-SE) increased from 17 +/- 1 MJ/d before to 30 +/- 2 MJ/d during
      the cycling trip (P < 0.001), which is equivalent to 4.0 +/- 0.1 times the basal
      metabolic rate. Although body weight remained stable during the 14 d of cycling,
      body fat decreased (-2.2 +/- 0.7 kg; P = 0.02) and fat-free mass increased (2.5
      +/- 0.6 kg; P = 0.01). EI was 25 +/- 1 MJ/d during cycling, resulting in a
      negative energy balance calculated by the EE - EI gap (-5.2 +/- 1.2 MJ/d).
      Calculated from changes in body energy stores, energy balance was also negative (
      4.8 +/- 2.0 MJ/d) during the first week. In the morning and evening, hunger
      ratings increased (both P = 0.02), whereas ratings of fullness decreased in the
      evening (P = 0.04). Fasting plasma concentrations of insulin increased by 120% +/
      15% (P = 0.02), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) by 60% +/- 20% (P < 0.01), and
      Polypeptide YY(3-36) by 80% +/- 30% (P < 0.02) after cycling. CONCLUSIONS: Older
      male cyclists sustained near-maximal rates of EE during prolonged cycling but
      were unable to upregulate EI to maintain energy balance. Despite the presence of
      increased motivation to eat, a more profound counteracting physiologic stimulus
      inhibiting increases in EI was present. This trial was registered at
      clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02353624.

PMID- 26490492
TI  - Association of habitual dietary resveratrol exposure with the development of
      frailty in older age: the Invecchiare in Chianti study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Resveratrol may play a protective role against the frailty syndrome
      (FS) because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. OBJECTIVE: We
      prospectively evaluated the association between habitual dietary resveratrol
      exposure and the development of FS after 3-, 6-, and 9-y follow-up periods in a
      community-dwelling older population. DESIGN: We conducted a longitudinal analysis
      with the use of data from 769 participants aged >=65 y from the Invecchiare in
      Chianti (Aging in Chianti) study. Total dietary resveratrol (TDR) intake was
      estimated at baseline with the use of a validated food-frequency questionnaire,
      which was developed to assess participants' usual food intakes over the previous
      year, and an ad hoc resveratrol database. Total urinary resveratrol (TUR) was
      analyzed with the use of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with a
      previous solid-phase extraction at baseline. The combination of both measures
      [total dietary resveratrol plus total urinary resveratrol (TDR+TUR)] was computed
      with the use of the Howe's method. FS was assessed at baseline and at 3-, 6-, and
      9-y of follow-up and was defined as the presence of >=3 of the following 5
      criteria: shrinking, exhaustion, sedentariness, slowness, and weakness. RESULTS:
      TDR+TUR concentrations were inversely associated with FS risk over 3-y of follow
      up (OR for comparison of extreme tertiles: 0.11; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.45; P-trend =
      0.002) but not after 6- and 9-y of follow-up in multinomial logistic regression
      models adjusted for baseline frailty status and potential confounders. These
      results did not differ when analyses were further adjusted for inflammatory
      markers. CONCLUSION: Higher habitual dietary resveratrol exposure was associated
      with lower risk of older community dwellers developing FS during the first 3 y of
      follow-up but not after longer follow-up periods.

PMID- 26490493
TI  - Adherence to a Mediterranean diet, genetic susceptibility, and progression to
      advanced macular degeneration: a prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet is linked to a lower risk of
      mortality and chronic disease, but the association with the progression of age
      related macular degeneration (AMD) and genetic susceptibility is unknown.
      OBJECTIVE: We examined the association of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and
      genetic susceptibility with progression to advanced AMD. DESIGN: Among 2525
      subjects in the AREDS (Age-Related Eye Disease Study), 1028 eyes progressed to
      advanced AMD over 13 y. Baseline data for demographic and behavioral covariates
      were collected by using questionnaires. Dietary data were collected from food
      frequency questionnaires. The alternate Mediterranean diet (aMeDi) score (range:
      0-9) was constructed from individual intakes of vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole
      grains, nuts, fish, red and processed meats, alcohol, and the ratio of
      monounsaturated to saturated fats. Ten genetic loci in 7 genes [complement factor
      H (CFH), age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2/high-temperature requirement A
      serine peptidase 1 (ARMS2/HTRA1), complement component 2 (C2), complement factor
      B (CFB), complement component 3 (C3), collagen type VIII alpha 1 (COL8A1), and
      RAD51 paralog B (RAD51B)] were examined. Survival analysis was used to assess
      individual eyes for associations between incident AMD and aMeDi score, as well as
      interaction effects between aMeDi score and genetic variation on risk of AMD.
      RESULTS: A high aMeDi score (score of 6-9) was significantly associated with a
      reduced risk of progression to advanced AMD after adjustment for demographic,
      behavioral, ocular, and genetic covariates (HR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.61, 0.91; P-trend
      = 0.007). The aMeDi score was significantly associated with a lower risk of
      incident advanced AMD among subjects carrying the CFH Y402H nonrisk (T) allele (P
      trend = 0.0004, P-interaction = 0.04). The aMeDi score was not associated with
      AMD among subjects who were homozygous for the risk (C) allele. CONCLUSION:
      Higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with reduced risk of
      progression to advanced AMD, which may be modified by genetic susceptibility.
      This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00594672.

PMID- 26490494
TI  - Healthy eating and lower mortality risk in a large cohort of cardiac patients who
      received state-of-the-art drug treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about dietary scores and mortality risk in cardiac
      patients who are well treated with drugs with attendant relatively low risk of
      cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). OBJECTIVE: We assessed whether healthy eating
      lowers the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality in cardiac patients. DESIGN: We
      included 4307 patients from the Alpha Omega Trial aged 60-80 y with a clinically
      diagnosed myocardial infarction and monitored mortality for 10 y. Diet was
      assessed at baseline (2002-2006) with a validated 203-item food-frequency
      questionnaire. We created 2 dietary scores on the basis of nonoverlapping sets of
      foods: the Dutch Healthy Nutrient and Food Score (DHNaFS) and the Dutch
      Undesirable Nutrient and Food Score (DUNaFS). The associations of both dietary
      scores with CVD and all-cause mortality were assessed by using multivariable
      adjusted Cox regression models. RESULTS: The median time after myocardial
      infarction at baseline was 3.7 y (IQR: 1.7-6.3 y). During a median of 6.5 y of
      follow-up (IQR: 5.3-7.6 y), 801 patients died; 342 of those died of CVD. One
      patient was lost to follow-up. A substantially higher average amount of DHNaFS
      foods (~1750 g/d) than DUNaFS foods (~650 g/d) was consumed. Almost all patients
      received drug treatment: 86% used statins, 90% used antihypertensive medication,
      and 98% used antithrombotic medication. Patients in the fifth quintile of the
      DHNaFS had a 30% (HR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.55, 0.91) lower CVD risk and a 32% (HR:
      0.68; 95% CI: 0.47, 0.99) lower all-cause mortality risk than did patients in the
      first quintile. The DUNaFS was unrelated to both CVD and all-cause mortality.
      CONCLUSION: Beyond state-of-the-art drug treatment, healthy eating was associated
      with a lower risk of CVD and all-cause mortality in cardiac patients. This trial
      was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00127452.

PMID- 26490496
TI  - Risk of decline and chance of improvement in olfaction among patients with post
      traumatic olfactory loss.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the chance of improvement and risk of decline in olfaction
      among patients with post-traumatic olfactory loss. METHODS: This study comprised
      80 patients. Changes in olfaction were determined using a visual analogue scale
      and the 'Sniffin' Sticks' test. Logistic regression was used to identify
      predictors for olfactory changes. RESULTS: Olfactory changes were observed in 9
      35 per cent of patients. The rates of improvement and decline according to visual
      analogue scale scores were 35 per cent and 10 per cent respectively, whereas
      those in the Sniffin' Sticks test were 9 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.
      There was a predictive link between non-anosmia and decline in Sniffin' Sticks
      test scores (odds ratio = 16.61, p = 0.003). A positive correlation was observed
      between the scores in the first and last examinations (rho = 0.532, p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: Patients should be informed that they may experience an improvement
      or decline in olfaction following post-traumatic olfactory dysfunction. This
      study provides evidence to support comprehensive counselling regarding prognosis
      as an integral part of management strategies.

PMID- 26490497
TI  - Majoranas with and without a 'character': hybridization, braiding and chiral
      Majorana number.
AB  - In this paper we demonstrate under what conditions a pseudo-spin degree of
      freedom or character can be ascribed to Majorana bound states (MBS). These exotic
      states can be created at the boundaries of non-interacting systems, corresponding
      to D, DIII and BDI in the usual classification scheme, and we focus on one
      dimension. We have found that such a character is directly related to the class
      of the topological superconductor and its description by a Z, rather than a Zs,
      invariant which corresponds to the BDI class. We have also found that the DIII
      case with mirror symmetry, which supports multiple MBS, is in fact equivalent to
      the BDI class with an additional time-reversal symmetry. In all cases where a
      character can be given to the Majorana states we show how to construct the
      appropriate local operator explicitly with various examples. We also examine the
      consequences of the Majorana character by considering possible hybridization of
      MBS brought into proximity and find that two MBS with the same character do not
      hybridize. Finally, we show that having this character or not has no consequence
      on the braiding properties of MBS.

PMID- 26490495
TI  - Excessive gestational weight gain is associated with long-term body fat and
      weight retention at 7 y postpartum in African American and Dominican mothers with
      underweight, normal, and overweight prepregnancy BMI.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with postpartum
      weight retention (PPWR) and abdominal adiposity, but long-term effects are
      understudied in low-income and minority populations at high risk of obesity and
      associated sequelae. OBJECTIVE: We examined associations between GWG and long
      term PPWR and adiposity in a prospective cohort of African American and Dominican
      mothers in the Bronx and Northern Manhattan. DESIGN: Women (n = 302) were
      enrolled during pregnancy and were followed for 7 y postpartum. Linear regression
      was used to relate excessive GWG [greater than 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM)
      guidelines] to outcomes [percentage body fat and long-term PPWR (change in weight
      from prepregnancy to 7 y postpartum)], adjusting for covariates and included an
      interaction term between prepregnancy body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)) and GWG.
      RESULTS: Mean +/- SD prepregnancy BMI and total GWG were 25.6 +/- 5.8 (42% of
      women had BMI >=25) and 16.6 +/- 7.8 kg (64% of women had total GWG greater than
      IOM guidelines), respectively. Associations between GWG and long-term PPWR and
      the percentage body fat varied by prepregnancy BMI (P-interaction <= 0.06);
      excessive GWG was associated with a higher percentage body fat and greater long
      term PPWR in mothers with lower prepregnancy BMI. To illustrate the interaction,
      a predicted covariate-adjusted model, which was used to derive estimates for the
      percentage body fat and PPWR associated with excessive GWG, was estimated for 2
      prepregnancy BMI examples. For a woman with prepregnancy BMI of 22, excessive GWG
      was associated with 3.0% higher body fat (P < 0.001) and a 5.6-kg higher PPWR (P
      < 0.001); however, for a woman with a prepregnancy BMI of 30, excessive GWG was
      associated with 0.58% higher body fat (P = 0.55) and 2.06 kg PPWR (P = 0.24).
      CONCLUSIONS: Long-term adiposity and PPWR in low-income African American and
      Dominican mothers were predicted by interacting effects of prepregnancy BMI and
      excessive GWG. The provision of support for mothers to begin pregnancy at a
      healthy weight and to gain weight appropriately during pregnancy may have
      important lasting implications for weight-related health in this population. This
      study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00043498.

PMID- 26490499
TI  - Cyclic enaminones. Part II: applications as versatile intermediates in alkaloid
      synthesis.
AB  - Among many other strategies, the enaminone approach is an important strategy to
      construct and diversify the azacyclic core in various alkaloids syntheses. In
      this brief review we discuss the application of cyclic enaminones as building
      blocks, as well as potential intermediates in the total synthesis of selected
      alkaloids. 

PMID- 26490498
TI  - Sildenafil in Term and Premature Infants: A Systematic Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: Numerous medications are used off-label in term and premature infants,
      with limited safety or efficacy data. Although sildenafil is approved by the US
      Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension in
      adults, it is not approved for use in children. However, sildenafil use in term
      and premature infants with pulmonary hypertension is increasing. The goal of this
      study was to review controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of sildenafil use
      in: (1) term infants with pulmonary hypertension; (2) premature infants at risk
      for developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD); and (3) premature infants with
      BPD-associated pulmonary hypertension. METHODS: MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane
      Database of Systematic Reviews, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts
      databases were searched for citations related to sildenafil use in term or near
      term infants with pulmonary hypertension or premature infants at risk for BPD or
      with BPD-associated pulmonary hypertension. Randomized and nonrandomized
      controlled trials were searched for that evaluated sildenafil use in term and
      premature infants compared with placebo or inhaled nitric oxide alone. Included
      studies were limited to English or Spanish language. Risk of bias was determined
      by using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. FINDINGS: Five trials (4 full-text
      articles and 1 abstract) of the 802 screened citations met the criteria for
      inclusion. All 5 trials were randomized controlled trials; the largest had 51
      participants. Four of the trials (with a total of 137 subjects) evaluated the use
      of sildenafil versus placebo for term or near-term infants with persistent
      pulmonary hypertension of the newborn in low-resource settings in which inhaled
      nitric oxide was unavailable; there were no trials of sildenafil in areas in
      which inhaled nitric oxide is routinely available. The trials showed improvements
      in oxygenation index and a reduction in mortality in the sildenafil groups (5.9%
      vs 44%). One trial evaluated early sildenafil use (after day 7 of life) in
      premature infants for the prevention of BPD (n = 20). More premature infants in
      the sildenafil group died, were exposed to postnatal steroids, and had higher
      right-sided ventricular pressures later during hospitalization; these differences
      were not statistically significant. No trials evaluated sildenafil versus placebo
      in premature infants with BPD-associated pulmonary hypertension. IMPLICATIONS:
      There is currently little evidence to support the use of sildenafil in term or
      near-term infants with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn in areas
      in which inhaled nitric oxide is available. More data are needed to determine the
      effectiveness and dosing of sildenafil in improving outcomes for term and
      premature infants. Sildenafil dosing and safety studies are needed, especially
      among premature infants, before efficacy trials are performed.

PMID- 26490500
TI  - Cor triatriatum sinistrum with pulmonary vein atresia.

PMID- 26490501
TI  - Trauma induced myocardial infarction.
AB  - Chest Trauma in athletes is a common health problem. However, myocardial
      infarction secondary to coronary dissection in the setting of blunt chest trauma
      is extremely rare. We report a case of acute inferior wall myocardial infarction
      following blunt chest trauma. A 32-year-old male with no relevant medical
      problems was transferred to our medical center for retrosternal chest pain after
      being elbowed in the chest during a soccer game. Few seconds later, he started
      experiencing sharp retrosternal chest pain that was severe to that point where he
      called the emergency medical service. Upon arrival to the trauma department
      patient was still complaining of chest pain. ECG demonstrated ST segment
      elevation in the inferior leads with reciprocal changes in the lateral leads all
      consistent with active ischemia. After rolling out aortic dissection, patient was
      loaded with ASA, ticagerlor, heparin and was emergently taken to the cardiac
      catheterization lab. Coronary angiography demonstrated 100% thrombotic occlusion
      in the distal right coronary artery with TIMI 0 flow distally. After thrombus
      aspiration, a focal dissection was noted on the angiogram that was successfully
      stented. Two days after admission patient was discharged home. Echocardiography
      prior to discharge showed inferior wall akinesis, normal right ventricular
      systolic function and normal overall ejection fraction. 

PMID- 26490502
TI  - An update on atrial fibrillation in 2014: From pathophysiology to treatment.
AB  - Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequently encountered cardiac arrhythmia.
      The trigger for initiation of AF is generally an enhanced vulnerability of
      pulmonary vein cardiomyocyte sleeves to either focal or re-entrant activity. The
      maintenance of AF is based on a "driver" mechanism in a vulnerable substrate.
      Cardiac mapping technology is providing further insight into these extremely
      dynamic processes. AF can lead to electrophysiological and structural
      remodelling, thereby promoting the condition. The management includes prevention
      of stroke by oral anticoagulation or left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion,
      upstream therapy of concomitant conditions, and symptomatic improvement using
      rate control and/or rhythm control. Nonpharmacological strategies include
      electrical cardioversion and catheter ablation. There are substantial
      geographical variations in the management of AF, though European data indicate
      that 80% of patients receive adequate anticoagulation and 79% adequate rate
      control. High rates of morbidity and mortality weigh against perceived
      difficulties in management. Clinical research and growing experience are helping
      refine clinical indications and provide better technical approaches. Active
      research in cardiac electrophysiology is producing new antiarrhythmic agents that
      are reaching the experimental clinical arena, inhibiting novel ion channels.
      Future research should give better understanding of the underlying aetiology of
      AF and identification of drug targets, to help the move toward patient-specific
      therapy. 

PMID- 26490503
TI  - Web-based Gene Pathogenicity Analysis (WGPA): a web platform to interpret gene
      pathogenicity from personal genome data.
AB  - As the volume of patient-specific genome sequences increases the focus of
      biomedical research is switching from the detection of disease-mutations to their
      interpretation. To this end a number of techniques have been developed that use
      mutation data collected within a population to predict whether individual genes
      are likely to be disease-causing or not. As both sequence data and associated
      analysis tools proliferate, it becomes increasingly difficult for the community
      to make sense of these data and their implications. Moreover, no single analysis
      tool is likely to capture all relevant genomic features that contribute to the
      gene's pathogenicity. Here, we introduce Web-based Gene Pathogenicity Analysis
      (WGPA), a web-based tool to analyze genes impacted by mutations and rank them
      through the integration of existing prioritization tools, which assess different
      aspects of gene pathogenicity using population-level sequence data. Additionally,
      to explore the polygenic contribution of mutations to disease, WGPA implements
      gene set enrichment analysis to prioritize disease-causing genes and gene
      interaction networks, therefore providing a comprehensive annotation of personal
      genomes data in disease. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: wgpa.systems
      genetics.net.

PMID- 26490504
TI  - An algorithm to detect and communicate the differences in computational models
      describing biological systems.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Repositories support the reuse of models and ensure transparency
      about results in publications linked to those models. With thousands of models
      available in repositories, such as the BioModels database or the Physiome Model
      Repository, a framework to track the differences between models and their
      versions is essential to compare and combine models. Difference detection not
      only allows users to study the history of models but also helps in the detection
      of errors and inconsistencies. Existing repositories lack algorithms to track a
      model's development over time. RESULTS: Focusing on SBML and CellML, we present
      an algorithm to accurately detect and describe differences between coexisting
      versions of a model with respect to (i) the models' encoding, (ii) the structure
      of biological networks and (iii) mathematical expressions. This algorithm is
      implemented in a comprehensive and open source library called BiVeS. BiVeS helps
      to identify and characterize changes in computational models and thereby
      contributes to the documentation of a model's history. Our work facilitates the
      reuse and extension of existing models and supports collaborative modelling.
      Finally, it contributes to better reproducibility of modelling results and to the
      challenge of model provenance. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The workflow
      described in this article is implemented in BiVeS. BiVeS is freely available as
      source code and binary from sems.uni-rostock.de. The web interface BudHat
      demonstrates the capabilities of BiVeS at budhat.sems.uni-rostock.de.

PMID- 26490506
TI  - Predicting Rape Victim Empathy Based on Rape Victimization and Acknowledgment
      Labeling.
AB  - Two studies examined rape victim empathy based on personal rape victimization and
      acknowledgment labeling. Female undergraduates (Study 1, n = 267; Study 2, n =
      381) from a Northeast U.S. midsize public university completed the Rape-Victim
      Empathy Scale and Sexual Experiences Survey. As predicted, both studies found
      that acknowledged "rape" victims reported greater empathy than unacknowledged
      victims and nonvictims. Unexpectedly, these latter two groups did not differ.
      Study 1 also found that acknowledged "rape" victims reported greater empathy than
      victims who acknowledged being "sexually victimized." Findings suggest that being
      raped and acknowledging "rape" together may facilitate rape victim empathy.

PMID- 26490505
TI  - Protective Efficacy and Mechanism of Passive Immunization with Polyclonal
      Antibodies in a Sepsis Model of Staphylococcus aureus Infection.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen
      responsible for a diverse spectrum of human diseases, resulting in considerable
      yearly mortality rates. Due to its rapid acquisition of antibiotic resistance, it
      becomes increasingly difficult to cure S. aureus infections with conventional
      antibiotics. Immunotherapy represents a promising alternative strategy to prevent
      and/or treat the infection. In the present study, passive immunization with
      polyclonal antibodies targeting three possible S. aureus antigens, Hla, SEB and
      MntC (termed "SAvac-pcAb") after challenge with lethal dose of S. aureus resulted
      in reduced bacterial loads, inflammatory cell infiltration and decreased
      pathology, and was able to provide nearly complete protection in a murine sepsis
      model. In vitro studies confirmed the direct interaction of SAvac-pcAb with S.
      aureus bacteria. Additional studies validated that SAvac-pcAb contained both
      opsonic and neutralizing antibodies that contributed to its protective efficacy.
      The former mediated opsonophagocytosis in a neutrophil-dependent manner, while
      the later inhibited the biological functions of Hla and SEB, two major virulence
      factors secreted by S. aureus. Critically, we demonstrated that SAvac-pcAb was
      cross-reactive with different clinical strains of S. aureus. These results
      confirmed the efficacy for treatment of S. aureus infection by passive
      immunization as an important therapeutic option. 

PMID- 26490507
TI  - "It Gave Me My Life Back": An Evaluation of a Specialist Legal Domestic Abuse
      Service.
AB  - Community-based advocacy services are important in enabling victims to escape
      domestic abuse and rebuild their lives. This study evaluated a domestic abuse
      service. Two phases of research were conducted following case-file analysis (n =
      86): surveys (n = 22) and interviews (n = 12) with victims, and interviews with
      key individuals (n = 12) based in related statutory and community organizations.
      The findings revealed the holistic model of legal, practical, mental health
      related, and advocacy components resulted in a range of benefits to victims and
      enhanced interagency partnership working. Core elements of a successful needs
      led, victim-centered service could be distilled.

PMID- 26490508
TI  - Substolides A-G, germacrane sesquiterpenoids from Salvia substolonifera.
AB  - Chemical investigation of the whole plants of Salvia substolonifera E.Peter
      yielded seven germacrane sesquiterpenoids, substolides A-G (1-7), an ethoxylated
      artifact (8), and two known analogues, 6beta-tigloyloxyglechomafuran (9) and
      castanin F (10). Four germacrane 8-acetylation derivatives (1a-4a) were obtained
      by chemical transformation. Their structures and relative or absolute
      configurations were elucidated by intensive spectroscopic methods, and single
      crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compounds 1a-4a, and 5-10 were evaluated for
      their in vitro anti-angiogenic effects. Compounds 7 and 9 significantly inhibited
      VEGF-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation in
      vitro, with IC50 values of 16.15 +/- 0.19, and 4.03 +/- 0.26 MUM, respectively.
      The structure activity relationship of these compounds is discussed.

PMID- 26490510
TI  - Violent injuries and regional correlates among women in China: results from 21
      cities study in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ecological models depict violent injuries against women being
      influenced by both individual and environmental characteristics. However, only
      few studies examined the association between regional variables and the
      likelihood of violent injuries. Our study is a preliminary assessment of the
      impact of regional variables on the likelihood that a woman has experienced
      violent injuries. METHODS: Participants were 16 866 urban residents, who were
      identified through a multi-stage sampling process conducted in 21 Chinese cities.
      Out of the sampled population, 8071 respondents were female. Subsequent analyses
      focused solely on the female sample. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were
      performed to examine regional variation in violent injuries. RESULTS: Prevalence
      of violent injuries against women is 10.7% (95% CI: 7.8%, 15.5%). After
      controlling for individual-level characteristics, higher regional male-female
      ratio (OR: 1.97, P < 0.05), population growth rate (OR: 4.12, P < 0.01) and
      unemployment rate (OR: 2.45, P < 0.01) were all associated with an elevated risk
      of violent injuries among Chinese women caused by physical attack. CONCLUSIONS:
      The results suggest violent injuries among Chinese women caused by physical
      attack have become an important social and public health problem. The findings
      point to the importance of developing effective health policies, laws and
      interventions that focuses on the unequal economic development between different
      regions.

PMID- 26490511
TI  - Relative deprivation in the Nordic countries-child mental health problems in
      relation to parental financial stress.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Nordic welfare system has been acknowledged as favourable for
      children, successfully contributing to low child mortality and poverty rates.
      Nevertheless, mental health problems among children and adolescents are common
      and the economic situation of the family has been highlighted as an important
      determinant. In spite of similar social, political and cultural structures, the
      Nordic countries differ; Iceland was most affected by the global financial crisis
      in 2008. The aim of this study was to examine potential differences in parental
      financial stress and the associations to child mental health between the Nordic
      countries as well as age and gender differences.  METHODS: The study sample
      consisted of 6330 children aged 4-16 years old included in the 2011 version of
      the Nordic Study of Children's Health, Wellbeing and Quality of life. The
      Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to measure mental health
      problems.  RESULTS: In Iceland, 47.7% of the parents reported financial stress
      while <=20% did so in the other countries except for Finland (33.5%). However, in
      case of parental financial stress the OR of mental health problems comparing
      children to parents with and without financial stress was significantly lower
      among the Icelandic children (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.15-2.24) than among the others:
      Denmark OR 3.07 (95% CI 2.15-4.39), Finland OR 2.28 (95% CI 1.60-3.25), Norway OR
      2.77 (95% CI 1.86-4.12), Sweden OR 3.31(95% CI 2.26-4.86). No significant age or
      gender differences in the ORs were observed.  CONCLUSIONS: Besides socioeconomic
      situation, relative deprivation should be considered an important determinant of
      child mental health.

PMID- 26490509
TI  - Handling of Drugs, Metabolites, and Uremic Toxins by Kidney Proximal Tubule Drug
      Transporters.
AB  - The proximal tubule of the kidney plays a crucial role in the renal handling of
      drugs (e.g., diuretics), uremic toxins (e.g., indoxyl sulfate), environmental
      toxins (e.g., mercury, aristolochic acid), metabolites (e.g., uric acid), dietary
      compounds, and signaling molecules. This process is dependent on many
      multispecific transporters of the solute carrier (SLC) superfamily, including
      organic anion transporter (OAT) and organic cation transporter (OCT) subfamilies,
      and the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily. We review the basic physiology of
      these SLC and ABC transporters, many of which are often called drug transporters.
      With an emphasis on OAT1 (SLC22A6), the closely related OAT3 (SLC22A8), and OCT2
      (SLC22A2), we explore the implications of recent in vitro, in vivo, and clinical
      data pertinent to the kidney. The analysis of murine knockouts has revealed a key
      role for these transporters in the renal handling not only of drugs and toxins
      but also of gut microbiome products, as well as liver-derived phase 1 and phase 2
      metabolites, including putative uremic toxins (among other molecules of metabolic
      and clinical importance). Functional activity of these transporters (and
      polymorphisms affecting it) plays a key role in drug handling and nephrotoxicity.
      These transporters may also play a role in remote sensing and signaling, as part
      of a versatile small molecule communication network operative throughout the body
      in normal and diseased states, such as AKI and CKD. 

PMID- 26490512
TI  - Prototype of a primary calibration system for measurement of radon activity
      concentration.
AB  - To calibrate measurement devices for monitoring the activity concentration of
      (222)Rn in air, a prototype of a calibration facility is tested using a solid
      (226)Ra source and a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. An emanation box was
      mounted on the detector for online gamma measurements. Inside this box, a 32.8
      kBq +/-3% (226)Ra standard source was placed. An AlphaGUARD control radon monitor
      was connected to the emanation box with a pumping air system in an open flow mode
      as a reference monitor. The emanation coefficient of the source was controlled
      online by comparing the gamma activity of (214)Bi (Egamma=609.3 keV), progeny of
      (226)Ra, to that of the calibration source. A standard (137)Cs source, installed
      within the emanation box, was used as a reference for gamma spectroscopy using
      the HPGe detector, with a total systematic error of 4% and a random error less
      than 2%. The ratio between gamma measurements and AlphaGUARD was 0.94+/-0.4;
      which is within the 9% uncertainties of AlphaGUARD calibration.

PMID- 26490513
TI  - Burden and direct costs of non infectious uveitis in Spain.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There is no updated information on epidemiology and cost of
      management of non infectious uveitis (NIU) in Spain. This study assessed the
      frequency of various types of uveitis as well as associated costs of resources
      used in their management. MATERIAL AND METHOD: NIU epidemiological data and
      direct costs were collected from a literature search. This was complemented with
      consensus information from 2 expert panel meetings and data from questionnaires
      to ophthalmologists and rheumatologists, experts on these conditions. Healthcare
      resources costs were obtained from the Oblikue database, from a medical society
      and from approved drug prices in Spain. RESULTS: During 2011 the estimate number
      of NIU was 9,398 (45% male, 70% aged 16-65 years). Incidence per type of uveitis
      was: acute anterior uveitis (AAU) 55%; posterior uveitis (PU) and pan-uveitis
      (PanU) 15% each; adult chronic anterior uveitis, paediatric chronic anterior
      uveitis and intermediate uveitis 5% each. Among total costs (77,834,282.10?),
      initial drug therapy was the highest (43,602,359.29?), followed by surgical
      treatment of complications (8,367,420.43?). With respect to types of uveitis,
      PanU (26,692,948.29?), PU (22,283,330.50?) and AAU (14,336,755.38?) showed the
      highest associated costs. CONCLUSIONS: Non infectious uveitis is associated to
      high costs in Spain, both in its diagnosis and in its treatment. Early diagnosis
      and treatment should allow for substantial savings for the National Health
      System.

PMID- 26490515
TI  - We are more selfish than we think: The endowment effect and reward processing
      within the human medial-frontal cortex.
AB  - Perceived ownership has been shown to impact a variety of cognitive processes:
      attention, memory, and--more recently--reward processing. In the present
      experiment we examined whether or not perceived ownership would interact with the
      construct of value-the relative worth of an object. Participants completed a
      simple gambling game in which they gambled either for themselves or for another
      while electroencephalographic data were recorded. In a key manipulation, gambles
      for oneself or for another were for either small or large rewards. We tested the
      hypothesis that value affects the neural response to self-gamble outcomes, but
      not other-gamble outcomes. Our experimental data revealed that while participants
      learned the correct response option for both self and other gambles, the reward
      positivity evoked by wins was impacted by value only when gambling for oneself.
      Importantly, our findings provide additional evidence for a self-ownership bias
      in cognitive processing and further demonstrate the insensitivity of the medial
      frontal reward system to gambles for another.

PMID- 26490516
TI  - Combination of CD157 and FLAER to Detect Peripheral Blood Eosinophils by
      Multiparameter Flow Cytometry.
AB  - The identification of eosinophils by flow cytometry is difficult because most of
      the surface antigens expressed by eosinophils are shared with neutrophils. Some
      methods have been proposed, generally based on differential light scatter
      properties, enhanced autofluorescence, lack of CD16 or selective positivity of
      CD52. Such methods, however, show several limitations. In the present study we
      report a novel method based on the analysis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)
      linked molecules. The combination of CD157 and FLAER was used, since FLAER
      recognizes all GPI-linked molecules, while CD157 is absent on the membrane of
      eosinophils and expressed by neutrophils. Peripheral blood samples from normal
      subjects and patients with variable percentages of eosinophils (n = 31), and
      without any evidence for circulating immature myeloid cells, were stained with
      the combination of FLAER-Alexa Fluor and CD157-PE. A FascCanto II cytometer was
      used. Granulocytes were gated after CD33 staining and eosinophils were identified
      as CD157(-)/FLAER(+) events. Neutrophils were identified as CD157(+)/FLAER(+)
      events. The percentages of eosinophils detected by this method showed a very
      significant correlation both with automated counting and with manual counting (r
      = 0.981 and 0.989, respectively). Sorting assays were carried out by a S3 Cell
      Sorter: cytospins obtained from CD157(-)/FLAER(+) events consisted of 100%
      eosinophils, while samples from CD157(+)/FLAER(+) events were represented only by
      neutrophils. In conclusion, this method shows high sensitivity and specificity in
      order to distinguish eosinophils from neutrophils by flow cytometry. However,
      since CD157 is gradually up-regulated throughout bone marrow myeloid maturation,
      our method cannot be applied to cases characterized by immature myeloid cells.

PMID- 26490517
TI  - Follicular Dendritic Cell Meshwork in Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma Is
      Characterized by Accumulation of CXCL13(+) Cells.
AB  - Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is considered to originate from
      follicular helper T (TFH) cells. Currently, neoplastic cells in AITL are
      considered to express CXCL13 as a tumor marker. However, the identification of
      CXCL13(+) cells remains unclear in terms of whether they are neoplastic cells (or
      TFH cells) or follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) in both AITL and normal germinal
      centers. Therefore, the exact identification of CXCL13(+) cells was performed
      using 33 cases of AITL and normal germinal centers. Single-labeling
      immunohistochemistry and double-labeling immunofluorescent microscopy first
      confirmed that CXCL13 was expressed mainly in FDCs in the normal germinal
      centers. In 28 of 33 AITL cases, CXCL13 was expressed mainly in FDCs as a
      meshwork pattern, which was associated with CXCL13(+) neoplastic cells. In the
      other five cases, CXCL13 was expressed mainly in neoplastic cells, which were
      densely distributed in and around the FDC meshwork. These findings indicate the
      abundance of CXCL13(+) cells in the FDC meshwork irrespective of the cell type.
      Triple-labeling immunofluorescent microscopy showed that the CXCL13(+) FDC
      meshwork in AITL harbored both neoplastic cells and B cells. CXCR5, the cognate
      receptor of CXCL13, was expressed in neoplastic cells in AITL. The present study
      suggests that neoplastic cells in AITL preserve a certain level of TFH-cell
      function since neoplastic cells and B cells are closely enmeshed in the CXCL13(+)
      cell-rich FDC meshwork in a similar way as in normal germinal centers.

PMID- 26490514
TI  - The influence of cancer tissue sampling on the identification of cancer
      characteristics.
AB  - Cancer tissue sampling affects the identification of cancer characteristics. We
      aimed to clarify the source of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in macro
      dissected cancer tissue and develop a robust prognostic signature against the
      effects of tissue sampling. For estrogen receptor (ER)+ breast cancer patients,
      we identified DEGs in macro-dissected cancer tissues, malignant epithelial cells
      and stromal cells, defined as Macro-Dissected-DEGs, Epithelial-DEGs and Stromal
      DEGs, respectively. Comparing Epithelial-DEGs to Stromal-DEGs (false discovery
      rate (FDR) < 10%), 86% of the overlapping genes exhibited consistent
      dysregulation (defined as Consistent-DEGs), and the other 14% of genes were
      dysregulated inconsistently (defined as Inconsistent-DEGs). The consistency score
      of dysregulation directions between Macro-Dissected-DEGs and Consistent-DEGs was
      91% (P-value < 2.2 * 10(-16), binomial test), whereas the score was only 52%
      between Macro-Dissected-DEGs and Inconsistent-DEGs (P-value = 0.9, binomial
      test). Among the gene ontology (GO) terms significantly enriched in Macro
      Dissected-DEGs (FDR < 10%), 18 immune-related terms were enriched in Inconsistent
      DEGs. DEGs associated with proliferation could reflect common changes of
      malignant epithelial and stromal cells; DEGs associated with immune functions are
      sensitive to the percentage of malignant epithelial cells in macro-dissected
      tissues. A prognostic signature which was insensitive to the cellular composition
      of macro-dissected tissues was developed and validated for ER+ breast patients. 

PMID- 26490518
TI  - Persistent Hypoplastic Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia with a Novel Chromosomal
      Abnormality of 46, XY, t(15;17), t(9;11)(q13;p13).
AB  - A diagnosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is usually made when normal
      hematopoietic cells are substituted by APL cells. We encountered a unique APL
      patient who presented with persistent hypoplastic features of APL. An 84-year-old
      man presented with leukopenia (2.2 * 10(9)/L) and anemia (Hb 12.5 g/dL). Five
      months later, the bone marrow (BM) was hypoplastic with a normal proportion of
      blasts and promyelocytes (5.2%), although the latter cells were hypergranular.
      The karyotype of BM cells was 46, XY, t(15;17)(q22;q12), t(9;11)(q13;p13). Two
      months later, the BM remained hypoplastic with 8.5% hypergranular promyelocytes,
      some of which contained faggot of Auer rods. RT-PCR examination yielded the PML
      RARalpha transcript, and its sequencing revealed the breakpoint of PML to be
      bcr2. The patient was treated with all-trans retinoic acid under a diagnosis of
      APL with improvement of the bicytopenia. FISH analysis of BM cells yielded a
      negative result regarding t(15;17), although RT-PCR was positive for PML-RARalpha
      mRNA. Six months later, APL recurred with the same karyotypic abnormalities and
      therapeutic resistance, and the patient died of pneumonia. A persistent
      hypoplastic state of APL may be a rare event, and the association of t(15;17) and
      t(9;11) is novel.

PMID- 26490519
TI  - Modifications in B-Lymphocyte Number and Phenotype in the Course of Pregnancy in
      a Woman with Persistent Polyclonal B-Cell Lymphocytosis: A Flow Cytometric Study.
AB  - Persistent polyclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (PPBL) is a rare clinical condition,
      characterized by a persistent, generally moderate lymphocytosis, generally due to
      stimulation of central memory B-lymphocytes, and by a moderate increase of
      polyclonal IgM. In some patients, slight or moderate splenomegaly is observed. A
      variable percentage of circulating, bone marrow and splenic lymphocytes display
      an abnormal nucleus (generally bilobated) or are binucleated. The clinical course
      is benign in most cases and transformation into splenic B-cell lymphoma occurs in
      few cases. In the current paper we report the first case of pregnancy in PPBL.
      Our patient became pregnant 18 months after diagnosis. In the course of
      pregnancy, a marked down-regulation of lymphocytosis (from 6 * 10(9)/L to 2.1 *
      10(9)/L) and a decrease in B-lymphocyte number was observed (from 3.6 * 10(9)/L
      to 1 * 10(9)/L), mainly due to a marked reduction in the percentage and absolute
      number of central memory B-cells. Such modifications were similar to those
      described in normal pregnant women. One year after the delivery of a healthy
      female baby, the number of total lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes showed an inverse
      behavior, with a new expansion of central memory B-cells. Our case shows that a
      normal pregnancy can occur in patients with PPBL and that pregnancy can induce
      marked modifications in B-lymphocyte kinetics and phenotype.

PMID- 26490520
TI  - Rituximab Monotherapy and Rituximab-Containing Chemotherapy Were Effective for
      Paraneoplastic Pemphigus Accompanying Follicular Lymphoma, but not for Subsequent
      Bronchiolitis Obliterans.
AB  - A 60-year-old male patient suffered from mild exertional dyspnea, wheezing, and
      systemic blisters. He was diagnosed with paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) with
      follicular lymphoma in the pancreas head and pelvic cavity. He was first treated
      with eight cycles of rituximab; his blisters and erosions gradually improved and
      highly elevated levels of auto-antibodies related to PNP gradually decreased to
      normal levels. However, obstructive and restrictive respiratory failure still
      progressed. Computed tomography of the inspiratory and expiratory phases revealed
      obstructive pulmonary disorder, leading to a diagnosis of bronchiolitis
      obliterans (BO). The patient underwent plasma exchange and was repeatedly treated
      with rituximab monotherapy and rituximab-containing chemotherapies, but died 7
      months after the diagnosis of BO. Early introduction of rituximab-containing
      regimens may be necessary to prevent the development of BO accompanying PNP.
      However, when a diagnosis of PNP-related BO is made, lung transplantation may
      also be considered for patients in whom rituximab-containing regimens are
      effective for PNP.

PMID- 26490521
TI  - Successful Secondary Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation for Graft Failure in
      Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, Treated with Modified One-Day Conditioning Regimen,
      and Graft-Versus-Host Disease Prophylaxis Consisting of Mycophenolate and
      Tacrolimus.
AB  - Although graft failure (GF) is a fatal and life-threatening complication of
      umbilical cord blood transplantation (CBT), the standard treatment has not been
      established. We describe the case of a 28-year-old man diagnosed with acute
      myelogenous leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes harboring a normal
      karyotype. This patient underwent 2 courses of idarubicin and cytosine arabinose
      therapy, and 3 courses of high-dose cytosine arabinose therapy. Subsequently, he
      underwent high-dose chemotherapy (total body irradiation and cyclophosphamide)
      followed by first CBT. Primary GF occurred after post-immunological reaction and
      hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, and was diagnosed on day 27 after the first
      CBT. Therefore, the patient underwent secondary CBT for GF treated with a
      modified one-day conditioning regimen consisting of fludarabine (30 mg/m(2), 3
      days), cyclophosphamide (2 g/m(2)), and total body irradiation (2 Gy), and graft
      versus-host disease prophylaxis consisting of mycophenolate and tacrolimus.
      Consequently, the patient achieved neutrophil engraftment on day 17 after the
      second CBT. During the clinical course of the second CBT, the main complications
      were sepsis, BK virus-associated cystitis, and acute graft-versus-host disease
      (skin, grade 2, stage 3). After these treatments, the patient was disease-free
      for 39 months. Our case suggests that these treatments may be feasible, safe, and
      effective for the treatment of patients with GF. This case study may be helpful
      to physicians who directly care for GF patients, and may provide a future
      direction for a more efficient treatment modality.

PMID- 26490522
TI  - Marked Thrombocytosis in Chronic Eosinophilic Pneumonia and Analysis of Cytokine
      Mechanism.
AB  - A 47-year-old woman with marked thrombocytosis of 1,650 * 10(9)/L was diagnosed
      with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP) based on imaging of the lung and
      abundant eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Known gene abnormalities
      that cause eosinophilia were not detected in bone marrow cells. Treatment with
      oral prednisolone at 20 mg/day relieved the CEP and resolved the laboratory
      abnormalities, including eosinophilia and thrombocytosis. Serum concentrations of
      interleukin (IL)-5 and IL-6 were elevated to 9.6 and 14.0 pg/mL, respectively.
      The megakaryocyte-potentiating activity of IL-6 and possibly, that of IL-1beta,
      which is known to be secreted by activated eosinophils, may have caused the
      marked thrombocytosis in this patient.

PMID- 26490523
TI  - Multicentric Castleman Disease with Monoclonal Incomplete IgH Restriction: A Rare
      Coexistence.
AB  - Castleman disease is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder that may have a
      unicentric or multicentric clinical presentation. Herein we present the case of a
      49-year-old female with a 3-year history of progressively worsening
      lymphadenopathy associated with fevers, chills and night sweats. Laboratory
      studies showed anemia and mildly elevated sedimentation rate. A computed tomogram
      scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis showed multiple enlarged bilateral
      axillary, supraclavicular, subpectoral, submental, retroperitoneal, and para
      aortic lymph nodes. A right axillary lymph node biopsy was performed and found to
      display histopathologic features compatible with the plasma cell type of
      Castleman disease. The patient was found to be human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
      positive, with a viral load of 104,000/mL and a CD4 cell count of 84 cells/mm(3).
      Molecular studies on the lymph node specimen revealed an incomplete monoclonal DH
      JH rearrangement in the IgH gene. The patient was initially treated with
      antiretroviral therapy with a combination of elvitegravir, cobicistat,
      emtricitabine and tenofovir that improved her fatigue and malaise. As treatment
      for Castleman disease, she was administered a combination of rituximab and
      etoposide, which led to a reduction in lymphadenopathy. To the best of the
      authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of multicentric Castleman
      disease with monoclonal incomplete IgH gene rearrangement in an HIV-positive
      patient.

PMID- 26490524
TI  - Gradually-Deteriorating Liver Function due to Iron Overload Over Four Years after
      Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation.
AB  - In allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) recipients with
      liver dysfunction, it is often difficult to determine the cause. Several cases of
      liver dysfunction may be interpreted as chronic graft versus host disease without
      a definitive diagnosis, resulting in continued immunosuppressive therapy for
      longer periods. Allo-SCT recipients commonly require frequent red blood cell
      transfusions during the course of treatment and transplantation, leading to
      significant iron overload, which could be one of causes of liver dysfunction.
      Here we report an allo-SCT recipient with chronic deteriorating liver dysfunction
      due to iron overload, despite maintaining transfusion independence for more than
      four years. Using magnetic resonance-based liver iron concentration (MR-LIC),
      iron overload-related liver dysfunction was diagnosed. It drastically improved
      with monthly phlebotomy and has not recurred following its termination. The
      observations from our case suggested that iron overload should be recognized as a
      cause of chronic liver dysfunction even in patients who remain transfusion
      independent for several years and that MR-LIC analysis is a useful and reliable
      method for detecting iron overload and monitoring the effect of iron-reduction
      therapy.

PMID- 26490525
TI  - Successful Treatment of Bing-Neel Syndrome Accompanying Waldenstrom's
      Macroglobulinemia with R-MPV: A Case Report.
AB  - Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) is a neoplasm of lymphoplasmacytic cells
      that produces monoclonal IgM protein. Although hyperviscosity syndrome is a
      common feature of WM, central nervous system (CNS) involvement in WM is rare and
      is known as Bing-Neel syndrome. A 60-year-old woman was referred to our hospital
      with bed-bound polyneuropathy, edema, splenomegaly, IgM-lambda-type monoclonal
      protein and CD20-positive lymphocyte infiltration in the bone marrow. She was
      diagnosed with WM accompanying POEMS syndrome (polyneuropathy, organomegaly,
      endocrinopathy, monoclonal plasma cell disorder, and skin changes) and was
      treated with rituximab and thalidomide. She achieved partial remission of WM, and
      thalidomide was continued for POEMS syndrome. She visited our outpatient clinic 6
      years later with sudden onset of vertigo and nausea. Magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) revealed a low-density area 4 cm in diameter in her right cerebrum and
      right mid-brain and she was referred to our hospital. Pathological analysis of
      brain biopsy samples revealed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in the CNS.
      Nucleic acid sequence analysis of the VDJ region using DNA obtained from the
      original WM tumor cells and brain tissue revealed that the DLBCL cells were
      derived from the original WM malignant lymphoma cells. She received five cycles
      of rituximab, methotrexate, procarbazine, and vincristine (R-MPV) therapy and
      23.4 Gy of whole-brain irradiation followed by two cycles of high-dose
      cytarabine, which resolved her neurological symptoms in association with
      reduction of IgM levels to 367 mg/dL. MRI and computed tomography of the brain
      demonstrated complete remission of her CNS lymphoma.

PMID- 26490526
TI  - An overlooked environmental issue? A review of the inadvertent formation of PCB
      11 and other PCB congeners and their occurrence in consumer products and in the
      environment.
AB  - Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are banned from production and use in most
      countries as they are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) of concern for
      environment and health. Recent research has pointed at a new environment issue
      resulting from the inadvertent formation of PCBs in certain processes, in
      particular the pigment production. PCB-11 is a major by-product in these
      processes, but PCB-28, PCB-52, PCB-77 as well as the nonachlorinated PCBs and PCB
      209 have been found in pigments and consumer products as well. In addition to
      environmental emissions via point sources, in particular related to industrial
      and municipal wastewater, atmospheric transport seems to be important for the
      global distribution of PCB-11. Thus, PCB-11 has also been detected in the polar
      regions. Worldwide air concentrations appear relatively uniform, but maxima have
      been found in urban and industrialised areas. Data on the uptake and accumulation
      of PCB-11 in the food chain are still inconclusive: Although food web studies do
      not show biomagnification, PCB-11 has been detected in humans. The human exposure
      might originate from the direct contact to consumer products as well as from the
      omnipresence of PCB-11 in the environment. 

PMID- 26490527
TI  - Landscape structure and management alter the outcome of a pesticide ERA:
      Evaluating impacts of endocrine disruption using the ALMaSS European Brown Hare
      model.
AB  - There is a gradual change towards explicitly considering landscapes in regulatory
      risk assessment. To realise the objective of developing representative scenarios
      for risk assessment it is necessary to know how detailed a landscape
      representation is needed to generate a realistic risk assessment, and indeed how
      to generate such landscapes. This paper evaluates the contribution of landscape
      and farming components to a model based risk assessment of a fictitious endocrine
      disruptor on hares. In addition, we present methods and code examples for
      generation of landscape structures and farming simulation from data collected
      primarily for EU agricultural subsidy support and GIS map data. Ten different
      Danish landscapes were generated and the ERA carried out for each landscape using
      two different assumed toxicities. The results showed negative impacts in all
      cases, but the extent and form in terms of impacts on abundance or occupancy
      differed greatly between landscapes. A meta-model was created, predicting impact
      from landscape and farming characteristics. Scenarios based on all combinations
      of farming and landscape for five landscapes representing extreme and middle
      impacts were created. The meta-models developed from the 10 real landscapes
      failed to predict impacts for these 25 scenarios. Landscape, farming, and the
      emergent density of hares all influenced the results of the risk assessment
      considerably. The study indicates that prediction of a reasonable worst case
      scenario is difficult from structural, farming or population metrics; rather the
      emergent properties generated from interactions between landscape, management and
      ecology are needed. Meta-modelling may also fail to predict impacts, even when
      restricting inputs to combinations of those used to create the model. Future ERA
      may therefore need to make use of multiple scenarios representing a wide range of
      conditions to avoid locally unacceptable risks. This approach could now be
      feasible Europe wide given the landscape generation methods presented.

PMID- 26490528
TI  - Low uptake affinity cultivars with biochar to tackle Cd-tainted rice--A field
      study over four rice seasons in Hunan, China.
AB  - Biochar is becoming an environmentally friendly material for remediation of heavy
      metal contaminated soils and improving food safety. A field trial over four rice
      seasons was conducted to investigate the use of biochar and low Cd accumulating
      cultivars on Cd uptake in a heavy metal contaminated soil. Wheat straw derived
      biochar was applied at 0, 20 and 40 t ha(-1). Two rice cultivars with differing
      Cd accumulation abilities were selected in each season. The results showed that
      both biochar and low Cd affinity cultivars significantly reduced rice grain Cd
      accumulation. Biochar had no significant effect the first season but thereafter
      consistently reduced rice grain Cd by a maximum of 61, 86 and 57% over the next
      three seasons. Zn accumulation in the rice grains was not decreased by biochar
      application, although available soil Zn was sharply reduced (35-91%). Indica
      conventional rice cultivars had much lower Cd, but higher Zn and lower Cd/Zn
      ratios in the grain than indica hybrid cultivars. Biochar was more effective for
      mitigating grain Cd accumulation in low Cd affinity cultivars than in high
      affinity cultivars. Soil pH was sustainably increased (up to nearly 1 unit) while
      available Cd significantly decreased by a maximum of 85% after biochar addition.
      The translocation of Cd from rice roots to shoots was reduced from 20 to 80% by
      biochar. Low uptake affinity cultivars combined with biochar reduced late rice
      grain Cd concentration and Cd/Zn ratios by 69-80% and 72-80%, respectively. It
      indicated that the management of combining biochar and low Cd affinity cultivars
      should be an efficient way to remediate Cd contaminated rice paddies and reduce
      health risk associated with consuming rice from these soils.

PMID- 26490529
TI  - Evident elevation of atmospheric monoterpenes due to degradation-induced species
      changes in a semi-arid grassland.
AB  - Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emitted from plants have substantial
      effects on atmospheric chemistry/physics and feedbacks on ecosystem function. The
      on-going climate change and anthropogenic disturbance have been confirmed to
      cause the evident degradation of grassland with shift of plant community, and
      hence BVOCs emissions were suspected to be altered due to the different BOVCs
      emission potentials of different species. In this study, we investigated BVOCs
      concentration above ground surface during growing season in a degraded semi-arid
      grassland (41 degrees 2' N-45 degrees 6' N, 113 degrees 5'-117 degrees 8') in
      Inner Mongolia. The observed monoterpenes' concentrations varied from 0.10 to
      215.78 MUg m(-3) (34.88 +/- 9.73 MUg m(-3) in average) across 41 sites. Compared
      to non-degraded grassland, concentrations of monoterpenes were about 180 times
      higher at the sites dominated by subshrub--Artemisia frigida, a preponderant
      species under drought stress and over-grazing. The biomass of A. frigida
      explained 51.39% of the variation of monoterpenes' concentrations. alpha-pinene,
      beta-pinene and gamma-terpinene dominated in the 10 determined monoterpenes,
      accounting for 37.72 +/- 2.98%, 14.65 +/- 2.55% and 10.50 +/- 2.37% of the total
      monoterpenes concentration, respectively. Low isoprene concentrations (<= 3.25
      MUg m(-3)) were found and sedge biomass contributed about 51.76% to their spatial
      variation. alpha-pinene and isoprene emissions at noon were as high as 515.53 +/-
      88.34 MUg m(-2)h(-1) and 7606.19 +/- 1073.94 MUg m(-2) h(-1) in A. frigida- and
      sedge-dominated areas where their biomass were 236.90 g m(-2) and 72.37 g m(-2),
      respectively. Our results suggested that the expansion of A. frigida and sedge
      caused by over-grazing and climatic stresses may increase local ambient BVOCs
      concentration in grassland.

PMID- 26490530
TI  - Dynamics of metallic contaminants at a basin scale--Spatial and temporal
      reconstruction from four sediment cores (Loire fluvial system, France).
AB  - From the 19th century, the Loire basin (France) presents potentially pollutant
      activities such as mining and heavy industries. This paper shows spatio-temporal
      distribution of trace elements in sediments at a basin-scale, based on a
      comparison of archived temporal signals recorded in four sedimentary cores.
      Anthropogenic sources contributing to sediment contamination are also
      characterized, using geochemical signatures recorded in river bank sediments of
      the most industrialized tributaries. This study highlights upstream-downstream
      differences concerning recorded contamination phases in terms of spatial
      influence and temporality of archiving processes. Such differences were related
      to (i) various spatial influences of contamination sources and (ii) polluted
      sediments dispersion controlled by transport capacity of metal-carrier phases and
      hydrosedimentary dynamics. 

PMID- 26490531
TI  - Groundwater chemical baseline values to assess the Recovery Plan in the Matanza
      Riachuelo River basin, Argentina.
AB  - The two most exploited aquifers in the Matanza-Riachuelo River basin are being
      monitored in the framework of the Integrated Environmental Sanitation Plan that
      implements the Basin Authority, Autoridad de Cuenca Matanza Riachuelo. In this
      context, this work identifies the groundwater chemical types and the natural
      processes behind them; determines spatial and temporal changes; establishes
      ranges of variation for chemical components, and proposes concentration values
      for the upper limit of the natural chemical background. A total of 1007 samples
      from three aquifer-layers (Upper Aquifer, top and bottom of Puelche Aquifer) have
      been studied. As concrete guidelines for practical determination of baseline
      values are not available in the region, the methodology used follows the
      proposals of European projects which assessed European water directives. The
      groundwater composition is very stable in terms of both chemical facies and
      mineralization degree, and the changes observed in the dry and wet periods
      analysed are subtle in general. Most of the groundwater is Na-HCO3 type, except a
      few samples that are Ca-HCO3, Na-ClSO4 and Na-Cl types. The Ca-HCO3 waters are
      the result of calcium carbonate dissolution, Na-HCO3 waters result from cation
      exchange and carbonate dissolution, while in the Na-ClSO4 and Na-Cl waters,
      mixing with connate and with encroached old marine water from the underlying and
      overlying sediments are the most relevant processes. The proposed values for the
      upper limit of the natural background consider the influence of geology and
      Holocene marine ingressions in the baseline of coastal groundwater. This study
      allowed to know the initial chemical conditions of the groundwater system of the
      Matanza-Riachuelo River basin and to establish the reference from which Basin
      Authority can start to evaluate trends and monitor the recovery plan. At the same
      time, it sets a precedent for future studies in the region. 

PMID- 26490532
TI  - The potential impact of municipal solid waste incinerators ashes on the
      anthropogenic osmium budget.
AB  - Osmium release from Municipal Solid Waste Incinerators (MSWI), even if
      acknowledged to occur at least over the last fifteen years, remains overlooked in
      the majority of recent studies. We present the osmium concentration and
      (187)Os/(188)Os isotopic measurements of different kinds of bottom and fly ash
      samples from MSWI plants and reference materials of incinerator fly ash (BCR176
      and BCR176R). The analysis of the unknown ash samples shows a relatively wide
      range of (187)Os/(188)Os ratios (0.24-0.70) and Os concentrations (from 0.026
      ng/g to 1.65 ng/g). Osmium concentrations and isotopic signatures differ from
      those of other known Os sources, either natural or manmade, suggesting a mixture
      of both contributions in the MSWI feedstock material. Furthermore, the comparison
      between the BCR176 and the renewed BCR176R indicates a decrease in Os
      concentration of one order of magnitude over the years (from 1 to 0.1 ng/g) due
      to improved recycling efficiency of Os-bearing waste. The estimated annual amount
      of Os from a typical incinerator (using average Os values and MSWI mass balance)
      is 13.4 g/a. The osmium potentially released from MSWI smokestacks is predicted
      to be from 16 to 38 ng Os/m(2)/a, considering a medium size country having 50
      MSWI facilities; therefore much higher than the naturally transported osmium from
      continental dust in the atmosphere (about 1 pg Os/m(2)/a). MSWI systems are
      considered one of the best options for municipal solid waste management in
      industrialised countries, but their contribution to the Os budget can be
      significant.

PMID- 26490533
TI  - Risk assessment of triazine herbicides in surface waters and bioaccumulation of
      Irgarol and M1 by submerged aquatic vegetation in Southeast Florida.
AB  - Irgarol is a common antifoulant present in coastal environments experiencing high
      boating activities. Irgarol, its degradation product M1, and the similarly
      structured herbicide Atrazine, are highly toxic to non-target marine organisms
      and thus pose a continual risk to the environment. Nearshore areas with intensive
      boating activity were assessed for environmental exposure to Irgarol, M1, and
      Atrazine. Irgarol levels up to 241 ng/L were measured in surface water collected
      at Key Largo Harbor. Irgarol's metabolite, M1, was detected at levels up to 50
      ng/L. Atrazine levels reached 21 ng/L throughout Miami River, and were also
      detected in waters within Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve at 7 +/- 4 ng/L. The
      Irgarol 90th percentile exposure concentration (176 ng/L) in Southeast Florida-
      including Biscayne Bay--surface waters were found to exceed most toxicity
      benchmarks, suggesting Irgarol concentrations may be high enough to cause
      undesired effects on aquatic plants. Indigenous species of SAVs were also
      collected throughout Southeast Florida and assessed for their Irgarol and M1
      bioaccumulation capabilities. All SAV species collected revealed Irgarol
      bioaccumulation capabilities and a 90th centile bioconcentration factor (BCF) of
      9830. Several of those species were also capable of bioaccumulating M1, with a
      90th centile BCF of 391. A 43-day in situ transplant between an impacted area and
      a pristine area within Biscayne Bay waters showed SAVs were able to uptake
      Irgarol from the environment with quick kinetics: tissue concentrations were 66
      times greater than the water concentration within 6 weeks. Halodule and
      Syringodium had the highest capacity to bioaccumulate from marina surface waters,
      as indicated by the Irgarol BCF (Halodule=6809, Syringodium=6681) and M1 BCF
      (Halodule=277, Syringodium=558). Halodule and Syringodium are therefore the best
      candidate species to serve as bioindicators indicators of acute Irgarol
      contamination.

PMID- 26490534
TI  - Impact of bromide on halogen incorporation into organic moieties in chlorinated
      drinking water treatment and distribution systems.
AB  - The impact of elevated bromide concentrations (399 to 750 MUg/L) on the formation
      of halogenated disinfection by-products (DBPs), namely trihalomethanes,
      haloacetic acids, haloacetonitriles, and adsorbable organic halogen (AOX), in two
      drinking water systems was investigated. Bromine was the main halogen
      incorporated into all of the DBP classes and into organic carbon, even though
      chlorine was present in large excess to maintain a disinfectant residual. Due to
      the higher reactivity of bromine compared to chlorine, brominated DBPs were
      rapidly formed, followed by a slower increase in chlorinated DBPs. Higher bromine
      substitution and incorporation factors for individual DBP classes were observed
      for the chlorinated water from the groundwater source (lower concentration of
      dissolved organic carbon (DOC)), which contained a higher concentration of
      bromide, than for the surface water source (higher DOC). The molar distribution
      of adsorbable organic bromine to chlorine (AOBr/AOCl) for AOX in the groundwater
      distribution system was 1.5:1 and almost 1:1 for the surface water system. The
      measured (regulated) DBPs only accounted for 16 to 33% of the total organic
      halogen, demonstrating that AOX measurements are essential to provide a full
      understanding of the formation of halogenated DBPs in drinking waters. In
      addition, the study demonstrated that a significant proportion (up to 94%) of the
      bromide in source waters can be converted AOBr. An evaluation of AOBr and AOCl
      through a second groundwater treatment plant that uses conventional treatment
      processes for DOC removal produced 70% of AOX as AOBr, with 69% of the initial
      source water bromide converted to AOBr. Exposure to organobromine compounds is
      suspected to result in greater adverse health consequences than their chlorinated
      analogues. Therefore, this study highlights the need for improved methods to
      selectively reduce the bromide content in source waters.

PMID- 26490535
TI  - Investigation of cytokines, oxidative stress, metabolic, and inflammatory
      biomarkers after orange juice consumption by normal and overweight subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Abdominal adiposity has been linked to metabolic abnormalities,
      including dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and low-grade inflammation. OBJECTIVE:
      To test the hypothesis that consumption of 100% orange juice (OJ) would improve
      metabolic, oxidative, and inflammatory biomarkers and cytokine levels in normal
      and overweight subjects with increased waist circumference. DESIGN: Subjects were
      divided into two groups in accordance with their body mass index: normal and
      overweight. Both groups of individuals consumed 750 mL of OJ daily for 8 weeks.
      Body composition (weight, height, percentage of fat mass, and waist
      circumference); metabolic biomarkers (total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol [LDL-C], high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol [HDL-C], triglycerides,
      glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, and glycated hemoglobin); oxidative biomarkers
      (malondialdehyde and DPPH(*)); inflammatory biomarkers (high-sensitivity C
      reactive protein [hsCRP]); cytokines (IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, TNF-alpha, and IFN
      gamma); and diet were evaluated before and after consumption of OJ for 8 weeks.
      RESULTS: The major findings of this study were: 1) no alteration in body
      composition in either group; 2) improvement of the lipid profile, evidenced by a
      reduction in total cholesterol and LDL-C; 3) a potential stimulation of the
      immune response due to increase in IL-12; 4) anti-inflammatory effect as a result
      of a marked reduction in hsCRP; and 5) antioxidant action by the enhancement of
      total antioxidant capacity and the reduction of lipid peroxidation, in both
      normal and overweight subjects. CONCLUSIONS: OJ consumption has a positive effect
      on important biomarkers of health status in normal and overweight subjects,
      thereby supporting evidence that OJ acts as functional food and could be consumed
      as part of a healthy diet to prevent metabolic and chronic diseases.

PMID- 26490536
TI  - Protecting liver sinusoidal endothelial cells suppresses apoptosis in acute liver
      damage.
AB  - AIM: Apoptosis is associated with various types of hepatic disorders. We have
      developed a novel cell-transfer drug delivery system (DDS) using a
      multifunctional envelope-type nano device that targets liver sinusoidal
      endothelial cells (LSECs). The purpose of this study was to determine the
      efficacy of the novel DDS containing siRNA at suppressing apoptosis in LSECs.
      METHODS: Bax siRNA was transfected into a sinusoidal endothelial cell line (M1)
      to suppress apoptosis induced by an anti-Fas antibody and staurosporine. C57BL/6J
      mice were divided into three groups: (i) a control group, only intravenous
      saline; (ii) a nonselective group, injections of siRNA sealed in the nonselective
      DDS; and (iii) an LSEC-transfer efficient group, injections of siRNA sealed in an
      LSEC-transfer efficient DDS. Hepatic cell apoptosis was induced by an anti-Fas
      antibody. RESULTS: Bax siRNA had an anti-apoptotic effect on M1 cells. Serum
      alanine aminotransferase was reduced in the LSEC-transfer efficient group, as
      were cleaved caspase-3 and the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase
      dUTP nick end labeling positive hepatocytes. Silver impregnation staining
      indicated that the sinusoidal space was maintained in the LSEC-transfer efficient
      group but not in the other groups. Electron microscopy showed that the LSECs were
      slightly impaired, although the sinusoidal structure was maintained in the LSEC
      transfer efficient group. CONCLUSION: Hepatocyte apoptosis was reduced by the
      efficient suppression of LSEC apoptosis with a novel DDS. Protecting the
      sinusoidal structure by suppressing LSEC damage will be an effective treatment
      for acute liver failure.

PMID- 26490537
TI  - Ralstonia solanacearum fatty acid composition is determined by interaction of two
      3-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein reductases encoded on separate replicons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: FabG is the only known enzyme that catalyzes reduction of the 3
      ketoacyl-ACP intermediates of bacterial fatty acid synthetic pathways. However,
      there are two Ralstonia solanacearum genes, RSc1052 (fabG1) and RSp0359 (fabG2),
      annotated as encoding putative 3-ketoacyl-ACP reductases. Both FabG homologues
      possess the conserved catalytic triad and the N-terminal cofactor binding
      sequence of the short chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family. Thus, it seems
      reasonable to hypothesize that RsfabG1 and RsfabG2 both encode functional 3
      ketoacyl-ACP reductases and play important roles in R. solanacearum fatty acid
      synthesis and growth. METHODS: Complementation of Escherichia coli fabG
      temperature-sensitive mutant with R. solanacearum fabGs encoded plasmids was
      carried out to test the function of RsfabGs in fatty acid biosynthesis. RsFabGs
      proteins were purified by nickel chelate chromatography and fatty acid
      biosynthetic reaction was reconstituted to investigate the 3-ketoacyl-ACP
      reductase activity of RsFabGs in vitro. Disruption of both RsfabG genes was done
      via DNA homologous recombination to test the function of both RsfabG in vivo. And
      more we also carried out pathogenicity tests on tomato plants using RsfabG mutant
      strains.  RESULTS: We report that expression of either of the two proteins
      (RsFabG1 and RsFabG2) restores growth of the E. coli fabG temperature-sensitive
      mutant CL104 under non-permissive conditions. In vitro assays demonstrate that
      both proteins restore fatty acid synthetic ability to extracts of the E. coli
      strain. The RsfabG1 gene carried on the R. solanacearum chromosome is essential
      for growth of the bacterium, as is the case for fabG in E. coli. In contrast, the
      null mutant strain with the megaplasmid-encoded RsfabG2 gene is viable but has a
      fatty acid composition that differs significantly from that of the wild type
      strain. Our study also shows that RsFabG2 plays a role in adaptation to high salt
      concentration and low pH, and in pathogenesis of disease in tomato plants.
      CONCLUSION: R. solanacearum encodes two 3-ketoacyl-ACP reductases that both have
      functions in fatty acid synthesis. We supply the first evidence that, like other
      enzymes in the bacterial fatty acid biosynthetic pathway, one bacterium may
      simultaneously possess two or more 3-oxoacyl-ACP reductase isozymes.

PMID- 26490538
TI  - Unusual chromatin state in Rhynchosciara americana (Diptera: Sciaridae).
AB  - Euchromatin and heterochromatin are usually defined by the degree of DNA
      compaction, gene content and combinations of histone and non-histone proteins.
      More recent studies on protein location have been able to specify a variety of
      chromatin types thus adding chromatin configurations other than the two basic
      reference states. Chromatin research exploiting non-model organisms has the
      potential to provide novel information related to epigenetic modifications and
      their impact on chromosome structure and function. Polytene chromosomes of
      Rhynchosciara americana display a particular region within the A9 sub-section
      characterised by lack of DNA compaction as well as an usual polytene banding
      pattern. DNA content in the sub-section seems to be low as deduced by DAPI
      staining. Antibodies to H3K4me, a conserved epigenetic transcription
      marker,labelled the A9 sub-section strongly. In contrast,transcriptional activity
      in the region, if any, seems to be low as inferred by detection of RNA polymerase
      II and RNA. Histone markers related to heterochromatin formation such as H3K9me
      and H3K27me are underrepresented in the A9 sub-section. However, a chromodomain
      containing sciarid protein was detected in the region, displaying levels of
      fluorescence very close to those observed in pericentric heterochromatin.A
      plasmid micro-library constructed with microdissected DNA from the A9 sub-section
      was screened for repetitive DNA. The proportion of inserts containing repeats was
      found to be similar to that contained in another micro-library made with DNA from
      a single chromosome end of this species. The data suggest an unusual "chromatin
      colour" indicating that high levels of histone markers related to transcription
      coexist with a significant presence of chromodomain-containing proteins and the
      virtual absence of histone modifications observed in heterochromatin formation.

PMID- 26490539
TI  - Evaluation of the prognostic impact of postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy on
      head and neck mucosal melanoma: a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM) is a rare type of malignant
      tumor that frequently exhibits postoperative recurrence and distant metastasis.
      Many clinicians administer postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy to improve patient
      prognosis and enhance quality of life; however, the effects of this treatment
      remain controversial. Therefore, in this study, a meta-analysis was performed to
      evaluate the practical value of postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy for head and
      neck mucosal melanoma. METHODS: Articles in the PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane
      Library, Web of Science and EMBASE databases were systematically retrieved.
      Analyses were conducted to compare the impact of treatments involving
      postoperative radiotherapy with treatments entailing surgery alone on patient
      overall survival time, local recurrence and distant metastasis. The hazard ratio
      (HR) was used to evaluate the time-to-event data employing RevMan version 5.2 and
      Stata/SE version 13.0 software according to the principles specified for
      systematic reviews of interventions in the Cochrane handbook. RESULTS: Twelve
      cohort studies involving 1593 patients satisfied the desired conditions. In
      comparing surgery alone with postoperative radiotherapy, there was no significant
      difference regarding a decrease in the death risk in HNMM patients (HR, 1.07; 95
      % CI, 0.95-1.2; p = 0.903; low heterogeneity, I(2) = 0); this was also the case
      for sinonasal melanoma after subgroup meta-analysis (HR, 1.04; 95 % CI, 0.8-1.36;
      p = 0.983; low heterogeneity, I(2) = 0 %). A sensitivity analysis and subgroup
      meta-analysis showed that disease progression was the main source of the
      instability in the results. Surgery combined with postoperative radiotherapy
      reduced the risk of local recurrence (HR, 0.51; 95 % CI, 0.35-0.76; p = 0.155)
      but did not reduce the risk of distant metastasis (HR, 2.26; 95 % CI, 1.01-5.05;
      p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that for HNMM patients surgery
      is recommended if indicated, and surgery combined with postoperative radiotherapy
      is also recommended for dramatically improved local control of the tumor bed. For
      patients not suitable for surgical treatment, radiotherapy is still advised. To
      control distant metastasis and finally lower the risk of death, immunological
      therapy is another potential option whose therapeutic effect needs to be proved
      with more data from clinical trials.

PMID- 26490540
TI  - Seven-site versus three-site method of body composition using BodyMetrix
      ultrasound compared to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.
AB  - : Obesity is a steadily growing epidemic affecting all segments of the population
      including college-aged students. The weight gain that is evidenced amid the
      transitional stage of college years increases the risks associated with
      cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The BodyMetrix(r) BX-2000 (ULTRA) using a
      seven-site method has been evaluated against dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
      (DXA) for estimation of body composition, which has yielded conflicting results.
      To date, no studies have compared the three-site method Jackson and Pollock three
      site method to DXA. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was twofold (i) to compare
      agreement between Jackson-Pollock seven site (JP7), Jackson-Pollock three site
      (JP3) and Pollock three site (P3) to predict body fat (%BF) using ULTRA and (ii)
      and to compare the three ULTRA methodologies against DXA. METHODS: Seventy-six
      healthy college-aged subjects (ages = 22.08 +/- 2.50 years) participated in this
      study. DXA and ULTRA body composition assessments were performed following
      manufacturer's instructions to estimate %BF. Paired sample t-tests were used to
      assess agreement between JP7, P3 and JP3. Additionally, a two-tailed sample t
      test was performed by sex. ULTRA and DXA results were also performed for
      agreement and bivariate correlation. RESULTS: No significant differences between
      JP7 and P3, P = 0.38, were observed. In males, no significant differences were
      observed between JP7 and P3, P = 0.18. Significant differences were observed in
      all other pairs, P<=0.001 and between ULTRA and DXA. CONCLUSIONS: The Pollock 3
      site method estimates body fat percentage with comparable accuracy to JP7 using
      ULTRA.

PMID- 26490541
TI  - Determination of the lipophilicity of Salvia miltiorrhiza Radix et Rhizoma
      (danshen root) ingredients by microemulsion liquid chromatography: optimization
      using cluster analysis and a linear solvation energy relationship-based method.
AB  - We evaluated 26 microemulsion liquid chromatography (MELC) systems for their
      potential as high-throughput screening platforms capable of modeling the
      partitioning behaviors of drug compounds in an n-octanol-water system, and for
      predicting the lipophilicity of those compounds (i.e. logP values). The MELC
      systems were compared by cluster analysis and a linear solvation energy
      relationship (LSER)-based method, and the optimal system was identified by
      comparing their Euclidean distances with the LSER coefficients. The most
      effective MELC system had a mobile phase consisting of 6.0% (w/w) Brij35 (a
      detergent), 6.6% (w/w) butanol, 0.8% (w/w) cyclohexane, 86.6% (w/w) buffer
      solution and 8 mm cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide. The reliability of the
      established platform was confirmed by the agreement between the experimental data
      and the predicted values. The logP values of the ingredients of danshen root
      (Salvia miltiorrhiza Radix et Rhizoma) were then predicted. Copyright (c) 2015
      John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 

PMID- 26490542
TI  - Endometriosis in a kidney with focal xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis and a
      perinephric abscess.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The presence of endometriosis in the kidney is extremely rare. We
      report a case of endometriosis in renal parenchyma incidentally found in a
      malfunctioning kidney removed because of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis. CASE
      PRESENTATION: A 53-year-old Chinese premenopausal woman presented with
      intermittent right flank pain for many years. Imaging studies revealed a
      contracted non-functioning right kidney and a perinephric abscess. The contracted
      kidney was considered to have resulted from chronic pyelonephritis. The abscess
      was drained. The patient subsequently underwent a right nephrectomy. Histology
      revealed endometriosis of renal parenchyma in addition to xanthogranulomatous
      pyelonephritis and a perinephric abscess. No evidence of endometriosis was
      identified at the pelvic site. The patient was symptom-free after operation.
      CONCLUSION: Endometriosis is a common benign condition in women of reproductive
      age that is characterized by the presence of endometrial glands and stroma
      outside the uterine cavity, which affects either genital or extragenital sites.
      Involvement of the urinary tract is rare. Among the urinary tract endometriosis,
      only a few cases involve the kidney. Renal endometriosis is difficult to
      diagnose; a final diagnosis relies on the pathohistologic findings. Treatment
      involves hormonal manipulation or a hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo
      oophorectomy. Whether a nephrectomy required depends on the level of renal
      function. Although extremely rare, renal endometriosis should be part of the
      differential diagnostic spectrum when a contracted, non-functioning kidney is
      present. Early diagnosis might have prevented an unnecessary nephrectomy in cases
      of uncomplicated renal endometriosis.

PMID- 26490543
TI  - Stepwise work hardening induced by individual grain boundary in Cu bicrystal
      micropillars.
AB  - Vast experiments have demonstrated that the external specimen size makes a large
      difference in the deformation behavior of crystalline materials. However, as one
      important kind of internal planar defects, the role of grain boundary (GB) in
      small scales needs to be clarified in light of the scarce and inconsistent
      experimental results at present. Through compression of Cu bicrystal and its
      counterpart monocrystal micropillars, it is found that, in contrast to the
      monocrystals, the bicrystals are characterized by work hardening with discrete
      strain bursts. Interestingly, the stress rise between two adjacent strain bursts
      of the bicrystals increases with the decrease of specimen size. The results
      suggest that GBs play a critical role in the work hardening of materials in small
      scales, which may provide important implications to further understand the
      general work hardening behaviors of materials in the future. 

PMID- 26490545
TI  - A frogspawn-inspired hierarchical porous NaTi2(PO4)3-C array for high-rate and
      long-life aqueous rechargeable sodium batteries.
AB  - Hollow micro/nano-arrays have attracted tremendous attention in the field of
      energy conversion and storage, but such structures usually compromise the
      volumetric energy density of the electrode materials. Frogspawn consists of a
      spawn core and a transparent jelly shell organized in a hierarchical porous
      array, which exhibits superior mechanical strength and high-efficiency oxygen
      permeability. It can be used as a model for designing a new high-performance
      electrode material, which has advantages such as a high surface area, fast mass
      transport and superior durability. Herein, we report a frogspawn-like
      NaTi2(PO4)3/C array prepared by a facile preform impregnation strategy. The
      framework is formed by a hollow carbon sphere connected by the NaTi2(PO4)3/C
      skeleton, and its hollow is filled with the NaTi2(PO4)3 nanospheres. The whole
      hierarchical porous three-dimensional array copies the structure of a frogspawn.
      This unique structure not only enables easy electrolyte percolation and fast
      electron/ion transport, but also enhances the reversible capacity and cycling
      durability. When it is applied as an anode of the aqueous sodium ion battery, it
      exhibits favorable high rate capability and superior cycling stability, and
      retains 89% of the initial capacity after two thousand cycles at 20 C. Moreover,
      the full cell using the frogspawn-inspired NaTi2(PO4)3-C as the anode and
      Na0.44MnO2 as the cathode is capable of ultralong cycling up to one thousand
      cycles at alternate 10 and 60 C, which is among the best of state-of-the-art
      aqueous sodium ion systems. Therefore, the frogspawn-inspired architecture
      provides a new strategy to the tailored design of polyanion materials for high
      power applications. 

PMID- 26490544
TI  - What impact will the achievement of the current World Health Organisation targets
      for anthelmintic treatment coverage in children have on the intensity of soil
      transmitted helminth infections?
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is the aim of the World Health Organisation to eliminate soil
      transmitted helminths (STH) as a health problem in children. To this end, the
      goal is to increase anthelmintic treatment coverage for soil transmitted
      helminths to reach 75 % in pre-school aged and school aged children by 2020 in
      endemic countries. In this paper, we use mathematical models to investigate the
      impact of achieving this goal on the burdens of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris
      trichuria and hookworm. METHODS: We employ a deterministic fully age-structured
      model of STH transmission and mass drug administration to examine the changes in
      worm burden in response to the known and projected coverage trends in children up
      to 2020 and beyond. Parameters are estimated from worm expulsion data and age
      intensity profiles before treatment using maximum likelihood methods. Model
      validation is performed using reinfection studies for Ascaris and analyses are
      conducted to assess the sensitivity of the predicted outcomes to variation in
      parameter estimates including transmission intensity (R0), children's
      contributions to the pool of infective stages and drug coverage levels. RESULTS:
      The impact of the required increase in coverage trends are quite different across
      the three species. Ascaris burdens are reduced dramatically by 2020 with
      elimination predicted within studied the setting a further 10 years. For
      Trichuris and hookworm, however, impact is more limited, due to issues of drug
      efficacy (Trichuris) and distribution of worms in the population (hookworm).
      Sensitivity analysis indicates that results are largely robust. However,
      validation against Ascaris data indicates that assumptions concerning re
      infection among children may have to be revised. CONCLUSIONS: The 2020 coverage
      target is predicted to have a major impact on Ascaris levels by 2020. However,
      there is evidence from model validation that Ascaris in children is more
      resilient to treatment than currently assumed in the model. Broader coverage
      across all age classes is required to break transmission for hookworm and
      alternative dual drug treatment approaches are needed for Trichuris.

PMID- 26490546
TI  - First olfactory fiber as an anatomical landmark for frontal sinus surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Access to the frontal sinuses is technically challenging
      owing to their anterosuperior location, diverse anatomy, close proximity to
      critical structures and the need to work in a relatively narrow space with angled
      lens endoscopes and instruments. This study attempts to study the relationship of
      the first olfactory fiber with the frontal sinus posterior wall, assessing its
      fidelity as a surgical landmark during frontal sinus surgery. STUDY DESIGN:
      Anatomic study. METHODS: Fifteen cadaveric specimens were studied. Measurements
      were obtained bilaterally using the data from individual CT scans. Median A-P was
      defined as the anteroposterior (A-P) diameter measured just lateral to the
      intersinus septum, paramedian A-P was measured 5 mm lateral to the septum, and
      maximum A-P was defined as the maximum anteroposterior diameter on axial images.
      A surgical navigation device was used to calculate the distance between the first
      olfactory fiber and the posterior table of the frontal sinus. RESULTS: The mean
      distance between the first olfactory fiber and the posterior wall of the frontal
      sinus was (4.03 +/- 2.7) mm on the right side and (4.2 +/- 2.9) mm on the left.
      This distance strongly correlated with the maximum A-P diameter of the sinus.
      CONCLUSIONS: In a cadaveric model, the first olfactory fiber was found to be an
      average of 4.0 mm posterior to the frontal sinus. The significant variability of
      this distance should be considered when using the first olfactory fiber to
      establish the posterior boundary of a frontal sinusotomy. Drilling no further
      posterior than 7 mm rostral to the first olfactory fiber would be safe in 91% of
      patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 126:1039-1045, 2016.

PMID- 26490549
TI  - Engineered yeast whole-cell biocatalyst for direct degradation  of alginate from
      macroalgae and production  of non-commercialized useful monosaccharide from
      alginate.
AB  - Alginate is a major component of brown macroalgae. In macroalgae, an endolytic
      alginate lyase first degrades alginate into oligosaccharides. These
      oligosaccharides are further broken down into monosaccharides by an exolytic
      alginate lyase. In this study, genes encoding various alginate lyases derived
      from alginate-assimilating marine bacterium Saccharophagus degradans were
      isolated, and their enzymes were displayed using the yeast cell surface display
      system. Alg7A-, Alg7D-, and Alg18J-displaying yeasts showed endolytic alginate
      lyase activity. On the other hand, Alg7K-displaying yeast showed exolytic
      alginate lyase activity. Alg7A, Alg7D, Alg7K, and Alg18J, when displayed on yeast
      cell surface, demonstrated both polyguluronate lyase and polymannuronate lyase
      activities. Additionally, polyguluronic acid could be much easily degraded by
      Alg7A, Alg7K, and Alg7D than polymannuronic acid. In contrast, polymannuronic
      acid could be much easily degraded by Alg18J than polyguluronic acid. We further
      constructed yeasts co-displaying endolytic and exolytic alginate lyases.
      Degradation efficiency by the co-displaying yeasts were significantly higher than
      single alginate lyase-displaying yeasts. Alg7A/Alg7K co-displaying yeast had
      maximum alginate degrading activity, with production of 1.98 g/L of reducing
      sugars in a 60-min reaction. This system developed, along with our findings, will
      contribute to the efficient utilization and production of useful and non
      commercialized monosaccharides from alginate by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PMID- 26490547
TI  - Clonidine inhibits anti-non-Gal IgM xenoantibody elicited in multiple pig-to
      primate models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Survival of vascularized xenografts is dependent on pre-emptive
      inhibition of the xenoantibody response against galactosyltransferase knockout
      (GTKO) porcine organs. Our analysis in multiple GTKO pig-to-primate models of
      xenotransplantation has demonstrated that the anti-non-gal-alpha-1,3-gal (anti
      non-Gal) xenoantibody response displays limited structural diversity. This
      allowed our group to identify an experimental compound which selectively
      inhibited induced anti-non-Gal IgM xenoantibodies. However, because this compound
      had an unknown safety profile, we extended this line of research to include
      screening small molecules with known safety profiles allowing rapid advancement
      to large animal models. METHODS: The NIH clinical collections of small molecules
      were screened by ELISA for their ability to inhibit xenoantibody binding to GTKO
      pig endothelial cells. Serum collected from non-immunosuppressed rhesus monkeys
      at day 14 post-injection with GTKO pig endothelial cells was utilized as a source
      of elicited xenoantibody for initial screening. Virtual small molecule screening
      based on xenoantibody structure was used to assess the likelihood that the
      identified small molecules bound xenoantibody directly. As a proxy for
      selectivity, ELISAs against tetanus toxoid and the natural antigens laminin,
      thyroglobulin, and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) were utilized to assess the
      ability of the identified reagents to inhibit additional antibody responses. The
      identified inhibitory small molecules were further tested for their ability to
      inhibit xenoantibody elicited in multiple settings, including rhesus monkeys pre
      treated with an anti-non-Gal selective anti-idiotypic antibody, non
      immunosuppressed rhesus monkeys immunized with wild-type fetal pig isletlike cell
      clusters, and non-immunosuppressed baboons transplanted with GTKO multiple
      transgenic pig kidneys. RESULTS: Four clinically relevant small molecules
      inhibited anti-non-Gal IgM binding to GTKO pig endothelial cells in vitro. Three
      of these drugs displayed a limited region of structural similarity suggesting
      they may inhibit xenoantibody by a similar mechanism. One of these, the anti
      hypertensive agent clonidine, displayed only minimal inhibition of antibodies
      elicited by vaccination against tetanus toxoid or pre-existing natural antibodies
      against laminin, thyroglobulin, or ssDNA. Furthermore, clonidine inhibited
      elicited anti-non-Gal IgM from all animals that demonstrated a xenoantibody
      response in each experimental setting. CONCLUSIONS: Clinically relevant small
      molecule drugs with known safety profiles can inhibit xenoantibody elicited
      against non-Gal antigens in diverse experimental xenotransplantation settings.
      These molecules are ready to be tested in large animal models. However, it will
      first be necessary to optimize the timing and dosing required to inhibit
      xenoantibodies in vivo.

PMID- 26490550
TI  - Asymmetrical response of anaerobic digestion microbiota to temperature changes.
AB  - In natural settings, anaerobic digestion can take place in a wide temperature
      range, but industrial digesters are usually operated under either mesophilic (~35
      degrees C) or thermophilic (~55  degrees C) conditions. The ability of anaerobic
      digestion microbiota to switch from one operating temperature to the other
      remains poorly documented. We therefore studied the effect of sudden temperature
      changes (35  degrees C/55  degrees C) in lab-scale bioreactors degrading 13C
      labelled cellulose. An asymmetric behaviour was observed. In terms of methane
      production, after an adaptation period, mesophilic inoculum exhibited a
      functional resistance to temperature increase but no functional resilience when
      temperature was reset to 35  degrees C, while thermophilic inoculum methanogenic
      activity strongly decreased under mesophilic conditions but partially recovered
      when temperature was reset to 55  degrees C. Automated ribosomal intergenic
      spacer analysis community fingerprints evidenced a strong influence of
      temperature on microbial diversity, particularly pronounced and persistent for
      Archaea. Key phylotypes involved in 13C-cellulose degradation were identified
      with a coupled stable isotope probing (SIP)-16S rDNA pyrotag sequencing approach,
      suggesting that the hydrolytic and fermentative metabolic functions could be
      maintained thanks to functional redundancy between members of the class
      Clostridia, whereas methanogenic activity primarily relied on specialized groups
      affiliated either to genus Methanosarcina (mesophilic conditions),
      Methanothermobacter or Methanoculleus (thermophilic conditions) that were
      irreversibly modified by temperature increase.

PMID- 26490552
TI  - Triclosan removal in wetlands constructed with different aquatic plants.
AB  - Triclosan (TCS) is widely used in consumer products as an antimicrobial agent.
      Constructed wetlands have the potential for TCS removal, but knowledge about the
      relative importance of sediment, plants, and microbes is limited. TCS removal
      performance was investigated in well-operated constructed wetlands planted with
      three different types of aquatic plants: emergent Cattail (C-T), submerged
      Hornwort (H-T), and floating Lemnaminor (L-T). Results showed that the TCS
      removal efficiencies from water were all greater than 97 %. Maximal TCS
      adsorption to sediment in the C-T wetland (13.8 +/- 0.6 ng/g) was significantly
      lower than in the H-T wetland (21.0 +/- 0.3 ng/g) or the L-T wetland (21.4 +/-
      0.6 ng/g). The maximal TCS concentrations in plants were 5.7 +/- 0.2 and 7.2 +/-
      0.5 MUg/g for H-T and L-T, respectively, and it was below the minimal detection
      limit (MDL) in C-T. Deep 16S rRNA gene sequencing results revealed that C-T
      wetland had the highest community richness and diversity. Some bacteria, like
      beta-Proteobacteria, gamma-Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were detected and
      might have significant correlations with TCS degradation. Overall, with regard to
      soils, plants, and microorganism, accumulation in sediment and plants in H-T and
      L-T was high, while in C-T biodegradation likely played an important role.

PMID- 26490551
TI  - Characterization of a poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)-  hydrolyzing
      lipase from Pelosinus fermentans.
AB  - Certain alpha/beta hydrolases have the ability to hydrolyze synthetic polyesters.
      While their partial hydrolysis has a potential for surface functionalization,
      complete hydrolysis allows recycling of valuable building blocks. Although
      knowledge about biodegradation of these materials is important regarding their
      fate in the environment, it is currently limited to aerobic organisms. A lipase
      from the anaerobic groundwater organism Pelosinus fermentans DSM 17108(PfL1) was
      cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21-Gold (DE3) and purified from the
      cell extract. Biochemical characterization with small substrates showed
      thermoalkalophilic properties (Topt=50  degrees C, pHopt=7.5) and higher activity
      towards para-nitrophenyl octanoate (12.7 U mg(-1)) compared to longer and shorter
      chain lengths (C14 0.7 U mg(-1) and C2 4.3 U mg(-1), respectively).
      Crystallization and determination of the 3-D structure displayed the presence of
      a lid structure and a zinc ion surrounded by an extra domain. These properties
      classify the enzyme into the I.5 lipase family. PfL1 is able to hydrolyze
      poly(1,4-butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) polymeric substrates. The
      hydrolysis of PBAT showed the release of small building blocks as detected by
      liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Protein dynamics seem to be
      involved with lid opening for the hydrolysis of PBAT by PfL1.

PMID- 26490553
TI  - Modulating the function of a beta-1,3-glucanosyltransferase  to that of an endo
      beta-1,3-glucanase by structure-based protein  engineering.
AB  - A glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 17 beta-1,3-glucanosyltransferase (RmBgt17A)
      from Rhizomucor miehei CAU432 (CGMCC No. 4967) shared very low sequence homology
      (~20 % identity) with that of other beta-1,3-glucanases,despite their similar
      structural folds. Structural comparison and sequence alignment between RmBgt17A
      and GH family 17 beta-1,3-glucanases suggested important roles for three residues
      (Tyr102, Trp157, and Glu158) located in the substrate-binding cleft of RmBgt17A
      in transglycosylation activity. A series of site-directed mutagenesis studies
      indicated that a single Glu-to-Ala mutation (E158A) modulates the function of
      RmBgt17A to that of a beta-1,3-glucanase. Mutant E158A exhibited high hydrolytic
      activity (39.95 U/mg) toward reduced laminarin, 348.5-fold higher than the wild
      type. Optimal pH and temperature of the purified RmBgt17A-E158A were 4.5 and 55 
      degrees C, respectively. TLC analysis suggested that RmBgt17A-E158A is an endo
      beta-1,3-glucanase. Our study provides novel insight into protein engineering of
      the substrate-binding cleft of glycoside hydrolases to modulate the function of
      transglycosylation and hydrolysis.

PMID- 26490554
TI  - C-H Bond Activation by Early Transition Metal Carbide Cluster Anion MoC3 (-).
AB  - Although early transition metal (ETM) carbides can activate C?H bonds in
      condensed-phase systems, the electronic-level mechanism is unclear. Atomic
      clusters are ideal model systems for understanding the mechanisms of bond
      activation. For the first time, C?H activation of a simple alkane (ethane) by an
      ETM carbide cluster anion (MoC3 (-) ) under thermal-collision conditions has been
      identified by using high-resolution mass spectrometry, photoelectron imaging
      spectroscopy, and high-level quantum chemical calculations. Dehydrogenation and
      ethene elimination were observed in the reaction of MoC3 (-) with C2 H6 . The C?H
      activation follows a mechanism of oxidative addition that is much more favorable
      in the carbon-stabilized low-spin ground electronic state than in the high-spin
      excited state. The reaction efficiency between the MoC3 (-) anion and C2 H6 is
      low (0.23+/-0.05) %. A comparison between the anionic and a highly efficient
      cationic reaction system (Pt(+) +C2 H6 ) was made. It turned out that the
      potential-energy surfaces for the entrance channels of the anionic and cationic
      reaction systems can be very different. 

PMID- 26490555
TI  - Hyponatremia in the outpatient setting: clinical characteristics, risk factors,
      and outcome.
AB  - PURPOSE: Hyponatremia is a common disorder and hyponatremia in the outpatient
      setting is not extensively studied. Our aim was to investigate the
      characteristics of hyponatremia in ambulatory patients. METHODS: Seventy-six
      adult outpatients with hyponatremia were enrolled in this prospective study.
      Demographic features, presenting symptoms and signs, associating morbidities,
      medications, laboratory findings, mortalities, and length of hospital stay, were
      recorded. RESULTS: Mean age was 74.7 +/- 12.7 years, and 52 (68.4 %) were female
      whereas 24 (31.6 %) were male. Mean sodium concentration was 123.6 +/- 6.6 mEq/L.
      Leading cause was thiazide diuretic use (n = 37, 48.7 %) and approximately half
      of the patients (n = 40, 52.6 %) had a multifactorial etiology. Severe
      hyponatremia (sodium < 125 mEq/L) was identified in 37 (48.7 %). Thiazide
      diuretic use, vomiting, and apathy were independent predictors of severe
      hyponatremia. Eight (10.5 %) patients had a mortal course. A relatively younger
      age, male gender, presenting sign of lethargy, associating morbidities of
      malignancy, chronic liver disease, and hypoalbuminemia were risk factors for
      mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Hyponatremia is prevalent among elderly, especially in
      women and with thiazide diuretics. Apart from the trend toward sodium depletion
      observed in healthy elderly which occurs due to changes in the tubular handling
      of sodium, a multifactorial etiology including thiazides seems to predict the
      occurrence and the severity of hyponatremia. Hyponatremia may be a significant
      cause of mortality in seniors. A relatively younger age, male gender, association
      of cirrhosis, malignancy, and hypoalbuminemia predict mortality. In elderly
      outpatients, identification of the risk factors for hyponatremia and close
      monitoring are imperative to reduce the related mortality and morbidity.

PMID- 26490556
TI  - The potential repertoire of the innate immune system in the bladder: expression
      of pattern recognition receptors in the rat bladder and a rat urothelial cell
      line (MYP3 cells).
AB  - PURPOSE: The urothelium is a frontline sensor of the lower urinary tract,
      sampling the bladder lumen and stimulating an immune response to infectious and
      noxious agents. Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) recognize such agents and
      coordinate the innate response, often by forming inflammasomes that activate
      caspase-1 and the release of interleukin-1. We have shown the presence of one PRR
      (NLRP3) in the urothelia and its central role in the inflammatory response to
      cyclophosphamide. The purpose of this study was to (1) assess the likely range of
      the PPR response by assessing the repertoire present in the rat bladder and (2)
      determine the utility of the MYP3 rat urothelia cell line for in vitro studies by
      assessing its PPR repertoire and functional responsiveness. METHODS:
      Immunohistochemistry was performed for seven PPRs (NLRP1, NLRP3, NLRP6, NLRP7,
      NLRP12, NLRC4 and AIM2) on bladder sections and MYP3 cells. For functionality,
      MYP3 cells were challenged with the quintessential NLRP3 activator ATP and
      assessed for caspase-1 activation. RESULTS: All PPRs examined were expressed in
      the bladder and localized to the urothelial layer with several also in the
      detrusor (none in the interstitia). MYP3 cells also expressed all PRRs with a
      variable intracellular location. ATP-stimulated caspase-1 activity in MYP3 cells
      in a dose-dependent manner was reduced by knockdown of NLRP3 expression.
      CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the bladder possesses the capacity to
      initiate an innate immune response to a wide array of uropathological agents and
      the MYP3 cells will provide an excellent investigational tool for this field.

PMID- 26490557
TI  - NRF2 and NF-kappaB mRNA expression in chronic kidney disease: a focus on
      nondialysis patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and
      nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) mRNA expression in nondialysis chronic kidney
      disease (CKD) patients, comparing with data from hemodialysis (HD) patients and
      healthy individuals. METHODS: Twenty nondialysis CKD patients (62.0 +/- 8.1 years
      old, 11 men, estimated glomerular filtration rate of 36.8 +/- 13.6 mL/min/1.73
      m(2)), twenty HD patients (55.0 +/- 15.2 years old, 13 men, and dialysis vintage
      of 76.5 +/- 46.3 months) and eleven healthy individuals (50.9 +/- 8.0 years old,
      6 men) were enrolled in the study. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells were
      isolated and processed for the evaluation of expression of NF-kappaB and Nrf2 by
      quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Nrf2 mRNA expression
      was significantly higher in nondialysis (1.12 +/- 0.57) when compared to HD
      patients (0.58 +/- 0.35, p = 0,006) but similar to healthy individuals (1.13 +/-
      0.64). Inversely, NF-kappaB mRNA expression was lower in nondialysis (1.21 +/-
      0.71) when compared to HD patients (2.08 +/- 0.7, p < 0.0001) and similar to
      healthy individuals (1.04 +/- 0.22). Nrf2 mRNA was positively correlated with NF
      kappaB mRNA expression in nondialysis CKD patients (r = 0.52, p = 0.02) and
      healthy individuals (r = 0.77, p < 0.006). By contrast, Nrf2 mRNA was inversely
      correlated with NF-kappaB mRNA expression (r = -0.65, p = 0.003) in HD patients.
      CONCLUSION: Nondialysis CKD patients may conserve regular homeostatic balance
      between Nrf2 and NF-kappaB expressions, being comparable to healthy individuals.
      However, HD patients seem to have Nrf2 downregulation and NF-kappaB upregulation.
      Thus, the association among Nrf2 and NF-kappaB expressions and nutritional
      status, kidney disease progression or immune deregulation deserve further
      investigation.

PMID- 26490558
TI  - Toll-like receptors TLR4 (Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile) and TLR2 (Arg677Trp and
      Arg753Gln) gene polymorphisms in end-stage renal disease patients on peritoneal
      dialysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Toll-like receptors (TLRs), expressed on cells of the innate immune
      system, are the first line of host defense. Recognition of bacterial pathogens by
      the peritoneum is mediated in part by TLR. In this study, we investigated the
      role of TLR4 (Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile) and TLR2 (Arg677Trp and Arg753Gln) gene
      polymorphisms in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on peritoneal dialysis
      (PD). METHOD: A total of 100 ESRD patients on PD and 150 healthy controls were
      enrolled in the study. The patients were divided into two groups: ESRD patients
      on PD with peritonitis (n = 38) and without peritonitis (n = 62). Genotyping of
      TLR4 (Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile) and TLR2 (Arg677Trp and Arg753Gln) genes were
      performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment-length polymorphism
      (PCR-RFLP). RESULTS: Heterozygous variant of TLR4 (Thr399Ile) Thr/Ile genotype
      showed significant association with both groups of patients (patients with and
      without peritonitis) with no difference between the groups. Overall, TLR4
      (Thr399Ile) Thr/Ile genotype demonstrated an association with ESRD on PD (OR
      3.9). Further, TLR4 (Thr399Ile) polymorphism showed significant association with
      PD patients having two or more episodes of peritonitis compared to patients with
      no peritonitis. No such association of increased risk of ESRD was observed with
      TLR4 (Asp299Gly) Asp/Gly genotype and TLR2 polymorphisms. Haplotype frequencies,
      Gly/Ile and Asp/Ile, conferred 2.46- and 4.62-fold increased risk of ESRD,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: TLR4 Thr399Ile genotype was associated with ESRD
      patients on PD; however, the genotype frequency was similar in PD patients with
      and without peritonitis.

PMID- 26490559
TI  - Comparison of the efficacy and histopathological effects of three hemostatic
      agents in a partial nephrectomy rat model.
AB  - PURPOSE: The major complications of partial nephrectomy are bleeding and urine
      leakage. While various hemostatic agents are used to control bleeding, the
      histopathological characteristics of these hemostatic agents have not been
      investigated adequately. We aimed to investigate and compare the
      histopathological and hemostatic effects of local hemostatic agents in a partial
      nephrectomy rat model. METHODS: Thirty-two rats were divided into four equal
      groups, and partial nephrectomy was done to all rats. Conventional suture repair,
      Glubran2(r), FloSeal(r), and CeloxTM were applied to every single group. The
      period of warm ischemia and hemostasis during surgical process was timed. Rats
      were killed later 3 weeks, and their partial nephrectomy applied kidneys were
      evaluated histopathologically. RESULTS: The fastest hemostasis was provided with
      Glubran2(r) (32.87 s). FloSeal(r) was the second (40.85 s), and CeloxTM was the
      third (55.75 s). Glomerular necrosis and calcification were seen more in the
      suture group than other groups (p < 0.001). Fibrosis was found significantly less
      in CeloxTM group. Fibroblast activation was found significantly less comparing to
      other groups (p < 0.01). The erythrocyte aggregation was significantly greater in
      the Glubran2(r) and FloSeal(r) groups than suture group (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: The negative effects of hemostatic agents to the renal histopathology
      were less than conventional suture repair. CeloxTM was the best biocompatible
      agent. In comparison with three agents, it was observed that Glubran2(r) provided
      hemostasis faster than other agents.

PMID- 26490560
TI  - One-dimensional coordination polymers of [Co3(dpa)4](2+) and [MF6](2-) (M =
      Re(IV), Zr(IV) and Sn(IV)).
AB  - One-dimensional coordination polymers of alternating metal-metal bonded
      trinuclear [Co3(dpa)4](2+) (dpa = the anion of 2,2'-dipyridylamine) building
      blocks and [ReF6](2-) (1), [ZrF6](2-) (2) or [SnF6](2-) (3) linkers have been
      self-assembled and crystallographically characterized. Magnetic measurements
      reveal a significant ferromagnetic coupling (J/k(B) = +9.9 K) between S = 1/2
      {Co3(6+)} and S = 3/2 Re(IV) magnetic sites through a single, unsupported
      fluoride bridge in 1.

PMID- 26490562
TI  - Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy of India.

PMID- 26490564
TI  - Autoethnography and severe perineal trauma--an unexpected journey from
      disembodiment to embodiment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a lack of research reporting on the physical and emotional
      experiences of women who sustain severe perineal trauma (third and fourth degree
      tears). When the researcher identifies with the group being researched,
      autoethnography can allow an insight into the experiences of the marginalised
      group through the telling of a personal story. The aim of this paper is to share
      the journey travelled by an autoethnographer who on examining the issue of severe
      perineal trauma came to understand the challenges and rewards she experienced
      through this reflective and analytic process. METHODS: A transformative
      emancipatory approach guided the design, data collection and analysis of findings
      from this study. For this paper, a multivocal narrative approach was taken in
      presenting the findings, which incorporated the words of both the
      autoethnographer and the twelve women who were interviewed as a component of the
      study, all of whom had sustained severe perineal trauma. RESULTS: As an
      autoethnographer, being a member of the group being researched, can be
      confronting as the necessary reflection upon one's personal journey may lead to
      feelings of vulnerability, sadness, and emotional pain. The transformation from
      disembodied to embodied self, resulted in a physical and emotional breakdown that
      occurred for this autoethnographer. CONCLUSION: Autoethnographers may experience
      unexpected emotional and physical challenges as they reflect upon their
      experiences and research the experiences of others. When incorporating a
      transformative emancipatory framework, the hardships are somewhat balanced by the
      rewards of witnessing 'self-transformation' as a result of the research.

PMID- 26490563
TI  - Assessing bicycle-related trauma using the biomarker S100B reveals a correlation
      with total injury severity.
AB  - PURPOSE: Worldwide, the use of bicycles, for both recreation and commuting, is
      increasing. S100B, a suggested protein biomarker for cerebral injury, has been
      shown to correlate to extracranial injury as well. Using serum levels of S100B,
      we aimed to investigate how S100B could be used when assessing injuries in
      patients suffering from bicycle trauma injury. As a secondary aim, we
      investigated how hospital length of stay and injury severity score (ISS) were
      correlated to S100B levels. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, database study
      including all patients admitted for bicycle trauma to a level 1 trauma center
      over a four-year period with admission samples of S100B (n = 127). Computerized
      tomography (CT) scans were reviewed and remaining data were collected from case
      records. Univariate- and multivariate regression analyses, linear regressions and
      comparative statistics (Mann-Whitney) were used where appropriate. RESULTS: Both
      intra- and extracranial injuries were correlated with S100B levels. Stockholm CT
      score presented the best correlation of an intracranial parameter with S100B
      levels (p < 0.0001), while the presences of extremity injury, thoracic injury,
      and non-cervical spinal injury were also significantly correlated (all p <
      0.0001, respectively). A multivariate linear regression revealed that Stockholm
      CT score, non-cervical spinal injury, and abdominal injury all independently
      correlated with levels of S100B. Patients with a ISS > 15 had higher S100 levels
      than patients with ISS < 16 (p < 0.0001). Patients with extracranial, as well as
      intracranial- and extracranial injuries, had significantly higher levels of S100B
      than patients without injuries (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). The
      admission serum levels of S100B (log, ug/L) were correlated with ISS (log) (r =
      0.53) and length of stay (log, days) (r = 0.45). CONCLUSIONS: S100B levels were
      independently correlated with intracranial pathology, but also with the extent of
      extracranial injury. Length of stay and ISS were both correlated with the
      admission levels of S100B in bicycle trauma, suggesting S100B to be a good marker
      of aggregated injury severity. Further studies are warranted to confirm our
      findings.

PMID- 26490561
TI  - Immunosuppressive drugs and fertility.
AB  - Immunosuppressive drugs are used in the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune
      diseases, as well as in transplantation. Frequently prescribed in young people,
      these treatments may have deleterious effects on fertility, pregnancy outcomes
      and the unborn child. This review aims to summarize the main gonadal side effects
      of immunosuppressants, to detail the effects on fertility and pregnancy of each
      class of drug, and to provide recommendations on the management of patients who
      are seen prior to starting or who are already receiving immunosuppressive
      treatment, allowing them in due course to bear children. The recommendations for
      use are established with a rather low level of proof, which needs to be taken
      into account in the patient management. Methotrexate, mycophenolate, and le- and
      teri-flunomide, cyclophosphamide, mitoxanthrone are contraindicated if pregnancy
      is desired due to their teratogenic effects, as well as gonadotoxic effects in
      the case of cyclophosphamide. Anti-TNF-alpha and mTOR-inhibitors are to be used
      cautiously if pregnancy is desired, since experience using these drugs is still
      relatively scarce. Azathioprine, glucocorticoids, mesalazine, anticalcineurins
      such as cyclosporine and tacrolimus, beta-interferon, glatiramer-acetate and
      chloroquine can be used during pregnancy, bearing in mind however that side
      effects may still occur. Experience is limited concerning natalizumab,
      fingolimod, dimethyl-fumarate and induction treatments. Conclusion: At the time
      of prescription, patients must be informed of the possible consequences of
      immunosuppressants on fertility and of the need for contraception. Pregnancy must
      be planned and the treatment modified if necessary in a pre-conception time
      period adapted to the half-life of the drug, imperatively in relation with the
      prescriber of the immunosuppressive drugs.

PMID- 26490565
TI  - Data research on child abuse and neglect without informed consent? Balancing
      interests under Dutch law.
AB  - According to the Declaration of Helsinki, participation of human subjects in
      medical research is only acceptable if subjects have given their consent. But in
      child abuse and neglect, many studies use a design in which subjects do not
      actively participate. Data in these studies are gathered from sources such as
      medical records or Child Protective Services. As long as such data are used
      anonymously, this does not interfere with individual privacy rights. However,
      some research is only possible when carried out with personally identifiable
      data, which could potentially be misused. In this paper, we discuss in which
      situations and under which conditions personal data of children may be used for a
      study without obtaining consent. In doing so, we make use of two recent studies,
      performed in our hospital, in which we encountered this issue. Both studies
      involved collecting personal data. After careful consideration, we decided not to
      ask informed consent; instead, we arranged for specific safeguards to protect the
      subject's and their parents' privacy as well as possible. CONCLUSION: Altogether,
      we conclude that our approach fits within the Dutch legal framework and seems a
      reasonable solution in situations in which individual privacy rights are at odds
      with the public interest of child abuse and neglect research. We argue that,
      although, in principle, data research is only acceptable after informed consent
      is obtained, the law should allow that, under specific circumstances and
      safeguards, this requirement is put aside to make research in the field of child
      abuse and neglect possible. WHAT IS KNOWN: * In principle, data research is only
      acceptable after informed consent is obtained.* In practice, this is not always
      feasible. WHAT IS NEW: * Under specific circumstances and safeguards, the
      informed consent requirement can be put aside.

PMID- 26490566
TI  - Physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness, but not sedentary behavior, are
      associated with carotid intima-media thickness in obese adolescents.
AB  - This study aimed to analyze the associations between sedentary behavior, physical
      activity (PA), and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), with carotid intima-media
      thickness (cIMT), a marker of atherosclerosis already present at an early stage
      among obese adolescents. The associations between anthropometric measures,
      sedentary time, PA, CRF, and cIMT of 54 Caucasian obese adolescents were analyzed
      using partial correlations (controlling for age and sex) and multiple linear
      regressions. Differences between participants with and without a healthy CRF were
      also analyzed using independent sample t test. Sedentary time did not correlate
      with any of the variables. Light physical activity correlated positively with
      mean cIMT (r(38) = 0.36, p = 0.024). Moderate physical activity (MPA) correlated
      positively with both mean (r(38) = 0.37, p = 0.018) and maximum (r(38) = 0.33, p
      = 0.039) cIMT. CRF was inversely associated with mean cIMT (r(40) = -0.36, p =
      0.019), even when controlling for sedentary time (r(37) = -0.35, p = 0.030). The
      best predictors of cIMT were MPA and weight. No significant differences in cIMT
      were found between participants with healthy and unhealthy CRF. CONCLUSION:
      Although we need to be cautious due to the limitations of the study, the results
      suggest that despite the importance of decreasing sedentary time, increasing PA
      intensity may be more effective in improving endothelial structural health among
      obese adolescents.

PMID- 26490568
TI  - Differences in the neural correlates of affective responses in depressed and
      healthy women.
AB  - We aimed to characterize the extent to which there were differences in neural
      activation between female participants who were diagnosed with or without
      depression while viewing negative and neutral imagery. The study enrolled 105
      medication-free, right-handed female participants between 17 and 63 years who met
      criteria for current Major Depressive Disorder (n=47) or no prior psychiatric
      diagnoses (n=58). All participants completed a clinical assessment and underwent
      a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scan while responding to an
      implicit affect task that required them to identify the location of ideographs
      embedded in one of four corners of each valenced image. When unpleasant (termed
      negative) stimuli were presented, depressed relative to healthy participants
      showed significantly decreased activation of the left amygdala and right Inferior
      Parietal Lobe (IPL). When activation was assessed during the negative versus
      neutral condition, depressed relative to healthy participants showed
      significantly increased activation in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) and the
      left IPL. Notably, within-group analyses of healthy participants under the
      negative condition showed that depressive severity was positively correlated with
      activation in the left amygdala and left IPL. Our findings suggest that
      depression influences bottom-up and top-down processing of unpleasant
      information. 

PMID- 26490567
TI  - Neuro-developmental outcome of a large cohort of growth discordant twins.
AB  - Our aims were to study the effect of birthweight growth discordance (>=20%) on
      neuro-developmental outcome of monochorionic and dichorionic twins and to compare
      the relative effects of foetal growth discordance and prematurity on cognitive
      outcome. We performed a cross-sectional multicentre prospective follow-up study
      from a cohort of 948 twin pregnancies. One hundred nineteen birthweight
      discordant twin pairs were examined (24 monochorionic pairs) and were matched for
      gestational age at delivery with 111 concordant control pairs. Participants were
      assessed with the Bayley Scales between 24 and 42 months of age. Analysis was by
      paired t test for intra-twin pair differences and by multiple linear regression.
      Compared to the larger twin of a discordant pair, the smaller twin performed
      significantly worse in cognition (mean composite cognitive score difference = 
      1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.3-3.1, p = 0.01) and also in language and
      motor skills. Prematurity prior to 33 weeks' gestation, however, had a far
      greater impact on cognitive outcomes (mean cognitive composite score difference =
      -5.8, 95% CI = 1.2-10.5, p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Birthweight growth discordance
      of >=20% confers an independent adverse effect on long-term neuro-development of
      the smaller twin. However, prior to 33 weeks' gestation, gestational age at birth
      adversely affects cognitive development to a greater extent than foetal growth
      discordance.

PMID- 26490570
TI  - The Dark Matter of the Bibliome.

PMID- 26490569
TI  - Gray and white matter volume abnormalities in generalized anxiety disorder by
      categorical and dimensional characterization.
AB  - Increasing efforts have been made to investigate the underlying pathophysiology
      of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), but only limited consistent information is
      available on gray (GM) and white matter (WM) volume changes in affected adults.
      Additionally, few studies employed dimensional approaches to GAD pathology. This
      study compares structural brain imaging data from n=19 GAD subjects and n=24
      healthy comparison (HC) subjects, all medication-free and matched on age, sex and
      education. Separate categorical and dimensional models were employed using voxel
      based morphometry for GM and WM. Significantly higher GM volumes were found in
      GAD subjects mainly in basal ganglia structures and less consistently in the
      superior temporal pole. For WM, GAD subjects showed significantly lower volumes
      in the dlPFC. Largely consistent findings in dimensional and categorical models
      point toward these structural alterations being reliable and of importance for
      GAD. While lower volume in the dlPFC could reflect impaired emotional processing
      and control over worry in GAD, basal ganglia alterations may be linked to
      disturbed gain and loss anticipation as implicated in previous functional GAD
      studies. As perturbations in anticipation processes are central to GAD, these
      areas may warrant greater attention in future studies. 

PMID- 26490571
TI  - Calf management practices and associations with herd-level morbidity and
      mortality on beef cow-calf operations.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate calf management practices on beef
      cow-calf operations and determine associations with herd-level morbidity and
      mortality of pre-weaned calves. A 40-question survey about management practices,
      morbidity and mortality was administered to cow-calf producers by distributing
      paper surveys and by circulating an online link through various media. A total of
      267 producers completed the survey. Data were analyzed with descriptive
      statistics and multivariable linear regression models. Average herd-level
      treatment risk for pre-weaning calf diarrhea (PCD) and bovine respiratory disease
      (BRD) were 4.9% and 3.0%, respectively. Average herd-level mortality within the
      first 24 h of life (stillbirth), from 1 to 7 days and 7 days to weaning were
      2.3%, 1.1%, and 1.4%, respectively. Operations that never intervened at
      parturition had 4.7% higher PCD than those that occasionally did. On operations
      using small elastrator bands for castration, PCD was 1.9% higher than those using
      other methods. For every increase of 100 cows in herd size, BRD decreased by
      1.1%. The association between BRD and PCD varied by when calving season began.
      Operations that used off-farm, frozen colostrum had a 1.1% increase in
      stillbirths. Operations that verified a calf had suckled had 0.7% lower mortality
      from 1 to 7 days of age. Those that intervened when colostrum was abnormal or
      that used small elastrator bands for castration had 1.9% and 1.4% higher
      mortality during the 1st week of life, respectively, compared with other
      operations. Mortality from 7 days to weaning was lower by 0.7% when calving
      season started in April compared with January or February and was higher by 1.0%
      for each additional week of calving season. Operations that intervened with
      colostrum consumption for assisted calvings had lower mortality from 7 days to
      weaning by 0.8% compared with those that did not. For every 1.0% increase in BRD,
      mortality from 7 days to weaning increased by 1.0%. Stillbirths and mortality
      from 7 days to weaning decreased non-linearly with herd size. Factors related to
      calving season, herd size, interventions at calving, colostrum management and
      castration impacted herd-level morbidity and mortality. However, effect size was
      generally small and causation cannot be determined with a cross-sectional study
      design. This study identifies several common health management practices
      associated with calfhood morbidity and mortality that should be further
      investigated to establish evidence-based management strategies to improve the
      health and survival of beef calves. 

PMID- 26490572
TI  - Benign soft tissue lesions that may mimic malignancy.
AB  - Soft tissue lesions which mimic malignancy (pseudosarcomas), represent a
      significant diagnostic challenge for pathologists. Many features often associated
      with malignancy including rapid and infiltrative growth, increased cellularity
      and mitotic activity, and nuclear pleomorphism are present in benign and reactive
      conditions. This review highlights repair reactions including nodular fasciitis,
      proliferative fasciitis/myositis, intravascular papillary endothelial
      hyperplasia, and fat necrosis; lipoma and spindle cell/pleomorphic lipoma;
      fibroepithelial stromal (pseudosarcomatoid) polyp; phosphaturic mesenchymal
      tumor; and myxoma. While not inclusive of every pseudoneoplastic soft tissue
      lesion, this review emphasizes important diagnostic pitfalls and stresses the
      value of clinical, pathologic, and radiologic correlation. 

PMID- 26490573
TI  - The complete sequence of mitochondrial genome of Wuzhishan pig (Sus Scrofa).
AB  - In the present study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of Wuzhishan
      pig, which was 16,741 bp in size and had a nucleotide composition in A and T
      (60.46%). The genome consisted of a major non-coding control region (D-loop
      region) and 37 genes, including 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 13 protein-coding
      genes (PCGs), and 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. The genes in the mitochondrial
      genomes of Wuzhishan pig used three kinds of initiation codons (ATA, ATG, and
      GTG) and four kinds of termination codons (TAA, AGA, TAG, and an incomplete
      termination codons T-). The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Wuzhishan
      pig provides an important data set for further study on genetic mechanism.

PMID- 26490574
TI  - Diagnostic value of matrix metalloproteinase 9 and tissue inhibitor of matrix
      metalloproteinases 1 in cholesteatoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), able to degrade type IV collagen,
      plays a key role in inflammatory cell migration as well as in the destructive
      behaviour of cholesteatoma. The aim of our study was to compare the expression of
      MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in cholesteatoma tissue and in the concentrations in serum and
      plasma concentrations. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty five adult patients suffering
      from cholesteatoma (a study group) were included in the study. A comparison group
      consisted of 25 adult patients admitted to hospital due to nasal septum
      deviation. MM-9 and TIMP-1 serum and plasma concentrations as well as proteins'
      expressions in cholesteatoma tissues (study group) and normal retroauricular skin
      specimens (control group) were evaluated. MMP-9 and TIMP-1 concentrations were
      measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cholesteatoma tissues
      and normal retroauricular skin specimens were evaluated immunohistochemically.
      RESULTS: In the study and a comparison groups, MMP-9 and TIMP-1 concentrations
      were similar with no significant difference within the groups. In cholesteatoma
      tissues, the expression of the investigated enzyme and its inhibitor was higher
      than in normal skin specimens, limited mostly to cholesteatoma perimatrix.
      CONCLUSION: Cholesteatoma may be limited to the middle ear or parts of the
      temporal bones. Our findings suggest better clinical usefulness of MMP-9 and TIMP
      1 expression in cholesteatoma tissues than either serum or plasma levels of these
      proteins. It might suggest that the higher the expression of MMP-9 the stronger
      the inflammation -accompanied cholesteatoma.

PMID- 26490576
TI  - Biological theories of aging.

PMID- 26490577
TI  - Russian roulette.

PMID- 26490578
TI  - Abstract thoughts.

PMID- 26490579
TI  - Pick and mix.

PMID- 26490580
TI  - Indigenous peoples must benefit from science.

PMID- 26490593
TI  - US astronomers rally to end sexual harassment.

PMID- 26490594
TI  - Why biomedical superstars are signing on with Google.

PMID- 26490595
TI  - Neutrino study made key priority for US nuclear physics.

PMID- 26490596
TI  - Russian secret service to vet research papers.

PMID- 26490597
TI  - Success against blindness encourages gene therapy researchers.

PMID- 26490598
TI  - Cuba forges links with United States to save sharks.

PMID- 26490600
TI  - Hunting the Godzilla El Nino.

PMID- 26490601
TI  - The lab that knows where your time really goes.

PMID- 26490602
TI  - Atmospheric chemistry: China's choking cocktail.

PMID- 26490603
TI  - Ancient civilization: Cracking the Indus script.

PMID- 26490606
TI  - Q&A: The nanomaterials designer.

PMID- 26490607
TI  - Interdisciplinarity: Less vague please.

PMID- 26490608
TI  - Research funding: Deposited grants buy time in Brazil.

PMID- 26490609
TI  - Emissions: Dutch government appeals climate law.

PMID- 26490610
TI  - Interdisciplinarity: Resources abound.

PMID- 26490611
TI  - Climate policy: US environmentalists must turn out to vote.

PMID- 26490612
TI  - Fluid dynamics: Turbulence spreads like wildfire.

PMID- 26490613
TI  - Immunology: Chronic effects of acute infections.

PMID- 26490614
TI  - Climate science: Small glacier has big effect on sea-level rise.

PMID- 26490616
TI  - Microbiology: Conductive consortia.

PMID- 26490617
TI  - Exoplanets: A glimpse of Earth's fate.

PMID- 26490618
TI  - Ecology: Mangrove maintenance.

PMID- 26490619
TI  - Flows of X-ray gas reveal the disruption of a star by a massive black hole.
AB  - Tidal forces close to massive black holes can violently disrupt stars that make a
      close approach. These extreme events are discovered via bright X-ray and
      optical/ultraviolet flares in galactic centres. Prior studies based on modelling
      decaying flux trends have been able to estimate broad properties, such as the
      mass accretion rate. Here we report the detection of flows of hot, ionized gas in
      high-resolution X-ray spectra of a nearby tidal disruption event, ASASSN-14li in
      the galaxy PGC 043234. Variability within the absorption-dominated spectra
      indicates that the gas is relatively close to the black hole. Narrow linewidths
      indicate that the gas does not stretch over a large range of radii, giving a low
      volume filling factor. Modest outflow speeds of a few hundred kilometres per
      second are observed; these are below the escape speed from the radius set by
      variability. The gas flow is consistent with a rotating wind from the inner,
      super-Eddington region of a nascent accretion disk, or with a filament of
      disrupted stellar gas near to the apocentre of an elliptical orbit. Flows of this
      sort are predicted by fundamental analytical theory and more recent numerical
      simulations. 

PMID- 26490620
TI  - A disintegrating minor planet transiting a white dwarf.
AB  - Most stars become white dwarfs after they have exhausted their nuclear fuel (the
      Sun will be one such). Between one-quarter and one-half of white dwarfs have
      elements heavier than helium in their atmospheres, even though these elements
      ought to sink rapidly into the stellar interiors (unless they are occasionally
      replenished). The abundance ratios of heavy elements in the atmospheres of white
      dwarfs are similar to the ratios in rocky bodies in the Solar System. This fact,
      together with the existence of warm, dusty debris disks surrounding about four
      per cent of white dwarfs, suggests that rocky debris from the planetary systems
      of white-dwarf progenitors occasionally pollutes the atmospheres of the stars.
      The total accreted mass of this debris is sometimes comparable to the mass of
      large asteroids in the Solar System. However, rocky, disintegrating bodies around
      a white dwarf have not yet been observed. Here we report observations of a white
      dwarf--WD 1145+017--being transited by at least one, and probably several,
      disintegrating planetesimals, with periods ranging from 4.5 hours to 4.9 hours.
      The strongest transit signals occur every 4.5 hours and exhibit varying depths
      (blocking up to 40 per cent of the star's brightness) and asymmetric profiles,
      indicative of a small object with a cometary tail of dusty effluent material. The
      star has a dusty debris disk, and the star's spectrum shows prominent lines from
      heavy elements such as magnesium, aluminium, silicon, calcium, iron, and nickel.
      This system provides further evidence that the pollution of white dwarfs by heavy
      elements might originate from disrupted rocky bodies such as asteroids and minor
      planets.

PMID- 26490621
TI  - The rise of fully turbulent flow.
AB  - Over a century of research into the origin of turbulence in wall-bounded shear
      flows has resulted in a puzzling picture in which turbulence appears in a variety
      of different states competing with laminar background flow. At moderate flow
      speeds, turbulence is confined to localized patches; it is only at higher speeds
      that the entire flow becomes turbulent. The origin of the different states
      encountered during this transition, the front dynamics of the turbulent regions
      and the transformation to full turbulence have yet to be explained. By combining
      experiments, theory and computer simulations, here we uncover a bifurcation
      scenario that explains the transformation to fully turbulent pipe flow and
      describe the front dynamics of the different states encountered in the process.
      Key to resolving this problem is the interpretation of the flow as a bistable
      system with nonlinear propagation (advection) of turbulent fronts. These findings
      bridge the gap between our understanding of the onset of turbulence and fully
      turbulent flows. 

PMID- 26490624
TI  - Junior doctors: it's not about the money.

PMID- 26490622
TI  - Intercellular wiring enables electron transfer between methanotrophic archaea and
      bacteria.
AB  - The anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) with sulfate controls the emission of
      the greenhouse gas methane from the ocean floor. In marine sediments, AOM is
      performed by dual-species consortia of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME)
      and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) inhabiting the methane-sulfate transition
      zone. The biochemical pathways and biological adaptations enabling this globally
      relevant process are not fully understood. Here we study the syntrophic
      interaction in thermophilic AOM (TAOM) between ANME-1 archaea and their
      consortium partner SRB HotSeep-1 (ref. 6) at 60  degrees C to test the hypothesis
      of a direct interspecies exchange of electrons. The activity of TAOM consortia
      was compared to the first ANME-free culture of an AOM partner bacterium that
      grows using hydrogen as the sole electron donor. The thermophilic ANME-1 do not
      produce sufficient hydrogen to sustain the observed growth of the HotSeep-1
      partner. Enhancing the growth of the HotSeep-1 partner by hydrogen addition
      represses methane oxidation and the metabolic activity of ANME-1. Further
      supporting the hypothesis of direct electron transfer between the partners, we
      observe that under TAOM conditions, both ANME and the HotSeep-1 bacteria
      overexpress genes for extracellular cytochrome production and form cell-to-cell
      connections that resemble the nanowire structures responsible for interspecies
      electron transfer between syntrophic consortia of Geobacter. HotSeep-1 highly
      expresses genes for pili production only during consortial growth using methane,
      and the nanowire-like structures are absent in HotSeep-1 cells isolated with
      hydrogen. These observations suggest that direct electron transfer is a principal
      mechanism in TAOM, which may also explain the enigmatic functioning and
      specificity of other methanotrophic ANME-SRB consortia. 

PMID- 26490625
TI  - A prospective study of psychological resilience and depression among left-behind
      children in China.
AB  - This prospective study examined the longitudinal effects of psychological
      resilience on depression in a Chinese sample of left-behind children. A total of
      386 left-behind children completed both a baseline and a 1-year follow-up survey.
      The prevalence of depression at the baseline and 1-year follow-up was 12.7 and
      8.5 per cent, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that older age and
      baseline depressive symptoms were positively associated with follow-up
      depression, while psychological resilience and quality of life were negatively
      related to follow-up depression. Our findings provided preliminary evidence that
      higher psychological resilience was a significantly protective factor of
      developing depression among left-behind children.

PMID- 26490626
TI  - Prevent the blue, be true to you: Authenticity buffers the negative impact of
      loneliness on alcohol-related problems, physical symptoms, and depressive and
      anxiety symptoms.
AB  - This study investigated authenticity as a moderator of the association between
      loneliness and depressive symptoms, anxiety, physical symptoms, and alcohol
      related problems. It was expected that loneliness and health outcomes would be
      negatively related and that relationship would be weaker among those higher in
      authenticity. Significant interactions emerged between authenticity and
      loneliness for each outcome such that authenticity mitigated the relationship
      between higher loneliness and negative health outcomes. Results suggest that
      authenticity may be an underutilized resource for lonely individuals and warrants
      future investigation. The potential implications are diverse and could be
      incorporated in college adjustment and health promotion programs.

PMID- 26490627
TI  - Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms may explain poor mental health in
      patients with fibromyalgia.
AB  - Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder are common in fibromyalgia patients.
      This study compared post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in fibromyalgia
      patients and healthy controls and determined whether patient-control differences
      in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms mediated differences in mental health.
      In all, 30 patients and 30 healthy controls completed questionnaires assessing
      symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health. Fibromyalgia
      patients had greater symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health
      than controls. Patient-control differences in mental health symptoms were fully
      or partially mediated by differences in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.
      Healthcare providers should understand the role of trauma as management of trauma
      symptoms may be one strategy for improving mental health.

PMID- 26490628
TI  - The cost of attack in competing networks.
AB  - Real-world attacks can be interpreted as the result of competitive interactions
      between networks, ranging from predator-prey networks to networks of countries
      under economic sanctions. Although the purpose of an attack is to damage a target
      network, it also curtails the ability of the attacker, which must choose the
      duration and magnitude of an attack to avoid negative impacts on its own
      functioning. Nevertheless, despite the large number of studies on interconnected
      networks, the consequences of initiating an attack have never been studied. Here,
      we address this issue by introducing a model of network competition where a
      resilient network is willing to partially weaken its own resilience in order to
      more severely damage a less resilient competitor. The attacking network can take
      over the competitor's nodes after their long inactivity. However, owing to a
      feedback mechanism the takeovers weaken the resilience of the attacking network.
      We define a conservation law that relates the feedback mechanism to the
      resilience dynamics for two competing networks. Within this formalism, we
      determine the cost and optimal duration of an attack, allowing a network to
      evaluate the risk of initiating hostilities. 

PMID- 26490629
TI  - Choreographed swimming of copepod nauplii.
AB  - Small metazoan paddlers, such as crustacean larvae (nauplii), are abundant,
      ecologically important and active swimmers, which depend on exploiting viscous
      forces for locomotion. The physics of micropaddling at low Reynolds number was
      investigated using a model of swimming based on slender-body theory for Stokes
      flow. Locomotion of nauplii of the copepod Bestiolina similis was quantified from
      high-speed video images to obtain precise measurements of appendage movements and
      the resulting displacement of the body. The kinematic and morphological data
      served as inputs to the model, which predicted the displacement in good agreement
      with observations. The results of interest did not depend sensitively on the
      parameters within the error of measurement. Model tests revealed that the
      commonly attributed mechanism of 'feathering' appendages during return strokes
      accounts for only part of the displacement. As important for effective paddling
      at low Reynolds number is the ability to generate a metachronal sequence of power
      strokes in combination with synchronous return strokes of appendages. The effect
      of feathering together with a synchronous return stroke is greater than the sum
      of each factor individually. The model serves as a foundation for future
      exploration of micropaddlers swimming at intermediate Reynolds number where both
      viscous and inertial forces are important. 

PMID- 26490631
TI  - Elasticity and glocality: initiation of embryonic inversion in Volvox.
AB  - Elastic objects across a wide range of scales deform under local changes of their
      intrinsic properties, yet the shapes are glocal, set by a complicated balance
      between local properties and global geometric constraints. Here, we explore this
      interplay during the inversion process of the green alga Volvox, whose embryos
      must turn themselves inside out to complete their development. This process has
      recently been shown to be well described by the deformations of an elastic shell
      under local variations of its intrinsic curvatures and stretches, although the
      detailed mechanics of the process have remained unclear. Through a combination of
      asymptotic analysis and numerical studies of the bifurcation behaviour, we
      illustrate how appropriate local deformations can overcome global constraints to
      initiate inversion. 

PMID- 26490630
TI  - Methods for biological data integration: perspectives and challenges.
AB  - Rapid technological advances have led to the production of different types of
      biological data and enabled construction of complex networks with various types
      of interactions between diverse biological entities. Standard network data
      analysis methods were shown to be limited in dealing with such heterogeneous
      networked data and consequently, new methods for integrative data analyses have
      been proposed. The integrative methods can collectively mine multiple types of
      biological data and produce more holistic, systems-level biological insights. We
      survey recent methods for collective mining (integration) of various types of
      networked biological data. We compare different state-of-the-art methods for data
      integration and highlight their advantages and disadvantages in addressing
      important biological problems. We identify the important computational challenges
      of these methods and provide a general guideline for which methods are suited for
      specific biological problems, or specific data types. Moreover, we propose that
      recent non-negative matrix factorization-based approaches may become the
      integration methodology of choice, as they are well suited and accurate in
      dealing with heterogeneous data and have many opportunities for further
      development. 

PMID- 26490632
TI  - Peroxidase-catalysed interfacial adhesion of aquatic caddisworm silk.
AB  - Casemaker caddisfly (Hesperophylax occidentalis) larvae use adhesive silk fibres
      to construct protective shelters under water. The silk comprises a distinct
      peripheral coating on a viscoelastic fibre core. Caddisworm silk peroxinectin
      (csPxt), a haem-peroxidase, was shown to be glycosylated by lectin affinity
      chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. Using high-resolution H2O2 and
      peroxidase-dependent silver ion reduction and nanoparticle deposition, imaged by
      electron microscopy, csPxt activity was shown to be localized in the peripheral
      layer of drawn silk fibres. CsPxt catalyses dityrosine cross-linking within the
      adhesive peripheral layer post-draw, initiated perhaps by H2O2 generated by a
      silk gland-specific superoxide dismutase 3 (csSOD3) from environmental reactive
      oxygen species present in natural water. CsSOD3 was also shown to be a
      glycoprotein and is likely localized in the peripheral layer. Using a synthetic
      fluorescent phenolic copolymer and confocal microscopy, it was shown that csPxt
      catalyses oxidative cross-linking to external polyphenolic compounds capable of
      diffusive interpenetration into the fuzzy peripheral coating, including humic
      acid, a natural surface-active polyphenol. The results provide evidence of enzyme
      mediated covalent cross-linking of a natural bioadhesive to polyphenol
      conditioned interfaces as a mechanism of permanent adhesion underwater. 

PMID- 26490633
TI  - Local cost minimization in ant transport networks: from small-scale data to large
      scale trade-offs.
AB  - Transport networks distribute resources and information in many human and
      biological systems. Their construction requires optimization and balance of
      conflicting criteria such as robustness against disruptions, transport efficiency
      and building cost. The colonies of the polydomous Australian meat ant Iridomyrmex
      purpureus are a striking example of such a decentralized network, consisting of
      trails that connect spatially separated nests. Here we study the rules that
      underlie network construction in these ants. We find that a simple model of
      network growth, which we call the minimum linking model (MLM), is sufficient to
      explain the growth of real ant colonies. For larger networks, the MLM shows a
      qualitative similarity with a Euclidean minimum spanning tree, prioritizing cost
      and efficiency over robustness. We introduce a variant of our model to show that
      a balance between cost, efficiency and robustness can be also reproduced at
      larger scales than ant colonies. Remarkably, such a balance is influenced by a
      parameter reflecting the specific features of the modelled transport system. The
      extended MLM could thus be a suitable source of inspiration for the construction
      of cheap and efficient transport networks with non-zero robustness, suggesting
      possible applications in the design of human-made networks. 

PMID- 26490634
TI  - Increased exposure to Plasmodium chabaudi antigens sustains cross-reactivity and
      avidity of antibodies binding Nippostrongylus brasiliensis: dissecting cross
      phylum cross-reactivity in a rodent model.
AB  - Mounting an antibody response capable of discriminating amongst and appropriately
      targeting different parasites is crucial in host defence. However, cross-reactive
      antibodies that recognize (bind to) multiple parasite species are well
      documented. We aimed to determine if a higher inoculating dose of one species,
      and thus exposure to larger amounts of antigen over a longer period of time,
      would fine-tune responses to that species and reduce cross-reactivity. Using the
      Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi (Pcc)-Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb) co-infection
      model in BALB/c mice, in which we previously documented cross-reactive
      antibodies, we manipulated the inoculating dose of Pcc across 4 orders of
      magnitude. We investigated antigen-specific and cross-reactive antibody responses
      against crude and defined recombinant antigens by enzyme linked immunosorbent
      assay, Western blot and antibody depletion assays. Contrary to our hypothesis
      that increasing exposure to Pcc would reduce cross-reactivity to Nb, we found
      evidence for increased avidity of a subpopulation of antibodies that recognized
      shared antigens. Western blot indicated proteins of apparent monomer molecular
      mass 28 and 98 kDa in both Nb and Pcc antigen preparations and also an Nb protein
      of similar size to recombinant Pcc antigen, merozoite surface protein-1(19). The
      implications of antibodies binding antigen from such phylogenetically distinct
      parasites are discussed.

PMID- 26490635
TI  - Influence of H7N9 virus infection and associated treatment on human gut
      microbiota.
AB  - Between March and June, 2013, forty H7N9 patients were hospitalized in our
      hospital. Next-generation sequencing technologies have been used to sequence the
      fecal DNA samples of the patient, the within sample diversity analysis,
      enterotyping, functional gene and metagenomic species analysis have been carried
      on both the patients and healthy controls. The influence of associated treatment
      in H7N9 infected patients is dramatic and was firstly revealed in species level
      due to deep sequencing technology. We found that most of the MetaGenomic Species
      (MGS) enriched in the control samples were Roseburia inulinivorans DSM 16841,
      butyrate producing bacterium SS3/4 and most of MGS enriched in the H7N9 patients
      were Clostridium sp. 7 2 43FAA and Enterococcus faecium. It was concluded that
      H7N9 viral infection and antibiotic administration have a significant effect on
      the microbiota community with decreased diversity and overgrowth of the bacteria
      such as Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecium. Enterotype analysis showed
      that the communities were unstable. Treatment including antivirals, probiotics
      and antibiotics helps to improve the microbiota diversity and the abundance of
      beneficial bacteria in the gut. 

PMID- 26490636
TI  - Cell-autonomous requirement for TCF1 and LEF1 in the development of Natural
      Killer T cells.
AB  - Natural killer T (NKT) cells develop from common CD4(+) CD8(+) thymocyte
      precursors. Transcriptional programs that regulate the development of NKT cells
      in the thymus development remain to be fully delineated. Here, we demonstrate a
      cell-intrinsic requirement for transcription factors TCF1 and LEF1 for the
      development of all subsets of NKT cells. Conditional deletion of TCF1 alone
      results in a substantial reduction in NKT cells. The remaining NKT cells are
      eliminated when TCF1 and LEF1 are both deleted. These data reveal an essential
      role for TCF1 and LEF1 in development of NKT cells. 

PMID- 26490638
TI  - MtiBase: a database for decoding microRNA target sites located within CDS and
      5'UTR regions from CLIP-Seq and expression profile datasets.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in the regulation of gene expression.
      Previous studies on miRNA functions mainly focused on their target sites in the
      3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of mRNAs. However, increasing evidence has
      revealed that miRNAs can also induce mRNA degradation and mediate translational
      repression via complementary interactions with the coding sequence (CDS) and
      5'UTR of mRNAs. In this study, we developed a novel database, MtiBase, to
      facilitate the comprehensive exploration of CDS- and 5'UTR-located miRNA target
      sites identified from cross-linking immunoprecipitation sequencing (CLIP-Seq)
      datasets and to uncover their regulatory effects on mRNA stability and
      translation from expression profile datasets. By integrating 61 Argonaute protein
      binding CLIP-Seq datasets and miRNA target sites predicted by five commonly used
      programs, we identified approximately 4 400 000 CDS-located and 470 000 5'UTR
      located miRNA target sites. Moreover, we evaluated the regulatory effects of
      miRNAs on mRNA stability and translation using the data from 222 gene expression
      profiles, and 28 ribosome-protected fragment sequencing, and six pulsed stable
      isotope labeling with amino acids in culture. Finally, the effects of SNPs on the
      functions of miRNA target sites were systematically evaluated. Our study provides
      a useful tool for functional studies of miRNAs in regulating physiology and
      pathology. Database URL: http://mtibase.sysu.edu.cn.

PMID- 26490639
TI  - A novel method for in-vivo evaluation of finger kinematics including definition
      of healthy motion patterns.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite recent progress in motion capture technology, such as
      stereophotogrammetry based on the tracking of markers set on the subject, it
      remains challenging to develop a complete protocol for in-vivo functional
      evaluation of the hand. The current practical problems regarding small anatomical
      segments, such as the fingers, are mainly due to the high concentration of
      markers in a relatively reduced volume. METHODS: This paper proposes a novel
      procedure for hand functional analysis by analysing finger behaviour along the
      main displacement plane simultaneously with combined motions. The objective was
      two-fold. For one thing, a novel data collection protocol was implemented, which
      includes specific setting of the motion capture system and the development of
      finger marker clusters. The second purpose of this study was to create a
      reference database of a healthy sample for further clinical investigation. Twenty
      healthy volunteers took part in the study. Analytical motions (flexion/extension
      and abduction/adduction) of all five fingers were recorded. FINDINGS: Results
      showed good correspondence with the literature. Specific kinematic behaviour of
      each analysed joint is reported. Statistically significant differences were found
      between the right and left sides of the subjects for the flexion/extension
      movement only, between the finger joints and between the fingers for all
      movements. No significant difference was found between genders. A validation
      protocol was performed, which proved the validity of the presented methodology.
      INTERPRETATION: The protocol appears suitable for further use in motion analysis
      and for musculoskeletal modelling of the hand. It will also be considered for
      clinical application.

PMID- 26490640
TI  - Identification of preferred landing leg in athletes previously injured and
      uninjured: A brief report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The preferred or dominant limb is often subjectively defined by self
      report. The purpose was to objectively classify preferred landing leg during
      landing in athletes previously injured and uninjured. METHODS: Subjects with a
      history of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (n=101) and uninjured
      controls (n=57) participated. Three trials of a drop vertical jump were
      collected. Leg dominance was defined as the leg used to kick a ball while landing
      leg preference was calculated as the leg which landed first during landing
      trials. Limb symmetry index was also calculated during a single leg hop battery.
      The distribution of subjects that landed first on their uninvolved or dominant
      leg, respectively, was statistically compared. Limb symmetry from the single leg
      hop tests were compared within each subgroup. FINDINGS: The distribution of
      preferred landing leg to uninvolved limb for injured (71%) and dominant limb for
      controls (63%) was not statistically different between groups (P=0.29). Limb
      symmetry was decreased in injured subjects that preferred to land on their
      uninvolved limb compared to their involved limb during single leg (P<0.001),
      triple (P<0.001), cross-over (P<0.001), and timed hops (P=0.007). Differences in
      limb symmetry were not statistically different in controls (P>0.05).
      INTERPRETATION: The leg that first contacts the ground during landing may be a
      useful strategy to classify preferred landing leg. Among the injured subjects,
      29% preferred to land on their involved leg, which may relate to improved
      confidence and readiness to return to sport, as improved limb symmetry was
      present during hop tests.

PMID- 26490641
TI  - Use of shear wave ultrasound elastography to quantify muscle properties in
      cerebral palsy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individuals with cerebral palsy tend to have altered muscle
      architecture and composition, but little is known about the muscle material
      properties, specifically stiffness. Shear wave ultrasound elastography allows
      shear wave speed, which is related to stiffness, to be measured in vivo in
      individual muscles. Our aim was to evaluate the material properties, specifically
      stiffness, as measured by shear wave speed of the medial gastrocnemius and
      tibialis anterior muscles in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy across a
      range of ankle torques and positions, and fascicle strains. METHOD: Shear wave
      speed was measured bilaterally in the medial gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior
      over a range of ankle positions and torques using shear wave ultrasound
      elastography in eight individuals with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. B-mode
      ultrasound was used to measure muscle thickness and fascicle strain. RESULTS:
      Shear waves traveled faster in the medial gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior of
      the more-affected limb by 14% (P=0.024) and 20% (P=0.03), respectively, when the
      ankle was at 90 degrees . Shear wave speed in the medial gastrocnemius increased
      as the ankle moved from plantarflexion to dorsiflexion (less affected: r(2)=0.82,
      P<0.001; more-affected: r(2)=0.69, P<0.001) and as ankle torque increased (less
      affected: r(2)=0.56, P<0.001; more-affected: r(2)=0.45, P<0.001). In addition,
      shear wave speed was strongly correlated with fascicle strain (less affected:
      r(2)=0.63, P<0.001; more-affected: r(2)=0.53, P<0.001). INTERPRETATION: The
      higher shear wave speed in the more-affected limb of individuals with cerebral
      palsy indicates greater muscle stiffness, and demonstrates the clinical potential
      of shear wave elastography as a non-invasive tool for investigating mechanisms of
      altered muscle properties and informing diagnosis and treatment.

PMID- 26490643
TI  - Phonon-drag thermopower in 3D Dirac semimetals.
AB  - A theory of low-temperature phonon-drag thermopower S(g) in three-dimensional
      (3D) Dirac semimetals has been developed considering screened electron-phonon
      deformation potential coupling. Numerical investigations of S(g), in the boundary
      scattering regime for phonons, are made in 3D Dirac semimetal Cd3As2, as a
      function of temperature T and electron concentration n e. S(g) is found to
      increase rapidly for about T  <  1 K and nearly levels off for higher T. It is
      also seen that S(g) increases (decreases) with decreasing n e at lower (higher) T
      (<2 K). A screening effect is found to be very significant, strongly affecting T
      and n e dependence for about  <1 K and becoming negligible at higher temperature.
      In the Bloch-Gruneisen (BG) regime the power laws S(g) ~ T(8) (T(4)) and S(g) ~
      n(e)(-5/3)(n(e)(-1/3) with (without) screening are obtained. These laws with
      respect to T and n e are, respectively, characteristics of 3D phonons and Dirac
      3D electrons. Comparison with diffusion thermopower S(d) shows that S (g)
      dominates (and is much greater than) S(d) for about T  >  0.2 K. Herring's law
      S(g) MU p ~ T (-1), relating phonon limited mobility MU p and S(g) in the BG
      regime, is shown to be valid in 3D Dirac semimetals. The results obtained here
      are compared with those in 3D semiconductors, low-dimensional semiconductor
      heterojunctions and graphene. We conclude that n e-dependent measurements, rather
      than T-dependent ones, provide a clearer signature of the 3D Dirac semimetal
      phase.

PMID- 26490642
TI  - Mesenchymal Stem Cells Reduce Murine Atherosclerosis Development.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have regenerative properties, but recently they
      were also found to have immunomodulatory capacities. We therefore investigated
      whether MSCs could reduce atherosclerosis, which is determined by dyslipidaemia
      and chronic inflammation. We adoptively transferred MSCs into low-density
      lipoprotein-receptor knockout mice and put these on a Western-type diet to induce
      atherosclerosis. Initially after treatment, we found higher levels of circulating
      regulatory T cells. In the long-term, overall numbers of effector T cells were
      reduced by MSC treatment. Moreover, MSC-treated mice displayed a significant 33%
      reduction in circulating monocytes and a 77% reduction of serum CCL2 levels. Most
      strikingly, we found a previously unappreciated effect on lipid metabolism. Serum
      cholesterol was reduced by 33%, due to reduced very low-density lipoprotein
      levels, likely a result of reduced de novo hepatic lipogenesis as determined by a
      reduced expression of Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 and lipoprotein lipase. MSCs
      significantly affected lesion development, which was reduced by 33% in the aortic
      root. These lesions contained 56% less macrophages and showed a 61% reduction in
      T cell numbers. We show here for the first time that MSC treatment affects not
      only inflammatory responses but also significantly reduces dyslipidaemia in mice.
      This makes MSCs a potent candidate for atherosclerosis therapies. 

PMID- 26490644
TI  - Racial Differences in Treatment Approaches and Mortality Following Arterial
      Trauma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the impact of race on treatment approaches and
      mortality following arterial trauma. METHODS: The National Trauma Data Bank
      (version 7.2, American College of Surgeons) was queried from 2002 to 2012 to
      identify patients aged 18 to 65 years with arterial trauma. The association
      between race (white, black, and Hispanic) and mortality following arterial injury
      was assessed, stratified by penetrating or blunt injury. Temporal trends in the
      use of open and endovascular procedures were evaluated across the racial groups.
      Multivariable regression models adjusting for patient demographics, injury
      severity, hospital characteristics, insurance status, and type of intervention
      performed were used to evaluate potential contributors to the association of race
      with mortality. RESULTS: The study cohort consisted of 58 626 patients (52%
      white, 31% black, and 17% Hispanic). A majority (57%) of patients had penetrating
      injuries, with black and Hispanic patients being more likely to sustain
      penetrating injuries (80% and 65%, respectively) compared to white patients (41%,
      P < .001). Overall, black patients had higher mortality for penetrating injuries
      (16.8% vs 13.0% vs 7.8%, P < .001) when compared to Hispanic and white patients,
      correspondingly. Over the study period, there was increasing use of endovascular
      and decreasing open surgical procedures for treatment of arterial trauma. This
      finding was similar across all groups studied. In multivariable analysis, black
      race was found to be associated with higher mortality compared to white for both
      penetrating (odds ratio [OR] 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.33-1.75, P <
      .001) and blunt (OR 1.27 95%CI 1.09-1.47, P = .002) arterial trauma. CONCLUSION:
      Even after adjusting for potential confounders, minority patients had increased
      odds of mortality following arterial trauma compared to their white counterparts.
      Further studies are needed to understand and to eliminate these observed
      disparities in outcome.

PMID- 26490645
TI  - Orbital Atherectomy Plaque Modification Assessment of the Femoropopliteal Artery
      Via Intravascular Ultrasound (TRUTH Study).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Tissue Removal Assessment with Ultrasound of the SFA and Popliteal
      (TRUTH) study assessed the performance of the orbital atherectomy system (OAS) to
      treat femoropopliteal arteries, including determining its effect on plaque
      removal. METHODS: Patients with symptomatic femoropopliteal peripheral arterial
      disease were treated with the OAS followed by adjunctive balloon angioplasty
      (BA). Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images were collected pre- and post-OAS and
      post-OAS BA. Patients were followed through 12 months post-procedure. RESULTS:
      Twenty-nine lesions were treated with OAS-BA in 25 patients. The mean maximum
      balloon inflation pressure was 5.2 +/- 1.2 atm. Virtual histology IVUS (VH-IVUS)
      analysis revealed at the maximum calcium ablation site that calcium reduction was
      responsible for 86% of the lumen area increase. The minimum lumen area increased
      from 4.0 mm(2) to 9.1 mm(2) (<.0001), and the percentage of area stenosis
      decreased from 76.9% to 43.0% (<.0001) after OAS-BA. At 12 months, the target
      lesion revascularization rate was 8.2%, and ankle-brachial index and Rutherford
      classification improved significantly from baseline through follow-up.
      CONCLUSION: The VH-IVUS analysis reveals that OAS modifies the calcified
      component of the plaque burden. It is hypothesized that calcium modification by
      OAS changes the lesion compliance, allowing for low pressure adjunctive BA. The
      clinical outcomes were favorable through 12-month follow-up.

PMID- 26490646
TI  - Inhibition of Casein Kinase 1 Alpha Prevents Acquired Drug Resistance to
      Erlotinib in EGFR-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - Patients with lung tumors harboring activating mutations in the EGF receptor
      (EGFR) show good initial treatment responses to the EGFR tyrosine kinase
      inhibitors (TKI) erlotinib or gefitinib. However, acquired resistance invariably
      develops. Applying a focused shRNA screening approach to identify genes whose
      knockdown can prevent and/or overcome acquired resistance to erlotinib in several
      EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines, we identified casein
      kinase 1 alpha (CSNK1A1, CK1alpha). We found that CK1alpha suppression inhibits
      the NF-kappaB prosurvival signaling pathway. Furthermore, downregulation of NF
      kappaB signaling by approaches independent of CK1alpha knockdown can also
      attenuate acquired erlotinib resistance, supporting a role for activated NF
      kappaB signaling in conferring acquired drug resistance. Importantly, CK1alpha
      suppression prevented erlotinib resistance in an HCC827 xenograft model in vivo.
      Our findings suggest that patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC might benefit from a
      combination of EGFR TKIs and CK1alpha inhibition to prevent acquired drug
      resistance and to prolong disease-free survival.

PMID- 26490647
TI  - Synergism between carvacrol or thymol increases the antimicrobial efficacy of soy
      sauce with no sensory impact.
AB  - Here, we examined the antimicrobial effects of soy sauce containing essential
      oils (EOs) against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria
      monocytogenes at 22 degrees C and 4 degrees C. To screen a variety of combined
      effects, soy sauce was mixed with six different EOs (carvacrol, thymol, eugenol,
      trans-cinnamaldehyde, beta-resorcylic acid, and vanillin), each at a
      concentration of 1mM for 10 min. None of the oils showed bactericidal activity
      when used alone. Soy sauce combined with carvacrol and thymol induced the
      greatest antibacterial activity against all tested bacteria; therefore, these
      oils were further tested at 0.25, 0.5, and 1mM (0.0039%, 0.0078%, and 0.0157%)
      for 1, 5, and 10 min at 4 degrees C and 22 degrees C. In addition, sensory
      evaluation of soy sauce containing each EO at 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2mM was performed
      using the nine point hedonic test. Carvacrol or thymol (1mM) eliminated all the
      test bacteria (initial population, 7.0-7.5logCFU/ml) in 1-5 min at 22 degrees C
      and within 10 min at 4 degrees C. L. monocytogenes was slightly more tolerant at
      4 degrees C, which may be attributable to the ability of the cell membrane to
      adapt to low temperatures. The sensory scores for soy sauce containing EOs were
      not significantly different from that of soy sauce without EOs (P>0.05). The
      stability of EO efficacy in soy sauce was also verified. These results suggest
      that carvacrol and thymol act synergistically with other factors present in soy
      sauce to increase antimicrobial activity against major foodborne pathogens at
      both 4 degrees C and 22 degrees C. The synergism may be attributable to the
      combination of factors (mainly high salt concentration and low pH imparted by
      organic acids) present in soy sauce and the membrane attacking properties of
      carvacrol and thymol. This method will facilitate the production of
      microbiologically safe soy sauce, soy sauce-based marinades, and various
      marinated foods.

PMID- 26490648
TI  - Inactivation of bacterial pathogens in yoba mutandabota, a dairy product
      fermented with the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus yoba.
AB  - Mutandabota is a dairy product consumed as a major source of proteins and
      micronutrients in Southern Africa. In this study the microbial safety of
      traditional and a variant of mutandabota fermented with the probiotic
      Lactobacillus rhamnosus yoba (yoba mutandabota) was investigated by challenging
      the products with five important food pathogens: Listeria monocytogenes,
      Salmonella spp., Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Bacillus
      cereus. Pasteurized full-fat cow's milk was used for producing traditional and
      yoba mutandabota, and was inoculated with a cocktail of strains of the pathogens
      at an inoculum level of 5.5 log cfu/mL. Survival of the pathogens was monitored
      over a potential consumption time of 24h for traditional mutandabota, and over
      24h of fermentation followed by 24h of potential consumption time for yoba
      mutandabota. In traditional mutandabota (pH3.4 +/- 0.1) no viable cells of B.
      cereus and C. jejuni were detected 3h after inoculation, while L. monocytogenes,
      E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. significantly declined (P<0.05), but could
      still be detected (<3.5 log inactivation) at the end of the potential consumption
      time. This indicated that consumption of traditional mutandabota exposes
      consumers to the risk of food-borne microbial infections. In yoba mutandabota, L.
      rhamnosus yoba grew from 5.5 +/- 0.1 log cfu/mL to 9.1 +/- 0.4 log cfu/mL in the
      presence of pathogens. The pH of yoba mutandabota dropped from 4.2 +/- 0.1 to 3.3
      +/- 0.1 after 24h of fermentation, mainly due to organic acids produced during
      fermentation. Only Salmonella spp. was able to grow in yoba mutandabota during
      the first 9h of fermentation, but then decreased in viable plate count. None of
      the tested pathogens were detected (>3.5 log inactivation) after 3h into
      potential consumption time of yoba mutandabota. Inactivation of pathogens in
      mutandabota is of public health significance because food-borne pathogens
      endanger public health upon consumption of contaminated food, especially in
      Southern Africa where there are many vulnerable consumers of mutandabota such as
      children, elderly and immuno-compromised people with HIV/AIDS. The findings of
      this study demonstrate that mutandabota fermented with L. rhamnosus yoba has
      antimicrobial properties against the tested pathogens and it is safer compared to
      the traditional mutandabota.

PMID- 26490649
TI  - Development of prototypes of bioactive packaging materials based on immobilized
      bacteriophages for control of growth of bacterial pathogens in foods.
AB  - Due to lack of adequate control methods to prevent contamination in fresh produce
      and growing consumer demand for natural products, the use of bacteriophages has
      emerged as a promising approach to enhance safety of these foods. This study
      sought to control Listeria monocytogenes in cantaloupes and RTE meat and
      Escherichia coli O104:H4 in alfalfa seeds and sprouts under different storage
      conditions by using specific lytic bacteriophage cocktails applied either free or
      immobilized. Bacteriophage cocktails were introduced into prototypes of packaging
      materials using different techniques: i) immobilizing on positively charged
      modified cellulose membranes, ii) impregnating paper with bacteriophage
      suspension, and iii) encapsulating in alginate beads followed by application of
      beads onto the paper. Phage-treated and non-treated samples were stored for
      various times and at temperatures of 4 degrees C, 12 degrees C or 25 degrees C.
      In cantaloupe, when free phage cocktail was added, L. monocytogenes counts
      dropped below the detection limit of the plating technique (<1 log CFU/g) after 5
      days of storage at both 4 degrees C and 12 degrees C. However, at 25 degrees C,
      counts below the detection limit were observed after 3 and 6h and a 2-log CFU/g
      reduction in cell numbers was seen after 24h. For the immobilized Listeria phage
      cocktail, around 1-log CFU/g reduction in the Listeria count was observed by the
      end of the storage period for all tested storage temperatures. For the alfalfa
      seeds and sprouts, regardless of the type of phage application technique
      (spraying of free phage suspension, bringing in contact with bacteriophage-based
      materials (paper coated with encapsulated bacteriophage or impregnated with
      bacteriophage suspension)), the count of E. coli O104:H4 was below the detection
      limit (<1 log CFU/g) after 1h in seeds and about a 1-log cycle reduction in E.
      coli count was observed on the germinated sprouts by day 5. In ready-to-eat (RTE)
      meat, LISTEXTM P100, a commercial phage product, was able to significantly reduce
      the growth of L. monocytogenes at both storage temperatures, 4 degrees C and 10
      degrees C, for 25 days regardless of bacteriophage application format
      (immobilized or non-immobilized (free)). In conclusion, the developed phage-based
      materials demonstrated significant antimicrobial effect, when applied to the
      artificially contaminated foods, and can be used as prototypes for developing
      bioactive antimicrobial packaging materials capable of enhancing the safety of
      fresh produce and RTE meat.

PMID- 26490650
TI  - Microbial community dynamics in thermophilic undefined milk starter cultures.
AB  - Model undefined thermophilic starter cultures were produced from raw milk of nine
      pasta-filata cheesemaking plants using a selective procedure based on
      pasteurization and incubation at high temperature with the objective of studying
      the microbial community dynamics and the variability in performances under
      repeated (7-13) reproduction cycles with backslopping. The traditional culture
      dependent approach, based on random isolation and molecular characterization of
      isolates was coupled to the determination of pH and the evaluation of the ability
      to produce acid and fermentation metabolites. Moreover, a culture-independent
      approach based on amplicon-targeted next-generation sequencing was employed. The
      microbial diversity was evaluated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V1-V3 regions),
      while the microdiversity of Streptococcus thermophilus populations was explored
      by using novel approach based on sequencing of partial amplicons of the
      phosphoserine phosphatase gene (serB). In addition, the occurrence of
      bacteriophages was evaluated by qPCR and by multiplex PCR. Although it was
      relatively easy to select for a community dominated by thermophilic lactic acid
      bacteria (LAB) within a single reproduction cycle, final pH, LAB populations and
      acid production activity fluctuated over reproduction cycles. Both culture
      dependent and -independent methods showed that the cultures were dominated by
      either S. thermophilus or Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis or by both
      species. Nevertheless, subdominant mesophilic species, including lactococci and
      spoilage organisms, persisted at low levels. A limited number of serB sequence
      types (ST) were present in S. thermophilus populations. L. delbrueckii and
      Lactococcus lactis bacteriophages were below the detection limit of the method
      used and high titres of cos type S. thermophilus bacteriophages were detected in
      only two cases. In one case a high titre of bacteriophages was concurrent with a
      S. thermophilus biotype shift in the culture. This study largely confirms
      previous data on the composition of undefined thermophilic starters used for the
      production of traditional cheeses in Italy but it is the first one to
      systematically address the dynamics of the cultures under a repeated reproduction
      regime with backslopping. 

PMID- 26490651
TI  - Early detection of Zygosaccharomyces rouxii--spawned spoilage in apple juice by
      electronic nose combined with chemometrics.
AB  - Spoilage spawned by Zygosaccharomyces rouxii can cause sensory defect in apple
      juice, which could hardly be perceived in the early stage and therefore would
      lead to the serious economic loss. Thus, it is essential to detect the
      contamination in early stage to avoid costly waste of products or recalls. In
      this work the performance of an electronic nose (e-nose) coupled with chemometric
      analysis was evaluated for diagnosis of the contamination in apple juice, using
      test panel evaluation as reference. The feasibility of using e-nose responses to
      predict the spoilage level of apple juice was also evaluated. Coupled with linear
      discriminant analysis (LDA), detection of the contamination was achieved after
      12h, corresponding to the cell concentration of less than 2.0 log 10 CFU/mL, the
      level at which the test panelists could not yet identify the contamination,
      indicating that the signals of e-nose could be utilized as early indicators for
      the onset of contamination. Loading analysis indicated that sensors 2, 6, 7 and 8
      were the most important in the detection of Z. rouxii-contaminated apple juice.
      Moreover, Z. rouxii counts in unknown samples could be well predicted by the
      established models using partial least squares (PLS) algorithm with high
      correlation coefficient (R) of 0.98 (Z. rouxii strain ATCC 2623 and ATCC 8383)
      and 0.97 (Z. rouxii strain B-WHX-12-53). Based on these results, e-nose appears
      to be promising for rapid analysis of the odor in apple juice during processing
      or on the shelf to realize the early detection of potential contamination caused
      by Z. rouxii strains.

PMID- 26490652
TI  - Absence of M-Ras modulates social behavior in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The molecular mechanisms that determine social behavior are poorly
      understood. Pheromones play a critical role in social recognition in most
      animals, including mice, but how these are converted into behavioral responses is
      largely unknown. Here, we report that the absence of the small GTPase M-Ras
      affects social behavior in mice. RESULTS: In their interactions with other males,
      Mras(-/-) males exhibited high levels of territorial aggression and social
      investigations, and increased fear-related behavior. They also showed increased
      mating behavior with females. Curiously, increased aggression and mating
      behaviors were only observed when Mras(-/-) males were paired with Mras(-/-)
      partners, but were significantly reduced when paired with wild-type (WT) mice.
      Since mice use pheromonal cues to identify other individuals, we explored the
      possibility that pheromone detection may be altered in Mras(-/-) mice. Unlike WT
      mice, Mras(-/-) did not show a preference for exploring unfamiliar urinary
      pheromones or unfamiliar isogenic mice. Although this could indicate that
      vomeronasal function and/or olfactory learning may be compromised in Mras(-/-)
      mice, these observations were not fully consistent with the differential
      behavioral responses to WT and Mras(-/-) interaction partners by Mras(-/-) males.
      In addition, induction of c-fos upon pheromone exposure or in response to mating
      was similar in WT and Mras (-/-) mice, as was the ex vivo expansion of neural
      progenitors with EGF. This indicated that acute pheromone detection and
      processing was likely intact. However, urinary metabolite profiles differed
      between Mras(-/-) and WT males. CONCLUSIONS: The changes in behaviors displayed
      by Mras(-/-) mice are likely due to a complex combination of factors that may
      include an inherent predisposition to increased aggression and sexual behavior,
      and the production of distinct pheromones that could override the preference for
      unfamiliar social odors. Olfactory and/or social learning processes may thus be
      compromised in Mras(-/-) mice.

PMID- 26490653
TI  - Neuromodulation accompanying focused ultrasound-induced blood-brain barrier
      opening.
AB  - Burst-mode focused ultrasound (FUS) induces microbubble cavitation in the
      vasculature and temporarily disrupts the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to enable
      therapeutic agent delivery. However, it remains unclear whether FUS-induced BBB
      opening is accompanied by neuromodulation. Here we characterized the functional
      effects of FUS-induced BBB opening by measuring changes in somatosensory evoked
      potentials (SSEPs) and blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) responses. Rats
      underwent burst-mode FUS (mechanical index (MI) of 0.3, 0.55 or 0.8) to the
      forelimb region in the left primary somatosensory cortex to induce BBB opening.
      Longitudinal measurements were followed for up to 1 week to characterize the
      temporal dynamics of neuromodulation. We observed that 0.8-MI FUS profoundly
      suppressed SSEP amplitude and prolonged latency, and this effect lasted 7 days.
      0.55-MI FUS resulted in minimal and short-term suppression of SSEP for less than
      60 minutes and didn't affect latency. BOLD responses were also suppressed in an
      MI-dependent manner, mirroring the effect on SSEPs. Furthermore, repetitive
      delivery of 0.55-MI FUS every 3 days elicited no accumulative effects on SSEPs or
      tissue integrity. This is the first evidence that FUS-induced BBB opening is
      accompanied by reversible changes in neuron responses, and may provide valuable
      insight toward the development of FUS-induced BBB opening for clinical
      applications. 

PMID- 26490654
TI  - Sustained response to vemurafenib in a low grade serous ovarian cancer with a
      BRAF V600E mutation.
AB  - Low-grade serous ovarian adenocarcinomas (LGSOC) make up approximately 10 % of
      serous ovarian carcinomas. While rarely aggressive, this slow-growing tumor is
      well known to respond poorly to chemotherapy. Specific treatments for this
      ovarian subtype are lacking, with the same global approaches used for high grade
      cases being applied for LGSOC patients. LGSOCs have been reported to have a
      specific genetic profile, with notable implication of the MAPK pathway. This has
      opened up opportunities for novel therapeutic strategies, with in particular the
      use of targeted therapies. We report here the case of a heavily pretreated
      unresectable BRAF p.V600E-mutated LGSOC, which we treated vemurafenib, a BRAF
      inhibitor specific for V600E mutations. We saw impressive efficacy, with a long
      term partial response along with CA125 reductions and symptom relief. Although
      this mutation is present in LGSOC at very a low incidence, we recommend routine
      testing for BRAF and other targetable mutations in this patient population, along
      with further evaluation in the increasingly popular basket trial approach. 

PMID- 26490655
TI  - A phase I trial of mFOLFOX6 combined with the oral PI3K inhibitor BKM120 in
      patients with advanced refractory solid tumors.
AB  - PURPOSE: The oral PI3K inhibitor BKM120 has been reported as safe and well
      tolerated in early phase clinical trials of advanced cancer patients. We
      performed a phase I trial of BKM120 plus mFOLFOX6 (5-FU/LV + oxaliplatin), a
      common chemotherapeutic backbone in GI malignancies, to establish the maximum
      tolerated dose (MTD) and characterize the safety and tolerability of the
      combination. METHODS: Patients with advanced solid tumors received oral BKM120
      daily combined with standard doses of mFOLFOX6 every 2 weeks of a 28 day cycle.
      The study utilized a standard 3 + 3 dose escalation schema. RESULTS: A total of
      17 patients received treatment with BKM120, 13 of which were evaluate for dose
      limited toxicity (DLT). The most common tumor types were colorectal cancer,
      cholangiocarcinoma, pancreatic cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. DLT included
      grade 3 hyperglycemia, grade 3 AST/ALT elevation, grade 4 neutropenia and grade 4
      thrombocytopenia. A total of 76 % of patients experienced treatment related grade
      3/4 adverse events (AEs), the most common of which were neutropenia, fatigue,
      leukopenia, hyperglycemia and thrombocytopenia. One patient demonstrated an
      unconfirmed partial response and three patients had stable disease. DISCUSSION:
      The MTD of BKM120 in combination with standard doses of mFOLFOX6 was 40 mg daily,
      which is well below the 100 mg daily dose proven effective and tolerable both as
      a single agent and in combination with other chemotherapeutics. In addition, the
      regimen of BKM120 with mFOLFOX6 in patients with refractory solid tumors resulted
      in increased toxicity than would be expected from either the PI3K inhibitor or
      the chemotherapy backbone alone.

PMID- 26490656
TI  - Fluorouracil, leucovorin and irinotecan associated with aflibercept can induce
      microscopic colitis in metastatic colorectal cancer patients.
AB  - Aflibercept is a recombinant fusion protein that acts as a soluble decoy receptor
      for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This molecule binds to all
      isoforms of VEGF-A as well as VEGF-B and placental growth factor, preventing them
      from activating their respective receptors. Aflibercept is used for the treatment
      of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in association with irinotecan. For
      reasons that remain to be elucidated, the addition of aflibercept to irinotecan
      based chemotherapy increases the incidence of grade 3-4 diarrhea. We performed
      systematic colonic biopsies in three patients with grade 3 diarrhea after
      introduction of fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan and aflibercept treatment
      for mCRC. For each patient, the diarrhea necessitated treatment discontinuation.
      Colonoscopy showed normal colonic mucosa. However, histopathological examination
      of the biopsies performed in these three patients revealed typical features of
      microscopic colitis. All three patients were treated with budesonide and
      mesalazine, leading to rapid regression of clinical symptoms. Chemotherapy was
      reintroduced in all patients, with only mild, grade 1 diarrhea under mesalazine
      and budesonide treatment. These are the first observations of aflibercept-induced
      microscopic colitis, and support the use of specific treatment on top of anti
      diarrheal treatment in case of important digestive adverse events. 

PMID- 26490657
TI  - Effects of mTOR inhibitors and cytoskeletal-directed agents alone and in
      combination against normal and neoplastic hematopoietic cells in vitro.
AB  - The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) controls cell growth and enlargement
      and has been found to be aberrant in a wide variety of malignancies. Although
      mTOR is already an attractive antineoplastic target, overexpression or aberrant
      expression of mTOR may also provide an opportunity to further increase the size
      differential between malignant and normal cells, providing an opportunity to
      amplify and exploit cell size differences between neoplastic cells and their
      normal counterparts using physiochemical treatment modalities. Therefore, this
      study sought to quantify the concentration response and time course effects of
      rapamycin on cell cycle entry, cell enlargement, and cell proliferation in U937
      human monocytic leukemia and human hematopoietic stem cells (hHSCs). In addition,
      the effects of combination treatment with mTOR inhibitors (rapamycin, everolimus,
      and temsirolimus) and cytoskeletal-directed agents (cytochalasin B and
      vincristine) in leukemic cells (U937, THP1, K562, Molt-4, and L1210) were
      assessed for potential drug synergy. While both U937 cells and hHSCs exhibited a
      marked reduction in cell volume, U937 cells were able to proliferate in the
      presence of rapamycin ranging from 0.5 nM to 10 MUM (10,000 nM), whereas hHSCs
      were able to proliferate only at lower concentrations, and were completely
      inhibited from proliferation by 8 nM rapamycin. These effects were observed with
      as little as 0.5 nM rapamycin, demonstrating the profound affinity the compound
      has for FK-binding protein 12 (FKBP12), which subsequently forms the
      FKBP12/rapamycin complex to inhibit mTOR. Rapamycin continued to exert effects on
      cell size and proliferation even at 10 MUM, without producing marked
      cytotoxicity. Although cytochalasin B and vincristine were unable to
      substantially enlarge rapamycin-treated leukemia cells, it appears that rapamycin
      and its associated analogs everolimus and temsirolimus have notable synergistic
      potential with microfilament-disrupting cytochalasin B and microtubule-disrupting
      vincristine as assessed by comparative effects on cell growth, annexin V
      staining, IC30 isobolograms, and Chou-Talalay statistics. These observations
      indicate a potentially novel therapeutic rationale for hematological malignancies
      and for other cancers to elicit the preferential destruction of neoplastic cells
      that aberrantly express mTOR.

PMID- 26490658
TI  - The helminth T2 RNase omega1 promotes metabolic homeostasis in an IL-33- and
      group 2 innate lymphoid cell-dependent mechanism.
AB  - Induction of a type 2 cellular response in the white adipose tissue leads to
      weight loss and improves glucose homeostasis in obese animals. Injection of obese
      mice with recombinant helminth-derived Schistosoma mansoni egg-derived omega1
      (omega1), a potent inducer of type 2 activation, improves metabolic status
      involving a mechanism reliant upon release of the type 2 initiator cytokine IL
      33. IL-33 initiates the accumulation of group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s),
      eosinophils, and alternatively activated macrophages in the adipose tissue. IL-33
      release from cells in the adipose tissue is mediated by the RNase activity of
      omega1; however, the ability of omega1 to improve metabolic status is reliant
      upon effective binding of omega1 to CD206. We demonstrate a novel mechanism for
      RNase-mediated release of IL-33 inducing ILC2-dependent improvements in the
      metabolic status of obese animals.

PMID- 26490660
TI  - Compounds Derived from Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) as a Novel Approach to
      the Prevention of Viral Infections.
AB  - Pathogenic viral infections pose major health risks to humans and livestock due
      to viral infection-associated illnesses such as chronic or acute inflammation in
      crucial organs and systems, malignant and benign lesions. These lead to large
      number of illnesses and deaths worldwide each year. Outbreaks of emerging lethal
      viruses, such as Ebola virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus and
      Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus, could lead to epidemics or even
      pandemics if they are not effectively controlled. Current strategies to prevent
      viral entry into the human body are focused on cleansing the surface of the skin
      that covers hands and fingers. Surface protection and disinfection against
      microorganisms, including viruses, is performed by sanitization of the skin
      surface through hand washing with soap and water, surface disinfectants, and hand
      sanitizers, particularly alcohol-based hand sanitizers. However, concerns about
      the overall ineffectiveness, toxicity of certain ingredients of disinfectants,
      pollution of the environment, and the short duration of antimicrobial activity of
      alcohol have not been addressed, and the epidemiology of certain major viral
      infections are not correlated inversely with the current measures of viral
      prevention. In addition to a short duration on the skin surface, alcohol is
      ineffective against certain viruses such as norovirus, rabies virus, and polio
      virus. There is a need for a novel approach to protect humans and livestock from
      infections of pathogenic viruses that is broadly effective, long-lasting
      (persistent), non-toxic, and environment-friendly. A strong candidate is a group
      of unique compounds found in Camellia sinensis (tea plant): the green tea
      polyphenols, in particular epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and its lipophilic
      derivatives. This review discussed the weaknesses of current hand sanitizers,
      gathered published results from many studies on the antiviral activities of EGCG
      and its lipophilic derivatives, and the potential use of these compounds as a
      novel strategy for disease prevention, especially against pathogenic viruses. 

PMID- 26490659
TI  - Does anti-p53 antibody status predict for clinical outcomes in metastatic
      colorectal cancer patients treated with fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, plus
      bevacizumab as first-line chemotherapy?
AB  - BACKGROUND: TP53 gene mutation is widely known as one of the determinants of
      impaired chemosensitivity. p53 is a tumor-suppressor protein in humans encoded by
      the TP53 gene. Some studies have shown that TP53 gene mutation and accumulation
      of the p53 protein are closely related with serum anti-p53 antibody positivity.
      This study aimed to evaluate the predictive significance of the serum p53
      antibody status in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients treated with
      fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, plus bevacizumab as first-line chemotherapy.
      METHODS: Ninety patients treated with fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin plus
      bevacizumab as first-line chemotherapy were enrolled, including 70 whose KRAS
      genotype was revealed at the beginning of treatment. Before chemotherapy
      initiation, the serum p53 antibody level was quantified by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay using MESACUP(r) anti-p53 test kits. The cutoff value for
      positivity was 1.3 U/mL, as calculated previously. The KRAS genotype of the tumor
      samples was analyzed using the Luminex(r) assay. RESULTS: Overall response rates
      of Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria were 77.7 % (42/54) in
      anti-p53-negative patients and 69.4 % (25/36) in anti-p53-positive patients. The
      odds ratio was 1.07. Median overall survival was 36.1 months in the anti-p53
      positive patients, and not available in the anti-p53-negative patients (hazard
      ratio, 0.81; 95 % confidence interval, 0.37-1.77; P = 0.61). The corresponding
      values for median progression-free survival were 13.3 months and 14.6 months
      (hazard ratio, 0.69; 95 % confidence interval, 0.41-1.17; P = 0.17),
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Serum anti-p53 antibody positivity did not predict
      chemoresistance in mCRC treated with fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, plus
      bevacizumab as first-line chemotherapy.

PMID- 26490661
TI  - Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Arylnitroalkenes.
AB  - In a recent work, we described the design and synthesis of arylnitroalkenes, able
      to scavenge macrophagederived oxidants, in particular peroxynitrite and
      peroxynitrite derived radicals. Four compounds emerged as potential leads, 1,1
      dimethylamino-4-(2-nitro-1Z-ethenyl)benzene (1), 1,1-dimethylamino-4-(2-nitro-1Z
      propenyl)benzene (2), 5- (2-nitro-1Z-ethenyl)benzo[d][1,3]dioxol (3), and 5-(2
      nitro-1Z-ethenyl)benzo[d][1,3]dioxol (4). In the present work, the possibility of
      the preclinical validation of these molecules as anti-inflammatory and analgesic
      was explored in appropriate in vivo mouse models. Compounds 1, 2 and 4,
      administered orally as a single dose (30 umol kg-(1)) to the mice showed anti
      inflammatory and analgesic properties similar to classic nonsteroidal anti
      inflammatory agents. The pharmacological effects were consistent with the
      inhibitory effect observed on prostaglandin endoperoxide H synthase (PGHS). In
      fact, both PGHS-1 and PGHS-2 were inhibited by the compounds, with compound 2
      being more specific as PGHS-2 inhibitor with a specificity index superior to 70%.
      Conversely to classical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, compound 2
      inhibited peroxidase half reaction of the enzyme (IC50 2.3 uM) while the
      cyclooxygenase activity of hrPGHS-2 remained unchanged. In vitro experiments were
      reinforced by docking and molecular dynamics simulations showing arylnitroalkene
      moiety located in the region of the peroxidase active site, competing with the
      peroxide intermediate. The absence of toxicity and mutagenicity of the compounds
      was also demonstrated. 

PMID- 26490662
TI  - In vitro effects of infrared A radiation on the synthesis of MMP-1, catalase,
      superoxide dismutase and GADD45 alpha protein.
AB  - Harmful influences in the process of photoaging and skin damage are associated
      with infrared A (IRA) radiation, such as, disturbance of dermal extracellular
      matrix by up regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP1). Furthermore, DNA
      damage, induction of cytotoxicity and oxidative stress by decreasing natural
      antioxidant ability has been reported after acute exposure to IRA. The present
      study provides additional evidence that IRA radiation response in human skin
      fibroblasts produces deleterious effects to the cell, such as accelerating aging
      and weakening of their antioxidant defense mechanism. Human skin fibroblasts were
      exposed to a non-cytotoxic dose of IRA radiation and cultured for different
      periods for further collection of cell-free supernatants and lysates, and
      quantification of MMP-1, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and GADD45a. Our results
      corroborate previous published data and strongly indicate a negative impact of
      IRA radiation on the skin physiological by mechanisms involving reduced
      endogenous antioxidant enzymatic defense, increased MMP-1 and decreased repair
      process of DNA by reducing GADD45a protein, in cultured human fibroblasts. From a
      clinical perspective, IRA radiation acts by mechanisms distinct from those
      observed in ultraviolet radiation indicating the need for developing and making
      available cosmetics for skin care with properties beyond protection exerted by
      traditional sunscreens. 

PMID- 26490666
TI  - Pilot study of oral metformin in cancer-bearing cats.
AB  - A prospective dose escalation pilot study was performed in cancer-bearing cats to
      assess toxicity and surrogate biomarkers of pharmacologic activity of oral
      metformin hydrochloride. Nine cats with measurable spontaneous cancer were
      treated with oral metformin for 14 days. Monitoring included complete blood count
      (CBC), serum biochemistry, lactate, pH, insulin-like growth factor-1, and
      vascular endothelial growth factor serially until study completion. At the
      maximum tolerated dose of 10 mg kg-1 q12 h side effects were primarily mild to
      moderate gastrointestinal upset (anorexia, vomiting, and/or weight loss). All
      cats developed a reduction in haematocrit. Six of nine cats developed new or
      progressive hyperlactatemia and one cat developed asymptomatic lactic acidosis.
      There were no clinical responders and two cats had modest measurable reduction in
      tumour size. In conclusion, we demonstrate potential pharmacologic activity of
      metformin at a clinically relevant dose and identify parameters for clinical
      monitoring and supportive care. Further investigation of metformin in cancer
      bearing cats is warranted.

PMID- 26490663
TI  - Free exopolysaccharide from Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides possesses anti
      inflammatory properties.
AB  - In this study we explored the immunomodulatory properties of highly purified free
      galactan, the soluble exopolysaccharide secreted by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp.
      mycoides (Mmm). Galactan was shown to bind to TLR2 but not TLR4 using HEK293
      reporter cells and to induce the production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL
      10 in bovine macrophages, whereas low IL-12p40 and no TNF-alpha, both pro
      inflammatory cytokines, were induced in these cells. In addition, pre-treatment
      of macrophages with galactan substantially reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
      induced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF- and IL-12p40 while
      increasing LPS-induced secretion of immunosuppressive IL-10. Also, galactan did
      not activate naive lymphocytes and induced only low production of the Th1
      cytokine IFN-gamma in Mmm-experienced lymphocytes. Finally, galactan triggered
      weak recall proliferation of CD4+ T lymphocytes from contagious bovine
      pleuropneumonia-infected animals despite having a positive effect on the
      expression of co-stimulatory molecules on macrophages. All together, these
      results suggest that galactan possesses anti-inflammatory properties and
      potentially provides Mmm with a mechanism to evade host innate and adaptive cell
      mediated immune responses. 

PMID- 26490667
TI  - Synthetic Covalent and Non-Covalent 2D Materials.
AB  - The creation of synthetic 2D materials represents an attractive challenge that is
      ultimately driven by their prospective uses in, for example, electronics,
      biomedicine, catalysis, sensing, and as membranes for separation and filtration.
      This Review illustrates some recent advances in this diverse field with a focus
      on covalent and non-covalent 2D polymers and frameworks, and self-assembled 2D
      materials derived from nanoparticles, homopolymers, and block copolymers. 

PMID- 26490668
TI  - Quantification of the natural history of visceral leishmaniasis and consequences
      for control.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Visceral leishmaniasis has been targeted for elimination as a public
      health problem (less than 1 case per 10,000 people per year) in the Indian sub
      continent by 2017. However, there is still a high degree of uncertainty about the
      natural history of the disease, in particular about the duration of asymptomatic
      infection and the proportion of asymptomatically infected individuals that
      develop clinical visceral leishmaniasis. Quantifying these aspects of the disease
      is key for guiding efforts to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis and maintaining
      elimination once it is reached. METHODS: Data from a detailed epidemiological
      study in Bangladesh in 2002-2004 was analysed to estimate key epidemiological
      parameters. The role of diagnostics in determining the probability and rate of
      progression to clinical disease was estimated by fitting Cox proportional hazards
      models. A multi-state Markov model of the natural history of visceral
      leishmaniasis was fitted to the data to estimate the asymptomatic infection
      period and the proportion of asymptomatic individuals going on to develop
      clinical symptoms. RESULTS: At the time of the study, individuals were taking
      several months to be diagnosed with visceral leishmaniasis, leading to many
      opportunities for ongoing transmission. The probability of progression to
      clinical disease was strongly associated with initial seropositivity and even
      more strongly with seroconversion, with most clinical symptoms developing within
      a year. The estimated average durations of asymptomatic infection and symptomatic
      infection for our model of the natural history are 147 days (95 % CI 130-166) and
      140 days (95 % CI 123-160), respectively, and are significantly longer than
      previously reported estimates. We estimate from the data that 14.7 % (95 % CI
      12.6-20.0 %) of asymptomatic individuals develop clinical symptoms-a greater
      proportion than previously estimated. CONCLUSIONS: Extended periods of
      asymptomatic infection could be important for visceral leishmaniasis
      transmission, but this depends critically on the relative infectivity of
      asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals to sandflies. These estimates could be
      informed by similar analysis of other datasets. Our results highlight the
      importance of reducing times from onset of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment to
      reduce opportunities for transmission.

PMID- 26490669
TI  - Anteriorly located zonular fibres as a tool for fine regulation in accommodation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe an anteriorly located system of zonular fibres that could be
      involved in fine-tuning of accommodation. METHODS: Forty-six human and 28 rhesus
      monkey eyes were dissected and special preparations were processed for scanning
      electron microscopy and reflected-light microscopy. Additional series of frontal
      and sagittal histological and ultrathin sections were analysed in respect to the
      origin and insertion of anteriorly located zonules. The presence of sensory
      terminals at the site of the originating zonules within the connective tissue of
      the ciliary body was studied by immunohistochemistry. For in-vivo visualization
      ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) was performed on 12 human subjects. RESULTS: Fine
      zonular fibres originated from the valleys and lateral walls of the most anterior
      pars plicata that covers the anterior and inner circular ciliary muscle portion.
      These most anterior zonules (MAZ) showed attachments either to the anterior or
      posterior tines or they inserted directly onto the surface of the lens. At the
      site of origin, the course of the MAZ merged into the connective tissue fibres
      connecting the adjacent pigmented epithelium to the ciliary muscle. Numerous
      afferent terminals directly at the site of this MAZ-origin were connected to the
      intrinsic nervous network of the ciliary muscle. CONCLUSIONS: A newly described
      set of zonular fibres features the capabilities to register the tensions of the
      zonular fork and lens capsule. The close location and neural connection towards
      the circular ciliary muscle portion could provide the basis for stabilization and
      readjustment of focusing that serves fast and fine-tuned accommodation and
      disaccommodation.

PMID- 26490670
TI  - Evolution of the dense packings of spherotetrahedral particles: from ideal
      tetrahedra to spheres.
AB  - Particle shape plays a crucial role in determining packing characteristics. Real
      particles in nature usually have rounded corners. In this work, we systematically
      investigate the rounded corner effect on the dense packings of spherotetrahedral
      particles. The evolution of dense packing structure as the particle shape
      continuously deforms from a regular tetrahedron to a sphere is investigated,
      starting both from the regular tetrahedron and the sphere packings. The dimer
      crystal and the quasicrystal approximant are used as initial configurations, as
      well as the two densest sphere packing structures. We characterize the evolution
      of spherotetrahedron packings from the ideal tetrahedron (s = 0) to the sphere (s
      = 1) via a single roundness parameter s. The evolution can be partitioned into
      seven regions according to the shape variation of the packing unit cell.
      Interestingly, a peak of the packing density Phi is first observed at s ~ 0.16 in
      the Phi-s curves where the tetrahedra have small rounded corners. The maximum
      density of the deformed quasicrystal approximant family (Phi ~ 0.8763) is
      slightly larger than that of the deformed dimer crystal family (Phi ~ 0.8704),
      and both of them exceed the densest known packing of ideal tetrahedra (Phi ~
      0.8563). 

PMID- 26490671
TI  - Engraftment and reversal of diabetes after intramuscular transplantation of
      neonatal porcine islet-like clusters.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intraportal infusion is currently the method of choice for clinical
      islet cell transplantation but suffers from poor efficacy. As the liver may not
      represent an optimal transplantation site for Langerhans islets, we examined the
      potential of neonatal porcine islet-like clusters (NPICCs) to engraft in skeletal
      muscle as an alternative transplantation site. METHODS: Neonatal porcine islet
      like clusters were isolated from 2- to 5-day-old piglets and either transplanted
      under the kidney capsule (s.k.) or injected into the lower hindlimb muscle (i.m.)
      of streptozotocin-diabetic NOD-SCID IL2rgamma(-/-) (NSG) mice. Survival,
      vascularization, maturation, and functional activity were analyzed by
      intraperitoneal glucose tolerance testing and immunohistochemical analyses.
      RESULTS: Intramuscular transplantation of NPICCs resulted in development of
      normoglycemia and restored glucose homeostasis. Time to reversal of diabetes and
      glucose tolerance (AUC glucose and AUC insulin) did not significantly differ as
      compared to s.k. transplantation. Intramuscular grafts exhibited rapid
      neovascularization and graft composition with cytokeratin-positive ductal cells
      and beta cells at post-transplant weeks 2 and 8 and after establishment of
      normoglycemia was comparable in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intramuscular injection
      represents a minimally invasive but efficient alternative for transplantation of
      NPICCs and, thus, offers an attractive alternative site for xenotransplantation
      approaches. These findings may have important implications for improving the
      outcome and the monitoring of pig islet xenotransplantation.

PMID- 26490672
TI  - Synthesis of 3,3'-carbonyl-bis(chromones) and their activity as mammalian
      alkaline phosphatase inhibitors.
AB  - Hitherto unknown 3,3'-carbonyl-bis(chromones) 8, dimeric chromones bridged by a
      carbonyl group, were prepared by reaction of chromone-3-carboxylic acid chloride
      with 3-(dimethylamino)-1- (2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-propen-1-ones 9. The method is
      generally applicable for the synthesis of novel symmetrical or non-symmetrical
      products which were found to inhibit mammalian alkaline phosphatases.

PMID- 26490673
TI  - Evolution of enlarged body size of coal tits Parus ater in geographic isolation
      from two larger competitors, the crested tit Parus cristatus and the willow tit
      Parus montanus, on six Scandinavian islands.
AB  - Here, we report that on six widely separated Scandinavian islands, the coal tit
      Parus ater has evolved morphologically in the direction of two absent
      competitors, the crested tit P. cristatus and the willow tit P. montanus, to the
      effect that it is up to 10% larger in linear dimensions than conspecifics on the
      adjacent Swedish mainland, where all three species coexist. The large size is
      genetically determined, as ascertained by clutch exchange experiments between
      island and mainland nests. We conclude that the increased size of P. ater in
      places where it is geographically isolated from its larger congeners is the
      result of evolutionary adaptation, due ultimately to relaxed interspecific
      competition. On the islands, P. ater has evolved into a medium-sized generalist,
      with selection pressures likely governed by the following causal relationships.
      When competitors are lacking, P. ater takes over the foraging space of the
      absentees. The enlarged food base allows higher population densities, which
      intensifies intraspecific interference competition. This, in turn, selects for
      increased body size. When P. ater coexists with its larger congeners, it occupies
      peripheral foraging sites in trees, which requires excellent manoeuvrability and
      energy-expensive locomotion modes. Reduction of body size increases locomotor
      capacity for mechanical and aerodynamic reasons and lowers energy consumption, so
      small size is favoured in sympatry. But in geographic isolation, P. ater exploits
      the tree periphery less and the inner tree regions more, and it also adopts the
      easier locomotion modes of the absent species. Therefore, selection for
      manoeuvrability and a small body size is relaxed. The new selection regime shifts
      the balance between opposing selection forces towards a larger body size. We were
      able to test 11 alternative hypotheses and available evidence conclusively
      eliminates them all. As a result, here, evolution could be predicted regarding
      both direction and amount of change. 

PMID- 26490674
TI  - Generation of primitive neural stem cells from human fibroblasts using a defined
      set of factors.
AB  - In mice, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)-dependent primitive neural stem cells
      (NSCs) have a higher neurogenic potential than bFGF-dependent definitive NSCs.
      Therefore, expandable primitive NSCs are required for research and for the
      development of therapeutic strategies for neurological diseases. There is a
      dearth of suitable techniques for the generation of human long-term expandable
      primitive NSCs. Here, we have described a method for the conversion of human
      fibroblasts to LIF-dependent primitive NSCs using a strategy based on techniques
      for the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These LIF-dependent
      induced NSCs (LD-iNSCs) can be expanded for >100 passages. Long-term cultured LD
      iNSCs demonstrated multipotent neural differentiation potential and could
      generate motor neurons and dopaminergic neurons, as well as astrocytes and
      oligodendrocytes, indicating a high level of plasticity. Furthermore, LD-iNSCs
      easily reverted to human iPSCs, indicating that LD-iNSCs are in an intermediate
      iPSC state. This method may facilitate the generation of patient-specific human
      neurons for studies and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. 

PMID- 26490675
TI  - Generation and analysis of knock-in mice carrying pseudohypoaldosteronism type II
      causing mutations in the cullin 3 gene.
AB  - Pseudohypoaldosteronism type II (PHAII) is a hereditary hypertensive disease
      caused by mutations in four different genes: with-no-lysine kinases (WNK) 1 and
      4, Kelch-like family member 3 (KLHL3), and cullin 3 (Cul3). Cul3 and KLHL3 form
      an E3 ligase complex that ubiquitinates and reduces the expression level of WNK4.
      PHAII-causing mutations in WNK4 and KLHL3 impair WNK4 ubiquitination. However,
      the molecular pathogenesis of PHAII caused by Cul3 mutations is unclear. In
      cultured cells and human leukocytes, PHAII-causing Cul3 mutations result in the
      skipping of exon 9, producing mutant Cul3 protein lacking 57 amino acids.
      However, whether this phenomenon occurs in the kidneys and is responsible for the
      pathogenesis of PHAII in vivo is unknown. We generated knock-in mice carrying a
      mutation in the C-terminus of intron 8 of Cul3, c.1207-1G>A, which corresponds to
      a PHAII-causing mutation in the human Cul3 gene. Heterozygous Cul3(G(-1)A/+)
      knock-in mice did not exhibit PHAII phenotypes, and the skipping of exon 9 was
      not evident in their kidneys. However, the level of Cul3 mRNA expression in the
      kidneys of heterozygous knock-in mice was approximately half that of wild-type
      mice. Furthermore, homozygous knock-in mice were nonviable. It suggested that the
      mutant allele behaved like a knockout allele and did not produce Cul3 mRNA
      lacking exon 9. A reduction in Cul3 expression alone was not sufficient to
      develop PHAII in the knock-in mice. Our findings highlighted the pathogenic role
      of mutant Cul3 protein and provided insight to explain why PHAII-causing
      mutations in Cul3 cause kidney-predominant PHAII phenotypes. 

PMID- 26490676
TI  - Epigenetic regulator Lid maintains germline stem cells through regulating JAK
      STAT signaling pathway activity.
AB  - Signaling pathways and epigenetic mechanisms have both been shown to play
      essential roles in regulating stem cell activity. While the role of either
      mechanism in this regulation is well established in multiple stem cell lineages,
      how the two mechanisms interact to regulate stem cell activity is not as well
      understood. Here we report that in the Drosophila testis, an H3K4me3-specific
      histone demethylase encoded by little imaginal discs (lid) maintains germline
      stem cell (GSC) mitotic index and prevents GSC premature differentiation. Lid is
      required in germ cells for proper expression of the Stat92E transcription factor,
      the downstream effector of the Janus kinase signal transducer and activator of
      transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling pathway. Our findings support a germ cell
      autonomous role for the JAK-STAT pathway in maintaining GSCs and place Lid as an
      upstream regulator of this pathway. Our study provides new insights into the
      biological functions of a histone demethylase in vivo and sheds light on the
      interaction between epigenetic mechanisms and signaling pathways in regulating
      stem cell activities. 

PMID- 26490677
TI  - Targeted computerised tomography scanning of the ankle   syndesmosis with low
      dose radiation exposure.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To devise a new protocol for targeted CTscanning of the distal
      tibiofibular syndesmosis with minimal radiation exposure to patients. We also
      aimed to correlate the reduction of the syndesmosis as seen on CT scans with the
      functional outcome of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective study. Forty
      adults undergoing surgical stabilisation of an acute distal tibiofibular
      syndesmosis injury were recruited. A targeted five-cut computerised tomography
      scan protocol was developed. The radiation exposure to the patient with this
      protocol was only 0.002 mSv. Scans were performed 12 weeks after surgery. The
      contralateral ankle of every patient was used as a control to determine the
      accuracy of the reduction of the syndesmosis for that individual patient.
      American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores were obtained at a
      minimum of 1 year after surgery. RESULTS: After considering the exclusions, 36
      patients formed the study group. A wide variation was observed in the anatomy of
      the normal syndesmosis. If we considered a difference of more than 2 mm between
      the normal and injured syndesmosis relationship as significant, 15 (41.6 %) of
      our patients had a significant difference between the injured and normal sides.
      AOFAS scores were available for 13 of these patients and were good to excellent
      in 11(84.6 %). CONCLUSION: Our study describes a reliable new CT scanning
      technique for the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis using only five cuts and a low
      radiation-dose protocol. Clinical correlation of the findings on the scan with
      functional outcomes suggests that routine post-operative CT of the syndesmosis is
      probably not justified.

PMID- 26490678
TI  - Dynamic sonography of snapping hip due to gluteus maximus  subluxation over
      greater trochanter.
AB  - We report on the dynamic sonographic findings of a 10-year-old avid female dancer
      who presented with symptoms of abrupt left hip motion and associated painful
      snapping sensation while performing lateral motions of the pelvis suggesting
      external snapping hip syndrome. Dynamic sonographic evaluation of both hips
      demonstrated that symptoms were due to gluteus maximus subluxation over the
      greater trochanter. This etiology of external snapping hip syndrome is rare with
      limited imaging descriptions in the literature. We present case history, physical
      examination, and dynamic ultrasound examination, including multiple still images
      and cine clips, comprehensively characterizing this uncommon source of external
      snapping hip syndrome.

PMID- 26490679
TI  - Imaging diagnosis in relapsing polychondritis and correlation   with clinical and
      serological data.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We hypothesize that imaging findings from CT and MRI correlate better
      with clinical markers for assessment of disease activity in patients with the
      rare relapsing polychondritis (RPC) than with serological inflammatory markers.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective database search at our institution
      identified 28 patients (13 females; age 49.0 years+/-15.0 SD) with RP between
      September 2004 and March 2014. Institutional review board approval was obtained
      for this retrospective data analysis. All patients had clinically proven RPC with
      at least two episodes of active disease. Of those, 18 patients were examined with
      CT- and MRI and presented all morphologic features of RPC like
      bronchial/laryngeal/auricular cartilage thickness, contrast enhancement,
      increased T2-signal intensity. Imaging data was subsequently correlated with
      corresponding clinical symptoms like fever, dyspnea, stridor, uveitis, pain,
      hearing impairment as well as with acute-phase-inflammatory parameters like C
      reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). RESULTS: The
      clinical parameters were in good agreement with imaging findings and clinical
      symptoms such as tracheal wall thickening and dyspnea (r =0.65 p=0.05), joint
      synovitis on MRI and a higher McAdam score (r=0.84 p<0.001). No correlations were
      found between inflammatory laboratory markers, imaging findings and clinical
      features. CONCLUSION: Imaging diagnosis in RPC using CT and/or MRI delivers
      information about the degree of disease activity that correlates better with
      clinical features than unspecific inflammatory laboratory markers. Additionally,
      clinically unapparent cartilage involvement can be assessed adding value to the
      clinical diagnosis and therapy planning in this rare disease.

PMID- 26490680
TI  - Retrosigmoid versus translabyrinthine approach to acoustic neuroma resection: A
      comparative cost-effectiveness analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Approach-specific economic data of acoustic neuroma (AN)
      resection is lacking. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare
      adjusted total hospital costs, hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) length of
      stay (LOS), and associated factors in AN patients undergoing resection by
      translabyrinthine (TL) approach versus retrosigmoid (RS) approach. STUDY DESIGN:
      Retrospective chart review. METHODS: A total of 113 patients with AN undergoing
      TL (N = 43) or RS (N = 70) surgical resection between 1999 and 2012 were
      analyzed. Data including age, health status, preoperative hearing, tumor size,
      postoperative complications, hospital, ICU LOS, and disposition after discharge
      were collected from medical records and compared between both groups. Cost data
      was obtained from the hospital finance department and adjusted based on the
      Consumer Price Index for 2013. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in
      demographic data, preoperative hearing, preoperative health status, or
      postoperative complication rate. Total hospital LOS and ICU LOS were
      significantly longer in the RS compared to the TL group (4.3 +/- 3.6 vs. 2.6 +/-
      1.1 days; P < 0.001, and 1.5 +/- 1.1 vs. 1.0 +/- 0.5 days; P = 0.015,
      respectively). Tumors were larger in RS compared to the TL group (2.1 +/- 1.0 cm
      vs. 1.5 +/- 0.7 cm, respectively; P = 0.002). When patients were stratified by
      tumor size < or >= 2 cm, the total hospital LOS remained greater in the RS group
      in both subgroups (< and >= 2 cm, P < 0.001, and P = 0.031, respectively).
      However, there was no difference in the total ICU LOS between both subgroups. The
      adjusted mean total hospital cost was higher in the RS compared to the TL group
      ($25,069 +/- 14,968 vs. $16,799 +/- 5,724; P < 0.001). The adjusted mean total
      hospital cost was greater in the RS group with tumor < 2 cm (P < 0.001) but not
      significantly different in patients with tumors >= 2 cm. Univariate analysis
      showed that greater tumor size, poorer preoperative health status, the presence
      of major postoperative complications, and the RS approach were independently
      significantly associated with higher total hospital LOS (P = 0.001, P = 0.009, P
      = 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively) and a higher adjusted total hospital cost
      (P < 0.001, P = 0.002, P = 0.014, and P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION:
      Hospital LOS and total adjusted costs are significantly less for patients
      undergoing translabyrinthine acoustic neuroma resection compared to the
      retrosigmoid approach. Many factors appear to influence these differences.
      Economic considerations in addition to tumor characteristics and surgeon
      preference should be considered in future acoustic neuroma resections. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: 2c.

PMID- 26490681
TI  - A case of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy with reversible
      alternating diaphragmatic paralysis: case study.
AB  - Respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation has been reported in
      patients with bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis due to CIDP. We report a case of
      CIDP that progressed to respiratory failure with normal chest radiography despite
      unilateral diaphragmatic paralysis. This manifestation would have been missed if
      ultrasound was not employed. 

PMID- 26490683
TI  - Novel synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Bauhinia variegata:  a recent eco
      friendly approach for mosquito control.
AB  - Mosquito vectors are responsible for transmitting diseases such as malaria,
      dengue, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, dengue, and lymphatic filariasis. The
      use of synthetic insecticides to control mosquito vectors has caused
      physiological resistance and adverse environmental effects, in addition to high
      operational cost. Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles has been proposed as an
      alternative to traditional control tools. In the present study, green synthesis
      of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using aqueous leaf extract of Bauhinia variegata
      by reduction of Ag(+) ions from silver nitrate solution has been investigated.
      The bioreduced silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV-visible
      spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning
      electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy
      dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Leaf
      extract and synthesized AgNPs were evaluated against the larvae of Anopheles
      subpictus, Aedes albopictus, and Culex tritaeniorhynchus. Compared to aqueous
      extract, synthesized AgNPs showed higher toxicity against An. subpictus, Ae.
      albopictus, and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus with LC50 and LC90 values of 41.96, 46.16,
      and 51.92 MUg/mL and 82.93, 89.42, and 97.12 MUg/mL, respectively. Overall, this
      study proves that B. variegata is a potential bioresource for stable,
      reproducible nanoparticle synthesis and may be proposed as an efficient mosquito
      control agent.

PMID- 26490682
TI  - Hyperphosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 predicts unfavorable clinical
      survival in non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6), a component of the 40S ribosomal
      subunit, is involved in multiple cellular bioactivities. However, its
      clinicopathological significance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is poorly
      understood. METHODS: Expressions of total rpS6 (t-rpS6) and phosphorylated rpS6
      (Ser235/236, p-rpS6) were detected immunohistochemically in 316 NSCLC tissues and
      82 adjacent controls, followed by statistical evaluation of the relationship
      between proteins expressions and patients' survivals to identify their prognostic
      values. Cytological experiments with overexpressing or silencing rpS6 by
      lentivirus in human bronchial epithelial (HBE) and NSCLC cell lines were
      performed to explore potential mechanisms by which rpS6 affects the clinical
      development of NSCLC. Additionally, specific RNA interference for Akt1, Akt2,
      Akt3, Akt inhibitor and subsequent cellular bioactivity tests were employed as
      well to investigate the upstream regulation of rpS6. RESULTS: Positive rates of t
      rpS6 and p-rpS6 were both significantly increased in NSCLC tissues, compared with
      controls (82.91 vs 62.20 % for t-rpS6; 52.22 vs 21.95 % for p-rpS6; both P <
      0.001). However, only hyperphosphorylation of rpS6, expressed as either elevated
      p-rpS6 alone or the ratio of p-rpS6 to t-rpS6 (p-rpS6/t-rpS6) no less than 0.67,
      was greatly associated with the unfavorable survival of NSCLC patients,
      especially for cases at stage I (all P < 0.001). The independent adverse
      prognostic value of hyperphosphorylated rpS6 was confirmed by multivariate Cox
      regression analysis (hazard ratios for elevated p-rpS6 alone and p-rpS6/t-rpS6 no
      less than 0.67 were 2.403, 4.311 respectively, both P < 0.001). Overexpression or
      knockdown of rpS6, along with parallel alterations of p-rpS6, led to increased or
      decreased cells proliferations respectively, which were dependent on
      redistributions of cell cycles (all P < 0.05). Cells migration and invasion also
      changed with rpS6 interference (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, upstream
      overexpression or knockdown of Akt2 or Akt2 phosphorylation inhibition, rather
      than Akt1 or Akt3, resulted in striking hyperphosphorylation or dephosphorylation
      of mTOR, p70S6K and rpS6 (all P < 0.05), without any change in total proteins
      expressions. Further tests showed markedly accompanied variation of cells
      proliferation, cell cycle distribution and invasion (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION:
      Hyperphosphorylation of rpS6, probably regulated by the Akt2/mTOR/p70S6K
      signaling pathway, is closely relevant to the progression of NSCLC and it might
      be served as a promising therapeutic target for NSCLC treatment.

PMID- 26490684
TI  - Is molecular xenomonitoring of mosquitoes for Dirofilaria  repens suitable for
      dirofilariosis surveillance in endemic regions?
AB  - Dirofilaria repens is a parasite of animals and humans, transferred by
      mosquitoes. The assessment of the presence of D. repens-infected vertebrate hosts
      in the investigated area can be performed by xenomonitoring-detection of the
      parasite in blood-feeding arthropods. Our study aimed to evaluate PCR
      xenomonitoring of mosquitoes as a tool for dirofilariosis surveillance in Poland.
      We were also interested whether inter-study comparisons at the international
      level would be possible. Mosquitoes were collected in a single locality in
      Mazowsze province in Poland, in which between 12 and 20% of dogs were infected
      with D. repens and autochthonous human dirofilariosis was confirmed. All captured
      female mosquitoes were divided into pools; alternatively, single mosquitoes were
      analyzed; DNA was isolated and subjected to PCR and real-time PCR for detection
      of D. repens. The estimations of infection rates of mosquitoes with D. repens,
      based on PCR results, varied from 0 to 1.57% even between assays for detection of
      distinct fragments of the same marker-cytochrome oxidase subunit one gene.
      Polymorphisms of the DNA sequence within binding sites of the primers used in D.
      repens xenomonitoring assays, applied in European studies, were identified. Non
      specific amplification of Setaria tundra (Nematoda: Onchocercidae) DNA occurred.
      Surveillance of dirofilariosis by PCR mosquito xenomonitoring is possible;
      however, the efficiency of the approach on territories where the prevalence of
      the disease among definitive hosts is lower than 12% remains unknown.
      Furthermore, mosquito infection rate estimations can be PCR assay dependent,
      which makes inter-study comparisons difficult. The results obtained in
      independent European xenomonitoring studies were contradictory. International
      collaboration would be required to establish a standardized set of assays for
      sensitive and specific xenomonitoring-based dirofilariosis surveillance.

PMID- 26490685
TI  - [General principles of sonography, part 2: System technology, basic techniques
      and artifacts].
AB  - Since the introduction of portable ultrasound systems, sonography has become well
      established as an integral part of the anesthesiological and critical care
      equipment and of monitoring. The selection of various ultrasound transducers,
      sonographic techniques and imaging modes enables a broad variety of clinical
      applications. In depth background knowledge of the technical aspects is crucial
      for obtaining what a highly sophisticated ultrasound system has to offer, i.e.,
      sonographic transparency of the complete body and valid information on the
      structure and dynamics of organs and the circulation.

PMID- 26490686
TI  - Inhibitory effect of curcumin on testosterone induced benign prostatic
      hyperplasia rat model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the common male
      diseases, which is provoked by dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and androgen signals.
      Several studies showed that curcumin has various effects of prevention and
      treatment to diseases. We investigated whether curcumin may repress the
      development of BPH in male Wistar rats. METHODS: Seven weeks male Wistar rats
      were and divided into 4 groups (normal group, BPH group, finasteride group,
      curcumin group; n = 8 for each group). In order to induce BPH in rats, rats were
      castrated and testosterone was injected subcutaneously everyday (s.c., 20 mg/kg).
      Rats in the curcumin group were treated 50 mg/kg, administered orally for 4
      weeks. After 4 weeks, all rats were sacrificed and their prostate and serum were
      analyzed. RESULTS: Compared to the finasteride group as positive group, the
      curcumin group showed similarly protective effect on BPH in histopathologic
      morphology, prostate volume. Results of immunohistochemistry and western-blot
      showed decreased expressions of VEGF, TGF-beta1, and IGF1 were also decreased in
      the curcumin group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that curcumin inhibited
      the development of BPH and might a useful herbal treatment or functional food for
      BPH.

PMID- 26490688
TI  - Potential of serum metabolites for diagnosing post-stroke cognitive impairment.
AB  - Cognitive impairment commonly accompanies clinical syndromes associated with
      stroke. The identification of laboratory markers of post-stroke cognitive
      impairment (PSCI) may help detect patients at increased risk of cognitive
      deterioration and determine the appropriate treatment regimes. A non-targeted
      metabolomics approach based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography
      coupled with Q-TOF mass spectrometry was applied to study PSCI. The stroke
      patients were significantly distinguishable from the healthy subjects. Stroke
      patients could be well-stratified based on cognitive impairment. Several
      differential serum metabolites were further identified for post-stroke non
      cognitive impairment (PSNCI) and PSCI patients, suggesting metabolic dysfunction
      in inflammation, neurotoxicity, bioenergetic homeostasis, oxidative stress, and
      apoptosis. In total, three serum metabolites (glutamine, kynurenine, and
      LysoPC(18:2)) were identified as candidate diagnostic biomarkers for PSCI, and
      their combined use yielded good diagnostic capacity for PSCI by receiver
      operating characteristic curves. The present metabolomics study provided a novel
      strategy for stratifying stroke patients with cognitive impairment using serum
      based metabolite markers, which could be of great importance in understanding the
      pathological mechanisms and determining the appropriate treatment regimes of PSCI
      patients. 

PMID- 26490687
TI  - Ghrelin receptor activity amplifies hippocampal N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor
      mediated postsynaptic currents and increases phosphorylation of the GluN1 subunit
      at Ser896 and Ser897.
AB  - Although ghrelin and its cognate receptor growth hormone secretagogue receptor
      (GHSR1a) are highly localized in the hypothalamic nuclei for the regulation of
      metabolic states and feeding, GHSR1a is also highly localized in the hippocampus,
      suggesting its involvement in extra-hypothalamic functions. Indeed, exogenous
      application of ghrelin has been reported to improve hippocampal learning and
      memory. However, the underlying mechanism of ghrelin regulation of hippocampal
      functions is poorly understood. Here, we report ghrelin-promoted phosphorylation
      of GluN1 and amplified N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-mediated excitatory
      postsynaptic currents in the CA1 pyramidal cells of the hippocampus in slice
      preparations. The ghrelin-induced responses were sensitive to a GHSR1a antagonist
      and inverse agonist, and were absent in GHSR1a homozygous knock-out mice. These
      results indicated that activation of GHSR1a was critical in the ghrelin-induced
      enhancement of the NMDAR function. Interestingly, heterozygous mouse hippocampi
      were also insensitive to ghrelin treatment, suggesting that a slight reduction in
      the availability of GHSR1a may be sufficient to negate the effect of ghrelin on
      GluN1 phosphorylation and NMDAR channel activities. In addition, NMDAR-mediated
      spike currents, which are of dendritic origin, were blocked by the GHSR1a
      antagonist, suggesting the presence of GHSR1a on the pyramidal cell dendrites in
      physical proximity to NMDAR. Together with our findings on the localization of
      GHSR1a in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, which was shown by fluorescent
      ghrelin binding, immunoreactivity, and enhanced green fluorescent protein
      reporter gene expression, we conclude that the activation of GHSR1a favours rapid
      modulation of the NMDAR-mediated glutamatergic synaptic transmission by
      phosphorylating GluN1 in the hippocampus.

PMID- 26490689
TI  - Not All Post-FNA Spindle Cell Proliferations in the Thyroid Are of
      Myofibroblastic Origin: Follicular Adenoma with Spindle Cell Metaplasia.

PMID- 26490690
TI  - Voluntary community service in medical school: a qualitative study on obstacles
      faced by student leaders and potential solutions.
AB  - PURPOSE: In medical school, students may participate in various community
      involvement projects (CIP), which serve disadvantaged communities. However,
      several obstacles may arise during these projects. The authors conducted a
      qualitative study with the primary aim of understanding the obstacles and
      corresponding potential solutions when medical students in Singapore participate
      in local CIP (LCIP) and overseas CIP (OCIP). DESIGN: The authors recruited
      medical students from Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of
      Singapore, who were also leaders of a specific community service project done in
      medical school. Twelve one-to-one interviews were held for the participants from
      6 to 8 January 2013. Participants were led in a discussion based on an interview
      guide. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed into free-flow text.
      Subsequently, content and thematic analyses of the transcripts were performed
      independently by three researchers. RESULTS: The medical students faced many
      common obstacles during their community service projects. These obstacles include
      difficulties in recruiting and managing volunteers, attaining recognition or
      credibility for the project to acquire funding and resources, adjusting to a
      different culture or language, setting goals, and facing project-specific
      obstacles. Potential solutions were offered for some obstacles, such as building
      a strong executive committee for the project, grooming successive batches of
      leaders, and improving the project's public image, mentorship, reflections, and
      sustainability plans. CONCLUSIONS: Mentorship, reflections, and sustainability
      are potential solutions that have been proposed to tackle the obstacles faced
      during community service participation in medical school. However, there may
      still be difficulty in solving some of the problems even after these measures are
      put into practice. Future research may focus on evaluating the effectiveness of
      these suggested solutions.

PMID- 26490691
TI  - Vitamin D supplements may be needed when calcium supplements are not.

PMID- 26490692
TI  - Interaction of Spin-Labeled Lipid Membranes with Transition Metal Ions.
AB  - The large values of spin relaxation enhancement (RE) for PC spin-labels in the
      phospholipid membrane induced by paramagnetic metal salts dissolved in the
      aqueous phase can be explained by Heisenberg spin exchange due to conformational
      fluctuations of the nitroxide group as a result of membrane fluidity, flexibility
      of lipid chains, and, possibly, amphiphilic nature of the nitroxide label.
      Whether the magnetic interaction occurs predominantly via Heisenberg spin
      exchange (Ni) or by the dipole-dipole (Gd) mechanism, it is essential for the
      paramagnetic ion to get into close proximity to the nitroxide moiety for
      efficient RE. For different salts of Ni the RE in phosphatidylcholine membranes
      follows the anionic Hofmeister series and reflects anion adsorption followed by
      anion-driven attraction of paramagnetic cations on the choline groups. This
      adsorption is higher for chaotropic ions, e.g., perchlorate. (A chaotropic agent
      is a molecule in water solution that can disrupt the hydrogen bonding network
      between water molecules.) However, there is no anionic dependence of RE for model
      membranes made from negatively charged lipids devoid of choline groups. We used
      Ni-induced RE to study the thermodynamics and electrostatics of ion/membrane
      interactions. We also studied the effect of membrane composition and the phase
      state on the RE values. In membranes with cholesterol a significant difference is
      observed between PC labels with nitroxide tethers long enough vs not long enough
      to reach deep into the membrane hydrophobic core behind the area of fused
      cholesterol rings. This study indicates one must be cautious in interpreting data
      obtained by PC labels in fluid membranes in terms of probing membrane properties
      at different immersion depths when it can be affected by paramagnetic species at
      the membrane surface. 

PMID- 26490693
TI  - Granulocytes in coronary thrombus evolution after myocardial infarction--time
      dependent changes in expression of matrix metalloproteinases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Remodeling of extracellular matrix is a key process during wound
      healing, which is strictly regulated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and
      their tissue inhibitors [tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs)]. In
      this study, we evaluated intrathrombotic MMPs and TIMPs and their cellular origin
      during thrombus evolution after disruption of coronary atherosclerotic plaque.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thrombectomy materials (N=120) obtained from patients with
      acute myocardial infarction were histologically classified in three groups based
      on thrombus age: fresh (<1day), lytic (1-5days), or organized (>5days) thrombi;
      materials showing a heterogeneous composition were classified according to oldest
      part. Presence and cellular origin of MMPs (MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-8, MMP-9, and MMP
      14) and TIMPs (TIMP-1, TIMP-2, and TIMP-3) was evaluated with immunostains
      (double) and with polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: MMPs and
      TIMPs were present in all the thrombectomy samples. A distinct temporal change in
      extent and cellular origin of MMPs and TIMPs during thrombus evolution was
      observed. In the early (fresh and lytic) stages of thrombus, high numbers of
      neutrophilic granulocytes occupy the thrombus mass and produce large amounts of
      MMPs and TIMPs. However, with progression of thrombus evolution (organizing
      stage) and diminishment of neutrophil granulocytes, there is disappearance of MMP
      8 and MMP-9, steep decline of MMP-1 and TIMP-2, and progressive decrease of TIMP
      3. In contrast, intrathrombotic MMP-2 and MMP-14 are present at a constant high
      level during the entire process of thrombus evolution. These temporal changes
      indicate a complex time-dependent function of MMPs, which are largely granulocyte
      derived, in the healing process of thrombus after plaque disruption.

PMID- 26490694
TI  - Circadian patterns on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: Do they really matter
      in daily clinical practice?

PMID- 26490695
TI  - Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4-gamma, 1 gene mutations are rare in
      Parkinson's disease among Taiwanese.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common
      neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. Although idiopathic PD accounts for most of
      the cases, several genetic mutations have been found to cause PD. Mutations in
      the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4-gamma, 1 (EIF4G1) gene have been
      identified since 2011, which were reported to be associated with PD among
      Caucasians in subsequent research. However, this observation was not consistent.
      The contribution to other ethnic groups remains limited, with < 1% of sporadic
      cases. We conducted a case-control study to analyze if EIF4G1 is a risk factor
      for PD patients in Taiwan. METHODS: There were 595 PD patients and 600 controls
      without neurological diseases enrolled in this study. Four reported mutations
      A502V (c.1505C>T), G686C (c.2056 G>T), R1197W (c.3589C>T), and R1205H (c.3614G>A)
      were analyzed. RESULTS: There were no mutations found in either PD patients or
      controls. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the EIF4G1 mutation is rare in
      Taiwan, which is consistent with other reports from Asia. Ethnicity could have a
      great influence on EIF4G1 in PD. Further large scale studies are warranted to
      evaluate the association of PD and EIF4G1 gene.

PMID- 26490696
TI  - Do nurse sows and foster litters have impaired animal welfare? Results from a
      cross-sectional study in sow herds.
AB  - Increasing litter size has led to introduction of so-called nurse sows in several
      EU countries. A nurse sow is a sow receiving piglets after having weaned her own
      piglets and thereby experiencing an extended lactation. In order to analyse
      whether nurse sows have more welfare problems than non-nurse sows a cross
      sectional study was conducted in 57 sow herds in Denmark. Clinical observations
      were made on nurse and non-nurse sows and their litters. The clinical
      observations were dichotomized and the effect of being a nurse sow was analysed
      based on eight parameters: thin (body condition score<2.5), swollen bursae on
      legs, dew claw wounds, vulva lesions, poor hygiene, poor skin condition, shoulder
      lesions and cuts and wounds on the udder. Explanatory variables included in the
      eight models were: nurse sow (yes=1/no=0), age of piglets (weeks old, 1 to 7),
      parity (1 to 8+) and all first order interactions between these three variables.
      The effect of using nurse sows on piglet welfare was analysed with five models.
      The outcomes were: huddling, poor hygiene, lameness, snout cuts and carpal
      abrasions. The explanatory variables included in the five models were: nurse sow
      (yes=1/no=0), age of piglets (weeks old, 1 to 7), parity (1 to 8+) and all first
      order interactions between these three variables. Herd identity was included as a
      random factor in all models. The nurse sows had a significantly higher risk of
      swollen bursae on legs (P=0.038) and udder wounds (P=0.001). No differences in
      risk of being thin or having shoulder lesions were found. Foster litters had
      significantly higher risk of being dirty (P=0.026) and getting carpal abrasions
      (P=0.024) than non-foster litters. There was a tendency for higher lameness in
      foster litters than in non-foster litters (P=0.052). The results show that nurse
      sows and their piglets to some extent experience more welfare problems than non
      nurse sows with piglets at a similar age. 

PMID- 26490697
TI  - Helicobacter pylori treatment: Still a work in progress.
AB  - Helicobacter pylori is a common worldwide bacterium, possessing adaptability that
      has created difficulty achieving eradication. While the standard treatment was
      thought to be triple therapy with a proton pump inhibitor, amoxicillin, and
      clarithromycin, growing rates of treatment failure and antibiotic resistance have
      stimulated research into novel regimens. Quadruple therapy with bismuth has been
      compared for both first- and second-line treatments, but eradication still has
      not reached expected goals. Innovative regimens including sequential and
      concomitant therapy, as well as the introduction of new antibiotics into previous
      treatment schedules, have shown promising improvements in eradication rates. We
      discuss and compare these unique regimens, reviewing the current literature to
      deduce those which are most likely to provide the highest success in curing H.
      pylori infection. 

PMID- 26490698
TI  - Risk-scoring systems for predicting preterm birth with the aim of reducing
      associated adverse outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identification of pregnancies that are higher risk than average is
      important to allow the possibility of interventions aimed at preventing adverse
      outcomes like preterm birth. Many scoring systems designed to classify the risk
      of a number of poor pregnancy outcomes (e.g. perinatal mortality, low
      birthweight, and preterm birth) have been developed, but they have usually been
      introduced without evaluation of their utility and validity. OBJECTIVES: To
      determine whether the use of a risk-screening tool designed to predict preterm
      birth (in combination with appropriate consequent interventions) reduces the
      incidence of preterm birth and very preterm birth, and associated adverse
      outcomes. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth
      Group's Trials Register (30 June 2015). SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised or
      quasi-randomised (including cluster-randomised) or controlled clinical trials
      that compared the incidence of preterm birth between groups that used a risk
      scoring instrument to predict preterm birth with those who used an alternative
      instrument, or no instrument; or that compared the use of the same instrument at
      different gestations. The reports may have been published in peer reviewed or non
      peer reviewed publications, or not published, and written in any language. DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: All review authors planned to independently assess for
      inclusion all the potential studies we identified as a result of the search
      strategy. However, we did not identify any eligible studies. MAIN RESULTS:
      Searching revealed no trials of the use of risk-scoring systems for preventing
      preterm birth. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The role of risk-scoring systems in the
      prevention of preterm birth is unknown.There is a need for prospective studies
      that evaluate the use of a risk-screening tool designed to predict preterm birth
      (in combination with appropriate consequent interventions) to prevent preterm
      birth, including qualitative and/or quantitative evaluation of their impact on
      women's well-being. If these prove promising, they should be followed by an
      adequately powered, well-designed randomised controlled trial.

PMID- 26490699
TI  - Taxonomy and phylogeny in Lepiota sect. Stenosporae from China.
AB  - Lepiota sect. Stenosporae (J.E. Lange) Kuhner contains species with spurred or
      truncate basidiospores and pileus covering composed of adnate, ascending or erect
      long and slender elements. Seven species from southwestern, northeastern and
      southern China in this section have been identified, described and illustrated.
      Lepiota mandarina and L. subcastanea are described as new. Lepiota mandarina is
      characterized by densely orange red to brownish red squamules on pileus and
      stipe, subtriangular basidiospores with truncate bottom, narrowly clavate
      cheilocystidia and pileus covering a trichodermial palisade. Lepiota subcastanea
      has a pileus with yellow-brown to dark brown squamules, non-dextrinoid
      subtriangular basidiospores with a distinct sac-like spur, narrowly clavate or
      narrowly utriform cheilocystidia, and pileus covering a trichodermial palisade
      with short clavate elements. It is hypothesized that this section evolved from
      sect. Ovisporae subsect. Helveolinae. It also is speculated that subtriangular
      and spurred basidiospores have evolved from ellipsoidal basidiospores and that a
      trichodermial pileus covering composing long, erect elements and basal short,
      clavate elements might have evolved from a cutis or a trichoderm lacking such an
      under layer of short elements. 

PMID- 26490700
TI  - New Boletaceae taxa from Guyana: Binderoboletus segoi gen. and sp. nov.,
      Guyanaporus albipodus gen. and sp. nov., Singerocomus rubriflavus gen. and sp.
      nov., and a new combination for Xerocomus inundabilis.
AB  - Binderoboletus segoi gen. and sp. nov., Guyanaporus albipodus gen. and sp. nov.
      and Singerocomus rubriflavus gen. and sp. nov. (Boletaceae, Boletales,
      Basidiomycota) are described from the Pakaraima Mountains and adjacent lowlands
      of Guyana. Xerocomus inundabilis, originally described from the central Brazilian
      Amazon and based solely on the type collection, is redescribed from numerous
      collections from Guyana and transferred into Singerocomus. These boletes occur in
      Neotropical forests dominated by ectomycorrhizal trees in the genera Dicymbe
      (Fabaceae subfam. Caesalpinioideae), Aldina (Fabaceae subfam. Papilionoideae) and
      Pakaraimaea (Dipterocarpaceae). Three of the species were repeatedly found in a
      multiyear sporocarp survey in Dicymbe corymbosa-monodominant forest.
      Macromorphological, micromorphological, habitat and multilocus DNA sequence data
      are provided for each species. A molecular phylogenetic analysis based on a large
      taxon set across the Boletaceae justifies erection of the new genera. 

PMID- 26490701
TI  - Five new species of Inocybe (Agaricales) from tropical India.
AB  - Five new species of Inocybe, I. iringolkavensis, I. keralensis, I. kuruvensis, I.
      muthangensis and I. wayanadensis, are described from Kerala state, India, based
      on morphological and molecular data. All are associated with trees belonging to
      Dipterocarpaceae. Inocybe iringolkavensis is characterized by nodulose to
      somewhat stellate basidiospores, 1-4-spored basidia, and caulocystidia restricted
      to the stipe apex. Inocybe keralensis has a yellowish brown pileus, lamellae with
      whitish, serrate edges, smooth, ellipsoidal basidiospores and a duplex
      pileipellis with the superficial hyphae devoid of encrustations and encrusted
      hyphae beneath. The diagnostic features of I. kuruvensis include a dark brown
      pileus, stipe with a whitish base and grayish brown, floccose-fibrillose surface,
      nodulose basidiospores with saddle-shaped projections and faintly encrusted
      paracystidia with refractive contents. Violet basidiomata with a rimose,
      hygrophanous pileus, densely pruinose stipe with a marginate-bulbous base, and
      nodulose basidiospores are the major features of I. muthangensis. Inocybe
      wayanadensis is characterized by small, whitish basidiomata, a viscid pileus with
      a rimulose surface, a densely pruinose and fibrillose stipe with a marginate
      bulbous base, nodulose basidiospores, thick-walled pleuro- cheilo- and
      caulocystidia and an ixotrichoderm-type pileipellis. The phylogenetic
      relationships of these new species are inferred from an analysis of nuc rDNA
      sequences of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) and the 28S gene.
      Except I. keralensis, which belongs to the Pseudosperma clade, all other species
      belong to the Inocybe clade. This study represents the second report of an
      Inocybe species (I. muthangensis) that combines violet basidiomata with nodulose
      basidiospores. 

PMID- 26490702
TI  - Distinct phylogeographic structure recognized within Desmazierella acicola.
AB  - Desmazierella acicola (anamorph Verticicladium trifidum, Chorioactidaceae)
      represents a frequent colonizer of pine needles in litter. Considering the global
      diversity and distribution of pine species, we expected different phylogenetic
      lineages to exist in different geographical and climatic areas inhabited by these
      hosts. We compared DNA sequence data with phenotypic characteristics (morphology
      of the anamorph and growth at three different temperatures) of 43 strains
      isolated mostly from pine and also spruce needle litter sampled in various
      geographical areas. Analyses of ITS rDNA recovered eight geographically
      structured lineages. Fragments of genes for the translation elongation factor 1
      alpha, and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II reproduced similar
      lineages, although not all of them were monophyletic. The similarity in ITS
      sequences among the clade with samples from Continental-Atlantic Europe and four
      other clades was lower than 95%. Several lineages exhibit also a tendency toward
      host specificity to a particular pine species. Growth tests at different
      temperatures indicated a different tolerance to specific climatic conditions in
      different geographic areas. However, the surveyed phenotypic characteristics also
      showed high variation within lineages, most evident in the morphology of the
      anamorph. Until a morphological study of the teleomorph is carried out, all of
      these lineages should be treated as distinct populations within a single species.

PMID- 26490703
TI  - New species of Polysphondylium from Madagascar.
AB  - Two series of samples collected for isolation of dictyostelid cellular slime
      molds (dictyostelids) in Madagascar yielded a relatively large number of isolates
      of Polysphondylium. Most of these turned out to be species new to science that
      show varying degrees of clustering from unclustered to coremiform as well as an
      ability to migrate. Migratory ability (phototaxis) is a common feature of species
      assigned to Group 2 of the Polysphondylia and is common in the new species from
      Madagascar. Another common feature, clustering, appears to be a strategy for
      keeping fruiting bodies erect for a longer time in a climate that is relatively
      dry, whereas migratory ability may function seasonally when there is more
      rainfall. Thirteen species are described herein. Each of these is characterized
      by a particular set of distinguishing features, and collectively they expand our
      concept of the genus Polysphondylium. 

PMID- 26490704
TI  - Tuber melosporum smooth spores: an anomalous feature in the genus Tuber.
AB  - This paper adds new insights on ecology and micromorphology of Tuber melosporum,
      a rare species with smooth spores. Eight T. melosporum ascomata collected in a 50
      y old Pinus halepensis and Quercus ilex plantation in Sardinia, Italy, represent
      the first recovery of this species outside Spain. In comparison to the T.
      melosporum holotype, Italian specimens revealed differences in the number of
      spores in asci and spore shape. We propose an emended description of Tuber to
      include species without spore ornamentation. 

PMID- 26490705
TI  - Halophilic and thermotolerant Gymnoascus species from several special
      environments, China.
AB  - This study introduces three new Gymnoascus species (Gymnoascaceae, Onygenales),
      G. halophilus, G. stercorarius and G. thermotolerans, isolated from sediments in
      Chaka Salt Lake, compost and cornfield soil, respectively, in China, based on a
      polyphasic characterization including morphology, physiology and molecular
      phylogeny. Phylogenetic relationships were assessed based on the nuclear internal
      transcribed spacer (ITS = ITS1 + 5.8S + ITS2) region and a combined multilocus
      alignment of the ITS, 18S subunit rRNA gene and 28S subunit rRNA genes. Our study
      identified phylogenetic and phenotypic characters that differentiated the three
      new species from known species in the genus. Salinity and temperature tolerance
      tests revealed that G. halophilus was an obligate halophile while G. stercorarius
      and G. thermotolerans were halotolerant and thermotolerant. A key to accepted
      species of Gymnoascus is provided. 

PMID- 26490706
TI  - N and S co-doped porous carbon spheres prepared using L-cysteine as a dual
      functional agent for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries.
AB  - Nitrogen and sulfur co-doped porous carbon spheres (NS-PCSs) were prepared using
      L-cysteine to control the structure and functionalization during the hydrothermal
      reaction of glucose and the subsequent activation process. As the sulfur hosts in
      Li-S batteries, NS-PCSs combine strong physical confinement and surface chemical
      interaction to improve the affinity of polysulfides to the carbon matrix.

PMID- 26490708
TI  - Health information systems and disability in the Lao PDR: a qualitative study.
AB  - The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provides an opportunity
      to strengthen disability-related health information. This study analysed the
      health information system in Lao PDR and sought evidence of interventions to
      improve disability-related health information. The study was based on a
      literature review and key informant interviews (N = 17) informed by the Health
      Metrics Network's Framework and Standards and the Performance of Routine
      Information System Management framework. The Lao health information system is in
      an embryonic stage with health data often incomplete, inaccurate and poorly used.
      Indicators related to disability or functioning are not included, and capacity to
      diagnose the health condition of disability is limited. No studies of health
      information interventions were found. As a State Party to the CRPD, the Lao PDR
      has a legal obligation to collect health-related information on people with
      disabilities. Given the nascent stage of development of the health information
      system in the Lao PDR and diagnostic capacity, indicators related to basic
      functioning and access to services should be integrated into household level
      surveys. As the health information system further develops, small, incremental
      changes in the type of disability information and rehabilitation and the way it
      is collected can be implemented. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26490710
TI  - Effects of psychoeducation on helpful support for complicated grief: a
      preliminary randomized controlled single-blind study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Complicated grief is a distinct psychological response of individuals
      facing the loss of a loved one and can lead to many types of adverse health
      outcomes. Although social support may be beneficial, few studies have examined
      the beneficial effects of helpful support on complicated grief following
      bereavement. METHOD: A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Bereaved
      participants and supporters were randomized to psychoeducation on complicated
      grief and helpful social support or psychoeducation on complicated grief. The
      primary outcome was the Inventory of Complicated Grief. RESULTS: The results
      showed that psychoeducation of supporters of bereaved individuals has significant
      beneficial effects. Particularly, symptoms of complicated grief were decreased in
      bereaved individuals with supporters that received psychoeducation. CONCLUSIONS:
      The results highlight the potential of psychoeducation to facilitate helpful
      social support and reduce complicated grief.

PMID- 26490711
TI  - Computational metallomics of the anticancer drug cisplatin.
AB  - Cisplatin, cis-diamminedichlorido-platinum(II), is an important therapeutic tool
      in the struggle against different tumors, yet it is plagued with the emergence of
      resistance mechanisms after repeated administrations. This hampers greatly its
      efficacy. Overcoming resistance problems requires first and foremost an
      integrated and systematic understanding of the structural determinants and
      molecular recognition processes involving the drug and its cellular targets. Here
      we review a strategy that we have followed for the last few years, based on the
      combination of modern tools from computational chemistry with experimental
      biophysical methods. Using hybrid Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics (QM/MM)
      simulations, validated by spectroscopic experiments (including NMR, and CD), we
      have worked out for the first time at atomic level the structural determinants in
      solution of platinated cellular substrates. These include the copper homeostasis
      proteins Ctr1, Atox1, and ATP7A. All of these proteins have been suggested to
      influence the pre-target resistance mechanisms. Furthermore, coupling hybrid
      QM/MM simulations with classical Molecular Dynamics (MD) and free energy
      calculations, based on force field parameters refined by the so-called "Force
      Matching" procedure, we have characterized the structural modifications and the
      free energy landscape associated with the recognition between platinated DNA and
      the protein HMGB1, belonging to the chromosomal high-mobility group proteins HMGB
      that inhibit the repair of platinated DNA. This may alleviate issues relative to
      on-target resistance process. The elucidation of the mechanisms by which tumors
      are sensitive or refractory to cisplatin may lead to the discovery of prognostic
      biomarkers. The approach reviewed here could be straightforwardly extended to
      other metal-based drugs. 

PMID- 26490709
TI  - Aberrant Autophagic Response in The Muscle of A Knock-in Mouse Model of Spinal
      and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy.
AB  - Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is characterized by loss of motoneurons
      and sensory neurons, accompanied by atrophy of muscle cells. SBMA is due to an
      androgen receptor containing a polyglutamine tract (ARpolyQ) that misfolds and
      aggregates, thereby perturbing the protein quality control (PQC) system. Using
      SBMA AR113Q mice we analyzed proteotoxic stress-induced alterations of HSPB8
      mediated PQC machinery promoting clearance of misfolded proteins by autophagy. In
      muscle of symptomatic AR113Q male mice, we found expression upregulation of Pax
      7, myogenin, E2-ubiquitin ligase UBE2Q1 and acetylcholine receptor (AchR), but
      not of MyoD, and of two E3-ligases (MuRF-1 and Cullin3). TGFbeta1 and PGC-1alpha
      were also robustly upregulated. We also found a dramatic perturbation of the
      autophagic response, with upregulation of most autophagic markers (Beclin-1,
      ATG10, p62/SQSTM1, LC3) and of the HSPB8-mediated PQC response. Both HSPB8 and
      its co-chaperone BAG3 were robustly upregulated together with other specific
      HSPB8 interactors (HSPB2 and HSPB3). Notably, the BAG3:BAG1 ratio increased in
      muscle suggesting preferential misfolded proteins routing to autophagy rather
      than to proteasome. Thus, mutant ARpolyQ induces a potent autophagic response in
      muscle cells. Alteration in HSPB8-based PQC machinery may represent muscle
      specific biomarkers useful to assess SBMA progression in mice and patients in
      response to pharmacological treatments. 

PMID- 26490712
TI  - Aggregates of a cationic porphyrin as supramolecular probes for biopolymers.
AB  - The copper(II) derivative of the dicationic trans-bis(N-methylpyridinium-4
      yl)diphenylporphyrin (t-CuPagg) forms large fractal aggregates in aqueous
      solution under moderate ionic strength conditions. A kinetic investigation of the
      aggregation process allows for a choice of experimental conditions to quickly
      obtain stable assemblies in solution. These positively charged aggregates are
      able to interact efficiently with negatively charged chiral species, (including
      bacterial spores) leading to induced circular dichroism signals in the Soret
      region of the porphyrin, now acting as a sensitive chiroptical probe.

PMID- 26490713
TI  - Gold(III) complexes with hydroxyquinoline, aminoquinoline and quinoline ligands:
      Synthesis, cytotoxicity, DNA and protein binding studies.
AB  - In this article, we report on the synthesis and the chemical and biological
      characterization of novel gold(III) complexes based on hydroxyl- or amino
      quinoline ligands that are evaluated as prospective anticancer agents. To gain
      further insight into their reactivity and possible mode of action, their
      interactions with model proteins and standard nucleic acid molecules were
      investigated. 

PMID- 26490720
TI  - Nonruptured Tubal Pregnancy With In Situ Embryo and Implantation Site.

PMID- 26490707
TI  - The transcriptional landscape of age in human peripheral blood.
AB  - Disease incidences increase with age, but the molecular characteristics of ageing
      that lead to increased disease susceptibility remain inadequately understood.
      Here we perform a whole-blood gene expression meta-analysis in 14,983 individuals
      of European ancestry (including replication) and identify 1,497 genes that are
      differentially expressed with chronological age. The age-associated genes do not
      harbor more age-associated CpG-methylation sites than other genes, but are
      instead enriched for the presence of potentially functional CpG-methylation sites
      in enhancer and insulator regions that associate with both chronological age and
      gene expression levels. We further used the gene expression profiles to calculate
      the 'transcriptomic age' of an individual, and show that differences between
      transcriptomic age and chronological age are associated with biological features
      linked to ageing, such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, fasting glucose,
      and body mass index. The transcriptomic prediction model adds biological
      relevance and complements existing epigenetic prediction models, and can be used
      by others to calculate transcriptomic age in external cohorts. 

PMID- 26490721
TI  - Lanthanum Deposition Is Frequently Observed in the Gastric Mucosa of Dialysis
      Patients With Lanthanum Carbonate Therapy: A Clinicopathologic Study of 13 Cases,
      Including 1 Case of Lanthanum Granuloma in the Colon and 2 Nongranulomatous
      Gastric Cases.

PMID- 26490722
TI  - The Maize Leaf: Another Perspective on Growth Regulation.
AB  - The Arabidopsis thaliana root tip has been a key experimental system to study
      organ growth regulation. It has clear advantages for genetic, transcriptomic, and
      cell biological studies that focus on the control of cell division and expansion
      along its longitudinal axis. However, the system shows some limitations for
      methods that currently require too much tissue to perform them at subzonal
      resolution, including quantification of proteins, enzyme activity, hormone, and
      metabolite levels and cell wall extensibility. By contrast, the larger size of
      the maize leaf does allow such analyses. Here we highlight exciting new
      possibilities to advance mechanistic understanding of plant growth regulation by
      using the maize leaf as a complimentary system to the Arabidopsis root tip. 

PMID- 26490723
TI  - Biconnectivity of the cellular metabolism: A cross-species study and its
      implication for human diseases.
AB  - The maintenance of stability during perturbations is essential for living
      organisms, and cellular networks organize multiple pathways to enable elements to
      remain connected and communicate, even when some pathways are broken. Here, we
      evaluated the biconnectivity of the metabolic networks of 506 species in terms of
      the clustering coefficients and the largest biconnected components (LBCs),
      wherein a biconnected component (BC) indicates a set of nodes in which every pair
      is connected by more than one path. Via comparison with the rewired networks, we
      illustrated how biconnectivity in cellular metabolism is achieved on small and
      large scales. Defining the biconnectivity of individual metabolic compounds by
      counting the number of species in which the compound belonged to the LBC, we
      demonstrated that biconnectivity is significantly correlated with the
      evolutionary age and functional importance of a compound. The prevalence of
      diseases associated with each metabolic compound quantifies the compounds
      vulnerability, i.e., the likelihood that it will cause a metabolic disorder.
      Moreover, the vulnerability depends on both the biconnectivity and the lethality
      of the compound. This fact can be used in drug discovery and medical treatments. 

PMID- 26490724
TI  - Regarding: Impact of portal vein resection on oncologic long-term outcome in
      patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

PMID- 26490726
TI  - New constraints for low-momentum electronic excitations in condensed matter:
      fundamental consequences from classical and quantum dielectric theory.
AB  - We present new constraints for the transportation behaviour of low-momentum
      electronic excitations in condensed matter systems, and demonstrate that these
      have both a fundamental physical interpretation and a significant impact on the
      description of low-energy inelastic electron scattering. The dispersion behaviour
      and characteristic lifetime properties of plasmon and single-electron excitations
      are investigated using popular classical, semi-classical and quantum dielectric
      models. We find that, irrespective of constrained agreement to the well known
      high-momentum and high-energy Bethe ridge limit, standard descriptions of low
      momentum electron excitations are inconsistent and unphysical. These observations
      have direct impact on calculations of transport properties such as inelastic mean
      free paths, stopping powers and escape depths of charged particles in condensed
      matter systems. 

PMID- 26490725
TI  - Risk factors for permanent stoma after rectal cancer surgery with temporary
      ileostomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although creation of a temporary diverting ileostomy during resection
      for rectal cancer surgery is used widely to decrease the risk of anastomotic
      leakage, a frequent outcome is maintenance of this "temporary" ileostomy as a
      permanent stoma (PS). Our aim was to assess the incidence of PS and identify
      potential risk factors. METHODS: This observational study included patients who
      underwent rectal cancer surgery with temporary ileostomy with curative intent
      between January 2001 and December 2008. Patient demographics, perioperative
      outcomes, and complications were analyzed. Incidences of primary PS (present at
      the endpoint of the study without stoma reversal) and secondary PS (created after
      closure of the primary stoma) were investigated. Univariate and multivariate
      analyses were conducted to determine risk factors. RESULTS: Of 673 enrolled
      patients, 64 (9.5%) developed PS, including 23 cases of primary PS and 41 of
      secondary PS. The causes of primary PS were systemic metastases (n = 12),
      anastomosis stricture (n = 4), poor general condition (n = 3), patient refusal (n
      = 2), and other (n = 2). The causes of secondary PS were local recurrence (n =
      12), uncontrolled pelvic abscess (n = 11), unsatisfactory anorectal function (n =
      10), anastomosis stricture (n = 6), and other (n = 2). In multivariate analysis,
      anastomosis leakage (P < .001), involvement of the circumferential resection
      margin (P = .013), and stage III tumor (P = .001) were independent risk factors
      for PS. CONCLUSION: Patients with advanced cancer or anastomotic leakage are at
      high risk of PS after temporary ileostomy. Surgeons should be aware and patients
      should be informed of the possibility of PS formation.

PMID- 26490727
TI  - Virological failure to raltegravir in Spain: incidence, prevalence and clinical
      consequences.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence, prevalence
      and clinical consequences of virological failure (VF) to raltegravir-based
      regimens in Spain. METHODS: A multicentre, retrospective, observational study was
      performed in 10 tertiary hospitals (January 2006 to June 2013). The study
      included HIV-1-infected patients with loss of virological suppression (LVS; two
      consecutive HIV-1 RNA >=50 copies/mL) while receiving raltegravir. VF and low
      level viraemia (LLV) were defined as two consecutive HIV-1 RNA >=200 copies/mL
      and 50 to <200 copies/mL, respectively. Integrase strand-transfer inhibitor
      resistance was investigated at LVS. During the 48 weeks following LVS, recorded
      data included clinical characteristics, treatment discontinuations, AIDS
      associated events and deaths. Effectiveness of therapy following LVS was
      evaluated by ITT and PP. Multivariate regression was used to assess predictors of
      efficacy. RESULTS: Of the 15 009 HIV-infected patients in participating centres,
      2782 (18.5%) had received raltegravir-based regimens. Of those, 192 (6.9%), 125
      (4.5%) and 67 (2.4%) experienced LVS, VF and LLV, respectively. The incidence of
      VF was 1.8 (95% CI, 1.5-2.1) per 100 patients/year. The prevalence of VF was 4.5%
      (95% CI, 3.8%-5.3%). Integrase-associated mutations were found in 78.8% of
      patients with integrase genotyping results available. High-level resistance to
      dolutegravir was not observed. Salvage therapy failed in 34.1% of patients;
      progression to AIDS/death occurred in 8.3% during the first year following LVS.
      The latter was associated with intravenous drug use, time on raltegravir and
      lower CD4+ count nadir in patients who started raltegravir-based treatments as
      salvage regimens. CONCLUSIONS: VF with raltegravir is infrequent, but often
      associated with major clinical complications in treatment-experienced patients.

PMID- 26490728
TI  - Improving a Synechocystis-based photoautotrophic chassis through systematic
      genome mapping and validation of neutral sites.
AB  - The use of microorganisms as cell factories frequently requires extensive
      molecular manipulation. Therefore, the identification of genomic neutral sites
      for the stable integration of ectopic DNA is required to ensure a successful
      outcome. Here we describe the genome mapping and validation of five neutral sites
      in the chromosome of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, foreseeing the use of this
      cyanobacterium as a photoautotrophic chassis. To evaluate the neutrality of these
      loci, insertion/deletion mutants were produced, and to assess their
      functionality, a synthetic green fluorescent reporter module was introduced. The
      constructed integrative vectors include a BioBrick-compatible multiple cloning
      site insulated by transcription terminators, constituting robust cloning
      interfaces for synthetic biology approaches. Moreover, Synechocystis mutants
      (chassis) ready to receive purpose-built synthetic modules/circuits are also
      available. This work presents a systematic approach to map and validate
      chromosomal neutral sites in cyanobacteria, and that can be extended to other
      organisms. 

PMID- 26490730
TI  - Does reduced-port laparoscopic surgery for medically uncontrolled ulcerative
      colitis do more harm than good?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Reduced-port laparoscopic surgery is a novel minimally invasive
      surgery. However, reduced-port surgery for ulcerative colitis (UC) remains
      controversial. Here, we describe the clinical outcomes of single-incision plus
      one port laparoscopic surgery (SILS + 1) for medically uncontrolled UC. METHODS:
      Between May 2011 and September 2014, 10 UC patients underwent SILS + 1 port
      surgery. All procedures were performed with the use of a SILS port and either a 5
      mm or a 12-mm port placed at the planned ileostomy site. RESULTS: The median age
      of patients was 32 years (range, 22-53 years). Six patients underwent two-stage
      SILS + 1 port restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis, two
      patients underwent SILS + 1 total proctocolectomy, and the remaining two patients
      underwent SILS + 1 subtotal colectomy with subsequent three-stage SILS + 1 ileal
      pouch-anal anastomosis. The median operative time was 363.1 min (range, 253-465
      min) and the median estimated blood loss was 29 mL (range, 0-100 mL). There were
      no conversions or additional ports required. Two patients previously underwent
      SILS + 1 subtotal colectomy, and in one of those patients, SILS + 1 ileal pouch
      anal anastomosis was performed successfully 6 months after the previous surgery.
      There were no intra-abdominal adhesions, and no extra wounds were necessary
      because the previous stoma site had been used to access the SILS port. The median
      postoperative period was 24 months, during which five patients had their
      ileostomies closed. No patients reported occasional minor daily soiling or the
      need to wear a pad. CONCLUSION: Reduced-port laparoscopic surgery for medically
      uncontrolled UC is a feasible and safe procedure when performed by skilled
      surgeons.

PMID- 26490729
TI  - Captured metagenomics: large-scale targeting of genes based on 'sequence capture'
      reveals functional diversity in soils.
AB  - Microbial enzyme diversity is a key to understand many ecosystem processes. Whole
      metagenome sequencing (WMG) obtains information on functional genes, but it is
      costly and inefficient due to large amount of sequencing that is required. In
      this study, we have applied a captured metagenomics technique for functional
      genes in soil microorganisms, as an alternative to WMG. Large-scale targeting of
      functional genes, coding for enzymes related to organic matter degradation, was
      applied to two agricultural soil communities through captured metagenomics.
      Captured metagenomics uses custom-designed, hybridization-based oligonucleotide
      probes that enrich functional genes of interest in metagenomic libraries where
      only probe-bound DNA fragments are sequenced. The captured metagenomes were
      highly enriched with targeted genes while maintaining their target diversity and
      their taxonomic distribution correlated well with the traditional ribosomal
      sequencing. The captured metagenomes were highly enriched with genes related to
      organic matter degradation; at least five times more than similar, publicly
      available soil WMG projects. This target enrichment technique also preserves the
      functional representation of the soils, thereby facilitating comparative
      metagenomics projects. Here, we present the first study that applies the captured
      metagenomics approach in large scale, and this novel method allows deep
      investigations of central ecosystem processes by studying functional gene
      abundances. 

PMID- 26490731
TI  - Utilizing the virus-induced blocking of apoptosis in an easy baculovirus
      titration method.
AB  - Baculovirus-mediated protein expression is a robust experimental technique for
      producing recombinant higher-eukaryotic proteins because it combines high yields
      with considerable post-translational modification capabilities. In this
      expression system, the determination of the titer of recombinant baculovirus
      stocks is important to achieve the correct multiplicity of infection for
      effective amplification of the virus and high expression of the target protein.
      To overcome the drawbacks of existing titration methods (e.g., plaque assay, real
      time PCR), we present a simple and reliable assay that uses the ability of
      baculoviruses to block apoptosis in their host cells to accurately titrate virus
      samples. Briefly, after incubation with serial dilutions of baculovirus samples,
      Sf9 cells were UV irradiated and, after apoptosis induction, they were viewed via
      microscopy; the presence of cluster(s) of infected cells as islets indicated
      blocked apoptosis. Subsequently, baculovirus titers were calculated through the
      determination of the 50% endpoint dilution. The method is simple, inexpensive,
      and does not require unique laboratory equipment, consumables or expertise;
      moreover, it is versatile enough to be adapted for the titration of every virus
      species that can block apoptosis in any culturable host cells which undergo
      apoptosis under specific conditions. 

PMID- 26490732
TI  - Efficacy and safety of long-acting beta-agonist/long-acting muscarinic antagonist
      combinations in COPD: a network meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The place of long-acting beta agonist/long-acting muscarinic
      antagonist (LABA/LAMA) combinations in stable patients with COPD is not well
      defined. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the efficacy and
      safety of LABA/LAMA combinations. METHODS: Several databases and manufacturers'
      websites were searched for relevant clinical trials. Randomised control trials,
      at least 12 weeks duration, comparing a LABA/LAMA combination with placebo and/or
      monotherapy were included. The data were pooled using a network as well as a
      traditional direct comparison meta-analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-three trials with a
      total of 27 172 patients were included in the analysis. LABA/LAMA combinations
      were associated with a greater improvement in lung function, St. George's
      Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score, and Transitional Dyspnoea Index (TDI)
      than monotherapies. LABA/LAMA combinations were associated with a significantly
      greater proportion of SGRQ and TDI responders than monotherapies (OR 1.23 (95%
      credible interval (CrI) 1.06-1.39), OR 1.34 (95% CrI 1.19-1.50) versus LABAs and
      OR 1.24 (95% CrI 1.11-1.36), OR 1.31 (95% CrI 1.18-1.46) versus LAMAs,
      respectively) and fewer moderate-to-severe exacerbations compared with LABAs (HR
      0.82 (95% CrI 0.73-0.93)), but not when compared with LAMAs (HR 0.92 (95% CrI
      0.84-1.00)). There were no statistically significant differences associated with
      LABA/LAMA combinations compared with monotherapies in safety outcomes as well as
      in severe exacerbations. CONCLUSIONS: The combination therapy was the most
      effective strategy in improving lung function, quality of life, symptom scores
      and moderate-to-severe exacerbation rates, and had similar effects on safety
      outcomes and severe exacerbations as compared with monotherapies.

PMID- 26490734
TI  - Theory of Mind and social reserve: Alternative hypothesis of progressive Theory
      of Mind decay during different stages of Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Although Theory of Mind (ToM) is thought to be impaired in Alzheimer's disease
      (AD), it remains unclear whether this impairment is linked to the level of task
      complexity, the heterogeneity of the studied patients, or the implication of
      executive dysfunctions. To elucidate this point, 42 AD patients, divided into two
      subgroups [moderate AD (mAD) patients (n = 19) and early AD (eAD) patients (n =
      23)], and 23 matched healthy older subjects (HO) were enrolled. All participants
      were given (1) a false-belief task (cognitive ToM), (2) a revised version of the
      "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" test (affective ToM), and (3) a composite task
      designed to assess ToM abilities with minimal cognitive demands. Participants
      were also given executive tasks assessing inhibition, shifting, and updating
      processes. We observed a significant impairment of cognitive and composite ToM
      abilities in eAD patients compared with mAD patients. There was no impairment of
      affective ToM. Stepwise regression revealed that measures of global efficiency
      and executive functions (EFs) were the best predictors of progressive decay of
      ToM scores. These results indicate that cognitive aspects of ToM are more
      sensitive to AD progression than affective tasks. They also show that ToM
      abilities are more affected by dementia severity than by task complexity. One
      explanation of our results is the presence of compensatory mechanisms (social
      reserve) in AD.

PMID- 26490733
TI  - Tomato histone H2B monoubiquitination enzymes SlHUB1 and SlHUB2 contribute to
      disease resistance against Botrytis cinerea through modulating the balance
      between SA- and JA/ET-mediated signaling pathways.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Histone H2B monoubiquitination pathway has been shown to play
      critical roles in regulating growth/development and stress response in
      Arabidopsis. In the present study, we explored the involvement of the tomato
      histone H2B monoubiquitination pathway in defense response against Botrytis
      cinerea by functional analysis of SlHUB1 and SlHUB2, orthologues of the
      Arabidopsis AtHUB1/AtHUB2. METHODS: We used the TRV-based gene silencing system
      to knockdown the expression levels of SlHUB1 or SlHUB2 in tomato plants and
      compared the phenotype between the silenced and the control plants after
      infection with B. cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000.
      Biochemical and interaction properties of proteins were examined using in vitro
      histone monoubiquitination and yeast two-hybrid assays, respectively. The
      transcript levels of genes were analyzed by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR).
      RESULTS: The tomato SlHUB1 and SlHUB2 had H2B monoubiquitination E3 ligases
      activity in vitro and expression of SlHUB1 and SlHUB2 was induced by infection of
      B. cinerea and Pst DC3000 and by treatment with salicylic acid (SA) and 1-amino
      cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC). Silencing of either SlHUB1 or SlHUB2 in
      tomato plants showed increased susceptibility to B. cinerea, whereas silencing of
      SlHUB1 resulted in increased resistance against Pst DC3000. SlMED21, a Mediator
      complex subunit, interacted with SlHUB1 but silencing of SlMED21 did not affect
      the disease resistance to B. cinerea and Pst DC3000. The SlHUB1- and SlHUB2
      silenced plants had thinner cell wall but increased accumulation of reactive
      oxygen species (ROS), increased callose deposition and exhibited altered
      expression of the genes involved in phenylpropanoid pathway and in ROS generation
      and scavenging system. Expression of genes in the SA-mediated signaling pathway
      was significantly upregulated, whereas expression of genes in the jasmonic acid
      (JA)/ethylene (ET)-mediated signaling pathway were markedly decreased in SlHUB1-
      and SlHUB2-silenced plants after infection of B. cinerea. CONCLUSION: VIGS-based
      functional analyses demonstrate that both SlHUB1 and SlHUB2 contribute to
      resistance against B. cinerea most likely through modulating the balance between
      the SA- and JA/ET-mediated signaling pathways.

PMID- 26490735
TI  - Effects of maize cultivation on nitrogen and phosphorus loadings to drainage
      channels in Central Chile.
AB  - There are concerns about the impact of maize cultivation with high applications
      of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) on water quality in surface waters in
      Mediterranean Central Chile. This study estimated the contribution of N and P
      from maize fields to nearby drainage channels and evaluated the effects in water
      quality. An N and P budget was drawn up for three fields managed with a maize
      fallow system, El Maiten (20.7 ha), El Naranjal (14.9 ha) and El Caleuche (4.2
      ha), and water quality variables (pH, EC, dissolved oxygen, total solids,
      turbidity, NO3-N, NH4-N, PO4(3-), COD, total N, total P and sulphate) were
      monitored in nearby drainage channels. The N and P balances for the three fields
      indicated a high risk of N and P non-point source pollution, with fertiliser
      management, soil texture and climate factors determining the temporal variations
      in water quality parameters. Elevated levels of NH4-N and PO4(3-) in the drainage
      channels were usually observed during the winter period, while NO3-
      concentrations did not show a clear tendency. The results suggest that excessive
      slurry application during winter represents a very high risk of N and P runoff to
      drainage channels. Overall, great emphasis must be placed on good agronomic
      management of fields neighbouring drainage channels, including accurately
      calculating N and P fertiliser rates and establishing mitigation measures.

PMID- 26490736
TI  - Hypermethylation of the GATA binding protein 4 (GATA4) promoter in Chinese
      pediatric acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the second-most common form of
      leukemia in children. Aberrant DNA methylation patterns are a characteristic
      feature of AML. GATA4 has been suggested to be a tumor suppressor gene regulated
      by promoter hypermethylation in various types of human cancers although the
      expression and promoter methylation of GATA4 in pediatric AML is still unclear.
      METHODS: Transcriptional expression levels of GATA4 were evaluated by semi
      quantitative and real-time PCR. Methylation status was investigated by
      methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and bisulfate genomic sequencing (BGS). The
      prognostic significance of GATA4 expression and promoter methylation was assessed
      in 105 cases of Chinese pediatric acute myeloid leukemia patients with clinical
      follow-up records. RESULTS: MSP and BGS analysis showed that the GATA4 gene
      promoter is hypermethylated in AML cells, such as the HL-60 and MV4-11 human
      myeloid leukemia cell lines. 5-Aza treatment significantly upregulated GATA4
      expression in HL-60 and MV4-11 cells. Aberrant methylation of GATA4 was observed
      in 15.0 % (3/20) of the normal bone marrow control samples compared to 56.2 %
      (59/105) of the pediatric AML samples. GATA4 transcript levels were significantly
      decreased in AML patients (33.06 +/- 70.94; P = 0.011) compared to normal bone
      marrow/idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura controls (116.76 +/- 105.39). GATA4
      promoter methylation was correlated with patient leukocyte counts (WBC, white
      blood cells) (P = 0.035) and minimal residual disease MRD (P = 0.031). Kaplan
      Meier survival analysis revealed significantly shorter overall survival time in
      patients with GATA4 promoter methylation (P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Epigenetic
      inactivation of GATA4 by promoter hypermethylation was observed in both AML cell
      lines and pediatric AML samples; our study implicates GATA4 as a putative tumor
      suppressor gene in pediatric AML. In addition, our findings imply that GATA4
      promoter methylation is correlated with WBC and MRD. Kaplan-Meier survival
      analysis revealed significantly shorter overall survival in pediatric AML with
      GATA4 promoter methylation but multivariate analysis shows that it is not an
      independent factor. However, further research focusing on the mechanism of GATA4
      in pediatric leukemia is required.

PMID- 26490737
TI  - Changes in seasonal climate outpace compensatory density-dependence in eastern
      brook trout.
AB  - Understanding how multiple extrinsic (density-independent) factors and intrinsic
      (density-dependent) mechanisms influence population dynamics has become
      increasingly urgent in the face of rapidly changing climates. It is particularly
      unclear how multiple extrinsic factors with contrasting effects among seasons are
      related to declines in population numbers and changes in mean body size and
      whether there is a strong role for density-dependence. The primary goal of this
      study was to identify the roles of seasonal variation in climate driven
      environmental direct effects (mean stream flow and temperature) vs. density
      dependence on population size and mean body size in eastern brook trout
      (Salvelinus fontinalis). We use data from a 10-year capture-mark-recapture study
      of eastern brook trout in four streams in Western Massachusetts, USA to
      parameterize a discrete-time population projection model. The model integrates
      matrix modeling techniques used to characterize discrete population structures
      (age, habitat type, and season) with integral projection models (IPMs) that
      characterize demographic rates as continuous functions of organismal traits (in
      this case body size). Using both stochastic and deterministic analyses we show
      that decreases in population size are due to changes in stream flow and
      temperature and that these changes are larger than what can be compensated for
      through density-dependent responses. We also show that the declines are due
      mostly to increasing mean stream temperatures decreasing the survival of the
      youngest age class. In contrast, increases in mean body size over the same period
      are the result of indirect changes in density with a lesser direct role of
      climate-driven environmental change. 

PMID- 26490738
TI  - F4+ ETEC infection and oral immunization with F4 fimbriae elicits an IL-17
      dominated immune response.
AB  - Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) are an important cause of post-weaning
      diarrhea (PWD) in piglets. Porcine-specific ETEC strains possess different
      fimbrial subtypes of which F4 fimbriae are the most frequently associated with
      ETEC-induced diarrhea in piglets. These F4 fimbriae are potent oral immunogens
      that induce protective F4-specific IgA antibody secreting cells at intestinal
      tissues. Recently, T-helper 17 (Th17) cells have been implicated in the
      protection of the host against extracellular pathogens. However, it remains
      unknown if Th17 effector responses are needed to clear ETEC infections. In the
      present study, we aimed to elucidate if ETEC elicits a Th17 response in piglets
      and if F4 fimbriae trigger a similar response. F4(+) ETEC infection upregulated
      IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-21 and IL-23p19, but not IL-12 and IFN-gamma mRNA expression
      in the systemic and mucosal immune system. Similarly, oral immunization with F4
      fimbriae triggered a Th17 signature evidenced by an upregulated mRNA expression
      of IL-17F, RORgammat, IL-23p19 and IL-21 in the peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells (PBMCs). Intriguingly, IL-17A mRNA levels were unaltered. To further
      evaluate this difference between systemic and mucosal immune responses, we
      assayed the cytokine mRNA profile of F4 fimbriae stimulated PBMCs. F4 fimbriae
      induced IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-22 and IL-23p19, but downregulated IL-17B mRNA
      expression. Altogether, these data indicate a Th17 dominated response upon oral
      immunization with F4 fimbriae and F4(+) ETEC infection. Our work also highlights
      that IL-17B and IL-17F participate in the immune response to protect the host
      against F4(+) ETEC infection and could aid in the design of future ETEC vaccines.

PMID- 26490739
TI  - Branch-Selective Alkene Hydroarylation by Cooperative Destabilization: Iridium
      Catalyzed ortho-Alkylation of Acetanilides.
AB  - An iridium(I) catalyst system, modified with the wide-bite-angle and electron
      deficient bisphosphine d(F) ppb (1,4-bis(di(pentafluorophenyl)phosphino)butane)
      promotes highly branch-selective hydroarylation reactions between diverse
      acetanilides and aryl- or alkyl-substituted alkenes. This provides direct and
      ortho-selective access to synthetically challenging anilines, and addresses long
      standing issues associated with related Friedel-Crafts alkylations. 

PMID- 26490740
TI  - Investigation of mucus obtained from different fish species on the acute pain
      induced with scalpel incision in paw of rats.
AB  - No comparative study could be found for the analgesic activity of mucuses from
      the Oncorhynchus mykiss (OM), Salvelinus fontinalis (SF), Salmo coruhensis (SC),
      Acipenser gueldenstaedtii (AG), and Acipenser baerii (AB) fish species in the
      literature. We aimed to investigate the effects of mucuses obtained from the
      abovementioned fish species on scalpel incision-induced pain in the rat paw and
      to examine the role of oxidant/antioxidant parameters and COX-2 gene expression
      in the analgesic activities. Animals were divided into groups: SIC (scalpel
      incision; SI), SIDS (SI+25 mg/kg diclofenac sodium), SOM (SI+25 mg/kg OM mucus),
      SFM (SI+25 mg/kg SF mucus), SCM (SI+25 mg/kg SC mucus), SAgM (SI+25 mg/kg AG
      mucus), SAbM (SI+25 mg/kg AB mucus), and HG (healthy). The paw pain thresholds
      were measured with a Basile algesimeter before and after diclofenac sodium (DS)
      or mucus administration, and then the rats were euthanized with thiopental
      sodium. Oxidant/antioxidant and COX-2 gene expression parameters were measured in
      paw tissues. OM, SC, AG, and AB fish mucuses could not decrease the SI-induced
      pain. However, SF fish mucus prevented this pain by 69% after the first hour and
      by 58.3% after the third hour. DS was shown to suppress pain more weakly than SF,
      preventing the pain by 62.1% and 50.0% after the first and third hours,
      respectively. SF mucus and DS significantly inhibited increase of COX-2 gene
      expression, while other fish mucuses could not. None of the fish mucuses except
      SF mucus in conjunction with DS could significantly inhibit the increase in
      oxidant parameters and decrease in antioxidants. SF fish mucus should be
      comparatively assessed in clinical practice for treatment of postoperative pain. 

PMID- 26490741
TI  - Plasticity of adult endothelium: how frequent and to what extent?

PMID- 26490743
TI  - Correction - A statistical model for measurement error that incorporates
      variation over time in the target measure, with application to nutritional
      epidemiology.

PMID- 26490742
TI  - Ryanodine receptor cluster fragmentation and redistribution in persistent atrial
      fibrillation enhance calcium release.
AB  - AIMS: In atrial fibrillation (AF), abnormalities in Ca(2+) release contribute to
      arrhythmia generation and contractile dysfunction. We explore whether ryanodine
      receptor (RyR) cluster ultrastructure is altered and is associated with
      functional abnormalities in AF. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using high-resolution
      confocal microscopy (STED), we examined RyR cluster morphology in fixed atrial
      myocytes from sheep with persistent AF (N = 6) and control (Ctrl; N = 6) animals.
      RyR clusters on average contained 15 contiguous RyRs; this did not differ between
      AF and Ctrl. However, the distance between clusters was significantly reduced in
      AF (288 +/- 12 vs. 376 +/- 17 nm). When RyR clusters were grouped into Ca(2+)
      release units (CRUs), i.e. clusters separated by <150 nm, CRUs in AF had more
      clusters (3.43 +/- 0.10 vs. 2.95 +/- 0.02 in Ctrl), which were more dispersed.
      Furthermore, in AF cells, more RyR clusters were found between Z lines. In
      parallel experiments, Ca(2+) sparks were monitored in live permeabilized
      myocytes. In AF, myocytes had >50% higher spark frequency with increased spark
      time to peak (TTP) and duration, and a higher incidence of macrosparks. A
      computational model of the CRU was used to simulate the morphological alterations
      observed in AF cells. Increasing cluster fragmentation to the level observed in
      AF cells caused the observed changes, i.e. higher spark frequency, increased TTP
      and duration; RyR clusters dispersed between Z-lines increased the occurrence of
      macrosparks. CONCLUSION: In persistent AF, ultrastructural reorganization of RyR
      clusters within CRUs is associated with overactive Ca(2+) release, increasing the
      likelihood of propagating Ca(2+) release.

PMID- 26490744
TI  - Back-calculating the incidence of infection of leprosy in a Bayesian framework.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The number of new leprosy cases reported annually is falling
      worldwide, but remains relatively high in some populations. Because of the long
      and variable periods between infection, onset of disease, and diagnosis, the
      recently detected cases are a reflection of infection many years earlier.
      Estimation of the numbers of sub-clinical and clinical infections would be useful
      for management of elimination programmes. Back-calculation is a methodology that
      could provide estimates of prevalence of undiagnosed infections, future diagnoses
      and the effectiveness of control. METHODS: A basic back-calculation model to
      investigate the infection dynamics of leprosy has been developed using Markov
      Chain Monte Carlo in a Bayesian context. The incidence of infection and the
      detection delay both vary with calendar time. Public data from Thailand are used
      to demonstrate the results that are obtained as the incidence of diagnosed cases
      falls. RESULTS: The results show that the underlying burden of infection and
      short-term future predictions of cases can be estimated with a simple model. The
      downward trend in new leprosy cases in Thailand is expected to continue. In 2015
      the predicted total number of undiagnosed sub-clinical and clinical infections is
      1,168 (846-1,546) of which 466 (381-563) are expected to be clinical infections.
      CONCLUSIONS: Bayesian back-calculation has great potential to provide estimates
      of numbers of individuals in health/infection states that are as yet unobserved.
      Predictions of future cases provides a quantitative measure of understanding for
      programme managers and evaluators. We will continue to develop the approach, and
      suggest that it might be useful for other NTD in which incidence of diagnosis is
      not an immediate measure of infection.

PMID- 26490745
TI  - Increased number of volatile organic compounds over malignant glottic lesions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Electronic noses can identify diseases, including head and
      neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) by the fingerprint of volatile organic
      compounds (VOCs) in exhaled air. However, whether these VOCs originated from the
      malignant lesion itself remains unclear. The objective was to test for the
      presence and properties of VOCs directly over the vocal folds in malignant and
      benign lesions, as a potential tool for noninvasive screening. STUDY DESIGN:
      Prospective observational case control study. METHODS: Samples of mucus directly
      covering vocal fold lesions were analyzed using gas chromatography mass
      spectrometry for detection of VOCs, and evaluation of the properties and quantity
      of VOCs in the samples. Additionally, samples of oropharyngeal mucus were
      analyzed to exclude VOCs found also in the vicinity of the lesion. Benign and
      malignant lesion groups were compared using a nonparametric (Mann-Whitney) test.
      RESULTS: We studied 14 patients, six with SCC and eight with benign pathology. We
      found an increased number of discrete VOC types in patients with SCC both above
      the lesion (SCC = 4.333 +/- 2.5, benign = 0.875 +/- 0.6; Z=3, P < .001) and
      directly above the lesion with exclusion of its vicinity (SCC = 3.167 +/- 1.9,
      benign = 0.5 +/- 0.5; Z = 2.8, P < .003). VOCs detected in SCCs but not in benign
      samples included the straight-chain fatty acids: butyric acid, pentanoic acid,
      hexanoic acid, and heptanoic acid. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with benign vocal fold
      lesions, the environment of vocal folds in SCC is enriched with VOCs. These
      preliminary findings highlight a unique pattern that may contribute to the
      development of a future minimally invasive technology for screening vocal fold
      lesions for malignancy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 126:1606-1611, 2016.

PMID- 26490746
TI  - Connexin26 gap junction mediates miRNA intercellular genetic communication in the
      cochlea and is required for inner ear development.
AB  - Organ development requires well-established intercellular communication to
      coordinate cell proliferations and differentiations. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are
      small, non-coding RNAs that can broadly regulate gene expression and play a
      critical role in the organ development. In this study, we found that miRNAs could
      pass through gap junctions between native cochlear supporting cells to play a
      role in the cochlear development. Connexin26 (Cx26) and Cx30 are predominant
      isoforms and co-express in the cochlea. Cx26 deficiency but not Cx30 deficiency
      can cause cochlear developmental disorders. We found that associated with Cx26
      deletion induced the cochlear developmental disorders, deletion of Cx26 but not
      Cx30 disrupted miRNA intercellular transfer in the cochlea, although inner ear
      gap junctions still retained permeability after deletion of Cx26. Moreover, we
      found that deletion of Cx26 but not Cx30 reduced miR-96 expression in the cochlea
      during postnatal development. The reduction is associated with the cochlear
      tunnel developmental disorder in Cx26 knockout (KO) mice. These data reveal that
      Cx26-mediated intercellular communication is required for cochlear development
      and that deficiency of Cx26 can impair miRNA-mediated intercellular genetic
      communication in the cochlea, which may lead to cochlear developmental disorders
      and eventually congenital deafness as previously reported. 

PMID- 26490747
TI  - Electrohydraulic lithotripsy for large bile duct stones under direct
      cholangioscopy using double-balloon enteroscopy.

PMID- 26490748
TI  - Ammonia effect on hydrogenotrophic methanogens and syntrophic acetate-oxidizing
      bacteria.
AB  - Ammonia-rich substrates can cause inhibition on anaerobic digestion process.
      Syntrophic acetate-oxidizing bacteria (SAOB) and hydrogenotrophic methanogens are
      important for the ammonia inhibitory mechanism on anaerobic digestion. The roles
      and interactions of SAOB and hydrogenotrophic methanogens to ammonia inhibition
      effect are still unclear. The aim of the current study was to determine the
      ammonia toxicity levels of various pure strains of SAOB and hydrogenotrophic
      methanogens. Moreover, ammonia toxicity on the syntrophic-cultivated strains of
      SAOB and hydrogenotrophic methanogens was tested. Thus, four hydrogenotrophic
      methanogens (i.e. Methanoculleus bourgensis, Methanobacterium congolense,
      Methanoculleu thermophilus and Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus), two SAOB
      (i.e. Tepidanaerobacter acetatoxydans and Thermacetogenium phaeum) and their
      syntrophic cultivation were assessed under 0.26, 3, 5 and 7 g NH4 (+)-N L(-1).
      The results showed that some hydrogenotrophic methanogens were equally, or in
      some cases, more tolerant to high ammonia levels compared to SAOB. Furthermore, a
      mesophilic hydrogenotrophic methanogen was more sensitive to ammonia toxicity
      compared to thermophilic methanogens tested in the study, which is contradicting
      to the general belief that thermophilic methanogens are more vulnerable to high
      ammonia loads compared to mesophilic. This unexpected finding underlines the fact
      that the complete knowledge of ammonia inhibition effect on hydrogenotrophic
      methanogens is still absent. 

PMID- 26490749
TI  - Dynamic changes in the population structure of Escherichia coli in the Yeongsan
      River basin of South Korea.
AB  - Although Escherichia coli has been used as an indicator to examine fecal
      contamination of aquatic environment, it also has been reported to become
      naturalized to secondary habitats, including soil, water and beach sand. A total
      of 2880 E. coli isolates obtained from surface water and sediment samples from
      the Yeongsan River in 2013 were genotyped by using the horizontal fluorophore
      enhanced rep-PCR DNA fingerprinting technique. Although different E. coli
      genotypic groups were observed between surface water and sediments in the dry
      season, they were mingled and undifferentiated from each other in the rainy
      season. This indicates that there are frequent sediment resuspension events in
      the river basin. Moreover, the genotypic composition of the E. coli population in
      the Yeongsan River basin changes over months and years, implying that genotypic
      structure of E. coli populations dynamically fluctuates in the river environment.
      Consequently, our data suggests that the use of E. coli libraries for fecal
      source tracking needs to be reassessed to account for the changing structure of
      riverine E. coli populations. 

PMID- 26490750
TI  - Stereoselective total synthesis of (-)-nupharamine utilizing an alpha
      chlorosulfide and a sulfinimine for C-C bond formation.
AB  - An efficient stereoselective synthesis of the nuphar alkaloid, (-)-nupharamine,
      is reported. The key features include the Lewis acid catalyzed reaction of an
      alpha-chlorosulfide with a silyl ketene acetal for C-C bond formation, creation
      of the stereocenter at C2 by a diastereoselective reaction of allyl indium with a
      sulfinimine and reductive amination for the introduction of the C6 stereocenter
      of the piperidine ring. 

PMID- 26490752
TI  - Resolution of apnoeas in slow wave sleep.

PMID- 26490751
TI  - [(18)F]FPRGD2 PET/CT imaging of integrin alphavbeta3 levels in patients with
      locally advanced rectal carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Our primary objective was to determine if [(18)F]FPRGD2 PET/CT performed
      at baseline and/or after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) could predict tumour regression
      grade (TRG) in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Secondary objectives were
      to compare baseline [(18)F]FPRGD2 and [(18)F]FDG uptake, to evaluate the
      correlation between posttreatment [(18)F]FPRGD2 uptake and tumour microvessel
      density (MVD) and to determine if [(18)F]FPRGD2 and FDG PET/CT could predict
      disease-free survival. METHODS: Baseline [(18)F]FPRGD2 and FDG PET/CT were
      performed in 32 consecutive patients (23 men, 9 women; mean age 63 +/- 8 years)
      with LARC before starting any therapy. A posttreatment [(18)F]FPRGD2 PET/CT scan
      was performed in 24 patients after the end of CRT (median interval 7 weeks, range
      3 - 15 weeks) and before surgery (median interval 4 days, range 1 - 15 days).
      RESULTS: All LARC showed uptake of both [(18)F]FPRGD2 (SUVmax 5.4 +/- 1.5, range
      2.7 - 9) and FDG (SUVmax 16.5 +/- 8, range 7.1 - 36.5). There was a moderate
      positive correlation between [(18)F]FPRGD2 and FDG SUVmax (Pearson's r = 0.49, p
      = 0.0026). There was a moderate negative correlation between baseline
      [(18)F]FPRGD2 SUVmax and the TRG (Spearman's r = -0.37, p = 0.037), and a
      [(18)F]FPRGD2 SUVmax of >5.6 identified all patients with a complete response
      (TRG 0; AUC 0.84, 95 % CI 0.68 - 1, p = 0.029). In the 24 patients who underwent
      a posttreatment [(18)F]FPRGD2 PET/CT scan the response index, calculated as
      [(SUVmax1 - SUVmax2)/SUVmax1] * 100 %, was not associated with TRG. Post
      treatment [(18)F]FPRGD2 uptake was not correlated with tumour MVD. Neither
      [(18)F]FPRGD2 nor FDG uptake predicted disease-free survival. CONCLUSION:
      Baseline [(18)F]FPRGD2 uptake was correlated with the pathological response in
      patients with LARC treated with CRT. However, the specificity was too low to
      consider its clinical routine use.

PMID- 26490753
TI  - Role of HSP70 in motoneuron survival after excitotoxic stress in a rat spinal
      cord injury model in vitro.
AB  - The outcome for gait recovery from paralysis due to spinal lesion remains
      uncertain even when damage is limited. One critical factor is the survival of
      motoneurons, which are very vulnerable cells. To clarify the early
      pathophysiological mechanisms of spinal damage, an in vitro injury model of the
      rat spinal cord caused by moderate excitotoxicity was used. With this preparation
      we investigated whether motoneuron survival was dependent on the expression of
      the neuroprotective protein HSP70. In the present study excitotoxicity evoked by
      kainate induced delayed (24 h) loss (35%) of motoneurons, which became pyknotic
      with translocation of the cell death biomarker apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) to
      the nucleus. This process was concomitant with suppression of locomotor network
      electrical activity. Surviving cells showed strong expression of HSP70 without
      nuclear AIF. The HSP70 inhibitor VER155008 per se induced neurotoxicity similar
      to that of kainate, while the HSP90 inhibitor geldanamycin did not damage spinal
      tissue. Electrophysiological recording following kainate or VER155008 indicated
      depression of motoneuron field potentials, with decreased excitability and
      impaired synaptic transmission. When these two drugs were applied together, more
      intense neurotoxicity emerged. Our data indicate that HSP70 was one important
      contributor to motoneuron survival and suggest that enhancing HSP70 activity is a
      potential future strategy for neuroprotecting these cells.

PMID- 26490754
TI  - The impact of nutritional status on treatment outcomes of patients with limb
      threatening diabetic foot ulcers.
AB  - AIM: This study aimed to investigate the nutritional status of patients with limb
      threatening diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) and its impact on treatment outcomes.
      METHODS: A total of 478 consecutive patients (mean age, 65.4years) treated for
      limb-threatening DFUs were enrolled. Nutritional status assessment using the Mini
      Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) was
      performed by three qualified dieticians within 48hours of admission. Limb
      preservation outcomes were stratified into major lower extremity amputation (LEA)
      (above the ankle, n=33), minor LEA (distal to ankle, n=117) and no amputation
      (non-LEA, n=328). RESULTS: Most patients were identified as being at risk of
      malnutrition (70.5%) or malnourished (14.6%) (mean MNA score, 20.6+/-3.4). MNA
      scores decreased with increasing severity of LEA (mean, 21.1, 20.0, and 17.9,
      respectively; P for linear trend <0.001), associated inversely with the tendency
      to require LEA (P for linear trend was 0.001), and associated independently with
      both major and minor LEA outcomes (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=0.80, 95% confidence
      interval [CI], 0.65-0.99, P=0.042 and aOR=0.89, 95% CI, 0.80-0.99, P=0.032,
      respectively). The predictive value was sustained in patients younger than age
      65years. Though GNRI results had similar associations with outcomes, its
      predictive value was limited in minor LEA and younger population. CONCLUSIONS:
      Patients' nutritional status was shown to have significant influence on limb
      preservation outcomes for limb-threatening DFUs. Nutritional assessment of this
      patient population using the MNA is recommended.

PMID- 26490755
TI  - The relationship between depressive symptoms, diabetes symptoms, and self
      management among an urban, low-income Latino population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of depression symptoms among Latinos
      with diabetes following transition from hospital to home and the relationship of
      depressive symptoms to diabetes symptom severity and self-management activities.
      METHODS: 203 Latino patients with diagnosed diabetes completed a survey assessing
      depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), diabetes symptom severity, and diabetes self
      management activities (SDSCA). Characteristics and diabetes outcomes between
      patients with and without probable major depression were compared. Associations
      between PHQ-9 scores and diabetes outcomes were assessed. Multivariate regression
      models evaluated the relationship between depressive symptoms and diabetes
      outcomes and exercise after controlling for patient characteristics. RESULTS:
      31.5% of participants indicated probable major depression (PHQ-9>=10). More
      severe diabetes symptoms and less reported exercise were associated with higher
      PHQ-9 scores. Regression models showed no relationship between self-management
      and depression. More severe diabetes symptoms were significantly associated with
      being female, married, and having probable major depression. Odds of exercising
      were reduced by 6% for every one-unit increase in PHQ-9 score. CONCLUSIONS: The
      prevalence of probable depressive symptoms is high in this population. Having
      depressive symptoms is an indicator of poorer diabetes symptoms. Screening for
      depressive symptoms may help identify individuals who need additional support
      with diabetes symptom and self-management.

PMID- 26490757
TI  - Differentiation between Shallow and Deep Charge Trap States on Single Poly(3
      hexylthiophene) Chains through Fluorescence Photon Statistics.
AB  - Blinking of the photoluminescence (PL) emitted from individual conjugated polymer
      chains is one of the central observations made by single-molecule spectroscopy
      (SMS). Important information, for example regarding excitation energy transfer,
      can be extracted by evaluating dynamic quenching. However, the nature of trap
      states, which are responsible for PL quenching, often remains obscured. We
      present a detailed investigation of the photon statistics of single poly(3
      hexylthiophene) (P3HT) chains obtained by SMS. The photon statistics provide a
      measure of the number and brightness of independently emitting areas on a single
      chain. These observables can be followed during blinking. A decrease in PL
      intensity is shown to be correlated with either 1) a decrease in the average
      brightness of the emitting sites; or 2) a decrease in the number of emitting
      regions. We attribute these phenomena to the formation of 1) shallow charge
      traps, which can weakly affect all emitting areas of a single chain at once; and
      2) deep traps, which have a strong effect on small regions within the single
      chains. 

PMID- 26490756
TI  - Diabetes distress in adult type 1 diabetes mellitus men and women with disease
      onset in childhood and in adulthood.
AB  - THE AIM: To determine whether or not diabetes distress varies by age of type 1
      diabetes mellitus (T1DM) onset and/or gender. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of
      700 adult T1DM patients were randomly selected from the Lithuanian Diabetes
      Registry; 214 of them (30.6%) agreed to participate and were recruited for the
      study. Diabetes distress (emotional burden, physician-related distress, regimen
      related distress, interpersonal distress) was compared in 105 (42 men and 63
      women) patients with T1DM diagnosed during 0-18years of life, and in 109 (61 men
      and 48 women) with T1DM diagnosed in adulthood, using Diabetes Distress Scale
      (DDS). RESULTS: Adult childhood-onset T1DM women have higher regimen-related
      distress (36.3+/-21.3 vs 26.6+/-16.2, p=0.016) than adulthood-onset women. Adult
      childhood-onset T1DM women experience higher diabetes distress (higher emotional
      burden (27.0+/-22.0 vs 15.6+/-16.4, p=0.006), physician-related distress (34.4+/
      33.9 vs 20.7+/-29.4, p=0.024), total diabetes distress (41.2+/-13.6 vs 34.8+/
      10.9, p=0.011)) than childhood-onset men. Adulthood-onset T1DM women experience
      higher physician-related distress (39.2+/-37.6 vs 23.4+/-32.5, p=0.013), but
      lower regimen-related distress (26.6+/-16.2 vs 35.8+/-21.6, p=0.014) than
      adulthood-onset men. In conclusion our findings reinforce the interdependence of
      psychological and biomedical factors in influencing health outcomes and support
      the need to provide psychological assessment and support to patients with T1DM.

PMID- 26490758
TI  - Reducing the Risk of Pet-Related Infections to Children.

PMID- 26490759
TI  - Prebiotic network evolution: six key parameters.
AB  - The origins of life likely required the cooperation among a set of molecular
      species interacting in a network. If so, then the earliest modes of evolutionary
      change would have been governed by the manners and mechanisms by which networks
      change their compositions over time. For molecular events, especially those in a
      pre-biological setting, these mechanisms have rarely been considered. We are only
      recently learning to apply the results of mathematical analyses of network
      dynamics to prebiotic events. Here, we attempt to forge connections between such
      analyses and the current state of knowledge in prebiotic chemistry. Of the many
      possible influences that could direct primordial network, six parameters emerge
      as the most influential when one considers the molecular characteristics of the
      best candidates for the emergence of biological information: polypeptides, RNA
      like polymers, and lipids. These parameters are viable cores, connectivity
      kinetics, information control, scalability, resource availability, and
      compartmentalization. These parameters, both individually and jointly, guide the
      aggregate evolution of collectively autocatalytic sets. We are now in a position
      to translate these conclusions into a laboratory setting and test empirically the
      dynamics of prebiotic network evolution. 

PMID- 26490760
TI  - Intra-articular corticosteroid for knee osteoarthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis is a leading cause of chronic pain, disability,
      and decreased quality of life. Despite the long-standing use of intra-articular
      corticosteroids, there is an ongoing debate about their benefits and safety. This
      is an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2005. OBJECTIVES: To
      determine the benefits and harms of intra-articular corticosteroids compared with
      sham or no intervention in people with knee osteoarthritis in terms of pain,
      physical function, quality of life, and safety. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the
      Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, and EMBASE
      (from inception to 3 February 2015), checked trial registers, conference
      proceedings, reference lists, and contacted authors. SELECTION CRITERIA: We
      included randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials that compared intra
      articular corticosteroids with sham injection or no treatment in people with knee
      osteoarthritis. We applied no language restrictions. DATA COLLECTION AND
      ANALYSIS: We calculated standardised mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CI) for pain, function, quality of life, joint space narrowing, and
      risk ratios (RRs) for safety outcomes. We combined trials using an inverse
      variance random-effects meta-analysis. MAIN RESULTS: We identified 27 trials (13
      new studies) with 1767 participants in this update. We graded the quality of the
      evidence as 'low' for all outcomes because treatment effect estimates were
      inconsistent with great variation across trials, pooled estimates were imprecise
      and did not rule out relevant or irrelevant clinical effects, and because most
      trials had a high or unclear risk of bias. Intra-articular corticosteroids
      appeared to be more beneficial in pain reduction than control interventions (SMD 
      0.40, 95% CI -0.58 to -0.22), which corresponds to a difference in pain scores of
      1.0 cm on a 10-cm visual analogue scale between corticosteroids and sham
      injection and translates into a number needed to treat for an additional
      beneficial outcome (NNTB) of 8 (95% CI 6 to 13). An I(2) statistic of 68%
      indicated considerable between-trial heterogeneity. A visual inspection of the
      funnel plot suggested some asymmetry (asymmetry coefficient -1.21, 95%CI -3.58 to
      1.17). When stratifying results according to length of follow-up, benefits were
      moderate at 1 to 2 weeks after end of treatment (SMD -0.48, 95% CI -0.70 to 
      0.27), small to moderate at 4 to 6 weeks (SMD -0.41, 95% CI -0.61 to -0.21),
      small at 13 weeks (SMD -0.22, 95% CI -0.44 to 0.00), and no evidence of an effect
      at 26 weeks (SMD -0.07, 95% CI -0.25 to 0.11). An I(2) statistic of >= 63%
      indicated a moderate to large degree of between-trial heterogeneity up to 13
      weeks after end of treatment (P for heterogeneity<=0.001), and an I(2) of 0%
      indicated low heterogeneity at 26 weeks (P=0.43). There was evidence of lower
      treatment effects in trials that randomised on average at least 50 participants
      per group (P=0.05) or at least 100 participants per group (P=0.013), in trials
      that used concomittant viscosupplementation (P=0.08), and in trials that used
      concomitant joint lavage (P<=0.001).Corticosteroids appeared to be more effective
      in function improvement than control interventions (SMD -0.33, 95% CI -0.56 to 
      0.09), which corresponds to a difference in functions scores of -0.7 units on
      standardised Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC)
      disability scale ranging from 0 to 10 and translates into a NNTB of 10 (95% CI 7
      to 33). An I(2) statistic of 69% indicated a moderate to large degree of between
      trial heterogeneity. A visual inspection of the funnel plot suggested asymmetry
      (asymmetry coefficient -4.07, 95% CI -8.08 to -0.05). When stratifying results
      according to length of follow-up, benefits were small to moderate at 1 to 2 weeks
      after end of treatment (SMD -0.43, 95% CI -0.72 to -0.14), small to moderate at 4
      to 6 weeks (SMD -0.36, 95% CI -0.63 to -0.09), and no evidence of an effect at 13
      weeks (SMD -0.13, 95% CI -0.37 to 0.10) or at 26 weeks (SMD 0.06, 95% CI -0.16 to
      0.28). An I(2) statistic of >= 62% indicated a moderate to large degree of
      between-trial heterogeneity up to 13 weeks after end of treatment (P for
      heterogeneity<=0.004), and an I(2) of 0% indicated low heterogeneity at 26 weeks
      (P=0.52). We found evidence of lower treatment effects in trials that randomised
      on average at least 50 participants per group (P=0.023), in unpublished trials
      (P=0.023), in trials that used non-intervention controls (P=0.031), and in trials
      that used concomitant viscosupplementation (P=0.06).Participants on
      corticosteroids were 11% less likely to experience adverse events, but confidence
      intervals included the null effect (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.23, I(2)=0%).
      Participants on corticosteroids were 67% less likely to withdraw because of
      adverse events, but confidence intervals were wide and included the null effect
      (RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.05 to 2.07, I(2)=0%). Participants on corticosteroids were 27%
      less likely to experience any serious adverse event, but confidence intervals
      were wide and included the null effect (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.15 to 2.67, I(2)=0%).We
      found no evidence of an effect of corticosteroids on quality of life compared to
      control (SMD -0.01, 95% CI -0.30 to 0.28, I(2)=0%). There was also no evidence of
      an effect of corticosteroids on joint space narrowing compared to control
      interventions (SMD -0.02, 95% CI -0.49 to 0.46). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Whether
      there are clinically important benefits of intra-articular corticosteroids after
      one to six weeks remains unclear in view of the overall quality of the evidence,
      considerable heterogeneity between trials, and evidence of small-study effects. A
      single trial included in this review described adequate measures to minimise
      biases and did not find any benefit of intra-articular corticosteroids.In this
      update of the systematic review and meta-analysis, we found most of the
      identified trials that compared intra-articular corticosteroids with sham or non
      intervention control small and hampered by low methodological quality. An
      analysis of multiple time points suggested that effects decrease over time, and
      our analysis provided no evidence that an effect remains six months after a
      corticosteroid injection.

PMID- 26490762
TI  - Pre-gestational overweight in guinea pig sows induces fetal vascular dysfunction
      and increased rate of large and small fetuses.
AB  - In humans, obesity before and during pregnancy is associated with both fetal
      macrosomia and growth restriction, and long-term cardiovascular risk in the
      offspring. We aimed to determine whether overweighted pregnant guinea pig sows
      results in an increased fetal weight at term and the effects on the vascular
      reactivity in fetal systemic and umbilical arteries. Pregnant guinea pigs were
      classified as control (n=4) or high weight (HWS, n=5) according to their pre
      mating weight, and their fetuses extracted at 0.9 gestation (~60 days). Segments
      of fetal femoral and umbilical arteries were mounted in a wire myograph, where
      the contractile response to KCl (5-125 mM), and the relaxation to nitric oxide
      synthase-dependent agents (insulin, 10-10-10-7 and acetylcholine, 10-10-10-5) and
      nitric oxide [sodium nitroprusside (SNP), 10-10-10-5] were determined. Fetuses
      from HWS (HWSF) were grouped according to their body weight as low (85 g) fetal
      weight, based on the confidence interval (76.5-84.9 g) of the control group. No
      HWSF were observed in the normal range. Umbilical arteries from HWSF showed a
      lower response to KCl and insulin compared with controls, but a comparable
      response with SNP. Conversely, femoral arteries from HWSF showed an increased
      response to KCl and acetylcholine, along with a decreased sensitivity to SNP.
      These data show that overweight sows have altered fetal growth along gestation.
      Further, large and small fetuses from obese guinea pig sows showed altered
      vascular reactivity at umbilical and systemic vessels, which potentially
      associates with long-term cardiovascular risk.

PMID- 26490761
TI  - Valproic acid modulates radiation-enhanced matrix metalloproteinase activity and
      invasion of breast cancer cells.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity and invasion after
      ionizing radiation (IR) exposure and to determine whether MMP could be
      epigenetically modulated by histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Two human breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) were cultured
      in monolayer (2D) and in laminin-rich extracellular matrix (3D). Invasion
      capability, collagenolytic and gelatinolytic activity, MMP and TIMP protein and
      mRNA expression and clonogenic survival were analyzed after IR exposure, with and
      without a HDAC inhibition treatment [1.5 mM valproic acid (VA) or 1 MUM
      trichostatin-A (TSA)]. RESULTS: IR exposure resulted in cell line-dependent
      stimulation of invasion capacity. In contrast to MCF-7 cells, irradiated MDA-MB
      231 showed significantly enhanced mRNA expression of mmp-1, mmp-3 and mmp-13 and
      of their regulators timp-1 and timp-2 relative to unirradiated controls. This
      translated into increased collagenolytic and gelatinolytic activity and could be
      reduced after valproic acid (VA) treatment. Additionally, VA also mitigated IR
      enhanced mmp and timp mRNA expression as well as IR-increased invasion
      capability. Finally, our data confirm the radiosensitizing effect of VA.
      CONCLUSION: These results suggest that IR cell line-dependently induces
      upregulation of MMP mRNA expression, which appears to be mechanistically linked
      to a higher invasion capability that is modifiable by HDAC inhibition.

PMID- 26490763
TI  - Hygiene quality and presence of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in raw food diets
      for dogs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Raw food diets are popular among some dog owners, even though there
      are concerns regarding the infectious disease risk and public health
      implications. Hence, the two aims of this study were to investigate the hygiene
      quality of raw food diets for dogs in the Swedish market and if Escherichia coli
      with transferable resistance to extended spectrum cephalosporins (ESC) was
      present in such products. METHODS: Samples of raw food diets were suspended and
      further diluted in 0.9% saline. Appropriate dilutions were 1) cultured on
      PetrifilmTMSEC to quantify the amount of E. coli in the samples and 2) mixed with
      cefotaxime to a final concentration of 1 mg/L and cultured on PetrifilmTMSEC to
      quantify the amount of ESC-resistant E. coli in the samples. Furthermore,
      undiluted suspensions were mixed 1:1 with double strength MacConkey broth with
      cefotaxime, enriched overnight and finally cultured on MacConkey agar with
      cefotaxime (1 mg/L). Suspected ESC-resistant E. coli were screened by PCR for
      genes encoding extended spectrum beta lactamases and plasmid-mediated AmpC and
      their susceptibility to a panel of antimicrobials was performed by broth
      microdilution using VetMIC GN-mo. RESULTS: Escherichia coli was isolated from all
      samples (n=39) and ESC-resistant E. coli was isolated from nine samples (23%).
      All ESC-resistant E. coli were PCR-positive for the bla CMY-2 group and only one
      of them was also resistant to a non-beta-lactam antibiotic. CONCLUSION: The
      results of this study indicate that raw food diets could be a source of ESC
      resistant E. coli to dogs and highlight the need for maintaining good hygiene
      when handling these products to prevent infection.

PMID- 26490764
TI  - [Diabetes among new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in Hanoi, Vietnam].
AB  - The aim of this study was to analyze all new pulmonary tuberculosis cases and to
      assess the frequency and consequences of associated diabetes mellitus. Although
      apparently distinct, these two diseases could be linked, as suspected since
      decades. The context is the persistent endemicity of tuberculosis and the recent
      emergence of diabetes, two major health events for developing countries. The
      study was conducted at National TB hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam, and
      retrospectively included tuberculosis patients, cases with diabetes and controls
      without diabetes, collected during a three-year period 2006-2008. Cases
      associated with HIV infection or other comorbidities potentially affecting
      mortality were excluded. Among 2867 new pulmonary TB cases, 254 (8.8%) had
      associated diabetes. Eighty-six cases and 86 matched controls were included.
      Among cases mean blood glucose at admission was 14.4 mmol/dl, and patients were
      mostly urban (50% cases vs 32.5% controls, p=0.03). Clinical symptoms were
      similar in both groups. However, chest X-Ray cavitary images were significantly
      more frequent among cases (38.3% vs 16.3%, p=0.002, OR=4.1), as did infiltrative
      images (78% vs 62%, p=0.017, OR=2.55) and positive sputum smears (67.4% vs 47.8%,
      p=0.014, OR=2.21). In Vietnam, DM is found in quasi 9% of patients with a new
      diagnosis of primary pulmonary TB. The diabetes-TB patients may have more severe
      radiologic findings and a higher smear positivity rate. We suggest that in
      addition to the systematic HIV screening, all new TB patients should also be
      screened for diabetes.

PMID- 26490765
TI  - Anti-diabetic potential of Catharanthus roseus Linn. and its effect on the
      glucose transport gene (GLUT-2 and GLUT-4) in streptozotocin induced diabetic
      wistar rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Catharanthus roseus is an important Ayurvedic medication in
      traditional medicine. It is potentially used in countries like India, South
      Africa, China and Malaysia for the healing of diabetes mellitus. Although, the
      molecular mechanisms behind this effect are yet to be exclusively explored. Due
      to the great antidiabetic and hyperlipidemic potential of c. roseus, we
      hypothesized that the insulin mimetic effect of ethanolic extract of c. roseus
      might add to glucose uptake through improvement in the expression of genes of the
      glucose transporter (GLUT) family messenger RNA (mRNA) in liver. METHODS: STZ
      induced diabetic rats treated by ethanolic extract of c. roseus 100 mg/kg and 200
      mg/kg; and one group treated with Metformin (100 mg/kg). After final
      administration of treatment of 4 weeks, blood samples were collected under
      fasting conditions, and the body weights (BWs) were measured. Total RNA from
      liver was extracted with the Qiagen RNEasy Micro kit (GERMANY) as described in
      the manufacturer's instructions. First-strand complementary DNA (cDNA) was
      synthesized at 40  degrees C by priming with oligo-dT12-18 (Invitrogen, USA) and
      using Super ScriptII reverse transcriptase according to the protocol provided by
      the manufacturer (Invitrogen, USA). Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
      amplifications for GLUT-4 (gene ID: 25139) were conducted using Light-Cycler 480
      (Roche, USA) with the SyBr(r) I nucleic acid stain (Invitrogen, USA) according to
      the manufacturer's instructions. Polymerase chain reaction products of beta-actin
      primer gene were used as an internal standard. RESULTS: The proposed study was
      framed to look at the antidiabetic efficacy of ethanolic extract of c. roseus and
      an expression of GLUT-2 and GLUT-4 gene in streptozotocin induced diabetic wistar
      rats. The doses were administered orally at a rate of 100 and 200 mg/kg and
      detrain the glucose transport system in liver for 4 weeks. The observed results
      showed a good positive correlation between intracellular calcium and insulin
      release levels in isolated islets of Langerhans. The supplementation of ethanolic
      extract of c. roseus significantly amplified the expression of GLUT gene mRNA by
      Real Time PCR in liver of diabetic rats. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the
      observed antidiabetic effect of c. roseus on STZ induced diabetes was a result of
      complex mechanisms of GLUT gene mRNA expression. The findings are very
      encouraging and greatly advocate its candidature for the design of a novel herbal
      drug to cure deadly diabetes.

PMID- 26490766
TI  - Risk prediction model for epithelial ovarian cancer using molecular markers and
      clinical characteristics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A high-quality risk prediction model is urgently needed for the
      clinical management of ovarian cancer. However most existing models are solely
      based on clinical parameters, and molecular classifications in recent reports are
      still being debated. This study aimed to establish a risk prediction model by
      using both clinicopathological and molecular factors (the synthetic model) for
      epithelial ovarian cancer. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in
      epithelial ovarian cancer patients (n = 161) treated with primary debulking
      surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. The expression level of 15 selected molecular
      markers were measured using immunohistochemistry. A risk model was developed
      using COX regression analysis with overall survival as the primary outcome. A
      simplified scoring system for each prognostic factor was based on its
      coefficient. Independent validation (n = 40) was conducted to evaluate the
      performance of the model. RESULTS: A total of 10 out of 15 molecular markers were
      significantly associated with clinical characteristics and overall survival. The
      synthetic model performed better than the clinicopathological risk model or the
      molecular risk model alone, as assessed by analysis of the receiver-operating
      characteristics curve area and the Youden index. The synthetic model included
      parity (>3), peritoneal metastasis, stage, tumor type, residual disease, and
      expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), epidermal growth
      factor receptor (EGFR), breast cancer 1 (BRCA1), murine sarcoma viral oncogene
      homolog B (BRAF) and Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our synthetic risk model may more accurately predict survival of
      epithelial ovarian cancer patients than current models.

PMID- 26490767
TI  - Thoracoscopic versus open repair of CDH in cardiovascular stable neonates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thoracoscopic surgery is an increasingly popular surgical technique
      to repair congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). However, acidosis during surgery
      and the higher recurrence rate are considerable risk factors. The aim of this
      retrospective study is to compare the outcome of open versus thoracoscopic repair
      of the diaphragm in neonates with CDH with the same degree of cardiovascular and
      pulmonary illness who meet the criteria for thoracoscopic repair. METHODS:
      Retrospective analysis of all patients of two large national reference centers
      for CDH born in the years 2008 through 2012, and meeting the criteria for
      surgical repair on cardiopulmonary and physiological criteria according to the
      CDH EURO consortium consensus and meeting the criteria for thoracoscopic repair
      according to the review by Vijfhuize et al. The surgical technical aspects were
      comparable in both centers. RESULTS: 108 patients were included, of whom 75
      underwent thoracoscopic repair and 34 underwent open repair. The gestational age
      and lung-to-head ratio were significantly lower and stay on the ICU significantly
      longer in the open-repair group. The operation time was longer (178 vs. 150 min,
      p = .012) and the recurrence rate higher (18.9 vs. 5.9 %, p = .036) in the
      thoracoscopic-repair group. The arterial pH, pO2, pCO2 and base excess before and
      after thoracoscopic repair were all significantly different. CONCLUSION: After
      critical selection for thoracoscopic repair of left-sided CDH based on the
      patient's preoperative condition, the outcomes of open repair were almost
      identical to those of thoracoscopic repair. A notable exception is the recurrence
      rate, which was significantly higher in the thoracoscopic-repair group. For the
      time being, thoracoscopic primary closure seems a safe and effective procedure,
      but efficacy of thoracoscopic patch repair has not been established.

PMID- 26490768
TI  - Endoscopic band ligation versus endoscopic submucosal dissection and laparoscopic
      resection for small gastric stromal tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common
      mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. Previous studies have addressed
      the safety and feasibility of endoscopic band ligation (EBL) for the treatment of
      small gastric GISTs. However, published reports comparing EBL with other
      interventions are limited. This current study evaluates the efficacy of EBL and
      compares EBL to both endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and laparoscopic
      resection (LAP) for small gastric GISTs less than 15 mm. METHODS: A total of 339
      patients who underwent endoscopic therapy or laparoscopic resection for gastric
      GISTs between 1998 and 2012 were retrospectively identified and collected from
      medical records in our hospital. The parameters measured for each procedure type
      includes clinicopathological characteristics, length of stay, hospitalization
      expense and surgical outcomes. RESULTS: Among the 147 patients included in our
      study, 72 (48.98 %) received EBL, 27 (18.37 %) received ESD, and 48 (32.65 %)
      received LAP. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients such
      as gender, age, tumor site and size were well balanced between the study groups.
      There was also no significant difference in follow-up time between the study
      groups. The mean operating time was significantly shorter in the patients
      receiving EBL than patients receiving ESD and LAP (p < 0.001). The estimated
      blood loss was significantly different between the three groups (p < 0.001).
      Complications occurred in 1.39 % of the patients receiving EBL, 18.52 % of the
      patients receiving ESD and 4.17 % of the patients receiving LAP (p = 0.004), and
      recurrence rate in 15.00, 9.10 and 11.76 %, respectively (p = 0.705). There was
      also significant difference about mean hospital stay and hospital cost between
      three groups (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our results show a significant advantage in
      the short-term outcome for EBL compared to ESD and LAP. However, long-term
      randomized controlled trials are needed to compare the three methods for the
      treatment of small GISTs.

PMID- 26490769
TI  - Neonatal brain oxygenation during thoracoscopic correction of esophageal atresia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2)
      insufflation on cerebral oxygenation during thoracoscopy in neonates. Near
      infrared spectroscopy can measure perioperative brain oxygenation [regional
      cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO2)]. AIMS: To evaluate the effects of CO2
      insufflation on rScO2 during thoracoscopic esophageal atresia (EA) repair.
      METHODS: This is an observational study during thoracoscopic EA repair with 5
      mmHg CO2 insufflation pressure. Mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), arterial
      oxygen saturation (SaO2), partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (paCO2),
      pH, and rScO2 were monitored in 15 neonates at seven time points: baseline (T0),
      after anesthesia induction (T1), after CO2-insufflation (T2), before CO2
      exsufflation (T3), and postoperatively at 6 (T4), 12 (T5), and 24 h (T6).
      RESULTS: MABP remained stable. SaO2 decreased from T0 to T2 [97 +/- 3-90 +/- 6 %
      (p < 0.01)]. PaCO2 increased from T0 to T2 [41 +/- 6-54 +/- 15 mmHg (p < 0.01)].
      pH decreased from T0 to T2 [7.33 +/- 0.04-7.25 +/- 0.11 (p < 0.05)]. All
      parameters recovered during the surgical course. Mean rScO2 was significantly
      higher at T1 compared to T2 [77 +/- 10-73 +/- 7 % (p < 0.05)]. Mean rScO2 levels
      never dropped below a safety threshold of 55 %. CONCLUSION: The impact of
      neonatal thoracoscopic repair of EA with insufflation of CO2 at 5 mmHg was
      studied. Intrathoracic CO2 insufflation caused a reversible decrease in SaO2 and
      pH and an increase in paCO2. The rScO2 was higher at anesthesia induction but
      remained stable and within normal limits during and after the CO2 pneumothorax,
      which suggest no hampering of cerebral oxygenation by the thoracoscopic
      intervention. Future studies will focus on the long-term effects of this surgery
      on the developing brain.

PMID- 26490770
TI  - The current status of emergent laparoscopic colectomy: a population-based study
      of clinical and financial outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Population-based studies evaluating laparoscopic colectomy and
      outcomes compared with open surgery have concentrated on elective resections. As
      such, data assessing non-elective laparoscopic colectomies are limited. Our goal
      was to evaluate the current usage and outcomes of laparoscopic in the urgent and
      emergent setting in the USA. METHODS: A national inpatient database was reviewed
      from 2008 to 2011 for right, left, and sigmoid colectomies in the non-elective
      setting. Cases were stratified by approach into open or laparoscopic groups.
      Demographics, perioperative clinical variables, and financial outcomes were
      compared across each group. RESULTS: A total of 22,719 non-elective colectomies
      were analyzed. The vast majority (95.8 %) was open. Most cases were performed in
      an urban setting at non-teaching hospitals by general surgeons. Colorectal
      surgeons were significantly more likely to perform a case laparoscopic than
      general surgeons (p < 0.001). Demographics were similar between open and
      laparoscopic groups; however, the disease distribution by approach varied, with
      significantly more severe cases in the open colectomy arm (p < 0.001). Cases
      performed laparoscopically had significantly better mortality and complication
      rates. Laparoscopic cases also had significantly improved outcomes, including
      shorter length of stay and hospital costs (all p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our
      analysis revealed less than 5 % of urgent and emergent colectomies in the USA are
      performed laparoscopically. Colorectal surgeons were more likely to approach a
      case laparoscopically than general surgeons. Outcomes following laparoscopic
      colectomy in this setting resulted in reduced length of stay, lower complication
      rates, and lower costs. Increased adoption of laparoscopy in the non-elective
      setting should be considered.

PMID- 26490771
TI  - TEP versus Lichtenstein: Which technique is better for the repair of primary
      unilateral inguinal hernias in men?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In the update of the guidelines of the European Hernia Society,
      open Lichtenstein and endoscopic techniques continue to be recommended as the
      surgical technique of choice for repair of unilateral primary inguinal hernias in
      men despite the fact that a meta-analysis had identified a higher recurrence rate
      for TEP compared with Lichtenstein operation. The Guidelines Group had taken that
      decision because one surgeon in one of the randomized controlled trials included
      in the meta-analysis had had a very high recurrence rate. Therefore, this study
      based on registry data now compares the outcome of TEP versus Lichtenstein
      repair. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The analysis of the Herniamed Registry compares the
      prospective data collected for male patients undergoing primary unilateral
      inguinal hernia repair using either TEP or open Lichtenstein repair. Inclusion
      criteria were minimum age of 16 years, male patient, primary unilateral inguinal
      hernia, elective operation, and availability of data on 1-year follow-up. In
      total, 17,388 patients were enrolled between September 1, 2009, and August 31,
      2013. Of these patients, 10,555 (60.70 %) had a Lichtenstein repair and 6833
      (39.30 %) a TEP repair. RESULTS: On multivariable analysis, the surgical
      technique was not found to have had any significant effect on the recurrence rate
      (p = 0.146) or on the chronic pain rate (p = 0.560). Nor did the complication
      related reoperation rates differ significantly between the two techniques (p =
      0.084). But TEP was found to have benefits as regards the postoperative
      complication rate (p < 0.001), pain at rest rate (p = 0.011), and pain on
      exertion rate (p < 0.001). In the present registry study, no significant
      difference was identified in the recurrence rates between the TEP and
      Lichtenstein technique. TEP was found to have benefits compared with Lichtenstein
      repair as regards the postoperative complication rates, pain at rest, and pain on
      exertion.

PMID- 26490772
TI  - Liver retraction system by C3-muco-adhesive polymer films for laparoscopic
      surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Conventional laparoscopic instruments used for retraction may cause
      trauma at the retraction site. Alternative retraction/lifting especially of heavy
      solid organs such as the liver may be obtained by other means. The present study
      was designed to explore the use of C3-muco-adhesive polymers (C3-MAPs), which
      exhibit strong binding to the liver shortly after application to the organ and
      which retain strong adhesion for sufficient time, to enable sustained retraction
      during laparoscopic operations. METHODS AND MATERIALS: C3-muco-adhesive polymers
      were produced specifically for the study. In an ex vivo experimental set-up,
      discs of C3-MAPs were placed on the surface of porcine livers for adhesion and
      retraction studies involving objective measurements by tensiometry. RESULTS:
      Experiments were carried out on 14 porcine livers. The force required to detach
      the C3-MAPs from the liver exceeded 2.0 N 30 s after application. The adhesion
      force by C3-MAPs files was sufficient to enable sustained retraction force
      necessary for exposure of the gall bladder, which was achieved by a mean
      retraction force of 4.85 N (SD = 0.63). This was sustained for a mean of 130 min
      (range 17.0-240.0). In the adhesion studies, the forces at 30 s required to
      detach the polymer discs from the liver exceeded 20 N (upper limit of the load
      cells of the Instron). The duration of the adhesion enabled sustained optimal
      gall bladder exposure for periods ranging from 17 to 240 min, with a mean of 130
      +/- 91 min. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study demonstrate that the
      adhesion and retraction properties of the engineered C3-MAP films are sufficient
      to enable complete exposure of the gall bladder for a period exceeding 1 h,
      confirming their potential for atraumatic retraction in laparoscopic and other
      minimal-access surgical approaches.

PMID- 26490773
TI  - "Relaparoscopic" management of surgical complications: The experience of an
      Emergency Center.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Laparotomy has been the approach of choice for re-operations in
      patients with surgical complications. The aim of this retrospective analysis was
      to evaluate the feasibility and the safety of laparoscopic approach for the
      management of general abdominal surgery complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      report a retrospective review of 75 patients who underwent laparoscopic
      evaluation for postoperative complications over a 4-year period. Primary outcomes
      (resolution rate by exclusive laparoscopic approach, conversion rate, further
      surgery rate) and secondary outcomes (mortality, hospitalization, prolonged
      ileus, wounds problems and median operative time) were evaluated. RESULTS: Sixty
      six patients (88 %) were managed with laparoscopic approach without conversion;
      of these, sixty-three patients (84 %) had no more or further complications and
      were discharged from hospital between 4 +/- 3 days after "second-look" surgery;
      three patients (4 %) developed postoperative complications requiring a third
      surgery. Nine cases (12 %) underwent conversion in open surgery after
      laparoscopic approach. Two elderly patients (2.7 %) died in intensive care unit,
      because of multi-organ failure syndrome. Median time elapsed between an
      intervention and another was about 2.5 +/- 9.5 days. Mean operative time was 90
      +/- 150 min. Postoperative hospital stay was between 4.5 and 18 days. DISCUSSION
      AND CONCLUSION: Laparoscopy has begun to be the preferred method to manage
      postoperative problems, but only few reports are available actually. Our
      experience in "relaparoscopic" management of surgical complications seems to
      suggest that laparoscopy "second look" is an effective tool after open or
      laparoscopic surgery for the management of postoperative complications and it may
      avoid diagnostic delay and further laparotomy and related problems.

PMID- 26490774
TI  - [Semen allergy].
AB  - A semen allergy is a type I reaction. Reliable figures about incidence/prevalence
      are not available. Symptoms can be characterized as local and systemic. After
      exposure to ejaculate, the patient may experience itching and swelling at points
      of contact, while systemically it may also lead to generalized urticaria with
      angioedema or higher grade anaphylaxis. As triggering allergens, substances in
      seminal plasma (SP) have been identified, which can be SP typical or SP atypical.
      Reactions against spermatozoa have not yet been clearly proven. With regard to SP
      typical allergens, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has been identified, while for
      SP-atypical allergens, medications or food allergens have been reported, which
      apparently accumulate in the SP and can then trigger symptoms in women with
      existing sensitization. The main criteria for the diagnosis of sperm allergy is
      freedom from symptoms when condoms are used during intercourse. In addition, skin
      prick tests and determination of allergen-specific IgE are used. In patients with
      a desire for children, washed, SP-free spermatozoa can be used for insemination.
      In addition, desensitization may be considered.

PMID- 26490775
TI  - [Effectiveness of screening programs for skin cancer].

PMID- 26490776
TI  - Efficacy of Selective Brain Cooling Using a Nasopharyngeal Method in Piglets.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mild hypothermia is an effective neuroprotective strategy for a
      variety of acute brain injuries. Cooling the nasopharynx may offer the capability
      to cool the brain selectively due to anatomic proximity of the internal carotid
      artery to the cavernous sinus. This study investigated the feasibility and
      efficiency of nasopharyngeal brain cooling by continuously blowing room
      temperature or cold air at different flow rates into the nostrils of normal
      newborn piglets. METHODS: Experiments were conducted on thirty piglets (n = 30,
      weight = 2.7 +/- 1.5 kg). Piglets were anesthetized with 1-2% isoflurane and were
      randomized to receive one of four different nasopharyngeal cooling treatments: I.
      Room temperature at a flow rate of 3-4 L min(-1) (n = 6); II. -1 +/- 2  degrees C
      at a flow rate of 3-4 L min(-1) (n = 6); III. Room temperature at a flow rate of
      14-15 L min(-1) (n = 6); IV. -8 +/- 2  degrees C at a flow rate of 14-15 L min(
      1) (n = 6). To control for the normal thermal regulatory response of piglets
      without nasopharyngeal cooling, a control group of piglets (n = 6) had their
      brain temperature monitored without nasopharyngeal cooling. The duration of
      treatment was 60 min, with additional 30 min of observation. RESULTS: In group I,
      median cooling rate was 1.7 +/- 0.9  degrees C/h by setting the flow rate of room
      temperature air to 3-4 L min(-1). Results of comparing different temperatures and
      flow rates in the nasopharyngeal cooling approach reveal that the brain
      temperature could be reduced rapidly at a rate of 5.5 +/- 1.1  degrees C/h by
      blowing -8 +/- 2  degrees C air at a flow rate of 14-15 L min(-1). CONCLUSIONS:
      Nasopharyngeal cooling via cooled insufflated air can lower the brain
      temperature, with higher flows and lower temperatures of insufflated air being
      more effective.

PMID- 26490777
TI  - Prolonging Support After Brain Death: When Families Ask for More.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The manner in which brain death protocols in the United States
      address family objection to death by neurologic criteria has not been explored.
      METHODS: Institutional brain death protocols from hospitals in the United States
      were reviewed to identify if and how the institution addressed situations in
      which families object to determination of brain death or discontinuation of organ
      support after brain death. RESULTS: Protocols from 331 institutions in 25
      different states and the District of Columbia were reviewed. There was no mention
      of how to handle a family's objections in 77.9 % (258) of the protocols. Of those
      that allowed for accommodation, reasons to defer brain death declaration or
      prolong organ support after brain death declaration included: (1) religion; (2)
      moral objection; (3) nonspecific social reasons; or (4) awaiting arrival of
      family. Recommendations to handle these situations included: (1) seek counsel;
      (2) maintain organ support until cardiac cessation; (3) extubate against the
      family's wishes; (4) obtain a second opinion; or (5) transfer care of the patient
      to another practitioner or facility. Protocols differed on indications and length
      of time to continue organ support, code status while support was continued, and
      time of death. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of protocols reviewed did not mention
      how to handle circumstances in which families object to determination of brain
      death or discontinuation of organ support after brain death. The creation of
      guidelines on management of these complex situations may be helpful to prevent
      distress to families and hospital staff.

PMID- 26490778
TI  - Non-invasive Monitoring of Dynamic Cerebrovascular Autoregulation Using Near
      Infrared Spectroscopy and the Finometer Photoplethysmograph.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) enables continuous monitoring of
      dynamic cerebrovascular autoregulation, but this methodology relies on invasive
      blood pressure monitoring (iABP). We evaluated the agreement between a NIRS based
      autoregulation index calculated from invasive blood pressure monitoring, and an
      entirely non-invasively derived autoregulation index from continuous non-invasive
      blood pressure monitoring (nABP) using the Finometer photoplethysmograph.
      METHODS: Autoregulation was calculated as the moving correlation coefficient
      between iABP and rSO2 (iTOx) or nABP and rSO2 (nTOx). The blood pressure range
      where autoregulation is optimal was also determined for invasive (iABPOPT) and
      non-invasive blood pressure measurements (nABPOPT). RESULTS: 102 simultaneous
      bilateral measurements of iTOx and nTOx were performed in 19 patients (median 2
      per patient, range 1-9) with different acute pathologies (sepsis, cardiac arrest,
      head injury, stroke). Average iTOx was 0.01 +/- 0.13 and nTOx was 0.01 +/- 0.11.
      The correlation between iTOx and nTOx was r = 0.87, p < 0.001, 95 % agreement +/-
      0.12, bias = 0.005. The interhemispheric asymmetry of autoregulation was
      similarly assessed with iTOx and nTOx (r = 0.81, p < 0.001). Correlation between
      iABPOPT and nABPOPT was r = 0.47, p = 0.003, 95 % agreement +/- 32.1 mmHg, bias =
      5.8 mmHg. Coherence in the low frequency spectrum between iABP and nABP was 0.86
      +/- 0.08 and gain was 1.32 +/- 0.77. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that
      dynamic cerebrovascular autoregulation can be continuously assessed entirely non
      invasively using nTOx. This allows for autoregulation assessment using
      spontaneous blood pressure fluctuations in conditions where iABP is not routinely
      monitored. The nABPOPT might deviate from iABPOPT, likely because of discordance
      between absolute nABP and iABP readings.

PMID- 26490780
TI  - Education and Imaging. Gastrointestinal: Emphysematous gastritis.

PMID- 26490779
TI  - Prompt Recognition and Management of Postoperative Intracranial Hypotension
      Associated Venous Congestion: A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative intracranial hypotension-associated venous congestion
      (PIHV) is an uncommon cause of clinical deterioration after a neurosurgical
      procedure that is often unrecognized until late in its course. Functional
      outcomes range from remarkable neurological recovery to death. Little is
      understood about the reason for deterioration in certain patients compared with
      improvement in others. A 68-year-old man with a progressive cervical myelopathy
      underwent an uncomplicated cervical decompression and alignment restoration at
      our hospital and suffered violent generalized tonic-clonic seizures
      intraoperatively and postoperatively. A postoperative head CT showed a right
      parietal hematoma, but no other cranial findings. A subsequent MRI demonstrated
      what we describe as early PIHV with symmetric T2 signal changes in the bilateral
      deep gray structures. No diffusion restriction corresponded to these areas. A CT
      myelogram revealed a considerable CSF collection within the operative bed. Upon
      returning to the operating room to localize the source of the leak, a large dural
      tear was identified off of midline with a bone chip alongside the defect. The
      defect was repaired, and the patient remained comatose for over a week
      postoperatively. He made a remarkable gradual recovery, and after a month in the
      hospital and rehabilitation, he returned home with relatively minimal
      neurological deficits. CONCLUSIONS: We postulate that if caught early and treated
      aggressively, neurologic injury resulting from PIHV may be reversible despite
      initially ominous imaging. Neurosurgeons and neurointensivists should therefore
      be compelled to search for dural defects and return to the operating room for
      immediate repair.

PMID- 26490781
TI  - Review blocked by English health secretary backs sugar tax to tackle obesity.

PMID- 26490782
TI  - Cell Signaling Pathways Involved During Invasion and Syncytialization of
      Trophoblast Cells.
AB  - Implantation involves an extensive cross talk between the trophoblast cells and
      the receptive endometrium through embryonic as well as endometrial-derived
      factors that regulate the invasion and migration of trophoblast cells and also
      syncytia formation. Any aberration in this highly regulated process may lead to
      pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, or
      even pregnancy failure. How various cytokines and growth factors act by
      activating various cell signaling pathways leading to the expression of the
      effector molecules have been reviewed, which control invasion and migration of
      trophoblast cells and syncytialization. The gaps in our current understanding of
      the various signaling pathways, activated by different cytokines/growth factors,
      their possible cross talk for optimized effector function(s), and future
      prospects in this field have been discussed. 

PMID- 26490783
TI  - Jumping to negative conclusions--a case of study-gathering bias?

PMID- 26490784
TI  - Congenital lobar emphysema presenting as an airway foreign body.
AB  - We report here the case of a 15 months old girl presenting with clinical signs
      and radiological exams highly suggestive of a foreign body (FB) aspiration.
      Diagnostic endoscopy revealed an overlooked bronchial malformation responsible
      for a congenital lobar emphysema (CLE). CLE presenting after one year of age is
      rare and can easily be misdiagnosed. Therefore, the possibility of an overlooked
      CLE needs to be known and evoked as an alternative diagnosis when dealing with
      children presenting with suspected FB aspirations. We report on this unexpected,
      yet misleading presentation of CLE and review the available literature on the
      subject. 

PMID- 26490785
TI  - Familial and microbiological contribution to the otitis-prone condition.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our group has an ongoing clinical research project investigating the
      immunology of the otitis-prone (OP) phenotype. In light of evidence that this
      condition arises from underlying immunological defects, we examined our sample
      population of stringently defined OP (sOP) children suffering 3 episodes of acute
      otitis media within 6 months or 4 within a year for a familial association with
      the sOP phenotype. METHODS: We analyzed the frequency of sOP within and between
      families and the nasopharyngeal (NP) otopathogen colonization patterns within and
      between families. RESULTS: The presence of sOP siblings significantly predicted
      that additional children in the same family would likewise become sOP, with an
      odds ratio of 3.7 (95% CI 0.77-15.2, 95% lower bound 0.95). We further present
      evidence for an environmental contribution to this effect by means of prolonged
      exposure to otopathogens within family units. CONCLUSION: sOP children have a
      significant familial association. The tendency of siblings to share similar
      patterns of microbial NP colonization contributes to this association. Further
      research is necessary to determine whether and to what extent genetics are
      involved.

PMID- 26490786
TI  - Incidence of serum sickness after the administration of Australian snake
      antivenom (ASP-22).
AB  - CONTEXT: Serum sickness is a delayed immune reaction resulting from the injection
      of foreign protein or serum. Antivenom is known to cause serum sickness but the
      incidence and characteristics are poorly defined. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the
      incidence and clinical features of serum sickness following the administration of
      Australian snake antivenoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective cohort
      study of patients recruited to the Australian Snakebite Project who received
      snake antivenom from November 2012 to March 2014. Demographics, clinical
      information, laboratory tests and antivenom treatment were recorded
      prospectively. Patients administered antivenom were followed up at 7-10 days and
      6 weeks' post-antivenom. The primary outcome was the proportion with serum
      sickness, pre-defined as three or more of: fever, erythematous rash/urticaria,
      myalgia/arthralgia, headache, malaise, nausea/vomiting 5-20 days post-antivenom.
      RESULTS: During the 16-month period, 138 patients received antivenom. 23 were not
      followed up (unable to contact, tourist, child, bee sting) and 6 died in
      hospital. Of 109 patients followed up, the commonest reason for antivenom was
      venom induced consumption coagulopathy in 77 patients. An acute systemic
      hypersensitivity reaction occurred post-antivenom in 25 (23%) and 8 (7%) were
      severe with hypotension. Serum sickness occurred in 32/109 (29%) patients,
      including 15/37 (41%) given tiger snake, 6/15 (40%) given polyvalent and 4/23
      (17%) given brown snake antivenom. There was no association between the volume of
      antivenom and serum sickness, p = 0.18. The commonest effects were lethargy,
      headache, muscle/joint aches and fever. DISCUSSION: The incidence of serum
      sickness after snake antivenom in Australia was higher than earlier
      investigations which failed to define symptoms or follow-up patients, but similar
      to more recent studies of antivenoms in the United States. CONCLUSION: Serum
      sickness is common with Australian snake antivenom but does not appear to be
      predictable based on the volume of antivenom administered.

PMID- 26490787
TI  - Dynamic resource allocation between pre- and postcopulatory episodes of sexual
      selection determines competitive fertilization success.
AB  - In polyandrous mating systems, male reproductive success depends on both mate
      acquisition traits (precopulatory) and sperm competitive abilities
      (postcopulatory). Empirical data on the interaction between these traits are
      inconsistent; revealing positive, negative or no relationships. It is generally
      expected that the investment in pre- and postcopulatory traits is mediated by
      environmental conditions. To test how dietary resource availability affects
      sexual ornamentation, sperm quality and their interrelationship in three-spined
      sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), full-sibling groups were raised under
      three conditions differing in food quantity and/or quality (i.e. carotenoid
      content): (i) high-quantity/high-quality, (ii) high-quantity/low-quality or (iii)
      low-quantity/low-quality. After 1 year of feeding, food-restricted males
      developed a more intense breeding coloration and faster sperm compared with their
      well-fed brothers, indicating that they allocated relatively more in pre- and
      postcopulatory traits. Moreover, they outcompeted their well-fed, carotenoid
      supplemented brothers in sperm competition trials with equal numbers of competing
      sperm, suggesting that food-restricted males maximize their present reproductive
      success. This may result in reduced future reproductive opportunities as food
      restricted males suffered from a higher mortality, had an overall reduced body
      size, and sperm number available for fertilization. In accordance with theory, a
      trade-off between the investment in pre- and postcopulatory traits was observed
      in food-restricted males, whereas well-fed males were able to allocate to both
      traits resulting in a significantly positive relationship. 

PMID- 26490788
TI  - Losses and recovery of organic carbon from a seagrass ecosystem following
      disturbance.
AB  - Seagrasses are among the Earth's most efficient and long-term carbon sinks, but
      coastal development threatens this capacity. We report new evidence that
      disturbance to seagrass ecosystems causes release of ancient carbon. In a
      seagrass ecosystem that had been disturbed 50 years ago, we found that soil
      carbon stocks declined by 72%, which, according to radiocarbon dating, had taken
      hundreds to thousands of years to accumulate. Disturbed soils harboured different
      benthic bacterial communities (according to 16S rRNA sequence analysis), with
      higher proportions of aerobic heterotrophs compared with undisturbed.
      Fingerprinting of the carbon (via stable isotopes) suggested that the
      contribution of autochthonous carbon (carbon produced through plant primary
      production) to the soil carbon pool was less in disturbed areas compared with
      seagrass and recovered areas. Seagrass areas that had recovered from disturbance
      had slightly lower (35%) carbon levels than undisturbed, but more than twice as
      much as the disturbed areas, which is encouraging for restoration efforts. Slow
      rates of seagrass recovery imply the need to transplant seagrass, rather than
      waiting for recovery via natural processes. This study empirically demonstrates
      that disturbance to seagrass ecosystems can cause release of ancient carbon, with
      potentially major global warming consequences. 

PMID- 26490789
TI  - Conflict between biotic and climatic selective pressures acting on an extended
      phenotype in a subarctic, but not temperate, environment.
AB  - Climatic selective pressures are thought to dominate biotic selective pressures
      at higher latitudes. However, few studies have experimentally tested how these
      selective pressures differentially act on traits across latitudes because traits
      can rarely be manipulated independently of the organism in nature. We overcame
      this challenge by using an extended phenotype-active bird nests-and conducted
      reciprocal transplant experiments between a subarctic and temperate site,
      separated by 14 degrees  of latitude. At the subarctic site, biotic selective
      pressures (nest predation) favoured smaller, non-local temperate nests, whereas
      climatic selective pressures (temperature) favoured larger local nests,
      particularly at colder temperatures. By contrast, at the temperate site, climatic
      and biotic selective pressures acted similarly on temperate and subarctic nests.
      Our results illustrate a functional trade-off in the subarctic between nest
      morphologies favoured by biotic versus climatic selective pressures, with climate
      favouring local nest morphologies. At our temperate site, however, allocative
      trade-offs in the time and effort devoted to nest construction favour smaller,
      local nests. Our findings illustrate a conflict between biotic and climatic
      selective pressures at the northern extremes of a species geographical range, and
      suggest that trade-offs between trait function and trait elaboration act
      differentially across latitude to create broad geographic variation in traits. 

PMID- 26490790
TI  - Short-term benefits, but transgenerational costs of maternal loss in an insect
      with facultative maternal care.
AB  - A lack of parental care is generally assumed to entail substantial fitness costs
      for offspring that ultimately select for the maintenance of family life across
      generations. However, it is unknown whether these costs arise when parental care
      is facultative, thus questioning their fundamental importance in the early
      evolution of family life. Here, we investigated the short-term, long-term and
      transgenerational effects of maternal loss in the European earwig Forficula
      auricularia, an insect with facultative post-hatching maternal care. We showed
      that maternal loss did not influence the developmental time and survival rate of
      juveniles, but surprisingly yielded adults of larger body and forceps size, two
      traits associated with fitness benefits. In a cross-breeding/cross-fostering
      experiment, we then demonstrated that maternal loss impaired the expression of
      maternal care in adult offspring. Interestingly, the resulting transgenerational
      costs were not only mediated by the early-life experience of tending mothers, but
      also by inherited, parent-of-origin-specific effects expressed in juveniles.
      Orphaned females abandoned their juveniles for longer and fed them less than
      maternally-tended females, while foster mothers defended juveniles of orphaned
      females less well than juveniles of maternally-tended females. Overall, these
      findings reveal the key importance of transgenerational effects in the early
      evolution of family life. 

PMID- 26490791
TI  - A conserved class of queen pheromones? Re-evaluating the evidence in bumblebees
      (Bombus impatiens).
AB  - The regulation of reproductive division of labour is a key component in the
      evolution of social insects. Chemical signals are important mechanisms to
      regulate worker reproduction, either as queen-produced pheromones that coercively
      inhibit worker reproduction or as queen signals that honestly advertise her
      fecundity. A recent study suggested that a conserved class of hydrocarbons serve
      as queen pheromones across three independent origins of eusociality. In
      bumblebees (Bombus terrestris), pentacosane (C25) was suggested to serve as a
      queen pheromone. Here, we repeat these studies using a different species of
      bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) with a more controlled experimental design. Instead
      of dequeened colonies, we used same-aged, three-worker queenless groups
      comprising either experienced or naive workers (with/without adult exposure to
      queen pheromone). We quantified three hydrocarbons (C23, C25 and C27) on the
      cuticular surfaces of females and tested their effects on the two worker types.
      Our results indicate differences in responses of naive and experienced workers,
      genetic effects on worker reproduction, and general effects of hydrocarbons and
      duration of egg laying on ovary resorption rates. However, we found no evidence
      to support the theory that a conserved class of hydrocarbons serve as queen
      pheromones or queen signals in Bombus impatiens. 

PMID- 26490792
TI  - Continental faunal exchange and the asymmetrical radiation of carnivores.
AB  - Lineages arriving on islands may undergo explosive evolutionary radiations owing
      to the wealth of ecological opportunities. Although studies on insular taxa have
      improved our understanding of macroevolutionary phenomena, we know little about
      the macroevolutionary dynamics of continental exchanges. Here we study the
      evolution of eight Carnivora families that have migrated across the Northern
      Hemisphere to investigate if continental invasions also result in explosive
      diversification dynamics. We used a Bayesian approach to estimate speciation and
      extinction rates from a substantial dataset of fossil occurrences while
      accounting for the incompleteness of the fossil record. Our analyses revealed a
      strongly asymmetrical pattern in which North American lineages invading Eurasia
      underwent explosive radiations, whereas lineages invading North America
      maintained uniform diversification dynamics. These invasions into Eurasia were
      characterized by high rates of speciation and extinction. The radiation of the
      arriving lineages in Eurasia coincide with the decline of established lineages or
      phases of climate change, suggesting differences in the ecological settings
      between the continents may be responsible for the disparity in diversification
      dynamics. These results reveal long-term outcomes of biological invasions and
      show that the importance of explosive radiations in shaping diversity extends
      beyond insular systems and have significant impact at continental scales. 

PMID- 26490793
TI  - Sex ratio variation shapes the ecological effects of a globally introduced
      freshwater fish.
AB  - Sex ratio and sexual dimorphism have long been of interest in population and
      evolutionary ecology, but consequences for communities and ecosystems remain
      untested. Sex ratio could influence ecological conditions whenever sexual
      dimorphism is associated with ecological dimorphism in species with strong
      ecological interactions. We tested for ecological implications of sex ratio
      variation in the sexually dimorphic western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis. This
      species causes strong pelagic trophic cascades and exhibits substantial variation
      in adult sex ratios. We found that female-biased populations induced stronger
      pelagic trophic cascades compared with male-biased populations, causing larger
      changes to key community and ecosystem responses, including zooplankton
      abundance, phytoplankton abundance, productivity, pH and temperature. The
      magnitude of such effects indicates that sex ratio is important for mediating the
      ecological role of mosquitofish. Because both sex ratio variation and sexual
      dimorphism are common features of natural populations, our findings should
      encourage broader consideration of the ecological significance of sex ratio
      variation in nature, including the relative contributions of various sexually
      dimorphic traits to these effects. 

PMID- 26490794
TI  - Hidden keys to survival: the type, density, pattern and functional role of
      emperor penguin body feathers.
AB  - Antarctic penguins survive some of the harshest conditions on the planet. Emperor
      penguins breed on the sea ice where temperatures drop below -40 degrees C and
      forage in -1.8 degrees C waters. Their ability to maintain 38 degrees C body
      temperature in these conditions is due in large part to their feathered coat.
      Penguins have been reported to have the highest contour feather density of any
      bird, and both filoplumes and plumules (downy feathers) are reported absent in
      penguins. In studies modelling the heat transfer properties and the potential
      biomimetic applications of penguin plumage design, the insulative properties of
      penguin plumage have been attributed to the single afterfeather attached to
      contour feathers. This attribution of the afterfeather as the sole insulation
      component has been repeated in subsequent studies. Our results demonstrate the
      presence of both plumules and filoplumes in the penguin body plumage. The downy
      plumules are four times denser than afterfeathers and play a key, previously
      overlooked role in penguin survival. Our study also does not support the report
      that emperor penguins have the highest contour feather density. 

PMID- 26490797
TI  - Anomalous dielectric and thermal properties of Ba-doped PbZrO3 ceramics.
AB  - The dielectric and thermal properties of an antiferroelectric (AFE) material
      characterised by an intermediate ferroelectric (FE) phase between the AFE and
      paraelectric phase in zero field are studied by means of a generalised Landau
      Kittel model of AFEs. A temperature-dependent coupling of the two sublattices is
      introduced in accordance with the Rae-Dove (RD) model of re-entrant phase
      transitions. The sublattice polarisation components are calculated as functions
      of temperature and the applied electric field by minimising numerically the free
      energy. The calculated dielectric susceptibility shows anomalies at the
      boundaries of the intermediate FE phase, characteristic for first-order phase
      transitions. It is shown that this behaviour is in qualitative agreement with the
      measured dielectric constant in Ba-doped PbZrO3 ceramics. The model also predicts
      a negative adiabatic electrocaloric temperature change DeltaT in a broad
      temperature range in the AFE phase, in qualitative agreement with experiments.
      The dipolar heat capacity is also predicted to be negative in the intermediate
      phase in zero field, in analogy with the results of the RD model.

PMID- 26490796
TI  - Epigenetic screening of salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma identifies
      hypomethylation of CLIC3 as a common alteration.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The role of promoter methylation in the development of mucoepidermoid
      carcinoma (MEC) has not been fully explored. In this study, we investigated the
      epigenetic landscape of MEC. METHODS: The Illumina HumanMethylation27 BeadChip
      array and differential methylation analysis were utilized to screen for
      epigenetic alterations in 14 primary MEC tumors and 14 matched normal samples.
      Bisulfite sequencing was used to validate these results, with subsequent
      quantitative Methylation-Specific PCR (qMSP) to validate chloride intracellular
      channel protein 3 (CLIC3) in a separate cohort. Furthermore, CLIC3
      immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed in another separate cohort of
      MEC. Finally, clinical and pathological characteristics were statistically
      analyzed for correlation with methylation status of CLIC3 and CLIC3 IHC H-scores
      by Wilcoxon rank sum, Kruskall-Wallis, and X(2) test tests. RESULTS: We obtained
      6 significantly differentially methylated gene candidates demonstrating
      significant promoter hyper- or hypo-methylation from the array data. Using
      bisulfite sequencing, we found one gene, CLIC3, which showed differential
      methylation between MEC tumor and normal samples in a small validation cohort.
      qMSP analysis of the CLIC3 promoter in a separate validation set showed
      significantly lower methylation level in tumor than in normal. The level of CLIC3
      methylation in MECs was not statistically correlated with clinical or
      pathological characteristics. However, IHC staining intensity and distribution of
      CLIC3 were significantly increased in MECs, compared with those of normal
      salivary gland tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Hypomethylation of CLIC3 promoter and its
      overexpression are significant events in MEC. Its functional role and potential
      therapeutic utility in MEC are worthy of further exploration.

PMID- 26490798
TI  - G-Tetraplex-Induced FRET within Telomeric Repeat Sequences Using (Py) A-(Per) A
      as Energy Donor-Acceptor Pair.
AB  - G-tetraplex induced fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) within
      telomeric repeat sequences has been studied using a nucleoside-tethered FRET pair
      embedded in the human telomeric G-quadruplex forming sequence (5'-A GGG TT(Py) A
      GGG TT(Per) A GGG TTA GGG-3', Py=pyrene, Per=perylene). Conformational change
      from a single strand to an anti-parallel G-quadruplex leads to FRET from energy
      donor ((Py) A) to acceptor ((Per) A). The distance between the FRET
      donor/acceptor partners was controlled by changing the number of G-quartet spacer
      units. The FRET efficiency decreases with increase in G-quartet units. Overall
      findings indicate that this could be further used for the development of FRET
      based sensing and measurement techniques. 

PMID- 26490799
TI  - The modifier effects of chymotrypsin and trypsin enzymes on fluorescence lifetime
      distribution of "N-(1-pyrenyl)maleimide-bovine serum albumin" complex.
AB  - Chymotrypsin and trypsin are the well known proteolytic enzymes, both of which
      are synthesized in the pancreas as their precursors - the inactive forms;
      chymotrypsinogen and trypsinogen - and then are released into the duodenum to cut
      proteins into smaller peptides. In this paper, the effects of activities of
      chymotrypsin and trypsin enzymes on fluorescence lifetime distributions of the
      substrat bovine serum albumin (BSA) modified with N-(1-pyrenyl)maleimide (PM)
      were examined. In the labeling study of BSA with PM, it is aimed to attach PM to
      the single free thiol (Cys34) and to all the free amine groups in accessible
      positions in order to produce excimers of pyrene planes of the possible highest
      amount to form the lifetime distributions in the widest range, that may show
      specifically distinguishing changes resulting from the activities of the
      proteases. The time resolved spectrofluorometer was used to monitor fluorescence
      decays, which were analyzed by using the exponential series method (ESM) to
      obtain the changes of lifetime distributions. After the exposure of the
      synthesized substrat PM-BSA to the enzymes, the fluorescence lifetime
      distributions exhibited different structures which were attributed to the
      different activities of the proteases. 

PMID- 26490800
TI  - A combined FTIR and infrared emission spectroscopy investigation of layered
      double hydroxide as an effective electron donor.
AB  - A novel method has been presented to characterize electron transfer in layered
      double hydroxides (LDHs) utilizing an investigation combing FTIR and infrared
      emission spectroscopy. At room temperature, electron could transfer to interlayer
      Fe(3+) through monodentate ligand cyanide, and resulted in a reduction of 40%
      Fe(3+) to Fe(2+). When the environmental temperature increased from 25 to 300
      degrees C, reduction of Fe(3+) and Ni(2+) increased to 94% and 42%. Furthermore,
      electron also transferred to interlayer cation through multidentate ligand EDTA.
      As a result, LDHs has been proven to be an effective electron donor, and FTIR was
      a feasible tool in characterizing this property by monitoring the valence state
      of cations. It was also concluded that octahedral units with OH(-) groups in LDH
      layer functioned as electron donor centers. Driving force for electron transfer
      is attributed to the charge density difference between cation layer and probe
      anion. These results could help to explain the mechanism of various applications
      of LDHs in catalysis and photocatalysis. 

PMID- 26490801
TI  - Advocate for our patients, advocate for our profession.

PMID- 26490802
TI  - "I see the light!" trans-carotid balloon valvuloplasty in neonates and small
      infants utilizing continuous trans-esophageal echo guidance.
AB  - Continuous echo guidance may add to the safety of neonatal aortic balloon
      valvuloplasty Trans-carotid access is an alternative route to aortic balloon
      valvuloplasty in neonates Proof of preferred procedure (surgical or catheter
      based), procedure setting, and access site remains elusive as the disease is
      infrequent and single center experience remains small. 

PMID- 26490803
TI  - Too much data, and still not enough information.
AB  - This analysis of the National Inpatient Sample Database found that Medicare and
      Medicaid patients with peripheral arterial disease had higher rates of amputation
      and in-hospital mortality as compared to private pay and Health Maintenance
      Organization (HMO) patients. Raising awareness of disparities of outcomes among
      vulnerable populations should lead all healthcare providers to examine gaps in
      care. Administrative databases are necessarily limited. Prospective registries
      should be developed to demonstrate that early detection of PAD with simple, cost
      effective tests like the ankle brachial index can improve outcomes.

PMID- 26490804
TI  - Transcatheter aortic valve implantation: Watch out for the leak, irrespective of
      aortic valve disease type.
AB  - Postprocedural aortic regurgitation (PAR) after transcatheter aortic valve
      implantation (TAVI) is associated with a worst clinical outcome. The presence of
      chronic aortic regurgitation in TAVI candidates increases PAR risk but not
      overall survival. Future valve prototypes will likely reduce the degree and
      frequency of this complication. 

PMID- 26490805
TI  - Understanding rare comorbidities in TAVR.
AB  - There seems to be an early morbidity and mortality advantage to TAVR in patients
      with chronic liver disease. Patients with Childs A and B CLD can be treated with
      TAVR but we know little about TAVR for sicker patients. Technical issues
      associated with TAVR (the use of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for
      example) have to be weighed in CLD patients with esophageal varices. 

PMID- 26490806
TI  - A "prospective" and "retrospective" view of the hazards of a career in
      interventional cardiology.
AB  - Surveyed interventional cardiologists reported frequent occupation-related health
      hazards including orthopedic injury (49.4%), radiation-related skin disease
      (4.8%), cataracts (5.5%), and hematologic and malignant conditions (4.8%) Further
      advances are needed to increase operator and staff safety to prevent future
      orthopedic injuries and radiation-related diseases. Each individual
      interventional cardiologist needs to weigh the hazards of the profession with the
      benefits which are substantial as well. 

PMID- 26490807
TI  - Radiation dose variation in fluoroscopic imaging: Is What You Get, What You See?
AB  - Variations in dose exist amongst various imaging systems and in various
      acquisition angulations; this is not a new finding. Assessment of Image quality
      should accompany an assessment of dose, as these complement each other. Routine
      assessment of dose and image quality with potential comparisons amongst
      operators, laboratories, and imaging systems may prove beneficial for radiation
      safety in interventional cardiology practice. 

PMID- 26490808
TI  - Keep that radiation off of Me!
AB  - Radial access may increase operator irradiation if the operator is closer to the
      X-ray beam. Using appropriate radiation shielding reduces occupational and eye
      doses without increasing patient irradiation. Reusable shielding can
      substantially reduce the costs of averting a cancer or cataract relative to the
      cost of disposables. 

PMID- 26490809
TI  - No syringe is approved as a standalone storage container, FDA says.

PMID- 26490810
TI  - Get involved in public policy, says 2015 Zellmer Lecturer.

PMID- 26490811
TI  - Insulin degludec products approved for diabetes.

PMID- 26490812
TI  - Rolapitant approved for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

PMID- 26490813
TI  - Pharmacy leader Eric T. Hola dies at 60.

PMID- 26490815
TI  - Integration of investigational drug services in an oncology service line.

PMID- 26490816
TI  - Development and implementation of an interdisciplinary pulmonary care clinic
      within an existing clinic program.

PMID- 26490817
TI  - Emotional intelligence: Not just for leaders.

PMID- 26490818
TI  - Nivolumab for second-line treatment of metastatic squamous non-small-cell lung
      cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, efficacy, toxicity, and place in
      therapy of nivolumab, a novel immunotherapy agent for the treatment of advanced
      non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) of the squamous cell subtype are reviewed.
      SUMMARY: Nivolumab is a novel programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint
      inhibitor indicated as a second-line treatment for patients with NSCLC whose
      tumors exhibit squamous cell histology. Nivolumab has high affinity for the PD-1
      receptor, and durable responses to treatment have been reported in clinical
      trials. In a Phase II study evaluating the drug's safety and efficacy in patients
      who had disease progression despite treatment with platinum-based doublet
      chemotherapy and at least one additional systemic therapy, nivolumab-treated
      patients had an objective response rate of 14.5%, with a 17% rate of grade 3 or 4
      treatment-related adverse events; overall survival at one year was 40.8%. A head
      to-head comparison of docetaxel and nivolumab for second-line treatment of
      squamous cell NSCLC demonstrated superior overall survival and reduced grade 3 or
      4 adverse effects in nivolumab-treated patients. CONCLUSION: Nivolumab is a novel
      PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor that is effective for treating advanced squamous
      NSCLC in patients previously treated with platinum-based doublet chemotherapy or
      alternative first-line agents. Based on its improved efficacy and lower toxicity
      relative to docetaxel, nivolumab should be considered standard second-line
      therapy for this population.

PMID- 26490819
TI  - Vancomycin dosing and monitoring for patients with end-stage renal disease
      receiving intermittent hemodialysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Vancomycin dosing and monitoring algorithms for patients with end-stage
      renal disease (ESRD) receiving intermittent hemodialysis are reviewed. SUMMARY:
      Vancomycin is one of the most commonly administered antimicrobial agents in adult
      patients with ESRD receiving intermittent hemodialysis. However, despite the
      availability of many published studies, the single best method of vancomycin
      administration in this population remains unclear. Many studies evaluating
      vancomycin dosing in adult patients with ESRD receiving intermittent hemodialysis
      were limited by a small sample size, inappropriate therapeutic targets, older
      hemodialysis modalities (e.g., low-flux intermittent hemodialysis), and
      inconsistencies in the timing of dosing or therapeutic drug monitoring.
      Pharmacokinetic variables that must be accounted for include a prolonged
      distribution phase, a redistribution phase and rebound effect after completion of
      hemodialysis, patient weight, residual renal function, and nonrenal clearance.
      Optimal vancomycin dosing recommendations are needed, but clinicians should
      always consider patient-specific variables, the timing of vancomycin
      administration, the timing of serum vancomycin concentrations, and technical
      aspects of the dialysis procedure when creating a dosing regimen. CONCLUSION:
      Individualized vancomycin dosing regimens and therapeutic drug monitoring are
      necessary for patients with ESRD receiving intermittent hemodialysis to ensure
      that goal serum vancomycin levels are reached to adequately treat an infection.

PMID- 26490820
TI  - A probable case of syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion
      associated with linezolid.
AB  - PURPOSE: A probable case of syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone
      secretion (SIADH) due to linezolid use is reported. SUMMARY: An 81-year-old
      Korean woman hospitalized for progressive malignant otitis externa due to
      methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection was started on linezolid
      therapy (600 mg i.v. twice daily). On day 22 of linezolid use, the patient had
      severe hyponatremia (serum sodium concentration, 118 meq/L), with stable vital
      signs and no specific physical findings except for somnolence. The patient's
      urine sodium concentration was 1183 meq/L, and her serum and urine osmolarity
      values were 250 and 357 mOsm/kg, respectively; these findings were consistent
      with SIADH. Hypertonic saline infusion and fluid restriction (<1 L/day) were
      continued for four days with the aim of achieving a desired serum sodium
      concentration of 130 meq/L. On day 26 of linezolid therapy, the drug was
      discontinued due to development of progressive anemia (hemoglobin concentration,
      6.7 g/dL). The next day, the patient's serum sodium concentration increased
      abruptly to 135 meq/L and remained stable until hospital discharge. After
      multiple alternative etiologies were excluded, drug-induced SIADH due to
      linezolid use was determined to be the most likely diagnosis. Using the adverse
      drug reaction probability scale of Naranjo et al., the case was assigned a score
      of 6, indicating a probable association between linezolid use and SIADH.
      CONCLUSION: SIADH was observed in a woman who was administered linezolid for more
      than three weeks, with concurrent development of progressive severe anemia
      associated with linezolid toxicity. The patient's hyponatremia resolved after
      cessation of linezolid use.

PMID- 26490821
TI  - Evaluation of a bedside scoring system for predicting clinical cure and
      recurrence of Clostridium difficile infections.
AB  - PURPOSE: The accuracy of a bedside scoring system, ATLAS, for predicting clinical
      cure and recurrence of Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs) was evaluated.
      METHODS: A single-center retrospective medical record review was performed for
      symptomatic adult patients with stool assay-diagnosed CDI treated with
      metronidazole or vancomycin or both. Multiple logistic regression analysis was
      performed to assess the potential association of the ATLAS score and other
      potential factors on achieving cure and 90-day CDI recurrence. ATLAS scores were
      calculated, and risk factors for severe CDI, severe-complicated CDI, decreased
      cure rates, and recurrence were recorded. RESULTS: Data from 245 adult patients
      were assessed. ATLAS scores showed a significant inverse association with the
      cure rate (p = 0.009) but not with the 90-day recurrence rate (p = 0.901). The
      only ATLAS component to be independently associated (inversely) with cure was the
      concomitant use of antibiotics (p = 0.022). Metronidazole was initiated in 97% of
      patients, with 32% switching to oral vancomycin. Longer courses of vancomycin
      were associated with a higher cure rate (p = 0.0009) but not with recurrence (p =
      0.170). Complicated cases were less likely to be cured (p = 0.027) and more
      likely to recur within 90 days (p = 0.002). Antibiotics continued after CDI
      treatment was associated with recurrence (p = 0.055). CONCLUSION: A low ATLAS
      score was found to correlate with higher cure rates in patients with CDI
      receiving metronidazole, oral vancomycin, or both. However, the score could not
      predict CDI recurrence.

PMID- 26490822
TI  - Development and validation of criteria for classifying severity of drug-related
      problems in chronic kidney disease: A community pharmacy perspective.
AB  - PURPOSE: The development and validation of criteria for classifying severity of
      drug-related problems (DRPs) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the community
      pharmacy setting are described. METHODS: The Severity Categorization for
      Pharmaceutical Evaluation (SCOPE) criteria were adapted from an existing tool
      based on the interventions required to manage DRPs in community pharmacy. Ten
      community pharmacists reviewed the criteria. An expert panel involving community
      pharmacists, hospital pharmacists, family physicians, and nephrologists scored
      the relevance of each criterion. The severity of 487 DRPs identified among 168
      patients was rated independently by two evaluators and by one evaluator on two
      occasions. Kappa reliability coefficients were computed. Severity as assessed by
      implicit judgment and the SCOPE criteria was compared. RESULTS: Three severity
      categories were defined (mild, moderate, and severe), each including two levels
      (for a total of six levels). At each level, specific interventions required to
      manage DRPs in community pharmacy were listed. The test-retest reliability
      coefficient by level was 0.85 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79-0.90), and the
      interrater reliability coefficient was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.72-0.82). The test-retest
      coefficient by category was 0.89 (95% CI, 0.84-0.95), and the interrater
      coefficient was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.86-0.94). A higher level of SCOPE was associated
      with more severe DRPs as rated by implicit judgment (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A set
      of criteria developed for use in the community pharmacy setting for evaluating
      the severity of DRPs in CKD proved to be reliable and correlated with clinical
      implicit judgment.

PMID- 26490823
TI  - Development of a pharmacy student research program at a large academic medical
      center.
AB  - PURPOSE: A program to promote research by pharmacy students created through the
      collaboration of an academic medical center and a college of pharmacy is
      described. SUMMARY: In 2009, Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy
      and Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) expanded their existing partnership by
      establishing a program to increase opportunities for pharmacy students to conduct
      clinical-translational research. All professional year 1, 2, or 3 students at the
      college, as well as professional year 4 students on rotation at NMH, can
      participate in the program. Central to the program's infrastructure is the
      mentorship of student leads by faculty- and hospital-based pharmacists. The
      mentors oversee the student research projects and guide development of poster
      presentations; student leads mentor junior students and assist with orientation
      and training activities. Publication of research findings in the peer-reviewed
      literature is a key program goal. In the first four years after program
      implementation, participation in a summer research program grew nearly 10-fold
      (mainly among incoming professional year 2 or 3 students, and student poster
      presentations at national pharmacy meetings increased nearly 20-fold; the number
      of published research articles involving student authors increased from zero in
      2009 to three in 2012 and two in 2013. CONCLUSION: A collaborative program
      between an academic medical center and a college of pharmacy has enabled pharmacy
      students to conduct research at the medical center and has been associated with
      increases in the numbers of poster presentations and publications involving
      students.

PMID- 26490824
TI  - A quantitative study of the emotional intelligence of participants in the ASHP
      Foundation's Pharmacy Leadership Academy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Results of a quantitative assessment of emotional intelligence in a
      sample of pharmacists affiliated with the ASHP Research and Education
      Foundation's Pharmacy Leadership Academy (PLA) are presented. METHODS: A
      demographic questionnaire and a validated instrument for assessing emotional
      intelligence, the Emotional Quotient Inventory, version 2.0 (EQ-i 2.0), were
      administered to a group of practicing pharmacists who graduated from the PLA
      during the period 2008-12 (n = 82) and a control group of pharmacists who were
      accepted into the PLA in 2013 but had not begun leadership training (n = 40). The
      dependent variables were the mean total EQ-I 2.0 score and mean scores on five EQ
      i 2.0 composite scales. The independent variables were PLA affiliation status
      (graduate versus matriculant) and demographic variables. Descriptive and
      inferential statistics were used to calculate between-group differences in EQ-i
      2.0 scores. The relationship of demographic variables to EQ-i 2.0 scores was
      analyzed via multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Among the 122 pharmacists who
      completed both assessments, the overall mean total EQ-i 2.0 score was 101.11,
      which indicated an average level of emotional intelligence. There were
      significant differences between the PLA graduate group and the control group in
      total EQ-i 2.0 scores and in EQ-i 2.0 scores for self-expression, decision
      making, interpersonal skills, and other aspects of emotional intelligence. The
      evaluated demographic factors were not found to be significant predictors of EQ-i
      2.0 scores. CONCLUSION: The study results indicated an average level of emotional
      intelligence among all PLA affiliates but revealed significant differences in
      mean total EQ-i 2.0 scores and EQ-i 2.0 composite scale scores favoring PLA
      graduates.

PMID- 26490825
TI  - Healthcare-associated pneumonia: Who is truly at risk for multidrug-resistant
      pathogens?

PMID- 26490826
TI  - Pilot study comparing simulation-based and didactic lecture-based critical care
      teaching for final-year medical students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Simulation-based medical education has rapidly evolved over the past
      two decades, despite this, there are few published reports of its use in critical
      care teaching. We hypothesised that simulation-based teaching of a critical care
      topic to final-year medical students is superior to lecture-based teaching.
      METHODS: Thirty-nine final-year medical students were randomly assigned to either
      simulation-based or lecture-based teaching in the chosen critical care topic. The
      study was conducted over a 6-week period. Efficacy of each teaching method was
      compared through use of multiple choice questionnaires (MCQ) - baseline, post
      teaching and 2 week follow-up. Student satisfaction was evaluated by means of a
      questionnaire. Feasibility and resource requirements were documented by teachers.
      RESULTS: Eighteen students were randomised to simulation-based, and 21 to lecture
      based teaching. There were no differences in age and gender between groups (p >
      0.05). Simulation proved more resource intensive requiring specialised equipment,
      two instructors, and increased duration of teaching sessions (126.7 min (SD =
      4.71) vs 68.3 min (SD = 2.36)). Students ranked simulation-based teaching higher
      with regard to enjoyment (p = 0.0044), interest (p = 0.0068), relevance to taught
      subject (p = 0.0313), ease of understanding (p = 0.0476) and accessibility to
      posing questions (p = 0.001). Both groups demonstrated improvement in post
      teaching MCQ from baseline (p = 0.0002), with greater improvement seen among the
      simulation group (p = 0.0387), however, baseline scores were higher among the
      lecture group. The results of the 2-week follow-up MCQ and post-teaching MCQ were
      not statistically significant when each modality were compared. DISCUSSION:
      Simulation was perceived as more enjoyable by students. Although there was a
      greater improvement in post-teaching MCQ among the simulator group, baseline
      scores were higher among lecture group which limits interpretation of efficacy.
      Simulation is more resource intensive, as demonstrated by increased duration and
      personnel required, and this may have affected our results. CONCLUSIONS: The
      current pilot may be of use in informing future studies in this area.

PMID- 26490827
TI  - Draft genome sequences of three chemically rich actinomycetes isolated from
      Mediterranean sponges.
AB  - Metabolomic analysis has shown the chemical richness of the sponge-associated
      actinomycetes Streptomyces sp. SBT349, Nonomureae sp. SBT364, and Nocardiopsis
      sp. SBT366. The genomes of these actinomycetes were sequenced and the genomic
      potential for secondary metabolism was evaluated. Their draft genomes have sizes
      of 8.0, 10, and 5.8 Mb having 687, 367, and 179 contigs with a GC content of
      71.6, 70.7, and 72.7%, respectively. Moreover, antiSMASH 3.0 predicted 108, 149,
      and 75 secondary metabolite gene clusters, respectively which highlight the
      metabolic capacity of the three actinomycete species to produce diverse classes
      of natural products.

PMID- 26490828
TI  - Stent-based thrombectomy versus intravenous tissue plasminogen activator in acute
      ischaemic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To date only a few studies have compared the effectiveness and
      functional outcomes of stent retrievers versus intravenous thrombolysis in acute
      ischaemic stoke. Our aim was to identify and collate all the available data and
      to assess for statistical differences in patient outcomes between the two
      treatments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta
      analysis of studies with a randomised controlled design which utilised
      stentrievers and intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischaemic stroke. RESULTS:
      Five randomised controlled studies published in 2015 were identified. Second
      generation thrombectomy devices constituted at least 80% of thrombectomy devices
      in the included studies, namely MR CLEAN, ESCAPE, EXTEND-IA, SWIFT PRIME and
      REVASCAT. No significant heterogeneity was seen in the included studies and the
      five trials were therefore included in the meta-analysis.A total of 46.10% of
      patients treated with stentrievers achieved an independent functional outcome
      (mRS < 2) at 90 days compared with 26.46% of those treated with intravenous
      thrombolysis with an odds ratio of 2.40 (p < 0.001). The weighted recanalisation
      mean in the thrombectomy arms was 76.02%.A lower mortality rate was observed with
      stentrievers compared to intravenous thrombolysis (15.33% vs 18.74%; OR 0.81, p =
      0.15). Stentrievers were also associated with a lower risk of symptomatic
      intracranial haemorrhage (7.86% vs 8.64%; OR 1.02, p = 0.93). The differences in
      the secondary/safety outcomes were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION:
      Stentrievers can achieve a high rate of recanalisation and functional
      independence in acute ischaemic stroke and have a relatively good safety profile.
      Our meta-analysis demonstrates a clear benefit of an intra-arterial mechanical
      approach vs standard treatment.

PMID- 26490829
TI  - Thrombectomy after intravenous thrombolysis is the new standard of care in acute
      stroke with large vessel occlusion.

PMID- 26490830
TI  - Mechanical thrombectomy in patients with acute basilar occlusion using stent
      retrievers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early arterial recanalisation with stent retrievers (SR) has been
      recently demonstrated to improve clinical outcome of patients with large-vessel
      occlusion of the anterior circulation. However, the benefit of SR thrombectomy in
      the setting of acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) has not been proven yet. This
      study evaluated a series of consecutive patients with BAO treated with SR,
      focusing on the efficacy, safety and clinical results. METHODS: We analysed 24
      consecutive patients with acute BAO who were treated with SR mechanical
      thrombectomy. Good clinical outcome at three months was defined as mRS <= 2. Data
      from patients with good outcome were compared to that from patients with poor
      outcome. RESULTS: Sufficient recanalisation (TICI 2 b or 3) was achieved in 63%
      (15/24) of patients. At three months, 33% (8/24) of patients had died; good
      clinical outcome was obtained in 21% (5/24). Age (46 vs. 60 years old, p = 0.05)
      and time from symptoms onset to recanalisation (370 vs. 521 minutes, p = 0.048)
      was significantly lower in patients with good outcome as compared to patients
      with poor outcome. There were three cases (12.5%) of periprocedural
      complications, all of them related to arterial wall dissection/perforation.
      CONCLUSIONS: SR thrombectomy might be an efficient and safe treatment for
      patients with acute BAO occlusion and might help improve outcome.

PMID- 26490831
TI  - A stochastic model of acute-care decisions based on patient and provider
      heterogeneity.
AB  - The primary cause of preventable death in many hospitals is the failure to
      recognize and/or rescue patients from acute physiologic deterioration (APD). APD
      affects all hospitalized patients, potentially causing cardiac arrest and death.
      Identifying APD is difficult, and response timing is critical - delays in
      response represent a significant and modifiable patient safety issue. Hospitals
      have instituted rapid response systems or teams (RRT) to provide timely critical
      care for APD, with thresholds that trigger the involvement of critical care
      expertise. The National Early Warning Score (NEWS) was developed to define these
      thresholds. However, current triggers are inconsistent and ignore patient
      specific factors. Further, acute care is delivered by providers with different
      clinical experience, resulting in quality-of-care variation. This article
      documents a semi-Markov decision process model of APD that incorporates patient
      and provider heterogeneity. The model allows for stochastically changing health
      states, while determining patient subpopulation-specific RRT-activation
      thresholds. The objective function minimizes the total time associated with
      patient deterioration and stabilization; and the relative values of nursing and
      RRT times can be modified. A case study from January 2011 to December 2012
      identified six subpopulations. RRT activation was optimal for patients in
      "slightly concerning" health states (NEWS > 0) for all subpopulations, except
      surgical patients with low risk of deterioration for whom RRT was activated in
      "concerning" states (NEWS > 4). Clustering methods identified provider clusters
      considering RRT-activation preferences and estimation of stabilization-related
      resource needs. Providers with conservative resource estimates preferred waiting
      over activating RRT. This study provides simple practical rules for personalized
      acute care delivery.

PMID- 26490833
TI  - Remote Multiproton Storage within a Pyrrolide-Pincer-Type Ligand.
AB  - A chemically non-innocent pyrrole-based trianionic (ONO)(3-) pincer ligand within
      [(pyr-ONO)TiCl(thf)2 ] (2) can access the dianionic [(3H-pyr-ONO)TiCl2 (thf)] (1
      THF) and monoanionic [(3H,4H-pyr-ONO)TiCl2 (OEt2 )][B{3,5-(CF3 )2 C6 H3 }4 ] (3
      Et2 O) states through remote protonation of the pyrrole gamma-C pi-bonds. The
      homoleptic [(3H-pyr-ONO)2 Zr] (4) was synthesized and characterized by X-ray
      diffraction and NMR spectroscopy in solution. The protonation of 4 by [H(OEt2 )2
      ][B{C6 H3 (CF3 )2 }4 ] yields [(3H,4H-pyr-ONO)(3H-pyr-ONO)Zr][B{3,5-(CF3 )2 C6 H3
      }4 ] (5), thus demonstrating the storage of three protons. 

PMID- 26490832
TI  - Intravitreal treatment in patients with exudative age-related macular
      degeneration and visual acuity <= 0.05.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate intravitreal treatment efficiencies in patients
      suffering from exudative ARMD with a BCVA <= 0.05. METHODS: Retrospective
      analysis: Analysis parameters were lesion type, BCVA at baseline and at follow
      up, the intravitreal drug used, and its application frequency. Patients were
      divided into: 1) following injections of bevacizumab, triamcinolone, their
      combination, or ranibizumab regardless of their lesion subtype, 2) or by lesion
      subtype. Statistical tests were performed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests,
      Kruskal-Wallis tests and multivariable logistic regressions. RESULTS: Seventy
      four eyes of 74 patients were analyzed. Follow-up was at 12.0 to 15.7 weeks.
      Median difference of BCVA (logMAR) between baseline and follow-up was 0.000 (
      0.030, 0.175) in classic (p = 0.105), 0.000 (-1.15, 0.20) in occult (p = 0.005), 
      0.200 (-1.20, 0.60) in cases with subretinal fluid (p = 0.207), 0.000 (-0.60,
      0.30) in pigment epithelial detachment (p = 0.813), and 0.050 (-0.40, 0.70) in
      Junius Kuhnt maculopathy (p = 0.344). BCVA increased >= 0.2 logMAR in 4 (24 %)
      classic, 9 (47 %) occult, 6 (33 %) pigment epithelial detachment, 6 (55 %)
      subretinal fluid, in 29 (39 %) eyes regardless of the lesion type, and reached a
      BCVA >= 0.05 in 7 (9 %) of those with a baseline BCVA <0.05. CONCLUSIONS: Results
      indicate that in patients with ARMD and a BCVA lower 0.05, intravitreal treatment
      may improve visual acuity, most probably in cases with occult lesions.

PMID- 26490834
TI  - Improving the monitoring of crop productivity using spaceborne solar-induced
      fluorescence.
AB  - Large-scale monitoring of crop growth and yield has important value for
      forecasting food production and prices and ensuring regional food security. A
      newly emerging satellite retrieval, solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) of
      chlorophyll, provides for the first time a direct measurement related to plant
      photosynthetic activity (i.e. electron transport rate). Here, we provide a
      framework to link SIF retrievals and crop yield, accounting for stoichiometry,
      photosynthetic pathways, and respiration losses. We apply this framework to
      estimate United States crop productivity for 2007-2012, where we use the
      spaceborne SIF retrievals from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2
      satellite, benchmarked with county-level crop yield statistics, and compare it
      with various traditional crop monitoring approaches. We find that a SIF-based
      approach accounting for photosynthetic pathways (i.e. C3 and C4 crops) provides
      the best measure of crop productivity among these approaches, despite the fact
      that SIF sensors are not yet optimized for terrestrial applications. We further
      show that SIF provides the ability to infer the impacts of environmental stresses
      on autotrophic respiration and carbon-use-efficiency, with a substantial
      sensitivity of both to high temperatures. These results indicate new
      opportunities for improved mechanistic understanding of crop yield responses to
      climate variability and change. 

PMID- 26490835
TI  - Infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) mucosal infection in Atlantic salmon.
AB  - All viruses infecting fish must cross the surface mucosal barrier to successfully
      enter a host. Infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV), the causative agent of the
      economically important infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) in Atlantic salmon, Salmo
      salar L., has been shown to use the gills as its entry point. However, other
      entry ports have not been investigated despite the expression of virus receptors
      on the surface of epithelial cells in the skin, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
      and the conjunctiva. Here we investigate the ISAV mucosal infection in Atlantic
      salmon after experimental immersion (bath) challenge and in farmed fish collected
      from a confirmed outbreak of ISA in Norway. We show for the first time evidence
      of early replication in several mucosal surfaces in addition to the gills,
      including the pectoral fin, skin and GI tract suggesting several potential entry
      points for the virus. Initially, the infection is localized and primarily
      infecting epithelial cells, however at later stages it becomes systemic,
      infecting the endothelial cells lining the circulatory system. Viruses of low and
      high virulence used in the challenge revealed possible variation in virus
      progression during infection at the mucosal surfaces. 

PMID- 26490836
TI  - Maternal anxiety versus depressive disorders: specific relations to infants'
      crying, feeding and sleeping problems.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maternal depression has been associated with excessive infant crying,
      feeding and sleeping problems, but the specificity of maternal depression, as
      compared with maternal anxiety remains unclear and manifest disorders prior to
      pregnancy have been widely neglected. In this prospective longitudinal study, the
      specific associations of maternal anxiety and depressive disorders prior to,
      during and after pregnancy and infants' crying, feeding and sleeping problems
      were investigated in the context of maternal parity. METHODS: In the Maternal
      Anxiety in Relation to Infant Development (MARI) Study, n = 306 primiparous and
      multiparous women were repeatedly interviewed from early pregnancy until 16
      months post partum with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview for
      Women (CIDI-V) to assess DSM-IV anxiety and depressive disorders. Information on
      excessive infant crying, feeding and sleeping problems was obtained from n = 286
      mothers during postpartum period via questionnaire and interview (Baby-DIPS).
      RESULTS: Findings from this study revealed syndrome-specific risk constellations
      for maternal anxiety and depressive disorders as early as prior to pregnancy:
      Excessive infant crying (10.1%) was specifically associated with maternal anxiety
      disorders, especially in infants of younger and lower educated first-time
      mothers. Feeding problems (36.4%) were predicted by maternal anxiety (and
      comorbid depressive) disorders in primiparous mothers and infants with lower
      birth weight. Infant sleeping problems (12.2%) were related to maternal
      depressive (and comorbid anxiety) disorders irrespective of maternal parity.
      CONCLUSIONS: Primiparous mothers with anxiety disorders may be more prone to
      anxious misinterpretations of crying and feeding situations leading to an
      escalation of mother-infant interactions. The relation between maternal
      depressive and infant sleeping problems may be better explained by a transmission
      of unsettled maternal sleep to the fetus during pregnancy or a lack of daily
      structure and bedtime routine with the infant. Maternal disorders prior to
      pregnancy require more attention in research and clinical practice.

PMID- 26490837
TI  - ESCRT (Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport) Machinery Is Essential
      for Acrosomal Exocytosis in Human Sperm.
AB  - The sperm acrosome reaction is a unique, regulated exocytosis characterized by
      the secretion of the acrosomal content and the release of hybrid vesicles formed
      by patches of the outer acrosomal and plasma membranes. In previous reports, we
      have shown that inward invaginations of the acrosomal membrane delineate ring
      shaped membrane microdomains that contact the plasma membrane. We have postulated
      that the opening and expansion of fusion pores along these rings trigger
      acrosomal exocytosis. The invaginations of the acrosomal membrane topologically
      resemble the deformations of the endosomal membrane leading to the assembly of
      luminal vesicles in multivesicular bodies. In fact, intra-acrosomal vesicles are
      also formed during acrosomal exocytosis. Endosomal sorting complex required for
      transport (ESCRT) participates in the organization of membrane microdomains that
      are invaginated and released as intraluminal vesicles in endosomes. We report
      here that members of ESCRT I (TSG101), ESCRT III (CHMP4), and the AAA ATPase VPS4
      are present in the acrosomal region of the human sperm. Perturbing the function
      of these factors with antibodies or recombinant proteins inhibited acrosomal
      exocytosis in permeabilized cells. A similar effect was observed with a dominant
      negative mutant of VPS4A cross-linked to a cell-penetrating peptide in
      nonpermeabilized sperm stimulated with a calcium ionophore. When the function of
      ESCRTs was inhibited, acrosomes showed abnormal deformation of the acrosomal
      membrane, and SNARE proteins that participate in acrosomal exocytosis failed to
      be stabilized in neurotoxin-resistant complexes. However, the growing of membrane
      invaginations was not blocked, and numerous intra-acrosomal vesicles were
      observed. These observations indicate that ESCRT-mediated processes are essential
      for acrosomal secretion, implicating these multifunctional complexes in an
      exocytic event crucial for sperm-egg fusion. 

PMID- 26490838
TI  - Genetic and Pharmacological Modulation of Akt1 for Improving Ovarian Graft
      Revascularization in a Mouse Model.
AB  - Ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation is one of a few available
      treatments for fertility preservation in women diagnosed with cancer. Rapid
      revascularization is essential for reducing hypoxic damage after grafting and
      protecting the primordial follicles reserve. Using a mouse model of heterotopic
      ovarian graft transplantation, we have delineated the role of endothelial Akt1
      expression using longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging follow-up to quantify
      angiogenic response. Endothelial Akt1 activation in ovarian grafts promoted
      angiogenesis to support the graft during posttransplantation hypoxic period.
      Similarly, simvastatin therapy activated Akt1 at the transplantation site and
      improved the revascularization and vascular support of ovarian grafts. These
      results serve as an important first step toward pharmacological intervention to
      improve revascularization of ovarian grafts and restoration of fertility in
      cancer survivors. The pro-angiogenic effects reported here may extend beyond
      improving ovarian graft reception in fertility preservation and could potentially
      be used for different organ or tissue transplantation. 

PMID- 26490839
TI  - Progesterone Accelerates the Completion of Sperm Capacitation and Activates
      CatSper Channel in Spermatozoa from the Rhesus Macaque.
AB  - During transit through the female reproductive tract, mammalian spermatozoa are
      exposed to increasing concentrations of progesterone (P4) released by the cumulus
      oophorus. P4 triggers massive calcium influx into human sperm through activation
      of the sperm-specific calcium channel CatSper. These properties of human
      spermatozoa are thought to be unique since CatSper is not progesterone sensitive
      in rodent sperm. Here, by performing patch clamp recording from spermatozoa from
      rhesus macaque for the first time, we report that they express P4-sensitive
      CatSper channel identically to human sperm and react to P4 by inducing
      responsiveness to zona pellucida, unlike human sperm, which respond directly to
      P4. We have also determined the physiologic levels of P4 capable of inducing
      capacitation-associated changes in macaque sperm. Progesterone (1 MUM) induced up
      to a 3-fold increase in the percentage of sperm undergoing the zona pellucida
      induced acrosome reaction with the lowest threshold as low as 10 nM of P4.
      Submicromolar levels of P4 induced a dose-dependent increase in curvilinear
      velocity and lateral head displacement, while sperm protein tyrosine
      phosphorylation was not altered. Macaque spermatozoa exposed to 10 MUM of P4
      developed fully hyperactivated motility. Similar to human sperm, on approaching
      cumulus mass and binding to zona pellucida, macaque spermatozoa display
      hyperactivation and undergo an acrosome reaction that coincides with the rise in
      the sperm intracellular calcium. Taken together, these data indicate that P4
      accelerates the completion of capacitation and provides evidence of spermatozoa
      "priming" as they move into a gradient of progesterone in search for the oocyte. 

PMID- 26490840
TI  - The Extracellular Calcium-Sensing Receptor (CASR) Regulates Gonadotropins-Induced
      Meiotic Maturation of Porcine Oocytes.
AB  - Gonadotropins and epidermal growth factor (EGF) play crucial roles in promoting
      oocyte maturation. The regulatory network downstream of these key factors is not
      well understood. The present study was designed to investigate the role of the
      calcium-sensing receptor (CASR) in porcine oocyte in vitro maturation. CASR
      expression was up-regulated in oocytes matured in gonadotropin-containing medium.
      Cortical distribution of CASR was enhanced with gonadotropins but not EGF.
      Supplementation of a CASR agonist (NPS R-568) in the gonadotropin (FSH and/or LH)
      containing maturation medium significantly enhanced oocyte nuclear maturation.
      Addition of NPS2390, a CASR antagonist, compromised oocyte nuclear maturation.
      Furthermore, increased cortical distribution and decreased expression of CASR was
      observed after the NPS R-568 treatment. Oocytes treated with NPS R-568 had higher
      concentration of CYCLIN B1, decreased reactive oxygen species, and increased
      glutathione levels, indicative of advanced cytoplasmic maturation. In contrast,
      NPS2390 treatment compromised oocyte cytoplasmic maturation. A higher blastocyst
      formation rate after parthenogenetic activation was observed when oocytes were
      matured in the presence of the CASR agonist, NPS R-568. MAPK3/1 phosphorylation
      was increased during in vitro maturation and after NPS R-568 treatment, and
      decreased following CASR antagonist supplementation. Taken together, our data
      showed that the CASR is a gonadotropin-regulated factor that promotes porcine
      oocyte maturation in a MAPK-dependent manner. 

PMID- 26490842
TI  - Lipid Biochemical and Biophysical Changes in Rat Spermatozoa During Isolation and
      Functional Activation In Vitro.
AB  - In spermatozoa isolated from rat epididymis, lipids are differentially modified
      after in vitro induction of capacitation (Cap) and the acrosomal reaction (AR).
      This study uses Laurdan fluorescence generalized polarization values (GPv) to
      evaluate the effect of lipid changes occurring after isolation and functional
      activation on sperm membrane biophysical properties. In gametes isolated in the
      presence of a divalent cation chelator, no lipid changes occurred and the GPv
      were the lowest recorded, indicating maximal membrane lipid mobility. In sperm
      isolated as rapidly and gently as possible in the absence of chelator, part of
      the sphingomyelins (SM) were converted into ceramides (Cer), giving rise to
      higher GPv. In samples incubated as controls for Cap and AR, unchanged
      cholesterol and reduced glycerophospholipid levels were accompanied by the
      accumulation of free fatty acids (FFA), leading to even higher GPv. After
      completion of Cap, the GPv returned to lower levels as a result of the
      spermatozoa losing part of their cholesterol and FFA. Cap samples became
      relatively enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids-containing plasmalogens
      because hydrolysis affected phosphatidyl rather than plasmenyl
      glycerophospholipid subclasses. The highest Cer:SM ratio and the highest GPv were
      found after completion of AR induced by A23187. The degree of SM -> Cer
      conversion among the samples, including controls, correlated with the extent of
      AR. FFA and Cer augmented GPv when added to liposomes prepared from the membrane
      lipid of intact sperm. Our results underscore the importance of hydrolytic
      changes that affect sperm lipids, especially the decisive lipid SM and Cer pair,
      not only after inducing sperm functional changes such as Cap and AR, but also
      under control conditions. 

PMID- 26490841
TI  - Disrupting Cyclin Dependent Kinase 1 in Spermatocytes Causes Late Meiotic Arrest
      and Infertility in Mice.
AB  - While cyclin dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) has a critical role in controlling
      resumption of meiosis in oocytes, its role has not been investigated directly in
      spermatocytes. Unique aspects of male meiosis led us to hypothesize that its role
      is different in male meiosis than in female meiosis. We generated a conditional
      knockout (cKO) of the Cdk1 gene in mouse spermatocytes to test this hypothesis.
      We found that CDK1-null spermatocytes undergo synapsis, chiasmata formation, and
      desynapsis as is seen in oocytes. Additionally, CDK1-null spermatocytes
      relocalize SYCP3 to centromeric foci, express H3pSer10, and initiate chromosome
      condensation. However, CDK1-null spermatocytes fail to form condensed bivalent
      chromosomes in prophase of meiosis I and instead are arrested at prometaphase.
      Thus, CDK1 has an essential role in male meiosis that is consistent with what is
      known about the role of CDK1 in female meiosis, where it is required for
      formation of condensed bivalent metaphase chromosomes and progression to the
      first meiotic division. We found that cKO spermatocytes formed fully condensed
      bivalent chromosomes in the presence of okadaic acid, suggesting that cKO
      chromosomes are competent to condense, although they do not do so in vivo.
      Additionally, arrested cKO spermatocytes exhibited irregular cell shape,
      irregular large nuclei, and large distinctive nucleoli. These cells persist in
      the seminiferous epithelium through the next seminiferous epithelial cycle with a
      lack of stage XII checkpoint-associated cell death. This indicates that CDK1 is
      required upstream of a checkpoint-associated cell death as well as meiotic
      metaphase progression in mouse spermatocytes. 

PMID- 26490843
TI  - Bisphenol A and Related Alkylphenols Exert Nongenomic Estrogenic Actions Through
      a G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor 1 (Gper)/Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor
      (Egfr) Pathway to Inhibit Meiotic Maturation of Zebrafish Oocytes.
AB  - Xenobiotic estrogens, such as bisphenol A (BPA), disrupt a wide variety of
      genomic estrogen actions, but their nongenomic estrogen actions remain poorly
      understood. We investigated nongenomic estrogenic effects of low concentrations
      of BPA and three related alkylphenols on the inhibition of zebrafish oocye
      maturation (OM) mediated through a G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (Gper)
      dependent epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr) pathway. BPA (10-100 nM)
      treatment for 3 h mimicked the effects of estradiol-17beta (E2) and EGF,
      decreasing spontaneous maturation of defolliculated zebrafish oocytes, an effect
      not blocked by coincubation with actinomycin D, but blocked by coincubation with
      a Gper antibody. BPA displayed relatively high binding affinity (15.8% that of
      E2) for recombinant zebrafish Gper. The inhibitory effects of BPA were attenuated
      by inhibition of upstream regulators of Egfr, intracellular tyrosine kinase (Src)
      with PP2, and matrix metalloproteinase with ilomastat. Treatment with an
      inhibitor of Egfr transactivation, AG1478, and an inhibitor of the mitogen
      activated protein kinase (MAPK) 3/1 pathway, U0126, increased spontaneous OM and
      blocked the inhibitory effects of BPA, E2, and the selective GPER agonist, G-1.
      Western blot analysis showed that BPA (10-200 nM) mimicked the stimulatory
      effects of E2 and EGF on Mapk3/1 phosphorylation. Tetrabromobisphenol A, 4
      nonylphenol, and tetrachlorobisphenol A (5-100 nM) also inhibited OM, an effect
      blocked by cotreatment with AG1478, as well as with the GPER antagonist, G-15,
      and displayed similar binding affinities as BPA to zebrafish Gper. The results
      suggest that BPA and related alkylphenols disrupt zebrafish OM by a novel
      nongenomic estrogenic mechanism involving activation of the Gper/Egfr/Mapk3/1
      pathway. 

PMID- 26490844
TI  - Internet cigarette vendors make tax-free claims and sell cigarettes cheaper than
      retail outlets.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to (1) assess whether promotion of tax-free sales
      among Internet cigarette vendors (ICVs) changed between 2009 and 2011, (2)
      determine which types of ICVs are most likely to promote tax-free sales (eg, US
      based, international or mixed location ICVs), and (3) compare the price of
      cigarettes advertised in ICVs to prices at brick-and-mortar retail outlets.
      METHODS: We analysed data from the 200 most popular ICVs in 2009, 2010 and 2011
      to assess promotion of tax-free sales and the price of Marlboro cigarette
      cartons. We used Nielsen scanner data from 2009, 2010 and 2011 to measure the
      price of Marlboro cartons in US grocery stores. FINDINGS: The odds of ICVs
      claiming tax-free status were higher in 2011 than in 2009 (OR=1.58, p<0.01).
      Mixed location and international vendors had higher odds of promoting tax-free
      sales than US-based ICVs (OR=4.95 and 6.23, respectively, both p<0.001). In 2011,
      the average price of one Marlboro carton was $35.27 online, compared to $52.73 in
      US grocery stores. We estimated that in 2011, a pack-a-day smoker living in an
      area with high cigarette prices would save $1508 per year buying cigarettes
      online. CONCLUSIONS: ICVs commonly promote tax-free sales, and cigarettes are
      cheaper online compared to US grocery stores. Better enforcement of the Prevent
      All Cigarette Trafficking Act is needed to address tax-free cigarette sales among
      ICVs.

PMID- 26490845
TI  - Consumer preferences for electronic cigarettes: results from a discrete choice
      experiment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: E-cigarettes present a formidable challenge to regulators given
      their variety and the rapidly evolving nicotine market. The current study sought
      to examine the influence of e-cigarette product characteristics on consumer
      perceptions and trial intentions among Canadians. METHODS: An online discrete
      choice experiment was conducted with 915 Canadians aged 16 years and older in
      November 2013. An online commercial panel was used to sample 3 distinct
      subpopulations: (1) non-smoking youth and young adults (n=279); (2) smoking youth
      and young adults (n=264) and (3) smoking adults (n=372). Participants completed a
      series of stated-preference tasks, in which they viewed choice sets with e
      cigarette product images that featured different combinations of attributes:
      flavour, nicotine content, health warnings and price. For each choice set,
      participants were asked to select one of the products or indicate 'none of the
      above' with respect to the following outcomes: interest in trying, less harm and
      usefulness in quitting smoking. The attributes' impact on consumer choice for
      each outcome was analysed using multinomial logit regression. RESULTS: Health
      warning was the most important attribute influencing participants' intentions to
      try e-cigarettes (42%) and perceived efficacy as a quit aid (39%). Both flavour
      (36%) and health warnings (35%) significantly predicted perceptions of product
      harm. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that consumers make trade-offs with
      respect to e-cigarette product characteristics, and that these trade-offs vary
      across different subpopulations. Given that health warnings and flavour were
      weighted most important by consumers in this study, these may represent good
      targets for e-cigarette regulatory frameworks.

PMID- 26490846
TI  - Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma metastatic to central compartment (level 6)
      lymph nodes.
AB  - Alterations to drainage pathways in the head and neck as a result of surgical
      manipulation are not well understood. We present two unusual cases of oral
      squamous cell carcinoma metastatic to the level 6 nodal compartment following
      extensive treatment. Both oral squamous cell carcinoma cases exhibited metastases
      to the central neck compartment following extensive surgery and radiation. Each
      patient had prior history of multifocal oral cavity disease and recurrent neck
      metastases requiring salvage lymphadenectomy. Surgical interventions may alter
      the usual lymphatic drainage patterns. In cases of extensive treatment, all
      levels of the neck should be monitored for lymph node recurrence. Laryngoscope,
      126:1803-1805, 2016.

PMID- 26490847
TI  - Low to moderate quality evidence demonstrates the potential benefits and adverse
      events of cannabinoids for certain medical indications.

PMID- 26490848
TI  - Intra-arterial thrombectomy improves functional outcome when administered up to 6
      h after stroke.

PMID- 26490849
TI  - Longer dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention
      has higher anti-ischaemic efficacy than shorter DAPT but is associated with more
      frequent bleeding.

PMID- 26490851
TI  - Human Frontal-Subcortical Circuit and Asymmetric Belief Updating.
AB  - How humans integrate information to form beliefs about reality is a question that
      has engaged scientists for centuries, yet the biological system supporting this
      process is not well understood. One of the most salient attributes of information
      is valence. Whether a piece of news is good or bad is critical in determining
      whether it will alter our beliefs. Here, we reveal a frontal-subcortical circuit
      in the left hemisphere that is simultaneously associated with enhanced
      integration of favorable information into beliefs and impaired integration of
      unfavorable information. Specifically, for favorable information, stronger white
      matter connectivity within this system, particularly between the left inferior
      frontal gyrus (IFG) and left subcortical regions (including the amygdala,
      hippocampus, thalamus, putamen, and pallidum), as well as insular cortex, is
      associated with greater change in belief. However, for unfavorable information,
      stronger connectivity within this system, particularly between the left IFG and
      left pallidum, putamen, and insular cortex, is associated with reduced change in
      beliefs. These novel results are consistent with models suggesting that partially
      separable processes govern learning from favorable and unfavorable information.
      SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Beliefs of what may happen in the future are important,
      because they guide decisions and actions. Here, we illuminate how structural
      brain connectivity is related to the generation of subjective beliefs. We focus
      on how the valence of information is related to people's tendency to alter their
      beliefs. By quantifying the extent to which participants update their beliefs in
      response to desirable and undesirable information and relating those measures to
      the strength of white matter connectivity using diffusion tensor imaging, we
      characterize a left frontal-subcortical system that is associated simultaneously
      with greater belief updating in response to favorable information and reduced
      belief updating in response to unfavorable information. This neural architecture
      may allow valence to be incorporated into belief updating.

PMID- 26490852
TI  - CaMKII Controls Whether Touch Is Painful.
AB  - The sensation of touch is initiated when fast conducting low-threshold
      mechanoreceptors (Abeta-LTMRs) generate impulses at their terminals in the skin.
      Plasticity in this system is evident in the process of adaption, in which a
      period of diminished sensitivity follows prior stimulation. CaMKII is an ideal
      candidate for mediating activity-dependent plasticity in touch because it shifts
      into an enhanced activation state after neuronal depolarizations and can thereby
      reflect past firing history. Here we show that sensory neuron CaMKII
      autophosphorylation encodes the level of Abeta-LTMR activity in rat models of
      sensory deprivation (whisker clipping, tail suspension, casting). Blockade of
      CaMKII signaling limits normal adaptation of action potential generation in Abeta
      LTMRs in excised skin. CaMKII activity is also required for natural filtering of
      impulse trains as they travel through the sensory neuron T-junction in the DRG.
      Blockade of CaMKII selectively in presynaptic Abeta-LTMRs removes dorsal horn
      inhibition that otherwise prevents Abeta-LTMR input from activating nociceptive
      lamina I neurons. Together, these consequences of reduced CaMKII function in
      Abeta-LTMRs cause low-intensity mechanical stimulation to produce pain behavior.
      We conclude that, without normal sensory activity to maintain adequate levels of
      CaMKII function, the touch pathway shifts into a pain system. In the clinical
      setting, sensory disuse may be a critical factor that enhances and prolongs
      chronic pain initiated by other conditions. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The sensation
      of touch is served by specialized sensory neurons termed low-threshold
      mechanoreceptors (LTMRs). We examined the role of CaMKII in regulating the
      function of these neurons. Loss of CaMKII function, such as occurred in rats
      during sensory deprivation, elevated the generation and propagation of impulses
      by LTMRs, and altered the spinal cord circuitry in such a way that low-threshold
      mechanical stimuli produced pain behavior. Because limbs are protected from use
      during a painful condition, this sensitization of LTMRs may perpetuate pain and
      prevent functional rehabilitation.

PMID- 26490853
TI  - Rapid Feedforward Inhibition and Asynchronous Excitation Regulate Granule Cell
      Activity in the Mammalian Main Olfactory Bulb.
AB  - Granule cell-mediated inhibition is critical to patterning principal neuron
      activity in the olfactory bulb, and perturbation of synaptic input to granule
      cells significantly alters olfactory-guided behavior. Despite the critical role
      of granule cells in olfaction, little is known about how sensory input recruits
      granule cells. Here, we combined whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology in
      acute mouse olfactory bulb slices with biophysical multicompartmental modeling to
      investigate the synaptic basis of granule cell recruitment. Physiological
      activation of sensory afferents within single glomeruli evoked diverse modes of
      granule cell activity, including subthreshold depolarization, spikelets, and
      suprathreshold responses with widely distributed spike latencies. The generation
      of these diverse activity modes depended, in part, on the asynchronous time
      course of synaptic excitation onto granule cells, which lasted several hundred
      milliseconds. In addition to asynchronous excitation, each granule cell also
      received synchronous feedforward inhibition. This inhibition targeted both
      proximal somatodendritic and distal apical dendritic domains of granule cells,
      was reliably recruited across sniff rhythms, and scaled in strength with
      excitation as more glomeruli were activated. Feedforward inhibition onto granule
      cells originated from deep short-axon cells, which responded to glomerular
      activation with highly reliable, short-latency firing consistent with tufted cell
      mediated excitation. Simulations showed that feedforward inhibition interacts
      with asynchronous excitation to broaden granule cell spike latency distributions
      and significantly attenuates granule cell depolarization within local subcellular
      compartments. Collectively, our results thus identify feedforward inhibition onto
      granule cells as a core feature of olfactory bulb circuitry and establish
      asynchronous excitation and feedforward inhibition as critical regulators of
      granule cell activity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Inhibitory granule cells are
      involved critically in shaping odor-evoked principal neuron activity in the
      mammalian olfactory bulb, yet little is known about how sensory input activates
      granule cells. Here, we show that sensory input to the olfactory bulb evokes a
      barrage of asynchronous synaptic excitation and highly reliable, short-latency
      synaptic inhibition onto granule cells via a disynaptic feedforward inhibitory
      circuit involving deep short-axon cells. Feedforward inhibition attenuates local
      depolarization within granule cell dendritic branches, interacts with
      asynchronous excitation to suppress granule cell spike-timing precision, and
      scales in strength with excitation across different levels of sensory input to
      normalize granule cell firing rates.

PMID- 26490854
TI  - Hippocampal Volume Reduction in Humans Predicts Impaired Allocentric Spatial
      Memory in Virtual-Reality Navigation.
AB  - The extent to which navigational spatial memory depends on hippocampal integrity
      in humans is not well documented. We investigated allocentric spatial recall
      using a virtual environment in a group of patients with severe hippocampal damage
      (SHD), a group of patients with "moderate" hippocampal damage (MHD), and a normal
      control group. Through four learning blocks with feedback, participants learned
      the target locations of four different objects in a circular arena. Distal cues
      were present throughout the experiment to provide orientation. A circular
      boundary as well as an intra-arena landmark provided spatial reference frames.
      During a subsequent test phase, recall of all four objects was tested with only
      the boundary or the landmark being present. Patients with SHD were impaired in
      both phases of this task. Across groups, performance on both types of spatial
      recall was highly correlated with memory quotient (MQ), but not with intelligence
      quotient (IQ), age, or sex. However, both measures of spatial recall separated
      experimental groups beyond what would be expected based on MQ, a widely used
      measure of general memory function. Boundary-based and landmark-based spatial
      recall were both strongly related to bilateral hippocampal volumes, but not to
      volumes of the thalamus, putamen, pallidum, nucleus accumbens, or caudate
      nucleus. The results show that boundary-based and landmark-based allocentric
      spatial recall are similarly impaired in patients with SHD, that both types of
      recall are impaired beyond that predicted by MQ, and that recall deficits are
      best explained by a reduction in bilateral hippocampal volumes. SIGNIFICANCE
      STATEMENT: In humans, bilateral hippocampal atrophy can lead to profound
      impairments in episodic memory. Across species, perhaps the most well-established
      contribution of the hippocampus to memory is not to episodic memory generally but
      to allocentric spatial memory. However, the extent to which navigational spatial
      memory depends on hippocampal integrity in humans is not well documented. We
      investigated spatial recall using a virtual environment in two groups of patients
      with hippocampal damage (moderate/severe) and a normal control group. The results
      showed that patients with severe hippocampal damage are impaired in learning and
      recalling allocentric spatial information. Furthermore, hippocampal volume
      reduction impaired allocentric navigation beyond what can be predicted by memory
      quotient as a widely used measure of general memory function.

PMID- 26490855
TI  - The Periaqueductal Gray Orchestrates Sensory and Motor Circuits at Multiple
      Levels of the Neuraxis.
AB  - The periaqueductal gray (PAG) coordinates behaviors essential to survival,
      including striking changes in movement and posture (e.g., escape behaviors in
      response to noxious stimuli vs freezing in response to fear-evoking stimuli).
      However, the neural circuits underlying the expression of these behaviors remain
      poorly understood. We demonstrate in vivo in rats that activation of the
      ventrolateral PAG (vlPAG) affects motor systems at multiple levels of the
      neuraxis through the following: (1) differential control of spinal neurons that
      forward sensory information to the cerebellum via spino-olivo-cerebellar pathways
      (nociceptive signals are reduced while proprioceptive signals are enhanced); (2)
      alterations in cerebellar nuclear output as revealed by changes in expression of
      Fos-like immunoreactivity; and (3) regulation of spinal reflex circuits, as shown
      by an increase in alpha-motoneuron excitability. The capacity to coordinate
      sensory and motor functions is demonstrated in awake, behaving rats, in which
      natural activation of the vlPAG in fear-conditioned animals reduced transmission
      in spino-olivo-cerebellar pathways during periods of freezing that were
      associated with increased muscle tone and thus motor outflow. The increase in
      spinal motor reflex excitability and reduction in transmission of ascending
      sensory signals via spino-olivo-cerebellar pathways occurred simultaneously. We
      suggest that the interactions revealed in the present study between the vlPAG and
      sensorimotor circuits could form the neural substrate for survival behaviors
      associated with vlPAG activation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Neural circuits that
      coordinate survival behaviors remain poorly understood. We demonstrate in rats
      that the periaqueductal gray (PAG) affects motor systems at the following
      multiple levels of the neuraxis: (1) through altering transmission in spino
      olivary pathways that forward sensory signals to the cerebellum, reducing and
      enhancing transmission of nociceptive and proprioceptive information,
      respectively; (2) by alterations in cerebellar output; and (3) through
      enhancement of spinal motor reflex pathways. The sensory and motor effects
      occurred at the same time and were present in both anesthetized animals and
      behavioral experiments in which fear conditioning naturally activated the PAG.
      The results provide insights into the neural circuits that enable an animal to be
      ready and able to react to danger, thus assisting in survival.

PMID- 26490857
TI  - Decoding Internally and Externally Driven Movement Plans.
AB  - During movement planning, brain activity within parietofrontal networks encodes
      information about upcoming actions that can be driven either externally (e.g., by
      a sensory cue) or internally (i.e., by a choice/decision). Here we used
      multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) of fMRI data to distinguish between areas
      that represent (1) abstract movement plans that generalize across the way in
      which these were driven, (2) internally driven movement plans, or (3) externally
      driven movement plans. In a delayed-movement paradigm, human volunteers were
      asked to plan and execute three types of nonvisually guided right-handed reaching
      movements toward a central target object: using a precision grip, a power grip,
      or touching the object without hand preshaping. On separate blocks of trials,
      movements were either instructed via color cues (Instructed condition), or chosen
      by the participant (Free-Choice condition). Using ROI-based and whole-brain
      searchlight-based MVPA, we found abstract representations of planned movements
      that generalize across the way these movements are selected (internally vs
      externally driven) in parietal cortex, dorsal premotor cortex, and primary motor
      cortex contralateral to the acting hand. In addition, we revealed representations
      specific for internally driven movement plans in contralateral ventral premotor
      cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, supramarginal gyrus, and in ipsilateral
      posterior parietotemporal regions, suggesting that these regions are recruited
      during movement selection. Finally, we observed representations of externally
      driven movement plans in bilateral supplementary motor cortex and a similar trend
      in presupplementary motor cortex, suggesting a role in stimulus-response mapping.
      SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The way the human brain prepares the body for action
      constitutes an essential part of our ability to interact with our environment.
      Previous studies demonstrated that patterns of neuronal activity encode upcoming
      movements. Here we used multivariate pattern analysis of human fMRI data to
      distinguish between brain regions containing movement plans for instructed
      (externally driven) movements, areas involved in movement selection (internally
      driven), and areas containing abstract movement plans that are invariant to the
      way these were generated (i.e., that generalize across externally and internally
      driven movement plans). Our findings extend our understanding of the neural basis
      of movement planning and have the potential to contribute to the development of
      brain-controlled neural prosthetic devices.

PMID- 26490856
TI  - There Is a "U" in Clutter: Evidence for Robust Sparse Codes Underlying Clutter
      Tolerance in Human Vision.
AB  - The ability to recognize objects in clutter is crucial for human vision, yet the
      underlying neural computations remain poorly understood. Previous single-unit
      electrophysiology recordings in inferotemporal cortex in monkeys and fMRI studies
      of object-selective cortex in humans have shown that the responses to pairs of
      objects can sometimes be well described as a weighted average of the responses to
      the constituent objects. Yet, from a computational standpoint, it is not clear
      how the challenge of object recognition in clutter can be solved if downstream
      areas must disentangle the identity of an unknown number of individual objects
      from the confounded average neuronal responses. An alternative idea is that
      recognition is based on a subpopulation of neurons that are robust to clutter,
      i.e., that do not show response averaging, but rather robust object-selective
      responses in the presence of clutter. Here we show that simulations using the
      HMAX model of object recognition in cortex can fit the aforementioned single-unit
      and fMRI data, showing that the averaging-like responses can be understood as the
      result of responses of object-selective neurons to suboptimal stimuli. Moreover,
      the model shows how object recognition can be achieved by a sparse readout of
      neurons whose selectivity is robust to clutter. Finally, the model provides a
      novel prediction about human object recognition performance, namely, that target
      recognition ability should show a U-shaped dependency on the similarity of
      simultaneously presented clutter objects. This prediction is confirmed
      experimentally, supporting a simple, unifying model of how the brain performs
      object recognition in clutter. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The neural mechanisms
      underlying object recognition in cluttered scenes (i.e., containing more than one
      object) remain poorly understood. Studies have suggested that neural responses to
      multiple objects correspond to an average of the responses to the constituent
      objects. Yet, it is unclear how the identities of an unknown number of objects
      could be disentangled from a confounded average response. Here, we use a popular
      computational biological vision model to show that averaging-like responses can
      result from responses of clutter-tolerant neurons to suboptimal stimuli. The
      model also provides a novel prediction, that human detection ability should show
      a U-shaped dependency on target-clutter similarity, which is confirmed
      experimentally, supporting a simple, unifying account of how the brain performs
      object recognition in clutter.

PMID- 26490858
TI  - A Post-Docking Role of Synaptotagmin 1-C2B Domain Bottom Residues R398/399 in
      Mouse Chromaffin Cells.
AB  - Synaptotagmin-1 (Syt1) is the principal Ca(2+) sensor for vesicle fusion and is
      also essential for vesicle docking in chromaffin cells. Docking depends on
      interactions of the Syt1-C2B domain with the t-SNARE SNAP25/Syntaxin1 complex
      and/or plasma membrane phospholipids. Here, we investigated the role of the
      positively charged "bottom" region of the C2B domain, proposed to help crosslink
      membranes, in vesicle docking and secretion in mouse chromaffin cells and in cell
      free assays. We expressed a double mutation shown previously to interfere with
      lipid mixing between proteoliposomes and with synaptic transmission, Syt1
      R398/399Q (RQ), in syt1 null mutant cells. Ultrastructural morphometry revealed
      that Syt1-RQ fully restored the docking defect observed previously in syt1 null
      mutant cells, similar to wild type Syt1 (Syt1-wt). Small unilamellar lipid
      vesicles (SUVs) that contained the v-SNARE Synaptobrevin2 and Syt1-R398/399Q also
      docked to t-SNARE-containing giant vesicles (GUVs), similar to Syt1-wt. However,
      unlike Syt1-wt, Syt1-RQ-induced docking was strictly PI(4,5)P2-dependent. Unlike
      docking, neither synchronized secretion in chromaffin cells nor Ca(2+)-triggered
      SUV-GUV fusion was restored by the Syt1 mutants. Finally, overexpressing the RQ
      mutant in wild type cells produced no effect on either docking or secretion. We
      conclude that the positively charged bottom region in the C2B domain--and, by
      inference, Syt1-mediated membrane crosslinking--is required for triggering
      fusion, but not for docking. Secretory vesicles dock by multiple, PI(4,5)P2
      dependent and PI(4,5)P2-independent mechanisms. The R398/399 mutations
      selectively disrupt the latter and hereby help to discriminate protein regions
      involved in different aspects of Syt1 function in docking and fusion.
      SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This study provides new insights in how the two opposite
      sides of the C2B domain of Synaptotagmin-1 participate in secretory vesicle
      fusion, and in more upstream steps, especially vesicle docking. We show that the
      "bottom" surface of the C2B domain is required for triggering fusion, but not for
      docking. Synaptotagmin-1 promotes docking by multiple, PI(4,5)P2-dependent and
      PI(4,5)P2-independent mechanisms. Mutations in the C2B bottom surface (R398/399)
      selectively disrupt the latter. These mutations help to discriminate protein
      regions involved in different aspects of Synaptotagmin-1 function in docking and
      fusion.

PMID- 26490860
TI  - Congruent Visual Speech Enhances Cortical Entrainment to Continuous Auditory
      Speech in Noise-Free Conditions.
AB  - Congruent audiovisual speech enhances our ability to comprehend a speaker, even
      in noise-free conditions. When incongruent auditory and visual information is
      presented concurrently, it can hinder a listener's perception and even cause him
      or her to perceive information that was not presented in either modality. Efforts
      to investigate the neural basis of these effects have often focused on the
      special case of discrete audiovisual syllables that are spatially and temporally
      congruent, with less work done on the case of natural, continuous speech. Recent
      electrophysiological studies have demonstrated that cortical response measures to
      continuous auditory speech can be easily obtained using multivariate analysis
      methods. Here, we apply such methods to the case of audiovisual speech and,
      importantly, present a novel framework for indexing multisensory integration in
      the context of continuous speech. Specifically, we examine how the temporal and
      contextual congruency of ongoing audiovisual speech affects the cortical encoding
      of the speech envelope in humans using electroencephalography. We demonstrate
      that the cortical representation of the speech envelope is enhanced by the
      presentation of congruent audiovisual speech in noise-free conditions.
      Furthermore, we show that this is likely attributable to the contribution of
      neural generators that are not particularly active during unimodal stimulation
      and that it is most prominent at the temporal scale corresponding to syllabic
      rate (2-6 Hz). Finally, our data suggest that neural entrainment to the speech
      envelope is inhibited when the auditory and visual streams are incongruent both
      temporally and contextually. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Seeing a speaker's face as
      he or she talks can greatly help in understanding what the speaker is saying.
      This is because the speaker's facial movements relay information about what the
      speaker is saying, but also, importantly, when the speaker is saying it. Studying
      how the brain uses this timing relationship to combine information from
      continuous auditory and visual speech has traditionally been methodologically
      difficult. Here we introduce a new approach for doing this using relatively
      inexpensive and noninvasive scalp recordings. Specifically, we show that the
      brain's representation of auditory speech is enhanced when the accompanying
      visual speech signal shares the same timing. Furthermore, we show that this
      enhancement is most pronounced at a time scale that corresponds to mean syllable
      length.

PMID- 26490859
TI  - Multifunctional and Context-Dependent Control of Vocal Acoustics by Individual
      Muscles.
AB  - The relationship between muscle activity and behavioral output determines how the
      brain controls and modifies complex skills. In vocal control, ensembles of
      muscles are used to precisely tune single acoustic parameters such as fundamental
      frequency and sound amplitude. If individual vocal muscles were dedicated to the
      control of single parameters, then the brain could control each parameter
      independently by modulating the appropriate muscle or muscles. Alternatively, if
      each muscle influenced multiple parameters, a more complex control strategy would
      be required to selectively modulate a single parameter. Additionally, it is
      unknown whether the function of single muscles is fixed or varies across
      different vocal gestures. A fixed relationship would allow the brain to use the
      same changes in muscle activation to, for example, increase the fundamental
      frequency of different vocal gestures, whereas a context-dependent scheme would
      require the brain to calculate different motor modifications in each case. We
      tested the hypothesis that single muscles control multiple acoustic parameters
      and that the function of single muscles varies across gestures using three
      complementary approaches. First, we recorded electromyographic data from vocal
      muscles in singing Bengalese finches. Second, we electrically perturbed the
      activity of single muscles during song. Third, we developed an ex vivo technique
      to analyze the biomechanical and acoustic consequences of single-muscle
      perturbations. We found that single muscles drive changes in multiple parameters
      and that the function of single muscles differs across vocal gestures, suggesting
      that the brain uses a complex, gesture-dependent control scheme to regulate vocal
      output. 

PMID- 26490861
TI  - Frizzled3 Controls Axonal Polarity and Intermediate Target Entry during Striatal
      Pathway Development.
AB  - The striatum is a large brain nucleus with an important role in the control of
      movement and emotions. Medium spiny neurons (MSNs) are striatal output neurons
      forming prominent descending axon tracts that target different brain nuclei.
      However, how MSN axon tracts in the forebrain develop remains poorly understood.
      Here, we implicate the Wnt binding receptor Frizzled3 in several uncharacterized
      aspects of MSN pathway formation [i.e., anterior-posterior guidance of MSN axons
      in the striatum and their subsequent growth into the globus pallidus (GP), an
      important (intermediate) target]. In Frizzled3 knock-out mice, MSN axons fail to
      extend along the anterior-posterior axis of the striatum, and many do not reach
      the GP. Wnt5a acts as an attractant for MSN axons in vitro, is expressed in a
      posterior high, anterior low gradient in the striatum, and Wnt5a knock-out mice
      phenocopy striatal anterior-posterior defects observed in Frizzled3 mutants. This
      suggests that Wnt5a controls anterior-posterior guidance of MSN axons through
      Frizzled3. Axons that reach the GP in Frizzled3 knock-out mice fail to enter this
      structure. Surprisingly, entry of MSN axons into the GP non-cell-autonomously
      requires Frizzled3, and our data suggest that GP entry may be contingent on the
      correct positioning of "corridor" guidepost cells for thalamocortical axons by
      Frizzled3. Together, these data dissect MSN pathway development and reveal
      (non)cell-autonomous roles for Frizzled3 in MSN axon guidance. Further, they are
      the first to identify a gene that provides anterior-posterior axon guidance in a
      large brain nucleus and link Frizzled3 to corridor cell development. SIGNIFICANCE
      STATEMENT: Striatal axon pathways mediate complex physiological functions and are
      an important therapeutic target, underscoring the need to define how these
      connections are established. Remarkably, the molecular programs regulating
      striatal pathway development remain poorly characterized. Here, we determine the
      embryonic ontogeny of the two main striatal pathways (striatonigral and
      striatopallidal) and identify novel (non)cell-autonomous roles for the axon
      guidance receptor Frizzled3 in uncharacterized aspects of striatal pathway
      formation (i.e., anterior-posterior axon guidance in the striatum and axon entry
      into the globus pallidus). Further, our results link Frizzled3 to corridor
      guidepost cell development and suggest that an abnormal distribution of these
      cells has unexpected, widespread effects on the development of different axon
      tracts (i.e., striatal and thalamocortical axons).

PMID- 26490863
TI  - Internalized Tau Oligomers Cause Neurodegeneration by Inducing Accumulation of
      Pathogenic Tau in Human Neurons Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.
AB  - Neuronal inclusions of hyperphosphorylated and aggregated tau protein are a
      pathological hallmark of several neurodegenerative tauopathies, including
      Alzheimer's disease (AD). The hypothesis of tau transmission in AD has emerged
      from histopathological studies of the spatial and temporal progression of tau
      pathology in postmortem patient brains. Increasing evidence in cellular and
      animal models supports the phenomenon of intercellular spreading of tau. However,
      the molecular and cellular mechanisms of pathogenic tau transmission remain
      unknown. The studies described herein investigate tau pathology propagation using
      human neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. Neurons were seeded
      with full-length human tau monomers and oligomers and chronic effects on neuronal
      viability and function were examined over time. Tau oligomer-treated neurons
      exhibited an increase in aggregated and phosphorylated pathological tau. These
      effects were associated with neurite retraction, loss of synapses, aberrant
      calcium homeostasis, and imbalanced neurotransmitter release. In contrast, tau
      monomer treatment did not produce any measureable changes. This work supports the
      hypothesis that tau oligomers are toxic species that can drive the spread of tau
      pathology and neurodegeneration. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Several independent
      studies have implicated tau protein as central to Alzheimer's disease progression
      and cell-to-cell pathology propagation. In this study, we investigated the
      ability of different tau species to propagate pathology in human neurons derived
      from induced pluripotent stem cells, which to date has not been shown. We
      demonstrated that tau oligomers, but not monomers, induce accumulation of
      pathological, hyperphosphorylated tau. This effect was accompanied with neurite
      degeneration, loss of synapses, aberrant calcium homeostasis, imbalanced
      neurotransmitter release, and ultimately with neuronal death. This study bridges
      various tau pathological phenotypes into a single and relevant induced
      pluripotent stem cell neuronal model of human disease that can be applied to the
      discovery of the mechanisms of tau-induced neurodegeneration.

PMID- 26490862
TI  - Distinct Contributions of Ventromedial and Dorsolateral Subregions of the Human
      Substantia Nigra to Appetitive and Aversive Learning.
AB  - The role of neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) and ventral tegmental area (VTA)
      of the midbrain in contributing to the elicitation of reward prediction errors
      during appetitive learning has been well established. Less is known about the
      differential contribution of these midbrain regions to appetitive versus aversive
      learning, especially in humans. Here we scanned human participants with high
      resolution fMRI focused on the SN and VTA while they participated in a sequential
      Pavlovian conditioning paradigm involving an appetitive outcome (a pleasant
      juice), as well as an aversive outcome (an unpleasant bitter and salty flavor).
      We found a degree of regional specialization within the SN: Whereas a region of
      ventromedial SN correlated with a temporal difference reward prediction error
      during appetitive Pavlovian learning, a dorsolateral area correlated instead with
      an aversive expected value signal in response to the most distal cue, and to a
      reward prediction error in response to the most proximal cue to the aversive
      outcome. Furthermore, participants' affective reactions to both the appetitive
      and aversive conditioned stimuli more than 1 year after the fMRI experiment was
      conducted correlated with activation in the ventromedial and dorsolateral SN
      obtained during the experiment, respectively. These findings suggest that,
      whereas the human ventromedial SN contributes to long-term learning about
      rewards, the dorsolateral SN may be particularly important for long-term learning
      in aversive contexts. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The role of the substantia nigra
      (SN) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) in appetitive learning is well established,
      but less is known about their contribution to aversive compared with appetitive
      learning, especially in humans. We used high-resolution fMRI to measure activity
      in the SN and VTA while participants underwent higher-order Pavlovian learning.
      We found a regional specialization within the SN: a ventromedial area was
      selectively engaged during appetitive learning, and a dorsolateral area during
      aversive learning. Activity in these areas predicted affective reactions to
      appetitive and aversive conditioned stimuli over 1 year later. These findings
      suggest that, whereas the human ventromedial SN contributes to long-term learning
      about rewards, the dorsolateral SN may be particularly important for long-term
      learning in aversive contexts.

PMID- 26490864
TI  - The Kruppel-Like Factor Dar1 Determines Multipolar Neuron Morphology.
AB  - Neurons typically assume multipolar, bipolar, or unipolar morphologies. Little is
      known about the mechanisms underlying the development of these basic
      morphological types. Here, we show that the Kruppel-like transcription factor
      Dar1 determines the multipolar morphology of postmitotic neurons in Drosophila.
      Dar1 is specifically expressed in multipolar neurons and loss of dar1 gradually
      converts multipolar neurons into the bipolar or unipolar morphology without
      changing neuronal identity. Conversely, misexpression of Dar1 or its mammalian
      homolog in unipolar and bipolar neurons causes them to assume multipolar
      morphologies. Dar1 regulates the expression of several dynein genes and nuclear
      distribution protein C (nudC), which is an essential component of a specialized
      dynein complex that positions the nucleus in a cell. We further show that these
      genes are required for Dar1-induced multipolar neuron morphology. Dar1 likely
      functions as a terminal selector gene for the basic layout of neuron morphology
      by regulating both dendrite extension and the dendrite-nucleus coupling.
      SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The three basic morphological types of neurons--unipolar,
      bipolar, and multipolar--are important for information processing and wiring of
      neural circuits. Little progress has been made toward understanding the molecular
      and cellular programs that generate these types since their discovery over a
      century ago. It is generally assumed that basic morphological types of neurons
      are determined by the number of dendrites growing out from the cell body. Here,
      we show that this model alone is insufficient. We introduce the positioning of
      nucleus as a critical factor in this process and report that the transcription
      factor Dar1 determines multipolar neuron morphology in postmitotic neurons by
      regulating genes involved in nuclear positioning.

PMID- 26490865
TI  - Influence of Tinnitus on Auditory Spectral and Temporal Resolution and Speech
      Perception in Tinnitus Patients.
AB  - Although cochlear damage is believed to trigger the perception of tinnitus in the
      central auditory system, its pathophysiological mechanism is still unclear. We
      aimed to investigate the pathophysiology of tinnitus using psychoacoustic
      assessments of auditory spectral and temporal resolution and speech perception in
      noise. Human subjects with tinnitus and symmetric hearing thresholds were divided
      into three groups: nine unilateral tinnitus subjects with normal hearing
      thresholds (Group 1), 12 unilateral tinnitus subjects with hearing loss (HL;
      Group 2), and nine bilateral tinnitus subjects with HL. Fifteen normal-hearing
      subjects without tinnitus were also tested as a control group. Four different
      tests were administered: (1) the spectral-ripple discrimination (SRD) test, (2)
      the temporal modulation detection (TMD) test, (3) the Schroeder-phase
      discrimination (SPD) test, and (4) the speech recognition threshold (SRT) in
      noise test. There were no significant differences in SRD, TMD, and SPD between
      the tinnitus-affected ears (TEs) and non-tinnitus ears (NTEs) in Groups 1 and 2
      (p > 0.05). In contrast, the TEs showed poorer SRTs than the NTEs in these two
      subject groups (p = 0.022 and 0.049). No inferiority of spectral/temporal
      resolution in TEs compared with NTEs suggests that there may be no more outer
      hair cell (OHC) damage on the tinnitus side given that damaged OHCs are
      associated with broadening the auditory filters. The decoupling of the SRT
      results from the spectral/temporal resolution data could imply that the
      occurrence of tinnitus does not depend upon the degree of damage to the OHCs, but
      rather upon different plastic changes in the central auditory system after
      cochlear damage. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: We can easily find unilateral tinnitus
      patients who have symmetric hearing thresholds. Our research question was what
      kind of difference would be responsible for the tinnitus in the tinnitus-affected
      ears but not in the non-tinnitus ears of subjects with symmetric hearing
      thresholds. The answer to this fundamental question could help us to understand
      the pathophysiology of tinnitus. We evaluated the potential influence of tinnitus
      upon the subjects' auditory spectral and temporal resolution and speech
      perception in noise by comparing these psychoacoustic performances between
      tinnitus-affected ears and non-tinnitus ears in the same subjects.

PMID- 26490866
TI  - Predator Stress-Induced CRF Release Causes Enduring Sensitization of Basolateral
      Amygdala Norepinephrine Systems that Promote PTSD-Like Startle Abnormalities.
AB  - The neurobiology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains unclear.
      Intense stress promotes PTSD, which has been associated with exaggerated startle
      and deficient sensorimotor gating. Here, we examined the long-term sequelae of a
      rodent model of traumatic stress (repeated predator exposure) on amygdala systems
      that modulate startle and prepulse inhibition (PPI), an operational measure of
      sensorimotor gating. We show in rodents that repeated psychogenic stress
      (predator) induces long-lasting sensitization of basolateral amygdala (BLA)
      noradrenergic (NE) receptors (alpha1) via a corticotropin-releasing factor
      receptor 1 (CRF-R1)-dependent mechanism, and that these CRF1 and NE alpha1
      receptors are highly colocalized on presumptive excitatory output projection
      neurons of the BLA. A profile identical to that seen with predator exposure was
      produced in nonstressed rats by intra-BLA infusions of CRF (200 ng/0.5 MUl), but
      not by repeated NE infusions (20 MUg/0.5 MUl). Infusions into the adjacent
      central nucleus of amygdala had no effect. Importantly, the predator stress- or
      CRF-induced sensitization of BLA manifested as heightened startle and PPI
      deficits in response to subsequent subthreshold NE system challenges (with intra
      BLA infusions of 0.3 MUg/0.5 MUl NE), up to 1 month after stress. This profile of
      effects closely resembles aspects of PTSD. Hence, we reveal a discrete neural
      pathway mediating the enhancement of NE system function seen in PTSD, and we
      offer a model for characterizing potential new treatments that may work by
      modulating this BLA circuitry. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The present findings
      reveal a novel and discrete neural substrate that could underlie certain core
      deficits (startle and prepulse inhibition) that are observed in post-traumatic
      stress disorder (PTSD). It is shown here that repeated exposure to a rodent model
      of traumatic stress (predator exposure) produces a long-lasting sensitization of
      basolateral amygdala noradrenergic substrates [via a corticotropin-releasing
      factor (CRF)-dependent mechanism] that regulate startle, which is exaggerated in
      PTSD. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the sensitized noradrenergic receptors
      colocalize with CRF1 receptors on output projection neurons of the basolateral
      amygdala. Hence, this stress-induced sensitization of noradrenergic receptors on
      basolateral nucleus efferents has wide-ranging implications for the numerous
      deleterious sequelae of trauma exposure that are seen in multiple psychiatric
      illnesses, including PTSD.

PMID- 26490868
TI  - Neuronal Migration Dynamics in the Developing Ferret Cortex.
AB  - During mammalian neocortical development, newborn excitatory and inhibitory
      neurons must migrate over long distances to reach their final positions within
      the cortical plate. In the lissencephalic rodent brain, pyramidal neurons are
      born in the ventricular and subventricular zones of the pallium and migrate along
      radial glia fibers to reach the appropriate cortical layer. Although much less is
      known about neuronal migration in species with a gyrencephalic cortex, retroviral
      studies in the ferret and primate suggest that, unlike the rodent, pyramidal
      neurons do not follow strict radial pathways and instead can disperse
      horizontally. However, the means by which pyramidal neurons laterally disperse
      remain unknown. In this study, we identified a viral labeling technique for
      visualizing neuronal migration in the ferret, a gyrencephalic carnivore, and
      found that migration was predominantly radial at early postnatal ages. In
      contrast, neurons displayed more tortuous migration routes with a decreased
      frequency of cortical plate-directed migration at later stages of neurogenesis
      concomitant with the start of brain folding. This was accompanied by neurons
      migrating sequentially along several different radial glial fibers, suggesting a
      mode by which pyramidal neurons may laterally disperse in a folded cortex. These
      findings provide insight into the migratory behavior of neurons in gyrencephalic
      species and provide a framework for using nonrodent model systems for studying
      neuronal migration disorders. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Elucidating neuronal
      migration dynamics in the gyrencephalic, or folded, cortex is important for
      understanding neurodevelopmental disorders. Similar to the rodent, we found that
      neuronal migration was predominantly radial at early postnatal ages in the
      gyrencephalic ferret cortex. Interestingly, ferret neurons displayed more
      tortuous migration routes and a decreased frequency of radial migration at later
      ages coincident with the start of cortical folding. We found that ferret neurons
      use several different radial glial fibers as migratory guides, including those
      belonging to the recently described outer radial glia, suggesting a mechanism by
      which ferret neurons disperse laterally. It is likely that excitatory neurons
      horizontally disperse in other gyrencephalic mammals, including the primate,
      suggesting an important modification to the current model deduced primarily from
      the rodent.

PMID- 26490867
TI  - Loss of RAD-23 Protects Against Models of Motor Neuron Disease by Enhancing
      Mutant Protein Clearance.
AB  - Misfolded proteins accumulate and aggregate in neurodegenerative disease. The
      existence of these deposits reflects a derangement in the protein homeostasis
      machinery. Using a candidate gene screen, we report that loss of RAD-23 protects
      against the toxicity of proteins known to aggregate in amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis. Loss of RAD-23 suppresses the locomotor deficit of Caenorhabditis
      elegans engineered to express mutTDP-43 or mutSOD1 and also protects against
      aging and proteotoxic insults. Knockdown of RAD-23 is further neuroprotective
      against the toxicity of SOD1 and TDP-43 expression in mammalian neurons.
      Biochemical investigation indicates that RAD-23 modifies mutTDP-43 and mutSOD1
      abundance, solubility, and turnover in association with altering the
      ubiquitination status of these substrates. In human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
      spinal cord, we find that RAD-23 abundance is increased and RAD-23 is
      mislocalized within motor neurons. We propose a novel pathophysiological function
      for RAD-23 in the stabilization of mutated proteins that cause neurodegeneration.
      SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: In this work, we identify RAD-23, a component of the
      protein homeostasis network and nucleotide excision repair pathway, as a modifier
      of the toxicity of two disease-causing, misfolding-prone proteins, SOD1 and TDP
      43. Reducing the abundance of RAD-23 accelerates the degradation of mutant SOD1
      and TDP-43 and reduces the cellular content of the toxic species. The existence
      of endogenous proteins that act as "anti-chaperones" uncovers new and general
      targets for therapeutic intervention.

PMID- 26490869
TI  - Somatosensory Contribution to the Initial Stages of Human Motor Learning.
AB  - The early stages of motor skill acquisition are often marked by uncertainty about
      the sensory and motor goals of the task, as is the case in learning to speak or
      learning the feel of a good tennis serve. Here we present an experimental model
      of this early learning process, in which targets are acquired by exploration and
      reinforcement rather than sensory error. We use this model to investigate the
      relative contribution of motor and sensory factors to human motor learning.
      Participants make active reaching movements or matched passive movements to an
      unseen target using a robot arm. We find that learning through passive movements
      paired with reinforcement is comparable with learning associated with active
      movement, both in terms of magnitude and durability, with improvements due to
      training still observable at a 1 week retest. Motor learning is also accompanied
      by changes in somatosensory perceptual acuity. No stable changes in motor
      performance are observed for participants that train, actively or passively, in
      the absence of reinforcement, or for participants who are given explicit
      information about target position in the absence of somatosensory experience.
      These findings indicate that the somatosensory system dominates learning in the
      early stages of motor skill acquisition. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The research
      focuses on the initial stages of human motor learning, introducing a new
      experimental model that closely approximates the key features of motor learning
      outside of the laboratory. The finding indicates that it is the somatosensory
      system rather than the motor system that dominates learning in the early stages
      of motor skill acquisition. This is important given that most of our
      computational models of motor learning are based on the idea that learning is
      motoric in origin. This is also a valuable finding for rehabilitation of patients
      with limited mobility as it shows that reinforcement in conjunction with passive
      movement results in benefits to motor learning that are as great as those
      observed for active movement training.

PMID- 26490870
TI  - PSD-Zip70 Deficiency Causes Prefrontal Hypofunction Associated with Glutamatergic
      Synapse Maturation Defects by Dysregulation of Rap2 Activity.
AB  - Dysregulation of synapse formation and plasticity is closely related to the
      pathophysiology of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. The prefrontal
      cortex (PFC) is particularly important for executive functions such as working
      memory, cognition, and emotional control, which are impaired in the disorders.
      PSD-Zip70 (Lzts1/FEZ1) is a postsynaptic density (PSD) protein predominantly
      expressed in the frontal cortex, olfactory bulb, striatum, and hippocampus. Here
      we found that PSD-Zip70 knock-out (PSD-Zip70KO) mice exhibit working memory and
      cognitive defects, and enhanced anxiety-like behaviors. These abnormal behaviors
      are caused by impaired glutamatergic synapse transmission accompanied by tiny
      headed immature dendritic spines in the PFC, due to aberrant Rap2 activation,
      which has roles in synapse formation and plasticity. PSD-Zip70 modulates the Rap2
      activity by interacting with SPAR (spine-associated RapGAP) and PDZ-GEF1 (RapGEF)
      in the postsynapse. Furthermore, suppression of the aberrant Rap2 activation in
      the PFC rescued the behavioral defects in PSD-Zip70KO mice. Our data demonstrate
      a critical role for PSD-Zip70 in Rap2-dependent spine synapse development in the
      PFC and underscore the importance of this regulation in PFC-dependent behaviors.
      SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: PSD-Zip70 deficiency causes behavioral defects in working
      memory and cognition, and enhanced anxiety due to prefrontal hypofunction. This
      study revealed that PSD-Zip70 plays essential roles in glutamatergic synapse
      maturation via modulation of the Rap2 activity in the PFC. PSD-Zip70 interacts
      with both SPAR (spine-associated RapGAP) and PDZ-GEF1 (RapGEF) and modulates the
      Rap2 activity in postsynaptic sites. Our results provide a novel Rap2-specific
      regulatory mechanism in synaptic maturation involving PSD-Zip70.

PMID- 26490872
TI  - Metabolic Connection of Inflammatory Pain: Pivotal Role of a Pyruvate
      Dehydrogenase Kinase-Pyruvate Dehydrogenase-Lactic Acid Axis.
AB  - Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases (PDK1-4) are mitochondrial metabolic regulators
      that serve as decision makers via modulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH)
      activity to convert pyruvate either aerobically to acetyl-CoA or anaerobically to
      lactate. Metabolic dysregulation and inflammatory processes are two sides of the
      same coin in several pathophysiological conditions. The lactic acid surge
      associated with the metabolic shift has been implicated in diverse painful
      states. In this study, we investigated the role of PDK-PDH-lactic acid axis in
      the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory pain. Deficiency of Pdk2 and/or Pdk4 in
      mice attenuated complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced pain hypersensitivities.
      Likewise, Pdk2/4 deficiency attenuated the localized lactic acid surge along with
      hallmarks of peripheral and central inflammation following intraplantar
      administration of CFA. In vitro studies supported the role of PDK2/4 as promoters
      of classical proinflammatory activation of macrophages. Moreover, the
      pharmacological inhibition of PDKs or lactic acid production diminished CFA
      induced inflammation and pain hypersensitivities. Thus, a PDK-PDH-lactic acid
      axis seems to mediate inflammation-driven chronic pain, establishing a connection
      between metabolism and inflammatory pain. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The
      mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) kinases (PDKs) and their substrate PDH
      orchestrate the conversion of pyruvate either aerobically to acetyl-CoA or
      anaerobically to lactate. Lactate, the predominant end product of glycolysis, has
      recently been identified as a signaling molecule for neuron-glia interactions and
      neuronal plasticity. Pathological metabolic shift and subsequent lactic acid
      production are thought to play an important role in diverse painful states;
      however, their contribution to inflammation-driven pain is still to be
      comprehended. Here, we report that the PDK-PDH-lactic acid axis constitutes a key
      component of inflammatory pain pathogenesis. Our findings establish an
      unanticipated link between metabolism and inflammatory pain. This study unlocks a
      previously ill-explored research avenue for the metabolic control of inflammatory
      pain pathogenesis.

PMID- 26490871
TI  - Laminar Profile and Physiology of the alpha Rhythm in Primary Visual, Auditory,
      and Somatosensory Regions of Neocortex.
AB  - The functional significance of the alpha rhythm is widely debated. It has been
      proposed that alpha reflects sensory inhibition and/or a temporal sampling or
      "parsing" mechanism. There is also continuing disagreement over the more
      fundamental questions of which cortical layers generate alpha rhythms and whether
      the generation of alpha is equivalent across sensory systems. To address these
      latter questions, we analyzed laminar profiles of local field potentials (LFPs)
      and concomitant multiunit activity (MUA) from macaque V1, S1, and A1 during both
      spontaneous activity and sensory stimulation. Current source density (CSD)
      analysis of laminar LFP profiles revealed alpha current generators in the
      supragranular, granular, and infragranular layers. MUA phase-locked to local
      current source/sink configurations confirmed that alpha rhythms index local
      neuronal excitability fluctuations. CSD-defined alpha generators were strongest
      in the supragranular layers, whereas LFP alpha power was greatest in the
      infragranular layers, consistent with some of the previous reports. The
      discrepancy between LFP and CSD findings appears to be attributable to
      contamination of the infragranular LFP signal by activity that is volume
      conducted from the stronger supragranular alpha generators. The presence of alpha
      generators across cortical depth in V1, S1, and A1 suggests the involvement of
      alpha in feedforward as well as feedback processes and is consistent with the
      view that alpha rhythms, perhaps in addition to a role in sensory inhibition, may
      parse sensory input streams in a way that facilitates communication across
      cortical areas. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The alpha rhythm is thought to reflect
      sensory inhibition and/or a temporal parsing mechanism. Here, we address two
      outstanding issues: (1) whether alpha is a general mechanism across sensory
      systems and (2) which cortical layers generate alpha oscillations. Using
      intracranial recordings from macaque V1, S1, and A1, we show alpha band activity
      with a similar spectral and laminar profile in each of these sensory areas.
      Furthermore, alpha generators were present in each of the cortical layers, with a
      strong source in superficial layers. We argue that previous findings, locating
      alpha generators exclusively in the deeper layers, were biased because of use of
      less locally specific local field potential measurements. The laminar
      distribution of alpha band activity appears more complex than generally assumed.

PMID- 26490873
TI  - Nurr1 and Retinoid X Receptor Ligands Stimulate Ret Signaling in Dopamine Neurons
      and Can Alleviate alpha-Synuclein Disrupted Gene Expression.
AB  - alpha-synuclein, a protein enriched in Lewy bodies and highly implicated in
      neurotoxicity in Parkinson's disease, is distributed both at nerve terminals and
      in the cell nucleus. Here we show that a nuclear derivative of alpha-synuclein
      induces more pronounced changes at the gene expression level in mouse primary
      dopamine (DA) neurons compared to a derivative that is excluded from the nucleus.
      Moreover, by RNA sequencing we analyzed the extent of genome-wide effects on gene
      expression resulting from expression of human alpha-synuclein in primary mouse DA
      neurons. The results implicated the transcription factor Nurr1 as a key
      dysregulated target of alpha-synuclein toxicity. Forced Nurr1 expression restored
      the expression of hundreds of dysregulated genes in primary DA neurons expressing
      alpha-synuclein, and therefore prompted us to test the possibility that Nurr1 can
      be pharmacologically targeted by bexarotene, a ligand for the retinoid X receptor
      that forms heterodimers with Nurr1. Although our data demonstrated that
      bexarotene was ineffective in neuroprotection in rats in vivo, the results
      revealed that bexarotene has the capacity to coregulate subsets of Nurr1 target
      genes including the receptor tyrosine kinase subunit Ret. Moreover, bexarotene
      was able to restore dysfunctional Ret-dependent neurotrophic signaling in alpha
      synuclein-overexpressing mouse DA neurons. These data highlight the role of the
      Nurr1-Ret signaling pathway as a target of alpha-synuclein toxicity and suggest
      that retinoid X receptor ligands with appropriate pharmacological properties
      could have therapeutic potential in Parkinson's disease. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT:
      How alpha-synuclein, a protein enriched in Lewy bodies in Parkinson's disease, is
      causing neuropathology in dopamine neurons remains unclear. This study elucidated
      how alpha-synuclein is influencing gene expression and how Nurr1, a transcription
      factor known to protect dopamine neurons against alpha-synuclein toxicity, can
      counteract these effects. Moreover, given the protective role of Nurr1, this
      study also investigated how Nurr1 could be pharmacologically targeted via
      bexarotene, a ligand of Nurr1's heterodimerization partner retinoid X receptor
      (RXR). The results showed that RXR ligands could increase neurotrophic signaling,
      but provided a mixed picture of its potential in a Parkinson's disease rat model
      in vivo. However, this study clearly emphasized Nurr1's neuroprotective role and
      indicated that other RXR ligands could have therapeutic potential in Parkinson's
      disease.

PMID- 26490874
TI  - Savings upon Re-Aiming in Visuomotor Adaptation.
AB  - Sensorimotor adaptation has traditionally been viewed as a purely error-based
      process. There is, however, growing appreciation for the idea that performance
      changes in these tasks can arise from the interplay of error-based adaptation
      with other learning processes. The challenge is to specify constraints on these
      different processes, elucidating their respective contributions to performance,
      as well as the manner in which they interact. We address this question by
      exploring constraints on savings, the phenomenon in which people show faster
      performance gains when the same learning task is repeated. In a series of five
      experiments, we demonstrate that error-based learning associated with
      sensorimotor adaptation does not contribute to savings. Instead, savings reflects
      improvements in action selection, rather than motor execution. SIGNIFICANCE
      STATEMENT: Savings is the phenomenon in which people show faster relearning of a
      previously forgotten memory. In the motor learning domain, this phenomenon has
      been a puzzle for learning models that operate exclusively on error-based
      learning processes. We demonstrate, in a series of experiments, that savings
      selectively reflects improvements in action selection: Participants are more
      adept in invoking an appropriate aiming strategy when presented with a previously
      experienced perturbation. Indeed, improvements in action selection appear to be
      the sole source of savings in visuomotor adaptation tasks. We observe no evidence
      of savings in implicit error-based adaptation.

PMID- 26490875
TI  - A Critical Gating Switch at a Modulatory Site in Neuronal Kir3 Channels.
AB  - Inwardly rectifying potassium channels enforce tight control of resting membrane
      potential in excitable cells. The Kir3.2 channel, a member of the Kir3 subfamily
      of G-protein-activated potassium channels (GIRKs), plays several roles in the
      nervous system, including key responsibility in the GABAB pathway of inhibition,
      in pain perception pathways via opioid receptors, and is also involved in
      alcoholism. PKC phosphorylation acts on the channel to reduce activity, yet the
      mechanism is incompletely understood. Using the heterologous Xenopus oocyte
      system combined with molecular dynamics simulations, we show that PKC modulation
      of channel activity is dependent on Ser-196 in Kir3.2 such that, when this site
      is phosphorylated, the channel is less sensitive to PKC inhibition. This reduced
      inhibition is dependent on an interaction between phospho-Ser (SEP)-196 and Arg
      201, reducing Arg-201 interaction with the sodium-binding site Asp-228.
      Neutralization of either SEP-196 or Arg-201 leads to a channel with reduced
      activity and increased sensitivity to PKC inhibition. This study clarifies the
      role of Ser-196 as an allosteric modulator of PKC inhibition and suggests that
      the SEP-196/Arg-201 interaction is critical for maintaining maximal channel
      activity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The inwardly rectifying potassium 3.2 (Kir3.2)
      channel is found principally in neurons that regulate diverse brain functions,
      including pain perception, alcoholism, and substance addiction. Activation or
      inhibition of this channel leads to changes in neuronal firing and chemical
      message transmission. The Kir3.2 channel is subject to regulation by
      intracellular signals including sodium, G-proteins, ethanol, the phospholipid
      phosphatidylinositol bis-phosphate, and phosphorylation by protein kinases. Here,
      we take advantage of the recently published structure of Kir3.2 to provide an in
      depth molecular view of how phosphorylation of a specific residue previously
      thought to be the target of PKC promotes channel gating and acts as an allosteric
      modulator of PKC-mediated inhibition.

PMID- 26490876
TI  - Reversible Deactivation of Motor Cortex Reveals Functional Connectivity with
      Posterior Parietal Cortex in the Prosimian Galago (Otolemur garnettii).
AB  - We examined the functional macrocircuitry of frontoparietal networks in the
      neocortex of prosimian primates (Otolemur garnettii) using a microfluidic thermal
      regulator to reversibly deactivate selected regions of motor cortex (M1). During
      deactivation of either forelimb or mouth/face movement domains within M1, we used
      long-train intracortical microstimulation techniques to evoke movements from the
      rostral division of posterior parietal cortex (PPCr). We found that deactivation
      of M1 movement domains in most instances abolished movements evoked in PPCr. The
      most common effect of deactivating M1 was to abolish evoked movements in a
      homotopic domain in PPCr. For example, deactivating M1 forelimb lift domains
      resulted in loss of evoked movement in forelimb domains in PPCr. However, at some
      sites, we also observed heterotopic effects; deactivating a specific domain in M1
      (e.g., forelimb lift) resulted in loss of evoked movement in a different movement
      domain in PPCr (e.g., hand-to-mouth or eye-blink). At most sites examined in
      PPCr, rewarming M1 resulted in a reestablishment of the baseline movement at the
      same amplitude as that observed before cooling. However, at some sites,
      reactivation did not result in a return to baseline movement or to the full
      amplitude of the baseline movement. We discuss our findings in the context of
      frontoparietal circuits and how they may subserve a repertoire of ecologically
      relevant behaviors. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The posterior parietal cortex (PPC)
      of primates integrates sensory information used to guide movements. Different
      modules within PPC and motor cortex (M1) appear to control various motor
      behaviors (e.g., reaching, defense, and feeding). How these modules work together
      may vary across species and may explain differences in dexterity and even the
      capacity for tool use. We investigated the functional connectivity of these
      modules in galagos, a prosimian primate with relatively simple frontoparietal
      circuitry. By deactivating a reaching module in M1, we interfered with the
      function of similar PPC modules and occasionally unrelated PPC modules as well
      (e.g., eye blink). This circuitry in galagos, therefore, is more complex than in
      nonprimates, indicating that it has been altered with the expansion of primate
      PPC.

PMID- 26490878
TI  - Global elimination of leprosy by 2020: are we on track?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Every year more than 200,000 new leprosy cases are registered
      globally. This number has been fairly stable over the past 8 years. WHO has set a
      target to interrupt the transmission of leprosy globally by 2020. The aim of this
      study is to investigate whether this target, interpreted as global elimination,
      is feasible given the current control strategy. We focus on the three most
      important endemic countries, India, Brazil and Indonesia, which together account
      for more than 80 % of all newly registered leprosy cases. METHODS: We used the
      existing individual-based model SIMCOLEP to predict future trends of leprosy
      incidence given the current control strategy in each country. SIMCOLEP simulates
      the spread of M. leprae in a population that is structured in households. Current
      control consists of passive and active case detection, and multidrug therapy
      (MDT). Predictions of leprosy incidence were made for each country as well as for
      one high-endemic region within each country: Chhattisgarh (India), Para State
      (Brazil) and Madura (Indonesia). Data for model quantification came from:
      National Leprosy Elimination Program (India), SINAN database (Brazil), and
      Netherlands Leprosy Relief (Indonesia). RESULTS: Our projections of future
      leprosy incidence all show a downward trend. In 2020, the country-level leprosy
      incidence has decreased to 6.2, 6.1 and 3.3 per 100,000 in India, Brazil and
      Indonesia, respectively, meeting the elimination target of less than 10 per
      100,000. However, elimination may not be achieved in time for the high-endemic
      regions. The leprosy incidence in 2020 is predicted to be 16.2, 21.1 and 19.3 per
      100,000 in Chhattisgarh, Para and Madura, respectively, and the target may only
      be achieved in another 5 to 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: Our predictions show that
      although country-level elimination is reached by 2020, leprosy is likely to
      remain a problem in the high-endemic regions (i.e. states, districts and
      provinces with multimillion populations), which account for most of the cases in
      a country.

PMID- 26490877
TI  - A Luminescent Nitrogen-Containing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Synthesized by
      Photocyclodehydrogenation with Unprecedented Regioselectivity.
AB  - We present a nitrogen-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (N-PAH), namely
      12-methoxy-9-(4-methoxyphenyl)-5,8-diphenyl-4-(pyridin-4-yl)pyreno[1,10,9
      h,i,j]isoquinoline (c-TPE-ON), which exhibits high quantum-yield emission both in
      solution (blue) and in the solid state (yellow). This molecule was unexpectedly
      obtained by a three-fold, highly regioselective photocyclodehydrogenation of a
      tetraphenylethylene-derived AIEgen. Based on manifold approaches involving
      UV/Vis, photoluminescence, and NMR spectroscopy as well as HRMS, we propose a
      reasonable mechanism for the formation of the disk-like N-PAH that is supported
      by density functional theory calculations. In contrast to most PAHs that are
      commonly used, our system does not suffer from entire fluorescence quenching in
      the solid state due to the peripheral aromatic rings preventing pi-pi stacking
      interactions, as evidenced by single-crystal X-ray analysis. Moreover, its rod
      like microcrystals exhibit excellent optical waveguide properties. Hence, c-TPE
      ON comprises a N-PAH with unprecedented luminescent properties and as such is a
      promising candidate for fabricating organic optoelectronic devices. Our design
      and synthetic strategy might lead to a more general approach to the preparation
      of solution- and solid-state luminescent PAHs. 

PMID- 26490879
TI  - The Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg model of absence epilepsy
      exhibits alterations in fear conditioning and latent inhibition consistent with
      psychiatric comorbidities in humans.
AB  - Behavioural, neurological, and genetic similarities exist in epilepsies, their
      psychiatric comorbidities, and various psychiatric illnesses, suggesting common
      aetiological factors. Rodent models of epilepsy are used to characterize the
      comorbid symptoms apparent in epilepsy and their neurobiological mechanisms. The
      present study was designed to assess Pavlovian fear conditioning and latent
      inhibition in a polygenetic rat model of absence epilepsy, i.e. Genetic Absence
      Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) and the non-epileptic control (NEC) strain.
      Electrophysiological recordings confirmed the presence of spike-wave discharges
      in young adult GAERS but not NEC rats. A series of behavioural tests designed to
      assess anxiety-like behaviour (elevated plus maze, open field, acoustic startle
      response) and cognition (Pavlovian conditioning and latent inhibition) was
      subsequently conducted on male and female offspring. Results showed that GAERS
      exhibited significantly higher anxiety-like behaviour, a characteristic reported
      previously. In addition, using two protocols that differed in shock intensity, we
      found that both sexes of GAERS displayed exaggerated cued and contextual
      Pavlovian fear conditioning and impaired fear extinction. Fear reinstatement to
      the conditioned stimuli following unsignalled footshocks did not differ between
      the strains. Male GAERS also showed impaired latent inhibition in a paradigm
      using Pavlovian fear conditioning, suggesting that they may have altered
      attention, particularly related to previously irrelevant stimuli in the
      environment. Neither the female GAERS nor NEC rats showed evidence of latent
      inhibition in our paradigm. Together, the results suggest that GAERS may be a
      particularly useful model for assessing therapeutics designed to improve the
      emotional and cognitive disturbances associated with absence epilepsy. 

PMID- 26490881
TI  - Successful treatment of neutropenic MRSA bacteremia  with septic superior vena
      cava thrombus and cerebral embolism  using high-dose daptomycin.

PMID- 26490882
TI  - Venous thromboembolism in adults with sickle cell disease: experience of a single
      centre in the UK.
AB  - Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a recognised complication of sickle cell disease
      (SCD), long considered to be a hypercoagulable state. While there is a good
      understanding of arterial thrombosis in SCD, the nature of VTE in SCD is less
      well-characterised. In this retrospective cohort study, we found that the
      incidence of VTE in our patient cohort was higher than in the non-SCD black
      population; patients of all SCD genotypes with VTE had significantly elevated
      steady-state platelet counts compared to those without. Recent hospitalisation
      (typically with acute sickle pain) was the commonest precipitating risk factor.
      These findings suggest consideration of longer VTE prophylaxis for acute hospital
      admissions in SCD.

PMID- 26490883
TI  - Factors affecting re-vegetation dynamics of experimentally restored extracted
      peatland in Estonia.
AB  - Increasing human activity continues to threaten peatlands, and as the area of
      natural mires declines, our obligation is to restore their ecosystem functions.
      Several restoration strategies have been developed for restoration of extracted
      peatlands, including "The moss layer transfer method", which was initiated on the
      Tassi extracted peatland in central Estonia in May 2012. Three-year study shows
      that despite the fluctuating water table, rainfall events can compensate for the
      insufficient moisture for mosses. Total plant cover on the restoration area
      attained 70 %, of which ~60 % is comprised of target species-Sphagnum mosses.
      From restoration treatments, spreading of plant fragments had a significant
      positive effect on the cover of bryophyte and vascular plants. Higher water table
      combined with higher plant fragments spreading density and stripping of oxidised
      peat layer affected positively the cover of targeted Sphagnum species. The
      species composition in the restoration area became similar to that in the donor
      site in a natural bog. Based on results, it was concluded that the method
      approved for restoration in North America gives good results also in the
      restoration of extracted peatland towards re-establishment of bog vegetation
      under northern European conditions. 

PMID- 26490884
TI  - Diazinon, an organophosphate pesticide, induces oxidative stress and genotoxicity
      in cells deriving from large intestine.
AB  - Diazinon (DZ) (O,O-diethyl-O-[2-isopropyl-6-methyl-4
      pyrimidinyl]phosphorothioate) is an organophosphate pesticide which is
      extensively used to control household insects and fruit and vegetable crops. The
      exposure to this pesticide has been linked to the development of the serious
      problem in several experimental animals. The contamination of food by DZ may
      increase its danger to humans. The aim of this study was to investigate the toxic
      effect of DZ on intestine using an in vitro model (HCT116). Therefore, we
      evaluated the cell viability, elucidated the generation of free radicals,
      measured the mitochondrial membrane potential, and valued DNA fragmentation. Our
      results showed that DZ is cytotoxic to HCT116. It causes oxidative damage through
      the generation of free radicals and induces lipid peroxidation and DNA
      fragmentation. We also demonstrated that such effects can be responsible for DZ
      induced apoptosis.

PMID- 26490885
TI  - Removal of the pharmaceuticals ibuprofen and iohexol by four wetland plant
      species in hydroponic culture: plant uptake and microbial degradation.
AB  - We aimed at assessing the effects of four wetland plant species commonly used in
      constructed wetland systems: Typha, Phragmites, Iris and Juncus for removing
      ibuprofen (IBU) and iohexol (IOH) from spiked culture solution and exploring the
      mechanisms responsible for the removal. IBU was nearly completely removed by all
      plant species during the 24-day experiment, whereas the IOH removal varied
      between 13 and 80 %. Typha and Phragmites were the most efficient in removing IBU
      and IOH, respectively, with first-order removal rate constants of 0.38 and 0.06
      day(-1), respectively. The pharmaceuticals were taken up by the roots and
      translocated to the aerial tissues. However, at the end of the experiment, plant
      accumulation constituted only up to 1.1 and 5.7 % of the amount of IBU and IOH
      spiked initially. The data suggest that the plants mainly function by
      facilitating pharmaceutical degradation in the rhizosphere through release of
      root exudates.

PMID- 26490886
TI  - Indoor second-hand smoking could mediate the associations of foods and adult
      happiness: Scottish Health Survey, 2012.
AB  - There has been literature on the relationship of food and happiness, but the role
      of second-hand smoking is less understood. Therefore, the aim of the present
      study was to examine if second-hand smoking might mediate the associations of
      food consumption and subjective happiness in a country-wide and population-based
      setting. Data was retrieved from the Scottish Health Survey, 2012. Information on
      demographics, frequency of consuming certain foods and subjective happiness was
      obtained by household interview. Chi-square test and survey-weighted logistic
      regression modelling were performed. Of the included Scottish adults aged 16-99
      (n = 4815), 15.4 % (n = 677) reported that they were unhappy. It was observed
      that eating lots of potatoes, some meat, some oily fish and some pastries were
      inversely associated with unhappiness. People who consumed vegetables and fruits
      on the day before the health interview were also found to be less unhappy,
      compared to their counterparts. However, the protective effect from fruits
      disappeared after additionally adjusting for indoor second-hand smoking while the
      protective effects from other foods mentioned above have also been lessened. In
      addition, cumulatively people who consumed more "happy foods" (mentioned above)
      were more likely to report subjective happiness, compared to those who did not
      consume any of those. For future research, longitudinally monitoring on the
      associations among food, household environment and psychological well-being and
      both the short-term and long-term effects would be suggested. For policy
      implications, Removal of indoor second-hand smoking to retain the protective
      effects from happy foods on well-being should be encouraged.

PMID- 26490887
TI  - Nanoparticle pollution and associated increasing potential risks on environment
      and human health: a case study of China.
AB  - The aims of this study are (1) to discuss the mechanism of nanoparticle lifecycle
      and estimate the impacts of its associated pollution on environment and human
      health; and (2) to provide recommendation to policy makers on how to leverage
      nanopollution and human health along with the rapid development of economics in
      China. Manufactured nanoparticles (MNPs) could either directly or indirectly
      impair human health and the environment. Exposures to MNP include many ways, such
      as via inhalation, ingestion, direct contact, or the use of consumer products
      over the lifecycle of the product. In China, the number of people exposed to MNP
      has been increasing year by year. To better provide medical care to people
      exposed to MNP, the Chinese government has established many disease control and
      prevention centers over China. However, the existing facilities and resources for
      controlling MNP are still not enough considering the number of people impacted by
      MNP and the number of ordinary workers in the MNP related industry applying for
      their occupational identification through the Center for Disease Control and
      Prevention. China should assess the apparent risk environment and human health
      being exposed to MNP and develop action plans to reduce the possibility of direct
      contacts between human beings and the emerging nanomaterials. In addition, we
      suggest more comprehensive studies on the MNP behavior and the development of
      quantitative approaches to measure MNP transport, and persistence should be
      carried out. 

PMID- 26490888
TI  - Comparative sensitivity among early life stages of the South American toad to
      cypermethrin-based pesticide.
AB  - Cypermethrin is one of the most widely used pesticides due to its low mammalian
      and bird toxicity, but it is extremely toxic to aquatic organisms. The aim of the
      present study was to evaluate the toxicity of a commercial formulation of
      cypermethrin on the embryo-larval development of Rhinella arenarum. An ecological
      risk assessment based on the hazard quotient (HQ) approach was performed. The
      results showed that cypermethrin toxicity was stage-dependent and dramatically
      increased during the larval period. Thus, larvae were more sensitive than
      embryos, obtaining at the end of the experiment a 336-h median lethal
      concentration (LC50) of 0.65 MUg cypermethrin/L. Cypermethrin exposure caused
      morphological abnormalities such as general underdevelopment, edema, gill
      malformations, and behavioral alterations as hyperkinesia and spasmodic
      contractions. The 168-h teratogenic index was 5, implying a high risk for embryos
      to be malformed in the absence of significant embryonic lethality. Based on the
      results of the toxicity effects and the ecological risk assessed (HQ for chronic
      exposure >  level of concern), this pesticide should be considered as a direct
      (effects on survival) or indirect (severe sublethal effects) risk for
      conservation purposes of this amphibian in agroecosystems.

PMID- 26490889
TI  - Mercury contamination from historical mining territory at Malachov Hg-deposit
      (Central Slovakia).
AB  - Environmental contamination caused by mercury is a serious problem worldwide. The
      study was conducted in order to identify Hg contamination in soil, technosoil
      from dumps, groundwater, and surface water in the surroundings of the abandoned
      Hg deposit of Malachov in Central Slovakia. Soil from the Malachovsky brook
      valley was classified as cambi-soil (rendzina). The highest Hg concentrations
      (44.24 mg kg(-1)) were described in the soil from the mining area at the Vel'ka
      Studna locality. In the groundwater, the maximal Hg content is 0.84 MUg L(-1),
      and in the surface water it is 394 MUg L(-1). The speciation study proved that in
      most samples, Hg occurs in the form of cinnabarite. The release of Hg into the
      environment as a consequence of weathering is limited.

PMID- 26490890
TI  - Seasonal difference of human adenoviruses in a subtropical river basin based on 1
      year monthly survey.
AB  - In this study, the seasonal difference and the observable presence/absence of
      human adenovirus (HAdV) in the Puzih River basin in Taiwan was investigated. A
      total of 288 water samples were collected from 24 sites from March 2014 to
      February 2015. Human AdV analysis of sample was subjected to viral concentration
      using a GN-6 Metricel(r) filter, followed by DNA extraction, nested-PCR, and
      qPCR. Human AdV was detected in 34.3 % (99/288) of the entire river water sample.
      A higher percentage of HAdV (76.4 %) was obtained during the winter. The HAdV
      median concentration was relatively high in fall (1.4 * 10(3) copies/L) and
      winter (2.8 * 10(3) copies/L). Significant difference and correlation were found
      between the seasonal variation of HAdV and water quality parameters, including
      heterotrophic plate count, total coliform, water temperature, and turbidity. The
      most frequently identified HAdV (subgenus F) serotype was 41. Human AdV-41 is the
      main cause of gastroenteritis and should be considered for associated human
      health risk potential in the Puzih River basin.

PMID- 26490891
TI  - Assessing the use of nanoimmobilized laccases to remove micropollutants from
      wastewater.
AB  - Enzymes immobilization is a useful way to allow enzyme reuse and increase their
      stability. A high redox potential laccase from Trametes versicolor (TvL) and a
      low redox potential, but commercially available low-cost laccase from
      Myceliophthora thermophila (MtL), were successfully immobilized and co
      immobilized onto fumed silica nanoparticles (fsNP). Enzyme loads of 1.78 +/-
      0.07, 0.69 +/- 0.03, and 1.10 +/- 0.01 U/mg fsNP were attained for the optimal
      doses of TvL, MtL, and co-immobilized laccases, respectively. In general, the
      laccase-fsNP conjugates showed a higher resistance against an acidic pH value
      (i.e., pH 3), and a higher storage stability than free enzymes. In addition,
      immobilized enzymes exhibited a superior long-term stability than free laccases
      when incubated in a secondary effluent from a municipal wastewater treatment
      plant (WWTP). For instance, the residual activity after 2 weeks for the co
      immobilized laccases and the mixture of free laccases were 40.2 +/- 2.5% and 16.8
      +/- 1.0%, respectively. The ability of the laccase-fsNP to remove a mixture of
      (14)C-bisphenol A (BPA) and (14)C-sodium diclofenac (DCF) from spiked secondary
      effluents was assessed in batch experiments. The catalytic efficiency was highly
      dependent on both the microbial source and state of the biocatalyst. The high
      redox potential TvL in free form attained a four-fold higher percentage of BPA
      transformation than the free MtL. Compared to free laccases, immobilized enzymes
      led to much slower rates of BPA transformation. For instance, after 24 h, the
      percentages of BPA transformation by 1000 U/L of a mixture of free laccases or co
      immobilized enzymes were 67.8 +/- 5.2 and 27.0 +/- 3.9%, respectively.
      Nevertheless, the use of 8000 U/L of co-immobilized laccase led to a nearly
      complete removal of BPA, despite the unfavorable conditions for laccase catalysis
      (pH ~ 8.4). DCF transformation was not observed for any of the enzymatic systems,
      showing that this compound is highly recalcitrant toward laccase oxidation under
      realistic conditions.

PMID- 26490892
TI  - Levels, distributions and correlations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in air
      and dust of household and workplace in Shanghai, China: implication for daily
      human exposure.
AB  - Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were measured in air (TSP and PM2.5) and
      dust samples collected from 16 households and the corresponding workplaces of
      eight volunteer citizens in Shanghai, China. The PBDEs concentrations in the
      workplace air (mean: 281 +/- 126 pg m(-3)) were over two times higher than those
      in the household (121 +/- 44.0 pg m(-3)), while the mean levels of PBDEs in dust
      were 995 +/- 547 and 544 +/- 188 ng g(-1) for workplace and household,
      respectively. BDE209 was the most abundant congener in all samples. PBDEs
      appeared to be composed of mostly small particles. The C particle/C dust ratios
      of less brominated PBDEs in PM2.5 were higher than those in TSP, while the values
      were approximately constant for the more brominated PBDEs. A correlation analysis
      by network indicated different sources and behavior of the PBDE congeners. The
      results of a cluster analysis were displayed on a heat map that specified the
      source and abundance of each PBDE congener. The daily PBDE exposure via dust
      ingestion was the predominant part of the total intake and was more than 10 times
      higher than the intake via inhalation.

PMID- 26490893
TI  - Assessment of the bioavailability and phytotoxicity of sediment spiked with
      polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
AB  - Large amounts of sediment are dredged globally every year. This sediment is often
      contaminated with low concentrations of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,
      pesticides and other organic pollutants. Some of this sediment is disposed of on
      land, creating a need for risk assessment of the sediment disposal method, to
      minimize the degradation of environmental quality and prevent risks to human
      health. Evaluating the available fractions of certain polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons is very important, as in the presence of various organisms, they are
      believed to be easily subject to the processes of bioaccumulation, biosorption
      and transformation. In order to determine the applicability of applying these
      methods for the evaluation of pollutant bioavailability in sediments, the
      desorption kinetics from the sediment of various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
      in the presence of Tenax and XAD4 were examined over the course of 216 h. Changes
      in the PAH concentrations in dredged sediments using five different seed plants
      during a short time of period (10 days) were also followed. Using chemical
      extraction techniques with Tenax and XAD4, a time of around 24 h is enough to
      achieve equilibrium for all four PAHs. Results showed good agreement between the
      seed accumulation and PAH extraction methods with both agents. If we compare the
      two extraction techniques, XAD4 gave better results for phenanthrene, pyrene and
      benzo(a)pyrene, and Tenax gave better results for chrysene.

PMID- 26490894
TI  - Spatial distribution, health risk assessment, and isotopic composition of lead
      contamination of street dusts in different functional areas of Beijing, China.
AB  - Street dusts from heavy density traffic area (HDTA), tourism area (TA),
      residential area (RA), and educational area (EA) in Beijing were collected to
      explore the distribution, health risk assessment, and source of lead (Pb). The
      average concentration of Pb in TA was the highest among the four areas. Compared
      with other cities, Pb concentrations in Beijing were generally at moderate or low
      levels. The average value (14.05) of ecological risk index (RI) indicated that Pb
      was at "low pollution risk" status. According to the calculation on hazard index
      (HI), the ingestion of dust particles of children and adults was the major route
      of exposure to street dusts in four studied areas, followed by dermal contact.
      The lower values of HI than 1 further suggested that non-carcinogenic risks of Pb
      in the street dusts were in the low range. Comparing (206)Pb/(207)Pb and
      (208)Pb/(207)Pb ratios of street dusts with other environmental samples, it was
      found that atmospheric deposition of coal combustion dust might be the main
      pathway for anthropogenic Pb input to the street dusts in four functional areas. 

PMID- 26490895
TI  - Early genotoxic response and accumulation induced by waterborne copper, lead, and
      arsenic in European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax.
AB  - Cu, Pb, and As, which are among the most abundant metals in the aquatic
      environment, are also among the most health-threatened by causing diverse
      cellular injuries. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the potential
      early induction of genotoxic effects after waterborne Cu, Pb, and As exposure in
      European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax, a commercial widely cultured fish, using
      the micronucleus (MN) assay in peripheral blood erythrocytes. Fish were exposed
      under laboratory conditions to nominal solutions ranging 0-10 mg/L for 24 and 96
      h. Furthermore, actual metal ion concentrations were measured by inductively
      coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) or differential pulse
      anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) in water and four fish tissues
      differentially related to environmental exposition and metal accumulation, i.e.
      the gills, liver, muscle, and brain. Dose-dependent increases of micronuclei
      (MNi) frequency were observed after these very short exposures; based on measured
      metal concentrations in water, the genotoxic effect ordered as Cu > As > Pb.
      Significant genotoxic effect at 0.009 mg/L Cu, 0.57 mg/L Pb, and 0.01 mg/L As was
      seen. For Cu and Pb these are only slightly higher, but for As it is notably
      lower than the USEPA criteria of maximum concentration to prevent acute toxicity
      in aquatic organisms. Furthermore, genotoxicity was differentially related to
      metal accumulation. MNi frequency correlated positively with the content of Pb in
      all the organs, with the content of As in liver and gills and only with the
      content of Cu in the brain. In conclusion, our findings raised environmental
      concerns because these depicted a genotoxic potential of Cu, Pb, and As after a
      very short exposure to low but environmentally relevant concentrations, too close
      to regulatory thresholds. In addition, the MN test in D. labrax could be
      considered an early biomarker of genotoxicity induced by these metals in fish.

PMID- 26490896
TI  - Trends in health burden of ambient particulate matter pollution in Iran, 1990
      2010: findings from the Global Burden of Disease study 2010.
AB  - This paper aims to report the assessment of trends in deaths and disability
      adjusted life years (DALYs) attributed to ambient particulate matter (PM)
      pollution from 1990 to 2010 by sex and age in Iran. We used the data of the
      Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2010 Study, and then we extracted its data on Iran
      for the years 1990, 2005, and 2010. The proportion of deaths and the DALYs caused
      by specific risk factors were assessed by using the comparative risk assessment
      and calculating the attributed burden of exposure level to each risk factor
      compared with the theoretical minimum level of risk exposure. Uncertainties in
      distribution of exposure, relative risks, and relevant outcomes calculation were
      disseminated into the estimates of the attributable deaths and DALYs. We found
      that the age-standardized death rate attributed to ambient PM pollution decreased
      to 27.90 cases per 100,000 populations from 1990 to 2010 [86, 95% uncertainty
      interval (UI) 76-97 to 62; 95% UI 54-71 per 100,000 populations, respectively].
      This was mainly because of greater decrease in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)
      than in the other diseases attributed to PM pollution. Despite a decrease in the
      total DALYs and mortality rate attributed to PM pollution, the death percent
      increased by 6.94%, 95% UI 6.06-7.90% from 1990 to 2010. The number of the DALYs
      and death in age groups of more than 70 years increased in 2010 compared to that
      in 1990. The median percent change of the DALYs and death for all age groups
      shows that the DALYs and death increased by 6% (95% UI 8-19%) and 45% (95% UI 30
      60%), respectively, in 2010 in comparison to that in 1990. The increase in the
      DALYs and mortality attributable to PM pollution emphasizes the necessity of the
      effective interventions for improving air quality, as well as for increasing the
      public awareness to reduce the exposure of vulnerable age groups to PM pollution.

PMID- 26490897
TI  - Urinary heavy metals, phthalates, perchlorate, nitrate,  thiocyanate,
      hydrocarbons, and polyfluorinated compounds  are associated with adult hearing
      disturbance: USA NHANES,  2011-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Links between environmental chemicals and human health have emerged,
      but the effects on hearing were less studied. Therefore, the aim of the present
      study was to investigate the relationships of different sets of environmental
      chemicals and the hearing conditions in a national and population-based setting.
      METHODS: Data was retrieved from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination
      Surveys, 2011-2012 including demographics, serum measurements, lifestyle factors,
      self-reported hearing conditions, and urinary environmental chemical
      concentrations. Chi-square test, t test, and survey-weighted logistic regression
      models were performed. RESULTS: Among the American adults aged 20-69 (n=5560),
      462 (8.3 %) people reported their hearing condition as moderate trouble to deaf.
      They had higher levels of urinary hydrocarbons and polyfluorinated compounds but
      not heavy metals, phthalates, arsenic, pesticides, phenols, parabens,
      perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate concentrations. Also, 466 (10.0 %) people
      had hearing difficulties during conversation. They had higher levels of urinary
      cobalt (odds ratio (OR) 1.27, 95 % confidence interval (95%CI) 1.00-1.63),
      molybdemum (OR 1.45, 95%CI 1.04-2.02), strontium (OR 1.56, 95%CI 1.10-2.21),
      phthalates, perchlorate (OR 1.27, 95%CI 1.05-1.54), nitrate (OR 1.60, 1.03-2.49)
      and thiocyanate (OR 1.22, 95%CI 1.01-1.48) concentrations but not arsenic,
      pesticides, phenols, parabens, hydrocarbons, and polyfluorinated compounds.
      Moreover, people who reported difficulties in following conversation with
      background noise had higher levels of urinary tin concentrations (OR 1.17, 1.00
      1.36). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary heavy metals, phthalates, perchlorate, nitrate,
      thiocyanate, hydrocarbons, and polyfluorinated compounds were associated with the
      adult hearing disturbance, although the causality cannot be established.
      Elimination of these environmental chemicals might need to be considered in
      future environmental health policy and health intervention programs.

PMID- 26490898
TI  - Bioavailability and mobility of organic contaminants in soil: new three-step
      ecotoxicological evaluation.
AB  - A novel approach was developed for rapid assessment of bioavailability and
      potential mobility of contaminants in soil. The response of the same test
      organism to the organic extract, water extract and solid phase of soil was
      recorded and compared. This approach was designed to give an initial estimate of
      the total organic toxicity (response to organic extractable fraction), as well as
      the mobile (response to water extract) and bioavailable fraction (response to
      solid phase) of soil samples. Eighteen soil samples with different levels of
      pollution and content of organic carbon were selected to validate the novel three
      step ecotoxicological evaluation approach. All samples were chemically analysed
      for priority contaminants, including aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs),
      polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and
      dichlordiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). The ecotoxicological evaluation involved
      determination of toxicity of the organic, mobile and bioavailable fractions of
      soil to the test organism, bacterium Bacillus cereus. We found a good correlation
      between the chemical analysis and the toxicity of organic extract. The low
      toxicity of water extracts indicated low water solubility, and thus, low
      potential mobility of toxic contaminants present in the soil samples. The
      toxicity of the bioavailable fraction was significantly greater than the toxicity
      of water-soluble (mobile) fraction of the contaminants as deduced from comparing
      untreated samples and water extracts. The bioavailability of the contaminants
      decreased with increasing concentrations of organic carbon in evaluated soil
      samples. In conclusion, the three-step ecotoxicological evaluation utilised in
      this study can give a quick insight into soil contamination in context with
      bioavailability and mobility of the contaminants present. This information can be
      useful for hazard identification and risk assessment of soil-associated
      contaminants. Graphical Abstract New three-step ecotoxicological evaluation by
      using the same organism. 

PMID- 26490899
TI  - Scenario-based analysis of traffic-related PM2.5 concentration: Lisbon case
      study.
AB  - Air quality in urban centers constitutes a challenge ahead for most cities. For
      this reason, the objective of this research work was to evaluate the impacts of
      changing traffic-related parameters on particulate matter (PM) concentration for
      several hierarchical street levels using real-world data for the city of Lisbon,
      Portugal. For that purpose, 2014 data regarding meteorological conditions,
      traffic volumes, typical vehicle speed, and a vehicle representative of the fleet
      was used in an air quality dispersion model (CALINE4). The available data allowed
      building a baseline case for several streets that are representative of the
      traffic circulation conditions in Lisbon, which was compared with different
      scenarios: hypothetical introduction of a cordon toll (S1.1 to S1.4) and the
      implementation of a low emission zone (S2.1 and 2.2). The results indicate that
      reductions on PM2.5 concentrations from 5 to 42 % may be obtained from the
      implementation of the scenarios. Overall, this study demonstrates that modeling
      tools based on real-world data can provide a good approach to study urban
      policies regarding traffic-related PM exposure. Additionally, implementation of
      such measures requires an integrated strategy that enables proper enforcement and
      monitoring, as well as an adequate management of traffic flows between the
      implementation boundaries.

PMID- 26490900
TI  - Ligand-enhanced electrokinetic remediation of metal-contaminated marine sediments
      with high acid buffering capacity.
AB  - The suitability of electrokinetic remediation for removing heavy metals from
      dredged marine sediments with high acid buffering capacity was investigated.
      Laboratory-scale electrokinetic remediation experiments were carried out by
      applying two different voltage gradients to the sediment (0.5 and 0.8 V/cm) while
      circulating water or two different chelating agents at the electrode
      compartments. Tap water, 0.1 M citric acid and 0.1 M ethylenediaminetetraacetic
      acid (EDTA) solutions were used respectively. The investigated metals were Zn,
      Pb, V, Ni and Cu. In the unenhanced experiment, the acid front could not
      propagate due to the high acid buffering capacity of the sediments; the
      production of OH(-) ions at the cathode resulted in a high-pH environment causing
      the precipitation of CaCO3 and metal hydroxides. The use of citric acid prevented
      the formation of precipitates, but solubilisation and mobilisation of metal
      species were not sufficiently achieved. Metal removal was relevant when EDTA was
      used as the conditioning agent, and the electric potential was raised up to 0.8
      V/cm. EDTA led to the formation of negatively charged complexes with metals which
      migrated towards the anode compartment by electromigration. This result shows
      that metal removal from sediments with high acid buffering capacity may be
      achieved by enhancing the electrokinetic process by EDTA addition when the
      acidification of the medium is not economically and/or environmentally
      sustainable. 

PMID- 26490901
TI  - Use of multivariate dispersion to assess water quality based on species
      composition data.
AB  - Multivariate dispersion is a powerful approach to determine the variability in
      species composition of a fauna or a flora and has been considered as a broad beta
      diversity in global ecological research. To explore the availability of the
      dispersions based on species composition data for assessing water quality, a
      dataset of ciliated protozoa in a basin ecosystem, northern China, was studied.
      Samples were collected from five sampling stations, within a significant
      heterogeneity of environmental stress. The homogeneity of multivariate
      dispersions in species composition of the ciliate assemblages represented a clear
      spatial pattern in response to the environmental stress. Multivariate analysis
      demonstrated that the spatial variation in species composition of the ciliate was
      significantly correlated with the changes of environmental variables, especially
      the nutrients, in combination with the salinity and pH, or alone. Furthermore,
      the dispersion measure was found to be significantly related to the nutrient.
      Based on our data, we suggest that multivariate dispersion measures based on
      species presence/absence data might be used as a potential bioindicator of water
      quality in marine ecosystems. 

PMID- 26490902
TI  - Toward inline multiplex biodetection of metals, bacteria, and toxins in water
      networks: the COMBITOX project.

PMID- 26490903
TI  - Using air, soil and vegetation to assess the environmental behaviour of
      siloxanes.
AB  - This study aimed to contribute to the enhancement of the knowledge of levels,
      trends and behaviour of eight siloxanes (four linear and four cyclic) in the
      environment. Adding to the prioritised scrutiny of the incidence in the
      atmosphere through passive samplers (sorbent-impregnated polyurethane foam disks-
      SIPs), the sampling of pine needles and soil was also performed, thus closing the
      circle of atmospheric exposure in the areas of study. Two sampling campaigns (one
      in summer and one in winter) were done in a total of eight sampling points in the
      Portuguese territory, which covered a wide range of human presence and land uses
      (urban, industrial, remote and beach areas). By adopting a "green" approach in
      terms of analytical methods, namely reducing the clean-up steps for the passive
      air samples and using the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe
      (QuEChERS) technology for soils and pine needles, the results showed total
      concentration of siloxanes between 5 and 70 ng g(-1) (dry weight) for soils and
      from 2 to 118 ng g(-1) (dry weight (dw)) for pine needles, with no clear seasonal
      trend. For SIPs, the levels varied from 0.6 to 7.8 ng m(-3) and were higher in
      summer than in winter in all sites. Overall, the cyclic siloxanes were found in
      much higher concentrations, with D5 and D6 being the most predominant in a great
      majority of cases. Also, the urban and industrial areas had the highest
      incidence, suggesting a strong anthropogenic fingerprint, in line with their main
      uses.

PMID- 26490904
TI  - Investigation of (235)U, (226)Ra, (232)Th, (40)K, (137)Cs, and heavy metal
      concentrations in Anzali international wetland using high-resolution gamma-ray
      spectrometry and atomic absorption spectroscopy.
AB  - Measurements of natural radioactivity levels and heavy metals in sediment and
      soil samples of the Anzali international wetland were carried out by two HPGe
      gamma ray spectrometry and atomic absorption spectroscopy techniques. The
      concentrations of (235)U, (226)Ra, (232)Th, (40)K, and (137)Cs in sediment
      samples ranged between 1.05 +/- 0.51-5.81 +/- 0.61, 18.06 +/- 0.63-33.36 +/-
      .0.34, 17.57 +/- 0.38-45.84 +/- 6.23, 371.88 +/- 6.36-652.28 +/- 11.60, and 0.43
      +/- 0.06-63.35 +/- 0.94 Bq/kg, while in the soil samples they vary between 2.36
      5.97, 22.71-38.37, 29.27-42.89, 472.66-533, and 1.05-9.60 Bq/kg for (235)U,
      (226)Ra, (232)Th, (40)K, and (137)Cs, respectively. Present results are compared
      with the available literature data and also with the world average values. The
      radium equivalent activity was well below the defined limit of 370 Bq/kg. The
      external hazard indices were found to be less than 1, indicating a low dose.
      Heavy metal concentrations were found to decrease in order as Fe > Mn > Sr > Zn >
      Cu > Cr > Ni > Pb > Co > Cd. These measurements will serve as background
      reference levels for the Anzali wetland.

PMID- 26490905
TI  - Acute effects of grayanotoxin in rhododendron honey on kidney functions in rats.
AB  - The aim of the study is to evaluate the acute biochemical and histological
      changes in rat kidneys after treatment with grayanotoxin (GTX) of rhododendron
      honey (RH). A total of 60 Sprague-Dawley female rats were divided into five
      groups of 12 rats each, one being a control group (group 1) and group 2 was
      treated with 0.015 mg/kg/bw of GTX standard preparation via intraperitoneal
      injection. Groups 3, 4, and 5 were given RH at doses of 0.1, 0.5, and 2.5
      g/kg/bw, respectively, via oral gavage. Compared to the control group,
      significant increases were observed in glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and
      creatinine levels of the GTX-injected groups after 1 h. However, in low dose RH
      group, such an increase was not observed and had a normal appearance
      histologically. Therefore, low dose (1 g/kg/bw) of RH produces no acute adverse
      effects on renal functions of rats.

PMID- 26490906
TI  - Hydrocarbons and heavy metals in fine particulates in oil field air: possible
      impacts on production of natural silk.
AB  - Analyses of fine particulates (PM2.5) from the upper Assam oil fields of India
      indicated considerable presence of higher hydrocarbons (C22-C35) and heavy
      metals, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. This has raised serious concern for the
      sustainability of the exotic Muga (Antheraea assama) silk production, which has
      been a prime activity of a large number of people living in the area. The Muga
      worm feeds on the leaves of Machilus bombycina plant, and the impacts of air
      quality on its survival were further investigated by analyzing the leaves of the
      plant, the plantation soil, and the Muga cocoons. PM2.5 content in the air was
      much more during the winter due to near calm conditions and high humidity.
      Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) analysis of PM2.5 showed the presence of
      higher alkanes (C22-C35) that could be traced to crude oil. Cr, Ni, and Zn were
      found in higher concentrations in PM2.5, M. bombycina leaves, and the plantation
      soil indicating a common origin. The winter has been the best period for
      production of the silk cocoons, and the unhealthy air during this period is
      likely to affect the production, which is already reflected in the declining
      yield of Muga cocoons from the area. SEM and protein analyses of the Muga silk
      fiber produced in the oil field area have exhibited the deteriorating quality of
      the silk. This is the first report from India on hydrocarbons and associated
      metals in PM2.5 collected from an oil field and on their possible effects on
      production of silk by A. assama. 

PMID- 26490907
TI  - Immobilization of tetracyclines in manure and manure-amended soils using aluminum
      based drinking water treatment residuals.
AB  - Veterinary antibiotics (VAs) are emerging contaminants of concern in the
      environment, mainly due to the potential for development of antibiotic-resistant
      bacteria and effect on microbiota that could interfere with crucial ecosystem
      functions such as nutrient cycling and decomposition. High levels of VAs such as
      tetracyclines (TCs) have been reported in agricultural soils amended with manure,
      which also has the potential to cause surface and groundwater contamination.
      Several recent studies have focused on developing methods to immobilize VAs such
      as composting with straw, hardwood chips, commercial biochar, aeration, mixing,
      heat treatment, etc. The major shortcomings of these methods include high cost
      and limited effectiveness. In the current study, we assessed the effectiveness of
      aluminum-based drinking water treatment residuals (Al-WTR) as a "green" sorbent
      to immobilize TCs in manure and manure-applied soils with varying physicochemical
      properties by laboratory incubation study. Results show that Al-WTR is very
      effective in immobilizing tetracycline (TTC) and oxytetracycline (OTC). The
      presence of phosphate resulted in significant (p < 0.01) decrease in TTC/OTC
      sorption by Al-WTR, but the presence of sulfate did not. attenuated total
      reflection (ATR)-FTIR spectroscopy indicate that TTC and OTC likely forming
      surface complexes via inner-sphere-type bonds in soils, manure, and manure
      applied soils amended with Al-WTR.

PMID- 26490908
TI  - Effects of concentrated leachate injection modes on stabilization of landfilled
      waste.
AB  - Injection of concentrated leachate to landfills is a simple and cost-effective
      technology for concentrated leachate treatment. In this study, the effects of
      injection mode of concentrated leachate and its hydraulic loading rate on the
      stabilization of landfilled waste were investigated. Compared with the injection
      of concentrated leachate, the joint injection of leachate and concentrated
      leachate (1:1, v/v) was more beneficial to the degradation of landfilled waste
      and mitigated the discharge amount of pollutants at the hydraulic loading rate of
      5.9 L m(-2) day(-1). As the hydraulic loading rate of the joint injection of
      leachate and concentrated leachate was increased from 5.9 to 17.6 L m(-2) day(
      1), the organic matter, biologically degradable matter, and total nitrogen of
      landfilled waste were degraded more rapidly, with the degradation constant of the
      first-order kinetics of 0.005, 0.004, and 0.003, respectively. Additionally, NO2(
      )-N and NO3(-)-N in the concentrated leachate could be well removed in the
      landfill bioreactors. These results showed that a joint injection of concentrated
      leachate and raw leachate might be a good way to relieve the inhibitory effect of
      high concentrations of toxic pollutants in the concentrated leachate and
      accelerate the stabilization of landfilled waste.

PMID- 26490909
TI  - Modeling the feedback between aerosol and boundary layer processes: a case study
      in Beijing, China.
AB  - Rapid development has led to frequent haze in Beijing. With mountains and sea
      surrounding Beijing, the pollution is found to be influenced by the mountain
      plain breeze and sea-land breeze in complex ways. Meanwhile, the presence of
      aerosols may affect the surface energy balance and impact these boundary layer
      (BL) processes. The effects of BL processes on aerosol pollution and the feedback
      between aerosol and BL processes are not yet clearly understood. Thus, the
      Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) is used
      to investigate the possible effects and feedbacks during a haze episode on 23
      September 2011. Influenced by the onshore prevailing wind, sea-breeze, and
      upslope breeze, about 45% of surface particulate matter (PM)2.5 in Beijing are
      found to be contributed by its neighbor cities through regional transport. In the
      afternoon, the development of upslope breeze suppresses the growth of BL in
      Beijing by imposing a relatively low thermal stable layer above the BL, which
      exacerbates the pollution. Two kinds of feedback during the daytime are revealed
      as follows: (1) as the aerosols absorb and scatter the solar radiation, the
      surface net radiation and sensible heat flux are decreased, while BL temperature
      is increased, resulting in a more stable and shallower BL, which leads to a
      higher surface PM2.5 concentration in the morning and (2) in the afternoon, as
      the presence of aerosols increases the BL temperature over plains, the upslope
      breeze is weakened, and the boundary layer height (BLH) over Beijing is
      heightened, resulting in the decrease of the surface PM2.5 concentration there.

PMID- 26490910
TI  - Simultaneous acid red 27 decolourisation and bioelectricity generation in a (H
      type) microbial fuel cell configuration using NAR-2.
AB  - Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent one of the most attractive and eco-friendly
      technologies that convert chemical bond energy derived from organic matter into
      electrical power by microbial catabolic activity. This paper presents the use of
      a H-type MFC involving a novel NAR-2 bacterial consortium consisting of
      Citrobacter sp. A1, Enterobacter sp. L17 and Enterococcus sp. C1 to produce
      electricity whilst simultaneously decolourising acid red 27 (AR27) as a model
      dye, which is also known as amaranth. In this setup, the dye AR27 is mixed with
      modified P5 medium (2.5 g/L glucose and 5.0 g/L nutrient broth) in the anode
      compartment, whilst phosphate buffer solution (PBS) pH 7 serves as a catholyte in
      the cathode compartment. After several electrochemical analyses, the open circuit
      voltage (OCV) for 0.3 g/L AR27 with 24-h retention time at 30  degrees C was
      recorded as 0.950 V, whereas (93%) decolourisation was achieved in 220-min
      operation. The maximum power density was reached after 48 h of operation with an
      external load of 300 Omega. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed
      the surface morphology of the anode and the bacterial adhesion onto the electrode
      surface. The results of this study indicate that the decolourisation of AR27 dye
      and electrical power generation was successfully achieved in a MFC operated by a
      bacterial consortium. The consortium of bacteria was able to utilise AR27 in a
      short retention time as an electron acceptor and to shuttle the electrons to the
      anode surface for bioelectricity generation.

PMID- 26490911
TI  - Biodegradation of benzo(a)pyrene by two freshwater microalgae Selenastrum
      capricornutum and Scenedesmus acutus: a comparative study useful for
      bioremediation.
AB  - A comparative evaluation of the removal of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) by sorption and
      degradation by two microalgal species, Selenastrum capricornutum and Scenedesmus
      acutus was performed. The monitoring of the amount of BaP remaining in the liquid
      culture media and the biomass along with the appearance of three metabolites (4,5
      dihydrodiol-BaP; 7,8-dihydrodiol-BaP; and 9,10 dihydrodiol-BaP) at short time
      periods (from 0.25 to 72 h) in cultures exposed to BaP was made by high
      performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence and UV detection.
      Complete removal of BaP was achieved by the two live microalgal species: S.
      capricornutum at 15 h of exposure (99%) and S. acutus at 72 h of exposure (95%).
      Sorption is an important phenomenon for BaP removal by S. capricornutum but
      biodegradation is the principal means of removing BaP in live cells. The
      formation of metabolites by S. capricornutum is rapid and seems to be
      proportional to the amount of the BaP added to cultures. In contrast, in these
      bioassays, most of the BaP removal of S. acutus is due to sorption rather than
      degradation. The appearance of metabolites in the cultures is very slow and at a
      low amount compared to cultures of S. capricornutum. The similarities and
      differences existing between the two microalgae are important for the
      establishment of the conditions for bioremediation.

PMID- 26490912
TI  - Seasonal variations in concentrations, distributions, and air-soil exchange
      fluxes of dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in Shanghai, China.
AB  - Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (dl-PCB) concentrations in ambient air and
      soil in Shanghai, China, were measured to allow seasonal and spatial differences
      in the dl-PCB concentrations, profiles, distributions, fugacity fractions, and
      air-soil fluxes to be determined. The toxic equivalent (TEQ) DL-PCB
      concentrations in the air were higher in summer (mean 9.46 fg m(-3), range 1.32
      26.3 fg m(-3)) than in winter (mean 4.57 fg m(-3), range 1.55-10.9 fg m(-3)). The
      DL-PCB concentrations in air were different in different areas, and the
      concentrations decreased in the order industrial areas > commercial and
      residential areas > suburban areas > rural area. The mean DL-PCB concentration in
      soil was 0.25 pg TEQ g(-1) dry weight (dw) and the range was 0.05-0.90 pg TEQ g(
      1) dw. The highest DL-PCB concentration in soil was found in a sample from a
      commercial/residential area. The DL-PCB fluxes were negative (-216 pg m(-2) h(-1)
      in summer and -41.1 pg m(-2) h(-1) in winter), and the fugacity fractions were
      below 0.5, indicating that dl-PCBs in Shanghai are deposited from the air to the
      soil in all seasons. The net fluxes were higher in summer than in winter, and the
      deposition fluxes were higher in industrial areas than in other areas in both
      summer and winter.

PMID- 26490913
TI  - Particle-size distribution and phosphorus forms as a function of hydrological
      forcing in the Yellow River.
AB  - Samples were collected monthly from January to December in 2010, and daily
      observations were made during the water-sediment regulation event in June-July
      2010. Sequential extractions were applied to determine the forms of P in
      different particle-size fractions and to assess the potential bioavailability of
      particulate phosphorus (PP). The results indicated that exchangeable phosphorus,
      organic phosphorus, authigenic phosphorus, and refractory phosphorus increased
      with the decreasing of particulate size; conversely, detrital phosphorus
      decreased with the decreasing of particulate size. The content of bioavailable
      particulate phosphorus (BAPP) varied greatly in different sizes of particles. In
      general, the smaller the particle size, the higher the content of bioavailable
      phosphorus and its proportion in total phosphorous was found in these particles.
      Hydrological forcing controlled the variability in the major P phases found in
      the suspended sediments via changes in the sources and the particle grain-size
      distribution. The variation of particle sizes can be attributed also to different
      total suspended sediment (TSS) sources. Water-sediment regulation (WSR) mobilized
      only particulate matter from the riverbed, while during the rainstorm soil
      erosion and runoff were the main source. The BAPP fluxes associated with the
      "truly suspended" fraction was approximately 200 times larger than the dissolved
      inorganic phosphorus (DIP) flux. Thus, the transfer of fine particles to the open
      sea is most probably accompanied by BAPP release to the DIP and can support
      greater primary and secondary production. 

PMID- 26490914
TI  - Amazon River dissolved load: temporal dynamics and annual budget from the Andes
      to the ocean.
AB  - The aim of the present study is to estimate the export fluxes of major dissolved
      species at the scale of the Amazon basin, to identify the main parameters
      controlling their spatial distribution and to identify the role of discharge
      variability in the variability of the total dissolved solid (TDS) flux through
      the hydrological cycle. Data are compiled from the monthly hydrochemistry and
      daily discharge database of the "Programa Climatologico y Hidrologico de la
      Cuenca Amazonica de Bolivia" (PHICAB) and the HYBAM observatories from 34
      stations distributed over the Amazon basin (for the 1983-1992 and 2000-2012
      periods, respectively). This paper consists of a first global observation of the
      fluxes and temporal dynamics of each geomorphological domain of the Amazon basin.
      Based on mean interannual monthly flux calculations, we estimated that the Amazon
      basin delivered approximately 272 * 10(6) t year(-1) (263-278) of TDS during the
      2003-2012 period, which represents approximately 7 % of the continental inputs to
      the oceans. This flux is mainly made up by HCO3, Ca and SiO2, reflecting the
      preferential contributions of carbonate and silicate chemical weathering to the
      Amazon River Basin. The main tributaries contributing to the TDS flux are the
      Maranon and Ucayali Rivers (approximately 50 % of the TDS production over 14 % of
      the Amazon basin area) due to the weathering of carbonates and evaporites drained
      by their Andean tributaries. An Andes-sedimentary area-shield TDS flux (and
      specific flux) gradient is observed throughout the basin and is first explained
      by the TDS concentration contrast between these domains, rather than variability
      in runoff. This observation highlights that, under tropical context, the
      weathering flux repartition is primarily controlled by the
      geomorphological/geological setting and confirms that sedimentary areas are
      currently active in terms of the production of dissolved load. The log
      relationships of concentration vs discharge have been characterized over all the
      studied stations and for all elements. The analysis of the slope of the
      relationship within the selected contexts reveals that the variability in TDS
      flux is mainly controlled by the discharge variability throughout the
      hydrological year. At the outlet of the basin, a clockwise hysteresis is observed
      for TDS concentration and is mainly controlled by Ca and HCO3 hysteresis,
      highlighting the need for a sampling strategy with a monthly frequency to
      accurately determine the TDS fluxes of the basin. The evaporite dissolution flux
      tends to be constant, whereas dissolved load fluxes released from other sources
      (silicate weathering, carbonate weathering, biological and/or atmospheric inputs)
      are mainly driven by variability in discharge. These results suggest that past
      and further climate variability had or will have a direct impact on the
      variability of dissolved fluxes in the Amazon. Further studies need to be
      performed to better understand the processes controlling the dynamics of
      weathering fluxes and their applicability to present-day concentration-discharge
      relationships at longer timescales. 

PMID- 26490915
TI  - Prediction of Setschenow constants of N-heteroaromatics in NaCl solutions based
      on the partial charge on the heterocyclic nitrogen atom.
AB  - The solubilities of 19 different kinds of N-heteroaromatic compounds in aqueous
      solutions with different concentrations of NaCl were determined at 298.15 K with
      a UV-vis spectrophotometry and titration method, respectively. Setschenow
      constants, Ks, were employed to describe the solubility behavior, and it is found
      that the higher ring numbers of N-heteroaromatics gave rise to the lower values
      of Ks. Moreover, Ks showed a good linear relationship with the partial charge on
      the nitrogen atom (QN) for either QN > 0 or QN < 0 N-heteroaromatics. It further
      revealed that QN was well-matched in the prediction of salting-out effect for N
      heteroaromatics compared to the conventional descriptors such as molar volume
      (VH) and the octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow). The heterocyclic N in N
      heteroaromatics may interact with Na(+) ions in NaCl solution for QN < 0 and with
      Cl(-) for QN > 0.

PMID- 26490916
TI  - Determination of elemental toxicity migration limits, bioaccessibility and risk
      assessment of essential childcare products.
AB  - Children especially infants are particularly sensitive to contaminant exposure,
      they are exposed to toxic substances including heavy metals via multiple
      pathways, i.e. food, air, water, soil and childcare products. To date,
      determination of metal bioaccessibility in teethers and feeding teats is missing
      in the literature; therefore, it is vitally important to assess their metal
      bioaccessibility and characterise the risk for children. The aim of this study is
      to determine the migration levels of toxic elements in teethers and feeding teats
      of different brands as a measure of metal bioaccessibility and characterise the
      risk for children exposed to these products. The migration limits of several
      heavy metals (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, Zn) in different
      brands of teethers and feeding teats were determined simultaneously using
      inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) adopting a
      protocol in the European standards for safety of toys. With the exception of Pb,
      the migration limits of all elements in all brands of teethers and feeding teats
      were below the specified limits. However, in the case of Pb, the migration was
      above the specified limits in all samples except one brand of feeding teats. Risk
      assessment expressed as hazard index (HI) was calculated for detected elements
      and all samples. Although HI was below 1.0 for all samples except one sample, the
      high Pb concentration would pose a considerable risk to children. Therefore, we
      recommend a more thorough research and risk characterisation taking into
      consideration the factors that affect HI values. Graphical Abstract Determination
      of metal bioaccessibility and risk characterisation of teethers and feeding teats
      ensure children safety against metal toxicity. 

PMID- 26490917
TI  - Spatial distribution and contamination assessment of six heavy metals in soils
      and their transfer into mature tobacco plants in Kushtia District, Bangladesh.
AB  - Although the tobacco production and consumption rate in Bangladesh is very high
      and a substantial portion of premature deaths is caused by tobacco smoking, the
      status of heavy metals in tobacco plants has not yet determined. This study,
      therefore, investigated the concentrations of Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb, Cr, and Zn in
      tobacco plants and their surrounding agricultural soils in Kushtia District,
      Bangladesh. The geochemical maps showed a similar spatial distribution pattern of
      the analyzed metals and identified Shempur, Kharara, Taragunia, and Shantidanga
      as metal hot spots. Geoanalytical indexes were applied to assess the extent of
      soil contamination, and the results depicted that the soils of Shempur, Kharara,
      Taragunia, and Shantidanga were moderately contaminated where Cd contributed the
      most to contamination degree (C d) in spite of its relative low content. However,
      other five areas in Kushtia District were suggested as uncontaminated according
      to both C d and pollution load index (PLI). The hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard
      index (HI) showed no possible indication of human health risks via ingestion of
      agricultural soils. This study also determined that human activities such as
      excess application of commercial fertilizers, animal manures, and metal-based
      pesticides were the sources of Cu, Ni, Cd, and Cr enrichment in soils and that
      the metals into tobacco plants were transported from the soils. The present study
      conclusively suggested that regulation of improper use of agrochemicals and
      continuous monitoring of heavy metals in tobacco plants are needed to reduce the
      tobacco-related detrimental health problems in Bangladesh. 

PMID- 26490918
TI  - Use of fallout radionuclides ((7)Be, (210)Pb) to estimate resuspension of
      Escherichia coli from streambed sediments during floods in a tropical montane
      catchment.
AB  - Consumption of water polluted by faecal contaminants is responsible for 2 million
      deaths annually, most of which occur in developing countries without adequate
      sanitation. In tropical aquatic systems, streambeds can be reservoirs of
      persistent pathogenic bacteria and high rainfall can lead to contaminated soils
      entering streams and to the resuspension of sediment-bound microbes in the
      streambed. Here, we present a novel method using fallout radionuclides ((7)Be and
      (210)Pbxs) to estimate the proportions of Escherichia coli, an indicator of
      faecal contamination, associated with recently eroded soil particles and with the
      resuspension of streambed sediments. We show that using these radionuclides and
      hydrograph separations we are able to characterize the proportion of particles
      originating from highly contaminated soils and that from the resuspension of
      particle-attached bacteria within the streambed. We also found that although
      overland flow represented just over one tenth of the total flood volume, it was
      responsible for more than two thirds of the downstream transfer of E. coli. We
      propose that data obtained using this method can be used to understand the
      dynamics of faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in streams thereby providing
      information for adapted management plans that reduce the health risks to local
      populations. Graphical Abstract Graphical abstract showing (1) the main water
      flow processes (i.e. overland flow, groundwater return flow, blue arrows) and
      sediment flow components (i.e. resuspension and soil erosion, black arrows)
      during floods in the Houay Pano catchment; (2) the general principle of the
      method using fallout radionuclide markers (i.e. (7)Be and (210)Pbxs) to estimate
      E. coli load from the two main sources (i.e. streambed resuspension vs soil
      surface washoff); and 3) the main results obtained during the 15 May 2012 storm
      event (i.e. relative percentage contribution of each process to the total
      streamflow, values in parentheses). 

PMID- 26490919
TI  - Utilizing a one-dimensional multispecies model to simulate the nutrient reduction
      and biomass structure in two types of H2-based membrane-aeration biofilm reactors
      (H2-MBfR): model development and parametric analysis.
AB  - In this study, a one-dimensional multispecies model (ODMSM) was utilized to
      simulate NO3(-)-N and ClO4(-) reduction performances in two kinds of H2-based
      membrane-aeration biofilm reactors (H2-MBfR) within different operating
      conditions (e.g., NO3(-)-N/ClO4(-) loading rates, H2 partial pressure, etc.).
      Before the simulation process, we conducted the sensitivity analysis of some key
      parameters which would fluctuate in different environmental conditions, then we
      used the experimental data to calibrate the more sensitive parameters MU1 and MU2
      (maximum specific growth rates of denitrification bacteria and perchlorate
      reduction bacteria) in two H2-MBfRs, and the diversity of the two key parameters'
      values in two types of reactors may be resulted from the different carbon source
      fed in the reactors. From the simulation results of six different operating
      conditions (four in H2-MBfR 1 and two in H2-MBfR 2), the applicability of the
      model was approved, and the variation of the removal tendency in different
      operating conditions could be well simulated. Besides, the rationality of
      operating parameters (H2 partial pressure, etc.) could be judged especially in
      condition of high nutrients' loading rates. To a certain degree, the model could
      provide theoretical guidance to determine the operating parameters on some
      specific conditions in practical application.

PMID- 26490920
TI  - Recent trends in nanomaterials applications in environmental monitoring and
      remediation.
AB  - Environmental pollution is one of the greatest problems that the world is facing
      today, and it is increasing with every passing year and causing grave and
      irreparable damage to the earth. Nanomaterials, because of their novel physical
      and chemical characteristics, have great promise to combat environment pollution.
      Nanotechnology is being used to devise pollution sensor. A variety of materials
      in their nano form like iron, titanium dioxide, silica, zinc oxide, carbon
      nanotube, dendrimers, polymers, etc. are increasingly being used to make the air
      clean, to purify water, and to decontaminate soil. Nanotechnology is also being
      used to make renewable energy cheaper and more efficient. The use of
      nanotechnology in agriculture sector will reduce the indiscriminate use of
      agrochemicals and thus will reduce the load of chemical pollutant. While
      remediating environment pollution with nanomaterials, it should also be monitored
      that these materials do not contribute further degradation of the environment.
      This review will focus broadly on the applications of nanotechnology in the
      sustainable development with particular emphasis on renewable energy, air-, water
      , and soil-remediation. Besides, the review highlights the recent developments in
      various types of nanomaterials and nanodevices oriented toward pollution
      monitoring and remediation. 

PMID- 26490921
TI  - Partitioning of metals in different binding phases of tropical estuarine
      sediments: importance of metal chemistry.
AB  - Distribution of metals in different binding phases of estuarine sediments
      provides chemically significant description of metal-sediment interactions. This
      study describes the influences of ligand field stabilization energy (LFSE), Jahn
      Teller effect, and water exchange rate (k-w) on metal distribution in different
      binding phases of estuarine sediments. It was found that Cu had highest affinity
      for organic binding phases in the studied sediments followed by Ni and Pb.
      However, Pb showed strong association with Fe/Mn oxide phases followed by Ni and
      Cu. Faster k-w of Cu (II) (1 * 10(9) s(-1)) increased the rate of complex
      formation of Cu(2+) ion with ligand in the organic phases. The Cu-ligand (from
      organic phase) complexes gained extra stability by the Jahn-Teller effect. The
      combined effects of these two phenomena and high ionic potential increased the
      association of Cu with the organic phases of the sediments than Ni and Pb. The
      smaller ionic radii of Ni(2+) (0.72 A) than Pb(2+) (1.20 A) increase the
      stability of Ni-ligand complexes in the organic phase of the sediments. High LFSE
      of Ni(II) (compared with Pb(2+) ions) also make Ni-organic complexes increasingly
      stable than Pb. High k-w (7 * 10(9) s(-1)) of Pb did not help it to associate
      with organic phases in the sediments. The high concentration of Pb in the Fe/Mn
      oxyhydroxide binding phase was probably due to co-precipitation of Pb(2+) and
      Fe(3+). High surface area or site availability for Pb(2+) ion on Fe oxyhydroxide
      phase was probably responsible for the high concentration of Pb in Fe/Mn
      oxyhydroxide phase. Increasing concentrations of Cu in organic phases with the
      increasing Cu loading suggest that enough binding sites were available for Cu in
      the organic binding phases of the sediments. This study also describes the
      influence of nature of sedimentary organic carbon (terrestrial and marine derived
      OC) in controlling these metal distribution and speciation in marine sediment.

PMID- 26490922
TI  - Levels and distributions of polybrominated diphenyl ethers,
      hexabromocyclododecane, and tetrabromobisphenol A in sediments from Taihu Lake,
      China.
AB  - The concentrations and distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs),
      hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) were
      investigated in 28 sediment samples collected from Taihu Lake, Eastern China. The
      results showed that all three classes of compounds were detected in 28 sediment
      samples but that PBDEs were the main contaminants in the study area. The total
      PBDE concentrations ranged from 3.77 to 347 ng/g dry weight (dw) with a mean
      value of 72.8 ng/g dw, whereas the concentrations ranged from 0.168 to 2.66 and
      from 0.012 to 1.30 ng/g dw for HBCD and TBBPA, respectively. In all of the
      sediment samples, BDE-209 was the predominant congener, accounting for 95.9 to
      98.6 % of the total PBDEs, which indicated that commercial mixtures of deca-BDEs
      were the main sources of PBDE contamination. Higher concentrations of PBDEs were
      found in samples collected from Meiliang Bay and Gonghu Bay near the inflow
      river, which suggested that inflow runoff might play an important role in the
      PBDE levels in Taihu Lake sediments. 

PMID- 26490923
TI  - Organic and inorganic components of aerosols over the central Himalayas: winter
      and summer variations in stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition.
AB  - The aerosol samples were collected from a high elevation mountain site, Nainital,
      in India (1958 m asl) during September 2006 to June 2007 and were analyzed for
      water-soluble inorganic species, total carbon, nitrogen, and their isotopic
      composition (delta(13)C and delta(15)N, respectively). The chemical and isotopic
      composition of aerosols revealed significant anthropogenic influence over this
      remote free-troposphere site. The amount of total carbon and nitrogen and their
      isotopic composition suggest a considerable contribution of biomass burning to
      the aerosols during winter. On the other hand, fossil fuel combustion sources are
      found to be dominant during summer. The carbon aerosol in winter is characterized
      by greater isotope ratios (av. -24.00/00), mostly originated from biomass burning
      of C4 plants. On the contrary, the aerosols in summer showed smaller delta(13)C
      values (-26.00/00), indicating that they are originated from vascular plants
      (mostly of C3 plants). The secondary ions (i.e., SO4 (2-), NH4 (+), and NO3 (-))
      were abundant due to the atmospheric reactions during long-range transport in
      both seasons. The water-soluble organic and inorganic compositions revealed that
      they are aged in winter but comparatively fresh in summer. This study validates
      that the pollutants generated from far distant sources could reach high altitudes
      over the Himalayan region under favorable meteorological conditions.

PMID- 26490924
TI  - Quantitatively evaluating detoxification of the hepatotoxic microcystin-LR
      through the glutathione (GSH) pathway in SD rats.
AB  - Glutathione (GSH) plays crucial roles in antioxidant defense and detoxification
      metabolism of microcystin-LR (MC-LR). However, the detoxification process of MC
      LR in mammals remains largely unknown. This paper, for the first time,
      quantitatively analyzes MC-LR and its GSH pathway metabolites (MC-LR-GSH and MC
      LR-Cys) in the liver of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat after MC-LR exposure. Rats
      received intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 0.25 and 0.5 lethal dose 50 (LD50)
      of MC-LR with or without pretreatment of buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO), an
      inhibitor of GSH synthesis. The contents of MC-LR-GSH were relatively low during
      the experiment; however, the ratio of MC-LR-Cys to MC-LR reached as high as 6.65
      in 0.5 LD50 group. These results demonstrated that MC-LR-GSH could be converted
      to MC-LR-Cys efficiently, and this metabolic rule was in agreement with the data
      of aquatic animals previously reported. MC-LR contents were much higher in BSO +
      MC-LR-treated groups than in the single MC-LR-treated groups. Moreover, the ratio
      of MC-LR-Cys to MC-LR decreased significantly after BSO pretreatment, suggesting
      that the depletion of GSH induced by BSO reduced the detoxification of MCs.
      Moreover, MC-LR remarkably induced liver damage, and the effects were more
      pronounced in BSO pretreatment groups. In conclusion, this study verifies the
      role of GSH in the detoxification of MC-LR and furthers our understanding of the
      biochemical mechanism for SD rats to counteract toxic cyanobacteria. 

PMID- 26490925
TI  - Levels of dioxin-like PCBs in low-volume serum samples of male patients attending
      fertility clinics.
AB  - An accurate and easy method for the extraction, cleanup, and HRGC-HRMS analysis
      of dioxin-like PCBs (DL-PCBs) in low-volume serum samples (1 mL) was developed.
      Serum samples were extracted several times using n-hexane and purified by acid
      washing. Recovery rates of labeled congeners ranged from 70 to 110% and the
      limits of detection were below 1 pg/g on lipid basis. Although human studies are
      limited and contradictory, several studies have shown that DL-PCBs can have
      adverse effects on the male reproductive system. In this way, the present method
      was applied to 21 serum samples of male patients attending fertility clinics. The
      total levels obtained for the patients ranged from 6.90 to 84.1 pg WHO-TEQ/g
      lipid, with a mean value of 20.3 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid. The predominant PCBs (the
      sum of PCB 118, 156, and 105) contributed 67% to the mean concentration of total
      DL-PCBs in the samples analyzed.

PMID- 26490926
TI  - Bioaccumulation of macro- and trace elements by European frogbit (Hydrocharis
      morsus-ranae L.) in relation to environmental pollution.
AB  - The aim of present study was to investigate the level of trace metals and
      macroelements in Hydrocharis morsus-ranae collected from regions differing in the
      degree and type of pollution. Concentrations of 17 macro- and microelements were
      determined in roots and shoots of European frogbit as well as in water and bottom
      sediments from 30 study sites. Plants differed in concentrations of elements and
      bioaccumulation capacity depending on the characteristics of dominant
      anthropogenic activities in the vicinity of the sampling site. Shoots of H.
      morsus-ranae growing in the vicinity of organic chemistry plants and automotive
      industry contained particularly high levels of Cd, Co, and S. Plants from area
      close to heat and power plant, former ferrochrome industry and new highway, were
      distinguished by the highest concentrations of Cr, Cu, and Pb. European frogbit
      from both these regions contained more Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, and Zn than plants from
      agricultural and recreational areas. The concentrations of alkali metals and Co,
      Fe, and N in H. morsus-ranae were elevated in relation to the natural content in
      macrophytes irrespectively to their content in the environment. Based on the
      values of Bioaccumulation and Translocation Factors, European frogbit is an
      accumulator for Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn and a good candidate for
      phytoremediation of water polluted with Co, Cu, Hg, K, Mn, and Ni. The amount of
      Co and Mn removed from water and accumulated in the plant biomass during the
      vegetation season was considerably high. 

PMID- 26490927
TI  - Dissipation and transport of quizalofop-p-ethyl herbicide in sunflower
      cultivation under field conditions.
AB  - In the present study, the field dissipation and transport of quizalofop-p-ethyl
      by water and sediment runoff were investigated in sunflower experimental
      cultivation under Mediterranean conditions. The cultivation was carried out in
      silty clay soil plots with two different slopes of 1 and 5%. The soil dissipation
      rate of quizalofop-p-ethyl was fast and can be described by both single first
      order (SFO) and Gustafson and Holden (first-order multi compartment (FOMC))
      kinetics. The half-life of quizalofop-p-ethyl ranged from 0.55 to 0.68 days and
      from 0.45 to 0.71 days when SFO and FOMC kinetics were applied, respectively. No
      herbicide residues were detected below the 10-cm soil layer. A single detection
      of quizalofop-p-ethyl was observed in runoff water (3 days after application
      (DAA)) at relatively low concentrations (from 1.70 to 2.04 MUg L(-1)). In
      sediment, it was detected in the samplings of 3 and 25 DAA at concentrations that
      never exceeded 0.126 MUg g(-1). The estimated total losses of quizalofop-p-ethyl
      as percentage of the initial applied active ingredient were low both in water and
      sediment (less than of 0.021 and 0.005%, respectively). Quizalofop-p-ethyl
      residues were detectable for 18 DAA in the stems and leaves of the plants and 6
      DAA in the root system. No herbicide residues were detected in inflorescences and
      seeds of sunflower plants. Experimental data showed minimal risk for the
      contamination of soil and adjacent water bodies.

PMID- 26490928
TI  - Bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and survival of earthworms
      (Eisenia andrei) exposed to biochar amended soils.
AB  - Biochar has a charcoal polycyclic aromatic structure which allows its long half
      life in soil, making it an ideal tool for C sequestration and for adsorption of
      organic pollutants, but at the same time raises concerns about possible adverse
      impacts on soil biota. Two biochars were tested under laboratory-controlled
      conditions on Eisenia andrei earthworms: a biochar produced at low temperature
      from wine tree cuttings (WTB) and a commercial low tar hardwood lump charcoal
      (HLB). The avoidance test (48-h exposure) showed that earthworms avoid biochar
      treated soil with rates higher than 16 t ha(-1) for HLB and 64 t ha(-1) for WTB.
      After 42 days, toxic effects on earthworms were observed even at application
      rates (100 t ha(-1)) that are generally considered beneficial for most crops. The
      concentration of HLB and WTB required to kill half of earthworms' population
      (LC50; 95% confidence limits) in the synthetic OECD soil was 338 and 580 t ha(
      1), respectively. Accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in
      earthworms exposed to the two biochar types at 100 t ha(-1) was tested in two
      soils of different texture. In biochar-treated soils, the average earthworm
      survival rates were about 64% in the sandy and 78% clay-loam soils. PAH
      accumulation was larger in the sandy soil and largest in soils amended with HLB.
      PAH with less than four rings were preferentially scavenged from the soil by
      biochars, and this behaviour may mask that of the more dangerous components (i.e.
      four to five rings), which are preferentially accumulated. Earthworms can
      accumulate PAH as a consequence of exposure to biochar-treated soils and transfer
      them along the food chain. Soil type and biochar quality are both relevant in
      determining PAH transfer.

PMID- 26490929
TI  - Indoor air quality at life and work environments in Rome, Italy.
AB  - The air quality of three different microenvironments (school, dwelling, and
      coffee bar) located in the city of Rome, Italy, was assessed. Indoor and outdoor
      concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with PM2.5
      particles were determined during an intensive 3-week sampling campaign conducted
      in March 2013. In interiors, total particulate PAHs ranged from 1.53 to 4.96
      ng/m(3) while outdoor air contained from 2.75 to 3.48 ng/m(3). In addition,
      gaseous toxicants, i.e., NO2, NOx , SO2, O3, and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl
      benzene, and xylene isomers), were determined both in internal and external air.
      To solve the origin of indoor and outdoor PAHs, several source apportionment
      methods were applied. Multivariate analysis revealed that emissions from motor
      vehicles, biomass burning for heating purposes, and soil resuspension were the
      major sources of PAHs in the city. No linear correlation was established between
      indoor and outdoor values for PM2.5 and BTEX; the respective indoor/outdoor
      concentration ratios exceed unity except for PM2.5 in the no smoking home and
      benzene in all school floors. This suggests that important internal sources such
      as tobacco smoking, cleaning products, and resuspension dust contributed to
      indoor pollution. Using the monitoring stations of ARPA Lazio regional network as
      reference, the percentage within PAH group of benzo[a]pyrene, which is the WHO
      marker for the carcinogenic risk estimates, was ca. 50% higher in all locations
      investigated.

PMID- 26490930
TI  - A fusant of Amycolatopsis sp. M3-1 and Pseudomonas sp. Nai8 with high capacity of
      degrading novel pyrimidynyloxybenzoic herbicide ZJ0273 and naphthalene.
AB  - ZJ0273 (propyl 4-(2-(4, 6-demethoxy pyrimidin-2-yloxy) benzylamino) benzoate) is
      a novel pyrimidynyloxybenzoic-based herbicide developed in China for oilseed
      crop. This study was aimed to construct new strains capable of degrading
      naphthalene and ZJ0273 by protoplast fusion between Amycolatopsis sp. M3-1 and
      Pseudomonas sp. Nai8. Eight recombinant strains were successfully produced, and
      the strains could simultaneously utilize ZJ0273 and naphthalene as the sole
      carbon and energy source, respectively. One of recombinant strains, MN6 with
      higher degrading efficiency, was chosen for further study. Under the condition of
      pH 7.0, 30  degrees C, ZJ0273 and naphthalene degradation percent by the
      recombinant strain MN6 could reach 65.10% (20 days) and 88.46% (48 h),
      respectively. According to the identified six metabolites (M1-M6) by LC-MS/MS,
      biodegradation pathway of ZJ0273 was proposed. ZJ0273 biodegradation catalyzed by
      the recombinant strain MN6 involved continuous biocatalytic reactions such as de
      estering, hydrolysis, acylation, C-N cleavage, de-methyl, and ether cleavage
      reactions.

PMID- 26490931
TI  - Urban riverine environment is a source of multidrug-resistant and ESBL-producing
      clinically important Acinetobacter spp.
AB  - Some Acinetobacter species have emerged as very important opportunistic pathogens
      in humans. We investigated Acinetobacter spp. from the polluted urban riverine
      environment in Croatia in regard to species affiliation, antibiotic resistance
      pattern, and resistance mechanisms. Considerable number of isolates produced
      acquired extended-spectrum beta-lactamase(s) (ESBLs), CTX-M-15 solely or with TEM
      116. By Southern blot hybridization, bla TEM-116 was identified on plasmids ca.
      10, 3, and 1.2 kb in Acinetobacter junii, A. gandensis, and A. johnsonii. The bla
      TEM-116-carrying plasmid in A. gandensis was successfully transferred by
      conjugation to azide-resistant Escherichia coli J53. A. radioresistens isolate
      also carried an intrinsic carbapenemase gene bla OXA-133 with ISAba1 insertion
      sequence present upstream to promote its expression. Majority of ESBL-producing
      isolates harbored integrases intI1 and/or intI2 and the sulfamethoxazole
      resistance gene sul1. Almost all isolates had overexpressed resistance-nodulation
      cell division (RND) efflux system, indicating that this mechanism may have
      contributed to multidrug resistance phenotypes. This is the first report of
      environmental CTX-M-15-producing Acinetobacter spp. and the first identification
      of CTX-M-15 in A. johnsonii, A. junii, A. calcoaceticus, A. gandensis, A.
      haemolyticus, and A. radioresistens worldwide. We identified, also for the first
      time, the environmental Acinetobacter-producing TEM ESBLs, highlighting the
      potential risk for human health, and the role of these bacteria in maintenance
      and dissemination of clinically important antibiotic resistance genes in
      community through riverine environments.

PMID- 26490933
TI  - Phytoscreening-based assessment of mercury in soil.
AB  - This study was conducted to determine whether phytoscreening techniques could be
      used to characterize the distribution of Hg in soil at the South River, VA. An
      estimated 500 to 1000 kg of Hg was released to the South River in the 1930s and
      1940s from a synthetic fiber manufacturing plant located in Waynesboro,
      contaminating the floodplain downstream. Under background conditions (soil Hg
      <0.03 MUg/g), phytoscreening sample Hg concentrations ranged from 1.9 to 3.9
      ng/g. With soil Hg concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 94 MUg/g in the top 30.5 cm
      of nearby soil, phytoscreening sample Hg concentrations ranged from 5.0 to 145
      ng/g. The variability of Hg concentrations in soil solution over the scale of the
      entire rhizosphere of the large trees sampled was likely high. Furthermore, the
      mean depth of water uptake and the exact proximity of the soil profile samples
      for each tree could not be determined. Nevertheless, the phytoscreening results
      of this study could be used to reliably provide a qualitative delineation of Hg
      contaminated soil.

PMID- 26490932
TI  - Serum concentrations of PCBs and OCPs among prepubertal Korean children.
AB  - Although children are more vulnerable than adults to environmental hazards, due
      to their physiological and behavioral characteristics, few studies have assessed
      their internal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The objective of
      this study was to determine the serum levels of certain polychlorinated biphenyls
      (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) among pre-pubertal children in Korea
      and examine their variation with age and gender. We analyzed a total of 51 POPs
      in 214 children (age range, 7-9 years), using data from the Ewha Birth and Growth
      Cohort Study. To examine change over time, POP concentrations were measured at
      both 7 and 9 years of age in a sub-cohort of 26 children. The median and
      interquartile range (IQR, 25th to 75th percentiles) data for the sum of PCB
      congeners was 26.44 ng/g lipid (18.27-37.63 ng/g lipid). The median (IQR)
      concentration for the sum of OCPs was 74.82 ng/g lipid (51.11-112.45 ng/g lipid).
      Our results showed significant increases in serum concentrations of total PCBs
      with age (p = 0.0001), no gender dependence of total PCBs (p = 0.38) and total
      OCPs (p = 0.12), and strong correlations between individual POPs. Childhood
      exposure to POPs was relatively low compared to other studies carried out in
      different countries. However, even though the use of POPs has been banned since
      2001, our results indicated that children in the general population are still
      exposed to various POPs. Because long-term, low-level exposure to POPs in the
      general population remains a concern for human health, future research should
      examine major routes of exposure and identification of risk factors.

PMID- 26490934
TI  - Effect of freeze-thaw cycles and 4-nonylphenol on cellular energy allocation in
      the freeze-tolerant enchytraeid Enchytraeus albidus.
AB  - Due to climate change and intense anthropogenic activity, organisms from cold
      regions are often exposed to combined effects of temperature fluctuations and
      contaminants. In this investigation, we assessed the lipid, protein, and
      carbohydrate energy budgets; the energy available (Ea); consumed (Ec); and
      cellular energy allocation (CEA) of the freeze-tolerant Enchytraeus albidus, when
      exposed to sublethal concentrations of 4-nonylphenol (a lipophilic contaminant)
      for 7 days, followed by exposure to different temperature regimes (continuous 2 
      degrees C, continuous -4  degrees C, and daily freeze-thaw cycles (FTC) (2 to -4 
      degrees C) for additional 10 days. Results showed that a pre-exposure to 4
      nonylphenol (4-NP) induced important changes in the worms' energy budgets and CEA
      and increased mortality with most severe effects observed for the FTC events. For
      FTC, lipids were the most accumulated energy source, whereas during freezing (-4 
      degrees C), proteins were the most used. FTC caused the highest Ec, indicating
      the higher energy requirements for organisms when shifting between freezing and
      thawing events. This is also in line with the higher mortality observed in FTC
      compared to continuous -4  degrees C or 2  degrees C. Worms exposed to continuous
      freezing presented relatively stable and positive levels of Ea and low levels of
      Ec, possibly related with the decrease in metabolism.

PMID- 26490935
TI  - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at traffic and urban background sites of
      northern Greece: source apportionment of ambient PAH levels and PAH-induced lung
      cancer risk.
AB  - Thirteen particle-phase PAHs, including nine >4-ring congeners [Benz[a]anthracene
      (BaAn), Chrysene (Chry), Benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), Benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF),
      Benzo[e]pyrene (BeP), Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), Dibenzo[a,h]anthracene (dBaAn),
      Benzo[g,h,i]perylene (BghiPe), Indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene (IP)], listed by IARC
      (International Agency for Research on Cancer) as class 1, class 2A, and 2B
      carcinogens, plus four <= 4-ring congeners [Phenanthrene (Ph), Anthracene (An),
      Fluoranthene (Fl), Pyrene (Py)], were concurrently measured in inhalable and
      respirable particle fractions (PM10 and PM2.5) at a heavy-traffic and an urban
      background site in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, during the warm and the cold
      period of the year. Carcinogenic and mutagenic potencies of the PAH-bearing
      particles were calculated, and the inhalation cancer risk (ICR) for local
      population was estimated. Finally, Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) modeling was
      employed for the source apportionment of ambient PAH levels and the estimated
      lung cancer risk. Resulted inhalation cancer risk during winter was found to be
      equivalent in the city center and the urban background area suggesting that
      residential wood burning may offset the benefits from minor traffic emissions.

PMID- 26490936
TI  - Spatiotemporal patterns of surface-suspended particulate matter in the Three
      Gorges Reservoir.
AB  - An investigation was conducted in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) seasonally
      from September 2010 to June 2011 to screen the distribution pattern of suspended
      particulate matter (SPM). Concentration of SPM, particulate nitrogen (PN),
      particulate phosphorus (PP), bioavailable particulate phosphorus (BAPP), and
      chlorophyll a (Chl a) were determined synchronously. Concentration of SPM was
      higher in the flood season than in the dry season and higher in the mainstream
      than in the tributaries. Chl a, PN, PP, and BAPP showed similar temporal pattern
      with SPM distribution. Particulate elements were significantly correlated with
      concentrations of SPM (p < 0.05). The proportion of algae-derived SPM in total
      SPM was higher in the tributaries than that in the mainstream. The results
      revealed that the spatiotemporal heterogeneity determined by hydrodynamics was
      the characteristic of SPM distribution. The source of SPM was mostly
      allochthonous. It could be deduced that SPM was an important factor affecting the
      water quality and algal growth in TGR by releasing or absorbing particulate
      nutrient.

PMID- 26490937
TI  - Changes in gametophyte physiology of Pteris multifida induced by the leaf
      leachate treatment of the invasive Bidens pilosa.
AB  - In recent years, the response of fern gametophytes to environment has raised much
      attention. However, studies on the influence of plant invasion to fern
      gametophytes are scarce. Allelopathy plays an important role in biological
      invasion. Hence, it is necessary to study the allelopathic effects of invasive
      plants on fern gametophytes and elucidate the mechanisms by which invasive plants
      cause phytotoxicity. As one of the main invasive plants in China, Bidens pilosa
      exhibits allelopathic effects on spermatophyte growth. Field investigation shows
      that many ferns are threatened by the invasion of B. pilosa. The distribution of
      Pteris multifida overlaps with that of B. pilosa in China. To examine the
      potential involvement of allelopathic mechanisms of B. pilosa leaves, changes in
      the physiology in P. multifida gametophytes are analyzed. We found that cell
      membrane and antioxidant enzyme activities as well as photosynthesis pigment
      contents of the gametophytes were affected by B. pilosa leachates. Gametophytes
      of P. multifida exposed to B. pilosa had increased damages to cell membranes,
      expressed in thiobarbituric acid reacting substance (TBARS) concentrations,
      malondialdehyde (MDA), electrolyte leakage (membrane permeability), and degree of
      injury. Enzyme activities, assessed by superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase
      (CAT) as well as guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) enhanced with the increase in leachate
      concentration after 2-day exposure. Meanwhile, lower chlorophyll a (Chl a),
      chlorophyll b (Chl b), carotenoid (Car), and the total chlorophyll were measured
      as leachate concentrations increased. At day 10, leaf leachates of B. pilosa
      exhibited the greatest inhibition. These results suggest that the observed
      inhibitory or stimulatory effects on the physiology studied can have an adverse
      effect on P. multifida and that allelopathic interference seems to have involved
      in this process. 

PMID- 26490938
TI  - Biomarker modulation associated with marine diesel contamination in the Iceland
      scallop (Chlamys islandica).
AB  - The decrease of ice cover in the Arctic will lead to an increase of ship traffic
      in the upcoming decades. Consequently, oil pollution is expected. In this
      context, the goals of this study were to evaluate the biological impact of marine
      diesel contamination and, on this basis, to determine analytical tools of
      interest (biomarkers) for future biomonitoring of diesel spills. Using a 7-day
      contamination protocol, this study investigated biochemical modulations in the
      digestive gland of the Iceland scallop (Chlamys islandica). Incorporation of
      contaminants was verified assessing haemolymph metabolites. Results showed a
      response of glutathione-S-transferase to contamination suggesting detoxification
      processes and the suitability of such a tool for diesel spill biomonitoring. The
      lack of modulation of superoxide dismutase activity and lipid peroxidation
      suggests no oxidative stress and the unsuitability of these molecular tools for
      biomonitoring. 

PMID- 26490939
TI  - Effects of sulfate on microcystin production, photosynthesis, and oxidative
      stress in Microcystis aeruginosa.
AB  - Increasing sulfate in freshwater systems, caused by human activities and climate
      change, may have negative effects on aquatic organisms. Microcystis aeruginosa
      (M. aeruginosa) is both a major primary producer and a common toxic
      cyanobacterium, playing an important role in the aquatic environment. This study
      first investigated the effects of sulfate on M. aeruginosa. The experiment
      presented here aims at analyzing the effects of sulfate on physiological indices,
      molecular levels, and its influencing mechanism. The results of our experiment
      showed that sulfate (at 40, 80, and 300 mg L(-1)) inhibited M. aeruginosa growth,
      increased both intracellular and extracellular toxin contents, and enhanced the
      mcyD transcript level. Sulfate inhibited the photosynthesis of M. aeruginosa,
      based on the decrease in pigment content and the down-regulation of
      photosynthesis-related genes after sulfate exposure. Furthermore, sulfate
      decreased the maximum electron transport rate, causing the cell to accumulate
      surplus electrons and form reactive oxygen species (ROS). Sulfate also increased
      the malondialdehyde (MDA) content, which showed that sulfate damaged the
      cytomembrane. This damage contributed to the release of intracellular toxin to
      the culture medium. Although sulfate increased superoxide dismutase (SOD)
      activities, expression of sod, and total antioxidant capacity in M. aeruginosa,
      it still overwhelmed the antioxidant system since the ROS level simultaneously
      increased, and finally caused oxidative stress. Our results indicate that sulfate
      has direct effects on M. aeruginosa, inhibits photosynthesis, causes oxidative
      stress, increases toxin production, and affects the related genes expression in
      M. aeruginosa.

PMID- 26490940
TI  - Experimental and numerical characterization of floc morphology: role of changing
      hydraulic retention time under flocculation mechanisms.
AB  - The formation, breakage, and re-growth of flocs were investigated by using
      modified flocculation tests and numerical simulation to explore the evolution of
      floc morphology for different hydraulic retention times. The shorter the
      aggregation time was, the smaller the flocs produced for the same hydraulic
      conditions were. Another interesting discovery was that broken flocs that formed
      in shorter aggregation time had the capacity to completely recover, whereas those
      formed in a longer amount of time had rather worse reversibility of broken flocs.
      With the addition of the maximum motion step in the representative two
      dimensional diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) model, there was a transition for
      flocs from isotropic to anisotropic as the maximum motion step increased. The
      strength of flocs was mainly affected by the distribution of particles near the
      aggregated core rather than distant particles. A simplified breakage model, which
      found that broken flocs provided more chances for diffused particles to access
      the inner parts of flocs and to be uniformly packed around the aggregated core,
      was first proposed. Moreover, an important result showed that the floc fragments
      formed with a larger value of the maximum motion step had more growing sites than
      did those with a smaller msa value, which was a benefit of following the re
      forming procedure. 

PMID- 26490941
TI  - Characteristics of particle coagulation in an underground parking lot.
AB  - Particles in vehicle exhaust plumes in underground parking lots have adverse
      health effects due to the enclosed environment in which they are released and the
      temperature difference between the tailpipe and ambient environment; at the same
      time, particle coagulation might be obvious near the tailpipe in an underground
      parking lot. In the present study, airflow and temperature fields were calculated
      using the Realizable k-epsilon model, and the Eulerian particle transport model
      was selected in the numerical simulation of particle concentration dispersion.
      Polydisperse thermal coagulation due to Brownian collisions was employed to
      calculate the particle coagulation. The results show that particle coagulation
      rate and half-time were significant within 1 m from the tailpipe. The variations
      in the particle coagulation rate and half-time were similar, but their directions
      were opposite. Air exhaust time was nearly four times longer than averaged half
      time and 40 times longer than minimum half-time. The peak particle diameter
      increased approximately 1.43 times due to coagulation. A double particle
      concentration at the tailpipe caused the fourfold rise in the particle
      coagulation rate in the distance ranging less than 1 m from the tailpipe. An
      increase in exhaust velocity at the tailpipe could shorten the obvious range of
      particle coagulation along the centerline of the tailpipe from 1 to 0.8 m in the
      study.

PMID- 26490942
TI  - QSAR models for removal rates of organic pollutants adsorbed by in situ formed
      manganese dioxide under acid condition.
AB  - Manganese dioxide formed in oxidation process by potassium permanganate exhibits
      promising adsorptive capacity which can be utilized to remove organic pollutants
      in wastewater. However, the structure variances of organic molecules lead to wide
      difference of adsorption efficiency. Therefore, it is of great significance to
      find a general relationship between removal rate of organic compounds and their
      quantum parameters. This study focused on building up quantitative structure
      activity relationship (QSAR) models based on experimental removal rate (r(exp))
      of 25 organic compounds and 17 quantum parameters of each organic compounds
      computed by Gaussian 09 and Material Studio 6.1. The recommended model is rpre = 
      0.502-7.742 f(+)x + 0.107 E HOMO + 0.959 q(H(+)) + 1.388 BOx. Both internal and
      external validations of the recommended model are satisfied, suggesting optimum
      stability and predictive ability. The definition of applicability domain and the
      Y-randomization test indicate all the prediction is reliable and no possibility
      of chance correlation. The recommended model contains four variables, which are
      closely related to adsorption mechanism. f(+)x reveals the degree of affinity for
      nucleophilic attack. E HOMO represents the difficulty of electron loss. q(H(+))
      reflect the distribution of partial charge between carbon and hydrogen atom. BO x
      shows the stability of a molecule.

PMID- 26490943
TI  - Characterizing air quality data from complex network perspective.
AB  - Air quality depends mainly on changes in emission of pollutants and their
      precursors. Understanding its characteristics is the key to predicting and
      controlling air quality. In this study, complex networks were built to analyze
      topological characteristics of air quality data by correlation coefficient
      method. Firstly, PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than
      2.5 MUm) indexes of eight monitoring sites in Beijing were selected as samples
      from January 2013 to December 2014. Secondly, the C-C method was applied to
      determine the structure of phase space. Points in the reconstructed phase space
      were considered to be nodes of the network mapped. Then, edges were determined by
      nodes having the correlation greater than a critical threshold. Three properties
      of the constructed networks, degree distribution, clustering coefficient, and
      modularity, were used to determine the optimal value of the critical threshold.
      Finally, by analyzing and comparing topological properties, we pointed out that
      similarities and difference in the constructed complex networks revealed
      influence factors and their different roles on real air quality system. 

PMID- 26490944
TI  - Quantitative Proteomics Analysis of Vitreous Humor from Diabetic Retinopathy
      Patients.
AB  - Initial triggers for diabetic retinopathy (DR) are hyperglycemia-induced
      oxidative stress and advanced glycation end-products. The most pathological
      structural changes occur in retinal microvasculature, but the overall development
      of DR is multifactorial, with a complex interplay of microvascular,
      neurodegenerative, genetic/epigenetic, immunological, and secondary inflammation
      related factors. Although several individual factors and pathways have been
      associated with retinopathy, a systems level understanding of the disease is
      lacking. To address this, we performed mass spectrometry based label-free
      quantitative proteomics analysis of 138 vitreous humor samples from patients with
      nonproliferative DR or the more severe proliferative form of the disease.
      Additionally, we analyzed samples from anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth
      factor) (bevacizumab)-treated patients from both groups. In our study, we
      identified 2482 and quantified the abundancy of 1351 vitreous proteins. Of these,
      the abundancy of 230 proteins was significantly higher in proliferative
      retinopathy compared with nonproliferative retinopathy. This specific subset of
      proteins was linked to inflammation, complement, and coagulation cascade
      proteins, protease inhibitors, apolipoproteins, immunoglobulins, and cellular
      adhesion molecules, reflecting the multifactorial nature of the disease. The
      identification of the key molecules of the disease is critical for the
      development of new therapeutic molecules and for the new use of existing drugs. 

PMID- 26490945
TI  - Long-acting beta2-agonist in addition to tiotropium versus either tiotropium or
      long-acting beta2-agonist alone for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-acting bronchodilators, comprising long-acting beta2-agonists
      (LABA) and long-acting anti-muscarinic agents (LAMA, principally tiotropium), are
      commonly used for managing persistent symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease (COPD). Combining these treatments, which have different mechanisms of
      action, may be more effective than the individual components. However, the
      benefits and risks of combining tiotropium and LABAs for the treatment of COPD
      are unclear. OBJECTIVES: To compare the relative effects on markers of quality of
      life, exacerbations, symptoms, lung function and serious adverse events in people
      with COPD randomised to LABA plus tiotropium versus tiotropium alone; or LABA
      plus tiotropium versus LABA alone. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane
      Airways Group Specialised Register of trials and ClinicalTrials.gov up to July
      2015. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included parallel-group, randomised controlled
      trials of three months or longer comparing treatment with tiotropium in addition
      to LABA against tiotropium or LABA alone for people with COPD. DATA COLLECTION
      AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed trials for inclusion and
      then extracted data on trial quality and the outcome results. We contacted study
      authors for additional information. We collected information on adverse effects
      from the trials. MAIN RESULTS: This review included 10 trials on 10,894
      participants, mostly recruiting participants with moderate or severe COPD. All of
      the trials compared tiotropium in addition to LABA to tiotropium alone, and four
      trials additionally compared LAMA plus LABA with LABA alone. Four studies used
      the LABA olodaterol, three used indacaterol, two used formoterol, and one used
      salmeterol.Compared to tiotropium alone, treatment with tiotropium plus LABA
      resulted in a slightly larger improvement in mean health-related quality of life
      (St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) (mean difference (MD) -1.34, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) -1.87 to -0.80; 6709 participants; 5 studies). The MD
      was smaller than the four units that is considered clinically important, but a
      responder analysis indicated that 7% more participants receiving tiotropium plus
      LABA had a noticeable benefit (greater than four units) from treatment in
      comparison to tiotropium alone. In the control arm in one study, which was
      tiotropium alone, the SGRQ improved by falling 4.5 units from baseline and with
      tiotropium plus LABA the improvement was a fall of a further 1.3 units (on
      average). Most of the data came from studies using olodaterol. High withdrawal
      rates in the trials increased the uncertainty in this result, and the GRADE
      assessment for this outcome was therefore moderate. There were no significant
      differences in the other primary outcomes (hospital admission or mortality).The
      secondary outcome of pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one second
      (FEV1) showed a small mean increase with the addition of LABA over the control
      arm (MD 0.06, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.07; 9573 participants; 10 studies), which showed a
      change from baseline ranging from 0.03 L to 0.13 L with tiotropium alone. None of
      the other secondary outcomes (exacerbations, symptom scores, serious adverse
      events, and withdrawals) showed any statistically significant differences between
      the groups. There was moderate heterogeneity for both exacerbations and
      withdrawals.This review included data on four LABAs: two administered twice daily
      (salmeterol, formoterol) and two once daily (indacaterol, olodaterol). The
      results were largely from studies of olodaterol and there was insufficient
      information to assess whether the other LABAs were equivalent to olodaterol or
      each other.Comparing LABA plus tiotropium treatment with LABA alone, there was a
      small but significant improvement in SGRQ (MD -1.25, 95% CI -2.14 to -0.37; 3378
      participants; 4 studies). The data came mostly from studies using olodaterol and,
      although the difference was smaller than four units, this still represented an
      increase of 10 people with a clinically important improvement for 100 treated.
      There was also an improvement in FEV1 (MD 0.07, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.09; 3513
      participants; 4 studies), and in addition an improvement in exacerbation rates
      (odds ratio (OR) 0.80, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.93; 3514 participants; 3 studies).
      AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The results from this review indicated a small mean
      improvement in health-related quality of life and FEV1 for participants on a
      combination of tiotropium and LABA compared to either agent alone, and this
      translated into a small increase in the number of responders on combination
      treatment. In addition, adding tiotropium to LABA reduced exacerbations, although
      adding LABA to tiotropium did not. Hospital admission and mortality were not
      altered by adding LABA to tiotropium, although there may not be enough data.
      While it is possible that this is affected by higher attrition in the tiotropium
      group, one would expect that participants withdrawn from the study would have had
      less favourable outcomes; this means that the expected direction of attrition
      bias would be to reduce the estimated benefit of the combination treatment. The
      results were largely from studies of olodaterol and there was insufficient
      information to assess whether the other LABAs were equivalent to olodaterol or
      each other.

PMID- 26490946
TI  - Conjugative transfer of a derivative of the IncP-1alpha plasmid RP4 and
      establishment of transconjugants in the indigenous bacterial community of poplar
      plants.
AB  - The persistence of traits introduced into the indigenous bacterial community of
      poplar plants was investigated using bioluminescence mediated by the luc gene.
      Three endophytic bacterial strains provided with the IncP-1alpha plasmid RP4-Tn
      luc were used to inoculate poplar cuttings at different phenological stages.
      Screening of isolates by bioluminescence and real-time PCR detection of the luc
      gene revealed stable persistence for at least 10 weeks. Although the inoculated
      strains became established with a high population density after inoculation at
      leaf development (April) and senescence (October), the strains were suppressed by
      the indigenous bacteria at stem elongation (June). Transconjugants could be
      detected only at this phenological stage. Indigenous bacteria harbouring RP4-Tn
      luc became established with densities ranging from 2 * 10(5) to 9 * 10(6) CFU g(
      1) fresh weight 3 and 10 weeks after inoculation. The increased colonization of
      the cuttings by indigenous bacteria at stem elongation seemed to strongly compete
      with the introduced strains. Otherwise, the phenological stage of the plants as
      well as the density of the indigenous recipients could serve as the driver for a
      more frequent conjugative plasmid transfer. A phylogenetic assignment of
      transconjugants indicated the transfer of RP4-Tn-luc into six genera of
      Proteobacteria, mainly Sphingomonas, Stenotrophomonas and Xanthomonas. 

PMID- 26490947
TI  - Bacterial production and secretion of water-insoluble fuel compounds from
      cellulose without the supplementation of cellulases.
AB  - Achieving economic biofuel production from cellulosic biomass will require
      significant cost reductions. Enzymatic degradation of cellulosic biomass and
      distillation of water-soluble fuel compounds substantially increase the cost of
      biofuel production. Consolidated bioprocessing is a strategy to circumvent
      expensive biofuel production steps. Clostridium thermocellum is a promising
      bacterium for consolidated bioprocessing because it does not require the
      supplementation of lignocellulose-degrading enzymes. To produce water-insoluble
      fuel compounds, C. thermocellum was engineered to express a fatty acyl-acyl
      carrier protein reductase and an aldehyde-deformylating oxygenase from
      Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. Expression of the aldehyde-deformylating
      oxygenase gene was clearly detected, whereas only slight expression of the fatty
      acyl-acyl carrier protein reductase gene was detected. Cells expressing the fatty
      acyl-acyl carrier protein reductase and the aldehyde-deformylating oxygenase
      accumulated fatty aldehydes (higher alcohol precursors). After cultivation with
      cellulose, the higher alcohols, decanol and dodecanol, were detected in the
      organic solvent phase of the culture broth, indicating that the strain secreted
      the higher alcohols. These results suggest that the engineered C. thermocellum
      strain, expressing fatty acyl-acyl carrier protein reductase and aldehyde
      deformylating oxygenase genes, directly produces and secretes higher alcohols
      from cellulose without the supplementation of cellulases. The higher alcohols can
      be collected by phase separation. 

PMID- 26490948
TI  - Probing the effect of OSCE checklist length on inter-observer reliability and
      observer accuracy.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a widely
      employed tool for measuring clinical competence. In the drive toward
      comprehensive assessment, OSCE stations and checklists may become increasingly
      complex. The objective of this study was to probe inter-observer reliability and
      observer accuracy as a function of OSCE checklist length. METHOD: Study
      participants included emergency physicians and senior residents in Emergency
      Medicine at Dalhousie University. Participants watched an identical series of
      four, scripted, standardized videos enacting 10-min OSCE stations and completed
      corresponding assessment checklists. Each participating observer was provided
      with a random combination of two 40-item and two 20-item checklists. A panel of
      physicians scored the scenarios through repeated video review to determine the
      'gold standard' checklist scores. RESULTS: Fifty-seven observers completed 228
      assessment checklists. Mean observer accuracy ranged from 73 to 93% (14.6
      18.7/20), with an overall accuracy of 86% (17.2/20), and inter-rater reliability
      range of 58-78%. After controlling for station and individual variation, no
      effect was observed regarding the number of checklist items on overall accuracy
      (p=0.2305). Consistency in ratings was calculated using intraclass correlation
      coefficient and demonstrated no significant difference in consistency between the
      20- and 40-item checklists (ranged from 0.432 to 0.781, p-values from 0.56 to
      0.73). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of 20 checklist items to a core list of 20 items
      in an OSCE assessment checklist does not appear to impact observer accuracy or
      inter-rater reliability.

PMID- 26490949
TI  - Icariin protects rats against 5/6 nephrectomy-induced chronic kidney failure by
      increasing the number of renal stem cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease poses a serious health problem worldwide with
      increasing prevalence and lack of effective treatment. This study aimed to
      investigate the mechanism of icariin in alleviating chronic renal failure induced
      by 5/6 nephrectomy in rats. METHODS: The chronic renal failure model was
      established by a two-phased 5/6 nephrectomy procedure. The model rats were given
      daily doses of water or icariin for 8 weeks. The kidney morphology was checked by
      HE staining. The levels of blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, and serum uric
      acid were measured by colometric methods. The expression of specified genes was
      analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemical staining. The
      number of renal stem/progenitor cells was analyzed by CD133 and CD24
      immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: Icariin protected against CDK-caused
      damages to kidney histology and improved renal function, significantly reduced
      levels of BUN, creatinine, and uric acid. Icariin inhibited the expression level
      of TGF-beta1 whereas upregulated HGF, BMP-7, WT-1, and Pax2 expression. Moreover,
      ccariin significantly increased the expression of CD24, CD133, Osr1, and Nanog in
      remnant kidney and the numbers of CD133(+)/CD24(+) renal stem/progenitor cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrated that icariin effectively alleviated 5/6
      nephrectomy induced chronic renal failure through increasing renal
      stem/progenitor cells.

PMID- 26490950
TI  - Training in the Conduct of Population-Based Multi-Site and Multi-Disciplinary
      Studies: the Cancer Research Network's Scholars Program.
AB  - Expanding research capacity of large research networks within health care
      delivery systems requires strategically training both embedded and external
      investigators in necessary skills for this purpose. Researchers new to these
      settings frequently lack the skills and specialized knowledge conducive to multi
      site and multi-disciplinary research set in delivery systems. This report
      describes the goals and components of the Cancer Research Network (CRN) Scholars
      Program, a 26-month training program developed to increase the capacity for
      cancer research conducted within the network's participating sites, its
      progression from training embedded investigators to a mix of internal and
      external investigators, and the content evolution of the training program. The
      CRN Scholars program was launched in 2007 to assist junior investigators from
      member sites develop independent and sustainable research programs within the
      CRN. Resulting from CRN's increased emphasis on promoting external
      collaborations, the 2013 Scholars program began recruiting junior investigators
      from external institutions committed to conducting delivery system science. Based
      on involvement of this broader population and feedback from prior Scholar
      cohorts, the program has honed its focus on specific opportunities and issues
      encountered in conducting cancer research within health care delivery systems.
      Efficiency and effectiveness of working within networks is accelerated by
      strategic and mentored navigation of these networks. Investing in training
      programs specific to these settings provides the opportunity to improve multi
      disciplinary and multi-institutional collaboration, particularly for early-stage
      investigators. Aspects of the CRN Scholars Program may help inform others
      considering developing similar programs to expand delivery system research or
      within large, multi-disciplinary research networks.

PMID- 26490951
TI  - Calcium, TRPC channels, and regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in podocytes:
      towards a future of targeted therapies.
AB  - With more than 6,000 new pediatric patients with treatment-resistant nephrotic
      syndrome in the US each year alone, the unmet need for novel, podocyte-specific
      therapies is substantial. Recently, the established therapeutic benefit of
      angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers
      (ARB) was used as a starting point to gain insight into the pathomechanism of
      primary podocytopathies. A calcium (Ca(2+))-mediated pathway has been identified
      that connects the angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R) to podocyte cytoskeletal
      dynamics, essential for a functioning glomerular filtration barrier. This
      discovery provided an important missing piece in our understanding of the
      pathomechanism of filter barrier damage, revealing Ca(2+) signaling as critical
      for podocyte health and disease. The identification of the two Ca(2+) permeant
      channels TRPC5 and TRPC6 as mediators of this pathway not only bolstered the
      importance of podocyte cytoskeleton dynamics but also revealed promising drug
      targets for treatment-resistant nephrotic syndrome. This review will focus on
      this novel signaling pathway in primary podocytopathies and its implications for
      next-generation therapies for glomerular disease.

PMID- 26490952
TI  - Genome-wide association studies in pediatric chronic kidney disease.
AB  - The genome-wide association study (GWAS) has become an established scientific
      method that provides an unbiased screen for genetic loci potentially associated
      with phenotypes of clinical interest, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD). Thus,
      GWAS provides opportunities to gain new perspectives regarding the genetic
      architecture of CKD progression by identifying new candidate genes and targets
      for intervention. As such, it has become an important arm of translational
      science providing a complementary line of investigation to identify novel
      therapeutics to treat CKD. In this review, we describe the method and the
      challenges of performing GWAS in the pediatric CKD population. We also provide an
      overview of successful GWAS for kidney disease, and we discuss the established
      pediatric CKD cohorts in North America and Europe that are poised to identify
      genetic risk variants associated with CKD progression.

PMID- 26490953
TI  - Long-term fear of recurrence in young breast cancer survivors and partners.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fear of a breast cancer recurrence is the most prevalent and
      disruptive source of distress for long-term survivors and their partners.
      However, few studies have focused on predictors of fear of recurrence. The aim of
      this study is to test the efficacy of the Social Cognitive Processing Theory
      (SCPT) in predicting fear of recurrence in long-term breast cancer survivors
      diagnosed at age 45 years or younger and their partners. METHODS: In a large
      cross-sectional study, breast cancer survivors (n = 222) 3-8 years from diagnosis
      and their partners completed a survey assessing demographic characteristics, fear
      of recurrence, social constraints, and cognitive processing (intrusive thoughts
      and cognitive avoidance). Mediation analyses were conducted for survivors and
      partners separately to determine if cognitive processing would mediate the
      relationship between social constraints and fear of recurrence. RESULTS:
      Cognitive processing mediated the relationship between social constraints and
      fear of recurrence both for survivors [F(3,213) = 47.541, R2  = 0.401, p < 0.001]
      and partners [F(3,215) = 27.917, R2  = 0.280, p < 0.001). Demographic variables
      were not significant predictors of fear of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: As predicted,
      cognitive processing mediated the relationship between social constraints and
      fear of recurrence. Results expand the utility of the SCPT in long-term survivors
      and their partners by supporting its use in intervention design. Copyright (c)
      2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26490954
TI  - Erratum to: gespeR: a statistical model for deconvoluting off-target-confounded
      RNA interference screens.

PMID- 26490955
TI  - Course of cognitive impairment following attempted suicide in older adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cognitive impairment has been associated with late-life suicidal
      behavior. Without longitudinal data it is unclear whether these are transient
      features of a depressive state or stable impairments. We examined longitudinally
      the course of cognitive impairment in older adults with depression and a history
      of suicide attempt. METHODS: We investigated the persistence of cognitive
      impairment over time in 198 depressed older adults (age >60); 91 suicide
      attempters, 39 depressed individuals with suicidal ideation (ideators), and 68
      non-suicidal depressed adults assessed over a 2-year period at four time points.
      We used linear mixed effects modeling to examine group differences in
      trajectories of cognitive decline over 2 years, using the Mini-Mental State
      Examination (MMSE), Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (DRS), and Executive Interview
      (EXIT). RESULTS: Over the 2-year period, suicide attempters performed
      significantly worse than both suicide ideators and non-suicidal depressed older
      adults on the MMSE (mean difference: from ideators: -0.88, p = 0.02; from non
      suicidal depressed: -1.52, p < 0.01), while on the EXIT and DRS, suicide
      attempters performed significantly worse than non-suicidal depressed older adults
      (mean difference: in EXIT: -1.75, p = 0.01; in DRS: 3.04, p < 0.01; in MMSE:
      1.15, p < 0.01). Cognitive impairment in suicide attempters partly resolved, as
      indicated by a group * time interaction on the DRS (p = 0.039), but not the EXIT
      (p = 0.58) or the MMSE (p = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive impairment in late-life
      suicidal behavior appears to involve both a stable and a state-related component.

PMID- 26490956
TI  - Stability of blocked replication forks in vivo.
AB  - Replication of chromosomal DNA must be carried out to completion in order for a
      cell to proliferate. However, replication forks can stall during this process for
      a variety of reasons, including nucleoprotein 'roadblocks' and DNA lesions. In
      these circumstances the replisome copying the DNA may disengage from the
      chromosome to allow various repair processes to restore DNA integrity and enable
      replication to continue. Here, we report the in vivo stability of the replication
      fork when it encounters a nucleoprotein blockage in Escherichia coli. Using a
      site-specific and reversible protein block system in conjunction with the
      temperature sensitive DnaC helicase loader and DnaB replicative helicase, we
      monitored the disappearance of the Y-shaped DNA replication fork structures using
      neutral-neutral 2D agarose gels. We show the replication fork collapses within 5
      min of encountering the roadblock. Therefore, the stalled replication fork does
      not pause at a block in a stable confirmation for an extended period of time as
      previously postulated. 

PMID- 26490957
TI  - SigMol: repertoire of quorum sensing signaling molecules in prokaryotes.
AB  - Quorum sensing is a widespread phenomenon in prokaryotes that helps them to
      communicate among themselves and with eukaryotes. It is driven through quorum
      sensing signaling molecules (QSSMs) in a density dependent manner that assists in
      numerous biological functions like biofilm formation, virulence factors
      secretion, swarming motility, bioluminescence, etc. Despite immense implications,
      dedicated resources of QSSMs are lacking. Therefore, we have developed SigMol
      (http://bioinfo.imtech.res.in/manojk/sigmol), a specialized repository of these
      molecules in prokaryotes. SigMol harbors information on QSSMs pertaining to
      different quorum sensing signaling systems namely acylated homoserine lactones
      (AHLs), diketopiperazines (DKPs), 4-hydroxy-2-alkylquinolines (HAQs), diffusible
      signal factors (DSFs), autoinducer-2 (AI-2) and others. Database contains 1382:
      entries of 182: unique signaling molecules from 215: organisms. It encompasses
      biological as well as chemical aspects of signaling molecules. Biological
      information includes genes, preliminary bioassays, identification assays and
      applications, while chemical detail comprises of IUPAC name, SMILES and
      structure. We have provided user-friendly browsing and searching facilities for
      easy data retrieval and comparison. We have gleaned information of diverse QSSMs
      reported in literature at a single platform 'SigMol'. This comprehensive resource
      will assist the scientific community in understanding intraspecies, interspecies
      or interkingdom networking and further help to unfold different facets of quorum
      sensing and related therapeutics. 

PMID- 26490958
TI  - Slx4 and Rtt107 control checkpoint signalling and DNA resection at double-strand
      breaks.
AB  - The DNA damage checkpoint pathway is activated in response to DNA lesions and
      replication stress to preserve genome integrity. However, hyper-activation of
      this surveillance system is detrimental to the cell, because it might prevent
      cell cycle re-start after repair, which may also lead to senescence. Here we show
      that the scaffold proteins Slx4 and Rtt107 limit checkpoint signalling at a
      persistent double-strand DNA break (DSB) and at uncapped telomeres. We found that
      Slx4 is recruited within a few kilobases of an irreparable DSB, through the
      interaction with Rtt107 and the multi-BRCT domain scaffold Dpb11. In the absence
      of Slx4 or Rtt107, Rad9 binding near the irreparable DSB is increased, leading to
      robust checkpoint signalling and slower nucleolytic degradation of the 5' strand.
      Importantly, in slx4Delta sae2Delta double mutant cells these phenotypes are
      exacerbated, causing a severe Rad9-dependent defect in DSB repair. Our study
      sheds new light on the molecular mechanism that coordinates the processing and
      repair of DSBs with DNA damage checkpoint signalling, preserving genome
      integrity. 

PMID- 26490959
TI  - Robust expression of vault RNAs induced by influenza A virus plays a critical
      role in suppression of PKR-mediated innate immunity.
AB  - Protein kinase R (PKR) is a vital component of host innate immunity against viral
      infection. However, the mechanism underlying inactivation of PKR by influenza A
      virus (IAV) remains elusive. Here, we found that vault RNAs (vtRNAs) were greatly
      induced in A549 cells and mouse lungs after infection with IAV. The viral NS1
      protein was shown to be the inducer triggering the upregulation of vtRNAs.
      Importantly, silencing vtRNA in A549 cells significantly inhibited IAV
      replication, whereas overexpression of vtRNAs markedly promoted the viral
      replication. Furthermore, in vivo studies showed that disrupting vtRNA expression
      in mice significantly decreased IAV replication in infected lungs. The vtRNA
      knockdown animals exhibited significantly enhanced resistance to IAV infection,
      as evidenced by attenuated acute lung injury and spleen atrophy and consequently
      increased survival rates. Interestingly, vtRNAs promoted viral replication
      through repressing the activation of PKR and the subsequent antiviral interferon
      response. In addition, increased expression of vtRNAs was required for efficient
      suppression of PKR by NS1 during IAV infection. Moreover, vtRNAs were also
      significantly upregulated by infections of several other viruses and involved in
      the inactivation of PKR signaling by these viruses. These results reveal a novel
      mechanism by which some viruses circumvent PKR-mediated innate immunity. 

PMID- 26490960
TI  - A non-canonical multisubunit RNA polymerase encoded by a giant bacteriophage.
AB  - The infection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by the giant bacteriophage phiKZ is
      resistant to host RNA polymerase (RNAP) inhibitor rifampicin. phiKZ encodes two
      sets of polypeptides that are distantly related to fragments of the two largest
      subunits of cellular multisubunit RNAPs. Polypeptides of one set are encoded by
      middle phage genes and are found in the phiKZ virions. Polypeptides of the second
      set are encoded by early phage genes and are absent from virions. Here, we report
      isolation of a five-subunit RNAP from phiKZ-infected cells. Four subunits of this
      enzyme are cellular RNAP subunits homologs of the non-virion set; the fifth
      subunit is a protein of unknown function. In vitro, this complex initiates
      transcription from late phiKZ promoters in rifampicin-resistant manner. Thus,
      this enzyme is a non-virion phiKZ RNAP responsible for transcription of late
      phage genes. The phiKZ RNAP lacks identifiable assembly and promoter specificity
      subunits/factors characteristic for eukaryal, archaeal and bacterial RNAPs and
      thus provides a unique model for comparative analysis of the mechanism,
      regulation and evolution of this important class of enzymes. 

PMID- 26490961
TI  - 5SRNAdb: an information resource for 5S ribosomal RNAs.
AB  - Ribosomal 5S RNA (5S rRNA) is the ubiquitous RNA component found in the large
      subunit of ribosomes in all known organisms. Due to its small size, abundance and
      evolutionary conservation 5S rRNA for many years now is used as a model molecule
      in studies on RNA structure, RNA-protein interactions and molecular phylogeny.
      5SRNAdb (http://combio.pl/5srnadb/) is the first database that provides a high
      quality reference set of ribosomal 5S RNAs (5S rRNA) across three domains of
      life. Here, we give an overview of new developments in the database and
      associated web tools since 2002, including updates to database content, curation
      processes and user web interfaces. 

PMID- 26490962
TI  - Structural basis for suppression of hypernegative DNA supercoiling by E. coli
      topoisomerase I.
AB  - Escherichia coli topoisomerase I has an essential function in preventing
      hypernegative supercoiling of DNA. A full length structure of E. coli
      topoisomerase I reported here shows how the C-terminal domains bind single
      stranded DNA (ssDNA) to recognize the accumulation of negative supercoils in
      duplex DNA. These C-terminal domains of E. coli topoisomerase I are known to
      interact with RNA polymerase, and two flexible linkers within the C-terminal
      domains may assist in the movement of the ssDNA for the rapid removal of
      transcription driven negative supercoils. The structure has also unveiled for the
      first time how the 4-Cys zinc ribbon domain and zinc ribbon-like domain bind
      ssDNA with primarily pi-stacking interactions. This novel structure, in
      combination with new biochemical data, provides important insights into the
      mechanism of genome regulation by type IA topoisomerases that is essential for
      life, as well as the structures of homologous type IA TOP3alpha and TOP3beta from
      higher eukaryotes that also have multiple 4-Cys zinc ribbon domains required for
      their physiological functions. 

PMID- 26490963
TI  - Functional coordination and HuR-mediated regulation of mRNA stability during T
      cell activation.
AB  - Global mRNA abundance depends on the balance of synthesis and decay of a
      population of mRNAs. To account for this balance during activation of T cells, we
      used metabolic labeling to quantify the contributions of RNA transcription and
      decay over a 4 h time course during activation of leukemia-derived Jurkat T
      cells. While prior studies suggested more than half of the changes in mRNA
      abundance were due to RNA stability, we found a smaller but more interesting
      population of mRNAs changed stability. These mRNAs clustered into functionally
      related subpopulations that included replicative histones, ribosomal biogenesis
      and cell motility functions. We then applied a novel analysis based on
      integrating global protein-RNA binding with concurrent changes in RNA stability
      at specific time points following activation. This analysis demonstrated robust
      stabilization of mRNAs by the HuR RNA-binding protein 4 h after activation. Our
      unexpected findings demonstrate that the temporal regulation of mRNA stability
      coordinates vital cellular pathways and is in part controlled by the HuR RNA
      binding protein in Jurkat T cells following activation. 

PMID- 26490965
TI  - Alan Johnson: "utterly charming. Delusional".

PMID- 26490964
TI  - Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Liver: a Review of the Current  Knowledge and
      Report of a New Case.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Solitary fibrous tumors of the liver (SFTL) are uncommon tumors; to
      the present day, less than 50 cases has been reported in the English scientific
      literature, most of which behaved as benign tumors. The present article reports a
      new case of SFTL and has the main purpose of updating the current knowledge of
      SFTL because due to its rarity, its clinical presentation, study, treatment, and
      prognosis are not well known. The clinical presentation, radiologic study,
      surgical treatment, immunohistochemical study, and prognosis are updated and
      comprehensively discussed. METHODS: Using the common search engines, a search of
      the English literature was conducted for "Solitary Fibrous Tumor of The Liver,"
      and the relevant articles were retrieved, reviewed, and analyzed. RESULTS: All
      published articles reported anecdotal SFTLs, or SFTLs were included in large
      series analyzing solitary fibrous tumors on different sites. CONCLUSION: The SFTL
      is an uncommon neoplasm. The clinical presentation is habitually indolent and its
      behavior is uncertain. In some cases, the SFTL acts as an aggressive sarcoma with
      poor prognosis. Currently, only surgery offers a therapeutic opportunity for
      these patients. Due to the lack of current knowledge of long-term behavior of
      supposedly benign SFTLs and to the lack of specific therapies, methodical long
      term follow-up is essential to ensure the survival of patients treated for SFTL.

PMID- 26490966
TI  - Sharp bends of phononic crystal surface modes.
AB  - Sharp bending of surface waves at the interface of a two-dimensional phononic
      crystal (PnC) of steel cylinders in air and the method of using a diagonally
      offset cylindrical scatterer are numerically demonstrated by finite-element
      method simulations. The radii of the diagonally offset scatterer and the cylinder
      at the PnC corner, along with the distance between them, are treated as
      optimization parameters in the genetic algorithm optimization of sharp bends.
      Surface wave transmittance of at most 5% for the unmodified sharp bend is
      significantly enhanced to approximately 75% as a result of optimization. A series
      of transmittance peaks whose maxima increase exponentially, as their widths
      reduce, with increasing frequency is observed for the optimized sharp bend. The
      transmittance peaks appear at frequencies corresponding to integer plus half-beat
      periods, depending on the finite surface length. The optimal parameters are such
      that the cylinder radius at the PnC corner is not significantly modified, whereas
      a diagonally offset scatterer having a diameter of almost two periods and a
      shortest distance of about 0.7 periods between them is required for the strongest
      transmittance peak. Utilization of PnC surface sharp bends as acoustic ring
      resonators is demonstrated. 

PMID- 26490967
TI  - Fc Gamma Receptor IIA (CD32A) R131 Polymorphism as a Marker of Genetic
      Susceptibility to Sepsis.
AB  - Sepsis is a devastating disease that can affect humans at any time between
      neonates and the elderly and is associated with mortality rates that range from
      30 to 80%. Despite intensive efforts, its treatment has remained the same over
      the last few decades. Fc receptors regulate multiple immune responses and have
      been investigated in diverse complex diseases. FcgammaRIIA (CD32A) is an
      immunoreceptor, tyrosine-based activation motif-bearing receptor that binds
      immunoglobulin G and C-reactive protein, important opsonins in host defense. We
      conducted a study of 702 patients (184 healthy individuals, 171 non-infected
      critically ill patients, and 347 sepsis patients) to investigate if genetic
      polymorphisms in the CD32A coding region affect the risk of septic shock. All
      individuals were genotyped for a variant at position 131 of the FcgammaRIIA gene.
      We found that allele G, associated with the R131 genotype, was significantly more
      frequent in septic patients than in the other groups (p = 0.05). Our data
      indicate that FcgammaRIIA genotyping can be used as a marker of genetic
      susceptibility to sepsis.

PMID- 26490968
TI  - Toxoplasma gondii Infection Promotes Neuroinflammation Through Cytokine Networks
      and Induced Hyperalgesia in BALB/c Mice.
AB  - We hypothesized that in Toxoplasma gondii infection, communication among immune
      cells promotes neuroinflammation through cytokine networks and induces pain
      sensitivity under conditions of neuropathic pain. The animal model of Toxoplasma
      infection was established by the intraperitoneal inoculation of 20-25 tissue
      cysts from Tehran strain of T. gondii to BALB/c mice. Amitriptyline (20 mg/kg,
      i.p., 1/day) administrated to animals for 7 days before behavioral tests. Pain
      behavioral tests including tail flick, hot plate, and formalin test were
      evaluated in all the groups. The mRNA levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
      alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, and IL-6 were examined by real-time PCR. Results
      revealed that T. gondii induce hyperalgesia in the infected mice, whereas
      amitriptyline showed a promising effect against the hyperalgesia induced by
      Toxoplasma infection. The mRNA levels of the aforementioned cytokines
      significantly (P < 0.05) increased in the infected mice compared to the
      uninfected ones. Obtained findings suggested that T. gondii infection could
      promote neuroinflammation through cytokine networks and induced hyperalgesia in
      BALB/c mice, whereas amitriptyline as an analgesic drug reverses them.

PMID- 26490969
TI  - Involvement of Prokineticin 2 and Prokineticin Receptor 1 in Lipopolysaccharide
      Induced Testitis in Rats.
AB  - Prokineticin 2, a newly discovered proinflammatory peptide, has been amply
      evidenced to be involved in the occurrence and progress of local and systematical
      inflammation. Although the presence of Prokineticn 2 in mammal testis has been
      documented clearly, research targeting the involvement of prokineticin 2 in
      testicular pathology, especially testitis, is rather scarce. Employing a
      lipopolysaccharide-induced testitis rat model, we for the first time demonstrated
      the expression and upregulation of prokineticin 2 in orchitis at several levels.
      Our effort also addressed the differential expression patterns of prokineticin 2
      and interleukin-1beta, a key inflammation indicator, during testitis suggesting
      Prokineticn 2 serves more than a proinflammatory factor in the context of
      testitis. Given one of the cognate receptors of prokineticin 2, prokineticin
      receptor 1 (PKR1) was also significantly upregulated in orchitis as discussed in
      the current study, it is very likely that PK2/PKR1 signaling contribute to the
      development of inflammation-related testicular diseases. 

PMID- 26490970
TI  - The social and community opportunities profile social inclusion measure:
      Structural equivalence and differential item functioning in community mental
      health residents in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: China's future major health problem will be the management of
      chronic diseases - of which mental health is a major one. An instrument is needed
      to measure mental health inclusion outcomes for mental health services in Hong
      Kong and mainland China as they strive to promote a more inclusive society for
      their citizens and particular disadvantaged groups. AIM: To report on the
      analysis of structural equivalence and item differentiation in two mentally
      unhealthy and one healthy sample in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. METHOD: The
      mental health sample in Hong Kong was made up of non-governmental organisation
      (NGO) referrals meeting the selection/exclusion criteria (being well enough to be
      interviewed, having a formal psychiatric diagnosis and living in the community).
      A similar sample in the United Kingdom meeting the same selection criteria was
      obtained from a community mental health organisation, equivalent to the NGOs in
      Hong Kong. Exploratory factor analysis and logistic regression were conducted.
      RESULTS: The single-variable, self-rated 'overall social inclusion' differs
      significantly between all of the samples, in the way we would expect from
      previous research, with the healthy population feeling more included than the
      serious mental illness (SMI) groups. In the exploratory factor analysis, the
      first two factors explain between a third and half of the variance, and the
      single variable which enters into all the analyses in the first factor is having
      friends to visit the home. All the regression models were significant; however,
      in Hong Kong sample, only one-fifth of the total variance is explained.
      CONCLUSION: The structural findings imply that the social and community
      opportunities profile-Chinese version (SCOPE-C) gives similar results when
      applied to another culture. As only one-fifth of the variance of 'overall
      inclusion' was explained in the Hong Kong sample, it may be that the instrument
      needs to be refined using different or additional items within the structural
      domains of inclusion.

PMID- 26490971
TI  - Glucocorticoids inhibit shaft fracture healing but not metaphyseal bone
      regeneration under stable mechanical conditions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Healing in cancellous metaphyseal bone might be different from
      midshaft fracture healing due to different access to mesenchymal stem cells, and
      because metaphyseal bone often heals without a cartilaginous phase. Inflammation
      plays an important role in the healing of a shaft fracture, but if metaphyseal
      injury is different, it is important to clarify if the role of inflammation is
      also different. The biology of fracture healing is also influenced by the degree
      of mechanical stability. It is unclear if inflammation interacts with stability
      related factors. METHODS: We investigated the role of inflammation in three
      different models: a metaphyseal screw pull-out, a shaft fracture with unstable
      nailing (IM-nail) and a stable external fixation (ExFix) model. For each, half of
      the animals received dexamethasone to reduce inflammation, and half received
      control injections. Mechanical and morphometric evaluation was used. RESULTS: As
      expected, dexamethasone had a strong inhibitory effect on the healing of
      unstable, but also stable, shaft fractures. In contrast, dexamethasone tended to
      increase the mechanical strength of metaphyseal bone regenerated under stable
      conditions. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that dexamethasone has different effects on
      metaphyseal and diaphyseal bone healing. This could be explained by the different
      role of inflammation at different sites of injury. Cite this article: Bone Joint
      Res 2015;4:170-175.

PMID- 26490972
TI  - Impact of socioeconomic status on mortality and unplanned readmission in septic
      intensive care unit patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the potential association between socioeconomic
      status (SES) and prognosis after sepsis. We analysed how SES impacted mortality
      and readmission in septic patients treated at the intensive care unit (ICU) of a
      university hospital. METHODS: We performed a cohort study including all adult
      patients admitted to a general tertiary ICU with severe sepsis or septic shock
      during 2008-2010. Data on SES (educational level, personal income, and
      cohabitation), comorbidity, readmissions, and mortality were obtained from public
      registries. We used Cox regression analysis to examine the impact of SES on 30-
      and 180-day mortality and on first unplanned readmission within 180 days after
      hospital discharge. RESULTS: A total of 387 patients were included of whom 111
      (29%) died within 30 days after ICU admission, and 55 (20%) died within 180 days
      after hospital discharge. Adjusted for sex, comorbidity and SAPS II, patients
      with low income had a substantially greater risk of dying within 30 days of
      admission compared to those with high income (35.7% vs. 23.3%; adjusted hazard
      ratio (HR) 1.99; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24-3.21), and tended to show
      higher 180-day mortality (25.0% vs. 15.5%; adjusted HR 1.72; 95% CI 0.86-3.45).
      Among patients discharged from hospital, 125 (45%) were readmitted within 180
      days. Patients with low education and low income showed a tendency towards early
      readmission. CONCLUSIONS: Among septic ICU patients, low income was significantly
      associated with increased 30-day mortality. There was a trend towards earlier
      readmission among surviving patients with low educational level and personal
      income.

PMID- 26490973
TI  - Reviewing the literature.

PMID- 26490975
TI  - Autism, an area that needs public attention and investment.

PMID- 26490977
TI  - Editorial: Pertussis: current problems, challenges and investigations of a re
      emerging disease.

PMID- 26490976
TI  - Genetic architecture, epigenetic influence and environment exposure in the
      pathogenesis of Autism.
AB  - Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a spectral neurodevelopment disorder affecting
      approximately 1% of the population. ASD is characterized by impairments in
      reciprocal social interaction, communication deficits and restricted patterns of
      behavior. Multiple factors, including genetic/genomic, epigenetic/epigenomic and
      environmental, are thought to be necessary for autism development. Recent reviews
      have provided further insight into the genetic/genomic basis of ASD. It has long
      been suspected that epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, chromatin
      structures and long non-coding RNAs may play important roles in the pathology of
      ASD. In addition to genetic/genomic alterations and epigenetic/epigenomic
      influences, environmental exposures have been widely accepted as an important
      role in autism etiology, among which immune dysregulation and gastrointestinal
      microbiota are two prominent ones. 

PMID- 26490974
TI  - Immunometabolism within the tuberculosis granuloma: amino acids, hypoxia, and
      cellular respiration.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) granulomas are compact, organized agglomerations of infected
      and uninfected macrophages, T cells, neutrophils, and other immune cells. Within
      the granuloma, several unique metabolic adaptations occur to modify the behavior
      of immune cells, potentially favoring bacterial persistence balanced with
      protection against immunopathology. These include the induction of arginase-1 in
      macrophages to temper nitric oxide (NO) production and block T cell
      proliferation, inhibition of oxygen-requiring NO production in hypoxic regions,
      and induction of tryptophan-degrading enzymes that modify T cell proliferation
      and function. The spatial and time-dependent organization of granulomas further
      influences immunometabolism, for example through lactate production by activated
      macrophages, which can induce arginase-1. Although complex, the metabolic changes
      in and around TB granulomas can be potentially modified by host-directed
      therapies. While elimination of the TB bacilli is often the goal of any anti-TB
      therapy, host-directed approaches must also account for the possibility of
      immunopathologic damage to the lung. 

PMID- 26490978
TI  - Maspin mediates the gemcitabine sensitivity of hormone-independent prostate
      cancer.
AB  - Androgen deprivation therapy has constituted the main treatment for prostate
      cancer; however, tumors ultimately progress to hormone-independent prostate
      cancer (HIPC), and suitable therapeutic strategies for HIPC are not available.
      Maspin, which is also known as mammary serine protease inhibitor, has been
      suggested to be a valuable focus for targeted cancer therapy. Specifically,
      maspin has been shown to be upregulated after androgen ablation therapy.
      Gemcitabine is used as a first-line therapy for metastatic castration-resistant
      prostate cancer, but its disease control rate is low. Furthermore, the role of
      maspin in the therapeutic efficacy of gemcitabine for HIPC remains unclear. The
      expression levels of maspin in PC-3 and DU145 cells were determined by real-time
      PCR and Western blotting. Furthermore, the expression of maspin was silenced
      using shRNA technology to generate maspin-KD cells. The cytotoxicity of
      gemcitabine to prostate cancer cells was assessed using 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2
      yl]-3,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays, whereas flow cytometry
      analyses and annexin V-propidium iodide (PI) apoptosis assays were used to assess
      the ability of gemcitabine to induce apoptosis in maspin-KD and control cells.
      Additionally, the expression patterns of anti-apoptosis proteins (myeloid cell
      leukemia 1 (Mcl-1) and B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)) and pro-apoptosis proteins (Bcl
      2-associated death promoter (Bad) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax)) were
      determined by Western blotting. In this study, PC-3 cells were more resistant to
      gemcitabine administration than DU145 cells, which correlated with the higher
      expression levels of maspin observed in PC-3 cells. Furthermore, maspin knockdown
      enhanced gemcitabine-induced cell death, as evidenced by the increased number of
      apoptotic cells. Gemcitabine treatment upregulated the levels of anti-apoptosis
      proteins (Mcl-2 and Bcl-2) in both scrambled control and maspin-KD cells;
      however, the fold changes in Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 expression were larger in
      gemcitabine-treated scrambled control cells than in maspin-KD cells. Finally, our
      findings indicate for the first time that maspin may mediate the therapeutic
      efficacy of gemcitabine in HIPC. Our results demonstrate that maspin knockdown
      enhanced the sensitivity of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells to
      gemcitabine. Therefore, combining gemcitabine with a drug that targets maspin
      might constitute a valuable strategy for prostate cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26490979
TI  - The roles of mitochondria in radiation-induced autophagic cell death in cervical
      cancer cells.
AB  - Mitochondria as the critical powerhouse of eukaryotic cells play important roles
      in regulating cell survival or cell death. Under numerous stimuli, impaired
      mitochondria will generate massive reactive oxygen species (ROS) which
      participate in the regulation of vital signals and could even determine the fate
      of cancer cells. While the roles of mitochondria in radiation-induced autophagic
      cell death still need to be elucidated. Human cervical cancer cell line, Hela,
      was used, and the SOD2 silencing model (SOD2-Ri) was established by gene
      engineering. Cell viability was detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT)
      assays, MitoTracker Green staining was used to detect mitochondrial mass, Western
      blot was used to detect protein expression, and the level of ROS, autophagy, and
      mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were analyzed by flow cytometry. Ionizing
      radiation (IR) could induce the increase of MAPLC3-II/MAPLC3-I ratio, Beclin1
      expression, and ROS generation but decrease the MMP in a time-dependent manner.
      After SOD2 silencing, the IR-induced changes of ROS and the MMP were
      significantly enhanced. Moreover, both the radio sensitivity and autophagy
      increased in SOD2-Ri cells. Whereas, compared with SOD2-Ri, the opposite results
      were obtained by NAC, an antioxidant. After the treatment with the inhibitor of
      mitochondrial electron-transport chain complex II, thenoyltrifluoroacetone
      (TTFA), the rate of autophagy, ROS, and the total cell death induced by IR
      increased. In addition, the decrease of MMP was more obvious. However, these
      results were reversed by cyclosporine A (CsA). IR could induce ROS generation and
      mitochondrial damage which lead to autophagic cell death in Hela cells. 

PMID- 26490980
TI  - Expression of CDC5L is associated with tumor progression in gliomas.
AB  - Cell division cycle 5-like (CDC5L) protein is a cell cycle regulator of the G2/M
      transition and has been reported to participate in the catalytic step of pre
      messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing and DNA damage repair. Recently, it was also found
      to act as a candidate oncogene in osteosarcoma and cervical tumors. However, the
      role of CDC5L expression in tumor biology was still unclear. Here, we analyzed
      the expression and clinical significance of CDC5L in gliomas. The expression of
      CDC5L in fresh glioma tissues and paraffin-embedded slices was evaluated by
      western blot and immunohistochemistry, respectively. We found that CDC5L was
      highly expressed in glioma tissues. The expression of CDC5L was significantly
      associated with glioma pathology grade and Ki-67 expression. Univariate and
      multivariate analyses showed that high CDC5L expression was an independent
      prognostic factor for glioma patients' survival. To determine whether CDC5L could
      regulate the proliferation of glioma cells, we transfected glioma cells with
      interfering RNA target CDC5L, then investigated cell proliferation with cell
      counting kit (CCK)-8, flow cytometry assays and colony formation analyses. Our
      results indicated that knockdown of CDC5L would inhibit proliferation of glioma
      cells. Besides, reduced expression of CDC5L could induce the apoptosis of glioma
      cells. These findings suggested that CDC5L might play an important role in glioma
      and thus be a promising therapeutic target of glioma. 

PMID- 26490981
TI  - microRNA-188 is downregulated in oral squamous cell carcinoma and inhibits
      proliferation and invasion by targeting SIX1.
AB  - microRNA-188 expression is downregulated in several tumors. However, its function
      and mechanism in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains obscure. The
      present study aims to identify the expression pattern, biological roles, and
      potential mechanism by which miR-188 dysregulation is associated with oral
      squamous cell carcinoma. Significant downregulation of miR-188 was observed in
      OSCC tissues compared with paired normal tissues. In vitro, gain-of-function,
      loss-of-function experiments were performed to examine the impact of miR-188 on
      cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and cell cycle progression. Transfection of
      miR-188 mimics suppressed Detroit 562 cell proliferation, cell cycle progression
      and invasion, with downregulation of cyclin D1, MMP9, and p-ERK. Transfection of
      miR-188 inhibitor in FaDu cell line with high endogenous expression exhibited the
      opposite effects. Using fluorescence reporter assays, we confirmed that SIX1 was
      a direct target of miR-188 in OSCC cells. Transfection of miR-188 mimics
      downregulated SIX1 expression. SIX1 siRNA treatment abrogated miR-188 inhibitor
      induced cyclin D1 and MMP9 upregulation. In addition, we found that SIX1 was
      overexpressed in 32 of 80 OSCC tissues. In conclusion, this study indicates that
      miR-188 downregulation might be associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma
      progression. miR-188 suppresses proliferation and invasion by targeting SIX1 in
      oral squamous cell carcinoma cells. 

PMID- 26490982
TI  - Far upstream element-binding protein 1 (FUBP1) is a potential c-Myc regulator in
      esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and its expression promotes ESCC
      progression.
AB  - The human far upstream element (FUSE) binding protein 1 (FUBP1) belongs to an
      ancient family which is required for proper regulation of the c-Myc proto
      oncogene. Although c-Myc plays an important role in development of various
      carcinomas, the relevance of FUBP1 and their contribution to esophageal squamous
      cell carcinoma (ESCC) development remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to
      investigate the relationship between FUBP1 and c-Myc as well as their
      contribution to ESCC development. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses
      were performed to evaluate FUBP1 expression. Coimmunoprecipitation analysis was
      performed to explore the correlation between FUBP1 and c-Myc in ESCC. In
      addition, the role of FUBP1 in ESCC proliferation was studied in ESCC cells
      through knocking FUBP1 down. The regulation of FUBP1 on proliferation was
      confirmed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, flow cytometric assays, and clone
      formation assays. The expressions of FUBP1 and c-Myc were both upregulated in
      ESCC tissues. In addition to correlation between expression of FUBP1 and tumor
      grade, we also confirmed the correlation of FUBP1, c-Myc, and Ki-67 expression by
      twos. Moreover, upregulation of FUBP1 and c-Myc in ESCC was associated with poor
      survival. FUBP1 was confirmed to activate c-Myc in ESCC tissues and cells. FUBP1
      was demonstrated to promote proliferation of ESCC cells. Moreover, downregulation
      of both FUBP1 and c-Myc was confirmed to inhibit proliferation of ESCC cells. Our
      results indicated that FUBP1 may potentially stimulate c-Myc expression in ESCC
      and its expression may promote ESCC progression. 

PMID- 26490983
TI  - Long non-coding RNA PVT1 as a novel biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of non
      small cell lung cancer.
AB  - Accumulating evidence has indicated that long non-coding RNA PVT1 is upregulated
      in various human cancers. However, it remains unclear whether PVT1 is involved in
      the development and progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The
      present study was designed to investigate the expression, biological role, and
      clinical significance of PVT1 in NSCLC. Our results indicated that PVT1
      expression was significantly increased in NSCLC tissues and cell lines, and its
      upregulation was associated with advanced T-stage and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM)
      stage and regional lymph node metastasis. PVT1 expression levels were robust in
      differentiating NSCLC tissues from controls. Kaplan-Meier curve and Cox
      regression analysis showed that high expression of PVT1 was associated with poor
      overall survival and disease-free survival in NSCLC patients. The results of 3
      (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and colony
      formation assays indicated that knockdown of PVT1 remarkably inhibited NSCLC cell
      proliferation, whereas overexpression of PVT1 significantly promoted cellular
      proliferation. In addition, PVT1 knockdown increased the number of cells in the
      G0/G1 phase and reduced the number of cells in the S phase, while overexpression
      of PVT1 could promote cell cycle progression. Furthermore, our findings also
      revealed that the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of P15 and P21 was
      significantly upregulated in NSCLC cells transfected with PVT1 small interfering
      RNA (siRNA) and downregulated in cells transfected with pcDNA3.1-PVT1. In
      conclusion, our study demonstrated that PVT1 might serve as a promising biomarker
      for diagnosis and prognosis of NSCLC, and it could promote the proliferation of
      NSCLC cells by downregulating p15 and p21 expression. 

PMID- 26490984
TI  - Elevated preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts poor disease-free
      survival in Chinese women with breast cancer.
AB  - Inflammation and tumor immune microenviroment are critical factors for prognosis
      in numerous cancers. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value
      of preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in breast cancer. We
      performed a retrospective analysis of 487 patients diagnosed with primary breast
      cancer at Shanghai Ruijin hospital from January 2009 to December 2010.
      Hematological parameters before surgery, clinicopathological data, and survival
      status were obtained. Survival analysis was used to evaluate the prognostic value
      of NLR. The optimal cutoff value was determined as 1.93 for NLR and the median
      follow-up time was 55.0 months. On univariate analysis, patients with high NLR
      (>1.93) had worse 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) compared to those with low
      NLR (77.9 vs 88.0 %, p = 0.002). Regarding overall survival, there was no
      significant difference between patients with high NLR and low NLR, with 5-year
      overall survival of 90.8 and 91.7 % (p = 0.707). In triple-negative breast
      cancer, patients with high NLR was associated with worse 5-year DFS compared with
      patients with low NLR (63.4 vs 84.9 %, p = 0.040). Mutivariate analysis revealed
      that NLR was an independent prognostic factor for DFS in breast cancer (HR =
      1.867, 95 % confidence interval; (95%CI) = 1.155-3.017, p = 0.011). Preoperative
      NLR is an independent predictor of DFS in breast cancer patients, especially in
      triple-negative subtype. Further studies are required to validate the prognostic
      value of NLR before clinical application. 

PMID- 26490985
TI  - Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) differ in the pattern of CTLA-4
      expression on CLL cells: the possible implications for immunotherapy with CTLA-4
      blocking antibody.
AB  - Recently, systemic administration of a human monoclonal antibody directed against
      cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) expressed on circulating T
      cells in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) has been considered.
      Also, CLL cells have been shown to express CTLA-4, increased levels of which in
      the leukaemic compartment are a predictor of good clinical outcome. Since both
      CLL and Treg microenvironment cells can be targeted by the CTLA-4 blocking
      antibody in this immunotherapy approach, the investigation of the functional
      effect of CTLA-4 blockade on CLL cells might be of potential clinical relevance.
      The main aim of this study was to examine the effect of CTLA-4 blockade on
      proliferation activity and apoptosis of CLL cells in patients with low and high
      CTLA-4 expression. We found that in the high CTLA-4-expressing CLL group, CTLA-4
      blockade on the CLL cell surface resulted in a significant increase in the median
      percentages of Ki67(+) cells and a tendency to decrease in the proportion of
      apoptotic cells. In contrast, in the low CTLA-4 expressors, CTLA-4 blockade did
      not affect the proliferation activity or the frequency of apoptosis. This study
      reports for the first time the different effect of CTLA-4 blockade on CLL cells
      in CLL patients depending on the levels of CTLA-4 expression. CTLA-4 blockade
      seems to induce pro-survival signals in leukaemic cells from CLL patients
      exhibiting high CTLA-4 expression, suggesting that an immunotherapy approach
      based on the systemic use of monoclonal anti-CTLA-4 antibodies could be an
      unfavourable strategy for some CLL patients. 

PMID- 26490986
TI  - SPARCL1 is a novel predictor of tumor recurrence and survival in hilar
      cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteines-like protein 1 (SPARCL1) has been
      implicated in tumor initiation, formation, and progression of various cancers,
      yet its role in hilar cholangiocarcinoma remains largely uncharacterized. In the
      present study, tissue microarrays containing resected hilar cholangiocarcinoma
      specimens from 92 patients were used to evaluate the expression of SPARCL1
      protein by immunohistochemistry (IHC). In vitro assays were used to determine the
      effect of SPARCL1 overexpression on cell growth and migration. Loss of SPARCL1
      expression was observed in 46 (50.0 %) of the 92 primary tumors. SPARCL1
      expression is inversely associated with poorly or undifferentiation specimens (P
      = 0.030) in addition to lymph node metastasis (P = 0.047). Survival analysis
      demonstrated that SPARCL1 is an independent factor in predicting the outcome of
      patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma. SPARCL1 overexpression suppressed tumor
      cell migration in vitro by inhibiting MMP-9, MMP-2, Vimentin, and Fibronectin
      expression, whereas did not inhibit cell proliferation in vitro. Our results
      suggest that loss of SPARCL1 is involved in the tumorigenesis of hilar
      cholangiocarcinoma and may serve as a novel molecular biomarker for patients'
      outcome. 

PMID- 26490987
TI  - MicroRNA-101 polymorphisms and risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in a
      Chinese population.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in regulation of gene expressions and
      likely have involvement in cancer susceptibility and disease progression.
      MicroRNA-101 (miR-101) has been well established as a tumor suppressor, and
      aberrant expression of miR-101 levels has been previously reported in different
      malignancies including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However,
      the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of miR-101 in the
      susceptibility to HNSCC remains unclear. In this study, we genotyped 11 selected
      SNPs of the miR-101 genes (including miR-101-1 and miR-101-2) in a case-control
      study including 576 HNSCC cases and 1552 cancer-free controls. For the main
      effect analysis, none of the 11 selected SNPs was associated with HNSCC risk.
      However, in the stratification analysis by tumor sites, rs578481 and rs705509 in
      pri-miR-101-1 were significantly associated with risk of oral squamous cell
      carcinoma (OSCC) (rs578481: adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.19, 95 % confidence
      interval (CI) 1.01-1.39, P = 0.036; rs705509: adjusted OR = 0.85, 95 % CI 0.73
      0.98, P = 0.030). Furthermore, combined analysis of the two SNPs revealed that
      subjects carrying the risk alleles of rs578481 and rs705509 had increased risk of
      OSCC in a dose-response manner (P trend = 0.022). Compared with subjects carrying
      "0-2" risk alleles, subjects carrying "3-4" risk alleles presented a 1.38-fold
      increased risk of OSCC. In conclusion, our findings suggested that the SNPs
      rs578481 and rs705509 locating in pri-miR-101-1 may play a role in genetic
      susceptibility to OSCC, which may improve our understanding of the potential
      contribution of miRNA SNPs to cancer pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26490988
TI  - The SDF-1/CXCR4 chemokine axis in uveal melanoma cell proliferation and
      migration.
AB  - The stromal-cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1)/chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) chemokine
      axis plays a key role in tumor migration. Here, we analyzed the axis in uveal
      melanoma (UM) proliferation and migration and investigated the effect of a
      chemical inhibitor of CXCR4, AMD3100, on UM. We found that CXCR4 was expressed in
      all five UM cell lines tested as well as the retinal pigment epithelium cell line
      ARPE-19 cells, while CXCR7 was only detected in OM290 and VUP cell lines. SDF-1
      promotes the proliferation and migration of OCM-1 and OCM431 cell lines, while
      AMD3100 weakens this function. Taken together, our results show that the SDF
      1/CXCR4 chemokine axis plays a key role in UM cell proliferation and migration
      and that AMD3100 can alleviate this function, which may offer a hint for UM
      treatment. 

PMID- 26490989
TI  - RETRACTED ARTICLE: Identification of microRNAs (miR-203/miR-7) as potential
      markers for the early detection of lymph node metastases in patients with
      cervical cancer.

PMID- 26490990
TI  - The role of miR-145 in stem cell characteristics of human laryngeal squamous cell
      carcinoma Hep-2 cells.
AB  - The cancer stem-like cells (CSLCs) are tumorigenic cells promoting initiation,
      progression, and spread of the tumor. Accumulating evidences suggested the
      presence of CSLCs in distinct tumors including laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma
      (LSCC). MicroRNAs have been proposed as significant regulators of carcinogenesis,
      and several of them have been demonstrated to have direct roles in survival of
      CSLCs. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of miR-145, which is
      downregulated in LSCC, on cancer stem cell potency of laryngeal cancer cells. We
      initially showed the downregulation of miR-145 expression in tumor tissue samples
      and in CD133-enriched CSLCs. Quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR)
      analysis of miR-145-transfected Hep-2 cells demonstrated the inhibitory role of
      miR-145 on stem cell markers like SOX2, OCT4, KLF4, and ABCG2. We, then,
      investigated the stem cell features of miR-145-overexpressing Hep-2 cells by
      sphere formation assay, single-cell cloning assay, and aldehyde dehydrogenase
      (ALDH) assay, which all demonstrated the inhibition of stem cell potency upon miR
      145 overexpression. Further qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated altered expression of
      epithelial to mesenchymal transition markers in miR-145-overexpressing Hep-2
      cells. In conclusion, we demonstrated the regulatory role of miR-145 in stem cell
      characteristics of Hep-2 cells. Based on these results, we propose that miR-145
      might carry crucial roles in LSCC tumorigenesis, prognosis, metastasis,
      chemoresistance, and recurrence through regulating stem cell properties of tumor
      cells. 

PMID- 26490991
TI  - The role of liver transplantation or resection for patients with early
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Liver resection (LR) and liver transplantation (LT) are curative treatments for
      early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), although their performance remains debated.
      We compared the survival of patients with HCC conforming to the Milan criteria
      (MC) after LT and LR and analyzed factors affecting clinical outcomes. Between
      January 2006 and January 2013, 65 and 184 patients received LT and LR for HCCs
      fulfilling the MC, respectively. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival
      (DFS) rates were compared between the two groups. To investigate effects of liver
      function and living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) on survival, two subgroup
      analyses were performed and associations with OS and DFS were examined. We found
      that OS rates were higher after LT than after LR since 3 years postoperatively.
      DFS rates were significantly better after LT than after LR. Performance of LR,
      vascular invasion, and tumor multiplicity were associated with poor DFS, and
      factors affecting OS included the presence of vascular invasions, liver
      cirrhosis, and tumor multiplicity. In conclusion, despite of the effects of tumor
      characteristics on clinical outcomes, LT, including LDLT, should be considered
      the treatment of choice for patients with HCCs who met the MC. The role of LR is
      to identify poor prognostic factors through pathological examination. 

PMID- 26490992
TI  - Curcumin induces apoptosis in p53-null Hep3B cells through a TAp73/DNp73
      dependent pathway.
AB  - Curcumin has anticancer functions in various tumors. It has been shown to induce
      apoptosis through p53-dependent pathways. p73 gene is a member of the p53 family
      which encodes both a tumor suppressor (transactivation-competent p73 (TAp73)) and
      a putative oncogene (dominant-negative p73 (DNp73)); the former shares similarity
      with the tumor suppressor p53, and the latter behaves as dominant-negative
      proteins that interfere with the activity of TAp73. To understand the p73
      dependent mechanisms that are engaged during curcumin-induced apoptosis, we
      established a p73 overexpression cell models using p53-deficient Hep3B cells
      (Hep3B(TAp73/DNp73)). Our results demonstrated that curcumin at concentrations of
      40 and 80 MUM induced DNA damage, increased TAp73/DNp73 ratio, and also led to
      apoptosis in the Hep3B(TAp73/DNp73) cells. The apoptotic cell death was
      concurrent with the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential; release of
      cytochrome c from mitochondria; and the cleavage of caspase 9, caspase 3, and
      poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). These results demonstrated a p73-dependent
      mechanism for curcumin-induced apoptosis that involves the mitochondria-mediated
      pathway. 

PMID- 26490993
TI  - Characterization of exosomes derived from ovarian cancer cells and normal ovarian
      epithelial cells by nanoparticle tracking analysis.
AB  - Cellular exosomes are involved in many disease processes and have the potential
      to be used for diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we compared the
      characteristics of exosomes derived from human ovarian epithelial cells (HOSEPiC)
      and three epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines (OVCAR3, IGROV1, and ES-2) to
      investigate the differences between exosomes originating from normal and
      malignant cells. Two established colloid-chemical methodologies, electron
      microscopy (EM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), and a relatively new method,
      nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), were used to measure the size and size
      distribution of exosomes. The concentration and epithelial cellular adhesion
      molecule (EpCAM) expression of exosomes were measured by NTA. Quantum dots were
      conjugated with anti-EpCAM to label exosomes, and the labeled exosomes were
      detected by NTA in fluorescent mode. The normal-cell-derived exosomes were
      significantly larger than those derived from malignant cells, and exosomes were
      successfully labeled using anti-EpCAM-conjugated quantum dots. Exosomes from
      different cell lines may vary in size, and exosomes might be considered as
      potential diagnosis biomarkers. NTA can be considered a useful, efficient, and
      objective method for the study of different exosomes and their unique properties
      in ovarian cancer. 

PMID- 26490994
TI  - Neuregulin-1-mediated ErbB2-ErbB3 signalling protects human trophoblasts against
      apoptosis to preserve differentiation.
AB  - During placentation, foetal trophoblasts invade deeply into maternal tissue to
      establish a foeto-maternal circulation. We have previously shown that
      extravillous trophoblast (EVT) lineage cells express ErbB2 and ErbB3, of which
      the potential as an oncogenic unit is well established. However, a physiological
      function of this receptor combination in humans remains a puzzling question.
      Here, we demonstrate neuregulin 1 (NRG1) expression and secretion by human
      decidual stromal cells. Stimulation of human primary trophoblasts with exogenous
      NRG1 induced phosphorylation of ErbB2, ErbB3 and related downstream effectors. Co
      immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed the formation of ErbB2-ErbB3 dimers
      upon ligand engagement. Along this line, receptor knockdown and ErbB3
      neutralization strongly diminished NRG1-dependent activation of the signalling
      complex. Functional studies revealed that NRG1 promotes EVT formation in
      placental explant cultures. Although, in the presence of NRG1, basal and
      camptothecin-induced trophoblast apoptosis was significantly repressed, this
      effect was abolished upon ErbB3 inhibition. Notably, camptothecin provoked a
      strong reduction of trophoblast cell column size, whereas NRG1-treated explants
      were refractory to the compound. Taken together, our findings newly identify a
      physiological function of the NRG1-ErbB2-ErbB3 axis in trophoblast survival
      during human placental development. 

PMID- 26490996
TI  - Drosophila Lipin interacts with insulin and TOR signaling pathways in the control
      of growth and lipid metabolism.
AB  - Lipin proteins have key functions in lipid metabolism, acting as both
      phosphatidate phosphatases (PAPs) and nuclear regulators of gene expression. We
      show that the insulin and TORC1 pathways independently control functions of
      Drosophila Lipin (dLipin). Reduced signaling through the insulin receptor
      strongly enhanced defects caused by dLipin deficiency in fat body development,
      whereas reduced signaling through TORC1 led to translocation of dLipin into the
      nucleus. Reduced expression of dLipin resulted in decreased signaling through the
      insulin-receptor-controlled PI3K-Akt pathway and increased hemolymph sugar
      levels. Consistent with this, downregulation of dLipin in fat body cell clones
      caused a strong growth defect. The PAP but not the nuclear activity of dLipin was
      required for normal insulin pathway activity. Reduction of other enzymes of the
      glycerol-3 phosphate pathway affected insulin pathway activity in a similar
      manner, suggesting an effect that is mediated by one or more metabolites
      associated with the pathway. Taken together, our data show that dLipin is subject
      to intricate control by the insulin and TORC1 pathways, and that the cellular
      status of dLipin impacts how fat body cells respond to signals relayed through
      the PI3K-Akt pathway. 

PMID- 26490995
TI  - Cdc42 regulates epithelial cell polarity and cytoskeletal function during kidney
      tubule development.
AB  - The Rho GTPase Cdc42 regulates key signaling pathways required for multiple cell
      functions, including maintenance of shape, polarity, proliferation, migration,
      differentiation and morphogenesis. Although previous studies have shown that
      Cdc42 is required for proper epithelial development and maintenance, its exact
      molecular function in kidney development is not well understood. In this study,
      we define the specific role of Cdc42 during murine kidney epithelial
      tubulogenesis by deleting it selectively at the initiation of ureteric bud or
      metanephric mesenchyme development. Deletion in either lineage results in
      abnormal tubulogenesis, with profound defects in polarity, lumen formation and
      the actin cytoskeleton. Ultimately, these defects lead to renal failure.
      Additionally, in vitro analysis of Cdc42-null collecting duct cells shows that
      Cdc42 controls these processes by regulating the polarity Par complex (Par3-Par6
      aPKC-Cdc42) and the cytoskeletal proteins N-Wasp and ezrin. Thus, we conclude
      that the principal role of Cdc42 in ureteric bud and metanephric mesenchyme
      development is to regulate epithelial cell polarity and the actin cytoskeleton.

PMID- 26490997
TI  - Wernicke encephalopathy and pellagra in an alcoholic and malnourished patient.
AB  - Deficiency of multiple vitamins can be identified in alcoholic and malnourished
      patients. We report a patient with Wernicke encephalopathy, a B1 deficiency and
      pellagra, a niacin deficiency. A 61-year-old Japanese man presented with
      generalised weakness. He had drunk alcohol heavily for more than a year without
      eating adequate meals. Physical examination showed disorientation, eye movement
      impairment, muscle wasting and a rash over the limbs. Multivitamin
      supplementations improved all the symptoms. Pellagra causes dementia, diarrhoea,
      or dermatitis, and can mimic non-specific erythaema in alcoholics. The
      differential diagnosis between pellagra and non-specific erythaema is important
      because of the treatability of pellagra by niacin supplementation. 

PMID- 26490998
TI  - Access to essential paediatric surgery in the developing world: a case of
      imperforate anus with rectovaginal and rectocutaneous fistulas left untreated.
AB  - Anorectal malformations consist of a wide spectrum of conditions which can affect
      both sexes and involve the distal anus and rectum as well as the urinary and
      genital tracts. Patients have the best chance of a good functional outcome if the
      condition is diagnosed early and efficient anatomic repair is promptly
      instituted. This report describes a rare case of imperforate anus associated with
      both rectovaginal and rectocutaneous fistulas in a 6-year-old Filipino girl. The
      case highlights shortcomings in the healthcare delivery system combined with
      socio-economic factors that contributed to the delay in both diagnosis and the
      institution of adequate treatment. Care and preventive measures that can be
      implemented in low-resource settings to reduce the impact of birth defects are
      also discussed. 

PMID- 26490999
TI  - Just hypercalcaemia or acute ST elevation myocardial infarction? A review of
      hypercalcaemia-related electrocardiographic changes.
AB  - In elderly patients presenting with confusion and recurrent falls, conditions
      including infection, acute stroke, acute coronary events and electrolyte
      abnormalities have to be strongly considered as diagnostic possibilities. ECG is
      a non-invasive test that often serves as a useful tool in suggesting the
      underlying electrolyte disturbance. However, ECG must be interpreted with caution
      as it can, at times, be misleading, as in this case of hypercalcaemia seen by us.
      We discuss the different ECG findings in hypercalcaemic situations. 

PMID- 26491000
TI  - Isolated mammary cysticercosis.

PMID- 26491001
TI  - A rare case describing catastrophic destruction of the whole skeleton caused by
      severe hyperparathyroidism.
AB  - Osteitis fibrosa cystica is a skeletal disorder seen in advanced stages of
      persistent hyperparathyroidism. Although the measurement of serum Ca and intact
      parathormone levels provides early diagnosis and decreases the incidence of
      radiographic bone involvement, progressive major bone lesions may still be seen
      in developing countries even in the modern era. We aimed to share, by writing up
      this report, our astonishment after observing how the skeletal system can be
      ruined by persistent hyperparathyroidism. 

PMID- 26491002
TI  - Bilateral BRVO in a patient with recurrent prostate cancer.
AB  - Bilateral cases of branch retinal vein occlusions (BRVO) are infrequent and often
      related to systemic disease. A 72-year-old man with biochemical recurrence of
      prostate cancer was referred for decreased vision in his left eye. Fundus
      examination and fluorescein angiography disclosed bilateral BRVO with patches of
      peripheral non-perfusion and macular oedema in the left eye. A systemic work up
      revealed elevated fibrinogen and reduced free protein S antigen, consistent with
      an underlying hypercoagulable state. Cancer is a well-known cause of
      hypercoagulability. We report the first case of bilateral BRVO related to
      biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer and a proven coagulation derangement. 

PMID- 26491003
TI  - A challenging central line insertion: where did the contrast go?

PMID- 26491004
TI  - Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich and Prader-Willi syndromes: more than a coincidence?
AB  - A neonate with a prenatal diagnosis of left renal agenesis was born at 33 weeks
      gestation. A postnatal abdominal ultrasound confirmed the absence of the left
      kidney and revealed two non-divergent hemiuteri, consistent with the diagnosis of
      Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome. During admission, significant axial hypotonia
      was noted, warranting additional investigations. Brain ultrasounds and MRI were
      normal, as were a preliminary metabolic study and comparative genomic
      hybridisation array. DNA methylation testing confirmed the diagnosis of Prader
      Willi syndrome. The baby was discharged after 70 days, breast feeding and with
      modest hypotonia improvement.

PMID- 26491005
TI  - Isolated small bowel angio-oedema due to ACE inhibitor therapy.

PMID- 26491006
TI  - Retroperitoneal panniculitis.

PMID- 26491007
TI  - Dyspnoea in a 72-year-old woman.

PMID- 26491008
TI  - Analysis of Ribonucleotide Removal from DNA by Human Nucleotide Excision Repair.
AB  - Ribonucleotides are incorporated into the genome during DNA replication. The
      enzyme RNase H2 plays a critical role in targeting the removal of these
      ribonucleotides from DNA, and defects in RNase H2 activity are associated with
      both genomic instability and the human autoimmune/inflammatory disorder Aicardi
      Goutieres syndrome. Whether additional general DNA repair mechanisms contribute
      to ribonucleotide removal from DNA in human cells is not known. Because of its
      ability to act on a wide variety of substrates, we examined a potential role for
      canonical nucleotide excision repair in the removal of ribonucleotides from DNA.
      However, using highly sensitive dual incision/excision assays, we find that
      ribonucleotides are not efficiently targeted by the human nucleotide excision
      repair system in vitro or in cultured human cells. These results suggest that
      nucleotide excision repair is unlikely to play a major role in the cellular
      response to ribonucleotide incorporation in genomic DNA in human cells. 

PMID- 26491009
TI  - A Second beta-Hexosaminidase Encoded in the Streptococcus pneumoniae Genome
      Provides an Expanded Biochemical Ability to Degrade Host Glycans.
AB  - An important facet of the interaction between the pathogen Streptococcus
      pneumoniae (pneumococcus) and its human host is the ability of this bacterium to
      process host glycans. To achieve cleavage of the glycosidic bonds in host
      glycans, S. pneumoniae deploys a wide array of glycoside hydrolases. Here, we
      identify and characterize a new family 20 glycoside hydrolase, GH20C, from S.
      pneumoniae. Recombinant GH20C possessed the ability to hydrolyze the beta
      linkages joining either N-acetylglucosamine or N-acetylgalactosamine to a wide
      variety of aglycon residues, thus revealing this enzyme to be a generalist N
      acetylhexosaminidase in vitro. X-ray crystal structures were determined for GH20C
      in a ligand-free form, in complex with the N-acetylglucosamine and N
      acetylgalactosamine products of catalysis and in complex with both gluco- and
      galacto-configured inhibitors O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranosylidene)amino
      N-phenyl carbamate (PUGNAc), O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-galactopyranosylidene)amino
      N-phenyl carbamate (GalPUGNAc), N-acetyl-D-glucosamine-thiazoline (NGT), and N
      acetyl-D-galactosamine-thiazoline (GalNGT) at resolutions from 1.84 to 2.7 A.
      These structures showed N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylgalactosamine to be
      recognized via identical sets of molecular interactions. Although the same sets
      of interaction were maintained with the gluco- and galacto-configured inhibitors,
      the inhibition constants suggested preferred recognition of the axial O4 when an
      aglycon moiety was present (Ki for PUGNAc > GalPUGNAc) but preferred recognition
      of an equatorial O4 when the aglycon was absent (Ki for GalNGT > NGT). Overall,
      this study reveals GH20C to be another tool that is unique in the arsenal of S.
      pneumoniae and that it may implement the effort of the bacterium to utilize
      and/or destroy the wide array of host glycans that it may encounter.

PMID- 26491010
TI  - Senescence-associated Long Non-coding RNA (SALNR) Delays Oncogene-induced
      Senescence through NF90 Regulation.
AB  - Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently emerged as key players in many
      physiologic and pathologic processes. Although many lncRNAs have been identified,
      few lncRNAs have been characterized functionally in aging. In this study, we used
      human fibroblast cells to investigate genome-wide lncRNA expression during
      cellular senescence. We identified 968 down-regulated lncRNAs and 899 up
      regulated lncRNAs in senescent cells compared with young cells. Among these
      lncRNAs, we characterized a senescence-associated lncRNA (SALNR), whose
      expression was reduced during cellular senescence and in premalignant colon
      adenomas. Overexpression of SALNR delayed cellular senescence in fibroblast
      cells. Furthermore, we found that SALNR interacts with NF90 (nuclear factor of
      activated T-cells, 90 kDa), an RNA-binding protein suppressing miRNA biogenesis.
      We demonstrated that NF90 is a SALNR downstream target, whose inhibition led to
      premature senescence and enhanced expressions of senescence-associated miRNAs.
      Moreover, our data showed that Ras-induced stress promotes NF90 nucleolus
      translocation and suppresses its ability to suppress senescence-associated miRNA
      biogenesis, which could be rescued by SALNR overexpression. These data suggest
      that lncRNA SALNR modulates cellular senescence at least partly through changing
      NF90 activity. 

PMID- 26491011
TI  - Evidence for a Functional O-Linked N-Acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) System in the
      Thermophilic Bacterium Thermobaculum terrenum.
AB  - Post-translational modification of proteins is a ubiquitous mechanism of signal
      transduction in all kingdoms of life. One such modification is addition of O
      linked N-acetylglucosamine to serine or threonine residues, known as O
      GlcNAcylation. This unusual type of glycosylation is thought to be restricted to
      nucleocytoplasmic proteins of eukaryotes and is mediated by a pair of O-GlcNAc
      transferase and O-GlcNAc hydrolase enzymes operating on a large number of
      substrate proteins. Protein O-GlcNAcylation is responsive to glucose and flux
      through the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. Thus, a close relationship is
      thought to exist between the level of O-GlcNAc proteins within and the general
      metabolic state of the cell. Although isolated apparent orthologues of these
      enzymes are present in bacterial genomes, their biological functions remain
      largely unexplored. It is possible that understanding the function of these
      proteins will allow development of reductionist models to uncover the principles
      of O-GlcNAc signaling. Here, we identify orthologues of both O-GlcNAc cycling
      enzymes in the genome of the thermophilic eubacterium Thermobaculum terrenum. The
      O-GlcNAcase and O-GlcNAc-transferase are co-expressed and, like their mammalian
      orthologues, localize to the cytoplasm. The O-GlcNAcase orthologue possesses
      activity against O-GlcNAc proteins and model substrates. We describe crystal
      structures of both enzymes, including an O-GlcNAcase.peptide complex, showing
      conservation of active sites with the human orthologues. Although in vitro
      activity of the O-GlcNAc-transferase could not be detected, treatment of T.
      terrenum with an O-GlcNAc-transferase inhibitor led to inhibition of growth. T.
      terrenum may be the first example of a bacterium possessing a functional O-GlcNAc
      system. 

PMID- 26491012
TI  - Evaluating the Use of Antibody Variable Region (Fv) Charge as a Risk Assessment
      Tool for Predicting Typical Cynomolgus Monkey Pharmacokinetics.
AB  - The pharmacokinetic (PK) behavior of monoclonal antibodies in cynomolgus monkeys
      (cynos) is generally translatable to that in humans. Unfortunately, about 39% of
      the antibodies evaluated for PKs in cynos have fast nonspecific (or non-target
      mediated) clearance (in-house data). An empirical model relating variable region
      (Fv) charge and hydrophobicity to cyno nonspecific clearance was developed to
      gauge the risk an antibody would have for fast nonspecific clearance in the
      monkey. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictability of this
      empirical model on cyno nonspecific clearance with antibodies specifically
      engineered to have either high or low Fv charge. These amino acid changes were
      made in the Fv region of two test antibodies, humAb4D5-8 and anti-lymphotoxin
      alpha. The humAb4D5-8 has a typical nonspecific clearance in cynos, and by making
      it more positively charged, the antibody acquires fast nonspecific clearance, and
      making it less positively charged did not impact its clearance. Anti-lymphotoxin
      alpha has fast nonspecific clearance in cynos, and making it more positively
      charged caused it to clear even faster, whereas making it less positively charged
      caused it to clear slower and within the typical range. These trends in clearance
      were also observed in two other preclinical species, mice and rats. The effect of
      modifying Fv charge on subcutaneous bioavailability was also examined, and in
      general bioavailability was inversely related to the direction of the Fv charge
      change. Thus, modifying Fv charge appears to impact antibody PKs, and the changes
      tended to correlate with those predicted by the empirical model. 

PMID- 26491013
TI  - Gene Expression Profiling Reveals a Novel Regulatory Role for Sox21 Protein in
      Mouse Trophoblast Stem Cell Differentiation.
AB  - Appropriate self-renewal and differentiation of trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) are
      key factors for proper placental development and function and, in turn, for
      appropriate in utero fetal growth. To identify novel TSC-specific genes, we
      performed genome-wide expression profiling of TSCs, embryonic stem cells,
      epiblast stem cells, and mouse embryo fibroblasts, derived from mice of the same
      genetic background. Our analysis revealed a high expression of Sox21 in TSCs
      compared with other cell types. Sox21 levels were high in undifferentiated TSCs
      and were dramatically reduced upon differentiation. In addition, modulation of
      Sox21 expression in TSCs affected lineage-specific differentiation, based on both
      marker analysis and functional assessment. Our results implicate Sox21
      specifically in the promotion of spongiotrophoblast and giant cell
      differentiation and establish a new mechanism through which trophoblast
      sublineages are specified. 

PMID- 26491014
TI  - Lactate Contributes to Glyceroneogenesis and Glyconeogenesis in Skeletal Muscle
      by Reversal of Pyruvate Kinase.
AB  - Phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) generated from pyruvate is required for de novo
      synthesis of glycerol and glycogen in skeletal muscle. One possible pathway
      involves synthesis of PEP from the citric acid cycle intermediates via PEP
      carboxykinase, whereas another could involve reversal of pyruvate kinase (PK).
      Earlier studies have reported that reverse flux through PK can contribute carbon
      precursors for glycogen synthesis in muscle, but the physiological importance of
      this pathway remains uncertain especially in the setting of high plasma glucose.
      In addition, although PEP is a common intermediate for both glyconeogenesis and
      glyceroneogenesis, the importance of reverse PK in de novo glycerol synthesis has
      not been examined. Here we studied the contribution of reverse PK to synthesis of
      glycogen and the glycerol moiety of acylglycerols in skeletal muscle of animals
      with high plasma glucose. Rats received a single intraperitoneal bolus of
      glucose, glycerol, and lactate under a fed or fasted state. Only one of the three
      substrates was (13)C-labeled in each experiment. After 3 h of normal awake
      activity, the animals were sacrificed, and the contribution from each substrate
      to glycogen and the glycerol moiety of acylglycerols was evaluated. The fraction
      of (13)C labeling in glycogen and the glycerol moiety exceeded the possible
      contribution from either plasma glucose or muscle oxaloacetate. The reverse PK
      served as a common route for both glyconeogenesis and glyceroneogenesis in the
      skeletal muscle of rats with high plasma glucose. The activity of pyruvate
      carboxylase was low in muscle, and no PEP carboxykinase activity was detected. 

PMID- 26491015
TI  - alpha/beta Hydrolase Domain-containing 6 (ABHD6) Degrades the Late
      Endosomal/Lysosomal Lipid Bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate.
AB  - alpha/beta Hydrolase domain-containing 6 (ABHD6) can act as monoacylglycerol
      hydrolase and is believed to play a role in endocannabinoid signaling as well as
      in the pathogenesis of obesity and liver steatosis. However, the mechanistic link
      between gene function and disease is incompletely understood. Here we aimed to
      further characterize the role of ABHD6 in lipid metabolism. We show that mouse
      and human ABHD6 degrade bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (BMP) with high specific
      activity. BMP, also known as lysobisphosphatidic acid, is enriched in late
      endosomes/lysosomes, where it plays a key role in the formation of intraluminal
      vesicles and in lipid sorting. Up to now, little has been known about the
      catabolism of this lipid. Our data demonstrate that ABHD6 is responsible for ~
      90% of the BMP hydrolase activity detected in the liver and that knockdown of
      ABHD6 increases hepatic BMP levels. Tissue fractionation and live-cell imaging
      experiments revealed that ABHD6 co-localizes with late endosomes/lysosomes. The
      enzyme is active at cytosolic pH and lacks acid hydrolase activity, implying that
      it degrades BMP exported from acidic organelles or de novo-formed BMP. In
      conclusion, our data suggest that ABHD6 controls BMP catabolism and is therefore
      part of the late endosomal/lysosomal lipid-sorting machinery.

PMID- 26491016
TI  - Proteomic Analysis Identifies Ribosome Reduction as an Effective Proteotoxic
      Stress Response.
AB  - Stress responses are adaptive cellular programs that identify and mitigate
      potentially dangerous threats. Misfolded proteins are a ubiquitous and clinically
      relevant stress. Trivalent metalloids, such as arsenic, have been proposed to
      cause protein misfolding. Using tandem mass tag-based mass spectrometry, we show
      that trivalent arsenic results in widespread reorganization of the cell from an
      anabolic to a catabolic state. Both major pathways of protein degradation, the
      proteasome and autophagy, show increased abundance of pathway components and
      increased functional output, and are required for survival. Remarkably, cells
      also showed a down-regulation of ribosomes at the protein level. That this
      represented an adaptive response and not an adverse toxic effect was indicated by
      enhanced survival of ribosome mutants after arsenic exposure. These results
      suggest that a major source of toxicity of trivalent arsenic derives from
      misfolding of newly synthesized proteins and identifies ribosome reduction as a
      rapid, effective, and reversible proteotoxic stress response. 

PMID- 26491017
TI  - Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Target the Leukemic Microenvironment by Enhancing
      a Nherf1-Protein Phosphatase 1alpha-TAZ Signaling Pathway in Osteoblasts.
AB  - Disrupting the protective signals provided by the bone marrow microenvironment
      will be critical for more effective combination drug therapies for acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML). Cells of the osteoblast lineage that reside in the endosteal
      niche have been implicated in promoting survival of AML cells. Here, we
      investigated how to prevent this protective interaction. We previously showed
      that SDF-1, a chemokine abundant in the bone marrow, induces apoptosis of AML
      cells, unless the leukemic cells receive protective signals provided by
      differentiating osteoblasts (8, 10). We now identify a novel signaling pathway in
      differentiating osteoblasts that can be manipulated to disrupt the osteoblast
      mediated protection of AML cells. Treating differentiating osteoblasts with
      histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) abrogated their ability to protect co
      cultured AML cells from SDF-1-induced apoptosis. HDACi prominently up-regulated
      expression of the Nherf1 scaffold protein, which played a major role in
      preventing osteoblast-mediated protection of AML cells. Protein phosphatase
      1alpha (PP1alpha) was identified as a novel Nherf1 interacting protein that acts
      as the downstream mediator of this response by promoting nuclear localization of
      the TAZ transcriptional modulator. Moreover, independent activation of either
      PP1alpha or TAZ was sufficient to prevent osteoblast-mediated protection of AML
      cells even in the absence of HDACi. Together, these results indicate that HDACi
      target the AML microenvironment by enhancing activation of the Nherf1-PP1alpha
      TAZ pathway in osteoblasts. Selective drug targeting of this osteoblast signaling
      pathway may improve treatments of AML by rendering leukemic cells in the bone
      marrow more susceptible to apoptosis. 

PMID- 26491018
TI  - Mitochondrial Respiratory Defect Causes Dysfunctional Lactate Turnover via AMP
      activated Protein Kinase Activation in Human-induced Pluripotent Stem Cell
      derived Hepatocytes.
AB  - A defective mitochondrial respiratory chain complex (DMRC) causes various
      metabolic disorders in humans. However, the pathophysiology of DMRC in the liver
      remains unclear. To understand DMRC pathophysiology in vitro, DMRC-induced
      pluripotent stem cells were generated from dermal fibroblasts of a DMRC patient
      who had a homoplasmic mutation (m.3398T->C) in the mitochondrion-encoded NADH
      dehydrogenase 1 (MTND1) gene and that differentiated into hepatocytes (DMRC
      hepatocytes) in vitro. DMRC hepatocytes showed abnormalities in mitochondrial
      characteristics, the NAD(+)/NADH ratio, the glycogen storage level, the lactate
      turnover rate, and AMPK activity. Intriguingly, low glycogen storage and
      transcription of lactate turnover-related genes in DMRC hepatocytes were
      recovered by inhibition of AMPK activity. Thus, AMPK activation led to metabolic
      changes in terms of glycogen storage and lactate turnover in DMRC hepatocytes.
      These data demonstrate for the first time that energy depletion may lead to
      lactic acidosis in the DMRC patient by reduction of lactate uptake via AMPK in
      liver. 

PMID- 26491019
TI  - Retinoblastoma-binding Protein 4-regulated Classical Nuclear Transport Is
      Involved in Cellular Senescence.
AB  - Nucleocytoplasmic trafficking is a fundamental cellular process in eukaryotic
      cells. Here, we demonstrated that retinoblastoma-binding protein 4 (RBBP4)
      functions as a novel regulatory factor to increase the efficiency of importin
      alpha/beta-mediated nuclear import. RBBP4 accelerates the release of importin
      beta1 from importin alpha via competitive binding to the importin beta-binding
      domain of importin alpha in the presence of RanGTP. Therefore, it facilitates
      importin alpha/beta-mediated nuclear import. We showed that the importin
      alpha/beta pathway is down-regulated in replicative senescent cells, concomitant
      with a decrease in RBBP4 level. Knockdown of RBBP4 caused both suppression of
      nuclear transport and induction of cellular senescence. This is the first report
      to identify a factor that competes with importin beta1 to bind to importin alpha,
      and it demonstrates that the loss of this factor can trigger cellular senescence.

PMID- 26491020
TI  - Genetic Control of Replication through N1-methyladenine in Human Cells.
AB  - N1-methyl adenine (1-MeA) is formed in DNA by reaction with alkylating agents and
      naturally occurring methyl halides. The 1-MeA lesion impairs Watson-Crick base
      pairing and blocks normal DNA replication. Here we identify the translesion
      synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerases (Pols) required for replicating through 1-MeA in
      human cells and show that TLS through this lesion is mediated via three different
      pathways in which Pols iota and theta function in one pathway and Pols eta and
      zeta, respectively, function in the other two pathways. Our biochemical studies
      indicate that in the Poliota/Poltheta pathway, Poliota would carry out nucleotide
      insertion opposite 1-MeA from which Poltheta would extend synthesis. In the
      Poleta pathway, this Pol alone would function at both the nucleotide insertion
      and extension steps of TLS, and in the third pathway, Polzeta would extend from
      the nucleotide inserted opposite 1-MeA by an as yet unidentified Pol. Whereas by
      pushing 1-MeA into the syn conformation and by forming Hoogsteen base pair with
      the T residue, Poliota would carry out TLS opposite 1-MeA, the ability of Poleta
      to replicate through 1-MeA suggests that despite its need for Watson-Crick
      hydrogen bonding, Poleta can stabilize the adduct in its active site. Remarkably,
      even though Pols eta and iota are quite error-prone at inserting nucleotides
      opposite 1-MeA, TLS opposite this lesion in human cells occurs in a highly error
      free fashion. This suggests that the in vivo fidelity of TLS Pols is regulated by
      factors such as post-translational modifications, protein-protein interactions,
      and possibly others. 

PMID- 26491022
TI  - Scanning tunneling microscopy study of the possible topological surface states in
      BiTeCl.
AB  - Recently, the non-centrosymmetric bismuth tellurohalides such as BiTeCl are being
      studied as possible candidates for topological insulators. While some
      photoemission studies showed that BiTeCl is an inversion asymmetric topological
      insulator, others showed that it is a normal semiconductor with Rashba splitting.
      Meanwhile, first-principle calculations have failed to confirm the existence of
      topological surface states in BiTeCl so far. Therefore, the topological nature of
      BiTeCl requires further investigation. Here we report a low-temperature scanning
      tunneling microscopy study on the surface states of BiTeCl single crystals. On
      the tellurium (Te) -terminated surfaces with relatively low defect density,
      evidence for topological surface states is observed in the quasi-particle
      interference patterns, both in the anisotropy of the scattering vectors and the
      fast decay of the interference near the step edges. Meanwhile, on the samples
      with much higher defect densities, we observed surface states that behave
      differently. Our results may help to resolve the current controversy on the
      topological nature of BiTeCl. 

PMID- 26491021
TI  - Structural Basis for Dimer Formation of Human Condensin Structural Maintenance of
      Chromosome Proteins and Its Implications for Single-stranded DNA Recognition.
AB  - Eukaryotic structural maintenance of chromosome proteins (SMC) are major
      components of cohesin and condensins that regulate chromosome structure and
      dynamics during cell cycle. We here determine the crystal structure of human
      condensin SMC hinge heterodimer with ~30 residues of coiled coils. The structure,
      in conjunction with the hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry analyses, revealed
      the structural basis for the specific heterodimer formation of eukaryotic SMC and
      that the coiled coils from two different hinges protrude in the same direction,
      providing a unique binding surface conducive for binding to single-stranded DNA.
      The characteristic hydrogen exchange profiles of peptides constituted regions
      especially across the hinge-hinge dimerization interface, further suggesting the
      structural alterations upon single-stranded DNA binding and the presence of a
      half-opened state of hinge heterodimer. This structural change potentially
      relates to the DNA loading mechanism of SMC, in which the hinge domain functions
      as an entrance gate as previously proposed for cohesin. Our results, however,
      indicated that this is not the case for condensins based on the fact that the
      coiled coils are still interacting with each other, even when DNA binding induces
      structural changes in the hinge region, suggesting the functional differences of
      SMC hinge domain between condensins and cohesin in DNA recognition.

PMID- 26491023
TI  - [Spinal cord stimulation for thalamic pain: Case report and review of the current
      literature].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an established procedure for
      treatment of chronic neuropathic pain of peripheral origin. The efficacy of SCS
      in case of central poststroke pain (CPSP), especially thalamic pain, has not been
      adequately proven. OBJECTIVES: The efficacy of SCS as an extracranial
      neurostimulation method for the management of central pain syndrome was
      investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, relevant pharmacological and
      nonpharmacological measures for central pain management were reviewed. A case of
      successful SCS for thalamic pain after ischemic insult is presented. Explanatory
      approaches of pathophysiological processes and a review of the current literature
      underline our results. RESULTS: In the case presented, SCS was found effective in
      the treatment of thalamic pain. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of SCS might be caused
      by segmental and supraspinal processes and collaboration of activating and
      inhibiting pathways. The integrity of the spinothalamic tract is mandatory. SCS
      is a treatment option for central pain syndrome, especially thalamic pain.
      Comparable studies confirm the potency of this technique. In contrast to other
      neuromodulation procedures spinal cord stimulation is less invasive, has a lower
      perioperative risk and is often less expensive. Further studies are needed to
      define its potential and role in the treatment of thalamic pain.

PMID- 26491024
TI  - [Course of pain after operative orthopedic interventions: Characterization
      exemplified by total knee arthroplasty].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The number of cases of orthopedic surgery is still increasing and
      postoperative pain management is of great importance for the patients. Therefore,
      in this study factors influencing the pain and the developement of pain in
      general in the first 7 days after total knee arthroplasty were examined. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: A total of 28 patients were included in this prospectively designed
      trial and underwent total knee arthroplasty with psoas compartment and sciatic
      nerve regional anesthesia and additionally propofol sedation. Postoperative pain
      scores were documented using a numerical rating scale (NRS) and anthropometric
      data and perioperative parameters were correlated with the postoperative pain
      score. RESULTS: Evaluation of the pain values per interval showed that the
      maximum and the mean postoperative pain levels decreased up to day 4 after
      surgery and then increased. No significant effects of the analyzed parameters
      age, body mass index (BMI), duration of surgery and catheter indwelling time
      could be found. Female patients had significantly more pain than males in this
      collective. CONCLUSION: The results show that there were no factors which have a
      significant influence on the degree of postoperative pain. Female patients
      suffered from more pain than males. There was an increase in pain after
      postoperative day 4 which might be the effect of more extensive mobilization and
      reduced effects of regional anesthesia. It is important that pain is treated in
      the early postoperative period.

PMID- 26491025
TI  - High Plasma Levels of D-Dimer Are Independently Associated with a Heightened Risk
      of Deep Vein Thrombosis in Patients with Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
AB  - Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is a complication of stroke. Our aim was to
      determine whether D-dimer plasma levels at admission could be a risk factor for
      DVT in Chinese patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). From December
      2012 to November 2014, all patients with first-ever acute ICH were included. At
      baseline, the demographical and clinical data were taken. These patients were
      assessed for DVT using color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) on 15 days after ICH
      and whenever clinically requested. Multivariate analyses were performed using
      logistic regression models. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were
      used to test the overall predictive accuracy of D-dimer and other markers. In our
      study, acute ICH was diagnosed in 265 patients and 210 completed a 15-day follow
      up and were included in the analysis. Fifty-four (25.7 %) out of the 210 patients
      were diagnosed as DVT. Plasma D-dimer levels were significantly higher in ICH
      patients with DVT as compared to those without DVT (P < 0.0001). Multivariate
      logistic regression analysis adjusted for common risk factors showed that plasma
      D-dimer levels >=1.20 mg/L were an independent predictor of DVT [odds ratio (OR)
      = 12.99, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 3.17-32.98; P < 0.0001]. With an area
      under the curve (AUC) of 0.91 (95 % CI = 0.86-0.94), D-dimer showed a
      significantly greater discriminatory ability to predict DVT as compared with high
      sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) (AUC = 0.77, 95 % CI = 0.70-0.82; P <
      0.01), homocysteine (HCY) (AUC = 0.75, 95 % CI = 0.70-0.81; P < 0.01), and
      National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (AUC = 0.80, 95 % CI =
      0.72-0.85; P < 0.01). The present study suggested that elevated D-dimer plasma
      levels were independent predictors for DVT in Chinese patients with ICH.

PMID- 26491026
TI  - SMAD4 Defect Causes Auditory Neuropathy Via Specialized Disruption of Cochlear
      Ribbon Synapses in Mice.
AB  - More than 100 genes have been associated with deafness. However, SMAD4 is rarely
      considered a contributor to deafness in humans, except for its well-defined role
      in cell differentiation and regeneration. Here, we report that a SMAD4 defect in
      mice can cause auditory neuropathy, which was defined as a mysterious hearing and
      speech perception disorder in human for which the genetic background remains
      unclear. Our study showed that a SMAD4 defect induces failed formation of
      cochlear ribbon synapse during the earlier stage of auditory development in mice.
      Further investigation found that there are nearly normal morphology of outer hair
      cells (OHCs) and post-synapse spiral ganglion nerves (SGNs) in SMAD4 conditional
      knockout mice (cKO); however, a preserved distortion product of otoacoustic
      emission (DPOAE) and cochlear microphonic (CM) still can be evoked in cKO mice.
      Moreover, a partial restoration of hearing detected by electric auditory
      brainstem response (eABR) has been obtained in the cKO mice using electrode
      stimuli toward auditory nerves. Additionally, the ribbon synapses in retina are
      not affected by this SMAD4 defect. Thus, our findings suggest that this SMAD4
      defect causes auditory neuropathy via specialized disruption of cochlear ribbon
      synapses.

PMID- 26491029
TI  - Social Support and "Playing Around": An Examination of How Older Adults Acquire
      Digital Literacy With Tablet Computers.
AB  - This study examines how older adults learn to use tablet computers. Learning to
      use new technologies can help older adults to be included in today's digital
      society. However, learning to use new technologies is not always easy, especially
      for older adults. This study focuses on how older adults learn to use a specific
      technology, tablet computers, and the role that social support plays in this
      process. Data for this project are from 21 in-depth interviews with individuals
      who own tablet computers. We examine how older adults engage with tablet devices
      and increase their digital literacy. The findings suggest that, for older adults
      to start to use tablets, social support plays an important role. In addition, a
      key way that many participants report gaining expertise with the technology is
      through "playing around" with the tablets. Suggestions for how to help older
      adults learn to use new technologies are detailed.

PMID- 26491027
TI  - The Role of Reelin Signaling in Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common causes of age-related dementia. It is
      characterized by the deposition of amyloid-beta peptide and neurofibrillary
      tangles, as well as neuronal death and synaptic loss. Reelin is an extracellular
      glycoprotein which performs diverse roles in the developing and adult brain,
      including regulation of neuronal migration, dendritogenesis, synapse development,
      hippocampal synaptic plasticity, and learning and memory. Altered expression and
      glycosylation patterns of Reelin in cerebrospinal and cortical extracts have been
      reported in AD. Accumulating studies have investigated the molecular mechanism by
      which Reelin, its receptors, and downstream signaling proteins may contribute to
      the pathophysiology of AD. However, the molecular mechanisms by which Reelin and
      its downstream signal transduction contribute to the pathogenesis of AD remain
      still largely unknown. In the present review, we briefly summarize the current
      knowledge and recent findings related to the molecular link between Reelin
      dysfunction and AD-related neuropathology.

PMID- 26491028
TI  - Depression, Cytokine, and Cytokine by Treatment Interactions Modulate Gene
      Expression in Antipsychotic Naive First Episode Psychosis.
AB  - In schizophrenia, genetic and environmental factors affect neurodevelopment and
      neuroprogressive trajectory. Altered expression of neuro-immune genes and
      increased levels of cytokines are observed, especially in patients with comorbid
      depression. However, it remains unclear whether circulating levels of cytokines
      and expression of these genes are associated, and how antipsychotic treatments
      impact this association. Relationships between messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of
      11 schizophrenia-related genes and circulating levels of cytokines (interleukin
      (IL)-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha) were analyzed in 174
      antipsychotic naive first episode psychosis (FEP) and in 77 healthy controls. A
      subgroup of 72 patients was reassessed after treatment with risperidone. FEP
      patients were divided into those with and without depression. FEP patients with
      depression showed increased COMT expression and decreased NDEL1 expression.
      Increased IL-6 was associated with lowered AKT1 and DROSHA expression, while
      increased IL-10 was associated with increased NDEL1, DISC1, and MBP expression.
      IL-6 levels significantly increased the risperidone-induced expression of AKT1,
      DICER1, DROSHA, and COMT mRNA. The differential mRNA gene expression in FEP is
      largely associated with increased cytokine levels. While increased IL-6 may
      downregulate AKT-mediated cellular functions and dysregulate genes involved in
      microRNA (miRNA) machinery, increased IL-10 has neuroprotective properties.
      Increased IL-6 levels may prime the expression of genes (AKT1, DICER1, DROSHA,
      and COMT) in response to risperidone, suggesting that cytokine * treatment * gene
      interactions may improve cell function profiles. FEP patients with depression
      show a different gene expression profile reinforcing the theory that depression
      in FEP is a different phenotype.

PMID- 26491030
TI  - Management of chronic hepatitis B infection.
AB  - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a global health problem that can lead to cirrhosis and
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although HBV vaccination has reduced the
      prevalence Of HBV infection, the burden of disease remains high. Treatment with
      antiviral drugs reduces the risk of liver disease and the development of HCC, and
      it can even reverse liver fibrosis. However, challenges remain regarding optimal
      timing, as well as the modality and duration of treatment. Currently approved
      drugs include pegylated interferon and nucleos(t)ide analogs. Nucleos(t)ide
      analogs are better tolerated and provide excellent viral suppression with a low
      risk of antiviral resistance, but pegylated interferon offers the benefit of a
      finite duration of treatment. Monitoring of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)
      levels may help to predict the likelihood of response to treatment, particularly
      for pegylated interferon. Prolonged treatment is usually needed with oral
      antiviral agents, and relapse is common if treatment is discontinued. New
      treatments that result in sustained clearance of HBV DNA and the clearance of
      HBsAg are needed. 

PMID- 26491031
TI  - Pulmonary arterial response to hypoxia in survivors of chronic lung disease of
      prematurity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether increased pulmonary arterial (PA) reactivity to
      hypoxia observed in preterm infants who develop chronic lung disease of
      prematurity (CLD) persists into childhood. AIM: We assessed and compared PA pulse
      wave velocity (PWV) in air and after 12% hypoxia using velocity-encoded MRI
      between children who had CLD in infancy and preterm-born and term-born controls.
      METHODS: From 67 recruited children, 59 (13 CLD, 21 preterm, 25 term), 9-12-year
      old children successfully completed the study. Velocity-encoded phase-contrast MR
      PA images were acquired breathing air and during breathing 12% hypoxia. PA PWV
      was derived as the ratio of flow to area changes during early systole. RESULTS:
      There were no differences in mean (SD) PA PWV between the groups breathing air
      (CLD=1.3 (0.4) m/s, preterm control=1.3 (0.4) m/s, term control=1.3 (0.3) m/s))
      but increased following hypoxia to 1.9 (0.7) m/s, 1.6 (0.6) m/s and 1.5 (0.5) m/s
      in CLD, preterm and term groups, respectively. The mean differences (95% CI) for
      PA PWV between CLD and the preterm and control groups were 0.37 (0.08 to 0.70)
      and 0.34 (0.05 to 0.70), respectively. There was no difference for change in PA
      PWV with hypoxia between the two control groups, mean difference 0.23 (-0.2 to
      0.3). CONCLUSIONS: Children who had CLD in infancy had increased pulmonary
      arterial reactivity during hypoxia, thus long-term follow-up is warranted in this
      population.

PMID- 26491032
TI  - Fully parallel write/read in resistive synaptic  array for accelerating on-chip
      learning.
AB  - A neuro-inspired computing paradigm beyond the von Neumann architecture is
      emerging and it generally takes advantage of massive parallelism and is aimed at
      complex tasks that involve intelligence and learning. The cross-point array
      architecture with synaptic devices has been proposed for on-chip implementation
      of the weighted sum and weight update in the learning algorithms. In this work,
      forming-free, silicon-process-compatible Ta/TaOx/TiO2/Ti synaptic devices are
      fabricated, in which >200 levels of conductance states could be continuously
      tuned by identical programming pulses. In order to demonstrate the advantages of
      parallelism of the cross-point array architecture, a novel fully parallel write
      scheme is designed and experimentally demonstrated in a small-scale crossbar
      array to accelerate the weight update in the training process, at a speed that is
      independent of the array size. Compared to the conventional row-by-row write
      scheme, it achieves >30* speed-up and >30* improvement in energy efficiency as
      projected in a large-scale array. If realistic synaptic device characteristics
      such as device variations are taken into an array-level simulation, the proposed
      array architecture is able to achieve ~95% recognition accuracy of MNIST
      handwritten digits, which is close to the accuracy achieved by software using the
      ideal sparse coding algorithm.

PMID- 26491033
TI  - Return to sport after open and microdiscectomy surgery versus conservative
      treatment for lumbar disc herniation: a systematic review with meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lumbar disc herniation has a prevalence of up to 58% in the athletic
      population. Lumbar discectomy is a common surgical procedure to alleviate pain
      and disability in athletes. We systematically reviewed the current clinical
      evidence regarding athlete return to sport (RTS) following lumbar discectomy
      compared to conservative treatment. METHODS: A computer-assisted literature
      search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, PEDro, OVID and PubMed databases (from
      inception to August 2015) was utilised using keywords related to lumbar disc
      herniation and surgery. The design of this systematic review was developed using
      the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta
      Analyses (PRISMA). Methodological quality of individual studies was assessed
      using the Downs and Black scale (0-16 points). RESULTS: The search strategy
      revealed 14 articles. Downs and Black quality scores were generally low with no
      articles in this review earning a high-quality rating, only 5 articles earning a
      moderate quality rating and 9 of the 14 articles earning a low-quality rating.
      The pooled RTS for surgical intervention of all included studies was 81% (95% CI
      76% to 86%) with significant heterogeneity (I(2)=63.4%, p<0.001) although pooled
      estimates report only 59% RTS at same level. Pooled analysis showed no difference
      in RTS rate between surgical (84% (95% CI 77% to 90%)) and conservative
      intervention (76% (95% CI 56% to 92%); p=0.33). CONCLUSIONS: Studies comparing
      surgical versus conservative treatment found no significant difference between
      groups regarding RTS. Not all athletes that RTS return at the level of
      participation they performed at prior to surgery. Owing to the heterogeneity and
      low methodological quality of included studies, rates of RTS cannot be accurately
      determined.

PMID- 26491035
TI  - Power Relations and Health Care Communication in Older Adulthood: Educating
      Recipients and Providers.
AB  - Unequal power relations lie just below the surface in much of today's discourse
      on health care communication with older adults. Focusing on pathologies or
      deficits tends to reinforce stereotypes of frailty and dependency, thus framing
      elders as a vulnerable group requiring special assistance. Implicit stereotyping
      frequently colors interactions of health care personnel with older clients and
      their families-interactions likely to affect elders' perceptions and health
      outcomes. Health care providers need to be attuned to the vast and growing
      diversity in today's older population, wherein many older adults are exemplars of
      what it takes to marshal resources and cope with multifaceted challenges. Thus,
      elders have the potential to teach medical personnel through narratives of
      resilience as well as tribulation. This potential can be fully realized, however,
      only in contexts where communication patterns characterized by paternalism,
      consumerism, and collaboration are mutually recognized and selectively challenged
      or implemented. Promising interventions to facilitate health care communication
      in older adulthood might well be directed toward (a) educating both recipients
      and providers to become more mindful of cues that evoke stereotypical thinking,
      (b) promoting an institutional culture that normalizes situationally appropriate
      assertive responses to stereotyping, and (c) formally ratifying older adults'
      life experience in the training of health care personnel.

PMID- 26491034
TI  - Genomic and transcriptomic predictors of triglyceride response to regular
      exercise.
AB  - AIM: We performed genome-wide and transcriptome-wide profiling to identify genes
      and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the response of
      triglycerides (TG) to exercise training. METHODS: Plasma TG levels were measured
      before and after a 20-week endurance training programme in 478 white participants
      from the HERITAGE Family Study. Illumina HumanCNV370-Quad v3.0 BeadChips were
      genotyped using the Illumina BeadStation 500GX platform. Affymetrix HG-U133+2
      arrays were used to quantitate gene expression levels from baseline muscle
      biopsies of a subset of participants (N=52). Genome-wide association study (GWAS)
      analysis was performed using MERLIN, while transcriptomic predictor models were
      developed using the R-package GALGO. RESULTS: The GWAS results showed that eight
      SNPs were associated with TG training-response (DeltaTG) at p<9.9*10(-6), while
      another 31 SNPs showed p values <1*10(-4). In multivariate regression models, the
      top 10 SNPs explained 32.0% of the variance in DeltaTG, while conditional
      heritability analysis showed that four SNPs statistically accounted for all of
      the heritability of DeltaTG. A molecular signature based on the baseline
      expression of 11 genes predicted 27% of DeltaTG in HERITAGE, which was validated
      in an independent study. A composite SNP score based on the top four SNPs, each
      from the genomic and transcriptomic analyses, was the strongest predictor of
      DeltaTG (R(2)=0.14, p=3.0*10(-68)). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that
      skeletal muscle transcript abundance at 11 genes and SNPs at a number of loci
      contribute to TG response to exercise training. Combining data from genomics and
      transcriptomics analyses identified a SNP-based gene signature that should be
      further tested in independent samples.

PMID- 26491036
TI  - Specific CD4+ T-Cell Reactivity and Cytokine Release in Different Clinical
      Presentations of Leptospirosis.
AB  - Clinical manifestations of leptospirosis are highly variable: from asymptomatic
      to severe and potentially fatal. The outcome of the disease is usually determined
      in the immunological phase, beginning in the second week of symptoms. The
      underlying mechanisms, predictive factors, and individual immune responses that
      contribute to clinical variations are not well understood. The aim of this study
      was to determine the specifics of CD4(+) T-cell reactivity and cytokine release
      after stimulation with leptospiral antigens in patients with leptospirosis of
      different disease severities (patients with mild and severe symptoms) and in
      control subjects (with and without proven exposure to Leptospira). Whole-blood
      specimens were stimulated with Leptospira antigens in vitro. Subsequently,
      intracellular staining of cytokines was performed, and flow cytometry was used to
      assess the expression of CD40 ligand (CD40L) and the production of gamma
      interferon (IFN-gamma), interleukin-10 (IL-10), IL-2, and tumor necrosis factor
      alpha (TNF-alpha) by CD4(+) T cells. The production of inflammatory cytokines
      such as TNF-alpha by CD4(+) T cells after stimulation with leptospiral antigens
      was highest in patients with severe disease. In contrast, the ratio of IL-10
      production to TNF-alpha production was higher in exposed subjects than in
      patients with mild and severe disease. Levels of proinflammatory cytokines such
      as TNF-alpha may be useful markers of the severity of the immunological phase of
      leptospirosis. IL-10 production by T cells after antigen-specific stimulation may
      indicate a more successful downregulation of the inflammatory response and may
      contribute to an asymptomatic course of the disease. 

PMID- 26491038
TI  - Selective exfoliation of single-layer  graphene from non-uniform graphene grown 
      on Cu.
AB  - Graphene growth on a copper surface via metal-catalyzed chemical vapor deposition
      has several advantages in terms of providing high-quality graphene with the
      potential for scale-up, but the product is usually inhomogeneous due to the
      inability to control the graphene layer growth. The non-uniform regions strongly
      affect the reliability of the graphene in practical electronic applications.
      Herein, we report a novel graphene transfer method that allows for the selective
      exfoliation of single-layer graphene from non-uniform graphene grown on a Cu
      foil. Differences in the interlayer bonding energy are exploited to mechanically
      separate only the top single-layer graphene and transfer this to an arbitrary
      substrate. The dry-transferred single-layer grapheme showed electrical
      characteristics that were more uniform than those of graphene transferred using
      conventional wet-etching transfer steps.

PMID- 26491037
TI  - Comparative Adjuvant Effects of Type II Heat-Labile Enterotoxins in Combination
      with Two Different Candidate Ricin Toxin Vaccine Antigens.
AB  - Type II heat-labile enterotoxins (HLTs) constitute a promising set of adjuvants
      that have been shown to enhance humoral and cellular immune responses when
      coadministered with an array of different proteins, including several pathogen
      associated antigens. However, the adjuvant activities of the four best-studied
      HLTs, LT-IIa, LT-IIb, LT-IIb(T13I), and LT-IIc, have never been compared side by
      side. We therefore conducted immunization studies in which LT-IIa, LT-IIb, LT
      IIb(T13I), and LT-IIc were coadministered by the intradermal route to mice with
      two clinically relevant protein subunit vaccine antigens derived from the
      enzymatic A subunit (RTA) of ricin toxin, RiVax and RVEc. The HLTs were tested
      with low and high doses of antigen and were assessed for their abilities to
      stimulate antigen-specific serum IgG titers, ricin toxin-neutralizing activity
      (TNA), and protective immunity. We found that all four HLTs tested were effective
      adjuvants when coadministered with RiVax or RVEc. LT-IIa was of particular
      interest because as little as 0.03 MUg when coadministered with RiVax or RVEc
      proved effective at augmenting ricin toxin-specific serum antibody titers with
      nominal evidence of local inflammation. Collectively, these results justify the
      need for further studies into the mechanism(s) underlying LT-IIa adjuvant
      activity, with the long-term goal of evaluating LT-IIa's activity in humans.

PMID- 26491039
TI  - A prospective case control comparison of the ZeroGravity system versus a standard
      lead apron as radiation protection strategy in neuroendovascular procedures.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We aimed to compare the performance of the ZeroGravity
      (ZG) system (radiation protection system composed by a suspended lead suit)
      against the use of standard protection (lead apron (LA), thyroid shield, lead
      eyeglasses, table skirts, and ceiling suspended shield) in neuroangiography
      procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Radiation exposure data were prospectively
      collected in consecutive neuroendovascular procedures between December 2014 and
      February 2015. Operator No 1 was assigned to the use of an LA (plus lead glasses,
      thyroid shield, and a 1 mm hanging shield at the groin) while operator No 2
      utilized the ZG system. Dosimeters were used to measure peak skin dose for the
      head, thyroid, and left foot. RESULTS: The two operators performed a total of 122
      procedures during the study period. The ZG operator was more commonly the primary
      operator compared with the LA operator (85% vs 71%; p=0.04). The mean anterior
      posterior (AP), lateral, and cumulative dose area product (DAP) radiation
      exposure as well as the mean fluoroscopy time were not statistically different
      between the operators' cases. The peak skin dose to the head of the operator with
      LA was 2.1 times higher (3380 vs 1600 MUSv), while the thyroid was 13.9 (4460 vs
      320 MUSv), the mediastinum infinitely (520 vs 0 MUSv), and the foot 3.3 times
      higher (4870 vs 1470 MUSv) compared with the ZG operator, leading to an overall
      accumulated dose 4 times higher. The ratio of cumulative operator received
      dose/total cumulative DAP was 2.5 higher on the LA operator. CONCLUSIONS: The ZG
      radiation protection system leads to substantially lower radiation exposure to
      the operator in neurointerventional procedures. However, substantial exposure may
      still occur at the level of the lens and thyroid to justify additional
      protection.

PMID- 26491040
TI  - Volume versus standard coils in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Volume coils were developed to improve occlusion rates of
      intracranial aneurysms. Previous studies have shown increased packing density and
      comparable occlusion rates, but subgroup analyses of aneurysm size have not been
      carried out. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Penumbra Coil
      400 (PC400) system in treating intracranial aneurysms compared with standard
      diameter coils. METHODS: A monocentric retrospective case review of 260 aneurysms
      in 233 patients was carried out. In 37 aneurysms the PC400 system was used, while
      223 aneurysms were treated with conventional coils. Previously treated aneurysms
      and aneurysms treated with flow diverters were excluded. Aneurysm and procedure
      characteristics, packing density, postprocedural and follow-up occlusion grades
      as well as coil compaction were evaluated. RESULTS: Aneurysms treated with PC400
      coils had higher volume (218.9 vs 47.1 mm(3), p<0.001), wider necks (3.0 vs 2.5
      mm, p=0.005), and greater dome/neck ratio (2.0 vs 1.6, p=0.001) in comparison
      with aneurysms treated with conventional coils. Compared with controls, in the
      PC400 group we achieved higher packing densities (43.2% vs 34.4%, p<0.001; in
      aneurysms >=7 mm 42.2% vs 27.8%, p<0.001). On follow-up angiography we observed
      less coil compaction (23.8% vs 64.3%, p=0.003) and less aneurysm recurrence
      (14.3% vs 40.5%, p=0.046) in aneurysms >=7 mm when using the PC400 system.
      CONCLUSIONS: Use of the PC400 system as opposed to conventional coils suggests
      that the PC400 system is safe and effective in treating intracranial aneurysms.
      Despite having been applied in a potentially more difficult-to-treat group, the
      use of PC400 was associated with less coil compaction and aneurysm recurrence in
      aneurysms >=7 mm.

PMID- 26491041
TI  - Pipeline embolization device for the treatment of vertebral artery aneurysms: the
      fate of covered branch vessels.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preliminary studies suggest that flow-diverting stents may be
      suitable for the treatment of aneurysms of the posterior circulation. The safety
      and efficacy of using flow-diverting stents for vertebral artery (VA) aneurysms
      is not well defined. OBJECTIVE: To examine the fate of covering the posterior
      inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) in patients undergoing placement of a flow
      diverting stent for VA aneurysm. METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent
      placement of a Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) for treatment of an aneurysm of
      the V4 segment of the VA between April 2012 and June 2015 at our institution were
      retrospectively evaluated. Angiograms were reviewed to determine the patency of
      the PICA when the vessel origin was covered by the PED. RESULTS: 11 patients with
      VA aneurysms who underwent treatment with the PED were identified. In each case
      the device covered the origin of the PICA. Follow-up angiography in eight
      patients demonstrated thrombosis of the aneurysm with patency of the PICA.
      CONCLUSIONS: Flow-diverting stents can be used for the treatment of VA aneurysms.
      When appropriately sized to the vessel wall and positioned in the VA, the device
      may cover the origin of the PICA without impairing flow through the branching
      artery.

PMID- 26491042
TI  - Larval Preference and Performance of Amyelois transitella (Navel Orangeworm,
      Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Relation to the Fungus Aspergillus flavus.
AB  - The navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella (Walker), is a polyphagous pest of
      California nut crops and is responsible for extensive losses in the United
      States. It directly damages crops by feeding and contaminating nuts with frass
      and webbing and vectors saprophytic fungi that infect crops. The navel orangeworm
      is commonly associated with Aspergillus species, including the toxigenic
      Aspergillus flavus, which causes crop loss by producing carcinogens, including
      aflatoxin B1. This lepidopteran-fungus association is the most economically
      serious pest complex in Central Valley orchards, and evidence indicates that this
      relationship is mutualistic. We assessed preference and performance of navel
      orangeworm larvae associated with A. flavus in behavioral bioassays in which
      neonates were allowed to orient within arenas to media with or without fungal
      tissue, and performance bioassays in which larvae were reared with and without A.
      flavus on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and a semidefined almond PDA diet to
      evaluate effects on development and pupal weight. Navel orangeworm larvae were
      attracted to A. flavus and developed faster in its presence, indicating a
      nutritional benefit to the caterpillars. Larvae reached pupation ~33% faster on
      diet containing A. flavus, and pupal weights were ~18% higher for males and ~13%
      higher for females on this diet. Our findings indicate that A. flavus plays an
      important role in larval orientation and development on infected hosts. The
      preference-performance relationship between navel orangeworms and Aspergillus
      flavus is consistent with a facultative mutualism that has broad implications for
      pest management efforts and basic understanding of Lepidoptera-plant
      interactions. 

PMID- 26491043
TI  - Longitudinal Relationship Between Loneliness and Social Isolation in Older
      Adults: Results From the Cardiovascular Health Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To understand the longitudinal relationship between loneliness and
      isolation. METHOD: Participants included 5,870 adults 65 years and older (M =
      72.89 +/- 5.59 years) from the first 5 years of the Cardiovascular Health Study.
      Loneliness was assessed using a dichotomized loneliness question. Social
      isolation was assessed using six items from the Lubben Social Network Scale.
      Yearly life events were included to assess abrupt social network changes. Mixed
      effects logistic regression was employed to analyze the relationship between
      isolation and loneliness. RESULTS: Higher levels of social isolation were
      associated with higher odds of loneliness, as was an increase (from median) in
      level of social isolation. Life events such as a friend dying were also
      associated with increased odds of loneliness. DISCUSSION: These results suggest
      that average level of isolation and increases in the level of isolation are
      closely tied to loneliness, which has implications for future assessment or
      monitoring of loneliness in older adult populations.

PMID- 26491044
TI  - Health Expectancies in Adults Aged 50 Years or Older in China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to understand the functional health of
      older adults in China and to assess the potential for advancing healthy and
      active aging. METHOD: Data of 13,739 older adults aged 50 years and older from
      the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2011 were analyzed. Life
      expectancy in good perceived health, chronic-disease-free life expectancy, active
      life expectancy, and severe impairment-free life expectancy were calculated using
      Sullivan's method. RESULTS: At age 50 years, older adults had a life expectancy
      in good perceived health of 7.0 and 6.7 years in men and women, respectively.
      They would remain chronic-disease-free for 8.4 and 8.6 years, without activity
      limitation for 23.6 and 26.0 years, and severe impairment-free for 21.4 and 24.2
      years. DISCUSSION: The world's largest aging population was spending a
      substantial proportion of remaining life years in suboptimal health and well
      being, while remaining largely independent in basic self-care without severe
      impairments.

PMID- 26491045
TI  - Lewis lung carcinoma regulation of mechanical stretch-induced protein synthesis
      in cultured myotubes.
AB  - Mechanical stretch can activate muscle and myotube protein synthesis through
      mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling. While it has been
      established that tumor-derived cachectic factors can induce myotube wasting, the
      effect of this catabolic environment on myotube mechanical signaling has not been
      determined. We investigated whether media containing cachectic factors derived
      from Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) can regulate the stretch induction of myotube
      protein synthesis. C2C12 myotubes preincubated in control or LLC-derived media
      were chronically stretched. Protein synthesis regulation by anabolic and
      catabolic signaling was then examined. In the control condition, stretch
      increased mTORC1 activity and protein synthesis. The LLC treatment decreased
      basal mTORC1 activity and protein synthesis and attenuated the stretch induction
      of protein synthesis. LLC media increased STAT3 and AMP-activated protein kinase
      phosphorylation in myotubes, independent of stretch. Both stretch and LLC
      independently increased ERK1/2, p38, and NF-kappaB phosphorylation. In LLC
      treated myotubes, the inhibition of ERK1/2 and p38 rescued the stretch induction
      of protein synthesis. Interestingly, either leukemia inhibitory factor or
      glycoprotein 130 antibody administration caused further inhibition of mTORC1
      signaling and protein synthesis in stretched myotubes. AMP-activated protein
      kinase inhibition increased basal mTORC1 signaling activity and protein synthesis
      in LLC-treated myotubes, but did not restore the stretch induction of protein
      synthesis. These results demonstrate that LLC-derived cachectic factors can
      dissociate stretch-induced signaling from protein synthesis through ERK1/2 and
      p38 signaling, and that glycoprotein 130 signaling is associated with the basal
      stretch response in myotubes. 

PMID- 26491046
TI  - Nitrotyrosine impairs mitochondrial function in fetal lamb pulmonary artery
      endothelial cells.
AB  - Nitration of both protein-bound and free tyrosine by reactive nitrogen species
      results in the formation of nitrotyrosine (NT). We previously reported that free
      NT impairs microtubule polymerization and uncouples endothelial nitric oxide
      synthase (eNOS) function in pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAEC). Because
      microtubules modulate mitochondrial function, we hypothesized that increased NT
      levels during inflammation and oxidative stress will lead to mitochondrial
      dysfunction in PAEC. PAEC isolated from fetal lambs were exposed to varying
      concentrations of free NT. At low concentrations (1-10 MUM), NT increased
      nitration of mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) protein subunit
      complexes I-V and state III oxygen consumption. Higher concentrations of NT (50
      MUM) caused decreased microtubule acetylation, impaired eNOS interactions with
      mitochondria, and decreased ETC protein levels. We also observed increases in
      heat shock protein-90 nitration, mitochondrial superoxide formation, and
      fragmentation of mitochondria in PAEC. Our data suggest that free NT accumulation
      may impair microtubule polymerization and exacerbate reactive oxygen species
      induced cell damage by causing mitochondrial dysfunction. 

PMID- 26491047
TI  - ATP promotes cell survival via regulation of cytosolic [Ca2+] and Bcl-2/Bax ratio
      in lung cancer cells.
AB  - Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a ubiquitous extracellular messenger elevated in
      the tumor microenvironment. ATP regulates cell functions by acting on purinergic
      receptors (P2X and P2Y) and activating a series of intracellular signaling
      pathways. We examined ATP-induced Ca(2+) signaling and its effects on
      antiapoptotic (Bcl-2) and proapoptotic (Bax) proteins in normal human airway
      epithelial cells and lung cancer cells. Lung cancer cells exhibited two phases
      (transient and plateau phases) of increase in cytosolic [Ca(2+)] ([Ca(2+)]cyt)
      caused by ATP, while only the transient phase was observed in normal cells.
      Removal of extracellular Ca(2+) eliminated the plateau phase increase of
      [Ca(2+)]cyt in lung cancer cells, indicating that the plateau phase of
      [Ca(2+)]cyt increase is due to Ca(2+) influx. The distribution of P2X (P2X1-7)
      and P2Y (P2Y1, P2Y2, P2Y4, P2Y6, P2Y11) receptors was different between lung
      cancer cells and normal cells. Proapoptotic P2X7 was nearly undetectable in lung
      cancer cells, which may explain why lung cancer cells showed decreased
      cytotoxicity when treated with high concentration of ATP. The Bcl-2/Bax ratio was
      increased in lung cancer cells following treatment with ATP; however, the
      antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 demonstrated more sensitivity to ATP than
      proapoptotic protein Bax. Decreasing extracellular Ca(2+) or chelating
      intracellular Ca(2+) with BAPTA-AM significantly inhibited ATP-induced increase
      in Bcl-2/Bax ratio, indicating that a rise in [Ca(2+)]cyt through Ca(2+) influx
      is the critical mediator for ATP-mediated increase in Bcl-2/Bax ratio. Therefore,
      despite high ATP levels in the tumor microenvironment, which would induce cell
      apoptosis in normal cells, the decreased P2X7 and elevated Bcl-2/Bax ratio in
      lung cancer cells may enable tumor cells to survive. Increasing the Bcl-2/Bax
      ratio by exposure to high extracellular ATP may, therefore, be an important
      selective pressure promoting transformation and cancer progression. 

PMID- 26491048
TI  - CUGBP1 and HuR regulate E-cadherin translation by altering recruitment of E
      cadherin mRNA to processing bodies and modulate epithelial barrier function.
AB  - The effectiveness and stability of epithelial barrier depend on apical junctional
      complexes, which consist of tight junctions (TJs) and adherens junctions (AJs). E
      cadherin is the primary component of AJs, and it is essential for maintenance of
      cell-to-cell interactions and regulates the epithelial barrier. However, the
      exact mechanism underlying E-cadherin expression, particularly at the
      posttranscriptional level, remains largely unknown. RNA-binding proteins CUG
      binding protein 1 (CUGBP1) and HU antigen R (HuR) are highly expressed in the
      intestinal epithelial tissues and modulate the stability and translation of
      target mRNAs. Here, we present evidence that CUGBP1 and HuR interact directly
      with the 3'-untranslated region of E-cadherin mRNA and regulate E-cadherin
      translation. CUGBP1 overexpression in Caco-2 cells inhibited E-cadherin
      translation by increasing the recruitment of E-cadherin mRNA to processing bodies
      (PBs), thus resulting in an increase in paracellular permeability. Overexpression
      of HuR exhibited an opposite effect on E-cadherin expression by preventing the
      translocation of E-cadherin mRNA to PBs and therefore prevented CUGBP1-induced
      repression of E-cadherin expression. Elevation of HuR also abolished the CUGBP1
      induced epithelial barrier dysfunction. These findings indicate that CUGBP1 and
      HuR negate each other's effects in regulating E-cadherin translation by altering
      the recruitment of E-cadherin mRNA to PBs and play an important role in the
      regulation of intestinal barrier integrity under various pathophysiological
      conditions. 

PMID- 26491049
TI  - Agonist binding to beta-adrenergic receptors on human airway epithelial cells
      inhibits migration and wound repair.
AB  - Human airway epithelial cells express beta-adrenergic receptors (beta-ARs), which
      regulate mucociliary clearance by stimulating transepithelial anion transport and
      ciliary beat frequency. Previous studies using airway epithelial cells showed
      that stimulation with isoproterenol increased cell migration and wound repair by
      a cAMP-dependent mechanism. In the present study, impedance-sensing arrays were
      used to measure cell migration and epithelial restitution following wounding of
      confluent normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) and Calu-3 cells by
      electroporation. Stimulation with epinephrine or the beta2-AR-selective agonist
      salbutamol significantly delayed wound closure and reduced the mean surface area
      of lamellipodia protruding into the wound. Treatment with the beta-AR bias
      agonist carvedilol or isoetharine also produced a delay in epithelial restitution
      similar in magnitude to epinephrine and salbutamol. Measurements of extracellular
      signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation following salbutamol or carvedilol
      stimulation showed no significant change in the level of phosphorylation compared
      with untreated control cells. However, inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A
      activity completely blocked the delay in wound closure produced by beta-AR
      agonists. In Calu-3 cells, where CFTR expression was inhibited by RNAi,
      salbutamol did not inhibit wound repair, suggesting that beta-AR agonist
      stimulation and loss of CFTR function share a common pathway leading to
      inhibition of epithelial repair. Confocal images of the basal membrane of Calu-3
      cells labeled with anti-beta1-integrin (clone HUTS-4) antibody showed that
      treatment with epinephrine or carvedilol reduced the level of activated integrin
      in the membrane. These findings suggest that treatment with beta-AR agonists
      delays airway epithelial repair by a G protein- and cAMP-independent mechanism
      involving protein phosphatase 2A and a reduction in beta1-integrin activation in
      the basal membrane. 

PMID- 26491050
TI  - Inhibition of Notch signaling pathway attenuates sympathetic hyperinnervation
      together with the augmentation of M2 macrophages in rats post-myocardial
      infarction.
AB  - Inflammation-dominated sympathetic sprouting adjacent to the necrotic region
      following myocardial infarction (MI) has been implicated in the etiology of
      arrhythmias resulting in sudden cardiac death; however, the mechanisms
      responsible remain to be elucidated. Although being a key immune mediator, the
      role of Notch has yet to be explored. We investigated whether Notch regulates
      macrophage responses to inflammation and affects cardiac sympathetic
      reinnervation in rats undergoing MI. MI was induced by coronary artery ligation.
      A high level of Notch intracellular domain was observed in the macrophages that
      infiltrated the infarct area at 3 days post-MI. The administration of the Notch
      inhibitor N-N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl-L-alanyl)-S-phenylglycine-t-butyl ester
      (DAPT) (intravenously 30 min before MI and then daily until death) decreased the
      number of macrophages and significantly increased the M2 macrophage activation
      profile in the early stages and attenuated the expression of nerve growth factor
      (NGF). Eventually, NGF-induced sympathetic hyperinnervation was blunted, as
      assessed by the immunofluorescence of tyrosine hydroxylase. At 7 days post-MI,
      the arrhythmia score of programmed electric stimulation in the vehicle-treated
      infarcted rats was higher than that in rats treated with DAPT. Further
      deterioration in cardiac function and decreases in the plasma levels of TNF-alpha
      and IL-1beta were also detected. In vitro studies revealed that LPS/IFN-gamma
      upregulated the surface expression of NGF in M1 macrophages in a Notch-dependent
      manner. We concluded that Notch inhibition during the acute inflammatory response
      phase is associated with the downregulation of NGF, probably through a macrophage
      dependent pathway, thus preventing the process of sympathetic hyperinnervation.

PMID- 26491051
TI  - F-actin clustering and cell dysmotility induced by the pathological W148R
      missense mutation of filamin B at the actin-binding domain.
AB  - Filamin B (FLNB) is a dimeric actin-binding protein that orchestrates the
      reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. Congenital mutations of FLNB at the
      actin-binding domain (ABD) are known to cause abnormalities of skeletal
      development, such as atelosteogenesis types I and III and Larsen's syndrome,
      although the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, using
      fluorescence microscopy, we characterized the reorganization of the actin
      cytoskeleton in cells expressing each of six pathological FLNB mutants that have
      been linked to skeletal abnormalities. The subfractionation assay showed a
      greater accumulation of the FLNB ABD mutants W148R and E227K than the wild-type
      protein to the cytoskeleton. Ectopic expression of FLNB-W148R and, to a lesser
      extent, FLNB-E227K induced prominent F-actin accumulations and the consequent
      rearrangement of focal adhesions, myosin II, and septin filaments and results in
      a delayed directional migration of the cells. The W148R protein-induced
      cytoskeletal rearrangement was partially attenuated by the inhibition of myosin
      II, p21-activated protein kinase, or Rho-associated protein kinase. The
      expression of a single-head ABD fragment with the mutations partially mimicked
      the rearrangement induced by the dimer. The F-actin clustering through the
      interaction with the mutant FLNB ABD may limit the cytoskeletal reorganization,
      preventing normal skeletal development. 

PMID- 26491053
TI  - A coastal and an interior Douglas fir provenance exhibit different metabolic
      strategies to deal with drought stress.
AB  - Drought is a major environmental stress affecting growth and vitality of forest
      ecosystems. In the present study, foliar nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) metabolism
      of two Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) provenances with assumed different
      drought tolerance were investigated. We worked with 1-year-old seedlings of the
      interior provenance Fehr Lake (FEHR) originating from a dry environment and the
      coastal provenance Snoqualmie (SNO) from a more humid origin. Total C and N,
      structural N and the concentrations of soluble protein, total amino acids (TAAs)
      and individual amino acids as well as the relative abundance of polar, low
      molecular-weight metabolites including antioxidants were determined in current
      year needles exposed either to 42 days of drought or to 42 days drought plus 14
      days of rewatering. The seedlings reacted in a provenance-specific manner to
      drought stress. Coastal provenance SNO showed considerably increased contents of
      TAAs, which were caused by increased abundance of the quantitatively most
      important amino acids arginine, ornithine and lysine. Additionally, the polyamine
      putrescine accumulated exclusively in drought-stressed trees of this provenance.
      In contrast, the interior provenance FEHR showed the opposite response, i.e.,
      drastically reduced concentrations of these amino acids. However, FEHR showed
      considerably increased contents of pyruvate-derived and aromatic amino acids, and
      also higher drought-induced levels of the antioxidants ascorbate and alpha
      tocopherol. In response to drought, both provenances produced large amounts of
      carbohydrates, such as glucose and fructose, most likely as osmolytes that can
      readily be metabolized for protection against osmotic stress. We conclude that
      FEHR and SNO cope with drought stress in a provenance-specific manner: the
      coastal provenance SNO was mainly synthesizing N-based osmolytes, a reaction not
      observed in the interior provenance FEHR; instead, the latter increased the
      levels of scavengers of reactive oxygen species. Our results underline the
      importance of provenance-specific reactions to abiotic stress. 

PMID- 26491052
TI  - Regulation of cell proliferation by hypoxia-inducible factors.
AB  - Hypoxia is a physiological cue that impacts diverse physiological processes,
      including energy metabolism, autophagy, cell motility, angiogenesis, and
      erythropoiesis. One of the key cell-autonomous effects of hypoxia is as a
      modulator of cell proliferation. For most cell types, hypoxia induces decreased
      cell proliferation, since an increased number of cells, with a consequent
      increase in O2 demand, would only exacerbate hypoxic stress. However, certain
      cell populations maintain cell proliferation in the face of hypoxia. This is a
      common pathological hallmark of cancers, but can also serve a physiological
      function, as in the maintenance of stem cell populations that reside in a hypoxic
      niche. This review will discuss major molecular mechanisms by which hypoxia
      regulates cell proliferation in different cell populations, with a particular
      focus on the role of hypoxia-inducible factors. 

PMID- 26491054
TI  - Transcriptomic regulatory network underlying morphological and physiological
      acclimation to nitrogen starvation and excess in poplar roots and leaves.

PMID- 26491055
TI  - Water availability as dominant control of heat stress responses in two
      contrasting tree species.
AB  - Heat waves that trigger severe droughts are predicted to increase globally;
      however, we lack an understanding of how trees respond to the combined change of
      extreme temperatures and water availability. Here, we studied the impacts of two
      consecutive heat waves as well as post-stress recovery in young Pseudotsuga
      menziesii (Mirb.) Franco (Douglas-fir) and Robinia pseudoacacia L. (black locust)
      growing under controlled conditions. Responses were compared under water supply
      close to the long-term average and under reduced irrigation to represent drought.
      Exposure to high temperatures (+10  degrees C above ambient) and vapour pressure
      deficit strongly affected the trees in terms of water relations, photosynthesis
      and growth. Douglas-fir used water resources conservatively, and transpiration
      decreased in response to mild soil water limitation. In black locust, heat stress
      led to pronounced tree water deficits (stem diameter shrinkage), accompanied by
      leaf shedding to alleviate stress on the hydraulic system. The importance of
      water availability during the heat waves became further apparent by a concurrent
      decline in photosynthesis and stomatal conductance with increasing leaf
      temperatures in both species, reaching the lowest rates in the heat-drought
      treatments. Stress severity determined both the speed and the amount of recovery.
      Upon release of stress, photosynthesis recovered rapidly in drought-treated black
      locust, while it remained below control rates in heat (t = -2.4, P < 0.05) and
      heat-drought stressed trees (t = 2.96, P < 0.05). In Douglas-fir, photosynthesis
      recovered quickly, while water-use efficiency increased in heat-drought trees
      because stomatal conductance remained reduced (t = -2.92, P < 0.05). Moreover,
      Douglas-fir was able to compensate for stem-growth reductions following heat (
      40%) and heat-drought stress (-68%), but most likely at the expense of storage
      and other growth processes. Our results highlight the importance of studying heat
      waves alongside changes in water availability. They further suggest that we
      should look beyond the actual stress event to identify lagged effects and
      acclimation processes that may determine tree resilience in the long term. 

PMID- 26491056
TI  - Potential Biases Introduced by Conflating Screening and Diagnostic Testing in
      Colorectal Cancer Screening Surveillance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Screening and postsymptomatic diagnostic testing are often conflated
      in cancer screening surveillance research. We examined the error in estimated
      colorectal cancer screening prevalence due to the conflation of screening and
      diagnostic testing. METHODS: Using data from the 2008 National Health Interview
      Survey, we compared weighted prevalence estimates of the use of all testing
      (screening and diagnostic) and screening in at-risk adults and calculated the
      overestimation of screening prevalence across sociodemographic groups. RESULTS:
      The population screening prevalence was overestimated by 23.3%, and the level of
      overestimation varied widely across sociodemographic groups (median, 22.6%; mean,
      24.8%). The highest levels of overestimation were in non-Hispanic white females
      (27.4%), adults ages 50-54 years (32.0%), and those with the highest
      socioeconomic vulnerability [low educational attainment (31.3%), low poverty
      ratio (32.5%), no usual source of health care (54.4%), and not insured (51.6%);
      all P < 0.001]. CONCLUSIONS: When the impetus for testing was not included,
      colorectal cancer screening prevalence was overestimated, and patterns of
      overestimation often aligned with social and economic vulnerability. These
      results are of concern to researchers who use survey data from the Behavioral
      Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to assess cancer screening behaviors, as
      it is currently not designed to distinguish diagnostic testing from screening.
      IMPACT: Surveillance research in cancer screening that does not consider the
      impetus for testing risks measurement error of screening prevalence, impeding
      progress toward improving population health. Ultimately, to craft relevant
      screening benchmarks and interventions, we must look beyond "what" and "when" and
      include "why."

PMID- 26491057
TI  - Development of an implantable synthetic membrane for the treatment of preterm
      premature rupture of fetal membranes.
AB  - Preterm premature rupture of fetal membranes is a very common condition leading
      to premature labour of a non viable fetus. Significant morbidities may occur when
      preterm premature rupture of fetal membranes management is attempted to prolong
      the pregnancy for fetal maturation. Reducing the rate of loss of amniotic fluid
      and providing a barrier to bacterial entry may allow the pregnancy to continue to
      term, avoiding complications. Our aim is to develop a synthetic biocompatible
      membrane to form a distensible barrier for cervical closure which acts to reduce
      fluid loss and provide a surface for epithelial ingrowth to help repair the
      damaged membranes. Therefore, a bilayer membrane was developed using an
      electrospinning technique of combining two FDA-approved polymers, poly-L-lactic
      acid (PLA) and polyurethane (Z3) polymer. This was compared to a plain
      electrospun Z3 membrane. The physical and mechanical properties were assessed
      using scanning electron microscope images and a BOSE tensiometer, respectively,
      and compared to native fetal membranes. The performance of the membranes in
      preventing fluid loss was assessed by measuring their ability to support a column
      of water. Finally the ability of the membranes to support cell ingrowth was
      assessed by culturing adipose-derived stem cells on the membranes for two weeks
      and assessing metabolic activity after 7 and 14 days. The physical properties of
      the bilayer were similar to that of the native fetal membranes and it was
      resistant to fluid penetration. This bilayer membrane presented mechanical
      properties close to those for fetal membranes and showed elastic distention,
      which may be crucial for progress of the pregnancy. The membrane was also able to
      retain surgical sutures. In addition, it also supported the attachment and growth
      of adipose-derived stem cells for two weeks. In conclusion, this membrane may
      prove a useful approach in the treatment of preterm premature rupture of fetal
      membranes and now merits further investigation. 

PMID- 26491058
TI  - An Evaluation of Alternative Markers to Guide Initiation of Anti-retroviral
      Therapy in HIV-Infected Children in Settings where CD4 Assays are not Available.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In settings where CD4 testing is not available, alternative markers
      to start paediatric anti-retroviral therapy (ART) could be used. A comprehensive
      evaluation of these markers has not been performed. METHODS: Prospective cross
      sectional study of HIV-infected Malawian children not eligible for ART based on
      clinical criteria. Associations between CD4 and alternative markers [haemoglobin,
      total lymphocyte count (TLC), serum albumin, thrombocytes and growth parameters]
      were analysed, and accuracy of existing and new cut-offs were evaluated. RESULTS:
      In all, 417 children were enrolled. Of 261 children aged >=5 years, 155 (59%)
      qualified to start ART using CD4. In this group, only TLC was associated with CD4
      (p < 0.001). Sensitivity for TLC was 21% (95% CI: 15-29%), using World Health
      Organization cut-offs. Improved cut-offs increased sensitivity to 73% (95% CI: 65
      80%), specificity 62% (95% CI: 52-72%). CONCLUSION: Clinical staging alone is an
      unreliable strategy to start ART in children. TLC is the only alternative marker
      for CD4, cut-offs need to be revised though.

PMID- 26491059
TI  - Donning the mask: effects of emotional labour strategies on burnout and job
      satisfaction in community healthcare.
AB  - Emotional labour involves management of one's emotions to match the demands of
      their roles. This emotion display involves just expression (surface-level
      emotional labour) or experience in addition to expression (deep-level emotional
      labour) of the desired emotions. Emotional labour is required in the effective,
      efficient and successful healthcare service delivery. Burnout associated with
      emotional labour is an important factor that decides how satisfied frontline
      service providers with their job are. This empirical study investigates the link
      between surface and deep-level emotional labour, burnout and job satisfaction in
      women community health workers from India. Our results from the structural
      equation modelling of 177 accredited social health activists (ASHAs) indicate a
      negative relation between surface and deep-level emotional labour, clearly
      demarcating them as two different strategies for performance of emotional labour
      in community health care setting. Surface-level emotional labour is associated
      with higher job satisfaction, and burnout partially mediates this relation. Deep
      level emotional labour is associated with lower job satisfaction; burnout fully
      mediates this relation. Qualitative post hoc analysis based on interviews of 10
      ASHAs was done to understand the findings of the quantitative study. Surface
      level emotional labour was found to be a more desirable strategy for community
      health care workers for the effective and efficient performance of their work
      roles. Our results have a significant contribution to design, redesign, and
      improvement of employment practices in community healthcare. This study brings
      forth the neglected issues of emotions and their implications for these
      healthcare workers in low and middle-income countries who are a vital link that
      delivers healthcare to weaker section of the society. The findings have relevance
      not merely for the individual providing this service but the beneficiary and the
      organization that facilitates this delivery. Interventions based on demographic,
      community, national and occupational factors have also been presented. 

PMID- 26491060
TI  - Scaling-up essential neuropsychiatric services in Ethiopia: a cost-effectiveness
      analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is an immense need for scaling-up neuropsychiatric care in
      low-income countries. Contextualized cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) provide
      relevant information for local policies. The aim of this study is to perform a
      contextualized CEA of neuropsychiatric interventions in Ethiopia and to
      illustrate expected population health and budget impacts across neuropsychiatric
      disorders. METHODS: A mathematical population model (PopMod) was used to estimate
      intervention costs and effectiveness. Existing variables from a previous WHO
      CHOICE regional CEA model were substantially revised. Treatments for depression,
      schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and epilepsy were analysed. The best available
      local data on epidemiology, intervention efficacy, current and target coverage,
      resource prices and salaries were used. Data were obtained from expert opinion,
      local hospital information systems, the Ministry of Health and literature
      reviews. RESULTS: Treatment of epilepsy with a first generation antiepileptic
      drug is the most cost-effective treatment (US$ 321 per DALY adverted). Treatments
      for depression have mid-range values compared with other interventions (US$ 457
      1026 per DALY adverted). Treatments for schizophrenia and bipolar disorders are
      least cost-effective (US$ 1168-3739 per DALY adverted). CONCLUSION: This analysis
      gives the Ethiopian government a comprehensive overview of the expected costs,
      effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of introducing basic neuropsychiatric
      interventions.

PMID- 26491061
TI  - Paeoniflorin Promotes Non-rapid Eye Movement Sleep via Adenosine A1 Receptors.
AB  - Paeoniflorin (PF, C23H28O11), one of the principal active ingredients of Paeonia
      Radix, exerts depressant effects on the central nervous system. We determined
      whether PF could modulate sleep behaviors and the mechanisms involved.
      Electroencephalogram and electromyogram recordings in mice showed that
      intraperitoneal PF administered at a dose of 25 or 50 mg/kg significantly
      shortened the sleep latency and increased the amount of non-rapid eye movement
      (NREM). Immunohistochemical study revealed that PF decreased c-fos expression in
      the histaminergic tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN). The sleep-promoting effects and
      changes in c-fos induced by PF were reversed by 8-cyclopentyl-1,3
      dimethylxanthine (CPT), an adenosine A1 receptor antagonist, and PF-induced sleep
      was not observed in adenosine A1 receptor knockout mice. Whole-cell patch
      clamping in mouse brain slices showed that PF significantly decreased the firing
      frequency of histaminergic neurons in TMN, which could be completely blocked by
      CPT. These results indicate that PF increased NREM sleep by inhibiting the
      histaminergic system via A1 receptors. 

PMID- 26491062
TI  - Effects of Acute and Repeated Administration of Oxycodone and Naloxone
      Precipitated Withdrawal on Intracranial Self-Stimulation in Rats.
AB  - Incidence of prescription opioid abuse and overdose, often led by oxycodone,
      continues to increase, producing twice as many overdose deaths as heroin.
      Surprisingly, preclinical reports relevant to oxycodone's abuse-related effects
      are relatively sparse considering its history and patient usage. The goal of this
      study was to characterize dose- and time-dependent effects of acute and repeated
      oxycodone administration in a frequency-rate intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS)
      procedure, an assay often predictive of drug-related reinforcing effects, in male
      Sprague-Dawley rats. We hypothesized that oxycodone would produce a biphasic
      profile of rate-increasing and rate-decreasing effects maintained by ICSS similar
      to MU-opioid receptor agonists. Oxycodone (0.03, 0.3, 1, and 3 mg/kg, s.c.)
      produced dose- and time-dependent alterations on ICSS, with the predicted
      biphasic profile of rate-increasing effects at lower stimulation frequencies
      followed by rate-decreasing effects at higher frequencies. Peak effects were
      observed between 30 and 60 minutes, which were reversed by naloxone pretreatment
      (30 minutes). Tolerance to rate-decreasing effects was observed over a 5-day
      period when rats were treated with 1 mg/kg oxycodone twice a day. Subsequently,
      the dosing regimen was increased to 3 mg/kg twice a day over 10 days, although
      further marked tolerance did not develop. When then challenged with 10 mg/kg
      naloxone, a significant suppression below baseline levels of ICSS-maintained
      responding occurred indicative of dependence that recovered to baseline within 5
      hours. The results of this study provide the first report of acute and chronic
      effects of oxycodone on responding maintained by ICSS presentation and the use of
      ICSS-maintained responding to characterize its tolerance and dependence effects. 

PMID- 26491063
TI  - Determination of cleavage site of Reelin between its sixth and seventh repeat and
      contribution of meprin metalloproteases to the cleavage.
AB  - Reelin is a secreted glycoprotein whose function is regulated by proteolysis. One
      of the specific cleavage sites of Reelin, called C-t, is located approximately
      between the sixth and seventh Reelin repeat but its exact site was unknown. We
      here show that a metalloprotease present in the culture supernatant of cerebellar
      granular neurons (CGN) cleaves Reelin between Ala2688 and Asp2689. A Reelin
      mutant in which Asp2689 is replaced by Lys (Reelin-DK) is resistant to C-t
      cleavage by culture supernatant of CGN. From biochemical characteristics and the
      cleavage site preference, meprin alpha and meprin beta were suggested candidate
      proteases and both were confirmed to cleave Reelin at the C-t site. Meprin alpha
      cleaved Reelin-DK but meprin beta did not. Actinonin, a meprin alpha and meprin
      beta inhibitor, did not inhibit the Reelin-cleaving activity of CGN and the
      amount of Reelin fragments in brains of meprin beta knock-out mice was not
      significantly different from that of the wild-type, indicating that meprin beta
      does not play a major role in Reelin cleavage under basal conditions. We propose
      that meprin alpha and meprin beta join the modulators of Reelin signalling as
      they cleave Reelin at a specific site and are upregulated under specific
      pathological conditions.

PMID- 26491064
TI  - Contiguous 2,2,4-triamino-5(2H)-oxazolone obstructs DNA synthesis by DNA
      polymerases alpha, beta, eta, iota, kappa, REV1 and Klenow Fragment exo-, but not
      by DNA polymerase zeta.
AB  - Guanine is the most easily oxidized of the four DNA bases, and contiguous
      guanines (GG) in a sequence are more readily oxidized than a single guanine in a
      sequence. Continued oxidation of GGs results in a contiguous oxidized guanine
      lesion. Two contiguous 2,5-diamino-4H-imidazol-4-ones, an oxidized form of
      guanine that hydrolyses to 2,2,4-triamino-5(2H)-oxazolone (Oz), are detected
      following the oxidation of GG. In this study, we analysed translesion synthesis
      (TLS) across two contiguous Oz molecules (OzOz) using Klenow Fragment exo(-) (KF
      exo(-)) and DNA polymerases (Pols) alpha, beta, zeta, eta, iota, kappa and REV1.
      We found that KF exo(-) and Pols alpha, beta, iota and REV1 inserted one
      nucleotide opposite the 3' Oz of OzOz and stalled at the subsequent extension,
      and that Pol kappa incorporated no nucleotide. Pol eta only inefficiently
      elongated the primer up to full-length across OzOz; the synthesis of most DNA
      strands stalled at the 3' or 5' Oz of OzOz. Surprisingly, however, Pol zeta
      efficiently extended the primer up to full-length across OzOz, unlike the other
      DNA polymerases, but catalysed error-prone nucleotide incorporation. We therefore
      believe that Pol zeta is required for efficient TLS of OzOz. These results show
      that OzOz obstructs DNA synthesis by DNA polymerases except Pol zeta.

PMID- 26491065
TI  - Reward Size Informs Repeat-Switch Decisions and Strongly Modulates the Activity
      of Neurons in Parietal Cortex.
AB  - Behavior is guided by previous experience. Good, positive outcomes drive a
      repetition of a previous behavior or choice, whereas poor or bad outcomes lead to
      an avoidance. How these basic drives are implemented by the brain has been of
      primary interest to psychology and neuroscience. We engaged animals in a choice
      task in which the size of a reward outcome strongly governed the animals'
      subsequent decision whether to repeat or switch the previous choice. We recorded
      the discharge activity of neurons implicated in reward-based choice in 2 regions
      of parietal cortex. We found that the tendency to retain previous choice
      following a large (small) reward was paralleled by a marked decrease (increase)
      in the activity of parietal neurons. This neural effect is independent of, and of
      sign opposite to, value-based modulations reported in parietal cortex previously.
      This effect shares the same basic properties with signals previously reported in
      the limbic system that detect the size of the recently obtained reward to mediate
      proper repeat-switch decisions. We conclude that the size of the obtained reward
      is a decision variable that guides the decision between retaining a choice or
      switching, and neurons in parietal cortex strongly respond to this novel decision
      variable.

PMID- 26491066
TI  - Maturation of Sensori-Motor Functional Responses in the Preterm Brain.
AB  - Preterm birth engenders an increased risk of conditions like cerebral palsy and
      therefore this time may be crucial for the brain's developing sensori-motor
      system. However, little is known about how cortical sensori-motor function
      matures at this time, whether development is influenced by experience, and about
      its role in spontaneous motor behavior. We aimed to systematically characterize
      spatial and temporal maturation of sensori-motor functional brain activity across
      this period using functional MRI and a custom-made robotic stimulation device. We
      studied 57 infants aged from 30 + 2 to 43 + 2 weeks postmenstrual age. Following
      both induced and spontaneous right wrist movements, we saw consistent positive
      blood oxygen level-dependent functional responses in the contralateral (left)
      primary somatosensory and motor cortices. In addition, we saw a maturational
      trend toward faster, higher amplitude, and more spatially dispersed functional
      responses; and increasing integration of the ipsilateral hemisphere and sensori
      motor associative areas. We also found that interhemispheric functional
      connectivity was significantly related to ex-utero exposure, suggesting the
      influence of experience-dependent mechanisms. At term equivalent age, we saw a
      decrease in both response amplitude and interhemispheric functional connectivity,
      and an increase in spatial specificity, culminating in the establishment of a
      sensori-motor functional response similar to that seen in adults. 

PMID- 26491067
TI  - Healthcare avoidance by people who inject drugs in Bangkok, Thailand.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although people who inject drugs (IDU) often contend with various
      health-related harms, timely access to health care among this population remains
      low. We sought to identify specific individual, social and structural factors
      constraining healthcare access among IDU in Bangkok, Thailand. METHODS: Data were
      derived from a community-recruited sample of IDU participating in the Mitsampan
      Community Research Project between July and October 2011. We assessed the
      prevalence and correlates of healthcare avoidance due to one's drug use using
      multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Among 437 participants, 112 (25.6%)
      reported avoiding health care because they were IDU. In multivariate analyses,
      factors independently associated with avoiding health care included having ever
      been drug tested by police [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.80], experienced verbal
      abuse (AOR = 3.15), been discouraged from engaging in usual family activities
      (AOR = 3.27), been refused medical care (AOR = 10.90), experienced any barriers
      to health care (AOR = 4.87) and received healthcare information and support at a
      drop-in centre (AOR = 1.92) (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight
      the need to address the broader policy environment, which perpetuates the
      criminalization and stigmatization of IDU, and to expand peer-based interventions
      to facilitate access to health care for IDU in this setting.

PMID- 26491068
TI  - IFN-gamma-mediated hematopoietic cell destruction in murine models of immune
      mediated bone marrow failure.
AB  - Interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) has been reported to have both negative and positive
      activity on hematopoietic cells, adding complexity to the interpretation of its
      pleiotropic functions. We examined the effects of IFN-gamma on murine
      hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and progenitors in vitro and in vivo by using
      mouse models. IFN-gamma treatment expanded bone marrow (BM) c-Kit(+)Sca1(+)Lin(-)
      (KSL) cell number but reduced BM KLCD150(+) and KLCD150(+)CD48(-) cells. IFN
      gamma-expanded KSL cells engrafted poorly when tested by competitive repopulation
      in vivo. KSL, KLCD150(+), and KLCD150(+)CD48(-) cells from IFN-gamma-treated
      animals all showed significant upregulation in Fas expression. When cocultured
      with activated T cells in vitro, KSL and KLCD150(+) cells from IFN-gamma-treated
      donors showed increased apoptosis relative to those from untreated animals, and
      infusion of activated CD8 T cells into IFN-gamma-injected animals in vivo led to
      partial elimination of KSL cells. Exposure of BM cells or KSL cells to IFN-gamma
      increased expression of Fas, caspases, and related proapoptotic genes and
      decreased expression of Ets-1 and other hematopoietic genes. In mouse models of
      BM failure, mice genetically deficient in IFN-gamma receptor expression showed
      attenuation of immune-mediated marrow destruction, whereas effector lymphocytes
      from IFN-gamma-deficient donors were much less potent in initiating BM damage. We
      conclude that the activity of IFN-gamma on murine hematopoiesis is context
      dependent. IFN-gamma-augmented apoptotic gene expression facilitates destruction
      of HSCs and progenitors in the presence of activated cytotoxic T cells, as occurs
      in human BM failure. 

PMID- 26491069
TI  - Neutrophil oxidative burst activates ATM to regulate cytokine production and
      apoptosis.
AB  - Neutrophils play an essential role in the initial stages of inflammation by
      balancing pro- and antiinflammatory signals. Among these signals are the
      production of proinflammatory cytokines and the timely initiation of
      antiinflammatory cell death via constitutive apoptosis. Here we identify ataxia
      telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase as a modulator of these neutrophil functions.
      Ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) is a pleiotropic multisystem disorder caused by
      mutations in the gene-encoding ATM, a master regulator of the DNA damage
      response. In addition to progressive neurodegeneration and high rates of cancer,
      AT patients have numerous symptoms that can be linked to chronic inflammation. We
      report that neutrophils isolated from patients with AT overproduce
      proinflammatory cytokines and have a prolonged lifespan compared with healthy
      controls. This effect is partly mediated by increases in activation of p38 MAP
      kinase. Furthermore, we show that the oxidative burst, catalyzed by nicotinamide
      adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase, can activate ATM in neutrophils. Finally,
      activation of ATM and DNA damage signaling suppress cytokine production and can
      abrogate the overproduction of IL-8 in ROS-deficient cells. This reveals a novel
      mechanism for the regulation of cytokine production and apoptosis, establishing
      DNA damage as a downstream mediator of immune regulation by reactive oxygen
      species. We propose that deficiencies in the DNA damage response, like
      deficiencies in the oxidative burst seen in chronic granulomatous disease, could
      lead to pathologic inflammation. 

PMID- 26491070
TI  - Congenital sideroblastic anemia due to mutations in the mitochondrial HSP70
      homologue HSPA9.
AB  - The congenital sideroblastic anemias (CSAs) are relatively uncommon diseases
      characterized by defects in mitochondrial heme synthesis, iron-sulfur (Fe-S)
      cluster biogenesis, or protein synthesis. Here we demonstrate that mutations in
      HSPA9, a mitochondrial HSP70 homolog located in the chromosome 5q deletion
      syndrome 5q33 critical deletion interval and involved in mitochondrial Fe-S
      biogenesis, result in CSA inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. In a
      fraction of patients with just 1 severe loss-of-function allele, expression of
      the clinical phenotype is associated with a common coding single nucleotide
      polymorphism in trans that correlates with reduced messenger RNA expression and
      results in a pseudodominant pattern of inheritance. 

PMID- 26491071
TI  - Engagement of the B-cell receptor of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells drives
      global and MYC-specific mRNA translation.
AB  - Antigenic stimulation via the B-cell receptor (BCR) is a major driver of the
      proliferation and survival of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells. However,
      the precise mechanisms by which BCR stimulation leads to accumulation of
      malignant cells remain incompletely understood. Here, we investigated the ability
      of BCR stimulation to increase messenger RNA (mRNA) translation, which can
      promote carcinogenesis by effects on both global mRNA translation and upregulated
      expression of specific oncoproteins. Re-analysis of gene expression profiles
      revealed striking upregulation of pathways linked to mRNA translation both in CLL
      cells derived from lymph nodes, the major site of antigen stimulation in vivo,
      and after BCR stimulation in vitro. Anti-IgM significantly increased mRNA
      translation in primary CLL cells, measured using bulk metabolic labeling and a
      novel flow cytometry assay to quantify responses at a single-cell level. These
      translational responses were suppressed by inhibitors of BTK (ibrutinib) and SYK
      (tamatinib). Anti-IgM-induced mRNA translation was associated with increased
      expression of translation initiation factors eIF4A and eIF4GI, and reduced
      expression of the eIF4A inhibitor, PDCD4. Anti-IgM also increased mRNA
      translation in normal blood B cells, but without clear modulatory effects on
      these factors. In addition, anti-IgM increased translation of mRNA-encoding MYC,
      a major driver of disease progression. mRNA translation is likely to be an
      important mediator of the growth-promoting effects of antigen stimulation acting,
      at least in part, via translational induction of MYC. Differences in mechanisms
      of translational regulation in CLL and normal B cells may provide opportunities
      for selective therapeutic attack. 

PMID- 26491072
TI  - Searching for rigour in the reporting of mixed methods population health
      research: a methodological review.
AB  - The environments in which population health interventions occur shape both their
      implementation and outcomes. Hence, when evaluating these interventions, we must
      explore both intervention content and context. Mixed methods (integrating
      quantitative and qualitative methods) provide this opportunity. However, although
      criteria exist for establishing rigour in quantitative and qualitative research,
      there is poor consensus regarding rigour in mixed methods. Using the empirical
      example of school-based obesity interventions, this methodological review
      examined how mixed methods have been used and reported, and how rigour has been
      addressed. Twenty-three peer-reviewed mixed methods studies were identified
      through a systematic search of five databases and appraised using the guidelines
      for Good Reporting of a Mixed Methods Study. In general, more detailed
      description of data collection and analysis, integration, inferences and
      justifying the use of mixed methods is needed. Additionally, improved reporting
      of methodological rigour is required. This review calls for increased discussion
      of practical techniques for establishing rigour in mixed methods research, beyond
      those for quantitative and qualitative criteria individually. A guide for
      reporting mixed methods research in population health should be developed to
      improve the reporting quality of mixed methods studies. Through improved
      reporting, mixed methods can provide strong evidence to inform policy and
      practice. 

PMID- 26491074
TI  - Enucleation of liver tumors: you do not have to feel blue about it.
AB  - Enucleation of hepatic tumors is a low-morbidity technique with adequate
      oncological results that is useful in many clinical settings. Compared with
      anatomical liver resections, it offers the advantage of maximal hepatic
      parenchymal preservation. However, some technical adversities may occur during
      the enucleation of liver tumors, such as difficulty in finding the lesions by
      intraoperative ultrasonography after hepatic transection or further visually
      spotting the tumor within the parenchyma if a first specimen is retracted not
      containing the lesion. We describe an innovative technique that overcomes these
      possible adversities and makes the enucleation of liver tumors easier and more
      precise. 

PMID- 26491073
TI  - Effectiveness of and factors related to possession of a mother and child health
      handbook: an analysis using propensity score matching.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mother and Child Health handbooks (MCH handbooks) serve as useful
      health education tools for mothers and sources of information that allow health
      care professionals to understand patient status. Therefore, it is necessary to
      clarify the effectiveness of and identify the factors related to possession of an
      MCH handbook among parents in rural Western Kenya using propensity score matching
      (PSM). METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional survey using a structured
      questionnaire was conducted in rural western Kenya from August to September,
      2011. We targeted 2560 mothers with children aged 12-24 months. Both PSM and
      multivariate logistic analyses were used in this study. RESULTS: Impacts of 5.9,
      9.4, and 12.6 percentage points for higher health knowledge and for proper health
      seeking behavior for fever and diarrhea, respectively, were statistically
      significant. The significant factors affecting possession of the MCH Handbook
      were the child's sex, the caregiver's relationship to the child, maternal age,
      health knowledge, birth interval, household wealth index and CHW performance
      accordingly. CONCLUSIONS: An MCH handbook was an effective tool for improving
      both health knowledge and health-seeking behavior in Kenya. The further
      distribution and utilization of an MCH handbook is expected to be an effective
      way to improve both maternal and child health.

PMID- 26491075
TI  - B cells assume the command.
AB  - A proinflammatory B cell cytokine activates autoimmunity, and B cell depletion
      treats multiple sclerosis (Li et al., this issue). 

PMID- 26491076
TI  - Proinflammatory GM-CSF-producing B cells in multiple sclerosis and B cell
      depletion therapy.
AB  - B cells are not limited to producing protective antibodies; they also perform
      additional functions relevant to both health and disease. However, the relative
      contribution of functionally distinct B cell subsets in human disease, the
      signals that regulate the balance between such subsets, and which of these
      subsets underlie the benefits of B cell depletion therapy (BCDT) are only
      partially elucidated. We describe a proinflammatory, granulocyte macrophage
      colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-expressing human memory B cell subset that is
      increased in frequency and more readily induced in multiple sclerosis (MS)
      patients compared to healthy controls. In vitro, GM-CSF-expressing B cells
      efficiently activated myeloid cells in a GM-CSF-dependent manner, and in vivo,
      BCDT resulted in a GM-CSF-dependent decrease in proinflammatory myeloid responses
      of MS patients. A signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5)- and
      STAT6-dependent mechanism was required for B cell GM-CSF production and
      reciprocally regulated the generation of regulatory IL-10-expressing B cells.
      STAT5/6 signaling was enhanced in B cells of untreated MS patients compared with
      healthy controls, and B cells reemerging in patients after BCDT normalized their
      STAT5/6 signaling as well as their GM-CSF/IL-10 cytokine secretion ratios. The
      diminished proinflammatory myeloid cell responses observed after BCDT persisted
      even as new B cells reconstituted. These data implicate a proinflammatory B
      cell/myeloid cell axis in disease and underscore the rationale for selective
      targeting of distinct B cell populations in MS and other human autoimmune
      diseases. 

PMID- 26491077
TI  - Identification of broadly conserved cross-species protective Leishmania antigen
      and its responding CD4+ T cells.
AB  - There is currently no clinically effective vaccine against leishmaniasis because
      of poor understanding of the antigens that elicit dominant T cell immunity. Using
      proteomics and cellular immunology, we identified a dominant naturally processed
      peptide (PEPCK335-351) derived from Leishmania glycosomal phosphoenolpyruvate
      carboxykinase (PEPCK). PEPCK was conserved in all pathogenic Leishmania,
      expressed in glycosomes of promastigotes and amastigotes, and elicited strong
      CD4(+) T cell responses in infected mice and humans. I-A(b)-PEPCK335-351 tetramer
      identified protective Leishmania-specific CD4(+) T cells at a clonal level, which
      comprised ~20% of all Leishmania-reactive CD4(+) T cells at the peak of
      infection. PEPCK335-351-specific CD4(+) T cells were oligoclonal in their T cell
      receptor usage, produced polyfunctional cytokines (interleukin-2, interferon
      gamma, and tumor necrosis factor), and underwent expansion, effector activities,
      contraction, and stable maintenance after lesion resolution. Vaccination with
      PEPCK peptide, DNA expressing full-length PEPCK, or rPEPCK induced strong durable
      cross-species protection in both resistant and susceptible mice. The
      effectiveness and durability of protection in vaccinated mice support the
      development of a broadly cross-species protective vaccine against different forms
      of leishmaniasis by targeting PEPCK. 

PMID- 26491078
TI  - Ultrasound-mediated gastrointestinal drug delivery.
AB  - There is a significant clinical need for rapid and efficient delivery of drugs
      directly to the site of diseased tissues for the treatment of gastrointestinal
      (GI) pathologies, in particular, Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. However, complex
      therapeutic molecules cannot easily be delivered through the GI tract because of
      physiologic and structural barriers. We report the use of ultrasound as a
      modality for enhanced drug delivery to the GI tract, with an emphasis on rectal
      delivery. Ultrasound increased the absorption of model therapeutics inulin,
      hydrocortisone, and mesalamine two- to tenfold in ex vivo tissue, depending on
      location in the GI tract. In pigs, ultrasound induced transient cavitation with
      negligible heating, leading to an order of magnitude enhancement in the delivery
      of mesalamine, as well as successful systemic delivery of a macromolecule,
      insulin, with the expected hypoglycemic response. In a rodent model of chemically
      induced acute colitis, the addition of ultrasound to a daily mesalamine enema
      (compared to enema alone) resulted in superior clinical and histological scores
      of disease activity. In both animal models, ultrasound treatment was well
      tolerated and resulted in minimal tissue disruption, and in mice, there was no
      significant effect on histology, fecal score, or tissue inflammatory cytokine
      levels. The use of ultrasound to enhance GI drug delivery is safe in animals and
      could augment the efficacy of GI therapies and broaden the scope of agents that
      could be delivered locally and systemically through the GI tract for chronic
      conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. 

PMID- 26491079
TI  - PET imaging of tumor glycolysis downstream of hexokinase through noninvasive
      measurement of pyruvate kinase M2.
AB  - Cancer cells reprogram their metabolism to meet increased biosynthetic demands,
      commensurate with elevated rates of replication. Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2)
      catalyzes the final and rate-limiting step in tumor glycolysis, controlling the
      balance between energy production and the synthesis of metabolic precursors. We
      report here the synthesis and evaluation of a positron emission tomography (PET)
      radiotracer, [(11)C]DASA-23, that provides a direct noninvasive measure of PKM2
      expression in preclinical models of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). In vivo,
      orthotopic U87 and GBM39 patient-derived tumors were clearly delineated from the
      surrounding normal brain tissue by PET imaging, corresponding to exclusive tumor
      associated PKM2 expression. In addition, systemic treatment of mice with the PKM2
      activator TEPP-46 resulted in complete abrogation of the PET signal in
      intracranial GBM39 tumors. Together, these data provide the basis for the
      clinical evaluation of imaging agents that target this important gatekeeper of
      tumor glycolysis. 

PMID- 26491080
TI  - Impact of guidance documents on translational large animal studies of cartilage
      repair.
AB  - Promising therapies for cartilage repair are translated through large animal
      models toward human application. To guide this work, regulatory agencies publish
      recommendations ("guidance documents") to direct pivotal large animal studies.
      These are meant to aid in study design, outline metrics for judging efficacy, and
      facilitate comparisons between studies. To determine the penetrance of these
      documents in the field, we synthesized the recommendations of the American
      Society for Testing and Materials, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and
      European Medicines Agency into a scoring system and performed a systematic review
      of the past 20 years of preclinical cartilage repair studies. Our hypothesis was
      that the guidance documents would have a significant impact on how large animal
      cartilage repair studies were performed. A total of 114 publications meeting our
      inclusion criteria were reviewed for adherence to 24 categories extracted from
      the guidance documents, including 11 related to study design and description and
      13 related to study outcomes. Overall, a weak positive trend was observed over
      time (P = 0.004, R(2) = 0.07, slope = 0.63%/year), with overall adherence (the
      sum of study descriptors and outcomes) ranging from 32 +/- 16% to 58 +/- 14% in
      any individual year. There was no impact of the publication of the guidance
      documents on adherence (P = 0.264 to 0.50). Given that improved adherence would
      expedite translation, we discuss the reasons for poor adherence and outline
      approaches to increase and promote their more widespread adoption. 

PMID- 26491082
TI  - Microfracture produces inferior outcomes to other cartilage repair techniques in
      chondral injuries in the paediatric knee.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chondral injuries are becoming increasingly common in the
      paediatric knee. First line surgical therapy is usually microfracture (MF), but
      the emergence of alternative techniques raises the question of what is the
      optimal treatment in paediatric patients. SOURCES OF DATA: A comprehensive search
      of PubMed, OVID, Web of Science, SportDiscus and Cochrane databases was performed
      using the key words 'autologous chondrocyte implantation, MF, mosaicplasty,
      juvenile, paediatric'. AREAS OF AGREEMENT: Each technique demonstrated a
      significant post-surgical improvement in clinical outcome scores. However, MF
      demonstrated poorer outcomes in larger lesions (>3 cm(2)) and shorter durability.
      AREA OF CONTROVERSY: The quality of the available literature is poor, and there
      is a lack of comparative trials. GROWING POINTS: The impact of defect
      characteristics, mechanism of injury and concomitant surgeries should be
      investigated. AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH: Appropriately powered
      randomized controlled trials with suitably long follow up and condition-specific
      outcome measures should compare different techniques against each other and
      placebo.

PMID- 26491081
TI  - Immune correlates of vaccine protection against HIV-1 acquisition.
AB  - The partial efficacy reported in the RV144 HIV vaccine trial in 2009 has driven
      the HIV vaccine field to define correlates of risk associated with HIV-1
      acquisition and connect these functionally to preventing HIV infection.
      Immunological correlates, mainly including CD4(+) T cell responses to the HIV
      envelope and Fc-mediated antibody effector function, have been connected to
      reduced acquisition. These immunological correlates place immunological and
      genetic pressure on the virus. Indeed, antibodies directed at conserved regions
      of the V1V2 loop and antibodies that mediate antibody-dependent cellular
      cytotoxicity to HIV envelope in the absence of inhibiting serum immunoglobulin A
      antibodies correlated with decreased HIV risk. More recently, researchers have
      expanded their search with nonhuman primate studies using vaccine regimens that
      differ from that used in RV144; these studies indicate that non-neutralizing
      antibodies are associated with protection from experimental lentivirus challenge
      as well. These immunological correlates have provided the basis for the design of
      a next generation of vaccine regimens to improve upon the qualitative and
      quantitative degree of magnitude of these immune responses on HIV acquisition. 

PMID- 26491083
TI  - Antibiotic resistance: what, why, where, when and how?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antibiotic resistance is a threat to the effective prevention and
      treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria,
      parasites, viruses and fungi. SOURCES OF DATA: Peer-reviewed journal articles,
      governmental and professional society publications. AREAS OF AGREEMENT AND
      CONTROVERSY: There is consensus about the development and spread of antibiotic
      resistance, the reasons for the development of antibiotic resistance and the
      clinical impact. There is more debate about the most appropriate way of tackling
      this increasing problem. GROWING POINTS: This review discusses a number of
      initiatives (local and global) that are being undertaken to protect the
      antibiotics we currently have available for use and to encourage the development
      of newer agents.

PMID- 26491086
TI  - Amplitudes of SSEP and outcome in cardiac arrest survivors: A prospective cohort
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between somatosensory evoked potential
      (SSEP) amplitudes and neurologic outcome after cardiac arrest. METHODS: We
      prospectively studied SSEPs, recorded 24 hours to 4 days after cardiac arrest, in
      patients with targeted temperature management. SSEP amplitude was defined
      pragmatically as the highest short-latency amplitude of 4 cortical recordings (2
      per side, CP3/CP4 vs Fz) at least 4.5 ms after the spinal SSEP. Cerebral
      performance category (CPC) was determined upon intensive care unit discharge. CPC
      1-3 was defined as good, CPC 4-5 as poor outcome. RESULTS: Of 318 patients, 25
      had incomplete recordings, no reproducible spinal SSEP, or high noise level. Of
      the remaining 293 patients, 137 (47%) had poor and 156 (53%) good outcome. The
      lowest amplitude in a survivor with good outcome was 0.62 MUV. All 78 patients
      with lower amplitudes had poor outcome. None of 27 patients with CPC 4
      (unresponsive wakefulness) had amplitudes above 2.5 MUV. In the majority of 24
      patients who died despite amplitudes above 2.5 MUV, clinical course and other
      prognostic parameters argued against severe hypoxic encephalopathy. CONCLUSIONS:
      The prognostic value of SSEPs extends beyond an absent/present dichotomy. Absent
      and very low amplitude SSEPs appear to be highly predictive of poor outcome after
      cardiac arrest. Prospective external validation of the lower threshold found in
      our study is necessary. SSEP recordings should not be used for prognostication if
      noise could mask potentials with critically low amplitudes. High SSEP amplitudes
      argue against severe hypoxic encephalopathy.

PMID- 26491085
TI  - Mediterranean diet and brain structure in a multiethnic elderly cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether higher adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet
      (MeDi) is related with larger MRI-measured brain volume or cortical thickness.
      METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, high-resolution structural MRI was
      collected on 674 elderly (mean age 80.1 years) adults without dementia who
      participated in a community-based, multiethnic cohort. Dietary information was
      collected via a food frequency questionnaire. Total brain volume (TBV), total
      gray matter volume (TGMV), total white matter volume (TWMV), mean cortical
      thickness (mCT), and regional volume or CT were derived from MRI scans using
      FreeSurfer program. We examined the association of MeDi (scored as 0-9) and
      individual food groups with brain volume and thickness using regression models
      adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, education, body mass index, diabetes, and
      cognition. RESULTS: Compared to lower MeDi adherence (0-4), higher adherence (5
      9) was associated with 13.11 (p = 0.007), 5.00 (p = 0.05), and 6.41 (p = 0.05)
      milliliter larger TBV, TGMV, and TWMV, respectively. Higher fish (b = 7.06, p =
      0.006) and lower meat (b = 8.42, p = 0.002) intakes were associated with larger
      TGMV. Lower meat intake was also associated with larger TBV (b = 12.20, p =
      0.02). Higher fish intake was associated with 0.019 mm (p = 0.03) larger mCT.
      Volumes of cingulate cortex, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and hippocampus and CT
      of the superior-frontal region were associated with the dietary factors.
      CONCLUSIONS: Among older adults, MeDi adherence was associated with less brain
      atrophy, with an effect similar to 5 years of aging. Higher fish and lower meat
      intake might be the 2 key food elements that contribute to the benefits of MeDi
      on brain structure.

PMID- 26491084
TI  - Autoimmune post-herpes simplex encephalitis of adults and teenagers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report 14 patients with immune-mediated relapsing symptoms post
      herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) and to compare the clinical and immunologic
      features of the teenage and adult group with those of young children. METHODS:
      Prospective observational study of patients diagnosed between June 2013 and
      February 2015. Immunologic techniques have been reported previously. RESULTS:
      Among the teenage and adult group (8 patients, median age 40 years, range 13-69;
      5 male), 3 had an acute symptom presentation suggesting a viral relapse, and 5 a
      presentation contiguous with HSE suggesting a recrudescence of previous deficits.
      Seven patients developed severe psychiatric/behavioral symptoms disrupting all
      social interactions, and one refractory status epilepticus. Blepharospasm
      occurred in one patient. Five patients had CSF antibodies against NMDA receptor
      (NMDAR) and 3 against unknown neuronal cell surface proteins. In 5/6 patients,
      the brain MRI showed new areas of contrast enhancement that decreased after
      immunotherapy and clinical improvement. Immunotherapy was useful in 7/7 patients,
      sometimes with impressive recoveries, returning to their baseline HSE residual
      deficits. Compared with the 6 younger children (median age 13 months, range 6-20,
      all with NMDAR antibodies), the teenagers and adults were less likely to develop
      choreoathetosis (0/8 vs 6/6, p < 0.01) and decreased level of consciousness (2/8
      vs 6/6, p < 0.01) and had longer delays in diagnosis and treatment (interval
      relapse/antibody testing 85 days, range 17-296, vs 4 days, range 0-33, p =
      0.037). CONCLUSION: In teenagers and adults, the immune-mediated relapsing
      syndrome post-HSE is different from that known in young children as
      choreoathetosis post-HSE and is underrecognized. Prompt diagnosis is important
      because immunotherapy can be highly effective.

PMID- 26491087
TI  - Relapse in herpes simplex virus encephalitis: It's not just about the virus.

PMID- 26491089
TI  - Double aortic arch and dilated cardiomyopathy in an elderly man.

PMID- 26491090
TI  - Start mammography at age 45, US guideline recommends.

PMID- 26491088
TI  - Pisa syndrome in Parkinson disease: An observational multicenter Italian study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of Pisa syndrome (PS) in patients with
      Parkinson disease (PD) and to assess the association between PS and demographic
      and clinical variables. METHODS: In this multicenter cross-sectional study,
      consecutive outpatients with PD attending 21 movement disorders Italian tertiary
      centers were enrolled and underwent standardized clinical evaluation. PS was
      defined as trunk lateral deviation >=10 degrees . Patients with PD were compared
      according to the presence of PS for several demographic and clinical variables.
      RESULTS: Among 1,631 enrolled patients with PD, PS was detected in 143 patients
      (8.8%, 95% confidence interval 7.4%-10.3%). Patients with PS were older, had
      lower body mass index, longer disease duration, higher disease stages, and poorer
      quality of life. Falls were more frequent in the PS group as well as occurrence
      of "veering gait" (i.e., the progressive deviation toward one side when patient
      walked forward and backward with eyes closed). Patients with PS received higher
      daily levodopa equivalent daily dose and were more likely to be treated with
      combination of levodopa and dopamine agonists. Osteoporosis and arthrosis were
      significantly the most frequent associated medical conditions in patients with
      PS. Multiple explanatory variable logistic regression models confirmed the
      association of PS with the following variables: Hoehn and Yahr stage, ongoing
      combined treatment with levodopa and dopamine agonist, associated medical
      conditions, and presence of veering gait. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that
      PS is a relatively frequent and often disabling complication in PD, especially in
      the advanced disease stages. The association is dependent on a number of
      potentially relevant demographic and clinical variables.

PMID- 26491091
TI  - Comparison of Ultrasound-Guided Core Needle Biopsy and Endoscopic Ultrasound
      Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration for Solid Pancreatic Lesions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of our study was to compare the diagnostic yield of
      endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) using a 25-gauge
      needle and ultrasound (US)-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) using an 18-gauge core
      needle for diagnosis of solid pancreatic lesions. METHODS: This retrospective
      study was approved by our Institutional Review Board, and the requirement for
      informed consent was waived. Patients who underwent either EUS-guided FNA or US
      guided CNB for a solid pancreatic lesion from January 2008 to December 2012 were
      included and reviewed. Fine-needle aspirations and CNBs were performed by
      experienced endoscopists and radiologists. The diagnostic yield, accuracy,
      technical failure rate, sensitivity, and specificity for malignancy were
      calculated and compared. RESULTS: A total of 106 biopsy attempts were undertaken
      in 89 patients (EUS-guided FNA, n = 70; US-guided CNB, n = 36). Biopsy specimens
      were successfully obtained in 98 biopsy attempts (EUS-guided FNA, n = 63; US
      guided CNB, n = 35). The accuracy, technical failure rate, sensitivity, and
      specificity of EUS-guided FNA for malignancy (73.02%, 10.00%, 77.78%, and 44.44%,
      respectively) was not significantly different from those of US-guided CNB
      (88.57%, 2.78%, 87.10%, and 100%, respectively; P >= .089). Diagnostic
      performance did not differ between the modalities according to the size and the
      location of the lesion in the pancreas. However, the diagnostic yield of US
      guided CNB (86.11%) was higher than that of EUS-guided FNA (65.71%, P = .035).
      CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic yield of US-guided CNB for solid pancreatic lesions
      is superior to that of EUS-guided FNA.

PMID- 26491092
TI  - Anatomic Differences in the Sacral Hiatus During Caudal Epidural Injection Using
      Ultrasound Guidance.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to clarify differences in the anatomic
      structure of the sacral hiatus and angle of needle insertion during caudal
      epidural steroid injection using ultrasound guidance in patients according to sex
      and age. METHODS: A total of 237 patients with low back pain with or without
      sciatica were included. Sonograms of the sacral hiatus were obtained, and caudal
      epidural steroid injection using ultrasound guidance was performed in all
      patients. The intercornual distance, diameter of the sacral canal, thickness of
      the sacrococcygeal ligament, optimal angle for needle insertion, and actual angle
      of needle insertion were measured. RESULTS: Between men and women, significant
      differences were observed for the intercornual distance (17.7 versus 16.5 mm; P<
      .01) and thickness of the sacrococcygeal ligament (4.3 versus 3.9 mm; P = .02).
      In all patients, the thickness of the sacrococcygeal ligament (r= 0.28) and
      diameter of the sacral canal (r= 0.40) were positively correlated with the
      optimal angle for needle insertion (P < .01). In women, the thickness of the
      sacrococcygeal ligament (r = -0.24), diameter of the sacral canal (r = -0.27),
      optimal angle for needle insertion (r = -0.29), and actual angle of needle
      insertion (r = -0.18) were negatively correlated with age. In men, only the
      diameter of the sacral canal was negatively correlated with age (r = -0.30).
      CONCLUSIONS: We found that the sacral hiatus has anatomic differences between
      patients of different sexes and ages. Understanding these differences, especially
      in women, may improve the safety and reliability of caudal epidural steroid
      injection.

PMID- 26491093
TI  - Effects of an Isolated Complete Right Bundle Branch Block on Mechanical
      Ventricular Function.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an
      isolated complete right bundle branch block on mechanical ventricular function.
      METHODS: Two groups of participants were enrolled in this study: a block group,
      consisting of 98 patients with isolated complete right bundle branch blocks
      without structural heart disease, and a control group, consisting of 92 healthy
      adults. The diameter, end-diastolic area, end-systolic area, and right
      ventricular (RV) fractional area change were obtained to evaluate morphologic and
      systolic function by 2-dimensional sonographic technology. Systolic and diastolic
      velocities and time interval parameters were measured to assess mechanical
      ventricular performance using pulsed wave tissue Doppler imaging. RESULTS:
      Although there was no significant difference in the RV fractional area change
      between the patients with blocks and controls, the diameter, end-diastolic area,
      and end-systolic area of the RV were significantly larger in the patients with
      blocks (P < .05). In the patients with blocks, the peak velocities during systole
      and early diastole and the ratio of the peak velocities during early and late
      diastole decreased. The block group had a prolonged pre-ejection period,
      electromechanical delay time, and isovolumic relaxation time, a decreased
      ejection time, and an increased pre-ejection period/ejection time ratio, and the
      myocardial performance index (Tei index) at the basal RV lateral wall was
      significantly increased. There were no significant differences in any
      echocardiographic parameters at different sites of the left ventricle.
      CONCLUSIONS: In patients with isolated complete right bundle branch blocks,
      systolic and diastolic functions are impaired in the RV, and follow-up is needed.

PMID- 26491094
TI  - Novel Use of Ultrasound Elastography to Quantify Muscle Tissue Changes After Dry
      Needling of Myofascial Trigger Points in Patients With Chronic Myofascial Pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare a mechanical heterogeneity index derived from ultrasound
      vibration elastography with physical findings before and after dry-needling
      treatment of spontaneously painful active myofascial trigger points in the upper
      trapezius muscle. METHODS: Forty-eight patients with chronic myofascial pain
      enrolled in a prospective interventional trial of 3 weekly dry-needling
      treatments for active myofascial trigger points. Trigger points were evaluated at
      baseline and at treatment completion using palpation, the pressure-pain
      threshold, and the mechanical heterogeneity index. Thirty patients were
      reevaluated at 8 weeks. Trigger points that "responded" changed to tissue that
      was no longer spontaneously painful, with or without the presence of a palpable
      nodule. Trigger points that "resolved" changed to tissue without a palpable
      nodule. The mechanical heterogeneity index was defined as the proportion of the
      upper trapezius muscle that appeared mechanically stiffer on elastography.
      Statistical significance for comparisons was determined at P < .05. RESULTS:
      Following 3 dry needle treatments, the mechanical heterogeneity index decreased
      significantly for the 38 myofascial trigger points (79% of 48) that responded to
      treatment. Among these, the baseline mechanical heterogeneity index was
      significantly lower for the 13 trigger points (27% of 38) that resolved, but the
      decrease after 3 dry needle treatments did not reach significance. The pressure
      pain threshold improved significantly for both groups. At 8 weeks, the mechanical
      heterogeneity index decreased significantly for the 22 trigger points (73% of 30)
      that responded and for the 10 (45% of 22) that resolved. The pressure-pain
      threshold improvement was significant for trigger points that responded but did
      not reach significance for resolved trigger points. CONCLUSIONS: The mechanical
      heterogeneity index identifies changes in muscle tissue properties that correlate
      with changes in the myofascial trigger point status after dry needling.

PMID- 26491095
TI  - Contrast-Enhanced Sonographic Features Before and After Interventional Treatment
      of Ovarian Endometrial Cysts.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess contrast-enhanced sonography
      features before and after interventional treatment of ovarian endometrial cysts.
      METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 53 patients with ovarian endometrial cysts
      who underwent contrast-enhanced sonography before and after interventional
      treatment to assess the sonographic features of the cysts at these different
      times. The sonographic features and quantitative parameters for the cysts were
      compared before and after treatment. RESULTS: The wash-in mode showed rapid
      annular enhancement of the cyst wall and slow wash-out with even and uneven
      enhancement types. Compared to the internal iliac artery, the enhancement
      intensity was weaker, and the wash-in and wash-out times were longer in the cyst
      wall; furthermore, all 5 quantitative parameters differed between the cyst wall
      and internal iliac artery. The wash-in and wash-out characteristics of the cysts
      before and after interventional treatment were almost identical. The enhancement
      was primarily even before treatment and uneven after treatment; the enhancement
      intensity was low in all cases. Although the wash-in time before and after
      treatment did not differ, the wash-out time for the cysts before treatment was
      significantly lower than that observed after treatment. Two quantitative
      parameters differed before and after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The contrast
      enhanced sonographic features and quantitative parameters for the walls of
      ovarian endometrial cysts differed before and after ultrasound-guided
      interventional treatment. These characteristics could be valuable for evaluating
      the efficacy of interventional treatment of ovarian endometrial cysts.

PMID- 26491096
TI  - NICE approval of new hepatitis drug could result in L700m bill for NHS.

PMID- 26491097
TI  - Genetic identity of thermosensory relay neurons in the lateral parabrachial
      nucleus.
AB  - The parabrachial nucleus is important for thermoregulation because it relays skin
      temperature information from the spinal cord to the hypothalamus. Prior work in
      rats localized thermosensory relay neurons to its lateral subdivision (LPB), but
      the genetic and neurochemical identity of these neurons remains unknown. To
      determine the identity of LPB thermosensory neurons, we exposed mice to a warm
      (36 degrees C) or cool (4 degrees C) ambient temperature. Each condition
      activated neurons in distinct LPB subregions that receive input from the spinal
      cord. Most c-Fos+ neurons in these LPB subregions expressed the transcription
      factor marker FoxP2. Consistent with prior evidence that LPB thermosensory relay
      neurons are glutamatergic, all FoxP2+ neurons in these subregions colocalized
      with green fluorescent protein (GFP) in reporter mice for Vglut2, but not for
      Vgat. Prodynorphin (Pdyn)-expressing neurons were identified using a GFP reporter
      mouse and formed a caudal subset of LPB FoxP2+ neurons, primarily in the dorsal
      lateral subnucleus (PBdL). Warm exposure activated many FoxP2+ neurons within
      PBdL. Half of the c-Fos+ neurons in PBdL were Pdyn+, and most of these project
      into the preoptic area. Cool exposure activated a separate FoxP2+ cluster of
      neurons in the far-rostral LPB, which we named the rostral-to-external lateral
      subnucleus (PBreL). These findings improve our understanding of LPB organization
      and reveal that Pdyn-IRES-Cre mice provide genetic access to warm-activated,
      FoxP2+ glutamatergic neurons in PBdL, many of which project to the hypothalamus. 

PMID- 26491098
TI  - ANG II-induced hypertension in the VCD mouse model of menopause is prevented by
      estrogen replacement during perimenopause.
AB  - Premenopausal females are resistant to the development of hypertension, and this
      protection is lost after the onset of menopause, resulting in a sharp increase in
      disease onset and severity. However, it is unknown how a fluctuating ovarian
      hormone environment during the transition from perimenopause to menopause impacts
      the onset of hypertension, and whether interventions during perimenopause prevent
      disease onset after menopause. A gradual transition to menopause was induced by
      repeated daily injections of 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD). ANG II (800
      ng.kg(-1).min(-1)) was infused into perimenopausal and menopausal female mice for
      14 days. A separate cohort of mice received 17beta-estradiol replacement during
      perimenopause. ANG II infusion produced significantly higher mean arterial
      pressure (MAP) in menopausal vs. cycling females, and 17beta-estradiol
      replacement prevented this increase. In contrast, MAP was not significantly
      different when ANG II was infused into perimenopausal and cycling females,
      suggesting that female resistance to ANG II-induced hypertension is intact during
      perimenopause. ANG II infusion caused a significant glomerular hypertrophy, and
      hypertrophy was not impacted by hormonal status. Expression levels of aquaporin-2
      (AQP2), a collecting duct protein, have been suggested to reflect blood pressure.
      AQP2 protein expression was significantly downregulated in the renal cortex of
      the ANG II-infused menopause group, where blood pressure was increased. AQP2
      expression levels were restored to control levels with 17beta-estradiol
      replacement. This study indicates that the changing hormonal environment in the
      VCD model of menopause impacts the severity of ANG II-induced hypertension. These
      data highlight the utility of the ovary-intact VCD model of menopause as a
      clinically relevant model to investigate the physiological mechanisms of
      hypertension that occur in women during the transition into menopause. 

PMID- 26491100
TI  - Candida glabrata binds to glycosylated and lectinic receptors on the coronary
      endothelial luminal membrane and inhibits flow sense and cardiac responses to
      agonists.
AB  - Candida glabrata (CG) is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that initiates
      infection by binding to host cells via specific lectin-like adhesin proteins. We
      have previously shown the importance of lectin-oligosaccharide binding in cardiac
      responses to flow and agonists. Because of the lectinic-oligosaccharide nature of
      CG binding, we tested the ability of CG to alter the agonist- and flow-induced
      changes in cardiac function in isolated perfused guinea pig hearts. Both
      transmission and scanning electron microscopy showed strong attachment of CG to
      the coronary endothelium, even after extensive washing. CG shifted the coronary
      flow vs. auricular-ventricular (AV) delay relationship upward, indicating that
      greater flow was required to achieve the same AV delay. This effect was
      completely reversed with mannose, partially reversed with galactose and N
      acetylgalactosamine, but hyaluronan had no effect. Western blot analysis was used
      to determine binding of CG to isolated coronary endothelial luminal membrane
      (CELM) receptors, and the results indicate that flow-sensitive CELM receptors,
      ANG II type I, alpha-adrenergic 1A receptor, endothelin-2, and VCAM-1 bind to CG.
      In addition, CG inhibited agonist-induced effects of bradykinin, angiotensin, and
      phenylephrine on AV delay, coronary perfusion pressure, and left ventricular
      pressure. Mannose reversed the inhibitory effects of CG on the agonist responses.
      These results suggest that CG directly binds to flow-sensitive CELM receptors via
      lectinic-oligosaccharide interactions with mannose and disrupts the lectin
      oligosaccharide binding necessary for flow-induced cardiac responses. 

PMID- 26491101
TI  - Hepatic fatty acid biosynthesis is more responsive to protein than carbohydrate
      in rainbow trout during acute stimulations.
AB  - The link between dietary carbohydrate/protein and de novo lipogenesis (DNL)
      remains debatable in carnivorous fish. We aimed to evaluate and compare the
      response of hepatic lipogenic gene expression to dietary carbohydrate
      intake/glucose and dietary protein intake/amino acids (AAs) during acute
      stimulations using both in vivo and in vitro approaches. For the in vivo trial,
      three different diets and a controlled-feeding method were employed to supply
      fixed amount of dietary protein or carbohydrate in a single meal; for the in
      vitro trial, primary hepatocytes were stimulated with a low or high level of
      glucose (3 mM or 20 mM) and a low or high level of AAs (one-fold or four-fold
      concentrated AAs). In vitro data showed that a high level of AAs upregulated the
      expression of enzymes involved in DNL [fatty acid synthase (FAS) and ATP citrate
      lyase (ACLY)], lipid bioconversion [elongation of very long chain fatty acids
      like-5 (Elovl5), Elovl2, Delta6 fatty acyl desaturase (D6D) and stearoyl-CoA
      desaturase-1 (SCD1)], NADPH production [glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH)
      and malic enzyme (ME)], and transcriptional factor sterol regulatory element
      binding protein 1-like, while a high level of glucose only elevated the
      expression of ME. Data in trout liver also showed that high dietary protein
      intake induced higher lipogenic gene expression (FAS, ACLY, and Elovl2)
      regardless of dietary carbohydrate intake, while high carbohydrate intake
      markedly suppressed the expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and Elovl5.
      Overall, we conclude that, unlike rodents or humans, hepatic fatty acid
      biosynthetic gene expression in rainbow trout is more responsive to dietary
      protein intake/AAs than dietary carbohydrate intake/glucose during acute
      stimulations. This discrepancy probably represents one important physiological
      and metabolic difference between carnivores and omnivores. 

PMID- 26491099
TI  - Opposing tissue-specific roles of angiotensin in the pathogenesis of obesity, and
      implications for obesity-related hypertension.
AB  - Metabolic disease, specifically obesity, has now become the greatest challenge to
      improving cardiovascular health. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) exists as
      both a circulating hormone system and as a local paracrine signaling mechanism
      within various tissues including the brain, kidney, and adipose, and this system
      is strongly implicated in cardiovascular health and disease. Growing evidence
      also implicates the RAS in the control of energy balance, supporting the concept
      that the RAS may be mechanistically involved in the pathogenesis of obesity and
      obesity hypertension. Here, we review the involvement of the RAS in the entire
      spectrum of whole organism energy balance mechanisms, including behaviors (food
      ingestion and spontaneous physical activity) and biological processes (digestive
      efficiency and both aerobic and nonaerobic resting metabolic rates). We
      hypothesize that opposing, tissue-specific effects of the RAS to modulate these
      various components of energy balance can explain the apparently paradoxical
      results reported by energy-balance studies that involve stimulating, versus
      disrupting, the RAS. We propose a model in which such opposing and tissue
      specific effects of the RAS can explain the failure of simple, global RAS
      blockade to result in weight loss in humans, and hypothesize that obesity
      mediated uncoupling of endogenous metabolic rate control mechanisms can explain
      the phenomenon of obesity-related hypertension. 

PMID- 26491102
TI  - The utility of Valsalva maneuver in the diagnoses of orthostatic disorders.
AB  - The objective of this study was to assess hemodynamic responses and baroreflex
      sensitivity (BRS) indexes during Valsalva maneuver (VM) and head-up tilt (HUT)
      testing in orthostatic intolerance (OI). Patients with neurogenic orthostatic
      hypotension (NOH, n = 26), postural tachycardia syndrome (n = 26) and symptomatic
      OI (n = 14) were compared with healthy population (control, n = 107) and
      inappropriate sinus tachycardia (n = 7). Hemodynamic assessment included
      patterning and quantification with vagal and adrenergic BRS (BRSa/BRSa1). In NOH,
      cardiovagal systolic blood pressure (SBP) decrements in VM and HUT were
      correlated (r = 0.660, P < 0.001); a "V" pattern of VM indicated alpha-BRSa
      failure. Yet BRSa1 did not reveal changes vs. control (P > 0.05) or was not
      applicable in 60% of NOH. In symptomatic OI, compared with control, cardiovagal
      SBP decrements were larger (P < 0.05); higher BRSa1 contradicted higher
      adrenergic index (Composite Autonomic Severity Score). Overshoot in phase IV
      dipped below baseline or dropped >= 10 mmHg over 8 s in postural tachycardia
      syndrome ("N" pattern), but by 3 s in inappropriate sinus tachycardia ("M"
      pattern). Visualization of distinct VM patterns allows primary evaluation of
      autonomic dysfunction and differentiation of the various forms of OI. BRSa1
      evaluation is compromised by pathological SBP patterns. VM patterning is a
      valuable nonpostural supplement to HUT capable of detecting and differentiating
      OI. 

PMID- 26491103
TI  - Activation of placental insulin and mTOR signaling in a mouse model of maternal
      obesity associated with fetal overgrowth.
AB  - Fetal overgrowth is common in obese women and is associated with perinatal
      complications and increased risk for the child to develop metabolic syndrome
      later in life. Placental nutrient transport capacity has been reported to be
      increased in obese women giving birth to large infants; however, the underlying
      mechanisms are not well established. Obesity in pregnancy is characterized by
      elevated maternal serum insulin and leptin, hormones that stimulate placental
      amino acid transporters in vitro. We hypothesized that maternal obesity activates
      placental insulin/IGF-I/mTOR and leptin signaling pathways. We tested this
      hypothesis in a mouse model of obesity in pregnancy that is associated with fetal
      overgrowth. C57BL/6J female mice were fed a control (C) or a high-fat/high-sugar
      (HF/HS) pelleted diet supplemented by ad libitum access to sucrose (20%)
      solution. Placentas were collected at embryonic day 18.5. Using Western blot
      analysis, placental mTOR activity was determined along with energy, inflammatory,
      leptin, and insulin signaling pathways (upstream modulators of mTOR).
      Phosphorylation of S6 ribosomal protein (S-235/236), 4E-BP1 (T-37/46), Insulin
      receptor substrate 1 (Y-608), Akt (T-308), and STAT-3 (Y-705) was increased in
      obese dams. In contrast, expression of placental caspase-1, IkBalpha, IL-1beta,
      and phosphorylated-JNK(p46/54-T183/Y185) was unaltered. Fetal amino acid
      availability is a key determinant of fetal growth. We propose that activation of
      placental insulin/IGF-I/mTOR and leptin signaling pathways in obese mice
      stimulates placental amino acid transport and contributes to increased fetal
      growth. 

PMID- 26491104
TI  - Increased placental fatty acid transporter 6 and binding protein 3 expression and
      fetal liver lipid accumulation in a mouse model of obesity in pregnancy.
AB  - Obesity in pregnancy is associated with increased fetal growth and adiposity,
      which, in part, is determined by transplacental nutrient supply. Trophoblast
      uptake and intracellular trafficking of lipids are dependent on placental fatty
      acid transport proteins (FATP), translocase (FAT/CD36), and fatty acid binding
      proteins (FABP). We hypothesized that maternal obesity in mice leads to increased
      placental expression of FAT/CD36, FATPs, and FABPs, and lipid accumulation in the
      fetal liver. C57/BL6J female mice were fed either a control (C; n = 10) or an
      obesogenic (OB; n = 10) high-fat, high-sugar diet before mating and throughout
      pregnancy. At E18.5, placentas and fetal livers were collected. Trophoblast
      plasma membranes (TPM) were isolated from placental homogenates. Expression of
      FAT/CD36 and FATP (TPM) and FABP (homogenates) was determined by immunoblotting.
      Gene expression was assessed by RT-quantitative PCR. Sections of fetal livers
      were stained for Oil Red O, and lipid droplets were quantified. TPM protein
      expression of FAT/CD36, FATP 2, and FATP 4 was comparable between C and OB
      groups. Conversely, TPM FATP 6 expression was increased by 35% in OB compared
      with C placentas without changes in mRNA expression. FABPs 1, 3-5 and PPARgamma
      were expressed in homogenates, and FABP 3 expression increased 27% in OB compared
      with C placentas; however, no changes were observed in mRNA expression. Lipid
      droplet accumulation was 10-fold higher in the livers of fetuses from OB compared
      with C group. We propose that increased lipid transport capacity in obese mice
      promotes transplacental fatty acid transport and contributes to excess lipid
      accumulation in the fetal liver. 

PMID- 26491105
TI  - Comparison of Air Impaction and Electrostatic Dust Collector Sampling Methods to
      Assess Airborne Fungal Contamination in Public Buildings.
AB  - Many ailments can be linked to exposure to indoor airborne fungus. However,
      obtaining a precise measurement of airborne fungal levels is complicated partly
      due to indoor air fluctuations and non-standardized techniques. Electrostatic
      dust collector (EDC) sampling devices have been used to measure a wide range of
      airborne analytes, including endotoxins, allergens, beta-glucans, and microbial
      DNA in various indoor environments. In contrast, viable mold contamination has
      only been assessed in highly contaminated environments such as farms and archive
      buildings. This study aimed to assess the use of EDCs, compared with repeated air
      impactor measurements, to assess airborne viable fungal flora in moderately
      contaminated indoor environments. Indoor airborne fungal flora was cultured from
      EDCs and daily air-impaction samples collected in an office building and a
      daycare center. The quantitative fungal measurements obtained using a single EDC
      significantly correlated with the cumulative measurement of nine daily air
      impactions. Both methods enabled the assessment of fungal exposure, although a
      few differences were observed between the detected fungal species and the
      relative quantity of each species. EDCs were also used over a 32-month period to
      monitor indoor airborne fungal flora in a hospital office building, which enabled
      us to assess the impact of outdoor events (e.g. ground excavations) on the fungal
      flora levels on the indoor environment. In conclusion, EDC-based measurements
      provided a relatively accurate profile of the viable airborne flora present
      during a sampling period. In particular, EDCs provided a more representative
      assessment of fungal levels compared with single air-impactor sampling. The EDC
      technique is also simpler than performing repetitive air-impaction measures over
      the course of several consecutive days. EDC is a versatile tool for collecting
      airborne samples and was efficient for measuring mold levels in indoor
      environments. 

PMID- 26491107
TI  - Sudden cardiac death during exercise in patients with congenital heart disease:
      the exercise paradox and the challenge of appropriate counselling.

PMID- 26491106
TI  - Quality markers in cardiology: measures of outcomes and clinical practice--a
      perspective of the Spanish Society of Cardiology and of Thoracic and
      Cardiovascular Surgery.

PMID- 26491108
TI  - Notch-Tnf signalling is required for development and homeostasis of arterial
      valves.
AB  - Aims: Congenital anomalies of arterial valves are common birth defects, leading
      to valvar stenosis. With no pharmaceutical treatment that can prevent the disease
      progression, prosthetic replacement is the only choice of treatment, incurring
      considerable morbidity and mortality. Animal models presenting localized
      anomalies and stenosis of congenital arterial valves similar to that of humans
      are critically needed research tools to uncover developmental molecular
      mechanisms underlying this devastating human condition. Methods and results: We
      generated and characterized mouse models with conditionally altered Notch
      signalling in endothelial or interstitial cells of developing valves. Mice with
      inactivation of Notch1 signalling in valvar endothelial cells (VEC) developed
      congenital anomalies of arterial valves including bicuspid aortic valves and
      valvar stenosis. Notch1 signalling in VEC was required for repressing
      proliferation and activating apoptosis of valvar interstitial cells (VIC) after
      endocardial-to-mesenchymal transformation (EMT). We showed that Notch signalling
      regulated Tnfalpha expression in vivo, and Tnf signalling was necessary for
      apoptosis of VIC and post-EMT development of arterial valves. Furthermore,
      activation or inhibition of Notch signalling in cultured pig aortic VEC-promoted
      or suppressed apoptosis of VIC, respectively. Conclusion: We have now met the
      need of critical animal models and shown that Notch-Tnf signalling balances
      proliferation and apoptosis for post-EMT development of arterial valves. Our
      results suggest that mutations in its components may lead to congenital anomaly
      of aortic valves and valvar stenosis in humans.

PMID- 26491109
TI  - Ischaemic risk and efficacy of ticagrelor in relation to time from P2Y12
      inhibitor withdrawal in patients with prior myocardial infarction: insights from
      PEGASUS-TIMI 54.
AB  - AIMS: Ticagrelor reduced major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) by 15-16% in
      patients with prior myocardial infarction (MI) in PEGASUS-TIMI 54. We
      hypothesized that patients who recently discontinued P2Y12 inhibition, even years
      after MI, may be at particular risk of MACE and may derive particular benefit
      from continuation or reinitiation of therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients in
      PEGASUS-TIMI 54 were categorized by time from last P2Y12 inhibitor (days: <=30,
      >30-360, >360). The risk of MACE and the efficacy of ticagrelor were compared
      across categories. In the placebo arm, patients who more recently stopped P2Y12
      inhibitor therapy had a greater number of risk factors but still had a higher
      risk of MACE after multivariable adjustment [<=30 days, hazard ratio (HR)adj
      1.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12-1.93, P = 0.0051; 30 days-1 year, HRadj
      1.28, 95% CI 0.98-1.67, P = 0.073] compared with those who stopped >1 year prior
      (P-trend = 0.0097). The benefit of ticagrelor depended on the time from last
      dose, with HRs (95% CI) for ticagrelor (pooled doses) vs. placebo of 0.73 (0.61
      0.87), 0.86 (0.71-1.04), and 1.01 (0.80-1.27), respectively, by category (P-trend
      for interaction < 0.001). The benefit in those <=30 days of stopping was similar
      regardless of time from MI (<2 years, HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.60-0.89 vs. >=2 years, HR
      0.71, 95% CI 0.50-1.00). CONCLUSION: The benefit of ticagrelor for long-term
      secondary prevention in patients with prior MI and at least one additional risk
      factor appeared more marked in patients continuing on or re-starting after only a
      brief interruption of P2Y12 inhibition, when compared with patients who had
      proved themselves stable more than 2 years from their MI and off P2Y12 inhibitor
      therapy for more than a year. The increase in bleeding events with ticagrelor was
      similar regardless of this time interval. For clinicians considering a strategy
      of prolonged P2Y12 inhibitor therapy in high-risk patients, these data suggest
      greater benefit in the continuation of such therapy without interruption after
      MI, rather than re-initiating such therapy in patients who have remained stable
      for an extended period. Future analyses may help to clarify further the profile
      of post-MI patients most likely to benefit from uninterrupted dual antiplatelet
      therapy. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
      NCT01225562.

PMID- 26491111
TI  - Morphine in myocardial infarction: balancing on the tight rope.

PMID- 26491110
TI  - A clinical risk score of myocardial fibrosis predicts adverse outcomes in aortic
      stenosis.
AB  - AIMS: Midwall myocardial fibrosis on cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is a
      marker of early ventricular decompensation and adverse outcomes in aortic
      stenosis (AS). We aimed to develop and validate a novel clinical score using
      variables associated with midwall fibrosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred
      forty-seven patients (peak aortic velocity (Vmax) 3.9 [3.2,4.4] m/s) underwent
      CMR to determine midwall fibrosis (CMR cohort). Routine clinical variables that
      demonstrated significant association with midwall fibrosis were included in a
      multivariate logistic score. We validated the prognostic value of the score in
      two separate outcome cohorts of asymptomatic patients (internal: n = 127, follow
      up 10.3 [5.7,11.2] years; external: n = 289, follow-up 2.6 [1.6,4.5] years).
      Primary outcome was a composite of AS-related events (cardiovascular death, heart
      failure, and new angina, dyspnoea, or syncope). The final score consisted of age,
      sex, Vmax, high-sensitivity troponin I concentration, and electrocardiographic
      strain pattern [c-statistic 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.78-0.91), P < 0.001;
      Hosmer-Lemeshow chi(2) = 7.33, P = 0.50]. Patients in the outcome cohorts were
      classified according to the sensitivity and specificity of this score (both at
      98%): low risk (probability score <7%), intermediate risk (7-57%), and high risk
      (>57%). In the internal outcome cohort, AS-related event rates were >10-fold
      higher in high-risk patients compared with those at low risk (23.9 vs. 2.1
      events/100 patient-years, respectively; log rank P < 0.001). Similar findings
      were observed in the external outcome cohort (31.6 vs. 4.6 events/100 patient
      years, respectively; log rank P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We propose a clinical score
      that predicts adverse outcomes in asymptomatic AS patients and potentially
      identifies high-risk patients who may benefit from early valve replacement.

PMID- 26491113
TI  - New contract would mean doctors are "overworked, underpaid, undervalued,
      demoralised".

PMID- 26491112
TI  - Morphine delays and attenuates ticagrelor exposure and action in patients with
      myocardial infarction: the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
      IMPRESSION trial.
AB  - AIMS: The currently available data indicate a drug-drug interaction between
      morphine and oral P2Y12 receptor inhibitors, when administered together. The aim
      of this trial was to assess the influence of infused morphine on pharmacokinetics
      and pharmacodynamics of ticagrelor and its active metabolite (AR-C124910XX) in
      patients with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a single
      centre, randomized, double-blind trial, patients were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to
      receive intravenously either morphine (5 mg) or placebo, followed by a 180 mg
      loading dose of ticagrelor. Pharmacokinetics was determined with liquid
      chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and ticagrelor antiplatelet effects were
      measured with up to three different platelet function tests: vasodilator
      stimulated phosphoprotein phosphorylation assay, multiple electrode aggregometry
      and VerifyNow. The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic assessment was performed
      in 70 patients (35 in each study group). Morphine lowered the total exposure to
      ticagrelor and its active metabolite by 36% (AUC(0-12): 6307 vs. 9791 ng h/mL; P
      = 0.003), and 37% (AUC(0-12): 1503 vs. 2388 ng h/mL; P = 0.008), respectively,
      with a concomitant delay in maximal plasma concentration of ticagrelor (4 vs. 2
      h; P = 0.004). Multiple regression analysis showed that lower AUC(0-12) values
      for ticagrelor were independently associated with the administration of morphine
      (P = 0.004) and the presence of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (P =
      0.014). All three methods of platelet reactivity assessment showed a stronger
      antiplatelet effect in the placebo group and a greater prevalence of high
      platelet reactivity in patients receiving morphine. CONCLUSIONS: Morphine delays
      and attenuates ticagrelor exposure and action in patients with myocardial
      infarction. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02217878.

PMID- 26491115
TI  - Eltrombopag interference in routine chemistry testing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High doses of Eltrombopag have been previously reported to cause
      bilirubin interference. Following receipt of a sample from a patient receiving
      high-dose Eltrombopag therapy, the laboratory decided to investigate the effect
      of this drug on routine chemistry testing. METHODS: Interference studies were
      performed by spiking Eltrombopag into aliquots of a serum pool to give
      concentrations ranging from 0 to 500 ug/mL. The following analytes, namely
      albumin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase,
      Urea, total calcium, cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol, iron, magnesium, inorganic phosphate, creatinine,
      bicarbonate, transferrin, ferritin, electrolytes, total and direct bilirubin and
      serum indices (hemolysis, icterus and lipaemia) were then measured on the Roche
      Cobas 6000 chemistry analyzer (Roche, Indianapolis, USA). RESULTS: Eltrombopag
      interference (>10% change of the baseline value) was observed for total
      cholesterol, triglycerides, inorganic phosphate and high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol. Clinical significant interference was observed for total
      cholesterol, inorganic phosphate and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol
      CONCLUSIONS: Presence of high Eltrombopag concentrations in blood samples has
      been demonstrated to cause interference in the measurement of certain
      spectrophotometric-based assays on the Roche Cobas 6000 analyzer.

PMID- 26491116
TI  - A Multidisciplinary Sepsis Program Enabled by a Two-Stage Clinical Decision
      Support System: Factors That Influence Patient Outcomes.
AB  - Sepsis is an inflammatory response triggered by infection, with risk of in
      hospital mortality fueled by disease progression. Early recognition and
      intervention by multidisciplinary sepsis programs may reverse the inflammatory
      response among at-risk patient populations, potentially improving outcomes. This
      retrospective study of a sepsis program enabled by a 2-stage sepsis Clinical
      Decision Support (CDS) system sought to evaluate the program's impact, identify
      early indicators that may influence outcomes, and uncover opportunities for
      quality improvement. Data encompassed 16 527 adult hospitalizations from 2014 and
      2015. Of 2108 non-intensive care unit patients screened-in by sepsis CDS, 97%
      patients were stratified by 177 providers. Risk of adverse outcome improved 30%
      from baseline to year end, with gains materializing and stabilizing at month 7
      after sepsis program go-live. Early indicators likely to influence outcomes
      include patient age, recent hospitalization, electrolyte abnormalities,
      hypovolemic shock, hypoxemia, patient location when sepsis CDS activated, and
      specific alert patterns.

PMID- 26491118
TI  - Moderately Fermentable Potato Fiber Attenuates Signs and Inflammation Associated
      with Experimental Colitis in Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dietary fiber intake leading to short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)
      production could be a strategy to combat intermittent bouts of inflammation
      during ulcerative colitis. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate dietary
      potato fiber (PF) in attenuating inflammation using a dextran sodium sulfate
      (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model. We hypothesized that PF would show anti
      inflammatory effects compared with cellulose due in part to SCFA production.
      METHODS: Male C57Bl/6J mice were fed diets containing either 8% cellulose or
      14.5% PF for a 22-d feeding study. Starting on study day 14, mice were provided
      either distilled water (control) or 2% (wt:vol) DSS in drinking water for 5 d
      (cellulose+control, n = 17; PF+control, n = 16; cellulose+DSS, n = 17; and
      PF+DSS, n = 16). Body weights and food and water intakes were collected daily
      from day 14 through day 22. Distal colon tissue was analyzed for histologic
      outcomes and changes in gene expression, and cecal contents were analyzed for
      SCFA concentrations. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, with repeated measures applied
      where necessary. RESULTS: At day 5 post-DSS induction, cellulose+DSS mice
      exhibited a 2% reduction (P < 0.05) in body weight compared with PF+DSS and PF+
      and cellulose+control mice. PF+DSS mice had greater (P < 0.05) cecal butyrate
      concentrations [24.5 MUmol/g dry matter (DM)] than did cellulose+DSS mice (4.93
      MUmol/g DM). Mice fed PF+DSS had lower (P < 0.05) infiltration of leukocytes in
      the distal colon than did mice fed cellulose+DSS (mean histology scores of 1.22
      and 2.30, respectively). Furthermore, mice fed cellulose+DSS exhibited 1.42,
      11.5, 8.48, and 35.5 times greater (P < 0.05) colon mRNA expression of tumor
      necrosis factor alpha (Tnfa) and interleukin (Il) 1b, Il6, and Il17a,
      respectively, and 7.10 times greater (P < 0.05) expression of C-X-C motif ligand
      1 (Cxc1) compared with mice fed PF+DSS. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that
      PF fed to mice before and during DSS colitis attenuates inflammation, potentially
      through SCFA production; however, future studies are needed to understand the
      role of dietary fiber intake and immune activation.

PMID- 26491117
TI  - Zinc Supplementation Increases Procollagen Type 1 Amino-Terminal Propeptide in
      Premenarcheal Girls: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data have shown that healthy children and adolescents have an
      inadequate intake of zinc, an essential nutrient for growth. It is unclear
      whether zinc supplementation can enhance bone health during this rapid period of
      growth and development. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study was to determine
      the effect of zinc supplementation on biochemical markers of bone turnover and
      growth in girls entering the early stages of puberty. The secondary aim was to
      test moderation by race, body mass index (BMI) classification, and plasma zinc
      status at baseline. METHODS: One hundred forty seven girls aged 9-11 y (46%
      black) were randomly assigned to a daily oral zinc tablet (9 mg elemental zinc; n
      = 75) or an identical placebo (n = 72) for 4 wk. Fasting plasma zinc, procollagen
      type 1 amino-terminal propeptide (P1NP; a bone formation marker), carboxy
      terminal telopeptide region of type 1 collagen (ICTP; a bone resorption marker),
      and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) were assessed at baseline and post-test.
      Additional markers of bone formation (osteocalcin) and resorption (urinary
      pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline) were also measured. RESULTS: Four weeks of
      zinc supplementation increased plasma zinc concentrations compared with placebo
      [mean change, 1.8 MUmol/L (95% CI: 1.0, 2.6) compared with 0.2 MUmol/L (95% CI: 
      0.3, 0.7); P < 0.01]. Zinc supplementation also increased serum P1NP
      concentrations compared with placebo [mean change, 23.8 MUmol/L (95% CI: -14.9,
      62.5) compared with -31.0 MUmol/L (95% CI: -66.4, 4.2); P = 0.04). There was no
      effect from zinc supplementation on osteocalcin, ICTP, pyridinoline,
      deoxypyridinoline, or IGF-I. There was no moderation by race, BMI classification,
      or plasma zinc status at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that 4 wk of
      zinc supplementation increases bone formation in premenarcheal girls. Further
      studies are needed to determine whether supplemental zinc can improve childhood
      bone strength. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01892098.

PMID- 26491119
TI  - Casein Compared with Whey Proteins Affects the Organization of Dietary Fat during
      Digestion and Attenuates the Postprandial Triglyceride Response to a Mixed High
      Fat Meal in Healthy, Overweight Men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postprandial lipemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The
      potential impacts of the type/nature of dietary protein on postprandial lipemia
      and associated dysregulations have been insufficiently investigated. OBJECTIVE:
      We investigated the postprandial effect of including in a high-fat meal some milk
      protein fractions that markedly differ in their physicochemical properties and
      composition [either casein (CAS), whey protein (WHE), or alpha-lactalbumin
      enriched whey protein (LAC)]. METHODS: The protein fractions were incorporated as
      15% energy in a high-fat meal in a 3-period, crossover postprandial study of 10
      healthy overweight men with an elevated waist circumference (>94 cm). We measured
      postprandial changes in plasma lipids, amino acids, glucose, and oxidative stress
      markers, vascular function (using pulse contour analysis), and low-grade
      inflammation (using plasma markers). We also characterized in vitro the meal
      structures, including the size of the fat globule, and possible changes during
      digestion. RESULTS: The type of protein did not affect postprandial plasma
      glucose, amino acids, insulin, or nonesterified fatty acids, but, compared with
      WHE and LAC, which did not differ, CAS markedly reduced postprandial
      triglycerides (TGs), achieving a 22 +/- 10% reduction in the 6-h area under the
      curve (P < 0.05). Similar trends were shown for plasma chylomicrons
      [apolipoprotein (apo)B-48; P < 0.05]. However, there were no significant
      differences between the meals regarding postprandial oxidative stress (plasma
      hydroperoxides and malondialdehyde), endothelial dysfunction (salbutamol-induced
      changes in pulse contour analysis), or low-grade inflammation. In vitro studies
      showed that when the pH of the meal decreased to stomach pH values, the reduction
      in the solubility of casein resulted in a phase separation between fat and
      protein, whereas the proteins in the other meals remained suspended with fat
      globules. CONCLUSION: In healthy overweight men, casein has specific physical
      interactions with fat that affect postprandial TGs, leading to the formation of
      fewer chylomicrons or an increase in chylomicron clearance. This trial was
      registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00931151.

PMID- 26491120
TI  - Household Food Insecurity is Associated with Childhood Asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2013, 20% of U.S. households with children experienced food
      insecurity. Asthma afflicts over 7 million children; prevalence has steadily
      increased while incidence peaks in young children. Asthma and food insecurity
      share the determinants of poverty and race that are associated with weight, yet
      limited research on the relation between food insecurity and asthma exists.
      OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the association between
      food insecurity and asthma in a diverse sample of children. METHODS: Cross
      sectional data from grade 3 of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study
      Kindergarten Cohort were analyzed (n = 11,099). Food security based on the USDA
      module and asthma diagnosis were reported by parents; anthropometric factors were
      measured. Multivariate logistic regression models of food security and asthma
      were analyzed overall and by race/ethnicity. RESULTS: Children in food-insecure
      households had a 4% higher adjusted odds of asthma (95% CI: 1.02, 1.06). Adjusted
      odds of asthma were also higher by 70% for males (95% CI: 1.69, 1.71), 53% for
      non-Hispanic black (NHB) children (95% CI: 1.51, 1.54), 20% for Hispanic children
      (95% CI: 1.19, 1.21), 38% for overweight children (95% CI: 1.36, 1.39), 67% for
      obese children (95% CI: 1.65, 1.68), 23% for low-birth weight children (95% CI:
      1.21, 1.24), 24% if mothers had a high school diploma (95% CI: 1.23, 1.26), and
      33% if mothers had some college education (95% CI: 1.32, 1.35). High-birth weight
      children (OR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.83, 0.85) and those with foreign-born mothers (OR:
      0.52; 95% CI: 0.51, 0.53) had lower odds of asthma. Being food-insecure remained
      positively associated with asthma in non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics but was
      inversely associated with odds among NHBs. Odds of asthma doubled (OR: 2.00; 95%
      CI: 1.97, 2.03) for all children in households that were both food-insecure and
      poor; this relation remained positive in race/ethnicity-specific models.
      CONCLUSIONS: Food insecurity is positively associated with asthma in U.S. third
      graders, and household poverty strengthens the association.

PMID- 26491121
TI  - Dietary Sodium Butyrate Decreases Postweaning Diarrhea by Modulating Intestinal
      Permeability and Changing the Bacterial Communities in Weaned Piglets.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The vast majority of substances used as alternatives to antibiotics
      produce inconsistent results and rarely equal the effectiveness of in-feed
      antibiotics. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effects of the combined use of
      sodium butyrate (SB) and reduced antibiotics in a piglet diet in promoting
      performance and to control weaning diarrhea. METHODS: Piglets weaned at 28 d were
      randomly assigned to a corn-soybean meal control ration [negative control (NC)];
      a similar ration with 50 mg kitasamycin/kg, 20 mg colistin sulfate/kg, and 1000
      mg encapsulated SB/kg [reduced antibiotics + SB (ASB)]; or to a ration with 100
      mg kitasamycin/kg and 40 mg colistin sulfate/kg [positive control (PC)] for 28 d.
      Performance, diarrhea incidence, intestinal permeability, and changes in the
      bacterial communities in the ileum and colon were determined. RESULTS: Weight
      gain and the ratio of weight gain to feed intake were significantly greater in
      the ASB and PC piglets than in the NC piglets (P < 0.05). Diarrhea incidence was
      lower in the ASB and PC piglets than in the NC piglets (P < 0.05). Urinary
      lactulose to mannitol ratios were 25% and 30% lower, respectively, whereas
      jejunal and colonic occludin protein expressions were significantly greater in
      the ASB and PC piglets compared with the NC piglets (P < 0.05). In the intestinal
      mucosa, malondialdehyde was lower in the ASB and PC piglets (by 42% and 43%,
      respectively), whereas tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) was 63% lower in
      the ASB piglets and 59% lower in the PC piglets compared with the NC piglets (P <
      0.05). 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence analysis revealed a higher colonic Shannon
      index and a lower colonic Simpson index in the ASB and PC piglets than in the NC
      piglets. In addition, the ASB and PC treatments caused a striking decrease in
      Lactobacillaceae and a noticeable increase in Clostridiaceae in the ileal and
      colonic lumen, as well as increases in Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and
      Bacteroidetes in the colonic lumen. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our results support
      an important role for SB in improving performance and decreasing diarrhea
      incidence in weaned piglets by modulation of intestinal permeability and the
      bacterial communities in the ileum and colon.

PMID- 26491122
TI  - Promotion of Weight Gain in Early Childhood Does Not Increase Metabolic Risk in
      Adolescents: A 15-Year Follow-Up of a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A rapid gain in weight for length may put children at a higher risk
      of noncommunicable diseases later in life. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study
      was to assess the long-term effects of nutrition counseling delivered in the
      first 2 y of life in Pelotas, a city in Southern Brazil. METHODS: The original
      cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted in 1998. Nutrition counseling
      (breastfeeding promotion and increased intake of micronutrient-rich and energy
      dense foods) was delivered to mothers of children aged 0-17.9 mo attending
      primary care. Six months later, weight gain was higher in the intervention group
      than in the control group for children >=12 mo of age at enrollment. In 2013
      (mean age 15 y), assessments included anthropometric measurements, body
      composition (air-displacement plethysmography), body shape (3-dimensional
      photonic scan), and plasma total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, C
      reactive protein, and glucose. RESULTS: A total of 363 of the 424 original
      participants were assessed. An a priori decision was made to prioritize analyses
      of subjects aged 12-17.9 mo at enrollment (51 from the intervention group and 45
      from the control group). In this subgroup, boys in the intervention group were
      [mean (95% CI)] 3.4 (0.8, 6.0) cm taller than those in the control group.
      Systolic blood pressure tended to be 5.2 (-0.8, 11.1) mm Hg higher in male
      subjects from the intervention group than in those in the control group. Lipid
      profiles tended to be healthier in the intervention group. The plasma total
      cholesterol concentration was -17.8 (-29.8, -5.7) mg/dL lower in boys in the
      intervention group than in those in the control group. The total-to-HDL
      cholesterol ratio and triglyceride concentration in the girls in the intervention
      group were -0.4 (-0.6, -0.1) and -26.3 (-46.3, -6.3) mg/dL, respectively, lower
      than in the control group. There was no difference between the groups in terms of
      body composition. CONCLUSIONS: Promotion of weight gain in children between 12.0
      17.9 mo of age was not associated with higher metabolic risk 15 y later. On the
      contrary, there was some evidence of reduced metabolic risk in the intervention
      group.

PMID- 26491124
TI  - Zinc Intake Is Associated with Lower Cadmium Burden in U.S. Adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cadmium is a toxic transition metal whose absorption and accumulation
      might depend on zinc intake. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether zinc
      intake and serum zinc would be inversely associated with cadmium exposure.
      METHODS: This study used data from NHANES 2003-2012, from which there were 6678
      and 6488 participants with urinary and blood cadmium data, respectively, and 1195
      participants with serum zinc data. Mean blood and urinary cadmium were reported
      by quintiles of zinc intake and by the dose and duration of zinc supplement use.
      The associations between zinc intake from diet and supplements, serum zinc, and
      blood and urinary cadmium were determined using multiple regression. Analyses
      were adjusted for age, body mass index, race/ethnicity, gender, income-to-poverty
      ratio, education, smoking status, and mean intakes of energy, calcium, and iron.
      RESULTS: Urinary cadmium concentrations were 0.04 MUg/g creatinine lower among
      participants in the highest compared with lowest quintile of total zinc intake (P
      trend = 0.0041). Zinc supplement dose and duration were inversely associated with
      blood cadmium (P = 0.0372) and serum zinc (P-trend = 0.0017), respectively. In
      adjusted regression models, a 10% increase in total zinc intake corresponded to a
      predicted decrease in blood cadmium of 0.42% (95% CI: -0.79%, -0.06%; P = 0.0260)
      and in urinary cadmium of 0.42% (95% CI: -0.81%, -0.04%; P = 0.0340). A 10%
      increase in serum zinc was associated with a predicted 1.99% (95% CI: -3.17%, 
      0.81%; P = 0.0012) decrease in blood cadmium and a predicted 4.09% (95% CI:
      2.14%, 6.04%, P = 0.0001) increase in urinary cadmium. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary and
      serum zinc in US adults are associated with cadmium exposure, presumably by
      influencing the absorption and accumulation of cadmium. Whether the degree of
      reduction in cadmium exposure from greater zinc intake and status is causal or
      relevant from a public health perspective needs further investigation.

PMID- 26491123
TI  - Acidic Food pH Increases Palatability and Consumption and Extends Drosophila
      Lifespan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the prevalent use of Drosophila as a model in studies of
      nutrition, the effects of fundamental food properties, such as pH, on animal
      health and behavior are not well known. OBJECTIVES: We examined the effect of
      food pH on adult Drosophila lifespan, feeding behavior, and microbiota
      composition and tested the hypothesis that pH-mediated changes in palatability
      and total consumption are required for modulating longevity. METHODS: We measured
      the effect of buffered food (pH 5, 7, or 9) on male gustatory responses
      (proboscis extension), total food intake, and male and female lifespan. The
      effect of food pH on germfree male lifespan was also assessed. Changes in fly
      associated microbial composition as a result of food pH were determined by 16S
      ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Male gustatory responses, total consumption, and
      male and female longevity were additionally measured in the taste-defective Pox
      neuro (Poxn) mutant and its transgenic rescue control. RESULTS: An acidic diet
      increased Drosophila gustatory responses (40-230%) and food intake (5-50%) and
      extended survival (10-160% longer median lifespan) compared with flies on either
      neutral or alkaline pH food. Alkaline food pH shifted the composition of fly
      associated bacteria and resulted in greater lifespan extension (260% longer
      median survival) after microbes were eliminated compared with flies on an acidic
      (50%) or neutral (130%) diet. However, germfree flies lived longer on an acidic
      diet (5-20% longer median lifespan) compared with those on either neutral or
      alkaline pH food. Gustatory responses, total consumption, and longevity were
      unaffected by food pH in Poxn mutant flies. CONCLUSIONS: Food pH can directly
      influence palatability and feeding behavior and affect parameters such as
      microbial growth to ultimately affect Drosophila lifespan. Fundamental food
      properties altered by dietary or drug interventions may therefore contribute to
      changes in animal physiology, metabolism, and survival.

PMID- 26491125
TI  - The Homozygous Hemoglobin EE Genotype and Chronic Inflammation Are Associated
      with High Serum Ferritin and Soluble Transferrin Receptor Concentrations among
      Women in Rural Cambodia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) concentrations are
      commonly used to assess iron deficiency (ID); however, they are influenced by
      multiple factors. OBJECTIVES: We assessed associations between numerous variables
      and both ferritin and sTfR concentrations in Cambodian women and compared ID
      prevalence through the use of study-generated correction factors (CFs) for
      ferritin with those from a published meta-analysis. METHODS: Venous blood from
      450 women (aged 18-45 y) was assessed for hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin, sTfR,
      retinol binding protein, folate, vitamin B-12, C-reactive protein, alpha-1 acid
      glycoprotein (AGP), and genetic Hb disorders. Linear regression was used to
      calculate geometric mean ratios (95% CIs) for ferritin and sTfR concentrations.
      RESULTS: The variant Hb EE genotype was associated with 50% (14%, 96%) and 51%
      (37%, 66%) higher geometric mean ferritin and sTfR concentrations, respectively,
      than was the normal Hb AA genotype; a 1-g/L increase in AGP was associated with
      99% (50%, 162%) and 48% (33%, 64%) higher concentrations in the same variables,
      respectively. ID prevalence in nonpregnant women (n = 420) was 2% (n = 9) with
      the use of ferritin <15 MUg/L and 18% (n = 79) with the use of sTfR >8.3 mg/L as
      criteria. ID prevalence with the use of sTfR was higher in women with the Hb EE
      genotype (n = 17; 55%) than in those with the Hb AA genotype (n = 20; 10%); and
      in women with the Hb AA genotype and chronic inflammation (n = 10; 18%) than in
      that group of women without chronic inflammation (n = 10; 7%) (P < 0.05). No
      differences in ID prevalence were found with the use of ferritin between women
      with Hb EE and AA genotypes (P = 1.0) or by chronic inflammation status (P =
      0.32). There were no differences in mean ferritin concentrations among all 450
      women when study-generated CFs were compared with those from the meta-analysis (P
      = 0.87). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with sTfR, ferritin concentrations appear to
      reflect more accurately true ID in rural Cambodian women. The CFs from a
      published meta-analysis were appropriate for use in this population with a high
      prevalence of Hb disorders and inflammation.

PMID- 26491127
TI  - Impact of Clinical Practice Guideline on the Treatment of Pediatric Femoral
      Fractures in a Pediatric Hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical practice guidelines are being developed for a number of
      topics in medicine to decrease practice variability and to improve evidenced
      based care. Within orthopaedic surgery, the American Academy of Orthopaedic
      Surgeons (AAOS) has a dedicated committee that produces these clinical practice
      guidelines on a variety of issues. One such issue was the treatment of pediatric
      diaphyseal femoral fractures, with the clinical practice guideline being
      published in 2009. We performed a retrospective review of the treatment of
      pediatric diaphyseal femoral fractures at a single institution from 2007 to 2012
      to assess the clinical impact of this clinical practice guideline on the
      treatment of this condition. METHODS: A retrospective review of all patients
      treated at a single pediatric hospital between 2007 and 2012 for a pediatric
      diaphyseal femoral fracture was conducted. The 2009 AAOS clinical practice
      guideline on the treatment of this condition was assessed and each patient record
      was analyzed to determine if the clinical practice guideline was followed, based
      on the age-specific recommendations. The percentage of treatment rendered
      adhering to the clinical practice guideline recommendations was compared in the
      pre-guideline group (prior to June 2009) and the post-guideline group (after June
      2009). RESULTS: A total of 361 patients were treated for a diaphyseal femoral
      fracture during this time frame and were included in this study. Overall, little
      change in treatment was found following the publication of this clinical practice
      guideline. The only significant change noted over this time period was a decrease
      (p = 0.03) in the percentage of patients between the ages of five and eleven
      years who were treated with flexible nails, at odds with this specific clinical
      practice guideline recommendation. CONCLUSIONS: We found little direct clinical
      impact of the recently published AAOS clinical practice guideline on the
      treatment of pediatric diaphyseal femoral fractures. This analysis suggests an
      important role for clinical assessment after guideline publication to identify
      areas of potentially important future clinical research and to assess the utility
      of this guideline.

PMID- 26491126
TI  - Development and Use of a Traditional Mexican Diet Score in Relation to Systemic
      Inflammation and Insulin Resistance among Women of Mexican Descent.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Women of Mexican descent are disproportionally affected by obesity,
      systemic inflammation, and insulin resistance (IR). Available approaches used to
      give scores to dietary patterns relative to dietary guidelines may not
      effectively capture traditional diets of Mexicans, who comprise the largest
      immigrant group in the United States. OBJECTIVES: We characterized an a priori
      traditional Mexican diet (MexD) score high in corn tortillas, beans, soups,
      Mexican mixed dishes (e.g., tamales), fruits, vegetables, full-fat milk, and
      Mexican cheeses and low in refined grains and added sugars and evaluated the
      association of the MexD score with systemic inflammation and IR in 493
      postmenopausal participants in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) who are of
      Mexican ethnic descent. METHODS: The MexD score was developed from the baseline
      (1993-1998) WHI food frequency questionnaire, which included Hispanic foods and
      was available in Spanish. Body mass index (BMI) was computed from baseline
      measured weight and height, and ethnicity was self-reported. Outcome variables
      were high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), glucose, insulin, homeostasis
      model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and triglyceride concentrations
      measured at follow-up (2012-2013). Multivariable linear and logistic regression
      models were used to test the associations of the MexD score with systemic
      inflammation and IR. RESULTS: The mean +/- SD MexD score was 5.8 +/- 2.1 (12
      maximum points) and was positively associated with intakes of carbohydrates,
      vegetable protein, and dietary fiber and inversely associated with intakes of
      added sugars and total fat (P < 0.01). Women with high compared with low MexD
      scores, consistent with a more-traditional Mexican diet, had 23% and 15% lower
      serum hsCRP (P < 0.05) and insulin concentrations, respectively (P < 0.05).
      Baseline BMI modified these associations such that lower MexD scores were
      associated with higher insulin and HOMA-IR in overweight/obese women (P
      interaction <0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that greater adherence to
      a traditional Mexican diet could help reduce the future risk of systemic
      inflammation and IR in women of Mexican descent.

PMID- 26491129
TI  - Glenoid Bone-Grafting in Revision to a Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Revision of a shoulder arthroplasty to a reverse shoulder
      arthroplasty in the presence of glenoid bone loss is especially challenging. The
      purpose of the present study was to determine the complications and results of
      glenoid bone-grafting in revision to a reverse shoulder arthroplasty. METHODS:
      Between 2005 and 2010, 143 consecutive reverse shoulder arthroplasties performed
      as revision procedures were performed at our institution. Glenoid bone-grafting
      was performed in forty-one shoulders (29%), with 98% (forty) that had follow-up
      of more than two years (mean, 3.1 years). The 102 patients who did not undergo
      grafting served as a control group. RESULTS: Seven patients (18%) required
      another revision surgery because of glenoid loosening (four patients),
      instability (two patients), or infection (one patient). The two and five-year
      implant survival rate free of revision for shoulders that had glenoid bone
      grafting was 88% and 76%, respectively, which was lower than that for patients
      who had not required glenoid bone-grafting. The survival rate free of
      radiographic glenoid loosening at two and five years for the shoulders that had
      bone-grafting was 92% and 89%, respectively, which was worse than that for those
      that had not had glenoid bone-grafting. Patients had significant pain relief and
      improvement in their shoulder range of motion, and they had an increased level of
      satisfaction compared with the preoperative status. Increased rates of glenoid
      loosening were seen in patients who had an increased body mass index, an implant
      with a lateral center of rotation, a previous total shoulder replacement (versus
      hemiarthroplasty), and in those who were smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Although there
      were relatively high rates of glenoid loosening and reoperation at mid-term
      follow-up, glenoid reconstruction with bone graft in the revision setting was
      able to relieve pain and restore shoulder function and stability.

PMID- 26491128
TI  - Subacromial Space Width: Does Overuse or Genetics Play a Greater Role in
      Determining It? An MRI Study on Elderly Twins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Age and peripheral microcirculation disorders are the main causes of
      rotator cuff degeneration. Acromion variants may affect subacromial space width,
      causing a pathological narrowing of the space that may compromise the cuff
      integrity. However, it is not clear if the subacromial space width is genetically
      determined or if it changes according to loading conditions. To clarify this
      unresolved question, we performed an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) study with
      the aim of evaluating the acromiohumeral distance in a group of elderly
      monozygotic and dizygotic twins, and we analyzed the obtained data using the twin
      design to separate the contributions of shared and unique environments. METHODS:
      We identified twenty-nine pairs of elderly twins. On MRI scans, we evaluated the
      acromiohumeral distance and health status of the rotator cuff tendons.
      Heritability, defined as the proportion of total variance of a specific
      characteristic in a particular population due to a genetic cause, was estimated
      as twice the difference between the intraclass correlation coefficients for
      monozygotic and dizygotic pairs. The influence of shared environment, due to
      environmental factors that contribute to twin and sibling similarity, was
      calculated as the difference between the monozygotic correlation coefficient and
      the heritability index. One-way ANOVA (analysis of variance) was used to estimate
      the differences among job categories, both in the total cohort and within
      zygosity groups. RESULTS: The intraclass correlation coefficient was
      substantially higher for monozygotic than for dizygotic twins, indicating a high
      degree of concordance of the acromiohumeral distance in pairs of individuals who
      shared 100% of their genes. The heritability index was 0.82, and shared and
      unique environmental contributions were both 0.09. There were no significant
      differences among subjects in different job categories, either in the total
      cohort (p = 0.685) or within the monozygotic (p = 0.719) and dizygotic groups (p
      = 0.957). CONCLUSIONS: The acromiohumeral distance is mainly genetically
      determined and only marginally influenced by external factors.

PMID- 26491130
TI  - Lumbar Spine Surgery in Patients with Parkinson Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parkinson disease is the second most common neurodegenerative
      condition. The literature on patients with Parkinson disease and spine surgery is
      limited, but increased complications have been reported. METHODS: All patients
      with Parkinson disease undergoing lumbar spine surgery between 2002 and 2012 were
      identified. Patients' charts, radiographs, and outcome questionnaires were
      reviewed. Parkinson disease severity was assessed with use of the modified Hoehn
      and Yahr staging scale. Complications and subsequent surgeries were analyzed.
      Risk for reoperation was assessed. RESULTS: Ninety-six patients underwent lumbar
      spine surgery. The mean patient age was 63.0 years. The mean follow-up duration
      was 30.1 months. The Parkinson disease severity stage was <2 in thirteen
      patients, 2 in thirty patients, 2.5 in twenty-three patients, and >=3 in thirty
      patients. The primary indication for surgery was spinal stenosis in seventy-two
      patients, spondylolisthesis in seventeen patients, and coronal and/or sagittal
      deformity in seven patients. There were nineteen early complications, including
      postoperative infections requiring surgical irrigation and debridement and long
      term antibiotics in ten patients. The visual analog scale for back pain improved
      from 7.4 cm preoperatively to 1.8 cm postoperatively (p < 0.001). The visual
      analog scale for lower-limb pain improved from 7.7 cm preoperatively to 2.3 cm
      postoperatively (p < 0.001). The Oswestry Disability Index score dropped from
      54.1 points to 17.7 points at the time of the latest follow-up (p < 0.001). The
      Short Form-12 Physical Component Summary score improved from 26.6 points
      preoperatively to 30.5 points postoperatively (p < 0.05). Twenty patients
      required revision surgery. Risks for further surgery included a Parkinson disease
      severity stage of >=3 (p < 0.05), a history of diabetes mellitus, treatment for
      osteoporosis, and a combined anterior and posterior approach. CONCLUSIONS:
      Despite a higher rate of complications than in the general population, the
      overall outcome of spine surgery in patients with mild to moderate Parkinson
      disease is good, with improvement of spine-related pain. A larger prospective
      study is warranted.

PMID- 26491131
TI  - Impact of Spinous Process Integrity on Ten to Twelve-Year Outcomes After
      Posterior Decompression for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Study of Open-Door
      Laminoplasty Using a Spinous Process-Splitting Approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In posterior decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis, preservation
      of the posterior elements appears to provide patients with long-term favorable
      outcomes. To confirm this assumption, we evaluated the impact of spinous process
      integrity, i.e., osseous continuity between the spinous process and the lamina,
      on short to long-term outcomes. METHODS: As a model for the study of spinous
      process integrity, we retrospectively reviewed the cases of forty-eight patients
      who underwent open-door laminoplasty using a spinous process-splitting approach
      without disrupting attachment sites of the multifidus muscle. In those patients,
      thirty-nine of the 103 spinous processes achieved spontaneous osseous union with
      the laminar flap, while the others did not achieve osseous union. The association
      between the number of ununited spinous processes, as well as baseline
      characteristics, and the outcomes were analyzed by primary and fully adjusted
      multivariate linear regression. Outcome measures were the Oswestry Disability
      Index (ODI) and a numeric rating scale (NRS) for symptoms at two, four, and ten
      to twelve years. RESULTS: The number of ununited spinous processes was
      significantly associated with ten to twelve-year scores for the ODI (beta = 0.24,
      p = 0.030), low back pain NRS (beta = 0.32, p = 0.030), and leg pain NRS (beta =
      0.50, p = 0.0012) in the fully adjusted models, but was not associated with two
      or four-year scores for each scale. The number of decompression levels was
      significantly associated with ten to twelve-year scores for low back pain and leg
      pain NRS in the primary models, but was not retained in the fully adjusted
      models. CONCLUSIONS: Osseous continuity between the spinous processes and the
      lamina after posterior decompression of the lumbar spine is important for
      maintaining the positive surgical benefit. Deleterious effects of osseous
      discontinuity on the outcomes were obvious at ten to twelve years, but not at two
      or four years.

PMID- 26491132
TI  - Native Knee Laxities at 0 degrees , 45 degrees , and 90 degrees  of Flexion and
      Their Relationship to the Goal of the Gap-Balancing Alignment Method of Total
      Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gap-balancing is an alignment method for total knee arthroplasty with
      the goal of creating uniform tension in the periarticular soft-tissue restraints
      and equal laxities throughout the arc of flexion. However, there is little
      evidence that achieving equal laxities prevents either overly tight or overly
      loose soft-tissue restraints after total knee arthroplasty. Accordingly, the
      purpose of the present study was to determine whether the laxities at 0 degrees ,
      45 degrees , and 90 degrees  of flexion are equal in the native knee. METHODS:
      Seven different laxities were measured at 0 degrees , 45 degrees , and 90 degrees
      of flexion in ten fresh-frozen native cadaveric knees (with intact menisci,
      cartilage, and ligaments) by applying loads of +/-5 Nm in varus-valgus rotation,
      +/-3 Nm in internal-external rotation, 100 N in distraction, and +/-45 N in
      anterior-posterior translation with use of a six-degrees-of-freedom load
      application system. RESULTS: The mean laxities (and standard deviations) at 45
      degrees  of flexion were 1.7 degrees  +/- 0.6 degrees  greater in varus, 0.9
      degrees  +/- 0.4 degrees  greater in valgus, 10.2 degrees  +/- 2.7 degrees 
      greater in internal rotation, 10.1 degrees  +/- 2.0 degrees  greater in external
      rotation, 1.7 +/- 1.0 mm greater in distraction translation, and 3.3 +/- 1.5 mm
      greater in anterior translation than those at 0 degrees  of flexion. The mean
      laxities at 90 degrees  of flexion were 2.5 degrees  +/- 0.8 degrees  greater in
      varus, 1.0 degrees  +/- 0.5 degrees  greater in valgus, 10.0 degrees  +/- 4.6
      degrees  greater in internal rotation, 10.1 degrees  +/- 4.5 degrees  greater in
      external rotation, 1.8 +/- 0.7 mm greater in distraction, and 1.6 +/- 1.2 mm
      greater in anterior translation than those at 0 degrees  of flexion. The mean
      anterior translation at 90 degrees  of flexion was 1.7 +/- 0.9 mm less than that
      at 45 degrees  of flexion. CONCLUSIONS: Because five of the seven laxities were
      at least 1.7 degrees  or 1.6 mm greater at both 45 degrees  and 90 degrees  of
      flexion than those at 0 degrees  of flexion, the laxities of the native knee
      measured in this study are unequal at these flexion angles and therefore do not
      support the goal of gap-balancing in total knee arthroplasty. CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
      One possible disadvantage of changing the native laxities at 45 degrees  and 90
      degrees  of flexion to match those at 0 degrees  of flexion in a total knee
      arthroplasty is the overly tight soft-tissue restraints relative to those of the
      native knee, which patients may perceive as pain, stiffness, and/or limited
      flexion.

PMID- 26491133
TI  - 25-Hydroxyvitamin-D and Bone Turnover Marker Levels in Patients with Distal
      Radial Fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fragility fractures are a major public health issue with substantial
      socioeconomic cost. Vitamin-D deficiency and increased bone turnover are
      associated with higher rates of bone loss and an increased risk of fracture. We
      hypothesized that patients with a distal radial fracture would have lower levels
      of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and increased levels of serum bone turnover
      markers than controls without a fracture. METHODS: Postmenopausal women with a
      recent distal radial fracture (fracture group, n = 105) were prospectively
      recruited and were compared with individuals without a fracture (control group, n
      = 150). Outcome variables included serum levels of 25(OH)D and markers of bone
      formation, including N-terminal extension propeptide of type-I collagen (P1NP),
      parathyroid hormone (PTH), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP), and
      osteocalcin, as well as a marker of resorption (C-terminal telopeptide of type-I
      collagen [CTX-1]). Bone mineral density was measured with dual x-ray
      absorptiometry. RESULTS: The fracture group was slightly older than the control
      group (mean and standard deviation [SD], 66.8 +/- 10.8 years versus 63.3 +/- 9.0
      years, p = 0.008), had a lower body mass index (26.4 +/- 5.9 kg/m(2) versus 28.0
      +/- 6.2 kg/m(2), p = 0.05), and more commonly had had a prior fracture (52%
      versus 31%, p < 0.001). Bone mineral density at the hip was lower in the fracture
      group than in the control group (0.831 +/- 0.130 g/cm(2) versus 0.917 +/- 0.139
      g/cm(2), p < 0.001). The mean 25(OH)D levels were similar in the fracture and
      control groups (44.4 +/- 14.6 ng/mL versus 41.3 +/- 14.5 ng/mL, p = 0.08). Levels
      of serum markers of bone formation were significantly higher in the fracture
      group than in the control group (P1NP: 70.4 +/- 33.2 ng/mL versus 53.2 +/- 25.6
      ng/mL, p < 0.001; osteocalcin: 22.3 +/- 9.9 ng/mL versus 20.2 +/- 9.2 ng/mL, p =
      0.017). Levels of BSAP, PTH, and CTX-1 were similar in the two groups.
      Multivariable logistic regression showed independent associations between a
      distal radial fracture and low total hip bone mineral density (odds ratio [OR] =
      2.02 for each decrease of 1 SD, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.38 to 3.01, p <
      0.001) and a high P1NP level (OR = 2.17 for each 1-SD increase, 95% CI = 1.52 to
      3.06, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, 25(OH)D levels were not associated
      with distal radial fracture and do not appear to affect the risk assessment for
      distal radial fracture in postmenopausal women. Patients with a distal radial
      fracture, however, had increased bone turnover as evidenced by high P1NP and
      osteocalcin levels. Women with both a high P1NP level and low bone mineral
      density were at particularly high risk for fracture.

PMID- 26491134
TI  - Defining the "Three-Dimensional Sagittal Plane" in Thoracic Adolescent Idiopathic
      Scoliosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obtaining accurate measurements of scoliosis from two-dimensional (2
      D) radiographs can be challenging because of the three-dimensional (3-D) nature
      of the deformity. Previous studies have shown that the sagittal plane, in
      particular, is misrepresented on 2-D radiographs because of the influence of
      axial plane rotation. The purpose of the current study was to define a
      methodology for measuring the 3-D segmental sagittal alignment of the spine in
      patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and to assess the effect of
      axial plane rotation on differences between 3-D and 2-D measures of deformity.
      METHODS: Preoperative and postoperative EOS images of 120 consecutive patients
      with AIS (primary thoracic curves) treated with segmental thoracic pedicle-screw
      instrumentation were analyzed in the "3-D sagittal plane." The technique measured
      3-D kyphosis or lordosis in the specific plane of sagittal motion for each spinal
      motion segment. The kyphosis (+) and lordosis (-) values of the segments from T5
      to T12 were summed to give the 3-D measurement of T5-T12 kyphosis. These values
      were compared with the standard 2-D measurements of T5-T12 kyphosis on lateral
      radiographs, and a correlation analysis with regard to axial plane rotation of
      the apex was performed. RESULTS: The average age (and standard deviation) of the
      patients was 14 +/- 2 years. The mean preoperative Cobb angle on the standard 2-D
      view was 55 degrees  +/- 10 degrees  and on the 3-D view was 52 degrees  +/- 9
      degrees  (p <= 0.001). On the 3-D view, the mean preoperative T5-T12 kyphosis was
      6 degrees  +/- 14 degrees , and the kyphosis significantly increased to 26
      degrees  +/- 6 degrees  postoperatively (p < 0.001). The T5-T12 kyphosis on the
      standard 2-D view measured 18 degrees  +/- 13 degrees  preoperatively and 27
      degrees  +/- 6 degrees  postoperatively (p < 0.001). The difference between the 2
      D and 3-D measurements of T5-T12 kyphosis strongly correlated with apical
      vertebral rotation (r = 0.85; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Routine 2-D measurements of
      thoracic kyphosis erroneously underestimate the preoperative loss of kyphosis in
      AIS because of errors associated with axial plane rotation, an inherent component
      of thoracic scoliosis.

PMID- 26491135
TI  - SF-36 Mental Component Summary (MCS) Score Does Not Predict Functional Outcome
      After Surgery for End-Stage Ankle Arthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mental health status has been shown to influence functional outcome
      in a number of orthopaedic disorders. The purpose of this retrospective cohort
      study was to assess whether a diminished baseline Mental Component Summary (MCS)
      score on the Short Form-36 (SF-36) is predictive of less improvement in the Ankle
      Osteoarthritis Scale (AOS) score at the time of midterm follow-up after
      arthroplasty or arthrodesis for end-stage ankle arthritis. METHODS: Preoperative
      and postoperative patient scores on the SF-36 MCS and AOS questionnaires were
      obtained from the Canadian Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (COFAS) End-Stage
      Ankle Arthritis Database. The relationship between the preoperative MCS score and
      the change in the total AOS score at the time of final follow-up was summarized
      with use of a Pearson correlation coefficient (r). Subgroup analyses according to
      the type of treatment (ankle arthrodesis versus ankle arthroplasty) and
      preoperative MCS score (<50 versus >=50) were conducted. RESULTS: Of an initial
      372 ankles enrolled, 337 (91%, ninety-five arthrodeses and 242 arthroplasties)
      were reviewed after a mean duration of follow-up of 5.2 +/- 1.3 years. Analysis
      revealed no correlation between the preoperative MCS score and the change in the
      AOS score, from the preoperative baseline to either a mean 5.2 years
      postoperatively or two years postoperatively (r < 0.1 in both analyses). There
      was no difference in the change in the AOS score between patients with a
      preoperative MCS score of <50 and those with a preoperative MCS score of >=50.
      CONCLUSIONS: In our study of patients with end-stage ankle arthritis treated with
      arthroplasty or arthrodesis, preoperative mental health status (as measured with
      the MCS score) did not predict functional outcome (as measured by the change in
      the AOS score) at the time of intermediate-term postoperative follow-up. AOS
      scores improved for all patients, regardless of the preoperative MCS score.

PMID- 26491136
TI  - Scapular Winging: Evaluation and Treatment: AAOS Exhibit Selection.
AB  - Scapular winging is a rare, underreported, and debilitating disorder that
      produces abnormal scapulothoracic kinematics, which can lead to shoulder
      weakness, decreased range of motion, and substantial pain. Although there are
      numerous underlying etiologies, injuries to the long thoracic nerve or spinal
      accessory nerve are the most common, with resultant neuromuscular imbalance in
      the scapulothoracic stabilizing muscles. Early diagnosis followed by initiation
      of a treatment algorithm is important for successful outcomes. Most cases resolve
      with nonsurgical management. However, in patients with persistent symptoms
      despite nonsurgical management, appropriate dynamic muscle transfers can
      effectively treat the scapular winging, with good clinical outcomes. 

PMID- 26491137
TI  - The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Evidence-Based Guideline on
      Detection and Nonoperative Management of Pediatric Developmental Dysplasia of the
      Hip in Infants up to Six Months of Age.

PMID- 26491138
TI  - What's New in Shoulder and Elbow Surgery?

PMID- 26491139
TI  - Is It All in the Genes? Commentary on an article by S. Gumina, MD, PhD, et al.:
      "Subacromial Space Width: Does Overuse or Genetics Play a Greater Role in
      Determining It? An MRI Study on Elderly Twins".

PMID- 26491140
TI  - No Bone? No Problem! Is Bone-Grafting at the Time of Revision to a Reverse
      Shoulder Arthroplasty a Reasonable Option? Commentary on an article by Eric
      Wagner, MD, et al.: "Glenoid Bone-Grafting in Revision to a Reverse Total
      Shoulder Arthroplasty".

PMID- 26491141
TI  - A Fresh Look at Soft-Tissue Balancing: Commentary on an article by Joshua D.
      Roth, MS, et al.: "Native Knee Laxities at 0 degrees , 45 degrees , and 90
      degrees  of Flexion and Their Relationship to the Goal of the Gap-Balancing
      Alignment Method of Total Knee Arthroplasty".

PMID- 26491142
TI  - Efficacy of flavonoids in the management of high blood pressure.
AB  - Plant compounds such as flavonoids have been reported to exert beneficial effects
      in cardiovascular disease, including hypertension. Information on the effects of
      isolated individual flavonoids for management of high blood pressure, however, is
      more limited. This review is focused on the flavonoids, as isolated outside of
      the food matrix, from the 5 main subgroups consumed in the Western diet
      (flavones, flavonols, flavanones, flavan-3-ols, and anthocyanins), along with
      their effects on hypertension, including the potential mechanisms for regulating
      blood pressure. Flavonoids from all 5 subgroups have been shown to attenuate a
      rise in or to reduce blood pressure during several pathological conditions
      (hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes mellitus). Flavones, flavonols,
      flavanones, and flavanols were able to modulate blood pressure by restoring
      endothelial function, either directly, by affecting nitric oxide levels, or
      indirectly, through other pathways. Quercetin had the most consistent blood
      pressure-lowering effect in animal and human studies, irrespective of dose,
      duration, or disease status. However, further research on the safety and efficacy
      of the flavonoids is required before any of them can be used by humans,
      presumably in supplement form, at the doses required for therapeutic benefit. 

PMID- 26491143
TI  - Clinical and laboratory characteristics of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) at
      relapse and the risk of acute incapacitation.

PMID- 26491144
TI  - Long-term exposure to diesel engine exhaust induces primary DNA damage: a
      population-based study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Diesel engine exhaust (DEE) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant
      and is carcinogenic to humans. To seek early and sensitive biomarkers for
      prediction of adverse health effects, we analysed the components of DEE
      particles, and examined the genetic and oxidative damages in DEE-exposed workers.
      METHODS: 101 male diesel engine testing workers who were constantly exposed to
      DEE and 106 matched controls were enrolled in the present study. The components
      of DEE were analysed, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), element carbon
      (EC), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons (PAHs). Postshift urine samples were collected and analysed for 1
      hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), an internal exposure marker for DEE. Levels of DNA strand
      breaks and oxidised purines, defined as formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (FPG)
      sites in leucocytes, were measured by medium throughput Comet assay. Urinary 8
      hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) was also used to determine the level of
      oxidative stress. RESULTS: We found higher levels of PM2.5, EC, NO2, SO2 and PAHs
      in the diesel engine testing workshop and significantly higher urinary 1-OHP
      concentrations in exposed subjects (p<0.001). Compared with controls, the levels
      of parameters in normal Comet and FPG-Comet assay were all significantly higher
      in DEE-exposed workers (p<0.001), and in a dose-dependent and time-dependent
      manner. There were no significant differences between DEE-exposed workers and
      controls in regard to leucocyte FPG sensitive sites and urinary 8-OHdG levels.
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that DEE exposure mainly induces DNA damage,
      which might be used as an early biomarker for risk assessment of DEE exposure.

PMID- 26491145
TI  - ABA Regulates Subcellular Redistribution of OsABI-LIKE2, a Negative Regulator in
      ABA Signaling, to Control Root Architecture and Drought Resistance in Oryza
      sativa.
AB  - The phytohormone ABA is a key stress signal in plants. Although the
      identification of ABA receptors led to significant progress in understanding the
      Arabidopsis ABA signaling pathway, there are still many unsolved mysteries
      regarding ABA signaling in monocots, such as rice. Here, we report that a rice
      ortholog of AtABI1 and AtABI2, named OsABI-LIKE2 (OsABIL2), plays a negative role
      in rice ABA signaling. Overexpression of OsABIL2 not only led to ABA
      insensitivity, but also significantly altered plant developmental phenotypes,
      including stomatal density and root architecture, which probably caused the
      hypersensitivity to drought stress. OsABIL2 interacts with OsPYL1, SAPK8 and
      SAPK10 both in vitro and in vivo, and the phosphatase activity of OsABIL2 was
      repressed by ABA-bound OsPYL1. However, unlike many other solely nuclear
      localized clade A type 2C protein phosphatases (PP2Cs), OsABIL2 is localized in
      both the nucleus and cytosol. Furthermore, OsABIL2 interacts with and co
      localized with OsPYL1 mainly in the cytosol, and ABA treatment regulates the
      nucleus-cytosol distribution of OsABIL2, suggesting a different mechanism for the
      activation of ABA signaling. Taken together, this study provides significant
      insights into rice ABA signaling and indicates the important role of OsABIL2 in
      regulating root development. 

PMID- 26491146
TI  - LEAFY COTYLEDON1-CASEIN KINASE I-TCP15-PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR4 Network
      Regulates Somatic Embryogenesis by Regulating Auxin Homeostasis.
AB  - Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is an efficient tool for the propagation of plant
      species and also, a useful model for studying the regulatory networks in embryo
      development. However, the regulatory networks underlying the transition from
      nonembryogenic callus to somatic embryos during SE remain poorly understood.
      Here, we describe an upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) CASEIN KINASE I gene,
      GhCKI, which is a unique key regulatory factor that strongly affects SE.
      Overexpressing GhCKI halted the formation of embryoids and plant regeneration
      because of a block in the transition from nonembryogenic callus to somatic
      embryos. In contrast, defective GhCKI in plants facilitated SE. To better
      understand the mechanism by which GhCKI regulates SE, the regulatory network was
      analyzed. A direct upstream negative regulator protein, cotton LEAFY COTYLEDON1,
      was identified to be targeted to a cis-element, CTTTTC, in the promoter of GhCKI.
      Moreover, GhCKI interacted with and phosphorylated cotton CINCINNATA-like
      TEOSINTE BRANCHED1-CYCLOIDEA-PCF transcription factor15 by coordinately
      regulating the expression of cotton PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR4, finally
      disrupting auxin homeostasis, which led to increased cell proliferation and
      aborted somatic embryo formation in GhCKI-overexpressing somatic cells. Our
      results show a complex process of SE that is negatively regulated by GhCKI
      through a complex regulatory network. 

PMID- 26491147
TI  - Four Isoforms of Arabidopsis 4-Coumarate:CoA Ligase Have Overlapping yet Distinct
      Roles in Phenylpropanoid Metabolism.
AB  - The biosynthesis of lignin, flavonoids, and hydroxycinnamoyl esters share the
      first three enzymatic steps of the phenylpropanoid pathway. The last shared step
      is catalyzed by 4-coumarate:CoA ligase (4CL), which generates p-coumaroyl CoA and
      caffeoyl CoA from their respective acids. Four isoforms of 4CL have been
      identified in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Phylogenetic analysis reveals
      that 4CL1, 4CL2, and 4CL4 are more closely related to each other than to 4CL3,
      suggesting that the two groups may serve different biological functions. Promoter
      GUS analysis shows that 4CL1 and 4CL2 are expressed in lignifying cells. In
      contrast, 4CL3 is expressed in a broad range of cell types, and 4CL3 has acquired
      a distinct role in flavonoid metabolism. Sinapoylmalate, the major
      hydroxycinnamoyl ester found in Arabidopsis, is greatly reduced in the 4cl1 4cl3
      mutant, showing that 4CL1 and 4CL3 function redundantly in its biosynthesis. 4CL1
      accounts for the majority of the total 4CL activity, and loss of 4CL1 leads to
      reduction in lignin content but no growth defect. The 4cl1 4cl2 and 4cl1 4cl2
      4cl3 mutants are both dwarf but do not have further reduced lignin than the 4cl1
      mutant, indicating that either 4CL1 or 4CL2 is required for normal plant growth.
      Although 4CL4 has a limited expression profile, it does make a modest
      contribution to lignin biosynthesis. Together, these data show that the four
      isoforms of 4CL in Arabidopsis have overlapping yet distinct roles in
      phenylpropanoid metabolism.

PMID- 26491148
TI  - Cytomegalovirus-Specific CD4 T Cells Are Cytolytic and Mediate Vaccine
      Protection.
AB  - CD4 T cells provide protection against cytomegalovirus (CMV) and other persistent
      viruses, and the ability to quantify and characterize epitope-specific responses
      is essential to gain a more precise understanding of their effector roles in this
      regard. Here, we report the first two I-A(d)-restricted CD4 T cell responses
      specific for mouse CMV (MCMV) epitopes and use a major histocompatibility complex
      class II (MHC-II) tetramer to characterize their phenotypes and functions. We
      demonstrate that MCMV-specific CD4 T cells can express high levels of granzyme B
      and kill target cells in an epitope- and organ-specific manner. In addition, CD4
      T cell epitope vaccination of immunocompetent mice reduced MCMV replication in
      the same organs where CD4 cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity was observed.
      Together, our studies show that MCMV epitope-specific CD4 T cells have the
      potential to mediate antiviral defense by multiple effector mechanisms in vivo.
      IMPORTANCE: CD4 T cells mediate immune protection by using their T cell receptors
      to recognize specific portions of viral proteins, called epitopes, that are
      presented by major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) molecules on the
      surfaces of professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs). In this study, we
      discovered the first two epitopes derived from mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) that
      are recognized by CD4 T cells in BALB/c mice, a mouse strain commonly used to
      study the pathogenesis of this virus infection. Here, we report the sequences of
      these epitopes, characterize the CD4 T cells that recognize them to fight off
      MCMV infection, and show that we can use the epitopes to vaccinate mice and
      protect against MCMV.

PMID- 26491149
TI  - Defensive Perimeter in the Central Nervous System: Predominance of Astrocytes and
      Astrogliosis during Recovery from Varicella-Zoster Virus Encephalitis.
AB  - Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a highly neurotropic virus that can cause
      infections in both the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system.
      Several studies of VZV reactivation in the peripheral nervous system (herpes
      zoster) have been published, while exceedingly few investigations have been
      carried out in a human brain. Notably, there is no animal model for VZV infection
      of the central nervous system. In this report, we characterized the cellular
      environment in the temporal lobe of a human subject who recovered from focal VZV
      encephalitis. The approach included not only VZV DNA/RNA analyses but also a
      delineation of infected cell types (neurons, microglia, oligodendrocytes, and
      astrocytes). The average VZV genome copy number per cell was 5. Several VZV
      regulatory and structural gene transcripts and products were detected. When
      colocalization studies were performed to determine which cell types harbored the
      viral proteins, the majority of infected cells were astrocytes, including
      aggregates of astrocytes. Evidence of syncytium formation within the aggregates
      included the continuity of cytoplasm positive for the VZV glycoprotein H (gH)
      fusion-complex protein within a cellular profile with as many as 80 distinct
      nuclei. As with other causes of brain injury, these results suggested that
      astrocytes likely formed a defensive perimeter around foci of VZV infection
      (astrogliosis). Because of the rarity of brain samples from living humans with
      VZV encephalitis, we compared our VZV results with those found in a rat
      encephalitis model following infection with the closely related pseudorabies
      virus and observed similar perimeters of gliosis. IMPORTANCE: Investigations of
      VZV-infected human brain from living immunocompetent human subjects are
      exceedingly rare. Therefore, much of our knowledge of VZV neuropathogenesis is
      gained from studies of VZV-infected brains obtained at autopsy from
      immunocompromised patients. These are not optimal samples with which to
      investigate a response by a human host to VZV infection. In this report, we
      examined both flash-frozen and paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed brain tissue of
      an otherwise healthy young male with focal VZV encephalitis, most likely acquired
      from VZV reactivation in the trigeminal ganglion. Of note, the cellular response
      to VZV infection mimicked the response to other causes of trauma to the brain,
      namely, an ingress of astrocytes and astrogliosis around an infectious focus.
      Many of the astrocytes themselves were infected; astrocytes aggregated in
      clusters. We postulate that astrogliosis represents a successful defense
      mechanism by an immunocompetent human host to eliminate VZV reactivation within
      neurons.

PMID- 26491150
TI  - Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Viral Interferon Regulatory Factor 4
      (vIRF4) Perturbs the G1-S Cell Cycle Progression via Deregulation of the cyclin
      D1 Gene.
AB  - Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection modulates the host cell
      cycle to create an environment optimal for its viral-DNA replication during the
      lytic life cycle. We report here that KSHV vIRF4 targets the beta-catenin/CBP
      cofactor and blocks its occupancy on the cyclin D1 promoter, suppressing the G1-S
      cell cycle progression and enhancing KSHV replication. This shows that KSHV vIRF4
      suppresses host G1-S transition, possibly providing an intracellular milieu
      favorable for its replication. 

PMID- 26491152
TI  - Low-Level Expression of the E1B 20-Kilodalton Protein by Adenovirus 14p1 Enhances
      Viral Immunopathogenesis.
AB  - Adenovirus 14p1 (Ad14p1) is an emergent variant of Ad serotype 14 (Ad14) that has
      caused increased severity of respiratory illnesses during globally distributed
      outbreaks, including cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome and death. We
      found that human cell infection with Ad14p1 results in markedly decreased
      expression of the E1B 20-kilodalton (20K) protein compared to that with infection
      with wild-type (wt) Ad14. This reduced Ad14p1 E1B 20K expression caused a loss-of
      function phenotype of Ad-infected cell corpses that, in contrast to cells
      infected with wt Ad14, either failed to repress or increased NF-kappaB-dependent,
      proinflammatory cytokine responses of responder human alveolar macrophages. A
      small-animal model of Ad14-induced lung infection was used to test the
      translational relevance of these in vitro observations. Intratracheal infection
      of Syrian hamsters with Ad14p1 caused a marked, patchy bronchopneumonia, whereas
      hamster infection with wt Ad14 caused minimal peribronchial inflammation. These
      results suggest that this difference in E1B 20K gene expression during Ad14p1
      infection and its modulating effect on the interactions between Ad14-infected
      cells and the host innate immune response could explain the increased
      immunopathogenic potential and associated increase in clinical illness in some
      people infected with the Ad14p1 outbreak strain.IMPORTANCE We previously reported
      that Ad-infected human cells exhibit E1B 19K-dependent repression of virally
      induced, NF-kappaB-dependent macrophage cytokine responses (J. R. Radke, F.
      Grigera, D. S. Ucker, and J. L. Cook, J Virol 88:2658-2669, 2014,
      http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.02372-13). The more virulent, emergent strain of
      Ad14, Ad14p1, causes increased cytopathology in vitro, which suggested a possible
      E1B 20K defect. Whether there is a linkage between these observations was
      unknown. We show that there is markedly reduced expression of E1B 20K in Ad14p1
      infected human cells and that this causes an increased proinflammatory cytokine
      response of human alveolar macrophages and more severe inflammatory lung disease
      in infected hamsters. This is the first evidence of a clinical relevance of
      differential expression of the small Ad E1B gene product. The results suggest
      that there is a low, critical threshold of E1B 19/20K expression that is needed
      for viral replication and infection transmission but that a higher level of E1B
      19/20K expression is required for the usual repression and control of the Ad
      triggered host innate immune response. 

PMID- 26491151
TI  - gammadelta T Cells Play a Protective Role in Chikungunya Virus-Induced Disease.
AB  - Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an alphavirus responsible for causing epidemic
      outbreaks of polyarthralgia in humans. Because CHIKV is initially introduced via
      the skin, where gammadelta T cells are prevalent, we evaluated the response of
      these cells to CHIKV infection. CHIKV infection led to a significant increase in
      gammadelta T cells in the infected foot and draining lymph node that was
      associated with the production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in
      C57BL/6J mice. gammadelta T cell(-/-) mice demonstrated exacerbated CHIKV disease
      characterized by less weight gain and greater foot swelling than occurred in wild
      type mice, as well as a transient increase in monocytes and altered
      cytokine/chemokine expression in the foot. Histologically, gammadelta T cell(-/-)
      mice had increased inflammation-mediated oxidative damage in the ipsilateral foot
      and ankle joint compared to wild-type mice which was independent of differences
      in CHIKV replication. These results suggest that gammadelta T cells play a
      protective role in limiting the CHIKV-induced inflammatory response and
      subsequent tissue and joint damage. IMPORTANCE: Recent epidemics, including the
      2004 to 2007 outbreak and the spread of CHIKV to naive populations in the
      Caribbean and Central and South America with resultant cases imported into the
      United States, have highlighted the capacity of CHIKV to cause explosive
      epidemics where the virus can spread to millions of people and rapidly move into
      new areas. These studies identified gammadelta T cells as important to both
      recruitment of key inflammatory cell populations and dampening the tissue injury
      due to oxidative stress. Given the importance of these cells in the early
      response to CHIKV, this information may inform the development of CHIKV vaccines
      and therapeutics.

PMID- 26491153
TI  - Functional Characterization of Glycoprotein H Chimeras Composed of Conserved
      Domains of the Pseudorabies Virus and Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Homologs.
AB  - Membrane fusion is indispensable for entry of enveloped viruses into host cells.
      The conserved core fusion machinery of the Herpesviridae consists of glycoprotein
      B (gB) and the gH/gL complex. Recently, crystal structures of gH/gL of herpes
      simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) and Epstein-Barr virus and of a core fragment of
      pseudorabies virus (PrV) gH identified four structurally conserved gH domains. To
      investigate functional conservation, chimeric genes encoding combinations of
      individual domains of PrV and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) gH were expressed in
      rabbit kidney cells, and their processing and transport to the cell surface, as
      well as activity in fusion assays including gB, gD, and gL of PrV or HSV-1, were
      analyzed. Chimeric gH containing domain I of HSV-1 and domains II to IV of PrV
      exhibited limited fusion activity in the presence of PrV gB and gD and HSV-1 gL,
      but not of PrV gL. More strikingly, chimeric gH consisting of PrV domains I to
      III and HSV-1 domain IV exhibited considerable fusion activity together with PrV
      gB, gD, and gL. Replacing PrV gB with the HSV-1 protein significantly enhanced
      this activity. A cell line stably expressing this chimeric gH supported
      replication of gH-deleted PrV. Our results confirm the specificity of domain I
      for gL binding, demonstrate functional conservation of domain IV in two
      alphaherpesviruses from different genera, and indicate species-specific
      interactions of this domain with gB. They also suggest that gH domains II and III
      might form a structural and functional unit which does not tolerate major
      substitutions. IMPORTANCE: Envelope glycoprotein H (gH) is essential for
      herpesvirus-induced membrane fusion, which is required for host cell entry and
      viral spread. Although gH is structurally conserved within the Herpesviridae, its
      precise role and its interactions with other components of the viral fusion
      machinery are not fully understood. Chimeric proteins containing domains of gH
      proteins from different herpesviruses can serve as tools to elucidate the
      molecular basis of gH function. The present study shows that the C-terminal part
      of human herpesvirus 1 (herpes simplex virus 1) gH can functionally substitute
      for the corresponding part of suid herpesvirus 1 (pseudorabies virus) gH, whereas
      other tested combinations proved to be nonfunctional. Interestingly, the
      exchangeable fragment included the membrane-proximal end of the gH ectodomain
      (domain IV), which is most conserved in sequence and structure and might be
      capable of transient membrane interaction during fusion.

PMID- 26491154
TI  - Growth and Pathogenic Potential of Naturally Selected Reassortants after
      Coinfection with Pandemic H1N1 and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1
      Viruses.
AB  - Coinfection of ferrets with H5N1 and pH1N1 viruses resulted in two predominate
      genotypes in the lungs containing surface genes of highly pathogenic avian
      influenza H5N1 virus in the backbone of pandemic H1N1 2009 (pH1N1). Compared to
      parental strains, these reassortants exhibited increased growth and virulence in
      vitro and in mice but failed to be transmitted indirectly to naive contact
      ferrets. Thus, this demonstrates a possible natural reassortment following
      coinfection as well as the pathogenicity of the potential reassortants. 

PMID- 26491155
TI  - Identification of a Novel Viral Protein Expressed from the PB2 Segment of
      Influenza A Virus.
AB  - Over the past 2 decades, several novel influenza virus proteins have been
      identified that modulate viral infections in vitro and/or in vivo. The PB2
      segment, which is one of the longest influenza A virus segments, is known to
      encode only one viral protein, PB2. In the present study, we used reverse
      transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) targeting viral mRNAs transcribed from the PB2 segment
      to look for novel viral proteins encoded by spliced mRNAs. We identified a new
      viral protein, PB2-S1, encoded by a novel spliced mRNA in which the region
      corresponding to nucleotides 1513 to 1894 of the PB2 mRNA is deleted. PB2-S1 was
      detected in virus-infected cells and in cells transfected with a protein
      expression plasmid encoding PB2. PB2-S1 localized to mitochondria, inhibited the
      RIG-I-dependent interferon signaling pathway, and interfered with viral
      polymerase activity (dependent on its PB1-binding capability). The nucleotide
      sequences around the splicing donor and acceptor sites for PB2-S1 were highly
      conserved among pre-2009 human H1N1 viruses but not among human H1N1pdm and H3N2
      viruses. PB2-S1-deficient viruses, however, showed growth kinetics in MDCK cells
      and virulence in mice similar to those of wild-type virus. The biological
      significance of PB2-S1 to the replication and pathogenicity of seasonal H1N1
      influenza A viruses warrants further investigation. IMPORTANCE: Transcriptome
      analysis of cells infected with influenza A virus has improved our understanding
      of the host response to viral infection, because such analysis yields
      considerable information about both in vitro and in vivo viral infections.
      However, little attention has been paid to transcriptomes derived from the viral
      genome. Here we focused on the splicing of mRNA expressed from the PB2 segment
      and identified a spliced viral mRNA encoding a novel viral protein. This result
      suggests that other, as yet unidentified viral proteins encoded by spliced mRNAs
      could be expressed in virus-infected cells. A viral transcriptome including the
      viral spliceosome should be evaluated to gain new insights into influenza virus
      infection.

PMID- 26491156
TI  - Development and Characterization of a Guinea Pig-Adapted Sudan Virus.
AB  - Infections with Sudan virus (SUDV), a member of the genus Ebolavirus, result in a
      severe hemorrhagic fever with a fatal outcome in over 50% of human cases. The
      paucity of prophylactics and therapeutics against SUDV is attributed to the lack
      of a small-animal model to screen promising compounds. By repeatedly passaging
      SUDV within the livers and spleens of guinea pigs in vivo, a guinea pig-adapted
      SUDV variant (SUDV-GA) uniformly lethal to these animals, with a 50% lethal dose
      (LD50) of 5.3 * 10(-2) 50% tissue culture infective doses (TCID50), was
      developed. Animals infected with SUDV-GA developed high viremia and died between
      9 and 14 days postinfection. Several hallmarks of SUDV infection, including
      lymphadenopathy, increased liver enzyme activities, and coagulation
      abnormalities, were observed. Virological analyses and gross pathology,
      histopathology, and immunohistochemistry findings indicate that SUDV-GA
      replicates in the livers and spleens of infected animals similarly to SUDV
      infections in nonhuman primates. These developments will accelerate the
      development of specific medical countermeasures in preparation for a future
      disease outbreak due to SUDV. IMPORTANCE: A disease outbreak due to Ebola virus
      (EBOV), suspected to have emerged during December 2013 in Guinea, with over
      11,000 dead and 28,000 infected, is finally winding down. Experimental EBOV
      vaccines and treatments were administered to patients under compassionate
      circumstances with promising results, and availability of an approved
      countermeasure appears to be close. However, the same range of experimental
      candidates against a potential disease outbreak caused by other members of the
      genus Ebolavirus, such as Sudan virus (SUDV), is not readily available. One
      bottleneck contributing to this situation is the lack of a small-animal model to
      screen promising drugs in an efficient and economical manner. To address this, we
      have generated a SUDV variant (SUDV-GA) that is uniformly lethal to guinea pigs.
      Animals infected with SUDV-GA develop disease similar to that of SUDV-infected
      humans and monkeys. We believe that this model will significantly accelerate the
      development of life-saving measures against SUDV infections.

PMID- 26491157
TI  - Structure/Function Studies Involving the V3 Region of the HIV-1 Envelope
      Delineate Multiple Factors That Affect Neutralization Sensitivity.
AB  - Antibodies (Abs) specific for the V3 loop of the HIV-1 gp120 envelope neutralize
      most tier 1 and many tier 2 viruses and are present in essentially all HIV
      infected individuals as well as immunized humans and animals. Vaccine-induced V3
      Abs are associated with reduced HIV infection rates in humans and affect the
      nature of transmitted viruses in infected vaccinees, despite the fact that V3 is
      often occluded in the envelope trimer. Here, we link structural and experimental
      data showing how conformational alterations of the envelope trimer render viruses
      exceptionally sensitive to V3 Abs. The experiments interrogated the
      neutralization sensitivity of pseudoviruses with single amino acid mutations in
      various regions of gp120 that were predicted to alter packing of the V3 loop in
      the Env trimer. The results indicate that the V3 loop is metastable in the
      envelope trimer on the virion surface, flickering between states in which V3 is
      either occluded or available for binding to chemokine receptors (leading to
      infection) and to V3 Abs (leading to virus neutralization). The spring-loaded V3
      in the envelope trimer is easily released by disruption of the stability of the
      V3 pocket in the unliganded trimer or disruption of favorable V3/pocket
      interactions. Formation of the V3 pocket requires appropriate positioning of the
      V1V2 domain, which is, in turn, dependent on the conformation of the bridging
      sheet and on the stability of the V1V2 B-C strand-connecting loop. IMPORTANCE:
      The levels of antibodies to the third variable region (V3) of the HIV envelope
      protein correlate with reduced HIV infection rates. Previous studies showed that
      V3 is often occluded, as it sits in a pocket of the envelope trimer on the
      surface of virions; however, the trimer is flexible, allowing occluded portions
      of the envelope (like V3) to flicker into an exposed position that binds
      antibodies. Here we provide a systematic interrogation of mechanisms by which
      single amino acid changes in various regions of gp120 (i) render viruses
      sensitive to neutralization by V3 antibodies, (ii) result in altered packing of
      the V3 loop, and (iii) activate an open conformation that exposes V3 to the
      effects of V3 Abs. Taken together, these and previous studies explain how V3
      antibodies can protect against HIV-1 infection and why they should be one of the
      targets of vaccine-induced antibodies.

PMID- 26491158
TI  - A Unique Multibasic Proteolytic Cleavage Site and Three Mutations in the HA2
      Domain Confer High Virulence of H7N1 Avian Influenza Virus in Chickens.
AB  - In 1999, after circulation for a few months in poultry in Italy, low-pathogenic
      (LP) avian influenza (AI) H7N1 virus mutated into a highly pathogenic (HP) form
      by acquisition of a unique multibasic cleavage site (mCS), PEIPKGSRVRR*GLF
      (asterisk indicates the cleavage site), in the hemagglutinin (HA) and additional
      alterations with hitherto unknown biological function. To elucidate these
      virulence-determining alterations, recombinant H7N1 viruses carrying specific
      mutations in the HA of LPAI A/chicken/Italy/473/1999 virus (Lp) and HPAI
      A/chicken/Italy/445/1999 virus (Hp) were generated. Hp with a monobasic CS or
      carrying the HA of Lp induced only mild or no disease in chickens, thus
      resembling Lp. Conversely, Lp with the HA of Hp was as virulent and transmissible
      as Hp. While Lp with a multibasic cleavage site (Lp_CS445) was less virulent than
      Hp, full virulence was exhibited when HA2 was replaced by that of Hp. In HA2,
      three amino acid differences consistently detected between LP and HP H7N1 viruses
      were successively introduced into Lp_CS445. Q450L in the HA2 stem domain
      increased virulence and transmission but was detrimental to replication in cell
      culture, probably due to low-pH activation of HA. A436T and/or K536R restored
      viral replication in vitro and in vivo. Viruses possessing A436T and K536R were
      observed early in the HPAI outbreak but were later superseded by viruses carrying
      all three mutations. Together, besides the mCS, stepwise mutations in HA2
      increased the fitness of the Italian H7N1 virus in vivo. The shift toward higher
      virulence in the field was most likely gradual with rapid optimization.
      IMPORTANCE: In 1999, after 9 months of circulation of low-pathogenic (LP) avian
      influenza virus (AIV), a devastating highly pathogenic (HP) H7N1 AIV emerged in
      poultry, marking the largest epidemic of AIV reported in a Western country. The
      HPAIV possessed a unique multibasic cleavage site (mCS) complying with the
      minimum motif for HPAIV. The main finding in this report is the identification of
      three mutations in the HA2 domain that are required for replication and
      stability, as well as for virulence, transmission, and tropism of H7N1 in
      chickens. In addition to the mCS, Q450L was required for full virulence and
      transmissibility of the virus. Nonetheless, it was detrimental to virus
      replication and required A436T and/or K536R to restore replication, systemic
      spread, and stability. These results are important for better understanding of
      the evolution of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses from low-pathogenic
      precursors.

PMID- 26491159
TI  - Characterization of a Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) Chimera in Which the Us3
      Protein Kinase Gene Is Replaced with the HSV-2 Us3 Gene.
AB  - Us3 protein kinases encoded by herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and 2 (HSV-2) play
      important roles in viral replication and pathogenicity. To investigate type
      specific differences between HSV-1 Us3 and HSV-2 Us3 in cells infected by viruses
      with all the same viral gene products except for their Us3 kinases, we
      constructed and characterized a recombinant HSV-1 in which its Us3 gene was
      replaced with the HSV-2 Us3 gene. Replacement of HSV-1 Us3 with HSV-2 Us3 had no
      apparent effect on viral growth in cell cultures or on the range of proteins
      phosphorylated by Us3. HSV-2 Us3 efficiently compensated for HSV-1 Us3 functions,
      including blocking apoptosis, controlling infected cell morphology, and
      downregulating cell surface expression of viral envelope glycoprotein B. In
      contrast, replacement of HSV-1 Us3 by HSV-2 Us3 changed the phosphorylation
      status of UL31 and UL34, which are critical viral regulators of nuclear egress.
      It also caused aberrant localization of these viral proteins and aberrant
      accumulation of primary enveloped virions in membranous vesicle structures
      adjacent to the nuclear membrane, and it reduced viral cell-cell spread in cell
      cultures and pathogenesis in mice. These results clearly demonstrated biological
      differences between HSV-1 Us3 and HSV-2 Us3, especially in regulation of viral
      nuclear egress and phosphorylation of viral regulators critical for this process.
      Our study also suggested that the regulatory role(s) of HSV-1 Us3, which was not
      carried out by HSV-2 Us3, was important for HSV-1 cell-cell spread and
      pathogenesis in vivo. IMPORTANCE: A previous study comparing the phenotypes of
      HSV-1 and HSV-2 suggested that the HSV-2 Us3 kinase lacked some of the functions
      of HSV-1 Us3 kinase. The difference between HSV-1 and HSV-2 Us3 kinases appeared
      to be due to the fact that some Us3 phosphorylation sites in HSV-1 proteins are
      not conserved in the corresponding HSV-2 proteins. Therefore, we generated
      recombinant HSV-1 strains YK781 (Us3-chimera) with HSV-2 Us3 and its repaired
      virus YK783 (Us3-repair) with HSV-1 Us3, to compare the activities of HSV-1 Us3
      and HSV-2 Us3 in cells infected by viruses with the same HSV-1 gene products
      except for their Us3 kinases. We report here that some processes in viral nuclear
      egress and pathogenesis in vivo that have been attributed to HSV-1 Us3 could not
      be carried out by HSV-2 Us3. Therefore, our study clarified the biological
      differences between HSV-1 Us3 and HSV-2 Us3, which may be relevant to viral
      pathogenesis in vivo.

PMID- 26491160
TI  - Induction of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus-Encoded Viral Interleukin-6
      by X-Box Binding Protein 1.
AB  - Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the causative agent for Kaposi
      sarcoma (KS), primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), and a subset of multicentric
      Castleman disease (MCD). The KSHV life cycle has two principal gene repertoires,
      latent and lytic. KSHV viral interleukin-6 (vIL-6), an analog of human IL-6, is
      usually lytic; production of vIL-6 by involved plasmablasts is a central feature
      of KSHV-MCD. vIL-6 also plays a role in PEL and KS. We show that a number of
      plasmablasts from lymph nodes of patients with KSHV-MCD express vIL-6 but not
      ORF45, a KSHV lytic gene. We further show that vIL-6 is directly induced by the
      spliced (active) X-box binding protein-1 (XBP-1s), a transcription factor
      activated by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and differentiation of B cells in
      lymph nodes. The promoter region of vIL-6 contains several potential XBP-response
      elements (XREs), and two of these elements in particular mediate the effect of
      XBP-1s. Mutation of these elements abrogates the response to XBP-1s but not to
      the KSHV replication and transcription activator (RTA). Also, XBP-1s binds to the
      vIL-6 promoter in the region of these XREs. Exposure of PEL cells to a chemical
      inducer of XBP-1s can induce vIL-6. Patient-derived PEL tumor cells that produce
      vIL-6 frequently coexpress XBP-1, and immunofluorescence staining of involved
      KSHV-MCD lymph nodes reveals that most plasmablasts expressing vIL-6 also
      coexpress XBP-1. These results provide evidence that XBP-1s is a direct activator
      of KSHV vIL-6 and that this is an important step in the pathogenesis of KSHV-MCD
      and PEL. IMPORTANCE: Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV)-associated multicentric
      Castleman disease (KSHV-MCD) is characterized by severe inflammatory symptoms
      caused by an excess of cytokines, particularly KSHV-encoded viral interleukin-6
      (vIL-6) produced by lymph node plasmablasts. vIL-6 is usually a lytic gene. We
      show that a number of KSHV-MCD lymph node plasmablasts express vIL-6 but do not
      have full lytic KSHV replication. Differentiating lymph node B cells express
      spliced (active) X-box binding protein-1 (XBP-1s). We show that XBP-1s binds to
      the promoter of vIL-6 and can directly induce production of vIL-6 through X-box
      protein response elements on the vIL-6 promoter region. We further show that
      chemical inducers of XBP-1s can upregulate production of vIL-6. Finally, we show
      that most vIL-6-producing plasmablasts from lymph nodes of KSHV-MCD patients
      coexpress XBP-1s. These results demonstrate that XBP-1s can directly induce vIL-6
      and provide evidence that this is a key step in the pathogenesis of KSHV-MCD and
      other KSHV-induced diseases.

PMID- 26491161
TI  - A Naturally Occurring Domestic Cat APOBEC3 Variant Confers Resistance to Feline
      Immunodeficiency Virus Infection.
AB  - Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3; A3)
      DNA cytosine deaminases can be incorporated into progeny virions and inhibit
      lentiviral replication. On the other hand, viral infectivity factor (Vif) of
      lentiviruses antagonizes A3-mediated antiviral activities by degrading A3
      proteins. It is known that domestic cat (Felis catus) APOBEC3Z3 (A3Z3), the
      ortholog of human APOBEC3H, potently suppresses the infectivity of vif-defective
      feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Although a recent report has shown that
      domestic cat encodes 7 haplotypes (hap I to hap VII) of A3Z3, the relevance of
      A3Z3 polymorphism in domestic cats with FIV Vif has not yet been addressed. In
      this study, we demonstrated that these feline A3Z3 variants suppress vif
      defective FIV infectivity. We also revealed that codon 65 of feline A3Z3 is a
      positively selected site and that A3Z3 hap V is subject to positive selection
      during evolution. It is particularly noteworthy that feline A3Z3 hap V is
      resistant to FIV Vif-mediated degradation and still inhibits vif-proficient viral
      infection. Moreover, the side chain size, but not the hydrophobicity, of the
      amino acid at position 65 determines the resistance to FIV Vif-mediated
      degradation. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses have led to the inference that
      feline A3Z3 hap V emerged approximately 60,000 years ago. Taken together, these
      findings suggest that feline A3Z3 hap V may have been selected for escape from an
      ancestral FIV. This is the first evidence for an evolutionary "arms race" between
      the domestic cat and its cognate lentivirus. IMPORTANCE: Gene diversity and
      selective pressure are intriguing topics in the field of evolutionary biology. A
      direct interaction between a cellular protein and a viral protein can precipitate
      an evolutionary arms race between host and virus. One example is primate
      APOBEC3G, which potently restricts the replication of primate lentiviruses (e.g.,
      human immunodeficiency virus type 1 [HIV-1] and simian immunodeficiency virus
      [SIV]) if its activity is not counteracted by the viral Vif protein. Here we
      investigate the ability of 7 naturally occurring variants of feline APOBEC3,
      APOBEC3Z3 (A3Z3), to inhibit FIV replication. Interestingly, one feline A3Z3
      variant is dominant, restrictive, and naturally resistant to FIV Vif-mediated
      degradation. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the ancestral change that
      generated this variant could have been caused by positive Darwinian selection,
      presumably due to an ancestral FIV infection. The experimental-phylogenetic
      investigation sheds light on the evolutionary history of the domestic cat, which
      was likely influenced by lentiviral infection.

PMID- 26491162
TI  - Hepatocyte Heparan Sulfate Is Required for Adeno-Associated Virus 2 but
      Dispensable for Adenovirus 5 Liver Transduction In Vivo.
AB  - Adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) and adenovirus 5 (Ad5) are promising gene therapy
      vectors. Both display liver tropism and are currently thought to enter
      hepatocytes in vivo through cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs).
      To test directly this hypothesis, we created mice that lack Ext1, an enzyme
      required for heparan sulfate biosynthesis, in hepatocytes. Ext1(HEP) mutant mice
      exhibit an 8-fold reduction of heparan sulfate in primary hepatocytes and a 5
      fold reduction of heparan sulfate in whole liver tissue. Conditional hepatocyte
      Ext1 gene deletion greatly reduced AAV2 liver transduction following intravenous
      injection. Ad5 transduction requires blood coagulation factor X (FX); FX binds to
      the Ad5 capsid hexon protein and bridges the virus to HSPGs on the cell surface.
      Ad5.FX transduction was abrogated in primary hepatocytes from Ext1(HEP) mice.
      However, in contrast to the case with AAV2, Ad5 transduction was not
      significantly reduced in the livers of Ext1(HEP) mice. FX remained essential for
      Ad5 transduction in vivo in Ext1(HEP) mice. We conclude that while AAV2 requires
      HSPGs for entry into mouse hepatocytes, HSPGs are dispensable for Ad5 hepatocyte
      transduction in vivo. This study reopens the question of how adenovirus enters
      cells in vivo. IMPORTANCE: Our understanding of how viruses enter cells, and how
      they can be used as therapeutic vectors to manage disease, begins with
      identification of the cell surface receptors to which viruses bind and which
      mediate viral entry. Both adeno-associated virus 2 and adenovirus 5 are currently
      thought to enter hepatocytes in vivo through heparan sulfate proteoglycans
      (HSPGs). However, direct evidence for these conclusions is lacking. Experiments
      presented herein, in which hepatic heparan sulfate synthesis was genetically
      abolished, demonstrated that HSPGs are not likely to function as hepatocyte Ad5
      receptors in vivo. The data also demonstrate that HSPGs are required for
      hepatocyte transduction by AAV2. These results reopen the question of the
      identity of the Ad5 receptor in vivo and emphasize the necessity of demonstrating
      the nature of the receptor by genetic means, both for understanding Ad5 entry
      into cells in vivo and for optimization of Ad5 vectors as therapeutic agents.

PMID- 26491163
TI  - A Single Maturation Cleavage Site in Adenovirus Impacts Cell Entry and Capsid
      Assembly.
AB  - Proteolytic maturation drives the conversion of stable, immature virus particles
      to a mature, metastable state primed for cell infection. In the case of human
      adenovirus, this proteolytic cleavage is mediated by the virally encoded protease
      AVP. Protein VI, an internal capsid cement protein and substrate for AVP, is
      cleaved at two sites, one of which is near the N terminus of the protein. In
      mature capsids, the 33 residues at the N terminus of protein VI (pVIn) are
      sequestered inside the cavity formed by peripentonal hexon trimers at the 5-fold
      vertex. Here, we describe a glycine-to-alanine mutation in the N-terminal
      cleavage site of protein VI that profoundly impacts proteolytic processing, the
      generation of infectious particles, and cell entry. The phenotypic effects
      associated with this mutant provide a mechanistic framework for understanding the
      multifunctional nature of protein VI. Based on our findings, we propose that the
      primary function of the pVIn peptide is to mediate interactions between protein
      VI and hexon during virus replication, driving hexon nuclear accumulation and
      particle assembly. Once particles are assembled, AVP-mediated cleavage
      facilitates the release of the membrane lytic region at the amino terminus of
      mature VI, allowing it to lyse the endosome during cell infection. These findings
      highlight the importance of a single maturation cleavage site for both infectious
      particle production and cell entry and emphasize the exquisite spatiotemporal
      regulation governing adenovirus assembly and disassembly. IMPORTANCE:
      Postassembly virus maturation is a cornerstone principle in virology. However, a
      mechanistic understanding of how icosahedral viruses utilize this process to
      transform immature capsids into infection-competent particles is largely lacking.
      Adenovirus maturation involves proteolytic processing of seven precursor
      proteins. There is currently no information for the role of each independent
      cleavage event in the generation of infectious virions. To address this, we
      investigated the proteolytic maturation of one adenovirus precursor molecule,
      protein VI. Structurally, protein VI cements the outer capsid shell and links it
      to the viral core. Functionally, protein VI is involved in endosome disruption,
      subcellular trafficking, transcription activation, and virus assembly. Our
      studies demonstrate that the multifunctional nature of protein VI is largely
      linked to its maturation. Through mutational analysis, we show that disrupting
      the N-terminal cleavage of preprotein VI has major deleterious effects on the
      assembly of infectious virions and their subsequent ability to infect host cells.

PMID- 26491164
TI  - Baculovirus Inhibitor-of-Apoptosis Op-IAP3 Blocks Apoptosis by Interaction with
      and Stabilization of a Host Insect Cellular IAP.
AB  - Baculovirus-encoded inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins likely evolved from
      their host cell IAP homologs, which function as critical regulators of cell
      death. Despite their striking relatedness to cellular IAPs, including the
      conservation of two baculovirus IAP repeat (BIR) domains and a C-terminal RING,
      viral IAPs use an unresolved mechanism to suppress apoptosis in insects. To
      define this mechanism, we investigated Op-IAP3, the prototypical IAP from
      baculovirus OpMNPV. We found that Op-IAP3 forms a stable complex with SfIAP, the
      native, short-lived IAP of host insect Spodoptera frugiperda. Long-lived Op-IAP3
      prevented virus-induced SfIAP degradation, which normally causes caspase
      activation and apoptosis. In uninfected cells, Op-IAP3 also increased SfIAP
      steady-state levels and extended SfIAP's half-life. Conversely, SfIAP
      stabilization was lost or reversed in the presence of mutated Op-IAP3 that was
      engineered for reduced stability. Thus, Op-IAP3 stabilizes SfIAP and preserves
      its antiapoptotic function. In contrast to SfIAP, Op-IAP3 failed to bind or
      inhibit native Spodoptera caspases. Furthermore, BIR mutations that abrogate
      binding of well-conserved IAP antagonists did not affect Op-IAP3's capacity to
      prevent virus-induced apoptosis. Remarkably, Op-IAP3 also failed to prevent
      apoptosis when endogenous SfIAP was ablated by RNA silencing. Thus, Op-IAP3
      requires SfIAP as a cofactor. Our findings suggest a new model wherein Op-IAP3
      interacts directly with SfIAP to maintain its intracellular level, thereby
      suppressing virus-induced apoptosis indirectly. Consistent with this model, Op
      IAP3 has evolved an intrinsic stability that may serve to repress signal-induced
      turnover and autoubiquitination when bound to its targeted cellular IAP.
      IMPORTANCE: The IAPs were first discovered in baculoviruses because of their
      potency for preventing apoptosis. However, the antiapoptotic mechanism of viral
      IAPs in host insects has been elusive. We show here that the prototypical viral
      IAP, Op-IAP3, blocks apoptosis indirectly by associating with unstable,
      autoubiquitinating host IAP in such a way that cellular IAP levels and
      antiapoptotic activities are maintained. This mechanism explains Op-IAP3's
      requirement for native cellular IAP as a cofactor and the dispensability of
      caspase inhibition. Viral IAP-mediated preservation of the host IAP homolog
      capitalizes on normal IAP-IAP interactions and is likely the result of viral IAP
      evolution in which degron-mediated destabilization and ubiquitination potential
      have been reduced. This mechanism illustrates another novel means by which DNA
      viruses incorporate host death regulators that are modified for resistance to
      host regulatory controls for the purpose of suppressing host cell apoptosis and
      acquiring replication advantages.

PMID- 26491165
TI  - Intricate Roles of Mammalian Sirtuins in Defense against Viral Pathogens.
AB  - For a number of years, sirtuin enzymes have been appreciated as effective
      "sensors" of the cellular environment to rapidly transmit information to diverse
      cellular pathways. Much effort was placed into exploring their roles in human
      cancers and aging. However, a growing body of literature brings these enzymes to
      the spotlight in the field of virology. Here, we discuss sirtuin functions in the
      context of viral infection, which provide regulatory points for therapeutic
      intervention against pathogens. 

PMID- 26491166
TI  - RNA Silencing May Play a Role in but Is Not the Only Determinant of the
      Multiplicity of Infection.
AB  - The multiplicity of infection (MOI), i.e., the number of viral genomes that
      infect a cell, is an important parameter in virus evolution, which for each virus
      and environment may have an optimum value that maximizes virus fitness. Thus, the
      MOI might be controlled by virus functions, an underexplored hypothesis in
      eukaryote-infecting viruses. To analyze if the MOI is controlled by virus
      functions, we estimated the MOI in plants coinfected by two genetic variants of
      Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV); by TBSV and a TBSV-derived defective interfering
      RNA (DI-RNA); or by TBSV and a second tombusvirus, Cymbidium ringspot virus
      (CymRSV). The MOI was significantly larger in TBSV-CymRSV coinfections (~4.0)
      than in TBSV-TBSV or TBSV-DI-RNA coinfections (~1.7 to 2.2). Coinfections by
      CymRSV or TBSV with chimeras in which an open reading frame (ORF) of one virus
      species was replaced by that of the other identified a role of viral proteins in
      determining the MOI, which ranged from 1.6 to 3.9 depending on the coinfecting
      genotypes. However, no virus-encoded protein or genomic region was the sole MOI
      determinant. Coinfections by CymRSV and TBSV mutants in which the expression of
      the gene-silencing suppressor protein p19 was abolished also showed a possible
      role of gene silencing in MOI determination. Taken together, these results
      demonstrate that the MOI is a quantitative trait showing continuous variation and
      that as such it has a complex determination involving different virus-encoded
      functions. IMPORTANCE: The number of viral genomes infecting a cell, or the
      multiplicity of infection (MOI), is an important parameter in virus evolution
      affecting recombination rates, selection intensity on viral genes, evolution of
      multipartite genomes, or hyperparasitism by satellites or defective interfering
      particles. For each virus and environment, the MOI may have an optimum value that
      maximizes virus fitness, but little is known about MOI control in eukaryote
      infecting viruses. We show here that in plants coinfected by two genotypes of
      Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV), the MOI was lower than in plants coinfected by
      TBSV and Cymbidium ringspot virus (CymRSV). Coinfections by CymRSV or TBSV with
      TBSV-CymRSV chimeras showed a role of viral proteins in MOI determination.
      Coinfections by CymRSV and TBSV mutants not expressing the gene-silencing
      suppressor protein also showed a role of gene silencing in MOI determination. The
      results demonstrate that the MOI is a quantitative trait with a complex
      determination involving different viral functions.

PMID- 26491167
TI  - Divergent Viruses Discovered in Arthropods and Vertebrates Revise the
      Evolutionary History of the Flaviviridae and Related Viruses.
AB  - Viruses of the family Flaviviridae are important pathogens of humans and other
      animals and are currently classified into four genera. To better understand their
      diversity, evolutionary history, and genomic flexibility, we used transcriptome
      sequencing (RNA-seq) to search for the viruses related to the Flaviviridae in a
      range of potential invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. Accordingly, we recovered
      the full genomes of five segmented jingmenviruses and 12 distant relatives of the
      known Flaviviridae ("flavi-like" viruses) from a range of arthropod species.
      Although these viruses are highly divergent, they share a similar genomic plan
      and common ancestry with the Flaviviridae in the NS3 and NS5 regions. Remarkably,
      although these viruses fill in major gaps in the phylogenetic diversity of the
      Flaviviridae, genomic comparisons reveal important changes in genome structure,
      genome size, and replication/gene regulation strategy during evolutionary
      history. In addition, the wide diversity of flavi-like viruses found in
      invertebrates, as well as their deep phylogenetic positions, suggests that they
      may represent the ancestral forms from which the vertebrate-infecting viruses
      evolved. For the vertebrate viruses, we expanded the previously mammal-only
      pegivirus-hepacivirus group to include a virus from the graceful catshark
      (Proscyllium habereri), which in turn implies that these viruses possess a larger
      host range than is currently known. In sum, our data show that the Flaviviridae
      infect a far wider range of hosts and exhibit greater diversity in genome
      structure than previously anticipated. IMPORTANCE: The family Flaviviridae of RNA
      viruses contains several notorious human pathogens, including dengue virus, West
      Nile virus, and hepatitis C virus. To date, however, our understanding of the
      biodiversity and evolution of the Flaviviridae has largely been directed toward
      vertebrate hosts and their blood-feeding arthropod vectors. Therefore, we
      investigated an expanded group of potential arthropod and vertebrate host species
      that have generally been ignored by surveillance programs. Remarkably, these
      species contained diverse flaviviruses and related viruses that are characterized
      by major changes in genome size and genome structure, such that these traits are
      more flexible than previously thought. More generally, these data suggest that
      arthropods may be the ultimate reservoir of the Flaviviridae and related viruses,
      harboring considerable genetic and phenotypic diversity. In sum, this study
      revises the traditional view on the evolutionary history, host range, and genomic
      structures of a major group of RNA viruses.

PMID- 26491168
TI  - Targeting Swine Leukocyte Antigen Class I Molecules for Proteasomal Degradation
      by the nsp1alpha Replicase Protein of the Chinese Highly Pathogenic Porcine
      Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Strain JXwn06.
AB  - Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a critical
      pathogen of swine, and infections by this virus often result in delayed, low
      level induction of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses in pigs. Here, we
      report that a Chinese highly pathogenic PRRSV strain possessed the ability to
      downregulate swine leukocyte antigen class I (SLA-I) molecules on the cell
      surface of porcine alveolar macrophages and target them for degradation in a
      manner that was dependent on the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Moreover, we found
      that the nsp1alpha replicase protein contributed to this property of PRRSV.
      Further mutagenesis analyses revealed that this function of nsp1alpha required
      the intact molecule, including the zinc finger domain, but not the cysteine
      protease activity. More importantly, we found that nsp1alpha was able to interact
      with both chains of SLA-I, a requirement that is commonly needed for many viral
      proteins to target their cellular substrates for proteasomal degradation.
      Together, our findings provide critical insights into the mechanisms of how PRRSV
      might evade cellular immunity and also add a new role for nsp1alpha in PRRSV
      infection. IMPORTANCE: PRRSV infections often result in delayed, low-level
      induction of CTL responses in pigs. Deregulation of this immunity is thought to
      prevent the virus from clearance in an efficient and timely manner, contributing
      to persistent infections in swineherds. Our studies in this report provide
      critical insight into the mechanism of how PRRSV might evade CTL responses. In
      addition, our findings add a new role for nsp1alpha, a critical viral factor
      involved in antagonizing host innate immunity.

PMID- 26491169
TI  - Interferon Kappa Inhibits Human Papillomavirus 31 Transcription by Inducing Sp100
      Proteins.
AB  - High-risk human papillomaviruses (hr-HPV) establish persistent infections in
      keratinocytes, which can lead to cancer of the anogenital tract. Interferons
      (IFNs) are a family of secreted cytokines that induce IFN-stimulated genes
      (ISGs), many of which display antiviral activities. Transcriptome studies have
      indicated that established hr-HPV-positive cell lines display a reduced
      expression of ISGs, which correlates with decreased levels of interferon kappa
      (IFN-kappa), a type I IFN constitutively expressed in keratinocytes. Prior
      studies have also suggested that IFN-beta has anti-hr-HPV activity but the
      underlying mechanisms are not well understood. The downregulation of IFN-kappa by
      hr-HPV raises the possibility that IFN-kappa has anti-HPV activity. Using
      doxycycline-inducible IFN-kappa expression in CIN612-9E cells, which maintain
      extrachromosomally replicating HPV31 genomes, we demonstrated that IFN-kappa
      inhibits the growth of these cells and reduces viral transcription and
      replication. Interestingly, the initiation of viral early transcription was
      already inhibited at 4 to 6 h after IFN-kappa expression. This was also observed
      with recombinant IFN-beta, suggesting a common mechanism of IFNs. Transcriptome
      sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis identified 1,367 IFN-kappa-regulated genes, of
      which 221 were modulated >2-fold. The majority of those (71%) matched known ISGs,
      confirming that IFN-kappa acts as a bona fide type I IFN in hr-HPV-positive
      keratinocytes. RNA interference (RNAi) and cotransfection experiments indicated
      that the inhibition of viral transcription is mainly due to the induction of
      Sp100 proteins by IFN-kappa. Consistent with published data showing that Sp100
      acts as a restriction factor for HPV18 infection, our results suggest that hr-HPV
      target IFN-kappa to prevent Sp100 expression and identify Sp100 as an ISG with
      anti-HPV activity. IMPORTANCE: High-risk HPV can establish persistent infections
      which may progress to anogenital cancers. hr-HPV interfere with the expression of
      interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes (ISGs), which is due to reduced levels of IFN
      kappa, an IFN that is constitutively expressed in human keratinocytes. This study
      reveals that IFN-kappa rapidly inhibits HPV transcription and that this is due to
      the induction of Sp100 proteins. Thus, Sp100 represents an ISG for hr-HPV.

PMID- 26491170
TI  - Viral DNA-Dependent Induction of Innate Immune Response to Hepatitis B Virus in
      Immortalized Mouse Hepatocytes.
AB  - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and
      causes acute and chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV
      is an enveloped virus with a relaxed circular (RC) DNA genome. In the nuclei of
      infected human hepatocytes, conversion of RC DNA from the incoming virion or
      cytoplasmic mature nucleocapsid (NC) to the covalently closed circular (CCC) DNA,
      which serves as the template for producing all viral transcripts, is essential to
      establish and sustain viral replication. A prerequisite for CCC DNA formation is
      the uncoating (disassembly) of NCs to expose their RC DNA content for conversion
      to CCC DNA. We report here that in an immortalized mouse hepatocyte cell line,
      AML12HBV10, in which RC DNA exposure is enhanced, the exposed viral DNA could
      trigger an innate immune response that was able to modulate viral gene expression
      and replication. When viral gene expression and replication were low, the innate
      response initially stimulated these processes but subsequently acted to shut off
      viral gene expression and replication after they reached peak levels. Inhibition
      of viral DNA synthesis or cellular DNA sensing and innate immune signaling
      diminished the innate response. These results indicate that HBV DNA, when exposed
      in the host cell cytoplasm, can function to trigger an innate immune response
      that, in turn, modulates viral gene expression and replication. IMPORTANCE:
      Chronic infection by hepatitis B virus (HBV) afflicts hundreds of millions
      worldwide and is sustained by the episomal covalently closed circular (CCC) DNA
      in the nuclei of infected hepatocytes. Release of viral genomic DNA from
      cytoplasmic nucleocapsids (NCs) (NC disassembly or uncoating) is a prerequisite
      for its conversion to CCC DNA, which can also potentially expose the viral DNA to
      host DNA sensors and trigger an innate immune response. We have found that in an
      immortalized mouse hepatocyte cell line in which efficient CCC DNA formation was
      associated with enhanced exposure of nucleocapsid-associated DNA, the exposed
      viral DNA indeed triggered host cytoplasmic DNA sensing and an innate immune
      response that was able to modulate HBV gene expression and replication. Thus, HBV
      can, under select conditions, be recognized by the host innate immune response
      through exposed viral DNA, which may be exploited therapeutically to clear viral
      persistence.

PMID- 26491171
TI  - Conditional Immune Escape during Chronic Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection.
AB  - Anti-HIV CD8 T cells included in therapeutic treatments will need to target
      epitopes that do not accumulate escape mutations. Identifying the epitopes that
      do not accumulate variants but retain immunogenicity depends on both host major
      histocompatibility complex (MHC) genetics and the likelihood for an epitope to
      tolerate variation. We previously found that immune escape during acute SIV
      infection is conditional; the accumulation of mutations in T cell epitopes is
      limited, and the rate of accumulation depends on the number of epitopes being
      targeted. We have now tested the hypothesis that conditional immune escape
      extends into chronic SIV infection and that epitopes with a preserved wild-type
      sequence have the potential to elicit epitope-specific CD8 T cells. We deep
      sequenced simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) from Mauritian cynomolgus macaques
      (MCMs) that were homozygous and heterozygous for the M3 MHC haplotype and had
      been infected with SIV for about 1 year. When interrogating variation within
      individual epitopes restricted by M3 MHC alleles, we found three categories of
      epitopes, which we called categories A, B, and C. Category B epitopes readily
      accumulated variants in M3-homozygous MCMs, but this was less common in M3
      heterozygous MCMs. We then determined that chronic CD8 T cells specific for these
      epitopes were more likely preserved in the M3-heterozygous MCMs than M3
      homozygous MCMs. We provide evidence that epitopes known to escape from chronic
      CD8 T cell responses in animals that are homozygous for a set of MHC alleles are
      preserved and retain immunogenicity in a host that is heterozygous for the same
      MHC alleles. IMPORTANCE: Anti-HIV CD8 T cells that are part of therapeutic
      treatments will need to target epitopes that do not accumulate escape mutations.
      Defining these epitope sequences is a necessary precursor to designing approaches
      that enhance the functionality of CD8 T cells with the potential to control virus
      replication during chronic infection or after reactivation of latent virus. Using
      MHC-homozygous and -heterozygous Mauritian cynomolgus macaques, we have now
      obtained evidence that epitopes known to escape from chronic CD8 T cell responses
      in animals that are MHC homozygous are preserved and retain immunogenicity in a
      host that is heterozygous for the same MHC alleles. Importantly, our findings
      support the conditional immune escape hypothesis, such that the potential to
      present a greater number of CD8 T cell epitopes within a single animal can delay
      immune escape in targeted epitopes. As a result, certain epitope sequences can
      retain immunogenicity into chronic infection.

PMID- 26491172
TI  - Env-Specific IgA from Viremic HIV-Infected Subjects Compromises Antibody
      Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity.
AB  - Elucidating the factors that modulate HIV-specific antibody-dependent cellular
      cytotoxicity (ADCC) will help in understanding its role in HIV immunity. The aim
      of this study was to determine whether IgA could modify the magnitude of ADCC in
      HIV infection, abrogating its protective role. Plasma samples from 20 HIV
      positive (HIV(+)) subjects enrolled during primary HIV infection (PHI), 10
      chronically infected subjects (chronic), and 7 elite controllers (EC) were used.
      ADCC was determined by using a fluorometric ADCC assay, before and after removal
      of plasma IgA. Data were analyzed by using nonparametric statistics. ADCC was
      documented in 80% of PHI enrollment samples and in 100% of PHI 12-month, chronic,
      and EC samples; it peaked after acute infection, reached a plateau in chronic
      infection, and decreased after initiation of antiretroviral treatment (ART).
      Significant associations between ADCC and disease progression were found only
      after removal of plasma IgA from 12-month PHI samples: the magnitude of ADCC not
      only increased after IgA removal but also correlated with CD4(+) T-cell
      preservation. This work provides evidence that gp120-specific IgA was capable of
      modifying ADCC responses during natural HIV infection for the first time and adds
      to similar evidence provided in other settings. Furthermore, it underscores the
      complexity of the ADCC phenomenon and will help in an understanding of its
      underlying mechanisms. IMPORTANCE: Although the induction of ADCC-mediating
      antibodies in HIV-infected subjects has been extensively documented, the
      association of these antibodies with protection from disease progression is
      poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that plasma IgA is a factor capable of
      modifying the magnitude of IgG-mediated ADCC in HIV infection, mitigating its
      beneficial effect. These results help in understanding why previous studies
      failed to demonstrate correlations between ADCC and disease progression, and they
      also contribute to the notion that an HIV vaccine should stimulate the production
      of ADCC-mediating IgG antibodies but not IgA.

PMID- 26491173
TI  - Neonatal Pasteurella multocida subsp. septica Meningitis Traced to Household
      Cats: Molecular Linkage Analysis Using Repetitive-Sequence-Based PCR.
AB  - Pasteurella multocida is a rare cause of neonatal bacterial meningitis. We
      describe such a case and verify two household cats as the source of infection
      using repetitive-element PCR (rep-PCR) molecular fingering. 

PMID- 26491174
TI  - Evaluation of the Lyra Direct Strep Assay To Detect Group A Streptococcus and
      Group C and G Beta-Hemolytic Streptococcus from Pharyngeal Specimens.
AB  - The Lyra Direct strep assay was compared to culture for its ability to detect
      Streptococcus group A and beta-hemolytic groups C/G using rapid antigen-negative
      pharyngeal specimens (n = 161). The Lyra assay correctly detected all beta
      hemolytic streptococci (group A, n = 19; group C/G, n = 5). In batch mode, the
      Lyra assay reduced intralaboratory turnaround time by 60% (18.1 h versus 45.0 h)
      but increased hands-on time by 96% (3 min 16 s versus 1 min 40 s per specimen). 

PMID- 26491175
TI  - Molecular Identification of Zoonotic Tissue-Invasive Tapeworm Larvae Other than
      Taenia solium in Suspected Human Cysticercosis Cases.
AB  - Rarely, zoonotic Taenia species other than Taenia solium cause human
      cysticercosis. The larval stages are morphologically often indistinguishable. We
      therefore investigated 12 samples of suspected human cysticercosis cases at the
      molecular level and surprisingly identified one Taenia crassiceps and one Taenia
      serialis (coenurosis) infection, which were caused by tapeworm larvae normally
      infecting rodents and sheep via eggs released from foxes and dogs. 

PMID- 26491177
TI  - Cost-Effectiveness of 30- Compared to 20-Milliliter Blood Cultures: a
      Retrospective Study.
AB  - The importance of blood culture (BC) volume for detection of bloodstream
      infections (BSIs) is documented. Recently, improved diagnostic sensitivity was
      demonstrated for 30- versus 20-ml BCs in adults (Cockerill FR, Wilson JW, Vetter
      EA, Goodman KM, Torgerson CA, Harmsen WS, Schleck CD, IIstrup DM, Washington JA,
      Wilson WR. Clin Infect Dis 38:1724-1730, 2004,
      http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01314-11). Hospitals receive higher reimbursement
      for patients with documented septicemia. We determined the cost-effectiveness of
      30-ml versus 20-ml BCs using results from our institution and previously
      published data. Positive BC results from 292 bacteremic episodes were reviewed.
      The costs of the reagents, equipment, phlebotomist, and technologist time were
      determined. The medical records department provided Medicare reimbursement (MR)
      data for patients with selected ICD-9 codes. These data provided an estimate of
      the annualized increase in MR versus costs associated with conversion to 30-ml
      BCs. MR for 464 annual primary BSIs was $24,808/episode. An expected 7.2%
      increase in BSIs detected using 30-ml BCs would add 34 additional cases annually
      and increase MR by $843,472. Comparative MR data for cases where septicemia
      complicated another diagnosis were available for 4 International Classification
      of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes: laparoscopic cholecystectomy, biliary
      tract disorders, pneumonia, and cellulitis. The mean incremental MR was $9,667
      per episode, which projected to a $483,350 revenue increase annually. The annual
      cost associated with conversion to 30-ml BCs was estimated to be $157,798. Thus,
      the potential net increase in hospital revenue would be $1,169,031 for 30-ml
      versus 20-ml BCs. Our results suggest that conversion to 30-ml BCs may not only
      improve patient care by detecting more BSIs but also increase hospital revenue
      substantially. 

PMID- 26491176
TI  - Development of a TaqMan Array Card for Acute-Febrile-Illness Outbreak
      Investigation and Surveillance of Emerging Pathogens, Including Ebola Virus.
AB  - Acute febrile illness (AFI) is associated with substantial morbidity and
      mortality worldwide, yet an etiologic agent is often not identified. Convalescent
      phase serology is impractical, blood culture is slow, and many pathogens are
      fastidious or impossible to cultivate. We developed a real-time PCR-based TaqMan
      array card (TAC) that can test six to eight samples within 2.5 h from sample to
      results and can simultaneously detect 26 AFI-associated organisms, including 15
      viruses (chikungunya, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever [CCHF] virus, dengue, Ebola
      virus, Bundibugyo virus, Sudan virus, hantaviruses [Hantaan and Seoul], hepatitis
      E, Marburg, Nipah virus, o'nyong-nyong virus, Rift Valley fever virus, West Nile
      virus, and yellow fever virus), 8 bacteria (Bartonella spp., Brucella spp.,
      Coxiella burnetii, Leptospira spp., Rickettsia spp., Salmonella enterica and
      Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, and Yersinia pestis), and 3 protozoa
      (Leishmania spp., Plasmodium spp., and Trypanosoma brucei). Two extrinsic
      controls (phocine herpesvirus 1 and bacteriophage MS2) were included to ensure
      extraction and amplification efficiency. Analytical validation was performed on
      spiked specimens for linearity, intra-assay precision, interassay precision,
      limit of detection, and specificity. The performance of the card on clinical
      specimens was evaluated with 1,050 blood samples by comparison to the individual
      real-time PCR assays, and the TAC exhibited an overall 88% (278/315; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 84% to 92%) sensitivity and a 99% (5,261/5,326, 98% to
      99%) specificity. This TaqMan array card can be used in field settings as a rapid
      screen for outbreak investigation or for the surveillance of pathogens, including
      Ebola virus. 

PMID- 26491178
TI  - Multicenter Evaluation of Anyplex Plus MTB/NTM MDR-TB Assay for Rapid Detection
      of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex and Multidrug-Resistant Isolates in
      Pulmonary and Extrapulmonary Specimens.
AB  - The rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) and the detection of drug-resistant
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains are critical for successful public health
      interventions. Therefore, TB diagnosis requires the availability of diagnostic
      tools that allow the rapid detection of M. tuberculosis and drug resistance in
      clinical samples. Here, we performed a multicenter study to evaluate the
      performance of the Seegene Anyplex MTB/NTM MDR-TB assay, a new molecular method
      based on a multiplex real-time PCR system, for detection of Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis complex (MTBC), nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), and genetic
      determinants of drug resistance. In total, the results for 755 samples (534
      pulmonary and 221 extrapulmonary samples) were compared with the results of
      smears and cultures. For pulmonary specimens, the sensitivities of the Anyplex
      assay and acid-fast bacillus smear testing were 86.4% and 75.0%, respectively,
      and the specificities were 99% and 99.4%. For extrapulmonary specimens, the
      sensitivities of the Anyplex assay and acid-fast bacillus smear testing were
      83.3% and 50.0%, respectively, and the specificities of both were 100%. The
      negative and positive predictive values of the Anyplex assay for pulmonary
      specimens were 97% and 100%, respectively, and those for extrapulmonary specimens
      were 84.6% and 100%. The sensitivities of the Anyplex assay for detecting
      isoniazid resistance in MTBC strains from pulmonary and extrapulmonary specimens
      were 83.3% and 50%, respectively, while the specificities were 100% for both
      specimen types. These results demonstrate that the Anyplex MTB/NTM MDR-TB assay
      is an efficient and rapid method for the diagnosis of pulmonary and
      extrapulmonary TB and the detection of isoniazid resistance. 

PMID- 26491179
TI  - First Detection of TR34 L98H and TR46 Y121F T289A Cyp51 Mutations in Aspergillus
      fumigatus Isolates in the United States.
AB  - Azole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus is an increasing problem. The TR34 L98H
      and TR46 Y121F T289A mutations that can occur in patients without previous azole
      exposure have been reported in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and
      Australia. Here, we report the detection of both the TR34 L98H and TR46 Y121F
      T289A mutations in confirmed A. fumigatus isolates collected in institutions in
      the United States. These mutations, other mutations known to cause azole
      resistance, and azole MICs are reported here. 

PMID- 26491180
TI  - Molecular Epidemiology of Streptococcus uberis Clinical Mastitis in Dairy Herds:
      Strain Heterogeneity and Transmission.
AB  - Multilocus sequence typing was successfully completed on 494 isolates of
      Streptococcus uberis from clinical mastitis cases in a study of 52 commercial
      dairy herds over a 12-month period. In total, 195 sequence types (STs) were
      identified. S. uberis mastitis cases that occurred in different cows within the
      same herd and were attributed to a common ST were classified as potential
      transmission events (PTEs). Clinical cases attributed to 35 of the 195 STs
      identified in this study were classified PTE. PTEs were identified in 63% of the
      herds. PTE-associated cases, which include the first recorded occurrence of that
      ST in that herd (index case) and all persistent infections with that PTE ST,
      represented 40% of all the clinical mastitis cases and occurred in 63% of the
      herds. PTE-associated cases accounted for >50% of all S. uberis clinical mastitis
      cases in 33% of the herds. Nine STs (ST-5, -6, -20, -22, -24, -35, -233, -361,
      and -512), eight of which were grouped within a clonal complex (sharing at least
      four alleles), were statistically overrepresented (OVR STs). The findings
      indicate that 38% of all clinical mastitis cases and 63% of the PTEs attributed
      to S. uberis in dairy herds may be caused by the nine most prevalent strains. The
      findings suggest that a small subset of STs is disproportionally important in the
      epidemiology of S. uberis mastitis in the United Kingdom, with cow-to-cow
      transmission of S. uberis potentially occurring in the majority of herds in the
      United Kingdom, and may be the most important route of infection in many herds. 

PMID- 26491181
TI  - Clinical and Laboratory Testing for Trichomonas vaginalis Infection.
AB  - Trichomonas vaginalis infection is highly prevalent in the United States and
      worldwide. Traditional clinical diagnostic methods fail to identify more than
      half of these infections that, if left untreated, can result in adverse pregnancy
      outcomes and an exacerbated risk of both acquisition and transmission of HIV.
      Women bear a disproportionate amount of the burden of these infections, and
      testing among populations at risk for this disease should be provided. Molecular
      technologies have expanded our capacity for laboratory-based detection of
      infection and can be used on samples already being collected for
      chlamydia/gonorrhea screening. 

PMID- 26491182
TI  - Molecular Characterization of Nonhemolytic and Nonpigmented Group B Streptococci
      Responsible for Human Invasive Infections.
AB  - Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a common commensal bacterium in adults, but is
      also the leading cause of invasive bacterial infections in neonates in developed
      countries. The beta-hemolysin/cytolysin (beta-h/c), which is always associated
      with the production of an orange-to-red pigment, is a major virulence factor that
      is also used for GBS diagnosis. A collection of 1,776 independent clinical GBS
      strains isolated in France between 2006 and 2013 was evaluated on specific medium
      for beta-h/c activity and pigment production. The genomic sequences of
      nonhemolytic and nonpigmented (NH/NP) strains were analyzed to identify the
      molecular basis of this phenotype. Gene deletions or complementations were
      carried out to confirm the genotype-phenotype association. Sixty-three GBS
      strains (3.5%) were NH/NP, and 47 of these (74.6%) originated from invasive
      infections, including bacteremia and meningitis, in neonates or adults. The
      mutations are localized predominantly in the cyl operon, encoding the beta-h/c
      pigment biosynthetic pathway and, in the abx1 gene, encoding a CovSR regulator
      partner. In conclusion, although usually associated with GBS virulence, beta-h/c
      pigment production is not absolutely required to cause human invasive infections.
      Caution should therefore be taken in the use of hemolysis and pigmentation as
      criteria for GBS diagnosis in routine clinical laboratory settings.

PMID- 26491183
TI  - Interlaboratory Collaboration for Optimized Screening for Urinary Tract
      Infection.
AB  - As the majority of urine samples submitted for culture yields a negative result,
      rapid screening that accurately predicts culture outcome benefits clinicians by
      reducing the time to result and improves the efficiency of the microbiological
      laboratory. Automated urinalysis using the IRIS Diagnostics iQ200 Elite (iQ200)
      analyzer permits just such a fast and large-scale screening. We aimed to predict
      and thus to reduce negative cultures with a screening algorithm based on iQ200
      urinalysis in a tertiary university hospital. In parallel, we evaluated the
      performance of the iQ200 screen compared to that of Gram stain for sample
      quality. We screened 1,442 samples submitted for bacterial culture using the
      iQ200 analyzer; of these samples, 357 (24.8%) had a positive culture result. We
      identified the absence of microorganisms in the iQ200 screen as the strongest
      solitary predictor for a negative culture, with a sensitivity of 90.5% (323/357).
      The algorithm was further improved by performing logistic regression on leukocyte
      counts, which gave a cutoff of 65 leukocytes/MUl to obtain the desired
      sensitivity of >95% (95.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 92.5 to 97.0), a
      negative predictive value of 97.3% (95% CI, 95.7 to 98.3), and an anticipated
      culture workload reduction of 44% (95% CI, 41 to 46). Concordance between sample
      quality based on Gram stain and iQ200 screening was only 72%, which was probably
      a result of interobserver effect in evaluation of the Gram stain. In conclusion,
      in our setting, screening by iQ200 proved to be a safe and cost-effective means
      to provide faster culture results, and it has the added benefit of a more
      objective evaluation of sample quality. 

PMID- 26491184
TI  - High Incidence of Invasive Group A Streptococcus Disease Caused by Strains of
      Uncommon emm Types in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
AB  - An outbreak of type emm59 invasive group A Streptococcus (iGAS) disease was
      declared in 2008 in Thunder Bay District, Northwestern Ontario, 2 years after a
      countrywide emm59 epidemic was recognized in Canada. Despite a declining number
      of emm59 infections since 2010, numerous cases of iGAS disease continue to be
      reported in the area. We collected clinical information on all iGAS cases
      recorded in Thunder Bay District from 2008 to 2013. We also emm typed and
      sequenced the genomes of all available strains isolated from 2011 to 2013 from
      iGAS infections and from severe cases of soft tissue infections. We used whole
      genome sequencing data to investigate the population structure of GAS strains of
      the most frequently isolated emm types. We report an increased incidence of iGAS
      in Thunder Bay compared to the metropolitan area of Toronto/Peel and the province
      of Ontario. Illicit drug use, alcohol abuse, homelessness, and hepatitis C
      infection were underlying diseases or conditions that might have predisposed
      patients to iGAS disease. Most cases were caused by clonal strains of skin or
      generalist emm types (i.e., emm82, emm87, emm101, emm4, emm83, and emm114)
      uncommonly seen in other areas of the province. We observed rapid waxing and
      waning of emm types causing disease and their replacement by other emm types
      associated with the same tissue tropisms. Thus, iGAS disease in Thunder Bay
      District predominantly affects a select population of disadvantaged persons and
      is caused by clonally related strains of a few skin and generalist emm types less
      commonly associated with iGAS in other areas of Ontario. 

PMID- 26491185
TI  - Accuracy of Conventional PCR Targeting the 16S rRNA Gene with the Ot-16sRF1 and
      Ot-16sRR1 Primers for Diagnosis of Scrub Typhus: a Case-Control Study.
AB  - We retrospectively evaluated the accuracy of conventional PCR targeting the 16S
      rRNA gene (16S C-PCR) using the Ot-16sRF1/Ot-16sRR1 primers for diagnosing scrub
      typhus. The diagnosis of Orientia tsutsugamushi infection by 16S C-PCR presented
      an increased sensitivity of 87.0% and specificity of 100% compared with those
      obtained with other targets and is thus a simple and clinically useful method
      with good diagnostic accuracy. 

PMID- 26491187
TI  - PCR Detection of the Bacteroides fragilis Enterotoxin Gene Relies on Robust
      Primer Design.

PMID- 26491186
TI  - Detection of mecA- and mecC-Positive Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
      (MRSA) Isolates by the New Xpert MRSA Gen 3 PCR Assay.
AB  - An advanced methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) detection PCR
      approach targeting SCCmec-orfX along with mecA and mecC was evaluated for S.
      aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci. The possession of mecA and/or mecC
      was correctly confirmed in all cases. All methicillin-susceptible S. aureus
      strains (n = 98; including staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec element
      [SCCmec] remnants) and 98.1% of the MRSA strains (n = 160, including 10 mecC
      positive MRSA) were accurately categorized. 

PMID- 26491188
TI  - Reidentification of Sex Pheromones of Tea Geometrid Ectropis obliqua Prout
      (Lepidoptera: Geometridae).
AB  - Tea geometrid Ectropis obliqua Prout (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is an important
      defoliator of the tree crop Camellia sinensis L. in China. The sex pheromones of
      E. obliqua have not been identified, but have potential importance relative to
      the biological control of this predator. In this study, the female sex pheromones
      of E. obliqua were identified and evaluated for use in the monitoring and mass
      trapping of this pest. The sex pheromone extracts were subjected to gas
      chromatography-electroantennographic detection and gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry. The identified chemicals were synthesized and applied to wind
      tunnel tests and field experiments. (Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9-octadecatriene and 6,7-epoxy
      (Z,Z)-3,9-octadecadiene were determined to be the primary sex pheromones produced
      by the female E. obliqua; the latter elicits the strongest electroantennogram
      responses from male E. obliqua antennae. However, males did not respond to single
      components in the wind-tunnel tests. The results of a field-trapping experiment
      indicated that a 4:6 v/v blend of (Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9-octadecatriene and 6,7-epoxy
      (Z,Z)-3,9-octadecadiene was highly effective in attracting male moths. 

PMID- 26491189
TI  - Reduced Fitness in Adults From Larval, Galleria mellonella  (Lepidoptera:
      Pyralidae) Reared on Media Amended With  the Antihelmintic, Mebendazole.
AB  - Benzimidazole antihelmintics, including mebendazole, have a broad antiparasitic
      spectrum. These drugs play a major role in the treatments of parasites of
      intestines or other organs of vertebrates, humans, and other animals.The impact
      of mebendazole on the biology of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella (L.),
      was assessed by observation of several developmental parameters as follows:
      survivorship, developmental time, and adult longevity. Sublethal toxicity was
      measured through reproductive parameters such as fecundity and hatchability.The
      larvae were reared on artificial diet from first-instar larvae to the adult stage
      in the laboratory. The diets contained mebendazole at different concentrations of
      0.005, 0.05, 0.5, or 1.0%. Control diet did not containme bendazole and produced
      seventh-instar larvae in 96.6+/-1.67% of cases, whereas the addition of
      mebendazole into diet at 1.0% significantly decreased survivorship of seventh
      instar larvae to 79.9+/-4.08%. The diet with the highest concentration of
      mebendazole decreased survivorship in the adult stage from 79.9+/-2.35 to 56.6+/
      4.73%, and shortened the developmental time for adult emergence from 36.7+/-0.48
      to 34.1+/-0.63 d. All mebendazole concentrations shortened adult longevity and
      significantly decreased fecundity and hatch ability of G. mellonella. The highest
      dietary concentration of this antihelmintic significantly decreased the egg
      number to 28.6+/-2.89 and hatching rate to 51.7+/-1.85%. The present study
      demonstrates that mebendazole exhibits significant adverse effects on greater wax
      moth, leading to deteriorated life table parameters and decreased adult fitness.

PMID- 26491190
TI  - Cleanliness is next to godliness: mechanisms for staying clean.
AB  - Getting dirty is a fundamental problem, and one for which there are few
      solutions, especially across the enormous range of animal size. How do both a
      honeybee and a squirrel get clean? In this Review, we discuss two broad types of
      cleaning, considered from the viewpoint of energetics. Non-renewable cleaning
      strategies rely upon the organism as an energy source. Examples include grooming
      motions, wet-dog shaking or the secretion of chemicals. Renewable cleaning
      strategies depend on environmental sources of energy, such as the use of
      eyelashes to redirect incoming wind and so reduce deposition onto the eye. Both
      strategies take advantage of body hair to facilitate cleaning, and honeybees and
      squirrels, for example, each have around 3 million hairs. This hair mat increases
      the area on which particles can land by a factor of 100, but also suspends
      particles above the body, reducing their adhesion and facilitating removal. We
      hope that the strategies outlined here will inspire energy-efficient cleaning
      strategies in synthetic systems. 

PMID- 26491191
TI  - Unihemispheric sleep in crocodilians?
AB  - Reduced vigilance is the conspicuous cost of sleep in most animals. To mitigate
      against this cost, some birds and aquatic mammals have evolved the ability to
      sleep with one-half of their brain at a time, a phenomenon known as
      unihemispheric sleep. During unihemispheric sleep the eye neurologically
      connected to the 'awake' hemisphere remains open while the other eye is closed.
      Such unilateral eye closure (UEC) has been observed across avian and non-avian
      reptiles, but has received little attention in the latter. Here, we explored the
      use of UEC in juvenile saltwater crocodiles (1) under baseline conditions, and in
      the presence of (2) other young crocodiles and (3) a human. Crocodiles increased
      the amount of UEC in response to the human, and preferentially oriented their
      open eye towards both stimuli. These results are consistent with observations on
      unihemispherically sleeping cetaceans and birds, and could have implications for
      our understanding of the evolution of unihemispheric sleep. 

PMID- 26491192
TI  - The rectal complex and Malpighian tubules of the cabbage looper (Trichoplusia
      ni): regional variations in Na+ and K+ transport and cation reabsorption by
      secondary cells.
AB  - In larvae of most Lepidoptera the distal ends of the Malpighian tubules are
      closely applied to the rectal epithelia and are ensheathed within the perinephric
      membrane, thus forming the rectal complex. The cryptonephric Malpighian tubules
      within the rectal complex are bathed in fluid within a functional compartment,
      the perinephric space, which is separate from the haemolymph. In this study, the
      scanning ion-selective electrode technique (SIET) was used to measure transport
      of Na(+) and K(+) across the rectal complex and across multiple regions of the
      Malpighian tubules of larvae of the cabbage looper Trichoplusia ni. Measurements
      were made in an intact preparation in which connections of the tubules upstream
      to the rectal complex and downstream to the urinary bladder and gut remained
      intact. SIET measurements revealed reabsorption of Na(+) and K(+) across the
      intact rectal complex and into the bath (haemolymph), with K(+) fluxes
      approximately twice as large as those of Na(+). Analyses of fluxes in larvae with
      empty guts, found in recently moulted larvae, versus those with full guts
      highlighted differences in the rates of K(+) or Na(+) transport within tubule
      regions that appeared morphologically homogeneous, such as the rectal lead. The
      distal rectal lead of larvae with empty guts reabsorbed K(+), whereas the same
      region secreted K(+) in tubules of larvae with full guts. SIET measurements of
      the ileac plexus also indicated a novel role for secondary (type II) cells in
      cation reabsorption. Secondary cells reabsorb K(+), whereas the adjacent
      principal (type I) cells secrete K(+). Na(+) is reabsorbed by both principal and
      secondary cells, but the rate of reabsorption by the secondary cells is
      approximately twice the rate in the adjacent principal cells. 

PMID- 26491193
TI  - In vitro strain in human metacarpal bones during striking: testing the pugilism
      hypothesis of hominin hand evolution.
AB  - The hands of hominins (i.e. bipedal apes) are distinguished by skeletal
      proportions that are known to enhance manual dexterity but also allow the
      formation of a clenched fist. Because male-male physical competition is important
      in the mating systems of most species of great apes, including humans, we tested
      the hypothesis that a clenched fist protects the metacarpal bones from injury by
      reducing the level of strain during striking. We used cadaver arms to measure in
      vitro strain in metacarpals during forward strikes with buttressed and
      unbuttressed fist postures and during side slaps with an open palm. If the
      protective buttressing hypothesis is correct, the clenched fist posture should
      substantially reduce strain in the metacarpal bones during striking and therefore
      reduce the risk of fracture. Recorded strains were significantly higher in
      strikes in which the hand was secured in unbuttressed and slapping postures than
      in the fully buttressed posture. Our results suggest that humans can safely
      strike with 55% more force with a fully buttressed fist than with an unbuttressed
      fist and with twofold more force with a buttressed fist than with an open-hand
      slap. Thus, the evolutionary significance of the proportions of the hominin hand
      may be that these are the proportions that improved manual dexterity while at the
      same time making it possible for the hand to be used as a club during fighting. 

PMID- 26491194
TI  - Fish embryos on land: terrestrial embryo deposition lowers oxygen uptake without
      altering growth or survival in the amphibious fish Kryptolebias marmoratus.
AB  - Few teleost fishes incubate embryos out of water, but the oxygen-rich terrestrial
      environment could provide advantages for early growth and development. We tested
      the hypothesis that embryonic oxygen uptake is limited in aquatic environments
      relative to air using the self-fertilizing amphibious mangrove rivulus,
      Kryptolebias marmoratus, which typically inhabits hypoxic, water-filled crab
      burrows. We found that adult mangrove rivulus released twice as many embryos in
      terrestrial versus aquatic environments and that air-reared embryos had
      accelerated developmental rates. Surprisingly, air-reared embryos consumed 44%
      less oxygen and possessed larger yolk reserves, but attained the same mass,
      length and chorion thickness. Water-reared embryos moved their opercula ~2.5 more
      times per minute compared with air-reared embryos at 7 days post-release, which
      probably contributed to the higher rates of oxygen uptake and yolk utilization we
      observed. Genetically identical air- and water-reared embryos from the same
      parent were raised to maturity, but the embryonic environment did not affect
      growth, reproduction or emersion ability in adults. Therefore, although aspects
      of early development were plastic, these early differences were not sustained
      into adulthood. Kryptolebias marmoratus embryos hatched out of water when exposed
      to aerial hypoxia. We conclude that exposure to a terrestrial environment reduces
      the energetic costs of development partly by reducing the necessity of embryonic
      movements to dispel stagnant boundary layers. Terrestrial incubation of young
      would be especially beneficial to amphibious fishes that occupy aquatic habitats
      of poor water quality, assuming low terrestrial predation and desiccation risks. 

PMID- 26491196
TI  - DeVries: the Art of not freezing fish.

PMID- 26491195
TI  - The mechanosensory lateral line is used to assess opponents and mediate
      aggressive behaviors during territorial interactions in an African cichlid fish.
AB  - Fish must integrate information from multiple sensory systems to mediate adaptive
      behaviors. Visual, acoustic and chemosensory cues provide contextual information
      during social interactions, but the role of mechanosensory signals detected by
      the lateral line system during aggressive behaviors is unknown. The aim of this
      study was first to characterize the lateral line system of the African cichlid
      fish Astatotilapia burtoni and second to determine the role of mechanoreception
      during agonistic interactions. The A. burtoni lateral line system is similar to
      that of many other cichlid fishes, containing lines of superficial neuromasts on
      the head, trunk and caudal fin, and narrow canals. Astatotilapia burtoni males
      defend their territories from other males using aggressive behaviors that we
      classified as non-contact or contact. By chemically and physically ablating the
      lateral line system prior to forced territorial interactions, we showed that the
      lateral line system is necessary for mutual assessment of opponents and the use
      of non-contact fight behaviors. Our data suggest that the lateral line system
      facilitates the use of non-contact assessment and fight behaviors as a protective
      mechanism against physical damage. In addition to a role in prey detection, the
      diversity of lateral line morphology in cichlids may have also enabled the
      expansion of their social behavioral repertoire. To our knowledge, this is the
      first study to implicate the lateral line system as a mode of social
      communication necessary for assessment during agonistic interactions. 

PMID- 26491197
TI  - Antagonizing Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor alpha Activity
      Selectively Enhances Th1 Immunity in Male Mice.
AB  - Females exhibit more robust Th1 responses than males. Our previous work suggested
      that this sex disparity is a consequence of higher activity of the androgen
      induced gene peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) in male
      CD4(+) T cells. The objective of this study was to elucidate the cellular and
      molecular mechanism of how PPARalpha inhibits Th1 responses in male mice. In this
      study, we found that PPARalpha functions within CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocytes
      and NKT cells to negatively regulate IFN-gamma responses in male mice and
      identified Ifng as the gene target of PPARalpha repression. Treatment of male
      CD4(+) T cells with the PPARalpha agonist fenofibrate induced the recruitment of
      PPARalpha and the nuclear receptor-interacting protein, nuclear receptor
      corepressor 1, to specific cis-regulatory elements in the Ifng locus. This
      recruitment associated with reduced histone acetylation at these sites. Knockdown
      of nuclear receptor corepressor 1 in primary male T cells abolished the effect of
      fenofibrate in reducing IFN-gamma production. In contrast, treatment of male T
      cells with IS001, a novel antagonist of PPARalpha, increased Ifng gene expression
      and histone acetylation across the Ifng locus. Finally, we investigated the
      effects of IS001 on IFN-gamma responses in mice during infection with the Th1
      associated pathogen Listeria monocytogenes and observed that IS001 enhanced IFN
      gamma production by NKT, CD4(+), and CD8(+) T cells and improved the survival of
      male, but not female, mice. Our findings provide a novel mechanism of why IFN
      gamma responses are more robust in females and introduce a small-molecule IS001
      that can be used to enhance Th1 immunity in males. 

PMID- 26491198
TI  - Expression of Cationic Amino Acid Transporter 2 Is Required for Myeloid-Derived
      Suppressor Cell-Mediated Control of T Cell Immunity.
AB  - Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous population of
      immature cells that expand during benign and cancer-associated inflammation and
      are characterized by their ability to inhibit T cell immunity. Increased
      metabolism of l-Arginine (l-Arg), through the enzymes arginase 1 and NO synthase
      2 (NOS2), is well documented as a major MDSC suppressive mechanism. Therefore, we
      hypothesized that restricting MDSC uptake of l-Arg is a critical control point to
      modulate their suppressor activity. Using murine models of prostate-specific
      inflammation and cancer, we have identified the mechanisms by which extracellular
      l-Arg is transported into MDSCs. We have shown that MDSCs recruited to localized
      inflammation and tumor sites upregulate cationic amino acid transporter 2 (Cat2),
      coordinately with Arg1 and Nos2. Cat2 expression is not induced in MDSCs in
      peripheral organs. CAT2 contributes to the transport of l-Arg in MDSCs and is an
      important regulator of MDSC suppressive function. MDSCs that lack CAT2 have
      significantly reduced suppressive ability ex vivo and display impaired capacity
      for regulating T cell responses in vivo as evidenced by increased T cell
      expansion and decreased tumor growth in Cat2(-/-) mice. The abrogation of
      suppressive function is due to low intracellular l-Arg levels, which leads to the
      impaired ability of NOS2 to catalyze l-Arg-dependent metabolic processes.
      Together, these findings demonstrate that CAT2 modulates MDSC function. In the
      absence of CAT2, MDSCs display diminished capacity for controlling T cell
      immunity in prostate inflammation and cancer models, where the loss of CAT2
      results in enhanced antitumor activity. 

PMID- 26491199
TI  - Activation of TAK1 by Chemotactic and Growth Factors, and Its Impact on Human
      Neutrophil Signaling and Functional Responses.
AB  - The MAP3 kinase, TAK1, is known to act upstream of IKK and MAPK cascades in
      several cell types, and is typically activated in response to cytokines (e.g.,
      TNF, IL-1) and TLR ligands. In this article, we report that in human neutrophils,
      TAK1 can also be activated by different classes of inflammatory stimuli, namely,
      chemoattractants and growth factors. After stimulation with such agents, TAK1
      becomes rapidly and transiently activated. Blocking TAK1 kinase activity with a
      highly selective inhibitor (5z-7-oxozeaenol) attenuated the inducible
      phosphorylation of ERK occurring in response to these stimuli but had little or
      no effect on that of p38 MAPK or PI3K. Inhibition of TAK1 also impaired MEKK3
      (but not MEKK1) activation by fMLF. Moreover, both TAK1 and the MEK/ERK module
      were found to influence inflammatory cytokine expression and release in fMLF- and
      GM-CSF-activated neutrophils, whereas the PI3K pathway influenced this response
      independently of TAK1. Besides cytokine production, other responses were found to
      be under TAK1 control in neutrophils stimulated with chemoattractants and/or GM
      CSF, namely, delayed apoptosis and leukotriene biosynthesis. Our data further
      emphasize the central role of TAK1 in controlling signaling cascades and
      functional responses in primary neutrophils, making it a promising target for
      therapeutic intervention in view of the foremost role of neutrophils in several
      chronic inflammatory conditions. 

PMID- 26491200
TI  - IL-21 and IL-4 Collaborate To Shape T-Dependent Antibody Responses.
AB  - The selection of affinity-matured Ab-producing B cells is supported by
      interactions with T follicular helper (Tfh) cells. In addition to cell surface
      expressed molecules, cytokines produced by Tfh cells, such as IL-21 and IL-4,
      provide B cell helper signals. In this study, we analyze how the fitness of Th
      cells can influence Ab responses. To do this, we used a model in which IL-21R
      sufficient (wild-type [WT]) and -deficient (Il21r(-/-)) Ag-specific Tfh cells
      were used to help immunodeficient Il21r(-/-) B cells following T-dependent
      immunization. Il21r(-/-) B cells that had received help from WT Tfh cells, but
      not from Il21r(-/-) Tfh cells, generated affinity-matured Ab upon recall
      immunization. This effect was dependent on IL-4 produced in the primary response
      and associated with an increased fraction of memory B cells. Il21r(-/-) Tfh cells
      were distinguished from WT Tfh cells by a decreased frequency, reduced conjugate
      formation with B cells, increased expression of programmed cell death 1, and
      reduced production of IL-4. IL-21 also influenced responsiveness to IL-4 because
      expression of both membrane IL-4R and the IL-4-neutralizing soluble (s)IL-4R were
      reduced in Il21r(-/-) mice. Furthermore, the concentration of sIL-4R was found to
      correlate inversely with the amount of IgE in sera, such that the highest IgE
      levels were observed in Il21r(-/-) mice with the least sIL-4R. Taken together,
      these findings underscore the important collaboration between IL-4 and IL-21 in
      shaping T-dependent Ab responses. 

PMID- 26491202
TI  - Acetylcholine receptor binding antibody-associated myasthenia gravis and
      rhabdomyolysis induced by nivolumab in a patient with melanoma.
AB  - We reported an 81-year-old woman with metastatic melanoma, in whom myasthenia
      gravis and rhabdomyolysis developed after nivolumab monotherapy. The first
      symptom of myasthenia gravis was dyspnea. Ultrasonography detected hypokinesis of
      the bilateral diaphragm suggesting myasthenia gravis, although there was no
      abnormal finding of the lungs in computed tomography images. Acetylcholine
      receptor binding antibodies were low-titer positive in the preserved serum before
      administration of nivolumab, strongly suggesting that the myasthenia gravis was a
      nivolumab-related immune adverse event. Despite the remarkable clinical benefits
      of immune checkpoint inhibitors for patients with advanced melanoma, it is
      important to recognize unexpected immune-related adverse events. 

PMID- 26491203
TI  - The association between overweight, obesity and ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological studies have reported an inconsistent association
      between obesity and ovarian cancer. To update the current knowledge of and
      further qualify the association between overweight, obesity and ovarian cancer
      risk, we conducted a meta-analysis of published observational studies. METHODS:
      Using the PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE databases, we performed a literature search
      of all of the case-control and cohort studies published as original articles in
      English before March 2015. We included 26 observational studies, of which 13 were
      case-control studies (7782 cases and 21 854 controls) and 13 were cohort studies
      (5181 cases). Fixed- and random-effects models were used to compute summary
      estimates and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Subgroup analyses were
      also performed. RESULTS: The pooled relative risk for overweight and obesity
      compared with normal weight (body mass index = 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)) was 1.07 (95%
      confidence interval: 1.02-1.12) and 1.28 (95% confidence interval: 1.16-1.41),
      respectively. In subgroup analyses, we found that overweight/obesity increased
      the risk of ovarian cancer in most groups, except for the postmenopausal group
      (overweight: pooled relative risk = 0.97, 95% confidence interval: 0.76-1.24;
      obesity: pooled relative risk = 0.93, 95% confidence interval: 0.61-1.42). There
      was no evidence of publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: Increased body weight was
      associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer; in particular, severe
      obesity demonstrated a stronger risk effect. No statistically significant
      association was observed in the postmenopausal period, but was in the
      premenopausal period.

PMID- 26491201
TI  - Characterization of Lamprey IL-17 Family Members and Their Receptors.
AB  - IL-17 is an ancient cytokine implicated in a variety of immune defense reactions.
      We identified five members of the sea lamprey IL-17 family (IL-17D.1, IL-17D.2,
      IL-17E, IL-17B, and IL-17C) and six IL-17R genes (IL-17RA.1, IL-17RA.2, IL
      17RA.3, IL-17RF, IL-17RE/RC, and IL-17RD), determined their relationship with
      mammalian orthologs, and examined their expression patterns and potential
      interactions to explore their roles in innate and adaptive immunity. The most
      highly expressed IL-17 family member is IL-17D.1 (mammalian IL-17D like), which
      was found to be preferentially expressed by epithelial cells of skin, intestine,
      and gills and by the two types of lamprey T-like cells. IL-17D.1 binding to rIL
      17RA.1 and to the surface of IL-17RA.1-expressing B-like cells and monocytes of
      lamprey larvae was demonstrated, and treatment of lamprey blood cells with rIL
      17D.1 protein enhanced transcription of genes expressed by the B-like cells.
      These findings suggest a potential role for IL-17 in coordinating the
      interactions between T-like cells and other cells of the adaptive and innate
      immune systems in jawless vertebrates. 

PMID- 26491204
TI  - Randomized, prospective assessment of moisturizer efficacy for the treatment of
      radiation dermatitis following radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The effect of heparinoid moisturizer use after acute skin damage for
      patients receiving whole-breast radiotherapy after lumpectomy is understudied.
      METHODS: A total of 30 patients were randomly assigned to receive heparinoid
      moisturizer (Group M), and 32 patients comprised the control group (Group C).
      Patients in Group M were instructed to apply heparinoid moisturizer from 2 weeks
      following whole-breast radiotherapy, and to continue to use the moisturizer until
      3 months after completion of whole-breast radiotherapy. Group C patients were
      instructed to not apply any topical moisturizer during the study period. The
      relative ratio of skin water content ratio (RWCR(t) = (It /Nt)/(I0/N0)) between
      irradiated and non-irradiated field was calculated. Signs and symptoms were also
      assessed. The primary endpoint was the difference in relative ratio of skin water
      content ratio between 2 and 4 weeks following whole-breast radiotherapy. RESULTS:
      In Group C, relative ratio of skin water content ratio dropped to 0.80 +/- 0.15
      at 2 weeks and maintained the low level at 4 weeks following whole-breast
      radiotherapy. Similarly, in Group M, relative ratio of skin water content ratio
      dropped to 0.81 +/- 0.19 at 2 weeks (prior to application), however, it returned
      to baseline level (1.05 +/- 0.23) at 4 weeks (2 weeks after application). The
      arithmetic difference of relative ratio of skin water content ratio in Group M
      was 0.24 +/- 0.23 and was significantly larger than in Group C (0.06 +/- 0.15; P
      < 0.01). Skin dryness and desquamation were less severe in Group M. CONCLUSIONS:
      The application of heparinoid moisturizer for 2 weeks following whole-breast
      radiotherapy significantly increased water content and helped improve skin
      dryness and desquamation compared with no use of moisturizer.

PMID- 26491205
TI  - Selective neck irradiation for supraglottic cancer: focus on Sublevel IIb
      omission.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate selective neck irradiation omitting surgical Sublevel IIb.
      METHODS: Bilateral necks of 47 patients (94 necks) were subjected to definitive
      radiotherapy for supraglottic cancer. Sixty-nine and 25 necks were clinically
      node negative (cN-) and clinically node positive (cN+), respectively. We
      subdivided Sublevel IIb by the international consensus guideline for radiotherapy
      into Sublevel IIb/a, directly posterior to the internal jugular vein, and
      Sublevel IIb/b, which was behind Sublevel IIb/a and coincided with surgical
      Sublevel IIb. Bilateral (Sub)levels IIa, III, IV and IIb/a were routinely
      irradiated, whereas Sublevel IIb/b was omitted from the elective clinical target
      volume in 73/94 treated necks (78%). RESULTS: Two patients presented with
      ipsilateral Sublevel IIb/a metastases. No Sublevel IIb/b metastasis was observed.
      Five patients experienced cervical lymph node recurrence; Sublevel IIb/a
      recurrence developed in two patients, whereas no Sublevel IIb/b recurrence
      occurred even in the cN- necks of cN+ patients or cN0 patients. The 5-year
      regional control rates were 91.5% for Sublevel IIb/b-omitted patients and 77.8%
      for Sublevel IIb/b treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: Selective neck irradiation
      omitting Sublevel IIb/b did not compromise regional control and could be
      indicated for cN- neck of supraglottic cancer.

PMID- 26491206
TI  - A heterobimetallic copper-titanium oxo cluster with a new structural motif.
AB  - ABSTRACT: Mixed-metal oxo clusters Cu4Ti5O6(OOCR)16 (OOCR = methacrylate,
      propionate) were obtained by reaction of titanium alkoxides and copper
      carboxylates with propionic or methacrylic acid. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: 

PMID- 26491207
TI  - Euryjanicins E-G, poly-phenylalanine and poly-proline cyclic heptapeptides from
      the Caribbean sponge Prosuberites laughlini.
AB  - A new investigation of the active sponge extracts of Prosuberites laughlini
      collected off the West coast of Puerto Rico has yielded three new cyclic
      heptapeptides, namely euryjanicins E (1)-G (3), containing multiple phenylalanine
      and proline residues. In CDCl3 solution, each euryjanicin F (2) and G (3) exists
      as an inseparable complex mixture of conformational isomers. The molecular
      structures of 1-3 were elucidated by a combination of chemical degradation,
      extensive ESI-MS/MS n analyses, and 2D NMR methods. The elucidation of the
      absolute configuration was achieved by HPLC following analysis of the acid
      hydrolysates after derivatization with Marfey's reagent. When assayed against the
      National Cancer Institute 60 tumor cell line panel, the new cyclic peptides did
      not display significant in vitro cytotoxicity.

PMID- 26491208
TI  - Quandle colorings of knots and applications.
AB  - We present a set of 26 finite quandles that distinguish (up to reversal and
      mirror image) by number of colorings, all of the 2977 prime oriented knots with
      up to 12 crossings. We also show that 1058 of these knots can be distinguished
      from their mirror images by the number of colorings by quandles from a certain
      set of 23 finite quandles. We study the colorings of these 2977 knots by all of
      the 431 connected quandles of order at most 35 found by Vendramin. Among other
      things, we collect information about quandles that have the same number of
      colorings for all of the 2977 knots. For example, we prove that if Q is a simple
      quandle of prime power order then Q and the dual quandle Q* of Q have the same
      number of colorings for all knots and conjecture that this holds for all
      Alexander quandles Q. We study a knot invariant based on a quandle homomorphism f
      : Q1 -> Q0. We also apply the quandle colorings we have computed to obtain some
      new results for the bridge index, the Nakanishi index, the tunnel number, and the
      unknotting number. In an appendix we discuss various properties of the quandles
      in Vendramin's list. Links to the data computed and various programs in C, GAP
      and Maple are provided.

PMID- 26491209
TI  - Measurement of elemental concentration of aerosols using spark emission
      spectroscopy.
AB  - A coaxial microelectrode system has been used to collect and analyse the
      elemental composition of aerosol particles in near real-time using spark emission
      spectroscopy. The technique involves focused electrostatic deposition of charged
      aerosol particles onto the flat tip of a microelectrode, followed by introduction
      of spark discharge. A pulsed spark discharge was generated across the electrodes
      with input energy ranging from 50 to 300 mJ per pulse, resulting in the formation
      of controlled pulsed plasma. The particulate matter on the cathode tip is ablated
      and atomized by the spark plasma, resulting in atomic emissions which are
      subsequently recorded using a broadband optical spectrometer for element
      identification and quantification. The plasma characteristics were found to be
      very consistent and reproducible even after several thousands of spark discharges
      using the same electrode system. The spark plasma was characterized by measuring
      the excitation temperature (~7000 to 10 000 K), electron density (~1016 cm-3),
      and evolution of spectral responses as a function of time. The system was
      calibrated using particles containing Pb, Si, Na and Cr. Absolute mass detection
      limits in the range 11 pg to 1.75 ng were obtained. Repeatability of spectral
      measurements varied from 2 to 15%. The technique offers key advantages over
      similar microplasma-based techniques such as laser-induced breakdown
      spectroscopy, as: (i) it does not require any laser beam optics and eliminates
      any need for beam alignment, (ii) pulse energy from dc power supply in SIBS
      system can be much higher compared to that from laser source of the same physical
      size, and (iii) it is quite conducive to compact, field-portable instrumentation.

PMID- 26491210
TI  - The Relation between eNOS -786 C/T, 4 a/b, MMP-13 rs640198 G/T, Eotaxin 426 C/T, 
      384 A/G, and 67 G/A Polymorphisms and Long-Term Outcome in Patients with Coronary
      Artery Disease.
AB  - AIM: The purpose of this study is to determine the association between eotaxin
      426 C/T, -384 A/G, 67 G/A, eNOS -786 T/C, 4 a/b, and MMP-13 rs640198 G/T and
      prognosis of patients with known CAD. METHODS: From total of 1161 patients
      referred to coronary angiography, 532 patients with angiographically confirmed
      CAD were selected. Their long-term outcome was followed up using hospital
      database. Subsequent events were assessed in this study: death or combined
      endpoint-myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris, revascularization,
      heart failure hospitalization, and cardioverter-defibrillator implantation.
      RESULTS: The multivariate Cox regression model identified age, smoking, and 3
      vessel disease as significant predictors of all-cause death. Further analysis
      showed that eotaxin 67 G/A (GA + AA versus GG) and eotaxin -384 A/G (GG versus GA
      + AA) were significant independent prognostic factors when added into the model:
      HR (95% CI) 2.81 (1.35-5.85), p = 0.006; HR (95% CI) 2.63 (1.19-5.83), p = 0.017;
      eotaxin -384 A/G was significantly associated with the event-free survival, but
      it did not provide the prognostic information above the effect of two- or three
      vessel disease. CONCLUSION: The A allele in eotaxin 67 G/A polymorphism is
      associated with worse survival in CAD patients.

PMID- 26491211
TI  - Identification of Novel Epigenetic Markers of Prostate Cancer by NotI-Microarray
      Analysis.
AB  - A significant need for reliable and accurate cancer diagnostics and prognosis
      compels the search for novel biomarkers that would be able to discriminate
      between indolent and aggressive tumors at the early stages of disease. The aim of
      this work was identification of potential diagnostic biomarkers for
      characterization of different types of prostate tumors. NotI-microarrays with 180
      clones associated with chromosome 3 genes/loci were applied to determine genetic
      and epigenetic alterations in 33 prostate tumors. For 88 clones, aberrations were
      detected in more than 10% of tumors. The major types of alterations were DNA
      methylation and/or deletions. Frequent methylation of the discovered loci was
      confirmed by bisulfite sequencing on selective sampling of genes: FGF12, GATA2,
      and LMCD1. Three genes (BHLHE40, BCL6, and ITGA9) were tested for expression
      level alterations using qPCR, and downregulation associated with hypermethylation
      was shown in the majority of tumors. Based on these data, we proposed the set of
      potential biomarkers for detection of prostate cancer and discrimination between
      prostate tumors with different malignancy and aggressiveness: BHLHE40, FOXP1,
      LOC285205, ITGA9, CTDSPL, FGF12, LOC440944/SETD5, VHL, CLCN2, OSBPL10/ZNF860,
      LMCD1, FAM19A4, CAND2, MAP4, KY, and LRRC58. Moreover, we probabilistically
      estimated putative functional relations between the genes within each set using
      the network enrichment analysis. 

PMID- 26491212
TI  - FGF23 in Acute and Chronic Illness.
AB  - FGF23 is a bone-derived phosphaturic hormone that may become a useful biomarker
      for the identification of high-risk patients in chronic but also acute disease.
      It rises early in chronic kidney disease and is strongly and independently
      associated with excess morbidity and mortality. Emerging data suggest that FGF23
      is also elevated in different scenarios of acute illness. In this review, we give
      an overview on the role of this interesting disease marker and potential and
      proven interventional strategies and discuss a blueprint for future research. 

PMID- 26491213
TI  - Roles of NOTCH1 as a Therapeutic Target and a Biomarker for Lung Cancer:
      Controversies and Perspectives.
AB  - Lung cancer is one of the most common types of human malignancies and the leading
      cause of cancer-related death. Patients with surgically resectable early stage
      lung cancer are more likely curable, but currently only a small population of
      patients can be diagnosed at such a stage, partly due to our incomplete
      understanding of the biology of lung cancer and the lack of diagnostic and
      prognostic biomarkers. Recent studies have shown that NOTCH1 is a critical
      regulator of human carcinogenesis and has been implicated in multiple steps of
      cancer development and progression. Herein, we review recent findings about the
      role of NOTCH1 in lung cancer and discuss its potential usefulness as both a
      therapeutic target and a biomarker for lung cancer. 

PMID- 26491215
TI  - Assessment of Immunological Biomarkers in the First Year after Heart
      Transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pharmacodynamic biomarkers that detect changes of immunological
      functions have been recognized as a helpful tool to increase the efficacy of
      immunosuppressive drug therapies. However, physiological changes of immunological
      biomarkers following transplantation are not investigated. Therefore, we assessed
      frequently used immunological biomarkers of the circulating blood in the first
      year following heart transplantation (HTx). METHODS: Activation markers CD25 and
      CD95, intracellular cytokines IL-2 and IFNgamma, chemokines IP10 and MIG, and
      subsets of dendritic cells as well as antibodies against human leukocyte antigens
      (HLA) and major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain A (MICA)
      antigens were analyzed at different time points using flow cytometry and Luminex
      xMAP technology. RESULTS: Expression of IL-2, IFNgamma, and plasmacytoid
      dendritic cells (pDCs) significantly increased (p < 0.01) during the first year.
      Anti-HLA antibodies decreased continuously, while anti-MICA antibodies showed
      minor increase within the first year. An association between percentage of pDCs
      and anti-MICA antibody positivity was proven. pDCs, IFNgamma-producing T cells,
      and IP10 concentration were associated in a stronger way with age and gender of
      HTx recipients than with antibodies against HLA or MICA. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude
      that certain immunological biomarkers of the circulating blood change during the
      first year after HTx. These changes should be considered for interpretation of
      biomarkers after transplantation.

PMID- 26491214
TI  - Association of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Insertion-Deletion Polymorphism with
      Hypertension in Emiratis with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Its Interaction with
      Obesity Status.
AB  - The association of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) insertion-deletion (I/D)
      polymorphism with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension has been
      extensively studied throughout various ethnic populations but largely with
      inconsistent findings. We investigated these associations in Emirati population
      and their interaction with obesity status. Saliva samples were collected from a
      total of 564 Emiratis (277 T2DM and 297 healthy). DNA was extracted and the
      samples were genotyped for ACE I/D polymorphism by a PCR based method followed by
      gel electrophoresis. Upon evaluation of the ACE I/D polymorphism amongst all
      T2DM, hypertensive patients, and respective controls regardless of obesity
      status, ACE DD genotype was not found to be associated with either T2DM [odds
      ratio (OR) = 1.34, p = 0.086] or hypertension [odd ratio (OR) = 1.02, p = 0.93].
      When the genetic variants amongst the nonobese and obese population were analyzed
      separately, the risk genotype ACE DD conferred significantly increased risk of
      hypertension in nonobese population [odds ratio (OR) = 1.80, p = 0.02] but was
      found to be protective against the hypertension in the obese group ((OR) = 0.54,
      p = 0.01). However, there was no effect of obesity status on the association of
      ACE genotypes with T2DM. The risk of hypertension associated with ACE DD is
      modulated by obesity status and hence future genetic association studies should
      take obesity into account for the interpretation of data. We also confirmed that
      ACE I/D polymorphism is not associated with T2DM risk in Emirati population. 

PMID- 26491217
TI  - Preoperative Diagnostic Angiogram and Endovascular Aortic Stent Placement for
      Appleby Resection Candidates: A Novel Surgical Technique in the Management of
      Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer.
AB  - Background. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma of the body and tail usually presents late
      and is typically unresectable. The modified Appleby procedure allows resection of
      pancreatic body carcinoma with celiac axis (CA) invasion. Given that the
      feasibility of this technique is based on the presence of collateral circulation,
      it is crucial to confirm the presence of an anatomical and functional collateral
      system. Methods. We here describe a novel technique used in two patients who were
      candidates for Appleby resection. We present their clinical scenario, imaging,
      operative findings, and postoperative course. Results. Both patients had a
      preoperative angiogram for assessment of anatomical circulation and placement of
      an endovascular stent to cover the CA. We hypothesize that this new technique
      allows enhancement of collateral circulation and helps minimize intraoperative
      blood loss when transecting the CA at its takeoff. Moreover, extra length on the
      CA margin may be gained, as the artery can be transected at its origin without
      the need for vascular clamp placement. Conclusion. We propose this novel
      technique in the preoperative management of patients who are undergoing a
      modified Appleby procedure. While further experience with this technique is
      required, we believe that it confers significant advantages to the current
      standard of care. 

PMID- 26491216
TI  - Overview of simulation studies on the enzymatic activity and conformational
      dynamics of the GTPase Ras.
AB  - Over the last 40 years, we have learnt a great deal about the Ras onco-proteins.
      These intracellular molecular switches are essential for the function of a
      variety of physiological processes, including signal transduction cascades
      responsible for cell growth and proliferation. Molecular simulations and free
      energy calculations have played an essential role in elucidating the
      conformational dynamics and energetics underlying the GTP hydrolysis reaction
      catalysed by Ras. Here we present an overview of the main lessons from molecular
      simulations on the GTPase reaction and conformational dynamics of this important
      anti-cancer drug target. In the first part, we summarise insights from quantum
      mechanical and combined quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical simulations as
      well as other free energy methods and highlight consensus viewpoints as well as
      remaining controversies. The second part provides a very brief overview of new
      insights emerging from large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. We conclude
      with a perspective regarding future studies of Ras where computational approaches
      will likely play an active role.

PMID- 26491218
TI  - SHARP ENTRYWISE PERTURBATION BOUNDS FOR MARKOV CHAINS.
AB  - For many Markov chains of practical interest, the invariant distribution is
      extremely sensitive to perturbations of some entries of the transition matrix,
      but insensitive to others; we give an example of such a chain, motivated by a
      problem in computational statistical physics. We have derived perturbation bounds
      on the relative error of the invariant distribution that reveal these variations
      in sensitivity. Our bounds are sharp, we do not impose any structural assumptions
      on the transition matrix or on the perturbation, and computing the bounds has the
      same complexity as computing the invariant distribution or computing other bounds
      in the literature. Moreover, our bounds have a simple interpretation in terms of
      hitting times, which can be used to draw intuitive but rigorous conclusions about
      the sensitivity of a chain to various types of perturbations.

PMID- 26491219
TI  - Necroptotic Cell Death Signaling and Execution Pathway: Lessons from Knockout
      Mice.
AB  - Under stress conditions, cells in living tissue die by apoptosis or necrosis
      depending on the activation of the key molecules within a dying cell that either
      transduce cell survival or death signals that actively destroy the sentenced
      cell. Multiple extracellular (pH, heat, oxidants, and detergents) or
      intracellular (DNA damage and Ca(2+) overload) stress conditions trigger various
      types of the nuclear, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), cytoplasmatic, and
      mitochondrion-centered signaling events that allow cells to preserve the DNA
      integrity, protein folding, energetic, ionic and redox homeostasis, thus escaping
      from injury. Along the transition from reversible to irreversible injury, death
      signaling is highly heterogeneous and damaged cells may engage autophagy,
      apoptotic, or necrotic cell death programs. Studies on multiple double- and
      triple- knockout mice identified caspase-8, flip, and fadd genes as key
      regulators of embryonic lethality and inflammation. Caspase-8 has a critical role
      in pro- and antinecrotic signaling pathways leading to the activation of receptor
      interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1), RIPK3, and the mixed kinase domain-like
      (MLKL) for a convergent execution pathway of necroptosis or regulated necrosis.
      Here we outline the recent discoveries into how the necrotic cell death execution
      pathway is engaged in many physiological and pathological outcome based on
      genetic analysis of knockout mice. 

PMID- 26491220
TI  - Targeting the Mitotic Catastrophe Signaling Pathway in Cancer.
AB  - Mitotic catastrophe, as defined in 2012 by the International Nomenclature
      Committee on Cell Death, is a bona fide intrinsic oncosuppressive mechanism that
      senses mitotic failure and responds by driving a cell to an irreversible
      antiproliferative fate of death or senescence. Thus, failed mitotic catastrophe
      can promote the unrestrained growth of defective cells, thereby representing a
      major gateway to tumour development. Furthermore, the activation of mitotic
      catastrophe offers significant therapeutic advantage which has been exploited in
      the action of conventional and targeted anticancer agents. Yet, despite its
      importance in tumour prevention and treatment, the molecular mechanism of mitotic
      catastrophe is not well understood. A better understanding of the signals that
      determine cell fate following failed or defective mitosis will reveal new
      opportunities to selectively target and enhance the programme for therapeutic
      benefit and reveal biomarkers to predict patient response. This review is focused
      on the molecular mechanism of mitotic catastrophe induction and signalling and
      highlights current strategies to exploit the process in cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26491221
TI  - Endothelial-Leukocyte Interaction in Severe Malaria: Beyond the Brain.
AB  - Malaria is the most important parasitic disease worldwide, accounting for 1
      million deaths each year. Severe malaria is a systemic illness characterized by
      dysfunction of brain tissue and of one or more peripheral organs as lungs and
      kidney. The most severe and most studied form of malaria is associated with
      cerebral complications due to capillary congestion and the adhesion of infected
      erythrocytes, platelets, and leukocytes to brain vasculature. Thus, leukocyte
      rolling and adhesion in the brain vascular bed during severe malaria is singular
      and distinct from other models of inflammation. The leukocyte/endothelium
      interaction and neutrophil accumulation are also observed in the lungs. However,
      lung interactions differ from brain interactions, likely due to differences in
      the blood-brain barrier and blood-air barrier tight junction composition of the
      brain and lung endothelium. Here, we review the importance of endothelial
      dysfunction and the mechanism of leukocyte/endothelium interaction during severe
      malaria. Furthermore, we hypothesize a possible use of adjunctive therapies to
      antimalarial drugs that target the interaction between the leukocytes and the
      endothelium. 

PMID- 26491222
TI  - Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a Methanol Extract from the Marine Sponge Geodia
      cydonium on the Human Breast Cancer MCF-7 Cell Line.
AB  - Many research groups are working to find new possible anti-inflammatory
      molecules, and marine sponges represent a rich source of biologically active
      compounds with pharmacological applications. In the present study, we tested
      different concentrations of the methanol extract from the marine sponge, Geodia
      cydonium, on normal human breast epithelial cells (MCF-10A) and human breast
      cancer cells (MCF-7). Our results show that this extract has no cytotoxic effects
      on both cell lines whereas it induces a decrease in levels of VEGF and five
      proinflammatory cytokines (CCL2, CXCL8, CXCL10, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha) only in
      MCF-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner, thereby indicating an anti-inflammatory
      effect. Moreover, interactomic analysis suggests that all six cytokines are
      involved in a network and are connected with some HUB nodes such as NF-kB
      subunits and ESR1 (estrogen receptor 1). We also report a decrease in the
      expression of two NFKB1 and c-Rel subunits by RT-qPCR experiments only in MCF-7
      cells after extract treatment, confirming NF-kB inactivation. These data
      highlight the potential of G. cydonium for future drug discovery against major
      diseases, such as breast cancer. 

PMID- 26491223
TI  - Looking for Pyroptosis-Modulating miRNAs as a Therapeutic Target for Improving
      Myocardium Survival.
AB  - Pyroptosis is the most recently identified type of regulated cell death with
      inflammatory response and has characteristics distinct from those of apoptosis or
      necrosis. Recently, independent studies have reported that small noncoding RNAs
      termed microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the regulation of pyroptosis.
      Nevertheless, only a handful of empirical data regarding miRNA-dependent
      regulation of pyroptosis is currently available. This review is aimed to provide
      a current update on the role of miRNAs in pyroptosis and to offer suggestions for
      future studies probing miRNAs as a linker connecting pyroptosis to various
      cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and their potential as a therapeutic target for
      preventing excessive cell death of myocardium during CVDs. 

PMID- 26491224
TI  - Cellular Response upon Stress: p57 Contribution to the Final Outcome.
AB  - Progression through the cell cycle is one of the most important decisions during
      the life of a cell and several kinds of stress are able to influence this choice.
      p57 is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor belonging to the CIP/KIP family and is
      a well-known regulator of the cell cycle during embryogenesis and tissue
      differentiation. p57 loss has been reported in a variety of cancers and great
      effort has been spent during the past years studying the mechanisms of p57
      regulation and the effects of p57 reexpression on tumor growth. Recently, growing
      amount of evidence points out that p57 has a specific function in cell cycle
      regulation upon cellular stress that is only partially shared by the other
      CIP/KIP inhibitors p21 and p27. Furthermore, it is nowadays emerging that p57
      plays a role in the induction of apoptosis and senescence after cellular stress
      independently of its cell cycle related functions. This review focuses on the
      contribution that p57 holds in regulating cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and
      senescence after cellular stress with particular attention to the response of
      cancer cells. 

PMID- 26491225
TI  - Downregulation of Lung Toll-Like Receptor 4 Could Effectively Attenuate Liver
      Transplantation-Induced Pulmonary Damage at the Early Stage of Reperfusion.
AB  - Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe complication of orthotopic liver
      transplantation (OLT) with unclear underline mechanism. Toll-like receptor 4
      (TLR4) has been identified as a key receptor mediating inflammation. We
      hypothesized that TLR4-mediated pulmonary inflammation may contribute to
      development of ALI during OLT. Patients with or without ALI were observed for
      serum cytokines and expression of TLR4 on peripheral blood polymorphonuclear
      leukocytes (PMNs). Next, rats which underwent orthotopic autologous liver
      transplantation (OALT) were divided into sham and model groups. Pulmonary
      function and the level of TLR4 expression and cytokines were analyzed.
      Furthermore, the role of TLR4 in OALT-mediated ALI was assessed in rats treated
      with TLR4-siRNA before OALT. The PMNs TLR4 expression and the serum TNF-alpha and
      IL-beta level were higher in patients with ALI than those with non-ALI.
      Interestingly, lung TLR4 expression was significantly increased after 8 hours of
      OALT with increased levels of TNF-alpha and IL-beta, which lead to lung
      pathological damage and an increase of lung myeloperoxidase content. Moreover,
      knockdown of TLR4 reduced lung cytokines release and reversed the above
      pathologic changes after OALT and finally improved rats' survival rate. In
      conclusion, TLR4 overexpression, potentially by stimulating proinflammatory
      cytokine overproduction, contributes to the development of ALI after OLT. 

PMID- 26491226
TI  - Cancer Microenvironment and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Response.
AB  - Different stressful conditions such as hypoxia, nutrient deprivation, pH changes,
      or reduced vascularization, potentially able to act as growth-limiting factors
      for tumor cells, activate the unfolded protein response (UPR). UPR is therefore
      involved in tumor growth and adaptation to severe environments and is generally
      cytoprotective in cancer. The present review describes the molecular mechanisms
      underlying UPR and able to promote survival and proliferation in cancer. The
      critical role of UPR activation in tumor growth promotion is discussed in detail
      for a few paradigmatic tumors such as prostate cancer and melanoma. 

PMID- 26491227
TI  - Proinflammatory Cytokine IL-6 and JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway in
      Myeloproliferative Neoplasms.
AB  - The recent JAK1/2 inhibitor trial in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) showed
      that reducing inflammation can be more beneficial than targeting gene mutants. We
      evaluated the proinflammatory IL-6 cytokine and JAK-STAT signaling pathway
      related genes in circulating CD34(+) cells of MPNs. Regarding laboratory data,
      leukocytosis has been observed in polycythemia vera (PV) and JAK2V617F mutation
      positive versus negative primary myelofibrosis (PMF) patients. Moreover,
      thrombocytosis was reduced by JAK2V617F allele burden in essential
      thrombocythemia (ET) and PMF. 261 significantly changed genes have been detected
      in PV, 82 in ET, and 94 genes in PMF. The following JAK-STAT signaling pathway
      related genes had augmented expression in CD34(+) cells of MPNs: CCND3 and IL23A
      regardless of JAK2V617F allele burden; CSF3R, IL6ST, and STAT1/2 in ET and PV
      with JAK2V617F mutation; and AKT2, IFNGR2, PIM1, PTPN11, and STAT3 only in PV.
      STAT5A gene expression was generally reduced in MPNs. IL-6 cytokine levels were
      increased in plasma, as well as IL-6 protein levels in bone marrow stroma of
      MPNs, dependent on JAK2V617F mutation presence in ET and PMF patients. Therefore,
      the JAK2V617F mutant allele burden participated in inflammation biomarkers
      induction and related signaling pathways activation in MPNs. 

PMID- 26491228
TI  - Cardiac-Restricted IGF-1Ea Overexpression Reduces the Early Accumulation of
      Inflammatory Myeloid Cells and Mediates Expression of Extracellular Matrix
      Remodelling Genes after Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - Strategies to limit damage and improve repair after myocardial infarct remain a
      major therapeutic goal in cardiology. Our previous studies have shown that
      constitutive expression of a locally acting insulin-like growth factor-1 Ea (IGF
      1Ea) propeptide promotes functional restoration after cardiac injury associated
      with decreased scar formation. In the current study, we investigated the
      underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms behind the enhanced functional
      recovery. We observed improved cardiac function in mice overexpressing cardiac
      specific IGF-1Ea as early as day 7 after myocardial infarction. Analysis of gene
      transcription revealed that supplemental IGF-1Ea regulated expression of key
      metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9), their inhibitors (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2), and
      collagen types (Col 1alpha1 and Col 1alpha3) in the first week after injury.
      Infiltration of inflammatory cells, which direct the remodelling process, was
      also altered; in particular there was a notable reduction in inflammatory Ly6C+
      monocytes at day 3 and an increase in anti-inflammatory CD206+ macrophages at day
      7. Taken together, these results indicate that the IGF-1Ea transgene shifts the
      balance of innate immune cell populations early after infarction, favouring a
      reduction in inflammatory myeloid cells. This correlates with reduced
      extracellular matrix remodelling and changes in collagen composition that may
      confer enhanced scar elasticity and improved cardiac function. 

PMID- 26491229
TI  - S-Nitrosoglutathione Reductase Plays Opposite Roles in SH-SY5Y Models of
      Parkinson's Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
AB  - Oxidative and nitrosative stresses have been reported as detrimental phenomena
      concurring to the onset of several neurodegenerative diseases. Here we reported
      that the ectopic modulation of the denitrosylating enzyme S-nitrosoglutathione
      reductase (GSNOR) differently impinges on the phenotype of two SH-SY5Y-based in
      vitro models of neurodegeneration, namely, Parkinson's disease (PD) and familial
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS). In particular, we provide evidence that
      GSNOR-knocking down protects SH-SY5Y against PD toxins, while, by contrast, its
      upregulation is required for G93A-SOD1 expressing cells resistance to NO
      releasing drugs. Although completely opposite, both conditions are characterized
      by Nrf2 localization in the nuclear compartment: in the first case induced by
      GSNOR silencing, while in the second one underlying the antinitrosative response.
      Overall, our results demonstrate that GSNOR expression has different effect on
      neuronal viability in dependence on the stimulus applied and suggest that GSNOR
      could be a responsive gene downstream of Nrf2 activation. 

PMID- 26491230
TI  - Postmitotic Expression of SOD1(G93A) Gene Affects the Identity of Myogenic Cells
      and Inhibits Myoblasts Differentiation.
AB  - To determine the role of mutant SOD1 gene (SOD1(G93A)) on muscle cell
      differentiation, we derived C2C12 muscle cell lines carrying a stably transfected
      SOD1(G93A) gene under the control of a myosin light chain (MLC) promoter-enhancer
      cassette. Expression of MLC/SOD1(G93A) in C2C12 cells resulted in dramatic
      inhibition of myoblast differentiation. Transfected SOD1(G93A) gene expression in
      postmitotic skeletal myocytes downregulated the expression of relevant markers of
      committed and differentiated myoblasts such as MyoD, Myogenin, MRF4, and the
      muscle specific miRNA expression. The inhibitory effects of SOD1(G93A) gene on
      myogenic program perturbed Akt/p70 and MAPK signaling pathways which promote
      differentiation cascade. Of note, the inhibition of the myogenic program, by
      transfected SOD1(G93A) gene expression, impinged also the identity of myogenic
      cells. Expression of MLC/SOD1(G93A) in C2C12 myogenic cells promoted a fibro
      adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) phenotype, upregulating HDAC4 protein and
      preventing the myogenic commitment complex BAF60C-SWI/SNF. We thus identified
      potential molecular mediators of the inhibitory effects of SOD1(G93A) on myogenic
      program and disclosed potential signaling, activated by SOD1(G93A), that affect
      the identity of the myogenic cell population.

PMID- 26491231
TI  - Hypoxia Inducible Factor Pathway and Physiological Adaptation: A Cell Survival
      Pathway?
AB  - Oxygen homeostasis reflects the constant body requirement to generate energy.
      Hypoxia (0.1-1% O2), physioxia or physoxia (~1-13%), and normoxia (~20%) are
      terms used to define oxygen concentration in the cellular environment. A decrease
      in oxygen (hypoxia) or excess oxygen (hyperoxia) could be deleterious for
      cellular adaptation and survival. Hypoxia can occur under both physiological
      (e.g., exercise, embryonic development, underwater diving, or high altitude) and
      pathological conditions (e.g., inflammation, solid tumor formation, lung disease,
      or myocardial infarction). Hypoxia plays a key role in the pathophysiology of
      heart disease, cancers, stroke, and other causes of mortality. Hypoxia inducible
      factor(s) (HIFs) are key oxygen sensors that mediate the ability of the cell to
      cope with decreased oxygen tension. These transcription factors regulate cellular
      adaptation to hypoxia and protect cells by responding acutely and inducing
      production of endogenous metabolites and proteins to promptly regulate metabolic
      pathways. Here, we review the role of the HIF pathway as a metabolic adaptation
      pathway and how this pathway plays a role in cell survival. We emphasize the
      roles of the HIF pathway in physiological adaptation, cell death, pH regulation,
      and adaptation during exercise. 

PMID- 26491233
TI  - Multidrug Resistance Protein-4 Influences Aspirin Toxicity in Human Cell Line.
AB  - Overexpression of efflux transporters, in human cells, is a mechanism of
      resistance to drug and also to chemotherapy. We found that multidrug resistance
      protein-4 (MRP4) overexpression has a role in reducing aspirin action in patients
      after bypass surgery and, very recently, we found that aspirin enhances platelet
      MRP4 levels through peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-alpha (PPARalpha).
      In the present paper, we verified whether exposure of human embryonic kidney-293
      cells (Hek-293) to aspirin modifies MRP4 gene expression and its correlation with
      drug elimination and cell toxicity. We first investigated the effect of high-dose
      aspirin in Hek-293 and we showed that aspirin is able to increase cell toxicity
      dose-dependently. Furthermore, aspirin effects, induced at low dose, already
      enhance MRP4 gene expression. Based on these findings, we compared cell viability
      in Hek-293, after high-dose aspirin treatment, in MRP4 overexpressing cells,
      either after aspirin pretreatment or in MRP4 transfected cells; in both cases, a
      decrease of selective aspirin cell growth inhibition was observed, in comparison
      with the control cultures. Altogether, these data suggest that exposing cells to
      low nontoxic aspirin dosages can induce gene expression alterations that may lead
      to the efflux transporter protein overexpression, thus increasing cellular
      detoxification of aspirin. 

PMID- 26491234
TI  - Subtoxic Concentrations of Hepatotoxic Drugs Lead to Kupffer Cell Activation in a
      Human In Vitro Liver Model: An Approach to Study DILI.
AB  - Drug induced liver injury (DILI) is an idiosyncratic adverse drug reaction
      leading to severe liver damage. Kupffer cells (KC) sense hepatic tissue
      stress/damage and therefore could be a tool for the estimation of consequent
      effects associated with DILI. Aim of the present study was to establish a human
      in vitro liver model for the investigation of immune-mediated signaling in the
      pathogenesis of DILI. Hepatocytes and KC were isolated from human liver
      specimens. The isolated KC yield was 1.2 +/- 0.9 * 10(6) cells/g liver tissue
      with a purity of >80%. KC activation was investigated by the measurement of
      reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI, DCF assay) and cell activity (XTT assay). The
      initial KC activation levels showed broad donor variability. Additional
      activation of KC using supernatants of hepatocytes treated with hepatotoxic drugs
      increased KC activity and led to donor-dependent changes in the formation of ROI
      compared to KC incubated with supernatants from untreated hepatocytes.
      Additionally, a compound- and donor-dependent increase in proinflammatory
      cytokines or in anti-inflammatory cytokines was detected. In conclusion, KC
      related immune signaling in hepatotoxicity was successfully determined in a newly
      established in vitro liver model. KC were able to detect hepatocyte stress/damage
      and to transmit a donor- and compound-dependent immune response via cytokine
      production. 

PMID- 26491232
TI  - Redox Signaling in Diabetic Nephropathy: Hypertrophy versus Death Choices in
      Mesangial Cells and Podocytes.
AB  - This review emphasizes the role of oxidative stress in diabetic nephropathy,
      acting as trigger, modulator, and linker within the complex network of pathologic
      events. It highlights key molecular pathways and new hypothesis in diabetic
      nephropathy, related to the interferences of metabolic, oxidative, and
      inflammatory stresses. Main topics this review is addressing are biomarkers of
      oxidative stress in diabetic nephropathy, the sources of reactive oxygen species
      (mitochondria, NADPH-oxidases, hyperglycemia, and inflammation), and the redox
      sensitive signaling networks (protein kinases, transcription factors, and
      epigenetic regulators). Molecular switches deciding on the renal cells fate in
      diabetic nephropathy are presented, such as hypertrophy versus death choices in
      mesangial cells and podocytes. Finally, the antioxidant response of renal cells
      in diabetic nephropathy is tackled, with emphasis on targeted therapy. An
      integrative approach is needed for identifying key molecular networks which
      control cellular responses triggered by the array of stressors in diabetic
      nephropathy. This will foster the discovery of reliable biomarkers for early
      diagnosis and prognosis, and will guide the discovery of new therapeutic
      approaches for personalized medicine in diabetic nephropathy. 

PMID- 26491236
TI  - Computational Analysis of Amiloride Analogue Inhibitors of Coxsackievirus B3 RNA
      Polymerase.
AB  - Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a picornavirus that is responsible for a significant
      proportion of human myocarditis. However, no antiviral treatment is currently
      available to treat this disease or indeed any picornaviral infections. Previously
      it was shown that amiloride and its derivative 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)amiloride
      inhibit the in vitro enzymatic activity of CVB3 RNA polymerase (3Dpol). Here we
      measure and compare the inhibitory activity of ten amiloride analogues against
      CVB3 3Dpol. We show that replacement of the 3,5-diaminopyrazinyl moiety of
      amiloride causes loss of the inhibitory activity, whereas modifications at the 5
      amino and guanidino groups increase or decrease potency. Importantly, a
      combination of substitutions at both the 5-amino and guanidino groups produced a
      compound that was more potent than its singly modified precursors. The compounds
      were computationally-docked into available crystal structures of CVB3 3Dpol in
      order to obtain a structural explanation for the activities of the analogues. To
      create a robust model which explained the biological activity, optimization of
      one of the CVB3 3Dpol crystal structures to take into account active site
      flexibility was necessary, together with the use of consensus docking from two
      different docking algorithms. This robust predictive 3D atomic model provides
      insights into the interactions required for inhibitor binding and provides a
      promising basis for the development of more potent inhibitors against this
      important therapeutic target.

PMID- 26491235
TI  - The Link between Fetal Programming, Inflammation, Muscular Strength, and Blood
      Pressure.
AB  - Hypertension affects one billion individuals worldwide and is considered the
      leading cause of cardiovascular death, stroke, and myocardial infarction. This
      increase in the burden of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is
      principally driven by lifestyle changes such as increased hypercaloric diets and
      reduced physical activity producing an increase of obesity, insulin resistance,
      and low-grade inflammation. Visceral adipocytes are the principal source of
      proinflammatory cytokines and systemic inflammation participates in several steps
      in the development of CVD. However, maternal and infant malnutrition also
      persists as a major public health issue in low- to middle-income regions such as
      Latin America (LA). We propose that the increased rates of cardiovascular and
      metabolic diseases in these countries could be the result of the discrepancy
      between a restricted nutritional environment during fetal development and early
      life, and a nutritionally abundant environment during adulthood. Maternal
      undernutrition, which may manifest in lower birth weight offspring, appears to
      accentuate the relative risk of chronic disease at lower levels of adiposity.
      Therefore, LA populations may be more vulnerable to the pathogenic consequences
      of obesity than individuals with similar lifestyles in high-income countries,
      which may be mediated by higher levels of proinflammatory markers and lower
      levels of muscle mass and strength observed in low birth weight individuals. 

PMID- 26491237
TI  - Factors Promoting Mental Health of Adolescents Who Have a Parent with Mental
      Illness: A Longitudinal Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children of parents with mental illness have an elevated risk of
      developing a range of mental health and psychosocial problems. Yet many of these
      children remain mentally healthy. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to get
      insight into factors that protect these children from developing internalizing
      and externalizing problems. METHODS: Several possible individual, parent-child,
      and family protective factors were examined cross-sectionally and longitudinally
      in a sample of 112 adolescents. A control group of 122 adolescents whose parents
      have no mental illness was included to explore whether the protective factors
      were different between adolescents with and without a parent with mental illness.
      RESULTS: Cross-sectional analyses revealed that high self-esteem and low use of
      passive coping strategies were related to fewer internalizing and externalizing
      problems. Greater self-disclosure was related to fewer internalizing problems and
      more parental monitoring was related to fewer externalizing problems. Active
      coping strategies, parental support, and family factors such as cohesion were
      unrelated to adolescent problem behavior. Longitudinal analyses showed that
      active coping, parental monitoring, and self-disclosure were protective against
      developing internalizing problems 2 years later. We found no protective factors
      for externalizing problems. Moderation analyses showed that the relationships
      between possible protective factors and adolescent problem behavior were not
      different for adolescents with and without a parent with mental illness.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that adolescents' active coping strategies and
      parent-child communication may be promising factors to focus on in interventions
      aimed at preventing the development of internalizing problems by adolescents who
      have a parent with mental illness.

PMID- 26491238
TI  - A Measure of the Parent-Team Alliance in Youth Residential Psychiatry: The
      Revised Short Working Alliance Inventory.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The therapeutic alliance between multidisciplinary teams and parents
      within youth (semi) residential psychiatry is essential for the treatment process
      and forms a promising process variable for Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM). No
      short evaluative instrument, however, is currently available to assess parent
      team alliance. OBJECTIVE: In this study, the Working Alliance Inventory-Short
      Version (WAV-12), a widely used alliance questionnaire, was adjusted to assess
      parent-team alliance from both a parent and team perspective within a youth
      residential setting. Psychometric properties, including factor structure and
      validity of the subscales, were explored. METHODS: A sample of youth with mainly
      complex developmental disorders admitted to 11 inpatient and day patient units of
      a child and adolescent psychiatric institute participated in this study. The case
      manager involved with the youth and the primary caregiver of 87 youth completed
      the revised WAV-12 (WAV-12R). RESULTS: The team version of the WAV-12R showed a
      good fit to the original conceptualized model, and distinguished Bond, Task and
      Goal scales. For the parents' version an adjusted model with Insight, Bond and
      combined Task/Goal scales had the best fit. The reliability and validity of the
      scales were shown to be good. CONCLUSIONS: This paper presents preliminary
      evidence that the parent and treatment team versions of the WAV-12R are
      psychometrically sound for assessing parent-team alliance within youth (semi)
      residential psychiatry in the Netherlands. The team and parents' versions of the
      WAV-12R are recommended instruments to complement outcome measures in ROM.

PMID- 26491239
TI  - Clinical experience in treatment of diffuse unilateral subretinal neuroretinitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the clinical features, management, and outcomes of patients
      with diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN). METHODS: A
      noncomparative, consecutive analysis of case series from two tertiary care
      campuses of LV Prasad Eye Institute, India, between January 2011 and April 2014
      was performed. Medical records of the patients presenting with DUSN (early or
      late stage) were reviewed. RESULTS: The current study included 13 patients. The
      majority (10/13, 76.92%) of the patients were aged 20 years or less. All patients
      had unilateral eye involvement. Visual acuity at presentation was 20/200 or worse
      in 9/13 (69.23%) patients. A delay in diagnosis occurred in 6/13 patients, and
      initial diagnosis in these patients included retinitis pigmentosa (4 patients)
      and posterior uveitis (2 patients). Clinical features included early presentation
      (prominent vitritis, localized retinitis, and vasculitis) in 7/13 (53.85%)
      patients and late presentation (attenuation of vessels, retinal pigment
      epithelium atrophic changes, and optic atrophy) in 6/13 (46.15%) patients. Worm
      could not be identified in any of the cases. All the patients received laser
      photocoagulation of retina and oral albendazole treatment for a period of 30
      days. With treatment, visual acuity improved in seven patients (six early stage,
      one late stage) and remained unchanged in six patients. Mean follow-up period was
      8.69 months (range, 1-21 months). The mean central foveal thickness in the
      affected eye, done by optical coherence tomography, during the late stage of the
      disease was 188.20+/-40 um (range, 111-242 um), which was significantly thinner
      than the fellow eye, 238.70+/-36.90 um (range, 186-319 um), P=0.008. CONCLUSION:
      DUSN is a serious vision threatening disease, which may progress to profound
      vision loss in the later stage of the disease. Visualization of subretinal worm
      is usually not possible. Treatment with high-dose albendazole therapy and laser
      photocoagulation may alter the blood-retinal barrier and may be useful in
      achieving visual recovery.

PMID- 26491240
TI  - Impact of surgeon subspecialty training on surgical outcomes in open globe
      injuries.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether subspecialty training
      of the initial treating surgeon affects visual acuity and surgical outcomes in
      patients with open globe injuries. DESIGN: This study is a single-institution,
      retrospective case series. METHODS: The charts of adult patients with open globe
      injuries requiring surgical repair at the Wilmer Eye Institute between July 1,
      2007 and July 1, 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical findings at
      presentation were recorded, and details of initial repair and follow-up surgeries
      were analyzed. Differences in visual acuity and surgical outcomes were compared
      based on subspecialty training of the initial surgeon. RESULTS: The charts of 282
      adult patients were analyzed, and 193 eyes had at least 6 months of follow-up for
      analysis. Eighty-six eyes (44.6%) required follow-up surgery within the first
      year, and 39 eyes (20.2%) were enucleated. Eyes initially treated by a
      vitreoretinal (VR) surgeon were 2.3 times (P=0.003) more likely to improve by one
      Ocular Trauma Score (OTS) visual acuity category and 1.9 times (P=0.027) more
      likely to have at least one more follow-up surgery at 6 months compared to eyes
      treated by non-VR surgeons. Patients with more anterior injuries treated by a VR
      surgeon were more likely to improve by one OTS visual acuity category compared to
      those treated by non-VR surgeons (P=0.004 and 0.016 for Zones I and II,
      respectively). There was no difference in visual acuity outcomes for eyes with
      posterior injuries (P=0.515 for Zone III). CONCLUSION: Eyes initially treated by
      a VR surgeon are more likely to improve by one OTS visual acuity category than
      those initially treated by a non-VR surgeon. However, patients initially treated
      by a VR surgeon also undergo more follow-up surgical rehabilitation, and
      improvement in visual acuity is more likely for anterior (Zone I and II injuries)
      than posterior (Zone III) injuries.

PMID- 26491241
TI  - Recurrent rates and risk factors associated with recurrent painful bullous
      keratopathy after primary phototherapeutic keratectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the recurrent rate, mean survival time, and risk factors
      associated with recurrent painful bullous keratopathy (BK) after primary
      treatment with phototherapeutic keratectomy. METHODS: Medical records from 72
      patients (72 eyes) who had phototherapeutic keratectomy for painful BK were
      evaluated. Data for sex, age, duration of BK, associated ocular and systemic
      diseases (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, asthma,
      dyslipidemia, and rheumatoid arthritis), frequency and degree of pain (grade 1
      3), visual acuity, corneal thickness, intraocular pressure, and laser setting
      were extracted and analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 64.2+/
      11.4 years. The mean preoperative duration of BK was 15.0+/-11.0 months. Most
      patients had pseudophakic BK (69.40%). Majority of the cases had grade 3 degree
      of pain (48.60%). Glaucoma and hypertension were markedly found among these
      patients (51.40% and 19.40%, respectively). Preoperative mean intraocular
      pressure and corneal thickness were 13.70+/-4.95 mmHg and 734.1+/-83.80 um,
      respectively. The mean laser diameter and depth were 8.36+/-1.22 mm and 38.89+/
      8.81 um, respectively. Systemic disease was significantly associated with the
      risk for developing recurrent painful BK (P=0.022, hazard ratio [HR] 1.673, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] 1.08-2.58). The overall recurrent rate was 51%. The
      average duration time of recurrent painful BK was 17.3+/-12.9 months (range 1-50
      months). The median survival time before recurrence was 29.0+/-6.6 months.
      CONCLUSION: Systemic disease was found to be the only risk factor significantly
      associated with the development of recurrent painful BK. Low recurrent rate and
      long mean survival time showed that phototherapeutic keratectomy was effective in
      relieving recurrent painful BK and can be used as an alternative procedure for
      patients waiting for corneal transplantation.

PMID- 26491242
TI  - Cataract surgery: factors influencing decision to treat and implications for
      training (south-east Scotland 2008-2014).
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the population referred for cataract surgery, identify
      factors that influenced decision to treat, and patients suitable for ophthalmic
      training. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 2,693 consecutive referrals over 6
      years were interrogated using Business Objects software on cataract electronic
      patient records. RESULTS: A total of 2,693 patients were referred for cataract
      surgery (group A). Of these patients 2,132 (79%) had surgery (group B) and 561
      (21%) did not (group C). Age for group B vs group C: 672 (32%) vs 115 (20%) <=69
      years, P<0.001; 803 (38%) vs 225 (40%) 70-79 years, P=0.48; 586 (27%) vs 203
      (36%) 80-89 years, P<0.05; 71 (3%) vs 18 (3%) >=90 years, P=1.0. Visual acuity,
      group B vs group C: 556 (26%) vs 664 (59%) 6/12 or better; 1,275 (60%) vs 367
      (33%) 6/18-6/60; 266 (12%) vs 64 (6%) counting fingers or worse, P<0.05. Medical
      history for group B vs C: cognitive impairment: 55 (2.6%) vs 29 (5.2%), P<0.05;
      cardiovascular accident: 158 (7.4%) vs 60 (10.7%), P<0.05; diabetes: 372 (17.4%)
      vs 96 (17.1%), P=0.87; COPD/asthma: 382 (17.9%) vs 93 (16.6%), P=0.53; heart
      disease: 535 (25.1%) vs 155 (27.6%), P=0.35; hypertension: 971 (45.5%) vs 263
      (46.9%), P=0.73. Ocular history for group B vs C was significant (P<0.05) for age
      related macular degeneration 255 (12.0%) vs 93 (16.6%), other macular pathology
      38 (1.8%) vs 25 (4.5%), corneal pathology 92 (4.3%) vs 36 (6.4%), amblyopia 37
      (1.7%) vs 22 (3.9%). Detailed data on presenting complaint, ophthalmic history,
      and social status is discussed. CONCLUSION: We observed that surgery at a younger
      age with good levels of visual acuity was a factor in deferring cataract surgery.
      Cognitive impairment, cardiovascular accident, amblyopia, corneal and macular
      pathology significantly affected decision not to operate. We estimate that 80% of
      patients would be suitable for ophthalmic training.

PMID- 26491243
TI  - Stereotactic radiotherapy for wet age-related macular degeneration: current
      perspectives.
AB  - Neovascular age-related macular degeneration is a leading cause of blindness in
      the developed world. Currently, the treatment of choice is intravitreal
      injections of anti-VEGF medications. These require frequent dosing, up to
      monthly, and impose a substantial burden on patients and the health economy.
      Ionizing radiation was proposed as a possible treatment for age-related macular
      degeneration due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties.
      Stereotactic radiotherapy is an outpatient-based radiotherapy platform that
      provides stereotactic application of low energy X-ray to the retina in three
      highly collimated beams that cross the inferior sclera to overlap at the macula.
      A randomized, double-masked, sham-controlled trial of 230 patients (INTREPID)
      showed that a single dose of stereotactic radiotherapy significantly reduces the
      number of intravitreal anti-VEGF injections needed over 2 years. A larger
      randomized controlled trial (STAR) is underway. 

PMID- 26491244
TI  - Glaucoma-service provision in Scotland: introduction and need for Scottish
      Intercollegiate Guidelines Network guidelines.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the pattern of glaucoma-service delivery in Scotland and
      identify areas for improvement, taking into account Scottish General Ophthalmic
      Services (GOS) arrangements and the Eye Care Integration project, and to design
      Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines to refine the
      primary and secondary interface of glaucoma care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      glaucoma-survey questionnaire was sent to all consultant glaucomatologists in
      Scotland. The design of SIGN guidelines was based on the results of the
      questionnaire using SIGN methodology. RESULTS: Over 90% of Scottish glaucoma care
      is triaged and delivered within hospital services. Despite GOS referral,
      information is variable. There are no consistent discharge practices to the
      community. These results led to defined research questions that were answered,
      thus formulating the content of the SIGN guidelines. The guideline covers the
      assessment of patients in primary care, referral criteria to hospital, discharge
      criteria from hospital to community, and monitoring of patients at risk of
      glaucoma. CONCLUSION: With increasing age and limitations to hospital resources,
      refining glaucoma pathways between primary and secondary care has become a
      necessity. Scotland has unique eye care arrangements with both the GOS and Eye
      Care Integration project. It is hoped that implementation of SIGN guidelines will
      identify glaucoma at the earliest opportunity and reduce the rate of false
      positive referrals to hospital.

PMID- 26491245
TI  - Finding the best glaucoma questionnaire: a qualitative and quantitative
      evaluation of glaucoma knowledge assessments.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study was to determine which glaucoma quiz provides
      the best information about patient glaucoma knowledge to clinicians in clinical
      practice settings. METHODS: Four glaucoma quizzes were identified from the
      literature and national eye education programs and were qualitatively analyzed to
      categorize questions by topic. Quizzes were assessed by 64 glaucoma specialists
      using an online survey, with descriptive statistics. Comments about the quizzes
      were analyzed qualitatively using themes and representative quotations. RESULTS:
      Quizzes covered content that was important for glaucoma diagnosis and management.
      The National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) and Prevent Blindness America
      quizzes covered primarily diagnosis, screening, and risk factors, and the quizzes
      from the literature primarily covered causes of glaucoma, vision loss, eye drops,
      and systemic disease. Overall, the NEHEP quiz was ranked best for clinical
      practice, ranked first by 38%. Ranked second overall, the Gray quiz was ranked
      first by 34% and last by 34%. CONCLUSION: The NEHEP quiz was rated most useful
      for assessing baseline general glaucoma knowledge for a busy clinical practice.
      The Gray quiz appears to be more useful as part of a comprehensive education
      program, perhaps in combination with an ophthalmic educator.

PMID- 26491246
TI  - Prevalence and factors predictive of intraocular fungal infection in patients
      with fungemia at an academic urban tertiary care center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report the prevalence and to identify factors predictive of
      intraocular infection in patients with fungemia receiving prophylactic antifungal
      therapy. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients who received prophylactic
      antifungal therapy and a dilated fundus examination at an academic urban tertiary
      care center from 2000 to 2007. Basic demographic information, fungal species
      grown, antifungal agent(s) used, number of positive blood culture specimens,
      visual acuity, visual symptoms, and known risks of disseminated candidiasis were
      noted. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors
      significantly associated with intraocular fungal infection. RESULTS: A total of
      132 patients with positive fungemia culture were requested to have ophthalmology
      consults. The prevalence of ocular infection was 6.9% (N=9). All nine patients
      were infected with Candida species. Undergoing gastrointestinal (GI) surgery
      within the prior 6 months was significantly related to developing intraocular
      infection, with an odds ratio of 18.5 (95% confidence interval, 15.1-24.3;
      P=0.002). Having >=3 positive fungal blood cultures was also a significant risk
      factor, with an odds ratio of 2.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.8-3.7; P=0.03).
      Among 40 patients having GI surgery, eight (20.0%) had intraocular fungal
      disease, compared with one of 92 patients (1.1%) not having GI surgery. Among 125
      patients with a negative baseline examination result, two of 32 patients (6.3%),
      who had recent GI surgery, subsequently developed fungal ocular disease, compared
      with 0 of 93 patients (0%), who did not have recent GI surgery. CONCLUSION:
      Recent GI surgery and higher numbers of positive fungal blood culture specimens
      may be predictive of candida ocular infections. Normal baseline fundoscopy
      examination results in patients with such risks may require repeat evaluations to
      detect delayed manifestations.

PMID- 26491247
TI  - Relocation consequences on an ophthalmology consultation service from an
      inpatient to outpatient facility.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: This study shows that relocation of an academic ophthalmology
      residency program from an inpatient to an outpatient setting in western New York
      does not affect the consult volume but affects management patterns and follow-up
      rates. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects on the ophthalmology consultation
      service of an academic program with relocation from a Regional Level-1 Trauma
      center to an outpatient facility. DESIGN: Consultation notes from 3 years before
      and 3 years after the University at Buffalo's (UB) Department of Ophthalmology
      relocation from a Regional Level-1 Trauma center (Erie County Medical Center) to
      an outpatient facility (Ross Eye Institute) were obtained from hospital
      electronic medical records and analyzed. SETTING: Hospitalized care and
      institutional practice. PARTICIPANTS: All inpatient or Emergency Room
      Ophthalmology consultation patients from the Department of Ophthalmology at UB
      from 2004 to 2010 (1,379 patients). EXPOSURES: None, this was a retrospective
      chart review. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient demographics, reason for consult,
      diagnoses, and ophthalmic procedures performed by the UB Department of
      Ophthalmology before and after its relocation. RESULTS: Relocation to the
      outpatient facility did not affect consult volume (P=0.15). The number of
      consults focusing on ophthalmic conditions, as a percentage of the yearly total,
      rose 460% (P=0.0001), while systemic condition consults with ocular
      manifestations fell 83% (P=0.0001). Consults for ocular trauma decreased 65%
      (P=0.0034). Consults ending with a diagnosis of "normal exam" fell, as a
      percentage of the yearly total (56%, P=0.0023), while diagnoses of new ocular
      conditions rose 17% (P=0.00065). The percentage of consults for Medicaid patients
      fell 12% (P=0.0001), while those for privately insured patients rose 15%
      (P=0.0001). The number of ophthalmic procedures did not change, but postconsult
      patient follow-up fell from 23% at the Erie County Medical Center clinic to 2%
      after the move to Ross Eye Institute, a >=97% decrease. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE:
      Relocation of UB's academic Ophthalmology program from an inpatient department to
      an outpatient facility had no effect on its consultation patient or procedure
      volume, but it significantly affected the nature of consult diagnoses and
      decreased outpatient follow-up by >90% at the latter location. Many hospitals are
      creating separate outpatient facilities that may experience similar obstacles.

PMID- 26491248
TI  - Toxic anterior segment syndrome and intracameral injection of cefuroxime axetil.

PMID- 26491249
TI  - Traumatic uveitis in the mid-Atlantic United States.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to conduct an in-depth analysis of
      traumatic uveitis in patients managed in a mid-Atlantic tertiary care center with
      the goal of better characterizing the clinical features and outcomes of this
      large and important subset of uveitis patients. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective, observational study comparing traumatic uveitis patients with
      nontraumatic uveitis patients seen at the University of Virginia,
      Charlottesville, VA, USA, from 1984 to 2014. RESULTS: Fifty-four traumatic
      uveitis patients (55 eyes) were identified. The patient population was 70.4%
      male, 57.4% Caucasian, and 37.0% African American. Mean age at diagnosis was 31.2
      years; mean duration of follow-up was 5.4 years; and mean number of visits to the
      clinic was 4. The most common treatment modality was local steroids (77.8%).
      Glaucoma was medically managed in eight patients (14.8%). Cataract surgery was
      performed in five patients (9.3%). Mean best-corrected visual acuity at baseline
      for traumatic uveitis patients was 0.33 logMAR (SD 0.42) at the initial visit and
      0.16 logMAR (SD 0.33) at the final visit. Mean baseline intraocular pressure
      (IOP) in the traumatic uveitis group was 15.5 mmHg (SD 7.4) at the initial visit
      and 14.6 mmHg (SD 4.0) at the final visit. Patients in the traumatic uveitis
      cohort tended to have better visual outcomes than those in the nontraumatic
      uveitis cohort. CONCLUSION: In our series, traumatic uveitis patients tended to
      be young and male and present with unilateral disease, all findings consistent
      with other reports. Despite relatively good visual outcomes, the traumatic
      uveitis patients still experienced a high burden of disease, measured both in the
      number of clinic visits and duration of follow-up. Due to the young mean age of
      patients, these disease burdens and decreased quality of life are nontrivial,
      emphasizing the importance of careful management and prompt treatment of this
      subset of uveitis patients.

PMID- 26491250
TI  - Intraocular pressure readings obtained through soft contact lenses using four
      types of tonometer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the reliability and accuracy of intraocular pressure (IOP)
      measured while wearing soft contact lenses (SCLs) using a non-contact tonometer
      (NCT), Goldmann applanation tonometer (GAT), iCare rebound tonometer (RBT) and
      the Tono-Pen XL. METHODS: Twenty-six healthy subjects were examined. The IOP was
      measured using NCT, GAT, RBT, and the Tono-Pen XL, while the subjects wore SCLs 
      5.00 D, -0.50 D and +5.00 D. Bland-Altman plots and a regression analysis were
      used to compare the IOPs obtained with those instruments and the IOPs of the
      naked eyes measured using GAT (the standard IOPs in this study). RESULTS: The
      IOPs obtained by the Tono-Pen XL while the subjects were wearing -5.00 D, -0.50
      D, and +5.00 D SCLs were significantly higher than those of the naked eyes
      obtained using GAT. RBT showed that the IOPs were similar to the GAT standard
      IOPs under all conditions. The IOPs measured with NCT and GAT while the subjects
      were wearing -5.00 D and -0.50 D SCLs were similar to the GAT standard IOPs. The
      IOPs obtained with RBT and NCT while the subjects were wearing -5.00 D and -0.50
      D SCLs exhibited a good correlation with the standard IOPs. CONCLUSION: The NCT
      and RBT are best when measuring IOP through hydrogel SCLs.

PMID- 26491251
TI  - Role of collagenase clostridium histolyticum in Peyronie's disease.
AB  - Peyronie's disease is a localized connective tissue disease characterized by an
      active, inflammatory phase and a stable, quiescent phase, with the eventual
      development of collagenous plaques within the tunica albuginea of the penis. Risk
      factors primarily associated with Peyronie's disease include Dupuytren's
      contracture, penile trauma, and family history. A variety of treatment strategies
      have been utilized, including oral and topical agents, electromotive drug
      administration, intralesional injections, extracorporeal shockwave therapy,
      penile traction, and surgery. However, most of these strategies are ineffective,
      with surgery being the only definitive treatment. Collagenase clostridium
      histolyticum is a newly US Food and Drug Administration-approved agent for
      intralesional injection. It is thought to downregulate many of the disease
      related genes, cytokines, and growth factors and degrade collagen fibers. It also
      suppresses cell attachment, spreading, and proliferation. Collagenase clostridium
      histolyticum has been clinically proven to be a safe and effective therapeutic
      option, demonstrating decreases in penile curvature and plaque consistency, as
      well as increases in patient satisfaction. During clinical evaluation, the
      Peyronie's Disease Questionnaire was validated as an effective tool for assessing
      treatment outcomes. 

PMID- 26491252
TI  - Systematic review and meta-analysis: bezafibrate in patients with primary biliary
      cirrhosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the standard treatment for
      primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), but not all cases respond well. Evidence has
      shown that combination therapy of UDCA with bezafibrate significantly improved
      liver function. A meta-analysis was performed to assess the efficacy and safety
      of UDCA and bezafibrate combination therapy in the treatment of PBC. RESULTS:
      Nine trials, with a total of 269 patients, were included in the analysis. The
      bias risk of these trials was high. Compared with UDCA alone, the combination
      with bezafibrate improved the Mayo risk score (mean difference [MD], 0.60; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 0.25-0.95; P=0.0008) and liver biochemistry: alkaline
      phosphatase (MD, -238.21 IU/L; 95% CI, -280.83 to -195.60; P<0.00001); gamma
      glutamyltransferase (MD, -38.23 IU/L; 95% CI, -50.16 to -25.85; P<0.00001);
      immunoglobulin M (MD, -128.63 IU/L; 95% CI, -151.55 to -105.71; P<0.00001);
      bilirubin (MD, -0.20 mg/dL; 95% CI, -0.33 to -0.07; P=0.002); triglycerides (MD, 
      26.84 mg/dL; 95% CI, -36.51 to -17.17; P<0.0001); total cholesterol (MD, -21.58
      mg/dL; 95% CI, -30.81 to -12.34; P<0.0001), and serum alanine aminotransferase
      (MD, -10.24 IU/L; 95% CI, -12.65 to -78.5; P<0.00001). However, combination
      therapy showed no significant differences in the incidence of all-cause mortality
      or pruritus, and may have resulted in more adverse events (risk ratio [RR], 0.22;
      95% CI, 0.07-0.67; P=0.008). CONCLUSION: Combination therapy improved liver
      biochemistry and the prognosis of PBC, but did not improve clinical symptoms or
      incidence of death. Attention should be paid to adverse events when using
      bezafibrate.

PMID- 26491253
TI  - Decreased expression of the APOA1-APOC3-APOA4 gene cluster is associated with
      risk of Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Apolipoprotein is genetically associated with the risk of Alzheimer's
      disease (AD). The APOA1, APOC3, and APOA4 genes are closely linked and located on
      human chromosome 11. Therefore, this gene cluster may be related to the risk of
      AD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 147 AD patients and 160 healthy controls
      were randomly recruited from June 2013 to August 2014. APOA1, APOC3, and APOA4
      levels were measured using real-time quantitative reverse-transcriptase
      polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: APOA1,
      APOC3 and APOA4 levels were significantly lower in AD patients than controls
      (P<0.01). APOA1, APOC3, and APOA4 levels were negatively related with the
      severities of AD determined by Clinical Dementia Rating scores (P<0.01). APOA1,
      APOC3, and APOA4 levels showed a negative relation with Montgomery-Asberg
      Depression Rating Scale scores and a positive relation with RAND 36-item health
      survey scores (P<0.01). There was a decreased trend for levels of APOA1, APOC3,
      and APOA4 in AD patients. CONCLUSION: Low levels of APOA1, APOC3, and APOA4 are
      associated with risk of AD. APOA1, APOC3, and APOA4 should be developed as
      combined drugs for the therapy of AD.

PMID- 26491254
TI  - A proposal for an individualized pharmacogenetic-guided isoniazid dosage regimen
      for patients with tuberculosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Isoniazid (INH) is an essential component of first-line anti
      tuberculosis (TB) treatment. However, treatment with INH is complicated by
      polymorphisms in the expression of the enzyme system primarily responsible for
      its elimination, N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2), and its associated hepatotoxicity.
      The objective of this study was to develop an individualized INH dosing regimen
      using a pharmacogenetic-driven model and to apply this regimen in a pilot study.
      METHODS: A total of 206 patients with TB who received anti-TB treatment were
      included in this prospective study. The 2-hour post-dose concentrations of INH
      were obtained, and their NAT2 genotype was determined using polymerase chain
      reaction and sequencing. A multivariate regression analysis that included the
      variables of age, sex, body weight, and NAT2 genotype was performed to determine
      the best model for estimating the INH dose that achieves a concentration of 3.0
      6.0 mg/L. This dosing algorithm was then used for newly enrolled 53 patients.
      RESULTS: Serum concentrations of INH were significantly lower in the rapid
      acetylators than in the slow-acetylators (2.55 mg/L vs 6.78 mg/L, median,
      P<0.001). A multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis revealed that NAT2
      and body weight independently affected INH concentrations: INH concentration
      (mg/L) = 13.821-0.1* (body weight, kg) -2.273* (number of high activity alleles
      of NAT2; 0, 1, 2). In 53 newly enrolled patients, the frequency at which they
      were within the therapeutic range of 3.0-6.0 mg/L was higher in the model-based
      treatment group compared to the standard treatment group (80.8% vs 59.3%).
      CONCLUSION: The use of individualized pharmacogenetic-guided INH dosage regimens
      that incorporate NAT2 genotype and body weight may help to ensure achievement of
      therapeutic concentrations of INH in the TB patients.

PMID- 26491255
TI  - The clinicopathological significance and drug target potential of FHIT in breast
      cancer, a meta-analysis and literature review.
AB  - FHIT is a bona fide tumor-suppressor gene and its loss contributes to
      tumorigenesis of epithelial cancers including breast cancer (BC). However, the
      association and clinicopathological significance between FHIT promoter
      hypermethylation and BC remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to conduct
      a meta-analysis and literature review to investigate the clinicopathological
      significance of FHIT methylation in BC. A detailed literature search was
      performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. The
      data were extracted and assessed by two reviewers independently. Odds ratios with
      95% corresponding confidence intervals were calculated. A total of seven relevant
      articles were available for meta-analysis, which included 985 patients. The
      frequency of FHIT hypermethylation was significantly increased in invasive ductal
      carcinoma compared to benign breast disease, the pooled odds ratio was 8.43,
      P<0.00001. The rate of FHIT hypermethylation was not significantly different
      between stage I/II and stage III/IV, odds ratio was 2.98, P=0.06. In addition,
      FHIT hypermethylation was not significantly associated with ER and PR status.
      FHIT hypermethylation was not significantly correlated with premenopausal and
      postmenopausal patients with invasive ductal carcinoma. In summary, our meta
      analysis indicated that the frequency of FHIT hypermethylation was significantly
      increased in BC compared to benign breast disease. The rate of FHIT
      hypermethylation in advanced stages of BC was higher than in earlier stages;
      however, the difference was not statistically significant. Our data suggested
      that FHIT methylation could be a diagnostic biomarker of BC carcinogenesis. FHIT
      is a potential drug target for development of demethylation treatment for
      patients with BC. 

PMID- 26491257
TI  - A novel small-molecule inhibitor of HIV-1 entry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral therapy has transformed HIV-1 infection into a managed
      condition with near-normal life expectancy. However, a significant number of
      patients remain with limited therapeutic options due to HIV-1 resistance, side
      effects, or drug costs. Further, it is likely that current drugs will not retain
      efficacy, due to risks of side effects and transmitted resistance. RESULTS: We
      describe compound 5660386 (3-ethyl-2-[3-(1,3,3-trimethyl-1,3-dihydro-2H-indol-2
      ylidene)-1-propen-1-yl]-1,3-benzothiazol-3-ium) as a novel inhibitor of HIV-1
      entry. Compound 5660386 inhibits HIV-1 entry in cell lines and primary cells,
      binds to HIV-1 envelope protein, and inhibits the interaction of GP120 to CD4.
      Further, compound 5660386 showed a unique and broad-range activity against
      primary HIV-1 isolates from different subtypes and geographical areas.
      CONCLUSION: Development of small-molecule entry inhibitors of HIV-1 such as
      5660386 may lead to novel classes of anti-HIV-1 therapeutics. These inhibitors
      may be particularly effective against viruses resistant to current antiretroviral
      drugs and could have potential applications in both treatment and prevention.

PMID- 26491258
TI  - 3-Coumaranone derivatives as inhibitors of monoamine oxidase.
AB  - The present study examines the monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitory properties of a
      series of 20 3-coumaranone [benzofuran-3(2H)-one] derivatives. The 3-coumaranone
      derivatives are structurally related to series of alpha-tetralone and 1-indanone
      derivatives, which have recently been shown to potently inhibit MAO, with
      selectivity for MAO-B (in preference to the MAO-A isoform). 3-Coumaranones are
      similarly found to selectively inhibit human MAO-B with half-maximal inhibitory
      concentration (IC50) values of 0.004-1.05 uM. Nine compounds exhibited IC50<0.05
      uM for the inhibition of MAO-B. For the inhibition of human MAO-A, IC50 values
      ranged from 0.586 to >100 uM, with only one compound possessing an IC50<1 uM. For
      selected 3-coumaranone derivatives, it is established that MAO-A and MAO-B
      inhibition are reversible since dialysis of enzyme-inhibitor mixtures almost
      completely restores enzyme activity. On the basis of the selectivity profiles and
      potent action, it may be concluded that the 3-coumaranone derivatives are
      suitable leads for the development of selective MAO-B inhibitors as potential
      treatment for disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. 

PMID- 26491256
TI  - Maraviroc: a review of its use in HIV infection and beyond.
AB  - The human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) enters target cells by binding its
      envelope glycoprotein gp120 to the CD4 receptor and/or coreceptors such as C-C
      chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5; R5) and C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4;
      X4), and R5-tropic viruses predominate during the early stages of infection. CCR5
      antagonists bind to CCR5 to prevent viral entry. Maraviroc (MVC) is the only CCR5
      antagonist currently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration,
      the European Commission, Health Canada, and several other countries for the
      treatment of patients infected with R5-tropic HIV-1. MVC has been shown to be
      effective at inhibiting HIV-1 entry into cells and is well tolerated. With
      expanding MVC use by HIV-1-infected humans, different clinical outcomes post
      approval have been observed with MVC monotherapy or combination therapy with
      other antiretroviral drugs, with MVC use in humans infected with dual-R5- and X4
      tropic HIV-1, infected with different HIV-1 genotype or infected with HIV-2. This
      review discuss the role of CCR5 in HIV-1 infection, the development of the CCR5
      antagonist MVC, its pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug-drug interactions,
      and the implications of these interactions on treatment outcomes, including viral
      mutations and drug resistance, and the mechanisms associated with the development
      of resistance to MVC. This review also discusses available studies investigating
      the use of MVC in the treatment of other diseases such as cancer, graft-versus
      host disease, and inflammatory diseases. 

PMID- 26491259
TI  - Crizotinib as a personalized alternative for targeted anaplastic lymphoma kinase
      rearrangement in previously treated patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - Crizotinib, the first clinically designed and synthesized as a tyrosine kinase
      inhibitor targeting mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor, indicating marked
      anticancer activity in patients with advanced, anaplastic lymphoma kinase
      positive non-small-cell lung cancer, was approved by the US Food and Drug
      Administration in 2011. In this review, we focus on the efficacy of crizotinib
      compared with chemotherapy in advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive lung
      cancer and present the role of crizotinib as a personalized alternative in
      previously treated patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. 

PMID- 26491261
TI  - n-Butanol extract from Folium isatidis inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced
      inflammatory cytokine production in macrophages and protects mice against
      lipopolysaccharide-induced endotoxic shock.
AB  - Sepsis, which is caused by severe infection, is an important cause of mortality,
      but effective clinical treatment against sepsis is extremely limited. As the main
      component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS) plays a major role in inflammatory responses. Studies have shown beneficial
      pharmacological effects for Folium isatidis. The present study further
      illuminated the effects of n-butanol extract from Folium isatidis in LPS-induced
      septic shock and identified the main active chemical components. Our study showed
      that pretreatment with n-butanol extract from Folium isatidis not only
      significantly inhibited LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6
      production but also markedly and dose dependently enhanced the recruitment of
      MyD88, the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and the
      degradation of IkappaB-alpha. Additionally, the extract exhibited dramatic
      protective effects against lung injury and death in mice with septic shock. Eight
      main active compounds were identified, including organic acids, glycoside,
      indolinones, and flavonoids. These findings provide a perspective on the
      respiratory protection offered by n-butanol extract from Folium isatidis in LPS
      induced sepsis and outline a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of
      sepsis. 

PMID- 26491260
TI  - Plumbagin suppresses epithelial to mesenchymal transition and stemness via
      inhibiting Nrf2-mediated signaling pathway in human tongue squamous cell
      carcinoma cells.
AB  - Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is the most common malignancy in oral and
      maxillofacial tumors with highly metastatic characteristics. Plumbagin (5-hydroxy
      2-methyl-1, 4-naphthoquinone; PLB), a natural naphthoquinone derived from the
      roots of Plumbaginaceae plants, exhibits various bioactivities, including
      anticancer effects. However, the potential molecular targets and underlying
      mechanisms of PLB in the treatment of TSCC remain elusive. This study employed
      stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)-based quantitative
      proteomic approach to investigate the molecular interactome of PLB in human TSCC
      cell line SCC25 and elucidate the molecular mechanisms. The proteomic data
      indicated that PLB inhibited cell proliferation, activated death receptor
      mediated apoptotic pathway, remodeled epithelial adherens junctions pathway, and
      manipulated nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-mediated oxidative
      stress response signaling pathway in SCC25 cells with the involvement of a number
      of key functional proteins. Furthermore, we verified these protein targets using
      Western blotting assay. The verification results showed that PLB markedly induced
      cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and extrinsic apoptosis, and inhibited epithelial
      to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness in SCC25 cells. Of note, N-acetyl-l
      cysteine (NAC) and l-glutathione (GSH) abolished the effects of PLB on cell cycle
      arrest, apoptosis induction, EMT inhibition, and stemness attenuation in SCC25
      cells. Importantly, PLB suppressed the translocation of Nrf2 from cytosol to
      nucleus, resulting in an inhibition in the expression of downstream targets.
      Taken together, these results suggest that PLB may act as a promising anticancer
      compound via inhibiting Nrf2-mediated oxidative stress signaling pathway in SCC25
      cells. This study provides a clue to fully identify the molecular targets and
      decipher the underlying mechanisms of PLB in the treatment of TSCC. 

PMID- 26491262
TI  - Back to the future - feasibility of recruitment and retention to patient
      education and telephone follow-up after hip fracture: a pilot randomized
      controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Our primary aim of this pilot study was to test feasibility of the
      planned design, the interventions (education plus telephone coaching), and the
      outcome measures, and to facilitate a power calculation for a future randomized
      controlled trial to improve adherence to recovery goals following hip fracture.
      DESIGN: This is a parallel 1:1 randomized controlled feasibility study. SETTING:
      The study was conducted in a teaching hospital in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
      PARTICIPANTS: Participants were community-dwelling adults over 60 years of age
      with a recent hip fracture. They were recruited and assessed in hospital, and
      then randomized after hospital discharge to the intervention or control group by
      a web-based randomization service. Treatment allocation was concealed to the
      investigators, measurement team, and data entry assistants and analysts.
      Participants and the research physiotherapist were aware of treatment allocation.
      INTERVENTION: Intervention included usual care for hip fracture plus a 1-hour in
      hospital educational session using a patient-centered educational manual and four
      videos, and up to five postdischarge telephone calls from a physiotherapist to
      provide recovery coaching. The control group received usual care plus a 1-hour in
      hospital educational session using the educational manual and videos.
      MEASUREMENT: Our primary outcome was feasibility, specifically recruitment and
      retention of participants. We also collected selected health outcomes, including
      health-related quality of life (EQ5D-5L), gait speed, and psychosocial factors
      (ICEpop CAPability measure for Older people and the Hospital Anxiety and
      Depression Scale). RESULTS: Our pilot study results indicate that it is feasible
      to recruit, retain, and provide follow-up telephone coaching to older adults
      after hip fracture. We enrolled 30 older adults (mean age 81.5 years; range 61-97
      years), representing a 42% recruitment rate. Participants excluded were those who
      were not community dwelling on admission, were discharged to a residential care
      facility, had physician-diagnosed dementia, and/or had medical contraindications
      to participation. There were 27 participants who completed the study: eleven in
      the intervention group, 15 in the control group, and one participant completed a
      qualitative interview only. There were no differences between groups for health
      measures. CONCLUSION: We highlight the feasibility of telephone coaching for
      older adults after hip fracture to improve adherence to mobility recovery goals.

PMID- 26491263
TI  - A counselor in your pocket: feasibility of mobile health tailored messages to
      support HIV medication adherence.
AB  - PURPOSE: Medication adherence is a major challenge in HIV treatment. New mobile
      technologies such as smartphones facilitate the delivery of brief tailored
      messages to promote adherence. However, the best approach for tailoring messages
      is unknown. Persons living with HIV (PLWH) might be more receptive to some
      messages than others based on their current psychological state. METHODS: We
      recruited 37 PLWH from a parent study of motivational states and adherence.
      Participants completed smartphone-based surveys at a random time every day for 2
      weeks, then immediately received intervention or control tailored messages,
      depending on random assignment. After 2 weeks in the initial condition,
      participants received the other condition in a crossover design. Intervention
      messages were tailored to match PLWH's current psychological state based on five
      variables - control beliefs, mood, stress, coping, and social support. Control
      messages were tailored to create a mismatch between message framing and
      participants' current psychological state. We evaluated intervention feasibility
      based on acceptance, ease of use, and usefulness measures. We also used pilot
      randomized controlled trial methods to test the intervention's effect on
      adherence, which was measured using electronic caps that recorded pill-bottle
      openings. RESULTS: Acceptance was high based on 76% enrollment and 85%
      satisfaction. Participants found the hardware and software easy to use. However,
      attrition was high at 59%, and usefulness ratings were slightly lower. The most
      common complaint was boredom. Unexpectedly, there was no difference between
      mismatched and matched messages' effects, but each group showed a 10%-15%
      improvement in adherence after crossing to the opposite study condition.
      CONCLUSION: Although smartphone-based tailored messaging was feasible and
      participants had clinically meaningful improvements in adherence, the mechanisms
      of change require further study. Possible explanations might include novelty
      effects, increased receptiveness to new information after habituation, or
      pseudotailoring, three ways in which attentional processes can affect behavior.

PMID- 26491264
TI  - Fear of driving license withdrawal in patients with insulin-treated diabetes
      mellitus negatively influences their decision to report severe hypoglycemic
      events to physicians.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Under current European Union legislation, two severe hypoglycemic
      events within 12 months is grounds for driving license withdrawal. The aim of the
      study reported here was to determine whether fear of such a withdrawal could lead
      to patients concealing severe hypoglycemia from physicians, which could
      negatively impact further treatment decisions. METHODS: A total of 663 patients
      with insulin-treated diabetes were anonymously surveyed about whether they would
      conceal severe hypoglycemic events from their physicians, if revealing them could
      result in driving license withdrawal. This investigation utilized an adapted and
      expanded questionnaire by Graveling et al. RESULTS: Of all diabetic patients
      surveyed, 26.17% would most likely not report hypoglycemia, and 25.86% were
      undecided. In a group of patients with type 1 diabetes, 31.83% would likely not
      report hypoglycemic events, and 25.06% were undecided. The patients least likely
      to report severe hypoglycemic events were those who indicated that vehicles were
      partly essential for work, and who also had more than two hypoglycemic events
      monthly. CONCLUSION: A considerable percentage of diabetic patients would likely
      conceal severe hypoglycemic events from their physicians due to fear of driving
      license withdrawal. Patient failure to report severe hypoglycemic events can
      potentially lead to physicians being misinformed regarding the patient's
      condition, which could lead to inadequate monitoring and treatment.

PMID- 26491265
TI  - Depressed patients' preferences for type of psychotherapy: a preliminary study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The treatment recommendations for depressed patients by the American
      Psychiatric Association encourage a focus on the patient's preferences. The focus
      of this study was the preference of depressed inpatients for the type of
      psychotherapy. METHODS: Twenty-nine subjects of both sexes who were hospitalized
      with a major depressive episode were interviewed at 5-day intervals with the same
      questions after the depressive episode resolved, as indicated by a score less
      than 7 on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). The selection of items was
      performed by expert consensus. RESULTS: The supportive psychotherapy scores were
      the highest, followed by psychodynamic psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral
      therapy. The two sessions conducted at 5-day intervals showed no significant
      difference, which reflected the stability of choices and preferences of patients.
      CONCLUSION: In this study, the patients preferred supportive psychotherapy as
      first-line therapy compared to psychodynamic psychotherapy and cognitive
      behavioral therapy.

PMID- 26491266
TI  - Predictors of overall satisfaction of cancer patients undergoing radiation
      therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reporting the experiences and satisfaction of patients, as well as
      their quality of care scores is an emerging recommendation in health care
      systems. Many aspects of patients' experience determine their overall
      satisfaction. The aim of this evaluation was to define the main factors
      contributing to the satisfaction of patients undergoing radiotherapy in an
      outpatient setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 1,710 patients with a
      histologically proven cancer, who were treated in our department between 2012 and
      2014, were recruited for this prospective evaluation. At the end of therapy, each
      patient was asked to grade the skills and the care provided by radiation
      therapists, physicians, and physician's assistants, as well as the overall
      satisfaction during therapy. Statistical analysis was performed to determine
      which parameters had the greatest influence on overall satisfaction. RESULTS:
      Overall satisfaction with the provided care was high with a mean satisfaction
      score of 1.4. Significant correlations were found between overall satisfaction
      and each of the following survey items: courtesy, protection of privacy,
      professional skills and care provided by the radiation therapists and physicians,
      accuracy of provided information, and cleanliness. Linear regression analysis
      demonstrated that courteous behavior and the protection of privacy were the
      strongest predictors for overall satisfaction (P<0.001), followed by care and
      skills of physicians and radiation therapists. Patients suffering from head and
      neck cancer expressed lower overall satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Based on our
      prospectively acquired data, we were able to identify and confirm key factors for
      patient satisfaction in an outpatient radiooncological cancer center. From these
      results, we conclude that patients want most importantly to be treated with
      courtesy, protection of privacy and care.

PMID- 26491267
TI  - Dispensing of non-prescribed antibiotics in Jordan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Current regulations in Jordan state that antibiotics cannot be sold
      without a medical prescription. This study aimed to assess the percentage of
      pharmacies that dispense antibiotics without a medical prescription in the
      Kingdom of Jordan and identify and highlight the extent and seriousness of such
      practices among Jordanian pharmacies. METHODS: A prospective study was performed,
      and five different clinical scenarios were simulated at pharmacies investigated
      including sore throat, otitis media, acute sinusitis, diarrhea, and urinary tract
      infection in childbearing-aged women. Three levels of demand were used to
      convince the pharmacists to sell an antibiotic. RESULTS: A total of 202 total
      pharmacies in Jordan were visited in the present study. The majority of
      pharmacies (74.3%) dispensed antibiotics without prescription with three
      different levels of demand. The percentage of pharmacies dispensing antibiotics
      without a prescription for the sore throat scenario was 97.6%, followed by
      urinary tract infection (83.3%), diarrhea (83%), and otitis media (68.4%). The
      lowest percentage of antibiotic dispensing was for the acute sinusitis simulation
      at 48.5%. Among the pharmacies that dispensed antibiotics, the pharmacists
      provided an explanation as the number of times per day the drug should be taken
      in 95.3% of the cases, explained the duration of treatment in 25.7%, and inquired
      about allergies prior to the sale of the antibiotic in only 17.3%. Only 52
      pharmacies (25.7%) refused to dispense any kind of antibiotics, the majority
      (61.5%) of this refusal response came from acute sinusitis cases, while the
      minority (2.4%) came from the sore throat cases. CONCLUSION: The results of this
      study demonstrate that antibiotics continue to be dispensed without prescription
      in Jordan in violation with national regulations regarding this practice. The
      findings of this study could provide a layout for governmental health authorities
      to implement strict enfrorcment of national regulations regarding antibiotic
      dispensing in order to avoid the serious complications that could arise in the
      future as a result of such practices.

PMID- 26491268
TI  - Bridging the gap between patient needs and quality indicators: a qualitative
      study with chronic heart failure patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The German National Disease Management Guideline (NDMG) on chronic
      heart failure (CHF) derived nine clinical quality indicators (QIs) to enable
      assessment of quality of health care in patients with CHF. These QIs epitomize an
      evidence-based and somatic point of view of guided treatment, but little is known
      about the experiences and views of patients with their guideline-based treatment
      across multiple health care sectors. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this qualitative
      study was to explore patient perspectives on guided treatment of CHF across
      multiple health care sectors. Furthermore, it was investigated to what extent
      patient perspectives are represented by the QIs of the German NDMG. METHODS:
      Using a qualitative approach, semistructured interviews were carried out with 17
      CHF patients. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were
      analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Patient-identified needs
      focused primarily on aspects like the doctor-patient relationship, communication,
      quality of individual-tailored information, and professional advice. Patients
      perceived shortcomings in processes of care such as communication and cooperation
      across health care sectors, especially at the transition between hospital and
      outpatient care. DISCUSSION: From the patient perspectives, the QIs do represent
      relevant somatic and clinical aims for quality measurement. However, deficits
      were identified, especially related to communication and cooperation across
      health care sectors. Given the fact that the inclusion of patient perspectives in
      quality improvement processes provides an important contribution to patient
      centered health care, possible approaches for QI development such as direct and
      indirect patient involvement or generic vs disease-specific patient-related QIs
      should be the subject of future discussions.

PMID- 26491270
TI  - Emerging optical nanoscopy techniques.
AB  - To face the challenges of modern health care, new imaging techniques with
      subcellular resolution or detection over wide fields are required. Far field
      optical nanoscopy presents many new solutions, providing high resolution or
      detection at high speed. We present a new classification scheme to help
      appreciate the growing number of optical nanoscopy techniques. We underline an
      important distinction between superresolution techniques that provide improved
      resolving power and nanodetection techniques for characterizing unresolved
      nanostructures. Some of the emerging techniques within these two categories are
      highlighted with applications in biophysics and medicine. Recent techniques
      employing wider angle imaging by digital holography and scattering lens
      microscopy allow superresolution to be achieved for subcellular and even in vivo,
      imaging without labeling. Nanodetection techniques are divided into four
      subcategories using contrast, phase, deconvolution, and nanomarkers. Contrast
      enhancement is illustrated by means of a polarized light-based technique and with
      strobed phase-contrast microscopy to reveal nanostructures. Very high sensitivity
      phase measurement using interference microscopy is shown to provide nanometric
      surface roughness measurement or to reveal internal nanometric structures.
      Finally, the use of nanomarkers is illustrated with stochastic fluorescence
      microscopy for mapping intracellular structures. We also present some of the
      future perspectives of optical nanoscopy. 

PMID- 26491269
TI  - Use of complementary and alternative medicine before and after organ removal due
      to urologic cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Many patients use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as
      primary treatment or symptom relief for a variety of illnesses. This study was
      designed to investigate the influence of surgical removal of a tumor-bearing
      urogenital organ on CAM use. METHODS: From 2007 to 2011, 350 patients underwent
      major urological surgery for kidney, prostate, or bladder cancer at the Goethe
      University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany. Data from 172 patients (49%), who
      returned a questionnaire, were retrospectively evaluated using the hospital
      information system along with the questionnaire to objectify CAM use 2 years
      before and after surgery. RESULTS: From the 172 patients returning
      questionnaires, 56 (33%) used CAM before and/or after surgery and 116 (67%) never
      used CAM. Of the 56 CAM users, 30 (54%) used CAM presurgery and 53 (95%) used CAM
      postsurgery, indicating a significant change of mind about CAM use. Patients of
      German nationality used CAM significantly more than patients of other
      nationalities. Higher educational status (high-school diploma or higher) was a
      significant factor in favor of CAM use. The most common type of CAM used
      before/after surgery was an alternative medical system (63/49%), a manipulative
      and body-based method (50/19%), and a biological-based therapy (37/32%).
      Information about CAM, either provided by medical professionals or by other
      sources, was the main reason determining whether patients used CAM or not.
      CONCLUSION: The number of patients using CAM almost doubled after surgical
      removal of a cancer-bearing organ. Better awareness and understanding of CAM use
      by medical professionals could improve patient counseling.

PMID- 26491271
TI  - Preferred health behaviors and quality of life of the elderly people in Poland.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess possible differences between a group
      of residents of public nursing homes (PNH) and a group of members of Universities
      of the Third Age (UTA) measured using standard psychometric scales. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The research was conducted between January 3, 2013 and February 15, 2014
      on a group of 200 residents of PNH and 200 members of the UTA using five
      psychometric scales: Standardized Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS),
      Standardized Health Behavior Inventory (HBI), Standardized Social Support Scale
      (SSS), Standardized General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES), and Standardized Multiple
      Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC). RESULTS: The average point total in the
      Standardized Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in the group of residents of PNH
      was 18.03 (Me =19) and was significantly higher (P=0.047) in comparison with the
      group of UTA members (17.08). Similar to residents of PNH, a vast majority of UTA
      members assessed the support received from the UTA as good, which significantly
      influenced their satisfaction from life (P=0.028) and their feeling of self
      efficacy (P=0.048). An observed dependence states that the greater the level of
      satisfaction from life, the greater the level of various types of support from
      family. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that biopsychosocial problems decrease
      quality of life in elderly people. The elderly people require a comprehensive,
      holistic approach to a variety of problems that occur with aging. In future,
      extended interdisciplinary research should be carried out on aspects of quality
      of life in order to optimize comprehensive geriatric assessment.

PMID- 26491272
TI  - Prevalence of sarcopenia in Germany and the corresponding effect of
      osteoarthritis in females 70 years and older living in the community: results of
      the FORMoSA study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although sarcopenia represents a challenging burden for health care
      systems around the world, its prevalence in the elderly population varies widely.
      The primary aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia in
      community-dwelling (CD) German women aged 70 years and older; the secondary aim
      was to assess the effect of osteoarthritis (OA) on sarcopenia prevalence in this
      cohort. METHODS: A total of 689 Caucasian females 18-35 years old and 1,325 CD
      females 70 years+ living in Northern Bavaria, Germany, were assessed during the
      initial phase of the FORMoSA research project. Anthropometry, total and regional
      muscle mass, were assessed by segmental multifrequency Bioelectrical Impedance
      Analysis. Further 10 m walking speed and handgrip strength were evaluated to
      apply the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People definition of
      sarcopenia. Covariates were determined by questionnaires and interviews. RESULTS:
      Applying the algorithm of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older
      People of two standard deviations below the mean value for appendicular skeletal
      muscle mass of a reference cohort of the young cohort (5.66 kg/m(2)), low gait
      speed (<=0.8 m/s), and low grip strength (<20 kg), the prevalence of sarcopenia
      in CD German females 70 years and older was 4.5% (70-79 years: 2.8% vs >=80
      years: 9.9%; P<0.001). Participants with OA at the hip and lower limbs (n=252)
      exhibited significantly higher rates of sarcopenia (OA: 9.1 vs non-OA: 3.5%). Of
      importance, anthropometric, demographic, health, and lifestyle parameters (except
      exercise participation) of our cohorts corresponded with Bavarian or German data
      for CD women 70 years+. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of sarcopenia in CD German
      females 70 years+ is relatively low. However, participants with OA at the hip or
      lower limbs were at increased risk for sarcopenia.

PMID- 26491273
TI  - Olmesartan vs ramipril in the treatment of hypertension and associated clinical
      conditions in the elderly: a reanalysis of two large double-blind, randomized
      studies at the light of the most recent blood pressure targets recommended by
      guidelines.
AB  - In this paper, we present the results of a reanalysis of the data of two large
      randomized, double-blind, parallel group studies with a similar design, comparing
      the efficacy of an angiotensin-receptor blocker (olmesartan medoxomil) with that
      of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ramipril), by applying two
      different blood pressure targets recently recommended by hypertension guidelines
      for all patients, irrespective of the presence of diabetes (<140/90 mmHg), and
      for elderly hypertensive patients (<150/90 mmHg). The efficacy of olmesartan was
      not negatively affected by age, sex, hypertension type, diabetes status or other
      concomitant clinical conditions, or cardiovascular risk factors. In most cases,
      olmesartan provided better blood pressure control than ramipril. Olmesartan was
      significantly more effective than ramipril in male patients, in younger patients
      (aged 65-69 years), in those with metabolic syndrome, obesity, dyslipidemia,
      preserved renal function, diastolic +/- systolic hypertension, and, in general,
      in patients with a high or very high cardiovascular risk. Interestingly, patients
      previously untreated or treated with two or more antihypertensive drugs showed a
      significantly larger response with olmesartan than with ramipril. Thus, our
      results confirm the good efficacy of olmesartan in elderly hypertensives even
      when new blood pressure targets for antihypertensive treatment are considered.
      Such results may be relevant for the clinical practice, providing some hint on
      the possible different response of elderly hypertensive patients to two different
      drugs acting on the renin-angiotensin system, when patients are targeted
      according to the blood pressure levels recommended by recent hypertension
      guidelines. 

PMID- 26491274
TI  - The beneficial effects of honeybee-venom serum on facial wrinkles in humans.
AB  - Facial wrinkles are an undesirable outcome caused by extrinsic photodamage and
      intrinsic aging processes. Currently, no effective strategies are known to
      prevent facial wrinkles. We assessed the beneficial effects of bee-venom serum on
      the clinical signs of aging skin. Our results show that bee-venom serum treatment
      clinically improved facial wrinkles by decreasing total wrinkle area, total
      wrinkle count, and average wrinkle depth. Therefore, bee-venom serum may be
      effective for the improvement of skin wrinkles. 

PMID- 26491275
TI  - Lower creatinine as a marker of malnutrition and lower muscle mass in
      hemodialysis patients.

PMID- 26491276
TI  - The relationship between frailty, anxiety and depression, and health-related
      quality of life in elderly patients with heart failure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Elderly people constitute over 80% of the population of patients with
      heart failure (HF). Frailty is a distinct biological syndrome that reflects
      decreased physiologic reserve and resistance to stressors. Moreover, frailty can
      serve as an independent predictor of visits to the emergency department,
      hospitalizations, and mortality. The purpose of this paper was to assess the
      relationship between frailty, anxiety and depression, and the health-related
      quality of life (HRQoL) of elderly patients with HF. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The
      study included 100 patients (53 men and 47 women) with a diagnosis of HF. Frailty
      was measured using the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) scale. HRQoL was measured
      using the 36-Item Short Form Medical Outcomes Study Survey. To determine the
      prevalence of anxiety and depression, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
      was used. RESULTS: Frailty was found in 89% of the studied population. The study
      showed significant inverse correlations between the values of the physical
      component scale (PCS) domain results and TFI score, and a significant inverse
      correlation between the values of the mental component scale (MCS) domain and TFI
      score. When participants showed increased levels of frailty as measured by the
      TFI scale, there was also an increase in the levels of anxiety and depression.
      With increased anxiety and depression, there was deterioration in the quality of
      life of patients with HF. CONCLUSION: Frailty has a negative impact on the HRQoL
      results of elderly patients with HF. The assessment of frailty syndrome, and
      anxiety and depression should be taken into account when estimating risk and
      making therapeutic decisions for cardiovascular disease treatment and care.

PMID- 26491277
TI  - Facilitators and barriers to self-management of nursing home residents:
      perspectives of health-care professionals in Korean nursing homes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore facilitators and barriers to self-management from the
      viewpoint of staff taking care of nursing home (NH) residents with chronic
      diseases in South Korea. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A qualitative content analysis was
      done using the focus group interview method. A total of 23 health-care
      professionals (16 registered nurses and 7 social workers) were interviewed from
      three urban NHs, each with more than 100 beds. RESULTS: Five facilitators were
      identified: grouping the residents; the resident's awareness of his/her current
      health status; the willingness of residents to engage in self-management;
      residence in the facility; and support from the staff. Additionally, seven
      barriers were identified: deterioration of the resident's health; the dependency
      expectations of the resident; hesitation in asking for help; difference in
      expectations between the staff and the resident's family; insufficient staffing
      and time; lack of standardized guidelines; and conservative tendencies of the
      staff due to rigid policies. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study can help
      health-care professionals recognize the factors that influence self-management
      and provide direction for registered nurses and other health professionals
      involved in supporting self-management programs for NH residents.

PMID- 26491278
TI  - Investigation of Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization in patients with chronic
      pulmonary diseases in the People's Republic of China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The detection of Pneumocystis jirovecii DNA in respiratory specimen
      from individuals who do not have signs or symptoms of pneumonia has been defined
      as colonization. The role of P. jirovecii colonization in the development or
      progression of various lung diseases has been reported, but little information
      about P. jirovecii colonization in patients is available in the People's Republic
      of China. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of P. jirovecii colonization in
      patients with various pulmonary diseases, including the acute and stable stage of
      COPD, interstitial lung diseases, cystic fibrosis, and chronic bronchiectasis.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and a
      conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for detecting P. jirovecii
      were developed. Ninety-eight HIV-negative patients who were followed-up and who
      had undergone bronchoscopy for diagnosis of various underlying respiratory
      diseases were included in the study. Sputa of these patients were analyzed with
      LAMP amplification of P. jirovecii gene. In addition, conventional PCR, Giemsa
      and Gomori's methenamine silver nitrate staining assays were applied to all
      specimens. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity test showed that there was no
      cross-reaction with other fungi or bacteria in detecting the specific gene of P.
      jirovecii by LAMP, and the minimum detection limits by LAMP was 50 copies/mL. P.
      jirovecii DNA was detected in 62 of 98 (63.3%) sputa specimens by LAMP assay and
      22.45% (22/98) by conventional PCR. However, no P. jirovecii cysts were found by
      Giemsa and Gomori's methenamine silver nitrate in all of gene-positive specimens.
      CONCLUSION: The results of our study showed that prevalence of P. jirovecii
      colonization is particularly high in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases in
      the People's Republic of China, and the LAMP method is better for evaluation of
      the colonization of P. jirovecii in sputum specimen than conventional PCR.

PMID- 26491279
TI  - Assessment of cognitive impairment in long-term oxygen therapy-dependent COPD
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A number of studies have shown that COPD, particularly in its later
      and more severe stages, is associated with various cognitive deficits. Thus, the
      primary goal of the present study was to elucidate the extent of cognitive
      impairment in patients with long-term oxygen therapy-dependent (LTOTD) COPD. In
      addition, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of two cognitive
      screening tests, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal
      Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), for COPD patients and the ability of oxygen therapy
      to mitigate COPD-related deficits in cognitive function. METHODS: The present
      study enrolled 45 subjects: 24 nonuser and 21 regular-user LTOTD-COPD patients.
      All subjects had a similar grade of education, and there were no significant
      differences regarding age or sex. The MoCA (cutoff: <26 points) and MMSE (cutoff:
      <=24 points) scores were compared between these two groups. RESULTS: The nonuser
      LTOTD-COPD group had a significantly lower MoCA score than that of the regular
      user LTOTD-COPD group (19.38+/-2.99 vs 21.68+/-2.14, respectively) as well as a
      significantly lower MMSE score. Moreover, the absence of supplemental oxygen
      therapy increased the risk of cognitive impairment (MoCA, P=0.007 and MMSE,
      P=0.014), and the MoCA and MMSE scores significantly correlated with the number
      of emergency admissions and the number of hospitalizations in the last year.
      CONCLUSION: In the present study, the nonuser LTOTD-COPD group exhibited a
      significant decrease in cognitive status compared with the regular-user LTOTD
      COPD group. This suggests that the assessment of cognitive function in nonuser
      LTOTD-COPD patients and the use of protective strategies, such as continuous
      supplemental oxygen treatment, should be considered during the management of COPD
      in this population. In addition, the MoCA score was superior to the MMSE score
      for the determination of cognitive impairment in the nonuser LTOTD-COPD patients.

PMID- 26491280
TI  - Prevalence and risk factors for COPD in greenhouse farmers: a large, cross
      sectional survey of 5,880 farmers from northeast China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: COPD is one of the most common chronic diseases, and more and more
      farmers who were frequently exposed to greenhouse environments were diagnosed
      with COPD. However, little information is available on the prevalence of COPD
      among the greenhouse farmers. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence
      of COPD and investigate the potential risk factors for COPD among the Chinese
      greenhouse farmers. METHODS: Cross-sectional studies involving a sample of
      greenhouse farmers living in northeast China were performed via stratified
      cluster-random sampling. All subjects were interviewed using a uniform
      questionnaire and underwent pulmonary function tests between 2006 and 2009, based
      on the diagnostic criteria of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung
      Disease. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the risk
      factors for COPD. RESULTS: Of the 5,880 greenhouse farmers from northeast China
      who were originally selected for this study, 5,420 questionnaires were completed.
      The overall prevalence of COPD in greenhouse farmers was 17.5%. The COPD
      prevalence was significantly higher in elderly subjects (>=50 years), current
      smokers, in those with lower body mass index (<=18.5 kg/m(2)) and less education,
      in those who were exposed to mushroom, flowers and poultry, and in those living
      in mountain and coastal region. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed
      that age over 50 years old (odds ratio [OR]=298.69, 95% confidence interval
      [CI]=121.57-733.84), smoking (OR=2.18, 95% CI=1.84-2.59), planting mushroom and
      flowers (OR=1.46 and 1.53, 95% CI=1.13-1.87 and 1.24-1.95), and living in
      mountain and coastal region (OR=1.68 and 1.35, 95% CI=1.37-2.06 and 1.10-1.65)
      were associated with the development of COPD among greenhouse farmers.
      CONCLUSION: In northeast China, COPD is highly prevalent among greenhouse
      farmers, and advanced age, smoking, planting mushroom, and flowers, as well as
      living in mountain and coastal regions, are potential risk factors for this
      disease.

PMID- 26491281
TI  - A real-world evaluation of indacaterol and other bronchodilators in COPD: the
      INFLOW study.
AB  - AIM: INFLOW (INdacaterol eFfectiveness and utiLizatiOn in COPD: real World
      evaluation) was a prospective, noninterventional study assessing the
      effectiveness and safety of long-acting bronchodilators in patients with chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from the Middle East, Asia, and South
      Africa. METHODS: Patients newly prescribed or switched to indacaterol or other
      long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA), or tiotropium (monotherapy or in combination)
      were evaluated over 6 months. The primary endpoint was the clinical COPD
      questionnaire overall score at the end of the study. RESULTS: Data were analyzed
      from 1,710 patients (mean postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1
      second, 59% predicted) who received indacaterol (n=1,179), other LABA (n=68),
      tiotropium (n=271), indacaterol plus tiotropium (n=167), or other LABA plus
      tiotropium (n=25). Across treatments, clinical COPD questionnaire overall score
      improved from baseline by 0.81-1.26 points (all P<0.0001), 63%-84% of patients
      were satisfied/very satisfied, and physicians rated effectiveness as good/very
      good in 63%-80% of cases. The indacaterol inhaler was rated easy/very easy to use
      by the majority of patients, and physicians considered its use clearly understood
      by most patients. All treatments had acceptable tolerability. CONCLUSION: In real
      life clinical practice across a diverse region, indacaterol and other long-acting
      bronchodilators improved health status and were well regarded by patients and
      physicians.

PMID- 26491282
TI  - Lung transplantation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: patient selection
      and special considerations.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of mortality and
      morbidity. Lung transplantation is one of the few treatments available for end
      stage COPD with the potential to improve survival and quality of life. The
      selection of candidates and timing of listing present challenges, as COPD tends
      to progress fairly slowly, and survival after lung transplantation remains
      limited. Though the natural course of COPD is difficult to predict, the use of
      assessments of functional status and multivariable indices such as the BODE index
      can help identify which patients with COPD are at increased risk for mortality,
      and hence which are more likely to benefit from lung transplantation. Patients
      with COPD can undergo either single or bilateral lung transplantation. Although
      many studies suggest better long-term survival with bilateral lung transplant,
      especially in younger patients, this continues to be debated, and definitive
      recommendations about this cannot be made. Patients may be more susceptible to
      particular complications of transplant for COPD, including native lung
      hyperinflation, and development of lung cancer. 

PMID- 26491283
TI  - Biomarker-based detection of asthma-COPD overlap syndrome in COPD populations.
AB  - Asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap syndrome (ACOS) was
      proposed by the science committees of both Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)
      and Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). However, the
      definition of ACOS has remained unclear all over the world, and the prevalence
      rate of ACOS is basically dependent on the patient's symptoms or the physician's
      opinion, based on questionnaire testing. In the current case report, we
      investigated the prevalence rate of COPD patients with high levels of fractional
      exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) or immunoglobulin E (IgE) as candidate markers of
      ACOS in COPD, as a multicenter, cross-sectional study. Outpatients with COPD were
      enrolled from Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan, and five hospitals
      (Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan; NTT East Tohoku Hospital, Sendai,
      Japan; Wakayama Medical University Hospital, Kimiidera, Japan; Hiraka General
      Hospital, Yokote, Japan; Iwate Prefectural Isawa Hospital, Oshu, Japan) with
      pulmonary physicians from March 1, 2013 to February 28, 2014. When they were
      estimated using 35 ppb as the cutoff value of FENO, the prevalence rate of ACOS
      was 16.3% in COPD. When estimated by both FENO and IgE, the high-FENO/high-IgE
      group was 7.8% in COPD. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to
      detect the prevalence rate of ACOS in COPD populations by using objective
      biomarkers. The results from the current study should be useful to identify the
      subgroup requiring early intervention by inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting beta
      agonist combination in COPD in order to improve the long-term management for
      ACOS. 

PMID- 26491284
TI  - A randomized multicenter Phase II study of perioperative tiotropium intervention
      in gastric cancer patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tiotropium, a long-acting inhaled anticholinergic drug, has been
      widely used in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
      However, the issue of whether perioperative tiotropium improves postoperative
      outcomes for gastric cancer patients with COPD remains unclear. Thus, the aim of
      this study was to determine the efficacy of perioperative tiotropium intervention
      for gastric cancer patients with COPD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-four gastric
      cancer patients with mild-to-moderate COPD were randomly assigned to receive
      perioperative pulmonary rehabilitation alone (control group) or pulmonary
      rehabilitation with 18 ug of tiotropium once daily (tiotropium group). The
      patients in the tiotropium group received tiotropium for more than 1 week before
      surgery and for 2 weeks after surgery. Spirometry was performed prior to group
      assignment and at 2 weeks after surgery. Postoperative complications, forced
      expiratory volume in 1 second, forced vital capacity, and the ratio of forced
      expiratory volume in second to forced vital capacity (%) were compared between
      the two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two
      groups in terms of age, body mass index, smoking, gastrectomy incision, operation
      time, and bleeding volume (all P>0.05). Postoperative complications and pulmonary
      functions did not differ significantly between the control and tiotropium groups.
      A subgroup analysis of gastric cancer patients with moderate COPD showed that
      perioperative tiotropium intervention significantly decreased the rate of
      postoperative complications compared with the control group (P=0.046). However,
      even after gastrectomy, many patients with mild COPD in both the control and
      tiotropium groups showed improved pulmonary function. CONCLUSION: Although
      perioperative tiotropium intervention had no significant effects in gastric
      cancer patients with mild COPD, it may be beneficial in those with moderate COPD.
      Therefore, the next prospective study should further evaluate perioperative
      tiotropium intervention for gastric cancer patients with moderate-to-severe COPD.

PMID- 26491285
TI  - Cytotoxicity of various types of gold-mesoporous silica nanoparticles in human
      breast cancer cells.
AB  - Recently, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have shown promising biological applications
      due to their unique electronic and optical properties. However, the potential
      toxicity of AuNPs remains a major hurdle that impedes their use in clinical
      settings. Mesoporous silica is very suitable for the use as a coating material
      for AuNPs and might not only reduce the cytotoxicity of cetyltrimethylammonium
      bromide-coated AuNPs but might also facilitate the loading and delivery of drugs.
      Herein, three types of rod-like gold-mesoporous silica nanoparticles (termed bare
      AuNPs, core-shell Au@mSiO2NPs, and Janus Au@mSiO2NPs) were specially designed,
      and the effects of these AuNPs on cellular uptake, toxic behavior, and mechanism
      were then systematically studied. Our results indicate that bare AuNPs exerted
      higher toxicity than the Au@mSiO2NPs and that Janus Au@mSiO2NPs exhibited the
      lowest toxicity in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells, consistent with the
      endocytosis capacity of the nanoparticles, which followed the order, bare AuNPs >
      core-shell Au@mSiO2NPs > Janus Au@mSiO2NPs. More importantly, the AuNPs-induced
      apoptosis of MCF-7 cells exhibited features that were characteristic of
      intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, activation of c-Jun-N
      terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation, an enhanced Bax-to-Bcl-2 ratio, and loss
      of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Simultaneously, cytochrome c was
      released from mitochondria, and the caspase-3/9 cascade was activated. Moreover,
      both ROS scavenger (N-acetylcysteine) and JNK inhibitor (SP600125) partly blocked
      the induction of apoptosis in all AuNPs-treated cells. Taken together, these
      findings suggest that all AuNPs induce apoptosis through the ROS-/JNK-mediated
      mitochondrial pathway. Thus, Janus Au@mSiO2NPs exhibit the potential for
      applications in biomedicine, thus aiding the clinical translation of AuNPs. 

PMID- 26491286
TI  - Effect of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles on fluidity and phase
      transition of phosphatidylcholine liposomal membranes.
AB  - Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) with multifunctional
      properties have shown great promise in theranostics. The aim of our work was to
      compare the effects of SPIONs on the fluidity and phase transition of the
      liposomal membranes prepared with zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine lipids. In
      order to study if the surface modification of SPIONs has any influence on these
      membrane properties, we have used four types of differently functionalized
      SPIONs, such as: plain SPIONs (primary size was shown to be11 nm), silica-coated
      SPIONs, SPIONs coated with silica and functionalized with positively charged
      amino groups or negatively charged carboxyl groups (the primary size of all the
      surface-modified SPIONs was ~20 nm). Small unilamellar vesicles prepared with 1
      palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine lipids and multilamellar vesicles
      prepared with 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine lipids were
      encapsulated or incubated with the plain and surface-modified SPIONs to determine
      the fluidity and phase transition temperature of the bilayer lipids,
      respectively. Fluorescent anisotropy and differential scanning calorimetric
      measurements of the liposomes that were either encapsulated or incubated with the
      suspension of SPIONs did not show a significant difference in the lipid ordering
      and fluidity; though the encapsulated SPIONs showed a slightly increased effect
      on the fluidity of the model membranes in comparison with the incubated SPIONs.
      This indicates the low potential of the SPIONs to interact with the nontargeted
      cell membranes, which is a desirable factor for in vivo applications. 

PMID- 26491287
TI  - Silver nanoparticles induce tight junction disruption and astrocyte neurotoxicity
      in a rat blood-brain barrier primary triple coculture model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) can enter the brain and induce
      neurotoxicity. However, the toxicity of Ag-NPs on the blood-brain barrier (BBB)
      and the underlying mechanism(s) of action on the BBB and the brain are not well
      understood. METHOD: To investigate Ag-NP suspension (Ag-NPS)-induced toxicity, a
      triple coculture BBB model of rat brain microvascular endothelial cells,
      pericytes, and astrocytes was established. The BBB permeability and tight
      junction protein expression in response to Ag-NPS, NP-released Ag ions, and
      polystyrene-NP exposure were investigated. Ultrastructural changes of the
      microvascular endothelial cells, pericytes, and astrocytes were observed using
      transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Global gene expression of astrocytes was
      measured using a DNA microarray. RESULTS: A triple coculture BBB model of primary
      rat brain microvascular endothelial cells, pericytes, and astrocytes was
      established, with the transendothelial electrical resistance values >200
      Omega.cm(2). After Ag-NPS exposure for 24 hours, the BBB permeability was
      significantly increased and expression of the tight junction (TJ) protein ZO-1
      was decreased. Discontinuous TJs were also observed between microvascular
      endothelial cells. After Ag-NPS exposure, severe mitochondrial shrinkage,
      vacuolations, endoplasmic reticulum expansion, and Ag-NPs were observed in
      astrocytes by TEM. Global gene expression analysis showed that three genes were
      upregulated and 20 genes were downregulated in astrocytes treated with Ag-NPS.
      Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway
      analysis showed that the 23 genes were associated with metabolic processes,
      biosynthetic processes, response to stimuli, cell death, the MAPK pathway, and so
      on. No GO term and KEGG pathways were changed in the released-ion or polystyrene
      NP groups. Ag-NPS inhibited the antioxidant defense of the astrocytes by
      increasing thioredoxin interacting protein, which inhibits the Trx system, and
      decreasing Nr4a1 and Dusp1. Meanwhile, Ag-NPS induced inflammation and apoptosis
      through modulation of the MAPK pathway or B-cell lymphoma-2 expression or mTOR
      activity in astrocytes. CONCLUSION: These results draw our attention to the
      importance of Ag-NP-induced toxicity on the neurovascular unit and provide a
      better understanding of its toxicological mechanisms on astrocytes.

PMID- 26491288
TI  - Comparative study on solid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery and solid
      dispersion system for enhanced solubility and bioavailability of ezetimibe.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to compare the physicochemical
      characteristics, solubility, dissolution, and oral bioavailability of an
      ezetimibe-loaded solid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS),
      surface modified solid dispersion (SMSD), and solvent evaporated solid dispersion
      (SESD) to identify the best drug delivery system with the highest oral
      bioavailability. METHODS: For the liquid SNEDDS formulation, Capryol 90,
      Cremophor EL, and Tween 80 were selected as the oil, surfactant, and
      cosurfactant, respectively. The nanoemulsion-forming region was sketched using a
      pseudoternary phase diagram on the basis of reduced emulsion size. The optimized
      liquid SNEDDS was converted to solid SNEDDS by spray drying with silicon dioxide.
      Furthermore, SMSDs were prepared using the spray drying technique with various
      amounts of hydroxypropylcellulose and Tween 80, optimized on the basis of their
      drug solubility. The SESD formulation was prepared with the same composition of
      optimized SMSD. The aqueous solubility, dissolution, physicochemical properties,
      and pharmacokinetics of all of the formulations were investigated and compared
      with the drug powder. RESULTS: The drug existed in the crystalline form in SMSD,
      but was changed into an amorphous form in SNEDDS and SESD, giving particle sizes
      of approximately 24, 6, and 11 um, respectively. All of these formulations
      significantly improved the aqueous solubility and dissolution in the order of
      solid SNEDDS >= SESD > SMSD, and showed a total higher plasma concentration than
      did the drug powder. Moreover, SESD gave a higher area under the drug
      concentration time curve from zero to infinity than did SNEDDS and SMSD, even if
      they were not significantly different, suggesting more improved oral
      bioavailability. CONCLUSION: Among the various formulations tested in this study,
      the SESD system would be strongly recommended as a drug delivery system for the
      oral administration of ezetimibe with poor water solubility.

PMID- 26491289
TI  - Rapid and quantitative detection of C-reactive protein based on quantum dots and
      immunofiltration assay.
AB  - Convenient and rapid immunofiltration assays (IFAs) enable on-site "yes" or "no"
      determination of disease markers. However, traditional IFAs are commonly
      qualitative or semi-quantitative and are very limited for the efficient testing
      of samples in field diagnostics. Here, we overcome these limitations by
      developing a quantum dots (QDs)-based fluorescent IFA for the quantitative
      detection of C-reactive proteins (CRP). CRP, the well-known diagnostic marker for
      acute viral and bacterial infections, was used as a model analyte to demonstrate
      performance and sensitivity of our developed QDs-based IFA. QDs capped with both
      polyethylene glycol (PEG) and glutathione were used as fluorescent labels for our
      IFAs. The presence of the surface PEG layer, which reduced the non-specific
      protein interactions, in conjunction with the inherent optical properties of QDs,
      resulted in lower background signal, increased sensitivity, and ability to detect
      CRP down to 0.79 mg/L with only 5 uL serum sample. In addition, the developed
      assay is simple, fast and can quantitatively detect CRP with a detection limit up
      to 200 mg/L. Clinical test results of our QD-based IFA are well correlated with
      the traditional latex enhance immune-agglutination aggregation. The proposed QD
      based fluorescent IFA is very promising, and potentially will be adopted for
      multiplexed immunoassay and in field point-of-care test. 

PMID- 26491290
TI  - Micellar emulsions composed of mPEG-PCL/MCT as novel nanocarriers for systemic
      delivery of genistein: a comparative study with micelles.
AB  - Polymeric micelles receive considerable attention as drug delivery vehicles,
      depending on the versatility in drug solubilization and targeting therapy.
      However, their use invariably suffers with poor stability both in in vitro and in
      vivo conditions. Here, we aimed to develop a novel nanocarrier (micellar
      emulsions, MEs) for a systemic delivery of genistein (Gen), a poorly soluble
      anticancer agent. Gen-loaded MEs (Gen-MEs) were prepared from methoxy
      poly(ethylene glycol)-block-(epsilon-caprolactone) and medium-chain triglycerides
      (MCT) by solvent-diffusion technique. Nanocarriers were characterized by dynamic
      light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and in vitro release. The
      resulting Gen-MEs were approximately 46 nm in particle size with a narrow
      distribution. Gen-MEs produced a different in vitro release profile from the
      counterpart of Gen-ME. The incorporation of MCT significantly enhanced the
      stability of nanoparticles against dilution with simulated body fluid.
      Pharmacokinetic study revealed that MEs could notably extend the mean retention
      time of Gen, 1.57- and 7.38-fold as long as that of micelles and solution
      formulation, respectively, following intravenous injection. Furthermore, MEs
      markedly increased the elimination half-life (t(1/2beta)) of Gen, which was 2.63
      fold larger than that of Gen solution. Interestingly, Gen distribution in the
      liver and kidney for MEs group was significantly low relative to the micelle
      group in the first 2 hours, indicating less perfusion in such two tissues, which
      well accorded with the elongated mean retention time. Our findings suggested that
      MEs may be promising carriers as an alternative of micelles to systemically
      deliver poorly soluble drugs.

PMID- 26491291
TI  - pH-Sensitive carboxymethyl chitosan-modified cationic liposomes for sorafenib and
      siRNA co-delivery.
AB  - Combination of chemotherapeutic drug and small interfering RNA (siRNA) can affect
      multiple disease pathways and has been proven effective in suppressing tumor
      progression. Co-delivery of drug and siRNA within a same nanocarrier is a vital
      means in this field. The present study aimed at the development of a pH-sensitive
      liposome to co-deliver drug and siRNA to tumor region. Driven by the
      electrostatic interaction, the pH-sensitive material, carboxymethyl chitosan
      (CMCS), was coated onto the surface of the cationic liposome (CL) preloaded with
      sorafenib (Sf) and siRNA (Si). To evaluate whether the resulting CMCS-modified Sf
      and siRNA co-delivery cationic liposome (CMCS-SiSf-CL) enhanced antitumor
      efficiency after systematic administration, in vitro and in vivo experiments were
      evaluated in HepG2 cells and the H22 cells-bearing Kunming mice model. The
      experimental results demonstrated that CMCS-SiSf-CL was able to condense siRNA
      efficiently and protect siRNA from being degraded by serum and RNase. The release
      rate of Sf from CMCS-modified liposome exhibited pH-sensitive release behavior.
      Furthermore, in vitro cellular uptake results showed that CMCS-SiSf-CL yielded
      higher fluorescence intensity at pH 6.5 than at pH 7.4, and that siRNA could be
      delivered to tumor site by CMCS-SiSf-CL in vivo. The in vivo antitumor efficacy
      showed that CMCS-Sf-CL inhibits tumor growth effectively when compared with free
      Sf solution. In current experimental conditions, this liposomal formulation did
      not show significant toxicity both in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, co-delivering
      Sf with siRNA by CMCS-SiSf-CL might provide a promising approach for tumor
      therapy. 

PMID- 26491292
TI  - An efficient PEGylated liposomal nanocarrier containing cell-penetrating peptide
      and pH-sensitive hydrazone bond for enhancing tumor-targeted drug delivery.
AB  - Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) as small molecular transporters with abilities
      of cell penetrating, internalization, and endosomal escape have potential
      prospect in drug delivery systems. However, a bottleneck hampering their
      application is the poor specificity for cells. By utilizing the function of
      hydration shell of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and acid sensitivity of hydrazone
      bond, we constructed a kind of CPP-modified pH-sensitive PEGylated liposomes
      (CPPL) to improve the selectivity of these peptides for tumor targeting. In CPPL,
      CPP was directly attached to liposome surfaces via coupling with stearate (STR)
      to avoid the hindrance of PEG as a linker on the penetrating efficiency of CPP. A
      PEG derivative by conjugating PEG with STR via acid-degradable hydrazone bond
      (PEG2000-Hz-STR, PHS) was synthesized. High-performance liquid chromatography and
      flow cytometry demonstrated that PHS was stable at normal neutral conditions and
      PEG could be completely cleaved from liposome surface to expose CPP under acidic
      environments in tumor. An optimal CPP density on liposomes was screened to
      guaranty a maximum targeting efficiency on tumor cells as well as not being
      captured by normal cells that consequently lead to a long circulation in blood.
      In vitro and in vivo studies indicated, in 4 mol% CPP of lipid modified system,
      that CPP exerted higher efficiency on internalizing the liposomes into targeted
      subcellular compartments while remaining inactive and free from opsonins at a
      maximum extent in systemic circulation. The 4% CPPL as a drug delivery system
      will have great potential in the clinical application of anticancer drugs in
      future. 

PMID- 26491293
TI  - Cerium oxide nanoparticle treatment ameliorates peritonitis-induced diaphragm
      dysfunction.
AB  - The severe inflammation observed during sepsis is thought to cause diaphragm
      dysfunction, which is associated with poor patient prognosis. Cerium oxide (CeO2)
      nanoparticles have been posited to exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidative
      activities suggesting that these particles may be of potential use for the
      treatment of inflammatory disorders. To investigate this possibility, Sprague
      Dawley rats were randomly assigned to the following groups: sham control, CeO2
      nanoparticle treatment only (0.5 mg/kg iv), sepsis, and sepsis+CeO2
      nanoparticles. Sepsis was induced by the introduction of cecal material (600
      mg/kg) directly into the peritoneal cavity. Nanoparticle treatment decreased
      sepsis-associated impairments in diaphragmatic contractile (P(o)) function (sham:
      25.6+/-1.6 N/cm(2) vs CeO2: 23.4+/-0.8 N/cm(2) vs Sep: 15.9+/-1.0 N/cm(2) vs
      Sep+CeO2: 20.0+/-1.0 N/cm(2), P<0.05). These improvements in diaphragm
      contractile function were accompanied by a normalization of protein translation
      signaling (Akt, FOXO-1, and 4EBP1), diminished proteolysis (caspase 8 and
      ubiquitin levels), and decreased inflammatory signaling (Stat3 and iNOS).
      Histological analysis suggested that nanoparticle treatment was associated with
      diminished sarcolemma damage and diminished inflammatory cell infiltration. These
      data indicate CeO2 nanoparticles may improve diaphragmatic function in the septic
      laboratory rat.

PMID- 26491294
TI  - Anti-transferrin receptor-modified amphotericin B-loaded PLA-PEG nanoparticles
      cure Candidal meningitis and reduce drug toxicity.
AB  - Fatal fungal infections in central nervous system (CNS) can occur through
      hematogenous spread or direct extension. At present, hydrophobic amphotericin B
      (AMB) is the most effective antifungal drug in clinical trials. However, AMB is
      hydrophobic and therefore penetrates poorly into the CNS, and therapeutic levels
      of AMB are hard to achieve. The transferrin receptor (TfR/CD71) located at the
      blood-brain barrier mediates transferrin transcytosis. In order to enhance the
      receptor-mediated delivery of AMB into CNS with therapeutic level, an anti-TfR
      antibody (OX26)-modified AMB-loaded PLA (poly[lactic acid])-PEG (polyethylene
      glycol)-based micellar drug delivery system was constructed. The prepared OX26
      modified AMB-loaded nanoparticles (OX26-AMB-NPs) showed significant reduction of
      CNS fungal burden and an increase of mouse survival time. In conclusion, OX26-AMB
      NPs represent a promising novel drug delivery system for intracerebral fungal
      infection. 

PMID- 26491295
TI  - Effects of silver nanoparticles on neonatal testis development in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) play an important role in consumer
      products. An increasing use of MNPs has raised concerns about potential risks for
      human health. Therefore, in vivo tests of MNPs are urgently required. Using mice
      as a model animal, the aim of the present study was designed to investigate the
      effect of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on
      spermatogenesis in neonatal mice. METHODS: AgNPs were synthesized using Bacillus
      funiculus. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized using various analytical
      techniques such as UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The prepared AgNPs
      were used to investigate testis development in neonatal mice. Institute of Cancer
      Research neonatal male mice were used in all experiments and were treated with
      different doses (0, 1, and 5 mg/kg) of AgNPs five times (interval of 3 days from
      postnatal day [PND] 8-21) by abdominal subcutaneous injection. RESULTS: The
      results showed that the sperm abnormalities such as quality and quantity were
      significantly increased by the synthesized AgNPs. The diameter of the convoluted
      tubules shrank significantly in mice treated with AgNPs on PND28 and PND42. The
      results of reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction indicated
      that the E1f1ay, Gsta4, and Fdx1 genes were up-regulated, and the Amh, Cx43, and
      Claudin-11 genes were down-regulated in response to AgNPs exposure on PND28;
      however, these genes recovered at PND60. AgNPs had no effect on the recombination
      levels of chromosomes in germ cells. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated the
      adverse effects of AgNPs on the male reproductive tract, particularly
      spermatogenesis and the quality of sperm. This study suggests that the
      development of nanomaterials should be safer and non-toxic to the living
      organisms and the potential reprotoxicity of AgNPs should be investigated more
      carefully.

PMID- 26491296
TI  - Reduced graphene oxide-silver nanoparticle nanocomposite: a potential anticancer
      nanotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Graphene and graphene-based nanocomposites are used in various
      research areas including sensing, energy storage, and catalysis. The mechanical,
      thermal, electrical, and biological properties render graphene-based
      nanocomposites of metallic nanoparticles useful for several biomedical
      applications. Epithelial ovarian carcinoma is the fifth most deadly cancer in
      women; most tumors initially respond to chemotherapy, but eventually acquire
      chemoresistance. Consequently, the development of novel molecules for cancer
      therapy is essential. This study was designed to develop a simple, non-toxic,
      environmentally friendly method for the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide
      silver (rGO-Ag) nanoparticle nanocomposites using Tilia amurensis plant extracts
      as reducing and stabilizing agents. The anticancer properties of rGO-Ag were
      evaluated in ovarian cancer cells. METHODS: The synthesized rGO-Ag nanocomposite
      was characterized using various analytical techniques. The anticancer properties
      of the rGO-Ag nanocomposite were evaluated using a series of assays such as cell
      viability, lactate dehydrogenase leakage, reactive oxygen species generation,
      cellular levels of malonaldehyde and glutathione, caspase-3 activity, and DNA
      fragmentation in ovarian cancer cells (A2780). RESULTS: AgNPs with an average
      size of 20 nm were uniformly dispersed on graphene sheets. The data obtained from
      the biochemical assays indicate that the rGO-Ag nanocomposite significantly
      inhibited cell viability in A2780 ovarian cancer cells and increased lactate
      dehydrogenase leakage, reactive oxygen species generation, caspase-3 activity,
      and DNA fragmentation compared with other tested nanomaterials such as graphene
      oxide, rGO, and AgNPs. CONCLUSION: T. amurensis plant extract-mediated rGO-Ag
      nanocomposites could facilitate the large-scale production of graphene-based
      nanocomposites; rGO-Ag showed a significant inhibiting effect on cell viability
      compared to graphene oxide, rGO, and silver nanoparticles. The nanocomposites
      could be effective non-toxic therapeutic agents for the treatment of both cancer
      and cancer stem cells.

PMID- 26491297
TI  - Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling of zinc oxide nanoparticles and
      zinc nitrate in mice.
AB  - Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have been widely used in consumer products,
      therapeutic agents, and drug delivery systems. However, the fate and behavior of
      ZnO NPs in living organisms are not well described. The purpose of this study was
      to develop a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model to describe the dynamic
      interactions of (65)ZnO NPs in mice. We estimated key physicochemical parameters
      of partition coefficients and excretion or elimination rates, based on our
      previously published data quantifying the biodistributions of 10 nm and 71 nm
      (65)ZnO NPs and zinc nitrate ((65)Zn(NO3)2) in various mice tissues. The time
      dependent partition coefficients and excretion or elimination rates were used to
      construct our physiologically based pharmacokinetic model. In general, tissue
      partition coefficients of (65)ZnO NPs were greater than those of (65)Zn(NO3)2,
      particularly the lung partition coefficient of 10 nm (65)ZnO NPs. Sensitivity
      analysis revealed that 71 nm (65)ZnO NPs and (65)Zn(NO3)2 were sensitive to
      excretion and elimination rates in the liver and gastrointestinal tract. Although
      the partition coefficient of the brain was relative low, it increased time
      dependently for (65)ZnO NPs and (65)Zn(NO3)2. The simulation of (65)Zn(NO3)2 was
      well fitted with the experimental data. However, replacing partition coefficients
      of (65)ZnO NPs with those of (65)Zn(NO3)2 after day 7 greatly improved the
      fitness of simulation, suggesting that ZnO NPs might decompose to zinc ion after
      day 7. In this study, we successfully established a potentially predictive
      dynamic model for slowly decomposed NPs. More caution is suggested for exposure
      to (65)ZnO NPs <10 nm because those small (65)ZnO NPs tend to accumulate in the
      body for a relatively longer time than 71 nm (65)ZnO NPs and (65)Zn(NO3)2 do. 

PMID- 26491298
TI  - Preparation, optimization, and in vitro simulated inhalation delivery of
      carvedilol nanoparticles loaded on a coarse carrier intended for pulmonary
      administration.
AB  - Carvedilol (CAR) is a potent antihypertensive drug but has poor oral
      bioavailability (24%). A nanosuspension suitable for pulmonary delivery to
      enhance bioavailability and bypass first-pass metabolism of CAR could be
      advantageous. Accordingly, the aim of this work was to prepare CAR
      nanosuspensions and to use artificial neural networks associated with genetic
      algorithm to model and optimize the formulations. The optimized nanosuspension
      was lyophilized to obtain dry powder suitable for inhalation. However, respirable
      particles must have a diameter of 1-5 um in order to deposit in the lungs. Hence,
      mannitol was used during lyophilization for cryoprotection and to act as a coarse
      carrier for nanoparticles in order to deliver them into their desired
      destination. The bottom-up technique was adopted for nanosuspension formulation
      using Pluronic stabilizers (F127, F68, and P123) combined with sodium
      deoxycholate at 1:1 weight ratio, at three levels with two drug loads and two
      aqueous to organic phase volume ratios. The drug crystallinity was studied using
      differential scanning calorimetry and powder X-ray diffractometry. The in vitro
      emitted doses of CAR were evaluated using a dry powder inhaler sampling apparatus
      and the aerodynamic characteristics were evaluated using an Andersen MKII cascade
      impactor. The artificial neural networks results showed that Pluronic F127 was
      the optimum stabilizer based on the desired particle size, polydispersity index,
      and zeta potential. Results of differential scanning calorimetry combined with
      powder X-ray diffractometry showed that CAR crystallinity was observed in the
      lyophilized nanosuspension. The aerodynamic characteristics of the optimized
      lyophilized nanosuspension demonstrated significantly higher percentage of total
      emitted dose (89.70%) and smaller mass median aerodynamic diameter (2.80 um)
      compared with coarse drug powder (73.60% and 4.20 um, respectively). In summary,
      the above strategy confirmed the applicability of formulating CAR in the form of
      nanoparticles loaded on a coarse carrier suitable for inhalation delivery. 

PMID- 26491300
TI  - Hyaluronic acid-tagged silica nanoparticles in colon cancer therapy: therapeutic
      efficacy evaluation.
AB  - Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide, and
      the therapeutic application of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is limited due to its
      nonspecificity, low bioavailability, and overdose. The present study is an
      attempt to improve the chemotherapeutic efficacy of 5-FU in colon cancers.
      Therefore, we have prepared 5-FU-loaded hyaluronic acid (HA)-conjugated silica
      nanoparticles (SiNPs) to target to colon cancer cells. In this study, we have
      showed the specific binding and intracellular accumulation of targeted
      nanoparticles based on HA surface modifications in colon carcinoma cells. The
      particles had spherical shapes with sizes of approximately 130 nm. HA-conjugated
      nanoparticles showed a sustained release pattern for 5-FU and continuously
      released for 120 hours. We have further investigated the cytotoxicity potential
      of targeted and nontargeted nanoparticles in colo-205 cancer cells. IC50 value of
      5-FU/hyaluronic acid-conjugated silica nanoparticles (HSNP) was 0.65 ug/mL
      compared with ~2.8 ug/mL for 5-FU/SNP after 24 hours of incubation. The result
      clearly showed that HA-conjugated NP was more effective in inducing apoptosis in
      cancer cells than nontargeted NP. The 5-FU/HSNP showed ~45% of cell apoptosis
      (early and late apoptosis stage) compared with only 20% for 5-FU/silica
      nanoparticles (SNP)-treated group. The HA-conjugated nanoparticles provide the
      possibility of efficient drug transport into tumors that could effectively reduce
      the side effects in the normal tissues. 5-FU/HSNP was highly efficient in
      suppressing the tumor growth in xenograft tumor model. The proportion of Ki67 in
      5-FU/HSNP-treated group was significantly lower than that of either free drug or
      nontargeted SiNPs. Altogether, we have showed that conjugation of HA to SiNPs
      could result in enhanced uptake of 5-FU through CD44-mediated endocytosis uptake
      and could result in significant antitumor efficacy. Thus, 5-FU/HSNP could be a
      promising drug delivery system for colon cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26491299
TI  - Para amino benzoic acid-derived self-assembled biocompatible nanoparticles for
      efficient delivery of siRNA.
AB  - A number of diseases can result from abnormal gene expression. One of the
      approaches for treating such diseases is gene therapy to inhibit expression of a
      particular gene in a specific cell population by RNA interference. Use of
      efficient delivery vehicles increases the safety and success of gene therapy.
      Here we report the development of functionalized biocompatible fluorescent
      nanoparticles from para amino benzoic acid nanoparticles for efficient delivery
      of short interfering RNA (siRNA). These nanoparticles were non-toxic and did not
      interfere with progression of the cell cycle. The intrinsic fluorescent nature of
      these nanoparticles allows easy tracking and an opportunity for diagnostic
      applications. Human Bcl-2 siRNA was complexed with these nanoparticles to inhibit
      expression in cells at both the transcriptional and translational levels. Our
      findings indicated high gene transfection efficiency. These biocompatible
      nanoparticles allow targeted delivery of siRNA, providing an efficient vehicle
      for gene delivery. 

PMID- 26491302
TI  - Summary of the National Conference on Challenges in Biomaterials Research jointly
      organized by VIT and CSIR-CECRI.

PMID- 26491301
TI  - Attenuation of the macrophage inflammatory activity by TiO2 nanotubes via
      inhibition of MAPK and NF-kappaB pathways.
AB  - Biomaterial implantation in a living tissue triggers the activation of
      macrophages in inflammatory events, promoting the transcription of pro
      inflammatory mediator genes. The initiation of macrophage inflammatory processes
      is mainly regulated by signaling proteins of mitogen-activated protein kinase
      (MAPK) and by nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF
      kappaB) pathways. We have previously shown that titania nanotubes modified Ti
      surfaces (Ti/TiO2) mitigate the immune response, compared with flat Ti surfaces;
      however, little is known regarding the underlying mechanism. Therefore, the aim
      of this study is to investigate the mechanism(s) by which this nanotopography
      attenuates the inflammatory activity of macrophages. Thus, we analyzed the
      effects of TiO2 nanotubes on the activation of MAPK and NF-kappaB signaling
      pathways in standard and lipopolysaccharide-evoked conditions. Results showed
      that the Ti/TiO2 significantly reduce the expression levels of the phosphorylated
      forms of p38, ERK1/2, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), IKKbeta, and IkB-alpha.
      Furthermore, a significant reduction in the p65 nuclear accumulation on the
      nanotubular surface was remarked. Following, by using specific MAPK inhibitors,
      we observed that lipopolysaccharide-induced production of monocyte chemotactic
      protein-1 and nitric oxide was significantly inhibited on the Ti/TiO2 surface via
      p38 and ERK1/2, but not via JNK. However, the selective inhibitor for JNK
      signaling pathway (SP600125) was effective in reducing tumor necrosis factor
      alpha release as well as monocyte chemotactic protein-1 and nitric oxide
      production. Altogether, these data suggest that titania nanotubes can attenuate
      the macrophage inflammatory response via suppression of MAPK and NF-kappaB
      pathways providing a potential mechanism for their anti-inflammatory activity. 

PMID- 26491303
TI  - Development of a new carbon nanotube-alginate-hydroxyapatite tricomponent
      composite scaffold for application in bone tissue engineering.
AB  - In recent times, tricomponent scaffolds prepared from naturally occurring
      polysaccharides, hydroxyapatite, and reinforcing materials have been gaining
      increased attention in the field of bone tissue engineering. In the current work,
      a tricomponent scaffold with an oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotube (fMWCNT)
      alginate-hydroxyapatite with the required porosity was prepared for the first
      time by a freeze-drying method and characterized using analytical techniques. The
      hydroxyapatite for the scaffold was isolated from chicken bones by thermal
      calcination at 800 degrees C. The Fourier transform infrared spectra and X-ray
      diffraction data confirmed ionic interactions and formation of the fMWCNT
      alginate-hydroxyapatite scaffold. Interconnected porosity with a pore size of 130
      170 um was evident from field emission scanning electron microscopy. The total
      porosity calculated using the liquid displacement method was found to be 93.85%.
      In vitro biocompatibility and cell proliferation on the scaffold was checked
      using an MG-63 cell line by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium
      bromide assay and cell attachment by Hoechst stain assay. In vitro studies showed
      better cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and cell attachment on the
      prepared scaffold. These results indicate that this scaffold could be a promising
      candidate for bone tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26491304
TI  - Biocompatibility evaluation of sputtered zirconium-based thin film metallic glass
      coated steels.
AB  - Thin film metallic glasses comprised of Zr48Cu36Al8Ag8 (at.%) of approximately
      1.5 MUm and 3 MUm in thickness were prepared using magnetron sputtering onto
      medical grade 316L stainless steel. Their structural and mechanical properties,
      in vitro corrosion, and antimicrobial activity were analyzed. The amorphous thin
      film metallic glasses consisted of a single glassy phase, with an absence of any
      detectable peaks corresponding to crystalline phases. Elemental composition close
      to the target alloy was noted from EDAX analysis of the thin film. The surface
      morphology of the film showed a smooth surface on scanning electron microscopy
      and atomic force microscopy. In vitro electrochemical corrosion studies indicated
      that the zirconium-based metallic glass could withstand body fluid, showing
      superior resistance to corrosion and electrochemical stability. Interactions
      between the coated surface and bacteria were investigated by agar diffusion,
      solution suspension, and wet interfacial contact methods. The results indicated a
      clear zone of inhibition against the growth of microorganisms such as Escherichia
      coli and Staphylococcus aureus, confirming the antimicrobial activity of the thin
      film metallic glasses. Cytotoxicity studies using L929 fibroblast cells showed
      these coatings to be noncytotoxic in nature. 

PMID- 26491305
TI  - Preparation and evaluation of the cytotoxic nature of TiO2 nanoparticles by
      direct contact method.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to prepare and evaluate the effect of synthesized
      titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles for their biocompatibility on physiological
      body fluids and the effect of cell toxicity to produce osteointegration when used
      as implantable materials. For the past few decades, the number of researches done
      to understand the importance of the biocompatibility of bioceramics, metals, and
      polymers and their effect on clinical settings of biomedical devices has
      increased. Hence, the total concept of biocompatibility encourages researchers to
      actively engage in the investigation of the most compatible materials in living
      systems by analyzing them using suitable physical, chemical, and biological
      (bioassay) methods. The ceramic material nano TiO2 was prepared by sol-gel method
      and analyzed for its functional group and phase formation by Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, the particle
      size, shape, surface topography, and morphological behavior were analyzed by
      dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy-energy
      dispersive X-ray analysis, and transmission electron microscopy analysis. In
      addition to this, the cytotoxicity and cytocompatibility were determined on MG63
      cell lines with varying doses of concentrations such as 1 ug/mL, 10 ug/mL, 25
      ug/mL, 50 ug/mL, and 100 ug/mL with different time periods such as 24 hours and
      48 hours. The results have not shown any toxicity, whereas, it improved the cell
      viability/proliferation at various concentrations. Hence, these findings indicate
      that the nano TiO2 material acts as a good implantable material when used in the
      biomedical field as a prime surface-modifying agent. 

PMID- 26491306
TI  - Impact of silk fibroin-based scaffold structures on human osteoblast MG63 cell
      attachment and proliferation.
AB  - The present study was carried out to investigate the impact of various types of
      silk fibroin (SF) scaffolds on human osteoblast-like cell (MG63) attachment and
      proliferation. SF was isolated from Bombyx mori silk worm cocoons after
      degumming. Protein concentration in the degummed SF solution was estimated using
      Bradford method. Aqueous SF solution was used to fabricate three different types
      of scaffolds, viz, electrospun nanofiber mat, sponge, and porous film. The
      structures of the prepared scaffolds were characterized using optical microscopy
      and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The changes in the secondary
      structure of the proteins and the thermal behavior of the scaffolds were
      determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermo-gravimetric
      analysis, respectively. The biodegradation rate of scaffolds was determined by
      incubating the scaffolds in simulated body fluid for 4 weeks. MG63 cells were
      seeded on the scaffolds and their attachment and proliferation onto the scaffolds
      were studied. The MTT assay was carried out to deduce the toxicity of the
      developed scaffolds. All the scaffolds were found to be biocompatible. The amount
      of collagen produced by the osteoblast-like cells growing on different scaffolds
      was estimated. 

PMID- 26491307
TI  - Exploration of alginate hydrogel/nano zinc oxide composite bandages for infected
      wounds.
AB  - Alginate hydrogel/zinc oxide nanoparticles (nZnO) composite bandage was developed
      by freeze-dry method from the mixture of nZnO and alginate hydrogel. The
      developed composite bandage was porous with porosity at a range of 60%-70%. The
      swelling ratios of the bandages decreased with increasing concentrations of nZnO.
      The composite bandages with nZnO incorporation showed controlled degradation
      profile and faster blood clotting ability when compared to the KALTOSTAT(r) and
      control bandages without nZnO. The prepared composite bandages exhibited
      excellent antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus,
      Candida albicans, and methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Cytocompatibility
      evaluation of the prepared composite bandages done on human dermal fibroblast
      cells by Alamar assay and infiltration studies proved that the bandages have a
      non-toxic nature at lower concentrations of nZnO whereas slight reduction in
      viability was seen with increasing nZnO concentrations. The qualitative analysis
      of ex-vivo re-epithelialization on porcine skin revealed keratinocyte
      infiltration toward wound area for nZnO alginate bandages.

PMID- 26491308
TI  - Eucalyptus oil nanoemulsion-impregnated chitosan film: antibacterial effects
      against a clinical pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus, in vitro.
AB  - Eucalyptus oil (Eucalyptus globulus) nanoemulsion was formulated using low-and
      high-energy emulsification methods. Development of nanoemulsion was optimized for
      system parameters such as emulsifier type, emulsifier concentration, and
      emulsification methods to obtain a lower droplet size with greater stability. The
      minimized droplet diameter was achieved using the high-energy method of
      ultrasonication. Tween 80 was more effective in reducing droplet size and
      emulsion appearance when compared to Tween 20. Stable nanoemulsion was formulated
      with Tween 80 as a surfactant, and the particle size was found to be 9.4 nm (1:2
      v/v). The eucalyptus oil nanoemulsion was impregnated into chitosan (1%) as a
      biopolymer in varying concentrations. Further, the film was characterized by
      moisture content, microscopic study, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy. Also, the film with and without nanoemulsion was evaluated
      against Staphylococcus aureus. The nanoemulsion-impregnated chitosan film showed
      higher antibacterial activity than chitosan film. These results support the
      inclusion of nanoemulsion-impregnated chitosan film in wound management studies. 

PMID- 26491309
TI  - Antibacterial activity of neem nanoemulsion and its toxicity assessment on human
      lymphocytes in vitro.
AB  - Neem (Azadirachta indica) is recognized as a medicinal plant well known for its
      antibacterial, antimalarial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Neem
      nanoemulsion (NE) (O/W) is formulated using neem oil, Tween 20, and water by high
      energy ultrasonication. The formulated neem NE showed antibacterial activity
      against the bacterial pathogen Vibrio vulnificus by disrupting the integrity of
      the bacterial cell membrane. Despite the use of neem NE in various biomedical
      applications, the toxicity studies on human cells are still lacking. The neem NE
      showed a decrease in cellular viability in human lymphocytes after 24 hours of
      exposure. The neem NE at lower concentration (0.7-1 mg/mL) is found to be
      nontoxic while it is toxic at higher concentrations (1.2-2 mg/mL). The oxidative
      stress induced by the neem NE is evidenced by the depletion of catalase, SOD, and
      GSH levels in human lymphocytes. Neem NE showed a significant increase in DNA
      damage when compared to control in human lymphocytes (P<0.05). The NE is an
      effective antibacterial agent against the bacterial pathogen V. vulnificus, and
      it was found to be nontoxic at lower concentrations to human lymphocytes. 

PMID- 26491310
TI  - Biosynthesis characterization of silver nanoparticles using Cassia roxburghii DC.
      aqueous extract, and coated on cotton cloth for effective antibacterial activity.
AB  - The present study reports the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)
      from silver precursor using a plant biomaterial, Cassia roxburghii DC., aqueous
      extract. The AgNPs were synthesized from the shade-dried leaf extract and
      assessed for their stability; they elucidated characteristics under UV-visible
      spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high
      resolution transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray
      spectroscopy. The synthesized AgNPs exhibited a maximum absorption at 430 nm, and
      the X-ray diffraction patterns showed that they were crystal in nature. Fourier
      transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirmed the conversion of Ag+ ions to
      AgNPs due to the reduction by capping material of plant extract. The HR-TEM
      analysis revealed that they are spherical ranging from 10 nm to 30 nm. The spot
      EDAX analysis showed the presence of silver atoms. In addition, AgNPs were
      evaluated for their antibacterial activity against six different pathogenic
      bacteria: three Gram-positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus,
      and Micrococcus luteus, and three Gram-negative bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
      Escherichia coli, and Enterobacter aerogenes. They were highly sensitive to
      AgNPs, whereas less sensitive to AgNO3. Furthermore, the green synthesized AgNPs
      were immobilized on cotton fabrics and screened for antibacterial activity. The
      immobilized AgNPs on cotton cloth showed high antibacterial activity. Therefore,
      they could be a feasible alternative source in treating wounds or may help in
      replacing pharmaceutical band-aids.

PMID- 26491311
TI  - Preparation and characterization of an iron oxide-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite
      for potential bone cancer therapy.
AB  - Recently, multifunctional magnetic nanostructures have been found to have
      potential applications in biomedical and tissue engineering. Iron oxide
      nanoparticles are biocompatible and have distinctive magnetic properties that
      allow their use in vivo for drug delivery and hyperthermia, and as T2 contrast
      agents for magnetic resonance imaging. Hydroxyapatite is used frequently due to
      its well-known biocompatibility, bioactivity, and lack of toxicity, so a
      combination of iron oxide and hydroxyapatite materials could be useful because
      hydroxyapatite has better bone-bonding ability. In this study, we prepared
      nanocomposites of iron oxide and hydroxyapatite and analyzed their
      physicochemical properties. The results suggest that these composites have
      superparamagnetic as well as biocompatible properties. This type of material
      architecture would be well suited for bone cancer therapy and other biomedical
      applications. 

PMID- 26491312
TI  - Enhancement of bioactivity of titanium carbonitride nanocomposite thin films on
      steels with biosynthesized hydroxyapatite.
AB  - Thin films of titanium carbonitride (TiCN) were fabricated by DC magnetron
      sputtering on medical grade steel. The biocompatibility of the coating was
      further enhanced by growing hydroxyapatite crystals over the TiCN-coated
      substrates using biologically activated ammonia from synthetic urine. The
      coatings were characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-energy dispersive spectroscopy,
      and Raman spectroscopy. The electrochemical behavior of the coatings was
      determined in simulated body fluid. In addition, hemocompatibility was assessed
      by monitoring the attachment of platelets on the coating using SEM. The
      wettability of the coatings was measured in order to correlate with
      biocompatibility results. Formation of a coating with granular morphology and the
      preferred orientation was confirmed by SEM and X-ray diffraction results. The
      hydroxyapatite coating led to a decrease in thrombogenicity, resulting in
      controlled blood clot formation, hence demonstrating the hemocompatibility of the
      coating. 

PMID- 26491313
TI  - Biodegradation and cytotoxicity of ciprofloxacin-loaded hydroxyapatite
      polycaprolactone nanocomposite film for sustainable bone implants.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In recent years there has been a steep increase in the number of
      orthopedic patients for many reasons. One major reason is osteomyelitis, caused
      by pyrogenic bacteria, with progressive infection of the bone or bone marrow and
      surrounding tissues. So antibiotics must be introduced during bone implantation
      to avoid prolonged infection. AIM: The objective of the study reported here was
      to prepare a composite film of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (HAp) and
      polycaprolactone (PCL) polymer loaded with ciprofloxacin, a frequently used
      antibiotic agent for bone infections. METHODS: Nanocrystalline HAp was
      synthesized by precipitation method using the precursor obtained from eggshell.
      The nanocomposite film (HAp-PCL-ciprofloxacin) was prepared by solvent
      evaporation. Drug-release and biodegradation studies were undertaken by immersing
      the composite film in phosphate-buffered saline solution, while a cytotoxicity
      test was performed using the fibroblast cell line NIH-3T3 and osteoblast cell
      line MG-63. RESULTS: The pure PCL film had quite a low dissolution rate after an
      initial sharp weight loss, whereas the ciprofloxacin-loaded HAp-PCL nanocomposite
      film had a large weight loss due to its fast drug release. The composite film had
      higher water absorption than the pure PCL, and increasing the concentration of
      the HAp increased the water absorption. The in vitro cell-line study showed a
      good biocompatibility and bioactivity of the developed nanocomposite film.
      CONCLUSION: The prepared film will act as a sustainable bone implant in addition
      to controlled drug delivery.

PMID- 26491314
TI  - Influence of needle-like morphology on the bioactivity of nanocrystalline
      wollastonite--an in vitro study.
AB  - In the past 2 decades, wollastonite has been studied thoroughly for its
      application as a bone implant material due to its biocompatibility, high
      mechanical strength, and excellent bioactivity when compared to calcium
      phosphates bioceramics. Wollastonite was prepared through the low-temperature sol
      gel combustion method using urea as the fuel, nitrate ions and nitric acid as the
      oxidizer. Calcium nitrate and tetraethyl orthosilicate were taken as the source
      of calcium and silica. The synthesized wollastonite were characterized by Fourier
      transform infrared spectroscopy for the identification of characteristic
      functional group and powder X-ray diffraction for the phase identification.
      Employing urea as a fuel resulted in needle-like morphology of the particles,
      which was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron
      microscopy. It was observed that the needle-like morphology enhances the
      mechanical properties such as elasticity and compressive strength and also
      increases the surface area of the material, which could help in a rapid
      deposition of hydroxyapatite layer. These properties of wollastonite warrant its
      application as a new artificial bone material in the field of hard tissue
      engineering. 

PMID- 26491315
TI  - Acute and subchronic toxicity analysis of surface modified paclitaxel attached
      hydroxyapatite and titanium dioxide nanoparticles.
AB  - Nanoparticles are widely used for targeted drug delivery applications. Surface
      modification with appropriate polymer and ligands is carried out to target the
      drug to the affected area. Toxicity analysis is carried out to evaluate the
      safety of the surface modified nanoparticles. In this study, paclitaxel attached,
      folic acid functionalized, polyethylene glycol modified hydroxyapatite and
      titanium dioxide nanoparticles were used for targeted drug delivery system. The
      toxicological behavior of the system was studied in vivo in rats and mice. Acute
      and subchronic studies were carried out. Biochemical, hematological, and
      histopathological analysis was also done. There were no significant alterations
      in the biochemical parameters at a low dosage. There was a small change in
      alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level at a high dosage. The results indicate a safe
      toxicological profile. 

PMID- 26491316
TI  - Preparation and characterization of cefditoren pivoxil-loaded liposomes for
      controlled in vitro and in vivo drug release.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The application of antibiotics has been limited due to weak
      biodistribution and pharmacokinetics. Encapsulation of these drugs in lipid
      vesicles might be a good solution for obtaining the required properties.
      Liposomes are one of the most suitable drug-delivery systems to deliver the drug
      to the target organ and minimize the distribution of the drug to non-target
      tissues. OBJECTIVE: The study reported here aimed to develop cefditoren pivoxil
      liposomes by thin-film hydration, characterize them in terms of physical
      interactions, and undertake in vitro and in vivo release studies. METHODOLOGY:
      The pre-formulation studies were carried out using Fourier-transform infrared
      spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Cefditoren pivoxil liposomal
      formulations were formulated by thin-film hydration using biomaterials ie, soya
      lecithin and cholesterol in different molar ratios. The best molar ratio was
      determined by in vitro studies such as entrapment efficacy, particle size
      distribution, and diffusion. RESULTS: From the in vitro release studies, it was
      found that the formulation that contained soya lecithin and cholesterol in a
      1.0:0.6 molar ratio gave good entrapment of 72.33% and drug release of 92.5% at
      36 hours. Further, the formulation's zeta potential and surface morphology were
      examined and stability and in vivo studies were undertaken evaluating the
      pharmacokinetic parameters, which showed promising results. CONCLUSION:
      Formulation CPL VI showed the maximum drug-loading capacity of 72.3% with good
      controlled release and acceptable stability when compared with the other
      formulations. In vivo studies in rabbits showed that the drug release from the
      liposomes was successfully retarded with good controlled release behavior which
      can be used to treat many bacterial infections with a minimal dose.

PMID- 26491317
TI  - Biobased silver nanocolloid coating on silk fibers for prevention of post
      surgical wound infections.
AB  - Bombyx mori silk fibers are an important biomaterial and are used in surgical
      sutures due to their remarkable biocompatibility. The major drawback to the
      application of biomaterials is the risk of bacterial invasion, leading to
      clinical complications. We have developed an easy and cost-effective method for
      fabrication of antibacterial silk fibers loaded with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)
      by an in situ and ex situ process using an aqueous extract of Rhizophora
      apiculata leaf. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that well dispersed
      nanoparticles impregnated the silk fibers both in situ and ex situ. The
      crystalline nature of the AgNPs in the silk fibers was demonstrated by X-ray
      diffraction. The thermal and mechanical properties of the silk fibers were
      enhanced after they were impregnated with AgNPs. The silver-coated silk fibers
      fabricated by the in situ and ex situ method exhibited more than 90% inhibition
      against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Silk fibers doped with
      AgNPs were found to be biocompatible with 3T3 fibroblasts. The results obtained
      represent an important advance towards the clinical application of biocompatible
      AgNP-loaded silk fibers for prevention of surgical wound infections. 

PMID- 26491318
TI  - Gold nanoparticles-immobilized, hierarchically ordered, porous TiO2 nanotubes for
      biosensing of glutathione.
AB  - Glutathione (GSH) is vital for several functions of our human body such as
      neutralization of free radicals and reactive oxygen compounds, maintaining the
      active forms of vitamin C and E, regulation of nitric oxide cycle, iron
      metabolism, etc. It is also an endogenous antioxidant in most of the biological
      reactions. Given the importance of GSH, a simple strategy is proposed in this
      work to develop a biosensor for quantitative detection of GSH. This particular
      biosensor comprises of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs)-immobilized, hierarchically
      ordered titanium dioxide (TiO2) porous nanotubes. Hexagonally arranged, honeycomb
      like nanoporous tubular TiO2 electrodes are prepared by using a simple
      electrochemical anodization process by applying a constant potential of 30 V for
      24 hours using ethylene glycol consisting of ammonium fluoride as an electrolytic
      medium. Structural morphology and crystalline nature of such TiO2 nanotubes are
      analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and X-ray
      diffraction (XRD). Interestingly, nanocomposites of TiO2 with Au NPs is prepared
      in an effort to alter the intrinsic properties of TiO2, especially tuning of its
      band gap. Au NPs are prepared by a well-known Brust and Schiffrin method and are
      immobilized onto TiO2 electrodes which act as a perfect electrochemical sensing
      platform for GSH detection. Structural characterization and analysis of these
      modified electrodes are performed using FESEM, XRD, and UV-visible spectroscopic
      studies. GSH binding events on Au NPs-immobilized porous TiO2 electrodes are
      monitored by electrochemical techniques, namely, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and
      chronoamperometry (CA). Several parameters such as sensitivity, selectivity,
      stability, limit of detection, etc are investigated. In addition, Au NPs
      dispersed in aqueous medium are also explored for naked-eye detection of GSH
      using UV-visible spectroscopy in order to compare the performance of the proposed
      sensor. Our studies clearly indicate that these materials could potentially be
      used for GSH sensing applications. 

PMID- 26491319
TI  - One-step, low-temperature fabrication of CdS quantum dots by watermelon rind: a
      green approach.
AB  - We investigated the one-step synthesis of CdS nanoparticles via green synthesis
      that used aqueous extract of watermelon rind as a capping and stabilizing agent.
      Preliminary phytochemical analysis depicted the presence of carbohydrates which
      can act as capping and stabilizing agents. Synthesized CdS nanoparticles were
      characterized using UV-visible, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray
      diffraction, EDX, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and
      atomic force microscopy techniques. The CdS nanoparticles were found to be size-
      and shape-controlled and were stable even after 3 months of synthesis. The
      results suggest that watermelon rind, an agro-waste, can be used for synthesis of
      CdS nanoparticles without any addition of stabilizing and capping agents. 

PMID- 26491320
TI  - Structural and magnetic properties of cobalt-doped iron oxide nanoparticles
      prepared by solution combustion method for biomedical applications.
AB  - Cobalt-doped iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared by solution combustion
      technique. The structural and magnetic properties of the prepared samples were
      also investigated. The average crystallite size of cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4)
      magnetic nanoparticle was calculated using Scherrer equation, and it was found to
      be 16+/-5 nm. The particle size was measured by transmission electron microscope.
      This value was found to match with the crystallite size calculated by Scherrer
      equation corresponding to the prominent intensity peak (311) of X-ray
      diffraction. The high-resolution transmission electron microscope image shows
      clear lattice fringes and high crystallinity of cobalt ferrite magnetic
      nanoparticles. The synthesized magnetic nanoparticles exhibited the saturation
      magnetization value of 47 emu/g and coercivity of 947 Oe. The anti-microbial
      activity of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles showed better results as an anti
      bacterial agent. The affinity constant was determined for the nanoparticles, and
      the cytotoxicity studies were conducted for the cobalt ferrite nanoparticles at
      different concentrations and the results are discussed. 

PMID- 26491321
TI  - Development of polymer-bound fast-dissolving metformin buccal film with
      disintegrants.
AB  - Fast-dissolving drug-delivery systems are considered advantageous over the
      existing conventional oral dosage forms like tablets, capsules, and syrups for
      being patient friendly. Buccal films are one such system responsible for systemic
      drug delivery at the desired site of action by avoiding hepatic first-pass
      metabolism. Metformin hydrochloride (Met), an antidiabetic drug, has poor
      bioavailability due to its high solubility and low permeability. The purpose of
      the study reported here was to develop a polymer-bound fast-dissolving buccal
      film of metformin to exploit these unique properties. In the study, metformin
      fast-dissolving films were prepared by the solvent-casting method using chitosan,
      a bioadhesive polymer. Further, starch, sodium starch glycolate, and
      microcrystalline cellulose were the disintegrants added to different ratios,
      forming various formulations (F1 to F7). The buccal films were evaluated for
      various parameters like weight variation, thickness, folding endurance, surface
      pH, content uniformity, tensile strength, and percentage of elongation. The films
      were also subjected to in vitro dissolution study, and the disintegration time
      was found to be less than 30 minutes for all formulations, which was attributed
      to the effect of disintegrants. Formulation F6 showed 92.2% drug release within 6
      minutes due to the combined effect of sodium starch glycolate and
      microcrystalline cellulose. 

PMID- 26491322
TI  - Tribological and corrosion behaviors of warm-and hot-rolled Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloys
      in simulated body fluid conditions.
AB  - Development of submicrocrystalline structure in biomedical alloy such as Ti-13Nb
      13Zr (in wt%) through warm-rolling process has been found to enhance mechanical
      properties compared to conventional thermomechanical processing routes including
      hot-rolling process. The present study investigated the tribological and
      corrosion behaviors of warm-rolled (WR) and hot-rolled Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloys which
      have not been studied to date. Both tribological and corrosion experiments were
      carried out in simulated body fluid conditions (Hank's solution at 37 degrees C)
      based on the fact that the investigated alloys would be used in a human body as
      orthopedic implants. The WR Ti-13Nb-13Zr demonstrated a submicrocrystalline
      structure that provided a significant enhancement in hardness, strength, and
      corrosion resistance. Meanwhile, there was no notable difference in wear
      resistance between the WR and hot-rolled samples despite the different
      microstructure and hardness. The present study confirmed the enormous potential
      of WR Ti-13Nb-13Zr with not only great mechanical properties but also high
      corrosion resistance in the simulated body fluid. 

PMID- 26491323
TI  - Wear studies on plasma-sprayed Al2O3 and 8mole% of Yttrium-stabilized ZrO2
      composite coating on biomedical Ti-6Al-4V alloy for orthopedic joint application.
AB  - This paper presents the wear characteristics of the composite ceramic coating
      made with Al2O3-40wt%8YSZ on the biomedical grade Ti-6Al-4V alloy (grade 5) used
      for total joint prosthetic components, with the aim of improving their
      tribological behavior. The coatings were deposited using a plasma spraying
      technique, and optimization of plasma parameters was performed using response
      surface methodology to obtain dense coating. The tribological behaviors of the
      coated and uncoated substrates were evaluated using a ball-on-plate sliding wear
      tester at 37 degrees C in simulated body-fluid conditions. The microstructure of
      both the titanium alloy and coated specimen were examined using an optical
      microscope and scanning electron microscope. The hardness of the plasma-sprayed
      alumina-zirconia composite coatings was 2.5 times higher than that of the Ti-6Al
      4V alloy, while the wear rate of Ti-6Al-4V alloy was 253 times higher than that
      of the composite-coated Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The superior wear resistance of the
      alumina-zirconia coated alloy is attributed to its enhanced hardness and
      intersplat bonding strength. Wear-track examination showed that the predominant
      wear mechanism of Ti-6Al-4V alloy was abrasive and adhesive wear, whereas, in the
      case of alumina-zirconia composite coated alloy, the wear was dominated by
      microchipping and microcracking. 

PMID- 26491324
TI  - Influence of thermomechanical processing on biomechanical compatibility and
      electrochemical behavior of new near beta alloy, Ti-20.6Nb-13.6Zr-0.5V.
AB  - This paper presents the results for the effect of different methods of
      thermomechanical processing on the mechanical properties and electrochemical
      behavior of metastable beta alloy Ti-20.6Nb-13.6Zr-0.5V (TNZV). The
      thermomechanical processing included hot working, solution heat treatments at
      different temperatures, and cooling rates in addition to aging. The
      thermomechanical processing conditions used in the study resulted in attainment
      of a wide range of microstructures with varying spatial distributions and
      morphologies of elongated/equiaxed alpha, beta phases, or martensite, as a result
      of which several tensile properties were achieved. Aging treatment led to an
      increase in hardness, elastic modulus, and tensile strength and a decrease in
      ductility (elongation). Electrochemical tests indicated that the TNZV alloy
      undergoes spontaneous passivation due to spontaneous formation of an oxide film
      in the environment of the human body. Because the air-cooled samples possessed
      high hardness and also a fine grain size, they showed a lower corrosion rate than
      the samples treated under other conditions. 

PMID- 26491325
TI  - Psychosocial functioning in schizophrenia: are some symptoms or demographic
      characteristics predictors across the functioning domains?
AB  - This study aimed to examine symptoms/demographic characteristics as predictors
      for psychosocial functioning among individuals with schizophrenia. The Personal
      and Social Performance (PSP) scale was used to assess psychosocial functioning.
      Other measures of interest included were the Clinical Global Impression, Severity
      scale, and the Marder's five-factor model of the Positive and Negative Syndrome
      Scale. This study included 199 participants with non-acute stage schizophrenia.
      Spearman correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple linear regression
      analyses were applied to determine the correlates and predictors of PSP
      domain/total scores. Younger age, earlier age of schizophrenia onset, severe
      illness, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, disorganized thought,
      hostility/excitement, and anxiety/depression were found to significantly
      correlate with poor functioning. Severe illness and negative symptoms are the
      main predictors of greater impairment of socially useful activities, personal and
      social relationships, and self-care. Further prospective studies in other
      settings, which would include an increased number of variables such as
      neurocognitive function and social support, are warranted. 

PMID- 26491326
TI  - A meta-analysis of lipid peroxidation markers in major depression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) may be associated with oxidative
      damage to lipids, which can potentially affect mood-regulating pathways. This
      meta-analysis summarizes current knowledge regarding lipid peroxidation markers
      in clinical samples of MDD and the effects of antidepressant pharmacotherapy on
      those markers. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane
      Collaboration were searched for original, peer-reviewed articles measuring
      markers of lipid peroxidation in patients with MDD and nondepressed healthy
      controls up to April 2015. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were generated
      from random effects models summarizing mean (+/- standard deviations)
      concentrations of selected markers. RESULTS: Lipid peroxidation was greater in
      MDD than in controls (studies =17, N=857 MDD/782 control, SMD =0.83 [0.56-1.09],
      z=6.11, P<0.01, I (2)=84.0%) and was correlated with greater depressive symptom
      severity (B=0.05, df=8, P<0.01). Antidepressant treatment was associated with a
      reduction in lipid peroxidation in MDD patients (studies=5, N=222, SMD=0.71 [0.40
      0.97], P<0.01; I (2)=42.5%). LIMITATIONS: Lipid peroxidation markers were sampled
      from peripheral blood, included studies comparing MDD to controls were all cross
      sectional, and only five antidepressant treatment studies were eligible for
      inclusion. CONCLUSION: Increased lipid peroxidation was associated with MDD and
      may be normalized by antidepressants. Continued investigation of lipid
      peroxidation in MDD is warranted.

PMID- 26491328
TI  - Serotonin syndrome induced by the readministration of escitalopram after a short
      term interruption in an elderly woman with depression: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Serotonin syndrome is a rare but potentially fatal side effect of
      antidepressants that results from the effects of drug activity on both central
      and peripheral serotonergic receptors. CASE: A 78-year-old Japanese female with a
      2-year history of major depressive disorder was treated with escitalopram (10
      mg/d), risperidone (1 mg/d), and nitrazepam (5 mg/d). One month after beginning
      this drug regimen, she was transferred to the emergency department and
      immediately hospitalized due to suspicion of a urinary tract infection and
      dehydration. All psychotropic drugs were discontinued. Five days later, the
      patient's physical condition had recovered; therefore, the same dose of
      escitalopram (10 mg/d) was readministered. The patient subsequently developed
      convulsions accompanied by impaired consciousness, high fever, and myoclonus of
      both upper extremities. The tendon reflexes of both lower extremities were
      enhanced. Based on these clinical signs and symptoms, we suspected serotonin
      syndrome; therefore, escitalopram was discontinued, and a fluid infusion was
      initiated. The patient recovered from all symptoms within 3 weeks without
      receiving additional antidepressants. CONCLUSION: This case suggests that the
      careless readministration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is
      harmful to at-risk patients, like those in poor physical condition and the
      elderly.

PMID- 26491327
TI  - Etiology of cardiovascular disease in patients with schizophrenia: current
      perspectives.
AB  - Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are important problems among patients with
      schizophrenia. A wide spectrum of reasons, ranging from genes to the environment,
      are held responsible for causing the cardiovascular risk factors that may lead to
      shortening the life expectancy of patients with schizophrenia. Here, we have
      summarized the etiologic issues related with the cardiovascular risk factors in
      schizophrenia. First, we focused on heritable factors associated with
      cardiovascular disease and schizophrenia by mentioning studies about genetics
      epigenetics, in the first-episode or drug-naive patients. In this context, the
      association and candidate gene studies about metabolic disturbances in
      schizophrenia are reviewed, and the lack of the effects of
      epigenetic/posttranscriptional factors such as microRNAs is mentioned. Increased
      rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus and disrupted metabolic parameters in
      schizophrenia are forcing clinicians to struggle with metabolic syndrome
      parameters and related issues, which are also the underlying causes for the risk
      of having cardiometabolic and cardiovascular etiology. Second, we summarized the
      findings of metabolic syndrome-related entities and discussed the influence of
      the illness itself, antipsychotic drug treatment, and the possible
      disadvantageous lifestyle on the occurrence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) or
      diabetes mellitus. Third, we emphasized on the risk factors of sudden cardiac
      death in patients with schizophrenia. We reviewed the findings on the arrhythmias
      such as QT prolongation, which is a risk factor for Torsade de Pointes and sudden
      cardiac death or P-wave prolongation that is a risk factor for atrial
      fibrillation. For example, the use of antipsychotics is an important reason for
      the prolongation of QT and some other cardiac autonomic dysfunctions.
      Additionally, we discussed relatively rare issues such as myocarditis and
      cardiomyopathy, which are important for prognosis in schizophrenia that may have
      originated from the use of antipsychotic medication. In conclusion, we considered
      that the studies and awareness about physical needs of patients with
      schizophrenia are increasing. It seems logical to increase cooperation and shared
      care between the different health care professionals to screen and treat
      cardiovascular disease (CVD)-risk factors, MetS, and diabetes in patients with
      psychiatric disorders, because some risk factors of MetS or CVD are avoidable or
      at least modifiable to decrease high mortality in schizophrenia. We suggested
      that future research should focus on conducting an integrated system of studies
      based on a holistic biopsychosocial evaluation. 

PMID- 26491329
TI  - Depressogenic medications and other risk factors for depression among Polish
      patients with epilepsy.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of depression among
      patients with epilepsy and to establish the risk factors of depression in that
      group, with special focus on the use of potentially depressogenic medications.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 289 consecutive patients who visited epilepsy
      outpatient clinic (University Hospital of Krakow) and met inclusion criteria. All
      patients were screened with Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and those with BDI
      score >=12 were further evaluated by a psychiatrist. RESULTS: Mean age of
      patients was 35.7 years, and mean duration of epilepsy was 14.7 years. Idiopathic
      generalized epilepsy was diagnosed in 63 patients (21.8%), focal epilepsy was
      found in 189 subjects (65.4%), and unclassified epilepsy was diagnosed in 37
      patients (12.8%). Frequent seizures (>1 per month) were reported in 107 patients
      (37.0%). Thirty-five patients (12.1%) reported an ongoing treatment with one or
      more of the predefined potentially depressogenic medication (beta-blockers,
      combined estrogen and progestogen, corticosteroid, or flunarizine). In a group of
      115 patients (39.8%) who scored >=12 points in BDI, depression was finally
      diagnosed in 84 subjects (29.1%) after psychiatric evaluation. Only 20 of those
      patients (23.8%) were treated with antidepressant. Independent variables
      associated with the diagnosis of depression in the logistic regression model
      included frequent seizures (odds ratio [OR] =2.43 [95% confidence interval, 95%
      CI =1.38-4.29], P=0.002), use of potentially depression-inducing medications (OR
      =3.33 [95% CI =1.50-7.39], P=0.003), age (OR =1.03 [95% CI =1.01-1.05] per year],
      P=0.005), and use of oxcarbazepine (OR =2.26 [95% CI =1.04-4.9], P=0.038).
      CONCLUSION: The prevalence of depression among consecutive Polish patients with
      epilepsy reached 29.1%. Less than quarter of them received antidepressant
      treatment at the moment of evaluation. Independent variables associated with
      depression included age, frequent seizures, and the use of oxcarbazepine or
      predefined depressogenic medications.

PMID- 26491331
TI  - Regulation of proteolytic cleavage of brain-derived neurotrophic factor precursor
      by antidepressants in human neuroblastoma cells.
AB  - Evidence has supported the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in
      antidepressant effect. The precursor of BDNF (proBDNF) often exerts opposing
      biological effects on mature BDNF (mBDNF). Hence, the balance between proBDNF and
      mBDNF might be critical in total neurotrophic effects, leading to susceptibility
      to or recovery from depression. In the current study, we measured the protein
      expression levels of proBDNF, and its proteolytic products, truncated BDNF, and
      mBDNF, in human SH-SY5Y cells treated with different antidepressants. We found
      that the treatment significantly increased the production of mBDNF, but decreased
      the production of truncated BDNF and proBDNF. These results support that
      antidepressants can promote proBDNF cleavage. Further studies are needed to
      clarify whether proBDNF cleavage plays a role in antidepressant mechanisms. 

PMID- 26491330
TI  - Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures: so-called psychiatric comorbidity and
      underlying defense mechanisms.
AB  - In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition,
      psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) do not have a unique classification as
      they can be found within different categories: conversion, dissociative, and
      somatization disorders. The ICD-10, instead, considers PNES within dissociative
      disorders, merging the dissociative disorders and conversion disorders, although
      the underlying defense mechanisms are different. The literature data show that
      PNES are associated with cluster B (mainly borderline) personality disorders
      and/or to people with depressive or anxiety disorders. Defense mechanisms in
      patients with PNES with a prevalence of anxious/depressive symptoms are of
      "neurotic" type; their goal is to lead to a "split", either vertical
      (dissociation) or horizontal (repression). The majority of patients with this
      type of PNES have alexithymia traits, meaning that they had difficulties in
      feeling or perceiving emotions. In subjects where PNES are associated with a
      borderline personality, in which the symbolic function is lost, the defense
      mechanisms are of a more archaic nature (denial). PNES with different underlying
      defense mechanisms have different prognoses (despite similar severity of PNES)
      and need usually a different treatment (pharmacological or psychological). Thus,
      it appears superfluous to talk about psychiatric comorbidity, since PNES are a
      different symptomatic expression of specific psychiatric disorders. 

PMID- 26491333
TI  - Nomenclature of drug-induced pityriasis rosea-like rashes.

PMID- 26491332
TI  - Virtual reality exposure-based therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress
      disorder: a review of its efficacy, the adequacy of the treatment protocol, and
      its acceptability.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The essential feature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is
      the development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to one or more
      traumatic events. According to evidence-based intervention guidelines and
      empirical evidence, one of the most extensively researched and validated
      treatments for PTSD is prolonged exposure to traumatic events; however, exposure
      therapy can present some limitations. Virtual reality (VR) can help to improve
      prolonged exposure because it creates fictitious, safe, and controllable
      situations that can enhance emotional engagement and acceptance. OBJECTIVE: In
      addition to carrying out a review to evaluate the efficacy of VR exposure-based
      therapy (VR-EBT) for the treatment of PTSD, the aim of this study was to
      contribute to analyzing the use of VR-EBT by: first, evaluating the adequacy of
      psychological treatment protocols that use VR-EBT to treat PTSD; and second,
      analyzing the acceptability of VR-EBT. METHOD: We performed a replica search with
      descriptors and databases used in two previous reviews and updated to April 2015.
      Next, we carried out an evaluation of the efficacy, adequacy, and acceptability
      of VR-EBT protocols. RESULTS: Results showed that VR-EBT was effective in the
      treatment of PTSD. The findings related to adequacy showed that not all studies
      using VR-EBT reported having followed the clinical guidelines for evidence-based
      interventions in the treatment of PTSD. Regarding acceptability, few studies
      evaluated this subject. However, the findings are very promising, and patients
      reported high acceptability and satisfaction with the inclusion of VR in the
      treatment of PTSD. CONCLUSION: The main weaknesses identified in this review
      focus on the need for more controlled studies, the need to standardize treatment
      protocols using VR-EBT, and the need to include assessments of acceptability and
      related variables. Finally, this paper highlights some directions and future
      perspectives for using VR-EBT in PTSD treatment.

PMID- 26491334
TI  - Effect of depressive symptoms on the length of hospital stay among patients
      hospitalized for acute stroke in Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression after stroke is one of the most serious complications of
      stroke. Although many studies have shown that the length of hospital stay (LOHS)
      is a measurable and important stroke outcome, research has found limited evidence
      concerning the effect of depression on LOHS among patients who have experienced
      acute stroke. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of depression
      on LOHS among patients hospitalized for acute ischemic stroke in Japan. METHODS:
      We retrospectively examined 421 patients who had experienced acute ischemic
      stroke. Stroke severity was measured by the National Institutes of Health Stroke
      Scale (NIHSS) on the 7th day of hospitalization. On the 10th day of
      hospitalization, depressive symptoms and functional assessment were assessed by
      the Japan Stroke Scale (Depression Scale) and the Functional Independence
      Measure, respectively. A general linear model was employed to assess the effect
      of probable depression on LOHS. RESULTS: The prevalence of probable depression in
      the current sample was 16.3% in males and 17.8% in females. The mean LOHS of
      participants with probable depression (76.4+/-49.2 days) was significantly longer
      than that of participants without probable depression (44.9+/-39.2 days). An
      analysis using the general linear model to assess the effect on LOHS revealed a
      significant interaction between the presence of probable depression and NIHSS
      scores. CONCLUSION: Depression after stroke was associated with significant
      increases in LOHS. Early detection and treatment for depression are necessary for
      patients with ischemic stroke.

PMID- 26491335
TI  - Analysis of the incidence of postintubation injuries in patients intubated in the
      prehospital or early hospital conditions of the hospital emergency department and
      the intensive care unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intubation is still one of the best methods to secure the airway. In
      the case of prehospital or early hospital conditions when factors such as
      urgency, stress, or inaccuracy of the undertaken activities are involved, the
      risk of causing complications, for instance, edema or postintubation injuries,
      increases, especially while dealing with a difficult intubation. The risk of
      improper inflation of the endotracheal tube cuff also increases, which is
      considered in this study. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      prevalence of postintubation complications, such as postintubation injuries or
      edema, in a research sample, and to examine whether such complications occur more
      often, for example, while using a guidewire. In this study, we also evaluated the
      injuries associated with the inflation of the endotracheal tube cuff. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This study was performed on a group of 153 patients intubated in
      prehospital conditions. The tests were carried out in three clinical sites that
      received patients from prehospital care. Postintubation injuries were revealed
      and photographed using videolar-yngoscope, such as the C-MAC and the McGrath
      series 5. The endotracheal tube cuff pressure was measured using a pressure gage
      manual (VBM Medizintechnik GmbH). The quantitative analyses of differences
      between incidence of variables were assessed using chi (2) test for P<0.05.
      Analyses have been carried out using the Statistica software. RESULTS: In the
      group of 153 patients, postintubation injuries occurred in 17% of cases. The
      dependency between using the guidewire and the occurrence of the hematomas and
      loss of mucosa was statistically significant (P<0.01). In nearly half (42%) of
      the patients the endotracheal tube cuff pressure was excessively inflated over 30
      cm H2O, and in two cases, endotracheal tube displacement was observed on account
      of poor cuff inflation (<20 cm H2O). CONCLUSION: The highest percentage of
      overfilled cuffs were observed in the admission room. In the other wards, it was
      observed in 25% of cases. Even though only six cases of poor cuff inflation were
      noticed, the relationship between the leakage and the clinical conditions of
      patients is worth examining. The results would help in taking additional measures
      to reduce the risk of complications.

PMID- 26491336
TI  - Surveillance of antibiotic and analgesic use in the Oral Surgery Department of
      the University Dentistry Clinical Center of Kosovo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Because Kosovo has no reliable information on antimicrobial and
      analgesic use in dental practice, the survey reported here evaluated the
      antibiotic and analgesic prescriptions in the Oral Surgery Department of the
      University Dentistry Clinical Center of Kosovo (UDCCK). METHODS: The data of
      2,442 registered patients for a 1-year period were screened and analyzed
      concerning antibiotic and analgesic use as per standards of rational
      prescription. RESULTS: Dentistry doctors prescribed antibiotics significantly
      more often than analgesics. Antibiotics were prescribed in 8.11% of all cases,
      while only 1.35% of total prescriptions were for analgesics. The total
      consumption of antibiotic drugs in the UDCCK was 4.53 Defined Daily Doses
      [DDD]/1,000 inhabitants/day, compared with only 0.216 DDD/1,000 inhabitants/day
      for analgesics. From a total number of 117 patients, 32 patients received
      combinations of two antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Pharmacotherapy analysis showed that
      the prescription rates of antibiotics and analgesics in the UDCCK are not
      rational in terms of the qualitative aspects of treatment. For the qualitative
      improvement of prescription of these drug groups, we recommend the implementation
      of treatment guidelines following rational standards.

PMID- 26491337
TI  - The potential of medical device industry in technological and economical context.
AB  - The high quality of public health improves not only healthy life expectancy, but
      also the productivity of labor. The most important part of the health care sector
      is the medical technology industry. The aim of this study is to analyze the
      current situation in the medical device industry in Europe, its potential
      strengths and weaknesses in the context of topical economic and demographic
      development. The contribution specifies an analysis of the economic state of the
      medical device industry in the context of demographic development of European
      Union's macroeconomic indicators and views of experts in the field of medical
      device development, concerning the opportunities for entities involved in the
      medical device market. There is fierce competition on the European market. The
      innovative activity is stable and well regulated by responsible authorities.
      Worldwide, the medical device market is expected to grow. 

PMID- 26491338
TI  - Anatomic and functional outcomes of retinectomy for the management of complicated
      retinal detachment with proliferative vitreoretinopathy.
AB  - The aim of this study is to report the anatomic and functional outcomes of
      retinectomy for the management of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment complicated
      by proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), comparing them with previously reported
      data and determining prognostic factors. Fifty-one eyes of 51 patients with
      established PVR grade C in which retinectomy was performed were retrospectively
      enrolled in the study. Primary outcome measures were anatomic success rate and
      final visual acuity. Secondary outcome measures were intraoperative
      complications, number of re-operations, and postoperative hypotony. Prognostic
      factors in relation to retinal re-attachment and final visual acuity were
      retrospectively analyzed. The rate of complete retinal re-attachment after one
      operation was 80% and after two operations it was 84%. At the end of the follow
      up, the macula was attached in 96% of the cases. Mean LogMAR best-corrected
      visual acuity (BCVA) improved significantly from 2.45+/-0.66 preoperatively to
      1.37+/-0.75 at the end of the follow-up (P<0.001). BCVA improved in 37 eyes
      (72%), remained the same in eleven eyes (22%) and worsened in three eyes (6%).
      Postoperative hypotony was observed in 2% of cases. Postoperative BCVA was
      significantly correlated with preoperative BCVA (P<0.001), extension of PVR
      (P=0.013), preoperative use of gas instead of silicone oil (SO) (P=0.01), and
      removal of SO (P=0.05). SO was left in situ in 35% of eyes. In conclusion,
      retinectomy is a surgical option providing good anatomical and reasonable visual
      outcomes in complicated retinal detachment with PVR. Better preoperative visual
      acuity, lesser extension of PVR, and the use of gas tamponade during the primary
      repair are relevant factors for a successful outcome whereas re-proliferation of
      epiretinal membranes seems to be the main reason of anatomical failure. 

PMID- 26491339
TI  - Acute gastrointestinal injury in the intensive care unit: a retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI) is a common problem in the
      intensive care unit (ICU). This study is a review of the gastrointestinal
      function of patients in critical care, with the aim to assess the feasibility and
      effectiveness of grading criteria developed by the European Society of Intensive
      Care Medicine (ESICM) Working Group on Abdominal Problems (WGAP). METHODS: Data
      of patients who were admitted to the ICU of Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shenzhen,
      People's Republic of China, from January 2010 to December 2011 were reviewed. A
      total of 874 patients were included into the current study. Their sex, age, ICU
      admissive causes, complication of diabetes, AGI grade, primary or secondary AGI,
      mechanical ventilation (MV), and length of ICU stay (days) were recorded as risk
      factors of death. These risk factors were studied by unconditioned logistic
      regression analysis. RESULTS: All the risk factors affected mortality rate.
      Unconditional logistic regression analysis revealed that the mortality rate of
      secondary AGI was 71 times higher than primary AGI (odds ratio [OR] 4.335, 95% CI
      [1.652, 11.375]). When the age increased by one year, the mortality probability
      would increase fourfold. Mortality in patients with MV was 63-fold higher than
      for patients with non-MV. Mortality rate increased 0.978 times with each
      additional day of ICU stay. CONCLUSION: Secondary AGI caused by severe systemic
      conditions can result in worsened clinical outcomes. The 2012 ESICM WGAP AGI
      recommendations were to some extent feasible and effective in guiding clinical
      practices, but the grading system lacked the support of objective laboratory
      outcomes.

PMID- 26491340
TI  - Study of ambulatory blood pressure in diabetic children: prediction of early
      renal insult.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a highly prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular
      disease in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Elevated blood pressure (BP)
      promotes the development and progression of microvascular complications, eg,
      nephropathy and retinopathy. The purpose of this study was to identify and detect
      early BP changes in diabetic children and adolescents, aiming for the early
      prediction of future renal and cardiovascular disease risk during childhood.
      METHODS AND MATERIALS: Ambulatory BP monitoring was undertaken for 40
      normotensive type 1 diabetic children with mean age of 11.56+/-2.82 years, and 24
      healthy children as control group with matched age and sex. Albumin/creatinine
      ratio and glycated hemoglobin were tested. BP indices and standard deviation
      scores were calculated using reference standards. The data were analyzed by SPSS
      software version 20 using mean and standard deviations for descriptive data.
      Correlation and regression analysis tests were used to study relations between BP
      indices and diabetic parameters. RESULTS: All parameters of BP z-scores were
      highly significantly increased in diabetic patients compared with controlled
      group (P<0.0001). The frequency of non-dipping was greater and highly significant
      in microalbuminuric diabetic patients (P<0.0001). Regression analysis revealed
      that BP parameters were significantly related to albumin/creatinine ratio,
      glycated hemoglobin, insulin dose, and body mass index. CONCLUSION: Our
      observation revealed a clear link between the nocturnal BP and microalbuminuria
      which mandates BP follow-up via ambulatory BP monitoring with therapeutic
      intervention to prevent renal and cardiovascular diabetic complications in
      adulthood.

PMID- 26491341
TI  - Pulse oximetry in bronchiolitis: is it needed?
AB  - Infants admitted to health-care centers with acute bronchiolitis are frequently
      monitored with a pulse oximeter, a noninvasive method commonly used for measuring
      oxygen saturation. The decision to hospitalize children with bronchiolitis has
      been largely influenced by pulse oximetry, despite its questionable diagnostic
      value in delineating the severity of the illness. Many health-care providers lack
      the appropriate clinical fundamentals and limitations of pulse oximetry. This
      deficiency in knowledge might have been linked to changes in the management of
      bronchiolitis. The aim of this paper is to provide the current evidence on the
      role of pulse oximetry in bronchiolitis. We discuss the history, fundamentals of
      operation, and limitations of the apparatus. A search of the Google Scholar,
      Embase, Medline, and PubMed databases was carried out for published articles
      covering the use of pulse oximetry in bronchiolitis. 

PMID- 26491342
TI  - Stroke subtype, age, and baseline NIHSS score predict ischemic stroke outcomes at
      3 months: a preliminary study from Central Nepal.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The combined medications practice of using antithrombotic agents and
      statins with or without antihypertensive agents is common in the treatment of
      acute ischemic stroke in Nepal. Short-term outcomes of the current practice have
      been studied. We aim to explore the predictors of ischemic stroke outcomes at 3
      months, with the current combined medications practice. METHODS: The study
      population (N=56) included acute ischemic stroke patients treated at the
      Neurology Department of the College of Medical Sciences-Teaching Hospital,
      Chitwan, Nepal, from May 2014 to August 2014 and followed up at 3 months. Death
      or disability (modified Rankin scale >2) was defined as poor outcomes.
      Multivariate logistic regression analysis (P<0.10) using potential variables from
      bivariate analysis (P<=0.20) was adjusted to predict outcomes at 3 months.
      RESULTS: At 3 months, 29 (51.8%) patients were independent, eleven (19.6%) were
      dependent, while 16 (28.6%) died. Stroke subtype and baseline National Institute
      of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores were associated with death/disability (27,
      48.2%) at 3 months. Regression analysis showed that large-artery stroke (odds
      ratio [OR] =284.145, 95% confidence interval [CI] =5.221-15,465.136, P=0.006),
      age (OR =1.113, 95% CI =1.002-1.236, P=0.045), and baseline NIHSS score (OR
      =1.557, 95% CI =1.194-2.032, P=0.001) were significant predictors of poor outcome
      at 3 months. CONCLUSION: Stroke subtype, age, and baseline NIHSS score are
      predictors of ischemic stroke outcomes in Nepalese population treated with the
      current practice of using combined antithrombotic and statins with or without
      antihypertensive agents, and these predictors can be used for the improvement of
      selection of patients for the appropriate treatment.

PMID- 26491343
TI  - Service users' experiences and views of aggressive situations in mental health
      care: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aggressive situations occurring within mental health services can
      harm service users, staff, and the therapeutic environment. There is a consensus
      that the aggression phenomenon is multidimensional, but the picture is still
      unclear concerning the complex interplay of causal variables and their respective
      impact. To date, only a small number of empirical studies include users' views of
      relevant factors. The main objective of this review is to identify and synthesize
      evidence relating to service users' experiences and views of aggressive
      situations in mental health settings. METHODS: We included qualitative studies of
      any design reporting on service users' own experiences of conditions contributing
      to aggressive situations in mental health care and their views on preventative
      strategies. Eligible articles were identified through an electronic database
      search (PsycINFO, PubMed, Ovid Nursing Database, Embase, and CINAHL), hand
      search, and cross-referencing. Extracted data were combined and interpreted using
      aspects of thematic synthesis. RESULTS: We reviewed 5,566 records and included 13
      studies (ten qualitative and three mixed methods). Service users recognized that
      both their own mental state and negative aspects of the treatment environment
      affected the development of aggressive situations. Themes were derived from
      experiential knowledge and included calls to be involved in questions regarding
      how to define aggression and relevant triggers, and how to prevent aggressive
      encounters effectively. The findings suggest that incidents are triggered when
      users experience staff behavior as custodial rather than caring and when they
      feel ignored. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the importance of staffs'
      knowledge and skills in communication for developing relationships based on
      sensitivity, respect, and collaboration with service users in order to prevent
      aggressive situations. An important factor is a treatment environment with
      opportunities for meaningful activities and a preponderance of trained staff who
      work continuously on the development of conditions and skills for collaborative
      interaction with users.

PMID- 26491344
TI  - Implementing best practice in hospital multidisciplinary nutritional care: an
      example of using the knowledge-to-action process for a research program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prospective use of knowledge translation and implementation science
      frameworks can increase the likelihood of meaningful improvements in health care
      practices. An example of this creation and application of knowledge is the series
      of studies conducted by and with the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force (CMTF).
      Following a cohort study and synthesis of evidence regarding best practice for
      identification, treatment, and prevention of malnutrition in hospitals, CMTF
      created an evidence-informed, consensus-based pathway for nutritional care in
      hospitals. The purpose of this paper is to detail the steps taken in this
      research program, through four studies, as an example of the knowledge-to-action
      (KTA) process. THE KTA PROCESS: The KTA process includes knowledge creation and
      action cycles. The steps of the action cycle within this program of research are
      iterative, and up to this point have been informed by three studies, with a
      fourth underway. The first study identified the magnitude of the malnutrition
      problem upon admission to hospital and how it is undetected and undertreated
      (study 1). Knowledge creation resulted in an evidence-based pathway established
      to address care gaps (study 2) and the development of monitoring tools (study 3).
      The study was then adapted to local context: focus groups validated face validate
      the evidence-based pathway; during the final phase, study site implementation
      teams will continue to adapt the pathway (studies 2 and 4). Barriers to
      implementation were also assessed; focus groups and interviews were conducted to
      inform the pathway implementation (studies 1, 2, and 4). In the next step,
      specific interventions were selected, tailored, and implemented. In the final
      study in this research program, plan-do-study-act cycles will be used to make
      changes and to implement the pathway (study 4). To monitor knowledge use and to
      evaluate outcomes, audits, staff surveys, patient outcomes, etc will be used to
      record process evaluations (studies 3 and 4). Finally, a sustainability plan will
      be incorporated into the final study of the program (study 4) to sustain
      knowledge use. DISCUSSION: Use of frameworks can increase the likelihood of
      meaningful and sustainable improvements in health care practice. The example of
      this program of research demonstrates how existing evidence has been used to
      identify, create, and adapt knowledge, and how multidisciplinary teams have been
      used to effect changes in the hospital setting. CONCLUSION: Effective
      implementation is essential in nutritional health care, and this
      multidisciplinary program of research provides an example of how the KTA process
      can facilitate implementation and promote sustainability.

PMID- 26491345
TI  - Comparative study on individual aromatase inhibitors on cardiovascular safety
      profile: a network meta-analysis.
AB  - The third-generation aromatase inhibitors (AIs: anastrozole, letrozole, and
      exemestane) have now become standard adjuvant endocrine treatment for
      postmenopausal estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer complementing
      chemotherapy and surgery. Because of the absence of direct head-to-head
      comparisons of these AIs, an indirect comparison is needed for individual
      treatment choice. In this network systemic assessment, the cardiovascular (CV)
      side effects in using anastrozole, letrozole, and exemestane based on original
      studies on AIs vs placebo or tamoxifen were compared. We integrated all available
      direct and indirect evidences. The odds ratio (OR) of severe CV events for
      indirect comparisons between exemestane and anastrozole was 1.41 (95% confidence
      interval [CI] =0.49-2.78), letrozole and anastrozole was 1.80 (95% CI =0.40
      3.92), and letrozole and exemestane was 1.46 (95% CI =0.34-3.4). OR of subgroup
      risk for AIs and tamoxifen were all >1 except for thrombolism risk subgroup. The
      results showed that the total and severe CV risk ranking is letrozole,
      exemestane, and anastrozole in descending order. None of the AIs showed
      advantages in CV events than tamoxifen except for thromboembolism event
      incidence. 

PMID- 26491346
TI  - Prognostic role of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in lung cancers: a meta
      analysis including 7,054 patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has recently been reported to be
      a poor prognostic indicator in lung cancer. However, the prognostic value of the
      NLR in patients with lung cancer still remains controversial. We performed a meta
      analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of NLR in patients with lung cancer.
      METHODS: We performed a comprehensive literature search in PubMed, Ovid, the
      Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases in May 2015. Studies were assessed
      for quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies with a
      total of 7,054 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis
      was performed to generate combined hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS)
      and progression-free survival (PFS). Our analysis results indicated that high NLR
      predicted poorer OS (HR, 1.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33-1.71; P<0.001)
      and PFS (HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.07-1.67; P=0.012) in patients with lung cancer. High
      NLR was also associated with poor OS in lung cancer treated by surgical resection
      (HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.26-1.99; P<0.001) and chemotherapy (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.08
      1.22; P<0.001). In addition, NLR cut-off value =5 (HR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.16-2.12;
      P=0.003) and NLR cut-off value <5 (HR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.28-1.69; P<0.001).
      CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis result suggested that NLR should have significant
      predictive ability for estimating OS and PFS in patients with lung cancer and may
      be as a significant biomarker in the prognosis of lung cancer.

PMID- 26491347
TI  - Advanced lung adenocarcinoma with spinal cord metastasis successfully treated
      with second EGFR-TKI treatment: a case report and literature review.
AB  - Lung adenocarcinoma can be accompanied by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
      mutation. As a consequence, targeted therapy based on screening of tyrosine
      kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is necessary. Spinal cord metastasis of lung cancer is a
      serious clinical problem. Here, we report a case of lung adenocarcinoma with
      severe spinal cord metastasis that was successfully treated with a second
      administration of an EGFR-TKI. Magnetic resonance imaging showed spinal cord
      metastasis to the cervical vertebrae. The patient received a second
      administration of an EGFR-TKI (150 mg/day erlotinib). Four months later, we
      observed the disappearance of the paravertebral tumor and a reduction in the size
      of pulmonary tumors in both lungs. These results indicate that EGFR-TKI therapy
      could be a new strategy for the treatment of advanced lung adenocarcinoma with
      spinal metastasis. 

PMID- 26491348
TI  - Anti-DR5 mAb inhibits proliferation of human fibroblast-like synovial cells and
      reduces their cytokine secretion in vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We have previously reported that anti-death receptor 5 (DR5)
      monoclonal antibody (mAb) is therapeutically effective in the treatment of
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a collagen-induced arthritis rat model. However, the
      molecular mechanism and the effect of anti-DR5 mAb on proapoptotic genes and
      cytokine secretion in the human fibroblast-like synovial cells (FLS) requires
      further clarification. This study may provide new evidence for the application of
      anti-DR5 mAb as a treatment for RA. METHODS: Human FLS were isolated from
      patients with RA and were treated with anti-DR5 mAb. An MTT assay and flow
      cytometry were used to detect the induction of apoptosis in vitro. Cytokine
      secretion by the FLS was detected using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
      The mRNA expression was assessed by reverse transcription polymerase chain
      reaction, and the protein expression was analyzed by Western blot. The apoptotic
      pathway was investigated further using a caspase inhibition assay. RESULTS: Anti
      DR5 mAb-induced apoptosis in human RA FLS in vitro. The protein expressions of
      caspase-8, -3, and -9 were decreased in human anti-DR5 mAb-treated FLS in a dose
      dependent manner through exposure to a caspase inhibitor, indicating that anti
      DR5 mAb induction of apoptosis is through the caspase pathway. Decreased levels
      of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were
      detected after treatment with anti-DR5 mAb in vitro. CONCLUSION: Anti-DR5 mAb may
      induce apoptosis in human FLS through the caspase pathway and through decreased
      secretions of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma.

PMID- 26491350
TI  - Sustained response of malignant pericardial effusion to intrapericardial
      bevacizumab in an advanced lung cancer patient: a case report and literature
      review.
AB  - Malignant pericardial effusion (MPCE) is a common complication of advanced
      malignant tumors, and interferes severely with patient prognosis and quality of
      life. The standard treatment for this complication is intracavitary perfusion of
      chemotherapeutic drugs, which is limited by unsatisfactory therapeutic effects
      and serious adverse events. We report a patient with MPCE who was treated with
      bevacizumab by pericardial perfusion, resulting in a complete response. This case
      supports the use of intrapericardial bevacizumab as a potential treatment for
      MPCE. 

PMID- 26491349
TI  - Increased risk of developing lung cancer in Asian patients carrying the TERT
      rs2736098 G>A polymorphism: evidence from 3,354 cases and 3,518 controls.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The association between telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT)
      rs2736098 G>A and risk of lung cancer (LC) remains inconclusive. To explore the
      association more precisely, we performed a comprehensive search and conducted a
      meta-analysis on all eligible case-control studies involving 3,354 cases and
      3,518 controls. METHODS: The 95% confidence interval (95% CI) and the pooled odds
      ratio (OR) were calculated using a random or fixed effect model. Publication
      bias, heterogeneity, and sensitivity analysis were also explored. RESULTS: All
      studies were case-control studies on LC in patients of Asian descent, consisting
      of one Korean study and five Chinese studies. Overall, the variant A allele of
      TERT rs2736098 G>A was found to significantly increase the risk of LC in all
      genetic models (GA vs GG: OR =1.13, 95% CI =1.02-1.25, P=0.017; AA vs GG: OR
      =1.78, 95% CI =1.53-2.07, P<0.001; GA/AA vs GG: OR =1.25, 95% CI =1.14-1.38,
      P<0.001; AA vs GA/GG: OR =1.66, 95% CI =1.45-1.92, P<0.001). In the subgroup
      analysis, significant associations were found in Chinese group and hospital-based
      studies. Different genotype test methods showed no influence on the final
      results. CONCLUSION: Our study identified that TERT rs2736098 G>A polymorphism
      significantly increased the risk of LC in Asian populations.

PMID- 26491351
TI  - ESHAP chemotherapy is efficient in refractory/relapsed primary central nervous
      system lymphoma: report of four cases.
AB  - Primary central nervous system non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a rare presentation,
      almost always of diffuse large B-cell type. Although there is no consensus
      regarding therapy for this condition, induction regimens are based on high-dose
      methotrexate and consolidation whole-brain radiotherapy, or, more preferred
      recently, blood-brain barrier penetrating drugs such as etoposide, cytarabine,
      and alkylating agents like temozolomide, ifosfamide, and lomustine. We present
      here four cases of relapsed/refractory primary central nervous system lymphoma
      treated with ESHAP (etoposide, solumedrol, high-dose cytarabine, and platinum)
      chemotherapy to complete remission, with the eligible patients proceeding to
      autologous transplantation. We want to draw attention to this interesting,
      relatively well tolerated, underused therapeutic option, in a setting where
      treatment options are scarce and evidence-based recommendations are lacking. 

PMID- 26491352
TI  - Angiogenesis inhibitors rechallenge in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung
      cancer: a pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - PURPOSE: Data on the role of angiogenesis inhibitors (AIs) rechallenge in the
      treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who previously
      received bevacizumab remain limited. We aim to investigate the efficacy of AIs in
      the treatment of advanced NSCLC in this setting. METHODS: Studies from PubMed,
      Web of Science, and abstracts presented at American Society of Clinical Oncology
      meeting up to December 1, 2014 were searched to identify relevant studies.
      Eligible studies included prospective randomized controlled trials evaluating AIs
      in advanced NSCLC, with survival data on patients who previously received
      bevacizumab. The end points were overall survival and progression-free survival.
      Statistical analyses were conducted by using either random effects or fixed
      effect models according to the heterogeneity of included studies. RESULTS: A
      total of 452 patients with advanced NSCLC who previously received bevacizumab
      were identified for analysis. The meta-analysis results demonstrated that AI
      rechallenge significantly improved progression-free survival (hazard ratio: 0.72,
      95% confidence interval: 0.58-0.89, P=0.002) when compared to non-AI containing
      regimens. Additionally, a nonsignificant improvement in overall survival was also
      observed in advanced NSCLC in this setting (hazard ratio: 0.82, 95% confidence
      interval: 0.65-1.03, P=0.087). Similar results were also observed in subgroup
      analysis according to treatment regimens. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study
      suggest that NSCLC patients who relapsed after a first-line bevacizumab
      containing chemotherapy obtain improved clinical benefits from AI rechallenge.
      Prospective clinical trials investigating the role of AI rechallenge in this
      setting are recommended.

PMID- 26491353
TI  - Spotlight on decitabine for myelodysplastic syndromes in Chinese patients.
AB  - Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) are a group of heterogeneous clonal
      hematopoietic stem cell malignancies with advanced median age. The silencing of
      tumor suppressor genes caused by DNA hypermethylation plays a crucial role in the
      pathogenesis of MDS. Decitabine, the available hypomethylating agent, is
      successfully used for the treatment and improves the outcome of MDS, and has
      become one of the most frequently administered disease-modifying therapies. With
      an aging population and a growing number of people exposed to benzene, the
      incidence of MDS has been increasing rapidly. The blinded regimen choice and the
      lack of a unified strategy create challenges for the treatment of MDS. Here, we
      present a review of clinical progress and prospects of decitabine treatment of
      MDS in the People's Republic of China. We also discuss the optimization of
      therapy issues to improve the cure rate and prolong survival in patients with
      MDS. 

PMID- 26491355
TI  - Molecular diagnostics of a single drug-resistant multiple myeloma case using
      targeted next-generation sequencing.
AB  - A 69-year-old man was diagnosed with IgG lambda-type multiple myeloma (MM), Stage
      II in October 2010. He was treated with one cycle of high-dose dexamethasone.
      After three cycles of bortezomib, the patient exhibited slow elevations in the
      free light-chain levels and developed a significant new increase of serum M
      protein. Bone marrow cytogenetic analysis revealed a complex karyotype
      characteristic of malignant plasma cells. To better understand the molecular
      pathogenesis of this patient, we sequenced for mutations in the entire coding
      regions of 409 cancer-related genes using a semiconductor-based sequencing
      platform. Sequencing analysis revealed eight nonsynonymous somatic mutations in
      addition to several copy number variants, including CCND1 and RB1. These
      alterations may play roles in the pathobiology of this disease. This targeted
      next-generation sequencing can allow for the prediction of drug resistance and
      facilitate improvements in the treatment of MM patients. 

PMID- 26491354
TI  - Association between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and risk of cancer: evidence
      from 99 case-control studies.
AB  - Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) plays a central role in DNA repair and
      estrogen-induced carcinogenesis. Many recent epidemiologic studies have
      investigated the association between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and cancer
      risk, but the results are inconclusive. In this study, we performed a meta
      analysis to investigate the association between cancer susceptibility and COMT
      Val158Met in different genetic models. Overall, no significant associations were
      found between COMT Val158Met polymorphism and cancer risk (homozygote model: odds
      ratio [OR] =1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.98, 1.13]; heterozygote
      model: OR =1.01, 95% CI = [0.98, 1.04]; dominant model: OR =1.02, 95% CI [0.97,
      1.06], and recessive model: OR =1.03, 95% CI [0.97, 1.09]). In the subgroup
      analysis of cancer type, COMT Val158Met was significantly associated with
      increased risks of bladder cancer in recessive model, and esophageal cancer in
      homozygote model, heterozygote model, and dominant model. Subgroup analyses based
      on ethnicities, COMT Val158Met was significantly associated with increased risk
      of cancer in homozygote and recessive model among Asians. In addition,
      homozygote, recessive, and dominant models were significantly associated with
      increased cancer risk in the subgroup of allele-specific polymerase chain
      reaction genotyping. Significant associations were not observed when data were
      stratified by the source of the controls. In summary, this meta-analysis
      suggested that COMT Val158Met polymorphism might not be a risk factor for overall
      cancer risk, but it might be involved in cancer development at least in some
      ethnic groups (Asian) or some specific cancer types (bladder and esophageal cell
      cancer). Further evaluations of more preclinical and epidemiological studies are
      required. 

PMID- 26491356
TI  - Does night-shift work increase the risk of prostate cancer? a systematic review
      and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Night-shift work is suggested to be associated with an increased risk
      of breast cancer, but its association with prostate cancer is still
      controversial. We examined this association by conducting a systematic review and
      meta-analysis. METHODS: Studies were identified by searching PubMed, EMBASE,
      Ovid, Web of Science, the Cochrane register, and the China National Knowledge
      Infrastructure databases through December 25, 2014. Summary relative risks (SRRs)
      with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a
      random effects or fixed effects model. Heterogeneity and publication bias were
      also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 2,459,845 individuals from eight published
      studies were included in this meta-analysis. Analysis of all studies suggested
      that night-shift work was associated with a significantly increased risk of
      prostate cancer (RR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.05-1.46; P=0.011). Sensitivity analysis
      showed that the association remained significant when repeating the analysis
      after removing one study each time. Dose-response meta-analysis suggested that an
      increase in night-shift work of 5 years duration was statistically significantly
      associated with a 2.8% (95% CI: 0.3, 5.4%, P=0.030) increase in the risk of
      prostate cancer. There was no significant publication bias. CONCLUSION: Based on
      a meta-analysis, night-shift work is associated with an increased risk of
      prostate cancer. Because of the limited number of included studies and the large
      level of heterogeneity, further well-designed studies are still warranted to
      confirm the findings of our analysis.

PMID- 26491357
TI  - Postoperative intensity-modulated radiation therapy provides favorable local
      control and low toxicities in patients with soft tissue sarcomas in the
      extremities and trunk wall.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy and toxicity of postoperative intensity
      modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for patients with soft tissue sarcomas (STSs)
      in the extremities and trunk wall. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty patients with
      localized STSs in the extremities and trunk wall treated with function-conserving
      surgery and postoperative IMRT were analyzed. The primary locations were in the
      extremities in 51 patients and in the trunk wall in 29 patients. The margins were
      positive in nine patients and negative in 71 patients. The median dose of IMRT
      was 64 Gy. RESULTS: At a median follow-up time of 38 months, eight patients
      developed local recurrences. The 5-year local control (LC) rate was 88.1%. The
      patients with negative margins exhibited much better LC than did those with
      positive margins (90% vs 64.8%, P=0.023). Multivariate analysis revealed that
      positive margin was an independent risk factor for LC. The 5-year distant
      metastasis-free survival, disease-free survival, and overall survival rates were
      75.2%, 72.6%, and 83.6%, respectively. Large tumor size (>5 cm) was significantly
      associated with poor overall survival. Edema and joint stiffness were observed in
      17.6% and 9.8% of patients with extremity STSs, respectively. CONCLUSION: IMRT
      provides excellent LC and low toxicity for patients with STSs in the extremities
      and trunk wall.

PMID- 26491358
TI  - Role of estrogen in lung cancer based on the estrogen receptor-epithelial
      mesenchymal transduction signaling pathways.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Estrogen is reported to promote the occurrence and development of
      several human cancers. Increasing evidence shows that most human lung tumors
      exert estrogen receptor expression. In the present study, we investigated the
      underlying mechanism of estrogen effect in lung cancer through estrogen receptor
      epithelial-mesechymal-transition signaling pathways for the first time. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A total of 36 inbred C57BL/6 mice (18 male and 18 female) were
      injected subcutaneously with human lung adenocarcinoma cell line, Lewis. After
      the lung tumor model was established, mice with lung adenocarcinoma were randomly
      divided into three groups for each sex (n=6), such as vehicle group, estrogen
      group, and estrogen plus tamoxifen group. The six groups of mice were sacrificed
      after 21 days of drug treatment. Tumor tissue was stripped and weighed, and tumor
      inhibition rate was calculated based on average tumor weight. Protein and
      messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha), estrogen
      receptor beta (ERbeta), phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3K), AKT, E-cadherin,
      and vimentin were detected in both tumor tissue and lung tissue by using
      immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain
      reaction. RESULTS: 1) For male mice: in the estrogen group, estrogen treatment
      significantly increased ERalpha protein and mRNA expressions in tumor tissue and
      protein expression of PI3K, AKT, and vimentin in both tumor tissue and lung
      tissue compared with the vehicle-treated group. Besides, mRNA expression of E
      cadherin was significantly reduced in estrogen-treated tumor tissues than that in
      vehicle-treated tissues. In the estrogen plus tamoxifen group, protein and mRNA
      expressions of ERalpha and AKT were dramatically reduced by tamoxifen treatment
      in tumor tissue compared with the estrogen group; mRNA expression of E-cadherin
      was increased in tumor tissue; protein expression of vimentin and PI3K were
      downregulated in tumor tissue; protein expression of E-cadherin increased in lung
      tissue; protein expression of ERalpha and PI3K were downregulated in lung tissue
      compared with the estrogen group. 2) For female mice: in the estrogen group,
      estrogen treatment significantly increased mRNA expression of ERbeta and PI3K,
      and protein expression of ERbeta, PI3K, AKT, and vimentin in both tumor tissue
      and lung tissue compared with the vehicle-treated group. mRNA expression of E
      cadherin was downregulated in tumor tissue, and mRNA expression of AKT was
      increased in lung tissues compared with the vehicle-treated group. In the
      estrogen plus tamoxifen group, tamoxifen treatment dramatically reduced protein
      expression of ERalpha, ERbeta, AKT, and vimentin but significantly increased
      protein expression of E-cadherin in tumor tissues and lung tissue compared with
      the estrogen group. mRNA expression of ERbeta, PI3K, and AKT was dramatically
      reduced by tamoxifen treatment in lung tissues compared with the estrogen group.
      CONCLUSION: Estrogen promoted lung adenocarcinoma cell metastasis by inducing
      lung epithelial mesenchymal cells and reducing intercellular adhesion force
      through PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

PMID- 26491359
TI  - Changing attitudes toward needle biopsies of breast cancer in Shanghai:
      experience and current status over the past 8 years.
AB  - Diagnostic patterns in breast cancer have greatly changed over the past few
      decades, and core needle biopsy (CNB) has become a reliable procedure for
      detecting breast cancer without invasive surgery. To estimate the changing
      diagnostic patterns of breast cancer in urban Shanghai, 11,947 women with breast
      lesions detected by preoperative needle biopsy between January 1995 and December
      2012 were selected from the Shanghai Cancer Data base, which integrates
      information from approximately 50% of breast cancer patients in Shanghai. The CNB
      procedure uses an automated prone unit, biopsy gun, and 14-gauge needles under
      freehand or ultrasound guidance and was performed by experienced radiologists and
      surgeons specializing in needle biopsies. Diagnosis and classification for each
      patient were independently evaluated by pathologists. Over the indicated 8-year
      period, biopsy type consisted of 11,947 ultrasound-guided core needle biopsies
      (UCNBs), 2,015 ultrasound-guided vacuum-assisted biopsies (UVABs), and 654
      stereotactic X-ray-guided vacuum-assisted biopsies (XVABs). For all the 11,947
      women included in this study, image-guided needle biopsy was the initial
      diagnostic procedure. Approximately 81.0% of biopsied samples were
      histopathologically determined to be malignant lesions, 5.5% were determined to
      be high-risk lesions, and 13.5% were determined to be benign lesions. The number
      of patients choosing UCNB increased at the greatest rate, and UCNB has become a
      standard procedure for histodiagnosis because it is inexpensive, convenient, and
      accurate. The overall false-negative rate of CNB was 1.7%, and the specific false
      negative rates for UCNB, UVAB, and XVAB, were 1.7%, 0%, and 0%, respectively.
      This study suggests that the use of preoperative needle biopsy as the initial
      breast cancer diagnostic procedure is acceptable in urban Shanghai. Preoperative
      needle biopsy is now a standard procedure in the Shanghai Cancer Center because
      it may reduce the number of surgeries needed to treat breast cancer. 

PMID- 26491360
TI  - Study of internal mammary sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer patients
      after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

PMID- 26491361
TI  - The association of GSTT1 deletion polymorphism with lung cancer risk among
      Chinese population: evidence based on a cumulative meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous studies investigating the relationship between glutathione S
      transferase T1 (GSTT1) gene deletion polymorphism and lung cancer risk among
      Chinese population produced inconsistent results. To obtain a precise conclusion,
      we performed this meta-analysis to evaluate the association between GSTT1
      deletion polymorphism and lung cancer risk among Chinese population. METHODS: The
      databases of Medline/PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang Med Online, and
      Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched. The strength of the
      association was assessed by odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%
      CI). RESULTS: Overall, we found an increased lung cancer risk among subjects
      carrying GSTT1 null genotype compared with those carrying present genotype (OR
      =1.31, 95% CI: 1.12-1.52) on the basis of 20 studies with 3,351 cases and 4,683
      controls. We also observed an increased risk of lung cancer among subjects
      carrying GSTT1 null genotype compared with those carrying present genotype in
      stratified analyses (OR =1.31, 95% CI: 1.11-1.55 for healthy subjects-based
      control; OR =2.29, 95% CI: 1.84-2.85 for squamous cell carcinoma and OR =1.47,
      95% CI: 1.22-1.77 for adenocarcinoma, respectively). CONCLUSION: This meta
      analysis suggested that GSTT1 deletion polymorphism might contribute to lung
      cancer risk among Chinese population.

PMID- 26491362
TI  - Genetic polymorphisms of CYP1A1 and risk of leukemia: a meta-analysis.
AB  - The associations between CYP1A1 polymorphisms and risk of leukemia have been
      studied extensively, but the results have been inconsistent. Therefore, in this
      study, we performed a meta-analysis to clarify associations of three CYP1A1
      polymorphisms (T3801C, A2455G, and C4887A) with the risks of acute lymphoblastic
      leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
      Medline, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were
      searched to collect relevant studies published up to April 20, 2015. The
      extracted data were analyzed statistically, and pooled odds ratios with 95%
      confidence intervals were calculated to quantify the associations. Overall, 26
      publications were included. Finally, T3801C was associated with an increased risk
      of AML in Asians under the dominant model. For A2455G, the risk of ALL was
      increased among Caucasians in the recessive model and the allele-contrast model;
      A2455G was also associated with an increased risk of CML among Caucasians under
      the recessive model, dominant model, and allele-contrast model. For C4887A, few
      of the included studies produced data. In conclusion, the results suggest that
      Asians carrying the T3801C C allele might have an increased risk of AML and that
      Caucasians with the A2455G GG genotype might have an increased risk of ALL.
      Further investigations are needed to confirm these associations. 

PMID- 26491363
TI  - Clinical effectiveness of dolutegravir in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
AB  - Dolutegravir (DTG) is a second-generation integrase strand transfer inhibitor
      (INSTI), which has now been licensed to be used in different countries including
      the UK. Earlier studies have demonstrated that DTG when used with nucleoside
      backbone in treatment-naive and - experienced patients has been well tolerated
      and demonstrated virological suppression comparable to other INSTIs and
      superiority against other first-line agents, including efavirenz and boosted
      protease inhibitors. Like other INSTIs, DTG uses separate metabolic pathways
      compared to other antiretrovirals and is a minor substrate for CYP-450. It does
      not appear to have a significant interaction with drugs, which uses the CYP-450
      system. Nonetheless, it uses renal solute transporters that may potentially
      inhibit the transport of other drugs and can have an effect on the elimination of
      other drugs. However, the impact of this mechanism appears to be very minimal and
      insignificant clinically. The side effect profiles of DTG are similar to
      raltegravir and have been found to be well tolerated. DTG has a long plasma half
      life and is suitable for once daily use without the need for a boosting agent.
      DTG has all the potential to be used as a first-line drug in combination with
      other nucleoside backbones, especially in the form of a single tablet in
      combination with abacavir and lamivudine. The purpose of this review article is
      to present the summary of the available key information about the clinical
      usefulness of DTG in the treatment of HIV infection. 

PMID- 26491365
TI  - Combination of new multifunctional molecules for erythematotelangiectatic rosacea
      disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rosacea, a common chronic skin disorder, is currently managed by
      patient education, pharmacological drugs, medical devices (laser and light
      therapies), and use of proper skin cares. Unfortunately, none of these actual
      treatments used alone or in combination is curative, and so we proposed a
      dermocosmetic active ingredient to mitigate some aspects of the rosacea and
      particularly for erythematotelangiectatic rosacea. METHODS: Dermocosmetic active
      ingredient is composed of three glucosylated derivatives of natural plants
      hydroxybenzoic acid and hydroxycinnamic acids (rosmarinic acid, gallic acid, and
      caffeic acid). Anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenesis, and anti-degranulation
      studies were done on cellular models (keratinocytes, mast cells, and endothelial
      cells). Efficiency of the active ingredient in comparison to placebo was assessed
      clinically on human volunteers having erythematotelangiectatic rosacea. The
      active and placebo were applied topically twice a day for 28 days. Biometrical
      analyses were done using a siascope tool. RESULTS: We found that the active
      ingredient decreases inflammation (inhibition of interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis
      factor release), decreases degranulation of mast cells (inhibition of histamine
      release), and controls angiogenesis mechanism (inhibition of the production of
      vascular endothelial growth factor and neovessel formation) on cellular models.
      Study on human volunteers confirmed macroscopically the efficiency of this active
      ingredient, as we observed no neovessel formation and less visible vessels.
      CONCLUSION: Although rosacea is a skin condition disorder that is difficult to
      heal, the studies have shown that this active ingredient could be a dermocosmetic
      support, especially for erythematotelangiectatic rosacea armamentarium. The
      active ingredient was topically applied on the face for 28 days and improved
      erythematotelangiectatic rosacea symptoms either by decreasing them (vessels are
      less visible) or by limiting their development (any neovessels). The active
      ingredient decreases inflammation (inhibition of interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis
      factor release), decreases degranulation of mast cells (inhibition of histamine
      release), and limits the angiogenesis process (inhibition of vascular endothelial
      growth factor production and neovessel formation).

PMID- 26491364
TI  - Fillers for the improvement in acne scars.
AB  - Acne is a common inflammatory disease. Scarring is an unwanted end point of acne.
      Both atrophic and hypertrophic scar types occur. Soft-tissue augmentation aims to
      improve atrophic scars. In this review, we will focus on the use of dermal
      fillers for acne scar improvement. Therefore, various filler types are
      characterized, and available data on their use in acne scar improvement are
      analyzed. 

PMID- 26491366
TI  - Management of atopic dermatitis: safety and efficacy of phototherapy.
AB  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease that can
      affect all age groups. It is characterized by a relapsing course and a dramatic
      impact on quality of life for patients. Environmental interventions together with
      topical devices represent the mainstay of treatment for AD, in particular
      emollients, corticosteroids, and calcineurin inhibitors. Systemic treatments are
      reserved for severe cases. Phototherapy represents a valid second-line
      intervention in those cases where non-pharmacological and topical measures have
      failed. Different forms of light therapy are available, and have showed varying
      degrees of beneficial effect against AD: natural sunlight, narrowband (NB)-UVB,
      broadband (BB)-UVB, UVA, UVA1, cold-light UVA1, UVA and UVB (UVAB), full-spectrum
      light (including UVA, infrared and visible light), saltwater bath plus UVB
      (balneophototherapy), Goeckerman therapy (coal tar plus UVB radiation), psoralen
      plus UVA (PUVA), and other forms of phototherapy. In particular, UVA1 and NB-UVB
      have gained importance in recent years. This review illustrates the main trials
      comparing the efficacy and safety of the different forms of phototherapy. No
      sufficiently large randomized controlled studies have been performed as yet, and
      no light modality has been defined as superior to all. Parameters and dosing
      protocols may vary, although clinicians mainly refer to the indications included
      in the American Academy of Dermatology psoriasis guidelines devised by Menter et
      al in 2010. The efficacy of phototherapy (considering all forms) in AD has been
      established in adults and children, as well as for acute (UVA1) and chronic (NB
      UVB) cases. Its use is suggested with strength of recommendation B and level of
      evidence II. Home phototherapy can also be performed; this technique is
      recommended with strength C and level of evidence III. Phototherapy is generally
      considered to be safe and well tolerated, with a low but established percentage
      of short-term and long-term adverse effects, with the most common being
      photodamage, xerosis, erythema, actinic keratosis, sunburn, and tenderness. A
      carcinogenic risk related to UV radiation has not been excluded. Phototherapy
      also has some limitations related to costs, availability, and patient compliance.
      In conclusion, phototherapy is an optimal second-line treatment for AD. It can be
      used as monotherapy or in combination with systemic drugs, in particular
      corticosteroids. It must be performed conscientiously, especially in children,
      and must take into account the patient's features and overall condition. 

PMID- 26491367
TI  - Regulation of MT1-MMP/MMP-2/TIMP-2 axis in human placenta.
AB  - Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and specific endogenous tissue inhibitors of
      metalloproteinases (TIMPs) mediate rupture of the fetal membranes in both
      physiological and pathological conditions. MMPs and TIMPs are subject to
      regulation by DNA methylation in human malignancies and pre-eclampsia. To
      determine if membrane type 1 MMP (MT1-MMP), MMP2, and TIMP2 are regulated by DNA
      methylation in human placentas, we employed an in vitro model where human
      placental tissues were collected at term gestation and cultured with methylation
      inhibiting agent 5-AZA-2'-deoxycytidine (AZA) and lipopolysaccharide. The results
      suggest that DNA methylation is not directly involved in the regulation of MT1
      MMP in placental tissue; however, remodeling of chromatin by a pharmacologic
      agent such as AZA potentiates an infection-related increase in MT1-MMP. MT1-MMP
      is a powerful activator of MMP2 and this action, coupled with either no change or
      a decrease in TIMP2 concentrations, favors a gelatinolytic state leading to
      extracellular matrix degradation, which could predispose fetal membranes to
      rupture prematurely during inflammation. 

PMID- 26491368
TI  - Effect of fluid loading with normal saline and 6% hydroxyethyl starch on stroke
      volume variability and left ventricular volume.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this clinical trial was to investigate changes in stroke
      volume variability (SVV) and left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) after
      a fluid bolus of crystalloid or colloid using real-time three-dimensional
      transesophageal echocardiography (3D-TEE) and the Vigileo-FloTracTM system.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: After obtaining Institutional Review Board approval, and
      informed consent from the research participants, 22 patients undergoing scheduled
      peripheral vascular bypass surgery were enrolled in the study. The patients were
      randomly assigned to receive 500 mL of hydroxyethyl starch (HES; HES group, n=11)
      or normal saline (Saline group, n=11) for fluid replacement therapy. SVV was
      measured using the Vigileo-FloTrac system. LVEDV, stroke volume, and cardiac
      output were measured by 3D-TEE. The measurements were performed over 30 minutes
      before and after the fluid bolus in both groups. RESULTS: SVV significantly
      decreased after fluid bolus in both groups (HES group, 14.7%+/-2.6% to 6.9%+/
      2.7%, P<0.001; Saline group, 14.3%+/-3.9% to 8.8%+/-3.1%, P<0.001). LVEDV
      significantly increased after fluid loading in the HES group (87.1+/-24.0 mL to
      99.9+/-27.2 mL, P<0.001), whereas no significant change was detected in the
      Saline group (88.8+/-17.3 mL to 91.4+/-17.6 mL, P>0.05). Stroke volume
      significantly increased after infusion in the HES group (50.6+/-12.5 mL to 61.6+/
      19.1 mL, P<0.01) but not in the Saline group (51.6+/-13.4 mL to 54.1+/-12.8 mL,
      P>0.05). Cardiac output measured by 3D-TEE significantly increased in the HES
      group (3.5+/-1.1 L/min to 3.9+/-1.3 L/min, P<0.05), whereas no significant change
      was seen in the Saline group (3.4+/-1.1 L/min to 3.3+/-1.0 L/min, P>0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Administration of colloid and crystalloid induced similar responses
      in SVV. A higher plasma-expanding effect of HES compared to normal saline was
      demonstrated by the significant increase in LVEDV.

PMID- 26491369
TI  - Superion((r)) InterSpinous Spacer for treatment of moderate degenerative lumbar
      spinal stenosis: durable three-year results of a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: This report provides the 3-year clinical outcomes from the randomized,
      controlled US Food and Drug Administration Investigational Device Exemption trial
      of the Superion((r)) for the treatment of moderate degenerative lumbar spinal
      stenosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Superion((r)) was evaluated in the treatment
      of subjects aged 45 years or older suffering from symptoms of intermittent
      neurogenic claudication, secondary to a confirmed diagnosis of moderate
      degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis at one or two contiguous levels from L1 to
      L5. Patients were treated between June 2008 and December 2011 at 31
      investigational sites. Three hundred ninety-one subjects were included in the
      randomized study group consisting of 190 Superion((r)) and 201 X-STOP((r))
      control subjects. The primary composite endpoint was individual patient success
      based on four components: improvement in two of three domains of the Zurich
      Claudication Questionnaire, no reoperations at the index level, no major
      implant/procedure-related complications, and no clinically significant
      confounding treatments. RESULTS: At 3 years, the proportion of subjects achieving
      the primary composite endpoint was greater for Superion((r)) (63/120, 52.5%) than
      for X-STOP((r)) (49/129, 38.0%) (P=0.023) and the corresponding success rates
      exceeded 80% for each of the individual components of the primary endpoint in the
      Superion((r)) group (range: 81%-91%). Improvements in back and leg pain severity
      as well as back- and disease-specific functional outcomes were also maintained
      through 36 months. CONCLUSION: The 3-year outcomes from this randomized
      controlled trial demonstrate durable clinical improvement consistently across all
      clinical outcomes for the Superion((r)) in the treatment of patients with
      moderate degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis.

PMID- 26491370
TI  - Fear of pain potentiates nocebo hyperalgesia.
AB  - Nocebo hyperalgesia has received sparse experimental attention compared to
      placebo analgesia. The aim of the present study was to investigate if personality
      traits and fear of pain could predict experimental nocebo hyperalgesia. One
      hundred and eleven healthy volunteers (76 females) participated in an
      experimental study in which personality traits and fear of pain were measured
      prior to induction of thermal heat pain. Personality traits were measured by the
      Big-Five Inventory-10. Fear of pain was measured by the Fear of Pain
      Questionnaire III. Heat pain was induced by a PC-controlled thermode. Pain was
      measured by a computerized visual analog scale. Stress levels during the
      experiment were measured by numerical rating scales. The participants were
      randomized to a Nocebo group or to a no-treatment Natural History group. The
      results revealed that pain and stress levels were significantly higher in the
      Nocebo group after nocebo treatment. Mediation analysis showed that higher levels
      of the Fear of Pain Questionnaire III factor "fear of medical pain" significantly
      increased stress levels after nocebo treatment and that higher stress levels were
      associated with increased nocebo hyperalgesic responses. There were no
      significant associations between any of the personality factors and the nocebo
      hyperalgesic effect. The results from the present study suggest that
      dispositional fear of pain might be a useful predictor for nocebo hyperalgesia
      and emotional states concomitant with expectations of increased pain.
      Furthermore, measurement of traits that are specific to pain experience is
      probably better suited for prediction of nocebo hyperalgesic responses compared
      to broad measures of personality. 

PMID- 26491371
TI  - Cariogram outcome after 90 days of oral treatment with Streptococcus salivarius
      M18 in children at high risk for dental caries: results of a randomized,
      controlled study.
AB  - Dental caries is the most common chronic disease of childhood. Cariogram is a
      well-recognized algorithm-based software program based on different caries
      related risk factors and intended to aid clinicians in performing more objective
      and consistent dental caries risk assessments. This type of approach precedes the
      diagnosis of caries and allows the dentist to identify at-risk patients and then
      take appropriate preventive measures before caries develop further. One of the
      etiological factors favoring the development of dental caries is the mutans
      streptococci. These acidogenic dental plaque inhabitants can be effectively
      antagonized by the activity of bacteriocins released by the probiotic
      Streptococcus salivarius M18 (salivarius M18). Moreover, salivarius M18 after
      colonizing the human oral mucosa produces the enzymes dextranase and urease that
      are able to counteract plaque formation and saliva acidity, respectively. Seventy
      six subjects at high risk of dental caries were randomized and then either
      treated or not treated for 90 days with an oral formulation containing the oral
      probiotic salivarius M18 (Carioblis((r))). The results indicate that the use of
      salivarius M18 increases the chances of avoiding new dental caries development in
      children, and its application could be proposed as a new tool in the dentist's
      armory to be adopted in subjects considered at high risk on the basis of their
      Cariogram outcome. 

PMID- 26491372
TI  - Concurrent sexual partnerships among married Zimbabweans - implications for HIV
      prevention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Concurrent sexual partnerships play a key role in sustaining the HIV
      epidemic in Zimbabwe. Married couples are at an increased risk of contracting HIV
      from sexual networks produced by concurrent sexual partnerships. Addressing these
      partnerships is an international HIV prevention priority. METHODS: Our
      qualitative study presents the socioeconomic factors that contribute to the
      occurrence of concurrent sexual partnerships among married people in Zimbabwe. We
      conducted 36 in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions with married
      men and women in Zimbabwe in 2008 to understand the organizations of concurrent
      sexual partnerships. Data were analyzed using framework analysis. RESULTS: Our
      study indicates that relationship dissatisfaction played a key role in the
      engagement of concurrent sexual partnerships. Depending on the source of the
      dissatisfaction, there were four possible types of concurrent sexual
      relationships that were formed: sex worker, casual partner, regular girlfriend or
      informal polygyny which was referred to as "small house". These relationships had
      different levels of intimacy, which had a bearing on practicing safer sex.
      Participants described three characteristics of hegemonic masculinity that
      contributed to the sources of dissatisfaction leading to concurrent sexual
      activity. Similarly, various aspects of emphasized femininity were described as
      creating opportunities for the occurrence of concurrent sexual relationships.
      Economic status was also listed as a factor that contributed to the occurrence of
      concurrent sexual partnerships. CONCLUSION: Marital dissatisfaction was indicated
      as a contributing factor to the occurrence of concurrent sexual relationships.
      There were several reports of satisfying marital relationships in which affairs
      did not occur. Lessons from these marriages can be made part of future HIV
      prevention interventions targeted at preventing concurrent sexual partnerships by
      married couples.

PMID- 26491373
TI  - Adult-onset Kawasaki disease (mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome) and concurrent
      Coxsackievirus A4 infection: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Kawasaki disease (KD) most commonly develops in infants, although
      its specific cause is still unclear. We report here a rare case of adult-onset KD
      which revealed to be concurrently infected by Coxsackievirus A4. CASE
      PRESENTATION: The patient was a 37-year-old Japanese man who presented with
      fever, exanthema, changes in the peripheral extremities, bilateral non-exudative
      conjunctival injection, and changes in the oropharynx, signs that meet the
      diagnostic criteria for KD defined by the Centers for Disease Control and
      Prevention. In this case, the patient had a significantly high antibody titer for
      Coxsackievirus A4, which led us to presume that the occurrence of KD was
      concurrent Coxsackievirus A4 infection. CONCLUSION: We reported a very rare case
      of KD which suggests that the disease can be concurrent Coxsackievirus A4
      infection. Although KD is an acute childhood disease, with fever as one of the
      principal features, KD should also be considered in the differential diagnosis
      when adult patients present with a fever of unknown cause associated with a rash.

PMID- 26491374
TI  - Onychomycosis treated with a dilute povidone-iodine/dimethyl sulfoxide
      preparation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Povidone-iodine (PVP-I) 10% aqueous solution is a well-known,
      nontoxic, commonly used topical antiseptic with no reported incidence of fungal
      resistance. We have been using a low-dose formulation of 1% PVP-I (w/w) in a
      solution containing dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in our clinical practice for a
      variety of indications. Presented here is our clinical experience with this novel
      formulation in a severe case of onychomycosis that was resistant to any other
      treatment. FINDINGS: A 49-year-old woman who had been suffering from severe
      onychomycosis for years presented after failing to find any remedy including over
      the counter (OTC), topical, and systemic oral prescribed therapies. CONCLUSION:
      The topical povidone-iodine/DMSO system was very effective in this case at
      alleviating the signs and symptoms of onychomycosis. This novel combination
      warrants further investigation in randomized, controlled trials to further
      elucidate its clinical utility.

PMID- 26491375
TI  - An exploratory, randomized, parallel-group, open-label, relative bioavailability
      study with an additional two-period crossover food-effect study exploring the
      pharmacokinetics of two novel formulations of pexmetinib (ARRY-614).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pexmetinib (ARRY-614) is a dual inhibitor of p38 mitogen-activated
      protein kinase and Tie2 signaling pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of
      myelodysplastic syndromes. Previous clinical experience in a Phase I dose
      escalation study of myelodysplastic syndrome patients using pexmetinib
      administered as neat powder-in-capsule (PIC) exhibited high variability in
      pharmacokinetics and excessive pill burden, prompting an effort to improve the
      formulation of pexmetinib. METHODS: A relative bioavailability assessment
      encompassed three parallel treatment cohorts of unique subjects comparing the two
      new formulations (12 subjects per cohort), a liquid oral suspension (LOS) and
      liquid-filled capsule (LFC) and the current clinical PIC formulation (six
      subjects) in a fasted state. The food-effect assessment was conducted as a
      crossover of the LOS and LFC formulations administered under fed and fasted
      conditions. Subjects were divided into two groups of equal size to evaluate
      potential period effects on the food-effect assessment. RESULTS: The geometric
      mean values of the total plasma exposures based upon area-under-the-curve to the
      last quantifiable sample (AUClast) of pexmetinib were approximately four- and
      twofold higher after administration of the LFC and LOS formulations,
      respectively, than after the PIC formulation, when the formulations were
      administered in the fasted state. When the LFC formulation was administered in
      the fed state, pexmetinib AUClast decreased by <5% compared with the fasted
      state. After administration of the LOS formulation in the fed state, pexmetinib
      AUClast was 34% greater than observed in the fasted state. CONCLUSION: These
      results suggest that the LFC formulation of pexmetinib may achieve greater
      exposures with lower doses due to the greater bioavailability compared to the
      PIC, and remain unaffected by coadministration with food.

PMID- 26491376
TI  - Critical review of the responsive neurostimulator system for epilepsy.
AB  - Patients with medically refractory epilepsy have historically had few effective
      treatment options. Electrical brain stimulation for seizures has been studied for
      decades and ongoing technological refinements have made possible the development
      of an implantable electrical brain stimulator. The NeuroPace responsive
      neurostimulator was recently approved by the FDA for clinical use and the initial
      reports are encouraging. This device continually monitors brain activity and
      delivers an electric stimulus when abnormal activity is detected. Early reports
      of efficacy suggest that the device is well tolerated and offers a reduction in
      seizure frequency by approximately half at 2 years. 

PMID- 26491378
TI  - Evaluation and enhancement of medical knowledge competency by monthly tests: a
      single institution experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In-training examination (ITE) has been used as a predictor of
      performance at the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certifying
      examination. ITE however may not be an ideal modality as it is held once a year
      and represents snapshots of performance as compared with a trend. We instituted
      monthly tests (MTs) to continually assess the performance of trainees throughout
      their residency. OBJECTIVE: To determine the predictors of ABIM performance and
      to assess whether the MTs can be used as a tool to predict passing the ABIM
      examination. METHODS: The MTs, core competencies, and ITE scores were analyzed
      for a cohort of graduates who appeared for the ABIM examination from 2010 to
      2013. Logistic regression was performed to identify the predictors of a
      successful performance at the ABIM examination. RESULTS: Fifty-one residents
      appeared for the ABIM examination between 2010 and 2013 with a pass rate of 84%.
      The MT score for the first year (odds ratio [OR] =1.302, CI =1.004-1.687, P=0.04)
      and second year (OR =1.125, CI =1.004-1.261, P=0.04) were independent predictors
      of ABIM performance along with the second-year ITE scores (OR =1.248, CI =1.096
      1.420, P=0.001). CONCLUSION: The MT is a valuable tool to predict the performance
      at the ABIM examination. Not only it helps in the assessment of likelihood of
      passing the certification examination, it also helps to identify those residents
      who may require more assistance earlier during their residency. It may also
      highlight the areas of weakness in program curriculum and guide curriculum
      development.

PMID- 26491379
TI  - The situational judgement test: a student's worst nightmare.

PMID- 26491377
TI  - Obstructive sleep apnea as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is independently associated with cardiovascular and
      cardiometabolic risk in several large epidemiologic studies. OSA leads to several
      physiologic disturbances such as intermittent hypoxia, sleep fragmentation, and
      increase in autonomic tone. These disturbances have been associated with insulin
      resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in animal and human studies.
      Studies also suggest a bidirectional relationship between OSA and T2DM whereby
      T2DM itself might contribute to the features of OSA. Moreover, successful
      treatment of OSA may reduce these risks, although this is controversial. The
      purpose of this article is to review 1) the links and bidirectional associations
      between OSA and T2DM; 2) the pathogenic mechanisms that might link these two
      disease states; 3) the role of continuous positive airway pressure therapy in
      improving glucose tolerance, sensitivity, and resistance; and 4) the implications
      for clinical practice. 

PMID- 26491380
TI  - Addressing the need and void of leadership and management development among
      medical students in the UK.

PMID- 26491381
TI  - New nomenclature combinations in the green alder species complex (Betulaceae).
AB  - The name Alnus viridis (Chaix) DC., based on Betula viridis Chaix (1785), has
      traditionally been attributed to green alders although it is based on a later
      basionym. Alnus alnobetula (Ehrh.) K. Koch based on Betula alnobetula Ehrh.
      (1783) is the correct name for green alders. In light of the increasing use and
      recognition of the name Alnus alnobetula (Ehrh.) K. Koch in the literature. I
      herein propose new nomenclatural combinations to account for the Japanese and
      Chinese subspecies respectively: Alnus alnobetula subsp. maximowiczii (Callier ex
      C.K. Schneid.) J. Chery and Alnus alnobetula subsp. mandschurica (Callier ex C.K.
      Schneid.) J. Chery. Recent phylogenetic analyses place these two taxa in the
      green alder species complex, suggesting that they should be treated as
      infraspecific taxa under the polymorphic Alnus alnobetula. 

PMID- 26491382
TI  - Problematic specimens turn out to be two undescribed species of Bignonia
      (Bignoniaceae).
AB  - Bignonia comprises 29 species of lianas characterized by eight phloem wedges,
      leaves usually 2-foliolate, mostly simple tendrils and opaque seed wings. The
      analysis of herbarium specimens in preparation for a taxonomic revision of the
      genus led to the recognition of two new species: (i) Bignonia cararensis from
      Costa Rica, characterized by a thyrse with lateral compound dichasia and lack of
      interpetiolar ridge, and (ii) Bignonia sanctae-crucis from Bolivia and Brazil,
      distinguishable by its membranous leaflets, membranous calyx and small fruits. We
      provide detailed descriptions, illustrations, distribution maps, initial
      conservation status assessments, and comparisons of the newly described taxa with
      closely related species. 

PMID- 26491383
TI  - A new record of the rare alga Pachycladella P. C. Silva (Chlorophyceae) in New
      England.
AB  - A rarely reported taxon, the microscopic green alga Pachycladella, was found in a
      pond in Connecticut. Due to an unresolved taxonomic debate within the genus, the
      species-level identity of the newly discovered population cannot be determined
      with absolute certainty. However, according to the currently accepted
      classification the Connecticut specimens best match Pachycladella zatoriensis,
      heretofore only known from Europe. The find represents not only the first record
      of Pachycladella in Connecticut, but also in the entire New England region. This
      study highlights the need for continuing floristic surveys even in regions
      previously well explored. 

PMID- 26491384
TI  - Study of phylogenetic relationship of Turkish species of Klasea (Asteraceae)
      based on ISSR amplification.
AB  - Klasea is a taxonomically complex genus in which there are many problems, mostly
      with Klasea kotschyi and Klasea hakkiarica. It is challenging to differentiate
      the genera based on morphological characters alone. Revision studies performed on
      the basis of molecular data obtained from studies conducted in recent years have
      made the phylogenetic relationships and systematic positions of the taxa more
      apparent and reliable. In this study, Klasea, Serratula, Jurinea and Centaurea
      species native to Turkey, were collected from different localities of Anatolia
      and DNA was isolated from the collected samples. The data were analyzed
      ordination analyses including UPGMA and PCA using NTSYSpc 2.1. The infrageneric
      and intergeneric phylogenetic relationships between Klasea and other related
      genera were also characterized. The Klasea species were grouped into three
      clusters. It was determined that taxa Klasea kotschyi and Klasea hakkiarica are
      separate but closely related. Moreover, it was observed that the Klasea
      lasiocephala a separate group within the genera. Clearly the genera Klasea,
      Serratula, Jurinea and Centaurea are phylogenetically differentiated on the
      dendogram. 

PMID- 26491385
TI  - A new species of Symplocos (Symplocaceae) from southern Ecuador.
AB  - A new species from Ecuador, Symplocos limonensis, is here described and
      illustrated. It resembles Symplocos clethrifolia but differs by having larger
      leaves with evident (i.e., not concealed) areoles on lower surface, sessile
      inflorescences, smaller white corollas, and fewer stamens. The species is only
      known from three collections in the Andean forests of Morona-Santiago Province in
      southern Ecuador. 

PMID- 26491386
TI  - SIFlore, a dataset of geographical distribution of vascular plants covering five
      centuries of knowledge in France: Results of a collaborative project coordinated
      by the Federation of the National Botanical Conservatories.
AB  - More than 20 years ago, the French Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN,
      Secretariat of the Fauna and Flora) published the first part of an atlas of the
      flora of France at a 20km spatial resolution, accounting for 645 taxa (Dupont
      1990). Since then, at the national level, there has not been any work on this
      scale relating to flora distribution, despite the obvious need for a better
      understanding. In 2011, in response to this need, the Federation des
      Conservatoires Botaniques Nationaux (FCBN, http://www.fcbn.fr) launched an
      ambitious collaborative project involving eleven national botanical
      conservatories of France. The project aims to establish a formal procedure and
      standardized system for data hosting, aggregation and publication for four areas:
      flora, fungi, vegetation and habitats. In 2014, the first phase of the project
      led to the development of the national flora dataset: SIFlore. As it includes
      about 21 million records of flora occurrences, this is currently the most
      comprehensive dataset on the distribution of vascular plants (Tracheophyta) in
      the French territory. SIFlore contains information for about 15'454 plant taxa
      occurrences (indigenous and alien taxa) in metropolitan France and Reunion
      Island, from 1545 until 2014. The data records were originally collated from
      inventories, checklists, literature and herbarium records. SIFlore was developed
      by assembling flora datasets from the regional to the national level. At the
      regional level, source records are managed by the national botanical
      conservatories that are responsible for flora data collection and validation. In
      order to present our results, a geoportal was developed by the Federation des
      conservatoires botaniques nationaux that allows the SIFlore dataset to be
      publically viewed. This portal is available at: http://siflore.fcbn.fr. As the
      FCBN belongs to the Information System for Nature and Landscapes' (SINP), a
      governmental program, the dataset is also accessible through the websites of the
      National Inventory of Natural Heritage (http://www.inpn.fr) and the Global
      Biodiversity Information Facility (http://www.gbif.fr). SIFlore is regularly
      updated with additional data records. It is also planned to expand the scope of
      the dataset to include information about taxon biology, phenology, ecology,
      chorology, frequency, conservation status and seed banks. A map showing an
      estimation of the dataset completeness (based on Jackknife 1 estimator) is
      presented and included as a numerical appendix. PURPOSE: SIFlore aims to make the
      data of the flora of France available at the national level for conservation,
      policy management and scientific research. Such a dataset will provide enough
      information to allow for macro-ecological reviews of species distribution
      patterns and, coupled with climatic or topographic datasets, the identification
      of determinants of these patterns. This dataset can be considered as the primary
      indicator of the current state of knowledge of flora distribution across France.
      At a policy level, and in the context of global warming, this should promote the
      adoption of new measures aiming to improve and intensify flora conservation and
      surveys.

PMID- 26491387
TI  - Dataset of MIGRAME Project (Global Change, Altitudinal Range Shift and
      Colonization of Degraded Habitats in Mediterranean Mountains).
AB  - In this data paper, we describe the dataset of the Global Change, Altitudinal
      Range Shift and Colonization of Degraded Habitats in Mediterranean Mountains
      (MIGRAME) project, which aims to assess the capacity of altitudinal migration and
      colonization of marginal habitats by Quercus pyrenaica Willd. forests in Sierra
      Nevada (southern Spain) considering two global-change drivers: temperature
      increase and land-use changes. The dataset includes information of the forest
      structure (diameter size, tree height, and abundance) of the Quercus pyrenaica
      ecosystem in Sierra Nevada obtained from 199 transects sampled at the treeline
      ecotone, mature forest, and marginal habitats (abandoned cropland and pine
      plantations). A total of 3839 occurrence records were collected and 5751
      measurements recorded. The dataset is included in the Sierra Nevada Global-Change
      Observatory (OBSNEV), a long-term research project designed to compile socio
      ecological information on the major ecosystem types in order to identify the
      impacts of global change in this mountain range. 

PMID- 26491388
TI  - Dendrochilum hampelii (Coelogyninae, Epidendroideae, Orchidaceae) traded as 'Big
      Pink' is a new species, not a hybrid: evidence from nrITS, matK and ycf1 sequence
      data.
AB  - In 2013, an unidentified species of Dendrochilum appeared in cultivation under
      the commercial trade name 'Big Pink'. Using sequences of the nuclear ribosomal
      ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region and of the plastid matK and ycf1 genes, we examined the
      phylogenetic relationships between 'Big Pink' and six other species of the
      phenetically defined Dendrochilum subgen. Platyclinis sect. Eurybrachium.
      Separate and combined analyses (using Bayesian, Maximum Likelihood and Parsimony
      inference) showed consistent placement of the unidentified species within a
      statistically well supported clade. Furthermore, the multi-copy nrITS marker
      showed clear distinct peaks. Thus, we found no evidence that 'Big Pink' could be
      a hybrid. Against this background, and further supported by species-specific
      mutations in (at least) nrITS and ycf1, we formally describe 'Big Pink' as a new
      species under the name Dendrochilum hampelii. Morphologically, it is most similar
      to Dendrochilum propinquum, but it differs in a number of characters. Of the two
      cultivated individuals available for our study, one was of unrecorded provenance.
      The other allegedly originated from the Philippines. Observations of the species
      occurring in the wild in the Philippines in the northern provinces of Bukidnon
      and Misamis Oriental on the island of Mindanao confirmed this. 

PMID- 26491389
TI  - A new subspecies of Seseli gummiferum (Apiaceae) from Ilgaz Mountain National
      Park, northern Turkey.
AB  - A new subspecies Seseli gummiferum Pall. ex Sm. subsp. ilgazense A.Duran, O.Cetin
      & M.Ozturk, subsp. nov. (Apiaceae) is described from Kastamonu province, Turkey.
      It was collected from the open Pinus sylvestris L. and Abies nordmanniana
      (Steven) E.Spach. mixed forest in the northern Anatolian region. An endemic
      apparently confined to the Ilgaz Mountain National Park, the new taxon is closely
      related to Seseli gummiferum subsp. gummiferum. Diagnostic morphological
      characters for closely similar taxa are discussed, and a key to the subspecies of
      Seseli gummiferum is presented. ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) region of the
      nuclear ribozomal DNA of closely related Seseli L. taxa and Pimpinella is used to
      constract phylogenetic tree by using BioEdit and Seaview Programme. 

PMID- 26491390
TI  - Reinstatement of the Loyalty Islands Sandalwood, Santalum austrocaledonicum var.
      glabrum (Santalaceae), in New Caledonia.
AB  - Sandalwoods encompass 19 species restricted to southeast Asia and the Pacific.
      The species Santalum austrocaledonicum Vieill. (Santalaceae) is endemic to New
      Caledonia (Grande-Terre, Isle of Pines, Loyalty Islands) and Vanuatu, where
      several varieties are recognized. The Loyalty Islands sandalwood variety is here
      reinstated as Santalum austrocaledonicum var. glabrum Hurl. emend. Butaud &
      P.Firmenich, mut. char. It was previously considered a synonym of the type
      variety; however, new morphological and genetic studies confirmed its
      distinctiveness. The key for New Caledonian varieties of Santalum
      austrocaledonicum has been updated and a short description of its essential oil
      composition and organoleptic quality is given. 

PMID- 26491391
TI  - A checklist of the Ukrainian Xoridinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae).
AB  - The Ukrainian Xoridinae list containing 28 species is reviewed. Four species,
      Xorides flavotibialis Hilszczanski, 2000, X. hedwigi Clement, 1938, Xorides
      rufipes (Gravenhorst, 1829), and X. rusticus (Desvignes, 1856) are recorded in
      the Ukrainian fauna for the first time. Agrilus biguttatus F. is recorded as a
      host of Ischnoceros caligatus (Gravenhorst, 1829) for the first time. 

PMID- 26491392
TI  - Utilizing online resources for taxonomy: a cybercatalog of Afrotropical apiocerid
      flies (Insecta: Diptera: Apioceridae).
AB  - A cybercatalog to the Apioceridae (apiocerid flies) of the Afrotropical Region is
      provided. Each taxon entry includes links to open-access, online repositories
      such as ZooBank, BHL/BioStor/BLR, Plazi, GBIF, Morphbank, EoL, and a research web
      site to access taxonomic information, digitized literature, morphological
      descriptions, specimen occurrence data, and images. Cybercatalogs as the one
      presented here will need to become the future of taxonomic catalogs taking
      advantage of the growing number of online repositories, linked data, and be
      easily updatable. Comments on the deposition of the holotype of Apiocera braunsi
      Melander, 1907 are made. 

PMID- 26491394
TI  - A new species of Neossos Malloch (Diptera: Heleomyzidae) from the Yukon
      Territory, Canada, and a revised key to the Nearctic species.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rarely collected genus Neossos Malloch contains three Nearctic
      and one western European species. Most known specimens have been collected from
      bird nests. Two specimens of an undescribed species of Neossos were collected by
      sweeping in subarctic tundra and a mesic meadow in the Yukon Territory, Canada.
      This represents a significant northward extension of the known Nearctic range of
      the genus. NEW INFORMATION: Neossos tombstonensis sp. n. is described from the
      Yukon Territory. This represents the fourth described Nearctic species of
      Neossos. Although the type specimens were collected by sweeping, the species is
      predicted to be associated with bird nests, based on habits of other members of
      the genus. A revised key to the Nearctic species of Neossos is provided.

PMID- 26491395
TI  - Ecology and phylogeny of birds foraging at outdoor restaurants in Sweden.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Birds frequently visit the outdoor serving areas of restaurants to
      feed on scraps of food and leftovers. Although this feeding association between
      humans and birds is widespread and could have significant effects, both positive
      and negative, for all taxa involved, the authors know of no published studies
      that have investigated restaurant bird communities. To lay the foundation for
      future research, the authors conducted a basic study of birds at 80 outdoor
      restaurants in Sweden, identifying which species and taxonomic clades of birds
      visited the restaurants and comparing restaurant birds in urban and rural
      environments. NEW INFORMATION: Thirteen species of birds visited the outdoor
      restaurants. Eight of these species were predominant, i.e. accounting for 51% or
      more of bird presence (sum of minutes of all individual birds) at one or more
      restaurants. Every restaurant studied had a predominant species, but species
      often differed from each other in frequency of predominance in different
      landscapes. No endangered species were seen visiting restaurants. However, three
      farmland bird species (House Sparrow Passer domesticus, White Wagtail Motacilla
      alba, Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus), whose numbers are reported to be
      declining in the countryside, were predominant at the majority of restaurants in
      rural areas, suggesting that rural restaurants might be able to contribute to the
      conservation of these species. The thirteen species of restaurant-visiting birds
      belonged to five monophyletic clades. Ninety percent of all restaurants had, as
      their predominant species, birds from either Clade A (Passeridae, Motacillidae,
      Fringillidae) or Clade C (Corvidae). Statistical testing revealed that Clade A
      and Clade C were distributed differently in environments along the urban-rural
      gradient. At all spatial scales measured, birds of Clade C were predominant at
      the majority of restaurants in urban areas, while birds of Clade A were the
      predominant clade at the majority of restaurants in rural areas. The authors use
      this evidence, and observations of birds foraging in association with other
      primates, to hypothesize that the outdoor serving areas of modern restaurants may
      be helping to preserve and nurture ancient human-bird symbioses that have been
      part of human ecology since antiquity.

PMID- 26491396
TI  - Corrigendum: Three new species of Trigonospila Pokorny (Diptera: Tachinidae),
      from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, with a key for
      their identification.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e4595.]. 

PMID- 26491397
TI  - Corrigendum to "Outcome of Rhabdomyosarcoma in First Year of Life: Children's
      Cancer Hospital 57357 Egypt".
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2013/439213.]. 

PMID- 26491393
TI  - PESI - a taxonomic backbone for Europe.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reliable taxonomy underpins communication in all of biology, not
      least nature conservation and sustainable use of ecosystem resources. The
      flexibility of taxonomic interpretations, however, presents a serious challenge
      for end-users of taxonomic concepts. Users need standardised and continuously
      harmonised taxonomic reference systems, as well as high-quality and complete
      taxonomic data sets, but these are generally lacking for non-specialists. The
      solution is in dynamic, expertly curated web-based taxonomic tools. The Pan
      European Species-directories Infrastructure (PESI) worked to solve this key issue
      by providing a taxonomic e-infrastructure for Europe. It strengthened the
      relevant social (expertise) and information (standards, data and technical)
      capacities of five major community networks on taxonomic indexing in Europe,
      which is essential for proper biodiversity assessment and monitoring activities.
      The key objectives of PESI were: 1) standardisation in taxonomic reference
      systems, 2) enhancement of the quality and completeness of taxonomic data sets
      and 3) creation of integrated access to taxonomic information. NEW INFORMATION:
      This paper describes the results of PESI and its future prospects, including the
      involvement in major European biodiversity informatics initiatives and programs.

PMID- 26491398
TI  - Optimized breeding strategies for multiple trait integration: III. Parameters for
      success in version testing.
AB  - Multiple trait integration (MTI) is the process by which a target hybrid (or
      variety) is converted to add value-added traits to the comprehensive performance
      package represented by that genotype. The goal is to recover all the attributes
      of the target hybrid, with the addition of the specified value-added traits. In
      maize, this process utilizes the backcross breeding method to incorporate
      transgenic events (or genes) of interest. Thus, MTI involves four main steps:
      single event introgression, event pyramiding, trait fixation, and version testing
      to ensure recovery of equivalent performance with at least one version of the
      converted hybrid. Based on a case study involving conversion of a target hybrid
      for 15 transgenic events (the female inbred parent was converted for 8 events,
      and the male inbred parent was converted for 7 events), we explored parameters in
      version testing to facilitate a high likelihood of recovering at least one
      version of the hybrid conversion with yield performance equivalency within 3 % of
      unconverted target hybrid. Using computer simulation, we explored the impact of
      two factors on the success rate of the MTI outcome: (1) the amount of residual
      NRP (non-recurrent parent) germplasm remaining in the converted hybrid and (2)
      the number of versions of each parental line conversion created. A range of
      residual NRP germplasm from 120 to 180 cM (which represents 95.0-96.6 % germplasm
      recovery of the target hybrid in maize) and up to 5 versions of each parental
      conversion were considered, with all possible hybrid combinations of each version
      of female and male RP (recurrent parent) conversion evaluated for yield. With 5
      versions of each RP conversion and testing of 25 hybrid versions, a >95 % rate of
      success was realized when the amount of residual NRP germplasm in the hybrid
      conversion was <=180 cM. When hybrid conversions contained <=120-cM residual NRP
      germplasm, only 4 versions of one of the parental conversions were needed (rather
      than 5), requiring 20 versions of the hybrid conversion to be yield tested. These
      results have implications in the strategic design of an overall conversion
      program and for the upstream MTI process, especially in setting thresholds for
      the amount of NRP germplasm remaining in RP conversions. Furthermore, these
      results validate findings of (Peng et al. in Mol Breed 33:189-104, 2014a.
      doi:10.1007/s11032-013-9936-7, in Mole Breed 33:105-115, 2014b.
      doi:10.1007/s11032-013-9937-6) which outline effective breeding strategies to
      optimize earlier steps in MTI (preceding version testing).

PMID- 26491399
TI  - A quantum-information theoretic analysis of three-flavor neutrino oscillations:
      Quantum entanglement, nonlocal and nonclassical features of neutrinos.
AB  - Correlations exhibited by neutrino oscillations are studied via quantum
      information theoretic quantities. We show that the strongest type of
      entanglement, genuine multipartite entanglement, is persistent in the flavor
      changing states. We prove the existence of Bell-type nonlocal features, in both
      its absolute and genuine avatars. Finally, we show that a measure of
      nonclassicality, dissension, which is a generalization of quantum discord to the
      tripartite case, is nonzero for almost the entire range of time in the evolution
      of an initial electron-neutrino. Via these quantum-information theoretic
      quantities, capturing different aspects of quantum correlations, we elucidate the
      differences between the flavor types, shedding light on the quantum-information
      theoretic aspects of the weak force.

PMID- 26491400
TI  - Women's decision-making autonomy and children's schooling in rural Mozambique.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Women's decision-making autonomy in developing settings has been
      shown to improve child survival and health outcomes. However, little research has
      addressed possible connections between women's autonomy and children's schooling.
      OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between rural women's decision-making
      autonomy and enrollment status of primary school-age children living in their
      households and how this relationship differs by child's gender. METHODS: The
      analysis uses data from a 2009 survey of rural households in four districts of
      Gaza province in southern Mozambique. Multilevel logistic models predict the
      probability of being in school for children between 6 and 14 years old. RESULTS:
      The results show a positive association of women's decision-making autonomy with
      the probability of being enrolled in primary school for daughters, but not for
      sons. The effect of women's autonomy is net of other women's characteristics
      typically associated with enrollment and does not mediate the effects of those
      characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results, we argue that women with
      higher levels of decision-making autonomy may have a stronger preference for
      daughters' schooling and may have a greater say in making and implementing
      decisions regarding daughters' education, compared to women with lower autonomy
      levels. Results also illustrate a need for considering a broader set of autonomy
      related characteristics when examining the effects of women's status on
      children's educational outcomes.

PMID- 26491401
TI  - Thomas E. Cataldo, MD, FACS, FASCRS and Deborah Nagle, MD, FACS, FASCRS.

PMID- 26491402
TI  - Evolving and Emerging Technologies in Colon and Rectal Surgery.

PMID- 26491403
TI  - Adoption of Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery: It Was Quite a Journey.
AB  - The adoption of laparoscopic colorectal surgery has been a slow but steady
      progress. The first adopters rapidly expanded the application of the technology
      to all colorectal pathology. Issues related to extraction and port site
      recurrence of cancer delayed widespread adoption until incontrovertible data from
      well-powered prospective randomized studies confirmed equipoise with open
      surgery. Since that time, the data has consistently demonstrated patient-care
      benefits related to reductions in both short- and long-term complications
      historically associated with open colectomy. The potential for further
      improvement related to single-port access, robotic assistance, and natural
      orifice access for both the surgery and/or extraction will await the test of
      time. However, it is clear now that laparoscopic colorectal surgery is the new
      standard of care and a key enabler of enhanced recovery programs. 

PMID- 26491404
TI  - Single-Incision Laparoscopic Colon and Rectal Surgery.
AB  - Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) was introduced to further the
      enhanced outcomes of multiport laparoscopy. Multiple studies have demonstrated
      the safety and feasibility of SILS for both benign and malignant colorectal
      disease. SILS provides the potential for improved cosmesis, postoperative
      outcomes, and patient quality of life. However, widespread use has been limited
      by technical demands and lack of an evidence and competency-based curriculum. 

PMID- 26491405
TI  - Combined Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Surgery.
AB  - Benign colon polyps are best treated endoscopically. Colon polyps that are not
      amenable for endoscopic removals either because they are too large or situated in
      anatomically difficult locations can pose a clinical dilemma. Traditionally the
      most common recommendation for these patients has been to offer a colon
      resection. Although the laparoscopic approach has improved short-term outcomes,
      morbidities associated with bowel resection are still significant. We may be over
      treating majority of these patients because of the remote possibility that these
      polyps may be harboring a cancer. A combined approach using both laparoscopy and
      colonoscopy (combined endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery) has been described as
      an alternative to bowel resection in select patients with polyps that cannot be
      removed endoscopically. Polyp removal using this combined approach may be an
      effective alternative in select patients. 

PMID- 26491406
TI  - Colorectal Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection: Past, Present, and Factors Impacting
      Future Dissemination.
AB  - First performed in the stomach for removal of localized gastric tumors,
      endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has evolved into a technique that is
      increasingly being employed to resect colorectal lesions. As opposed to
      endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), ESD allows the endoscopist to remove large
      specimens en bloc to provide accurate pathologic evaluation and lower local
      recurrence rates. ESD is an ideal technique for resection of lesions without
      lymph node metastases and is becoming the standard of care in Japan as outcomes
      data has proven it to be equally efficacious, less invasive, and inexpensive as
      compared with surgery; however, potential risk for complications is high and the
      procedure is currently not widely available in the Western world. As more
      interest, endoscopist training, and data supporting the technique's use mount,
      ESD will also likely become the standard of care in the Western world for
      resection of localized colorectal lesions. 

PMID- 26491407
TI  - Emerging and Evolving Technology in Colon and Rectal Surgery.
AB  - Minimally invasive surgery has changed the way we manage many colon and rectal
      pathologies. Multiple techniques, from straight laparoscopic procedures, to hand
      assisted and single-port techniques are available, requiring surgeons to go
      through various learning curves. Robotic surgery is a relatively novel technique
      in general surgery which appears to hold most promise for rectal resection.
      Laparoscopic rectal procedures are difficult, and even in experienced hands,
      conversion rates are around 17%. Robotic surgery may be a point of difference in
      these cases, despite a long learning curve and higher costs. This article will
      describe the role of robotics in colorectal surgery. Room set up, port placement,
      and docking strategies will be described for common procedures, with emphasis on
      a hybrid robotic low anterior resection. 

PMID- 26491408
TI  - Enhanced Reality and Intraoperative Imaging in Colorectal Surgery.
AB  - Colorectal surgery is one of the most common procedures performed around the
      world with more than 600,000 operations each year in the United States, and more
      than a million worldwide. In the past two decades, there has been a clear trend
      toward minimal access and surgeons have embraced this evolution. Widespread
      adoption of advanced minimally invasive procedures is often limited by procedural
      complexity and the need for specific technical skills. Furthermore, the loss of
      3D vision, limited overview of the surgical field, and diminished tactile
      sensation make major colorectal procedures more challenging and have an impact on
      the surgeons' learning curves. New technologies are emerging that can compensate
      for some of the sensory losses associated with laparoscopy. High-definition
      picture acquisition, 3D camera systems, and the use of biomarkers will allow
      improved identification of the target structures and help differentiate them from
      surrounding tissues. In this article, we describe some of the new technologies
      available and, in particular, focus on the possible implications of biomarkers
      and fluorescent laparoscopic imaging. 

PMID- 26491409
TI  - Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery.
AB  - Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) was developed by Professor Gerhard Buess
      30 years ago at the dawn of minimally invasive surgery. TEM utilizes a closed
      proctoscopic system whereby endoluminal surgery is accomplished with high
      definition magnification, constant CO2 insufflation, and long-shafted
      instruments. The end result is a more precise excision and closure compared to
      conventional instrumentation. Virtually any benign lesion can be addressed with
      this technology; however, proper patient selection is paramount when using it for
      cancer. 

PMID- 26491410
TI  - Transanal Minimally Invasive Surgery.
AB  - Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) was first described in 2010 as a
      crossover between single-incision laparoscopic surgery and transanal endoscopic
      microsurgery (TEM) to allow access to the proximal and mid-rectum for resection
      of benign and early-stage malignant rectal lesions. The TAMIS technique can also
      be used for noncurative intent surgery of more advanced lesions in patients who
      are not candidates for radical surgery. Proper workup and staging should be done
      before surgical decision-making. In addition to the TAMIS port, instrumentation
      and set up include readily available equipment found in most operating suites.
      TAMIS has proven its usefulness in a wide range of applications outside of local
      excision, including repair of rectourethral fistula, removal of rectal foreign
      body, control of rectal hemorrhage, and as an adjunct in total mesorectal
      excision for rectal cancer. TAMIS is an easily accessible, technically feasible,
      and cost-effective alternative to TEM. 

PMID- 26491412
TI  - MRI Local Staging and Restaging in Rectal Cancer.
AB  - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with rectal protocol modification is a reliable
      staging modality which is rapidly replacing transrectal ultrasound for staging.
      The added information delivered by MRI includes wide circumferential radial
      margin compromise, distant lymph node metastasis in the pelvis, and level of
      sphincter compromise in the low rectum. As more information becomes available
      through ongoing studies, MRI may be able to contribute the decision to treat
      rectal cancer nonoperatively. 

PMID- 26491413
TI  - A SPECIAL MEETING REVIEW EDITION: Highlights in the Treatment of Hepatitis C
      Virus From the 2014 Liver Meeting: A Review of Selected Presentations From the
      2014 Liver Meeting November 7-11, 2014 * Boston, MassachusettsSpecial Reporting
      on:* Evaluation of Sofosbuvir and Simeprevir-Based Regimens in the TRIO Network*
      Safety and Efficacy of New DAA-Based Therapy for Hepatitis C Post-Transplant:
      Interval Results From the HCV-TARGET Longitudinal, Observational Study* Efficacy
      and Safety of MK-5172 and MK-8742 +/- Ribavirin in Hepatitis C Genotype 1
      Infected Patients With Cirrhosis or Previous Null Response: Final Results of the
      C-WORTHY Study (Parts A & B)* Safety and Efficacy of Sofosbuvir in Combination
      With Simeprevir + Ribavirin in Patients With Genotype 1: Interim Results of a
      Prospective, Observational Study* All-Oral Fixed-Dose Combination Therapy With
      Daclatasvir/Asunaprevir/BMS-791325, +/- Ribavirin, for Patients With Chronic HCV
      Genotype 1 Infection and Compensated Cirrhosis: UNITY-2 Phase 3 SVR-12 Results*
      TURQUOISE-II: Regimens of ABT-450/R/Ombitasvir and Dasabuvir With Ribavirin
      Achieve High SVR12 Rates in HCV Genotype 1-Infected Patients With Cirrhosis,
      Regardless of Baseline CharacteristicsPLUS Meeting Abstract Summaries With Expert
      Commentary by: Ira M. Jacobson, MDChief of the Division of Gastroenterology and
      HepatologyVincent Astor Distinguished Professor of MedicineWeill Cornell Medical
      CollegeAttending PhysicianNewYork-Presbyterian HospitalNew York, New York.

PMID- 26491411
TI  - Shifting Paradigms in Minimally Invasive Surgery: Applications of Transanal
      Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery in Colorectal Surgery.
AB  - Since the advent of laparoscopy, minimally invasive techniques such as single
      port laparoscopy, robotics, endoscopically assisted laparoscopy, and transanal
      endoscopic surgery continue to revolutionize the field of colorectal surgery.
      Transanal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) represents a
      further paradigm shift by combining the advantages of these earlier techniques to
      reduce the size and number of abdominal incisions and potentially optimize rectal
      dissection, especially with respect to performance of an oncologically adequate
      total mesorectal excision (TME) for rectal cancer. Since the first experimental
      report of transanal rectosigmoid resection in 2007, the potential impact of
      transanal NOTES in colorectal surgery has been extensively investigated in
      experimental models and recently transitioned to clinical application. There have
      been 14 clinical trials of transanal TME (taTME) for rectal cancer that have
      demonstrated the feasibility and preliminary oncologic safety of this approach in
      carefully selected patients, with results comparable to outcomes after
      laparoscopic and open TME, including cumulative intraoperative and postoperative
      complication rates of 5.5 and 35.5%, respectively, 97.3% rate of complete or near
      complete specimens, and 93.6% rate of negative margins. Transanal NOTES has also
      been safely applied to proctectomy and colectomy for benign indications. The
      consensus among published series suggests that taTME is most safely performed
      with transabdominal assistance by surgeons experienced with laparoscopic TME,
      transanal endoscopic surgery, and sphincter-preserving techniques including
      intersphincteric resection. Future applications of transanal NOTES may include
      evolution to a pure endoscopic transanal approach for TME, colectomy, and
      sentinel lymph node biopsy for rectal cancer, with a potential role for robotic
      assistance. 

PMID- 26491414
TI  - New Diagnostic Strategies for Detection of Helicobacter pylori Infection in
      Pediatric Patients.
AB  - Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) is a common chronic bacterial infection that is an
      important cause of peptic ulcer disease and gastroduodenal disease in children. H
      pylori is also associated with extragastric manifestations, including growth
      reduction, iron-deficiency anemia, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.
      Current guidelines recommend endoscopy with biopsy for the definitive
      demonstration of H pylori infection. In contrast to serology, the fecal antigen
      test and the urea breath test provide reliable, sensitive, and specific results
      for detecting active H pylori infection in children before and after treatment.
      The first-line treatment option for pediatric patients is triple therapy with a
      proton pump inhibitor and 2 antibiotics, which include amoxicillin and
      clarithromycin or metronidazole. Decreasing eradication rates and the emergence
      of antibiotic-resistant strains of H pylori have led to the use of other
      treatments, such as sequential therapy or triple therapy with newer antibiotics,
      particularly in geographic areas with high rates of antibiotic resistance.
      Patients should be tested after treatment to confirm eradication, as the absence
      of symptoms does not necessarily mean that H pylori is no longer present. This
      clinical roundtable monograph provides an overview of H pylori infection, as well
      as expert insight into the diagnosis and management of H pylori infection in
      children. 

PMID- 26491415
TI  - Emerging Treatment Options in Mild to Moderate Ulcerative Colitis.
AB  - Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory condition associated with
      rectal bleeding and urgency, tenesmus, and diarrhea. Several medical therapies
      can be used in the treatment of UC. Aminosalicylates are widely used based on
      their efficacy in the induction and maintenance of remission. Although
      corticosteroids are effective in patients with more severe disease, systemic use
      is associated with significant safety concerns. The newer corticosteroid
      budesonide has lower systemic bioavailability and, consequently, a more favorable
      safety profile. A budesonide extended-release formulation allows once-daily
      dosing and delivers the agent locally throughout the colon. Biologic agents used
      for the treatment of moderate to severe UC include the tumor necrosis factor
      inhibitors infliximab, adalimumab, and golimumab, and the integrin inhibitor
      vedolizumab. Rectally administered therapy can also be useful in the treatment of
      UC. In October 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a budesonide
      foam formulation for inducing remission in patients with active mild to moderate
      distal UC extending up to 40 cm from the anal verge. Budesonide foam rapidly
      distributes to the sigmoid colon and the rectum and avoids some of the drawbacks
      of suppositories and enemas. 

PMID- 26491416
TI  - New and Emerging Treatment Options for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
AB  - Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder
      associated with abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, or a mix of symptoms. The
      pathophysiology of IBS is not completely understood but appears to involve
      genetics, the gut microbiome, immune activation, altered intestinal permeability,
      and brain-gut interactions. There is no gold standard for diagnosis. Several sets
      of symptom-based guidelines exist. Treatment strategies for IBS may include both
      nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic approaches. Lifestyle modifications that aim
      to improve exercise, sleep, diet, and stress may be warranted. Recent data
      suggest that a gluten-free diet and a diet low in fermentable oligosaccharides,
      disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs) may benefit some patients.
      For patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS, treatment options include the
      synthetic peripheral MU-opioid receptor agonist loperamide, antispasmodic agents,
      antidepressants, serotonin 5-HT3 antagonists, and the gut-specific antibiotic
      rifaximin. Ongoing research is evaluating the use of probiotics. For patients
      with constipation-predominant IBS, therapeutic strategies may include dietary
      fiber, laxatives, and the prosecretory agents lubiprostone and linaclotide.
      Research is continuing to optimize the use of available agents and evaluating new
      approaches to further improve the care of patients with IBS. 

PMID- 26491417
TI  - Fusion of the 1H NMR data of serum, urine and exhaled breath condensate in order
      to discriminate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obstructive sleep apnea
      syndrome.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, affects the condition of the entire
      human organism and causes multiple comorbidities. Pathological lung changes lead
      to quantitative changes in the composition of the metabolites in different body
      fluids. The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, OSAS, occurs in conjunction with
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in about 10-20 % of individuals who have
      COPD. Both conditions share the same comorbidities and this makes differentiating
      them difficult. The aim of this study was to investigate whether it is possible
      to diagnose a patient with either COPD or the OSA syndrome using a set of
      selected metabolites and to determine whether the metabolites that are present in
      one type of biofluid (serum, exhaled breath condensate or urine) or whether a
      combination of metabolites that are present in two biofluids or whether a set of
      metabolites that are present in all three biofluids are necessary to correctly
      diagnose a patient. A quantitative analysis of the metabolites in all three
      biofluid samples was performed using 1H NMR spectroscopy. A multivariate
      bootstrap approach that combines partial least squares regression with the
      variable importance in projection score (VIP-score) and selectivity ratio (SR)
      was adopted in order to construct discriminant diagnostic models for the groups
      of individuals with COPD and OSAS. A comparison study of all of the discriminant
      models that were constructed and validated showed that the discriminant partial
      least squares model using only ten urine metabolites (selected with the SR
      approach) has a specificity of 100 % and a sensitivity of 86.67 %. This model
      (AUCtest = 0.95) presented the best prediction performance. The main conclusion
      of this study is that urine metabolites, among the others, present the highest
      probability for correctly identifying patents with COPD and the lowest
      probability for an incorrect identification of the OSA syndrome as developed
      COPD. Another important conclusion is that the changes in the metabolite levels
      of exhaled breath condensates do not appear to be specific enough to
      differentiate between patients with COPD and OSAS.

PMID- 26491419
TI  - Changes in urine headspace composition as an effect of strenuous walking.
AB  - The present investigation uses proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR
      MS) combined with multivariate and univariate statistical analyses to study
      potential biomarkers for altered metabolism in urine due to strenuous walking.
      Urine samples, in concurrence with breath and blood samples, were taken from 51
      participants (23 controls, 11 type-1 diabetes, 17 type-2 diabetes) during the
      Dutch endurance walking event, the International Four Days Marches. Multivariate
      analysis allowed for discrimination of before and after exercise for all three
      groups (control, type-1 and type-2 diabetes) and on three out of 4 days. The
      analysis highlighted 12 molecular ions contributing to this discrimination. Of
      these, acetic acid in urine is identified as a significant marker for exercise
      effects induced by walking; an increase is observed as an effect of walking.
      Analysis of acetone concentration with univariate tools resulted in different
      information when compared to breath as a function of exercise, revealing an
      interesting effect of time over the 4 days. In breath, acetone provides an
      immediate snapshot of metabolism, whereas urinary acetone will result from longer
      term diffusion processes, providing a time averaged view of metabolism. The
      potential to use PTR-MS measurements of urine to monitor exercise effects is
      exhibited, and may be utilized to monitor subjects in mass participation exercise
      events.

PMID- 26491418
TI  - COordination of Standards in MetabOlomicS (COSMOS): facilitating integrated
      metabolomics data access.
AB  - Metabolomics has become a crucial phenotyping technique in a range of research
      fields including medicine, the life sciences, biotechnology and the environmental
      sciences. This necessitates the transfer of experimental information between
      research groups, as well as potentially to publishers and funders. After the
      initial efforts of the metabolomics standards initiative, minimum reporting
      standards were proposed which included the concepts for metabolomics databases.
      Built by the community, standards and infrastructure for metabolomics are still
      needed to allow storage, exchange, comparison and re-utilization of metabolomics
      data. The Framework Programme 7 EU Initiative 'coordination of standards in
      metabolomics' (COSMOS) is developing a robust data infrastructure and exchange
      standards for metabolomics data and metadata. This is to support workflows for a
      broad range of metabolomics applications within the European metabolomics
      community and the wider metabolomics and biomedical communities' participation.
      Here we announce our concepts and efforts asking for re-engagement of the
      metabolomics community, academics and industry, journal publishers, software and
      hardware vendors, as well as those interested in standardisation worldwide
      (addressing missing metabolomics ontologies, complex-metadata capturing and XML
      based open source data exchange format), to join and work towards updating and
      implementing metabolomics standards.

PMID- 26491420
TI  - Constrained randomization and multivariate effect projections improve information
      extraction and biomarker pattern discovery in metabolomics studies involving
      dependent samples.
AB  - Analytical drift is a major source of bias in mass spectrometry based
      metabolomics confounding interpretation and biomarker detection. So far, standard
      protocols for sample and data analysis have not been able to fully resolve this.
      We present a combined approach for minimizing the influence of analytical drift
      on multivariate comparisons of matched or dependent samples in mass spectrometry
      based metabolomics studies. The approach is building on a randomization procedure
      for sample run order, constrained to independent randomizations between and
      within dependent sample pairs (e.g. pre/post intervention). This is followed by a
      novel multivariate statistical analysis strategy allowing paired or dependent
      analyses of individual effects named OPLS-effect projections (OPLS-EP). We show,
      using simulated data that OPLS-EP gives improved interpretation over existing
      methods and that constrained randomization of sample run order in combination
      with an appropriate dependent statistical test increase the accuracy and
      sensitivity and decrease the false omission rate in biomarker detection. We
      verify these findings and prove the strength of the suggested approach in a
      clinical data set consisting of LC/MS data of blood plasma samples from patients
      before and after radical prostatectomy. Here OPLS-EP compared to traditional
      (independent) OPLS-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) on constrained randomized data
      gives a less complex model (3 versus 5 components) as well a higher predictive
      ability (Q2 = 0.80 versus Q2 = 0.55). We explain this by showing that paired
      statistical analysis detects 37 unique significant metabolites that were masked
      for the independent test due to bias, including analytical drift and inter
      individual variation.

PMID- 26491421
TI  - Cell-type specific metabolic profiling of Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts as a
      tool for plant systems biology.
AB  - Flow cytometry combined with cell sorting of protoplasts has previously been used
      successfully for transcript profiling of the Arabidopsis thaliana root. We have
      developed the technique further, and in this paper we present a robust and
      reliable method for metabolite profiling in specific cell types isolated from
      Arabidopsis roots. The method uses a combination of fluorescence-activated cell
      sorting and gas chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry analysis.
      Cortical and endodermal cells from the green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing
      enhancer trap line J0571 were analysed and compared with non-GFP-expressing cells
      and intact root tissue. Of the metabolites identified, several showed significant
      differences in concentration between cell types. Multivariate statistical
      analysis was used to compare metabolite patterns between cell and tissue types,
      showing that the patterns differed substantially. Isolation of specific cell
      populations combined with highly sensitive MS-analysis will be a powerful tool
      for future studies of plant metabolism, and can also be combined with transcript
      and protein profiling for in-depth analyses of cellular processes.

PMID- 26491422
TI  - Biomass composition: the "elephant in the room" of metabolic modelling.
AB  - Genome-scale stoichiometric models, constrained to optimise biomass production
      are often used to predict mutant phenotypes. However, for Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae, the representation of biomass in its metabolic model has hardly
      changed in over a decade, despite major advances in analytical technologies.
      Here, we use the stoichiometric model of the yeast metabolic network to show that
      its ability to predict mutant phenotypes is particularly poor for genes encoding
      enzymes involved in energy generation. We then identify apparently inefficient
      energy-generating pathways in the model and demonstrate that the network suffers
      from the high energy burden associated with the generation of biomass. This is
      tightly connected to the availability of phosphate since this macronutrient links
      energy generation and structural biomass components. Variations in yeast's
      biomass composition, within experimentally-determined bounds, demonstrated that
      flux distributions are very sensitive to such changes and to the identity of the
      growth-limiting nutrient. The predictive accuracy of the yeast metabolic model
      is, therefore, compromised by its failure to represent biomass composition in an
      accurate and context-dependent manner.

PMID- 26491423
TI  - LC-MS-based absolute metabolite quantification: application to metabolic flux
      measurement in trypanosomes.
AB  - Human African trypanosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by the
      protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma brucei. In the mammalian bloodstream, the
      trypanosome's metabolism differs significantly from that of its host. For
      example, the parasite relies exclusively on glycolysis for energy source.
      Recently, computational and mathematical models of trypanosome metabolism have
      been generated to assist in understanding the parasite metabolism with the aim of
      facilitating drug development. Optimisation of these models requires quantitative
      information, including metabolite concentrations and/or metabolic fluxes that
      have been hitherto unavailable on a large scale. Here, we have implemented an LC
      MS-based method that allows large scale quantification of metabolite levels by
      using U-13C-labelled E.coli extracts as internal standards. Known amounts of
      labelled E. coli extract were added into the parasite samples, as well as
      calibration standards, and used to obtain calibration curves enabling us to
      convert intensities into concentrations. This method allowed us to reliably
      quantify the changes of 43 intracellular metabolites and 32 extracellular
      metabolites in the medium over time. Based on the absolute quantification, we
      were able to compute consumption and production fluxes. These quantitative data
      can now be used to optimise computational models of parasite metabolism.

PMID- 26491424
TI  - Metabolomics profiling of pre-and post-anesthesia plasma samples of colorectal
      patients obtained via Ficoll separation.
AB  - 1H NMR spectroscopy was used to investigate the metabolic consequences of general
      anesthesia in the plasma of two groups of patients with diagnosis for non
      metastatic colorectal cancer and metastatic colorectal cancer with liver
      metastasis, respectively. Patients were treated with etomidate or propofol, two
      frequently used sedation agents. Plasma samples were obtained via Ficoll
      separation. Here, we demonstrated that this procedure introduces a number of
      limitations for NMR-based metabolomics studies, due to the appearance of spurious
      signals. Nevertheless, the comparison of the 1H NMR metabolomic profiles of
      patients treated with etomidate or propofol at equipotent dose ranges was still
      feasible and proved that both agents significantly decrease the plasma levels of
      several NMR-detectable metabolites. Consequently, samples collected during
      anesthesia are not suitable for metabolic profiling studies aimed at patient
      stratification, because interpersonal variability are reduced by the overall
      depression of metabolites levels. On the other hand, this study showed that
      plasma metabolomics could represent a valuable tool to monitor the effect of
      different sedation agents and/or the individual metabolic response to anesthesia,
      providing hints for an appropriate tuning of personalized sedation procedures. In
      our reference groups, the metabolomic signatures were slightly different in
      patients anesthetized with etomidate versus propofol. The importance of
      standardized collection procedures and availability of exhaustive metadata of the
      experimental design for the accurate evaluation of the significance of the
      observed changes in metabolites levels are critically discussed.

PMID- 26491425
TI  - Gender-specific pathway differences in the human serum metabolome.
AB  - The susceptibility for various diseases as well as the response to treatments
      differ considerably between men and women. As a basis for a gender-specific
      personalized healthcare, an extensive characterization of the molecular
      differences between the two genders is required. In the present study, we
      conducted a large-scale metabolomics analysis of 507 metabolic markers measured
      in serum of 1756 participants from the German KORA F4 study (903 females and 853
      males). One-third of the metabolites show significant differences between males
      and females. A pathway analysis revealed strong differences in steroid
      metabolism, fatty acids and further lipids, a large fraction of amino acids,
      oxidative phosphorylation, purine metabolism and gamma-glutamyl dipeptides. We
      then extended this analysis by a network-based clustering approach. Metabolite
      interactions were estimated using Gaussian graphical models to get an unbiased,
      fully data-driven metabolic network representation. This approach is not limited
      to possibly arbitrary pathway boundaries and can even include poorly or
      uncharacterized metabolites. The network analysis revealed several strongly
      gender-regulated submodules across different pathways. Finally, a gender
      stratified genome-wide association study was performed to determine whether the
      observed gender differences are caused by dimorphisms in the effects of genetic
      polymorphisms on the metabolome. With only a single genome-wide significant hit,
      our results suggest that this scenario is not the case. In summary, we report an
      extensive characterization and interpretation of gender-specific differences of
      the human serum metabolome, providing a broad basis for future analyses.

PMID- 26491427
TI  - A rapid method for profiling of volatile and semi-volatile phytohormones using
      methyl chloroformate derivatisation and GC-MS.
AB  - Phytohormones are central components of complex signalling networks in plants.
      The interplay between these metabolites, which include abscisic acid (ABA), auxin
      (IAA), ethylene, jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA), regulate plant
      growth and development and modulate responses to biotic and abiotic stress. Few
      methods of phytohormone profiling can adequately quantify a large range of plant
      hormones simultaneously and without the requirement for laborious or highly
      specialised extraction protocols. Here we describe the development and validation
      of a phytohormone profiling protocol, based on methyl-chloroformate
      derivatisation of the plant metabolites and analysis by gas chromatography/mass
      spectrometry (GC-MS). We describe the analysis of 11 metabolites, either plant
      phytohormones or intermediates of phytohormone metabolism; ABA, azelaic acid,
      IAA, JA and SA, and the phytohormone precursors 1-aminocyclopropane 1-carboxylic
      acid, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, 13-epi-12-oxophytodienoic acid (13-epi-OPDA),
      linoleic acid and linolenic acid, and validate the isolation from foliar tissue
      of the model legume Medicago truncatula. The preparation is insensitive to the
      presence of water, facilitating measurement of the volatile metabolites.
      Quantitation was linear over four orders of magnitude, and the limits of
      detection between two and 10 ng/mL for all measured metabolites using a single
      quadrupole GC-MS.

PMID- 26491426
TI  - Metabolomic changes during cellular transformation monitored by metabolite
      metabolite correlation analysis and correlated with gene expression.
AB  - To investigate metabolic changes during cellular transformation, we used a 1H NMR
      based metabolite-metabolite correlation analysis (MMCA) method, which permits
      analysis of homeostatic mechanisms in cells at the steady state, in an inducible
      cell transformation model. Transcriptomic data were used to further explain the
      results. Transformed cells showed many more metabolite-metabolite correlations
      than control cells. Some had intuitively plausible explanations: a shift from
      glycolysis to amino acid oxidation after transformation was accompanied by a
      strongly positive correlation between glucose and glutamine and a strongly
      negative one between lactate and glutamate; there were also many correlations
      between the branched chain amino acids and the aromatic amino acids. Others
      remain puzzling: after transformation strong positive correlations developed
      between choline and a group of five amino acids, whereas the same amino acids
      showed negative correlations with phosphocholine, a membrane phospholipid
      precursor. MMCA in conjunction with transcriptome analysis has opened a new
      window into the metabolome.

PMID- 26491428
TI  - Challenges for the Modern Science in its Descend Towards Nano Scale.
AB  - The current rise in the interest in physical phenomena at nano spatial scale is
      described hereby as a natural consequence of the scientific progress in
      manipulation with matter with an ever higher sensitivity. The reason behind
      arising of the entirely new field of nanoscience is that the properties of
      nanostructured materials may significantly differ from their bulk counterparts
      and cannot be predicted by extrapolations of the size-dependent properties
      displayed by materials composed of microsized particles. It is also argued that
      although a material can comprise critical boundaries at the nano scale, this does
      not mean that it will inevitably exhibit properties that endow a nanomaterial.
      This implies that the attribute of "nanomaterial" can be used only in relation
      with a given property of interest. The major challenges faced with the expansion
      of resolution of the materials design, in terms of hardly reproducible
      experiments, are further discussed. It is claimed that owing to an unavoidable
      interference between the experimental system and its environment to which the
      controlling system belongs, an increased fineness of the experimental settings
      will lead to ever more difficulties in rendering them reproducible and
      controllable. Self-assembly methods in which a part of the preprogrammed
      scientific design is substituted with letting physical systems spontaneously
      evolve into attractive and functional structures is mentioned as one of the ways
      to overcome the problems inherent in synthetic approaches at the ultrafine scale.
      The fact that physical systems partly owe their properties to the interaction
      with their environment implies that each self-assembly process can be considered
      a co-assembly event.

PMID- 26491429
TI  - Allosteric interactions between receptor site 3 and 4 of voltage-gated sodium
      channels: a novel perspective for the underlying mechanism of scorpion sting
      induced pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: BmK I, a site-3-specific modulator of voltage-gated sodium channels
      (VGSCs), causes pain and hyperalgesia in rats, while BmK IT2, a site-4-specific
      modulator of VGSCs, suppresses pain-related responses. A stronger pain-related
      effect has been previously attributed to Buthus martensi Karsch (BmK) venom,
      which points out the joint pharmacological effect in the crude venom. METHODS: In
      order to detect the joint effect of BmK I and BmK IT2 on ND7-23 cells, the
      membrane current was measured by whole cell recording. BmK I and BmK IT2 were
      applied successively and jointly, and the synergistic modulations of VGSCs on ND7
      23 cells were detected. RESULTS: Larger peak INa and more negative half
      activation voltage were elicited by joint application of BmK I and BmK IT2 than
      by application of BmK I or BmK IT2 alone. Compared to the control, co-applied BmK
      I and BmK IT2 also significantly prolonged the time constant of inactivation.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that site-4 toxin (BmK IT2) could enhance the
      pharmacological effect induced by site-3 toxin (BmK I), suggesting a stronger
      effect elicited by both toxins that alone usually exhibit opposite
      pharmacological effects, which is related to the allosteric interaction between
      receptor site 3 and site 4. Meanwhile, these results may bring a novel
      perspective for exploring the underlying mechanisms of scorpion sting-induced
      pain.

PMID- 26491430
TI  - Neural Basis of Intrinsic Motivation: Evidence from Event-Related Potentials.
AB  - Human intrinsic motivation is of great importance in human behavior. However,
      although researchers have focused on this topic for decades, its neural basis was
      still unclear. The current study employed event-related potentials to investigate
      the neural disparity between an interesting stop-watch (SW) task and a boring
      watch-stop task (WS) to understand the neural mechanisms of intrinsic motivation.
      Our data showed that, in the cue priming stage, the cue of the SW task elicited
      smaller N2 amplitude than that of the WS task. Furthermore, in the outcome
      feedback stage, the outcome of the SW task induced smaller FRN amplitude and
      larger P300 amplitude than that of the WS task. These results suggested that
      human intrinsic motivation did exist and that it can be detected at the neural
      level. Furthermore, intrinsic motivation could be quantitatively indexed by the
      amplitude of ERP components, such as N2, FRN, and P300, in the cue priming stage
      or feedback stage. Quantitative measurements would also be convenient for
      intrinsic motivation to be added as a candidate social factor in the construction
      of a machine learning model. 

PMID- 26491431
TI  - Neural Cognition and Affective Computing on Cyber Language.
AB  - Characterized by its customary symbol system and simple and vivid expression
      patterns, cyber language acts as not only a tool for convenient communication but
      also a carrier of abundant emotions and causes high attention in public opinion
      analysis, internet marketing, service feedback monitoring, and social emergency
      management. Based on our multidisciplinary research, this paper presents a
      classification of the emotional symbols in cyber language, analyzes the cognitive
      characteristics of different symbols, and puts forward a mechanism model to show
      the dominant neural activities in that process. Through the comparative study of
      Chinese, English, and Spanish, which are used by the largest population in the
      world, this paper discusses the expressive patterns of emotions in international
      cyber languages and proposes an intelligent method for affective computing on
      cyber language in a unified PAD (Pleasure-Arousal-Dominance) emotional space. 

PMID- 26491432
TI  - Impact of Spleen Size on Outcomes in Laparoscopic Splenectomy in Children.
AB  - Background. The aim of our study is to compare the efficacy of laparoscopic
      splenectomy (LS) between enlarged spleens and normal sized spleens. Methods. From
      June 2006 to September 2012, 50 patients underwent LS. The patients consisted of
      24 girls and 26 boys with the mean age of 8.64 years (1-18). The patients are
      divided into two groups according to spleen's longitudinal length on the
      ultrasonography. Group I consisted of the normal sized spleens; Group II
      consisted of spleens that are exceeding the upper limit. Groups are compared in
      terms of number of ports, operative time, rate of conversion to open procedure,
      and length of hospital stay. Results. The mean number of ports was 3.27 and 3.46,
      the mean length of the operation was 116.36 min and 132.17 min, rate of
      conversion to open procedure was 9.09% and 10.25%, and the mean length of
      hospital stay was 3.36 days and 3.23 days, respectively, in Group I and Group II.
      Although there is an increase in the number of the ports, the operative time,
      rate of conversion to open procedure, and the length of hospital stay, the
      difference was not significant between groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion. LS is safe
      and effective in enlarged spleens as well as normal sized spleens. 

PMID- 26491433
TI  - Transumbilical Laparoscopic-Assisted Appendectomy in the Treatment of Acute
      Uncomplicated Appendicitis in Children.
AB  - Transumbilical laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy (TULAA) is increasingly being
      performed worldwide. The authors report their experience in the treatment of
      acute uncomplicated appendicitis in children with TULAA. From January 2008 to
      December 2012 all types of acute appendicitis were divided, according to the
      clinical and ultrasonographic findings, into complicated (appendiceal
      mass/abscess, diffuse peritonitis) and uncomplicated. Complicated appendicitis
      was treated by open appendectomy (OA). All patients with the suspicion of
      uncomplicated appendicitis were offered TULAA by all surgeons of the team.
      Conversion to open or laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) was performed in case of
      impossibility to complete TULAA, depending on the choice of surgeon. The
      histopathologic examination of appendix was always performed. 444 children (252
      males) with acute appendicitis were treated. The mean age was 9.2 years (range, 2
      to 14 years). Primary OA was performed in 144 cases. In 300 patients a
      transumbilical laparoscopic-assisted approach was performed. TULAA was completed
      in 252 patients. Conversion to OA was performed in 45 patients and to LA in 3.
      Conversion was related to the impossibility to adequately expose the appendix in
      47 patients and bleeding in 1. The mean operative time for TULAA was 42 minutes.
      Histopathologic examination of the appendix removed by TULAA showed a
      phlegmonous/gangrenous type in 92.8% of cases. Among the 252 TULAA there were 11
      cases of umbilical wound infection. TULAA is a feasible and effective procedure
      for uncomplicated appendicitis in children. It combines the advantages of open
      and laparoscopic technique (low operative time, low complications rate, and
      excellent cosmetic results). 

PMID- 26491434
TI  - Targeting AGEs Signaling Ameliorates Central Nervous System Diabetic
      Complications in Rats.
AB  - Diabetes is a chronic endocrine disorder associated with several complications as
      hypertension, advanced brain aging, and cognitive decline. Accumulation of
      advanced glycation end products (AGEs) is an important mechanism that mediates
      diabetic complications. Upon binding to their receptor (RAGE), AGEs mediate
      oxidative stress and/or cause cross-linking with proteins in blood vessels and
      brain tissues. The current investigation was designed to investigate the effect
      of agents that decrease AGEs signaling, perindopril which increases soluble RAGE
      (sRAGE) and alagebrium which cleaves AGEs cross-links, compared to the standard
      antidiabetic drug, gliclazide, on the vascular and central nervous system (CNS)
      complications in STZ-induced (50 mg/kg, IP) diabetes in rats. Perindopril
      ameliorated the elevation in blood pressure seen in diabetic animals. In
      addition, both perindopril and alagebrium significantly inhibited memory decline
      (performance in the Y-maze), neuronal degeneration (Fluoro-Jade staining), AGEs
      accumulation in serum and brain, and brain oxidative stress (level of reduced
      glutathione and activities of catalase and malondialdehyde). These results
      suggest that blockade of AGEs signaling after diabetes induction in rats is
      effective in reducing diabetic CNS complications. 

PMID- 26491435
TI  - Informational Theory of Aging: The Life Extension Method Based on the Bone Marrow
      Transplantation.
AB  - The method of lifespan extension that is a practical application of the
      informational theory of aging is proposed. In this theory, the degradation (error
      accumulation) of the genetic information in cells is considered a main cause of
      aging. According to it, our method is based on the transplantation of genetically
      identical (or similar) stem cells with the lower number of genomic errors to the
      old recipients. For humans and large mammals, this method can be realized by
      cryopreservation of their own stem cells, taken in a young age, for the later
      autologous transplantation in old age. To test this method experimentally, we
      chose laboratory animals of relatively short lifespan (mouse). Because it is
      difficult to isolate the required amount of the stem cells (e.g., bone marrow)
      without significant damage for animals, we used the bone marrow transplantation
      from sacrificed inbred young donors. It is shown that the lifespan extension of
      recipients depends on level of their genetic similarity (syngeneity) with donors.
      We have achieved the lifespan increase of the experimental mice by 34% when the
      transplantation of the bone marrow with high level of genetic similarity was
      used. 

PMID- 26491436
TI  - 17beta Estradiol Modulates Perfusion Pressure and Expression of 5-LOX and CYP450
      4A in the Isolated Kidney of Metabolic Syndrome Female Rats.
AB  - Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and progression of nephropathy depend on sex. We
      examined a protective effect of estradiol against nephropathy in metabolic
      syndrome through the modulation of the arachidonic acid metabolism by activating
      the 5-lipoxygenase and cytochrome p450 4A pathways. 28 female Wistar rats were
      divided into four groups of seven animals each: control, intact metabolic
      syndrome, ovariectomized metabolic syndrome, and metabolic syndrome
      ovariectomized plus estradiol. Blood pressure, body weight, body fat,
      triglycerides, insulin, HOMA-index, albuminuria, and TNF-alpha were increased in
      ovariectomized metabolic syndrome rats (p < 0.001). The perfusion pressure in
      isolated kidneys of ovariectomized metabolic syndrome rats in presence of 4 MUg
      of arachidonic acid was increased. The inhibitors of the arachidonic acid
      metabolism Baicalein, Miconazole, and Indomethacin in these rats decreased the
      perfusion pressure by 57.62%, 99.83%, and 108.5%, respectively and they decreased
      creatinine clearance and the arachidonic acid percentage. Phospholipase A2
      expression in the kidney of ovariectomized metabolic syndrome rats was not
      modified. 5-lipoxygenase was increased in metabolic syndrome ovariectomized rats
      while cytochrome p450 4A was decreased. In conclusion, the loss of estradiol
      increases renal damage while the treatment with estradiol benefits renal function
      by modulating arachidonic acid metabolism through the 5-lipoxygenase and
      cytochrome p450 4A pathways. 

PMID- 26491437
TI  - Diabetes Burden in Urban and Rural Senegalese Populations: A Cross-Sectional
      Study in 2012.
AB  - Diabetes represents a challenging global health issue in the 21st century. Data
      from sub-Saharan African populations are scarce and are usually restricted to
      urban settings. The objective of this study was to compare prevalence and risk
      factors of diabetes in rural and urban areas in Senegal. Methods. In a community
      based survey between January and May 2012, we included 1027 adults aged >=18
      years living in northern Senegal. Sociodemographic, clinical, and biological data
      were collected during household visits. Multivariate logistic regression was
      performed to identify factors associated with diabetes. Results. Mean age of
      participants was 48.0 +/- 16.9 years and 65.7% were female. Participants from
      urban area represented 55.7%. The age-standardized prevalence of diabetes was
      7.6% (6.0% in men versus 9.0% in women). Prevalence of diabetes was higher in
      urban areas (8.1%) compared to rural areas (4.6%). Disease awareness rate was
      43%. After multivariate analysis, age (OR = 1.63, p = 0.001), familial history of
      diabetes (OR = 1.42, p = 0.001), and abdominal obesity (OR = 1.17, p = 0.05) were
      associated with diabetes. Conclusion. Diabetes is frequent in urban and rural
      areas in Senegal. Awareness rate is very low among populations. Age, family
      history of diabetes, and abdominal obesity are the main risk factors identified. 

PMID- 26491438
TI  - Sodium Valproate Enhances the Urethane-Induced Lung Adenomas and Suppresses
      Malignization of Adenomas in Ovariectomized Female Mice.
AB  - In the present study, the possible effect of sodium valproate (NaVP) on urethane
      induced lung tumors in female mice has been evaluated. BALB/c mice (n = 60; 4-6
      weeks old, females) were used in the following groups: (1) urethane-treated; (2)
      urethane-NaVP-treated; (3) only NaVP-treated; (4) control. In the same groups,
      ovariectomized female mice (n = 60) were investigated. Urethane was given
      intraperitoneally, with a total dose of 50 mg/mouse. In NaVP-treated mice groups,
      0.4% aqueous solution of NaVP was offered to mice ad libitum. The duration of the
      experiment was 6 months. The number of tumors per mouse in ovariectomized mice
      and in those treated with urethane and NaVP was significantly higher than in mice
      treated with urethane only (8.29 +/- 0.58 versus 6.0 +/- 0.63, p < 0.02). No
      significant difference in the number of tumors per mouse was revealed while
      comparing the nonovariectomized urethane- and urethane-NaVP-treated groups (p =
      0.13). A significant decrease of adenocarcinoma number in ovariectomized mice
      treated with a urethane-NaVP as compared with ovariectomized mice treated with
      urethane only was found (p = 0.031). NaVP together with low estrogen may have a
      protective effect on the malignization of adenomas in ovariectomized mice. 

PMID- 26491439
TI  - Sex/Gender Differences in Metabolism and Behavior: Influence of Sex Chromosomes
      and Hormones.

PMID- 26491440
TI  - Sex Hormones and Their Receptors Regulate Liver Energy Homeostasis.
AB  - The liver is one of the most essential organs involved in the regulation of
      energy homeostasis. Hepatic steatosis, a major manifestation of metabolic
      syndrome, is associated with imbalance between lipid formation and breakdown,
      glucose production and catabolism, and cholesterol synthesis and secretion.
      Epidemiological studies show sex difference in the prevalence in fatty liver
      disease and suggest that sex hormones may play vital roles in regulating hepatic
      steatosis. In this review, we summarize current literature and discuss the role
      of estrogens and androgens and the mechanisms through which estrogen receptors
      and androgen receptors regulate lipid and glucose metabolism in the liver. In
      females, estradiol regulates liver metabolism via estrogen receptors by
      decreasing lipogenesis, gluconeogenesis, and fatty acid uptake, while enhancing
      lipolysis, cholesterol secretion, and glucose catabolism. In males, testosterone
      works via androgen receptors to increase insulin receptor expression and glycogen
      synthesis, decrease glucose uptake and lipogenesis, and promote cholesterol
      storage in the liver. These recent integrated concepts suggest that sex hormone
      receptors could be potential promising targets for the prevention of hepatic
      steatosis. 

PMID- 26491442
TI  - Role of Sex Hormones in the Development and Progression of Hepatitis B Virus
      Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major risk factor for hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) in developed countries. Epidemiological reports indicate that the
      incidence of HBV-related HCC is higher in males and postmenopausal females than
      other females. Increasing evidence suggests that sex hormones such as androgens
      and estrogens play an important role in the progression of an HBV infection and
      in the development of HBV-related HCC. While androgen is supposed to stimulate
      the androgen signaling pathway and cooperate to the increased transcription and
      replication of HBV genes, estrogen may play a protecting role against the
      progression of HBV infections and in the development of HBV-related HCC through
      decreasing HBV RNA transcription and inflammatory cytokines levels. Additionally,
      sex hormones can also affect HBV-related hepatocarcinogenesis by inducing
      epigenetic changes such as the regulation of mRNA levels by microRNAs (miRNAs),
      DNA methylation, and histone modification in liver tissue. This review describes
      the molecular mechanisms underlying the gender disparity in HBV-related HCC with
      the aim of improving the understanding of key factors underneath the sex
      disparity often observed in HBV infections. Furthermore, the review will propose
      more effective prevention strategies and treatments of HBV-derived diseases. 

PMID- 26491441
TI  - A Role for Estrogen in Schizophrenia: Clinical and Preclinical Findings.
AB  - Gender differences in schizophrenia have been extensively researched and it is
      being increasingly accepted that gonadal steroids are strongly attributed to this
      phenomenon. Of the various hormones implicated, the estrogen hypothesis has been
      the most widely researched one and it postulates that estrogen exerts a
      protective effect by buffering females against the development and severity of
      the illness. In this review, we comprehensively analyse studies that have
      investigated the effects of estrogen, in particular 17beta-estradiol, in
      clinical, animal, and molecular research with relevance to schizophrenia.
      Specifically, we discuss the current evidence on estrogen dysfunction in
      schizophrenia patients and review the clinical findings on the use of estradiol
      as an adjunctive treatment in schizophrenia patients. Preclinical research that
      has used animal models and molecular probes to investigate estradiol's underlying
      protective mechanisms is also substantially discussed, with particular focus on
      estradiol's impact on the major neurotransmitter systems implicated in
      schizophrenia, namely, the dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate systems. 

PMID- 26491444
TI  - Serum Bisphenol A Level in Boys with Cryptorchidism: A Step to Male Infertility?
AB  - Cryptorchidism is the most common congenital birth defect in boys and affects
      about 2-4% full-term male neonates. Its etiology is multifactorial. Purpose. To
      evaluate the serum bisphenol A (BPA) levels in boys with cryptorchidism and
      healthy boys and to assess the risk of environmental exposure to BPA using the
      authors' questionnaire. The data were acquired from a study on boys with
      cryptorchidism (n = 98) and a control group (n = 57). Prior to surgery, all
      patients had BPA serum levels evaluated. The size, position, rigidity of the
      testis, and abnormality of the epididymis of the undescended testis were
      assessed. Parents also completed a questionnaire on the risks of exposure to BPA
      in everyday life. Results. The testes in both groups were similar in size. The
      turgor of the undescended testis in the group of boys with cryptorchidism was
      decreased. Free serum BPA level in cryptorchid boys and in the control group was
      not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The conjugated serum BPA level in
      cryptorchid boys and in the control group was statistically significant (p <=
      0.05). Total serum BPA level in cryptorchid boys and in the control group was
      statistically significant (p < 0.05). Serum total BPA level was related with a
      positive answer about problems with conception (p < 0.02). Conclusion. Our study
      indicated that high serum BPA was associated with cryptorchidism. 

PMID- 26491446
TI  - Oral Lesions Induced by Chronic Khat Use Consist Essentially of Thickened
      Hyperkeratinized Epithelium.
AB  - Objectives. The habit of khat chewing is prevalent in many Middle Eastern and
      African cultures and has been associated with various adverse conditions in
      humans. This study aimed to describe histological changes induced by chronic khat
      chewing on the buccal mucosa. Methods. Biopsies of the buccal mucosa from 14
      chronic khat chewers, 20 chronic khat chewers who also smoked tobacco, and 8
      nonchewers were compared for epithelial thickness, degree and type of
      keratinization, and connective tissue changes. Results. Tissues from khat chewers
      depicted abnormal keratinization of the superficial cell layer and showed
      increased epithelial thickness affecting all layers. Epithelial thickness in
      control samples was 205 +/- 26 MUm whereas thickness in khat chewers and khat
      chewers who smoked tobacco was significantly higher measuring 330 +/- 35 MUm and
      335 +/- 19 MUm, respectively. Tissues from khat chewers also showed increased
      intracellular edema, increased melanin pigment deposits, and increased number of
      rete pegs most of which were thin and deep. Conclusions. These results show that
      oral lesions induced by chronic chewing of khat in the buccal mucosa present with
      white and brown discoloration due to increased epithelial thickness, increased
      keratinization, and melanin deposition. 

PMID- 26491443
TI  - Regulation of Estrogen Receptor alpha Expression in the Hypothalamus by Sex
      Steroids: Implication in the Regulation of Energy Homeostasis.
AB  - Sex differences exist in the complex regulation of energy homeostasis that
      utilizes central and peripheral systems. It is widely accepted that sex steroids,
      especially estrogens, are important physiological and pathological components in
      this sex-specific regulation. Estrogens exert their biological functions via
      estrogen receptors (ERs). ERalpha, a classic nuclear receptor, contributes to
      metabolic regulation and sexual behavior more than other ER subtypes.
      Physiological and molecular studies have identified multiple ERalpha-rich nuclei
      in the hypothalamus of the central nervous system (CNS) as sites of actions that
      mediate effects of estrogens. Much of our understanding of ERalpha regulation has
      been obtained using transgenic models such as ERalpha global or nuclei-specific
      knockout mice. A fundamental question concerning how ERalpha is regulated in wild
      type animals, including humans, in response to alterations in steroid hormone
      levels, due to experimental manipulation (i.e., castration and hormone
      replacement) or physiological stages (i.e., puberty, pregnancy, and menopause),
      lacks consistent answers. This review discusses how different sex hormones affect
      ERalpha expression in the hypothalamus. This information will contribute to the
      knowledge of estrogen action in the CNS, further our understanding of
      discrepancies in correlation of altered sex hormone levels with metabolic
      disturbances when comparing both sexes, and improve health issues in
      postmenopausal women. 

PMID- 26491445
TI  - The Past, Present, and Future in Management of Small Renal Masses.
AB  - Management of small renal masses (SRMs) is currently evolving due to the
      increased incidence given the ubiquity of cross-sectional imaging. Diagnosing a
      mass in the early stages theoretically allows for high rates of cure but
      simultaneously risks overtreatment. New consensus guidelines and treatment
      modalities are changing frequently. The multitude of information currently
      available shall be summarized in this review. This summary will detail the
      historic surgical treatment of renal cell carcinoma with current innovations, the
      feasibility and utility of biopsy, the efficacy of ablative techniques, active
      surveillance, and use of biomarkers. We evaluate how technology may be used in
      approaching the small renal mass in order to decrease morbidity, while keeping
      rates of overtreatment to a minimum. 

PMID- 26491447
TI  - Evaluation of Static Friction of Polycrystalline Ceramic Brackets after
      Conditioning with Different Powers of Er:YAG Laser.
AB  - This research aimed to reduce the friction between the wire and brackets by
      Er:YAG laser. To measure the friction between the wires and brackets in 0 degrees
      and 10 degrees  of wire angulations, 40 polycrystalline ceramic brackets (Hubit,
      South Korea) were divided into 8 study groups and irradiated by 100, 200, and 300
      mj/s of Er:YAG laser power. Two groups of brackets were not irradiated. The
      friction between the wires and brackets was measured with universal testing
      machine (SANTAM) with a segment of .019 * .025 SS wire pulled out of the slot of
      bracket. ANOVA and t-test were used for analyzing the results. To evaluate the
      effect of the laser on surface morphology of the bracket, SEM evaluations were
      carried out. The mean frictional resistances between the brackets and wires with
      0 degrees  of angulation by increasing the laser power decreased compared with
      control group, but, in 10 degrees  of angulation, the friction increased
      regardless of the laser power and was comparable to the friction of nonirradiated
      brackets. Furthermore, with each laser power, frictional resistance of brackets
      in 10 degrees  of angulation was significantly higher than 0 degrees  of
      angulation. These results were explained by SEM images too. 

PMID- 26491448
TI  - Association of Awake Bruxism with Khat, Coffee, Tobacco, and Stress among Jazan
      University Students.
AB  - Objective. The objective is to assess the prevalence of bruxism among the
      university students and to check its association with their khat chewing habit.
      Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional descriptive study is designed using
      cluster random sampling. Pretested questionnaire was administered by a trained
      interviewer to assess awake bruxism and the use of variables like khat, coffee,
      tobacco, and stress. Chi-square test at 5% significance was used for assessing
      the association. Logistic regression was also performed after adjusting for
      covariates. Results. A high response rate (95%) was obtained as the distribution
      and collection of questionnaire was within an hour interval. 85% (63%, males;
      22%, females) experienced an episode of bruxism at least one time in the past six
      months. Regression analysis revealed an association of stress (P = 0.00; OR =
      5.902, 95% CI 2.614-13.325) and khat use (P = 0.05; OR = 1.629, 95% CI 0.360
      7.368) with bruxism. Interestingly, it is observed that the one who chew khat
      experienced 3.56 times (95% CI; 2.62-11.22) less pain when compared to the
      nonusers. Conclusion. This study is the first of its kind to assess the
      association of bruxism with khat chewing. High amount of stress and khat use can
      be considered as important risk indicators for awake bruxism. 

PMID- 26491449
TI  - Level of Adherence to Prophylactic Osteoporosis Medication amongst Patients with
      Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - Objective. To estimate level of adherence to oral calcium and vitamin D
      supplementation as well as bisphosphonate amongst patients with PMR and GCA
      treated with glucocorticoids. Method. A total of 138 patients with the diagnosis
      of PMR and/or GCA registered in our department in December 2013. In this cross
      sectional study we interviewed all the patients to measure level of adherence to
      calcium and vitamin D, as well as bisphosphonates. Results. Out of the 118
      included patients, 88.9% of them were adherent to their prescription. Only 2
      patients (1.7%) did not take calcium and vitamin D at all and 10 patients (8.5%)
      took their medication infrequently, 9 and 1 out of 10 patients took the
      medication 50-100% of the time and less than 50% of the prescribed dose,
      respectively. Sixty-one patients received additional treatment with
      bisphosphonate and 96.6% were adherent to this therapy. The remaining 3.4% of the
      patients did not take the medication at all. Forgetfulness, adverse side effects,
      and lack of understanding of treatment benefits were the most significant causes
      for nonadherence to calcium and vitamin D. Conclusions. Contrary to what we
      expected this study found that adherence to osteoporosis preventive medication in
      patients with PMR and GCA was high. 

PMID- 26491450
TI  - The Importance of the Monitoring of Resuscitation with Blood Transfusion for
      Uterine Inversion in Obstetrical Hemorrhage.
AB  - Objective. The aim of this study was to describe critical care for obstetrical
      hemorrhage, especially in cases of uterine inversion. Study Design. We extracted
      data for six patients diagnosed with uterine inversion concerning resuscitation.
      Results. The shock index on admission of the six patients was 1.6 or more on
      admission. Four of the six experienced delay in diagnosis and received inadequate
      fluid replacement. Five of the six experienced delay in transfer. Five of the six
      underwent simultaneous blood transfusion on admission, and the remaining patient
      experienced a delay of 30 minutes. All six patients successfully underwent
      uterine replacement soon after admission. One maternal death occurred due to
      inappropriate practices that included delay in diagnosis, delay in transfer,
      inadequate fluid replacement, and delayed transfusion. Two patients experiencing
      inappropriate practices involving delay in diagnosis, delay in transfer, and
      inadequate fluid replacement survived. Conclusion. If a delay in diagnosis occurs
      simultaneously with a delay in transfer and inadequate fluid replacement, failure
      in providing a prompt blood transfusion may be critical and result in maternal
      death. The monitoring of resuscitation with blood transfusion for uterine
      inversion is essential for the improvement of obstetrical care. 

PMID- 26491451
TI  - A Case Report of an Atypical Presentation of IgG4-Related Disease and Idiopathic
      CD4 Lymphocytopenia.
AB  - The IgG4-related disease is a fibroinflammatory disease characterized by
      tumefactive lesions, a dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate rich in IgG4-positive
      plasma cells, storiform fibrosis, and, often but not always, elevated serum
      levels of IgG4. Idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia is a heterogenic and rare syndrome
      characterized by the detection of a persistent absolute CD4 T cells count <300
      cells/mm(3) (or <20% of total T cells) in more than one occasion and no evidence
      of HIV infection in absence of immunodeficiency or therapy associated with
      depressed levels of CD4 T cells. We report the case of a 50-year-old man with a
      multiorgan IgG4-related disease presenting in a temporal association with a
      profound and symptomatic idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia. Both clinical pictures
      improved after steroid treatment. Idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia has been
      associated with a number of autoimmune conditions but, to the best of our
      knowledge, this is the first case in which an association with the IgG4-related
      disease is reported. 

PMID- 26491452
TI  - The Cutaneous Ciliated Cyst in Young Male: The Possibility of Ciliated Cutaneous
      Eccrine Cyst.
AB  - Cutaneous ciliated cyst was described as a painless cyst occurring on the lower
      limbs of women between the ages of 15 and 30 years. The cysts are typically lined
      by ciliated cuboidal to columnar epithelium with pseudostratified areas and focal
      squamous metaplasia is occasionally present. Immunohistochemical studies have
      demonstrated that the cysts are PR and ER positive, similar to the epithelia of
      the fallopian tubes. However, outliers of cutaneous ciliated cysts, including
      those in male patients and in unexpected locations such as the scalp, finger, and
      scapular area, have been reported. Thus, some hypotheses have been proposed
      including the Mullerian heterotopias, ciliated metaplasia of eccrine sweat
      glands, and embryonic remnants of the cloacal membrane. We report a rare case of
      cutaneous ciliated cyst on the left shoulder of a 7-year-old boy and this is the
      eighth case of cutaneous ciliated cyst in male patients. Moreover, through
      reviewing the articles, we try to propose the classification of the cutaneous
      ciliated cysts into the cutaneous Mullerian cysts and the ciliated cutaneous
      eccrine cysts. 

PMID- 26491453
TI  - Mycological Pattern of Dermatomycoses in a Tertiary Care Hospital.
AB  - Background. Dermatomycoses are not diseases requiring compulsory notifications;
      rather they cause cosmetic defacements. Indian subcontinent with a varied
      topography is favorable for various fungal infections. Objective. To look for the
      epidemiological and mycological profile of superficial mycoses in North India.
      Methods. Three hundred and fifty-one clinical samples of skin, hair, and nail
      were examined to find the fungal etiology of the dermatomycoses. Results.
      Dermatomycoses were seen in 215/351 (61.2%) of cases. Most common isolates
      obtained were nondermatophyte molds (NDMs) (36.1%), followed by dermatophytes
      (13.8%) and yeasts (8.6%). Aspergillus niger (9%) was the most common mold.
      Trichophyton rubrum (4.6%) was the most common dermatophyte isolated, while
      amongst the yeasts Non-albicans Candida (NAC) species were more common (6%). Many
      other NDMs like Syncephalastrum spp., Cunninghamella spp., Rhodotorula spp., A.
      terreus, Scytalidium spp. and Scopulariopsis spp. were also isolated. Conclusion.
      Our study reflects an increasing role of NDMs (thought to be normal laboratory or
      environmental contaminants) as a causative agent of dermatomycoses, replacing the
      dermatophytes. Clinician's awareness of the demographic profile of the population
      involved along with more studies on dermatomycoses can help in understanding the
      etiological profile in area, leading to prevention of disease occurrence and
      cosmetic disfigurement. 

PMID- 26491454
TI  - Clinical Presentation, Aetiology, and Outcomes of Meningitis in a Setting of High
      HIV and TB Prevalence.
AB  - Meningitis causes significant morbidity and mortality globally. The aim of this
      study was to study the clinical presentation, aetiology, and outcomes of
      meningitis among adult patients admitted to Queen Mamohato Memorial Hospital in
      Maseru, Lesotho, with a diagnosis of meningitis. A cross-sectional study was
      conducted between February and April 2014; data collected included presenting
      signs and symptoms, laboratory results, and clinical outcomes. Descriptive
      statistics were used to summarise data; association between variables was
      analysed using Fisher's exact test. 56 patients were enrolled; the HIV
      coinfection rate was 79%. The most common presenting symptoms were altered mental
      status, neck stiffness, headache, and fever. TB meningitis was the most frequent
      diagnosis (39%), followed by bacterial (27%), viral (18%), and cryptococcal
      meningitis (16%). In-hospital mortality was 43% with case fatalities of 23%, 40%,
      44%, and 90% for TB, bacterial, cryptococcal, and viral meningitis, respectively.
      Severe renal impairment was significantly associated with mortality. In
      conclusion, the causes of meningitis in this study reflect the high prevalence of
      HIV and TB in our setting. Strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality due to
      meningitis should include improving diagnostic services to facilitate early
      detection and treatment of meningitis and timely initiation of antiretroviral
      therapy in HIV-infected patients. 

PMID- 26491455
TI  - Prevalence of Intestinal Protozoa among Saudi Patients with Chronic Renal
      Failure: A Case-Control Study.
AB  - It has been hypothesized that chronic renal failure (CRF) predisposes patients to
      infection with intestinal protozoa. We tested this hypothesis with a matched case
      control study to determine the prevalence of these protozoa and their diarrhea
      associated symptoms among 50 patients with CRF (cases) from Taif, western Saudi
      Arabia. Fifty diarrheal patients without CRF were recruited in the study as
      controls. Participants were interviewed by a structured questionnaire and stool
      samples were collected. Samples were thoroughly examined with microscopy and
      three coproantigens detection kits. Enteric protozoa were detected in 21 cases
      and 14 controls. Blastocystis spp. were the most predominant parasite (16% in
      cases versus 8% in controls), followed by Giardia duodenalis (10% in cases versus
      12% in controls) and Cryptosporidium spp. (10% in cases versus 6% in controls).
      Cyclospora cayetanensis was identified in two cases, while Entamoeba histolytica
      was described in one case and one control. Intestinal parasitism was positively
      associated with the male gender, urban residence, and travel history. Clinical
      symptoms of nausea/vomiting and abdominal pain were significantly varied between
      the parasitized cases and controls (P value <= 0.05). Given the results, we
      recommend screening all diarrheal feces for intestinal protozoa in the study's
      population, particularly those with CRF. 

PMID- 26491456
TI  - Amodiaquine and Ciprofloxacin Combination in Plasmodiasis Therapy.
AB  - Objective. The study was designed to determine the efficacy of combined
      Amodiaquine and Ciprofloxacin in plasmodiasis therapy. Method. The in vivo
      antiplasmodial effect of different dosage levels of Amodiaquine, Ciprofloxacin,
      and their combinations against Plasmodium berghei berghei was evaluated using
      Swiss albino mice. Results. Amodiaquine (a known antiplasmodial agent) had a
      fairly significant antiplasmodial effect reducing the parasites for every 100 red
      blood cells (RBC) from 66 to 16 (75.75%) at the tolerable dosage level of 7.5
      mg/kg body weight while Ciprofloxacin (an antibiotic known to have antimalarial
      effect) showed an insignificant antiplasmodial effect reducing the parasites for
      every 100 RBC from 65 to 64 (1.53%) at the tolerable dosage level of 10.7 mg/kg
      body weight. Conversely, the combination therapy of Amodiaquine and Ciprofloxacin
      had a significant antiplasmodial effect at all the doses administered. The
      combination of 7.5 mg/kg of Amodiaquine and 12.8 mg/kg of Ciprofloxacin, however,
      showed the most significant antiplasmodial effect of the doses used reducing the
      number of parasites per 100 RBC from 60 to 10 (83.33%). Conclusions. Appropriate
      Amodiaquine and Ciprofloxacin combination will be effective for the treatment of
      malaria and better than either Amodiaquine or Ciprofloxacin singly at their
      recommended dosage levels. 

PMID- 26491457
TI  - Perceptions of Yoga Therapy Embedded in Two Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospitals:
      Agency Perspectives.
AB  - Inpatient medical rehabilitation has maintained a typical medical-model focus and
      structure for many years. However, as integrative therapies, such as yoga
      therapy, emerge as treatments which can enhance the physical and mental health of
      its participants, it is important to determine if they can be easily implemented
      into the traditional rehabilitation structure and milieu. Therefore, the purpose
      of this study was to examine the perceptions of key agency personnel on the
      feasibility and utility of yoga therapy implemented in inpatient rehabilitation.
      This study reports the results of focus groups and an individual interview with
      key stakeholders (administrators and rehabilitation therapists) from two
      rehabilitation hospitals following the implementation of yoga therapy. Results
      focused on several key themes: feasibility from the therapist and administrator
      perspectives, challenges to implementation, and utility and benefit. Overall, the
      implementation and integration of yoga therapy were positive; however, some
      programmatic and policy and organizational considerations remain. Implications
      for practice and future research are provided. 

PMID- 26491458
TI  - Short-Term Effects of Kinesio Taping and Cross Taping Application in the
      Treatment of Latent Upper Trapezius Trigger Points: A Prospective, Single-Blind,
      Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial.
AB  - Kinesio taping (KT) may be a new treatment in patients with myofascial trigger
      points (MTrPs). A new method available for taping practitioners is cross taping
      (CT). The main objective was to determine how CT, KT, and medical adhesive tape
      (sham group) affect the subjective assessment of resting bioelectrical activity
      and pain of the upper trapezius muscle (UT) in patients with MTrPs. 105
      volunteers were recruited to participate. The primary outcome was resting
      bioelectrical activity of UT muscle as assessed by surface electromyography
      (sEMG) in each group and pain intensity on a visual analog scale (VAS).
      Assessments were collected before and after intervention and after the 24-hours
      follow-up. No significant differences were observed in bioelectrical activity of
      UT between pre-, post-, and follow-up results. In three groups patients had
      significantly lower pain VAS score after the intervention (CT-p < 0.001, KT-p <
      0.001, and sham-p < 0.01). The Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA showed no significant
      differences in almost all measurements between groups. The application of all
      three types of tapes does not influence the resting bioelectrical activity of UT
      muscle and may not lead to a reduction in muscle tone in the case of MTrPs. 

PMID- 26491459
TI  - Danhong Promotes Angiogenesis in Diabetic Mice after Critical Limb Ischemia by
      Activation of CSE-H 2 S-VEGF Axis.
AB  - The aim of this paper is to investigate effect and mechanism of Danhong injection
      (DH) on angiogenesis in the diabetic hind limb ischemia mouse model. Thirty
      diabetic hind limb ischemic model mice and ten normal mice, established by
      intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of streptozotocin (STZ) or PBS and
      ligation/excision of femoral artery, and then twenty diabetic hind limb ischemic
      model mice of all were evenly randomized to saline (control, n = 10) and DH i.p.
      injection (2 mL/kg weight for 7 days, n = 10) groups. Limb perfusion recovery and
      femoral blood hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and vessel regeneration and lower limb
      vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/cystathionine gamma-lyase (CSE)
      expression were evaluated during intervention and after euthanasia, respectively.
      DH i.p. increased ischemic limb perfusion and promoted collateral circulation
      generation without decreasing blood glucose level. Increased local CSE-H2S-VEGF
      expression contributed to beneficial effects of DH injection. In conclusion,
      activation of local CSE-H2S-VEGF axis might participate in proangiogenesis
      effects of DH injection in diabetic hind limb ischemia model mice, suggesting a
      potential therapy for diabetic patients with critical limb ischemia. 

PMID- 26491460
TI  - The Expression Patterns of c-Fos and c-Jun Induced by Different Frequencies of
      Electroacupuncture in the Brain.
AB  - To investigate patterns of c-Fos and c-Jun expression induced by different
      frequencies of electroacupuncture (EA) in the brain, goats were stimulated by EA
      of 0, 2, 60, or 100 Hz at a set of "Baihui, Santai, Ergen, and Sanyangluo" points
      for 30 min. The pain threshold was measured using the potassium iontophoresis
      method. The levels of c-Fos and c-Jun were determined with Streptavidin-Biotin
      Complex immunohistochemistry. The results showed that the pain threshold induced
      by 60 Hz was 82.2% higher (P < 0.01) than that by 0, 2, or 100 Hz (6.5%, 35.2%,
      or 40.9%). EA induced increased c-Fos and c-Jun expression in most analgesia
      related nuclei and areas in the brain. Sixty Hz EA increased more c-Fos or c-Jun
      expression than 2 Hz or 100 Hz EA in all the measured nuclei and areas except for
      the nucleus accumbens, the area septalis lateralis, the caudate nucleus, the
      nucleus amygdala basalis, and the locus coeruleus, in which c-Fos or c-Jun
      expressions induced by 60 Hz EA did not differ from those by 2 Hz or 100 Hz EA.
      It was suggested that 60 Hz EA activated more extensive neural circuits in goats,
      which may contribute to optimal analgesic effects. 

PMID- 26491461
TI  - Are There Benefits from Teaching Yoga at Schools? A Systematic Review of
      Randomized Control Trials of Yoga-Based Interventions.
AB  - Introduction. Yoga is a holistic system of varied mind-body practices that can be
      used to improve mental and physical health and it has been utilized in a variety
      of contexts and situations. Educators and schools are looking to include yoga as
      a cost-effective, evidence-based component of urgently needed wellness programs
      for their students. Objectives. The primary goal of this study was to
      systematically examine the available literature for yoga interventions
      exclusively in school settings, exploring the evidence of yoga-based
      interventions on academic, cognitive, and psychosocial benefits. Methods. An
      extensive search was conducted for studies published between 1980 and October 31,
      2014 (PubMed, PsycInfo, Embase, ISI, and the Cochrane Library). Effect size
      analysis, through standardized mean difference and Hedges'g, allowed for the
      comparison between experimental conditions. Results and Conclusions. Nine
      randomized control trials met criteria for inclusion in this review. Effect size
      was found for mood indicators, tension and anxiety in the POMS scale, self
      esteem, and memory when the yoga groups were compared to control. Future research
      requires greater standardization and suitability of yoga interventions for
      children. 

PMID- 26491462
TI  - Alleviation of Carbon-Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Injury and Fibrosis by Betaine
      Supplementation in Chickens.
AB  - Betaine is a food component with well-reported hepatoprotection effects. However,
      the effects and mechanisms of betaine on liver fibrosis development are still
      insufficient. Because metabolic functions of chicken and human liver is similar,
      we established a chicken model with carbon Tetrachloride- (CCl4-) induced
      fibrosis for studying antifibrotic effect of betaine in vivo and in vitro. Two
      week-old male chicks were supplemented with betaine (1%, w/v) in drinking water
      for 2 weeks prior to the initiation of CCl4 treatment (i.p.) until sacrifice.
      Primary chicken hepatocytes were treated with CCl4 and betaine to mimic the in
      vivo supplementation. The supplementation of betaine significantly alleviated
      liver fibrosis development along with the inhibition of lipid peroxidation,
      hepatic inflammation cytokine, and transforming growth factor-beta1 expression
      levels. These inhibitive effects were also accompanied with the attenuation of
      hepatic stellate cell activation. Furthermore, our in vitro studies confirmed
      that betaine provides antioxidant capacity for attenuating the hepatocyte
      necrosis by CCl4. Altogether, our results highlight the antioxidant ability of
      betaine, which alleviates CCl4-induced fibrogenesis process along with the
      suppression of hepatic stellate cells activation. Since betaine is a natural
      compound without toxicity, we suggest betaine can be used as a potent nutritional
      or therapeutic factor for reducing liver fibrosis. 

PMID- 26491463
TI  - A Bio-Guided Fractionation to Assess the Inhibitory Activity of Calendula
      officinalis L. on the NF-kappaB Driven Transcription in Human Gastric Epithelial
      Cells.
AB  - Calendula officinalis L. has been largely known for its topical anti-inflammatory
      properties; however, there are no experimental evidences about its antiphlogistic
      effect at the gastric level. To investigate whether marigold might exert an
      activity against gastric inflammation, a CH2Cl2 extract obtained from C.
      officinalis flowers was evaluated in vitro on the NF-kappaB pathway. The
      lipophilic extract demonstrated a significant inhibitory effect on the NF-kappaB
      driven transcription. The identification of active compounds was conducted by a
      bio-guided fractionation of the extract that afforded 16 fractions. Fraction J
      exhibited a concentration-dependent inhibitory activity on the NF-kappaB driven
      transcription and significantly contributed to the antiphlogistic effect showed
      by CH2Cl2 extract. The main components of fraction J were loliolide and the
      fucoside acetates of beta-eudesmol and viridiflorol. HPLC analysis of fractions D
      and E led to the identification and isolation of triterpene esters that showed a
      concentration-dependent inhibition of the NF-kappaB driven transcription, with
      faradiol-3-myristate and the corresponding aglycone being the most active
      compounds. The present study provides some experimental evidences that Calendula
      officinalis L. may exert an anti-inflammatory activity on the gastric district by
      the inhibition of the NF-kappaB system, identifying the compounds responsible, at
      least in part, for the observed effect. 

PMID- 26491464
TI  - EEG Signals Analysis Using Multiscale Entropy for Depth of Anesthesia Monitoring
      during Surgery through Artificial Neural Networks.
AB  - In order to build a reliable index to monitor the depth of anesthesia (DOA), many
      algorithms have been proposed in recent years, one of which is sample entropy
      (SampEn), a commonly used and important tool to measure the regularity of data
      series. However, SampEn only estimates the complexity of signals on one time
      scale. In this study, a new approach is introduced using multiscale entropy (MSE)
      considering the structure information over different time scales. The entropy
      values over different time scales calculated through MSE are applied as the input
      data to train an artificial neural network (ANN) model using bispectral index
      (BIS) or expert assessment of conscious level (EACL) as the target. To test the
      performance of the new index's sensitivity to artifacts, we compared the results
      before and after filtration by multivariate empirical mode decomposition (MEMD).
      The new approach via ANN is utilized in real EEG signals collected from 26
      patients before and after filtering by MEMD, respectively; the results show that
      is a higher correlation between index from the proposed approach and the gold
      standard compared with SampEn. Moreover, the proposed approach is more
      structurally robust to noise and artifacts which indicates that it can be used
      for monitoring the DOA more accurately. 

PMID- 26491465
TI  - A Comparison of Theory-Based and Experimentally Determined Myocardial Signal
      Intensity Correction Methods in First-Pass Perfusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of correcting myocardial signal saturation on
      the accuracy of absolute myocardial blood flow (MBF) measurements. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We performed 15 dual bolus first-pass perfusion studies in 7 dogs during
      global coronary vasodilation and variable degrees of coronary artery stenosis. We
      compared microsphere MBF to MBF calculated from uncorrected and corrected MRI
      signal. Four correction methods were tested, two theoretical methods (Th1 and
      Th2) and two empirical methods (Em1 and Em2). RESULTS: The correlations with
      microsphere MBF (n = 90 segments) were: uncorrected (y = 0.47x + 1.1, r = 0.70),
      Th1 (y = 0.53x + 1.0, r = 0.71), Th2 (y = 0.62x + 0.86, r = 0.73), Em1 (y = 0.82x
      + 0.86, r = 0.77), and Em2 (y = 0.72x + 0.84, r = 0.75). All corrected methods
      were not significantly different from microspheres, while uncorrected MBF values
      were significantly lower. For the top 50% of microsphere MBF values, flows were
      significantly underestimated by uncorrected SI (31%), Th1 (25%), and Th2 (19%),
      while Em1 (1%), and Em2 (9%) were similar to microsphere MBF. CONCLUSIONS:
      Myocardial signal saturation should be corrected prior to flow modeling to avoid
      underestimation of MBF by MR perfusion imaging.

PMID- 26491466
TI  - Climate change mitigation effect of harvested wood products in regions of Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Harvested wood products (HWPs) mitigate climate change through carbon
      storage, material substitution, and energy substitution. We construct a model to
      assess the overall climate change mitigation effect (comprising the carbon
      storage, material substitution, and energy substitution effects) resulting from
      HWPs in regions of Japan. The model allows for projections to 2050 based on
      future scenarios relating to the domestic forestry industry, HWP use, and energy
      use. RESULTS: Using the production approach, a nationwide maximum figure of 2.9
      MtC year-1 for the HWP carbon storage effect is determined for 2030. The maximum
      nationwide material substitution effect is 2.9 MtC year-1 in 2050. For the energy
      substitution effect, a nationwide maximum projection of 4.3 MtC year-1 in 2050 is
      established, with at least 50 % of this figure derived from east and west Japan,
      where a large volume of logging residue is generated. For the overall climate
      change mitigation effect, a nationwide maximum projection of 8.4 MtC year-1 in
      2050 is established, equivalent to 2.4 % of Japan's current carbon dioxide
      emissions. CONCLUSIONS: When domestic roundwood production and HWP usage is
      promoted, an overall climate change mitigation effect is consistently expected to
      be attributable to HWPs until 2050. A significant factor in obtaining the
      material substitution effect will be substituting non-wooden buildings with
      wooden ones. The policy of promoting the use of logging residue will have a
      significant impact on the energy substitution effect. An important future study
      is an integrated investigation of the climate change mitigation effect for both
      HWPs and forests.

PMID- 26491467
TI  - A comparative study of electrochemical oxidation of methidation organophosphorous
      pesticide on SnO2 and boron-doped diamond anodes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Electrochemical oxidation considered to be among the best methods in
      waste water desalination and removing toxic metals and organic pesticides from
      wastewater like Methidathion. The objective of this work is to study the
      electrochemical oxidation of aqueous wastes containing Methidathion using boron
      doped diamond thin-film electrodes and SnO2, and to determine the calculated
      partial charge and frontier electron density parameters. RESULTS: Electrolysis
      parameters such as current density, temperature, supporting electrolyte (NaCl)
      have been optimized. The influences of the electrode materials on methidathion
      degradation show that BDD is the best electrode material to oxidize this
      pesticide organophosphorous. Energetic cost has been determinate for all
      experiments. The results provide that 2 % of NaCl, 60 mA cm(-2) and 25 oC like
      the optimized values to carry out the treatment. For BDD the achieved Chemical
      Oxidation Demand reduction was about 85 %, while for SnO2 it was about 73 %. The
      BDD anode appears to be the more promising one for the effective electrochemical
      treatment of methidathion. Finally the theoretical calculation was done by using
      the calculation program Gaussian 03W, they are a permit to identify the phenomena
      engaged near the electrode and to completely determine the structures of the
      products of electrochemical oxidation formed during the degradation and which
      they are not quantifiable in experiments because of their high reactivity.
      CONCLUSIONS: The comparison of the results relating to the two electrodes
      indicates that these materials have a power to reduce the quantity of the organic
      matter in the electrolyzed solution. But the speed of oxidation of these
      compounds is different according to the materials of the electrodes used.
      Graphical abstract:Structural of methidathion [O,O-dimethyl-S-(5-methoxy-1,3,4
      thiadiazolinyl-3-methyl) dithiophosphate] used for study the electrochemical
      oxidation.

PMID- 26491468
TI  - Synthesis and antibacterial and antifungal activities of N-(tetra-O-acetyl-beta-d
      glucopyranosyl)thiosemicarbazones of substituted 4-formylsydnones.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sydnone is a heterocycle that exhibits remarkable pharmacological
      activities, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic
      and antioxidant activities. Thiosemicarbazones are of compounds that contain the 
      NHCSNHN=C< linkage group and are considerable interest because they exhibit
      important chemical properties and potentially beneficial biological activities.
      Similarly, thiosemicarbazones having carbohydrate moieties also exhibit various
      significant biological activities. RESULTS: The compounds of 3-formyl-4
      phenylsydnones were obtained by Vilsmeyer-Haack's formylation reaction and were
      transformed into thiosemicarbazones by condensation reaction with N-(2,3,4,6
      tetra-O-acetyl-beta-d-glucopyranosyl)thiosemicarbazide. Reaction were performed
      in the presence glacial acetic acid as catalyst using microwave-assisted heating
      method. Reaction yields were 43-85 %. The antimicrobial activities of these
      thiosemicarbazones were screened in vitro by using agar well diffusion and MIC
      methods. Among these thiosemicarbazones, compounds 4k, 4l, 4m and 4n were more
      active against all tested bacterial strains, especially against S. epidermidis,
      B. subtilis and E. coli. The MIC values in these cases are 0.156, 0.156 and 0.313
      MUg/mL, respectively. All compounds showed weak to moderate antifungal activity
      against C. albicans and A. niger than nystatin (MIC = 0.156-0.625 MUg/mL vs. MIC
      = 0.078 MUg/mL of nystatin), and thiosemicarbazones 4l, 4m and 4n exhibited
      significant activity with MIC = 0.156 MUg/mL. These compounds also had good
      antifungal activity against F. oxysporum similarly to nystatin (MIC = 0.156
      MUg/mL). Among the tested compounds having halogen group 4k, 4l, 4m and 4n showed
      highest activity against three strains of fungal organisms. CONCLUSIONS: In
      summary, we have developed a clean and efficient methodology for the synthesis of
      novel thiosemicarbazone derivatives bearing sydnone ring and d-glucose moiety;
      the heterocyclic and monosaccharide system being connected via -NH-C(=S)NH-N=C<
      linker using molecular modification approach. The methodology could be further
      extended and used for the synthesis of other thiosemicarbazones of biological
      importance. 4-Formyl-3-arylsydnone N-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-d
      glucopyranosyl)thiosemicarbazones have been synthesized under microwave-assisted
      heating conditions. Almost all obtained compounds showed remarkable activities
      against the tested microorganisms. Among the tested compounds having halogen
      group 4k, 4l, 4m and 4n showed highest activity against all tested strains of
      bacterial and fungal organisms. Graphical abstract:Synthesis and antibacterial
      and antifungal activities of N-(tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D
      glucopyranosyl)thiosemicarbazones of substituted 4-formylsydnones.

PMID- 26491470
TI  - Bonebridge Bone Conduction Implant.

PMID- 26491469
TI  - Site-selective Characterization of Src Homology 3 Domain Molecular Recognition
      with Cyanophenylalanine Infrared Probes.
AB  - Local heterogeneity of microenvironments in proteins is important in biological
      function, but difficult to characterize experimentally. One approach is the
      combination of infrared (IR) spectroscopy and site-selective incorporation of
      probe moieties with spectrally resolved IR absorptions that enable
      characterization within inherently congested protein IR spectra. We employed this
      method to study molecular recognition of a Src homology 3 (SH3) domain from the
      yeast protein Sho1 for a peptide containing the proline-rich recognition sequence
      of its physiological binding partner Pbs2. Nitrile IR probes were introduced at
      four distinct sites in the protein by selective incorporation of p
      cyanophenylalanine via the amber codon suppressor method and characterized by IR
      spectroscopy. Variation among the IR absorption bands reports on heterogeneity in
      local residue environments dictated by the protein structure, as well as on
      residue-dependent changes upon peptide binding. The study informs on the
      molecular recognition of SH3 Sho1 and illustrates the speed and simplicity of
      this approach for characterization of select microenvironments within proteins.

PMID- 26491471
TI  - Oral Lesions in Elderly Patients in Referral Centers for Oral Lesions of Bahia.
AB  - Introduction The aging population phenomenon is occurring on a global scale;
      aging affects all of the structures of organisms, including the oral cavity.
      Objective To estimate the frequency of oral lesions, according to the clinical
      and histopathologic diagnoses, and to describe the sociodemographic profile of
      the elderly treated at the referral centers of oral lesions of public
      universities in Bahia, Brazil. Methods A descriptive epidemiologic study with
      transverse characteristics was conducted with elderly patients between August
      2010 and January 2012. A form was used to collect data. The descriptive analysis
      consisted of calculating the simple and relative frequencies of sociodemographic
      variables and oral lesions. Results The population was predominantly black women,
      and the minority of elderly people were retired. Fibroid (13%) and squamous cell
      carcinoma (145%) were more prevalent clinical diagnoses, with squamous cell
      carcinoma (30.7%) and fibrous hyperplasia more prevalent histopathologic
      diagnoses. Conclusion A prevention policy needs to be implemented to reduce new
      cases of oral lesions in Bahia, Brazil and to aid in early diagnosis and
      appropriate treatment of oral lesions. 

PMID- 26491472
TI  - Orofacial Praxis Abilities in Children with Speech Disorders.
AB  - Introduction Phonological development occurs in a gradual manner until the age of
      7 years. The phonological system is constructed in a similar way for all
      children, despite presenting some variations in terms of age, paths taken, or
      repair strategies used. Objective To compare the orofacial praxis abilities of
      children with typical phonological development (DFT), children with phonetic
      phonological impairment (DFoFe), and children with phonological impairment (DF),
      using two tests to assess the orofacial praxis abilities. Methods The sample
      consisted of 82 subjects between 4 and 8 years of age who attended public schools
      (from preschool to the second year of secondary school) in the city of Santa
      Maria, Brazil. Of these, 29 were diagnosed with DFT, 29 with DF, and 24 with
      DFoFe; much of this sample was male. Two tests of praxis abilities and assessment
      of the stomatognathic system were administered. Statistical analysis was
      performed using the chi-square test, with a significance level of 5%. Results
      Generally children with DFoFe underperformed in tests of praxis when compared
      with subjects with DF and DFT. Conclusion The results showed that children with
      DFoFe have more difficulty in orofacial praxis abilities than subjects in the
      other groups studied. This result could be expected, because subjects with DFoFe
      show changes in both phonetic and phonological levels of speech. 

PMID- 26491473
TI  - Is There a Possible Association between Dietary Habits and Benign Paroxysmal
      Positional Vertigo in the Elderly? The Importance of Diet and Counseling.
AB  - Introduction Poor diet habits and inadequate intake of nutrients are a concern in
      the elderly. Nutritional education with guidance may improve the results of the
      treatment of vertigo. Objective Evaluate the presence of benign paroxysmal
      positional vertigo (BPPV) associated with feeding habits. Methods Cross-sectional
      study with elderly people living independently. We evaluated nutritional habits
      through the method of dietary 24-hour recall and manipulation of Dix-Hallpike.
      Results Based on a sample of 487 individuals, 117 had BPPV. Among the 117 elderly
      patients with BPPV, 37 (31.62%) had inadequate feeding. From those 370
      individuals without BPPV, 97 (26.21%) had inappropriate feeding. No significant
      association between nutritional habits and BPPV in the total population was
      observed (p = 0.3064). However, there was significant relation between BPPV and
      inadequate carbohydrate intake (p = 0.0419) and insufficient fiber intake (p =
      0.03), and the diet of these subjects was rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (p
      = 0.0084). Conclusion These data correlate with the dyslipidemia and
      hypertriglyceridemia status, making it extremely important to reduce the intake
      of fats and carbohydrates and increase the fiber intake to stabilize
      triglycerides and thus minimize harmful effects on the inner ear. Food
      readjustment is suggested in patients with BPPV, along with the work of a
      multidisciplinary team to improve the quality of the elderly. 

PMID- 26491474
TI  - The Efficacy of Nasal Steroids in Treatment of Otitis Media with Effusion: A
      Comparative Study.
AB  - Introduction Otitis media with effusion (OME) continues to be an important
      pediatric clinical problem, and more studies are needed to decide the proper
      treatment for it. Objective To assess the efficacy of nasal steroids in the
      management of OME by comparing its results with that of oral steroid and that of
      nasal saline spray as placebo. Methods This study was carried on 60 patients with
      OME who were divided into three groups: in group 1, 20 patients received
      mometasone furoate spray, one puff in each nostril daily, for 3 months; in group
      2, 20 patients received oral prednisolone, 5 mg three times per day for the first
      3 weeks; in group 3, 20 patients received nasal saline spray, one puff in each
      nostril daily for 3 months. Results A highly significant difference between
      systemic or topical (nasal spray) steroid therapy and saline nasal spray was
      detected (p < 0.001), and the difference between systemic and topical steroid was
      nonsignificant (p > 0.05). Conclusion Nasal steroid spray can be used as an
      effective treatment for OME, giving a significant result similar to systemic
      steroid. Further studies are needed to investigate its use for longer duration
      and in recurrent cases. 

PMID- 26491475
TI  - Aspects of Oral Language, Speech, and Written Language in Subjects with Temporal
      Lobe Epilepsy of Difficult Control.
AB  - Introduction About 50 million people have epilepsy and 30% of them have epilepsy
      that does not respond to properly conducted drug treatment. Objective Verify the
      incidence of language disorders in oral language, speech, and written language of
      subjects with difficult to control temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and compare the
      occurrence of these disorders in subjects before and after surgery. Methods Cross
      sectional study with quantitative analysis, exploratory type. A questionnaire for
      data collection was administered covering the following aspects: oral language,
      speech complaints, and writing production and comprehension. Criteria for
      inclusion of subjects were a diagnosis of TLE refractory to drug treatment and at
      least 4 years of schooling. Results The sample of 63 patients with TLE was
      divided into two groups: presurgical (n = 31) and postsurgical (n = 32). In the
      postsurgical group, there was a higher frequency of left lobectomy (75%) than
      right (25%). Conclusion Statistical analysis was performed with the chi-square
      test (significance level of 0.05). Complaints related to speech-language
      attention were more predominant in postsurgical subjects. Analysis of oral
      language, speech, and written language in subjects with epilepsy who underwent
      temporal lobectomy or not showed findings consistent with symptoms related to
      transient aphasia, with the presence of paraphasias, as well as changes in speech
      prosody and melody. These symptoms appeared more associated with recurrence after
      having a temporal lobectomy. 

PMID- 26491476
TI  - Open and Endoscopic Management of Fourth Branchial Pouch Sinus - Our Experience.
AB  - Introduction Acute suppurative neck infections associated with third or fourth
      branchial arch fistulas are frequently recurrent. Third and fourth branchial arch
      anomalies are much less common and usually present with recurrent left thyroid
      lobe abscesses. Objectives The authors present their experience in treating such
      cases that were observed exclusively in children. Methods The study involved
      performing a retrospective review of five cases in PSG Institute of Medical
      Sciences & Research. All cases were evaluated radiologically and with Direct
      Rigid hypopharyngoscopy. Definitive surgery was performed, including
      hemithyroidectomy. Results The patients consisted of five children, two boys and
      three girls. All of them presented with recurrent episodes of neck infection.
      Investigations performed included computed tomography (CT) fistulography, rigid
      hypopharyngoscopy and ultrasound, which were useful in preoperatively delineating
      pyriform sinus fistulous tract. All patients underwent neck exploration with
      excision of the fistulous tract and hemithyroidectomy. Upon follow-up, all
      patients are asymptomatic. Conclusions Recurrent neck abscesses in a child should
      alert the clinician to the possibility of a fourth branchial arch anomaly;
      therefore, children with this condition require a complete evaluation so the
      anomaly can be ruled out. 

PMID- 26491477
TI  - Open Reduction and Internal Fixation of Mandibular Fracture without Rigid
      Maxillomandibular Fixation.
AB  - Introduction The ability to treat fracture with open reduction and internal
      fixation (OR/IF) has dramatically revolutionized the approach to mandible
      fracture. With OR/IF, the postoperative role of rigid maxillomandibular fixation
      (MMF) has declined, but it is used to maintain proper occlusion until internal
      fixation of the fracture is achieved. Objective To assess intraoperative manual
      MMF during OR/IF of selected cases of mandibular fractures. Methods This
      prospective study was conducted on 80 patients with isolated mandibular fractures
      managed by OR/IF using two titanium miniplates. The patients were classified into
      two groups: a control group (40 patients) treated by OR/IF after intraoperative
      rigid MMF followed by immediate MMF removal, and a study group (40 patients)
      treated by rigid MMF, which was replaced by temporary intraoperative manual MMF
      (3MF) until plate fixation. Results There were no significant differences of the
      postoperative complication and dental occlusion, although a highly significant
      reduction of operative time was achieved in the 3MF group. Patient who received
      the 3MF technique had statistically significantly better average intrinsic
      vertical mouth opening in the early postoperative period (1 week after surgery),
      and normal mouth opening could be achieved in all cases in both groups 8 weeks
      after surgery. Conclusions Intraoperative rigid MMF is not mandatory and can be
      replaced in selected cases of fracture mandible by manual maintenance of proper
      dental occlusion until hardware fixation, gaining the advantages of shorter
      operative time and less risk of blood-transmitted diseases to the surgical team
      and the patient in addition to the benefits of immediate postoperative mandible
      mobilization. 

PMID- 26491478
TI  - Sternocleidomastoid Muscle Flap after Parotidectomy.
AB  - Introduction Most patients after either superficial or total parotidectomy
      develop facial deformity and Frey syndrome, which leads to a significant degree
      of patient dissatisfaction. Objective Assess the functional outcome and esthetic
      results of the superiorly based sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) flap after
      superficial or total parotidectomy. Methods A prospective cohort study for 11
      patients subjected to parotidectomy using a partial-thickness superiorly based
      SCM flap. The functional outcome (Frey syndrome, facial nerve involvement, and
      ear lobule sensation) and the esthetic results were evaluated subjectively and
      objectively. Results Facial nerve palsy occurred in 5 cases (45%), and all of
      them recovered completely within 6 months. The Minor starch iodine test was
      positive in 3 patients (27%), although only 1 (9%) subjectively complained of
      gustatory sweating. The designed visual analog score completed by the patients
      themselves ranged from 0 to 3 with a mean of 1.55 +/- 0.93; the scores from the
      blinded evaluators ranged from 1 to 3 with a mean 1.64 +/- 0.67. Conclusion The
      partial-thickness superiorly based SCM flap offers a reasonable cosmetic option
      for reconstruction following either superficial or total parotidectomy by
      improving the facial deformity. The flap also lowers the incidence of Frey
      syndrome objectively and subjectively with no reported hazard of the spinal
      accessory nerve. 

PMID- 26491479
TI  - Auditory Middle Latency Response and Phonological Awareness in Students with
      Learning Disabilities.
AB  - Introduction Behavioral tests of auditory processing have been applied in schools
      and highlight the association between phonological awareness abilities and
      auditory processing, confirming that low performance on phonological awareness
      tests may be due to low performance on auditory processing tests. Objective To
      characterize the auditory middle latency response and the phonological awareness
      tests and to investigate correlations between responses in a group of children
      with learning disorders. Methods The study included 25 students with learning
      disabilities. Phonological awareness and auditory middle latency response were
      tested with electrodes placed on the left and right hemispheres. The correlation
      between the measurements was performed using the Spearman rank correlation
      coefficient. Results There is some correlation between the tests, especially
      between the Pa component and syllabic awareness, where moderate negative
      correlation is observed. Conclusion In this study, when phonological awareness
      subtests were performed, specifically phonemic awareness, the students showed a
      low score for the age group, although for the objective examination, prolonged Pa
      latency in the contralateral via was observed. Negative weak to moderate
      correlation for Pa wave latency was observed, as was positive weak correlation
      for Na-Pa amplitude. 

PMID- 26491480
TI  - Is There Any Benefit of Drain Placement on Postoperative Complications in
      Patients Undergoing the Sistrunk Procedure?
AB  - Introduction Same-day, outpatient Sistrunk procedure is commonly performed to
      manage thyroglossal duct cyst anomalies and may lead to postoperative
      complications. Surgical drains are placed to prevent complications, but recent
      observations show no advantage and rather increased health care costs and patient
      discomfort. Objective The study evaluated if drain placement in the Sistrunk
      procedure offers any benefit on postoperative complications. Methods A
      retrospective analysis of patient records having undergone same-day, outpatient
      Sistrunk procedure from 2004 to 2014 was done. Of 58 (38 male and 20 female)
      patients included, 38 did not have drains placed and the remaining 20 had drains
      placed. Mean and median age of patients was 18.1 and 13.5 years, respectively.
      Postoperative complications of patients with drains versus those without drains
      were statistically analyzed. Results Overall, about 10% of patients had
      hematoma/seroma (H-S), with 6.9% of patients needing aspiration for H-S; 3.4% had
      wound infections; and 1.7% had pus formation. No statistically significant
      differences in Sistrunk-related complications between patient groups (with drain
      or without drain) were seen using Fisher exact (two-sided) test: H-S (p = 0.08);
      need for aspiration (p = 0.29); wound infection (p > 0.05); and pus formation (p
      = 0.35). Chi-square test also did not show any significant difference in the
      groups in terms of number of follow-ups. Conclusion Surgical placement of a drain
      in the Sistrunk procedure does not seem to offer any advantage in terms of
      reducing common postoperative complications. Same-day Sistrunk procedure without
      any drain placement may be a safer alternative without necessitating
      hospitalization. More studies with larger sample size are needed for further
      substantiation. 

PMID- 26491481
TI  - Membrane Stress in the Human Labyrinth and Meniere Disease: A Model Analysis.
AB  - Introduction The nature and extent of membrane damage encountered in Meniere
      disease remains unexplained. Pressure-induced membrane stress may underlie the
      characteristic hydropic distention. Analysis of stress in the several vestibular
      chambers may offer insight into the nature and progression of Meniere disease.
      Objective Membrane stress levels will be assessed by constructing a specific
      model of the human membranous labyrinth through the application of human
      dimensions to an existing generic model of the mammalian labyrinth. Methods
      Nominal dimensions for a model of the human membranous labyrinth were obtained
      from fixed human tissue. Stress proclivities were calculated and normalized based
      on shell theory applied to the various geometric figures comprising the model.
      Results Normalized peak stress levels were projected to be highest in the saccule
      (38.8), followed by the utricle (5.4), then ampulla (2.4), and lowest in the
      canal system (1.0). These results reflect macrostructural variations in membrane
      shape, size, and thickness among the several chambers of the labyrinth. These
      decreasing stress proclivities parallel the decreasing frequency of histologic
      lesions found in documented cases of Meniere disease. Conclusions This model
      analysis of a human membranous labyrinth indicates that substantial disparities
      in stress exist among the several vestibular chambers due to macrostructural
      membrane configuration. Low stress levels in the canals are the result of thick
      highly curved membranes, and the high levels computed for the saccule reflect its
      thin and relatively flat membranes. These findings suggest that chamber
      configuration may be a factor controlling the progression of endolymphatic
      hydrops in Meniere disease. 

PMID- 26491482
TI  - Active Bone Conduction Prosthesis: Bonebridge(TM).
AB  - Introduction Bone conduction implants are indicated for patients with conductive
      and mixed hearing loss, as well as for patients with single-sided deafness (SSD).
      The transcutaneous technology avoids several complications of the percutaneous
      bone conduction implants including skin reaction, skin growth over the abutment,
      and wound infection. The Bonebridge (MED-EL, Austria) prosthesis is a semi
      implantable hearing system: the BCI (Bone Conduction Implant) is the implantable
      part that contains the Bone Conduction-Floating Mass Transducer (BC-FMT), which
      applies the vibrations directly to the bone; the external component is the audio
      processor Amade BB (MED-EL, Austria), which digitally processes the sound and
      sends the information through the coil to the internal part. Bonebridge may be
      implanted through three different approaches: the transmastoid, the retrosigmoid,
      or the middle fossa approach. Objective This systematic review aims to describe
      the worlds first active bone conduction implant system, Bonebridge, as well as
      describe the surgical techniques in the three possible approaches, showing
      results from implant centers in the world in terms of functional gain, speech
      reception thresholds and word recognition scores. Data Synthesis The authors
      searched the MEDLINE database using the key term Bonebridge. They selected only
      five publications to include in this systematic review. The review analyzes 20
      patients that received Bonebridge implants with different approaches and
      pathologies. Conclusion Bonebridge is a solution for patients with
      conductive/mixed hearing loss and SSD with different surgical approaches,
      depending on their anatomy. The system imparts fewer complications than
      percutaneous bone conduction implants and shows proven benefits in speech
      discrimination and functional gain. 

PMID- 26491483
TI  - Massive Plexiform Neurofibroma of the Neck and Larynx.
AB  - Introduction Laryngeal neurofibromas are extremely rare, accounting for only 0.03
      to 0.1% of benign tumors of the larynx. Objectives To report the first case of
      massive neck plexiform neurofibroma with intralaryngeal (supraglottic) extension
      in a 5-year-old boy with neurofibromatosis type 1 and to describe its treatment.
      Resumed Report This massive plexiform neurofibroma was surgically removed,
      relieving its significant respiratory obstructive symptoms without recurrence to
      date. Conclusion Massive neck plexiform neurofibroma with supraglottic part was
      found in a child with neurofibromatosis type 1; it should be included in
      differential diagnosis of stridor and neck mass in children. It was diagnosed and
      removed in early in childhood without recurrence. 

PMID- 26491484
TI  - An Aggressive Plasmablastic Lymphoma of the Oral Cavity as Primary Manifestation
      of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: Case Report and Literature Review.
AB  - Introduction Plasmablastic lymphoma is a rare entity that was first described in
      the jaws and the oral cavity of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
      and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Plasmablastic lymphoma is
      considered as a diffuse, large, B-cell lymphoma with a unique phenotype and a
      predilection for the oral cavity. Objective The authors describe a case of an
      aggressive plasmablastic lymphoma of the oral cavity as the primary manifestation
      of AIDS. Resumed Report We report a case of plasmablastic lymphoma involving only
      the oral cavity as the first manifestation of AIDS. Diagnosis was confirmed by
      the oral lesion biopsy and the histopathologic examination that showed a dense
      infiltrate composed of atypical lymphocytes with numerous plasmocytes that
      expressed the plasma cell markers MUM-1 and CD138 and that were negative for the
      B-cell markers CD3, CD20, and CD45. Immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization
      revealed the Epstein-Barr virus genome in the atypical cells. Polymerase chain
      reaction was also positive for human herpesvirus-8 RNA. Conclusion The HIV
      serologic status should be evaluated in all patients with plasmablastic lymphoma
      of the oral cavity or extraoral sites. 

PMID- 26491485
TI  - Cochlear Implantation in Isolated Large Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome: Report of
      Three Cases and Literature Review.
AB  - Introduction Large vestibular aqueduct syndrome (LVAS) is characterized by the
      enlargement of the vestibular aqueduct associated with sensorineural hearing
      loss. It is the most common radiographically detectable inner ear anomaly in
      congenital hearing loss. LVAS may occur as an isolated anomaly or in association
      with other inner ear malformations. Objective To report three cases of isolated
      LVAS with a focus on preoperative assessment, surgical issues, and short-term
      postoperative follow-up with preliminary auditory habilitation outcomes. Resumed
      Report One girl and two boys with LVAS were assessed and cochlear implantation
      was performed for each. Various ways of intraoperative management of
      cerebrospinal fluid gusher and postoperative care and outcomes are reported.
      Conclusion Cochlear implantation in the deaf children with LVAS is feasible and
      effective. 

PMID- 26491486
TI  - Foreign Body in Jugal Mucosa.
AB  - Introduction Foreign body in the oral cavity may be asymptomatic for long time
      and only sometimes it can lead to a typical granulomatous foreign body reaction.
      Some patients may complain of oral pain and present signs of inflammation with
      purulent discharge. A granuloma is a distinct, compact microscopic structure
      composed of epithelioid-shaped macrophages typically surrounded by a rim of
      lymphocytes and filled with fibroblasts and collagen. Nowadays, the increase of
      cosmetic invasive procedures such as injection of prosthetic materials in lips
      and cheeks may lead to unusual forms of inflammatory granulomas. Objectives
      Describe an unusual presentation of a foreign body reaction in the buccal mucosa
      due to previous injection of cosmetic agent. Resumed Report A 74-year-old woman
      was referred to the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery to
      investigate the presence of multiple painless, bilateral nodules in the buccal
      mucosa, with progressive growth observed during the previous 2 months. The
      histologic results showed a foreign body inflammatory reaction. Conclusion Oral
      granulomatosis lesions represent a challenging diagnosis for clinicians and a
      biopsy may be necessary. Patients may feel ashamed to report previous aesthetic
      procedures, and the clinicians must have a proactive approach. 

PMID- 26491487
TI  - Anger, Sadness and Fear in Response to Breaking Crime and Accident News Stories:
      How Emotions Influence Support for Alcohol-Control Public Policies via Concern
      about Risks.
AB  - Prior research shows that discrete emotions, notably anger and fear, can explain
      effects of news articles on health and alcohol-control policy support. This study
      advances prior work by coding expressed emotional responses to messages (as
      opposed to directly manipulated emotions or forced responses), incorporating and
      controlling for central thoughts, including sadness (a particularly relevant
      response to tragic stories), and examining concern's mediating role between
      emotion and policy support. An experiment with a national online adult panel had
      participants read one of 60 violent crime or accident news stories, each
      manipulated to mention or withhold alcohol's causal contribution. Multi-group
      structural equation models suggest that stories not mentioning alcohol had a
      direct effect on policy support via fear and central thoughts, unmediated by
      concern. When alcohol was mentioned, sadness and anger affects alcohol-control
      support through concern. Findings help confirm that emotional responses are key
      in determining news story effects on public support of health policies.

PMID- 26491488
TI  - Improving IQ measurement in intellectual disabilities using true deviation from
      population norms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intellectual disability (ID) is characterized by global cognitive
      deficits, yet the very IQ tests used to assess ID have limited range and
      precision in this population, especially for more impaired individuals. METHODS:
      We describe the development and validation of a method of raw z-score
      transformation (based on general population norms) that ameliorates floor effects
      and improves the precision of IQ measurement in ID using the Stanford Binet 5
      (SB5) in fragile X syndrome (FXS; n = 106), the leading inherited cause of ID,
      and in individuals with idiopathic autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n = 205). We
      compared the distributional characteristics and Q-Q plots from the standardized
      scores with the deviation z-scores. Additionally, we examined the relationship
      between both scoring methods and multiple criterion measures. RESULTS: We found
      evidence that substantial and meaningful variation in cognitive ability on
      standardized IQ tests among individuals with ID is lost when converting raw
      scores to standardized scaled, index and IQ scores. Use of the deviation z- score
      method rectifies this problem, and accounts for significant additional variance
      in criterion validation measures, above and beyond the usual IQ scores.
      Additionally, individual and group-level cognitive strengths and weaknesses are
      recovered using deviation scores. CONCLUSION: Traditional methods for generating
      IQ scores in lower functioning individuals with ID are inaccurate and inadequate,
      leading to erroneously flat profiles. However assessment of cognitive abilities
      is substantially improved by measuring true deviation in performance from
      standardization sample norms. This work has important implications for
      standardized test development, clinical assessment, and research for which IQ is
      an important measure of interest in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders
      and other forms of cognitive impairment.

PMID- 26491489
TI  - A New Horizon of DNP technology: Application to In-vivo 13C Magnetic Resonance
      Spectroscopy and Imaging.
AB  - Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is an emerging technique for increasing the
      sensitivity (>10,000-fold) of magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging (MRSI),
      in particularly for low-gamma nuclei. DNP methodology is based on polarizing
      nuclear spins in an amorphous solid state at low temperature (ca. 1 K) through
      coupling of the nuclear spins with unpaired electron spins that are added to the
      sample via an organic free radical. In an amorphous solid state, the high
      electron spin polarization can be transferred to the nuclear spins by microwave
      irradiation. While this technique has been utilized in solid-state research for
      many years, it is only recently that dissolution methods and the required
      hardware have been developed to produce the high nuclear polarization provided by
      DNP to produce injectable hyperpolarized solutions suitable for in vivo studies.
      It has been applied to a number of 13C-labeled cell metabolites in biological
      systems and their real-time metabolic conversion has been imaged. This review
      focuses the DNP methodology briefly and the significant molecules investigated to
      date in preclinical cancer models, in terms of their downstream metabolism in
      vivo or the biological processes that they can probe. In particular, conversion
      between hyperpolarized 13C-labeled pyruvate and lactate, catalyzed by lactate
      dehydrogenase, has been shown to have a number of potential applications such as
      diagnosis, staging tumor grade and monitoring therapy response. Strategies for
      making this technique more viable to use in clinical settings has been discussed.

PMID- 26491490
TI  - A Classic Case of Tuberous Sclerosis with Multisystem Involvement Including Giant
      Bilateral Renal Angiomyolipomas Presenting as Massive Hematuria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tuberous Sclerosis (TSC) also known as Bourneville disease is a
      neurocutaneous syndrome having an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern, though
      the condition has a high rate of spontaneous mutation. It is the second most
      common neurocutaneous syndrome after neurofibromatosis. This disease demonstrates
      a widespread potential for hamartomatous growths in multiple organ systems. CASE
      REPORT: We report a case of a 36-year-old female with TSC presenting as massive
      hematuria with underlying giant bilateral renal angiomyolipomas (AML) with
      estimated total tumor burden of more than 8 kg which is to the best of our
      knowledge the highest ever reported. The patient also had
      lymphangioleiomyomatosis and lesions in the brain, skin, teeth and bones.
      CONCLUSIONS: TSC has a wide variety of clinical and radiologic manifestations. It
      should be suspected when some of the common radiological manifestations are
      found, including CNS involvement, renal and hepatic AMLs and LAM, even if
      clinical signs are not obvious. Renal AMLs in setting of TSC may reach giant
      proportions and may present with massive hematuria.

PMID- 26491491
TI  - Advantage of Adding Diffusion Weighted Imaging to Routine MRI Examinations in the
      Diagnostics of Scrotal Lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study is to identify the diagnostic value of
      adding diffusion weighted images (DWI) to routine MRI examinations of the
      scrotum. MATERIAL/METHODS: The study included 100 testes of 50 patients with a
      unilateral testicular disease. Fifty normal contralateral testes were used as a
      control group. All patients underwent conventional MRI and DWI examinations of
      the scrotum. The results of MRI and DWI of the group of patients treated
      surgically were correlated with histopathological findings. The MRI and DWI
      results of non-surgical cases were correlated with the results of clinical,
      laboratory and other imaging studies. Comparison of the ADC value of normal and
      pathological tissues was carried out followed by a statistical analysis. RESULTS:
      There was a significant difference between ADC values of malignant testicular
      lesions and normal testicular tissues as well as benign testicular lesions
      (P=0.000). At a cut-off ADC value of <=0.99, it had a sensitivity of 93.3%,
      specificity of 90%, positive predictive value of 87.5%, and negative predictive
      value of 94.7% in the characterization of intratesticular masses. CONCLUSIONS:
      Inclusion of DWI to routine MRI has a substantial value in improving diagnosis in
      patients with scrotal lesions and consequently can reduce unnecessary radical
      surgical procedures in these patients.

PMID- 26491492
TI  - Synovial Hemangioma of the Knee Joint: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Synovial hemangioma is benign tumor of the joints and is seen
      relatively rare. The most affected joint is knee but should also be seen in other
      joints. The disease is usually symptomatic. They are classified as juxta
      articular haemangioma, intra-articular haemangioma or an intermediate type of
      hemangioma with intra- and extraarticular components. CASE REPORT: A 19-years-old
      male patient presented with swollen and painful knee. The laboratory findings and
      physical examination were normal. MRI demonstrated a large lesion that was
      filling the suprapatellar bursa. CONCLUSIONS: All radiologic examinations should
      be used in diagnosis but magnetic resonance imaging is the non-invasive method
      and excellent modality in the evaluation of soft tissues. In this paper, a 19
      year-old male patient with the diagnosis of synovial hemangioma is reported and
      its radiologic findings are mentioned.

PMID- 26491493
TI  - Palmaris Longus Muscle's Prevalence in Different Nations and Interesting
      Anatomical Variations: Review of the Literature.
AB  - The prevalence of the palmaris longus (PL) muscle varies more than any other
      muscle in the human body. Its absence across the world ranges between 1.5% and
      63.9%. It presents with many different anomalies, discovered either clinically,
      intraoperatively or after anatomical examination of cadavers. This paper includes
      recent studies and reports about the presence and variations of the PL muscle,
      thereby illustrating the differences between ethnic groups, as well as
      emphasizing the different ways of finding it, during daily clinical and surgical
      practice. 

PMID- 26491495
TI  - Characterization of Older Emergency Department Patients Admitted to Psychiatric
      Units.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many older patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) with
      psychiatric complaints require admission to geropsychiatric units (GPUs). The
      medical evaluation needed prior to this is not understood. Our goal was to
      understand ED evaluation practices for patients admitted to the GPU through the
      ED and understand the medical problems identified after admission. METHODS: Via
      retrospective chart review, we abstracted demographics, medical history, ED
      complaint, evaluation, length of stay, and diagnosis. The number of patients
      later transferred from the GPU and the reasons for such transfers were also
      recorded. RESULTS: Of 100 patients reviewed, the average age was 78 years.
      Admission diagnoses were agitation/mania (30%), depression/suicidal ideation
      (28%), change in mental status/confusion (12%) and other (30%). Most had at least
      one prior psychiatric and medical diagnosis (77%, 60%). Common ED tests ordered
      were basic metabolic panel (BMP) (96%), complete blood count (CBC) (94%),
      urinalysis (UA) (89%), electrocardiogram (EKG) (69%), alcohol level (62%), urine
      toxicology (61%), chest X-ray (51%), and CT scan of the head (71%). Abnormal
      findings included urinalysis (24.7%), CBC (23.4%), toxicology (23%), BMP (21.9%),
      head CT (21.1%), chest X-ray (13.7%), ECG changes (10.1%), and alcohol (4.8%).
      Five of the 100 GPU admissions were later transferred to a medical floor.
      CONCLUSION: Most GPU admissions have previous psychiatric and medical issues and
      are admitted for agitation/mania or depression/suicidal ideation. A certain
      percentage of patients are transferred out due to medical issues despite ED
      evaluation. However, it is unlikely that further ED testing would reduce this
      percentage. Further research of medical screening for geropsychiatric patients
      may elucidate ideal medical clearance procedures.

PMID- 26491494
TI  - Tiotropium Bromide in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Bronchial Asthma.
AB  - Inhaled bronchodilators are the mainstay of pharmacological treatment for stable
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including beta2-agonists and
      muscarinic antagonists. Tiotropium bromide, a long-acting antimuscarinic
      bronchodilator (LAMA), is a treatment choice for moderate-to-severe COPD; its
      efficacy and safety have been demonstrated in recent trials. Studies also point
      to a beneficial role of tiotropium in the treatment of difficult-to-control
      asthma and a potential function in the asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS).
      Combination of different bronchodilator molecules and addition of inhaled
      corticosteroids are viable therapeutic alternatives. A condensation of the latest
      trials and the rationale behind these therapies will be presented in this
      article. 

PMID- 26491496
TI  - Physical Activity and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Community Dwelling
      Elderly.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are
      important factors for optimal health in the elderly. Studying the association
      between PA and HRQoL is becoming more essential as the number of elderly people
      increases worldwide. This study assesses the association between PA and HRQoL
      among community dwelling elderly above 60 years old. METHODS: The study included
      115 women and 61 men (mean age: 68.15 +/- 6.74 years) recruited from the
      community and from public centers for the elderly. Data were collected using a
      background characteristics questionnaire (BCQ), a physical activity socio
      cultural adapted questionnaire (PA-SCAQ), and the EuroQuol-5Dimensions-5Levels
      (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire. Between groups, comparisons were based on the PA-SCAQ
      by dividing the participants into three PA groups: low (n = 74), moderate (n =
      85), and high (n = 17). Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed on the ordinal
      variables of the three PA groups to determine differences between the groups
      according to categorical variables such as gender, body mass index (BMI), and the
      prevalence of comorbid conditions. Mann-Whitney U tests were performed on the
      ordinal variables of the EuroQuol-5Dimensions (EQ-5D), and the independent sample
      t-test was performed on the EQ visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS). Spearman's rank
      correlation coefficient was used to examine the correlation between the EQ-5D and
      level of PA. RESULTS: Values in all dimensions of HRQoL were significantly higher
      (P < 0.05) in the moderate and high PA groups compared with the low PA group.
      Significant correlations were recorded between the five dimensions of HRQoL and
      the level of PA (P < 0.001). The low PA group showed higher prevalence of
      hypertension (64%, P < 0.001) and diabetes (50%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: There
      were strong associations between higher levels of PA and all dimensions of HRQoL.
      Therefore, adopting a PA lifestyle may contribute to better HRQoL among community
      dwelling elderly above 60 years old.

PMID- 26491497
TI  - Clinical Significance of Pregnancies Complicated by Velamentous Umbilical Cord
      Insertion Associated With Other Umbilical Cord/Placental Abnormalities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We examined the clinical significance of pregnancies complicated by
      velamentous cord insertion (VCI) associated with other umbilical cord/placental
      abnormalities. METHODS: Data were collected from 168 deliveries complicated by
      VCI and from 16,797 unaffected controls. All placentae were screened identically
      by trained staff. In this study, we examined the presence of excessively long
      umbilical cord (longer than 70 cm), vasa previa, single umbilical artery,
      circumvallate placenta, succenturiate placenta, lobed placenta, placenta previa,
      low lying placenta and placenta accrete as the other umbilical cord/placental
      abnormalities. RESULTS: Using a multivariate analysis, the pregnancies
      complicated by VCI were independently associated with in vitro fertilization use
      (P < 0.01), maternal smoking (P = 0.03), preterm delivery (P = 0.03), fetal
      asphyxia (P = 0.01) and small-for-gestational-age infants (P = 0.02). It was also
      independently associated with vasa previa (P < 0.01), single umbilical artery (P
      = 0.04), lobed placenta (P = 0.01) and placenta previa (P = 0.03). However, these
      umbilical cord/placental abnormalities were not associated with the further
      adverse outcomes of the pregnancies complicated by VCI. CONCLUSION: VCI is
      associated with an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes irrespective of
      the presence of other umbilical cord/placental abnormalities. Routine
      identification of the placental cord insertion site should be considered.

PMID- 26491498
TI  - The Impact of Implementation of Bundle to Reduce Catheter-Related Bloodstream
      Infection Rates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to investigate how control bundles reduce
      the rate of central venous catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CVC-BSIs)
      rates in critically ill patients. METHODS: This is a prospective before-and-after
      study designed to evaluate whether a set of control measures (bundle) can help
      prevent CVC-BSI. The bundles included a checklist that aimed to correct practices
      related to CVC insertion, manipulation, and maintenance based on guidelines of
      the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). RESULTS: We examined 123
      checklists before and 155 checklists after implementation of the training
      program. Compared with the pre-intervention period, CVC-BSI rates decreased. Hand
      hygiene techniques were used correctly. CVC-BSI incidence was 9.3 and 5.1 per
      1,000 catheter-days before and after the training program, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of a bundle and training program effectively
      reduces CVC-BSI rates.

PMID- 26491499
TI  - A Randomized Controlled Trial of Intralesional Glucocorticoid for Treating
      Pretibial Myxedema.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pretibial myxedema (PTM) is an uncommon dermopathy associated with
      autoimmune thyroid diseases. Now it is thought to be autoimmune and its treatment
      with glucocorticoid is helpful. However, it has not been evaluated. METHODS: A
      prospective randomized controlled trial was performed in 110 patients with PTM to
      evaluate the efficacy and safety of triamcinolone acetonide with intralesional
      injection once every 3 days and once every 7 days. Randomization was performed
      with drawing lots and it was also stratified according to variants of PTM
      lesions. In the follow-up, recurrent rates were observed. The SPSS Statistics
      17.0 Software was used in the statistical analysis. RESULTS: The complete
      response rates were 78.2%, 83.6%, and 87.3% in regimen 1 and 50.9%, 89.1%, and
      90.9% in regimen 2 at 3 weeks, 7 weeks and the end of therapy, respectively.
      Regimen 1 had an earlier efficacy than regimen 2, but at 7 weeks and end of
      therapy, there were no differences between two regimens. The majority of non
      severe variants got complete response but severe variants did not. The adverse
      reaction rates in regimen 1 were higher and earlier than those in regimen 2.
      Adverse reaction occurring time in regimen 1 was shorter than that in regimen 2.
      Recurrent rates were 31.25% and 32% in regimens 1 and 2 at 3.5-year follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: For its autoimmune, hyperplasia and disabled features, early
      treatment of PTM with glucocorticoid is necessary to get complete response.
      Dosage and frequency of intralesional steroid injection and lesional variants
      influence the efficacy of PTM. Once every 7 days is a better regimen.

PMID- 26491500
TI  - Impact of the Absolute Difference in Diastolic Blood Pressure Between Arms in
      Patients With Coronary Artery Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated the relationship between the severity and presence of
      coronary artery disease (CAD) and a difference in systolic and diastolic blood
      pressure (SBP and DBP) between arms or between lower limbs. METHODS: We enrolled
      277 patients who underwent coronary angiography. We calculated the absolute
      (|right BP (rt. BP) - left BP (lt. BP)|) and relative (rt. BP - lt. BP)
      differences in SBP or DBP between arms or between lower limbs, and assessed the
      severity of CAD in terms of the Gensini score. RESULTS: The absolute difference
      in DBP between arms in the CAD group was significantly lower than that in the non
      CAD group, whereas the absolute difference in DBP between lower limbs in the CAD
      group was significantly higher. There were no differences in the absolute or
      relative difference in SBP between arms or lower limbs between the groups. The
      absolute difference in DBP between arms decreased as the Gensini score increased.
      In a logistic regression analysis, the presence of CAD was independently
      associated with the absolute difference in DBP between arms, in addition to male,
      family history, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus and hypertension. CONCLUSION: The
      absolute difference in DBP between arms in addition to traditional factors may be
      a critical risk factor for the presence of CAD.

PMID- 26491501
TI  - Proton Pump Inhibitors Did Not Increase Risk of Pneumonia in Patients With
      Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) involves the airways and
      pneumonia is a major cause of mortality. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were found
      to have a positive association with pneumonia. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the impact of PPIs on the risk of pneumonia in patients with COPD.
      METHODS: This was a nationwide, population-based, case-control study using data
      from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. The enrolled
      cases were defined as patients with COPD and appearance of pneumonia between 2001
      and 2005. The control group was age- and sex-matched 1:2 with the cases without
      pneumonia. Potential confounders such as coronary artery disease, hypertension,
      diabetes mellitus, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and prescriptions of
      glucocorticoids over 2 weeks, were included in the analysis. Prescriptions for
      PPIs were identified and entered into the analysis. RESULTS: A total of 10,131
      COPD patients, including 3,377 cases with pneumonia and 6,754 without, were
      identified. There were 213 (5.3%) and 436 (6.5%) cases with concurrent PPIs in
      the two groups, respectively, and the risk of pneumonia was similar (aOR = 0.96;
      95% CI: 0.83 - 1.10). Further subgroup analysis found no differences for younger
      patients (younger than 70 years old; aOR = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.83 - 1.10), elderly
      patients (older than 70 years old; aOR = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.81 - 1.15), short-term
      use of PPIs (less than 30 days; aOR = 1.12; CI: 0.53 - 2.34), medium-term use of
      PPIs (30 - 90 days; aOR = 0.86; CI: 0.72 - 1.03), or long-term use of PPIs
      (longer than 90 days; aOR = 0.97; CI: 0.81 - 1.15). CONCLUSION: PPIs did not
      contribute to a greater occurrence of pneumonia in COPD patients compared with
      non-users in this population-based case-control study. Further research is
      required.

PMID- 26491502
TI  - Combination Therapy With Adalimumab Plus Intensive Granulocyte and Monocyte
      Adsorptive Apheresis in Patients With Refractory Ulcerative Colitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of combination therapy with adalimumab (ADA)
      plus intensive granulocyte and monocyte adsorptive apheresis (GMA) (two sessions
      per week) for the treatment of refractory ulcerative colitis (UC) have not been
      previously evaluated. METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated the 10-week
      efficacy of combination therapy with ADA plus intensive GMA on refractory UC
      patients, on clinical outcomes over 52 weeks under subsequent maintenance
      monotherapy of ADA, and the effect of combined azathioprine (AZA) with ADA at
      failure to achieve clinical remission at 10 weeks and at flare-up by 52 weeks.
      Ten patients were given initial combination therapy of ADA (160/80/40 mg every
      other week) plus intensive GMA. One patient received total colectomy because of
      poor response. RESULTS: Of nine patients who received this combination therapy,
      55.6% displayed cumulative clinical remission at 10 weeks and 33.3% displayed
      such remission at 52 weeks under subsequent maintenance monotherapy of ADA. The
      percentage of patients with mucosal healing at 10 weeks (endoscopy subscore <= 1)
      was 66.7%. Adverse events were observed in three patients (pneumonia, cerebral
      infarction and headache). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that combination therapy
      with ADA plus intensive GMA is useful for induction of clinical remission in
      refractory UC patients, and is well tolerated.

PMID- 26491503
TI  - Infective Endocarditis Presenting as Complete Heart Block With an Unexpected
      Finding of a Cardiac Abscess and Purulent Pericarditis.
AB  - Intracardiac abscess resulting in complete heart block is an infrequent
      complication of infective endocarditis. Most presentations of endocarditis are
      limited to valvular and perivalvular structures, with varying degrees of heart
      block occurring in the minority of cases. We report a case of endocarditis
      manifesting as chest pain associated with ST segment elevation and complete heart
      block. The patient expired unexpectedly within a few hours of presentation.
      Postmortem examination revealed an atrial septal abscess, purulent pericardial
      collection, and fibrinous pericarditis. Spread of the abscess into the atrial
      septum was postulated to be the cause of the complete heart block. In
      endocarditis, the ominous development of heart block and a poor response to
      antibiotic therapy imply significant extension of the infection. Management
      therefore requires prompt ventricular pacing with consideration for valve
      replacement and possible pericardial drainage. 

PMID- 26491504
TI  - Squamous Cell Lung Cancer Associated With Systemic Sclerosis.
AB  - We here describe a 50-year-old woman diagnosed with squamous cell lung cancer
      (SqLC) with underlying interstitial lung disease (ILD) 14 years after a diagnosis
      of systemic sclerosis (SSc). We reviewed the literature and collected 21 well
      documented cases with SqLC associated with SSc including the present case.
      Several characteristics of SqLC associated with SSc have been found. First, the
      average age at diagnosis of SqLC is 57 years, which is much younger than that
      reported for patients without SSc. Second, SqLC could occur even in never or
      light smokers, although SqLC usually has a strong association with smoking
      history. Third, two-thirds of the available cases have ILD. In addition, SqLC
      developed in the area of ILD in most cases with ILD. Fourth, SqLC generally
      occurs after a long period from the diagnosis of SSc; the average of this
      interval reaches 12 years. It would be helpful to know these features so that
      physicians follow up and treat SSc patients adequately. 

PMID- 26491505
TI  - Zoledronate Therapy for the Pathological Humeral Fracture in Polyostotic Fibrous
      Dysplasia: A Case Report.
AB  - Fibrous dysplasia (FD) of bone is a rare skeletal disease often associated with
      bone pain, deformities and fractures. The bisphosphonate therapies are reported
      to be useful for bone pain, but seem to be not suitable for fracture repairs of
      extremities. This is the first report of zoledronate-induced radiological
      improvement and long bone fracture union in polyostotic FD. A 30-year-old
      Japanese female had bilateral shepherd's crook deformities typical to FD and
      right pathological femoral fracture and left humeral fracture nonunion. These
      fractures occurred without major traumas and the humeral fracture was not united
      for 1 year with conservative therapy. Laboratory blood test results were notable
      for elevated serum alkaline phosphatase and urine N-terminal cross-linking
      telopeptide of type I collagen. Her subtrochanteric femoral fracture was
      percutaneously fixed using Kirschner wires. After surgery, a hip spica cast was
      applied for 2 months and the orthosis for the next 2 months. Bony union of the
      femoral fracture was observed 5 months after surgery. Increased bone turnover and
      typical radiological features suggested that the constant elbow pain was due to
      both FD itself and humeral nonunion. Considering the possible side effects of
      zoledronate delaying acute fracture healing, we initiated zoledronate
      (Zometa((r)); Novartis, Tokyo, Japan) therapy after femoral fracture union.
      Intravenous zoledronate acid was administered at a dose of 2 mg, along with
      supplementation of calcium (600 mg/day) and vitamin D (alfacalcidol 0.5 MUg/day)
      to limit the risk of osteomalacia and improve the efficacy of bisphosphonate
      therapy. The patient's elbow pain rapidly resolved 1 week after treatment. Second
      therapy with same dose was performed after 6 months. No recurrence of elbow pain
      was reported and bony union was diagnosed after 1 year from the first
      administration. This patient is currently doing well without recurrence of bone
      pain. She can also walk for a short distance with crutches. We presented the case
      of an FD patient with persistent elbow pain due to FD itself and nonunion of
      humeral fracture, which was ameliorated promptly by intravenous zoledronate
      therapies. This case illustrated the benefit of zoledronate treatment in patients
      with extensive polyostotic FD and pathological fractures of extremities. 

PMID- 26491506
TI  - Severe Gastrointestinal Bleeding in a Patient With Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis
      Treated With Thalidomide and Octreotide: Bridging to Transcoronary Ablation of
      Septal Hypertrophy.
AB  - Gastrointestinal bleeding (GB) due to angiodysplasias can cause severe, recurrent
      bleeding, especially in elderly patients. Angiodysplastic bleedings in the
      gastrointestinal tract have been associated with aortic stenosis and, more
      recently, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, caused by an acquired
      coagulopathy known as Heyde's syndrome. Multiple factors are involved in the
      pathogenesis of angiodysplastic bleeding including genetic factors and increased
      levels of vascular intestinal growth factor at tissue levels. Endoscopic
      coagulation therapy is the primary treatment but often fails to resolve bleeding,
      especially in patients with large numbers of angiodysplasias. In patients with
      aortic stenosis and GB, the main treatment is aortic valve replacement but the
      patients may be unfit to undergo surgery due to the complicating anemia. In this
      case story, we present a patient with severe, GB due to hypertrophic subvalvular
      obstructive cardiomyopathy. Endoscopic procedures with argon beaming were
      performed without effect on bleeding. The patient was treated with a combination
      of both thalidomide and octreotide. Within 3 months, the patient recovered from
      the anemia and was able to undergo transcoronary ethanol ablation. No further
      bleeding episodes occurred, and thalidomide and octreotide were arrested. To our
      knowledge, this case report is the first to describe how this new drug
      combination therapy is an effective treatment of GB from angiodysplasias and can
      be used to bridge to surgical or endovascular treatment. 

PMID- 26491507
TI  - Head Loss As an Explanation of the Steal Phenomenon in Microvascular Surgery.
AB  - Vascular steal has been cited to help explain end-organ ischemia after
      microvascular reconstruction. Attempts to clarify a mechanism of vascular steal
      have been made by modeling blood circulation after a simple electrical circuit,
      suggesting that the free flap provides a path of least resistance for blood flow
      and thereby compromises end-organ perfusion. We present a case of a posterior
      medial thigh perforator flap for the reconstruction of a diabetic foot ulcer in a
      patient with a single vessel providing inflow to the foot. In the context of this
      case, we provide a novel explanation for the steal phenomenon using the Hagen
      Poiseuille law and the property of head loss in fluid dynamics and discuss how
      the vessel size of the free flap may contribute to a steal phenomenon. 

PMID- 26491508
TI  - Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerance of a New Injection Technique for High- and Low
      Molecular-Weight Hyaluronic Acid Hybrid Complexes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Facial aging is characterized by skin laxity and loss of skin
      elasticity. Hyaluronic acid, a biological component of the extracellular matrix,
      whose level decreases during aging, plays structural, rheological, and
      physiological roles in the skin. Hyaluronic acid may possess different molecular
      weights: low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid (from 50 kDa) and high-molecular
      weight hyaluronic acid (just up to 2 million kDa). This monocentric,
      retrospective, observational study investigates the efficacy, security, and
      tolerability of a new injective low- and high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid
      for facial skin rejuvenation. METHODS: Eleven women received once a month, for 2
      months, 2 mL of the product in the subcutaneous layer of the right and left
      malar/submalar areas. Facial skin echography, facial skin hydration, elasticity,
      and transepidermal water loss were assessed before (T 0), after 1 month (T 1),
      and after 3 months of treatment (T 2). The injective features of the product,
      physician subjective satisfaction, and patient satisfaction were also reported.
      RESULTS: Facial face hydration, elasticity, and transepidermal water loss values
      significantly improved at T 1 and T 2 (P < .01). Patients were very satisfied at
      the end of the treatment, and the compound's profit evaluated by the physician
      was optimal in the absence of local side effects. CONCLUSIONS: This treatment
      represents a good treatment option to restore vitality and turgidity of skin
      presenting the signs of aging in the absence of intolerance symptoms.

PMID- 26491509
TI  - Helical Rim Reconstruction: Antia-Buch Flap.

PMID- 26491510
TI  - [Respiratory signs revealing an amoebic liver abscess].

PMID- 26491511
TI  - [Splenic infarction during a severe form of granulomatosis with polyangiitis:
      report of a case].

PMID- 26491512
TI  - A characteristic image in Joubert syndrome: molar tooth sign.

PMID- 26491513
TI  - [Acute myopericarditis simulating myocardial infarction: report of a case and
      review of literature].

PMID- 26491514
TI  - Macular hole following contusion syndrome.

PMID- 26491515
TI  - [A small induced vascular malformation].

PMID- 26491516
TI  - [Molecular diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex resistant to isoniazid
      and rifampicin in Burkina Faso].

PMID- 26491517
TI  - [Ischemic gangrene of the penis in a diabetic patient: about a case].

PMID- 26491518
TI  - Winning the battle and losing the war? Where public health is getting it wrong in
      the current fight against HIV-AIDS and tuberculosis in Sub-Saharan Africa.
AB  - Despite the enormous victory that has been recorded in decreasing significantly
      HIV-TB related mortality and morbidity in Sub-Saharan Africa, enormous challenges
      continue to obstruct proper and enviable control of these conditions. These range
      from prioritization, ethics, funding, drug resistance and research gaps.
      Resistance to these diseases could constitute key treatment and prevention
      challenges to health care systems and the international community if not handled
      appropriately and promptly. This paper presents key shortcomings of the current
      funding, management and research policies and highlights possible action areas to
      remedy this situation. 

PMID- 26491519
TI  - [Hemophilia B minor revealed by a cerebral hemorrhage: report of a case].

PMID- 26491520
TI  - [Eye redness: think of rosacea].

PMID- 26491521
TI  - [Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in the service of infectious diseases at CHU
      YO, Burkina Faso: about two cases].

PMID- 26491522
TI  - Hypoalbuminaemia in haemodialysis patients at Parirenyatwa group of hospitals and
      Chitungwiza central hospital.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Haemodialysis is one of the widely used methods in end stage renal
      disease. However it has a negative impact on the quality of life of the renal
      patients. Hypoalbuminaemia occur in haemodialysis patients and it correlates
      strongly with mortality and morbidity. We sought out to determine the prevalence
      of hypoalbuminaemia among haemodialysis patients at Parirenyatwa group of
      hospitals and Chitungwiza central hospital. METHODS: A questionnaire was
      administered on haemodialysis patients at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and
      Chitungwiza Central Hospital who consented to participate in the study. Pre
      dialysis serum samples collected from the patients were used for albumin
      analysis. The serum from the patients was analysed for serum albumin levels using
      the Mindray BS120 chemistry analyser using the bromocresol green method. RESULTS:
      A total of 60 patients were recruited from the two hospitals. The Mean albumin
      concentration for the entire group was 33.6g/L SD (6.1 g/L). The mean albumin in
      males was 33.6 g/L, SD (5.9) and in female 33.6, SD (6.6 g/L) and this was not
      statistically significantly different (p = 0.988). The prevalence of
      hypoalbuminaemia was 76.7%. CONCLUSION: Hypoalbuminaemia in 76.7% of
      haemodialysis patients studied is a cause of concern thus monitoring of
      haemodialysis patients albumin is necessary since its decreased levels has been
      associated with increased morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 26491523
TI  - Posterior epidural migration of lumbar intervertebral fragment: case report.
AB  - Disc fragments are well known to migrate to superior, inferior, or lateral sites
      in the anterior epidural space, posterior epidural migrated lumbar disc fragments
      is an extremely rare disorder. Posterior epidural migrated lumbar disc fragments
      are often confused with other posterior epidural space-occupying lesions (cysts,
      abscesses, tumors, and hematomas). We reported the case of a 52- year-old man
      presented with progressive not systematizes bilateral radiculopathy complicated
      one week before admission a difficulty dorsiflexion prevents the start, and the
      stared to use crutches. Clinical examination revealed steppage gait and a
      strength score of 3/5 on dorsiflexion of feet. MR imaging of lumbar spine showed
      right posterolateral epidural mass that compressed the dural sac at the L3-4
      level. Patient underwent surgery using posterior approach, an L3 laminectomy was
      performed, the extruded disk fragment was gently removed and L3-L4 interspace was
      explored. Histopathology confirmed the (PEMLIF). Postoperative course was
      uneventful. 

PMID- 26491524
TI  - [Cushing syndrome during pregnancy: report of a case of adrenal adenoma].

PMID- 26491525
TI  - Giant adenoid cystic carcinoma of the sinonasal cavity.

PMID- 26491526
TI  - [Osteogenesis imperfecta: report of a case].

PMID- 26491527
TI  - Budd-chiari syndrome and renal arterial neurysms due to Behcet disease: a rare
      association.
AB  - Behcet's disease is a multisystemic vasculitis of unknown etiology with a chronic
      relapsing course. Vasculitis in Behcet's disease with predominant vascular
      involvement is the only vasculitis that affects both arteries and veins of any
      size. Involvement of the renal artery and inferior vena cava is rare among the
      arteries and veins, respectively. When disease affect the veins, it is in the
      form of thrombosis. Arterial complications include aneurysms, stenosis and
      occlusions. Both rupture of arterial aneurysm and occlusion of suprahepatic
      veins, causing Budd-Chiari syndrome, are associated with a high mortality rate.
      Vascular involvement is more common in male patients than in female patients. Men
      and patients with a younger age of onset present with a more severe prognosis. In
      this case report, we describe a very rare cause of intrarenal arterial aneurysm's
      rupture with previous Budd-Chiari syndrome due to Behcet's disease and successful
      angiographic embolization of actively bleeding aneurysm. 

PMID- 26491528
TI  - [Aneurysm of the ascending aorta associated with massive aortic regurgitation:
      rare and serious complication of Behcet disease].

PMID- 26491529
TI  - EUS-guided FNA of a portal vein thrombus in hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Portal vein thrombosis is a relatively rare but well-known complication of
      cirrhosis that has a prevalence of between 1% and 5.7%. On the contrary, in case
      of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), it is a much more frequent complication. In
      this paper, we presented three cases that had liver cirrhosis, mass and portal
      vein thrombosis in liver. We were not able to diagnose the cases through imaging
      methods, laboratory results or histopathologically, however, they were diagnosed
      with endoscopic ultrasonography- fine needle aspiration EUS-FNA from portal vein
      thrombus. 

PMID- 26491530
TI  - [Pseudotumoral malakoplakia of the breast].

PMID- 26491531
TI  - [Desmoid fibromatosis of the breast: a case report on and a review of the
      literature].

PMID- 26491532
TI  - Dermatomyositis revealing breast cancer: report of a case.
AB  - Dermatomyositis (DM) is a rare connective corresponding to an inflammatory
      disease of skeletal muscles. Paraneoplastic origin must always be sought,
      primarily gynecological tumor in women, but the investigations are often made
      difficult by the fact that a primary tumor is often not detectable at the time of
      the cutaneous manifestations. This approach includes in addition to the
      monitoring report at regular intervals of 6 to 12 months for two years after
      diagnosis. We report a case of Dermatomyositis revealing breast cancer. 

PMID- 26491533
TI  - Amniotic amputation.

PMID- 26491534
TI  - Proceedings of the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) Scientific
      Conference 17-22 November 2013 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: plenaries and oral
      presentations.
AB  - Biennially, trainees and graduates of Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training
      Programs (FELTPs) are presented with a platform to share investigations and
      projects undertaken during their two-year training in Applied Epidemiology. The
      African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) Scientific Conference, is a perfect
      opportunity for public health professionals from various sectors and
      organizations to come together to discuss issues that impact on public health in
      Africa. This year's conference was organized by the Ethiopian Health and
      Nutrition Research Institute in collaboration with the Ethiopia Ministry of
      Health, Ethiopian Public Health Association (EPHA), Ethiopia Field Epidemiology
      Training Program (EFETP), Addis Ababa University (AAU), Training Programs in
      Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET) and AFENET.
      Participants at this year's conference numbered 400 from over 20 countries
      including; Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic
      Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia,
      Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen and Zimbabwe. The
      topics covered in the 144 oral presentations included: global health security,
      emergency response, public health informatics, vaccine preventable diseases,
      immunization, outbreak investigation, Millennium Development Goals, Non
      Communicable Diseases, and public health surveillance. The theme for the 5th
      AFENET Scientific Conference was; "Addressing Public Health Priorities in Africa
      through FELTPs." Previous AFENET Scientific conferences have been held in: Accra,
      Ghana (2005), Kampala, Uganda (2007), Mombasa, Kenya (2009) and Dar es Salaam,
      Tanzania (2011). 

PMID- 26491535
TI  - The Role of Oxygen Sensors, Hydroxylases, and HIF in Cardiac Function and
      Disease.
AB  - Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Oxygen-sensing
      proteins are critical components of the physiological response to hypoxia and
      reperfusion injury, but the role of oxygen and oxygen-mediated effects is complex
      in that they can be cardioprotective or deleterious to the cardiac tissue. Over
      200 oxygen-sensing proteins mediate the effects of oxygen tension and use oxygen
      as a substrate for posttranslational modification of other proteins. Hydroxylases
      are an essential component of these oxygen-sensing proteins. While a major role
      of hydroxylases is regulating the transcription factor HIF, we investigate the
      increasing scope of hydroxylase substrates. This review discusses the importance
      of oxygen-mediated effects in the heart as well as how the field of oxygen
      sensing proteins is expanding, providing a more complete picture into how these
      enzymes play a multifaceted role in cardiac function and disease. We also review
      how oxygen-sensing proteins and hydroxylase function could prove to be invaluable
      in drug design and therapeutic targets for heart disease. 

PMID- 26491536
TI  - Chemotherapy-Induced Cardiotoxicity: Overview of the Roles of Oxidative Stress.
AB  - Chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity is a serious complication that poses a
      serious threat to life and limits the clinical use of various chemotherapeutic
      agents, particularly the anthracyclines. Understanding molecular mechanisms of
      chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity is a key to effective preventive strategies
      and improved chemotherapy regimen. Although no reliable and effective preventive
      treatment has become available, numerous evidence demonstrates that chemotherapy
      induced cardiotoxicity involves the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).
      This review provides an overview of the roles of oxidative stress in chemotherapy
      induced cardiotoxicity using doxorubicin, which is one of the most effective
      chemotherapeutic agents against a wide range of cancers, as an example. Current
      understanding in the molecular mechanisms of ROS-mediated cardiotoxicity will be
      explored and discussed, with emphasis on cardiomyocyte apoptosis leading to
      cardiomyopathy. The review will conclude with perspectives on model development
      needed to facilitate further progress and understanding on chemotherapy-induced
      cardiotoxicity. 

PMID- 26491537
TI  - Allopurinol Protects against Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Injury in Rat Urinary
      Bladders.
AB  - Bladder ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury results in the generation of reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) and markedly elevates the risk of lower urinary tract
      symptoms (LUTS). Allopurinol is an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase (XO) and thus
      can serve as an antioxidant that reduces oxidative stress. Here, a rat model was
      used to assess the ability of allopurinol treatment to ameliorate the deleterious
      effects of urinary bladder I/R injury. I/R injury reduced the in vitro
      contractile responses of longitudinal bladder strips, elevated XO activity in the
      plasma and bladder tissue, increased the bladder levels of tumor necrosis factor
      alpha (TNF-alpha), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 mitogen-activated
      protein kinase, reduced the bladder levels of extracellular regulated kinase
      (ERK), and decreased and increased the bladder levels of Bcl-2 and Bax,
      respectively. I/R injury also elevated lipid peroxidation in the bladder.
      Allopurinol treatment in the I/R injury was generated significantly ameliorating
      all I/R-induced changes. Moreover, an in situ fluorohistological approach also
      showed that allopurinol reduces the generation of intracellular superoxides
      enlarged by I/R injury. Together, the beneficial effects of allopurinol reducing
      ROS production may be mediated by normalizing the activity of the ERK, JNK, and
      Bax/Bcl-2 pathways and by controlling TNF-alpha expression. 

PMID- 26491538
TI  - Neurodevelopmental Underpinnings of Angelman Syndrome.

PMID- 26491539
TI  - CRISPR/Cas9-mediated heterozygous knockout of the autism gene CHD8 and
      characterization of its transcriptional networks in neurodevelopment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disruptive mutation in the CHD8 gene is one of the top genetic risk
      factors in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Previous analyses of genome-wide
      CHD8 occupancy and reduced expression of CHD8 by shRNA knockdown in committed
      neural cells showed that CHD8 regulates multiple cell processes critical for
      neural functions, and its targets are enriched with ASD-associated genes.
      METHODS: To further understand the molecular links between CHD8 functions and
      ASD, we have applied the CRISPR/Cas9 technology to knockout one copy of CHD8 in
      induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to better mimic the loss-of-function
      status that would exist in the developing human embryo prior to neuronal
      differentiation. We then carried out transcriptomic and bioinformatic analyses of
      neural progenitors and neurons derived from the CHD8 mutant iPSCs. RESULTS:
      Transcriptome profiling revealed that CHD8 hemizygosity (CHD8 (+/-)) affected the
      expression of several thousands of genes in neural progenitors and early
      differentiating neurons. The differentially expressed genes were enriched for
      functions of neural development, beta-catenin/Wnt signaling, extracellular
      matrix, and skeletal system development. They also exhibited significant overlap
      with genes previously associated with autism and schizophrenia, as well as the
      downstream transcriptional targets of multiple genes implicated in autism.
      Providing important insight into how CHD8 mutations might give rise to
      macrocephaly, we found that seven of the twelve genes associated with human brain
      volume or head size by genome-wide association studies (e.g., HGMA2) were
      dysregulated in CHD8 (+/-) neural progenitors or neurons. CONCLUSIONS: We have
      established a renewable source of CHD8 (+/-) iPSC lines that would be valuable
      for investigating the molecular and cellular functions of CHD8. Transcriptomic
      profiling showed that CHD8 regulates multiple genes implicated in ASD
      pathogenesis and genes associated with brain volume.

PMID- 26491540
TI  - Poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-ionic liquid coating improves neural recording
      and stimulation functionality of MEAs.
AB  - In vivo multi-electrode arrays (MEAs) can sense electrical signals from a small
      set of neurons or modulate neural activity through micro-stimulation. Electrode's
      geometric surface area (GSA) and impedance are important for both unit recording
      and neural stimulation. Smaller GSA is preferred due to enhanced selectivity of
      neural signal, but it tends to increase electrode impedance. Higher impedance
      leads to increased electrical noise and signal loss in single unit neural
      recording. It also yields a smaller charge injection window for safe neural
      stimulation. To address these issues, poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) - ionic
      liquid (PEDOT-IL) conducting polymers were electrochemically polymerized on the
      surface of the microelectrodes. The PEDOT-IL coating reduced the electrode
      impedance modulus by over 35 times at 1 kHz. It also exhibited compelling
      nanostructure in surface morphology and significant impedance reduction in other
      physiologically relevant range (100Hz-1000Hz). PEDOT-IL coated electrodes
      exhibited a Charge Storage Capacity (CSC) that was about 20 times larger than
      that of bare electrodes. The neural recording performance of PEDOT-IL coated
      electrodes was also compared with uncoated electrodes and PEDOT-poly
      (styrenesulfonate) (PSS) coated electrodes in rat barrel cortex (SI). Spontaneous
      neural activity and sensory evoked neural response were utilized for
      characterizing the electrode performance. The PEDOT-IL electrodes exhibited a
      higher unit yield and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in vivo. The local field
      potential recording was benefited from the low impedance PEDOT-IL coating in
      noise and artifact reduction as well. Moreover, cell culture on PEDOT-IL coating
      demonstrated that the material is safe for neural tissue and reduces astrocyte
      fouling. Taken together, PEDOT-IL coating has the potential to benefit neural
      recording and stimulation electrodes, especially when integrated with novel small
      GSA electrode arrays designed for high recording density, minimal insertion
      damage and alleviated tissue reaction.

PMID- 26491541
TI  - Cognitive-motor integration deficits in young adult athletes following
      concussion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ability to perform visually-guided motor tasks requires the
      transformation of visual information into programmed motor outputs. When the
      guiding visual information does not align spatially with the motor output, the
      brain processes rules to integrate the information for an appropriate motor
      response. Here, we look at how performance on such tasks is affected in young
      adult athletes with concussion history. METHODS: Participants displaced a cursor
      from a central to peripheral targets on a vertical display by sliding their
      finger along a touch sensitive screen in one of two spatial planes. The addition
      of a memory component, along with variations in cursor feedback increased task
      complexity across conditions. RESULTS: Significant main effects between
      participants with concussion history and healthy controls without concussion
      history were observed in timing and accuracy measures. Importantly, the deficits
      were distinctly more pronounced for participants with concussion history compared
      to healthy controls, especially when the brain had to control movements having
      two levels of decoupling between vision and action. A discriminant analysis
      correctly classified athletes with a history of concussion based on task
      performance with an accuracy of 94 %, despite the majority of these athletes
      being rated asymptomatic by current standards. CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      correspond to our previous work with adults at risk of developing dementia, and
      support the use of cognitive motor integration as an enhanced assessment tool for
      those who may have mild brain dysfunction. Such a task may provide a more
      sensitive metric of performance relevant to daily function than what is currently
      in use, to assist in return to play/work/learn decisions.

PMID- 26491542
TI  - Fulminant liver failure associated with delayed identification of thyroid storm
      due to heterophile antibodies.
AB  - Hepatic dysfunction during hyperthyroidism frequently occurs with mild
      abnormalities in liver function tests that are self-limited, improving after
      treatment of thyroid disease. With the exception of congestive heart failure or
      secondary hepatic disease, significant hepatic compromise during thyrotoxicosis
      is rare and often of unexplained origin. This report identifies a novel case of
      severe hepatic compromise in the setting of thyrotoxicosis that was not initially
      identified due to a falsely elevated TSH. A 43-year-old African-American man
      presented to the intensive care unit with severe jaundice, weight loss, thyroid
      bruit and altered mental status. Initial diagnosis of hyperthyroidism was delayed
      due to a non-suppressed TSH of 0.20 MUU/mL. Laboratory studies identified
      dramatic hepatic synthetic dysfunction and elevated transaminases with a total
      bilirubin of 47.4 mg/dL, AST 259 U/L, and ALT 142 U/L. No toxins, structural or
      viral causes of liver disease were identified and the patient was prepared for
      potential liver biopsy. Heterophile antibodies were identified and removed by
      precipitation, demonstrating an undetectable TSH and free thyroxine 9.0 ng/dL
      consistent with hyperthyroidism. Subsequent treatment with thionamides,
      corticosteroids, and potassium iodide improved both thyroid and liver function
      and avoided unnecessary invasive testing. Heterophile antibodies remain as
      important interfering factors in TSH immunoassays, and thus, this case
      demonstrates the importance of matching the clinical picture with available
      laboratory data. In the absence of a known cause of hepatic dysfunction,
      hyperthyroidism should be considered as a potential etiology of acute liver
      failure of unknown origin.

PMID- 26491543
TI  - Premature Termination Codons Are Recognized in the Nucleus in A Reading-Frame
      Dependent Manner.
AB  - mRNAs containing premature termination codons (PTCs) are known to be degraded via
      nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). Unexpectedly, we found that mRNAs containing
      any type of PTC (UAA, UAG, UGA) are detained in the nucleus whereas their wild
      type counterparts are rapidly exported. This retention is strictly reading-frame
      dependent. Strikingly, our data indicate that translating ribosomes in the
      nucleus proofread the frame and detect the PTCs in the nucleus. Moreover, the
      shuttling NMD protein Upf1 specifically associates with PTC+ mRNA in the nucleus
      and is required for nuclear retention of PTC+ mRNA. Together, our data lead to a
      working model that PTCs are recognized in the nucleus by translating ribosomes,
      resulting in recruitment of Upf1, which in turn functions in nuclear retention of
      PTC+ mRNA. Nuclear PTC recognition adds a new layer of proofreading for mRNA and
      may be vital for ensuring the extraordinary fidelity required for protein
      production.

PMID- 26491544
TI  - Nanostructured Gas Sensors for Health Care: An Overview.
AB  - Nanostructured platforms have been utilized for fabrication of small, sensitive
      and reliable gas sensing devices owing to high functionality, enhanced charge
      transport and electro-catalytic property. As a result of globalization, rapid,
      sensitive and selective detection of gases in environment is essential for health
      care and security. Nonmaterial such as metal, metal oxides, organic polymers, and
      organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposites exhibit interesting optical, electrical,
      magnetic and molecular properties, and hence are found potential gas sensing
      materials. Morphological, electrical, and optical properties of such
      nanostructures can be tailored via controlling the precursor concentration and
      synthesis conditions resulting to achieve desired sensing. This review presents
      applications of nano-enabling gas sensors to detect gases for environment
      monitoring. The recent update, challenges, and future vision for commercial
      applications of such sensor are also described here.

PMID- 26491545
TI  - Outcomes and Prognostic Factors of Intravitreal Bevacizumab Monotherapy in Zone I
      Stage 3+ and Aggressive Posterior Retinopathy of Prematurity.
AB  - Purpose. This study aims to evaluate the regression of retinopathy of prematurity
      (ROP) after one intravitreal injection of bevacizumab and the factors that
      influenced it. Methods. This retrospective case series was carried out at the
      "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It
      includes all the consecutive infants treated for ROP with one intravitreal
      bevacizumab injection, from January 1, 2009, throughout July 31, 2013. The follow
      up continued for 60 weeks after injection. We recorded ROP classification,
      regression, gender, gestational age, birth weight, postnatal age and
      postmenstrual age at treatment, and pregnancy type. Regression was analyzed
      according to each of the abovementioned factors, with the program IBM SPSS 20
      (Chicago, Illinois, USA). Results. This study includes 74 eyes of 37 infants of
      which 52 had aggressive posterior ROP (70.27%) and 22 had zone I stage 3+ ROP
      (29.72%). One week after the bevacizumab injection, ROP regressed in 63 eyes
      (85.13%), with a statistically significant higher rate in zone I stage 3+ ROP
      (100%), as compared with aggressive posterior ROP (78.84%) (P = 0.03). We
      recorded no complications subsequent to the intravitreal injections of
      bevacizumab. We identified no late retinal detachment. Conclusion. ROP regression
      rate after one intravitreal bevacizumab injection was 85.13%. This trial is
      registered with trial registration number IRCT2014101618966N2. 

PMID- 26491546
TI  - Inhibition of Corneal Neovascularization by Subconjunctival Injection of Fc
      Endostatin, a Novel Inhibitor of Angiogenesis.
AB  - We assessed the antiangiogenic effects of subconjunctival injection of Fc
      endostatin (FcE) using a human vascular endothelial growth factor-induced rabbit
      corneal neovascularization model. Angiogenesis was induced in rabbit corneas
      through intrastromal implantations of VEGF polymer implanted 2 mm from the
      limbus. NZW rabbits were separated into groups receiving twice weekly
      subconjunctival injections of either saline; 25 mg/mL bevacizumab; 2 mg/mL FcE;
      or 20 mg/mL FcE. Corneas were digitally imaged at 5 time points. An angiogenesis
      index (AI) was calculated (vessel length (mm) * vessel number score) for each
      observation. All treatment groups showed a significant decrease in the vessel
      length and AI compared to saline on all observation days (P < 0.001). By day 15,
      FcE 2 inhibited angiogenesis significantly better than FcE 20 (P < 0.01). There
      was no significant difference between FcE 2 and BV, although the values trended
      towards significantly increased inhibition by BV. BV was a significantly better
      inhibitor than FcE 20 by day 8 (P < 0.01). FcE was safe and significantly
      inhibited new vessel growth in a rabbit corneal neovascularization model. Lower
      concentration FcE 2 exhibited better inhibition than FcE 20, consistent with
      previous FcE studies referencing a biphasic dose-response curve. Additional
      studies are necessary to further elucidate the efficacy and clinical potential of
      this novel angiogenesis inhibitor. 

PMID- 26491547
TI  - Apelin Protects Primary Rat Retinal Pericytes from Chemical Hypoxia-Induced
      Apoptosis.
AB  - Pericytes are a population of cells that participate in normal vessel
      architecture and regulate permeability. Apelin, as the endogenous ligand of G
      protein-coupled receptor APJ, participates in a number of physiological and
      pathological processes. To date, the effect of apelin on pericyte is not clear.
      Our study aimed to investigate the potential protection mechanisms of apelin,
      with regard to primary rat retinal pericytes under hypoxia. Immunofluorescence
      staining revealed that pericytes colocalized with APJ in the fibrovascular
      membranes dissected from proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients. In the in
      vitro studies, we first demonstrated that the expression of apelin/APJ was
      upregulated in pericytes under hypoxia, and apelin increased pericytes
      proliferation and migration. Moreover, knockdown of apelin in pericyte was
      achieved via lentivirus-mediated RNA interference. After the inhibition of
      apelin, pericytes proliferation was inhibited significantly in hypoxia culture
      condition. Furthermore, exogenous recombinant apelin effectively prevented
      hypoxia-induced apoptosis through downregulating active-caspase 3 expression and
      increasing the ratio of B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)/Bcl-2 associated X protein
      (Bax) in pericytes. These results suggest that apelin suppressed hypoxia-induced
      pericytes injury, which indicated that apelin could be a potential therapeutic
      target for retinal angiogenic diseases. 

PMID- 26491548
TI  - Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Retinal Vascular Diseases and
      Choroidal Neovascularization.
AB  - Purpose. To assess the ability of optical coherence tomography-angiography (OCT
      A) to show and analyze retinal vascular patterns and the choroidal
      neovascularization (CNV) in retinal vascular diseases. Methods. Seven eyes of
      seven consecutive patients with retinal vascular diseases were examined. Two
      healthy subjects served as controls. All eyes were scanned with the SD-OCT XR
      Avanti (Optovue Inc, Fremont CA, USA). Split spectrum amplitude decorrelation
      angiography algorithm was used to identify the blood flow within the tissue.
      Fluorescein angiography (FA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) with
      Spectralis HRA + OCT (Heidelberg Engineering GmbH) were performed. Results. In
      healthy subjects OCT-A visualized major macular vessels and detailed capillary
      networks around the foveal avascular zone. Patients were affected with myopic CNV
      (2 eyes), age-related macular degeneration related (2), branch retinal vein
      occlusion (BRVO) (2), and branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) (1). OCT-A
      images provided distinct vascular patterns, distinguishing perfused and
      nonperfused areas in BRVO and BRAO and recognizing the presence, location, and
      size of CNV. Conclusions. OCT-A provides detailed images of retinal vascular
      plexuses and quantitative data of pathologic structures. Further studies are
      warranted to define the role of OCT-A in the assessment of retinovascular
      diseases, with respect to conventional FA and ICG-A. 

PMID- 26491549
TI  - Prognostic Factors for Open Globe Injuries and Correlation of Ocular Trauma Score
      in Tianjin, China.
AB  - Purpose. To investigate prognostic factors that influence the final visual acuity
      (VA) and to correlate the ocular trauma score (OTS) with the final VA in open
      globe injuries. Methods. A retrospective review of 298 patients with open globe
      injuries admitted to Tianjin Medical University General Hospital was carried out
      from January 1, 2010, till December 31, 2014. Prognostic factors influencing the
      final VA in patients with open globe injuries and the correlation between OTS and
      the final VA were examined. Results. Three hundred and fourteen eyes from 298
      patients with open globe injuries were analyzed. Males had a higher rate of open
      globe injury than females (83.56% versus 16.44%). Mean age was 45.46 +/- 17.48
      years (5-95 years). In a univariate analysis, prognostic factors influencing the
      final VA included initial VA, relative afferent papillary defect (RAPD), vitreous
      hemorrhage, lens injury, endophthalmitis, hyphema, retinal detachment, and the
      zone of injury. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, initial VA, RAPD, and
      the zone of injury were considered to be independent risk factors. The OTS
      correlated with final VA (r = 0.988, p = 0.000). Conclusion. In our study, the
      most important prognostic factors influencing the final VA were initial VA, RAPD,
      and the zone of injury. The OTS was of great importance for patients and
      ophthalmologists. 

PMID- 26491550
TI  - Individualized Therapy with Ranibizumab in Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
AB  - Individualized treatment regimens may reduce patient burden with satisfactory
      patient outcomes in neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Intravitreal
      anti-VEGF drugs are the current gold standard. Fixed monthly injections offer the
      best visual outcome but this regimen is not commonly followed outside clinical
      trials. A PRN regimen requires monthly visits where the patient is treated in the
      presence of signs of lesion activity. Therefore, an early detection of
      reactivation of the disease with immediate retreatment is crucial to prevent
      visual acuity loss. Several trials suggest that "treat and extend" and other
      proactive regimens provide a reasonable approach. The rationale of the proactive
      regimens is to perform treatment anticipating relapses or recurrences and
      therefore avoid drops in vision while individualizing patient followup. Treat and
      extend study results in significant direct medical cost savings from fewer
      treatments and office visits compared to monthly treatment. Current data suggest
      that, for one year, PRN is less expensive, but treat and extend regimen would
      likely be less expensive for subsequent years. Once a patient is not a candidate
      to continue with treatment, he/she should be sent to an outpatient unit with
      adequate resources to follow nAMD patients in order to reduce the burden of
      specialized ophthalmologist services. 

PMID- 26491551
TI  - The Measurement of Intraocular Biomarkers in Various Stages of Proliferative
      Diabetic Retinopathy Using Multiplex xMAP Technology.
AB  - Purpose. To determine the intraocular levels of growth factors and cytokines in
      patients with various degrees of severity of proliferative diabetic retinopathy
      (PDR) using multiplex xMAP technology. Methods. A prospective cohort study of 61
      eyes from 56 patients who were divided into 3 groups based on the severity of
      PDR. Patients in group number 1 are those who presented PDR with no need of
      repeated surgical intervention; patients in group number 2 had repeated vitreous
      bleeding; and patients in group number 3 had refractory neovascular glaucoma. The
      concentrations of proangiogenic, antiangiogenic, inflammatory, and neurotrophic
      factors were measured in intraocular fluid. The results were also compared with
      levels of factors measured in 50 eyes from 50 patients prior to senile cataract
      surgery (control group). Results. Patients with refractory neovascular glaucoma
      (the highest clinical severity group) had higher levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6)
      (median1 37.19; median3 384.74; P = .00096), transforming growth factor beta 1
      (TGFbeta-1) (median1 49.00; median3 414.40; P = .0017), and vascular endothelial
      growth factor (VEGF) (median1 211.62; median3 352.82; P = .0454) compared with
      other PDR patients. Conclusions. Results of our study imply that levels of IL-6,
      TGFbeta-1, and VEGF correlate with the severity of PDR. 

PMID- 26491552
TI  - Assessment of Full-Eye Response to Osmotic Stress in Mouse Model In Vivo Using
      Optical Coherence Tomography.
AB  - NaCl based solutions were applied as osmotic stress agents to alter the hydration
      state of the mouse eye. Full-eye responses to these osmotic challenges were
      monitored in vivo using a custom-built optical coherence tomography (OCT) with an
      extended imaging range of 12.38 mm. Dynamic changes in the mouse eye were
      quantified based on the OCT images using several parameters, including the
      central corneal thickness (CCT), the anterior chamber depth (ACD), the
      crystalline lens thickness (LT), the cornea-retina distance (CRD), the iris
      curvature (IC), and the lens scattering intensity (LSI). Apparent but reversible
      changes in the morphology of almost all the ocular components and the light
      transparency of the lens are exhibited. Particularly, the ocular dehydration
      induced by the hypertonic challenges resulted in a closing of the iridocorneal
      angle and an opacification of the lens. Our results indicated that the ocular
      hydration is an important physiological process which might be correlated with
      various ocular disorders, such as dry eye, cataract, and angle-closure glaucoma,
      and would affect the biometry and imaging of the eye. OCT uniquely enables the
      comprehensive study of the dynamic full-eye responses to the ocular hydration in
      vivo. 

PMID- 26491553
TI  - Suppression of In Vivo Neovascularization by the Loss of TRPV1 in Mouse Cornea.
AB  - To investigate the effects of loss of transient receptor potential vanilloid
      receptor 1 (TRPV1) on the development of neovascularization in corneal stroma in
      mice. Blocking TRPV1 receptor did not affect VEGF-dependent neovascularization in
      cell culture. Lacking TRPV1 inhibited neovascularization in corneal stroma
      following cauterization. Immunohistochemistry showed that immunoreactivity for
      active form of TGFbeta1 and VEGF was detected in subepithelial stroma at the site
      of cauterization in both genotypes of mice, but the immunoreactivity seemed less
      marked in mice lacking TRPV1. mRNA expression of VEGF and TGFbeta1 in a mouse
      cornea was suppressed by the loss of TRPV1. TRPV1 gene ablation did not affect
      invasion of neutrophils and macrophage in a cauterized mouse cornea. Blocking
      TRPV1 signal does not affect angiogenic effects by HUVECs in vitro. TRPV1 signal
      is, however, involved in expression of angiogenic growth factors in a cauterized
      mouse cornea and is required for neovascularization in the corneal stroma in
      vivo. 

PMID- 26491554
TI  - Aqueous Levels of Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor and Macular Choroidal
      Thickness in High Myopia.
AB  - Purpose. To investigate the correlation between aqueous and serum levels of
      pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) and macular choroidal thickness in high
      myopia patients, both with and without choroidal neovascularization (CNV).
      Methods. Serum and aqueous levels of PEDF were measured by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay in 36 high myopia patients (36 eyes) with no CNV (non-CNV
      group), 14 high myopia patients (14 eyes) with CNV (CNV group), and 42 nonmyopia
      patients (42 eyes) (control group). Macular choroidal thickness was measured by
      enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography. Results. Aqueous levels of
      PEDF were significantly higher in CNV group compared with non-CNV (P < 0.001) and
      control (P < 0.001) groups. Macular choroidal thicknesses were significantly
      decreased in the non-CNV and CNV groups compared with the control (P < 0.001)
      group. A statistically significant difference (P = 0.012) was found between the
      CNV and non-CNV groups. There was a positive correlation between aqueous PEDF and
      macular choroidal thickness in the non-CNV group (P = 0.005), but no correlation
      with the CNV group. No correlation between serum PEDF and macular choroidal
      thickness was detected in the three groups. Conclusion. Variations in aqueous
      PEDF levels coincide with changes in macular choroidal thickness in high myopia
      patients with no CNV, while no such relationship exists in high myopia patients
      with CNV. 

PMID- 26491556
TI  - Ocular Angiogenesis.

PMID- 26491555
TI  - Long-Term Visual Outcome in Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration Patients
      Depending on the Number of Ranibizumab Injections.
AB  - Purpose. To analyse the visual outcome in wet age-related macular degeneration
      (AMD) patients depending on the number of ranibizumab injections. Methods. 51
      naive wet AMD patients were retrospectively recorded. Visual acuity (VA), central
      retinal thickness (CRT) measured with spectral domain (SD) optical coherence
      tomography (OCT), and number of intravitreal injections were compared at 6, 12,
      18, 24, 30, and 36 months of follow-up. Kaplan-Meier survival rates (SRs) based
      on VA outcomes were calculated depending on the number of ranibizumab injections
      performed. Results. VA improved compared with baseline at 6 and 12 months (P <
      0.005). No differences were found at 18, 24, 30, and 36 months (P > 0.05). CRT
      measured with Cirrus OCT decreased (P < 0.001) at all time points analysed. The
      mean number of injections received was 6.98 +/- 3.69. At 36 months, Kaplan-Meier
      SR was 76.5% (the proportion of patients without a decrease in vision of more
      than 0.3 logMAR units). VA remained stable (<=0.01 logMAR units) or improved in
      62.7%. Within this group, SR was 92.9% in those who received 7 or more injections
      versus 51.4% receiving <7 treatments (P = 0.008; log-rank test). Conclusion.
      Better VA outcomes were found in stable wet AMD patients after 3 years of follow
      up if they received >=7 ranibizumab injections. 

PMID- 26491557
TI  - Antiproliferative, Apoptotic, and Autophagic Activity of Ranibizumab,
      Bevacizumab, Pegaptanib, and Aflibercept on Fibroblasts: Implication for
      Choroidal Neovascularization.
AB  - Purpose. Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is one of the most common
      complications of retinal diseases accompanied by elevated secretion of vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Intravitreal anti-VEGFs (ranibizumab,
      bevacizumab, pegaptanib, and aflibercept) can suppress neovascularization,
      decrease vascular permeability and CNV size, and, thereby, improve visual
      function. The antiproliferative, apoptotic, and autophagic effect of anti-VEGF
      drugs on fibroblasts found in CNVs has not been yet explored. Methods.
      Concentration-dependent cellular effects of the four anti-VEGFs were examined in
      L929 fibroblasts over a 5-day period. The cell survival, mitotic and
      polykaryocytic indices, the level of apoptosis and autophagy, and the cellular
      growth kinetics were all assessed. Results. The anti-VEGFs could inhibit the
      survival, mitotic activity, and proliferation as well as increase the cellular
      heterogeneity, apoptosis, and autophagy of the fibroblasts in a dose-dependent
      manner. Cellular growth kinetics showed ranibizumab to be less aggressive, but
      three other anti-VEGFs showed higher antiproliferative and apoptotic activity and
      expressed negative cellular growth kinetics. Conclusions. The antiproliferative,
      apoptotic, and autophagic activity of anti-VEGFs upon fibroblasts may explain the
      cellular response and the etiology of CNV involution in vivo and serve as a good
      study model for CNV in vitro. 

PMID- 26491559
TI  - Implications of Renal Denervation Therapy in Patients with Sleep Apnea.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome is a prevalent condition characterized by
      repeated episodes of obstruction of the upper airway, leading to intermittent
      hypoxemia and important endothelial and anatomical dysfunctions that cause
      cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. The finding of the relationship
      between OSA and hypertension, especially resistant hypertension (RHT), has
      increased the interest in therapeutic strategies that affect renal sympathetic
      activity in these patients. The observational studies published until now
      demonstrated that renal denervation therapy can reduce the severity of OSA
      syndrome. Renal sympathetic denervation (RDN) could be a future therapeutic
      possibility for conditions other than RHT, such as atrial fibrillation, heart
      failure, obesity, and OSA syndrome, where renal sympathetic system plays an
      important physiological role. The aim of this review was to elucidate the
      implications of renal sympathetic activity in OSA syndrome. 

PMID- 26491558
TI  - Risk Factors Associated with Cognitive Decline after Cardiac Surgery: A
      Systematic Review.
AB  - Modern day cardiac surgery evolved upon the advent of cardiopulmonary bypass
      machines (CPB) in the 1950s. Following this development, cardiac surgery in
      recent years has improved significantly. Despite such advances and the
      introduction of new technologies, neurological sequelae after cardiac surgery
      still exist. Ischaemic stroke, delirium, and cognitive impairment cause
      significant morbidity and mortality and unfortunately remain common
      complications. Postoperative cognitive decline (POCD) is believed to be
      associated with the presence of new ischaemic lesions originating from emboli
      entering the cerebral circulation during surgery. Cardiopulmonary bypass was
      thought to be the reason of POCD, but randomised controlled trials comparing with
      off-pump surgery show contradictory results. Attention has now turned to the
      growing evidence that perioperative risk factors, as well as patient-related risk
      factors, play an important role in early and late POCD. Clearly, identifying the
      mechanism of POCD is challenging. The purpose of this systematic review is to
      discuss the literature that has investigated patient and perioperative risk
      factors to better understand the magnitude of the risk factors associated with
      POCD after cardiac surgery. 

PMID- 26491560
TI  - Robotically Assisted Single Anastomosis Duodenoileal Bypass after Previous Sleeve
      Gastrectomy Implementing High Valuable Technology for Complex Procedures.
AB  - Staged bariatric procedures in high risk patients are a common used strategy for
      morbid obese patients nowadays. After previous sleeve gastrectomy, surgical
      treatments in order to complete weight loss or comorbidities improvements or
      resolutions are possible. One strategy is to perform a novel technique named SADI
      (single anastomosis duodenoileal bypass-sleeve). We present the technique for
      totally intracorporeal robotically assisted SADI using five ports and a liver
      retractor. We aim to see if the robotic technology offers more advantageous
      anastomosis and dissection obtained by the robotic approach in comparison to
      standard laparoscopy. The safety, feasibility, and reproducibility of a minimally
      invasive robotic surgical approach to complex abdominal operations such as SADI
      are discussed. 

PMID- 26491561
TI  - Elevated Risk of Suicidal Ideation in HIV-Positive Persons.
AB  - Globally, suicide and HIV/AIDS remain two of the greatest healthcare issues,
      particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Several studies have observed a
      relationship between suicidal behaviour and HIV/AIDS. Materials and Methods. The
      main objective of this research was to determine the prevalence of elevated risk
      of suicidal ideation in HIV-positive persons immediately following voluntary HIV
      counselling and testing (VCT). The study sample consisted of adult volunteers
      attending the VCT clinic at a university-affiliated, general state hospital.
      Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, Beck's Hopeless Scale,
      and Beck's Depression Inventory. Results. A significantly elevated risk of
      suicidal ideation was found in 83.1% of the patients who tested seropositive.
      Despite a wide age range in the cohort studied, the majority of patients with
      suicidal ideation were males in the younger age group (age < 30 years),
      consistent with the age-related spread of the disease and an increase in suicidal
      behaviour in younger people. Relevant associated variables are discussed.
      Conclusion. The results serve as important markers that could alert healthcare
      professionals to underlying suicide risks in HIV-positive patients. It is
      recommended that screening for elevated risk of suicidal ideation and prevention
      of suicidal behaviour should form a routine aspect of comprehensive patient care
      at VCT clinics. 

PMID- 26491562
TI  - Comparison of Folate Receptor Targeted Optical Contrast Agents for Intraoperative
      Molecular Imaging.
AB  - Background. Intraoperative imaging can identify cancer cells in order to improve
      resection; thus fluorescent contrast agents have emerged. Our objective was to do
      a preclinical comparison of two fluorescent dyes, EC17 and OTL38, which both
      target folate receptor but have different fluorochromes. Materials. HeLa and KB
      cells lines were used for in vitro and in vivo comparisons of EC17 and OTL38
      brightness, sensitivity, pharmacokinetics, and biodistribution. In vivo
      experiments were then performed in mice. Results. The peak excitation and
      emission wavelengths of EC17 and OTL38 were 470/520 nm and 774/794 nm,
      respectively. In vitro, OTL38 required increased incubation time compared to EC17
      for maximum fluorescence; however, peak signal-to-background ratio (SBR) was 1.4
      fold higher compared to EC17 within 60 minutes (p < 0.001). Additionally, the SBR
      for detecting smaller quantity of cells was improved with OTL38. In vivo, the
      mean improvement in SBR of tumors visualized using OTL38 compared to EC17 was 3.3
      fold (range 1.48-5.43). Neither dye caused noticeable toxicity in animal studies.
      Conclusions. In preclinical testing, OTL38 appears to have superior sensitivity
      and brightness compared to EC17. This coincides with the accepted belief that
      near infrared (NIR) dyes tend to have less autofluorescence and scattering issues
      than visible wavelength fluorochromes. 

PMID- 26491563
TI  - A Rationale for Going Back to the Future: Use of Disposable Spacers for
      Pressurised Metered Dose Inhalers.
AB  - The introduction of pressurised metered dose inhalers (MDIs) in the mid-1950s
      completely transformed respiratory treatment. Despite decades of availability and
      healthcare support and development of teaching aids and devices to promote better
      use, poor pMDI user technique remains a persistent issue. The main pMDI user aid
      is the spacer/valved holding chamber (VHC) device. Spacer/chamber features (size,
      shape, configuration, construction material, and hygiene considerations) can vie
      with clinical effectiveness (to deliver the same dose as a correctly used pMDI),
      user convenience, cost, and accessibility. Unsurprisingly, improvised, low-cost
      alternatives (plastic drink bottles, paper cups, and paper towel rolls) have been
      pressed into seemingly effective service. A UK law change permitting schools to
      hold emergency inhalers and spacers has prompted a development project to design
      a low-cost, user-friendly, disposable, and recyclable spacer. This paper spacer
      requires neither preuse priming nor washing, and has demonstrated reproducible
      lung delivery of salbutamol sulphate pMDI, comparable to an industry-standard
      VHC, an alternative paperboard VHC, and pMDI alone. This new device appears to
      perform better than these other VHC devices at the low flow rates thought
      achievable by paediatric patients. The data suggest that this disposable spacer
      may have a place in the single-use emergency setting. 

PMID- 26491564
TI  - Relationship between Tibial Baseplate Design and Rotational Alignment Landmarks
      in Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - This study evaluated the influence of modern tibial baseplate designs when using
      the anterior tibial cortex as a primary rotational landmark for the tibial
      baseplate in TKA. Eighty patients undergoing TKA were randomized in two groups.
      Group 1 included 25 females and 15 males receiving a posterior-stabilized (PS)
      symmetric tibial baseplate while Group 2 included 24 females and 16 males
      receiving a PS anatomical tibial component. Identical surgical technique,
      including the use of the surgical transepicondylar femoral axis (sTEA) and the
      anterior tibial cortex ("Curve-on-Curve") as rotational alignment landmarks, was
      used. All patients underwent CT evaluation performed with the knee in full
      extension. Three observers independently measured the rotational alignment of the
      tibial component in relation to the sTEA. The rotational alignment of the
      symmetric baseplate showed an average external rotation of 1.3 degrees  (minimum
      5 degrees , maximum -1 degrees ): 91% of the knees showed 0 +/- 3 degrees  with
      respect to the surgical sTEA, being internally rotated in 20%. The rotational
      alignment of the anatomical baseplate showed an average external rotation of 4.1
      degrees  (minimum 0.4 degrees , maximum 8.9 degrees ): only 47.5% of the knees
      showed 0 +/- 3 degrees , being externally rotated in 100%. The difference between
      the two groups was statistically significant. This study confirms the reliability
      of the "Curve-on-Curve" technique as an adequate rotational alignment anatomical
      landmark in TKA: the use of an asymmetric tibial baseplate might lead to external
      rotation of the tibial component when this technique is intraoperatively chosen. 

PMID- 26491565
TI  - Training Family Medicine Residents in Effective Communication Skills While
      Utilizing Promotoras as Standardized Patients in OSCEs: A Health Literacy
      Curriculum.
AB  - Introduction. Future health care providers need to be trained in the knowledge
      and skills to effectively communicate with their patients with limited health
      literacy. The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a curriculum
      designed to increase residents' health literacy knowledge, improve communication
      skills, and work with an interpreter. Materials and Methods. Family Medicine
      residents (N = 25) participated in a health literacy training which included
      didactic lectures and an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).
      Community promotoras acted as standardized patients and evaluated the residents'
      ability to measure their patients' health literacy, communicate effectively using
      the teach-back and Ask Me 3 methods, and appropriately use an interpreter. Pre-
      and postknowledge, attitudes, and postdidactic feedback were obtained. We
      compared OSCE scores from the group that received training (didactic group) and
      previous graduates. Residents reported the skills they used in practice three
      months later. Results. Family Medicine residents showed an increase in health
      literacy knowledge (p = 0.001) and scored in the adequately to expertly performed
      range in the OSCE. Residents reported using the teach-back method (77.8%) and a
      translator more effectively (77.8%) three months later. Conclusions. Our
      innovative health literacy OSCE can be replicated for medical learners at all
      levels of training. 

PMID- 26491566
TI  - Mechanistic Perspectives of Maslinic Acid in Targeting Inflammation.
AB  - Chronic inflammation drives the development of various pathological diseases such
      as rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. The
      arachidonic acid pathway represents one of the major mechanisms for inflammation.
      Prostaglandins (PGs) are lipid products generated from arachidonic acid by the
      action of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes and their activity is blocked by
      nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). The use of natural compounds in
      regulation of COX activity/prostaglandins production is receiving increasing
      attention. In Mediterranean diet, olive oil and table olives contain significant
      dietary sources of maslinic acid. Maslinic acid is arising as a safe and novel
      natural pentacyclic triterpene which has protective effects against chronic
      inflammatory diseases in various in vivo and in vitro experimental models.
      Understanding the anti-inflammatory mechanism of maslinic acid is crucial for its
      development as a potential dietary nutraceutical. This review focuses on the
      mechanistic action of maslinic acid in regulating the inflammation pathways
      through modulation of the arachidonic acid metabolism including the nuclear
      factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB)/COX-2 expression, upstream protein kinase signaling,
      and phospholipase A2 enzyme activity. Further investigations may provide insight
      into the mechanism of maslinic acid in regulating the molecular targets and their
      associated pathways in response to specific inflammatory stimuli. 

PMID- 26491567
TI  - Perceptions of Participants in a Group, Community, Exercise Programme for People
      with Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - Purpose. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of people with
      multiple sclerosis of a community based, group exercise programme. Method. A
      pragmatic programme evaluation approach using qualitative research design was
      adopted. Focus groups were used to gather data from 14 participants who had taken
      part in a RCT of community based exercise interventions for PwMS who used at most
      a stick to walk outdoors. Data were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis
      was used to first identify categories and then to group them into themes.
      Results. Three themes emerged, psychological benefits, physical benefits, and
      knowledge gained. The psychological benefits included the role of the group as a
      social and motivational factor, empowerment, confidence, hope, sense of
      achievement, and pride. Physical benefits were improved energy and reduced
      fatigue and improved ability and participation. Knowledge gained caused a shift
      from thoughts that exercise might do harm, to sufficient knowledge that would
      give participants confidence to exercise themselves. The role of the group was a
      key element in the positive outcomes. Conclusions. The qualitative analysis
      supports the findings of the main trial confirming positive effects of community
      exercise interventions by reducing the impact of MS and fatigue and improving
      participation. 

PMID- 26491568
TI  - Prediction of Advisability of Returning Home Using the Home Care Score.
AB  - Purpose. The aim of this study was to assess whether the home care score (HCS),
      which was developed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Japan in 1992, is
      useful for the prediction of advisability of home care. Methods. Subjects living
      at home and in assisted-living facilities were analyzed. Binominal logistic
      regression analyses, using age, sex, the functional independence measure score,
      and the HCS, along with receiver operating characteristic curve analyses, were
      conducted. Findings/Conclusions. Only HCS was selected for the regression
      equation. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the area
      under the curve (0.9), sensitivity (0.82), specificity (0.83), and positive
      predictive value (0.84) for HCS were higher than those for the functional
      independence measure, indicating that the HCS is a powerful predictor for
      advisability of home care. Clinical Relevance. Comprehensive measurements of the
      condition of provided care and the activities of daily living of the subjects,
      which are included in the HCS, are required for the prediction of advisability of
      home care. 

PMID- 26491570
TI  - Contralateral Metabolic Activation Related to Plastic Changes in the Spinal Cord
      after Peripheral Nerve Injury in Rats.
AB  - We have previously reported the crossed-withdrawal reflex in which the rats with
      nerve injury developed behavioral pain responses of the injured paw to stimuli
      applied to the contralateral uninjured paw. This reflex indicates that
      contralateral plastic changes may occur in the spinal cord after unilateral nerve
      injury. The present study was performed to elucidate the mechanisms and
      morphological correlates underlying the crossed-withdrawal reflex by using
      quantitative (14)C-2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) autoradiography which can examine
      metabolic activities and spatial patterns simultaneously. Under pentobarbital
      anesthesia, rats were subjected to unilateral nerve injury. Mechanical allodynia
      was tested for two weeks after nerve injury. After nerve injury, neuropathic pain
      behaviors developed progressively. The crossed-withdrawal reflex was observed at
      two weeks postoperatively. Contralateral enhancement of 2-DG uptake in the
      ventral horn of the spinal cord to electrical stimulation of the uninjured paw
      was observed. These results suggest that the facilitation of information
      processing from the uninjured side to the injured side may contribute to the
      crossed-withdrawal reflex by plastic changes in the spinal cord of nerve-injured
      rats. 

PMID- 26491571
TI  - Double Ventricular Responses Leading to Reversible Cardiomyopathy as Late
      Complication after Slow-Pathway Ablation.
AB  - Double ventricular response is a rare arrhythmia that results from simultaneous
      antegrade conduction over the fast and slow pathways of AV node. Double
      ventricular responses may lead to arrhythmia-related cardiomyopathy. As far as we
      know, there is not any reported reversible cardiomyopathy development that
      resulted from double ventricular responses to one atrial impulse after slow
      pathway ablation. We report a unique case of double ventricular response
      cardiomyopathy that has been developed 5 years after slow pathway ablation. 

PMID- 26491569
TI  - Cortical Excitability Measured with nTMS and MEG during Stroke Recovery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Stroke alters cortical excitability both in the lesioned and in the
      nonlesioned hemisphere. Stroke recovery has been studied using transcranial
      magnetic stimulation (TMS). Spontaneous brain oscillations and somatosensory
      evoked fields (SEFs) measured by magnetoencephalography (MEG) are modified in
      stroke patients during recovery. METHODS: We recorded SEFs and spontaneous MEG
      activity and motor threshold (MT) short intracortical inhibition (SICI) and
      intracortical facilitation (ICF) with navigated TMS (nTMS) at one and three
      months after first-ever hemispheric ischemic strokes. Changes of MEG and nTMS
      parameters attributed to gamma-aminobutyrate and glutamate transmission were
      compared. RESULTS: ICF correlated with the strength and extent of SEF source
      areas depicted by MEG at three months. The nTMS MT and event-related
      desynchronization (ERD) of beta-band MEG activity and SICI and the beta-band MEG
      event-related synchronization (ERS) were correlated, but less strongly.
      CONCLUSIONS: This first report using sequential nTMS and MEG in stroke recovery
      found intra- and interhemispheric correlations of nTMS and MEG estimates of
      cortical excitability. ICF and SEF parameters, MT and the ERD of the lesioned
      hemisphere, and SICI and ERS of the nonlesioned hemisphere were correlated.
      Covarying excitability in the lesioned and nonlesioned hemispheres emphasizes the
      importance of the hemispheric balance of the excitability of the sensorimotor
      system.

PMID- 26491572
TI  - Woven Coronary Artery Disease Successfully Managed with Percutaneous Coronary
      Intervention: A New Case Report.
AB  - Woven coronary artery is relatively rare and can be complicated in both acute and
      chronic phases. A few case reports have been published until now. Herein we
      report a case with right woven coronary artery managed with drug-eluted stent
      implantation without complication. 

PMID- 26491573
TI  - Laser Phototherapy (660 nm) Can Be Beneficial for Reducing Gingival Inflammation
      in Prosthodontics.
AB  - Among the new technologies developed, low power lasers have enabled new
      approaches to provide conservative treatment. Low power lasers act at cellular
      level, resulting in reduced pain, modulating inflammation, and improved tissue
      healing. Clinical application of the low power laser requires specific knowledge
      concerning laser interaction with biological tissue so that the correct
      irradiation protocol can be established. The present case report describes the
      clinical steps involved in an indirect composite resin restoration performed in a
      31-year-old patient, in whom low power laser was used for soft tissue
      biomodulation. Laser therapy was applied with a semiconductor laser 660 nm, spot
      size of 0.028 cm(2), energy density of 35.7 J/cm(2), mean power of 100 mW, and
      energy per point as 1 J, in contact mode, on a total of 2 points (mesial and
      distal), totaling 2 J of energy. The therapy with low power laser can contribute
      positively to the success of an indirect restorative treatment. 

PMID- 26491574
TI  - Enamel Pearls Implications on Periodontal Disease.
AB  - Dental anatomy is quite complex and diverse factors must be taken into account in
      its analysis. Teeth with anatomical variations present an increase in the rate of
      severity periodontal tissue destruction and therefore a higher risk of developing
      periodontal disease. In this context, this paper reviews the literature regarding
      enamel pearls and their implications in the development of severe localized
      periodontal disease as well as in the prognosis of periodontal therapy.
      Radiographic examination of a patient complaining of pain in the right side of
      the mandible revealed the presence of a radiopaque structure around the cervical
      region of lower right first premolar. Periodontal examination revealed extensive
      bone loss since probing depths ranged from 7.0 mm to 9.0 mm and additionally
      intense bleeding and suppuration. Surgical exploration detected the presence of
      an enamel pearl, which was removed. Assessment of the remaining supporting
      tissues led to the extraction of tooth 44. Local factors such as enamel pearls
      can lead to inadequate removal of the subgingival biofilm, thus favoring the
      establishment and progression of periodontal diseases. 

PMID- 26491575
TI  - Fabrication of Closed Hollow Bulb Obturator Using Thermoplastic Resin Material.
AB  - Purpose. Closed hollow bulb obturators are used for the rehabilitation of
      postmaxillectomy patients. However, the time consuming process, complexity of
      fabrication, water leakage, and discoloration are notable disadvantages of this
      technique. This paper describes a clinical report of fabricating closed hollow
      bulb obturator using a single flask and one time processing method for an
      acquired maxillary defect. Hard thermoplastic resin sheet has been used for the
      fabrication of hollow bulb part of the obturator. Method. After fabrication of
      master cast conventionally, bulb and lid part of the defect were formed
      separately and joined by autopolymerizing acrylic resin to form one sized smaller
      hollow body. During packing procedure, the defect area was loaded with heat
      polymerizing acrylic resin and then previously fabricated smaller hollow body was
      adapted over it. The whole area was then loaded with heat cure acrylic. Further
      processes were carried out conventionally. Conclusion. This technique uses single
      flask which reduces laboratory time and makes the procedure simple. The thickness
      of hollow bulb can be controlled and light weight closed hollow bulb prosthesis
      can be fabricated. It also minimizes the disadvantages of closed hollow bulb
      obturator such as water leakage, bacterial infection, and discoloration. 

PMID- 26491576
TI  - Calcitonin-Secreting Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of Larynx with Metastasis to
      Thyroid.
AB  - Primary neuroendocrine tumors of the larynx are rare, with moderately
      differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma (MDNC) being the most frequent histologic
      type. We report a MDNC in a 57-year-old gentleman with an enlarging right-sided
      neck mass. Flexible fiberoptic exam revealed a right arytenoid lesion. Histology
      from excisional biopsy was concerning for medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC)
      versus NET of the larynx. Immunohistochemistry was diffusely positive for
      calcitonin and CEA and focally positive for TTF-1. Serum calcitonin was elevated.
      Thyroid ultrasound was unremarkable. The patient underwent laryngectomy,
      thyroidectomy, and neck dissection. Pathology showed neuroendocrine carcinoma of
      right arytenoid with positive cervical lymph nodes. A 4 mm deposit of NET was
      present in right thyroid with adjacent intravascular tumor consistent with
      thyroidal metastasis from a primary laryngeal NET (MDNC). MDNC and MTC can be
      microscopically indistinguishable. Both tumors can stain positively for
      calcitonin and CEA. TTF-1 staining has been useful to help distinguish these
      tumors as it is strongly and diffusely positive in MTC, but usually negative (or
      only focally positive) in MDNC. We report the fourth case of primary
      neuroendocrine carcinoma of the larynx associated with elevated serum calcitonin
      level and the first such case associated with metastasis to the thyroid. 

PMID- 26491577
TI  - A Case Report on the Progression of Myeloid Sarcoma to Form Multiple Metastatic
      Deposits without Developing Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.
AB  - Introduction. Myeloid sarcomas (MS) are rare tumours occurring at extramedullary
      sites. They are usually associated with other haematology disorders such as acute
      myeloid leukaemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, and chronic myeloproliferative
      neoplasms. They frequently occur with a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia
      (AML) or with relapse of preexisting disease. Patients with myeloid sarcomas
      without history or evidence of myeloid leukaemia typically progress to form AML.
      Case Presentation. A case report of a patient diagnosed with an isolated myeloid
      sarcoma that rarely did not transform to AML but instead spread to form multiple
      myeloid sarcomas throughout the body. Discussion. This case identifies the risk
      of metastatic spread of these tumours rather than the development of AML which is
      poorly documented in the literature, due to the rarity of cases, and may be
      significant in the investigation and management of isolated myeloid sarcomas.
      This case highlights the need for clinicians to consider repeat cross-sectional
      imaging to investigate unexplained clinical decline or symptoms, when there is no
      sign of AML progression and to consider radiotherapy treatment early.

PMID- 26491578
TI  - Reverse Pseudohyperkalemia: An Important Clinical Entity in Chronic Lymphocytic
      Leukemia.
AB  - Hyperkalemia is a potentially lethal electrolyte derangement commonly seen in
      patients with hematologic neoplasms with or without renal failure.
      Pseudohyperkalemia and reverse pseudohyperkalemia also can be seen in this
      patient population and early recognition and diagnosis of these conditions are
      vital. Here, we report a case of reverse pseudohyperkalemia in a patient with
      chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and provide recommendations regarding
      diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for management of such patients. Further,
      we discuss the pathogenesis of this condition and its potential role as a
      surrogate of favorable prognostic features in patients with CLL. 

PMID- 26491579
TI  - Systemic Sarcoidosis Presenting with Headache and Stroke-Like Episodes.
AB  - Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disorder. Neurological manifestations
      as a presenting symptom are relatively rare. A 26-year-old male presented with a
      five-week history of headache suggestive of raised intracranial pressure. He
      subsequently developed transient episodes of mild right-sided hemiparesis and
      numbness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of brain revealed widespread
      inflammatory white matter lesions, an ischaemic focus in the left corona radiata,
      and widespread microhaemorrhages consistent with a more diffuse vasculopathy.
      Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) level was normal. Lumbar puncture
      revealed an elevated opening pressure (36 cmH2O) and inflammatory cerebrospinal
      fluid (CSF). Computerised tomography (CT) of chest, abdomen, and pelvis revealed
      widespread lymphadenopathy and biopsy of axillary lymph nodes revealed the
      presence of noncaseating granulomata in keeping with systemic sarcoidosis. The
      patient responded well to corticosteroids. This case highlights the importance of
      considering sarcoidosis to be a rare but potentially treatable cause of stroke in
      younger patients. 

PMID- 26491580
TI  - A Rare Cause of Reversible Renal Hemosiderosis.
AB  - Kidney failure secondary to renal hemosiderosis has been reported in diseases
      with intravascular hemolysis, like paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, and
      valvular heart diseases. We present here a case of hemosiderin induced acute
      tubular necrosis secondary to intravascular hemolysis from Clostridium difficile
      infection with possible role of supratherapeutic INR. We discuss the
      pathophysiology, causes, and prognosis of acute tubular injury from
      hemosiderosis. 

PMID- 26491581
TI  - Sildenafil Induced Acute Interstitial Nephritis.
AB  - Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) is characterized by inflammation of the renal
      interstitium and usually occurs in a temporal relationship with the medication.
      We present a case of an Asian male who had nephrotic range proteinuria and
      presented with acute kidney injury. The patient reported an acute change in
      physical appearance and symptomatology after the ingestion of a single dose of
      sildenafil. Renal biopsy was notable for minimal change disease (MCD) with acute
      and chronic interstitial nephritis. Renal replacement and glucocorticoid therapy
      were initiated. Renal recovery within six weeks permitted discontinuation of
      dialysis. AIN superimposed on MCD is a known association of NSAID induced
      nephropathy. The temporal association and the absence of any new drugs suggest
      that the AIN was most likely due to the sildenafil. NSAIDs are less likely to
      have caused the AIN given their remote use. The ease of steroid responsiveness
      would also suggest another cause as NSAID induced AIN is often steroid resistant.
      The MCD was most likely idiopathic given the lack of temporal association with a
      secondary cause. As the number of sildenafil prescriptions increases, more cases
      of AIN may be identified and physician awareness for this potential drug disease
      association is necessary. 

PMID- 26491582
TI  - Acquired Hemophilia A with a Rare Presentation of Acute Subdural Hematoma.
AB  - An 80-year-old man was admitted for acute subdural hematoma caused by a mild
      brain injury. His coagulation test showed an isolated prolongation of activated
      partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). Though the subdural hematoma did not
      progress, oozing bleed from the wound of tracheostomy continued. Failure of
      correction on aPTT mixing test supported the presence of an inhibitor to a
      coagulation factor. Once the diagnosis of acquired hemophilia A (AHA) was made,
      steroid therapy was performed, which leads him to complete remission of AHA.
      Isolated prolongation of aPTT can be the key to diagnose a rare coagulopathy,
      such as AHA. 

PMID- 26491583
TI  - A Case of Ovarian Pregnancy Diagnosed by MRI.
AB  - Ovarian pregnancy is a rare form of ectopic pregnancy, causing a great diagnostic
      challenge. We report a case of ovarian pregnancy in a 42-year-old woman, in whom
      MRI successfully demonstrated the implantation in the ovary. Transvaginal
      ultrasonography showed an echogenic mass in the right ovary but failed to
      demonstrate tubal pregnancy. T2-weighted MR images disclosed a gestational sac
      structure in the right ovary, which exhibited heterogeneous high intensity
      intermingled with punctate foci of distinct low intensity. MRI may be a useful
      tool for diagnosing ovarian pregnancy, by demonstrating a gestational sac in the
      ovary. 

PMID- 26491584
TI  - A Rare Case of Meconium Periorchitis Diagnosed in Utero.
AB  - Meconium periorchitis is a rare disorder caused by fetal meconium peritonitis,
      with subsequent passage of meconium into the scrotum via a patent processus
      vaginalis. To date, clinical significance of meconium periorchitis for the
      prenatal diagnosis of meconium peritonitis and prediction for postnatal surgery
      remains to be determined. We present a clinical course of a fetus presenting with
      meconium periorchitis induced by meconium peritonitis. At 28 weeks' gestation,
      fetal ultrasonography indicated fetal ascites associated with bilateral hydrocele
      and peritesticular calcification without other signs of meconium peritonitis. The
      pregnancy was uneventful until delivery and the infant was delivered at 37 weeks'
      gestation. No abdominal distension was observed at birth, and radiography did not
      reveal any abdominal calcification except for scrotal calcification. Abdominal
      distension was observed 3 days after birth and laparotomy was performed. The
      diagnosis of meconium peritonitis was confirmed at surgery. Our case illustrated
      that careful examination of the scrotum during fetal life was helpful for
      prenatal diagnosis of meconium peritonitis as well as postnatal management. 

PMID- 26491585
TI  - Unexpected Leiomyosarcoma 4 Years after Laparoscopic Removal of the Uterus Using
      Morcellation.
AB  - Background. Laparoscopic hysterectomies are increasingly popular; a morcellation
      device is often used. Although there are some clear benefits, morcellation of
      tissue does have potential risks. Case Presentation. In this case report we
      present a 55-year-old woman with an abdominal tumour 4 years after a laparoscopic
      hysterectomy using a morcellation device. Postoperative histological analysis,
      compromised by morcellated tissue, showed benign myoma. Because of the benign
      tumour no follow-up was performed. The patient presented now with an abdominal
      tumour, and she was scheduled for surgical removal of the tumour. During
      abdominal surgery the tumour appeared malignant and biopsies were taken.
      Histological analysis showed leiomyosarcoma, and the patient was referred to a
      third care centre for further treatment. The patient recovered quickly after
      abdominal removal of the tumour; however, after 7 months the patient had
      complaints and a CT scan showed a large intra-abdominal tumour with possible lung
      metastasis. The patient received palliative chemotherapy and died after 10
      months. Conclusion. This case shows that although unexpected after a
      hysterectomy, a leiomyosarcoma has to be considered in case of a suspect tumour
      in the lower abdomen. 

PMID- 26491586
TI  - Oxaliplatin-Induced Tonic-Clonic Seizures.
AB  - Oxaliplatin is a common chemotherapy drug used for colon and gastric cancers.
      Common side effects are peripheral neuropathy, hematological toxicity, and
      allergic reactions. A rare side effect is seizures which are usually associated
      with posterior reversible leukoencephalopathy syndrome (PRES). A 50-year-old male
      patient presented with severe abdominal pain. CT scan of the abdomen showed acute
      appendicitis. Appendectomy was done and pathology showed mixed
      adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma. Adjuvant chemotherapy was started with Folinic
      acid, Fluorouracil, and Oxaliplatin (FOLFOX). During the third cycle of FOLFOX,
      the patient developed tonic-clonic seizures. Laboratory workup was within normal
      limits. EEG and MRI of the brain showed no acute abnormality. The patient was
      rechallenged with FOLFOX but he had tonic-clonic seizures for the second time.
      His chemotherapy regimen was switched to Folinic acid, Fluorouracil, and
      Irinotecan (FOLFIRI). After 5 cycles of FOLFIRI, the patient did not develop any
      seizures, making Oxaliplatin the most likely culprit for his seizures.
      Oxaliplatin-induced seizures rarely occur in the absence of PRES. One case report
      has been described in the literature. We present a rare case of tonic-clonic
      seizures in a patient receiving Oxaliplatin in the absence of PRES. 

PMID- 26491587
TI  - Can Total Wrist Arthroplasty Be an Option for Treatment of Highly Comminuted
      Distal Radius Fracture in Selected Patients? Preliminary Experience with Two
      Cases.
AB  - We present two case reports of successful primary shortening of the forearm and
      total wrist arthroplasty (TWA) using the new angle-stable Maestro Wrist
      Reconstructive System (WRS) for treatment of highly comminuted distal radius
      fracture in selected autonomous patients. In a 56-year-old male patient with
      adequate bone stock, insertion of the noncemented Maestro WRS was combined with
      ulnar shortening osteotomy. In an 84-year-old female patient with poor
      osteoporotic bone stock, insertion of the radial cemented Maestro WRS was
      combined with ulnar head resection. Both patients could resume their work without
      additional surgery after TWA. At the 1-year follow-up, there were no changes in
      position of either implant without signs of loosening, no impingement, and no
      instability of the distal radioulnar joint or the distal ulna stump. All clinical
      parameters (DASH score, pain through VAS, and grip strength) were satisfactory.
      Both patients reported that they would have the same procedure again. Further
      experience is needed to validate this concept. 

PMID- 26491588
TI  - Acromioclavicular Dislocation Associated with Coracoid Process Fracture: Report
      of Two Cases and Review of the Literature.
AB  - Acromioclavicular dislocation associated with coracoid process fracture is a rare
      injury. Herein we reported two further cases with such combination of injuries
      and reviewed all previously published cases in current literature. In this
      review, we discussed the demographic characteristics, mechanism of injury,
      diagnosis, and treatment options extensively. 

PMID- 26491589
TI  - Talar Neck Fracture after United Tibiotalar Fusion.
AB  - Tibiotalar arthrodesis is a well-established treatment for tibiotalar arthritis,
      for example, in younger high demand patients. Talar neck fractures are less
      common though well-recognised sequelae of foot ankle trauma. Here we present the
      clinical case of a 69-year-old male who presented to our institution with a
      nonunion of a talar neck fracture, having undergone a left tibiotalar fusion 24
      years previously. To the authors' knowledge, this injury has only been described
      once previously in the literature. However, the original case described a
      fracture sustained in the very early postoperative period following tibiotalar
      fusion, postulated to be secondary to postimmobilisation osteopaenia or stress
      risers from metalwork. The aetiology in this case is likely due to axial
      compression transmitted to the talar neck via the calcaneus. The predisposing
      factors for nonunion are discussed, highlighting the importance of vigilance for
      this injury in any patient with concomitant tibiotalar fusion and foot trauma.
      The management of this patient is discussed. 

PMID- 26491590
TI  - Bicruciate Ligament Reconstruction in a Professional Rugby Player: Clinical
      Presentation and Literature Review.
AB  - The association of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear and a posterior
      cruciate ligament (PCL) injury is rare in athletes, and to our knowledge it has
      never been described in a professional rugby player. We report the case of a 27
      year-old international professional rugby player who presented with an ACL tear
      associated with chronic posterior laxity on a former PCL tear. The procedure
      associated arthroscopic ACL and PCL reconstruction in a one-stage operation with
      two autografts, bone-patellar tendon-bone and hamstring tendon, respectively. At
      7 months postoperatively, the patient had returned to playing rugby at the same
      level of play. The therapeutic strategy successfully met the established goals of
      returning to sports at the same level of play with excellent functional results
      after 2 years of follow-up. A literature review was performed via PubMed. The
      inclusion criteria were the studies in English language, assessing the return-to
      sport after bicruciate ligament reconstruction in athletes. Eight studies were
      included in analysis. Only one study has focused on the return-to-sport in 24
      competitive athletes and two other studies have included 1 professional athlete
      each. The overall rate of the return-to-sport after bicruciate reconstruction
      varied between 100% and 50%. 

PMID- 26491591
TI  - Original Solution for Middle Ear Implant and Anesthetic/Surgical Management in a
      Child with Severe Craniofacial Dysmorphism.
AB  - We describe the novel solution adopted in positioning middle ear implant in a
      child with bilateral congenital aural atresia and craniofacial dysmorphism that
      have posed a significant challenge for the safe and correct management of
      deafness. A five-year-old child, affected by a rare congenital disease (Van
      Maldergem Syndrome), suffered from conductive hearing loss. Conventional skin
      drive bone-conduction device, attached with a steel spring headband, has been
      applied but auditory restoration was not optimal. The decision made was to
      position Vibrant Soundbridge, a middle ear implant, with an original surgical
      application due to hypoplasia of the tympanic cavity. Intubation procedure was
      complicated due to child craniofacial deformities. Postoperative hearing
      rehabilitation involved a multidisciplinary team, showing improved social skills
      and language development. 

PMID- 26491592
TI  - Spindle Cell Lipoma Occurring in the Buccal Mucosa: An Unusual Location of This
      Benign Lipomatous Neoplasm.
AB  - Spindle cell lipoma is a benign lipomatous neoplasm, which rarely occurs in the
      oral cavity. The aims of this paper are to report a case of spindle cell lipoma
      located in buccal mucosa and discuss the main clinical, histological, and
      immunohistochemical findings of this entity. Thus, we report a 4-year history of
      an asymptomatic smooth surface nodule in an elderly Caucasian man with clinical
      hypothesis of fibroma. The histopathological examination showed spindle cells,
      mature adipose tissue, and many mast cells in a stroma of connective tissue
      presenting ropey collagen fibers bundles. After immunohistochemical analysis, the
      final diagnosis was spindle cell lipoma. 

PMID- 26491593
TI  - Beneficial Effects of Palmitoylethanolamide on Expressive Language, Cognition,
      and Behaviors in Autism: A Report of Two Cases.
AB  - Introduction. Autism spectrum disorders are defined by behavioral and language
      atypias. Growing body of evidence indicates inflammatory mediators may contribute
      to the condition. Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is naturally occurring and has been
      available as a nonprescription medical food supplement in Europe since 2008. PEA
      has been tested in thousands of human subjects without any noted significant side
      effects. Here we report the first cases of the administration of PEA to two
      children with autism. Case Presentations. The first 13-year-old male child
      (Subject 1) presented with a total IgE of 572 IU/mL (nl < 200) and with low
      mature CD57(+) natural killer cell counts (32 cells/uL; nl = 60-300 cells/uL) and
      with significant eczema and allergic stigmata. Expressive language, as measured
      by mean length of utterance, and overall autism severity as measured by the
      Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition, improved significantly. Atopic
      symptoms diminished. No side effects were reported. The second male child, age 15
      (Subject 2), also displayed noticeable and rapid improvements in cognitive,
      behaviors, and sociability. Conclusion. Currently, there is no definitive
      treatment for autism condition. Palmitoylethanolamide could be an effective
      treatment for autism syndrome. We propose appropriate double-blind clinical
      trials to further explore palmitoylethanolamide efficacy and safety. 

PMID- 26491594
TI  - Pulmonary Nocardiosis in the Immunocompetent Host: Case Series.
AB  - Pulmonary nocardiosis is commonly recognized as an opportunistic infection in
      patients with predisposing immunosuppressive conditions. However, reports of
      pulmonary nocardiosis in the immunocompetent host are rare. Here, we report a
      case series of four patients with pulmonary nocardiosis without a predisposing
      condition. 

PMID- 26491595
TI  - Retrograde Transpubic Approach for Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation and
      Cementoplasty of Acetabular Metastasis.
AB  - We report a case of painful and disabling anterior acetabular bone metastasis
      treated with bipolar radiofrequency ablation and cementoplasty. Due to the high
      risk of complications related to the proximity of the femoral neurovascular
      structures with a direct approach, we successfully performed a retrograde
      transpubic approach under combined CT and fluoroscopic guidance. In the present
      report, we describe this approach detailing its indications, advantages, and the
      technical tips to achieve a safe and satisfactory procedure. 

PMID- 26491596
TI  - Island Latissimus Dorsi Muscle Flap and a Perforator Flap in Repairing Post
      Gunshot Thoracic Spine CSF Fistula: Case Presentation.
AB  - Persistent posttraumatic CSF fluid leakage may present a challenge to manage.
      Failure to address the leakage may result in complications such as meningitis,
      septicemia, radiculopathy, muscle weakness, and back pains. While the majority of
      the leakages may be managed conservatively, large dura defects as a result of
      gunshot wounds or motor vehicle accidents are best managed by surgical
      interventions. This may range from primary closure of the defect to fascial
      grafts, adhesive glues, and flaps. We present our experience with the use of
      flaps in a patient who had sustained such wounds in the thoracic spine. An island
      latissimus dorsal flap and a perforator fasciocutaneous flap were used to close
      the defect. Postoperatively the patient recovered well and the wounds healed
      without any complications. 

PMID- 26491597
TI  - Pediatric Granular Cell Tumor of the Breast: A Case Report and Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - Objective. Granular cell tumors arise from neurogenic mesenchymal stem cells and
      can occur anywhere throughout the body. They rarely present as breast masses and
      should be included in the differential diagnosis of pediatric breast neoplasms.
      We report a rare presentation of a pediatric breast granular cell tumor and a
      review of the literature. Participant. A 15-year-old female presented with an
      enlarging breast mass. She underwent ultrasound imaging and excisional biopsy,
      which revealed a granular cell tumor. Granular cell tumors of the breast are
      difficult to diagnose using ultrasound and mammography due to numerous
      similarities to other breast masses. Histopathologic staining best differentiates
      breast granular cell tumors from other breast masses with their positive staining
      for S100, CD68, and neurospecific enolase. Conclusion. Although rare, granular
      cell tumors of the breast should be considered as a possible diagnosis for
      pediatric breast masses to allow for proper management and follow-up for these
      patients. Although rare, these tumors do have malignant potential necessitating a
      correct and timely diagnosis. 

PMID- 26491598
TI  - It Suddenly Occurred: Extensive Subcutaneous Emphysema after Bipolar
      Transurethral Resection of Prostate.
AB  - Subcutaneous emphysema is a very rare and good-natured complication after
      transurethral resection of prostate (TURP). It has been reported as colon
      perforation, diverticulitis, and bladder perforation associated complication
      previously. We report the first case of a wide subcutaneous emphysema due to
      microperforations of prostatic capsule, without a bladder perforation after TURP.
      Any sign of clinic situation should lead to ceasing of the procedure immediately;
      otherwise, it can cause a life-threatening problem of abdominal compartment
      syndrome. 

PMID- 26491599
TI  - Urinary Incontinence due to Overactive Detrusor Muscle: A Rare Side Effect of
      Venlafaxine.
AB  - We report a case of reemergence of urinary incontinence (UI) in a patient with
      benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) after starting treatment with venlafaxine who
      was stabilized on tamsulosin and finasteride for about 6 years. A 66-year-old
      Caucasian male with prior history of major depressive disorder developed UI
      within a week of starting venlafaxine 75 mg per day. He described symptoms in the
      form of involuntary leakage of urine both during the day and at night. His
      symptoms of UI resolved after stopping the venlafaxine. To the best of our
      knowledge, there are only four case reports of venlafaxine induced urinary
      incontinence which have been published. 

PMID- 26491601
TI  - Letter from the Editor-in-Chief: Irreproducible Results.

PMID- 26491600
TI  - Pentoxifylline Neuroprotective Effects Are Possibly Related to Its Anti
      Inflammatory and TNF-Alpha Inhibitory Properties, in the 6-OHDA Model of
      Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - Pentoxifylline (PTX) is a phosphodiesterase inhibitor with anti-TNF-alpha
      activity, associated with its anti-inflammatory action. Considering Parkinson's
      disease (PD) as a neuroinflammatory disorder, the objectives were to evaluate PTX
      neuroprotective properties, in a model of PD. Male Wistar rats, divided into sham
      operated (SO), untreated 6-OHDA, and 6-OHDA treated with PTX (10, 25, and 50
      mg/kg) groups, received a unilateral 6-OHDA injection, except the SO group
      administered with saline. Treatments started 24 h after surgery and continued for
      15 days when the animals were submitted to apomorphine-induced rotations, open
      field, and forced swimming tests. At the next day, they were euthanized and their
      striata processed for neurochemical (DA and DOPAC determinations), histological,
      and immunohistochemical (Fluoro-Jade, TH, DAT, OX-42, TNF-alpha, COX-2, and iNOS)
      studies. PTX reversed the behavioral changes observed in the untreated 6-OHDA
      animals. Furthermore, PTX partially reversed the decrease in DA contents and
      improved neuronal viability. In addition, decreases in immunostaining for TH and
      dopamine transporter (DAT) were reversed. The untreated 6-OHDA group showed
      intense OX-42, TNF-alpha, COX-2, and iNOS immunoreactivities, which were
      attenuated by PTX. In conclusion, we demonstrated a neuroprotective effect of
      PTX, possibly related to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions,
      indicating its potential as an adjunct treatment for PD. 

PMID- 26491602
TI  - A Novel Computational Method to Reduce Leaky Reaction in DNA Strand Displacement.
AB  - DNA strand displacement technique is widely used in DNA programming, DNA
      biosensors, and gene analysis. In DNA strand displacement, leaky reactions can
      cause DNA signals decay and detecting DNA signals fails. The mostly used method
      to avoid leakage is cleaning up after upstream leaky reactions, and it remains a
      challenge to develop reliable DNA strand displacement technique with low leakage.
      In this work, we address the challenge by experimentally evaluating the basic
      factors, including reaction time, ratio of reactants, and ion concentration to
      the leakage in DNA strand displacement. Specifically, fluorescent probes and a
      hairpin structure reporting DNA strand are designed to detect the output of DNA
      strand displacement, and thus can evaluate the leakage of DNA strand displacement
      reactions with different reaction time, ratios of reactants, and ion
      concentrations. From the obtained data, mathematical models for evaluating
      leakage are achieved by curve derivation. As a result, it is obtained that long
      time incubation, high concentration of fuel strand, and inappropriate amount of
      ion concentration can weaken leaky reactions. This contributes to a method to set
      proper reaction conditions to reduce leakage in DNA strand displacement. 

PMID- 26491603
TI  - Three-Dimensional Kinetic Adaptations of Gait throughout Pregnancy and
      Postpartum.
AB  - Biomechanical adaptations that occur during pregnancy can lead to changes on gait
      pattern. Nevertheless, these adaptations of gait are still not fully understood.
      The purpose was to determine the effect of pregnancy on the biomechanical pattern
      of walking, regarding the kinetic parameters. A three-dimensional analysis was
      performed in eleven participants. The kinetic parameters in the joints of the
      lower limb during gait were compared at the end of the first, second, and third
      trimesters of pregnancy and in the postpartum period, in healthy pregnant women.
      The main results showed a reduction in the normalized vertical reaction forces,
      throughout pregnancy, particularly the third peak. Pregnant women showed, during
      most of the stance phase, medial reaction forces as a motor response to promote
      the body stability. Bilateral changes were observed in hip joint, with a decrease
      in the participation of the hip extensors and in the eccentric contraction of hip
      flexors. In ankle joint a decrease in the participation of ankle plantar flexors
      was found. In conclusion, the overall results point to biomechanical adjustments
      that showed a decrease of the mechanical load of women throughout pregnancy, with
      exception for few unilateral changes of hip joint moments. 

PMID- 26491605
TI  - Estimating the Risk of ABO Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn in Lagos.
AB  - Background. ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn is the most common hemolytic
      consequence of maternofetal blood group incompatibility restricted mostly to non
      group-O babies of group O mothers with immune anti-A or anti-B antibodies. Aim.
      We estimated the risk of ABO HDN with view to determining need for routine
      screening for ABO incompatibility between mother and fetus. Materials and
      Methods. Prevalence of ABO blood group phenotypes in blood donors at the donor
      clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and arithmetic methods were used
      to determine population prevalence of ABO genes. We then estimated proportion of
      pregnancies of group O mothers carrying a non-group-O baby and the risk that
      maternofetal ABO incompatibility will cause clinical ABO HDN. Results. Blood from
      9138 donors was ABO typed. 54.3%, 23%, 19.4%, and 3.3% were blood groups O, A, B,
      and AB, respectively. Calculated gene frequencies were 0.1416, 0.1209, and 0.7375
      for A, B, and O genes, respectively. It was estimated that 14.3% of deliveries
      will result in a blood group O woman giving birth to a child who is non-group-O.
      Approximately 4.3% of deliveries are likely to suffer ABO HDN with 2.7% prone to
      suffer from moderately severe to severe hemolysis. 

PMID- 26491606
TI  - Buckysomes: New Nanocarriers for Anticancer Drugs.
AB  - Buckysomes, liposome-like vesicles comprised of dendritic C60 subunits that self
      assemble into unilamellar vesicles, are unique nanovectors that have utility in
      drug delivery. We have prepared paclitaxel-embedded buckysomes (PEBs) and
      examined biodistriubition profiles with commercially available formulations of
      the drug. As compared to Abraxane, an albumin-bound formulation of paclitaxel,
      PEBs showed higher tissue accumulation in the liver and the kidney at 45 and 60
      minutes and in the lungs at 30 minutes, making them suitable drug-delivery
      carriers for short-term therapy to the mentioned organs. These buckysomes can be
      further functionalized to specifically deliver paclitaxel to the tumor site. 

PMID- 26491607
TI  - Are Serotonin Alterations the Link between Thrombocytopenia and Poor Immune
      Status among HIV Infected Individuals?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Thrombocytopenia (TCP<150 * 103 cells/mm3) has emerged as a relevant
      factor in the clinical course of HIV. However, the mechanisms mediating such
      observations have not been well characterized, limiting the possibility of
      creating targeted interventions. Notably, platelets are the storage and
      transporter system for serotonin and Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF),
      which recent laboratory studies associated with viral replication and lymphocyte
      survival. Thus, we posit that (1) TCP will be associated with reduced levels of
      BDNF and serotonin (2) That these alterations will lead to poor viro-immune
      responses to antiretroviral therapy. METHODS: To achieve this goal, a total of
      400 people living with HIV were consecutively enrolled to characterize the
      frequency of thrombocytopenia in hazardous and non-hazardous alcohol user
      populations in the HAART era. Then, participants underwent immune and laboratory
      assessments, to determine if TCP was associated with alterations in serotonin (5
      HT) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). RESULTS: The prevalence of
      thrombocytopenia in this antiretroviral treated cohort was 14%. Rates were
      significantly higher in the heavy alcohol users, HAU versus the non HAU group
      (Heavy: 25% versus HAU: 15% versusnon-HAU: 10%). Multivariate model analyses
      indicated that having TCP, low BDNF levels (<5000 pg/ml), and number of drinks
      per day were predictors of serotonin levels. PLWH with TCP had about 2-fold lower
      PPP-BDNFlevels (5037.4 +/- 381 vs. 9137.5 +/- 7062 pg/ml p=0.0001). Other
      significant predictors of BDNF levels at the last visit included receiving
      selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and PPP serotonin levels. Multivariate
      analyses also confirmed that altered serotonin levels were associated withhigh
      viral loadsboth low CD4 cell counts. CONCLUSIONS: Thrombocytopenia is a
      relatively frequent complication of HIV, andis particularly prevalent among
      hazardous alcohol users (HAU). These findings suggest that TCP is associated with
      altered levels of BDNF and serotonin, suggesting that they may be the bridge
      linking TCP and poor viro-immune responses observed in this group. These results
      could have important clinical and therapeutic implications.

PMID- 26491604
TI  - Macrophage Heterogeneity and Plasticity: Impact of Macrophage Biomarkers on
      Atherosclerosis.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a global epidemic, currently representing the
      worldwide leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Atherosclerosis is the
      fundamental pathophysiologic component of CVD, where the immune system plays an
      essential role. Monocytes and macrophages are key mediators in this aspect: due
      to their heterogeneity and plasticity, these cells may act as either pro- or anti
      inflammatory mediators. Indeed, monocytes may develop heterogeneous functional
      phenotypes depending on the predominating pro- or anti-inflammatory
      microenvironment within the lesion, resulting in classic, intermediate, and non
      classic monocytes, each with strikingly differing features. Similarly,
      macrophages may also adopt heterogeneous profiles being mainly M1 and M2, the
      former showing a proinflammatory profile while the latter demonstrates anti
      inflammatory traits; they are further subdivided in several subtypes with more
      specialized functions. Furthermore, macrophages may display plasticity by
      dynamically shifting between phenotypes in response to specific signals. Each of
      these distinct cell profiles is associated with diverse biomarkers which may be
      exploited for therapeutic intervention, including IL-10, IL-13, PPAR-gamma, LXR,
      NLRP3 inflammasomes, and microRNAs. Direct modulation of the molecular pathways
      concerning these potential macrophage-related targets represents a promising
      field for new therapeutic alternatives in atherosclerosis and CVD. 

PMID- 26491608
TI  - AN EXAMINATION OF THE GLUTEAL MUSCLE ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH DYNAMIC HIP
      ABDUCTION AND HIP EXTERNAL ROTATION EXERCISE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A wide variety of hip abduction and hip external rotation exercises
      are used for training, both in athletic performance and in rehabilitation
      programming. Though several different exercises exist, a comprehensive
      understanding of which exercises best target the gluteus maximus (Gmax) and
      gluteus medius (Gmed) and the magnitude of muscular activation associated with
      each exercise is yet to be established. PURPOSE: The purpose of this systematic
      review was to quantify the electromyographic (EMG) activity of exercises that
      utilize the Gmax and Gmed muscles during hip abduction and hip external rotation.
      METHODS: Pubmed, Sports Discuss, Web of Science and Science Direct were searched
      using the Boolean phrases (gluteus medius OR gluteus maximus) AND (activity OR
      activation) AND (electromyography OR EMG) AND (hip abduction OR hip external
      rotation). A systematic approach was used to evaluate 575 articles. Articles that
      examined injury-free participants of any age, gender or activity level were
      included. No restrictions were imposed on publication date or publication status.
      Articles were excluded when not available in English, where studies did not
      normalize EMG activity to maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), where
      no hip abduction or external rotation motion occurred or where the motion was
      performed with high acceleration. RESULTS: Twenty-three studies met the inclusion
      criteria and were retained for analysis. The highest Gmax activity was elicited
      during the lateral step up, cross over step up and rotational single leg squat
      (ranging from 79 to 113 % MVIC). Gmed activity was highest during the side bridge
      with hip abduction, standing hip abduction with elastic resistance at the ankle
      and side lying hip abduction (ranging from 81 to 103 % MVIC). LIMITATIONS: The
      methodological approaches varied between studies, notably in the different
      positions used for obtaining MVIC, which could have dramatically impacted
      normalized levels of gluteal activation, while variation also occurred in
      exercise technique and/or equipment. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this review
      provide an indication for the amount of muscle activity generated by basic
      strengthening and rehabilitation exercises, which may assist practitioners in
      making decisions for Gmax and Gmed strengthening and injury rehabilitation
      programs.

PMID- 26491609
TI  - THE INFLUENCE OF HIP STRENGTH ON KNEE KINEMATICS DURING A SINGLE-LEGGED MEDIAL
      DROP LANDING AMONG COMPETITIVE COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL PLAYERS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A smaller knee flexion angle and larger knee valgus angle during
      weight-bearing activities have been identified as risk factors for non-contact
      anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. To prevent such injuries, attention
      has been focused on the role of hip strength in knee motion control. However,
      gender differences in the relationship between hip strength and knee kinematics
      during weight-bearing activities in the frontal plane have not been evaluated.
      HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of
      hip strength on knee kinematics in both genders during a single-legged landing
      task in the frontal plane. The hypotheses were that 1) subjects with a greater
      hip strength would demonstrate larger knee flexion and smaller knee valgus and
      internal rotation angles and 2) no gender differences would exist during the
      single-legged landing task. METHODS: Forty-three Japanese collegiate basketball
      players (20 males, 23 females) participated in this study. Three-dimensional
      motion analysis was used to evaluate knee kinematics during a single-legged
      medial drop landing (SML). A hand-held dynamometer was used to assess hip
      extensor (HEXT), abductor (HAB), and external rotator (in two positions: seated
      position [SHER] and prone [PHER]) isometric strength. Spearman rank correlation
      coefficients (rho) were determined for correlations between hip strength and knee
      kinematics at initial contact (IC) and peak (PK) during SML (p < 0.05). RESULTS:
      Negative correlations were observed between the knee valgus angle at IC and HEXT
      (rho = -0.48, p = 0.02), HAB (rho = -0.46, p = 0.03) and PHER (rho = -0.44, p =
      0.04) strength in females. In addition, a significant positive correlation was
      observed between the knee flexion angle at PK and HEXT strength (rho = 0.61, p =
      0.004) in males. CONCLUSIONS: Significant correlations between hip strength and
      knee kinematics during SML were observed in both genders. Hip strength may,
      therefore, play an important role in knee motion control during sports
      activities, suggesting that increased hip strength may help to prevent non
      contact ACL injuries in athletes of both genders. Moreover, gender-specific
      programs may be needed to control abnormal knee motion, as the influence of hip
      strength on knee kinematics may differ based on gender. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 26491610
TI  - Y BALANCE TESTTM ANTERIOR REACH SYMMETRY AT THREE MONTHS IS RELATED TO SINGLE LEG
      FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE AT TIME OF RETURN TO SPORTS FOLLOWING ANTERIOR CRUCIATE
      LIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Restoration of symmetrical strength, balance, and power following
      anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R) are thought to be important
      factors for successful return to sports. Little information is available
      regarding early rehabilitation outcomes and achieving suggested limb indices of
      90% on functional performance measures at the time of return to sports (RTS).
      HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between symmetry of the anterior
      reach of the Y Balance TestTM at 12 weeks and functional performance measures at
      time of return to sports after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.
      STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective Cohort. METHODS: Forty subjects (mean +/- SD age,
      17.2 +/- 3.8 years) who were in the process of rehabilitation following ACL
      reconstruction. Each subject volunteered and was enrolled in the study during
      physical therapy following ACL-R. Participants averaged two visits per week in
      physical therapy until the time of testing for RTS. The Y Balance TestTM was
      assessed at 12 weeks. Participants completed a battery of tests at RTS (6.4 +/-
      1.1 months) including triple hop distance (THD), single hop distance (SHD),
      isometric knee extension strength (KE), and the Vail Sport TestTM. Side to side
      difference was calculated for the Y Balance TestTM anterior reach and limb
      symmetry indices (LSI) were computed for THD, SHD, and KE. Multiple regression
      models were used to study the relationship between variables at 12 weeks and RTS
      while controlling for age, gender, type of graft, and pain score. In addition,
      subjects were dichotomized based on a side-to-side Y Balance anterior reach
      difference into high risk (>4 cm) or low risk (<=4 cm) categories. A receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to identify individuals at 12 weeks
      who do not achieve 90% limb symmetry indices at time of RTS testing. . RESULTS: A
      statistically significant association was seen between Y Balance ANT at 12 weeks
      and SHD at RTS (beta = -1.46, p = 0.0005, R(2) = 0.395), THD at RTS (beta = 
      1.08, p = 0.0011, R(2) = 0.354) and KE at RTS (beta = -1.00, p = 0.0025, R(2) =
      0.279) after adjusting for age, gender, type of graft and pain score at week 12.
      There was no significant association between Y Balance ANT at 12 weeks and Vail
      Sport Test at RTS (p = 0.273). ROC curves indicated that the Y Balance ANT at 12
      weeks identified participants who did not achieve 90% LSI for the SHD (AUC = 0.82
      p = 0.02) and THD (AUC=0.85, p = 0.01) at RTS with a sensitivity of 0.96 (SHD)
      and 0.92 (THD) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Participants following ACL-R who
      demonstrated > 4 cm Y Balance ANT deficits at 12 weeks on their involved limb did
      not tend to achieve 90% LSI for the SHD and THD at time of return to sports. The
      Y Balance ANT at 12 weeks and Vail Sport TestTM appear to measure different
      constructs following ACL-R. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Level 3.

PMID- 26491611
TI  - MODIFIED FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT SCREENING AS A PREDICTOR OF TACTICAL PERFORMANCE
      POTENTIAL IN RECREATIONALLY ACTIVE ADULTS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Failure to meet minimum performance standards is a leading cause of
      attrition from basic combat training. A standardized assessment such as the
      Functional Movement ScreenTM (FMSTM) could help identify movement behaviors
      relevant to physical performance in tactical occupations. Previous work has
      demonstrated only marginal association between FMSTM tests and performance
      outcomes, but adding a load challenge to this movement assessment may help
      highlight performance-limiting behaviors. PURPOSE: The purposes of this
      investigation were to quantify the effect of load on FMSTM tests and determine
      the extent to which performance outcomes could be predicted using scores from
      both loaded and unloaded FMSTM conditions. STUDY DESIGN: Crossover Trial.
      METHODS: Thirteen female and six male recreationally active college students (21
      +/- 1.37 years, 168 +/- 9.8 cm, 66 +/- 12.25 kg) completed the FMSTM under (1) a
      control condition (FMSTMC), and (2) an 18.10kg weight vest condition (FMSTMW).
      Balance was assessed using a force plate in double-legged stance and tactical
      physical performance was evaluated via completion times in a battery of field
      tests. For each condition, penalized regression was used to select models from
      the seven FMSTM component tests to predict balance and performance outcomes. Data
      were collected during a single session lasting approximately three hours per
      participant. RESULTS: For balance, significant predictors were identified from
      both conditions but primarily predicted poorer balance with increasing FMSTM
      scores. For tactical performance, models were retained almost exclusively from
      FMSTMW and generally predicted better performance with higher item scores.
      CONCLUSIONS: The current results suggest that FMSTM screening with an external
      load could help predict performance relevant to tactical occupations. Sports
      medicine and fitness professionals interested in performance outcomes may
      consider assessing movement behaviors under a load. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 26491612
TI  - OVERHEAD DEEP SQUAT PERFORMANCE PREDICTS FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT SCREENTM SCORE.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Functional Movement Screen (FMSTM) has been suggested for use in
      predicting injury risk in active populations, but time constraints may limit use
      of the screening test battery. Identifying one component of the FMSTM that can
      predict which individuals may perform poorly on the entire test, and therefore
      should undergo the full group of screening maneuvers, may reduce time constraints
      and increase pre-participation screening utilization. PURPOSE: The purpose of
      this study was to determine if performance on the FMSTM overhead deep squat test
      (DS) could predict performance on the entire FMSTM. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study.
      METHODS: One hundred and three collegiate athletes underwent offseason FMSTM
      testing. The DS and adjusted FMSTM composite scores were dichotomized into low
      performance and high performance groups with athletes scoring below 2 on the DS
      categorized as low performance, and athletes with adjusted FMSTM composite scores
      below 12 categorized as low performance. Scores of 2 or above and 12 or above
      were considered high performances for the DS test and adjusted FMSTM composite
      score respectively, and therefore low risk for movement dysfunction and
      potentially, injury. RESULTS: Individuals categorized as low performance as a
      result of the DS test had lower adjusted FMSTM composite scores (p < 0.001). DS
      scores were positively correlated with adjusted FMSTM composite scores (rho =
      0.50, p < 0.001). Binomial logistic regression identified an odds ratio of 3.56
      (95% CI: 1.24, 10.23, p = 0.018) between DS and FMSTM performance categories.
      CONCLUSIONS: Performance on the DS test may predict performance on the FMSTM and
      help identify individuals who require further musculoskeletal assessment. Further
      research is needed to determine if DS performance can predict asymmetries during
      the FMSTM. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3.

PMID- 26491613
TI  - RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT TESTS AND PERFORMANCE TESTS IN YOUNG
      ELITE MALE BASKETBALL PLAYERS.
AB  - PURPOSE/BACKGROUND: Sprinting and jumping are two common and important components
      of high-level sport performance. The weight-bearing dorsiflexion test (WB-DF) and
      Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) are tools developed to identify athletes at
      risk for lower extremity injury and may be related to running and jumping
      performance among athletes. The purposes of the present study were: 1) to
      identify any relationships between functional movement tests (WB-DF and SEBT) and
      performance tests (jumping, sprinting and changing direction); 2) to examine any
      relationships between asymmetries in functional movements and performance tests.
      STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive cohort study. METHODS: Fifteen elite male basketball
      players (age: 15.4 +/- 0.9 years) were assessed during a three-week period to
      determine the reliability of functional screening tools and performance tests and
      to examine the relationships between these tests. Relative (intraclass
      correlation coefficient) and absolute (coefficient of variation) reliability were
      used to assess the reproducibility of the tests. RESULTS: Significant
      correlations were detected between certain functional movement tests and
      performance tests. Both left and right excursion composite scores related to
      slower performance times in sprint testing, demonstrating that greater dynamic
      reach relates to decreased quickness and acceleration among these elite
      basketball athletes. The various relationships between dynamic functional
      movement testing, speed, and jump performance provide guidance for the strength
      and conditioning professional when conducting and evaluating data in an effort to
      improve performance and reduce risk of injury. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the
      present study suggest that these functional and performance tests do not measure
      the same components of human movement, and could be paired as outcome measures
      for the clinical and sport assessment of lower extremity function. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: 2b.

PMID- 26491614
TI  - THE MINIMUM CLINICALLY IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE ON THE VISA-A AND LEFS FOR PATIENTS
      WITH INSERTIONAL ACHILLES TENDINOPATHY.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study of subjects with insertional Achilles tendinopathy
      (IAT). OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to establish the minimum
      clinically important difference (MCID) on the Victorian Institute of Sport
      Assessment - Achilles Questionnaire (VISA-A) and the Lower Extremity Functional
      Scale (LEFS) for patients with IAT. BACKGROUND: The VISA-A and LEFS are two
      measures commonly utilized for patients with IAT. Previous authors have estimated
      the MCID for the VISA-A, but a MCID has not been formally established. The MCID
      for the LEFS has been established for patients with lower extremity conditions in
      general, but it is not clear if this MCID is applicable to patients with IAT.
      METHODS: Fifteen subjects participating in a randomized controlled trial studying
      the effectiveness of intervention for IAT over a 12-week period were included in
      this study. Subjects completed the VISA-A and LEFS forms at baseline and 12 weeks
      after the initiation of treatment. All subjects also completed a 15-point global
      rating of change (GROC) questionnaire at 12 weeks after the initiation of
      treatment. Subjects were classified as improved or stable based on their GROC
      scores. RESULTS: The area under the curve (AUC) for the VISA-A was 0.97 and a
      MCID of 6.5 points was identified. The AUC for the LEFS was 0.97 and a MCID of 12
      points was identified. CONCLUSION: The VISA-A and LEFS are both useful outcome
      measures to assess response in patients with IAT. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 26491615
TI  - ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF SHOULDER GIRDLE MUSCLES DURING COMMON INTERNAL
      ROTATION EXERCISES.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High level throwing performance requires the development of effective
      muscle activation within shoulder girdle muscles particularly during forceful
      internal rotation (IR) motions. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled Laboratory Descriptive
      Study. PURPOSE: To investigate activation pattern of 16 shoulder girdle
      muscles/muscle sub-regions during three common shoulder IR exercises. METHODS:
      EMG was recorded in 30 healthy subjects from 16 shoulder girdle muscles/muscle
      sub-regions (surface electrode: anterior, middle and posterior deltoid, upper,
      middle and lower trapezius, serratus anterior, teres major, upper and lower
      latissimus dorsi, upper and lower pectoralis major; fine wire electrodes:
      supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis and rhomboid major) using a
      telemetric EMG system. Three IR exercises (standing IR at 0 degrees  and 90
      degrees  of Abduction, and IR at Zero-Position) were studied. EMG amplitudes were
      normalized to EMGmax (EMG at maximal IR force in a standard position) and
      compared using one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS:
      There were significant differences in muscles' activation across IR exercises
      (p<0.05-p<0.001). Rotator cuff and deltoid muscles were highly activated during
      IR at 90 degrees  of Abduction. Latissimus dorsi exhibited markedly higher
      activation during IR at Zero-Position. While upper trapezius had the highest
      activation during IR at Zero-Position, middle and lower trapezius were activated
      at highest during IR at 90 degrees  of Abduction. The highest activation of
      serratus anterior and rhomboid major occurred in IR at Zero-Position and IR at 90
      degrees  of Abduction, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Studied exercises have the
      potential to effectively activate glenohumeral and scapular muscles involved in
      throwing motions. Results provide further evidence for developing rehabilitation,
      injury prevention, and training strategies. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4, Controlled
      laboratory study.

PMID- 26491616
TI  - RELIABILITY OF STRENGTH AND PERFORMANCE TESTING MEASURES AND THEIR ABILITY TO
      DIFFERENTIATE PERSONS WITH AND WITHOUT SHOULDER SYMPTOMS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Upper extremity physical performance measures exist but none have
      been universally accepted as the primary means of gauging readiness to return to
      activity following rehabilitation. Few reports have described reliability and/or
      differences in outcome with physical performance measures between individuals
      with and without shoulder symptoms. HYPOTHESES/PURPOSE: The purpose of this study
      was to establish the reliability of traditional upper extremity strength testing
      and the CKCUEST in persons with and without shoulder symptoms as well as to
      determine if the testing maneuvers could discriminate between individuals with
      and without shoulder symptoms. The authors hypothesized that strength and
      physical performance testing would have excellent test/re-test reliability for
      individuals with and without shoulder symptoms and that the physical performance
      maneuver would be able to discriminate between individuals with and without
      shoulder symptoms. METHODS: Male and female subjects 18-50 years of age were
      recruited for testing. Subjects were screened and placed into groups based on the
      presence (Symptomatic Group) or absence of shoulder symptoms (Asymptomatic
      Group). Each subject performed an isometric strength task, a task designed to
      estimate 1-repetition maximum (RM) lifting in the plane of the scapula, and the
      closed kinetic chain upper extremity stability test (CKCUEST) during two sessions
      7-10 days apart. Test/re-test reliability was calculated for all three tasks.
      Independent t-tests were utilized for between group comparisons to determine if a
      performance task could discriminate between persons with and without shoulder
      symptoms. RESULTS: Thirty-six subjects (18/group) completed both sessions.
      Test/re-test reliability for each task was excellent for both groups (intraclass
      correlations >= .85 for all tasks). Neither strength task could discriminate
      between subjects in either group. Subjects with shoulder symptoms had 3% less
      touches per kilogram of body weight on the CKCUEST compared to subjects without
      shoulder symptoms but this was not statistically significantly different
      (p=.064). CONCLUSIONS: The excellent test/re-test reliability has now been
      expanded to include individuals with various reasons for shoulder symptoms.
      Traditional strength testing does not appear to be the ideal assessment method
      for making discharge and/or return to activity decisions due to the inability to
      discriminate between the groups. The CKCUEST could be utilized to determine
      readiness for activity as it was trending towards being discriminatory between
      known groups. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Basic Science Reliability Study, Level 3.

PMID- 26491617
TI  - EFFECTS OF A SEASON OF SUBCONCUSSIVE CONTACT ON CHILD- SCAT3 SCORES IN 8-12 YEAR
      OLD MALE ATHLETES.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Each year, over 173,000 children and adolescents visit emergency
      departments due to sports and recreation related concussions, an increase of 60%
      over the last decade due to the rise in the number of children participating in
      sport. While numerous authors have sought to address the epidemiology of
      concussions across multiple age groups who participate in contact sports, a
      recent review of literature did not reveal a substantial amount of published
      articles that addressed the issue of subconcussive contact. Multiple tools have
      been developed to assess acute episodes of concussion. Among the assessment
      protocols many include an assessment of balance, short and long term memory
      recall, and balance. The Child-SCAT3 was designed specifically to evaluate
      concussions in children 5-12 years of age. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study
      was to determine the effect of a season of subconcussive contact on Child-SCAT3
      scores in 8-12 year old males compared to their age matched peers who
      participated in non-contact sports. A secondary purpose was to evaluate how
      scores of the sub- components of the Child-SCAT3 compare between contact and non
      contact athletes. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study was performed of 71 male
      athletes (58 football, 13 baseball) ages 8-12 (contact mean age 10.30 years, SD
      1.20; non-contact mean age 10.03 years, SD 1.26) over the course of a season.
      METHODS: Portions of The Child-SCAT3 were administered and scored in pre
      adolescent athletes prior to and following a season of participation in football
      (contact sport group) and baseball (non-contact sport group). The outcome
      measures of interest included the portions related to Cognitive ability, Balance,
      and Coordination. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found in
      group, time or time and group interaction for any of the utilized portions of the
      Child-SCAT3. Statistically significant differences were found between groups for
      preseason cognitive orientation and postseason immediate memory. Cognitive
      orientation and coordination were also found to be statistically significantly
      improved across both groups over the course of the season. LIMITATIONS: This
      study was potentially limited by the number of control subjects tested.
      CONCLUSIONS: A season of subconcussive contact in football was not detrimental to
      cognitive and balance scores on the Child-SCAT3. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 26491619
TI  - A NOVEL APPROACH TO TREATING PLANTAR FASCIITIS - EFFECTS OF PRIMAL REFLEX RELEASE
      TECHNIQUE: A CASE SERIES.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Plantar fasciitis (PF), a common condition affecting
      physically active individuals, is typically treated with orthotics, two to four
      months of stretching programs, and/or surgery. Primal Reflex Release TechniqueTM
      (PRRT) is thought to reduce over-arousal of the nervous system through down
      regulation of the primal reflexes. The technique has been suggested as a novel
      treatment method for patients suffering from PF. The purpose of this case series
      was to examine the effects of PRRT on patients with PF. DESCRIPTION OF CASES: The
      PRRT technique was applied in eight consecutive cases of PF in physically active
      subjects. The Numeric Pain Rating Scale, the Disability in the Physically Active
      (DPA) Scale, and the Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) were administered
      to identify patient-reported pain and dysfunction. OUTCOMES: Primal Reflex
      Release Technique (PRRT) was an effective treatment for subjects with either
      acute or chronic PF. The use of the PRRT treatment resulted in an average
      reduction in plantar fascia pain across all subjects that was both statistically
      significant and clinically following a single treatment. Statistically and
      clinically significant improvements on averaged measures of function, such as the
      DPA Scale and PSFS, were also found over the course of treatment. DISCUSSION: In
      this case series, the use of PRRT produced positive changes in terms of
      improvements in reported pain and dysfunction and a shorter time to resolution,
      when compared to traditional treatment methods for PF reported in the literature.
      Subjects who undergo PRRT treatment for both acute and chronic PF may experience
      reduction in pain and improvement of function that exceeds what is experienced in
      traditional conservative therapy programs found in the available literature.
      Clinicians should consider the regional interdependence model in order to
      identify underlying related factors when evaluating and treating PF. The
      autonomic nervous system may play a role in the perception of pain and should be
      addressed during treatment. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4 - case series.

PMID- 26491618
TI  - PHYSICAL THERAPY INTERVENTION STRATEGIES FOR PATIENTS WITH PROLONGED MILD
      TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY SYMPTOMS: A CASE SERIES.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although most patients recover from a mild traumatic
      brain injury (mTBI) within 7-14 days, 10-30% of people will experience prolonged
      mTBI symptoms. Currently, there are no standardized treatment protocols to guide
      physical therapy interventions for this population. The purpose of this case
      series was to describe the unique, multimodal evaluation and treatment approaches
      for each of the patients with post-concussion syndrome (PCS). CASE DESCRIPTION:
      Six pediatric athletes with PCS who had participated in physical therapy and fit
      the inclusion criteria for review were retrospectively chosen for analysis.
      Patients received a cervical evaluation, an aerobic activity assessment, an
      oculomotor screen, and postural control assessment. Each patient participated in
      an individualized physical therapy treatment plan-of-care based on their
      presentation during the evaluation. OUTCOMES: Patients were treated for a mean of
      6.8 treatment sessions over 9.8 weeks. Four of six patients returned to their pre
      injury level of activity while two returned to modified activity upon completion
      of physical therapy. Improvements were observed in symptom scores, gaze
      stability, balance and postural control measures, and patient self-management of
      symptoms. All patients demonstrated adequate self-management of symptoms upon
      discharge from physical therapy. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS: Physical therapy
      interventions for pediatric athletes with PCS may facilitate recovery and improve
      function. Further research is needed to validate effective tools for assessment
      of patients who experience prolonged concussion symptoms as well as to establish
      support for specific post-mTBI physical therapy interventions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Level 4.

PMID- 26491620
TI  - POSTERIOR STERNOCLAVICULAR JOINT DISLOCATION IN A DIVISION I FOOTBALL PLAYER: A
      CASE REPORT.
AB  - Posterior dislocation of the sterno-clavicular (SC) joint is a rare injury in
      athletes. It normally occurs in high collision sports such as American football
      or rugby. Acute posterior dislocations of the SC joint can be life-threatening as
      the posteriorly displaced clavicle can cause damage to vital vascular and
      respiratory structures such as the aortic arch, the carotid and subclavian
      arteries, and the trachea. The potential severity of a posterior SC joint
      dislocation provides multiple challenges for clinicians involved in the emergency
      care and treatment of this condition. Integration of clinical examination
      observations, rapid critical thinking, and appropriate diagnostic imaging are
      often required to provide the best management and outcome for the injured
      athlete. The criterion for return-to-play and participation in collision sports
      after suffering a posterior dislocation of the SC joint are unclear due to the
      rarity of this injury. The purpose of this case report is to describe the
      management, from the initial on-field evaluation through the return-to-sport, of
      a collegiate Division I football player following a traumatic sports-related
      posterior SC joint dislocation. The rehabilitation process and the progression to
      return to participation are also presented and briefly discussed. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: 4-Single case report.

PMID- 26491621
TI  - DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSTIC PROCESS AND CLINICAL DECISION MAKING IN A YOUNG ADULT
      FEMALE WITH LATERAL HIP PAIN: A CASE REPORT.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN:  CASE REPORT: differential diagnosis and clinical decision making.
      BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Young adults with lateral hip pain are often referred to
      physical therapy (PT). A thorough examination is required to obtain a diagnosis
      and guide management. The purpose of this case report is to describe the physical
      therapist's differential diagnostic process and clinical decision making for a
      subject with the referring diagnosis of trochanteric bursitis. CASE DESCRIPTION:
      A 29-year-old female presented to PT with limited sitting and running tolerance
      secondary to right lateral hip pain. Her symptoms began three months prior when
      she abruptly changed her running intensity and frequency of weight bearing
      activities, including running and low impact plyometrics for the lower extremity.
      Physical examination revealed a positive Trendelenburg sign, manual muscle test
      that was weak and painless of the right hip abductors, and pain elicited when
      performing a vertical hop on a concrete surface (+single leg hop test), but pain
      free when performing the same single leg hop on a foam surface. Examination
      findings warranted discussion with the referring physician for further diagnostic
      imaging. OUTCOMES: Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a focus of edema in the
      posterior acetabulum, suspicious for an acetabular stress fracture. The subject
      was subsequently diagnosed with an acetabular stress fracture and restricted from
      running and plyometrics for four weeks. DISCUSSION: Thorough examination and
      appropriate clinical decision making by the physical therapist at the initial
      examination led to the diagnosis of an acetabular stress fracture in this
      subject. Clinicians must be aware of symptoms and signs which place the subject
      at risk for stress fracture for timely referral and management. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 26491622
TI  - A NOVEL APPROACH FOR THE REVERSAL OF CHRONIC APPARENT HAMSTRING TIGHTNESS: A CASE
      REPORT.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Movement dysfunction in the trunk and lower extremity
      (e.g., apparent hamstring tightness) may produce pain, as well as decrease range
      of motion, function, and performance in athletes. Novel treatments not frequently
      studied in the literature, such as Total Motion Release(r) (TMR(r)) and
      instrument-assisted soft -tissue mobilization (IASTM), have anecdotal claims of
      immediate, gross gains of mobility that far exceed conventionally reported
      results. The purpose of this case report was to examine the efficacy of TMR(r) in
      treating an apparent tissue tightness/extensibility dysfunction and to determine
      if IASTM would improve outcomes if TMR(r) techniques failed to produce maintained
      improvement. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 27-year old former competitive speed walker
      presented with a chronic history of bilateral pain and posterior leg tightness.
      The patient met the criteria for diagnosis of a bilateral tissue extensibility
      dysfunction in the posterior lower extremity and was treated with TMR(r) and
      IASTM (Tecnica Gavilan(r); Tracy, California, United States). OUTCOMES: After the
      first week of treatment, the patient increased her sit and reach by 5cm and her
      active straight leg raise (ASLR) by an average of 31.5  degrees  bilaterally.
      Following the second week of treatment, the patient experienced an additional
      increase in sit and reach and ASLR. At discharge, the patient displayed negative
      90/90 Active Knee Extension, Tripod, and Slump tests bilaterally, normalized ASLR
      and a resolution of her complaints. Follow-up examinations completed at one month
      and three months post-discharge indicated maintenance of the outcomes without any
      additional interventions. DISCUSSION: The subject in this case report
      demonstrated the potential use of TMR(r) in classifying apparent hamstring
      tightness and provided evidence to support the use of TMR(r) and IASTM in
      addressing mobility deficits associated with hamstring inflexibility/tightness.
      Based on these findings, clinicians should consider the use of TMR(r) to improve
      classification and treatment of patients with a chief complaint of hamstring
      "tightness." LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4; single case report.

PMID- 26491623
TI  - Progress in Making Ras as a Druggable Target.

PMID- 26491624
TI  - Prevalence and Correlates of Perceived Ethnic Discrimination in the Hispanic
      Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study.
AB  - Empirical studies examining perceived ethnic discrimination in Latinos of diverse
      background groups are limited. This study examined prevalence and correlates of
      discrimination in a diverse sample of U.S. Latinos (N=5,291) from the multi-site
      Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) and HCHS/SOL
      Sociocultural Ancillary Study. The sample permitted an examination of differences
      across seven groups (Central American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican,
      South American, and Other/Multiple Background). Most participants (79.5%)
      reported lifetime discrimination exposure and prevalence rates ranged from 64.9%
      to 98% across groups. Structural Equation Models (SEM) indicated that after
      adjusting for sociodemographic covariates most group differences in reports of
      discrimination were eliminated. However, Cubans reported the lowest levels of
      discrimination, overall among all groups. Furthermore, regional effects were more
      important than group effects. Participants from Chicago reported the highest
      levels of discrimination in comparison to other regions. Group differences among
      Latinos appear to be primarily a function of sociodemographic differences in
      education, income, and acculturation. In addition, differences in exposure to
      discrimination may be tied to variables associated with both immigration patterns
      and integration to U.S. culture. Results highlight the importance of considering
      historical context and the intersection of discrimination and immigration when
      evaluating the mental health of Latinos.

PMID- 26491625
TI  - [International outcomes from attempts to implement a clinical decision support
      system in gastroenterology].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at describing the recent experience acquired with the
      implementation and use of clinical decision support system in gastroenterology in
      order to determine the level of development, tests used and advantages that such
      a system can offer to the medical practice. METHODS: A search in the PubMed,
      LILACS and ISI Web of Knowledge databases for studies in decision-making support
      systems in gastroenterology including original papers produced from 2005 to 2010
      was performed. A total of 104 scientific papers were retrieved initially. These
      were analyzed using inclusion and exclusion criteria, thus yielding nine studies
      for further analysis. RESULTS: The clinical decision support system analyzed in
      the present study showed a great variety of clinical problems regarding the
      investigation of a disease and the determination of a diagnosis. Eighty-nine per
      cent of the studies showed experimental models for clinical decision support
      system development. Seventy-eight per cent of the studies described the outcomes
      obtained with artificial intelligence technique. Two studies compared the
      clinical decision support system performance with that of a doctor, and only one
      research work described a controlled study evidencing improvements in the medical
      practice. CONCLUSION: The studies analyzed showed evidence of potential benefits
      that clinical decision support system can bring to the clinical practice.
      However, further controlled studies performed in medical day-to-day conditions
      and environment should be performed in order to provide more clear evidence of
      the usefulness of clinical decision support system in the medical practice.

PMID- 26491628
TI  - Turning Spiroketals Inside Out: A Rearrangement Triggered by an Enol Ether
      Epoxidation.
AB  - Invited for this month's cover picture is the group of Professor Mark Peczuh at
      the University of Connecticut. The cover picture compares the rearrangement of a
      small molecule to the process of turning a stuffed animal inside out. The
      recycled, inside-out stuffed animals are both artistic and philosophically
      provocative. They capture the essence of the rearrangement reaction because the
      compounds themselves turn inside out over the course of the reaction, extending
      the diversity of products that can arise from simple starting materials. Small
      molecules often have functional groups with latent reactivity; under the
      appropriate conditions, those groups can react with other compounds (e.g.,
      reagents) and also with other groups in the same molecule in an intramolecular
      reaction. The research team found that the epoxidation of some highly
      functionalized spiroketal compounds promoted rearrangements of their structures
      that turned them inside out. Some of the features of the products led them to use
      X-ray crystallography or a combination of computer-assisted structure
      elucidation, computation, and a new version of the 1,1-ADEQUATE NMR experiment to
      determine their structures. For more details, see the Communication on p. 577 ff.

PMID- 26491629
TI  - Graphical Abstract: ChemistryOpen 5/2015.

PMID- 26491626
TI  - Gated Silica Mesoporous Materials in Sensing Applications.
AB  - Silica mesoporous supports (SMSs) have a large specific surface area and volume
      and are particularly exciting vehicles for delivery applications. Such container
      like structures can be loaded with numerous different chemical substances, such
      as drugs and reporters. Gated systems also contain addressable functions at
      openings of voids, and cargo delivery can be controlled on-command using
      chemical, biochemical or physical stimuli. Many of these gated SMSs have been
      applied for drug delivery. However, fewer examples of their use in sensing
      protocols have been reported. The approach of applying SMSs in sensing uses
      another concept-that of loading pores with a reporter and designing a capping
      mechanism that is selectively opened in the presence of a target analyte, which
      results in the delivery of the reporter. According to this concept, we provide
      herein a complete compilation of published examples of probes based on the use of
      capped SMSs for sensing. Examples for the detection of anions, cations, small
      molecules and biomolecules are provided. The diverse range of gated silica
      mesoporous materials presented here highlights their usefulness in recognition
      protocols. 

PMID- 26491630
TI  - Corrigendum: Regioisomer-Free C 4h beta-Tetrakis(tert-butyl)metallo
      phthalocyanines: Regioselective Synthesis and Spectral Investigations.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 102 in vol. 4, PMID: 25969805.]. 

PMID- 26491632
TI  - Spotlights on our sister journals: ChemistryOpen 5/2015.

PMID- 26491633
TI  - A Focus on Triazolium as a Multipurpose Molecular Station for pH-Sensitive
      Interlocked Crown-Ether-Based Molecular Machines.
AB  - The control of motion of one element with respect to others in an interlocked
      architecture allows for different co-conformational states of a molecule. This
      can result in variations of physical or chemical properties. The increase of
      knowledge in the field of molecular interactions led to the design, the
      synthesis, and the study of various systems of molecular machinery in a wide
      range of interlocked architectures. In this field, the discovery of new molecular
      stations for macrocycles is an attractive way to conceive original molecular
      machines. In the very recent past, the triazolium moiety proved to interact with
      crown ethers in interlocked molecules, so that it could be used as an ideal
      molecular station. It also served as a molecular barrier in order to lock
      interlaced structures or to compartmentalize interlocked molecular machines. This
      review describes the recently reported examples of pH-sensitive triazolium
      containing molecular machines and their peculiar features. 

PMID- 26491634
TI  - Turning Spiroketals Inside Out: A Rearrangement Triggered by an Enol Ether
      Epoxidation.
AB  - Spiroketals organize small molecule structures into well-defined, three
      dimensional configurations that make them good ligands of proteins. We recently
      discovered a tandem cycloisomerization-dimerization reaction of alkynyl
      hemiketals that delivered polycyclic, enol-ether-containing spiroketals. Here we
      describe rearrangements of those compounds, triggered by epoxidation of their
      enol ethers that completely remodel their structures, essentially turning them
      "inside out". Due to the high level of substitution on the carbon skeletons of
      the substrates and products, characterization resorted to X-ray crystallography
      and advanced computation and NMR techniques to solve the structures of
      representative compounds. In particular, a new proton-detected ADEQUATE NMR
      experiment (1,1-HD-ADEQUATE) enabled the unequivocal assignment of the carbon
      skeleton of one of the new compounds. Solution of the structures of the
      representative compounds allowed for the assignment of product structures for the
      other compounds in two separate series. Both the rearrangement and the methods
      used for structural determination of the products are valuable tools for the
      preparation of characterization of new small molecule compounds. 

PMID- 26491635
TI  - Organocatalyzed Trifluoromethylation of Ketones and Sulfonyl Fluorides by
      Fluoroform under a Superbase System.
AB  - Fluoroform (HCF3, HFC-23) is a side product in the manufacture of
      polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon). Despite its attractive properties, taming HCF3
      for trifluoromethylation is quite problematic owing to its low acidity and the
      lability of the naked trifluoromethyl carbanion generated from HCF3. Herein we
      report the organic-superbase-catalyzed trifluoromethylation of ketones and
      arylsulfonyl fluorides by HCF3. The reactions were carried out by using a newly
      developed "superbase organocatalyst system" consisting of catalytic amounts of P4
      tBu and N(SiMe3)3. A series of aryl and alkyl ketones were converted into the
      corresponding alpha-trifluoromethyl carbinols in good yields under the
      organocatalysis conditions in THF. The superbase organocatalytic system can also
      be applied to the trifluoromethylation of arylsulfonyl fluorides for biologically
      important aryl triflones in THF or DMF in good yields. Protonated P4-tBu, H[P4
      tBu](+), is suggested to be crucial for the catalytic process. This new catalytic
      methodology using HCF3 is expected to expand the range of synthetic applications
      of trifluoromethylation. 

PMID- 26491636
TI  - Cellulose-Derived Supercapacitors from the Carbonisation of Filter Paper.
AB  - Advanced carbon materials are important for the next-generation of energy storage
      apparatus, such as electrochemical capacitors. Here, the physical and
      electrochemical properties of carbonised filter paper (FP) were investigated. FP
      is comprised of pure cellulose and is a standardised material. After
      carbonisation at temperatures ranging from 600 to 1700  degrees C, FP was
      contaminant-free, containing only carbon and some oxygenated species, and its
      primary fibre structure was retained (diameter ~20-40 MUm). The observed
      enhancement in conductivity of the carbonised FP was correlated with the
      carbonisation temperature. Electrochemical capacitance in the range of ~1.8-117 F
      g(-1) was achieved, with FP carbonised at 1500  degrees C showing the best
      performance. This high capacitance was stable with >87 % retained after 3000
      charge-discharge cycles. These results show that carbonised FP, without the
      addition of composite materials, exhibits good supercapacitance performance,
      which competes well with existing electrodes made of carbon-based materials.
      Furthermore, given the lower cost and renewable source, cellulose-based materials
      are the more eco-friendly option for energy storage applications. 

PMID- 26491637
TI  - A Structurally-Tunable 3-Hydroxyflavone Motif for Visible Light-Induced Carbon
      Monoxide-Releasing Molecules (CORMs).
AB  - Molecules that can be used to deliver a controlled amount of carbon monoxide (CO)
      have the potential to facilitate investigations into the roles of this gaseous
      molecule in biology and advance therapeutic treatments. This has led to the
      development of light-induced CO-releasing molecules (photoCORMs). A goal in this
      field of research is the development of molecules that exhibit a combination of
      controlled CO release, favorable biological properties (e.g., low toxicity and
      trackability in cells), and structural tunability to affect CO release. Herein,
      we report a new biologically-inspired organic photoCORM motif that exhibits
      several features that are desirable in a next-generation photoCORM. We show that
      3-hydroxyflavone-based compounds are easily synthesized and modified to impart
      changes in absorption features and quantum yield for CO release, exhibit low
      toxicity, are trackable in cells, and can exhibit both O2-dependent and 
      independent CO release reactivity. 

PMID- 26491638
TI  - Voltammetric Study of the Influence of Various Phosphate Anions on Silver
      Nanoparticle Oxidation.
AB  - The antibacterial properties of silver are strongly controlled by the redox
      couple of silver/silver(I). This work reports the influence of phosphate anions
      on silver nanoparticle oxidation, which is important given the abundance of
      phosphate species in biological systems. The three different species of anions
      were found to have a varying degree of influence on silver oxidation with the
      order PO4 (3-)>HPO4 (2-)>H2PO4 (-). It was found that in the presence of
      phosphate anions, the silver oxidation potential shifts to a less positive value,
      which indicated the increasing ease of the oxidation reaction of silver. Given
      that the interplay between silver and its cation is crucial to its antibacterial
      properties and significant concentrations of the HPO4 (2-) anion are present at
      biological pH (near neutral), it is essential that the influence of the dibasic
      anion (HPO4 (2-)) on silver oxidation dynamics be considered for biological
      systems. 

PMID- 26491639
TI  - Electrochemical Nanoparticle Sizing Via Nano-Impacts: How Large a Nanoparticle
      Can be Measured?
AB  - The field of nanoparticle (NP) sizing encompasses a wide array of techniques,
      with electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS) having become the
      established methods for NP quantification; however, these techniques are not
      always applicable. A new and rapidly developing method that addresses the
      limitations of these techniques is the electrochemical detection of NPs in
      solution. The 'nano-impacts' technique is an excellent and qualitative in situ
      method for nanoparticle characterization. Two complementary studies on silver and
      silver bromide nanoparticles (NPs) were used to assess the large radius limit of
      the nano-impact method for NP sizing. Noting that by definition a NP cannot be
      larger than 100 nm in diameter, we have shown that the method quantitatively
      sizes at the largest limit, the lower limit having been previously reported as ~6
      nm.1. 

PMID- 26491640
TI  - Surface Modification of Boron-Doped Diamond with Microcrystalline Copper
      Phthalocyanine: Oxygen Reduction Catalysis.
AB  - Surface modification of boron-doped diamond (BDD) with copper phthalocyanine was
      achieved using a simple and convenient dropcast deposition, giving rise to a
      microcrystalline structure. Both unmodified and modified BDD electrodes of
      different surface terminations (namely hydrogen and oxygen) were compared via the
      electrochemical reduction of oxygen in aqueous solution. A significant lowering
      of the cathodic overpotential by about 500 mV was observed after modification of
      hydrogen-terminated (hydrophobic) diamond, while no voltammetric peak was seen on
      modified oxidised (hydrophilic) diamond, signifying greater interaction between
      copper phthalocyanine and the hydrogen-terminated BDD. Oxygen reduction was found
      to undergo a two-electron process on the modified hydrogen-terminated diamond,
      which was shown to be also active for the reduction of hydrogen peroxide. The
      lack of a further conversion of the peroxide was attributed to its rapid
      diffusion away from the triple phase boundary at which the reaction is expected
      to exclusively occur. 

PMID- 26491641
TI  - Simple and Precise Quantification of Iron Catalyst Content in Carbon Nanotubes
      Using UV/Visible Spectroscopy.
AB  - Iron catalysts have been used widely for the mass production of carbon nanotubes
      (CNTs) with high yield. In this study, UV/visible spectroscopy was used to
      determine the Fe catalyst content in CNTs using a colorimetric technique. Fe ions
      in solution form red-orange complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline, producing an
      absorption peak at lambda=510 nm, the intensity of which is proportional to the
      solution Fe concentration. A series of standard Fe solutions were formulated to
      establish the relationship between optical absorbance and Fe concentration. Many
      Fe catalysts were microscopically observed to be encased by graphitic layers,
      thus preventing their extraction. Fe catalyst dissolution from CNTs was
      investigated with various single and mixed acids, and Fe concentration was found
      to be highest with CNTs being held at reflux in HClO4/HNO3 and H2SO4/HNO3
      mixtures. This novel colorimetric method to measure Fe concentrations by UV/Vis
      spectroscopy was validated by inductively coupled plasma optical emission
      spectroscopy, indicating its reliability and applicability to asses Fe content in
      CNTs. 

PMID- 26491642
TI  - Assignment of the Internal Vibrational Modes of C70 by Inelastic Neutron
      Scattering Spectroscopy and Periodic-DFT.
AB  - The fullerene C70 may be considered as the shortest possible nanotube capped by a
      hemisphere of C60 at each end. Vibrational spectroscopy is a key tool in
      characterising fullerenes, and C70 has been studied several times and spectral
      assignments proposed. Unfortunately, many of the modes are either forbidden or
      have very low infrared or Raman intensity, even if allowed. Inelastic neutron
      scattering (INS) spectroscopy is not subject to selection rules, and all the
      modes are allowed. We have obtained a new INS spectrum from a large sample
      recorded at the highest resolution available. An advantage of INS spectroscopy is
      that it is straightforward to calculate the spectral intensity from a model. We
      demonstrate that all previous assignments are incorrect in at least some respects
      and propose a new assignment based on periodic density functional theory (DFT)
      that successfully reproduces the INS, infrared, and Raman spectra. 

PMID- 26491643
TI  - 2-(Alkylamino)-3-aryl-6,7-dihydrobenzofuran-4(5H)-ones: Improved Synthesis and
      their Photophysical Properties.
AB  - Furans are an important class of compounds and exhibit a diverse range of
      activities and properties. As such, improved synthetic access to furans is an
      important research goal. In the present report, a solvent- and catalyst-free
      reaction between 5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione (dimedone), an aryl aldehyde
      and an isocyanide under microwave irradiation is presented. This method is
      significantly improved from previously described protocols in terms of
      applicability of wide ranging aryl aldehydes, better yields, shorter reaction
      times, facile work up and essentially no need of column chromatography. The
      photophysical properties of this series of compounds were studied for their
      possible applicability in the field of metal ion sensors. In solution, two
      compounds, 2-(cyclohexylamino)-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)-6,6-dimethyl-6,7
      dihydrobenzofuran-4(5H)-one (1 i) and 2-(tert-butylamino)-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)-6,6
      dimethyl-6,7-dihydrobenzofuran-4(5H)-one (1 j), underwent an observable color
      change from yellow to colorless in the presence of aluminum(III) ions. Further
      studies to investigate the UV absorption and luminescence behavior of these
      compounds revealed their utility as "naked-eye sensors" for aluminum detection. 

PMID- 26491644
TI  - Synthesis, Characterization, and Biological Evaluation of a Dual-Action Ligand
      Targeting alphavbeta3 Integrin and VEGF Receptors.
AB  - A dual-action ligand targeting both integrin alphaVbeta3 and vascular endothelial
      growth factor receptors (VEGFRs), was synthesized via conjugation of a cyclic
      peptidomimetic alphaVbeta3 Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) ligand with a decapentapeptide. The
      latter was obtained from a known VEGFR antagonist by acetylation at the Lys13
      side chain. Functionalization of the precursor ligands was carried out in
      solution and in the solid phase, affording two fragments: an alkyne VEGFR ligand
      and the azide integrin alphaVbeta3 ligand, which were conjugated by click
      chemistry. Circular dichroism studies confirmed that both the RGD and VEGFR
      ligand portions of the dual-action compound substantially adopt the biologically
      active conformation. In vitro binding assays on isolated integrin alphaVbeta3 and
      VEGFR-1 showed that the dual-action conjugate retains a good level of affinity
      for both its target receptors, although with one order of magnitude (10/20 times)
      decrease in potency. The dual-action ligand strongly inhibited the VEGF-induced
      morphogenesis in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs). Remarkably, its
      efficiency in preventing the formation of new blood vessels was similar to that
      of the original individual ligands, despite the worse affinity towards integrin
      alphaVbeta3 and VEGFR-1. 

PMID- 26491645
TI  - Electronic Structures, Bonding Configurations, and Band-Gap-Opening Properties of
      Graphene Binding with Low-Concentration Fluorine.
AB  - To better understand the effects of low-level fluorine in graphene-based sensors,
      first-principles density functional theory (DFT) with van der Waals dispersion
      interactions has been employed to investigate the structure and impact of
      fluorine defects on the electrical properties of single-layer graphene films. The
      results show that both graphite-2 H and graphene have zero band gaps. When
      fluorine bonds to a carbon atom, the carbon atom is pulled slightly above the
      graphene plane, creating what is referred to as a CF defect. The lowest-binding
      energy state is found to correspond to two CF defects on nearest neighbor sites,
      with one fluorine above the carbon plane and the other below the plane. Overall
      this has the effect of buckling the graphene. The results further show that the
      addition of fluorine to graphene leads to the formation of an energy band (BF)
      near the Fermi level, contributed mainly from the 2p orbitals of fluorine with a
      small contribution from the p orbitals of the carbon. Among the 11 binding
      configurations studied, our results show that only in two cases does the BF serve
      as a conduction band and open a band gap of 0.37 eV and 0.24 eV respectively. The
      binding energy decreases with decreasing fluorine concentration due to the
      interaction between neighboring fluorine atoms. The obtained results are useful
      for sensor development and nanoelectronics. 

PMID- 26491646
TI  - Influence of Ag(+) on the Magnetic Response of [2.2.2]Paracyclophane: NMR
      Properties of a Prototypical Organic Host for Cation Binding Based on DFT
      Calculations.
AB  - The complexation of metal cations into a host-guest situation is particularly
      well exemplified by [2.2.2]paracyclophane and Ag(I), which leads to a strong
      cation-pi interaction with a specific face of the host molecule. Through this
      study we sought a deeper understanding of the effects the metal center has on the
      NMR spectroscopic properties of the prototypical organic host, generating
      theoretical reasons for the observed experimental results with an aim to
      determine the role of the cation-pi interaction in a host-guest scenario. From an
      analysis of certain components of the induced magnetic field and the (13)C NMR
      shielding tensor under its own principal axis system (PAS), the local and overall
      magnetic behavior can be clearly described. Interestingly, the magnetic response
      of such a complex exhibits a large axis-dependent behavior, which leads to an
      overall shielding effect for the coordinating carbon atoms and a deshielding
      effect for the respective uncoordinated counterparts, evidence that complements
      previous experimental results. This proposed approach can be useful to gain
      further insight into the local and overall variation of NMR shifts for host-guest
      pairs involving both inorganic and organic hosts. 

PMID- 26491647
TI  - Metallacycles Capabilities in Host-Guest Chemistry.

PMID- 26491649
TI  - Study of relationship between obesity and executive functions among high school
      students in Bushehr, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is one of the most challenging problems of public health in
      the present century and can have some serious impacts on cognitive abilities in
      children and adolescents. This study has tried to investigate the relationship
      between obesity and executive functioning, particularly in planning- organizing
      and problem solving among a group of adolescents. METHODS: Some 120 male high
      school students in the 15 to 18 year age range were included. BMI and executive
      functions were measured with validetes tools and tests in cases. RESULTS: There
      is a significant difference between the executive functions such as planning
      organizing and problem solving in obese, overweight and normal students.
      CONCLUSIONS: According to our results it seems the obese adolescents have poorer
      executive functions than normal weight peers. This is important for families and
      school staff to design and follow some therapeutic plans for weight reduction in
      adolescents in order to help them improve their skills in some functions such as
      planning-organizing and problem solving.

PMID- 26491648
TI  - The role of "bone immunological niche" for a new pathogenetic paradigm of
      osteoporosis.
AB  - Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural
      deterioration of bone tissue. The etiology and pathogenetic mechanisms of
      osteoporosis have not been clearly elucidated. Osteoporosis is linked to bone
      resorption by the activation of the osteoclastogenic process. The breakdown of
      homeostasis among pro- and antiosteoclastogenic cells causes unbalanced bone
      remodeling. The complex interactions among these cells in the bone
      microenvironment involve several mediators and proinflammatory pathways. Thus, we
      may consider the bone microenvironment as a complex system in which local and
      systemic immunity are regulated and we propose to consider it as an
      "immunological niche." The study of the "bone immunological niche" will permit a
      better understanding of the complex cell trafficking which regulates bone
      resorption and disease. The goal of a perfect therapy for osteoporosis would be
      to potentiate good cells and block the bad ones. In this scenario, additional
      factors may take part in helping or hindering the proosteoblastogenic factors.
      Several proosteoblastogenic and antiosteoclastogenic agents have already been
      identified and some have been developed and commercialized as biological
      therapies for osteoporosis. Targeting the cellular network of the "bone
      immunological niche" may represent a successful strategy to better understand and
      treat osteoporosis and its complications. 

PMID- 26491650
TI  - Arizona Alzheimer's Registry: Strategy and Outcomes of a Statewide Research
      Recruitment Registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium (AAC) created the Arizona
      Alzheimer's Registry, a screening and referral process for people interested in
      participating in Alzheimer's disease related research. The goals of the Registry
      were to increase awareness of Alzheimer's disease research and accelerate
      enrollment into AAC research studies. METHODS: Participation was by open
      invitation to adults 18 and older. Those interested provided consent and
      completed a written questionnaire. A subset of Registrants underwent an initial
      telephone cognitive assessment. Referral to AAC sites was based on medical
      history, telephone cognitive assessment, and research interests. RESULTS: A total
      of 1257 people consented and 1182 underwent an initial cognitive screening.
      Earned media (38.7%) was the most effective recruitment strategy. Participants
      had a mean age of 68.1 (SD 10.6), 97% were Caucasian, had 15.2 (SD 2.7) mean
      years of education, and 60% were female. 30% reported a family history of
      dementia and 70% normal cognition. Inter-rater agreement between self-reported
      memory status and the initial telephone cognitive assessment had a kappa of 0.31
      0.43. 301 were referred to AAC sites. CONCLUSION: IThe Registry created an
      infrastructure and process to screen and refer a high volume of eager
      Registrants. These methods were found to be effective at prescreening individuals
      for studies, which facilitated AAC research recruitment. The established
      infrastructure and experiences gained from the Registry have served as the
      prototype for the web-based Alzheimer's Prevention Registry, a national registry
      focusing on Alzheimer's disease prevention research.

PMID- 26491651
TI  - Double-layered reconstruction of the nasal floor in complete cleft deformity of
      the primary palate using superfluous lip tissue.
AB  - After cleft lip repair, many patients suffer from nasolabial fistulas,
      asymmetrical nasal floor, or an indistinct nostril sill, as well as intraoral
      wound dehiscence and subsequent scar contracture of surgical wounds leading to
      vestibular stenosis. For successful primary nasolabial repair of complete cleft
      deformity of the primary palate, cleft surgeons need special care in
      reconstructing the sound nasal floor. Especially when the cleft gap is wide or
      when any type of nasoalveolar molding therapy was not performed, three
      dimensional reconstruction of the nasal floor is critical for a balanced nasal
      shape. In this study, the author describes an effective method for reconstructing
      a double-layered nasal floor using two mucosal flaps from both sides of the
      fissured upper lip. This is a report of six patients with unilateral or bilateral
      complete cleft of the primary palate with a detailed description of the surgical
      technique and a literature review.

PMID- 26491652
TI  - Accelerating Multiple Compound Comparison Using LINGO-Based Load-Balancing
      Strategies on Multi-GPUs.
AB  - Compound comparison is an important task for the computational chemistry. By the
      comparison results, potential inhibitors can be found and then used for the
      pharmacy experiments. The time complexity of a pairwise compound comparison is
      O(n (2)), where n is the maximal length of compounds. In general, the length of
      compounds is tens to hundreds, and the computation time is small. However, more
      and more compounds have been synthesized and extracted now, even more than tens
      of millions. Therefore, it still will be time-consuming when comparing with a
      large amount of compounds (seen as a multiple compound comparison problem,
      abbreviated to MCC). The intrinsic time complexity of MCC problem is O(k (2) n
      (2)) with k compounds of maximal length n. In this paper, we propose a GPU-based
      algorithm for MCC problem, called CUDA-MCC, on single- and multi-GPUs. Four LINGO
      based load-balancing strategies are considered in CUDA-MCC in order to accelerate
      the computation speed among thread blocks on GPUs. CUDA-MCC was implemented by
      C+OpenMP+CUDA. CUDA-MCC achieved 45 times and 391 times faster than its CPU
      version on a single NVIDIA Tesla K20m GPU card and a dual-NVIDIA Tesla K20m GPU
      card, respectively, under the experimental results. 

PMID- 26491653
TI  - Biocompatibility of Novel Type I Collagen Purified from Tilapia Fish Scale: An In
      Vitro Comparative Study.
AB  - Type I collagen (COL-1) is the prevailing component of the extracellular matrix
      in a number of tissues including skin, ligament, cartilage, bone, and dentin. It
      is the most widely used tissue-derived natural polymer. Currently, mammalian
      animals, including pig, cow, and rat, are the three major sources for
      purification of COL-1. To reduce the risk of zoonotic infectious diseases
      transmission, minimize the possibility of immunogenic reaction, and avoid
      problems related to religious issues, exploration of new sources (other than
      mammalian animals) for the purification of type I collagen is highly desirable.
      Hence, the purpose of the current study was to investigate the in vitro responses
      of MDPC-23 to type I collagen isolated from tilapia scale in terms of cellular
      proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization. The results suggested that
      tilapia scale collagen exhibited comparable biocompatibility to porcine skin
      collagen, indicating it might be a potential alternative to type I collagen from
      mammals in the application for tissue regeneration in oral-maxillofacial area.

PMID- 26491654
TI  - Antioxidant Potential in Different Parts and Callus of Gynura procumbens and
      Different Parts of Gynura bicolor.
AB  - Plants from Gynura family was used in this study, namely, Gynura procumbens and
      Gynura bicolor. Gynura procumbens is well known for its various medicinal
      properties such as antihyperglycaemic, antihyperlipidaemic, and antiulcerogenic;
      meanwhile, G. bicolor remains unexploited. Several nonenzymatic antioxidants
      methods were utilized to study the antioxidant capacity, which include ferric
      reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical
      scavenging assay, total flavonoid content, total phenolic content, and ascorbic
      acid content determination. DPPH assay reveals G. procumbens shoot as the lowest
      (66.885%) and G. procumbens root as the highest (93.499%) DPPH radical inhibitor.
      In FRAP assay, reducing power was not detected in G. procumbens leaf callus
      (0.000 TEAC mg/g FW) whereby G. procumbens root exhibits the highest (1.103 TEAC
      mg/g FW) ferric reducing power. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid
      content exhibited similar trend for both the intact plants analysed. In all
      antioxidant assays, G. procumbens callus culture exhibits very low antioxidant
      activity. However, G. procumbens root exhibited highest phenolic content,
      flavonoid content, and ascorbic acid content with 4.957 TEAC mg/g FW, 543.529 QE
      ug/g FW, and 54.723 ug/g FW, respectively. This study reveals that G. procumbens
      root extract is a good source of natural antioxidant.

PMID- 26491655
TI  - Neurorestoratologic Strategies and Mechanisms in the Nervous System.

PMID- 26491656
TI  - Glu504Lys Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 Gene and the
      Risk of Human Diseases.
AB  - Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) 2 is a mitochondrial enzyme that is known for its
      important role in oxidation and detoxification of ethanol metabolite
      acetaldehyde. ALDH2 also metabolizes other reactive aldehydes such as 4-hydroxy-2
      nonenal and acrolein. The Glu504Lys single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of ALDH2
      gene, which is found in approximately 40% of the East Asian populations, causes
      defect in the enzyme activity of ALDH2, leading to alterations in acetaldehyde
      metabolism and alcohol-induced "flushing" syndrome. Evidence suggests that ALDH2
      Glu504Lys SNP is a potential candidate genetic risk factor for a variety of
      chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and late-onset
      Alzheimer's disease. In addition, the association between ALDH2 Glu504Lys SNP and
      the development of these chronic diseases appears to be affected by the
      interaction between the SNP and lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption as
      well as by the presence of other genetic variations.

PMID- 26491657
TI  - Genetic Diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Isolated from
      Tuberculosis Patients in Bahir Dar City and Its Surroundings, Northwest Ethiopia.
AB  - The knowledge of the diversity of strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex
      (MTBC) species in a specific geographical region can contribute to the control of
      tuberculosis (TB). This study was conducted to identify the MTBC isolates to the
      species and spoligotype international type (SIT) level by spoligotyping. A total
      of 168 MTBC isolates were recovered from TB patients, spoligotyped, and their
      patterns were compared with those of the strains registered in the SITVIT2
      database. Of 168 isolates spoligotyped, 89 patterns were identified. Ninety-eight
      isolates were clustered into 19 strain groups with clustering percentage of
      58.3%. Forty-four strains matched the preexisting SITs in the SITVIT2 database.
      The dominant strains were SIT289, SIT134, and SIT3411, comprising 16.7% (28/168),
      7.14% (12/168), and 4.76% (8/168) of the isolates, respectively. Euro-American
      (51.2%), East-African-Indian (34.5%), and M. africanum (9.52%) were the major
      lineages identified. Two strains of M. bovis were isolated from TB lymphadenitis
      cases. The high percentage of clustered strains of M. tuberculosis could suggest
      that a small number of lineages of M. tuberculosis are causing the disease in the
      area while isolation of M. bovis could suggest its zoonotic potential.
      Additionally, identification of M. africanum requires further confirmation by
      tools with a better discriminatory power.

PMID- 26491658
TI  - Evaluation of APP695 Transgenic Mice Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Neural
      Differentiation for Transplantation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Even though there is a therapeutic potential to treat Alzheimer's
      disease (AD) with neural cell replenishment and replacement, immunological
      rejections of stem cell transplantation remain a challenging risk. Autologous
      stem cells from AD patients however may prove to be a promising candidate.
      Therefore, we studied the neuronal differentiation efficiency of bone marrow
      mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from APP695 transgenic mice, which share features
      of human AD. METHOD: Cultured MSCs from APP695 transgenic mice are used; neuronal
      differentiation was assessed by immunocytochemistry and Western blot. Correlation
      with Notch signaling was examined. Autophage flux was assessed by western blot
      analysis. RESULTS: MSCs from APP695 mice have higher neuronal differentiation
      efficiency than MSCs from wild type mice (WT MSCs). The expression of Notch-1
      signaling decreased during the differentiation process. However, autophagy flux,
      which is essential for neuronal cell survival and neuronal function, was impaired
      in the neuronally differentiated counterparts of APP695 MSCs (APP695 MSCs-n).
      CONCLUSION: These results suggested autologous MSCs of APP690 mice may not be a
      good candidate for cell transplantation.

PMID- 26491659
TI  - Determination of Serum Lost Goodwill Target Proteome in Patients with Severe
      Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - This study investigates the biokinetics of LGT proteome, a potential biomarker of
      severe TBI, in serum of severe TBI patients. The LGT proteome presents in the
      serum of severe TBI patients. The abundance diversity of LGT proteome is closely
      associated with pathologic condition of TBI patients. Serum LGT proteome may be
      used as a promising marker for evaluating severity of severe TBI.

PMID- 26491660
TI  - Research Progress on the Role of ABC Transporters in the Drug Resistance
      Mechanism of Intractable Epilepsy.
AB  - The pathogenesis of intractable epilepsy is not fully clear. In recent years,
      both animal and clinical trials have shown that the expression of ATP-binding
      cassette (ABC) transporters is increased in patients with intractable epilepsy;
      additionally, epileptic seizures can lead to an increase in the number of sites
      that express ABC transporters. These findings suggest that ABC transporters play
      an important role in the drug resistance mechanism of epilepsy. ABC transporters
      can perform the funcions of a drug efflux pump, which can reduce the effective
      drug concentration at epilepsy lesions by reducing the permeability of the blood
      brain barrier to antiepileptic drugs, thus causing resistance to antiepileptic
      drugs. Given the important role of ABC transporters in refractory epilepsy drug
      resistance, antiepileptic drugs that are not substrates of ABC transporters were
      used to obtain ABC transporter inhibitors with strong specificity, high safety,
      and few side effects, making them suitable for long-term use; therefore, these
      drugs can be used for future clinical treatment of intractable epilepsy.

PMID- 26491662
TI  - Past, Present, and Future of Nerve Conduits in the Treatment of Peripheral Nerve
      Injury.
AB  - With significant advances in the research and application of nerve conduits, they
      have been used to repair peripheral nerve injury for several decades. Nerve
      conduits range from biological tubes to synthetic tubes, and from nondegradable
      tubes to biodegradable tubes. Researchers have explored hollow tubes, tubes
      filled with scaffolds containing neurotrophic factors, and those seeded with
      Schwann cells or stem cells. The therapeutic effect of nerve conduits is
      improving with increasing choice of conduit material, new construction of
      conduits, and the inclusion of neurotrophic factors and support cells in the
      conduits. Improvements in functional outcomes are expected when these are
      optimized for use in clinical practice.

PMID- 26491663
TI  - An Update on the Safety and Efficacy of Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking in
      Pediatric Keratoconus.
AB  - Keratoconus is a degenerative disease that affects adolescents and young adults
      and presents with variable thinning and conical deformation of the corneal apex.
      The resultant irregular astigmatism can progress to levels that can significantly
      affect everyday activities and overall quality of life. Therefore, stopping the
      progression of the disease is an essential part in managing patients with
      keratoconus. Corneal collagen cross-linking is a minimally invasive procedure
      that stiffens the anterior corneal stroma by creating strong covalent bonds
      between collagen fibrils. Over the past decade, many studies have proved its
      safety and efficacy in halting keratoconus progression in adults. This review of
      the literature highlights the growing trend towards using this treatment in
      pediatric keratoconic patients. In children, keratoconus tends to be more severe
      and fast progression is often encountered requiring closer follow-up intervals.
      Standard cross-linking shows comparable results in children with a good safety
      efficacy profile during follow-up periods of up to three years. Further research
      is needed to standardize and evaluate transepithelial and accelerated cross
      linking protocols as these could be of tremendous help in a population where
      cooperation and compliance are major issues.

PMID- 26491661
TI  - Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells in Spinal Cord Injury: A Review and Update.
AB  - Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition to individuals, families, and
      society. Oligodendrocyte loss and demyelination contribute as major pathological
      processes of secondary damages after injury. Oligodendrocyte precursor cells
      (OPCs), a subpopulation that accounts for 5 to 8% of cells within the central
      nervous system, are potential sources of oligodendrocyte replacement after SCI.
      OPCs react rapidly to injuries, proliferate at a high rate, and can differentiate
      into myelinating oligodendrocytes. However, posttraumatic endogenous
      remyelination is rarely complete, and a better understanding of OPCs'
      characteristics and their manipulations is critical to the development of novel
      therapies. In this review, we summarize known characteristics of OPCs and
      relevant regulative factors in both health and demyelinating disorders including
      SCI. More importantly, we highlight current evidence on post-SCI OPCs
      transplantation as a potential treatment option as well as the impediments
      against regeneration. Our aim is to shed lights on important knowledge gaps and
      to provoke thoughts for further researches and the development of therapeutic
      strategies.

PMID- 26491665
TI  - Amniotic Mesenchymal Stem Cells Can Enhance Angiogenic Capacity via MMPs In Vitro
      and In Vivo.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the angiogenic capacity and proteolytic
      mechanism of coculture using human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) with
      human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vivo and in vitro by comparing
      to those of coculture using bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells with HUVEC. For
      the in vivo experiment, cells (HUVEC-monoculture, HUVEC-hAMSC coculture, and
      HUVEC-BMMSC coculture) were seeded in fibrin gels and injected subcutaneously in
      nude mice. The samples were collected on days 7 and 14 and histologically
      analyzed by H&E and CD31 staining. CD31-positive staining percentage and vessel
      like structure (VLS) density were evaluated as quantitative parameters for
      angiogenesis. The increases of CD31-positive staining area and VLS density in
      both HUVEC-hAMSC group and HUVEC-BMMSC group were found between two time points,
      while obvious decline of those was observed in HUVEC-only group. For the in vitro
      experiment, we utilized the same 3D culture model to investigate the proteolytic
      mechanism related to capillary formation. Intensive vascular networks formed by
      HUVECs were associated with hAMSCs or BMMSCs and related to MMP2 and MMP9. In
      conclusion, hAMSCs shared similar capacity and proteolytic mechanism with BMMSCs
      on neovascularization.

PMID- 26491664
TI  - The Crosstalk between Hypoxia and Innate Immunity in the Development of Obesity
      Related Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
AB  - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a major health issue in
      western countries in parallel with the dramatic increase in the prevalence of
      obesity and all obesity related conditions, including respiratory diseases as
      obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Interestingly, the severity of
      the liver damage in obesity-related NAFLD has been associated with the
      concomitant presence of OSAHS. In the presence of obesity, the proinflammatory
      state in these patients together with intermittent episodes of hypoxia,
      characteristic of OSAHS pathogenesis, may lead to an enhanced inflammatory
      response mediated by a positive feedback loop mechanism that implicates HIF-1 and
      NFkappaB. Thus, the severity of liver involvement in obese NAFLD patients with a
      concomitant diagnosis of OSAHS could be explained. In this review, we focus on
      the molecular mechanisms underlying the hepatic response to chronic intermittent
      hypoxia and its interaction with innate immunity in obesity-related NAFLD.

PMID- 26491666
TI  - Malnutrition and Gut Flora Dysbiosis: Specific Therapies for Emerging
      Comorbidities in Heart Failure.
AB  - Chronic heart failure is a complicated multifactorial disease with wide-spread
      social-economic consequences. In spite of the recent development of new drugs and
      therapeutic strategies, CHF-related mortality and morbidity remain high. Recent
      evidence suggests that changes in organs such as skeletal muscle and gut flora
      may play an important and independent role in CHF prognosis. This paper
      illustrates these phenomena, proposing how to identify them and presenting
      current therapies which treat organs all too often underestimated but which have
      a fundamental role in worsening CHF.

PMID- 26491667
TI  - Patient Preferences for Receiving Remote Communication Support for Lifestyle
      Physical Activity Behaviour Change: The Perspective of Patients with
      Musculoskeletal Disorders from Three Hospital Services.
AB  - This study examined patients' preference ratings for receiving support via remote
      communication to increase their lifestyle physical activity. Methods. People with
      musculoskeletal disorders (n = 221 of 296 eligible) accessing one of three
      clinics provided preference ratings for "how much" they wanted to receive
      physical activity support via five potential communication modalities. The five
      ratings were generated on a horizontal analogue rating scale (0 represented "not
      at all"; 10 represented "very much"). Results. Most (n = 155, 70%) desired
      referral to a physical activity promoting intervention. "Print and post"
      communications had the highest median preference rating (7/10), followed by email
      and telephone (both 5/10), text messaging (1/10), and private Internet-based
      social network messages (0/10). Desire to be referred was associated with higher
      preference for printed materials (coefficient = 2.739, p < 0.001), telephone
      calls (coefficient = 3.000, p < 0.001), and email (coefficient = 2.059, p =
      0.02). Older age was associated with lower preference for email (coefficient = 
      0.100, p < 0.001), texting (coefficient = -0.096, p < 0.001), and social network
      messages (coefficient = -0.065, p < 0.001). Conclusion. Patients desiring support
      to be physically active indicated preferences for interventions with
      communication via print, email, or telephone calls.

PMID- 26491669
TI  - The Discriminant Value of Phase-Dependent Local Dynamic Stability of Daily Life
      Walking in Older Adult Community-Dwelling Fallers and Nonfallers.
AB  - The present study compares phase-dependent measures of local dynamic stability of
      daily life walking with 35 conventional gait features in their ability to
      discriminate between community-dwelling older fallers and nonfallers. The study
      reanalyzes 3D-acceleration data of 3-day daily life activity from 39 older people
      who reported less than 2 falls during one year and 31 who reported two or more
      falls. Phase-dependent local dynamic stability was defined for initial
      perturbation at 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% of the step cycle. A partial least
      square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to compare the discriminant
      abilities of phase-dependent local dynamic stability with the discriminant
      abilities of 35 conventional gait features. The phase-dependent local dynamic
      stability lambda at 0% and 60% of the step cycle discriminated well between
      fallers and nonfallers (AUC = 0.83) and was significantly larger (p < 0.01) for
      the nonfallers. Furthermore, phase-dependent lambda discriminated as well between
      fallers and nonfallers as all other gait features combined. The present result
      suggests that phase-dependent measures of local dynamic stability of daily life
      walking might be of importance for further development in early fall risk
      screening tools.

PMID- 26491668
TI  - Synergistic Inhibitory Effects of Cetuximab and Cisplatin on Human Colon Cancer
      Cell Growth via Inhibition of the ERK-Dependent EGF Receptor Signaling Pathway.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anticancer efficacy of cetuximab
      combined with cisplatin (combination treatment) on colon cancer growth, as well
      as its underlying action mechanism. Combination treatment synergistically
      potentiated the effect of cetuximab on cell growth inhibition and apoptosis
      induction in HCT116 and SW480 cells. Combination treatment further suppressed the
      expression of the activated form of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and
      MAP kinase (p-ERK and p-p38) and also significantly inhibited the activity of
      activator protein-1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB). Additionally,
      the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) mRNA was
      significantly reduced by the combination treatment as compared to the expression
      seen for treatment with cetuximab or cisplatin alone. We found that the
      synergistic inhibitory effects of cetuximab and cisplatin on AP-1 and NF-kappaB
      activation, as well as on cell viability, were reversed by pretreatment with an
      ERK inhibitor. Results demonstrate that combined treatment with cetuximab and
      cisplatin exerts synergistic anticancer effects on colon cancer cells and also
      suggest that the ERK pathway plays a critical role in these effects via the
      suppression of the EGFR signaling pathway, along with the inhibition of COX-2, IL
      8, and AP-1 and NF-kappaB.

PMID- 26491670
TI  - Immunomodulation by Zearalenone in Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.).
AB  - The mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEN) is a frequent contaminant of animal feeds, but
      its effects on fish have not yet been investigated extensively. In order to fill
      this gap a feeding trial with juvenile carp was conducted. Three groups of fish
      were fed feeds contaminated with ZEN at three concentrations (low: 332 MUg kg(
      1), medium: 621 MUg kg(-1), and high: 797 MUg kg(-1) feed) for four weeks.
      Possible reversible effects of ZEN were evaluated by feeding additional groups
      with the ZEN-contaminated feeds for four weeks, followed by the uncontaminated
      diet for two weeks. Immune function of isolated leukocytes from head kidney and
      trunk kidney was assessed using the assessment of NO production, the respiratory
      burst assay, the chemiluminescence assay, and the measurement of arginase
      activities. These investigations frequently revealed increased immune responses
      after exposure of fish to low ZEN concentrations and reduced immune responses
      after exposure to high mycotoxin concentrations. Moreover, the feeding of the
      uncontaminated diet for further two weeks did not improve the immune responses in
      most cases. These results indicate that cellular immune functions in ZEN
      contaminated carp are influenced which may be relevant for fish health in
      aquaculture.

PMID- 26491671
TI  - Bypassing P-Glycoprotein Drug Efflux Mechanisms: Possible Applications in
      Pharmacoresistant Schizophrenia Therapy.
AB  - The efficient noninvasive treatment of neurodegenerative disorders is often
      constrained by reduced permeation of therapeutic agents into the central nervous
      system (CNS). A vast majority of bioactive agents do not readily permeate into
      the brain tissue due to the existence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the
      associated P-glycoprotein efflux transporter. The overexpression of the MDR1 P
      glycoprotein has been related to the occurrence of multidrug resistance in CNS
      diseases. Various research outputs have focused on overcoming the P-glycoprotein
      drug efflux transporter, which mainly involve its inhibition or bypassing
      mechanisms. Studies into neurodegenerative disorders have shown that the P
      glycoprotein efflux transporter plays a vital role in the progression of
      schizophrenia, with a noted increase in P-glycoprotein function among
      schizophrenic patients, thereby reducing therapeutic outcomes. In this review, we
      address the hypothesis that methods employed in overcoming P-glycoprotein in
      cancer and other disease states at the level of the BBB and intestine may be
      applied to schizophrenia drug delivery system design to improve clinical
      efficiency of drug therapies. In addition, the current review explores polymers
      and drug delivery systems capable of P-gp inhibition and modulation.

PMID- 26491672
TI  - Multiphysics and Multiscale Analysis for Chemotherapeutic Drug.
AB  - This paper presents a three-dimensional dynamic model for the chemotherapy design
      based on a multiphysics and multiscale approach. The model incorporates cancer
      cells, matrix degrading enzymes (MDEs) secreted by cancer cells, degrading
      extracellular matrix (ECM), and chemotherapeutic drug. Multiple mechanisms
      related to each component possible in chemotherapy are systematically integrated
      for high reliability of computational analysis of chemotherapy. Moreover, the
      fidelity of the estimated efficacy of chemotherapy is enhanced by atomic
      information associated with the diffusion characteristics of chemotherapeutic
      drug, which is obtained from atomic simulations. With the developed model, the
      invasion process of cancer cells in chemotherapy treatment is quantitatively
      investigated. The performed simulations suggest a substantial potential of the
      presented model for a reliable design technology of chemotherapy treatment.

PMID- 26491673
TI  - Molecular Imaging-Guided Interventional Hyperthermia in Treatment of Breast
      Cancer.
AB  - Breast cancer is the most frequent malignancy in women worldwide. Although it is
      commonly treated via chemotherapy, responses vary among its subtypes, some of
      which are relatively insensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs. Recent studies have
      shown that hyperthermia can enhance the effects of chemotherapy in patients with
      refractory breast cancer or without surgical indications. Recent advances in
      molecular imaging may not only improve early diagnosis but may also facilitate
      the development and response assessment of targeted therapies. Combining advanced
      techniques such as molecular imaging and hyperthermia-integrated chemotherapy
      should open new avenues for effective management of breast cancer.

PMID- 26491675
TI  - AR Pathway Is Involved in the Regulation of CX43 in Prostate Cancer.
AB  - CX43 plays a critical role in tumor progression. Previous studies imply that AR
      pathway may be involved in regulation of CX43. This study was focused on
      determining the relationship between AR pathway and CX43. The result showed that
      the expression of CX43 in malignant cells was higher than that in normal cells,
      and in nonmalignant and malignant cells, not only is the expression level of CX43
      different, but the localization of CX43 can also be changed. After androgen
      stimulation and inhibition of AR pathway, expression of CX43 can also be changed.
      Thus, AR pathway plays an important role in regulation of CX43 expression in
      prostate cancer cells. AR may be the upstream signal of CX43.

PMID- 26491674
TI  - Osteopontin Involves Cisplatin Resistance and Poor Prognosis in Oral Squamous
      Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional cytokine involved in cell
      survival, migration, and adhesion. However, its role in chemosensitivity in
      locally advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in humans has not yet been
      investigated. METHODS: We enrolled 121 patients with locally advanced stage IVA/B
      OSCC receiving cisplatin-based IC followed by CCRT from January 1, 2006, through
      January 1, 2012. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess OPN expression in OSCC
      patients' biopsy specimens from paraffin blocks before treatment. In addition,
      MTT/colony formation assay was used to estimate the influence of OPN in an oral
      cancer cell line treated with cisplatin. RESULTS: Of the 121 patients, 94 had
      positive OPN findings and 52 responded to IC followed by CCRT. Positive
      osteopontin immunostaining also correlated significantly with positive N
      status/TNM stage/male gender and smoking. Univariate analyses showed that
      patients whose tumors had a low expression of OPN were more likely to respond to
      chemotherapy and have a significantly better OS than those whose tumors had a
      high expression of OPN. Multivariate analysis revealed that prolonged survival
      was independently predicted for patients with stage IVA disease, negative lymph
      nodes, and negative expressions of OPN and for those who received chemotherapy
      with Docetaxel/cisplatin/fluorouracil (TPF). An oral cancer line stimulated with
      OPN exhibited a dose-dependent resistance to cisplatin treatment. Conversely,
      endogenous OPN depletion by OPN-mediated shRNA increased sensitivity to
      cisplatin. CONCLUSIONS: A positive expression of OPN predicts a poor response and
      survival in patients with locally advanced stage IVA/B OSCC treated with
      cisplatin-based IC followed by CCRT.

PMID- 26491676
TI  - Characteristics of Biological Nitrogen Removal in a Multiple Anoxic and Aerobic
      Biological Nutrient Removal Process.
AB  - Two sequencing batch reactors, one with the conventional anoxic and aerobic (AO)
      process and the other with the multiple AO process, were operated to examine
      characteristics of biological nitrogen removal, especially of the multiple AO
      process. The long-term operation showed that the total nitrogen removal
      percentage of the multiple AO reactor was 38.7% higher than that of the AO
      reactor. In the multiple AO reactor, at the initial SBR cycle stage, due to the
      occurrence of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification, no nitrite and/or
      nitrate were accumulated. In the multiple AO reactor, activities of nitrite
      oxidizing bacteria were inhibited due to the multiple AO operating mode applied,
      resulting in the partial nitrification. Denitrifiers in the multiple AO reactor
      mainly utilized internal organic carbon for denitrification, and their activities
      were lower than those of denitrifiers in the AO reactor utilizing external
      organic carbon.

PMID- 26491677
TI  - A Glimpse to Background and Characteristics of Major Molecular Biological
      Networks.
AB  - Recently, biology has become a data intensive science because of huge data sets
      produced by high throughput molecular biological experiments in diverse areas
      including the fields of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics.
      These huge datasets have paved the way for system-level analysis of the processes
      and subprocesses of the cell. For system-level understanding, initially the
      elements of a system are connected based on their mutual relations and a network
      is formed. Among omics researchers, construction and analysis of biological
      networks have become highly popular. In this review, we briefly discuss both the
      biological background and topological properties of major types of omics networks
      to facilitate a comprehensive understanding and to conceptualize the foundation
      of network biology.

PMID- 26491678
TI  - Medicine Sellers for Prevention and Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections:
      Effect of a Quasi-Experimental Training Intervention in Bangladesh.
AB  - This study used a quasi-experimental pre-post design to test whether short
      training can improve medicine sellers' (MSs) practices and skills for prevention
      and control of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Bangladesh. The training
      included lectures, printed materials, and identification of referral sites.
      Difference-in-differences estimation was used to determine the effects of
      intervention on key primary and secondary outcomes. Advice given by the MSs in
      intervention group for partner treatment and condoms use increased significantly
      by 11% and 9%, respectively, after adjusting for baseline differences in
      education, religion, age, duration of training, and study site. Referral of
      clients to qualified service providers increased by 5% in the intervention group
      compared to the comparison group, but this change was not found to be
      statistically significant. Significantly higher proportion of MSs in the
      intervention group recognized the recommended medications as per the national
      syndromic management guidelines in Bangladesh for treatment of urethral discharge
      and genital ulcer symptoms. Short training intervention was found to be effective
      in improving MSs' practice of promoting condom use and partner treatment to the
      clients. We anticipate the need for broad based training programs of MSs to
      improve their skills for the prevention and control of STI/HIV in Bangladesh.

PMID- 26491679
TI  - Influence of Ionizing Radiation on Two Generations of Cochlear Implants.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to test the behavior of two different
      generations of cochlear implant systems subjected to a clinical radiotherapy
      scheme and to determine the maximal acceptable cumulative radiation levels at
      which the devices show out-of-specification behaviors. Using stereotactic
      irradiation (Cyberknife, 6 MV photon beam), three Digisonic SP and three Neuro
      devices were submitted to 5 Gy doses that cumulated to 60 Gy (12 sessions) and 80
      Gy (16 sessions), respectively. A follow-up series of irradiation was then
      applied, in which Digisonic SP devices received two additional fractions of 50 Gy
      each, cumulating to 160 Gy, and Neuro devices three additional fractions of 20,
      40, and 150 Gy, cumulating to 290 Gy. Output current values were monitored during
      the treatment. At clinical doses, with 60 or 80 Gy cumulative radiation exposure,
      no single measurement showed more than 10% divergence from the reference measure.
      The cochlear implants tested in this study showed high resistance to clinically
      relevant cumulative radiation doses and showed no out-of-bounds behavior up to
      cumulative doses of 140 or 160 Gy. These observations suggest that cochlear
      implant users can undergo radiotherapy up to cumulative doses well above those
      currently used in clinical situations without risk of failure.

PMID- 26491680
TI  - Are Biodegradable Osteosyntheses Still an Option for Midface Trauma? Longitudinal
      Evaluation of Three Different PLA-Based Materials.
AB  - The aim was to evaluate three different biodegradable polylactic acid- (PLA-)
      based osteosynthesis materials (OM). These OM (BioSorb, LactoSorb, and Delta)
      were used in 64 patients of whom 55 (85.9%) had fractures of the zygoma, five
      (7.8%) in the LeFort II level, two of the frontal bone (3.1%), and two of the
      maxillary sinus wall (3.1%). In addition to routine follow-up (FU) at 3, 6, and
      12 months (m) (T1, T2, and T3) all patients were finally evaluated at a mean FU
      after 14.1 m for minor (e.g., nerve disturbances, swelling, and pain) and major
      (e.g., infections and occlusal disturbances) complications. Out of all 64
      patients 38 presented with complications; of these 28 were minor (43.8%) and 10
      major (15.6%) resulting in an overall rate of 59.4%. Differences in minor
      complications regarding sensibility disturbance at T1 and T3 were statistically
      significant (P = 0.04). Differences between the OM were not statistically
      significant. Apart from sufficient mechanical stability for clinical use of all
      tested OM complications mostly involved pain and swelling probably mainly related
      to the initial bulk reaction attributable to the drop of pH value during the
      degradation process. This paper includes a review of the current aspects of
      biodegradable OM.

PMID- 26491681
TI  - Genetic and Cultural Reconstruction of the Migration of an Ancient Lineage.
AB  - A rare R1a1 Y-haplogroup (Y-HG) L657 clade subtype designated as LPKSTR is found
      in most male members of a clan of "founder" families within the Goud Saraswat
      Brahmin community in Lotli town in Western India. TMRCA calculations using
      pairwise comparisons to control cohorts suggested a probable migration history
      distinct from the canonical narrative for medieval migration of orthodox Brahmin
      families to South India. Using Y-HG centroid analysis, chi-square analysis of
      TMRCA distributions and archeological find-spots, and discriminant function
      analysis we show that the parental Z93 L342.2 subclade in which LPKSTR occurs
      originated in West Asia and that LPKSTR individuals migrated toward the southeast
      by a Bolan Pass route distinct from the traditionally presumed route of Brahmin
      ingress into the Indian subcontinent. The proposed migration route is supported
      by archeological, toponymic, numismatic, linguistic, iconographic, and literary
      data. Lastly, we present cultural metrics demonstrating that these LPKSTR
      lineages retained distinct family practices with respect to literacy, religious
      practice, and emigration not shared with orthodox Brahmins of canonical
      geographic origin within the same community, despite centuries of intermarriage.
      Long-term transmission of differentiated family practices within a patrilineal
      endogamous community has rarely been documented.

PMID- 26491682
TI  - Endothelial Progenitor Cell Fraction Contained in Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal
      Stem Cell Populations Impairs Osteogenic Differentiation.
AB  - In bone tissue engineering (TE) endothelial cell-osteoblast cocultures are known
      to induce synergies of cell differentiation and activity. Bone marrow
      mononucleated cells (BMCs) are a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)
      able to develop an osteogenic phenotype. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are
      also present within BMC. In this study we investigate the effect of EPCs present
      in the BMC population on MSCs osteogenic differentiation. Human BMCs were
      isolated and separated into two populations. The MSC population was selected
      through plastic adhesion capacity. EPCs (CD34(+) and CD133(+)) were removed from
      the BMC population and the resulting population was named depleted MSCs. Both
      populations were cultured over 28 days in osteogenic medium (Dex(+)) or medium
      containing platelet lysate (PL). MSC population grew faster than depleted MSCs in
      both media, and PL containing medium accelerated the proliferation for both
      populations. Cell differentiation was much higher in Dex(+) medium in both cases.
      Real-time RT-PCR revealed upregulation of osteogenic marker genes in depleted
      MSCs. Higher values of ALP activity and matrix mineralization analyses confirmed
      these results. Our study advocates that absence of EPCs in the MSC population
      enables higher osteogenic gene expression and matrix mineralization and therefore
      may lead to advanced bone neoformation necessary for TE constructs.

PMID- 26491683
TI  - Cases of Echinococcus granulosus Sensu Stricto Isolated from Polish Patients:
      Imported or Indigenous?
AB  - The cases of nine Polish patients with diagnosed cystic echinococcosis (CE) were
      examined. A total of nine isolates obtained postoperatively were investigated
      using PCR and sequencing. The mitochondrial region of nad1 gene was amplified.
      This PCR and sequencing analysis revealed the presence of Echinococcus canadensis
      G7 in seven patients and E. granulosus G1 in two patients. These data demonstrate
      that E. canadensis is the predominant causative agent of human cystic
      echinococcosis in Poland. E. granulosus G1 detection in Polish patients suggests
      that the parasite was imported; however it does not exclude the possibility that
      these cases could have been of Polish origin.

PMID- 26491684
TI  - Lsh Is Essential for Maintaining Global DNA Methylation Levels in Amphibia and
      Fish and Interacts Directly with Dnmt1.
AB  - Eukaryotic genomes are methylated at cytosine bases in the context of CpG
      dinucleotides, a pattern which is maintained through cell division by the DNA
      methyltransferase Dnmt1. Dramatic methylation losses are observed in plant and
      mouse cells lacking Lsh (lymphoid specific helicase), predominantly at repetitive
      sequences and gene promoters. However, the mechanism by which Lsh contributes to
      the maintenance of DNA methylation is unknown. Here we show that DNA methylation
      is lost in Lsh depleted frog and fish embryos, both of which exhibit
      developmental delay. Additionally, we show that both Lsh and Dnmt1 are associated
      with chromatin and that Lsh knockdown leads to a decreased Dnmt1-chromatin
      association. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments reveal that Lsh and Dnmt1 are
      found in the same protein complex, and pulldowns show this interaction is direct.
      Our data indicate that Lsh is usually diffuse in the nucleus but can be recruited
      to heterochromatin in a HP1alpha-dependent manner. These data together (a) show
      that the role of Lsh in DNA methylation is conserved in plants, amphibian, fish,
      and mice and (b) support a model in which Lsh contributes to Dnmt1 binding to
      chromatin, explaining how its loss can potentially lead to perturbations in DNA
      methylation maintenance.

PMID- 26491686
TI  - Amino Acids in Nine Ligand-Prefer Ramachandran Regions.
AB  - Several secondary structures, such as pi-helix and left-handed helix, have been
      frequently identified at protein ligand-binding sites. A secondary structure is
      considered to be constrained to a specific region of dihedral angles. However, a
      comprehensive analysis of the correlation between main chain dihedral angles and
      ligand-binding sites has not been performed. We undertook an extensive analysis
      of the relationship between dihedral angles in proteins and their distance to
      ligand-binding sites, frequency of occurrence, molecular potential energy, amino
      acid composition, van der Waals contacts, and hydrogen bonds with ligands. The
      results showed that the values of dihedral angles have a strong preference for
      ligand-binding sites at certain regions in the Ramachandran plot. We discovered
      that amino acids preceding the ligand-prefer phi/psi box residues are exposed
      more to solvents, whereas amino acids following ligand-prefer phi/psi box
      residues form more hydrogen bonds and van der Waals contacts with ligands. Our
      method exhibited a similar performance compared with the program Ligsite-csc for
      both ligand-bound structures and ligand-free structures when just one ligand
      binding site was predicted. These results should be useful for the prediction of
      protein ligand-binding sites and for analysing the relationship between structure
      and function.

PMID- 26491687
TI  - Effects of Caloric Intake on Learning and Memory Function in Juvenile C57BL/6J
      Mice.
AB  - Dietary composition may influence neuronal function as well as processes
      underlying synaptic plasticity. In this study, we aimed to determine the effect
      of high and low caloric diets on a mouse model of learning and memory and to
      explore mechanisms underlying this process. Mice were divided into three
      different dietary groups: normal control (n = 12), high-caloric (HC) diet (n =
      12), and low-caloric (LC) diet (n = 12). After 6 months, mice were evaluated on
      the Morris water maze to assess spatial memory ability. We found that HC diet
      impaired learning and memory function relative to both control and LC diet. The
      levels of SIRT1 as well as its downstream effectors p53, p16, and peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) were decreased in brain tissues
      obtained from HC mice. LC upregulated SIRT1 but downregulated p53, p16, and
      PPARgamma. The expressions of PI3K and Akt were not altered after HC or LC diet
      treatment, but both LC and HC elevated the levels of phosphorylated-cAMP response
      element-binding protein (p-CREB) and IGF-1 in hippocampal CA1 region. Therefore,
      HC diet-induced dysfunction in learning and memory may be prevented by caloric
      restriction via regulation of the SIRT1-p53 or IGF-1 signaling pathways and
      phosphorylation of CREB.

PMID- 26491688
TI  - Significance of Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin Level-to-Serum
      Creatinine Ratio for Assessing Severity of Inflammation in Patients with Renal
      Dysfunction.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the significance of the neutrophil gelatinase
      associated lipocalin/serum creatinine ratio (NGAL/sCr ratio) in patients with
      renal dysfunction. The percent difference between plasma NGAL level and the
      NGAL/sCr ratio was 36.7% (95% CI, 18.4-83.7%) in patients with sCr level >= 1.2
      mg/dL. In a multivariate analysis, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP)
      was significantly associated with the NGAL/sCr ratio and plasma NGAL level (r =
      0.526 and r = 0.453, resp., P < 0.001). In a receiver operating characteristics
      curve, the diagnostic ability of the NGAL/sCr ratio to identify hsCRP > 4.0 mg/dL
      was superior to that of NGAL [0.783 (95% CI, 0.674-0.892) versus 0.733 (95% CI,
      0.615-0.852), P = 0.032]. The area under the curve of the NGAL/sCr ratio was
      larger than that of hsCRP to detect corrected erythrocyte sedimentation rate > 25
      mm/h and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio >4.5 in renal dysfunction. In short,
      the NGAL/sCr ratio may offer useful information when screening patients with both
      systemic inflammation and renal dysfunction.

PMID- 26491685
TI  - Biomaterial Approaches to Enhancing Neurorestoration after Spinal Cord Injury:
      Strategies for Overcoming Inherent Biological Obstacles.
AB  - While advances in technology and medicine have improved both longevity and
      quality of life in patients living with a spinal cord injury, restoration of full
      motor function is not often achieved. This is due to the failure of repair and
      regeneration of neuronal connections in the spinal cord after injury. In this
      review, the complicated nature of spinal cord injury is described, noting the
      numerous cellular and molecular events that occur in the central nervous system
      following a traumatic lesion. In short, postinjury tissue changes create a
      complex and dynamic environment that is highly inhibitory to the process of
      neural regeneration. Strategies for repair are outlined with a particular focus
      on the important role of biomaterials in designing a therapeutic treatment that
      can overcome this inhibitory environment. The importance of considering the
      inherent biological response of the central nervous system to both injury and
      subsequent therapeutic interventions is highlighted as a key consideration for
      all attempts at improving functional recovery.

PMID- 26491689
TI  - Comparison of Fine Needle Aspiration and Fine Needle Nonaspiration Cytology of
      Thyroid Nodules: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and fine needle nonaspiration
      cytology (FNNAC) are useful cost-effective techniques for preoperatively
      assessing thyroid lesions. Both techniques have advantages and disadvantages, and
      there is controversy over which method is superior. This meta-analysis was
      performed to evaluate the differences between FNAC and FNNAC for diagnosis of
      thyroid nodules. METHODS: Primary publications were independently collected by
      two reviewers from PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, EBSCO, OALib, and the
      Cochrane Library databases. The following search terms were used: fine needle,
      aspiration, capillary, nonaspiration, sampling without aspiration, thyroid, and
      cytology. The last search was performed on February 1, 2015. RESULTS: Sixteen
      studies comprising 1,842 patients and 2,221 samples were included in this study.
      No statistically significant difference was observed between FNAC and FNNAC
      groups with respect to diagnostically inadequate smears, diagnostically superior
      smears, diagnostic performance (accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, negative
      predictive value, and positive predictive value), area under the summary receiver
      operating characteristic curve, average score of each parameter (background blood
      or clot, amount of cellular material, degree of cellular degeneration, degree of
      cellular trauma, and retention of appropriate architecture), and total score of
      five parameters. CONCLUSION: FNAC and FNNAC are equally useful in assessing
      thyroid nodules.

PMID- 26491690
TI  - Soluble Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Product: A Biomarker for Acute
      Coronary Syndrome.
AB  - The receptor of advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and its ligands are linked
      to the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD), and circulating soluble
      receptor of advanced glycation end products (sRAGE), reflecting the RAGE
      activity, is suggested as a potential biomarker. Elevated sRAGE levels are
      reported in relation to acute ischemia and this review focuses on the role of
      sRAGE as a biomarker for the acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The current studies
      demonstrated that sRAGE levels are elevated in relation to ACS, however during a
      very narrow time period, indicating that the time of sampling needs attention.
      Interestingly, activation of RAGE may influence the pathogenesis and reflection
      in sRAGE levels in acute and stable CAD differently.

PMID- 26491691
TI  - T Lymphocyte Inhibition by Tumor-Infiltrating Dendritic Cells Involves
      Ectonucleotidase CD39 but Not Arginase-1.
AB  - T lymphocytes activated by dendritic cells (DC) which present tumor antigens play
      a key role in the antitumor immune response. However, in patients suffering from
      active cancer, DC are not efficient at initiating and supporting immune responses
      as they participate to T lymphocyte inhibition. DC in the tumor environment are
      functionally defective and exhibit a characteristic of immature phenotype,
      different to that of DC present in nonpathological conditions. The mechanistic
      bases underlying DC dysfunction in cancer responsible for the modulation of T
      cell responses and tumor immune escape are still being investigated. Using two
      different mouse tumor models, we showed that tumor-infiltrating DC (TIDC) are
      constitutively immunosuppressive, exhibit a semimature phenotype, and impair
      responder T lymphocyte proliferation and activation by a mechanism involving CD39
      ectoenzyme.

PMID- 26491692
TI  - Effects of Acute Lithium Treatment on Brain Levels of Inflammatory Mediators in
      Poststroke Rats.
AB  - Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Few therapeutic
      options with proven efficacy are available for the treatment of this disabling
      disease. Lithium is the gold standard treatment for bipolar disorder. Moreover,
      lithium has been shown to exhibit neuroprotective effects and therapeutic
      efficacy as a treatment of other neurological disorders. This study was
      undertaken to examine the effects of lithium on brain inflammatory mediators
      levels, fever, and mortality in postischemic stroke rats. Ischemic stroke was
      induced by occlusion of the mid cerebral artery (MCAO). Pretreatment with a
      single dose of lithium at 2 hours before MCAO induction significantly reduced the
      elevation in interleukin- (IL-) 6 and prostaglandin E2 levels in brain of post
      MCAO rats, as compared to vehicle-treated animals. On the other hand, lithium did
      not affect the elevation in IL-1alpha, IL-10, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor
      alpha levels in brain of post-MCAO rats. Moreover, pretreatment with lithium did
      not alter post-MCAO fever and mortality. These results suggest that acute
      pretreatment with a single dose of lithium did not markedly affect post-MCAO
      morbidity and mortality in rats.

PMID- 26491694
TI  - Bone and Tooth Regeneration in Maxillofacial Region.

PMID- 26491693
TI  - Repair of Cranial Bone Defects Using rhBMP2 and Submicron Particle of Biphasic
      Calcium Phosphate Ceramics with Through-Hole.
AB  - Recently a submicron particle of biphasic calcium phosphate ceramic (BCP) with
      through-hole (donut-shaped BCP (d-BCP)) was developed for improving the
      osteoconductivity. This study was performed to examine the usefulness of d-BCP
      for the delivery of osteoinductive rhBMP2 and the effectiveness on cranial bone
      regeneration. The d-BCP was soaked in rhBMP2 solution and then freeze-dried.
      Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and
      Raman spectroscopy analyses confirmed that rhBMP2 was well delivered onto the d
      BCP surface and the through-hole. The bioactivity of the rhBMP2/d-BCP composite
      was validated in MC3T3-E1 cells as an in vitro model and in critical-sized
      cranial defects in C57BL/6 mice. When freeze-dried d-BCPs with rhBMP2 were placed
      in transwell inserts and suspended above MC3T3-E1, alkaline phosphatase activity
      and osteoblast-specific gene expression were increased compared to non-rhBMP2
      containing d-BCPs. For evaluating in vivo effectiveness, freeze-dried d-BCPs with
      or without rhBMP2 were implanted into critical-sized cranial defects.
      Microcomputed tomography and histologic analysis showed that rhBMP2-containing d
      BCPs significantly enhanced cranial bone regeneration compared to non-rhBMP2
      containing control. These results suggest that a combination of d-BCP and rhBMP2
      can accelerate bone regeneration, and this could be used to develop therapeutic
      strategies in hard tissue healing.

PMID- 26491695
TI  - Rare Diseases of the Anterior Segment of the Eye: Update on Diagnosis and
      Management.

PMID- 26491696
TI  - Roles of Akt and SGK1 in the Regulation of Renal Tubular Transport.
AB  - A serine/threonine kinase Akt is a key mediator in various signaling pathways
      including regulation of renal tubular transport. In proximal tubules, Akt
      mediates insulin signaling via insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2) and stimulates
      sodium-bicarbonate cotransporter (NBCe1), resulting in increased sodium
      reabsorption. In insulin resistance, the IRS2 in kidney cortex is exceptionally
      preserved and may mediate the stimulatory effect of insulin on NBCe1 to cause
      hypertension in diabetes via sodium retention. Likewise, in distal convoluted
      tubules and cortical collecting ducts, insulin-induced Akt phosphorylation
      mediates several hormonal signals to enhance sodium-chloride cotransporter (NCC)
      and epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) activities, resulting in increased sodium
      reabsorption. Serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 (SGK1) mediates
      aldosterone signaling. Insulin can stimulate SGK1 to exert various effects on
      renal transporters. In renal cortical collecting ducts, SGK1 regulates the
      expression level of ENaC through inhibition of its degradation. In addition, SGK1
      and Akt cooperatively regulate potassium secretion by renal outer medullary
      potassium channel (ROMK). Moreover, sodium-proton exchanger 3 (NHE3) in proximal
      tubules is possibly activated by SGK1. This review focuses on recent advances in
      understanding of the roles of Akt and SGK1 in the regulation of renal tubular
      transport.

PMID- 26491697
TI  - Targeted Mutation of Nuclear Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 Impairs Secondary
      Immune Response in a Mouse Model.
AB  - We recently identified a nuclear variant of the BMP2 growth factor, called nBMP2.
      In an effort to understand the function of this variant protein, we generated a
      mouse line in which BMP2 is expressed and functions normally, but nBMP2 is
      excluded from the nucleus. This novel mutation allows the study of nBMP2 without
      compromising BMP2 function. To determine whether nBMP2 plays a role in immune
      function, we performed a series of experiments in which we compared mouse
      survival, organ weights, immune cells numbers, and bacterial load in wild type
      and nBmp2NLS(tm) mice following primary and secondary challenges with
      Staphylococcus aureus. Following primary challenge with S. aureus, wild type and
      nBmp2NLS(tm) mice showed no differences in survival or bacterial load and
      generated similar numbers and types of leukocytes, although mutant spleens were
      smaller than wild type. Secondary bacterial challenge with S. aureus, however,
      produced differences in survival, with increased mortality seen in nBmp2NLS(tm)
      mice. This increased mortality corresponded to higher levels of bacteremia in
      nBmp2NLS(tm) mice and to a reduced enlargement of mutant spleens in response to
      the secondary infection. Together, these results suggest that the recently
      described nuclear variant of BMP2 is necessary for efficient secondary immune
      responses.

PMID- 26491699
TI  - Comment on "The Effect of Chromium Picolinate Supplementation on the Pancreas and
      Macroangiopathy in Type II Diabetes Mellitus Rats".

PMID- 26491698
TI  - Effects of Glucose Concentration on Propofol Cardioprotection against Myocardial
      Ischemia Reperfusion Injury in Isolated Rat Hearts.
AB  - The anesthetic propofol confers cardioprotection against myocardial ischemia
      reperfusion injury (IRI) by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, its
      cardioprotection on patients is inconsistent. Similarly, the beneficial effect of
      tight glycemic control during cardiac surgery in patients has recently been
      questioned. We postulated that low glucose (LG) may promote ROS formation through
      enhancing fatty acid (FA) oxidation and unmask propofol cardioprotection during
      IRI. Rat hearts were isolated and randomly assigned to be perfused with Krebs
      Henseleit solution with glucose at 5.5 mM (LG) or 8 mM (G) in the absence or
      presence of propofol (5 MUg/mL) or propofol plus trimetazidine (TMZ). Hearts were
      subjected to 35 minutes of ischemia followed by 60 minutes of reperfusion.
      Myocardial infarct size (IS) and cardiac CK-MB were significantly higher in LG
      than in G group (P < 0.05), associated with reduced left ventricular developed
      pressure and increases in postischemic cardiac contracture. Cardiac 15-F2t
      isoprostane was higher, accompanied with higher cardiac lipid transporter CD36
      protein expression in LG. Propofol reduced IS, improved cardiac function, and
      reduced CD36 in G but not in LG. TMZ facilitated propofol cardioprotection in LG.
      Therefore, isolated heart with low glucose lost sensitivity to propofol treatment
      through enhancing FA oxidation and TMZ supplementation restored the sensitivity
      to propofol. 

PMID- 26491700
TI  - Human Gene Expression in Uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum Malaria.
AB  - To examine human gene expression during uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria, we
      obtained three samples (acute illness, treatment, and recovery) from 10 subjects
      and utilized each subject's recovery sample as their baseline. At the time of
      acute illness (day 1), subjects had upregulation of innate immune response,
      cytokine, and inflammation-related genes (IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF, and IFN-gamma),
      which was more frequent with parasitemias >100,000 per MUL and body temperatures
      >= 39 degrees C. Apoptosis-related genes (Fas, BAX, and TP53) were upregulated
      acutely and for several days thereafter (days 1-3). In contrast, the expression
      of immune-modulatory (transcription factor 7, HLV-DOA, and CD6) and apoptosis
      inhibitory (c-myc, caspase 8, and Fas Ligand G) genes was downregulated initially
      and returned to normal with clinical recovery (days 7-10). These results indicate
      that the innate immune response, cytokine, and apoptosis pathways are upregulated
      acutely in uncomplicated malaria with concomitant downregulation of immune
      modulatory and apoptosis inhibitory genes.

PMID- 26491701
TI  - Expansion of Circulating T Follicular Helper Cells in Children with Acute Henoch
      Schonlein Purpura.
AB  - Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is a common systemic small vessel vasculitis in
      children with disorder autoimmune responses. T follicular helper (TFH) cells play
      crucial roles in regulating immune responses. The aim of our study was to
      investigate the probable role of TFH cells in the pathogenesis of children with
      HSP. In this study, the frequency of circulating CXCR5(+)CD4(+)TFH cells with
      inducible costimulator (ICOS) expression in the children with acute HSP was
      significantly higher than that in healthy controls (HCs) but not
      CXCR5(+)CD4(+)TFH cells with programmed death-1 (PD-1) expression. Moreover,
      serum levels of IL-21 and IL-6 cytokines, IgA, and C3 in HSP children were also
      significantly higher than those in HCs. A positive correlation was observed
      between the frequencies of circulating ICOS(+)CXCR5(+)CD4(+)TFH cells and the
      serum IL-21 or IgA levels of acute HSP children, respectively. Additionally, the
      mRNA expression levels of interleukin- (IL-) 21, IL-6, and transcriptional
      factors (B-cell lymphoma-6, Bcl-6) were also significantly increased in
      peripheral blood from acute HSP children compared to HCs. Taken together, these
      findings suggest that TFH cells and associated molecules might play critical
      roles in the pathogenesis of HSP, which are possible therapeutic targets in HSP
      children. 

PMID- 26491704
TI  - Mincocycline-Induced Discoloration of the Aorta.

PMID- 26491702
TI  - Altered Traffic of Cardiolipin during Apoptosis: Exposure on the Cell Surface as
      a Trigger for "Antiphospholipid Antibodies".
AB  - Apoptosis has been reported to induce changes in the remodelling of membrane
      lipids; after death receptor engagement, specific changes of lipid composition
      occur not only at the plasma membrane, but also in intracellular membranes. This
      paper focuses on one important aspect of apoptotic changes in cellular lipids,
      namely, the redistribution of the mitochondria-specific phospholipid, cardiolipin
      (CL). CL predominantly resides in the inner mitochondrial membrane, even if the
      rapid remodelling of its acyl chains and the subsequent degradation occur in
      other membrane organelles. After death receptor stimulation, CL appears to
      concentrate into mitochondrial "raft-like" microdomains at contact sites between
      inner and outer mitochondrial membranes, leading to local oligomerization of
      proapoptotic proteins, including Bid. Clustering of Bid in CL-enriched contacts
      sites is interconnected with pathways of CL remodelling that intersect membrane
      traffic routes dependent upon actin. In addition, CL association with
      cytoskeleton protein vimentin was observed. Such novel association also indicated
      that CL molecules may be expressed at the cell surface following apoptotic
      stimuli. This observation adds a novel implication of biomedical relevance. The
      association of CL with vimentin at the cell surface may represent a "new" target
      antigen in the context of the apoptotic origin of anti-vimentin/CL autoantibodies
      in Antiphospholipid Syndrome. 

PMID- 26491703
TI  - Emergence of a metalloproteinase / phospholipase A2 axis of systemic
      inflammation.
AB  - We review select aspects of the biology of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) with
      a focus on the modulation of inflammatory responses by MMP-2. MMP-2 is a zinc-
      and calcium-dependent endoprotease with substrates including extracellular matrix
      proteins, vasoactive peptides and chemokines. Humans and mice with MMP-2
      deficiency exhibit a predominantly inflammatory phenotype. Recent research shows
      that MMP-2 deficient mice display elevated activity of a secreted phospholipase
      A2 in the heart. Additionally, MMP-2 deficient mice exhibit abnormally high
      prostaglandin E2 levels in various organs (i.e., the heart, brain and liver),
      signs of inflammation and exacerbated lipopolysaccharide-induced fever. We
      briefly review the biology of sPLA2 enzymes to propose the existence of a heart
      centric MMP-2/sPLA2 axis of systemic inflammation. Moreover, we postulate that
      PLA2 activation is induced by chemokines, whose ability to signal inflammation is
      regulated in a tissue-specific fashion by MMPs. Thus, genetic and
      pharmacologically induced MMP-deficiencies can be expected to perturb PLA2
      mediated inflammatory mechanisms.

PMID- 26491705
TI  - Transcytosis in the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier of the mouse brain with an
      engineered receptor/ligand system.
AB  - Crossing the blood-brain and the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barriers (BCSFB) is
      one of the fundamental challenges in the development of new therapeutic molecules
      for brain disorders because these barriers prevent entry of most drugs from the
      blood into the brain. However, some large molecules, like the protein
      transferrin, cross these barriers using a specific receptor that transports them
      into the brain. Based on this mechanism, we engineered a receptor/ligand system
      to overcome the brain barriers by combining the human transferrin receptor with
      the cohesin domain from Clostridium thermocellum, and we tested the hybrid
      receptor in the choroid plexus of the mouse brain with a dockerin ligand. By
      expressing our receptor in choroidal ependymocytes, which are part of the BCSFB,
      we found that our systemically administrated ligand was able to bind to the
      receptor and accumulate in ependymocytes, where some of the ligand was
      transported from the blood side to the brain side. 

PMID- 26491706
TI  - Impact of Bioelectronic Medicine on the Neural Regulation of Pelvic Visceral
      Function.
AB  - Neuromodulation elicited by electrical stimulation of peripheral or spinal nerves
      is a U.S. Food and Drug Administered (FDA)-approved therapy for treating
      disorders of the pelvic viscera, including urinary urgency, urgency-frequency,
      nonobstructive urinary retention and fecal incontinence. The technique is also
      being tested experimentally for its efficacy in treating interstitial cystitis,
      chronic constipation and pelvic pain. The goal of neuromodulation is to suppress
      abnormal visceral sensations and involuntary reflexes and restore voluntary
      control. Although detailed mechanisms underlying the effects of neuromodulation
      are still to be elucidated, it is generally believed that effects are due to
      stimulation of action potentials in somatic afferent nerves. Afferent nerves
      project to the lumbosacral spinal cord, where they release excitatory
      neurotransmitters that activate ascending pathways to the brain or spinal
      circuits that modulate visceral sensory and involuntary motor mechanisms. Studies
      in animals revealed that different types of neuromodulation (for example,
      stimulation of a sacral spinal root, pudendal nerve or posterior tibial nerve)
      act by releasing different inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters in the
      central nervous system. In addition, certain types of neuromodulation inhibit
      visceral smooth muscle by initiating reflex firing in peripheral autonomic nerves
      or excite striated sphincter muscles by initiating reflex firing in somatic
      efferent nerves. This report will provide a brief summary of (a) neural control
      of the lower urinary tract and distal bowel, (b) clinical use of neuromodulation
      in the treatment of bladder and bowel dysfunctions,

PMID- 26491707
TI  - Research Networking Systems: The State of Adoption at Institutions Aiming to
      Augment Translational Research Infrastructure.
AB  - Fostering collaborations across multiple disciplines within and across
      institutional boundaries is becoming increasingly important with the growing
      emphasis on translational research. As a result, Research Networking Systems that
      facilitate discovery of potential collaborators have received significant
      attention by institutions aiming to augment their research infrastructure. We
      have conducted a survey to assess the state of adoption of these new tools at the
      Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) funded institutions. Survey
      results demonstrate that most CTSA funded institutions have either already
      adopted or were planning to adopt one of several available research networking
      systems. Moreover a good number of these institutions have exposed or plan to
      expose the data on research expertise using linked open data, an established
      approach to semantic web services. Preliminary exploration of these publically
      available data shows promising utility in assessing cross-institutional
      collaborations. Further adoption of these technologies and analysis of the data
      are needed, however, before their impact on cross-institutional collaboration in
      research can be appreciated and measured.

PMID- 26491708
TI  - The Thermogenic Circuit: Regulators of Thermogenic Competency and
      Differentiation.
AB  - In mammals, a thermogenic mechanism exists that increases heat production and
      consumes energy. Recent work has shed light on the cellular and physiological
      mechanisms that control this thermogenic circuit. Thermogenically active
      adipocytes, namely brown and closely related beige adipocytes, differentiate from
      progenitor cells that commit to the thermogenic lineage but can arise from
      different cellular origins. Thermogenic differentiation shares some features with
      general adipogenesis, highlighting the critical role that common transcription
      factors may play in progenitors with divergent fates. However, thermogenic
      differentiation is also discrete from the common adipogenic program and,
      excitingly, cells with distinct origins possess thermogenic competency that
      allows them to differentiate into thermogenically active mature adipocytes. An
      understanding of this thermogenic differentiation program and the factors that
      can activate it has led to the development of assays that are able to measure
      thermogenic activity both indirectly and directly. By combining these assays with
      appropriate cell models, novel therapeutic approaches to combat obesity and its
      related metabolic disorders by enhancing the thermogenic circuit can be
      developed.

PMID- 26491709
TI  - Insider information: Testing cancer drug sensitivity for personalized therapy.
AB  - Cancer death is usually caused by incurable drug-resistant and metastatic
      cancers. Although tremendous progress has been made in anticancer drug
      development during the past two decades, cancer medicine still faces
      unprecedented challenges associated with choosing effective treatments for
      individual patients. Three recent reports have offered encouraging approaches
      towards potentially personalized cancer drug selection.

PMID- 26491710
TI  - Dynamic Harmony Search with Polynomial Mutation Algorithm for Valve-Point
      Economic Load Dispatch.
AB  - Economic load dispatch (ELD) problem is an important issue in the operation and
      control of modern control system. The ELD problem is complex and nonlinear with
      equality and inequality constraints which makes it hard to be efficiently solved.
      This paper presents a new modification of harmony search (HS) algorithm named as
      dynamic harmony search with polynomial mutation (DHSPM) algorithm to solve ORPD
      problem. In DHSPM algorithm the key parameters of HS algorithm like harmony
      memory considering rate (HMCR) and pitch adjusting rate (PAR) are changed
      dynamically and there is no need to predefine these parameters. Additionally
      polynomial mutation is inserted in the updating step of HS algorithm to favor
      exploration and exploitation of the search space. The DHSPM algorithm is tested
      with three power system cases consisting of 3, 13, and 40 thermal units. The
      computational results show that the DHSPM algorithm is more effective in finding
      better solutions than other computational intelligence based methods. 

PMID- 26491711
TI  - Traffic and Driving Simulator Based on Architecture of Interactive Motion.
AB  - This study proposes an architecture for an interactive motion-based traffic
      simulation environment. In order to enhance modeling realism involving actual
      human beings, the proposed architecture integrates multiple types of simulation,
      including: (i) motion-based driving simulation, (ii) pedestrian simulation, (iii)
      motorcycling and bicycling simulation, and (iv) traffic flow simulation. The
      architecture has been designed to enable the simulation of the entire network; as
      a result, the actual driver, pedestrian, and bike rider can navigate anywhere in
      the system. In addition, the background traffic interacts with the actual human
      beings. This is accomplished by using a hybrid mesomicroscopic traffic flow
      simulation modeling approach. The mesoscopic traffic flow simulation model loads
      the results of a user equilibrium traffic assignment solution and propagates the
      corresponding traffic through the entire system. The microscopic traffic flow
      simulation model provides background traffic around the vicinities where actual
      human beings are navigating the system. The two traffic flow simulation models
      interact continuously to update system conditions based on the interactions
      between actual humans and the fully simulated entities. Implementation efforts
      are currently in progress and some preliminary tests of individual components
      have been conducted. The implementation of the proposed architecture faces
      significant challenges ranging from multiplatform and multilanguage integration
      to multievent communication and coordination. 

PMID- 26491712
TI  - Investigating IT Faculty Resistance to Learning Management System Adoption Using
      Latent Variables in an Acceptance Technology Model.
AB  - To enhance instruction in higher education, many universities in the Middle East
      have chosen to introduce learning management systems (LMS) to their institutions.
      However, this new educational technology is not being used at its full potential
      and faces resistance from faculty members. To investigate this phenomenon, we
      conducted an empirical research study to uncover factors influencing faculty
      members' acceptance of LMS. Thus, in the Fall semester of 2014, Information
      Technology faculty members were surveyed to better understand their perceptions
      of the incorporation of LMS into their courses. The results showed that personal
      factors such as motivation, load anxiety, and organizational support play
      important roles in the perception of the usefulness of LMS among IT faculty
      members. These findings suggest adding these constructs in order to extend the
      Technology acceptance model (TAM) for LMS acceptance, which can help stakeholders
      of the university to implement the use of this system. This may assist in
      planning and evaluating the use of e-learning. 

PMID- 26491713
TI  - Medical Dataset Classification: A Machine Learning Paradigm Integrating Particle
      Swarm Optimization with Extreme Learning Machine Classifier.
AB  - Medical data classification is a prime data mining problem being discussed about
      for a decade that has attracted several researchers around the world. Most
      classifiers are designed so as to learn from the data itself using a training
      process, because complete expert knowledge to determine classifier parameters is
      impracticable. This paper proposes a hybrid methodology based on machine learning
      paradigm. This paradigm integrates the successful exploration mechanism called
      self-regulated learning capability of the particle swarm optimization (PSO)
      algorithm with the extreme learning machine (ELM) classifier. As a recent off
      line learning method, ELM is a single-hidden layer feedforward neural network
      (FFNN), proved to be an excellent classifier with large number of hidden layer
      neurons. In this research, PSO is used to determine the optimum set of parameters
      for the ELM, thus reducing the number of hidden layer neurons, and it further
      improves the network generalization performance. The proposed method is
      experimented on five benchmarked datasets of the UCI Machine Learning Repository
      for handling medical dataset classification. Simulation results show that the
      proposed approach is able to achieve good generalization performance, compared to
      the results of other classifiers. 

PMID- 26491714
TI  - Fully Integrated Passive UHF RFID Tag for Hash-Based Mutual Authentication
      Protocol.
AB  - Passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag has been used in many
      applications. While the RFID market is expected to grow, concerns about security
      and privacy of the RFID tag should be overcome for the future use. To overcome
      these issues, privacy-preserving authentication protocols based on cryptographic
      algorithms have been designed. However, to the best of our knowledge, evaluation
      of the whole tag, which includes an antenna, an analog front end, and a digital
      processing block, that runs authentication protocols has not been studied. In
      this paper, we present an implementation and evaluation of a fully integrated
      passive UHF RFID tag that runs a privacy-preserving mutual authentication
      protocol based on a hash function. We design a single chip including the analog
      front end and the digital processing block. We select a lightweight hash function
      supporting 80-bit security strength and a standard hash function supporting 128
      bit security strength. We show that when the lightweight hash function is used,
      the tag completes the protocol with a reader-tag distance of 10 cm. Similarly,
      when the standard hash function is used, the tag completes the protocol with the
      distance of 8.5 cm. We discuss the impact of the peak power consumption of the
      tag on the distance of the tag due to the hash function.

PMID- 26491716
TI  - Optimization of Electrochemical Treatment Process Conditions for Distillery
      Effluent Using Response Surface Methodology.
AB  - Distillery industry is recognized as one of the most polluting industries in
      India with a large amount of annual effluent production. In this present study,
      the optimization of electrochemical treatment process variables was reported to
      treat the color and COD of distillery spent wash using Ti/Pt as an anode in a
      batch mode. Process variables such as pH, current density, electrolysis time, and
      electrolyte dose were selected as operation variables and chemical oxygen demand
      (COD) and color removal efficiency were considered as response variable for
      optimization using response surface methodology. Indirect electrochemical
      oxidation process variables were optimized using Box-Behnken response surface
      design (BBD). The results showed that electrochemical treatment process
      effectively removed the COD (89.5%) and color (95.1%) of the distillery industry
      spent wash under the optimum conditions: pH of 4.12, current density of 25.02
      mA/cm(2), electrolysis time of 103.27 min, and electrolyte (NaCl) concentration
      of 1.67 g/L, respectively.

PMID- 26491715
TI  - Ultrastructural Changes in Clinical and Microbiota Isolates of Klebsiella
      pneumoniae Carriers of Genes bla SHV, bla TEM, bla CTX-M, or bla KPC When Subject
      to beta-Lactam Antibiotics.
AB  - The aim of this study was to characterize the ultrastructural effects caused by
      beta-lactam antibiotics in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. Three K. pneumoniae
      clinical isolates were selected for the study with resistance profiles for third
      generation cephalosporins, aztreonam, and/or imipenem and with different
      resistance genes for extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) or Klebsiella
      pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC). Two K. pneumoniae isolates obtained from the
      microbiota, which were both resistant to amoxicillin and ampicillin, were also
      analyzed. In accordance with the susceptibility profile, the clinical isolates
      were subjected to subminimum inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of cefotaxime,
      ceftazidime, aztreonam, and imipenem and the isolates from the microbiota to
      ampicillin and amoxicillin, for analysis by means of scanning and transmission
      electron microscopy. The K. pneumoniae isolates showed different morphological
      and ultrastructural changes after subjection to beta-lactams tested at different
      concentrations, such as cell filamentation, loss of cytoplasmic material, and
      deformation of dividing septa. Our results demonstrate that K. pneumoniae
      isolates harboring different genes that encode for beta-lactamases show cell
      alterations when subjected to different beta-lactam antibiotics, thus suggesting
      that they possess residual activity in vitro, despite the phenotypic resistance
      presented in the isolates analyzed. 

PMID- 26491717
TI  - Exploiting Small Leakages in Masks to Turn a Second-Order Attack into a First
      Order Attack and Improved Rotating Substitution Box Masking with Linear Code
      Cosets.
AB  - Masking countermeasures, used to thwart side-channel attacks, have been shown to
      be vulnerable to mask-extraction attacks. State-of-the-art mask-extraction
      attacks on the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm target S-Box
      recomputation schemes but have not been applied to scenarios where S-Boxes are
      precomputed offline. We propose an attack targeting precomputed S-Boxes stored in
      nonvolatile memory. Our attack targets AES implemented in software protected by a
      low entropy masking scheme and recovers the masks with 91% success rate.
      Recovering the secret key requires fewer power traces (in fact, by at least two
      orders of magnitude) compared to a classical second-order attack. Moreover, we
      show that this attack remains viable in a noisy environment or with a reduced
      number of leakage points. Eventually, we specify a method to enhance the
      countermeasure by selecting a suitable coset of the masks set. 

PMID- 26491718
TI  - An Efficient Feature Subset Selection Algorithm for Classification of
      Multidimensional Dataset.
AB  - Multidimensional medical data classification has recently received increased
      attention by researchers working on machine learning and data mining. In
      multidimensional dataset (MDD) each instance is associated with multiple class
      values. Due to its complex nature, feature selection and classifier built from
      the MDD are typically more expensive or time-consuming. Therefore, we need a
      robust feature selection technique for selecting the optimum single subset of the
      features of the MDD for further analysis or to design a classifier. In this
      paper, an efficient feature selection algorithm is proposed for the
      classification of MDD. The proposed multidimensional feature subset selection
      (MFSS) algorithm yields a unique feature subset for further analysis or to build
      a classifier and there is a computational advantage on MDD compared with the
      existing feature selection algorithms. The proposed work is applied to benchmark
      multidimensional datasets. The number of features was reduced to 3% minimum and
      30% maximum by using the proposed MFSS. In conclusion, the study results show
      that MFSS is an efficient feature selection algorithm without affecting the
      classification accuracy even for the reduced number of features. Also the
      proposed MFSS algorithm is suitable for both problem transformation and algorithm
      adaptation and it has great potentials in those applications generating
      multidimensional datasets. 

PMID- 26491719
TI  - Optimization and Prediction of Ultimate Tensile Strength in Metal Active Gas
      Welding.
AB  - We investigated the effect of welding parameters on ultimate tensile strength of
      structural steel, ST37-2, welded by Metal Active Gas welding. A fractional
      factorial design was used for determining the significance of six parameters:
      wire feed rate, welding voltage, welding speed, travel angle, tip-to-work
      distance, and shielded gas flow rate. A regression model to predict ultimate
      tensile strength was developed. Finally, we verified optimization of the process
      parameters experimentally. We achieved an optimum tensile strength (558 MPa) and
      wire feed rate, 19 m/min, had the greatest effect, followed by tip-to-work
      distance, 7 mm, welding speed, 200 mm/min, welding voltage, 30 V, and travel
      angle, 60 degrees . Shield gas flow rate, 10 L/min, was slightly better but had
      little effect in the 10-20 L/min range. Tests showed that our regression model
      was able to predict the ultimate tensile strength within 4%.

PMID- 26491720
TI  - A New Arbiter PUF for Enhancing Unpredictability on FPGA.
AB  - In general, conventional Arbiter-based Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs)
      generate responses with low unpredictability. The N-XOR Arbiter PUF, proposed in
      2007, is a well-known technique for improving this unpredictability. In this
      paper, we propose a novel design for Arbiter PUF, called Double Arbiter PUF, to
      enhance the unpredictability on field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and we
      compare our design to conventional N-XOR Arbiter PUFs. One metric for judging the
      unpredictability of responses is to measure their tolerance to machine-learning
      attacks. Although our previous work showed the superiority of Double Arbiter PUFs
      regarding unpredictability, its details were not clarified. We evaluate the
      dependency on the number of training samples for machine learning, and we discuss
      the reason why Double Arbiter PUFs are more tolerant than the N-XOR Arbiter PUFs
      by evaluating intrachip variation. Further, the conventional Arbiter PUFs and
      proposed Double Arbiter PUFs are evaluated according to other metrics, namely,
      their uniqueness, randomness, and steadiness. We demonstrate that 3-1 Double
      Arbiter PUF archives the best performance overall.

PMID- 26491721
TI  - Determining Cut-Off Points for the Dental Fear Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine a high fear cut-off point score for the Dental Fear
      Survey (DFS) using a single-item self-report questionnaire. METHODS: The DFS, a
      20-item questionnaire assessing fear of dental treatment, was completed by 1,256
      participants with a mean age of 22.3 years (SD = 5.1). Another self-report
      questionnaire was used to collect data on previous dental experiences. A high
      fear cut-off point score was determined by calculating the receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) curve for the DFS. Descriptive statistics and multinomial
      logistic regression were calculated; a significance level of p < 0.05 was used
      for all tests. RESULTS: The ROC curve indicated that a DFS score >= 53
      corresponds to a sensitivity of 88.9% and a specificity of 92.5%. Most
      participants (n = 895; 71.5%) reported no fear of going to the dentist. There was
      significant association between DFS score and fear assessed with the question
      "Are you fearful of going to the dentist?" (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A cut-off
      point of 53 on the DFS total score represents the best compromise between
      sensitivity and specificity and can be used to predict high dental fear.

PMID- 26491722
TI  - Amniotic Tissues for the Treatment of Chronic Plantar Fasciosis and Achilles
      Tendinosis.
AB  - Introduction. Allogeneic amniotic tissue and fluid may be used to treat chronic
      plantar fasciosis and Achilles tendinosis. This innovative approach involves
      delivering a unique allograft of live human cells in a nonimmunogenic structural
      tissue matrix to treat chronic tendon injury. These tissues convey very positive
      regenerative attributes; procurement is performed with maternal consent during
      elective caesarian birth. Materials and Methods. In the present investigation all
      patients were unresponsive to multiple standard therapies for a minimum of 6
      months and were treated with one implantation of PalinGen SportFLOW around the
      plantar fascia and/or around the Achilles paratenon. The patients were given a
      standard protocol for postimplant active rehabilitation. Results. The analogue
      pretreatment pain score (VAS) of 8. By the fourth week after treatment, all
      patients had significantly reduced self-reported pain. Twelve weeks following the
      procedure the average pain level had reduced to only 2. No adverse reactions were
      reported in any of the patients. Conclusion. All patients in this study
      experienced heel or Achilles pain, unresponsive to standard therapy protocols.
      After treatment all patients noted significant pain reduction, indicating that
      granulized amniotic membrane and amniotic fluid can be successfully used to treat
      both chronic plantar fasciosis and Achilles tendinosis. 

PMID- 26491723
TI  - To Investigate the Effect of Colchicine in Prevention of Adhesions Caused by
      Serosal Damage in Rats.
AB  - Introduction and Aim. Adhesion formation is a process which starts with an
      inflammation caused by a number of factors and eventually results in fibrosis.
      Colchicine prevents adhesion formation which is antifibrous process. The
      effectivity of colchicine in the prevention of adhesions was investigated.
      Materials and Methods. A total of 36 rats were equally divided into three groups:
      (I) control group 1 (n = 12), (II) abrasion group 2 (n = 12), and (III) abrasion
      + colchicine group 3 (n = 12). Group 1 underwent laparotomy and was orally given
      physiological serum 2 cc/day for 10 days. In Group 2, injury was created in the
      cecum serosa following laparotomy and they were orally given physiological serum
      2 cc/day for 10 days. In Group 3, injury was created in the cecum serosa
      following laparotomy and the rats were orally given colchicine 50 mcg kg/day
      mixed with physiological serum 2 cc/day for 10 days. Laparotomy was performed and
      adhesions were examined both macroscopically and microscopically. Both
      macroscopic and microscopic examinations were performed using Zuhlke's score.
      Results. A significant difference was observed among the adhesion scores of the
      groups both macroscopically and microscopically. Macroscopic score was lower in
      group 3 than group 2. Microscopic score was lower in group 3 than group 2.
      Conclusion. Oral administration of colchicine is effective in the prevention of
      adhesions. 

PMID- 26491724
TI  - Will Septal Correction Surgery for Deviated Nasal Septum Improve the Sense of
      Smell? A Prospective Study.
AB  - Background and Objectives. Nasal obstruction due to deviated nasal septum is a
      common problem bringing a patient to an otorhinolaryngologist. Occasionally,
      these patients may also complain of olfactory impairment. We proposed to study
      the effect of septal deviation on the lateralised olfactory function and the
      change in olfaction after surgery of the septum (septoplasty). Methods. Forty-one
      patients with deviated nasal septum were evaluated for nasal airflow, olfactory
      score, and nasal symptomatology. Septoplasty was done under local anesthesia. Pre
      and postoperative olfactory scores, airflow and olfactory scores, and nasal
      symptomatology and olfactory scores were compared and correlated. Results. The
      range of preoperative composite olfactory score (COS) on the side of septal
      deviation was 4-14 (mean 7.90 +/- 2.234) and on the nonobstructed side was 9-18
      (mean 14.49 +/- 2.378). Severity of deviated nasal septum and preoperative COS of
      diseased side were correlated and the correlation was found to be significant
      (rho = -0.690, p = 0.000 (<0.001)). The preoperative mean COS (7.90 +/- 2.234)
      was compared with the postoperative mean COS (12.39 +/- 3.687) and the
      improvement was found to be statistically significant (p = 0.000 (<0.001)).
      Conclusion. We found improvement in olfactory function in 70.6% patients after
      surgery, no change in 20.1%, and reduced function in 7.6%. With the limitation of
      a small sample size and a potential repeat testing bias, we would conclude that
      correction of nasal septal deviation may lead to improvement in sense of smell. 

PMID- 26491725
TI  - Autoregulated paracellular clearance of amyloid-beta across the blood-brain
      barrier.
AB  - The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is essential for maintaining brain homeostasis and
      protecting neural tissue from damaging blood-borne agents. The barrier is
      characterized by endothelial tight junctions that limit passive paracellular
      diffusion of polar solutes and macromolecules from blood to brain. Decreased
      brain clearance of the neurotoxic amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide is a central event
      in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Whereas transport of Abeta
      across the BBB can occur via transcellular endothelial receptors, the
      paracellular movement of Abeta has not been described. We show that soluble human
      Abeta(1-40) monomers can diffuse across the paracellular pathway of the BBB in
      tandem with a decrease in the tight junction proteins claudin-5 and occludin in
      the cerebral vascular endothelium. In a murine model of AD (Tg2576), plasma
      Abeta(1-40) levels were significantly increased, brain Abeta(1-40) levels were
      decreased, and cognitive function was enhanced when both claudin-5 and occludin
      were suppressed. Furthermore, Abeta can cause a transient down-regulation of
      claudin-5 and occludin, allowing for its own paracellular clearance across the
      BBB. Our results show, for the first time, the involvement of the paracellular
      pathway in autoregulated Abeta movement across the BBB and identify both claudin
      5 and occludin as potential therapeutic targets for AD. These findings also
      indicate that controlled modulation of tight junction components at the BBB can
      enhance the clearance of Abeta from the brain.

PMID- 26491727
TI  - A silica coated paper substrate: development and its application in paper spray
      mass spectrometry for rapid analysis of pesticides in milk.
AB  - A novel silica coated paper substrate is developed through a facile vacuum
      filtration method by using the commercially available silica particles as the
      coating material and corn starch as the adhesive agent. Unlike the commercial
      silica coated paper (namely grade SG81 paper), the resulting paper substrate was
      covered by a layer of silica particles on the top side of the paper, and no
      cellulosic fibers were exposed at its surface. After loading a solution sample on
      its surface, the coated silica particles allowed the target analytes to remain at
      the top side rather than penetration through the substrate. Owing to this effect
      and the special interactions with analytes, the as-prepared silica coated paper
      demonstrated superior performance in the analysis of different pesticides in milk
      using paper spray mass spectrometry to the uncoated filter paper and grade SG81
      paper. Compared to the other two papers, paper spray analysis using the as
      prepared paper improved the estimated lower limit of quantitation of seven
      pesticides (alachlor, acetochlor, pretilachlor, butachlor, metolachlor,
      napropamid and benzeneacetamide) in milk by a factor of 2 to 19-fold depending on
      the pesticide. This study offers a novel paper substrate for paper spray in high
      sensitivity analysis of target analytes in a complex foodstuff matrix without any
      pretreatment. 

PMID- 26491726
TI  - Ethanol, Neurodevelopment, Infant and Child Health (ENRICH) prospective cohort:
      Study design considerations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While intervention is the leading factor in reducing long-term
      disabilities in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), early
      identification of children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) remains
      challenging. Deficits in higher-order cognitive domains (e.g. executive function)
      might be more specific to FASD than global neurodevelopmental tests, yet these
      functions are not developed in very young children. Measures of early
      sensorimotor development may provide early indications of atypical brain
      development during the first two years of life. METHODS: This paper describes the
      novel methodology of the Ethanol, Neurodevelopment, Infant and Child Health
      (ENRICH) prospective cohort study of 120 maternal-infant pairs with a goal to
      identify early indices of functional brain impairment associated with PAE. The
      cohort is established by recruiting women early in pregnancy and classifying them
      into one of three study groups: patients on opioid-maintenance therapy who
      consume alcohol during pregnancy (Group 1), patients on opioid-maintenance
      therapy who abstain from alcohol during pregnancy (Group 2), and healthy controls
      (Group 3). After the initial prenatal assessment (Visit 1), patients are followed
      to Visit 2 occurring at delivery, and two comprehensive assessments of children
      at six (Visit 3) and 20 months (Visit 4) of age. ENRICH recruitment started in
      November 2013 and 87 women were recruited during the first year. During Year 1,
      the biospecimen (maternal whole blood, serum, urine, dry blood spots of a
      newborn) collection rate was 100% at Visit 1, and 97.6% for those who completed
      Visit 2. DISCUSSION: The tiered screening approach, evaluation of confounders,
      neurocognitive and magneto-/electro-encephalography (MEG/EEG) outcomes, and
      ethical considerations are discussed.

PMID- 26491728
TI  - [IMPORTANCE OF THE METHODOLOGY REPORT IN ELECTRICAL BIOIMPEDANCE ON BODY
      COMPOSITION STUDIES].

PMID- 26491729
TI  - Protocols in In Vitro Hepatocyte Research. Preface.

PMID- 26491730
TI  - [The family physician and the travel card].

PMID- 26491731
TI  - [50.000 Danes are at risk of developing drug-induced headache].

PMID- 26491732
TI  - A window into cutaneous adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.

PMID- 26491734
TI  - [Whole-genome data directly into the faroese electronic health records].

PMID- 26491735
TI  - [The regional chairman's vertical orders of a useless treatment].

PMID- 26491736
TI  - In this issue...

PMID- 26491737
TI  - Variations in selective nerve root block technique.

PMID- 26491738
TI  - Obstruction of an ileal urinary conduit in an  incarcerated right inguinal
      hernia.
AB  - We present the case of a 72-year-old man with a history of anuria from his ileal
      conduit 15 months following its formation. That conduit had become incarcerated
      in a right-sided ingunial hernia. The patient presented with anuria and an acute
      kidney injury. A clincal diagnosis of an incarcerated hernia was made, and he was
      taken to theatre for reduction and repair of the hernia. On removal of the
      conduit from the hernial sac, it began to drain immediately. He made a full
      recovery, with normalisation of his renal function.

PMID- 26491739
TI  - Reply: To PMID 26270071.

PMID- 26491740
TI  - [Be careful with data and diagnostic codes].

PMID- 26491741
TI  - [Unfair criticism of the Danish National Survey of Patient Experiences].

PMID- 26491742
TI  - [Reply: Our criticism is relevant].

PMID- 26491743
TI  - [Dear Else Smith!].

PMID- 26491744
TI  - [Else Smith replies to Lotte Hvas: You do not break secrecy].

PMID- 26491745
TI  - [Practitioners were ready to hand over provider numbers].

PMID- 26491746
TI  - [Bruno Melgaard: The price was too high].

PMID- 26491747
TI  - What Does it Really Mean for Florida Dentists Now That a Judge Has Ruled Florida
      Unlawfully Restricted Care for Kids on Medicaid?

PMID- 26491748
TI  - Stay Healthy and Fit While You Travel for Business or Pleasure.

PMID- 26491749
TI  - Fruits and Vegetables in the Prevention of Disease.

PMID- 26491750
TI  - My Great First-year LCD Experience: A Much Needed Position in Organized
      Dentistry.

PMID- 26491751
TI  - Diagnostic Discussion. Subpontic osseous hyperplasia.

PMID- 26491752
TI  - Dr.Robert Hayling ... A Lifetime of Dedication.

PMID- 26491753
TI  - Tenacious D. why beta cells are no match for the relentless persistence of type 2
      diabetes.

PMID- 26491754
TI  - THRIVE Guide for Young Adults.

PMID- 26491785
TI  - Preparation of Antimalarial Endoperoxides by a Formal [2 + 2 + 2] Cycloaddition.
AB  - A formal [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction between a 1,3-dione, an olefin, and
      molecular oxygen mediated by light is reported, which delivers endoperoxides in
      good yield through the formation of two C-O and one C-C bond in one step. The
      resulting 1,2-dioxanes are stable compounds and can be further derivatized at the
      hemiacetal position via alkylation or acetylation. All compounds have been
      evaluated against Plasmodium falciparum, and the best compound displayed an IC50
      value of 180 nM. A potential mechanistic rationale for the formation of these
      compounds is presented. 

PMID- 26491786
TI  - Evidence of Negative Capacitance in Piezoelectric ZnO Thin Films Sputtered on
      Interdigital Electrodes.
AB  - The scaling paradigm known as Moore's Law, with the shrinking of transistors and
      their doubling on a chip every two years, is going to reach a painful end.
      Another less-known paradigm, the so-called Koomey's Law, stating that the
      computing efficiency doubles every 1.57 years, poses other important challenges,
      since the efficiency of rechargeable energy sources is substantially constant,
      and any other evolution is based on device architecture only. How can we still
      increase the computational power/reduce the power consumption of our electronic
      environments? A first answer to this question comes from the quest for new
      functionalities. Within this aim, negative capacitance (NC) is becoming one of
      the most intriguing and studied phenomena since it can be exploited for reducing
      the aforementioned limiting effects in the downscaling of electronic devices.
      Here we report the evidence of negative capacitance in 80 nm thick ZnO thin films
      sputtered on Au interdigital electrodes (IDEs). Highly (002)-oriented ZnO thin
      films, with a fine-grained surface nanostructure and the desired chemical
      composition, are deposited at room temperature on different IDEs structures.
      Direct-current electrical measurements highlighted the semiconducting nature of
      ZnO (current density in the order of 1 * 10(-3) A/cm(2)). When turned into the
      alternating current regime (from 20 Hz to 2 MHz) the presence of NC values is
      observed in the low-frequency range (20-120 Hz). The loss of metal/semiconductor
      interface charge states under forward bias conditions, together with the presence
      of oxygen vacancies and piezoelectric/electrostriction effects, is believed to be
      at the basis of the observed negative behavior, suggesting that ZnO thin-film
      based field-effect transistors can be a powerful instrument to go beyond the
      Boltzmann limit and the downscaling of integrated circuit elements required for
      the fabrication of portable and miniaturized electronic devices, especially for
      electric household appliances working in the low 50 Hz utility frequency. 

PMID- 26491788
TI  - Novel biomarkers for cardiovascular risk assessment: current status and future
      directions.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in the modern
      world. Traditional risk algorithms may miss up to 20% of CVD events. Therefore,
      there is a need for new cardiac biomarkers. Many fields of research are dedicated
      to improving cardiac risk prediction, including genomics, transcriptomics and
      proteomics. To date, even the most promising biomarkers have only demonstrated
      modest associations and predictive ability. Few have undergone randomized control
      trials. A number of biomarkers are targets to new therapies aimed to reduce
      cardiovascular risk. Currently, some of the most promising risk prediction has
      been demonstrated with panels of multiple biomarkers. This article reviews the
      current state and future of proteomic biomarkers and aggregate biomarker panels. 

PMID- 26491787
TI  - A Comparative Analysis of Synthetic Quorum Sensing Modulators in Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa: New Insights into Mechanism, Active Efflux Susceptibility, Phenotypic
      Response, and Next-Generation Ligand Design.
AB  - Quorum sensing (QS) is a chemical signaling mechanism that allows bacterial
      populations to coordinate gene expression in response to social and environmental
      cues. Many bacterial pathogens use QS to initiate infection at high cell
      densities. Over the past two decades, chemical antagonists of QS in pathogenic
      bacteria have attracted substantial interest for use both as tools to further
      elucidate QS mechanisms and, with further development, potential anti-infective
      agents. Considerable recent research has been devoted to the design of small
      molecules capable of modulating the LasR QS receptor in the opportunistic
      pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These molecules hold significant promise in a
      range of contexts; however, as most compounds have been developed independently,
      comparative activity data for these compounds are scarce. Moreover, the
      mechanisms by which the bulk of these compounds act are largely unknown. This
      paucity of data has stalled the choice of an optimal chemical scaffold for
      further advancement. Herein, we submit the best-characterized LasR modulators to
      standardized cell-based reporter and QS phenotypic assays in P. aeruginosa, and
      we report the first comprehensive set of comparative LasR activity data for these
      compounds. Our experiments uncovered multiple interesting mechanistic phenomena
      (including a potential alternative QS-modulatory ligand binding site/partner)
      that provide new, and unexpected, insights into the modes by which many of these
      LasR ligands act. The lead compounds, data trends, and mechanistic insights
      reported here will significantly aid the design of new small molecule QS
      inhibitors and activators in P. aeruginosa, and in other bacteria, with enhanced
      potencies and defined modes of action. 

PMID- 26491789
TI  - Laparoscopic simulation training in gynaecology: Current provision and staff
      attitudes - a cross-sectional survey.
AB  - The objectives of this study were to explore current provision of laparoscopic
      simulation training, and to determine attitudes of trainers and trainees to the
      role of simulators in surgical training across the UK. An anonymous cross
      sectional survey with cluster sampling was developed and circulated. All Royal
      College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) Training Programme Directors
      (TPD), College Tutors (RCT) and Trainee representatives (TR) across the UK were
      invited to participate. One hundred and ninety-six obstetricians and
      gynaecologists participated. Sixty-three percent of hospitals had at least one
      box trainer, and 14.6% had least one virtual-reality simulator. Only 9.3% and
      3.6% stated that trainees used a structured curriculum on box and virtual-reality
      simulators, respectively. Respondents working in a Large/Teaching hospital (p =
      0.008) were more likely to agree that simulators enhance surgical training.
      Eighty-nine percent agreed that simulators improve the quality of training, and
      should be mandatory or desirable for junior trainees. Consultants (p = 0.003) and
      respondents over 40 years (p = 0.011) were more likely to hold that a simulation
      test should be undertaken before live operation. Our data demonstrated,
      therefore, that availability of laparoscopic simulators is inconsistent, with
      limited use of mandatory structured curricula. In contrast, both trainers and
      trainees recognise a need for greater use of laparoscopic simulation for surgical
      training. 

PMID- 26491790
TI  - Pregnancy diets, migration, and birth outcomes.
AB  - Women in low- and middle-income countries are known to make changes to their
      diets during pregnancy. We set out to explore the subject of traditional
      pregnancy diets with a view to finding out if migrant women follow these
      practices, and if such information might help explain differences in birth
      outcomes between migrant women and destination-country-born women. This review
      found that traditional pregnancy diets vary from region to region, that migrant
      women may follow some of these practices, and that there is a dearth of studies
      looking into the impact of pregnancy diets on birth outcomes.

PMID- 26491792
TI  - UV and IR Spectroscopy of Cold H2O(+)-Benzo-Crown Ether Complexes.
AB  - The H2O(+) radical ion, produced in an electrospray ion source via charge
      transfer from Eu(3+), is encapsulated in benzo-15-crown-5 (B15C5) or benzo-18
      crown-6 (B18C6). We measure UV photodissociation (UVPD) spectra of the
      (H2O.B15C5)(+) and (H2O.B18C6)(+) complexes in a cold, 22-pole ion trap. These
      complexes show sharp vibronic bands in the 35 700-37 600 cm(-1) region, similar
      to the case of neutral B15C5 or B18C6. These results indicate that the positive
      charge in the complexes is localized on H2O, giving the forms H2O(+).B15C5 and
      H2O(+).B18C6, in spite of the fact that the ionization energy of B15C5 and B18C6
      is lower than that of H2O. The formation of the H2O(+) complexes and the
      suppression of the H3O(+) production through the reaction of H2O(+) and H2O can
      be attributed to the encapsulation of hydrated Eu(3+) clusters by B15C5 and
      B18C6. On the contrary, the main fragment ions subsequent to the UV excitation of
      these complexes are B15C5(+) and B18C6(+) radical ions; the charge transfer
      occurs from H2O(+) to B15C5 and B18C6 after the UV excitation. The position of
      the band origin for the H2O(+).B18C6 complex (36323 cm(-1)) is almost the same as
      that for Rb(+).B18C6 (36315 cm(-1)); the strength of the intermolecular
      interaction of H2O(+) with B18C6 is similar to that of Rb(+). The spectral
      features of the H2O(+).B15C5 complex also resemble those of the Rb(+).B15C5 ion.
      We measure IR-UV spectra of these complexes in the CH and OH stretching region.
      Four conformers are found for the H2O(+).B15C5 complex, but there is one dominant
      form for the H2O(+).B18C6 ion. This study demonstrates the production of radical
      ions by charge transfer from multivalent metal ions, their encapsulation by host
      molecules, and separate detection of their conformers by cold UV spectroscopy in
      the gas phase. 

PMID- 26491791
TI  - Combined Mulberry Leaf and Fruit Extract Improved Early Stage of Cutaneous Wound
      Healing in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice.
AB  - Obesity is a pandemic that causes many health challenges, including difficulties
      in achieving proper wound healing without complications. The current study
      investigated the role of NLRP3 inflammasome in the early stages of cutaneous
      wound healing and the effect of combined mulberry leaf and fruit extract (MLFE)
      on cutaneous NLRP inflammasome involvement in delayed wound healing mice with
      high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. After obesity was induced by HFD for 10
      weeks, the mice were supplemented with MLFE (at a dose of 500 mg/kg containing
      333.3 mg/kg of mulberry leaf extract and 166.7 mg/kg of mulberry fruit extract)
      by gavage, 5 days/week for 12 weeks. MLFE supplementation ameliorated delayed
      wound closure in obese mice. While wound size was positively correlated with
      fasting blood glucose level during the early stage of wound healing, it was
      strongly correlated with body weight gain and body fat mass during the later
      stage of wound healing. Under obese conditions, the levels of NLRP3 inflammasome
      and its related markers (pro-caspase-1 and precursor/mature interleukin 1 beta)
      were increased at a basal level, but the NLRP3 inflammasome was suppressed during
      the inflammatory stage of cutaneous wound healing. However, MLFE supplementation
      stimulated cutaneous NLRP3 inflammasome in HFD-induced obese mice (day 3). Taken
      together, stimulating the NLRP3 inflammasome might be beneficial in the early
      inflammatory stage of cutaneous wound healing and MLFE could be a potential
      therapeutic intervention in delayed wound healing through activation of the NLRP3
      inflammasome in obesity. 

PMID- 26491793
TI  - Prehospital airway technique does not influence incidence of ventilator
      associated pneumonia in trauma patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between the prehospital airway device used and later
      development of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is unknown. We sought to
      determine if the prehospital airway device choice is associated with an increased
      risk of VAP in risk-adjusted critically injured patients. METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective analysis of all trauma patients requiring definitive airway
      placement before intensive care unit admission at a Level I trauma center from
      2008 to 2012. Prehospital airway management strategies were classified as
      extraglottic device placement, endotracheal intubation, bag-valve mask
      ventilation (BVM), or lack of a prehospital airway with subsequent intubation at
      the trauma center. Patients were excluded if they were hospital transfers, were
      dead on arrival, died in the emergency department, or did not require at least 48
      hours of mechanical ventilation. The primary end point was the development of VAP
      as determined by institutional guidelines for diagnosis. Logistic regression was
      used to determine risk factors for VAP. RESULTS: A total of 317 patients met
      inclusion criteria. The median age was 37 years (interquartile range, 25-51
      years), 75% were male, 78% sustained a blunt injury, and the median Injury
      Severity Score (ISS) was 29 (interquartile range, 21-34). Ninety-seven patients
      (30.6%) developed VAP. Prehospital airway strategies were as follows: 17 (5.4%)
      had extraglottic device placement, 28 (8.8%) had BVM, 84 (26.5%) had endotracheal
      intubation, and 188 (59.3%) had no prehospital airway placement and were
      intubated after arrival. The type of prehospital airway was not statistically
      significant in terms of VAP development (range, 26.1-42.9%; p = 0.15). The only
      statistically significant predictor of VAP was length of mechanical ventilation
      (univariate: odds ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.18; p <= 0.01;
      multivariate: odds ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.20; p <= 0.01).
      CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the prehospital airway device used was not
      associated with the development of VAP. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study,
      level IV; epidemiologic study, level III.

PMID- 26491795
TI  - Thoracolumbar spine clearance: Clinical examination for patients with distracting
      injuries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to prospectively assess the sensitivity
      of clinical examination to screen for thoracolumbar spine (TLS) injury in awake
      and alert blunt trauma patients with distracting injuries. METHODS: From December
      2012 to June 2014, all blunt trauma patients older than 13 years were
      prospectively evaluated as per standard TLS examination protocol at a Level 1
      trauma center. Awake and alert patients with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 14
      or greater underwent clinical examination of the TLS. Clinical examination was
      performed regardless of distracting injuries. Patients with no complaints of pain
      or tenderness on examination of the TLS were considered clinically cleared of
      injury. Patients with distracting injuries, including those clinically cleared
      and those with complaints of TLS pain or tenderness, underwent computed
      tomographic scan of the entire TLS. Patients with minor distracting injuries were
      not considered to have a distracting injury. RESULTS: A total of 950 blunt trauma
      patients were entered, 530 (56%) of whom had at least one distracting injury. Two
      hundred nine patients (40%) with distracting injuries had a positive TLS clinical
      examination result, of whom 50 (25%) were diagnosed with TLS injury. Three
      hundred twenty-one patients (60%) with distracting injuries were initially
      clinically cleared, in whom 17 (5%) TLS injuries were diagnosed. There were no
      missed injuries that required surgical intervention, with only four injuries
      receiving TLS orthotic bracing. This yielded an overall clinical clearance
      sensitivity for injury of 75% and sensitivity for clinically significant injury
      of 89%. CONCLUSION: In awake and alert blunt trauma patients with distracting
      injuries, clinical examination is a sensitive screening method for significant
      TLS injury. Radiologic assessment may be unnecessary for safe clearance of the
      asymptomatic TLS in patients with distracting injuries. These findings suggest
      significant potential reduction of both health care cost and patient radiation
      exposure. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic study, level IV; therapeutic/care
      management study, level IV.

PMID- 26491794
TI  - Trauma-induced heterotopic bone formation and the role of the immune system: A
      review.
AB  - Extremity trauma, spinal cord injuries, head injuries, and burn injuries place
      patients at high risk of pathologic extraskeletal bone formation. This
      heterotopic bone causes severe pain, deformities, and joint contractures. The
      immune system has been increasingly implicated in this debilitating condition.
      This review summarizes the various roles immune cells and inflammation play in
      the formation of ectopic bone and highlights potential areas of future
      investigation and treatment. Cell types in both the innate and adaptive immune
      system such as neutrophils, macrophages, mast cells, B cells, and T cells have
      all been implicated as having a role in ectopic bone formation through various
      mechanisms. Many of these cell types are promising areas of therapeutic
      investigation for potential treatment. The immune system has also been known to
      also influence osteoclastogenesis, which is heavily involved in ectopic bone
      formation. Chronic inflammation is also known to have an inhibitory role in the
      formation of ectopic bone, whereas acute inflammation is necessary for ectopic
      bone formation. 

PMID- 26491796
TI  - Overwhelming tPA release, not PAI-1 degradation, is responsible for
      hyperfibrinolysis in severely injured trauma patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) is associated with a fourfold
      increased risk of mortality. Hyperfibrinolysis is a component of TIC, but its
      mechanism is poorly understood. Plasminogen activation inhibitor (PAI-1)
      degradation by activated protein C has been proposed as a mechanism for
      deregulation of the plasmin system in hemorrhagic shock, but in other settings of
      ischemia, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) has been shown to be elevated. We
      hypothesized that the hyperfibrinolysis in TIC is not the result of PAI-1
      degradation but is driven by an increase in tPA, with resultant loss of PAI-1
      activity through complexation with tPA. METHODS: Eighty-six consecutive trauma
      activation patients had blood collected at the earliest time after injury and
      were screened for hyperfibrinolysis using thrombelastography (TEG). Twenty-five
      hyperfibrinolytic patients were compared with 14 healthy controls using enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assays for active tPA, active PAI-1, and PAI-1/tPA complex.
      Blood was also subjected to TEG with exogenous tPA challenge as a functional
      assay for PAI-1 reserve. RESULTS: Total levels of PAI-1 (the sum of the active
      PAI-1 species and its covalent complex with tPA) are not significantly different
      between hyperfibrinolytic trauma patients and healthy controls: median, 104 pM
      (interquartile range [IQR], 48-201 pM) versus 115 pM (IQR, 54-202 pM). The ratio
      of active to complexed PAI-1, however, was two orders of magnitude lower in
      hyperfibrinolytic patients than in controls. Conversely, total tPA levels (active
      + complex) were significantly higher in hyperfibrinolytic patients than in
      controls: 139 pM (IQR, 68-237 pM) versus 32 pM (IQR, 16-37 pM). Hyperfibrinolytic
      trauma patients displayed increased sensitivity to exogenous challenge with tPA
      (median LY30 of 66.8% compared with 9.6% for controls). CONCLUSION: Depletion of
      PAI-1 in TIC is driven by an increase in tPA, not PAI-1 degradation. The tPA
      challenged TEG, based on this principle, is a functional test for PAI-1 reserves.
      Exploration of the mechanism of up-regulation of tPA is critical to an
      understanding of hyperfibrinolysis in trauma. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic and
      epidemiologic study, level II.

PMID- 26491797
TI  - Inhibition of histone deacetylase 6 restores innate immune cells in the bone
      marrow in a lethal septic model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We have previously demonstrated that Tubastatin A, a selective
      inhibitor of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), improves survival and increases
      circulating monocyte count and bacterial clearance in a lethal model of cecal
      ligation and puncture (CLP) in mice. The aim of the present study was to
      characterize the effects of inhibition of HDAC6 on the bone marrow cell
      population. METHODS: C57BL/6J mice were subjected to CLP and, 1 hour later, given
      an intraperitoneal injection of either Tubastatin A (70 mg/kg) dissolved in DMSO
      or DMSO alone (n = 9 per group). Sham-operated animals were treated in an
      identical fashion, without CLP. Forty-eight hours later, bone marrow cells were
      flushed out from the femurs and tibias. Erythrocytes were lysed, and a single
      cell suspension was made for analysis. Cells were washed; blocked with antimouse
      CD16/32; stained with antimouse B220 PE-Cy7, CD3 APC-eFluor 780, CD11b FITC, Gr-1
      PerCP-Cy5.5, and F4/80 Antigen APC; and subjected to flow cytometry. Data were
      acquired on an LSRII Flow Cytometer (BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA) and analyzed
      with FlowJo (Flowjo, LLC, Ashland, OR). RESULTS: In comparison with the sham
      group, CLP animals showed decreased percentage of innate immune cells (CD11b,
      62.1% +/- 3.1% vs. 32.9% +/- 4.9%, p = 0.0025) and macrophages (CD11bF4/80, 44.6%
      +/- 3.4% vs. 19.8% +/- 2.6%, p = 0.0002) as well as increased percentage of T
      lymphocytes (CD3, 1.1% +/- 0.2% vs. 3.3% +/- 0.4%, p = 0.0082) in the bone marrow
      48 hours after CLP. Treatment with Tubastatin A restored the innate immune cells
      (32.9% +/- 4.9% vs. 54.0% +/- 4.1%, p = 0.0112) and macrophages (19.8% +/- 2.6%
      vs. 47.1% +/- 4.6%, p = 0.0001) and increased the percentage of neutrophils
      (CD11bGr-1, 28.4% +/- 3.9% vs. 48.0% +/- 4.0%, p = 0.0075). The percentages of B
      (B220) and T lymphocytes were not significantly altered by Tubastatin A, compared
      with the vehicle-treated CLP animals. CONCLUSION: Selective inhibition of HDAC6
      in this lethal septic model restored the innate immune cell and macrophage
      populations and increased the neutrophil composition in the bone marrow. These
      results may explain the previously reported beneficial effects of Tubastatin A
      treatment in a septic model.

PMID- 26491798
TI  - Incidence, characteristics, and long-term follow-up of sternoclavicular injuries:
      An epidemiologic analysis of 92 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The majority of published studies concerning sternoclavicular
      injuries are case series or systematic reviews. Prospective studies on the
      subject are hindered by the low incidence of these lesions. The aims of the
      present study were to provide an overview of this rare entity compared with those
      described in the literature and to present the long-term clinical outcome.
      METHODS: We performed a retrospective data analysis of all sternoclavicular
      injuries treated at a single Level I trauma center from 1992 to 2011. Long-term
      clinical outcome was assessed using the ASES [American Shoulder and Elbow
      Surgeons], SST [Simple Shoulder Test], UCLA [University of California-Los
      Angeles] Shoulder Scale, and VAS [Visual Analog Scale] at latest follow-up.
      RESULTS: We detected an overall incidence of 0.9% of sternoclavicular injuries
      related to all shoulder-girdle lesions. Ninety-two patients (52 males and 40
      females) with a mean (SD) age of 39.2 (19.5) years (median, 41 years; range, 4-92
      years) were included in this study. The main trauma mechanism was fall.
      Classification was performed according to Allman, the time point of treatment
      after initial trauma, and the direction of the dislocation. Nine patients of the
      15 Grade III lesions were treated conservatively by closed reduction and
      immobilization, while four patients were treated surgically by open reduction and
      internal fixation. Forty-nine percent of the patients were available for long
      term follow-up at a median of 11.3 years (range, 5.3-22.6 years) with a mean ASES
      score of 96.21, SST score of 11.69, UCLA score of 31.89, and VAS score of 0.47.
      CONCLUSION: We found an overall incidence of 0.9% of sternoclavicular joint
      injuries related to all shoulder-girdle lesions and of 1.1% related to all
      dislocations, which is slightly lower compared with those described in the
      literature. Furthermore, we observed a high number of physeal sternoclavicular
      injuries with a percentage of 16% and overall good-to-excellent results at long
      term follow-up. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic study, level IV.

PMID- 26491799
TI  - The incidence of ARDS and associated mortality in severe TBI using the Berlin
      definition.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in severe
      traumatic brain injury (TBI) is poorly reported. Recently, a new definition for
      ARDS was proposed, the Berlin definition. The percentage of patients represented
      by TBI in the Berlin criteria study is limited. This study describes the
      incidence and associated mortality of ARDS in TBI patients. METHODS: The study
      was an analysis of the safety of erythropoietin administration and transfusion
      threshold on the incidence of ARDS in severe TBI patients. Three reviewers
      independently assessed all patients enrolled in the study for acute lung
      injury/ARDS using the Berlin and the American-European Consensus Conference
      (AECC) definitions. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the
      relationship between ARDS and mortality and 6-month Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS)
      score. RESULTS: Two hundred patients were enrolled in the study. Of the patients,
      21% (41 of 200) and 26% (52 of 200) developed ARDS using the AECC and Berlin
      definitions, respectively, with a median time of 3 days (interquartile range, 3)
      after injury. ARDS by either definition was associated with increased mortality
      (p = 0.04) but not with differences in functional outcome as measured by the GOS
      score at 6 months. Adjusted analysis using the Berlin criteria showed an
      increased mortality associated with ADS (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Severe TBI is
      associated with an incidence of ARDS ranging from 20% to 25%. The incidence is
      comparable between the Berlin and AECC definitions. ARDS is associated with
      increased mortality in severe TBI patients, but further studies are needed to
      validate these findings. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic study, level II.

PMID- 26491800
TI  - The old man and the C-spine fracture: Impact of halo vest stabilization in
      patients with blunt cervical spine fractures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Placement of a halo vest for cervical spine fractures is presumed to
      be less morbid than operative fixation. However, restrictions imposed by the halo
      vest can be detrimental, especially in older patients. The purpose of this study
      was to evaluate the impact of halo vest placement on outcomes by age in patients
      with cervical spine fractures without spinal cord injury. METHODS: All patients
      with blunt cervical spine fractures managed over an 18-year period were
      identified. Those with spinal cord injury and severe traumatic brain injury were
      excluded. Patients were stratified by age, sex, halo vest, injury severity, and
      severity of shock. Outcomes included intensive care unit length of stay,
      ventilator days, ventilator-associated pneumonia, functional status, and
      mortality. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine whether
      halo vest was an independent predictor of mortality in older patients. RESULTS: A
      total of 3,457 patients were identified: 69% were male, with a mean Injury
      Severity Score (ISS) and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 19 and 13,
      respectively. Overall mortality was 5.3%. One hundred seventy-nine patients were
      managed with a halo vest, 133 of those 54 years and older and 46 of those younger
      than 54 years. Both mortality (13% vs. 0%, p < 0.001) and intensive care unit
      length of stay (4 days vs. 2 days, p = 0.02) were significantly increased in
      older patients despite less severe injury (admission GCS score of 15 vs. 14 and
      ISS of 14 vs. 17, p = 0.03). Multivariable logistic regression identified halo
      vest as an independent predictor of mortality after adjusting for injury severity
      and severity of shock (odds ratio, 2.629; 95% confidence interval, 1.056-6.543)
      in older patients. CONCLUSION: The potential risk of operative stabilization must
      be weighed against that of halo vest placement for older patients with cervical
      spine fractures following blunt trauma. Patient age should be strongly considered
      before placement of a halo vest for cervical spine stabilization. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, level IV.

PMID- 26491801
TI  - Acute care surgery: Is it time for a "victory lap"?

PMID- 26491802
TI  - Isolated blunt severe traumatic brain injury in Bern, Switzerland, and the United
      States: A matched cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ideal prehospital management of patients with severe traumatic
      brain injury (TBI) including the impact of endotracheal intubation (ETI) and
      physicians on scene is unclear. Prehospital management differs substantially in
      Switzerland and the United States: in Switzerland, there is usually a physician
      on scene who may provide ETI and other advanced life support procedures, whereas
      in the United States, prehospital management (including ETI) is performed by
      paramedics. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort-matched study of patients
      with isolated blunt severe TBI (head Abbreviated Injury Scale [AIS] score, 4-5)
      and no major extracranial injuries, using Bern University Hospital data from the
      Swiss PEBITA [Patient-relevant Endpoints after Brain Injury from Traumatic
      Accidents] (TBI-specific) database and the US National Trauma Data Bank from 2009
      to 2010. A 1:4 cohort matching of Bern and US patients was performed. Matching
      criteria were sex, age (+/-10 years), exact field Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score,
      exact head AIS score, and injury type (subdural hematoma, epidural hematoma,
      intraparenchymal hemorrhage, intraventricular hemorrhage, brain edema/swelling,
      brain stem injury). The matched cohorts were compared with univariable analysis
      (Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U-test). RESULTS: Matching of the Bern (n =
      128) and US (n = 86,375) cohort resulted in 355 matched cases (71 Bern and 284 US
      patients). Bern patients had significantly longer scene times (median, 23.0
      minutes vs. 9.0 minutes, p < 0.001) and more frequent prehospital ETI (31.0% vs.
      18.7%, p = 0.034) and air transportation (39.4% vs. 19.4%, p < 0.001). No
      significant difference in procedures (craniotomy/craniectomy, intracranial
      pressure monitoring, tracheotomy), intensive care unit and total hospital lengths
      of stay, ventilator days, and in-hospital mortality (14.1% vs. 15.8%, p = 0.855)
      was found between the two cohorts. CONCLUSION: When taking into account the
      limitation that patient- and injury-related factors, but not in-hospital
      treatment variables, were matched, the more frequent prehospital ETI and presence
      of a physician on scene in the Swiss cohort compared with the US cohort had no
      significant effect on outcomes, including intensive care unit and total hospital
      lengths of stay, ventilator days, and in-hospital mortality. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Therapeutic study, level IV.

PMID- 26491803
TI  - Field intubation in civilian patients with hemorrhagic shock is associated with
      higher mortality.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Field intubation (FI) by emergency medical service personnel on
      severely injured trauma patients remains a contentious practice. Clinical studies
      suggest an association between FI and adverse outcomes in patients with traumatic
      brain injury. Military tactical emergency casualty care recommends deferring
      intubation and providing supplemental oxygenation until reaching a more equipped
      destination. In addition, animal models with penetrating hemorrhagic shock
      demonstrate increased acidosis with intubation before resuscitation. The purpose
      of this study was to evaluate the impact of FI on outcomes in trauma patients
      with hemorrhagic shock requiring massive transfusion. METHODS: The Los Angeles
      County Trauma System Database was retrospectively queried for all trauma patients
      16 years or older with hemorrhagic shock requiring massive transfusion (>=6 U
      packed red blood cells in the first 24 hours) between January 1, 2012, and June
      30, 2014. Demographics, clinical and transfusion data, and outcomes were compared
      between patients who received FI and those who did not (NO-FI). Multivariate
      regression analysis was used to adjust for confounders. RESULTS: Of 552 trauma
      patients meeting inclusion criteria, 63 (11%) received FI, and the remaining 489
      (89%) were NO-FI. Age, sex, and incidence of blunt injury were similar between
      the FI and the NO-FI group. The FI cohort presented with a lower median Glasgow
      Coma Scale (GCS) score (3 vs. 14, p < 0.001), a lower median systolic blood
      pressure (86 mm Hg vs. 104 mm Hg, p < 0.001), and a higher median Injury Severity
      Score (ISS) (41 vs. 29, p < 0.001). Mortality was significantly higher in FI
      patients (83% vs. 43%, p < 0.001). Transfusion patterns and total field times
      were similar in both groups. After adjusting for confounders, FI patients had
      increased odds of mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 2.89; 95% confidence interval,
      1.08-7.78; p = 0.035). In addition, FI was identified as an independent predictor
      of mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 3.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.35-8.59; p =
      0.009). CONCLUSION: FI may be associated with higher mortality in trauma patients
      with hemorrhagic shock requiring massive transfusion. Less invasive airway
      interventions and rapid transport might improve outcomes for these patients.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, level IV; epidemiologic study, level III.

PMID- 26491804
TI  - Presence of a dedicated trauma center physiatrist improves functional outcomes
      following traumatic brain injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maximizing long-term recovery following traumatic brain injury (TBI)
      is an important end point. We hypothesized that the addition of a dedicated
      physiatrist specializing in brain injury medicine to the trauma team would lead
      to improved functional outcomes. METHODS: Data from the Northern NJ TBI Model
      Systems were queried for all patients admitted to rehabilitation from four
      regional trauma centers, one with a full-time TBI physiatrist (PHYS) and three
      without (NO-PHYS). Patient demographics, mechanism of injury, Glasgow Coma Scale
      (GCS) score, length of posttraumatic amnesia, length of stay, and Functional
      Independence Measure (FIM) were abstracted. TBI severity was determined by GCS
      score and length of posttraumatic amnesia. FIM motor and cognitive scores at
      rehabilitation admission and discharge were the primary outcome measure. TBI
      medications (stimulants, sleep, and neurodepressants) administered in acute care
      were reviewed to evaluate prescription patterns. RESULTS: A total of 148 patients
      treated at four trauma centers and discharged to a single acute inpatient
      rehabilitation center between 2005 to 2013 were divided into two groups, PHYS
      with 44 patients and NO-PHYS with 104 patients. Compared with those in the NO
      PHYS group, patients from the PHYS group had significant improvement in FIM motor
      and cognitive scores (p < 0.05). Prescription patterns differed. Patients from
      the PHYS group received significantly more neurostimulants (p < 0.001) and sleep
      medications (p = 0.02) compared with the NO-PHYS group. Analysis of covariance
      was conducted to examine FIM (motor and cognitive) changes from rehabilitation
      admission to discharge based on medications initiated in acute care. Those who
      received neither a neurostimulant nor a sleep medication had significantly lower
      FIM motor scores compared with those who received at least one of these
      medications (p = 0.047) and compared with those who received both types of
      medication (p = 0.17). No significant differences were found in FIM cognitive
      scores. CONCLUSION: The addition of a dedicated physiatrist providing early
      specialized care to patients who sustained a moderate or severe TBI was
      associated with improved functional outcomes upon discharge from rehabilitation.
      The presence of a dedicated trauma center physiatrist, trained in TBI
      rehabilitation, was also associated with a change in neuroprotective medication
      management in the acute care setting. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, level
      IV.

PMID- 26491805
TI  - Firearm injuries in the pediatric population: A tale of one city.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Firearm-related injuries are a significant cause of morbidity and
      mortality in children. To determine current trends and assess avenues for future
      interventions, we examined the epidemiology and outcome of pediatric firearm
      injuries managed at our region's two major pediatric trauma centers. METHODS:
      Following institutional review board approval, we conducted a 5-year
      retrospective review of all pediatric firearm victims, 16 years or younger,
      treated at either of the region's two Level 1 pediatric trauma centers, St. Louis
      Children's Hospital and Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center. RESULTS:
      There were 398 children treated during a 5-year period (2008-2013) for firearm
      related injuries. Of these children, 314 (78.9%) were black. Overall, there were
      20 mortalities (5%). Although most (67.6%) patients were between 14 years and 16
      years of age, younger victims had a greater morbidity and mortality. The majority
      of injuries were categorized as assault/intentional (65%) and occurred between
      6:00 pm and midnight, outside the curfew hours enforced by the city. Despite a
      regional decrease in the overall incidence of firearm injuries during the study
      period, the rate of accidental victims per year remained stable. Most accidental
      shootings occurred in the home (74.2%) and were self-inflicted (37.9%) or caused
      by a person known to the victim (40.4%). CONCLUSION: Despite a relative decrease
      in intentional firearm-related injuries, a constant rate of accidental shootings
      suggest an area for further intervention. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic and
      epidemiologic study, level IV.

PMID- 26491806
TI  - Smart(phone) Medicine.

PMID- 26491807
TI  - Validation of a brief, two-question depression screen in trauma patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasingly, depression following traumatic injury is recognized as
      a complication of injury. Unlike mandated screening for risky alcohol use in
      trauma centers, screening for psychological risks is not required by the American
      College of Surgeons' Committee on Trauma. Limited resources and time constraints
      are commonly given reasons against routine screening. The purpose of this study
      was to determine if a two-item screen was as valid as an eight-question screen
      for depression. METHODS: A total of 421 patients were given the Patient Health
      Questionnaire 8 (PHQ-8) during initial hospitalization to assess depression in a
      prospective study at a Level I trauma center. A cutoff score of 10 or higher
      (possible range, 0-24) on the PHQ-8 is used as diagnostic for depression. The PHQ
      2 (possible range, 0-6) is derived from the first two questions of the PHQ-8 and
      contains items assessing sad mood and loss of interest/pleasure during the
      previous 2 weeks. A cutoff score of 3 or higher was considered to be a positive
      screen result. Discriminatory ability of the PHQ-2 was calculated. RESULTS: The
      sample was predominantly male (65%) and white (67%). The majority (85%) sustained
      a blunt trauma, and the primary cause of injury was motor vehicle collision
      (37%), with a mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 11.6. A total of 142 patients
      (34%) were positive for depression on the PHQ-8. When comparing the PHQ-2 with
      the PHQ-8, a sensitivity of 76.1 and a specificity of 92.8 were found, as well as
      a positive predictive value of 84.4. CONCLUSION: The result of our study confirms
      that depression is a frequent condition (34%) among individuals who sustain
      physical injury. The PHQ-2 seems to have acceptable sensitivity and specificity
      to identify depression in this population. The use of a two-item screening
      questionnaire is a minimal addition to the evaluation of patients after injury,
      allowing for earlier intervention and better outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Diagnostic study, level IV; prognostic/epidemiologic study, level III.

PMID- 26491808
TI  - Helicopter interfacility transport of pediatric trauma patients: Are we overusing
      a costly resource?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) provide an important
      service to decrease interfacility transport times compared with ground
      ambulances. Although transport via HEMS is typically faster, the decreased
      transportation time comes at the expense of increased risks to the patient and
      flight crew and higher costs. Therefore, it is important to balance the immediate
      patient needs with the risk and expense of HEMS transport. Our objective was to
      determine how frequently pediatric patients who are interfacility transported to
      a Level 1 pediatric trauma center (PTC) receive a time-sensitive intervention.
      METHODS: This was a 4-year (2008-2012) retrospective study of children aged 0
      year to 18 years who were interfacility transported to a single Level 1 PTC by
      HEMS. Patients were identified using the trauma registry at the PTC. A previously
      published outcome was used to determine if patients received time-sensitive
      interventions. Driving distance to the PTC was determined using Google Maps. Data
      were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 207 cases were
      identified (median age, 7 years; interquartile range, 2-12 years; 29% female;
      median Injury Severity Score [ISS], 11; median Revised Trauma Score [RTS], 8).
      Forty-three percent (90 patients; 95% confidence interval, 37-50%) of patients
      received a time-sensitive intervention; these cases had a median age of 6 years
      (interquartile range, 2-11 years; 32% female; median ISS, 13; median RTS, 8). Of
      the 117 patients who did not receive time-sensitive interventions, 81% were
      within 120 driving miles of the PTC and 49% were within 60 miles. CONCLUSION:
      This study suggests an overuse of HEMS for interfacility transfer of injured
      pediatric patients to a PTC. Although these patients likely required the
      resources of a PTC, they could perhaps have been transported by ground ambulance
      without detriment. Further research is needed to investigate how interfacility
      transport modes are selected and if these decisions can be improved without
      increasing evaluation times at transferring facilities. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Epidemiologic study, level V.

PMID- 26491809
TI  - Potentially Important Extracolonic Findings at Screening CT Colonography:
      Incidence and Outcomes Data From a Clinical Screening Program.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The effect of detection of extracolonic findings at screening CT
      colonography (CTC) remains controversial. Our objective is to analyze the
      incidence and outcomes of unsuspected potentially significant (CT Colonography
      Reporting and Data System [C-RADS] extracolonic category E4) findings in a
      population undergoing clinical CTC screening. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Over the
      course of 99 months (April 1, 2004, through June 30, 2012), 7952 consecutive
      asymptomatic adults (3675 men and 4277 women; mean [+/- SD] age, 56.7 +/- 7.3
      years) underwent first-time screening CTC. Examinations were prospectively
      interpreted by radiologists within our abdominal imaging section, and
      extracolonic findings were recorded and categorized. Potentially significant
      (i.e., C-RADS extracolonic category E4) findings were retrospectively reviewed
      with additional analysis of follow-up (range, 2-10 years) and ultimate clinical
      outcome. RESULTS: Overall, 2.5% (202/7952) of patients had a potentially
      significant (C-RADS category E4) extracolonic finding for which further imaging
      (56%; 113/202) or clinical follow-up (44%; 89/202) was recommended. No patients
      had multiple category E4 findings. Twenty-two patients were lost to follow-up. Of
      the remaining 180 patients, 68% (123/180) proved to have clinically significant
      disease, including 23% (42/180) with malignant or potentially malignant neoplasms
      and 32% (57/180) with abdominal aortic or other visceral artery aneurysms
      requiring treatment or surveillance. The most commonly involved organs and
      systems included the vascular system (26%; 53/202), the genitourinary system
      (18%; 36/202), the liver (15%; 30/202), the gastrointestinal system (9.9%;
      20/202), the lungs (9.4%; 19/202), and the gynecologic system (6.9%; 14/202).
      CONCLUSION: Potentially significant extracolonic findings in asymptomatic adults
      at screening CTC are uncommon (2-3% of cases). However, most of these findings
      (68%) will prove to be clinically significant, including a number of malignancies
      and aneurysms requiring treatment or surveillance.

PMID- 26491811
TI  - Flash Points of Secondary Alcohol and n-Alkane Mixtures.
AB  - The flash point is one of the most important characteristics used to assess the
      ignition hazard of mixtures of flammable liquids. To determine the flash points
      of mixtures of secondary alcohols with n-alkanes, it is necessary to calculate
      the activity coefficients. In this paper, we use a model that allows us to obtain
      enthalpy of fusion and enthalpy of vaporization data of the pure components to
      calculate the liquid-solid equilibrium (LSE) and vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE).
      Enthalpy of fusion and enthalpy of vaporization data of secondary alcohols in the
      literature are limited; thus, the prediction of these characteristics was
      performed using the method of thermodynamic similarity. Additionally, the
      empirical models provided the critical temperatures and boiling temperatures of
      the secondary alcohols. The modeled melting enthalpy and enthalpy of vaporization
      as well as the calculated LSE and VLE flash points were determined for the
      secondary alcohol and n-alkane mixtures. 

PMID- 26491810
TI  - Structure-Activity Relationships of the Peptide Kappa Opioid Receptor Antagonist
      Zyklophin.
AB  - The dynorphin (Dyn) A analogue zyklophin ([N-benzyl-Tyr(1)-cyclo(d
      Asp(5),Dap(8))]dynorphin A(1-11)NH2) is a kappa opioid receptor (KOR)-selective
      antagonist in vitro, is active in vivo, and antagonizes KOR in the CNS after
      systemic administration. Hence, we synthesized zyklophin analogues to explore the
      structure-activity relationships of this peptide. The synthesis of selected
      analogues required modification to introduce the N-terminal amino acid due to
      poor solubility and/or to avoid epimerization of this residue. Among the N
      terminal modifications, the N-phenethyl and N-cyclopropylmethyl substitutions
      resulted in analogues with the highest KOR affinities. Pharmacological results
      for the alanine-substituted analogues indicated that Phe(4) and Arg(6), but
      interestingly not the Tyr(1) phenol, are important for zyklophin's KOR affinity
      and that Arg(7) was important for KOR antagonist activity. In the GTPgammaS
      assay, while all of the cyclic analogues exhibited negligible KOR efficacy, the N
      cyclopropylmethyl-Tyr(1) and N-benzyl-Phe(1) analogues were 28- and 11-fold more
      potent KOR antagonists, respectively, than zyklophin. 

PMID- 26491812
TI  - Modified-Atmospheric Pressure-Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization
      Identification of Friction Modifier Additives Oleamide and Ethoxylated Tallow
      Amines on Varied Metal Target Materials and Tribologically Stressed Steel
      Surfaces.
AB  - For many tasks in failure and damage analysis of surfaces deteriorated in heavy
      tribological contact, the detailed characterization of used lubricants and their
      additives is essential. The objective of the presented work is to establish
      accessibility of tribostressed surfaces for direct characterization via modified
      atmospheric pressure-matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass
      spectrometry (m-AP-MALDI-MS). Special target holders were constructed to allow
      target samples of differing shape and form to fit into the desorption/ionization
      chamber. The best results of desorption and ionization on different target
      materials and varying roughnesses were achieved on smooth surfaces with low
      matrix/substrate interaction. M-AP-MALDI characterization of tribologically
      stressed steel surfaces after pin-on-disc sliding wear tests (SRV-tribotests)
      yielded positive identification of used friction modifier additives. Further
      structure elucidation by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and
      measurements of worn surfaces by time-of-flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry
      (TOF-SIMS) accompanied findings about additive behavior and deterioration during
      tribological contact. Using m-AP-MALDI for direct offline examinations of worn
      surfaces may set up a quick method for determination of additives used for
      lubrication and general characterization of a tribological system. 

PMID- 26491814
TI  - Using Diverse Communication Strategies to Re-Engage Relapsed Tobacco Quitline
      Users in Treatment, New York State, 2014.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Most smoking cessation programs lack strategies to reach relapsed
      participants and encourage a new quit attempt. We used a multimodal intervention
      to encourage past quitline registry participants to recycle into services.
      METHODS: We invited 3,510 past quitline participants back to quitline services,
      using messages consecutively delivered through Interactive Voice Response (IVR),
      followed by postcard and email reminders, 2 Short Messaging Services (SMS) texts,
      and a final cycle of IVR. The primary study outcome was recycling into a new
      quitline-assisted quit attempt. We used statistical analyses to assess rates and
      predictors of recycling (socioeconomic, health- and tobacco-related variables)
      with study participants and compared the study sample with registry participants
      not selected for the study (comparison group). RESULTS: Quitline services were re
      initiated by 12.2% of the intervention sample and 1.9% of the comparison group (z
      = 6.03, P < .001, effect size of 0.44). Most re-enrollments were done via direct
      IVR-transfer to the quitline. Predictors of re-enrollment were age (odds ratio
      [OR] = 1.45 for every 10 years of age; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.34-1.57),
      number of years smoking (OR = 1.27; 95% CI, 1.18-1.36), and reporting cancer (OR
      = 2.32; 95% CI, 1.47-3.68) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR = 1.55;
      95% CI, 1.16-2.10). Living with other smokers was correlated with a lower chance
      of recycling into treatment (OR = 0.72; 95% CI, 0.57-0.91). CONCLUSION: Recycling
      previous quitline participants using a proactive, IVR-based intervention is
      effective in reinitiating quitline-assisted quit attempts. Older, long-term
      smokers reporting chronic conditions are more likely than younger smokers to re
      engage in quitline support when these methods are used.

PMID- 26491813
TI  - Prevention of Filipino Youth Behavioral Health Disparities: Identifying Barriers
      and Facilitators to Participating in "Incredible Years," an Evidence-Based
      Parenting Intervention, Los Angeles, California, 2012.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Evidence-based interventions for training parents are proven to
      prevent onset and escalation of childhood mental health problems. However,
      participation in such programs is low, especially among hard-to-reach,
      underserved populations such as Filipino Americans. Filipinos, the largest Asian
      subgroup in California, have significant behavioral health disparities compared
      with non-Hispanic whites and other Asian subgroups. The purpose of this study was
      to learn about Filipinos' barriers and facilitators to participating in
      "Incredible Years" (IY), a parenting program. METHODS: We conducted 4 focus
      groups in Los Angeles, California, in 2012; the groups consisted of 20 Filipino
      parents of children aged 6 to 12 years who recently completed the IY parenting
      program, which was offered as a prevention workshop. Three reviewers, including
      two co-authors (A.S., J.J.) and a research assistant used content analysis to
      independently code the interview transcripts and extract subthemes. Grounded
      theory analytic methods were used to analyze interview transcripts. RESULTS:
      Parents' perceived benefits of participation in IY were learning more effective
      parenting techniques, networking with other parents, improved spousal
      relationships, and improvements in their children's behavior. Parents' most
      common motivating factor for enrollment in IY was to improve their parenting
      skills and their relationships with their children. The most common barriers to
      participation were being uncomfortable sharing problems with others and the fear
      of being stigmatized by others judging their parenting skills. Participants said
      that parent testimonials would be the most effective way to promote IY. Many
      recommended outreach at schools, pediatricians' offices, and churches.
      CONCLUSION: Increasing Filipino American parent enrollment in IY in culturally
      relevant ways will reduce the incidence of mental health disorders among children
      in this growing population.

PMID- 26491817
TI  - Silver Ion-Mediated Heterometallic Three-Fold Interpenetrating Uranyl-Organic
      Framework.
AB  - A unique case of a uranyl-silver heterometallic 3-fold interpenetrating network
      (U-Ag-2,6-DCPCA) from a multifunctionalized organic ligand, 2,6
      dichloroisonicotinic acid, in the presence of uranyl and silver ions is reported.
      It is the first report of a heterometallic uranyl-organic interpenetrating
      network or framework. Notably, a (4,4)-connected uranyl building unit in U-Ag-2,6
      DCPCA, which is available through combined influences of structural halogenation
      and silver ion additive on uranyl coordination, plays a vital role in the
      formation of a 3-fold interpenetrating network. Halogen substitution effectively
      changes structural features and coordination behaviors of isonicotinate ligand
      and contributes to the control of uranyl coordination. Meanwhile, it exerts
      influence on the stabilization of 3-fold interpenetrating networks by halogen
      halogen interactions. Theoretical calculation suggests that the silver ion should
      mainly serve as an inductive factor of uranyl species through strong Ag-N binding
      affinity, directly leading to the formation of a (4,4)-connected uranyl building
      unit and finally a heterometallic 3-fold interpenetrating network. Related
      experimental results, especially an interesting postsynthetic metalation, afford
      further evidence of this induction effect. 

PMID- 26491815
TI  - Long-Term Impact of a Community Health Worker Intervention on Diabetes Control in
      American Samoa.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diabetes Care in American Samoa (DCAS) was a randomized controlled
      trial of a 12-month intervention facilitated by community health workers (CHWs)
      that demonstrated improved HbA1c levels compared with usual care at trial
      completion. We sought to evaluate the long-term impact of this intervention on
      diabetes control. METHODS: We retrospectively collected HbA1c measurements from
      medical records of DCAS participants (n = 268). The study group received the
      intervention during the trial, and the control group received the intervention
      after the trial. We used mixed-effects longitudinal regression models to assess
      change in HbA1c within each trial arm during 3 time periods: DCAS (12 months of
      the study group's intervention), the first year after DCAS (control group's
      intervention), and the second year after DCAS. Models were adjusted for baseline
      characteristics that differed significantly for participants with a low number of
      HbA1c measurements from those with a high number of HbA1c measurements. RESULTS:
      After adjustment for confounders, the experiment group experienced a decrease in
      HbA1c of 0.28 units per year (95% confidence interval [CI], -0.64 to 0.07) during
      DCAS (intervention). HbA1c decreased by 0.88 units per year (95% CI, -1.31 to 
      0.45) during the year after the intervention. No significant change was observed
      the following year. HbA1c of the control group did not significantly change
      during DCAS (usual care) but decreased by 1.31 units per year (95% CI, -1.72 to 
      0.91) during its intervention. During the year after the control group's
      intervention, HbA1c increased by 1.18 units per year (95% CI, 0.42 to 1.93).
      CONCLUSION: Both groups had initial improvements in glycemic control, but HbA1c
      later plateaued or increased. These results suggest that time-limited CHW
      programs improve diabetes control in the short term, but ongoing programs are
      needed for sustained impact.

PMID- 26491816
TI  - Farm to Work: Development of a Modified Community-Supported Agriculture Model at
      Worksites, 2007-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Farm to Work program is a modified community-supported
      agriculture model at worksites in Texas. COMMUNITY CONTEXT: The objective of the
      Farm to Work program is to increase fruit and vegetable intake among employees
      and their households by decreasing cost, improving convenience, and increasing
      access while also creating a new market for local farmers at worksites. The
      objectives of this article were to describe the development, implementation, and
      outcome of a 5-year participation trend analysis and to describe the community
      relationships that were formed to enable the successful implementation of the
      program. METHODS: The Farm to Work program began in November 2007 as a
      collaborative effort between the nonprofit Sustainable Food Center, the Texas
      Department of State Health Services, the Web development company WebChronic
      Consulting LLC, and Naegelin Farm. The program provides a weekly or biweekly
      opportunity for employees to order a basket of produce online to be delivered to
      the worksite by a local farmer. A 5-year participation trend analysis, including
      seasonal variation and sales trends, was conducted using sales data from November
      2007 through December 2012. OUTCOME: The total number of baskets delivered from
      November 2007 through December 2012 was 38,343; of these, 37,466 were sold and
      877 were complimentary. The total value of sold and complimentary baskets was
      $851,035 and $21,925, respectively. Participation in the program increased over
      time and was highest in 2012. INTERPRETATION: The Farm to Work program increased
      access to locally grown fruits and vegetables for employees and created a new
      market for farmers. Increased program participation indicates that Farm to Work
      can increase employees' fruit and vegetable consumption and thus help prevent
      chronic diseases in this population.

PMID- 26491818
TI  - Recent progress in urinary proteome analysis for prostate cancer diagnosis and
      management.
AB  - Prostate cancer (PCa) is fifth leading cause of cancer-associated deaths in men
      worldwide. Although the application of the serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
      screening test resulted in an increase in the PCa diagnosed cases, it
      demonstrated a negligible benefit regarding the associated mortality. Treatment
      options vary, with active surveillance to be preferable for patients with low
      risk PCa and therapy of advanced castration-resistant PCa to rely on alpha
      emitters and cytotoxic chemotherapy. Although recent developments have led to the
      approval of novel drugs for the treatment of castration-resistant PCa, the
      optimal sequence and timing of medication have not been yet determined. New
      screening modalities could improve the discriminatory accuracy between tumors
      with favorable clinical prognosis. Implementation of proteomic-based biomarkers
      appears to be a promising improvement, which could enable a more accurate
      diagnosis, guide treatment and improve patient outcome. Reviewed here are urinary
      proteome-based approaches for detection of PCa and patient management. 

PMID- 26491819
TI  - Technological Considerations for the Delivery of Real-Time Child Telemental
      Healthcare.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In recent years, rapid advances in the sophistication and
      accessibility of new technologies for consumer use have been leveraged to
      meaningfully expand the scope of mental health services for youth. However,
      despite many potential benefits inherent in applying new technologies to improve
      the accessibility and quality of care, organizations and private providers
      looking to expand their services with telemental health (TMH) service options may
      find the broad range of software packages and hardware options daunting. METHODS:
      We summarize key considerations for adopting a videoteleconferencing (VTC)
      system, and provide recommendations for institutions and providers planning to
      launch TMH services at varying levels. RESULTS: Although there is currently no
      single combination of VTC software and equipment that works best for every
      provider, certain factors such as cost, ease of use, and system functionality
      contribute to the setup that may serve as the "best fit" for practitioners' and
      clients' needs. CONCLUSIONS: Careful consideration of these system
      characteristics and their bearing on institutional functioning, quality of
      services, and client satisfaction and privacy prior to VTC installation can
      proactively reduce difficulties after TMH implementation.

PMID- 26491820
TI  - Crystallization-induced dynamic resolution R-epimer from 25-OCH3-PPD epimeric
      mixture.
AB  - 25-OCH3-PPD is a promising antitumor dammarane sapogenin isolated from the total
      saponin-hydrolyzed extract of Panax ginseng berry and Panax notoginseng leaves.
      20(R)-25-OCH3-PPD was more potent as an anti-cancer agent than 20(S)-25-OCH3-PPD
      and epimeric mixture of 25-OCH3-PPD. This paper describes the rapid separation
      process of the R-epimer of 25-OCH3-PPD from its epimeric mixture by
      crystallization-induced dynamic resolution (CIDR). The optimized CIDR process was
      based on single factor analysis and nine well-planned orthogonal design
      experiments (OA9 matrix). A rapid and sensitive reverse phase high-performance
      liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with evaporative light-scattering detector
      (ELSD) was developed and validated for the quantitation of 25-OCH3-PPD epimeric
      mixture and crystalline product. Separation and quantitation were achieved with a
      silica column using a mobile phase consisting of methanol and water (87:13, v/v)
      at a flow rate of 1.0mL/min. The ELSD detection was performed at 50 degrees C and
      3L/min. Under conditions involving 3mL of 95% ethanol, 8% HCl, and a hermetically
      sealed environment for 72h, the maximum production of 25(R)-OCH3-PPD was achieved
      with a chemical purity of 97% and a total yield of 87% through the CIDR process.
      The 25(R)-OCH3-PPD was nearly completely separated from the 220mg 25-OCH3-PPD
      epimeric mixture. Overall, a simple and steady small-batch purification process
      for the large-scale production of 25(R)-OCH3-PPD from 25-OCH3-PPD epimeric
      mixture was developed. 

PMID- 26491821
TI  - Association among diameter and volume of follicles, oocyte maturity, and
      competence in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles.
AB  - AIM: The follicular size has been considered for years as an index for oocyte
      maturity in stimulated ovulation cycles so that the time of initiating human
      chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) has been formerly determined by the ultrasonography
      measurement of larger follicles. The other studies have demonstrated that there
      was no significant difference between fertility of oocytes aspirated from
      follicles with various sizes. The objective of this study to explore the
      associations among the size and volume of extracted follicles at the time of
      oocyte collection with the rate of collection, oocyte maturity, and oocyte
      competence in the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) therapeutic cycles.
      METHODS: This prospective study was performed on 412 stimulated ovulation cycles
      of 340 patients visiting the infertility center of Tehran Mirzakouchakkhan
      Hospital from September 2011 to February 2013, so that a total of 2324 follicles
      were investigated. The follicular diameter and fluid volume were measured then
      the follicles were classified into four groups regarding the aforesaid spatial
      dimensions. The association among the size and volume of follicles with the
      probability of oocytes collection, oocytes maturity, fertility competence,
      cleavage rate, and embryo quality was assessed. RESULTS: The majority of
      follicles (38%) were categorized in the group C with the follicle diameter of 16
      20 mm and volume of 1-3 mm3. No significant difference was observed between these
      four follicle groups in terms of oocyte collection rate. There was a significant
      difference (P<0.05) between the group A (diameter>21 mm; volume>5 mm3) and group
      D (diameter<12 mm; volume<=1 mm3) regarding oocyte maturity and collection rate
      of metaphase II (MII) oocyte. Conversely, this difference was not significant
      between groups A, B (diameter=16-20 mm; volume=3-5 mm3), and C (diameter=12-15
      mm; volume=1-3 mm3). The fertility rate of oocytes aspirated from small follicles
      was 55%, which is significantly lower than the fertility rate of oocytes obtained
      from follicles larger than 12 mm and volume of more than 1 mm3. However, the
      oocytes aspirated from smaller follicles continue to cleaved, and the quality of
      embryos did not significantly differ from that embryos cultivated from larger
      follicles. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the size of follicles and the
      oocytes maturity in stimulated ovaries are not considerably associated, thus
      might be independent factors. The development competence of oocytes from smaller
      follicles was similar to oocytes aspirated from larger follicles. Thus follicles
      smaller than 12 mm in size and 1 mm3 in volume should be also aspirated.
      Moreover, this study suggests initiating HCG at the phase with follicles equal to
      or larger than 16 mm to save time and expense for the patient.

PMID- 26491822
TI  - [Counseling about folate intake during pregnancy].
AB  - AIM: In gynecology, the importance of an adequate folate intake in the
      periconceptional period and during pregnancy is widely accepted. Its purpose is
      to decrease the risk of maternal and fetal diseases, such as neural tube defects
      (NTD), so that Italy strongly recommends that women who are pregnant or are
      planning to become pregnant receive folate supplementation (i.e. 0.4 or 4-5 mg
      per day, as needed). Despite that, recent studies show women's low awareness of
      the importance of folate supplementation, above all during the periconceptional
      period. Basing on these considerations, we surveyed pregnant women to investigate
      their awareness and the real use of folate. METHODS: From January to October 2014
      we surveyed 650 pregnant women. We used a questionnaire with closed and semi
      closed questions. RESULTS: The mean age of the enrolled women was 32.8 (+/-2.9).
      The survey showed that a significant proportion of women knew folate benefits in
      pregnancy (about 70%) and they used it during gestational period (89.8%), whereas
      folate supplementation during periconceptional period was inadequate, used by
      only the 16.9% of women and often at a lower than recommended amount. CONCLUSION:
      Awareness and use of folate can be promoted through informational campaigns among
      general practitioners and obstetricians/gynecologists, through preconceptional
      and prenatal counseling, and through a risk assessment addressed to choose the
      appropriate folate type and dosage.

PMID- 26491823
TI  - Chronic pelvic pain, quality of life and sexual health of women treated with
      palmitoylethanolamide and alpha-lipoic acid.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effects of the association between
      palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and alpha-lipoic acid (LA) on quality of life (QoL)
      and sexual function in women affected by endometriosis-associated pelvic pain.
      METHODS: Fifty-six women constituted the study group and were given PEA 300 mg
      and LA 300mg twice daily To define the endometriosis-associated pelvic pain, the
      visual analogic scale (VAS) was used. The Short Form-36 (SF-36), the Female
      Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS) were
      used to assess the QoL, the sexual function and the sexual distress,
      respectively. The study included three follow-ups at 3, 6 and 9 months. RESULTS:
      No changes were observed in pain, QoL and sexual function at the 3rd month follow
      up (P=NS). By the 6th and 9th month, pain symptoms (P<0.001) and all categories
      of the QoL (P<0.001) improved. The FSFI and the FSDS scores did not change at the
      3rd month follow-up (P=ns). On the contrary, at the 3rd and 9th months follow-ups
      they improved with respect to the baseline (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The progressive
      reduction of the pain syndrome reported by women over the treatment period could
      contribute to improve the QoL and sexual life of women on PEA and LA.

PMID- 26491824
TI  - Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hyperandrogenism: the role of a new natural
      association.
AB  - AIM: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 5-10% of women of childbearing age
      and manifests itself through oligomenorrhea, anovulation, hirsutism, micro
      polycystic ovaries. Insulin resistance is a characteristic of PCOS patients and
      is more pronounced in obese patients. Insulin resistance and consequent
      hyperinsulinemia are related to many aspects of the syndrome such as
      hyperandrogenism, reproductive disorders, acne and hirsutism. In the long-term it
      may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and negatively affect lipid
      profile and blood pressure. Changes in lifestyle and diet can partially improve
      these aspects. The use of insulin-sensitizing drugs such as metformin often
      normalises the menstrual cycle, improving hyperandrogenism and, subsequently, the
      response to ovulation induction therapies. New molecules have recently been
      marketed, that produce the same results, but without the side-effects. One of
      these is myo-inositol, a new insulin-sensitizing molecule which has been
      successfully administered to women suffering from PCOS. Associations between
      inositol and other compounds that can increase the therapeutic effect have been
      proposed. Of these, we found to be interesting the association with monacolin K,
      a natural statin that reduces cholesterol levels starting point of the synthesis
      of steroids, including androgens, and lipoic acid, known for its anti
      inflammatory, antioxidant and insulin-sensitizing activity. We decided to assess
      the efficacy of the product. METHODS: We recruited 30 women aged between 24 and
      32 years suffering from PCOS with insulin resistance, HOMA index>2.5 and no other
      endocrine diseases. The following were assessed: Body Mass Index (BMI),
      characteristics of menstrual cycles, lipid profile (total cholesterol, and HDL),
      androgens (total testosterone and androstenedione). The patients were also
      assessed for the degree of hirsutism using the Ferriman-Gallwey Score>8. The
      subjects were divided into two groups: Group A, treated with an association of 1
      g myo-inositol, 5 mg monacolin K and 400 mg lipoic acid for 6 months; Group B,
      treated with a double dosage of 2 g myo-inositol, 10 mg monacolin K, 800 mg
      lipoic acid for 6 months. RESULTS: The results have shown good efficacy of both
      dosages, although women treated with a double dosage of myo-inositol, monacolin K
      and lipoic acid showed a significantly greater improvement in terms of lipid
      parameters and those connected with hyperandrogenism. CONCLUSION: This new myo
      inositol, monacolin K and lipoic acid association contains appropriate substances
      to contrast various etiopathogenic elements responsible for the onset of PCOS and
      the symptoms of hyperandrogenism and dyslipidemia related to it.

PMID- 26491825
TI  - [Use of alpha-lipoic acid and omega-3 in postpartum pain treatment].
AB  - Postpartum pain is a frequent condition that negatively affects women's quality
      of life, interferring with everyday life. Analgesic drugs and surgery are often
      contraindicated in pregnancy and during breast feeding. This review of the
      literature aims to evaluate the rational of the association of lipoic acid and
      omega-3 employ in the management of postpartum pain. Lipoic acid is a cofactor
      essential in mitochondrial metabolism with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
      activity. Lipoic acid has been shown to be effective in neuropatic pain treatment
      in patients with sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome and diabetic neuropathy. Omega
      3 are known for their anti-inflammatory and neurotrophic activity. The peripheral
      and central activity of both substances allows to act on neuroinflammation
      mechanisms thus reducing cronicization of pain and also determining a potential
      improvement of women's emotional status. The preliminary data here presented
      confirm the positive effect of this association on the treatment of postpartum
      perineal pain. The supplementation of lipoic acid in association with omega-3
      seems effective and safe for the treatment of chronic postpartum pain, allowing a
      pathogenetic approach to neuroinflammation, thus reducing the consumption of
      analgesic drugs, often contraindicated during breast-feeding.

PMID- 26491827
TI  - Myo-inositol: from induction of ovulation to menopausal disorder management.

PMID- 26491826
TI  - [Preliminary data on the effectiveness of resveratrol in a new formulation in
      treatment of hot flushes].
AB  - AIM: We conducted a pilot study to evaluate the effectiveness of resveratrol
      absorbed orally, conveyed through a new patented technology that increases the
      absorption through the oral mucosa in treatment of hot flushes (HF) during
      menopause. METHODS: This is a randomized controlled double-blind study with
      crossover design. From October 2012 to July 2014 we considered the first 50
      patients enrolled at the Center for Menopause Maggiore Hospital of Charity of
      Novara, with diagnosis of physiological or surgical menopause. Each woman
      received a diary in which she indicated the weekly number of HF and the perceived
      intensity, in a 0-10 Scale (Visual Analogue Scale, VAS). RESULTS: Reduction of
      the monthly number of vasomotor episodes. Resveratrol 16/28 (57.1%); P2/22
      placebo (9.1%) <0.001. The resveratrol group gets a positive result 6.28 times
      more compared to the placebo arm (95% CI: 1.61-24.49). Improvement of the
      intensity of symptoms and improving quality of life: resveratrol 22/28 (78.6%);
      placebo 4/22 P (18.2%) <0.001. Resveratrol group obtained a positive result 4:32
      times more than the placebo arm (95% CI: 1.74-10.71). CONCLUSION: Resveratrol is
      effective in reducing the number of episodes vasomotor and the intensity of HF,
      with the transition from moderate/severe to mild symptoms in 78.6% of patients.
      Resveratrol has the characteristics to be an alternative therapy in the treatment
      of HF in menopause.

PMID- 26491828
TI  - A novel hemostatic technique during cesarean section for placenta previa:
      combining "cervical inversion" and "holding the cervix".

PMID- 26491829
TI  - Hydrogelation Induced by Fmoc-Protected Peptidomimetics.
AB  - Four new low molecular weight hydrogelators (LMWGs) have been prepared in
      multigram scale and their attitude to form hydrogels has been tested. The
      gelation trigger is pH variation. The resulting gels have been characterized with
      several techniques: measurement of the melting points (T(gel)), transparency,
      gelation time, and viscoelastic properties, together with ECD analysis. Among
      them, Fmoc-L-Tyr-D-Oxd-OH 1 is an excellent gelator that leads to the preparation
      of strong, transparent, and viscoelastic gels, by pH variation. UV-visible
      analyses have demonstrated that the gels obtained with the LMWG 1 possess high
      transparency, with a transmittance up to 25.6% at a wavelength of 600 nm. Results
      of the amplitude sweep experiments showed that the elastic response component
      (G') was approximately an order of magnitude larger than the viscous component,
      indicating an elastic rather than viscous attitude of the gels, confirmed by the
      frequency independence of G' and G" values, in the range from 0.1 to 100 rad.s(
      1). The thermal behavior of gel obtained from Fmoc-L-Tyr-D-Oxd-OH 1 was
      characterized performing an "ad hoc" rheological temperature sweep experiment,
      that indicated that G' remained almost constant from 23  degrees C up to about 65
      degrees C while G" increased in the same temperature range. At higher
      temperatures, both G' and G" values started to slightly decrease without
      displaying a crossover point.

PMID- 26491830
TI  - Erratum: Vol. 64, No. 18.

PMID- 26491831
TI  - Antimalarial activity of ruthenium(II) and osmium(II) arene complexes with mono-
      and bidentate chloroquine analogue ligands.
AB  - Eight new ruthenium and five new osmium p-cymene half-sandwich complexes have
      been synthesized, characterized and evaluated for antimalarial activity. All
      complexes contain ligands that are based on a 4-chloroquinoline framework related
      to the antimalarial drug chloroquine. Ligands HL(1-8) are salicylaldimine
      derivatives, where HL(1) = N-(2-((2-hydroxyphenyl)methylimino)ethyl)-7
      chloroquinolin-4-amine, and HL(2-8) contain non-hydrogen substituents in the 3
      position of the salicylaldimine ring, viz. F, Cl, Br, I, NO2, OMe and (t)Bu for
      HL(2-8), respectively. Ligand HL(9) is also a salicylaldimine-containing ligand
      with substitutions in both 3- and 5-positions of the salicylaldimine moiety, i.e.
      N-(2-((2-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)methyl-imino)ethyl)-7-chloroquinolin-4
      amine, while HL(10) is N-(2-((1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)methylamino)ethyl)-7
      chloroquinolin-4-amine) The half sandwich metal complexes that have been
      investigated are [Ru(eta(6)-cym)(L(1-8))Cl] (Ru-1-Ru-8, cym = p-cymene),
      [Os(eta(6)-cym)(L(1-3,5,7))Cl] (Os-1-Os-3, Os-5, and Os-7), [M(eta(6)
      cym)(HL(9))Cl2] (M = Ru, Ru-HL(9); M = Os, Os-HL(9)) and [M(eta(6)
      cym)(L(10))Cl]Cl (M = Ru, Ru-10; M = Os, Os-10). In complexes Ru-1-Ru-8 and Ru
      10, Os-1-Os-3, Os-5 and Os-7 and Os-10, the ligands were found to coordinate as
      bidentate N,O- and N,N-chelates, while in complexes Ru-HL(9) and Os-HL(9),
      monodentate coordination of the ligands through the quinoline nitrogen was
      established. The antimalarial activity of the new ligands and complexes was
      evaluated against chloroquine sensitive (NF54 and D10) and chloroquine resistant
      (Dd2) Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite strains. Coordination of ruthenium
      and osmium arene moieties to the ligands resulted in lower antiplasmodial
      activities relative to the free ligands, but the resistance index is better for
      the ruthenium complexes compared to chloroquine. Overall, osmium complexes
      appeared to be less active than the corresponding ruthenium complexes. 

PMID- 26491832
TI  - Identification of a homozygous mutation of SLC24A5 (OCA6) in two patients with
      oculocutaneous albinism from French Guiana.

PMID- 26491833
TI  - The effect of domain-general inhibition-related training on language switching:
      An ERP study.
AB  - Previous studies have demonstrated that inhibitory control ability could be
      improved by training, and the Inhibitory Control (IC) Model implies that enhanced
      domain-general inhibition may elicit certain changes in language switch costs. In
      the present study, we aimed to examine the effects of domain-general inhibition
      training on performance in a language switching task, including which phase of
      domain-general inhibitory control benefits from training during an overt picture
      naming task in L1 and L2, using the event-related brain potentials (ERPs).
      Results showed that the language switch costs of bilinguals with high inhibitory
      control (high-IC) were symmetrical in both pretest and posttest, and those of
      bilinguals with low inhibitory control (low-IC) were asymmetrical in the pretest,
      but symmetrical in the posttest. Moreover, the high-IC group showed a larger LPC
      (late positive component) for L2 switch trials than for L1 trials in both pretest
      and posttest. In contrast, the low-IC group only exhibited a similar pattern of
      LPC in the posttest, but not in the pretest. These results indicate that
      inhibition training could increase the efficiency of language switching, and
      inhibitory control may play a key role during the lexical selection response
      phase. Overall, the present study is the first one to provide
      electrophysiological evidence for individual differences in the domain-general
      inhibition impact on language switching performance in low-proficient bilinguals.

PMID- 26491834
TI  - Fast automated counting procedures in addition problem solving: When are they
      used and why are they mistaken for retrieval?
AB  - Contrary to a widespread assumption, a recent study suggested that adults do not
      solve very small additions by directly retrieving their answer from memory, but
      rely instead on highly automated and fast counting procedures (Barrouillet &
      Thevenot, 2013). The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that
      these automated compiled procedures are restricted to small quantities that do
      not exceed the size of the focus of attention (i.e., 4 elements). For this
      purpose, we analyzed the response times of ninety adult participants when solving
      the 81 additions with operands from 1 to 9. Even when focusing on small problems
      (i.e. with sums ?10) reported by participants as being solved by direct
      retrieval, chronometric analyses revealed a strong size effect. Response times
      increased linearly with the magnitude of the operands testifying for the
      involvement of a sequential multistep procedure. However, this size effect was
      restricted to the problems involving operands from 1 to 4, whereas the pattern of
      response times for other small problems was compatible with a retrieval
      hypothesis. These findings suggest that very fast responses routinely interpreted
      as reflecting direct retrieval of the answer from memory actually subsume
      compiled automated procedures that are faster than retrieval and deliver their
      answer while the subject remains unaware of their process, mistaking them for
      direct retrieval from long-term memory. 

PMID- 26491835
TI  - A multimodal parallel architecture: A cognitive framework for multimodal
      interactions.
AB  - Human communication is naturally multimodal, and substantial focus has examined
      the semantic correspondences in speech-gesture and text-image relationships.
      However, visual narratives, like those in comics, provide an interesting
      challenge to multimodal communication because the words and/or images can guide
      the overall meaning, and both modalities can appear in complicated "grammatical"
      sequences: sentences use a syntactic structure and sequential images use a
      narrative structure. These dual structures create complexity beyond those
      typically addressed by theories of multimodality where only a single form uses
      combinatorial structure, and also poses challenges for models of the linguistic
      system that focus on single modalities. This paper outlines a broad theoretical
      framework for multimodal interactions by expanding on Jackendoff's (2002)
      parallel architecture for language. Multimodal interactions are characterized in
      terms of their component cognitive structures: whether a particular modality
      (verbal, bodily, visual) is present, whether it uses a grammatical structure
      (syntax, narrative), and whether it "dominates" the semantics of the overall
      expression. Altogether, this approach integrates multimodal interactions into an
      existing framework of language and cognition, and characterizes interactions
      between varying complexity in the verbal, bodily, and graphic domains. The
      resulting theoretical model presents an expanded consideration of the boundaries
      of the "linguistic" system and its involvement in multimodal interactions, with a
      framework that can benefit research on corpus analyses, experimentation, and the
      educational benefits of multimodality. 

PMID- 26491836
TI  - Relationship between adaptation and cardiovascular response to tonic cold and
      heat pain Adaptability to tonic pain and cardiovascular responses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mechanisms of adaptation to tonic pain are not elucidated. We
      hypothesized that the adaptability to tonic pain is related to the cardiovascular
      system. METHODS: Twenty-six subjects received over two sessions in a random
      order: tonic cold (7 +/- 0.2  degrees C) and heat pain (47.5 +/- 0.5  degrees C)
      on the hand for 5 min. Pain intensity, blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR)
      were continuously monitored. RESULTS: Pain experience during the heat (HIT) and
      cold (CIT) immersion tests exhibited different average time courses, being
      approximated with a linear and cubic function, respectively. In each test, two
      groups of participants could be identified based on the time course of their
      tonic thermal pain: one-third of participants were pain adaptive and two-thirds
      non adaptive. The adaptive group exhibited higher initial pain, lower last pain,
      and shorter latency to peak pain than the non-adaptive one. Interestingly, some
      participants were adaptive to both pain stimuli, most were not. HIT as well as
      CIT produced a stable elevation of BP. However, BP was higher during CIT than HIT
      (p = 0.034). HR was also increased during CIT and HIT, but the two tests differed
      with respect to the time course of responses. Finally, the intensity and time
      course of pain rating to both HIT and CIT correlated with neither BP nor HR
      responses. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that individual sensitivity and
      adaptability to tonic thermal pain is related to the intensity of initial pain
      rating and the latency to peak pain but not to cardiovascular responses.

PMID- 26491838
TI  - Anesthesiologists Are Affiliated with Many Hospitals Only Reporting Anesthesia
      Claims Using Modifier QZ for Medicare Claims in 2013.
AB  - We examined hospitals that exclusively used the billing modifier QZ in anesthesia
      claims for a 5% sample of Medicare beneficiaries in 2013. We used a national
      Medicare provider file to identify physician anesthesiologists and nurse
      anesthetists affiliated with these hospitals. Among the 538 hospitals that
      exclusively reported the modifier QZ, 47.5% had affiliated physician
      anesthesiologists. These hospitals accounted for 60.4% of the cases. Our results
      illustrate the challenges of using modifier QZ to describe anesthesia practice
      arrangements in hospitals. The modifier QZ does not seem to be a valid surrogate
      for no anesthesiologist being involved in the care provided. 

PMID- 26491839
TI  - Unexplained Profound Hypoglycemia After Vocal Fold Lipoinjection.
AB  - Vocal fold injection is used for the management of glottal incompetence from
      various causes. The procedure is well tolerated and has few reported
      complications. We present a case of a 66-year-old man with long-lasting
      hoarseness secondary to vocal fold atrophy, who underwent an uneventful bilateral
      vocal fold injection with autologous fat. While in the recovery area, he
      experienced profuse sweating approximately 30 minutes after the surgical
      procedure. His blood glucose value was measured at 24 mg/dL, and plasmatic
      insulin level was 246 mU/L. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of
      a systemic side effect after vocal fold lipoinjection. 

PMID- 26491840
TI  - The Resident Academic Project Program: A Structured Approach to Inspiring
      Academic Development During Residency Training.
AB  - We report the successful implementation of structured resident academic projects
      in our Department of Anesthesiology at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
      Beginning with the graduating class of 2010, we adopted an expectation that each
      resident complete a project that results in a manuscript of publishable quality.
      Defining a clear timeline for all steps in the project and providing research
      education, as well as the necessary infrastructure and ongoing support, has
      helped grow the academic productivity of our anesthesia residents. 

PMID- 26491841
TI  - Intraoperative Management of Increased Intraocular Pressure in a Patient with
      Glaucoma Undergoing Robotic Prostatectomy in the Trendelenburg Position.
AB  - Patients with primary open angle glaucoma have decreased outflow through the
      trabecular meshwork of the eye, resulting in increased intraocular pressure
      (IOP). It is known that the Trendelenburg position causes increased IOP, but
      there are no current guidelines for monitoring and treating patients with
      glaucoma undergoing surgical procedures while in the Trendelenburg position. We
      describe a case of successful intraoperative management of increased IOP in a
      patient with glaucoma undergoing robotic radical prostatectomy while in steep
      Trendelenburg position. 

PMID- 26491842
TI  - Radiofrequency Scanning for Retained Surgical Items Can Cause Electromagnetic
      Interference and Pacing Inhibition if an Asynchronous Pacing Mode Is Not Applied.
AB  - Radiofrequency (RF) scanning is an increasingly popular method of detecting
      retained surgical items. RF systems are generally regarded as safe but have the
      potential to cause electrical interference with pacemakers. This may lead to
      serious adverse events, including asystole. We present a case of an RF system
      used with a temporary pacemaker resulting in asystole. With the use of RF devices
      becoming widespread, it is important for all operating room personnel to
      recognize the potential for pacemaker interference from RF scanning devices and
      the requirements for asynchronous pacing when these devices are in use. 

PMID- 26491843
TI  - Analysis of mandipropamid residual levels through systematic method optimization
      against the matrix complexity of sesame leaves using HPLC/UVD.
AB  - An analytical method was developed to detect mandipropamid residues in sesame
      leaves using high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection.
      Samples were extracted with acetonitrile and were prepurified using a solid-phase
      extraction (SPE) cartridge with an additional dispersive-SPE (d-SPE) sorbent
      application. The method was validated using an external calibration curve
      prepared using pure solvent. The linearity was excellent with determination
      coefficient = 1. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.003 and 0.01
      mg/kg, respectively. Recoveries at three spiking levels - 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg
      - were in the range 80.3-90.7% with relative standard deviations <2%. This method
      was applied to field-treated samples collected from two different areas, Gwangju
      and Muan, in the Republic of Korea and the half-lives were similar, 5.10 and 5.41
      days, respectively. The pre-harvest residue limit was also predicted for both
      sites. The proposed method is sensitive and able to quantify trace amounts of
      mandipropamid in leafy vegetables. The combination of SPE and d-SPE effectively
      removed the matrix components in sesame leaves. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley &
      Sons, Ltd. 

PMID- 26491844
TI  - Is technology the best medicine? Three practice theoretical perspectives on
      medication administration technologies in nursing.
AB  - Even though it is often presumed that the use of technology like medication
      administration technology is both safer and more effective, the importance of
      nurses' know-how is not to be underestimated. In this article, we accordingly try
      to argue that nurses' labor, including their different forms of knowledge, must
      play a crucial role in the development, implementation and use of medication
      administration technology. Using three different theoretical perspectives
      ('heuristic lenses') and integrating this with our own ethnographic research, we
      will explore how nursing practices change through the use of medication
      technology. Ultimately, we will argue that ignoring (institutional) complexity
      and the various types of important knowledge that nurses have, will seriously
      complicate the implementation of medication administration technology.

PMID- 26491846
TI  - Matching and Minimizing Movement Time in Speed-Accuracy Tasks.
AB  - The goal of present experiment was to test whether different speed-accuracy
      paradigms outcomes (time minimization and time matching) were due to different
      temporal and spatial task constraints. Fifteen participants twice performed 100
      trials of time minimization and time matching tasks with the yoked temporal and
      spatial requirements (criterion time and target width). The results showed that
      performing an aiming movement under the same spatial and temporal constraints
      resulted in similar outcomes with distributional properties (skewness and
      kurtosis) being slightly affected by practice effects. There was a trade-off in
      the information entropy for space and time (temporal information entropy
      decreased as spatial information entropy increased) with practice. Nevertheless,
      the joint space-time entropy of outcome did not change across tasks and
      conditions-revealing a common level of space-time entropy between these two
      categories of aiming tasks. These findings support the hypothesis that under the
      same spatial and temporal constraints the movement speed-accuracy function shares
      the same properties independent of task category. 

PMID- 26491845
TI  - Critical role of c-jun N-terminal protein kinase in promoting mitochondrial
      dysfunction and acute liver injury.
AB  - The mechanism by which c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) promotes tissue
      injury is poorly understood. Thus we aimed at studying the roles of JNK and its
      phospho-target proteins in mouse models of acute liver injury. Young male mice
      were exposed to a single dose of CCl4 (50mg/kg, IP) and euthanized at different
      time points. Liver histology, blood alanine aminotransferase, and other enzyme
      activities were measured in CCl4-exposed mice without or with the highly-specific
      JNK inhibitors. Phosphoproteins were purified from control or CCl4-exposed mice
      and analyzed by differential mass-spectrometry followed by further
      characterizations of immunoprecipitation and activity measurements. JNK was
      activated within 1h while liver damage was maximal at 24h post-CCl4 injection.
      Markedly increased phosphorylation of many mitochondrial proteins was observed
      between 1 and 8h following CCl4 exposure. Pretreatment with the selective JNK
      inhibitor SU3327 or the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant mito-TEMPO markedly
      reduced the levels of p-JNK, mitochondrial phosphoproteins and liver damage in
      CCl4-exposed mice. Differential proteomic analysis identified many phosphorylated
      mitochondrial proteins involved in anti-oxidant defense, electron transfer,
      energy supply, fatty acid oxidation, etc. Aldehyde dehydrogenase, NADH-ubiquinone
      oxidoreductase, and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase were phosphorylated in CCl4
      exposed mice but dephosphorylated after SU3327 pretreatment. Consistently, the
      suppressed activities of these enzymes were restored by SU3327 pretreatment in
      CCl4-exposed mice. These data provide a novel mechanism by which JNK, rapidly
      activated by CCl4, promotes mitochondrial dysfunction and acute hepatotoxicity
      through robust phosphorylation of numerous mitochondrial proteins. 

PMID- 26491847
TI  - Pre- and Posttreatment Glioma: Comparison of Amide Proton Transfer Imaging with
      MR Spectroscopy for Biomarkers of Tumor Proliferation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To correlate and compare diagnostic performance with amide proton
      transfer (APT) imaging as a tumor proliferation index with that with magnetic
      resonance (MR) spectroscopy in subgroups of patients with pre- and posttreatment
      glioma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was approved by the
      institutional review board. In 40 patients with pretreatment glioma and 25
      patients with posttreatment glioma, correlation between APT asymmetry and the
      choline-to-creatine and choline-to-N-acetylaspartate ratios in corresponding
      voxels of interest was determined, and the 90% histogram cutoff of APT asymmetry
      values (APT90) for the entire solid portion of gliomas was calculated for
      diagnostic performance. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve
      (AUC), leave-one-out cross validation, and intraclass correlation coefficients
      were analyzed. RESULTS: The APT asymmetry values showed a moderate correlation (r
      = 0.49, P < .001) with the choline-to-creatine ratios and a mild correlation with
      the choline-to-N-acetyl-aspartate ratios (r = 0.32, P = .011) in the
      corresponding lesions. The APT90 showed comparable diagnostic accuracy for
      grading of gliomas (AUC, 0.81-0.84 vs 0.86; P = .582-.864) and superior accuracy
      for differentiation of tumor progression from treatment-related change (AUC, 0.89
      0.90 vs 0.60; P = .031-.046) compared with those with MR spectroscopy. The cross
      validated area under the curve and accuracy of the APT90 in posttreatment gliomas
      were 0.89-0.90 and 72%, respectively. The interreader agreement for APT90 was
      excellent in both pretreatment and posttreatment gliomas (intraclass correlation
      coefficient, 0.95 and 0.96, respectively). CONCLUSION: APT imaging used as a
      tumor proliferation index showed moderate correlation with MR spectroscopic
      values and is a superior imaging method to MR spectroscopy, particularly for
      assessment of posttreatment gliomas.

PMID- 26491848
TI  - Primary palliative care in the delivery room: patients' and medical personnel's
      perspectives.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate circumstances of primary palliative care (PPC) in the
      delivery room (DR), medical personnel's experience with neonates who died under
      PPC in the DR and perceived sources of care-related distress in DR staff. STUDY
      DESIGN: Retrospective chart review of all neonates who were cared for under PPC
      in the DR during the years 2000-2010 at Charite University Medical Center Berlin,
      and structured face-to-face interviews with DR nursing staff and physicians.
      RESULT: Neonates undergoing PPC could be grouped as preterm infants at the limits
      of viability with a gestational age between 22 (0)/7 and 23 (6)/7 weeks (n=86,
      76%) and newborn infants with complex chronic conditions (n=27, 24%). The median
      age of neonates at death was 59 min (interquartile range [IQR] 28-105 min). Most
      of DR staff did not report relevant signs of distress in dying neonates, and
      providing palliative care was not named as a relevant care-related source of
      distress by medical personnel. However, half of the participants reported on high
      degrees of caregiver's emotional distress in PPC situations, identifying
      insecurity of how to communicate with parents and to provide emotional support as
      the most common source of distress. CONCLUSION: Caregiver's emotional distress
      primarily originates from providing support to parents and not from providing
      medical care to the dying newborn. Implications for future practice include the
      need for structured education to improve DR staff's communication and counselling
      skills related to parents in PPC situations.

PMID- 26491849
TI  - Assessment of G6PD screening program in premature infants in a NICU.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Targeted screening for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency
      (G6PDdef) using fluorescent spot test (FST) is done in our newborn nursery (NN)
      and now in our NICU. Premature infants have higher G6PD levels than term infants.
      FST may result in under diagnosis of G6PDdef in preterms. We sought to determine
      if FST is appropriate for diagnosis of G6PDdef at<35 weeks and assess screening
      in NICU. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review of male, inborn infants<35
      weeks in NICU from 2008 to 2011. Difference in G6PDdef incidence<5% between NN
      and NICU was acceptable for equivalence. RESULTS: Out of 679 subjects, 442 were
      screened for G6PDdef and 11.3% had abnormal results. Binomial testing comparing
      11.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 8.5 to 14.6) incidence of G6PDdef in NICU and
      reported incidence in NN (11%) demonstrated no difference. 12.2% of Black/African
      American males were not screened. CONCLUSION: FST is appropriate for screening
      all at-risk newborns. A number of at-risk premature males were not screened.

PMID- 26491851
TI  - Second trimester dilation and evacuation: a risk factor for preterm birth?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether second trimester pregnancy termination with
      dilation and evacuation (D&E) vs induction of labor (IOL) affects subsequent risk
      of preterm birth. STUDY DESIGN: Our cohort was a retrospective cohort of women
      undergoing second trimester pregnancy termination for fetal anomalies, fetal
      death or previable premature rupture of membranes. We analyzed the rates of
      spontaneous delivery <37 weeks in the first pregnancy following the termination.
      We also compared preterm birth rates in our cohort with national averages and
      analyzed by the total number of prior procedures. RESULT: There were 173 women in
      our cohort. Women who had undergone a D&E (n=130) were less likely to have a
      subsequent preterm birth (6.9 vs 30.2%; P<0.01). This held true for a low risk
      subset without obstetric risk factors. There was no statistical difference in
      preterm birth rates for women who had undergone a D&E as compared with national
      averages, nor between the rates of preterm birth for women with 0, 1, 2 or 3 or
      more prior first or second trimester procedures. CONCLUSION: We did not find that
      D&E was a risk factor for preterm delivery when compared with women with a prior
      IOL or national rates.

PMID- 26491850
TI  - Timing of induction of labor and association with nighttime delivery: a
      retrospective cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk of nighttime delivery associated with timing and
      method of labor induction. STUDY DESIGN: We reviewed records of 692 patients
      undergoing full, late or post-term labor induction at two large hospitals.
      Primary independent variables were start time (morning or evening) and method
      (prostaglandin or oxytocin). Relative risk was assessed for the primary outcome
      of nighttime delivery. RESULT: Two hundred and ninety-seven (42.9%) patients
      experienced nighttime delivery. The relative risk of nighttime delivery adjusted
      for age in multiparous women using oxytocin in the morning compared with oxytocin
      inductions in the evening was 0.31 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.22 to 0.45).
      Among nulliparous women in the same group, the adjusted relative risk was 0.65
      (95% CI: 0.36 to 1.19). For prostaglandin inductions, there was no difference in
      the risk of nighttime delivery based on timing of the induction in the evening
      (relative risk: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.71 to 1.10). CONCLUSION: The method used and the
      time at which induction is started affect risk of nighttime delivery. For
      multiparous patients receiving oxytocin, morning induction carries lower risk of
      nighttime delivery. For prostaglandins, timing of initiation did not affect risk
      of nighttime delivery.

PMID- 26491853
TI  - Can fetal pulmonary artery Doppler indices predict neonatal respiratory distress
      syndrome?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study whether fetal main pulmonary artery (MPA) Doppler indices can
      predict the development of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). STUDY
      DESIGN: This prospective cross-sectional study included pregnant women between 34
      and 38+6 weeks gestation. The diagnostic accuracy of MPA Doppler measurements
      (systolic/diastolic (S/D) ratio, peak systolic velocity (PSV), pulsatility index
      (PI), resistance index (RI) and acceleration time/ejection time (At/Et)) for
      diagnosis of neonatal RDS was tested. RESULT: Of the 698 eligible fetuses, 55
      (7.87%) developed neonatal RDS. PSV, PI, RI and At/Et were positively correlated
      with gestational age. The strongest correlation was found with At/Et (r=0.602,
      P<0.001). PI and RI were significantly higher, whereas At/Et and PSV were
      significantly lower in fetuses that developed RDS. A cutoff value of 0.305 for
      At/Et predicted the development of RDS (sensitivity: 76.4%; specificity: 91.6%).
      CONCLUSION: Development of neonatal RDS can be predicted using the MPA At/Et with
      high sensitivity and specificity.

PMID- 26491854
TI  - Tissue Doppler Imaging-derived Diastolic Function Assessment in Children With
      Sickle Cell Disease and Its Relation With Ferritin.
AB  - Diastolic dysfunction has been shown to occur earlier than systolic dysfunction
      in iron overload states in adult patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Tissue
      Doppler imaging (TDI)-derived E/E' has emerged as a noninvasive marker of
      diastolic function. We sought to determine diastolic function in children with
      SCD and study its relation with iron overload. A retrospective review of medical
      records of 225 pediatric patients with SCD who received an echocardiogram between
      January 2008 and December 2012 was performed. Echocardiographic measures
      including M-mode, spectral Doppler, and TDI-derived E/E' were compared with
      previously published data in healthy children. The left ventricular end-diastolic
      and end-systolic dimensions were significantly higher in SCD (P<0.0001) and the
      shortening fraction was similar (P=0.66). E/E' ratio was significantly higher in
      SCD at the mitral annulus, septum, and tricuspid annulus. In 54% of subjects, the
      septal E/E' was >8, indicating elevated left ventricular filling pressure.
      However, there was no significant correlation between ferritin level and E/E'
      ratios. Pediatric patients with SCD have a high prevalence of elevated estimated
      left ventricular filling pressure, but this does not correlate with ferritin
      levels. 

PMID- 26491852
TI  - Sildenafil and retinopathy of prematurity risk in very low birth weight infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of sildenafil therapy on development of severe
      retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) requiring surgical intervention in premature
      infants. STUDY DESIGN: We identified premature infants who were discharged from
      Pediatrix Medical Group neonatal intensive care units from 2003 to 2012 and who
      received an ophthalmologic exam. We matched each infant exposed to sildenafil
      before first eye exam to three nonexposed infants using propensity scoring to
      control for differences in baseline infant characteristics. We evaluated the
      association between sildenafil exposure and development of severe ROP using
      conditional logistic regression. RESULT: Of the 57 815 infants meeting inclusion
      criteria, 88 were exposed to sildenafil. We matched 81/88 (92%) sildenafil
      exposed with 243 nonexposed infants. There was no difference in the proportion of
      infants who developed severe ROP in the sildenafil-exposed vs nonexposed groups
      (17/81 (21%) vs 38/243 (16%), P=0.27). On adjusted analysis, there was no
      difference in severe ROP in the sildenafil-exposed vs nonexposed infants (odds
      ratio=1.46, 95% confidence interval=0.76 to 2.82, P=0.26). CONCLUSION: We did not
      observe an association between risk of severe ROP and sildenafil exposure before
      first eye exam in this cohort of premature infants.

PMID- 26491855
TI  - A Simple Diagnostic Test to Confirm Correct Placement of Dysfunctional Central
      Venous Catheters Before Chemotherapy in Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In children undergoing intravenous chemotherapy, partial dysfunction
      of the central venous catheter (CVC) is common. Fluids can be infused into the
      catheter; however, blood cannot be aspirated. In those situations, chemotherapy
      is withheld and a catheter investigation is performed. Usually, a radiographic
      study with contrast media or therapy with thrombolytic drugs followed by
      rechecking for blood return is undertaken. AIM: To evaluate if a previously
      described method using dilute sodium bicarbonate injection and the resultant rise
      in measured end-tidal carbon dioxide tracing can confirm correct intravascular
      placement of a dysfunctional CVC in children at the bedside. PATIENTS: Cohort
      group of 22 children scheduled for chemotherapy with partial dysfunction of a CVC
      in a tertiary hematology-oncology care facility. RESULTS: All children with a
      partial dysfunctional CVC that was proven to be intravascular after venogram or
      thrombolytic therapy had a distinct and predictable increase in end-tidal carbon
      dioxide response to injected bicarbonate. CONCLUSION: Injection of 1 mL/kg
      (maximum 20 mL) of 4.2% dilute sodium bicarbonate is a quick, simple, bedside
      test allowing confirmation of intravascular location of dysfunctional CVC.

PMID- 26491856
TI  - Successful Use of Eltrombopag in a Child With Hurler Syndrome After
      Haploidentical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

PMID- 26491857
TI  - Interictal Infraslow Activity in Stereoelectroencephalography: From Focus to
      Network.
AB  - PURPOSE: Infraslow activity (ISA) occurring during the interictal state in focal
      epilepsy is largely unstudied. In this exploratory analysis, the authors aimed to
      characterize features of interictal ISA in a cohort of patients studied by
      stereoelectroencephography. METHODS: The interictal stereoelectroencephography
      records for 15 consecutive adult patients were retrospectively analyzed, after
      application of both conventional (1.6-70 Hz) and infraslow (0.01-0.1 Hz) bandpass
      filters. Visual analysis was complemented by time-frequency analysis to quantify
      the change in ISA power over hours. Linear correlation coefficient (R)
      calculations were used to map interictal connectivity in the infraslow band.
      RESULTS: Interictal ISA background fluctuations were present throughout the
      interictal state in all patients, manifesting as recurrent and stereotyped
      oscillations. These oscillations had an apparent modulatory effect on
      conventional-band activities and spikes ("spike-crested oscillations"). In the
      infraslow band, the correlations between electrode contacts were shown to have a
      stable structure over time. CONCLUSIONS: Infraslow activity exists as a
      fundamental component of wideband cortical dynamics in focal epilepsy, with
      features suggestive of scale-free (1/f) dynamics: evidence of phase-amplitude
      coupling and functional connectivity in the infraslow band. Rather than viewed as
      a focal paroxysmal activity, interictal ISA may be better understood as a network
      process, although this requires further study.

PMID- 26491858
TI  - Identification of peptides derived from the C-terminal domain of fibulin-7 active
      for endothelial cell adhesion and tube formation disruption.
AB  - Despite the research done on pathological angiogenesis, there is still a need for
      the development of new therapies against angiogenesis-related diseases. Fibulin-7
      (Fbln7) is a member of the extracellular matrix fibulin protein family. The Fbln7
      C-terminal fragment, Fbln7-C, binds to endothelial cells and inhibits their tube
      formation in culture. In this study, we screened 12 synthetic peptides, covering
      the fibulin-globular domain of Fbln7-C, to identify active sites for endothelial
      cell adhesion and in vitro antiangiogenic activity. Three peptides, fc10, fc11,
      and fc12, promoted Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) adhesion, and
      the morphology of HUVECs on fc10 was similar to that on Fbln7-C. EDTA and the
      anti-integrin beta1 function-blocking antibody inhibited HUVECs adhesion to both
      fc10 and fc12, and heparin inhibited HUVECs adhesion to both fc11 and fc12. fc10
      and fc11 inhibited HUVECs tube formation. Our results suggest that three peptides
      from Fbln7-C are biologically active for endothelial cell adhesion and disrupt
      the tube formation, suggesting a potential therapeutic use of these peptides for
      angiogenesis-related diseases. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept
      Sci) 106: 184-195, 2016.

PMID- 26491859
TI  - Effects of Oxygen Concentrations on Postresuscitation Myocardial Oxidative Stress
      and Myocardial Function in a Rat Model of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Lipid peroxidation induced by free-radical species plays a prominent
      role in myocardial injury following ischemia and reperfusion. However, there is a
      lack of data in different oxygen concentrations on myocardial lipid peroxidation
      during the early phase of reperfusion. In this study, we investigated whether
      ventilation with medium or normal concentration of oxygen would decrease the
      severity of myocardial lipid peroxidation and postresuscitation myocardial
      dysfunction. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled experimental study.
      SETTING: University-affiliated animal research institution. SUBJECTS: Sixty-three
      healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats. INTERVENTIONS: Animals were randomized into
      three groups: 1) 100% group, 2) 50% group, and 3) 21% group. Ventricular
      fibrillation was induced and untreated for 8 minutes, and defibrillation was
      attempted after 8 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Ventilation with
      100%, 50%, or 21% oxygen was initiated in all groups during cardiopulmonary
      resuscitation and 1 hour following the return of spontaneous circulation.
      Normoxic ventilation was maintained thereafter. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
      Myocardial function, including ejection fraction and myocardial performance
      index, were measured at baseline, 4, or 72 hours after resuscitation. Blood
      samples were drawn at baseline, 15 minutes, 1, 4, or 72 hours after resuscitation
      for the measurements of blood gas or biomarkers. Significantly better myocardial
      function and longer duration of survival were observed in the 50% group. Compared
      with the 21% and 100% groups, a mild hyperoxia and greater oxygen extraction with
      lower 8-iso-prostaglandin F2alpha were observed in the 50% group. Pearson
      correlation analysis confirmed that 8-iso-prostaglandin F2alpha was positively
      correlated with myocardial performance index at 4 hours postresuscitation.
      CONCLUSIONS: In a rat model of cardiac arrest and resuscitation, ventilation with
      50% inspired oxygen during early postischemic reperfusion phase contributed to a
      decreased lipid peroxidation and a better myocardial function and duration of
      survival.

PMID- 26491860
TI  - Targeted Inhibition of Leucine-Rich Repeat and Immunoglobulin Domain-Containing
      Protein 1 in Transplanted Neural Stem Cells Promotes Neuronal Differentiation and
      Functional Recovery in Rats Subjected to Spinal Cord Injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Leucine-rich repeat and immunoglobulin domain-containing protein
      (LINGO)-1 is expressed in neural stem cells, and its neutralization results in
      sustained neuronal immaturity. Thus, targeted inhibition of LINGO-1 via RNA
      interference may enhance transplanted neural stem cell survival and neuronal
      differentiation in vivo. Furthermore, LINGO-1 RNA interference in neural stem
      cells represents a potential therapeutic strategy for spinal cord injury. DESIGN:
      Department of Spine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.
      SETTING: Translational Medicine Center Research Laboratory, First Affiliated
      Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. SUBJECTS: Female Sprague-Dawley rats.
      INTERVENTIONS: The animals were divided into three groups that underwent
      laminectomy and complete spinal cord transection accompanied by transplantation
      of control-RNA interference-treated or LINGO-1-RNA interference-treated neural
      stem cells at the injured site in vivo. In vitro, neural stem cells were divided
      into four groups for the following treatments: control, control RNA interference
      lentivirus, LINGO-1 RNA interference lentivirus and LINGO-1 complementary DNA
      lentivirusand the Key Projects of the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong
      Province (No. S2013020012818). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Neural stem cells
      in each treatment group were examined for cell survival and neuronal
      differentiation in vitro and in vivo via immunofluorescence and Western blot
      analysis. Axonal regeneration and tissue repair were assessed via retrograde
      tracing using Fluorogold, electron microscopy, hematoxylin-eosin staining and
      MRI. Rats were also examined for functional recovery based on the measurement of
      spinal cord-evoked potentials and the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan score. LINGO-1-RNA
      interference-treated neural stem cell transplantation increased tissue repair and
      functional recovery of the injured spinal cord in rats. Similarly, LINGO-1 RNA
      interference increased neural stem cell survival and neuronal differentiation in
      vitro. The mechanism underlying the effect of LINGO-1 RNA interference on the
      injured rat spinal cord may be that the significant inhibition of LINGO-1
      expression in neural stem cells inactivated the RhoA and Notch signaling
      pathways, which act downstream of LINGO-1. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate
      that transplantation of LINGO-1-RNA interference-treated neural stem cells
      facilitates functional recovery after spinal cord injury and represents a
      promising potential strategy for the repair of spinal cord injury.

PMID- 26491861
TI  - Mortality of Septic Mice Strongly Correlates With Adrenal Gland Inflammation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Sepsis and septic shock are commonly present in the ICU and
      accompanied by significant morbidity, mortality, and cost. The frequency of
      secondary adrenal insufficiency in sepsis remains open to debate and a challenge
      to identify and treat appropriately. Animal models of sepsis using genetic or
      surgical initiation of adrenal insufficiency resulted in increased mortality, but
      the mechanisms are still unclear. The present study investigates the impact of
      adrenal inflammation in septic mice challenged with cecal ligation and puncture.
      DESIGN: Prospective experimental study. SETTING: University laboratory. SUBJECTS:
      C57BL/6N wild-type mice. INTERVENTIONS: Sepsis, induced by cecal ligation and
      puncture for 24 and 48 hours. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Both septic and
      control mice were carefully monitored (every 30 min) for up to 48 hours and
      divided into survivors and nonsurvivors. We observed a significant and massive
      increase of interleukin-6, interleukin-1beta, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in
      adrenal protein extracts of nonsurvivors compared with sham animals and
      survivors. This pattern was partly reflected in liver and lung but not in plasma
      samples. Notably, a significant increase in nonsurvivors compared with survivors
      was only found for lung interleukin-6. In line with these findings, we detected a
      higher degree of leukocyte infiltration and hemorrhage in the adrenal glands of
      deceased mice. Evaluation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response in
      these animals revealed an increase of adrenocorticotropic hormone, which was only
      partly reflected in the corticosterone level. Notably, using the
      adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test, we found an impaired
      adrenocorticotropic hormone response, particularly in nonsurvivors, which
      significantly correlated with the number of infiltrated leukocytes. CONCLUSIONS:
      Cecal ligation and puncture-induced murine sepsis induces a strong inflammatory
      response in the adrenal glands, which is accompanied by cell death and
      hemorrhage. Our data suggest that mortality and adrenal incapacitation are
      associated with the degree of adrenal inflammation, thereby underscoring the
      importance of adrenal function on survival.

PMID- 26491862
TI  - Population Pharmacokinetics of Fentanyl in the Critically Ill.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize fentanyl population pharmacokinetics in patients with
      critical illness and identify patient characteristics associated with altered
      fentanyl concentrations. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Medical and
      surgical ICUs in a large tertiary care hospital in the United States. PATIENTS:
      Patients with acute respiratory failure and/or shock who received fentanyl during
      the first 5 days of their ICU stay. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We collected
      clinical and hourly drug administration data and measured fentanyl concentrations
      in plasma collected once daily for up to 5 days after enrollment. Among 337
      patients, the mean duration of infusion was 58 hours at a median rate of 100
      MUg/hr. Using a nonlinear mixed-effects model implemented by NONMEM, we found
      that fentanyl pharmacokinetics were best described by a two-compartment model in
      which weight, severe liver disease, and congestive heart failure most affected
      fentanyl concentrations. For a patient population with a mean weight of 92 kg and
      no history of severe liver disease or congestive heart failure, the final model,
      which performed well in repeated 10-fold cross-validation, estimated total
      clearance, intercompartmental clearance (Q), and volumes of distribution for the
      central (V1) and peripheral compartments (V2) to be 35 L/hr (95% CI, 32-39 L/hr),
      55 L/hr (95% CI, 42-68 L/hr), 203 L (95% CI, 140-266 L), and 523 L (95% CI, 428
      618 L), respectively. Severity of illness was marginally associated with fentanyl
      pharmacokinetics but did not improve the model fit after liver and heart diseases
      were included. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, fentanyl pharmacokinetics during
      critical illness were strongly influenced by severe liver disease, congestive
      heart failure, and weight, factors that should be considered when dosing fentanyl
      in the ICU. Future studies are needed to determine if data-driven fentanyl dosing
      algorithms can improve outcomes for ICU patients.

PMID- 26491863
TI  - A Donation After Circulatory Death Program Has the Potential to Increase the
      Number of Donors After Brain Death.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Donation after circulatory death has been responsible for 75% of the
      increase in the numbers of deceased organ donors in the United Kingdom. There has
      been concern that the success of the donation after circulatory death program has
      been at the expense of donation after brain death. The objective of the study was
      to ascertain the impact of the donation after circulatory death program on
      donation after brain death in the United Kingdom. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort
      study. SETTING: A national organ procurement organization. PATIENTS: Patients
      referred and assessed as donation after circulatory death donors in the United
      Kingdom between October and December 2013. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND
      MAIN RESULTS: A total of 257 patients were assessed for donation after
      circulatory death. Of these, 193 were eligible donors. Three patients were deemed
      medically unsuitable following surgical inspection, 56 patients did not proceed
      due to asystole, and 134 proceeded to donation. Four donors had insufficient data
      available for analysis. Therefore, 186 cases were analyzed in total. Organ
      donation would not have been possible in 79 of the 130 actual donors if donation
      after circulatory death was not available. Thirty-six donation after circulatory
      death donors (28% of actual donors) were judged to have the potential to progress
      to brain death if withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment had been delayed by up
      to a further 36 hours. A further 15 donation after circulatory death donors had
      brain death confirmed or had clinical indications of brain death with clear
      mitigating circumstances in all but three cases. We determined that the maximum
      potential donation after brain death to donation after circulatory death
      substitution rate observed was 8%; however due to mitigating circumstances, only
      three patients (2%) could have undergone brain death testing. CONCLUSIONS: The
      development of a national donation after circulatory death program has had
      minimal impact on the number of donation after brain death donors. The number of
      donation after brain death donors could increase with changes in end-of-life care
      practices to allow the evolution of brain death and increasing the availability
      of ancillary testing.

PMID- 26491864
TI  - Inhibition of Adenosine Kinase Attenuates Acute Lung Injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Extracellular adenosine has tissue-protective potential in several
      conditions. Adenosine levels are regulated by a close interplay between
      nucleoside transporters and adenosine kinase. On the basis of the evidence of the
      role of adenosine kinase in regulating adenosine levels during hypoxia, we
      evaluated the effect of adenosine kinase on lung injury. Furthermore, we tested
      the influence of a pharmacologic approach to blocking adenosine kinase on the
      extent of lung injury. DESIGN: Prospective experimental animal study. SETTING:
      University-based research laboratory. SUBJECTS: In vitro cell lines, wild-type
      and adenosine kinase+/- mice. INTERVENTIONS: We tested the expression of
      adenosine kinase during inflammatory stimulation in vitro and in a model of
      lipopolysaccharide inhalation in vivo. Studies using the adenosine kinase
      promoter were performed in vitro. Wild-type and adenosine kinase+/- mice were
      subjected to lipopolysaccharide inhalation. Pharmacologic inhibition of adenosine
      kinase was performed in vitro, and its effect on adenosine uptake was evaluated.
      The pharmacologic inhibition was also performed in vivo, and the effect on lung
      injury was assessed. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We observed the repression of
      adenosine kinase by proinflammatory cytokines and found a significant influence
      of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B-cells on regulation
      of the adenosine kinase promoter. Mice with endogenous adenosine kinase
      repression (adenosine kinase+/-) showed reduced infiltration of leukocytes into
      the alveolar space, decreased total protein and myeloperoxidase levels, and lower
      cytokine levels in the alveolar lavage fluid. The inhibition of adenosine kinase
      by 5-iodotubercidin increased the extracellular adenosine levels in vitro,
      diminished the transmigration of neutrophils, and improved the epithelial barrier
      function. The inhibition of adenosine kinase in vivo showed protective
      properties, reducing the extent of pulmonary inflammation during lung injury.
      CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these data show that adenosine kinase is a valuable
      target for reducing the inflammatory changes associated with lung injury and
      should be pursued as a therapeutic option.

PMID- 26491865
TI  - Interhospital Transfer Delays Appropriate Treatment for Patients With Severe
      Sepsis and Septic Shock: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that interhospital transfer causes significant
      delays in the administration of appropriate antibiotics and compliance with the
      completion of Surviving Sepsis Bundle elements. DESIGN: Single-center
      retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A comprehensive 60,000-visit emergency
      department at a 711-bed Midwestern academic medical center. PATIENTS: Patients
      with severe sepsis and septic shock treated between 2009 and 2014 were identified
      by International Classification of Diseases,9th Revision, Clinical Modification,
      codes, then divided into two cohorts: 1) transfer patients who arrived at the
      tertiary academic center after receiving care in a local community hospital and
      2) control patients who presented directly to the tertiary academic center
      emergency department. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS: One
      hundred ninety-three patients were included. Transfer patients were more likely
      to require surgery in the hospital (p < 0.001) and require ICU care (p = 0.001)
      but had similar illness severity based on (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health
      Evaluation II, 17.7 vs 17.5; p = 0.662). Antibiotic administration at 1 and 3
      hours was comparable between the two cohorts, but initial antibiotic
      appropriateness was lower in transfer patients (34% vs 79%; p < 0.001). Transfer
      patients were less likely to have fluid resuscitation started by 3 hours (54% vs
      89%; p < 0.001), but they were not less likely to receive an adequate fluid bolus
      (30 mL/kg) by the time of hospital admission (p = 0.056). There were no
      differences in ICU length of stay or mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Interhospital
      transfer significantly delays administration of appropriate initial antibiotics
      and resuscitation therapy. Future studies are needed to identify strategies of
      providing regional sepsis care prior to transfer to tertiary centers and to
      continue care pathways during the interhospital transfer process.

PMID- 26491866
TI  - Ineffective erythropoiesis and regulation of iron status in iron loading
      anaemias.
AB  - The definition 'iron loading anaemias' encompasses a group of inherited and
      acquired anaemias characterized by ineffective erythropoiesis, low hepcidin
      levels, excessive iron absorption and secondary iron overload. Non-transfusion
      dependent beta-thalassaemia is the paradigmatic example of these conditions that
      include dyserythropoietic and sideroblastic anaemias and some forms of
      myelodysplasia. Interrupting the vicious cycle between ineffective erythropoiesis
      and iron overload may be of therapeutic benefit in all these diseases. Induction
      of iron restriction by means of transferrin infusions, minihepcidins or
      manipulation of the hepcidin pathway prevents iron overload, redistributes iron
      from parenchymal cells to macrophage stores and partially controls anaemia in
      beta-thalassaemic mice. Inhibition of ineffective erythropoiesis by activin
      ligand traps improves anaemia and iron overload in the same models. Targeting
      iron loading or ineffective erythropoiesis shows promise in preclinical studies;
      activin ligand traps are in clinical trials with promising results and may be
      useful in patients with ineffective erythropoiesis. 

PMID- 26491867
TI  - Different Blood-Borne Human Osteoclast Precursors Respond in Distinct Ways to IL
      17A.
AB  - Osteoclasts are bone-degrading cells that are formed through fusion of their
      monocytic precursors. Three distinct subsets of monocytes have been identified in
      human peripheral blood: classical, intermediate, and non-classical monocytes.
      They are known to play different roles in physiology and pathology, but their
      capacity to differentiate into osteoclasts and whether inflammatory cytokines
      influence this differentiation is unknown. We hypothesized that classical,
      intermediate, and non-classical monocytes generate functionally different
      osteoclasts and that they respond in different ways to the inflammatory cytokine
      interleukin-17A (IL-17A). To investigate this, the different monocyte subsets
      were isolated from human peripheral blood and osteoclastogenesis was induced with
      the cytokines M-CSF and RANKL, with or without IL-17A. We found that all subsets
      are able to differentiate into osteoclasts in vitro, and that both
      osteoclastogenesis and subsequent bone resorption was distinctly affected by IL
      17A. Osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption by osteoclasts derived from classical
      monocytes remained unaffected by IL-17A, while osteoclast formation from
      intermediate monocytes was inhibited by the cytokine. Surprisingly, bone
      resorption by osteoclasts derived from intermediate monocytes remained at similar
      levels as control cultures, indicating an increased bone resorbing activity by
      these osteoclasts. Limited numbers of osteoclasts were formed from non-classical
      monocytes on bone and no bone resorption was detected, which suggest that these
      cells belong to a cell lineage different from the osteoclast. By providing more
      insight into osteoclast formation from human blood monocytes, this study
      contributes to the possible targeting of specific osteoclast precursors as a
      therapeutic approach for diseases associated with inflammatory bone loss.

PMID- 26491868
TI  - Mild Joint Symptoms Are Associated with Lower Risk of Falls than Asymptomatic
      Individuals with Radiological Evidence of Osteoarthritis.
AB  - Osteoarthritis (OA) exacerbates skeletal muscle functioning, leading to postural
      instability and increased falls risk. However, the link between impaired physical
      function, OA and falls have not been elucidated. We investigated the role of
      impaired physical function as a potential mediator in the association between OA
      and falls. This study included 389 participants [229 fallers (>=2 falls or one
      injurious fall in the past 12 months), 160 non-fallers (no history of falls)],
      age (>=65 years) from a randomized controlled trial, the Malaysian Falls
      Assessment and Intervention Trial (MyFAIT). Physical function was assessed using
      Timed Up and Go (TUG) and Functional Reach (FR) tests. Knee and hip OA were
      diagnosed using three methods: Clinical, Radiological and Self-report. OA symptom
      severity was assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities
      Arthritis Index (WOMAC). The total WOMAC score was categorized to asymptomatic,
      mild, moderate and severe symptoms. Individuals with radiological OA and 'mild'
      overall symptoms on the WOMAC score had reduced risk of falls compared to
      asymptomatic OA [OR: 0.402(0.172-0.940), p = 0.042]. Individuals with clinical OA
      and 'severe' overall symptoms had increased risk of falls compared to those with
      'mild' OA [OR: 4.487(1.883-10.693), p = 0.005]. In individuals with radiological
      OA, mild symptoms appear protective of falls while those with clinical OA and
      severe symptoms have increased falls risk compared to those with mild symptoms.
      Both relationships between OA and falls were not mediated by physical
      limitations. Larger prospective studies are needed for further evaluation. 

PMID- 26491869
TI  - Patterns of Methylphenidate Use and Assessment of Its Abuse among the General
      Population and Individuals with Drug Dependence.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe the extent of methylphenidate
      (MPH) abuse and characterize its patterns by following several cases involving
      intravenous administration of crushed MPH tablets. METHODS: First, a drug
      reimbursement database (covering 4 million inhabitants) was explored to assess
      the magnitude of MPH abuse among the general population, and second, a specific
      study based on individuals with drug dependence was performed to describe
      abusers' characteristics (n = 64), patterns of abuse and clinical implications.
      RESULTS: From 2005 to 2011, the number of patients who were dispensed MPH at
      least once increased by 166%. The patients with 'deviant' patterns of MPH
      consumption were mainly male adults with opiate maintenance treatment
      reimbursements. MPH abusers had precarious living conditions. Half of them
      consumed MPH daily by intravenous route and reported amphetamine-like effects
      (cardiovascular events, weight loss, psychiatric adverse events). CONCLUSION:
      Given the increase of MPH use, it is important to warn the scientific community
      about possible MPH abuse, especially in individuals with drug dependence. This
      study has facilitated public health intervention and dissemination of information
      related to MPH abuse among health care professionals at local and national
      levels.

PMID- 26491870
TI  - A Preliminary Study Examining the Binding Capacity of Akkermansia muciniphila and
      Desulfovibrio spp., to Colonic Mucin in Health and Ulcerative Colitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Akkermansia muciniphila and Desulfovibrio spp. are commensal microbes
      colonising the mucus gel layer of the colon. Both species have the capacity to
      utilise colonic mucin as a substrate. A. muciniphila degrades colonic mucin,
      while Desulfovibrio spp. metabolise the sulfate moiety of sulfated mucins.
      Altered abundances of these microorganisms have been reported in ulcerative
      colitis (UC). However their capacity to bind to human colonic mucin, and whether
      this binding capacity is affected by changes in mucin associated with UC, remain
      to be defined. METHODS: Mucin was isolated from resected colon from control
      patients undergoing resection for colonic cancer (n = 7) and patients undergoing
      resection for UC (n = 5). Isolated mucin was purified and printed onto mucin
      microarrays. Binding of reference strains and three clinical isolates of A.
      muciniphila and Desulfovibrio spp. to purified mucin was investigated. RESULTS:
      Both A. muciniphila and Desulfovibro spp. bound to mucin. The reference strain
      and all clinical isolates of A. muciniphila showed increased binding capacity for
      UC mucin (p < .005). The Desulfovibrio reference strain showed increased affinity
      for UC mucin. The mucin binding profiles of clinical isolates of Desulfovibrio
      spp. were specific to each isolate. Two isolates showed no difference in binding.
      One UC isolate bound with increased affinity to UC mucin (p < .005). CONCLUSION:
      These preliminary data suggest that differences exist in the mucin binding
      capacity of isolates of A. muciniphila and Desulfovibrio spp. This study
      highlights the mucin microarray platform as a means of studying the ability of
      bacteria to interact with colonic mucin in health and disease.

PMID- 26491871
TI  - Panitumumab Use in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer and Patterns of KRAS Testing:
      Results from a Europe-Wide Physician Survey and Medical Records Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: From 2008-2013, the European indication for panitumumab required that
      patients' tumor KRAS exon 2 mutation status was known prior to starting
      treatment. To evaluate physician awareness of panitumumab prescribing information
      and how physicians prescribe panitumumab in patients with metastatic colorectal
      cancer (mCRC), two European multi-country, cross-sectional, observational studies
      were initiated in 2012: a physician survey and a medical records review. The
      first two out of three planned rounds for each study are reported. METHODS: The
      primary objective in the physician survey was to estimate the prevalence of KRAS
      testing, and in the medical records review, it was to evaluate the effect of test
      results on patterns of panitumumab use. The medical records review study also
      included a pathologists' survey. RESULTS: In the physician survey, nearly all
      oncologists (299/301) were aware of the correct panitumumab indication and the
      need to test patients' tumor KRAS status before treatment with panitumumab.
      Nearly all oncologists (283/301) had in the past 6 months of clinical practice
      administered panitumumab correctly to mCRC patients with wild-type KRAS status.
      In the medical records review, 97.5% of participating oncologists (77/79)
      conducted a KRAS test for all of their patients prior to prescribing panitumumab.
      Four patients (1.3%) did not have tumor KRAS mutation status tested prior to
      starting panitumumab treatment. Approximately one-quarter of patients (85/306)
      were treated with panitumumab and concurrent oxaliplatin-containing chemotherapy;
      of these, 83/85 had confirmed wild-type KRAS status prior to starting panitumumab
      treatment. All 56 referred laboratories that participated used a Conformite
      Europeenne-marked or otherwise validated KRAS detection method, and nearly all
      (55/56) participated in a quality assurance scheme. CONCLUSIONS: There was a high
      level of knowledge amongst oncologists around panitumumab prescribing information
      and the need to test and confirm patients' tumors as being wild-type KRAS prior
      to treatment with panitumumab, with or without concurrent oxaliplatin-containing
      therapy.

PMID- 26491872
TI  - Efficient Mating-Type Switching in Candida glabrata Induces Cell Death.
AB  - Candida glabrata is an apparently asexual haploid yeast that is phylogenetically
      closer to Saccharomyces cerevisiae than to Candida albicans. Its genome contains
      three MAT-like cassettes, MAT, which encodes either MATa or MATalpha information
      in different strains, and the additional loci, HML and HMR. The genome also
      contains an HO gene homolog, but this yeast has never been shown to switch mating
      types spontaneously, as S. cerevisiae does. We have recently sequenced the
      genomes of the five species that, together with C. glabrata, make up the
      Nakaseomyces clade. All contain MAT-like cassettes and an HO gene homolog. In
      this work, we express the HO gene of all Nakaseomyces and of S. cerevisiae in C.
      glabrata. All can induce mating-type switching, but, despite the larger
      phylogenetic distance, the most efficient endonuclease is the one from S.
      cerevisiae. Efficient mating-type switching in C. glabrata is accompanied by a
      high cell mortality, and sometimes results in conversion of the additional
      cassette HML. Mortality probably results from the cutting of the HO recognition
      sites that are present, in HML and possibly HMR, contrary to what happens
      naturally in S. cerevisiae. This has implications in the life-cycle of C.
      glabrata, as we show that efficient MAT switching is lethal for most cells,
      induces chromosomal rearrangements in survivors, and that the endogenous HO is
      probably rarely active indeed. 

PMID- 26491873
TI  - Rationally Targeted Mutations at the V1V2 Domain of the HIV-1 Envelope to Augment
      Virus Neutralization by Anti-V1V2 Monoclonal Antibodies.
AB  - HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins (Env) are the only viral antigens present on the
      virus surface and serve as the key targets for virus-neutralizing antibodies.
      However, HIV-1 deploys multiple strategies to shield the vulnerable sites on its
      Env from neutralizing antibodies. The V1V2 domain located at the apex of the HIV
      1 Env spike is known to encompass highly variable loops, but V1V2 also contains
      immunogenic conserved elements recognized by cross-reactive antibodies. This
      study evaluates human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against V2 epitopes which
      overlap with the conserved integrin alpha4beta7-binding LDV/I motif, designated
      as the V2i (integrin) epitopes. We postulate that the V2i Abs have weak or no
      neutralizing activities because the V2i epitopes are often occluded from antibody
      recognition. To gain insights into the mechanisms of the V2i occlusion, we
      evaluated three elements at the distal end of the V1V2 domain shown in the
      structure of V2i epitope complexed with mAb 830A to be important for antibody
      recognition of the V2i epitope. Amino-acid substitutions at position 179 that
      restore the LDV/I motif had minimal effects on virus sensitivity to
      neutralization by most V2i mAbs. However, a charge change at position 153 in the
      V1 region significantly increased sensitivity of subtype C virus ZM109 to most
      V2i mAbs. Separately, a disulfide bond introduced to stabilize the hypervariable
      region of V2 loop also enhanced virus neutralization by some V2i mAbs, but the
      effects varied depending on the virus. These data demonstrate that multiple
      elements within the V1V2 domain act independently and in a virus-dependent
      fashion to govern the antibody recognition and accessibility of V2i epitopes,
      suggesting the need for multi-pronged strategies to counter the escape and the
      shielding mechanisms obstructing the V2i Abs from neutralizing HIV-1. 

PMID- 26491874
TI  - Evidence of Selection against Complex Mitotic-Origin Aneuploidy during
      Preimplantation Development.
AB  - Whole-chromosome imbalances affect over half of early human embryos and are the
      leading cause of pregnancy loss. While these errors frequently arise in oocyte
      meiosis, many such whole-chromosome abnormalities affecting cleavage-stage
      embryos are the result of chromosome missegregation occurring during the initial
      mitotic cell divisions. The first wave of zygotic genome activation at the 4-8
      cell stage results in the arrest of a large proportion of embryos, the vast
      majority of which contain whole-chromosome abnormalities. Thus, the full spectrum
      of meiotic and mitotic errors can only be detected by sampling after the initial
      cell divisions, but prior to this selective filter. Here, we apply 24-chromosome
      preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) to 28,052 single-cell day-3 blastomere
      biopsies and 18,387 multi-cell day-5 trophectoderm biopsies from 6,366 in vitro
      fertilization (IVF) cycles. We precisely characterize the rates and patterns of
      whole-chromosome abnormalities at each developmental stage and distinguish errors
      of meiotic and mitotic origin without embryo disaggregation, based on informative
      chromosomal signatures. We show that mitotic errors frequently involve multiple
      chromosome losses that are not biased toward maternal or paternal homologs. This
      outcome is characteristic of spindle abnormalities and chaotic cell division
      detected in previous studies. In contrast to meiotic errors, our data also show
      that mitotic errors are not significantly associated with maternal age. PGS
      patients referred due to previous IVF failure had elevated rates of mitotic
      error, while patients referred due to recurrent pregnancy loss had elevated rates
      of meiotic error, controlling for maternal age. These results support the
      conclusion that mitotic error is the predominant mechanism contributing to
      pregnancy losses occurring prior to blastocyst formation. This high-resolution
      view of the full spectrum of whole-chromosome abnormalities affecting early
      embryos provides insight into the cytogenetic mechanisms underlying their
      formation and the consequences for human fertility. 

PMID- 26491876
TI  - Periconception Maternal Folate Status and Human Embryonic Cerebellum Growth
      Trajectories: The Rotterdam Predict Study.
AB  - We aimed to investigate whether periconceptional maternal folate status affects
      human embryonic cerebellar size and growth trajectories. In a prospective
      periconceptional cohort participants filled out questionnaires and received
      weekly transvaginal 3D-ultrasounds between 7+0 and 12+6 weeks gestational age
      (GA). Viable non-malformed singleton pregnancies were selected for cerebellar
      measurements; transcerebellar diameter, (TCD), left and right cerebellar
      diameters (LCD, RCD). Linear mixed models were performed to estimate associations
      between questionnaire data on the timing of maternal folic acid supplement
      initiation and longitudinal cerebellar measurements as a function of crown-rump
      length (CRL) and GA. Maternal red blood cell folate concentrations were analysed
      before 8 weeks GA to validate the associations. A total of 263 serial high
      quality three-dimensional ultrasound scans of 135 pregnancies were studied.
      Preconceptional compared to postconceptional initiation of folic acid use was
      associated with slightly larger cerebellar diameters per millimetre increase of
      CRL (TCD: beta = 0.260mm, 95%CI = 0.023-0.491, p<0.05; LCD: beta = 0.171mm, 95%CI
      = 0.038-0.305, p<0.05; RCD: beta = 0.156mm, 95%CI = 0.032-0.280, p<0.05) and with
      proportional cerebellar growth (TCD/CRL:beta = 0.015mm/mm, 95%CI = 0.005-0.024,
      p<0.01; LCD/CRL:beta = 0.012mm/mm, 95%CI = 0.005-0.018, p<0.01; RCD/CRL:beta =
      0.011mm/mm, 95%CI = 0.005-0.017, p<0.01). Cerebellar growth was significantly
      highest in the third quartile of maternal red blood cell folate levels (1538-1813
      nmol/L). These first findings show that periconceptional maternal folate status
      is associated with human embryonic cerebellar development. Implications of these
      small but significant variations for fetal cerebellar growth trajectories and the
      child's neurodevelopmental outcome are yet unknown and warrant further
      investigation. 

PMID- 26491875
TI  - Dengue Virus Infection of Aedes aegypti Requires a Putative Cysteine Rich Venom
      Protein.
AB  - Dengue virus (DENV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that causes serious human
      disease and mortality worldwide. There is no specific antiviral therapy or
      vaccine for DENV infection. Alterations in gene expression during DENV infection
      of the mosquito and the impact of these changes on virus infection are important
      events to investigate in hopes of creating new treatments and vaccines. We
      previously identified 203 genes that were >=5-fold differentially upregulated
      during flavivirus infection of the mosquito. Here, we examined the impact of
      silencing 100 of the most highly upregulated gene targets on DENV infection in
      its mosquito vector. We identified 20 genes that reduced DENV infection by at
      least 60% when silenced. We focused on one gene, a putative cysteine rich venom
      protein (SeqID AAEL000379; CRVP379), whose silencing significantly reduced DENV
      infection in Aedes aegypti cells. Here, we examine the requirement for CRVP379
      during DENV infection of the mosquito and investigate the mechanisms surrounding
      this phenomenon. We also show that blocking CRVP379 protein with either RNAi or
      specific antisera inhibits DENV infection in Aedes aegypti. This work identifies
      a novel mosquito gene target for controlling DENV infection in mosquitoes that
      may also be used to develop broad preventative and therapeutic measures for
      multiple flaviviruses. 

PMID- 26491877
TI  - Laminar Neural Field Model of Laterally Propagating Waves of Orientation
      Selectivity.
AB  - We construct a laminar neural-field model of primary visual cortex (V1)
      consisting of a superficial layer of neurons that encode the spatial location and
      orientation of a local visual stimulus coupled to a deep layer of neurons that
      only encode spatial location. The spatially-structured connections in the deep
      layer support the propagation of a traveling front, which then drives propagating
      orientation-dependent activity in the superficial layer. Using a combination of
      mathematical analysis and numerical simulations, we establish that the existence
      of a coherent orientation-selective wave relies on the presence of weak, long
      range connections in the superficial layer that couple cells of similar
      orientation preference. Moreover, the wave persists in the presence of feedback
      from the superficial layer to the deep layer. Our results are consistent with
      recent experimental studies that indicate that deep and superficial layers work
      in tandem to determine the patterns of cortical activity observed in vivo. 

PMID- 26491878
TI  - The London Exercise And Pregnant smokers (LEAP) trial: a randomised controlled
      trial of physical activity for smoking cessation in pregnancy with an economic
      evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Smoking during pregnancy is the main preventable cause of poor birth
      outcomes. Improved methods are needed to help women to stop smoking during
      pregnancy. Pregnancy provides a compelling rationale for physical activity (PA)
      interventions as cessation medication is contraindicated or ineffective, and an
      effective PA intervention could be highly cost-effective. OBJECTIVE: To examine
      the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a PA intervention plus standard
      behavioural support for smoking cessation relative to behavioural support alone
      for achieving smoking cessation at the end of pregnancy. DESIGN: Multicentre, two
      group, pragmatic randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation with follow
      up at the end of pregnancy and 6 months postnatally. Randomisation was stratified
      by centre and a computer-generated sequence was used to allocate participants
      using a 1 : 1 ratio. SETTING: 13 hospitals offering antenatal care in the UK.
      PARTICIPANTS: Women between 10 and 24 weeks' gestation smoking five or more
      cigarettes a day before pregnancy and one or more during pregnancy.
      INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomised to behavioural support for smoking
      cessation (control) or behavioural support plus a PA intervention consisting of
      supervised treadmill exercise plus PA consultations. Neither participants nor
      researchers were blinded to treatment allocation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The
      primary outcome was self-reported, continuous smoking abstinence between a quit
      date and end of pregnancy, validated by expired carbon monoxide and/or salivary
      cotinine. Secondary outcomes were maternal weight, depression, birth outcomes,
      withdrawal symptoms and urges to smoke. The economic evaluation investigated the
      costs of the PA intervention compared with the control intervention. RESULTS: In
      total, 789 women were randomised (n = 394 PA, n = 395 control). Four were
      excluded post randomisation (two had been enrolled twice in sequential
      pregnancies and two were ineligible and randomised erroneously). The intention-to
      treat analysis comprised 785 participants (n = 392 PA, n = 393 control). There
      was no significant difference in the rate of abstinence at the end of pregnancy
      between the PA group (7.7%) and the control group (6.4%) [odds ratio for PA group
      abstinence 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70 to 2.10]. For the PA group
      compared with the control group, there was a 33% (95% CI 14% to 56%), 28% (95% CI
      7% to 52%) and 36% (95% CI 12% to 65%) significantly greater increase in self
      reported minutes of moderate- and vigorous-intensity PA from baseline to 1 week,
      4 weeks and 6 weeks respectively. Accelerometer data showed that there was no
      significant difference in PA levels between the groups. There were no significant
      differences between the groups for change in maternal weight, depression,
      withdrawal symptoms or urges to smoke. Adverse events and birth outcomes were
      similar between the groups except for there being significantly more caesarean
      births in the control group than in the PA group (28.7% vs. 21.3%; p < 0.023).
      The PA intervention was less costly than the control intervention by L35 per
      participant. This was mainly attributable to increased health-care usage in the
      control group. However, there was considerable statistical uncertainty around
      this estimate. CONCLUSIONS: During pregnancy, offering an intervention combining
      supervised exercise and PA counselling does not add to the effectiveness of
      behavioural support for smoking cessation. Only 10% of participants had PA levels
      accessed by accelerometer and it is, therefore, unclear whether or not the lack
      of an effect on the primary outcome is the result of insufficient increases in
      PA. Research is needed to identify the smoking populations most suitable for PA
      interventions and methods for increasing PA adherence. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN48600346. FUNDING: This project was funded by the
      NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in
      Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 19, No. 84. See the NIHR Journals Library
      website for further project information.

PMID- 26491879
TI  - Mechanics of Viral Chromatin Reveals the Pressurization of Human Adenovirus.
AB  - Tight confinement of naked genomes within some viruses results in high internal
      pressure that facilitates their translocation into the host. Adenovirus, however,
      encodes histone-like proteins that associate with its genome resulting in a
      confined DNA-protein condensate (core). Cleavage of these proteins during
      maturation decreases core condensation and primes the virion for proper uncoating
      via unidentified mechanisms. Here we open individual, mature and immature
      adenovirus cages to directly probe the mechanics of their chromatin-like cores.
      We find that immature cores are more rigid than the mature ones, unveiling a
      mechanical signature of their condensation level. Conversely, intact mature
      particles demonstrate more rigidity than immature or empty ones. DNA-condensing
      polyamines revert the mechanics of mature capsid and cores to near-immature
      values. The combination of these experiments reveals the pressurization of
      adenovirus particles induced by maturation. We estimate a pressure of ~30 atm by
      continuous elasticity, which is corroborated by modeling the adenovirus mini
      chromosome as a confined compact polymer. We propose this pressurization as a
      mechanism that facilitates initiating the stepwise disassembly of the mature
      particle, enabling its escape from the endosome and final genome release at the
      nuclear pore.

PMID- 26491880
TI  - Visible-Light-Promoted Photoredox Syntheses of alpha,beta-Epoxy Ketones from
      Styrenes and Benzaldehydes under Alkaline Conditions.
AB  - A range of styrenes and benzaldehydes were smoothly combined to form alpha,beta
      epoxy ketones under the synergistic actions of photocatalyst Ru(bpy)3Cl2, tert
      butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH), cesium carbonate (Cs2CO3), and visible light
      irradiation. The process likely proceeds through visible-light-enabled
      photocatalytic generations of acyl radicals as key intermediates. 

PMID- 26491881
TI  - Phosphonic Acid-Functionalized Polyurethane Dispersions with Improved Adhesion
      Properties.
AB  - A facile route to phosphorus-functionalized polyurethane dispersions (P-PUDs)
      with improved adhesion properties is presented. (Bis)phosphonic acid moieties
      serve as adhesion promoting sites that are covalently attached via an end-capping
      reaction to isocyanate-reactive polyurethane particles under aqueous conditions.
      The synthetic approach circumvents solubility issues, offers great flexibility in
      terms of polyurethane composition, and allows for the synthesis of
      semicrystalline systems with thermomechanical response due to reversible physical
      cross-linking. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is used to investigate the
      effect of functionalization on the semicrystallinity. The end-capping conversion
      was determined via inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP
      OES) and was surprisingly found to be almost independent of the stoichiometry of
      reaction, suggesting an adsorption-dominated process. Particle charge detection
      (PCD) experiments reveal that a dense surface coverage of phosphonic acid groups
      can be attained and that, at high functionalization degrees, the phosphonic
      adhesion moieties are partially dragged inside the colloidal P-PUD particle.
      Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCMD) investigations conducted with
      hydroxyapatite (HAP) and stainless steel sensors as model surfaces show a greatly
      enhanced affinity of the aqueous P-PUDs and furthermore indicate polymer chain
      rearrangements and autonomous film formation under wet conditions. Due to their
      facile synthesis, significantly improved adhesion, and variable film properties,
      P-PUD systems such as the one described here are believed to be of great interest
      for multiple applications, e.g., adhesives, paints, anticorrosion, or dentistry. 

PMID- 26491882
TI  - Intramolecular Direct Arylation of 3-Halo-2-pyrones and 2-Coumarins.
AB  - Direct arylation represents a favorable alternative to traditional cross-coupling
      and has found widespread use with simple aryls and robust heterocycles. Herein a
      direct arylation protocol has been optimized and applied to 2-pyrones, which are
      delicate and privileged biological motifs. Regioselective halogenation at the 3
      position allows intramolecular coupling by activation of a pyrone C-Br or C-Cl
      bond and a phenoxy C-H bond. Importantly, electron-poor phenoxy substrates also
      worked well. The methodology was extended to 2-coumarins and applied to the
      synthesis of flemichapparin C and a novel analogue. Deuterium isotope effects,
      typical of a concerted metalation-deprotonation (CMD) mechanism, were observed in
      the case of a bromopyrone, but a highly unusual, inverse kinetic isotope effect
      was evident using a chlorocoumarin, implying that a different mechanism is
      operating. 

PMID- 26491883
TI  - Quantifying the pi-Stacking Interactions in Nitroarene Binding Sites of Proteins.
AB  - Stacking interactions in nitroarene binding sites of proteins were studied
      through analyses of structures in the protein data bank (PDB), as well as DFT and
      ab initio computations applied to model systems. Stacked dimers of mono-, di-,
      and trinitrobenzene with the amino acid side chains histidine (His),
      phenylalanine (Phe), tyrosine (Tyr), and tryptophan (Trp) were optimized at the
      B97-D/TZV(2d,2p) level of theory. Binding energies for the global minimum dimer
      geometries were further refined at the estimated CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ level of
      theory. The results show that the interactions between aromatic amino acids and
      nitroarenes are very strong (up to -14.6 kcal mol(-1)), and the regiochemistry of
      the nitro substituents plays a significant role in the relative monomer
      orientations and strength of the interaction. In contrast to model stacked
      benzene dimers, effects of nitro substituents in stacking complexes with aromatic
      amino acid side chains are not perfectly additive. This is attributed to direct
      interactions of the nitro substituents with functional groups in the amino acid
      side chain. Overall, the strength of stacking interactions with these
      nitrobenzenes follows the order Trp > Tyr > Phe ~ His. We also analyzed
      nitroarene binding sites in the PDB. Out of 216 selected crystal structures
      containing nitroarene ligands, 191 have nearby aromatic residues, providing 65
      examples of pi-stacking interactions involving a nitroarene. Of these, the
      representations of the different aromatic amino acids (Trp > Tyr > Phe > His) are
      correlated with the strength of model complexes of nitroarenes, with the
      exception of His. B97-D computations applied to complexes extracted from these
      crystal structures reveal that pi-stacking interactions between the nitroarene
      and aromatic amino acid side chains exhibit a broad range of strengths, with many
      contributing significantly to binding. 

PMID- 26491884
TI  - Beyond Single-Wavelength SHG Measurements: Spectrally-Resolved SHG Studies of
      Tetraphosphonate Ester Coordination Polymers.
AB  - Powder second-harmonic generation (SHG) efficiencies are usually measured at
      single wavelengths. In the present work, we provide a proof of concept of
      spectrally resolved powder SHG measured for a newly obtained series of three non
      centrosymmetric coordination polymers (CPs). CPs are constructed from tetrahedral
      linker-tetraphenylmethane-based tetraphosphonate octaethyl ester and cobalt(II)
      ions of mixed, octahedral (Oh), and tetrahedral (Td), geometries and different
      sets of donors (CoO6 vs CoX3O). Isostructurality of the obtained materials
      allowed for the determination of anion-dependent tunability of SHG optical
      spectra and their relationship with solid-state absorption spectra. 

PMID- 26491885
TI  - Phospholipid Topography of Whole-Body Sections of the Anopheles stephensi
      Mosquito, Characterized by High-Resolution Atmospheric-Pressure Scanning
      Microprobe Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging.
AB  - High-resolution atmospheric-pressure scanning microprobe matrix-assisted laser
      desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (AP-SMALDI MSI) has been employed
      to study the molecular anatomical structure of rodent malaria vector Anopheles
      stephensi mosquitoes. A dedicated sample preparation method was developed which
      suits both, the special tissue properties of the sample and the requirements of
      high-resolution MALDI imaging. Embedding in 5% carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) was
      used to maintain the tissue integrity of the whole mosquitoes, being very soft,
      fragile, and difficult to handle. Individual lipid compounds, specifically
      representing certain cell types, tissue areas, or organs, were detected and
      imaged in 20 MUm-thick whole-body tissue sections at a spatial resolution of 12
      MUm per image pixel. Mass spectrometric data and information quality were based
      on a mass resolution of 70,000 (at m/z 200) and a mass accuracy of better than 2
      ppm in positive-ion mode on an orbital trapping mass spectrometer. A total of 67
      imaged lipids were assigned by database search and, in a number of cases,
      identified via additional MS/MS fragmentation studies directly from tissue. This
      is the first MSI study at 12 MUm spatial resolution of the malaria vector
      Anopheles. The study provides insights into the molecular anatomy of Anopheles
      stephensi and the distribution and localization of major classes of
      glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids. These data can be a basis for future
      experiments, investigating, e.g., the metabolism of Plasmodium-infected and 
      uninfected Anopheles mosquitoes.

PMID- 26491888
TI  - Bimodal Latex Effect on Spin-Coated Thin Conductive Polymer-Single-Walled Carbon
      Nanotube Layers.
AB  - We synthesize two differently sized poly(methyl methacrylate-co-tert-butyl
      acrylate) latexes by emulsion polymerization and mix these with a sonicated
      single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) dispersion, in order to prepare 3% SWCNT
      composite mixtures. We spin-coat these mixtures at various spin-speed rates and
      spin times over a glass substrate, producing a thin, transparent, solid,
      conductive layer. Keeping the amount of SWCNTs constant, we vary the weight
      fraction of our smaller 30-nm latex particles relative to the larger 70-nm-sized
      ones. We find a maximum in the electrical conductivity up to 370 S/m as a
      function of the weight fraction of smaller particles, depending on the overall
      solid content, the spin speed, and the spin time. This maximum occurs at 3-5% of
      the smaller latex particles. We also find a more than 2-fold increase in
      conductivity parallel to the radius of spin-coating than perpendicular to it.
      Atomic force microscopy points at the existence of lanes of latex particles in
      the spin-coated thin layer, while large-area transmission electron microscopy
      demonstrates that the SWCNTs are aligned over a grid fixed on the glass substrate
      during the spin-coating process. We extract the conductivity distribution on the
      surface of the thin film and translate this into the direction of the SWCNTs in
      it. 

PMID- 26491886
TI  - Concise Enantioselective Synthesis of Oxygenated Steroids via Sequential
      Copper(II)-Catalyzed Michael Addition/Intramolecular Aldol Cyclization Reactions.
AB  - A new scalable enantioselective approach to functionalized oxygenated steroids is
      described. This strategy is based on chiral bis(oxazoline) copper(II) complex
      catalyzed enantioselective and diastereoselective Michael reactions of cyclic
      ketoesters and enones to install vicinal quaternary and tertiary stereocenters.
      In addition, the utility of copper(II) salts as highly active catalysts for the
      Michael reactions of traditionally unreactive beta,beta'-enones and substituted
      beta,beta'-ketoesters that results in unprecedented Michael adducts containing
      vicinal all-carbon quaternary centers is also demonstrated. The Michael adducts
      subsequently undergo base-promoted diastereoselective aldol cascade reactions
      resulting in the natural or unnatural steroid skeletons. The experimental and
      computational studies suggest that the torsional strain effects arising from the
      presence of the Delta(5)-unsaturation are key controlling elements for the
      formation of the natural cardenolide scaffold. The described method enables
      expedient generation of polycyclic molecules including modified steroidal
      scaffolds as well as challenging-to-synthesize Hajos-Parrish and Wieland-Miescher
      ketones. 

PMID- 26491887
TI  - Quantitative Proteomics Reveals That the Inhibition of Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase Activity
      Affects S-Phase Progression Leading to a Chromosome Segregation Disorder by
      Attenuating the Aurora A Function in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells.
AB  - Many studies have shown the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase (NKA) might be a potential target
      for anticancer therapy. Cardiac glycosides (CGs), as a family of naturally
      compounds, inhibited the NKA activity. The present study investigates the
      antitumor effect of ouabain and elucidates the pharmacological mechanisms of CG
      activity in liver cancer HepG2 cell using SILAC coupled to LC-MS/MS method.
      Bioinformatics analysis of 330 proteins that were changed in cells under
      treatment with 0.5 MUmol/L ouabain showed that the biological processes are
      associated with an acute inflammatory response, cell cycle, oxidation reduction,
      chromosome segregation, and DNA metabolism. We confirmed that ouabain induced
      chromosome segregation disorder and S-cell cycle block by decreasing the
      expression of AURKA, SMC2, Cyclin D, and p-CDK1 as well as increasing the
      expression of p53. We found that the overexpression or inhibition of AURKA
      significantly reduced or enhanced the ouabain-mediated the anticancer effects.
      Our findings suggest that AURKA is involved in the anticancer mechanisms of
      ouabain in HepG2 cells. 

PMID- 26491889
TI  - Impact of Ialuril Soft Gels in reducing urinary toxicity during radical
      hypofractionated radiotherapy in prostate cancer: a preliminary experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Ialuril Soft Gels
      in reducing acute genito-urinary (GU) toxicity in patients with prostate cancer
      treated with volumetric-modulated arc radiotherapy. METHODS: Forty patients were
      prospectively recruited. A moderate hypofractionation in 28 fractions ("hypo
      moderate") was prescribed in 20 patients, while an extreme hypofractionation
      ("hypo-extreme") in 5 fractions was prescribed in 20 patients. The International
      Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire was administered in all cases before
      and after radiotherapy (RT). GU toxicity was evaluated according to CTCAE v4.0.
      Patients of each group ("hypo-moderate" and "hypo-extreme") were randomized (1:1)
      to receive RT alone or RT combined with Ialuril Soft Gels. RESULTS: In "hypo
      moderate" patients treated with Ialuril Soft Gels the following GU toxicity was
      reported: G0 3, G1 6, G2 1, G3 0. In the arm treated without Ialuril Soft Gels:
      G0 0, G1 7, G2 2, G3 1. In "hypo-extreme" arm treated with Ialuril Soft Gels the
      following GU toxicity was recorded: G0 7, G1 2, G2 1, G3 in 0; while in the arm
      treated without Ialuril Soft Gels: G0 5, G1 2, G2 2, G3 1. IPSS was unchanged in
      "hypo-moderate" and "hypo-extreme" groups and patients treated with Ialuril Soft
      Gels, with a median value of 6 and 5 respectively. In patients treated without
      Ialuril Soft Gels an increased IPSS was reported in "hypo-moderate" and "hypo
      extreme" from 6 to 8 and from 3.5 to 4.5, respectively. At statistical analysis
      (Fisher's exact text) Ialuril Soft Gels was associated with IPSS improvement
      (P=0.03). CONCLUSION: Ialuril Soft Gels seems to have a beneficial role in
      reducing GU toxicity without worsening the IPSS.

PMID- 26491890
TI  - Developing Rapport and Therapeutic Alliance During Telemental Health Sessions
      with Children and Adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the special considerations
      for building rapport and establishing a therapeutic alliance when conducting
      mental health evaluations for children and adolescents via videoconferencing.
      METHODS: The authors review the literature and describe their experience in
      conducting mental health evaluations, developing rapport, and establishing a
      therapeutic alliance during telemental health practice. RESULTS: Clinical need
      and shortages of clinicians with expertise in evaluating mental conditions for
      children and adolescents in underserved communities have stimulated the rapid
      expansion of telemental health programs while the research base continues to
      develop. The emerging evidence base and clinical experience suggest that
      teleclinicians can, and do, build rapport and establish a therapeutic alliance
      during telemental health sessions with youth and families. Families may be more
      accepting of telemental health approaches than clinicians. The impact that
      technology, equipment, site staff, community supports, cultural identification,
      and teleclinicians' characteristics have on building rapport and establishing a
      therapeutic alliance should be considered when establishing a telemental health
      service. Staff at the patient site and referring providers have a valuable role
      in supporting the therapeutic alliance between telemental health providers and
      their patients, and ultimately supporting the success of a telemental health
      program. CONCLUSIONS: Teleclinicians are creative in transcending the
      videoconferencing technology to evaluate patients using guideline-based care.
      Further research is needed to determine how clinicians build rapport and
      establish a therapeutic alliance during telemental health sessions, and whether
      the therapeutic alliance is associated with the accuracy of evaluation and
      outcomes.

PMID- 26491891
TI  - High-Resolution 3-T Endorectal Prostate MRI: A Multireader Study of Radiologist
      Preference and Perceived Interpretive Quality of 2D and 3D T2-Weighted Fast Spin
      Echo MR Images.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to compare the perceived quality of 3-T
      axial T2-weighted high-resolution 2D and high-resolution 3D fast spin-echo (FSE)
      endorectal MR images of the prostate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six radiologists
      independently reviewed paired 3-T axial T2-weighted high-resolution 2D and 3D FSE
      endorectal MR images of the prostates of 85 men in two sessions. In the first
      session (n = 85), each reader selected his or her preferred images; in the second
      session (n = 28), they determined their confidence in tumor identification and
      compared the depiction of the prostatic anatomy, tumor conspicuity, and
      subjective intrinsic image quality of images. A meta-analysis using a random
      effects model, logistic regression, and the paired Wilcoxon rank-sum test were
      used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: Three readers preferred the 2D
      acquisition (67-89%), and the other three preferred the 3D images (70-80%). The
      option for one of the techniques was not associated with any of the predictor
      variables. The 2D FSE images were significantly sharper than 3D FSE (p < 0.001)
      and significantly more likely to exhibit other (nonmotion) artifacts (p = 0.002).
      No other statistically significant differences were found. CONCLUSION: Our
      results suggest that there are strong individual preferences for the 2D or 3D FSE
      MR images, but there was a wide variability among radiologists. There were
      differences in image quality (image sharpness and presence of artifacts not
      related to motion) but not in the sequences' ability to delineate the glandular
      anatomy and depict a cancerous tumor.

PMID- 26491892
TI  - Breast Imaging: A Paradigm for Accountable Care Organizations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are being promoted by the
      Centers of Medicare Services as alternative payment models for radiology
      reimbursement. Because of its clinical orientation, focus on prevention,
      standardized reporting, quality orientation through mandatory accreditation, and
      value demonstration through established outcome metrics, breast imaging offers a
      unique paradigm for the ACO model in radiology. CONCLUSION: In radiology, breast
      imaging represents the paradigm for ACOs.

PMID- 26491893
TI  - Imaging of Conductive Hearing Loss With a Normal Tympanic Membrane.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article presents an approach to imaging conductive hearing loss
      in patients with normal tympanic membranes and discusses entities that should be
      checked as the radiologist evaluates this potentially complicated issue.
      CONCLUSION: Conductive hearing loss in a patient with a normal tympanic membrane
      is a complicated condition that requires a careful imaging approach. Imaging
      should focus on otosclerosis, and possible mimics and potential surgical
      considerations should be evaluated. The radiologist should examine the ossicular
      chain and the round window and keep in mind that a defect in the superior
      semicircular canal can disturb the hydraulic integrity of the labyrinth.

PMID- 26491895
TI  - Imaging of Cerebrovascular Disease in Pregnancy and the Puerperium.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to review the unique physiologic
      changes that characterize pregnancy and the puerperium, some that substantially
      affect the cerebrovascular system. Conditions that can cause neurologic
      deterioration and share features with preeclampsia-eclampsia include postpartum
      angiopathy, reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, posterior reversible
      encephalopathy syndrome, and amniotic fluid embolism. Other conditions not
      specific to this patient group include cerebral venous thrombosis,
      cervicocephalic arterial dissection, ischemic stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke,
      which can pose specific diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. CONCLUSION:
      Radiologists must be familiar with the imaging findings of cerebrovascular
      complications and pathologic entities encountered during pregnancy and the
      puerperium. Ongoing improvements in understanding of molecular changes during
      pregnancy and the puerperium and advances in diagnostic tests should allow
      radiologists to continue to make important contributions to the care of this
      patient population.

PMID- 26491896
TI  - An unusual complication of vesicoamniotic shunt: coiling of the shunt around
      lower extremity associated with dislodgement.

PMID- 26491894
TI  - Current Status of Hybrid PET/MRI in Oncologic Imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This review article explores recent advancements in PET/MRI for
      clinical oncologic imaging. CONCLUSION: Radiologists should understand the
      technical considerations that have made PET/MRI feasible within clinical
      workflows, the role of PET tracers for imaging various molecular targets in
      oncology, and advantages of hybrid PET/MRI compared with PET/CT. To facilitate
      this understanding, we discuss clinical examples (including gliomas, breast
      cancer, bone metastases, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, gynecologic malignancy,
      and lymphoma) as well as future directions, challenges, and areas for continued
      technical optimization for PET/MRI.

PMID- 26491897
TI  - Rapid isolation of dengue-neutralizing antibodies from single cell-sorted human
      antigen-specific memory B-cell cultures.
AB  - Monitoring antigen-specific memory B cells and the antibodies they encode is
      important for understanding the specificity, breadth and duration of immune
      response to an infection or vaccination. The antibodies isolated could further
      help design vaccine antigens for raising relevant protective immune responses.
      However, developing assays to measure and isolate antigen-specific memory B cells
      is technically challenging due to the low frequencies of these cells that exist
      in the circulating blood. Here, we describe a flow cytometry method to identify
      and isolate dengue envelope-specific memory B cells using a labeled dengue
      envelope protein. We enumerated dengue-envelope specific memory B cells from a
      cohort of dengue seropositive donors using this direct flow cytometry assay. A
      more established and conventional assay, the cultured B ELISPOT, was used as a
      benchmark comparator. Furthermore, we were able to confirm the single-sorted
      memory B-cell specificity by culturing B cells and differentiating them into
      plasma cells using cell lines expressing CD40L. The culture supernatants were
      assayed for antigen binding and the ability of the antibodies to neutralize the
      cognate dengue virus. Moreover, we successfully isolated the heavy and light Ig
      sequences and expressed them as full-length recombinant antibodies to reproduce
      the activity seen in culture supernatants. Mapping of these antibodies revealed a
      novel epitope for dengue 2 virus serotype. In conclusion, we established a
      reproducible methodology to enumerate antigen-specific memory B cells and assay
      their encoded antibodies for functional characterization. 

PMID- 26491899
TI  - Vulvar Cancer with Bilateral Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis.

PMID- 26491898
TI  - FGFR3/fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 inhibits autophagy through decreasing
      the ATG12-ATG5 conjugate, leading to the delay of cartilage development in
      achondroplasia.
AB  - FGFR3 (fibroblast growth factor receptor 3) is a negative regulator of
      endochondral ossification. Gain-of-function mutations in FGFR3 are responsible
      for achondroplasia, the most common genetic form of dwarfism in humans.
      Autophagy, an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process, maintains chondrocyte
      viability in the growth plate under stress conditions, such as hypoxia and
      nutritional deficiencies. However, the role of autophagy and its underlying
      molecular mechanisms in achondroplasia remain elusive. In this study, we found
      activated FGFR3 signaling inhibited autophagic activity in chondrocytes, both in
      vivo and in vitro. By employing an embryonic bone culture system, we demonstrated
      that treatment with autophagy inhibitor 3-MA or chloroquine led to cartilage
      growth retardation, which mimics the effect of activated-FGFR3 signaling on
      chondrogenesis. Furthermore, we found that FGFR3 interacted with ATG12-ATG5
      conjugate by binding to ATG5. More intriguingly, FGFR3 signaling was found to
      decrease the protein level of ATG12-ATG5 conjugate. Consistently, using in vitro
      chondrogenic differentiation assay system, we showed that the ATG12-ATG5
      conjugate was essential for the viability and differentiation of chondrocytes.
      Transient transfection of ATG5 partially rescued FGFR3-mediated inhibition on
      chondrocyte viability and differentiation. Our findings reveal that FGFR3
      inhibits the autophagic activity by decreasing the ATG12-ATG5 conjugate level,
      which may play an essential role in the pathogenesis of achondroplasia.

PMID- 26491900
TI  - Confidence and connectedness: Indigenous Maori women's views on personal safety
      in the context of intimate partner violence.
AB  - Maori (New Zealand) women, similar to women belonging to Indigenous and minority
      groups globally, have high levels of lifetime abuse, assault, and homicide, and
      are over-represented in events that compromise their safety. We sought insights
      into how Maori women view safety. Twenty Maori women's narratives revealed safety
      as a holistic concept involving a number of different elements. We found women
      had developed an acute sense of the concept of safety. They had firm views and
      clear strategies to maintain their own safety and that of their female family and
      friends. These women also provided insights into their experiences of feeling
      unsafe.

PMID- 26491902
TI  - A Surrogate Technique for Investigating Deterministic Dynamics in Discrete Human
      Movement.
AB  - Entropy is an effective tool for investigation of human movement variability.
      However, before applying entropy, it can be beneficial to employ analyses to
      confirm that observed data are not solely the result of stochastic processes.
      This can be achieved by contrasting observed data with that produced using
      surrogate methods. Unlike continuous movement, no appropriate method has been
      applied to discrete human movement. This article proposes a novel surrogate
      method for discrete movement data, outlining the processes for determining its
      critical values. The proposed technique reliably generated surrogates for
      discrete joint angle time series, destroying fine-scale dynamics of the observed
      signal, while maintaining macro structural characteristics. Comparison of entropy
      estimates indicated observed signals had greater regularity than surrogates and
      were not only the result of stochastic but also deterministic processes. The
      proposed surrogate method is both a valid and reliable technique to investigate
      determinism in other discrete human movement time series. 

PMID- 26491903
TI  - Clinical, Radiographic, and Pathologic Findings in Patients Undergoing
      Reoperation Following Radiation Therapy and Temozolomide for Newly Diagnosed
      Glioblastoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Patients with glioblastoma (GBM) frequently deteriorate clinically and
      radiographically after chemoradiation and may require repeat surgical
      intervention. We attempted to correlate pathologic findings with preoperative
      clinical characteristics and survival in patients undergoing reoperation for GBM.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients eligible for this retrospective analysis had
      pathologically confirmed GBM diagnosed between 2005 and 2010, received standard
      radiation and temozolomide, and underwent repeat resection within 18 months of
      diagnosis. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients were identified. Median age was 56
      years (range, 30 to 80 y), 55% were male, and 66% had baseline performance status
      >=90%. Median survival was 16.3 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.3-19.8)
      from initial surgery. At reoperation, 21% of patients had no pathologically
      evident tumor. Median time from initial diagnosis to second surgery was similar
      in patients with and without evident tumor (8.5 vs. 8.8 mo, respectively).
      Patients without evident tumor tended to have a worse performance status. Median
      overall survival from second surgery was 7 months (95% CI, 4.2-10.1) and 9.1
      months (95% CI, 2.1-25.3) for patients with and without evident tumor,
      respectively. Multivariate proportional hazards analysis showed a hazard ratio
      for death of 0.61 (95% CI, 0.25-1.49) for patients without evident tumor after
      adjusting for Karnofsky performance status and second surgical procedure.
      CONCLUSIONS: GBM patients with and without disease recurrence have similar
      clinical characteristics at the time of second surgical resection. Pathologic
      outcomes were not correlated with specific clinical or radiologic
      characteristics, including the time from diagnosis to reoperation. There was a
      trend toward improved overall survival among patients without evident tumor at
      reoperation.

PMID- 26491904
TI  - Expression of Sex Determining Region Y-Box 2 and Pancreatic and Duodenal Homeobox
      1 in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The World Health Organization 2010 classification divides pancreatic
      neuroendocrine tumors (p-NETs) entity to well-differentiated neuroendocrine
      tumors (NET) and poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC) by Ki-67
      index. The aim of this study is elucidate the pathophysiology and tumor biology
      of p-NETs. METHODS: We assessed the expression of transcription factors sex
      determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2) and pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 (Pdx1))
      essential for the normal fetal development of pancreatic neuroendocrine cells in
      46 surgically resected p-NETs by immunohistochemistry. The relationship of
      expression levels of these factors and clinicopathological factors were analyzed.
      RESULTS: SOX2 was positive in 6 p-NETs (13.0%). Five of 7 NEC patients showed
      positive for SOX2. SOX2 was highly (sensitivity 71%) and specifically
      (specificity 97%) expressed in NEC. Patients with SOX2 positive p-NET showed the
      significantly shorter disease-free and overall survival than patients with SOX2
      negative p-NET. High Pdx1 expression was seen in 25 p-NET patients (54.3%). None
      of the NEC patients showed high Pdx1 expression. There was a significant reverse
      correlation between SOX2 and Pdx1 expression. CONCLUSIONS: The expression
      patterns of SOX2 and Pdx1 highly correlated with prognosis of p-NETs. These
      expression patterns may represent the biological and pathophysiological
      difference of p-NETs and indicate the origin of tumor.

PMID- 26491905
TI  - Surgery for Localized Pancreatic Cancer: The Trend Is Not Improving.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the trend in the use of surgery
      for localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma for the past 2 decades using the
      Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. METHODS: We identified a
      cohort of patients who received a diagnosis of localized pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma between 1988 and 2010 in the United States. Univariate and
      multivariate methods were used to determine factors associated with not receiving
      surgery. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was used to determine
      factors associated with survival. RESULTS: Of 6742 patients with a diagnosis of
      localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma, 1715 patients (25.4%) underwent surgery.
      There was no significant change in use of surgery over time. Patients were less
      likely to undergo surgery if they were older than 50 years, black, unmarried, and
      located outside the East and had pancreatic head or body lesions, higher tumor
      grades, or tumor size greater than 2 cm (P < 0.0001). Receiving surgery had the
      most significant impact on the hazard of disease-specific death (hazards ratio,
      1.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.29-1.53; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In contrast
      to recent studies that suggest an increasing use of surgery, the present study
      demonstrates that there has been no change in the rate of use of surgery in
      patients with localized pancreatic disease.

PMID- 26491906
TI  - Double Filtration Plasma Apheresis Shortens Hospital Admission Duration of
      Patients With Severe Hypertriglyceridemia-Associated Acute Pancreatitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The treatment effectiveness of double filtration plasma apheresis
      (DFPP) on severe hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis (STAP) has
      been questioned because the currently defined serum triglyceride level--1000
      mg/dL--is too low for STAP. Given this, we aimed to investigate DFPP
      effectiveness when we elevated STAP definition to 5000 mg/dL serum triglyceride.
      METHODS: We performed nested case-control studies for STAP patients and divided
      them into groups "with" or "without" DFPP. We further recruited outpatient
      asymptomatic hypertriglyceridemia patients with STAP history, then divided them
      into groups "with" or "without" prophylactic DFPP once every 3 to 6 months for 2
      years. We observed hospitalization duration and STAP recurrence between patients
      with and patients without DFPP. RESULTS: Twelve STAP patients receiving DFPP had
      a median hospitalization of 5 days, whereas 24 patients without DFPP had 10 days
      (P = 0.009). Six outpatient referrals with STAP history receiving prophylactic
      DFPP showed no STAP recurrences whereas 6 without DFPP showed 3 recurrences (P =
      0.046). For the 25 patients whose serum triglyceride exceeded 5000 mg/dL, 11
      receiving DFPP had median hospitalization of 5 days while 14 without DFPP had 11
      days (P = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: When applied to serum triglyceride in excess of
      5000 mg/dL, DFPP removes oxidized and inflammatory lipoproteins, shortens
      hospitalization duration, and minimizes STAP recurrence.

PMID- 26491907
TI  - Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases Are Activated in Placental Injury in Rat Model
      of Acute Pancreatitis in Pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To establish a rat model of acute pancreatitis in pregnancy (APIP)
      and evaluate its general presentations, assess placental injury, and discuss
      possible mechanisms. METHODS: The APIP rat model was induced by sodium
      taurocholate in Sprague-Dawley rats of later gestation. Normal and sham-operated
      (SO) rats in later gestation were set as controls, 3 time points were set in SO
      and APIP groups to determine optimal modeling time. Histological changes of
      pancreas and placenta were assessed. Placental injury was determined by
      immunohistochemistry stain of caspase-3. Serum levels of amylase, lipase, and Ca;
      proinflammatory cytokines as tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta (IL
      1beta), IL-6, and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay; mitogen-activated protein kinases and their phosphorylated forms by
      Western blotting. RESULTS: Pancreatic necrotizing and placental injury occurred
      in time-dependent patterns. Serum levels of amylase and lipase significantly
      increased but Ca decreased; tumor necrosis factor-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL
      10 were all increased in the APIP group; c-Jun N-terminal kinase, p38, and ERK1/2
      were activated but with different distributing patterns in the placenta.
      CONCLUSIONS: Placental injury is involved in the rat model of APIP, and a
      modeling time of 6 hours is optimal and conducive to further studies; c-Jun N
      terminal kinase and p38 may play important roles in placental injury during APIP.

PMID- 26491908
TI  - T1-weighted Dynamic Contrast-enhanced MR Imaging of the Lung in Asthma:
      Semiquantitative Analysis for the Assessment of Contrast Agent Kinetic
      Characteristics.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the contrast agent kinetics of dynamic contrast material
      enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in healthy lungs and asthmatic
      lungs by using non-model-based semiquantitative parameters and to explore the
      relationships with pulmonary function testing and eosinophil level. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The study was approved by the National Research Ethical Committee
      (reference no. 11/NW/0387), and written informed consent was obtained from all
      individuals. Ten healthy subjects and 30 patients with asthma underwent pulmonary
      function tests, blood and sputum eosinophil counts, and 1.5-T DCE MR imaging
      within 7 days. Semiquantitative parameters of contrast agent kinetics were
      calculated from the relative signal intensity-time course curves on a pixel-by
      pixel basis and were summarized by using whole-lung median values. The
      distribution heterogeneity was assessed by using the regional coefficient of
      variation. DCE MR imaging readouts were compared between groups by using one-way
      analysis of variance, and the relationships with pulmonary function testing and
      eosinophil counts were assessed by using Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS:
      Asthmatic patients showed significantly lower peak enhancement (P < .001) and
      initial areas under the relative signal intensity curve in the first 60 seconds
      (P = .002) and significantly reduced late-phase washout slope (P = .002) when
      compared with healthy control subjects. The distribution heterogeneity of bolus
      arrival time (P = .029), time to peak (P = .008), upslope of the first-pass peak
      (P = .011), and late-phase washout slope (P = .032), estimated by using the
      median coefficient of variation, were significantly higher in asthmatic patients
      than in healthy control subjects. These imaging readouts also showed significant
      linear correlations with measurements of pulmonary function testing but not with
      eosinophil level in patients with asthma. CONCLUSION: The contrast agent kinetic
      characteristics of T1-weighted DCE MR images of asthmatic lungs are different
      from those of healthy lungs and are related to measurements of pulmonary function
      testing but not to eosinophil level.

PMID- 26491910
TI  - Predictors of Recurrent Patellar Instability in Children and Adolescents After
      First-time Dislocation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patellar dislocations are one of the most common knee injuries in
      children and adolescents and are challenging to treat. Recurrence rates are
      relatively high and many patients have functional limitations, even in the
      absence of a recurrent instability episode. The purpose of this study was to
      examine the risk factors in patients with first-time patellofemoral dislocations
      to develop a prediction model of recurrence. METHODS: A single institution
      retrospective review of all patients with a first-time patellofemoral dislocation
      from 2002 to 2013 was performed. Demographic risk factors (age, sex, laterality,
      mechanism of injury, and history of contralateral patellar dislocation) and
      radiographic risk factors (increased patella height, trochlear dysplasia, and
      skeletal immaturity) were examined. Patella height was measured using Caton
      Deschamps index (CDI). Trochlear dysplasia was assessed using the 2-grade Dejour
      classification and skeletal immaturity was assessed based on the distal femur and
      proximal tibia physis (open, closing, or closed). RESULTS: In total, 266 knees in
      250 patients were included in the study. Of these, 222 (83.5%) were treated
      nonoperatively and 44 (16.5%) were treated surgically. Of the knees treated
      nonoperatively, 77 (34.7%) had a recurrence. Significant risk factors for
      recurrence on univariate analysis were age 14 years and below, history of
      contralateral patellar dislocation, trochlear dysplasia, skeletal immaturity, and
      a CDI>1.45. Multivariate analysis was performed and trochlear dysplasia and
      skeletal immaturity were the most significant factors with odds ratios of 3.56
      and 2.23, respectively. The presence of all 4 multivariate risk factors
      (CDI>1.45, history of contralateral patellar dislocation, trochlear dysplasia,
      and skeletal immaturity) had a predicted risk of recurrence of 88%. The presence
      of any 3 risk factors had a predicted risk of about 75% and the presence of any 2
      risk factors had a predicted risk of about 55%. CONCLUSIONS: Trochlear dysplasia,
      skeletal immaturity, CDI>1.45, and a history of contralateral patellar
      dislocation were all significant risk factors for recurrence in patients with
      first-time patellar dislocations. A predictive model for calculation of
      recurrence risk was developed for any combination of the different risk factors.
      This information is useful when counseling patients and their families after
      first-time patellar dislocation about prognosis and potential outcomes. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Level IV-retrospective case series.

PMID- 26491909
TI  - Fully Automated Quantitative Estimation of Volumetric Breast Density from Digital
      Breast Tomosynthesis Images: Preliminary Results and Comparison with Digital
      Mammography and MR Imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess a fully automated method for volumetric breast density (VBD)
      estimation in digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and to compare the findings with
      those of full-field digital mammography (FFDM) and magnetic resonance (MR)
      imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bilateral DBT images, FFDM images, and sagittal
      breast MR images were retrospectively collected from 68 women who underwent
      breast cancer screening from October 2011 to September 2012 with institutional
      review board-approved, HIPAA-compliant protocols. A fully automated computer
      algorithm was developed for quantitative estimation of VBD from DBT images. FFDM
      images were processed with U.S. Food and Drug Administration-cleared software,
      and the MR images were processed with a previously validated automated algorithm
      to obtain corresponding VBD estimates. Pearson correlation and analysis of
      variance with Tukey-Kramer post hoc correction were used to compare the
      multimodality VBD estimates. RESULTS: Estimates of VBD from DBT were
      significantly correlated with FFDM-based and MR imaging-based estimates with r =
      0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.74, 0.90) and r = 0.88 (95% CI: 0.82,
      0.93), respectively (P < .001). The corresponding correlation between FFDM and MR
      imaging was r = 0.84 (95% CI: 0.76, 0.90). However, statistically significant
      differences after post hoc correction (alpha = 0.05) were found among VBD
      estimates from FFDM (mean +/- standard deviation, 11.1% +/- 7.0) relative to MR
      imaging (16.6% +/- 11.2) and DBT (19.8% +/- 16.2). Differences between VDB
      estimates from DBT and MR imaging were not significant (P = .26). CONCLUSION:
      Fully automated VBD estimates from DBT, FFDM, and MR imaging are strongly
      correlated but show statistically significant differences. Therefore, absolute
      differences in VBD between FFDM, DBT, and MR imaging should be considered in
      breast cancer risk assessment.

PMID- 26491911
TI  - Preoperative Computer Simulation and Patient-specific Guides are Safe and
      Effective to Correct Forearm Deformity in Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic and congenital forearm deformities in children can be
      difficult to appreciate in all planes. In cases of distal radioulnar joint
      instability and loss of forearm rotation, surgical correction is challenging.
      Advances in 3-dimensional printing allow creation of custom guides at a
      reasonable cost, enabling precise correction of the deformity in all planes.
      METHODS: Nineteen children with deformity of the forearm had corrective
      osteotomies performed using preoperative 3-dimensional computer modeling and
      patient-specific surgical guides. Surgicase software was used for 3-dimensional
      planning of the corrective osteotomy, by superimposing a mirror image of the
      unaffected side as a template. Based upon this planning, patient-specific
      surgical guides were manufactured. Radiographic and clinical outcomes were
      assessed. RESULTS: Three patients had a diagnosis of multiple hereditary
      exostoses, and one of Madelung's deformity. The remaining 15 patients had a
      diagnosis of fracture malunion. Average preoperative angulation of both the
      radius and ulna was 23 degrees. For the patients with fracture malunions, the
      time from injury to surgery ranged from 6 months to 8 years. Twelve patients
      underwent osteotomies of both the radius and ulna, 5 had osteotomies of the
      radius alone, and 2 had a single osteotomy of the ulna only. All osteotomies went
      on to unite and no patient lost range of motion. Preoperative arc of forearm
      rotation averaged 101 degrees (range 0 to 180 degrees). Postoperatively, this
      improved to 133 degrees (range 85 to 180 degrees). Eight patients had distal
      radioulnar instability preoperatively, all of which normalized after surgery.
      There were 4 complications: 1 hypertrophic scar, 1 subject with extensor pollicis
      longus weakness, and 2 transient sensory losses in the superficial radial nerve
      distribution. CONCLUSIONS: This case series demonstrates that 3-dimensional
      computer modeling permits complex and multiple osteotomies to be done safely to
      achieve deformity correction in children. Limitations in forearm rotation and
      distal radioulnar malalignment can be reliably improved using this technique.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV-retrospective case series.

PMID- 26491912
TI  - Delay in the Diagnosis of Stable Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Delays in the diagnosis of stable slipped capital femoral epiphysis
      (SCFE) is common due to the vague symptomatology and the lack of awareness of
      this entity by healthcare providers. Delays in the diagnosis of this condition
      can lead to poor outcomes for the patients. This study was designed to identify
      factors that contributed to delays in the diagnosis or the treatment of patients
      with SCFE seen at our institution. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of
      patients with the diagnosis of a stable SCFE who had undergone screw
      stabilization between 1989 and 2010 at our hospital was performed. For each
      patient, demographic data, the date of initial onset of symptoms, the date of the
      first visit to the medical provider, the type of provider seen initially
      (orthopaedic surgeon or not), the date of diagnosis of SCFE, the type of
      physician who made the diagnosis (orthopaedic surgeon or not), and the date of
      surgery were recorded. For each patient, the presenting symptom was recorded as
      hip, thigh, or knee pain. The effect of demographic data, presenting symptoms,
      and the type of initial provider seen on the delay to diagnosis was studied using
      2 Cox models. RESULTS: A total of 149 patients with 196 stable SCFE were
      included. The average time from the first physician visit to diagnosis was 94
      days in the group seen by a nonorthopaedic provider compared with an average of
      2.9 days in the group seen by an orthopaedist (P<0.05). Diagnosis was made in 1
      week only in 19% of the group seen by a nonorthopaedic provider versus 97% in the
      group seen by orthopaedic surgeons. It took significantly longer to be diagnosed
      with SCFE in patients who presented with initial knee pain (P=0.0097) compared
      with those who presented with hip pain at the initial visit. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study shows a significant delay in the diagnosis of SCFE in the United States,
      particularly in patients seen by nonorthopaedic providers initially. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Level III-prognostic.

PMID- 26491913
TI  - Long-term Outcome of Internal Tibial Derotation Osteotomies in Children With
      Cerebral Palsy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: External tibial torsion (ETT) is a common bony deformity in children
      with cerebral palsy (CP). The current recommended treatment is tibial derotation
      osteotomy (TDO) to improve gait biomechanics. Satisfactory short-term results
      after TDO have been reported but long-term results have not been studied. The
      purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcome following TDO to
      correct ETT in ambulatory children with CP. METHODS: Following IRB approval, gait
      kinematics and passive range of motion measurements were retrospectively
      evaluated in children with spastic CP who underwent TDO due to ETT comparing
      preoperative (E0), short-term postoperative (E1; 1 to 3 y post), and long-term
      postoperative (E2; >5 y post) results. Limbs were categorized as corrected,
      undercorrected, or overcorrected at both E1 and E2, by comparing mean tibial
      rotation (MTR) in gait to a group of typically developing children. Age at
      surgery, E0 MTR, E0 gait velocity, gross motor function classification system
      (GMFCS) score, and foot deformity were evaluated to determine their influence on
      long-term results. RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 43 legs (with E0 and
      E2) and 22 legs (with E0, E1, and E2). The mean age at surgery was 10.3+/-3.4
      years (range, 6 to 19.2 y). In the group MTR trended toward improvement moving
      from -26+/-17 degrees (E0, external negative) to -16+/-16 degrees (E1) and
      relapsed to -23+/-17 degrees at the long term (P=0.071, E0/E1; P=0.589, E0/E2).
      Improvement was also seen in the transmalleolar axis (P=0.074), mean ankle
      rotation, and mean foot orientation (P<0.05, E0/E2). At the long-term evaluation,
      16 legs (37%) were found to be in the kinematic corrected group, 25 legs (58%) in
      the kinematic undercorrected group, and 2 legs (5%) in the kinematic
      overcorrected group. There were no significant differences between the corrected
      and undercorrected groups of children with respect to age at surgery, GMFCS, E0
      MTR, gait velocity, or foot deformity. CONCLUSIONS: Although internal TDO
      improves ETT in the short term, recurrence is frequent with an apparent
      developmental trend toward external rotation of the tibia. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE:
      Level IV-therapeutic study.

PMID- 26491915
TI  - Ultrasound Examination for Infants Born Breech by Elective Cesarean Section With
      a Normal Hip Exam for Instability.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Because of the risk of developmental dysplasia of the hip in
      infants born breech-despite a normal physical exam-the American Academy of
      Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines recommend ultrasound (US) hip imaging at 6 weeks of
      age for breech females and optional imaging for breech males. The purpose of this
      study is to report US results and follow-up of infants born breech with a normal
      physical exam. METHODS: The electronic medical record for children born at 1
      hospital from 2008 to 2011 was reviewed. Data were analyzed for sex, birth
      weight, breech position, birth order, ethnicity, US and x-ray results, follow-up,
      and cost. RESULTS: A total of 237 infants were born breech with a normal physical
      examination, all delivered by cesarean section. Of the infants, 55% were male and
      45% female. About 151 breech infants (64%) with a normal Barlow and Ortolani exam
      had a precautionary hip US as recommended by the AAP performed at an average of 7
      weeks of age. Eighty-six breech infants (35%) did not have an US and were
      followed clinically. Of the 151 infants that had an US, 140 (93%) were read as
      normal. None had a dislocated hip. Two patients had a normal physical exam but
      laxity on US. These 2 patients were the only infants treated in a Pavlik harness.
      A pediatric orthopaedic surgeon followed those with subtle US findings and no
      laxity until normal. CONCLUSIONS: The decision by the AAP to recommend US
      screening at 6 weeks of age for infants with a normal physical exam but breech
      position was based on an extensive literature review and expert opinion. Not all
      pediatricians are following the AAP guidelines. The decision to perform an US
      should be done on a case-by-case basis by the examining physician. A more
      practical, cost-effective strategy would be to skip the US if the physical exam
      is normal and simply obtain an AP pelvis x-ray at 4 months. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Level III-this is a case-control study investigating the outcomes of infants on
      data drawn from the electronic medical record.

PMID- 26491914
TI  - Long-term Outcome of External Tibial Derotation Osteotomies in Children With
      Cerebral Palsy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Internal tibial torsion (ITT) is a common boney deformity in children
      with cerebral palsy (CP). The current recommended treatment is tibial derotation
      osteotomy (TDO) to improve gait biomechanics. Satisfactory short-term results
      after TDO have been reported but long-term results have not been studied. The
      purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcome after external TDO
      performed to correct ITT in ambulatory children with CP. METHODS: Following IRB
      approval, gait kinematics and passive range of motion measurements were
      retrospectively evaluated in children with spastic CP who underwent TDO due to
      ITT comparing preoperative (E0), short-term postoperative (E1; 1 to 3 y post),
      and long-term postoperative (E2; >5 y post) results. Limbs were categorized as
      corrected, undercorrected, or overcorrected at both E1 and E2, by comparing the
      subjects mean tibial rotation (MTR) in gait to a group of typically developing
      children. Age at surgery, preop MTR (at E0), preop gait velocity (at E0), gross
      motor function classification system score, and foot deformity were evaluated to
      determine their influence on long-term results. RESULTS: The study sample
      consisted of 36 legs (with E0 and E2) and 17 legs (with E0, E1, and E2). The mean
      age at surgery was 7.4+/-2.8 (range, 4 to 16.6) years. Comparing the changes over
      time, kinematic MTR improved from 17+/-11 degrees initially (E0) to -10+/-14
      degrees short term (E1) and progressed to -23+/-13 degrees long term (E2) (P<0.05
      E0/E1/E2; internal rotation is positive). At E2, 16 legs (44%) were found to be
      in the kinematic corrected group and 20 legs (56%) in the kinematic overcorrected
      group. There were no significant differences between the corrected and
      overcorrected groups of children in respect to age of surgery, gross motor
      function classification system, E0 MTR, gait velocity, or foot deformity.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although external TDO is an accepted form of treatment in children
      with CP, in the long term a tendency to move into external tibial torsion is
      common. Therefore, caution is warranted with children who initially present with
      ITT to avoid overcorrection. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV-therapeutic study.

PMID- 26491916
TI  - An Unusual Presentation of Myositis Ossificans in a Pediatric Patient.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myositis ossificans (MO) is a rare, non-neoplastic lesion
      characterized by heterotopic ossification of soft tissue. The condition is
      predominantly seen in young adults and adolescents and is most commonly secondary
      to trauma. Although the exact etiology remains unclear, patients typically
      present with pain and restricted range of motion following trauma or overuse. MO
      rarely presents in the popliteal fossa of adult patients and has not been
      previously reported in that of a pediatric patient. METHODS: We present a 12-year
      old patient with no history of direct trauma with MO in the right popliteal
      fossa, a highly unusual location. Initial x-rays failed to show the lesion;
      however, later radiographs showed an ossified mass. At peak dimensions, the
      ossification measured 3.8 cm anteroposterior*2.5 cm transverse*3.2 cm
      craniocaudal. After 14 months of observation and conservative therapy, the mass
      was excised. RESULTS: The patient was ultimately able to return to full activity.
      Radiographs taken 14 months after the excision showed no signs of recurrence of
      the lesion. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of MO
      excised from the popliteal fossa of a pediatric patient and followed for >1 year.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV-case report.

PMID- 26491917
TI  - Two Techniques for Retrograde Flexible Intramedullary Fixation of Pediatric Femur
      Fractures: All-Lateral Entry Versus Medial and Lateral Entry Point.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple techniques for flexible intramedullary nailing (FIMN) of
      pediatric femur fractures have been described. To our knowledge, no study has
      compared combined medial-lateral (ML) entry versus all-lateral (AL) entry
      retrograde nailing. This study compares surgical outcomes, radiographic outcomes,
      and complication rates between these 2 techniques. METHODS: A retrospective
      review of a consecutive series of patients treated by retrograde, dual FIMN of
      femur fractures was performed from 2005 to 2012. Demographics and operative data
      were recorded. Radiographs were analyzed for fracture pattern, fracture location,
      percent canal fill by the nails, as well as shortening and angulation at the time
      of osseous union. Rates of symptomatic implants and their removal were noted.
      Data were compared between patients treated with medial and lateral entry (ML
      group) nailing and those treated with all-lateral entry (AL group) nailing using
      the Student t test and correlation statistics. RESULTS: Of the 244 children with
      femoral shaft fractures treated with retrograde FIMN using Ender stainless steel
      nails, 156 were in the ML group and 88 were in the AL group. There were no
      statistical differences in sex (74% vs. 82% males), age (8.0 vs. 8.6 y), weight
      (29.4 vs. 31.1 kg), or fracture pattern between the 2 groups. The average total
      anesthesia time was less in the AL group (133 vs. 103 min) (P<0.0001). There was
      no difference between the techniques in shortening (3.9 vs. 3.0 mm), coronal
      angulation (2.9 vs. 2.6 degrees), or sagittal angulation (3.3 vs. 2.7 degrees) at
      union. In the AL group, there was a correlation between canal fill and reduced
      shortening at union. No differences were found in the presence or degree of varus
      alignment, procurvatum deformity, or recurvatum angulation between the
      constructs. There were 5 malunions in the AL group and 9 malunions in the ML
      group (5.7% vs. 5.8%, P=1). The incidence of having a healed femur fracture with
      >10 degrees of valgus was higher in the AL group (0% vs. 3.4%) (P=0.04). There
      were no differences between the groups in the rate of symptomatic implant removal
      or surgical complications. CONCLUSIONS: The AL entry technique for FIMN of
      pediatric femur fractures is 30 minutes faster without worse final fracture
      alignment, additional complications, or increased rates of symptomatic implants.
      When using the AL technique, specific attention should be paid to percentage of
      canal fill and ensuring that the fracture is not reduced in a valgus position.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III-therapeutic.

PMID- 26491918
TI  - Classification of Computer-Aided Design-Computer-Aided Manufacturing Applications
      for the Reconstruction of Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Defects.
AB  - PURPOSE: To gain insight into the methodology of different computer-aided design
      computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) applications for the reconstruction of
      cranio-maxillo-facial (CMF) defects. METHODS: We reviewed and analyzed the
      available literature pertaining to CAD-CAM for use in CMF reconstruction.
      RESULTS: We proposed a classification system of the techniques of implant and
      cutting, drilling, and/or guiding template design and manufacturing. The system
      consisted of 4 classes (I-IV). These classes combine techniques used for both the
      implant and template to most accurately describe the methodology used.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our classification system can be widely applied. It should
      facilitate communication and immediate understanding of the methodology of CAD
      CAM applications for the reconstruction of CMF defects.

PMID- 26491919
TI  - The Psychologic and Psychosocial Impact of Otoplasty on Children and Adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In previous studies, our research group already evaluated the impact
      of aesthetic surgery on "quality of life" (QoL). This study evaluates QoL factors
      and perceptions of well-being after otoplasty as a single indication. METHODS:
      Eighty-one patients who underwent otoplasty were divided into three age groups:
      Youth 1 (Y1) = 8-12 years (n = 17), Youth 1 (Y2) = 13-17 years (n = 13), and
      Adult >=18 years (n = 51). For competitive analysis, 2 groups of tests were used:
      a standardized self-assessment test on life satisfaction (FLZ(M)), the Glasgow
      Benefit Inventory (GBI), the standardized Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the
      standardized Freiburg Personality Inventory (FPI-R), the Patient Health
      Questionnaire 4 (PHQ-4), and a self-developed and indication-specific
      questionnaire for "Adult" group. The tools for the groups Y1 and Y2 were: PHQ-4,
      KINDL(R), the Glasgow Child Benefit Inventory (GCBI), and a self-developed and
      indication-specific questionnaire either. RESULTS: Our data bared numerous
      significant improvements on patients' QoL. In the items "friends" (P = 0.036) and
      "freedom of anxiety" (P = 0.034) of the FLZ(M), important improvements were
      found. In section "satisfaction with appearance" (body image), the items "hair"
      (P = 0.003) and "ear" (P = 0.034) were to point out. The RSES (P = 0.001) and the
      FPI-R (P = 0.035) data indicated a well-balanced emotional stability. The results
      of the GBI/GCBI (P = 0.000/P = 0.000) showed a higher QoL of postsurgery
      patients. The data of the KINDL questionnaire provided increasing values in the
      modules "friends" (P = 0.033) and "total score" (P = 0.040) for boys of the ages
      8 to 12. For all age groups, there was a less affinity to depression (PHQ-4) and
      a high satisfaction with the aesthetical result (indication-specific
      questionnaire). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed higher QoL in all age groups by
      using standardized tools in comparison with the norm data. The knowledge of
      postoperative psychologic benefits, such as "satisfaction with appearance" (body
      image) and "different areas of life," self-confidence, and self-esteem as well as
      lower level of depression support meaningfulness of otoplasty. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Therapeutic, III: Retrospective cohort or comparative study.

PMID- 26491922
TI  - Fabrication of Patient Specific Titanium Implants for Correction of Cranial
      Defects: A Technique to Improve Anatomic Contours and Accuracy.
AB  - Hard tissue cranial defects may result from traumatic or iatrogenic etiology and
      warrants adequate reconstruction to provide protection to the underlying brain
      and cosmesis. Various techniques have been described in the literature for
      fabrication of patient specific titanium cranial implants. The process of
      fabrication of titanium patient specific implants (PSI) can be broadly classified
      into indirect and direct techniques. With the improvements in the medical imaging
      and computational modeling, direct technique of computer assisted prefabricated
      patient specific implants have gained popularity. However indirect method of PSI
      fabrication hold some specific advantage. Here we describe a technique for
      fabrication of titanium PSI by combining the principles of direct and indirect
      methods for reconstruction of cranial defects. 

PMID- 26491923
TI  - Comparative Finite Element Analysis of Short Implants and Lateralization of the
      Inferior Alveolar Nerve With Different Prosthesis Heights.
AB  - The lateralization of the inferior alveolar nerve (LIAN) and short implants are
      efficient options for rehabilitation of the posterior atrophic mandible. However,
      the loss of bone leads to prosthesis with greater height and lever effect that in
      turn can have different impact on treatments. Through the finite element method,
      the present study tests the hypothesis that conventional implants placed under
      LIAN and short implants have similar risk of bone loss regarding variable height
      of the crown and that crown-to-implant ratio is not a reliable resource to
      evaluate risk in these treatments. Computed tomography scans of mandibles were
      processed and implants and prosthetic components were reverse engineered for
      reconstruction of three-dimensional models to simulate 3 elements fixed partial
      dentures supported by 2 osseointegrated implants. The models of implants were
      based on MK III implants (Nobel Biocare, Zurich, Switzerland) with 4 mm in
      diameter by 7 mm in length representing short implants, and 15 mm in length
      representing implants used in LIAN. The implant/crown ratio for short implants
      was 1:1.5, 1:2, and 1:2.5 and LIAN models were modeled with exactly the same
      prosthesis, resulting in implant/crown ratios of 1:0.67, 1:0.89, and 1:1.12. The
      results partially rejected the hypothesis that LIAN and short implants have
      similar risk of bone loss, showing that although LIAN results were better in the
      models evaluated, the variations in height had proportionally similar impact on
      both treatments and accepted the hypothesis that crown-to-implant ratio was not a
      reliable resource to evaluate risk.

PMID- 26491927
TI  - The Precise Repositioning Instrument for Genioplasty.
AB  - To improve the surgical precision of genioplasty, the authors develop and
      validate the precise repositioning instrument for genioplasty, which can guide
      the precise repositioning of chin bone segment truncated during genioplasty. The
      patent application for the precise repositioning instrument for genioplasty is
      already submitted (Patent No. 201410032051. 2, China). The accuracy of
      genioplasty can be improved significantly by using the precise repositioning
      instrument to locate the chin bone segment truncated. And this method is quick,
      simple, and safe. 

PMID- 26491930
TI  - Cleft and Craniofacial Care in Palestine: Breaking From the Cycle of the Past.
AB  - The history of cleft care in the Palestinian territories has largely been
      sporadic and dependent on foreign practitioners. This article discusses the
      recent history and the current status of cleft care in Palestine, including the
      quality of training among Palestinian cleft practitioners and limitations in
      operating room capacity. The discussion concludes with a future model of cleft
      care that focuses on carefully crafted programs to train surgeons (this is
      broadly applicable to other disciplines involved in cleft care), working in
      partnership with a designated National Cleft Organization, operationalized within
      a centrally located and accessible Cleft Center. 

PMID- 26491931
TI  - Three-Dimensional Printing Technology for Medial Orbital Wall Fractures.

PMID- 26491932
TI  - Complete Mulberry Hypertrophy and Conchachoanal Polyp of Inferior Turbinate.

PMID- 26491934
TI  - A Simple Method of Neonatal Ear Molding for Treatment of Stahl Ear Deformity.

PMID- 26491935
TI  - The Diagnostic Accuracy of Gluteal Trigger Points to Differentiate Radicular From
      Nonradicular Low Back Pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Low back pain (LBP) is highly prevalent and costly to the society.
      Previous studies have shown an association between radicular LBP and trigger
      points (TrPs) in the superior-lateral quadrant of the gluteal area (GTrP). The
      objective of current study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of GTrP to
      predict nerve root involvement among patients with LBP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In
      a prospective, diagnostic accuracy study 325 consecutive patients with LBP were
      recruited. At first step, patients were evaluated for the presence or absence of
      the GTrP. A different investigator, blinded to the GTrP findings, then performed
      history taking and physical examination. Subsequently, all patients underwent a
      lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging and, when indicated, electrodiagnostic
      tests. On the basis of the clinical and ancillary tests findings, a
      multidisciplinary panel of experts (the "reference standard"), blinded to the
      GTrP evaluation, allocated patients to radicular versus nonradicular LBP groups.
      The agreement between the GTrP findings, as a diagnostic test and the reference
      standard allocation was evaluated in a 2 by 2 contingency table. RESULTS: The
      specificity of the GTrP test was 91.4% and its sensitivity was 74.1%. The area
      under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.827 (0.781 to 0.874).
      Positive likelihood ratio was 8.62 and negative likelihood ratio was 0.28.
      Positive and negative predictive values were 91.9% and 72.7%, respectively.
      DISCUSSION: As a clinical finding, TrPs in superior-lateral quadrant of gluteal
      area are highly specific indicators for radicular LBP. Incorporating these TrPs
      evaluation in routine physical examination of patients with LBP could decrease
      the need for more costly, time-consuming, and invasive diagnostic tests.

PMID- 26491936
TI  - Anticonvulsants or Antidepressants in Combination Pharmacotherapy for Treatment
      of Neuropathic Pain in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of anticonvulsants or antidepressants in
      combination pharmacotherapy for treatment of neuropathic pain in cancer patients.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We systematically searched the Cochrane Central Register
      of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the metaRegister of Controlled Trials
      for randomized controlled trials that compared anticonvulsants or antidepressants
      in combination pharmacotherapy (experimental group) with treatments without
      anticonvulsants or antidepressants (control group) for neuropathic pain in cancer
      patients. Risk of bias was evaluated in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook for
      Systematic Reviews of Interventions. The primary outcome was a mean difference
      (MD) in change in global pain analyzed by a random-effects model. RESULTS: Eight
      trials met the inclusion criteria with a total of 1359 participants of whom 698
      received an experimental intervention. The MD in change in global pain suggested
      a favorable association with anticonvulsants or antidepressants in combination
      pharmacotherapy compared with control groups (MD, -0.41; 95% confidence interval,
      -0.70 to -0.12) with no heterogeneity across trials (I=0%). The MD in change
      estimated in all sensitivity analyses ranged from -0.36 to -0.47, suggesting that
      these effects were consistent across different study designs and statistical
      assumptions. CONCLUSIONS: Anticonvulsants or antidepressants in combination
      pharmacotherapy reduce neuropathic pain in cancer patients compared with
      treatments without anticonvulsants or antidepressants. Limited evidence precludes
      a recommendation on specific adjuvants in combination pharmacotherapy.

PMID- 26491937
TI  - The Course of the Spatial Extent of Pain in Nonspecific Chronic Back Pain: A
      Prospective Population-based Cohort Study With Clinical Evaluation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Longitudinal population-based studies on the natural course of
      nonspecific chronic back pain (nsCBP) concerning the spatial extent of pain are
      scarce. This study aims to assess the natural course of nsCBP patients concerning
      their spatial extent of pain and physical impairment over time. METHODS: Analyses
      were based on a prospective, population-based survey with clinical evaluation. A
      representative population-based sample of 4000 German adults was sent a pain
      questionnaire. Patients mentioning nsCBP in the questionnaire were invited to a
      comprehensive clinical evaluation, including 1- and 2-year follow-ups. On the
      basis of pain drawings, the course of the spatial extent of pain over time was
      classified as "constant-local," "constant-widespread," "constant-amelioration,"
      "constant-spreading," or "variable." Physical impairment was assessed by the Back
      Performance Scale as an objective clinical assessment tool that measures self
      reported activity limitation in daily functioning caused by nsCBP. RESULTS: Pain
      drawings and physical assessment from 3 visits were available from 165 patients.
      The course of the spatial extent of pain was constant-local in 39.4% and constant
      widespread in 18.2% of all patients, whereas 11.5% reported a variable course.
      Constant-amelioration was observed in 18.2% and constant-spreading was observed
      in 12.7%. Physical impairment remained unchanged over the time in all groups and
      was worst in the constant-widespread group. DISCUSSION: Most nsCBP patients
      report a stable pain extent over the time of the study, whereas a constant spread
      of pain is observed only in a minority of nsCBP patients. These findings
      challenge the concept of a continuous transition from local to widespread pain.

PMID- 26491939
TI  - Halocuprate(I) zigzag chain structures with N-methylated DABCO cations--bright
      metal-centered luminescence and thermally activated color shifts.
AB  - Two compounds 1,4-dimethyl-1,4-diazoniabicyclo[2.2.2]octane catena-tetra-MU-halo
      dicuprate(I) with DABCOMe2 Cu2X4 (1: X = Br, 2: X = I) were synthesized by
      hydrothermal reaction of copper(I) halides with the corresponding 1,4
      diazoniabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) dihydrohalides in an acetonitrile/methanol
      mixture. Both compounds crystallize monoclinically, 1 with a = 9.169(4) A, b =
      10.916(6) A, c = 15.349(6) A, beta = 93.93(2) degrees , V = 1533(1) A(3), Z = 4,
      space group P2(1)/n (no. 14) and 2 with a = 15.826(9) A, b = 9.476(5) A, c =
      22.90(2) A, beta = 90.56(5) degrees , V = 3434(5) A(3), Z = 8, space group P2(1)
      (no. 4), respectively (lattice constants refined from powder diffraction data
      measured at 293 K). The cations in both compounds are formed by in situ N
      methylation of DABCOH2(2+) cations by methanol in a S(N)2 reaction. Both
      compounds contain an anionic copper(I) halide chain structure consisting of trans
      edge-sharing CuX4 tetrahedra. The chains are strongly kinked at every 2(nd)
      junction thus forming a zigzag structure. The shortest halide-halide distances
      are observed between the halide ions of adjacent tetrahedra which are approaching
      each other due to the kinking. This structure type shows a specific luminescence
      behavior. Under optical excitation, the compounds exhibit yellow (1) and green
      (2) emission with photoluminescence quantum yields of Phi(PL) = 52 and 4%,
      respectively, at ambient temperature. According to DFT and TDDFT calculations,
      the emission is assigned to be a phosphorescence essentially involving a metal
      centered transition between the HOMO consisting mainly of copper 3d and halide p
      orbitals and the LUMO consisting mainly of copper 4s and 4p orbitals. The
      temperature dependence of the emission spectra, decay times, and quantum yields
      has been investigated in detail, especially for 1. From the resulting trends it
      can be concluded that the emission for T<= 100 K stems from energetically lower
      lying copper halide segments. Such segments represent the structural motif of the
      halocuprate(I) chains. With increasing temperature energetically higher lying
      segments are populated which also emit, but open the pathway for thermally
      activated energy transfer to quenching defects.

PMID- 26491938
TI  - The Pelvis and Beyond: Musculoskeletal Tender Points in Women With Chronic Pelvic
      Pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility of a detailed pain sensitivity assessment
      using body-wide musculoskeletal tender points (TPs) in women with different types
      of chronic pelvic pain (CPP) and compare phenotypic differences. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Seventy women with CPP and 35 pain-free women underwent musculoskeletal
      evaluation of TPs in the pelvic floor, abdomen, groin, inner thigh, and all 18
      fibromyalgia TPs. Patients scored elicited pain on a numeric rating scale. TP
      pain scores were used for intergroup comparison and intragroup correlation.
      RESULTS: Women with CPP were grouped as having either bladder pain syndrome (BPS,
      n=24) or myofascial pelvic pain (MPP, n=11) singularly or both concomitantly
      (BPS+MPP, n=35). TP pain scores for all evaluations were higher in women with CPP
      compared with healthy women (P<0.001). Women with BPS+MPP had elevated TP pain
      for each evaluation compared with women with BPS alone. Pelvic floor and
      fibromyalgia TP scores correlated strongly in the MPP group, moderately in the
      BPS+MPP group, and weakly in the BPS alone group. Although some moderate and
      strong correlations between different body locations were present in all 3
      groups, only the BPS+MPP group showed moderate to strong correlations between all
      body TPs. CONCLUSIONS: Detailed musculoskeletal evaluation of women with CPP is
      feasible and well tolerated. Careful phenotyping differentiated BPS, MPP, and
      BPS+MPP groups. Attending to the differences between these groups clinically may
      lead to more effective treatment strategies and improved outcomes for patients
      with CPP.

PMID- 26491941
TI  - FaceTime validation study: Low-cost streaming video for cytology adequacy
      assessment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adequacy assessment for fine-needle aspiration procedures is a
      standard of care in large medical centers. Although the benefits of this approach
      include higher adequacy rates with fewer passes, it costs cytopathologist time
      and affects other clinical responsibilities. The objective of the current study
      was to evaluate the use of mobile video streaming (FaceTime) technology with the
      help of smartphone adapters attached to microscopes for remote adequacy
      assessment of cytologic samples. METHODS: The study consisted of 2 phases: Phase
      1 was a retrospective assessment of 25 samples by a primary pathologist with
      simultaneous streaming to a second pathologist using a smartphone (iPhone/iPad)
      FaceTime connection. Data on the adequacy of each sample and preliminary
      diagnoses were recorded. In phase 2, live cases were assessed prospectively by an
      onsite primary pathologist and by a remote pathologist using an iPhone/iPad
      FaceTime connection. The testing phase involved prospective assessment of
      additional samples with a resident or cytotechnologist as the slide driver.
      RESULTS: In phase 1, retrospective evaluation of 25 samples yielded considerable
      agreement (22 of 25 samples; 88%) between onsite and remote adequacy assessments.
      Three samples (12%) yielded results that did not agree, including 2 samples that
      were read as adequate in the onsite evaluation that were assessed as
      indeterminate using FaceTime. In phase 2 and in the testing phase, 14 samples
      exhibited considerable agreement on both adequacy and preliminary diagnosis (6
      samples in phase 2 and 8 samples in the testing phase) and are currently
      available for reporting. Problems encountered include software version
      standardization, camera alignment, and (rarely) comprehension of the audio
      stream. CONCLUSIONS: The current data indicate that iPhone/iPad FaceTime
      technology can be used to perform remote adequacy assessments of fine-needle
      aspirations and can help save valuable time for pathologists.

PMID- 26491942
TI  - Developmental compartments in the larval trachea of Drosophila.
AB  - The Drosophila tracheal system is a branched tubular network that forms in the
      embryo by a post-mitotic program of morphogenesis. In third instar larvae (L3),
      cells constituting the second tracheal metamere (Tr2) reenter the cell cycle.
      Clonal analysis of L3 Tr2 revealed that dividing cells in the dorsal trunk,
      dorsal branch and transverse connective branches respect lineage restriction
      boundaries near branch junctions. These boundaries corresponded to domains of
      gene expression, for example where cells expressing Spalt, Delta and Serrate in
      the dorsal trunk meet vein-expressing cells in the dorsal branch or transverse
      connective. Notch signaling was activated to one side of these borders and was
      required for the identity, specializations and segregation of border cells. These
      findings suggest that Tr2 is comprised of developmental compartments and that
      developmental compartments are an organizational feature relevant to branched
      tubular networks. 

PMID- 26491944
TI  - Expression signature based on TP53 target genes doesn't predict response to TP53
      MDM2 inhibitor in wild type TP53 tumors.
AB  - A number of TP53-MDM2 inhibitors are currently under investigation as therapeutic
      agents in a variety of clinical trials in patients with TP53 wild type tumors.
      Not all wild type TP53 tumors are sensitive to such inhibitors. In an attempt to
      improve selection of patients with TP53 wild type tumors, an mRNA expression
      signature based on 13 TP53 transcriptional target genes was recently developed
      (Jeay et al. 2015). Careful reanalysis of TP53 status in the study validation
      data set of cancer cell lines considered to be TP53 wild type detected TP53
      inactivating alterations in 23% of cell lines. The subsequent reanalysis of the
      remaining TP53 wild type cell lines clearly demonstrated that unfortunately the
      13-gene signature cannot predict response to TP53-MDM2 inhibitor in TP53 wild
      type tumors. 

PMID- 26491943
TI  - Dna2 nuclease-helicase structure, mechanism and regulation by Rpa.
AB  - The Dna2 nuclease-helicase maintains genomic integrity by processing DNA double
      strand breaks, Okazaki fragments and stalled replication forks. Dna2 requires
      ssDNA ends, and is dependent on the ssDNA-binding protein Rpa, which controls
      cleavage polarity. Here we present the 2.3 A structure of intact mouse Dna2 bound
      to a 15-nucleotide ssDNA. The nuclease active site is embedded in a long, narrow
      tunnel through which the DNA has to thread. The helicase domain is required for
      DNA binding but not threading. We also present the structure of a flexibly
      tethered Dna2-Rpa interaction that recruits Dna2 to Rpa-coated DNA. We establish
      that a second Dna2-Rpa interaction is mutually exclusive with Rpa-DNA
      interactions and mediates the displacement of Rpa from ssDNA. This interaction
      occurs at the nuclease tunnel entrance and the 5' end of the Rpa-DNA complex.
      Hence, it only displaces Rpa from the 5' but not 3' end, explaining how Rpa
      regulates cleavage polarity. 

PMID- 26491945
TI  - Modulation of pain via expectation of its location.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The spatial precision of expectancy effects on pain is unclear. We
      hypothesized that expecting nociceptive stimuli at particular skin sites would
      have an analgesic effect on nociceptive stimuli presented between them (middle
      zone). METHODS: Laser stimuli (evoking pin-prick pain) were delivered to three
      discrete skin zones on the forearm, under two conditions. During 'Localization',
      participants' expectation of stimuli was spatially divided between two locations
      (expected stimuli in only the outer two skin zones): pain intensity and stimulus
      location were judged. During 'No-localization' (control condition), participants
      had no expectation concerning stimulus location; only pain intensity was rated.
      Additional experiments assessed the importance of the actual location on the
      forearm by: shifting all skin zones proximally towards the elbow (control for
      joint proximity, Experiment 2); adding a fourth zone distally (control for
      interaction between joint proximity and enhanced distal inhibition, Experiment
      3). RESULTS: All experiments demonstrated spatially specific pain modulation, but
      only Experiment 2 (near elbow) supported our hypothesis: middle zone pain
      intensity was significantly lower (p = 0.02) during Localization than No
      localization. Experiment 1 (near wrist) found reduced pain intensity during
      Localization only for the distal zone (p = 0.04). Experiment 3 confirmed this
      effect: reduced pain during Localization occurred only for the most distal zone
      (p = 0.046). CONCLUSION: Expecting a painful stimulus in non-adjacent skin sites
      has spatially specific effects on pain modulation, but this reflects an
      interaction between the expected location of stimulation and the actual location.
      This suggests a more complex connection between somatotopic maps and nociceptive
      modulation than previously thought; several distinct mechanisms likely
      contribute.

PMID- 26491946
TI  - Saltwater Upconing Due to Cyclic Pumping by Horizontal Wells in Freshwater
      Lenses.
AB  - This article deals with the quantification of saltwater upconing below horizontal
      wells in freshwater lenses using analytical solutions as a computationally fast
      alternative to numerical simulations. Comparisons between analytical calculations
      and numerical simulations are presented regarding three aspects: (1) cyclic
      pumping; (2) dispersion; and (3) finite horizontal wells in a finite domain (a
      freshwater lens). Various hydrogeological conditions and pumping regimes within a
      dry half year are considered. The results show that the influence of elastic and
      phreatic storage (which are not taken into account in the analytical solutions)
      on the upconing of the interface is minimal. Furthermore, the analytical
      calculations based on the interface approach compare well with numerical
      simulations as long as the dimensionless interface upconing is below 1/3, which
      is in line with previous studies on steady pumping. Superimposing an analytical
      solution for mixing by dispersion below the well over an analytical solution
      based on the interface approach is appropriate in case the vertical flow velocity
      around the interface is nearly constant but should not be used for estimating the
      salinity of the pumped groundwater. The analytical calculations of interface
      upconing below a finite horizontal well compare well with the numerical
      simulations in case the distance between the horizontal well and the initial
      interface does not vary significantly along the well and in case the natural
      fluctuation of the freshwater lens is small. In order to maintain a low level of
      salinity in the well during a dry half year, the dimensionless analytically
      calculated interface upconing should stay below 0.25.

PMID- 26491947
TI  - Household Air Pollution, Intermediate Outcomes, and Major Adverse Cardiovascular
      Events.

PMID- 26491949
TI  - Direct C-H Bond Arylation of Thienyl Thioamides Catalyzed by Pd-Phenanthroline
      Complexes.
AB  - A direct C-H bond arylation method for thienyl thioamides catalyzed by
      [Pd(phen)2](PF6)2 was developed. This reaction selectively afforded 2
      monoarylated products, while the corresponding amide thiophene derivatives
      furnished 2,5-diarylated products. Mechanistic studies revealed that a Pd(II)
      bisthioamide complex should be the active species for the reaction of thienyl
      thioamides in the presence of catalytic amounts of [Pd(phen)2](PF6)2. Similar to
      the reaction with amides, the reaction with thioamides selectively generated the
      2,5-diarylated products when a preformed Pd(phen)PhI complex was used. 

PMID- 26491948
TI  - From CLL to Multiple Myeloma - Spleen Tyrosine Kinase (SYK) influences multiple
      myeloma cell survival and migration.

PMID- 26491950
TI  - Effects of Sex Hormones on Ocular Surface Epithelia: Lessons Learned From
      Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
AB  - Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine abnormality in
      women of reproductive age. Although its clinical consequences have been known for
      a long time to extend beyond the reproductive system, with type-2 diabetes and
      obesity being the most common, the involvement of the ocular surface in PCOS has
      been described only more recently. The ocular surface is a morphofunctional unit
      comprising eyelid margin, tear film, cornea, and conjunctiva. Increasing evidence
      indicates that these structures are under a sex hormone control and relevant
      diseases such as ocular allergy and dry eye are often caused by alterations in
      circulating or local steroid hormones levels. Novel treatments targeting sex
      hormone receptors on ocular surface epithelial cells are also being developed. In
      this review we aim to describe the current knowledge on the effects of sex
      hormones at the ocular surface, with a special focus on the effects of androgen
      imbalance in PCOS.

PMID- 26491951
TI  - Long-term assessment of effectiveness and quality of life of OnabotulinumtoxinA
      injections in provoked vestibulodynia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Provoked vestibulodynia is a relatively common condition that affects
      sexual activity. Multidisciplinary care is indicated and OnabotulinumtoxinA
      injections are safe and effective treatment in this indication. AIMS: To assess
      the long-term efficacy of OnabotulinumtoxinA in provoked vestibulodynia.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients treated with OnabotulinumtoxinA
      injections (50U in each bulbospongiosus muscle) 24 months prior to the study were
      included. Data on pain [assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS)], quality of
      life [measured by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI)] and quality of sex
      life [assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI)] were collected
      before treatment, and 3 and 24 months after injection. RESULTS: Nineteen patients
      participated in the study and 37% had no pain after 24 months. Significant
      improvements were noted in the VAS, DLQI and FSFI scores between baseline and 24
      months post treatment (P < 0.0001). After 24 months, 18 patients (95%) were able
      to have sexual intercourse. This study was open and non-controlled. DISCUSSION
      AND CONCLUSION: 100U OnabotulinumtoxinA injections constitute an effective
      treatment in provoked vestibulodynia with results maintained after 2 years. They
      significantly improve pain, and have a positive impact on patient quality of life
      and sex life. Beneficial effects continue in the long-term, allowing patients to
      resume sexual activity.

PMID- 26491952
TI  - In Vitro and in Vivo Demonstration of Photodynamic Activity and Cytoplasm Imaging
      through TPE Nanoparticles.
AB  - We synthesized novel tetraphenylethene (TPE) conjugates, which undergo unique
      self-assembly to form spherical nanoparticles that exhibited aggregation induced
      emission (AIE) in the near-infrared region. These nanoparticles showed
      significant singlet oxygen generation efficiency, negligible dark toxicity, rapid
      cellular uptake, efficient localization in cytoplasm, and high in vitro
      photocytotoxicity as well as in vivo photodynamic activity against a human
      prostate tumor animal model. This study demonstrates, for the first time, the
      power of the self-assembled AIE active tetraphenylethene conjugates in aqueous
      media as a nanoplatform for future therapeutic applications. 

PMID- 26491953
TI  - Construction of Spirocyclopropane-Linked Heterocycles Containing Both Pyrazolones
      and Oxindoles through Michael/Alkylation Cascade Reactions.
AB  - An effective diastereoselective Michael/alkylation cascade reaction of
      arylidenepyrazolones with 3-chlorooxindoles catalyzed by DIPEA was developed. A
      variety of highly functionalized spiro-pyrazolone-cyclopropane-oxindoles were
      obtained in excellent yields (up to 99%) with good to excellent
      diastereoselectivities (up to >25:1 dr). Moreover, the squaramide-catalyzed
      asymmetric reactions of arylidenepyrazolones with 3-chlorooxindoles afforded the
      corresponding chiral spirocyclic heterocycles in excellent yields (up to 99%)
      with moderate diastereoselectivities (up to 87:13 dr) and moderate to high
      enantioselectivities (up to 74% ee). 

PMID- 26491954
TI  - Hepatoprotective Activity of Easter Lily (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.) Bulb
      Extracts.
AB  - The hepatoprotective activities of two different extracts, a hydroethanolic crude
      bulb extract (CB) and a steroidal glycoside-rich 1-butanol extract (BuOH),
      prepared from the bulbs of Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.), were
      evaluated in a 24 week study in the female KK.Cg-A(y)/J Type 2 diabetic mouse
      model. Animals were divided into six groups (n = 16): control mice received
      Easter lily bulb extract-free drinking water together with a low- or high-fat
      diet (diabetic control); drinking water for the remaining groups was supplemented
      with CB extract (1%), BuOH extract (0.1 or 0.2%), and reference drug Metformin
      (0.001%), together with a high-fat diet. Both CB and BuOH extract treatment
      groups exhibited significantly improved liver function based on comparisons of
      triglycerides [diabetic 219 +/- 34 mg/dL, CB 131 +/- 27 mg/dL, BuOH(0.2%) 114 +/-
      35 mg/dL], CB total cholesterol (TC) (diabetic 196 +/- 12 mg/dL, CB 159 +/- 5
      mg/dL), average liver mass [diabetic 2.96 +/- 0.13 g, CB 2.58 +/- 0.08 g,
      BuOH(0.1%) 2.48 +/- 0.13 g], alanine transferase [diabetic 74 +/- 5 units/L, CB
      25 +/- 1 units/L, BuOH(0.1%) 45 +/- 1 units/L], and histological examinations.
      Glucose metabolism was improved only in CB, which was confirmed by oral glucose
      tolerance tests (OGTT) in diet-induced obese C57BL/6J mice exposed to CB extract.
      These data suggest that steroidal glycosides 1-5 might play a role in the
      hepatoprotective activity of the BuOH extracts, while the results of the TC
      measurements and OGTT study indicate that other constituents present in the CB
      extract are responsible for its hypocholesterolemic and hypoglycemic activity. 

PMID- 26491955
TI  - Comprehensive Screen of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles for DNA Adsorption,
      Fluorescence Quenching, and Anion Discrimination.
AB  - Although DNA has been quite successful in metal cation detection, anion
      detectioin remains challenging because of the charge repulsion. Metal oxides
      represent a very important class of materials, and different oxides might
      interact with anions differently. In this work, a comprehensive screen of common
      metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) was carried out for their ability to adsorb
      DNA, quench fluorescence, and release adsorbed DNA in the presence of target
      anions. A total of 19 MONPs were studied, including Al2O3, CeO2, CoO, Co3O4,
      Cr2O3, Fe2O3, Fe3O4, In2O3, ITO, Mn2O3, NiO, SiO2, SnO2, a-TiO2 (anatase), r-TiO2
      (rutile), WO3, Y2O3, ZnO, ZrO2. These MONPs have different DNA adsorption
      affinity. Some adsorb DNA without quenching the fluorescence, while others
      strongly quench adsorbed fluorophores. They also display different affinity
      toward anions probed by DNA desorption. Finally, CeO2, Fe3O4, and ZnO were used
      to form a sensor array to discriminate phosphate, arsenate, and arsenite from the
      rest using linear discriminant analysis. This study not only provides a solution
      for anion discrimination using DNA as a signaling molecule but also provides
      insights into the interface of metal oxides and DNA.

PMID- 26491956
TI  - From ribbons to networks: hierarchical organization of DNA-grafted supramolecular
      polymers.
AB  - DNA-grafted supramolecular polymers (SPs) allow the programmed organization of
      DNA in a highly regular, one-dimensional array. Oligonucleotides are arranged
      along the edges of pyrene-based helical polymers. Addition of complementary
      oligonucleotides triggers the assembly of individual nanoribbons resulting in the
      development of extended supramolecular networks. Network formation is enabled by
      cooperative coaxial stacking interactions of terminal GC base pairs. The process
      is accompanied by structural changes in the pyrene polymer core that can be
      followed spectroscopically. Network formation is reversible, and disassembly into
      individual ribbons is realized either via thermal denaturation or by addition of
      a DNA separator strand. 

PMID- 26491957
TI  - Photoinduced, Copper-Catalyzed Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation with Alkyl
      Electrophiles: Cyanation of Unactivated Secondary Alkyl Chlorides at Room
      Temperature.
AB  - We have recently reported that, in the presence of light and a copper catalyst,
      nitrogen nucleophiles such as carbazoles and primary amides undergo C-N coupling
      with alkyl halides under mild conditions. In the present study, we establish that
      photoinduced, copper-catalyzed alkylation can also be applied to C-C bond
      formation, specifically, that the cyanation of unactivated secondary alkyl
      chlorides can be achieved at room temperature to afford nitriles, an important
      class of target molecules. Thus, in the presence of an inexpensive copper
      catalyst (CuI; no ligand coadditive) and a readily available light source (UVC
      compact fluorescent light bulb), a wide array of alkyl halides undergo cyanation
      in good yield. Our initial mechanistic studies are consistent with the hypothesis
      that an excited state of [Cu(CN)2](-) may play a role, via single electron
      transfer, in this process. This investigation provides a rare example of a
      transition metal-catalyzed cyanation of an alkyl halide, as well as the first
      illustrations of photoinduced, copper-catalyzed alkylation with either a carbon
      nucleophile or a secondary alkyl chloride. 

PMID- 26491958
TI  - Improving Detection of Metastatic Neuroblastoma in Bone Marrow Core Biopsies: A
      Proposed Immunohistochemical Approach.
AB  - Bone marrow (BM) nvolvement is common in stage 4/M neuroblastoma patients and
      profoundly impacts clinical decision-making and predicts outcomes, but to our
      knowledge no standard exists for immunohistochemical evaluation of staging BMs.
      We examined the use of three immuno-stains-synaptophysin, tyrosine hydroxylase
      (TH), and PGP9.5-in detecting metastatic neuroblastoma in BM. We retrospectively
      selected 174 BM core biopsies from 41 neuroblastoma patients.
      Immunohistochemistry for synaptophysin, TH, and PGP9.5 was performed. These
      slides and the hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained slide from each BM were
      randomized and independently scored by three pathologists as positive, negative,
      or indeterminate. Cohen's kappa coefficients (interobserver agreement), McNemar's
      test (for frequencies of positive/indeterminate interpretations), and
      sensitivities for each stain/combination were calculated. Interobserver agreement
      was higher for all immunostains (synaptophysin, 78%-90%, kappa  =  0.548-0.787;
      TH, 77%-92%, kappa  =  0.481-0.788; and PGP9.5, 83%-90%, kappa  =  0.601-0.740)
      than for H&Es (77%-84%, kappa  =  0.434-0.572). Indeterminate interpretations
      were more frequent with H&Es (8.9%) and synaptophysin (6.0%) than with PGP9.5
      (3.5%) or TH (3.3%). TH (76%) and PGP9.5 (70%) were the immunostains most likely
      to correctly resolve indeterminate H&E interpretation. Mean sensitivity among all
      three pathologists for detection of metastasis compared to the consensus
      diagnosis was 42.5% for H&E alone, 70.7% to 78.8% for H&E plus one immunostain,
      and 81.6% to 85% for H&E plus two immunostains. Immunohistochemistry enhanced
      sensitivity for tumor detection particularly dramatically in cases of prior
      chemotherapy. PGP9.5 and TH showed good interobserver agreement, fewer
      indeterminate interpretations, and resolved indeterminate H&E diagnoses at the
      highest frequencies. Therefore, we recommend H&E and two immunostains,
      specifically PGP9.5 and TH, for optimal detection of metastatic neuroblastoma in
      BM. 

PMID- 26491959
TI  - The effect of fluphenazine decanoate on glucocorticoid production, reproductive
      cyclicity, and the behavioral stress response in the Persian onager (Equus
      hemionus onager).
AB  - Artificial insemination, performed to maximize genetic diversity in populations
      of zoo-housed animals, requires intensive management and has been associated with
      low success rates in fractious species. In these species, stressors, such as
      frequent handling, may impact fertility. Long-acting neuroleptic pharmaceuticals
      (LANs) can attenuate the stress response to handling, but may also disrupt
      ovulation in some species, compromising their use for artificial insemination.
      Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine whether LANs may be used to
      mitigate stress during reproductive management in wild equids without inhibiting
      ovulation. Six female Persian onagers (Equus hemionus onager) were treated with
      fluphenazine decanoate (FD; 0.1 mg/kg IM) or saline control in a random crossover
      design study. Urinary cortisol, progesterone, estrogen metabolites and behavior
      were monitored, and follicular dynamics were examined using ultrasonography until
      ovulation. Onagers demonstrated significantly lower cortisol concentrations (P =
      0.03) when treated with FD (6.61 +/- 3.26 ng/mg creatinine) compared to saline
      (9.73 +/- 3.19 ng/mg creatinine). Overall, there were no differences in peak
      estrogen (P = 0.51) or progesterone (P = 0.38) concentrations between the two
      groups, and all animals ovulated within the expected time frame following FD
      treatment. However, some onagers exhibited only minor reductions in cortisol
      secretion and one treated female demonstrated a suppressed luteal progesterone
      peak, indicating a possible reproductive cost to FD administration. While FD may
      be useful for highly fractious equids for which the stress of handling delays or
      inhibits ovulation, these results warrant further investigation of dosing.

PMID- 26491960
TI  - Maternal Buprenorphine Dose at Delivery and Its Relationship to Neonatal
      Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: To determine whether there is a dose-response relationship
      between maternal dose of buprenorphine at delivery and neonatal outcomes.
      METHODS: This retrospective cohort study of 155 maternal-infant dyads exposed to
      buprenorphine during pregnancy examines the relationship between maternal dose of
      buprenorphine at delivery and gestational age, birthweight, method of delivery,
      Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min, duration of infant hospital stay, peak neonatal
      abstinence syndrome (NAS) score, duration of NAS and incidence of pharmacologic
      treatment of NAS. RESULTS: Analyses failed to support any relationship between
      maternal dose of buprenorphine at delivery and any of the 9 clinical outcomes
      (all p values >0.093). CONCLUSIONS: This study failed to provide any evidence to
      support limiting or reducing maternal dose of buprenorphine during pregnancy in
      order to reduce possible adverse outcomes to the infant. Findings suggest that
      healthcare providers can focus medication decisions on maternal opioid cravings
      to reduce the risk of relapse to illicit opioid use rather than out of concern
      for adverse infant outcomes.

PMID- 26491961
TI  - Micrometeorological measurements over 3 years reveal differences in N2 O
      emissions between annual and perennial crops.
AB  - Perennial crops can deliver a wide range of ecosystem services compared to annual
      crops. Some of these benefits are achieved by lengthening the growing season,
      which increases the period of crop water and nutrient uptake, pointing to a
      potential role for perennial systems to mitigate soil nitrous oxide (N2 O)
      emissions. Employing a micrometeorological method, we tested this hypothesis in a
      3-year field experiment with a perennial grass-legume mixture and an annual corn
      monoculture. Given that N2 O emissions are strongly dependent on the method of
      fertilizer application, two manure application options commonly used by farmers
      for each crop were studied: injection vs. broadcast application for the
      perennial; fall vs. spring application for the annual. Across the 3 years, lower
      N2 O emissions (P < 0.001) were measured for the perennial compared to the annual
      crop, even though annual N2 O emissions increased tenfold for the perennial after
      ploughing. The percentage of N2 O lost per unit of fertilizer applied was 3.7,
      3.1 and 1.3 times higher for the annual for each consecutive year. Differences in
      soil organic matter due to the contrasting root systems of these crops are
      probably a major factor behind the N2 O reduction. We found that a specific
      manure management practice can lead to increases or reductions in annual N2 O
      emissions depending on environmental variables. The number of freeze-thaw cycles
      during winter and the amount of rainfall after fertilization in spring were key
      factors. Therefore, general manure management recommendations should be avoided
      because interannual weather variability has the potential to determine if a
      specific practice is beneficial or detrimental. The lower N2 O emissions of
      perennial crops deserve further research attention and must be considered in
      future land-use decisions. Increasing the proportion of perennial crops in
      agricultural landscapes may provide an overlooked opportunity to regulate N2 O
      emissions. 

PMID- 26491962
TI  - Quantification of Borrelia burgdorferi Membrane Proteins in Human Serum: A New
      Concept for Detection of Bacterial Infection.
AB  - The Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete is the causative agent of Lyme disease, the
      most common tick-borne disease in the United States. The low abundance of
      bacterial proteins in human serum during infection imposes a challenge for early
      proteomic detection of Lyme disease. To address this challenge, we propose to
      detect membrane proteins released from bacteria due to disruption of their plasma
      membrane triggered by the innate immune system. These membrane proteins can be
      separated from the bulk of serum proteins by high-speed centrifugation causing
      substantial sample enrichment prior to targeted protein quantification using
      multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry. This new approach was first
      applied to detection of B. burgdorferi membrane proteins supplemented in human
      serum. Our results indicated that detection of B. burgdorferi membrane proteins,
      which are ~10(7) lower in abundance than major serum proteins, is feasible.
      Therefore, quantitative analysis was also carried out for serum samples from
      three patients with acute Lyme disease. We were able to demonstrate the detection
      of ospA, the major B. burgdorferi lipoprotein at the level of 4.0 fmol of ospA/mg
      of serum protein. The results confirm the concept and suggest that the proposed
      approach can be expanded to detect other bacterial infections in humans,
      particularly where existing diagnostics are unreliable. 

PMID- 26491963
TI  - Intracellular Information Processing through Encoding and Decoding of Dynamic
      Signaling Features.
AB  - Cell signaling dynamics and transcriptional regulatory activities are variable
      within specific cell types responding to an identical stimulus. In addition to
      studying the network interactions, there is much interest in utilizing single
      cell scale data to elucidate the non-random aspects of the variability involved
      in cellular decision making. Previous studies have considered the information
      transfer between the signaling and transcriptional domains based on an
      instantaneous relationship between the molecular activities. These studies
      predict a limited binary on/off encoding mechanism which underestimates the
      complexity of biological information processing, and hence the utility of single
      cell resolution data. Here we pursue a novel strategy that reformulates the
      information transfer problem as involving dynamic features of signaling rather
      than molecular abundances. We pursue a computational approach to test if and how
      the transcriptional regulatory activity patterns can be informative of the
      temporal history of signaling. Our analysis reveals (1) the dynamic features of
      signaling that significantly alter transcriptional regulatory patterns
      (encoding), and (2) the temporal history of signaling that can be inferred from
      single cell scale snapshots of transcriptional activity (decoding). Immediate
      early gene expression patterns were informative of signaling peak retention
      kinetics, whereas transcription factor activity patterns were informative of
      activation and deactivation kinetics of signaling. Moreover, the information
      processing aspects varied across the network, with each component encoding a
      selective subset of the dynamic signaling features. We developed novel
      sensitivity and information transfer maps to unravel the dynamic multiplexing of
      signaling features at each of these network components. Unsupervised clustering
      of the maps revealed two groups that aligned with network motifs distinguished by
      transcriptional feedforward vs feedback interactions. Our new computational
      methodology impacts the single cell scale experiments by identifying downstream
      snapshot measures required for inferring specific dynamical features of upstream
      signals involved in the regulation of cellular responses. 

PMID- 26491964
TI  - Diversity of Active States in TMT Opsins.
AB  - Opn3/TMT opsins belong to one of the opsin groups with vertebrate visual and non
      visual opsins, and are widely distributed in eyes, brains and other internal
      organs in various vertebrates and invertebrates. Vertebrate Opn3/TMT opsins are
      further classified into four groups on the basis of their amino acid identities.
      However, there is limited information about molecular properties of these groups,
      due to the difficulty in preparing the recombinant proteins. Here, we
      successfully expressed recombinant proteins of TMT1 and TMT2 opsins of medaka
      fish (Oryzias latipes) in cultured cells and characterized their molecular
      properties. Spectroscopic and biochemical studies demonstrated that TMT1 and TMT2
      opsins functioned as blue light-sensitive Gi/Go-coupled receptors, but exhibited
      spectral properties and photo-convertibility of the active state different from
      each other. TMT1 opsin forms a visible light-absorbing active state containing
      all-trans-retinal, which can be photo-converted to 7-cis- and 9-cis-retinal
      states in addition to the original 11-cis-retinal state. In contrast, the active
      state of TMT2 opsin is a UV light-absorbing state having all-trans-retinal and
      does not photo-convert to any other state, including the original 11-cis-retinal
      state. Thus, TMT opsins are diversified so as to form a different type of active
      state, which may be responsible for their different functions. 

PMID- 26491965
TI  - Chronic Cigarette Smoking Impairs Erectile Function through Increased Oxidative
      Stress and Apoptosis, Decreased nNOS, Endothelial and Smooth Muscle Contents in a
      Rat Model.
AB  - Cigarette use is an independent risk factor for the development of erectile
      dysfunction (ED). While the association between chronic smoking and ED is well
      established, the fundamental mechanism(s) of cigarette-related ED are
      incompletely understood, partly due to no reliable animal model of smoking
      induced ED. The present study was designed to validate an in vivo rat model of
      chronic cigarette-induced ED. Forty 12-week old male Sprague-Dawley rats were
      divided into 4 groups. Ten rats served as control group and were exposed only to
      room air. The remaining 30 rats were passively exposed to cigarette smoke (CS)
      for 4 weeks (n = 10), 12 weeks (n = 10), and 24 weeks (n = 10). At the 24-week
      time point all rats were assessed with intracavernous pressure (ICP) during
      cavernous nerve electrostimulation. Blood and urine were collected to measure
      serum testosterone and oxidative stress, respectively. Corporal tissue was
      assessed by Western blot for neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Penile
      tissues were subjected to immunohistochemistry for endothelial, smooth muscle,
      and apoptotic content. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was significantly higher in
      24-week cigarette exposed animals compared to the control animals. Mean ICP/MAP
      ratio and cavernosal smooth muscle/endothelial contents were significantly lower
      in the 12- and 24-week rats compared to control animals. Oxidative stress was
      significantly higher in the 24-week cigarette exposed group compared to control
      animals. Mean nNOS expression was significantly lower, and apoptotic index
      significantly higher, in CS-exposed animals compared to control animals. These
      findings indicate that the rat model exposure to CS increases apoptosis and
      oxidative stress and decreases nNOS, endothelial and smooth muscle contents, and
      ICP in a dose dependent fashion. The rat model is a useful tool for further study
      of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of CS-related ED. 

PMID- 26491967
TI  - A Novel Byte-Substitution Architecture for the AES Cryptosystem.
AB  - The performance of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) mainly depends on speed,
      area and power. The S-box represents an important factor that affects the
      performance of AES on each of these factors. A number of techniques have been
      presented in the literature, which have attempted to improve the performance of
      the S-box byte-substitution. This paper proposes a new S-box architecture,
      defining it as ultra low power, robustly parallel and highly efficient in terms
      of area. The architecture is discussed for both CMOS and FPGA platforms, and the
      pipelined architecture of the proposed S-box is presented for further time
      savings and higher throughput along with higher hardware resources utilization. A
      performance analysis and comparison of the proposed architecture is also
      conducted with those achieved by the existing techniques. The results of the
      comparison verify the outperformance of the proposed architecture in terms of
      power, delay and size. 

PMID- 26491966
TI  - Quercetin Suppresses Twist to Induce Apoptosis in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells.
AB  - Quercetin is a dietary flavonoid which exerts anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and
      anti-cancer properties. In this study, we investigated the anti-proliferative
      effect of quercetin in two breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231), which
      differed in hormone receptor. IC50 value (37MUM) of quercetin showed significant
      cytotoxicity in MCF-7 cells, which was not observed in MDA-MB-231 cells even at
      100MUM of quercetin treatment. To study the response of cancer cells to
      quercetin, with respect to different hormone receptors, both the cell lines were
      treated with a fixed concentration (40MUM) of quercetin. MCF-7 cells on quercetin
      treatment showed more apoptotic cells with G1 phase arrest. In addition,
      quercetin effectively suppressed the expression of CyclinD1, p21, Twist and
      phospho p38MAPK, which was not observed in MDA-MB-231 cells. To analyse the
      molecular mechanism of quercetin in exerting an apoptotic effect in MCF-7 cells,
      Twist was over-expressed and the molecular changes were observed after quercetin
      administration. Quercetin effectively regulated the expression of Twist, in turn
      p16 and p21 which induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. In conclusion, quercetin
      induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells through suppression of Twist via p38MAPK
      pathway. 

PMID- 26491968
TI  - Population Genetics and Reproductive Strategies of African Trypanosomes:
      Revisiting Available Published Data.
AB  - Trypanosomatidae are a dangerous family of Euglenobionta parasites that threaten
      the health and economy of millions of people around the world. More precisely
      describing the population biology and reproductive mode of such pests is not only
      a matter of pure science, but can also be useful for understanding parasite
      adaptation, as well as how parasitism, specialization (parasite specificity), and
      complex life cycles evolve over time. Studying this parasite's reproductive
      strategies and population structure can also contribute key information to the
      understanding of the epidemiology of associated diseases; it can also provide
      clues for elaborating control programs and predicting the probability of success
      for control campaigns (such as vaccines and drug therapies), along with emergence
      or re-emergence risks. Population genetics tools, if appropriately used, can
      provide precise and useful information in these investigations. In this paper, we
      revisit recent data collected during population genetics surveys of different
      Trypanosoma species in sub-Saharan Africa. Reproductive modes and population
      structure depend not only on the taxon but also on the geographical location and
      data quality (absence or presence of DNA amplification failures). We conclude on
      issues regarding future directions of research, in particular vis-a-vis
      genotyping and sampling strategies, which are still relevant yet, too often,
      neglected issues. 

PMID- 26491969
TI  - Smoking in Relation to Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaque Burden, Volume and
      Composition on Intravascular Ultrasound.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between cigarette
      smoking and coronary atherosclerotic burden, volume and composition as determined
      in-vivo by grayscale and virtual histology (VH) intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Between 2008 and 2011, (VH-)IVUS of a non-culprit coronary
      artery was performed in 581 patients undergoing coronary angiography. To account
      for differences in baseline characteristics, current smokers were matched to
      never smokers by age, gender and indication for catheterization, resulting in 280
      patients available for further analysis. Coronary atherosclerotic plaque volume,
      burden, composition (fibrous, fibro-fatty, dense calcium and necrotic core) and
      high-risk lesions (VH-IVUS derived thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA), plaque burden
      >=70%, minimal luminal area <=4.0 mm2) were assessed. Cigarette smoking showed a
      tendency towards higher coronary plaque burden (mean+/-SD, 38.6+/-12.5% in
      current versus 36.4+/-11.0% in never smokers, p = 0.080; and odds ratio (OR) of
      current smoking for plaque burden above versus below the median 1.69 (1.04-2.75),
      p = 0.033). This effect was driven by an association in patients presenting with
      an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (current smokers, plaque burden 38.3+/-12.8%
      versus never smokers, plaque burden 35.0+/-11.2%, p = 0.049; OR 1.88 (1.02-3.44),
      p = 0.042). Fibrous tissue tended to be lower in current smokers (mean+/-SD,
      57.7+/-10.5% versus 60.4+/-12.6%, p = 0.050) and fibro-fatty tissue was higher in
      current smokers (median[IQR], 9.6[6.0-13.7]% versus 8.6[5.8-12.2]%, p = 0.039).
      However, differences in percentage necrotic core and dense calcium could not be
      demonstrated. Also, no differences were found with regard to high-risk lesions.
      CONCLUSIONS: An association between smoking and degree of coronary
      atherosclerosis was present in patients undergoing coronary angiography who
      presented with ACS. Although smoking was associated with higher fibro-fatty
      percentage, no associations could be demonstrated with percentage necrotic core,
      nor with VH-IVUS derived TCFA lesions. Since the magnitude of the differences in
      both degree and composition of atherosclerosis was modest, clinical relevance of
      the findings may be questioned.

PMID- 26491970
TI  - Crystal Structures of a Piscine Betanodavirus: Mechanisms of Capsid Assembly and
      Viral Infection.
AB  - Betanodaviruses cause massive mortality in marine fish species with viral nervous
      necrosis. The structure of a T = 3 Grouper nervous necrosis virus-like particle
      (GNNV-LP) is determined by the ab initio method with non-crystallographic
      symmetry averaging at 3.6 A resolution. Each capsid protein (CP) shows three
      major domains: (i) the N-terminal arm, an inter-subunit extension at the inner
      surface; (ii) the shell domain (S-domain), a jelly-roll structure; and (iii) the
      protrusion domain (P-domain) formed by three-fold trimeric protrusions. In
      addition, we have determined structures of the T = 1 subviral particles (SVPs) of
      (i) the delta-P-domain mutant (residues 35-217) at 3.1 A resolution; and (ii) the
      N-ARM deletion mutant (residues 35-338) at 7 A resolution; and (iii) the
      structure of the individual P-domain (residues 214-338) at 1.2 A resolution. The
      P-domain reveals a novel DxD motif asymmetrically coordinating two Ca2+ ions, and
      seems to play a prominent role in the calcium-mediated trimerization of the GNNV
      CPs during the initial capsid assembly process. The flexible N-ARM (N-terminal
      arginine-rich motif) appears to serve as a molecular switch for T = 1 or T = 3
      assembly. Finally, we find that polyethylene glycol, which is incorporated into
      the P-domain during the crystallization process, enhances GNNV infection. The
      present structural studies together with the biological assays enhance our
      understanding of the role of the P-domain of GNNV in the capsid assembly and
      viral infection by this betanodavirus. 

PMID- 26491971
TI  - Quantifying Multistate Cytoplasmic Molecular Diffusion in Bacterial Cells via
      Inverse Transform of Confined Displacement Distribution.
AB  - Single-molecule tracking (SMT) of fluorescently tagged cytoplasmic proteins can
      provide valuable information on the underlying biological processes in living
      cells via subsequent analysis of the displacement distributions; however, the
      confinement effect originated from the small size of a bacterial cell skews the
      protein's displacement distribution and complicates the quantification of the
      intrinsic diffusive behaviors. Using the inverse transformation method, we
      convert the skewed displacement distribution (for both 2D and 3D imaging
      conditions) back to that in free space for systems containing one or multiple
      (non)interconverting Brownian diffusion states, from which we can reliably
      extract the number of diffusion states as well as their intrinsic diffusion
      coefficients and respective fractional populations. We further demonstrate a
      successful application to experimental SMT data of a transcription factor in
      living E. coli cells. This work allows a direct quantitative connection between
      cytoplasmic SMT data with diffusion theory for analyzing molecular diffusive
      behavior in live bacteria. 

PMID- 26491972
TI  - Do All Dinoflagellates have an Extranuclear Spindle?
AB  - The syndinean dinoflagellates are a diverse assemblage of alveolate endoparasites
      that branch basal to the core dinoflagellates. Because of their phylogenetic
      position, the syndineans are considered key model microorganisms in understanding
      early evolution in the dinoflagellates. Closed mitosis with an extranuclear
      spindle that traverses the nucleus in cytoplasmic grooves or tunnels is viewed as
      one of the morphological features shared by syndinean and core dinoflagellates.
      Here we describe nuclear morphology and mitosis in the syndinean dinoflagellate
      Amoebophrya sp. from Akashiwo sanguinea, a member of the A. ceratii complex, as
      revealed by protargol silver impregnation, DNA specific fluorochromes, and
      transmission electron microscopy. Our observations show that not all species
      classified as dinoflagellates have an extranuclear spindle. In Amoebophrya sp.
      from A. sanguinea, an extranuclear microtubule cylinder located in a depression
      in the nuclear surface during interphase moves into the nucleoplasm via
      sequential membrane fusion events and develops into an entirely intranuclear
      spindle. Results suggest that the intranuclear spindle of Amoebophrya spp. may
      have evolved from an ancestral extranuclear spindle and indicate the need for
      taxonomic revision of the Amoebophryidae. 

PMID- 26491973
TI  - Janus Silica Hollow Spheres Prepared via Interfacial Biosilicification.
AB  - A poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(L-lysine)-b-poly(styrene) (PEG-PLL-PS) triblock
      copolymer, which contains a cationic PLL block as the middle block, is
      synthesized via a combination of ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and atom
      transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The PEG-PLL-PS (ELS) triblock is employed
      as a macromolecular surfactant to form a stable oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion,
      which is subsequently used as the template to prepare Janus silica hollow spheres
      (JHS) via a one-pot biosilicification reaction. For the emulsion template, the
      middle PLL block assembles at the O/W interface and directs the biomimetic silica
      synthesis in the presence of phosphate buffer and silicic acid precursors. This
      biosilicification process takes place only in the intermediate layer between
      water and the organic interior phase, leading to the formation of silica JHSs
      with hydrophobic PS chains tethered to the inner surface and PEG attached to the
      outer surface. The three-layer JHSs, namely, PEG/silica-polylysine/PS composites,
      were verified by electron microscopy. Upon further breaking these JHSs into
      species, polymer-grafted Janus silica nanoplates (JPLs) can be obtained. Our
      studies provide an efficient one-step method for preparing hybrid silica Janus
      structures within minutes. 

PMID- 26491974
TI  - Recent advances in the management of AL Amyloidosis.
AB  - Immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis, the most common of the systemic
      amyloidosis, is characterized by the deposition of amyloid fibrils that derive
      from the aggregation of misfolded monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains. Amyloid
      fibrils disrupt tissue architecture and the pre-fibril oligomers are directly
      toxic to myocardiac cells, causing cardiac dysfunction. The lethal consequences
      of AL amyloidosis are due to the toxic product and not due to the malignant
      behaviour of the plasma cell clone; however, the characteristics of this clone
      are associated with long-term prognosis. Early and accurate diagnosis is the key
      to effective management, but is challenging. Modern chemotherapy options
      (including autologous transplantation, bortezomib, lenalidomide) have improved
      the outcomes of patients at low or intermediate risk, but the prognosis of
      patients with severe cardiac dysfunction is still poor. Therapies targeting
      amyloid deposits and the amyloidogenic process are under investigation and offer
      promise for better future treatments. 

PMID- 26491975
TI  - Modulation of the Innate Immune Response through the Vagus Nerve.
AB  - The innate immune system is a defense mechanism that is of vital importance to
      our survival. However, excessive or unwanted activation of the innate immune
      system, which can occur in major surgery, sepsis, trauma, ischemia-reperfusion
      injury and autoimmune diseases, can lead to damage of the kidneys and other
      organs. Therefore, therapeutic approaches aimed at attenuating the innate immune
      response could have beneficial effects in these conditions. The vagus nerve
      exerts anti-inflammatory effects through the so-called cholinergic anti
      inflammatory pathway. Since its discovery, numerous animal studies have shown
      beneficial effects of stimulation of this pathway in models of inflammatory
      diseases, either through (electrical) stimulation of the vagus nerve or
      pharmacological approaches. However, human data are very scarce. In this review,
      we present an overview of the molecular and anatomical bases of the cholinergic
      anti-inflammatory pathway, but mainly focus on human studies. We discuss the
      difficulties and drawbacks associated with investigating this pathway in humans,
      and finally, we provide future perspectives. 

PMID- 26491976
TI  - Genomic and Proteomic Characterization of Acute Kidney Injury.
AB  - The incidence and severity of acute kidney injury (AKI) is rising globally, and
      the associated morbidity and mortality remain high despite promising advances in
      experimental therapeutics. The reasons include (a) an incomplete understanding of
      the complex pathophysiology, (b) an inability to reliably identify risk factors
      for AKI and (c) a lack of biomarkers for the early prediction of AKI and its
      outcomes. Functional genomics, bioinformatics and proteomics have begun to
      uncover candidates that are emerging as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. This
      review will update the reader on current technologies in genomics (including
      targeted sequencing, genome wide association studies and transcriptome profiling)
      and proteomics (including gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry methods) and
      their application on human AKI. 

PMID- 26491977
TI  - "Of and beyond medical consequences": Exploring health information scanning and
      seeking behaviors of Filipino domestic service workers in Hong Kong.
AB  - The increasing trend for women in developing countries to engage in international
      and temporary labor migration has exposed female migrant workers to health
      inequities. In this article, we problematize the impact of international and
      temporary labor migration on the health of Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong
      by exploring their general patterns of health information acquisition. Through a
      series of focus group discussions with Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong, we
      found that employers serve as stakeholders in migration health, social networking
      sites can be a platform for participatory health promotion, and religious beliefs
      and behaviors can promote favorable health behaviors.

PMID- 26491978
TI  - Novel 5-carboxy-8-HQ based histone demethylase JMJD2A inhibitors: introduction of
      an additional carboxyl group at the C-2 position of quinoline.
AB  - A series of JMJD2A inhibitors had been designed by analyzing the binding mode of
      5-carboxy-8-hydroxyquinoline (5-carboxy-8-HQ) with JMJD2A. The inhibitory
      activity of the synthesized compounds against JMJD2A was determined, followed by
      docking simulations to understand the structure-activity relationships. Compounds
      with potent JMJD2A inhibitory activity demonstrated outstanding selectivity for
      JMJD2A over PHD2. Several potent compounds were selected to evaluate their anti
      proliferative activity on tumor cell lines. Among them, compound 6p displayed the
      best anti-proliferative activity. Based on these in vitro biological data, seven
      compounds were chosen to determine their physicochemical properties. Compound 6p
      displayed good aqueous solubility and better permeability than 5-carboxy-8-HQ.
      Our data recognized that compound 6p could be considered as a starting point for
      development of new JmjC inhibitors. 

PMID- 26491980
TI  - Synthesis and anticancer activity of 6-heteroarylcoumarins.
AB  - A series of novel 7-hydroxy-8-methyl-coumarins with indole, pyrimidine, pyrazole,
      pyran, tetrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine, pyrimido[1,2-a]benzimidazol, 2-oxo-1,2
      dihydropyridine and dihydropyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine moieties at C6 position of
      heterocyclic core have been synthesized. Anticancer activity screening on NCI60
      cell lines allowed identification of 6-(6-fluoro-1H-indol-2-yl)-7-hydroxy-4,8
      dimethyl-2H-chromen-2-one (23) with the highest level of antimitotic activity
      with mean GI50/TGI values of 3.28/13.24 MUM and certain sensitivity profile
      towards the Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer cell line NOR-92 (GI50/TGI/LC50 values
      0.95/4.17/29.9 MUM). 

PMID- 26491979
TI  - Synthesis of novel flavone hydrazones: in-vitro evaluation of alpha-glucosidase
      inhibition, QSAR analysis and docking studies.
AB  - Thirty derivatives of flavone hydrazone (5-34) had been synthesized through a
      five-step reaction and screened for their alpha-glucosidase inhibition activity.
      Chalcone 1 was synthesized through aldol condensation then subjected through
      oxidative cyclization, esterification, and condensation reaction to afford the
      final products. The result for baker's yeast alpha-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.20)
      inhibition assay showed that all compounds are active with reference to the IC50
      value of the acarbose (standard drug) except for compound 3. Increase in activity
      observed for compounds 2 to 34 clearly highlights the importance of flavone,
      hydrazide and hydrazone linkage in suppressing the activity of alpha-glucosidase.
      Additional functional group on N-benzylidene moiety further enhances the activity
      significantly. Compound 5 (15.4 +/- 0.22 MUM), a 2,4,6-trihydroxy substituted
      compound, is the most active compound in the series. Other compounds which were
      found to be active are those having chlorine, fluorine, and nitro substituents.
      Compounds with methoxy, pyridine, and methyl substituents are weakly active.
      Further studies showed that they are not active in inhibiting histone deacetylase
      activity and do not possess any cytotoxic properties. QSAR model was being
      developed to further identify the structural requirements contributing to the
      activity. Using Discovery Studio (DS) 2.5, various 2D descriptors were being used
      to develop the model. The QSAR model is able to predict the pIC50 and could be
      used as a prediction tool for compounds having the same skeletal framework.
      Molecular docking was done for all compounds using homology model of alpha
      glucosidase to identify important binding modes responsible for inhibition
      activity. 

PMID- 26491981
TI  - Inhibition of 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase from
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis: in silico screening and in vitro validation.
AB  - Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains a serious global
      health threat, highlighting the urgent need for novel antituberculosis drugs. The
      shikimate pathway, responsible for aromatic amino acid biosynthesis, is required
      for the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is a potential drug target. 3
      deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase (mtDAH7Ps) catalyzes the first
      step in shikimate pathway. E-pharmacophore models for inhibitors of mtDAH7Ps -
      tyrosine, phenylalanine, phosphoenolpyruvate and (2S)-2,7
      bis(phosphonooxy)heptanoic acid were screened against ZINC synthetic and natural
      compounds databases. The shortlisted compounds were subjected to induce fit
      docking and validated by Prime/Molecular Mechanics Generalized Born Surface Area
      calculation to predict ligand binding energy and ligand strain energy for ligand
      and receptor. The lead compounds were screened for their inhibitory activity
      against purified mtDAH7Ps enzyme. Lead compounds inhibited mtDAH7Ps in a
      concentration-dependent manner; with an IC50 value of 21 MUM, 42 MUM and 54 MUM
      for alpha-Tocopherol, rutin and 3-Pyridine carboxyaldehyde respectively.
      Molecular Dynamics analysis for 50 ns of the active compounds-mtDAH7Ps complexes
      showed that the backbone of mtDAH7Ps was stable. These results suggest that alpha
      tocopherol, 3 - Pyridine carboxyaldehyde and rutin could be novel drug leads to
      inhibit mtDAH7Ps in M. tuberculosis.

PMID- 26491982
TI  - A click chemistry approach for the synthesis of mono and bis aryloxy linked
      coumarinyl triazoles as anti-tubercular agents.
AB  - A series of mono and bis-triazole coumarin hybrids 6a-u and 9a-f respectively
      have been synthesized using 4-(azidomethyl)-2H-chromen-2-ones 5a-i and aryl
      propargyl ethers 2a-c/8 employing Click chemistry modified protocol for Azide
      Alkyne cycloadditions(CuAAC). Anti-tubercular screening showed moderate activity
      for mono aryloxy compounds 6a-u with MIC 50-100 MUg/mL, whereas the bis compounds
      9a-f were more effective with MICs between 0.2 and 12.5 MUg/mL. Molecular
      modeling and 3D-QSAR measurements using CoMFA and Topomer CoMFA further supported
      the observed results. The bis compound 9b showed excellent activity with MIC
      value as low as 0.2 MUg/mL.

PMID- 26491983
TI  - Ecto-5'-Nucleotidase Overexpression Reduces Tumor Growth in a Xenograph
      Medulloblastoma Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ecto-5'-nucleotidase/CD73 (ecto-5'-NT) participates in extracellular
      ATP catabolism by converting adenosine monophosphate (AMP) into adenosine. This
      enzyme affects the progression and invasiveness of different tumors. Furthermore,
      the expression of ecto-5'-NT has also been suggested as a favorable prognostic
      marker, attributing to this enzyme contradictory functions in cancer.
      Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common brain tumor of the cerebellum and affects
      mainly children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effects of ecto-5'-NT overexpression
      on human MB tumor growth were studied in an in vivo model. Balb/c immunodeficient
      (nude) 6 to 14-week-old mice were used for dorsal subcutaneous xenograph tumor
      implant. Tumor development was evaluated by pathophysiological analysis. In
      addition, the expression patterns of adenosine receptors were verified. RESULTS:
      The human MB cell line D283, transfected with ecto-5'-NT (D283hCD73), revealed
      reduced tumor growth compared to the original cell line transfected with an empty
      vector. D283hCD73 generated tumors with a reduced proliferative index, lower
      vascularization, the presence of differentiated cells and increased active
      caspase-3 expression. Prominent A1 adenosine receptor expression rates were
      detected in MB cells overexpressing ecto-5'-NT. CONCLUSION: This work suggests
      that ecto-5'-NT promotes reduced tumor growth to reduce cell proliferation and
      vascularization, promote higher differentiation rates and initiate apoptosis,
      supposedly by accumulating adenosine, which then acts through A1 adenosine
      receptors. Therefore, ecto-5'-NT might be considered an important prognostic
      marker, being associated with good prognosis and used as a potential target for
      therapy.

PMID- 26491984
TI  - Ecotoxicity monitoring and bioindicator screening of oil-contaminated soil during
      bioremediation.
AB  - A series of toxicity bioassays was conducted to monitor the ecotoxicity of soils
      in the different phases of bioremediation. Artificially oil-contaminated soil was
      inoculated with a petroleum hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial consortium containing
      Burkholderia cepacia GS3C, Sphingomonas GY2B and Pandoraea pnomenusa GP3B strains
      adapted to crude oil. Soil ecotoxicity in different phases of bioremediation was
      examined by monitoring total petroleum hydrocarbons, soil enzyme activities,
      phytotoxicity (inhibition of seed germination and plant growth), malonaldehyde
      content, superoxide dismutase activity and bacterial luminescence. Although the
      total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration in soil was reduced by 64.4%,
      forty days after bioremediation, the phytotoxicity and Photobacterium phosphoreum
      ecotoxicity test results indicated an initial increase in ecotoxicity, suggesting
      the formation of intermediate metabolites characterized by high toxicity and low
      bioavailability during bioremediation. The ecotoxicity values are a more valid
      indicator for evaluating the effectiveness of bioremediation techniques compared
      with only using the total petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations. Among all of the
      potential indicators that could be used to evaluate the effectiveness of
      bioremediation techniques, soil enzyme activities, phytotoxicity (inhibition of
      plant height, shoot weight and root fresh weight), malonaldehyde content,
      superoxide dismutase activity and luminescence of P. phosphoreum were the most
      sensitive. 

PMID- 26491985
TI  - Long-term use of an ultrapotent topical steroid for the treatment of vulval
      lichen sclerosus is safe.

PMID- 26491986
TI  - When the Label Matters: Adsorption of Labeled and Unlabeled Proteins on Charged
      Surfaces.
AB  - Fluorescent labels are often attached to proteins to monitor binding and
      adsorption processes. Docking simulations for native hen egg white lysozyme
      (HEWL) and HEWL labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate show that these adsorb
      differently on charged surfaces. Attachment of even a small label can
      significantly change the interaction properties of a protein. Thus, the results
      of experiments with fluorescently labeled proteins should be interpreted by
      modeling the structures and computing the interaction properties of both labeled
      and unlabeled species. 

PMID- 26491988
TI  - Environmental Contributions to Social and Mental Health Outcomes Following
      Pediatric Stroke.
AB  - Mental health and social outcomes following acquired brain injury (ABI) in
      children are often considered to be due to brain insult, but other factors, such
      as environment, may also play a role. We assessed mental health and social
      function in children with chronic illness, with and without stroke (a form of
      ABI), and typically developing (TD) controls to examine environmental influences
      on these outcomes. We recruited 36 children diagnosed with stroke, 15 with
      chronic asthma, and 43 TD controls. Children and parents completed questionnaires
      rating child mental health and social function and distal and proximal
      environment. TD children had significantly less internalizing and social problems
      than stroke and asthma groups, and engaged in more social activities than
      children with stroke. Poorer parent mental health predicted more internalizing
      and social problems and lower social participation. Family dysfunction was
      associated with internalizing problems. Lower parent education contributed to
      children's social function. Children with chronic illness are at elevated risk of
      poorer mental health and social function. Addition of brain insult leads to
      poorer social participation. Quality of home environment contributes to
      children's outcomes, suggesting that supporting parent and family function
      provides an opportunity to optimize child mental health and social outcomes. 

PMID- 26491987
TI  - The role of age and executive function in auditory category learning.
AB  - Auditory categorization is a natural and adaptive process that allows for the
      organization of high-dimensional, continuous acoustic information into discrete
      representations. Studies in the visual domain have identified a rule-based
      learning system that learns and reasons via a hypothesis-testing process that
      requires working memory and executive attention. The rule-based learning system
      in vision shows a protracted development, reflecting the influence of maturing
      prefrontal function on visual categorization. The aim of the current study was
      twofold: (a) to examine the developmental trajectory of rule-based auditory
      category learning from childhood through adolescence and into early adulthood and
      (b) to examine the extent to which individual differences in rule-based category
      learning relate to individual differences in executive function. A sample of 60
      participants with normal hearing-20 children (age range=7-12years), 21
      adolescents (age range=13-19years), and 19 young adults (age range=20-23years)
      learned to categorize novel dynamic "ripple" sounds using trial-by-trial
      feedback. The spectrotemporally modulated ripple sounds are considered the
      auditory equivalent of the well-studied "Gabor" patches in the visual domain.
      Results reveal that auditory categorization accuracy improved with age, with
      young adults outperforming children and adolescents. Computational modeling
      analyses indicated that the use of the task-optimal strategy (i.e., a conjunctive
      rule-based learning strategy) improved with age. Notably, individual differences
      in executive flexibility significantly predicted auditory category learning
      success. The current findings demonstrate a protracted development of rule-based
      auditory categorization. The results further suggest that executive flexibility
      coupled with perceptual processes play important roles in successful rule-based
      auditory category learning. 

PMID- 26491990
TI  - From the Editors.

PMID- 26491989
TI  - Reward-Related Neural Activity and Adolescent Antisocial Behavior in a Community
      Sample.
AB  - Behavioral research has found evidence supporting reward dominance in adolescence
      with externalizing disorders, but findings from neuroimaging studies have been
      largely heterogeneous. We examined the Feedback-Related Negativity (FRN) and P3b
      in relation to self-reported externalizing behavior among 78 adolescents (11-18
      yrs) during a monetary gambling task with concurrent high-density
      electroencephalogram. As expected, the P3b and the FRN demonstrated greater
      evoked activity to reward and punishment, respectively. Further, high
      externalizing behavior was associated with greater P3b difference and reduced FRN
      difference in response to reward and punishment, suggesting that externalizing
      behaviors may be associated with both reward dominance and reduced feedback
      monitoring. 

PMID- 26491991
TI  - Introduction to the Special Series on Risk, Perception, and Response.

PMID- 26491992
TI  - Overcoming Learning Aversion in Evaluating and Managing Uncertain Risks.
AB  - Decision biases can distort cost-benefit evaluations of uncertain risks, leading
      to risk management policy decisions with predictably high retrospective regret.
      We argue that well-documented decision biases encourage learning aversion, or
      predictably suboptimal learning and premature decision making in the face of high
      uncertainty about the costs, risks, and benefits of proposed changes. Biases such
      as narrow framing, overconfidence, confirmation bias, optimism bias, ambiguity
      aversion, and hyperbolic discounting of the immediate costs and delayed benefits
      of learning, contribute to deficient individual and group learning, avoidance of
      information seeking, underestimation of the value of further information, and
      hence needlessly inaccurate risk-cost-benefit estimates and suboptimal risk
      management decisions. In practice, such biases can create predictable regret in
      selection of potential risk-reducing regulations. Low-regret learning strategies
      based on computational reinforcement learning models can potentially overcome
      some of these suboptimal decision processes by replacing aversion to uncertain
      probabilities with actions calculated to balance exploration (deliberate
      experimentation and uncertainty reduction) and exploitation (taking actions to
      maximize the sum of expected immediate reward, expected discounted future reward,
      and value of information). We discuss the proposed framework for understanding
      and overcoming learning aversion and for implementing low-regret learning
      strategies using regulation of air pollutants with uncertain health effects as an
      example. 

PMID- 26491993
TI  - Changes in the Clinical Capacity of Local Health Departments and Continuity of
      Reproductive Health Services.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The role of local health departments (LHDs) as a clinical service
      provider remains a salient topic of discussion. As local and state health
      departments continue to migrate away from clinical services, there is need to
      understand the impact on these transitions on access to care in a given
      community. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of clinical
      capacity reductions in LHDs on receipt of annual family planning visits among
      South Carolina women. DESIGN: A rolling panel of women eligible for Medicaid
      between 2001 and 2012 was created. Receipt of an annual visit for each year of
      Medicaid eligibility was tracked over time. A typology reflecting changes in
      county capacity for clinical services was used as the independent variable. We
      estimated multivariate generalized estimating equation models, which examined
      changes in population-averaged probabilities (marginal means) of annual family
      planning visits over time by level of county typology. RESULTS: Approximately 325
      269 unduplicated women were included in the panel, with 25.18% receiving an
      annual visit in a given year. On average, receipt of annual visits in counties
      with notable reductions in LHD clinical capacity tended to be fewer over time (
      0.022; 95% CI [confidence interval], -0.028 to -0.017) as among counties with
      reduced capacity that included a specific clinic closing (-0.032; 95% CI, -0.037
      to -0.028). However, the magnitude of observed differences between county
      typologies was relatively small. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence of service discontinuity
      was present. However, differences occurred later in the study period following
      the economic recession. Our findings suggest that counties that reduced capacity
      did not lose ground but were unable to meet increasing demand from the economic
      recession relative to those that did not reduce capacity even when closing a
      clinic. As LHDs discontinue or significantly reduced clinical services,
      fulfilling the assurance role is important for transitioning women to other
      sources of care.

PMID- 26491994
TI  - Owning your mistakes.
AB  - Most scientists admit to their errors but, as Eve Marder explains, the scientific
      community as a whole needs to rethink the way it recognizes achievement. 

PMID- 26491995
TI  - Sociodemographic and Clinical Features of Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder:
      A Chart Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) is a novel diagnosis
      listed in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. (DSM-5)
      to encompass chronic and impairing irritability in youth, and to help its
      differentiation from bipolar disorders. Because it is a new entity, treatment
      guidelines, as well as its sociodemographic and clinical features among diverse
      populations, are still not elucidated. Here, DMDD cases from three centers in
      Turkey are reported and the implications are discussed. METHODS: The study was
      conducted at the Abant Izzet Baysal University Medical Faculty Department of
      Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Bolu), and American Hospital and Bengi Semerci
      Institute (Istanbul) between August 2014 and October 2014. Records of patients
      were reviewed and features of patients who fulfilled criteria for DMDD were
      recorded. Data were analyzed with SPS Version 17.0 for Windows. Descriptive
      analyses, chi(2) test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used for analyses. Diagnostic
      consensus was determined via Cohen's kappa constants. p was set at 0.01. RESULTS:
      Thirty-six patients (77.8 % male) fulfilled criteria for DMDD. kappa value for
      consensus between clinicians was 0.68 (p = 0.00). Mean age of patients was 9.0
      years (S.D. = 2.5) whereas the mean age of onset for DMDD symptoms was 4.9 years
      (S.D. = 2.2). Irritability, temper tantrums, verbal rages, and physical
      aggression toward family members were the most common presenting complaints.
      CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic consensus could not be reached for almost one fourth of
      cases. Most common reasons for lack of consensus were problems in clarification
      of moods of patients in between episodes, problems in differentiation of
      normality and pathology (i.e., symptoms mainly reported in one setting vs.
      pervasiveness), and inability to fulfill frequency criterion for tantrums.

PMID- 26491996
TI  - In vivo dual-targeted chemotherapy of drug resistant cancer by rationally
      designed nanocarrier.
AB  - Multidrug resistance is one of major obstacles to the effective cancer
      chemotherapy. To address this issue, we developed the effective circumvention of
      multidrug resistance in cancer cells by a yolk-shell Fe3O4@MgSiO3 nanoplatform
      with the polymerpoly(ethylene glycol) and folic acid modifications can achieve
      active targeted delivery of anti-cancer drug by using combined magnetic and
      ligand targeting. The direct intracellular drug delivery of doxorubicin by
      nanocarrier was much more effectively than free DOX for multidrug resistant Hep
      G2/MDR cancer cells. Besides the excellent biocompatibility, high drug loading
      efficiency, dual-targeting delivery, and controlled releasing behavior, in vivo
      experiments demonstrate that this nanocarrier can specifically deliver and
      concentrate doxorubicin hydrochloride in tumor sites to overcome drug resistance.
      It follows an alternative strategy for effective chemotherapy against drug
      resistant cancers by using rationally designed nanomaterial. 

PMID- 26491997
TI  - Development and evaluation of in vivo tissue engineered blood vessels in a
      porcine model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There's a large clinical need for novel vascular grafts. Tissue
      engineered blood vessels (TEBVs) have great potential to improve the outcome of
      vascular grafting procedures. Here, we present a novel approach to generate
      autologous TEBV in vivo. Polymer rods were engineered and implanted, evoking an
      inflammatory response that culminates in encapsulation by a fibrocellular
      capsule. We hypothesized that, after extrusion of the rod, the fibrocellular
      capsule differentiates into an adequate vascular conduit once grafted into the
      vasculature. METHODS AND RESULTS: Rods were implanted subcutaneously in pigs.
      After 4 weeks, rods with tissue capsules grown around it were harvested. Tissue
      capsules were grafted bilaterally as carotid artery interposition. One and 4-week
      patency were evaluated by angiography whereupon pigs were sacrificed. Tissue
      capsules before and after grafting were evaluated on tissue remodeling using
      immunohistochemistry, RNA profiling and mechanical testing. Rods were
      encapsulated by thick, well-vascularized tissue capsules, composed of
      circumferentially aligned fibroblasts, collagen and few leukocytes, with adequate
      mechanical strength. Patency was 100% after 1 week and 87.5% after 4 weeks. After
      grafting, tissue capsules remodeled towards a vascular phenotype. Gene profiles
      of TEBVs gained more similarity with carotid artery. Wall thickness and alphaSMA
      positive area significantly increased. Interestingly, a substantial portion of
      (myo)fibroblasts present before grafting expressed smooth muscle cell markers.
      While leukocytes were hardly present anymore, the lumen was largely covered with
      endothelial cells. Burst pressure remained stable after grafting. CONCLUSIONS:
      Autologous TEBVs were created in vivo with sufficient mechanical strength
      enabling vascular grafting. Grafts differentiated towards a vascular phenotype
      upon grafting.

PMID- 26491998
TI  - Phenylboronic acid-sugar grafted polymer architecture as a dual stimuli
      responsive gene carrier for targeted anti-angiogenic tumor therapy.
AB  - We present a cationic polymer architecture composed of phenylboronic acid (PBA),
      sugar-installed polyethylenimine (PEI), and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The
      chemical bonding of PBA with the diol in the sugar enabled the crosslinking of
      low-molecular-weight (MW) PEI to form high-MW PEI, resulting in strong
      interaction with anionic DNA for gene delivery. Inside the cell, the binding of
      PBA and sugar was disrupted by either acidic endosomal pH or intracellular ATP,
      so gene payloads were released effectively. This dual stimuli-responsive gene
      release drove the polymer to deliver DNA for high transfection efficiency with
      low cytotoxicity. In addition, PBA moiety with PEGylation facilitated the binding
      of polymer/DNA polyplexes to sialylated glycoprotein which is overexpressed on
      the tumor cell membrane, and thus provided high tumor targeting ability.
      Therapeutic application of our polymer was demonstrated as an anti-angiogenic
      gene delivery agent for tumor growth inhibition. Our judicious designed polymer
      structure based on PBA provides enormous potential as a gene delivery agent for
      effective gene therapy by stimuli-responsiveness and tumor targeting. 

PMID- 26492000
TI  - Hard-luck Scheele.

PMID- 26491999
TI  - Schwann cells promote endothelial cell migration.
AB  - Directed cell migration is a crucial orchestrated process in embryonic
      development, wound healing, and immune response. The underlying substrate can
      provide physical and/or chemical cues that promote directed cell migration. Here,
      using electrospinning we developed substrates of aligned poly(lactic-co-glycolic
      acid) nanofibres to study the influence of glial cells on endothelial cells (ECs)
      in a 3-dimensional (3D) co-culture model. ECs build blood vessels and regulate
      their plasticity in coordination with neurons. Likewise, neurons construct nerves
      and regulate their circuits in coordination with ECs. In our model, the neuro
      vascular cross-talk was assessed using a direct co-culture model of human
      umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and rat Schwann cells (rSCs). The
      effect of rSCs on ECs behavior was demonstrated by earlier and higher velocity
      values and genetic expression profiles different of those of HUVECs when seeded
      alone. We observed 2 different gene expression trends in the co-culture models:
      (i) a later gene expression of angiogenic factors, such as interleukin-8 (IL-8)
      and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and (ii) an higher gene expression
      of genes involved in actin filaments rearrangement, such as focal adhesion kinase
      (FAK), Mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 13 (MAPKAPK13),
      Vinculin (VCL), and Profilin (PROF). These results suggested that the higher ECs
      migration is mainly due to proteins involved in the actin filaments rearrangement
      and in the directed cell migration rather than the effect of angiogenic factors.
      This co-culture model provides an approach to enlighten the neurovascular
      interactions, with particular focus on endothelial cell migration. 

PMID- 26492001
TI  - Fullerene stability: One rule for the electron-rich...

PMID- 26492002
TI  - Foldamers: Biomimetic and built to order.

PMID- 26492003
TI  - Natural products: Emulation illuminates biosynthesis.

PMID- 26492004
TI  - Light harvesting: Strike while the iron is cold.

PMID- 26492005
TI  - Palladium-catalysed norbornene-mediated C-H functionalization of arenes.
AB  - The Catellani reaction--a palladium-catalysed C-H functionalization reaction
      mediated by norbornene--was first reported in 1997. The capacity to functionalize
      both the ortho and ipso positions of aryl halides in a single transformation held
      great appeal. We reported an annulative Catellani reaction in 2000. Since then,
      our two groups have explored the synthetic utility of this reaction and dramatic
      progress has been made by a number of groups in the past five years. Whereas the
      original Catellani reaction uses Pd(0) catalysts, recent studies have shown that
      Pd(II) catalysts can be used in combination with norbornene to effect (1) direct
      2-alkylation of indoles and pyrroles and (2) selective meta-C-H functionalization
      of arenes bearing commonly used ortho-directing groups, thereby opening new
      avenues for future research. We describe the most recent developments concerning
      the Pd-catalysed norbornene-mediated C-H functionalization of arenes, including
      applications in natural products synthesis. We outline challenges and future
      opportunities.

PMID- 26492006
TI  - Shaping quaternary assemblies of water-soluble non-peptide helical foldamers by
      sequence manipulation.
AB  - The design and construction of biomimetic self-assembling systems is a
      challenging yet potentially highly rewarding endeavour that contributes to the
      development of new biomaterials, catalysts, drug-delivery systems and tools for
      the manipulation of biological processes. Significant progress has been achieved
      by engineering self-assembling DNA-, protein- and peptide-based building units.
      However, the design of entirely new, completely non-natural folded architectures
      that resemble biopolymers ('foldamers') and have the ability to self-assemble
      into atomically precise nanostructures in aqueous conditions has proved
      exceptionally challenging. Here we report the modular design, formation and
      structural elucidation at the atomic level of a series of diverse quaternary
      arrangements formed by the self-assembly of short amphiphilic alpha-helicomimetic
      foldamers that bear proteinaceous side chains. We show that the final quaternary
      assembly can be controlled at the sequence level, which permits the programmed
      formation of either discrete helical bundles that contain isolated cavities or pH
      responsive water-filled channels with controllable pore diameters. 

PMID- 26492007
TI  - An eight-step synthesis of epicolactone reveals its biosynthetic origin.
AB  - Epicolactone is a recently isolated fungal metabolite that is highly complex for
      its size, and yet racemic. With its array of quaternary stereocentres, high
      degree of functionalization and intricate polycyclic structure, it poses a
      considerable challenge to synthesis, a challenge that can be met by understanding
      its biosynthetic origin. If drawn in a certain way, epicolactone reveals a
      pattern that resembles purpurogallin, the archetype of ubiquitous natural
      colourants formed via oxidative dimerization. Based on this insight, we designed
      a biomimetic synthesis of epicolactone that proceeds in only eight steps from
      vanillyl alcohol. We have isolated a key intermediate that supports our
      biosynthetic hypothesis and anticipate that an isomer of epicolactone stemming
      from our synthetic efforts could also be found as a natural product. 

PMID- 26492008
TI  - Iron sensitizer converts light to electrons with 92% yield.
AB  - Solar energy conversion in photovoltaics or photocatalysis involves light
      harvesting, or sensitization, of a semiconductor or catalyst as a first step.
      Rare elements are frequently used for this purpose, but they are obviously not
      ideal for large-scale implementation. Great efforts have been made to replace the
      widely used ruthenium with more abundant analogues like iron, but without much
      success due to the very short-lived excited states of the resulting iron
      complexes. Here, we describe the development of an iron-nitrogen-heterocyclic
      carbene sensitizer with an excited-state lifetime that is nearly a thousand-fold
      longer than that of traditional iron polypyridyl complexes. By the use of
      electron paramagnetic resonance, transient absorption spectroscopy, transient
      terahertz spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations, we show that the iron
      complex generates photoelectrons in the conduction band of titanium dioxide with
      a quantum yield of 92% from the (3)MLCT (metal-to-ligand charge transfer) state.
      These results open up possibilities to develop solar energy-converting materials
      based on abundant elements. 

PMID- 26492009
TI  - Unidirectional rotary motion in achiral molecular motors.
AB  - Control of the direction of motion is an essential feature of biological rotary
      motors and results from the intrinsic chirality of the amino acids from which the
      motors are made. In synthetic autonomous light-driven rotary motors, point
      chirality is transferred to helical chirality, and this governs their
      unidirectional rotation. However, achieving directional rotary motion in an
      achiral molecular system in an autonomous fashion remains a fundamental
      challenge. Here, we report an achiral molecular motor in which the presence of a
      pseudo-asymmetric carbon atom proved to be sufficient for exclusive autonomous
      disrotary motion of two appended rotor moieties. Isomerization around the two
      double bonds enables both rotors to move in the same direction with respect to
      their surroundings--like wheels on an axle--demonstrating that autonomous
      unidirectional rotary motion can be achieved in a symmetric system.

PMID- 26492010
TI  - Co-assembly, spatiotemporal control and morphogenesis of a hybrid protein-peptide
      system.
AB  - Controlling molecular interactions between bioinspired molecules can enable the
      development of new materials with higher complexity and innovative properties.
      Here we report on a dynamic system that emerges from the conformational
      modification of an elastin-like protein by peptide amphiphiles and with the
      capacity to access, and be maintained in, non-equilibrium for substantial periods
      of time. The system enables the formation of a robust membrane that displays
      controlled assembly and disassembly capabilities, adhesion and sealing to
      surfaces, self-healing and the capability to undergo morphogenesis into tubular
      structures with high spatiotemporal control. We use advanced microscopy along
      with turbidity and spectroscopic measurements to investigate the mechanism of
      assembly and its relation to the distinctive membrane architecture and the
      resulting dynamic properties. Using cell-culture experiments with endothelial and
      adipose-derived stem cells, we demonstrate the potential of this system to
      generate complex bioactive scaffolds for applications such as tissue engineering.

PMID- 26492011
TI  - Stable, crystalline, porous, covalent organic frameworks as a platform for chiral
      organocatalysts.
AB  - The periodic layers and ordered nanochannels of covalent organic frameworks
      (COFs) make these materials viable open catalytic nanoreactors, but their low
      stability has precluded their practical implementation. Here we report the
      synthesis of a crystalline porous COF that is stable against water, strong acids
      and strong bases, and we demonstrate its utility as a material platform for
      structural design and functional development. We endowed a crystalline and porous
      imine-based COF with stability by incorporating methoxy groups into its pore
      walls to reinforce interlayer interactions. We subsequently converted the
      resulting achiral material into two distinct chiral organocatalysts, with the
      high crystallinity and porosity retained, by appending chiral centres and
      catalytically active sites on its channel walls. The COFs thus prepared combine
      catalytic activity, enantioselectivity and recyclability, which are attractive in
      heterogeneous organocatalysis, and were shown to promote asymmetric C-C bond
      formation in water under ambient conditions. 

PMID- 26492012
TI  - O-GlcNAc modification blocks the aggregation and toxicity of the protein alpha
      synuclein associated with Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Several aggregation-prone proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases can
      be modified by O-linked N-acetyl-glucosamine (O-GlcNAc) in vivo. One of these
      proteins, alpha-synuclein, is a toxic aggregating protein associated with
      synucleinopathies, including Parkinson's disease. However, the effect of O
      GlcNAcylation on alpha-synuclein is not clear. Here, we use synthetic protein
      chemistry to generate both unmodified alpha-synuclein and alpha-synuclein bearing
      a site-specific O-GlcNAc modification at the physiologically relevant threonine
      residue 72. We show that this single modification has a notable and
      substoichiometric inhibitory effect on alpha-synuclein aggregation, while not
      affecting the membrane binding or bending properties of alpha-synuclein. O
      GlcNAcylation is also shown to affect the phosphorylation of alpha-synuclein in
      vitro and block the toxicity of alpha-synuclein that was exogenously added to
      cells in culture. These results suggest that increasing O-GlcNAcylation may slow
      the progression of synucleinopathies and further support a general function for O
      GlcNAc in preventing protein aggregation. 

PMID- 26492013
TI  - Molecular hydrogen interacts more strongly when rotationally excited at low
      temperatures leading to faster reactions.
AB  - The role of internal molecular degrees of freedom, such as rotation, has scarcely
      been explored experimentally in low-energy collisions despite their significance
      to cold and ultracold chemistry. Particularly important to astrochemistry is the
      case of the most abundant molecule in interstellar space, hydrogen, for which two
      spin isomers have been detected, one of which exists in its rotational ground
      state whereas the other is rotationally excited. Here we demonstrate that
      quantization of molecular rotation plays a key role in cold reaction dynamics,
      where rotationally excited ortho-hydrogen reacts faster due to a stronger long
      range attraction. We observe rotational state-dependent non-Arrhenius universal
      scaling laws in chemi-ionization reactions of para-H2 and ortho-H2 by He(2(3)P2),
      spanning three orders of magnitude in temperature. Different scaling laws serve
      as a sensitive gauge that enables us to directly determine the exact nature of
      the long-range intermolecular interactions. Our results show that the quantum
      state of the molecular rotor determines whether or not anisotropic long-range
      interactions dominate cold collisions. 

PMID- 26492014
TI  - Cage connectivity and frontier pi orbitals govern the relative stability of
      charged fullerene isomers.
AB  - Fullerene anions and cations have unique structural, electronic, magnetic and
      chemical properties that make them substantially different from neutral
      fullerenes. Although much theoretical effort has been devoted to characterizing
      and predicting their properties, this has been limited to a fraction of isomeric
      forms, mostly for fullerene anions, and has practically ignored fullerene
      cations. Here we show that the concepts of cage connectivity and frontier pi
      orbitals allow one to understand the relative stability of charged fullerene
      isomers without performing elaborate quantum chemistry calculations. The latter
      is not a trivial matter, as the number of possible isomers for a medium-sized
      fullerene is many more than 100,000. The model correctly predicts the structures
      observed experimentally and explains why the isolated pentagon rule is often
      violated for fullerene anions, but the opposite is found for fullerene cations.
      These predictions are relevant in fields as diverse as astrophysics,
      electrochemistry and supramolecular chemistry. 

PMID- 26492016
TI  - Strontium's scarlet sparkles.

PMID- 26492015
TI  - Rhodium-catalysed asymmetric allylic arylation of racemic halides with
      arylboronic acids.
AB  - Csp(2)-Csp(2) cross-coupling reactions between arylboronic acid and aryl halides
      are widely used in both academia and industry and are strategically important in
      the development of new agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. Csp(2)-Csp(3) cross
      coupling reactions have been developed, but enantioselective variations are rare
      and simply retaining the stereochemistry is a problem. Here we report a highly
      enantioselective Csp(2)-Csp(3) bond-forming method that couples arylboronic acids
      to racemic allyl chlorides. Both enantiomers of a cyclic chloride are converted
      into a single enantiomer of product via a dynamic kinetic asymmetric
      transformation. This Rh-catalysed method uses readily available and inexpensive
      building blocks and is mild and broadly applicable. For electron-deficient,
      electron-rich or ortho-substituted boronic acids better results are obtained with
      racemic allyl bromides. Oxygen substitution in the allyl halide is tolerated and
      the products can be functionalized to provide diverse building blocks. The
      approach fills a significant gap in the methods for catalytic asymmetric
      synthesis. 

PMID- 26492017
TI  - Science to Practice: What Light through Yonder Tumor Breaks: Noninvasive Staging
      of Cancer--Shining a Light on Disease.
AB  - Photoacoustic imaging imparts the ability to distinguish materials according to
      their differences in optical absorption (ie, their color) with the high spatial
      and temporal resolution of ultrasonography (US). Experiments in rats show the
      advantages this approach would have in the clinically important noninvasive
      determination of the presence of tumor in the lymph nodes draining a tumor,
      providing the ability to achieve the results of total axillary lymph node
      dissection without the risks of surgery or even percutaneous sentinel node
      biopsy. The coupling of this technique to a conventional US imaging system gives
      the promise of rapid translation to clinical use. 

PMID- 26492019
TI  - "Error Bars" in Medical Imaging: Stealth and Treacherous.
AB  - Given the critical role that diagnostic radiology has in patient care, it is
      important for providers and patients to understand the level of certainty
      associated with imaging. Over-reliance on imaging and failure to appreciate its
      limitations can lead to unforeseen consequences. Further, there are uncertainties
      and inconsistencies in the manner in which imaging-based information is
      considered, communicated, and applied. There are opportunities to alter practice
      to maximize comprehension of radiologic reports and thus optimize the manner in
      which imaging-based information is applied clinically.

PMID- 26492020
TI  - Cardiac MR Imaging and the Specter of Double-Strand Breaks.

PMID- 26492021
TI  - Communicating Nonroutine Radiologic Findings to the Ordering Physician: Will
      (Should) Information Technology-assisted Communication Replace Direct Voice
      Contact?

PMID- 26492022
TI  - Multidetector CT for Penetrating Torso Trauma: State of the Art.
AB  - The use of computed tomography (CT) for hemodynamically stable victims of
      penetrating torso trauma continues to increase but remains less singular to the
      work-up than in blunt trauma. Research in this area has focused on the
      incremental benefits of CT within the context of evolving diagnostic algorithms
      and in conjunction with techniques such as laparoscopy, endoscopy, and
      angiographic intervention. This review centers on the current state of
      multidetector CT as a triage tool for penetrating torso trauma and the primacy of
      trajectory evaluation in diagnosis, while emphasizing diagnostic challenges that
      have lingered despite tremendous technological advances since CT was first used
      in this setting 3 decades ago. As treatment strategies have also changed
      considerably over the years in parallel with advances in CT, current management
      implications of organ-specific injuries depicted at multidetector CT are also
      discussed.

PMID- 26492026
TI  - Case 223: Arytenoid Dislocation.
AB  - A 71-year-old man with a history of atrial fibrillation refractory to medical
      therapy and lung cancer status after left upper lobectomy presented to our
      hospital for elective cardioversion and rate control with tikosyn. Overnight, the
      patient became unresponsive and was found to be in a state of cardiogenic shock.
      A code was called, and he was stabilized after cardioversion and bedside
      intubation. His stay in the intensive care unit was complicated by ventilator
      associated pneumonia. The patient subsequently underwent multiple failed
      extubation attempts, requiring two additional reintubations. He was finally
      extubated 18 days after his initial admission to the intensive care unit. After
      he was discharged, he reported a hoarse voice and was only able to whisper. His
      voice varied in timbre and volume, and it became hoarser with use. Otolaryngology
      evaluation, including laryngoscopy and video stroboscopy, showed immobility of
      the right vocal cord. He was referred for speech therapy, and a computed
      tomographic (CT) examination of the neck was ordered.

PMID- 26492027
TI  - Assessment of BI-RADS Category 4 Lesions or How Some Flaws in a Study Put into
      Question the Credibility of the Study Results.

PMID- 26492028
TI  - Splenic Switch-Off for Stress Cardiovascular MR Imaging and Dipyridamole.

PMID- 26492029
TI  - Lipid and Metabolite Deregulation in BRCA1 and BRCA2 Genetic Mutations.

PMID- 26492030
TI  - Clinical Value of Coronary CT Angiography before Transcatheter Aortic Valve
      Replacement.

PMID- 26492034
TI  - 17th International Workshop on Co-morbidities and Adverse Drug Reactions in HIV.

PMID- 26492033
TI  - Neuroanatomical, Clinical and Cognitive Correlates of Post-Stroke Dysphagia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: About half of the dysphagic stroke patients have
      persistent swallowing dysfunction after 7 days from symptom onset. The aim of the
      study was to evaluate incidence, prognosis, clinical and neuroradiological
      correlates of post-stroke dysphagia. METHODS: We prospectively examined
      consecutive patients with acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. Patients'
      clinical and neuroradiological data were collected. Swallowing function was
      assessed by the water swallow test upon admission and after 14 days; patients
      were then classified as persistent dysphagic, non-persistent dysphagic or non
      dysphagic. RESULTS: We recruited 275 patients, 121 of whom were dysphagic upon
      admission and 254 patients attended follow-up at 14 days; 141 never presented
      dysphagia, 21 had a non-persistent pattern of dysphagia and 92 had a persistent
      one. Stroke type, leukoaraiosis degree, previous cognitive impairment and stroke
      severity upon admission independently predicted the occurrence of dysphagia after
      stroke and its persistence as well. At receiver operating characteristic (ROC)
      analysis, the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of 11.5
      was the best predictive value of persistent dysphagia, with a specificity of
      90.1% and a sensitivity of 72.4%. CONCLUSION: Stroke severity is an important
      predictor of a persistent pattern of dysphagia, with a suggested NIHSS cutoff
      value of >=12. An independent correlation was observed with leukoaraiosis and
      with previous cognitive impairment.

PMID- 26492035
TI  - MET18 Connects the Cytosolic Iron-Sulfur Cluster Assembly Pathway to Active DNA
      Demethylation in Arabidopsis.
AB  - DNA demethylation mediated by the DNA glycosylase ROS1 helps determine genomic
      DNA methylation patterns and protects active genes from being silenced. However,
      little is known about the mechanism of regulation of ROS1 enzymatic activity.
      Using a forward genetic screen, we identified an anti-silencing (ASI) factor,
      ASI3, the dysfunction of which causes transgene promoter hyper-methylation and
      silencing. Map-based cloning identified ASI3 as MET18, a component of the
      cytosolic iron-sulfur cluster assembly (CIA) pathway. Mutation in MET18 leads to
      hyper-methylation at thousands of genomic loci, the majority of which overlap
      with hypermethylated loci identified in ros1 and ros1dml2dml3 mutants. Affinity
      purification followed by mass spectrometry indicated that ROS1 physically
      associates with MET18 and other CIA components. Yeast two-hybrid and split
      luciferase assays showed that ROS1 can directly interact with MET18 and another
      CIA component, AE7. Site-directed mutagenesis of ROS1 indicated that the
      conserved iron-sulfur motif is indispensable for ROS1 enzymatic activity. Our
      results suggest that ROS1-mediated active DNA demethylation requires MET18
      dependent transfer of the iron-sulfur cluster, highlighting an important role of
      the CIA pathway in epigenetic regulation. 

PMID- 26492037
TI  - Frugivory in Canopy Plants in a Western Amazonian Forest: Dispersal Systems,
      Phylogenetic Ensembles and Keystone Plants.
AB  - Frugivory is a widespread mutualistic interaction in which frugivores obtain
      nutritional resources while favoring plant recruitment through their seed
      dispersal services. Nonetheless, how these complex interactions are organized in
      diverse communities, such as tropical forests, is not fully understood. In this
      study we evaluated the existence of plant-frugivore sub-assemblages and their
      phylogenetic organization in an undisturbed western Amazonian forest in Colombia.
      We also explored for potential keystone plants, based on network analyses and an
      estimate of the amount of fruit going from plants to frugivores. We carried out
      diurnal observations on 73 canopy plant species during a period of two years.
      During focal tree sampling, we recorded frugivore identity, the duration of each
      individual visit, and feeding rates. We did not find support for the existence of
      sub assemblages, such as specialized vs. generalized dispersal systems.
      Visitation rates on the vast majority of canopy species were associated with the
      relative abundance of frugivores, in which ateline monkeys (i.e. Lagothrix and
      Ateles) played the most important roles. All fruiting plants were visited by a
      variety of frugivores and the phylogenetic assemblage was random in more than 67%
      of the cases. In cases of aggregation, the plant species were consumed by only
      primates or only birds, and filters were associated with fruit protection and
      likely chemical content. Plants suggested as keystone species based on the amount
      of pulp going from plants to frugivores differ from those suggested based on
      network approaches. Our results suggest that in tropical forests most tree
      frugivore interactions are generalized, and abundance should be taken into
      account when assessing the most important plants for frugivores. 

PMID- 26492036
TI  - Biomarkers of Endothelial Activation Are Associated with Poor Outcome in Critical
      Illness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endothelial activation plays a role in organ dysfunction in the
      systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) promotes
      vascular quiescence while angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) mediates microvascular leak.
      Circulating levels of Ang-1 and Ang-2 in patients with SIRS could provide insight
      on risks for organ dysfunction and death distinct from inflammatory proteins. In
      this study, we determined if biomarkers of endothelial activation and
      inflammation exhibit independent associations with poor outcomes in SIRS.
      METHODS: We studied 943 critically ill patients with SIRS admitted to an
      Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of an academic medical center. We measured plasma
      levels of endothelial markers (Ang-1, Ang-2, soluble vascular cell adhesion
      molecule-1 (sVCAM-1)) and inflammatory markers (interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin
      8 (IL-8), granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), soluble tumor necrosis
      factor receptor-1 (sTNFR-1)) within 24 hours of enrollment. We tested for
      associations between each marker and 28 day mortality, shock, and day 3
      sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score. For 28 day mortality, we
      performed sensitivity analysis for those subjects with sepsis and those with
      sterile inflammation. We used multivariate models to adjust for clinical
      covariates and determine if associations identified with endothelial activation
      markers were independent of those observed with inflammatory markers. RESULTS:
      Higher levels of all biomarkers were associated with increased 28 day mortality
      except levels of Ang-1 which were associated with lower mortality. After
      adjustment for comorbidities and sTNFR-1 concentration, a doubling of Ang-1
      concentration was associated with lower 28 day mortality (Odds ratio (OR) = 0.81;
      p<0.01), shock (OR = 0.82; p<0.001), and SOFA score (beta = -0.50; p<0.001),
      while Ang-2 concentration was associated with increased mortality (OR = 1.55;
      p<0.001), shock (OR = 1.51; p<0.001), and SOFA score (beta = +0.63; p<0.001).
      sVCAM-1 was not independently associated with SIRS outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In
      critically ill patients with SIRS, early measurements of Ang-1 and Ang-2 are
      associated with death and organ dysfunction independently of simultaneously
      measured markers of inflammation.

PMID- 26492038
TI  - Summary of Notifiable Infectious Diseases and Conditions - United States, 2013.
AB  - The Summary of Notifiable Infectious Diseases and Condition-United States, 2013
      (hereafter referred to as the summary) contains the official statistics, in
      tabular and graphic form, for the reported occurrence of nationally notifiable
      infectious diseases and conditions in the United States for 2013. Unless
      otherwise noted, data are final totals for 2013 reported as of June 30, 2014.
      These statistics are collected and compiled from reports sent by U.S. state and
      territory, New York City, and District of Columbia health departments to the
      National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS), which is operated by
      CDC in collaboration with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
      (CSTE). This summary is available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwr_nd/index.html.
      This site also includes summary publications from previous years. 

PMID- 26492039
TI  - Decline in Clinical Efficacy of Oral Miltefosine in Treatment of Post Kala-azar
      Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL) in India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown significant decline in the final cure rate
      after miltefosine treatment in visceral leishmaniasis. This study evaluates the
      efficacy of miltefosine in the treatment of post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis
      (PKDL) patients recruited over a period of 5 years with 18 months of follow-up.
      METHODOLOGY: In this study 86 confirmed cases of PKDL were treated with two
      different dosage regimens of miltefosine (Regimen I- 50mg twice daily for 90 days
      and Regimen II- 50 mg thrice for 60 days) and the clinical outcome assessed
      monthly. Cure/relapse was ascertained by clinical and histopathological
      examination, and measuring parasite burden by quantitative real-time PCR. In
      vitro susceptibility of parasites towards miltefosine was estimated at both
      promastigote and amastigote stages. RESULTS: Seventy three of eighty six patients
      completed the treatment and achieved clinical cure. Approximately 4% (3/73)
      patients relapsed by the end of 12 months follow-up, while a total of 15% (11/73)
      relapsed by the end of 18 months. Relapse rate was significantly higher in
      regimen II (31%) compared to regimen I (10.5%)(P<0.005). Parasite load at the pre
      treatment stage was significantly higher (P<0.005) in cases that relapsed
      compared to the cases that remained cured. In vitro susceptibility towards
      miltefosine of parasites isolated after relapse was significantly lower (>2 fold)
      in comparison with the pre-treatment isolates (P<0.005). CONCLUSION: Relapse rate
      in PKDL following miltefosine treatment has increased substantially, indicating
      the need of introducing alternate drugs/ combination therapy with miltefosine.

PMID- 26492040
TI  - Rhodopsin Forms Nanodomains in Rod Outer Segment Disc Membranes of the Cold
      Blooded Xenopus laevis.
AB  - Rhodopsin forms nanoscale domains (i.e., nanodomains) in rod outer segment disc
      membranes from mammalian species. It is unclear whether rhodopsin arranges in a
      similar manner in amphibian species, which are often used as a model system to
      investigate the function of rhodopsin and the structure of photoreceptor cells.
      Moreover, since samples are routinely prepared at low temperatures, it is unclear
      whether lipid phase separation effects in the membrane promote the observed
      nanodomain organization of rhodopsin from mammalian species. Rod outer segment
      disc membranes prepared from the cold-blooded frog Xenopus laevis were
      investigated by atomic force microscopy to visualize the organization of
      rhodopsin in the absence of lipid phase separation effects. Atomic force
      microscopy revealed that rhodopsin nanodomains form similarly as that observed
      previously in mammalian membranes. Formation of nanodomains in ROS disc membranes
      is independent of lipid phase separation and conserved among vertebrates. 

PMID- 26492042
TI  - Correction: Metabolomic Profiling of the Nectars of Aquilegia pubescens and A.
      Canadensis.

PMID- 26492041
TI  - Modulation of the Surface Proteome through Multiple Ubiquitylation Pathways in
      African Trypanosomes.
AB  - Recently we identified multiple suramin-sensitivity genes with a genome wide
      screen in Trypanosoma brucei that includes the invariant surface glycoprotein
      ISG75, the adaptin-1 (AP-1) complex and two deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs)
      orthologous to ScUbp15/HsHAUSP1 and pVHL-interacting DUB1 (type I), designated
      TbUsp7 and TbVdu1, respectively. Here we have examined the roles of these genes
      in trafficking of ISG75, which appears key to suramin uptake. We found that,
      while AP-1 does not influence ISG75 abundance, knockdown of TbUsp7 or TbVdu1
      leads to reduced ISG75 abundance. Silencing TbVdu1 also reduced ISG65 abundance.
      TbVdu1 is a component of an evolutionarily conserved ubiquitylation switch and
      responsible for rapid receptor modulation, suggesting similar regulation of ISGs
      in T. brucei. Unexpectedly, TbUsp7 knockdown also blocked endocytosis. To
      integrate these observations we analysed the impact of TbUsp7 and TbVdu1
      knockdown on the global proteome using SILAC. For TbVdu1, ISG65 and ISG75 are the
      only significantly modulated proteins, but for TbUsp7 a cohort of integral
      membrane proteins, including the acid phosphatase MBAP1, that is required for
      endocytosis, and additional ISG-related proteins are down-regulated. Furthermore,
      we find increased expression of the ESAG6/7 transferrin receptor and ESAG5,
      likely resulting from decreased endocytic activity. Therefore, multiple
      ubiquitylation pathways, with a complex interplay with trafficking pathways,
      control surface proteome expression in trypanosomes. 

PMID- 26492043
TI  - Uncovering Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Human Online Behaviors during
      Extreme Events.
AB  - In response to an extreme event, individuals on social media demonstrate
      interesting behaviors depending on their backgrounds. By making use of the large
      scale datasets of posts and search queries collected from Twitter and
      GoogleTrends, we first identify the distinct categories of human collective
      online concerns and durations based on the distributions of solo tweets and new
      incremental tweets about events. Such a characterization enables us to gain a
      better understanding of dynamic changes in human behaviors corresponding to
      different types of events. Next, we observe the heterogeneity of individual
      responses to events through measuring the fraction of event-related tweets
      relative to the tweets released by an individual, and thus empirically confirm
      the heterogeneity assumption as adopted in the meta-population models for
      characterizing collective responses to events. Finally, based on the correlations
      of information entropy in different regions, we show that the observed distinct
      responses may be caused by their different speeds in information propagation. In
      addition, based on the detrended fluctuation analysis, we find that there exists
      a self-similar evolution process for the collective responses within a region.
      These findings have provided a detailed account for the nature of distinct human
      behaviors on social media in presence of extreme events. 

PMID- 26492044
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26492046
TI  - Heterobimetallic Ti/Co Complexes That Promote Catalytic N-N Bond Cleavage.
AB  - Treatment of the tris(phosphinoamide) titanium precursor ClTi(XylNP(i)Pr2)3 (1)
      with CoI2 leads to the heterobimetallic complex (eta(2)
      (i)Pr2PNXyl)Ti(XylNP(i)Pr2)2(MU-Cl)CoI (2). One-electron reduction of 2 affords
      (eta(2)-(i)Pr2PNXyl)Ti(XylNP(i)Pr2)2CoI (3), which can be reduced by another
      electron under dinitrogen to generate the reduced diamagnetic complex
      (THF)Ti(XylNP(i)Pr2)3CoN2 (4). The removal of the dinitrogen ligand from 4 under
      vacuum affords (THF)Ti(XylNP(i)Pr2)3Co (5), which features a Ti-Co triple bond.
      Treatment of 4 with hydrazine or methyl hydrazine results in N-N bond cleavage
      and affords the new diamagnetic complexes (L)Ti(XylNP(i)Pr2)3CoN2 (L = NH3 (6),
      MeNH2 (7)). Complexes 4, 5, and 6 have been shown to catalyze the
      disproportionation of hydrazine into ammonia and dinitrogen gas through a
      mechanism involving a diazene intermediate. 

PMID- 26492045
TI  - In Vitro and Sensory Evaluation of Capsaicin-Loaded Nanoformulations.
AB  - Capsaicin has known health beneficial and therapeutic properties. It is also able
      to enhance the permeability of drugs across epithelial tissues. Unfortunately,
      due to its pungency the oral administration of capsaicin is limited. To this end,
      we assessed the effect of nanoencapsulation of capsaicin, under the hypothesis
      that this would reduce its pungency. Core-shell nanocapsules with an oily core
      and stabilized with phospholipids were used. This system was used with or without
      chitosan coating. In this work, we investigated the in vitro release behavior of
      capsaicin-loaded formulations in different physiological media (including
      simulated saliva fluid). We also evaluated the influence of encapsulation of
      capsaicin on the cell viability of buccal cells (TR146). To study the changes in
      pungency after encapsulation we carried out a sensory analysis with a trained
      panel of 24 students. The in vitro release study showed that the systems
      discharged capsaicin slowly in a monotonic manner and that the chitosan coating
      had an effect on the release profile. The cytotoxic response of TR146 cells to
      capsaicin at a concentration of 500 MUM, which was evident for the free compound,
      was reduced following its encapsulation. The sensory study revealed that a
      chitosan coating results in a lower threshold of perception of the formulation.
      The nanoencapsulation of capsaicin resulted in attenuation of the sensation of
      pungency significantly. However, the presence of a chitosan shell around the
      nanoformulations did not mask the pungency, when compared with uncoated systems. 

PMID- 26492047
TI  - Organ Donation and Transplantation: The View From Canada.

PMID- 26492049
TI  - All in (IL-) 1?

PMID- 26492050
TI  - Single-Cell Analysis by LA-ICP-MS.

PMID- 26492051
TI  - Robert S. Schwartz, MD: The Dawn of Immunosuppression.

PMID- 26492052
TI  - Induction Therapy in Repeat Kidney Transplantation.

PMID- 26492053
TI  - High Incidence of Paralytic Ileus After Bortezomib Treatment of Antibody-Mediated
      Rejection in Kidney Transplant Recipients: Report of 2 Cases.

PMID- 26492054
TI  - Behavioral Science Strategies to Boost Organ Donor Consent.

PMID- 26492055
TI  - Does Statistics Matter?

PMID- 26492056
TI  - Response to A reassessment of the Survival Advantage of Simultaneous Kidney
      Pancreas Versus Kidney-Alone Transplantation.

PMID- 26492057
TI  - Successful Heart Transplantation for Unreversible Endomyocardial Fibrosis Related
      to FIP1L1-PDGFRA Chronic Eosinophilic Leukemia.

PMID- 26492058
TI  - Intraoperative Steroid Use and Outcomes Following the Norwood Procedure: An
      Analysis of the Pediatric Heart Network's Public Database.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Data supporting the use of perioperative steroids during cardiac
      surgery are conflicting, and most pediatric studies have been limited by small
      sample sizes and/or diverse cardiac diagnoses. The objective of this study was to
      determine if intraoperative steroid administration improved outcomes following
      the Norwood procedure. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis was performed on the 549
      neonates who underwent a Norwood procedure in the publicly available datasets
      from the Pediatric Heart Network's Single Ventricle Reconstruction trial. Groups
      were compared to determine if outcomes differed between intraoperative steroid
      recipients (n = 498, 91%) and nonrecipients (n = 51, 9%). SETTING: Fifteen North
      American centers. SUBJECTS: Infants enrolled in the Single Ventricle
      Reconstruction trial. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
      Baseline characteristics and intraoperative variables were similar between groups
      with the exception of a shorter duration of cross clamp and cardiopulmonary
      bypass time in the group that received steroids. Subjects who did not receive
      intraoperative steroids had improved hospital survival (94% vs 83%, p = 0.03) but
      longer ICU stays (16 d; interquartile range, 12-33 vs 14 d; interquartile range,
      9-28; p = 0.04) and hospital stays (29 d; interquartile range, 21-50 vs 23 d;
      interquartile range, 15-40; p = 0.01) than steroid recipients. In multivariate
      analysis, lengths of stay associations were no longer significant, but hospital
      survival trended toward favoring the nonsteroid group with an odds ratio of 3.52
      (95% CI, 0.98-12.64; p = 0.054). CONCLUSIONS: In the large multicentered Single
      Ventricle Reconstruction trial, there was widespread use of intraoperative
      steroids. Intraoperative steroid administration was not associated with an
      improvement in outcomes and may be associated with a reduction in hospital
      survival in neonates undergoing the Norwood procedure. This study highlights the
      need for a randomized control trial.

PMID- 26492059
TI  - The Pediatric Risk of Mortality Score: Update 2015.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Severity of illness measures have long been used in pediatric
      critical care. The Pediatric Risk of Mortality is a physiologically based score
      used to quantify physiologic status, and when combined with other independent
      variables, it can compute expected mortality risk and expected morbidity risk.
      Although the physiologic ranges for the Pediatric Risk of Mortality variables
      have not changed, recent Pediatric Risk of Mortality data collection improvements
      have been made to adapt to new practice patterns, minimize bias, and reduce
      potential sources of error. These include changing the outcome to hospital
      survival/death for the first PICU admission only, shortening the data collection
      period and altering the Pediatric Risk of Mortality data collection period for
      patients admitted for "optimizing" care before cardiac surgery or interventional
      catheterization. This analysis incorporates those changes, assesses the potential
      for Pediatric Risk of Mortality physiologic variable subcategories to improve
      score performance, and recalibrates the Pediatric Risk of Mortality score,
      placing the algorithms (Pediatric Risk of Mortality IV) in the public domain.
      DESIGN: Prospective cohort study from December 4, 2011, to April 7, 2013.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among 10,078 admissions, the unadjusted mortality
      rate was 2.7% (site range, 1.3-5.0%). Data were divided into derivation (75%) and
      validation (25%) sets. The new Pediatric Risk of Mortality prediction algorithm
      (Pediatric Risk of Mortality IV) includes the same Pediatric Risk of Mortality
      physiologic variable ranges with the subcategories of neurologic and
      nonneurologic Pediatric Risk of Mortality scores, age, admission source,
      cardiopulmonary arrest within 24 hours before admission, cancer, and low-risk
      systems of primary dysfunction. The area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve for the development and validation sets was 0.88 +/- 0.013
      and 0.90 +/- 0.018, respectively. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit statistics
      indicated adequate model fit for both the development (p = 0.39) and validation
      (p = 0.50) sets. CONCLUSIONS: The new Pediatric Risk of Mortality data collection
      methods include significant improvements that minimize the potential for bias and
      errors, and the new Pediatric Risk of Mortality IV algorithm for survival and
      death has excellent prediction performance.

PMID- 26492060
TI  - Procalcitonin to Detect Suspected Bacterial Infections in the PICU.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Nonspecific clinical symptoms frequently lead to suspicion of
      bacterial infection in critically ill children. Clinicians send bacterial
      cultures for suspected infection and begin an empiric course of antibiotics while
      microbiology results are pending. We investigated whether the biomarker
      procalcitonin could be useful to predict confirmed bacterial infection in
      critically ill children in the PICU, before culture results are available.
      DESIGN: Prospective, blinded single-center study. SETTING: Tertiary PICU and
      cardiothoracic ICU. PATIENTS: There were one hundred forty-four patients with
      suspected bacterial infections that had bacterial cultures sent by clinicians.
      INTERVENTIONS: Procalcitonin samples were obtained at three time intervals: as
      close to the time of the initial culture as possible (up to 12 hr after) and 24
      and 72 hours after the initial culture. Patients were stratified into clinical
      outcome groups based on microbiology results and clinical symptoms using Centers
      for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. These assignments were blinded to
      procalcitonin levels. Primary outcome was the presence of culture-proven
      bacterial infection. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: There was a statistically
      significant difference in initial and subsequent median procalcitonin values
      between patients with confirmed bacterial infections and patients with low
      suspicion of bacterial infection (p < 0.02). However, there was extremely high
      variability in procalcitonin values among all groups. Procalcitonin had only a
      fair ability to predict bacterial infection, with area under the curve of
      receiver operating characteristic plots ranging between 0.63 and 0.71. When using
      serial procalcitonin values to predict bacterial infection, positive likelihood
      ratios were near 1 and negative likelihood ratios were between 0.3 and 0.4.
      CONCLUSIONS: Procalcitonin levels were higher in children with documented
      confirmed bacterial infection as compared with those with low suspicion of
      infection. However, neither single nor serial procalcitonin measurements were
      able to predict the presence or absence of confirmed bacterial infection with
      enough certainty to be clinically useful as to recommend initiating or
      withholding antibiotics.

PMID- 26492061
TI  - The Morbidity and Mortality Conference in Pediatric Intensive Care as a Means for
      Improving Patient Safety.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To present our experience in an interdisciplinary and
      interprofessional morbidity and mortality conference, with special emphasis on
      its usefulness in improving patient safety. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis.
      SETTING: Tertiary interdisciplinary neonatal PICU. PATIENTS: Morbidity and
      mortality conference minutes on 48 patients (newborns to 17 yr), January 2009 to
      June 2014. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The authors' PICU
      implemented a morbidity and mortality conference guideline in 2009 using a system
      based approach to identify medical errors, their contributing factors, and
      possible solutions. In the subsequent 5.5 years, there were 44 mortality
      conferences (of 181 deaths [27%] over the same period) and four morbidity
      conferences. The median death/morbidity event-morbidity and mortality conference
      interval was 90 days (range, 7 d to 1.5 yr). The median age of patients was 4
      months (range, newborn to 17 years). In six cases, the primary reason for PICU
      admission was a treatment complication. Unsafe processes/medical errors were
      identified and discussed in 37 morbidity and mortality conferences (77%). In
      seven cases, new autopsy findings prompted the discussion of a possible error.
      The 48 morbidity and mortality conferences identified 50 errors, including 30 in
      which an interface problem was a contributing factor. Fifty-four improvements
      were identified in 34 morbidity and mortality conferences. Four morbidity and
      mortality conferences discussed specific ethical issues. CONCLUSIONS: From our
      experience, we have found that the interdisciplinary and interprofessional
      morbidity and mortality conference has the potential to reveal unsafe
      processes/medical errors, in particular, diagnostic and communication errors and
      interface problems. When formatted as a nonhierarchical tool inviting
      contributions from all staff levels, the morbidity and mortality conference plays
      a key role in the system approach to medical errors.

PMID- 26492062
TI  - Transforming the Morbidity and Mortality Conference to Promote Safety and Quality
      in a PICU.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Determine the effectiveness of a structured systems-oriented morbidity
      and mortality conference in improving the process of reviewing and responding to
      adverse events in a PICU. DESIGN: Prospective time series analysis before and
      after implementation of a systems-oriented morbidity and mortality conference.
      SETTING: Single tertiary referral PICU in Baltimore, MD. PATIENTS: Thirty-three
      patients discussed before and 31 patients after implementation of a systems
      oriented morbidity and mortality conference over a total of 20 morbidity and
      mortality conferences, from April 2013 to March 2014. INTERVENTIONS: Systems
      oriented morbidity and mortality conference incorporating elements of medical
      incident analysis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: There was a significant
      increase in meeting attendance (mean, 12 vs 31 attendees per morbidity and
      mortality conference; p < 0.001) after the systems-oriented morbidity and
      mortality conference was instituted. There was no significant difference in the
      mean number of cases suggested (4.2 vs 4.6) or discussed (3.3 vs 3.1) per
      morbidity and mortality conference. There was also no significant difference in
      the mean number of adverse events identified per morbidity and mortality
      conference (3.4 vs 4.3). However, there was an increase in the proportion of
      cases discussed using a standard case review tool, but this did not reach
      statistical significance (27% vs 45%; p = 0.231). Nevertheless, we observed a
      significant increase in the mean number of quality improvement interventions
      suggested (2.4 vs 5.6; p < 0.001) and implemented (1.7 vs 4.4; p < 0.001) per
      morbidity and mortality conference. All adverse event categories identified had
      corresponding interventions suggested after the systems-oriented morbidity and
      mortality conference was instituted compared with before (80% vs 100%).
      Intervention-to-adverse event ratios per category were also higher (mean, 0.6 vs
      1.5). CONCLUSIONS: A structured systems-oriented PICU morbidity and mortality
      conference incorporating elements of medical incident analysis improves the
      process of reviewing and responding to adverse events by significantly increasing
      quality improvement interventions suggested and implemented. Future work would
      involve testing locally adapted versions of the systems-oriented morbidity and
      mortality conference in multiple inpatient settings.

PMID- 26492063
TI  - ICU-Acquired Weakness Is Associated With Differences in Clinical Outcomes in
      Critically Ill Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: ICU-acquired weakness, comprised critical illness myopathy and
      critical illness neuropathy, occurs in a significant proportion of critically ill
      adults and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Little is known about
      ICU-acquired weakness among critically ill children. We investigated the
      incidence of ICU-acquired weakness among PICUs participating in the Virtual PICU
      Systems database. We also sought to identify associated risk factors for ICU
      acquired weakness and evaluate the hypothesis that ICU-acquired weakness is
      associated with poor clinical outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.
      SETTING: PICU. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Virtual PICU System was queried for
      critical illness myopathy and critical illness neuropathy between January 2009
      and November 2013. Demographic, admission, and clinical outcome variables
      including mechanical ventilation days, PICU length of stay, and discharge
      disposition were analyzed. The Pediatric Index of Mortality-2 was used to
      evaluate and control for illness severity and risk of mortality. Among 203,875
      admissions, there were 55 cases of critical illness myopathy reported and no
      cases of critical illness neuropathy, resulting in an incidence of 0.02%.
      Mechanical ventilation days were higher among patients with ICU-acquired weakness
      versus those who did not develop ICU-acquired weakness (31.6 +/- 28.9 vs 9.3 +/-
      20.6; p < 0.001). In our multivariable analysis, when controlling for Pediatric
      Index of Mortality-2, ICU-acquired weakness was more frequently reported in those
      with admission diagnoses of respiratory illness and infection and the need for
      mechanical ventilation, renal replacement therapy, extracorporeal life support,
      and tracheostomy. ICU-acquired weakness was associated with a longer PICU length
      of stay, episodes requiring mechanical ventilation, and discharge to an
      intermediate, chronic care, and rehabilitation care unit. ICU-acquired weakness
      was not independently associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: ICU-acquired
      weakness is uncommonly diagnosed among PICU patients reported in Virtual PICU
      System. ICU-acquired weakness is associated with critical care therapies,
      invasive procedures, and resource utilization. Limitations of our retrospective
      study include underrecognition of ICU-acquired weakness and lack of standardized
      diagnostic criteria within Virtual PICU System. Prospective studies are needed to
      better understand the true incidence, risk factors, and clinical course for
      patients who develop ICU-acquired weakness.

PMID- 26492064
TI  - Rapid onsite evaluation: A comparison of cytopathologist and pulmonologist
      performance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rapid onsite evaluation (ROSE) has several potential benefits but
      also can prolong procedures if one must wait for a cytopathologist, and it can
      involve a considerable time commitment on the part of the cytopathologist. At the
      University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, interventional pulmonologists have
      routinely reviewed cytology specimens. This study was performed to determine
      prospectively how accurately pulmonologists could perform ROSE and whether they
      could contribute to the efficiency of the process. METHODS: For sequential cases,
      the procedural pulmonologist documented a ROSE reading before the reading by the
      cytopathologist. Readings were compared between the two for agreement and for
      accuracy. The time commitment for the cytopathologist was also recorded. RESULTS:
      One hundred sixty-four sites were biopsied in 102 patients. With respect to
      onsite adequacy, there was a high level of concordance between pulmonology and
      cytopathology as evidenced by the kappa score ( +/- standard error) of 0.72 +/-
      0.15 and by disagreement in only 3 cases (2%). For the diagnostic category, there
      was once again a high level of concordance; there was agreement in 141 of the 164
      cases (86%), and the weighted kappa score was 0.89 +/- 0.02. The
      cytopathologist's time in the endoscopy suite averaged 4.02 +/- 6.9 minutes per
      procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Procedural pulmonologists can effectively learn enough
      cytology to be able to make ROSE a collaborative process and to greatly increase
      the efficiency of the cytopathologist.

PMID- 26492065
TI  - Health-related Quality of Life and Survival in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.
AB  - RATIONALE: Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a progressive disease with high
      morbidity and mortality despite advances in medical therapy. The relationship
      between patient-related outcomes, such as health-related quality of life (HRQOL),
      and survival is not well described. OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between
      HRQOL and outcomes in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. METHODS:
      Consecutive patients with right heart catheterization-proven pulmonary arterial
      hypertension who completed the Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form-36 survey (SF
      36) were included. Demographic, clinical, physiological, and hemodynamic data
      were collected at baseline. Survival was assessed from the time of diagnosis of
      pulmonary arterial hypertension. Cox proportional hazard models were constructed
      to assess the relationship between HRQOL and transplant-free survival.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Eighty-seven patients with pulmonary arterial
      hypertension were enrolled and followed prospectively for a median of 3.8 years.
      At baseline, HRQOL was significantly worse than U.S. normal values for six of
      eight domains of the SF-36. Several domains demonstrated moderate correlation (r
      value >= 0.40) with 6-minute-walk distance and World Health Organization
      functional class; there were no significant associations with hemodynamics. In
      univariable Cox proportional hazard models, six of eight domains and both summary
      scores were significantly associated with survival. In multivariable models,
      adjusted for age, disease type, and cardiac function, these relationships largely
      persisted. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of patients with pulmonary arterial
      hypertension, HRQOL, as assessed by the SF-36, was strongly associated with
      transplant-free survival. These relationships persisted when controlling for
      potential confounders such as disease type and disease severity. These findings
      suggest that HRQOL may be an important predictor of outcomes in pulmonary
      arterial hypertension and therefore a target for future therapeutic
      interventions.

PMID- 26492066
TI  - Long-term opioid therapy for chronic non-cancer pain in Germany.
AB  - BACKGROUND: No data are available on the prevalence and predictors of (high-dose)
      long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) and on abuse/addiction of prescribed opioids by
      patients with chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) outside North America and
      Scandinavia. METHODS: We analysed randomly selected claims records of 870,000
      persons (10% of insureds) in a large German medical health insurance organization
      during the fiscal year 2012. RESULTS: The prevalence of LTOT prescriptions
      (defined by at least one opioid prescription per quarter for at least three
      consecutive quarters) for CNCP was 1.3% of all insureds. The mean daily dosage of
      LTOT was 58 (SD 79; minimum 0.3, maximum 2010) mg morphine equivalent/day. The
      percentage of insureds with high-dose opioid prescriptions (>=100 mg morphine
      equivalent/day) among LTOT insureds was 15.5%. High-dose LTOT (compared to
      traditional dose) prescription was associated with younger age, male gender,
      diagnoses of chronic pain disease, somatoform pain disorder, depression and
      prescription of anticonvulsants. The pooled 1-year prevalence of abuse/addiction
      of prescribed opioids (defined by hospital stays because of mental and
      behavioural disorders due to alcohol, opioids, tranquilizers, multiple substances
      and intoxications by narcotic agents) was 0.56%. Abuse/addiction of prescribed
      opioids was associated with younger age, diagnoses of somatoform pain disorder,
      depression and prescription of tranquilizers. CONCLUSIONS: The study found no
      signals of an 'opioid epidemic' in Germany. However, careful selection of
      patients with CNCP considered for LTOT and continuous evaluation during LTOT are
      warranted.

PMID- 26492067
TI  - The cytoprotective effects of ethanol extract of Ecklonia cava against oxidative
      stress are associated with upregulation of Nrf2-mediated HO-1 and NQO-1
      expression through activation of the MAPK pathway.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to examine the cytoprotective effect of Ecklonia
      cava against oxidative stress in C2C12 myoblasts. The ethanol extract of E. cava
      (EEEC) prevented hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced inhibition of the growth of
      C2C12 myoblasts and exhibited scavenging activity against intracellular reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) induced by H2O2. EEEC treatment attenuated H2O2-induced
      comet tail formation and phospho-histone gammaH2A.X expression. Furthermore, EEEC
      treatment enhanced the level of the phosphorylated form of nuclear factor
      erythroid 2- related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its nuclear translocation, which was
      associated with the induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NADPH-quinone
      oxidoreductase 1 (NQO-1). Zinc protoporphyrin IX, a HO-1 competitive inhibitor,
      significantly abolished the protective effects of EEEC against H2O2-induced ROS
      generation and growth inhibition in C2C12 myoblasts. Transient transfection with
      Nrf2-specific small interfering RNA restored the elevated HO-1 and NQO-1
      expression and the phosphorylation of Nrf2 to near normal levels. The EEEC
      treatment also induced the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases
      (MAPKs), and specific inhibitors of MAPKs abolished upregulated HO-1 and NQO-1,
      as well as the phosphorylation of Nrf2. Taken together, these data suggest that
      EEEC attenuates oxidative stress by activating Nrf2-mediated HO-1 and inducing
      NQO-1 via the activation of MAPK signaling pathways.

PMID- 26492068
TI  - Cardioprotective effect of postconditioning against ischemia-reperfusion injury
      is lost in heart of 8-week diabetic rat.
AB  - Although ischemic preconditioning (IPC) and ischemic postconditioning (IPost)
      result in protection against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in healthy hearts,
      pathological conditions such as diabetes can modify the protective effects of IPC
      and IPost. There are a few studies concerning the effect of IPost only in
      diabetic hearts which have similar or decreased tolerance to I/R injury. In the
      present study we investigated the effects of IPost in diabetic hearts which had
      increased tolerance to I/R injury. Isolated hearts from control and diabetic rats
      were subjected to global ischemia (40 min) followed by reperfusion (40 min).
      IPost was induced by six cycles (10 s) of reperfusion and ischemia after the
      global ischemia. After I/R, cardiac recovery in diabetic hearts was better than
      that in control hearts. IPost did not produce any further protection in the
      diabetic hearts whereas it resulted in a significant recovery in the control
      hearts. Similarly, the decreased troponin I (TnI) levels of diabetic hearts did
      not change after IPost. However, IPost significantly lowered the increase in TnI
      levels of control hearts. In conclusion, these results show that IPost can not
      produce a further protection in the hearts of 8-week diabetic rats which have
      increased tolerance to I/R injury. 

PMID- 26492069
TI  - Recent advances in iPSC technologies involving cardiovascular and
      neurodegenerative disease modeling.
AB  - Cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases are the most common health threats
      in developed countries. Limited cell derivation and cell number in cardiac tissue
      makes it difficult to study the cardiovascular disease using the existing cardiac
      cell model. Regarding the neurodegenerative disorders, the most potential sources
      of cell therapeutics such as fetal-derived primary neurons and human embryonic
      stem cells (ESCs) are associated with ethical or technical limitations. The
      successful derivation of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by de
      differentiation of somatic cells offers significant potential to overcome hurdles
      in the field of the replacement therapy. Human iPSCs are functionally similar to
      human embryonic stem cells, and can be derived autologously without the ethical
      challenges associated with human ESCs. The iPSCs can, in turn, be differentiated
      into all cell types including neurons, cardiac cells, blood and liver cells, etc.
      Recently, target tissues derived from human iPSCs such as cardiomyocytes (CMs) or
      neurons have been used for new disease modeling and regenerative medicine
      therapies. Diseases models could be advantageous in the development of
      personalized medicine of various pathological conditions. This paper reviews
      efforts aimed at both the practical development of iPSCs, differentiation to
      neural/cardiac lineages, and the further use of these iPSCs-derived cells for
      disease modeling, as well as drug toxicity testing. 

PMID- 26492070
TI  - Concept of relative variability of cardiac action potential duration and its test
      under various experimental conditions.
AB  - Beat-to-beat variability of action potential duration (short-term variability,
      SV) is an intrinsic property of mammalian myocardium. Since the majority of
      agents and interventions affecting SV may modify also action potential duration
      (APD), we propose here the concept of relative SV (RSV), where changes in SV are
      normalized to changes in APD and these data are compared to the control SV-APD
      relationship obtained by lengthening or shortening of action potentials by inward
      and outward current injections. Based on this concept the influence of the
      several experimental conditions like stimulation frequency, temperature, pH,
      redox-state and osmolarity were examined on RSV in canine ventricular myocytes
      using sharp microelectrodes. RSV was increased by high stimulation frequency
      (cycle lengths <0.7 s), high temperature (above 37oC), oxidative agents (H2O2),
      while it was decreased by reductive environment. RSV was not affected by changes
      in pH (within the range of 6.4-8.4) and osmolarity of the solution (between 250
      350 mOsm). The results indicate that changes in beat-to-beat variability of APD
      must be evaluated exclusively in terms of RSV; furthermore, some experimental
      conditions, including the stimulation frequency, redox-state and temperature have
      to be controlled strictly when analyzing alterations in the short-term
      variability of APD. 

PMID- 26492071
TI  - The effect of aerobic exercise on hepatotoxicity induced by intratracheal
      instillation of iron oxide nanoparticles in Wistar rats.
AB  - Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) can cause significant health problems due to
      their unique physicochemical properties and environmental characteristics. They
      are found as ultrafine particles in ambient air. After inhalation, these
      particles move from the lung to phagocytosis tissues, especially the liver. The
      aim of present study was to investigate the effect of concurrent aerobic exercise
      and IONPs on liver enzymes and histological hepatic appearance. 48 rats were
      divided into six groups: experimental 1 (aerobic exercise), experimental 2
      (nanoparticle, anesthesia), experimental 3 (aerobic exercise, nanoparticles,
      anesthesia), placebo 4 (distilled water, anesthesia), placebo 5 (aerobic
      exercise, anesthesia), and control group. In groups 2 and 3, 40 mg/kg/b.w. of
      IONPs was injected via intratracheal installation every other day for 14 days.
      Groups 1, 3, and 5 [corrected] run on treadmill for 30 minutes with the intensity
      of 35-40% VO2max (maximal oxygen consumption) every day. ALT was increased in
      group 1 but decreased in groups 2 and 3. AST was not significant in any of the
      groups, while ALP was reduced significantly in groups 2 and 3 (p < 0.05).
      Histological examination of the liver showed that, in groups 2 and 3, hepatic
      cells were damaged and also the congestion, inflammation, mononuclear cell
      infiltration, and ballooning degeneration were occurred. Tissue injuries in group
      3 were less than those of group 2. These findings indicated that hepatotoxicity
      was caused by iron oxide nanoparticles; however, low-intensity aerobic exercise
      could decrease the damage somewhat.

PMID- 26492072
TI  - The influence of zinc on the blood serum of cadmium-treated rats through the
      rheological properties.
AB  - The blood rheological properties serve as an important indicator for the early
      detection of many diseases. This study aimed to investigate the influence of zinc
      (Zn) on blood serum of cadmium (Cd) intoxication-treated male rats through the
      rheological properties. The rheological parameters were measured in serum of
      control, Cd, and Cd+Zn groups at wide range of shear rates (225-1875 s(-1)). The
      rat blood serum showed a non-significant change in cadmium-treated rats' %torque
      and shear stress at the lower shear rates (200-600 s(-1)) while a significant
      increase was observed at the higher shear rates (650-1875 s(-1)) compared with
      the control. The rat blood serum viscosity increased significantly in the Cd
      treated group at each shear rate compared with the control. The viscosity and
      shear rate exhibited a non-Newtonian behavior for all groups. The increase in
      blood serum viscosity in Cd-treated male rats might be attributed to destruction
      or changes in the non-clotting proteins, and other blood serum components. In
      Cd+Zn-treated rats, the rat blood serum viscosity values returned nearer to the
      control values at each shear rate. Our results confirmed that Zn displaced Cd or
      compete with the binding sites for Cd uptake. 

PMID- 26492075
TI  - Porphyrin cosensitization for a photovoltaic efficiency of 11.5%: a record for
      non-ruthenium solar cells based on iodine electrolyte.
AB  - Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are promising for utilizing solar energy. To
      achieve high efficiencies, it is vital to synergistically improve the
      photocurrent (Jsc) and the photovoltage (Voc). In this respect, conjugation
      framework extension and cosensitization are effective for improving the
      absorption and the Jsc, which, however, is usually accompanied by undesirably
      decreased Voc. Herein, based on a rationally optimized porphyrin dye, we develop
      a targeted coadsorption/cosensitization approach for systematically improving the
      Voc from 645 to 727, 746, and 760 mV, with synergistical Jsc enhancement from
      18.83 to 20.33 mA cm(-2). Thus, the efficiency has been dramatically enhanced to
      11.5%, which keeps the record for nonruthenium DSSCs using the I2/I3(-)
      electrolyte. These results compose an alternative approach for developing highly
      efficient DSSCs with relatively high Voc using traditional iodine electrolyte. 

PMID- 26492073
TI  - Mre11 and Blm-Dependent Formation of ALT-Like Telomeres in Ku-Deficient Ustilago
      maydis.
AB  - A subset of human cancer cells uses a specialized, aberrant recombination pathway
      known as ALT to maintain telomeres, which in these cells are characterized by
      complex aberrations including length heterogeneity, high levels of unpaired C
      strand, and accumulation of extra-chromosomal telomere repeats (ECTR). These
      phenotypes have not been recapitulated in any standard budding or fission yeast
      mutant. We found that eliminating Ku70 or Ku80 in the yeast-like fungus Ustilago
      maydis results initially in all the characteristic telomere aberrations of ALT
      cancer cells, including C-circles, a highly specific marker of ALT. Subsequently
      the ku mutants experience permanent G2 cell cycle arrest, accompanied by loss of
      telomere repeats from chromosome ends and even more drastic accumulation of very
      short ECTRs (vsECTRs). The deletion of atr1 or chk1 rescued the lethality of the
      ku mutant, and "trapped" the telomere aberrations in the early ALT-like stage.
      Telomere abnormalities are telomerase-independent, but dramatically suppressed by
      deletion of mre11 or blm, suggesting major roles for these factors in the
      induction of the ALT pathway. In contrast, removal of other DNA damage response
      and repair factors such as Rad51 has disparate effects on the ALT phenotypes,
      suggesting that these factors process ALT intermediates or products. Notably, the
      antagonism of Ku and Mre11 in the induction of ALT is reminiscent of their roles
      in DSB resection, in which Blm is also known to play a key role. We suggest that
      an aberrant resection reaction may constitute an early trigger for ALT telomeres,
      and that the outcomes of ALT are distinct from DSB because of the unique telomere
      nucleoprotein structure. 

PMID- 26492074
TI  - Utilization of an Eilat Virus-Based Chimera for Serological Detection of
      Chikungunya Infection.
AB  - In December of 2013, chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an alphavirus in the family
      Togaviridae, was introduced to the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean,
      resulting in the first autochthonous cases reported in the Americas. As of
      January 2015, local and imported CHIKV has been reported in 50 American countries
      with over 1.1 million suspected cases. CHIKV causes a severe arthralgic disease
      for which there are no approved vaccines or therapeutics. Furthermore, the lack
      of a commercially available, sensitive, and affordable diagnostic assay limits
      surveillance and control efforts. To address this issue, we utilized an insect
      specific alphavirus, Eilat virus (EILV), to develop a diagnostic antigen that
      does not require biosafety containment facilities to produce. We demonstrated
      that EILV/CHIKV replicates to high titers in insect cells and can be applied
      directly in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays without inactivation, resulting in
      highly sensitive detection of recent and past CHIKV infection, and outperforming
      traditional antigen preparations. 

PMID- 26492076
TI  - Progress in the reduction of carbon monoxide levels in major urban areas in
      Korea.
AB  - Long-term trends in observed carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations were analyzed in
      seven major South Korean cities from 1989 to 2013. Temporal trends were evident
      on seasonal and annual timescales, as were spatial gradients between the cities.
      As CO levels in the most polluted cities decreased significantly until the early
      2000s, the data were arbitrarily divided into two time periods (I: 1989-2000 and
      II: 2001-2013) for analysis. The mean CO concentration of period II was about 50%
      lower than that of period I. Long-term trends of annual mean CO concentrations,
      examined using the Mann-Kendall (MK) method, confirm a consistent reduction in CO
      levels from 1989 to 2000 (period I). The abrupt reduction in CO levels was
      attributed to a combination of technological improvements and government
      administrative/regulatory initiatives (e.g., emission mitigation strategies and a
      gradual shift in the fuel/energy consumption mix away from coal and oil to
      natural gas and nuclear power). 

PMID- 26492077
TI  - Cross-talk modulation between ABA and ethylene by transcription factor SlZFP2
      during fruit development and ripening in tomato.
AB  - The stress hormone ABA not only regulates stress response, but is also required
      for plant development and growth. Some evidences indicate that ABA plays a
      pivotal role in the ripening process of non climacteric as well as climacteric
      fruits. In a recent study, we showed that the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
      transcription factor SlZFP2 fine tunes ABA biosynthesis during fruit development
      through direct suppression of ABA biosynthetic genes and it also regulates fruit
      ripening through transcriptional suppression of the ripening regulator CNR. This
      indicates that SlZFP2 likely modulates the cross-talk between ABA and ethylene in
      regulation of fruit development and ripening in tomato. Gene expression analysis
      using ABA deficient mutants sit and flc as well as the SlZFP2 RNAi lines of high
      fruit ABA production showed that ethylene biosynthetic genes LeACS1A, LeACS1 and
      LeACO1 were positively regulated by ABA during early fruit growth. We reason that
      ABA promotes basal ethylene biosynthesis in system 1 during fruit growth and
      likely plays a minor role in ripening regulation after the onset of ripening
      process. 

PMID- 26492078
TI  - Perspectives on safer conception practices and preconception counseling among
      women living with HIV.
AB  - Pregnancies are frequently unplanned, and higher rates of unplanned pregnancies
      occur among HIV-infected women. Reviewers examined reproductive decision making,
      conception practices, and patient-provider communication among women living with
      HIV. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 19 HIV-infected sexually active
      women aged 18-45 in southern Florida, USA. Using thematic analysis, we found
      decisions to conceive were influenced by women and partners; knowledge and use of
      safer conception practices were low. Discussion and support from partners,
      family, and providers was limited and diminished by stigma and nondisclosure.
      Preconception counseling discussions in HIV care should be comprehensive and
      initiated frequently by all health care providers.

PMID- 26492079
TI  - Clinical Potential of Effective Noninvasive Exclusion of KEL1-Positive Fetuses in
      KEL1-Negative Pregnant Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The clinical importance of assessing the fetal KEL genotype is to
      exclude 'K'-positive fetuses (genotype KEL1/KEL2) in 'K'-alloimmunized pregnant
      women (genotype KEL2/KEL2). Noninvasive assessment of the fetal KEL genotype is
      not yet available in the Czech Republic. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to
      assess the fetal KEL1/KEL2 genotype from cell-free fetal DNA in the plasma of
      KEL2/KEL2 pregnant women. METHODS: The fetal genotype was assessed by
      minisequencing (a dilution series including control samples). A total of 138
      pregnant women (between the 8th and 23rd gestational week) were tested by
      minisequencing. The fetal genotype was further verified by analysis of a buccal
      swab from the newborn. RESULTS: Minisequencing proved to be a reliable method. In
      2.2% (3/138) of the examined women, plasma sample testing failed; 94.8% (128/135)
      had the KEL2/KEL2 genotype, and a total of 3.1% of fetuses (4/128) had the
      KEL1/KEL2 genotype. Sensitivity and specificity reached 100% (p < 0.0001).
      CONCLUSION: Minisequencing is a reliable method for the assessment of the fetal
      KEL1 allele from the plasma of KEL2/KEL2 pregnant women.

PMID- 26492080
TI  - Rv3351c, a Mycobacterium tuberculosis gene that affects bacterial growth and
      alveolar epithelial cell viability.
AB  - Despite the interactions known to occur between various lower respiratory tract
      pathogens and alveolar epithelial cells (AECs), few reports examine factors
      influencing the interplay between Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli and AECs
      during infection. Importantly, in vitro studies have demonstrated that the M.
      tuberculosis hbha and esxA gene products HBHA and ESAT6 directly or indirectly
      influence AEC survival. In this report, we identify Rv3351c as another M.
      tuberculosis gene that impacts the fate of both the pathogen and AEC host.
      Intracellular replication of an Rv3351c mutant in the human AEC type II
      pneumocyte cell line A549 was markedly reduced relative to the complemented
      mutant and parent strain. Deletion of Rv3351c diminished the release of lactate
      dehydrogenase and decreased uptake of trypan blue vital stain by host cells
      infected with M. tuberculosis bacilli, suggesting attenuated cytotoxic effects.
      Interestingly, an isogenic hbha mutant displayed reductions in AEC killing
      similar to those observed for the Rv3351c mutant. This opens the possibility that
      multiple M. tuberculosis gene products interact with AECs. We also observed that
      Rv3351c aids intracellular replication and survival of M. tuberculosis in
      macrophages. This places Rv3351c in the same standing as HBHA and ESAT6, which
      are important factors in AECs and macrophages. Defining the mechanism(s) by which
      Rv3351c functions to aid pathogen survival within the host may lead to new drug
      or vaccine targets.

PMID- 26492081
TI  - Deformation of the Outer Hair Cells and the Accumulation of Caveolin-2 in
      Connexin 26 Deficient Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mutations in GJB2, which encodes connexin 26 (Cx26), a cochlear gap
      junction protein, represent a major cause of pre-lingual, non-syndromic deafness.
      The degeneration of the organ of Corti observed in Cx26 mutant-associated
      deafness is thought to be a secondary pathology of hearing loss. Here we focused
      on abnormal development of the organ of Corti followed by degeneration including
      outer hair cell (OHC) loss. METHODS: We investigated the crucial factors involved
      in late-onset degeneration and loss of OHC by ultrastructural observation,
      immunohistochemistry and protein analysis in our Cx26-deficient mice
      (Cx26f/fP0Cre). RESULTS: In ultrastructural observations of Cx26f/fP0Cre mice,
      OHCs changed shape irregularly, and several folds or notches were observed in the
      plasma membrane. Furthermore, the mutant OHCs had a flat surface compared with
      the characteristic wavy surface structure of OHCs of normal mice. Protein
      analysis revealed an increased protein level of caveolin-2 (CAV2) in Cx26f/fP0Cre
      mouse cochlea. In immunohistochemistry, a remarkable accumulation of CAV2 was
      observed in Cx26f/fP0Cre mice. In particular, this accumulation of CAV2 was
      mainly observed around OHCs, and furthermore this accumulation was observed
      around the shrunken site of OHCs with an abnormal hourglass-like shape.
      CONCLUSIONS: The deformation of OHCs and the accumulation of CAV2 in the organ of
      Corti may play a crucial role in the progression of, or secondary OHC loss in,
      GJB2-associated deafness. Investigation of these molecular pathways, including
      those involving CAV2, may contribute to the elucidation of a new pathogenic
      mechanism of GJB2-associated deafness and identify effective targets for new
      therapies.

PMID- 26492084
TI  - Self-Assembly of Asymmetrically Interacting ABC Star Triblock Copolymer Melts.
AB  - The phase behavior of asymmetrically interacting ABC star triblock copolymer
      melts is investigated by the self-consistent field theory (SCFT). Motivated by
      the experimental systems, in this study, we focus on the systems in which the
      Flory-Huggins interaction parameters satisfy chiAC > chi BC ~ chiAB. Using
      various initialization strategies, a large number of periodic structures have
      been obtained in our calculations. A fourth-order pseudospectral algorithm
      combined with Anderson mixing method is used to compute the free energy of
      candidate structures carefully. The stability has been analyzed in detail by
      splitting the free energy into internal and entropic parts. A complete and
      complex triangular phase diagram is presented for a model with chiAC > chiBC =
      chiAB in which 15 ordered phases, including two- and three-dimensional
      structures, have been predicted to be stable from the SCFT calculations.
      Generally speaking, with the asymmetrical interactions, the hierarchical
      structures tend to be formed near the B-rich corner of the triangular phase
      diagram. This work broadens the previous theoretical results from equal
      interaction systems to unequal interaction systems. The predicted phase behavior
      is in good agreement with experimental observations and previous theoretical
      results. 

PMID- 26492083
TI  - Self-Assembling NanoLuc Luciferase Fragments as Probes for Protein Aggregation in
      Living Cells.
AB  - Given the clear role of protein aggregation in human disease, there is a critical
      need for assays capable of quantifying protein aggregation in living systems. We
      hypothesized that the inherently low background and biocompatibility of
      luminescence signal readouts could provide a potential solution to this problem.
      Herein, we describe a set of self-assembling NanoLuc luciferase (Nluc) fragments
      that produce a tunable luminescence readout that is dependent upon the solubility
      of a target protein fused to the N-terminal Nluc fragment. To demonstrate this
      approach, we employed this assay in bacteria to assess mutations known to disrupt
      amyloid-beta (Abeta) aggregation as well as disease-relevant mutations associated
      with familial Alzheimer's diseases. The luminescence signal from these
      experiments correlates with the reported aggregation potential of these Abeta
      mutants and reinforces the increased aggregation potential of disease-relevant
      mutations in Abeta1-42. To further demonstrate the utility of this approach, we
      show that the effect of small molecule inhibitors on Abeta aggregation can be
      monitored using this system. In addition, we demonstrate that aggregation assays
      can be ported into mammalian cells. Taken together, these results indicate that
      this platform could be used to rapidly screen for mutations that influence
      protein aggregation as well as inhibitors of protein aggregation. This method
      offers a novel, genetically encodable luminescence readout of protein aggregation
      in living cells. 

PMID- 26492082
TI  - The Effects of Acute Dopamine Precursor Depletion on the Cognitive Control
      Functions of Performance Monitoring and Conflict Processing: An Event-Related
      Potential (ERP) Study.
AB  - Studies using medications and psychiatric populations implicate dopamine in
      cognitive control and performance monitoring processes. However, side effects
      associated with medication or studying psychiatric groups may confound the
      relationship between dopamine and cognitive control. To circumvent such
      possibilities, we utilized a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within
      subjects design wherein participants were administered a nutritionally-balanced
      amino acid mixture (BAL) and an amino acid mixture deficient in the dopamine
      precursors tyrosine (TYR) and phenylalanine (PHE) on two separate occasions.
      Order of sessions was randomly assigned. Cognitive control and performance
      monitoring were assessed using response times (RT), error rates, the N450, an
      event-related potential (ERP) index of conflict monitoring, the conflict slow
      potential (conflict SP), an ERP index of conflict resolution, and the error
      related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe), ERPs associated with
      performance monitoring. Participants were twelve males who completed a Stroop
      color-word task while ERPs were collected four hours following acute PHE and TYR
      depletion (APTD) or balanced (BAL) mixture ingestion in two separate sessions.
      N450 and conflict SP ERP amplitudes significantly differentiated congruent from
      incongruent trials, but did not differ as a function of APTD or BAL mixture
      ingestion. Similarly, ERN and Pe amplitudes showed significant differences
      between error and correct trials that were not different between APTD and BAL
      conditions. Findings indicate that acute dopamine precursor depletion does not
      significantly alter cognitive control and performance monitoring ERPs. Current
      results do not preclude the role of dopamine in these processes, but suggest that
      multiple methods for dopamine-related hypothesis testing are needed. 

PMID- 26492085
TI  - Novel Function of Lysine Methyltransferase G9a in the Regulation of Sox2 Protein
      Stability.
AB  - G9a is a lysine methyltransferase (KMTase) for histone H3 lysine 9 that plays
      critical roles in a number of biological processes. Emerging evidence suggests
      that aberrant expression of G9a contributes to tumor metastasis and maintenance
      of a malignant phenotype in cancer by inducing epigenetic silencing of tumor
      suppressor genes. Here, we show that G9a regulates Sox2 protein stability in
      breast cancer cells. When G9a lysine methyltransferase activity was chemically
      inhibited in the ER(+) breast cancer cell line MCF7, Sox2 protein levels were
      decreased. In addition, ectopic overexpression of G9a induced accumulation of
      Sox2. Changes in cell migration, invasion, and mammosphere formation by MCF7
      cells were correlated with the activity or expression level of G9a. Ectopic
      expression of G9a also increased Sox2 protein levels in another ER(+) breast
      cancer cell line, ZR-75-1, whereas it did not affect Sox2 expression in MDA-MB
      231 cells, an ER(-) breast cancer cell line, or in glioblastoma cell lines.
      Furthermore, treatment of mouse embryonic stem cells with a KMT inhibitor, BIX
      01294, resulted in a rapid reduction in Sox2 protein expression despite increased
      Sox2 transcript levels. This finding suggests that G9a has a novel function in
      the regulation of Sox2 protein stability in a cell type-dependent manner. 

PMID- 26492086
TI  - Formal Synthesis of (+)-Lasubine II and (-)-Subcosine II via Organocatalytic
      Michael Addition of a Ketone to an alpha-Nitrostyrene.
AB  - The first examples of an organocatalytic Michael addition of a ketone to in situ
      generated alpha-nitrostyrenes are reported. A suitably functionalized gamma
      nitroketone obtained from the organocatalyzed Michael addition was converted into
      (+)-2-epi-lasubine II, the immediate synthetic precursor of (+)-lasubine II and (
      )-subcosine II (enantiomers of the natural quinolizidine alkaloids). Two of the
      three stereocenters in (+)-2-epi-lasubine II are set by the Michael reaction. 

PMID- 26492087
TI  - Archeal lectins: An identification through a genomic search.
AB  - Forty-six lectin domains which have homologues among well established eukaryotic
      and bacterial lectins of known three-dimensional structure, have been identified
      through a search of 165 archeal genomes using a multipronged approach involving
      domain recognition, sequence search and analysis of binding sites. Twenty-one of
      them have the 7-bladed beta-propeller lectin fold while 16 have the beta-trefoil
      fold and 7 the legume lectin fold. The remainder assumes the C-type lectin, the
      beta-prism I and the tachylectin folds. Acceptable models of almost all of them
      could be generated using the appropriate lectins of known three-dimensional
      structure as templates, with binding sites at one or more expected locations. The
      work represents the first comprehensive bioinformatic study of archeal lectins.
      The presence of lectins with the same fold in all domains of life indicates their
      ancient origin well before the divergence of the three branches. Further work is
      necessary to identify archeal lectins which have no homologues among eukaryotic
      and bacterial species.

PMID- 26492088
TI  - Phospholipase D2 Modulates the Secretory Pathway in RBL-2H3 Mast Cells.
AB  - Phospholipase D (PLD) hydrolyses phosphatidylcholine to produce phosphatidic acid
      (PA) and choline. It has two isoforms, PLD1 and PLD2, which are differentially
      expressed depending on the cell type. In mast cells it plays an important role in
      signal transduction. The aim of the present study was to clarify the role of PLD2
      in the secretory pathway. RBL-2H3 cells, a mast cell line, transfected to
      overexpress catalytically active (PLD2CA) and inactive (PLD2CI) forms of PLD2
      were used. Previous observations showed that the Golgi complex was well organized
      in CA cells, but was disorganized and dispersed in CI cells. Furthermore, in CI
      cells, the microtubule organizing center was difficult to identify and the
      microtubules were disorganized. These previous observations demonstrated that
      PLD2 is important for maintaining the morphology and organization of the Golgi
      complex. To further understand the role of PLD2 in secretory and vesicular
      trafficking, the role of PLD2 in the secretory process was investigated.
      Incorporation of sialic acid was used to follow the synthesis and transport of
      glycoconjugates in the cell lines. The modified sialic acid was subsequently
      detected by labeling with a fluorophore or biotin to visualize the localization
      of the molecule after a pulse-chase for various times. Glycoconjugate trafficking
      was slower in the CI cells and labeled glycans took longer to reach the plasma
      membrane. Furthermore, in CI cells sialic acid glycans remained at the plasma
      membrane for longer periods of time compared to RBL-2H3 cells. These results
      suggest that PLD2 activity plays an important role in regulating glycoconjugate
      trafficking in mast cells. 

PMID- 26492089
TI  - Optimized (31)P MRS in the human brain at 7 T with a dedicated RF coil setup.
AB  - The design and construction of a dedicated RF coil setup for human brain imaging
      ((1)H) and spectroscopy ((31)P) at ultra-high magnetic field strength (7 T) is
      presented. The setup is optimized for signal handling at the resonance
      frequencies for (1)H (297.2 MHz) and (31)P (120.3 MHz). It consists of an eight
      channel (1)H transmit-receive head coil with multi-transmit capabilities, and an
      insertable, actively detunable (31)P birdcage (transmit-receive and transmit
      only), which can be combined with a seven-channel receive-only (31)P array. The
      setup enables anatomical imaging and (31)P studies without removal of the coil or
      the patient. By separating transmit and receive channels and by optimized
      addition of array signals with whitened singular value decomposition we can
      obtain a sevenfold increase in SNR of (31)P signals in the occipital lobe of the
      human brain compared with the birdcage alone. These signals can be further
      enhanced by 30 +/- 9% using the nuclear Overhauser effect by B1-shimmed low-power
      irradiation of water protons. Together, these features enable acquisition of
      (31)P MRSI at high spatial resolutions (3.0 cm(3)  voxel) in the occipital lobe
      of the human brain in clinically acceptable scan times (~15 min).

PMID- 26492090
TI  - Phase I Dose-Escalation and Pharmacokinetic Study of Intravenous Aflibercept in
      Combination with Docetaxel, Cisplatin, and 5-Fluorouracil in Patients with
      Advanced Solid Malignancies.
AB  - PURPOSE: This phase I study (EudraCT No. 2006-001177-25) investigated
      aflibercept, a vascular endothelial growth factor decoy receptor protein (VEGF
      Trap), in combination with docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil in patients
      with advanced solid tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients received 2, 4, or 6
      mg/kg of intravenous aflibercept with docetaxel 75 mg/m2, cisplatin 75 mg/m2, and
      5-fluorouracil 750 mg/m2 in 3-week cycles until disease progression or
      unacceptable toxicity. Primary objectives were to evaluate dose-limiting
      toxicities (DLTs) during cycle 1 and to determine the recommended phase II dose.
      Pharmacokinetics, tolerability, and antitumor activity were also investigated.
      RESULTS: Forty-four patients were enrolled and treated (29 patients in a dose
      escalation phase and 15 patients in an expansion cohort). Following three cases
      of febrile neutropenia in patients receiving aflibercept at 4 mg/kg, the protocol
      was amended to allow earlier granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support (from
      day 6) and prophylactic use of ciprofloxacin. Subsequently, there were two DLTs:
      febrile neutropenia (2 mg/kg) and grade 4 pulmonary embolism (6 mg/kg). An excess
      of free over VEGF-bound aflibercept was observed at 6 mg/kg. The most frequent
      grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) were neutropenia (54.5%), lymphopenia (47.7%), and
      stomatitis (38.6%). AEs associated with VEGF blockade (any grade) included
      epistaxis (61.4%), dysphonia (40.9%), hypertension (38.6%), and proteinuria
      (11.4%). There were 15 partial responses, including 9 in patients with
      gastroesophageal cancers. Thirteen patients had stable disease. CONCLUSION:
      Aflibercept 6 mg/kg administered every 3 weeks in combination with docetaxel,
      cisplatin, and 5- fluorouracil is the recommended dose for further clinical
      development based on tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and antitumor activity.

PMID- 26492091
TI  - Vulnerability of the Oceanic Whitetip Shark to Pelagic Longline Fisheries.
AB  - A combination of fisheries dependent and independent data was used to assess the
      vulnerability of the oceanic whitetip shark to pelagic longline fisheries. The
      Brazilian tuna longline fleet, operating in the equatorial and southwestern
      Atlantic, is used as a case study. Fisheries dependent data include information
      from logbooks (from 1999 to 2011) and on-board observers (2004 to 2010), totaling
      65,277 pelagic longline sets. Fisheries independent data were obtained from 8
      oceanic whitetip sharks tagged with pop-up satellite archival tags in the area
      where longline fleet operated. Deployment periods varied from 60 to 178 days
      between 2010 and 2012. Tagging and pop-up sites were relatively close to each
      other, although individuals tended to travel long distances before returning to
      the tagging area. Some degree of site fidelity was observed. High utilization
      hotspots of tagged sharks fell inside the area under strongest fishing pressure.
      Despite the small sample size, a positive correlation between tag recorded
      information and catch data was detected. All sharks exhibited a strong preference
      for the warm and shallow waters of the mixed layer, spending on average more than
      70% of the time above the thermocline and 95% above 120 m. Results indicate that
      the removal of shallow hooks on longline gear might be an efficient mitigation
      measure to reduce the bycatch of this pelagic shark species. The work also
      highlights the potential of tagging experiments to provide essential information
      for the development of spatio-temporal management measures. 

PMID- 26492092
TI  - Histology of Pericardial Tissue Substitutes Used in Congenital Heart Surgery.
AB  - Pericardium is used as a tissue substitute during pediatric heart surgery.
      However, little is known about the histological characteristics of pericardial
      tissue substitutes. We searched our clinical and Pathology databases to identify
      cases in which glutaraldehyde-preserved autologous pericardium, PhotoFix bovine
      pericardium, or Peri-Guard Repair Patch glutaraldehyde-preserved bovine
      pericardium was used as patch material during cardiac surgery and in which
      explanted tissue substitute was available for histologic examination. Tissue
      sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, Masson trichrome, and Movat
      pentachrome, and were graded for inflammation, tissue substitute degeneration,
      neointima formation, and calcification. Nonparametric statistical methods were
      used to test differences between groups because of small sample size. The eight
      patients who received PhotoFix pericardium were older (median 10 months vs 10
      days, P < 0.05) and the material was in situ longer (median 14 vs 2.5 months, P <
      0.05) compared to the eight who received autologous pericardium. Only three
      patients received glutaraldehyde-preserved bovine pericardium precluding
      statistical comparison. Inflammation and tissue degeneration were greater in
      PhotoFix pericardium compared to autologous pericardium but were no more than
      moderate. Neointima formation and calcification did not differ significantly
      between the two groups. PhotoFix bovine pericardium is associated with more
      inflammation and material degeneration but calcification, and neointima formation
      are similar to autologous pericardium. Although the short-term outcomes are
      acceptable, calcification and degeneration seen in some cases suggest that long
      term outcomes and performance at certain anatomic locations need further study.

PMID- 26492093
TI  - Comparing concentration-based (AOT40) and stomatal uptake (PODY) metrics for
      ozone risk assessment to European forests.
AB  - Tropospheric ozone (O3) produces harmful effects to forests and crops, leading to
      a reduction of land carbon assimilation that, consequently, influences the land
      sink and the crop yield production. To assess the potential negative O3 impacts
      to vegetation, the European Union uses the Accumulated Ozone over Threshold of 40
      ppb (AOT40). This index has been chosen for its simplicity and flexibility in
      handling different ecosystems as well as for its linear relationships with yield
      or biomass loss. However, AOT40 does not give any information on the
      physiological O3 uptake into the leaves since it does not include any
      environmental constraints to O3 uptake through stomata. Therefore, an index based
      on stomatal O3 uptake (i.e. PODY), which describes the amount of O3 entering into
      the leaves, would be more appropriate. Specifically, the PODY metric considers
      the effects of multiple climatic factors, vegetation characteristics and local
      and phenological inputs rather than the only atmospheric O3 concentration. For
      this reason, the use of PODY in the O3 risk assessment for vegetation is becoming
      recommended. We compare different potential O3 risk assessments based on two
      methodologies (i.e. AOT40 and stomatal O3 uptake) using a framework of mesoscale
      models that produces hourly meteorological and O3 data at high spatial resolution
      (12 km) over Europe for the time period 2000-2005. Results indicate a remarkable
      spatial and temporal inconsistency between the two indices, suggesting that a new
      definition of European legislative standard is needed in the near future.
      Besides, our risk assessment based on AOT40 shows a good consistency compared to
      both in-situ data and other model-based datasets. Conversely, risk assessment
      based on stomatal O3 uptake shows different spatial patterns compared to other
      model-based datasets. This strong inconsistency can be likely related to a
      different vegetation cover and its associated parameterizations.

PMID- 26492094
TI  - A systematic study comparing aspirate versus trephine for quantifying plasma cell
      infiltration in newly-diagnosed myeloma.

PMID- 26492095
TI  - Prototype Development of the Intelligent Hydrogel Wound Dressing and Its Efficacy
      in the Detection of Model Pathogenic Wound Biofilms.
AB  - The early detection of wound infection in situ can dramatically improve patient
      care pathways and clinical outcomes. There is increasing evidence that within an
      infected wound the main bacterial mode of living is a biofilm: a confluent
      community of adherent bacteria encased in an extracellular polymeric matrix. Here
      we have reported the development of a prototype wound dressing, which switches on
      a fluorescent color when in contact with pathogenic wound biofilms. The dressing
      is made of a hydrated agarose film in which the fluorescent dye containing
      vesicles were mixed with agarose and dispersed within the hydrogel matrix. The
      static and dynamic models of wound biofilms, from clinical strains of Escherichia
      coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis,
      were established on nanoporous polycarbonate membrane for 24, 48, and 72 h, and
      the dressing response to the biofilms on the prototype dressing evaluated. The
      dressing indicated a clear fluorescent/color response within 4 h, only observed
      when in contact with biofilms produced by a pathogenic strain. The sensitivity of
      the dressing to biofilms was dependent on the species and strain types of the
      bacterial pathogens involved, but a relatively higher response was observed in
      strains considered good biofilm formers. There was a clear difference in the
      levels of dressing response, when dressings were tested on bacteria grown in
      biofilm or in planktonic cultures, suggesting that the level of expression of
      virulence factors is different depending of the growth mode. Colorimetric
      detection on wound biofilms of prevalent pathogens (S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and
      E. faecalis) is also demonstrated using an ex vivo porcine skin model of burn
      wound infection.

PMID- 26492097
TI  - Effects of Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester and 4-Vinylcatechol on the Stabilities of
      Oil-in-Water Emulsions of Stripped Soybean Oil.
AB  - Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and 4-vinylcatechol (4-VC) were prepared for
      studying their antioxidative activities in emulsion. Oil-in-water emulsions of
      stripped soybean oil containing 200 ppm of CAPE, 4-VC, or alpha-tocopherol were
      stored at 40  degrees C in the dark for 50 days, and proton nuclear magnetic
      resonance ((1)H NMR) was used to identify and quantify the oxidation products.
      Emulsion droplet sizes, peroxide values, and levels of primary oxidation products
      (i.e., hydroperoxides) and secondary oxidation products (i.e., aldehydes) were
      determined. The results showed that CAPE (200 ppm) and 4-VC (200 ppm) had
      significantly greater antioxidant activities on the oxidation of stripped soybean
      oil-in-water emulsions than alpha-tocopherol (200 ppm). The peroxide values of
      CAPE (8.4 mequiv/L emulsion) and 4-VC (15.0 mequiv/L emulsion) were significantly
      lower than that of alpha-tocopherol (33.4 mequiv/L emulsion) (p < 0.05) on 36
      days. In addition, the combinations of CAPE + alpha-tocopherol (100 + 100 ppm) or
      4-VC + alpha-tocopherol (100 + 100 ppm) had better antioxidant activities than
      alpha-tocopherol (200 ppm). For CAPE + alpha-tocopherol, 4-VC + alpha-tocopherol,
      and alpha-tocopherol, the amounts of conjugated diene forms were 16.67, 13.72,
      and 16.32 mmol/L emulsion, and the concentrations of aldehydes were 2.15, 1.13,
      and 4.26 mmol/L emulsion, respectively, after 50 days of storage. 

PMID- 26492096
TI  - What's in a name? The pharmacy of vitamin K.

PMID- 26492098
TI  - Polybrominated diphenyl ethers and new polybrominated flame retardants in tree
      bark from western areas of China.
AB  - Tree bark samples were collected from 15 sites across western China in 2013, and
      the polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) and new polybrominated flame retardant
      (NBFR) concentrations in the samples were determined. The mean total PBDE
      concentration was 51.8 ng/g lipid weight, which was 85.2% to 99.4% lower than in
      Chinese eastern coastal areas and the E-waste recycling areas. The dominant PBDE
      congener was BDE209, and its mean concentration was 49 ng/g lipid weight. The
      mean 2,3,5,6-tetrabromo-p-xylene, pentabromobenzene, pentabromotoluene, and
      hexabromobenzene concentrations were 0.61 ng/g, 0.97 ng/g, 0.68 ng/g, and 0.68
      ng/g lw, respectively. The PBDE and NBFR concentrations in the air at the
      sampling sites were estimated from the concentrations in the tree bark samples.
      The estimated mean total PBDE and total NBFR concentrations in air were 58.5
      pg/m(3) and 2.76 pg/m(3) , respectively. The sources of NBFR emissions were found
      to be different from the sources of PBDE emissions, as no relationship was found
      between the NBFR and PBDE concentrations, and it appeared that sources of
      measured hexabromobenzene, pentabromobenzene, and pentabromotoluene in tree bark
      in western China include industrial activity related to the aluminum industry.
      Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1364-1370. (c) 2015 SETAC.

PMID- 26492099
TI  - Enhanced Electrorheological Properties of Elastomers Containing TiO2/Urea Core
      Shell Particles.
AB  - Polar molecule-coated core-shell particles have been used to prepare
      electrorheological (ER) fluids with high performance. Inspired by those studies,
      TiO2/urea core-shell structured particles were fabricated and used to prepare
      novel ER elastomers, whose properties were compared with the ER elastomers with
      bare TiO2 particles. Particles characterization results illustrate the TiO2/urea
      particles present little change in size, morphology and crystal structure with
      respect to the bare amorphous TiO2 particles, while clear core-shell structure is
      observed. Compared with the bare TiO2 particles filled elastomer, the TiO2/urea
      particles filled elastomer presents higher dielectric constant, indicating
      enhanced polarization. The viscoelastic properties of the two elastomers under
      different strain amplitude, frequency and electric field were tested. The results
      indicate that the TiO2/urea particles filled elastomer shows higher storage
      modulus G' and higher relative ER effect within the low field strength region
      from 0 to 2 kV/mm. Coating polar molecules is an effective method to improve the
      ER performance for ER elastomers. 

PMID- 26492100
TI  - Twelve tips for early career medical educators.
AB  - The first 10 years of career development pose unique challenges for MD- and PhD
      trained faculty members working in medical education. These may include
      publishing peer-reviewed articles, winning grant funding, teaching, maintaining a
      clinical practice, and supporting professional communities both within and
      external to their institution. As the inaugural and current leaders of the ECME
      group in Canada, we have actively sought to better understand the challenges ECME
      faculty members face. We developed this understanding by surveying and tracking
      the qualitative reports of our ECME members, reviewing the (limited) literature
      available on ECME faculty members' experiences, and learning from our own
      experiences as ECME faculty and the advice shared by our own mentors. In this
      paper, we consolidate this knowledge into 12 tips for ECME faculty members. We
      suggest these tips will benefit both MD- and PhD-trained ECME faculty members as
      they strive for professional success. 

PMID- 26492101
TI  - Effect of Different Sprint Training Methods on Sprint Performance Over Various
      Distances: A Brief Review.
AB  - Linear sprinting speed is an essential physical quality for many athletes. There
      are a number of different training modalities that can be used to improve sprint
      performance. Strength and conditioning coaches must select the most appropriate
      modalities for their athletes, taking into consideration the sprint distances
      that typically occur during competition. The study purpose was to perform a brief
      review as to the effect of specific (free sprinting; resisted sprinting by sleds,
      bands, or incline running; assisted sprinting with a towing device or a downhill
      slope), nonspecific (resistance and plyometric training), and combined (a
      combination of specific and nonspecific) training methods on different sprint
      distances (0-10, 0-20, 0-30, and 31+ m). A total of 48 studies fulfilled the
      inclusion criteria, resulting in 1,485 subjects from a range of athletic
      backgrounds. The training effects associated with specific sprint training were
      classified as moderate (effect size [ES] = -1.00; %change = -3.23). Generally,
      the effect of specific sprint training tended to decrease with distance, although
      the largest training effects were observed for the 31+ m distance. The greatest
      training effects (ES = -0.43; %change = -1.65) of nonspecific training were
      observed for the 31+ m distance. The combined training revealed greatest effects
      (ES = -0.59; %change = -2.81) for the 0-10 m distance. After this review,
      specific sprint training methods seem the most beneficial over the investigated
      distances. However, the implementation of nonspecific training methods (e.g.,
      strength and power training) could also benefit speed and athletic performance.

PMID- 26492102
TI  - Observed Dietary Practices of Recreational Ultraendurance Cyclists in the Heat.
AB  - Dietary approaches for optimizing exercise performance have been debated in the
      literature for years. For endurance athletes, various position stands focus on
      recommendations for high-carbohydrate diets to maximize performance in events.
      However, theories of low-carbohydrate diets and their ability to provide more
      fuel may prove beneficial to ultraendurance athletes. Therefore, the purpose of
      this research was to observe the food and fluid consumption of successful
      recreational ultraendurance cyclists on the day before (ED-1), Event Day, and the
      day after (ED+1), a 162 km endurance event in a hot environment, and subsequently
      compare dietary intakes to recommendations and other observed dietary practices.
      Twenty men (age, 48 +/- 8 years; mass, 85.1 +/- 13.4 kg; height, 178.2 +/- 7.4
      cm) recorded all dietary items during ED-1, Event Day, and ED+1. Diet composition
      and the relationships between carbohydrate and caloric intake with finish time
      were examined. Results show athletes consumed a high-carbohydrate diet on ED-1
      (384 g.d), Event Day (657 g.d), and ED+1 (329 g.d). However, there were no
      significant associations between carbohydrate (p > 0.05), or caloric intake (p >
      0.05), and finish time. This study results great variation in diets of
      recreational endurance cyclists, although most consume within nationally
      recognized dietary recommendation ranges. Because there is great variation and
      lack of correlation with performance, these findings suggest that current high
      carbohydrate dietary recommendations for general endurance athletes may not be
      sport specific or individualized enough for recreational ultraendurance cyclists,
      and that individualized dietary macronutrient composition manipulations may
      improve performance outcomes.

PMID- 26492103
TI  - Concurrent Strength and Interval Endurance Training in Elite Water Polo Players.
AB  - This study compared the effects of different high-intensity interval training
      (HIIT) intervals performed concurrently with strength and specific water polo
      training on performance indices of elite players. During the precompetition
      season, 2 water polo clubs were assigned to either HIIT of 4 * 4 minutes (n = 7,
      HIIT4 * 4) or HIIT of 16 * 100-m swimming efforts (n = 7, HIIT16 * 100). Both
      clubs applied the swimming (6% above the speed corresponding to blood lactate
      concentration of 4.0 mmol . L) and strength training (85-90% of 1 repetition
      maximum, 5 repetitions, 4 sets) twice per week concurrently with specific water
      polo training. Before and after the 8-week intervention period, maximal bench
      press strength was measured and a speed-lactate test (5 * 200 m) was performed to
      determine the speed corresponding to lactate concentration of 4.0, 5.0, and 10.0
      mmol . L(-1). Maximal strength was improved in both groups (HIIT4 * 4: 14 +/- 4%
      vs. HIIT16 * 100: 19 +/- 10%). Improvements in speed corresponding to 4.0, 5.0,
      and 10.0 mmol . L(-1) were shown only after HIIT4 * 4 (9 +/- 5, 8 +/- 3, 7 +/-
      2%, respectively; p < 0.01). However, HIIT16 * 100 was more effective in the
      differential velocity between 10.0 and 5.0 mmol . L(-) development (19 +/- 20%, p
      = 0.03). During the precompetition season, HIIT and strength training together
      with specific water polo training performed concurrently improves muscle strength
      and allows specific adaptations enhancing swimming performance of elite water
      polo players.

PMID- 26492104
TI  - Preliminary neurocognitive outcomes in Jeavons syndrome.
AB  - Jeavons syndrome (JS, eyelid myoclonia with absences [EMA]) consists of a triad
      of symptoms including eyelid myoclonia that may be accompanied by absence
      seizures, eye closure-induced EEG paroxysms or seizures, and photosensitivity.
      The age of onset ranges between 2 and 14 years with symptoms peaking between 6
      and 8 years of age. Though investigation of the clinical, EEG, and neurological
      features of JS has occurred, neurocognitive functioning has not been well
      delineated despite suggestion that a subtype of the syndrome is characterized in
      part by cognitive impairment. The purpose of this study was to define
      neurocognitive functioning in a more detailed manner by examining global IQ and
      relevant neurocognitive domains (i.e., verbal and nonverbal reasoning, attention,
      executive functioning, memory) in pediatric patients. The sample (N=6, 4 females)
      ranged in age from 8 to 15 years (M=11, SD=2.82). All participants completed
      neuropsychological evaluations. Statistical analyses revealed performance that
      was below average on measures of global IQ, processing speed and rote, verbal
      learning coupled with average nonverbal reasoning, and sustained attention. There
      was also evidence of impaired higher-level verbal reasoning. While global IQ
      ranged from low average to borderline impaired, no participant could be
      accurately described as impaired or having intellectual disability (ID) given the
      consistently average performance noted on some higher-order tasks including
      nonverbal reasoning.

PMID- 26492106
TI  - Sinking myoma: A case of one-step cold loop hysteroscopic myomectomy.

PMID- 26492105
TI  - Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Ca(2+) Overload Contributes to Hesperidin Induced
      Paraptosis in Hepatoblastoma Cells, HepG2.
AB  - Paraptosis is a programmed cell death which is morphologically and biochemically
      different from apoptosis. In this study, we have investigated the role of Ca(2+)
      in hesperidin-induced paraptotic cell death in HepG2 cells. Increase in
      mitochondrial Ca(2+) level was observed in hesperidin treated HepG2 cells but not
      in normal liver cancer cells. Inhibition of inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate receptor
      (IP3 R) and ryanodine receptor also block the mitochondrial Ca(2+) accumulation
      suggesting that the release of Ca(2+) from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) may
      probably lead to the increase in mitochondrial Ca(2+) level. Pretreatment with
      ruthenium red (RuRed), a Ca(2+) uniporter inhibitor inhibited the hesperidin
      induced mitochondrial Ca(2+) overload, swelling of mitochondria, and cell death
      in HepG2 cells. It has also been demonstrated that mitochondrial Ca(2+) influxes
      act upstream of ROS and mitochondrial superoxide production. The increased ROS
      production further leads to mitochondrial membrane loss in hesperidin treated
      HepG2 cells. Taken together our results show that IP3 R and ryanodine receptor
      mediated release of Ca(2+) from the ER and its subsequent influx through the
      uniporter into mitochondria contributes to hesperidin-induced paraptosis in HepG2
      cells.

PMID- 26492107
TI  - Contribution of different antiretroviral regimens containing zidovudine,
      lamivudine and ritonavir-boosted lopinavir on HIV viral load reduction during
      pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral (ARV) regimens used for the prevention of mother-to
      child transmission of HIV have evolved over time. We evaluated the contribution
      of different ARV regimens on the reduction of the plasma HIV RNA viral load (VL)
      during pregnancy. METHODS: A total of 1,833 VL measurements from ARV-naive
      pregnant women participating in perinatal prevention trials in Thailand were
      included. Women received either zidovudine (ZDV) monotherapy, ZDV plus
      lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r), or ZDV plus lamivudine (3TC) plus LPV/r. VL time
      course during pregnancy was described as a function of pretreatment VL and
      treatment duration using an Emax non-linear mixed-effect model. VL reduction and
      median time to achieve a VL<50 copies/ml were estimated for each regimen.
      RESULTS: Among 745 women, 279 (37%), 145 (20%) and 321 (43%) received ZDV
      monotherapy, ZDV+LPV/r and ZDV+3TC+LPV/r, respectively. The predicted VL
      reduction from baseline to delivery after a median of 10 weeks of treatment were
      0.5, 2.7 and 2.9 log10 copies/ml with ZDV monotherapy, ZDV+LPV/r and
      ZDV+3TC+LPV/r, respectively. At delivery, 1%, 57% and 63% of women receiving ZDV
      monotherapy, ZDV+LPV/r or ZDV+3TC+LPV/r had a VL<50 copies/ml. The addition of
      3TC to ZDV+LPV/r reduced the time to achieve a VL<50 copies/ml and the higher the
      pretreatment VL, the larger the effect 3TC had on reducing the time to VL<50
      copies/ml. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of 3TC to ZDV+LPV/r was associated with a
      slight further VL reduction but the time to reach a VL<50 copies/ml was shorter.
      This beneficial effect of 3TC is crucial for prevention of mother-to-child
      transmission in women who receive ARVs late and with high pretreatment VL.

PMID- 26492108
TI  - Structural Transformation of Diblock Copolymer/Homopolymer Assemblies by Tuning
      Cylindrical Confinement and Interfacial Interactions.
AB  - In this study, we report the controllable structural transformation of block
      copolymer/homopolymer binary blends in cylindrical nanopores. Polystyrene-b
      poly(4-vinylpyridine)/homopolystyrene (SVP/hPS) nanorods (NRs) can be fabricated
      by pouring the polymers into an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) channel and isolated
      by selective removal of the AAO membrane. In this two-dimensional (2D)
      confinement, SVP self-assembles into NRs with concentric lamellar structure, and
      the internal structure can be tailored with the addition of hPS. We show that the
      weight fraction and molecular weight of hPS and the diameter of the channels can
      significantly affect the internal structure of the NRs. Moreover, mesoporous
      materials with tunable pore shape, size, and packing style can be prepared by
      selective solvent swelling of the structured NRs. In addition, these NRs can
      transform into spherical structures through solvent-absorption annealing,
      triggering the conversion from 2D to 3D confinement. More importantly, the
      transformation dynamics can be tuned by varying the preference property of
      surfactant to the polymers. It is proven that the shape and internal structure of
      the polymer particles are dominated by the interfacial interactions governed by
      the surfactants. 

PMID- 26492109
TI  - Carrier Mobility Enhancement of Tensile Strained Si and SiGe Nanowires via
      Surface Defect Engineering.
AB  - Changes in the carrier mobility of tensile strained Si and SiGe nanowires (NWs)
      were examined using an electrical push-to-pull device (E-PTP, Hysitron). The
      changes were found to be closely related to the chemical structure at the
      surface, likely defect states. As tensile strain is increased, the resistivity of
      SiGe NWs deceases in a linear manner. However, the corresponding values for Si
      NWs increased with increasing tensile strain, which is closely related to broken
      bonds induced by defects at the NW surface. Broken bonds at the surface, which
      communicate with the defect state of Si are critically altered when Ge is
      incorporated in Si NW. In addition, the number of defects could be significantly
      decreased in Si NWs by incorporating a surface passivated Al2O3 layer, which
      removes broken bonds, resulting in a proportional decrease in the resistivity of
      Si NWs with increasing strain. Moreover, the presence of a passivation layer
      dramatically increases the extent of fracture strain in NWs, and a significant
      enhancement in mobility of about 2.6 times was observed for a tensile strain of
      5.7%. 

PMID- 26492110
TI  - Update in vitamin D and multiple sclerosis.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common neurological disease, and its etiology
      remains unknown. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the
      possible association between MS and vitamin D deficiency. Here, we review the
      current literature between MS and vitamin D, showing clear evidence that vitamin
      D deficiency is a risk factor for MS despite the lack of direct evidence for the
      effects of vitamin D in MS progression. 

PMID- 26492111
TI  - The relationship between Willis-Ekbom disease and serum ferritin levels among
      children in Northwestern Turkey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the incidence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) among
      children with iron deficiency, or iron deficiency anemia, or both, and the
      relationship between RLS prevalence and serum ferritin levels. METHODS: This
      prospective, cross-sectional, case controlled study was carried out between
      January and June 2013, and included 98 iron deficiency and/or iron deficiency
      anemia, and 102 healthy children referred to the Neurology and Pediatric
      Departments of the Medical Faculty of Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul,
      Turkey. Both groups were evaluated according to the International Restless Legs
      Syndrome Study Group diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: The range of ferritin levels
      was 0.01-12 mg/ml in patients while it was 12.3-91.8 mg/mL in the control group.
      Restless legs syndrome was detected in 61.2% of children with iron deficiency
      anemia, and in 37.3% of children with normal biochemistry values. A statistically
      significant correlation was found between serum ferritin levels and frequency of
      RLS. In patients with serum ferritin levels higher than 50 ng/ml, 92.3% had no
      RLS, while 55.2% of patients with serum ferritin levels lower than 50 ng/ml had
      RLS. The patients with serum ferritin levels of > 50 ng/ml had a significantly
      higher incidence of RLS. Serum ferritin levels were significantly different
      between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: The incidence of RLS, also known as Willis
      Ekbom Disease, is high in children aged between 8-18 years with iron deficiency,
      or iron deficiency anemia, or both. This finding supports the importance of iron
      replacement therapy especially during the growth and development of children.

PMID- 26492112
TI  - Serum levels of zinc and copper in epileptic children during long-term therapy
      with anticonvulsants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the serum levels of zinc and copper in epileptic children
      during the long-term treatment of anticonvulsant drugs and correlate this with
      healthy subjects. METHODS: A hospital-based group matched case-control study was
      conducted in the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig
      University, Zagazig, Egypt between November 2013 and October 2014. Ninety
      patients aged 7.1 +/- 3.6 years were diagnosed with epilepsy by a neurologist.
      The control group was selected from healthy individuals and matched to the case
      group. Serum zinc and copper were measured by the calorimetric method using a
      colorimetric method kit. RESULTS: The mean zinc level was 60.1 +/- 22.6 ug/dl in
      the cases, and 102.1 +/- 18 ug/dl in the controls (p<0.001). The mean copper
      level was 180.1 +/- 32.4 ug/dl in cases compared with 114.5 +/- 18.5 ug/dl in
      controls (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Serum zinc levels in epileptic children under
      drug treatment are lower compared with healthy children. Also, serum copper
      levels in these patients are significantly higher than in healthy people. No
      significant difference in the levels of serum copper and zinc was observed in
      using one drug or multiple drugs in the treatment of epileptic patients.

PMID- 26492113
TI  - Maternal knowledge of acute seizures.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study maternal knowledge -of, and behavior during acute seizures.
      METHODS: A cross sectional study conducted from September 2013 to January 2014
      included consecutive mothers presenting at the Pediatric Neurology Clinics of
      King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A structured
      30-item questionnaire was designed to examine their demographics, knowledge, and
      behavior on acute seizures. RESULTS: A total of 92 mothers were interviewed and
      41% witnessed at least one acute seizure in their affected child (range 1-15
      years, mean 4.5). Up to 26% felt not knowledgeable at all regarding the acute
      care and management of seizure. Mothers with higher education (college or
      university degree) were more likely to feel very knowledgeable (19% versus 11%,
      p=0.02). Only 10% were aware of an antiepileptic drug that could be used at home
      to stop prolonged seizures, and 35% mentioned that they would wait for 15 minutes
      before taking the child to the emergency department. Most mothers (93%) wanted
      more information. Those who felt strongly regarding that (66%), were more likely
      to be younger (<27 years) (p=0.01), and have at least 3 out of 7 mismanagement
      decisions (p=0.003). CONCLUSION: Maternal level of knowledge and behavior during
      acute seizures needs improvement. Many mothers have significant misinformation,
      negative behavior, and poor management practices. Increased awareness and
      educational programs are needed.

PMID- 26492114
TI  - Depression and anxiety among parents of phenylketonuria children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the existence of depression and/or anxiety with
      underlying risk factors among parents of children with classical phenylketonuria
      (PKU). METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Division of
      Pediatric Metabolism, Ankara Children's Hospital, Dokuz Eylul University,
      Kirikkale University, and Erzurum Local Research Hospital, Turkey, between
      January and July 2014. Parents of 61 patients and 36 healthy controls completed
      the self-report questionnaires. We used Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to assess
      the parental depression and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory S-T (STAI S-T) to
      assess parental anxiety. RESULTS: Depression and anxiety scores were
      significantly higher in the case group (BDI: 12.3 +/- 9.1; STAI-S: 38.2 +/- 9.6;
      STAI-T: 43.2 +/- 6.9) than controls (BDI: 5.4 +/- 4.1 p=0.000; STAI-S: 31.8 +/-
      7.6 p=0.001; STAI-T: 37.0 +/- 7.2 p=0.000). Mothers of the patients had higher
      scores than the other parental groups (BDI: p=0.000, STAI-S: p=0.001 and STAI-T:
      p=0.000). Logistic regression analysis showed that low educational level of the
      parent was the only independent factor for depression (OR: 9.96, 95% CI: 1.89
      52.35, p=0.007) and state anxiety (OR: 6.99, 95% CI: 1.22-40.48, p=0.030) in the
      case group. CONCLUSION: A subset of parents with PKU patients have an anxiety or
      depressive disorder. Supportive services dealing with the parents of chronically
      ill children such as PKU are needed in order to reduce the level of anxiety.

PMID- 26492115
TI  - The efficacy and safety of low-molecular-weight heparin and unfractionated
      heparin in the treatment of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of low-molecular-weight heparin
      (LMWH) and unfractionated heparin (UFH) in the treatment of patients with
      cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), and to provide an appropriate treatment
      option in these patients. METHODS: This is a randomized double blind clinical
      trial conducted between December 2013 and December 2014. The subjects were
      selected among patients referred to Neurology Department, Imam Reza Hospital;
      affiliated to Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran. Fifty
      two cases of CVST were included in this study and randomly divided into 2 groups.
      Twenty-six cases received LMWH and the other 26 cases received UFH. The primary
      outcomes include hospital mortality rate and neurologic deficits as assessed by
      the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The secondary end point
      was disability as measured by the Modified Rankin Scale (MRS). RESULTS: We
      observed the rate of mortality and neurological deficits and disability based on
      NIHSS, and the MRS did not differ between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: The efficacy
      of LMWH and UFH in reduction of neurologic deficit and functional disability in
      patients with CVST are similar.

PMID- 26492116
TI  - Surgical outcome of posterior fixation, including fractured vertebra, for
      thoracolumbar fractures.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of posterior fixation including the fractured
      vertebra (PFFV) for the treatment of thoracolumbar vertebral fractures. METHODS:
      Sixty-seven patients that sustained a single-level thoracolumbar fracture were
      included in this retrospective study carried out in the Wuxi People's Hospital,
      Wuxi, China between August 2010 and June 2013. Thirty-two cases were treated with
      PFFV, and 35 cases were treated with traditional short-segment fixation (TSSF).
      All patients were periodically followed-up with clinical and radiologic
      evaluation. Cobb's angle and vertebral body height were analyzed and compared,
      and the operational time, intra-operational blood loss, and the Denis pain scale
      scores were also compared. RESULTS: Compared with preoperative angles, the Cobb's
      angles were reduced and the vertebral body height of the fractured vertebra was
      increased after operation at a statistically significant level. Twelve months
      post-operative, the loss of Cobb's angle and vertebral body height in the PFFV
      group was significantly less than that in the TSSF group. There was no
      statistical significance in the Denis pain scale score 12 months post-operatively
      between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: Selective adoption of PFFV is helpful not only
      for stabilization of fractures and restoration of anatomy, but also maintaining
      the effectiveness of the restoration with good functional outcome.

PMID- 26492117
TI  - Parry-Romberg syndrome. Physical, clinical, and imaging features.
AB  - Progressive hemifacial atrophy also known as Parry-Romberg syndrome is an
      acquired, slowly progressive disorder, occurring more in women, primarily
      affecting one side of the face, mainly characterized by unilateral atrophy, and
      loss of skin and subcutaneous tissues of face, muscles, and bones. Ocular and
      neurologic involvements are common. The possible etiology is unclear without any
      known cure. We report a rare case of Parry-Romberg syndrome with classical
      features. The clinical features, radiological imaging findings, differential
      diagnosis, and available treatment options are discussed in this report. 

PMID- 26492118
TI  - Acute cervical cord infarction in anterior spinal artery territory with acute
      swelling mimicking myelitis.
AB  - Acute infarction of the cervical segment of the spinal cord is extremely
      uncommon. Patients may present with signs and symptoms mimicking that of acute
      myelitis. On imaging, both conditions may present as a hyperintense area on T-2
      weighted MRI. History of sudden onset is essential in establishing the diagnosis.
      We report a case of cervical spinal cord infarction in a 40-year-old man who was
      diagnosed with acute transverse myelitis, and was treated with high dose
      intravenous corticosteroids followed by 5 sessions of plasma exchange. An MRI of
      the spine revealed abnormal high T2 signal intensity extending from the C2 to C7
      level involving the anterior two-thirds of the cord with more central
      involvement. The findings were consistent with anterior spinal artery territory
      cervical cord infarction. 

PMID- 26492119
TI  - Tardive dyskinesia occurring in a young woman after withdrawal of an atypical
      antipsychotic drug.
AB  - Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is one of the most serious and disturbing side-effects of
      dopamine receptor antagonists. It affects 20-50% of patients on long-term
      antipsychotic therapy. The pathophysiology of TD remains poorly understood, and
      treatment is often challenging. Here, we present a 32-year-old woman presenting
      with a 9-month history of TD occurring after risperidone withdrawal, and
      characterized almost exclusively by tongue protrusion. After being seen by
      different specialties and undergoing multiple investigations, she was eventually
      correctly diagnosed with TD by a specialist team and successfully treated with
      amantadine. Vigilance and awareness of this condition and its risk factors are
      required to make the correct diagnosis, especially in cases with unusual
      presentations caused by atypical antipsychotics, and treatment can be
      challenging. 

PMID- 26492120
TI  - A rare case of nonenhancing primary central nervous system lymphoma mimic
      multiple sclerosis.
AB  - Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is reported to have increased in
      the last decades. Early diagnosis is crucial for proper management of this tumor.
      We report a case of a 48-year-old man who was initially diagnosed with multiple
      sclerosis. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed multiple lesions with
      hyper-signals in the bilateral basal ganglia and brain stem in T2-weighted image
      and non-enhancement, while positron emission tomography showed a low uptake of
      18F-fluorodeoxyglucose in the affected brain, indicative of demyelination.
      However, this individual was correctly diagnosed with PCNSL after biopsy and
      further histological analysis. Primary central nervous system lymphoma must be
      considered even when nonenhancing, diffuse lesions are seen on MRI. A visible
      tumor on imaging is essential to ensure an early brain biopsy and histological
      diagnosis.

PMID- 26492121
TI  - Dyke-Davidoff-Masson Syndrome. An unusual cause of status epilepticus.
AB  - The Dyke-Davidoff-Masson Syndrome (DDMS) results from an insult to the growing
      brain in utero or early infancy, which lead to loss of neurons compromising the
      growth of the brain. Clinical presentation includes seizures, hemiparesis, facial
      asymmetry, and learning disability. Radiological findings include cerebral
      atrophy on one side. Here, we present a case with status epilepticus who had
      underlying DDMS. It is a rare syndrome and uncommon cause for status epilepticus.
      Infections of CNS, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, intracranial bleed, trauma,
      congenital vascular malformations are the common causes of this syndrome.
      Diagnosis is established after clinical history, examination, and MRI.
      Intractable seizures can be controlled with appropriate anticonvulsants.
      Subsequently, these children may require physiotherapy, speech therapy, and
      occupational therapy in addition to the anticonvulsant medication. Outcome is
      better if the seizures are controlled. 

PMID- 26492122
TI  - Advanced case of glioblastoma multiforme and pregnancy. An ethical dilemma.
AB  - Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and malignant form of the glial
      tumors. Advanced and treated GBM is rarely associated with pregnancy for many
      reasons. Glioblastoma multiforme presenting during pregnancy carries unique
      challenges to the patient, baby, family, and health care providers. We describe
      an unusual case of advanced GBM that was treated with maximum doses of
      chemotherapy and radiations, and she became pregnant and presented at eighteenth
      weeks of gestation. Her medical management was associated with a significant
      ethical dilemma. We managed to deliver the baby safely through cesarean section
      at week 28 despite the critical condition of the mother. Unfortunately, the
      mother died 2 weeks post delivery. We concluded that although recurrent and
      treated GBM is rarely associated with pregnancy and carries dismal prognosis, but
      if it occurs, it can still be carried, and a multidisciplinary team work is the
      key for successful outcome. 

PMID- 26492123
TI  - Survey of h-index for neurosurgeons in Saudi Arabia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To calculate the h-index for neurosurgeons in the Kingdom of Saudi
      Arabia (KSA), and to assess its association with a number of features relating to
      neurosurgical practice in KSA. METHODS: The h-index for 84 neurosurgeons that
      worked in KSA during 1990-2013 was evaluated using Google Scholar during the
      period September to October 2014. The correlation between the h-index and a
      number of neurosurgeon and neurosurgical center characteristics was determined
      and examined statistically. RESULTS: The median h-index was 2.5 (range 0-33) and
      the mean was 5.04. The h-index was significantly higher for neurosurgeons who
      obtained their certification before 2001 and those working at the King Faisal
      Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, KSA. The h-index was also higher, but without
      reaching significance, for non-Saudi neurosurgeons, those with international
      certification and those working at the university hospitals. Additionally, the h
      index was significantly lower for neurosurgeons working in the Ministry of Health
      hospitals. CONCLUSION: Application of the h-index to KSA neurosurgeons revealed a
      significant correlation with the duration after certification and with certain
      centers. Evaluation of the h-index should be included in the consideration for
      academic positions in KSA. Saudi neurosurgeons should be encouraged to publish in
      journals with high impact factor.

PMID- 26492124
TI  - Axillary nerve course and position in the fetal period. An anatomic dissection
      study for surgical practice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the fetal axillary nerve to reveal and compare its
      morphometric features within the second and third trimester. METHODS: This study
      was conducted at the Anatomy Department, School of Medicine, Mersin University,
      Mersin, Turkey. Thirty-five fetal shoulders were studied to provide anatomic data
      and to describe its position with regard to certain landmarks around the
      shoulder. RESULTS: The shortest distance between the axillary nerve and the
      glenoid labrum was found 2.27 mm and 2.89 mm in the second and third trimester
      fetuses, respectively. The shortest distances between the anterior and posterior
      acromial tips and the axillary nerve were also measured and were used with arm
      length measurements to define the anterior and posterior indexes. CONCLUSION: The
      indexes show that the distance between the axillary nerve and the
      anterior/posterior acromial tips are approximately one-fourth of the arm length
      in both the second and third trimester fetuses. The data presented in this study
      will be of use to surgeons, particularly to pediatric and orthopedic surgeons who
      will undertake surgical procedures in the axilla and arm in the newborn or early
      childhood.

PMID- 26492125
TI  - Ipsilaterality serves contralaterality. An explanation for the ipsilateral
      pathways of the retinal fibers of the binocular vision.

PMID- 26492126
TI  - An adult with focal neurological deficits and inter-arm blood pressure
      difference.

PMID- 26492127
TI  - Neurophobia among medical students.

PMID- 26492130
TI  - Camel Milk: Potential Utility as an Adjunctive Therapy to Peg-IFN/RBV in HCV-4
      Infected Patients in Egypt.
AB  - The present prospective study aims to investigate the potential therapeutic
      effect and the underlying mechanisms of drinking camel milk for 60 days as an
      adjunctive therapy to the standard treatment PEG/RBV. Twenty-five hepatitis C
      virus (HCV)-infected Egyptian patients, with mild to moderate parenchymal
      affection to mild cirrhosis were enrolled in this study after proper history
      taking and clinical examination. Their biomarkers were evaluated before and after
      the addition of camel milk. The improving effect of camel milk was reflected on
      the marked inhibition of the serum levels of the proinflammatory markers, viz.,
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, hyaluronic acid, and
      TGF-beta1, besides PCR, AST, ALT, GGT, bilirubin, prothrombin time, INR, and
      alpha-fetoprotein. In addition, camel milk elevated significantly (P < 0.001) the
      serum levels of albumin, the antiapoptotic protein BCL-2, the total antioxidant
      capacity, interleukin-10, and vitamin D. In conclusion, our study revealed a
      regulatory function of camel milk on multiple parameters of inflammatory
      mediators, immunomodulators, antiapoptosis, and antioxidants, giving insight into
      the potential therapeutic benefit underlying the anti-HCV actions of camel milk.
      The limitations of the current study include the small sample size recruited and
      the failure to test it on cohorts with severe stages of hepatitis; like Child
      Pugh stage C, and hepatocellular carcinoma. 

PMID- 26492128
TI  - Depression and Anxiety as Risk Factors for Morbidity and Mortality After Organ
      Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety are common mental health problems in
      transplant populations. There is mixed evidence concerning whether they increase
      morbidity and mortality risks after transplantation. If such associations exist,
      additional risk reduction strategies may be needed. METHODS: Four bibliographic
      databases were searched from 1981 through September 2014 for studies
      prospectively examining whether depression or anxiety (determined with diagnostic
      evaluations or standardized symptom scales) affected risk for posttransplant
      mortality, graft loss, acute graft rejection, chronic rejection, cancer,
      infection, and rehospitalization. RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies (10 heart, total
      n = 1738; 6 liver, n = 1063; 5 kidney, n = 49515; 4 lung, n = 584; 1 pancreas, n
      = 80; 1 mixed recipient sample, n = 205) were identified. In each, depression
      and/or anxiety were typically measured before or early after transplantation.
      Follow-up for outcomes was a median of 5.8 years (range, 0.50-18.0). Depression
      increased the relative risk (RR) of mortality by 65% (RR, 1.65; 95% confidence
      interval [95% CI], 1.34-2.05; 20 studies). Meta-regression indicated that risk
      was stronger in studies that did (vs did not) control for potential confounders
      (P = .032). Risk was unaffected by type of transplant or other study
      characteristics. Depression increased death-censored graft loss risk (RR, 1.65;
      95% CI, 1.21-2.26, 3 studies). Depression was not associated with other
      morbidities (each morbidity was assessed in 1-4 studies). Anxiety did not
      significantly increase mortality risk (RR, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.85-2.27, 6 studies) or
      morbidity risks (assessed in single studies). CONCLUSIONS: Depression increases
      risk for posttransplant mortality. Few studies considered morbidities; the
      depression-graft loss association suggests that linkages with morbidities deserve
      greater attention. Depression screening and treatment may be warranted, although
      whether these activities would reduce posttransplant mortality requires study.

PMID- 26492129
TI  - Gaps in the hepatitis C continuum of care among sex workers in Vancouver, British
      Columbia: Implications for voluntary hepatitis C virus testing, treatment and
      care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) eradication leads to reduced morbidity,
      mortality and transmission. Despite the disproportionate burden of HCV among sex
      workers, data regarding the HCV care continuum in this population remain
      negligible. METHODS: Using baseline data from an ongoing cohort of women sex
      workers in Vancouver (An Evaluation of Sex Workers' Health Access, January 2010
      to August 2013), the authors assessed HCV prevalence and engagement in the HCV
      care continuum within the past year. Multivariable logistic regression analyses
      were used to evaluate associations with recent (ie, in the past year) HCV
      testing. RESULTS: Among 705 sex workers, 302 (42.8%) were HCV seropositive. Of
      these, 22.5% were previously unaware of their HCV status, 41.7% had accessed HCV
      related care, 13.9% were offered treatment and only 1.0% received treatment.
      Among 552 HCV-seronegative sex workers, only one-half (52.9%) reported a recent
      HCV test. In multivariable analysis, women who self-identified as a sexual/gender
      minority (adjusted OR [aOR] 1.89 [95% CI 1.11 to 3.24]), resided in the inner
      city drug use epicentre (aOR 3.19 [95%CI 1.78 to 5.73]) and used injection (aOR
      2.00 [95% CI 1.19 to 3.34]) or noninjection drugs (aOR 1.95 [95% CI 1.00 to
      3.78]) had increased odds of undergoing a recent HCV test, while immigrant
      participants (aOR 0.24 [95% CI 0.12 to 0.48]) had decreased odds. CONCLUSIONS:
      Despite a high burden of HCV among sex workers, large gaps in the HCV care
      continuum remain. Particularly concerning are the low access to HCV testing, with
      one-fifth of women living with HCV being previously unaware of their status, and
      the exceptionally low prevalence of HCV treatment. There is a critical need for
      further research to better understand and address barriers to engage in the HCV
      continuum for sex workers.

PMID- 26492131
TI  - The Chlamydomonas reinhardtii alternative oxidase 1 is regulated by heat stress.
AB  - The alternative oxidase (AOX) is a non-energy conserving terminal oxidase that
      has emerged as an important mitochondrial component of the cell stress responses.
      Although the most studied abiotic condition in relation to Chlamydomonas
      reinhardtii is high temperature, changes in AOX capacity of the alga were studied
      only under oxidative stress and cold. To examine whether elevated temperatures
      affected AOX1 expression, we applied quantitative real-time PCR and
      pharmaceutical approaches. In this work, we demonstrated a sharp increase in AOX1
      transcript and protein abundance under heat stress. Furthermore, C. reinhardtii
      cells displayed a large increase in alternative respiration in response to high
      temperature. Feeding with the protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine strongly
      retarded the AOX1 transcription. Finally, the addition of the calcium chelator
      EGTA prevented heat-induced AOX1 expression. Together, our results imply that
      heat-inducible Ca(2+) influx and protein kinase(s) may mediate AOX1 expression at
      elevated temperatures. Characterization of heat-induced AOX1 regulation in the
      green alga C. reinhardtii provides a framework for a more complete understanding
      of the function of this conserved protein. 

PMID- 26492132
TI  - Functional characterization of a dehydrin protein from Fagus sylvatica seeds
      using experimental and in silico approaches.
AB  - A strong increase in the level of dehydrin/response ABA transcripts expression
      reported from the 14th week after flowering coincident with the accumulation of
      26 and 44 kDa dehydrins in the embryonic axes of developing beech (Fagus
      sylvatica L.) seeds. Both transcript and protein levels were strongly correlated
      with maturation drying. These results suggest that the 44-kDa dehydrin protein is
      a putative dimer of dehydrin/response ABA protein migrating as a 26-kDa protein.
      Dehydrins and dehydrin-like proteins form large oligomeric complexes under native
      conditions and are shown as several spots differing in pI through
      isoelectrofocusing analyses. Detailed prediction of specific sites accessible for
      various post-translational modifications (PTMs) in the dehydrin/response ABA
      protein sequence revealed sites specific to acetylation, amidation,
      glycosylation, methylation, myristoylation, nitrosylation, O-linked beta-N
      acetylglucosamination and Yin-O-Yang modification, palmitoylation,
      phosphorylation, sumoylation, sulfation, and ubiquitination. Thus, these results
      suggest that specific PTMs might play a role in switching dehydrin function or
      activity, water binding ability, protein-membrane interactions, transport and
      subcellular localization, interactions with targeted molecules, and protein
      stability. Despite the ability of two Cys residues to form a disulfide bond, -SH
      groups are likely not involved in dimer arrangement. His-rich regions and/or
      polyQ-tracts are potential candidates as spatial organization modulators.
      Dehydrin/response ABA protein is an intrinsically disordered protein containing
      low complexity regions. The lack of a fixed structure and exposition of amino
      acids on the surface of the protein structure enhances the accessibility to 40
      predicted PTM sites, thereby facilitating dehydrin multifunctionality, which is
      discussed in the present study. 

PMID- 26492133
TI  - Cytological, molecular mechanisms and temperature stress regulating production of
      diploid male gametes in Dianthus caryophyllus L.
AB  - In plant evolution, because of its key role in sexual polyploidization or whole
      genome duplication events, diploid gamete formation is considered as an important
      component in diversification and speciation. Environmental stress often triggers
      unreduced gamete production. However, the molecular, cellular mechanisms and
      adverse temperature regulating diplogamete production in carnation remain poorly
      understood. Here, we investigate the cytological basis for 2n male gamete
      formation and describe the isolation and characterization of the first gene,
      DcPS1 (Dianthus Caryophyllus Parallel Spindle 1). In addition, we analyze
      influence of temperature stress on diploid gamete formation and transcript levels
      of DcPS1. Cytological evidence indicated that 2n male gamete formation is
      attributable to abnormal spindle orientation at male meiosis II. DcPS1 protein is
      conserved throughout the plant kingdom and carries domains suggestive of a
      regulatory function. DcPS1 expression analysis show DcPS1 gene probably have a
      role in 2n pollen formation. Unreduced pollen formation in various cultivation
      was sensitive to high or low temperature which was probably regulated by the
      level of DcPS1 transcripts. In a broader perspective, these findings can have
      potential applications in fundamental polyploidization research and plant
      breeding programs. 

PMID- 26492134
TI  - Progress Toward Global Eradication of Dracunculiasis, January 2014-June 2015.
AB  - Dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease) is caused by Dracunculus medinensis, a
      parasitic worm. Approximately 1 year after a person acquires infection from
      contaminated drinking water, the worm emerges through the skin, usually on the
      lower limb. Pain and secondary bacterial infection can cause temporary or
      permanent disability that disrupts work and schooling. The campaign to eradicate
      dracunculiasis worldwide began in 1980 at CDC. In 1986, the World Health Assembly
      called for dracunculiasis elimination, and the global Guinea Worm Eradication
      Program, led by the Carter Center and supported by the World Health Organization
      (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), CDC, and other partners, began
      assisting ministries of health in countries where dracunculiasis was endemic. In
      1986, an estimated 3.5 million cases occurred each year in 20 countries in Africa
      and Asia. Since then, although the goal of eradicating dracunculiasis has not
      been achieved, considerable progress has been made. Compared with the 1986
      estimate, the annual number of reported cases in 2015 has been reduced by 99% and
      cases are confined to four endemic countries. This report updates published and
      unpublished surveillance data reported by ministries of health and describes
      progress toward dracunculiasis eradication from January 2014 through June 2015.
      During 2014, a total of 126 cases were reported from four countries (Chad [13
      cases], Ethiopia [three], Mali [40], and South Sudan [70]), compared with 148
      cases reported in 2013, from the same four countries. The overall 15% reduction
      in cases during 2013-2014 was less than that experienced in recent years, but the
      rate of decline increased again to 70% in the first 6 months of 2015 compared
      with the same period during 2014. Continued active surveillance with aggressive
      detection and appropriate management of cases are essential program components;
      however, epidemiologic challenges and civil unrest and insecurity pose potential
      barriers to eradication.

PMID- 26492135
TI  - Preparation of a cyanine-based fluorescent probe for highly selective detection
      of glutathione and its use in living cells and tissues of mice.
AB  - Glutathione (GSH) is a major endogenous antioxidant that has a central role in
      cellular defense against toxins and free radicals. This protocol describes the
      preparation of CPDSA, a cyanine-based near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe for
      the detection of GSH in cells and in vivo. CPDSA is prepared with high yield
      through a simple two-step process. The first step is to react commercially
      available IR-780 iodide with excess anhydrous piperazine in anhydrous N,N
      dimethyl formamide at 85  degrees C to form cyanine-piperazine (CP). The second
      step is the sulfonylation of CP with dansyl chloride in anhydrous
      dichloromethane. CPDSA selectively detects GSH in cells, and it has been shown to
      not react with other biothiols such as cysteine (Cys) and homocysteine (Hcy).
      This probe can also be used to monitor the GSH level of mouse bone marrow-derived
      neutrophils (BMDNs). The preparation of probe CPDSA takes 2 d, and experiments in
      cells and mice take 12-13 d. 

PMID- 26492136
TI  - Using the GEMM-ESC strategy to study gene function in mouse models.
AB  - Preclinical in vivo validation of target genes for therapeutic intervention
      requires careful selection and characterization of the most suitable animal model
      in order to assess the role of these genes in a particular process or disease. To
      this end, genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) are typically used.
      However, the appropriate engineering of these models is often cumbersome and time
      consuming. Recently, we and others described a modular approach for fast-track
      modification of existing GEMMs by re-derivation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs)
      that can be modified by recombinase-mediated transgene insertion and subsequently
      used for the production of chimeric mice. This 'GEMM-ESC strategy' allows for
      rapid in vivo analysis of gene function in the chimeras and their offspring.
      Moreover, this strategy is compatible with CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing.
      This protocol describes when and how to use the GEMM-ESC strategy effectively,
      and it provides a detailed procedure for re-deriving and manipulating GEMM-ESCs
      under feeder- and serum-free conditions. This strategy produces transgenic mice
      with the desired complex genotype faster than traditional methods: generation of
      validated GEMM-ESC clones for controlled transgene integration takes 9-12 months,
      and recombinase-mediated transgene integration and chimeric cohort production
      takes 2-3 months. The protocol requires skills in embryology, stem cell biology
      and molecular biology, and it is ideally performed within, or in close
      collaboration with, a transgenic facility. 

PMID- 26492137
TI  - Mapping ribonucleotides in genomic DNA and exploring replication dynamics by
      polymerase usage sequencing (Pu-seq).
AB  - Ribonucleotides are frequently misincorporated into DNA during replication, and
      they are rapidly repaired by ribonucleotide excision repair (RER). Although
      ribonucleotides in template DNA perturb replicative polymerases and can be
      considered as DNA damage, they also serve positive biological functions,
      including directing the orientation of mismatch repair. Here we describe a method
      for ribonucleotide identification by high-throughput sequencing that allows
      mapping of the location of ribonucleotides across the genome. When combined with
      specific mutations in the replicative polymerases that incorporate
      ribonucleotides at elevated frequencies, our ribonucleotide identification method
      was adapted to map polymerase usage across the genome. Polymerase usage
      sequencing (Pu-seq) has been used to define, in unprecedented detail, replication
      dynamics in yeasts. Although other methods that examine replication dynamics
      provide direct measures of replication timing and indirect estimates of origin
      efficiency, Pu-seq directly ascertains origin efficiency. The Pu-seq protocol can
      be completed in 12-14 d. 

PMID- 26492138
TI  - Imaging the beating heart in the mouse using intravital microscopy techniques.
AB  - Real-time microscopic imaging of moving organs at single-cell resolution
      represents a major challenge in studying complex biology in living systems.
      Motion of the tissue from the cardiac and respiratory cycles severely limits
      intravital microscopy by compromising ultimate spatial and temporal imaging
      resolution. However, significant recent advances have enabled single-cell
      resolution imaging to be achieved in vivo. In this protocol, we describe
      experimental procedures for intravital microscopy based on a combination of
      thoracic surgery, tissue stabilizers and acquisition gating methods, which enable
      imaging at the single-cell level in the beating heart in the mouse. Setup of the
      model is typically completed in 1 h, which allows 2 h or more of continuous
      cardiac imaging. This protocol can be readily adapted for the imaging of other
      moving organs, and it will therefore broadly facilitate in vivo high-resolution
      microscopy studies. 

PMID- 26492139
TI  - Precision-engineering the Pseudomonas aeruginosa genome with two-step allelic
      exchange.
AB  - Allelic exchange is an efficient method of bacterial genome engineering. This
      protocol describes the use of this technique to make gene knockouts and knock
      ins, as well as single-nucleotide insertions, deletions and substitutions, in
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Unlike other approaches to allelic exchange, this
      protocol does not require heterologous recombinases to insert or excise selective
      markers from the target chromosome. Rather, positive and negative selections are
      enabled solely by suicide vector-encoded functions and host cell proteins. Here,
      mutant alleles, which are flanked by regions of homology to the recipient
      chromosome, are synthesized in vitro and then cloned into allelic exchange
      vectors using standard procedures. These suicide vectors are then introduced into
      recipient cells by conjugation. Homologous recombination then results in
      antibiotic-resistant single-crossover mutants in which the plasmid has integrated
      site-specifically into the chromosome. Subsequently, unmarked double-crossover
      mutants are isolated directly using sucrose-mediated counter-selection. This two
      step process yields seamless mutations that are precise to a single base pair of
      DNA. The entire procedure requires ~2 weeks. 

PMID- 26492142
TI  - Increasing Staff Pride and Patient Connection.
AB  - This column is presented by a nurse educator at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.
      The author reinforces the value of our professional identity as nurses. The
      project described in this article focused on the presence of a visible name tag
      and a professional introduction of the nurse to the patient to promote the
      development of trust.

PMID- 26492140
TI  - Efficient delivery of nuclease proteins for genome editing in human stem cells
      and primary cells.
AB  - Targeted nucleases, including zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription
      activator-like (TAL) effector nucleases (TALENs) and clustered regularly
      interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9),
      have provided researchers with the ability to manipulate nearly any genomic
      sequence in human cells and model organisms. However, realizing the full
      potential of these genome-modifying technologies requires their safe and
      efficient delivery into relevant cell types. Unlike methods that rely on
      expression from nucleic acids, the direct delivery of nuclease proteins to cells
      provides rapid action and fast turnover, leading to fewer off-target effects
      while maintaining high rates of targeted modification. These features make
      nuclease protein delivery particularly well suited for precision genome
      engineering. Here we describe procedures for implementing protein-based genome
      editing in human embryonic stem cells and primary cells. Protocols for the
      expression, purification and delivery of ZFN proteins, which are intrinsically
      cell-permeable; TALEN proteins, which can be internalized via conjugation with
      cell-penetrating peptide moieties; and Cas9 ribonucleoprotein, whose
      nucleofection into cells facilitates rapid induction of multiplexed
      modifications, are described, along with procedures for evaluating nuclease
      protein activity. Once they are constructed, nuclease proteins can be expressed
      and purified within 6 d, and they can be used to induce genomic modifications in
      human cells within 2 d. 

PMID- 26492143
TI  - The Academic Progression in Nursing Initiative: The Halfway Point.
AB  - This column, presented by the American Organization of Nurse Executives,
      discusses the results of the initial 9 state-funded coalition grants to increase
      the levels of education among RNs and smooth academic transition.

PMID- 26492144
TI  - Regulating the Flow of Change to Reduce Fontline Nurse Stress and Burnout.
AB  - The nursing workforce is at the center of many changes associated with care
      delivery transformation. To achieve this transformation, frontline nursing staff
      must be engaged in their work, committed to their organization's mission, and
      capable of delivering high-quality care. To identify top opportunities for
      driving nursing engagement, researchers from The Advisory Board Company analyzed
      engagement survey responses from more than 343 000 employees at 575 healthcare
      organizations. In this article, the authors describe 3 strategies for addressing
      1 of the greatest opportunities for improving nurse engagement: ensuring nurses
      feel their organization helps them reduce stress and burnout.

PMID- 26492145
TI  - Using Consultants in the Design, Construction, and Occupancy of New Healthcare
      Facilities.
AB  - Nurse leaders are critical players in the design, construction, and occupancy of
      new healthcare facilities or renovation projects. While most hospitals and
      healthcare systems have internal resources needed to manage large projects, there
      is often a recognized need for expertise of external consultants during various
      phases of design and construction. The purpose of this article is to provide an
      overview of types of external consultants that can be contracted to ensure the
      success of the project from concept through initial occupancy.

PMID- 26492146
TI  - Growing and Sustaining the Clinical Nurse Leader Initiative: Shifting the Focus
      From Pioneering Innovation to Evidence-Driven Integration Into Healthcare
      Delivery.
AB  - The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) initiative has been characterized by innovation.
      While an innovation framework for diffusing CNL practice remains relevant,
      generalizable evidence of effectiveness is necessary to sustain nationwide
      momentum. A framework is proposed in this department for a national-level CNL
      research collaborative linking research, policy, education, and practice
      stakeholders in an ongoing partnership to advance CNL evidence, education,
      policy, and practice.

PMID- 26492141
TI  - Whole-body tissue stabilization and selective extractions via tissue-hydrogel
      hybrids for high-resolution intact circuit mapping and phenotyping.
AB  - To facilitate fine-scale phenotyping of whole specimens, we describe here a set
      of tissue fixation-embedding, detergent-clearing and staining protocols that can
      be used to transform excised organs and whole organisms into optically
      transparent samples within 1-2 weeks without compromising their cellular
      architecture or endogenous fluorescence. PACT (passive CLARITY technique) and
      PARS (perfusion-assisted agent release in situ) use tissue-hydrogel hybrids to
      stabilize tissue biomolecules during selective lipid extraction, resulting in
      enhanced clearing efficiency and sample integrity. Furthermore, the macromolecule
      permeability of PACT- and PARS-processed tissue hybrids supports the diffusion of
      immunolabels throughout intact tissue, whereas RIMS (refractive index matching
      solution) grants high-resolution imaging at depth by further reducing light
      scattering in cleared and uncleared samples alike. These methods are adaptable to
      difficult-to-image tissues, such as bone (PACT-deCAL), and to magnified single
      cell visualization (ePACT). Together, these protocols and solutions enable
      phenotyping of subcellular components and tracing cellular connectivity in intact
      biological networks. 

PMID- 26492147
TI  - Defining Peer-to-Peer Accountability From the Nurse's Perspective.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to define and create a conceptual model for
      peer-to-peer accountability (P to PA). BACKGROUND: Many organizations cite the
      importance of peer accountability (PA) as essential in ensuring patient safety.
      Professionalism in nursing requires self-regulation of practice and PA. Although
      discussed in the literature, P to PA is not conceptually defined. METHODS: A
      grounded theory study design with constant comparative data collection and
      analysis was used to explore nurses' definitions of P to PA and their perceptions
      of motivators and barriers to engaging in P to PA. Transcripts of digital
      recordings of all interviews were analyzed using line-by-line coding until
      identified themes emerged. RESULTS: P to PA was defined as the act of speaking up
      when one observes a peer not practicing to acceptable standards. A conceptual
      model illustrates the antecedents, attributes, and consequences of P to PA.
      CONCLUSIONS: P to PA is the professional responsibility of every nurse and
      healthcare provider and is essential for safe patient care. The conceptual
      definition facilitates actualization of P to PA in practice.

PMID- 26492148
TI  - Patient Satisfaction With Nursing Care: Measuring Outcomes in an International
      Setting.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess patient satisfaction with
      nursing care. BACKGROUND: Patients' satisfaction with nursing care is considered
      an important factor in explaining patients' perceptions of service quality.
      METHODS: The study was conducted in a major tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi
      Arabia. An exploratory approach utilizing cross-sectional survey design was used.
      Data were collected from 424 patients through patients' interviews using the
      Arabic version of the Newcastle Satisfaction With Nursing Scale. RESULTS: The
      results showed a high level of satisfaction among patients in all hospital areas.
      Female patients were significantly more satisfied than males with no differences
      among other groups. CONCLUSION: Patient satisfaction with nursing care remains an
      important factor in explaining patients' perceptions of service quality.
      International healthcare settings should systematically monitor the relationship
      between nursing care and experience to support quality care provision.

PMID- 26492149
TI  - Implications of the Patient-Centered Medical Home for Nursing Practice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The experiences of RNs and licensed practical nurses (LPNs)
      implementing a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) in the Department of Veterans
      Affairs (VA) primary care clinics were examined to understand model implications
      for nursing practice and professional identity. BACKGROUND: National
      implementation of the PCMH model, called patient-aligned care teams (PACTs) in
      VA, emphasizes areas of nursing expertise, yet little is known about the effect
      of medical homes on the day-to-day work of nurses. METHODS: As part of a
      formative evaluation to identify barriers and facilitators to PACT
      implementation, we interviewed 18 nurses implementing PACT. RESULTS: Challenges
      to nurse's organizational and professional roles were experienced differently by
      RNs and LPNs in the following areas: (1) diversified modes of care and expanded
      clinical duties, (2) division of labor among PACT nurses, and (3)
      interprofessional status in the team. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare managers
      implementing PCMH should consider its inherent cultural and practice
      transformations.

PMID- 26492150
TI  - Chief Nursing Officer Sustainment: A Phenomenological Inquiry.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study explored factors leading to chief nursing officer (CNO)
      sustainment in the professional practice of nurse executive leadership.
      BACKGROUND: CNOs are expected to lead adaptations in care delivery in this
      current era of healthcare reform, requiring a multitude of new leadership skills.
      Exploration is needed to understand barriers to longevity, which prevent
      consistency of leadership and execution of vision. METHODS: Twenty CNOs were
      interviewed to determine the lived experience related to the phenomena of role
      sustainment. An interpretative phenomenological analysis approach was used.
      RESULTS: Six themes emerged describing sustainment. These are as follows: loving
      the profession, having a broader impact, reflecting on one's own work, learning
      to manage conflict, maintaining work/life balance, and working with supportive
      leaders. CONCLUSIONS: The desire and passion for nurse executive leadership must
      be enhanced through education and competencies that emerged in this study and
      include strategic processing, mindful reflection, and resiliency training.

PMID- 26492151
TI  - Achieving 80% BSN by 2020: Chief Nurse Executive Role and ANCC Influence.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to understand current education level of
      hospital nurses and strategies used by Kentucky's chief nurse executives (CNEs)
      to encourage academic progression in their RN workforce. BACKGROUND: The
      Institute of Medicine and American Nurses Credentialing Center called for 80% of
      RNs to be educated with a minimum of a BSN. CNEs have a key role in achieving
      that goal. METHODS: An electronic survey was administered in fall 2013. Fifty-two
      Kentucky CNEs responded. RESULTS: No hospitals in Kentucky met the BSN target.
      Sixty-two percent of CNEs planned to achieve 80% BSN nurses by 2020. Teaching
      status, hiring preferences, goals for increasing percentage of BSN nurses, and
      processes to facilitate advancement of nurses prepared at the associate degree
      level were associated with pursuit or achievement of Pathway to Excellence(r) or
      Magnet(r) designation. In addition to policies to support increasing educational
      levels, incentives offered included tuition reimbursement, career advancement,
      time off, and academic partnerships. CONCLUSION: Increasing the proportion of BSN
      prepared nurses should be a priority for CNEs. Strategies to facilitate that goal
      are explored. From these data, a large number of CNEs (38%) do not have a goal to
      achieve the recommended levels of BSN nurses. Further education and support in
      the rural hospitals in Kentucky are indicated to support this recommendation.

PMID- 26492152
TI  - A small yet comprehensive subset of human experimental pain models emerging from
      correlation analysis with a clinical quantitative sensory testing protocol in
      healthy subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Picturing the complexity of pain in human experimental settings has
      increased the predictivity for clinical pain but requires increasingly complex
      test batteries. This raises problems in studies in which time is objectively
      limited, for example by the course of action of an analgesic drug. We addressed
      the selection of a small yet comprehensive set of pain tests for the use in such
      a situation. METHOD: Nineteen different pain measures from 'classical' pain
      models (n = 9) and a clinically established QST-pain test battery (n = 10), were
      obtained from 72 healthy volunteers (34 men). The nonparametric correlation
      structure among the various pain measures was analysed using Ward clustering.
      RESULTS: Four clusters emerged, each consisting of highly correlated pain
      measures. The pain model groups emerged comprised (I) pain thresholds and
      tolerances to blunt pressure or electrical pain; (II) pain thresholds to thermal
      stimuli; (III) pain measures obtained following application of punctate
      mechanical, intranasal CO2 chemical or cutaneous laser heat stimuli; and (IV)
      detection thresholds to thermal stimuli. The first three clusters agreed with an
      immediate mechanistic interpretation as reflecting C-fibre mediated pain, thermal
      pain and Adelta-fibre mediated pain, respectively, whereas the last cluster
      contained non-painful measures and was disregarded. CONCLUSIONS: When basing a
      selection of a small comprehensive set of pain models on the assumption that
      highly correlated pain measures account for redundant results and therefore, one
      member of each group suffices an economic yet comprehensive pain study, results
      suggest inclusion of established C-fibre, Adelta-fibre mediated and thermal pain
      measures.

PMID- 26492153
TI  - DFT Investigation of the Mechanism of Action of Organoiridium(III) Complexes As
      Anticancer Agents.
AB  - The potential use of synthetic metal complexes able to catalyze chemical
      transformations in living organisms is currently attracting a great deal of
      attention. Recently, organometallic ruthenium and iridium complexes have revealed
      an unexpected ability to modulate the redox status of cancer cells. In
      particular, half-sandwich organoiridium(III) cyclopentadienyl complexes of
      general formula [(eta(5)-Cp(x))Ir(III)(X(?)Y)Z](0/+), where Cp(x) = Cp*, Cp(xph)
      (tetramethyl-(phenyl)cyclopentadienyl) or Cp(xbiph) (tetramethyl(biphenyl)
      cyclopentadienyl), X(?)Y = bidentate ligand with nitrogen, oxygen, and/or carbon
      donor atoms, and Z = Cl, H2O, or pyridine (py) have shown promising
      antiproliferative activity toward cancer cells, higher potency than cisplatin,
      and a different mechanism of action due to the increase of the oxidative stress
      in cells. As such, complexes can belong to the class of DNA interacting compounds
      and attack on DNA can represent a secondary mechanism of action. We have explored
      here by means of density functional calculations (M06-L) and with the support of
      experimental observations for both [(eta(5)-Cp(xbiph))Ir-(phpy) (Cl)], 1-Cl, and
      [(eta(5)-Cp(xbiph))Ir-(phpy) (py)], 1-py, complexes the mechanistic aspects of
      the hydrolysis reaction, H2O2 ROS production by assisted hydride transfer from
      NADH to molecular oxygen, interaction with purine nucleobases adenine and guanine
      as well as gluthatione, that is highly abundant in cells, alongside the reaction
      mechanism for the oxidation of the formed sulfur-coordinated thiolate to the
      corresponding sulfenato complex. The comparison between kinetic and thermodynamic
      parameters calculated for all the involved processes shows that, according to the
      hypothesis based on experimental findings, the interaction with the tripeptide
      glutathione causes deactivation of 1-Cl, whereas 1-py, in both its aquated and
      nonaquated form, can induce cell apoptosis in a dual manner: DNA damage and H2O2
      ROS production to increase oxidative stress. 

PMID- 26492154
TI  - Multigas Leakage Correction in Static Environmental Chambers Using Sulfur
      Hexafluoride and Raman Spectroscopy.
AB  - In static environmental chamber experiments, the precision of gas flux
      measurements can be significantly improved by a thorough gas leakage correction
      to avoid under- or overestimation of biological activity such as respiration or
      photosynthesis. Especially in the case of small biological net gas exchange rates
      or gas accumulation phases during long environmental monitoring experiments, gas
      leakage fluxes could distort the analysis of the biogenic gas kinetics. Here we
      propose and demonstrate a general protocol for online correction of diffusion
      driven gas leakage in plant chambers by simultaneous quantification of the inert
      tracer sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and the investigated biogenic gases using
      enhanced Raman spectroscopy. By quantifying the leakage rates of carbon dioxide
      (CO2), methane (CH4), and hydrogen (H2) simultaneously with SF6 in the test
      chamber, their effective diffusivity ratios of approximately 1.60, 1.96, and 5.65
      were determined, each related to SF6. Because our experiments suggest that the
      effective diffusivity ratios are reproducible for an individual static
      environmental chamber, even under varying concentration gradients and slight
      changes of the chamber sealing, an experimental method to quantify gas leakage
      fluxes by using effective diffusivity ratios and SF6 leakage fluxes is proposed.
      The method is demonstrated by quantifying the CO2 net exchange rate of a plant
      soil ecosystem (Mirabilis jalapa). By knowing the effective chamber diffusivity
      ratio CO2/SF6 and the measured SF6 leakage rate during the experiment, the
      leakage contribution to the total CO2 exchange rate could be calculated and the
      biological net CO2 concentration change within the chamber atmosphere determined.

PMID- 26492155
TI  - Cell-penetrating peptide-siRNA conjugate loaded YSA-modified nanobubbles for
      ultrasound triggered siRNA delivery.
AB  - Due to the absence of effective in vivo delivery systems, the employment of small
      interference RNA (siRNA) in the clinic has been hindered. In this paper, a new
      siRNA targeting system for EphA2-positive tumors was developed, based on
      ultrasound-sensitive nanobubbles (NBs) and cell-permeable peptides (CPPs). Here,
      a CPP-siRNA conjugate (CPP-siRNA) was entrapped in an ephrin mimetic peptide (YSA
      peptide)-modified NB (CPP-siRNA/YSA-NB) and the penetration of the CPP-siRNA was
      temporally masked; local ultrasound stimulation triggered the release of CPP
      siRNA from the NBs and activated its penetration. Subsequent research
      demonstrated that the CPP-siRNA/YSA-NBs had particle sizes of approximately 200
      nm and a siRNA entrapment efficiency of more than 85%. The in vitro release
      results showed that over 90% of the encapsulated CPP-siRNA released from the NBs
      in the presence of ultrasound, while less than 1.5% of that (30 min) released
      without ultrasound. Cell experiments showed a the higher CPP-siRNA cellular
      uptake of CPP-siRNA/YSA-NB among the various formulations in human breast
      adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7, EphA2 positive cells). Additionally, after systemic
      administration in mice, CPP-siRNA/YSA-NB accumulated in the tumor, augmented c
      Myc silencing and delayed tumor progression. In conclusion, the application of
      CPP-siRNA/YSA-NB with ultrasound may provide a strategy for the selective and
      efficient delivery of siRNA.

PMID- 26492156
TI  - Solid lipid nanoparticles of clotrimazole silver complex: An efficient nano
      antibacterial against Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA.
AB  - New and effective strategies to transform current antimicrobials are required to
      address the increasing issue of microbial resistance and declining introduction
      of new antibiotic drugs. In this context, metal complexes of known drugs and nano
      delivery systems for antibiotics are proving to be promising strategies. The aim
      of the study was therefore to synthesize a silver complex of clotrimazole and
      formulate it into a nano delivery system for enhanced and sustained antibacterial
      activity against susceptible and resistant Staphylococcus aureus. A silver
      complex of clotrimazole was synthesized, characterized and further encapsulated
      into solid lipid nanoparticles to evaluate its antibacterial activity against S.
      aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). An in vitro cytotoxicity study
      was performed on HepG2 cell lines to assess the overall biosafety of the
      synthesized clotrimazole silver complex to mammalian cells, and was found to be
      non-toxic to mammalian cells (cell viability >80%). The minimum inhibitory
      concentrations (MIC) of clotrimazole and clotrimazole-silver were 31.25 and 9.76
      MUg/mL against S. aureus, and 31.25 and 15.62 against MRSA, respectively.
      Clotrimazole SLNs exhibited MIC values of 104 and 208 MUg/mL against both MSSA
      and MRSA at the end of 18 and 36 h, respectively, but thereafter completely lost
      its antibacterial activity. Clotrimazole-silver SLNs had an MIC value of 52
      MUg/mL up to 54 h, after which the MIC value was 104 MUg/mL against both strains
      at the end of 72 h. Thus, clotrimazole-silver SLNs was found to be an efficient
      nanoantibiotic.

PMID- 26492157
TI  - Molecular dynamics simulations of the Escherichia coli HPPK apo-enzyme reveal a
      network of conformational transitions.
AB  - 6-Hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin pyrophosphokinase (HPPK) catalyzes the first
      reaction in the folate biosynthetic pathway. Comparison of its X-ray and nuclear
      magnetic resonance structures suggests that the enzyme undergoes significant
      conformational change upon binding to its substrates, especially in three
      catalytic loops. Experimental research has shown that even when confined by
      crystal contacts, loops 2 and 3 remain rather flexible when the enzyme is in its
      apo form, raising questions about the putative large-scale induced-fit
      conformational change of HPPK. To investigate the loop dynamics in a crystal-free
      environment, we performed conventional molecular dynamics simulations of the apo
      enzyme at two different temperatures (300 and 350 K). Our simulations show that
      the crystallographic B-factors considerably underestimate the loop dynamics;
      multiple conformations of loops 2 and 3, including the open, semi-open, and
      closed conformations that an enzyme must adopt throughout its catalytic cycle,
      are all accessible to the apo-enzyme. These results revise our previous view of
      the functional mechanism of conformational change upon MgATP binding and offer
      valuable structural insights into the workings of HPPK. In this paper,
      conformational network analysis and principal component analysis related to the
      loops are discussed to support the presented conclusions. 

PMID- 26492158
TI  - A low observed-to-expected postoperative mortality ratio in a Swiss high-standard
      peri-operative care environment - an observational study.
AB  - QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY/PRINCIPLES: The objective was to assess observed-to
      expected in-hospital postoperative 30-day mortality and to identify associated
      risks. METHODS: A single centre, retrospective study was performed in Geneva
      University Hospitals, Switzerland. Hospitalised adult surgical patients who
      received anaesthesia and stayed in the Post Anaesthesia Care Unit - Intermediate
      Care Unit (PACU-IMC) between July 2008 and June 2011 were included. Outcome
      measure was in-hospital 30-day mortality. Expected probabilities of in-hospital
      death were estimated with the surgical mortality probability model (S-MPM).
      Descriptive statistics were calculated. Univariate and multivariate logistic
      regressions (odds ratio [OR] with 95% confidence interval [95% CI]) were used to
      identify risk factors of mortality. RESULTS: Overall in-hospital mortality was
      0.8% (176/24 160 patients). Observed 30-day in-hospital mortality was 0.7%;
      expected mortality from the S-MPM was 1.2%. Independent risk factors were age (OR
      1.05, 95% CI 1.03-1.06), American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status
      score (ASA PS 3-5 vs ASA PS 1-2: OR 5.48, 95% CI 3.12-9.63), nonelective surgery
      (vs elective surgery) (OR 3.15, 95% CI 2.04-4.86), head surgery (OR 2.83, 95% CI
      1.41-5.67) and duration of PACU-IMC stay (OR 1.00, 95% CI 1.00-1.00). A
      protective factor was a high body mass index (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.89-0.96). The
      procedural risk, type and time of anaesthesia and day of intervention were not
      independent risk factors of mortality. CONCLUSION: The postoperative observed-to
      expected mortality ratio was favourable. Independent postoperative risk factors
      for mortality were well-established factors such as age, ASA PS, non elective
      surgery but also duration of PACU-IMC stay which was considered as a surrogate of
      postoperative complications.

PMID- 26492159
TI  - Temporal trends of stress myocardial perfusion imaging: Influence of diabetes,
      gender and coronary artery disease status.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Temporal trends of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) among
      diabetics and non-diabetics and the influence of gender and prior coronary artery
      disease (CAD) status has not been previously investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Consecutive patients who underwent clinically indicated stress-MPI over a 17-year
      period (1996 through 2012) were studied. Data were collected prospectively as a
      part of the ongoing clinical databases. Study patients were divided into 4
      temporal subgroups (1996 to 2000, 2001 to 2004, 2005 to 2008 and 2009 to 2012) to
      compare the trends of cardiac risk factors and the frequency of abnormal and
      ischemic MPI. RESULTS: Of 78,344 total stress MPI studies, 30.2% were in
      diabetics. The frequency of abnormal MPI studies, while substantially higher in
      diabetics, significantly declined over time both in diabetics (53.6% in 1996 to
      39.8% in 2012) and non-diabetics (37% in 1996 to 27.4% in 2012), despite an
      increase in the cardiac risk factor profile. Furthermore, among patients with no
      known CAD, the temporal prevalence of abnormal MPI was highest in diabetic men
      (57.5% in 1996 to 31.9% in 2012), lowest in non-diabetic women (18.8% in 1996 to
      11% in 2012), and both intermediate and comparable in non-diabetic men and
      diabetic women (36.4% and 35.7% in 1996 and 20.7% and 17.5% in 2012,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Despite a temporal reduction in the prevalence of
      abnormal studies from 1996 through 2012, stress MPI continues to play an
      important clinical role, particularly in diabetics, men and patients with known
      CAD.

PMID- 26492160
TI  - The danger of epigenetics misconceptions (epigenetics and stuff...).
AB  - Within the past two decades, the fields of chromatin structure and function and
      transcription regulation research started to fuse and overlap, as evidence
      mounted to support a very strong regulatory role in gene expression that was
      associated with histone post-translational modifications, DNA methylation, as
      well as various chromatin-associated proteins (the pillars of the "Epigenetics"
      building). The fusion and convergence of these complementary fields is now often
      simply referred to as "Epigenetics". During these same 20 years, numerous new
      research groups have started to recognize the importance of chromatin
      composition, conformation, and its plasticity. However, as the field started to
      grow exponentially, its growth came with the spreading of several important
      misconceptions, which have unfortunately led to improper or hasty conclusions.
      The goal of this short "opinion" piece is to attempt to minimize future
      misinterpretations of experimental results and ensure that the right sets of
      experiment are used to reach the proper conclusion, at least as far as epigenetic
      mechanisms are concerned.

PMID- 26492161
TI  - Atherosclerotic Plaque Destabilization in Mice: A Comparative Study.
AB  - Atherosclerosis-associated diseases are the main cause of mortality and morbidity
      in western societies. The progression of atherosclerosis is a dynamic process
      evolving from early to advanced lesions that may become rupture-prone vulnerable
      plaques. Acute coronary syndromes are the clinical manifestation of life
      threatening thrombotic events associated with high-risk vulnerable plaques.
      Hyperlipidemic mouse models have been extensively used in studying the mechanisms
      controlling initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. However, the
      understanding of mechanisms leading to atherosclerotic plaque destabilization has
      been hampered by the lack of proper animal models mimicking this process.
      Although various mouse models generate atherosclerotic plaques with histological
      features of human advanced lesions, a consensus model to study atherosclerotic
      plaque destabilization is still lacking. Hence, we studied the degree and
      features of plaque vulnerability in different mouse models of atherosclerotic
      plaque destabilization and find that the model based on the placement of a shear
      stress modifier in combination with hypercholesterolemia represent with high
      incidence the most human like lesions compared to the other models. 

PMID- 26492162
TI  - Spectroscopic studies, DFT calculations, and cytotoxic activity of novel
      silver(I) complexes of hydroxy ortho-substituted-nitro-2H-chromen-2-one ligands
      and a phenanthroline adduct.
AB  - Silver(I) complexes of coumarin-based ligands and one of their phenanthroline
      (phen) adducts have been prepared and characterized using microanalytical data,
      molar conductivity, IR, (1)H and (13)C NMR, UV-Vis, and atomic absorption (AAS)
      spectroscopies. The binding modes of the coumarin-based ligands and the most
      probable structure of their Ag(I) complexes were predicted by means of molecular
      modeling and calculations of their IR, NMR, and absorption spectra using density
      functional theory (DFT). The cytotoxicity of the compounds studied against human
      derived hepatic carcinoma cells (Hep-G2) and a renal cancer cell line (A498)
      showed that the complexes were more cytotoxic than the clinically used
      chemotherapeutic, mitoxantrone. The compounds showed little interaction with DNA
      and also did not show nuclease activity but manifested excellent superoxide
      dismutase activity which may indicate that their mechanism of action is quite
      different to many metal-based therapeutics. 

PMID- 26492164
TI  - Excellent outcomes of liver transplantation using severely steatotic grafts from
      brain-dead donors.

PMID- 26492163
TI  - Suppressing NRIP1 inhibits growth of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - Earlier age at menarche is a major risk factor for breast cancer. Our previous
      study identified Nrip1 (also known as Rip140) as a candidate gene for delaying
      female sexual maturation (FSM) and found that knocking out Nrip1 could
      significantly delay FSM in mice. To investigate the effects of NRIP1 in breast
      cancer we used human cell lines and tissue arrays along with an in vivo study of
      DMBA-induced carcinogenesis in Nrip1 knockout mice. Analysis of tissue arrays
      found that NRIP1 is elevated in tumors compared to cancer adjacent normal tissue.
      Interestingly, in benign tumors NRIP1 levels are higher in the cytosol of stromal
      cells, but NRIP1 levels are higher in the nuclei of epithelial cells in
      malignancies. We also found overexpression of NRIP1 in breast cancer cell lines,
      and that suppression of NRIP1 by siRNA in these cells significantly induced
      apoptosis and inhibited cell growth. Furthermore, in vivo data suggests that
      NRIP1 is upregulated in DMBA-induced breast cancer. Importantly, we found that
      DMBA-induced carcinogenesis is suppressed in Nrip1 knockdown mice. These findings
      suggest that NRIP1 plays a critical role in promoting the progression and
      development of breast cancer and that it may be a potential therapeutic target
      for the new breast cancer treatments. 

PMID- 26492165
TI  - Hair testing in postmortem diagnosis of substance abuse: An unusual case of slow
      release oral morphine abuse in an adolescent.
AB  - Morphine sulfate misuse is essentially observed among regular heroin injectors.
      To our knowledge, primary addiction to morphine sulfate is exceptional,
      especially among young adolescents. A 13-year-old girl, with no history of
      addiction, was found dead with three empty blisters of Skenan((r)) LP 30 mg at
      her side. Opiates were detected in biological fluids and hair by chromatographic
      methods. Blood analyses confirmed morphine overdose (free morphine: 428 ng/mL;
      total morphine: 584 ng/mL) and segmental hair analysis confirmed regular exposure
      over several months (maximum morphine concentration 250 pg/mg). Suspecting the
      victim's mother of recreational use of Skenan((r)), the magistrate ordered
      analysis of her hair, with negative results. From an epidemiological viewpoint,
      this case of oral morphine sulfate abuse in an adolescent with no previous
      history suggests the emergence of a new trend of morphine sulfate consumption.
      From a toxicological viewpoint, it demonstrates the value of hair testing, which
      documented the victim's regular exposure and made an important contribution to
      the police investigation. 

PMID- 26492166
TI  - A Genetic Cascade of let-7-ncl-1-fib-1 Modulates Nucleolar Size and rRNA Pool in
      Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - Ribosome biogenesis takes place in the nucleolus, the size of which is often
      coordinated with cell growth and development. However, how metazoans control
      nucleolar size remains largely unknown. Caenorhabditis elegans provides a good
      model to address this question owing to distinct tissue distribution of nucleolar
      sizes and a mutant, ncl-1, which exhibits larger nucleoli than wild-type worms.
      Here, through a series of loss-of-function analyses, we report that the nucleolar
      size is regulated by a circuitry composed of microRNA let-7, translation
      repressor NCL-1, and a major nucleolar pre-rRNA processing protein FIB
      1/fibrillarin. In cooperation with RNA binding proteins PUF and NOS, NCL-1
      suppressed the translation of FIB-1/fibrillarin, while let-7 targeted the 3'UTR
      of ncl-1 and inhibited its expression. Consequently, the abundance of FIB-1 is
      tightly controlled and correlated with the nucleolar size. Together, our findings
      highlight a novel genetic cascade by which post-transcriptional regulators
      interplay in developmental control of nucleolar size and function. 

PMID- 26492167
TI  - Endometrioma size is a relevant factor in selection of the most appropriate
      surgical technique: a prospective randomized preliminary study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess and compare the ovarian reserve in patients with different
      sized endometriomas undergoing cystectomy or ablative surgery in order to
      determine the best surgical approach to safeguard healthy ovarian tissue. STUDY
      DESIGN: Prospective randomized study on 48 patients with unilateral single
      ovarian endometriomas. Patients were allocated into two groups based on
      endometrioma size: <5cm (n=26, Group A, small endometriomas) and >=5cm (n=22,
      Group B, large endometriomas). Each group was randomized to coagulation or
      excision treatment (1:1 ratio) before the procedure. Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH)
      levels were evaluated before surgery and 3 months after surgery. RESULTS: Both
      ablation and excision resulted in a significant reduction in AMH level regardless
      of endometrioma size. A significant interaction effect was observed between
      endometrioma size and type of surgical technique (analysis of covariance p for
      interaction=0.039): in Group A, no significant difference was found between the
      two surgical techniques (-17.6+/-4.7% vs -18.2+/-10.6%), whereas in Group B, the
      excision group showed a significantly greater percentage decrease in AMH level
      compared with the ablation group (-24.1+/-9.3% vs -14.8+/-6.7%, p=0.011).
      CONCLUSIONS: Both ablative and excision treatment of endometriomas have a
      negative effect on ovarian function. Endometrioma size is associated with the
      magnitude of ovarian reserve damage following excision treatment, but in the case
      of ablative treatment, the decrease in AMH serum level is independent of the size
      of the cyst. In surgical treatment of large endometriomas, the decrease in AMH
      level is more consistent and much more severe following cystectomy than ablation.

PMID- 26492168
TI  - Toward understanding the molecular mechanism of a geminivirus C4 protein.
AB  - Geminiviruses are ssDNA plant viruses that cause significant agricultural losses
      worldwide. The viruses do not encode a polymerase protein and must reprogram
      differentiated host cells to re-enter the S-phase of the cell cycle for the virus
      to gain access to the host-replication machinery for propagation. To date, 3 Beet
      curly top virus (BCTV) encoded proteins have been shown to restore DNA
      replication competency: the replication-initiator protein (Rep), the C2 protein,
      and the C4 protein. Ectopic expression of the BCTV C4 protein leads to a severe
      developmental phenotype characterized by extensive hyperplasia. We recently
      demonstrated that C4 interacts with 7 of the 10 members of the Arabidopsis
      thaliana SHAGGY-like protein kinase gene family and characterized the
      interactions of C4 and C4 mutants with AtSKs. Herein, we propose a model of how
      C4 functions. 

PMID- 26492169
TI  - Economic evaluation of technology for a new generation biofuel production using
      wastes.
AB  - An economic evaluation of an integrated technology for industrial scale new
      generation biofuel production using whey, vinasse, and lignocellulosic biomass as
      raw materials is reported. Anaerobic packed-bed bioreactors were used for organic
      acids production using initially synthetic media and then wastes. Butyric, lactic
      and acetic acid were predominately produced from vinasse, whey, and cellulose,
      respectively. Mass balance was calculated for a 16,000L daily production
      capacity. Liquid-liquid extraction was applied for recovery of the organic acids
      using butanol-1 as an effective extraction solvent which serves also as the
      alcohol for the subsequent enzyme-catalyzed esterification. The investment needed
      for the installation of the factory was estimated to about 1.7million? with
      depreciation excepted at about 3months. For cellulosics, the installation
      investment was estimated to be about 7-fold higher with depreciation at about
      1.5years. The proposed technology is an alternative trend in biofuel production. 

PMID- 26492170
TI  - Insights to the effects of free cells on community structure of attached cells
      and chalcopyrite bioleaching during different stages.
AB  - The effects of free cells on community structure of attached cells and
      chalcopyrite bioleaching by Acidithiobacillus sp. during different stages were
      investigated. The attached cells of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans owned the
      community advantage from 14thd to the end of bioprocess in the normal system. The
      community structure of attached cells was greatly influenced in the free cells
      deficient systems. Compared to A. thiooxidans, the attached cells community of
      Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans had a higher dependence on its free cells.
      Meanwhile, the analysis of key biochemical parameters revealed that the effects
      of free cells on chalcopyrite bioleaching in different stages were diverse,
      ranging from 32.8% to 64.3%. The bioleaching contribution of free cells of A.
      ferrooxidans in the stationary stage (8-14thd) was higher than those of A.
      thiooxidans, while the situation was gradually reversed in the jarosite
      passivation inhibited stage (26-40thd). These results may be useful in guiding
      chalcopyrite bioleaching. 

PMID- 26492171
TI  - Effect of biological pretreatment of Agropyron elongatum 'BAMAR' on biogas
      production by anaerobic digestion.
AB  - The aim of this work was to analyze the impact of three different moisture
      contents (MC), at 45% MC, 65% MC, 75% MC, on the degradation of cellulose,
      hemicellulose, and lignin during fungi treatment by Flammulina velutipes of
      Agropyron elongatum 'BAMAR' and on biogas production. The analysis of chemical
      composition shown that F. velutipes had greater selectivity for lignin
      biodegradation with the highest hemicellulose and lignin removal at 29.1% and
      35.4%, respectively, and lowest cellulose removal (20.48%) at 65% MC. F.
      velutipes cultivated at 65% MC increased biogas production of 398.07Ndm(3)kg(
      1)VS(-1), which was 120% higher than the untreated sample. These treatment
      conditions resulted in 134% more methane yield compared with untreated sample.
      The results of this study suggested that A. elongatum is a potential biomass for
      biogas production in agriculture biogas plant and white-rot fungus F. velutipes
      provides an effective methods for improve biodegradation of A. elongatum. 

PMID- 26492172
TI  - Is torrefaction of polysaccharides-rich biomass equivalent to carbonization of
      lignin-rich biomass?
AB  - Waste biomass species such as lignin-rich hazelnut shell (HS) and polysaccharides
      rich sunflower seed shell (SSS) were subjected to torrefaction at 300 degrees C
      and carbonization at 600 degrees C under nitrogen. The structural variations in
      torrefied and carbonized biomasses were compared. Also, the burning
      characteristics under dry air and pure oxygen (oxy-combustion) conditions were
      investigated. It was concluded that the effects of carbonization on HS are almost
      comparable with the effects of torrefaction on SSS in terms of devolatilization
      and deoxygenation potentials and the increases in carbon content and the heating
      value. Consequently, it can be proposed that torrefaction does not provide
      efficient devolatilization from the lignin-rich biomass while it is relatively
      more efficient for polysaccharides-rich biomass. Heat-induced variations in
      biomass led to significant changes in the burning characteristics under both
      burning conditions. That is, low temperature reactivity of biomass reduced
      considerably and the burning shifted to higher temperatures with very high
      burning rates. 

PMID- 26492173
TI  - Evaluation of the inhibitory effects of heavy metals on anammox activity: A batch
      test study.
AB  - This study evaluated the interactive effect of Cu(II) and Zn(II) on anaerobic
      ammonium oxidation (anammox) activity using response surface methodology with a
      central composite design. A regression model equation was developed and validated
      to predict the normalized anammox activity (NAA) of anammox granules exposed to
      various heavy metal concentrations. The joint inhibitory effect tended to
      exacerbate initially and reversed as the concentrations increased and then
      moderated again. The most severe inhibition, resulting in a NAA of 20.1%,
      occurred at Cu(II) and Zn(II) concentrations of 16.3 and 20.0mgL(-1),
      respectively. Notably, the cumulative toxicity was mitigated with the aid of
      intermittent exposure acclimatization. Additionally, pre-exposure to Cu(II) in
      the absence of substrates strongly inhibited anammox activity. However, the
      presence of NO2(-) significantly enhanced Cu(II) inhibition. Therefore, such
      conditions should be avoided to minimize the disturbance of the anammox process. 

PMID- 26492174
TI  - Changes in microbial community during biohydrogen production using gamma
      irradiated sludge as inoculum.
AB  - The changes in microbial community structures during fermentative hydrogen
      production process were investigated by analyzing 16S rDNA gene sequences using
      gamma irradiated sludge as inoculum. The experimental results showed that the
      microbial community structure of untreated sludge was very rich in diversity.
      After gamma irradiation, lots of species were inhibited, and species with high
      survival rates under radiation conditions became dominant. After fermentation,
      Clostridium butyrium and a sequence closely related to Clostridium perfringens
      ATCC 13124(T) (CP000246) became predominant, which were all common hydrogen
      producers. Microbial distribution analysis indicated that gamma irradiation was a
      good pretreatment method for enriching hydrogen-producing strains from digested
      sludge. 

PMID- 26492175
TI  - Degradation and toxicity reduction of the endocrine disruptors nonylphenol, 4
      tert-octylphenol and 4-cumylphenol by the non-ligninolytic fungus Umbelopsis
      isabellina.
AB  - Nonylphenol (NP), 4-tert-octylphenol (4-t-OP) and 4-cumylphenol (4-CP) are
      pollutants that are known as endocrine disruptors mainly due to their estrogen
      mimicking activity. These phenolic substances are used in a wide range of
      industrial and commercial applications. In the present study, biodegradation of
      tNP, 4-t-OP and 4-CP using the non-ligninolytic fungus Umbelopsis isabellina was
      investigated. After 12h of incubation, more than 90% of initially applied tNP, 4
      t-OP and 4-CP (25mgL(-1)) were eliminated. GC-MS analysis revealed several
      derivatives mainly (hydroxyalkyl)phenols. Moreover, xenobiotic biotransformation
      led to the formation of intermediates with less harmful effects than the parent
      compounds. For all xenobiotics, a decrease in growth medium toxicity was
      observed, using Artemia franciscana and Daphnia magna as bioindicators. The
      results indicate that U. isabellina has potential in the degradation and
      detoxification of contaminants with endocrine activity. Moreover, this is the
      first report demonstrating that a microorganism is capable of effective 4-CP
      elimination. 

PMID- 26492176
TI  - Kinetics of biogas production in Anaerobic Filters.
AB  - This study investigates methane production kinetics from individual volatile
      fatty acids (VFA) in an Upflow Anaerobic Filter (AF). 1gCOD in the form of acetic
      (HAc), propionic (HPr) or butyric acid (HBu) was injected into the AF while
      operating at an organic loading rate (OLRCOD) of 3.5gL(-1)d(-1). A new method is
      introduced to separate gas production of the baseload from the product formation
      of VFA degradation after the injection. The lag phase, fractional rate of gas
      production and half-life has been determined for the methane production of the
      three VFAs. The half-lives were in the order HAc<HBu<HPr showing a slower gas
      production from the C3 acid than from the C4 acid. The results can be used for
      prediction models for on-demand biogas production, a vital approach that provides
      the transforming energy market with balancing power. 

PMID- 26492177
TI  - Evaluation on direct interspecies electron transfer in anaerobic sludge digestion
      of microbial electrolysis cell.
AB  - Increase of methanogenesis in methane-producing microbial electrolysis cells
      (MECs) is frequently believed as a result of cathodic reduction of CO2. Recent
      studies indicated that this electromethanogenesis only accounted for a little
      part of methane production during anaerobic sludge digestion. Instead, direct
      interspecies electron transfer (DIET) possibly plays an important role in methane
      production. In this study, anaerobic digestion of sludge were investigated in a
      single-chamber MEC reactor, a carbon-felt supplemented reactor and a common
      anaerobic reactor to evaluate the effects of DIET on the sludge digestion. The
      results showed that adding carbon felt into the reactor increased 12.9% of
      methane production and 17.2% of sludge reduction. Imposing a voltage on the
      carbon felt further improved the digestion. Current calculation showed that the
      cathodic reduction only contributed to 27.5% of increased methane production.
      Microbial analysis indicated that DIET played an important role in the anaerobic
      sludge digestion in the MEC. 

PMID- 26492178
TI  - Methodological Bias Can Lead the Cochrane Collaboration to Irrelevance in Public
      Health Decision-Making.

PMID- 26492179
TI  - The 2014 International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) Consensus
      Conference on Gleason Grading of Prostatic Carcinoma: Definition of Grading
      Patterns and Proposal for a New Grading System.
AB  - In November, 2014, 65 prostate cancer pathology experts, along with 17 clinicians
      including urologists, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists from 19
      different countries gathered in a consensus conference to update the grading of
      prostate cancer, last revised in 2005. The major conclusions were: (1) Cribriform
      glands should be assigned a Gleason pattern 4, regardless of morphology; (2)
      Glomeruloid glands should be assigned a Gleason pattern 4, regardless of
      morphology; (3) Grading of mucinous carcinoma of the prostate should be based on
      its underlying growth pattern rather than grading them all as pattern 4; and (4)
      Intraductal carcinoma of the prostate without invasive carcinoma should not be
      assigned a Gleason grade and a comment as to its invariable association with
      aggressive prostate cancer should be made. Regarding morphologies of Gleason
      patterns, there was clear consensus on: (1) Gleason pattern 4 includes
      cribriform, fused, and poorly formed glands; (2) The term hypernephromatoid
      cancer should not be used; (3) For a diagnosis of Gleason pattern 4, it needs to
      be seen at 10x lens magnification; (4) Occasional/seemingly poorly formed or
      fused glands between well-formed glands is insufficient for a diagnosis of
      pattern 4; (5) In cases with borderline morphology between Gleason pattern 3 and
      pattern 4 and crush artifacts, the lower grade should be favored; (6) Branched
      glands are allowed in Gleason pattern 3; (7) Small solid cylinders represent
      Gleason pattern 5; (8) Solid medium to large nests with rosette-like spaces
      should be considered to represent Gleason pattern 5; and (9) Presence of
      unequivocal comedonecrosis, even if focal is indicative of Gleason pattern 5. It
      was recognized by both pathologists and clinicians that despite the above
      changes, there were deficiencies with the Gleason system. The Gleason grading
      system ranges from 2 to 10, yet 6 is the lowest score currently assigned. When
      patients are told that they have a Gleason score 6 out of 10, it implies that
      their prognosis is intermediate and contributes to their fear of having a more
      aggressive cancer. Also, in the literature and for therapeutic purposes, various
      scores have been incorrectly grouped together with the assumption that they have
      a similar prognosis. For example, many classification systems consider Gleason
      score 7 as a single score without distinguishing 3+4 versus 4+3, despite studies
      showing significantly worse prognosis for the latter. The basis for a new grading
      system was proposed in 2013 by one of the authors (J.I.E.) based on data from
      Johns Hopkins Hospital resulting in 5 prognostically distinct Grade Groups. This
      new system was validated in a multi-institutional study of over 20,000 radical
      prostatectomy specimens, over 16,000 needle biopsy specimens, and over 5,000
      biopsies followed by radiation therapy. There was broad (90%) consensus for the
      adoption of this new prostate cancer Grading system in the 2014 consensus
      conference based on: (1) the new classification provided more accurate
      stratification of tumors than the current system; (2) the classification
      simplified the number of grading categories from Gleason scores 2 to 10, with
      even more permutations based on different pattern combinations, to Grade Groups 1
      to 5; (3) the lowest grade is 1 not 6 as in Gleason, with the potential to reduce
      overtreatment of indolent cancer; and (4) the current modified Gleason grading,
      which forms the basis for the new grade groups, bears little resemblance to the
      original Gleason system. The new grades would, for the foreseeable future, be
      used in conjunction with the Gleason system [ie. Gleason score 3+3=6 (Grade Group
      1)]. The new grading system and the terminology Grade Groups 1-5 have also been
      accepted by the World Health Organization for the 2016 edition of Pathology and
      Genetics: Tumours of the Urinary System and Male Genital Organs. 

PMID- 26492180
TI  - Molecular Analysis of Mixed Endometrial Carcinomas Shows Clonality in Most Cases.
AB  - Mixed endometrial carcinoma refers to a tumor that comprises 2 or more distinct
      histotypes. We studied 18 mixed-type endometrial carcinomas-11 mixed serous and
      low-grade endometrioid carcinomas (SC/EC), 5 mixed clear cell and low-grade ECs
      (CCC/EC), and 2 mixed CCC and SCs (CCC/SC), using targeted next-generation
      sequencing and immunohistochemistry to compare the molecular profiles of the
      different histotypes present in each case. In 16 of 18 cases there was molecular
      evidence that both components shared a clonal origin. Eight cases (6 EC/SC, 1
      EC/CCC, and 1 SC/CCC) showed an SC molecular profile that was the same in both
      components. Five cases (3 CCC/EC and 2 SC/EC) showed a shared endometrioid
      molecular profile and identical mismatch-repair protein deficiency in both
      components. A single SC/EC case harbored the same POLE exonuclease domain
      mutation in both components. One SC/CCC and 1 EC/CCC case showed both shared and
      unique molecular features in the 2 histotype components, suggesting early
      molecular divergence from a common clonal origin. In 2 cases, there were no
      shared molecular features, and these appear to be biologically unrelated
      synchronous tumors. Overall, these results show that the different histologic
      components in mixed endometrial carcinomas typically share the same molecular
      aberrations. Mixed endometrial carcinomas most commonly occur through morphologic
      mimicry, whereby tumors with serous-type molecular profile show morphologic
      features of EC or CCC, or through underlying deficiency in DNA nucleotide repair,
      with resulting rapid accrual of mutations and intratumoral phenotypic
      heterogeneity. Less commonly, mixed endometrial carcinomas are the result of
      early molecular divergence from a common progenitor clone or are synchronous
      biologically unrelated tumors (collision tumors). 

PMID- 26492181
TI  - A Consensus for Classification and Pathologic Reporting of Pseudomyxoma Peritonei
      and Associated Appendiceal Neoplasia: The Results of the Peritoneal Surface
      Oncology Group International (PSOGI) Modified Delphi Process.
AB  - Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a complex disease with unique biological behavior
      that usually arises from appendiceal mucinous neoplasia. The classification of
      PMP and its primary appendiceal neoplasia is contentious, and an international
      modified Delphi consensus process was instigated to address terminology and
      definitions. A classification of mucinous appendiceal neoplasia was developed,
      and it was agreed that "mucinous adenocarcinoma" should be reserved for lesions
      with infiltrative invasion. The term "low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm"
      was supported and it was agreed that "cystadenoma" should no longer be
      recommended. A new term of "high-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm" was
      proposed for lesions without infiltrative invasion but with high-grade cytologic
      atypia. Serrated polyp with or without dysplasia was preferred for tumors with
      serrated features confined to the mucosa with an intact muscularis mucosae.
      Consensus was achieved on the pathologic classification of PMP, defined as the
      intraperitoneal accumulation of mucus due to mucinous neoplasia characterized by
      the redistribution phenomenon. Three categories of PMP were agreed-low grade,
      high grade, and high grade with signet ring cells. Acellular mucin should be
      classified separately. It was agreed that low-grade and high-grade mucinous
      carcinoma peritonei should be considered synonymous with disseminated peritoneal
      adenomucinosis and peritoneal mucinous carcinomatosis, respectively. A checklist
      for the pathologic reporting of PMP and appendiceal mucinous neoplasms was also
      developed. By adopting the classifications and definitions that were agreed,
      different centers will be able to use uniform terminology that will allow
      meaningful comparison of their results. 

PMID- 26492182
TI  - Mammary Analogue Secretory Carcinoma of Salivary Glands: Molecular Analysis of 25
      ETV6 Gene Rearranged Tumors With Lack of Detection of Classical ETV6-NTRK3 Fusion
      Transcript by Standard RT-PCR: Report of 4 Cases Harboring ETV6-X Gene Fusion.
AB  - ETV6 gene abnormalities are well described in tumor pathology. Many fusion
      partners of ETV6 have been reported in a variety of epithelial and hematological
      malignancies. In salivary gland tumor pathology, however, the ETV6-NTRK3
      translocation is specific for mammary analogue secretory carcinoma (MASC), and
      has not been documented in any other salivary tumor type. The present study
      comprised a clinical and molecular analysis of 25 cases morphologically and
      immunohistochemically typical of MASC. They all also displayed the ETV6
      rearrangement as visualized by fluorescent in situ hybridization but lacked the
      classical ETV6-NTRK3 fusion transcript by standard reverse-transcriptase
      polymerase chain reaction. In 4 cases, the classical fusion transcript was found
      by more sensitive, nested reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Five
      other cases harbored atypical fusion transcripts as detected by both standard and
      nested reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction. In addition, fluorescent
      in situ hybridization with an NTRK3 break-apart probe was also performed;
      rearrangement of NTRK3 gene was detected in 16 of 25 cases. In 3 other cases, the
      tissue was not analyzable, and in 2 further cases analysis could not be performed
      because of a lack of appropriate tissue material. Finally, in the 4 remaining
      cases whose profile was NTRK3 split-negative and ETV6 split-positive, unknown
      (non-NTRK) genes appeared to fuse with ETV6 (ETV6-X fusion). In looking for
      possible fusion partners, analysis of rearrangement of other kinase genes known
      to fuse with ETV6 was also performed, but without positive results. Although
      numbers were small, correlating the clinico-pathologic features of the 4 ETV6-X
      fusion tumors and 5 MASC cases with atypical fusion transcripts raises the
      possibility of that they may behave more aggressively. 

PMID- 26492183
TI  - CNS Masson Tumors: Frequent Association With Therapeutic Radiation.
AB  - Masson tumor (MT, papillary endothelial hyperplasia) is an exaggerated form of
      thrombus reorganization rarely occurring in the central nervous system (CNS),
      where it presents as a mass or hemorrhage in parenchyma, meninges, or venous
      sinuses. MT is subclassified as type 1 arising within a histologically normal
      vessel, type 2 associated with a ruptured vascular malformation, and
      extravascular. Limited reports of CNS MT after radiosurgery, or especially
      external radiation therapy, have emerged. We searched our databases for cases
      reported from 2008 to present. Nine cases were identified, 6 of which were
      associated with receipt of therapeutic radiation for known lesions, with
      intervals of 1 to 25+ years to MT development (4 neoplasms=external beam
      radiation; 1 neoplasm=external beam radiation+radiosurgery, 1 arteriovenous
      malformation=radiosurgery). MTs were coassociated with radiation-induced vascular
      malformations (1 cavernoma-like, 1 massive) only in 2 of 6 irradiated patients,
      whereas the other 4 had MTs only. The 3 MTs in nonirradiated patients were
      extravascular, with 1 spontaneously developing in a hemangioblastoma. Seven of 9
      MTs were intracerebral, 1 was within the spinal cord, and 1 was subdural.
      Papillary MT architecture was best appreciated by CD31 or CD34
      immunohistochemistry, although ERG verified the endothelial monolayer population.
      Most CNS MTs at our institution have arisen in patients who have received
      therapeutic cranial radiation, many of whom received only external beam
      radiation. Although MTs could conceivably represent early, severe phases in
      radiation-induced cavernoma development, most were not found coassociated with
      the latter. This study further extends our knowledge of types of radiation
      induced CNS vascular abnormalities. 

PMID- 26492184
TI  - Exploring long-term cancer survivors' experiences in the career and financial
      domains: Interviews with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients.
AB  - Using semi-structured interviews with 50 hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
      (HSCT) recipients who were 2 to 22 years post-transplant, this study investigates
      cancer survivors' interpretations of their economic and work-related experiences
      during and after treatment. Survivors described a variety of challenges in these
      areas, including job insecurity, discrimination, career derailment, the lack of
      career direction, delayed goals, financial losses, insurance difficulties,
      constraints on job mobility, and physical/mental limitations. Survivors described
      the ways these challenges were offset by external factors that helped them to
      navigate these difficulties and buffered the negative financial and career
      related impacts. Good health insurance, favorable job characteristics, job
      accommodations, and financial buffers were prominent offsetting factors. Most
      survivors, however, were also forced to rely on individual behavioral and
      interpretative strategies to cope with challenges. Behavioral strategies included
      purposeful job moves, retraining, striving harder, and retiring. Some strategies
      were potentially problematic, such as acquiring large debt. Interpretive
      strategies included reprioritizing and value shifts, downplaying the magnitude of
      cancer impact on one's life, denying the causal role of cancer in negative
      events, making favorable social comparisons, and benefit finding. Post-treatment
      counseling and support services may assist survivors in identifying available
      resources and useful strategies to improve long-term adaptation in the career and
      financial realms.

PMID- 26492186
TI  - Characterization and Application of a Hybrid Optical Microscopy/Laser Ablation
      Liquid Vortex Capture/Electrospray Ionization System for Mass Spectrometry
      Imaging with Sub-micrometer Spatial Resolution.
AB  - A commercial optical microscope, laser microdissection instrument was coupled
      with an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer via a low profile liquid vortex
      capture probe to yield a hybrid optical microscopy/mass spectrometry imaging
      system. The instrument has bright-field and fluorescence microscopy capabilities
      in addition to a highly focused UV laser beam that is utilized for laser ablation
      of samples. With this system, material laser ablated from a sample using the
      microscope was caught by a liquid vortex capture probe and transported in
      solution for analysis by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Both lane
      scanning and spot sampling mass spectral imaging modes were used. The smallest
      area the system was able to ablate was ~0.544 MUm * ~0.544 MUm, achieved by
      oversampling of the smallest laser ablation spot size that could be obtained
      (~1.9 MUm). With use of a model photoresist surface, known features as small as
      ~1.5 MUm were resolved. The capabilities of the system with real world samples
      were demonstrated first with a blended polymer thin film containing poly(2
      vinylpyridine) and poly(N-vinylcarbazole). Using spot sampling imaging, sub
      micrometer sized features (0.62, 0.86, and 0.98 MUm) visible by optical
      microscopy were clearly distinguished in the mass spectral images. A second real
      world example showed the imaging of trace amounts of cocaine in mouse brain thin
      tissue sections. With use of a lane scanning mode with ~6 MUm * ~6 MUm data
      pixels, features in the tissue as small as 15 MUm in size could be distinguished
      in both the mass spectral and optical images. 

PMID- 26492185
TI  - The 3D Facial Norms Database: Part 1. A Web-Based Craniofacial Anthropometric and
      Image Repository for the Clinical and Research Community.
AB  - With the current widespread use of three-dimensional (3D) facial surface imaging
      in clinical and research environments, there is a growing demand for high-quality
      craniofacial norms based on 3D imaging technology. The principal goal of the 3D
      Facial Norms (3DFN) project was to create an interactive, Web-based repository of
      3D facial images and measurements. Unlike other repositories, users can gain
      access to both summary-level statistics and individual-level data, including 3D
      facial landmark coordinates, 3D-derived anthropometric measurements, 3D facial
      surface images, and genotypes from every individual in the dataset. The 3DFN
      database currently consists of 2454 male and female participants ranging in age
      from 3 to 40 years. The subjects were recruited at four US sites and screened for
      a history of craniofacial conditions. The goal of this article is to introduce
      readers to the 3DFN repository by providing a general overview of the project,
      explaining the rationale behind the creation of the database, and describing the
      methods used to collect the data. Sex- and age-specific summary statistics (means
      and standard deviations) and growth curves for every anthropometric measurement
      in the 3DFN dataset are provided as a supplement available online. These summary
      statistics and growth curves can aid clinicians in the assessment of craniofacial
      dysmorphology.

PMID- 26492187
TI  - Construction of Lasso Peptide Fusion Proteins.
AB  - Lasso peptides are a family of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally
      modified peptides (RiPPs) typified by an isopeptide-bonded macrocycle between the
      peptide N-terminus and an aspartate or glutamate side chain. The C-terminal
      portion of the peptide threads through the N-terminal macrocycle to give the
      characteristic lasso fold. Because of the inherent stability, both proteolytic
      and often thermal, of lasso peptides, we became interested in whether proteins
      could be fused to the free C-terminus of lasso peptides. Here, we demonstrate
      fusion of two model proteins, the artificial leucine zipper A1 and the
      superfolder variant of GFP, to the C-terminus of the lasso peptide astexin-1.
      Successful lasso cyclization of the N-terminus of these fusion proteins requires
      a flexible linker in between the C-terminus of the lasso peptide and the N
      terminus of the protein of interest. The ability to fuse lasso peptides to a
      protein of interest is an important step toward phage and bacterial display
      systems for the high-throughput screening of lasso peptide libraries for new
      functions. 

PMID- 26492188
TI  - Maternal and Fetal Determinants of Neonatal Body Composition.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Body composition in early life influences the development of obesity
      during childhood and beyond. It is, therefore, important to adequately determine
      neonatal body composition. Fetal growth and maternal factors might influence
      neonatal fat mass percentage (FM%), independent of birth weight. METHODS: In 194
      healthy neonates, we investigated neonatal body composition, measured by air
      displacement plethysmography (PEAPOD), and its associations with estimated fetal
      weight (EFW), neonatal anthropometric data, maternal preconceptional body mass
      index (BMI) and maternal weight gain during pregnancy. RESULTS: There was a large
      variation in neonatal FM%, even in case of a similar birth weight, corrected for
      gender and gestational age. Neonatal FM% was associated with EFW at 30 and 36
      weeks of gestation and with catch-up in weight between 30 and 36 weeks of
      gestation, but not with EFW at 20 weeks (p < 0.01, p < 0.01 and p = 0.64,
      respectively). Neonatal FM% was also associated with preconceptional BMI of the
      mother (p < 0.01). There was no correlation with maternal weight gain.
      CONCLUSION: Our study shows that term neonates have a large variation in FM%.
      Neonatal FM% is associated with EFW at 30 and 36 weeks, catch-up in weight
      between 30 and 36 weeks of gestation and preconceptional BMI of the mother.

PMID- 26492189
TI  - Preparation of AgCl Nanocubes and Their Application as Efficient Photoinitiators
      in the Polymerization of N-Isopropylacrylamide.
AB  - Uniform AgCl nanocubes with an average size of about 360 nm have been
      synthesized. Under UV illumination, a layer of silver nanoparticles with surface
      plasmon resonance was produced and covered the surface of AgCl particles in a
      short time, and the Ag/AgCl particles remained quite stable as shown in XRD
      patterns. The as-synthesized AgCl particles were tried for the first time as
      photoinitiator to polymerize N-isopropylacrylamide under UV-irradiation, and a
      high efficiency and conversion rate were realized. The structure of the polymers
      was studied by FTIR spectrophotometer. The results of turbidimetric method showed
      that the polymers were temperature sensitive and their lower critical solution
      temperature was about 33  degrees C. The effects of photoinitiators
      concentration, monomers concentration, and irradiation time on the polymer yield
      were investigated. The reaction mechanism was discussed by using salicylic acid
      as scavengers of hydroxyl radicals and conducting the reaction under oxygen
      atmosphere, respectively. The results proved that hydroxyl radicals were
      essential to chain initiation. 

PMID- 26492190
TI  - Brain - Endocast Relationship in the Australian Lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri,
      Elucidated from Tomographic Data (Sarcopterygii: Dipnoi).
AB  - Although the brains of the three extant lungfish genera have been previously
      described, the spatial relationship between the brain and the neurocranium has
      never before been fully described nor quantified. Through the application of
      virtual microtomography (MUCT) and 3D rendering software, we describe aspects of
      the gross anatomy of the brain and labyrinth region in the Australian lungfish,
      Neoceratodus forsteri and compare this to previous accounts. Unexpected
      characters in this specimen include short olfactory peduncles connecting the
      olfactory bulbs to the telencephalon, and an oblong telencephalon. Furthermore,
      we illustrate the endocast (the mould of the internal space of the neurocranial
      cavity) of Neoceratodus, also describing and quantifying the brain-endocast
      relationship in a lungfish for the first time. Overall, the brain of the
      Australian lungfish closely matches the size and shape of the endocast cavity
      housing it, filling more than four fifths of the total volume. The forebrain and
      labyrinth regions of the brain correspond very well to the endocast morphology,
      while the midbrain and hindbrain do not fit so closely. Our results cast light on
      the gross neural and endocast anatomy in lungfishes, and are likely to have
      particular significance for palaeoneurologists studying fossil taxa. 

PMID- 26492192
TI  - Complex Forms of Soil Organic Phosphorus-A Major Component of Soil Phosphorus.
AB  - Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for life, an innate constituent of soil
      organic matter, and a major anthropogenic input to terrestrial ecosystems. The
      supply of P to living organisms is strongly dependent on the dynamics of soil
      organic P. However, fluxes of P through soil organic matter remain unclear
      because only a minority (typically <30%) of soil organic P has been identified as
      recognizable biomolecules of low molecular weight (e.g., inositol
      hexakisphosphates). Here, we use (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to
      determine the speciation of organic P in soil extracts fractionated into two
      molecular weight ranges. Speciation of organic P in the high molecular weight
      fraction (>10 kDa) was markedly different to that of the low molecular weight
      fraction (<10 kDa). The former was dominated by a broad peak, which is consistent
      with P bound by phosphomonoester linkages of supra-/macro-molecular structures,
      whereas the latter contained all of the sharp peaks that were present in
      unfractionated extracts, along with some broad signal. Overall, phosphomonoesters
      in supra-/macro-molecular structures were found to account for the majority (61%
      to 73%) of soil organic P across the five diverse soils. These soil
      phosphomonoesters will need to be integrated within current models of the
      inorganic-organic P cycle of soil-plant terrestrial ecosystems. 

PMID- 26492191
TI  - Multiplex Brain Proteomic Analysis Revealed the Molecular Therapeutic Effects of
      Buyang Huanwu Decoction on Cerebral Ischemic Stroke Mice.
AB  - Stroke is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, and tissue plasminogen
      activator (TPA) is the only drug used for a limited group of stroke patients in
      the acute phase. Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BHD), a traditional Chinese medicine
      prescription, has long been used for improving neurological functional recovery
      in stroke. In this study, we characterized the therapeutic effect of TPA and BHD
      in a cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (CIR) injury mouse model using multiplex
      proteomics approach. After the iTRAQ-based proteomics analysis, 1310 proteins
      were identified from the mouse brain with <1% false discovery rate. Among them,
      877 quantitative proteins, 10.26% (90/877), 1.71% (15/877), and 2.62% (23/877) of
      the proteins was significantly changed in the CIR, BHD treatment, and TPA
      treatment, respectively. Functional categorization analysis showed that BHD
      treatment preserved the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) (Alb, Fga, and
      Trf), suppressed excitotoxicity (Grm5, Gnai, and Gdi), and enhanced energy
      metabolism (Bdh), thereby revealing its multiple effects on ischemic stroke mice.
      Moreover, the neurogenesis marker doublecortin was upregulated, and the activity
      of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) and Tau was inhibited, which represented
      the neuroprotective effects. However, TPA treatment deteriorated BBB breakdown.
      This study highlights the potential of BHD in clinical applications for ischemic
      stroke. 

PMID- 26492193
TI  - Seven-Membered Ring Nucleoside Analogues: Stereoselective Synthesis and Studies
      on Their Conformational Properties.
AB  - The synthesis of a novel series of seven-membered ring nucleoside analogues as
      candidates for biological screening and gene silencing applications is described.
      The key step in the synthetic approach is a stereoselective synthesis of an
      epoxide that is used as a common synthetic intermediate to prepare functionalized
      oxepane nucleoside derivatives. The conformational landscape and preferred ring
      puckering of selected oxepane nucleosides was also studied by NMR, X-ray
      crystallography, and quantum mechanical calculations. 

PMID- 26492194
TI  - Analysis of free modeling predictions by RBO aleph in CASP11.
AB  - The CASP experiment is a biannual benchmark for assessing protein structure
      prediction methods. In CASP11, RBO Aleph ranked as one of the top-performing
      automated servers in the free modeling category. This category consists of
      targets for which structural templates are not easily retrievable. We analyze the
      performance of RBO Aleph and show that its success in CASP was a result of its ab
      initio structure prediction protocol. A detailed analysis of this protocol
      demonstrates that two components unique to our method greatly contributed to
      prediction quality: residue-residue contact prediction by EPC-map and contact
      guided conformational space search by model-based search (MBS). Interestingly,
      our analysis also points to a possible fundamental problem in evaluating the
      performance of protein structure prediction methods: Improvements in components
      of the method do not necessarily lead to improvements of the entire method. This
      points to the fact that these components interact in ways that are poorly
      understood. This problem, if indeed true, represents a significant obstacle to
      community-wide progress. Proteins 2016; 84(Suppl 1):87-104. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26492195
TI  - Myocardial Integrated Backscatter in Obese Adolescents: Associations with
      Measures of Adiposity and Left Ventricular Deformation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myocardial fibrosis has been proposed to play an important
      pathogenetic role in left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in obesity. This study
      tested the hypothesis that calibrated integrated backscatter (cIB) as a marker of
      myocardial fibrosis is altered in obese adolescents and explored its associations
      with adiposity, LV myocardial deformation, and metabolic parameters.
      METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Fifty-two obese adolescents and 38 non-obese controls
      were studied with conventional and speckle tracking echocardiography. The average
      cIB of ventricular septum and LV posterior wall was measured. In obese subjects,
      insulin resistance as estimated by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) and
      glucose tolerance were determined. Compared with controls, obese subjects had
      significantly greater cIB of ventricular septum (-16.8+/-7.8 dB vs -23.2+/-7.8
      dB, p<0.001), LV posterior wall (-20.5+/-5.6 dBvs -25.0+/-5.1 dB, p<0.001) and
      their average (-18.7+/-5.7 dB vs -24.1+/-5.0 dB, p<0.001). For myocardial
      deformation, obese subjects had significantly reduced LV longitudinal systolic
      strain rate (SR) (p = 0.045) and early diastolic SR (p = 0.015), and LV
      circumferential systolic strain (p = 0.008), but greater LV longitudinal late
      diastolic SR (p<0.001), and radial early (p = 0.037) and late (p = 0.002)
      diastolic SR than controls. For the entire cohort, myocardial cIB correlated
      positively with body mass index (r = 0.45, p<0.001) and waist circumference (r =
      0.45, p<0.001), but negatively with LV circumferential systolic strain (r = 
      0.23, p = 0.03) and systolic SR (r = -0.25, p = 0.016). Among obese subjects, cIB
      tended to correlate with HOMA-IR (r = 0.26, p = 0.07). CONCLUSION: Obese
      adolescents already exhibit evidence of increased myocardial fibrosis, which is
      associated with measures of adiposity and impaired LV circumferential myocardial
      deformation.

PMID- 26492197
TI  - Developments in the field of allergy in 2014 through the eyes of Clinical and
      Experimental Allergy.
AB  - The pathogenesis of asthma continues to be a major topic of interest to our
      authors with reviews and original papers on the role of viruses, mechanisms of
      inflammation, biomarkers, and phenotypes of asthma being major topics. A number
      of papers described new treatments for asthma focusing on blocking the Th2
      response reflecting the fact that two decades of work in this area is finally
      bearing fruit. The pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis is a growing area of
      interest, but there has been less on the genetics of airways disease than in
      previous years possibly reflecting the degree of rigour (and therefore a smaller
      body of work), with which these sorts of studies are now being undertaken. There
      continues to be a wide range of papers dealing with mechanisms of allergic
      disease ranging from clinical-based studies to basic research and the use of in
      vivo animal models especially mice. As before, mechanisms and new approaches to
      immunotherapy are common themes. Several were published in the allergens section
      investigating modification of allergens to increase their effectiveness and
      reduce the risk of adverse events. Risk factors for allergic disease was a common
      theme in the epidemiology section and food allergy a common theme in clinical
      allergy with papers on the development of protocols to induce tolerance and
      attempts to find biomarkers to distinguish sensitization from allergic disease.
      This was another exciting year for the editors, and we hope the readers of the
      journal. 

PMID- 26492196
TI  - Stakeholder Engagement to Identify Priorities for Improving the Quality and Value
      of Critical Care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Large amounts of scientific evidence are generated, but not
      implemented into patient care (the 'knowledge-to-care' gap). We identified and
      prioritized knowledge-to-care gaps in critical care as opportunities to improve
      the quality and value of healthcare. METHODS: We used a multi-method community
      based participatory research approach to engage a Network of all adult (n = 14)
      and pediatric (n = 2) medical-surgical intensive care units (ICUs) in a fully
      integrated geographically defined healthcare system serving 4 million residents.
      Participants included Network oversight committee members (n = 38) and frontline
      providers (n = 1,790). Network committee members used a modified RAND/University
      of California Appropriateness Methodology, to serially propose, rate (validated 9
      point scale) and revise potential knowledge-to-care gaps as priorities for
      improvement. The priorities were sent to frontline providers for evaluation.
      Results were relayed back to all frontline providers for feedback. RESULTS:
      Initially, 68 knowledge-to-care gaps were proposed, rated and revised by the
      committee (n = 32 participants) over 3 rounds of review and resulted in 13
      proposed priorities for improvement. Then, 1,103 providers (62% response rate)
      evaluated the priorities, and rated 9 as 'necessary' (median score 7-9). Several
      factors were associated with rating priorities as necessary in multivariable
      logistic regression, related to the provider (experience, teaching status of ICU)
      and topic (strength of supporting evidence, potential to benefit the patient,
      potential to improve patient/family experience, potential to decrease costs).
      CONCLUSIONS: A community-based participatory research approach engaged a diverse
      group of stakeholders to identify 9 priorities for improving the quality and
      value of critical care. The approach was time and cost efficient and could serve
      as a model to prioritize areas for research quality improvement across other
      settings.

PMID- 26492199
TI  - Placenta Accreta and Placenta Increta: An Approach to Pathogenesis Based on the
      Trophoblastic Differentiation Pathway.
AB  - Morbid adherence remains a puzzling disease. This paper suggests that normal and
      morbidly adherent placentation may be viewed best in terms of trophoblastic stem
      cells and the mutually exclusive branches of the trophoblastic differentiation
      pathway-villous trophoblast (VT), interstitial and endovascular nonvillous
      trophoblast (NVT) at the implantation site, and a positional variation in the
      chorion. Based on cases of hysterectomies for morbid adherence seen over 30 years
      at a community hospital, analyzed with routine keratin stains, with actin and
      trichrome stains as indicated, and with attempts at ultrasonography-pathology
      correlation, we present selected observations. In true accreta, the site of
      morbid adherence was to dilated basal plate vessels infiltrated by endovascular
      NVT, with scant interstitial NVT, and normal myometrium. It appeared that excess
      blood flow into the placenta was due to excessively deep keratin-positive
      endovascular NVT that spread-independently of interstitial NVT-in an angiocentric
      fashion in both accreta and increta. Retroplacental abnormalities were due to
      myometrial destruction by interstitial NVT in increta, sometimes requiring actin
      stains for detection; and to an admixture of markedly dilated endometrial glands
      and vessels in true accreta, best appreciated with keratin stains. Variations of
      depth and extent in increta may be due to variations in myometrial tone, and in
      the protease-antiprotease balance. Morbidly adherent fetal membranes are
      described, and the role of caesarean section scars in incretas is addressed. 

PMID- 26492198
TI  - Cardiovirus Leader proteins bind exportins: Implications for virus replication
      and nucleocytoplasmic trafficking inhibition.
AB  - Cardiovirus Leader proteins (LX) inhibit cellular nucleocytoplasmic trafficking
      by directing host kinases to phosphorylate Phe/Gly-containing nuclear pore
      proteins (Nups). Resolution of the Mengovirus LM structure bound to Ran GTPase,
      suggested this complex would further recruit specific exportins (karyopherins),
      which in turn mediate kinase selection. Pull-down experiments and recombinant
      complex reconstitution now confirm that Crm1 and CAS exportins form stable
      dimeric complexes with encephalomyocarditis virus LE, and also larger complexes
      with LE:Ran. shRNA knockdown studies support this idea. Similar activities could
      be demonstrated for recombinant LS and LT from Theiloviruses. When mutations were
      introduced to alter the LE zinc finger domain, acidic domain, or dual
      phosphorylation sites, there was reduced exportin selection. These regions are
      not involved in Ran interactions, so the Ran and Crm1 binding sites on LE must be
      non-overlapping. The involvement of exportins in this mechanism is important to
      viral replication and the observation of trafficking inhibition by LE. 

PMID- 26492200
TI  - Whole-building decontamination of Bacillus anthracis Sterne spores by methyl
      bromide fumigation.
AB  - AIMS: To evaluate the field inactivation of Bacillus anthracis Sterne spores with
      methyl bromide (MB) using commercial fumigation techniques. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Eighty-seven wood and 87 glass coupons each containing ca. 1 * 10(6) B. anthracis
      Sterne spores, were placed in 22 locations inside a 1444 m(3) conference
      building. Four additional 12-coupon sets (six wood, six glass) were removed from
      the building at 16, 24, 32 and 40 h during fumigation. The building was sealed
      under two tarpaulins and fumigated with MB at >=225 g m(-3) mean concentration
      for 48 h at 28 degrees C and 83% RH. All B. anthracis spores fumigated for more
      than 16 h were inactivated. A single wood coupon from the 16-h set yielded ca. 2
      * 10(3)  CFU. No damage to the building or its contents was observed.
      CONCLUSIONS: MB fumigation is a rapid, economical and effective whole-structure
      decontamination method for B. anthracis spores. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE
      STUDY: MB fumigation offers a method of whole-structure B. anthracis
      decontamination without removal of materials, damage to sensitive electronics,
      costly indoor retrofitting.

PMID- 26492201
TI  - Colour Vision in Stargardt Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the type and severity of acquired colour vision
      deficiencies (CVDs) in molecularly proven Stargardt disease (STD) and to
      establish whether a relationship exists between best-corrected visual acuity
      (BCVA) and full-field electroretinography (ffERG), and the degree of CVD.
      METHODS: A retrospective, cross-sectional study of 73 patients with a molecularly
      proven diagnosis of STD, who underwent extensive colour vision evaluation, using
      pseudo-isochromatic and arrangement tests. Thirteen patients underwent Nagel
      anomaloscopy. RESULTS: Normal colour vision was found in almost 20% of patients.
      Red/green (R/G) CVDs increased as BCVA declined. About 45% of all R/G CVDs were
      of the deutan type, although protan type CVDs became progressively apparent when
      moving from the high to the low BCVA group. An additional blue/yellow CVD was
      noted in about 25% of patients. In 10/13 patients, a pseudoprotanomaly was noted
      on anomaloscopy. Severe CVDs leading to scotopization were noted in patients with
      low BCVA and/or long-standing disease. No statistically significant differences
      in ERG results were found between groups with or without a CVD. CONCLUSIONS: The
      degree and type of colour vision deficiency in STD patients correlate better with
      BCVA than with ffERG results. The presence of specific CVDs may help to establish
      a diagnosis of STD. A battery of colour vision tests is required to properly
      evaluate CVDs in STD.

PMID- 26492202
TI  - Laboratory measurement of the direct oral anticoagulants.
AB  - Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), including the direct thrombin inhibitor,
      dabigatran, and the direct factor Xa (FXa) inhibitors, rivaroxaban, apixaban and
      edoxaban, are approved for thromboembolism prevention and treatment. These drugs
      do not require routine coagulation monitoring but, in some circumstances,
      measurement of drug level or anticoagulant effect may be necessary. Although
      traditional coagulation tests lack analytical sensitivity and specificity, they
      are widely available and inexpensive, and can provide useful information
      regarding the residual anticoagulant effect of DOACs. Hemoclot(r) and ecarin
      based assays can be used to quantify dabigatran level and calibrated chromogenic
      anti-FXa assays are suitable for measuring rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban
      levels, but these tests are not yet widely available.

PMID- 26492203
TI  - Amplified Singlet Oxygen Generation in Semiconductor Polymer Dots for
      Photodynamic Cancer Therapy.
AB  - This paper described the energy-transfer amplified singlet oxygen generation in
      semiconductor polymer dots (Pdots) for in vitro and in vivo photodynamic therapy.
      Hydrophobic photosensitizer tetraphenylporphyrin was facilely doped in the
      nanoparticles consisting of densely packed semiconductor polymers. Optical
      characterizations indicated that the fluorescence of Pdots was completely
      quenched by the photosensitizer, yielding an energy transfer efficiency of nearly
      100% and singlet-oxygen generation quantum yield of ~50%. We evaluated the
      cellular uptake, dark toxicity, and photodynamic therapy of the Pdot
      photosensizer in human gastric adenocarcinoma cells. The in vitro studies
      indicated that cancer cells were efficiently destroyed at very low dose of the
      Pdots such as 1 MUg/mL by using the light dose of 90 J/cm(2), which is
      considerably less than that in clinical practice. The antitumor effect of the
      Pdots was further evaluated in vivo with human gastric adenocarcinoma xenografts
      in Balb/c nude mice, which show that the xenograft tumors were significantly
      inhibited and eradicated in some cases. Our results indicate the energy transfer
      amplified Pdot platforms have great therapeutic potential for treating malignant
      cancers. 

PMID- 26492204
TI  - Correction: An Oriental Medicine, Hyungbangpaedok-San Attenuates Motor Paralysis
      in an Experimental Model of Multiple Sclerosis by Regulating the T Cell Response.

PMID- 26492206
TI  - Enhanced Dissipation of Triazole and Multiclass Pesticide Residues on Grapes
      after Foliar Application of Grapevine-Associated Bacillus Species.
AB  - Disease management in vineyards with fungicides sometimes results in undesirable
      residue accumulations in grapes at harvest. Bioaugmentation of the grape
      fructosphere can be a useful approach for enhancing the degradation rate and
      reducing the residues to safe levels. This paper reports the in vitro and in vivo
      biodegradation of three triazole fungicides commonly used in Indian vineyards, by
      Bacillus strains, namely, DR-39, CS-126, TL-171, and TS-204, which were earlier
      found to enhance the dissipation rate of profenophos and carbendazim. The strains
      utilized the triazoles as carbon source and enhanced their in vitro rate of
      degradation. Myclobutanil, tetraconazole, and flusilazole were applied in
      separate vineyard plots at field doses of 0.40 g L(-1), 0.75 mL L(-1), and 0.125
      mL L(-1), respectively. Residue analysis of field samples from the treated fields
      reflected 87.38 and >99% degradations of myclobutanil and tetraconazole,
      respectively, by the strain DR-39, and 90.82% degradation of flusilazole by the
      strain CS-126 after 15-20 days of treatment. In the respective controls, the
      corresponding percent degradations were 72.07, 58.88, and 54.28, respectively.
      These Bacillus strains could also simultaneously degrade the residues of
      profenofos, carbendazim, and tetraconazole on the grape berries and can be useful
      in multiclass pesticide residue biodegradation. 

PMID- 26492205
TI  - Minimal residual disease assessed by multi-parameter flow cytometry is highly
      prognostic in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
AB  - The prognostic value of minimal residual disease (MRD) assessed by multi
      parameter flow cytometry (MFC) was investigated among 340 adult patients with B
      cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) treated between 2004 and 2014 using
      regimens including the hyperCVAD (hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide,
      vincristine, doxorubicin, dexamethasone, methotrexate, cytarabine) backbone.
      Among them, 323 (95%) achieved complete remission (CR) and were included in this
      study. Median age was 52 years (range, 15-84). Median white blood cell count
      (WBC) was 9.35 * 10(9) /l (range, 0.4-658.1 *1 0(9) /l). MRD by MFC was initially
      assessed with a sensitivity of 0.01%, using a 15-marker, 4-colour panel and
      subsequently a 6-colour panel on bone marrow specimens obtained at CR achievement
      and at approximately 3 month intervals thereafter. MRD negative status at CR was
      associated with improved disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) (P
      = 0.004 and P = 0.03, respectively). Similarly, achieving MRD negative status at
      approximately 3 and 6 months was associated with improved DFS (P = 0.004 and P <
      0.0001, respectively) and OS (P = 0.004 and P < 0.0001, respectively).
      Multivariate analysis including age, WBC at presentation, cytogenetics (standard
      versus high risk) and MRD status at CR, 3 and 6 months, indicated that MRD
      negative status at CR was an independent predictor of DFS (P < 0.05). Achievement
      of an MRD negative state assessed by MFC is an important predictor of DFS and OS
      in adult patients with ALL. 

PMID- 26492207
TI  - Silica Foams for Fire Prevention and Firefighting.
AB  - We report the new development of fire-extinguishing agents employing the latest
      technology of fighting and preventing fires. The in situ technology of fighting
      fires and explosions involves using large-scale ultrafast-gelated foams, which
      possess new properties and unique characteristics, in particular, exceptional
      thermal stability, mechanical durability, and full biocompatibility. We provide a
      detailed description of the physicochemical processes of silica foam formation at
      the molecular level and functional comparison with current fire-extinguishing and
      fire-fighting agents. The new method allows to produce controllable gelation
      silica hybrid foams in the range from 2 to 30 s up to 100 Pa.s viscosity.
      Chemical structure and hierarchical morphology obtained by scanning electron
      microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images develop thermal insulation
      capabilities of the foams, reaching a specific heat value of more than 2.5
      kJ/(kg. degrees C). The produced foam consists of organized silica nanoparticles
      as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis
      with a narrow particle size distribution of ~10-20 nm. As a result of fire
      extinguishing tests, it is shown that the extinguishing efficiency exhibited by
      silica-based sol-gel foams is almost 50 times higher than that for ordinary water
      and 15 times better than that for state-of-the-art firefighting agent aqueous
      film forming foam. The biodegradation index determined by the time of the
      induction period was only 3 d, while even for conventional foaming agents this
      index is several times higher. 

PMID- 26492209
TI  - Maternal Characteristics, Pregnancy Complications, and Adverse Birth Outcomes
      Among Women With Disabilities.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to describe the maternal
      characteristics, pregnancy complications, and birth outcomes among a
      representative sample of Rhode Island women with disabilities who recently gave
      birth. METHODS: Data from the 2002-2011 Rhode Island Pregnancy Risk Assessment
      Monitoring System survey were analyzed. RESULTS: Approximately 7% of women in
      Rhode Island reported a disability. Women with disabilities reported significant
      disparities in their health care utilization, health behaviors, and health status
      before and during pregnancy and during the postpartum period. Compared with
      nondisabled women, they were significantly more likely to report stressful life
      events and medical complications during their most recent pregnancy, were less
      likely to receive prenatal care in the first trimester, and more likely to have
      preterm births (13.4%; 95% CI, 11.6-15.6 compared with 8.9%; 95% CI, 8.5-9.3 for
      women without disabilities) and low-birth-weight babies (10.3%; 95% CI, 9.4-11.2
      compared with 6.8%; 95% CI, 6.8-6.9). There was no difference in the rates of
      cesarean section between women with and without disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings support the need for clinicians providing care to pregnant women with
      disabilities to be aware of the increased risk for medical problems during
      pregnancy and factors that increase the risk for poor infant outcomes.

PMID- 26492208
TI  - Highly differentiated human airway epithelial cells: a model to study host cell
      parasite interactions in pertussis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bordetella pertussis colonizes the human respiratory mucosa. Most
      studies on B. pertussis adherence have relied on cultured mammalian cells that
      lack key features present in differentiated human airway cells or on animal
      models that are not natural hosts of B. pertussis. The objectives of this work
      were to evaluate B. pertussis infection in highly differentiated human airway
      cells in vitro and to show the role of B. pertussis fimbriae in cell adherence.
      METHODS: Primary human airway epithelial (PHAE) cells from human bronchi and a
      human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cell line were grown in vitro under air-liquid
      interface conditions. RESULTS: PHAE and HBE cells infected with B. pertussis wild
      type strain revealed bacterial adherence to the apical surface of cells, bacteria
      induced cytoskeleton changes, and cell detachment. Mutations in the major
      fimbrial subunits Fim2/3 or in the minor fimbrial adhesin subunit FimD affected
      B. pertussis adherence to predominantly HBE cells. This cell model recapitulates
      the morphologic features of the human airway infected by B. pertussis and
      confirms the role of fimbriae in B. pertussis adherence. Furthermore, HBE cells
      show that fimbrial subunits, and specifically FimD adhesin, are critical in B.
      pertussis adherence to airway cells. CONCLUSIONS: The relevance of this model to
      study host-parasite interaction in pertussis lies in the striking physiologic and
      morphologic similarity between the PHAE and HBE cells and the human airway
      ciliated and goblet cells in vivo. These cells can proliferate in vitro,
      differentiate, and express the same genetic profile as human respiratory cells in
      vivo.

PMID- 26492210
TI  - Serious Mental Illness and Risk for Hospitalizations and Rehospitalizations for
      Ambulatory Care-sensitive Conditions in Denmark: A Nationwide Population-based
      Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) and
      early rehospitalizations increase health care costs. OBJECTIVES: To determine if
      individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMIs) (eg, schizophrenia or bipolar
      disorder) are at increased risk for hospitalizations for ACSCs, and
      rehospitalization for the same or another ACSC, within 30 days. RESEARCH DESIGN:
      Population-based cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 5.9 million Danish
      persons aged 18 years and older between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2013.
      MEASURES: The Danish Psychiatric Central Register provided information on SMI
      diagnoses and the Danish National Patient Register on hospitalizations for ACSCs
      and 30-day rehospitalizations. RESULTS: SMI was associated with increased risk
      for having any ACSC-related hospitalization after adjusting for demographics,
      socioeconomic factors, comorbidities, and prior primary care utilization
      [incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.41; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.37-1.45].
      Among individual ACSCs, SMI was associated with increased risk for
      hospitalizations for angina (IRR: 1.14, 95% CI, 1.04-1.25), chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease/asthma exacerbation (IRR: 1.87; 95% CI, 1.74-2.00), congestive
      heart failure exacerbation (IRR: 1.25; 95% CI, 1.16-1.35), and diabetes (IRR:
      1.43; 95% CI, 1.31-1.57), appendiceal perforation (IRR: 1.49; 95% CI, 1.30-1.71),
      pneumonia (IRR: 1.72; 95% CI, 1.66-1.79), and urinary tract infection (IRR: 1.70;
      95% CI, 1.62-1.78). SMI was also associated with increased risk for
      rehospitalization within 30 days for the same (IRR: 1.28; 95% CI, 1.18-1.40) or
      for another ACSC (IRR: 1.62; 95% CI, 1.49-1.76). CONCLUSION: Persons with SMI are
      at increased risk for hospitalizations for ACSCs, and after discharge, are at
      increased risk for rehospitalizations for ACSCs within 30 days.

PMID- 26492211
TI  - High Intensity of End-of-Life Care Among Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer
      Patients in the New York State Medicaid Program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the care that adolescent and young adult (AYA)
      cancer patients receive at the end of life (EOL). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate use of
      intensive measures and hospice and location of death of AYA cancer patients
      insured by Medicaid in New York State. DESIGN: Using linked patient-level data
      from the New York State Cancer Registry and state Medicaid program, we identified
      705 Medicaid patients who were diagnosed with cancer between the ages of 15 and
      29 in the years 2004-2011, who subsequently died, and who were continuously
      enrolled in Medicaid in the last 60 days of life. We evaluated use of intensive
      EOL measures (chemotherapy within 14 d of death; intensive care unit care, >1
      emergency room visit, and hospitalizations in the last 30 d of life), hospice
      use, and location of death (inpatient hospice, long-term care facility, acute
      care facility, home with hospice, home without hospice). RESULTS: 75% of AYA
      Medicaid decedents used at least 1 aspect of intensive EOL care. 38% received
      chemotherapy in the last 2 weeks of life; 21% received intensive care unit care,
      44% had >1 emergency room visit, and 64% were hospitalized in the last month of
      life. Only 23% used hospice. 65% of patients died in acute care settings,
      including the inpatient hospital or emergency room. CONCLUSIONS: Given the high
      rates of intensive measures and low utilization of hospice at the EOL among AYA
      Medicaid enrollees, opportunities to maximize the quality of EOL care in this
      high-risk group should be prioritized.

PMID- 26492212
TI  - Predictors of Emergency Department Visits and Inpatient Admissions Among Homeless
      and Unstably Housed Adolescents and Young Adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individuals under age 25 years are estimated to comprise one third of
      the homeless population nationally. Understanding the reasons for utilization of
      hospitals by homeless youth is important for optimizing disposition planning.
      OBJECTIVES: Objectives of the present study were to: (1) report prevalence of
      emergency department (ED) and inpatient admissions among homeless and unstably
      housed youth; (2) describe demographic characteristics of those youth who seek
      hospital care; (3) describe their patterns of injury, illness, psychiatric, and
      substance use conditions; and (4) identify demographic and diagnostic predictors
      of ED visit or hospital readmission. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of 15-25
      year-olds (N=402) who were admitted to the ED or inpatient floors of 2 urban
      teaching hospitals in King County, WA between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2012 and
      whose address was "homeless" or "none" or a homeless shelter or service agency
      (ie, homeless or unstably housed), during any recorded encounter between July 1,
      2009 and June 30, 2012. RESULTS: A total of 1151 ED visits and 227 inpatient
      admissions were documented. Fifty percent of patients had an ED visit or hospital
      readmission within 1 year, with 43.1% receiving care within 30 days of discharge.
      Cox regression showed that female individuals with an injury diagnosis (hazard
      ratio=1.74, 95% confidence interval=1.06, 2.85) and male individuals with an
      acute medical condition (hazard ratio=1.59, 95% confidence interval=1.09, 2.32)
      at index visit were more likely to have an ED visit or hospital readmission
      during the following year, as were patients who provided a private address at
      their index visit. CONCLUSIONS: Homeless young people who seek hospital care
      demonstrate a high rate of ED visits and hospital readmissions, with unique
      predictors of utilization associated with sex and housing status. Additional
      research is necessary to determine how best to transition these young people from
      hospital-based to community-based care.

PMID- 26492213
TI  - Reexamining the Relationship of Breast Cancer Hospital and Surgical Volume to
      Mortality: An Instrumental Variable Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To reexamine the relationship of hospital and surgical volume to all
      cause and breast cancer-specific mortality, taking into account the potential
      selection bias in patients treated at high-volume centers or by high-volume
      surgeons. DATA SOURCES: Elderly (65+) women with early-stage, incident breast
      cancer surgery in 2003. STUDY DESIGN: A population-based, prospective survey
      study. METHODS: Two-stage, instrumental variable regression models. PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: Women treated in high-volume hospitals were significantly less likely
      to die of any cause by 5 years after surgery, even after adjustments for self
      selection and a number of other factors. The relationship was larger and more
      significant for breast cancer-specific mortality. Although the general pattern of
      better mortality outcomes held for moderately sized hospitals, the relationships
      were not statistically significant. In contrast, there was no relationship of
      surgeon volume with all-cause or breast cancer-specific mortality. CONCLUSIONS:
      Hospital volume, but not surgeon volume, is associated with better survival among
      women with breast cancer. The magnitude of the potential improvement was
      substantial and comparable with the benefit conferred by many systemic therapies.
      These findings highlight the importance of accounting for patient self-selection
      in volume-outcome analyses, and provide support for policy initiatives aimed at
      regionalizing breast cancer care in the United States.

PMID- 26492214
TI  - A Time Trade-off-derived Value Set of the EQ-5D-5L for Canada.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 5-level version of the EQ-5D (EQ-5D-5L) was recently developed. A
      number of preference-based scoring systems are being developed for several
      countries around the world. OBJECTIVE: To develop a value set for the EQ-5D-5L
      based on societal preferences in Canada. METHODS: We used age, sex, and education
      quota sampling from the general population from 4 cities across Canada. Composite
      time trade-off (cTTO) and traditional time trade-off (tTTO) were used as the main
      elicitation technique. A total of 86 EQ-5D-5L health states grouped into 10
      blocks were valued using cTTO, whereas a subset of 18 severe states was also
      valued using tTTO. Participants meeting predefined inconsistency criteria were
      excluded from the analyses. For the value set development, we used tTTO and
      positive cTTO values, while censoring negative and zero cTTO values at zero.
      Models with the main effects presented using linear terms combined with various
      additional terms were estimated. The preferred model was selected based primarily
      on logically ordered coefficients, and secondly model fit. RESULTS: Of the 1209
      participants who completed the interview, 136 met criteria that excluded them
      from the primary analyses. The demographics and socioeconomic status of the
      remaining 1073 participants were similar to the Canadian general population. The
      preferred model has 5 linear terms for the main effects, a term for level 4 or 5
      for each dimension, and a term for the squared total number of level 4 or 5
      beyond the first. For this preferred model, the health utilities ranged from 
      0.148 for the worst (55555) to 0.949 for the best (11111) EQ-5D-5L states.
      CONCLUSIONS: This is the first TTO-based value set of the EQ-5D-5L for Canada. It
      can be used to support the health utility estimation in economic evaluations for
      reimbursement decision making in Canada.

PMID- 26492215
TI  - Mortality Among Older Adults Before Versus After Hospital Transition to
      Intensivist Staffing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A large body of research suggests that hospitals with intensive care
      units staffed by board-certified intensivists have lower mortality rates than
      those that do not. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether hospitals can reduce their
      mortality by adopting an intensivist staffing model. DESIGN: Retrospective,
      longitudinal study using 2003-2010 Medicare data and the Leapfrog Group Hospital
      surveys. SETTING AND PATIENTS: In total, 2,916,801 Medicare patients at 488 US
      hospitals. MEASUREMENTS: We studied 30-day and in-hospital mortality among
      patients with several common medical and surgical conditions. We first compared
      risk-adjusted mortality rates of 3 groups of hospitals: those that were
      intensivist staffed throughout this time period, those that were not intensivist
      staffed, and those that transitioned to intensivist staffing somewhere during the
      period. We then examined rates of mortality improvement within each of the 3
      groups and used difference-in-differences techniques to assess the independent
      effect of intensivist staffing among the subset of hospitals that transitioned.
      RESULTS: Hospitals with intensivist staffing at the beginning of our study period
      had lower mortality rates than those without. However, hospitals that adopted
      intensivist staffing during the study period did not substantially improve their
      mortality rates. In our difference-in-differences analysis, there was no
      significant independent improvement in mortality after transitioning to
      intensivist staffing either overall [relative risk (RR), 0.96; 95% confidence
      interval (CI), 0.90-1.02] or in the medical (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.89-1.02) or
      surgical populations (RR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.84-1.10). LIMITATIONS: Risk adjustment
      was based on administrative data. Categorization of exposure was by survey
      response at the hospital level. CONCLUSIONS: Adoption of an intensivist staffing
      model was not associated with improved mortality in Medicare beneficiaries. These
      findings suggest that the lower mortality rates previously observed at hospitals
      with intensivist staffing may be attributable to other factors.

PMID- 26492216
TI  - Do Health Care Delivery System Reforms Improve Value? The Jury Is Still Out.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Widespread restructuring of health delivery systems is underway in
      the United States to reduce costs and improve the quality of health care.
      OBJECTIVE: To describe studies evaluating the impact of system-level
      interventions (incentives and delivery structures) on the value of US health
      care, defined as the balance between quality and cost. RESEARCH DESIGN: We
      identified articles in PubMed (2003 to July 2014) using keywords identified
      through an iterative process, with reference and author tracking. We searched
      tables of contents of relevant journals from August 2014 through 11 August 2015
      to update our sample. SUBJECTS: We included prospective or retrospective studies
      of system-level changes, with a control, reporting both quality and either cost
      or utilization of resources. MEASURES: Data about study design, study quality,
      and outcomes was extracted by one reviewer and checked by a second. RESULTS:
      Thirty reports of 28 interventions were included. Interventions included patient
      centered medical home implementations (n=12), pay-for-performance programs
      (n=10), and mixed interventions (n=6); no other intervention types were
      identified. Most reports (n=19) described both cost and utilization outcomes.
      Quality, cost, and utilization outcomes varied widely; many improvements were
      small and process outcomes predominated. Improved value (improved quality with
      stable or lower cost/utilization or stable quality with lower cost/utilization)
      was seen in 23 reports; 1 showed decreased value, and 6 showed unchanged,
      unclear, or mixed results.Study limitations included variability among specific
      endpoints reported, inconsistent methodologies, and lack of full adjustment in
      some observational trials. Lack of standardized MeSH terms was also a challenge
      in the search. CONCLUSIONS: On balance, the literature suggests that health
      system reforms can improve value. However, this finding is tempered by the
      varying outcomes evaluated across studies with little documented improvement in
      outcome quality measures. Standardized measures of value would facilitate
      assessment of the impact of interventions across studies and better estimates of
      the broad impact of system change.

PMID- 26492217
TI  - Disparities in 30-Day Rehospitalization Rates Among Medicare Skilled Nursing
      Facility Residents by Race and Site of Care.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine racial and site-of-care disparities in all-cause and
      potentially avoidable 30-day rehospitalization rates among a national cohort of
      Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents. METHODS: We analyzed the 2012
      Minimum Data Set, Medicare inpatient claims, and other data. Multivariable
      logistic regressions were used to adjust for resident demographic, functional,
      and diagnostic characteristics, as well as observed SNF and geographic factors.
      Conditional fixed effects for SNFs were further used to adjust for both observed
      and unobserved factors. Independent effects of black race and site-of-care groups
      were estimated, where sites were defined using proportions of black Medicare
      admissions to the SNF. RESULTS: The 30-day all-cause and potentially avoidable
      rehospitalization rates were 21.9% and 8.8%, respectively, for black residents
      (n=120,508), and 17.7% and 7.9% for white residents (n=1,182,003). Racial
      disparities persisted after adjustment for resident characteristics. Moreover,
      risk-adjusted disparities were essentially related to the type of SNFs to which
      residents were admitted; after controlling for SNF sites, significant racial
      disparity disappeared for potentially available rehospitalizations. Black
      residents and white residents admitted to SNFs with high proportions of black
      admissions (>25%) were 31% and 19%, respectively, more likely to be
      rehospitalized than white residents admitted to SNFs caring for only a small
      percentage of black postacute residents (<3%). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with white
      SNF residents, black SNF residents are more likely to be rehospitalized even
      after adjusting for patient risk factors. Black-white disparities, especially in
      potentially preventable rehospitalizations, are largely due to the fact that
      black residents tend to be admitted to the small number of SNFs with very high
      rehospitalization rates.

PMID- 26492218
TI  - Is there an effect of thyroid autoimmunity on the outcomes of assisted
      reproduction?
AB  - We aimed to evaluate the role of thyroid autoantibodies (TAA) on the outcomes of
      intracytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transfer (ICSI-ET). A prospective case
      control study was conducted in the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) centre of
      Suleymaniye Maternity Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey between
      July 2013 and March 2014. A total of 49 (19.52%) TAA-positive and 202 TAA
      negative patients were enrolled. Demographic characteristics and laboratory
      parameters were recorded. All patients underwent ICSI-ET. Thirty-one TAA-positive
      patients (32 cycles) and 121 TAA-negative patients (126 cycles) completed the
      study. Mean female age, body mass index (BMI), type of infertility, duration of
      infertility, antral follicle count (AFC), anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), basal
      follicle stimulating hormone (bFSH), luteinising hormone (bLH), and oestradiol
      (bE2), prolactin and thyroid hormone profiles, male age and aetiology of
      infertility of both groups were similar (p > 0.05). There was no significant
      difference between groups in terms of duration and dose of gonadotropin (Gn)
      therapy, day of human chorionic Gn (hCG) administration, serum E2 and
      progesterone levels, number of collected oocytes, ratio of fertilisation, number
      of available embryos, positive pregnancy test, biochemical pregnancy, clinical
      pregnancy, ratio of miscarriage and ongoing pregnancy (p > 0.05). In conclusion,
      we failed to demonstrate a significant role of TAA on the outcomes of ICSI-ET in
      euthyroid patients. Further studies with larger numbers of participants are
      required to clarify these data. 

PMID- 26492219
TI  - Combination therapy with lopinavir/ritonavir, ribavirin and interferon-alpha for
      Middle East respiratory syndrome.
AB  - Since the first report of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012 in
      Saudi Arabia, no standard treatment guideline has been set despite the virulence
      of MERS-coronavirus (CoV) and the high case-fatality rate. The outbreak in South
      Korea in 2015 demonstrates that MERS outbreaks can occur outside of the Middle
      East. The combination of ribavirin and interferon-alpha has been the most widely
      used therapy for this infection. However, due to the varying results of treatment
      with these drugs, a new antiviral combination regimen is urgently needed. This is
      a case report of use of lopinavir/ritonavir-based combination antiviral therapy
      for a patient with MERS-CoV infection.

PMID- 26492220
TI  - Tailor-Made Fluorinated Copolymer/Clay Nanocomposite by Cationic RAFT Assisted
      Pickering Miniemulsion Polymerization.
AB  - Fluorinated polymers in emulsion find enormous applications in hydrophobic
      surface coating. Currently, lots of efforts are being made to develop specialty
      polymer emulsions which are free from surfactants. This investigation reports the
      preparation of a fluorinated copolymer via Pickering miniemulsion polymerization.
      In this case, 2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyl acrylate (PFPA), methyl methacrylate
      (MMA), and n-butyl acrylate (nBA) were copolymerized in miniemulsion using
      Laponite-RDS as the stabilizer. The copolymerization was carried out via
      reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) process. Here, a cationic
      RAFT agent, S-1-dodecyl-S'-(methylbenzyltriethylammonium bromide)
      trithiocarbonate (DMTTC), was used to promote polymer-Laponite interaction by
      means of ionic attraction. The polymerization was much faster when Laponite
      content was 30 wt % or above with 1.2 wt % RAFT agent. The stability of the
      miniemulsion in terms of zeta potential was found to be dependent on the amount
      of both Laponite and RAFT agent. The miniemulsion had particle sizes in the range
      of 200-300 nm. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy
      (TEM) analyses showed the formation of Laponite armored spherical copolymer
      particles. The fluorinated copolymer films had improved surface properties
      because of polymer-Laponite interaction. 

PMID- 26492221
TI  - Magnetocaloric properties of TbN, DyN and HoN nanopowders prepared by the plasma
      arc discharge method.
AB  - We report for the first time the synthesis of nanopowders of TbN, DyN and HoN
      crystallized in a cubic structure by the plasma arc discharge (PAD) method and
      investigate their magnetocaloric properties for magnetic refrigeration
      applications. The nitridization of terbium, dysprosium and holmium was obtained
      using a mixture of nitrogen and argon gas inside a discharge chamber with 4 kPa
      pressure. The structural and microstructural properties of these rare earth
      nitrides were investigated by using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron
      microscopy. The studied nitrides undergo a second-order ferromagnetic to
      paramagnetic phase transition at Curie temperatures of 35.7, 19.9 and 14.2 K for
      TbN, DyN and HoN, respectively. The magnetocaloric effects were estimated by
      calculating the magnetic entropy changes from the magnetization data sets
      measured at the different applied magnetic fields and temperatures. The changes
      in entropy -DeltaSM were found to be 12.0, 13.6 and 24.5 J kg(-1) K(-1) at an
      applied magnetic field of 5 T. 

PMID- 26492222
TI  - Simultaneous Purification and Perforation of Low-Grade Si Sources for Lithium-Ion
      Battery Anode.
AB  - Silicon is regarded as one of the most promising candidates for lithium-ion
      battery anodes because of its abundance and high theoretical capacity. Various
      silicon nanostructures have been heavily investigated to improve electrochemical
      performance by addressing issues related to structure fracture and unstable solid
      electrolyte interphase (SEI). However, to further enable widespread applications,
      scalable and cost-effective processes need to be developed to produce these
      nanostructures at large quantity with finely controlled structures and
      morphologies. In this study, we develop a scalable and low cost process to
      produce porous silicon directly from low grade silicon through ball-milling and
      modified metal-assisted chemical etching. The morphology of porous silicon can be
      drastically changed from porous-network to nanowire-array by adjusting the
      component in reaction solutions. Meanwhile, this perforation process can also
      effectively remove the impurities and, therefore, increase Si purity (up to
      99.4%) significantly from low-grade and low-cost ferrosilicon (purity of 83.4%)
      sources. The electrochemical examinations indicate that these porous silicon
      structures with carbon treatment can deliver a stable capacity of 1287 mAh g(-1)
      over 100 cycles at a current density of 2 A g(-1). This type of purified porous
      silicon with finely controlled morphology, produced by a scalable and cost
      effective fabrication process, can also serve as promising candidates for many
      other energy applications, such as thermoelectrics and solar energy conversion
      devices. 

PMID- 26492223
TI  - Sunitinib-associated hypertension and neutropenia as efficacy biomarkers in
      metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) prognostic models may be
      improved by incorporating treatment-induced toxicities. METHODS: In sunitinib
      treated mRCC patients (N=770), baseline prognostic factors and treatment-induced
      toxicities (hypertension (systolic blood pressure ?140 mm Hg), neutropenia (grade
      ?2), thrombocytopenia (grade ?2), hand-foot syndrome (grade >0), and
      asthenia/fatigue (grade >0)) were analysed in multivariate analyses of
      progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) end points. RESULTS: On
      treatment neutropenia and hypertension were associated with longer PFS (P=0.0276
      and P<0.0001, respectively) and OS (P=0.0014 and P<0.0001, respectively),
      independent of baseline prognostic factors, including International Metastatic
      Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) criteria. By 12-week landmark
      analysis, neutropenia was significantly associated with longer PFS and OS
      (P=0.013 and P=0.0122, respectively) and hypertension or hand-foot syndrome with
      longer OS (P=0.0036 and P=0.0218, respectively). The concordance index was 0.65
      (95% CI: 0.63-0.67) for IMDC classification alone and 0.72 (95% CI: 0.70-0.74)
      when combined with hypertension and neutropenia. Considering hypertension and
      neutropenia (developing both vs neither) changed IMDC-predicted median OS in each
      IMDC risk group (favourable: 45.3 vs 19.5 months; intermediate: 32.5 vs 8.0
      months; poor: 21.1 vs 4.8 months). CONCLUSIONS: On-treatment neutropenia and
      hypertension are independent biomarkers of sunitinib efficacy and may add
      prognostic accuracy to the IMDC model.

PMID- 26492224
TI  - Big Data: the challenge for small research groups in the era of cancer genomics.
AB  - In the past decade, cancer research has seen an increasing trend towards high
      throughput techniques and translational approaches. The increasing availability
      of assays that utilise smaller quantities of source material and produce higher
      volumes of data output have resulted in the necessity for data storage solutions
      beyond those previously used. Multifactorial data, both large in sample size and
      heterogeneous in context, needs to be integrated in a standardised, cost
      effective and secure manner. This requires technical solutions and administrative
      support not normally financially accounted for in small- to moderate-sized
      research groups. In this review, we highlight the Big Data challenges faced by
      translational research groups in the precision medicine era; an era in which the
      genomes of over 75,000 patients will be sequenced by the National Health Service
      over the next 3 years to advance healthcare. In particular, we have looked at
      three main themes of data management in relation to cancer research, namely (1)
      cancer ontology management, (2) IT infrastructures that have been developed to
      support data management and (3) the unique ethical challenges introduced by
      utilising Big Data in research.

PMID- 26492225
TI  - Berberine and Curcumin Target Survivin and STAT3 in Gastric Cancer Cells and
      Synergize Actions of Standard Chemotherapeutic 5-Fluorouracil.
AB  - Aberrantly expressed survivin and STAT3 signaling have emerged as major
      determinants of chemoresistance in gastric cancer. We evaluated effects of potent
      herbal derivatives curcumin, berberine, and quercetin on STAT3 signaling,
      survivin expression, and response to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) treatment in gastric
      cancer cells (AGS). Cytotoxic and inhibitory effects of berberine, curcumin, and
      quercetin alone or in combination with 5-FU were examined by MTT assay, and their
      effect on survivin, STAT3, and the phosphorylated active STAT3 (pSTAT3)
      expression was examined by western blotting. Effect of these herbal derivatives
      on STAT3 DNA binding activity was measured by electrophoretic mobility shift
      assay. Curcumin, berberine, and quercetin effectively downregulated pSTAT3
      levels, survivin expression, and gastric cancer cells viability in a dose
      dependent manner (with corresponding IC50 values of 40.3MUM, 29.2MUM and 37.5MUM,
      respectively). Berberine was more effective in inhibiting survivin expression as
      compared to other herbal agents. 5-FU in combination with berberine or curcumin
      showed a synergistic inhibition of survivin and STAT3 level resulting in enhanced
      cell death in gastric cancer cells. Overall, our data suggest use of berberine
      and curcumin as adjunct therapeutics to overcome chemoresistance during treatment
      of gastric malignancies. 

PMID- 26492226
TI  - Effect of Three Training Systems on Grapes in a Wet Region of China: Yield,
      Incidence of Disease and Anthocyanin Compositions of Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet
      Sauvignon.
AB  - Grapevine training systems determine the suitability for grape varieties in a
      specific growing region. We evaluated the influence of three training systems,
      Single Guyot (SG), Spur-pruned Vertical Shoot-Positioned (VSP), and Four-Arm
      Kniffin (4AK), on the performance of grapes and vines of Vitis vinifera L. cv.
      Cabernet Sauvignon in the 2012 and 2013 growing seasons in a wet region of
      central China. 4AK was the most productive system in comparison to SG and VSP. SG
      and VSP had lower disease infections of leaves and berries, especially in the mid
      and final stage of berry ripening. Three training systems had no impact on berry
      maturity. PLS-DA (Partial Least Squares-Discriminant) analysis showed that the
      relatively dry vintage could well discriminate three training systems, but the
      wet vintage was not. A wet vintage of 2013 had more accumulation of 3'5'
      substituted and acylated anthocyanins, including malvidin-3-O-(6-O-acetyl)
      glucoside, malvidin-3-O-glucoside, and petunidin-3-O-(cis-6-O-coumaryl)
      glucoside, etc. With regard to the effect of training systems, 4AK grapes had the
      lowest concentrations of total anthocyanins and individual anthocyanins, SG and
      VSP differed according to the different vintages, and showed highest
      concentration of total individual anthocyanins in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
      Generally, VSP benefited the most, contributing to significantly highest levels
      of total individual anthocyanins, and major anthocyanin, including malvidin-3-O
      glucoside and malvidin-3-O-(6-O-acetyl)-glucoside, and the grapes obtained from
      VSP presented significantly highest proportion of 3'5'-substituted anthocyanins.
      With regard to the ratios of 3'5'/3'-substituted, methoxylated/non-methoxylated
      and acylated/non-acylated anthocyanins, the significantly higher levels were also
      shown in VSP system. In summary, VSP was the best training system for Cabernet
      Sauvignon to accumulate relatively stable individual anthocyanins in this wet
      region of China and potentially in other rainy regions. 

PMID- 26492227
TI  - Validated LC-MS/MS Method for the Determination of Scopoletin in Rat Plasma and
      Its Application to Pharmacokinetic Studies.
AB  - A rapid, sensitive and selective liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization
      tandem mass spectrometric method was developed and validated for the
      quantification of scopoletin in rat plasma. After the addition of the internal
      standard xanthotoxin, plasma samples were pretreated by a simple one-step protein
      precipitation with acetonitrile-methanol (2:1, v/v). Chromatographic separation
      was achieved on a Diamonsil ODS chromatography column using gradient elution with
      the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid. The
      determination was performed by positive ion electrospray ionization in multiple
      reaction monitoring mode. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration
      range of 5-1000 ng/mL (r = 0.9996). The intra- and inter-day precision (RSD%) was
      less than 6.1%, and the accuracy (RE%) was from -3.0%-2.5%. This method was
      successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic research of scopoletin in rats after
      intravenous (5 mg/kg) or oral (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg) administration. The result
      showed that oral bioavailability with a dose of 5 mg/kg was 6.62% +/- 1.72%, 10
      mg/kg, 5.59% +/- 1.16%, and 20 mg/kg, 5.65% +/- 0.75%. 

PMID- 26492228
TI  - The Occurrence of Propyl Lactate in Chinese Baijius (Chinese Liquors) Detected by
      Direct Injection Coupled with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - As one of the oldest distillates in the world, flavor compounds of Chinese Baijiu
      (Chinese liquor) were extremely complex. Propyl lactate was firstly detected by
      direct injection and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in 72 Chinese
      Baijius. The objectives were to detect the contents of propyl lactate and
      evaluate its contribution to the aroma of Chinese Baijiu based on odor activity
      values (OAVs). The levels of propyl lactate in these distillates were determined
      by internal standard method and selective ion monitoring (SIM), which ranged from
      0.050 to 1.900 mg?L(-1) under investigation. Its detection threshold was
      determined by Three-Alternative Forced-Choice (3-AFC) and curve fitting (CF),
      which was 0.740 mg?L(-1) in 38% ethanol solution. The contribution of propyl
      lactate on the aroma of these distillate drinks was evaluated by their odor
      activity values (OAVs), which varied from 0.066 to 4.440. The OAVs of propyl
      lactate were found to exceed 1 in 13 Chinese Baijius, including 50 degrees 
      Jingzhi Guniang 5 years (4.440), 52 degrees  Jingzhi Guniang 10 years (3.024),
      Jingyanggang (2.568), Xianghe Ronghe Shaofang (2.313), and 1956 Laolang (1.431),
      which indicated that propyl lactate was one of odor-active components in these
      Chinese Baijius. 

PMID- 26492229
TI  - Oligomeric Procyanidins Interfere with Glycolysis of Activated T Cells. A Novel
      Mechanism for Inhibition of T Cell Function.
AB  - Procyanidins, which are flavonoids that are found in a variety of plant species,
      reduce or prevent immune disorders, such as allergy and autoimmune diseases,
      through an unknown mechanism. In the present study, we investigated the effects
      of procyanidins on the T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated responses of CD4+ T cells
      in vitro. Apple procyanidins strongly suppressed the proliferation of splenic
      CD4+ T cells that were stimulated by an anti-CD3epsilon antibody, as well as
      splenocytes stimulated by antigen, but did not alter interleukin (IL)-2 secretion
      from these cells. Furthermore, we found that oligomeric procyanidins strongly
      suppressed, in a degree of polymerization dependent manner, the proliferation of
      activated CD4+ T cells, as well as their production of effector cytokines,
      including glycolysis associated-cytokines, without affecting IL-2 secretion.
      Additionally, we investigated the inhibitory effects of oligomeric procyanidins
      on the glycolytic activity of activated CD4+ T cells. We show that pentameric
      procyanidin suppressed L-lactate production and glucose uptake in activated CD4+
      T cells. These results suggest that oligomeric procyanidins suppress the
      functions of activated CD4+ T cells by interfering with glycolysis. 

PMID- 26492230
TI  - miRNA Stability in Frozen Plasma Samples.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a family of small non-coding ribonucleic acids that
      post-transcriptionally inhibits the expression of their target messenger RNAs
      (mRNAs), thereby acting as general gene repressors. In this study we examined the
      relative quantity and stability of miRNA subjected to a long period of freezing;
      we compared the stability of eight miRNAs in the plasma of five human healthy
      controls before freezing and after six and 12 months of storage at -80  degrees
      C. In addition, we examined the plasma frozen for 14 years and the amount of
      miRNA still available. Using a Life Technologies protocol to amplify and quantify
      plasma miRNAs from EDTA (Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetic Acid)-treated blood, we
      analyzed the stability of eight miRNAs, (miR-125b-5p, miR-425-5p, miR-200b-5p,
      miR-200c-3p, miR-579-3p, miR-212-3p, miR-126-3p, and miR-21-5p). The miRNAs
      analyzed showed a high stability and long frozen half-life. 

PMID- 26492231
TI  - Thermal Influence of CNT on the Polyamide 12 Nanocomposite for Selective Laser
      Sintering.
AB  - The thermal influence of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the PA12 in the laser
      sintering process was assessed by physical experiments and a three dimensional
      simulation model. It appears that, by adding the CNTs into the PA12 matrix, the
      thermal conductivity increased. A double ellipsoidal heat flux model was applied
      to input a three dimensional, continuous moving, volumetric laser heat source.
      The predicted three dimensional temperature distributions suggested that the
      laser heat was conducted wider and deeper in the PA12-CNT sample than PA12.
      Greater heat conduction can reduce the interspace between two successive layers,
      and result in the increase of the parts' density and properties. 

PMID- 26492232
TI  - Antioxidant Properties of Essential Oil Extracted from Pinus morrisonicola Hay
      Needles by Supercritical Fluid and Identification of Possible Active Compounds by
      GC/MS.
AB  - Pine (Pinus morrisonicola Hay, PM) needles have been used as folk medicine for
      their antihypertension and lipid-lowering effects. As supercritical fluid
      extraction (SFE) is considered an ideal technique for the extraction of essential
      oil from plant materials, the present work investigated the optimal SFE
      conditions and the protective effects of different resulting fractions of PM
      needles on lipid peroxidation and foam cell production in macrophages. Nine PM
      needle extracts (PME1-9) were obtained in 1%-4% yields using different SFE
      conditions, of which PME1 had the lowest yield (1.1%) and PME3 the highest
      (3.9%). PME3 exhibited lower cytotoxic effects and stronger inhibition of lipid
      peroxidation and formation of foam cell in RAW 264.7 macrophages than those of
      other PME extracts. PME3-1 purified from PME3 by column and thin layer
      chromatography inhibited LDL oxidation more effectively than did PME3 in a cell
      free system oxidized by Cu(2+). PME3-1 dose-dependently (25-100 MUg/mL) decreased
      conjugated diene levels and foam cell formation induced by ox-LDL. GC/MS analyses
      revealed that 1-docosene, neophytadiene, and methyl abietate were increased 5.2-,
      1.7- and 4.3-fold in PME3-1 relative to PME3. A new hydrocarbon compound, cedrane
      8,13-diol, was identified in PME3-1. Overall, the present study demonstrates the
      optimal extraction conditions of SFE of PM and identifies the most potent
      antioxidant fractions and possible active compounds in PM. 

PMID- 26492233
TI  - Synthesis and Evaluation of New Pyrazoline Derivatives as Potential Anticancer
      Agents.
AB  - New pyrazoline derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic
      effects on AsPC-1 human pancreatic adenocarcinoma, U87 and U251 human
      glioblastoma cell lines. 1-[((5-(4-Methylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2
      yl)thio)acetyl]-3-(2-thienyl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-pyrazoline (11) was found to
      be the most effective anticancer agent against AsPC-1 and U251 cell lines, with
      IC50 values of 16.8 uM and 11.9 uM, respectively. Tumor selectivity of compound
      11 was clearly seen between Jurkat human leukemic T-cell line and human
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Due to its promising anticancer
      activity, compound 11 was chosen for apoptosis/necrosis evaluation and DNA
      cleavage analysis in U251 cells. Compound 11-treated U251 cells exhibited
      apoptotic phenotype at low concentration (1.5 uM). DNA-cleaving efficiency of
      this ligand was more significant than cisplatin and was clearly enhanced by
      Fe(II)-H2O2-ascorbic acid systems. This result pointed out the relationship
      between the DNA cleavage and the cell death. 

PMID- 26492234
TI  - Lupanine Improves Glucose Homeostasis by Influencing KATP Channels and Insulin
      Gene Expression.
AB  - The glucose-lowering effects of lupin seeds involve the combined action of
      several components. The present study investigates the influence of one of the
      main quinolizidine alkaloids, lupanine, on pancreatic beta cells and in an animal
      model of type-2 diabetes mellitus. In vitro studies were performed with insulin
      secreting INS-1E cells or islets of C57BL/6 mice. In the in vivo experiments,
      hyperglycemia was induced in rats by injecting streptozotocin (65 mg/kg body
      weight). In the presence of 15 mmol/L glucose, insulin secretion was
      significantly elevated by 0.5 mmol/L lupanine, whereas the alkaloid did not
      stimulate insulin release with lower glucose concentrations. In islets treated
      with l-arginine, the potentiating effect of lupanine already occurred at 8 mmol/L
      glucose. Lupanine increased the expression of the Ins-1 gene. The potentiating
      effect on secretion was correlated to membrane depolarization and an increase in
      the frequency of Ca(2+) action potentials. Determination of the current through
      ATP-dependent K+ channels (KATP channels) revealed that lupanine directly
      inhibited the channel. The effect was dose-dependent but, even with a high
      lupanine concentration of 1 mmol/L or after a prolonged exposure time (12 h), the
      KATP channel block was incomplete. Oral administration of lupanine did not induce
      hypoglycemia. By contrast, lupanine improved glycemic control in response to an
      oral glucose tolerance test in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. In summary, lupanine
      acts as a positive modulator of insulin release obviously without a risk for
      hypoglycemic episodes. 

PMID- 26492235
TI  - Stress Sensitivity Is Associated with Differential Accumulation of Reactive
      Oxygen and Nitrogen Species in Maize Genotypes with Contrasting Levels of Drought
      Tolerance.
AB  - Drought stress decreases crop growth, yield, and can further exacerbate pre
      harvest aflatoxin contamination. Tolerance and adaptation to drought stress is an
      important trait of agricultural crops like maize. However, maize genotypes with
      contrasting drought tolerances have been shown to possess both common and
      genotype-specific adaptations to cope with drought stress. In this research, the
      physiological and metabolic response patterns in the leaves of maize seedlings
      subjected to drought stress were investigated using six maize genotypes
      including: A638, B73, Grace-E5, Lo964, Lo1016, and Va35. During drought
      treatments, drought-sensitive maize seedlings displayed more severe symptoms such
      as chlorosis and wilting, exhibited significant decreases in photosynthetic
      parameters, and accumulated significantly more reactive oxygen species (ROS) and
      reactive nitrogen species (RNS) than tolerant genotypes. Sensitive genotypes also
      showed rapid increases in enzyme activities involved in ROS and RNS metabolism.
      However, the measured antioxidant enzyme activities were higher in the tolerant
      genotypes than in the sensitive genotypes in which increased rapidly following
      drought stress. The results suggest that drought stress causes differential
      responses to oxidative and nitrosative stress in maize genotypes with tolerant
      genotypes with slower reaction and less ROS and RNS production than sensitive
      ones. These differential patterns may be utilized as potential biological markers
      for use in marker assisted breeding. 

PMID- 26492236
TI  - PARP Inhibitor PJ34 Suppresses Osteogenic Differentiation in Mouse Mesenchymal
      Stem Cells by Modulating BMP-2 Signaling Pathway.
AB  - Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is known to be involved in a variety of cellular
      processes, such as DNA repair, cell death, telomere regulation, genomic stability
      and cell differentiation by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). While PARP
      inhibitors are presently under clinical investigation for cancer therapy, little
      is known about their side effects. However, PARP involvement in mesenchymal stem
      cell (MSC) differentiation potentiates MSC-related side effects arising from PARP
      inhibition. In this study, effects of PARP inhibitors on MSCs were examined. MSCs
      demonstrated suppressed osteogenic differentiation after 1 uM PJ34 treatment
      without cytotoxicity, while differentiation of MSCs into chondrocytes or
      adipocytes was unaffected. PJ34 suppressed mRNA induction of osteogenic markers,
      such as Runx2, Osterix, Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2, Osteocalcin, bone
      sialoprotein, and Osteopontin, and protein levels of Bone Morphogenetic Protein
      2, Osterix and Osteocalcin. PJ34 treatment also inhibited transcription factor
      regulators such as Smad1, Smad4, Smad5 and Smad8. Extracellular mineralized
      matrix formation was also diminished. These results strongly suggest that PARP
      inhibitors are capable of suppressing osteogenic differentiation and poly(ADP
      ribosyl)ation may play a physiological role in this process through regulation of
      BMP-2 signaling. Therefore, PARP inhibition may potentially attenuate osteogenic
      metabolism, implicating cautious use of PARP inhibitors for cancer treatments and
      monitoring of patient bone metabolism levels. 

PMID- 26492237
TI  - Metabolomics to Decipher the Chemical Defense of Cereals against Fusarium
      graminearum and Deoxynivalenol Accumulation.
AB  - Fusarium graminearum is the causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and
      Gibberella ear rot (GER), two devastating diseases of wheat, barley, and maize.
      Furthermore, F. graminearum species can produce type B trichothecene mycotoxins
      that accumulate in grains. Use of FHB and GER resistant cultivars is one of the
      most promising strategies to reduce damage induced by F. graminearum. Combined
      with genetic approaches, metabolomic ones can provide powerful opportunities for
      plant breeding through the identification of resistant biomarker metabolites
      which have the advantage of integrating the genetic background and the influence
      of the environment. In the past decade, several metabolomics attempts have been
      made to decipher the chemical defense that cereals employ to counteract F.
      graminearum. By covering the major classes of metabolites that have been
      highlighted and addressing their potential role, this review demonstrates the
      complex and integrated network of events that cereals can orchestrate to resist
      to F. graminearum. 

PMID- 26492238
TI  - Antiproliferative Activity and in Vivo Toxicity of Double-Point Modified Analogs
      of 1,25-Dihydroxyergocalciferol.
AB  - Analogs of 1,25-dihydroxyergocalciferol, modified in the side-chain and in the A
      ring, were tested for their antiproliferative activity against a series of human
      cancer cell lines in vitro and in vivo toxicity. The proliferation inhibition
      caused by the analogs was higher than that of the parent compounds, while the
      toxicity, measured as the serum calcium level, was lower. All analogs were able
      to induce, in HL-60 and MV4-11 leukemic cells, G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and
      differentiation expressed as morphological signs typical for monocytes. The
      analogs also induced the expression of CD11b and/or CD14 cell-differentiation
      markers. The most potent analogs, PRI-5105, PRI-5106, PRI-5201 and PRI-5202, were
      also able to induce vitamin D receptor (VDR) protein expression, mainly in the
      cytoplasmic fraction of HL-60 or MV4-11 cells. The most active analogs were the
      19-nor ones with an extended and rigidified side-chain (PRI-5201 and PRI-5202),
      as in the former analogs PRI-1906 and PRI-1907. Epimerization at C-24 (PRI-5101)
      or introduction of an additional hydroxyl at C-23 (PRI-5104) reduced the toxicity
      of the analog with retained antiproliferative activity. 

PMID- 26492240
TI  - High-Throughput Screening in Protein Engineering: Recent Advances and Future
      Perspectives.
AB  - Over the last three decades, protein engineering has established itself as an
      important tool for the development of enzymes and (therapeutic) proteins with
      improved characteristics. New mutagenesis techniques and computational design
      tools have greatly aided in the advancement of protein engineering. Yet, one of
      the pivotal components to further advance protein engineering strategies is the
      high-throughput screening of variants. Compartmentalization is one of the key
      features allowing miniaturization and acceleration of screening. This review
      focuses on novel screening technologies applied in protein engineering,
      highlighting flow cytometry- and microfluidics-based platforms. 

PMID- 26492239
TI  - MicroRNAs Regulate Mitochondrial Function in Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion
      Injury.
AB  - Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury involves multiple independently fatal
      terminal pathways in the mitochondria. These pathways include the reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) generation caused by changes in mitochondrial membrane potential
      and calcium overload, resulting in apoptosis via cytochrome c (Cyt c) release. In
      addition, numerous microRNAs are associated with the overall process. In this
      review, we first briefly summarize the mitochondrial changes in cerebral ischemia
      reperfusion and then describe the possible molecular mechanism of miRNA-regulated
      mitochondrial function, which likely includes oxidative stress and energy
      metabolism, as well as apoptosis. On the basis of the preceding analysis, we
      conclude that studies of microRNAs that regulate mitochondrial function will
      expedite the development of treatments for cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. 

PMID- 26492241
TI  - The Osteogenesis Effect and Underlying Mechanisms of Local Delivery of gAPN in
      Extraction Sockets of Beagle Dogs.
AB  - A plastic and biodegradable bone substitute consists of poly (L-lactic-co
      glycolic) acid and 30 wt % beta-tricalcium phosphate has been previously
      fabricated, but its osteogenic capability required further improvement. We
      investigated the use of globular adiponectin (gAPN) as an anabolic agent for
      tissue-engineered bone using this scaffold. A qualitative analysis of the bone
      regeneration process was carried out using MUCT and histological analysis 12
      weeks after implantation. CBCT (Cone Beam Computed Tomography) superimposition
      was used to characterise the effect of the different treatments on bone
      formation. In this study, we also explored adiponectin's (APN) influence on
      primary cultured human jaw bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells gene expressions
      involved in the osteogenesis. We found OPEN ACCESS Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2015, 16
      24947 that composite scaffolds loaded with gAPN or bone morphogenetic protein 2
      (BMP2) exhibited significantly increased bone formation and mineralisation
      following 12 weeks in the extraction sockets of beagle dogs, as well as enhanced
      expression of osteogenic markers. In vitro investigation revealed that APN also
      promoted osteoblast differentiation of primary cultured human jaw bone marrow
      mesenchymal stem cells (h-JBMMSCs), accompanied by increased activity of alkaline
      phosphatase, greater mineralisation, and production of the osteoblast
      differentiated genes osteocalcin, bone sialoprotein and collagen type I, which
      was reversed by APPL1 siRNA. Therefore, the composite scaffold loaded with APN
      exhibited superior activity for guided bone regeneration compared with blank
      control or Bio-Oss(r) (a commercially available product). The composite scaffold
      with APN has significant potential for clinical applications in bone tissue
      engineering. 

PMID- 26492242
TI  - miR-223 Inhibits Lipid Deposition and Inflammation by Suppressing Toll-Like
      Receptor 4 Signaling in Macrophages.
AB  - Atherosclerosis and its complications rank as the leading cause of death with the
      hallmarks of lipid deposition and inflammatory response. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have
      recently garnered increasing interests in cardiovascular disease. In this study,
      we investigated the function of miR-223 and the underlying mechanism in
      atherosclerosis. In the atherosclerotic ApoE-/- mice models, an obvious increase
      of miR-223 was observed in aortic atherosclerotic lesions. In lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS) activated macrophages, its expression was decreased. The miR-223
      overexpression significantly attenuated macrophage foam cell formation, lipid
      accumulation and pro-inflammatory cytokine production, which were reversed by
      anti-miR-223 inhibitor transfection. Mechanism assay corroborated that miR-223
      negatively regulated the activation of the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-nuclear
      factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway. Pretreatment with a specific inhibitor of NF
      kappaB (pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate, PDTC) strikingly abrogated miR-223 silence
      induced lipid deposition and inflammatory cytokine production. Furthermore,
      PI3K/AKT was activated by miR-223 up-regulation. Pretreatment with PI3K/AKT
      inhibitor LY294002 strikingly ameliorated the inhibitory effects of miR-223 on
      the activation of TLR4 and p65, concomitant with the increase in lipid deposition
      and inflammatory cytokine production. Together, these data indicate that miR-223
      up-regulation might abrogate the development of atherosclerosis by blocking TLR4
      signaling through activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway, and provides a promising
      therapeutic avenue for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26492243
TI  - (-)-Epicatechin-3-O-beta-D-allopyranoside from Davallia formosana, Prevents
      Diabetes and Hyperlipidemia by Regulation of Glucose Transporter 4 and AMP
      Activated Protein Kinase Phosphorylation in High-Fat-Fed Mice.
AB  - The purpose of this experiment was to determine the antidiabetic and lipid
      lowering effects of (-)-epicatechin-3-O-beta-D-allopyranoside (BB) from the roots
      and stems of Davallia formosana in mice. Animal treatment was induced by high-fat
      diet (HFD) or low-fat diet (control diet, CD). After eight weeks of HFD or CD
      exposure, the HFD mice were treating with BB or rosiglitazone (Rosi) or
      fenofibrate (Feno) or water through gavage for another four weeks. However, at 12
      weeks, the HFD-fed group had enhanced blood levels of glucose, triglyceride (TG),
      and insulin. BB treatment significantly decreased blood glucose, TG, and insulin
      levels. Moreover, visceral fat weights were enhanced in HFD-fed mice, accompanied
      by increased blood leptin concentrations and decreased adiponectin levels, which
      were reversed by treatment with BB. Muscular membrane protein levels of glucose
      transporter 4 (GLUT4) were reduced in HFD-fed mice and significantly enhanced
      upon administration of BB, Rosi, and Feno. Moreover, BB treatment markedly
      increased hepatic and skeletal muscular expression levels of phosphorylation of
      AMP-activated (adenosine monophosphate) protein kinase (phospho-AMPK). BB also
      decreased hepatic mRNA levels of phosphenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), which
      are associated with a decrease in hepatic glucose production. BB-exerted
      hypotriglyceridemic activity may be partly associated with increased mRNA levels
      of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha), and with reduced
      hepatic glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) mRNA levels in the liver,
      which decreased triacylglycerol synthesis. Nevertheless, we demonstrated BB was a
      useful approach for the management of type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia in this
      animal model.

PMID- 26492244
TI  - Folic Acid Inhibits Amyloid beta-Peptide Production through Modulating DNA
      Methyltransferase Activity in N2a-APP Cells.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease resulting in
      progressive dementia, and is a principal cause of dementia among older adults.
      Folate acts through one-carbon metabolism to support the methylation of multiple
      substrates. We hypothesized that folic acid supplementation modulates DNA
      methyltransferase (DNMT) activity and may alter amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta)
      production in AD. Mouse Neuro-2a cells expressing human APP695 were incubated
      with folic acid (2.8-40 MUmol/L), and with or without zebularine (the DNMT
      inhibitor). DNMT activity, cell viability, Abeta and DNMTs expression were then
      examined. The results showed that folic acid stimulated DNMT gene and protein
      expression, and DNMT activity. Furthermore, folic acid decreased Abeta protein
      production, whereas inhibition of DNMT activity by zebularine increased Abeta
      production. The results indicate that folic acid induces methylation potential
      dependent DNMT enzymes, thereby attenuating Abeta production. 

PMID- 26492245
TI  - MyoD Is a Novel Activator of Porcine FIT1 Gene by Interacting with the Canonical
      E-Box Element during Myogenesis.
AB  - Fat-induced transcript 1 (FIT1/FITM1) gene is a member of the conserved gene
      family important for triglyceride-rich lipid droplet accumulation. FIT1 gene
      displays a similar muscle-specific expression across pigs, mice, and humans. Thus
      pigs can act as a useful model of many human diseases resulting from
      misexpression of FIT1 gene. Triglyceride content in skeletal muscle plays a key
      role in pork meat quality and flavors. An insertion/deletion mutation in porcine
      FIT1 coding region shows a high correlation with a series of fat traits. To gain
      better knowledge of the potential role of FIT1 gene in human diseases and the
      correlations with pork meat quality, our attention is given to the region
      upstream of the porcine FIT1 coding sequence. We cloned ~1 kb of the 5'-flanking
      region of porcine FIT1 gene to define the role of this sequence in modulating the
      myogenic expression. A canonical E-box element that activated porcine FIT1
      promoter activity during myogenesis was identified. Further analysis demonstrated
      that promoter activity was induced by overexpression of MyoD1, which bound to
      this canonical E-box during C2C12 differentiation. This is the first evidence
      that FIT1 as the direct novel target of MyoD is involved in muscle development. 

PMID- 26492247
TI  - An accurate projector calibration method based on polynomial distortion
      representation.
AB  - In structure light measurement systems or 3D printing systems, the errors caused
      by optical distortion of a digital projector always affect the precision
      performance and cannot be ignored. Existing methods to calibrate the projection
      distortion rely on calibration plate and photogrammetry, so the calibration
      performance is largely affected by the quality of the plate and the imaging
      system. This paper proposes a new projector calibration approach that makes use
      of photodiodes to directly detect the light emitted from a digital projector. By
      analyzing the output sequence of the photoelectric module, the pixel coordinates
      can be accurately obtained by the curve fitting method. A polynomial distortion
      representation is employed to reduce the residuals of the traditional distortion
      representation model. Experimental results and performance evaluation show that
      the proposed calibration method is able to avoid most of the disadvantages in
      traditional methods and achieves a higher accuracy. This proposed method is also
      practically applicable to evaluate the geometric optical performance of other
      optical projection system. 

PMID- 26492246
TI  - Comparative Mitogenomics of the Genus Odontobutis (Perciformes: Gobioidei:
      Odontobutidae) Revealed Conserved Gene Rearrangement and High Sequence
      Variations.
AB  - To understand the molecular evolution of mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) in
      the genus Odontobutis, the mitogenome of Odontobutis yaluensis was sequenced and
      compared with those of another four Odontobutis species. Our results displayed
      similar mitogenome features among species in genome organization, base
      composition, codon usage, and gene rearrangement. The identical gene
      rearrangement of trnS-trnL-trnH tRNA cluster observed in mitogenomes of these
      five closely related freshwater sleepers suggests that this unique gene order is
      conserved within Odontobutis. Additionally, the present gene order and the
      positions of associated intergenic spacers of these Odontobutis mitogenomes
      indicate that this unusual gene rearrangement results from tandem duplication and
      random loss of large-scale gene regions. Moreover, these mitogenomes exhibit a
      high level of sequence variation, mainly due to the differences of corresponding
      intergenic sequences in gene rearrangement regions and the heterogeneity of
      tandem repeats in the control regions. Phylogenetic analyses support Odontobutis
      species with shared gene rearrangement forming a monophyletic group, and the
      interspecific phylogenetic relationships are associated with structural
      differences among their mitogenomes. The present study contributes to
      understanding the evolutionary patterns of Odontobutidae species. 

PMID- 26492248
TI  - Balancing energy consumption with hybrid clustering and routing strategy in
      wireless sensor networks.
AB  - Multi-hop data collection in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is a challenge issue
      due to the limited energy resource and transmission range of wireless sensors.
      The hybrid clustering and routing (HCR) strategy has provided an effective
      solution, which can generate a connected and efficient cluster-based topology for
      multi-hop data collection in WSNs. However, it suffers from imbalanced energy
      consumption, which results in the poor performance of the network lifetime. In
      this paper, we evaluate the energy consumption of HCR and discover an important
      result: the imbalanced energy consumption generally appears in gradient k = 1,
      i.e., the nodes that can communicate with the sink directly. Based on this
      observation, we propose a new protocol called HCR-1, which includes the adaptive
      relay selection and tunable cost functions to balance the energy consumption. The
      guideline of setting the parameters in HCR-1 is provided based on simulations.
      The analytical and numerical results prove that, with minor modification of the
      topology in Sensors 2015, 15 26584 gradient k = 1, the HCR-1 protocol effectively
      balances the energy consumption and prolongs the network lifetime. 

PMID- 26492249
TI  - Research on the rapid and accurate positioning and orientation approach for land
      missile-launching vehicle.
AB  - Getting a land vehicle's accurate position, azimuth and attitude rapidly is
      significant for vehicle based weapons' combat effectiveness. In this paper, a new
      approach to acquire vehicle's accurate position and orientation is proposed. It
      uses biaxial optical detection platform (BODP) to aim at and lock in no less than
      three pre-set cooperative targets, whose accurate positions are measured
      beforehand. Then, it calculates the vehicle's accurate position, azimuth and
      attitudes by the rough position and orientation provided by vehicle based
      navigation systems and no less than three couples of azimuth and pitch angles
      measured by BODP. The proposed approach does not depend on Global Navigation
      Satellite System (GNSS), thus it is autonomous and difficult to interfere.
      Meanwhile, it only needs a rough position and orientation as algorithm's
      iterative initial value, consequently, it does not have high performance
      requirement for Inertial Navigation System (INS), odometer and other vehicle
      based navigation systems, even in high precise applications. This paper described
      the system's working procedure, presented theoretical deviation of the algorithm,
      and then verified its effectiveness through simulation and vehicle experiments.
      The simulation and experimental results indicate that the proposed approach can
      achieve positioning and orientation accuracy of 0.2 m and 20" respectively in
      less than 3 min. 

PMID- 26492250
TI  - Securing health sensing using integrated circuit metric.
AB  - Convergence of technologies from several domains of computing and healthcare have
      aided in the creation of devices that can help health professionals in monitoring
      their patients remotely. An increase in networked healthcare devices has resulted
      in incidents related to data theft, medical identity theft and insurance fraud.
      In this paper, we discuss the design and implementation of a secure lightweight
      wearable health sensing system. The proposed system is based on an emerging
      security technology called Integrated Circuit Metric (ICMetric) that extracts the
      inherent features of a device to generate a unique device identification. In this
      paper, we provide details of how the physical characteristics of a health sensor
      can be used for the generation of hardware "fingerprints". The obtained
      fingerprints are used to deliver security services like authentication,
      confidentiality, secure admission and symmetric key generation. The generated
      symmetric key is used to securely communicate the health records and data of the
      patient. Based on experimental results and the security analysis of the proposed
      scheme, it is apparent that the proposed system enables high levels of security
      for health monitoring in resource optimized manner. 

PMID- 26492251
TI  - Maximum measurement range and accuracy of SAW reflective delay line sensors.
AB  - In a surface acoustic wave (SAW) wireless sensor with a reflective delay line
      structure, three reflectors are often used to eliminate 2pi ambiguity of phase
      measurement. The maximum range of the measured parameter and the maximum accuracy
      have recently been attracting much research attention. In this paper, an
      analytical formula for all the factors influencing the measurement range and
      accuracy of the delay line SAW sensor are deduced for the first time. The factors
      include: the sensor sensitivity, the topology of the delay line, the available
      wireless bandwidth and the allowed maximum phase measuring error of the reading
      system, which is easier to retrieve and more fully describes the possible noises
      than SNR. Additionally, many designers believe that increasing the reflector
      could improve accuracy continuously or realize multi-resolution measurement.
      However, they ignore some certain criteria that the reflector location must
      satisfy. The reachable maximum accuracy by every increase of a reflector is also
      presented. A SAW temperature sensor system using 128 degrees  YX-LiNbO3 is
      designed to verify the above theoretical analysis. 

PMID- 26492252
TI  - A biologically-inspired framework for contour detection using superpixel-based
      candidates and hierarchical visual cues.
AB  - Contour detection has been extensively investigated as a fundamental problem in
      computer vision. In this study, a biologically-inspired candidate weighting
      framework is proposed for the challenging task of detecting meaningful contours.
      In contrast to previous models that detect contours from pixels, a modified
      superpixel generation processing is proposed to generate a contour candidate set
      and then weigh the candidates by extracting hierarchical visual cues. We extract
      the low-level visual local cues to weigh the contour intrinsic property and mid
      level visual cues on the basis of Gestalt principles for weighting the contour
      grouping constraint. Experimental results tested on the BSDS benchmark show that
      the proposed framework exhibits promising performances to capture meaningful
      contours in complex scenes. 

PMID- 26492254
TI  - A Cultivated Form of a Red Seaweed (Chondrus crispus), Suppresses beta-Amyloid
      Induced Paralysis in Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - We report here the protective effects of a methanol extract from a cultivated
      strain of the red seaweed, Chondrus crispus, against beta-amyloid-induced
      toxicity, in a transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans, expressing human Abeta1-42
      gene. The methanol extract of C. crispus (CCE), delayed beta-amyloid-induced
      paralysis, whereas the water extract (CCW) was not effective. The CCE treatment
      did not affect the transcript abundance of amy1; however, Western blot analysis
      revealed a significant decrease of Abeta species, as compared to untreated worms.
      The transcript abundance of stress response genes; sod3, hsp16.2 and skn1
      increased in CCE-treated worms. Bioassay guided fractionation of the CCE yielded
      a fraction enriched in monogalactosyl diacylglycerols (MGDG) that significantly
      delayed the onset of beta-amyloid-induced paralysis. Taken together, these
      results suggested that the cultivated strain of C. crispus, whilst providing
      dietary nutritional value, may also have significant protective effects against
      beta-amyloid-induced toxicity in C. elegans, partly through reduced beta-amyloid
      species, up-regulation of stress induced genes and reduced accumulation of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS).

PMID- 26492253
TI  - Tetrodotoxin, an Extremely Potent Marine Neurotoxin: Distribution, Toxicity,
      Origin and Therapeutical Uses.
AB  - Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent neurotoxin responsible for many human
      intoxications and fatalities each year. The origin of TTX is unknown, but in the
      pufferfish, it seems to be produced by endosymbiotic bacteria that often seem to
      be passed down the food chain. The ingestion of contaminated pufferfish,
      considered the most delicious fish in Japan, is the usual route of toxicity. This
      neurotoxin, reported as a threat to human health in Asian countries, has spread
      to the Pacific and Mediterranean, due to the increase of temperature waters
      worldwide. TTX, for which there is no known antidote, inhibits sodium channel
      producing heart failure in many cases and consequently death. In Japan, a
      regulatory limit of 2 mg eq TTX/kg was established, although the restaurant
      preparation of "fugu" is strictly controlled by law and only chefs qualified are
      allowed to prepare the fish. Due to its paralysis effect, this neurotoxin could
      be used in the medical field as an analgesic to treat some cancer pains.

PMID- 26492255
TI  - Salt Effect on the Antioxidant Activity of Red Microalgal Sulfated
      Polysaccharides in Soy-Bean Formula.
AB  - Sulfated polysaccharides produced by microalgae, which are known to exhibit
      various biological activities, may potentially serve as natural antioxidant
      sources. To date, only a few studies have examined the antioxidant bioactivity of
      red microalgal polysaccharides. In this research, the effect of different salts
      on the antioxidant activities of two red microalgal sulfated polysaccharides
      derived from Porphyridium sp. and Porphyridium aerugineum were studied in a soy
      bean-based infant milk formula. Salt composition and concentration were both
      shown to affect the polysaccharides' antioxidant activity. It can be postulated
      that the salt ions intefer with the polysaccharide chains' interactions and alter
      their structure, leading to a new three-dimensional structure that better exposes
      antiooxidant sites in comparison to the polysaccharide without salt supplement.
      Among the cations that were studied, Ca(2+) had the strongest enhancement effect
      on antioxidant activities of both polysaccharides. Understanding the effect of
      salts on polysaccharides' stucture, in addition to furthering knowledge on
      polysaccharide bioactivities, may also shed light on the position of the
      antioxidant active sites.

PMID- 26492256
TI  - Assessment of the Antimicrobial Activity of Algae Extracts on Bacteria
      Responsible of External Otitis.
AB  - External otitis is a diffuse inflammation around the external auditory canal and
      auricle, which is often occurred by microbial infection. This disease is
      generally treated using antibiotics, but the frequent occurrence of antibiotic
      resistance requires the development of new antibiotic agents. In this context,
      unexplored bioactive natural candidates could be a chance for the production of
      targeted drugs provided with antimicrobial activity. In this paper, microbial
      pathogens were isolated from patients with external otitis using ear swabs for
      over one year, and the antimicrobial activity of the two methanol extracts from
      selected marine (Dunaliella salina) and freshwater (Pseudokirchneriella
      subcapitata) microalgae was tested on the isolated pathogens. Totally, 114
      bacterial and 11 fungal strains were isolated, of which Staphylococcus spp.
      (28.8%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) (24.8%) were the major
      pathogens. Only three Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) strains and 11 coagulase
      negative Staphylococci showed resistance to methicillin. The two algal extracts
      showed interesting antimicrobial properties, which mostly inhibited the growth of
      isolated S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella spp. with
      MICs range of 1.4 * 108 to 2.2 * 10(10) cells/mL. These results suggest that the
      two algae have potential as resources for the development of antimicrobial
      agents.

PMID- 26492257
TI  - Effect of Solvent System on Extractability of Lipidic Components of Scenedesmus
      obliquus (M2-1) and Gloeothece sp. on Antioxidant Scavenging Capacity Thereof.
AB  - Microalgae are well known for their biotechnological potential, namely with
      regard to bioactive lipidic components-especially carotenoids and polyunsaturated
      fatty acids (PUFA), well-known for therapeutic applications based on their
      antioxidant capacity. The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of four
      distinct food-grade solvents upon extractability of specific lipidic components,
      and on the antioxidant capacity exhibited against both synthetic (2,2-diphenyl-1
      picrylhydrazyl (DPPH(*)) and 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic
      acid (ABTS(+*))) and biological reactive species (O2(*)- and (*)NO-). A
      eukaryotic microalga (Scenedesmus obliquus (M2-1)) and a prokaryotic one
      (Gloeothece sp.) were used as case studies. Concerning total antioxidant
      capacity, the hexane:isopropanol (3:2) and acetone extracts of Sc. obliquus (M2
      1) were the most effective against DPPH(*) and ABTS(+*), respectively. Gloeothece
      sp. ethanol extracts were the most interesting scavengers of O2(*)-, probably due
      the high content of linolenic acid. On the other hand, acetone and
      hexane:isopropanol (3:2) extracts were the most interesting ones in (*)NO- assay.
      Acetone extract exhibited the best results for the ABTS assay, likely associated
      to its content of carotenoids, in both microalgae. Otherwise, ethanol stood out
      in PUFA extraction. Therefore, profiles of lipidic components extracted are
      critical for evaluating the antioxidant performance-which appears to hinge, in
      particular, on the balance between carotenoids and PUFAs.

PMID- 26492258
TI  - Wealth Inequality and Mental Disability Among the Chinese Population: A
      Population Based Study.
AB  - In the study described herein, we investigated and explored the association
      between wealth inequality and the risk of mental disability in the Chinese
      population. We used nationally represented, population-based data from the second
      China National Sample Survey on Disability, conducted in 2006. A total of
      1,724,398 study subjects between the ages of 15 and 64, including 10,095 subjects
      with mental disability only, were used for the analysis. Wealth status was
      estimated by a wealth index that was derived from a principal component analysis
      of 10 household assets and four other variables related to wealth. Logistic
      regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence
      interval (CI) for mental disability for each category, with the lowest quintile
      category as the referent. Confounding variables under consideration were age,
      gender, residence area, marital status, ethnicity, education, current employment
      status, household size, house type, homeownership and living arrangement. The
      distribution of various types and severities of mental disability differed
      significantly by wealth index category in the present population. Wealth index
      category had a positive association with mild mental disability (p for trend
      <0.01), but had a negative association with extremely severe mental disability (p
      for trend <0.01). Moreover, wealth index category had a significant, inverse
      association with mental disability when all severities of mental disability were
      taken into consideration. This study's results suggest that wealth is a
      significant factor in the distribution of mental disability and it might have
      different influences on various types and severities of mental disability. 

PMID- 26492259
TI  - Investigation of Legionella Contamination in Bath Water Samples by Culture,
      Amoebic Co-Culture, and Real-Time Quantitative PCR Methods.
AB  - We investigated Legionella contamination in bath water samples, collected from 68
      bathing facilities in Japan, by culture, culture with amoebic co-culture, real
      time quantitative PCR (qPCR), and real-time qPCR with amoebic co-culture. Using
      the conventional culture method, Legionella pneumophila was detected in 11
      samples (11/68, 16.2%). Contrary to our expectation, the culture method with the
      amoebic co-culture technique did not increase the detection rate of Legionella
      (4/68, 5.9%). In contrast, a combination of the amoebic co-culture technique
      followed by qPCR successfully increased the detection rate (57/68, 83.8%)
      compared with real-time qPCR alone (46/68, 67.6%). Using real-time qPCR after
      culture with amoebic co-culture, more than 10-fold higher bacterial numbers were
      observed in 30 samples (30/68, 44.1%) compared with the same samples without co
      culture. On the other hand, higher bacterial numbers were not observed after
      propagation by amoebae in 32 samples (32/68, 47.1%). Legionella was not detected
      in the remaining six samples (6/68, 8.8%), irrespective of the method. These
      results suggest that application of the amoebic co-culture technique prior to
      real-time qPCR may be useful for the sensitive detection of Legionella from bath
      water samples. Furthermore, a combination of amoebic co-culture and real-time
      qPCR might be useful to detect viable and virulent Legionella because their
      ability to invade and multiply within free-living amoebae is considered to
      correlate with their pathogenicity for humans. This is the first report
      evaluating the efficacy of the amoebic co-culture technique for detecting
      Legionella in bath water samples. 

PMID- 26492260
TI  - Modeling Occurrence of Urban Mosquitos Based on Land Use Types and Meteorological
      Factors in Korea.
AB  - Mosquitoes are a public health concern because they are vectors of pathogen,
      which cause human-related diseases. It is well known that the occurrence of
      mosquitoes is highly influenced by meteorological conditions (e.g., temperature
      and precipitation) and land use, but there are insufficient studies quantifying
      their impacts. Therefore, three analytical methods were applied to determine the
      relationships between urban mosquito occurrence, land use type, and
      meteorological factors: cluster analysis based on land use types; principal
      component analysis (PCA) based on mosquito occurrence; and three prediction
      models, support vector machine (SVM), classification and regression tree (CART),
      and random forest (RF). We used mosquito data collected at 12 sites from 2011 to
      2012. Mosquito abundance was highest from August to September in both years. The
      monitoring sites were differentiated into three clusters based on differences in
      land use type such as culture and sport areas, inland water, artificial
      grasslands, and traffic areas. These clusters were well reflected in PCA
      ordinations, indicating that mosquito occurrence was highly influenced by land
      use types. Lastly, the RF represented the highest predictive power for mosquito
      occurrence and temperature-related factors were the most influential. Our study
      will contribute to effective control and management of mosquito occurrences. 

PMID- 26492262
TI  - Raising Public Awareness: The Role of the Household Sector in Mitigating Climate
      Change.
AB  - In addition to greenhouse gas emissions from the industrial, transportation and
      commercial sectors, emissions from the household sector also contribute to global
      warming. By examining residents of Taiwan (N = 236), this study aims to reveal
      the factors that influence households' intention to purchase energy-efficient
      appliances. The assessment in this study is based on the theory of planned
      behavior (TPB), and perceived benefit or cost (BOC) is introduced as an
      independent variable in the proposed efficiency action toward climate change
      (ECC) model. According to structural equation modeling, most of the indicators
      presented a good fit to the corresponding ECC model constructs. The analysis
      indicated that BOC is a good complementary variable to the TPB, as the ECC model
      explained 61.9% of the variation in intention to purchase energy-efficient
      appliances, which was higher than that explained by the TPB (58.4%). This result
      indicates that the ECC model is superior to the TPB. Thus, the strategy of
      promoting energy-efficient appliances in the household sector should emphasize
      global warming and include the concept of BOC. 

PMID- 26492261
TI  - Sedentary Behavior in Preschoolers: How Many Days of Accelerometer Monitoring Is
      Needed?
AB  - The reliability of accelerometry for measuring sedentary behavior in preschoolers
      has not been determined, thus we determined how many days of accelerometry
      monitoring are necessary to reliably estimate daily time spent in sedentary
      behavior in preschoolers. In total, 191 and 150 preschoolers (three to five
      years) wore ActiGraph accelerometers (15-s epoch) during the in-school (>=4 days)
      and the total-day (>=6 days) period respectively. Accelerometry data were
      summarized as time spent in sedentary behavior (min/h) using three different
      cutpoints developed for preschool-age children (<37.5, <200, and <373 counts/15
      s). The intraclass correlations (ICCs) and Spearman-Brown prophecy formula were
      used to estimate the reliability of accelerometer for measuring sedentary
      behavior. Across different cutpoints, the ICCs ranged from 0.81 to 0.92 for in
      school sedentary behavior, and from 0.75 to 0.81 for total-day sedentary
      behavior, respectively. To achieve an ICC of >=0.8, two to four days or six to
      nine days of monitoring were needed for in-school sedentary behavior and total
      day sedentary behavior, respectively. These findings provide important guidance
      for future research on sedentary behavior in preschool children using
      accelerometry. Understanding the reliability of accelerometry will facilitate the
      conduct of research designed to inform policies and practices aimed at reducing
      sedentary behavior in preschool children. 

PMID- 26492263
TI  - Spatio-Temporal Trends and Identification of Correlated Variables with Water
      Quality for Drinking-Water Reservoirs.
AB  - It is widely accepted that characterizing the spatio-temporal trends of water
      quality parameters and identifying correlated variables with water quality are
      indispensable for the management and protection of water resources. In this
      study, cluster analysis was used to classify 56 typical drinking water reservoirs
      in Zhejiang Province into three groups representing different water quality
      levels, using data of four water quality parameters for the period 2006-2010.
      Then, the spatio-temporal trends in water quality were analyzed, assisted by
      geographic information systems (GIS) technology and statistical analysis. The
      results indicated that the water quality showed a trend of degradation from
      southwest to northeast, and the overall water quality level was exacerbated
      during the study period. Correlation analysis was used to evaluate the
      relationships between water quality parameters and ten independent variables
      grouped into four categories (land use, socio-economic factors, geographical
      features, and reservoir attributes). According to the correlation coefficients,
      land use and socio-economic indicators were identified as the most significant
      factors related to reservoir water quality. The results offer insights into the
      spatio-temporal variations of water quality parameters and factors impacting the
      water quality of drinking water reservoirs in Zhejiang Province, and they could
      assist managers in making effective strategies to better protect water resources.

PMID- 26492264
TI  - Sequence and Structure Analysis of Distantly-Related Viruses Reveals Extensive
      Gene Transfer between Viruses and Hosts and among Viruses.
AB  - The origin and evolution of viruses is a subject of ongoing debate. In this
      study, we provide a full account of the evolutionary relationships between
      proteins of significant sequence and structural similarity found in viruses that
      belong to different classes according to the Baltimore classification. We show
      that such proteins can be found in viruses from all Baltimore classes. For
      protein families that include these proteins, we observe two patterns of the
      taxonomic spread. In the first pattern, they can be found in a large number of
      viruses from all implicated Baltimore classes. In the other pattern, the
      instances of the corresponding protein in species from each Baltimore class are
      restricted to a few compact clades. Proteins with the first pattern of
      distribution are products of so-called viral hallmark genes reported previously.
      Additionally, this pattern is displayed by the envelope glycoproteins from
      Flaviviridae and Bunyaviridae and helicases of superfamilies 1 and 2 that have
      homologs in cellular organisms. The second pattern can often be explained by
      horizontal gene transfer from the host or between viruses, an example being
      Orthomyxoviridae and Coronaviridae hemagglutinin esterases. Another facet of
      horizontal gene transfer comprises multiple independent introduction events of
      genes from cellular organisms into otherwise unrelated viruses. 

PMID- 26492265
TI  - Diagnosis of Dengue Infection Using Conventional and Biosensor Based Techniques.
AB  - Dengue is an arthropod-borne viral disease caused by four antigenically different
      serotypes of dengue virus. This disease is considered as a major public health
      concern around the world. Currently, there is no licensed vaccine or antiviral
      drug available for the prevention and treatment of dengue disease. Moreover,
      clinical features of dengue are indistinguishable from other infectious diseases
      such as malaria, chikungunya, rickettsia and leptospira. Therefore, prompt and
      accurate laboratory diagnostic test is urgently required for disease confirmation
      and patient triage. The traditional diagnostic techniques for the dengue virus
      are viral detection in cell culture, serological testing, and RNA amplification
      using reverse transcriptase PCR. This paper discusses the conventional laboratory
      methods used for the diagnosis of dengue during the acute and convalescent phase
      and highlights the advantages and limitations of these routine laboratory tests.
      Subsequently, the biosensor based assays developed using various transducers for
      the detection of dengue are also reviewed. 

PMID- 26492267
TI  - Longitudinal Study of Cytokine Expression, Lipid Profile and Neuronal Growth
      Factors in Human Breast Milk from Term and Preterm Deliveries.
AB  - Breast milk (BM) is considered as a reference for infant nutrition. The role of
      bioactive components, such as cytokines, hormones, growth factors (GFs) and fatty
      acids (FAs) is poorly known, but they might be implicated in immune response
      development. The aim of this study was to identify the lipid profile and the
      spectrum of cytokines and neuronal GF in BM samples and analyse the influence of
      gestational age and lactation time on these components. This study used a
      longitudinal prospective method for the characterization of cytokines, FAs and
      GFs global profiles in 120 BM samples from 40 healthy mothers (20 preterm and 20
      term) collected as colostrum, transitional and mature milk. The cytokines were
      analysed by protein array (Ray Bio(r) Human Cytokine Array G6. Ray Biotech, Inc.
      Norcross, GA, USA) and the FAs were analysed by gas chromatography. The FA
      profile was similar between the term and the preterm BM samples. Omega-3-alpha
      linoleic and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and omega-6-linoleic acid were the most
      abundant in the term and preterm samples during lactation. Omega-3 ETA and omega
      3 EPA we observed exclusively in the preterm samples. The cytokine profile showed
      a different trend based on gestational age. A significantly higher expression of
      neurotrophic factors was found in the mature preterm milk samples as compared to
      the mature term samples. Our study is the first to identify the influence and
      interactions of perinatal factors on cytokine, GFs and FAs in human milk.

PMID- 26492266
TI  - Perspective of Use of Antiviral Peptides against Influenza Virus.
AB  - The threat of a worldwide influenza pandemic has greatly increased over the past
      decade with the emergence of highly virulent avian influenza strains. The
      increased frequency of drug-resistant influenza strains against currently
      available antiviral drugs requires urgent development of new strategies for
      antiviral therapy, too. The research in the field of therapeutic peptides began
      to develop extensively in the second half of the 20(th) century. Since then, the
      mechanisms of action for several peptides and their antiviral prospect received
      large attention due to the global threat posed by viruses. Here, we discussed the
      therapeutic properties of peptides used in influenza treatment. Peptides with
      antiviral activity against influenza can be divided into three main groups.
      First, entry blocker peptides such as a Flupep that interact with influenza
      hemagglutinin, block its binding to host cells and prevent viral fusion. Second,
      several peptides display virucidal activity, disrupting viral envelopes, e.g.,
      Melittin. Finally, a third set of peptides interacts with the viral polymerase
      complex and act as viral replication inhibitors such as PB1 derived peptides.
      Here, we present a review of the current literature describing the antiviral
      activity, mechanism and future therapeutic potential of these influenza antiviral
      peptides. 

PMID- 26492268
TI  - Association of Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) Use with Energy Intake, Physical
      Activity, and Weight Gain.
AB  - Studies suggest proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use impacts body weight regulation,
      though the effect of PPIs on energy intake, energy extraction, and energy
      expenditure is unknown. We used data on 3073 eligible adults from the National
      Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Medication use, energy intake,
      diet composition, and physical activity were extracted from NHANES. Multivariate
      regression models included confounding variables. Daily energy intake was similar
      between PPI users and non-users (p = 0.41). Diet composition was similar between
      the two groups, except that PPI users consumed a slightly greater proportion of
      calories from fat (34.5% vs. 33.2%; p = 0.02). PPI users rated themselves as
      being as physically active as their age/gender-matched peers and reported similar
      frequencies of walking or biking. However, PPI users were less likely to have
      participated in muscle-strengthening activities (OR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.30-0.95).
      PPI users reported similar sedentary behaviors to non-users. Male PPI users had
      an increase in weight (of 1.52 +/- 0.59 kg; p = 0.021) over the previous year
      compared to non-users, while female PPI users had a non-significant increase in
      weight. The potential mechanisms for PPI-associated weight gain are unclear as we
      did not find evidence for significant differences in energy intake or markers of
      energy expenditure.

PMID- 26492269
TI  - Four Models Including Fish, Seafood, Red Meat and Enriched Foods to Achieve
      Australian Dietary Recommendations for n-3 LCPUFA for All Life-Stages.
AB  - Populations are not meeting recommended intakes of omega-3 long chain
      polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA). The aim was (i) to develop a database
      on n-3 LCPUFA enriched products; (ii) to undertake dietary modelling exercise
      using four dietary approaches to meet the recommendations and (iii) to determine
      the cost of the models. Six n-3 LCPUFA enriched foods were identified. Fish was
      categorised by n-3 LCPUFA content (mg/100 g categories as "excellent" "good" and
      "moderate"). The four models to meet recommended n-3 LCPUFA intakes were (i) fish
      only; (ii) moderate fish (with red meat and enriched foods); (iii) fish avoiders
      (red meat and enriched foods only); and (iv) lacto-ovo vegetarian diet (enriched
      foods only). Diets were modelled using the NUTTAB2010 database and n-3 LCPUFA
      were calculated and compared to the Suggested Dietary Targets (SDT). The cost of
      meeting these recommendations was calculated per 100 mg n-3 LCPUFA. The SDT were
      achieved for all life-stages with all four models. The weekly food intake in
      number of serves to meet the n-3 LCPUFA SDT for all life-stages for each dietary
      model were: (i) 2 "excellent" fish; (ii) 1 "excellent" and 1 "good" fish, and
      depending on life-stage, 3-4 lean red meat, 0-2 eggs and 3-26 enriched foods;
      (iii) 4 lean red meat, and 20-59 enriched foods; (iv) 37-66 enriched foods.
      Recommended intakes of n-3 LCPUFA were easily met by the consumption of fish,
      which was the cheapest source of n-3 LCPUFA. Other strategies may be required to
      achieve the recommendations including modifying the current food supply through
      feeding practices, novel plant sources and more enriched foods.

PMID- 26492270
TI  - High Sensitivity of Aged Mice to Deoxynivalenol (Vomitoxin)-Induced Anorexia
      Corresponds to Elevated Proinflammatory Cytokine and Satiety Hormone Responses.
AB  - Deoxynivalenol (DON), a trichothecene mycotoxin that commonly contaminates cereal
      grains, is a public health concern because of its adverse effects on the
      gastrointestinal and immune systems. The objective of this study was to compare
      effects of DON on anorectic responses in aged (22 mos) and adult (3 mos) mice.
      Aged mice showed increased feed refusal with both acute i.p. (1 mg/kg and 5
      mg/kg) and dietary (1, 2.5, 10 ppm) DON exposure in comparison to adult mice. In
      addition to greater suppression of food intake from dietary DON exposure, aged
      mice also exhibited greater but transient body weight suppression. When aged mice
      were acutely exposed to 1 mg/kg bw DON i.p., aged mice displayed elevated DON and
      DON3GlcA tissue levels and delayed clearance in comparison with adult mice. Acute
      DON exposure also elicited higher proinflammatory cytokine and satiety hormone
      responses in the plasma of the aged group compared with the adult group.
      Increased susceptibility to DON-induced anorexia in aged mice relative to adult
      mice suggests that advanced life stage could be a critical component in accurate
      human risk assessments for DON and other trichothecenes. 

PMID- 26492271
TI  - A Magnetic Nanoparticle Based Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Sensitive
      Quantification of Zearalenone in Cereal and Feed Samples.
AB  - A novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on magnetic nanoparticles and
      biotin/streptavidin-HRP (MNP-bsELISA) was developed for rapid and sensitive
      detection of zearalenone (ZEN). The detection signal was enhanced and the
      sensitivity of the assay was improved by combined use of antibody-conjugated
      magnetic nanoparticles and biotin-streptavidin system. Under the optimized
      conditions, the regression equation for quantification of ZEN was y = -0.4287x +
      0.3132 (R2 = 0.9904). The working range was 0.07-2.41 ng/mL. The detection limit
      was 0.04 ng/mL and IC50 was 0.37 ng/mL. The recovery rates of intra-assay and
      inter-assay ranged from 92.8%-111.9% and 91.7%-114.5%, respectively, in spiked
      corn samples. Coefficients of variation were less than 10% in both cases.
      Parallel analysis of cereal and feed samples showed good correlation between MNP
      bsELISA and liquid chromatograph-tandem mass spectrometry (R2 = 0.9283). We
      conclude that this method is suitable for rapid detection of zearalenone in
      cereal and feed samples in relevant laboratories. 

PMID- 26492272
TI  - UV-B Exposure Affects the Biosynthesis of Microcystin in Toxic Microcystis
      aeruginosa Cells and Its Degradation in the Extracellular Space.
AB  - Microcystins (MCs) are cyclic hepatotoxic heptapeptides produced by cyanobacteria
      that can be toxic to aquatic and terrestrial organisms. MC synthesis and
      degradation are thought to be influenced by several different physical and
      environmental parameters. In this study, the effects of different intensities of
      UV-B radiation on MC biosynthesis in Microcystis cells and on its extracellular
      degradation were investigated by mRNA analysis and degradation experiments.
      Exposure to UV-B at intensities of 1.02 and 1.45 W/m2 not only remarkably
      inhibited the growth of Microcystis, but also led to a decrease in the MC
      concentration. In addition, mcyD transcription was decreased under the same UV-B
      intensities. These results demonstrated that the effects of UV-B exposure on the
      biosynthesis of MCs in Microcystis cells could be attributed to the regulation of
      mcy gene transcription. Moreover, the MC concentration was decreased
      significantly after exposure to different intensities of UV-B radiation. Of the
      three MC variants (MC-LR, -RR and -YR, L, R and Y are abbreviations of leucine,
      arginine and tyrosine), MC-LR and MC-YR were sensitive to UV-B radiation, whereas
      MC-RR was not. In summary, our results showed that UV-B radiation had a negative
      effect on MC production in Microcystis cells and MC persistence in the
      extracellular space. 

PMID- 26492273
TI  - Aberrant MUC1-TRIM46-KRTCAP2 Chimeric RNAs in High-Grade Serous Ovarian
      Carcinoma.
AB  - High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) is among the most lethal forms of cancer
      in women. By analyzing the mRNA-seq reads from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we
      uncovered a novel cancer-enriched chimeric RNA as the result of splicing between
      MUC1, a highly glycosylated transmembrane mucin, TRIM46, a tripartite motif
      containing protein, and KRTCAP2, a keratinocyte associated protein. Experimental
      analyses by RT-PCR (reverse transcription PCR) and Sanger sequencing using an in
      house cohort of 59 HGSC patient tumors revealed a total of six MUC1-TRIM46
      KRTCAP2 isoforms joined by different annotated splice sites between these genes.
      These chimeric isoforms are not detected in non-cancerous ovaries, yet are
      present in three out of every four HGSC patient tumors, a significant frequency
      given the exceedingly heterogeneous nature of this disease. Transfection of the
      cDNA of MUC1-TRIM46-KRTCAP2 isoforms in mammalian cells led to the translation of
      mutant MUC1 fusion proteins that are unglycosylated and cytoplasmically localized
      as opposed to the cell membrane, a feature resembling the tumor-associated MUC1.
      Because the parental MUC1 is overexpressed in 90% of HGSC tumors and has been
      proposed as a clinical biomarker and therapeutic target, the chimeric MUC1-TRIM46
      KRTCAP2 isoforms identified in this report could represent significantly better
      MUC1 variants for the same clinical utilities. 

PMID- 26492274
TI  - Transcriptome Changes during the Life Cycle of the Red Sponge, Mycale phyllophila
      (Porifera, Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida).
AB  - Sponges are an ancient metazoan group with broad ecological, evolutionary, and
      biotechnological importance. As in other marine invertebrates with a biphasic
      life cycle, the developing sponge undergoes a significant morphological,
      physiological, and ecological transformation during settlement and metamorphosis.
      In this study, we compare new transcriptome datasets for three life cycle stages
      of the red sponge (Mycale phyllophila) to test whether gene expression (as in the
      model poriferan, Amphimedon queenslandica) also varies more after settlement and
      metamorphosis. In contrast to A. queenslandica, we find that the transcriptome of
      M. phyllophila changes more during the earlier pre-competent larva/post-larva
      transition that spans these defining events. We also find that this transition is
      marked by a greater frequency of significantly up-regulated Gene Ontology terms
      including those for morphogenesis, differentiation, and development and that the
      transcriptomes of its pre-competent larvae and adult are distinct. The life cycle
      transcriptome variation between M. phyllophila and A. queenslandica may be due to
      their long separate evolutionary histories and corresponding differences in
      developmental rates and timing. This study now calls for new transcriptome
      datasets of M. phyllophila and other sponges, which will allow for tests of the
      generality of our life cycle expression differences and for the greater
      exploitation of poriferans in both basic and applied research. 

PMID- 26492275
TI  - Recorded Behavior as a Valuable Resource for Diagnostics in Mobile Phone
      Addiction: Evidence from Psychoinformatics.
AB  - Psychologists and psychiatrists commonly rely on self-reports or interviews to
      diagnose or treat behavioral addictions. The present study introduces a novel
      source of data: recordings of the actual problem behavior under investigation. A
      total of N = 58 participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire measuring
      problematic mobile phone behavior featuring several questions on weekly phone
      usage. After filling in the questionnaire, all participants received an
      application to be installed on their smartphones, which recorded their phone
      usage for five weeks. The analyses revealed that weekly phone usage in hours was
      overestimated; in contrast, numbers of call and text message related variables
      were underestimated. Importantly, several associations between actual usage and
      being addicted to mobile phones could be derived exclusively from the recorded
      behavior, but not from self-report variables. The study demonstrates the
      potential benefit to include methods of psychoinformatics in the diagnosis and
      treatment of problematic mobile phone use. 

PMID- 26492276
TI  - Nanodelivery Systems as New Tools for Immunostimulant or Vaccine Administration:
      Targeting the Fish Immune System.
AB  - Fish disease treatments have progressed significantly over the last few years and
      have moved from the massive use of antibiotics to the development of vaccines
      mainly based on inactivated bacteria. Today, the incorporation of
      immunostimulants and antigens into nanomaterials provide us with new tools to
      enhance the performance of immunostimulation. Nanoparticles are dispersions or
      solid particles designed with specific physical properties (size, surface charge,
      or loading capacity), which allow controlled delivery and therefore improved
      targeting and stimulation of the immune system. The use of these nanodelivery
      platforms in fish is in the initial steps of development. Here we review the
      advances in the application of nanoparticles to fish disease prevention
      including: the type of biomaterial, the type of immunostimulant or vaccine loaded
      into the nanoparticles, and how they target the fish immune system. 

PMID- 26492277
TI  - HIV-1 Recruits UPF1 but Excludes UPF2 to Promote Nucleocytoplasmic Export of the
      Genomic RNA.
AB  - Unspliced, genomic HIV-1 RNA (vRNA) is a component of several ribonucleoprotein
      complexes (RNP) during the viral replication cycle. In earlier work, we
      demonstrated that the host upframeshift protein 1 (UPF1), a key factor in
      nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), colocalized and associated to the viral
      structural protein Gag during viral egress. In this work, we demonstrate a new
      function for UPF1 in the regulation of vRNA nuclear export. OPEN ACCESS
      Biomolecules 2015, 5 2809 We establish that the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of
      UPF1 is required for this function and demonstrate that UPF1 exists in two
      essential viral RNPs during the late phase of HIV-1 replication: the first, in a
      nuclear export RNP that contains Rev, CRM1, DDX3 and the nucleoporin p62, and the
      second, which excludes these nuclear export markers but contains Gag in the
      cytoplasm. Interestingly, we observed that both UPF2 and the long isoform of
      UPF3a, UPF3aL, but not the shorter isoforms UPF3aS and UPF3b, are excluded from
      the UPF1-Rev-CRM1-DDX3 complex as they are negative regulators of vRNA nuclear
      export. In silico protein-protein docking analyses suggest that Rev binds UPF1 in
      a region that overlaps the UPF2 binding site, thus explaining the exclusion of
      this negative regulatory factor by HIV-1 that is necessary for vRNA trafficking.
      This work uncovers a novel and unique regulatory circuit involving several UPF
      proteins that ultimately regulate vRNA nuclear export and trafficking. 

PMID- 26492280
TI  - Progress Toward Poliomyelitis Eradication--Afghanistan, January 2014-August 2015.
AB  - Despite recent progress toward global polio eradication, endemic transmission of
      wild poliovirus (WPV) continues to be reported in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The
      Afghanistan program must overcome many challenges to remain on track toward
      achieving the objectives set in the 2013-2018 strategic plan of the Global Polio
      Eradication Initiative (GPEI). Cross-border transmission of WPV type 1 (WPV1)
      continues to occur among children traveling to and from Pakistan. The country's
      routine immunization system remains weak and unable to reach recommended
      benchmarks in most regions; hence, the national Polio Eradication Initiative
      (PEI) relies mainly on providing children aged <5 years with oral poliovirus
      vaccine (OPV), administered during supplementary immunization activities (SIAs).
      Because of ongoing conflict and insecurity, some children continue to be missed
      during SIAs in areas not under government control; however, the majority of
      missed children live in accessible areas and are often unreached because of a
      failure to plan, implement, and supervise SIAs efficiently. This report describes
      polio eradication activities and progress in Afghanistan during January 2014
      August 2015 and updates previous reports. During 2014, a total of 28 WPV1 cases
      were reported in Afghanistan, compared with 14 cases in 2013; nine cases were
      reported during January-August 2015, the same number as during the same period in
      2014. To eliminate poliovirus transmission in Afghanistan, emergency operations
      centers (EOCs) need to be established at the national level and in critical
      regions without delay to improve overall coordination and oversight of polio
      eradication activities. The recently revised National Emergency Action Plan for
      polio eradication needs to be fully implemented, including detailed microplanning
      and enhanced monitoring and supervision of SIAs, as well as improved cross-border
      coordination with Pakistan.

PMID- 26492279
TI  - Personal UVR exposure of farming families in four European countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The main risk factor for skin cancer is ultraviolet radiation (UVR).
      Farming families living in rural areas with easy outdoor access may experience
      excessive UVR exposure. Differences between countries in latitude, altitude and
      sun behaviour could result in different personal UVR exposures. However, no
      studies have examined this until now. OBJECTIVES: To determine personal UVR
      exposure in work and leisure situations among farming families in Europe.
      METHODS: Prospective cohort study of farmers, their partners (spouses) and
      children in Denmark (DK), Poland (PL), Austria (AT), and Spain (ES) from 2009 to
      2011. Personal UVR exposure and sun behaviour were recorded by dosimetry and
      diaries. RESULTS: Farmers' average daily UVR exposure on working days ranged from
      1.4 SED (DK, AT) to 2.7 SED (ES). Corresponding figures for partners were: 0.6
      SED (DK) to 1.9 SED (PL), and for children (day-care/school days): 0.7 SED (ES)
      to 1.3 SED (PL). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Farmers' UVR exposure was comparable
      to that of outdoor workers in previous studies and exceeded the recommended UVR
      exposure limits on 36% (DK, AT), 29% (PL) and 56% (ES) of their working days.
      Attention to sun protection for outdoor workers across Europe in preventing UVR
      induced skin cancer is still needed.

PMID- 26492278
TI  - Chronic Ethanol Exposure: Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Disease and Dysfunction.
AB  - Ethanol (EtOH) is the world's most commonly used drug, and has been widely
      recognized as a risk factor for developing lung disorders. Chronic EtOH exposure
      affects all of the organ systems in the body and increases the risk of developing
      pulmonary diseases such as acute lung injury and pneumonia, while exacerbating
      the symptoms and resulting in increased mortality in many other lung disorders.
      EtOH and its metabolites inhibit the immune response of alveolar macrophages
      (AMs), increase airway leakage, produce damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS),
      and disrupt the balance of antioxidants/oxidants within the lungs. In this
      article, we review the role of EtOH exposure in the pathogenesis and progression
      of pulmonary disease. 

PMID- 26492281
TI  - Child abuse research 2015: it's time for breakthroughs.

PMID- 26492283
TI  - B-cell hyperfunction in children with immune thrombocytopenic purpura persists
      after splenectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is characterized by reduced
      platelet count secondary to immune-mediated destruction, this results in an
      increased bleeding risk. Autoantibodies binding to platelets tag them for
      premature destruction in the spleen. For this reason, splenectomy is often
      performed as treatment of chronic forms of disease that are resistant to
      pharmacological therapy. METHODS: We studied 30 patients with ITP and compared
      them with age-matched controls. RESULTS: We show that B cells of patients with
      chronic ITP are intrinsically hyperreactive, producing more than normal IgG in
      vivo and plasma cells in vitro. In normal individuals after splenectomy, a
      significant depletion of memory B cells is observed, associated with loss of
      reactivity to CpG oligodeoxynucleotide and consequent inability to form antibody
      producing cells. In Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSpot Methods, we compared three
      splenectomized ITP patients relapsing after surgery, 30 healthy controls, and 37
      individuals splenectomized for trauma, spherocytosis, thalassemia,
      nonhematological tumor, and other diseases. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed that B
      cells of ITP patients remain hyperreactive in vitro and form high numbers of
      antibody-producing cells after splenectomy. Thus, chronic ITP may be associated
      with intrinsic B-cell hyperfunction, leading to the production of antibodies with
      multiple specificities including that against platelets.

PMID- 26492282
TI  - Dynamic regulation of plasma matrix metalloproteinases in human diabetic
      ketoacidosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children is associated with
      cerebrovascular-related complications. We recently reported that DKA facilitates
      leukocyte adherence to the brain microvascular endothelium. Adhered leukocytes
      can release enzymes that instigate vascular dysfunction. Our aims were to measure
      plasma levels of leukocyte-derived matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) from DKA
      patients and to correlate plasma MMP concentrations with DKA severity. METHODS:
      Plasma was obtained from children with type 1 diabetes, either in DKA (n = 16) or
      insulin controlled (CON; n = 16). Antibody microarray and gelatin zymography were
      used to quantify plasma MMPs and their endogenous tissue inhibitors (TIMPs). MMP
      concentrations were correlated with DKA severity (blood pH). Quantitative PCR of
      leukocyte mRNA was used to help determine the origin of plasma MMPs. RESULTS: DKA
      was associated with altered plasma levels of ?MMP-2 (P < 0.001), ?MMP-8 (P <
      0.001), ?MMP-9 (P < 0.05), and ?TIMP-4 (P < 0.001), as compared with CON.
      Elevated MMP-8 and MMP-9 were both positively correlated with DKA severity (P <
      0.05). DKA was associated with increased leukocyte mRNA for MMP-8, MMP-9, and
      TIMP-4 (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: MMPs are dynamically regulated during DKA. Plasma
      MMP-8 and MMP-9 concentrations correlate with DKA severity and are known to
      degrade brain microvascular endothelial cell tight junctions. Thus, leukocyte
      derived MMPs might contribute to DKA-associated cerebrovascular complications.

PMID- 26492284
TI  - Effect of 22q11.2 deletion on bleeding and transfusion utilization in children
      with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postsurgical bleeding causes significant morbidity and mortality in
      children undergoing surgery for congenital heart defects (CHD). 22q11.2 deletion
      syndrome (DS) is the second most common genetic risk factor for CHD. The deleted
      segment of chromosome 22q11.2 encompasses the gene encoding glycoprotein (GP)
      Ibbeta, which is required for expression of the GPIb-V-IX complex on the platelet
      surface, where it functions as the receptor for von Willebrand factor (VWF).
      Binding of GPIb-V-IX to VWF is important for platelets to initiate hemostasis. It
      is not known whether hemizygosity for the gene encoding GPIbbeta increases the
      risk for bleeding following cardiac surgery for patients with 22q11.2 DS.
      METHODS: We performed a case-control study of 91 pediatric patients who underwent
      cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass from 2004 to 2012 at Children's
      Hospital of Wisconsin. RESULTS: Patients with 22q11.2 DS had larger platelets and
      lower platelet counts, bled more excessively, and received more transfusion
      support with packed red blood cells in the early postoperative period relative to
      control patients. CONCLUSION: Presurgical genetic testing for 22q11.2 DS may help
      to identify a subset of pediatric cardiac surgery patients who are at increased
      risk for excessive bleeding and who may require more transfusion support in the
      postoperative period.

PMID- 26492285
TI  - Simvastatin attenuates oleic acid-induced oxidative stress through CREB-dependent
      induction of heme oxygenase-1 in renal proximal tubule cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Statins elicit antioxidant effects independently of their lipid
      lowering properties. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) induction may be a part of these
      pleiotropic effects, which are insufficiently described in the kidney. We
      hypothesize that simvastatin (SIM) transcriptionally activates HO-1 that protects
      renal proximal tubule cells from lipotoxic injury. METHODS: Impact of SIM on 100
      MUmol/l oleic acid (OA)-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and
      consequent oxidative stress (4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) content) as well as cell
      injury/apoptosis (lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, caspase-3 activation) were
      determined in cultured renal proximal tubule (NRK52E) cells. Effect of SIM on the
      HO-1 promoter and its enhancer elements (antioxidant response element (ARE),
      CCAAT, AP1, and cAMP response element (CRE)) was also determined in reporter
      luciferase assays. Dominant-negative (dnMEK, M1CREB) and pharmacologic (H89)
      approaches were used to inhibit activation of extracellular signal regulated
      kinase (ERK), CREB, and protein kinase A (PKA), respectively. RESULTS: SIM dose
      dependently activated the HO-1 promoter that was essential for protection against
      OA-dependent ROS production/oxidative stress and LDH release/caspase-3
      activation. We found that the HO-1 promoter was induced through ERK and PKA
      dependent activation of the CRE by SIM. CONCLUSION: SIM may protect the kidney
      from adverse effects of circulating fatty acids by upregulating the antioxidant
      HO-1, aside from its well-described lipid-lowering effects.

PMID- 26492286
TI  - Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances and indicators of immune function
      in children aged 12-19 y: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are immunotoxic
      in laboratory studies. Human studies of immune effects are inconsistent. Using
      the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we examined
      PFAS serum concentration and indicators of prevalent immune function among 12-19
      y-old children. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we examined PFAS serum
      concentration in relation to measles, mumps, and rubella antibody concentrations
      in NHANES 1999-2000 and 2003-2004 (n = 1,191) and to allergic conditions and
      allergic sensitization in NHANES 2005-2006 (n = 640). RESULTS: In adjusted,
      survey-weighted models, a doubling of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)
      concentration among seropositive children was associated with a 13.3% (95%
      confidence interval (CI): -19.9, -6.2) decrease in rubella antibody concentration
      and a 5.9% decrease in mumps antibody concentration (95% CI: -9.9, -1.6). We
      observed no adverse association between exposure and current allergic conditions,
      including asthma. Children with higher PFOS concentration were less likely to be
      sensitized to any allergen (odds ratio (OR): 0.74; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.95).
      CONCLUSION: Increased exposure to several PFAS was associated with lower levels
      to mumps and rubella antibody concentrations, especially among seropositive
      individuals. These lower antibody concentrations may indicate a less robust
      response to vaccination or greater waning of vaccine-derived immunity over time.

PMID- 26492288
TI  - Anesthetic Management of a Case of Posterior Fossa Tumor With An Intracardiac
      Mass.

PMID- 26492287
TI  - Airway and alveolar nitric oxide production, lung function, and pulmonary blood
      flow in sickle cell disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) often have obstructive lung
      function abnormalities which could be due to asthma or increased pulmonary blood
      volume; it is important to determine the underlying mechanism to direct
      appropriate treatment. In asthmatics, exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is elevated.
      FeNO, however, can also be raised due to increased alveolar production. Our aim,
      therefore, was to determine if airway or alveolar NO production differed between
      SCD children and ethnic and age-matched controls. METHODS: Lung function, airway
      NO flux and alveolar NO production, and effective pulmonary blood flow were
      assessed in 18 SCD children and 18 ethnic and age-matched controls. RESULTS: The
      SCD children compared to the controls had a higher respiratory system resistance
      (P = 0.0008), alveolar NO production (P = 0.0224), and pulmonary blood flow (P <
      0.0001), but not airway NO flux. There was no significant correlation between
      FeNO and respiratory system resistance in either group, but in the SCD children,
      there were correlations between alveolar NO production (P = 0.0006) and
      concentration (P < 0.0001) and pulmonary blood flow. CONCLUSION: Airway NO flux
      was not elevated in the SCD children nor correlated with airways obstruction,
      suggesting that airways obstruction, at least in some SCD children, is not due to
      asthma.

PMID- 26492289
TI  - Meta-areas of the Trigeminocardiac Reflex Within the Skull Base: A Neuroanatomic
      "Thinking" Model.

PMID- 26492290
TI  - Attenuation of pain behaviour by local administration of alpha-2 adrenoceptor
      antagonists to dorsal root ganglia in a rat radiculopathy model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There were several reports suggesting alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists
      are effective to treat neuropathic pain. The aims of this study were as follows:
      (1) to introduce drug delivery system for dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons; (2)
      to elucidate the effects of alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists in acute, subacute or
      chronic phase and (3) to determine which subtype of adrenoceptor was mainly
      involved. METHOD: We used 130 male Sprague-Dawley rats. After root constriction,
      rats received three local injections of alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists around
      DRG. We administered the non-selective alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine
      for 3 consecutive days from day 0, 4 or 11 after the surgery, and the alpha1
      adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin, the alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist silodosin,
      the more preferred alpha1-adrenoceptor than prazosin and the alpha2-adrenoceptor
      antagonist yohimbine for 3 consecutive days from day 0 after the surgery.
      RESULTS: Phentolamine and yohimbine continually attenuated pain behaviour.
      Prazosin at high dose attenuated pain behaviour, however, prazosin at low dose
      did not attenuate pain behaviour every experimental day. Silodosin had no
      analgesic effect. Phentolamine injections from day 4 after surgery attenuated
      pain behaviour that had been established on the 3rd experimental day until the
      28th post-operative day, although effect of phentolamine wore off. Phentolamine
      injections from day 11 after surgery temporarily attenuated pain behaviour that
      had been established on the 3rd, 7th and 10th experimental days. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study showed alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists could suppress pain behaviour
      via alpha2-adrenoceptor in acute phase and temporary attenuate pain behaviour in
      chronic phase. These findings presented potentials sympathetic nerve blockade
      contributed to treat neuropathic pain.

PMID- 26492291
TI  - Ti2-Containing 18-Tungsto-2-Arsenate(III) Monolacunary Host and the Incorporation
      of a Phenylantimony(III) Guest.
AB  - The novel Ti2-containing, sandwich-type 18-tungsto-2-arsenate(III)
      [(Ti(IV)O)2(alpha-As(III)W9O33)2](14-) (1) was successfully synthesized by the
      reaction of [TiO](2+) species with [alpha-As(III)W9O33](9-). The monolacunary
      polyanion 1 is solution-stable, and a further reaction with 1 equiv of
      phenylantimony(III) dichloride resulted in [C6H5Sb(III)(Ti(IV)O)2(alpha
      As(III)W9O33)2](12-) (2). Both polyanions 1 and 2 were structurally characterized
      in the solid state and solution. Electrochemical studies were also performed on
      both polyanions. 

PMID- 26492292
TI  - Can a single dose response predict the effect of montelukast on exercise-induced
      bronchoconstriction?
AB  - RATIONALE: Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) can be prevented by a
      single dose of montelukast (MLK). The effect is variable, similar to the variable
      responsiveness observed after daily treatment with MLK. We hypothesized that the
      effect of a single MLK-dose (5 or 10 mg) on EIB could predict the clinical
      effectiveness of longer term once daily treatment. METHODS: This was a
      prospective, open-label study. Twenty-four asthmatic adolescents (12-17 years)
      suboptimally controlled by low-dose inhaled corticosteroids, with >=10% post
      exercise fall in FEV1 , were included. They performed an exercise test at
      baseline, 20 hr after a single MLK-dose and 40-44 hr after the last dose of 4
      weeks once daily treatment. The correlations between the effect of a single dose
      and 4 weeks treatment on area under the curve (AUC) and maximum % fall in FEV1
      were calculated. RESULTS: AUC0-20 min decreased significantly after a single MLK
      dose (P = 0.001, CI: 64.9-218.2), but not after 4 weeks of treatment (P = 0.080,
      CI: -12.2 to 200.4). There was a moderate correlation between the effect of a
      single MLK-dose and 4 weeks treatment on AUC0-20 min , r = 0.49 (P = 0.011), and
      maximum % fall in FEV1 , r = 0.40 (P = 0.035). CONCLUSION: The protection
      provided by a single MLK-dose against EIB only modestly predicts the effect of
      regular treatment against EIB in adolescent asthmatics on low-dose inhaled
      corticosteroids. If used on a daily base, MLK offered clinically significant
      protection against EIB in two thirds of adolescents suboptimally controlled by
      low-dose ICS.

PMID- 26492293
TI  - Transoral endoscopic surgical resection of a giant pedunculated polyp.

PMID- 26492294
TI  - Nonexposure endoscopic full-thickness resection with two flexible endoscopes
      equipped with a suturing device: ex vivo study.

PMID- 26492295
TI  - MINDful polypectomy: a quality improvement initiative to improve complete
      resection of colorectal polyps.

PMID- 26492296
TI  - Diagnosis and preoperative tagging of duodenal gastrinoma by endoscopic
      ultrasound.

PMID- 26492297
TI  - Endoscopic management of coloanal anastomotic disruption: a pilot case.

PMID- 26492298
TI  - A tablet of clopidogrel remaining in the lower esophagus after primary
      percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction.

PMID- 26492299
TI  - Epiphrenic diverticulum of the esophagus after peroral endoscopic myotomy.

PMID- 26492300
TI  - Peroral endoscopic myotomy for achalasia after distal gastrectomy.

PMID- 26492301
TI  - Underwater endoscopic resection of a neuroendocrine rectal tumor.

PMID- 26492302
TI  - Synthesis of a Polyhistidine-bearing Amphipol and its Use for Immobilizing
      Membrane Proteins.
AB  - Amphipols (APols) are short amphipathic polymers that stabilize membrane proteins
      (MPs) in aqueous solutions. In the present study, A8-35, a polyacrylate-based
      APol, was grafted with hexahistidine tags (His6-tags). The synthesis and
      characterization of this novel functionalized APol, named HistAPol, are
      described. Its ability to immobilize MPs on nickel ion-bearing surfaces was
      tested using two complementary methods, immobilized metal affinity chromatography
      (IMAC) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Compared to a single His6-tag fused
      at one extremity of a MP, the presence of several His6-tags carried by the APol
      belt surrounding the transmembrane domain of a MP increases remarkably the
      affinity of the protein/APol complex for nickel ion-bearing SPR chips, whereas it
      does not show such a strong effect on an IMAC resin. HistAPol-mediated
      immobilization, which allows reversibility of the interaction and easy
      regeneration of the supports and dispenses with any genetic modification of the
      target protein, provides a novel, promising tool for attaching MPs onto solid
      supports while stabilizing them. 

PMID- 26492303
TI  - Rare complication of left main intervention with bioabsorbable everolimus-eluting
      scaffolds implantation.

PMID- 26492304
TI  - Echocardiographic diagnosis of left subclavian artery stenosis before coronary
      artery bypass grafting (CABG).

PMID- 26492305
TI  - Childhood metabolic syndrome, inflammation and carotid intima-media thickness.
      The Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: We evaluated whether atherosclerotic changes associated
      with MetS in Australian Aboriginals are reversible in childhood. In addition, we
      investigated whether heightened inflammation is mediating the adverse effects of
      MetS. METHODS: The study cohort comprised of 351 children from the Aboriginal
      Birth Cohort Study (a longitudinal study based in the Northern Territory of
      Australia) aged 9-13 years at baseline examination who were followed up 6 years
      later. MetS was defined by at least three of the following parameters within the
      extreme sex- and age-specific quartile: highest quartile for waist circumference,
      blood pressure, triglycerides, and glucose, and lowest quartile for HDL
      cholesterol. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and C-reactive protein (CRP)
      were assessed at follow-up. RESULTS: Individuals with MetS at baseline or follow
      up had increased carotid IMT at follow-up (mean +/- SEM 539 +/- 3 vs. 561 +/- 8
      MUm, P=0.007; and 537 +/- 3 vs. 567 +/- 8 MUm, P<0.0001 respectively). In
      combined analyses from baseline and follow-up studies, those individuals with
      MetS only at baseline had partially improved vascular status; their IMT was not
      significantly increased compared to those without MetS at both time-points (534
      +/- 3 vs. 550 +/- 10 MUm, P=0.09). At the follow-up examination, MetS status was
      associated with increased IMT levels only among individuals with CRP levels above
      the median (>= 2.1mg/l) (536 +/- 5 vs. 573 +/- 9 MUm, P<0.0001, P for interaction
      0.01). CONCLUSIONS: MetS in childhood is associated with subclinical
      atherosclerosis in an Australian Aboriginal population and the effects appear to
      be mediated by increased inflammation. The extent of atherosclerosis was
      partially reduced if metabolic status improved during the follow-up.

PMID- 26492306
TI  - Paradoxical low flow/low gradient aortic stenosis: Can cardiopulmonary exercise
      test help in identifying it?

PMID- 26492307
TI  - Tako-tsubo syndrome and myocarditis: Two sides of the same coin or same side for
      two different coins?

PMID- 26492308
TI  - Value of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in the setting of familiar
      cardiomyopathy: A step toward pre-clinical diagnosis.

PMID- 26492309
TI  - Impact of reduced creatinine clearance on early heart transplantation outcomes: A
      propensity score adjusted analysis.

PMID- 26492310
TI  - Left atrial appendage occlusion in atrial fibrillation for stroke prevention: A
      systemic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an arrthymia characterized by increased
      risk of ventricle arrthymias and thromboembolism especially ischemic stroke. Most
      thrombus originated in the left atrial appendage, thus left atrial occlusion
      (LAAO) may be an effective alternative for stroke prevention in atrial
      fibrillation. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect and safety of left atrial occlusion
      for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We searched
      Pub Med, CENTRAL in The Cochrane Library, Embase, CBM-Disk, CNKI for published
      trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, ISI Proceedings for conference abstracts, and WHO
      International Clinical Trial registration Platform for ongoing studies. The
      search results were extracted, and then the quality of included studies was
      assessed. By RevMan 5.3, meta analysis was used if there was low heterogeneity.
      Three randomized controlled clinical trials involving 1165 participants were
      included (percutaneous 1114 in 2 trials, surgical 51 in 1 trial). The current
      data suggest that left atrial occlusion may be as efficacious as warfarin in
      stroke prevention (RR 0.78 [0.33, 1.84]) and mortality reduction (RR 0.68 [0.40,
      1.16]) for AF. CONCLUSION: In contrast to warfarin left atrial occlusion with
      Watchman device may have the same effectivity in stroke reduction. Surgical LAAO
      may also get positive outcomes compared with warfarin, but owing to the small
      sample size the evidence is less powerful. Total outcomes of percutaneous and
      surgical LAAO support this approach.

PMID- 26492311
TI  - Beta-blockers treatment in heart failure with atrial fibrillation--Who should we
      believe?

PMID- 26492312
TI  - Ross procedure is a safe treatment option for aortic valve endocarditis: Long
      term follow-up of 42 patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aortic root replacement with a pulmonary autograft (Ross procedure)
      can be performed as a treatment of aortic valve endocarditis, avoiding prosthetic
      valve implantation in septic context. We sought to assess long-term outcomes of
      the Ross procedure in this indication. METHODS: From April 1992 to March 2009,
      the intervention was performed in 42 patients (mean age 34 +/- 8 years) suffering
      from an active or ancient aortic valve endocarditis. 36% of the patients had
      extensive perivalvular involvement, and surgery was urgent in 18 patients (43%).
      We performed a prospective clinical and echocardiographic follow-up of this
      population. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 10 years (4-21 years). Overall survival
      at 10 and 15 years was respectively 87 +/- 5% and 81 +/- 8%. Perioperative
      mortality was 4.7% (2 patients) and no late cardiac death was reported. Eight
      patients (19%) underwent repeat surgery for autograft and/or homograft
      dysfunction at a median time of 8.4 years (3 months-18 years). Rate of recurrent
      endocarditis was low (7%-3 patients), including 1 in a context of persistent
      intravenous drug abuse. Clinical follow-up showed good functional status for all
      patients with NYHA <= II, and less than 25% of patients requiring cardiovascular
      medication. Late echocardiographic follow-up demonstrated well-functioning
      autograft and homograft, with only one severe aortic regurgitation, and one
      significant increase in pulmonary mean gradient. CONCLUSION: The Ross procedure
      in aortic valve endocarditis is an interesting alternative to prosthetic valvular
      replacement in a selected population, with a high rate of survival free from any
      cardiovascular event or medication requirement.

PMID- 26492313
TI  - High evening salivary cortisol is an independent predictor of increased mortality
      risk in patients with systolic heart failure.
AB  - AIMS: Serum cortisol independently predicts mortality risk in patients with
      systolic heart failure. Salivary cortisol may provide advantages as it better
      reflects the biologically active free compound. Furthermore, sampling is non
      invasive and may easily be performed in outpatients. We comparatively evaluated
      associations of morning (MSC) vs. evening salivary cortisol (ESC) and all-cause
      mortality risk. METHODS AND RESULTS: MSC (8 am) and ESC (9 pm) were determined in
      229 patients with heart failure participating in the Interdisciplinary Network
      for Heart Failure program (66 +/- 13 years; 21% female; 37% New York Heart
      Association (NYHA) class III/IV, median left ventricular ejection fraction 33%).
      The association of cortisol with mortality risk was determined by univariate and
      Cox multivariable regression analyses adjusting for age, sex, NYHA class, and N
      terminal pro-hormone B-type natriuretic peptide. Compared to ESC, MSC was
      significantly higher and exhibited a higher variance: median 0.59 ng/ml
      (interquartile range 0.41-0.93) vs. 0.25 ng/ml (0.15-0.48), p<0.001. During 18
      months of follow-up, 25 (11%) patients died. In univariate and multivariable
      models mortality risk was not increased in the highest MSC quartile: crude hazard
      ratio (HR) 1.81 (95% confidence interval 0.79-4.14, p=0.160), adjusted HR 1.26
      (0.51-3.13, p=0.616). However, patients in the highest ESC quartile had a
      significantly increased mortality risk, suggesting that associations of high ESC
      and increased mortality were independent of disease severity: crude HR 3.33 (1.50
      7.42, p=0.003), adjusted HR 2.49 (1.01-6.14, p=0.047). ESC alone proved the best
      predictor of mortality. CONCLUSION: High ESC but not MSC levels independently
      predict increased mortality risk in heart failure.

PMID- 26492314
TI  - Could dexmedetomidine have a role in patients admitted with Takotsubo syndrome?

PMID- 26492316
TI  - Modeling of inter-sample variation in flow cytometric data with the joint
      clustering and matching procedure.
AB  - We present an algorithm for modeling flow cytometry data in the presence of large
      inter-sample variation. Large-scale cytometry datasets often exhibit some within
      class variation due to technical effects such as instrumental differences and
      variations in data acquisition, as well as subtle biological heterogeneity within
      the class of samples. Failure to account for such variations in the model may
      lead to inaccurate matching of populations across a batch of samples and poor
      performance in classification of unlabeled samples. In this paper, we describe
      the Joint Clustering and Matching (JCM) procedure for simultaneous segmentation
      and alignment of cell populations across multiple samples. Under the JCM
      framework, a multivariate mixture distribution is used to model the distribution
      of the expressions of a fixed set of markers for each cell in a sample such that
      the components in the mixture model may correspond to the various populations of
      cells, which have similar expressions of markers (that is, clusters), in the
      composition of the sample. For each class of samples, an overall class template
      is formed by the adoption of random-effects terms to model the inter-sample
      variation within a class. The construction of a parametric template for each
      class allows for direct quantification of the differences between the template
      and each sample, and also between each pair of samples, both within or between
      classes. The classification of a new unclassified sample is then undertaken by
      assigning the unclassified sample to the class that minimizes the distance
      between its fitted mixture density and each class density as provided by the
      class templates. For illustration, we use a symmetric form of the Kullback
      Leibler divergence as a distance measure between two densities, but other
      distance measures can also be applied. We show and demonstrate on four real
      datasets how the JCM procedure can be used to carry out the tasks of automated
      clustering and alignment of cell populations, and supervised classification of
      samples.

PMID- 26492315
TI  - Loss of PTEN Facilitates Rosiglitazone-Mediated Enhancement of Platinum(IV)
      Complex LA-12-Induced Apoptosis in Colon Cancer Cells.
AB  - We demonstrated for the first time an outstanding ability of rosiglitazone to
      mediate a profound enhancement of LA-12-induced apoptosis associated with
      activation of mitochondrial pathway in human colon cancer cells. This effect was
      preferentially observed in the G1 cell cycle phase, independent on p53 and
      PPARgamma proteins, and accompanied with significant changes of selected Bcl-2
      family protein levels. Further stimulation of cooperative synergic cytotoxic
      action of rosiglitazone and LA-12 was demonstrated in the cells deficient for
      PTEN, where mitochondrial apoptotic pathway was more stimulated and G1-phase
      associated dying was reinforced. Our results suggest that combined treatment with
      rosiglitazone and LA-12 might be promising anticancer strategy in colon-derived
      tumours regardless of their p53 status, and also favourable in those defective in
      PTEN function. 

PMID- 26492317
TI  - Ultralow-dose CT with tin filtration for detection of solid and sub solid
      pulmonary nodules: a phantom study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the diagnostic performance of advanced modelled
      iterative reconstruction (ADMIRE) to filtered back projection (FBP) when using an
      ultralow-dose protocol for the detection of solid and subsolid pulmonary nodules.
      METHODS: Single-energy CT was performed at 100 kVp with tin filtration in an
      anthropomorphic chest phantom with solid and subsolid pulmonary nodules (2-10 mm,
      attenuation, 20 to -800 HU at 120 kVp). The mean volume CT dose index (CTDIvol)
      of the standard chest protocol was 2.2 mGy. Subsequent scans were obtained at 1/8
      (0.28 mGy), 1/20 (0.10 mGy) and 1/70 (0.03 mGy) dose levels by lowering tube
      voltage and tube current. Images were reconstructed with FBP and ADMIRE. One
      reader measured image noise; two readers determined image quality and assessed
      nodule localization. RESULTS: Image noise was significantly reduced using ADMIRE
      compared with FBP (ADMIRE at a strength level of 5 : 70.4% for 1/20; 71.6% for
      1/8; p < 0.001). Interobserver agreement for image quality was excellent (k =
      0.88). Image quality was considered diagnostic for all images at 1/20 dose using
      ADMIRE. Sensitivity of nodule detection was 97.1% (100% for solid, 93.8% for
      subsolid nodules) at 1/20 dose and 100% for both nodule entities at 1/8 dose
      using ADMIRE 5. Images obtained with 1/70 dose had moderate sensitivity (overall
      85.7%; solid 95%; subsolid 73.3%). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that with a
      combination of tin filtration and ADMIRE, the CTDIvol of chest CT can be lowered
      considerably, while sensitivity for nodule detection remains high. For solid
      nodules, CTDIvol was 0.10 mGy, while subsolid nodules required a slightly higher
      CTDIvol of 0.28 mGy. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Detection of subsolid nodules is
      feasible with ultralow-dose protocols.

PMID- 26492318
TI  - Peanut witches' broom (PnWB) phytoplasma-mediated leafy flower symptoms and
      abnormal vascular bundles development.
AB  - The peanut witches' broom (PnWB) phytoplasma causes virescence symptoms such as
      phyllody (leafy flower) in infected peanuts. However, the obligate nature of
      phytoplasma limits the study of host-pathogen interactions, and the detailed
      anatomy of PnWB-infected plants has yet to be reported. Here, we demonstrate that
      4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining can be used to track PnWB
      infection. The DAPI-stained phytoplasma cells were observed in phloem/internal
      phloem tissues, and changes in vascular bundle morphology, including increasing
      pith rays and thinner cell walls in the xylem, were found. We also discerned the
      cell types comprising PnWB in infected sieve tube members. These results suggest
      that the presence of PnWB in phloem tissue facilitates the transmission of
      phytoplasma via sap-feeding insect vectors. In addition, PnWB in sieve tube
      members and changes in vascular bundle morphology might strongly promote the
      ability of phytoplasmas to assimilate nutrients. These data will help further an
      understanding of the obligate life cycle and host-pathogen interactions of
      phytoplasma. 

PMID- 26492319
TI  - Topology preserving non-rigid image registration using time-varying elasticity
      model for MRI brain volumes.
AB  - In this paper, we present a new non-rigid image registration method that imposes
      a topology preservation constraint on the deformation. We propose to incorporate
      the time varying elasticity model into the deformable image matching procedure
      and constrain the Jacobian determinant of the transformation over the entire
      image domain. The motion of elastic bodies is governed by a hyperbolic partial
      differential equation, generally termed as elastodynamics wave equation, which we
      propose to use as a deformation model. We carried out clinical image registration
      experiments on 3D magnetic resonance brain scans from IBSR database. The results
      of the proposed registration approach in terms of Kappa index and relative
      overlap computed over the subcortical structures were compared against the
      existing topology preserving non-rigid image registration methods and non
      topology preserving variant of our proposed registration scheme. The Jacobian
      determinant maps obtained with our proposed registration method were
      qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. The results demonstrated that the
      proposed scheme provides good registration accuracy with smooth transformations,
      thereby guaranteeing the preservation of topology. 

PMID- 26492320
TI  - A probabilistic approach for automated discovery of perturbed genes using
      expression data from microarray or RNA-Seq.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In complex diseases, alterations of multiple molecular and cellular
      components in response to perturbations are indicative of disease physiology.
      While expression level of genes from high-throughput analysis can vary among
      patients, the common path among disease progression suggests that the underlying
      cellular sub-processes involving associated genes follow similar fates. Motivated
      by the interconnected nature of sub-processes, we have developed an automated
      methodology that combines ideas from biological networks, statistical models, and
      game theory, to probe connected cellular processes. The core concept in our
      approach uses probability of change (POC) to indicate the probability that a
      gene's expression level has changed between two conditions. POC facilitates the
      definition of change at the neighborhood, pathway, and network levels and enables
      evaluation of the influence of diseases on the expression. The 'connected'
      disease-related genes (DRG) identified display coherent and concomitant
      differential expression levels along paths. RESULTS: RNA-Seq and microarray
      breast cancer subtyping expression data sets were used to identify DRG between
      subtypes. A machine-learning algorithm was trained for subtype discrimination
      using the DRG, and the training yielded a set of biomarkers. The discriminative
      power of the biomarkers was tested using an unseen data set. Biomarkers
      identified overlaps with disease-specific identified genes, and we were able to
      classify disease subtypes with 100% and 80% agreement with PAM50, for microarray
      and RNA-Seq data set respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We present an automated
      probabilistic approach that offers unbiased and reproducible results, thus
      complementing existing methods in DRG and biomarker discovery for complex
      diseases.

PMID- 26492321
TI  - Preparation of 68Ga-labelled DOTA-peptides using a manual labelling approach for
      small-animal PET imaging.
AB  - (68)Ga-DOTA-peptides are a promising PET radiotracers used in the detection of
      different tumours types due to their ability for binding specifically receptors
      overexpressed in these. Furthermore, (68)Ga can be produced by a (68)Ge/(68)Ga
      generator on site which is a very good alternative to cyclotron-based PET
      isotopes. Here, we describe a manual labelling approach for the synthesis of
      (68)Ga-labelled DOTA-peptides based on concentration and purification of the
      commercial (68)Ga/(68)Ga generator eluate using an anion exchange-cartridge.
      (68)Ga-DOTA-TATE was used to image a pheochromocytoma xenograft mouse model by a
      microPET/CT scanner. The method described provides satisfactory results, allowing
      the subsequent (68)Ga use to label DOTA-peptides. The simplicity of the method
      along with its implementation reduced cost, makes it useful in preclinical PET
      studies. 

PMID- 26492322
TI  - Effect of correction methods of radiochromic EBT2 films on the accuracy of IMRT
      QA.
AB  - Radiochromic films are dosimeters with more favorable characteristics than other
      two-dimensional (2D) radiation detectors. Transmission film scanners using a
      linear charge-coupled device (CCD) array have a drawback of variation in response
      along the detector array, which may result in a nonuniform transmission of signal
      over the scanned image. This study uses 2D gamma index analysis to compare two
      methods for correcting the nonuniform response of EBT2: the first method was
      based on the new red:blue method proposed by the manufacturer (to compensate for
      small nonuniformities in the film coating) and the second method, proposed by
      Menegotti et al. (2008), was based on dose-dependent matrix correction factors.
      The gamma index analysis shows that both the methods are comparably accurate for
      all the criteria values used for evaluation (1 mm/1%, 2 mm/2%, 3 mm/3%). Centers
      around the world use both the methods to correct EBT2 local heterogeneities, but
      it is important to note that the former method has several advantages such as
      less time consumption and easy implementation.

PMID- 26492323
TI  - Optimal timing of [18F]Mefway PET for imaging the serotonin 1A receptor in
      healthy male subjects.
AB  - To determine the optimal acquisition time of [(18)F]Mefway PET, we examined the
      regional specific-to-nonspecific binding ratios and evaluated the relationship
      between distribution volume ratios (DVRs) and standardized uptake value ratios
      (SUVRs) in various time windows. The specific-to-nonspecific binding ratios
      peaked after 40 min and there was a strong correlation between DVR and SUVR in
      the 60-80 min. Therefore, we recommend the use of a single time point between 60
      and 80 min for [(18)F]Mefway static PET.

PMID- 26492324
TI  - Application of spectrum shifting methodology to restore NaI(Tl)-recorded gamma
      spectra, shifted due to temperature variations in the environment.
AB  - A method has been standardized for restoring a shifted differential pulse height
      spectrum from a scintillator based gamma ray spectrometer recorded at measurement
      temperature, to the position of a desired spectrum, recorded at a reference
      temperature. The method is based on the assumption that the spectrum obtained at
      measurement temperature represents the same statistical distribution as that at
      reference temperature but with different energy scales. A computer program has
      been developed for calculation of the transformation between the energy scales
      and for the restoration of the shifted spectrum. The method developed has been
      successfully applied for the restoration of gamma spectra measured at different
      temperatures. 

PMID- 26492325
TI  - Quantitative nanoscopy: Tackling sampling limitations in (S)TEM imaging of
      polymers and composites.
AB  - Sampling limitations in electron microscopy questions whether the analysis of a
      bulk material is representative, especially while analyzing hierarchical
      morphologies that extend over multiple length scales. We tackled this problem by
      automatically acquiring a large series of partially overlapping (S)TEM images
      with sufficient resolution, subsequently stitched together to generate a large
      area map using an in-house developed acquisition toolbox (TU/e Acquisition
      ToolBox) and stitching module (TU/e Stitcher). In addition, we show that
      quantitative image analysis of the large scale maps provides representative
      information that can be related to the synthesis and process conditions of
      hierarchical materials, which moves electron microscopy analysis towards becoming
      a bulk characterization tool. We demonstrate the power of such an analysis by
      examining two different multi-phase materials that are structured over multiple
      length scales. 

PMID- 26492327
TI  - Editorial Transition at Alzheimer's Disease and Associated Disorders.

PMID- 26492326
TI  - DNA Methylation Landscapes of Human Fetal Development.
AB  - Remodelling the methylome is a hallmark of mammalian development and cell
      differentiation. However, current knowledge of DNA methylation dynamics in human
      tissue specification and organ development largely stems from the extrapolation
      of studies in vitro and animal models. Here, we report on the DNA methylation
      landscape using the 450k array of four human tissues (amnion, muscle, adrenal and
      pancreas) during the first and second trimester of gestation (9,18 and 22 weeks).
      We show that a tissue-specific signature, constituted by tissue-specific
      hypomethylated CpG sites, was already present at 9 weeks of gestation (W9).
      Furthermore, we report large-scale remodelling of DNA methylation from W9 to W22.
      Gain of DNA methylation preferentially occurred near genes involved in general
      developmental processes, whereas loss of DNA methylation mapped to genes with
      tissue-specific functions. Dynamic DNA methylation was associated with enhancers,
      but not promoters. Comparison of our data with external fetal adrenal, brain and
      liver revealed striking similarities in the trajectory of DNA methylation during
      fetal development. The analysis of gene expression data indicated that dynamic
      DNA methylation was associated with the progressive repression of developmental
      programs and the activation of genes involved in tissue-specific processes. The
      DNA methylation landscape of human fetal development provides insight into
      regulatory elements that guide tissue specification and lead to organ
      functionality. 

PMID- 26492328
TI  - Same Ages, Same Genes: Same Brains, Same Pathologies?: Dementia Timings, Co
      Occurring Brain Pathologies, ApoE Genotypes in Identical and Fraternal Age
      matched Twins at Autopsy.

PMID- 26492329
TI  - Errors in Self-Reports of Health Services Use: Impact on Alzheimer Disease
      Clinical Trial Designs.

PMID- 26492330
TI  - Don't Shoot the Messenger.

PMID- 26492331
TI  - Configuring bonds between first-row transition metals.
AB  - Alfred Werner, who pioneered the field of coordination chemistry, envisioned
      coordination complexes as a single, transition metal atom at the epicenter of a
      vast ligand space. The idea that the locus of a coordination complex could be
      shared by multiple metals held together with covalent bonds would eventually lead
      to the discovery of the quadruple and quintuple bond, which have no analogues
      outside of the transition metal block. Metal-metal bonding can be classified into
      homometallic and heterometallic groups. Although the former is dominant, the
      latter is arguably more intriguing because of the inherently larger chemical
      space in which metal-metal bonding can be explored. In 2013, Lu and Thomas
      independently reported the isolation of heterometallic multiple bonds with
      exclusively first-row transition metals. Structural and theoretical data
      supported triply bonded Fe-Cr and Fe-V cores. This Account describes our
      continued efforts to configure bonds between first-row transition metals from
      titanium to copper. Double-decker ligands, or binucleating platforms that brace
      two transition metals in proximity, have enabled the modular synthesis of diverse
      metal-metal complexes. The resulting complexes are also ideal for investigating
      the effects of an "ancillary" metal on the properties and reactivities of an
      "active" metal center. A total of 38 bimetallic complexes have been compiled
      comprising 18 unique metal-metal pairings. Twenty-one of these bimetallics are
      strictly isostructural, allowing for a systematic comparison of metal-metal
      bonding. The nature of the chemical bond between first-row metals is remarkably
      variable and depends on two primary factors: the total d-electron count, and the
      metals' relative d-orbital energies. Showcasing the range of covalent bonding are
      a quintuply bonded (d-d)(10) Mn-Cr heterobimetallic and the singly bonded late
      late pairings, e.g., Fe-Co, which adopt unusually high spin states. A long-term
      goal is to rationally tailor the properties and reactivities of the bimetallic
      complexes. In some cases, synergistic redox and magnetic properties were found
      that are different from the expected sum of the individual metals. Intermetal
      charge transfer was shown in a Co-M series, for M = Mn to Cu, where the
      transition energy decreases as M is varied across the first-row period. The
      potential of using metal-metal complexes for multielectron reduction of small
      molecules is addressed by N2 binding studies and a mechanistic study of a
      dicobalt catalyst in reductive silylation of N2 to N(SiMe3)3. Finally, metal-ion
      exchange reactions with metal-metal complexes can be selective under appropriate
      reaction conditions, providing an alternative synthetic route to metal-metal
      species. 

PMID- 26492333
TI  - Atmospheric Oxidation of Squalene: Molecular Study Using COBRA Modeling and High
      Resolution Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Squalene is a major component of skin and plant surface lipids and is known to be
      present at high concentrations in indoor dust. Its high reactivity toward ozone
      makes it an important ozone sink and a natural protectant against atmospheric
      oxidizing agents. While the volatile products of squalene ozonolysis are known,
      the condensed-phase products have not been characterized. We present an analysis
      of condensed-phase products resulting from an extensive oxidation of squalene by
      ozone probed by electrospray ionization (ESI) high-resolution mass spectrometry
      (HR-MS). A complex distribution of nearly 1300 peaks assignable to molecular
      formulas is observed in direct infusion positive ion mode ESI mass spectra. The
      distribution of peaks in the mass spectra suggests that there are extensive cross
      coupling reactions between hydroxy-carbonyl products of squalene ozonolysis. To
      get additional insights into the mechanism, we apply a Computational Brewing
      Application (COBRA) to simulate the oxidation of squalene in the presence of
      ozone, and compare predicted results with those observed by the HR-MS
      experiments. The system predicts over one billion molecular structures between 0
      and 1450 Da, which correspond to about 27 000 distinct elemental formulas. Over
      83% of the squalene oxidation products inferred from the mass spectrometry data
      are matched by the simulation. The simulation indicates a prevalence of peroxy
      groups, with hydroxyl and ether groups being the second-most important O
      containing functional groups formed during squalene oxidation. These highly
      oxidized products of squalene ozonolysis may accumulate on indoor dust and
      surfaces and contribute to their redox capacity. 

PMID- 26492332
TI  - Decreased MicroRNA-26a expression causes cisplatin resistance in human non-small
      cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the most common cancer that is caused by perturbation
      of regulatory pathways rather than dysfunction of a single gene. Cisplatin (CDDP;
      cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II) is the first member of a class of platinum
      containing anti-cancer medication, which binds to DNA and triggers apoptosis.
      CDDP-based chemotherapy is used to treat various types of cancers. However, the
      efficacy of CDDP in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is
      limited by acquired drug resistance. MicroRNAs have recently emerged as key
      regulators of cancers, and miR-26a is one of down-regulated miRNAs in
      A549/CDDPres cell line. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR-26a in
      CDDP resistance in NSCLC as well as the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: In this
      study, we analyzed expressional profiles of CDDP resistance-related mRNA, miRNA,
      and transcription factors (TF) that regulate miRNA expression in NSCLC. A549
      cells were treated with CDDP, miR-26a mimic, or miR-26a inhibitor, and followed
      by biological analysis including drug sensitivity assay, colony formation assay,
      terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl Transferase Mediated Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) assay,
      and cell cycle analysis. Luciferase assay was used to determine the target of miR
      26a. The regulation of miR-26a in Akt pathway was measured by western blot.
      RESULTS: High mobility group A (HMGA) 2 was identified as the target of miR-26a.
      Overexpression of miR-26a in A549 cells inhibited G1-S transition, increased cell
      death in response to CDDP treatment, and decreased the colony formation of A549
      cells. MiR-26a significantly decreased the expression of E2F1, diminished Akt
      phosphorylation, and downregulated Bcl2 expression. Cell growth was suppressed by
      inhibiting HMGA2-mediated E2F1-Akt pathway. CONCLUSION: MiR-26a is responsible
      for A549 cell sensitivity in the treatment of CDDP through regulating HMGA2
      mediated E2F1-Akt pathway.

PMID- 26492334
TI  - The Intervention of CRAC Channels Alleviates Inflammatory Responses in Nasal
      Polyps.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is associated with
      Th2-dominant inflammation. However, effective treatments for CRSwNP have not yet
      been found. This study aimed to investigate the expression of Orai1 in nasal
      polyps (NP) and the influence on them of the intervention of Ca2+ release
      activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nasal samples were
      obtained from normal subjects or subjects with CRSwNP. We studied the
      distribution of Orai1 protein in NP and normal mucosa (normal group) using
      immunohistochemistry. These tissues in cultures were then maintained in the
      absence (control group) or presence of 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB) for
      24 h. Orai1 was examined by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
      and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The Ca2+
      mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) was evaluated by flow cytometry, and the
      inflammatory mediators, including interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-13,
      Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus-specific IgE, leukotriene C4 and eosinophil cation
      protein in cultures, were analyzed with ELISA and real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: The
      expression of Orai1 was localized to the cytoplasmic membrane of inflammatory
      cells, and upregulated in NP compared to that in the normal group. However, Orai1
      protein was decreased in polyp tissues after the 2-APB treatment. The levels of
      Ca2+ MFI and above inflammatory mediators were also elevated in NP, and reduced
      after the 2-APB administration compared to those in the control group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Orai1 and CRAC channels may play a crucial role in NP formation and
      development, and the 2-APB intervention of Orai1 protein may alleviate
      inflammatory responses in NP.

PMID- 26492335
TI  - Toward decrypting the allosteric mechanism of the ryanodine receptor based on
      coarse-grained structural and dynamic modeling.
AB  - The ryanodine receptors (RyRs) are a family of calcium (Ca) channels that
      regulate Ca release by undergoing a closed-to-open gating transition in response
      to action potential or Ca binding. The allosteric mechanism of RyRs gating, which
      is activated/regulated by ligand/protein binding >200 A away from the channel
      gate, remains elusive for the lack of high-resolution structures. Recent solution
      of the closed-form structures of the RyR1 isoform by cryo-electron microscopy has
      paved the way for detailed structure-driven studies of RyRs functions. Toward
      elucidating the allosteric mechanism of RyRs gating, we performed coarse-grained
      modeling based on the newly solved closed-form structures of RyR1. Our normal
      mode analysis captured a key mode of collective motions dominating the observed
      structural variations in RyR1, which features large outward and downward
      movements of the peripheral domains with the channel remaining closed, and
      involves hotspot residues that overlap well with key functional sites and disease
      mutations. In particular, we found a key interaction between a peripheral domain
      and the Ca-binding EF hand domain, which may allow for direct coupling of Ca
      binding to the collective motions as captured by the above mode. This key mode
      was robustly reproduced by the normal mode analysis of the other two closed-form
      structures of RyR1 solved independently. To elucidate the closed-to-open
      conformational changes in RyR1 with amino-acid level of details, we flexibly
      fitted the closed-form structures of RyR1 into a 10-A cryo-electron microscopy
      map of the open state. We observed extensive structural changes involving the
      peripheral domains and the central domains, resulting in the channel pore
      opening. In sum, our findings have offered unprecedented structural and dynamic
      insights to the allosteric mechanism of RyR1 via modulation of the key collective
      motions involved in RyR1 gating. The predicted hotspot residues and open-form
      conformation of RyR1 will guide future mutational and functional studies.

PMID- 26492336
TI  - Functional Impairment of Myeloid Dendritic Cells during Advanced Stage of HIV-1
      Infection: Role of Factors Regulating Cytokine Signaling.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Severely immunocompromised state during advanced stage of HIV-1
      infection has been linked to functionally defective antigen presentation by
      dendritic cells (DCs). The molecular mechanisms behind DC impairment are still
      obscure. We investigated changes in DC function and association of key regulators
      of cytokine signaling during different stages of HIV-1 infection and following
      antiretroviral therapy (ART). METHODS: Phenotypic and functional characteristics
      of circulating myeloid DCs (mDCs) in 56 ART-naive patients (23 in early and 33 in
      advanced stage of disease), 36 on ART and 24 healthy controls were evaluated.
      Sixteen patients were studied longitudinally prior-to and 6 months after the
      start of ART. For functional studies, monocyte-derived DCs (Mo-DCs) were
      evaluated for endocytosis, allo-stimulation and cytokine secretion. The
      expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)-1 and other regulators of
      cytokine signaling was evaluated by real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: The ability to
      respond to an antigenic stimulation was severely impaired in patients in advanced
      HIV-1 disease which showed partial recovery in the treated group. Mo-DCs from
      patients with advanced HIV-disease remained immature with low allo-stimulation
      and reduced cytokine secretion even after TLR-4 mediated stimulation ex-vivo. The
      cells had an increased expression of negative regulatory factors like SOCS-1,
      SOCS-3, SH2-containing phosphatase (SHP)-1 and a reduced expression of positive
      regulators like Janus kinase (JAK)2 and Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer
      of activated B cells (NF-kappaB)1. A functional recovery after siRNA mediated
      silencing of SOCS-1 in these mo-DCs confirms the role of negative regulatory
      factors in functional impairment of these cells. CONCLUSIONS: Functionally
      defective DCs in advanced stage of HIV-1 infection seems to be due to imbalanced
      state of negative and positive regulatory gene expression. Whether this is a
      cause or effect of increased viral replication at this stage of disease, needs
      further investigation. The information may be useful in design of novel
      therapeutic targets for better management of disease.

PMID- 26492337
TI  - Activation of Transducin by Bistable Pigment Parapinopsin in the Pineal Organ of
      Lower Vertebrates.
AB  - Pineal organs of lower vertebrates contain several kinds of photosensitive
      molecules, opsins that are suggested to be involved in different light-regulated
      physiological functions. We previously reported that parapinopsin is an
      ultraviolet (UV)-sensitive opsin that underlies hyperpolarization of the pineal
      photoreceptor cells of lower vertebrates to achieve pineal wavelength
      discrimination. Although, parapinopsin is phylogenetically close to vertebrate
      visual opsins, it exhibits a property similar to invertebrate visual opsins and
      melanopsin: the photoproduct of parapinopsin is stable and reverts to the
      original dark states, demonstrating the nature of bistable pigments. Therefore,
      it is of evolutionary interest to identify a phototransduction cascade driven by
      parapinopsin and to compare it with that in vertebrate visual cells. Here, we
      showed that parapinopsin is coupled to vertebrate visual G protein transducin in
      the pufferfish, zebrafish, and lamprey pineal organs. Biochemical analyses
      demonstrated that parapinopsins activated transducin in vitro in a light
      dependent manner, similar to vertebrate visual opsins. Interestingly, transducin
      activation by parapinopsin was provoked and terminated by UV- and subsequent
      orange-lights irradiations, respectively, due to the bistable nature of
      parapinopsin, which could contribute to a wavelength-dependent control of a
      second messenger level in the cell as a unique optogenetic tool.
      Immunohistochemical examination revealed that parapinopsin was colocalized with
      Gt2 in the teleost, which possesses rod and cone types of transducin, Gt1, and
      Gt2. On the other hand, in the lamprey, which does not possess the Gt2 gene, in
      situ hybridization suggested that parapinopsin-expressing photoreceptor cells
      contained Gt1 type transducin GtS, indicating that lamprey parapinopsin may use
      GtS in place of Gt2. Because it is widely accepted that vertebrate visual opsins
      having a bleaching nature have evolved from non-bleaching opsins similar to
      parapinopsin, these results implied that ancestral bistable opsins might acquire
      coupling to the transducin-mediated cascade and achieve light-dependent
      hyperpolarizing response of the photoreceptor cells. 

PMID- 26492338
TI  - Patient rehabilitation after cancer: is it time to adjust our approach?

PMID- 26492339
TI  - Patterns of practice in oncology: is progress reaching our practice?

PMID- 26492340
TI  - Unveiling the photoelectrocatalytic inactivation mechanism of Escherichia coli:
      Convincing evidence from responses of parent and anti-oxidation single gene
      knockout mutants.
AB  - This study investigated photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) inactivation mechanism of
      bacteria using parental Escherichia coli (E. coli) BW25113 and its isogenic
      mutants deficient in catalase HPI (katG(-), JW3914-1) and Mn-SOD (sodA(-), JW3879
      1). BW25113 in the mid-log phase was less susceptible to PEC inactivation than
      those in early-log and stationary phases, consistent with the peak activities of
      catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) at mid-log phase (30.6 and 13.0
      Unit/ml/OD600). For different strains all in mid-log phase, PEC inactivation
      efficiency followed the order katG(-) > sodA(-) > BW25113, with the duration of
      60, 60 and 90 min for complete inactivation of ~2 * 10(7) CFU mL(-1) bacteria,
      respectively. Correspondingly, catalase and SOD levels of BW25113 were also
      higher than the mutants by 5.9 and 11.7 Unit/mL/OD600, respectively. Reactive
      oxygen species (ROSs) concentrations in PEC systems revealed that the
      inactivation performance coincided with H2O2 levels, rather than OH. Moreover,
      pre-incubation with H2O2 elevated catalase activities and PEC inactivation
      resistance of BW25113 were positively correlated. The above results indicated
      that H2O2 was the dominant PEC generated bactericide, and anti-oxidative enzymes
      especially catalase contributed greatly to the bacterial PEC resistance capacity.
      Further tests revealed that PEC treatment raised the intracellular ROSs
      concentration by more than 3 times, due to the permeated H2O2 and its
      intracellular derivative, OH. However, oxidative stress response of E. coli, such
      as increased catalase or SOD were not observed, perhaps because the ROSs
      overwhelmed the bacterial protective capacity. The accumulated ROSs subsequently
      caused oxidative damages to E. coli cells, including membrane damage, K(+)
      leakage, and protein oxidation. Compared with BW25113, the mutants experienced
      damages earlier and at higher levels, confirming the essential roles of catalase
      and SOD in the bacterial PEC resistance. 

PMID- 26492341
TI  - Membrane fouling and anti-fouling strategies using RO retentate from a municipal
      water recycling plant as the feed for osmotic power generation.
AB  - RO retentate from a municipal water recycling plant is considered as a potential
      feed stream for osmotic power generation in this paper. The feasibility of using
      RO retentate from a municipal water recycling plant was examined from two
      aspects: (a) the membrane fouling propensity of RO retentate, and (b) the
      efficacy of anti-fouling strategies. The membranes used in this study were the
      inner selective thin film composite polyethersulfone (TFC/PES) hollow fiber
      membranes, which possessed a high water permeability and good mechanical
      strength. Scaling by phosphate salts was found to be one possible inorganic
      fouling on the innermost layer of the PES membrane, whereas silica fouling was
      observed to be the governing fouling on the outmost surface of the PES membrane.
      Two anti-fouling pretreatments, i.e., pH adjustment and anti-scalant pre
      treatment for the feed stream, were studied and found to be straightforward and
      effective. Using RO retentate at pH 7.2 as the feed and 1 M NaCl as the draw
      solution, the average power density was 7.3 W/m(2) at 20 bar. The average power
      density increased to 12.6 W/m(2) by modifying RO retentate with an initial pH
      value of 5.5 using HCl and to 13.4 W/m(2) by adding 1.1 mM
      ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Moreover, the flux recovery of the fouled
      membranes, without the indicated pretreatments, reached 84.9% using deionized
      (DI) water flushing and 95.0% using air bubbling under a high crossflow velocity
      of 23.3 cm/s (Re = 2497) for 30 min. After pretreatment by pH adjustment, the
      flux recovery increased to 94.6% by DI water flushing and 100.0% by air bubbling.
      After pretreatment by adding 1.1 mM EDTA into RO retentate, flux was almost fully
      restored by physical cleaning by DI water flushing and air bubbling. These
      results provide insight into developing an effective pretreatment by either pH
      adjustment or EDTA addition before PRO and physical cleaning methods by DI water
      flushing and air bubbling for membrane used in osmotic power generation. 

PMID- 26492342
TI  - Impact of liming and drying municipal sewage sludge on the amount and
      availability of (14)C-acetyl sulfamethoxazole and (14)C-acetaminophen residues.
AB  - Acetyl Sulfamethoxazole (AC-SMX) and acetaminophen (ACM) can be found in
      municipal sewage sludge, and their content and availability may be influenced by
      sludge treatments, such as drying and liming. A sludge similarly centrifuged
      with/without a flocculant was spiked with (14)C-labelled AC-SMX or ACM. Then, it
      was either limed (20% CaO) or/and dried under different laboratory conditions (1
      week at ambient temperature; and 48 h at 40 or 80  degrees C). The total amount
      and distribution of the (14)C-compounds among several chemical fractions, based
      on the sludge floc definition, were assessed at the end of the treatments. All
      the (14)C-activity brought initially was recovered in the limed and/or dried
      sludges for AC-SMX but only between 44.4 and 84.9% for ACM, with the highest rate
      obtained for the limed sludge. Drying at 80  degrees C or liming increased the
      percentage of the sludge total organic carbon recovered in the extracts
      containing soluble extracellular polymeric substances (S-EPS) and the percentage
      of the total (14)C-activity extracted simultaneously. The non-extractable
      residues represented only 3.9-11.6% of the total (14)C-activity measured in the
      treated sludges for AC-SMX and 16.9-21.8% for ACM. The presence of AC-SMX and ACM
      residues in the treated sludges, after liming and drying under different
      conditions, was shown using some (14)C-labelled molecules. At this time scale and
      according to the extraction method selected, most of the (14)C-residues remained
      soluble and easily extractable for both compounds. This result implies that
      certain precautions should be taken when storing sludges before being spread on
      the field. Sludge piles, particularly the limed sludge, should be protected from
      rain to limit the production of lixiviates, which may contain residues of AC-SMX
      and ACM. 

PMID- 26492343
TI  - Conservation of acquired morphology and community structure in aged biofilms
      after facing environmental stress.
AB  - The influence of growth history on biofilm morphology and microbial community
      structure is poorly studied despite its important role for biofilm development.
      Here, biofilms were exposed to a change in hydrodynamic conditions at different
      growth stages and we observed how biofilm age affected the change in morphology
      and bacterial community structure. Biofilms were developed in two bubble column
      reactors, one operated under constant shear stress and one under variable shear
      stress. Biofilms were transferred from one reactor to the other at different
      stages in their development by withdrawing and inserting the support medium from
      one reactor to the other. The developments of morphology and microbial community
      structure were followed by image analysis and molecular tools. When transferred
      early in biofilm development, biofilms adapted to the new hydrodynamic conditions
      and adopted features of the biofilm already developed in the receiving reactor.
      Biofilms transferred at a late state of biofilm development continued their
      initial trajectories of morphology and community development even in a new
      environment. These biofilms did not immediately adapt to their new environment
      and kept features acquired during their early growth phase, a property we called
      memory effect. 

PMID- 26492344
TI  - Clinical course of hepatitis B surface antigen positive subjects following
      screening: A retrospective observational study from April 2008 to January 2013.
AB  - AIM: Determination of the percentage of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)
      positive participants who undergo screening and treatment may reduce the
      development of hepatocellular carcinoma. This study assessed the percentages of
      HBsAg positive participants detected by free screening at medical institutions in
      Saga Prefecture who underwent detailed examinations and antiviral treatment.
      METHODS: Participants were screened for HBsAg positivity at medical institutions
      in Saga Prefecture from April 2008 to January 2013, with some visiting physicians
      for detailed examinations and applying for reimbursement. Participants in the
      database of the Health Promotion Division of Saga Prefecture and results of
      detailed examinations were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Screening revealed
      193 eligible participants, 105 men (54%) and 88 women (46%), of a mean age of
      55.5 +/- 14.9 years. Of these 193 participants, 147 (76%) visited physicians for
      detailed examinations, 24 (16%) were regarded as needing treatment and seven
      (3.6%) were reimbursed for antiviral treatments. The 46 participants who did not
      undergo detailed examinations were significantly younger than the 147 examined
      participants (50.9 +/- 13.2 vs 56.9 +/- 15.2 years, P = 0.018). Of the 110
      participants thought to require observation, 68 (62%) were assigned to this group
      without determination of alanine aminotransferase or hepatitis B virus DNA
      concentration, and 15 (14%) had indications for antiviral treatment according to
      the 2014 guidelines of the Japanese Society of Hepatology. CONCLUSION: The
      proportion of HBsAg positive participants receiving antiviral treatment was lower
      than that of participants undergoing detailed examinations.

PMID- 26492345
TI  - Stillbirth: Correlations Between Brain Injury and Placental Pathology.
AB  - Chronic placental pathologic processes such as fetal thrombotic vasculopathy have
      been linked to brain injury in neonates. We hypothesize that using stillbirth as
      a model, placental pathology can predict risk for hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
      From a single institutional database of stillbirths >=23 weeks' gestational age,
      we included cases with full autopsy and neuropathology examination. Bivariable
      analyses were performed to identify whether there was an association between
      placental pathologic findings and neuropathologic findings. Logistic regression
      was used to control for potential confounders. Among 97 potential cases, adequate
      tissue was analyzable from 79 cases (mean gestational age  =  33 weeks). Acute
      central nervous system hemorrhage and acute neuronal necrosis were the most
      common neuropathologic processes seen in this cohort (57% for each). Maternal
      vascular underperfusion was the most common placental pathology but was not
      significantly associated with a specific neuropathologic finding. High-grade
      chronic villitis (HGCV) and fetal thrombotic vasculopathy (FTV) were
      significantly associated with increased risk for pontosubicular necrosis (odds
      ratios, 15.73 and 3.79, respectively). These associations persisted after
      controlling for potential confounders. Chronic placental pathologies,
      specifically HGCV and FTV, were associated with pontosubicular necrosis,
      suggesting that placental pathology involving the fetal vasculature and altered
      fetoplacental blood flow carry the greatest likelihood of hypoxic/ischemic brain
      injury. 

PMID- 26492346
TI  - Structure-Activity Relationship of Synthetic 2-Phenylnaphthalenes with Hydroxyl
      Groups that Inhibit Proliferation and Induce Apoptosis of MCF-7 Cancer Cells.
AB  - In this study, six 2-phenylnaphthalenes with hydroxyl groups were synthesized in
      high yields by the demethylation of the corresponding methoxy-2
      phenylnaphthalenes, and one 2-phenylnaphthalene with an amino group was obtained
      by hydrogenation. All of the 2-phenylnaphthalene derivatives were evaluated for
      cytotoxicity, and the structure-activity relationship (SAR) against human breast
      cancer (MCF-7) cells was also determined. The SAR results revealed that
      cytotoxicity was markedly promoted by the hydroxyl group at the C-7 position of
      the naphthalene ring. The introduction of hydroxyl groups at the C-6 position of
      the naphthalene ring and the C-4' position of the phenyl ring fairly enhanced
      cytotoxicity, but the introduction of a hydroxyl group at the C-3' position of
      the phenyl ring slightly decreased cytotoxicity. Overall, 6,7-dihydroxy-2-(4'
      hydroxyphenyl)naphthalene (PNAP-6h) exhibited the best cytotoxicity, with an IC50
      value of 4.8 MUM against the MCF-7 cell line, and showed low toxicity toward
      normal human mammary epithelial cells (MCF-10A). PNAP-6h led to cell arrest at
      the S phase, most likely due to increasing levels of p21 and p27 and decreasing
      levels of cyclin D1, CDK4, cyclin E, and CDK2. In addition, PNAP-6h decreased
      CDK1 and cyclin B1 expression, most likely leading to G2/M arrest, and induced
      morphological changes, such as nuclear shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, and
      nuclear hypercondensation, as observed by Hoechst 33342 staining. PNAP-6h induced
      apoptosis, most likely by the promotion of Fas expression, increased PARP
      activity, caspase-7, caspase-8, and caspase-9 expression, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio,
      and the phosphorylation of p38, and decreased the phosphorylation of ERK. This
      study provides the first demonstration of the cytotoxicity of PNAPs against MCF-7
      cells and elucidates the mechanism underlying PNAP-induced cytotoxicity. 

PMID- 26492347
TI  - Blood donations: justifying blood donor restrictions.

PMID- 26492348
TI  - DNA Barcoding through Quaternary LDPC Codes.
AB  - For many parallel applications of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies
      short barcodes able to accurately multiplex a large number of samples are
      demanded. To address these competitive requirements, the use of error-correcting
      codes is advised. Current barcoding systems are mostly built from short random
      error-correcting codes, a feature that strongly limits their multiplexing
      accuracy and experimental scalability. To overcome these problems on sequencing
      systems impaired by mismatch errors, the alternative use of binary BCH and pseudo
      quaternary Hamming codes has been proposed. However, these codes either fail to
      provide a fine-scale with regard to size of barcodes (BCH) or have intrinsic poor
      error correcting abilities (Hamming). Here, the design of barcodes from shortened
      binary BCH codes and quaternary Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes is
      introduced. Simulation results show that although accurate barcoding systems of
      high multiplexing capacity can be obtained with any of these codes, using
      quaternary LDPC codes may be particularly advantageous due to the lower rates of
      read losses and undetected sample misidentification errors. Even at mismatch
      error rates of 10(-2) per base, 24-nt LDPC barcodes can be used to multiplex
      roughly 2000 samples with a sample misidentification error rate in the order of
      10(-9) at the expense of a rate of read losses just in the order of 10(-6).

PMID- 26492349
TI  - Iodine seed- versus wire-guided localization in breast-conserving surgery for non
      palpable ductal carcinoma in situ.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast-conserving surgery for isolated non-palpable ductal carcinoma
      in situ (DCIS) is associated with high rates of incomplete surgical resection in
      comparison with unifocal invasive breast cancer. Therefore, accurate preoperative
      localization of the lesion is very important to facilitate adequate resection.
      Wire-guided localization (WGL) remains the standard for localization of DCIS.
      Recently, iodine-125 seed-guided localization (I-125 GL) was introduced as an
      alternative localization technique. The aim of this study was to compare the
      efficacy of these localization techniques in the resection of DCIS by breast
      conserving surgery. METHODS: Between March 2006 and June 2013, 169 patients with
      non-palpable DCIS were treated with breast-conserving surgery. Only patients with
      pure DCIS on both preoperative core biopsy and definitive pathology were
      included. RESULTS: WGL was performed in 78 patients and I-125 GL in 91 patients.
      The groups did not differ with respect to age, size of DCIS or type of imaging
      used. Patients in the I-125 GL group had a significantly lower risk of
      extensively involved resection margins than those in the WGL group (4 versus 13
      per cent respectively; P = 0.048). CONCLUSION: In patients treated with breast
      conserving surgery for non-palpable DCIS, localization with iodine-125 seeds is
      superior to the WGL technique in reducing the risk of extensively involved
      resection margins.

PMID- 26492350
TI  - DNA Aptamer Raised against Advanced Glycation End Products Prevents Abnormalities
      in Electroretinograms of Experimental Diabetic Retinopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Abnormalities in electroretinograms (ERG), such as reduced amplitudes
      and delayed implicit times of a- and b-wave and oscillatory potentials (OPs), are
      one of the earliest features of diabetic retinopathy prior to obvious vascular
      changes in diabetic retinas. We have previously shown that serum levels of
      advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are correlated with a delayed latency of
      OPs in type 2 diabetic rats. However, the pathological role of AGEs in ERG
      abnormalities remains unclear. We examined here whether high-affinity DNA aptamer
      directed against AGEs (AGE-aptamer) prevents ERG abnormalities in experimental
      type 1 diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats or
      control rats received continuous intraperitoneal infusion of either AGE-aptamer
      or control aptamer via an osmotic mini pump for 16 weeks. Anthropometric,
      metabolic, and hemodynamic variables were measured, and an ERG was performed.
      RESULTS: Although AGE-aptamer did not affect body weight, fasting and random
      blood glucose, HbA1c, blood pressure, or lipid parameters, it completely
      prevented the increase in serum AGE levels as well as the reduction of a- and b
      wave and OP amplitudes in diabetic rats. CONCLUSION: The present study
      demonstrated for the first time that AGE-aptamer prevents abnormalities in ERG in
      experimental diabetic retinopathy probably by blocking the harmful effects of
      AGEs.

PMID- 26492351
TI  - Probabilistic Exposure Assessment for Applicators during Treatment of the
      Fungicide Kresoxim-methyl on an Apple Orchard by a Speed Sprayer.
AB  - Probabilistic exposure and risk assessment of kresoxim-methyl were conducted for
      agricultural applicators during preparation of spray suspension and application
      with a speed sprayer on an apple orchard. The preparation and application of 1000
      L of spray suspension were repeated 30 times. Several exposure matrices,
      including patches, cotton gloves, socks, masks, and XAD-2 resin, were used to
      measure the potential exposure for workers. The analytical methods were fully
      validated to guarantee the precision and accuracy of analysis. The exposure
      amount on hands for mixer/loader was 0.7 mg [95% confidence interval (CI) from
      0.02 to 2.4], taking 0.0005% (95% CI from 1.2 * 10(-5) to 0.001) of total
      prepared active ingredient. During application of kresoxim-methyl, the amount of
      dermal exposure was 17.5 mg (95% CI from 9.3 to 28.9), corresponding to 0.010%
      (95% CI from 0.006 to 0.017) of total applied active ingredient. The major
      exposure parts of the body were thighs and shins, with correlation coefficients
      of 0.53 and 0.43, respectively. The inhalation exposure during application were
      estimated as 6.8 ng (95% CI from 0.4 to 17.0), being 0.04% (95% CI from 0.004 to
      0.06) of the dermal exposure. The calculated absorbable quantities of exposures
      for mixer/loader and applicator were 2.1 * 10(-4) mg/day (95% CI from 5.0 * 10(
      6) to 7.2 * 10(-4)) and 2.3 mg/day (95% CI from 1.2 to 3.8), respectively. For
      risk assessment, the margin of safety of all working activities was much higher
      than 1, indicating that the possibility of risk to kresoxim-methyl was unlikely. 

PMID- 26492352
TI  - Origin of Mechanoluminescence from Cu-Doped ZnS Particles Embedded in an
      Elastomer Film and Its Application in Flexible Electro-mechanoluminescent
      Lighting Devices.
AB  - Mechanically driven light emission from particles embedded in elastomer films has
      recently attracted interest as a strong candidate for next-generation light
      sources on display devices because it is nondestructive, reproducible, real-time,
      environmentally friendly, and reliable. The origin of mechanoluminescence (ML)
      obtained from particles embedded in elastomer films have been proposed as the
      trapping of drifting charge carriers in the presence of a piezoelectric field.
      However, in this study, we propose a new origin of ML through the study of the
      microstructure of a Cu-doped ZnS particles embedded in an elastomer composite
      film with high brightness using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to clearly
      demonstrate the origin of ML with respect to the microstructure of ML composite
      films. The TEM characterization of the ML composite film demonstrated that the Cu
      doped ZnS particles were fully encapsulated by a 500 nm thick Al layer, which
      acts as an electron source for ML emission. Furthermore, we fabricated a flexible
      electro-mechanoluminescence (EML) device using a Cu-doped ZnS particles embedded
      in a flexible elastomer composite film. Our research results on a new emission
      mechanism for ML and its application in flexible light generating elastomer films
      represent an important step toward environmentally benign and ecofriendly
      flexible electro-mechanoluminescent lighting devices. 

PMID- 26492353
TI  - Correction: Efficacy and Safety Assessment of the Addition of Bevacizumab to
      Adjuvant Therapy Agents in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
      of Randomized Controlled Trials.

PMID- 26492354
TI  - Systemic symptoms predict presence or development of severe sepsis and septic
      shock.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Severe sepsis is a major cause of mortality and morbidity globally.
      As the time to adequate treatment is directly linked to outcome, early
      recognition is of critical importance. Early, accessible markers for severe
      sepsis are desirable. The systemic inflammatory response in sepsis leads to
      changes in vital signs and biomarkers and to symptoms unrelated to the focus of
      infection. This study investigated whether the occurrence of any of six systemic
      symptoms could predict severe sepsis in a cohort of patients admitted to hospital
      for suspected bacterial infections. METHODS: A retrospective, consecutive study
      was conducted. All adult patients admitted during 1 month to a 550-bed secondary
      care hospital in western Sweden and given intravenous antibiotics for suspected
      community-acquired infection were included (n = 289). Symptoms (fever/chills,
      muscle weakness, localised pain, dyspnea, altered mental status and
      gastrointestinal symptoms) were registered along with age, sex, vital signs and
      laboratory values. Patients who fulfilled criteria of severe sepsis within 48 h
      were compared with patients who did not. Odds ratios for severe sepsis were
      calculated, adjusted for age, sex and comorbidities. RESULTS: Criteria for severe
      sepsis were fulfilled by 90/289 patients (31.1%). Altered mental status (OR =
      4.29, 95% CI = 2.03-9.08), dyspnea (OR = 2.92, 95% CI = 1.69-5.02),
      gastrointestinal symptoms (OR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.14-4.69) and muscle weakness (OR
      = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.06-4.75) were more common in patients who had or later
      developed severe sepsis. CONCLUSIONS: Systemic symptoms in combination with other
      signs of infection should be considered warning signs of severe sepsis.

PMID- 26492356
TI  - Interprofessional Education Using a Palliative Care Simulation.
AB  - This quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study measured self-efficacy, attitudes
      toward physician-nurse collaboration, and interprofessional competencies as
      outcomes of a palliative care simulation. Based on experience level, teams of
      participants, 1 consisting of nursing/medical students and the other of
      nursing/medical health care professionals, completed a palliative care simulation
      as part of their education. Self-efficacy and attitudes toward physician-nurse
      collaboration were measured before and after simulation. Interprofessional
      competency was measured during the simulation. The results revealed a significant
      improvement in the previously mentioned measures, and interprofessional
      competency scores varied by profession and evaluator.

PMID- 26492355
TI  - Myeloproliferative neoplasms: A decade of discoveries and treatment advances.
AB  - Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are clonal stem cell diseases, first
      conceptualized in 1951 by William Dameshek, and historically included chronic
      myeloid leukemia (CML), polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET),
      and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). In 1960, Nowell and Hungerford discovered an
      invariable association between the Philadelphia chromosome (subsequently shown to
      harbor the causal BCR-ABL1 mutation) and CML; accordingly, the term MPN is
      primarily reserved for PV, ET, and PMF, although it includes other related
      clinicopathologic entities, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)
      classification system. In 2005, William Vainchenker and others described a Janus
      kinase 2 mutation (JAK2V617F) in MPN and this was followed by a series of
      additional descriptions of mutations that directly or indirectly activate JAK
      STAT: JAK2 exon 12, myeloproliferative leukemia virus oncogene (MPL) and
      calreticulin (CALR) mutations. The discovery of these, mostly mutually exclusive,
      "driver" mutations has contributed to revisions of the WHO diagnostic criteria
      and risk stratification in MPN. Mutations other than JAK2, CALR and MPL have also
      been described in MPN and shown to provide additional prognostic information.
      From the standpoint of treatment, over the last 50 years, Louis Wasserman from
      the Unites States and Tiziano Barbui from Italy had skillfully organized and led
      a number of important clinical trials, whose results form the basis for current
      treatment strategies in MPN. More recently, allogeneic stem cell transplant, as a
      potentially curative treatment modality, and JAK inhibitors, as palliative drugs,
      have been added to the overall therapeutic armamentarium in myelofibrosis. In the
      current review, I will summarize the important advances made in the last 10 years
      regarding the science and practice of MPN.

PMID- 26492357
TI  - Joint preserved reconstruction after curettage in giant cell tumor of bone
      arising in the distal radius: Case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Giant cell tumor of bone is a locally aggressive tumor. Preserved
      joint reconstruction for tumors in the distal radius is challenging, especially
      when there is extraosseous extension and less subarticular bone. PRESENTATION OF
      CASE: To preserve the joint, we developed a new reconstruction technique using
      beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) with strong compressive resistance. DISCUSSION
      AND CONCLUSION: Giant cell tumor of bone in the distal radius was treated by
      curettage and bone grafting, plus the use of beta-TCP. This new method will
      preserve joint junction.

PMID- 26492358
TI  - Intrathoracic esophageal rupture distal to the carina after blunt chest trauma:
      Case-report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Esophageal rupture caused by blunt chest trauma is a very rare
      entity, with an incidence of 0.001%. Eighty two percent of the esophageal
      perforation secondary to blunt chest trauma occur above the level of the carina,
      with the lowest reported incidence in the intrathoracic region distal to the
      carina. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report on the case of a 48-year-old Hispanic
      male with intrathoracic esophageal rupture. Exploration revealed a right lateral,
      mid esophageal, longitudinal 1.5cm perforation. The defect was repaired using a
      double-layered primary closure reinforced with an intercostal muscle flap. The
      patient tolerated the procedure and the recovery was complicated by a pneumonic
      process which was treated accordingly. No leakage was found. DISCUSSION: A five
      year retrospective review (2009-2013) at our institution identified 5586 trauma
      cases with only one case with esophageal rupture. This represents a 0.0002% of
      incidence of blunt esophageal rupture. This estimate is consistent with what has
      been previously reported in the medical literature. Our case represents a
      uniquely rare presentation of traumatic esophageal rupture due to the underline
      mechanism of injury and its anatomical location. A high index of suspicion and
      early intervention are critical in assuring a favorable outcome. CONCLUSION:
      Diagnosis and surgical intervention with primary repair completed in the first
      twenty-four hours after presentation is fundamental to achieve a good outcome
      after esophageal rupture.

PMID- 26492359
TI  - Conventional fascial technique versus mesh repair for advanced pelvic organ
      prolapse: Analysis of recurrences in treated and untreated compartments.
AB  - 117 women with severe pelvic organ prolapse (POP; stage > 2) were enrolled to
      elucidate a 24-month outcome of POP surgery, using conventional or mesh repair
      with 3 techniques. 59 patients underwent conventional repair and 58 underwent
      mesh repair. Two types of mesh were used: a trocar-guided transobturator
      polypropylene (Avaulta, Bard Inc.) and a porcine dermis mesh (Pelvisoft, Bard
      Inc.). Women with recurrences, who underwent previous unsuccessful conventional
      repair, were randomised. Primary outcome was the evaluation of anatomic failures
      (prolapse stage > 1) in treated and untreated compartments. Anatomic failure was
      observed in 11 of 58 patients (19%; CI 8.9-29) in the mesh group and in 16 of 59
      patients (27.1%; p value = 0.3) in the conventional group. 9 of 11 failures in
      the mesh group (15.5%; CI 6.2-24.8) were observed in the untreated compartment
      (de novo recurrences), 14.3% in Pelvisoft and 16.7% in Avaulta arm, while only 1
      recurrence in the untreated compartment (1.7%) was observed in the conventional
      group (odds ratio 10.6, p = 0.03). 

PMID- 26492360
TI  - Spray-On Polyaniline/Poly(acrylic acid) Electrodes with Enhanced Electrochemical
      Stability.
AB  - Polyaniline (PANI)-based electrodes are promising candidates for energy storage,
      but their cycle life remains poor. Recent work suggests that secondary
      interactions may enhance polyaniline's electrochemical stability and cycle life,
      but evidence to date is not conclusive. Here, we investigate spray-assisted layer
      by-layer assemblies containing polyaniline nanofibers (PANI NFs) or conventional
      PANI and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), which provides hydrogen bonding and
      electrostatic interactions. This spray-on approach may be suitable for the
      deposition of PANI onto a variety of surfaces. The effects of PANI type, PAA pH,
      and PAA molecular weight on the growth behavior, conductivity, and
      electrochemical performance are examined. It is shown that LbL films with PANI
      NFs, higher molecular weight PAA, and lower PAA pH yield the thickest films,
      whereas the thinnest films come from conventional PANI assembled under similar
      conditions. Electron microscopy imaging and density measurements show that LbL
      films containing PANI NFs are very porous, whereas those containing conventional
      PANI are very dense (0.28 vs 1.33 g/cm(3), respectively). The difference in
      density dramatically affects the electrochemical properties in terms of capacity
      and long-term cycling behavior. Upon extended cycling, PANI NFs alone rapidly
      lose their electrochemical activity. On the other hand, PANI NF-based LbL films
      exhibited somewhat enhanced stability, and PANI-based LbL films were
      exceptionally stable, maintaining 94.7% of their capacity after 1000 cycles when
      cycled up to 4.2 V vs Li/Li(+). These results show that secondary interactions
      from PAA enhance stability, as does the selection of PANI type and the
      electrode's density. 

PMID- 26492361
TI  - Ruthenium and osmium complexes of dihydroperimidine-based N-heterocyclic carbene
      pincer ligands.
AB  - The reactions of N,N'-bis(phosphinomethyl)dihydroperimidine pro-ligands
      H2C(NCH2PR2)2C10H6 (R = Cy 1a, R = Ph 1b) with [RuCl2(PPh3)3] give markedly
      different products. Chelate-assisted double C-H activation in the former affords
      the perimidinylidene-based N-heterocyclic carbene (per-NHC) pincer complex
      [RuCl2(OC4H8){kappa(3)-P,C,P'-C(NCH2PCy2)2C10H6}] (2), while the latter reaction
      provides the asymmetric PNP-coordinated complex [RuCl2(PPh3){kappa(3)-P,N,P'
      CH2(NCH2PPh2)2C10H6}] (3), in which no C-H activation has occurred. Subsequent
      reactions of the per-NHC complex 2 with carbon monoxide and mesityl isocyanide
      readily displaced the labile THF ligand to afford the complexes
      [RuCl2(CA){kappa(3)-P,C,P'-C(NCH2PCy2)2C10H6}] (A = O 4, A = NC6H2Me35). Double C
      H activation of 1a and 1b was significantly more facile on reaction with
      [OsCl2(PPh3)3], providing the per-NHC complexes [OsHCl(PPh3){kappa(3)-P,C,P'
      C(NCH2PR2)2C10H6}] (R = Cy 7a, R = Ph 7b, respectively), each as two isomers. The
      reactions of 1b with [Ru2(MU-Cl)2Cl2(eta-C6H3Me3)2] or [AuCl(THT)] (THT =
      tetrahydrothiophene) provide the bimetallic complexes [Ru2{MU
      H2C(NCH2PPh2)2C10H6}Cl4(eta-C6H3Me3)2] (8) and [Au2{MU-H2C(NCH2PPh2)2C10H6}Cl2]
      (9) without C-H activation occurring. 

PMID- 26492362
TI  - Ferroelectric Polarization-Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting in TiO2
      BaTiO3 Core-Shell Nanowire Photoanodes.
AB  - The performances of heterojunction-based electronic devices are extremely
      sensitive to the interfacial electronic band structure. Here we report a largely
      enhanced performance of photoelectrochemical (PEC) photoanodes by ferroelectric
      polarization-endowed band engineering on the basis of TiO2/BaTiO3 core/shell
      nanowires (NWs). Through a one-step hydrothermal process, a uniform, epitaxial,
      and spontaneously poled barium titanate (BTO) layer was created on single
      crystalline TiO2 NWs. Compared to pristine TiO2 NWs, the 5 nm BTO-coated TiO2 NWs
      achieved 67% photocurrent density enhancement. By numerically calculating the
      potential distribution across the TiO2/BTO/electrolyte heterojunction and
      systematically investigating the light absorption, charge injection and
      separation properties of TiO2 and TiO2/BTO NWs, the PEC performance gain was
      proved to be a result of the increased charge separation efficiency induced by
      the ferroelectric polarization of the BTO shell. The ferroelectric polarization
      could be switched by external electric field poling and yielded PEC performance
      gain or loss based on the direction of the polarization. This study evidence that
      the piezotronic effect (ferroelectric or piezoelectric potential-induced band
      structure engineering) holds great promises in improving the performance of PEC
      photoelectrodes in addition to chemistry and structure optimization. 

PMID- 26492363
TI  - Activation of surrogate death receptor signaling triggers peroxynitrite-dependent
      execution of cisplatin-resistant cancer cells.
AB  - Platinum-based drugs remain as the cornerstone of cancer chemotherapy; however,
      development of multidrug resistance presents a therapeutic challenge. This study
      aims at understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance to cisplatin
      and unraveling surrogate signaling networks that could revert sensitivity to
      apoptosis stimuli. We made use of three different sets of cell lines, A549 and
      H2030 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and A2780 ovarian cancer cells and their
      cisplatin-resistant variants. Here we report that cisplatin-resistant cell lines
      displayed a multidrug-resistant phenotype. Changes in mitochondrial metabolism
      and defective mitochondrial signaling were unraveled in the resistant cells. More
      interestingly, a marked increase in sensitivity of the resistant cells to death
      receptor-induced apoptosis, in particular TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing
      ligand)-mediated execution, was observed. Although this was not associated with
      an increase in gene transcription, a significant increase in the localization of
      TRAIL death receptor, DR4, to the lipid raft subdomains of plasma membrane was
      detected in the resistant variants. Furthermore, exposure of cisplatin-resistant
      cells to TRAIL resulted in upregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)
      and increase in nitric oxide (NO) production that triggered the generation of
      peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)). Scavenging ONOO(-) rescued cells from TRAIL-induced
      apoptosis, thereby suggesting a critical role of ONOO(-) in TRAIL-induced
      execution of cisplatin-resistant cells. Notably, preincubation of cells with
      TRAIL restored sensitivity of resistant cells to cisplatin. These data provide
      compelling evidence for employing strategies to trigger death receptor signaling
      as a second-line treatment for cisplatin-resistant cancers. 

PMID- 26492364
TI  - The RCAN1 inhibits NF-kappaB and suppresses lymphoma growth in mice.
AB  - Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) has a vital role in cell survival. Inhibition
      of NF-kappaB has been proven to be an efficient therapeutic pathway for various
      cancers. Activation of NF-kappaB is mainly through serine residues'
      phosphorylation of inhibitor of kappaBalpha (IkappaBalpha) by IKK complex.
      Phosphorylation at tyrosine 42 is an alternative pathway in regulation of
      IkappaBalpha and NF-kappaB signaling, though little is known about the underlying
      mechanism. Here we identified regulator of calcineurin 1 (RCAN1) as a novel
      endogenous inhibitor of NF-kappaB signaling pathway. RCAN1 can interact with
      IkappaBalpha and affect the phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha at tyrosine 42.
      Overexpression of RCAN1 by adenovirus reduced cell viability in lymphoma Raji
      cells and restrained the growth of lymphoma transplants in mice. We further found
      that N terminus 1-103aa of RCAN1 is sufficient to inhibit NF-kappaB and reduce
      cell viability of lymphoma cells. Our study implicated a novel therapeutic
      approach for lymphoma by RCAN1 through inhibition of NF-kappaB signaling. 

PMID- 26492366
TI  - Paracrine regulation in mesenchymal stem cells: the role of Rap1.

PMID- 26492365
TI  - Early effects of the antineoplastic agent salinomycin on mitochondrial function.
AB  - Salinomycin, isolated from Streptomyces albus, displays antimicrobial activity.
      Recently, a large-scale screening approach identified salinomycin and nigericin
      as selective apoptosis inducers of cancer stem cells. Growing evidence suggests
      that salinomycin is able to kill different types of non-stem tumor cells that
      usually display resistance to common therapeutic approaches, but the mechanism of
      action of this molecule is still poorly understood. Since salinomycin has been
      suggested to act as a K(+) ionophore, we explored its impact on mitochondrial
      bioenergetic performance at an early time point following drug application. In
      contrast to the K(+) ionophore valinomycin, salinomycin induced a rapid
      hyperpolarization. In addition, mitochondrial matrix acidification and a
      significant decrease of respiration were observed in intact mouse embryonic
      fibroblasts (MEFs) and in cancer stem cell-like HMLE cells within tens of
      minutes, while increased production of reactive oxygen species was not detected.
      By comparing the chemical structures and cellular effects of this drug with those
      of valinomycin (K(+) ionophore) and nigericin (K(+)/H(+) exchanger), we conclude
      that salinomycin mediates K(+)/H(+) exchange across the inner mitochondrial
      membrane. Compatible with its direct modulation of mitochondrial function,
      salinomycin was able to induce cell death also in Bax/Bak-less double-knockout
      MEF cells. Since at the concentration range used in most studies (around 10 MUM)
      salinomycin exerts its effect at the level of mitochondria and alters
      bioenergetic performance, the specificity of its action on pathologic B cells
      isolated from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) versus B cells
      from healthy subjects was investigated. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs),
      proposed to mimic the tumor environment, attenuated the apoptotic effect of
      salinomycin on B-CLL cells. Apoptosis occurred to a significant extent in healthy
      B cells as well as in MSCs and human primary fibroblasts. The results indicate
      that salinomycin, when used above MUM concentrations, exerts direct,
      mitochondrial effects, thus compromising cell survival.

PMID- 26492367
TI  - Implication of different domains of the Leishmania major metacaspase in cell
      death and autophagy.
AB  - Metacaspases (MCAs) are cysteine peptidases expressed in plants, fungi and
      protozoa, with a caspase-like histidine-cysteine catalytic dyad, but differing
      from caspases, for example, in their substrate specificity. The role of MCAs is
      subject to debate: roles in cell cycle control, in cell death or even in cell
      survival have been suggested. In this study, using a Leishmania major MCA
      deficient strain, we showed that L. major MCA (LmjMCA) not only had a role
      similar to caspases in cell death but also in autophagy and this through
      different domains. Upon cell death induction by miltefosine or H2O2, LmjMCA is
      processed, releasing the catalytic domain, which activated substrates via its
      catalytic dyad His/Cys and a proline-rich C-terminal domain. The C-terminal
      domain interacted with proteins, notably proteins involved in stress regulation,
      such as the MAP kinase LmaMPK7 or programmed cell death like the calpain-like
      cysteine peptidase. We also showed a new role of LmjMCA in autophagy, acting on
      or upstream of ATG8, involving Lmjmca gene overexpression and interaction of the
      C-terminal domain of LmjMCA with itself and other proteins. These results allowed
      us to propose two models, showing the role of LmjMCA in the cell death and also
      in the autophagy pathway, implicating different protein domains. 

PMID- 26492368
TI  - Proteasomal inhibition sensitizes cervical cancer cells to mitomycin C-induced
      bystander effect: the role of tumor microenvironment.
AB  - Inaccessibility of drugs to poorly vascularized strata of tumor is one of the
      limiting factors in cancer therapy. With the advent of bystander effect (BE), it
      is possible to perpetuate the cellular damage from drug-exposed cells to the
      unexposed ones. However, the role of infiltrating tumor-associated macrophages
      (TAMs), an integral part of the tumor microenvironment, in further intensifying
      BE remains obscure. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of mitomycin C
      (MMC), a chemotherapeutic drug, to induce BE in cervical carcinoma. By using
      cervical cancer cells and differentiated macrophages, we demonstrate that MMC
      induces the expression of FasL via upregulation of PPARgamma in both cell types
      (effector cells) in vitro, but it failed to induce bystander killing in cervical
      cancer cells. This effect was primarily owing to the proteasomal degradation of
      death receptors in the cervical cancer cells. Pre-treatment of cervical cancer
      cells with MG132, a proteasomal inhibitor, facilitates MMC-mediated bystander
      killing in co-culture and condition medium transfer experiments. In NOD/SCID mice
      bearing xenografted HeLa tumors administered with the combination of MMC and
      MG132, tumor progression was significantly reduced in comparison with those
      treated with either agent alone. FasL expression was increased in TAMs, and the
      enhanced level of Fas was observed in these tumor sections, thereby causing
      increased apoptosis. These findings suggest that restoration of death receptor
      mediated apoptotic pathway in tumor cells with concomitant activation of TAMs
      could effectively restrict tumor growth. 

PMID- 26492369
TI  - Reactivation of p53 via MDM2 inhibition.

PMID- 26492370
TI  - Discovering in vitro spermatogenesis stimulating factors.

PMID- 26492371
TI  - Impact of the combined loss of BOK, BAX and BAK on the hematopoietic system is
      slightly more severe than compound loss of BAX and BAK.
AB  - It is well established that BAX and BAK play crucial, overlapping roles in the
      intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Gene targeted mice lacking both BAX and BAK have
      previously been generated, but the majority of these animals died perinatally.
      BOK is a poorly studied relative of BAX and BAK that shares extensive amino acid
      sequence homology to both proteins, but its function remains largely unclear to
      date. To determine whether BOK plays an overlapping role with BAX and BAK, we
      utilized a hematopoietic reconstitution model where lethally irradiated wild type
      mice were transplanted with Bok(-/-)Bax(-/-)Bak(-/-) triple knockout (TKO) fetal
      liver cells, and compared alongside mice reconstituted with a Bax(-/-)Bak(-/-)
      double knockout (DKO) hematopoietic compartment. We report here that mice with a
      TKO and DKO hematopoietic system died at a similar rate and much earlier than
      control animals, mostly due to severe autoimmune pathology. Both TKO and DKO
      reconstituted mice also had altered frequencies of various leukocyte subsets in
      the thymus, bone marrow and spleen, displayed leukocyte infiltrates and
      autoimmune pathology in multiple tissues, as well as elevated levels of anti
      nuclear autoantibodies. Interestingly, the additional deletion of BOK (on top of
      BAX and BAK loss) led to a further increase in peripheral blood lymphocytes, as
      well as enhanced lymphoid infiltration in some organs. These findings suggest
      that BOK may have some functions that are redundant with BAX and BAK in the
      hematopoietic system. 

PMID- 26492373
TI  - Muscle Lim Protein (MLP)/CSRP3 at the crossroad between mechanotransduction and
      autophagy.

PMID- 26492372
TI  - Development of a neuroprotective peptide that preserves survival pathways by
      preventing Kidins220/ARMS calpain processing induced by excitotoxicity.
AB  - Kinase D-interacting substrate of 220 kDa (Kidins220), also known as ankyrin
      repeat-rich membrane spanning (ARMS), has a central role in the coordination of
      receptor crosstalk and the integration of signaling pathways essential for
      neuronal differentiation, survival and function. This protein is a shared
      downstream effector for neurotrophin- and ephrin-receptors signaling that also
      interacts with the N-methyl-d-aspartate type of glutamate receptors (NMDARs).
      Failures in neurotrophic support and glutamate signaling are involved in
      pathologies related to excitotoxicity and/or neurodegeneration, where different
      components of these dynamic protein complexes result altered by a combination of
      mechanisms. In the case of Kidins220/ARMS, overactivation of NMDARs in
      excitotoxicity and cerebral ischemia triggers its downregulation, which
      contributes to neuronal death. This key role in neuronal life/death decisions
      encouraged us to investigate Kidins220/ARMS as a novel therapeutic target for
      neuroprotection. As the main mechanism of Kidins220/ARMS downregulation in
      excitotoxicity is proteolysis by calpain, we decided to develop cell-penetrating
      peptides (CPPs) that could result in neuroprotection by interference of this
      processing. To this aim, we first analyzed in detail Kidins220/ARMS cleavage
      produced in vitro and in vivo, identifying a major calpain processing site in its
      C-terminal region (between amino acids 1669 and 1670) within a sequence motif
      highly conserved in vertebrates. Then, we designed a 25-amino acids CPP (Tat-K)
      containing a short Kidins220/ARMS sequence enclosing the identified calpain site
      (amino acids 1668-1681) fused to the HIV-1 Tat protein basic domain, able to
      confer membrane permeability to attached cargoes. Transduction of cortical
      neurons with Tat-K reduced Kidins220/ARMS calpain processing in a dose- and time
      dependent manner upon excitotoxic damage and allowed preservation of the activity
      of pERK1/2 and pCREB, signaling molecules central to neuronal survival and
      functioning. Importantly, these effects were associated to a significant increase
      in neuronal viability. This Kidins220/ARMS-derived peptide merits further
      research to develop novel neuroprotective therapies for excitotoxicity-associated
      pathologies. 

PMID- 26492374
TI  - SAG-UPS regulates malignant transformation--from chronic inflammation to pro
      tumorigenesis to liver cancer.

PMID- 26492375
TI  - Autophagy-induced RelB/p52 activation mediates tumour-associated macrophage
      repolarisation and suppression of hepatocellular carcinoma by natural compound
      baicalin.
AB  - The plasticity of tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) has implicated an
      influential role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Repolarisation of TAM towards
      M1 phenotype characterises an immune-competent microenvironment that favours
      tumour regression. To investigate the role and mechanism of TAM repolarisation in
      suppression of HCC by a natural compound baicalin, Orthotopic HCC implantation
      model was used to investigate the effect of baicalin on HCC; liposome-clodronate
      was introduced to suppress macrophage populations in mice; bone marrow-derived
      monocytes (BMDMs) were induced to unpolarised, M1-like, M2-like macrophages and
      TAM using different conditioned medium. We observed that oral administration of
      baicalin (50 mg/kg) completely blocked orthotopic growth of implanted HCC.
      Suppression of HCC by baicalin was diminished when mice macrophage was removed by
      clodronate treatment. Baicalin induced repolarisation of TAM to M1-like phenotype
      without specific toxicity to either phenotype of macrophages. Baicalin initiated
      TAM reprogramming to M1-like macrophage, and promoted pro-inflammatory cytokines
      production. Co-culturing of HCC cells with baicalin-treated TAMs resulted in
      reduced proliferation and motility in HCC. Baicalin had minimal effect on
      derivation of macrophage polarisation factors by HCC cells, while directly
      induced repolarisation of TAM and M2-like macrophage. This effect was associated
      with elevated autophagy, and transcriptional activation of RelB/p52 pathway.
      Suppression of autophagy or RelB abolished skewing of baicalin-treated TAM.
      Autophagic degradation of TRAF2 in baicalin-treated TAM might be responsible for
      RelB/p52 activation. Our findings unveil the essential role of TAM repolarisation
      in suppressive effect of baicalin on HCC, which requires autophagy-associated
      activation of RelB/p52. 

PMID- 26492377
TI  - Theoretical Impact of Replacing Whole Cow's Milk by Young-Child Formula on
      Nutrient Intakes of UK Young Children: Results of a Simulation Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research into the role of young-child formulae (YCF) in a child's
      diet is limited and there is no consensual recommendation on its use. We
      evaluated the theoretical nutritional impact of replacing the existing practice
      of consuming cow's milk by YCF. METHODS: From the UK Diet and Nutrition Survey of
      Infants and Young Children, whole cow's milk consumers, aged 12-18 months (n =
      591) were selected for simulation scenarios. In Scenario 1, we tested the
      replacement of all whole cow's milk (434 +/- 187 ml/day) by a matching volume of
      YCF, and in Scenario 2, all whole cow's milk was replaced by the on-pack
      recommended daily intake of 300 ml. Nutrient intakes before and after simulation
      scenarios were compared and evaluated against nutrient recommendations. RESULTS:
      Intakes of protein and saturated fatty acids were significantly decreased,
      whereas essential fatty acid intakes were increased. The prevalence of nutrient
      inadequacy before simulation was 95.2% for vitamin D and 53.8% for iron. After
      simulation, inadequacy decreased to 4.9% (Scenario 1) and 0% (Scenario 2) for
      vitamin D and to 2.7% (Scenario 1) and 1.1% (Scenario 2) for iron. CONCLUSIONS:
      Replacement of habitual cow's milk intake by a matching volume or 300 ml of YCF
      may lead to nutritional intakes more in line with recommendations in young
      children.

PMID- 26492376
TI  - Pur-alpha functionally interacts with FUS carrying ALS-associated mutations.
AB  - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder due to
      motor neuron loss. Fused in sarcoma (FUS) protein carrying ALS-associated
      mutations localizes to stress granules and causes their coalescence into larger
      aggregates. Here we show that Pur-alpha physically interacts with mutated FUS in
      an RNA-dependent manner. Pur-alpha colocalizes with FUS carrying mutations in
      stress granules of motoneuronal cells differentiated from induced pluripotent
      stem cells and that are derived from ALS patients. We observe that both Pur-alpha
      and mutated FUS upregulate phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor
      eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha and consistently inhibit global
      protein synthesis. In vivo expression of Pur-alpha in different Drosophila
      tissues significatively exacerbates the neurodegeneration caused by mutated FUS.
      Conversely, the downregulation of Pur-alpha in neurons expressing mutated FUS
      significatively improves fly climbing activity. All these findings suggest that
      Pur-alpha, through the control of mRNA translation, might be involved in the
      pathogenesis of ALS associated with the mutation of FUS, and that an alteration
      of protein synthesis may be directly implicated in the disease. Finally, in vivo
      RNAi-mediated ablation of Pur-alpha produced locomotion defects in Drosophila,
      indicating a pivotal role for this protein in the motoneuronal function. 

PMID- 26492380
TI  - Association Between IL-10 Gene Polymorphism and Diabetic Retinopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genetic and environmental factors both play important roles in the
      occurrence and progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR). IL-10 592 gene
      polymorphism is associated with diabetes pathogenesis. This study analyzed the
      relationship between IL-10 gene promoter-592 loci polymorphism (SNP) in a
      diabetic model rats with DR. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Streptozotocin (STZ) was
      injected through the tail vein to establish a diabetic rat model. The rats were
      randomly divided into 2 groups for 3 months' feeding, including 100 rats in the
      diabetes-positive control group and 100 rats only injected with citric acid
      buffer as the blank control group. Fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) was used
      to observe retinal vascular changes. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction
      fragment polymorphisms assay (PCR-RFLP) was used to detect IL-10 gene promoter
      592 loci polymorphism in DNA samples. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
      was performed to test serum IL-10 concentration. RESULTS: Serum IL-10 level in DR
      rats was 33.18+/-5.0 pg/mL and in the control rats it was 53.33+/-4.16 pg/mL in
      (P<0.01). Diabetes susceptibility with IL-10-592 genotype frequency and gene
      frequency analysis showed that IL-10-592 genotype frequency and allele frequency
      were significantly different in the DR group compared with the control group
      (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: IL-10 592 polymorphism was associated with DR
      susceptibility, suggesting that the gene polymorphism might be a risk factor for
      DR.

PMID- 26492381
TI  - Use of Serogroup B Meningococcal Vaccines in Adolescents and Young Adults:
      Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, 2015.
AB  - At its June 2015 meeting, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
      recommended that adolescents and young adults aged 16-23 years may be vaccinated
      with a serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccine to provide short-term protection
      against most strains of serogroup B meningococcal disease. This report summarizes
      the deliberations of ACIP, the rationale for its decision, and recommendations
      for use of MenB vaccines in adolescents and young adults. Two MenB vaccines have
      recently been licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the
      United States and approved for use in persons aged 10-25 years: MenB-FHbp
      (Trumenba, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) and MenB-4C (Bexsero, Novartis Vaccines).
      Both MenB vaccines were licensed based on statutory regulations for accelerated
      approval, which enabled FDA to approve the MenB vaccines for serious or life
      threatening diseases based on safety and demonstration that vaccine
      effectiveness, as measured by bactericidal antibody responses with assays using
      several MenB test strains that were representative of prevalent strains in the
      United States, is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. As a requirement
      for accelerated approval, confirmatory studies in the postmarketing period will
      be conducted to verify and further describe the effectiveness of the vaccines
      against an extended number of MenB strains that represent a broader diversity of
      endemic disease. Additional postlicensure safety data are also needed and will be
      reviewed by ACIP as they become available.

PMID- 26492383
TI  - Length of Disability and Medical Costs in Low Back Pain: Do State Workers'
      Compensation Policies Make a Difference?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine the impact of state workers'
      compensation (WC) policies regarding wage replacement and medical benefits on
      medical costs and length of disability (LOD) in workers with low back pain (LBP).
      METHODS: Retrospective cohort analysis of LBP claims from 49 states (n = 59,360)
      filed between 2002 and 2008, extracted from a large WC administrative database.
      RESULTS: Longer retroactive periods and state WC laws allowing treating provider
      choice were associated with higher medical costs and longer LOD. Limiting the
      option to change providers and having a fee schedule were associated with longer
      LOD, except that allowing a one-time treating provider change was associated with
      lower medical costs and shorter LOD. CONCLUSIONS: WC policies about wage
      replacement and medical treatment appear to be associated with WC LBP outcomes,
      and might represent opportunities to improve LOD and reduce medical costs in
      occupational LBP.

PMID- 26492382
TI  - Sickle cell detection using a smartphone.
AB  - Sickle cell disease affects 25% of people living in Central and West Africa and,
      if left undiagnosed, can cause life threatening "silent" strokes and lifelong
      damage. However, ubiquitous testing procedures have yet to be implemented in
      these areas, necessitating a simple, rapid, and accurate testing platform to
      diagnose sickle cell disease. Here, we present a label-free, sensitive, and
      specific testing platform using only a small blood sample (<1 MUl) based on the
      higher density of sickle red blood cells under deoxygenated conditions. Testing
      is performed with a lightweight and compact 3D-printed attachment installed on a
      commercial smartphone. This attachment includes an LED to illuminate the sample,
      an optical lens to magnify the image, and two permanent magnets for magnetic
      levitation of red blood cells. The sample is suspended in a paramagnetic medium
      with sodium metabisulfite and loaded in a microcapillary tube that is inserted
      between the magnets. Red blood cells are levitated in the magnetic field based on
      equilibrium between the magnetic and buoyancy forces acting on the cells. Using
      this approach, we were able to distinguish between the levitation patterns of
      sickle versus control red blood cells based on their degree of confinement.

PMID- 26492384
TI  - The association of total and central body fat with pain, fatigue and the impact
      of fibromyalgia in women; role of physical fitness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between estimates of total and central body fat with
      fibromyalgia pain, fatigue and overall impact has not been fully described. We
      aimed to assess the individual and combined association of body fat (total and
      central) with pain, fatigue and the overall impact in fibromyalgia women; and to
      study the possible mediation role of physical fitness in these associations.
      METHODS: A total of 486 fibromyalgia women with a mean (standard deviation) age
      of 52.2 (8.0) years participated. Pain was measured with self-reported measures
      and algometry, whereas fatigue with the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory. The
      impact of fibromyalgia was measured with the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact
      Questionnaire (FIQR) total score. Total and central body fat were assessed by
      means of bioelectrical impedance and waist circumference, respectively. The
      Functional Senior Fitness Test battery and the handgrip strength test were used
      to assess physical fitness. RESULTS: Total and central body fat were positively
      associated with pain- and fatigue-related measures and the FIQR total score (beta
      from 0.10 to 0.25; all, p < 0.05). A combined effect of total and central body
      fat was observed on pain (FIQR and 36-item Short-Form Health Survey), general and
      physical-related fatigue and FIQR total score (all, overall p < 0.05), so that
      the group with no total and central obesity had more favourable results than
      those with total and central obesity. Cardiorespiratory fitness partially
      mediated (between 22-40% of the total effect) the associations between total and
      central body fat with pain, general fatigue, physical fatigue and reduced
      activity, and largely mediated (80%) the association of central body fat with the
      FIQR total score. CONCLUSIONS: Physical fitness might potentially explain the
      association between obesity and fibromyalgia symptoms.

PMID- 26492385
TI  - Organometallic Complexes Anchored to Conductive Carbon for Electrocatalytic
      Oxidation of Methane at Low Temperature.
AB  - Low-temperature direct methane fuel cells (DMEFCs) offer the opportunity to
      substantially improve the efficiency of energy production from natural gas. This
      study focuses on the development of well-defined platinum organometallic
      complexes covalently anchored to ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) for
      electrochemical oxidation of methane in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell at
      80  degrees C. A maximum normalized power of 403 MUW/mg Pt was obtained, which
      was 5 times higher than the power obtained from a modern commercial catalyst and
      2 orders of magnitude greater than that from a Pt black catalyst. The observed
      differences in catalytic activities for oxidation of methane are linked to the
      chemistry of the tethered catalysts, determined by X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy. The chemistry/activity relationships demonstrate a tangible path
      for the design of electrocatalytic systems for C-H bond activation that afford
      superior performance in DMEFC for potential commercial applications. 

PMID- 26492386
TI  - Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges.

PMID- 26492387
TI  - Aggregation-Induced Emission: Together We Shine, United We Soar!

PMID- 26492388
TI  - Oleoyl and linoleoyl esters of fumonisin B1 are differently produced by Fusarium
      verticillioides on maize and rice based media.
AB  - Fatty acid esters of fumonisins, namely oleoyl- and linoleoyl esters of fumonisin
      B1 (EFB1OA and EFB1LA, respectively), are modified forms of fumonisins whose
      formation and occurrence have been reported so far in naturally infected maize
      and in artificially inoculated rice. There is a lack of knowledge about the
      mechanism of formation, mainly in relation to the role played by the substrate.
      Therefore, in this work we studied the dynamics of accumulation of the toxin and
      its esters, together with their precursor, in maize and rice based media
      inoculated with different strains of F. verticillioides and incubated at 25 
      degrees C for 7-45 days. The production pattern of FB1 and its modified forms was
      significantly influenced by growth media, reaching a higher concentration in
      cornmeal compared to rice based medium. Similarly, cornmeal was more supportive
      for the conversion of FB1 by considering the esterification rate, with a
      prevalence of linoleoyl esters compared to oleoyl esters resembling the OA/LA
      rate in both media. The conversion of FB1 into fatty acid esters was also shown
      as strain-related. Results, thus, strongly support the hypothesis that fatty acid
      esters of FB1 are produced by the fungus itself at a late stage of growth, or at
      a certain point of FB1 accumulation in the medium, using fatty acids from the
      substrate.

PMID- 26492389
TI  - [What is Men's Health? A definition].
AB  - Target of the study: Men's Health is increasingly coming into focus of health
      research, epidemiology, health care organization, and health policy. Over the
      past 10-15 years have been published by some countries and the EU Men's Health
      reports where problems of health noted in men. Starting point for a scientific
      study of men's health is the definition of "Men's Health". A group of German
      experts in the field of men's health has taken on this task. METHODOLOGY: A
      literature review in international and national databases was performed for the
      years 1990-2014 by selected MeSH terms and for "experts for men's health".
      Another research concerned "gray literature" in Germany, especially health
      reports and web pages. This was followed by a conference of experts to define
      "Men's Health" using a modified Delphi method according to W. Zinn. From the
      expert group minimum criteria for a definition "Men's Health" were created and
      discussed, which must comply with the new definition of men's health. This
      definition was created in the third round of the Delphi method. RESULTS: The
      international literature review yielded 7 definitions of "Men's Health" in the
      English-speaking and 5 definitions in the German inkl. in the "gray" literature.
      Due to the developed by the Expert Group 7 minimum criteria 15 relevant topics
      were listed, of which by weighting 8 subject areas were considered relevant for a
      new definition. In comparison with the previous definitions none could fulfill
      these 8 criteria. Therefore, in the next step of the expert group a new
      definition "Men's Health" was elaborated. The definition has reference to the WHO
      concept of "health" and includes dimensions of health and disease, risk and
      protective factors that require special prevention and care services for all
      phases of life. All participants in the expert group agreed on the definition
      developed. CONCLUSIONS: The definition of Men's Health is a basis for further
      scientific work and practice to improve men's health in Germany and other
      countries.

PMID- 26492390
TI  - [Self-Medication, Health and Online Orders: An Online Survey].
AB  - Background: The intensive use of Internet as health guide is proved by a current
      representative survey. Online orders of OTC pharmaceuticals and prescription
      medicine represent a special way of utillisation. Intention: The aim of the
      following study is to investigate motives and backgrounds of self-medication in
      coherency of health and ordering of OTC pharmaceuticals via Internet. Method:
      With an online questionnaire developed in particular for this thesis N=104
      internet users (mean age M=32,7; SD=11,1 consisting of 73 female and 31 male
      participants) were questioned concerning the relevant topics. Furthermore, the
      subjects were interviewed with regard to identification of their quality of life
      (with the German version of the EUROHIS-QOL 8 item index), their well-being (by
      using the German version of the WHO-5 well-being index, version II). Results: The
      wish for (especially temporal) independence from a physicians treatment and the
      idea of a faster convalescence or prevention of worse ailment could be identified
      as motives for self-medication. The most frequently selected advantages of
      ordering drugs via internet were the lower price, organisational aspects such as
      direct home delivery or saving time without a consultation. In contrast, the lack
      of advice was often mentioned as a possible disadvantage, just like the risk of
      undetected and undiagnosed diseases. Compared to participants who did not do any
      Internet orders, participants who ordered their non-prescription drugs on the
      Internet were less aware of possible risks and they also used painkillers
      available without prescription more frequently. However, there were no
      differences in the total amount of applied OTC medications, which made a drug
      abuse less likely. Overall, self-medication of the users of Internet forums
      interviewed within this thesis seemed to be quantitatively and qualitatively
      appropriate. Conclusion: Self-medication by Internet users in this study seems to
      be reasonable in a quantitative and qualitative way.

PMID- 26492391
TI  - [Different Regions, Differently Insured Populations? Socio-demographic and Health
      related Differences Between Insurance Funds].
AB  - Objectives: Analyses of health insurance claims data are getting more important
      in public health and health services research. Since there are several different
      health insurance funds in Germany, the specific characteristics of regional and
      socio-demographic population covered by a single fund has to be considered. The
      aim of this study is to evaluate the differences in socio-demographic and health
      related variables between health insurance funds. Methods: This study is based on
      the GEDA-Study 2009 and 2010, 2 representative cross-sectional telephone surveys
      (n=42 534). We included socio-economic factors as well as information on area of
      residence and health-related variables to health status, health behavior and
      cardiovascular diseases. Results: There are fewer privately insured persons in
      the eastern regions of Germany. Insurants of the public health insurances have a
      lower socio-economic status and many have a migration background. Similar results
      can be found for smoking, obesity and cardiovascular factors. These differences
      between funds were found in many regional analyses. Conclusions: Especially
      differences in socio-economic factors are constant between insurance funds and
      regions. Therefore, the results show that analyses of one single health insurance
      fund cannot be generalized to the whole population. To ensure precise estimates
      on health services, morbidity or quality monitoring, we need data sets that
      integrate more funds.

PMID- 26492392
TI  - [Association of Deployment and Tobacco Dependence among Soldiers].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Smoking is a highly preventable risk factor. The present study
      investigates whether military operations abroad, as compared to deployment
      preparation, increase the risk of starting to smoke, enhance tobacco dependence
      and moderator variables can be identified on smoking behavior. METHOD: The study
      was conducted at 2 mechanized infantry battalions with N=264 soldiers. The task
      force completed a deployment in Afghanistan, the control group performed a
      deployment training. Assessments of tobacco dependence, posttraumatic symptoms,
      depression and stress were done before (t1) and after (t3) deployment. In
      addition, one assessment was done at mid-point (t2) during deployment and during
      the pre-deployment training, respectively. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of
      smoking soldiers was 56,4%. 51,1% (n=135) of all examined soldiers smoked more
      than 20 cigarettes per day. The results show a significant increase of tobacco
      dependence in the task force from t1 to t3 (p=0,040) as compared to the control
      group. For both groups, there was no increase in starting to smoke during the
      period of investigation (chi2<1; n. s.). Moderator variables on smoking were not
      found, but there was a significant increase in posttraumatic stress symptoms in
      the deployed group (p=0,006). CONCLUSIONS: Perhaps the increase in tobacco
      dependence in the experimental group can be attributed to the specific burdens of
      deployment. If high smoking rates were to be found also in other branches of the
      armed services, effective smoking cessation programs should be offered more
      widely.

PMID- 26492393
TI  - Cancer Specific Long Noncoding RNAs Show Differential Expression Patterns and
      Competing Endogenous RNA Potential in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate gene expression by acting with microRNAs
      (miRNAs). However, the roles of cancer specific lncRNA and its related
      competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) network in hepatocellular cell carcinoma
      (HCC) are not fully understood. The lncRNA profiles in 372 HCC patients,
      including 372 tumor and 48 adjacent non-tumor liver tissues, from The Cancer
      Genome Atlas (TCGA) and NCBI GEO omnibus (GSE65485) were analyzed. Cancer
      specific lncRNAs (or HCC related lncRNAs) were identified and correlated with
      clinical features. Based on bioinformatics generated from miRcode, starBase, and
      miRTarBase, we constructed an lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network (ceRNA network) in HCC.
      We found 177 cancer specific lncRNAs in HCC (fold change >= 1.5, P < 0.01), 41 of
      them were also discriminatively expressed with gender, race, tumor grade, AJCC
      tumor stage, and AJCC TNM staging system. Six lncRNAs (CECR7, LINC00346, MAPKAPK5
      AS1, LOC338651, FLJ90757, and LOC283663) were found to be significantly
      associated with overall survival (OS, log-rank P < 0.05). Collectively, our
      results showed the lncRNA expression patterns and a complex ceRNA network in HCC,
      and identified a complex cancer specific ceRNA network, which includes 14 lncRNAs
      and 17 miRNAs in HCC. 

PMID- 26492394
TI  - Control of Immune Response to Allogeneic Embryonic Stem Cells by CD3 Antibody
      Mediated Operational Tolerance Induction.
AB  - Implantation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and their differentiated derivatives
      into allogeneic hosts triggers an immune response that represents a hurdle to
      clinical application. We established in autoimmunity and in transplantation that
      CD3 antibody therapy induces a state of immune tolerance. Promising results have
      been obtained with CD3 antibodies in the clinic. In this study, we tested whether
      this strategy can prolong the survival of undifferentiated ESCs and their
      differentiated derivatives in histoincompatible hosts. Recipients of either mouse
      ESC-derived embryoid bodies (EBs) or cardiac progenitors received a single short
      tolerogenic regimen of CD3 antibody. In immunocompetent mice, allogeneic EBs and
      cardiac progenitors were rejected within 20-25 days. Recipients treated with CD3
      antibody showed long-term survival of implanted cardiac progenitors or EBs. In
      due course, EBs became teratomas, the growth of which was self-limited.
      Regulatory CD4(+)FoxP3(+) T cells and signaling through the PD1/PDL1 pathway
      played key roles in the CD3 antibody therapeutic effect. Gene profiling
      emphasized the importance of TGF-beta and the inhibitory T cell coreceptor Tim3
      to the observed effect. These results demonstrate that CD3 antibody administered
      alone promotes prolonged survival of allogeneic ESC derivatives and thus could
      prove useful for enhancing cell engraftment in the absence of chronic
      immunosuppression.

PMID- 26492395
TI  - Source term estimation and the isotopic ratio of radioactive material released
      from the WIPP repository in New Mexico, USA.
AB  - After almost 15 years of operations, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) had
      one of its waste drums breach underground as a result of a runaway chemical
      reaction in the waste it contained. This incident occurred on February 14, 2014.
      Moderate levels of radioactivity were released into the underground air. A small
      portion of the contaminated underground air also escaped to the surface through
      the ventilation system and was detected approximately 1 km away from the
      facility. According to the source term estimation, the actual amount of
      radioactivity released from the WIPP site was less than 1.5 mCi. The highest
      activity detected on the surface was 115.2 MUBq/m(3) for (241)Am and 10.2
      MUBq/m(3) for (239+240)Pu at a sampling station located 91 m away from the
      underground air exhaust point and 81.4 MUBq/m(3) of (241)Am and 5.8 MUBq/m(3) of
      (239+240)Pu at a monitoring station located approximately 1 km northwest of the
      WIPP facility. The dominant radionuclides released were americium and plutonium,
      in a ratio that matches the content of the breached drum. Air monitoring across
      the WIPP site intensified following the first reports of radiation detection
      underground to determine the extent of impact to WIPP personnel, the public, and
      the environment. In this paper, the early stage monitoring data collected by an
      independent monitoring program conducted by the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring
      & Research Center (CEMRC) and an oversight monitoring program conducted by the
      WIPP's management and operating contractor, the Nuclear Waste Partnership (NWP)
      LLC were utilized to estimate the actual amount of radioactivity released from
      the WIPP underground. The Am and Pu isotope ratios were measured and used to
      support the hypothesis that the release came from one drum identified as having
      breached that represents a specific waste stream with this radionuclide ratio in
      its inventory. This failed drum underwent a heat and gas producing reaction that
      overpowered its vent and lifted its lid to allow release of waste into the
      underground air. 

PMID- 26492396
TI  - Effects of soil water content on the external exposure of fauna to radioactive
      isotopes.
AB  - Within a recent model intercomparison about radiological risk assessment for
      contaminated wetlands, the influence of soil saturation conditions on external
      dose rates was evidenced. This issue joined concerns of assessors regarding the
      choice of the soil moisture value to input in radiological assessment tools such
      as the ERICA Tool. Does it really influence the assessment results and how? This
      question was investigated under IAEA's Modelling and Data for Radiological
      Impacts Assessments (MODARIA) programme via 42 scenarios for which the soil water
      content varied from 0 (dry soil) to 100% (saturated soil), in combination with
      other parameters that may influence the values of the external dose conversion
      coefficients (DCCs) calculated for terrestrial organisms exposed in soil. A set
      of alpha, beta, and gamma emitters was selected in order to cover the range of
      possible emission energies. The values of their external DCCs varied generally
      within a factor 1 to 1.5 with the soil water content, excepted for beta emitters
      that appeared more sensitive (DCCs within a factor of about 3). This may be of
      importance for some specific cases or for upper tiers of radiological
      assessments, when refinement is required. But for the general purpose of
      screening assessment of radiological impact on fauna and flora, current
      approaches regarding the soil water content are relevant. 

PMID- 26492397
TI  - Pre- and post-accident (129)I and (137)Cs levels, and (129)I/(137)Cs ratios in
      soil near the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant, Japan.
AB  - To evaluate the deposition density and extent of subsurface infiltration of
      (129)I and (137)Cs in the restricted area that was highly contaminated by the
      accident of Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant, cumulative inventories of
      (129)I and (137)Cs, concentrations of (129)I and (137)Cs, and (129)I/(137)Cs
      ratio in 30-cm-long soil columns were compared with pre-accident levels from the
      same area. The cores were collected before and after the accident from locations
      of S-1 (4 km west of FDNPP) and S-2 (8 km west of FDNPP). Deposition densities of
      (129)I and (137)Cs in the soil following the accident were 0.90-2.33 Bq m(-2) and
      0.80-4.04 MBq m(-2), respectively, which were 14-39 and 320-510 times larger than
      the pre-accident levels of (129)I (59.3-63.3 mBq m(-2)) and (137)Cs (2.51-7.88
      kBq m(-2)), respectively. Approximately 90% of accident-derived (129)I and
      (137)Cs deposited in the 30-cm soil cores was concentrated in the surface layer
      from 0 to 44-95 kg m(-2) of mass depth (0-4.3-6.2 cm depth) and from 0 to 16-25
      kg m(-2) of mass depth (0-1.0-3.1 cm depth), respectively. The relaxation mass
      depths (h0) of 10.8-11.2 kg m(-2) for (129)I estimated in the previous study were
      larger than those of 8.1-10.6 kg m(-2) for (137)Cs at both sites, owing to the
      larger infiltration depth of radioiodine mainly by the gravitational water
      penetration in the surface soil in our study sites. Approximately 7-9% of the
      accident-derived (129)I was present in the lower layer from 44 to 100 kg m(-2)
      (4.3-8.6 cm depth) at S-1, and from 95 to 160 kg m(-2) (6.2-10.2 cm depth) at S
      2. Approximately 1% of (137)Cs seems to infiltrate deeper than (129)I in the
      lower layer at each site in contrast to the surface layer. 

PMID- 26492398
TI  - Chronic pulmonary accumulation of iron oxide nanoparticles induced Th1-type
      immune response stimulating the function of antigen-presenting cells.
AB  - Although there is growing evidence that suggests that pulmonary exposure to
      nanoparticles causes adverse health effects by modulating immune system of the
      body, available information is very limited. In this study, we investigated
      immune response following chronic pulmonary accumulation of iron oxide
      nanoparticles (FeNPs, Fe2O3). FeNPs have a needle-like shape in suspension
      (101.3+/-4.2 nm). On day 90 after a single intratracheal instillation (0.5, 1,
      and 2 mg/kg), the FeNPs remained in the lung and particle-laden macrophages were
      clearly observed in the BAL fluid of the treated-mice. The number of total cells
      and proportions of neutrophils and lymphocytes significantly increased at 2 mg/kg
      dose, and the percentage of apoptotic cells and LDH release increased in a dose
      dependent manner. We also found that Th1-polarized inflammatory response was
      induced in the lung of the treated group accompanying the elevated secretion of
      chemokines, including GM-CSF, MCP-1, and MIP-1. Additionally, FeNPs enhanced the
      expression of antigen presentation-related proteins, including CD80, CD86, and
      MHC class II, on antigen-presenting cells in BAL fluid. Taken together, we
      suggest that chronic pulmonary accumulation of FeNPs may induce Th1-polarized
      immune response augmenting the function of antigen-presenting cells in the lung.

PMID- 26492399
TI  - Association of prenatal exposure to maternal smoking and postnatal exposure to
      household smoking with dental caries in 3-year-old Japanese children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies of the association between smoking exposure
      and dental caries are limited. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this cross-sectional
      study was to examine the association between prenatal and postnatal secondhand
      smoke (SHS) exposure and the prevalence of dental caries in primary dentition in
      young Japanese children. METHODS: Study subjects were 6412 children aged 3 years.
      Information on exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy and postnatal SHS
      exposure at home was collected via parent questionnaire. Children were classified
      as having dental caries if one or more primary teeth had decayed or had been
      filled. RESULTS: Compared with never smoking during pregnancy, maternal smoking
      in the first trimester of pregnancy was significantly associated with an
      increased prevalence of dental caries in children (adjusted odds ratio=1.37, 95%
      confidence interval: 1.03-1.80). Postnatal SHS exposure was also positively
      associated with dental caries, with a significant positive exposure-response
      relationship. Compared with children not exposed to prenatal maternal smoking or
      postnatal SHS at home, those exposed to both prenatal and postnatal smoking had
      higher odds of dental caries (adjusted odds ratio=1.62, 95% confidence interval:
      1.23-2.11). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that maternal smoking during
      pregnancy and postnatal SHS exposure may be associated with an increased
      prevalence of dental caries in primary dentition.

PMID- 26492400
TI  - Long-term exposure to residential traffic noise and changes in body weight and
      waist circumference: A cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traffic noise can act as a stressor and disturb sleep, and has been
      associated with cardiovascular disease. Recent studies suggest a possible
      association to metabolic outcomes and adiposity through biological mechanisms
      related to physiological stress and sleep disturbance. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to
      investigate the association between long-term residential traffic noise and
      changes in adiposity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was based on 39,720 middle
      aged Danish men and women from a cohort, with information on weight and waist
      circumference at two points in time. Residential exposure to traffic noise was
      calculated for all participants' present and historical addresses using the
      Nordic prediction method. The associations between traffic noise and changes in
      adiposity measures after a mean follow-up of 5.3 years were analyzed by linear
      and logistic regression with adjustments for age, sex, socioeconomic position and
      lifestyle factors in three models with increasing adjustment. RESULTS: In linear
      models adjusted for sex, age, socioeconomic position and competing noise sources
      we found road traffic noise to be significantly associated with small gains in
      both weight and waist circumference. For example, time-weighted mean exposure 5
      years preceding follow-up was associated with a yearly weight gain of 15.4 g (95%
      confidence interval (CI): 2.14; 28.7) and a yearly increase in waist
      circumference of 0.22 mm (95% CI: 0.018; 0.43) per 10dB. Similarly, in Poisson
      regression models we found an 10% increased risk for gaining more than 5 kg body
      weight during follow-up (95% CI: 1.04; 1.15) per 10 dB higher 5 years exposure
      preceding follow-up. Exposure to railway noise above 55 dB was associated with
      weight gain (39.9 g/year (95% CI: 10.2; 69.6)), but not with a significant change
      in waist circumference. We found baseline BMI (p<0.001) and waist circumference
      (p=0.001) to be significant effect modifiers for the association between road
      traffic noise and waist circumference, with gain in waist circumference only
      among the obese (BMI>=30) participants (1.20 mm/year (95% CI: 0.68; 1.72)) and
      participants with a large waist circumference (0.83 mm/year (95% CI: 0.42;
      1.23)). CONCLUSION: The findings supports previous studies suggesting that
      traffic noise may be associated with development of adiposity. However, the
      potential effects are small and suggest an effect mainly among obese
      participants.

PMID- 26492401
TI  - Heavy metals in cigarettes for sale in Spain.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to determine the concentrations of eight metals
      (Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr) in 33 cigarette brands for sale in Spain.
      Samples were analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry
      (ICP-OES). Mean values obtained were 428 ug Al/g, 0.810 ug Cd/g, 0.558 ug Co/g,
      1.442 ug Cr/g, 112.026 ug Mn/g, 2.238 ug Ni/g, 0.602 ug Pb/g and 82.206 ug Sr/g.
      Statistically significant differences were observed with respect to
      concentrations of Co (0.004), Cr (0.045), Mn (0.005) and Sr (0.005) between black
      and blond tobacco and between levels of Mn (0.027) among manufacturers.
      Considering a Cd inhalation rate of 10% and a Cd absorption rate of 50%,
      absorption of Cd for smokers of 30 cigarettes/day was estimated at 0.75 ug
      Cd/day. An inhalation rate of 2-6% and an absorption rate of 86% were considered
      for Pb, Pb absorption in smokers of 30 cigarettes/day was therefore 0.18-0.54
      MUg/day. In view of the significant toxic effects of these metals, quantification
      and control of their concentrations in this drug are of the utmost importance.

PMID- 26492403
TI  - Job satisfaction in nursing: a concept analysis study.
AB  - AIM: This study aims to undertake a concept analysis of job satisfaction in the
      nursing profession. BACKGROUND: Around current global shortage of nurses, it is
      important to stabilize the nursing workforce. Nurses' job satisfaction has been
      found to be related to intention to leave. INTRODUCTION: In the nursing
      profession, there is a lack of evidence to support the attributes of nurses' job
      satisfaction. METHODS: Walker and Avant's approach of concept analysis was used.
      RESULTS: The main attributes of job satisfaction from this study are (1)
      fulfillment of desired needs within the work settings, (2) happiness or
      gratifying emotional responses towards working conditions, and (3) job value or
      equity. These attributes are influenced by antecedent conditions like
      demographic, emotional, work characteristics and environmental variables.
      Additionally, the consequences of nurses' job satisfaction have a significant
      impact on both nurses and patients. DISCUSSION: This study integrated both the
      content and process of motivational theories to generate the attributes of job
      satisfaction in nursing that overcome the limitation of the previous studies,
      which looked only at the definitions of nurses' job satisfaction based on content
      motivational theories. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY:
      The findings of this study can facilitate both nursing researchers to develop a
      cultural adaption instrument and policy makers to improve clinical nursing
      practice. This analysis provides nurse managers with a new perspective to deal
      with nurses' job satisfaction by taking into account all the attributes that
      influence it in the nursing field.

PMID- 26492402
TI  - Clinical impact of IMPORT HIGH trial (CRUK/06/003) on breast radiotherapy
      practices in the United Kingdom.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: IMPORT HIGH is a multicentre randomized UK trial testing dose
      escalated intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) after tumour excision in
      females with early breast cancer and higher than average local recurrence risk. A
      survey was carried out to investigate the impact of this trial on the adoption of
      advanced breast radiotherapy (RT) techniques in the UK. METHODS: A questionnaire
      was sent to all 26 IMPORT HIGH recruiting RT centres to determine whether the
      trial has influenced non-trial breast RT techniques in terms of volume
      delineation, dosimetry, treatment delivery and verification. In order to compare
      the clinical practice of breast RT between IMPORT HIGH and non-IMPORT HIGH
      centres, parts of the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) breast RT audit result
      were used in this study. RESULTS: 26/26 participating centres completed the
      questionnaire. After joining the trial, the number of centres routinely using
      tumour bed clips to guide whole-breast RT rose from 5 (19%) to 21 (81%). 20/26
      (77%) centres now contour target volumes and organs at risk (OARs) in some or all
      patients compared with 14 (54%) before the trial. 14/26 (54%) centres offer
      inverse-planned IMRT for selected non-trial patients with breast cancer, and
      10/14 (71%) have adopted the IMPORT HIGH trial protocol for target volume and
      OARs dose constraints. Only 2/26 (8%) centres used clip information routinely for
      breast treatment verification prior to IMPORT HIGH, a minority that has since
      risen to 7/26 (27%). Data on 1386 patients was included from the RCR audit. This
      suggested that more cases from IMPORT HIGH centres had surgical clips implanted
      (83 vs 67%), were treated using CT guided planning with full three-dimensional
      dose compensation (100 vs 75%), and were treated with photon boost RT (30 vs 8%).
      CONCLUSION: The study suggests that participation in the IMPORT HIGH trial has
      played an important part in providing the guidance and support networks needed
      for the safe integration of advanced RT techniques, where appropriate, as a
      standard of care for breast cancer patients treated at participating cancer
      centres. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: We investigated the impact of the IMPORT HIGH
      trial on the adoption of advanced breast RT techniques in the UK and the trial
      has influenced non-trial breast RT techniques in terms of volume delineation,
      dosimetry, treatment delivery and verification.

PMID- 26492404
TI  - beta-Cell Function and Insulin Sensitivity in Normal Glucose-Tolerant Subjects
      Stratified by 1-Hour Plasma Glucose Values.
AB  - AIM: This study was designed to assess beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity
      indices among normal glucose tolerance (NGT) subjects stratified by 1-h plasma
      glucose (1hPG) values during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: One hundred sixty-six NGT subjects underwent a five-point OGTT, and
      glucose and insulin levels were estimated. We calculated the following indices:
      (a) beta-cell function (homeostasis assessment model-beta-cell function [HOMA
      beta] and Insulinogenic Index [IGI]) and (b) insulin sensitivity (homeostasis
      assessment model-insulin resistance [HOMA-IR], Matsuda Index, and Insulin
      Sensitivity Index [ISI]). RESULTS: NGT subgroups with elevated 1hPG values (i.e.,
      1hPG >=143 to <155 mg/dL and 1hPG >=155 mg/dL) did not differ from those with
      1hPG <143 mg/dL by HOMA-beta (P = 0.236) but had significantly lower IGIs (367 +/
      239 vs. 257 +/- 243 vs. 246 +/- 239; P = 0.019). With respect to ISIs, HOMA-IR
      was not significantly different among the groups (P = 0.103). However, the
      Matsuda Index (11.2 +/- 5.0 vs. 7.4 +/- 4.8 vs. 5.5 +/- 4.9; P < 0.001) and ISI
      (0.015 +/- 0.010 vs. 0.012 +/- 0.006 vs. 0.011 +/- 0.011; P = 0.028) were
      significantly lower in subjects with elevated 1hPG values. CONCLUSIONS: NGT
      subjects with elevated 1hPG levels have alterations in beta-cell function and
      insulin sensitivity compared with those with normal 1hPG levels.

PMID- 26492407
TI  - Lanthanide ion and tetrathiafulvalene-based ligand as a "magic" couple toward
      luminescence, single molecule magnets, and magnetostructural correlations.
AB  - The synthesis of molecules featuring different properties is a perpetual
      challenge for the chemists' community. The coexistence and even more the synergy
      of those properties open new perspectives in the field of molecular devices and
      molecular electronics. In that sense, coordination chemistry contributed to the
      development of new functional molecules through, for instance, single-molecule
      magnets (SMMs) and light emitting molecules with potential applications in high
      capacity data storage and OLEDs, respectively. The appealing combination of both
      electronic properties into one single object may offer the possibility to have
      magnetized luminescent entities at nanometric scale. To that end, lanthanides
      seem to be one of the key ingredients since their peculiar electronic structures
      endow them with specific magnetic and luminescence properties. Indeed,
      lanthanides cover a wide range of emission wavelengths, from infrared to UV,
      which add up to a large variety of magnetic behaviors, from the fully isotropic
      spin (e.g., Gd(III)) to highly anisotropic magnetic moments (e.g., Dy(III)). In
      lanthanide complexes, ligands play a fundamental role because on one hand they
      govern the orientation of the magnetic moment of anisotropic lanthanides and on
      the other hand they can sensitize efficiently the luminescence. The design of
      appropriate organic ligands to elaborate such chemical objects with the desired
      property appears to be essential but remains a perpetual challenge. In this
      Account, we describe the design of lanthanide-based complexes that emit light,
      behave as SMMs, or combine both properties. We have paid peculiar attention to
      the design of ligands based on the tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) moiety. TTF and its
      derivatives are well-known chemical entities, stable at different oxidation
      states, and employed mainly in the synthesis of molecular conductors and
      superconductors. In addition to their redox properties, TTF-based derivatives act
      as organic chromophores for the sensitization of visible and near-infrared (NIR)
      luminescence of lanthanides. The mechanism of sensitization involves either
      antenna effect (energy transfer from the excited state) or photoinduced electron
      transfer. TTF-based ligands act also as structural agents in the conception of
      SMM in crystals. Such objects are obtained with the highly anisotropic Dy(III)
      ion in crystalline phase as well as in frozen solution with magnetic memory at
      helium-4 temperature (4 K). We highlight the influence of the magnetic dilution
      (both in amorphous solution and in diamagnetic crystalline matrix) and,
      particular case of dysprosium based SMMs, the effect of metal-centered isotope
      enrichment on the SMM properties. Our aim is not only to realize functional
      molecules but to rationalize both luminescence and magnetic properties on the
      basis of the structure of the molecules. These two properties are intimately
      intricate and governed by the electronic structure, which can be calculated and
      interpreted using modern quantum chemistry tools. 

PMID- 26492405
TI  - Loss of a Conserved tRNA Anticodon Modification Perturbs Plant Immunity.
AB  - tRNA is the most highly modified class of RNA species, and modifications are
      found in tRNAs from all organisms that have been examined. Despite their vastly
      different chemical structures and their presence in different tRNAs, occurring in
      different locations in tRNA, the biosynthetic pathways of the majority of tRNA
      modifications include a methylation step(s). Recent discoveries have revealed
      unprecedented complexity in the modification patterns of tRNA, their regulation
      and function, suggesting that each modified nucleoside in tRNA may have its own
      specific function. However, in plants, our knowledge on the role of individual
      tRNA modifications and how they are regulated is very limited. In a genetic
      screen designed to identify factors regulating disease resistance and activation
      of defenses in Arabidopsis, we identified SUPPRESSOR OF CSB3 9 (SCS9). Our
      results reveal SCS9 encodes a tRNA methyltransferase that mediates the 2'-O
      ribose methylation of selected tRNA species in the anticodon loop. These SCS9
      mediated tRNA modifications enhance during the course of infection with the
      bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae DC3000, and lack of such tRNA
      modification, as observed in scs9 mutants, severely compromise plant immunity
      against the same pathogen without affecting the salicylic acid (SA) signaling
      pathway which regulates plant immune responses. Our results support a model that
      gives importance to the control of certain tRNA modifications for mounting an
      effective immune response in Arabidopsis, and therefore expands the repertoire of
      molecular components essential for an efficient disease resistance response. 

PMID- 26492406
TI  - The Potential for a Blood Test for Scabies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Scabies afflicts millions of people worldwide, but it is very
      difficult to diagnose by the usual skin scrape test, and a presumptive diagnosis
      is often made based on clinical signs such as rash and intense itch. A sensitive
      and specific blood test to detect scabies would allow a physician to quickly make
      a correct diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to profile the mite-specific
      antibodies present in the sera of patients with ordinary scabies. METHODS: Sera
      of 91 patients were screened for Ig, IgD, IgE, IgG and IgM antibodies to S.
      scabiei, as well as to the house dust mites Dermatophagoides farinae, D.
      pteronyssinus and Euroglyphus maynei. RESULTS: 45%, 27% and 2.2% of the patients
      had measurable amounts of mixed Ig, IgG and IgE that recognized scabies mite
      antigens. However, 73.6% of the scabies patients had serum IgM that recognized
      scabies proteins, and all except two of them also had IgM that recognized all of
      the three species of dust mites. No patient had serum antibody exclusively
      reactive to scabies mite antigens. CONCLUSIONS: Co-sensitization or cross
      reactivity between antigens from scabies and house dust mites confounds
      developing a blood test for scabies.

PMID- 26492409
TI  - Interplay of Zero-Field Splitting and Excited State Geometry Relaxation in fac
      Ir(ppy)3.
AB  - The lowest energy triplet state, T1, of organometallic complexes based on
      iridium(III) is of fundamental interest, as the behavior of molecules in this
      state determines the suitability of the complex for use in many applications,
      e.g., organic light-emitting diodes. Previous characterization of T1 in fac
      Ir(ppy)3 suggests that the trigonal symmetry of the complex is weakly broken in
      the excited state. Here we report relativistic time dependent density functional
      calculations of the zero-field splitting (ZFS) of fac-Ir(ppy)3 in the ground
      state (S0) and lowest energy triplet (T1) geometries and at intermediate
      geometries. We show that the energy scale of the geometry relaxation in the T1
      state is large compared to the ZFS. Thus, the natural analysis of the ZFS and the
      radiative decay rates, based on the assumption that the structural distortion is
      a small perturbation, fails dramatically. In contrast, our calculations of these
      quantities are in good agreement with experiment. 

PMID- 26492411
TI  - Bacteria Endosymbiont, Wolbachia, Promotes Parasitism of Parasitoid Wasp Asobara
      japonica.
AB  - Wolbachia is the most widespread endosymbiotic bacterium that manipulates
      reproduction of its arthropod hosts to enhance its own spread throughout host
      populations. Infection with Wolbachia causes complete parthenogenetic
      reproduction in many Hymenoptera, producing only female offspring. The mechanism
      of such reproductive manipulation by Wolbachia has been extensively studied.
      However, the effects of Wolbachia symbiosis on behavioral traits of the hosts are
      scarcely investigated. The parasitoid wasp Asobara japonica is an ideal insect to
      investigate this because symbiotic and aposymbiotic strains are available:
      Wolbachia-infected Tokyo (TK) and noninfected Iriomote (IR) strains originally
      collected on the main island and southwest islands of Japan, respectively. We
      compared the oviposition behaviors of the two strains and found that TK strain
      females parasitized Drosophila melanogaster larvae more actively than the IR
      strain, especially during the first two days after eclosion. Removing Wolbachia
      from the TK strain wasps by treatment with tetracycline or rifampicin decreased
      their parasitism activity to the level of the IR strain. Morphological and
      behavioral analyses of both strain wasps showed that Wolbachia endosymbionts do
      not affect development of the host female reproductive tract and eggs, but do
      enhance host-searching ability of female wasps. These results suggest the
      possibility that Wolbachia endosymbionts may promote their diffusion and
      persistence in the host A. japonica population not only at least partly by
      parthenogenesis but also by enhancement of oviposition frequency of the host
      females. 

PMID- 26492410
TI  - Early High-Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation in Pediatric Acute Respiratory
      Failure. A Propensity Score Analysis.
AB  - RATIONALE: The use of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) for acute
      respiratory failure in children is prevalent despite the lack of efficacy data.
      OBJECTIVES: To compare the outcomes of patients with acute respiratory failure
      managed with HFOV within 24-48 hours of endotracheal intubation with those
      receiving conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) and/or late HFOV. METHODS:
      This is a secondary analysis of data from the RESTORE (Randomized Evaluation of
      Sedation Titration for Respiratory Failure) study, a prospective cluster
      randomized clinical trial conducted between 2009 and 2013 in 31 U.S. pediatric
      intensive care units. Propensity score analysis, including degree of hypoxia in
      the model, compared the duration of mechanical ventilation and mortality of
      patients treated with early HFOV matched with those treated with CMV/late HFOV.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among 2,449 subjects enrolled in RESTORE, 353
      patients (14%) were ever supported on HFOV, of which 210 (59%) had HFOV initiated
      within 24-48 hours of intubation. The propensity score model predicting the
      probability of receiving early HFOV included 1,064 patients (181 early HFOV vs.
      883 CMV/late HFOV) with significant hypoxia (oxygenation index >= 8). The degree
      of hypoxia was the most significant contributor to the propensity score model.
      After adjusting for risk category, early HFOV use was associated with a longer
      duration of mechanical ventilation (hazard ratio, 0.75; 95% confidence interval,
      0.64-0.89; P = 0.001) but not with mortality (odds ratio, 1.28; 95% confidence
      interval, 0.92-1.79; P = 0.15) compared with CMV/late HFOV. CONCLUSIONS: In
      adjusted models including important oxygenation variables, early HFOV was
      associated with a longer duration of mechanical ventilation. These analyses make
      supporting the current approach to HFOV less convincing.

PMID- 26492412
TI  - "You're Really Gonna Kick Us All Out?" Sustaining Safe Spaces for Community-Based
      HIV Prevention and Control among Black Men Who Have Sex with Men.
AB  - Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) experience among the highest rates of HIV
      infection in the United States. We conducted a community-based ethnography in New
      York City to identify the structural and environmental factors that influence
      BMSMs vulnerability to HIV and their engagement with HIV prevention services.
      Methods included participant observation at community-based organizations (CBOs)
      in New York City, in-depth interviews with 31 BMSM, and 17 key informant
      interviews. Our conceptual framework shows how creating and sustaining safe
      spaces could be a critical environmental approach to reduce vulnerability to HIV
      among BMSM. Participant observation, in-depth and key informant interviews
      revealed that fear and mistrust characterized men's relation to social and public
      institutions, such as churches, schools, and the police. This fear and mistrust
      created HIV vulnerability among the BMSM in our sample by challenging engagement
      with services. Our findings suggest that to be successful, HIV prevention efforts
      must address these structural and environmental vulnerabilities. Among the CBOs
      that we studied, "safe spaces" emerged as an important tool for addressing these
      environmental vulnerabilities. CBOs used safe spaces to provide social support,
      to address stigma, to prepare men for the workforce, and to foster a sense of
      community among BMSM. In addition, safe spaces were used for HIV and STI testing
      and treatment campaigns. Our ethnographic findings suggest that safe spaces
      represent a promising but so far under-utilized part of HIV prevention
      infrastructure. Safe spaces seem integral to high impact comprehensive HIV
      prevention efforts, and may be considered more appropriately as part of HIV
      capacity-building rather than being nested within program-specific funding
      structures. 

PMID- 26492413
TI  - Influence of Substrates on the Surface Characteristics and Membrane Proteome of
      Fibrobacter succinogenes S85.
AB  - Although Fibrobacter succinogenes S85 is one of the most proficient cellulose
      degrading bacteria among all mesophilic organisms in the rumen of herbivores, the
      molecular mechanism behind cellulose degradation by this bacterium is not fully
      elucidated. Previous studies have indicated that cell surface proteins might play
      a role in adhesion to and subsequent degradation of cellulose in this bacterium.
      It has also been suggested that cellulose degradation machinery on the surface
      may be selectively expressed in response to the presence of cellulose. Based on
      the genome sequence, several models of cellulose degradation have been suggested.
      The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of the cell envelope proteins in
      adhesion to cellulose and to gain a better understanding of the subsequent
      cellulose degradation mechanism in this bacterium. Comparative analysis of the
      surface (exposed outer membrane) chemistry of the cells grown in glucose, acid
      swollen cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose using physico-chemical
      characterisation techniques such as electrophoretic mobility analysis, microbial
      adhesion to hydrocarbons assay and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy,
      suggest that adhesion to cellulose is a consequence of an increase in protein
      display and a concomitant reduction in the cell surface polysaccharides in the
      presence of cellulose. In order to gain further understanding of the molecular
      mechanism of cellulose degradation in this bacterium, the cell envelope
      associated proteins were enriched using affinity purification and identified by
      tandem mass spectrometry. In total, 185 cell envelope-associated proteins were
      confidently identified. Of these, 25 proteins are predicted to be involved in
      cellulose adhesion and degradation, and 43 proteins are involved in solute
      transport and energy generation. Our results supports the model that cellulose
      degradation in F. succinogenes occurs at the outer membrane with active transport
      of cellodextrins across for further metabolism of cellodextrins to glucose in the
      periplasmic space and inner cytoplasmic membrane. 

PMID- 26492415
TI  - Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension-Specific Drug Therapy in COPD Patients with
      Severe Pulmonary Hypertension and Mild-to-Moderate Airflow Limitation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) present a poor outcome. Specific PH
      treatment could improve the clinical and hemodynamic status of these patients but
      may worsen arterial blood gases. OBJECTIVES: Our study retrospectively included
      28 patients with severe precapillary PH (mean pulmonary arterial pressure >35 mm
      Hg) associated with mild-to-moderate COPD [forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)
      >50% predicted]. All patients underwent specific pulmonary arterial hypertension
      (PAH) treatment as mono-, bi- or triple therapy. METHODS: Our single-center study
      was conducted based on retrospective data of 537 right heart catheterizations
      (RHCs) performed on patients with COPD from January 2004 to June 2014. An
      echocardiography, comprehensive blood tests, pulmonary function tests, and a high
      resolution computed tomography were performed before the RHCs. All patients
      underwent RHC with a Swan-Ganz catheter. RESULTS: Compared to baseline, patients
      treated with specific PAH drugs showed a significant increase in cardiac index at
      long term (2.5 +/- 0.7 liters/min/m2 at baseline vs. 3.2 +/- 0.6 liters/min/m2 at
      6/12 months; p = 0.003) as well as a decrease in pulmonary vascular resistance in
      the long term (8.4 +/- 4.2 Wood units at baseline vs. 5 +/- 1.7 Wood units at
      6/12 months; p = 0.008). There was a slight decrease in arterial oxygen tension
      (PaO2) after 3 months of treatment (-2.4 +/- 7.21 mm Hg; p = 0.066). During a
      median follow-up of 3 years, 12 patients (42.8%) died (including all causes of
      death). CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary report suggests that the use of specific PH
      therapy in severe PH associated with mild-to-moderate COPD can improve pulmonary
      hemodynamic parameters, with worsening of PaO2, which had no clinical
      significance and did not lead to specific PAH therapy withdrawal in any patient.

PMID- 26492416
TI  - Anabaena sp. DyP-type peroxidase is a tetramer consisting of two asymmetric
      dimers.
AB  - DyP-type peroxidases are a newly discovered family of heme peroxidases
      distributed from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. Recently, using a structure-based
      sequence alignment, we proposed the new classes, P, I and V, as substitutes for
      classes A, B, C, and D [Arch Biochem Biophys 2015;574:49-55]. Although many class
      V enzymes from eukaryotes have been characterized, only two from prokaryotes have
      been reported. Here, we show the crystal structure of one of these two enzymes,
      Anabaena sp. DyP-type peroxidase (AnaPX). AnaPX is tetramer formed from Cys224
      Cys224 disulfide-linked dimers. The tetramer of wild-type AnaPX was stable at all
      salt concentrations tested. In contrast, the C224A mutant showed salt
      concentration-dependent oligomeric states: in 600 mM NaCl, it maintained a
      tetrameric structure, whereas in the absence of salt, it dissociated into
      monomers, leading to a reduction in thermostability. Although the tetramer
      exhibits non-crystallographic, 2-fold symmetry in the asymmetric unit, two
      subunits forming the Cys224-Cys224 disulfide-linked dimer are related by 165
      degrees  rotation. This asymmetry creates an opening to cavities facing the
      inside of the tetramer, providing a pathway for hydrogen peroxide access.
      Finally, a phylogenetic analysis using structure-based sequence alignments showed
      that class V enzymes from prokaryotes, including AnaPX, are phylogenetically
      closely related to class V enzymes from eukaryotes.

PMID- 26492414
TI  - Application of the pMHC Array to Characterise Tumour Antigen Specific T Cell
      Populations in Leukaemia Patients at Disease Diagnosis.
AB  - Immunotherapy treatments for cancer are becoming increasingly successful, however
      to further improve our understanding of the T-cell recognition involved in
      effective responses and to encourage moves towards the development of
      personalised treatments for leukaemia immunotherapy, precise antigenic targets in
      individual patients have been identified. Cellular arrays using peptide-MHC
      (pMHC) tetramers allow the simultaneous detection of different antigen specific T
      cell populations naturally circulating in patients and normal donors. We have
      developed the pMHC array to detect CD8+ T-cell populations in leukaemia patients
      that recognise epitopes within viral antigens (cytomegalovirus (CMV) and
      influenza (Flu)) and leukaemia antigens (including Per Arnt Sim domain 1 (PASD1),
      MelanA, Wilms' Tumour (WT1) and tyrosinase). We show that the pMHC array is at
      least as sensitive as flow cytometry and has the potential to rapidly identify
      more than 40 specific T-cell populations in a small sample of T-cells (0.8-1.4 x
      10(6)). Fourteen of the twenty-six acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients
      analysed had T cells that recognised tumour antigen epitopes, and eight of these
      recognised PASD1 epitopes. Other tumour epitopes recognised were MelanA (n = 3),
      tyrosinase (n = 3) and WT1(126-134) (n = 1). One of the seven acute lymphocytic
      leukaemia (ALL) patients analysed had T cells that recognised the MUC1(950-958)
      epitope. In the future the pMHC array may be used provide point of care T-cell
      analyses, predict patient response to conventional therapy and direct
      personalised immunotherapy for patients.

PMID- 26492417
TI  - Time for Chocolate: Current Understanding and New Perspectives on Cacao Witches'
      Broom Disease Research.

PMID- 26492418
TI  - Outcomes in emergency general surgery following the introduction of a consultant
      led unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients presenting with emergency surgical conditions place
      significant demands on healthcare services globally. The need to improve
      emergency surgical care has led to establishment of consultant-led emergency
      surgery units. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a changed
      model of service on outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective observational study of all
      consecutive emergency general surgical admissions in 2009-2012 was performed. A 2
      year time frame before and after the establishment of the emergency general
      surgery (EGS) service was used to determine the number of admissions and
      operations, emergency department and hospital length of stay, as well as
      complication rates. RESULTS: The study included 7233 acute admissions. The EGS
      service managed 4468 patients (61.6 per cent increase) and performed 1804
      operations (41.0 per cent increase). The most common diagnoses during the EGS
      period included acute appendicitis (532, 11.9 per cent), biliary disease (361,
      8.1 per cent) and abdominal pain (561, 12.6 per cent). Appendicectomy (536, 29.7
      per cent), cholecystectomy (239, 13.2 per cent) and laparotomy (226, 12.5 per
      cent) were the most commonly performed procedures. In the EGS period, time in the
      emergency department was reduced (from 8.0 to 6.0 h; P < 0.001), as was length of
      hospital stay (from 3.0 to 2.0 days; P < 0.001). The number of complications was
      reduced by 46.8 per cent, from 172 (6.2 per cent) to 147 (3.3 per cent) (P <
      0.001), with a 53 per cent reduction in the number of deaths in the EGS period,
      from 29 (16.9 per cent) to seven (8 per cent) (P = 0.039). CONCLUSION: The
      establishment of a consultant-led emergency surgical service has been associated
      with improved provision of care, resulting in timely management and improved
      clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26492419
TI  - New recognition of the natural history and growth pattern of hepatic hemangioma
      in adults.
AB  - AIM: Surgical indications for hepatic hemangiomas are still not clearly defined
      due to limited data on their natural history. This study aimed to investigate the
      natural history and growth pattern of hepatic hemangiomas in adults. METHODS:
      From April 2010 to March 2013, adult patients with hepatic hemangioma who had no
      prior treatment were enrolled. A routine follow up was performed to observe the
      natural history of the lesions and their tendency to cause complications.
      RESULTS: A total of 236 patients were enrolled in the study. The median size of
      hemangiomas was 4.5 cm (range, 0.6-19.2). During a median follow-up period of 48
      months (range, 3-266), 61.0% patients had hemangiomas that increased in size,
      23.7% patients had stable lesions and 8.5% patients had hemangiomas that
      decreased in size. The peak growth period of hemangiomas was in patients of less
      than 30 years of age (0.46 +/- 0.41 cm/year) and the growth rate decreased
      significantly after 50 years of age (0.21 +/- 0.40 cm/year). Hemangiomas of less
      than 2 cm had the lowest growth rate (0.16 +/- 0.42 cm/year). The peak growth
      rate of hemangioma size was 8-10 cm (0.80 +/- 0.62 cm/year), then decreased
      rapidly to 0.47 +/- 0.91 cm/year while the hemangiomas were of more than 10 cm.
      Only nine patients had severe symptoms caused by hemangioma. No patients
      presented with hemangioma-related complications. CONCLUSION: The majority of
      hepatic hemangiomas have the tendency to increase in size but rarely cause
      complications. All the hemangiomas can be safely managed by observation, and
      surgery is only considered for patients with severe complications.

PMID- 26492420
TI  - Meconium-Associated Umbilical Vascular Myonecrosis: Correlations with Adverse
      Outcome and Placental Pathology.
AB  - Intrauterine passage of meconium is common, occurring in approximately 10-15% of
      term births. Uncommonly, long-standing meconium exposure is associated with
      umbilical vascular myonecrosis, but few studies have evaluated specific clinical
      and pathologic features. This is a retrospective study of 481 term placentas: 139
      with meconium-associated myonecrosis, 139 with meconium in fetal membranes, only
      62 with meconium in the cord without myonecrosis, and 139 controls without
      meconium. We studied clinical factors, including clinical evidence of meconium
      discharge, fetal distress, APGAR scores, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR),
      and intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD), and histologic factors, including acute
      chorioamnionitis, umbilical cord complications, uteroplacental malperfusion,
      fetal thrombosis, chorangiosis, and fetal nucleated red blood cells. Meconium
      myonecrosis was significantly associated with clinical meconium, fetal distress,
      IUGR, IUFD, acute chorioamnionitis, cord complications, fetal thrombosis,
      chorangiosis, and nucleated red blood cells when compared to controls (P < 0.05).
      Compared to cases with meconium in the membranes only, clinical meconium, fetal
      distress, IUGR, chorioamnionitis, thrombosis, chorangiosis, and nucleated red
      blood cells remained significant. Compared to cases with meconium in the cord
      without myonecrosis, only chorioamnionitis retained significance. In conclusion,
      myonecrosis was associated with adverse clinical outcome and placental lesions
      associated with hypoxia. Chorioamnionitis was significantly more common in all
      meconium groups compared to controls. As myonecrosis is an important lesion, a
      clinical history of meconium should trigger a meticulous search for meconium and
      specifically myonecrosis. 

PMID- 26492421
TI  - Solution-Processable Organic Molecule for High-Performance Organic Solar Cells
      with Low Acceptor Content.
AB  - A new planar D2-A-D1-A-D2 structured organic molecule with bithienyl
      benzodithiophene (BDT) as central donor unit D1 and fluorine-substituted
      benzothiadiazole (BTF) as acceptor unit and alkyl-dithiophene as end group and
      donor unit D2, BDT-BTF, was designed and synthesized for the application as donor
      material in organic solar cells (OSCs). BDT-BTF shows a broad absorption in
      visible region, suitable highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of -5.20
      eV, and high hole mobility of 1.07 * 10(-2) cm(2)/(V s), benefitted from its high
      coplanarity and strong crystallinity. The OSCs based on BDT-BTF as donor (D) and
      PC71BM as acceptor (A) at a D/A weight ratio of 3:1 without any extra treatment
      exhibit high photovoltaic performance with Voc of 0.85 V, Jsc of 10.48 mA/cm(2),
      FF of 0.66, and PCE of 5.88%. The morphological study by transmission electron
      microscopy reveals that the blend of BDT-BTF and PC71BM (3:1, w/w) possesses an
      appropriate interpenetrating D/A network for the exciton separation and charge
      carrier transport, which agrees well with the good device performance. The
      optimized D/A weight ratio of 3:1 is the lowest acceptor content in the active
      layer reported so far for the high-performance OSCs, and the organic molecules
      with the molecular structure like BDT-BTF could be promising high-performance
      donor materials in solution-processable OSCs.

PMID- 26492422
TI  - Distribution and health risk assessment of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs)
      residue in edible cattle tissues from northeastern part of Egypt: High
      accumulation level of OCPs in tongue.
AB  - Food consumption is an important route of human exposure to organochlorine
      pesticides (OCPs). In order to assess the potential human health risks associated
      with OCPs, edible cattle tissues (liver, kidney and tongue) were collected from
      three slaughter houses in Mansoura, Zagazig and Ismailia cities, Egypt. Levels of
      22 OCPs such as hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes
      (DDTs), aldrin, dieldrin and endrin (Drins), chlordanes (CHLs), heptachlors
      (HPTs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) residues were investigated. Among the
      investigated OCPs, HCHs represented the most dominant group with high proportions
      of gamma-HCH isomer (53-91% of total HCHs). Mansoura city had the highest OCPs
      contamination load ranged from 0.1 to 2827 ng g(-1) lw (lipid weight).
      Surprisingly, tongue samples collected from Mansoura showed the highest
      concentration of HCHs (448 ng g(-1) lw) in comparison to liver (152 ng g(-1) lw)
      and kidney (266 ng g(-1) lw). Generally, contamination pattern of OCPs was in the
      order of HCHs > Drins > CHLs > DDTs ? HCB and HPTs. Estimated daily intakes
      (EDIs) through dietary consumption of cattle tissues were lower than the
      recommended acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) established by FAO/WHO. However, the
      hazard ratios (HRs) based on cancer risk were greater than 1.0 for HCHs based on
      the average and 95th centile concentrations, indicating carcinogenic effects to
      consumers through cattle tissues consumption.

PMID- 26492423
TI  - Investigation of fixed wavelength fluorescence results for biliary metabolites of
      polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons formed in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua).
AB  - Fixed wavelength fluorescence (FF) and synchronous fluorescence scanning (SFS) of
      fish bile are commonly used methods to analyze for exposure to polycyclic
      aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from petrogenic and pyrogenic sources. A range of
      conjugated oxidation products from petrogenic PAHs are normally accumulated in
      the bile. Therefore their detection is important. In the present study,
      phenanthrene and naphthalene metabolites, formed in vivo in Atlantic cod (Gadus
      morhua), were used to study the response of these compounds in both FF and SFS
      analyses. The selected synthetic metabolites were (-)-(1R,2R)-1,2
      dihydrophenanthrene-1,2-diol and (-)-(1R,2R)-1,2-dihydronaphthalene-1,2-diol. The
      study findings showed that the recommended excitation and emission wavelengths
      for FF analysis do not comprise the maximum emission wavelengths for these
      metabolites, providing an incorrect estimation of the PAH exposure. A method
      developed in our laboratory for the synthesis of (-)-(1R,2R)-1,2
      dihydrophenanthrene-1,2-diol is also described. 

PMID- 26492424
TI  - Crabs tell the difference--Relating trace metal content with land use and
      landscape attributes.
AB  - Heavy metal concentration in a given locality depends upon its natural
      characteristics and level of anthropogenic pressure. Volcanic sites have a
      different heavy metal footprint from agriculture soils and both differ from urban
      centres. Different animal species absorb heavy metals differently according to
      their feeding behaviour and physiology. Depending on the capability to accumulate
      heavy metals, some species can be used in biomonitoring programs for the
      identification of disturbed areas. Crabs are included in these species and known
      to accumulate heavy metals. The present study investigates the potential of
      Pachygrapsus marmoratus (Fabricius, 1787), a small crab abundant in the Azores
      intertidal, as an indicator of the presence of heavy metals in Azorean coastal
      environments, comparing hydrothermal vent locations, urban centres and locations
      adjacent to agricultural activity. Specimens were collected in the same period
      and had their hepatopancreas removed, dried and analysed for heavy metals.
      Results revealed differences in concentration of the studied elements between all
      sampling sites, each one revealing a distinct heavy metal content. Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn
      and Cd are the metals responsible for separating the various sites. The
      concentration levels of the heavy metals recorded in the present study reflect
      the environmental available metals where the organisms live. This, associated to
      the large availability of P. marmoratus specimens in the Azores, and to the fact
      that these animals are easy to capture and handle, suggests this species as a
      potential bioindicator for heavy metal concentration in Azorean coastal areas,
      both humanized and naturally disturbed.

PMID- 26492425
TI  - Estimating the use of antibiotics for humans across China.
AB  - The present study aimed to propose a method to estimate the spatially resolved
      dataset for human-use antibiotics, which are highly needed in exposure models
      dealing with regions of various environmental characteristics. In this study, a
      regression model describing the relationship between the use of antibiotics and a
      set of socio-economic determinants was developed. It has been demonstrated that
      economic status (expressed using per capita gross domestic production) dominates
      the antibiotic use at least in China. Linear regression analysis was used to
      build the model, resulting in high goodness-of-fit, R(2) (>0.75). Internal and
      external validations along with residue plot indicated that the model was robust
      and predictive. The model was successfully applied to allocate the use of
      antibiotics in China in 2011 at national-, provincial-, prefectural-, and county
      level, which are comparable to that back-calculated from the available data of
      wastewater analysis in some cities. Antibiotic uses were higher in East China
      than other regions and it was found that uses of total antibiotics vary among
      Chinese counties on four orders of magnitude (0.186-1645 t antibiotics per year
      per county). Also management practice could be worked out according to our
      exploration of the impact transition of social-economic factors on antibiotic
      uses. To our knowledge, this is the first endeavor to explore this economic
      dominated relationship for estimating spatially resolved use map of antibiotics
      in China.

PMID- 26492426
TI  - Discrimination of hexabromocyclododecane from new polymeric brominated flame
      retardant in polystyrene foam by nuclear magnetic resonance.
AB  - Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) is a brominated flame retardant (BFR) and major
      additive to polystyrene foam thermal insulation that has recently been listed as
      a persistent organic pollutant by the Stockholm Convention. During a 2013/2014
      field analytical survey, we measured HBCDD content ranging from 0.2 to 2.4% by
      weight in 98 polystyrene samples. Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analyses indicated that expandable (EPS) and extruded
      (XPS) polystyrene foams significantly differed in the alpha/gamma HBCDD isomer
      ratio, with a majority of alpha and gamma isomers in XPS and EPS, respectively.
      Interestingly, this technique indicated that some recent materials did not
      contain HBCDD, but demonstrated bromine content when analysed with X-ray
      fluorescence (XRF). Further investigation by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) was
      able to discriminate between the BFRs present. In addition to confirming the
      absence or presence of HBCDD in polystyrene samples, high-field NMR spectroscopy
      provided evidence of the use of brominated butadiene styrene (BBS) as copolymer
      in the production of polystyrene. Use of this alternative flame retardant is
      expected to cause fewer health and environmental concerns. Our results highlight
      a trend towards the use of copolymerized BFRs as an alternative to HBCDD in
      polystyrene foam boards. In addition to providing a rapid NMR method to identify
      polymeric BFR, our analytical approach is a simple method to discriminate between
      flame-retardants in polystyrene foam insulating materials. 

PMID- 26492427
TI  - Impact of runoff water from an experimental agricultural field applied with
      Vertimec(r) 18EC (abamectin) on the survival, growth and gill morphology of
      zebrafish juveniles.
AB  - Edge-of-field waterbodies in tropical agroecosystems have been reported to be
      especially prone to pesticide contamination through runoff resulting from
      intensive irrigation practices and tropical rainfall. In the present study, the
      effects of runoff from an experimental agricultural field applied with
      Vertimec((r)) 18EC (active ingredient: abamectin) on zebrafish were evaluated. To
      this end, the experimental field was applied with the Vertimec((r)) 18EC dose
      recommended for strawberry crop in Brazil, whereas another field was treated with
      water only to serve as control. No effects of runoff water from either plot were
      recorded on survival. Water from the treated field led to increased growth and
      gill alterations. In general, these alterations were of the first and second
      degree, including proliferation of cells between the secondary lamellae, dilation
      at the lamellar apex, detachment of the respiratory epithelium and aneurism.
      These results confirm the high toxic potential of Vertimec((r)) 18EC and provide
      evidence that environmental risks are likely to occur in areas subject to runoff
      containing this pesticide. 

PMID- 26492428
TI  - Multisession Radiosurgery for Sellar and Parasellar Benign Meningiomas: Long-term
      Tumor Growth Control and Visual Outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Concern about radiation-induced optic neuropathy (RION) has governed
      recent thinking about the role of radiation therapy in the treatment of
      meningiomas involving the anterior optic pathways. Despite this concern, during
      the last few years, the use of radiosurgery for such lesions has increased
      steadily. OBJECTIVE: To define both the tumor control rate and the risk of RION
      over a long-term follow-up period in a large cohort of patients treated with
      multisession radiosurgery. METHODS: The local control and visual outcome of 143
      patients who underwent multisession radiosurgery (mRS) were evaluated.
      Neurological outcome was also analyzed. The data for the present study were
      obtained from a prospectively maintained database. RESULTS: The mean follow-up
      was 44 months (range, 12-113 months). All patients underwent mRS. The median
      prescription dose was 25 Gy delivered in 3 to 5 fractions. The prescription
      isodose, which typically encompassed at least 95% of the tumor, ranged from 65%
      to 86% (median, 80%). The mean tumor volume was 11.0 cm (range, 0.1-126.3 cm;
      median, 8 cm). The progression-free survival at 3, 5, and 8 years was 100%, 93%,
      and 90%, respectively. Compared with baseline, visual function improved in 36% of
      patients, whereas 7.4% experienced a worsening in visual function (5.1% excluding
      the patients with progressive disease). CONCLUSION: Good local control rate and a
      low risk of RION indicate that mRS is a safe and effective treatment option in
      cases of large meningiomas.

PMID- 26492429
TI  - Endovascular Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms in Patients With Autosomal
      Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the outcome of endovascular treatment for
      intracranial aneurysms in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney
      disease (ADPKD). OBJECTIVE: To present clinical outcomes in terms of safety,
      effectiveness, and renal functions to assess contrast-induced nephropathy in
      endovascular coil embolization for intracranial aneurysms in ADPKD patients.
      METHODS: Nineteen ADPKD patients (female:male, 15:4; mean age, 49.8 years; range,
      20-67 years) had 26 aneurysms (mean size, 5.86 mm; range, 2.5-11.6 mm) and
      underwent 22 endovascular treatment sessions from 2001 to 2013. Four patients
      presented with ruptured aneurysms. Periprocedural complications, clinical
      outcomes with modified Rankin Scale scores, laboratory findings, and chronic
      kidney disease (CKD) stage before and after treatment were documented. Acute
      renal impairment was defined as serum creatinine (Cr) elevation by >= 0.5 mg/dL
      or 25% relative to baseline. RESULTS: Symptomatic periprocedural complications
      developed after 1 endovascular procedure (1 of 22, 4.5%), and good clinical
      outcomes (modified Rankin Scale scores, 0-1) were achieved in 90% of patients (17
      of 19). Overall, acute renal impairment occurred in 9.1% of treatment sessions (2
      of 22). Acute renal impairment developed in 25% of high-risk patients (baseline
      Cr > 2.0 mg/dL) and 33.3% of baseline CKD stage 5 sessions but in none of the low
      risk patients (baseline Cr <= 2.0 mg/dL) and in no CKD stage 1 to 4 sessions.
      CONCLUSION: With appropriate management, coil embolization may be safe and
      effective for intracranial aneurysms in ADPKD. There is a concern about contrast
      induced nephropathy in patients with CKD stage 5 or high serum Cr level (>2.0
      mg/dL).

PMID- 26492430
TI  - Endovascular Management vs Intravenous Thrombolysis for Acute Stroke Secondary to
      Carotid Artery Dissection: Local Experience and Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding the endovascular management of acute
      ischemic stroke (AIS) related to carotid artery dissection (CAD). OBJECTIVE: To
      report our interventional experience in AIS from CAD and to compare it with
      conservative treatment of CAD with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) via systematic
      review. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of consecutive high-grade steno-occlusive
      CAD with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) >5 and <=12 hours of
      last seen normal from 2 tertiary centers. A systematic review for studies on IVT
      in the setting of CAD via PubMed was performed for comparison. RESULTS: Of 1112
      patients treated with endovascular interventions within the study period, 21 met
      the inclusion criteria. Mean age was 52.0 +/- 10.9 years, 76% were male, NIHSS
      was 17.4 +/- 5.8, 52% received IVT before intervention, and 90% had tandem
      occlusions. Mean time from last-known-normal to puncture was 4.8 +/- 2.1 hours
      and procedure length 1.8 +/- 1.0 hours. Stents were used in 52% of cases, and
      reperfusion (modified Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia 2b-3) achieved in 95%. No
      parenchymal hemorrhages were observed and 71% achieved good outcome (90-day
      modified Rankin Scale 0-2). The literature review identified 8 studies concerning
      thrombolysis in the CAD setting fitting inclusion criteria (n = 133). Our
      endovascular experience compared with the pooled IVT reports indicated that,
      despite presenting with higher NIHSS (17 vs 14; P = .04) and experiencing a
      longer time to definitive therapy (287 vs 162 minutes; P < .01), patients treated
      intra-arterially had similar rates of symptomatic cerebral/European Cooperative
      Acute Stroke Study-parenchymal hematoma 2 hemorrhage (0% vs 6%; P = .43) and good
      outcomes (71% vs 52%; P = .05). CONCLUSION: Our study provides evidence that the
      endovascular management of AIS in the setting of CAD is a feasible, safe, and
      promising strategy.

PMID- 26492431
TI  - Letter: Survival With Glioblastoma Multiforme and the Timing of Chemoradiation.

PMID- 26492432
TI  - In Reply: Survival With Glioblastoma Multiforme and the Timing of Chemoradiation.

PMID- 26492433
TI  - Management of polycythaemia vera: a critical review of current data.
AB  - Polycythaemia vera (PV) is a chronic blood cancer; its clinical features are
      dominated by myeloproliferation (erythrocytosis, often leucocytosis and/or
      thrombocytosis) and a tendency for thrombosis and transformation to myelofibrosis
      or acute myeloid leukaemia. In the past 10 years the pathophysiology of this
      condition has been defined as JAK/STAT pathway activation, almost always due to
      mutations in JAK2 exons 12 or 14 (JAK2 V617F). In the same time period our
      understanding of the optimal management of PV has expanded, most recently
      culminating in the approval of JAK inhibitors for the treatment of PV patients
      who are resistant or intolerant to therapy with hydroxycarbamide. It has also
      been demonstrated that life expectancy for many patients with PV is not normal,
      nor is their quality of life. We critically explore these findings and discuss
      their impact. In addition, we highlight persisting gaps in our current management
      strategy; for example, what is the optimal first line cytoreductive therapy and,
      indeed, which patients need cytoreductive drugs. 

PMID- 26492434
TI  - The influence of landscape configuration and environment on population genetic
      structure in a sedentary passerine: insights from loci located in different
      genomic regions.
AB  - The study of the factors structuring genetic variation can help to infer the
      neutral and adaptive processes shaping the demographic and evolutionary
      trajectories of natural populations. Here, we analyse the role of isolation by
      distance (IBD), isolation by resistance (IBR, defined by landscape composition)
      and isolation by environment (IBE, estimated as habitat and elevation
      dissimilarity) in structuring genetic variation in 25 blue tit (Cyanistes
      caeruleus) populations. We typed 1385 individuals at 26 microsatellite loci
      classified into two groups by considering whether they are located into genomic
      regions that are actively (TL; 12 loci) or not (NTL; 14 loci) transcribed to RNA.
      Population genetic differentiation was mostly detected using the panel of NTL.
      Landscape genetic analyses showed a pattern of IBD for all loci and the panel of
      NTL, but genetic differentiation estimated at TL was only explained by IBR models
      considering high resistance for natural vegetation and low resistance for
      agricultural lands. Finally, the absence for IBE suggests a lack of divergent
      selection pressures associated with differences in habitat and elevation.
      Overall, our study shows that markers located in different genomic regions can
      yield contrasting inferences on landscape-level patterns of realized gene flow in
      natural populations.

PMID- 26492435
TI  - Effects of kinesiologic taping on epidermal-dermal distance, pain, edema and
      inflammation after experimentally induced soft tissue trauma.
AB  - PURPOSE: In sports medicine, the use of kinesiologic tape has recently gained
      popularity. Although widely used, there is no study examining the effects of
      kinesiologic tape on soft tissue after a contusion injury. The aim of this study
      was to examine the effects of kinesiologic taping on epidermal-dermal distance,
      edema, pain and inflammation after experimentally induced contusion injury.
      METHODS: Twelve adult female Wistar albino rats were divided into two groups: (1)
      30 min group: n = 6, weight range: 182.0-199.4 g; and (2) 6 h group: n = 6,
      weight range: 186.9-200.8 g. After soft-tissue trauma, tape was applied to the
      right sides of each rat. In one group, tape was applied for 30 min while 6 h in
      the other. To assess the epidermal-dermal distance and edematous area, tissue
      sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and examined. Tissue sections
      were stained with nerve growth factor (NGF) and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)
      immunohistochemically to evaluate the effect of taping on pain and inflammation
      respectively. RESULTS: Epidermal-dermal distances were found to be significantly
      higher than controls' in both groups (p < 0.05). Notable decreases were seen in
      edematous areas in both groups (p < 0.05). NGF and Bcl-2 immune reactivity were
      decreased in all tape applied sides. CONCLUSIONS: After soft-tissue trauma, it
      was histologically shown that kinesiologic taping increases epidermal-dermal
      distance, and may reduce the sensation of pain, edema and inflammation. For
      better, faster and comfortable tissue healing with protection of soft-tissue
      integrity, kinesiologic taping may be a valuable treatment after contusion
      injury. However, these results should be supported by clinical studies.

PMID- 26492437
TI  - Integration of Ligand and Structure Based Approaches for CSAR-2014.
AB  - The prediction of binding poses and affinities is an area of active interest in
      computer-aided drug design (CADD). Given the documented limitations with either
      ligand or structure based approaches, we employed an integrated approach and
      developed a rapid protocol for binding mode and affinity predictions. This
      workflow was applied to the three protein targets of Community Structure-Activity
      Resource-2014 (CSAR-2014) exercise: Factor Xa (FXa), Spleen Tyrosine Kinase
      (SYK), and tRNA (guanine-N(1))-methyltransferase (TrmD). Our docking and scoring
      workflow incorporates compound clustering and ligand and protein structure based
      pharmacophore modeling, followed by local docking, minimization, and scoring.
      While the former part of the protocol ensures high-quality ligand alignments and
      mapping, the subsequent minimization and scoring provides the predicted binding
      modes and affinities. We made blind predictions of docking pose for 1, 5, and 14
      ligands docked into 1, 2, and 12 crystal structures of FXa, SYK, and TrmD,
      respectively. The resulting 174 poses were compared with cocrystallized
      structures (1, 5, and 14 complexes) made available at the end of CSAR. Our
      predicted poses were related to the experimentally determined structures with a
      mean root-mean-square deviation value of 3.4 A. Further, we were able to classify
      high and low affinity ligands with the area under the curve values of 0.47, 0.60,
      and 0.69 for FXa, SYK, and TrmD, respectively, indicating the validity of our
      approach in at least two of the three systems. Detailed critical analysis of the
      results and CSAR methodology ranking procedures suggested that a straightforward
      application of our workflow has limitations, as some of the performance measures
      do not reflect the actual utility of pose and affinity predictions in the
      biological context of individual systems.

PMID- 26492438
TI  - Real-Time Evaluation of Live Cancer Cells by an in Situ Surface Plasmon Resonance
      and Electrochemical Study.
AB  - This work presents a new strategy of the combination of surface plasmon resonance
      (SPR) and electrochemical study for real-time evaluation of live cancer cells
      treated with daunorubicin (DNR) at the interface of the SPR chip and living
      cancer cells. The observations demonstrate that the SPR signal changes could be
      closely related to the morphology and mass changes of adsorbed cancer cells and
      the variation of the refractive index of the medium solution. The results of
      light microscopy images and 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H
      tetrazolium bromide studies also illustrate the release or desorption of HepG2
      cancer cells, which were due to their apoptosis after treatment with DNR. It is
      evident that the extracellular concentration of DNR residue can be readily
      determined through electrochemical measurements. The decreases in the magnitudes
      of SPR signals were linearly related to cell survival rates, and the combination
      of SPR with electrochemical study could be utilized to evaluate the potential
      therapeutic efficiency of bioactive agents to cells. Thus, this label-free, real
      time SPR-electrochemical detection technique has great promise in bioanalysis or
      monitoring of relevant treatment processes in clinical applications. 

PMID- 26492439
TI  - The value of occlusive balloons in the management of abnormal placentation: A
      retrospective study.
AB  - Abnormal placentation is a potential cause of maternal morbidity and mortality
      from massive postpartum bleeding. The objective of this study was to investigate
      the efficacy of occlusive balloons when used as an adjunct to surgery in reducing
      blood loss and transfusion requirements. A retrospective study of 42 patients was
      performed involving consecutive cases of abnormal placentation who delivered with
      either conventional surgery with preoperatively placed occlusive balloons or
      conventional surgery alone. No differences were noted between the control group
      and the group of patients who had occlusive balloons with regard to estimated
      blood loss (P = 0.767), packed red blood cells transfused (P = 0.799), amount of
      crystalloids infused (P = 0.435), total procedure duration (P = 0.076), and
      length of ICU stay (P = 0.315) or total hospital stay (P = 0.254). Prophylactic
      intravascular balloon catheters did not benefit women with abnormal placentation
      when compared with conventional surgery alone. 

PMID- 26492440
TI  - Predictors for Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis Following New-Onset Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: New-onset diabetes mellitus (NODM) in adults is often an early
      manifestation of pancreatic cancer (PaCa), but the incidence of PaCa in this
      cohort is rather low. We evaluated whether combining other patient factors such
      as age, smoking history, the absence of obesity, the presence of chronic
      pancreatitis (CP), and gallstone disease can result in a more enriched cohort.
      METHODS: After a washout period of 2 years to exclude pre-existing PaCa or DM,
      507,378 non-diabetic patients in the veterans' administration healthcare system
      were identified. Patients <40 years (n=54,465) and those with PaCa diagnosed
      before the diagnosis of diabetes (n=22) were excluded. A total of 452,804
      veterans were followed for development of DM or PaCa. RESULTS: 73,811 patients
      (16.3%) developed NODM during the follow-up period. One hundred and eighty-three
      NODM patients (0.25%) were diagnosed with PaCa within 3 years. In comparison, 434
      of 378,993 remaining patients (0.11%) developed PaCa in 3 years following
      inclusion into the study [relative risk (RR)=2.27, 95% confidence intervals (CI)
      1.96, 2.63; P<0.0001]. The risk of PaCa diagnosis was higher among patients who
      were non-obese (RR=1.51), were >=65 years old (RR=2.01), were heavy smokers
      (RR=1.55), and had a history of CP (RR=4.72) or gallstone disease (RR=2.02).
      Using a combination of these risk factors in NODM patients resulted in up to
      0.72% three-year risk of PaCa but captured only 17% of patients with PaCa.
      CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings, the likelihood of PaCa in adults with NODM
      even after adjusting for other potential risk factors for PaCa including age,
      body mass index, smoking, gallstones, and CP is probably not high enough to
      recommend routine evaluation for all these patients for underlying PaCa.

PMID- 26492441
TI  - Ruthenium-Porphyrin-Catalyzed [4 + 2] Cycloaddition of alpha,beta-Unsaturated
      Imines and Aldehydes.
AB  - A new efficient synthetic route to unsymmetrically substituted dihydropyridine
      scaffolds via dehydrative [4 + 2] cycloaddition of N-tosylated alpha,beta
      unsaturated imines with aldehydes has been developed. This transformation is
      enabled by (i) the remarkable catalytic ability of the cationic Ru(IV) porphyrin
      complex to activate both the imino and carbonyl groups and (ii) the hydrophobic
      nature of the porphyrin ligand, which helps realize robust Lewis acidity in the
      dehydrative cycloaddition. 

PMID- 26492442
TI  - Relationships between thrill seeking, speeding attitudes, and driving violations
      among a sample of motorsports spectators and drivers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Motor racing includes high speed driving and risky maneuvers and can
      result in negative outcomes for both spectators and drivers. Interest in
      motorsports is also associated with risky driving attitudes and behaviors on
      public roads as well as with individual difference variables, such as sensation
      seeking. However, whether the links between motorsports involvement and risky
      driving tendencies differ for spectators and drivers has remained mainly
      unexamined. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between
      thrill seeking, attitudes toward speeding, and self-reported driving violations
      among a sample of motorsports spectators and drivers. METHOD: A web-based survey
      was conducted and sampled 408 members and visitors of car club and racing
      websites in Ontario, Canada. The questionnaire included measures of (i)
      motorsports involvement, (ii) thrill seeking (Driver Thrill Seeking Scale), (iii)
      attitudes (Attitudes toward Speed Limits on Roadways and Competitive Attitudes
      toward Driving Scale); (iv) self-reported driving violations (adapted from Driver
      Behaviour Questionnaire), and (v) background variables. Path analysis was
      performed to test the relationships among the variables. RESULTS: For both
      spectators and drivers, thrill seeking directly predicted driving violations;
      competitive attitudes toward driving further mediated this relationship.
      Attitudes toward speed limits, however, mediated the relationship between thrill
      seeking and violations only for drivers. DISCUSSION: We observed significant
      relationships among individual difference measures, motorsports involvement,
      speeding attitudes and violations that may inform road safety interventions,
      including differences in the relationships among thrill seeking, speeding
      attitudes, and violations for motorsports spectators and drivers.

PMID- 26492443
TI  - Factor V Leiden.
AB  - Factor V Leiden (FVLeiden ) is a common hereditary thrombophilia that causes
      activated protein C (APC) resistance. This review describes many of the most
      fascinating features of FVLeiden , including background features, mechanisms of
      hypercoagulability, the founder mutation concept, the "FVLeiden paradox,"
      synergistic interaction with other thrombotic risk factors, the intertwined
      relationship between FVLeiden and APC resistance testing, and other, uncommon
      mutations implicated in causing APC resistance. In addition, there are several
      conditions where laboratory tests for APC resistance and FVLeiden are or can be
      discrepant, including lupus anticoagulants, anticoagulants such as direct
      thrombin inhibitors (dabigatran, argatroban, and bivalirudin) and rivaroxaban, as
      well as pseudohomozygous, pseudo-wildtype, liver transplant, and bone marrow
      transplant patients. The laboratory test error rate for FVLeiden is also
      presented.

PMID- 26492444
TI  - Use of oral contraceptives in three European countries: a population-based multi
      database study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of oral
      contraceptive (OC) use, user characteristics and prescribing patterns by
      accessing health care databases of three European countries. METHODS: A
      retrospective study was performed from 2009 to 2010 in three general practice
      (GP) databases from the Netherlands, UK and Italy and in one database of linked
      pharmacy and hospitalisation data in the Netherlands. The presence of selected
      chronic conditions and diagnoses of diseases associated with OC use were
      assessed, as were switches, discontinuations and types of OC used during the
      study period. RESULTS: Among 2.16 million women aged 15 to 49 years, 16.0% were
      using an OC on 1 January 2010. The prevalence ranged from 19.7% in a Dutch
      database to 2.6% in the Italian database. During 2009 and 2010, mainly second
      generation progestogens were prescribed in the Netherlands (79.4% and 78.3% of
      users), both second- (57.9%) and third-generation progestogens (43.6%) were
      prescribed in the UK, and mainly third-generation progestogens in Italy (61.8%).
      Most switches were to third- or fourth-generation pills. The prevalence of
      chronic diseases tended to be higher among OC users, and the proportions of women
      with a history of disease associated with OC use tended to be lower than among
      non-users. CONCLUSIONS: Second-generation OCs were most frequently prescribed in
      the Netherlands. In the UK, and even more so in Italy, many women used third- or
      fourth-generation OCs. Preparation switches were mainly to third- or fourth
      generation OCs. Among OC users, a somewhat higher prevalence of chronic diseases
      was observed; however, information bias cannot be ruled out.

PMID- 26492445
TI  - Formamide-Free Genomic in situ Hybridization Allows Unambiguous Discrimination of
      Highly Similar Parental Genomes in Diploid Hybrids and Allopolyploids.
AB  - Polyploidy and hybridization play an important role in plant diversification and
      speciation. The application of genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) allows the
      identification of parental genomes in hybrids, thus elucidating their origins and
      allowing for analysis of their genomic evolution. The performance of GISH depends
      on the similarity of the parental genomes and on the age of hybrids. Here, we
      present the formamide-free GISH (ff-GISH) protocol applied to diploid and
      polyploid hybrids of monocots (Prospero, Hyacinthaceae) and dicots (Melampodium,
      Asteraceae) differing in similarity of the parental genomes and in chromosome and
      genome sizes. The efficiency of the new protocol is compared to the standard GISH
      protocol. As a result, ff-GISH allowed efficient labeling and discrimination of
      the parental chromosome sets in diploid and allopolyploid hybrids in Prospero
      autumnale species complex. In contrast, the standard GISH protocol failed to
      differentiate the parental genomes due to high levels of similar repetitive DNA.
      Likewise, an unambiguous identification of parental genomes in allotetraploid
      Melampodium nayaritense (Asteraceae) was possible after ff-GISH, whereas the
      standard GISH hybridization performance was suboptimal. The modified method is
      simple and non-toxic and allows the discrimination of very similar parental
      genomes in hybrids. This method lends itself to modifications and improvements
      and can also be used for FISH. 

PMID- 26492446
TI  - Combination of STOP-Bang Score with Mallampati Score fails to improve specificity
      in the prediction of sleep-disordered breathing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is closely associated with
      perioperative complications. STOP-Bang score was validated for preoperative
      screening of SDB. However, STOP-Bang Score lacks adequately high specificity. We
      aimed to improve it by combining it with the Mallampati Score. METHODS: The study
      included 347 patients, in which we assessed both STOP-Bang and Mallampati scores.
      Overnight oxygen saturation was measured to calculate ODI4%. We calculated the
      sensitivity and specificity for AHI and ODI4% of both scores separately and in
      combination. RESULTS: We found that STOP-Bang Score >=3 was present in 71%,
      ODI>=5/h (AHI >=5/h) in 42.6% (39.3%) and ODI>=15/h (AHI >=15/h) in 13.5%
      (17.8%). For ODI4%>=5/h (AHI >=5/h) we observed in men a response rate for
      sensitivity and specificity of STOP-Bang of 94.5% and 17.1% (90.9% and 12.5%) and
      in women 66% and 51% (57.8% and 46.9%). For ODI4%>=15/h (AHI>=15/h) it was 92%
      and 12% (84.6% and 10.3%) and 93% and 49% (75% and 49.2%). For ODI4%>=5 (AHI>=5)
      sensitivity and specificity of Mallampati score were in men 38.4% and 78.6%
      (27.3% and 68.2%) and in women 25% and 82.7% (21.9% and 81.3%), for ODI>=15 (AHI
      >=15/h) 38.5% and 71.8% (26.9% and 69.2%) and 33.3% and 81.4% (17.9% and 79.6%).
      In combination, for ODI4%>=15/h, we found sensitivity in men to be 92.3% and in
      women 93.3%, specificity 10.3% and 41.4%. CONCLUSIONS: STOP-Bang Score combined
      with Mallampati Score fails to increase specificity. Low specificity should be
      considered when using both scores for preoperative screening of SDB.

PMID- 26492447
TI  - Nutrition in critically ill patients: where do we stand?
AB  - Both the optimal caloric intake and the best route of delivery of nutrition to
      critically ill patients fuel an intense debate. Recently, two large pragmatic,
      multicenter, controlled, randomized clinical trials evaluated these issues in
      large cohorts of patients. In the CALORIES Study, the authors compared the
      parenteral with the enteral route as the most effective way to deliver early
      (e.g. within 36 hours from admission) nutritional support in critically ill
      adults in 33 English ICUs (N.=2388). The primary endpoint, 30-day mortality
      (33.1% in the parenteral group and 34.2% in the enteral group), as well as the
      infection rate, were similar in both groups, while patients of the parenteral
      group experienced less hypoglycemia and vomiting than the enteral group. In the
      PermiT Study, 894 enterally fed patients from 7 ICUs were randomized to a
      restrictive strategy for non-protein calories (e.g. "permissive underfeeding" -
      40% to 60% of energy expenditure) or to standard feeding (70 to 100% of energy
      expenditure) for up to 2 weeks. The primary endpoint (90-day mortality) was
      similar in both groups (27.2% in the permissive-underfeeding group and 28.9% in
      the standard-feeding group) without significant differences in feeding
      intolerance, diarrhea or ICU-acquired infections. We herein discuss how these
      studies should be interpreted with regard to the existing evidence and propose
      some practical suggestions for nutrition management in the critically ill
      patient.

PMID- 26492448
TI  - Incidence and laryngoscopic grade of adult patients with Mallampati class zero
      airway.

PMID- 26492449
TI  - Chemopreventive activity of grape juice concentrate (G8000TM) on rat colon
      carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane.
AB  - Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide in both sexes, with
      similar geographic patterns between genders. This neoplasm has good prognosis if
      the disease is diagnosed at early stages. The aim of this study was to evaluate
      the effect of red grape juice on the expression of COX-2 and Ki-67 expression
      following colon carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane (AOM). Thirty-five rats
      were randomly distributed into seven groups (n=5 per group): G1: SHAM or negative
      control received only saline; G2 (positive control): animals received 15 mg/kg
      AOM; G3: animals received 1% red grape juice 2 weeks before the administration of
      AOM; G4: animals received 2% red grape juice 2 weeks before the administration of
      AOM; G5: animals received 1% red grape juice 4 weeks after the last
      administration of AOM; G6: animals received 2% red grape juice 4 weeks after the
      last administration of AOM; G7: animals received only 2% red grape juice. COX-2
      mRNA expression was reduced in animals treated with 1% red grape juice before AOM
      induction or 2% red grape juice after AOM induction. COX-2 immunoexpression was
      also reduced to groups treated with red grape juice at 1% before and after AOM
      induction or 2% red grape juice after AOM induction. Decreased immunoexpression
      of Ki-67 positive cells was observed in animals treated with 1% grape juice
      before AOM-treated animals. Taken together, grape juice concentrate is able to
      exert some chemopreventive activity on rat colon carcinogenesis.

PMID- 26492450
TI  - Application of the yeast-based reporter gene bioassay for the assessment of
      estrogenic activity in cow's milk from Poland.
AB  - Milk contain compounds acting through the estrogen receptor signaling. The still
      open question whether such estrogens pose a risk for human health, encouraged us
      to measure the overall estrogenic activity of cow's milk in the in vitro yeast
      reporter bioassay. First, we assessed the ability of the bioassay to detect
      estrogens frequently detected in milk. The relative potencies of 16 compounds
      descended in the order: 17beta-estradiol (17beta-E2), 17alpha-ethinylestradiol,
      diethylstilbestrol, dienestrol, 17alpha-E2, estrone, zearalenone, estriol, equol,
      genistein, 17beta-E2 glucuronide, bisphenol A, apigenin, daidzein. Flavone, 4-n
      nonylphenol and 4-t-octylphenol shown no activity in the bioassay.The estrogenic
      activities of milk samples without hydrolysis were below the detection limit,
      whereas in 50% of the deconjugated samples they varied between 0.29 and 0.49 ng
      EEQ mL(-1). We also compared the estrogenic activity in raw cow's milk collected
      from rural and industrial locations in Poland. In our pilot study we did not
      observe statistically significant difference in estrogenic activities in milk
      collected from the two locations. We found that the daily intake of estrogens
      with milk may be higher than estrogen levels in human serum. Further studies are
      warranted to evaluate the significance of milk and dairy as a source of estrogens
      for humans.

PMID- 26492451
TI  - QSAR analyses of organophosphates for insecticidal activity and its in-silico
      validation using molecular docking study.
AB  - The present work was carried out to design and develop novel QSAR models using 2D
      QSAR and 3D-QSAR with CoMFA methodology for prediction of insecticidal activity
      of organophosphate (OP) molecules. The models were validated on an entirely
      different external dataset of in-house generated combinatorial library of OPs, by
      completely different computational approach of molecular docking against the
      target AChE protein of Musca domestica. The dock scores were observed to be in
      good correlation with 2D-QSAR and 3D-QSAR with CoMFA predicted activities and had
      the correlation coefficients (r(2)) of -0.62 and -0.63, respectively. The
      activities predicted by 2D-QSAR and 3D-QSAR with CoMFA were also observed to be
      highly correlated with r(2)=0.82. Also, the combinatorial library molecules were
      screened for toxicity in non-target organisms and degradability using USEPA-EPI
      Suite. The work was first step towards computer aided design and development of
      novel OP pesticide candidates with good insecticidal property but lower toxicity
      in non-targeted organisms and having biodegradation potential. 

PMID- 26492452
TI  - Mycobacterium chelonae Eye Infections Associated with Humidifier Use in an
      Outpatient LASIK Clinic--Ohio, 2015.
AB  - Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) eye surgery is increasingly common,
      with approximately 600,000 procedures performed each year in the United States.
      LASIK eye surgery is typically performed in an outpatient setting and involves
      the use of a machine-guided laser to reshape the lens of the eye to correct
      vision irregularities. Clinic A is an ambulatory surgery center that performs
      this procedure on 1 day each month. On February 5, 2015, the Toledo-Lucas County
      Health Department (TLCHD) in Ohio was notified of eye infections in two of the
      six patients who had undergone LASIK procedures at clinic A on January 9, 2015.
      The two patients experienced eye pain after the procedures and received diagnoses
      of infection with Mycobacterium chelonae, an environmental organism found in soil
      and water.

PMID- 26492453
TI  - Does Health Reform Change Femoral Neck Fracture Care? A Natural Experiment in the
      State of Massachusetts.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine whether hospital processes and hospital quality
      associated with the care of femoral neck fractures were significantly altered by
      the implementation of healthcare reform in Massachusetts. DESIGN: Pre-post
      retrospective study. SETTING: Massachusetts Statewide Inpatient Dataset (SID).
      PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Patients treated for femoral neck fracture (n = 23,485) in
      the periods prehealth (2003-06) and posthealth reform (2008-10). INTERVENTION:
      Differences in hospital processes for fracture care and quality measures were
      assessed for the periods before and after health reform. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS:
      Differences in hospital processes for fracture care (type of surgical
      intervention, length of stay, and discharge disposition) and quality metrics
      [mortality, complications, re-operation, and failure to rescue (FTR)] in the
      periods before and after health reform were assessed using regression techniques
      to adjust for differences in case mix and the type of surgical intervention.
      RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the type of surgical
      intervention performed prereform and postreform (P = 0.27). After adjustment for
      case mix and surgical intervention, length of stay was significantly reduced
      {regression coefficient -0.07 [95% confidence interval (CI), -0.09 to -0.06]} as
      were the odds of FTR [odds ratio 0.73 (95% CI, 0.59-0.92)]. Discharges to skilled
      nursing facilities significantly increased in the postreform period [relative
      risk ratio 1.15 (95% CI, 1.03-1.30)]. Findings associated with FTR were driven by
      changes in the detection of surveillance sensitive complications. CONCLUSIONS:
      Health reform in Massachusetts led to no clinically meaningful differences in
      hospital processes for femoral neck fracture care. Although some differences in
      quality measures were noted, these cannot necessarily be attributed to health
      care reform.

PMID- 26492454
TI  - External Fixation Using a Locking Plate: A Reliable Way in Treating Distal Tibial
      Fractures.
AB  - The surgical treatment of distal tibial fractures is still challenging. The
      purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic results
      associated with the use of a precontoured distal femoral locking plate as an
      external fixator in treating distal tibial fractures. From August 2011 to October
      2012, 28 patients with distal tibial fractures were consecutively enrolled in
      this study. There were 9 OTA 43.A1, 9 43.A2, and 10 43.A3, including 21 closed
      and 7 open fractures. The precontoured distal femoral locking plate was placed on
      the anteromedial aspect of the tibia as an external fixator. All patients were
      followed for an average of 16 months. The mean surgical duration was 38 (25-60)
      minutes. The mean time until fracture healing was 16.7 (12-24) weeks. At final
      follow-up, the mean American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score was 93 (88
      100). There were no nonunions, deep infections, or implant fractures. Three
      patients had transient superficial pin site infection, but these did not change
      the clinical outcome. External fixation using a precontoured distal femoral
      locking plate is a reliable option in treating distal tibial fracture. The
      procedure is easy to perform, is less invasive, and the low profile plate can be
      concealed under stockings and can be conveniently removed. 

PMID- 26492456
TI  - Are individual levels of pain anxiety related to negative interpretation bias? An
      examination using an ambiguous word priming task.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive processes like attentional and interpretation biases have
      been suggested to play a vital role in the onset and exacerbation of chronic
      pain. Research consistently supports the occurrence of interpretation bias (IB)
      in pain patients and healthy individuals high in pain anxiety. Nevertheless,
      studies on the indirect assessment of IB or the relation between IB and responses
      to pain are limited. The present studies examined the association between
      indirect assessed IB and pain anxiety, while Study 2 additionally examined IB as
      a mediator in the relation between pain anxiety and pain responses. METHOD: In
      Study 1 (N = 125) and Study 2 (N = 73), anxiety sensitivity, injury/illness
      sensitivity (IS) and pain catastrophizing were assessed with questionnaires. IB
      was indirectly derived from performance on an ambiguous word priming task. In
      Study 2, an experimental heat pain induction was used to assess pain responses
      (i.e. tolerance and subjective pain experience). RESULTS: Results showed a
      positive correlation between pain anxiety and IB, albeit that the strength of the
      observed associations differed between both studies. Furthermore, IB was
      inversely related to pain tolerance, and found to mediate the relation between IS
      and pain tolerance in Study 2. CONCLUSIONS: Current findings underscore the
      importance of interpretational processes in the context of physical health
      threat. Furthermore, the ambiguous word priming task is proposed as a suitable
      paradigm for further research on the indirect assessment of IB. Nevertheless,
      further research is warranted to deepen our understanding of IB and its
      contribution to the experience of (chronic) pain.

PMID- 26492455
TI  - Largest known Mesozoic multituberculate from Eurasia and implications for
      multituberculate evolution and biology.
AB  - A new multituberculate, Yubaartar zhongyuanensis gen. and sp. nov., is reported
      from the Upper Cretaceous of Luanchuan County, Henan Province, China. The
      holotype of the new taxon is a partial skeleton with nearly complete cranium and
      associated lower jaws with in situ dentitions. The new species is the southern
      most record of a Late Cretaceous multituberculate from outside of the Mongolian
      Plateau in Asia and represents the largest known Mesozoic multituberculate from
      Eurasia. The new specimen displays some intriguing features previously unknown in
      multituberculates, such as the first evidence of replacement of the ultimate
      upper premolar and a unique paleopathological case in Mesozoic mammals in which
      the animal with a severely broken right tibia could heal and survive in natural
      condition. The phylogenetic analysis based on craniodental characters places
      Yubaartar as the immediate outgroup of Taeniolabidoidea, a group consisting of a
      North American clade and an Asian clade. This relationship indicates at least a
      faunal interchange of multituberculates before the K-Pg transition. The new
      evidence further supports the hypothesis that disparity in dental complexity,
      which relates to animal diets, increased with generic richness and disparity in
      body size, and that an adaptive shift towards increased herbivory across the K-Pg
      transitional interval. 

PMID- 26492457
TI  - Laparoscopic Total Gastrectomy in the Western Patient Population: Tips,
      Techniques, and Evidence-based Practice.
AB  - Gastric cancer is the second most common malignancy worldwide, and surgical
      resection is the only curative treatment. Traditionally, open total gastrectomy
      has been the procedure of choice for large and proximal carcinomas. Over the past
      decade, however, laparoscopic gastrectomy has emerged and an oncologically safe
      and feasible alternative to open surgery, and its use has become particularly
      widespread in Japan and Korea. Patients in the United States have important
      biological and anatomic distinctions from East Asian patients, and these become
      important factors when considering minimally invasive resection techniques. The
      goal of this paper is to describe the technique we have developed for
      laparoscopic total gastrectomy in our 10-year experience with a western patient
      population. 

PMID- 26492458
TI  - Palliative Stent Insertion for Acute Malignant Colorectal Obstruction: Long-term
      Patency and Survival.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the long-term outcome of palliative stent insertion for
      acute malignant colorectal obstruction. METHODS: From May 2009 to February 2015,
      consecutive patients with acute malignant colorectal obstruction underwent
      palliative stent insertion in our center. Technical success, clinical success,
      and long-term outcomes were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 45
      patients with acute malignant colorectal obstruction underwent palliative stent
      insertion. Technical success was achieved in 42 of 45 patients. Clinical success
      was achieved in 41 of 42 patients. During a follow-up of 5 days to 25 months
      (mean, 6.9+/-4.5 mo), the cumulative 6- and 12-month patency rates were 88.6% and
      72.7%, respectively. The cumulative 6- and 12-month survival rates were 60.1% and
      14.3%, respectively. The independent predictor of prolonging survival was
      subsequent chemotherapy after stenting (P=0.017). CONCLUSION: Palliative
      colorectal stent insertion can provide a good long-term outcome in patients with
      malignant colorectal obstruction.

PMID- 26492459
TI  - Intergenerational transmission of the healthy immigrant effect (HIE) through
      birth weight: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - This review examines intergenerational differences in birth weight among children
      born to first-generation and second-generation immigrant mothers and the extent
      to which they vary by country of origin and receiving country. We searched
      MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, PubMed, and ProQuest from inception to October
      2014 for articles that recorded the mean birth weight (in grams) or odds of low
      birth weight (LBW) of children born to immigrant mothers and one subsequent
      generation. Studies were analyzed descriptively and meta-analyzed using Review
      Manager 5.3 software. We identified 10 studies (8 retrospective cohort and 2
      cross-sectional studies) including 158,843 first and second-generation immigrant
      women. The United States and the United Kingdom represented the receiving
      countries with the majority of immigrants originating from Mexico and South Asia.
      Six studies were meta-analyzed for mean birth weight and seven for low birth
      weight. Across all studies, there was found to be no statistically significant
      difference in mean birth weight between first and second-generation children.
      However, the odds of being LBW were 1.21 [95% CI, 1.15, 1.27] times greater among
      second-generation children. Second-generation children of Mexican descent in
      particular were at increased odds of LBW (OR = 1.47 [95% CI, 1.28, 1.69]). In the
      United States, second-generation children were at 34% higher odds of being LBW
      (OR = 1.34 [95% CI, 1.13, 1.58]) when compared to their first-generation
      counterparts. This effect was slightly smaller in the United Kingdom (OR = 1.18
      [95% CI, 1.13, 1.23]). In conclusion, immigration to a new country may
      differentially influence low birth weight over generations, depending on the
      mother's nativity and the country she immigrates to.

PMID- 26492460
TI  - [Pulmonary embolism - legal significance and difficult diagnosis].

PMID- 26492461
TI  - Reduced Baseline Sensitivity to Maraviroc Inhibition Among R5 HIV-1 Isolates From
      Individuals With Severe Immunodeficiency.

PMID- 26492463
TI  - A Convenient Synthesis of Hydroxytyrosol Monosulfate Metabolites.
AB  - The growing interest in the bioactivity of natural polyphenols and of their
      metabolites requires metabolites to be used in bioassays and as standards in
      research protocols. We report here on the synthesis of several hydroxytyrosol
      metabolite monosulfates achieved using a simplified protocol with improved
      yields. A synthetic solution based on avoidance of high temperature conditions
      during the synthesis and of low pressure conditions during purification has been
      established. Monosulfates of several phenolic compounds, namely, hydroxytyrosol,
      hydroxytyrosol acetate, homovanillyl alcohol, homovanillyl alcohol acetate,
      homovanillic acid, ferulic acid, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanoic acid, were
      efficiently synthesized in 1-2 steps in good yield and isolated using simple
      procedures. The proposed protocol was shown to be relatively rapid, efficient,
      cheap, and widely applicable to a number of catechol scaffolds. 

PMID- 26492462
TI  - Changes in Antibody Levels during and following an Episode of Acute
      Adenolymphangitis (ADL) among Lymphedema Patients in Leogane, Haiti.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Episodes of acute adenolymphangitis (ADL) are often the first
      clinical sign of lymphatic filariasis (LF). They are often accompanied by
      swelling of the affected limb, inflammation, fever, and general malaise and lead
      to the progression of lymphedema. Although ADL episodes have been studied for a
      century or more, questions still remain as to their etiology. We quantified
      antibody levels to pathogens that potentially contribute to ADL episodes during
      and after an episode among lymphedema patients in Leogane, Haiti. We estimated
      the proportion of ADL episodes hypothesized to be attributed to specific
      pathogens. METHODS: We measured antibody levels to specific pathogens during and
      following an ADL episode among 41 lymphedema patients enrolled in a cohort study
      in Leogane, Haiti. We calculated the absolute and relative changes in antibody
      levels between the ADL and convalescent time points. We calculated the proportion
      of episodes that demonstrated a two-fold increase in antibody level for several
      bacterial, fungal, and filarial pathogens. RESULTS: Our results showed the
      greatest proportion of two-fold changes in antibody levels for the carbohydrate
      antigen Streptococcus group A, followed by IgG2 responses to a soluble filarial
      antigen (BpG2), Streptococcal Pyrogenic Exotoxin B, and an antigen for the fungal
      pathogen Candida. When comparing the median antibody level during the ADL episode
      to the median antibody level at the convalescent time point, only the antigens
      for Pseudomonas species (P-value = 0.0351) and Streptolysin O (P-value = 0.0074)
      showed a significant result. CONCLUSION: Although our results are limited by the
      lack of a control group and few antibody responses, they provide some evidence
      for infection with Streptococcus A as a potential contributing factor to ADL
      episodes. Our results add to the current evidence and illustrate the importance
      of determining the causal role of bacterial and fungal pathogens and
      immunological antifilarial response in ADL episodes.

PMID- 26492464
TI  - Switching Rho GTPase activation into effective antibacterial defenses requires
      the caspase-1/IL-1beta signaling axis.
AB  - The monitoring of the activation state of Rho GTPases has emerged as a potent
      innate immune mechanism for detecting pathogens. In the March issue of PLOS
      Pathogens, we show that the activation of Rho GTPases by the CNF1 toxin during E.
      coli-triggered bacteremia leads to a GR1(+)cell-mediated efficient bacterial
      clearing and improves host survival. Host alarm requires the Caspase-1/IL-1beta
      signaling axis. Furthermore, we discover that pathogenic bacteria have the
      capacity to block immune responses via the expression of the alpha-hemolysin pore
      forming toxin. In this commentary, we will comment on these findings and
      highlight the questions raised by this example of attack-defense mechanisms used
      alternatively by the pathogen and the host during blood infection.

PMID- 26492465
TI  - Measuring environmental sustainability in agriculture: A composite environmental
      impact index approach.
AB  - The present study develops a composite environmental impact index (CEII) to
      evaluate the extent of environmental degradation in agriculture after
      successfully validating its flexibility, applicability and relevance as a tool.
      The CEII tool is then applied to empirically measure the extent of environmental
      impacts of High Yield Variety (HYV) rice cultivation in three districts of north
      western Bangladesh for a single crop year (October, 2012-September, 2013).
      Results reveal that 27 to 69 per cent of the theoretical maximum level of
      environmental damage is created due to HYV rice cultivation with significant
      regional variations in the CEII scores, implying that policy interventions are
      required in environmentally critical areas in order to sustain agriculture in
      Bangladesh. 

PMID- 26492466
TI  - Pre-operative sentinel lymph node localization in breast cancer with
      superparamagnetic iron oxide MRI: the SentiMAG Multicentre Trial imaging
      subprotocol.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) with a superparamagnetic iron oxide
      (SPIO) tracer was shown to be non-inferior to the standard combined technique in
      the SentiMAG Multicentre Trial. The MRI subprotocol of this trial aimed to
      develop a magnetic alternative for pre-operative lymphoscintigraphy (LS). We
      evaluated the feasibility of using MRI following the administration of magnetic
      tracer for pre-operative localization of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) and its
      potential for non-invasive identification of lymph node (LN) metastases. METHODS:
      Patients with breast cancer scheduled to undergo SLNB were recruited for pre
      operative LS, single photon emission CT (SPECT)-CT and SPIO MRI. T1 weighted
      turbo spin echo and T2 weighted gradient echo sequences were used before and
      after interstitial injection of magnetic tracer into the breast. SLNs on MRI were
      defined as LNs with signal drop and direct lymphatic drainage from the injection
      site. LNs showing inhomogeneous SPIO uptake were classified as metastatic. During
      surgery, a handheld magnetometer was used for SLNB. Blue or radioactive nodes
      were also excised. The number of SLNs and MR assessment of metastatic involvement
      were compared with surgical and histological outcomes. RESULTS: 11 patients were
      recruited. SPIO MRI successfully identified SLNs in 10 of 11 patients vs 11 of 11
      patients with LS/SPECT-CT. One patient had metastatic involvement of four LNs,
      and this was identified in one node on pre-operative MRI. CONCLUSION: SPIO MRI is
      a feasible technique for pre-operative localization of SLNs and, in combination
      with intraoperative use of a handheld magnetometer, provides an entirely
      radioisotope-free technique for SLNB. Further research is needed for the
      evaluation of MRI characterization of LN involvement using subcutaneous injection
      of magnetic tracer. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: This study is the first to demonstrate
      that an interstitially administered magnetic tracer can be used both for pre
      operative imaging and intraoperative SLNB, with equal performance to imaging and
      localization with radioisotopes.

PMID- 26492467
TI  - Gordon's model applied to nursing care of people with depression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychiatric nurses should consider the patient's biological,
      psychological and social aspects. Marjory Gordon's Functional Health Pattern
      Model ensures a holistic approach for the patient. AIM: To examine the
      effectiveness of Gordon's Functional Health Pattern Model in reducing depressive
      symptoms, increasing self-efficacy, coping with depression and increasing hope in
      people with depression. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental two-group pre-test and post
      test design was adopted. METHODS: Data were collected from April 2013 to May 2014
      from people with depression at the psychiatry clinic of a state hospital in
      Turkey; they were assigned to the intervention (n = 34) or control group (n =
      34). The intervention group received nursing care according to Gordon's
      Functional Health Pattern Model and routine care, while the control group
      received routine care only. The Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Hopelessness
      Scale and Depression Coping Self-Efficacy Scale were used. RESULTS: The
      intervention group had significantly lower scores on the Beck Depression
      Inventory and Beck Hopelessness Scale at the post-test and 3-month follow-up;
      they had higher scores on the Depression Coping Self-Efficacy Scale at the 3
      month follow-up when compared with the control group. LIMITATION: The study was
      conducted at only one psychiatry clinic. The intervention and control group
      patients were at the clinic at the same time and influenced each other. Moreover,
      because clinical routines were in progress during the study, the results cannot
      only be attributed to nursing interventions. DISCUSSION: Nursing models offer
      guidance for the care provided. Practices based on the models return more
      efficient and systematic caregiving results with fewer health problems.
      CONCLUSION: Gordon's Functional Health Pattern Model was effective in improving
      the health of people with depression and could be introduced as routine care with
      ongoing evaluation in psychiatric clinics. More research is needed to evaluate
      Gordon's Nursing Model effect on people with depression. Future studies could
      focus on the effects of this nursing model on people with other psychiatric
      disorders. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: This study highlighted
      that psychiatric nurses' role decreased depressive symptoms and hopelessness, and
      increased coping and self-efficacy in people with depression.

PMID- 26492468
TI  - Fluorescence biosensing strategy based on mercury ion-mediated DNA conformational
      switch and nicking enzyme-assisted cycling amplification for highly sensitive
      detection of carbamate pesticide.
AB  - Pesticides are of great importance in agricultural and biological fields, but
      pesticide residues may harm the environment and human health. A highly sensitive
      fluorescent biosensor for the detection of carbamate pesticide has been developed
      based on acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-catalyzed hydrolysis product triggered
      Hg(2+) release coupled with subsequent nicking enzyme-induced cleavage of a
      duplex DNA for cycling amplification. In this protocol, two DNA probes, an
      unmodified single-stranded helper DNA probe 1 (HP1) and a quencher-fluorophore
      probe (QFP) are ingeniously designed. HP1 can be folded into hairpin
      configuration through T-Hg(2+)-T base pair formation. QFP, labeled with FAM and
      BHQ1 at its two terminals, contains the recognition sequence and the cleavage
      site of the nicking enzyme. In the presence of carbamate pesticide, the activity
      of AChE is inhibited, and the amount of the product containing the thiol group
      generated by the hydrolysis reaction of acetylthiocholine chloride (ACh)
      decreases, resulting in the release of a low concentration of Hg(2+). The number
      of HP1 that can be selectively unfolded would be reduced and the subsequent
      nicking enzyme-assisted cleavage processes would be affected, resulting in
      decreased fluorescence signals. The fluorescence intensity further decreases with
      the increase of the pesticide concentration. Therefore, the pesticide content can
      be easily obtained by monitoring the fluorescence signal change, which is
      inversely proportional to the logarithm of the pesticide concentration. The
      detection limit of aldicarb, the model analyte, is 3.3 MUgL(-1), which is much
      lower than the Chinese National Standards or those previously reported. The as
      proposed method has also been applied to detect carbamate pesticide residues in
      fresh ginger and artificial lake water samples with satisfactory results, which
      demonstrates that the method has great potential for practical application in
      biological or food safety field.

PMID- 26492469
TI  - A dual amplification fluorescent strategy for sensitive detection of DNA
      methyltransferase activity based on strand displacement amplification and DNAzyme
      amplification.
AB  - DNA methyltransferase (MTase) plays a critical role in many biological processes
      and has been regarded as a predictive cancer biomarker and a therapeutic target
      in cancer treatment. Sensitive detection of DNA MTase activity is essential for
      early cancer diagnosis and therapeutics. Here, we developed a dual amplification
      fluorescent strategy for sensitive detection of DNA MTase activity based on
      strand displacement amplification (SDA) and DNAzyme amplification. A
      trifunctional double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) probe was designed including a
      methylation site for DNA MTase recognition, a complementary sequence of 8-17
      DNAzyme for synthesizing DNAzyme, and a nicking site for nicking enzyme cleavage.
      Firstly, the trifunctional dsDNA probe was methylated by DNA MTase to form the
      methylated dsDNA. Subsequently, HpaII restriction endonuclease specifically
      cleaved the residue of unmethylated dsDNA. Next, under the action of polymerase
      and nicking enzyme, the methylared dsDNA initiated SDA, releasing numbers of 8-17
      DNAzymes. Finally, the released 8-17 DNAzymes triggered DNAzyme amplification
      reaction to induce a significant fluorescence enhancement. This strategy could
      detect DNA MTase activity as low as 0.0082U/mL. Additionally, the strategy was
      successfully applied for evaluating the inhibitions of DNA MTase using two
      anticancer drugs, 5-azacytidine and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine. The results indicate
      the proposed strategy has a potential application in early cancer diagnosis and
      therapeutics. 

PMID- 26492471
TI  - Nighttime Administration of Nicotine Improves Hepatic Glucose Metabolism via the
      Hypothalamic Orexin System in Mice.
AB  - Nicotine is known to affect the metabolism of glucose; however, the underlying
      mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, we here investigated whether nicotine
      promoted the central regulation of glucose metabolism, which is closely linked to
      the circadian system. The oral intake of nicotine in drinking water, which mainly
      occurred during the nighttime active period, enhanced daily hypothalamic prepro
      orexin gene expression and reduced hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetic db/db mice
      without affecting body weight, body fat content, and serum levels of insulin.
      Nicotine administered at the active period appears to be responsible for the
      effect on blood glucose, because nighttime but not daytime injections of nicotine
      lowered blood glucose levels in db/db mice. The chronic oral treatment with
      nicotine suppressed the mRNA levels of glucose-6-phosphatase, the rate-limiting
      enzyme of gluconeogenesis, in the liver of db/db and wild-type control mice. In
      the pyruvate tolerance test to evaluate hepatic gluconeogenic activity, the oral
      nicotine treatment moderately suppressed glucose elevations in normal mice and
      mice lacking dopamine receptors, whereas this effect was abolished in orexin
      deficient mice and hepatic parasympathectomized mice. Under high-fat diet
      conditions, the oral intake of nicotine lowered blood glucose levels at the
      daytime resting period in wild-type, but not orexin-deficient, mice. These
      results indicated that the chronic daily administration of nicotine suppressed
      hepatic gluconeogenesis via the hypothalamic orexin-parasympathetic nervous
      system. Thus, the results of the present study may provide an insight into novel
      chronotherapy for type 2 diabetes that targets the central cholinergic and
      orexinergic systems. 

PMID- 26492470
TI  - Embryonic Poly(A)-Binding Protein (EPAB) Is Required for Granulosa Cell EGF
      Signaling and Cumulus Expansion in Female Mice.
AB  - Embryonic poly(A)-binding protein (EPAB) is the predominant poly(A)-binding
      protein in Xenopus, mouse, and human oocytes and early embryos before zygotic
      genome activation. EPAB is required for translational activation of maternally
      stored mRNAs in the oocyte and Epab(-/-) female mice are infertile due to
      impaired oocyte maturation, cumulus expansion, and ovulation. The aim of this
      study was to characterize the mechanism of follicular somatic cell dysfunction in
      Epab(-/-) mice. Using a coculture system of oocytectomized cumulus oophorus
      complexes (OOXs) with denuded oocytes, we found that when wild-type OOXs were
      cocultured with Epab(-/-) oocytes, or when Epab(-/-) OOXs were cocultured with WT
      oocytes, cumulus expansion failed to occur in response to epidermal growth factor
      (EGF). This finding suggests that oocytes and cumulus cells (CCs) from Epab(-/-)
      mice fail to send and receive the necessary signals required for cumulus
      expansion. The abnormalities in Epab(-/-) CCs are not due to lower expression of
      the oocyte-derived factors growth differentiation factor 9 or bone morphogenetic
      protein 15, because Epab(-/-) oocytes express these proteins at comparable levels
      with WT. Epab(-/-) granulosa cells (GCs) exhibit decreased levels of
      phosphorylated MEK1/2, ERK1/2, and p90 ribosomal S6 kinase in response to
      lutenizing hormone and EGF treatment, as well as decreased phosphorylation of the
      EGF receptor. In conclusion, EPAB, which is oocyte specific, is required for the
      ability of CCs and GCs to become responsive to LH and EGF signaling. These
      results emphasize the importance of oocyte-somatic communication for GC and CC
      function. 

PMID- 26492472
TI  - Long-Acting PASylated Leptin Ameliorates Obesity by Promoting Satiety and
      Preventing Hypometabolism in Leptin-Deficient Lep(ob/ob) Mice.
AB  - Body weight loss of Lep(ob/ob) mice in response to leptin is larger than expected
      from the reduction in energy intake alone, suggesting a thermogenic action of
      unknown magnitude. We exploited the superior pharmacological properties of a
      novel long-acting leptin prepared via PASylation to study the contribution of its
      anorexigenic and thermogenic effects. PASylation, the genetic fusion of leptin
      with a conformationally disordered polypeptide comprising 600 Pro/Ala/Ser (PAS)
      residues, provides a superior way to increase the hydrodynamic volume of the
      fusion protein, thus retarding kidney filtration and extending plasma half-life.
      Here a single PAS(600)-leptin injection (300 pmol/g) resulted in a maximal weight
      reduction of 21% 6 days after application. The negative energy balance of 300
      kJ/(4 d) was driven by a decrease in energy intake, whereas energy expenditure
      remained stable. Mice that were food restricted to the same extent showed an
      energy deficit of only 220 kJ/(4 d) owing to recurring torpor bouts. Therefore,
      the anorexigenic effect of PAS(600)-leptin contributes 75% to weight loss,
      whereas the thermogenic action accounts for 25% by preventing hypometabolism. In
      a second experiment, just four injections of PAS(600)-leptin (100 pmol/g)
      administered in 5- to 6-day intervals rectified the Lep(ob/ob) phenotype. In
      total, 16 nmol of PAS(600)-leptin per mouse triggered a weight loss of 43% within
      20 days and normalized hypothermia and glucose homeostasis as well as hepatic
      steatosis. The beneficial properties of PAS(600)-leptin are substantiated by a
      comparison with previous studies in which approximately 400 nmol (~25-fold)
      unmodified leptin was mandatory to achieve similar improvements. 

PMID- 26492473
TI  - Three-Dimensional Adipocyte Culture: The Next Frontier for Adipocyte Biology
      Discovery.

PMID- 26492476
TI  - Resolution of Inflammation by Resolvin D1 Is Essential for Peroxisome
      Proliferator-activated Receptor-gamma-mediated Analgesia during Postincisional
      Pain Development in Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The wound healing process following acute inflammation after surgery
      is impaired in diabetes. Altered macrophage functions are linked to delayed
      tissue repair and pain development in diabetes. Although peroxisome proliferator
      activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma agonists are used to treat diabetes, their
      postoperative analgesic effects in diabetes have not been evaluated. METHODS: The
      PPARgamma agonist rosiglitazone (rosi) was injected at the incision site of
      diabetic (db/db) mice with resolvin (Rv) D1, a lipid mediator involved in
      resolution of inflammation. Pain-related behavior, neutrophil infiltration,
      phagocytosis, and macrophage polarity were assessed for 7 days postoperatively.
      RESULTS: Rosiglitazone and RvD1 alleviated mechanical hyperalgesia in db/db (db)
      mice, whereas rosiglitazone alone did not alter mechanical thresholds on days 4
      (db rosi + RvD1 vs. db rosi: 0.506 +/- 0.106 vs. 0.068 +/- 0.12) and 7 (0.529 +/-
      0.184 vs. 0.153 +/- 0.183) after incision (n = 10 per group). In control m/m
      mice, the rosiglitazone-induced analgesic effects were reversed by knockdown with
      arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase small interfering RNA, but these were restored by
      addition of RvD1. In db/db mice treated with rosiglitazone and RvD1, local
      infiltration of neutrophils was markedly reduced, with an associated decrease in
      total TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling cells. Acceleration of rosiglitazone
      induced phenotype conversion of infiltrated macrophages from M1 to M2 was
      impaired in db/db mice, but it was effectively restored by RvD1 in db/db wounds.
      CONCLUSIONS: In diabetes, exogenous administration of RvD1 is essential for
      PPARgamma-mediated analgesia during development of postincisional pain.
      Resolution of inflammation accelerated by RvD1 might promote PPARgamma-mediated
      macrophage polarization to the M2 phenotype.

PMID- 26492475
TI  - Minor Postoperative Increases of Creatinine Are Associated with Higher Mortality
      and Longer Hospital Length of Stay in Surgical Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical patients frequently experience postoperative increases in
      creatinine levels. The authors hypothesized that even small increases in
      postoperative creatinine levels are associated with adverse outcomes. METHODS:
      The authors examined the association of postoperative changes from preoperative
      baseline creatinine with all-cause in-hospital mortality and hospital length of
      stay (HLOS) in a retrospective analysis of surgical patients at a single tertiary
      care center between January 2006 and June 2012. RESULTS: The data of 39,369
      surgical patients (noncardiac surgery n = 37,345; cardiac surgery n = 2,024) were
      analyzed. Acute kidney injury (AKI)-by definition of the Kidney Disease:
      Improving Global Outcome group-was associated with a five-fold higher mortality
      (odds ratio [OR], 4.8; 95% CI, 4.1 to 5.7; P < 0.001) and a longer HLOS of 5 days
      (P < 0.001) after adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, congestive heart
      failure, preoperative hemoglobin, preoperative creatinine, exposure to
      radiocontrast agent, type of surgery, and surgical AKI risk factors. Importantly,
      even minor creatinine increases (Deltacreatinine 25 to 49% above baseline but <
      0.3 mg/dl) not meeting AKI criteria were associated with a two-fold increased
      risk of death (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.3 to 2.4; P < 0.001) and 2 days longer HLOS (P
      < 0.001). This was more pronounced in noncardiac surgery patients. Patients with
      minor creatinine increases had a five-fold risk of death (OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 1.5 to
      20.3; P < 0.05) and a 3-day longer HLOS (P < 0.01) when undergoing noncardiac
      surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Even minor postoperative increases in creatinine levels are
      associated with adverse outcomes. These results emphasize the importance to find
      effective therapeutic approaches to prevent or treat even mild forms of
      postoperative kidney dysfunction to improve surgical outcomes.

PMID- 26492477
TI  - Oral Midodrine Hydrochloride for Prevention of Orthostatic Hypotension during
      Early Mobilization after Hip Arthroplasty: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo
      controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early postoperative mobilization is essential for rapid recovery but
      may be impaired by orthostatic intolerance (OI) and orthostatic hypotension (OH),
      which are highly prevalent after major surgery. Pathogenic mechanisms include an
      insufficient postoperative vasopressor response. The oral alpha-1 agonist
      midodrine hydrochloride increases vascular resistance, and the authors
      hypothesized that midodrine would reduce the prevalence of OH during mobilization
      6 h after total hip arthroplasty relative to placebo. METHODS: This double-blind,
      randomized trial allocated 120 patients 18 yr or older and scheduled for total
      hip arthroplasty under spinal anesthesia to either 5 mg midodrine hydrochloride
      or placebo orally 1 h before mobilization at 6 and 24 h postoperatively. The
      primary outcome was the prevalence of OH (decrease in systolic or diastolic
      arterial pressures of > 20 or 10 mmHg, respectively) during mobilization 6 h
      after surgery. Secondary outcomes were OI and hemodynamic responses to
      mobilization at 6 and 24 h. RESULTS: At 6 h, 14 (25%; 95% CI, 14 to 38%) versus
      23 (39.7%; 95% CI, 27 to 53%) patients had OH in the midodrine and placebo group,
      respectively, relative risk 0.63 (0.36 to 1.10; P = 0.095), whereas OI was
      present in 15 (25.0%; 15 to 38%) versus 22 (37.3%; 25 to 51%) patients, relative
      risk 0.68 (0.39 to 1.18; P = 0.165). At 24 h, OI and OH prevalence did not differ
      between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Preemptive use of oral 5 mg midodrine did not
      significantly reduce the prevalence of OH during early postoperative mobilization
      compared with placebo. However, further studies on dose and timing are warranted
      since midodrine is effective in chronic OH conditions.

PMID- 26492478
TI  - Bedside Ultrasound: A Tool for Assessment of IV Functionality.

PMID- 26492479
TI  - Differential Efficacy of Ketamine in the Acute versus Chronic Stages of Complex
      Regional Pain Syndrome in Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a painful, disabling, and
      often chronic condition, where many patients transition from an acute phase with
      prominent peripheral neurogenic inflammation to a chronic phase with evident
      central nervous system changes. Ketamine is a centrally acting agent believed to
      work through blockade of N-methyl-D- aspartate receptors and is being
      increasingly used for the treatment of refractory CRPS, although the basis for
      the drug's effects and efficacy at different stages of the syndrome remains
      unclear. METHODS: The authors used a mouse model of CRPS (n = 8 to 12/group)
      involving tibia fracture/cast immobilization to test the efficacy of ketamine (2
      mg kg day; 7 days) or vehicle infusion during acute (3 weeks after fracture) and
      chronic (7 weeks after fracture) stages. RESULTS: Acute-phase fracture mice
      displayed increased limb temperature, edema, and nociceptive sensitization that
      were not reduced by ketamine. Fracture mice treated with ketamine during the
      chronic phase showed reduced nociceptive sensitization that persisted beyond
      completion of the infusion. During this chronic phase, ketamine also reduced
      latent nociceptive sensitization and improved motor function at 18 weeks after
      fracture. No side effects of the infusions were identified. These behavioral
      changes were associated with altered spinal astrocyte activation and expression
      of pain-related proteins including N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 2b,
      Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor.
      CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these results demonstrate that ketamine is efficacious
      in the chronic, but not acute, stage of CRPS, suggesting that the centrally
      acting drug is relatively ineffective in early CRPS when peripheral mechanisms
      are more critical for supporting nociceptive sensitization.

PMID- 26492480
TI  - Resolvin D1: A New Path to Unleash the Analgesic Potential of Peroxisome
      Proliferator-activated Receptor-gamma for Postoperative Pain in Patients with
      Diabetes.

PMID- 26492481
TI  - Perioperative Mortality, 2010 to 2014: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using the
      National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry collects
      demographic and outcome data from anesthesia cases, with the goal of improving
      safety and quality across the specialty. The authors present a preliminary
      analysis of the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry database focusing
      on the rates of and associations with perioperative mortality (within 48 h of
      anesthesia induction). METHODS: The authors retrospectively analyzed 2,948,842
      cases performed between January 1, 2010, and May 31, 2014. Cases without
      procedure information and vaginal deliveries were excluded. Mortality and other
      outcomes were reported by the anesthesia provider. Hierarchical logistic
      regression was performed on cases with complete information for patient age
      group, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, emergency case
      status, time of day, and surgery type, controlling for random effects within
      anesthesia practices. RESULTS: The final analysis included 2,866,141 cases and
      944 deaths (crude mortality rate, 33 per 100,000). Increasing American Society of
      Anesthesiologists physical status, emergency case status, cases beginning between
      4:00 PM and 6:59 AM, and patient age less than 1 yr or greater than or equal to
      65 yr were independently associated with higher perioperative mortality. A post
      hoc subgroup analysis of 279,154 patients limited to 22 elective case types, post
      hoc models incorporating either more granular estimate of surgical risk or work
      relative value units, and a post hoc propensity score-matched cohort confirmed
      the association with time of day. CONCLUSIONS: Several factors were associated
      with increased perioperative mortality. A case start time after 4:00 PM was
      associated with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.64 (95% CI, 1.22 to 2.21) for
      perioperative death, which suggests a potentially modifiable target for
      perioperative risk reduction. Limitations of this study include nonstandardized
      mortality reporting and limited ability to adjust for missing data.

PMID- 26492482
TI  - Properties of Schottky Barrier Diodes on (In(x)Ga(1-x))2O3 for 0.01 <= x <= 0.85
      Determined by a Combinatorial Approach.
AB  - We investigated properties of an (In(x)Ga(1-x))2O3 thin film with laterally
      varying cation composition that was realized by a large-area offset pulsed laser
      deposition approach. Within a two inch diameter thin film, the composition varies
      between 0.01 <= x <= 0.85, and three crystallographic phases (cubic, hexagonal,
      and monoclinic) were identified. We observed a correlation between characteristic
      parameters of Schottky barrier diodes fabricated on the thin film and its
      chemical and structural material properties. The highest Schottky barriers and
      rectification of the diodes were found for low indium contents. The thermal
      stability of the diodes is also best for Ga-rich parts of the sample. Conversely,
      the series resistance is lowest for large In content. Overall, the (In(x)Ga(1
      x))2O3 alloy is well-suited for potential applications such as solar-blind
      photodetectors with a tunable absorption edge.

PMID- 26492484
TI  - Cochrane Reviews on Deworming and the Right to a Healthy, Worm-Free Life.

PMID- 26492485
TI  - Remarkably Intense Emission from Ruthenium(II) Complexes with Multiple Borane
      Centers.
AB  - The electrochemical, spectroscopic, and phophysical properties of a series of
      Ru(II) complexes having a triarylborane-appended 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) ligand(s)
      (RuBbpys: [Ru(Bbpy)n(bpy)(3-n)](2+) (B1n) and [Ru(B2bpy)n(bpy)(3-n)](2+) (B2n), B
      = (dimesityl)boryldurylethynyl group(s) at the 4- or 4,4'-position(s) in bpy, n =
      1-3) are described. In the excited states of the complexes, the intramolecular
      charge transfer transitions between the pi-orbital of the aryl group and the
      vacant p-orbital on the boron atom (pi(aryl)-p(B) CT) synergistically interact
      with the metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transitions. The molar absorption
      coefficient of the MLCT band (epsilon(MLCT)) of the complex increased with
      increasing n, and B23 showed extremely intense absorption with epsilon(MLCT) =
      5.6 * 10(4) M(-1) cm(-1) at 488 nm. Furthermore, B23 showed the highest emission
      quantum yield (0.43) among those of the polypyridine Ru(II) complexes hitherto
      reported. As one of the interesting results, we report that the radiative rate
      constant of B2n shows the correlation with epsilon(MLCT). The effects of the
      synergistic MLCT/pi(aryl)-p(B) CT interactions on the spectroscopic and
      photophysical characteristics of RuBbpys are discussed in detail.

PMID- 26492483
TI  - Modulation of Ambient Temperature-Dependent Flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana by
      Natural Variation of FLOWERING LOCUS M.
AB  - Plants integrate seasonal cues such as temperature and day length to optimally
      adjust their flowering time to the environment. Compared to the control of
      flowering before and after winter by the vernalization and day length pathways,
      mechanisms that delay or promote flowering during a transient cool or warm
      period, especially during spring, are less well understood. Due to global
      warming, understanding this ambient temperature pathway has gained increasing
      importance. In Arabidopsis thaliana, FLOWERING LOCUS M (FLM) is a critical
      flowering regulator of the ambient temperature pathway. FLM is alternatively
      spliced in a temperature-dependent manner and the two predominant splice
      variants, FLM-beta and FLM-delta, can repress and activate flowering in the
      genetic background of the A. thaliana reference accession Columbia-0. The
      relevance of this regulatory mechanism for the environmental adaptation across
      the entire range of the species is, however, unknown. Here, we identify insertion
      polymorphisms in the first intron of FLM as causative for accelerated flowering
      in many natural A. thaliana accessions, especially in cool (15 degrees C)
      temperatures. We present evidence for a potential adaptive role of this
      structural variation and link it specifically to changes in the abundance of FLM
      beta. Our results may allow predicting flowering in response to ambient
      temperatures in the Brassicaceae. 

PMID- 26492487
TI  - Comorbidities and inhibitors in adult patients with haemophilia: issues, costs
      and management strategies.
AB  - Along with greater life expectancy in patients with haemophilia has been an
      increase in associated haemophilia-related (arthropathy, osteoporosis, viral
      infections) and age-related (cardiovascular disease, renal disease, cancer and
      others) comorbidities, many of which are only just emerging as the population
      ages. At present, experience in managing these comorbidities is limited. As the
      demographic shift continues, haemophilia care centres can expect to encounter
      more patients with greater levels of complexity. In the absence of evidence-based
      information to guide the management of adult patients with haemophilia, it is
      important that the scientific position be reviewed on a regular basis. To this
      end, several topics relevant to the clinical management of adult patients with
      haemophilia were examined in a symposium entitled Comorbidities and inhibitors in
      adult patients with haemophilia: issues, costs and management strategies held on
      11 February 2015 in Helsinki, Finland, in conjunction with the 8th Annual
      Congress of the European Association for Haemophilia and Allied Disorders. This
      article is a summary of that event. 

PMID- 26492486
TI  - Development of the Nasopharyngeal Microbiota in Infants with Cystic Fibrosis.
AB  - RATIONALE: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by early structural lung disease
      caused by pulmonary infections. The nasopharynx of infants is a major ecological
      reservoir of potential respiratory pathogens. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the
      development of nasopharyngeal microbiota profiles in infants with CF compared
      with those of healthy control subjects during the first 6 months of life.
      METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study, from the time of diagnosis
      onward, in which we collected questionnaires and 324 nasopharynx samples from 20
      infants with CF and 45 age-matched healthy control subjects. Microbiota profiles
      were characterized by 16S ribosomal RNA-based sequencing. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
      RESULTS: We observed significant differences in microbial community composition
      (P < 0.0002 by permutational multivariate analysis of variance) and development
      between groups. In infants with CF, early Staphylococcus aureus and, to a lesser
      extent, Corynebacterium spp. and Moraxella spp. dominance were followed by a
      switch to Streptococcus mitis predominance after 3 months of age. In control
      subjects, Moraxella spp. enrichment occurred throughout the first 6 months of
      life. In a multivariate analysis, S. aureus, S. mitis, Corynebacterium accolens,
      and bacilli were significantly more abundant in infants with CF, whereas
      Moraxella spp., Corynebacterium pseudodiphtericum and Corynebacterium propinquum
      and Haemophilus influenzae were significantly more abundant in control subjects,
      after correction for age, antibiotic use, and respiratory symptoms. Antibiotic
      use was independently associated with increased colonization of gram-negative
      bacteria such as Burkholderia spp. and members of the Enterobacteriaceae bacteria
      family and reduced colonization of potential beneficial commensals. CONCLUSIONS:
      From diagnosis onward, we observed distinct patterns of nasopharyngeal microbiota
      development in infants with CF under 6 months of age compared with control
      subjects and a marked effect of antibiotic therapy leading toward a gram-negative
      microbial composition.

PMID- 26492489
TI  - Cost-benefit analysis of an enhanced recovery protocol for
      pancreaticoduodenectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programmes have been shown to
      decrease complications and hospital stay. The cost-effectiveness of such
      programmes has been demonstrated for colorectal surgery. This study aimed to
      assess the economic outcomes of a standard ERAS programme for
      pancreaticoduodenectomy. METHODS: ERAS for pancreaticoduodenectomy was
      implemented in October 2012. All consecutive patients who underwent
      pancreaticoduodenectomy until October 2014 were recorded. This group was compared
      in terms of costs with a cohort of consecutive patients who underwent
      pancreaticoduodenectomy between January 2010 and October 2012, before ERAS
      implementation. Preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative real costs were
      collected for each patient via the hospital administration. A bootstrap
      independent t test was used for comparison. ERAS-specific costs were integrated
      into the model. RESULTS: The groups were well matched in terms of demographic and
      surgical details. The overall complication rate was 68 per cent (50 of 74
      patients) and 82 per cent (71 of 87 patients) in the ERAS and pre-ERAS groups
      respectively (P = 0.046). Median hospital stay was lower in the ERAS group (15
      versus 19 days; P = 0.029). ERAS-specific costs were ?922 per patient. Mean total
      costs were ?56 083 per patient in the ERAS group and ?63 821 per patient in the
      pre-ERAS group (P = 0.273). The mean intensive care unit (ICU) and intermediate
      care costs were ?9139 and ?13 793 per patient for the ERAS and pre-ERAS groups
      respectively (P = 0.151). CONCLUSION: ERAS implementation for
      pancreaticoduodenectomy did not increase the costs in this cohort. Savings were
      noted in anaesthesia/operating room, medication and laboratory costs. Fewer
      patients in the ERAS group required an ICU stay.

PMID- 26492490
TI  - Does Prison Crowding Predict Higher Rates of Substance Use Related Parole
      Violations? A Recurrent Events Multi-Level Survival Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This administrative data-linkage cohort study examines the association
      between prison crowding and the rate of post-release parole violations in a
      random sample of prisoners released with parole conditions in California, for an
      observation period of two years (January 2003 through December 2004). BACKGROUND:
      Crowding overextends prison resources needed to adequately protect inmates and
      provide drug rehabilitation services. Violence and lack of access to treatment
      are known risk factors for drug use and substance use disorders. These and other
      psychosocial effects of crowding may lead to higher rates of recidivism in
      California parolees. METHODS: Rates of parole violation for parolees exposed to
      high and medium levels of prison crowding were compared to parolees with low
      prison crowding exposure. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs)
      were estimated using a Cox model for recurrent events. Our dataset included 13070
      parolees in California, combining individual level parolee data with aggregate
      level crowding data for multilevel analysis. RESULTS: Comparing parolees exposed
      to high crowding with those exposed to low crowding, the effect sizes from
      greatest to least were absconding violations (HR 3.56 95% CI: 3.05-4.17), drug
      violations (HR 2.44 95% CI: 2.00-2.98), non-violent violations (HR 2.14 95% CI:
      1.73-2.64), violent and serious violations (HR 1.88 95% CI: 1.45-2.43), and
      technical violations (HR 1.86 95% CI: 1.37-2.53). CONCLUSIONS: Prison crowding
      predicted higher rates of parole violations after release from prison. The effect
      was magnitude-dependent and particularly strong for drug charges. Further
      research into whether adverse prison experiences, such as crowding, are
      associated with recidivism and drug use in particular may be warranted.

PMID- 26492491
TI  - Exemplar-Based Image Inpainting Using a Modified Priority Definition.
AB  - Exemplar-based algorithms are a popular technique for image inpainting. They
      mainly have two important phases: deciding the filling-in order and selecting
      good exemplars. Traditional exemplar-based algorithms are to search suitable
      patches from source regions to fill in the missing parts, but they have to face a
      problem: improper selection of exemplars. To improve the problem, we introduce an
      independent strategy through investigating the process of patches propagation in
      this paper. We first define a new separated priority definition to propagate
      geometry and then synthesize image textures, aiming to well recover image
      geometry and textures. In addition, an automatic algorithm is designed to
      estimate steps for the new separated priority definition. Comparing with some
      competitive approaches, the new priority definition can recover image geometry
      and textures well. 

PMID- 26492488
TI  - Frequency of and Risk Factors for Depression among Participants in the Swiss HIV
      Cohort Study (SHCS).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We studied the incidence and prevalence of, and co-factors for
      depression in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study. METHODS: Depression-specific items were
      introduced in 2010 and prospectively collected at semiannual cohort visits.
      Clinical, laboratory and behavioral co-factors of incident depression among
      participants free of depression at the first two visits in 2010 or thereafter
      were analyzed with Poisson regression. Cumulative prevalence of depression at the
      last visit was analyzed with logistic regression. RESULTS: Among 4,422
      participants without a history of psychiatric disorders or depression at
      baseline, 360 developed depression during 9,348 person-years (PY) of follow-up,
      resulting in an incidence rate of 3.9 per 100 PY (95% confidence interval (CI)
      3.5-4.3). Cumulative prevalence of depression during follow-up was recorded for
      1,937/6,756 (28.7%) participants. Incidence and cumulative prevalence were higher
      in injection drug users (IDU) and women. Older age, preserved work ability and
      higher physical activity were associated with less depression episodes. Mortality
      (0.96 per 100 PY, 95% CI 0.83-1.11) based upon 193 deaths over 20,102 PY was
      higher among male IDU (2.34, 1.78-3.09), female IDU (2.33, 1.59-3.39) and white
      heterosexual men (1.32, 0.94-1.84) compared to white heterosexual women and
      homosexual men (0.53, 0.29-0.95; and 0.71, 0.55-0.92). Compared to participants
      free of depression, mortality was slightly elevated among participants with a
      history of depression (1.17, 0.94-1.45 vs. 0.86, 0.71-1.03, P = 0.033). Suicides
      (n = 18) did not differ between HIV transmission groups (P = 0.50), but were more
      frequent among participants with a prior diagnosis of depression (0.18 per 100
      PY, 95%CI 0.10-0.31; vs. 0.04, 0.02-0.10; P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Depression is
      a frequent co-morbidity among HIV-infected persons, and thus an important focus
      of care.

PMID- 26492492
TI  - Silicone Y-Stent Placement on the Secondary Left Carina.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The silicone Y-stent has mainly been used for the treatment of
      lesions around the main carina, and only a few case reports have been published
      on the technique for the lesions around the secondary left carina (LC2).
      OBJECTIVES: We investigated the feasibility, efficacy and safety of a stenting
      technique using a silicone Y-stent for patients with airway stenosis around LC2.
      METHODS: Patients who underwent airway stent placement between December 2010 and
      September 2014 in a single center were retrospectively reviewed. Under general
      anesthesia, using rigid and flexible bronchoscopes, the airway lumen was re
      established followed by Y-stent placement on LC2. RESULTS: We performed 274
      airway stenting procedures for 253 patients during the study period. Twelve of
      them (7 with lung cancer, 3 with esophageal cancer/carcinosarcoma, 1 with thyroid
      cancer and 1 with renal cancer) underwent a Y-stent placement on LC2. Respiratory
      symptoms were relieved in all patients. Six of 7 patients with supplemental
      oxygen, including the mechanically ventilated patient before stent placement,
      could be discharged without supplemental oxygen. The chest radiograph after the
      procedure showed increased lung volume in all 7 patients with partial or complete
      atelectasis. Median survival after stenting was 197 days at the time of data
      collection. Retention of secretions occurred in 1 and hemoptysis in another
      patient. CONCLUSIONS: Silicone Y-stent placement on LC2 is technically feasible,
      effective and acceptably safe.

PMID- 26492494
TI  - Konjac Glucomannan Dietary Supplementation Causes Significant Fat Loss in
      Compliant Overweight Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Changes in body composition and blood chemistries between overweight
      adult subjects receiving a supplement containing either 3 g of konjac
      glucomannan/300 mg calcium carbonate or a placebo containing only 300 mg of
      calcium carbonate were compared as the primary objective. A secondary objective
      was to compare outcome differences between compliant and partially compliant
      subjects. METHODS: A total of 83 overweight adults (66 women and 17 men)
      completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled protocol in which they
      received either a glucomannan or placebo supplement for 60 days. Dual-energy x
      ray absorptiometry (DEXA) total body scans and a 42-measurement blood test were
      completed at baseline and 60 days later. Compliance was assessed by rating self
      reports of (1) how many tablets were taken, (2) adherence to taking the tablets
      30 minutes before eating, and (3) a sum of the ratings for (1) and (2). An
      anonymous poststudy questionnaire and telephone calls were also completed by 80
      (96%) of the participants who were used as the study cohort. RESULTS: No
      statistically significant differences were found between the groups on changes
      from baseline on the DEXA and blood tests. However, when subjects were classified
      as either compliant or partially compliant using the compliance measures,
      statistically significant reductions in scale weight, percentage body fat, fat
      mass, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were found
      in the glucomannan group compared to the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      supports the efficacy glucomannan supplementation to reduce body weight, body
      fat, and circulating cholesterol levels without the concomitant loss of lean mass
      and bone density often associated with weight loss. However, these positive
      outcomes were not observable until corrections for compliance were applied.

PMID- 26492493
TI  - Association Study between the FTCDNL1 (FONG) and Susceptibility to Osteoporosis.
AB  - Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by a decreased bone
      mineral density that results in an increased risk of fragility fractures.
      Previous studies indicated that genetic factors are involved in the pathogenesis
      of osteoporosis. Polymorphisms of the FONG (FTCDNL1) gene (rs7605378) were
      reported to be associated with the risk of osteoporosis in a Japanese population.
      To assess whether polymorphisms of the FTCDNL1 gene contribute to the
      susceptibility and severity of osteoporosis in a Taiwanese population, 326
      osteoporosis patients and 595 controls of a Taiwanese population were included in
      this study. Our results indicated that rs10203122 was significantly associated
      with osteoporosis susceptibility among female. Our findings provide evidence that
      rs10203122 in FTCDNL1 is associated with a susceptibility to osteoporosis. 

PMID- 26492495
TI  - Preparing for the Next Epidemic with Basic Virology.

PMID- 26492496
TI  - Removal of epulis fissuratum by Er,Cr:YSGG laser in comparison with the
      conventional method.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to compare clinical outcomes during the
      recovery period after soft tissue surgery performed by an erbium,
      chromium:yttrium-scandium-gallium-garnet (Er,Cr:YSGG) laser with those after
      surgery with the conventional method, in which a scalpel was used. METHODS: A
      total of 44 epulis fissuratum removal surgeries were performed in 30 healthy
      volunteers using either an Er,Cr:YSGG laser (laser group) or a scalpel
      (conventional group), with the same number of lesions in each group. Both groups
      were controlled postoperatively on days 2, 7, 14, and 30. The visual analog scale
      (VAS) pain scores of the patients and healing, erythema, and suppuration in the
      surgical area were recorded with scores between 0 and 3. Total wound surface was
      measured by a ruler according to the Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool. RESULTS:
      The results of the present study demonstrated that there were no significant
      differences between the conventional group using analgesic and the laser group in
      terms of the VAS scores (p = 0.744) and edema (p = 0.206). Evaluation of wound
      surface revealed healing without any problem as of the 2nd day at a rate of 82%
      in the laser group and 59% in the conventional group. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion,
      Er,Cr:YSGG laser was superior to scalpel regarding clinical outcomes, and led to
      a difference in the use of analgesic and local anesthetic.

PMID- 26492498
TI  - Soy Protein Isolate As Fluid Loss Additive in Bentonite-Water-Based Drilling
      Fluids.
AB  - Wellbore instability and formation collapse caused by lost circulation are vital
      issues during well excavation in the oil industry. This study reports the novel
      utilization of soy protein isolate (SPI) as fluid loss additive in bentonite
      water based drilling fluids (BT-WDFs) and describes how its particle size and
      concentration influence on the filtration property of SPI/BT-WDFs. It was found
      that high pressure homogenization (HPH)-treated SPI had superior filtration
      property over that of native SPI due to the improved ability for the plugging
      pore throat. HPH treatment also caused a significant change in the surface
      characteristic of SPI, leading to a considerable surface interaction with BT in
      aqueous solution. The concentration of SPI had a significant impact on the
      dispersion state of SPI/BT mixtures in aquesous solution. At low SPI
      concentrations, strong aggregations were created, resulting in the formation of
      thick, loose, high-porosity and high-permeability filter cakes and high fluid
      loss. At high SPI concentrations, intercatlated/exfoliated structures were
      generated, resulting in the formation of thin, compact, low-porosity and low
      permeability filter cakes and low fluid loss. The SPI/BT-WDFs exhibited superior
      filtration property than pure BT-WDFs at the same solid concentraion,
      demonstrating the potential utilization of SPI as an effective, renewable, and
      biodegradable fluid loss reducer in well excavation applications. 

PMID- 26492497
TI  - European AIDS Clinical Society Standard of Care meeting on HIV and related
      coinfections: The Rome Statements.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of the 1st European AIDS Clinical Society meeting on
      Standard of Care in Europe was to raise awareness of the European scenario and
      come to an agreement on actions that could be taken in the future. METHODS: Data
      driven presentations were given on specific topics followed by interactive panel
      discussions. RESULTS: In Eastern European countries, the epidemic is largely
      driven by injecting drug use, in contrast with Western Europe where the infection
      mainly occurs through heterosexual contact. A high proportion of people living
      with HIV remain unaware of their infection. Substantial differences exist in
      Eastern Europe and Central Asia with respect to treatment coverage, regimen
      availability and continuity of drug supply. In 2012, tuberculosis case
      notification rates were 5-10 times higher in Eastern Europe compared with Western
      Europe, with an alarming proportion of newly diagnosed multi-drug-resistant
      cases. Hepatitis C is widespread in selected geographical areas and risk groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: The key conclusion from the meeting was that a high-priority group
      of actions could be identified, including: increasing HIV awareness and testing,
      improving training for health care providers, ensuring equitable patient access
      to treatments and diagnostics for HIV and comorbidities, and implementing best
      practices in infection control and treatment of HIV-infected patients coinfected
      with tuberculosis and hepatitis C virus, for whom direct acting antiviral
      treatment. should be considered.

PMID- 26492499
TI  - Redesigning a falls prevention standard of practice.

PMID- 26492500
TI  - AACN CSI Academy, part 3: Introducing the Massachusetts CSI Nursing Delirium
      Collaborative.
AB  - In the final installment of our three-part series, we reveal how the Boston
      cohort of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Clinical Scene
      Investigator (CSI) Academy launched a collective to improve patient safety and
      quality outcomes related to delirium. 

PMID- 26492502
TI  - Patient safety and IT trends.

PMID- 26492503
TI  - Improving hand hygiene through a multimodal approach.

PMID- 26492504
TI  - Patient teaching: Short peripheral I.V. catheters.

PMID- 26492505
TI  - A prevention initiative to decrease HAPUs at two acute care hospitals.

PMID- 26492506
TI  - Outcomes of a comprehensive nurse residency program.

PMID- 26492508
TI  - Blogging as a tool to address communication challenges among nurses.

PMID- 26492509
TI  - Safety: More than a quality model.

PMID- 26492510
TI  - Parental effects and the evolution of phenotypic memory.
AB  - Despite growing evidence for nongenetic inheritance, the ecological conditions
      that favour the evolution of heritable parental or grandparental effects remain
      poorly understood. Here, we systematically explore the evolution of parental
      effects in a patch-structured population with locally changing environments. When
      selection favours the production of a mix of offspring types, this mix differs
      according to the parental phenotype, implying that parental effects are favoured
      over selection for bet-hedging in which the mixture of offspring phenotypes
      produced does not depend on the parental phenotype. Positive parental effects
      (generating a positive correlation between parental and offspring phenotype) are
      favoured in relatively stable habitats and when different types of local
      environment are roughly equally abundant, and can give rise to long-term parental
      inheritance of phenotypes. By contrast, unstable habitats can favour negative
      parental effects (generating a negative correlation between parental and
      offspring phenotype), and under these circumstances, even slight asymmetries in
      the abundance of local environmental states select for marked asymmetries in
      transmission fidelity. 

PMID- 26492511
TI  - The challenge of antibiotic resistance in haematology patients.
AB  - Bacterial infections were once a major obstacle to the treatment of acute
      leukaemia. Improvement in management strategies, including the use of broad
      spectrum antibacterial drugs targeting Gram-negative bacteria, has reduced the
      mortality in neutropenic patients developing blood stream infections and other
      severe infections. In many countries these achievements are threatened by
      development of multi-resistant bacteria, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae,
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This
      review addresses the epidemiology, clinical importance and possible management of
      these multi-resistant organisms. 

PMID- 26492513
TI  - Comments from the New Editor: Perspectives on Radiation Research.

PMID- 26492512
TI  - Adaptive immune response to therapy in hmgcr autoantibody myopathy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We evaluated the response to immunosuppression in a case of 3
      hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR)-autoantibody myopathy.
      METHODS: T- and B-cell subsets were determined by flow cytometry pre- and
      posttherapy. RESULTS: Baseline immune profiling demonstrated strikingly elevated
      T-follicular helper (Tfh) cells and plasmablasts. Immunosuppression resulted in
      clinical improvement and decreased Tfh cells, plasmablasts, and autoantibodies.
      CONCLUSIONS: Immune profiling in HMGCR-autoantibody myopathy suggests a B-cell
      mediated disease. Tfh cells and plasmablasts may be therapeutic biomarkers.

PMID- 26492514
TI  - Probing the S2' Subsite of the Anthrax Toxin Lethal Factor Using Novel N
      Alkylated Hydroxamates.
AB  - The lethal factor (LF) enzyme secreted by Bacillus anthracis is a zinc hydrolase
      that is chiefly responsible for anthrax-related cell death. Although many studies
      of the design of small molecule LF inhibitors have been conducted, no LF
      inhibitor is yet available as a therapeutic agent. Inhibitors with considerable
      chemical diversity have been developed and investigated; however, the LF S2'
      subsite has not yet been systematically explored as a potential target for lead
      optimization. Here we present synthesis, experimental evaluation, modeling, and
      structural biology for a novel series of sulfonamide hydroxamate LF inhibitor
      analogues specifically designed to extend into, and probe chemical preferences
      of, this S2' subsite. We discovered that this region accommodates a wide variety
      of chemical functionalities and that a broad selection of ligand structural
      modifications directed to this area can be incorporated without significant
      deleterious alterations in biological activity. We also identified key residues
      in this subsite that can potentially be targeted to improve inhibitor binding. 

PMID- 26492515
TI  - Mechanistic Insight into DNA-Guided Control of Nanoparticle Morphologies.
AB  - Although shapes and surface characteristics of nanoparticles are known to play
      important roles in defining their properties, it remains challenging to fine-tune
      the morphologies systematically and predictably. Recently, we have shown that DNA
      molecules can serve as programmable ligands to fine-tune the morphologies of
      nanomaterials. Despite this discovery, the mechanism of how the morphology can be
      controlled and the roles of the DNA molecules in contributing to such control are
      not understood. We herein report mechanistic investigation of DNA-mediated
      morphological evolution of gold nanoprism seeds into nonagon, hexagon, and six
      pointed stars, some of which display rough surfaces, in the presence of homo
      oligomeric T30, G20, C30, and A30. The growth, elucidated through various
      analytical methods including UV-vis, SEM, TEM, zeta potential, fluorescence, and
      cyclic voltammetry, is found to occur in two stages: control of shape, followed
      by control of thickness. A careful analysis of diffraction patterns of the
      nanoprism seeds as well as the resulting intermediate shapes by TEM allowed us to
      deduce the exact sequence of shape evolution. Through systematic comparison of
      the nanoparticle growth process, the DNA molecules were found to play important
      roles by influencing diffusion of the Au precursor to the seed and modulating the
      growth through differences in DNA desorption, density, and mobility on the seed
      surface. These insights into the mechanism of DNA-guided control of nanomaterial
      morphologies provide deeper understanding of the interactions between the DNA and
      nanomaterials and will allow better control of the shapes and surface properties
      of many nanomaterials. 

PMID- 26492516
TI  - Improvement of CH3NH3PbI3 Formation for Efficient and Better Reproducible
      Mesoscopic Perovskite Solar Cells.
AB  - High-performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are obtained through optimization
      of the formation of CH3NH3PbI3 nanocrystals on mesoporous TiO2 film, using a two
      step sequential deposition process by first spin-coating a PbI2 film and then
      submerging it into CH3NH3I solution for perovskite conversion (PbI2 + CH3NH3I ->
      CH3NH3PbI3). It is found that the PbI2 morphology from different film formation
      process (thermal drying, solvent extraction, and as-deposited) has a profound
      effect on the CH3NH3PbI3 active layer formation and its nanocrystalline
      composition. The residual PbI2 in the active layer contributes to substantial
      photocurrent losses, thus resulting in low and inconsistent PSC performances. The
      PbI2 film dried by solvent extraction shows enhanced CH3NH3PbI3 conversion as the
      loosely packed disk-like PbI2 crystals allow better CH3NH3I penetration and
      reaction in comparison to the multicrystal aggregates that are commonly obtained
      in the thermally dried PbI2 film. The as-deposited PbI2 wet film, without any
      further drying, exhibits complete conversion to CH3NH3PbI3 in MAI solution. The
      resulting PSCs reveal high power conversion efficiency of 15.60% with a batch-to
      batch consistency of 14.60 +/- 0.55%, whereas a lower efficiency of 13.80% with a
      poorer consistency of 11.20 +/- 3.10% are obtained from the PSCs using thermally
      dried PbI2 films.

PMID- 26492517
TI  - Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and adverse pregnancy outcomes among Chinese women:
      Results from the C-ABCS.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate associations between pre-pregnancy body
      mass index (BMI) and adverse pregnancy outcomes among Chinese pregnant women. A
      prospective population-based cohort study was performed using data collected as
      part of the China-Anhui Birth Cohort Study or C-ABCS. A total of 13,121 pregnant
      women who received the first prenatal visit were enrolled from November 2008 to
      October 2010. Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate associations
      between pre-pregnancy BMI and pregnancy outcomes. Results indicated that the
      increased pre-pregnancy BMI was associated with a number of adverse pregnancy
      outcomes such as hypertensive disorder (adjusted relative risk (ARR) 2.3, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] 1.5-3.6), gestational diabetes (ARR 3.5, 95% CI 2.3
      5.2), caesarean delivery (ARR 2.0, 95% CI 1.6-2.4), and medically indicated
      preterm delivery (ARR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-2.9). Women with pre-pregnancy BMI above
      the normal range pose an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. 

PMID- 26492518
TI  - KIR haplotypes are associated with late-onset type 1 diabetes in European
      American families.
AB  - Classical human leukocyte antigens (HLA) genes confer the strongest, but not the
      only, genetic susceptibility to type 1 diabetes. Killer cell immunoglobulin-like
      receptors (KIR), on natural killer (NK) cells, bind ligands including class I
      HLA. We examined presence or absence, with copy number, of KIR loci in 1698
      individuals, from 339 multiplex type 1 diabetes families, from the Human
      Biological Data Interchange, previously genotyped for HLA. Combining family data
      with KIR copy number information allowed assignment of haplotypes using identity
      by descent. This is the first disease study to use KIR copy number typing and
      unambiguously define haplotypes by gene transmission. KIR A1 haplotypes were
      positively associated with T1D in the subset of patients without the high T1D
      risk HLA genotype, DR3/DR4 (odds ratio=1.29, P=0.0096). The data point to a role
      for KIR in type 1 diabetes risk in late-onset patients. In the top quartile (age
      of onset>14), KIR A2 haplotype was overtransmitted (63.4%, odds ratio=1.73,
      P=0.024) and KIR B haplotypes were undertransmitted (41.1%, odds ratio=0.70,
      P=0.0052) to patients. The data suggest that inhibitory 'A' haplotypes are
      predisposing and stimulatory 'B' haplotypes confer protection in both DR3/DR4
      negative and late-onset patient groups. 

PMID- 26492519
TI  - The association between the HLA-G 14-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism and type
      1 diabetes.
AB  - Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a multifactorial disease that has a strong genetic
      component. The HLA-G is a nonclassical HLA class I locus that is associated with
      immunomodulatory functions, including downregulation of innate and adaptive
      immune responses and induction of immune tolerance. However, there is currently
      limited information about the involvement of HLA-G in T1D susceptibility. This
      case-control study aims to investigate the T1D susceptibility association of
      alleles and genotypes of a widely investigated 14-bp insertion/deletion
      polymorphism in the HLA-G and to provide further evidence of the frequency
      distribution of class II HLA-DR-DQ-risk genotypes in T1D children and adolescents
      in the Brazilian population. The deletion allele and the homozygous deletion
      genotype are associated with susceptibility to T1D and the insertion allele and
      the heterozygous deletion/insertion genotype are associated with protection from
      T1D. We also confirm that genetic susceptibility to T1D is associated with the
      DRB1*03:01-DQA1*05:01-DQB1*02:01 and DRB1*04-DQA1*03:01-DQB1*03:02 haplotypes in
      Brazilian northeast region. The DR3-DQ2/DR4-DQ8 genotype conferred the highest
      detected risk for T1D. Our results identify a novel association of the 14-bp
      deletion allele and the homozygous deletion genotype with T1D development and
      provide additional evidence of the importance of HLA class II heterozygous DR3
      DQ2/DR4-DQ8 genotype in T1D susceptibility. 

PMID- 26492521
TI  - CitSci.org: A New Model for Managing, Documenting, and Sharing Citizen Science
      Data.
AB  - Citizen science projects have the potential to advance science by increasing the
      volume and variety of data, as well as innovation. Yet this potential has not
      been fully realized, in part because citizen science data are typically not
      widely shared and reused. To address this and related challenges, we built
      CitSci.org (see www.citsci.org), a customizable platform that allows users to
      collect and generate diverse datasets. We hope that CitSci.org will ultimately
      increase discoverability and confidence in citizen science observations,
      encouraging scientists to use such data in their own scientific research. 

PMID- 26492520
TI  - Personalized risk prediction for event-free survival at 24 months in patients
      with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
AB  - We recently defined event-free survival at 24 months (EFS24) as a clinically
      relevant outcome for patients with DLBCL. Patients who fail EFS24 have very poor
      overall survival, while those who achieve EFS24 have a subsequent overall
      survival equivalent to that of the age- and sex-matched general population. Here,
      we develop and validate a clinical risk calculator (IPI24) for EFS24. Model
      building was performed on a discovery dataset of 1,348 patients with DLBCL and
      treated with anthracycline-based immunochemotherapy. A multivariable model
      containing age, Ann Arbor stage, normalized serum LDH, ALC, ECOG performance
      status, bulky disease, and sex was identified. The model was then applied to an
      independent validation dataset of 1,177 DLBCL patients. The IPI24 score estimates
      the probability of failing to achieve the EFS24 endpoint for an individual
      patient. The IPI24 model showed superior discriminatory ability (c-statistic =
      0.671) in the validation dataset compared to the IPI (c-statistic = 0.649) or the
      NCCN-IPI (c-statistic = 0.657). After recalibration of the model on the combined
      dataset, the median predicted probability of failing to achieve EFS24 was 36%
      (range, 12-88%), and the IPI24 showed an EFS24 gradient in all IPI groups. The
      IPI24 also identified a significant percentage of patients with high risk
      disease, with over 20% of patients having a 50% or higher risk of failing to
      achieve EFS24. The IPI24 provides an individual patient level probability of
      achieving the clinically relevant EFS24 endpoint. It can be used via electronic
      apps.

PMID- 26492522
TI  - FAM3A Protects HT22 Cells Against Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Oxidative Stress
      Through Activation of PI3K/Akt but not MEK/ERK Pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Oxidative stress-induced cell damage is involved in many
      neurological diseases. FAM3A is the first member of family with sequence
      similarity 3 (FAM3) gene family and its biological function remains largely
      unknown. METHODS: This study aimed to determine its role in hydrogen peroxide
      (H2O2) induced injury in neuronal HT22 cells. The protective effects were
      measured by cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and apoptosis,
      and oxidative stress was assayed by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, ATP
      synthesis and lipid peroxidation. By using selective inhibitors, the involvement
      of PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK pathways were also investigated. RESULTS: The results of
      fluorescence staining revealed that H2O2 significantly decreased the expression
      of FAM3A protein, which was shown to be subcellularly located in mitochondria. Up
      regulation of FAM3A by lentivirus transfection markedly increased cell viability
      and decreased LDH release after H2O2 treatment. The anti-apoptotic activity of
      FAM3A was demonstrated by the reduced mitochondrial cytochrome c release,
      decreased activation of caspase-3 and the results of flow cytometry.
      Overexpression of FAM3A attenuated intracellular ROS generation and loss of ATP
      production induced by H2O2, and subsequently inhibited lipid peroxidation. In
      addition, overexpression of FAM3A significantly increased the activation of Akt
      and ERK in H2O2 injured HT22 cells. By using Akt and ERK specific inhibitors, we
      found that inhibition of PI3K/Akt, but not MEK/ERK pathway, partially prevented
      FAM3A-induced protection against H2O2. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that
      FAM3A has protective effects against H2O2-induced oxidative stress by reducing
      ROS accumulation and apoptosis, and these protective effects are dependent on the
      activation of PI3K/Akt pathway.

PMID- 26492523
TI  - IL-1beta-induced MCP-1 expression and secretion of human dental pulp cells is
      related to TAK1, MEK/ERK, and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) is an inflammatory molecule of the dental
      pulp. IL-1beta stimulates cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and prostaglandins production
      of pulp cells and affects the pulpal inflammation and repair. However, the
      effects of IL-1beta on Monocyte Chemotactic Factor-1 (MCP-1) of dental pulp cells
      and its relation to transforming growth factor beta-activated kinase-1 (TAK1),
      PI3K/Akt, and MEK/ERK signaling and COX activation are not fully clear. DESIGN:
      Human dental pulp cells were exposed to IL-1beta with/without pretreatment and co
      incubation by aspirin (a COX inhibitor), 5z-7-oxozeaenol (a TAK1 inhibitor),
      LY294002 (a PI3K/Akt inhibitor) or U0126 (a MEK/ERK inhibitor). Viable cell
      number was evaluated by MTT assay. MCP-1 mRNA expression was tested by reverse
      transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). MCP-1 and COX-2 protein
      expression was studied by western blot. MCP-1 in the culture medium was measure
      by ELISA. RESULTS: IL-1beta showed little cytotoxicity to pulp cells. It
      stimulated MCP-1 mRNA and protein expression and MCP-1 secretion. Aspirin, U0126,
      LY294002 and 5z-7-oxozeaenol attenuated the IL-1beta-induced MCP-1 expression. In
      addition, 5z-7-oxozeaenol, LY294002, U0126 and aspirin prevented the IL-1beta
      induced MCP-1 secretion of pulp cells. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that IL
      1beta may be involved in the pulpal inflammatory and healing processes by
      inducing MCP-1 expression and secretion. These events are related to differential
      activation of TAK1, PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK 1/2 signaling and COX activation. These
      results are important for future pharmacologic intervention of pulpal
      inflammatory diseases.

PMID- 26492524
TI  - Onlay bone augmentation on mouse calvarial bone using a hydroxyapatite/collagen
      composite material with total blood or platelet-rich plasma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess newly formed onlay bone on mouse
      calvarial bone using a new artificial bone material, a hydroxyapatite/collagen
      composite, with total blood or platelet-rich plasma. DESIGN: The
      hydroxyapatite/collagen composite material with normal saline, total blood or
      platelet-rich plasma was transplanted on mouse calvarial bone. The mice were
      sacrificed and the specimens were harvested four weeks after surgery. The newly
      formed bone area was measured on hematoxylin and eosin stained specimens using
      Image J software. RESULTS: The hydroxyapatite/collagen composite materials with
      total blood or platelet-rich plasma induced a significantly greater amount of
      newly formed bone than that with normal saline. Moreover, bone marrow was
      observed four weeks after surgery in the transplanted materials with total blood
      or platelet-rich plasma but not with normal saline. However, there were no
      significant differences in the amount of newly formed bone between materials used
      with total blood versus platelet-rich plasma. CONCLUSIONS: The
      hydroxyapatite/collagen composite material was valid for onlay bone augmentation
      and this material should be soaked in total blood or platelet-rich plasma prior
      to transplantation.

PMID- 26492526
TI  - A programmable Y-shaped junction scaffold-mediated modular and cascade
      amplification strategy for the one-step, isothermal and ultrasensitive detection
      of target DNA.
AB  - The programmable DNA polymerization across the two branches of the assembled Y
      shaped junction was ingeniously manipulated for modular target recycling and
      cascade lambda exonuclease cleavage, which afforded the one-pot, isothermal and
      ultrasensitive detection of target DNA. A low detection limit of 28.2 fM of
      target DNA with an excellent selectivity could be obtained. 

PMID- 26492525
TI  - An Ornithopod-Dominated Tracksite from the Lower Cretaceous Jiaguan Formation
      (Barremian-Albian) of Qijiang, South-Central China: New Discoveries,
      Ichnotaxonomy, Preservation and Palaeoecology.
AB  - The historically-famous Lotus Fortress site, a deep 1.5-3.0-meter-high, 200-meter
      long horizonal notch high up in near-vertical sandstone cliffs comprising the
      Cretaceous Jiaguan Formation, has been known since the 13th Century as an
      impregnable defensive position. The site is also extraordinary for having
      multiple tetrapod track-bearing levels, of which the lower two form the floor of
      part of the notch, and yield very well preserved asseamblages of ornithopod, bird
      (avian theropod) and pterosaur tracks. Trackway counts indicate that ornithopods
      dominate (69%) accounting for at least 165 trackmakers, followed by bird (18%),
      sauropod (10%), and pterosaur (3%). Previous studies designated Lotus Fortress as
      the type locality of Caririchnium lotus and Wupus agilis both of which are
      recognized here as valid ichnotaxa. On the basis of multiple parallel trackways
      both are interpreted as representing the trackways of gregarious species. C.
      lotus is redescribed here in detail and interpreted to indicate two age cohorts
      representing subadults that were sometimes bipedal and larger quadrupedal adults.
      Two other previously described dinosaurian ichnospecies, are here reinterpreted
      as underprints and considered nomina dubia. Like a growing number of significant
      tetrapod tracksites in China the Lotus Fortress site reveals new information
      about the composition of tetrapod faunas from formations in which the skeletal
      record is sparse. In particular, the site shows the relatively high abundance of
      Caririchium in a region where saurischian ichnofaunas are often dominant. It is
      also the only site known to have yielded Wupus agilis. In combination with
      information from other tracksites from the Jiaguan formation and other Cretaceous
      formations in the region, the track record is proving increasingly impotant as a
      major source of information on the vertebrate faunas of the region. The Lotus
      Fortress site has been developed as a spectacular, geologically-,
      paleontologically- and a culturally-significant destination within Qijiang
      National Geological Park. 

PMID- 26492527
TI  - Analgesic effects of mambalgin peptide inhibitors of acid-sensing ion channels in
      inflammatory and neuropathic pain.
AB  - Mambalgins are 57-amino acid peptides isolated from snake venom that evoke
      naloxone-resistant analgesia after local (intraplantar) and central (intrathecal)
      injections through inhibition of particular subtypes of acid-sensing ion channels
      (ASICs). We now show that mambalgins also have an opioid-independent effect on
      both thermal and mechanical inflammatory pain after systemic intravenous (i.v.)
      administration and are effective against neuropathic pain. By combining the use
      of knockdown and knockout animals, we show the critical involvement of peripheral
      ASIC1b-containing channels, along with a contribution of ASIC1a-containing
      channels, in the i.v. effects of these peptides against inflammatory pain. The
      potent analgesic effect on neuropathic pain involves 2 different mechanisms
      depending on the route of administration, a naloxone-insensitive and ASIC1a
      independent effect associated with i.v. injection and an ASIC1a-dependent and
      partially naloxone-sensitive effect associated with intrathecal injection. These
      data further support the role of peripheral and central ASIC1-containing channels
      in pain, demonstrate their participation in neuropathic pain, and highlight
      differences in the repertoire of channels involved in different pain conditions.
      They also strengthen the therapeutic potential of mambalgin peptides that are
      active in a broader range of experimental pain models and through i.v. systemic
      delivery. 

PMID- 26492528
TI  - The Case for Mass Treatment of Intestinal Helminths in Endemic Areas.
AB  - Two articles published earlier this year in the International Journal of
      Epidemiology [1,2] have re-ignited the debate over the World Health
      Organization's long-held recommendation of mass-treatment of intestinal helminths
      in endemic areas. In this note, we discuss the content and relevance of these
      articles to the policy debate, and review the broader research literature on the
      educational and economic impacts of deworming. We conclude that existing evidence
      still indicates that mass deworming is a cost-effective health investment for
      governments in low-income countries where worm infections are widespread. 

PMID- 26492529
TI  - Latest advances in the pathological understanding of cholangiocarcinomas.
AB  - Cholangiocarcinomas (CCAs) are anatomically classified into intrahepatic,
      perihilar, and distal types. The gross pathological classification of
      intrahepatic CCAs divides them into mass-forming, periductal-infiltrating, and
      intraductal-growth types; and perihilar/distal CCAs into flat- and nodular
      infiltrating and papillary types. Unique preinvasive lesions appear to precede
      individual gross types of CCA. Biliary intraepithelial neoplasia, a flat lesion,
      precedes periductal-, flat-, and nodular-infiltrating CCAs, whereas intraductal
      papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) precedes the intraductal-growth and
      papillary type of CCAs. IPNBs are heterogeneous in their histological and
      pathological profiles along the biliary tree. Hepatobiliary
      cystadenomas/adenocarcinomas are reclassified as cystic IPNBs and hepatic
      mucinous cystic neoplasms. Peribiliary glands may participate in the development
      of CCAs. These latest findings present a new challenge for understanding the
      pathology of CCAs. 

PMID- 26492530
TI  - Tetra-n-butylammonium Iodide Catalyzed C-H Azidation of Aldehydes with Thermally
      Stable Azidobenziodoxolone.
AB  - Tetra-n-butylammonium iodide can efficiently catalyze direct azidation of
      aldehyde C-H bonds with thermally stable azidobenziodoxolone at room temperature.
      Compared to conventional methods, which require excessive amounts of highly
      explosive azide sources, this is a safe and convenient procedure. 

PMID- 26492531
TI  - Evaluation of alternative airway management strategies in surgical repair of
      severe cranio-maxillofacial trauma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Severe cranio-maxillofacial trauma requires the utilization of
      alternative airway management techniques when oral and nasal routes of tracheal
      intubation are either not possible or contraindicated. METHODS: This
      retrospective study evaluated the techniques of submental intubation, retromolar
      intubation and tracheostomy in terms of their frequency of use, time required,
      costs involved and associated complications in a total of 200 patients. RESULTS:
      Frequency of utilization of alternative airway management techniques was 3.63%.
      Tracheostomy was associated with the most severe complications, took the most
      time to establish and was the most expensive technique. Although retromolar
      intubation was not associated with any complications, it was not suitable in
      adults with erupted third molars and interfered with the surgical field.
      Submental intubation was associated with minor complications, was suitable in all
      cases and did not interfere with surgical access. CONCLUSIONS: Retromolar
      intubation must be considered as a first choice alternative in patients with
      unerupted third molars provided the surgeon is adept at working in the presence
      of an oral tube. Submental intubation is a good second choice when retromolar
      intubation is not possible or is not acceptable to the surgeon. Tracheostomy is
      only indicated in patients who require long term control of the airway.

PMID- 26492532
TI  - The Rise and Fall of an Evolutionary Innovation: Contrasting Strategies of Venom
      Evolution in Ancient and Young Animals.
AB  - Animal venoms are theorized to evolve under the significant influence of positive
      Darwinian selection in a chemical arms race scenario, where the evolution of
      venom resistance in prey and the invention of potent venom in the secreting
      animal exert reciprocal selection pressures. Venom research to date has mainly
      focused on evolutionarily younger lineages, such as snakes and cone snails, while
      mostly neglecting ancient clades (e.g., cnidarians, coleoids, spiders and
      centipedes). By examining genome, venom-gland transcriptome and sequences from
      the public repositories, we report the molecular evolutionary regimes of several
      centipede and spider toxin families, which surprisingly accumulated low-levels of
      sequence variations, despite their long evolutionary histories. Molecular
      evolutionary assessment of over 3500 nucleotide sequences from 85 toxin families
      spanning the breadth of the animal kingdom has unraveled a contrasting
      evolutionary strategy employed by ancient and evolutionarily young clades. We
      show that the venoms of ancient lineages remarkably evolve under the heavy
      constraints of negative selection, while toxin families in lineages that
      originated relatively recently rapidly diversify under the influence of positive
      selection. We propose that animal venoms mostly employ a 'two-speed' mode of
      evolution, where the major influence of diversifying selection accompanies the
      earlier stages of ecological specialization (e.g., diet and range expansion) in
      the evolutionary history of the species-the period of expansion, resulting in the
      rapid diversification of the venom arsenal, followed by longer periods of
      purifying selection that preserve the potent toxin pharmacopeia-the period of
      purification and fixation. However, species in the period of purification may re
      enter the period of expansion upon experiencing a major shift in ecology or
      environment. Thus, we highlight for the first time the significant roles of
      purifying and episodic selections in shaping animal venoms. 

PMID- 26492533
TI  - Laser-evoked potentials mediated by mechano-insensitive nociceptors in human
      skin.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Laser-evoked potentials (LEP) were assessed after peripheral nerve
      block of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) in healthy volunteers from
      partially anesthetized skin areas to differentially stimulate mechano-insensitive
      nociceptors. METHODS: An ultrasound-guided nerve block of the LFCN was performed
      in 12 healthy male subjects with Ropivacain 1%. After 30 min, the nerve block
      induced significantly larger anesthetic areas to mechanical stimuli than to
      electrical stimuli revealing an area of differential sensitivity. LEPs, reaction
      times and pain ratings were recorded in response to the laser stimuli of (1)
      completely anesthetic skin, (2) mechano-insensitive, but electrically excitable
      skin ('differential sensitivity'), (3) normal skin. RESULTS: LEP latencies in the
      area of differential sensitivity were increased compared to unaffected skin (228
      +/- 8.5 ms, vs. 181 +/- 3.6 ms, p < 0.01) and LEP amplitudes were reduced (14.8
      +/- 1.2 MUV vs. 24.6 +/- 1.7 MUV, p < 0.01). Correspondingly, psychophysically
      assessed response latencies in the differentially anesthetic skin were increased
      (649 ms vs. 427 ms, p < 0.01) and pain ratings reduced (1.5/10 vs. 5/10 NRS, p <
      0.01). CONCLUSION: The increase in LEP latency suggests that mechano-insensitive
      heat-sensitive Adelta nociceptors (MIA, type II) have a slower conduction
      velocity or higher utilization time than mechano-sensitive type II Adelta
      nociceptors. Moreover, widely branched, slowly conducting and mechano-insensitive
      branches of Adelta nociceptors can explain our finding. LEPs in the
      differentially anesthetized skin provide specific information about a
      mechanically insensitive but heat-sensitive subpopulation of Adelta nociceptors.
      These findings support the concept that A-fibre nociceptors exhibit a similar
      degree of modality specificity as C-fibre nociceptors.

PMID- 26492534
TI  - Quantitative DNA Analyses for Airborne Birch Pollen.
AB  - Birch trees produce large amounts of highly allergenic pollen grains that are
      distributed by wind and impact human health by causing seasonal hay fever, pollen
      related asthma, and other allergic diseases. Traditionally, pollen forecasts are
      based on conventional microscopic counting techniques that are labor-intensive
      and limited in the reliable identification of species. Molecular biological
      techniques provide an alternative approach that is less labor-intensive and
      enables identification of any species by its genetic fingerprint. A particularly
      promising method is quantitative Real-Time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR),
      which can be used to determine the number of DNA copies and thus pollen grains in
      air filter samples. During the birch pollination season in 2010 in Mainz,
      Germany, we collected air filter samples of fine (<3 MUm) and coarse air
      particulate matter. These were analyzed by qPCR using two different primer pairs:
      one for a single-copy gene (BP8) and the other for a multi-copy gene (ITS). The
      BP8 gene was better suitable for reliable qPCR results, and the qPCR results
      obtained for coarse particulate matter were well correlated with the birch pollen
      forecasting results of the regional air quality model COSMO-ART. As expected due
      to the size of birch pollen grains (~23 MUm), the concentration of DNA in fine
      particulate matter was lower than in the coarse particle fraction. For the ITS
      region the factor was 64, while for the single-copy gene BP8 only 51. The
      possible presence of so-called sub-pollen particles in the fine particle fraction
      is, however, interesting even in low concentrations. These particles are known to
      be highly allergenic, reach deep into airways and cause often severe health
      problems. In conclusion, the results of this exploratory study open up the
      possibility of predicting and quantifying the pollen concentration in the
      atmosphere more precisely in the future. 

PMID- 26492535
TI  - [Successful Management of a Massive Bronchopleural Fistula with Endobronchial
      Valves in a Case of Perforated Central Lung Cancer: a Case Report].

PMID- 26492536
TI  - [Strategies for the treatment of postoperative sternal infections].
AB  - Postoperative sternal infections are associated with significant morbidity and
      mortality. An incidence of up to 8 % has to be expected. Typically, a highly
      inflammatory acute infection with a marked soft tissue component is observed.
      However, the infection may also be present as a less symptomatic reaction and
      localised chronic osteomyelitis with fistula formation. The treatment strategy
      for a deep sternal wound infection consists of several steps. A radical
      debridement of the wound requires the opening of all abscesses, the resection of
      non-vital bone and the removal of all infected allomaterial. This is followed by
      a period of VAC therapy (Vacuum-Assisted Closure Therapy) for infection treatment
      and conditioning of the wound. Secondary closure of the wound may be planned only
      after the infection is completely controlled. The sternum is stabilised by
      osteosynthesis. Sternal defects are covered. In most cases adequate soft tissue
      coverage is achieved by mobilisation of both pectoral muscles together with the
      precostal soft tissues. Following resection of the sternum, the reconstruction of
      the thoracic wall requires the implantation of material for stabilisation as well
      as soft tissue coverage. For complicated or large defects various muscle flaps
      and the omentum majus have been advocated. The latissimus dorsi muscle with skin
      is the muscle flap most frequently used. 

PMID- 26492538
TI  - Ammonium Sulfate Improves Detection of Hydrophilic Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
      through Decreased Ion Suppression in Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization
      Imaging Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Hydrophilic quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) include derivatives of carnitine
      (Car) or choline, which are known to have essential bioactivities. Here we
      developed a technique for improving the detection of hydrophilic QACs using
      ammonium sulfate (AS) in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-imaging mass
      spectrometry (MALDI-IMS). In MALDI mass spectrometry for brain homogenates, the
      addition of AS greatly increased the signal intensities of Car, acetylcarnitine
      (AcCar), and glycerophosphocholine (GPC) by approximately 300-, 700-, and 2500
      fold. The marked improvement required a higher AS concentration than that needed
      for suppressing the potassium adduction on phosphatidylcholine and 2,5
      dihydroxybenzoic acid. Adding AS also increased the signal intensities of Car,
      AcCar, and GPC by approximately 10-, 20-, and 40-fold in MALDI-IMS. Consequently,
      the distributions of five hydrophilic QACs (Car, AcCar, GPC, choline, and
      phosphocholine) were simultaneously visualized by this technique. The distinct
      mechanism from other techniques such as improved matrix application,
      derivatization, or postionization suggests the great potential of AS addition to
      achieve higher sensitivity of MALDI-IMS for various analytes. 

PMID- 26492539
TI  - Simulation of Human Plasma Concentrations of Thalidomide and Primary 5
      Hydroxylated Metabolites Explored with Pharmacokinetic Data in Humanized TK-NOG
      Mice.
AB  - Plasma concentrations of thalidomide and primary 5-hydroxylated metabolites
      including 5,6-dihydroxythalidomide and glutathione (GSH) conjugate(s) were
      investigated in chimeric mice with highly "humanized" liver cells harboring
      cytochrome P450 3A5*1. Following oral administration of thalidomide (100 mg/kg),
      plasma concentrations of GSH conjugate(s) of 5-hydroxythalidomide were higher in
      humanized mice than in controls. Simulation of human plasma concentrations of
      thalidomide were achieved with a simplified physiologically based pharmacokinetic
      model in accordance with reported thalidomide concentrations. The results
      indicate that the pharmacokinetics in humans of GSH conjugate and/or catechol
      primary 5-hydroxylated thalidomide contributing in vivo activation can be
      estimated for the first time. 

PMID- 26492540
TI  - DOES CLINICAL INERTIA VARY BY PERSONALIZED A1C GOAL? A STUDY OF PREDICTORS AND
      PREVALENCE OF CLINICAL INERTIA IN A U.S. MANAGED-CARE SETTING.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Clinical inertia is defined as failure to initiate or intensify
      therapy despite an inadequate treatment response. We assessed the prevalence and
      identified the predictors of clinical inertia among patients with type 2 diabetes
      (T2DM) based on personalized goals. METHODS: Three hemoglobin A1c (A1C) targets
      (American Diabetes Association A1C <7.0%; modified Ismail-Beigi et al; and
      Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) were used when identifying
      adult patients with T2DM who experienced above-target A1C values during the index
      period (July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2012) in a U.S. managed-care claims database
      (IMPACTTM). Clinical inertia was defined as no intensification of treatment
      during the response period. Demographic and clinical characteristics were
      analyzed to identify predictors of treatment intensification. RESULTS:
      Irrespective of A1C target, the majority of patients with T2DM (70.4 to 72.8%)
      experienced clinical inertia in the 6 months following the index event, with 5.3
      to 6.2% of patients intensifying treatment with insulin. Patients with a lower
      likelihood of intensification were older, used >1 oral antidiabetes drug during
      the baseline period, and had an above-target A1C more recently. Treatment
      intensification was associated with patients who had point-of-service insurance,
      mental illness, an endocrinologist visit in the baseline period, or higher index
      A1C. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of clinical inertia among patients with T2DM in a
      U.S. managed-care setting is high and has increased over more recent years.
      Factors predicting increased risk of clinical inertia may help identify "at-risk"
      populations and assist in developing strategies to improve their management.

PMID- 26492541
TI  - HOSPITAL INSULIN PROTOCOL AIMS FOR GLUCOSE CONTROL IN GLUCOCORTICOID-INDUCED
      HYPERGLYCEMIA.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of 2 insulin protocols to treat
      glucocorticoid-induced hyperglycemia in the nonintensive care hospital setting.
      METHODS: A randomized, open-label, parallel-arm study was conducted comparing
      standard recommended care of complete insulin orders (CIO) (i.e., 3-part insulin
      regimen of long-acting basal [background], rapid-acting bolus [mealtime], and
      rapid-acting correction factor) to an experimental group following a regimen of
      Neutral Protamine Hagedorn (NPH) plus CIO (NPH-CIO). The primary outcome was mean
      blood glucose (BG), and the secondary outcome was percent of BG in target range
      of 70 to 180 mg/dL. Hypoglycemia was also evaluated. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients
      completed 2 to 5 consecutive inpatient days (31 CIO; 30 NPH-CIO). Baseline mean
      BG results were 237.2 +/- 50.2 and 221.9 +/- 35.8 mg/dL (P = .30) in the CIO and
      NPH-CIO groups, respectively. No significant difference in overall mean BG
      between the 2 groups was detected; however, a significant difference arose on day
      3: mean BG 181.8 +/- 32.6 mg/dL (CIO) versus 157.2 +/- 6.1 mg/dL (NPH-CIO) (P =
      .03). Moreover, the total daily doses (TDDs) of insulin did not differ: 34.8 +/-
      43.0 units (CIO) versus 35.8 +/- 25.0 units (NPH-CIO) (P = .13). Percent of BG in
      target was 54.6% (CIO) and 62% (NPH-CIO) (P = .24). Incidence of severe
      hypoglycemia (<50 mg/dL) was the same in both groups (0.1%). CONCLUSION: NPH
      added to 3-part insulin regimen (CIO) may be an effective way to a combat
      glucocorticoid-induced hyperglycemia, though further research is needed in a
      larger population.

PMID- 26492542
TI  - RADIOACTIVE IODINE THERAPY WITHOUT RECENT ANTITHYROID DRUG PRETREATMENT FOR
      HYPERTHYROIDISM COMPLICATED BY SEVERE HYPERBILIRUBINEMIA DUE TO HEPATIC
      DYSFUNCTION: EXPERIENCE OF A CHINESE MEDICAL CENTER.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this work is to report our experience with (131)I
      therapy without recent antithyroid drug (ATD) pretreatment for refractory severe
      hyperthyroidism complicated by hyperbilirubinemia due to hepatic dysfunction.
      METHODS: Five patients with refractory severe hyperthyroidism were treated with
      (131)I at 90 to 120 MUCi/g-thyroid (total activity, 6.2 to 10.1 mCi). The
      patients previously had received ATD treatment from 2 months to 12 years and
      discontinued ATDs from 2 months to 4 years before (131)I treatment due to
      treatment failure or severe jaundice. Prior to (131)I therapy, the patients were
      asked to take a low-iodine diet and were treated with bisoprolol fumarate,
      digoxin, furosemide, S-adenosylmethionine, polyene phosphatidylcholine, and
      plasma exchange as supportive treatment for related clinical conditions. Four of
      the patients also received lithium carbonate in conjunction with their (131)I
      treatment. The patients were followed for 4 to 9 years after (131)I therapy.
      RESULTS: After (131)I treatment, jaundice disappeared completely within 3 to 4
      months in all patients, and liver function tests returned to normal. Concurrent
      atrial fibrillation and heart failure, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia, or
      thrombocytopenia and left cardiac enlargement improved remarkably in 3 patients
      during the follow-up period. Three to 45 months after (131)I treatment,
      hypothyroidism was noted in the patients and they were treated with L-thyroxine
      replacement therapy. CONCLUSION: (131)I therapy without recent ATD pretreatment
      for refractory severe hyperthyroidism complicated by serious jaundice appears to
      be safe and effective, with good long-term results. It may be the preferred
      therapy for such patients and should be used as early as possible.

PMID- 26492543
TI  - AN AGGRESSIVE TEMPORAL BONE SDHC PARAGANGLIOMA ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED HIF
      2alpha SIGNALING.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe a patient with a germline succinate dehydrogenase (SDHC)
      gene mutation presenting with primary hyperparathyroidism and a large
      catecholamine-producing temporal bone paraganglioma (PGL). METHODS: Evaluation of
      a SDHC mutation-positive PGL tumor biology using staining for tyrosine
      hydroxylase (TH), hypoxia-inducible factors 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) and 2alpha (HIF
      2alpha). RESULTS: A 66-year-old man was noted to have a lytic skull base mass
      during work-up for his primary hyperparathyroidism. Biochemical evaluation with
      24-hour urine catecholamines and metanephrines revealed marked elevation of
      norepinephrine and normetanephrine. Genetic testing revealed a germline SDHC
      mutation. A partial excision of skull base tumor was performed, which upon
      further examination revealed PGL. Immunohistochemistry of skull base PGL
      demonstrated heavy expression of TH and HIF-2alpha but reduced expression of HIF
      1alpha. The remaining skull base PGL was treated with adjuvant radiation therapy.
      The patient's normetanephrine levels significantly decreased after surgery and
      radiation. CONCLUSION: Here, we report an unusual case of a patient presenting
      with a germline SDHC mutation-related functional PGL along with concomitant
      primary hyperparathyroidism. The present case illustrates that overexpression of
      HIF-2alpha but not of HIF-1alpha is linked to the pathogenesis of SDHC mutation
      related PGL, and it may be responsible for the aggressive clinical behavior of a
      usually indolent course of SDHC-related PGLs.

PMID- 26492544
TI  - ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HYPOGLYCEMIA AND FALL-RELATED FRACTURES AND HEALTH CARE
      UTILIZATION IN OLDER VETERANS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between hypoglycemia and fall-related
      outcomes in older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: This
      retrospective cohort study used electronic medical records of T2DM patients (>=65
      years) from the Veterans Integrated Service Network 16 (VISN 16) data warehouse
      (01/01/2004-06/30/2010). Patients in nonhypoglycemia group (non-HG) were 1:1
      randomly matched with patients in hypoglycemia group (HG) by age (+/-5 years),
      sex, race, and medical center location. Fall-related events (i.e., fractures and
      head injuries) were identified, with a fall being the external cause within +/-2
      days. McNemar tests and generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were used to
      compare fall-related events in the 1-year outcome period after the index date
      (i.e., date of first hypoglycemic episode). We also examined fall-related
      healthcare utilization. RESULTS: A total of 4,215 patients in each group were
      studied, with the mean age of 76.5 years (SD: 5.85). The mean Charlson
      comorbidity index (CCI) scores were 5.73 (SD: 2.95) in the HG and 4.34 (SD: 2.40)
      in the non-HG. The HG had significantly higher rates of fall-related events than
      non-HG, 27 (0.64%) versus 1 (0.02%) and 89 (2.11%) versus 21 (0.50%) events
      within 30 days and 1 year, respectively. GEE models confirmed the elevated risk
      of fall-related events after controlling for sociodemographic and clinical
      characteristics, comorbidities, and medication use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]:
      2.70; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.64-4.47). The HG patients were more likely
      to have emergency department (ED) visits, hospital admissions, and long-term care
      placement compared to their counterparts. CONCLUSION: Hypoglycemia is associated
      with worse fall-related outcomes among the elderly veterans.

PMID- 26492545
TI  - HIGH-PRECISION CONFORMAL FRACTIONATED RADIOTHERAPY IS EFFECTIVE IN ACHIEVING
      REMISSION IN PATIENTS WITH ACROMEGALY AFTER FAILED TRANSSPHENOIDAL SURGERY.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Variable efficacy of pituitary radiotherapy in acromegaly is reported.
      Here we sought to assess the efficacy of high-precision conformal fractionated
      radiotherapy (CRT) in patients with acromegaly after failed TSS. METHODS: A
      retrospective analysis was conducted a in tertiary care referral center between
      1999 to 2013 on 36 acromegaly patients (M: 16, F: 20; median age: 36.0 years)
      with macroadenoma and mean growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1
      (IGF1) upper limits of normal (ULN) of 15.9 +/- 14.3 ng/mL and 1.74 +/- 0.43,
      respectively. The cohort was divided into 2 groups: 30 patients (M: 13, F: 17)
      who were medical treatment naive, and 6 patients (M: 3, F: 3) who received
      medical treatment after CRT. RESULTS: Normalization of GH (fasting GH <1 ng/mL),
      normalization of IGF1 (ULN <1), and remission (normalization of GH and IGF1) were
      achieved in 20 (55%), 23 (63%) and 20 (55%) patients, respectively. The mean time
      required to achieve remission was 63 +/- 33.4 months. Follow-up duration was the
      only predictor of achieving remission. GH level declined exponentially by 65% and
      89% at 2 and 5 years, respectively. New onset hypopituitarism was noted in 33% of
      patients. Tumor control was achieved in 100% of patients. In groups 1 and 2, 18
      (60%) and 2 (33.3%) achieved remission post-CRT, and the mean times required to
      achieve remission were 58.6 +/- 30.7 months and 102 +/- 42.4 months,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: High-precision CRT is an effective modality to achieve
      remission in patients with acromegaly after failed TSS.

PMID- 26492546
TI  - Emerging innovative therapeutic approaches targeting PCSK9 to lower lipids.
AB  - Statins are established therapies for cardiovascular disease prevention and
      ezetimibe has recently been shown to modestly reduce cardiovascular events when
      added to background statin therapy. Yet here remains a clear unmet need for
      additional therapies aimed at lowering low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL
      C) to further reduce cardiovascular risk. Multiple strategies targeting
      proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibition have emerged as
      effective modalities for LDL-C lowering. PCSK9 monoclonal antibodies are the
      farthest along in clinical development and alirocumab and evolocumab were
      approved for clinical use by regulatory agencies in 2015. In addition to robust
      LDL-C lowering (nearly 50-65% from baseline), they improve other lipid parameters
      as well. Adverse events associated with these medications are minimal.
      Importantly, they improve clinical cardiovascular disease outcomes, although long
      term study results are awaited. Cost may be an important limiting factor in their
      use and we propose two possible solutions which can potentially curtail cost. 

PMID- 26492547
TI  - Outcome of Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease Treated with Extracorporeal
      Membrane Oxygenation for Acute Respiratory Failure.
AB  - RATIONALE: Patients with interstitial lung disease and acute respiratory failure
      have a poor prognosis especially if mechanical ventilation is required.
      OBJECTIVES: To investigate the outcome of patients with acute respiratory failure
      in interstitial lung disease undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
      (ECMO) as a bridge to recovery or transplantation. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective analysis of all patients with interstitial lung disease and acute
      respiratory failure treated with or without ECMO from March 2012 to August 2015.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Forty patients with interstitial lung disease
      referred to our intensive care unit for acute respiratory failure were included
      in the analysis. Twenty-one were treated with ECMO. Eight patients were
      transferred by air from other hospitals within a range of 320 km (linear
      distance) for extended intensive care including the option of lung transplant. In
      total, 13 patients were evaluated, and eight were finally found to be suitable
      for lung transplantation from an ECMO bridge. Four patients from external
      hospitals were de novo listed during acute respiratory failure. Six patients
      underwent lung transplant, and two died on the waiting list after 9 and 63 days
      on ECMO, respectively. A total of 14 of 15 patients who did not undergo lung
      transplantation (93.3%) died after 40.3 +/- 27.8 days on ECMO. Five out of six
      patients (83.3%) receiving a lung transplant could be discharged from hospital.
      CONCLUSIONS: ECMO is a lifesaving option for patients with interstitial lung
      disease and acute respiratory failure provided they are candidates for lung
      transplantation. ECMO is not able to reverse the poor prognosis in patients that
      do not qualify for lung transplantation.

PMID- 26492548
TI  - Transformation with TT8 and HB12 RNAi Constructs in Model Forage (Medicago
      sativa, Alfalfa) Affects Carbohydrate Structure and Metabolic Characteristics in
      Ruminant Livestock Systems.
AB  - Lignin, a phenylpropanoid polymer present in secondary cell walls, has a negative
      impact on feed digestibility. TT8 and HB12 genes were shown to have low
      expression levels in low-lignin tissues of alfalfa, but to date, there has been
      no study on the effect of down-regulation of these two genes in alfalfa on
      nutrient chemical profiles and availability in ruminant livestock systems. The
      objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of transformation of
      alfalfa with TT8 and HB12 RNAi constructs on carbohydrate (CHO) structure and CHO
      nutritive value in ruminant livestock systems. The results showed that
      transformation with TT8 and HB12 RNAi constructs reduced rumen, rapidly degraded
      CHO fractions (RDCA4, P = 0.06; RDCB1, P < 0.01) and totally degraded CHO
      fraction (TRDCHO, P = 0.08). Both HB12 and TT8 populations had significantly
      higher in vitro digestibility of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) at 30 h of
      incubation (ivNDF30) compared to the control (P < 0.01). The TT8 populations had
      highest ivDM30 and ivNDF240. Transformation of alfalfa with TT8 and HB12 RNAi
      constructs induced molecular structure changes. Different CHO functional groups
      had different sensitivities and different responses to the transformation. The
      CHO molecular structure changes induced by the transformation were associated
      with predicted CHO availability. Compared with HB12 RNAi, transformation with TT8
      RNAi could improve forage quality by increasing the availability of both NDF and
      DM. Further study is needed on the relationship between the transformation
      induced structure changes at a molecular level and nutrient utilization in
      ruminant livestock systems when lignification is much higher. 

PMID- 26492549
TI  - Predictors of Discharge Disposition in Older Adults With Burns: A Study of the
      Burn Model Systems.
AB  - Older patients with burn injury have a greater likelihood for discharge to
      nursing facilities. Recent research indicates that older patients discharged to
      nursing facilities are two to three times as likely to die within a 3-year period
      relative to those discharged to home. In light of these poor long-term outcomes,
      we conducted this study to identify predictors for discharge to independent vs
      nonindependent living status in older patients hospitalized for burns. We
      retrospectively reviewed all older adults (age >= 55 years) who were
      prospectively enrolled in a longitudinal multicenter study of outcomes from 1993
      to 2011. Patient, injury, and treatment outcomes data were analyzed. Recognizing
      that transfer to inpatient rehabilitation may have impacted final hospital
      discharge disposition: we assessed the likelihood of inpatient rehabilitation
      stay, based on identified predictors of inpatient rehabilitation. We subsequently
      performed a logistic regression analysis on the clustered, propensity-matched
      cohort to assess associations of burn and injury characteristics on the primary
      outcome of final discharge status. A total of 591 patients aged >=55 years were
      treated and discharged alive from three participating U.S. burn centers during
      the study period. Mean burn size was 14.8% (SD 11.2%) and mean age was 66.7 years
      (SD 9.3 years). Ninety-three patients had an inpatient rehabilitation stay before
      discharge (15.7%). Significant factors predictive of inpatient rehabilitation
      included a burn >20% TBSA, mechanical ventilation, older age, range of motion
      deficits at acute care discharge, and study site. These factors were included in
      the propensity model. Four hundred seventy-one patients (80%) were discharged to
      independent living status. By matched propensity analysis, older age was
      significantly associated with a higher likelihood of discharge to nonindependent
      living (P < .01 in both the 65-74 age group and the oldest age group when
      compared with the 55-64 age group). Comorbidity (P < .01) and history of alcohol
      abuse (P < 0.01) were also predictive patient factors. Furthermore, clinical
      practice variations among the three study sites also constituted a significant
      factor in discharge disposition (both P < .01 when compared with the index study
      site). Older age remains an important risk factor for discharge to nonindependent
      living status, even after accounting for inpatient rehabilitation stay. This
      analysis, however, reveals significant variations in discharge disposition
      practices among the three participating study sites. We believe that these
      variations among burn centers need to be elucidated to better understand
      discharge disposition status in older patients with burns. 

PMID- 26492550
TI  - A Simple Method for Immunohistochemical Staining of Zebrafish Brain Sections for
      c-fos Protein Expression.
AB  - Immediate early genes (IEGs) are transcription factors whose own transcription is
      initiated rapidly, for example, in the brain in response to environmental
      stimuli. c-fos is an IEG often used as a marker of neuronal activation. c-fos
      mRNA expression has started to be quantified and localized in the zebrafish brain
      following environmental manipulations but analysis of the expression of c-fos
      protein in the zebrafish brain has rarely been attempted. Here, we describe an
      immunofluorescence staining method for quantifying c-fos protein expression in
      different regions of the zebrafish brain. In addition, we expose zebrafish to
      caffeine, a positive control for c-fos activation in the brain. To confirm cell
      nucleus specific binding of the c-fos antibody, we counterstained brain sections
      with the nuclear fluorescent stain DAPI. Furthermore, we describe a method for
      reducing background autofluorescence often observed in zebrafish brain tissue.
      Our analysis showed that exposure to caffeine increased the number of c-fos
      protein-positive cells in specific zebrafish brain regions detected by the
      immunofluorescence method. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of
      immunofluorescence-based methods in the analysis of neuronal activation in the
      zebrafish brain, and reinforce the utility of the zebrafish in behavioral
      neuroscience research. 

PMID- 26492551
TI  - Cation Exchange in Dynamic 3D Porous Magnets: Improvement of the Physical
      Properties.
AB  - We report two novel three-dimensional porous coordination polymers (PCPs) of
      formulas Li4{Mn4[Cu2(Me3mpba)2]3}.68H2O (2) and K4{Mn4[Cu2(Me3mpba)2]3}.69H2O (3)
      obtained-via alkali cation exchange in a single-crystal to single-crystal process
      from the earlier reported anionic manganese(II)-copper(II) PCP of formula
      Na4{Mn4[Cu2(Me3mpba)2]3}.60H2O (1) [Me3mpba(4-) = N,N'-2,4,6-trimethyl-1,3
      phenylenebis(oxamate)]. This postsynthetic process succeeds where the direct
      synthesis in solution from the corresponding building blocks fails and affords
      significantly more robust PCPs with enhanced magnetic properties [long-range 3D
      magnetic ordering temperatures for the dehydrated phases (1'-3') of 2.0 (1'),
      12.0 (2'), and 20.0 K (3')]. Changes in the adsorptive properties upon
      postsynthetic exchange suggest that the nature, electrostatic properties,
      mobility, and location of the cations within the framework are crucial for the
      enhanced structural stability. Overall, these results further confirm the
      potential of postsynthetic methods (including cation exchange) to obtain PCPs
      with novel or enhanced physical properties while maintaining unaltered their open
      framework structures. 

PMID- 26492552
TI  - Gas-Phase Acidities of Phosphorylated Amino Acids.
AB  - Gas-phase acidities and heats of formation have been predicted at the
      G3(MP2)/SCRF-COSMO level of theory for 10 phosphorylated amino acids and their
      corresponding amides, including phospho-serine (pSer), -threonine (pThr), and 
      tyrosine (pTyr), providing the first reliable set of these values. The gas-phase
      acidities (GAs) of the three named phosphorylated amino acids and their amides
      have been determined using proton transfer reactions in a Fourier transform ion
      cyclotron mass spectrometer. Excellent agreement was found between the
      experimental and predicted GAs. The phosphate group is the deprotonation site for
      pSer and pThr and deprotonation from the carboxylic acid generated the lowest
      energy anion for pTyr. The infrared spectra were calculated for six low energy
      anions of pSer, pThr, and pTyr. For deprotonated pSer and pThr, good agreement is
      found between the experimental IRMPD spectra and the calculated spectra for our
      lowest energy anion structure. For pTyr, the IR spectra for a higher energy
      phosphate deprotonated structure is in good agreement with experiment. Additional
      experiments tested electrospray ionization (ESI) conditions for pTyr and
      determined that variations in solvent, temperature, and voltage can result in a
      different experimental GA value, indicating that ESI conditions affect the
      conformation of the pTyr anion. 

PMID- 26492553
TI  - Halocyclization of Unsaturated Guanidines Mediated by Koser's Reagent and Lithium
      Halides.
AB  - The synthesis of halogenated cyclic guanidines through iodine(III)-mediated
      umpolung of halide salts is described. Cyclic guanidines of various sizes can be
      obtained with generally excellent regioselectivities through either a chloro- or
      a bromocyclization, using Koser's reagent and the corresponding lithium salt. 

PMID- 26492555
TI  - Chemoselective N-deacetylation of protected nucleosides and nucleotides promoted
      by Schwartz's reagent.
AB  - Protection and deprotection strategies involving the N-acetyl group are widely
      utilized in nucleoside and nucleotide chemistry. Herein, we present a mild and
      selective N-deacetylation methodology, applicable to purine and pyrimidine
      nucleosides, by means of Schwartz's reagent, compatible with most of the common
      protecting groups used in nucleoside chemistry. 

PMID- 26492557
TI  - Fourteenth International Kidney Cancer Symposium Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay,
      Miami, Florida 6-7 November 2015.

PMID- 26492556
TI  - A survey on the correlation between sexual satisfaction and depressive symptoms
      during infertility.
AB  - This cross-sectional study has been conducted in a descriptive, correlational
      design in order to determine the correlation between sexual satisfaction and
      depressive symptoms. In this respect, sexual satisfaction and depression scores
      were assessed in 102 infertile couples in a Turkish university hospital. There
      was a positive and meaningful correlation between Beck Depression scores and
      educational status and monthly income of infertile women on the one hand, and
      among marriage, infertility, infertility treatment durations, and the number of
      assisted-reproduction treatments on the other hand. It was found that there were
      more sexual dysfunctions in women than in men and that they were affected more
      deeply. As a result, it might be suggested that infertile couples receive proper
      guidance from health professionals in the course of treatment.

PMID- 26492558
TI  - Seagrass Herbivory Levels Sustain Site-Fidelity in a Remnant Dugong Population.
AB  - Herds of dugong, a largely tropical marine megaherbivore, are known to undertake
      long-distance movements, sequentially overgrazing seagrass meadows in their path.
      Given their drastic declines in many regions, it is unclear whether at lower
      densities, their grazing is less intense, reducing their need to travel between
      meadows. We studied the effect of the feeding behaviour of a small dugong
      population in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, India to understand how small
      isolated populations graze seagrasses. In the seven years of our observation, all
      recorded dugongs travelled either solitarily or in pairs, and their use of
      seagrasses was limited to 8 meadows, some of which were persistently grazed.
      These meadows were relatively large, contiguous and dominated by short-lived
      seagrasses species. Dugongs consumed approximately 15% of meadow primary
      production, but there was a large variation (3-40% of total meadow production) in
      consumption patterns between meadows. The impact of herbivory was relatively
      high, with shoot densities c. 50% higher inside herbivore exclosures than in
      areas exposed to repeated grazing. Our results indicate that dugongs in the study
      area repeatedly graze the same meadows probably because the proportion of primary
      production consumed reduces shoot density to levels that are still above values
      that can trigger meadow abandonment. This ability of seagrasses to cope perhaps
      explains the long-term site fidelity shown by individual dugongs in these
      meadows. The fact that seagrass meadows in the archipelago are able to support
      dugong foraging requirements allows us to clearly identify locations where this
      remnant population persists, and where urgent management efforts can be directed.

PMID- 26492559
TI  - A Retrospective Evaluation of Critical Care Blood Culture Yield - Do Support
      Services Contribute to the "Weekend Effect"?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The "weekend effect" describes an increase in adverse outcomes for
      patients admitted at the weekend. Critical care units have moved to higher
      intensity working patterns to address this with some improved outcomes. However,
      support services have persisted with traditional working patterns. Blood cultures
      are an essential diagnostic tool for patients with sepsis but yield is dependent
      on sampling technique and processing. We therefore used blood culture yield as a
      surrogate for the quality of support service provision. We hypothesized that
      blood culture yields would be lower over the weekend as a consequence of reduced
      support services. METHODS: We performed a retrospective observational study
      examining 1575 blood culture samples in a university hospital critical care unit
      over a one-year period. RESULTS: Patients with positive cultures had, on average,
      higher APACHE II scores (p = 0.015), longer durations of stay (p = 0.03),
      required more renal replacement therapy (p<0.001) and had higher mortality (p =
      0.024). Blood culture yield decreased with repeated sampling with an increased
      proportion of contaminants. Blood cultures were 26.7% less likely to be positive
      if taken at the weekend (p = 0.0402). This effect size is the equivalent to the
      impact of sampling before and after antibiotic administration. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      study demonstrates that blood culture yield is lower at the weekend. This is
      likely caused by delays or errors in incubation and processing, reflecting the
      reduced provision of support services at the weekend. Reorganization of services
      to address the "weekend effect" should acknowledge the interdependent nature of
      healthcare service delivery.

PMID- 26492560
TI  - Immunological effects in patients with steroid-refractory graft-versus-host
      disease following treatment with basiliximab, a CD25 monoclonal antibody.
AB  - Steroid-refractory graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is a complication following
      an allogeneic stem cell transplantation with limited therapeutic options. Studies
      have shown a response in up to 80% of patients with this condition after
      treatment with the CD25 monoclonal antibody, basiliximab. Despite the good
      responses to treatment, around 50% of the patients experience recurrence of their
      GvHD symptoms 4-6 wk following cessation of therapy. The in vivo changes in the
      following treatment with this antibody have not been elucidated so far. We
      treated 14 patients with severe steroid-refractory GvHD with basiliximab weekly
      for 4 wk and monitored the changes in the T-, B-, NK- and dendritic cell subsets
      over this time period. The overall response to treatment was 92% (13/14) with 50%
      (7/14) achieving a complete response. Fifty four percentage (7/13) of the
      patients who responded showed recurrence of their GvHD symptoms. Contrary to
      expectations, our observations showed a significant depletion of the regulatory T
      cell subset following treatment. Our findings suggest that the undesirable
      depletion of the regulatory T cells along with the CD25(+) acute inflammatory
      cells might be responsible for the high incidence of GvHD recurrence in this
      cohort of patients. 

PMID- 26492561
TI  - Formation, Removal, and Reformation of Surface Coatings on Various Metal Oxide
      Surfaces Inspired by Mussel Adhesives.
AB  - Mussels survive by strongly attaching to a variety of different surfaces,
      primarily subsurface rocks composed of metal oxides, through the formation of
      coordinative interactions driven by protein-based catechol repeating units
      contained within their adhesive secretions. From a chemistry perspective,
      catechols are known to form strong and reversible complexes with metal ions or
      metal oxides, with the binding affinity being dependent on the nature of the
      metal ion. As a result, catechol binding with metal oxides is reversible and can
      be broken in the presence of a free metal ion with a higher stability constant.
      It is proposed to exploit this competitive exchange in the design of a new
      strategy for the formation, removal, and reformation of surface coatings and self
      assembled monolayers (SAM) based on catechols as the adhesive unit. In this
      study, catechol-functionalized tri(ethylene oxide) (TEO) was synthesized as a
      removable and recoverable self-assembled monolayer (SAM) for use on oxides
      surfaces. Attachment and detachment of these catechol derivatives on a variety of
      surfaces was shown to be reversible and controllable by exploiting the high
      stability constant of catechol to soluble metal ions, such as Fe(III). This
      tunable assembly based on catechol binding to metal oxides represents a new
      concept for reformable coatings with applications in fields ranging from
      friction/wettability control to biomolecular sensing and antifouling. 

PMID- 26492562
TI  - French Maritime Pine Bark Extract (Pycnogenol(r)) Effects on Human Skin: Clinical
      and Molecular Evidence.
AB  - Nutritional strategies to benefit skin health are of growing importance. Current
      approaches mainly involve nutritional supplements containing antioxidants which
      were initially designed to protect human skin against ultraviolet radiation
      induced damage. Within recent years, however, a growing number of studies
      suggests that the beneficial effects of these products clearly extend beyond
      photoprotection. In this review we take the nutritional supplement Pycnogenol(r),
      which is based on an extract prepared from French marine pine bark extract, as an
      example to illustrate this development. Accordingly, the existing data provide
      compelling evidence that Pycnogenol(r) intake does not only provide
      photoprotection, but may be used to (i) reduce hyperpigmentation of human skin
      and (ii) improve skin barrier function and extracellular matrix homeostasis. 

PMID- 26492564
TI  - Incidence and prognostic factors of chronic pain after isolated musculoskeletal
      extremity injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic pain in patients is usually related to an episode of pain
      following acute injury, emphasizing the need to prevent progression from acute to
      chronic pain. Multiple factors in the acute phase might be responsible for
      perpetuating the pain. The presentation of patients at the emergency department
      (ED) presents a prime opportunity to identify patients at high risk for chronic
      pain and to start appropriate treatment. METHODS: The PROTACT study is a
      prospective follow-up study aiming to estimate the incidence and prognostic
      factors responsible for the development of chronic pain after musculoskeletal
      injury. Data including sociodemographic, pain, clinical, injury- or treatment
      related and psychological factors of 435 patients were collected from registries
      and questionnaires at ED visit, 6-week, 3- and 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: At 6
      months post-injury, 43.9% of the patients had some degree of pain (Numeric Rating
      Scale (NRS) >=1) and 10.1% had chronic pain (NRS >=4). Patients aged over 40
      years, in poor physical health, with pre-injury chronic pain, pain
      catastrophizing, high urgency level and severe pain at discharge were found to be
      at high risk for chronic pain. CONCLUSIONS: Two prognostic factors, severe pain
      at discharge and pain catastrophizing, are potentially modifiable. The
      implementation of a pain protocol in the ED and the use of cognitive-behavioural
      techniques involving reducing catastrophizing might be useful.

PMID- 26492563
TI  - TIM-3 Suppresses Anti-CD3/CD28-Induced TCR Activation and IL-2 Expression through
      the NFAT Signaling Pathway.
AB  - TIM-3 (T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing protein 3) is a member
      of the TIM family of proteins that is preferentially expressed on Th1 polarized
      CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Recent studies indicate that TIM-3 serves as a negative
      regulator of T cell function (i.e. T cell dependent immune responses,
      proliferation, tolerance, and exhaustion). Despite having no recognizable
      inhibitory signaling motifs, the intracellular tail of TIM-3 is apparently
      indispensable for function. Specifically, the conserved residues Y265/Y272 and
      surrounding amino acids appear to be critical for function. Mechanistically,
      several studies suggest that TIM-3 can associate with interleukin inducible T
      cell kinase (ITK), the Src kinases Fyn and Lck, and the p85 phosphatidylinositol
      3-kinase (PI3K) adaptor protein to positively or negatively regulate IL-2
      production via NF-kappaB/NFAT signaling pathways. To begin to address this
      discrepancy, we examined the effect of TIM-3 in two model systems. First, we
      generated several Jurkat T cell lines stably expressing human TIM-3 or murine
      CD28-ECD/human TIM-3 intracellular tail chimeras and examined the effects that
      TIM-3 exerts on T cell Receptor (TCR)-mediated activation, cytokine secretion,
      promoter activity, and protein kinase association. In this model, our results
      demonstrate that TIM-3 inhibits several TCR-mediated phenotypes: i) NF-kB/NFAT
      activation, ii) CD69 expression, and iii) suppression of IL-2 secretion. To
      confirm our Jurkat cell observations we developed a primary human CD8+ cell
      system that expresses endogenous levels of TIM-3. Upon TCR ligation, we observed
      the loss of NFAT reporter activity and IL-2 secretion, and identified the
      association of Src kinase Lck, and PLC-gamma with TIM-3. Taken together, our
      results support the conclusion that TIM-3 is a negative regulator of TCR-function
      by attenuating activation signals mediated by CD3/CD28 co-stimulation. 

PMID- 26492566
TI  - Photodissociation Dynamics of Diacetylene Rydberg States.
AB  - The state-selective photodissociation of diacetylene (C4H2) was studied in the
      wavelength range of 127.5-164.4 nm by high-resolution Rydberg H atom time-of
      flight spectroscopy measurements. In the wavelength region, two Rydberg series nR
      and nR' were state-selectively excited using tunable vacuum-ultraviolet laser
      radiation. In all photolysis wavelengths, two decay channels with different
      dissociation dynamics were observed. In one channel, the characteristic and
      isotropic translational energy distributions with a peak around 1800 cm(-1) can
      be found, suggesting statistical dissociation through internal conversion (IC)
      from the Rydberg state to the ground state and then dissociation on the ground
      state surface. In contrast to this, in the second channel, nonstatistical and
      anisotropic translational energy distributions were observed, possibly through IC
      to the excited repulsive state. The vibrational progressions of C4H (A(2)Pi)
      products have also been observed and assigned to the CCC bend and C=C stretch
      progressions in the second channel at 3R Rydberg states. 

PMID- 26492565
TI  - The Fungal Exopolysaccharide Galactosaminogalactan Mediates Virulence by
      Enhancing Resistance to Neutrophil Extracellular Traps.
AB  - Of the over 250 Aspergillus species, Aspergillus fumigatus accounts for up to 80%
      of invasive human infections. A. fumigatus produces galactosaminogalactan (GAG),
      an exopolysaccharide composed of galactose and N-acetyl-galactosamine (GalNAc)
      that mediates adherence and is required for full virulence. Less pathogenic
      Aspergillus species were found to produce GAG with a lower GalNAc content than A.
      fumigatus and expressed minimal amounts of cell wall-bound GAG. Increasing the
      GalNAc content of GAG of the minimally pathogenic A. nidulans, either through
      overexpression of the A. nidulans epimerase UgeB or by heterologous expression of
      the A. fumigatus epimerase Uge3 increased the amount of cell wall bound GAG,
      augmented adherence in vitro and enhanced virulence in corticosteroid-treated
      mice to levels similar to A. fumigatus. The enhanced virulence of the
      overexpression strain of A. nidulans was associated with increased resistance to
      NADPH oxidase-dependent neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in vitro, and was
      not observed in neutropenic mice or mice deficient in NADPH-oxidase that are
      unable to form NETs. Collectively, these data suggest that cell wall-bound GAG
      enhances virulence through mediating resistance to NETs. 

PMID- 26492568
TI  - Ultrasound visualization of nerve remodeling after strenuous exercise.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this case study is to describe the use of nerve
      ultrasound to visualize the morphological changes that occur during conduction
      velocity alterations after strenuous exercise. METHODS: A 32-year-old, healthy
      runner underwent clinical, electrophysiological, and ultrasound evaluation 24
      hours before, 30 minutes after, and 24 hours after a marathon. RESULTS: An
      increase in motor conduction velocity of the median, ulnar, radial, and tibial
      nerves and sensory conduction velocity of the median and ulnar nerves was found
      between pre- and post-marathon studies. An increase in the cross-sectional area
      of the median (carpal tunnel), ulnar (Guyon canal and elbow), fibular (fibular
      head), and tibial (ankle) nerves was documented. No changes in the MRC sum scale
      score of the various peripheral nerves were detected. CONCLUSION: The case
      described shows the morphological changes that occur in healthy peripheral nerves
      during conduction velocity alterations.

PMID- 26492567
TI  - Phase II trial of R-CHOP plus bortezomib induction therapy followed by bortezomib
      maintenance for newly diagnosed mantle cell lymphoma: SWOG S0601.
AB  - Bortezomib is active in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), with approval in upfront and
      relapsed settings. Given inevitable recurrence following induction
      chemoimmunotherapy, maintenance approaches are a rational strategy to improve
      clinical outcomes. We conducted a phase II study to evaluate the safety and
      efficacy of six cycles of R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin,
      vincristine, prednisone) plus bortezomib (1.3 mg/m2 days 1 and 4 of 21 d cycles)
      followed by bortezomib maintenance (1.3 mg/m2 days 1, 4, 8, and 11 every 3 months
      for 2 years). Sixty-five eligible patients were enrolled. The treatment was well
      tolerated and toxicities were mainly haematological. The rate of grade >=3
      peripheral neuropathy was low (5%). With a median follow-up of 6.8 years, 2-year
      progression-free survival (PFS) was 62%, and 2-year overall survival (OS) was
      85%. At 5 years, PFS was 28% and OS was 66%. MCL International Prognostic Index
      scores were significantly associated with 2-year PFS, but did not predict long
      term (>=5-year) PFS. Baseline Ki-67 index was significantly associated with
      survival. Combination R-CHOP with bortezomib followed by maintenance bortezomib
      appears to improve outcomes compared historically with R-CHOP alone, with
      prolonged remissions in a subset of patients. These results suggest that
      inclusion of bortezomib with induction chemotherapy and/or maintenance is
      promising in MCL and warrants further exploration.

PMID- 26492569
TI  - Nondermatomal somatosensory deficits in chronic pain are associated with cerebral
      grey matter changes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Widespread sensory deficits occur in 20-40% of chronic pain patients
      on the side of pain, independent of pain aetiology, and are known as
      nondermatomal sensory deficits (NDSDs). NDSDs can occur in absence of central or
      peripheral nervous system lesions. We hypothesised that NDSDs were associated
      with cerebral grey matter changes in the sensory system and in pain processing
      regions, detectable with voxel-based morphometry. METHODS: Twenty-five patients
      with NDSDs, 23 patients without NDSDs ("pain-only"), and 29 healthy controls were
      studied with high resolution structural MRI of the brain. A comprehensive
      clinical and psychiatric evaluation based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
      was performed in all patients. RESULTS: Patients with NDSDs and "pain-only" did
      not differ concerning demographic data and psychiatric diagnoses, although
      anxiety scores (HADS-A) were higher in patients with NDSDs. In patients with
      NDSDs, grey matter increases were found in the right primary sensory cortex,
      thalamus, and bilaterally in lateral temporal regions and the
      hippocampus/fusiform gyrus. "Pain-only" patients showed a bilateral grey matter
      increase in the posterior insula and less pronounced changes in sensorimotor
      cortex. CONCLUSIONS: Dysfunctional sensory processing in patients with NDSDs is
      associated with complex changes in grey matter volume, involving the
      somatosensory system and temporal regions.

PMID- 26492572
TI  - Water Permeability across Symmetric and Asymmetric Droplet Interface Bilayers:
      Interaction of Cholesterol Sulfate with DPhPC.
AB  - Cellular membranes employ a variety of strategies for controlling the flow of
      small molecules into the cytoplasmic space, including incorporation of sterols
      for modulation of permeability and maintenance of lipid asymmetry to provide both
      sides of the membrane with differing biophysical properties. The specific case of
      cholesterol asymmetry, especially, is known to have profound effects in
      neurological cellular systems. Synthetic membrane models that can readily
      determine valuable physical parameters, such as water transport rates, for sterol
      containing membranes of defined lipid composition remain in demand. We report the
      use of the droplet interface bilayer (DIB), composed of adherent aqueous droplets
      surrounded by a lipid monolayer and immersed in a hydrophobic medium, for
      measurement of water permeability across the membrane, with rapid visualization
      and ease of experimental setup. We studied droplet bilayer membranes composed of
      the prototypical synthetic membrane lipid (i.e., the archaeal lipid DPhPC) as
      well as of symmetric and asymmetric DIBs formed by DPhPC and sodium cholesterol
      sulfate (S-Chol). The presence of S-Chol in DPhPC in symmetric DIB reduced the
      passive water permeability rate (P(f)) at all concentrations and increased the
      activation energy (E(a)) to 17-18 kcal/mol. When only one side of the DIB
      contains S-Chol (asymmetric DIB), an E(a) of 14-15 kcal/mol was obtained, a value
      intermediate that of pure lipid and symmetrical DIB containing lipid and S-Chol.
      Our data are consistent with a capability for regulation of water transport by
      one leaflet independent of the other. The engineering of our various systems is
      believed to have implications for garnering detailed knowledge regarding the
      transport of small moieties across bilayers in a wide variety of lipid systems.

PMID- 26492573
TI  - Inverted Quantum-Dot Light Emitting Diode Using Solution Processed p-Type WOx
      Doped PEDOT:PSS and Li Doped ZnO Charge Generation Layer.
AB  - Quantum dots (QDs) are a promising material for emissive display with low-cost
      manufacturing and excellent color purity. In this study, we report colloidal
      quantum-dot light emitting diodes (QLEDs) with an inverted architecture with a
      solution processed charge generation layer (CGL) of p-type polymer (tungsten
      oxide doped poly(ethylenedioxythiophene)/polystyrenesulfonate, PEDOT: PSS:WOx)
      and n-type metal oxide (lithium doped zinc oxide, LZO). The effective charge
      generation in solution processed p-n junction was confirmed by capacitance
      voltage (C-V) and current density-electric field characteristics. It is also
      demonstrated that the performances of CGL based QLEDs are very similar when
      various substrates with different work functions are used.

PMID- 26492570
TI  - Metabolic Signaling to Chromatin.
AB  - There is a dynamic interplay between metabolic processes and gene regulation via
      the remodeling of chromatin. Most chromatin-modifying enzymes use cofactors,
      which are products of metabolic processes. This article explores the biosynthetic
      pathways of the cofactors nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), acetyl
      coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA), S-adenosyl methionine (SAM), alpha-ketoglutarate, and
      flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), and their role in metabolically regulating
      chromatin processes. A more detailed look at the interaction between chromatin
      and the metabolic processes of circadian rhythms and aging is described as a
      paradigm for this emerging interdisciplinary field.

PMID- 26492574
TI  - Qualitative and Quantitative Protein Complex Prediction Through Proteome-Wide
      Simulations.
AB  - Despite recent progress in proteomics most protein complexes are still unknown.
      Identification of these complexes will help us understand cellular regulatory
      mechanisms and support development of new drugs. Therefore it is really important
      to establish detailed information about the composition and the abundance of
      protein complexes but existing algorithms can only give qualitative predictions.
      Herein, we propose a new approach based on stochastic simulations of protein
      complex formation that integrates multi-source data--such as protein abundances,
      domain-domain interactions and functional annotations--to predict alternative
      forms of protein complexes together with their abundances. This method, called
      SiComPre (Simulation based Complex Prediction), achieves better qualitative
      prediction of yeast and human protein complexes than existing methods and is the
      first to predict protein complex abundances. Furthermore, we show that SiComPre
      can be used to predict complexome changes upon drug treatment with the example of
      bortezomib. SiComPre is the first method to produce quantitative predictions on
      the abundance of molecular complexes while performing the best qualitative
      predictions. With new data on tissue specific protein complexes becoming
      available SiComPre will be able to predict qualitative and quantitative
      differences in the complexome in various tissue types and under various
      conditions.

PMID- 26492575
TI  - MicroRNA-146a Induced by Hypoxia Promotes Chondrocyte Autophagy through Bcl-2.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: There have been many studies on the etiology of osteoarthritis
      (OA) with regard to the function of inflammatory cytokines, the process of
      cartilage degradation, the function of miR-146a, hypoxia stimulation and
      autophagy in OA chondrocytes, but there have been no reports on the relationship
      between miR-146a and autophagy in cartilage, especially under hypoxia. This study
      aimed to confirm the relationship of miR-146a and autophagy in cartilage under
      hypoxia. METHODS: Chondrocytes were treated by hypoxia gradients, and the main
      factors including HIF-1alpha, HIF-2alpha, miR-146a and Bcl-2 and autophagy
      markers ULK-1, ATG-5 were detected by quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) and western
      blotting. The autophagy marker LC-3 was detected by immunofluorescence. The
      reciprocal effects between miR-146a and Bcl-2 were confirmed by several
      combinations of shRNAs and adenovirus-gene systems followed by Q-PCR and western
      blot detection. RESULTS: Hypoxia maintained the chondrocytes phenotype and
      promoted autophagy and miR-146a expression via HIF-1alpha, but not HIF-2alpha,
      while miR-146a did not reversely affect HIF-1alpha. The autophagy induced by
      hypoxia through HIF-1alpha, miR-146a and Bcl-2. Simply, hypoxia induced HIF
      1alpha, and HIF-1alpha increased miR-146a, but miR-146a suppressed Bcl-2, an
      autophagy inhibitor. While Bcl-2 affected neither HIF-1alpha nor miR-146a. The
      absence of both HIF-1alpha and miR-146a or Bcl-2 over-expression inhibited
      hypoxia-induced autophagy. CONCLUSION: HIF-1alpha, miR-146a and Bcl-2 play
      crucial roles during hypoxia-induced autophagy, Hypoxia, HIF-1alpha and miR-146a
      promote chondrocytes autophagy via depressing Bcl-2. We conclude that miR-146a
      may serve as a novel therapeutic target for protecting cartilage from
      degeneration in OA.

PMID- 26492576
TI  - Ligand-Orientation Based Fragment Selection in STD NMR Screening.
AB  - While saturation transfer difference (STD) is a widely used NMR method for ligand
      screening, the selection of specific binders requires the validation of the hits
      through competition experiments or orthogonal biophysical techniques. We show
      here that the quantitative STD analysis is a reliable and robust approach to
      discriminate between specific and nonspecific ligands, allowing selection of
      fragments that bind proteins with a privileged binding mode, in the absence of
      any structural data for the protein. 

PMID- 26492571
TI  - Oligodendrocyte Development and Plasticity.
AB  - Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) originate in the ventricular zones (VZs)
      of the brain and spinal cord and migrate throughout the developing central
      nervous system (CNS) before differentiating into myelinating oligodendrocytes
      (OLs). It is not known whether OPCs or OLs from different parts of the VZ are
      functionally distinct. OPCs persist in the postnatal CNS, where they continue to
      divide and generate myelinating OLs at a decreasing rate throughout adult life in
      rodents. Adult OPCs respond to injury or disease by accelerating their cell cycle
      and increasing production of OLs to replace lost myelin. They also form synapses
      with unmyelinated axons and respond to electrical activity in those axons by
      generating more OLs and myelin locally. This experience-dependent "adaptive"
      myelination is important in some forms of plasticity and learning, for example,
      motor learning. We review the control of OL lineage development, including OL
      population dynamics and adaptive myelination in the adult CNS. 

PMID- 26492577
TI  - A Novel Method for Assessment of Natural Killer Cell Cytotoxicity Using Image
      Cytometry.
AB  - Natural killer (NK) cells belong to the innate arm of the immune system and
      though activated NK cells can modulate immune responses through the secretion of
      cytokines, their primary effector function is through target cell lysis.
      Accordingly, cytotoxicity assays are central to studying NK cell function. The
      51Chromium release assay, is the "gold standard" for cytotoxicity assay, however,
      due to concerns over toxicity associated with the use and disposal of radioactive
      compounds there is a significant interest in non-radioactive methods. We have
      previously used the calcein release assay as a non-radioactive alternative for
      studying NK cell cytotoxicity. In this study, we show that the calcein release
      assay varies in its dynamic range for different tumor targets, and that the
      entrapped calcein could remain unreleased within apoptotic bodies of lysed tumor
      targets or incompletely released resulting in underestimation of percent specific
      lysis. To overcome these limitations, we developed a novel cytotoxicity assay
      using the Cellometer Vision Image Cytometer and compared this method to standard
      calcein release assay for measuring NK cell cytotoxicity. Using tumor lines K562,
      721.221, and Jurkat, we demonstrate here that image cytometry shows significantly
      higher percent specific lysis of the target cells compared to the standard
      calcein release assay within the same experimental setup. Image cytometry is able
      to accurately analyze live target cells by excluding dimmer cells and smaller
      apoptotic bodies from viable target cell counts. The image cytometry-based
      cytotoxicity assay is a simple, direct and sensitive method and is an appealing
      option for routine cytotoxicity assay. 

PMID- 26492579
TI  - Retraction notice for: "Validation of a multiplex genotyping platform using a
      novel genomic database approach".

PMID- 26492580
TI  - A dedicated undergraduate gynaecology teaching clinic: The Keele experience.
AB  - Much discussion in the literature centres on how best to teach medical students
      the intricacies of gynaecological assessment and the subsequent formulation of a
      management plan. At Keele University skills are initially developed in a
      simulated setting and then transferred to the workplace where students continue
      to develop their skills. A dedicated undergraduate gynaecology teaching clinic
      has been developed and comprises of 2-3 students and a tutor. All 38 students
      rotating through the department between January and June 2013 were invited to
      complete an anonymous questionnaire to evaluate this clinic and 36 (95%) of them
      responded. Respondents felt significantly more comfortable taking a gynaecology
      history, ensuring privacy during examination and formulating a management plan
      post-clinic (all p < 0.001), with female students feeling significantly more
      comfortable than their male counterparts (p = 0.04). The use of this clinic shows
      great promise to help students learn an unfamiliar and challenging skill. 

PMID- 26492578
TI  - Novel mutations in genes causing hereditary spastic paraplegia and Charcot-Marie
      Tooth neuropathy identified by an optimized protocol for homozygosity mapping
      based on whole-exome sequencing.
AB  - PURPOSE: Homozygosity mapping is an effective approach for detecting molecular
      defects in consanguineous families by delineating stretches of genomic DNA that
      are identical by descent. Constant developments in next-generation sequencing
      created possibilities to combine whole-exome sequencing (WES) and homozygosity
      mapping in a single step. METHODS: Basic optimization of homozygosity mapping
      parameters was performed in a group of families with autosomal-recessive (AR)
      mutations for which both single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and WES data
      were available. We varied the criteria for SNP extraction and PLINK thresholds to
      estimate their effect on the accuracy of homozygosity mapping based on WES.
      RESULTS: Our protocol showed high specificity and sensitivity for homozygosity
      detection and facilitated the identification of novel mutations in GAN, GBA2, and
      ZFYVE26 in four families affected by hereditary spastic paraplegia or Charcot
      Marie-Tooth disease. Filtering and mapping with optimized parameters was
      integrated into the HOMWES (homozygosity mapping based on WES analysis) tool in
      the GenomeComb package for genomic data analysis. CONCLUSION: We present
      recommendations for detection of homozygous regions based on WES data and a
      bioinformatics tool for their identification, which can be widely applied for
      studying AR disorders.Genet Med 18 6, 600-607.

PMID- 26492581
TI  - Pulmonary platelet thrombi and vascular pathology in acute chest syndrome in
      patients with sickle cell disease.
AB  - A growing body of evidence suggests a role for platelets in sickle cell disease
      (SCD). Despite the proinflammatory, occlusive nature of platelets, a role for
      platelets in acute chest syndrome (ACS), however, remains understudied. To
      provide evidence and potentially describe contributory factors for a putative
      link between ACS and platelets, we performed an autopsy study of 20 SCD cases-10
      of whom died from ACS and 10 whose deaths were not ACS-related. Pulmonary
      histopathology and case history were collected. We discovered that disseminated
      pulmonary platelet thrombi were present in 3 out of 10 of cases with ACS, but
      none of the matched cases without ACS. Those cases with detected thrombi were
      associated with significant deposition of endothelial vWF and detection of large
      vWF aggregates adhered to endothelium. Potential clinical risk factors were
      younger age and higher platelet count at presentation. However, we also noted a
      sharp and significant decline in platelet count prior to death in each case with
      platelet thrombi in the lungs. In this study, neither hydroxyurea use nor
      perimortem transfusion was associated with platelet thrombi. Surprisingly, in all
      cases, there was profound pulmonary artery remodeling with both thrombotic and
      proliferative pulmonary plexiform lesions. The severity of remodeling was not
      associated with a severe history of ACS, or hydroxyurea use, but was inversely
      correlated with age. We thus provide evidence of undocumented presence of
      platelet thrombi in cases of fatal ACS and describe clinical correlates. We also
      provide novel correlates of pulmonary remodeling in SCD.

PMID- 26492582
TI  - Reverse Electron Transfer Completes the Catalytic Cycle in a 2,3,5
      Trifluorotyrosine-Substituted Ribonucleotide Reductase.
AB  - Escherichia coli class Ia ribonucleotide reductase is composed of two subunits
      (alpha and beta), which form an alpha2beta2 complex that catalyzes the conversion
      of nucleoside 5'-diphosphates to deoxynucleotides (dNDPs). beta2 contains the
      essential tyrosyl radical (Y122(*)) that generates a thiyl radical (C439(*)) in
      alpha2 where dNDPs are made. This oxidation occurs over 35 A through a pathway of
      amino acid radical intermediates (Y122 -> [W48] -> Y356 in beta2 to Y731 -> Y730 
      > C439 in alpha2). However, chemistry is preceded by a slow protein
      conformational change(s) that prevents observation of these intermediates. 2,3,5
      Trifluorotyrosine site-specifically inserted at position 122 of beta2 (F3Y(*)
      beta2) perturbs its conformation and the driving force for radical propagation,
      while maintaining catalytic activity (1.7 s(-1)). Rapid freeze-quench electron
      paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and rapid chemical-quench analysis of the
      F3Y(*)-beta2, alpha2, CDP, and ATP (effector) reaction show generation of 0.5
      equiv of Y356(*) and 0.5 equiv of dCDP, both at 30 s(-1). In the absence of an
      external reducing system, Y356(*) reduction occurs concomitant with F3Y
      reoxidation (0.4 s(-1)) and subsequent to oxidation of all alpha2s. In the
      presence of a reducing system, a burst of dCDP (0.4 equiv at 22 s(-1)) is
      observed prior to steady-state turnover (1.7 s(-1)). The [Y356(*)] does not
      change, consistent with rate-limiting F3Y reoxidation. The data support a
      mechanism where Y122(*) is reduced and reoxidized on each turnover and
      demonstrate for the first time the ability of a pathway radical in an active
      alpha2beta2 complex to complete the catalytic cycle. 

PMID- 26492584
TI  - Realisation and advanced engineering of true optical rugate filters based on
      nanoporous anodic alumina by sinusoidal pulse anodisation.
AB  - This study is the first realisation of true optical rugate filters (RFs) based on
      nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) by sinusoidal waves. An innovative and rationally
      designed sinusoidal pulse anodisation (SPA) approach in galvanostatic mode is
      used with the aim of engineering the effective medium of NAA in a sinusoidal
      fashion. A precise control over the different anodisation parameters (i.e.
      anodisation period, anodisation amplitude, anodisation offset, number of pulses,
      anodisation temperature and pore widening time) makes it possible to engineer the
      characteristic reflection peaks and interferometric colours of NAA-RFs, which can
      be finely tuned across the UV-visible-NIR spectrum. The effect of the
      aforementioned anodisation parameters on the photonic properties of NAA-RFs (i.e.
      characteristic reflection peaks and interferometric colours) is systematically
      assessed in order to establish for the first time a comprehensive rationale
      towards NAA-RFs with fully controllable photonic properties. The experimental
      results are correlated with a theoretical model (Looyenga-Landau-Lifshitz - LLL),
      demonstrating that the effective medium of these photonic nanostructures can be
      precisely described by the effective medium approximation. NAA-RFs are also
      demonstrated as chemically selective photonic platforms combined with
      reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS). The resulting optical sensing
      system is used to assess the reversible binding affinity between a model drug
      (i.e. indomethacin) and human serum albumin (HSA) in real-time. Our results
      demonstrate that this system can be used to determine the overall pharmacokinetic
      profile of drugs, which is a critical aspect to be considered for the
      implementation of efficient medical therapies. 

PMID- 26492585
TI  - Management of functional, hepatic damage after chemotherapy with Liverubin
      (pharma-standard silymarin).
AB  - : Mild, temporary hepatic failure (MTHF) after chemotherapy is a common clinical
      problem; in case of repeated episodes MTHF may cause chronic impairment. This
      registry has evaluated post- chemotherapy (PC)-MTHF in subjects using Liverubin
      (standardized Silymarin) for 8 weeks (3 capsules/day). METHODS:  PC-MTHF was
      evaluated in a registry study. Hepatitis markers were negative at inclusion and
      at end-registry. In the final registry there were results concerning 18 Liverubin
      supplemented patients and 19 controls completing the 8-week period.
      Signs/symptoms. The distribution of the most common symptoms and signs with
      ultrasound scans were comparable. Symptoms were mostly minimal or subclinical.
      Most symptoms observed at inclusion were completely disappeared or greatly
      attenuated after 8 weeks. The improvement produced by Liverubin induced a better
      and faster disappearance of symptoms. The results of the blood tests (at
      inclusion and at 8 weeks showed the increase in albumin, significantly (P<0.05)
      faster with the final values higher in the supplement group. Total bilirubin was
      reduced with the supplement better than in controls (P<0.05). Direct bilirubin
      values improved more in the supplement (P<0.05) group. The decrease in SGPT and
      AST-ASAT was more evident with the supplement (P<0.05). Improvement in controls
      was more limited. Alkaline phosphatase was significantly lower (than in controls)
      with Liverubin at 8 weeks (p<0.05). Gamma GT also decreased more and faster with
      the supplement. The ESR (erythrocytes sedimentation rate) was decreased in both
      groups, more in ?the Liverubin group (P<0.05). There was a more limited decrease
      in controls with persisting higher values at 8 weeks. The white cell count was
      also better at 3 months (with a larger decrease with the supplement; P<0.05).
      Oxidative stress. Plasma free radicals (PFR) were elevated in both groups at
      inclusion. A more significant decrease in the supplement group was observed at 8
      weeks. Persisting elevation in values was seen in controls (P<0.05). Platelets
      values improved better with Liverubin (P<0.05). Safety and tolerability were
      optimal (no side effect was registered). In conclusion, results from this pilot
      registry indicate a significant activity of Liverubin associated with a very good
      safety profile, in patients with post-chemotherapy hepatic failure. The recovery
      of hepatic function is faster and more effective with Liverubin in comparison
      with the best "standard" management.

PMID- 26492583
TI  - Transitioning Adolescents and Young Adults With Sickle Cell Disease From
      Pediatric to Adult Health Care: Provider Perspectives.
AB  - The transition from pediatric to adult health care is often challenging for
      adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). Our study aimed to
      identify (1) measures of success for the transition to adult health care; and (2)
      barriers and facilitators to this process. We interviewed 13 SCD experts and
      asked them about their experiences caring for adolescents and young adults with
      SCD. Our interview guide was developed based on Social-Ecological Model of
      Adolescent and Young Adult Readiness to Transition framework, and interviews were
      coded using the constant comparative method. Our results showed that transition
      success was measured by health care utilization, quality of life, and
      continuation on a stable disease trajectory. We also found that barriers to
      transition include negative experiences in the emergency department,
      sociodemographic factors, and adolescent skills. Facilitators include a positive
      relationship with the provider, family support, and developmental maturity.
      Success in SCD transition is primarily determined by the patients' quality of
      relationships with their parents and providers and their developmental maturity
      and skills. Understanding these concepts will aid in the development of future
      evidence-based transition care models. 

PMID- 26492586
TI  - Management of osteoarthritis (OA) with the pharma-standard supplement FlexiQule
      (Boswellia): a 12-week registry.
AB  - : This registry study assessed the pharma-standard supplement FlexiQule
      (Boswellia extract in capsules) in the management of symptoms associated to
      osteoarthritis (OA) also managed with the 'standard management' (SM) in
      comparison with a group of patients managed only with SM. The 12- week registry
      included patients with symptomatic knee arthrosis. They were able to walk on a
      treadmill for a walking test and to complete the WOMAC questionnaire. RESULTS: 
      32 patients used the supplement and 34 acted as controls (SM). No safety problems
      were observed. At 12 weeks, the Karnofsky scale was significantly improved in
      both groups: the variation was higher (p<0.05) in the supplement group. The WOMAC
      score was decreased significantly more in the supplement+SM group in comparison
      with controls considering pain, stiffness and physical functions (p<0.05). For
      social and emotional functions the decrease in score was also more evident in the
      supplement group (p<0.05). Both groups improved in pain-free and total walking
      distance at 12 weeks. Pain-free walking distance (treadmill) was higher (p<0.05)
      with the supplement (from 93.4;11.6 m to 271.3;19.3 m) than in controls (from
      90.5;13.5 m to 158.3;22.3)(p<0.05). The improvement in total walking distance was
      also higher in the supplement group (p<0.05) (from 164.3;23.2 to 322.3;22.3 m) in
      comparison with the SM- only group ( from 158.3;18,4 to 240.2;19.3 m). The need
      for concomitant drugs and medical attention during the registry was reduced more
      in the supplement group (p<0.05). In conclusion the difference between SM and the
      Flexiqule+SM was in favor of the management with the supplement for all target
      measurements. The product is safe and well tolerated.

PMID- 26492587
TI  - Phyto-relief CC: prevention of cold episodes. Control of signs/symptoms and
      complications.
AB  - : The aim of this supplement, registry study was to evaluate the effects of the
      use of standardized, oral supplement (Phyto-Relief CC, Alchem). Phyto-Relief CC
      includes anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti- edema natural compounds.
      Increased salivation produced by ginger is useful in the prevention of cold
      episodes and on signs and symptoms associated to the episodes by increasing
      saliva and its content (i.e. lysozyme). Main targets of the study were the
      evaluation of the occurrence of episodes and the reduction of signs/symptoms, the
      reduction of days of disease, the reduction in the use of other treatments and
      the control of cold-related complications. RESULTS: The two resulting registry
      groups were comparable. There were 5 full episodes (lasting at least 3 days) of
      cold in 61 registry subjects (8.1%) in comparison with 17 cases in 63 subjects
      (26.98%) in controls. Phyto-Relief CC subjects - even in this time-limited and
      small study population registry - had 30.1% of the episodes of the control group
      with a reduction of 69.88% of the cold episodes (p<0.0221). Also in the
      following, continuation, third week only 3 episodes of cold were recorded in the
      Phyto- Relief CC group vs 6 (50% reduction) observed in controls. All the other
      chosen parameters were better in the supplement group (p<0.05). Affected days
      (2.9;1.1 vs 4.6; 1.2 in controls), lost working days (0.58;0.5 vs 1.02;0.43 in
      controls. The use of any other OTC product, nasal drops, aspirin, Vit C,
      antihistamines, aerosols, the number of complications after 4 days were better in
      the Phyto-Relief CC group. Disease 'extension' (to >4 days), particularly
      tracheal and bronchial extension were significantly less frequent (p<0.05) with
      the supplement. No safety or tolerability problem was observed. In conclusion
      this preliminary study shows that Phyto-Relief CC may help the evolution of cold
      if used early, when initial symptoms could be identified. More specific
      evaluations and larger prevention studies are needed.

PMID- 26492588
TI  - Supplementary management of benign prostatic hypertrophy with Prostaquil. An 8
      week registry.
AB  - : The aim of this registry was to evaluate the management of initial symptoms of
      benign prostatic hyperthrophy (BPH) in otherwise healthy subjects, using
      Prostaquil(r) (Alchem) in a 8-week registry. Prostaquil was used at the dosage of
      200 mg/day. The product includes Pygeum extract (100 mg) and Saw palmetto oil (35
      mg). The two resulting groups standard management and supplement) were
      comparable. RESULTS: No side effects or comparability problems were observed and
      compliance was optimal with more than 95% of the capsules correctly used.
      Empting, frequency, intermittency, urgency, weak flow, straining, nocturia were
      all significantly improved with Prostaquil (p<0.05) and the improvement -
      globally and evaluating any single item - was significantly superior to the one
      observed in controls (p<0.05). Quality of life with the supplement was also
      significantly better in comparison with controls (p<0.05). The residual vescical
      volume was 94.7;5,8 ml in the supplement group at inclusion and decreased to
      39.3;5 ml (p<0.05) at 8 weeks. This decrease was equivalent to a reduction of
      58.5%(vs a decrease of 27.9% in controls)(p<0.05; ANOVA). In conclusion, the most
      common symptoms of BPH are controlled by Prostaquil a new standardized supplement
      including Pygeum.

PMID- 26492589
TI  - Miraqule-C and mild heart failure: an 8-week registry.
AB  - : The aim of this registry study was the evaluation of possible benefits of a
      supplement including CoenzymeQ10 and a grape seed combination (MiraQule C,
      Alchem) in stable, moderate, heart failure patients. RESULTS: The mean age of the
      18 supplemented patients was 60.1;2 years (the age of the 22 controls was
      61.1;2.2). The two groups were comparable. There were no dropouts in the two
      groups. In the 8 weeks of the registry, all supplemented patients remained in the
      NYHA class while 7 out of 22 in controls increased the level of heart failure
      passing into Class III. Systolic- diastolic pressure, heart rate, respiratory
      rate were minimally (non significantly lowered) with the supplement without
      differences controls. Ultrasound-derived ejection fraction was increased by
      supplementation (median of 2.7%) in the CoQ10 group (p<0.05) while there were
      minimal, non- significant differences in controls. Walking distance on treadmill
      was also significantly increased with the supplement (p<0.05) and only marginally
      in controls. The microcirculation (laser Doppler parameters and transcutaneous
      PO2, PCO2) improved significantly in the MQ-C group (p<0.05) and only marginally
      in controls. Oxidative stress was significantly decreased (p<0.05) with the CoQ10
      preparation while there were minimal. Non-significant changes were observed in in
      controls. Tolerability and compliance were optimal (with more than 95% of the
      capsules correctly used). In conclusion in this supplement registry Miraqule-C
      seem to help patients with moderate heart failure and should be considered for
      larger studies.

PMID- 26492590
TI  - Hand 'stress' arthritis in young subjects: effects of Flexiqule (pharma-standard
      Boswellia extract). A preliminary case report.
AB  - This case report (supplement registry study) evaluated subjects with painful
      'stress' arthritis of the hand mainly localized at the joints. The patients
      received a suggestion to follow a rehabilitation plan (standard management; SM).
      A second group also used the same SM in association with the oral, pharma
      standard supplement FlexiQule (Alchem) a new standardized, phytosomal preparation
      manufactured from the Boswellia plant, which can be used for self-management in
      inflammatory conditions (150 mg / 3 times daily). The two resulting registry
      groups included 12 subjects using SM+Flexiqule and and 11 controls (SM only). The
      groups were comparable. Serology showed no significant alterations: only ESR was
      slightly elevated (minimal elevation). After 2 weeks, the ESR was normal in the
      supplement group and mildly elevated in controls (p<0.05%). The decrease in
      hypertermic areas was greater/faster (p<0.05) in the supplement group. The
      identification of a working stress and the localization to the dominant hand was
      comparable in both groups. At 2 weeks, the decrease in pain was significantly
      faster and more important with the supplement (p<0.05). The hand became more
      usable in time and the score was better with the supplement (p<0.05). No
      supplemented patient had to use other drugs, while in the control group 3
      subjects eventually used NSAIDs to control pain and stiffness and one used
      corticosteroids. In conclusion, the natural extract Flexiqule was effective in
      controlling work-related stress arthritis (without inflammaitory signs) over a 2
      weeks period, better than only Standard Management. More prolonged and larger
      studies are needed.

PMID- 26492591
TI  - The role of mental imagery in non-clinical paranoia.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Cognitive models of paranoia incorporate many of the
      processes implicated in the maintenance of anxiety disorders. Despite this, the
      role of mental imagery in paranoia remains under-researched. The current study
      examined the impact of a self-imagery manipulation in people with high non
      clinical paranoia. METHODS: We used a mixed design with one between-subjects
      variable (type of self-imagery) and one within-subjects variable (time--pre and
      post imagery manipulation). Thirty participants with high trait paranoia were
      allocated alternately to a positive or negative self-imagery condition. Scripts
      were used to elicit positive and negative self-imagery. All participants
      completed self-report state measures of paranoia, mood, self-esteem and self
      compassion. RESULTS: Group by time interaction effects were found for each of the
      dependent variables. Positive imagery led to less state paranoia, anxiety and
      negative affect, and more positive affect, self-esteem and self-compassion,
      compared with the negative imagery group. LIMITATIONS: This was a non-blind
      study, limited by allocation method and a brief time-frame which did not allow us
      to assess longevity of effects. We recruited a relatively small and predominantly
      female sample of people with high non-clinical paranoia. The study did not
      include a neutral control condition, a low paranoia comparison group, or a
      manipulation check following the imagery task. CONCLUSIONS: Self-imagery
      manipulations may affect paranoia, mood and self-beliefs. If the findings are
      replicated with clinical groups, and maintained over a longer period, this would
      suggest that imagery-based interventions targeting persecutory delusions might be
      usefully examined.

PMID- 26492592
TI  - Cobalt(III)-Catalyzed C-H Alkynylation with Bromoalkynes under Mild Conditions.
AB  - Expedient cobalt-catalyzed C-H alkynylation was achieved under exceedingly mild
      reaction conditions. Thus, chelation-assisted direct alkynylations of
      heteroarenes occurred with 1-bromoalkynes and ample substrate scope. The
      optimized catalytic system allowed for step-economical C-H functionalizations
      with a mild base K2CO3 at reaction temperatures as low as 25  degrees C. 

PMID- 26492593
TI  - Statins and myositis: the role of anti-HMGCR antibodies.
AB  - Muscle toxicity is a recognized adverse effect of statin use. Recently, a new
      myositis syndrome was described in association with antibodies directed against
      the pharmacologic target of statins, anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A
      reductase (anti-HMGCR antibody). The patient's genetic background, characteristic
      histologic patterns (immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy), and presence of anti
      HMGCR antibodies define the syndrome. In most patients, statin discontinuation is
      insufficient to reverse the myositis symptoms, and immunosuppressive therapy is
      needed. The mechanisms by which these antibodies may lead to disease are not
      fully elucidated. Several important questions remain unsolved and warrant further
      research. 

PMID- 26492594
TI  - Bortezomib for refractory acute antibody-mediated rejection in kidney transplant
      recipients: A single-centre case series.
AB  - AIM: Acute antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) after kidney transplantation (KT)
      is associated with poor allograft survival. Current therapies for ABMR are able
      to deplete B-lymphocytes but do not target plasma cells. Bortezomib is a
      proteasome inhibitor that can eliminate plasma cells and has demonstrated utility
      in the treatment of ABMR. METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out from
      2010 to 2014, including all patients with ABMR refractory to conventional
      treatment who received bortezomib. Bortezomib (1.3 mg/m(2) ) was administered
      intravenously on days 1, 4, 8, and 11. Renal function, graft survival, follow-up
      biopsies, and donor-specific antibodies (DSA) were recorded. RESULTS: We
      identified seven patients. Of these, high immunological risk was found in 6 of 7,
      preformed DSA were found in 5 of 7, flow cytometry crossmatch was positive in 4
      of 7, and desensitization before KTx was provided in 6 of 7 patients. ABMR was
      diagnosed at a median of 90 days (8-167) post-KT. After bortezomib therapy, renal
      function improved or stabilized in 5 of 7 patients and progressively deteriorated
      in 2 of 7, leading to haemodialysis after 7 and 11 months, respectively. Follow
      up kidney biopsies showed persistence of ABMR in 2 of 7, chronic active ABMR 3 of
      7 and inactive chronic lesions in 2 of 7. DSA titres significantly decreased
      after treatment (P = 0.028). All patients experienced mild adverse events. After
      a follow-up of 22 +/- 18 months, three grafts were lost (42%) and four remained
      functioning. CONCLUSION: Bortezomib could be useful as an adjuvant therapy for
      ABMR refractory to conventional treatment with acceptable mid-term outcomes in
      these severe cases. More research is needed to develop strategies to better
      preserve graft function after refractory ABMR.

PMID- 26492595
TI  - Pressure behavior of different PEEK materials for dental implants.
AB  - Due to its mechanical properties, the biocompatible high-performance material
      PEEK (polyetheretherketone) and PEEK-based compounds may represent viable
      alternatives to titanium in the field of dental implantology. Therefore we
      performed static pressure tests with 11 PEEK materials (two unfilled grades, two
      grades filled with titanium-dioxide-powder, two grades filled with barium-sulfate
      powder, two grades reinforced with short carbon fibers, one grade reinforced with
      glass fibers and two grades reinforced with continuous carbon fibers) in the form
      of cylindrical specimens with a diameter of 4, 5 and 6mm. The specimens had a
      height to diameter ratio of 2:1 and were therefore 8, 10 and 12mm high. The
      parameters elastic modulus, elastic limit and pressure strength were evaluated.
      The elastic moduli ranged between 2.65+/-0.03GPa for specimens of a titanium
      dioxide-filled grade and 106.71+/-14.83GPa for specimens reinforced with
      continuous carbon fibers. The elastic limits ranged between 808.1+/-42.44N for
      specimens of a barium-sulfate-filled grade and 7256.4+/-519.86N for specimens
      reinforced with continuous carbon fibers. The lowest pressure strength of
      122.77MPa was observed for specimens of an unfilled grade, whereas the highest
      pressure strength of 712.67+/-66.02MPa could be evaluated for specimens
      containing continuous carbon fibers. Regarding the maximum bite force of a first
      molar, all tested materials seem to be suitable for the use as dental implants. 

PMID- 26492596
TI  - False discovery rate estimation for large-scale homogeneous discrete p-values.
AB  - Large-scale homogeneous discrete p-values are encountered frequently in high
      throughput genomics studies, and the related multiple testing problems become
      challenging because most existing methods for the false discovery rate (FDR)
      assume continuous p-values. In this article, we study the estimation of the null
      proportion and FDR for discrete p-values with common support. In the finite
      sample setting, we propose a novel class of conservative FDR estimators.
      Furthermore, we show that a broad class of FDR estimators is simultaneously
      conservative over all support points under some weak dependence condition in the
      asymptotic setting. We further demonstrate the significant improvement of a newly
      proposed method over existing methods through simulation studies and a case
      study.

PMID- 26492599
TI  - Human papillomavirus type 2 associated with pyogenic granuloma in patients
      without clinical evidence of warts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pyogenic granuloma is a non-neoplastic lesion that frequently occurs
      in the skin and mucous membranes of children and pregnant women. The anatomical
      sites of pyogenic granulomas overlap with those of wart infections caused by the
      human papillomavirus (HPV). OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the presence of HPV
      DNA in pyogenic granuloma samples by polymerase chain reaction. METHODS: Eighteen
      pyogenic granuloma biopsies from patients without a clinical history or evidence
      of verruca in the studied area were tested for the presence of the HPV genome.
      The presence of HPV DNA was screened by three independent polymerase chain
      reaction reactions using standard consensus primer sets targeted to the L1 or E1
      consensus regions of HPV genome. The HPV DNA-positive samples were genotyped
      using methodologies enabling the identification of up to 30 HPVs, including
      oncogenic, nononcogenic, and cutaneous viral types. RESULTS: The HPV DNA was
      detected in 44.4% (eight of 18) of the samples, with HPV-2 being the only type in
      the eight HPV DNA-positive samples. Contamination with HPV-2 sequences throughout
      the entire process was reliably eliminated. CONCLUSION: This report is the first
      to suggest an association between HPV-2 and pyogenic granuloma. This relationship
      is similar to that observed between HPV-2 and nongenital warts.

PMID- 26492598
TI  - TNF-alpha/TNFR2 Regulatory Axis Stimulates EphB2-Mediated Neuroregeneration Via
      Activation of NF-kappaB.
AB  - HIV-1 infected individuals are at high risk of developing HIV-associated
      neurocognitive disorders (HAND) as HIV infection leads to neuronal injury and
      synaptic loss in the central nervous system (CNS). The neurotoxic effects of HIV
      1 are primarily a result of viral replication leading to the production of
      inflammatory chemokines and cytokines, including TNF-alpha. Given an important
      role of TNF-alpha in regulating synaptic plasticity, we investigated the effects
      of TNF-alpha on the development of neuronal processes after mechanical injury,
      and we showed that TNF-alpha treatment stimulates the regrowth of neuronal
      processes. To investigate transcriptional effects of TNF-alpha on synaptic
      plasticity, we analyzed both human neurosphere and isolated neuronal cultures for
      the regulation of genes central to synaptic alterations during learning and
      memory. TNF-alpha treatment upregulated Ephrin receptor B2 (EphB2), which is
      strongly involved in dendritic arborization and synaptic integrity. TNF-alpha
      strongly activates the NF-kappaB pathway, therefore, we propose that TNF-alpha
      induced neurite regrowth occurs primarily through EphB2 signaling via stimulation
      of NF-kappaB. EphB2 promoter activity increased with TNF-alpha treatment and
      overexpression of NF-kappaB. Direct binding of NF-kappaB to the EphB2 promoter
      occurred in the ChIP assay, and site-directed mutagenesis identified binding
      sites involved in TNF-alpha-induced EphB2 activation. TNF-alpha induction of
      EphB2 was determined to occur specifically through TNF-alpha receptor 2 (TNFR2)
      activation in human primary fetal neurons. Our observations provide a new avenue
      for the investigation on the impact of TNF-alpha in the context of HIV-1 neuronal
      cell damage as well as providing a potential therapeutic target in TNFR2
      activation of EphB2.

PMID- 26492600
TI  - An Alternative Technique for External Fixation of Traumatic Intra-articular
      Fractures of Proximal and Middle Phalanx.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intra-articular fractures of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint
      are commonly treated with dynamic external fixation. Most commonly used is the
      Suzuki modification of the pins and rubber traction system (PRTS). There are a
      few other modifications of the PRTS external fixators. We present an alternative
      pin external fixator that is simple and effective. METHODS: Under a suitable
      anesthesia and image intensification a true lateral view of the head of the
      proximal phalanx is obtained. A K-wire construct holds the affected digit out to
      length with the fracture reduced and Jurgan pin-balls hold the construct into
      position. Under image intensification the whole device is checked to ensure the
      joint and fracture is reduced and the joint is not over distracted. The PIP joint
      is also checked to ensure good range of motion. The device was checked in clinic
      at 1 week with radiographs. The wires are removed at 4 weeks followed by
      intensive hand physiotherapy. RESULTS: Over 20 patients with intra-articular
      fractures of the proximal and middle phalangeal were treated with this technique.
      In all cases the fracture healed with good joint congruency. All patients
      achieved good range of motion of the PIP joint but with some restriction of full
      flexion (mean, 20 degrees). There was no loss of position or pin-site infections.
      There was good compliance with the treatment. DISCUSSION: The main advantages of
      the technique we describe are: (1) the compact design, making it less cumbersome
      for the patient compared with other PRTS external fixators; (2) it is
      straightforward to assemble and the device is easy to adjust in clinic if there
      is any loss of reduction; (3) the pin-balls prevent sharp ends of the wire
      protruding causing morbidity to the patient; (4) there is less chance of loss of
      traction compared with traction devices using rubber bands. It is a dynamic
      device, which allows mobilization of the joints reducing stiffness.

PMID- 26492601
TI  - Pulmonary Lung Cancer Subspecialty Training.

PMID- 26492602
TI  - Are Inhaled Corticosteroids Safe for Large Airways?: A New Paradigm?

PMID- 26492603
TI  - Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Transvascular Needle Aspiration: A Single-Center
      Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration
      (EBUS-TBNA) is well established for the staging and diagnosis of lung cancer and
      mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Central mediastinal vascular structures may preclude
      EBUS-TBNA access to lymph nodes in the aortopulmonary window and certain
      centrally located parenchymal lesions. Thus, a transvascular approach is
      necessitated. Few such reports exist in the literature. METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed the results of endobronchial ultrasound-guided
      transvascular needle aspiration (EBUS-TVNA) performed over 1 year to sample
      mediastinal lymph nodes (stations: 5) and lung lesions inaccessible by standard
      bronchoscopy or EBUS-TBNA. Data regarding the indication, location, size, and
      relationship to adjacent blood vessels, the number of transvascular passes, EBUS
      TVNA diagnosis, the final diagnosis, procedural images, and complications were
      collected. Patients' charts were reviewed for 6 months after the procedure for
      evidence of late complications, including mediastinitis or mediastinal
      hemorrhage. RESULTS: Of 865 EBUS-TBNA procedures, 10 were performed by traversing
      the pulmonary artery or its branches. Nine were for left-sided lesions, 3 for
      hilar parenchymal nodules, 6 for hilar or mediastinal LN, and the remainder for a
      right-sided mass. Rapid-onsite evaluation was either diagnostic or positive for
      lymphoid cells in 9 patients and the final cytopathology was diagnostic in 9
      patients: 5 non-small cell lung cancer, 1 small cell cancer, 1 metastatic colon
      cancer, and 2 normal lymphoid tissue. One patient had necrosis and required video
      assisted thoracoscopic surgery to diagnose histoplasmosis. Bleeding was
      insignificant, with no short-term/long-term complications. CONCLUSIONS: From our
      single-center experience, we conclude that in experienced hands, EBUS-TVNA is
      feasible, with a high yield, but without complications. Larger prospective trials
      are warranted to explore its diagnostic potential.

PMID- 26492604
TI  - Experimental Pilot Study of a Novel Endobronchial Drug Delivery Catheter.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An endobronchial infusion catheter introduced through a flexible
      bronchoscope channel has not been previously described. The aim of this study was
      to evaluate the technical feasibility of a new device. METHODS: Four porcine
      models underwent bronchoscopy with the infusion catheter. In the first
      experiment, methylene blue was injected into airway in volumes of 0.1, 0.3, or
      1.0 mL into 2 animals. One animal was killed at 1 hour and the other at 24 hours
      after the procedure and gross dye diffusion was visually assessed. In the second
      experiment, a mixture of 80% sterile normal saline and 20% contrast media was
      injected into the airway in volumes of 0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 mL into 2 animals. One
      animal was killed at 7 days and the other at 20 days. Histologic evaluations were
      performed according to a bronchial damage scoring system. RESULTS: There was no
      perioperative morbidity. In the first experiment, infusion volumes of 0.1, 0.3,
      and 1.0 mL resulted in dye surrounding 67%+/-29%, 55%+/-17%, and 80%+/-20% of the
      infusion-site circumference, and longitudinal distribution of 4.0+/-1.7, 8.1+/
      4.1, and 18.0+/-3.0 mm each, respectively. In the second experiment, infusion of
      0.3 to 3.0 mL resulted in mild injury, inflammation, and
      hemorrhage/fibrin/thrombus at 7 and 20 days after surgery. CONCLUSIONS:
      Endobronchial infusion of dye and contrast media by the endobronchial drug
      delivery catheter showed that the media spread in a dose-dependent manner
      macroscopically and histologically. Further investigation will be required to
      assess the catheter as a new tool for localized drug delivery into the airway.

PMID- 26492605
TI  - A Novel, Adaptable Laryngeal Mask to Facilitate a Percutaneous Dilatational
      Tracheostomy: Proof-of-Concept Prototype Demonstration on a Mannequin Model and
      Cadaver.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) mortalities result
      from airway-related complications. Improved airway pressure management and gas
      delivery are targets for innovation. This study describes an adaptable laryngeal
      mask (ALM) designed to remove the bronchoscope from the endotracheal tube (ETT)
      and place it in a separate lumen. Airflow and device efficacy were evaluated
      during PDTs with an ALM on mannequins and cadavers, respectively. METHODS:
      Procedures were completed by a single physician using an 8.0 mm ETT and the
      Ciaglia Blue Rhino method on simulation mannequins (TruCorp AirSim Traci) and
      fresh-frozen cadavers. Mannequin simulation tested the respiratory capabilities
      of an ALM utilizing a BioPac spirometer and a Maquet Servo ventilator.
      Qualitative analysis on device efficacy was performed on 2 fresh-frozen cadavers
      (1 male, 1 female). RESULTS: Preliminary ventilation testing on a PDT-able
      mannequin using the ALM showed an increase in airflow reaching the lungs compared
      with a deflated ETT. During mannequin and cadaver testing, the ALM was placed
      over the in situ ETT effectively, thereby removing the bronchoscope from the ETT
      while maintaining a continuous visual of the incision site. Both mannequin and
      cadaveric testing using an ALM enabled a single physician to safely perform the
      PDT procedure with minimal assistance. CONCLUSIONS: Initial testing using an ALM
      during PDT on mannequins and cadavers showed an improvement in airflow and the
      removal of the bronchoscope from the ETT, respectively. Further studies using the
      ALM in a patient population compared with standard techniques would be useful.

PMID- 26492606
TI  - Endobronchial Involvement in Idiopathic Hypereosinophilic Syndrome.

PMID- 26492607
TI  - Diagnosis of Pulmonary Hydatid Cyst by Bronchoscopy.
AB  - Hydatid cyst is a parasitic infestation caused by Echinococcus granulosus. Lungs
      are the second most common site of involvement after liver. The diagnosis of
      complicated pulmonary hydatid cysts may not be easy because hydatid cyst disease
      mimics tuberculosis, lung cancer, empyema, or abscess. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy
      can be a valuable tool in the diagnosis of the infestation by visualization of
      hydatid cyst membrane. Here, we report the case of a 33-year-old woman who
      presented with hemoptysis and chest discomfort and was diagnosed with a hydatid
      cyst by fiberoptic bronchoscopy. 

PMID- 26492608
TI  - Transesophageal Bronchoscopic Ultrasound-guided Fine-needle Aspiration (EUS-B
      FNA) in a 3-Year-Old Child.
AB  - Evaluation of mediastinal lymphadenopathy in children is challenging and surgical
      procedures (mediastinoscopy/thoracotomy) are usually performed wherever tissue
      sampling is required. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle
      aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a widely utilized and minimally invasive modality for
      evaluation of mediastinum (lymphadenopathy, masses, and nodal staging in patients
      with lung cancer) in adults. Smaller size of pediatric trachea potentially limits
      the use of EBUS. The EBUS bronchoscope can also be introduced into the esophagus
      for mediastinal evaluation and sampling, a technique described as transesophageal
      bronchoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-B-FNA). We herein
      report the successful utilization of EUS-B-FNA to obtain diagnostic mediastinal
      lymph node sampling in a 3-year-old child. The procedure was accomplished under
      moderate conscious sedation without any procedural complications. EUS-B-FNA, by
      obviating entry of EBUS scope into small pediatric trachea and reduced anesthesia
      requirement can evolve into an extremely useful modality for evaluation of
      pediatric mediastinal lymphadenopathy. 

PMID- 26492609
TI  - Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Tumors: Part II. Treatment.
AB  - Pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors that arise from Kulchitzky cells of the bronchial
      mucosa consist of a spectrum of histologic features leading to a variable
      prognosis. Although typical carcinoid represents the most benign course, small
      cell cancer has the grimmest outcome. Therefore, differentiating the spectrum of
      neuroendocrine tumors helps one not only to determine the prognosis, but also to
      guide the treatment options. In this part, we aim to discuss the treatment
      options in pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors except for small-cell lung cancer. 

PMID- 26492610
TI  - Vanished: Is This for Real?
AB  - Spontaneous regression (SR) of lung cancer is especially rare. We report a case
      of an early endobronchial squamous cell carcinoma that exhibited complete
      radiologic and pathologic SR soon after diagnosis. The patient was monitored
      radiologically and bronchoscopically at regular intervals and to date, the biopsy
      samples have been negative. Remarkably, SR has been maintained 6 years after
      diagnosis, without local recurrence or distant metastases. Many hypotheses abound
      to explain how complete SR was achieved and maintained despite the lack of
      treatment. 

PMID- 26492611
TI  - Montgomery T-tube Migration: A Rare and Life-threatening Complication.

PMID- 26492612
TI  - Distal Airway Stenting: How Far Is Too Far?

PMID- 26492613
TI  - Pulmonary Tumor Embolism Diagnosed by Endobronchial Ultrasound.

PMID- 26492614
TI  - Transarterial EBUS-TBNA in the Diagnosis of Hilar Lesions.

PMID- 26492615
TI  - Whole genome sequencing of fecal samples as a tool for the diagnosis and genetic
      characterization of norovirus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Norovirus is a major cause of gastroenteritis, causing yearly
      epidemics and hospital outbreaks resulting in a high burden on health care.
      Detection and characterization of norovirus directly from clinical samples could
      provide a powerful tool in infection control and norovirus epidemiology.
      OBJECTIVES: To determine whether next-generation sequencing directly on fecal
      samples can accurately detect and characterize norovirus. STUDY DESIGN: Whole
      genome sequencing was performed on fecal samples from 10 patients with gastro
      enteritis. Norovirus infection had previously been confirmed by RT-PCR.
      Genotyping was performed using phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: From all clinical
      samples sufficient amounts of RNA were retrieved to perform whole-transcriptome
      sequencing for the detection of RNA-viruses. Complete genomic norovirus sequences
      were obtained from all clinical samples, permitting accurate genotyping by
      phylogenetic analysis. In addition, a complete coxsackie B1 virus genome was
      isolated. CONCLUSION: Detailed information on viral content can be obtained from
      fecal samples in a single-step approach, supporting clinical and epidemiological
      purposes. Next-generation sequencing performed directly on clinical samples can
      become a powerful tool in patient care and infection control.

PMID- 26492616
TI  - The Potential Role of Solvation in Antibody Recognition of the Lewis Y Antigen.
AB  - Solvents play an important role in protein folding, protein-protein associations,
      stability, and specificity of recognition as in the case of antibody-antigen
      interactions through hydrogen bonds. One of the underappreciated features of
      protein-associated waters is that it weakens inter- and intra-molecular
      interactions by modulating electrostatic interactions and influencing
      conformational changes. Such observations demonstrate the direct relationship
      between macroscopic solvent effects on protein-protein interactions and atom
      scale solvent-protein interactions. Although crystallographic solvents do explain
      some aspects of solvent-mediated interactions, molecular simulation allows the
      study of the dynamic role of solvents. Thus, analysis of conformations from
      molecular simulations are employed to understand the role of solvent on the
      inherent polyspecificity of a Lewis Y reactive germline gene relative to its
      expanded hybridomas and a humanized anti-Lewis Y antibody. Our analysis reveals
      that solvent mediates critical contacts through charged residues to facilitate
      cross-reactivity to carbohydrate antigens, but also increases the flexibility of
      some anti-Lewis Y antibodies concomitant with mutations (amino acid
      substitutions) to the germline antibody. Such flexibility might better allow for
      recognition and binding of internal structures of extended carbohydrate
      structures on tumor cells. 

PMID- 26492617
TI  - Production of Recombinant Human scFv Against Tetanus Toxin Heavy Chain by Phage
      Display Technology.
AB  - Tetanus, as a major cause of death in developing countries, is caused by tetanus
      neurotoxin. Recombinant antibodies against tetanus neurotoxin can be useful in
      tetanus management. Phage display of antibody fragments from immune human
      antibody libraries with single chain constructs combining the variable fragments
      (scFv) has been one of the most prominent technologies in antibody engineering.
      The aim of this study was the generation of a single chain fragment of variable
      region (scFv) library and selection of specific antibodies with high affinity
      against tetanus toxin. Immune human single chain fragment variable (HuscFv)
      antibody phagemid library was displayed on pIII of filamentous bacteriophage.
      Selection of scFv clones was performed against tetanus toxin antigens after three
      rounds of panning. The selected scFv clones were analyzed for inhibition of
      tetanus toxin binding to ganglioside GT1b. After the third round of panning, over
      35 HuscFv phages specific for tetanus toxin were isolated from this library of
      which 15 clones were found to bind specifically to tetanus toxin. The selected
      HuscFv phages expressed as a soluble HuscFv peptide and some clones showed
      positive signals against tetanus toxin. We found that six HuscFv clones inhibit
      toxin binding to ganglioside GT1b. These selected antibodies can be used in the
      management of tetanus. 

PMID- 26492618
TI  - Monoclonal Antibody LpMab-9 Recognizes O-glycosylated N-Terminus of Human
      Podoplanin.
AB  - Podoplanin (PDPN) induces cell invasion and cancer metastasis, and its expression
      in cancer cells or cancer-associated fibroblasts has been reported to be involved
      in poor prognosis of several cancers including malignant gliomas and lung
      cancers. PDPN is also expressed in normal cells such as lymphatic endothelial
      cells, lung type I alveolar cells, and kidney podocytes. Many anti-PDPN
      monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) have been established; however, almost all anti-PDPN
      MAbs recognize a platelet aggregation-inducing (PLAG) domain, because the PLAG
      domain is known to be highly immunogenic. Here, we developed and characterized
      LpMab-9, a novel anti-PDPN MAb. LpMab-9 reacted with LN319 glioblastoma cells,
      but did not react with LN319/PDPN knock-out cells. LpMab-9 showed slight reaction
      with sialylated O-glycan-deficient PDPN. We identified the minimum epitope of
      LpMab-9 as Thr25-Asp31, which is the N-terminus of human PDPN, using Western blot
      analysis. Furthermore, Thr25, Gly26, Gln27, and Pro28 were shown to be critical
      for LpMab-9-binding to PDPN using flow cytometry. Antibody-overlay lectin
      microarray using LpMab-9 demonstrated that PDPN reacts with sialic acid +/- core1
      binders and sialo-mucin binders. Taken together, these results indicate that
      LpMab-9 recognizes O-glycosylation of Thr25 in the N-terminus of PDPN. LpMab-9
      could be useful for uncovering the physiological function of O-glycosylated N
      terminus of human PDPN. 

PMID- 26492619
TI  - Development of Monoclonal Antibody LpMab-10 Recognizing Non-glycosylated PLAG1/2
      Domain Including Thr34 of Human Podoplanin.
AB  - Podoplanin (PDPN) is a type-I transmembrane sialoglycoprotein that possesses a
      platelet aggregation-stimulating (PLAG) domain in the N-terminus. PLAG domain
      includes three tandem repeats of eight amino acids: PLAG1, PLAG2, and PLAG3.
      Among the three PLAG domains, O-glycan on Thr52 of PLAG3 is critical for binding
      with C-type lectin-like receptor-2 (CLEC-2) and is essential for platelet
      aggregating activity of PDPN. In contrast, the glycosylation of Thr34 of PLAG1 of
      human PDPN remains to be clarified. Herein, we developed and characterized a
      novel anti-PDPN monoclonal antibody, LpMab-10, which targets PLAG1/2 domain.
      LpMab-10 detects endogenous PDPN of cancer cells and normal cells independently
      of glycosylation. The minimum epitope of LpMab-10 was identified as Glu33-Gly45
      of PDPN using Western blot and flow cytometry. The Thr34 of PLAG1 is critical for
      LpMab-10 recognition, and O-glycan is not included in LpMab-10 epitope,
      indicating that Thr34 of PLAG1 is not O-glycosylated. In immunocytochemical and
      immunohistochemical analyses, LpMab-10 strongly detected PDPN-expressing tumor
      cells. By using monoclonal antibodies against different Ser/Thr, including
      epitopes of PDPN, it becomes possible to determine whether Ser/Thr residues of
      PDPN are O-glycosylated. 

PMID- 26492620
TI  - Prokaryotic Expression of Truncated S1 Protein of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus
      and Production of Monoclonal Antibodies to Recombinant Protein.
AB  - Monoclonal antibodies are known to have several applications in clinical
      diagnosis and therapy. In the present study, the truncated S1 gene, encoding the
      exterior of the viral spike protein of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV),
      was subcloned into prokaryotic expression vector pET32a (+) and expressed as a
      recombinant protein in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). Female BALB/c mice were
      immunized with the purified recombinant truncated S1 protein, and three
      monoclonal antibodies (MAb designated as E3, G8, and G9) against the truncated S1
      protein obtained by hydridoma technique. Further characterization demonstrated
      that the three MAbs (E2, G8, and G9) belong to IgG1 subclass and have different
      affinities (G9 > G8 > E3). Furthermore, all of the three MAbs reacted with PEDV
      in the fluorescent antibody assay. Our study suggests that purified truncated S1
      protein and the three developed MAbs could be useful in the development of a
      diagnostic assay for anti-PEDV antibodies and PEDV antigen, respectively. 

PMID- 26492621
TI  - Preparation and Identification of a Monoclonal Antibody Against Cystatin C.
AB  - Cystatin C (Cys C) has been shown to be an excellent marker of renal function,
      especially when evaluating the early stages of acute kidney injury. It is less
      affected by age, gender, muscle mass, and ethnicity. The detection of Cys C is
      important and has broad application prospects. Therefore, we have developed a
      panel of monoclonal antibodies against Cys C that can be used to establish an
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit and paired for further use in other
      methods of detecting Cys C. This study describes the preparation, application,
      and characterization of monoclonal antibodies used in ELISA. The antibodies were
      developed by PEG fusion of the SP2/0 cells with splenic B cells from Cys C
      immunized BALB/c mice. Antibody-producing cells were identified by ELISA and
      Western blot analysis. By way of cloning and screening, four hybridoma cell lines
      were established. Simultaneously large-scale monoclonal antibodies produced in
      mice ascites were prepared. The results showed that the cell clone 8D12 could be
      used in immunohistochemical staining. With the ELISA additivity test, we got a
      preliminarily finding that the monoclonal antibodies were not on the same
      epitope. The antibody matching test showed that 5D7 and 7A8 successfully paired
      with 8D12, and the optimal reaction conditions were initially identified. 

PMID- 26492622
TI  - Development of ELISA and Colloidal Gold-PAb Conjugate-Based Immunochromatographic
      Assay for Detection of Abrin-a.
AB  - When abrin-a was combined with several polyclonal antibodies (PAb), the detection
      limit could be increased. In this way, a monoclonal antibody (capture) and
      polyclonal antibody (detection) sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA) and a colloidal gold-PAb conjugate-based immunochromatographic assay for
      detection of abrin-a were developed. The ELISA had a detection limit of 3.9 ng/mL
      for abrin-a in standard solution and 7.8 ng/mL in soybean milk, and was more
      sensitive than polyclonal antibody (capture) and monoclonal antibody (detection)
      ELISA, which had a detection limit of 15.6 ng/mL. The test strip had a detection
      range of 50 to 500 ng/mL for abrin-a and a detection limit in standard solution
      or soybean milk samples of 50 ng/mL. However, the test strip had a reduced
      detection capability compared with a colloidal gold-monoclonal antibody conjugate
      based immunochromatographic assay test strip, which had a lower detection limit
      of 10 ng/mL. The developed ELISAs and test strip show the specificity towards
      abrin-a and have no cross-reactivity towards abrin-b, -c, -d, ricin, or the
      agglutinins from either castor beans or rosary peas. 

PMID- 26492623
TI  - Development of Monoclonal Antibodies and Characterization of an ELISA Platform
      Against Kallikrein-Related Peptidase 6 as a Tumor Biomarker.
AB  - Kallikrein-related peptidase 6 (KLK6) is a serine protease, and one of fifteen
      kallikrein members located on chromosome 19. KLK6 is associated with the
      regulation of axonal growth following spinal injury, tumor cell metastasis, and
      alpha synuclein aggregate pathologies like Parkinson's, making KLK6 a potentially
      important biomarker. We generated a KLK6 expression vector for large-scale
      expression in Escherichia coli. After affinity chromatography purification and
      SDS-PAGE confirmation, mice were immunized with the purified protein for
      development of monoclonal B cell populations. Our immunizations generated five
      hybridomas (1D8, 2E3, 3B7, 5G8, and 5H12) against KLK6. Isotyping analysis
      revealed that clone 2E3 was IgG2b, while the other four clones were IgG1. Further
      studies found that clone 5G8 could be used to visualize specific KLK6 bands by
      Western blot analysis from ovarian cancer patient serum and plasma, and also in
      mouse liver lysates. Finally, we established a sandwich ELISA pair and determined
      their sensitivity for KLK6 to be 10 ng/mL. These findings establish an essential
      tool for the detection and analysis of KLK6. 

PMID- 26492624
TI  - Preparation, Purification, and Identification of a Monoclonal Antibody Against
      NRP2 b1b2 Domain.
AB  - First identified as a high-affinity kinase-deficient receptor for class-3
      semaphorins and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) families, Neuropilin2
      (NRP2) is a transmembrane non-tyrosine-kinase glycoprotein that has a vital
      function in neuronal patterning. Furthermore, NRP2 expression is often
      upregulated in cancer tissues and correlated with poor prognosis. In the present
      study, we report the establishment of a monoclonal antibody specific for NRP2b1b2
      domain (NRP2 MAb) through hybridoma method. NRP2 MAb is measured to have a titer
      of 5.12 * 10(5) against NRP2b1b2 in indirect ELISA. Western blotting, flow
      cytometry, and immunofluorescence analysis indicate that NRP2 MAb can combine
      full-length NRP2 in LoVo and SW480 cells. Besides helping further understand NRP2
      related pathological mechanisms and cell-signaling pathways, NRP2 MAb may act as
      a therapeutic agent for cancer in the future. 

PMID- 26492625
TI  - Protection Against H7 Subtype Influenza Virus Infection in Mice by Passive
      Transfer of Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibody.
AB  - H7 subtype influenza viruses pose serious threats to both the poultry industry
      and public health. Recent human infections of avian H7N9 influenza viruses with
      substantial morbidity and mortality have raised concerns about this virus
      becoming a potential pandemic pathogen. Neutralizing antibodies have been proven
      to be highly effective in blocking influenza virus infections. In this study, in
      order to develop an antibody-based immunoprophylaxis against H7 subtype influenza
      virus, we first generated a neutralizing monoclonal antibody (MAb) by using a
      pseudotyped lentiviral vector carrying the hemagglutinin protein of H7 subtype
      influenza virus. In vitro studies demonstrated that this neutralizing MAb
      completely inhibited the infection of an H7 subtype influenza virus to cells. The
      protective efficacy of this MAb was then further tested in a mouse model. It was
      shown that passive immunization of this MAb protected mice from local virus
      challenge. Results of the current study lay a foundation for the development of
      neutralizing MAb-mediated prophylactic strategies to combat human H7 influenza
      virus infections. 

PMID- 26492626
TI  - Comparison of Gold Nanoparticle Conjugated Secondary Antibody with Non-Gold
      Secondary Antibody in an ELISA Kit Model.
AB  - In this study, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were used as carriers of the signaling
      anti-chicken antibody peroxidase in comparison with anti-chicken antibody
      peroxidase without gold nanoparticle in a commercial avian influenza kit. AuNPs
      enhanced the absorbance and shortened the assay time. AuNPs act as a carrier of
      many enzymes and multiply the effect of enzyme when reacting with substrate. They
      amplify optical signal, while keeping low background signals. 

PMID- 26492628
TI  - Comprehensive assessment of microcirculation after primary percutaneous
      intervention in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: insight from
      thermodilution-derived index of microcirculatory resistance and coronary flow
      reserve.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A pathophysiological mechanism of microvascular dysfunction in ST
      segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is multifactorial; thus, multiple
      modalities were needed to precisely evaluate a microcirculation. METHODS: We
      complementarily assessed microcirculation in STEMI by the index of
      microcirculatory resistance (IMR) and coronary flow reserve (CFR) immediately
      after a primary percutaneous intervention in 89 STEMI patients. Cardiovascular
      and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) including cardiovascular death, target vessel
      failure, heart failure, and stroke were assessed during a mean follow-up period
      of 3.0 years. RESULTS: The microcirculation of enrolled patients was classified
      into four groups using cutoff CFR and IMR values (CFR>2 and mean IMR): group-1
      (n=23, CFR>2 and IMR <= 27); group-2 (n=31, CFR <= 2 and IMR <= 27); group-3
      (n=9, CFR>2 and IMR>27); and group-4 (n=26, CFR<2 and IMR>27). On
      echocardiography 3 months later, improvement in the wall motion score index was
      shown in group-1 (P<0.01), group-2 (P<0.01), and group-3 (P=0.04), whereas group
      4 did not show improvement in wall motion score index (P=0.06). During clinical
      follow-up, there were no MACCE in group-1 and the patients in group-2 and group-3
      showed significantly lower MACCE compared with group-4 (group-1=0%, group-2, and
      group-3=10%, group-4=23.1%, P=0.04). CONCLUSION: Complimentary assessment of
      microcirculation by the IMR and CFR may be useful to evaluate myocardial
      viability and the long-term prognosis of STEMI patients.

PMID- 26492629
TI  - The effect of patient-practitioner communication on pain: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Communication between patients and health care
      practitioners is expected to benefit health outcomes. The objective of this
      review was to assess the effects of experimentally varied communication on
      clinical patients' pain. DATABASES AND DATA TREATMENT: We searched in July 2012,
      11 databases supplemented with forward and backward searches for (quasi-)
      randomized controlled trials in which face-to-face communication was manipulated.
      We updated in June 2015 using the four most relevant databases (CINAHL, Cochrane
      Central, Psychinfo, PubMed). RESULTS: Fifty-one studies covering 5079 patients
      were included. The interventions were separated into three categories: cognitive
      care, emotional care, procedural preparation. In all but five studies the outcome
      concerned acute pain. We found that, in general, communication has a small effect
      on (acute) pain. The 19 cognitive care studies showed that a positive suggestion
      may reduce pain, whereas a negative suggestion may increase pain, but effects are
      small. The 14 emotional care studies showed no evidence of a direct effect on
      pain, although four studies showed a tendency for emotional care lowering
      patients' pain. Some of the 23 procedural preparation interventions showed a weak
      to moderate effect on lowering pain. CONCLUSIONS: Different types of
      communication have a significant but small effect on (acute) pain. Positive
      suggestions and informational preparation seem to lower patients' pain.
      Communication interventions show a large variety in quality, complexity and
      methodological rigour; they often used multiple components and it remains unclear
      what the effective elements of communication are. Future research is warranted to
      identify the effective components.

PMID- 26492630
TI  - Risk factor analysis of cerebral white matter hyperintensities in children with
      sickle cell disease.
AB  - Sickle cell disease (SCD) is complicated by silent cerebral infarcts, visible as
      white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Both
      local vaso-occlusion, elicited by endothelial dysfunction, and insufficiency of
      cerebral blood flow (CBF) have been proposed to be involved in the aetiology. We
      performed an explorative study to investigate the associations between WMHs and
      markers of endothelial dysfunction and CBF by quantifying WMH volume on 3.0 Tesla
      MRI. We included 40 children with HbSS or HbSbeta(0) thalassaemia, with a mean
      age of 12.1 +/- 2.6 years. Boys demonstrated an increased risk for WMHs (odds
      ratio 4.5, 95% confidence interval 1.2-17.4), unrelated to glucose-6-phosphate
      dehydrogenase deficiency. In patients with WMHs, lower fetal haemoglobin (HbF)
      was associated with a larger WMH volume (regression coefficient = -0.62, R2 =
      0.5, P = 0.04). Lower ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a
      thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13) levels were associated with lower CBF in
      the white matter (regression coefficient = 0.07, R2 = 0.15, P = 0.03), suggesting
      that endothelial dysfunction could potentially hamper CBF. The findings of our
      explorative study suggest that a high level of HbF may be protective for WMHs and
      that endothelial dysfunction may contribute to the development of WMHs by
      reducing CBF.

PMID- 26492631
TI  - Current controversies in prenatal diagnosis 1: should NIPT routinely include
      microdeletions/microduplications?

PMID- 26492632
TI  - Cardiovascular and Metabolic Responses to On-Water Upwind Sailing in Optimist
      Sailors.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore the cardiovascular and metabolic responses of 9 Optimist
      sailors (12.7 +/- 0.8 y, 153 +/- 9 cm, 41 +/- 6 kg, sailing career 6.2 +/- 1 y,
      peak oxygen uptake [VO2peak] 50.5 +/- 4.5 mL . min-1 . kg-1) during on-water
      upwind sailing with various wind intensities (W). METHODS: In a laboratory
      session, peak VO2, beat-by-beat cardiac output (Q),mean arterial blood pressure
      (MAP), and heart rate (fH) were measured using a progressive cycle ramp protocol.
      Steady-state VO2, Q, MAP, and fH at 4 submaximal workloads were also determined.
      During 2 on-water upwind sailing tests (constant course and with tacks), W, Q,
      MAP, and fH were measured for 15 min. On-water VO2 was estimated on the basis of
      steady-state fH measured on water and of the individual DeltaVO2/DeltafH
      relationship obtained in the laboratory. RESULTS: VO2, fH, and Q expressed as
      percentage of the corresponding peak values were linearly related with W;
      exercise intensity during on-water sailing corresponded to 46-48% of VO2peak. MAP
      and total vascular peripheral resistance (TPR = MAP/Q) were larger (P < .005)
      during on-water tests (+39% and +50%, respectively) than during cycling, and they
      were correlated with W. These responses were responsible for larger values of the
      double (DP) and triple (TP) products of the heart during sailing than during
      cycling (P < .005) (+37% and +32%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These data
      indicate that the cardiovascular system was particularly stressed during upwind
      sailing even though the exercise intensity of this activity was not particularly
      high.

PMID- 26492633
TI  - Ten Simple Rules for Creating a Good Data Management Plan.

PMID- 26492634
TI  - Autologous bone marrow stromal cells are promising candidates for cell therapy
      approaches to treat bone degeneration in sickle cell disease.
AB  - Osteonecrosis of the femoral head is a frequent complication in adult patients
      with sickle cell disease (SCD). To delay hip arthroplasty, core decompression
      combined with concentrated total bone marrow (BM) treatment is currently
      performed in the early stages of the osteonecrosis. Cell therapy efficacy depends
      on the quantity of implanted BM stromal cells. For this reason, expanded bone
      marrow stromal cells (BMSCs, also known as bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem
      cells) can be used to improve osteonecrosis treatment in SCD patients. In this
      study, we quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated the function of BMSCs
      isolated from a large number of SCD patients with osteonecrosis (SCD-ON) compared
      with control groups (patients with osteonecrosis not related to SCD (ON) and
      normal donors (N)). BM total nuclear cells and colony-forming efficiency values
      (CFE) were significantly higher in SCD-ON patients than in age and sex-matched
      controls. The BMSCs from SCD-ON patients were similar to BMSCs from the control
      groups in terms of their phenotypic and functional properties. SCD-ON patients
      have a higher frequency of BMSCs that retain their bone regeneration potential.
      Our findings suggest that BMSCs isolated from SCD-ON patients can be used
      clinically in cell therapy approaches. This work provides important preclinical
      data that is necessary for the clinical application of expanded BMSCs in advanced
      therapies and medical products.

PMID- 26492636
TI  - Effect of Performance Level on the Prediction of Middle-Distance-Running
      Performances Using a Nomogram.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study examined the effect of performance level on the validity and
      accuracy of middle-distance running-performance predictions obtained from the
      nomogram of Mercier et al in male runners. METHODS: Official French track-running
      rankings for the 3000-, 5000-, and 10,000-m events from 2006 to 2014 were
      examined. The performance level was determined from the official reference table
      of the Federation Francaise d'Athletisme, and the runners were divided in 3
      groups (ie, low, moderate, and high levels). Only male runners who performed in
      the 3 distance events within the same year were included (N = 443). Each
      performance over any distance was predicted using the nomogram from the 2 other
      performances. RESULTS: No difference was found in low- and moderate-performance
      level athletes (0.02 <= effect size [ES] <= 0.06, 95% limits of agreement [LoA]
      <= 6%). By contrast, a small difference in high-performance-level athletes (P <
      .01, 0.23 <= ES <= 0.45, 95% LoA <= 11.6%) was found. CONCLUSION: The study
      confirms the validity of the nomogram to predict track-running performance with a
      high level of accuracy, except for male runners with high performance level (ie,
      national or international). Consequently, the predictions from the nomogram may
      be used in training programs (eg, to prescribe tempo runs with realistic training
      velocities) and competitions (eg, to plan realistic split times to reach the best
      performance).

PMID- 26492635
TI  - Depression, immune function, and early adrenarche in children.
AB  - Despite consistent findings of an association between depression and immunity in
      adult and adolescent populations, little is known about the nature of this
      relationship at earlier ages. Studies of children have yielded mixed results,
      suggesting methodological confounds and/or the presence of significant moderating
      factors. Timing of adrenarche, the first phase of puberty that occurs during late
      childhood, is a plausible moderator of the depression-immunity relationship in
      late childhood due to its associations with both the immune system and
      psychological wellbeing. We hypothesized that: (1) a depression-immunity
      association exists in children, (2) this association is moderated by adrenarcheal
      timing, and, (3) this association is also moderated by gender. Data were drawn
      from a nested study of 103 participants (62 females, Mage=9.5, age range: 8.67
      10.21 years) participating in a population based cohort study of the transition
      from childhood to adolescence (across puberty). Participants in this nested study
      completed the Children's Depression Inventory 2 (CDI-2) and provided morning
      saliva samples to measure immune markers (i.e., C-reactive protein, CRP; and
      secretory immunoglobulin A, SIgA). Using hierarchical regression, inflammation
      measured by CRP was positively associated with the negative mood/physical
      symptoms (NM/PS) subscale (beta=0.23, t=2.33, p=0.022) of the CDI-2. A
      significant interaction effect of SIgA x adrenarcheal timing was found for NM/PS
      (beta=-0.39, t=-2.19, p=0.031) and Interpersonal Problems (beta=-0.47, t=-2.71,
      p=0.008). SIgA and NM/PS were positively associated for relatively late
      developers. SIgA and Interpersonal Problems were positively associated for late
      developers, and negatively associated for early developers. We suggest that both
      sets of findings might be partially explained by the immunosuppressive effect of
      the hormonal changes associated with earlier adrenarche, namely testosterone.
      These results also suggest that adrenarcheal timing has an effect on the
      association between depression and immunity, and is therefore an important
      measure in research with younger populations. Future research should utilize
      longitudinal designs to demonstrate direction of influence of variables, and use
      a broader range of pro- and anti-inflammatory markers. 

PMID- 26492637
TI  - Electrostatic and Small-Signal Analysis  of CMUTs With Circular and Square 
      Anisotropic Plates.
AB  - Traditionally, capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) are
      modeled using the isotropic plate equation, and this leads to deviations between
      analytical calculations and finite element modeling (FEM). In this paper, the
      deflection is calculated for both circular and square plates using the full
      anisotropic plate equation. It is shown that the anisotropic calculations match
      excellently with FEM, whereas an isotropic approach causes up to 10% deviations
      in deflection. For circular plates, an exact solution can be found. For square
      plates using the Galerkin method, and utilizing the symmetry of the silicon
      crystal, a compact and accurate expression for the deflection can be obtained.
      The deviation from FEM in center deflection is <0.1%. The theory of multilayer
      plates is also applied to the CMUT. The deflection of a square plate was measured
      on fabricated CMUTs using a white light interferometer. Fitting the plate
      parameter for the anisotropic calculated deflection to the measurement, a
      deviation of 0.07% is seen. Electrostatic and small-signal dynamic analysis are
      performed using energy considerations including anisotropy. The stable position,
      effective spring constant, pullin distance, and pull-in voltage are found for
      both circular and square anisotropic plates, and the pressure dependence is
      included by comparison with the corresponding analysis for a parallel plate.
      Measurements on fabricated devices with both circular and square plates subjected
      to increasing bias voltage are performed, and it is observed that the models
      including anisotropic effects are within the uncertainty interval of the
      measurements. Finally, a lumped element small-signal model for both circular and
      square anisotropic plates is derived to describe the dynamics of the CMUT.

PMID- 26492638
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25970376.

PMID- 26492639
TI  - Quantitative analysis of flavanones and chalcones from willow bark.
AB  - Willow bark extracts are used for the treatment of fever, pain and inflammation.
      Recent clinical and pharmacological research revealed that not only the salicylic
      alcohol derivatives, but also the polyphenols significantly contribute to these
      effects. Quantitative analysis of the European Pharmacopoeia still focuses on the
      determination of the salicylic alcohol derivatives. The objective of the present
      study was the development of an effective quantification method for the
      determination of as many flavanone and chalcone glycosides as possible in Salix
      purpurea and other Salix species as well as commercial preparations thereof. As
      Salix species contain a diverse spectrum of the glycosidated flavanones
      naringenin, eriodictyol, and the chalcone chalconaringenin, a subsequent acidic
      and enzymatic hydrolysis was developed to yield naringenin and eriodictyol as
      aglycones, which were quantified by HPLC. The 5-O-glucosides were cleaved with
      11.5% TFA before subsequent hydrolysis of the 7-O-glucosides with an almond beta
      glucosidase at pH 6-7. The method was validated with regard to LOD, LOQ, intraday
      and interday precision, accuracy, stability, recovery, time of hydrolysis,
      robustness and applicability to extracts. All 5-O- and 7-O-glucosides of
      naringenin, eriodictyol and chalconaringenin were completely hydrolysed and
      converted to naringenin and eriodictyol. The LOD of the HPLC method was 0.77 MUM
      of naringenin and 0.45 MUM of eriodictyol. The LOQ was 2.34 MUM of naringenin and
      1.35 MUM for eriodictyol. The method is robust with regard to sample weight, but
      susceptible concerning enzyme deterioration. The developed method is applicable
      to the determination of flavanone and chalcone glycosides in willow bark and
      corresponding preparations.

PMID- 26492640
TI  - Quantitative determination of the beta-methyl carbapenem doripenem in powder for
      injection by a stability-indicating capillary zone electrophoresis method.
AB  - A capillary zone electrophoresis method for quantitative determination of
      doripenem in synthetic matrix was developed. The stability-indicating capability
      was performed applying stress testing protocols. The selected analytical
      conditions include 100 mM sodium borate buffer (pH 8.0) as run electrolyte,
      voltage of +15 kV, hydrodynamic injection of 5s (50 mBar), detection at 298 nm
      and temperature of analysis of 25 degrees C. The electrophoretic separation was
      carried out in a fused silica capillary (effective length 40 cm, 50 MUm i.d.),
      using procainamide hydrochloride as internal standard. The proposed method showed
      quickness and reproducibility, with an analytical run in a total time of 5 min.
      The percentage of drug amount estimated was 101.33% (RSD = 0.80), with
      satisfactory intra-day and inter-day precision. In the recovery test, the method
      was found to be reliable and accurate in the drug quantitation (mean recovery =
      101.86%). The robustness was performed applying the Plackett-Burman experimental
      design which confirmed the assay reliability. Based on results from forced
      degradation study, the stability-indicating capability was established, being
      observed a major degradation in alkaline, photolytic and thermal conditions. In
      comparison to HPLC method previously developed, the proposed capillary
      electrophoresis assay is statistically equivalent.

PMID- 26492641
TI  - Influence of formulation on photoinactivation of bacteria by lumichrome.
AB  - Lumichrome, a photodegradation product of riboflavin, is an endogenous compound
      in humans. The compound is more photostable and a more efficient photogenerator
      of singlet oxygen than riboflavin. It absorbs radiation in the UVA and blue-light
      region, which can be an advantage in antibacterial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) of
      superficial infections. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro
      aPDT effect of various lumichrome pharmaceutical formulations. Solutions of
      lumichrome (10(-5) - 10(-3)M) were prepared in plain phosphate buffered saline
      (PBS) or in PBS solutions containing cyclodextrins, DMSO, PEG 400 or polyoxamers
      (Pluronic). Supersaturated solutions of lumichrome in PBS were prepared via the
      cosolvent and solvent evaporation method. Phototoxic effects of selected
      lumichrome preparations were studied in planktonic Gram-positive (E. faecalis)
      and Gram-negative (E. coli) bacteria models. The UVA/blue light source emitted
      mainly in the range 340-440 nm. Lumichrome was up to tenfold more phototoxic
      against Gram-positive than to Gram-negative bacteria. Bacterial eradication was
      induced after exposure of lumichrome formulations (PBS, PEG 400 and HPgammaCD)
      combined with 24J/cm2 UVA/blue light. Increasing the concentration of lumichrome
      did not enhance the phototoxic effect, probably due to radiation attenuation in
      the highly absorbing solution (inner filter effect). Cyclodextrins were efficient
      enhancers of the lumichrome solubility in aqueous solutions, but inhibited the
      phototoxic effect. The study demonstrates that assuming the use of an optimized
      formulation, lumichrome has potential as a UVA/blue light photosensitizer in
      aPDT.

PMID- 26492642
TI  - Analysis of Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) genetic polymorphisms and haplotypes
      in Chinese Han population.
AB  - Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1i) protein is the key transporter responsible for
      dietary cholesterol absorption. Recent studies indicated that several functional
      polymorphisms of NPC1L1 were associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and
      response to ezetimibe therapy. The aim of the present study was to analyze the
      allele frequency and haplotype distribution of NPC1L1 polymorphisms in Chinese
      Hans and to compare them with those of other ethnic populations reported before.
      Blood samples were collected from 424 unrelated Chinese Hans (246 males and 178
      females). Ten NPC1L1 polymorphisms (-762T > C, -133A > G, -18C > A, 1721C > T,
      1735C > G, 1764T > C, 1767G > A, 27677T > C, 25342A > C and 28650A > G) were
      genotyped by direct sequencing or polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment
      length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. Among the variants, the minor allele
      frequency of -762T > C and 1735C > G were 35.0% and 37.0%, respectively.
      Furthermore, these two polymorphisms were highly linked with a D' value of 0.80.
      The observed frequencies of two major haplotypes were 59.1% for T-762/C1735 and
      30.1% for C-762/G1735, respectively. The frequencies of the rest variants were
      extremely low (1.8% for - 133G, 1.5% for -18A, 0.9% for 1721T and only 0.2% for
      27677C allele, respectively) or even not detected (1764T > C, 1767G > A, 25342A >
      C and 28650A > G) in our study population. Comparison with other ethnic
      populations revealed a remarkable genetic variability in the incidences of NPC1L1
      polymorphisms. The frequencies of NPC1L1 polymorphisms in Chinese Hans are
      comparable to Japanese population but totally different from Caucasians, African
      Americans and Hispanic individuals. This is the first study to report the ethnic
      difference in the frequencies of NPC1L1 functional polymorphisms in detail. -762T
      > C and 1735C > G are two prevalent NPC1L1 variants which need further studies to
      explore their clinical impact on CHD prevalence and response to ezetimibe therapy
      in Chinese Hans.

PMID- 26492643
TI  - Characterization of endonuclease G and mitochondria-sarcoplasmic reticulum
      related proteins during cardiac hypertrophy.
AB  - Endonuclease G (Endo G) is a novel determinant of cardiac hypertrophy. Here, we
      report the characterization of Endo G and mitochondria-sarcoplasmic reticulum
      related proteins during cardiac hypertrophy, and hypothesize that Endo G regulate
      mitochondrial function partly through Mfn2 and Jp2 during cardiac hypertrophy.
      Our results show that Endo G levels gradually increased at the beginning of
      phenylephrine-induced cardiac hypertrophy, accompanied by an abnormal
      mitochondrial membrane potential. The up-regulation of Mfn2, Jp2, and Endo G
      appeared at an early stage of cardiac hypertrophy, whereas PGC1alpha was not up
      regulated until a later stage. Abolishing Endo G with siRNA led to the uncoupling
      of the mitochondrial electron transport chain from ATP production and decreased
      PGC1alpha expression, likely by affecting the juxtaposition of the mitochondria
      and the sarcoplasmic reticulum via Mfn2 and Jp2. Furthermore, abolishing Jp2
      altered the expression of Endo G expression and induced mitochondrial
      dysfunction, suggesting that mitochondrial abnormalities in cardiac hypertrophy
      are most likely caused by Endo G. Taken together, our study established a link
      between Endo G and mitochondrial function during cardiac hypertrophy, partly
      through the effects of Endo G on Mfn2 and Jp2, and revealed a role for Endo G in
      the crosstalk between the processes controlled by Mfn2 and Jp2 in maladaptive
      cardiac hypertrophy.

PMID- 26492644
TI  - Cardioprotective effect of breviscapine: inhibition of apoptosis in H9c2
      cardiomyocytes via the PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway following simulated
      ischemia/reperfusion injury.
AB  - Breviscapine (BE) is a standardized Chinese herbal medicine extracted from
      Erigeron breviscapus (Vant.) Hand.-Mazz. It has been widely used to treat
      cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, there are no reports on the
      protective effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of BE action on myocardial
      ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R)-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. In the present
      study, we aimed to confirm the cardioprotective effect of BE from MI/R injury in
      vivo, and investigate the potential molecular mechanisms against simulated
      ischemia/reperfusion (SI/R)-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in vitro. The rat
      model of MI/R injury was induced by 30 min of transient vessel occlusion followed
      by 3 h of reperfusion. BE significantly reduced the myocardium infarct size and
      production of cardiac troponin (cTnl) in serum. In an in vitro experiment, H9c2
      cardiomyocytes were incubated with vehicle or ischemic buffer during hypoxia;
      then, they were reoxygenated with or without BE. BE markedly improved the cell
      viability and decreased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. We confirmed the
      anti-apoptotic effect of BE with the Hoechst 33258 staining assay, and this
      effect was associated with an increase in Bcl-2 and a decrease in active caspase
      3 expression. Western blot analysis also showed that BE increased the
      phosphorylation of Akt and eNOS in H9c2 cells, and the protective effects of BE
      were partially inhibited by the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3K) specific
      inhibitor LY294002. Our results suggested that BE could provide significant
      cardioprotection against MI/R injury, and the potential mechanisms might involve
      suppression of cardiomyocyte apoptosis through activating the PI3K/Akt/eNOS
      signaling pathway.

PMID- 26492645
TI  - Suppression of MAPK and NF-kappa B pathways by schisandrin B contributes to
      attenuation of DSS-induced mice model of inflammatory bowel disease.
AB  - Schisandrin B (Sch B), the most abundant dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan isolated
      from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill,
      possesses various biological activities, such as hepatic protection, anti-tumor,
      anti-inflammatory and anti-cardiovascular properties. However, the effect of Sch
      B on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is not yet known. The aim of this study was
      to investigate whether Sch B has protective effect against dextran sulfate sodium
      (DSS)-induced colitis in a mouse model. The acute mouse model of IBD was induced
      by drinking 2.5% DSS water for 5 days. Sch B was administered orally in doses of
      10, 40, and 100 mg/kg respectively. It significantly reduced concentration of TNF
      alpha, IL-1beta, INF-gamma and IL-6 in colon tissue as well as the mRNA
      expression levels. In addition, we demonstrated that Sch B blocked the
      phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) p65, p38
      mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase, and
      extracellular signal regulated kinase in DSS-induced acute colitis. In
      conclusion, these results indicated that Sch B could exert beneficial effects on
      experimental IBD induced by DSS and may represent a novel treatment strategy for
      IBD.

PMID- 26492646
TI  - Chronic rapamycin treatment exacerbates metabolism and does not down-regulate
      mTORC2/Akt signaling in diabetic mice induced by high-fat diet and
      streptozotocin.
AB  - Rapamycin, a classical inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), has
      been intensively studied for its role in metabolism and verified to induce
      metabolic defects through mTORC2/Akt pathway. However, disparity of the results
      exists depending on the differences of the animal models or the detailed
      procedures. Moreover, data regarding the effect of rapamycin treatment in
      diabetic models are sparse. Therefore, we investigated its influence on glucose
      and lipid metabolism, and further analyzed its effect on the mTORC2/Akt pathway
      in a high-fat diet- and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice model. Three-weeks
      old C57BL/6J mice were fed with a high fat diet (60 kcal% fat) and
      intraperitoneally injected with streptozotocin (100 mg/kg) at 6 weeks of age.
      Rapamycin (2 mg/kg) was orally given to the mice daily for consecutive 6 weeks.
      Body weight, blood lipid parameters and HbA(1c)% values were evaluated. Oral
      glucose test and insulin tolerance test were performed. Furthermore, western blot
      assay was applied to investigate the protein epression levels of Akt and
      PKCalpha, two key targets of the mTORC2/Akt pathway. Rapamycin-treated diabetic
      mice demonstrated less weight gain, more profound symptoms of polydipsia,
      polyphagia and polyuria, significant liver fat accumulation and exacerbated
      metabolic disorders including insulin resistance, hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia.
      Contrary to what have been expected, though significantly inhibiting mTORC1/S6K1
      signaling, chronic rapamycin treatment failed to down-regulate mTORC2/Akt
      pathway. Our findings provide evidence that chronic rapamycin treatment may
      exacerbate metabolism in diabetic subjects and does not down-regulate mTORC2/Akt
      signialing in a high-fat diet- and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice model.

PMID- 26492647
TI  - In vitro anti-cancer effects of the actin-binding natural compound rhizopodin.
AB  - Several natural compound interfere with microtubules or the actin cytoskeleton.
      Compounds interfering with the microtubules like Vinca-alkaloids or taxanes, are
      extensively used for cancer therapy. In contrast, knowledge about pharmacological
      properties of actin binding drugs is poor and drugs interfering with actin are
      far from clinical use. Rhizopodin is a natural compound that strongly affects the
      actin cytoskeleton at nanomolar concentrations. Initial work revealed interesting
      anti-bacterial and cytotoxic effects, but the cellular effects and
      pharmacological properties of rhizopodin have not been characterized. We
      hypothesized that rhizopodin might exert anti-cancer activity. Therefore, the aim
      of this study was to characterize the cellular and pharmacological effects of
      rhizopodin in cancer. Effects of rhizopodin demonstrated prominent effects on the
      actin cytoskeleton as shown in the actin-pyrene assay and by immunostaining of
      cancer cells. To investigate cellular effects of rhizopodin, we analyzed cell
      proliferation, cell death induction by propidium iodide exclusion and western
      blot, as well as migration by impedance measurement using the xCELLligence device
      in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer and T24 bladder cancer cell lines. Rhizopodin
      inhibited proliferation and induced cell death of MDA-MB-231 and T24 cells at
      nanomolar concentrations. PARP cleavage by rhizopodin suggests caspase-dependent
      cell death induction. Importantly, rhizopodin potently inhibited MDA-MB-231 and
      T24 cancer cell migration at subtoxic doses where no actin aggregation was
      observed, indicating a specific underlying signaling of rhizopodin. In summary,
      our study elucidates rhizopodin as actin-binding natural compound that exerts
      potent anti-cancer effects. Therefore, our work provides the basis for further in
      depth characterization of rhizopodin as an antitumoral agent.

PMID- 26492648
TI  - Ethnopharmacological information from the botanical correspondence of Berthold
      Seemann (1825 - 1871)--a pilot study.
AB  - Historical research may be able to contribute to the exploration of traditional
      knowledge about medicinal plants and promising attempts have been made
      investigating Byzantine texts, Early Modern herbals, and writings of Christian
      missionaries. In this pilot study it should be explored if publications, travel
      reports, diaries or correspondence of the botanical explorers of the 19th and
      early 20th centuries may serve a source of ethnopharmacological information as
      well and may be able to guide modern phytopharmacological research. Writings of
      Berthold Seemann (1825-1871), a German investigator exploring the botany of
      Middle America, the Fiji islands and other regions, are investigated as a first
      example. It could be shown that Seemann's heritage mainly kept at Kew Garden
      Archives, does contain ethnopharmacological information which in part has already
      been confirmed by recent study results indicating some reliability of his
      observations. However, there are also reports about traditional medicinal plants
      scarcely investigated so far, including Schultesia stenophylla Mart. (syn. S.
      guainensis (Aubl.) Malme), Trixis inula Crantz, Waltheria glomerata Presl.,
      Gonophlebium attenuatum (Humb. & Bonpl. Es Wil?d) C. Presl., or
      Pseudoelephantopus spicatus (Juss ex Aubl.) C.F. Baker. It is suggested to
      further explore their potential as medicinal plants. In general, as Seemann's
      example has shown, publications and correspondence of botanical explorers of the
      past seem to be a valuable and hitherto almost neglected source of information to
      be considered in further historical and ethnopharmacological research.

PMID- 26492649
TI  - "Everyone can reap the rewards of revalidation".

PMID- 26492650
TI  - Private firms aim to cash in on revalidation sign off.

PMID- 26492651
TI  - New RCN chief 'frustrated' by those who look to nursing past.

PMID- 26492652
TI  - Lack of 'vital' protection for district nurses working alone.

PMID- 26492653
TI  - Review will assess support for student whistleblowers.

PMID- 26492654
TI  - New overseas nurse crackdown prompts nurses to quit the NHS.

PMID- 26492655
TI  - Manchester trust recruits over 250 Indian nurses.

PMID- 26492656
TI  - Thousands sign petition to exempt nursing from immigration rules.

PMID- 26492657
TI  - Trusts will be able to breach spending cap on agency staff.

PMID- 26492658
TI  - "Cancer CNSs are not only cost effective, but also invaluable".

PMID- 26492659
TI  - "Nursing needs to find a better way of protecting itself".

PMID- 26492660
TI  - Life outside the NHS.

PMID- 26492661
TI  - "Learning disability nursing is still genuine nursing".

PMID- 26492662
TI  - Rehabilitating patients after critical care.
AB  - Many people survive critical illness but experience problems such as post
      traumatic stress disorder, after discharge from the critical care unit. This
      article aims to help intensive care and ward-based nurses, as well as the wider
      multidisciplinary team, understand the importance of promoting rehabilitation for
      patients after critical illness. It outlines how critical illness and admission
      to intensive care affects patients and families, and details rehabilitation
      strategies that have been adopted and proved beneficial.

PMID- 26492663
TI  - Do care homes increase risk of dehydration?

PMID- 26492664
TI  - Reducing dehydration in residents of care homes.
AB  - Dehydration can have serious consequences for older people and is a particular
      problem for residents of nursing and care homes. This article, the second in a
      two-part series, describes how a specialist care home for people with dementia in
      Great Yarmouth introduced high-quality hydration care to frail residents. By
      involving all staff and ensuring residents take a litre of fluid by the end of a
      relaxed and extended breakfast, staff have reduced anxiety and aggression and
      created a calmer and more sociable atmosphere. This has benefitted residents,
      visitors and staff, and is reflected in low levels of unplanned hospital
      admissions and paramedic call-outs.

PMID- 26492665
TI  - Improving upper limb function after stroke.

PMID- 26492666
TI  - A new model of reflection for clinical practice.
AB  - Reflection is a tool that is commonly used as part of student nurse education and
      in clinical practice, and is often supported by the use of reflective models. It
      can help demonstrate everyday learning and is also useful for processing thoughts
      after a critical incident. This article describes a new model of reflection that
      ensures a thorough reflective process is followed and yet is easy to remember:
      users do not need textbooks to remind them what each stage covers and what they
      are required to do.

PMID- 26492667
TI  - 60 seconds with Sarah Richardson.

PMID- 26492668
TI  - Five decades in nursing.

PMID- 26492669
TI  - Help your boss tackle bullying.

PMID- 26492670
TI  - [The Formulaires of Magendie (1821-1840) of the chemical pharmacy to
      pharmacology].
AB  - With nine consecutive issues published from 1821 to 1836, the Formulaire
      concepted by Magendie as a usual tool for the medical precriptions, was first
      dedicated to the new chemical pharmaceuticals, mainly the pure alcaloids,
      strychnine, quinine and morphine, extracted from raw products. As well he
      included mineral chemicals, hydrocyanates, iodine and bromide, all supported by
      newly achieved works, from Pelletier, Caventou and others. Magendie perfectly
      skilled in animal experimentation, developped and standardized the as far as to
      evaluate the activity and safety degrees of these new components. It clearly
      anticipated the evaluation plan determined by the law for the registration of the
      new drugs in the twentieth century.

PMID- 26492671
TI  - [Raspail, propagandist himself from the "warnings" of the manual of health,
      between 1845 and 1878].
AB  - During the last thirty years of his life, between 1845 and 1878, Francois-Vincent
      Raspail (1794-1878) published each year a new edition of his Manuel de sante
      (Manual of Health), which was intended as a practical guide to prevent and treat,
      using in particular camphor, major human diseases. Each edition was accompanied
      by a preamble, as an annual forum where the "revered teacher" applied to give
      information on his family, his trial, his stays in prison, his resentment, his
      exile, his publications, schedules consultations, etc. As a libertarian protester
      against the powers wether medical, political or judicial, Raspail was a tireless
      defender of the poor and weak, and this attitude earned him his reputation and
      his popularity. This positive image of "secular saint" was built from an
      effective propaganda, where the Manuel de sante and its preambles played a
      central rol.

PMID- 26492672
TI  - [Raspail, Don Quixote of camphor!].
AB  - Francois Vincent Raspail (1794-1878) was a chemist and a politician who practised
      medicine illegally : for him, all pathologies were almost exclusively caused by
      "parasites" and he treated them all thanks to the beneficial effects of camphor.
      Raspail did not invent nor discover that substance, which was broadly used in the
      18th century, but he codified the use of its various pharmaceutical forms thanks
      to what would be later called "Raspail's method": camphor to eat (lumps), to
      snuff (powder), to smoke (cigarettes), brandy and 32 degrees  camphored alcohol,
      camphored oil and sedative water... Since Raspail lavished his patients with many
      hygiene pieces of advice and moral principles, this method--that was actually a
      prolongation of his political action in favour of the very poor--was a complete
      success among the population. But this success was also due to the simplicity of
      the remedy, its relative harmlessness and, above all, to an incredibly efficient
      advertising since he enjoyed the support of many important people and also
      published a very successful book, his Manuel annuaire de Sante, that was re
      edited 77 times.

PMID- 26492673
TI  - [A quarantine of plague at the lazaret of Frioul in 1901].
AB  - In September 1901, a cruise for work and pleasure is organized in Mediterranean
      including VIP all firstclass (politicals, scientists, clergymen...) These were
      174 passengers on the ship Senegal. After a departure from Marseille, the ship
      must quickly turn and go back on account of a sailor in the crew might be sicked
      with plague. A quarantine was organised in the lazaret of Frioul's island. This
      man died but an another actually ill will be cured. All the conference
      participents landed in the Frioul lazaret stayed only seven days on place and
      remained uninjured. This misadventure will be studied by scientific people and
      given to authorities. So, Pr Jules Buckoy' communication to the french Academy of
      medicine. Adrien Proust gave a report. In this doctoral thesis in 1902 Joseph
      Pellissier reported all the cases of plague cured in the Frioul lazaret. The
      physician Charles Leroux made an epidemiologic study about effects and troubles
      with plague serums. A lot of orig- inal and beautiful photographs, notably those
      by the famous passenger, Leon Gaumont, are joined in our presentation.

PMID- 26492674
TI  - [Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) and the "wound shock"].
AB  - Ludwig Wittgenstein was born in 1889 in Vienna. As a scholar in Cambdrige
      University, his philosophical achievements are still major regarding the
      foundations of mathematics and language. In 1939, he took a job as a porter at
      London Guys' Hospital then under the Blitz. Wittgenstein met Drs. Grant and Reeve
      who worked in a dedicated "traumatic shock" under the auspices of the Medical
      Research Council unit, a unit which then moved to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in
      Newcastle; Wittgenstein followed them as a technician and improved the
      preparation of fine pieces of histology fixed by paraffin. He also invented a new
      device to record pulse pressure and paradoxical pulse search in laboratory rats.
      At the end of the war, he returned to Cambridge until 1949 and died in 1951.

PMID- 26492675
TI  - [The daily life of patients at the Hotel-Dieu in Lyon in the nineteenth century].
AB  - In 1802 the Hotel-Dieu in Lyons was incorporated in the so-called Hospices Civils
      de Lyon. This allowed the expansion and renovation of buildings, as well as the
      improvement of the conditions of hygiene and comfort of the patients. This
      hospital was devoted only to the most severely ill or injured adults. 1100
      patients were treated by seven doctors, a main surgeon and his deputy, residents
      and sisters. Broadly speaking the evolution of surgery can be divided into two
      periods: that of before anesthesia and septic surgery and that of antiseptic and
      aseptic surgery. We have to mention Gensoul and the resection of the maxillary
      before anesthesia, Bonnet and Ollier who were devoted to osteo-articular surgery
      (Ollier's disease), Poncet who built the first aseptic theater, Jaboulay and the
      resident Carrel who were transplantation's pioneers, Bouveret (paroxysmal
      tachycardia and Bouveret syndrome), Destot who did the first medical use of X
      rays in 1895.

PMID- 26492676
TI  - [The Liege School of Physiology in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries].
AB  - A short history of the "Ecole liegeoise" of physiology, its great men (Schwann,
      Van Beneden Fredericq, Florkin and Bacq) and the position of physiology in the
      future.

PMID- 26492677
TI  - [Simenon and medicine: a close and complex relationship].
AB  - Both as a Leodiensis citizen and as a novelist, Simenon had strong and complex
      links with medecine and medical men.

PMID- 26492678
TI  - [The research on medicine in Greco-Roman Egypt in the Centre de Documentation de
      Papyrologie Litteraire (CEDOPAL) of the University of Liege].
AB  - The paper presents the research on medicine in Greco-Roman Egypt conducted in the
      last forty years at the Centre de Documentation de Papyrologie Litteraire
      (CEDOPAL) at the University of Liege. It describes the main results obtained by
      deciphering, editing, translating and commenting Greek and Latin medical papyri,
      be they literary, documentary or magical.

PMID- 26492679
TI  - [Anonymous Londinensis and the Greek documentary papyrus of medicine at the
      CEDOPAL].
AB  - The present paper proposes an account of my research on human and veterinary
      medicine in Graeco-Roman and Byzantine Egypt, undertaken since 2008 at the
      CEDOPAL at the University of Liege. This research focuses on literary papyri,
      particularly on the Anonymus Londiniensis (Hermopolis?, 2d half of the 1st).

PMID- 26492680
TI  - [The pharmacopeia in the Austrian Netherlands: an unpublished book in the
      Archives of Namur].
AB  - Pharmacopeia in the Austrian Netherlands: an unpublished medical book in the
      Archives of Namur (Belgium); a codicological study and a study of the content.

PMID- 26492681
TI  - [The uncertain construction of a medical discourse on the effects of zinc in the
      nineteenth century].
AB  - What about the pathological effects of zinc mining in the region of Liege during
      the 19th century.

PMID- 26492682
TI  - [The former medical faculty of Reims, famous place of medical training for
      students of Liege and the region of Liege].
AB  - The author, taking advantage of this meeting between the French Society of
      Medicine and the Centre for the history of Science and Technology in the city of
      Liege, provides us with a rectified list of all the Doctors in Medicine in Liege
      and its province who were promoted to the former Faculty of Medicine in Reims.
      New controls have been made thanks to the contribution of two registration books
      which give previous education establishments for the medical doctorate. This
      research has also been checked on the list established in the masterful work
      written by Marcel Florkin et Jean Kelecom, namely Kelecom Le monde medical
      liegeois avant la Revolution (Liege Medical World before the French Revolution).

PMID- 26492684
TI  - "Nurses need support to discuss end-of-life care".

PMID- 26492683
TI  - [Meyerbeer, spa curist, biography of J. -F. Struensee, physician and man of the
      modernist state].
AB  - In 1757, Struensee (1737-1772) graduated in medicine at Halle-Saale university,
      as his father a high dignitary in the lutherian church was, and supported by the
      presence of his grand-father the physician and scientist Samuel Carl. The family
      moved to Altona where he was nominated as physician in the city council. Then he
      largely dealt with medical and social items, for orphans and disabled, and
      attempted to prevent infectious deseases, small pox, typhus, scabies ans
      dysenteric syndroms. For sure when he practised his investigations on water
      samples with microscopy, Struensee acted as a pioneer to suspect microrganisms to
      be responsible for infectious diseases. Later on, he started his medical service
      dedicated to the Danish king Christian VII. This part of his life demonstrated
      the ambitious but highly capable man he was when running the whole government
      load for Denmark, in a liberal and advanced way. We link the drama of his death
      when he was condamned, to the symphony composed by Meyerbeer (1791-1864), known
      as an incidental music for Michael Beer's play Struensee, 1846.

PMID- 26492685
TI  - Concerns over skill mix and recruitment in A&E.

PMID- 26492686
TI  - Election result means tough time ahead for nurses, say academics.

PMID- 26492687
TI  - Patient views offer 'important messages' for end-of-life care.

PMID- 26492688
TI  - Nurse jobs 'safe' after trust takes over GP services.

PMID- 26492689
TI  - Nurses celebrate their profession.

PMID- 26492690
TI  - Nursing quality scheme piloted in Scotland.

PMID- 26492691
TI  - Nurse shortage leaves agency unable to fill majority of shifts.

PMID- 26492693
TI  - "Involving nurses in purchasing will make the NHS greener".

PMID- 26492692
TI  - Relaxation steps help nurses 'cut stress by 40%'.

PMID- 26492694
TI  - "What the Tories' victory means for the NHS's future".

PMID- 26492695
TI  - "Specialists are uniquely positioned to share knowledge".

PMID- 26492696
TI  - Screening for antibiotic-resistant infection.
AB  - Cases of carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae (CPEs) are rising in the UK
      and around the world. Guidelines from Public Heath England outline methods for
      screening and managing CPEs, although the implementation is costly. Managing CPEs
      effectively relies on early detection and management of colonised or infected
      people. This article describes how an acute London trust designed a management
      programme for CPEs that involved increased screening. It began with a trustwide
      point-prevalence study to determine the most likely entrance points of the
      infection. Coupled with yearly reviews, this will enable targeted screening and
      more efficient use of resources.

PMID- 26492697
TI  - Assessing knowledge of antimicrobial stewardship.
AB  - The Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG) is a national clinical
      multidisciplinary forum that coordinates and delivers antimicrobial stewardship
      (AS). This work includes ensuring health professionals have the necessary
      knowledge to contribute to improving the use of antimicrobials and to develop and
      implement education resources if required. The SAPG undertook a survey to scope
      the current understanding and learning needs among nurses and midwives in a range
      of care settings across Scotland. This article reports on the results, which have
      been used to help develop a dedicated AS education programme for this group of
      health professionals.

PMID- 26492698
TI  - How NHS managers are perceived by nurses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The introduction of business principles into the NHS to increase
      efficiency and value for money has involved bringing in managers who are not
      necessarily experienced in healthcare, but can offer the right business skills.
      AIM: To learn more about frontline nurses' perception of senior managers and any
      areas of potential conflict. METHOD: Interviews with 31 frontline NHS nurses in a
      Scottish hospital between July and September 2010 to explore their perceptions of
      the managers' role. RESULTS: Many participants had a poor understanding of senior
      managers' role. They believed the non-clinical background of some managers meant
      they cannot understand the pressures at the front line. DISCUSSION: One way to
      increase staff engagement could be for managers to spend time at the front line
      experiencing what it is like to give patient care. This could increase their
      credibility to frontline staff as leaders. CONCLUSIONS: Tensions can arise
      between managers and nurses because of perceived differences in priorities.
      Understanding the relationship between senior managers and frontline nursing
      staff, and involving nurses in decision making, can lead to shared goals.

PMID- 26492700
TI  - Perceptions of a "good death" in acute hospitals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that half of all deaths occur in hospital, there is
      a lack of literature on general nurses' experiences of caring for end-of-life
      patients on general hospital wards. AIM: To ascertain general nurses' perceptions
      and experiences of a good death in an acute hospital setting. METHOD: In-depth
      interviews were conducted with 13 general nurses working in an acute hospital.
      RESULTS: Six themes were identified as important in facilitating a good death:
      good communication/awareness of expected death; time (to care); environment;
      support; knowledge; symptom management. CONCLUSION: Participants felt that
      failing to communicate a diagnosis of dying adversely affected the quality of
      death. As such the focus of future end-of-life care education needs to include
      how general nurses can facilitate communication and handle difficult questions to
      enable a good death for patients and their families.

PMID- 26492701
TI  - 60 seconds with Peter Gill.

PMID- 26492702
TI  - Diagnosis, step by step.

PMID- 26492703
TI  - [The memory of prof. Andrew Miecznikowski, the Nestor of Polish gynecology,
      obstetrics and gynecology oncology].

PMID- 26492704
TI  - Montelukast is effective in preventing of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome; an
      experimental study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy of montelukast in comparison with
      cabergoline in the prevention of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in
      rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An experimental OHSS model was formed in 35 female
      Wistar rats. Rats (22 days old) were randomized into 5 groups, each containing 7
      animals. The control group received no therapy; the mild OHSS group was
      administered pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) 10 IU for 4 days, hCG 10 IU
      on the 5th day; the severe OHSS group received PMSG 10 IU for 4 days, hCG 30 IU
      on the 5th day The montelukast group: received montelukast 10 mg/kg/day and the
      cabergoline group was administered cabergollne 100 microg/kg/day via oral gavage
      for 6 days (days 22-27), in addition to those of severe OHSS. All groups were
      sacrificed on 28th day Body weight, ovarian diameter and weight, vascular
      permeability vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), semiquantitative VEGF
      receptor-1, and VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) immunohistochemistry were evaluated.
      RESULTS: Ovarian diameter and VEGF expression were significantly lower in the
      montelukast and cabergoline groups than in the severe OHSS group. While
      montelukast was more effective in limiting vascular permeability in the severe
      OHSS, cabergoline was superior to montelukast with respect to the limiting effect
      on increased body weight and VEGFR-2 expression. CONCLUSIONS: The VEGF/VEGFR-2
      interaction plays an important role in OHSS pathogenesis. Montelukast limits VEGF
      expression, and cabergoline reduces both VEGF and VEGFR-2 expressions; they are
      both effective therapies for the prevention of severe OHSS.

PMID- 26492705
TI  - Primary ovarian clear cell carcinoma of the abdominal wall--a systematic review
      of the literature to establish optimal surgical management.
AB  - Primary ovarian clear cell carcinoma of the abdominal wall (AW-OCCC) is an
      extremely rare occurrence. Therefore, data on the prognosis and treatment regime
      remain limited. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to provide an evidence-based
      review of the available case reports to establish optimal surgical management.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: A literature search according to PRISMA guidelines was
      performed using PubMed database (from 01.01.1990 to 31.12.2013) with the terms:
      "clear cell carcinoma" and "abdominal wall". A total of 17 case reports on 18
      patients with full text available were identified. RESULTS: All AW-OCCC's
      appeared after previous laparotomy for gynecological reasons, with cesarean
      section as the predominant intervention (15/18, 83%). Median age was 46 years
      (range 37-56) and median time elapsed between the initial laparotomy and the
      cancer was 19 years (range 9-30). Data on the course of the disease were
      available for 17 cases. The overall median follow-up was 11 months (range 1-60).
      No cases of metastatic spread to the ovaries or the intraperitoneal cavity were
      observed. Eight patients experienced recurrence (8/17, 47.1%). Metastatic lymph
      nodes appeared in 6 of the 8 relapsed women and local recurrence in the remaining
      2 subjects. There were 4 fatal cases (4/17, 23.5%), including 3 with lymphatic
      cancer spread. The women with treatment failure (recurrence or death) more
      frequently developed lymph node metastases than the curable cases (p=0.002).
      CONCLUSIONS: Radical resection of the tumor with concomitant pelvic lymph nodes
      dissection seems to be the most suitable surgical approach. The need for
      comprehensive intraperitoneal surgical staging for ovarian cancer is
      questionable.

PMID- 26492706
TI  - [Efficacy and costs of ovarian cancer therapy in Poland--regional approach].
AB  - Ovarian cancer (OC) affects over 3 000 women in Poland annually The efficacy of
      the therapy remains relatively low due to challenges of systematic improvement in
      the early detection OC rates. International comparisons indicate a positive
      correlation between health expenditures and 5-year survival rates of cancer
      patients. To the best of our knowledge, our study has been the first to present a
      correlation between the 5-year survival rates (SRs) and the cost of ovarian
      cancer therapy in particular regions of Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study
      was based on the National Health Fund (NHF) data, available in the Disease
      Treatment Registry The analysis included approximately 13,000 OC patients who
      started their treatment between 2005 and 2008 to allow for the evaluation of long
      term therapy results. The 5-year survival rates were analyzed in relation to
      average NHF expenditures in various regions of Poland, distinguishing the
      population of patients aged 45-64 years. RESULTS: The 5-year survival rate in the
      cohorts diagnosed in 2005 and 2008 changed marginally from 42% to 43%,
      maintaining relatively large differences between the regions (from 35% to 53% in
      patients diagnosed in 2008). The NHF expenditures in particular regions differed
      significantly: mean cost for the entire treatment cycle ranged from 31.600 PLN do
      58.000 PLNperperson among patients diagnosed in 2008. No significant correlation
      between the survival and the cost was found. CONCLUSIONS: SRs of OC patients in
      particular regions of Poland are not correlated with average treatment cost.
      Thus, the differences in SRs between various regions of Poland have their source
      in other factors, e.g., clinical stage at diagnosis, or prevailing treatment
      patterns in the given region. Further studies may decrease regional discrepancies
      in patient care and SRs in OC subjects.

PMID- 26492707
TI  - [Conization and radical vaginal trachelectomy with laparoscopic lymphadenectomy
      in fertility-sparing surgical treatment of cervical cancer].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In the mid-80's and 90's of the last century uterine-sparing
      surgical treatment methods were proposed to women wishing to preserve their
      fertility. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess practical application
      of conization or radical vaginal trachelectomy with laparoscopic lymphadenectomy
      in women with squamous cell cervical cancer (FIGO stages IA and IB1) who want to
      retain their ability to procreate. Material and methods: A total of 119 women
      (aged 25-43 years) were included in the study Ninety-six women (60 - IA1 and 36 -
      IA2) were deemed eligible for conization and 23 women with stages IA2 and IB1
      with neoplastic changes of <2cm in diameter were qualified for radical vaginal
      trachelectomy with laparoscopic lymphadenectomy RESULTS: Conization was not
      radical in 9 cases and these women were reoperated. A 5-year follow-up in
      patients after conization revealed disease recurrence (CIN) in 3 IA1 cases
      (6.5%), and 2 IA2 cases (9.1%). In patients with follow-up of <5 years, no
      recurrence was observed in 9 out of 10 A1 cases. Similarly there was no
      recurrence in 7 out of 9 lA2 cases. A 5-year follow-up in patients after
      trachelectomy confirmed disease recurrence (CIN) in 1 IA2 case (6.25%). There was
      no disease recurrence in 2 IA1 cases and 4 IB1 cases. Out of 8 subjects staged
      1A2 with a follow-up of <5 years, no disease recurrence was observed in 7 (87.5%)
      patients. During the same follow-up time, no disease recurrence was detected in 3
      patients staged IB1. CONCLUSIONS: Proper uterine-sparing treatment with
      appropriate qualification guarantees adequate control of the treatment process in
      women with cervical cancer stages IA and IB1 (<2 cm in diameter) according to
      FIGO.

PMID- 26492708
TI  - Trends in prenatal diagnosis of non-specific multiple malformations disorders
      with reference to the own experience and research study on Smith-Lemli-Opitz
      syndrome.
AB  - AIM OF THE STUDY: Biochemical diagnosis of fetuses with multiple malformations-
      an attempt to determine the frequency of prenatal Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome.
      Discussion on trends in prenatal diagnosis of non-specific multiple malformations
      disorders. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 117 fetal samples were obtained. They
      were analyzed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method to assess
      the concentration of 7-dehydrocholesterol (7DHC) and 8-dehydrocholesterol (8DHC)
      in amniotic fluid samples and (or) to establish 7-dehydroestriol/estriol and 8
      dehydropregnanetriol/pregnanetrio ratios in maternal urine. RESULTS: In 4 cases
      Smith-Lemll-Opitz syndrome was confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: Biochemical GC/MS sterol
      analyses of amniotic fluid or maternal urinary metabolites toward Smith- Lemli
      Opitz syndrome, as cheap tests, should be performed in all pregnancies with
      suggestive ultrasound features (holoprosencephaly and(or) atrioventricular canal
      and(or) genital anomalies), especially when nuchal translucency is increased >3
      mm, and after exclusion of chromosomal aberration in routine karyotyping or even
      arrayCGH.

PMID- 26492709
TI  - [Umbilical cord blood as a source of nerve and stem cells].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess proliferative ability of the stem
      cells in the umbilical cord blood and their potential to differentiate in in
      vitro culture. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The material consisted of 14 samples of
      umbilical cord blood collected from the umbilical cord vein. Mononuclear cells
      were isolated using the method of density gradient medium. Next, CD34 cells were
      isolated from the interphase with the use of the VarioMACS sorter and anti-CD34
      antibodies. Long-term cultures were conducted on Iscove's modified Dulbecco
      medium (IMDM) with addition of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor
      (GM-CSF) and nerve growth factor (NGF). Qualitative identification was performed
      using the May-Grunwald-Giemsy staining method, taking photographs with a confocal
      microscope, and with the immunoenzymatic method. RESULTS: In our research, CD34+
      stem cells constituted 1.16% of the mononuclear cells, and after centrifugation
      in medium 0.37% of leukocytes in whole umbilical cord blood. Even after 60 days
      of culture without addition of the growth factors, CD34+ cells were present in
      the fraction of adherent cells. After stimulation with GM-CSF and NGF a part of
      the umbilical cord blood cells were transformed into nerve cells (presence of
      neuron-specific enolase was shown) and into cells morphologically similar to
      fibroblast and dendritic cells. CONCLUSIONS: After stimulation with GM-CSF and
      NGF cytokines, the umbilical cord blood cells proliferate in long-term medium,
      transform into nerve cells and into cells similar to fibroblast and dendritic
      cells.

PMID- 26492710
TI  - Biochemical markers in screening for preeclampsia and intrauterine growth
      restriction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between the
      concentrations of substances released by the placenta: placental growth factor
      (PIGF), pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and free beta-human
      chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) and the risk of early and late preeclampsia
      (PE) and intrauterine fetal growth restriction (IUGR). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A
      total of 180 pregnant women between 11+0 and 13+6 weeks gestation were recruited
      for a case-control study Twenty-two patients suffered from early PE, 29 patients
      from late PE. Data analyzed during the study included maternal histoty and
      concentrations of PAPP-A, PlGF beta-hCG. RESULTS: The multiple of the median
      (MoM) value of the PAPP-A concentrations was 1.01 in the control group
      (interquartile range (1QR), 0.65-1.55), 0.67 (1QR, 0.382-0.82) in the group of
      patients with early preeclampsia and 0.74 (IQ, 0.33-1.09) in the group of
      patients suffering from late preeclampsia. MoM value of the PIGF concentrations
      was 1.21 in the control group (IQR, 0.93-1.57), 0.62 (IQR, 0.51-0.96) in the
      group of patients with early preeclampsia and 0.92 (lQR, 0.63-1.09) in the group
      of patients suffering from late preeclampsia. MoM value of beta-hCG
      concentrations was 1.14 in the control group (IQR, 0.75-1.49), 1.08(IQR, 0.74
      1.23) in the group of patients with early preeclampsia and 1,25(IQR, 1,05-1,49)
      in the group of patients suffering from late preeclampsia. The performance of
      screening was determined by the areas under the curve and detection rates, with a
      fixed false-positive rate of 10%. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased levels of PAPP-A and
      PIGF are related to an increased risk of preeclampsia and its complications.

PMID- 26492711
TI  - [Analysis of screening tests for Streptococcus agalactiae in pregnant women from
      the West Pomeranian region].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the degree of colonization
      Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS--Group B Streptococcus) in women at 35.-37. weeks
      of pregnancy and to evaluate drug susceptibility of the isolated strains.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed the results of 1111 tests for GBS colonization
      performed between 2010-2013 in pregnant women (aged 16-40) from the West
      Pomeranian region. Swabs were taken from the vagina and the anus of the study
      subjects at 35.-37. weeks of pregnancy Materials were cultured on Granada Agar
      and in selective Todd-Hewitt broth, which was next cultured on Granada Agar The
      degree of GBS colonization was determined by the semi-quantitative method on
      solid media. The strains were tested for susceptibility to penicillin,
      erythromycin and clindamycin by disc diffusion method according to the EUCAST
      standards. RESULTS: Positive cultures for S. agalactiae were found in 22.5% of
      the pregnant women. The highest (25.4%) and the lowest (15.9%) rates of GBS
      colonization were observed in the age groups of 31-35 and 16-20 years,
      respectively Massive GBS colonization was detected in 68.4% of pregnant subjects,
      with the highest and the lowest rates in the age groups of 31-35 and 16-20 years,
      (75.3% and 50.0%, respectively). All isolated GBS strains were sensitive to
      penicillin. Macrolide, lincosamide and streptogramin B resistance (MLSB) was
      found in 28% of the isolates, resistance only to erythromycin (phenotype M) in 2%
      of the strains. There were no significant differences in the degree of GBS
      colonization and drug sensitivity of GBS strains versus the year of our
      examination. CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring for GBS colonization in the last weeks of
      pregnancy seems to be necessary for effective prevention of S. agalactiae
      infections.

PMID- 26492712
TI  - [Fetal programming and the etiology of osteoporosis].
AB  - Osteoporosis is a multifactorial skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass
      and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue, resulting in increased risk
      of fracture. Peak bone mass is an important predictor of later risk of
      osteoporosis. Epidemiological studies revealed that the risk of osteoporosis
      might be modified by exposure to environmental factors during intrauterine life
      and early postnatal period. This review summarizes the influence of fetal
      programming on the development of osteoporosis based on the epidemiological
      studies and potential mechanisms of epigenetic regulation of gene expression.

PMID- 26492713
TI  - [The use of Doppler in the second half of pregnancy].
AB  - The article is a review of the literature on the use and clinical applicability
      of Doppler examination in the second half of pregnancy Nowadays, despite its
      accessibility Doppler ultrasound in pregnancy is often contraindicated. At the
      same time, the is no evidence of clinical utility of Doppler studies in a low
      risk pregnancy The main indications for Doppler examinations in pregnancy include
      intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), suspicion of fetal anemia, and
      complications of monochorionic twin pregnancy As far as IUGR is concerned,
      Doppler allows to diagnose IUGR associated with placental insufficiency and to
      differentiate IUGR from small for gestational age fetuses (SGA). Doppler is also
      very useful in making the decision about the time of delivery of IUGR fetuses.
      The assessment of the peak systolic velocity in the middle cerebral artery (PSV
      MVA) reduced the rate of invasive procedures due to fetal anemia by approximately
      70%. Complications of the second half of pregnancy which are indications for
      Doppler ultrasound include selective IUGR, TTTS and TAPS. Similarly to the first
      trimester, the mid-trimester assessment of the blood flow in the uterine arteries
      plays an important role in the prediction of preeclampsia and IUGR, especially
      early-onset forms of these complications.

PMID- 26492714
TI  - Successful treatment of Placenta Percreta through a combinatorial treatment
      involving a Bakri Balloon and Methotrexate--a case report.
AB  - Placental percreta is a complication involving an abnormally deep placental
      attachment to the myometrium, resulting in obstetric hemorrhage and peripartum
      hysterectomy A 38-year-old pregnant woman, with a history of 2 Cesarean births,
      myomectomy 9 pregnancies, and 6 spontaneous abortions, was admitted after
      experiencing intrauterine fetal death, which occurred at 19 weeks gestation. The
      patient was referred to our institution after 8 days of unsuccessful medical
      treatment. Doppler ultrasonography and vacuum curettage revealed possible signs
      of abnormal placentation. Because of the unsuccessful separation of the placenta
      and massive bleeding, we used a Bakri Balloon to treat excessive bleeding during
      the acute phase, followed by the conservative administration of parenteral
      methotrexate to treat the spontaneous involution of the placenta at 7 weeks of
      conservative therapy Bakri Balloon and methotrexate application to treat bleeding
      after curettage is a useful choice in placenta percreta and hemorrhage after
      abortion.

PMID- 26492715
TI  - [Polish Gynecological Society--Ultrasound Section Guidelines on ultrasound
      screening in gynecology--2015].

PMID- 26492716
TI  - Top Standards Compliance Data for First Half of 2015.

PMID- 26492717
TI  - Living Better in the Built Environment. Make Sure the Environment of Care Is Both
      Safe and Comfortable for Patients, Visitors, and Staff .

PMID- 26492718
TI  - Theoretical approaches to lightness and perception.
AB  - Theories of lightness, like theories of perception in general, can be categorized
      as high-level, low-level, and mid-level. However, I will argue that in practice
      there are only two categories: one-stage mid-level theories, and two-stage low
      high theories. Low-level theories usually include a high-level component and high
      level theories include a low-level component, the distinction being mainly one of
      emphasis. Two-stage theories are the modern incarnation of the persistent
      sensation/perception dichotomy according to which an early experience of raw
      sensations, faithful to the proximal stimulus, is followed by a process of
      cognitive interpretation, typically based on past experience. Like phlogiston or
      the ether, raw sensations seem like they must exist, but there is no clear
      evidence for them. Proximal stimulus matches are postperceptual, not read off an
      early sensory stage. Visual angle matches are achieved by a cognitive process of
      flattening the visual world. Likewise, brightness (luminance) matches depend on a
      cognitive process of flattening the illumination. Brightness is not the input to
      lightness; brightness is slower than lightness. Evidence for an early (< 200 ms)
      mosaic stage is shaky. As for cognitive influences on perception, the many claims
      tend to fall apart upon close inspection of the evidence. Much of the evidence
      for the current revival of the 'new look' is probably better explained by (1) a
      natural desire of (some) subjects to please the experimenter, and (2) the ease of
      intuiting an experimental hypothesis. High-level theories of lightness are
      overkill. The visual system does not need to know the amount of illumination,
      merely which surfaces share the same illumination. This leaves mid-level theories
      derived from the gestalt school. Here the debate seems to revolve around layer
      models and framework models. Layer models fit our visual experience of a pattern
      of illumination projected onto a pattern of reflectance, while framework models
      provide a better account of illusions and failures of constancy. Evidence for and
      against these approaches is reviewed.

PMID- 26492719
TI  - Comments and responses to "Theoretical approaches to lightness and perception".

PMID- 26492720
TI  - The staircase Gelb stimulus.

PMID- 26492721
TI  - Anchoring?

PMID- 26492722
TI  - Reply to comments.

PMID- 26492723
TI  - Differential processing of vertical interfeature relations due to real-life
      experience with personally familiar faces.
AB  - Identification of personally familiar faces is possibly the most complex and
      likewise efficient task achieved by the human visual system, yet to date the
      mechanisms underlying this extreme proficiency remain largely unknown. Building
      on empirical evidence from unfamiliar face processing in healthy populations and
      neuropsychological patients, the present work aimed to determine the type of
      information processed differently due to repeated, real-life experience with
      faces. A modulatory effect of familiarity was observed for processing of vertical
      interfeature distances, which have been suggested to rely on holistic processing
      skills. Contrariwise, no such effect was found for processing of information that
      can be discriminated locally (ie featural cues, interocular distances). The
      results indicate that familiarity-related advantages in face processing may arise
      from more efficient, or increased, holistic processing.

PMID- 26492724
TI  - The Poggendorff illusion before Poggendorff.
AB  - This paper is about the Poggendorff illusion in pictorial artworks. In
      particular, it deals with the role played by the Poggendorff illusion in the
      making of the geometrical misalignments in the mosaic known as Lunetta di San
      Lorenzo in Ravenna (Italy) and in Rubens's oil on panel Descent from the Cross in
      Antwerp (Belgium). Three experiments are presented. Experiment 1 tested the role
      of viewing distance in perceived collinearity in the mosaic by asking
      participants to adjust two ends of a cross in silhouette renderings of the saint
      projected so to mimic its original size. Results confirm an effect of viewing
      distance and support the hypothesis that the author of the mosaic became aware of
      the illusion and attempted to 'fix' it. Experiment 2 aimed at verifying perceived
      collinearity in a book-size version of Rubens's Descentfrom the Cross by
      employing a similar adjustment method. Results demonstrate that the Poggendorff
      illusion affects perceived collinearity in the painting, but perceptual
      collinearity does not agree with the actual geometrical misalignment in book-size
      reproductions of the masterpiece. Experiment 3 tested the role of viewing
      distance in a classic Poggendorff illusion configuration by employing the same
      setup as in experiment 1. Contrary to what was found in experiment 1, viewing
      distance did not modulate the magnitude of the illusion in the classic display,
      suggesting that the outcome of perceived collinearity is sensitive to the
      complexity of the visual scene. The difference in results between experiments 1
      and 3 underscore the necessity of new tests before any reasonable conclusion can
      be drawn about the whys and wherefores of Rubens's misalignment.

PMID- 26492725
TI  - Catching objects thrown to oneself: Testing control strategies for object
      interception in a novel domain.
AB  - A considerable amount of research has been performed to determine the strategies
      people use to intercept moving objects. Much of this research has been done using
      target objects such as baseballs and Frisbees that are launched to people from
      distances ranging from 10 m to 50 m. This research has qualified the range of
      domains in which each strategy is effective, but there is still controversy
      regarding which strategy has the most general application. The present research
      sought to further reduce the range of possible domains in which these strategies
      work by testing object interception in a situation that had never been tested
      before, where people launch the target objects to themselves. A strategy based on
      controlling optical velocity--acting to keep the optical velocity of the object
      at zero--provided the best match to catcher ground movements and optical
      trajectories. These results suggest that control of optical velocity is currently
      the best explanation of effective interception of both other- and self-launched
      objects.

PMID- 26492726
TI  - Mo' money, mo' problems: Monetary motivation can exacerbate the attentional
      blink.
AB  - The attentional blink (AB) is a compelling psychological phenomenon wherein
      observers are less likely to identify a second target (T2) when it appears
      approximately 200 ms after a first target (T1) in a rapidly presented stream of
      items. The present investigation examined how monetary motivation could impact
      the AB when participants were differentially motivated to identify T1 versus T2.
      Participants completed one of three conditions where the only difference across
      conditions was a motivational manipulation: a standard AB task (control
      condition), a motivated condition with T1 worth double the points of T2, or a
      motivated condition with T1 worth half the points of T2 (points in the motivated
      conditions were linked to a possible monetary bonus). Motivation had an expected
      influence on overall performance as both motivated conditions had higher overall
      T1 accuracy relative to the control condition. More specific to the question at
      hand, the AB was exacerbated (ie T2 performance was worse shortly after T1) when
      T1 was worth more than T2. This finding suggests that participants overallocated
      attentional resources to T1 processing at the expense of T2 processing, and it
      supports current theories of the AB.

PMID- 26492727
TI  - Idealism and materialism in perception.
AB  - Koenderink (2014, Perception, 43, 1-6) has said most Perception readers are
      deluded, because they believe an 'All Seeing Eye' observes an objective reality.
      We trace the source of Koenderink's assertion to his metaphysical idealism, and
      point to two major weaknesses in his position-namely, its dualism and
      foundationalism. We counter with arguments from modern philosophy of science for
      the existence of an objective material reality, contrast Koenderink's enactivism
      to his idealism, and point to ways in which phenomenology and cognitive science
      are complementary and not mutually exclusive.

PMID- 26492728
TI  - The nonvisual illusion of self-touch: Misaligned hands and anatomical
      implausibility.
AB  - The self-touch illusion is elicited when the participant (with eyes closed)
      administers brushstrokes to a prosthetic hand while the examiner administers
      synchronous brushstrokes to the participant's other (receptive) hand. In three
      experiments we investigated the effects of misalignment on the self-touch
      illusion. In experiment 1 we manipulated alignment (0 degrees, 45 degrees, 90
      degrees, 135 degrees, 180 degrees) of the prosthetic hand relative to the
      participant's receptive hand. The illusion was equally strong at 0 degrees and 45
      degrees: the two conditions in which the prosthetic hand was in an anatomically
      plausible orientation. To investigate whether the illusion was diminished at 90
      degrees (and beyond) by anatomical implausibility rather than by misalignment, in
      experiment 2 hand positioning was changed. The illusion was equally strong at 0
      degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees, but diminished at 135 degrees despite the
      prosthetic hand now being in an anatomically plausible orientation. Thus the
      illusion is diminished with misalignment of 135 degrees, irrespective of
      anatomical plausibility. Having demonstrated that the illusion was equally strong
      with the hands aligned (0 degrees) or misaligned by 45 degrees, in experiment 3
      we demonstrated that participants did not detect a 45 degrees misalignment. Large
      degrees of misalignment prevent a compelling experience of the self-touch
      illusion, and the self-touch illusion prevents detection of small degrees of
      misalignment.

PMID- 26492729
TI  - Testing the mechanisms underlying improved distance judgments in virtual
      environments.
AB  - Virtual environments (VEs) presented via head-mounted displays are typically
      perceived as smaller in scale than intended. Visual-motor experience in VEs can
      reduce this underestimation of distance, though the mechanisms underlying this
      improved accuracy of distance estimates are unknown. To address this question, we
      created a mismatch between biomechanical and visual indicators of self-movement
      within the VE, and assessed the effect on distance and size judgments. Our
      results suggest that visual-motor feedback influences subsequent distance
      judgments by recalibrating perceptual-motor relationships, but we found no
      evidence that perceived size, which was substantially underestimated, changed as
      a function of this feedback. In contrast to recent studies that suggest that
      feedback in VEs causes a broad rescaling ofvirtual space, our results are
      consistent with a visual-motor recalibration account for much of the improvement
      in distance judgments following VE experience.

PMID- 26492730
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26492731
TI  - Improving Ourselves for the Sake of Others: Our Baldrige Journey.
AB  - In today's healthcare environment, healthcare organizations are trying to balance
      one foot in each oftwo boats: one for traditional fee-for-service reimbursement
      and one for population health and pay-for-quality reimbursement. The Baldrige
      Performance Excellence Program and its associated Criteria will help healthcare
      leaders navigate this changing environment and improve healthcare outcomes for
      patients while improving financial performance, enhancing the patient experience,
      and creating a positive work environment. This balanced approach, grounded in
      behaviors identified in high-performing organizations, provides leaders and their
      teams with the key to realizing strategic goals and long-term sustainability. The
      Baldrige Criteria alone will not improve an organization; rather, it is the
      unique and disciplined application of the Criteria to each organization that
      makes the difference. A Baldrige journey is not a sprint, but rather a marathon;
      it requires a long-term commitment to improvement at all levels of the
      organization. At Hill Country Memorial (HCM) Hospital in Fredericksburg, Texas,
      we selected the Baldrige Framework to guide our team as we embarked on a
      performance excellence climb that would take us from merely average to the
      national top io percent of performance as evaluated on important organizational
      metrics. HCM did not achieve overnight success; instead, we achieved year-over
      year improvement in finance and growth, patient experience, quality of care, and
      workforce environment and engagement. The story of our climb is one of
      perseverance, willingness to learn from our mistakes, pursuit of innovative best
      practices both inside and outside of healthcare, and a team committed to
      providing the highest-quality service to our customers--our patients and our
      community.

PMID- 26492732
TI  - Small-Town Touch, Big-City Innovation, World-Class Aspirations.
AB  - The healthcare system in the United States is at a critical crossroads. Costs are
      rising, measures of healthcare quality are well below those of other
      industrialized nations, and public and regulatory scrutiny is increasing.
      Healthcare leaders are searching for more effective, efficient, and sustainable
      operational models to address the mounting challenges they face. We at Schneck
      Medical Center in Seymour, Indiana, chose the Baldrige Excellence Framework to
      guide our organization, to accelerate our performance improvement journey, and to
      create sustainable results in our core services. The Baldrige Framework uses a
      systematic approach to innovation and improvement in seven key management areas.
      These seven areas were leadership; strategic planning; customer focus;
      measurement, analysis, and knowl- edge management; workforce focus; operations
      focus; and results (Baldrige Performance Excellence Program 2015). In this
      article, we describe our Baldrige journey. We address why we chose to use the
      Framework, how we engaged our key stakeholders, and what challenges we faced and
      lessons we learned along the way. In addition, we detail how Schneck's focus on
      performance improvement has resulted in significant returns to the organization.
      Throughout the article, we refer to our pursuit of performance excellence as a
      "journey," and it is indeed just that. Quality improvement takes time, because it
      is a transformation with many steps. World-class performance is attainable only
      with years of work and constant refinement.

PMID- 26492733
TI  - Can Baldrige Build Learning Organizations?

PMID- 26492734
TI  - Sharing Leadership Insights on Our Baldrige Journey to Excellence.

PMID- 26492735
TI  - A Framework for Performance Excellence and Success.

PMID- 26492736
TI  - Looking past today.

PMID- 26492737
TI  - Organized medicine versus MOC.

PMID- 26492738
TI  - Physicians and education: A life-long pursuit.

PMID- 26492739
TI  - Physicians respond to MOC.

PMID- 26492740
TI  - An update on the Ebola virus disease.

PMID- 26492741
TI  - Georgia's innovative response to GME expansion.

PMID- 26492742
TI  - Where we practice: Thomasville.

PMID- 26492744
TI  - Georgia Campus--Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

PMID- 26492743
TI  - Emory University School of Medicine.

PMID- 26492745
TI  - Medical College of Georgia at GRU.

PMID- 26492746
TI  - Mercer University School of Medicine.

PMID- 26492747
TI  - Morehouse School of Medicine.

PMID- 26492749
TI  - Professionalism, TV and the social contract.

PMID- 26492748
TI  - ACIP's new recommendation for pneumococcal vaccines for all adults 65 years and
      older.

PMID- 26492750
TI  - The Interstate Compact, Part II.

PMID- 26492751
TI  - Professional education after training.

PMID- 26492752
TI  - Ten traps recent medical graduates should avoid in physician employment
      agreements.

PMID- 26492753
TI  - Physician's cognitive and communication failures result in cancer treatment
      delay.

PMID- 26492754
TI  - Five things providers need to know about cybersecurity.

PMID- 26492755
TI  - Life lessons: continued.

PMID- 26492756
TI  - Medicare's 'dramatic change' in how it pays for care.

PMID- 26492757
TI  - Hospital-physician practice mergers hinge on finding common ground.

PMID- 26492758
TI  - Payment reform a primer for taking on risk.
AB  - To reduce unnecessary care and improve patient outcomes through bundled payments
      or population health management, healthcare organizations must define both the
      population for which they are assuming risk and the services that they will
      provide. Organizations also must be able to manage variations in cost and quality
      and demonstrate both the economic and clinical value they provide to the
      populations they serve. To effectively coordinate care across a patient
      population, providers--including physicians, hospitals, and postacute care
      facilities--must be willing to collaborate on efforts to reengineer care
      delivery.

PMID- 26492759
TI  - Taking smart steps toward clinical integration.
AB  - Health systems should take five key steps in the early phases of establishing a
      clinically integrated network (CIN): Establish the operating model and
      implementation timeline. Identify who to include. Define what's in it for the
      physicians. Agree on the tenets that will make the CIN stick. Understand when to
      say no.

PMID- 26492760
TI  - Finance leadership imperatives in clinical redesign.
AB  - As physicians embrace their roles in managing healthcare costs and quality,
      finance leaders should seize the opportunity to engage physicians in clinical
      care redesign to ensure both high-quality performance and efficient resource use.
      Finance leaders should strike a balance between risk and reward to achieve a
      portfolio of clinical initiatives that is organizationally sustainable and
      responsive to current external drivers of payment changes. Because these
      initiatives should be driven by physicians, the new skill set of finance leaders
      should include an emphasis on relationship building to achieve consensus and
      drive change across an organization.

PMID- 26492761
TI  - Discussing cost with clinicians.
AB  - To overcome communication barriers, finance executives and caregivers must better
      understand the other side's concerns so they can find common ground. Building
      trust among financial, clinical, and other staff is a critical success factor.
      Finance leaders can play a transformative role by cultivating their own
      receptivity to the perspectives of clinicians and other staff.

PMID- 26492762
TI  - Lessons learned from implementation of gainsharing.
AB  - Gainsharing offers a hospital a way to control costs by using incentive payments
      to engage physicians in efforts to improve cost and quality performance. Author
      John Kotter's eight stages of change management can serve as a framework for
      understanding how the New Jersey Hospital Association and the Greater New York
      Hospital Association have guided the successful implementation of gainsharing.
      Successful gainsharing fosters a culture of improvement that capitalizes on the
      creativity, knowledge, and problem-solving ability of physicians to implement
      change and create added value.

PMID- 26492763
TI  - Implementing a trustworthy cost-accounting model.
AB  - Hospitals and health systems can develop an effective cost-accounting model and
      maximize the effectiveness of their cost-accounting teams by focusing on six key
      areas: Implementing an enhanced data model. Reconciling data efficiently.
      Accommodating multiple cost-modeling techniques. Improving transparency of cost
      allocations. Securing department manager participation. Providing essential
      education and training to staff members and stakeholders.

PMID- 26492764
TI  - Getting a handle on DNFB strategies for boosting performance.
AB  - Keeping tabs on DNFB requires a commitment from multiple departments, including
      clinical documentation, health information management, utilization management,
      and patient financial services. Monitoring DNFB performance daily, weekly, and
      monthly can help an organization quickly resolve short-term problems and also
      identify and respond to more systemic issues. By leveraging historical and
      comparison data, including performance information from peer organizations,
      hospitals and health systems can set more realistic targets and further highlight
      improvement opportunities.

PMID- 26492765
TI  - Improving revenue cycle performance in medical labs.

PMID- 26492766
TI  - An overlooked argument in favor of hospital consolidation.

PMID- 26492767
TI  - Measure quality to create value.

PMID- 26492768
TI  - State data point to increased Medicaid admissions, with shorter ALOS and lower
      charges.

PMID- 26492769
TI  - [CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN G SUBCLASSES IN
      IMMUNODEFICIENCY VERIFICATION].
AB  - In general practice of clinical immunologists must be use the detection of
      immunoglobulin G subclasses in cases with symptoms of recurrent and chronic
      infectious diseases with normal serum IgG. Thus, these patients are not examined
      and they are under treatment. Over the years, these patients has a sharp decrease
      in IgG subclasses, which is accompanied by a long course of various infectious
      processes and complications. Therefore; early diagnosis, early treatment and
      prevention of complications immunodeficiency knowledge-based clinical
      immunologists and general practitioners of modern diagnostic methods.

PMID- 26492770
TI  - [INFORMATIVITY ANALYSIS OF IMMUNOLOGIC MARKERS OF SLOWLY PROGRESSIVE AUTOIMMUNE
      DIABETES IN ADULTS (LADA)].
AB  - A survey of 116 patients with slowly progressive autoimmune diabetes of adults.
      (LADA) substantiates the need to define at least two kinds of antibodies for
      final verification of the diagnosis. It's been found that GAD ab and/or IA-2A ab
      are 'the most conclusive. Gender and age-specific rate of antibodies have been
      defined. In persons under 45 years ICA ab positive titer was detected
      significantly less frequently than in patients of middle age (45-59 years), a
      positive titer IA-2A ab detected more often in younger patients than in middle
      aged persons. In women, the frequency of a positive titer ICA ab is significantly
      higher than that of men, but the incidence of positive titer IA-2A ab. is
      significantly higher in men than in women. The obtained data on the gender and
      age particularities of antibody in patients with LADA can be used while defining
      purposeful examination of the patients.

PMID- 26492771
TI  - [CHAPERONES FUNCTION HSP60 AND HSP90 AND THEIR ROLE IN CARDIAC PATHOLOGY].
AB  - In review provides information about the function oft the body of chaperones and
      their role in the development of pathological processes, including-
      atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Marked comminications systems
      chaperones to the immune and endocrine systems, and inflammation.

PMID- 26492772
TI  - [HYALURONIC ACID: STRUCTURE, FUNCTIONS, THE POSSIBILITES OF APPLYING IN THE
      COMPLEX TREATMENT OF THE TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT DISEASES. A REWIEW].
AB  - Over the last decade the use of hyaluronic acid has become increasingly important
      in treatment of degenerative disorders of the temporomandibular joint. Urgency is
      caused by numerous studies in biology and pharmacology on structure and function
      of hyaluronic acid and its influence on the processes of repair damaged bone and
      articular cartilage restoration, as well as the positive long-term results of
      treatment in this group of patients.

PMID- 26492773
TI  - [CHANGES OF GLOBAL AND LOCAL MYOCARDIAL CONTRACTILITY OF CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT CLEAN
      UP WORKERS WITH STABLE ANGINA].
AB  - Changes of global and local myocardial contractility of Chernobyl accident clean
      up workers (ChA CW) with stable angina were investigated. There were discovered
      that regular long-term treatment of ChA CW with stable angina using of
      antiischemic and metabolic drugs promoted to stabilization of global and local
      myocardial contractility indexes. Ejection fraction, degree of contraction of
      front-rear systolic left ventricle size, systolic thickness of interventricular
      septum sufficiently increased. Step-by-step worsening of global and local
      myocardial contractility indexes in cases of non-regular treatment was taken
      place. Sufficient differences between indexes of ejection fraction, left
      ventricle end-diastolic volume, systolic thickness and excursion of
      interventricular septum in stable angina patients of general population and ChA
      CW were discovered. Results of global and local myocardial contractility
      monitoring in ChA CW with stable angina substantiate the advisability of long
      term supporting treatment using evidence-based drugs.

PMID- 26492774
TI  - [ANTIPLATELET THERAPY INFLUENCE ON IMMUNOLOGICAL STATUS OF PROGRESSIVE ANGINA
      PATIENTS].
AB  - The study involved 65 progressive angina patients (PA) aged 67 to 73 years.
      Determination of lymphocytes population and subpopulation was performed by
      monoclonal antibodies. Immunoglobulin G, A, M and circulating immune complexes
      (CIC) determination in the blood serum was performed by the Mancini method. The
      results showed that the clopidogrel with aspirin (aspihrel) combination in the
      basic treatment of PA patients is more effective than the basic treatment that
      included only clopidogrel, as evidenced by the positive trend of more indicators
      of immune status of patients.

PMID- 26492775
TI  - [CLINICAL PERSPECTIVES OF COMPLEX APPLICATION OF PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY
      INTERVENTION AND DRUG REVASCULARIZATION IN ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME].
AB  - The article presents the evaluation of the influence of complex application of
      monopril, propranolol and heparin and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI);
      monopril, propranolol with methylase in combination with PCI and PCI only on
      hemddynamics, cardiohemodynamics and clinical course in acute myocardial
      infarction (MI), as well as the monitoring of these patients. A comparison of the
      results of the complex medical and mechanical revascularization. The study
      involved 63 patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS): anterior MI with Q wave
      and ST-segment with the rise in age from 30 to 70 years, the average age (56.7 +/
      1.2) years old, who were randomly divided into three groups with 21 in each.
      Patients in group I received heparin, propranolol with monopril and PCI; II-
      methylase (tenakteplaza) and propranolol, monopril and after 1 day they performed
      PCI; group III patients performed only PCI. With the help of echocardiography and
      Doppler echocardiometry values studied endsystolic (ESV) and end-diastolic (EDV)
      volume, ejection fraction (EF), stroke (SI) and heart (HI) index, index of local
      contractility disturbance of the left ventricle (LV ILCD) as well as the dynamics
      of systolic, (SBP) and diastolic (PBP) blood pressure, clinical features of
      myocardial infarction during follow-up. Injection of methylase, infusion of
      propranolol, receiving per os of monopril and conduct after 1 day of PCI
      accelerate the stabilization of central hemodynamics. ESV, EDV and ILCD reduce,
      systolic function of LV improves, ejection fraction increases. When there was no
      restenosis, myocardial infarction relapse and mortality 1 patient on 5th day was
      recorded acute heart failure (AHF). When treating by monopril, propranolol and
      heparin and conduct of PCI also stabilize central hemodynamics. ESV, EDV and ILCD
      reduce, EF increases and systolic function of LV improves (I group). However, in
      one patient on the 3rd day were recorded acute heart failure (AHF). Restenosis,
      recurrent myocardial infarction, and mortality were not observed. During the PCI
      only treatment 4 patients relapsed MI, 4 patients had restenosis, 2 patients had
      AHF and 2 patients died. Observations have shown that the combined application of
      drug therapy with PCI provides a positive predictive as opposed to using only
      PCI.

PMID- 26492776
TI  - [THE CHANGES IN THE STRUCTURAL REMODELING OF THE CAROTID ARTERY IN PATIENTS WITH
      HYPERTENSION AND HEART VALVE CALCIFICATION UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF TREATMENT].
AB  - In patients with essential hypertension (EH) and heart valves calcification (HVC)
      were studied the dynamics of the structural remodeling of the carotid artery
      under the influence of different variants of lipid-lowering therapy. Significant
      decrease in the thickness of the intimamedia, the frequency of new
      atherosclerotic plaques have been seen in patients with EH and HVC using high
      dose atorvastatin compared with less.

PMID- 26492777
TI  - [THE BALANCE OF EICOSANOIDS WITH VIBRATION DISEASED PATIENTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH
      HYPERTENSION DISEASE].
AB  - The status of vasodilatational and vasoconstrictoral eicosanoids in patients with
      vibration disease combined with hypertension disease are presented. The increase
      of the concentration vasodilators observed in patients with vibration disease.
      The maximum growth vasoconstrictoral eicosanoids observed in groups with
      comorbidity.

PMID- 26492778
TI  - [IMMUNOMODULATORY ACTIVITY OF NEW GALACTOSE-CONTAING POLYSACCHARIDES].
AB  - The immunomodulatory properties of perspective prebiotics--beta-galactose
      containing--polysaccharides arabinogalactan, arabinogalactan with flavonoids,
      carrageenan, galaktomannan have been studied. It was established that oral
      administration of the studied beta-polysaccharides to experimental animals leads
      to a significant activation of immune cells and the synthesis of humoral factors
      in their organism which significantly increases the cytotoxic activity of blood
      serum. The most pronounced immunomodulatory effect exhibits arabinogalactan with
      flavonoids and carrageenan.

PMID- 26492779
TI  - [A NEW APPROACH TO TREATMENT LIVER CIRRHOSIS IN CONNECTION WITH INTESTINAL
      DYSBIOSIS].
AB  - In order to increase the effectiveness of treatment of the liver cirrhosis were
      examined 65 patients, we studied the effect on the features flow of intestine
      microbiocenosis and were are included to the combined treatment the synbiotic
      medications "Bifilakt extra". Inclusion to the combined treatment of the examined
      patients with liver cirrhosis synbiotic medications "Bifilakt extra" probably led
      to better reduction of subjective and objective signs of cirrhosis and intensity
      of functional biochemical syndromes, symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy.

PMID- 26492780
TI  - [THE ROLE OF VEGETATIVE DYSREGULATION IN THE FORMING OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA IN
      CHILDREN].
AB  - To study the heart rate variability (HRV) in bronchial asthma (BA) examined 107
      children aged 10 to 18 years old with asthma exacerbation. As a result of the
      application of asthma control test (GINA, 2011) on the level of controlled asthma
      children were distributed as follows: 34 (31.8%)--with controlled (CBA), 47
      (43.9%)--is partly controlled (PCBA) and 26 (24.3%)--with uncontrolled asthma
      (UCBA). The control group consisted of 10 healthy children of similar age. All
      investigated HRV measured on the device "KardyLab BCC" (Kharkov, 2009) with
      holding orthostatic test to assess the type of autonomic regulation, changes in
      autonomic balance and adaptive reserves. Analyzed time (SDNN, IN, IWT) and
      spectral (TP, HF, LF, VLF, LF/HF) HRV indices. Investigation of heart rate
      variability in children with different degrees of severity of asthma indicated
      presence of autonomic dysfunction syndrome. It is shown that changes in the
      autonomic nervous system patients differ depending on the degree controlled
      asthma. Thus, in children with CBA tendency to sympathicotonia in patients with
      UCBA often reveals signs of parasympathetic and autonomic imbalance. Severe
      asthma accompaniedby signs. of autonomic dysfunction: increase vagotonia, the
      reaction to stress and'rapid depletion of compensatory mechanisms in the
      restoration of homeostasis against parasympathetic dominance.

PMID- 26492781
TI  - [PREDICTION OF RECURRENT PYELONEPHRITIS BY AN INDEX OF OXIDATIVE STRESS].
AB  - We examined the indicators of oxidant/antioxidant (O/A) balance in the blood of,
      118 women with chronic pyelonephritis. (PN), aged 18 to 69 years (mean 36.0 +/-
      7.9 years) and 30 conventionally healthy donors: 82 (69.5%) of patients had the
      recurrent PN, 36 (30.5%) of women had the sporadic PN. The malondialdehyde in
      serum, ceruloplasmin, transferrin and the number of sulfhydryl groups, which
      allowed to calculate the index of oxidative stress (IOS) were included into the
      complex research of O/A balance. IOS was significantly increased in patients with
      recurrent PN 4.27 2.06 vs. 2.30 +/- 1.06 for sporadic PN (P < 0;001). It allowed
      us to conduct the multivaiate analysis using binary logistic regression. The
      analysis demonstrated alhigh quality (>80 %) of regression model chi2 = 74.3; P <
      0.001, odds ratio (OR) = 7.5, 95% CI 3.3-7.1. We have created an additional
      examinational sample to confirm the adequacy of this model which included the
      test results of 23 pa- tients with acute PN in 6 (26%) of them have developed
      recurrent PN. We defined a high quality of examinational model chi2 = 11.2; P =
      0.0008, OR =3.34, 95% CI 1.3-10.3. The optimal criteria for IOS was > 3,
      sensitivity 100%, and for specificity 94%. Thus, for the prediction of recurrent
      PN can be evaluated the IOS. The development of recurrent PN can be predicted
      with probability 97.6% if value of IOS > 2.5; this will optimize the
      rehabilitation program of patients Vith acute PN.

PMID- 26492782
TI  - [PROGNOSTIC RISK FACTORS FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED STAGES
      CLASSICAL HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA].
AB  - Determination the complex of new prognostic risk factors will optimize and
      improve treatment and survival of patients with primary Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

PMID- 26492783
TI  - [DIFFERENTIATED THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH URTICARIA].
AB  - The actuality is in quite a high proportion of the dermatoses structure. Unclear
      etiological factors and pathogenesis, the polymorphism of clinical progression,
      torpid to traditional methods and therapy agents are often observed. The aim of
      the research is the development of a differentiated treatment of the patients
      with urticaria, taking into account the functional state of the thyroid gland and
      its participation in the formation. of autoimmune processes. 127 patients with
      chronic idiopathic urticarial aged 15-67 were observed (49 of them were men and
      78--women). 20 healthy individuals formed the control group. The levels of
      thyroxine, thyroid peroxidise and thyroglobulin in the blood serum were
      determined. Dysfunctional state of the thyroid gland and its association with
      autoimmune processes were specified. The results obtained allowed to justify,
      develop and implement into the clinical practice the differentiated (depending
      upon the severity of dermatosis) treatment of the patients with urticaria using
      the narrow spectroscopic photo and balneo acupuncture which allows to limit the
      pathologic process.

PMID- 26492784
TI  - [MORFOHISTOHIMICHNA EVALUATION OF REHABILITATION PATIENTS WITH GENERALIZED
      PERIODONTAL DISEASE AGAINST CORONARY HEART DISEASE].
AB  - Un the basis of morphological studies examined the effectiveness of complex
      pathogenetic treatment of generalized periodontal disease with the use of
      products based on natural ingredients: dental paste "Fitopasta-3K" and drug
      "plantain juice" for the local treatment and drugs "Granules quercetin" and
      "Energoton" for systemic treatment. Established that one of the important
      mechanisms of complex pathogenetic treatment is the effect on energy metabolism
      of periodontal tissues, including the reduction of tissue hypoxia, metabolic
      stabilization was observed structural changes navkolozubnyh tissues. It should be
      noted positive effects of integrated treatment on the whole body.

PMID- 26492785
TI  - [ASSESSMENT OF POSTOPERATIVE PAIN SYNDROME AT SINGLE-PORT TRANSUMBILICAL
      LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL LAPAROSCOPIC
      CHOLECYSTECTOMY].
AB  - The article analyzes the dynamics of postoperative pain at single-port
      transumbilical laparoscopic cholecystectomy compared to traditional laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy. It is shown that the intensity of pain in patients who have
      undergone laparoscopic procedures through a single transumbilical access was
      significantly less than in patients with traditional laparoscopic intervention.
      Furthermore, the use of a single-port transumbilical laparoscopic cholecystectomy
      accompanied by a smaller increase in the concentration of proinflammatory
      cytokines compared with patients who had laparoscopic procedures through four
      trocar accesses.

PMID- 26492786
TI  - [PREDICTORS OF FORMATION OF NEW FORMS--OF BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA AT THE
      PRENATAL STAGE].
AB  - The analysis of history in 116 premature infants, of which 74 children formed a
      new form of bronchopulmionary dysplasia. The analysis revealed that predictors of
      the formation of new forms of bronchopulmonary dysplasia are the pregnant woman,
      accompanied by hypoxia (jeopardy throughout pregnancy, fetoplacental
      insufficiency, hypotension, pregnancy, anemia) or infectious inflammation
      (presence of IgG to a pregnant ureaplasma, chorioamnionitis, polyhydramnios).

PMID- 26492787
TI  - [EVALUETION OF THE CLINICAL EFFICACY OF SUSTAINED RELEASE THEOPHILLINE IN A
      COMPLEX BASIC THERAPY OF EOSINOPHILIC PHENOTYPE OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA IN SCHOOL AGE
      CHILDREN].
AB  - Based on a complex examination of 11 school age children with eosinophilic
      phenotype of bronchial asthma, it has been demonstrated that combination of
      inhaled corticosteroids with oral sustained release theophillines were more
      effective as a basic anti-inflammatory asthma therapy, in comparison with
      monotherapy by inhaled corticosteroids. The usage of such combined anti-relapsing
      asthma treatment has been reduced both the relative risk (RR = 57%) and the
      attributable risk (AR = 36.3%) of insufficient control of bronchial asthma in
      children with eosinophilic type of airways inflammation. At the same time, the
      minimum number of patients, which have to be treated by such method with the
      object of preventing at least one case of poor asthma control, came to 3
      children.

PMID- 26492788
TI  - [THE ROLE OF ADIPOCYTOKINES IN THE FORMATION OF INSULIN RESISTANCE IN PATIENTS
      WITH PRIMARY HYPOTHYROIDISM].
AB  - The aim of the study was to investigate the levels of adiponectin and indexes of
      insulin resistance in patients with primary hypothyroidism. In this article
      published data and personal data about the role of adiponectin in formation
      insulin resistance in patients with primary hypothyroidism are shown. The study
      involved 72 patients with primary hypothyroidism. arising on the background of
      endemic goiter, including 42 women and 30 men. A direct linear correlation
      between indexes HOMA IR and TSH was established. We found significantly lower
      levels of adiponectin in all patients with manifest and subclinical
      hypothyroidism compared with the control group. Low levels of adiponectin may be
      an independent factor in the development of insulin resistance in hypothyroidism,
      cardiovascular diseases and can be considered to be the marker of hypothyroidism
      with components of metabolic syndrome.

PMID- 26492789
TI  - [INVESTIATION OF ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC ACTIVITY OF TEMPORAL AND MASSETER MUSCLES
      AFTER ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT OF MALOCCLUSION COMPLICATED BY DENTAL CROWDING].
AB  - The results of investigation showed that it is necessary to use complex methods
      of orthodontic treatment in patients with malocclusion complicated by dental
      crowding. Orthodontic appliance therapy should be accompanied by differentiated
      massage and mioymnastics to improve functional state of masseter and temporal
      muscles. It was found that after the treatment electromyographic potential
      amplitude of temporal muscles is on the average in 1.5 times lower as compared
      with pretreatment records (P < 0.05). It was observed increase on the average in
      1.5 times in electromyographic potential oscillation amplitude of masseter
      muscles during clenching after the treatment of maxillary and mandibular dental
      crowding (P < 0.05). Treatment of dental crowding resulted in restoration of
      masseter muscles functional symmetry. During clenching index MASI(MM)
      significantly decreased in all groups in comparison with pretreatment indices (P
      < 0.05).

PMID- 26492790
TI  - [THE SPONTANEOUS PNEUMOTHORAX INTERPRETATION, DIFFICULTIES DURING HISTIOCYTOSIS
      X].
AB  - Since spontaneous pneumothorax can be a complication, and sometimes a
      manifestation of significant amount of intrathoracic and extrathoracic diseases,
      verifying the process can be very difficult. One of these diseases is the local
      (pulmonary) histiocytosis X. Authors cite the etiological diagnosis experience of
      spontaneous pneumothorax during current pathology. According to their data,
      spontaneous pneumothorax on the histiocytosis X background found in 3 patients.
      Complications developed during the disease later stages, and therefore the
      verification was complex and based on morphological data, consistent with the
      clinical and radiographic changes.

PMID- 26492791
TI  - [PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OF PERSONNEL POLICY IN REFORMING OF UKRAINIAN HEALTH CARE
      SYSTEM USING THE EXAMPLE OF DERMATOVENEREOLOGICAL SERVICE].
AB  - The health care system, its modernization and optimization are among the most
      important functions of the modern Ukrainian state. The main goal of the reforms
      in the field of healthcare is to improve the health of the population, equal and
      fair access for all to health services of adequate quality. Important place in
      the health sector reform belongs to optimizing the structure and function of
      dermatovenereological service. The aim of this work is to address the issue of
      human resources management of dermatovenereological services during health sector
      reform in Ukraine, taking into account the real possibility of disengagement
      dermatovenereological providing care between providers of primary medical care
      level (general practitioners) and providers of secondary (specialized) and
      tertiary (high-specialized) medical care (dermatovenerologists and pediatrician
      dermatovenerologists), and coordinating interaction between these levels. During
      research has been found, that the major problems of human resources of
      dermatovenereological service are insufficient staffing and provision of health
      care providers;,growth in the number of health workers of retirement age;
      sectoral and regional disparity of staffing; the problem of improving the skills
      of medical personnel; regulatory support personnel policy areas and create
      incentives for staff motivation; problems of rational use of human resources for
      health care; problems of personnel training for dermatovenereological service.
      Currently reforming health sector should primarily serve the needs of the
      population in a fairly effective medical care at all levels, to ensure that there
      must be sufficient qualitatively trained and motivated health workers. To achieve
      this goal directed overall work of the Ministry of Health of Uktaine, the
      National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, medical universities, regional
      health authorities, professional medical associations. Therefore Ukrainian
      dermatovenereological care, in particular fixed, needs a deep and objective
      medical and social audit. A necessary condition for the harmonious development of
      dermatovenereological service is adequate staffing to ensure it to reflect
      changes in the structure of the provision of the assistance at various levels, as
      well as their effective coordination throughout the natient's medical route.

PMID- 26492792
TI  - [THE RESULTS OF SCREENING OF DONATED BLOOD IN THE UKRAINE THE PRESENCE OF MARKERS
      HEMOTRANSMISYVNYH INFECTIONS IN 2010-2012 YEARS].
AB  - Prevalence level of HIV markers among blood and blood coMponent donors in
      European region of WHO increased from 8.3 to 10.3 positive cases per: 100,000
      donations diring 2001-2006. In Ukraine from 2.1 to 112.3 positive cases per
      100,000 donations in 2012. In 2010 and .2012 prevalence level of blood borne
      infections among Ukrainian donors was the following: HIV infection--112.3
      positive cases per 100,000 donations; HCV--1498.1 cases and 1207.7 cases; HBsAg
      (hepatitis B surface antigen)--690.4 and 546.6 and antibodies to Tr. Pallidum-
      747 seropositive cases per 100,000 and 672.5 respectively. Specific weight of
      truly positive donations for HIV varied on test systems of different manufactures
      from 28.3% to 58.3% in 2010, from 12.2% to 61.8% in 2011 and from 20.7% to 63% in
      2012. Significant fluctuation of results of confirmatory tests and high
      prevalence of HIV and HCV markers among Ukrainian donors displays a tendency to
      HIV prevalence which requires to define screening strategy of donated blood
      taking into consideration epidemiological studies and available state resources.

PMID- 26492793
TI  - [ANALYSIS OF RADIATION IN THE DEPLOYMENT OF MILITARY UNITS OF THE MINISTRY OF
      DEFENSE OF UKRAINE].
AB  - There were observed radiation hazardous objects and zone of possibie rauioactive
      contaminationof the area with military units, and also possibility of influence
      of adverse factors (radiation) on the human organism. There is also available
      characteristic of Ukrainian nuclear Powers, number of population, that lives on
      the area with different pollution degree.

PMID- 26492794
TI  - [OPTIMIZATION THE LEVEL OF INTENSIVELY IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION FOR PUPILS OF THE
      SPECIAL MEDICAL CONTINGENT].
AB  - This article describes an original technique, designed tooptimize the level of
      intensity of physical activity used in the course of routine physical edication
      in classes for pupils of the specialized medical groups. The basis of this
      technique is the principles evaluate the response of students of special medical
      group to progressively increasing exercise test with which sets the optimal level
      of activity for each of the students with the features of the state of his
      health. The practical application of this method allows you to install exactly
      the level of exercise used in the course of the lessons of physical education in
      special medical groups, which improves the health of students with variations in
      health status, and does not increase the likelihood of any complications of their
      diseases.

PMID- 26492795
TI  - Missed Opportunities for Intervention in a Patient With Prolonged Postoperative
      Delirium.
AB  - PURPOSE: Postoperative delirium is a common and costly state of brain dysfunction
      that complicates postsurgical management in some patients. The purpose of this
      report was to describe a case of prolonged postoperative delirium and to review
      the appropriate identification and management of this condition. METHODS: A 56
      year-old female patient who presented with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus and
      dry gangrene underwent a vascular bypass procedure while under general
      anesthesia. After extubation, the patient became disoriented and agitated.
      FINDINGS: The delirium continued in a hypoactive form for 10 days before it
      progressed to severe agitation. During the patient's 2-month hospitalization, she
      underwent 6 additional surgeries. Eventually, the delirium improved with the use
      of antipsychotic agents, and the patient was discharged to a skilled nursing
      facility. IMPLICATIONS: This patient's history, medications, and anesthetic and
      surgical exposure placed her at high risk for postoperative delirium. Her
      exceptionally prolonged course of postoperative delirium was likely perpetuated
      by a multitude of factors, including the continued use of high-risk medications,
      the stress of repeated surgeries, urinary issues, and infection. CONCLUSION: In
      this high-risk patient, a proactive approach to the prevention and treatment of
      delirium may have avoided or mitigated the prolonged delirium and, potentially,
      long-term cognitive deficits.

PMID- 26492796
TI  - Why we need a core outcome set for trials of interventions for prevention and
      management of caries.

PMID- 26492797
TI  - Priority oral health research identification for clinical decision-making.
AB  - The Cochrane Library is a core resource for clinical decision-making globally, by
      clinicians, guideline developers, healthcare providers and patients.The
      publication of Cochrane Library systematic reviews concerning oral health
      conditions has grown exponentially to over 215 individual titles (as of 20 June
      2015) during the past 20 years.Consequently, maintaining updates of the most
      clinically important reviews to provide up-to-date and accurate sources of
      evidence for decision-making has become a pressing concern for the editorial
      group behind their production, Cochrane Oral Health Group.To identify priority
      research required by oral health decision-makers, the Cochrane OHG embarked on a
      consultation process across eight defined areas of dentistry (periodontology,
      operative (including endodontics) and prosthodontics, paediatric dentistry,
      dental public health, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral medicine,
      orthodontics, cleft lip and/or palate) with existing authors (by email), with
      members of the public (by online survey), and established internationally
      clinically expert panels for each area of defined area of dentistry to discuss
      and ratify (by teleconference) a core portfolio of priority evidence to be
      produced and maintained on the Cochrane Library.The resulting portfolio of
      priority research encompasses 81 existing titles to be maintained, and an
      additional 15 new systematic reviews to be developed by the Cochrane OHG in due
      course.The Cochrane OHG has actively responded to the outcomes of this
      prioritisation process by allocating resources to primarily supporting the
      maintenance of identified priority evidence for the Cochrane Library. 

PMID- 26492798
TI  - Association between developmental defects of enamel and dental caries.

PMID- 26492799
TI  - Professional mechanical plaque removal alone may not be enough to maintain
      gingival health.

PMID- 26492800
TI  - Low-quality evidence for the effectiveness of interdental brushing.

PMID- 26492801
TI  - Review finds periodontal treatment has short term benefits for diabetics.

PMID- 26492802
TI  - Metal or fibre posts and root fractures.

PMID- 26492803
TI  - Nonsurgical retreatment vs. endodontic microsurgery: assessing success.

PMID- 26492804
TI  - Platform switching of implants may decrease bone loss.

PMID- 26492805
TI  - Does orthodontic treatment improve oral health-related quality of life?

PMID- 26492806
TI  - Insufficient evidence to recommend a treatment to stop non-nutritive sucking
      habits in children.

PMID- 26492807
TI  - Limited research on surgical interventions to accelerate orthodontic treatment.

PMID- 26492808
TI  - Congenital bleeding disorders and dental surgery.

PMID- 26492809
TI  - Oral contraceptives use may increase incidence of dry sockets.

PMID- 26492810
TI  - Oral healthcare protocols in a nursing home.

PMID- 26492813
TI  - Implications of co-infection of Leptomonas in visceral leishmaniasis in India.
AB  - Protozoan parasites Leishmania donovani (family: Trypanosomatidae) cause fatal
      visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and the infection relapses in apparently cured
      population as post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) in the Indian
      subcontinent. In recent years co-infection of another Trypanosomatid parasite
      Leptomonas with L. donovani during VL/PKDL in this region has become prominent.
      The observation of clinically lesser-known insect parasite, Leptomonas in
      leishmaniasis is intriguing to researchers. The presence of Leishmania look alike
      Leptomonas in the cultures of clinical isolates of Leishmania has been worrisome
      to those, who prefer to work with pure Leishmania cultures for drug and vaccine
      development or immune response studies. The exact implications of such a co
      habitation, which might lead to a delay in the diagnostics of VL and elevate
      mortality, need a thorough investigation. Also whether Leptomonas is involved in
      leishmaniasis manifestation needs to be ascertained. Thus we are currently
      witnessing a new paradigm of a parasitic co-infection in VL/PKDL cases in India
      and this review outlines various opportunities for further research in
      understanding such emerging co-infection. 

PMID- 26492814
TI  - A thermochemical-biochemical hybrid processing of lignocellulosic biomass for
      producing fuels and chemicals.
AB  - Thermochemical-biological hybrid processing uses thermochemical decomposition of
      lignocellulosic biomass to produce a variety of intermediate compounds that can
      be converted into fuels and chemicals through microbial fermentation. It
      represents a unique opportunity for biomass conversion as it mitigates some of
      the deficiencies of conventional biochemical (pretreatment-hydrolysis
      fermentation) and thermochemical (pyrolysis or gasification) processing.
      Thermochemical-biological hybrid processing includes two pathways: (i)
      pyrolysis/pyrolytic substrate fermentation, and (ii) gasification/syngas
      fermentation. This paper provides a comprehensive review of these two hybrid
      processing pathways, including the characteristics of fermentative substrates
      produced in the thermochemical stage and microbial utilization of these compounds
      in the fermentation stage. The current challenges of these two biomass conversion
      pathways include toxicity of the crude pyrolytic substrates, the inhibition of
      raw syngas contaminants, and the mass-transfer limitations in syngas
      fermentation. Possible approaches for mitigating substrate toxicities are
      discussed. The review also provides a summary of the current efforts to
      commercialize hybrid processing. 

PMID- 26492816
TI  - Epigenomic functional characterization of genetic susceptibility variants in
      systemic vasculitis.
AB  - Systemic vasculitides are poorly understood inflammatory diseases of the blood
      vessels that are frequently associated with significant organ damage. Genetic
      risk variants contribute to the susceptibility of vasculitis, but functional
      consequences of these genetic variants are largely unknown. Most genetic risk
      variants in immune-mediated diseases, including systemic vasculitis, are
      localized to non-coding genetic regions suggesting they might increase disease
      risk by influencing regulatory elements within the genome. Long range regulatory
      interactions pose an additional obstacle in localizing functional consequences
      associated with risk variants to specific genes or cell types. We used cell-type
      specific enrichment patterns of histone changes that mark poised, primed, and
      active enhancers, and DNase hypersensitivity to identify specific immune cells
      mediating genetic risk in vasculitis. Our data suggest that genetic risk variants
      in ANCA-associated vasculitis are significantly enriched in enhancer elements in
      Th17 cells, supporting a role for Th17 cells in this disease. Primed and active
      enhancer elements in B cells can be potentially affected by genetic risk variants
      associated with Kawasaki disease. Genetic risk in Behcet's disease and Takayasu
      arteritis might affect enhancer elements in multiple cell types, possibly
      explained by influencing enhancers in hematopoietic stem cells. Interestingly,
      our analyses indicate a role for B cells in Kawasaki disease, Behcet's disease,
      and Takayasu arteritis, and suggest that further work to characterize the
      involvement of B cells in these diseases is warranted. 

PMID- 26492815
TI  - Structural insights on mouse L-threonine dehydrogenase: A regulatory role of
      Arg180 in catalysis.
AB  - Mouse L-threonine dehydrogenase (mTDH), which belongs to the short-chain
      dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) superfamily and mediates threonine catabolism,
      plays pivotal roles in both powerful biosynthesis and signaling in mouse stem
      cells and has a regulatory residue Arg180. Here we determined three crystal
      structures of mTDH: wild-type (WT) in the apo form; in complex with NAD(+) and a
      substrate analog, glycerol, or with only NAD(+); as well as the R180K variant
      with NAD(+). This is the first description of a structure for mammalian SDR-type
      TDH. Structural comparison revealed the structural basis for SDR-type TDH
      catalysis remains strictly conserved in bacteria and mammals. Kinetic enzyme
      assays, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) measurements indicated the
      R180K mutation has little effect on NAD(+) binding affinity, whereas affects the
      substrate's affinity for the enzyme. The crystal structure of R180K with NAD(+),
      biochemical and spectroscopic studies suggested that the R180K mutant should bind
      NAD(+) in a similar way and have a similar folding to the WT. However, the R180K
      variant may have difficulty adopting the closed form due to reduced interaction
      of residue 180 with a loop which connects a key position for mTDH switching
      between the closed and open forms in mTDH catalysis, and thereby exhibited a
      significantly decreased kcat/Km value toward the substrate, L-Thr. In sum, our
      results suggest that activity of GalE-like TDH can be regulated by remote
      interaction, such as hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction around the
      Arg180 of mTDH.

PMID- 26492817
TI  - Rationale, Design, and Methodological Aspects of the BUDAPEST-GLOBAL Study
      (Burden of Atherosclerotic Plaques Study in Twins-Genetic Loci and the Burden of
      Atherosclerotic Lesions).
AB  - The heritability of coronary atherosclerotic plaque burden, coronary geometry,
      and phenotypes associated with increased cardiometabolic risk are largely
      unknown. The primary aim of the Burden of Atherosclerotic Plaques Study in Twins
      Genetic Loci and the Burden of Atherosclerotic Lesions (BUDAPEST-GLOBAL) study is
      to evaluate the influence of genetic and environmental factors on the burden of
      coronary artery disease. By design this is a prospective, single-center,
      classical twin study. In total, 202 twins (61 monozygotic pairs, 40 dizygotic
      same-sex pairs) were enrolled from the Hungarian Twin Registry database. All
      twins underwent non-contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) for the detection
      and quantification of coronary artery calcium and for the measurement of
      epicardial fat volumes. In addition, a single non-contrast-enhanced image slice
      was acquired at the level of L3-L4 to assess abdominal fat distribution. Coronary
      CT angiography was used for the detection and quantification of plaque, stenosis,
      and overall coronary artery disease burden. For the primary analysis, we will
      assess the presence and volume of atherosclerotic plaques. Furthermore, the 3
      dimensional coronary geometry will be assessed based on the coronary CT
      angiography datasets. Additional phenotypic analyses will include per-patient
      epicardial and abdominal fat quantity measurements. Measurements obtained from
      monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs will be compared to evaluate the genetic or
      environmental effects of the given phenotype. The BUDAPEST-GLOBAL study provides
      a unique framework to shed some light on the genetic and environmental influences
      of cardiometabolic disorders. 

PMID- 26492818
TI  - Demographic and infection characteristics of patients with carbapenem-resistant
      Enterobacteriaceae in a community hospital: Development of a bedside clinical
      score for risk assessment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to identify risk factors associated
      with the presence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections to
      develop a clinical prediction model that can be used at patient bedside to
      identify subjects likely infected with a CRE pathogen. METHODS: This case-control
      study included patients aged >=18 years admitted to Novant Health Forsyth Medical
      Center between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2013, with CRE infections
      (cases) or non-CRE infections (controls). Controls were matched to their
      corresponding resistant case (3:1) based on pathogen, place of likely
      acquisition, isolate source, year of admission, and level of care. A risk
      prediction model was developed using variables independently associated with CRE
      isolation. Sensitivities and specificities were obtained at various point
      cutoffs, and a determination of the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) area
      under the curve (AUC) was performed. RESULTS: A total of 164 subjects were
      included. Independent risk factors for CRE included recent antibiotic therapy,
      recent immunosuppression, and Charlson Comorbidity Index score >=4. Adjusted odds
      ratios were 13.37 (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.16-61.19), 6.69 (95% CI, 1.85
      29.65), and 3.30 (95% CI, 1.34-8.40), respectively. Diagnostic performance of
      various score cutoffs for the model indicated a score >=5 correlated with the
      highest accuracy (79%). The ROC AUC was 0.83. CONCLUSION: The risk prediction
      model displayed good discrimination and was an excellent predictor of CRE
      infection.

PMID- 26492819
TI  - How and when nurses collect urine cultures on catheterized patients: A survey of
      5 hospitals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obtaining a specimen for urine culture is a key element in evaluating
      for catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). Evaluating nurses'
      knowledge regarding appropriate reasons and methods to obtain urine culture
      specimens are the first steps to improving practice. METHODS: Nurses at 5
      hospitals completed a 40-question survey regarding their knowledge, training, and
      practices of appropriate reasons for obtaining urine cultures. The survey
      included different scenarios of patients with urinary catheters and when they
      would expect to obtain urine cultures. A 12-point scoring system calculated
      responses regarding urine collection appropriateness. RESULTS: There were 394
      nurses who responded to the survey. Of them, 76.1% reported receiving education
      on CAUTI risk reduction within the last 12 months. Although 327 (83%) of all
      nurses surveyed reported that they never collect urine samples by draining
      directly from the drainage bag, only 58.4% viewed others to be fully compliant
      with that standard (P < .001). Nurses who considered their knowledge to be above
      average to excellent had similar knowledge assessment scores (out of 12 points)
      for triggers to obtain urine cultures (mean score, 4.9 +/- 1.72) compared with
      those that reported average to poor knowledge (mean score, 4.64 +/- 1.78; P =
      .15). CONCLUSIONS: Important opportunities exist for nurses to optimize the
      decisions to obtain urine cultures and the process for obtaining them. Addressing
      nurses' knowledge and practice may lead to more appropriate use of urine
      cultures.

PMID- 26492820
TI  - Direct observation of ultrafast coherent exciton dynamics in helical pi-stacks of
      self-assembled perylene bisimides.
AB  - Ever since the discovery of dye self-assemblies in nature, there have been
      tremendous efforts to exploit biomimetic supramolecular assemblies for tailored
      artificial photon processing materials. This feature necessarily has resulted in
      an increasing demand for understanding exciton dynamics in the dye self
      assemblies. In a sharp contrast with J-type aggregates, however, the detailed
      observation of exciton dynamics in H-type aggregates has remained challenging. In
      this study, as we succeed in measuring transient fluorescence from Frenkel state
      of pi-stacked perylene tetracarboxylic acid bisimide dimer and oligomer
      aggregates, we present an experimental demonstration on Frenkel exciton dynamics
      of archetypal columnar pi-pi stacks of dyes. The analysis of the vibronic peak
      ratio of the transient fluorescence spectra reveals that unlike the simple pi
      stacked dimer, the photoexcitation energy in the columnar pi-stacked oligomer
      aggregates is initially delocalized over at least three molecular units and moves
      coherently along the chain in tens of femtoseconds, preceding excimer formation
      process. 

PMID- 26492821
TI  - Reactive gliosis in the adult zebrafish retina.
AB  - In contrast to mammals, zebrafish posses the remarkable ability to regenerate
      retinal neurons. Damage to the zebrafish retina induces Muller glia to act as
      stem cells, generating retinal progenitors for regeneration. In contrast, injury
      in the mammalian retina results in Muller glial reactive gliosis, a
      characteristic gliotic response that is normally detrimental to vision.
      Understanding the signaling pathways that determine how Muller glia respond to
      injury is a critical step toward promoting regeneration in the mammalian retina.
      Here we report that zebrafish Muller glia exhibit signs of reactive gliosis even
      under normal regenerative conditions and that cell cycle inhibition increases
      this response. Persistently reactive Muller glia increase their neuroprotective
      functions, temporarily saving photoreceptors from a cytotoxic light lesion.
      However, the absence of a sustained proliferation response results in a
      significant inhibition of retinal regeneration. Interestingly, when cell cycle
      inhibition is released, a partial recovery of regeneration is observed. Together,
      these data demonstrate that zebrafish Muller glia possess both gliotic and
      regenerative potential. 

PMID- 26492822
TI  - Region-specific effects of repeated ketamine administration on the presynaptic
      GABAergic neurochemistry in rat brain.
AB  - A growing body of evidence indicates that clinical use of ketamine as a promising
      antidepressant can be accompanied by psychotic-like side effects. Although, the
      generation of such effects is thought to be attributed to dysfunction of
      prefrontal GABAergic interneurons, the mechanism underlying ketamine's
      propsychotic-like action is not fully understood. Due to wide spectrum of
      behavioral abnormalities, it is hypothesized that ketamine action is not limited
      to only cortical GABA metabolism but may also involve alterations in other
      functional brain areas. To test it, we treated rats with ketamine (30 mg/kg,
      i.p.) for 5 days, and next we analyzed GABA metabolizing enzymes in cortex,
      cerebellum, hippocampus and striatum. Our results demonstrated that diminished
      GAD67 expression in cortex, cerebellum (by ~60%) and in hippocampus (by ~40%)
      correlated with lowered protein level in these areas. The expression of GAD65
      isoform decreased by ~45% in striatum, but pronounced increase by ~90% was
      observed in hippocampus. Consecutively, reduction in glutamate decarboxylase
      activity and GABA concentration were detected in cortex, cerebellum and striatum,
      but not in hippocampus. Ketamine administration decreased GABA transaminase
      protein in cortex and striatum (by ~50% and 30%, respectively), which was
      reflected in diminished activity of the enzyme. Also, a significant drop in
      succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase activity in cortex, cerebellum and striatum
      was present. These data suggest a reduced utilization of GABA for energetic
      purposes. In addition, we observed synaptic GABA release to be reduced by ~30%
      from striatal terminals. It correlated with lowered KCl-induced Ca(2+) influx and
      decreased amount of L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel. Our results
      indicate that unique changes in GABA metabolism triggered by chronic ketamine
      treatment in functionally distinct brain regions may be involved in propsychotic
      like effects of this drug.

PMID- 26492823
TI  - Molecular detection and genetic identification of Babesia bigemina, Theileria
      annulata, Theileria orientalis and Anaplasma marginale in Turkey.
AB  - Babesia spp., Theileria spp. and Anaplasma spp. are significant tick-borne
      pathogens of livestock globally. In this study, we investigated the presence and
      distribution of Babesia bigemina, Theileria annulata, Theileria orientalis and
      Anaplasma marginale in cattle from 6 provinces of Turkey using species-specific
      PCR assays. The PCR were conducted using the primers based on the B. bigemina
      rhoptry-associated protein 1a (BbiRAP-1a), T. annulata merozoite surface antigen
      1 (Tams-1), T. orientalis major piroplasm surface protein (ToMPSP) and A.
      marginale major surface protein 4 (AmMSP4) genes, respectively. Fragments of B.
      bigemina internal transcribed spacer (BbiITS), T. annulata internal transcribed
      spacer (TaITS), ToMPSP and AmMSP4 genes were sequenced for phylogenetic analysis.
      PCR results revealed that the overall infections of A. marginale, T. annulata, B.
      bigemina and T. orientalis were 29.1%, 18.9%, 11.2% and 5.6%, respectively. The
      co-infection of two or three pathogens was detected in 29/196 (15.1%) of the
      cattle samples. The results of sequence analysis indicated that BbiRAP-1a,
      BbiITS, Tams-1, ToMPSP and AmMSP4 were conserved among the Turkish samples, with
      99.76%, 99-99.8%, 99.34-99.78%, 96.9-99.61% and 99.42-99.71% sequence identity
      values, respectively. In contrast, the Turkish TaITS gene sequences were
      relatively diverse with 92.3-96.63% identity values. B. bigemina isolates from
      Turkey were found in the same clade as the isolates from other countries in
      phylogenetic analysis. On the other hand, phylogenetic analysis based on T.
      annulata ITS sequences revealed significant differences in the genotypes of T.
      annulata isolates from Turkey. Additionally, the T. orientalis isolates from
      Turkish samples were classified as MPSP type 3 genotype. This is the first report
      of type 3 MPSP in Turkey. Moreover, AmMSP4 isolates from Turkey were found in the
      same clade as the isolates from other countries. This study provides important
      data for understanding the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases and it is expected
      to improve approach for diagnosis and control of tick-borne diseases in Turkey. 

PMID- 26492824
TI  - Potent and Selective Inhibitors of Trypanosoma cruzi Triosephosphate Isomerase
      with Concomitant Inhibition of Cruzipain: Inhibition of Parasite Growth through
      Multitarget Activity.
AB  - Triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) is an essential Trypanosoma cruzi enzyme and one
      of the few validated drug targets for Chagas disease. The known inhibitors of
      this enzyme behave poorly or have low activity in the parasite. In this work, we
      used symmetrical diarylideneketones derived from structures with trypanosomicidal
      activity. We obtained an enzymatic inhibitor with an IC50 value of 86 nm without
      inhibition effects on the mammalian enzyme. These molecules also affected
      cruzipain, another essential proteolytic enzyme of the parasite. This dual
      activity is important to avoid resistance problems. The compounds were studied in
      vitro against the epimastigote form of the parasite, and nonspecific toxicity to
      mammalian cells was also evaluated. As a proof of concept, three of the best
      derivatives were also assayed in vivo. Some of these derivatives showed higher in
      vitro trypanosomicidal activity than the reference drugs and were effective in
      protecting infected mice. In addition, these molecules could be obtained by a
      simple and economic green synthetic route, which is an important feature in the
      research and development of future drugs for neglected diseases.

PMID- 26492825
TI  - Ancestral state reconstruction of ontogeny supports a bilaterian affinity for
      Dickinsonia.
AB  - Despite numerous attempts, classification of the Precambrian fossil Dickinsonia
      has eluded scientific consensus. This is largely because Dickinsonia and its
      relatives are structurally simple, lacking morphological synapomorphies to
      clarify their relationship to modern taxa. However, there is increasing
      precedence for using ontogeny to constrain enigmatic fossils, and growth of the
      type species Dickinsonia costata is well understood. This study formalizes the
      connection between ontogeny in Dickinsonia-which grows by the addition of
      metameric units onto one end of its primary axis-with terminal addition, defined
      as growth and patterning from a posterior, subtermial growth zone. We employ
      ancestral state reconstruction and stochastic character mapping to conclude that
      terminal addition is a synapomorphy of bilaterian animals. Thus, terminal
      addition allies Dickinsonia with the bilaterians, providing evidence that large
      stem- or crown-group bilaterians made up a significant proportion of the
      Precambrian biota. This study also illustrates the potential for combining
      developmental and phylogenetic data in constraining the placement of ancient
      problematic fossil taxa on the evolutionary tree. 

PMID- 26492826
TI  - Evidence of duplicated Hox genes in the most recent common ancestor of extant
      scorpions.
AB  - Scorpions (order Scorpiones) are unusual among arthropods, both for the extreme
      heteronomy of their bauplan and for the high gene family turnover exhibited in
      their genomes. These phenomena appear to be correlated, as two scorpion species
      have been shown to possess nearly twice the number of Hox genes present in most
      arthropods. Segmentally offset anterior expression boundaries of a subset of Hox
      paralogs have been shown to correspond to transitions in segmental identities in
      the scorpion posterior tagmata, suggesting that posterior heteronomy in scorpions
      may have been achieved by neofunctionalization of Hox paralogs. However, both the
      first scorpion genome sequenced and the developmental genetic data are based on
      exemplars of Buthidae, one of 19 families of scorpions. It is therefore not known
      whether Hox paralogy is limited to Buthidae or widespread among scorpions. We
      surveyed 24 high throughput transcriptomes and the single whole genome available
      for scorpions, in order to test the prediction that Hox gene duplications are
      common to the order. We used gene tree parsimony to infer whether the paralogy
      was consistent with a duplication event in the scorpion common ancestor. Here we
      show that duplicated Hox genes in non-buthid scorpions occur in six of the ten
      Hox classes. Gene tree topologies and parsimony-based reconciliation of the gene
      trees are consistent with a duplication event in the most recent common ancestor
      of scorpions. These results suggest that a Hox paralogy, and by extension the
      model of posterior patterning established in a buthid, can be extended to non
      Buthidae scorpions. 

PMID- 26492828
TI  - Evolutionarily divergent thermal sensitivity of germline development and
      fertility in hermaphroditic Caenorhabditis nematodes.
AB  - Thermal developmental plasticity represents a key organismal adaptation to
      maintain reproductive capacity in contrasting and fluctuating temperature niches.
      Although extensively studied, research on thermal plasticity has mainly focused
      on phenotypic outcomes, such as adult life history, rather than directly
      measuring plasticity of underlying developmental processes. How thermal
      plasticity of developmental phenotypes maps into plasticity of resulting final
      phenotypes, and how such mapping relationships evolve, thus remain poorly
      understood. Here we address these questions by quantifying thermal plasticity of
      Caenorhabditis hermaphrodite germline development. We integrate measurements of
      germline development and fertility at the upper thermal range in isolates of C.
      briggsae, C. elegans, and C. tropicalis. First, we compare intra- and
      interspecific variation in thermal germline plasticity with plasticity in
      reproductive output. Second, we ask whether the developmental errors leading to
      fertility break-down at upper thermal limits are evolutionarily conserved. We
      find that temperature variation modulates spermatogenesis, oogenesis and germ
      cell progenitor pools, yet the thermal sensitivity of these processes varies
      among isolates and species, consistent with evolutionary variation in upper
      thermal limits of hermaphrodite fertility. Although defective sperm function is a
      major contributor to heat-induced fertility break-down, high temperature also
      significantly perturbs oogenesis, germline integrity, and mitosis-meiosis
      progression. Remarkably, the occurrence and frequency of specific errors are
      strongly species- and genotype-dependent, indicative of evolutionary divergence
      in thermal sensitivity of distinct processes in germline development. Therefore,
      the Caenorhabditis reproductive system displays complex genotype-by-temperature
      interactions at the developmental level, which may remain masked when studying
      thermal plasticity exclusively at the life history level. 

PMID- 26492827
TI  - Making maxillary barbels with a proximal-distal gradient of Wnt signals in matrix
      bound mesenchymal cells.
AB  - The evolution of specific appendages is made possible by the ontogenetic
      deployment of general cell signaling pathways. Many fishes, amphibians and
      reptiles have unique skin appendages known as barbels, which are poorly
      understood at the cellular and molecular level. In this study, we examine the
      cell arrangements, cell division patterns, and gene expression profiles
      associated with the zebrafish maxillary barbel, or ZMB. The earliest cellular
      organization of the ZMB is an internal whorl of mesenchymal cells in the dermis
      of the maxilla; there is no epithelial placode, nor any axially-elongated
      epithelial cells as expected of an apical ectodermal ridge (AER). As the ZMB
      develops, cells in S-phase are at first distributed randomly throughout the
      appendage, gradually transitioning to a proliferative population concentrated at
      the distal end. By observing ZMB ontogenetic stages in a Wnt-responsive
      transgenic reporter line, TCFsiam, we identified a strongly fluorescent
      mesenchymal cell layer within these developing appendages. Using an in vitro
      explant culture technique on developing barbel tissues, we co-localized the
      fluorescent label in these cells with the mitotic marker EdU. Surprisingly, the
      labeled cells showed little proliferation, indicating a slow-cycling
      subpopulation. Transmission electron microscopy of the ZMB located these cells in
      a single, circumferential layer within the barbel's matrix core. Morphologically,
      these cells resemble fibroblasts or osteoblasts; in addition to their matrix
      bound location, they are identified by their pancake-shaped nuclei, abundant
      rough endoplasmic reticulum, and cytoplasmic extensions into the surrounding
      extracellular matrix. Taken together, these features define a novel mesenchymal
      cell population in zebrafish, the "TCF(+) core cells." A working model of barbel
      development is proposed, in which these minimally mitotic mesodermal cells
      produce collagenous matrix in response to ectodermally-derived Wnt signals
      deployed in a proximal-distal gradient along the appendage. This documents a
      novel mechanism of vertebrate appendage outgrowth. Similar genetic signals and
      cell behaviors may be responsible for the independent and repeated evolution of
      barbel structures in other fish species. 

PMID- 26492829
TI  - Satisfaction of undergraduate students at University of Jordan after root canal
      treatment of posterior teeth using rotary or hand preparation.
AB  - The aim of this study was to report the satisfaction of fifth year undergraduate
      students on the clinical use of rotary endodontic preparation compared with
      stainless steel standard technique and to evaluate the impact of rotary nickel
      titanium instruments on undergraduate teaching. This study was carried out by the
      fifth year undergraduate students attending peer review sessions as a part of
      their training program using a questionnaire to assess their satisfaction with
      these two techniques. The overall results indicated a statistically significant
      satisfaction of the undergraduate students with the use of the nickel-titanium
      system (P < 0.001) compared to stainless steel standard technique. Under the
      conditions of this study, the results showed a positive acceptance and consensus
      among novice dental students regarding the use of ProTaper rotary files and the
      need for undergraduate teaching of rotary nickel-titanium systems in Jordan. 

PMID- 26492830
TI  - Differential vascular permeability along the forebrain ventricular neurogenic
      niche in the adult murine brain.
AB  - Adult neurogenesis is influenced by blood-borne factors. In this context, greater
      or lesser vascular permeability along neurogenic niches would expose
      differentially neural stem cells (NSCs), transit amplifying cells (TACs), and
      neuroblasts to such factors. Here we evaluate endothelial cell morphology and
      vascular permeability along the forebrain neurogenic niche in the adult brain.
      Our results confirm that the subventricular zone (SVZ) contains highly permeable,
      discontinuous blood vessels, some of which allow the extravasation of molecules
      larger than those previously reported. In contrast, the rostral migratory stream
      (RMS) and the olfactory bulb core (OBc) display mostly impermeable, continuous
      blood vessels. These results imply that NSCs, TACs, and neuroblasts located
      within the SVZ are exposed more readily to blood-borne molecules, including those
      with very high molecular weights, than those positioned along the RMS and the
      OBc, subregions in which every stage of neurogenesis also takes place. These
      observations suggest that the existence of specialized vascular niches is not a
      precondition for neurogenesis to occur; specialized vascular beds might be
      essential for keeping high rates of proliferation and/or differential
      differentiation of neural precursors located at distinct domains.

PMID- 26492832
TI  - Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors and Diabetes: A Novel Treatment Paradigm?
AB  - Deregulation of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activity is implicated in various
      proliferative conditions. Multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are
      increasingly used for the treatment of different malignancies. Recently, several
      clinical cases of the reversal of both type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (T1DM,
      T2DM) during TKI administration have been reported. Experimental in vivo and in
      vitro studies have elucidated some of the mechanisms behind this effect. For
      example, inhibition of Abelson tyrosine kinase (c-Abl) results in beta cell
      survival and enhanced insulin secretion, while platelet-derived growth factor
      receptor (PDGFR) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibition leads to
      improvement in insulin sensitivity. In addition, inhibition of vascular
      endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) reduces the degree of islet cell
      inflammation (insulitis). Therefore, targeting several PTKs may provide a novel
      approach for correcting the pathophysiologic disturbances of diabetes. 

PMID- 26492831
TI  - The miRNA Interactome in Metabolic Homeostasis.
AB  - Global expression analyses demonstrate that alterations in miRNA levels correlate
      with various metabolic diseases. miRNAs regulate central metabolic pathways and
      thus play vital roles in maintaining organismal energy balance and metabolic
      homeostasis. Here we highlight novel sequencing technologies used to
      comprehensively define the target spectrum of miRNAs in metabolic disease that
      complement recent literature reporting physiologic roles for miRNAs in the
      regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism in peripheral tissues of animal models
      of metabolic dysfunction. These emerging technologies help decipher the
      complexity of the miRNA interactome and enrich our understanding of how miRNAs
      mediate physiologic effects by targeting a spectrum of gene transcripts
      simultaneously. miRNA-based therapeutics emerge as a viable strategy for treating
      metabolic diseases. 

PMID- 26492833
TI  - One-step large-scale deposition of salt-free DNA origami nanostructures.
AB  - DNA origami nanostructures have tremendous potential to serve as versatile
      platforms in self-assembly -based nanofabrication and in highly parallel
      nanoscale patterning. However, uniform deposition and reliable anchoring of DNA
      nanostructures often requires specific conditions, such as pre-treatment of the
      chosen substrate or a fine-tuned salt concentration for the deposition buffer. In
      addition, currently available deposition techniques are suitable merely for small
      scales. In this article, we exploit a spray-coating technique in order to resolve
      the aforementioned issues in the deposition of different 2D and 3D DNA origami
      nanostructures. We show that purified DNA origamis can be controllably deposited
      on silicon and glass substrates by the proposed method. The results are verified
      using either atomic force microscopy or fluorescence microscopy depending on the
      shape of the DNA origami. DNA origamis are successfully deposited onto untreated
      substrates with surface coverage of about 4 objects/mm(2). Further, the DNA
      nanostructures maintain their shape even if the salt residues are removed from
      the DNA origami fabrication buffer after the folding procedure. We believe that
      the presented one-step spray-coating method will find use in various fields of
      material sciences, especially in the development of DNA biochips and in the
      fabrication of metamaterials and plasmonic devices through DNA metallisation. 

PMID- 26492834
TI  - Strategies and Molecular Design Criteria for 3D Printable Hydrogels.

PMID- 26492836
TI  - Early postoperative outcome of bipolar transurethral enucleation and resection of
      the prostate.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To report the early postoperative outcome of bipolar transurethral
      enucleation and resection of the prostate. Our results were compared with those
      published from various centres. SETTING: Regional hospital, Hong Kong. PATIENTS:
      A total of 28 consecutive patients who had undergone bipolar transurethral
      enucleation and resection of the prostate by a single surgeon between January and
      June 2014. All patients were evaluated preoperatively by physical examination,
      digital rectal examination, transrectal ultrasonography, and laboratory studies,
      including measurement of haemoglobin, sodium, and prostate-specific antigen
      levels. Patients were assessed perioperatively and at 4 weeks and 3 months
      postoperatively. RESULTS: The mean resected specimen weight of prostatic adenoma
      in 28 patients was 48.2 g with a mean enucleation and resection time of 13.6 and
      47.7 minutes, respectively. There was a mean decrease in serum prostate-specific
      antigen by 85.9% (from 6.4 ng/mL to 0.9 ng/mL) postoperatively. Prostate volume
      was decreased by 68.2% (from 71.9 cm(3) to 22.9 cm(3)) at 4 weeks
      postoperatively. The mean postoperative haemoglobin drop was 11.5 g/L. The rate
      of transient urinary incontinence at 3 months was 3.6%. Patients who underwent
      bipolar transurethral enucleation and resection of the prostate had a short
      catheterisation time and hospital stay, which is comparable to conventional
      transurethral resection of the prostate. CONCLUSIONS: Bipolar transurethral
      enucleation and resection of the prostate should become the endourological
      equivalent to open adenomectomy with fewer complications and short convalescence.
      The technique of bipolar transurethral enucleation and resection of the prostate
      can be acquired safely with a relatively short learning curve.

PMID- 26492835
TI  - Aetiological bases of 46,XY disorders of sex development in the Hong Kong Chinese
      population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Disorders of sex development are due to congenital defects in
      chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomical sex development. The objective of this study
      was to determine the aetiology of this group of disorders in the Hong Kong
      Chinese population. SETTING: Five public hospitals in Hong Kong. PATIENTS:
      Patients with 46,XY disorders of sex development under the care of paediatric
      endocrinologists between July 2009 and June 2011. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Measurement of serum gonadotropins, adrenal and testicular hormones, and urinary
      steroid profiling. Mutational analysis of genes involved in sexual
      differentiation by direct DNA sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe
      amplification. RESULTS: Overall, 64 patients were recruited for the study. Their
      age at presentation ranged from birth to 17 years. The majority presented with
      ambiguous external genitalia including micropenis and severe hypospadias. A few
      presented with delayed puberty and primary amenorrhea. Baseline and post-human
      chorionic gonadotropin-stimulated testosterone and dihydrotestosterone levels
      were not discriminatory in patients with or without AR gene mutations. Of the
      patients, 22 had a confirmed genetic disease, with 11 having 5alpha-reductase 2
      deficiency, seven with androgen insensitivity syndrome, one each with cholesterol
      side-chain cleavage enzyme deficiency, Frasier syndrome, NR5A1-related sex
      reversal, and persistent Mullerian duct syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings
      suggest that 5alpha-reductase 2 deficiency and androgen insensitivity syndrome
      are possibly the two most common causes of 46,XY disorders of sex development in
      the Hong Kong Chinese population. Since hormonal findings can be unreliable,
      mutational analysis of the SRD5A2 and AR genes should be considered the first
      line tests for these patients.

PMID- 26492837
TI  - Bone health status of postmenopausal Chinese women.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence of osteoporosis in treatment-naive
      postmenopausal women, their treatment adherence, and the risk factors for
      osteoporosis. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of bone density reports, a self
      administered health checklist, and computerised consultation records. SETTING:
      Primary care sexual and reproductive health service in Hong Kong. PARTICIPANTS:
      Postmenopausal Chinese women who had never received osteoporosis treatment or
      hormone replacement therapy. INTERVENTION: Each woman completed a checklist of
      risk factors for osteoporosis, menopause age, history of hormone replacement
      therapy, and osteoporosis treatment prior to undergoing bone mineral density
      measurement at the postero-anterior lumbar spine and left femur. The consultation
      records of those with osteoporosis were reviewed to determine their treatment
      adherence. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: T-score at the spine and hip, presence or
      absence of risk factors for osteoporosis, and treatment adherence. RESULTS:
      Between January 2008 and December 2011, 1507 densitometries were performed for
      eligible women; 51.6% of whom were diagnosed with osteopenia and 25.7% with
      osteoporosis. The mean age of women with normal bone mineral density, osteopenia,
      and osteoporosis was 57.0, 58.0, and 59.7 years, respectively. Approximately half
      of them had an inadequate dietary calcium intake, performed insufficient weight
      bearing exercise, or had too little sun exposure. Logistic regression analysis
      revealed that age, body mass index of <18.5 kg/m(2), parental history of
      osteoporosis or hip fracture, and duration of menopause were significant risk
      factors for osteoporosis. Among those with osteoporosis, 42.9% refused treatment,
      30.7% complied with treatment, and 26.3% discontinued treatment or defaulted from
      follow-up. Those who refused treatment were significantly older. CONCLUSIONS:
      Osteoporosis is prevalent in postmenopausal women. Only 50% adopted primary
      prevention strategies. Almost 70% refused treatment or stopped prematurely.

PMID- 26492838
TI  - Common variants in QPCT gene confer risk of schizophrenia in the Han Chinese
      population.
AB  - Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a common and severe mental disorder, its etiology has not
      been elucidated completely. In one previous genome-wide association study (GWAS)
      of SCZ in the Caucasian population, the QPCT has been reported as susceptible
      gene for SCZ. The QPCT gene encodes Glutaminyl cyclase (QC), an enzyme which is
      involved in the post translational modification by converting N-terminal
      glutamate of protein to pyroglutamate, which is resistant to protease
      degradation, more hydrophobic, and prone to aggregation and neurotoxic. To
      further investigate the role of this gene in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia in
      the Han Chinese population, we conducted this study in 1,248 (Mean age +/- S.D,
      36.44 years +/- 9.0) SCZ cases, 1,248 (Mean age +/- S.D, 30.62 years +/- 11.35)
      healthy control samples for a case control study. We genotyped six SNPs in this
      study, including one positive SNP of the previous study, using the Sequenom
      MassARRAY platform. We found that rs2373000 was significantly associated with SCZ
      before correction [rs2373000: P allele = 0.016, chi(2)  = 5.784, OR [95%CI] =
      0.861 [0.762-0.972], P genotype = 0.018, chi(2)  = 0.069]. After permutation
      correction for multiple testing, rs2373000 [rs2373000: P Allele corrected =
      0.063, P genotype corrected = 0.069] showed marginal association with SCZ.
      Additionally, one pathogenic haplotype (TGT) containing rs2373000 was also
      significantly associated with SCZ. Our results are consistent with the findings
      of previous study and the genetic risk of QPCT gene for SCZ also exists in the
      Han Chinese population.

PMID- 26492839
TI  - Patient reported outcomes following stereotactic ablative radiotherapy or surgery
      for stage IA non-small-cell lung cancer: Results from the ROSEL multicenter
      randomized trial.
AB  - We report quality of life and indirect costs from patient reported outcomes from
      the ROSEL randomized control trial comparing stereotactic ablative radiotherapy
      (SABR, also known as stereotactic body radiotherapy or SBRT) versus surgical
      resection for medically operable stage IA non-small cell lung cancer. ROSEL
      closed prematurely after accruing and randomizing 22 patients. This exploratory
      analysis found the global health related quality of life and indirect costs to be
      significantly favorable and cheaper, with SABR. 

PMID- 26492840
TI  - How can individual differences in autobiographical memory distributions of older
      adults be explained?
AB  - The reminiscence bump phenomenon has frequently been reported for the recall of
      autobiographical memories. The present study complements previous research by
      examining individual differences in the distribution of word-cued
      autobiographical memories. More importantly, we introduce predictor variables
      that might account for individual differences in the mean (location) and the
      standard deviation (scale) of individual memory distributions. All variables were
      derived from different theoretical accounts for the reminiscence bump phenomenon.
      We used a mixed location-scale logitnormal model, to analyse the 4602
      autobiographical memories reported by 118 older participants. Results show
      reliable individual differences in the location and the scale. After controlling
      for age and gender, individual proportions of first-time experiences and
      individual proportions of positive memories, as well as the ratings on Openness
      to new Experiences and Self-Concept Clarity accounted for 29% of individual
      differences in location and 42% of individual differences in scale of
      autobiographical memory distributions. Results dovetail with a life-story account
      for the reminiscence bump which integrates central components of previous
      accounts.

PMID- 26492841
TI  - Direct Synthesis of Carbon-Doped TiO2-Bronze Nanowires as Anode Materials for
      High Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries.
AB  - Carbon-doped TiO2-bronze nanowires were synthesized via a facile doping mechanism
      and were exploited as active material for Li-ion batteries. We demonstrate that
      both the wire geometry and the presence of carbon doping contribute to the high
      electrochemical performance of these materials. Direct carbon doping for example
      reduces the Li-ion diffusion length and improves the electrical conductivity of
      the wires, as demonstrated by cycling experiments, which evidenced remarkably
      higher capacities and superior rate capability over the undoped nanowires. The as
      prepared carbon-doped nanowires, evaluated in lithium half-cells, exhibited
      lithium storage capacity of ~306 mA h g(-1) (91% of the theoretical capacity) at
      the current rate of 0.1C as well as excellent discharge capacity of ~160 mAh g(
      1) even at the current rate of 10 C after 1000 charge/discharge cycles. 

PMID- 26492843
TI  - Underuse and Overuse of Colonoscopy for Repeat Screening and Surveillance in the
      Veterans Health Administration.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Regular screening with colonoscopy lowers colorectal cancer
      incidence and mortality. We aimed to determine patterns of repeat and
      surveillance colonoscopy and identify factors associated with overuse and
      underuse of colonoscopy. METHODS: We analyzed data from participants in a
      previous Veterans Health Administration (VHA) study who underwent outpatient
      colonoscopy at 25 VHA facilities between October 2007 and September 2008 (n =
      1455). The proportion of patients who received a follow-up colonoscopy was
      calculated for 3 risk groups, which were defined on the basis of the index
      colonoscopy: no adenoma, low-risk adenoma, or high-risk adenoma. RESULTS:
      Colonoscopy was overused (used more frequently than intervals recommended by
      guidelines) by 16% of patients with no adenomas, 26% with low-risk adenomas, and
      29% with high-risk adenomas. Most patients with high-risk adenomas (54%)
      underwent colonoscopy after the recommended interval or did not undergo
      colonoscopy. Patients who received a follow-up recommendation that was discordant
      with guidelines were more likely to undergo colonoscopy too early (no adenoma
      odds ratio [OR], 3.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.31-6.25 and low-risk
      adenoma OR, 5.28; 95% CI, 1.88-14.83). Receipt of colonoscopy at nonacademic
      facilities was associated with overuse among patients without adenomas (OR, 5.26;
      95% CI, 1.96-14.29) or with low-risk adenomas (OR, 3.45; 95% CI, 1.52-7.69).
      Performance of colonoscopies by general surgeons vs gastroenterologists (OR,
      2.08; 95% CI, 1.02-4.23) and female sex of the patient (OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 1.06
      10.16) were associated with overuse of colonoscopy for patients with low-risk
      adenomas. No factors examined were associated with underuse of colonoscopy among
      patients with high-risk adenomas. CONCLUSIONS: In an analysis of patients in the
      VHA system, more than one fourth of patients with low-risk adenomas received
      follow-up colonoscopies too early, whereas more than one half of those with high
      risk adenomas did not undergo surveillance colonoscopy as recommended. Our
      findings highlight the need for system-level improvements to facilitate the
      appropriate delivery of colonoscopy that is based on individual risk.

PMID- 26492842
TI  - Airway Hypersensitivity, Reflux, and Phonation Contribute to Chronic Cough.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Although chronic cough is common, its etiology is often
      elusive, making patient management a challenge. Gastroesophageal reflux and
      airway hypersensitivity can cause chronic cough. We explored the relationship
      between reflux, phonation, and cough in patients with idiopathic chronic cough.
      METHODS: We performed a blinded, cross-sectional study of nonsmoking patients
      with chronic cough (duration, >8 weeks) refractory to reflux treatment referred
      to the Digestive Disease Center at Vanderbilt University. All underwent 24-hour
      acoustic recording concurrently and temporally synchronized with ambulatory pH
      impedance monitoring. Cough, phonation, and pH-impedance events were recorded. We
      evaluated the temporal relationship between cough and phonation or reflux events
      using Poisson and logistic regression. RESULTS: Seventeen patients met the
      inclusion criteria (88% female; 100% white; median age, 63 years [interquartile
      age range, 52-66 years]; mean body mass index, 30.6 [interquartile range, 27.9
      34.0]); there were 2048 analyzable coughing events. The probability of subsequent
      coughing increased with higher burdens of preceding cough, reflux, or phonation.
      Within the first 15 minutes after a cough event, the cough event itself was the
      main trigger of subsequent cough events. After this period, de novo coughing
      occurred with increases of 1.46-fold in association with reflux alone (95%
      confidence interval, 1.17-1.82; P < .001) and 1.71-fold in association with the
      combination of phonation and reflux events. CONCLUSIONS: Antecedent phonation and
      reflux increased the rate of cough events in patients with idiopathic chronic
      cough. Reflux events were more strongly associated with increased rate of
      coughing. Our findings support the concept that airway hypersensitivity is a
      cause of chronic cough, and that the vocal folds may be an effector in chronic
      cough ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT01263626.

PMID- 26492844
TI  - Safety and Effectiveness of Early Colonoscopy in Management of Acute Lower
      Gastrointestinal Bleeding on the Basis of Propensity Score Matching Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: We investigated the safety and effectiveness of early
      colonoscopy (performed within 24 hours of hospital admission) for acute lower
      gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) vs elective colonoscopy (performed 24 hours
      after admission). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study by using a database
      of endoscopies performed at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in
      Tokyo, Japan from January 2009 through December 2014. We analyzed data from 538
      patients emergently hospitalized for acute LGIB. We used propensity score
      matching to adjust for differences between patients who underwent early
      colonoscopy vs elective colonoscopy. Outcomes included rates of adverse events
      during bowel preparation and colonoscopy procedures, stigmata of recent
      hemorrhage, endoscopic therapy, blood transfusion requirement, 30-day rebleeding
      and mortality, and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: We selected 163 pairs of
      patients for analysis on the basis of propensity matching. We observed no
      significant differences between the early and elective colonoscopy groups in
      bowel preparation-related rates of adverse events (1.8% vs 1.2%, P = .652),
      colonoscopy-related rates of adverse events (none in either group), blood
      transfusion requirement (27.6% vs 27.6%, P = 1.000), or mortality (1.2% vs 0, P =
      .156). The early colonoscopy group had higher rates than the elective group for
      stigmata of recent hemorrhage (26.4% vs 9.2%, P < .001) and endoscopic therapy
      (25.8% vs 8.6%, P < .001), including clipping (17.8% vs 4.9%, P < .001), band
      ligation (6.1% vs 1.8%, P = .048), and rebleeding (13.5% vs 7.4%, P = .070).
      Patients in the early colonoscopy group stayed in the hospital for a shorter mean
      time (10 days) than patients in the elective colonoscopy group (13 days) (P <
      .001). CONCLUSIONS: Early colonoscopy for patients with acute LGIB is safe,
      allows for endoscopic therapy because it identifies the bleeding source, and
      reduces hospital stay. However, compared with elective colonoscopy, early
      colonoscopy does not reduce mortality and may increase the risk for rebleeding.

PMID- 26492845
TI  - Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Is Associated With Increased Mortality in Obese
      Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Bariatric surgery is associated with improved outcomes in
      subjects with severe obesity. We investigated the prognostic relevance of
      nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver gene expression patterns in
      patients undergoing bariatric surgery. METHODS: We performed a retrospective
      analysis of 492 subjects who underwent gastric bypass bariatric surgery at a
      single center in Switzerland from January 1997 through December 2004; routine
      perioperative liver biopsies were collected, analyzed histologically, and RNA was
      isolated. We collected data on overall survival and clinical and biochemical
      parameters and compared these with data from propensity score-matched subjects
      participating in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
      (NHANES III). We used liver biopsies to identify bariatric surgery patients with
      NASH; NHANES III participants with NASH were identified based on a hyperechogenic
      liver at ultrasound and increased alanine transaminase levels. We analyzed a 32
      gene signature associated with NAFLD severity in the liver tissues collected from
      47 bariatric surgery patients with NASH, and assessed its prognostic features
      using nearest template prediction and survival analysis. RESULTS: At baseline,
      the median body mass index of patients who underwent bariatric surgery was 43.6
      kg/m2; based on histologic findings, 12% had NASH and 16% had fibrosis. During a
      median follow-up of 10.2 years after the surgery, 4.2% of the subjects died. In
      multivariable Cox regression, the presence of NASH (hazard ratio [HR], 2.9; P =
      .02) and arterial hypertension (HR, 3.9; P = .02) were associated with overall
      mortality. When bariatric surgery patients were matched with NHANES III
      participants, bariatric surgery reduced the risk of death during the follow-up
      period (HR, 0.54; P = .04). However, bariatric surgery patients with NASH did not
      have a reduced risk of death compared with NHANES III participants with NASH (HR,
      0.90; P = .85). We identified an expression pattern of 32 genes in liver tissues
      from patients with NASH that was associated with increased risk of death in
      multivariable analysis (HR, 7.7; P = .045). CONCLUSIONS: Histologically proven
      NASH is associated with increased risk of death within a median follow-up of 10.2
      years after bariatric surgery, compared with patients who undergo bariatric
      surgery without NASH. The survival benefit of bariatric surgery in subjects with
      NASH may be reduced. A 32-gene expression pattern identified patients with NASH
      who underwent bariatric surgery and had shorter survival times.

PMID- 26492846
TI  - Efficacy of 6-Mercaptopurine as Second-Line Treatment for Patients With
      Autoimmune Hepatitis and Azathioprine Intolerance.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic inflammatory liver
      disease that requires long-term immunosuppressive therapy. Although most patients
      have an excellent response to standard therapy (azathioprine in combination with
      corticosteroids), approximately 10%-15% have intolerance or an insufficient
      response to azathioprine treatment. We investigated whether 6-mercaptopurine (6
      MP) is an effective second-line therapy for patients with AIH. METHODS: We
      performed a retrospective study of 22 patients with AIH who were switched to 6-MP
      therapy after treatment with the combination of azathioprine and prednisolone at
      2 tertiary care institutions in Europe (Germany and the United Kingdom) before
      November 15, 2014. We performed statistical analyses of data on clinical and
      biochemical responses collected 4 weeks after 6-MP treatment and then at regular
      physician visits. RESULTS: A total of 15 of 20 patients with prior azathioprine
      intolerance (75%) responded to 6-MP treatment; 8 of these patients had a complete
      response and 7 had partial remission, based on biochemical features. In these 15
      patients, 6-MP was well tolerated, whereas the 5 remaining patients had to be
      switched to different immunosuppressive regimes because of 6-MP intolerance. The
      2 patients with insufficient response to azathioprine treatment also showed no
      response to 6-MP. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with AIH and azathioprine intolerance,
      6-MP seems to be an effective and well-tolerated second-line treatment. 6-MP
      might be ineffective in patients with insufficient response to azathioprine.

PMID- 26492847
TI  - Lactulose Challenge Determines Visceral Sensitivity and Severity of Symptoms in
      Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can be assigned
      to groups with different gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms based on results from a
      combined nutrient and lactulose challenge. We aimed to identify factors that
      predict outcomes to this challenge and to determine whether this can be used in
      noninvasive assessment of visceral sensitivity in patients with IBS. METHODS: We
      performed a prospective study of 100 patients with IBS diagnosed according to
      Rome III criteria (all subtypes) and seen at a secondary or tertiary care center.
      After an overnight fast, subjects were given a liquid breakfast (400 mL;
      Nutridrink) that contained 25 g lactulose. Before the challenge, we assessed
      visceral sensitivity (via rectal barostat), oro-anal transit time, and fecal
      microbiota composition (via 16S ribosomal RNA pyrosequencing); we determined IBS
      severity using questionnaires. The intensity of 8 GI symptoms, the level of
      digestive comfort, and the amount of exhaled H2 and CH4 in breath were measured
      before and during a 4-hour period after the liquid breakfast. RESULTS: Based on
      the intensity of 8 GI symptoms and level of digestive comfort during the
      challenge, patients were assigned to groups with high-intensity GI symptoms (HGS;
      n = 39) or low-intensity GI symptoms (LGS; n = 61); patients with HGS had more
      severe IBS (P < .0001), higher somatization (P < .01), and lower quality of life
      (P < .05-.01) than patients with LGS. Patients with HGS also had significantly
      higher rectal sensitivity to random phasic distensions (P < .05-.001, compared
      with patients with LGS). There were no significant differences between groups in
      fecal microbiota composition, exhaled gas in breath, or oro-anal transit time.
      CONCLUSIONS: We found, in a prospective study, that results from a lactulose
      challenge test could be used to determine visceral sensitivity and severity of
      IBS. The intensity of patient symptoms did not correlate with the composition of
      the fecal microbiota. The lactulose challenge test may help better characterize
      patients with IBS and evaluate the efficacy of new treatments. ClinicalTrial.gov
      no: NCT01252550.

PMID- 26492848
TI  - Delivery of Instructions via Mobile Social Media App Increases Quality of Bowel
      Preparation.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Bowel preparation is closely linked to the quality of
      colonoscopy. We investigated whether delivery of instructions via a social media
      app increases the quality of colonoscopy by improving adequacy of bowel
      preparation. METHODS: We performed a prospective study at 3 endoscopic centers in
      China of 770 colonoscopy outpatients (18-80 years old) with convenient access to
      Wechat (a widely used mobile social media app) from May through November 2014.
      Patients were randomly assigned to groups that received standard education along
      with delivery of interactive information via Wechat (n = 387) or standard
      education (controls, n = 383). The primary outcome was proportion of patients
      with adequate bowel preparation (Ottawa score <6). Secondary outcomes included
      rates of adenoma detection and cecal intubation, cecal intubation time, rates of
      incomplete compliance with instructions, and patient willingness to repeat bowel
      preparation. RESULTS: Demographic features were comparable between the groups. A
      higher proportion of patients in the group that received social media instruction
      had adequate bowel preparation than the control group (82.2% vs 69.5%, P < .001).
      Among patients with successful colonoscopies, the group that received social
      media instruction had lower mean total and segmental Ottawa scores (P < .05). A
      higher proportion of patients receiving social media instruction also had cecal
      intubation (97.2% vs 93.2% in controls, P = .014) and were found to have adenomas
      (18.6% vs 12.0% in controls, P = .012). CONCLUSIONS: Instruction via a mobile
      social media app, in conjunction with regular instruction, increases subjective
      measures of adequacy of bowel preparation. Use of the app significantly increased
      the proportion of patients with successful cecal intubation and in whom adenomas
      were detected, indicating increased quality of colonoscopy. ClinicalTrials.gov
      number: NCT02140827.

PMID- 26492849
TI  - beta-thalassemia patients and gynecological approach: review and clinical
      experience.
AB  - Significant improvements in therapy and life expectancy of beta-thalassemia
      patients in last decades result in the need of commitment for gynecologists and
      obstetricians as the complexity of organ impairment needs a specific
      multidisciplinary approach. After a review of clinical manifestations of beta
      thalassemia from a gynecologic point of view, we present the experience of a
      gynecologic center in treating beta-thalassemia patients from more than 20 years.

PMID- 26492850
TI  - Identification of a phosphinothricin-resistant mutant of rice glutamine
      synthetase using DNA shuffling.
AB  - To date, only bar/pat gene derived from Streptomyces has been used to generate
      the commercial PPT-resistant crops currently available in the market. The limited
      source of bar/pat gene is probably what has caused the decrease in PPT-tolerance,
      which has become the main concern of those involved in field management programs.
      Although glutamine synthetase (GS) is the target enzyme of PPT, little study has
      been reported about engineering PPT-resistant plants with GS gene. Then, the
      plant-optimized GS gene from Oryza sativa (OsGS1S) was chemically synthesized in
      the present study by PTDS to identify a GS gene for developing PPT-tolerant
      plants. However, OsGS1S cannot be directly used for developing PPT-tolerant
      plants because of its poor PPT-resistance. Thus, we performed DNA shuffling on
      OsGS1S, and one highly PPT-resistant mutant with mutations in four amino acids
      (A63E, V193A, T293A and R295K) was isolated after three rounds of DNA shuffling
      and screening. Among the four amino acids substitutions, only R295K was
      identified as essential in altering PPT resistance. The R295K mutation has also
      never been previously reported as an important residue for PPT resistance.
      Furthermore, the mutant gene has been transformed into Saccharomyces cerevisiae
      and Arabidopsis to confirm its potential in developing PPT-resistant crops.

PMID- 26492851
TI  - Structural characterization of procentrioles in Drosophila spermatids.
AB  - Male gametogenesis in insects is unusual in that the centrioles do not duplicate
      during the second meiosis and the differentiating spermatids inherit only one
      centriole. Here it is showed that a distinct procentriole is assembled close to
      the proximal region of the centriole in early S13 spermatids at the onion stage,
      confirming previous reports of a proximal centriole-like structure at the
      proximal end of the spermatid centriole. However, the procentrioles of Drosophila
      spermatids do not behave like true procentrioles, but their development is
      blocked at an early stage before the assembly of a complete A-tubule set.
      Therefore, they may represent early frozen stages of procentriole assembly that
      do not develop further and eventually disappear in late spermatids.

PMID- 26492852
TI  - Rapid and Efficient Conversion of (11) CO2 to (11) CO through Silacarboxylic
      Acids: Applications in Pd-Mediated Carbonylations.
AB  - Herein, we present a new rapid, efficient, and low-cost radiosynthetic protocol
      for the conversion of (11) CO2 to (11) CO and its subsequent application in Pd
      mediated reactions of importance for PET applications. This room-temperature
      methodology, using readily available chemical reagents, is carried out in simple
      glass vials, thus eliminating the need for expensive and specialized high
      temperature equipment to access (11) CO. With this fast and near-quantitative
      conversion of (11) CO2 into (11) CO, aryl and heteroaryl iodides were easily
      converted into a broad selection of biologically active amides in radiochemical
      yields ranging from 29-84 %. 

PMID- 26492853
TI  - Endoscopic butterfly cartilage myringoplasty.
AB  - CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, it is believed that, in
      appropriate patients with tympanic membrane perforation, the endoscopic butterfly
      cartilage myringoplasty can be applied, with a shorter operation time, high graft
      success rate, and low risk of complications. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was
      to evaluate the results of the endoscopic butterfly cartilage myringoplasty in
      terms of the graft success rate and hearing gain. METHODS: Forty-five ears of the
      42 patients who were subjected to endoscopic butterfly cartilage myringoplasty
      surgery between January 2013 and December 2014 were included in this study. The
      archival records of the patients were reviewed retrospectively, evaluating the
      pre-operative and post-operative hearing results and post-operative graft success
      rates in the early and late periods. RESULTS: The graft success rates were 97.8%
      (44/45 ears) and 95.6% (43/45 ears) at the post-operative 1- and 6-month follow
      ups, respectively. When the post-operative air conduction hearing thresholds were
      compared, significant improvement was seen at post-operative 1- and 6-month
      follow-ups in the hearing thresholds, when compared to the pre-operative levels
      (p < 0.001).

PMID- 26492854
TI  - Recent developments and future prospects on bio-based polyesters derived from
      renewable resources: A review.
AB  - A significantly growing interest is to design a new strategy for development of
      bio-polyesters from renewable resources due to limited fossil fuel reserves, rise
      of petrochemicals price and emission of green house gasses. Therefore, this
      review aims to present an overview on synthesis of biocompatible, biodegradable
      and cost effective polyesters from biomass and their prospective in different
      fields including packaging, coating, tissue engineering, drug delivery system and
      many more. Isosorbide, 2,4:3,5-di-O-methylene-d-mannitol, bicyclic diacetalyzed
      galactaric acid, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, citric, 2,3-O-methylene l-threitol,
      dimethyl 2,3-O-methylene l-threarate, betulin, dihydrocarvone, decalactone,
      pimaric acid, ricinoleic acid and sebacic acid, are some important monomers
      derived from biomass which are used for bio-based polyester manufacturing,
      consequently, replacing the petrochemical based polyesters. The last part of this
      review highlights some recent advances in polyester blends and composites in
      order to improve their properties for exceptional biomedical applications i.e.
      skin tissue engineering, guided bone regeneration, bone healing process, wound
      healing and wound acceleration.

PMID- 26492855
TI  - Extraction, characterization and gelling behavior enhancement of pectins from the
      cladodes of Opuntia ficus indica.
AB  - Total Pectins Fraction (TPF) was extracted at room temperature from dried
      cladodes of Opuntia ficus indica. TPF is constituted of three pectic fractions
      WSP, CSP and ASP, which are made up of 66.6%, 44.3% and 81.1% (w/w) of
      galacturonic acid, respectively. The antioxidant ability of TPF increased with
      the concentration increasing. It scavenged hydroxyl radical by 90% and chelated
      90% of ferrous ions at 5 g/L. FTIR study was carried out. Strong characteristic
      absorption peaks at 1,618 cm(-1) assigned to the vibration of COO(-) group of
      galacturonic acid. In the fingerprint region, we noticed three well-defined peaks
      at 1054, 1085, and 1,154 cm(-1) characteristic of pectic polysaccharides. TPF are
      non-gelling pectins. The co-crosslinking of TPF with carrageenan was carried out
      and the gelling behavior was successfully improved. Thermo-sensitive hydrogel was
      obtained with 82% of TPF and 18% of carrageenan (w/w).

PMID- 26492856
TI  - A General Strategy for the Separation of Immiscible Organic Liquids by
      Manipulating the Surface Tensions of Nanofibrous Membranes.
AB  - Oil/water separation membranes with different wettability towards water are
      attractive for their economic efficiency and convenience. The key factor for the
      separation process is the roughness-enhanced wettability of membranes based on
      the intrinsic wetting threshold (IWT) of water, that is, the limitation of the
      wettability caused by hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity. However, the separation
      of organic liquids (OLs) remains a challenge. Herein, we manipulate the surface
      tensions of nanofibrous membranes to lie between the IWTs of the two OLs to be
      separated so that the nanofibrous membranes can be endowed with superlyophobicity
      and superlyophilicity for the two liquids, and thus lead to successful
      separation. Our investigations provide a general strategy to separate any
      immiscible liquids efficiently, and may lead to the development of membranes with
      a large capacity, high flux, and high selectivity for organic reactions or liquid
      extraction in chemical engineering. 

PMID- 26492857
TI  - The origin of beta-strand bending in globular proteins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many beta-strands are not flat but bend and/or twist. However,
      although almost all beta-strands have a twist, not all have a bend, suggesting
      that the underlying force(s) driving beta-strand bending is distinct from that
      for the twist. We, therefore, investigated the physical origin(s) of beta-strand
      bends. METHODS: We calculated rotation, twist and bend angles for a four-residue
      short frame. Fixed-length fragments consisting of six residues found in three
      consecutive short frames were used to evaluate the twist and bend angles of full
      length beta-strands. RESULTS: We calculated and statistically analyzed the twist
      and bend angles of beta-strands found in globular proteins with known three
      dimensional structures. The results show that full-length beta-strand bend angles
      are related to the nearby aromatic residue content, whereas local bend angles are
      related to the nearby aliphatic residue content. Furthermore, it appears that
      beta-strands bend to maximize their hydrophobic contacts with an abutting
      hydrophobic surface or to form a hydrophobic side-chain cluster when an abutting
      hydrophobic surface is absent. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the dominant driving
      force for full-length beta-strand bends is the hydrophobic interaction involving
      aromatic residues, whereas that for local beta-strand bends is the hydrophobic
      interaction involving aliphatic residues.

PMID- 26492858
TI  - Surmounting the barrier: advances and challenges in transdermal drug delivery.

PMID- 26492859
TI  - High-level aminoglycoside resistance in Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus
      faecium causing invasive infection: Twelve-year surveillance in the Minami
      Ibaraki Area.
AB  - We examined prevalence of high-level aminoglycoside resistance (HLAR) in
      Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium causing invasive infection in the
      Minami Ibaraki Area. Ten strains of both species each, recovered from the blood
      or the cerebrospinal fluid between 2003 and 2014, were randomly selected every
      year. High-level resistance to gentamicin (HLR-GM) and streptomycin (HLR-SM) was
      detected in 34% (41 of 120 strains) and 18% (21) of E. faecalis and 9% (11) and
      39% (48) of E. faecium, respectively. In comparisons of the proportions among
      three four-year periods, HLR-SM among E. faecium was significantly lower in the
      2011-2014 period. All strains with HLR-GM were positive for the aac(6')-Ie
      aph(2")-Ia gene. The ant(6')-Ia gene was detected in all with HLR-SM except for
      one E. faecalis strain. The present study showed that prevalence of HLR-GM among
      E. faecalis and E. faecium causing invasive infection in this area was nearly
      equivalent to that described in previous studies in Japan and that proportions of
      strains with HLAR did not vary during the study period except for that of HLR-SM
      among E. faecium. 

PMID- 26492860
TI  - Pneumonia Caused by Klebsiella spp. in 46 Horses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Klebsiella spp. are implicated as a common cause of bacterial
      pneumonia in horses, but few reports describe clinical presentation and disease
      progression. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To describe the signalment, clinicopathologic
      data, radiographic and ultrasonographic findings, antimicrobial susceptibility,
      outcome, and pathologic lesions associated with Klebsiella spp. pneumonia in
      horses. ANIMALS: Forty-six horses from which Klebsiella spp. was isolated from
      the lower respiratory tract. METHODS: Retrospective study. Medical records from
      1993 to 2013 at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital,
      University of California, Davis were reviewed. Exact logistic regression was
      performed to determine if any variables were associated with survival to hospital
      discharge. RESULTS: Survival in horses <1 year old was 73%. Overall survival in
      adults was 63%. For adults in which Klebsiella pneumoniae was the primary
      isolate, survival was 52%. Mechanical ventilation preceded development of
      pneumonia in 11 horses. Complications occurred in 25/46 horses, with
      thrombophlebitis and laminitis occurring most frequently. Multi-drug resistance
      was found in 47% of bacterial isolates. Variables that significantly impacted
      survival included hemorrhagic nasal discharge, laminitis, and thoracic
      radiographs with a sharp demarcation between marked caudal pulmonary alveolar
      infiltration and more normal-appearing caudodorsal lung. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL
      IMPORTANCE: Klebsiella spp. should be considered as a differential diagnosis for
      horses presenting with hemorrhagic pneumonia and for horses developing pneumonia
      after mechanical ventilation. Multi-drug resistance is common. Prognosis for
      survival generally is fair, but is guarded for adult horses in which K.
      pneumoniae is isolated as the primary organism.

PMID- 26492861
TI  - MiniAp-4: A Venom-Inspired Peptidomimetic for Brain Delivery.
AB  - Drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a formidable challenge for
      therapies targeting the central nervous system. Although BBB shuttle peptides
      enhance transport into the brain non-invasively, their application is partly
      limited by lability to proteases. The present study proposes the use of cyclic
      peptides derived from venoms as an affordable way to circumvent this drawback.
      Apamin, a neurotoxin from bee venom, was minimized by reducing its complexity,
      toxicity, and immunogenicity, while preserving brain targeting, active transport,
      and protease resistance. Among the analogues designed, the monocyclic lactam
      bridged peptidomimetic MiniAp-4 was the most permeable. This molecule is capable
      of translocating proteins and nanoparticles in a human-cell-based BBB model.
      Furthermore, MiniAp-4 can efficiently deliver a cargo across the BBB into the
      brain parenchyma of mice. 

PMID- 26492862
TI  - The post-vaccine microevolution of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae.
AB  - The 7-valent pneumococcal conjugated vaccine (PCV7) has affected the genetic
      population of Streptococcus pneumoniae in pediatric carriage. Little is known
      however about pneumococcal population genomics in adult invasive pneumococcal
      disease (IPD) under vaccine pressure. We sequenced and serotyped 349 strains of
      S. pneumoniae isolated from IPD patients in Nijmegen between 2001 and 2011.
      Introduction of PCV7 in the Dutch National Immunization Program in 2006 preluded
      substantial alterations in the IPD population structure caused by serotype
      replacement. No evidence could be found for vaccine induced capsular switches. We
      observed that after a temporary bottleneck in gene diversity after the
      introduction of PCV7, the accessory gene pool re-expanded mainly by genes already
      circulating pre-PCV7. In the post-vaccine genomic population a number of genes
      changed frequency, certain genes became overrepresented in vaccine serotypes,
      while others shifted towards non-vaccine serotypes. Whether these dynamics in the
      invasive pneumococcal population have truly contributed to invasiveness and
      manifestations of disease remains to be further elucidated. We suggest the use of
      whole genome sequencing for surveillance of pneumococcal population dynamics that
      could give a prospect on the course of disease, facilitating effective prevention
      and management of IPD. 

PMID- 26492863
TI  - Assessing the visual vertical: how many trials are required?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The visual vertical (VV) consists of repeated adjustments of a
      luminous rod to the earth vertical. How many trials are required to reach
      consistency in this measure? This question has never been addressed despite the
      widespread clinical use of the measurement in stroke rehabilitation. METHODS: VV
      perception was assessed (10 trials) in 117 patients undergoing rehabilitation
      after a first hemisphere stroke. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and
      standard error of measurement (SEM) were calculated for each patient category:
      with contralesional VV bias (n = 48), ipsilesional VV bias (n = 17) and normal VV
      (n = 52). RESULTS: For patients with VV biases, 6 trials were required to reach
      high inter-trial reliability (contralesional: ICC = 0.9, SEM = 1.36 degrees ;
      ipsilesional: ICC = 0.896, SEM = 0.96 degrees ). For patients with normal VV, a
      minimum of 10 trials was required (ICC =  .728, SEM = 1.13 degrees ). A set of 6
      trials correctly classified 96 % of patients. CONCLUSIONS: In the literature, 10
      is the most frequently used number of trials used to assess VV orientation. Our
      study shows that 10 trials are required to adequately measure VV orientation in
      non-selected subacute stroke patients. For complex protocols imposing a decrease
      in the number of trials in each condition, 6 trials are needed to identify VV
      biases in most patients.

PMID- 26492864
TI  - The readability and suitability of sexual health promotion leaflets.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the readability and suitability of sexual health
      promotion leaflets. METHOD: Application of SMOG, FRY and SAM tests to assess the
      readability and suitability of a selection of sexual health leaflets. RESULTS:
      SMOG and FRY scores illustrate an average reading level of grade 9. SAM scores
      indicate that 59% of leaflets are superior in design and 41% are average in
      design. Leaflets generally perform well in the categories of content, literacy
      demand, typography and layout. They perform poorly in use of graphics, learning
      stimulation/motivation and cultural appropriateness. CONCLUSION: Sexual health
      leaflets have a reading level that is too high. Leaflets perform well on the
      suitability scores indicating they are reasonably suitable. There are a number of
      areas where sexual health leaflets could improve their design. PRACTICE
      IMPLICATIONS: Numerous practical techniques are suggested for improving the
      readability and suitability of sexual health leaflets.

PMID- 26492865
TI  - Marriage, Separation and Beyond: A Longitudinal Study of Families of Children
      with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in a Norwegian Context.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study addresses family structure in families raising a child
      with disabilities in Norway. The aims are to add to the literature on termination
      of parental relationships and to explore family research topics that are rarely
      discussed in disability research, such as cohabitation versus marriage and
      repartnering. METHODS: Longitudinal survey data on families of children with
      intellectual and developmental disabilities who were born 1993-1995 were compared
      with register data on all families of same-aged children (five waves 1999-2012).
      RESULTS: Parents of children with disabilities had slightly lower termination
      rates and formalized their partnerships earlier. Furthermore, the rate of
      repartnering among divorced/separated mothers of young children with disabilities
      was similar to that of other mothers but decreases later in the child's life
      course. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the view that findings diverge and are most
      likely dependent on context.

PMID- 26492866
TI  - Measurement of Function Post Hip Fracture: Testing a Comprehensive Measurement
      Model of Physical Function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Measurement of physical function post hip fracture has been
      conceptualized using multiple different measures. PURPOSE: This study tested a
      comprehensive measurement model of physical function. DESIGN: This was a
      descriptive secondary data analysis including 168 men and 171 women post hip
      fracture. METHODS: Using structural equation modeling, a measurement model of
      physical function which included grip strength, activities of daily living,
      instrumental activities of daily living, and performance was tested for fit at 2
      and 12 months post hip fracture, and among male and female participants. Validity
      of the measurement model of physical function was evaluated based on how well the
      model explained physical activity, exercise, and social activities post hip
      fracture. FINDINGS: The measurement model of physical function fit the data. The
      amount of variance the model or individual factors of the model explained varied
      depending on the activity. CONCLUSION: Decisions about the ideal way in which to
      measure physical function should be based on outcomes considered and
      participants. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The measurement model of physical function is a
      reliable and valid method to comprehensively measure physical function across the
      hip fracture recovery trajectory.

PMID- 26492868
TI  - Intrinsic and Extrinsic Cardiac Pseudotumors: Echocardiographic Evaluation and
      Review of the Literature.
AB  - Echocardiography is the most common imaging modality for the assessment of
      cardiovascular tumors, followed by more advanced imaging modalities, such as
      cardiac computed tomography or cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Non-neoplastic
      lesions that may simulate a true neoplasm on imaging are termed "cardiac
      pseudotumors." As echocardiography is the initial imaging modality where
      pseudotumors are identified, it is imperative to have a fundamental understanding
      of pseudotumors evaluation using echocardiography. There is paucity of the
      literature describing the different kinds of pseudotumors. This review is an
      attempt to describe common cardiac pseudotumors and to classify them based on
      their origin. The tumors arising from cardiac structures, such as epicardium,
      endocardium, or myocardium, were termed as "intrinsic" while the pseudotumors
      with no cardiac origin were termed as "extrinsic." The more common pseudotumors
      are described in detail with pertinent echocardiographic features and examples. 

PMID- 26492867
TI  - Generalized anxiety disorder in primary care: mental health services use and
      treatment adequacy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a common mental disorder in the
      primary care setting, marked by persistent anxiety and worries. The aims of this
      study were to: 1) examine mental health services utilisation in a large sample of
      primary care patients; 2) explore detection of GAD and minimal standards for
      pharmacological and psychological treatment adequacy based on recommendation from
      clinical practice guidelines; 3) examine correlates of treatment adequacy, i.e.
      predisposing, enabling and needs factors according to the Behavioural Model of
      Health Care Use. METHODS: A sample of 373 adults meeting DSM-IV criteria for
      Generalized Anxiety Disorder in the past 12 months took part in this study. Data
      were drawn from the "Dialogue" project, a large primary care study conducted in
      67 primary care clinics in Quebec, Canada. Following a mental health screening in
      medical clinics (n = 14833), patients at risk of anxiety or depression completed
      the Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Simplified (CIDIS). Multilevel
      logistic regression models were developed to examine correlates of treatment
      adequacy for pharmacological and psychological treatments. RESULTS: Results
      indicate that 52.5 % of participants were recognized as having GAD by a
      healthcare professional in the past 12 months, and 36.2 % of the sample received
      a pharmacological (24.4 %) and/or psychological treatment (19.2 %) meeting
      indicators based on clinical practice guidelines recommendations. The detection
      of GAD by a health professional and the presence of comorbid depression were
      associated with overall treatment adequacy. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that
      further efforts towards GAD detection could lead to an increase in the delivery
      of evidence-based treatments. Key targets for improvement in treatment adequacy
      include regular follow up of patients with a GAD medication and access to
      psychotherapy from the primary care setting.

PMID- 26492870
TI  - Synthetic cannabinoid presentations decline following ban.

PMID- 26492869
TI  - Genome-wide identification of copy number variations between two chicken lines
      that differ in genetic resistance to Marek's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Copy number variation (CNV) is a major source of genome polymorphism
      that directly contributes to phenotypic variation such as resistance to
      infectious diseases. Lines 63 and 72 are two highly inbred experimental chicken
      lines that differ greatly in susceptibility to Marek's disease (MD), and have
      been used extensively in efforts to identify the genetic and molecular basis for
      genetic resistance to MD. Using next generation sequencing, we present a genome
      wide assessment of CNVs that are potentially associated with genetic resistance
      to MD. METHODS: Three chickens randomly selected from each line were sequenced to
      an average depth of 20*. Two popular software, CNVnator and Pindel, were used to
      call genomic CNVs separately. The results were combined to obtain a union set of
      genomic CNVs in the two chicken lines. RESULTS: A total of 5,680 CNV regions
      (CNVRs) were identified after merging the two datasets, of which 1,546 and 1,866
      were specific to the MD resistant or susceptible line, respectively. Over half of
      the line-specific CNVRs were shared by 2 or more chickens, reflecting the reduced
      diversity in both inbred lines. The CNVRs fixed in the susceptible lines were
      significantly enriched in genes involved in MAPK signaling pathway. We also found
      67 CNVRs overlapping with 62 genes previously shown to be strong candidates of
      the underlying genes responsible for the susceptibility to MD. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      findings provide new insights into the genetic architecture of the two chicken
      lines and additional evidence that MAPK signaling pathway may play an important
      role in host response to MD virus infection. The rich source of line-specific
      CNVs is valuable for future disease-related association studies in the two
      chicken lines.

PMID- 26492871
TI  - Mesoporous Foam TiO2 Nanomaterials for Effective Hydrogen Production.
AB  - Hydrolysis of TiCl4 in a diether-functionalized imidazolium ionic liquid (IL),
      namely 1-methyl-3-[2-(2-methoxy(ethoxy)ethyl]imidazolium methane sulfonate
      (M(MEE)I?CH3 SO3 ), results in a heterostructured organic/inorganic and sponge
      like porous TiO2 material. The thermal treatment (300  degrees C) followed by
      calcination (500  degrees C) affords highly porous TiO2 . The characterization of
      the obtained samples (with and without IL, before and after calcination) by XRD,
      SEM, and TEM reveals TiO2 anatase crystalline phases and irregular-shaped
      particles with different porous structures. These hierarchical-structured
      mesoporous TiO2 nanomaterials were employed as efficient photocatalysts in the
      water-splitting process, yielding up to 1304 MUmol g(-1) on hydrogen production. 

PMID- 26492872
TI  - A New Image Analysis Method Based on Morphometric and Fractal Parameters for
      Rapid Evaluation of In Situ Mammalian Mast Cell Status.
AB  - Apart from their effector functions in allergic disorders, tissue-resident mast
      cells (MC) are gaining recognition as initiators of inflammatory events through
      their distinctive ability to secrete many bioactive molecules harbored in
      cytoplasmic granules. Activation triggers mediator release through a regulated
      exocytosis named degranulation. MC activation is still substantiated by measuring
      systemic levels of MC-restricted mediators. However, identifying the anatomical
      location of MC activation is valuable for disease diagnosis. We designed a
      computer-assisted morphometric method based on image analysis of methylene blue
      (MB)-stained normal mouse skin tissue sections that quantitates actual in situ MC
      activation status. We reasoned MC cytoplasm could be viewed as an object
      featuring unique relative mass values based on activation status. Integrated
      optical density and area (A) ratios were significantly different between intact
      and degranulated MC (p<0.001). The examination of fractal characteristics is of
      translational diagnostic/prognostic value in cancer and readily applied to
      quantify cytoskeleton morphology and vasculature. Fractal dimension (D), a
      measure of their comparative space filling capacity and structural density, also
      differed significantly between intact and degranulated MC (p<0.001). Morphometric
      analysis provides a reliable and reproducible method for in situ quantification
      of MC activation status.

PMID- 26492873
TI  - Serology describes a profile of declining malaria transmission in Farafenni, The
      Gambia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malaria morbidity and mortality has declined in recent years in a
      number of settings. The ability to describe changes in malaria transmission
      associated with these declines is important in terms of assessing the potential
      effects of control interventions, and for monitoring and evaluation purposes.
      METHODS: Data from five cross-sectional surveys conducted in Farafenni and
      surrounding villages on the north bank of River Gambia between 1988 and 2011 were
      compiled. Antibody responses to MSP-119 were measured in samples from all
      surveys, data were normalized and expressed as seroprevalence and seroconversion
      rates (SCR) using different mathematical models. RESULTS: Results showed declines
      in serological metrics with seroprevalence in children aged one to 5 years
      dropping from 19 % (95 % CI 15-23 %) in 1988 to 1 % (0-2 %) in 2011 (p value for
      trend in proportions < 0.001) and the SCR dropping from 0.069 year(-1) (0.059
      0.080) to 0.022 year(-1) (0.017-0.028; p = 0.004). The serological data were
      consistent with previously described drops in both parasite prevalence in
      children aged 1-5 years (62 %, 57-66 %, in 1988 to 2 %, 0-4 %, in 2011; p <
      0.001), and all-cause under five mortality rates (37 per 1000 person-years, 34
      41, in 1990 to 17, 15-19, in 2006; p = 0.059). CONCLUSIONS: This analysis shows
      accurate reconstruction of historical malaria transmission patterns in the
      Farafenni area using anti-malarial antibody responses. Demonstrating congruence
      between serological measures, and conventional clinical and parasitological
      measures suggests broader utility for serology in monitoring and evaluation of
      malaria transmission.

PMID- 26492874
TI  - Chronic infection phenotypes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are associated with
      failure of eradication in children with cystic fibrosis.
AB  - Early eradication treatment with inhaled tobramycin is successful in the majority
      of children with cystic fibrosis (CF) with incident Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      infection. However, in 10-40 % of cases, eradication fails and the reasons for
      this are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to determine whether
      specific microbial characteristics could explain eradication treatment failure.
      This was a cross-sectional study of CF patients (aged 0-18 years) with incident
      P. aeruginosa infection from 2011 to 2014 at the Hospital for Sick Children,
      Toronto, Canada. Phenotypic assays were done on all incident P. aeruginosa
      isolates, and eradicated and persistent isolates were compared using the Mann
      Whitney test or the two-sided Chi-square test. A total of 46 children with CF had
      51 incident P. aeruginosa infections. In 72 % (33/46) of the patients,
      eradication treatment was successful, while 28 % failed eradication therapy.
      Persistent isolates were less likely to be motile, with significantly less twitch
      motility (p=0.001), were more likely to be mucoid (p=0.002), and more likely to
      have a tobramycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) >= 128 MUg/mL (p=0.02)
      compared to eradicated isolates. Although biofilm production was similar, there
      was a trend towards more persistent isolates with deletions in quorum-sensing
      genes compared with eradicated isolates (p=0.06). Initial acquisition of P.
      aeruginosa with characteristics of chronic infection is associated with failure
      of eradication treatment.

PMID- 26492875
TI  - Mixed-mode resins: taking shortcut in downstream processing of raw-starch
      digesting alpha-amylases.
AB  - Bacillus licheniformis 9945a alpha-amylase is known as a potent enzyme for raw
      starch hydrolysis. In this paper, a mixed mode Nuvia cPrimeTM resin is examined
      with the aim to improve the downstream processing of raw starch digesting
      amylases and exploit the hydrophobic patches on their surface. This resin
      combines hydrophobic interactions with cation exchange groups and as such the
      presence of salt facilitates hydrophobic interactions while the ion-exchange
      groups enable proper selectivity. alpha-Amylase was produced using an optimized
      fed-batch approach in a defined media and significant overexpression of 1.2 g L(
      1) was achieved. This single step procedure enables simultaneous concentration,
      pigment removal as well as purification of amylase with yields of 96% directly
      from the fermentation broth.

PMID- 26492876
TI  - Patterns of Allergic Sensitization in High IgE Syndromes.
AB  - Dramatic elevations in the serum IgE level are seen both in polygenic allergic
      diseases such as atopic dermatitis and food allergy, and in a growing list of
      monogenic primary immune deficiencies (PIDs). Although the IgE produced in
      patients with PID has generally been considered to be driven by dysregulated IL-4
      production and thus lack antigen specificity, in fact allergen-specific IgE can
      be detected by skin and serum testing in many of these patients. However, perhaps
      not surprisingly given the distinct immunologic pathways involved, the patterns
      of allergic disease and atopic sensitization vary widely between syndromes,
      leading to strikingly different clinical phenotypes. 

PMID- 26492877
TI  - Indoor Fungal Exposure and Allergic Respiratory Disease.
AB  - A gathering body of evidence has repeatedly revealed associations between indoor
      fungi and initiation, promotion, and exacerbation of allergic respiratory
      disease. The relationship between the exposure and outcome are complicated by the
      difficulties in measuring both exposure and outcome, the multifactorial nature of
      the disease, and the wide range of potential confounders. New technologies are
      becoming available that may enable better measurement of exposure and tighter
      case definitions so as to build more confidence in the associations discovered.
      The growing strength of the evidence base will aid the design of future public
      health interventions and generate new hypotheses on the cause of the rapid
      increase in allergic respiratory disease prevalence. 

PMID- 26492878
TI  - The Role of Bitter and Sweet Taste Receptors in Upper Airway Immunity.
AB  - Over the past several years, taste receptors have emerged as key players in the
      regulation of innate immune defenses in the mammalian respiratory tract. Several
      cell types in the airway, including ciliated epithelial cells, solitary
      chemosensory cells, and bronchial smooth muscle cells, all display
      chemoresponsive properties that utilize taste receptors. A variety of bitter
      products secreted by microbes are detected with resultant downstream
      inflammation, increased mucous clearance, antimicrobial peptide secretion, and
      direct bacterial killing. Genetic variation of bitter taste receptors also
      appears to play a role in the susceptibility to infection in respiratory disease
      states, including that of chronic rhinosinusitis. Ongoing taste receptor research
      may yield new therapeutics that harness innate immune defenses in the respiratory
      tract and may offer alternatives to antibiotic treatment. The present review
      discusses taste receptor-protective responses and analyzes the role these
      receptors play in mediating airway immune function. 

PMID- 26492880
TI  - Videofluoroscopic Predictors of Penetration-Aspiration in Parkinson's Disease
      Patients.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) patients show a high prevalence of swallowing disorders
      and tracheal aspiration of food. The videofluoroscopic study of swallowing (VFSS)
      allows clinicians to visualize the visuoperceptual and temporal parameters
      associated with swallowing disorders in an attempt to predict aspiration risk.
      However, this subject remains understudied in PD populations. Our aim was to
      identify the predictors of penetration-aspiration in PD patients using the VFSS.
      Consecutive patients were evaluated using VFSS with different consistencies and
      volumes of food. A speech-language pathologist measured the type of intra-oral
      bolus organization, loss of bolus control, bolus location at the initiation of
      the pharyngeal swallow, the presence of multiple swallows, piecemeal deglutition,
      bolus residue in the pharyngeal recesses and temporal measures. Scores >=3 on the
      penetration-aspiration scale (PAS) indicated the occurrence of penetration
      aspiration. Using logistic marginal regression, we found that residue in the
      vallecula, residue in the upper esophageal sphincter and piecemeal deglutition
      were associated with penetration-aspiration (odds ratio (OR) = 4.09, 2.87 and
      3.83; P = 0.0040, 0.0071 and 0.0009, respectively). Penetration/aspiration
      occurred only with fluids (both of thin and thick consistency), and no
      significant differences were observed between fluid types or food volumes. The
      mechanisms underlying dysphagia and penetration/aspiration in PD patients and
      indications for further studies are discussed. 

PMID- 26492879
TI  - Treatment of traumatised refugees with basic body awareness therapy versus mixed
      physical activity as add-on treatment: Study protocol of a randomised controlled
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment of traumatised refugees is one of the fields within
      psychiatry, which has received little scientific attention. Evidence based
      treatment and knowledge on the efficiency of the treatment for this complex
      patient group is therefore scarce. This leads to uncertainty as to which
      treatment should be offered and potentially lowers the quality of life for the
      patients. Chronic pain is very common among traumatised refugees and it is
      believed to maintain the mental symptoms of trauma. Hence, treating chronic pain
      is believed to be of high clinical value for this patient group. In clinical
      studies, physical activity has shown a positive effect on psychiatric illnesses
      such as depression and anxiety and for patients with chronic pain. However,
      scientific knowledge about physical activity as part of the treatment for
      traumatised refugees is very limited and no guidelines exist on this topic.
      METHODS/DESIGN: This study will include approximately 310 patients, randomised
      into three groups. All three groups receive psychiatric treatment as usual for
      the duration of 6-7 months, consisting of consultations with a medical doctor
      including pharmacological treatment and manual-based Cognitive Behavioural
      Therapy. The first group only receives treatment as usual while the second and
      the third groups receive either Basic-Body Awareness Therapy or mixed physical
      activity as add-on treatments. Each physical activity is provided for an
      individual 1-hour consultation per week, for the duration of 20 weeks. The study
      is being conducted at the Competence Centre for Transcultural Psychiatry, Mental
      Health Centre Ballerup in the Capital Region of Denmark. The primary endpoint of
      the study is symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; the secondary endpoints
      are depression and anxiety as well as quality of life, functional capacity,
      coping with pain, body awareness and physical fitness. DISCUSSION: This study
      will examine the effect of physical activity for traumatised refugees. This has
      not yet been done in a randomised controlled setting on such a large scale
      before. Hereby the study will contribute to important knowledge that is expected
      to be used in future clinical guidelines and reference programs. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01955538 . Date of registration: 18 September
      2013.

PMID- 26492881
TI  - Management of tibial non-unions according to a novel treatment algorithm.
AB  - Tibial non-unions represent a spectrum of conditions that are challenging to
      treat. The optimal management remains unclear despite the frequency with which
      these diagnoses are encountered. The aim of this study was to determine the
      outcome of tibial non-unions managed according to a novel tibial non-union
      treatment algorithm. One hundred and eighteen consecutive patients with 122
      uninfected tibial non-unions were treated according to our proposed tibial non
      union treatment algorithm. All patients were followed-up clinically and
      radiologically for a minimum of six months after external fixator removal. Four
      patients were excluded because they did not complete the intended treatment
      process. The final study population consisted of 94 men and 24 women with a mean
      age of 34 years. Sixty-seven non-unions were stiff hypertrophic, 32 mobile
      atrophic, 16 mobile oligotrophic and one true pseudoarthrosis. Six non-unions
      were classified as type B1 defect non-unions. Bony union was achieved after the
      initial surgery in 113/122 (92.6%) tibias. Nine patients had failure of
      treatment. Seven persistent non-unions were successfully retreated according to
      the tibial non-union treatment algorithm. This resulted in final bony union in
      120/122 (98.3%) tibias. The proposed tibial non-union treatment algorithm appears
      to produce high union rates across a diverse group of tibial non-unions. Tibial
      non-unions however, remain difficult to treat and should be referred to
      specialist units where advanced reconstructive techniques are practiced on a
      regular basis. 

PMID- 26492883
TI  - Early versus delayed application of Thomas splints in patients with isolated
      femur shaft fractures: The benefits quantified.
AB  - AIMS: To investigate and quantify the clinical benefits of early versus delayed
      application of Thomas splints in patients with isolated femur shaft fractures.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Level IV retrospective clinical and radiological analysis
      of patients presenting from January to December 2012 at a Level 1 Trauma Unit.
      All skeletally mature patients with isolated femur shaft fractures independently
      of their mechanism of injury were included. Exclusion criteria were: ipsilateral
      fracture of the lower limb, neck and supracondylar femur fractures,
      periprosthetic and incomplete fractures. Their clinical records were analysed for
      blood transfusion requirements, pulmonary complications, surgery time, duration
      of hospital stay and analgesic requirements. RESULTS: A total of 106 patients met
      our inclusion criteria. There were 74 males and 32 females. Fifty seven (54%)
      patients were in the 'early splinted' group and 49 patients (46%) were in the
      'delayed splinted' group (P>0.05). The need for blood transfusion was
      significantly reduced in the 'early splinted' group (P=0.04). There was a
      significantly higher rate of pulmonary complications in the 'delayed splinted'
      group (P=0.008). All other parameters were similar between the two groups.
      CONCLUSION: The early application of Thomas splints for isolated femur fractures
      in non-polytraumatised patients has a clinically and statistically significant
      benefit of reducing the need for blood transfusions and the incidence of
      pulmonary complications.

PMID- 26492882
TI  - District-level hospital trauma care audit filters: Delphi technique for defining
      context-appropriate indicators for quality improvement initiative evaluation in
      developing countries.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Prospective clinical audit of trauma care improves outcomes for the
      injured in high-income countries (HICs). However, equivalent, context-appropriate
      audit filters for use in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) district-level
      hospitals have not been well established. We aimed to develop context-appropriate
      trauma care audit filters for district-level hospitals in Ghana, was well as
      other LMICs more broadly. METHODS: Consensus on trauma care audit filters was
      built between twenty panellists using a Delphi technique with four anonymous,
      iterative surveys designed to elicit: (i) trauma care processes to be measured;
      (ii) important features of audit filters for the district-level hospital setting;
      and (iii) potentially useful filters. Filters were ranked on a scale from 0 to 10
      (10 being very useful). Consensus was measured with average percent majority
      opinion (APMO) cut-off rate. Target consensus was defined a priori as: a median
      rank of >=9 for each filter and an APMO cut-off rate of >=0.8. RESULTS:
      Panellists agreed on trauma care processes to target (e.g. triage, phases of
      trauma assessment, early referral if needed) and specific features of filters for
      district-level hospital use (e.g. simplicity, unassuming of resource capacity).
      APMO cut-off rate increased successively: Round 1--0.58; Round 2--0.66; Round 3-
      0.76; and Round 4--0.82. After Round 4, target consensus on 22 trauma care and
      referral-specific filters was reached. Example filters include: triage--vital
      signs are recorded within 15 min of arrival (must include breathing assessment,
      heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation if available); circulation--a large
      bore IV was placed within 15 min of patient arrival; referral--if referral is
      activated, the referring clinician and receiving facility communicate by phone or
      radio prior to transfer. CONCLUSION: This study proposes trauma care audit
      filters appropriate for LMIC district-level hospitals. Given the successes of
      similar filters in HICs and obstetric care filters in LMICs, the collection and
      reporting of prospective trauma care audit filters may be an important step
      towards improving care for the injured at district-level hospitals in LMICs.

PMID- 26492884
TI  - Peri-operative radiation exposure: Are overweight patients at increased risks?
AB  - The aim of this study was to identify if there was a correlation between body
      mass index (BMI) and intra-operative radiation exposure. A retrospective review
      of 81 patients who had sliding hip screw fixation for femoral neck fractures in
      one year was completed, recording body mass index (BMI), screening time, dose
      area product (DAP), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, seniority
      of operating surgeon and complexity of the fracture configuration. There was a
      statistically significant correlation between dose area product and BMI. There
      was no statistically significant relationship between screening time and BMI.
      There was no statistical difference between ASA grade, seniority of surgeon, or
      complexity of fracture configuration and dose area product. Simulated stochastic
      risks were increased for overweight patients. Overweight patients are exposed to
      increased doses of radiation regardless of length of screening time. Surgeons and
      theatre staff should be aware of the increased radiation exposure during fixation
      of fractures in overweight patients and, along with radiographers, ensure steps
      are taken to minimise these risks. Whilst such radiation dosages may have little
      adverse effect for individual patients, these findings may be of more relevance
      and concern to staff that will be exposed to increased radiation. 

PMID- 26492885
TI  - Hepatitis E virus infection activates signal regulator protein alpha to down
      regulate type I interferon.
AB  - Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of enterically transmitted acute
      hepatitis worldwide. However, the mechanism of HEV replication is unclear. Type I
      interferon is the first defense line of host against viral infection. Signal
      regulator protein alpha (SIRP-alpha) plays an important role in negative
      regulation of innate immunity. In the present study, HEV infection significantly
      activated the expression of SIRP-alpha and down-regulated phosphorylation of
      IRF3, consequently resulted in suppression of type I interferon (IFN-beta). In
      conclusion, HEV exploited SIRP-alpha to negative regulated IFN-beta of the host
      innate immune system to promote viral infection. It suggested that interfering
      with the functions of SIRP-alpha should be considered as a potential therapeutic
      approach to the prevention and treatment of HEV infection.

PMID- 26492886
TI  - Multiple Simulated Annealing-Molecular Dynamics (MSA-MD) for Conformational Space
      Search of Peptide and Miniprotein.
AB  - Protein and peptide structure predictions are of paramount importance for
      understanding their functions, as well as the interactions with other molecules.
      However, the use of molecular simulation techniques to directly predict the
      peptide structure from the primary amino acid sequence is always hindered by the
      rough topology of the conformational space and the limited simulation time scale.
      We developed here a new strategy, named Multiple Simulated Annealing-Molecular
      Dynamics (MSA-MD) to identify the native states of a peptide and miniprotein. A
      cluster of near native structures could be obtained by using the MSA-MD method,
      which turned out to be significantly more efficient in reaching the native
      structure compared to continuous MD and conventional SA-MD simulation. 

PMID- 26492887
TI  - Identification of invasion proteins of Cryptosporidium parvum.
AB  - Host cell interactions and invasion by Cryptosporidium is a complex process
      mediated by zoites ligand-host cell receptors. Knowledge of proteins involved in
      this process will enable entry level inhibitors to be tried as therapeutic
      agents. In the present study, invasion proteins of Cryptosporidium parvum were
      studied in vitro. Cryptosporidium sporozoites membrane proteins were isolated and
      Cy5 dye labelled. They were then allowed to interact with the intact host cells.
      The interacting proteins were identified using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis
      followed by mass spectrometry analysis. Sixty-one proteins were identified
      including twenty-seven previously reported invasion proteins. The newly
      identified proteins such as serine/threonine protein kinase, PI4 kinase, Hsp105
      and coiled coil may have their roles in the parasitic invasion process. Thus, a
      new approach was used in the study to identify the probable proteins involved in
      invasion and/or host-parasite interactions. The advantage of this method is that
      it takes only a months' time instead of decades to identify these proteins
      involved in invasion process.

PMID- 26492888
TI  - Bacterial succession and the dynamics of volatile compounds during the
      fermentation of Chinese rice wine from Shaoxing region.
AB  - Shaoxing rice wine is one of the most typical representatives of Chinese rice
      wine. It is brewed under non-sterile condition with various microorganism growing
      at the same time and forms a special flavor. The aims of this study was to
      monitor the bacterial succession by MiSeq pyrosequencing and the volatile
      compound dynamics by HS-SPME/GC-MS during brewing process. Moreover, the volatile
      compounds and bacterial community were analyzed by partial least squares
      regression to evaluate the effect of bacteria on volatile compounds formation.
      The results showed that there were ten dominating genera during Shaoxing rice
      wine fermentation process. Ten genera, Bacillus, Leuconostoc, Lactococcus,
      Weissella, Thermoactinomyces, Pseudomonas, Saccharopolyspora, Staphylococcus,
      Enterobacter and Lactobacillus, were identified as the main bacteria. The
      Bacillus and Lactobacillus dominated the Chinese rice wine ecosystems. In
      addition, a total of 64 volatile compounds were identified, mainly esters,
      alcohols, carbonyl compound and phenols. Pseudomonas were involved in synthesis
      of a wide variety of volatile compounds. Thermoactinomyces, Bacillus and
      Lactococcus also played critical roles in the formation of volatile compounds.

PMID- 26492889
TI  - Gene expression signature in mouse thyroid tissue after (131)I and (211)At
      exposure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: (131)I and (211)At are used in nuclear medicine and accumulate in the
      thyroid gland and may impact normal thyroid function. The aim of this study was
      to determine transcriptional profile variations, assess the impact on cellular
      activity, and identify genes with biomarker properties in thyroid tissue after
      (131)I and (211)At administration in mice. METHODS: To further investigate
      thyroid tissue transcriptional responses to (131)I and (211)At administration, we
      generated a new transcriptional dataset that includes re-evaluated raw intensity
      values from our previous (131)I and (211)At studies. Differential transcriptional
      profiles were identified by comparing treated and mock-treated samples using
      Nexus Expression 3.0 software. Further data analysis was performed using
      R/Bioconductor and IPA. RESULTS: A total of 1144 genes were regulated.
      Hierarchical clustering subdivided the groups into two clusters containing the
      lowest and highest absorbed dose levels, respectively, and revealed similar
      transcriptional regulation patterns for many kallikrein-related genes. Twenty
      seven of the 1144 genes were recurrently regulated after (131)I and (211)At
      exposure and divided into six clusters. Several signalling pathways were
      affected, including calcium, integrin-linked kinase, and thyroid cancer
      signalling, and the peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor network.
      CONCLUSIONS: Substantial changes in transcriptional regulation were shown in
      (131)I and (211)At-treated samples, and 27 genes were identified as potential
      biomarkers for (131)I and (211)At exposure. Clustering revealed distinct
      differences between transcriptional profiles of both similar and different
      exposures, demonstrating the necessity for better understanding of radiation
      induced effects on cellular activity. Additionally, ionizing radiation-induced
      changes in kallikrein gene expression and identified canonical pathways should be
      further assessed.

PMID- 26492890
TI  - Behavioural flexibility of the chemical defence in the parasitoid wasp
      Leptopilina heterotoma.
AB  - Many insects use chemical defence mechanisms to defend themselves against
      predators. However, defensive secretions are costly to produce and should thus
      only be used in cases of real danger. This would require that insects are able to
      discriminate between predators to adjust their chemical defence. Here, we show
      that females of the parasitoid wasp Leptopilina heterotoma adjust the intensity
      of their chemical defence to differently sized predators. If attacked by Myrmica
      ants, the females always released their defensive secretion, which consists
      mainly of (-)-iridomyrmecin. However, if attacked by smaller Cardiocondyla ants,
      most females did not release any defensive spray, irrespective of the duration of
      the ant's aggression. When in contact with non-aggressive Nasonia wasps, the
      females of L. heterotoma did not release any defensive secretion. Our data show
      that females of L. heterotoma are able to discriminate between two predators and
      suggest that a predator of a certain size or strength is necessary to trigger the
      chemical defence mechanism of L. heterotoma. 

PMID- 26492892
TI  - Protective Factors Against Child Victimization in the School and Community: An
      Exploratory Systematic Review of Longitudinal Predictors and Interacting
      Variables.
AB  - Protective factors against the victimization of children and young people within
      the school and community environments (extrafamilial victimization) have received
      less attention than risk factors. To date, there has been no systematic review on
      protective factors. This systematic review therefore aimed to synthesize the
      prospective longitudinal research findings on the protective factors against
      extrafamilial victimization. A systematic search of multiple sources led to the
      identification of 19,053 studies. Following application of a predefined inclusion
      and quality assessment criteria, 13 studies exploring protective factors against
      peer victimization and exposure to violence were included in this review. Across
      these studies, 19 protective factors were explored: 9 individual factors and 10
      contextual factors. Four studies also explored the impact of mediating and
      moderating variables on the relationship between predictors and extrafamilial
      victimization. Findings highlight inconsistencies in the definition and
      measurement of victimization, along with bias in a number of areas. Nevertheless,
      a small number of variables (perceptions of social competence, physical strength,
      and aggression) were identified as potential protective factors against
      extrafamilial victimization. Additionally, mediating and moderating variables
      were identified, and the interaction between individual and contextual protective
      and risk factors were highlighted. These findings are explored under the
      theoretical framework of the ecological systems theory and their practical and
      research-based implications are discussed.

PMID- 26492891
TI  - Are Single-Item Global Ratings Useful for Assessing Health Status?
AB  - The research performance of the single-item self-rating In general, would you say
      your health is: excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor? was evaluated relative
      to the SF-36 General Health Scale that contains this item, using data for a
      sample of psychiatric outpatients who had co-occurring chronic physical
      conditions (N = 177). The scale was more robust than the single-item in cross
      sectional validity tests and for predicting 2-year outcomes, but the single-item
      had stronger discriminant validity as a measure of physical health, especially in
      post-baseline analyses. Single-item and scale were both sensitive enough to
      detect change in perceived health over 2 years and a conditional experimental
      effect on health self-perceptions in a randomized trial. These findings
      demonstrate that a global single-item can be as valid, reliable, and sensitive as
      a multi-item scale for longitudinal research purposes, even if the scale performs
      better in cross-sectional surveys or as a screening measure.

PMID- 26492893
TI  - Impact of potentially inappropriate medication and continuity of care in a sample
      of Taiwan elderly patients with diabetes mellitus who have also experienced heart
      failure.
AB  - AIMS: Continuity of care (COC) and potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) can
      affect the elderly healthcare outcome. We evaluated the COC and PIM effects in
      older diabetes mellitus (DM) patients with heart failure (HF). METHODS: The
      Longitudinal Health Insurance Database of 2005 was multiple-year claim data
      collected from 2005 to 2010 in Taiwan. There were both 823 DM and non-DM subjects
      aged 65 years and older in this observational study. The COC index and 2012 Beers
      criteria were applied to evaluate the COC and HF-PIM in older DM patients with
      heart failure. The dependent variables were either hospital admissions or
      emergency department visits. Generalized estimating equation was used to adjust
      all covariates. RESULTS: During 2005-2010, the rate of HF-PIM in the elderly DM
      group was 86.1%, the mean COC index was 0.28 +/- 0.19, the admission rate was
      31.9% and the emergency department rate was 38.8 %. Lower COC index was
      associated with HF-PIM and HF-PIM duration in older DM patients with HF. Lower
      COC index was associated with hospitalizations (OR 0.07, 95% CI 0.05-0.11) and ED
      visits (OR 0.10, 95% CI 0.07-0.13), but HF-PIM was not significant. The duration
      of HF-PIM was related with poor health outcomes over 90 and 180 days for
      hospitalization and emergency department visit, respectively. CONCLUSION: Among
      elderly DM patients with HF, COC had positive effects on healthcare outcomes.
      Improving COC and reducing PIM duration for elderly DM patients with HF seems
      warranted. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 16: 1117-1126.

PMID- 26492894
TI  - Right ventricular function in dilated cardiomyopathy: women are the stronger sex!

PMID- 26492895
TI  - Antivirals, pandemic planning, and failure to heed calls for trial data.

PMID- 26492896
TI  - Brazilian Valuation of EQ-5D-3L Health States: Results from a Saturation Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most EQ-5D-3L valuation studies include the same sample of health
      states that was used in the protocol of the original UK Measurement and Valuation
      of Health (MVH) study. Thus far, no studies using a time tradeoff utility
      elicitation method have been carried out using all 243 EQ-5D health states.
      Because the values and preferences regarding health outcomes differ among
      countries, it is essential to have country-specific data to enable local high
      level decisions regarding resource allocation. This study developed a country
      specific set of values for EQ-5D-3L health states. METHODS: A multicentric study
      was conducted in 4 Brazilian areas. A probabilistic sample of the general
      population, aged 18 to 64 y, stratified by age and gender, was surveyed. The
      interview followed a revised version of the MVH protocol, in which all 243 health
      states were valued. Each respondent ranked and valued 7 health states using the
      TTO in a home interview. RESULTS: Data were collected from 9148 subjects. The
      best-fitting regression model was an individual-level mixed-effects model without
      any interaction terms. The dimensions "Mobility" and "Usual Activities" were
      associated with higher losses in health state utility value. The
      "Anxiety/Depression" dimension was the domain that contributed to lower losses in
      health state utility value. CONCLUSIONS: This study generated significant insight
      into the Brazilian population's health preferences that can be applied to health
      technology assessment and economic analyses in Brazil. This information
      represents an important new tool that can be used in Brazilian health policy
      creation and evaluation.

PMID- 26492897
TI  - Diversity and Distribution of Aquatic Fungal Communities in the Ny-Alesund
      Region, Svalbard (High Arctic): Aquatic Fungi in the Arctic.
AB  - We assessed the diversity and distribution of fungi in 13 water samples collected
      from four aquatic environments (stream, pond, melting ice water, and estuary) in
      the Ny-Alesund Region, Svalbard (High Arctic) using 454 pyrosequencing with fungi
      specific primers targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the
      ribosomal rRNA gene. Aquatic fungal communities in this region showed high
      diversity, with a total of 43,061 reads belonging to 641 operational taxonomic
      units (OTUs) being found. Of these OTUs, 200 belonged to Ascomycota, 196 to
      Chytridiomycota, 120 to Basidiomycota, 13 to Glomeromycota, and 10 to early
      diverging fungal lineages (traditional Zygomycota), whereas 102 belonged to
      unknown fungi. The major orders were Helotiales, Eurotiales, and Pleosporales in
      Ascomycota; Chytridiales and Rhizophydiales in Chytridiomycota; and
      Leucosporidiales and Sporidiobolales in Basidiomycota. The common fungal genera
      Penicillium, Rhodotorula, Epicoccum, Glaciozyma, Holtermanniella, Betamyces, and
      Phoma were identified. Interestingly, the four aquatic environments in this
      region harbored different aquatic fungal communities. Salinity, conductivity, and
      temperature were important factors in determining the aquatic fungal diversity
      and community composition. The results suggest the presence of diverse fungal
      communities and a considerable number of potentially novel fungal species in
      Arctic aquatic environments, which can provide reliable data for studying the
      ecological and evolutionary responses of fungi to climate change in the Arctic
      ecosystem.

PMID- 26492899
TI  - An author's guide to submission, revision and rejection.

PMID- 26492900
TI  - An evidence-based approach to red blood cell transfusions in asymptomatically
      anaemic patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Surgeons and physicians encounter blood transfusions on a daily
      basis but a robust evidence-based strategy on indications and timing of
      transfusion in asymptomatic anaemic patients is yet to be determined. For
      judicious use of blood products, the risks inherent to packed red blood cells,
      the patient's co-morbidities and haemoglobin (Hb)/haematocrit levels should be
      considered. This review critiques and summarises the latest available evidence on
      the indications for transfusions in healthy and cardiac disease patients as well
      as the timing of transfusions relative to surgery. METHODS: An electronic
      literature search of the MEDLINE((r)), Google ScholarTM and Trip databases was
      conducted for articles published in English between January 2006 and January
      2015. Studies discussing timing and indications of transfusion in medical and
      surgical patients were retrieved. Bibliographies of studies were checked for
      other pertinent articles that were missed by the initial search. FINDINGS: Six
      level 1 studies (randomised controlled trials or systematic reviews) and six
      professional society guidelines were included in this review. In healthy patients
      without cardiac disease, a restrictive transfusion trigger of Hb 70-80g/l is safe
      and appropriate whereas in cardiac patients, the trigger is Hb 80-100g/l. The
      literature on timing of transfusions relative to surgery is limited. For the
      studies available, preoperative transfusions were associated with a decreased
      incidence of subsequent transfusions and timing of transfusions did not affect
      the rates of colorectal cancer recurrence.

PMID- 26492901
TI  - Acute surgical unit safely reduces unnecessary after-hours cholecystectomy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The acute surgical model has been trialled in several institutions
      with mixed results. The aim of this study was to determine whether the acute
      surgical model provides better outcomes for patients with acute biliary
      presentation, compared with the traditional emergency surgery model of care.
      METHODS: A retrospective review was carried out of patients who were admitted for
      management of acute biliary presentation, before and after the establishment of
      an acute surgical unit (ASU). Outcomes measured were time to operation, operating
      time, after-hours operation (6pm - 8am), length of stay and surgical
      complications. RESULTS: A total of 342 patients presented with acute biliary
      symptoms and were managed operatively. The median time to operation was
      significantly reduced in the ASU group (32.4 vs 25.4 hours, p=0.047), as were the
      proportion of operations performed after hours (19.5% vs 2.5%, p<0.001) and the
      median length of stay (4 vs 3 days, p<0.001). The median operating time, rate of
      conversion to open cholecystectomy and wound infection rates remained similar.
      CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of an ASU can lead to objective differences in
      outcomes for patients who present with acute cholecystitis. In our study, the ASU
      significantly reduced time to operation, the number of operations performed after
      hours and length of stay.

PMID- 26492902
TI  - UK national survey of management of breast lobular carcinoma in situ.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is no national standard treatment for patients with breast
      lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). Association of Breast Surgery guidelines for
      the management of breast cancer suggest that lesions containing LCIS should be
      excised for definitive diagnosis and recommend close surveillance after excision
      biopsy. The aim of this study was to form a picture of the current management of
      LCIS by UK breast surgeons. METHODS: A questionnaire about the management of LCIS
      was sent to 490 UK breast surgeons. RESULTS: Of 490 questionnaires sent out, 173
      (35%) were returned. When LCIS is present in a core biopsy, 61% of breast
      surgeons perform surgical excision, 22% would not excise but would continue
      follow-up and the remainder perform neither or set no clear management plan. Over
      half (54%) follow patients up with five years of annual mammography. If classic
      LCIS were found at the margins of wide local excision, 92% would not re-excise.
      Conversely, if pleomorphic LCIS were found, 71% would achieve clear margins.
      Respondents were split evenly regarding management of classic LCIS with a family
      history as 54% would not alter management whereas 43% would treat the disease
      more aggressively. CONCLUSIONS: Our survey has shown that in cases where LCIS is
      found at core biopsy, most surgeons follow Association of Breast Surgery
      guidance, obtaining further histological samples to exclude pleomorphic LCIS,
      ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive cancer, whereas others opt for annual
      surveillance and some discharge the patient. This study highlighted the huge
      variability in LCIS management, and the need for randomised controlled trials and
      input into national audits such as the Sloane Project to establish evidence-based
      national standard guidelines.

PMID- 26492903
TI  - Adequacy of diagnostic tests and surgical management of symptomatic invasive
      lobular carcinoma of the breast.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) presents diagnostic and
      therapeutic challenges as it produces subtle radiological changes. It has been
      suggested that it is not suitable for breast conserving surgery (BCS). The aim of
      this study was to ascertain the diagnostic adequacy of modern mammography and
      ultrasonography in the context of a fast track symptomatic diagnostic clinic in
      the UK. It also sought to compare the mastectomy, re-excision and BCS rates for
      ILC with those for invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). METHODS: A retrospective
      analysis of prospectively collected data was carried out on all new symptomatic
      cancers presenting to the one-stop diagnostic clinic of a single breast unit
      between 1998 and 2007. RESULTS: Compared with IDC, ILC was significantly larger
      at presentation (46mm vs 25mm), needed re-excision after BCS more often (38.8% vs
      22.3%) and required mastectomy more frequently (58.8% vs 40.8%). Although
      mammography performs poorly in diagnosing ILC compared with IDC, when combined
      with ultrasonography, sensitivity of the combined imaging was not significantly
      different between these two histological types. CONCLUSIONS: Provided
      ultrasonography is performed, standard radiological imaging is adequate for
      initial diagnosis of symptomatically presenting ILC but some additional
      preoperative workup should clearly be employed to reduce the higher number of
      reoperations for this histological type.

PMID- 26492904
TI  - No association between seniority of surgeon and postoperative recurrence of
      chronic subdural haematoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Neurosurgical trainees should achieve competency in chronic
      subdural haematoma (CSDH) drainage at an early stage in training. The effect of
      surgeon seniority on recurrence following surgical drainage of CSDH was examined.
      METHODS: All CSDH cases performed at St George's Hospital in London between March
      2009 and March 2012 were analysed. Recurrence was defined as clinical
      deterioration with computed tomography evidence of CSDH requiring reoperation
      within six months. The following risk factors were considered: seniority of
      primary and supervising surgeons, timing of surgery (working hours, outside
      working hours), patient related factors (age, antiplatelets, warfarin) and
      operative factors (general vs local anaesthesia, burr holes vs craniotomy, drain
      use). For recurrent cases, we examined the distance of the cranial opening from
      the thickest part of the CSDH. RESULTS: A total of 239 patients (median age: 79
      years, range: 33-98 years) had 275 CSDH drainage operations. The overall
      recurrence rate was 13.1%. The median time between the initial procedure and
      reoperation was 16 days (range: 1-161 days). The only statistically significant
      risk factor for recurrence was antiplatelets (odds ratio: 2.62, 95% confidence
      interval: 1.13-6.10, p<0.05). Warfarin, grade of surgeon, timing of surgery, type
      of anaesthesia, type of operation and use of drains were not significant risk
      factors. In 26% of recurrent CSDH cases, the burr holes or craniotomy flaps were
      placed with borderline accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: CSDH drainage is a suitable case
      for neurosurgical trainees to perform without increasing the chance of
      recurrence.

PMID- 26492905
TI  - Determination of a safe INR for joint injections in patients taking warfarin.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: With an increase in life expectancy in 'developed' countries, the
      number of elderly patients receiving joint injections for arthritis is
      increasing. There are legitimate concerns about an increased risk of
      thromboembolism if anticoagulation is stopped or reversed for such an injection.
      Despite being a common dilemma, the literature on this issue is scarce. METHODS:
      We undertook 2,084 joint injections of the knee and shoulder in 1,714 patients
      between August 2008 and December 2013. Within this cohort, we noted 41 patients
      who were taking warfarin and followed them immediately after joint injection in
      the clinic or radiology department, looking carefully for complications. Then, we
      sought clinical follow-up, correspondence, and imaging evidence for 4 weeks,
      looking for complications from these joint injections. We recorded International
      Normalised Ratio (INR) values before injection. RESULTS: No complications were
      associated with the procedure after any joint injection. The radiologists who
      undertook ultrasound-guided injections to shoulders re-scanned the joints looking
      for haemarthroses: they found none. A similar outcome was noted clinically after
      injections in the outpatient setting. CONCLUSION: With a mean INR of 2.77 (range,
      1.7-5.5) and a maximum INR within this group of 5.5, joint injections to the
      shoulder and knee can be undertaken safely in primary or secondary care settings
      despite the patient taking warfarin.

PMID- 26492906
TI  - Litigation costs of wrong-site surgery and other non-technical errors in
      orthopaedic operating theatres.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study reviews the litigation costs of avoidable errors in
      orthopaedic operating theatres (OOTs) in England and Wales from 1995 to 2010
      using the National Health Service Litigation Authority Database. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Litigation specifically against non-technical errors (NTEs) in OOTs and
      issues regarding obtaining adequate consent was identified and analysed for the
      year of incident, compensation fee, cost of legal defence, and likelihood of
      compensation. RESULTS: There were 550 claims relating to consent and NTEs in
      OOTs. Negligence was related to consent (n=126), wrong-site surgery (104),
      injuries in the OOT (54), foreign body left in situ (54), diathermy and skin
      preparation burns (54), operator error (40), incorrect equipment (25), medication
      errors (15) and tourniquet injuries (10). Mean cost per claim was L40,322.
      Cumulative cost for all cases was L20 million. Wrong-site surgery was error that
      elicited the most successful litigation (89% of cases). Litigation relating to
      implantation of an incorrect prosthesis (eg right-sided prosthesis in a left
      knee) cost L2.9 million. Prevalence of litigation against NTEs has declined since
      2007. CONCLUSIONS: Improved patient-safety strategies such as the World Health
      Organization Surgical Checklist may be responsible for the recent reduction in
      prevalence of litigation for NTEs. However, addition of a specific feature in
      orthopaedic surgery, an 'implant time-out' could translate into a cost benefit
      for National Health Service hospital trusts and improve patient safety.

PMID- 26492907
TI  - Contemporary surgical treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism without
      intraoperative parathyroid hormone measurement.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) is usually the result of a
      single adenoma that can often be accurately located preoperatively and excised by
      a focused operation. Intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) measurement is
      used occasionally to detect additional abnormal glands. However, it remains
      controversial as to whether IOPTH monitoring is necessary. This study presents
      the results of a large series of focused parathyroidectomy without IOPTH
      measurement. METHODS: Data from 2003 to 2014 were collected on 180 consecutive
      patients who underwent surgical treatment for pHPT by a single surgeon.
      Preoperative ultrasonography and sestamibi imaging was performed routinely, with
      computed tomography (CT) and/or selective venous sampling in selected cases. The
      preferred procedure for single gland disease was a focused lateral approach
      guided by on-table surgeon performed ultrasonography. Frozen section was used
      selectively and surgical cure was defined as normocalcaemia at the six-month
      follow-up appointment. RESULTS: Focused surgery was undertaken in 146 patients
      (81%) and 97% of these cases had concordant results with two imaging modalities.
      In all cases, an abnormal gland was discovered at the predetermined site. Of the
      146 patients, 132 underwent a focused lateral approach (11 of which were
      converted to a collar incision), 10 required a collar incision and 4 underwent a
      mini-sternotomy. At 6 months following surgery, 142 patients were normocalcaemic
      (97% primary cure rate). Three of the four treatment failures had subsequent
      surgery and are now biochemically cured. There were no complications or cases of
      persistent hypocalcaemia. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides further evidence that
      in the presence of concordant preoperative imaging, IOPTH measurement can be
      safely omitted when performing focused parathyroidectomy for most cases of pHPT.

PMID- 26492908
TI  - Inconsistent reporting of minimally invasive surgery errors.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is a complex task requiring
      dexterity and high level cognitive function. Unlike surgical 'never events',
      potentially important (and frequent) manual or cognitive slips ('technical
      errors') are underresearched. Little is known about the occurrence of routine
      errors in MIS, their relationship to patient outcome, and whether they are
      reported accurately and/or consistently. METHODS: An electronic survey was sent
      to all members of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland,
      gathering demographic information, experience and reporting of MIS errors, and a
      rating of factors affecting error prevalence. RESULTS: Of 249 responses, 203
      completed more than 80% of the questions regarding the surgery they had performed
      in the preceding 12 months. Of these, 47% reported a significant error in their
      own performance and 75% were aware of a colleague experiencing error. Technical
      skill, knowledge, situational awareness and decision making were all identified
      as particularly important for avoiding errors in MIS. Reporting of errors was
      variable: 15% did not necessarily report an intraoperative error to a patient
      while 50% did not consistently report at an institutional level. Critically, 12%
      of surgeons were unaware of the procedure for reporting a technical error and 59%
      felt guidance is needed. Overall, 40% believed a confidential reporting system
      would increase their likelihood of reporting an error. CONCLUSION: These data
      indicate inconsistent reporting of operative errors, and highlight the need to
      better understand how and why technical errors occur in MIS. A confidential 'no
      blame' reporting system might help improve patient outcomes and avoid a closed
      culture that can undermine public confidence.

PMID- 26492909
TI  - Power-assisted endoscopic adenoidectomy using a 120 degrees  reverse-viewing
      telescope.

PMID- 26492910
TI  - Harvesting cortical temporal bone to close attic defects using a TraumadriveTM.

PMID- 26492911
TI  - The twisted double loop mattress suture.

PMID- 26492912
TI  - Use of additional absorbent pad in the skin preparation and draping of breast
      patients to reduce rates of contact dermatitis.

PMID- 26492914
TI  - de winters ECG changes and anterior myocardial infarction.

PMID- 26492915
TI  - Asymmetric Weighting to Optimize Regional Sensitivity in Combined fMRI-MEG Maps.
AB  - Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) are
      neuroimaging techniques that measure inherently different physiological
      processes, resulting in complementary estimates of brain activity in different
      regions. Combining the maps generated by each technique could thus provide a
      richer understanding of brain activation. However, present approaches to
      integration rely on a priori assumptions, such as expected patterns of brain
      activation in a task, or use fMRI to bias localization of MEG sources,
      diminishing fMRI-invisible sources. We aimed to optimize sensitivity to neural
      activity by developing a novel method of integrating data from the two imaging
      techniques. We present a data-driven method of integration that weights fMRI and
      MEG imaging data by estimates of data quality for each technique and region. This
      method was applied to a verbal object recognition task. As predicted, the two
      imaging techniques demonstrated sensitivity to activation in different regions.
      Activity was seen using fMRI, but not MEG, throughout the medial temporal lobes.
      Conversely, activation was seen using MEG, but not fMRI, in more lateral and
      anterior temporal lobe regions. Both imaging techniques were sensitive to
      activation in the inferior frontal gyrus. Importantly, integration maps retained
      activation from individual activation maps, and showed an increase in the extent
      of activation, owing to greater sensitivity of the integration map than either
      fMRI or MEG alone.

PMID- 26492916
TI  - Active auditory mechanics in female black-horned tree crickets  (Oecanthus
      nigricornis).
AB  - The acoustic signalling behaviour of many tree cricket species is easily observed
      and has been well described. Very little is known, however, about the receivers
      in these communication loops. The exception to this is a single Indian species
      (Oecanthus henryi) which employs active auditory mechanics to enhance female
      sensitivity to quiet sounds at male calling frequencies. In most species, male
      calls have been described, but whether or not sender-receiver matching is present
      is uncertain. Here we investigate auditory mechanics in females of the North
      American black-horned tree cricket (Oecanthus nigricornis). The response of the
      anterior tympanal membrane is nonlinear, exhibiting a lack of tuning at high
      amplitudes (60 dB and above) but as stimulus amplitude decreases, the membrane
      becomes tuned to around 4.3 kHz. The tuning of the membrane falls within the
      frequency range of male calls indicating sender-receiver matching at low
      amplitudes, which could aid localisation of the highly directional calls of
      males. The extent of active auditory mechanics in tympanal insects is not yet
      known, but this paper provides an indication that this may indeed be widespread
      in at least the Oecanthinae.

PMID- 26492918
TI  - The Skin Microbiome in Atopic Dermatitis and Its Relationship to Emollients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human-associated bacterial communities on the skin, skin microbiome,
      likely play a central role in development of immunity and protection from
      pathogens. In atopic patients, the skin bacterial diversity is smaller than in
      healthy subjects. OBJECTIVE: To review treatment strategies for atopic dermatitis
      in Canada, taking the skin microbiome concept into account. METHODS: An expert
      panel of 8 Canadian dermatologists explored the role of skin microbiome in
      clinical dermatology, specifically looking at atopic dermatitis. RESULTS: The
      panel reached consensus on the following: (1) In atopic patients, the skin
      microbiome of lesional atopic skin is different from nonlesional skin in adjacent
      areas. (2) Worsening atopic dermatitis and smaller bacterial diversity are
      strongly associated. (3) Application of emollients containing antioxidant and
      antibacterial components may increase microbiome diversity in atopic skin.
      CONCLUSION: The skin microbiome may be the next frontier in preventive health and
      may impact the approach to atopic dermatitis treatment.

PMID- 26492917
TI  - EglN2 associates with the NRF1-PGC1alpha complex and controls mitochondrial
      function in breast cancer.
AB  - The EglN2/PHD1 prolyl hydroxylase is an important oxygen sensor contributing to
      breast tumorigenesis. Emerging studies suggest that there is functional cross
      talk between oxygen sensing and mitochondrial function, both of which play an
      essential role for sustained tumor growth. However, the potential link between
      EglN2 and mitochondrial function remains largely undefined. Here, we show that
      EglN2 depletion decreases mitochondrial respiration in breast cancer under
      normoxia and hypoxia, which correlates with decreased mitochondrial DNA in a
      HIF1/2alpha-independent manner. Integrative analyses of gene expression profile
      and genomewide binding of EglN2 under hypoxic conditions reveal nuclear
      respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) motif enrichment in EglN2-activated genes, suggesting
      NRF1 as an EglN2 binding partner. Mechanistically, by forming an activator
      complex with PGC1alpha and NRF1 on chromatin, EglN2 promotes the transcription of
      ferridoxin reductase (FDXR) and maintains mitochondrial function. In addition,
      FDXR, as one of effectors for EglN2, contributes to breast tumorigenesis in vitro
      and in vivo. Our findings suggest that EglN2 regulates mitochondrial function in
      ERalpha-positive breast cancer.

PMID- 26492919
TI  - The Use of the PlasmaBlade and Acellular Dermal Matrix in Rhinophyma Surgery: A
      Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rhinophyma is a rare, disfiguring disease characterized by a slow
      progressive overgrowth of the soft tissue of the nose associated with end-stage
      severe acne rosacea. OBJECTIVE: We present a case of severe rhinophyma treated
      successfully using PlasmaBlade and acellular dermal matrix with split-thickness
      skin graft. METHODS: This procedure combines deep excision with PlasmaBlade
      followed by coverage with an acellular dermal matrix for dermal substitution and
      split-thickness skin graft. RESULTS: Functional and aesthetic results were
      satisfactory. CONCLUSION: We offer a new approach to surgical treatment of
      rhinophyma. Total excision of phymatous tissue and single session replacement of
      epidermal-dermal components is an effective treatment for patients with severe
      rhinophyma, resulting in satisfactory functional and aesthetic outcome. This
      combined treatment modality prevents the recurrence of rhinophyma. It should be
      considered an appropriate alternative in cases of severe rhinophyma.

PMID- 26492920
TI  - Loss of hepatocyte ERBB3 but not EGFR impairs hepatocarcinogenesis.
AB  - Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and ERBB3 have been implicated in
      hepatocellular carcinogenesis (HCC). However, it is not known whether altering
      the activity of either EGFR or ERBB3 affects HCC development. We now show that
      Egfr(Dsk5) mutant mice, which have a gain-of-function allele that increases basal
      EGFR kinase activity, develop spontaneous HCC by 10 mo of age. Their tumors show
      increased activation of EGFR, ERBB2, and ERBB3 as well as AKT and ERK1,2.
      Hepatocyte-specific models of EGFR and ERBB3 gene ablation were generated to
      evaluate how the loss of these genes affected tumor progression. Loss of either
      receptor tyrosine kinase did not alter liver development or regenerative liver
      growth following carbon tetrachloride injection. However, using a well
      characterized model of HCC in which N-nitrosodiethylamine is injected into 14-day
      old mice, we discovered that loss of hepatocellular ERBB3 but not EGFR, which
      occurred after tumor initiation, retarded liver tumor formation and cell
      proliferation. We found no evidence that this was due to increased apoptosis or
      diminished phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase activity in the ERBB3-null cells.
      However, the relative amount of phospho-STAT3 was diminished in tumors derived
      from these mice, suggesting that ERBB3 may promote HCC through STAT3 activation. 

PMID- 26492921
TI  - Cephalic phase secretion of insulin and other enteropancreatic hormones in
      humans.
AB  - Enteropancreatic hormone secretion is thought to include a cephalic phase, but
      the evidence in humans is ambiguous. We studied vagally induced gut hormone
      responses with and without muscarinic blockade in 10 glucose-clamped healthy men
      (age: 24.5 +/- 0.6 yr, means +/- SE; body mass index: 24.0 +/- 0.5 kg/m(2);
      HbA1c: 5.1 +/- 0.1%/31.4 +/- 0.5 mmol/mol). Cephalic activation was elicited by
      modified sham feeding (MSF, aka "chew and spit") with or without atropine (1 mg
      bolus 45 min before MSF + 80 ng.kg(-1).min(-1) for 2 h). To mimic incipient
      prandial glucose excursions, glucose levels were clamped at 6 mmol/l on all days.
      The meal stimulus for the MSF consisted of an appetizing breakfast. Participants
      (9/10) also had a 6 mmol/l glucose clamp without MSF. Pancreatic polypeptide (PP)
      levels rose from 6.3 +/- 1.1 to 19.9 +/- 6.8 pmol/l (means +/- SE) in response to
      MSF and atropine lowered basal PP levels and abolished the MSF response. Neither
      insulin, C-peptide, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), nor
      glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels changed in response to MSF or atropine.
      Glucagon and ghrelin levels were markedly attenuated by atropine prior to and
      during the clamp: at t = 105 min on the atropine (ATR) + clamp (CLA) + MSF
      compared with the saline (SAL) + CLA and SAL + CLA + MSF days; baseline
      subtracted glucagon levels were -10.7 +/- 1.1 vs. -4.0 +/- 1.1 and -4.7 +/- 1.9
      pmol/l (means +/- SE), P < 0.0001, respectively; corresponding baseline
      subtracted ghrelin levels were 303 +/- 36 vs. 39 +/- 38 and 3.7 +/- 21 pg/ml
      (means +/- SE), P < 0.0001. Glucagon and ghrelin levels were unaffected by MSF.
      Despite adequate PP responses, a cephalic phase response was absent for insulin,
      glucagon, GLP-1, GIP, and ghrelin. 

PMID- 26492922
TI  - Nkx2.2 is expressed in a subset of enteroendocrine cells with expanded lineage
      potential.
AB  - There are two major stem cell populations in the intestinal crypt region that
      express either Bmi1 or Lgr5; however, it has been shown that other populations in
      the crypt can regain stemness. In this study, we demonstrate that the
      transcription factor NK2 homeobox 2 (Nkx2.2) is expressed in enteroendocrine
      cells located in the villus and crypt of the intestinal epithelium and is
      coexpressed with the stem cell markers Bmi1 and Lgr5 in a subset of crypt cells.
      To determine whether Nkx2.2-expressing enteroendocrine cells display cellular
      plasticity and stem cell potential, we performed genetic lineage tracing of the
      Nkx2.2-expressing population using Nkx2.2(Cre/+);R26RTomato mice. These studies
      demonstrated that Nkx2.2+ cells are able to give rise to all intestinal
      epithelial cell types in basal conditions. The proliferative capacity of Nkx2.2
      expressing cells was also demonstrated in vitro using crypt organoid cultures.
      Injuring the intestine with irradiation, systemic inflammation, and colitis did
      not enhance the lineage potential of Nkx2.2-expressing cells. These findings
      demonstrate that a rare mature enteroendocrine cell subpopulation that is
      demarcated by Nkx2.2 expression display stem cell properties during normal
      intestinal epithelial homeostasis, but is not easily activated upon injury. 

PMID- 26492923
TI  - Long-term CD4 lymphopenia is associated with accelerated decline of kidney
      allograft function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Persistent CD4 T-cell lymphopenia after kidney transplantation has
      been associated with an increased occurrence of opportunistic infections,
      malignancies and even mortality, but studies have focussed only on the first few
      years after kidney transplantation. In this study, we investigated the risk
      factors and clinical significance of long-term profound CD4 lymphopenia detected
      >=10 years after renal transplantation. METHODS: Between 2007 and 2010, 6206 CD4
      T-cell counts, including 1507 counts <300/mm(3), were identified in an active
      cohort of 1876 kidney transplant patients. We identified 27 HIV-negative
      lymphopenic kidney transplant recipients out of 513 patients with graft survival
      over 10 years. We compared this cohort to 54 non-lymphopenic controls matched for
      the date of kidney transplantation. RESULTS: The prevalence of CD4 lymphopenia 10
      years after transplantation was 5.3%. CD4 T-cell lymphopenia was associated with
      significantly lower thymic output and with B-cell lymphopenia (P < 0.05). The
      duration of pre-transplant dialysis, but not the use of lymphopenic induction or
      recipient age, was significantly associated with a persistent CD4 lymphopenia
      (6.1 versus 3.0 years, P = 0.008). CD4 lymphopenia was associated with a higher
      frequency of cancer (50 versus 29.6%, P = 0.047). Most strikingly, long-term
      lymphopenia was significantly and independently associated with an accelerated
      decline in renal allograft function (P = 0.005), despite a similar rate of biopsy
      proven acute rejection and comparable immunosuppression. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      shows an association between long-term CD4 T-cell lymphopenia in kidney
      recipients and malignancy and an accelerated decline of kidney allograft
      function.

PMID- 26492924
TI  - Haemodiafiltration and mortality in end-stage kidney disease patients: a pooled
      individual participant data analysis from four randomized controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mortality rates remain high for haemodialysis (HD) patients and
      simply increasing the HD dose to remove more small solutes does not improve
      survival. Online haemodiafiltration (HDF) provides additional clearance of larger
      toxins compared with standard HD. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing
      HDF with conventional HD on all-cause and cause-specific mortality in end-stage
      kidney disease (ESKD) patients reported inconsistent results and were at high
      risk of bias. We conducted a pooled individual participant data analysis of RCTs
      to provide the most reliable evidence to date on the effects of HDF on mortality
      outcomes in ESKD patients. METHODS: Individual participant data were used from
      four trials that compared online HDF with HD and were designed to examine the
      effects of HDF on mortality endpoints. Bias by informative censoring of patients
      was resolved. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) comparing
      the effect of online HDF versus HD on all-cause and cause-specific mortality were
      calculated using the Cox proportional hazard regression models. The relationship
      between convection volume and the study outcomes was examined by delivered
      convection volume standardized to body surface area. RESULTS: After a median
      follow-up of 2.5 years (Q1-Q3: 1.9-3.0), 769 of the 2793 participants had died
      (292 cardiovascular deaths). Online HDF reduced the risk of all-cause mortality
      by 14% (95% CI: 1%; 25%) and cardiovascular mortality by 23% (95% CI: 3%; 39%).
      There was no evidence for a differential effect in subgroups. The largest
      survival benefit was for patients receiving the highest delivered convection
      volume [>23 L per 1.73 m(2) body surface area (BSA) per session], with a
      multivariable-adjusted HR of 0.78 (95% CI: 0.62; 0.98) for all-cause mortality
      and 0.69 (95% CI: 0.47; 1.00) for cardiovascular disease mortality. CONCLUSIONS:
      This pooled individual participant analysis on the effects of online HDF compared
      with conventional HD indicates that online HDF reduces the risk of mortality in
      ESKD patients. This effect holds across a variety of important clinical subgroups
      of patients and is most pronounced for those receiving a higher convection volume
      normalized to BSA.

PMID- 26492925
TI  - Differences in survival on chronic dialysis treatment between ethnic groups in
      Denmark: a population-wide, national cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Western countries, black and Asian dialysis patients experience
      better survival compared with white patients. The aim of this study is to compare
      the survival of native Danish dialysis patients with that of dialysis patients
      originating from other countries and to explore the association between the
      duration of residence in Denmark before the start of dialysis and the mortality
      on dialysis. METHODS: We performed a population-wide national cohort study of
      incident chronic dialysis patients in Denmark (>=18 years old) who started
      dialysis between 1995 and 2010. RESULTS: In total, 8459 patients were native
      Danes, 344 originated from other Western countries, 79 from North Africa or West
      Asia, 173 from South or South-East Asia and 54 from sub-Saharan Africa. Native
      Danes were more likely to die on dialysis compared with the other groups (crude
      incidence rates for mortality: 234, 166, 96, 110 and 53 per 1000 person-years,
      respectively). Native Danes had greater hazard ratios (HRs) for mortality
      compared with the other groups {HRs for mortality adjusted for sociodemographic
      and clinical characteristics: 1.32 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14-1.54]; 2.22
      [95% CI 1.51-3.23]; 1.79 [95% CI 1.41-2.27]; 2.00 [95% CI 1.10-3.57],
      respectively}. Compared with native Danes, adjusted HRs for mortality for Western
      immigrants living in Denmark for <=10 years, >10 to <=20 years and >20 years were
      0.44 (95% CI 0.27-0.71), 0.56 (95% CI 0.39-0.82) and 0.86 (95% CI 0.70-1.04),
      respectively. For non-Western immigrants, these HRs were 0.42 (95% CI 0.27-0.67),
      0.52 (95% CI 0.33-0.80) and 0.48 (95% CI 0.35-0.66), respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      Incident chronic dialysis patients in Denmark originating from countries other
      than Denmark have a better survival compared with native Danes. For Western
      immigrants, this survival benefit declines among those who have lived in Denmark
      longer. For non-Western immigrants, the survival benefit largely remains over
      time.

PMID- 26492926
TI  - Association between pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A levels in the first
      trimester and gestational diabetes mellitus in Chinese women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Several studies have shown that women with pre-existing diabetes
      mellitus have significantly lower pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A levels
      than those without. This study aimed to evaluate whether first-trimester
      pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A multiple of median is associated with
      gestational diabetes mellitus in Chinese pregnant women. METHODS: This
      prospectively collected case series was conducted in a regional hospital in Hong
      Kong. All consecutive Chinese women with a singleton pregnancy who attended the
      hospital for their first antenatal visit (before 14 weeks' gestation) from April
      to July 2014 were included. Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A multiple of
      median was compared between the gestational diabetic (especially for early-onset
      gestational diabetes) and non-diabetic groups. The correlation between pregnancy
      associated plasma protein-A level and glycosylated haemoglobin level in women
      with gestational diabetes was also examined. RESULTS: Of the 520 women recruited,
      gestational diabetes was diagnosed in 169 (32.5%). Among them, 43 (25.4%) had an
      early diagnosis, and 167 (98.8%) with the disease were managed by diet alone. The
      gestational diabetic group did not differ significantly to the non-diabetic group
      in pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (0.97 vs 0.99, P=0.40) or free beta
      human chorionic gonadotrophin multiple of median (1.05 vs 1.02, P=0.29). Compared
      with the non-gestational diabetic group, women with early diagnosis of
      gestational diabetes had a non-significant reduction in pregnancy-associated
      plasma protein-A multiple of median (median, interquartile range: 0.86, 0.57-1.23
      vs 0.99, 0.67-1.44; P=0.11). Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and
      glycosylated haemoglobin levels were not correlated in women with gestational
      diabetes (r=0.027; P=0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Chinese women with non-insulin-dependent
      gestational diabetes did not exhibit significant changes to pregnancy-associated
      plasma protein-A multiple of median nor a correlation between pregnancy
      associated plasma protein-A with glycosylated haemoglobin levels. Pregnancy
      associated plasma protein-A multiple of median was not predictive of non-insulin
      dependent gestational diabetes or early onset of gestational diabetes. There was
      a high prevalence of gestational diabetes in the Chinese population.

PMID- 26492928
TI  - Guidelines on PML risk stratification and diagnosis in patients with MS treated
      with natalizumab: so far so good?

PMID- 26492927
TI  - Partial nephrectomy for T1 renal cancer can achieve an equivalent oncological
      outcome to radical nephrectomy with better renal preservation: the way to go.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patients who undergo partial nephrectomy have been shown to be at
      decreased risk of renal impairment compared with radical nephrectomy. We examined
      the oncological outcome of patients in our centre who underwent partial or
      radical nephrectomy for T1 renal cancer (7 cm or smaller), and compared the
      likelihood of developing chronic kidney disease. METHODS: This historical cohort
      study with internal comparison was conducted in a tertiary hospital in Hong Kong.
      A cohort of 86 patients with solitary T1 renal cancer and a normal contralateral
      kidney who underwent radical (38 patients) or partial (48 patients) nephrectomy
      between January 2005 and December 2010 was included. The overall and cancer-free
      survival, change in glomerular filtration rate, and new onset of chronic kidney
      disease were compared between the radical and partial nephrectomy groups.
      RESULTS: A total of 32 (84%) radical nephrectomy patients and 43 (90%) partial
      nephrectomy patients were alive by 31 December 2012. The mean follow-up was 43.5
      (standard deviation, 22.4) months. There was no significant difference in overall
      survival (P=0.29) or cancer-free survival (P=0.29) between the two groups. Both
      groups enjoyed good oncological outcome with no recurrence in the partial
      nephrectomy group. Overall, 18 (21%) patients had pre-existing chronic kidney
      disease. The partial nephrectomy group had a significantly smaller median
      reduction in glomerular filtration rate (12.6% vs 35.4%; P<0.001), and radical
      nephrectomy carried a significantly higher risk of developing chronic kidney
      disease (hazard ratio=5.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.26-23.55; P=0.02).
      CONCLUSIONS: Compared with radical nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy can prevent
      chronic kidney disease and still achieve an excellent oncological outcome for T1
      renal tumours, in particular T1a tumours and tumours with a low R.E.N.A.L. score.

PMID- 26492929
TI  - In two minds: executive functioning versus theory of mind in behavioural variant
      frontotemporal dementia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship of executive function (EF) and theory of mind (ToM)
      deficits in neurodegeneration is still debated. There is contradicting evidence
      as to whether these cognitive processes are overlapping or distinct, which has
      clear clinical relevance for the evaluation of their associated clinical
      symptoms. AIM: To investigate the relationship of EF and ToM deficits via a data
      driven approach in a large sample of patients with behavioural variant
      frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). METHODS: Data of 46 patients with bvFTD were
      employed in a hierarchical cluster analysis to determine the similarity of
      variance between different EF measures (verbal abstraction, verbal initiation,
      motor programming, sensitivity to interference, inhibitory control, visual
      abstraction, flexibility, working memory/attention) and ToM (faux pas). RESULTS:
      Overall results showed that EF measures were clustered separately from the ToM
      measure. A post hoc analysis revealed a more complex picture where selected ToM
      subcomponents (empathy; intention) showed a relationship to specific EF measures
      (verbal abstraction; working memory/attention), whereas the remaining EF and ToM
      subcomponents were separate. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these findings suggest
      that EF and ToM are distinct components; however, ToM empathy and intention
      subcomponents might share some functions with specific EF processes. This has
      important implications for guiding diagnostic assessment of these deficits in
      clinical conditions.

PMID- 26492930
TI  - Stratification and monitoring of natalizumab-associated progressive multifocal
      leukoencephalopathy risk: recommendations from an expert group.
AB  - The use of natalizumab for highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
      (MS) is influenced by the occurrence of progressive multifocal
      leukoencephalopathy (PML). Through measurement of the anti-JCV antibody index,
      and in combination with the presence or absence of other known risk factors, it
      may be possible to stratify patients with MS according to their risk of
      developing PML during treatment with natalizumab and detect early suspected PML
      using MRI including a diffusion-weighted imaging sequence. This paper describes a
      practical consensus guideline for treating neurologists, based on current
      evidence, for the introduction into routine clinical practice of anti-JCV
      antibody index testing of immunosuppressant-naive patients with MS, either
      currently being treated with, or initiating, natalizumab, based on their anti-JCV
      antibody status. Recommendations for the frequency and type of MRI screening in
      patients with varying index-associated PML risks are also discussed. This
      consensus paper presents a simple and pragmatic algorithm to support the
      introduction of anti-JCV antibody index testing and MRI monitoring into standard
      PML safety protocols, in order to allow some JCV positive patients who wish to
      begin or continue natalizumab treatment to be managed with a more individualised
      analysis of their PML risk. 

PMID- 26492931
TI  - Characterizing social environment's association with neurocognition using census
      and crime data linked to the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The contribution of 'environment' has been investigated across
      diverse and multiple domains related to health. However, in the context of large
      scale genomic studies the focus has been on obtaining individual-level
      endophenotypes with environment left for future decomposition. Geo-social
      research has indicated that environment-level variables can be reduced, and these
      composites can then be used with other variables as intuitive, precise
      representations of environment in research. METHOD: Using a large community
      sample (N = 9498) from the Philadelphia area, participant addresses were linked
      to 2010 census and crime data. These were then factor analyzed (exploratory
      factor analysis; EFA) to arrive at social and criminal dimensions of
      participants' environments. These were used to calculate environment-level
      scores, which were merged with individual-level variables. We estimated an
      exploratory multilevel structural equation model (MSEM) exploring associations
      among environment- and individual-level variables in diverse communities.
      RESULTS: The EFAs revealed that census data was best represented by two factors,
      one socioeconomic status and one household/language. Crime data was best
      represented by a single crime factor. The MSEM variables had good fit (e.g.
      comparative fit index = 0.98), and revealed that environment had the largest
      association with neurocognitive performance (beta = 0.41, p < 0.0005), followed
      by parent education (beta = 0.23, p < 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Environment-level
      variables can be combined to create factor scores or composites for use in larger
      statistical models. Our results are consistent with literature indicating that
      individual-level socio-demographic characteristics (e.g. race and gender) and
      aspects of familial social capital (e.g. parental education) have statistical
      relationships with neurocognitive performance.

PMID- 26492932
TI  - Genomic analysis of germ line and somatic variants in familial
      myelodysplasia/acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Familial clustering of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) and acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML) can be caused by inherited factors. We screened 59 individuals
      from 17 families with 2 or more biological relatives with MDS/AML for variants in
      12 genes with established roles in predisposition to MDS/AML, and identified a
      pathogenic germ line variant in 5 families (29%). Extending the screen with a
      panel of 264 genes that are recurrently mutated in de novo AML, we identified
      rare, nonsynonymous germ line variants in 4 genes, each segregating with MDS/AML
      in 2 families. Somatic mutations are required for progression to MDS/AML in these
      familial cases. Using a combination of targeted and exome sequencing of tumor and
      matched normal samples from 26 familial MDS/AML cases and asymptomatic carriers,
      we identified recurrent frameshift mutations in the cohesin-associated factor
      PDS5B, co-occurrence of somatic ASXL1 mutations with germ line GATA2 mutations,
      and recurrent mutations in other known MDS/AML drivers. Mutations in genes that
      are recurrently mutated in de novo AML were underrepresented in the familial
      MDS/AML cases, although the total number of somatic mutations per exome was the
      same. Lastly, clonal skewing of hematopoiesis was detected in 67% of young,
      asymptomatic RUNX1 carriers, providing a potential biomarker that could be used
      for surveillance in these high-risk families. 

PMID- 26492933
TI  - Discordance in lymphoid tissue recovery following stem cell transplantation in
      rhesus macaques: an in vivo imaging study.
AB  - Ionizing irradiation is used routinely to induce myeloablation and
      immunosuppression. However, it has not been possible to evaluate the extent of
      ablation without invasive biopsy. For lymphoid recovery, peripheral blood (PB)
      lymphocytes (PBLs) have been used for analysis, but they represent <2% of cells
      in lymphoid tissues (LTs). Using a combination of single-photon emission computed
      tomography imaging and a radiotracer ((99m)Tc-labeled rhesus immunoglobulin G1
      anti-CD4R1 (Fab')2), we sequentially imaged CD4(+) cell recovery in rhesus
      macaques following total body irradiation (TBI) and reinfusion of vector
      transduced, autologous CD34(+) cells. Our results present for the first time a
      sequential, real-time, noninvasive method to evaluate CD4(+) cell recovery.
      Importantly, despite myeloablation of circulating leukocytes following TBI, total
      depletion of CD4(+) lymphocytes in LTs such as the spleen is not achieved. The
      impact of TBI on LTs and PBLs is discordant, in which as few as 32.4% of CD4(+)
      cells were depleted from the spleen. In addition, despite full lymphocyte
      recovery in the spleen and PB, lymph nodes have suboptimal recovery. This
      highlights concerns about residual disease, endogenous contributions to recovery,
      and residual LT damage following ionizing irradiation. Such methodologies also
      have direct application to immunosuppressive therapy and other immunosuppressive
      disorders, such as those associated with viral monitoring. 

PMID- 26492934
TI  - Fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab treatment achieves long-term disease
      free survival in IGHV-mutated chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
AB  - Accurate identification of patients likely to achieve long-progression-free
      survival (PFS) after chemoimmunotherapy is essential given the availability of
      less toxic alternatives, such as ibrutinib. Fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and
      rituximab (FCR) achieved a high response rate, but continued relapses were seen
      in initial reports. We reviewed the original 300 patient phase 2 FCR study to
      identify long-term disease-free survivors. Minimal residual disease (MRD) was
      assessed posttreatment by a polymerase chain reaction-based ligase chain reaction
      assay (sensitivity 0.01%). At the median follow-up of 12.8 years, PFS was 30.9%
      (median PFS, 6.4 years). The 12.8-year PFS was 53.9% for patients with mutated
      immunoglobulin heavy chain variable (IGHV) gene (IGHV-M) and 8.7% for patients
      with unmutated IGHV (IGHV-UM). 50.7% of patients with IGHV-M achieved MRD
      negativity posttreatment; of these, PFS was 79.8% at 12.8 years. A plateau was
      seen on the PFS curve in patients with IGHV-M, with no relapses beyond 10.4 years
      in 42 patients (total follow-up 105.4 patient-years). On multivariable analysis,
      IGHV-UM (hazard ratio, 3.37 [2.18-5.21]; P < .001) and del(17p) by conventional
      karyotyping (hazard ratio, 7.96 [1.02-61.92]; P = .048) were significantly
      associated with inferior PFS. Fifteen patients with IGHV-M had 4-color MRD flow
      cytometry (sensitivity 0.01%) performed in peripheral blood, at a median of 12.8
      years posttreatment (range, 9.5-14.7). All were MRD-negative. The high rate of
      very long-term PFS in patients with IGHV-M after FCR argues for the continued use
      of chemoimmunotherapy in this patient subgroup outside clinical trials;
      alternative strategies may be preferred in patients with IGHV-UM, to limit long
      term toxicity. 

PMID- 26492935
TI  - Anti-mouse FcgammaRIV antibody 9E9 also blocks FcgammaRIII in vivo.

PMID- 26492936
TI  - Synthesis of a Novel Quinoline Skeleton Introduced Cationic Polyfluorene
      Derivative for Multimodal Antimicrobial Application.
AB  - A new functional polyfluorene derivative containing quinoline skeleton and
      quarternary ammonium group (QAG) modified side chains (PFPQ) was synthesized and
      characterized. The multimodal antimicrobial effect toward Gram-negative E. coli
      was achieved by the dark toxicity resulting from the quinoline skeleton, QAG, and
      light toxicity resulting from reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by the main
      backbone of PFPQ under white light. The mechanism of interaction between PFPQ and
      bacteria was also demonstrated. PFPQ bound to E. coli mainly through
      electrostatic interactions causing nearly 50% bacterial death in the absence of
      light irradiation, and the huge capability of PFPQ to generate ROS under white
      light opened another bactericidal mode. The killing efficiency was more than 99%
      upon relatively mild irradiation under white light (400-800 nm) with a light dose
      of 18 J.cm(-2). PFPQ with the incorporation of quinoline into the backbones will
      provide a new versatile strategy to achieve the multimodal antimicrobial effect
      to fight against resistant bacteria. 

PMID- 26492937
TI  - Discovery of Chemical Inhibitors of Human Bromodomains.

PMID- 26492938
TI  - Characteristics of clinical studies of summer acupoint herbal patching: a
      bibliometric analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Summer acupoint herbal patching (SAHP) has been widely used in China
      for thousands of years. This bibliometric analysis aims to provide a
      comprehensive review of the characteristics of clinical studies on SAHP for any
      condition. METHODS: We included clinical studies such as randomized clinical
      trials (RCTs), controlled clinical studies (CCTs), case series (CSs), case
      reports (CRs), and cross-sectional studies on SAHP for any condition. Six
      databases were searched from date of inception to March 2015. Bibliometric
      information and study details such as study type, characteristics of
      participants, details of the intervention and comparison, and outcome were
      extracted and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 937 clinical studies were identified
      and which were published between 1977 and 2015. This included 404 RCTs, 52 CCTs,
      458 CSs, 19 CRs and 4 cross-sectional studies and involved 232,138 participants
      aged 2 to 90 years from two countries. Almost all studies were from China (936,
      99.89%). The five conditions most commonly treated by SAHP were asthma (401,
      42.80%), chronic bronchitis (146, 15.58%), allergic rhinitis (117, 12.49%),
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (73, 7.79%), and recurrent respiratory
      tract infection (42, 4.48%). Among 502 controlled studies, the majority compared
      SAHP alone with different controls (16 categories, 275 comparisons). The most
      commonly used controls were western medicine, placebo, traditional Chinese
      medicine, no treatment and non-pharmaceutical traditional Chinese therapies.
      Composite outcome measures were the most frequently reported outcome (512,
      69.19%). CONCLUSION: A substantial amount of research on SAHP has been published
      in China and which predominantly focuses on respiratory conditions. The findings
      from this study can be used to inform further research by highlighting areas of
      greatest impact for SAHP.

PMID- 26492940
TI  - Formation of protective deposits by anti-erosive toothpastes-A microscopic study
      on enamel with artificial defects.
AB  - This study investigated formation of protective deposits on the enamel surface
      after application of several anti-erosive toothpastes with different active
      ingredients. NaF-containing Sensodyne Pronamel, SnCl2 /F-based Elmex Erosion
      Protection and calcium phosphate-based BioRepair Plus Sensitivity Control,
      SensiShield and Enamel Care toothpastes with claimed anti-erosive properties were
      tested. Artificial saliva and Elmex Erosion Protection mouth rinse served as
      control groups. The toothpastes were applied 30 times by a toothbrush for 2 min
      per day, mouth rinse for 30 s on polished enamel of thirty five human molars (n =
      5) with series of five rhomboid-shaped indents of various length prepared by a
      Knoop indentor. After 15 and 30 applications, the shape of the indents and
      surface morphology was characterised using light and scanning electron
      microscopy. At the end of treatment, the samples were exposed to 0.2 wt. % citric
      acid (pH 3.30) to test resistance of the treated enamel to erosion. Pronounced
      differences were observed between protective properties of the toothpastes. While
      Sensodyne Pronamel and BioRepair Plus Sensitivity Control did not produce any
      protective deposits, Enamel Care formed a compact layer of deposits which
      protected the enamel surface against erosion. With Elmex Erosion Protection and
      SensiShield fractured indent edges and scratches on the treated enamel suggested
      that their abrasive properties prevailed over ability of active ingredients to
      form deposits. These results revealed that toothpastes with strong potential to
      form acid-resistant deposits on the enamel surface and of low abrasivity should
      be used for effective prevention of enamel erosion. SCANNING 38:380-388, 2016.
      (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26492939
TI  - Low free drug concentration prevents inhibition of F508del CFTR functional
      expression by the potentiator VX-770 (ivacaftor).
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The most common cystic fibrosis (CF) mutation F508del
      inhibits the gating and surface expression of CFTR, a plasma membrane anion
      channel. Optimal pharmacotherapies will probably require both a 'potentiator' to
      increase channel open probability and a 'corrector' that improves folding and
      trafficking of the mutant protein and its stability at the cell surface.
      Interaction between CF drugs has been reported but remains poorly understood.
      EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: CF bronchial epithelial cells were exposed to the
      corrector VX-809 (lumacaftor) and potentiator VX-770 (ivacaftor) individually or
      in combination. Functional expression of CFTR was assayed as the forskolin
      stimulated short-circuit current (Isc ) across airway epithelial monolayers
      expressing F508del CFTR. KEY RESULTS: The potentiated Isc response during
      forskolin stimulation was increased sixfold after pretreatment with VX-809 alone
      and reached ~11% that measured across non-CF monolayers. VX-770 (100 nM) and
      genistein (50 MUM) caused similar levels of potentiation, which were not additive
      and were abolished by the CFTR inhibitor CFTRinh -172. The unbound fraction of VX
      770 in plasma was 0.13 +/- 0.04%, which together with previous measurements in
      patients given 250 mg p.o. twice daily, suggests a peak free plasma concentration
      of 1.5-8.5 nM. Chronic exposure to high VX-770 concentrations (>1 MUM) inhibited
      functional correction by VX-809 but not in the presence of physiological protein
      levels (20-40 mg.mL(-1) ). Chronic exposure to a low concentration of VX-770 (100
      nM) together with VX-809 (1 MUM) also did not reduce the forskolin-stimulated Isc
      , relative to cells chronically exposed to VX-809 alone, provided it was assayed
      acutely using the same, clinically relevant concentration of potentiator.
      CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Chronic exposure to clinically relevant
      concentrations of VX-770 did not reduce F508del CFTR function. Therapeutic
      benefit of VX-770 + VX-809 (Orkambi) is probably limited by the efficacy of VX
      809 rather than by inhibition by VX-770.

PMID- 26492941
TI  - Synthesis and Evaluation of Hybrid Structures Composed of Two Glucosylceramide
      Synthase Inhibitors.
AB  - Glucosylceramide metabolism and the enzymes involved have attracted significant
      interest in medicinal chemistry, because aberrations in the levels of glycolipids
      that are derived from glucosylceramide are causative in a range of human diseases
      including lysosomal storage disorders, type 2 diabetes, and neurodegenerative
      diseases. Selective modulation of one of the glycoprocessing enzymes involved in
      glucosylceramide metabolism-glucosylceramide synthase (GCS), acid
      glucosylceramidase (GBA1), or neutral glucosylceramidase (GBA2)-is therefore an
      attractive research objective. In this study we took two established GCS
      inhibitors, one based on deoxynojirimycin and the other a ceramide analogue, and
      merged characteristic features to obtain hybrid compounds. The resulting 39
      compound library does not contain new GCS inhibitors; however, a potent (200 nm)
      GBA1 inhibitor was identified that has little activity toward GBA2 and might
      therefore serve as a lead for further biomedical development as a selective GBA1
      modulator. 

PMID- 26492942
TI  - Concentration-mediated multicolor fluorescence polymer carbon dots.
AB  - Polymer dots (PDs) showing concentration-mediated multicolor fluorescence were
      first prepared from sulfuric acid-treated dehydration of Pluronic(r) F-127 in a
      single step. Pluronic-based PDs (P-PDs) showed high dispersion stability in
      solvent media and exhibited a fluorescence emission that was widely tunable from
      red to blue by adjusting both the excitation wavelengths and the P-PD
      concentration in an aqueous solution. This unique fluorescence behavior of P-PDs
      might be a result of cross-talk in the fluorophores of the poly(propylene glycol)
      rich core inside the P-PD through either energy transfer or charge transfer.
      Reconstruction of the surface energy traps of the P-PDs mediated through
      aggregation may lead to a new generation of carbon-based nanomaterials possessing
      a fluorescence emission and tunable by adjusting the concentration. These
      structures may be useful in the design of multifunctional carbon nanomaterials
      with tunable emission properties according to a variety of internal or external
      stimuli.

PMID- 26492943
TI  - Secondary prevention after ischaemic stroke: the ASPIRE-S study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Survivors of ischaemic stroke (IS) are at high-risk for future
      vascular events. Comprehensive information on the adequacy of secondary
      prevention after IS is lacking despite the knowledge that appropriate secondary
      prevention improves long-term patient outcomes. ASPIRE-S (Action on Secondary
      Prevention Interventions and Rehabilitation in Stroke) aimed to prospectively
      assess secondary prevention in patients 6 months following IS. METHODS:
      Consenting patients admitted with IS to three Dublin hospitals were recruited
      over 1 year, from October 2011. At 6 months post IS a comprehensive assessment
      was completed, modelled on the EUROASPIRE protocol for evaluation of the adequacy
      of secondary prevention in post-discharge cardiac patients. This assessment
      included measurements of blood pressure, body mass index and fasting lipid and
      glucose profiles. Secondary preventive medications and smoking status were also
      documented. RESULTS: Three hundred two patients (58 % male) participated, of whom
      256 (85 %) were followed-up at 6 months. Mean age was 69 years (range 22-95). At
      follow-up, 68 % of patients had a BMI >25 kg/m(2) and 16.4 % were still smoking.
      Almost two-thirds (63.4 %) had a blood pressure >140/90 and 23 % had low-density
      lipoprotein >2.5 mmol/L. 28 % of diabetic patients had HbA1c >= 7 %. Ninety seven
      percent of patients were on anti-platelet and/or anticoagulant therapy. Of those
      with atrial fibrillation, 82 % were anti-coagulated (mean INR of 2.4). Ninety
      five percent were on lipid-lowering therapy and three-quarters were on anti
      hypertensive therapy. CONCLUSION: This prospective multi-centre survey of IS
      patients demonstrated a high prevalence of remaining modifiable risk factors at 6
      months post stroke, despite the widespread prescription of secondary preventive
      medications. There is scope to improve preventive measures after IS (in
      particular blood pressure) by incorporating evidence-based guidelines into
      quality assurance cycles in stroke care.

PMID- 26492945
TI  - Identification, modeling, and characterization studies of Tetrahymena thermophila
      myosin FERM domains suggests a conserved core fold but functional differences.
AB  - Myosins (MYO) define a superfamily of motor proteins which facilitate movement
      along cytoskeletal actin filaments in an ATP-dependent manner. To date, over 30
      classes of myosin have been defined that vary in their roles and distribution
      across different taxa. The multidomain tail of myosin is responsible for the
      observed functional differences in different myosin classes facilitating
      differential binding to different cargos. One domain found in this region, the
      FERM domain, is found in several diverse proteins and is involved in many
      biological functions ranging from cell adhesion and actin-driven cytoskeleton
      assembly to cell signaling. Recently, new classes of unconventional myosin have
      been identified in Tetrahymena thermophila. In this study, we have identified,
      modeled, and characterized eight FERM domains from the unconventional T.
      thermophila myosins as their complete functional MyTH4-FERM cassettes. Our
      results reveal notable sequence, structural, and electrostatic differences
      between T. thermophila and other characterized FERM domains. Specifically, T.
      thermophila FERM domains contain helical inserts or extensions, which contribute
      to significant differences in surface electrostatic profiles of T. thermophila
      myosin FERMs when compared to the conventional FERM domains. Analyses of the
      modeled domains reveal differences in key functional residues as well as
      phosphoinositide-binding signatures and affinities. The work presented here
      broadens the scope of our understanding of myosin classes and their inherent
      functions, and provides a platform for experimentalists to design rational
      experimental studies to test the functional roles for T. thermophila myosins.

PMID- 26492946
TI  - Clinical perspectives on osteogenesis imperfecta versus non-accidental injury.
AB  - Although non-accidental injuries (NAI) are more common in cases of unexplained
      fractures than rare disorders such as osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), ruling out OI
      and other medical causes of fracture is always indicated. The majority of OI
      patients can be diagnosed with the help of family history, physical examination,
      and radiographic findings. In particular, there are a few radiological findings
      which are seen more commonly in NAI than in OI which may help guide clinician
      considerations regarding the probability of either of these diagnoses. At the
      same time, molecular testing still merits careful consideration in cases with
      unexplained fractures without obvious additional signs of abuse.

PMID- 26492944
TI  - Intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke in the elderly: data from the
      Baden-Wuerttemberg stroke registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In Europe intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) for ischaemic
      stroke is still not approved for patients aged >80 years. However, elderly
      patients are frequently treated based on individual decision making. In a
      retrospective observational study a consecutive and prospective stroke registry
      in southwest Germany was analysed. METHODS: The data registry collected 101,349
      patients with ischaemic stroke hospitalized from January 2008 to December 2012.
      Of these, 38,575 (38%) were aged 80 years and older and 10 286 (10.1%) underwent
      IVT. Favourable outcome at discharge was defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS)
      <=1 or not worse than prior to stroke. Multiple logistic regression models
      stratified by 10-year age groups were used to assess the relationship between IVT
      and mRS at discharge, adjusted for patient characteristics, admitting facility
      and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: The highest IVT rate was 15% in patients
      aged <50 years, with a continuous decline down to 8% in patients aged >=90 years.
      Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for patients 80-89 years of age
      were 2.20 (1.95-2.47) (P < 0.0001) and 1.25 (0.88-1.78) (P = 0.21) for patients
      >90 years of age, compared to patients of the same age decade not treated with
      IVT. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence from routine hospital care in southwest Germany
      indicates that IVT is an effective treatment also for aged patients with
      ischaemic stroke in an age range between 80 and 89 years. Although no clear
      evidence for the effectiveness of IVT beyond 90 years was found, treatment should
      also be carefully considered in these patients. High age should not discourage
      from treatment.

PMID- 26492948
TI  - The Renaissance of an Old Problem: Highly Regioselective Carboxylation of 2
      Alkynyl Bromides with Carbon Dioxide.
AB  - A steric effect-controlled, zinc-mediated carboxylation of different 2-alkynyl
      bromides under an atmospheric pressure of CO2 has been developed by careful
      tuning of different reaction parameters, including the metal, solvent,
      temperature, and additive. 2-Substituted 2,3-allenoic acids were afforded from
      primary 2-alkynyl bromides, whereas the carboxylation of secondary 2-alkynyl
      bromides yielded 3-alkynoic acids in decent yields. A rationale for the observed
      regioselectivity has been proposed. 

PMID- 26492947
TI  - Spectral Doppler of the Hepatic Veins in Rate, Rhythm, and Conduction Disorders.
AB  - Doppler interrogation of blood flow in the hepatic veins (HVs) provides valuable
      information regarding a wide spectrum of pathological processes that affect the
      right heart. Systematic analysis of the direction, velocity, and phasicity of the
      HV waveforms allows one to distinguish normal from abnormal patterns and provides
      important diagnostic information. Abnormalities in heart rate, rhythm, and
      intracardiac conduction are commonly encountered during echocardiographic
      studies. Sinus bradycardia and tachycardia, bradyarrhythmias and tachyarrhythmias
      as well as atrioventricular conduction disturbances influence the flow pattern in
      the HVs and may pose a challenge to the correct interpretation of the HV Doppler.
      Alterations in HV flow that are induced by the electrical abnormalities may mimic
      right heart pathology. Awareness of these alterations allows one to avoid
      misinterpretation of the HV signal, helps diagnose the underlying rhythm or
      conduction abnormality, and permits assessment of the impact on right heart
      hemodynamics. 

PMID- 26492949
TI  - Surface-Specific Functionalization of Nanoscale Metal-Organic Frameworks.
AB  - A method for modifying the external surfaces of a series of nanoscale metal
      organic frameworks (MOFs) with 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate (DOPA) is
      presented. A series of zirconium-based nanoMOFs of the same topology (UiO-66, UiO
      67, and BUT-30) were synthesized, isolated as aggregates, and then conjugated
      with DOPA to create stably dispersed colloids. BET surface area analysis revealed
      that these structures maintain their porosity after surface functionalization,
      providing evidence that DOPA functionalization only occurs on the external
      surface. Additionally, dye-labeled ligand loading studies revealed that the
      density of DOPA on the surface of the nanoscale MOF correlates to the density of
      metal nodes on the surface of each MOF. Importantly, the surface modification
      strategy described will allow for the general and divergent synthesis and study
      of a wide variety of nanoscale MOFs as stable colloidal materials. 

PMID- 26492951
TI  - Single-photon non-linear optics with a quantum dot in a waveguide.
AB  - Strong non-linear interactions between photons enable logic operations for both
      classical and quantum-information technology. Unfortunately, non-linear
      interactions are usually feeble and therefore all-optical logic gates tend to be
      inefficient. A quantum emitter deterministically coupled to a propagating mode
      fundamentally changes the situation, since each photon inevitably interacts with
      the emitter, and highly correlated many-photon states may be created. Here we
      show that a single quantum dot in a photonic-crystal waveguide can be used as a
      giant non-linearity sensitive at the single-photon level. The non-linear response
      is revealed from the intensity and quantum statistics of the scattered photons,
      and contains contributions from an entangled photon-photon bound state. The
      quantum non-linearity will find immediate applications for deterministic Bell
      state measurements and single-photon transistors and paves the way to scalable
      waveguide-based photonic quantum-computing architectures. 

PMID- 26492950
TI  - Pycnogenol attenuates atherosclerosis by regulating lipid metabolism through the
      TLR4-NF-kappaB pathway.
AB  - Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of death worldwide and is characterized by
      lipid-laden foam cell formation. Recently, pycnogenol (PYC) has drawn much
      attention because of its prominent effect on cardiovascular disease (CVD).
      However, its protective effect against atherosclerosis and the underlying
      mechanism remains undefined. Here PYC treatment reduced areas of plaque and lipid
      deposition in atherosclerotic mice, concomitant with decreases in total
      cholesterol and triglyceride levels and increases in HDL cholesterol levels,
      indicating a potential antiatherosclerotic effect of PYC through the regulation
      of lipid levels. Additionally, PYC preconditioning markedly decreased foam cell
      formation and lipid accumulation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human THP
      1 monocytes. A mechanistic analysis indicated that PYC decreased the lipid
      related protein expression of adipose differentiation-related protein (ADRP) and
      adipocyte lipid-binding protein (ALBP/aP2) in a dose-dependent manner. Further
      analysis confirmed that PYC attenuated LPS-induced lipid droplet formation via
      ADRP and ALBP expression through the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear
      factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway, because pretreatment with anti-TLR4 antibody
      or a specific inhibitor of NF-kappaB (PDTC) strikingly mitigated the LPS-induced
      increase in ADRP and ALBP. Together, our results provide insight into the ability
      of PYC to attenuate bacterial infection-triggered pathological processes
      associated with atherosclerosis. Thus PYC may be a potential lead compound for
      the future development of antiatherosclerotic CVD therapy. 

PMID- 26492952
TI  - Metformin Attenuates Testosterone-Induced Prostatic Hyperplasia in Rats: A
      Pharmacological Perspective.
AB  - Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is uncontrolled proliferation of prostate
      tissue. Metformin, a widely prescribed anti-diabetic agent, possesses anticancer
      activity through induction of apoptotic signaling and cell cycle arrest. This
      study aimed to investigate the protective effect of metformin against
      experimentally-induced BPH in rats. Treatment with 500 and 1000 mg/kg metformin
      orally for 14 days significantly inhibited testosterone-mediated increase in the
      prostate weight &prostate index (prostate weight/body weight [mg/g]) and
      attenuated the pathological alterations induced by testosterone. Mechanistically,
      metformin significantly protected against testosterone-induced elevation of
      estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) and decrease of estrogen receptor-beta (ER
      beta) expression, with no significant effect of androgen receptor (AR) and 5alpha
      reductase expression. It decreased mRNA expression of IGF-1 and IGF-1R and
      protein expression ratio of pAkt/total Akt induced by testosterone. Furthermore,
      it significantly ameliorated testosterone-induced reduction of mRNA expression
      Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, P21 and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and AMPK [PT-172]
      activity. In conclusion, these findings elucidate the effectiveness of metformin
      in preventing testosterone-induced BPH in rats. These results could be
      attributed, at least partly, to its ability to enhance expression ratio of ER
      beta/ER-alpha, decrease IGF-1, IGF-1R and pAkt expressions, increase P21, PTEN,
      Bax/Bcl-2 expressions and activate AMPK with a subsequent inhibition of prostate
      proliferation.

PMID- 26492953
TI  - The association of thiol/disulphide homeostasis and lipid accumulation index with
      cardiovascular risk factors in overweight adolescents with polycystic ovary
      syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess thiol/disulphide homeostasis and lipid accumulation product
      index, and to determine whether they are associated with increased cardiovascular
      disease (CVD) risk or not in overweight adolescents with polycystic ovary
      syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Education and Research
      Hospital. PATIENTS: Group 1: 43 overweight+PCOS, Group 2: 45 normal weight+PCOS,
      Group 3: 27 overweight adolescents and Group 4: 96 age-matched, normal weight
      healthy controls. INTERVENTIONS: Serum lipid profiles, hormonal parameters and
      thiol/disulphide homeostasis were measured. Lipid accumulation index (LAP index)
      and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) were calculated. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: The relation between thiol/disulphide homeostasis and LAP index, and
      increased CVD risk were evaluated in overweight adolescents with PCOS. RESULTS:
      Native and total thiol levels were significantly lower in overweight+PCOS
      adolescents when compared with both normal weight PCOS and control adolescents (P
      = 0.002). LAP index values were significantly higher in Group 1 when compared
      separately with the rest of the three groups (P < 0.001). Multivariable logistic
      regression analysis revealed serum total thiol levels of lower than 405.45
      MUmol/l were independently associated with increased risk of CVD in overweight
      PCOS adolescents (OR: 1.019, 95% CI: 1.001-1.036). In addition, a LAP index
      greater than 21.54 was also associated with increased CVD risk in overweight PCOS
      adolescents (OR: 1.270, 95% CI: 1.174-1.374). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we
      suggest that increased LAP index and decreased total thiol levels may contribute
      to the increased CVD risk in overweight adolescents with PCOS.

PMID- 26492954
TI  - Intensive insulin therapy implementation by means of planned versus emergent
      change approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nurses' participation in decisions about new care procedures and
      protocols is potentially of benefit for patient outcomes. Whether nurses'
      participation in decisions is allowed in the implementation of innovations
      depends on the implementation approach used for the introduction. A planned
      change implementation approach does not allow it, an emergent change
      implementation approach does. AIM: To compare a planned change and an emergent
      change implementation approach to introduce an intensive insulin therapy to an
      intensive care unit (ICU). DESIGN: A prospective comparative study in an ICU in
      the Netherlands of two teams of nurses using either implementation approach.
      METHODS: Pre-introduction of the comparability of the two teams was assessed. The
      nurse compliance to the protocol was assessed as being nurses' behaviour
      according to the protocol and leading to acceptable glucose values. The
      effectiveness of the implementation was assessed by measuring the percentage of
      patients' glucose values within the target range, the occurrence of hypoglycaemic
      events and the time to glucose value normalization. Data were collected from
      December 2007 till January 2009. RESULTS: In the emergent change approach team
      there was better nurse compliance measurements than in the planned change
      approach team (83.5% vs 66,8% conform protocol), a better percentage of glucose
      values in the target range (53,5% vs 52.8%) and a shorter time to glucose value
      normalization. CONCLUSION: The implementation approach allowing nurse
      participation was associated with better nurse compliance and patient outcome
      measurements. The implementation approach did not conflict with introducing an
      evidence-based innovation. It was also associated with more effective adaptation
      of the protocol to changing circumstances. RELEVANCE FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: When
      a new treatment requires adaptability to changing circumstances to be most
      effective, nurses' participation in decisions about the implementation of the
      treatment should be considered.

PMID- 26492955
TI  - Lewis Superacidic Ionic Liquids with Tricoordinate Borenium Cations.
AB  - The first examples of ionic liquids based on borenium cations, [BCl2 L](+), are
      reported. These compounds form highly Lewis acidic liquids under solvent-free
      conditions. Their acidity was quantified by determining the Gutmann acceptor
      number (AN). Extremely high ANs were recorded (up to AN = 182, delta31P = 120
      ppm), demonstrating that these borenium ionic liquids are the strongest Lewis
      superacids reported to date, with the acidity enhanced by the ionic liquid
      environment.

PMID- 26492956
TI  - Pricing and sales tax collection policies for e-cigarette starter kits and
      disposable products sold online.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have examined marketing characteristics of e
      cigarettes sold online and others have examined e-cigarettes pricing in retail
      (non-Internet) settings. This study expands on these findings by examining
      pricing and marketing characteristics of interest among e-cigarette online
      vendors. METHODS: Structured web searches were conducted from August-September
      2014 to identify popular e-cigarette Internet vendors. We then collected pricing
      data (e-cigarette starter kits and disposables), sales tax collection policies
      and other vendor marketing characteristics. Average price for each product
      category was then compared with marketing characteristics using linear regression
      for continuous variables and independent t-tests for binary variables. RESULTS:
      Our searches yielded 44 e-cigarette Internet vendors of which 77% (n = 34) sold a
      total of 238 starter kit offerings (Mprice = $55.89). Half (n = 22) sold
      disposable types of e-cigarettes (Mprice = $7.17 p/e-cigarette) at a price lower
      than reported elsewhere in retail settings. Average disposable e-cigarette prices
      were also significantly higher for vendors displaying more health warning notices
      (P = 0.001). Only 46% disclosed sales tax collection policies and only 39%
      collected sales tax in their state of business. CONCLUSIONS: This study expands
      on current understanding of e-cigarette pricing and availability online and finds
      variation in e-cigarette pricing may be influenced by type of product, use of
      online health warnings and vendor sales tax collection policies. It also finds
      that e-cigarette online access and availability may be impacted by a combination
      of pricing and marketing strategies uniquely different from e-cigarette retail
      settings that requires further study and targeted policy-making. [Cuomo RE, Miner
      A, Mackey TK. Pricing and sales tax collection policies for e-cigarette starter
      kits and disposable products sold online. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015].

PMID- 26492957
TI  - Ba(Zn(1-2x)MnxCux)2As2: A Bulk Form Diluted Ferromagnetic Semiconductor with Mn
      and Cu Codoping at Zn Sites.
AB  - We report the synthesis and characterization of a bulk form diluted magnetic
      semiconductor Ba(Zn(1-2x)MnxCux)2As2 (0.025 <= x <= 0.2) with the crystal
      structure identical to that of "122" family iron based superconductors and the
      antiferromagnet BaMn2As2. No ferromagnetic order occurs with (Zn, Mn) or (Zn, Cu)
      substitution in the parent compound BaZn2As2. Only when Zn is substituted by both
      Mn and Cu simultaneously, can the system undergo a ferromagnetic transition below
      TC ~ 70 K, followed by a magnetic glassy transition at Tf  ~ 35 K. AC
      susceptibility measurements for Ba(Zn0.75Mn0.125Cu0.125)2As2 reveal that Tf
      strongly depends on the applied frequency with [formula in text] and a DC
      magnetic field dependence of [formula in text], demonstrating that a spin glass
      transition takes place at Tf. As large as -53% negative magnetoresistance has
      been observed in Ba(Zn(1-2x)MnxCux)2As2, enabling its possible application in
      memory devices.

PMID- 26492958
TI  - A new mutually reinforcing network node and link ranking algorithm.
AB  - This study proposes a novel Normalized Wide network Ranking algorithm (NWRank)
      that has the advantage of ranking nodes and links of a network simultaneously.
      This algorithm combines the mutual reinforcement feature of Hypertext Induced
      Topic Selection (HITS) and the weight normalization feature of PageRank. Relative
      weights are assigned to links based on the degree of the adjacent neighbors and
      the Betweenness Centrality instead of assigning the same weight to every link as
      assumed in PageRank. Numerical experiment results show that NWRank performs
      consistently better than HITS, PageRank, eigenvector centrality, and edge
      betweenness from the perspective of network connectivity and approximate network
      flow, which is also supported by comparisons with the expensive N-1 benchmark
      removal criteria based on network efficiency. Furthermore, it can avoid some
      problems, such as the Tightly Knit Community effect, which exists in HITS. NWRank
      provides a new inexpensive way to rank nodes and links of a network, which has
      practical applications, particularly to prioritize resource allocation for
      upgrade of hierarchical and distributed networks, as well as to support decision
      making in the design of networks, where node and link importance depend on a
      balance of local and global integrity. 

PMID- 26492959
TI  - Impact of health literacy, accessibility and coordination of care on patient's
      satisfaction with primary care in Germany.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although health policy makers call for the transformation of health
      care organizations to health literacy responsive ones, there is limited evidence
      on the care experiences of patients with limited health literacy skills (HL) in
      respect to health care quality. We explored if HL and patient-reported
      experiences regarding access to care and support in care-coordination in primary
      care organizations (PCO) have an impact on patients satisfaction with the care
      received by their personal general practitioner (GP). METHODS: A nationwide
      representative survey was administered in a random sample of 1125 German adults.
      Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to determine whether HL and
      perceived access to and coordination of care were associated with satisfaction
      with care received in primary care adjusting for demographics and health status.
      RESULTS: In the unadjusted as well as adjusted model, better accessibility of the
      primary care practice (beta= 1.858; 2.032 p < 0.001) frequent support in care
      coordination by the general practitioner (beta = 2.680; 2.820 p < 0.001) as well
      as sufficient HL (beta = 0.888; 1.228 p < 0.05) were independent predictors of a
      higher satisfaction with care received in the general practice. CONCLUSION:
      German adults with sufficient HL and positive experiences regarding care
      coordination and access to care are more satisfied with care received by their
      personal general practitioner. This result is from major importance for primary
      care organizations intending to transform their processes and structures to
      respond to the health literacy needs of their patients more effectively.

PMID- 26492960
TI  - Molecular and phylogenetic characterization of the homoeologous EPSP Synthase
      genes of allohexaploid wheat, Triticum aestivum (L.).
AB  - BACKGROUND: 5-Enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) is the sixth and
      penultimate enzyme in the shikimate biosynthesis pathway, and is the target of
      the herbicide glyphosate. The EPSPS genes of allohexaploid wheat (Triticum
      aestivum, AABBDD) have not been well characterized. Herein, the three
      homoeologous copies of the allohexaploid wheat EPSPS gene were cloned and
      characterized. METHODS: Genomic and coding DNA sequences of EPSPS from the three
      related genomes of allohexaploid wheat were isolated using PCR and inverse PCR
      approaches from soft white spring "Louise'. Development of genome-specific
      primers allowed the mapping and expression analysis of TaEPSPS-7A1, TaEPSPS-7D1,
      and TaEPSPS-4A1 on chromosomes 7A, 7D, and 4A, respectively. Sequence alignments
      of cDNA sequences from wheat and wheat relatives served as a basis for
      phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: The three genomic copies of wheat EPSPS differed
      by insertion/deletion and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), largely in
      intron sequences. RT-PCR analysis and cDNA cloning revealed that EPSPS is
      expressed from all three genomic copies. However, TaEPSPS-4A1 is expressed at
      much lower levels than TaEPSPS-7A1 and TaEPSPS-7D1 in wheat seedlings.
      Phylogenetic analysis of 1190-bp cDNA clones from wheat and wheat relatives
      revealed that: 1) TaEPSPS-7A1 is most similar to EPSPS from the tetraploid AB
      genome donor, T. turgidum (99.7 % identity); 2) TaEPSPS-7D1 most resembles EPSPS
      from the diploid D genome donor, Aegilops tauschii (100 % identity); and 3)
      TaEPSPS-4A1 resembles EPSPS from the diploid B genome relative, Ae. speltoides
      (97.7 % identity). Thus, EPSPS sequences in allohexaploid wheat are preserved
      from the most two recent ancestors. The wheat EPSPS genes are more closely
      related to Lolium multiflorum and Brachypodium distachyon than to Oryza sativa
      (rice). CONCLUSIONS: The three related EPSPS homoeologues of wheat exhibited
      conservation of the exon/intron structure and of coding region sequence, but
      contained significant sequence variation within intron regions. The genome
      specific primers developed will enable future characterization of natural and
      induced variation in EPSPS sequence and expression. This can be useful in
      investigating new causes of glyphosate herbicide resistance.

PMID- 26492961
TI  - Chronic pain: the burden of disease and treatment innovations.
AB  - Musculoskeletal conditions are the most frequent cause of chronic pain and affect
      around 1 in 5 adults in Europe. When chronic pain occurs, it becomes disease
      itself, with substantial clinical, social and economic impact. Efficacy and
      tolerability problems are encountered with all therapeutic strategies available
      to treat musculoskeletal pain. This often limits effective analgesia and
      patients' long term compliance, with the result that chronic pain is persistently
      underestimated and undertreated. Tapentadol is a novel, centrally acting
      analgesic that has been recently commercialized for the treatment of chronic
      pain. This new molecule, by combining two distinct mechanisms of action, MU
      opioid receptor agonism (MOR) and noradrenaline reuptake inhibition (NRI),
      introduces a new pharmacological class called MOR-NRI. Several studies
      demonstrated promising results in the management of both nociceptive and
      neuropathic pain and good tolerability profile, particularly concerning side
      effects, compared to traditional opioids. This novel analgesic represents a
      possible therapeutic option also in the rheumatologic field, particularly in the
      treatment of osteoarthritis and low back pain.

PMID- 26492962
TI  - The economic burden of musculoskeletal disorders on the Italian social security
      pension system estimated by a Monte Carlo simulation.
AB  - The aim of the study is to estimate the pension costs incurred for patients with
      musculoskeletal disorders (MDs) and specifically with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
      and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in Italy between 2009 and 2012. We analyzed the
      database of the Italian National Social Security Institute (Istituto Nazionale
      Previdenza Sociale i.e. INPS) to estimate the total costs of three types of
      social security benefits granted to patients with MDs, RA and AS: disability
      benefits (for people with reduced working ability), disability pensions (for
      people who cannot qualify as workers) and incapacity pensions (for people without
      working ability). We developed a probabilistic model with a Monte Carlo
      simulation to estimate the total costs for each type of benefit associated with
      MDs, RA and AS. We also estimated the productivity loss resulting from RA in
      2013. From 2009 to 2012 about 393 thousand treatments were paid for a total of
      approximately ?2.7 billion. The annual number of treatments was on average 98
      thousand and cost in total ?674 million per year. In particular, the total
      pension burden was about ?99 million for RA and ?26 million for AS. The
      productivity loss for AR in 2013 was equal to ?707,425,191 due to 9,174,221
      working days lost. Our study is the fi rst to estimate the burden of social
      security pensions for MDs based on data of both approved claims and benefits paid
      by the national security system. From 2009 to 2012, in Italy, the highest
      indirect costs were associated with disability pensions (54% of the total
      indirect cost), followed by disability benefits (44.1% of cost) and incapacity
      pensions (1.8% of cost). In conclusion, MDs are chronic and highly debilitating
      diseases with a strong female predominance and very significant economic and
      social costs that are set to increase due to the aging of the population.

PMID- 26492963
TI  - Influenza vaccination is safe and effective in patients suffering from
      fibromyalgia syndrome.
AB  - The fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is considered to result from the exposure of a
      genetically susceptible individual to various triggers, such as physical trauma,
      stress, viral infections etc. A possible role of vaccination in FMS etiology has
      been suspected. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of
      influenza vaccination in FMS patients. Nineteen FMS patients underwent physical
      and dolorimetric examinations and answered the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire
      (FIQ), the widespread pain index (WPI) checklist and the symptoms severity scale
      (SSS), which are part of the 2010 diagnostic criteria. Thirty-eight healthy
      subjects were recruited as controls. All participants were vaccinated with the
      inactivated split virion influenza vaccine. Serum was collected for antibody
      titration. Six weeks after vaccination, sera were tested by hemagglutination (HI)
      against A/California (H1N1), A/Perth (H3N2) and B/Brisbane. Humoral response was
      defined as either a fourfold or greater increase in titer, or an increase from a
      non-protective baseline level of <1/40 to a level of 1/40. No severe vaccination
      reactions were observed. No significant change was observed between WPI, SSS and
      FIQ values before and after vaccination, indicating no worsening of FMS symptoms.
      Vaccine immunogenicity: Six weeks after vaccination, FMS patients showed a
      significant increase in geometric mean titers of HI antibody. The rates of sero
      protection increased from 22.9% for H1N1 to 89.5% post-vaccination. A significant
      increase in HI antibody titers was also demonstrated among healthy controls.
      Influenza vaccination was both safe and effective in FMS patients. In view of
      these results, FMS patients should be encouraged to undergo influenza vaccination
      according to the standard WHO recommendations. 

PMID- 26492964
TI  - Joint involvement in patients affected by systemic lupus erythematosus:
      application of the swollen to tender joint count ratio.
AB  - Joint involvement is a common manifestation in systemic lupus erythematosus
      (SLE). According to the SLE disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K), joint
      involvement is present in case of >=2 joints with pain and signs of inflammation.
      However this definition could fail to catch all the various features of joint
      involvement. Alternatively the Swollen to Tender joint Ratio (STR) could be used.
      This new index, which was originally proposed for rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
      patients, is based on the count of 28 swollen and tender joints. Our study is,
      therefore, aimed to assess joint involvement in a SLE cohort using the STR. SLE
      patients with joint symptoms (>=1 tender joint) were enrolled over a period of
      one month. Disease activity was assessed by SLEDAI-2K. We performed the swollen
      and tender joint count (0-28) and calculated the STR. Depending on the STR, SLE
      patients were grouped into three categories of disease activity: low (STR1.0). We
      also calculated the disease activity score based on a 28-joint count and the
      erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR). We enrolled 100 SLE patients [F/M
      95/5, mean+/-standard deviation (SD) age 46.3+/-10.6 years, mean+/-SD disease
      duration 147.1+/-103.8 months]. The median of tender and swollen joints was 4
      (IQR 7) and 1 (IQR 2.5), respectively. The median STR value was 0.03 (IQR 0.6).
      According to the STR, disease activity was low in 70 patients, moderate in 23 and
      high in 7. A significant correlation was identified between STR values and DAS28
      (r=0.33, p=0.001). The present study suggests a correlation between STR and
      DAS28, allowing an easier and faster assessment of joint involvement with the
      former index. 

PMID- 26492965
TI  - Magnetic resonance imaging features of hip disorders in an Egyptian pediatric
      population.
AB  - Hip disorders in a pediatric population are a diagnostic challenge. The aim of
      the study is to assess the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the
      evaluation of non-traumatic hip disorders in a series of Egyptian patients and to
      review the literature on the most common hip conditions. Seventy two consecutive
      patients [40 males (55.6%) and 32 females (44.4)] with acute onset of hip
      complaints unrelated to trauma or falls were recruited. All patients underwent an
      initial full clinical assessment and blood tests as well as contrast enhanced MRI
      of both hips. The most common diagnosis in this group of Egyptian patients was
      transient synovitis in 29 (40.3%) cases, followed by seronegative enthesopathy
      and arthropathy syndrome in 8 (11.1%), septic arthritis in 10 (13.9%),
      tuberculous arthritis in 4 (5.6%), sickle-cell disease in 7 (9.7%), complicated
      with septic arthritis in 3 (4.2%), transient bone marrow edema (BME) in 3 (4.2%),
      osteomyelitis in 2 (2.8%), osteosarcoma in 2 (2.8%), sciatic nerve injury in 1
      (1.4%), leukemia with BME in 1 (1.4%), coxa vara of both hips and L5/S1 facet
      joint ankylosis in 1 (1.4%), and a benign bone cyst in 1 (1.4%). MRI studies
      showed hip effusion in a total of 51 patients (70.8%), joint space narrowing in 9
      (12.5%), and BME in 15(20.8%). MRI is a sensitive tool for assessing hip
      disorders in a pediatric population and can play an important role in both
      diagnosis and management of different hip disorders, irrespective of the
      underlying pathology. 

PMID- 26492966
TI  - Sarcoidosis presenting as orbital pseudotumor.
AB  - Sarcoidosis is a systemic multiorgan disorder of unknown etiology characterized
      by a non-caseating granuloma reaction. Ocular involvement has been reported in 25
      60% of the patients. Seven percent of the patients with sarcoidosis may first see
      an ophthalmologist due to ocular complaints. This report aims to present our
      diagnostic and treatment approach to a female patient with significant unilateral
      lacrimal gland swelling and musculoskeletal involvement, who was diagnosed with
      sarcoidosis on the basis of tests and histological studies. 

PMID- 26492967
TI  - Massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding associated with solitary rectal ulcer in
      a patient with Behcet's disease.
AB  - Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome is a rare benign disorder that has a wide range of
      clinical presentations and variable endoscopic findings which makes it difficult
      to diagnose and treat. The clinical and endoscopic picture in this condition can
      also mimic malign ulceration, malignancy or Crohn's disease. Behcet's disease can
      affect the gastrointestinal tract. However to the best of our knowledge, no case
      with solitary rectal ulceration has been reported so far in literature. We herein
      present a patient diagnosed with Behcet's disease admitted to our clinic with
      rectal bleeding due to solitary rectal ulceration.

PMID- 26492969
TI  - Spontaneous symmetry breaking in vortex systems with two repulsive lengthscales.
AB  - Scanning Hall probe microscopy (SHPM) has been used to study vortex structures in
      thin epitaxial films of the superconductor MgB2. Unusual vortex patterns observed
      in MgB2 single crystals have previously been attributed to a competition between
      short-range repulsive and long-range attractive vortex-vortex interactions in
      this two band superconductor; the type 1.5 superconductivity scenario. Our films
      have much higher levels of disorder than bulk single crystals and therefore both
      superconducting condensates are expected to be pushed deep into the type 2 regime
      with purely repulsive vortex interactions. We observe broken symmetry vortex
      patterns at low fields in all samples after field-cooling from above Tc. These
      are consistent with those seen in systems with competing repulsions on disparate
      length scales, and remarkably similar structures are reproduced in dirty two band
      Ginzburg-Landau calculations, where the simulation parameters have been defined
      by experimental observations. This suggests that in our dirty MgB2 films, the
      symmetry of the vortex structures is broken by the presence of vortex repulsions
      with two different lengthscales, originating from the two distinct
      superconducting condensates. This represents an entirely new mechanism for
      spontaneous symmetry breaking in systems of superconducting vortices, with
      important implications for pinning phenomena and high current density
      applications. 

PMID- 26492968
TI  - Molecular incidence and clearance of Plasmodium falciparum infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the epidemiology of malaria has been based primarily on
      microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests, molecular methods are necessary to
      understand the complexity of natural infection in regions where transmission is
      intense and simultaneous infection with multiple parasite genotypes is common
      such as sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: To compare microscopic and molecular
      estimates of the incidence and clearance of Plasmodium falciparum infection, we
      followed 80 children monthly for 1 year in the village of Bancoumana in Mali.
      RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Similar seasonal patterns were observed with both methods
      (rainy season peak, dry season nadir), although molecular methods detected more
      infections than microscopy (571 vs 331 in 906 specimens), more new infections
      (311 vs 104 during 829 person-months) and spontaneous clearance events (317 vs
      116) and found higher incidence (0.38 vs 0.13 new genotypes/person/month, p <
      0.001) and spontaneous clearance rates (0.38 vs 0.14 genotypes
      cleared/person/month, p < 0.001). These differences were greatest for
      persistently-infected subjects in whom neither new infections nor the clearance
      of old infections could be detected by microscopy (0.71 new infections and 0.73
      cleared infections per month using molecular methods vs 0.000 by microscopy, p <
      0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Molecular methods provide information about genetic
      diversity, the intensity of transmission and spontaneous clearance in the absence
      of drug treatment that cannot be obtained by microscopy. They will be necessary
      to evaluate the efficacy of vaccines, drugs and other control strategies for
      diseases such as malaria in which simultaneous infection with more than one
      organism (genotype) is common.

PMID- 26492971
TI  - Interdisciplinary intervention reduced the risk of being persistently depressive
      among older patients with hip fracture.
AB  - AIM: To assess the effects of an interdisciplinary intervention on the
      trajectories of depressive symptoms among older patients during 2 years after hip
      fracture surgery. METHODS: A secondary analysis of data from a randomized
      controlled trial that contrasted usual care with an interdisciplinary program.
      Whereas usual care (n = 77) entailed only in-hospital rehabilitation and
      occasional discharge planning, the interdisciplinary program (n = 76) consisted
      of geriatric consultation, in-hospital rehabilitation, discharge planning and
      rehabilitation at home for 3 months after hospitalization. Depressive symptoms
      were assessed by using the Chinese version of the Geriatric Depression Scale
      short-form, before discharge, and 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after discharge.
      Covariates included demographic attributes, pre-fracture performance of
      activities of daily living (Chinese Barthel Index) and cognitive functioning
      (Mini-Mental State Examination). RESULTS: Changes in depressive symptoms can be
      characterized by three trajectory groups, including a non-depressive group (n =
      58, 37.8%), a marginally depressive group (n = 46, 30.7%) and a persistently
      depressive group (n = 49, 31.5%). Relative to those who received usual care,
      participants in the interdisciplinary program had a significantly lower risk of
      being in the persistently depressive group (odds ratio 0.23, P < 0.05). In
      addition, women and those physically and cognitively more impaired were more
      likely to be in the marginally and persistently depressive groups. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our interdisciplinary intervention reduced older persons' likelihood of having
      persistent depressive symptoms after hip fracture surgery. Geriatr Gerontol Int
      2016; 16: 1145-1152.

PMID- 26492970
TI  - The LRR receptor Islr2 is required for retinal axon routing at the vertebrate
      optic chiasm.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the visual system of most binocular vertebrates, the axons of
      retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) diverge at the diencephalic midline and extend to
      targets on both ipsi- and contralateral sides of the brain. While a molecular
      mechanism explaining ipsilateral guidance decisions has been characterized, less
      is known of how RGC axons cross the midline. RESULTS: Here, we took advantage of
      the zebrafish, in which all RGC axons project contralaterally at the optic
      chiasm, to characterize Islr2 as an RGC receptor required for complete retinal
      axon midline crossing. We used a systematic extracellular protein-protein
      interaction screening assay to identify two Vasorin paralogs, Vasna and Vasnb, as
      specific Islr2 ligands. Antibodies against Vasna and Vasnb reveal cellular
      populations surrounding the retinal axon pathway, suggesting the involvement of
      these proteins in guidance decisions made by axons of the optic nerve.
      Specifically, Vasnb marks the membranes of a cellular barricade located
      anteriorly to the optic chiasm, a structure termed the "glial knot" in higher
      vertebrates. Loss of function mutations in either vasorin paralog, individually
      or combined, however, do not exhibit an overt retinal axon projection phenotype,
      suggesting that additional midline factors, acting either independently or
      redundantly, compensate for their loss. Analysis of Islr2 knockout mice supports
      a scenario in which Islr2 controls the coherence of RGC axons through the ventral
      midline and optic tract. CONCLUSIONS: Although stereotypic guidance of RGC axons
      at the vertebrate optic chiasm is controlled by multiple, redundant mechanisms,
      and despite the differences in ventral diencephalic tissue architecture, we
      identify a novel role for the LRR receptor Islr2 in ensuring proper axon
      navigation at the optic chiasm of both zebrafish and mouse.

PMID- 26492972
TI  - Analysis of factors in successful nasal endoscopic resection of nasopharyngeal
      angiofibroma.
AB  - CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic resection of nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is less
      traumatic, causes less bleeding, and provides a good curative effect. Using pre
      operative embolization and controlled hypotension, reasonable surgical strategies
      and techniques lead to successful resection tumors of a maximum Andrews-Fisch
      classification stage of III. OBJECTIVE: To investigate surgical indications,
      methods, surgical technique, and curative effects of transnasal endoscopic
      resection of nasopharyngeal angiofibroma, this study evaluated factors that
      improve diagnosis and treatment, prevent large intra-operative blood loss and
      residual tumor, and increase the cure rate. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was
      performed of the clinical data and treatment programs of 23 patients with
      nasopharyngeal angiofibroma who underwent endoscopic resection with pre-operative
      embolization and controlled hypotension. The surgical method applied was based on
      the size of tumor and extent of invasion. Curative effects were observed.
      RESULTS: No intra-operative or perioperative complications were observed in 22
      patients. Upon removal of nasal packing material 3-7 days post-operatively, one
      patient experienced heavy bleeding of the nasopharyngeal wound, which was treated
      compression hemostasis using post-nasal packing. Twenty-three patients were
      followed up for 6-60 months. Twenty-two patients experienced cure; one patient
      experienced recurrence 10 months post-operatively, and repeat nasal endoscopic
      surgery was performed and resulted in cure.

PMID- 26492973
TI  - Filling in the gaps: using testing and restudy to promote associative learning.
AB  - Although testing has been shown to potentiate subsequent learning [Izawa, C.
      (1966). Reinforcement-test sequences in paired-associate learning. Psychological
      Reports, 18, 879-919.], the mechanisms that influence this effect are not
      entirely understood. The present research examined the relationship between
      associative binding and test-potentiation effects. We hypothesised that test
      potentiation effects would be most pronounced when participants could easily
      extract the relationship among word groupings. Towards that end, we compared
      three-word groupings, or triads, that were either semantically related or
      unrelated. Participants engaged in repeated study, repeated testing, or engaged
      in interpolated study and test prior to a final test. Final test performance was
      greatest for participants who engaged in interpolated study and test on related
      triads. The results support three primary conclusions: (1) testing aids in
      associative binding; (2) associative binding is facilitated by retrieval practice
      and restudy pairings; and (3) pre-existing associations facilitate test
      potentiation effects.

PMID- 26492975
TI  - Endosulfan splenic pathology and amelioration by vitamin C in New Zealand rabbit.
AB  - Endosulfan, a chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide/acaricide, is a member of a
      cyclodiene sub-group of poisons to a wide variety of insects and mites. It is
      also toxic to humans and animals, but there is limited knowledge about endosulfan
      related splenic and overall immunotoxicity. The aim of this study was to review
      pathological findings of endosulfan toxicity in the spleen and to examine
      potential protective effects of the anti-oxidant Vitamin C (Vit C). Here, after 6
      week exposures, the spleens of New Zealand White rabbits were examined grossly
      and histopathologically and tissue caspase-3 activity was assessed
      immunohistochemically. Rabbits in four groups were used: Group END were given by
      oral gavage a sub-lethal dose of endosulfan (1 mg/kg) in corn oil daily for 6
      weeks; Group END + C received the same dose of endosulfan daily and Vit C (20
      mg/kg) every other day by gavage during this period; Group Vit C received oral
      corn oil daily and 20 mg/kg Vit C every other day; and Group OIL received corn
      oil daily for 6 weeks. Analyses of the tissues collected 1 week after the final
      dosing revealed lymphocyte depletion and necrosis in spleens of the hosts that
      received the pesticide (END only and END + C); hemorrhage and slight neutrophilic
      infiltration was also noted. Caspase-3 immunoreactivity was marked in lymphocytes
      in all spleens of rabbits in both END groups. Overall, these toxicities were
      mitigated by Vit C co-treatment; in END + C hosts, markedly decreased depletion
      of lymphocytes, inflammation and caspase-3 immunoreactivity were observed.
      However, even with mitigation, the level of toxicity present was still greater
      than any seen in the spleens of hosts that received OIL or Vit C alone. These
      results revealed endosulfan could cause toxicity in the rabbit spleen,
      characterized by depletion of lymphocytes, inflammation, necrosis and hemorrhage,
      and that this toxicity could begin to be mitigated by Vit C co-treatment.

PMID- 26492976
TI  - Detection of parathyroid hormone-like hormone in cancer cell cultures by gold
      nanoparticle-based lateral flow immunoassays.
AB  - Parathyroid hormone-like hormone (PTHLH) exerts relevant roles in progression and
      dissemination of several tumors. However, factors influencing its production and
      secretion have not been fully characterized. The main limitation is the lack of
      specific, sensitive and widely available techniques to detect and quantify PTHLH.
      We have developed a lateral flow immunoassay using gold nanoparticles label for
      the fast and easy detection of PTHLH in lysates and culture media of three human
      cell lines (HaCaT, LA-N-1, SK-N-AS). Levels in culture media and lysates ranged
      from 11 to 20 ng/mL and 0.66 to 0.87 MUg/mL respectively. Results for HaCaT are
      in agreement to the previously reported, whereas LA-N-1 and SK-N-AS have been
      evaluated for the first time. The system also exhibits good performance in human
      serum samples. This methodology represents a helpful tool for future in vitro and
      in vivo studies of mechanisms involved in PTHLH production as well as for
      diagnostics. From the Clinical Editor: Parathyroid Hormone-like Hormone (PTHLH)
      is known to be secreted by some tumors. However, the detection of this peptide
      remains difficult. The authors here described their technique of using gold
      nanoparticles as label for the detection of PTHLH by Lateral-flow immunoassays
      (LFIAs). The positive results may also point a way to using the same technique
      for the rapid determination of other relevant cancer proteins.

PMID- 26492974
TI  - Epigenetic Histone Modifications Involved in Profibrotic Gene Regulation by 12/15
      Lipoxygenase and Its Oxidized Lipid Products in Diabetic Nephropathy.
AB  - AIMS: Epigenetic mechanisms, including histone post-translational modifications
      and DNA methylation, are implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy
      (DN), but the mediators are not well known. Moreover, although dyslipidemia
      contributes to DN, epigenetic changes triggered by lipids are unclear. In
      diabetes, increased expression of 12/15-lipoxygenase (12/15-LO) enhances oxidized
      lipids such as 12(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid [12(S)-HETE], which promote
      oxidant stress, glomerular and mesangial cell (MC) dysfunction, and fibrosis, and
      mediate the actions of profibrotic growth factors. We hypothesized that 12/15-LO
      and its oxidized lipid products can regulate epigenetic mechanisms mediating
      profibrotic gene expression related to DN. RESULTS: 12(S)-HETE increased
      profibrotic gene expression and enrichment of permissive histone lysine
      modifications at their promoters in MCs. 12(S)-HETE also increased protein levels
      of SET7, a histone H3 lysine 4 methyltransferase, and promoted its nuclear
      translocation and enrichment at profibrotic gene promoters. Furthermore, SET7
      (Setd7) gene silencing inhibited 12(S)-HETE-induced profibrotic gene expression.
      12/15-LO (Alox15) gene silencing or genetic knockout inhibited transforming
      growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1)-induced expression of Setd7 and profibrotic genes
      and histone modifications in MCs. Furthermore, 12/15-LO knockout in mice
      ameliorated key features of DN and abrogated increases in renal SET7 and
      profibrotic genes. Additionally, 12/15-LO siRNAs in vivo blocked increases in
      renal SET7 and profibrotic genes in diabetic mice. INNOVATION AND CONCLUSION:
      These novel results demonstrate for the first time that 12/15-LO-derived oxidized
      lipids regulate histone modifications associated with profibrotic gene expression
      in MCs, and 12/15-LO can mediate similar actions of TGF-beta1 and diabetes.
      Targeting 12/15-LO might be a useful strategy to inhibit key epigenetic
      mechanisms involved in DN.

PMID- 26492978
TI  - Adsorption-Driven Heat Pumps: The Potential of Metal-Organic Frameworks.

PMID- 26492977
TI  - Anxiety and anxious-depression in Parkinson's disease over a 4-year period: a
      latent transition analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety in Parkinson's disease are common and
      frequently co-morbid, with significant impact on health outcome. Nevertheless,
      management is complex and often suboptimal. The existence of clinical subtypes
      would support stratified approaches in both research and treatment. METHOD: Five
      hundred and thirteen patients with Parkinson's disease were assessed annually for
      up to 4 years. Latent transition analysis (LTA) was used to identify classes that
      may conform to clinically meaningful subgroups, transitions between those classes
      over time, and baseline clinical and demographic features that predict common
      trajectories. RESULTS: In total, 64.1% of the sample remained in the study at
      year 4. LTA identified four classes, a 'Psychologically healthy' class
      (approximately 50%), and three classes associated with psychological distress:
      one with moderate anxiety alone (approximately 20%), and two with moderate levels
      of depression plus moderate or severe anxiety. Class membership tended to be
      stable across years, with only about 15% of individuals transitioning between the
      healthy class and one of the distress classes. Stable distress was predicted by
      higher baseline depression and psychiatric history and younger age of onset of
      Parkinson's disease. Those with younger age of onset were also more likely to
      become distressed over the course of the study. CONCLUSIONS: Psychopathology was
      characterized by relatively stable anxiety or anxious-depression over the 4-year
      period. Anxiety, with or without depression, appears to be the prominent
      psychopathological phenotype in Parkinson's disease suggesting a pressing need to
      understanding its mechanisms and improve management.

PMID- 26492979
TI  - Dosimetric variations in permanent breast seed implant due to patient arm
      position.
AB  - PURPOSE: Planning and delivery for permanent breast seed implant (PBSI) are
      performed with the ipsilateral arm raised; however, changes in implant geometry
      can be expected because of healing and anatomical motion as the patient resumes
      her daily activities. The purpose of this study is to quantify the effect of
      ipsilateral arm position on postplan dosimetry. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twelve
      patients treated at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre were included in this study.
      Patients underwent two postimplant CT scans on the day of implant (Day 0) and two
      scans approximately 8 weeks later (Day 60). One scan at each time was taken with
      the ipsilateral arm raised, recreating the planning scan position, and the other
      with both arms down in a relaxed position beside the body, recreating a more
      realistic postimplant arm position. Postplans were completed on all four scans
      using deformable image registration (MIM Maestro). RESULTS: On the Day 0 scan,
      the V200 for the evaluation planning target volume was significantly increased in
      the arm-down position compared with the arm-up position. Lung, rib, and chest
      wall dose were significantly reduced at both time points. Left anterior
      descending coronary artery, heart, and skin dose showed no significant
      differences at either time point. CONCLUSIONS: Although some dosimetric indices
      show significant differences between the arm-up and arm-down positions, the
      magnitude of these differences is small and the values remain indicative of
      implant quality. Despite the delivery of the majority of dose with the arm down,
      it is reasonable to use CT scans taken in the arm-up position for postplanning.

PMID- 26492980
TI  - Radiological prognostication in patients with head trauma requiring decompressive
      craniectomy: Analysis of optic nerve sheath diameter and Rotterdam CT Scoring
      System.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) measured on CT scan has been
      shown to predict outcomes of patients with severe traumatic brain injury. No such
      relation has been studied in patients undergoing decompressive craniectomy (DC).
      We evaluated ONSD on admission CT scan to predict outcomes of patients undergoing
      DC along with Rotterdam CT Score (RCTS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      retrospective cohort study was approved by the institutional ethics committee.
      All the consecutive patients undergoing DC with available images and records were
      included. We measured ONSD 3mm behind the eyeball and calculated RCTS. Glasgow
      Outcome Scale (GOS) was measured at last follow-up. We analyzed the data on SPSS
      v 19. Receiver operator curve analysis (ROC) was done to measure the predictive
      values of ONSD and RCTS for mortality and unfavorable outcomes. RESULTS: One
      hundred and seventeen patients were included. Twenty patients had bilateral DC.
      Mean GCS at presentation was 8.5+/-3.5. Mean follow-up was 7.5+/-1.2 months.
      Thirty-day mortality was 19%. Mean ONSD of both eyes was 6.73+/-0.89mm. Area
      under the curve (AUC) for bilateral mean ONSD as predictor of mortality was 0.49
      [95%CI: 0.36-0.62]. AUC for RCTS was as a predictor of 30-day mortality was
      significant, i.e. 0.67 [95%CI: 0.572-0.820]. The difference of mean ONSD was also
      not significantly different between survivor and non-survivors. CONCLUSION:
      Admission ONSD in DC patients is high but does not predict mortality and
      unfavorable outcomes. RCTS has a better prognostic value for predicting mortality
      and unfavorable outcomes in DC patients.

PMID- 26492981
TI  - Neonatal propofol anesthesia modifies activity-dependent processes and induces
      transient hyperlocomotor response to d-amphetamine during adolescence in rats.
AB  - This study examined the influence of propofol anesthesia on the expression of
      activity-regulated molecules (BDNF and c-Fos) and synaptic plasticity markers
      (synaptophysin, GAP-43, drebrin) in the frontal cortex and thalamus of 7-day-old
      (P7) rats. Although these brain regions are the main targets of anesthetic
      action, they are contained in the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical feedback
      loops, involved in naturally occurring and drug-induced psychoses. Therefore,
      functional integrity of these loops was examined in adolescent and adult rats
      through d-amphetamine-induced hyperactivity. Propofol treatment (25mg/kg)
      decreased exon-specific and total BDNF mRNA expression in the frontal cortex and
      thalamus, in a time-dependent manner. BDNF protein level was increased in the
      frontal cortex and decreased in the thalamus, which was accompanied by the change
      of phospho-TrkB expression. Similarly to BDNF, the expression of c-Fos was
      decreased in the frontal cortex while it was changed only at the protein level in
      the thalamus. Synaptic plasticity markers changed in a time- and region-specific
      manner, indicating increased synaptogenesis in the frontal cortex and synapse
      elimination in the thalamus in P7 rats after the propofol anesthesia exposure.
      These early molecular changes were followed by time-related, increased motor
      reaction to d-amphetamine in adolescent, but not in adult rats. Our study
      revealed that exposure of immature brain to propofol anesthesia during the
      critical phase of development provoked immediate changes in activity-dependent
      processes and synaptic adjustment, influencing brain capacity to integrate later
      developmental events and resulting in temporary altered response to acute
      psychotropic stimulation during adolescence. 

PMID- 26492982
TI  - Withanolides and Sucrose Esters from Physalis neomexicana.
AB  - Four withanolides (1-4) and two sucrose esters (5, 6) were isolated from the
      aerial parts of Physalis neomexicana. The structures of 1-6 were elucidated
      through a variety of spectroscopic techniques. Cytotoxicity studies of the
      isolates revealed that 2 inhibited human breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and
      MCF-7) with IC50 values of 1.7 and 6.3 MUM, respectively. 

PMID- 26492983
TI  - A pH- and Temperature-Responsive Magnetic Composite Adsorbent for Targeted
      Removal of Nonylphenol.
AB  - A pH- and temperature-responsive magnetic adsorbent [poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)
      grafted chitosan/Fe3O4 composite particles, CN-MCP], was synthesized for the
      removal of the endocrine-disrupting chemical nonylphenol. According to the
      structural characteristics (changeable surface-charge and hydrophilic/hydrophobic
      properties) of the targeted contaminant, CN-MCP was designed owning special
      structure (pH- and temperature-responsiveness for the changeable surface-charge
      and adjustable hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties, respectively). Compared to
      chitosan magnetic composite particles without grafting modification (CS-MCP) and
      several other reported adsorbents, CN-MCP exhibited relatively high adsorption
      capacity for nonylphenol under corresponding optimal conditions (123 mg/g at pH 9
      and 20  degrees C; 116 mg/g at pH 5 and 40  degrees C). Meanwhile, high
      selectivity of the novel adsorbent in selective adsorption of nonylphenol from
      bisolute solution of nonylphenol and phenol was found. Effects of grafting ratio
      of the grafted polymer branches and coexisting inorganic salts on the adsorption
      were systematically investigated. Moreover, CN-MCP demonstrated desired
      reusability during 20 times of adsorption-desorption recycling. The high
      adsorption capacity, high selectivity, and desired reusability aforementioned
      revealed the significant application potential of CN-MCP in the removal of NP. On
      the basis of the adsorption behaviors, isotherms equilibrium, thermodynamics and
      kinetics studies, and instrumental analyses including X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy, BET specific surface area, zeta potential, and static water contact
      angle measurements, distinct adsorption mechanisms were found under various
      conditions: charge attraction between CN-MCP and the contaminant, as well as
      binding between polymeric branches of CN-MCP and nonyls, contributed to the
      adsorption at pH 9 and 20  degrees C; whereas hydrophobic interaction between CN
      MCP and nonylphenol played a dominant role at pH 5 and 40  degrees C. The current
      study provided a strategy for the structural design of adsorbents according to
      the features of targeted emerging contaminants, and the continuity of the work
      was discussed and proposed.

PMID- 26492984
TI  - [Acute myocardial infarction in Morocco: FES-AMI registry data].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial infarction is the most dangerous complication of
      coronary atherothrombosis. There are several disparities in regard to its
      management around the world. The aim of this study is to analyze the
      specificities of management of acute myocardial infarction in Morocco. METHODS:
      FES-AMI (Fes Acute Myocardial Infarction) is a prospective monocentric registry
      conducted in cardiology department of Hassan II university hospital in Fes. In
      this registry, we enrolled patients with acute myocardial infarction who
      presented within 5 days after symptom onset. RESULTS: From January 2005 to August
      2015, we enrolled 1835 patients. Seventy-five percent of patients were males and
      mean age was 60 years old. Fifty-one percent of patients were smokers, 27% were
      hypertensives and 14% were diabetics. Sixty-six percent of patients had more than
      2 risk factors. Time from symptom onset to hospital admission was less than six
      hours for 40% of the patients. Thirty-six percent of patients were admitted more
      than twelve hours after the onset of chest pain. Only 37% of patients received
      reperfusion therapy, 31% with in-hospital thrombolysis and 6% with primary
      angioplasty. In-hospital mortality was 7.6%. CONCLUSION: The patients enrolled in
      our registry have late presentation of acute myocardial infarction and less rate
      of reperfusion therapy. Furthermore, the majority of our patients have multiple
      risk factors and this result underlines the failure of preventive interventions.

PMID- 26492985
TI  - [Coronary stent evaluation with cardiac CT: Literature review].
AB  - Since the introduction of the 64-generation scanners, the accuracy and robustness
      of the diagnosis of coronary artery disease has progressed. The main advantage of
      cardiac CT is the exclusion of coronary artery disease by its excellent negative
      predictive value. Currently, cardiac CT applications extend thanks to innovations
      both in terms of technological development systems scanner or stents implanted.
      This is a literature review of stent evaluation with cardiac CT.

PMID- 26492986
TI  - [High pressure trap].
AB  - Pheochromocytoma is a rare tumor potentially life-threatening and associated with
      non specific and diverse symptomatology. Cardiac symptoms may mislead diagnosis;
      they could manifest as myocardial sideration concomitant to a hypertensive peak
      or supraventricular arythmia. We report a case of pheochromocytoma associated
      with hypokaliemia revealed by a myocardial ischemia with acute cardiac failure
      and severe left ventricular depression and complete reversal after surgery.

PMID- 26492988
TI  - Does impotence improve after parathyroidectomy in men with primary
      hyperparathyroidism?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common diagnosis associated with age,
      hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Primary hyperparathyroidism
      (PHP) is also seen with these comorbidities, but its association with ED has yet
      to be studied. We evaluated the rate and resolution of impotence after curative
      surgery for PHP. METHODS: Prospectively collected data, including a self-reported
      questionnaire of symptoms, were reviewed for men who had curative parathyroid
      exploration for sporadic PHP from July 2010 to January 2014. Data were compared
      with an age-matched cohort of men who had thyroidectomy during the same period.
      RESULTS: Among 160 men with PHP and mean age of 60 years (range, 19-88),
      preoperative ED was reported by 13%, and this group was older than patients
      without ED (mean age, 70 vs 58 years, P < .01). Self-reported resolution of ED
      after parathyroidectomy occurred in 67% compared with 43% of patients in a
      thyroidectomy cohort. Preoperative mean arterial blood pressure was less in men
      with postoperative resolution of ED (96.6 vs 105.4 mm Hg, P = .03). Among 3 of 21
      men on specific ED medications, 2 no longer required them postoperatively.
      CONCLUSION: Impotence is reported often by men undergoing parathyroidectomy for
      PHP. After curative surgery, 67% of those affected may self-report ED resolution,
      which may be more pronounced in those patients with a lesser preoperative mean
      arterial blood pressure.

PMID- 26492987
TI  - Motor behavior reflects reduced hemispheric asymmetry in the psychosis risk
      period.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A body of work focusing on brain connectivity, language dominance,
      and motor laterality research suggests that reduced hemispheric asymmetry is a
      core feature in schizophrenia. However, there is little consensus about whether
      reduced dominance is present in those at ultrahigh risk (UHR) for psychosis.
      METHODS: A total of 94 demonstrated right-handed neuroleptic free participants
      (38 UHR and 56 matched healthy controls) were assessed with structured clinical
      interviews and completed an innovative handwriting task using a digital tablet
      computer. A laterality quotient (LQ) was calculated using kinematic variables
      from the participant's left and right hands. A subset of the sample (26 UHR and
      29 controls) returned after 12-months to complete clinical interviews in order to
      examine relationships between handwriting laterality and progression of psychosis
      risk symptoms. RESULTS: The UHR group showed decreased dextrality compared to
      healthy controls. At the 12-month follow-up, decreased dextrality accounted for
      8% of the variance in worsened positive symptoms within the UHR group.
      CONCLUSION: The current results suggest that disrupted cerebral dominance is also
      present in the ultrahigh risk period and that decreased dextrality may serve as a
      novel biomarker for the progression of psychosis risk.

PMID- 26492989
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26492990
TI  - Cysteine is not a substrate but a specific modulator of human ASCT2 (SLC1A5)
      transporter.
AB  - The Alanine Serine Cysteine Transporter 2 (ASCT2) is involved in balancing the
      intracellular amino acid pool. This function is allowed by the antiport mechanism
      and the asymmetric specificity towards different neutral amino acids, distinctive
      of this transporter. In the present work, the interaction of the putative
      substrate Cys with the human ASCT2 has been studied using the recombinant hASCT2
      over-produced in Pichia pastoris and the native ASCT2 extracted from HeLa in both
      proteoliposomes and intact cells. It was found that Cys is a potent competitive
      inhibitor of hASCT2 but is not a substrate. Moreover, Cys binding to a second
      site, different from that of substrate, triggers a protein-mediated
      unidirectional Gln efflux. 

PMID- 26492991
TI  - Effects of adjuvant MontanideTM ISA 763 A VG in rainbow trout injection
      vaccinated against Yersinia ruckeri.
AB  - Enteric redmouth disease (ERM) caused by the fish pathogen Yersinia ruckeri is a
      major threat to freshwater production of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
      throughout all life stages. Injection vaccination of rainbow trout against Y.
      ruckeri infection has been shown to confer better protection compared to the
      traditionally applied immersion vaccination. It may be hypothesized, based on
      experience from other vaccines, that adjuvants may increase the protective level
      of ERM injection vaccines even more. Controlled comparative vaccination studies
      have been performed to investigate effects of the oil adjuvant MontanideTM ISA
      763 A VG (Seppic) when added to an experimental Y. ruckeri bacterin (containing
      both biotype 1 and 2 of serotype O1). A total of 1000 fish with mean weight 19 g
      was divided into five different groups (in duplicated tanks 2 * 100 fish per
      group) 1) non-vaccinated control fish (NonVac), 2) fish injected with a
      commercial vaccine (AquaVac((r)) ReleraTM) (ComVac), 3) fish injected with an
      experimental vaccine (ExpVac), 4) fish injected with an experimental vaccine +
      adjuvant (ExpVacAdj) and 5) fish injected with adjuvant alone (Adj). Injection of
      the experimental vaccine (both adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted) induced a
      significantly higher antibody (IgM) level, increased occurrence of IgM(+) cells
      in spleen tissue and significant up-regulation of several immune genes.
      Additional experiments using a higher challenge dosage suggested an immune
      enhancing effect of the adjuvant as the challenge produced 100% mortality in the
      NonVac group, 60% mortality in both of ComVac and Adj groups and only 13 and 2.5%
      mortalities in the ExpVac and the ExpVacAdj groups, respectively.

PMID- 26492992
TI  - Molecular cloning, immunohistochemical localization, characterization and
      expression analysis of caspase-8 from the blunt snout bream (Megalobrama
      amblycephala) exposed to ammonia.
AB  - Caspase-8 is an initiator caspase that plays a crucial role in some cases of
      apoptosis by extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. Caspase-8 structure and function
      have been extensively studied in mammals, but in fish the characterization of
      that initiator caspase is still scarce. In this study, we isolated the caspase-8
      gene from Megalobrama amblycephala, one of the most important industrial aquatic
      animals in China using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The 2034 bp full
      length M. amblycephala caspase-8 cDNA sequence contained an ORF of 1467 bp
      encoding a polypeptide of 489 amino acid residues, a 5'-UTR of 102 bp and a 3'
      UTR of 462 bp. The caspase-8 amino acid sequences contained two highly
      conservative death effector domains (DEDs) at N-terminal, the caspase family
      domains P20 and P10, caspase-8 active-site pentapeptide and potential aspartic
      acid cleavage sites. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that M. amblycephala caspase
      8 were clustered with the caspase-8 from other vertebrate. Real-time quantitative
      PCR analysis revealed that caspase-8 transcripts were detected in liver after
      exposure to ammonia. Meanwhile using Western blot analysis, caspase-8 cleaved
      fragment was detected and significant alteration of procaspase-8 level was found
      with the same ammonia treatment condition. Furthermore, the result of
      immunohistochemical detection showed that remarkable changes of immunopositive
      staining were observed after ammonia treatment. Accordingly, the results signify
      that caspase-8 of fish may play an essential role in ammonia induced apoptosis.

PMID- 26492993
TI  - The effects of a thermophile metabolite, tryptophol, upon protecting shrimp
      against white spot syndrome virus.
AB  - White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a shrimp pathogen responsible for significant
      economic loss in commercial shrimp farms and until now, there has been no
      effective approach to control this disease. In this study, tryptophol (indole-3
      ethanol) was identified as a metabolite involved in bacteriophage-thermophile
      interactions. The dietary addition of tryptophol reduced the mortality in shrimp
      Marsupenaeus japonicus when orally challenged with WSSV. Our results revealed
      that 50 mg/kg tryptophol has a better protective effect in shrimp than 10 or 100
      mg/kg tryptophol. WSSV copies in shrimp were reduced significantly (P < 0.01)
      when supplemented with 50 mg/kg tryptophol, indicating that virus replication was
      inhibited by tryptophol. Consequently, tryptophol represents an effective
      antiviral dietary supplement for shrimp, and thus holds significant promise as a
      novel and efficient therapeutic approach to control WSSV in shrimp aquaculture.

PMID- 26492994
TI  - Cloning and gene expression of signal transducers and activators of transcription
      (STAT) homologue provide new insights into the immune response and nucleus graft
      of the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata.
AB  - The signal transducers and activators of the transcription (STAT) family play an
      important role in regulatory and cellular functions by regulating the expression
      of a variety of genes, including cytokines and growth factors. In the present
      study, a Pinctada fucata STAT protein, termed PfSTAT, was described. The deduced
      amino acid sequence of PfSTAT contains the conserved STAT_bind domain and the SH2
      domain, and the additional Bin/Amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) domain, but does not have
      STAT_alpha and STAT_int domains. Multiple sequence alignments revealed that
      PfSTAT showed relatively low identity with vertebrate and other invertebrate
      STATs, and phylogenetic analysis indicated that the evolution of STAT may have
      been more complex and ancient. Gene expression analysis revealed that PfSTAT is
      involved in the immune response to polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C)
      stimulation and in the nucleus insertion operation. This study contributes to a
      better understanding of PfSTAT in protecting the pearl oyster from disease or
      injury caused by grafting.

PMID- 26492995
TI  - Characterization of two types of vascular endothelial growth factor from
      Litopenaeus vannamei and their involvements during WSSV infection.
AB  - Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) are important signaling proteins in
      VEGF signaling pathway which play key roles in inducing endothelial cell
      proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, vascular permeability, inhibition of
      apoptosis and virus infection. In the present study, we isolated and
      characterized two VEGF genes, LvVEGF1 and LvVEGF2 from Litopenaeus vannamei. The
      deduced amino acid sequences of both LvVEGF1 and LvVEGF2 contained a signal
      peptide, a typical PDGF/VEGF domain and a cysteine knot motif (CXCXC). Tissue
      distribution analysis showed that LvVEGF1 was predominantly expressed in lymphoid
      organ (Oka) while LvVEGF2 was mainly detected in gill and hemocytes. The
      transcriptional levels of LvVEGF1 in Oka and LvVEGF2 in gill or hemocytes were
      apparently up-regulated during WSSV infection. Double-stranded RNA interference
      was used for further functional studies. The data showed that silencing of
      LvVEGF1 and LvVEGF2 caused a decrease of the copy numbers of the virus in WSSV
      infected shrimp and a reduction of the cumulative mortality rate of shrimp during
      WSSV infection. The present study indicated that LvVEGF1 and LvVEGF2 might
      facilitate WSSV infection, which provided new evidence to understand the function
      of VEGF signaling pathway during WSSV infection in shrimp.

PMID- 26492996
TI  - Transcription expression of immune-related genes from Caligus rogercresseyi
      evidences host-dependent patterns on Atlantic and coho salmon.
AB  - The transcriptomic response of the sea louse Caligus rogercresseyi during the
      infestation on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and coho salmon (Oncorhynchus
      kisutch) was evaluated using 27 genes related to immune response, antioxidant
      system and secretome. Results showed early responses of TLR/IMD signaling pathway
      in sea lice infesting Atlantic salmon. Overall, genes associated with oxidative
      stress responses were upregulated in both host species. This pattern suggests
      that reactive oxygen species emitted by the host as a response to the
      infestation, could modulate the sea louse antioxidant system. Secretome-related
      transcripts evidenced upregulation of trypsins and serpins, mainly associated to
      Atlantic salmon than coho salmon. Interestingly, cathepsins and trypsin2 were
      downregulated at 7 days post-infection (dpi) in coho salmon. The principal
      component analysis revealed an inverse time-dependent pattern based on the
      different responses of C. rogercresseyi infecting both salmon species. Here,
      Atlantic salmon strongly modulates the transcriptome responses at earlier
      infection stages; meanwhile coho salmon reveals a less marked modulation,
      increasing the transcription activity during the infection process. This study
      evidences transcriptome differences between two salmon host species and provides
      pivotal knowledge towards elaborating future control strategies.

PMID- 26492997
TI  - Paclitaxel-coated versus plain balloon angioplasty in the treatment of
      infrainguinal vein bypass stenosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and hemodynamic
      outcomes of plain vs paclitaxel-coated percutaneous transluminal angioplasty
      (PTA) in patients with infrainguinal vein bypass stenosis. METHODS: A single
      center retrospective analysis was conducted of consecutive patients treated by
      infrainguinal bypass PTA. Primary study end points were primary and assisted
      primary patency. Secondary end points were clinical and hemodynamic improvement,
      limb salvage, and survival. Society for Vascular Surgery reporting standards were
      applied. RESULTS: From April 2008 to November 2014, 83 infrainguinal vein
      bypasses were treated for graft stenosis by plain (group A, n = 41) or by
      paclitaxel-coated PTA (group B, n = 42). The groups did not differ significantly
      in mean age (71.9 years for both groups; P = .99), hypertension (P = 1.0),
      hyperlipidemia (P = .5), diabetes (P = .6), coronary artery disease (P = 1.0),
      smoking (P = 1.0), preoperative ankle-brachial index (P = .08), or bypass
      characteristics (below-knee, P = .82). Technical success rate was 100% for both
      groups. Mean follow-up was 2.9 years for group A patients and 2.2 years for group
      B patients (P = .08). No patient was lost to follow-up. Primary patency rates
      were 88% vs 87% and 73% vs 75% (P = .19) and assisted primary patency rates were
      88% vs 90% and 77% vs 84% (P = .76) for group A and B patients at 1 and 2 years,
      respectively. Repeat target lesion revascularization rates were 22% vs 14% (P =
      .17). At the last follow-up, there were eight vs seven bypass occlusions (P =
      .74) for group A and B patients, respectively. In univariate analysis, proximal
      in-graft stenosis (Cox F, P = .041), bypass failure <6 months after bypass
      surgery (Cox F, P = .013), more than one bypass stenosis per graft (Cox F, P =
      .047), and redo bypass procedure (Cox F, P = .0001) were significantly related to
      assisted primary bypass patency. Immediate hemodynamic and sustained clinical
      improvement rates were 88% vs 86% and 70% vs 73% for group A and B patients,
      respectively. There were three vs one major amputations (P = .36) and eight vs
      seven deaths (P = .78) in group A and B patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      Paclitaxel-coated and plain angioplasty of significant infrainguinal vein bypass
      stenoses performed equally well in clinical and hemodynamic improvement and in
      primary and assisted primary bypass patency rates.

PMID- 26492998
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26492999
TI  - Revision using distal inflow is a safe and effective treatment for ischemic steal
      syndrome and pathologic high flow after access creation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Ischemic steal syndrome (ISS) and pathologic high flow (HF) are a
      complications after hemodialysis access creation. Their management is complex and
      varied with most requiring surgical revision for correction of symptoms. Revision
      using distal inflow (RUDI) has been described in small series for the treatment
      of ISS. We present our experience with RUDI for the treatment of ISS and
      pathologic HF. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who
      underwent RUDI for ISS from April, 2010 to March, 2014. Data collection included
      demographic characteristics, medical histories, subsequent procedures, volume
      flows, access usage, limb salvage, and patient survival. RESULTS: We performed 29
      RUDI procedures in 28 patients (16 women, 12 men). Indications for surgery were
      pathologic HF in 13 and ISS in 19. Ten percent had previous banding for ISS or
      HF. Sixty-nine percent of patients had a history of diabetes. Fifty-two percent
      had a history of atherosclerotic disease. Mean time to intervention from creation
      was 40 months (range, 6-88 months). Accesses included 1 upper arm graft and 27
      brachial artery-based fistulas. Outflow included 25 cephalic veins and 3 basilic
      veins. Distalization targets were 19 radial arteries and 10 ulnar arteries. Mean
      flow reduction was 1191 mL/min. Primary assisted patency at 1 year was 74%.
      Secondary patency at 1 year was 87%. A single access was ligated for continued
      heart failure after RUDI. ISS symptom resolution was reported as complete in 69%
      and partial in 31%. CONCLUSIONS: RUDI is an effective and durable treatment of
      ISS and HF comparable with reported experiences with distal revascularization
      interval ligation, proximalization of the arterial inflow, and banding. Patient
      selection is key for optimizing relief of symptoms and maintaining use of the
      access.

PMID- 26493000
TI  - The formation and function of the sclerosis rim in the femoral head: A
      biomechanical point of view.
AB  - Sclerosis rim surrounding the necrotic area is commonly found in necrotic femoral
      head, but the biomechanical function of sclerosis rim has received relatively
      little attention. Little is known about the formation and natural history of
      sclerosis rim. In the present work, we assume that the necrotic change may
      trigger bone remodeling process in the femoral head, which took place according
      to Huiskes' bone remodeling model incorporated with the FE simulations as
      described earlier. We then investigate the function of sclerosis rim as a
      mechanical supporter in delaying further collapse of the femoral head based on
      our sclerotic rim model. The main tasks of this study are: (1) simulation of the
      density distribution in the necrotic femoral head after bone remodeling; (2)
      calculation of maximal von Mises stress in the subchondral bone of the weight
      bearing area of the femoral head over the necrotic area before and after bone
      remodeling. Results show that the sclerotic rim is, from the biomechanical point
      of view, an adaptive response to the decrease in elastic modulus of the femoral
      head, and that the sclerotic rim that acts as a compensatory structural
      reinforcement can usually significantly reduce the maximal stress in the
      subchondral bone when the lesion is small, but not when the lesion is large. 

PMID- 26493001
TI  - Subchronic (13-week) toxicity and prenatal developmental toxicity studies of
      dietary astaxanthin in rats.
AB  - Two studies examined the effects of dietary astaxanthin on Hanlbm Wistar (SPF)
      rats. Male and female rats receiving astaxanthin concentrations up to 1.52% of
      the feed for 13 weeks showed no evidence of toxicity; no effects were noted in
      the offspring of female rats exposed to astaxanthin at up to 1.39% of the feed
      during the period of organogenesis (GD 7-16). Discoloration of the feces and
      yellow pigmentation of adipose tissue was seen in the 13-week study, an intrinsic
      property of the substance, and not a sign of toxicity. Differences between the
      control and astaxanthin groups, some of which reached statistical significance,
      were generally sporadic (i.e., transient and/or not related to astaxanthin
      concentration) and not considered of biological or toxicological significance.
      Blood cholesterol levels, for example, were greater in animals receiving
      astaxanthin for 13 weeks, but remained within the normal range. The highest
      dietary concentration of astaxanthin in each of the studies is proposed as a no
      observable-adverse-effect level (NOAEL). Specifically, 1.52% for the 13-week
      study, corresponding to a mean intake of 1033 mg/kg bw/day (range: 880-1240 mg/kg
      bw/day), and 1.39% for the developmental toxicity study, corresponding to a mean
      intake of approximately 830 mg/kg bw/day (range: 457-957 mg/kg bw/day).

PMID- 26493002
TI  - Contrasting directions and directives on hazard identification for formaldehyde
      carcinogenicity.

PMID- 26493003
TI  - Transgenic proteins in agricultural biotechnology: The toxicology forum 40th
      annual summer meeting.
AB  - During the 40th Annual Meeting of The Toxicology Forum, the current and potential
      future science, regulations, and politics of agricultural biotechnology were
      presented and discussed. The range of current commercial crops and commercial
      crop traits related to transgenic proteins were reviewed and example crop traits
      discussed, including insecticidal resistance conferred by Bt proteins and the
      development of nutritionally enhanced food such as Golden Rice. The existing
      regulatory framework in the USA, with an emphasis on US FDA's role in evaluating
      the safety of genetically engineered crops under the regulatory umbrella of the
      FD&C Act was reviewed. Consideration was given to the polarized politics
      surrounding agricultural biotechnology, the rise of open access journals, and the
      influence of the internet and social media in shaping public opinion. Numerous
      questions related to misconceptions regarding current products and regulations
      were discussed, highlighting the need for more scientists to take an active role
      in public discourse to facilitate public acceptance and adoption of new
      technologies and to enable science-based regulations. 

PMID- 26493004
TI  - Consideration of non-linear, non-threshold and threshold approaches for assessing
      the carcinogenicity of oral exposure to hexavalent chromium.
AB  - A non-linear approach, consistent with available mode of action (MOA) data, is
      most scientifically defensible for assessing the carcinogenicity of oral exposure
      to hexavalent chromium (CrVI). Accordingly, the current paper builds upon
      previous studies (Haney, 2015a, 2015b) to first develop a non-linear, non
      threshold approach as well as a non-linear threshold approach for assessing the
      oral carcinogenicity of CrVI, and then utilizes available MOA analyses and
      information for selection of the most scientifically-supported approach. More
      specifically, a non-linear, non-threshold dose-response function was developed
      that adequately describes the non-linearity predicted for potential human excess
      risk versus oral dose due to the sub-linear relationship between oral dose and
      internal dose (added mg Cr/kg target tissue) across environmentally-relevant
      doses of regulatory interest. Additionally, benchmark dose modeling was used to
      derive a reference dose (RfD of 0.003 mg/kg-day) with cytotoxicity-induced
      regenerative hyperplasia as a key precursor event to carcinogenesis in the mouse
      small intestine. This RfD value shows remarkable agreement with that published
      previously (0.006 mg/kg-day) based on a more scientifically-sophisticated,
      physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling approach (Thompson et al., 2013b).
      The RfD approach is the most scientifically-defensible approach based on the
      weight-of-evidence of available MOA information and analyses conducted for the
      most scientifically-supported MOA.

PMID- 26493005
TI  - Serological evidence of avian encephalomyelitis virus infection associated with
      vertical transmission in chicks.
AB  - Avian encephalomyelitis virus (AEV) can be transmitted both horizontally and
      vertically. In the present study, we report a typical case of AEV infection in
      broiler breeder chickens and their progeny identified by clinical survey of the
      disease, antibody detection, and reverse transcription (RT)-polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR) assay. 

PMID- 26493006
TI  - Comparative efficacy of virus like particle (VLP) vaccine of foot-and-mouth
      disease virus (FMDV) type O adjuvanted with poly I:C or CpG in guinea pigs.
AB  - Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most contagious and economically
      important diseases of cloven-hoofed livestock. Currently used inactivated FMD
      vaccines have short lived immunity besides risk of handling live virus. We
      studied recombinant FMD virus like particles (VLPs) encoded by FMDV type
      O/IND/R2/75 polyprotein genes expressed in Sf9 cells and adjuvanted with CpG or
      Poly I:C in inducing protective immune response in guinea pigs. Guinea pigs
      immunized with VLP + CpG vaccine had shown markedly higher cell mediated immunity
      (CMI) in comparison to the conventional vaccine group as evident from higher
      levels of IgG2 than IgG1. Although the humoral response was less in VLP + CpG
      compared to conventional vaccine, the lymphocyte stimulation index was more in
      VLP + CpG compared to conventional and VLP + Poly I:C vaccine groups. Finally the
      challenge experiments on 28 and 56 dpv had shown 75% protection in VLP + CpG
      immunized guinea pigs primary and boosted animals, while 50% and 62% protection
      in VLP + Poly I:C in primary and boosted animals, respectively. In conclusion,
      CpG adjuvant was found to be superior followed by ISA206 and Poly I:C in
      eliciting protection in VLP based FMD vaccines in guinea pigs. 

PMID- 26493008
TI  - Duplex formation and secondary structure of gamma-PNA observed by NMR and CD.
AB  - Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are non-natural oligonucleotides mimics, wherein the
      phosphoribose backbone has been replaced by a peptidic moiety (N-(2
      aminoethyl)glycine). This peptidic backbone lends itself to substitution and the
      gamma-position has proven to yield oligomers with enhanced hybridization
      properties. In this study, we use Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Circular
      Dichroism (CD) to explore the properties of the supramolecular duplexes formed by
      these species. We show that standard Watson-Crick base pair as well as non
      standard ones are formed in solution. The duplexes thus formed present marked
      melting transition temperatures substantially higher than their nucleic acid
      homologs. Moreover, the presence of a chiral group on the gamma-peptidic backbone
      increases further this transition temperature, leading to very stable duplexes.
      PNA duplexes with a chiral backbone present a marked chiral secondary structure,
      observed by CD, and showing a common folding pattern for all studied structures.
      Nevertheless small differences are observed depending on the details of the
      nucleobase sequence. 

PMID- 26493007
TI  - 3-Amidocoumarins as Potential Multifunctional Agents against Neurodegenerative
      Diseases.
AB  - Monoamine oxidase (MAO) generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), which cause
      neuronal cell death, causing neurodegeneration. Agents that are able to
      concurrently inhibit MAO and scavenge free radicals represent promising
      multifunctional neuroprotective agents that could be used to delay or slow the
      progression of neurodegenerative diseases. In this work, variously substituted 3
      amidocoumarins are described that exert neuroprotection in vitro against hydrogen
      peroxide in rat cortical neurons, as well as antioxidant activity in a 1,1
      diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH?) radical scavenging assay. Selective and
      reversible inhibitors of the MAO-B isoform were identified. Interestingly, in the
      case of the 3-benzamidocoumarins, substitution at position 4 with a hydroxy group
      abolishes MAO-B activity, but the compounds remain active in the neuroprotection
      model. Further evaluation of 3-heteroarylamide derivatives indicates that it is
      the nature of the heterocycle that determines the neuroprotective effects.
      Evaluation in a parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA)
      highlighted the need to further improve the blood-brain barrier permeability of
      this compound class. However, the compounds described herein adhere to Lipinski's
      rule of five, suggesting that this novel scaffold has desirable properties for
      the development of potential drug candidates. 

PMID- 26493009
TI  - Indications, outcome and complications with axial pattern skin flaps in dogs and
      cats: 73 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the indications, frequency of complications and long term
      outcome associated with axial pattern flaps used to repair wound defects in dogs
      and cats. METHODS: Medical records from two independent referral centres for dogs
      and cats undergoing wound repair with an axial pattern flap were reviewed.
      RESULTS: Seventy-three animals were included, 49 dogs: 24 cats. Indications for
      axial pattern flaps were chronic wounds (43/73; 59%) and closure following tumour
      resection (30/73; 41%). Axial pattern flaps used were: thoracodorsal, caudal
      superficial epigastric, reverse saphenous conduit, superficial brachial, deep
      circumflex iliac, superficial cervical, caudal auricular, lateral thoracic,
      cranial superficial epigastric, genicular and superficial temporal. Postoperative
      complications occurred in 64 patients (89%) and 8 patients (11%) had no
      complications. Complications were: dehiscence, swelling of the flap, necrosis,
      infection, discharge and seroma. Flap outcome was excellent in 16 patients (23%),
      good in 29 (41%), fair in 21 (30%) and poor in 5 (7%). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE:
      There is a high complication rate associated with axial pattern flaps but these
      are usually easily managed and long term outcome is excellent, in either species.

PMID- 26493011
TI  - The efficacy of automated breast volume scanning over conventional
      ultrasonography among patients with breast lesions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of automated breast volume scanning (ABVS)
      with that of conventional ultrasonography in the detection of breast cancer
      lesions. METHODS: In a retrospective study, patients aged 18-78 years who had
      breast cancer, had undergone screening using ABVS and conventional
      ultrasonography, and provided a biopsy sample at a center in Changsha, China,
      between July 22, 2011, and September 20, 2014, were identified. Results of
      ultrasonography and ABVS were compared. RESULTS: A total of 417 lesions were
      detected among 300 patients. Ultrasonography detected 326 lesions, whereas ABVS
      detected all 417 (P<0.001). ABVS detected all 32 malignant lesions and
      ultrasonography detected 31 (P=0.158). Conventional ultrasonography identified
      microcalcifications in only two cases, whereas ABVS reported these in eight cases
      (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: ABVS detects significantly more breast lesions than
      conventional ultrasonography does.

PMID- 26493010
TI  - Activity of botulinum toxin  type A in cranial dura:  implications for treatment
      of  migraine and other headaches.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although botulinum toxin type A (BoNT/A) is approved for
      chronic migraine treatment, its mechanism of action is still unknown. Dural
      neurogenic inflammation (DNI) commonly used to investigate migraine
      pathophysiology can be evoked by trigeminal pain. Here, we investigated the
      reactivity of cranial dura to trigeminal pain and the mechanism of BoNT/A action
      on DNI. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Because temporomandibular disorders are highly
      comorbid with migraine, we employed a rat model of inflammation induced by
      complete Freund's adjuvant, followed by treatment with BoNT/A injections or
      sumatriptan p.o. DNI was assessed by Evans blue-plasma protein extravasation,
      cell histology and RIA for CGRP. BoNT/A enzymatic activity in dura was assessed
      by immunohistochemistry for cleaved synaptosomal-associated protein 25 (SNAP-25).
      KEY RESULTS: BoNT/A and sumatriptan reduced the mechanical allodynia and DNI,
      evoked by complete Freund's adjuvant. BoNT/A prevented inflammatory cell
      infiltration and inhibited the increase of CGRP levels in dura. After peripheral
      application, BoNT/A-cleaved SNAP-25 colocalized with CGRP in intracranial dural
      nerve endings. Injection of the axonal transport blocker colchicine into the
      trigeminal ganglion prevented the formation of cleaved SNAP-25 in dura.
      CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Pericranially injected BoNT/A was taken up by local
      sensory nerve endings, axonally transported to the trigeminal ganglion and
      transcytosed to dural afferents. Colocalization of cleaved SNAP-25 and the
      migraine mediator CGRP in dura suggests that BoNT/A may prevent DNI by
      suppressing transmission by CGRP. This might explain the effects of BoNT/A in
      temporomandibular joint inflammation and in migraine and some other headaches.

PMID- 26493012
TI  - Oncologic and reproductive outcomes after fertility-sparing management with oral
      progestin for women with complex endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the oncologic and reproductive outcomes after progestin
      treatment of complex endometrial hyperplasia (CEH) and grade 1 endometrial
      carcinoma (EC). METHODS: In a retrospective study, data were obtained for
      patients aged 20-42years with CEH or grade 1 EC at presumed stage IA (without
      myometrial invasion) who wished to preserve fertility and were treated at the
      Peking Union Medical College Hospital, China, between January 1, 2000, and
      December 31, 2011. Patients had received oral medroxyprogesterone acetate (250
      500mg/day) or megestrol acetate (160-480mg/day) for at least 6months. Response to
      progestin treatment was assessed histologically. RESULTS: Among 53 included
      patients, 39 (74%) achieved complete response after a median period of 6 (3-24)
      months. Complete response was less frequent among obese than nonobese patients
      (4/12 [33%] vs 35/41 [85%]; P=0.001). Disease recurrence was recorded in 10 (26%)
      patients with complete response; the 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was
      71%. Among the 33 patients who retained a desire to conceive, 17 (52%) became
      pregnant. CONCLUSION: Fertility-sparing management with oral progestin is
      effective. Obesity is associated with a lower probability of long-term success.

PMID- 26493013
TI  - Obstetric care of women with female genital mutilation attending a specialized
      clinic in a tertiary center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the obstetric outcomes of women attending a specialized
      clinic for women with female genital mutilation (FGM). METHODS: The medical
      charts of women with FGM who consecutively attended a specialized clinic between
      2010 and 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. The present study focused on women
      attending for obstetric reasons. The outcome measures were type of delivery,
      reason for cesarean delivery or assisted delivery, blood loss, episiotomy,
      perineal tear, duration of the second stage of labor, postpartum complications,
      weight of the neonate, and Apgar score. Outcomes were compared between women with
      FGM type III who underwent defibulation, and patients with FGM type I and II.
      RESULTS: The clinic was attended by 129 women, 84 perinatally. Obstetric outcomes
      were similar to average outcomes for women without FGM presenting at the same
      department and in Switzerland generally. Specifically, 20 women had a cesarean
      delivery. An assisted delivery was performed for 18 patients; among these, only
      eight had experienced obstructed labor. No statistically significant differences
      were found for the outcome measures when women with FGM type III were compared to
      FGM type I and II. CONCLUSIONS: Routine obstetric follow-up combined with
      specialized care for women with FGM, including defibulation, can avoid
      inappropriate obstetric practices and reduce obstetric complications known to be
      associated with FGM.

PMID- 26493014
TI  - Transforming growth factor beta (CiTGF-beta) gene expression is induced in the
      inflammatory reaction of Ciona intestinalis.
AB  - Transforming growth factor (TGF-beta) is a well-known component of a regulatory
      cytokines superfamily that has pleiotropic functions in a broad range of cell
      types and is involved, in vertebrates, in numerous physiological and pathological
      processes. In the current study, we report on Ciona intestinalis molecular
      characterisation and expression of a transforming growth factor beta homologue
      (CiTGF-beta). The gene organisation, phylogenetic tree and modelling supported
      the close relationship with the mammalian TGF suggesting that the C. intestinalis
      TGF-beta gene shares a common ancestor in the chordate lineages. Functionally,
      real-time PCR analysis showed that CiTGF-beta was transcriptionally upregulated
      in the inflammatory process induced by LPS inoculation, suggesting that is
      involved in the first phase and significant in the secondary phase of the
      inflammatory response in which cell differentiation occurs. In situ hybridisation
      assays revealed that the genes transcription was upregulated in the pharynx, the
      main organ of the ascidian immune system, and expressed by cluster of hemocytes
      inside the pharynx vessels. These data supported the view that CiTGF-beta is a
      potential molecule in immune defence systems against bacterial infection.

PMID- 26493017
TI  - Announcing the appointment of Mike Belosevic as Coeditor-in-Chief.

PMID- 26493015
TI  - Molecular characterization and expression analysis of mitochondrial antiviral
      signaling protein gene in sea perch, Lateolabrax japonicus.
AB  - The mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) is vital for host defenses
      against viral infection by inducing expression of type I interferon. Here, the
      MAVS of sea perch (Lateolabrax japonicus) (LjMAVS) was cloned and analyzed. The
      complete cDNA sequence of LjMAVS was 3207 bp and encoded a polypeptide of 601
      amino acids. LjMAVS contains an N-terminal CARD-like domain, a central proline
      rich domain and a C-terminal transmembrane domain. Phylogenetic analysis
      indicated that LjMAVS exhibited the closest relationship to O. fasciatus MAVS.
      LjMAVS was ubiquitously expressed in all tested tissues of healthy fish. The
      expression of LjMAVS was significantly increased post nervous necrosis virus
      (NNV) infection in vivo in all the selected tissues. Furthermore, time course
      analysis showed that LjMAVS transcripts significantly increased in the brain,
      spleen and kidney tissues after NNV infection. LjMAVS mRNA expression was
      significantly up-regulated in vitro after poly I:C stimulation. The viral gene
      transcription of RGNNV was significantly decreased in LjMAVS over-expressing LJB
      cells. These findings provide useful information for further elucidating the
      function ofLjMAVS in antiviral innate immune against NNV in sea perch.

PMID- 26493016
TI  - Akirin interacts with Bap60 and 14-3-3 proteins to regulate the expression of
      antimicrobial peptides in the kuruma shrimp (Marsupenaeus japonicus).
AB  - Akirin is a recently discovered nuclear factor that plays important roles in
      innate immune responses. Akirin is a positive regulator of the NF-kappaB factor
      of the Drosophila immune deficiency (IMD) pathway, which shares extensive
      similarities with the mammalian tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) signaling
      pathway. However, some studies found that the NF-kappaB transcriptional targets
      were also strongly repressed in akirin2 knockout mice following TLR, IL-1beta and
      TNFalpha treatment. Therefore, the function of Akirin in the immune response
      requires further clarification. In this study, an Akirin homolog in the kuruma
      shrimp (Marsupenaeus japonicus) was identified. It was mainly expressed in
      hemocytes, heart and intestines. The expression of Akirin was upregulated by
      challenge with the Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio anguillarum, but was not
      significantly influenced by challenge with the Gram-positive bacterium
      Staphylococcus aureus. Knockdown of Akirin suppressed the expression of several
      IMD-Relish target effectors (antimicrobial peptides, AMPs). The limited
      regulating spectrum of Akirin might be associated with Bap60, a component of the
      Brahma (SWI/SNF) ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling complex. In addition, Akirin
      also interacts with 14-3-3, which inhibited the expression of Akirin-target AMPs.
      The results suggested that Akirin is involved in the IMD-Relish pathway by
      interacting with Relish. The interaction of Akirin with Bap60 positively
      regulated the Akirin-Relish function, and its interaction with 14-3-3 negatively
      regulated the Akirin-Relish function. 

PMID- 26493018
TI  - Generation of N-Heterocycles via Tandem Reactions of N '-(2
      Alkynylbenzylidene)hydrazides.
AB  - As a powerful synthon, N '-(2-alkynylbenzylidene)hydrazides have been utilized
      efficiently for the construction of N-heterocycles. Since N '-(2
      alkynylbenzylidene)hydrazides can easily undergo intramolecular 6-endo
      cyclization promoted by silver triflate or electrophiles, the resulting
      isoquinolinium-2-yl amides can proceed through subsequent transformations
      including [3 + 2] cycloaddition, nucleophilic addition, and [3 + 3]
      cycloaddition. Several unexpected rearrangements via radical processes were
      observed in some cases, which afforded nitrogen-containing heterocycles with
      molecular complexity. Reactive partners including internal alkynes, arynes,
      ketenimines, ketenes, allenoates, and activated alkenes reacted through [3 + 2]
      cycloaddition and subsequent aromatization, leading to diverse H-pyrazolo[5,1
      a]isoquinolines with high efficiency. Nucleophilic addition to the in situ
      generated isoquinolinium-2-yl amide followed by aromatization also produced H
      pyrazolo[5,1-a]isoquinoline derivatives when terminal alkynes, carbonyls,
      enamines, and activated methylene compounds were used as nucleophiles.
      Isoquinoline derivatives were obtained when indoles or phosphites were employed
      as nucleophiles in the reactions of N '-(2-alkynylbenzylidene)hydrazides. A
      tandem 6-endo cyclization and [3 + 3] cycloaddition of cyclopropane-1,1
      dicarboxylates with N '-(2-alkynylbenzylidene)hydrazides was observed as well.
      Small libraries of these compounds were constructed. Biological evaluation
      suggested that some compounds showed promising activities for inhibition of
      CDC25B, TC-PTP, HCT-116, and PTP1B. 

PMID- 26493019
TI  - Ion strength limit of computed excess functions based on the linearized Poisson
      Boltzmann equation.
AB  - The linearized Poisson-Boltzmann (L-PB) equation is examined for its kappa-range
      of validity (kappa, Debye reciprocal length). This is done for the Debye-Huckel
      (DH) theory, i.e., using a single ion size, and for the SiS treatment (D.
      Fraenkel, Mol. Phys. 2010, 108, 1435), which extends the DH theory to the case of
      ion-size dissimilarity (therefore dubbed DH-SiS). The linearization of the PB
      equation has been claimed responsible for the DH theory's failure to fit with
      experiment at > 0.1 m; but DH-SiS fits with data of the mean ionic activity
      coefficient, gamma+/- (molal), against m, even at m > 1 (kappa > 0.33 A(-1) ).
      The SiS expressions combine the overall extra-electrostatic potential energy of
      the smaller ion, as central ion-Psia>b (kappa), with that of the larger ion, as
      central ion-Psib>a (kappa); a and b are, respectively, the counterion and co-ion
      distances of closest approach. Psia>b and Psib>a are derived from the L-PB
      equation, which appears to conflict with their being effective up to moderate
      electrolyte concentrations (~1 m). However, the L-PB equation can be valid up to
      kappa >= 1.3 A(-1) if one abandons the 1/kappa criterion for its effectiveness
      and, instead, use, as criterion, the mean-field electrostatic interaction
      potential of the central ion with its ion cloud, at a radial distance dividing
      the cloud charge into two equal parts. The DH theory's failure is, thus, not
      because of using the L-PB equation; the lethal approximation is assigning a
      single size to the positive and negative ions.

PMID- 26493020
TI  - Replication study of MATR3 in familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis.
AB  - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder
      characterized by an extensive loss of motor neurons in the primary motor cortex,
      brainstem, and spinal cord. Genetic studies report a high heritability of ALS.
      Recently, whole-exome sequencing analysis of familial ALS (FALS) patients allowed
      the identification of missense variations within the MATR3 gene. MATR3 was
      previously associated to distal myopathy 2 and encodes for a nuclear matrix and
      DNA/RNA binding protein that has been shown to interact with TDP43 in an RNA
      dependent manner. Here, we assessed the MATR3 mutation frequency in French
      Canadian ALS and control individuals (nFALS = 83, sporadic ALS [nSALS] = 164, and
      ncontrols = 162) and showed that MATR3 mutations were found in 0%, 1.8%, and 0%
      of FALS, SALS, and controls, respectively. Interestingly, among the mutations
      identified in SALS, the splicing mutation c.48+1G>T was found to result in the
      insertion of 24 amino acids in MATR3 protein. These findings further support the
      role of MATR3 in ALS, and more studies are needed to shed more light on MATR3
      proteinopathy.

PMID- 26493021
TI  - A retrospective study on perineal lacerations in vaginal delivery and the
      individual performance of experienced mifwives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical staff's influence on patient outcomes has become a subject of
      interest. We evaluated experienced midwives and compared their performance
      concerning perineal lacerations (PL). METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study,
      1937 women with singleton pregnancies who had delivered spontaneously with a
      cephalic presentation by experienced midwives in the Medical University of Vienna
      from January 2009 to April 2014 were included. As predictive parameters, we
      included basic patient-, pregnancy- and delivery-related characteristics
      including the individual midwife who delivered the child. The incidence of PL was
      the main outcome measure. RESULTS: Overall PL and severe PL were found in
      508/1937 (26.2%) and 19/1937 women (1.0%), respectively. In a multivariate
      analysis for PL of any degree, maternal age (beta = 0.170 +/- 0.080), gestational
      age at delivery (beta = 0.190 +/- 0.320), and birth weight (beta = 0.002 +/-
      0.000) significantly increased the risk, whereas multiparity (beta = -0.379 +/-
      0.141) and mediolateral episiotomy (beta = -1.514 +/- 0.284) decreased it (p <
      0.05). In addition, the individual midwife who delivered the child was a
      significant influencing factor, with beta-values ranging from -0.028 to 0.899
      compared to the reference midwife. For severe PL, the midwife was not of
      significant influence. CONCLUSIONS: The individual midwife is an independent
      factor that influences the risk for overall PL, not for severe PL. Other risk
      factors include maternal age, gestational age at delivery, birth weight, parity
      and episiotomy.

PMID- 26493022
TI  - Filgrastim versus TBO-filgrastim to reduce the duration of neutropenia after
      autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: TBO, or not TBO, that is the
      question.
AB  - After a hospital-wide formulary change resulted in the replacement of filgrastim
      with TBO-filgrastim for all on- and off-label indications, we performed a
      retrospective comparison of patients with myeloma receiving 200 mg/m(2) melphalan
      with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to see whether the type
      of growth factor used post-transplant made a difference. One hundred and eighty
      two consecutive patients with myeloma were studied, 91 receiving filgrastim
      immediately prior to the change and 91 receiving TBO-filgrastim afterward. The
      CD34(+) cell dose was comparable, as were other characteristics. Although the
      overall time to neutrophil recovery was similar for both groups, early
      engraftment (<= 12 d) occurred more often (p = 0.05), and late engraftment (>= 14
      d) less often (p = 0.09) in filgrastim-treated patients. The number of documented
      infections was significantly less in the TBO-filgrastim group. Day 100 mortality
      and hospital stay were similar for the two groups. These data indicate that there
      is no material difference between filgrastim and TBO-filgrastim in this clinical
      setting.

PMID- 26493023
TI  - Uric acid, carotid intima-media thickness and body composition in prepubertal
      children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased uric acid is an independent biomarker for cardiovascular
      disease in obese adolescents and adults. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether uric
      acid relates to carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in prepubertal children,
      and whether body mass index (BMI) and preperitoneal fat modulate this
      association. METHODS: 359 asymptomatic prepubertal Caucasian children were
      stratified according to BMI categories (171 with BMI-SDS < 0; 188 with BMI-SDS >=
      0) and according to preperitoneal fat levels (180 with preperitoneal fat <50th
      centile; 179 with preperitoneal fat >50th centile). Uric acid levels, insulin
      resistance (homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance; HOMA-IR), C-reactive
      protein (CRP), triacylglycerol (TG), systolic blood pressure (SBP), abdominal fat
      and cIMT (both by ultrasound) were assessed. RESULTS: Uric acid was associated
      with several cardiovascular risk factors, namely higher HOMA-IR, CRP, TG, BMI,
      waist, SBP, preperitoneal fat and cIMT (all P < 0.001 to P < 0.0001). Significant
      BMI and preperitoneal fat interactions were documented in the relationship
      between uric acid and cIMT (both P < 0.05), as uric acid was preferentially
      related to cIMT in heavier children (beta = 0.247, P < 0.001, r(2)  = 9.1%) and
      in children with more preperitoneal fat (beta = 0.263, P < 0.0001, r(2)  =
      11.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Serum uric acid is associated with cIMT in asymptomatic
      prepubertal children. Both higher BMI and preperitoneal fat aggravate the
      potential risk of atherosclerotic disease imposed by higher concentrations of
      uric acid.

PMID- 26493024
TI  - Prolonged silencing of diacylglycerol acyltransferase-1 induces a
      dedifferentiated phenotype in human liver cells.
AB  - Diacylglycerol acyltransferase-1 (DGAT1), a key enzyme in triglyceride (TG)
      biogenesis, is highly associated with metabolic abnormalities, such as obesity
      and type 2 diabetes. However, the effects of DGAT1 silencing in the human liver
      have not been elucidated. To investigate the effects of DGAT1 silencing in human
      liver cells, we compared the cellular behaviours of DGAT1-deficient Huh-7.5 cell
      lines with those of control Huh-7.5 cells. DGAT1-deficient cells acquired
      dedifferentiated and stem cell-like characteristics, such as formation of
      aggregates in the presence of high levels of growth factors, high proliferation
      rates and loss of albumin secretion. In relation to aggregate formation, the
      expression level of various adhesion molecules was significantly altered in DGAT1
      deficient cells. Microarray data analysis and immunostaining of patient tissue
      samples clearly showed decreased expression levels of DGAT1 and integrin beta1 in
      patients who have nodular cirrhosis without fatty degeneration. 

PMID- 26493025
TI  - Optimum number of procedures required to achieve procedural skills competency in
      internal medicine residents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Procedural skills training forms an essential, yet difficult to
      assess, component of an Internal Medicine Residency Program. We report the
      development of process of documentation and assessment of procedural skills
      training. METHOD: An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was adopted
      where both quantitative and qualitative information was collected sequentially. A
      survey was conducted within the Department of Internal Medicine at The Aga Khan
      University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan to determine the optimum number of
      procedures needed to be performed by residents at each year of residency.
      Respondents included both faculty and the residents in the Department.
      Thereafter, all responses were compiled and later scrutinized by a focus group
      comprising of a mix of faculty from various subspecialties and resident
      representatives. RESULTS: A total of 64 responses were obtained. A significant
      difference was found in eight procedural skills' status between residents and
      faculty, though none of these were significant after accounting for multiple
      consecutive testing. However, the results were reviewed and a consensus for the
      procedures needed was developed through a focus group. A finalized procedural
      list was generated to determine: (a) the minimum number of times each procedure
      needed to be performed by the resident before deemed competent; (b) the level of
      competency for each procedure for respective year of residency. CONCLUSION: We
      conclude that the opinion of both the residents and the faculty as key
      stakeholders is vital to determine the number of procedures to be performed
      during an Internal Medicine Residency. Documentation of procedural competency
      development during the training would make the system more objective and hence
      reproducible. A log book was designed consisting of minimum number of procedures
      to be performed before attaining competency.

PMID- 26493026
TI  - Echocardiographic Assessment of Mantle Radiation Mitral Stenosis.
AB  - The long-term sequelae of mantle radiotherapy include lung disease and cardiac
      disorders. Dyspnea on exertion is a common complaint and can be due to one or
      more pathologies. We describe a case of mantle radiotherapy-induced mitral
      stenosis, characterized by aorto-mitral continuity calcification and absent
      commissural fusion which precludes balloon valvotomy. The latency period is long,
      and this patient presented 42 years after radiotherapy. Importantly, as
      previously described with radiation-induced valve disease, significant mitral
      stenosis developed 10 years after surgery for significant aortic stenosis. Two
      dimensional and three-dimensional transthoracic and transesophageal
      echocardiography should be considered during assessment of symptomatic survivors
      of Hodgkin's disease where the index of suspicion for valvular stenosis increases
      over time. Given the natural history of mantle radiation valvular disease, a
      lower threshold for surgical intervention in radiation-induced mitral stenosis
      may need to be considered if cardiac surgery is planned for other reasons in
      order to avoid repeated sternotomy in patients with prior irradiation. 

PMID- 26493027
TI  - Relationship of functional disability after a recent stroke with recurrent stroke
      risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Post-stroke disability status is primarily focused on
      recovery prognostication but the influence of post-stroke disability on future
      vascular risk is unknown. The relationship between functional disability after an
      index stroke and risk of recurrent vascular events was examined. METHODS: A
      cohort analysis of 3680 recent non-cardioembolic, non-to-moderate disabled
      [modified Rankin Scale (mRS) <=3] stroke patients aged >=35 years and followed
      for 2 years was reviewed. The mRS measured at a median of 35 days after the index
      stroke was analyzed as a dichotomous variable (mRS 3 vs. <=2) and in a stepwise
      manner. Independent associations of post-stroke disability by mRS score with
      ischaemic stroke (primary outcome), stroke/coronary heart disease/vascular death
      as major vascular events (secondary outcome) and all-cause death (tertiary
      outcome) were analyzed. RESULTS: Amongst study participants, 435 (11.8%) had an
      mRS of 3. Compared with mRS <=2 as no/slight disability, mRS 3 as moderate
      disability was associated with a higher risk of stroke (adjusted hazard ratio
      1.45, 95% confidence interval 1.06-1.99). Compared with mRS 0, there was a
      progressively higher independent risk for each of the study outcomes: stroke, mRS
      1 (1.42, 0.97-2.08), mRS 2 (1.46, 0.97-2.20), mRS 3 (1.89, 1.20-2.97); major
      vascular events, mRS 1 (1.31, 1.01-1.70), mRS 2 (1.31, 0.99-1.74), mRS 3 (1.46,
      1.06-2.01); and all-cause death, mRS 1 (1.75, 1.03-2.98), mRS 2 (2.49, 1.44
      4.31), mRS 3 (2.72, 1.43-5.19). CONCLUSION: Compared with no/slight disability,
      moderate disability after a recent stroke is linked to a higher risk of recurrent
      stroke.

PMID- 26493028
TI  - Genetic characterization of T-PLL reveals two major biologic subgroups and JAK3
      mutations as prognostic marker.
AB  - T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is a rare post-thymic T-cell neoplasm with
      aggressive clinical course and short overall survival. So far, due to the
      rareness of this disease, genetic data are available only from individual cases
      or small cohorts. In our study, we aimed at performing a comprehensive
      cytogenetic and molecular genetic characterization of T-PLL comprising the
      largest cohort of patients with T-PLL analyzed so far, including correlations
      between the respective markers and their impact on prognosis. Genetic
      abnormalities were found in all 51 cases with T-PLL, most frequently involving
      the TCRA/D locus (86%). Deletions were detected for ATM (69%) and TP53 (31%),
      whereas i(8)(q10) was observed in 61% of cases. Mutations in ATM, TP53, JAK1, and
      JAK3 were detected in 73, 14, 6, and 21% of patients, respectively. Additionally,
      BCOR mutations were observed for the first time in a lymphoid malignancy (8%).
      Two distinct genetic subgroups of T-PLL were identified: A large subset (86% of
      patients) showed abnormalities involving the TCRA/D locus activating the proto
      oncogenes TCL1 or MTCP1, while the second group was characterized by a high
      frequency of TP53 mutations (4/7 cases). Further, analyses of overall survival
      identified JAK3 mutations as important prognostic marker, showing a significant
      negative impact.

PMID- 26493029
TI  - Eupalitin induces apoptosis in prostate carcinoma cells through ROS generation
      and increase of caspase-3 activity.
AB  - Prostate cancer is the second most common malignancy in the human reproductive
      system. Eupalitin is one of the O-methylated flavonol-exhibited enhanced cancer
      chemopreventive agents. The current study highlights the structural determination
      of eupalitin and aims to explore the antitumor activity of eupalitin in human
      prostate cancer cell (PC3) and its underlying mechanism. Eupalitin structure was
      determined by using FTIR, (1)H NMR, and (13)C NMR. PC3 cells were treated with
      increasing concentrations of eupalitin, followed by analysis of the cell
      viability with an MTT assay. The results demonstrated that eupalitin markedly
      inhibited the proliferation of PC3 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The
      results from fluorescent microscopic analysis of nuclear condensation and
      intracellular ROS generation determined that eupalitin significantly induced ROS
      level lead to nuclear apoptosis. Cell cycle analysis revealed that eupalitin
      induced cell cycle progression as a percentage of cells in G0/G1 phase decreased
      whereas S phase increased. Caspase-3 immunofluorescence analysis confirms the
      efficacy of eupalitin-inducing apoptotic pathway and cell death. Thus, our study
      is helpful in understanding the mechanism underlying these effects in prostate
      cancer and it may provide novel molecular targets for prostate cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26493030
TI  - S-nitrosylation triggers ABI5 degradation to promote seed germination and
      seedling growth.
AB  - Plant survival depends on seed germination and progression through post
      germinative developmental checkpoints. These processes are controlled by the
      stress phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA). ABA regulates the basic leucine zipper
      transcriptional factor ABI5, a central hub of growth repression, while the
      reactive nitrogen molecule nitric oxide (NO) counteracts ABA during seed
      germination. However, the molecular mechanisms by which seeds sense more
      favourable conditions and start germinating have remained elusive. Here we show
      that ABI5 promotes growth via NO, and that ABI5 accumulation is altered in
      genetic backgrounds with impaired NO homeostasis. S-nitrosylation of ABI5 at
      cysteine-153 facilitates its degradation through CULLIN4-based and KEEP ON GOING
      E3 ligases, and promotes seed germination. Conversely, mutation of ABI5 at
      cysteine-153 deregulates protein stability and inhibition of seed germination by
      NO depletion. These findings suggest an inverse molecular link between NO and ABA
      hormone signalling through distinct posttranslational modifications of ABI5
      during early seedling development. 

PMID- 26493031
TI  - Prolonged organ culture reduces the incidence of endothelial immune reactions.
AB  - PURPOSE The number of antigen-presenting cells decreases during organ culture of
      corneoscleral discs. This might result in a decrease of immune reactions with
      increasing duration of organ culture. To investigate this hypothesis, we
      performed a retrospective analysis of all penetrating keratoplasties that were
      consecutively performed over the last 5 years.PATIENTS AND METHODS All cases of
      penetrating keratoplasties (n=1006) were divided into two groups, with the
      division made at the median of the storage time (21 days). These two groups were
      compared by a Cox proportional hazards survival model regarding the incidence of
      endothelial immune reactions, clear graft survival, and chronic endothelial cell
      loss following penetrating keratoplasty considering patient's age, donor's age,
      and risk situation as co-variates.RESULTS We observed statistically significantly
      fewer endothelial immune reactions (20.1% (95% confidence interval 15.5-24.5%)
      after 2 years) in the group with a storage time of more than 21 days compared
      with the group with a storage time of <21 days (26.5% (95% confidence interval
      21.6-31.2%) after 2 years). However, the duration of organ culture did not have a
      statistically significant effect on clear graft survival or chronic endothelial
      cell loss.CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate that an increased duration of organ
      culture leads to a lower incidence of endothelial immune reactions following
      penetrating keratoplasty. However, we do not recommend increased storage times in
      general as overall graft survival did not improve. The reason for this apparent
      paradox may be that the endothelial cell count decreases during storage time.

PMID- 26493032
TI  - South Asian diabetic macular oedema treated with ranibizumab (ADMOR)-real-life
      experience.
AB  - PURPOSE Diabetic macular oedema (DMO) is a leading cause for visual impairment in
      the working age population in the UK. Ranibizumab has been shown to be effective
      in treatment of DMO in studies based on mainly Caucasian populations. This study
      reports the 12-month outcome in a cohort of South Asian subjects with DMO treated
      with ranibizumab.MethodsDMO in 51 eyes of 41 South Asian patients was treated
      with ranibizumab 0.5 mg according to the modified DRCRnet protocol I. Visual
      acuity (VA) and central macular thickness (CMT) were recorded at baseline, 3, 6,
      and 12 months. Results were compared for eyes with different baseline visual
      acuities and different baseline macular thicknesses.RESULTS Over the 12-month
      period, the mean ETDRS VA increased from 55.3+/-13.4 letters to 63.8+/-15.2
      letters for all eyes. At 12 months, 70.6% eyes gained 5 or more letters acuity
      and 17.6% eyes gained 15 letters or more. During the same period, the mean CMT
      decreased from 532+/-129 to 318+/-136 MUm. Eyes that had received previous laser
      treatments had a mean letter gain of 9.2 letters, compared with 8.5 for all eyes
      at 12 months.CONCLUSIONS Ranibizumab 0.5 mg is safe and effective at reversing
      vision loss due to DMO in patients of South Asian origin at 12 months.
      Ranibizumab treatment appears to be effective in patients with longstanding DMO
      who received prior laser treatments. Further studies are needed to define the
      long-term outcome in patients of different ethnicity and DMO.

PMID- 26493033
TI  - Complement pathway biomarkers and age-related macular degeneration.
AB  - In the age-related macular degeneration (AMD) 'inflammation model', local
      inflammation plus complement activation contributes to the pathogenesis and
      progression of the disease. Multiple genetic associations have now been
      established correlating the risk of development or progression of AMD.
      Stratifying patients by their AMD genetic profile may facilitate future AMD
      therapeutic trials resulting in meaningful clinical trial end points with smaller
      sample sizes and study duration. 

PMID- 26493034
TI  - The Royal College of Ophthalmologists' National Ophthalmology Database Study of
      cataract surgery: report 2, relationships of axial length with ocular
      copathology, preoperative visual acuity, and posterior capsule rupture.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the relationships of axial length with ocular copathology,
      preoperative visual acuity, and posterior capsule rupture rates in patients
      undergoing cataract surgery.DesignThe Royal College of Ophthalmologists' National
      Ophthalmology Database (NOD) study. METHODS: Anonymised data on 180 114 eyes from
      127 685 patients undergoing cataract surgery between August 2006 and November
      2010 were collected prospectively from 28 sites. Data parameters included:
      demographics, biometry, ocular copathology, visual acuity measurements, and
      surgical complications including posterior capsule rupture, or vitreous loss or
      both (PCR). RESULTS: Consultant surgeons performed a higher proportion of
      operations on eyes whose axial length were at the extremes. Glaucoma and age
      related macular degeneration were more common in eyes with shorter axial lengths,
      whilst previous vitrectomy was associated with longer axial lengths. Eyes with
      brunescent or white cataracts or amblyopia were more common at both axial length
      extremes. Preoperative visual acuities were similar for eyes with axial length
      measurements up to approximately 28 mm and worse for eyes with longer axial
      length measurements. PCR rates showed little change with axial length (overall
      mean 1.95%, 95% CI: 1.89 to 2.01%), except for a borderline increase in eyes with
      axial length <20.0 mm where rates were 3.6% (95% CI: 2.0 to 6.3%). The likelihood
      of PCR in eyes with axial length <20.0 mm was 1.88 times higher than those of
      >=20.0 mm (P=0.0373). CONCLUSION: Rates of ocular comorbidities vary by axial
      length. PCR rates in eyes with very short or long axial lengths were lower than
      expected.

PMID- 26493035
TI  - A rare penetrant TIMP3 mutation confers relatively late onset choroidal
      neovascularisation which can mimic age-related macular degeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: To perform a genotype-phenotype correlation for three patients
      heterozygous for a missense mutation in the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase
      3 (TIMP3) gene. METHODS: Retrospective, observational case series. The medical
      records and photographs were reviewed for three patients diagnosed at the time
      with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). All were later found to
      carry a predicted C113G mutation in the TIMP3 gene, other known mutations in
      which are associated with Sorsby's fundus dystrophy. RESULTS: All three patients
      developed drusen and bilateral choroidal neovascularisation with subsequent
      disciform scarring and atrophy. Visual acuity rapidly deteriorated to <6/60 in
      both eyes. The age of onset varied from 56 to 64 years and the interval to
      contralateral eye involvement varied from 4 to 6 years. Two of the three patients
      had a family history of AMD. All three patients were heterozygous for the C113G
      nucleotide change, resulting in a Ser38Cys change at the N terminus of the TIMP3
      protein. CONCLUSION: This case series suggests the C113G TIMP3 variant may
      represent a novel highly penetrant mutation causing choroidal neovascularisation
      of relatively late onset for Sorsby's fundus dystrophy, mimicking early onset
      AMD.

PMID- 26493036
TI  - Primary posterior continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis combined with diffractive
      multifocal intraocular lens implantation.
AB  - PurposeTo evaluate the effect of mild posterior capsule opacity (PCO) on visual
      acuity (VA) in eyes implanted with a diffractive multifocal intraocular lens
      (IOL) compared with a monofocal IOL, and the effect of posterior continuous
      curvilinear capsulorhexis (PCCC) combined with diffractive multifocal IOL
      implantation.MethodsFor the initial evaluation, we compared charge-coupled device
      (CCD) camera photographs taken through both a monofocal IOL-loaded model eye and
      a diffractive IOL-loaded model eye under the conditions of both with and without
      an opaque filter for the simulation of mild PCO. The clinical evaluation involved
      20 patients who underwent bilateral implantation of the same diffractive
      multifocal IOL. In all 20 cases, PCCC was performed in 1 eye (PCCC group) and not
      performed in the fellow eye (NCCC group). Postoperative clinical results were
      then compared between the two groups.ResultsThe CCD photographs revealed that the
      diffractive IOL-loaded eye was more strongly affected by the simulated PCO than
      was the monofocal IOL-loaded eye. In the clinical setting, the PCCC group
      registered better results than NCCC group in distance and near VA, low-contrast
      VA, and contrast sensitivity testing.ConclusionsDiffractive multifocal IOLs tend
      to be more influenced by mild PCO than do monofocal IOLs, and PCCC prior to IOL
      implantation can contribute to the avoidance of this effect. 

PMID- 26493037
TI  - Depth evaluation of intended vs actual intacs intrastromal ring segments using
      optical coherence tomography.
AB  - PurposeEvaluation of actual vs intended intrastromal corneal ring segments (ICRS)
      implantation depth as measured by anterior segment optical coherence tomography
      (OCT)MethodsProspective study evaluating 30 Intacs segments implanted manually in
      19 eyes of 15 patients suffering from keratoconus. Segment depth evaluation was
      performed using anterior segment OCT. Measurements were performed above and below
      the segment at 3 points in relation to the incision site. Statistical analysis
      was performed using the SAS software for ANOVA, matched t-test, and GLIMMIX
      procedure.ResultsIntacs segment depth was 153-MUm shallower than intended (58% vs
      80%). Segment layout demonstrated the proximal and distal portions to be 13-MUm
      shallower and 12-MUm deeper (on average), respectively. Intacs segment thickness
      does not influence implantation depth. Intacs segments implanted in the same eye
      do not share similar implantation depths. Stromal compression is likely to
      occur.ConclusionIntacs are implanted at a shallower depth than intended. The
      'pocketing' stage prior to implantation most likely has a stronger effect on the
      segment's final implantation depth than does the incisions' depth. 

PMID- 26493038
TI  - A randomized clinical trial comparing fixed vs pro-re-nata dosing of Ozurdex in
      refractory diabetic macular oedema (OZDRY study).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effectiveness and safety of 5-monthly fixed
      dosing vs pro-re-nata (PRN) Ozurdex treatment in patients with refractory
      diabetic macular oedema (DMO). DESIGN: Prospective, multicentre, randomized
      active-controlled non-inferiority clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were
      100 patients who attended Medical Retina Clinics for management of centre
      involving refractory DMO. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomized 1 : 1 to
      either 5-monthly fixed dosing or optical coherence tomography (OCT)-guided PRN
      regimen of Ozurdex therapy for DMO. Data were collected on best-corrected visual
      acuity (BCVA), patient-reported outcome measures (PROM), macular thickness and
      morphology, diabetic retinopathy status, number of injections and adverse events
      from baseline for a period of 12 months.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome
      was the difference between arms in change in BCVA from baseline to 12 months. The
      prespecified non-inferiority margin was five ETDRS letters. Key secondary
      outcomes included change in PROM scores, change in macular thickness, change in
      retinopathy and macular morphology, and safety profile. RESULTS: The mean change
      in BCVA was +1.48 (SD 14.8) in the fixed arm vs -0.17 (SD 13.1) in the PRN arm,
      with adjusted effect estimate +0.97, 90% confidence interval (-4.01, +5.95),
      P=0.02 (per protocol analysis). The conclusions of the ITT analysis were
      primarily supportive, -0.34 (-5.49, 4.81) P=0.07, but sensitive to an alternative
      assumption on missing data, +0.28 (-4.72, 5.27) P=0.04. CONCLUSIONS: The mean
      change in BCVA with 5-monthly fixed dosing of Ozurdex was non-inferior to OCT
      guided PRN Ozurdex therapy for refractory DMO based on a per protocol analysis.

PMID- 26493039
TI  - High-hyperopia database, part I: clinical characterisation including morphometric
      (biometric) differentiation of posterior microphthalmos from nanophthalmos.
AB  - PURPOSE To characterise and differentiate posterior microphthalmos (PM) and
      nanophthalmos (NO) using morphometric parameters.Patients and methodsConsecutive
      case database of patients with hyperopia >+7.00 D sphere was analysed
      retrospectively for clinical and biometric characterisation. Thirty-eight
      consecutive high-hyperopic subjects (75 eyes) with axial lengths <20.5 mm
      underwent uniform comprehensive ocular evaluation. Twenty-five subjects were
      diagnosed as PM and 13 as NO based on the horizontal corneal diameter. Parameters
      analysed included visual acuity, refraction, horizontal corneal diameter,
      anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, axial length, fundus changes, and
      associated ocular pathology. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: ocular biometry difference
      between PM and NO. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: differences in associated ocular
      pathologies between PM and NO.RESULTS Hyperopia ranged from +7 to +17 D and was
      similar in the two groups. Lens thickness was statistically more in NO than in PM
      group (4.53+/-0.75 mm vs 3.82+/-0.48 mm, P <0.001), whereas anterior chamber
      depth was more in the PM than in NO group (3.26+/-0.36 mm, vs 2.59+/-0.37 mm,
      P<0.001). NO had higher association with angle-closure glaucoma (66.7% vs 0%) and
      pigmentary retinopathy (38.5 vs 8.0%) but lesser association with macular folds
      (0% vs 24%) as compared with PM. NO was associated with poorer visual
      acuity.CONCLUSION PM and NO have significant differences in lens thickness,
      anterior chamber depth, prevalence of glaucoma, pigmentary retinopathy, macular
      pathology, and visual acuity while being similar in hyperopic refraction.

PMID- 26493040
TI  - Retinal vessel structure measurement using spectral-domain optical coherence
      tomography.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the reliability and validity of spectral-domain optical
      coherence tomography (SD-OCT) measurements of retinal vessel lumen diameters and
      wall thicknesses. METHODS: SD-OCT was used to characterize the circular region
      around the optic disc of 40 eyes (20 subjects). The inner and outer sides
      (vitreal and choroidal sides) of the vessel wall and the luminal diameter were
      measured using intensity graphs. RESULTS: Mean arterial and venous luminal
      diameters were 95.1+/-16.1 and 132.6+/-17.8 MUm, respectively. The wall
      thicknesses of inner and outer sides of the artery were 23.9+/-4.9 and 21.2+/-3.5
      MUm, respectively. The wall thicknesses of the inner and outer sides of the vein
      were 20.7+/-4.2 and 16.3+/-4.3 MUm, respectively. There were significant
      differences between the inner and outer wall thicknesses in both the artery and
      vein (P<0.01). Intra- and interobserver intraclass correlation coefficients
      (ICCs) for lumen measurements were >0.95, and for wall thicknesses were >0.85,
      except for the outer wall thickness measurements. The mean value of outer and
      inner wall thicknesses showed good reproducibility, with ICCs of >0.85.
      CONCLUSION: Intensity graph-assisted measurements using SD-OCT provided more
      objective information in finding boundaries of vessels. Luminal diameters and
      wall thicknesses obtained with OCT showed good overall reproducibility, with
      inner wall thicknesses being thicker, and with better reproducibility compared
      with outer wall thicknesses, where ICC values were the lowest among the inner
      wall thicknesses, mean thicknesses of inner and outer walls, and luminal
      diameters. When using SD-OCT measurements, caution is therefore advised when
      using only the outer wall as representative of the wall thicknesses.

PMID- 26493041
TI  - A load of mice to hypergravity causes AMPKalpha repression with liver injury,
      which is overcome by preconditioning loads via Nrf2.
AB  - An understanding of the effects of hypergravity on energy homeostasis is
      necessary in managing proper physiological countermeasures for aerospace
      missions. This study investigated whether a single or multiple load(s) of mice to
      hypergravity has an effect on molecules associated with energy metabolism. In the
      liver, AMPKalpha level and its signaling were repressed 6 h after a load to +9 Gz
      hypergravity for 1 h, and then gradually returned toward normal. AMPKalpha level
      was restored after 3 loads to +9 Gz, suggestive of preconditioning adaptation. In
      cDNA microarray analyses, 221 genes were differentially expressed by +9 Gz, and
      the down-regulated genes included Nrf2 targets. Nrf2 gene knockout abrogated the
      recovery of AMPKalpha elicited by 3 loads to +9 Gz, indicating that Nrf2 plays a
      role in the adaptive increase of AMPKalpha. In addition, +9 Gz stress decreased
      STAT3, FOXO1/3 and CREB levels, which was attenuated during the resting time.
      Similarly, apoptotic markers were enhanced in the liver, indicating that the
      liver may be vulnerable to hypergravity stress. Preconditioning loads prevented
      hepatocyte apoptosis. Overall, a load of mice to +9 Gz hypergravity causes
      AMPKalpha repression with liver injury, which may be overcome by multiple loads
      to hypergravity as mediated by Nrf2.

PMID- 26493042
TI  - Effect of acute and chronic glucocorticoid therapy on insulin sensitivity and
      postprandial vascular function.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Postprandial hyperglycaemia is associated with increased arterial
      stiffness and cardiovascular events. Low-dose prednisolone causes insulin
      resistance that typically manifests as postprandial hyperglycaemia. We
      investigated whether prednisolone causes postprandial vascular dysfunction in a
      cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. DESIGN: An open interventional and
      cross-sectional study was undertaken. PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: Eighteen
      subjects with rheumatoid arthritis who had not taken oral glucocorticoids for >=6
      months were studied before and after prednisolone 6 mg/day for 7 days to
      determine the acute effects of prednisolone. Pre-prednisolone data were compared
      to 18 subjects with rheumatoid arthritis taking long-term (>6 months)
      prednisolone (6.5 +/- 1.8 mg/day) to assess the chronic effects of prednisolone.
      Augmentation index (by applanation tonometry) and reactive hyperaemia index (by
      peripheral artery tonometry) were measured before and after a mixed-meal (10
      kcal/kg, 45% carbohydrate, 15% protein, 40% fat). Insulin sensitivity was
      estimated by the Matsuda index and sympathetic nervous system activity from
      urinary noradrenaline excretion. RESULTS: Matsuda index was lower after acute
      (2.0 +/- 1.0 vs 3.6 +/- 1.1, P = 0.01) and chronic (1.9 +/- 1.0 vs 3.6 +/- 1.1, P
      = 0.04) prednisolone. Postprandial augmentation index was lower after acute
      prednisolone (2551 +/- 197 vs 2690 +/- 272%*min, P <= 0.001), but not chronic
      prednisolone. There were no significant differences in reactive hyperaemia index
      with acute or chronic prednisolone. Noradrenaline excretion was lower after acute
      (54 +/- 8 vs 93 +/- 23 nmol/6 h, P = 0.02), but not chronic, prednisolone.
      CONCLUSIONS: Prednisolone-induced insulin resistance is not associated with
      postprandial vascular dysfunction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Reduced
      sympathetic activity may contribute to the reduction in postprandial arterial
      stiffness with acute prednisolone.

PMID- 26493043
TI  - Optimal support techniques when providing mechanical ventilation to patients with
      acute respiratory distress syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of acute diffuse
      lung injury characterized by severe inflammation, increased pulmonary vascular
      permeability and a loss of aerated lung tissue. The effects of high fraction of
      inspired oxygen (FiO2 ) include oxygen toxicity manifested by damage to the lung
      parenchyma in the acute phase of lung injury. There is still a high mortality
      rate among this group of patients, so clinically sensitive evidence-based
      interventions are paramount to maximize survival chances during critical care.
      AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this article is to explore the current opinion
      concerning optimal mechanical ventilation support techniques for patients with
      acute respiratory distress syndrome. SEARCH STRATEGY, INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION
      CRITERIA: A literature search of clinical trials and observation studies,
      reviews, discussion papers, meta-analyses and clinical guidelines written in
      English up to 2015, derived from the databases of Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane
      Library databases and PubMed was conducted. CONCLUSIONS: Low tidal volume,
      pressure limitation and prone positioning in severe ARDS patients appear to be of
      some benefit. More research is required and further development and use of
      standardized protocols is an important strategy for reducing practice variations
      across disciplines, as well as giving clear guidelines to nurses practising in
      critical care. There is also evidence that this syndrome is under-diagnosed and
      the utilization of lung protective ventilation is still variable. RELEVANCE TO
      CLINICAL PRACTICE: It is important that nurses have underlying knowledge of both
      aetiology of ARDS and ventilation management, and that they monitor patients very
      closely. The adoption of a low tidal ventilation protocol, which is based on
      quality evidence guidelines, the value of rescue therapies and patient
      observation practices in the overall patient management, and the need to place
      emphasis on long-term patient outcomes, all these emerge as key factors for
      consideration and future research. However, there is also a need for more
      research that would explore the unique contribution of nurses in the management
      of this patient group, as it is difficult to discern this in the current
      literature.

PMID- 26493044
TI  - Total Synthesis of Crotophorbolone.
AB  - The complex ABC-tricyclic structure of crotophorbolone, a derivative of the
      tigliane diterpenoids, was assembled by coupling of simple fragments. The six
      membered C-ring fragment, having five contiguous stereocenters, was
      stereoselectively constructed from (R)-carvone. After attachment of the five
      membered A-ring through the pi-allyl Stille coupling reaction, the alpha-alkoxy
      bridgehead radical reaction effected the endo-cyclization of the seven-membered B
      ring by forming the sterically congested bond at C9 and C10 stereospecifically
      and stereoselectively, respectively. Finally, the functional groups on the 5/7/6
      membered ring system were manipulated by rhodium-catalyzed C2 olefin
      isomerization, C13 decarboxylative oxidation, and C4 hydroxylation, thus
      completing the first total synthesis of crotophorbolone. 

PMID- 26493045
TI  - Dynamics of quantum correlation between separated nitrogen-vacancy centers
      embedded in plasmonic waveguide.
AB  - We investigate the dynamics of quantum correlation between two separated nitrogen
      vacancy centers (NVCs) placed near a one-dimensional plasmonic waveguide. As a
      common medium of the radiation field of NVCs propagating, the plasmonic waveguide
      can dynamically induce quantum correlation between the two NVCs. It is
      interesting to find that such dynamically induced quantum correlation can be
      preserved in the long-time steady state by locally applying individual driving on
      the two NVCs. In particular, we also show that a large degree of quantum
      correlation can be established by this scheme even when the distance between the
      NVCs is much larger than their operating wavelength. This feature may open new
      perspectives for devising active decoherence-immune solid-state optical devices
      and long-distance NVC-based quantum networks in the context of plasmonic quantum
      electrodynamics. 

PMID- 26493047
TI  - Prenatal education for congenital toxoplasmosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Congenital toxoplasmosis is considered a rare but potentially severe
      infection. Prenatal education about congenital toxoplasmosis could be the most
      efficient and least harmful intervention, yet its effectiveness is uncertain.
      OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of prenatal education for preventing congenital
      toxoplasmosis. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth
      Group's Trials Register (31 May 2015), and reference lists of relevant papers,
      reviews and websites. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized and quasi-randomized
      controlled trials of all types of prenatal education on toxoplasmosis infection
      during pregnancy. Cluster-randomized trials were eligible for inclusion. DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed trials for
      inclusion and risk of bias, extracted data and checked them for accuracy. MAIN
      RESULTS: Two cluster-randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (involving a total of
      5455 women) met the inclusion criteria. The two included trials measured the
      effectiveness of the intervention in different ways, which meant that meta
      analysis of the results was not possible. The overall quality of the two studies,
      as assessed using the GRADE approach, was low, with high risk of detection and
      attrition bias in both included trials.One trial (432 women enrolled) conducted
      in Canada was judged of low methodological quality. This trial did not report on
      any of the review's pre-specified primary outcomes and the secondary outcomes
      reported results only as P values. Moreover, losses to follow-up were high (34%,
      147 out of 432 women initially enrolled). The authors concluded that prenatal
      education can effectively change pregnant women's behavior as it increased pet,
      personal and food hygiene. The second trial conducted in France was also judged
      of low methodological quality. Losses to follow-up were also high (44.5%, 2233
      out of 5023 women initially enrolled) and differential (40% in the intervention
      group and 52% in the control group). The authors concluded that prenatal
      education for congenital toxoplasmoses has a significant effect on improving
      women's knowledge, whereas it has no effect on changing women's behavior. In this
      trial 17/3949 pregnant women seroconverted for toxoplasmosis: 13/2591 (0.5%) in
      the intervention group and 4/1358 (0.3%) in the control group. The rate of
      seroconversion detected during the study did not differ between groups (risk
      ratio (RR) 1.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.56 to 5.21; participants = 3949;
      studies = one, low quality evidence). The number of events was too small to reach
      conclusions about the effect of prenatal education on seroconversion rate during
      pregnancy.No other randomized trials on the effect of prenatal education on
      congenital toxoplasmosis rate, or toxoplasmosis seroconversion rate during
      pregnancy were detected. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Even though primary prevention of
      congenital toxoplasmosis is considered a desirable intervention, given the lack
      of related risks compared to secondary and tertiary prevention, its effectiveness
      has not been adequately evaluated. There is very little evidence from RCTs that
      prenatal education is effective in reducing congenital toxoplasmosis even though
      evidence from observational studies suggests it is. Given the lack of good
      evidence supporting prenatal education for congenital toxoplasmosis prevention,
      further RCTs are needed to confirm any potential benefits and to further quantify
      the impact of different sets of educational intervention.

PMID- 26493046
TI  - TUBA1A mutation can cause a hydranencephaly-like severe form of cortical
      dysgenesis.
AB  - TUBA1A mutations cause a wide spectrum of lissencephaly and brain malformations.
      Here, we report two patients with severe cortical dysgeneses, one with an
      extremely thin cerebral parenchyma apparently looking like hydranencephaly and
      the other with lissencephaly accompanied by marked hydrocephalus, both harbouring
      novel de novo missense mutations of TUBA1A. To elucidate how the various TUBA1A
      mutations affect the severity of the phenotype, we examined the capacity of the
      mutant protein to incorporate into the endogenous microtubule network in
      transfected COS7 cells by measuring line density using line extraction in an
      immunofluorescence study. The mutants responsible for severe phenotypes were
      found to incorporate extensively into the network. To determine how each mutant
      alters the microtubule stability, we examined cold-induced microtubule
      depolymerisation in fibroblasts. The depolymerisation of patients' fibroblasts
      occurred earlier than that of control fibroblasts, suggesting that microtubules
      bearing mutated tubulins are unstable. Both mutations are predicted to
      participate in lateral interactions of microtubules. Our data suggest that the
      TUBA1A mutations disrupting lateral interactions have pronounced dominant
      negative effects on microtubule dynamics that are associated with the severe end
      of the lissencephaly spectrum. 

PMID- 26493048
TI  - Detecting the existence of an invisibility cloak using temporal steering.
AB  - An invisibility cloak provides a way to hide an object under the detection of
      waves. A good cloak guides the incident waves through the cloaking shell with few
      distortion. Even if one day a nearly perfect cloak is built, some important
      quantum effects, such as dephasing of the electron spin or photon polarization,
      may still remain. In this work, we consider the possibility that using the
      temporal steering of these degrees of freedom to detect the existence of an
      invisibility cloak. 

PMID- 26493049
TI  - New In Vitro Studies on the Bioprofile of Genista tenera Antihyperglycemic
      Extract.
AB  - The inhibition of alpha-glucosidase and glucose-6-phosphatase, two enzymes
      involved in the carbohydrate metabolism, is an important target to control
      glycaemia on individuals with type 2 diabetes. In this work we report for the
      first time the inhibition of both enzymes by the antihyperglycemic n-butanol
      extract from Genista tenera (Fabaceae). This extract decreased alpha-glucosidase
      and glucose-6-phosphatase activities to 0.97 and 80.25 %, respectively, being
      more effective than acarbose, and phlorizin, the positive controls, which reduced
      enzymes activities only to 17.39 and 96.06 %. Once inflammation and oxidative
      stress are related to diabetic impairments, the anti-inflammatory activity of the
      extract was also evaluated, through its inhibitory activity over COX-1 enzyme
      (47.5 % inhibition). Moreover, after induction of oxidative stress by UV
      radiation, the viability of irradiated rat liver hepatoma cells exposed to the
      extract was significantly higher (67.82 %) than that promoted by ascorbic acid,
      the positive control (45.05 %). In addition, the stability of the extract under
      gastrointestinal conditions was evaluated by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS. Flavonoid
      diglycosides were identified as the main constituents of the extract, and no
      alterations in the chemical composition nor in the antioxidant activity were
      observed after in vitro digestion with artificial gastric and pancreatic juices.

PMID- 26493050
TI  - Hybrid Sex Pheromones of the Hibiscus Flower-bud Borer, Rehimena surusalis.
AB  - The sex pheromone of the hibiscus flower borer Rehimena surusalis (Walker)
      (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) was analyzed by gas chromatography with
      electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Three
      EAD-active components were found in crude pheromone gland extracts of calling
      females. GC/MS and GC analyses using synthetic chemicals and derivatization of
      the extracts identified three components as (10E,12Z)-hexadeca-10,12-dienal
      (E10,Z12-16:Ald,), (10E,12E)-hexadeca-10,12-dienyl acetate (E10,Z12-16:OAc), and
      (3Z,6Z,9Z)-tricosa-3,6,9-triene (Z3,Z6,Z9-23:HC). In field tests, male moths were
      strongly attracted to a ternary blend of E10,Z12-16:Ald, E10,Z12-16:OAc, and
      Z3,Z6,Z9-23:HC at a ratio of 1:5:14, but single and binary blends showed only
      weak or no attraction.

PMID- 26493051
TI  - Age and sex differences in the taste sensitivity of young adult, young-old and
      old-old Japanese.
AB  - AIM: The present study examined sex and age differences in taste sensitivity
      among young adult, young-old and old-old Japanese. METHODS: Participants were
      divided into three groups comprising 477 men and 519 women in the young-old group
      (aged 69-71 years), 449 men and 500 women in the old-old group (aged 79-81
      years), and 35 men and 35 women in the young adult group (aged 24-32 years).
      Recognition thresholds for the four basic tastes were measured using the 1-mL
      whole mouth gustatory test, in which taste solutions of the four basic tastes
      were tested in five concentrations. RESULTS: Young adults showed significantly
      lower recognition thresholds than the young-old group, and the young-old group
      showed significantly lower recognition thresholds than the old-old group. Among
      the young-old and old-old groups, women showed significantly lower recognition
      thresholds than males for sour, salty and bitter tastes, but there was no sex
      difference in the sweet taste threshold between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The
      present study confirmed that there are age and sex differences in taste
      sensitivity for the four basic tastes among young adult, young-old, and old-old
      Japanese, and that the sensitivity of sweet taste is more robust than the other
      tastes. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 16: 1281-1288.

PMID- 26493052
TI  - Image quality of Zr-89 PET imaging in the Siemens microPET Focus 220 preclinical
      scanner.
AB  - PURPOSE: Zr-89 positron emission tomography (PET) is a valuable tool for
      understanding the biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of antibody-based
      therapeutics. We compared the image quality of Zr-89 PET and F-18 PET in the
      Siemens microPET Focus 220 preclinical scanner using different reconstruction
      methods. PROCEDURES: Image quality metrics were measured in various Zr-89 and F
      18 PET phantoms, including the NEMA NU 4-2008 image quality phantom. Images were
      reconstructed using various algorithms. RESULTS: Zr-89 PET had greater image
      noise, inferior spatial resolution, and greater spillover than F-18 PET, but
      comparable recovery coefficients for cylinders of various diameters. Of the
      reconstruction methods, OSEM3D resulted in the lowest noise, highest recovery
      coefficients, best spatial resolution, but also the greatest spillover. Scatter
      correction results were found to be sensitive to varying object sizes.
      CONCLUSIONS: Zr-89 PET image quality was inferior to that of F-18, and no single
      reconstruction method was superior in all aspects of image quality.

PMID- 26493053
TI  - Non-invasive PET Imaging of PARP1 Expression in Glioblastoma Models.
AB  - PURPOSE: The current study presents [(18)F]PARPi as imaging agent for PARP1
      expression. PROCEDURES: [(18)F]PARPi was generated by conjugating a 2H-phthalazin
      1-one scaffold to 4-[(18)F]fluorobenzoic acid. Biochemical assays, optical in
      vivo competition, biodistribution analysis, positron emission tomography (PET)/X
      ray computed tomography, and PET/magnetic resonance imaging studies were
      performed in subcutaneous and orthotopic mouse models of glioblastoma. RESULTS:
      [(18)F]PARPi shows suitable pharmacokinetic properties for brain tumor imaging
      (IC50 = 2.8 +/- 1.1 nM; logPCHI = 2.15 +/- 0.41; plasma-free fraction = 63.9 +/-
      12.6 %) and accumulates selectively in orthotopic brain tumor tissue. Tracer
      accumulation in subcutaneous brain tumors was 1.82 +/- 0.21 %ID/g, whereas in
      healthy brain, the uptake was only 0.04 +/- 0.01 %ID/g. CONCLUSIONS: [(18)F]PARPi
      is a selective PARP1 imaging agent that can be used to visualize glioblastoma in
      xenograft and orthotopic mouse models with high precision and good signal/noise
      ratios. It offers new opportunities to non-invasively image tumor growth and
      monitor interventions.

PMID- 26493054
TI  - Sacrococcygeal ependymoblastoma.

PMID- 26493056
TI  - Neurosurgical training with simulators: a novel neuroendoscopy model.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to present a novel neuroendoscopy simulation
      model in live animals, with the objective of enhancing patient safety with
      realistic surgical training. METHODS: A simulation model using live Wistar rats
      was designed after the approval of the Institutional Committee for the Care and
      Use of Laboratory Animals. Under anesthesia, a hydroperitoneum was created in
      order to simulate a cavity with mesenteric membranes and vessels, viscera, and a
      solid and bleeding tumor (the liver) floating in a liquid environment. For
      validation purposes, we evaluated trainees' basal and final skills for each
      neuroendoscopic procedure, and we also acknowledged trainees' and instructors'
      opinion on the model's realism. RESULTS: This model is simple and low cost
      effective for complete and real-life training in neuroendoscopy, with the
      possibility of performing all the basic and advanced endoscopic procedures, such
      as endoscopic exploration, membrane fenestration, vessel coagulation, hematoma
      evacuation, and endoscopic tumor biopsy and resection using a ventricular
      neuroendoscopy set. Although the model does not represent human ventricular
      anatomy, a reliable simulation is possible in real living tissue in a liquid
      environment. Trainees' skills improvements were notorious. CONCLUSION: Minimally
      invasive endoscopic techniques require specific training. Simulation training can
      improve and accelerate the learning curve. The presented training model allows
      simulating the different neuroendoscopic procedures. We believe that due to its
      practical possibilities, its simplicity, low cost, reproducibility, and reality,
      being live animal tissue, it can be considered a fundamental model within a
      complete training program on neuroendoscopy.

PMID- 26493055
TI  - Meta-analysis of vagus nerve stimulation treatment for epilepsy: correlation
      between device setting parameters and acute response.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an adjunctive neurophysiological
      treatment for those patients who have pharmacoresistant or surgically resistant
      partial onset epilepsy. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the
      effects of high and low stimulation paradigms on a responder rate of >=50 and
      >=75% reduction in seizure frequency and associated adverse effects in adults and
      children. METHOD: A literature search was performed using Medline, PubMed,
      EMBASE, and Cochrane library for studies using vagus nerve stimulation published
      from January 1980 until July 2014 for medically or surgically resistant partial
      onset seizures, in children and adults. No restrictions on languages were
      imposed. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Four authors reviewed and selected studies
      for inclusion and exclusion. The search identified five randomized control trials
      that fit with our inclusion criteria. The following outcomes were evaluated: 50%
      or greater reduction in total seizure frequency, 75% or greater reduction in
      total seizure frequency, and adverse effects. RESULTS: Four randomized controlled
      trials were analyzed in this meta-analysis. Results indicate high stimulation is
      more effective in adult patients who experienced >=50 and >=75% reduction in
      seizure frequency with a significant difference within both high and low
      stimulation groups. In children, there was no significant difference between the
      two groups and patients with >=50 % reduction in seizures. Adverse effects such
      as hoarseness and dyspnea were more common in the high stimulation group where
      the remaining side effects were not statistically different among both groups.
      CONCLUSION: High stimulation is more effective than low stimulation in producing
      a greater reduction in seizure frequency in patients with medically and
      surgically resistant epilepsy.

PMID- 26493057
TI  - [Value and acceptance of risk assessment for Alzheimer's disease].
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is quite common that people suffering from cognitive impairment
      only visit a doctor when the symptoms have already reached an advanced stage.
      This is often due to a fear of Alzheimer's disease or a dread of exhausting
      diagnostic procedures and exposure of personal details; however, an early
      diagnosis and therapy increases the chance of preserving the quality of life for
      a longer period of time. OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of a risk assessment for
      Alzheimer's disease by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with respect to the
      acceptance and value by participants. METHODS: In this prospective preventive
      study 106 subjects between the age of 39 and 89 years (median age 68 years) with
      general risk factors were included and underwent a risk assessment for
      Alzheimer's disease by standard MRI of the brain using a 1 T open MRI with
      subsequent hippocampal volumetry. Participants were stratified into two distinct
      subgroups according to the individual hippocampal atrophy status, one with
      elevated and the other with reduced risk. All participants were thoroughly
      interviewed regarding anxieties and mental well-being before and after the risk
      assessment. RESULTS: As expected, participants with a reduced risk had a
      significant improvement in well-being and a reduction of fears and worries after
      the examination. Neither a significant deterioration of the mental situation nor
      an increase of fears and worries was found for participants with an elevated
      risk. Of the participants 90% stated that MRI-based risk stratification generated
      positive perspectives for the future. The assessment revealed a high acceptance
      by most of the participants (94%). CONCLUSION: An MRI-based risk assessment is
      beneficial to the patient's quality of life and as a low threshold approach may
      induce more individuals with concerns to take advantage of an early diagnosis of
      Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26493058
TI  - [Mental comorbidities of alcohol-related disorders].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alcohol-related disorders have a high comorbidity with mental
      disorders and vice versa, alcohol consumption plays an important role in
      affective disorders and schizophrenic psychoses. In developing the current S3
      guidelines evidence-based knowledge on the rate and significance of comorbid
      disorders in alcohol use disorders has been compiled to generate recommendations
      for treatment. METHODS: In preparation for the guidelines, previous international
      guidelines and a systematic literature search were taken into consideration.
      Recommendations for various and specific clinical situations were derived from
      these sources based on evidence grading. Evidence and recommendations were
      subdivided into psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and combination therapy, each
      having differential efficacies in the treatment of psychiatric symptoms and
      alcohol consumption behavior. Furthermore, a separate treatment pathway was
      developed for a stepwise approach to affective disorders for both comorbidities.
      CONCLUSION: Appearing for the first time in guidelines are specific treatment
      recommendations for comorbid mental diseases in alcohol use disorders. These
      recommendations extend to different treatment approaches including diagnostics
      and settings, affording clinicians more pragmatic relevance.

PMID- 26493059
TI  - [Do the areas of nursing and specialist therapy have sufficient personnel?].

PMID- 26493060
TI  - [Is delusion a reasonable scientific term? Reflections on psychopathology in the
      psychiatry of the twenty-first century].
AB  - Delusion is a central but difficult and controversial term in psychiatry. Similar
      to the term schizophrenia at the nosological level, the basic questions in the
      specialty are linked in the debate on delusion at the clinical psychopathological
      level, beginning with epistemological and methodological aspects up to concrete
      embodiment of the physician-patient relationship. The text of this article
      reflects this development from the nineteenth century up to the present day and
      makes reference to the lively discussion on the future directions of psychiatric
      research triggered by the research domain criteria (RDoC). Under certain
      prerequisites, including in particular an extensive understanding of
      psychopathology, delusion is considered to be a reasonable scientific term, also
      in the future.

PMID- 26493061
TI  - Solid Serous Adenoma of Pancreas, Misdiagnosed as Neuroendocrine Tumor, a Rare
      Case Report and Review of the Literature.

PMID- 26493062
TI  - Proposed Radiation Induced Hormone Crisis in a Patient with Glucagonoma.

PMID- 26493063
TI  - Novel Approaches to Targeting Visceral and Hepatic Adiposities in HIV-Associated
      Lipodystrophy.
AB  - Visceral and hepatic adiposities have been associated with both cardiovascular
      and liver disease and are of concern in HIV-infected persons in the modern era of
      combination antiretroviral therapy (ART). The development of therapeutic targets
      to reduce visceral and hepatic adiposities in HIV-infected persons has been slow,
      because of early reports that attributed the excess adiposity to specific
      antiretroviral drugs. Visceral adiposity was initially thought to occur as part
      of a protease inhibitor-induced "HIV-associated lipodystrophy syndrome."
      Subsequent studies show that visceral adiposity is likely a result of effective
      ART, recovery of health, and the normal aging process. Visceral adiposity is an
      established risk factor for hepatic adiposity. Identifying drug targets for non
      alcoholic fatty liver disease is under active investigation. The present review
      summarizes the recent literature on the pathogenesis of visceral and hepatic
      adiposities in HIV-infected persons, current therapeutic strategies, and novel
      interventions in HIV-infected and uninfected persons. 

PMID- 26493065
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of MFe2O4 (M = Co, Ni, Mn) magnetic nanoparticles
      for modulation of angiogenesis in chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM).
AB  - In this study, we report the synthesis and characterization studies of amine
      functionalized MFe2O4 (Co, Ni, Mn) nanoparticles. The synthesis process was
      accomplished by refluxing metal chloride precursors in ethylene glycol in the
      presence of sodium acetate and ethanolamine. The average crystallite sizes of the
      synthesized particles are found to be in the range of 8-10 nm. The synthesized
      particles are characterized using X-ray diffraction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller
      technique, FTIR, dynamic light scattering, Raman and UV-visible spectroscopy for
      crystal structure, average size, surface area, pore diameter and hydrodynamic
      diameter, phase and functional group determination. The surface morphology and
      elemental composition were studied by scanning electron microscope and X-ray
      fluorescence respectively. Magnetic behavior up to fields of 3 T at room
      temperature measured in Quantum Design Physical Property Measurement System (QD
      PPMS) magnetometer showed the superparamagnetic behavior of these particles.
      Modulation of angiogenesis by the nanoparticles was studied in a chick embryo
      chorioallantoic membrane model by analysis of blood vessel development and effect
      on hemoglobin level using imaging and colorimetric methods. An enhancement in the
      angiogenesis compared to the saline control was observed for all the ferrite
      nanoparticles with a relatively optimal activity in case of CoFe2O4
      nanoparticles.

PMID- 26493064
TI  - Predictive value and clinical utility of centrally assessed ER, PgR, and Ki-67 to
      select adjuvant endocrine therapy for premenopausal women with hormone receptor
      positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer: TEXT and SOFT trials.
AB  - The SOFT and TEXT randomized phase III trials investigated adjuvant endocrine
      therapies for premenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) early
      breast cancer. We investigated the prognostic and predictive value of centrally
      assessed levels of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), and Ki-67
      expression in women with HER2-negative disease. Of 5707 women enrolled, 4115 with
      HER2-negative (HR+/HER2-) disease had ER, PgR, and Ki-67 centrally assessed by
      immunohistochemistry. Breast cancer-free interval (BCFI) was defined from
      randomization to first invasive local, regional, or distant recurrence or
      contralateral breast cancer. The prognostic and predictive values of ER, PgR and
      Ki-67 expression levels were assessed using Cox modeling and STEPP methodology.
      In this HR+/HER2- population, the median ER, PgR, and Ki-67 expressions were 95,
      90, and 18 % immunostained cells. As most patients had strongly ER-positive
      tumors, the predictive value of ER levels could not be investigated. Lower PgR
      and higher Ki-67 expression were associated with reduced BCFI. There was no
      consistent evidence of heterogeneity of the relative treatment effects according
      to PgR or Ki-67 expression levels, though there was a greater 5-year absolute
      benefit of exemestane + ovarian function suppression (OFS) versus tamoxifen with
      or without OFS at lower levels of PgR and higher levels of Ki-67. Women with poor
      prognostic features of low PgR and/or high Ki-67 have greater absolute benefit
      from exemestane + OFS versus tamoxifen + OFS or tamoxifen alone, but individually
      PgR and Ki-67 are of limited predictive value for selecting adjuvant endocrine
      therapy for premenopausal women with HR+/HER2- early breast cancer. 

PMID- 26493066
TI  - In vitro spectroscopic study of piperine-encapsulated nanosize liposomes.
AB  - Black pepper is a source of effective antioxidants. It contains several powerful
      antioxidants and is thus one of the most important spices for preventing and
      curtailing oxidative stress. There is considerable interest in the development of
      a drug-delivery systems that would result in the selective delivery of
      antioxidants to tissues in sufficient concentrations to ameliorate oxidant
      induced tissue injuries. Liposomes are biocompatible, biodegradable and nontoxic
      artificial phospholipid vesicles that offer the possibility of carrying
      hydrophilic, hydrophobic and amphiphilic molecules. This article focuses on the
      use of liposomes for the delivery of antioxidants in the prevention or treatment
      of pathological conditions related to oxidative stress. Liposome formulations of
      piperine were analyzed with various spectroscopic methods. The formulation with
      the highest entrapment efficiency (90.5%) was formulated with an L-alpha
      phosphatidylcholine dipalmitoyl (DPPC):piperine, 30:1 molar ratio, and total
      lipid count of 19.47 mg/ml in the final liposomal preparation. The liposome
      formulation was found to be stable after storage at 4  degrees C, protected from
      light, for a minimum of 3 weeks. The incremental process of piperine penetration
      through the phospholipid membrane was analyzed using the FT-IR, UV-Vis and NMR
      methods. Temperature stability studies carried out at 37  degrees C showed the
      highest percentage of piperine release in the first 3 h of incubation.

PMID- 26493068
TI  - Epigenetics mechanisms in renal development.
AB  - Appreciation for the role of epigenetic modifications in the diagnosis and
      treatment of diseases is fast gaining attention. Treatment of chronic kidney
      disease stemming from diabetes or hypertension as well as Wilms tumor will all
      profit from knowledge of the changes in the epigenomic landscapes. To do so, it
      is essential to characterize the epigenomic modifiers and their modifications
      under normal physiological conditions. The transcription factor Pax2 was
      identified as a major epigenetic player in the early specification of the kidney.
      Notably, the progenitors of all nephrons that reside in the cap mesenchyme
      display a unique bivalent histone signature (expressing repressive epigenetic
      marks alongside activation marks) on lineage-specific genes. These cells are
      deemed poised for differentiation and commitment to the nephrogenic lineage. In
      response to the appropriate inducing signal, these genes lose their repressive
      histone marks, which allow for their expression in nascent nephron precursors.
      Such knowledge of the epigenetic landscape and the resultant cell fate or
      behavior in the developing kidney will greatly improve the overall success in
      designing regenerative strategies and tissue reprogramming methodologies from
      pluripotent cells.

PMID- 26493067
TI  - The multifaceted role of the renal microvasculature during acute kidney injury.
AB  - Pediatric acute kidney injury (AKI) represents a complex disease process for
      clinicians as it is multifactorial in cause and only limited treatment or
      preventatives are available. The renal microvasculature has recently been
      implicated in AKI as a strong therapeutic candidate involved in both injury and
      recovery. Significant progress has been made in the ability to study the renal
      microvasculature following ischemic AKI and its role in repair. Advances have
      also been made in elucidating cell-cell interactions and the molecular mechanisms
      involved in these interactions. The ability of the kidney to repair post AKI is
      closely linked to alterations in hypoxia, and these studies are elucidated in
      this review. Injury to the microvasculature following AKI plays an integral role
      in mediating the inflammatory response, thereby complicating potential
      therapeutics. However, recent work with experimental animal models suggests that
      the endothelium and its cellular and molecular interactions are attractive
      targets to prevent injury or hasten repair following AKI. Here, we review the
      cellular and molecular mechanisms of the renal endothelium in AKI, as well as
      repair and recovery, and potential therapeutics to prevent or ameliorate injury
      and hasten repair.

PMID- 26493069
TI  - Favorable outcome in children with idiopathic steroid-resistant nephrotic
      syndrome due to mesangial hypercellularity: A distinct disease entity?

PMID- 26493070
TI  - Ability of a novel system for neonatal extracorporeal renal replacement therapy
      with an ultra-small volume circuit to remove solutes in vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We automated our manual, syringe-driven extracorporeal renal
      replacement therapy (eRRT) system with an ultra-small volume circuit (3.2 ml)
      that is suitable for neonates without blood priming. Our objective was to
      determine the solute clearance and water balance of the automated and manual
      systems in vitro. METHODS: Stored whole blood samples containing exogenous urea,
      creatinine (Cr), potassium (K), and ammonia (NH3) to imitate acute kidney injury
      (AKI) and hyperammonemia were dialyzed for 3 h (blood flow, 4.0 ml/min; dialysate
      flow, 600 ml/h) with a continuous infusion of heparin. Solute clearance and
      sample weight were then compared with values before dialysis. RESULTS: The median
      clearance of blood urea nitrogen, Cr, K, and NH3 ranged from 1.7 to 2.3 and from
      2.4 to 2.6 ml/min, and the median weight of the samples was decreased by 3.8 g
      and increased by 8.3 g after 3 h of dialysis using the manual and automated
      systems, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The automated system effectively cleared
      solutes, but safety concerns were associated with platelet consumption and fluid
      balance. Additional studies are needed to establish the safety and accuracy of
      this novel system for clinical use in neonates and preterm infants.

PMID- 26493071
TI  - Cognitive and Behavioral Risk Factors for Unintentional Drowning Among Rural
      Chinese Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unintentional drowning is among the top causes of pediatric death
      worldwide and the leading cause of death for children under age 14 in China.
      Environmental factors such as abundant bodies of water and psychosocial factors
      such as lack of parental supervision contribute to heightened risk of pediatric
      drowning in rural China, but little is known about the role of individual
      characteristics such as knowledge and perceived vulnerability in the drowning
      risk of rural Chinese children. PURPOSE: The present study aimed to explore the
      cognitive and behavioral risk factors for unintentional drowning among school
      aged rural Chinese children. METHOD: Two hundred and eighty children (mean age =
      10.03 years, range 8-13) enrolled at an elementary school in rural Zhejiang
      Province, China completed self-report assessments of knowledge about drowning
      prevention, perceived vulnerability toward drowning, and history of non-fatal
      drowning experiences, as well as demographic information. A simulation task using
      a dollhouse assessed children's anticipated behaviors with water. RESULTS: Fifty
      two percent of the sample reported exposure to water sources at least once daily,
      and 21 % of the sample reported at least one non-fatal drowning experience in
      their lifetime. Regression analysis showed that male gender, better swimming
      ability, less safety knowledge, and lower levels of perceived vulnerability were
      associated with more self-reported risky practice in/near water. More safety
      knowledge also predicted safer behaviors in the dollhouse simulation task. None
      of the risk factors predicted self-reported history of non-fatal drowning
      incidents. CONCLUSION: High exposure to water sources and non-fatal drowning
      experiences were found among school-aged children in rural China. Drowning risk
      factors included demographic, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics of
      children. Results offer evidence for developing interventions in both Zhejiang
      Province and other regions with similar geographic and population
      characteristics.

PMID- 26493072
TI  - Measuring empathic, person-centred communication in primary care nurses: validity
      and reliability of the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) Measure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Empathic patient-centred care is central to high quality health
      encounters. The Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) Measure is a patient
      rated experience measure of the interpersonal quality of healthcare encounters.
      The measure has been extensively validated and is widely used by doctors in
      primary care but has not been validated in nursing. This study assessed the
      validity and reliability of the CARE Measure in routine nurse consultations in
      primary care. METHODS: Seventeen nurses from nine general medical practices
      located in three Scottish Health Boards participated in the study. Consecutive
      patients (aged 16 years or older) were asked to self-complete a questionnaire
      containing the CARE Measure immediately after their clinical encounter with the
      nurse. Statistical analysis included Spearman's correlation and principal
      component analysis (construct validity), Cronbach's alpha (internal consistency),
      and Generalisability theory (inter-rater reliability). RESULTS: A total of 774
      patients (327 male and 447 female) completed the questionnaire. Almost three out
      of four patients (73 %) felt that the CARE Measure items were very important to
      their current consultation. The number of 'not applicable' responses and missing
      values were low overall (5.7 and 1.6 % respectively). The mean CARE Measure score
      in the consultations was 45.9 and 48 % achieved the maximum possible score of 50.
      CARE Measure scores correlated in predicted ways with overall satisfaction and
      patient enablement in support of convergent and divergent validity. Factor
      analysis found that the CARE Measure items loaded highly onto a single factor.
      The measure showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient =
      0.97) and acceptable inter-rater reliability (G = 0.6 with 60 patients ratings
      per nurse). The scores were not affected by patients' age, gender, self-perceived
      overall health, living arrangements, employment status or language spoken at
      home. CONCLUSIONS: The CARE Measure has high face and construct validity, and
      internal reliability in nurse consultations in primary care. Its ability to
      discriminate between nurses is sufficient for educational and quality improvement
      purposes.

PMID- 26493073
TI  - Round window application of an active middle ear implant (AMEI) system in
      congenital oval window atresia.
AB  - CONCLUSION: Application of the Vibrant Soundbridge to the round window (RW)
      membrane can be utilized as an efficient therapy for congenital oval window (OW)
      atresia. OBJECTIVE: To report the surgical technique and auditory outcome of an
      active middle ear implant (AMEI) system used in patients with congenital OW
      atresia. METHODS: Nine subjects with congenital OW atresia (six males and three
      females, ranging in age from 5.5 to 25 years, average 12.5 years) were implanted
      with an AMEI (Vibrant Soundbridge) at the round window (RW-Vibroplasty). Five
      cases were diagnosed as having isolated congenital OW atresia while four patients
      presented with combined external/middle ear malformation. RESULTS: An improvement
      of 30 dB in average pure-tone air conduction thresholds (0.5-4 kHz) was achieved,
      with the high frequencies showing greater results. The subjects achieved
      postoperative speech recognition scores of 80-100% on the Computerized Mandarin
      Speech Test System (CMSTS) sentence test. Bone conduction thresholds were
      confirmed as stable in all subjects postoperatively. Decline in auditory benefit
      was noticed in two subjects, who then underwent revision surgery. One of these
      revision surgery patients then experienced stable hearing recovery, while the
      other patient's hearing declined.

PMID- 26493074
TI  - Genome-wide variation in the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and its
      relationship with pathogenic traits.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is an emerging pathogenic nematode that is
      responsible for a devastating epidemic of pine wilt disease across Asia and
      Europe. In this study, we report the first genome-wide variation analysis of the
      nematode with an aim to obtain a full picture of its diversity. METHODS: We
      sequenced six key B. xylophilus strains using Illumina HiSeq sequencer. All the
      strains were isolated in Japan and have been widely used in previous studies.
      Detection of genomic variations were done by mapping the reads to the reference
      genome. RESULTS: Over 3 Mb of genetic variations, accounting for 4.1 % of the
      total genome, were detected as single nucleotide polymorphisms or small indels,
      suggesting multiple introductions of this invaded species from its native area
      into the country. The high level of genetic diversity of the pine wood nematode
      was related to its pathogenicity and ecological trait differences. Moreover, we
      identified a gene set affected by genomic variation, and functional annotation of
      those genes indicated that some of them had potential roles in pathogenesis.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an important resource for understanding the
      population structure, pathogenicity and evolutionary ecology of the nematode, and
      further analysis based on this study with geographically diverse B. xylophilus
      populations will greatly accelerate our understanding of the complex
      evolutionary/epidemic history of this emerging pathogen.

PMID- 26493075
TI  - Cortisol response and psychological distress predict susceptibility to false
      memories for a trauma film.
AB  - For eyewitness testimony to be considered reliable, it is important to ensure
      memory remains accurate following the event. As many testimonies involve
      traumatic, as opposed to neutral, events, it is important to consider the role of
      distress in susceptibility to false memories. The aim of this study was to
      investigate whether cortisol response following a stressor would be associated
      with susceptibility to false memories. Psychological distress responses were also
      investigated, specifically, dissociation, intrusions, and avoidance. Participants
      were allocated to one of three conditions: those who viewed a neutral film (N =
      35), those who viewed a real trauma film (N = 35), and a trauma "reappraisal"
      group where participants were told the film was not real (N = 35). All received
      misinformation about the film in the form of a narrative. Participants provided
      saliva samples (to assess cortisol) and completed distress and memory
      questionnaires. Cortisol response was a significant predictor of the
      misinformation effect. Dissociation and avoidance were related to confabulations.
      In conclusion, following a stressor an individual may differ with regard to their
      psychological response to the event, and also whether they experience a cortisol
      increase. This may affect whether they are more distressed later on, and also
      whether they remember the event accurately.

PMID- 26493076
TI  - Epidemiology of the epidemic of bovine anaemia associated with Theileria
      orientalis (Ikeda) between August 2012 and March 2014.
AB  - AIMS: To describe the epidemiology of the epidemic of bovine anaemia associated
      with Theileria orientalis infection (TABA) in New Zealand between 30 August 2012
      and 4 March 2014. METHODS: Blood samples and associated data were obtained from
      cases of TABA. The case definition for TABA was met when piroplasms were present
      on blood smears and the haematocrit was <=0.24 L/L. Samples were analysed using
      quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays for the detection of T. orientalis Ikeda type.
      Only cases that were positive in the qPCR assays were included in the analysis. A
      case herd was defined as a herd that had >=1 animal positive for T. orientalis
      Ikeda. Movement records for farms were accessed through the national animal
      identification and tracing scheme. The OR for cattle movements onto a case farm
      compared to a non-case farm was estimated using a generalised estimating equation
      model and the geodesic distance for movements onto case and non-case farms
      compared using Student's t-test. The kernel-smoothed risk of disease at the farm
      level was calculated using an extraction map and the clustering of diseased farms
      in time and space was measured using the spatial temporal inhomogeneous pair
      correlation function. RESULTS: In the first 18 months there were 496 case herds;
      392 (79%) were dairy and 104 (21%) beef herds. Of 882 individual cases, 820
      (93.0%) were positive for T. orientalis Ikeda in the qPCR assays. Case herds were
      initially clustered in the Northland, then the Waikato regions. The OR for a case
      farm compared to a non-case farm having >=1 inward cattle movements was 2.03 (95%
      CI=1.52-2.71) and the distance moved was 26 (95% CI=20.8-31.3) km greater for
      case farms. The risk of disease was highest in a north, north-eastern to south,
      south-western belt across the Waikato region. The spatial-temporal analysis
      showed significant clustering of infected herds within 20-30 days and up to 15 km
      distant from a case farm. CONCLUSIONS: Theileria orientalis Ikeda type is likely
      to have been introduced into regions populated with naive cattle by the movement
      of parasitaemic cattle from affected areas. Local spread through dispersed ticks
      then probably became more important for disease transmission between herds once
      the disease established in a new area. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dairy and beef farming
      in the North Island of New Zealand will be significantly changed in the coming
      years by the incursion of this new disease.

PMID- 26493077
TI  - Management of acute paracetamol poisoning.

PMID- 26493078
TI  - First-trimester medical abortion service in Hong Kong.
AB  - Research on medical abortion has been conducted in Hong Kong since the 1990s. It
      was not until 2011 that the first-trimester medical abortion service was
      launched. Mifepristone was registered in Hong Kong in April 2014 and all
      institutions that are listed in the Gazette as a provider for legal abortion can
      purchase mifepristone from the local provider. This article aimed to share our 3
      year experience of this service with the local medical community. Our current
      protocol is safe and effective, and advocates 200-mg mifepristone and 400-ug
      sublingual misoprostol 24 to 48 hours later, followed by a second dose of 400-ug
      sublingual misoprostol 4 hours later if the patient does not respond. The
      complete abortion rate is 97.0% and ongoing pregnancy rate is 0.4%. Some minor
      side-effects have been reported and include diarrhoea, fever, abdominal pain, and
      allergy. There have been no serious adverse events such as heavy bleeding
      requiring transfusion, anaphylactic reaction, septicaemia, or death. 

PMID- 26493079
TI  - Use of robotic-assisted laparoscopic Mitrofanoff appendicovesicostomy in a
      paediatric patient: problem encountered.
AB  - This report is of robotic-assisted laparoscopic Mitrofanoff appendicovesicostomy
      in a 12-year-old patient with detrusor underactivity and hereditary sensory
      neuropathy. The whole operation was performed in 555 minutes with no open
      conversion. The patient experienced one episode of stomal stenosis, which
      required dilatation. At 3-year follow-up, the patient had both stomal and urinary
      continence. This is a safe and effective procedure to create a means of urinary
      catheterisation with avoidance of a large unsightly scar and comparable clinical
      outcome to an open procedure. 

PMID- 26493080
TI  - A lucky and reversible cause of 'ischaemic bowel'.
AB  - An 81-year-old man was admitted with an infective exacerbation of chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease. He also had clinical and radiological features
      suggestive of ileus. On day 6 after admission, he developed generalised abdominal
      pain. Urgent computed tomography of the abdomen showed presence of portovenous
      gas and dilated small bowel with pneumatosis intestinalis and whirl sign.
      Emergency laparotomy was performed, which showed a 7-mm perforated ulcer over the
      first part of the duodenum and small bowel volvulus. Omental patch repair and
      reduction of small bowel volvulus were performed. No bowel resection was
      required. The patient had a favourable outcome. Clinicians should suspect small
      bowel volvulus as a cause of ischaemic bowel. Presence of portovenous gas and
      pneumatosis intestinalis are normally considered to be signs of frank ischaemic
      bowel. The absence of bowel ischaemia at laparotomy in this patient shows that
      this is not necessarily the case and prompt surgical treatment could potentially
      save the bowels and lives of these patients. 

PMID- 26493081
TI  - The dark side of the moon.

PMID- 26493082
TI  - MERS = SARS?

PMID- 26493083
TI  - Emphasise the importance of adequate water intake.

PMID- 26493084
TI  - Endophthalmitis caused by Bacillus cereus: a devastating ophthalmological
      emergency.

PMID- 26493085
TI  - 'Cleft sign' of severe lipohypertrophy.

PMID- 26493086
TI  - HMGB1 as a Key Mediator of Immune Mechanisms in Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - SIGNIFICANCE: Stroke is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.
      Inflammatory cascades have a major impact on outcome and regeneration after
      ischemic stroke. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) has come into the focus of
      experimental and clinical stroke research because it is released from necrotic
      brain tissue and its differential redox forms attract and activate immune cells
      after ischemic brain injury. HMGB1 is a potent inducer of inflammatory cascades,
      and thereby, secondary deterioration of neurological outcome. RECENT ADVANCES:
      The role of HMGB1 in sterile inflammation is well established. Emerging evidence
      suggests that HMGB1 modulates neuroinflammation after experimental brain ischemia
      and that it may be a useful prognostic biomarker for stroke patients. CRITICAL
      ISSUES: HMGB1 is instantly released from necrotic cells in the ischemic core and
      activates an early inflammatory response. In addition, brain-released HMGB1 can
      be redox modified in the circulation and activate peripheral immune cells. HMGB1
      concentrations correlate with disease severity and outcome after brain injury.
      This is the first review depicting the crucial role of HMGB1 in the initiation
      and perpetuation of secondary immune alterations after experimental and clinical
      stroke. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: HMGB1-dependent signaling pathways are on the verge
      and have the potential to become a central topic in experimental stroke research.
      Current and upcoming projects in this field will be paving the way for future
      translational approaches targeting the center of poststroke inflammation to
      improve stroke recovery and long-term outcome.

PMID- 26493087
TI  - Mevalonate inhibits acid sphingomyelinase activity, increases sphingomyelin
      levels and inhibits cell proliferation of HepG2 and Caco-2 cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sphingomyelin (SM) and cholesterol are two types of lipid closely
      related biophysically. Treating the cells with exogenous sphingomyelinase (SMase)
      induces trafficking of cholesterol from membrane to intracellular pools and
      inhibition of cholesterol synthesis. In the present work, we address a question
      whether increased cholesterol synthesis affects hydrolysis of SM by endogenous
      SMases. METHODS: Both HepG2 and Caco-2 cells were incubated with mevalonate. The
      SMase activity was determined and its mRNA examined by qPCR. The cellular levels
      of cholesterol, SM, and phosphatidylcholine (PC) were determined and cell
      proliferation rate assayed. RESULTS: We found that mevalonate dose-dependently
      decreased acid but not neutral SMase activity in both HepG2 and Caco-2 cells with
      HepG2 cells being more sensitive to mevalonate. Kinetic examination in HepG2
      cells revealed that acid SMase activity was increasing with cell proliferation,
      and such an increase was reversed by mevalonate treatment. Acid SMase mRNA was
      not significantly decreased and Western blot showed signs of proteolysis of acid
      SMase by mevalonate. After mevalonate treatment, the levels of cholesterol were
      significantly increased associated with increases in SM and PC. The cell growth
      was retarded by mevalonate and the effect was more obvious in HepG2 cells than in
      Caco-2 cells. CONCLUSION: Mevalonate can trigger a mechanism to enhance SM levels
      by inhibition of acid SMase. The effect may ensure the coordinate changes of SM
      and cholesterol in the cells. Mevalonate also affects cell growth with mechanism
      required further characterization.

PMID- 26493089
TI  - The hybrid doctor-patient relationship in the age of technology - Telepsychiatry
      consultations and the use of virtual space.
AB  - The doctor-patient relationship is evolving and changing through the impact of
      many technological, social and environmental factors. These factors will be
      examined, especially the impact of changing attitudes among younger generations
      of physicians and patients who live in an information-driven networked world.
      Telepsychiatry is already over 50 years old and has a strong evidence base which
      suggests that it is a better form of practice compared with the traditional in
      person consultation for certain patient groups. In particular, telepsychiatry
      encourages intimacy in relationships through the use of the 'virtual space' in
      the consultation, better collaboration between psychiatrists and primary care
      physicians, and improved patient satisfaction. The practice of psychiatry will
      change through the use of mobile devices, asynchronous consultations, and the
      opportunities that automated interpretation and translation bring to work across
      cultures. The future will likely bring many psychiatrists working increasingly in
      a hybrid model, both in-person, and online, using the strengths of both
      approaches to improve patient care. 

PMID- 26493088
TI  - Lumbar Imaging With Reporting Of Epidemiology (LIRE)--Protocol for a pragmatic
      cluster randomized trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diagnostic imaging is often the first step in evaluating patients
      with back pain and likely functions as a "gateway" to a subsequent cascade of
      interventions. However, lumbar spine imaging frequently reveals incidental
      findings among normal, pain-free individuals suggesting that treatment of these
      "abnormalities" may not be warranted. Our prior work suggested that inserting the
      prevalence of imaging findings in patients without back pain into spine imaging
      reports may reduce subsequent interventions. We are now conducting a pragmatic
      cluster randomized clinical trial to test the hypothesis that inserting this
      prevalence data into lumbar spine imaging reports for studies ordered by primary
      care providers will reduce subsequent spine-related interventions.
      METHODS/DESIGN: We are using a stepped wedge design that sequentially randomizes
      100 primary care clinics at four health systems to receive either standard lumbar
      spine imaging reports, or reports containing prevalence data for common imaging
      findings in patients without back pain. We capture all outcomes passively through
      the electronic medical record. Our primary outcome is spine-related intervention
      intensity based on Relative Value Units (RVUs) during the following year.
      Secondary outcomes include subsequent prescriptions for opioid analgesics and
      cross-sectional lumbar spine re-imaging. DISCUSSION: If our study shows that
      adding prevalence data to spine imaging reports decreases subsequent back-related
      RVUs, this intervention could be easily generalized and applied to other kinds of
      testing, as well as other conditions where incidental findings may be common. Our
      study also serves as a model for cluster randomized trials that are minimal risk
      and highly pragmatic.

PMID- 26493090
TI  - The acute and medium-term effects of treatment with electroconvulsive therapy on
      memory in patients with major depressive disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current literature provides insufficient information on the degree of
      cognitive impairment during and after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), mostly due
      to the fact that applied tests lacked sensitivity and flexibility. Our goal was
      to evaluate cognitive functioning in adult depressed patients treated with bi
      temporal ECT, using tests sensitive for detection of possible acute and medium
      term memory changes. METHOD: Thirty adult patients with major depressive
      disorder, treated with a course of bi-temporal ECT, underwent clinical and
      cognitive measurements three times: at baseline, immediately after a course of
      ECT, and 1 month later. For cognition assessment, we used learning and visual,
      spatial and figural memory tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test
      Automated Battery (CANTAB). RESULTS: Bi-temporal ECT has proven to be an
      effective treatment. The linear mixed model, used to analyze changes in
      depression severity and patients' cognitive performances over time and to assess
      dynamic correlations between aforementioned features, did not show any
      significant memory impairment as a potential acute or medium-term ECT effect.
      However, it yielded significant improvement on visual memory and learning at the
      follow-up, which positively correlated with the improvement of depression.
      CONCLUSION: Good progress is being made in the search for ECT-related acute and
      medium-term cognitive side-effects by using the tests sensitive to detect memory
      dysfunction with parallel forms of the tasks (to counter practice effects on
      repeat testing). Our results on learning and memory in relation to ECT during
      treatment of depression did not bring forth any prolonged and significant bi
      temporal ECT-related memory deficit.

PMID- 26493091
TI  - Erratum to: Studies of trypanosomiasis in the Luangwa valley, north-eastern
      Zambia.
AB  - Unfortunately, the original version of this article [1] contained a mistake. The
      spelling of Yasuyuki Goto's name was incorrectly given as Yasuhuki Goto. The
      correct spelling is Yasuyuki Goto and is included correctly in the author list of
      this article. In addition, some author affiliations were assigned incorrectly.
      Yasuyuki Goto additionally belongs to affiliation 3, which should be listed as
      'Laboratory of Molecular Immunology' and not 'Department of Molecular
      Immunology'. Masahito Asada was incorrectly assigned to affiliation number 3, but
      belongs to affiliation 1. This has been corrected in the affiliation list of this
      article.

PMID- 26493092
TI  - Denial of risk: The effects of positive impression management on risk assessments
      for psychopathic and nonpsychopathic offenders.
AB  - Risk assessments for offenders often combine past records with current clinical
      findings from observations, interviews, and test data. Conclusions based on these
      risk assessments are highly consequential, sometimes resulting in increased
      criminal sentences or prolonged hospitalization. Therefore, many offenders are
      motivated to intentionally minimize risk factors and their negative consequences.
      Positive impression management (PIM) is especially likely to occur in offenders
      with high psychopathic traits because goal-directed deception is reflected in
      several of psychopathy's core traits of the disorder, such as manipulativeness,
      glibness, and superficial charm. However, this connection appears to be based on
      the conceptual understanding of psychopathy, and has rarely been examined
      empirically for either frequency of or success at deception. The current study
      examined the ability of a jail sample to intentionally minimize risk factors and
      related criminal attributes using a repeated measures, simulation design. In
      general, offenders were able to effectively use PIM to lower scores on the HCR-20
      and the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ), while the Psychological Inventory of
      Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS), as a measure of cognitive styles, was more
      resistant to such minimization. Psychopathic traits, especially high Factor 1
      scores (i.e., affective/interpersonal), were associated with greater PIM.
      Important differences in the willingness and ability to use deception were found
      based on the (a) mode of administration (i.e., interview vs. self-report) and (b)
      level of psychopathy as measured by the Psychopathy Checklist - Revised (PCL-R).
      The important implications of this research are discussed for risk assessment
      procedures regarding likely areas of deception and its detection. The current
      research also informs the growing literature on the connection between
      psychopathic traits and deception. 

PMID- 26493094
TI  - Identifying treatment effect heterogeneity in clinical trials using
      subpopulations of events: STEPP.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Investigators conducting randomized clinical trials often explore
      treatment effect heterogeneity to assess whether treatment efficacy varies
      according to patient characteristics. Identifying heterogeneity is central to
      making informed personalized healthcare decisions. Treatment effect heterogeneity
      can be investigated using subpopulation treatment effect pattern plot (STEPP), a
      non-parametric graphical approach that constructs overlapping patient
      subpopulations with varying values of a characteristic. Procedures for
      statistical testing using subpopulation treatment effect pattern plot when the
      endpoint of interest is survival remain an area of active investigation. METHODS:
      A STEPP analysis was used to explore patterns of absolute and relative treatment
      effects for varying levels of a breast cancer biomarker, Ki-67, in the phase III
      Breast International Group 1-98 randomized clinical trial, comparing letrozole to
      tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor
      positive breast cancer. Absolute treatment effects were measured by differences
      in 4-year cumulative incidence of breast cancer recurrence, while relative
      effects were measured by the subdistribution hazard ratio in the presence of
      competing risks using O-E (observed-minus-expected) methodology, an intuitive non
      parametric method. While estimation of hazard ratio values based on O-E
      methodology has been shown, a similar development for the subdistribution hazard
      ratio has not. Furthermore, we observed that the subpopulation treatment effect
      pattern plot analysis may not produce results, even with 100 patients within each
      subpopulation. After further investigation through simulation studies, we
      observed inflation of the type I error rate of the traditional test statistic and
      sometimes singular variance-covariance matrix estimates that may lead to results
      not being produced. This is due to the lack of sufficient number of events within
      the subpopulations, which we refer to as instability of the subpopulation
      treatment effect pattern plot analysis. We introduce methodology designed to
      improve stability of the subpopulation treatment effect pattern plot analysis and
      generalize O-E methodology to the competing risks setting. Simulation studies
      were designed to assess the type I error rate of the tests for a variety of
      treatment effect measures, including subdistribution hazard ratio based on O-E
      estimation. This subpopulation treatment effect pattern plot methodology and
      standard regression modeling were used to evaluate heterogeneity of Ki-67 in the
      Breast International Group 1-98 randomized clinical trial. RESULTS: We introduce
      methodology that generalizes O-E methodology to the competing risks setting and
      that improves stability of the STEPP analysis by pre-specifying the number of
      events across subpopulations while controlling the type I error rate. The
      subpopulation treatment effect pattern plot analysis of the Breast International
      Group 1-98 randomized clinical trial showed that patients with high Ki-67
      percentages may benefit most from letrozole, while heterogeneity was not detected
      using standard regression modeling. CONCLUSION: The STEPP methodology can be used
      to study complex patterns of treatment effect heterogeneity, as illustrated in
      the Breast International Group 1-98 randomized clinical trial. For the
      subpopulation treatment effect pattern plot analysis, we recommend a minimum of
      20 events within each subpopulation.

PMID- 26493096
TI  - Discharge delays reach eight year high as social care budgets are squeezed.

PMID- 26493093
TI  - A review of the carcinogenic potential of bisphenol A.
AB  - The estrogenic properties of bisphenol A (BPA), a ubiquitous synthetic monomer
      that can leach into the food and water supply, have prompted considerable
      research into exposure-associated health risks in humans. Endocrine-disrupting
      properties of BPA suggest it may impact developmental plasticity during early
      life, predisposing individuals to disease at doses below the oral reference dose
      (RfD) established by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1982. Herein, we
      review the current in vivo literature evaluating the carcinogenic properties of
      BPA. We conclude that there is substantial evidence from rodent studies
      indicating that early-life BPA exposures below the RfD lead to increased
      susceptibility to mammary and prostate cancer. Based on the definitions of
      "carcinogen" put forth by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the
      National Toxicology Program, we propose that BPA may be reasonably anticipated to
      be a human carcinogen in the breast and prostate due to its tumor promoting
      properties. 

PMID- 26493095
TI  - Pathology concordance levels for meningioma classification and grading in NRG
      Oncology RTOG Trial 0539.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With advances in the understanding of histopathology on outcome,
      accurate meningioma grading becomes critical and drives treatment selection. The
      2000 and 2007 WHO schema greatly increased the proportion of grade II
      meningiomas. Although associations with progression-free survival (PFS) and
      overall survival (OS) have been independently validated, interobserver
      concordance has not been formally assessed. METHODS: Once mature, NRG Oncology
      RTOG-0539 will report PFS and OS in variably treated low-, intermediate-, and
      high-risk cohorts. We address concordance of histopathologic assessment between
      enrolling institutions and central review, performed by a single pathologist
      (AP), who is also involved in developing current WHO criteria. RESULTS: The trial
      included 170 evaluable patients, 2 of whom had 2 eligible pathology reviews from
      different surgeries, resulting in 172 cases for analysis. Upon central review, 76
      cases were categorized as WHO grade I, 71 as grade II, and 25 as grade III.
      Concordance for tumor grade was 87.2%. Among patients with WHO grades I, II, and
      III meningioma, respective concordance rates were 93.0%, 87.8%, and 93.6% (P
      values < .0001). Moderate to substantial agreement was encountered for individual
      grading criteria and were highest for brain invasion, >=20 mitoses/10 high
      powered field [HPF], and spontaneous necrosis, and lowest for small cells,
      sheeting, and >=4 mitoses/10 HPF. In comparison, published concordance for
      gliomas in clinical trials have ranged from 8%-74%. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest
      that current meningioma classification and grading are at least as objective and
      reproducible as for gliomas. Nevertheless, reproducibility remains suboptimal.
      Further improvements may be anticipated with education and clarification of
      subjective criteria, although development of biomarkers may be the most promising
      strategy.

PMID- 26493097
TI  - Evolution of Quantitative MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry for Clinical Applications.

PMID- 26493098
TI  - A Delicate Balance When Substituting a Small Hydrophobe onto Low Molecular Weight
      Polyethylenimine to Improve Its Nucleic Acid Delivery Efficiency.
AB  - High molecular weight (HMW) polyethylenimine (PEI) is one of the most versatile
      nonviral gene vectors that was extensively investigated over the past two
      decades. The cytotoxic profile of HMW PEI, however, encouraged a search for safer
      alternatives. Because of lack of cytotoxicity of low molecular weight (LMW) PEI,
      enhancing its performance via hydrophobic modifications has been pursued to this
      end. Since the performance of modified PEIs depends on the nature and extent of
      substituents, we systematically investigated the effect of hydrophobic
      modification of LMW (1.2 kDa) PEI with a short propionic acid (PrA). Moderate
      enhancements in PEI hydrophobicity resulted in enhanced cellular uptake of
      polyplexes and siRNA-induced silencing efficacy, whereas further increase in PrA
      substitution abolished the uptake as well as the silencing. We performed all-atom
      molecular dynamics simulations to elucidate the mechanistic details behind these
      observations. A new assembly mechanism was observed by the presence of
      hydrophobic PrA moieties, where PrA migrated to core of the polyplex. This
      phenomenon caused higher surface hydrophobicity and surface charge density at low
      substitutions, and it caused deleterious effects on surface hydrophobicity and
      cationic charge at higher substitutions. It is evident that an optimal balance of
      hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity is needed to achieve the desired polyplex
      properties for an efficient siRNA delivery, and our mechanistic findings should
      provide valuable insights for the design of improved substituents on nonviral
      carriers. 

PMID- 26493099
TI  - Determining the reliability of a custom built seated stadiometry set-up for
      measuring spinal height in participants with chronic low back pain.
AB  - Indirect measurement of disc hydration can be obtained through measures of spinal
      height using stadiometry. However, specialised stadiometers for this are often
      custom-built and expensive. Generic wall-mounted stadiometers alternatively are
      common in clinics and laboratories. This study examined the reliability of a
      custom set-up utilising a wall-mounted stadiometer for measurement of spinal
      height using custom built wall mounted postural rods. Twelve participants with
      non-specific chronic low back pain (CLBP; females n = 5, males n = 7) underwent
      measurement of spinal height on three separate consecutive days at the same time
      of day where 10 measurements were taken at 20 s intervals. Comparisons were made
      using repeated measures analysis of variance for 'trial' and 'gender'. There were
      no significant effects by trial or interaction effects of trial x gender. Intra
      individual absolute standard error of measurement (SEM) was calculated for spinal
      height using the first of the 10 measures, the average of 10 measures, the total
      shrinkage, and the rate of shrinkage across the 10 measures examined as the slope
      of the curve when a linear regression was fitted. SEMs were 3.1 mm, 2.8 mm, 2.6
      mm and 0.212, respectively. Absence of significant differences between trials and
      the reported SEMs suggests this custom set-up for measuring spinal height changes
      is suitable use as an outcome measure in either research or clinical practice in
      participants with CLBP.

PMID- 26493100
TI  - The Economic Burden of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Canada in 2013.
AB  - AIM: To estimate the economic burden and cost attributable to Fetal Alcohol
      Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in Canada in 2013. METHODS: This cost-of-illness study
      examined the impact of FASD on the material welfare of the Canadian society in
      2013 by analyzing the direct costs of resources expended on health care, law
      enforcement, children and youth in care, special education, supportive housing,
      long-term care, prevention and research, as well as the indirect costs of
      productivity losses of individuals with FASD due to their increased morbidity and
      premature mortality. RESULTS: The costs totaled approximately $1.8 billion (from
      about $1.3 billion as the lower estimate up to $2.3 billion as the upper
      estimate). The highest contributor to the overall FASD-attributable cost was the
      cost of productivity losses due to morbidity and premature mortality, which
      accounted for 41% ($532 million-$1.2 billion) of the overall cost. The second
      highest contributor to the total cost was the cost of corrections, accounting for
      29% ($378.3 million). The third highest contributor was the cost of health care
      at 10% ($128.5-$226.3 million). CONCLUSIONS: FASD is a significant public health
      and social problem that consumes resources, both economic and societal, in
      Canada. Many of the costs could be reduced with the implementation of effective
      social policies and intervention programs.

PMID- 26493102
TI  - Clinical trial transparency: many gains but access to evidence for new medicines
      remains imperfect.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although selective and incomplete publication is widely acknowledged
      to be a problem, full access to clinical trial data remains illusive. SOURCES OF
      DATA: Authors' personal files, key documents from Food and Drug Administration
      and European Medicines Agency and focussed searches of PubMed. AREAS OF
      AGREEMENT: Existing sources of information provide an incomplete overview of
      scientific research. AREAS OF CONTROVERSY: Persistent arguments about commercial
      confidentiality and the potential difficulties in de-identifying raw data can
      block important progress. Current industry efforts are voluntary and only
      partially satisfy the need for complete data. GROWING POINTS: Requirements for
      trial registration are increasing. Important regulatory changes in particular in
      Europe have the potential to result in the release of more information. AREAS
      TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH: Documenting the effects of prospective trial
      registration and requirements for proactive clinical trial publication on
      healthcare decisions, public health and rational resource allocation.

PMID- 26493101
TI  - Marginal zone B cells emerge as a critical component of pregnancy well-being.
AB  - The success of eutherian mammal evolution was certainly supported by the ability
      of the already existing immune system to adapt to the presence of the semi
      allogeneic fetus without losing the capability to defend the mother against
      infections. This required the acquisition of highly regulated and coordinated
      immunological mechanisms. Failures in the development of these strategies not
      only lead to the interruption of pregnancy but also compromise maternal health.
      Alongside changes on the cytokine profile - expansion of tolerogenic dendritic
      and regulatory T cells - a profound adaptation of the B cell compartment during
      pregnancy was recently described. Among others, the suppression of B cell
      lymphopoiesis and B cell lymphopenia were proposed to be protective mechanisms
      tending to reduce the occurrence of autoreactive B cells that might recognize
      fetal structures and put pregnancy on risk. On the other hand, expansion of the
      pre-activated marginal zone (MZ) B cell phenotype was described as a compensatory
      strategy launched to overcome B cell lymphopenia thus ensuring a proper defense.
      In this work, using an animal model of pregnancy disturbances, we demonstrated
      that the suppression of B cell lymphopoiesis as well as splenic B cell
      lymphopenia occur independently of pregnancy outcome. However, only animals
      undergoing normal pregnancies, but not those suffering from pregnancy
      disturbances, could induce an expansion and activation of the MZ B cells. Hence,
      our results clearly show that MZ B cells, probably due to the production of
      natural protective antibodies, participate in the fine balance of immune
      activation required for pregnancy well-being. 

PMID- 26493103
TI  - Skin surface imaging of psoriasis vulgaris by using an electron paramagnetic
      resonance spin probe.

PMID- 26493104
TI  - Human DNA repair disorders in dermatology: A historical perspective, current
      concepts and new insight.
AB  - Products of DNA damage, such as cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and
      pyrimidine (6-4) pyrimidone photoproducts (6-4 PPs), are continually formed in
      genomes after exposure to UV radiation. When these DNA damages remain unrepaired
      in essential DNA sites for prolonged periods, DNA replication and transcription
      are hampered or mutation is induced, which may cause cell death, cellular
      senescence, and carcinogenesis of the skin. To protect against such UV-induced
      DNA damage, living organisms nicely retain "DNA repair systems", which can
      efficiently repair "harmful" DNA damage through precise mechanisms by the
      integrated functions of many proteins. In humans, the failure of DNA repair
      systems causes a variety of disorders. Dermatological conditions such as
      hereditary photodermatoses, xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) and Cockayne syndrome (CS)
      are caused by congenital functional defects in the nucleotide excision repair
      (NER) system or the translesion synthesis (TLS) system. In this review, we
      describe the historical progress, recent findings, and future prospects of
      studies of human diseases associated with DNA-repair defects. 

PMID- 26493105
TI  - Striate palmoplantar keratoderma: Report of a novel DSG1 mutation and atypical
      clinical manifestations.

PMID- 26493106
TI  - APC controls asymmetric Wnt/beta-catenin signaling and cardiomyocyte
      proliferation gradient in the heart.
AB  - AIMS: Cardiomyocyte (CM) proliferation increases from the inner trabecular to
      outer compact myocardium in fetal hearts. We determined if canonical Wnt
      signaling has directional and graded activity to maintain this CM proliferation
      gradient. Moreover, we investigated whether perturbation of Wnt signaling
      intensity could modulate CM proliferative activity. METHODS AND RESULTS: With
      confocal microscopy and image analysis we found that the Wnt effector, beta
      catenin, formed a signaling gradient which positively correlated with CM
      proliferative activity across ventricular walls of wild type (WT) embryos at
      embryonic day (E) 13.5 and 17.5. Negative Wnt regulators, adenomatosis polyposis
      coli (APC), had a reverse distribution pattern. The activation of canonical
      Wnt/beta-catenin signaling by deletion of Apc in CMs led to ventricular
      hyperplasia with no adverse effects on fetal survival or CM differentiation. In
      contrast, cardiac deletion of beta-catenin resulted in ventricular hypoplasia and
      fetal demise by E14.5. We further revealed differential distribution and
      regulation of three cyclin Ds in fetal hearts. Cyclin D1 was mainly expressed in
      endothelial cells. Although both cyclin D2 and D3 were present in CMs, only
      cyclin D2 was regulated by Wnt signaling perturbation: downregulation by beta
      catenin deletion and upregulation by Apc knockout. CONCLUSION: Canonical Wnt
      signaling is asymmetrical and graded across ventricular walls and positively
      regulates CM proliferation via cyclin D2.

PMID- 26493107
TI  - miRNA-34a reduces neointima formation through inhibiting smooth muscle cell
      proliferation and migration.
AB  - AIMS: We have recently reported that microRNA-34a (miR-34a) regulates vascular
      smooth muscle cell (VSMC) differentiation from stem cells in vitro and in vivo.
      However, little is known about the functional involvements of miR-34a in VSMC
      functions and vessel injury-induced neointima formation. In the current study, we
      aimed to establish the causal role of miR-34a and its target genes in VSMC
      proliferation, migration and neointima lesion formation. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Various pathological stimuli regulate miR-34a expression in VSMCs through a
      transcriptional mechanism, and the P53 binding site is required for miR-34a gene
      regulation by these stimuli. miR-34a over-expression in serum-starved VSMCs
      significantly inhibited VSMC proliferation and migration, while knockdown of miR
      34a dramatically promoted VSMC proliferation and migration, respectively. Notch
      homolog 1 (Notch1), a well-reported regulator in VSMC functions and arterial
      remodeling, was predicted as one of the top targets of miR-34a by using several
      computational miRNA target prediction tools, and was negatively regulated by miR
      34a in VSMCs. Luciferase assay showed miR-34a substantially repressed wild type
      Notch1-3'-UTR-luciferase activity in VSMCs, but not mutant Notch1-3'-UTR
      luciferease reporter, confirming the Notch1 is the functional target of miR-34a
      in VSMCs. Data from co-transfection experiments also revealed that miR-34a
      inhibited VSMC proliferation and migration through modulating Notch gene
      expression levels. Importantly, the expression level of miR-34a was significantly
      down-regulated in injured arteries, and miR-34a perivascular over-expression
      significantly reduced Notch1 expression levels, decreased VSMC proliferation, and
      inhibited neointima formation in wire-injured femoral arteries. CONCLUSION: Our
      data have demonstrated that miR-34a is an important regulator in VSMC functions
      and neointima hyperplasia, suggesting its potential therapeutic application for
      vascular diseases.

PMID- 26493110
TI  - Therapeutic potential and mechanism of thymol action against ethanol-induced
      gastric mucosal injury in rat model.
AB  - In this study, we investigated the potential of thymol and its mode of action to
      protect against the gastric mucosal injury induced by ethanol consumption in an
      in vivo model. Moreover, we determined the role of thymol in regulation of matrix
      metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), an enzyme belonging to the metalloproteinase group,
      which is responsible for the remodeling of injured tissues. Sprague-Dawley rats
      pretreated with thymol (10 mg/kg body weight) or normal saline were subjected to
      intragastric administration of 95% ethanol (5 mL/kg body weight). Morphological
      examination included ulcer index as a measurement of hemorrhages, and hematoxylin
      and eosin (H&E) staining was performed to analyze severity of gastric mucosal
      damage. Gelatinase zymography of tissue extract and in situ zymography were
      performed to demonstrate MMP-9 activity. Results of macroscopic examination
      suggested that thymol significantly protected gastric mucosa from damage induced
      by alcohol, which was severe in the case of alcohol-only treatment. H&E data
      demonstrated necrosis of the corpus region in alcohol-treated rats, which was
      abrogated in rats pretreated with thymol. Further, thymol protected against the
      constriction of small arteries and neutrophil infiltration in lymphatic vessels.
      Expression of antioxidant enzymes increased in the thymol-pretreated group, and
      downregulation of MMP-9 protein expression was observed by gelatin zymography as
      well as in situ zymography. The results of this study suggest that thymol
      protects against gastric mucosa injury induced by ethanol consumption by
      upregulating the secretion of antioxidant enzymes and downregulating the
      expression of the MMP-9 protein. 

PMID- 26493108
TI  - Fitness, but not physical activity, is related to functional integrity of brain
      networks associated with aging.
AB  - Greater physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with
      reduced age-related cognitive decline and lower risk for dementia. However,
      significant gaps remain in the understanding of how physical activity and fitness
      protect the brain from adverse effects of brain aging. The primary goal of the
      current study was to empirically evaluate the independent relationships between
      physical activity and fitness with functional brain health among healthy older
      adults, as measured by the functional connectivity of cognitively and clinically
      relevant resting state networks. To build context for fitness and physical
      activity associations in older adults, we first demonstrate that young adults
      have greater within-network functional connectivity across a broad range of
      cortical association networks. Based on these results and previous research, we
      predicted that individual differences in fitness and physical activity would be
      most strongly associated with functional integrity of the networks most sensitive
      to aging. Consistent with this prediction, and extending on previous research, we
      showed that cardiorespiratory fitness has a positive relationship with functional
      connectivity of several cortical networks associated with age-related decline,
      and effects were strongest in the default mode network (DMN). Furthermore, our
      results suggest that the positive association of fitness with brain function can
      occur independent of habitual physical activity. Overall, our findings provide
      further support that cardiorespiratory fitness is an important factor in
      moderating the adverse effects of aging on cognitively and clinically relevant
      functional brain networks.

PMID- 26493109
TI  - The impact of micronutrient supplementation in alcohol-exposed pregnancies on
      information processing skills in Ukrainian infants.
AB  - The potential of micronutrients to ameliorate the impact of prenatal alcohol
      exposure (PAE) was explored in a clinical trial conducted in Ukraine. Cardiac
      orienting responses (ORs) during a habituation/dishabituation learning paradigm
      were obtained from 6 to 12 month-olds to assess neurophysiological encoding and
      memory. Women who differed in prenatal alcohol use were recruited during
      pregnancy and assigned to a group (No study-provided supplements,
      multivitamin/mineral supplement, or multivitamin/mineral supplement plus choline
      supplement). Heart rate was collected for 30 s prior to stimulus onset and 12 s
      post-stimulus onset. Difference values (?HR) for the first 3 trials of each
      condition were aggregated for analysis. Gestational blood samples were collected
      to assess maternal nutritional status and changes as a function of the
      intervention. Choline supplementation resulted in a greater ?HR on the visual
      habituation trials for all infants and for the infants with no PAE on the
      dishabituation trials. The latency of the response was reduced in both conditions
      for all infants whose mothers received choline supplementation. Change in
      gestational choline level was positively related to ?HR during habituation trials
      and levels of one choline metabolite, dimethylglycine (DMG), predicted ?HR during
      habituation trials and latency of responses. A trend was found between DMG and
      ?HR on the dishabituation trials and latency of the response. Supplementation did
      not affect ORs to auditory stimuli. Choline supplementation when administered
      together with routinely recommended multivitamin/mineral prenatal supplements
      during pregnancy may provide a beneficial impact to basic learning mechanisms
      involved in encoding and memory of environmental events in alcohol-exposed
      pregnancies as well as non- or low alcohol-exposed pregnancies. Changes in
      maternal nutrient status suggested that one mechanism by which choline
      supplementation may positively impact brain development is through prevention of
      fetal alcohol-related depletion of DMG, a metabolic nutrient that can protect
      against overproduction of glycine, during critical periods of neurogenesis. 

PMID- 26493111
TI  - Neuroinflammation in Lewy body dementia.
AB  - Neuroinflammation is increasingly recognized as a key factor in the pathogenesis
      of neurodegenerative conditions. However, it remains unclear whether it has a
      protective or damaging role. Studies of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's
      disease have provided much of the evidence for inflammatory pathology in
      neurodegeneration. Here we review the evidence for inflammation in dementia with
      Lewy bodies and Parkinson's disease dementia. Neuroinflammation has been
      confirmed in vivo using PET imaging, with microglial activation seen in
      Parkinson's disease dementia and recently in dementia with Lewy bodies. In
      Parkinson's disease and Parkinson's disease dementia, microglial activation
      suggests a chronic inflammatory process, although there is also evidence of its
      association with cognitive ability and neuronal function. Alpha-synuclein in
      various conformations has also been linked to activation of microglia, with a
      broad range of components of the innate and adaptive immune systems associated
      with this interaction. Evidence of neuroinflammation in Lewy body dementia is
      further supported by pathological and biomarker studies. Genetic and
      epidemiological studies support a role for inflammation in Parkinson's disease,
      but have yet to provide the same for Lewy body dementia. This review highlights
      the need to identify whether the nature and extent of microglial activation in
      Lewy body dementia can be linked to structural change, progression of domain
      specific cognitive symptoms and peripheral inflammation as a marker of central
      microglial pathology. Answers to these questions will enable the evaluation of
      immunotherapies as potential therapeutic options for prevention or treatment of
      dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson's disease dementia.

PMID- 26493112
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of different caries risk assessment methods. A systematic
      review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the accuracy of different methods used to identify
      individuals with increased risk of developing dental coronal caries. DATA:
      Studies on following methods were included: previous caries experience, tests
      using microbiota, buffering capacity, salivary flow rate, oral hygiene, dietary
      habits and sociodemographic variables. QUADAS-2 was used to assess risk of bias.
      Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and likelihood ratios (LR) were
      calculated. Quality of evidence based on >=3 studies of a method was rated
      according to GRADE. SOURCES: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and
      reference lists of included publications were searched up to January 2015. STUDY
      SELECTION: From 5776 identified articles, 18 were included. Assessment of study
      quality identified methodological limitations concerning study design, test
      technology and reporting. No study presented low risk of bias in all domains.
      Three or more studies were found only for previous caries experience and salivary
      mutans streptococci and quality of evidence for these methods was low. Evidence
      regarding other methods was lacking. For previous caries experience, sensitivity
      ranged between 0.21 and 0.94 and specificity between 0.20 and 1. Tests using
      salivary mutans streptococci resulted in low sensitivity and high specificity.
      For children with primary teeth at baseline, pooled LR for a positive test was 3
      for previous caries experience and 4 for salivary mutans streptococci, given a
      threshold >=10(5) CFU/ml. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence on the validity of analysed
      methods used for caries risk assessment is limited. As methodological quality was
      low, there is a need to improve study design. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Low validity
      for the analysed methods may lead to patients with increased risk not being
      identified, whereas some are falsely identified as being at risk. As caries risk
      assessment guides individualized decisions on interventions and intervals for
      patient recall, improved performance based on best evidence is greatly needed.

PMID- 26493114
TI  - Unusual outer ear swelling: Childhood auricular rhabdomyosarcoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most frequent soft-tissue sarcoma in
      children and makes up 5% of all pediatric malignant tumors. The main head and
      neck locations are the base of the skull, nasopharynx, nasal cavity and orbit. An
      outer ear location is considered extremely rare. We present 3 cases of children,
      aged 6 to 14 years, presenting with auricular RMS. CASE REPORTS: The first child,
      aged 6, was managed by 4 chemotherapy cycles followed by surgical resection of
      the tumor bed, completed by 5 further cycles of chemotherapy. The second, aged
      14, was managed by 4 chemotherapy cycles followed by external radiation therapy
      of the tumor bed and lymph node areas, completed by 5 further cycles of
      chemotherapy. The third, aged 13, was managed by 4 chemotherapy cycles followed
      by surgery, completed by 5 further cycles of chemotherapy. DISCUSSION: In these 3
      patients, the treatment program achieved complete disease control. Prognosis was
      good, thanks to good surgical access. Diagnosis should be considered in case of
      unusual progressive swelling in the outer ear.

PMID- 26493115
TI  - Time dependent gender differences in suicide risk among Operation Enduring
      Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans.

PMID- 26493113
TI  - Head and neck adenoid cystic carcinoma: A prospective multicenter REFCOR study of
      95 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical, histological and therapeutic
      characteristics of a prospective multicenter series of 95 head and neck adenoid
      cystic carcinoma patients, and to determine any prognostic factors for disease
      free survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-five patients with adenoid cystic
      carcinoma were included in the Reseau d'Expertise Francais Des Cancers ORL Rares
      (REFCOR, French Rare Head and Neck Cancer Expert Network) database between 2009
      and 2012. The primary site was the salivary glands in 39 cases, sinus cavities
      (including hard palate) in 36 cases, pharynx-larynx-trachea in 14 cases, and lips
      and oral cavity in 4 cases. The tumor was stage I in 15% of cases, stage II in
      23%, stage III in 26% and stage IV in 36%. Nine patients had cervical lymph node
      involvement and 5 had metastases at diagnosis. Fifty-six percent of patients were
      managed by surgery with postoperative radiation therapy. During follow-up, 3
      patients died, 9 developed metastases and 12 showed recurrence or local
      progression. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 18 months. On univariate analysis,
      disease-free survival correlated with T stage (P=0.05), N stage (P=0.003),
      resection margins (P=0.04), lymph node involvement on histology (P=0.01), and
      absence of chemotherapy (P=0.03). On multivariate analysis, disease-free survival
      correlated with T stage (P=0.01), N stage (P=0.09) and surgery (P=0.005).
      CONCLUSION: The essential issue in adenoid cystic carcinoma is long-term control.
      The present results confirm that the reference attitude is radical surgical
      resection for optimal local control. Adjuvant radiation therapy did not emerge as
      a prognostic factor. This study also provides a starting-point for translational
      studies in pathology and genetics.

PMID- 26493116
TI  - Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) is an excellent tool, but not perfect: a
      guide to counseling patients considering PGS.

PMID- 26493117
TI  - Relationship between sperm aneuploidy, sperm DNA integrity, chromatin packaging,
      traditional semen parameters, and recurrent pregnancy loss.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the possible relationship between sperm aneuploidy, sperm DNA
      integrity, chromatin packaging, traditional semen parameters, and recurrent
      pregnancy loss (RPL). DESIGN: Descriptive study. SETTING: University-affiliated
      tertiary teaching. PATIENT(S): A total of 22 couples with history of RPL and 20
      fertile men. INTERVENTION(S): Semen samples from case and control men were
      examined for differences in semen parameters, DNA fragmentation, chromatin
      condensation, and sperm aneuploidy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Sperm DNA and
      chromatin integrity and sperm aneuploidy. RESULT(S): Sperm progressive motility
      (30.2% vs. 51.5%) was significantly lower and abnormal morphology (74.8% vs.
      54.2%) was significantly higher in the RPL group versus the control group,
      respectively. The percentage of fragmented DNA was significantly increased in the
      RPL group (17.1% vs. 10.2%) as well as the rate of spermatozoa with nuclear
      chromatin decondensation (23.6% vs. 11.8%). There was a significantly higher
      sperm aneuploidy rate among the RPL group as well. CONCLUSION(S): The increase in
      abnormal sperm parameters, sperm DNA fragmentation, nuclear chromatin
      decondensation, and sperm aneuploidy suggest possible causes of unexplained RPL.

PMID- 26493118
TI  - Second live birth after undergoing assisted reproductive technology in women
      operated on for endometriosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine prognostic factors for a second live birth, after a first
      child obtained through assisted reproductive techniques (ART). DESIGN:
      Observational study from January 2004 to December 2014. SETTING: Tertiary care
      university hospital and ART center. PATIENT(S): A total of 164 infertile patients
      with endometriosis, who underwent laparoscopy surgery and had a first baby
      obtained by ART, were included and 65 wished a second baby. INTERVENTION(S): No
      iterative surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Spontaneous pregnancy rate (PR)
      according to endometriosis fertility index. RESULT(S): Among the cohort, 27
      patients (41.5%) gave birth to a second child through spontaneous pregnancy,
      whereas 23 patients (35.3%) required ART to obtain a second live birth. No
      difference was observed between patients regarding age, endometriosis staging,
      complete removal of endometriosis lesions and pelvic adhesion, except for the
      least function score, and the endometriosis fertility index. Taking into account
      irrespective of both mode of conception a total of 78% of patients obtained a
      second child, with a median conception time of 17 months. CONCLUSION(S): The
      second live birth rate in infertile patients with endometriosis and with surgical
      treatment was high (78%). Spontaneous PR was 54%. Endometriosis fertility index
      could be considered as a predictive factor for a spontaneous second pregnancy in
      fertility management. Our results need to be confirmed in larger prospective
      studies.

PMID- 26493119
TI  - Maternal microbiome and pregnancy outcomes.
AB  - Alterations of the human microbiome are a known characteristic of various
      inflammatory disease states and have been linked to spontaneous preterm birth and
      other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Recent advances in metagenomic research have
      proven that the placenta harbors its own rich diverse microbiome, even in
      clinically healthy pregnancies, and preterm birth may be a result of hematogenous
      infection rather than exclusively ascending infection as previously hypothesized.
      In this review, we describe the microbiome in healthy nongravid and gravid women
      to contrast it with the alterations of the microbiome associated with spontaneous
      preterm birth. We also discuss the importance of host gene-environment
      interactions and the potential for microbiota-specific targeted therapies to
      reduce the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. 

PMID- 26493120
TI  - Novel fumarate hydratase mutation in a family with atypical uterine leiomyomas
      and hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe a novel mutation in the fumarate hydratase (FH) gene in a
      family with atypical uterine leiomyomas. DESIGN: Case report and review of the
      literature. SETTING: Academic community hospital. PATIENT(S): Three sisters who
      presented as nulligravidas aged 27-30 years with large atypical uterine
      leiomyomas. INTERVENTION(S): Abdominal myomectomy, robotic myomectomy,
      hysterectomy, gene sequencing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Identification of a
      family with hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC) syndrome and
      a novel mutation in the FH gene. RESULT(S): Two of the three sisters tested
      positive for a novel FH mutation p.Leu99Glufsx6. The eldest sister was clinically
      diagnosed with HLRCC. The patients' father also carries the same mutation in the
      FH gene. The patients and their father are now undergoing yearly screening for
      renal cancer. CONCLUSION(S): Patients with HLRCC are at risk for developing renal
      cancer as well as losing their fertility via early hysterectomy. Physicians must
      be aware of this condition and refer at-risk individuals for genetic testing.

PMID- 26493121
TI  - Beneficial value of testicular sperm extraction-AgarCyto in addition to the
      standard testicular biopsy for diagnosis of testicular germ cell tumors in
      nonobstructive azoospermia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study whether immunohistochemical detection of germ cell neoplasia
      in situ (GCNIS) in AgarCytos, made of the remnants of the testicular sperm
      extraction (TESE) specimen, is equally accurate as in a standard testicular
      biopsy. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study performed between January 2013 and May
      2014. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENT(S): All men with nonobstructive
      azoospermia (n = 197) undergoing a urological work-up followed by a unilateral or
      bilateral TESE for fertility treatment were consecutively included.
      INTERVENTION(S): An AgarCyto was made of the remnants of these TESE biopsies.
      Simultaneously a standard testicular biopsy was performed. For all cases a
      routine hematoxylin-eosin (H & E) staining was performed as well as
      immunohistochemistry (PLAP and OCT3/4) to detect GCNIS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S):
      The presence or absence of GCNIS in the TESE-AgarCyto and standard testicular
      biopsy. RESULT(S): Six men (3.0%) were diagnosed with a germ cell (pre)malignancy
      by immunohistochemistry. No cases were encountered in which the TESE-AgarCyto was
      negative, whereas the standard testicular biopsy was positive for GCNIS. In one
      case the TESE-AgarCyto detected a premalignancy that was missed by standard
      testicular biopsy. Unfortunately a standard testicular biopsy was not available
      for direct comparison in 50% of the GCNIS-positive patients due to various
      reasons. CONCLUSION(S): Because GCNIS is heterogeneously distributed in the
      testis, the TESE-AgarCyto can diagnose GCNIS even when the standard testicular
      biopsy is negative. Direct comparison of accuracy, however, is not reliable due
      to the low prevalence of GCNIS and the lack of a standard biopsy when an
      orchidectomy was performed simultaneously with TESE.

PMID- 26493123
TI  - Prediction modelling for trauma using comorbidity and 'true' 30-day outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prediction models for trauma outcome routinely control for age but
      there is uncertainty about the need to control for comorbidity and whether the
      two interact. This paper describes recent revisions to the Trauma Audit and
      Research Network (TARN) risk adjustment model designed to take account of age and
      comorbidities. In addition linkage between TARN and the Office of National
      Statistics (ONS) database allows patient's outcome to be accurately identified up
      to 30 days after injury. Outcome at discharge within 30 days was previously used.
      METHODS: Prospectively collected data between 2010 and 2013 from the TARN
      database were analysed. The data for modelling consisted of 129 786 hospital
      trauma admissions. Three models were compared using the area under the receiver
      operating curve (AuROC) for assessing the ability of the models to predict
      outcome, the Akaike information criteria to measure the quality between models
      and test for goodness-of-fit and calibration. Model 1 is the current TARN model,
      Model 2 is Model 1 augmented by a modified Charlson comorbidity index and Model 3
      is Model 2 with ONS data on 30 day outcome. RESULTS: The values of the AuROC
      curve for Model 1 were 0.896 (95% CI 0.893 to 0.899), for Model 2 were 0.904
      (0.900 to 0.907) and for Model 3 0.897 (0.896 to 0.902). No significant
      interaction was found between age and comorbidity in Model 2 or in Model 3.
      CONCLUSIONS: The new model includes comorbidity and this has improved outcome
      prediction. There was no interaction between age and comorbidity, suggesting that
      both independently increase vulnerability to mortality after injury.

PMID- 26493122
TI  - Association study of androgen signaling pathway genes in polycystic ovary
      syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate genes involved in androgen receptor (AR) signaling as
      candidate genes for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN: Two groups of women
      with PCOS and control women (discovery and replication cohorts), were genotyped
      for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in eight genes for AR chaperones and
      co-chaperones: HSPA1A, HSPA8, ST13, STIP1, PTGES3, FKBP4, BAG1, and STUB1. Single
      nucleotide polymorphisms were tested for association with PCOS status and with
      androgenic and metabolic parameters. SETTING: Tertiary referral center.
      PATIENT(S): Discovery cohort: 354 women with PCOS and 161 control women.
      Replication cohort: 397 women with PCOS and 306 control women. INTERVENTION(S):
      Phenotypic and genotypic assessment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Single-nucleotide
      polymorphism genotypes, association with PCOS status, and androgenic and
      metabolic parameters. RESULT(S): In the discovery cohort, FKBP4 SNPs rs2968909
      and rs4409904 were associated with lower odds of PCOS. This finding was not
      confirmed in the replication cohort analysis; however, when combining the two
      cohorts, rs4409904 was associated with lower odds of PCOS. In subjects with PCOS
      in the replication cohort as well as in the combined cohort, rs2968909 was
      associated with lower body mass index. CONCLUSION(S): Single-nucleotide
      polymorphisms in FKBP4, which codes for the AR co-chaperone FKBP52, may be
      associated with PCOS and body mass index in patients with PCOS. The remaining
      genes studied do not seem to be major contributors to the development of PCOS.
      These findings warrant confirmation in future studies, and genes encoding other
      androgen pathway components remain to be studied.

PMID- 26493124
TI  - Challenging the dogma of traumatic cardiac arrest management: a military
      perspective.
AB  - Attempts to resuscitate patients in traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) have, in the
      past, been viewed as futile. However, reported outcomes from TCA in the past five
      years, particularly from military series, are improving. The pathophysiology of
      TCA is different to medical causes of cardiac arrest, and therefore, treatment
      priorities may also need to be different. This article reviews recent literature
      describing the pathophysiology of TCA and describes how the military has
      challenged the assumption that outcome is universally poor in these patients. 

PMID- 26493125
TI  - Immunomodulatory properties and in vivo osteogenesis of human dental stem cells
      from fresh and cryopreserved dental follicles.
AB  - In our previous study, dental follicle tissues from extracted wisdom teeth were
      successfully cryopreserved for use as a source of stem cells. The goals of the
      present study were to investigate the immunomodulatory properties of stem cells
      from fresh and cryopreserved dental follicles (fDFCs and cDFCs, respectively) and
      to analyze in vivo osteogenesis after transplantation of these DFCs into
      experimental animals. Third passage fDFCs and cDFCs showed similar expression
      levels of interferon-gamma receptor (CD119) and major histocompatibility complex
      class I and II (MHC I and MHC II, respectively), with high levels of CD119 and
      MHC I and nearly no expression of MHC II. Both fresh and cryopreserved human DFCs
      (hDFCs) were in vivo transplanted along with a demineralized bone matrix scaffold
      into mandibular defects in miniature pigs and subcutaneous tissues of mice.
      Radiological and histological evaluations of in vivo osteogenesis in hDFC
      transplanted sites revealed significantly enhanced new bone formation activities
      compared with those in scaffold-only implanted control sites. Interestingly, at 8
      weeks post-hDFC transplantation, the newly generated bones were overgrown
      compared to the original size of the mandibular defects, and strong expression of
      osteocalcin and vascular endothelial growth factor were detected in the hDFCs
      transplanted tissues of both animals. Immunohistochemical analysis of CD3, CD4,
      and CD8 in the ectopic bone formation sites of mice showed significantly
      decreased CD4 expression in DFCs-implanted tissues compared with those in control
      sites. These findings indicate that hDFCs possess immunomodulatory properties
      that involved inhibition of the adaptive immune response mediated by CD4 and MHC
      II, which highlights the usefulness of hDFCs in tissue engineering. In
      particular, long-term preserved dental follicles could serve as an excellent
      autologous or allogenic stem cell source for bone tissue regeneration as well as
      a valuable therapeutic agent for immune diseases. 

PMID- 26493126
TI  - Abnormal adaptation over time of motor network recruitment in multiple sclerosis
      patients with fatigue.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a motor
      task, we investigated the functional correlates of central fatigue in multiple
      sclerosis (MS), and adaptation of motor network recruitment during a prolonged
      effort. METHODS: Motor fMRI was obtained from 79 MS patients (50 fatigued (F), 29
      non-fatigued (nF)) and 26 matched healthy controls (HC). Cognitive and physical
      fatigue were rated using the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS). RESULTS:
      Compared to HC and nF patients, F-MS patients experienced reduced activations of
      the left middle temporal gyrus, left supplementary motor area (SMA), bilateral
      superior frontal gyrus, left postcentral gyrus and basal ganglia regions. They
      also showed increased activation of the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG). Time
      modulation analysis showed a reduced activity of the SMA and right precentral
      gyrus, and increased activity of the basal ganglia in HC. Such a trend was
      impaired in F-MS patients. In MS patients, increased MFG activity was related to
      MFIS scores. Physical MFIS score was related to a reduced recruitment of the
      right thalamus and SMA. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormalities and impaired timing of
      activation between different areas of the motor and executive networks occur in F
      MS patients. The dysfunction of critical cortical areas contributes to the
      occurrence of central fatigue.

PMID- 26493127
TI  - Deregulation of microRNA-181c in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with clinically
      isolated syndrome is associated with early conversion to relapsing-remitting
      multiple sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MiRNA-181c, miRNA-633 and miRNA-922 have been reported to be
      deregulated in multiple sclerosis. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association
      between miRNA-181c, miRNA-633 and miRNA-922 and conversion from clinically
      isolated syndrome (CIS) to relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS); and to
      compare microRNAs in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum with regard to
      dysfunction of the blood-CSF barrier. METHODS: CSF and serum miRNA-181c, miRNA
      633 and miRNA-922 were retrospectively determined by quantitative real-time
      polymerase chain reaction in CIS patients with (CIS-RRMS) and without (CIS-CIS)
      conversion to RRMS within 1 year. RESULTS: Thirty of 58 CIS patients developed
      RRMS. Cerebrospinal fluid miRNA-922, serum miRNA-922 and cerebrospinal fluid
      miRNA-181c were significantly higher in CIS-RRMS compared to CIS-CIS (P=0.027,
      P=0.048, P=0.029, respectively). High levels of cerebrospinal fluid miRNA-181c
      were independently associated with conversion from CIS to RRMS in multivariate
      Cox regression analysis (hazard ratio 2.99, 95% confidence interval 1.41-6.34,
      P=0.005). A combination of high cerebrospinal fluid miRNA-181c, younger age and
      more than nine lesions on magnetic resonance imaging showed the highest
      specificity (96%) and positive predictive value (94%) for conversion from CIS to
      RRMS. MiRNA-181c was higher in serum than in cerebrospinal fluid (P <0.001),
      while miRNA-633 and miRNA-922 were no different in cerebrospinal fluid and serum.
      Cerebrospinal fluid/serum albumin quotients did not correlate with microRNAs in
      cerebrospinal fluid (all P>0.711). CONCLUSIONS: Cerebrospinal fluid miRNA-181c
      might serve as a biomarker for early conversion to RRMS. Moreover, our data
      suggest an intrathecal origin of microRNAs detected in the cerebrospinal fluid.

PMID- 26493128
TI  - Evaluation of owner experiences and adherence to home-cooked diet recipes for
      dogs.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate owner experiences and adherence to home-cooked diet
      recipes for dogs. METHODS: Clients of a veterinary teaching hospital clinical
      nutrition service who had a home-cooked diet recipe formulated for their dogs
      between March 2011 and December 2013 were given a survey by email, postal mail
      and telephone. Survey questions addressed motivations, positive and negative
      aspects of feeding home-cooked diets and current feeding practices. Responses
      were compared to animals' medical records to determine adherence. RESULTS: Of the
      93 owners who were contacted, 53 (57%) completed the survey. Of the 53
      respondents, 43 owners (81%) reported that they were still feeding an home-cooked
      diet or had fed an home-cooked diet until the time of their dogs' deaths. The
      most common motivation for feeding a home-cooked diet was suitability for
      specific medical needs. Of the 30 surveys that included a complete diet history,
      only four (13%) demonstrated exact adherence to home-cooked diet recipes.
      CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Most respondents liked and continued to feed a home-cooked
      diet, but few owners adhered to prescribed recipes and many dogs required recipe
      modifications. It is important to counsel dog owners about benefits and drawbacks
      of feeding home-cooked diets, importance of recipe adherence and necessity for
      follow-up after diet formulation with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.

PMID- 26493130
TI  - Effectiveness of motivational interviewing on lifestyle modification and health
      outcomes of clients at risk or diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases: A
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Clinically, there is an increasing trend in using
      motivational interviewing as a counseling method to help clients with
      cardiovascular diseases to modify their unhealthy lifestyle in order to decrease
      the risk of disease occurrence. As motivational interviewing has gained increased
      attention, research has been conducted to examine its effectiveness. This review
      attempts to identify the best available evidence related to the effectiveness of
      motivational interviewing on lifestyle modification, physiological and
      psychological outcomes for clients at risk of developing or with established
      cardiovascular diseases. DESIGN: Systematic review of studies incorporating
      motivational interviewing in modifying lifestyles, improving physiological and
      psychological outcomes for clients at risk of or diagnosed with cardiovascular
      diseases. DATA SOURCES: Major English and Chinese electronic databases were
      searched to identify citations that reported the effectiveness of motivational
      interviewing. The searched databases included MEDLINE, British Nursing Index,
      CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, CJN, CBM, HyRead, WanFang Data, Digital
      Dissertation Consortium, and so on. REVIEW METHOD: Two reviewers independently
      assessed the relevance of citations based on the inclusion criteria. Full texts
      of potential citations were retrieved for more detailed review. Critical
      appraisal was conducted by using the standardized critical appraisal checklist
      for randomized and quasi-randomized controlled studies from the Joanna Briggs
      Institute - Meta Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI
      MAStaRI). RESULTS: After eligibility screening, 14 articles describing 9 studies
      satisfied the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Only certain
      outcomes in certain studies were pooled for meta-analysis because of the large
      variability of the studies included, other findings were presented in narrative
      form. For lifestyle modification, the review showed that motivational
      interviewing could be more effective than usual care on altering smoking habits.
      For physiological outcomes, the review showed that motivational interviewing
      positively improved client's systolic and diastolic blood pressures but the
      result was not significant. For psychological outcomes, the review showed that
      motivational interviewing might have favorable effect on improving clients'
      depression. For other outcomes, the review showed that motivational interviewing
      did not differ from usual care or usual care was even more effective.
      CONCLUSIONS: The review showed that motivational interviewing might have
      favorable effects on changing clients' smoking habits, depression, and three SF
      36 domains. For the other outcomes, most of the results were inconclusive.
      Further studies should be performed to identify the optimal format and frequency
      of motivational interviewing. Primary research on the effectiveness of
      motivational interviewing on increasing clients' motivation and their actual
      changes in healthy behavior is also recommended.

PMID- 26493131
TI  - How new graduate nurses experience patient death: A systematic review and
      qualitative meta-synthesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient death is an emotional and demanding experience for nurses,
      especially for new graduate nurses who are unprepared to deliver end-of-life
      care. Understanding new graduate nurses' experience of death and dying will
      inform the design of training programs and interventions for improvements in the
      quality of care and support of new graduates. OBJECTIVE: To summarize new
      graduate nurses' experience with patient death by examining the findings of
      existing qualitative studies. DESIGN: Systematic review methods incorporating
      meta-synthesis were used. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted in 12
      databases from January 1990 to December 2014. All qualitative and mixed-method
      studies in English and Chinese that explored new graduate nurses' experience of
      patient death were included. Two independent reviewers selected the studies for
      inclusion and assessed each study quality. Meta-aggregation was performed to
      synthesize the findings of the included studies. RESULTS: Five primary
      qualitative studies and one mix-method study met inclusion and quality criteria.
      Six key themes were identified from the original findings: emotional experiences,
      facilitating a good death, support for family, inadequacy on end-of-life care
      issues, personal and professional growth and coping strategies. New graduate
      nurses expressed a variety of feelings when faced with patient death, but still
      they tried to facilitate a good death for dying patients and provide support for
      their families. The nurses benefited from this challenging encounter though they
      lacked of coping strategies.

PMID- 26493129
TI  - Mirabegron relaxes urethral smooth muscle by a dual mechanism involving beta3 
      adrenoceptor activation and alpha1 -adrenoceptor blockade.
AB  - LINKED ARTICLE: This article is commented on by Michel, M. C., pp. 429-430 of
      this issue. To view this commentary visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.13379.
      BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Mirabegron is the first beta3 -adrenoceptor agonist
      approved for treatment of overactive bladder syndrome. This study aimed to
      investigate the effects of beta3 -adrenoceptor agonist mirabegron in mouse
      urethra. The possibility that mirabegron also exerts alpha1 -adrenoceptor
      antagonism was also tested in rat smooth muscle preparations presenting alpha1A -
      (vas deferens and prostate), alpha1D - (aorta) and alpha1B -adrenoceptors
      (spleen). EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Functional assays were carried out in mouse and
      rat isolated tissues. Competition assays for the specific binding of [(3)
      H]prazosin to membrane preparations of HEK-293 cells expressing each of the human
      alpha1 -adrenoceptors, as well as beta-adrenoceptor mRNA expression and cyclic
      AMP measurements in mouse urethra, were performed. KEY RESULTS: Mirabegron
      produced concentration-dependent urethral relaxations that were shifted to the
      right by the selective beta3 -adrenoceptor antagonist L-748,337 but unaffected by
      beta1 - and beta2 -adrenoceptor antagonists (atenolol and ICI-118,551
      respectively). Mirabegron-induced relaxations were enhanced by the PDE4 inhibitor
      rolipram, and the agonist stimulated cAMP synthesis. Mirabegron also produced
      rightward shifts in urethral contractions induced by the alpha1 -adrenoceptor
      agonist phenylephrine. Schild regression analysis revealed that mirabegron
      behaves as a competitive antagonist of alpha1 -adrenoceptors in urethra, vas
      deferens and prostate (alpha1A -adrenoceptor, pA2  ? 5.6) and aorta (alpha1D 
      adrenoceptor, pA2  ? 5.4) but not in spleen (alpha1B -adrenoceptor). The
      affinities estimated for mirabegron in functional assays were consistent with
      those estimated in radioligand binding with human recombinant alpha1A - and
      alpha1D -adrenoceptors (pKi  ? 6.0). CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The effects of
      mirabegron in urethral smooth muscle are the result of beta3 -adrenoceptor
      agonism together with alpha1A and alpha1D -adrenoceptor antagonism.

PMID- 26493132
TI  - Nonsymbiotic hemoglobins and stress tolerance in plants.
AB  - Hemoglobins (Hbs) are heme containing proteins found in most organisms including
      animals, bacteria, and plants. Their structure, size, and function are quite
      diverse among the different organisms. There are three different types of
      hemoglobins in plants: symbiotic (sHb), nonsymbiotic (nsHb), and truncated
      hemoglobins (trHb). The nonsymbiotic hemoglobins are divided into: class 1
      hemoglobins (nsHb-1s), which have a very high affinity for oxygen: and class 2
      hemoglobins (nsHb-2s), which have lower affinity for oxygen, are similar to the
      sHbs. nsHb-1s are expressed under hypoxia, osmotic stress, nutrient deprivation,
      cold stress, rhizobial infection, nitric oxide exposure, and fungal infection.
      Tolerance to stress is very important for the survival of the plant. Hemoglobins
      are one of many different strategies that plants have evolved to overcome stress
      conditions and survive. Hbs also react with NO produced under different stress
      conditions. Class 1 nsHbs are involved in a metabolic pathway involving NO. Those
      hemoglobins provide an alternative type of respiration to mitochondrial electron
      transport under limiting oxygen concentrations. Class 1 nsHbs in hypoxic plants
      act as part of a soluble, terminal, NO dioxygenase system, yielding nitrate from
      the reaction of oxyHb with NO. The overall reaction sequence, referred to as the
      nsHb/NO cycle, consumes NADH and maintains ATP levels via an as yet unknown
      mechanism. Class 2 nsHbs seem to scavenge NO in a similar fashion as class 1 Hbs
      and are involved in reducing flowering time in Arabidopsis. nsHbs also show
      peroxidase-like activity and NO metabolism and possibly protect against
      nitrosative stress in plant-pathogen interaction and in symbiotic interactions.
      nsHbs may be involved in other stress conditions such as osmotic, nutrient and
      cold stress together with NO and the function of nsHbs can be in NO metabolism
      and signal transduction. However, other possible functions cannot be precluded as
      Hbs have many different functions in other organisms. 

PMID- 26493133
TI  - Rethinking metabolic control.
AB  - Modulation of metabolic fluxes in plants is usually not a successful business.
      The main reason is our limited understanding of metabolic plasticity and
      metabolic control, with the latter still largely influenced by the idea that each
      pathway has a rate limiting step controlling the flux. Not only is experimental
      evidence for such steps lacking for most pathways, despite intensive search, but
      there are also theoretical arguments against the idea that highly regulated
      enzymes catalyzing reactions far from equilibrium must be considered a priori
      rate limiting. Conversely, it is argued that reactions close to equilibrium need
      a lot of enzyme to be maintained close to equilibrium and, contrary to accepted
      wisdom, begin to limit flux when reduced. Using a few key examples of plant
      metabolic pathways as case studies, I draw some general conclusions. The approach
      of augmenting flux by pushing a pathway from above is well exemplified by the
      attempts at increasing starch content in potato tubers, where several different
      approaches failed. Also pulling at the other end (close to the end product) has
      yielded little improvement, while targeting a reaction close to equilibrium
      (ADP/ATP translocation at the plastid envelope) successfully increased starch
      content. Rethinking control is equally well applicable to photosynthesis, with
      prime examples of 'neglected', unregulated enzymes exerting significant control
      and overprized 'limiting' enzymes having little control in normal conditions like
      rubisco. In this new paradigm, the role of most control mechanisms is also
      challenged: feedback inhibition and post-translational modification of enzymes
      are relevant to metabolite homeostasis rather than flux control, with moiety
      conservation being a major reason for this constraint. I advocate a more
      extensive use of control circuitry elements (e.g. sensors like riboswitches),
      metabolic shortcuts and transcription factors in metabolic engineering. 

PMID- 26493135
TI  - Mago Nashi is involved in meristem organization, pollen formation, and seed
      development in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Mago Nashi (Mago) is involved in several processes related to mRNA physiology in
      animal cells, including mRNA export from the nucleus, cytoplasmic mRNA
      localization, non-sense mediated mRNA decay, and translation. These cellular
      roles are visible as defects in development when Mago gene expression is modified
      in mutant model animal systems. Mago gene orthologs exist in plants, however,
      their functional roles in growth and development have not been well studied.
      Using an RNA interference (RNAi) approach, we produced transgenic Arabidopsis
      plants that had reduced levels of AtMago mRNA. RNAi-AtMago plants were delayed in
      their overall development, produced a greater number of leaves, and possessed
      short and occasionally fasciated stems. The leaves were small in size and
      demonstrated enhanced curling along their length. Shoot meristems of RNAi-AtMago
      plants lacked the cellular organization of wildtype meristems. Shoot meristematic
      cells were extensively vacuolated and large intercellular spaces were evident.
      RNAi-AtMago plants produced short lateral roots that lacked normal cell profiles
      and demonstrated premature root hair differentiation. The arrangement of
      microspore tetrads in RNAi-AtMago plants was aberrant, and microspores were
      extensively vacuolated. Pollen production and pollen germination rates were also
      reduced. RNAi-AtMago plants occasionally produced aborted seeds, or demonstrated
      delayed seed development that resulted in non-viable seed. The range of
      developmental defects visible in RNAi-AtMago plants and the ubiquitous expression
      of AtMago indicates that Mago has essential functions in most, if not all plant
      cell types. 

PMID- 26493134
TI  - Variation in intron length in caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) in Vanilla
      species (Orchidaceae).
AB  - Variation in intron length in caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) in Vanilla
      was studied and demonstrated that COMT genes in Vanilla are organized with four
      exons and three introns. At least two to four different versions (either allelic
      or paralogous) of the COMT multigenic family in the genus Vanilla (in terms of
      intron sizes) were detected. The three introns were differentially variable, with
      intron-1 being the most length-polymorphic. Patterns of variations were in
      accordance with known phylogenetic relationships in the genus obtained with
      neutral markers. In particular, the genus displayed a strong Old World versus New
      World differentiation with American fragrant species being characterized by a
      specific 99bp intron-1 size-variant and a unique 226bp intron-3 variant.
      Conversely, leafless species of the genus displayed unexpected variations in
      intron lengths. Due to their role in primary (lignin) and secondary (phenolics,
      e.g., vanillin, alkaloids) metabolisms, COMT genes might not be neutral markers,
      and represent candidate functional markers for resistance, aromatic or medicinal
      properties of Vanilla species. Investigating the orthologous/paralogous status of
      the different genes revealed (in terms of intron size) will allow the evolution
      of the COMT genes to be studied. 

PMID- 26493136
TI  - Color recovery in berries of grape (Vitis vinifera L.) 'Benitaka', a bud sport of
      'Italia', is caused by a novel allele at the VvmybA1 locus.
AB  - Color mutations in grape berry skin are relatively frequent events, and can be
      easily seen in the vineyard. Both light-red-skinned 'Ruby Okuyama' and more
      intense and uniform rosy-skinned 'Benitaka' (Vitis vinifera L.) are bud sports of
      white-skinned 'Italia'. Previously, we reported that 'Ruby Okuyama' was caused by
      the recovery of VvmybA1 expression, which may have occurred as a result of intra
      LTR (long terminal repeat) recombination within a retrotransposon, Gret1.
      However, the molecular basis of the color recovery in 'Benitaka' has not been
      elucidated so far. Here, we found that the VvmybA1 locus of 'Benitaka' is
      heterozygous for the VvmybA1a allele (non-functional) and a novel VvmybA1(BEN)
      allele, and that VvmybA1(BEN) restored VvmybA1 transcripts. We hypothesized that
      VvmybA1(BEN) allele was caused by homologous recombination between VvmybA1a and
      VvmybA3. In addition, the content and composition of anthocyanins in berry skins
      differed greatly between 'Ruby Okuyama' and 'Benitaka'. The levels of expression
      of the genes for flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase (F3'5'H), O-methyltransferase (OMT),
      and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were associated with differences in the
      anthocyanin content and composition between the two cultivars. 

PMID- 26493137
TI  - Improving phosphorus acquisition of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) by
      transgenic expression of plant-derived phytase and acid phosphatase genes.
AB  - Phosphate is one of the least available macronutrients restricting crop
      production in many ecosystems. A phytase gene (MtPHY1) and a purple acid
      phosphatase gene (MtPAP1), both isolated from the model legume Medicago
      truncatula, were introduced into white clover (Trifolium repens L.) by
      Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The transgenes were driven by the
      constitutive CaMV35S promoter or the root-specific MtPT1 promoter. Transcripts
      were detected in roots of the transgenic plants. Phytase or acid phosphatase
      (APase) activities in root apoplasts of the transgenic plants were increased up
      to three-fold compared to the wild type control. After the plants were grown 80
      days in sand pots supplied with organic phosphorus (Po) as the sole P source, dry
      weights of shoot tissues of the best performing transgenic plants almost doubled
      that of the control and were comparable to the counterparts supplied with
      inorganic phosphorus (Pi). Relative biomass production of the transgenics under
      Po treatment was over 90% and 80% of that from the Pi treatment when the plants
      were grown in hydroponics (40 days) and sand pots (80 days), respectively. In
      contrast, biomass of the wild type controls under Po treatment was only about 50%
      of the Pi treatment in either hydroponic cultures or sand pots. In addition,
      shoot P concentrations of the transgenic plants were significantly increased
      compared to the control. Transgenic plants accumulated much higher amounts of
      total P (up to 2.6-fold after 80 days of growth) than the control in Po supplied
      sand pots. The results showed that transgenic expression of MtPHY1 or MtPAP1 in
      white clover plants increased their abilities of utilizing organic phosphorus in
      response to P deficiency. 

PMID- 26493138
TI  - A stable cytosolic expression of VH antibody fragment directed against PVY NIa
      protein in transgenic potato plant confers partial protection against the virus.
AB  - The expression of recombinant antibodies in transgenic plants has been proved to
      be an efficient approach for large-scale production. However, the stability of
      these molecules and their accumulation level depend on their molecular properties
      and cellular targeting. The expression of single-domain antibody fragment (VH)
      can be advantageous since it offers small length, high expression, solubility and
      stability. It can therefore be preferred to other antibody derivatives avoiding
      the expression difficulties related to immunoglobulin domain folding via the
      formation of disulfide bridge. This report describes the production of transgenic
      potato plants expressing a VH antibody directed against the NIa protease of
      potato virus Y. The antibody was driven by the constitutive CaMV 35S RNA
      promoter. The expression cassette was transferred into potato plants via
      Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation. All transgenic lines showed
      detectable levels of VH protein confirming the efficient translation and
      stability of this protein. The cellular localisation of the VH antibody was
      investigated. Transgenic and control plants were transferred in the greenhouse
      and mechanically inoculated by PVY(o) suspension. Some of the transgenic lines
      showed delayed symptoms at the first period post inoculation and then displayed a
      recovery phenomenon while the virions were still detected in the leaves. 

PMID- 26493139
TI  - The apoplastic pH and its significance in adaptation to salinity in maize (Zea
      mays L.): Comparison of fluorescence microscopy and pH-sensitive microelectrodes.
AB  - The apoplastic ionic milieu contains essential determinants for cell expansion
      and plant growth. Since pH is a multifunctional basic component of this
      extracellular space, the knowledge of its behaviour during stress situations is
      of major importance. In detached leaves of maize (Zea mays L. cvs. Pioneer 3906
      and SR 03) the effect of salinity on apoplastic pH was measured to investigate
      its adaptive role to salt stress applying two different methods: an optical
      approach using pH-sensitive fluorescent dyes (fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran
      (FITC), fluorescein tetramethylrhodamine-dextran (FTMR) and Oregon Green((r))
      488), and an electrophysiological technique, pH-sensitive microelectrodes. Both
      approaches yielded similar results. In the presence of 100mM NaCl, which was
      added to the growth medium, apoplastic pH of the salt-sensitive maize genotype
      Pioneer 3906 leaves increased in maximum by 0.4 units (pH microelectrodes) and by
      0.3 units (fluorescent dyes); the salt-resistant SR 03 hardly responded. The same
      treatment reduced leaf growth by 60% in Pioneer 3906, but only by 40% in SR 03.
      Since according to acid growth considerations apoplastic pH is an important
      factor in elongation growth, we suggest that this pH increase is a main cause for
      reduced leaf growth under salt stress conditions. 

PMID- 26493140
TI  - AFLP-based molecular characterization of an elite germplasm collection of
      Jatropha curcas L., a biofuel plant.
AB  - Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) was employed to assess the
      diversity in the elite germplasm collection of Jatropha curcas, which has gained
      tremendous significance as a biofuel plant in India and many other countries
      recently. Forty-eight accessions, collected from six different states of India,
      were used with seven AFLP primer combinations that generated a total of 770
      fragments with an average of 110 fragments per primer combination. A total of 680
      (88%) fragments showed polymorphism in the germplasm analyzed, of which 59 (8.7%)
      fragments were unique (accession specific) and 108 (15.9%) fragments were rare
      (present in less than 10% accessions). In order to assess the discriminatory
      power of seven primer combinations used, a variety of marker attributes like
      polymorphism information content (PIC), marker index (MI) and resolving power
      (RP) values were calculated. Although the PIC values ranged from 0.20 (E-ACA/M
      CAA) to 0.34 (E-ACT/M-CTT) with an average of 0.26 per primer combination and the
      MI values were observed in the range of 17.60 (E-ACA/M-CAA) to 32.30 (E-ACT/M
      CTT) with an average of 25.13 per primer combination, the RP was recognized the
      real attribute for AFLP to determine the discriminatory power of the primer
      combination. The RP values for different primer combinations varied from 23.11 (E
      ACA/M-CAA) to 46.82 (E-ACT/M-CTT) with an average of 35.21. Genotyping data
      obtained for all 680 polymorphic fragments were used to group the accessions
      analyzed using the UPGMA-phenogram and principal component analysis (PCA).
      Majority of groups obtained in phenogram and PCA contained accessions as per
      geographical locations. In general, accessions coming from Andhra Pradesh were
      found diverse as these were scattered in different groups, whereas accessions
      coming from Chhattisgarh showed occurrence of higher number of unique/rare
      fragments. Molecular diversity estimated in the present study combined with the
      datasets on other morphological/agronomic traits will be very useful for
      selecting the appropriate accessions for plant improvement through conventional
      as well as molecular breeding approaches. 

PMID- 26493141
TI  - QTL analysis of seed-flooding tolerance in soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.).
AB  - In soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.), varieties with seed-flooding tolerance at
      the geminating stage are desirable for breeding in countries with much rainfall
      at sowing time. Our study revealed great intervarietal variation in seed-flooding
      tolerance as evaluated by germination rate (GR) and normal seedling rate (NS).
      Pigmented seed coat and small seed weight tended to give a positive effect on
      seed-flooding tolerance. Subsequently, QTL analysis of GR and NS were performed
      and a total of four QTLs were detected. Among them, Sft1 on the linkage group H
      (LG_H) exhibited a large effect on GR after a 24-h treatment; however, Sft2 near
      the I locus on LG_A2 involved in seed coat pigmentation exhibited the largest
      effect on seed-flooding tolerance. Sft1, Sft3 and Sft4 were independent of seed
      coat color and seed weight. Based on the results, we discussed the physiological
      effects of genetic factors responsible for seed-flooding tolerance in soybean. 

PMID- 26493142
TI  - Establishment of a high efficiency Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system
      of rice (Oryza sativa L.).
AB  - Technologies for transformation of rice have been developed to meet the
      requirements of functional genomics in order to enable the production of
      transgenic rice plants with useful agricultural characters. However, many rice
      varieties are not efficiently transformed by Agrobacterium. We have succeeded in
      establishing a highly efficient transformation system in rice by co-cultivating
      rice calli with Agrobacterium on three filter papers moistened with enriched N6
      or DKN media instead of using solid media. Rice calli immersed in Agrobacterium
      suspension (EHA101, Agrobacterium concentration of OD600=0.04) were co-cultured
      on three pieces of filter paper (9cm in diameter) moistened with 5.5mL of N6 or
      DKN liquid co-cultivation medium supplemented with 2,4-d (2mg/L), proline (10mM),
      casein hydrolysate (300mg/L), sucrose (30g/L), glucose (5g/L), l-cysteine
      (100mg/L) and acetosyringone (15mg/L) at 25 degrees C for 3 days in the dark.
      Compared with the transformation efficiency of calli co-cultivated on solid
      media, transformation efficiency was increased by about fivefold by using the
      filter paper method for many varieties of rice, including those that previously
      yielded much poor transformation rates. 

PMID- 26493143
TI  - Functional analysis of the rice metallothionein gene OsMT2b promoter in
      transgenic Arabidopsis plants and rice germinated embryos.
AB  - In this paper, the promoter of a type 2 metallothionein gene OsMT2b was cloned in
      indica rice Jiayu948 and its function was analyzed in transgenic Arabidopsis
      plant and rice germinated embryo aided by a GUS reporter gene. The result shows
      that the full promoter drives GUS expression predominantly in the vascular
      tissues of Arabidopsis, and the expression undergoes a unimodal pattern during
      the development, with peaking in the mature tissues in leaves and floral organs.
      Further promoter deletion analysis in Arabidopsis displays different function
      regions that are crucial for regulating gene expression: the -212/-21 region for
      keeping the minimal promoter activity and the expression in the initiation site
      of lateral root; the -924/-213 region for the expression in vegetative and
      reproductive organs; the -1227/-925 region for confining high expression in
      silique; and the -1502/-1228 and -1227/-925 regions for the balanceable control
      of high expression in embryo. And by using a transient expression system in rice
      germinated embryo, the similar promoter region-based regulation was observed. In
      addition, from studying the promoter activities under different stress conditions
      such as ABA, GA, ZT, PEG, cold, hot, NaCl, Cu, Zn and wounding, it is proposed
      that environmental stresses may regulate OsMT2b expression through the promoter
      cis-acing elements. 

PMID- 26493144
TI  - 1-MCP application suppresses ethylene biosynthesis and retards fruit softening
      during cold storage of 'Tegan Blue' Japanese plum.
AB  - Plum is a highly perishable fruit and postharvest fruit softening limits its cold
      storage life. To investigate the role of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) in ethylene
      biosynthesis and fruit softening during cold storage, Japanese plum (Prunus
      salicina Lindl. cv. Tegan Blue) as harvested at commercial fruit maturity and
      exposed to 1-MCP (0.0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0MULL(-1)) at 20+/-1 degrees C for 24h.
      Following 1-MCP treatments, fruit were stored at 0+/-1 degrees C and 90+/-5% RH
      for 0, 3 and 6 weeks. 1-MCP treatments significantly reduced endogenous ethylene
      production in plum fruit after 3 and 6 weeks of cold storage when compared to
      untreated fruit. Fruit treated with 1-MCP (1.0 and 2.0MULL(-1)) were more firm
      (31% and 33.5% respectively) when compared untreated fruit. Activities of 1
      aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (ACS) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1
      carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO) enzymes during cold storage also decreased in 1-MCP
      treated fruit skin and pulp tissues and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid
      (ACC) content was not detected in the skin and pulp tissues of fruit treated with
      1.0 and 2.0MULL(-1) 1-MCP. Activities of exo-polygalacturonase (exo-PG) and endo
      polygalacturonase (endo-PG) enzymes in the fruit skin tissues were not affected
      by 1-MCP whereas activities of exo-PG and endo-PG enzymes in fruit pulp tissues,
      and activities of pectin esterase (PE) and endo-1,4-beta-d-glucanase (EGase)
      enzymes in both fruit skin and pulp tissues were significantly reduced during
      cold storage. Activities of ethylene biosynthesis and fruit softening enzymes
      were concentration dependent, and both were reduced with increased concentrations
      of 1-MCP. In conclusion, 1-MCP application extends cold storage life of 'Tegan
      Blue' plum by suppressing ethylene biosynthesis and reducing fruit softening. 

PMID- 26493145
TI  - Involvement of lignification and membrane permeability in the tomato root
      response to boron toxicity.
AB  - To gain an insight into the role of lignification and membrane permeability in
      the root response to boron (B) toxicity, lignification-related enzymes and a
      number of physiological and oxidative stress parameters were analyzed in two
      tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivars (Kosaco and Josefina) subjected to
      0.05 (control), 0.5 and 2mM B during 16 days. 2mM B supply inhibited root growth
      and increased the root B concentration in both tomato cultivars. Although excess
      B increased the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentration in Kosaco, no major
      changes were observed in other oxidative-stress-related parameters. High levels
      of B supply also induced higher lignin deposition in Kosaco roots but did not in
      Josefina ones. The latter result was associated with an increase of the
      polyphenol oxidase (PPO), guaiacol peroxidase (GPOX) and soluble syringaldazine
      peroxidase (SPOX) activity in Kosaco roots. Boron toxicity did not induce lipid
      peroxidation but increased the leakage of K(+) and the passive efflux of B in
      tomato roots. We conclude that high concentrations of B do not cause major
      oxidative or membrane damage in tomato roots. The data also indicate that high
      levels of B supply induce a higher lignin deposition in Kosaco roots but not in
      Josefina ones. This phenomenon suggests that lignification is not an essential
      factor reducing root growth in tomato plants, however, it proves that exist a
      high genotypic variation in response to excess B at root level. 

PMID- 26493146
TI  - Metabolomics of Daucus carota cultured cell lines under stressing conditions
      reveals interactions between phenolic compounds.
AB  - A metabolomic approach followed by principal components and partial least square
      analysis was used for investigating the effect of environmental factors on two
      Daucus carota L. cv. Flakkese cell lines (R3M and R4G), selected for their
      ability to produce anthocyanins in the light and the dark, respectively. A
      positive correlation between total anthocyanin, hydroxycinnamic and
      hydroxybenzoic acid accumulation was found in both lines. Furthermore, the
      experimental design and the combination of biochemical and statistical analyses
      allowed us to unravel complex relationships between environmental factors and
      phenylpropanoid composition. Among these, the induction by mechanical stress of
      overproduction of all anthocyanins, hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acids
      except sinapic acid derivatives, whose accumulation was inhibited. 

PMID- 26493147
TI  - Suppression and overexpression of ubiquitin extension protein S27a affects cell
      proliferation and in vitro regeneration in Nicotiana benthamiana.
AB  - Ubiquitin is a highly conserved 76-amino-acid protein found in all eukaryotic
      cells. Ubiquitin's expression is encoded and expressed as multimeric head-to-tail
      repeats (polyubiquitins) that are post-translationally cleaved into monomers, or
      fused with ribosomal proteins S27a and L40. S27a is highly expressed in
      meristematic tissues, pollen and ovules and its ubiquitin moiety is thought to
      act as a chaperone in ribosome biogenesis prior to cleavage. This study suggests
      that the ribosomal protein S27a plays a critical role in the allocation of
      meristematic cells that differentiate into lateral structures such as leaves and
      flowers. S27a was also found to regulate floral meristem development, possibly
      through the control of cell proliferation as well as cell identity.
      Overexpression of S27a was correlated with increased proliferation of
      undifferentiated cells and arrest of morphologically "normal" shoot and leaf
      development. The ubiquitin moiety did not affect the localization of S27a, but it
      did affect its protein level: expression of S27a without the ubiquitin moiety
      caused a severe reduction in S27a protein level. 

PMID- 26493148
TI  - Effects of salt and waterlogging stresses and their combination on leaf
      photosynthesis, chloroplast ATP synthesis, and antioxidant capacity in wheat.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of salt (ST) and
      waterlogging (WL) stresses and their combination (SW) on leaf photosynthesis,
      chloroplast ATP synthesis, and antioxidant capacity in wheat (Triticum aestivum
      L.). Two winter wheat cultivars, Huaimai 17 and Yangmai 12, differing in their
      tolerance to ST and WL stresses were used. The plants were grown in pots and were
      subjected to ST, WL, and SW from 7 days after anthesis (DAA). The WL and SW
      treatments lasted for 5 days, while the ST treatment was continuously imposed
      during the grain filling stage. Significant decrease in net photosynthetic rate
      (PN) of the flag leaf was observed under the ST and SW treatments from 10 DAA in
      Yangmai 12 and at 18 DAA in both cultivars, which could be stomatal closure
      related. At 18 DAA, clear reduction in PN under the ST and SW treatments was
      observed, which was associated with chlorosis, damages to the photosystem II
      (PSII), enhanced lipid peroxidation, and depressed ATP synthesis in the
      chloroplasts of the flag leaf. Whereas, WL treatment alone had slightly negative
      effect on PN, which was mainly attributed to leaf chlorosis and waste in
      harvested energy by the PSII reaction center dispersed via non-photochemical
      approaches. 

PMID- 26493149
TI  - Genome-wide survey and expression profiling of heat shock proteins and heat shock
      factors revealed overlapped and stress specific response under abiotic stresses
      in rice.
AB  - Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are molecular chaperons, which function in protein
      folding and assembly, protein intracellular localization and secretion, and
      degradation of misfolded and truncated proteins. Heat shock factors (Hsfs) are
      the transcriptional activators of Hsps. It has been reported that Hsps and Hsfs
      are widely involved in response to various abiotic stresses such as heat,
      drought, salinity and cold. To elucidate the function and regulation of rice Hsp
      and Hsf genes, we examined a global expression profiling with heat stressed rice
      seedling, and then compared our results with the previous rice data under cold,
      drought and salt stresses. The comparison revealed that, while most Hsfs and Hsps
      had highly similar and overlapped response and regulation patterns under
      different stresses, some of those genes showed significantly specific response to
      distinct stress. We also found that heat-responsive gene profiling differed
      largely from those under cold/drought/salt stresses, and that drought treatment
      was more effective to up-regulate Hsf expression in rice than in Arabidopsis.
      Overall, our data suggests that Hsps and Hsfs might be important elements in
      cross-talk of different stress signal transduction networks. 

PMID- 26493150
TI  - Alternative splicing of two translesion synthesis DNA polymerases from
      Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - DNA damages can be removed by different repair processes, but lesions sometimes
      remain and block DNA replication. Specialized polymerases are needed to overcome
      this difficulty. In Arabidopsis, AtPOLH and AtREV1 genes code for two polymerases
      that are involved in replication of damaged DNA. Alternative splicing was
      detected in both genes. Complementation analysis of the alternative splicing
      forms in Saccharomycescerevisiae showed that the C-terminal extreme of AtPOLH
      protein is essential for recovering wild type UV viability in Rad30 deficient
      strain. None of the alternative AtREV1 forms recovered the yeast wild type
      phenotype of Rev1 deficient yeast strains after UV light irradiation or methyl
      methane sulphonate exposition, suggesting that AtREV1 may not be able to interact
      with other yeast specific proteins needed for DNA translesion synthesis. 

PMID- 26493151
TI  - Quercetin protects against aluminium induced oxidative stress and promotes
      mitochondrial biogenesis via activation of the PGC-1alpha signaling pathway.
AB  - The present investigation was carried out to elucidate a possible molecular
      mechanism related to the protective effect of quercetin administration against
      aluminium-induced oxidative stress on various mitochondrial respiratory complex
      subunits with special emphasis on the role of PGC-1alpha and its downstream
      targets, i.e. NRF-1, NRF-2 and Tfam in mitochondrial biogenesis. Aluminium
      lactate (10mg/kg b.wt./day) was administered intragastrically to rats, which were
      pre-treated with quercetin 6h before aluminium (10mg/kg b.wt./day,
      intragastrically) for 12 weeks. We found a decrease in ROS levels, mitochondrial
      DNA oxidation and citrate synthase activity in the hippocampus (HC) and corpus
      striatum (CS) regions of rat brain treated with quercetin. Besides this an
      increase in the mRNA levels of the mitochondrial encoded subunits - ND1, ND2,
      ND3, Cyt b, COX1, COX3 and ATPase6 along with increased expression of nuclear
      encoded subunits COX4, COX5A and COX5B of electron transport chain (ETC). In
      quercetin treated group an increase in the mitochondrial DNA copy number and
      mitochondrial content in both the regions of rat brain was observed. The PGC
      1alpha was up regulated in quercetin treated rats along with NRF-1, NRF-2 and
      Tfam, which act downstream from PGC-1alpha. Electron microscopy results revealed
      a significant decrease in the mitochondrial cross-section area, mitochondrial
      perimeter length and increase in mitochondrial number in case of quercetin
      treated rats as compared to aluminium treated ones. Therefore it seems quercetin
      increases mitochondrial biogenesis and makes it an almost ideal flavanoid to
      control or limit the damage that has been associated with the defective
      mitochondrial function seen in many neurodegenerative diseases. 

PMID- 26493152
TI  - Intranasal administration of rotenone in mice attenuated olfactory functions
      through the lesion of dopaminergic neurons in the olfactory bulb.
AB  - Many environmental chemicals are thought to affect brain function. It was
      reported that chemicals in the nasal cavity directly reach the brain through the
      connection between olfactory neurons and the olfactory bulb (OB). In this
      'olfactory transport,' xenobiotics absorbed at the nasal mucosa reach the brain
      by bypassing some physical barriers and defenses, and thus olfactory transport is
      suspected to be a vulnerable mechanism of the brain against invasion threats of
      environmental chemicals. In this study, we focused on the neuronal toxicity of
      rotenone administered intranasally to mice. The results showed that the mice that
      were administered rotenone had attenuated olfactory functions. We also found that
      intranasally administered rotenone induced acute mitochondrial stress at the OB.
      The repeated administration of rotenone resulted in a decrease in the number of
      dopaminergic neurons, which are inhibitory interneurons in the OB. Taken
      together, our findings suggest that the inhalation of environmental toxins
      induces the neurodegeneration of cranial neurons through olfactory transport, and
      that olfactory dysfunction may be induced as an earliest symptom of
      neurodegeneration caused by inhaled neurotoxins. 

PMID- 26493153
TI  - Approaches toward High-Mannose-Type Glycan Libraries.
AB  - Asparagine-linked (N-linked) sugar chains are widely found in the rough
      endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which has attracted renewed attention because of its
      participation in the glycoprotein quality control process. In the ER, newly
      formed glycoproteins are properly folded to higher-order structures by the action
      of a variety of lectin chaperones and processing enzymes and are transported into
      the Golgi, while terminally misfolded glycoproteins are carried into the cytosol
      for degradation. A group of proteins related to this system are known to
      recognize subtle differences in the high-mannose-type oligosaccharide structures
      of glycoproteins; however, their molecular foundations are still unclear. In
      order to gain a more precise understanding, our group has established a strategy
      for the systematic synthesis of high-mannose-type glycans. More recently, we have
      developed "top-down" chemoenzymatic approaches that allow expeditious access to
      theoretically all types of high-mannose glycans. This strategy comprehensively
      delivered 37 high-mannose-type glycans, including G1M9-M3 glycans, and opened up
      the possibility of the elucidation of structure-function relationships with a
      series of high-mannose-type glycans. 

PMID- 26493154
TI  - Free energy simulations with the AMOEBA polarizable force field and metadynamics
      on GPU platform.
AB  - The free energy calculation library PLUMED has been incorporated into the OpenMM
      simulation toolkit, with the purpose to perform enhanced sampling MD simulations
      using the AMOEBA polarizable force field on GPU platform. Two examples, (I) the
      free energy profile of water pair separation (II) alanine dipeptide dihedral
      angle free energy surface in explicit solvent, are provided here to demonstrate
      the accuracy and efficiency of our implementation. The converged free energy
      profiles could be obtained within an affordable MD simulation time when the
      AMOEBA polarizable force field is employed. Moreover, the free energy surfaces
      estimated using the AMOEBA polarizable force field are in agreement with those
      calculated from experimental data and ab initio methods. Hence, the
      implementation in this work is reliable and would be utilized to study more
      complicated biological phenomena in both an accurate and efficient way. (c) 2015
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26493155
TI  - What can dissaving tell us about catastrophic costs? Linear and logistic
      regression analysis of the relationship between patient costs and financial
      coping strategies adopted by tuberculosis patients in Bangladesh, Tanzania and
      Bangalore, India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global public health problem which
      affects poorest individuals the worst. A high proportion of patients incur
      'catastrophic costs' which have been shown to result in severe financial hardship
      and adverse health outcomes. Data on catastrophic cost incidence is not routinely
      collected, and current definitions of this indicator involve several practical
      and conceptual barriers to doing so. We analysed data from TB programmes in India
      (Bangalore), Bangladesh and Tanzania to determine whether dissaving (the sale of
      assets or uptake of loans) is a useful indicator of financial hardship. METHODS:
      Data were obtained from prior studies of TB patient costs in Bangladesh (N = 96),
      Tanzania (N = 94) and Bangalore (N = 891). These data were analysed using
      logistic and linear multivariate regression to determine the association between
      costs (absolute and relative to income) and both the presence of dissaving and
      the amounts dissaved. RESULTS: After adjusting for covariates such as age, sex
      and rural/urban location, we found a significant positive association between the
      occurrence of dissaving and total costs incurred in Tanzania and Bangalore. We
      further found that, for patients in Bangalore an increase in dissaving of $10 USD
      was associated with an increase in the cost-income ratio of 0.10 (p < 0.001). For
      low-income patients in Bangladesh, an increase in dissaving of $10 USD was
      associated with an increase in total costs of $7 USD (p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Dissaving is potentially a convenient proxy for catastrophic costs that does not
      require usage of complex patient cost questionnaires. It also offers an
      informative indicator of financial hardship in its own right, and could therefore
      play an important role as an indicator to monitor and evaluate the impact of
      financial protection and service delivery interventions in reducing hardship and
      facilitating universal health coverage. Further research is required to
      understand the patterns and types of dissaving that have the strongest
      relationship with financial hardship and clinical outcomes in order to move
      toward evidence-based policy making.

PMID- 26493156
TI  - 'Thin people ... they're healthy': young children's understanding of body weight
      change.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While research has investigated negative stereotyping of fat body
      shapes, little has focused on young children's understanding of the mechanisms,
      motivations and consequences of weight change. OBJECTIVES: To investigate
      children's understanding of how weight change is achieved, people's motivation
      for weight change, and the consequences of weight loss or weight gain. METHODS:
      One hundred children (mean age 5.2, 38 girls) read a book in which one of the
      main characters (male/female according to the child's sex) was either healthy
      weight or overweight. Afterwards, this character was described as gaining or
      losing weight, and drawings which depicted the child in the story as either
      healthy weight or overweight were presented to the child and discussed. An audio
      recorded semi-structured interview followed and transcripts were analysed using
      thematic analysis. RESULTS: Nearly all children described the weight/shape change
      and attributed this to food more frequently than exercise. Weight loss was viewed
      positively and both motivations and consequences grouped under two master themes
      (physical and social reasons). No clear gender differences were observed in these
      responses. CONCLUSIONS: Talking with 5-year-olds showed them to be observant and
      knowledgeable, especially about motivations for and consequences of weight
      change. For those working to improve children's health literacy, this suggests
      receptiveness to early and fact-based education.

PMID- 26493157
TI  - A Flexible Electrode Based on Iron Phosphide Nanotubes for Overall Water
      Splitting.
AB  - The design of cheap and efficient water splitting systems for sustainable
      hydrogen production has attracted increasing attention. A flexible electrode,
      based on carbon cloth substrate and iron phosphide nanotubes coated with an iron
      oxide/phosphate layer, is shown to catalyze overall water splitting. The as
      prepared flexible electrode demonstrates remarkable electrocatalytic activity for
      both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction
      (OER) at modest overpotentials. The surface iron oxide/phosphate, which is formed
      in situ, is proposed to improve the HER activity by facilitating the water
      dissociation step and serves directly as the catalytically-active component for
      the OER process. 

PMID- 26493159
TI  - Predictors of Future Atrial Fibrillation Development in Patients with
      Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A Prospective Follow-Up Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We evaluated whether left atrial (LA) phasic functions, P-wave
      dispersion (PWD), and plasma NT-proBNP levels could predict future development of
      atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
      METHODS: Seventy patients with HCM were evaluated. The LA phasic functions
      including the LA total emptying volume (LATEV), LA total emptying fraction
      (LATEF), LA active emptying volume (LAAEV), LA active emptying fraction (LAAEF),
      LA passive emptying volume (LAPEV), and LA passive emptying fraction (LAPEF) were
      evaluated. P-wave dispersion was calculated. Plasma NT-proBNP levels were
      measured on the same day with echocardiographic study. RESULTS: Patients were
      followed up 53.09 +/- 1.87 months. Patients who developed AF (n = 18) had
      significantly higher PWD values, NT-proBNP levels, LAVI, E/E' av, and resting
      LVOT gradients and significantly lower LATEF and LAAEF. In multivariate analysis,
      LATEF (P = 0.002), LAAEF (P = 0.007), logNT-proBNP level (P = 0.022), and PWD (P
      = 0.018) were associated with AF development. The results of receiver operating
      characteristic analysis revealed that a LATEF cutoff value 49% with 72%
      sensitivity and 81% specificity, a LAAEF cutoff value of 36% with 72% sensitivity
      and 71% specificity, and an NT-proBNP cutoff value of 720 pg/mL predicted future
      AF development with 72% sensitivity and 60% specificity. A PWD cutoff value of
      47.5 msecond predicted future AF development with 78% sensitivity and 72%
      specificity. CONCLUSION: In patients with HCM, LA phasic functions, PWD, and NT
      proBNP levels predict future development of AF. Assessment of LA phasic functions
      during routine echocardiographic evaluation and measuring NT-proBNP levels and
      PWD values of patients with HCM during daily practice may provide important data
      in predicting those at high risk of AF occurrence.

PMID- 26493158
TI  - Macrophage-mediated cholesterol handling in atherosclerosis.
AB  - Formation of foam cells is a hallmark at the initial stages of atherosclerosis.
      Monocytes attracted by pro-inflammatory stimuli attach to the inflamed vascular
      endothelium and penetrate to the arterial intima where they differentiate to
      macrophages. Intimal macrophages phagocytize oxidized low-density lipoproteins
      (oxLDL). Several scavenger receptors (SR), including CD36, SR-A1 and lectin-like
      oxLDL receptor-1 (LOX-1), mediate oxLDL uptake. In late endosomes/lysosomes of
      macrophages, oxLDL are catabolysed. Lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) hydrolyses
      cholesterol esters that are enriched in LDL to free cholesterol and free fatty
      acids. In the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), acyl coenzyme A: cholesterol
      acyltransferase-1 (ACAT1) in turn catalyses esterification of cholesterol to
      store cholesterol esters as lipid droplets in the ER of macrophages. Neutral
      cholesteryl ester hydrolases nCEH and NCEH1 are involved in a secondary
      hydrolysis of cholesterol esters to liberate free cholesterol that could be then
      out-flowed from macrophages by cholesterol ATP-binding cassette (ABC)
      transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1 and SR-BI. In atherosclerosis, disruption of lipid
      homoeostasis in macrophages leads to cholesterol accumulation and formation of
      foam cells. 

PMID- 26493160
TI  - A multi-center, multinational age- and gender-adjusted normative dataset for
      immunofluorescent intraepidermal nerve fiber density at the distal leg.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Quantification of intraepidermal nerve fibers (IENFs) in
      skin biopsies is now the tool of choice to diagnose small fiber neuropathies. An
      adequate normative dataset, necessary to assess normality cutoffs, is available
      for brightfield microscopy but not for immunofluorescence. METHODS:
      Intraepidermal nerve fiber density data in distal leg skin samples processed with
      immunofluorescence were collected from 528 healthy individuals from four
      experienced laboratories worldwide. In all laboratories skin samples were
      collected, processed and analyzed according to standard procedures. Quantile
      regression analysis was employed to tailor the fit of the 5 degrees  percentile
      as the normal cutoff value and to test and measure the effect of age, gender,
      body mass index, race, biopsy site (lateral distal lower leg or medial posterior
      mid-calf) and participating laboratory as possible influential variables.
      RESULTS: Age, gender and biopsy site showed an independent linear correlation
      with IENF density. For each decade the 5 degrees  quantile IENF cutoff showed a
      0.54 fibers/mm decrease, whilst females exhibited a 1.0 fiber/mm cutoff greater
      than males. Compared to the lateral distal lower leg, biopsies from the calf
      showed a 3.4 fibers/mm lower 5 degrees  percentile cutoff, documenting a
      variation linked by site. CONCLUSIONS: An age- and gender-adjusted normative
      dataset for IENF density at the lateral distal lower leg obtained with indirect
      immunofluorescence is presented for the first time by sharing data from four
      experienced laboratories worldwide. This dataset can be used as reference for
      laboratories processing skin biopsies with this technique.

PMID- 26493161
TI  - A functional magnetic resonance imaging study of cognitive control and
      neurosensory deficits in mild traumatic brain injury.
AB  - Mild traumatic brain injury patients (mTBI) frequently report symptoms of
      increased distractability and sensory disturbances during mutisensory
      stimulation. These common post-concussive symptoms could putatively result from
      dysfunction within the cognitive control network (CCN; top-down) or from
      unisensory cortex (bottom-up) itself. Functional magnetic resonance imaging
      (fMRI) and high-resolution structural data were therefore prospectively collected
      during a multisensory (audio-visual) cognitive control task from 46 mTBI patients
      within 3 weeks of injury and 46 matched healthy controls (HC), with a subset of
      participants returning at 4 months. Multisensory stimuli were presented at two
      frequencies to manipulate cognitive and perceptual load. Patients self-reported
      more cognitive, emotional, somatic, vestibular and visual symptoms relative to
      HC, which improved, but did not entirely resolve, over the 4 month follow-up
      period. There were no group differences in behavior or functional activation
      during cognitive control (incongruent--congruent trials). In contrast, patients
      exhibited abnormal activation within different regions of visual cortex that
      depended on whether attention was focused on auditory or visual information
      streams. Patients also exhibited increased activation within bilateral inferior
      parietal lobules during higher cognitive/perceptual loads, suggesting a
      compensatory mechanism to achieve similar levels of behavioral performance.
      Functional abnormalities within the visual cortex and inferior parietal lobules
      were only partially resolved at 4 months post-injury, suggesting that neural
      abnormalities may take longer to resolve than behavioral measures used in most
      clinical settings. In summary, current results indicate that abnormalities within
      unisensory cortex (particularly visual areas) following mTBI, which likely
      contribute to deficits commonly reported during multisensory stimulation.

PMID- 26493162
TI  - Regional specificity of aberrant thalamocortical connectivity in autism.
AB  - Preliminary evidence suggests aberrant (mostly reduced) thalamocortical (TC)
      connectivity in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but despite the crucial role of
      thalamus in sensorimotor functions and its extensive connectivity with cerebral
      cortex, relevant evidence remains limited. We performed a comprehensive
      investigation of region-specific TC connectivity in ASD. Resting-state functional
      MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were acquired for 60 children and
      adolescents with ASD (ages 7-17 years) and 45 age, sex, and IQ-matched typically
      developing (TD) participants. We examined intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC)
      and anatomical connectivity (probabilistic tractography) with thalamus, using 68
      unilateral cerebral cortical regions of interest (ROIs). For frontal and parietal
      lobes, iFC was atypically reduced in the ASD group for supramodal association
      cortices, but was increased for cingulate gyri and motor cortex. Temporal iFC was
      characterized by overconnectivity for auditory cortices, but underconnectivity
      for amygdalae. Occipital iFC was broadly reduced in the ASD group. DTI indices
      (such as increased radial diffusion) for regions with group differences in iFC
      further indicated compromised anatomical connectivity, especially for frontal
      ROIs, in the ASD group. Our findings highlight the regional specificity of
      aberrant TC connectivity in ASD. Their overall pattern can be largely accounted
      for by functional overconnectivity with limbic and sensorimotor regions, but
      underconnectivity with supramodal association cortices. This could be related to
      comparatively early maturation of limbic and sensorimotor regions in the context
      of early overgrowth in ASD, at the expense of TC connectivity with later maturing
      cortical regions.

PMID- 26493163
TI  - Reliability correction for functional connectivity: Theory and implementation.
AB  - Network properties can be estimated using functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI).
      However, regional variation of the fMRI signal causes systematic biases in
      network estimates including correlation attenuation in regions of low measurement
      reliability. Here we computed the spatial distribution of fcMRI reliability using
      longitudinal fcMRI datasets and demonstrated how pre-estimated reliability maps
      can correct for correlation attenuation. As a test case of reliability-based
      attenuation correction we estimated properties of the default network, where
      reliability was significantly lower than average in the medial temporal lobe and
      higher in the posterior medial cortex, heterogeneity that impacts estimation of
      the network. Accounting for this bias using attenuation correction revealed that
      the medial temporal lobe's contribution to the default network is typically
      underestimated. To render this approach useful to a greater number of datasets,
      we demonstrate that test-retest reliability maps derived from repeated runs
      within a single scanning session can be used as a surrogate for multi-session
      reliability mapping. Using data segments with different scan lengths between 1
      and 30 min, we found that test-retest reliability of connectivity estimates
      increases with scan length while the spatial distribution of reliability is
      relatively stable even at short scan lengths. Finally, analyses of tertiary data
      revealed that reliability distribution is influenced by age, neuropsychiatric
      status and scanner type, suggesting that reliability correction may be especially
      important when studying between-group differences. Collectively, these results
      illustrate that reliability-based attenuation correction is an easily implemented
      strategy that mitigates certain features of fMRI signal nonuniformity.

PMID- 26493164
TI  - Intravenous infusion of H2-saline suppresses oxidative stress and elevates
      antioxidant potential in Thoroughbred horses after racing exercise.
AB  - Upon intensive, exhaustive exercise, exercise-induced reactive oxygen species may
      exceed the antioxidant defence threshold, consequently resulting in muscular
      damage or late-onset chronic inflammation. Recently, the therapeutic antioxidant
      and anti-inflammatory effects of molecular hydrogen (H2) for human rheumatoid
      arthritis have been demonstrated. However, it is also important to clarify the
      effects of administrating H2 in large animals other than humans, as H2 is thought
      to reach the target organ by passive diffusion upon delivery from the blood flow,
      indicating that the distance from the administration point to the target is
      critical. However, data on the effects of H2 on oxidative stress in real-life
      exhaustive exercise in large animals are currently lacking. We here investigated
      13 Thoroughbred horses administered intravenous 2-L saline with or without 0.6
      ppm H2 (placebo, N = 6; H2, N = 7) before participating in a high-intensity
      simulation race. Intravenous H2-saline significantly suppressed oxidative stress
      immediately, 3 h, and 24 h after the race, although the antioxidant capability
      was not affected throughout the study. The serum creatine kinase, lactate, and
      uric acid levels were increased in both groups. Taken together, these results
      indicate that intravenous H2-saline can significantly and specifically suppress
      oxidative stress induced after exhaustive racing in Thoroughbred horses.

PMID- 26493166
TI  - Large magnetocaloric effect and adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration with
      YbPt2Sn.
AB  - Adiabatic demagnetization is currently gaining strong interest in searching for
      alternatives to (3)He-based refrigeration techniques for achieving temperatures
      below 2 K. The main reasons for that are the recent shortage and high price of
      the rare helium isotope (3)He. Here we report the discovery of a large
      magnetocaloric effect in the intermetallic compound YbPt2Sn, which allows
      adiabatic demagnetization cooling from 2 K down to 0.2 K. We demonstrate this
      with a home-made refrigerator. Other materials, for example, paramagnetic salts,
      are commonly used for the same purpose but none of them is metallic, a severe
      limitation for low-temperature applications. YbPt2Sn is a good metal with an
      extremely rare weak magnetic coupling between the Yb atoms, which prevents them
      from ordering above 0.25 K, leaving enough entropy free for use in adiabatic
      demagnetization cooling. The large volumetric entropy capacity of YbPt2Sn
      guarantees also a good cooling power. 

PMID- 26493165
TI  - GREM1 and POLE variants in hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes.
AB  - Hereditary factors are thought to play a role in at least one third of patients
      with colorectal cancer (CRC) but only a limited proportion of these have
      mutations in known high-penetrant genes. In a relatively large part of patients
      with a few or multiple colorectal polyps the underlying genetic cause of the
      disease is still unknown. Using exome sequencing in combination with linkage
      analyses together with detection of copy-number variations (CNV), we have
      identified a duplication in the regulatory region of the GREM1 gene in a family
      with an attenuated/atypical polyposis syndrome. In addition, 107 patients with
      colorectal cancer and/or polyposis were analyzed for mutations in the candidate
      genes identified. We also performed screening of the exonuclease domain of the
      POLE gene in a subset of these patients. The duplication of 16 kb in the
      regulatory region of GREM1 was found to be disease-causing in the family.
      Functional analyses revealed a higher expression of the GREM1 gene in colorectal
      tissue in duplication carriers. Screening of the exonuclease domain of POLE in
      additional CRC patients identified a probable causative novel variant c.1274A>G,
      p.Lys425Arg. In conclusion a high penetrant duplication in the regulatory region
      of GREM1, predisposing to CRC, was identified in a family with
      attenuated/atypical polyposis. A POLE variant was identified in a patient with
      early onset CRC and a microsatellite stable (MSS) tumor. Mutations leading to
      increased expression of genes can constitute disease-causing mutations in
      hereditary CRC syndromes.

PMID- 26493167
TI  - Piera Aulagnier, an introduction: Some elements of her intellectual biography.

PMID- 26493168
TI  - Birth of a body, origin of a history.

PMID- 26493169
TI  - On Piera Aulagnier's 'Birth of a Body, Origin of a History'.

PMID- 26493170
TI  - On: Hijab and homosexuality--a case report and review of the literature.

PMID- 26493171
TI  - On: An "Intradisciplinary" comparison of psychoanalytic theorizations.

PMID- 26493172
TI  - Paenibacillus terreus sp. nov., isolated from forest soil.
AB  - A Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, endospore-forming, motile bacterium,
      designated D33T, was isolated from a forest soil sample. The strain grew
      optimally at 30-37  degrees C, pH 8.0 and with 1 % (w/v) NaCl. The 16S rRNA gene
      sequence of the isolate showed similarities lower than 97 % with respect to
      species of the genus Paenibacillus. Strain D33T contained meso-diaminopimelic
      acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan, and ribose and lower amounts of glucose and
      galactose as the whole-cell sugars. The major cellular fatty acid was anteiso-C15
      : 0, and menaquinone-7 (MK-7) was the only respiratory quinone. The polar lipids
      were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, two glycolipids and an unknown lipid. The DNA G+C
      content was 51.1 mol%. The low DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain D33T and
      recognized species of the genus Paenibacillus, together with many phenotypic
      properties supported the classification of strain D33T as representative of a
      novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus
      terreus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is D33T ( = KACC 18491T = DSM
      100035T = CCTCC AB 2015273T). 

PMID- 26493174
TI  - Carl W. Schaefer (September 06, 1934 - April 29, 2015).

PMID- 26493173
TI  - Cancer Worry, Perceived Risk and Cancer Screening in First-Degree Relatives of
      Patients with Familial Gastric Cancer.
AB  - Currently, there is a lack of evidence evaluating the psychological impact of
      cancer-related risk perception and worry in individuals at high risk for gastric
      cancer. We examined the relationships between perceived risk, cancer worry and
      screening behaviors among first-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with familial
      gastric cancer. FDRs of patients diagnosed with familial gastric cancer with a
      non-informative genetic analysis were identified and contacted. Participants
      completed a telephone interview that assessed socio-demographic information,
      cancer risk perception, cancer worry, impact of worry on daily functioning, and
      screening behaviors. Twenty-five FDRs completed the telephone interview.
      Participants reported high levels of comparative and absolute cancer risk
      perception, with an average perceived lifetime risk of 54 %. On the other hand,
      cancer-related worry scores were low, with a significant minority (12 %)
      experiencing high levels of worry. Study participants exhibited high levels of
      confidence (median = 70 %) in the effectiveness of screening at detecting a
      curable cancer. Participants that had undergone screening in the past showed
      significantly lower levels of cancer-related worry compared to those that had
      never undergone screening. In conclusion, individuals at high-risk for gastric
      cancer perceived a very high personal risk of cancer, but reported low levels of
      cancer worry. This paradoxical result may be attributed to participants' high
      levels of confidence in the effectiveness of screening. These findings highlight
      the importance for clinicians to discuss realistic risk appraisals and
      expectations towards screening with unaffected members of families at risk for
      gastric cancer, in an effort to help mitigate anxiety and help with coping.

PMID- 26493175
TI  - Pitfall Traps and Mini-Winkler Extractor as Complementary Methods to Sample Soil
      Coleoptera.
AB  - We compared abundance, species richness, and capture efficiency with pitfall
      traps and mini-Winkler extractors to examine their use as complementary methods
      for sampling soil Coleoptera during dry (2010) and high water seasons (2011) in
      three areas, including inundated and non-inundated regions, in the Pantanal of
      Pocone, Mato Grosso, Brazil. We paired treatments with two 10 * 10 m plots in
      inundated and non-inundated locations that were repeated three times in each
      location for a total of 18 plots. In each plot, we used nine pitfall traps and
      collected 2 m(2) of leaf litter and surface soil samples with mini-Winkler
      extractors. We collected a total of 4260 adult beetles comprising 36 families,
      113 genera, and 505 species. Most were caught in pitfalls (69%) and the remainder
      in the mini-Winkler extractors (31%). Each method provided distinct information
      about the beetle community: 252 species were captured only in pitfall traps, 147
      using only the mini-Winkler extractors, and these methods shared another 106
      species. Pitfall and mini-Winkler contribute in different ways for the sampling
      of the soil beetle community, and so they should be considered complementary for
      a more thorough assessment of community diversity.

PMID- 26493176
TI  - A Versatile Microarray Platform for Capturing Rare Cells.
AB  - Analyses of rare events occurring at extremely low frequencies in body fluids are
      still challenging. We established a versatile microarray-based platform able to
      capture single target cells from large background populations. As use case we
      chose the challenging application of detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs)-
      about one cell in a billion normal blood cells. After incubation with an antibody
      cocktail, targeted cells are extracted on a microarray in a microfluidic chip.
      The accessibility of our platform allows for subsequent recovery of targets for
      further analysis. The microarray facilitates exclusion of false positive capture
      events by co-localization allowing for detection without fluorescent labelling.
      Analyzing blood samples from cancer patients with our platform reached and partly
      outreached gold standard performance, demonstrating feasibility for clinical
      application. Clinical researchers free choice of antibody cocktail without need
      for altered chip manufacturing or incubation protocol, allows virtual arbitrary
      targeting of capture species and therefore wide spread applications in biomedical
      sciences.

PMID- 26493177
TI  - Extracapillary proliferation and arteriolar hyalinosis are associated with long
      term kidney survival in IgA nephropathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Oxford classification of IgA nephropathy consists of four markers
      as prognosticators. We retrospectively examined the relevance of extracapillary
      proliferation involving cellular and fibrocellular crescents (Ex) and arteriolar
      hyalinosis (A) on the long-term outcome of renal function. METHODS: A total of
      314 Japanese patients who were diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, with 12 months or
      more of follow-up period were included in this study. A total of 186 patients
      were with UP >= 0.5 g/day. Patients with diabetes mellitus or severe kidney
      injury (eGFR < 30 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) were excluded. The presence of Ex and A were
      scored 0 in the absence, and 1 in the presence, of each lesion. The end point was
      determined as a 50 % reduction in initial eGFR or end-stage renal disease defined
      as eGFR < 15 ml/min/1.73 m(2). RESULTS: In univariate analyses, the kidney
      survival rate was significantly lower in patients with Ex1 and A1 if UP >= 0.5
      g/day. In the patients with UP < 0.5/day, none of the clinical and pathological
      parameters was determined as a risk factor. In the multivariate model including
      pathological parameters, Ex1 and A1 were independent risk factors for renal
      outcome if UP >= 0.5 g/day. In those patients treated with RAS-blocker or treated
      before introduction of methylprednisolone pulse therapy, Ex was the only
      independent risk factor. In multivariate analysis including clinical parameters,
      eGFR alone was a risk factor, due to strong correlation with other parameters.
      CONCLUSION: Ex and A would be associated with the renal outcome of the patients
      with UP >= 0.5 g/day.

PMID- 26493178
TI  - Clinical value of ambulatory blood pressure: Is it time to recommend for all
      patients with hypertension?
AB  - Hypertension is a very common disease, and office measurements of blood pressure
      are frequently inaccurate. Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) offers a
      more accurate diagnosis, more detailed readings of average blood pressures,
      better blood pressure measurement during sleep, fewer false positives by
      detecting more white-coat hypertension, and fewer false negatives by detecting
      more masked hypertension. ABPM offers better management of clinical outcomes. For
      example, based on more accurate measurements of blood pressure variability, ABPM
      demonstrates that taking antihypertensive medication at night leads to better
      controlled nocturnal blood pressure, which translates into less end organ damage
      and fewer clinical complications of hypertension. For these reasons, albeit some
      shortcomings which were discussed, ABPM should be considered as a first-line tool
      for diagnosing and managing hypertension. 

PMID- 26493179
TI  - Towards identification of immune and genetic correlates of severe influenza
      disease in Indigenous Australians.
AB  - Indigenous populations, including Indigenous Australians, are highly susceptible
      to severe influenza disease and the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We studied
      immune and genetic factors that could predicate severe influenza disease in
      Indigenous Australians enrolled in the LIFT study: looking into influenza T-cell
      immunity. To examine CD8(+) T-cell immunity, we characterised human leukocyte
      antigen (HLA) profiles. HLA typing confirmed previous studies showing predominant
      usage of HLA-A*02:01, 11:01, 24:02, 34:01 and HLA-B*13:01, 15:21, 40:01/02,
      56:01/02 in Indigenous Australians. We identified two new HLA alleles (HLA
      A*02:new and HLA-B*56:new). Modelling suggests that variations within HLA
      A*02:new (but not HLA-B56:new) could affect peptide binding. There is a relative
      lack of known influenza epitopes for the majority of these HLAs, with the
      exception of a universal HLA-A*02:01-M158 epitope and proposed epitopes presented
      by HLA-A*11:01/HLA-A*24:02. To dissect universal CD8(+) T-cell responses, we
      analysed the magnitude, function and T-cell receptor (TCR) clonality of HLA
      A*02:01-M158(+)CD8(+) T cells. We found comparable IFN-gamma, TNF and CD107a and
      TCRalphabeta characteristics in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians,
      suggesting that the ~15% of Indigenous people that express HLA-A*02:01 have
      universal influenza-specific CD8(+) T-cell immunity. Furthermore, the frequency
      of an influenza host risk factor, IFITM3-C/C, was comparable between Indigenous
      Australians and Europeans, suggesting that expression of this allele does not
      explain increased disease severity at a population level. Our study indicates a
      need to identify novel influenza-specific CD8(+) T-cell epitopes restricted by
      HLA-A and HLA-B alleles prevalent in Indigenous populations for the rational
      design of universal T-cell vaccines. 

PMID- 26493181
TI  - Analogues of Cis- and Transplatin with a Rich Solution Chemistry: cis-[PtCl2 (NH3
      )(1-MeC-N3)] and trans-[PtI2 (NH3 )(1-MeC-N3)].
AB  - Mono(nucleobase) complexes of the general composition cis-[PtCl2 (NH3 )L] with
      L=1-methylcytosine, 1-MeC (1 a) and L=1-ethyl-5-methylcytosine, as well as trans
      [PtX2 (NH3 )(1-MeC)] with X=I (5 a) and X=Br (5 b) have been isolated and were
      characterized by X-ray crystallography. The Pt coordination occurs through the N3
      atom of the cytosine in all cases. The diaqua complexes of compounds 1 a and 5 a,
      cis-[Pt(H2 O)2 (NH3 )(1-MeC)](2+) and trans-[Pt(H2 O)2 (NH3 )(1-MeC)](2+) ,
      display a rich chemistry in aqueous solution, which is dominated by extensive
      condensation reactions leading to MU-OH- and MU-(1-MeC(-) -N3,N4)-bridged species
      and ready oxidation of Pt to mixed-valence state complexes as well as
      diplatinum(III) compounds, one of which was characterized by X-ray
      crystallography: h,t-[{Pt(NH3 )2 (OH)(1-MeC(-) -N3,N4)}2 ](NO3 )2 ?2 [NH4 ](NO3
      )?2 H2 O. A combination of (1) H NMR spectroscopy and ESI mass spectrometry was
      applied to identify some of the various species present in solution and the gas
      phase, respectively. As it turned out, mass spectrometry did not permit an
      unambiguous assignment of the structures of +1 cations due to the possibilities
      of realizing multiple bridging patterns in isomeric species, the occurrence of
      different tautomers, and uncertainties regarding the Pt oxidation states.
      Additionally, compound 1 a was found to have selective and moderate
      antiproliferative activity for a human cervix cancer line (SISO) compared to six
      other human cancer cell lines. 

PMID- 26493180
TI  - Laser treatment of drusen to prevent progression to advanced age-related macular
      degeneration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Drusen are amorphous yellowish deposits beneath the sensory retina.
      People with drusen, particularly large drusen, are at higher risk of developing
      age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The most common complication in AMD is
      choroidal neovascularisation (CNV), the growth of new blood vessels in the centre
      of the macula. The risk of CNV is higher among people who are already affected by
      CNV in one eye.It has been observed clinically that laser photocoagulation of
      drusen leads to their disappearance and may prevent the occurrence of advanced
      disease (CNV or geographic atrophy) associated with visual loss. OBJECTIVES: To
      examine the effectiveness and adverse effects of laser photocoagulation of drusen
      in AMD. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL (which contains the Cochrane Eyes and
      Vision Group Trials Register) (2015, Issue 7), Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In
      Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE Daily, Ovid OLDMEDLINE
      (January 1946 to August 2015), EMBASE (January 1980 to August 2015), Latin
      American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature Database (LILACS) (January 1982
      to August 2015), the ISRCTN registry (www.isrctn.com/editAdvancedSearch),
      ClinicalTrials.gov (www.clinicaltrials.gov) and the World Health Organization
      (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP)
      (www.who.int/ictrp/search/en). We did not use any date or language restrictions
      in the electronic searches for trials. We last searched the electronic databases
      on 3 August 2015. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of
      laser treatment of drusen in AMD in which laser treatment had been compared with
      no intervention or sham treatment. Two types of trials were included. Some trials
      studied one eye of each participant (unilateral studies); other studies recruited
      participants with bilateral drusen and randomised one eye to photocoagulation or
      control and the fellow eye to the other group. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two
      review authors independently selected studies and extracted data. We pooled data
      from unilateral and bilateral studies using a random-effects model. For the
      bilateral studies, we estimated the within-person correlation coefficient from
      one study and assumed it was valid for the others. MAIN RESULTS: The update of
      this review found two additional studies, totaling 11 studies that randomised
      2159 participants (3580 eyes) and followed them up to two years, of which six
      studies (1454 participants) included people with one eye randomised to treatment
      and one to control. Studies were conducted in Australia, Europe and North
      America.Overall, the risk of bias in the included studies was low, particularly
      for the larger studies and for the primary outcome development of CNV.
      Photocoagulation did not reduce the development of CNV at two years' follow-up
      (odds ratio (OR) 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.79 to 1.46, 11 studies,
      2159 participants (3580 eyes), high quality evidence). This estimate means that,
      given an overall occurrence of CNV of 8.3% in the control group, we estimated an
      absolute risk reduction by no more than 1.4% in the laser group, according to the
      lower CI limit. Only two studies investigated the effect on the development of
      geographic atrophy and could not show a difference, but estimates were imprecise
      (OR 1.30, 95% CI 0.38 to 4.51, two studies, 148 participants (148 eyes), low
      quality evidence).Among secondary outcomes, photocoagulation led to drusen
      reduction (OR 9.16, 95% CI 6.28 to 13.4, three studies, 570 participants (944
      eyes), high quality evidence) but was not shown to limit loss of 3 or more lines
      of visual acuity (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.22, nine studies, 2002 participants
      (2386 eyes), moderate quality evidence).In a subgroup analysis, no difference
      could be shown for conventional visible (eight studies) versus subthreshold
      invisible (four studies) photocoagulation for the primary outcomes (P value =
      0.29). The effect in the subthreshold group did not suggest a relevant benefit
      (OR 1.27, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.98). No study used micropulse subthreshold
      photocoagulation.No other adverse effects (apart from development of CNV,
      geographic atrophy or visual loss) were reported. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The
      trials included in this review confirm the clinical observation that laser
      photocoagulation of drusen leads to their disappearance. However, treatment does
      not result in a reduction in the risk of developing CNV, and was not shown to
      limit the occurrence of geographic atrophy or visual acuity loss.Ongoing studies
      are being conducted to assess whether the use of extremely short laser pulses
      (i.e. nanosecond laser treatment) cannot only lead to drusen regression but also
      prevent neovascular AMD.

PMID- 26493182
TI  - Health-related quality of life in patients treated for nonfunctioning pituitary
      adenomas during the years 2000-2010.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The published data on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after
      treatment of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) are conflicting. We
      evaluated HRQoL in a recent series of patients who had surgery for an NFPA.
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional study including a large control population. PATIENTS AND
      MEASUREMENTS: A HRQoL questionnaire (15D) was sent to all patients (n = 161)
      having undergone transsphenoidal surgery for NFPA in the years 2000-2010 at the
      Helsinki University Hospital. The 15D score and dimension scores of the study
      population (n = 137) were compared with those of a large (n = 4967) gender- and
      age-standardized control population. Possible independent predictors of HRQoL in
      the patients were estimated with multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS:
      Postoperatively, 57% of the patients had normal visual function. After a mean
      follow-up of 7.4 +/- 3.2 years (mean +/- SD), 62% suffered from hypopituitarism.
      Overall, HRQoL was near-normal in patients compared to controls (15D scores 0.885
      +/- 0.114 vs 0.903 +/- 0.093, respectively, P = 0.07). On single dimensions,
      patients had impaired vision and sexual activity (both P < 0.0005), more
      depression and distress (both P < 0.005) and less discomfort and symptoms (P <
      0.05). Age, body mass index, diabetes, depression and reoperation were
      independent predictors of impaired HRQoL (all P < 0.05). Thyroxine substitution
      was associated with impaired and hydrocortisone and testosterone substitution
      (males only) with better HRQoL (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This recent series of
      NFPA patients demonstrates that overall HRQoL is near-normal after medium term
      follow-up; the most impaired dimensions were in vision and sexual activity.
      Comorbidities are strong predictors of impaired HRQoL.

PMID- 26493183
TI  - A Gibbs Sampler for the (Extended) Marginal Rasch Model.
AB  - In their seminal work on characterizing the manifest probabilities of latent
      trait models, Cressie and Holland give a theoretically important characterization
      of the marginal Rasch model. Because their representation of the marginal Rasch
      model does not involve any latent trait, nor any specific distribution of a
      latent trait, it opens up the possibility for constructing a Markov chain - Monte
      Carlo method for Bayesian inference for the marginal Rasch model that does not
      rely on data augmentation. Such an approach would be highly efficient as its
      computational cost does not depend on the number of respondents, which makes it
      suitable for large-scale educational measurement. In this paper, such an approach
      will be developed and its operating characteristics illustrated with simulated
      data.

PMID- 26493184
TI  - Characterizing novel endogenous retroviruses from genetic variation inferred from
      short sequence reads.
AB  - From Illumina sequencing of DNA from brain and liver tissue from the lion,
      Panthera leo, and tumor samples from the pike-perch, Sander lucioperca, we
      obtained two assembled sequence contigs with similarity to known retroviruses.
      Phylogenetic analyses suggest that the pike-perch retrovirus belongs to the
      epsilonretroviruses, and the lion retrovirus to the gammaretroviruses. To
      determine if these novel retroviral sequences originate from an endogenous
      retrovirus or from a recently integrated exogenous retrovirus, we assessed the
      genetic diversity of the parental sequences from which the short Illumina reads
      are derived. First, we showed by simulations that we can robustly infer the level
      of genetic diversity from short sequence reads. Second, we find that the measures
      of nucleotide diversity inferred from our retroviral sequences significantly
      exceed the level observed from Human Immunodeficiency Virus infections, prompting
      us to conclude that the novel retroviruses are both of endogenous origin. Through
      further simulations, we rule out the possibility that the observed elevated
      levels of nucleotide diversity are the result of co-infection with two closely
      related exogenous retroviruses. 

PMID- 26493186
TI  - Peritumoral adipose tissue as a source of inflammatory and angiogenic factors in
      colorectal cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Obesity is a risk factor for the development of human colorectal cancer
      (CC). The aim of this work is to report the inflammatory and angiogenic scenario
      in lean (BMI < 25 kg/m2) and obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2) patients with and without CC
      and to assess the role of peritumoral adipose tissue in CC-induced inflammation.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients were divided in four experimental groups: obese
      patients with CC (OB-CC), lean patients with CC (LEAN-CC), obese patients without
      CC (OB), and lean patients without CC (LEAN). RESULTS: Plasma levels of pro
      inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)-6, IL-4, IL-8) and granulocyte
      macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were increased in OB-CC patients.
      Peritumoral adipose tissue (TF) explants and cultured mature adipocytes secreted
      higher amounts of nitrites and nitrates than did control and non-tumoral (NTF)
      adipose tissue both alone and in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Nitrite
      and nitrate secretion was also increased in TF explants from OB-CC patients
      compared with that from LEAN-CC patients. Gene expression of adiponectin, tumor
      necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), insulin-like growth factor type I (IGF-I),
      cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma
      (PPAR-gamma) was increased in TF explants from CC patients. LPS increased the
      gene expression of IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha, vascular endothelial growth factor
      (VEGF), and COX-2 in OB and in TF explants from OB-CC patients. COX-2 and PPAR
      gamma inhibition further increased LPS-induced release of nitrites and nitrates
      in TF explants and adipocytes from OB-CC patients. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, OB
      CC patients have increased plasma levels of pro-inflammatory and angiogenic
      factors. TF from OB-CC patients shows an increased secretion of inflammatory
      markers compared with both TF from LEAN-CC and non-tumoral adipose tissue (AT)
      through a COX-2- and PPAR-gamma-independent mechanism.

PMID- 26493187
TI  - Initial retrocolic endoscopic tunnel approach (IRETA) for complete mesocolic
      excision (CME) with central vascular ligation (CVL) for right colonic cancers:
      technique and pathological radicality.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The concept of complete mesocolic excision (CME) with central
      vascular ligation (CVL) for treatment of right colon cancer evolved over last one
      decade. It decreases local recurrences and improves the survival rates. We
      describe our novel technique which involves first posterior sharp dissection
      between planes of parietal and visceral fascia of mesocolon followed by ligation
      of ileocolic, right colic and middle colic pedicles at their origin. We highlight
      the technical variations with various techniques and advantages over conventional
      medial to lateral approach in current study. AIM: The outcomes were measured in
      terms of technical feasibility, short-term outcomes and pathological radicality
      of current laparoscopic technique (IRETA) for CME with CVL. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Two hundred twelve patients (163 males) who underwent laparoscopic CME
      for right colon cancer over the period of January 2009 to December 2013 were
      analysed via prospectively maintained database. RESULTS: 97.16 % of patients (n =
      206) underwent laparoscopic CME while six patients required open conversion. Mean
      operative time was 142 +/- 28.4 min with median hospital stay of 5 days (range 4
      11). The median count of lymph node harvested were 24 (range 10-42). The complete
      mesocolic excision plane was achieved in 93.8 % patients. 84.4 % (n = 179) of our
      patients were having (T3, N+) disease on pathological examination. The overall
      morbidity (<30 days) was 9.9 %. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic initial retrocolic
      endoscopic tunnel approach (IRETA) for CME with CVL in right colonic cancers is
      safe, simpler and feasible laparoscopic approach with minimal complications.
      Creation of retro colic tunnel is key highlight of IRETA approach. This approach
      becomes especially useful in patients with late presentations where complete
      mesocolic excision remains essential to enhance oncological radicality as per
      evidence available.

PMID- 26493188
TI  - Isolation of human monoclonal autoantibodies derived from pancreatic lymph node
      and peripheral blood B cells of islet autoantibody-positive patients.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Autoantibodies against pancreatic islets and infections by
      enteroviruses are associated with type 1 diabetes, but the specificity of immune
      responses within the type 1 diabetic pancreas is poorly characterised. We
      investigated whether pancreatic lymph nodes could provide a source of antigen
      specific B cells for analysis of immune responses within the (pre)diabetic
      pancreas. METHODS: Human IgG antibodies were cloned from single B lymphocytes
      sorted from pancreatic lymph node cells of three organ donors positive for islet
      autoantibodies, and from the peripheral blood of a patient with type 1 diabetes.
      Antibodies to insulinoma-associated antigen 2 (IA-2), GAD65, zinc transporter 8
      (ZnT8) and Coxsackie B virus proteins were assayed by immunoprecipitation and by
      immunofluorescence on pancreatic sections. RESULTS: Human IgG antibodies (863)
      were successfully cloned and produced from 4,092 single B cells from lymph nodes
      and peripheral blood. Reactivity to the protein tyrosine phosphatase domain of
      the IA-2 autoantigen was detected in two cloned antibodies: one derived from a
      pancreatic lymph node and one from peripheral blood. Epitopes for these two
      antibodies were similar to each other and to those for circulating antibodies in
      type 1 diabetes. The remaining 861 antibodies were negative for reactivity to IA
      2, GAD65 or ZnT8 by both assays tested. Reactivity to a Coxsackie viral protein 2
      was detected in one antibody derived from a peripheral blood B cell, but not from
      lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: We show evidence for the infrequent
      presence of autoantigen-specific IgG+ B lymphocytes in the pancreatic-draining
      lymph nodes of islet autoantibody-positive individuals.

PMID- 26493189
TI  - Disturbance maintains alternative biome states.
AB  - Understanding the mechanisms controlling the distribution of biomes remains a
      challenge. Although tropical biome distribution has traditionally been explained
      by climate and soil, contrasting vegetation types often occur as mosaics with
      sharp boundaries under very similar environmental conditions. While evidence
      suggests that these biomes are alternative states, empirical broad-scale support
      to this hypothesis is still lacking. Using community-level field data and a novel
      resource-niche overlap approach, we show that, for a wide range of environmental
      conditions, fire feedbacks maintain savannas and forests as alternative biome
      states in both the Neotropics and the Afrotropics. In addition, wooded grasslands
      and savannas occurred as alternative grassy states in the Afrotropics, depending
      on the relative importance of fire and herbivory feedbacks. These results are
      consistent with landscape scale evidence and suggest that disturbance is a
      general factor driving and maintaining alternative biome states and vegetation
      mosaics in the tropics. 

PMID- 26493190
TI  - Early-life experience affects honey bee aggression and resilience to immune
      challenge.
AB  - Early-life social experiences cause lasting changes in behavior and health for a
      variety of animals including humans, but it is not well understood how social
      information ''gets under the skin'' resulting in these effects. Adult honey bees
      (Apis mellifera) exhibit socially coordinated collective nest defense, providing
      a model for social modulation of aggressive behavior. Here we report for the
      first time that a honey bee's early-life social environment has lasting effects
      on individual aggression: bees that experienced high-aggression environments
      during pre-adult stages showed increased aggression when they reached adulthood
      relative to siblings that experienced low-aggression environments, even though
      all bees were kept in a common environment during adulthood. Unlike other animals
      including humans however, high-aggression honey bees were more, rather than less,
      resilient to immune challenge, assessed as neonicotinoid pesticide
      susceptibility. Moreover, aggression was negatively correlated with ectoparasitic
      mite presence. In honey bees, early-life social experience has broad effects, but
      increased aggression is decoupled from negative health outcomes. Because honey
      bees and humans share aspects of their physiological response to aggressive
      social encounters, our findings represent a step towards identifying ways to
      improve individual resiliency. Pre-adult social experience may be crucial to the
      health of the ecologically threatened honey bee. 

PMID- 26493192
TI  - A retrospective study on post-operative hearing of middle ear cholesteatoma
      patients with labyrinthine fistula.
AB  - CONCLUSIONS: There is no significant change in bone conduction threshold after
      operation, so the tympanoplasty can be done to maintain hearing when conditions
      allow. OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of surgical treatment on hearing of
      cholesteatoma patients with labyrinthine fistula. METHODS: The clinical data of
      35 patients (35 ears) with labyrinthine fistula, which were caused by
      cholesteatoma, were analyzed retrospectively. The hearing of 21 patients was
      followed up. RESULTS: Three months to 5 years follow-up of 21 patients were
      accomplished by pure tone audiometry and other details. There was no recurrent
      cholesteatoma in the patients. Compared with pre-operative average bone
      conduction at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 kHz, 12 cases had a difference less than 5 dB,
      three patients' hearing improved (more than 10 dB), and five cases declined (more
      than 10 dB). One patient received cochlear implantation 3 months after the
      surgery. The average bone and air conduction thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8
      kHz had no obvious change (p > 0.05) in 11 patients managed by a canal wall down
      mastoidectomy with tympanoplasty.

PMID- 26493191
TI  - Hypoxia and Dark Adaptation in Diabetic Retinopathy: Interactions, Consequences,
      and Therapy.
AB  - In diabetes, retinal blood flow is compromised, and retinal hypoxia is likely to
      be further intensified during periods of darkness. During dark adaptation, rod
      photoreceptors in the outer retina are maximally depolarized and continuously
      release large amounts of the neurotransmitter glutamate-an energetically
      demanding process that requires the highest oxygen consumption per unit volume of
      any tissue of the body. In complete darkness, even more oxygen is consumed by the
      outer retina, producing a steep fall in the retinal oxygen tension curve which
      reaches a nadir at the depth of the mitochondrial-rich rod inner segments. In
      contrast to the normal retina, the diabetic retina cannot meet the added
      metabolic load imposed by the dark-adapted rod photoreceptors; this exacerbates
      retinal hypoxia and stimulates the overproduction of vascular endothelial growth
      factor (VEGF). The use of nocturnal illumination to prevent dark adaptation,
      specifically reducing the rod photoreceptor dark current, should ameliorate
      diabetic retinopathy. 

PMID- 26493193
TI  - DNA repair system and renal cell carcinoma prognosis: under the influence of
      NBS1.
AB  - Nibrin (NBS1) is a protein involved in the maintenance of genomic stability and
      in DNA repair mechanisms. The NBS1 E185Q polymorphism (rs1805794) has been
      investigated in several studies, including its influence in the pathogenesis of
      renal cell carcinoma (RCC), although its prognostic value is still not determined
      for these patients. The purpose of the present work was to determine the role of
      NBS1 E185Q polymorphism as a prognostic factor/genetic marker of survival in
      patients with RCC. We conducted a hospital-based study analyzing 172 caucasian
      patients with histopathological diagnosis of RCC, for which polymorphism
      genotyping was performed by TaqMan((r)) Allelic Discrimination methodology. In
      this study, we have found that male patients, non-metastatic at diagnosis and
      NBS1 C allele carriers (GC/CC) showed a lower 5-years survival when compared with
      GG genotype patients (P = 0.045). Furthermore, for carriers of low-activity NBS1
      C allele, multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed almost a fourfold
      increase in risk of death at 5 years, after adjustment for age, histological
      type, Fuhrman's grade, tumor size and vascular permeation (HR 3.92; 95 % CI 1.33
      11.57; P = 0.013). There were no statistically significant differences between
      the NBS1 E185Q genotypes and the assessed patients' clinical-pathological
      characteristics. Our results demonstrate for the first time the impact of NBS1
      E185Q polymorphism in RCC prognosis suggesting that, for RCC male patients non
      metastatic at diagnosis, this polymorphism might be a putative genetic marker in
      the clinical outcome.

PMID- 26493194
TI  - Problems with the pathological diagnosis of osteonecrosis.

PMID- 26493196
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26493195
TI  - Blood flow characteristics in the ascending aorta after TAVI compared to surgical
      aortic valve replacement.
AB  - Ascending aortic blood flow characteristics are altered after aortic valve
      surgery, but the effect of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is
      unknown. Abnormal flow may be associated with aortic and cardiac remodeling. We
      analyzed blood flow characteristics in the ascending aorta after TAVI in
      comparison to conventional stented aortic bioprostheses (AVR) and healthy
      subjects using time-resolved three-dimensional flow-sensitive cardiovascular
      magnetic resonance imaging (4D-flow MRI). Seventeen patients with TAVI (Edwards
      Sapien XT), 12 with AVR and 9 healthy controls underwent 4D-flow MRI of the
      ascending aorta. Target parameters were: severity of vortical and helical flow
      pattern (semiquantitative grading from 0 = none to 3 = severe) and the local
      distribution of systolic wall shear stress (WSSsystole). AVR revealed
      significantly more extensive vortical and helical flow pattern than TAVI (p =
      0.042 and p = 0.002) and controls (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001). TAVI showed
      significantly more extensive vortical flow than controls (p < 0.001). Both TAVI
      and AVR revealed marked blood flow eccentricity (64.7 and 66.7%, respectively),
      whereas controls showed central blood flow (88.9%). TAVI and AVR exhibited an
      asymmetric distribution of WSSsystole in the mid-ascending aorta with local
      maxima at the right anterior aortic wall and local minima at the left posterior
      wall. In contrast, controls showed a symmetric distribution of WSSsystole along
      the aortic circumference. Blood flow was significantly altered in the ascending
      aorta after TAVI and AVR. Changes were similar regarding WSSsystole distribution,
      while TAVI resulted in less helical and vortical blood flow.

PMID- 26493197
TI  - Interactive effects of glutamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid on growth
      performance and skeletal muscle amino acid metabolism of 22-42-day-old broilers
      exposed to hot environment.
AB  - The present experiment was conducted to investigate the interactive effects
      between dietary glutamine (Gln, 0 and 5 g/kg) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA,
      0 and 100 mg/kg) on growth performance and amino acid (AA) metabolism of broilers
      under hot environment. A total of 360 22-day-old Arbor Acres male chickens were
      randomly assigned to five treatment groups under thermoneutral chamber (PC, 23 
      degrees C) and cyclic heat stress (HS, 30-34  degrees C cycling) conditions.
      Compared with the PC group, cyclic HS decreased (P < 0.05) daily weight gain
      (DWG), daily feed consumption (DFC), the concentrations of Gln, glutamate (Glu),
      and GABA, and the activities of glutaminase and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)
      in breast muscle at 28, 35, and 42 days, while it increased (P < 0.05) the
      activities of glutamine synthetase (GS) and gamma-aminobutyric acid transaminase
      (GABA-T) at 28, 35, and 42 days. Dietary Gln and GABA improved (P < 0.05) DWG and
      DFC of broilers under cyclic HS during 28-42 days. In breast muscle, the Gln
      supplementation increased (P < 0.05) the concentrations of Gln (28, 35, and 42
      days), Glu (28, 35, and 42 days), and GABA (42 days) and the activities of
      glutaminase (28, 35, and 42 days) and GAD (28, 35, and 42 days) but decreased (P
      < 0.05) GS activities at 28, 35, and 42 days and GABA-T activities at 28 days.
      The addition of GABA increased (P < 0.05) the concentrations of Gln and Glu and
      activities of glutaminase and GAD, while it decreased (P < 0.05) GABA-T
      activities at 28, 35, and 42 days. Significant interactions (P < 0.05) between
      Gln and GABA were found on breast skeletal muscle Gln concentrations, glutaminase
      activities, GS activities at 28 and 35 days, and DWG, GABA concentrations, and
      GABA-T activities at 28, 35, and 42 days in broilers under cyclic HS. In
      conclusion, the present results indicated that the interactions of exogenous Gln
      and GABA could offer a potential nutritional strategy to prevent HS-related
      depression in skeletal muscle Gln and GABA metabolism of broilers. 

PMID- 26493198
TI  - An agro-climatic approach to determine citrus postbloom fruit drop risk in
      Southern Brazil.
AB  - Postbloom fruit drop (PFD) causes lesions on the petals of citrus flowers and
      induces fruit abscission causing severe damage to production when the flowering
      period coincides with intense rainfall. The aims of this study were to develop a
      phenological-climatological model for citrus PFD occurrence and, together with
      weather data series from several locations, to determine and map the agro
      climatic favorability of PFD occurrence in the state of Sao Paulo, Southern
      Brazil. A phenological flowering model was developed to identify when citrus
      flowering occurs. The flowering starts after when a temperature below 10  degrees
      C in the months of June or July is reached followed by cumulative rainfall within
      5 days of at least 20 mm, and then 96  degrees C days. Between the beginning of
      flowering and its peak, 147  degrees C days are required, and between the peak
      and its end, approximately 229  degrees C days, being 206  degrees C days from
      the peak to the moment when flowers remaining are about 50 % of total. The
      relationship between PFD incidence and accumulated rainfall during the critical
      period (between flowering peak and 50 % of flowers remaining) was adjusted by the
      Gompertz model (R (2) = 0.99, p < 0.05). After its validation, this model was
      used to estimate PFD incidence for 29 locations in the state, from 1993 to 2013,
      which allowed to map the PFD climatic favorability for the state through a
      Geographical Information System using linear models based on latitude, longitude,
      and altitude. The obtained map showed a trend of PFD incidence increasing from
      the northwest of the state of Sao Paulo towards the south and the coastal region,
      with medium to very high favorability in the center of the state. The results of
      this study can be used by growers as a guide for disease control planning as well
      as for defining the regions where the climatic conditions are likely to escape
      this disease. 

PMID- 26493199
TI  - Impact of temperature variation between adjacent days on childhood hand, foot and
      mouth disease during April and July in urban and rural Hefei, China.
AB  - Previous studies have found that both high temperature and low temperature
      increase the risk of childhood hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). However,
      little is known about whether temperature variation between neighboring days has
      any effects on childhood HFMD. A Poisson generalized linear regression model,
      combined with a distributed lag non-linear model, was applied to examine the
      relationship between temperature change and childhood HFMD in Hefei, China, from
      1st January 2010 to 31st December 2012. Temperature change was defined as the
      difference of current day's mean temperature and previous day's mean temperature.
      Late spring and early summer (April-July) were chosen as the main study period
      due to it having the highest childhood HFMD incidence. There was a statistical
      association between temperature change between neighboring days and childhood
      HFMD. The effects of temperature change on childhood HFMD increased below a
      temperature change of 0  degrees C (temperature drop). The temperature change has
      the greatest adverse effect on childhood HFMD at 7 days lag, with 4 % (95 %
      confidence interval 2-7 %) increase per 3  degrees C drop of temperature. Male
      children and urban children appeared to be more vulnerable to the effects of
      temperature change. Temperature change between adjacent days might be an
      alternative temperature indictor for exploring the temperature-HFMD relationship.

PMID- 26493200
TI  - High-definition endoscopy with digital chromoendoscopy for histologic prediction
      of distal colorectal polyps.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Distal diminutive colorectal polyps are common and accurate
      endoscopic prediction of hyperplastic or adenomatous polyp histology could reduce
      procedural time, costs and potential risks associated with the resection. Within
      this study we assessed whether digital chromoendoscopy can accurately predict the
      histology of distal diminutive colorectal polyps according to the ASGE PIVI
      statement. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, 224 consecutive patients
      undergoing screening or surveillance colonoscopy were included. Real time
      histology of 121 diminutive distal colorectal polyps was evaluated using high
      definition endoscopy with digital chromoendoscopy and the accuracy of predicting
      histology with digital chromoendoscopy was assessed. RESULTS: The overall
      accuracy of digital chromoendoscopy for prediction of adenomatous polyp histology
      was 90.1 %. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values
      were 93.3, 88.7, 88.7, and 93.2 %, respectively. In high-confidence predictions,
      the accuracy increased to 96.3 % while sensitivity, specificity, positive and
      negative predictive values were calculated as 98.1, 94.4, 94.5, and 98.1 %,
      respectively. Surveillance intervals with digital chromoendoscopy were correctly
      predicted with >90 % accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: High-definition endoscopy in
      combination with digital chromoendoscopy allowed real-time in vivo prediction of
      distal colorectal polyp histology and is accurate enough to leave distal
      colorectal polyps in place without resection or to resect and discard them
      without pathologic assessment. This approach has the potential to reduce costs
      and risks associated with the redundant removal of diminutive colorectal polyps.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials NCT02217449.

PMID- 26493201
TI  - Excitability tuning of axons in the central nervous system.
AB  - The axon is a long neuronal process that originates from the soma and extends
      towards the presynaptic terminals. The pioneering studies on the squid giant axon
      or the spinal cord motoneuron established that the axon conducts action
      potentials faithfully to the presynaptic terminals with self-regenerative
      processes of membrane excitation. Recent studies challenged the notion that the
      fundamental understandings obtained from the study of squid giant axons are
      readily applicable to the axons in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS).
      These studies revealed that the functional and structural properties of the CNS
      axons are much more variable than previously thought. In this review article, we
      summarize the recent understandings of axon physiology in the mammalian CNS due
      to progress in the subcellular recording techniques which allow direct recordings
      from the axonal membranes, with emphasis on the hippocampal mossy fibers as a
      representative en passant axons typical for cortical axons. 

PMID- 26493202
TI  - Effects of food diameter on bite size per mouthful and chewing behavior.
AB  - Obesity is well known to be associated with a wide variety of illnesses, and is
      an increasing problem not only in developed countries but also in developing
      countries. It is well known that large bite size contributes to excess energy
      intake and obesity, whereas an increased number of chews before swallowing the
      food bolus is associated with suppression of obesity. However, the effect of food
      diameter on bite size per mouthful and on chewing behavior remains poorly
      understood. Here, we examined the effects of food diameter on bite size and
      chewing behavior using a masticatory counter during the mastication of stick-type
      biscuits having the same length (10 cm) and ingredients, but with four different
      diameters (3.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 8.0 mm). Bite length and bite weight per mouthful
      were similar among the 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 mm groups. However, bite length in the
      8.0 mm group was significantly smaller, whereas bite weight was significantly
      greater than in the 3.0/3.5 mm groups. Further, the number of chews gradually
      increased, whereas the number of chews per bite weight gradually decreased, with
      an increase of biscuit diameter. These results indicate that a smaller biscuit
      diameter is associated with a smaller bite weight per mouthful and a greater
      number of chews per bite weight. This is the first report to quantity the effect
      of food diameter on bite weight per mouthful and on chewing behavior; these
      results should be helpful in the design of effective, safe, and low-cost
      behavioral modification therapy to combat obesity.

PMID- 26493204
TI  - Fast Patch-Based Pseudo-CT Synthesis from T1-Weighted MR Images for PET/MR
      Attenuation Correction in Brain Studies.
AB  - Attenuation correction in hybrid PET/MR scanners is still a challenging task.
      This paper describes a methodology for synthesizing a pseudo-CT volume from a
      single T1-weighted volume, thus allowing us to create accurate attenuation
      correction maps. METHODS: We propose a fast pseudo-CT volume generation from a
      patient-specific MR T1-weighted image using a groupwise patch-based approach and
      an MRI-CT atlas dictionary. For every voxel in the input MR image, we compute the
      similarity of the patch containing that voxel to the patches of all MR images in
      the database that lie in a certain anatomic neighborhood. The pseudo-CT volume is
      obtained as a local weighted linear combination of the CT values of the
      corresponding patches. The algorithm was implemented in a graphical processing
      unit (GPU). RESULTS: We evaluated our method both qualitatively and
      quantitatively for PET/MR correction. The approach performed successfully in all
      cases considered. We compared the SUVs of the PET image obtained after
      attenuation correction using the patient-specific CT volume and using the
      corresponding computed pseudo-CT volume. The patient-specific correlation between
      SUV obtained with both methods was high (R(2) = 0.9980, P < 0.0001), and the
      Bland-Altman test showed that the average of the differences was low (0.0006 +/-
      0.0594). A region-of-interest analysis was also performed. The correlation
      between SUVmean and SUVmax for every region was high (R(2) = 0.9989, P < 0.0001,
      and R(2) = 0.9904, P < 0.0001, respectively). CONCLUSION: The results indicate
      that our method can accurately approximate the patient-specific CT volume and
      serves as a potential solution for accurate attenuation correction in hybrid
      PET/MR systems. The quality of the corrected PET scan using our pseudo-CT volume
      is comparable to having acquired a patient-specific CT scan, thus improving the
      results obtained with the ultrashort-echo-time-based attenuation correction maps
      currently used in the scanner. The GPU implementation substantially decreases
      computational time, making the approach suitable for real applications.

PMID- 26493203
TI  - Comparison of Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen-Based 18F-DCFBC PET/CT to
      Conventional Imaging Modalities for Detection of Hormone-Naive and Castration
      Resistant Metastatic Prostate Cancer.
AB  - Conventional imaging modalities (CIMs) have limited sensitivity and specificity
      for detection of metastatic prostate cancer. We examined the potential of a first
      in-class radiofluorinated small-molecule inhibitor of prostate-specific membrane
      antigen (PSMA), N-[N-[(S)-1,3-dicarboxypropyl]carbamoyl]-4-(18)F-fluorobenzyl-l
      cysteine ((18)F-DCFBC), to detect metastatic hormone-naive (HNPC) and castration
      resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). METHODS: Seventeen patients were prospectively
      enrolled (9 HNPC and 8 CRPC); 16 had CIM evidence of new or progressive
      metastatic prostate cancer and 1 had high clinical suspicion of metastatic
      disease. (18)F-DCFBC PET/CT imaging was obtained with 2 successive PET scans
      starting at 2 h after injection. Patients were imaged with CIM at approximately
      the time of PET. A lesion-by-lesion analysis of PET to CIM was performed in the
      context of either HNPC or CRPC. The patients were followed with available
      clinical imaging as a reference standard to determine the true nature of
      identified lesions on PET and CIM. RESULTS: On the lesion-by-lesion analysis,
      (18)F-DCFBC PET was able to detect a larger number of lesions (592 positive with
      63 equivocal) than CIM (520 positive with 61 equivocal) overall, in both HNPC and
      CRPC patients. (18)F-DCFBC PET detection of lymph nodes, bone lesions, and
      visceral lesions was superior to CIM. When intrapatient clustering effects were
      considered, (18)F-DCFBC PET was estimated to be positive in a large proportion of
      lesions that would be negative or equivocal on CIM (0.45). On follow-up, the
      sensitivity of (18)F-DCFBC PET (0.92) was superior to CIM (0.71). (18)F-DCFBC
      tumor uptake was increased at the later PET time point (~2.5 h after injection),
      with background uptake showing a decreasing trend on later PET. CONCLUSION: PET
      imaging with (18)F-DCFBC, a small-molecule PSMA-targeted radiotracer, detected
      more lesions than CIM and promises to diagnose and stage patients with metastatic
      prostate cancer more accurately than current imaging methods.

PMID- 26493205
TI  - Quantitative Comparison of 124I PET/CT and 131I SPECT/CT Detectability.
AB  - Radioiodine therapy with (131)I is used for treatment of suspected recurrence of
      differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Pretherapeutic (124)I PET/CT with a low
      activity (~1% of (131)I activity) can be performed to determine whether uptake of
      (131)I, and thereby the desired therapeutic effect, may be expected. However,
      false-negative (124)I PET/CT results as compared with posttherapeutic (131)I
      SPECT/CT have been reported by several groups. The purpose of this study was to
      investigate whether the reported discrepancies may be ascribed to a difference in
      lesion detectability between (124)I PET/CT and (131)I SPECT/CT and, hence,
      whether the administered (124)I activity is sufficient to achieve equal
      detectability. METHODS: Phantom measurements were performed using the National
      Electrical Manufacturers Association 2007 image-quality phantom. As a measure of
      detectability, the contrast-to-noise ratio was calculated. The (124)I activity
      was expressed as the percentage of (131)I activity required to achieve the same
      contrast-to-noise ratio. This metric was defined as the detectability equivalence
      percentage (DEP). RESULTS: Because lower DEPs were obtained for smaller spheres,
      a relatively low (124)I activity was sufficient to achieve similar lesion
      detectability between (124)I PET/CT and (131)I SPECT/CT. DEP was 1.5%, 1.9%,
      1.9%, 4.4%, 9.0%, and 16.2% for spheres with diameters of 10, 13, 17, 18, 25, and
      37 mm, respectively, for attenuation- and scatter-corrected SPECT versus point
      spread function (PSF) model-based and time-of-flight (TOF) PET. For no-PSF no-TOF
      PET, DEP was 3.6%, 2.1%, 3.5%, 7.8%, 15.1%, and 23.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      A relatively low (124)I activity of 74 MBq (~1% of (131)I activity) is sufficient
      to achieve similar lesion detectability between (124)I PSF TOF PET/CT and (131)I
      SPECT/CT for small spheres (<=10 mm), since the reported DEPs are close to 1%.
      False-negative (124)I PET/CT results as compared with posttherapeutic (131)I
      SPECT/CT may be ascribed to differences in detectability for large lesions (>10
      mm) and for no-PSF no-TOF PET, since DEPs are greater than 1%. On the basis of
      DEPs of 3.5% for lesion diameters of up to 17 mm on no-PSF no-TOF PET, (124)I
      activities as high as 170 MBq may be warranted to obtain equal detectability.

PMID- 26493206
TI  - Multicenter Clinical Trials Using 18F-FDG PET to Measure Early Response to
      Oncologic Therapy: Effects of Injection-to-Acquisition Time Variability on
      Required Sample Size.
AB  - Uptake time (interval between tracer injection and image acquisition) affects the
      SUV measured for tumors in (18)F-FDG PET images. With dissimilar uptake times,
      changes in tumor SUVs will be under- or overestimated. This study examined the
      influence of uptake time on tumor response assessment using a virtual clinical
      trials approach. METHODS: Tumor kinetic parameters were estimated from dynamic
      (18)F-FDG PET scans of breast cancer patients and used to simulate time-activity
      curves for 45-120 min after injection. Five-minute uptake time frames followed 4
      scenarios: the first was a standardized static uptake time (the SUV from 60 to 65
      min was selected for all scans), the second was uptake times sampled from an
      academic PET facility with strict adherence to standardization protocols, the
      third was a distribution similar to scenario 2 but with greater deviation from
      standards, and the fourth was a mixture of hurried scans (45- to 65-min start of
      image acquisition) and frequent delays (58- to 115-min uptake time). The
      proportion of out-of-range scans (<50 or >70 min, or >15-min difference between
      paired scans) was 0%, 20%, 44%, and 64% for scenarios 1, 2, 3, and 4,
      respectively. A published SUV correction based on local linearity of uptake-time
      dependence was applied in a separate analysis. Influence of uptake-time variation
      was assessed as sensitivity for detecting response (probability of observing a
      change of >=30% decrease in (18)F-FDG PET SUV given a true decrease of 40%) and
      specificity (probability of observing an absolute change of <30% given no true
      change). RESULTS: Sensitivity was 96% for scenario 1, and ranged from 73% for
      scenario 4 (95% confidence interval, 70%-76%) to 92% (90%-93%) for scenario 2.
      Specificity for all scenarios was at least 91%. Single-arm phase II trials
      required an 8%-115% greater sample size for scenarios 2-4 than for scenario 1. If
      uptake time is known, SUV correction methods may raise sensitivity to 87%-95% and
      reduce the sample size increase to less than 27%. CONCLUSION: Uptake-time
      deviations from standardized protocols occur frequently, potentially decreasing
      the performance of (18)F-FDG PET response biomarkers. Correcting SUV for uptake
      time improves sensitivity, but algorithm refinement is needed. Stricter uptake
      time control and effective correction algorithms could improve power and decrease
      costs for clinical trials using (18)F-FDG PET endpoints.

PMID- 26493207
TI  - Evaluation of Atlas-Based Attenuation Correction for Integrated PET/MR in Human
      Brain: Application of a Head Atlas and Comparison to True CT-Based Attenuation
      Correction.
AB  - Attenuation correction (AC) for integrated PET/MR imaging in the human brain is
      still an open problem. In this study, we evaluated a simplified atlas-based AC
      (Atlas-AC) by comparing (18)F-FDG PET data corrected using either Atlas-AC or
      true CT data (CT-AC). METHODS: We enrolled 8 patients (median age, 63 y). All
      patients underwent clinically indicated whole-body (18)F-FDG PET/CT for staging,
      restaging, or follow-up of malignant disease. All patients volunteered for an
      additional PET/MR of the head (additional tracer was not injected). For each
      patient, 2 AC maps were generated: an Atlas-AC map registered to a patient
      specific liver accelerated volume acquisition-Flex MR sequence and using a vendor
      provided head atlas generated from multiple CT head images and a CT-based AC map.
      For comparative AC, the CT-AC map generated from PET/CT was superimposed on the
      Atlas-AC map. PET images were reconstructed from the list-mode raw data from the
      PET/MR imaging scanner using each AC map. All PET images were normalized to the
      SPM5 PET template, and (18)F-FDG accumulation was quantified in 67 volumes of
      interest (VOIs; automated anatomic labeling atlas). Relative difference (%diff)
      between images based on Atlas-AC and CT-AC was calculated, and averaged
      difference images were generated. (18)F-FDG uptake in all VOIs was compared using
      Bland-Altman analysis. RESULTS: The range of error in all 536 VOIs was -3.0%
      7.3%. Whole-brain (18)F-FDG uptake based on Atlas-AC was slightly underestimated
      (%diff = 2.19% +/- 1.40%). The underestimation was most pronounced in the regions
      below the anterior/posterior commissure line, such as the cerebellum, temporal
      lobe, and central structures (%diff = 3.69% +/- 1.43%, 3.25% +/- 1.42%, and 3.05%
      +/- 1.18%), suggesting that Atlas-AC tends to underestimate the attenuation
      values of the skull base bone. CONCLUSION: When compared with the gold-standard
      CT-AC, errors introduced using Atlas-AC did not exceed 8% in any brain region
      investigated. Underestimation of (18)F-FDG uptake was minor (<4%) but significant
      in regions near the skull base.

PMID- 26493208
TI  - DECKO: Single-oligo, dual-CRISPR deletion of genomic elements including long non
      coding RNAs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: CRISPR genome-editing technology makes it possible to quickly and
      cheaply delete non-protein-coding regulatory elements. We present a vector system
      adapted for this purpose called DECKO (Double Excision CRISPR Knockout), which
      applies a simple two-step cloning to generate lentiviral vectors expressing two
      guide RNAs (gRNAs) simultaneously. The key feature of DECKO is its use of a
      single 165 bp starting oligonucleotide carrying the variable sequences of both
      gRNAs, making it fully scalable from single-locus studies to complex library
      cloning. RESULTS: We apply DECKO to deleting the promoters of one protein-coding
      gene and two oncogenic lncRNAs, UCA1 and the highly-expressed MALAT1, focus of
      many previous studies employing RNA interference approaches. DECKO successfully
      deleted genomic fragments ranging in size from 100 to 3000 bp in four human cell
      lines. Using a clone-derivation workflow lasting approximately 20 days, we
      obtained 9 homozygous and 17 heterozygous promoter knockouts in three human cell
      lines. Frequent target region inversions were observed. These clones have
      reductions in steady-state MALAT1 RNA levels of up to 98 % and display reduced
      proliferation rates. CONCLUSIONS: We present a dual CRISPR tool, DECKO, which is
      cloned using a single starting oligonucleotide, thereby affording simplicity and
      scalability to CRISPR knockout studies of non-coding genomic elements, including
      long non-coding RNAs.

PMID- 26493209
TI  - Clinical characteristics, surgical and neuropsychological outcomes in drug
      resistant tumoral temporal lobe epilepsy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Glioneuronal tumors are found in nearly one third patients who
      undergo surgery for pharmacoresistant epilepsy with temporal lobe being the most
      common location. Few studies, however have concentrated on the neurological and
      neuropsychological outcomes after surgery, hitherto none from India. METHODS: We
      studied 34 patients with temporal lobe tumors and drug resistant epilepsy. These
      patients underwent anterior temporal lobectomy or lesionectomy based on the
      involvement of the hippocampus and mesial temporal structures. The clinical
      history, EEG, neuropsychology profile and MRI were compared. Seizure outcome was
      categorized using Engel's classification. RESULTS: At a mean follow up of 62
      months, 85.29% of the patients were seizure free (Engel's Class I). All 8
      patients with intraoperative electrocorticography (ECoG) guided resection were
      seizure free. DISCUSSION: Presence of a residual lesion was significantly
      associated with persistence of seizures post surgery (p = 0.002). Group analysis
      revealed no significant shifts in IQ and memory scores postoperatively. There was
      a significant improvement in the quality of life scores (total and across all
      subdomains) in all patients (p < 0.001). Postoperative EEG abnormalities
      predicted unfavorable seizure outcome. CONCLUSION: Surgery for temporal lobe
      tumors and refractory epilepsy offers complete seizure freedom in majority.
      Complete surgical excision of the epileptogenic zone is of paramount importance
      in achieving seizure freedom. Intraoperative electrocorticography (EcoG) is a
      useful adjunct to ensure complete removal of epileptogenic zone, thus achieving
      optimal seizure freedom. There is a significant improvement in the quality of
      life scores (p < 0.001) with no negative impact of surgery on memory and
      intelligence. Even the patients who are not seizure free can achieve worthwhile
      improvement post surgery.

PMID- 26493211
TI  - Best evidence topic: What is the best management of the appendix-stump in acute
      appendicitis: Simple ligation or stump invagination?
AB  - A best evidence topic has been constructed using a described protocol. The three
      part question addressed was: for patients undergoing appendicectomy for
      complicated acute appendicitis is simple ligation or invagination of the appendix
      stump safer? Using the reported search, 587 papers were found. Five studies were
      deemed to be suitable to answer the question. In conclusion, the literature is
      more in favour of the appendix stump being managed with simple ligation rather
      than stump invagination. All 5 studies assessed are prospective, randomised
      studies, though overall the quality of these studies is poor. The outcomes
      assessed were incidence of post-operative complications (pyrexia, wound
      infection, abscess, caecal fistula and post-operative ileus), post-operative
      length of stay and mean operating time. The analysis indicates no significant
      difference between the groups in rates of post-operative pyrexia, intra-abdominal
      abscess or caecal fistula. Only one study showed a significant difference in
      rates of wound infection in favour of simple ligation. One study demonstrated a
      significant difference in favour of simple ligation when comparing rates of post
      operative ileus. Overall, simple ligation was found to reduce patient length of
      stay when compared with stump invagination; one study found this difference to be
      significant. Simple ligation also produced shorter operating times compared with
      stump invagination--a risk factor for the development of post-operative ileus.
      All studies suffered limitations that make the quality of the evidence assessed
      poor. Although this evidence does favour simple ligation of the stump as compared
      to invagination, higher quality randomised studies are needed to answer the
      question definitively.

PMID- 26493210
TI  - Splenectomy is associated with a higher risk for venous thromboembolism: A
      prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thrombocytosis following splenectomy is a common occurrence. Whether
      this thrombocytosis leads to a higher risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE)
      remains unclear. This investigation aimed to determine if splenectomy increases
      the risk for VTE. METHODS: This was a prospective study conducted in the SICU
      between 1/2011 and 11/2013 investigating the VTE risk in patients undergoing a
      splenectomy compared with those undergoing any other abdominal procedure.
      RESULTS: In total 2503 patients were admitted to the SICU: 37 (2%) after a
      splenectomy and 638 (26%) after any other abdominal surgery. Splenectomy patients
      had a higher incidence of VTE compared to patients undergoing any other abdominal
      procedure (29.7% vs. 12.1%, p < 0.01). After adjustment, splenectomy was
      associated with a higher adjusted risk for VTE compared to the no-splenectomy
      group (AOR [95% CI]: 2.6 [1.2, 5.9], p = 0.02). Reactive thrombocytosis did not
      predict the development of VTE. CONCLUSION: Splenectomy increases the risk for
      VTE, however reactive thrombocytosis is not associated with this higher
      incidence. Further investigations are required to characterize the
      pathophysiologic mechanisms of VTE development following splenectomy.

PMID- 26493212
TI  - Bicycle trauma and alcohol intoxication.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: As bicycling has become more popular, admissions after bicycle
      trauma are on the rise. The impact of alcohol use on bicycle trauma has not been
      well studied. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of alcohol
      intoxication on injury burden following bicycle-related crashes. METHODS: A
      retrospective review of trauma patients presenting to a Level I trauma center
      after bicycle-related crashes from January 2002 to December 2011 was conducted.
      Demographics, injury data, alcohol intoxication, helmet use, and clinical
      outcomes were reviewed. Blood alcohol level (BAL) was considered positive if
      >0.01 g/dL. Variables were compared between patients based on BAL: negative, 0.01
      0.16 g/dL, and >0.16 g/dL. RESULTS: During the 10 year study period, 563 patients
      met study criteria; mean age was 33.5 +/- 16.5 years, 87% were male, and
      mortality was 1%. On average, bicycle crashes increased over the study period by
      4.4 collisions per year. BAL was tested in 211 (38%) patients. Mean BAL was 0.24
      g/dL, with 37% of these patients being intoxicated (BAL >= 0.010 g/dL).
      Intoxicated patients were significantly less likely to wear a helmet (4.7% vs.
      22.2%, p = 0.002) and to be involved in motor vehicle crash (59.0% vs. 81.2%, p <
      0.001). There was no difference noted in the injury burden including ISS >= 16
      (14.3% vs. 19.5%, p = 0.335) and AIS Head >= 3 (17.9% vs. 21.8%, p = 0.502). When
      comparing patients according to their BAL, there was a decreasing risk of motor
      vehicle collision with increasing BAL (81.2% for undetected, 76.5% for BAL <=
      0.16 g/dL and 54.1% for BAL >0.16 g/dL, p < 0.001). The risk for a severe head
      injury (AIS Head >= 3) was significantly lower in helmeted patients (8.4% vs.
      15.8%, p = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of bicycle-related crashes is
      increasing and more than a third of patients tested for alcohol after bicycle
      related crashes are found to be intoxicated. The injury burden in intoxicated
      patients, including head trauma, was not different compared to non-intoxicated
      patients. In addition, the risk for a collision with a motor vehicle was
      significantly lower. Nonetheless, these patients rarely utilize a helmet. The
      findings from this study can be used for the development and implementation of
      preventive strategies to minimize the injury burden associated with bicycle
      crashes and intoxicated cyclists.

PMID- 26493213
TI  - A Multicenter Longitudinal Study of Hospital-Onset Bacteremia: Time for a New
      Quality Outcome Measure?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rate is an
      important quality measure, but it suffers from subjectivity and interrater
      variability, and decreasing national CLABSI rates may compromise its power to
      discriminate between hospitals. This study evaluates hospital-onset bacteremia
      (HOB, ie, any positive blood culture obtained 48 hours post admission) as a
      healthcare-associated infection-related outcome measure by assessing the
      association between HOB and CLABSI rates and comparing the power of each to
      discriminate quality among intensive care units (ICUs). METHODS: In this
      multicenter study, ICUs provided monthly CLABSI and HOB rates for 2012 and 2013.
      A Poisson regression model was used to assess the association between these 2
      rates. We compared the power of each measure to discriminate between ICUs using
      standardized infection ratios (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A
      measure was defined as having greater power to discriminate if more of the SIRs
      (with surrounding CIs) were different from 1. RESULTS: In 80 ICUs from 16
      hospitals in the United States and Canada, a total of 663 CLABSIs, 475,420
      central line days, 11,280 HOBs, and 966,757 patient days were reported. An
      absolute change in HOB of 1 per 1,000 patient days was associated with a 2.5%
      change in CLABSI rate (P<.001). Among the 80 ICUs, 20 (25%) had a CLABSI SIR and
      60 (75%) had an HOB SIR that was different from 1 (P<.001). CONCLUSION: Change in
      HOB rate is strongly associated with change in CLABSI rate and has greater power
      to discriminate between ICU performances. Consideration should be given to using
      HOB to replace CLABSI as an outcome measure in infection prevention quality
      assessments.

PMID- 26493214
TI  - A framework of ethics for telepsychiatry practice.
AB  - Psychiatrists who provide telepsychiatric services must uphold the standards of
      ethics and professionalism expected in in-person interactions. Psychiatrists'
      fundamental ethical responsibilities do not change when they take up a new form
      of practice. But as in other areas of medicine, the introduction of a new
      technology - here, Internet use and videoconferencing - raises new ethical
      challenges, requiring a fresh look at clinical practice and social issues such as
      equitable access. This review discusses these new challenges under six headings:
      providing competent, safe care, ensuring informed consent, promoting privacy and
      confidentiality, managing boundaries, encouraging continuity of care, and
      addressing health equity. Ethical guidelines for in-person practice have emerged
      from decades of clinical discussion and carefully observed treatment in the
      office and hospital setting. New observations, clinical reports, and shared
      discussion and learning must do the same for telepsychiatry in the years to come.

PMID- 26493215
TI  - The laforin/malin E3-ubiquitin ligase complex ubiquitinates pyruvate kinase
      M1/M2.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lafora disease (LD, OMIM 254780) is a fatal neurodegenerative
      disorder produced mainly by mutations in two genes: EPM2A, encoding the dual
      specificity phosphatase laforin, and EPM2B, encoding the E3-ubiquitin ligase
      malin. Although it is known that laforin and malin may form a functional complex,
      the underlying molecular mechanisms of this pathology are still far from being
      understood. METHODS: In order to gain information about the substrates of the
      laforin/malin complex, we have carried out a yeast substrate-trapping screening,
      originally designed to identify substrates of protein tyrosine phosphatases.
      RESULTS: Our results identify the two muscular isoforms of pyruvate kinase (PKM1
      and PKM2) as novel interaction partners of laforin. CONCLUSIONS: We present
      evidence indicating that the laforin/malin complex is able to interact with and
      ubiquitinate both PKM1 and PKM2. This post-translational modification, although
      it does not affect the catalytic activity of PKM1, it impairs the nuclear
      localization of PKM2.

PMID- 26493217
TI  - DNA-based identification of Peucedanum ostruthium specimens and detection of
      common adulterants by high-resolution melting curve analysis.
AB  - Masterwort (Peucedanum ostruthium, syn. Imperatoria ostruthium, Apiaceae) is an
      old economic plant in Alpine countries cultivated as ornamental plant and used
      for spirits and in folk medicine. P. ostruthium is a species that has often been
      confused with related Apiaceae species or morphologically similar roots or tubers
      resulting in products of minor quality. Masterwort can be distinguished from
      other Apiaceae species by nrDNA (ITS1 and ITS2). The analysed chloroplast markers
      (trnK 5' intron, trnT-trnL, and psbA-trnH), however, showed no species-specific
      mutations. With the application of two primer pairs amplifying parts of ITS and
      developed for high-resolution melting curve analysis (HRM) the target species was
      distinguishable from the other Peucedanum and Apiaceae species of our reference
      set. A multiplex PCR/HRM was developed to detect adulterations with Gentiana
      spp., Aconitum napellus and Veratrum album. 

PMID- 26493216
TI  - Glucose availability determines silver nanoparticles toxicity in HepG2.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The increasing body of evidence suggest that nanomaterials toxicity
      is associated with generation of oxidative stress. In this paper we investigated
      the role of respiration in silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) generated oxidative
      stress and toxicity. Since cancer cells rely on glucose as the main source of
      energy supply, glucose availability might be an important determinant of NPs
      toxicity. METHODS: AgNPs of 20 nm nominal diameter were used as a model NPs.
      HepG2 cells were cultured in the media with high (25 mM) or low (5.5 mM) glucose
      content and treated with 20 nm AgNPs. AgNPs-induced toxicity was tested by
      neutral red assay. Generation of H2O2 in mitochondria was evaluated by use of
      mitochondria specific protein indicator HyPer-Mito. Expression of a 77 oxidative
      stress related genes was assessed by qPCR. The activity of antioxidant enzymes
      was estimated colorimetrically by dedicated methods in cell homogenates. RESULTS:
      AgNPs-induced dose-dependent generation of H2O2 and toxicity was observed.
      Toxicity of AgNPs towards cells maintained in the low glucose medium was
      significantly lower than the toxicity towards cells growing in the high glucose
      concentration. Scarceness of glucose supply resulted in upregulation of the
      endogenous antioxidant defence mechanisms that in turn alleviated AgNPs dependent
      ROS generation and toxicity. CONCLUSION: Glucose availability can modify toxicity
      of AgNPs via elevation of antioxidant defence triggered by oxidative stress
      resulted from enhanced oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria and associated
      generation of ROS. Presented results strengthen the idea of strong linkage
      between NPs toxicity and intracellular respiration and possibly other
      mitochondria dependent processes.

PMID- 26493218
TI  - The prevalence of vertebral fractures in spondyloarthritis: relation to disease
      characteristics, bone mineral density, syndesmophytes and history of back pain
      and trauma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: An increased risk of vertebral fracture (VF) is one of the extra
      articular manifestations of spondyloarthropathy (SpA). The prevalence of moderate
      to severe VFs visualized by radiography (Rx) in patients with SpA in daily
      practice is unknown until imaging of the full spine is available, as most VFs do
      not present with clinical signs and symptoms of an acute fracture. METHODS: We
      evaluated the prevalence of VFs (>25% loss in height) on available Rx and dual
      energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) images in 390 consecutive patients with SpA in
      daily practice. We assessed their association with disease characteristics, bone
      mineral density, the modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spinal Score, and
      history of trauma. RESULTS: Forty-six patients (11.8%) had Rx VF (56.4% men,
      93.5% in the thoracic spine), and 44.5% had multiple VFs. Compared with patients
      without VF, patients with VF were older (52.2 vs. 47.3 years, p < 0.01; range 25
      84 years), had lower femoral neck T-scores (-1.1 vs. -0.7; p < 0.05), and had a
      marginally higher modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spinal Score (11.7 vs.
      7.0; p = 0.06). Among patients with VFs, 15.2% had a history of trauma with acute
      back pain (p < 0.001 vs. no VF). The reliability of DXA for diagnosing
      radiographic VFs was high (kappa 0.90). CONCLUSIONS: Moderate to severe VFs are
      found in more than 10% of patients with SpA before the age of 40 years in 5% of
      women and 9% in men. Most VFs are located in the thoracic region, are related to
      low femoral neck bone mineral density and to stiffening of the spine, and are
      only rarely related to trauma history. DXA is a useful alternative for diagnosing
      VFs.

PMID- 26493219
TI  - The Effectiveness of Measures Aimed at Noise Reduction in an Intensive Care Unit.
AB  - Noise is a significant problem for both hospitalized patients and health care
      workers. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of noise reduction
      strategies in an intensive care unit. Noise was measured in two phases. In the
      first phase, the unit's present level of noise was established over 3 weeks
      between January 1, 2012, and February 1, 2012. During the month following initial
      measurements, noise reduction interventions, including staff education and
      physical space arrangement, were initiated, and device alarms were checked. The
      second phase of measurement was conducted during another 3-week period (between
      June 1, 2012, and July 1, 2012). The noise levels before and after noise
      reduction interventions were calculated as 67.6 dB-A and 56 dB-A; the difference
      between the two levels was statistically significant (p<.05). The interventions
      were effective in reducing noise in intensive care units; the interventions are
      relatively easy and low cost.

PMID- 26493220
TI  - Restructured abstracts for research in The BMJ.

PMID- 26493221
TI  - Single-Cell, Time-Resolved Antimicrobial Effects of a Highly Cationic, Random
      Nylon-3 Copolymer on Live Escherichia coli.
AB  - Synthetic random copolymers based on the nylon-3 (beta-peptide) backbone show
      promise as inexpensive antimicrobial agents resistant to proteolysis. We present
      a time-resolved observational study of the attack of a particular copolymer
      MM63:CHx37 on single, live Escherichia coli cells. The composition and chain
      length of MM63:CHx37 (63% cationic subunits, 37% hydrophobic subunits, 35-subunit
      average length) were optimized to enhance antibacterial activity while minimizing
      lysis of human red blood cells. For E. coli cells that export GFP to the
      periplasm, we obtain alternating phase-contrast and green fluorescence images
      with a time resolution of 12 s over 60 min following initiation of copolymer
      flow. Within seconds, cells shrink and exhibit the same plasmolysis spaces that
      occur following abrupt external osmotic upshift. The osmoprotection machinery
      attempts to replenish cytoplasmic water, but recovery is interrupted by
      permeabilization of the cytoplasmic membrane (CM) to GFP. Evidently, the highly
      cationic copolymer and its counterions rapidly translocate across the outer
      membrane without permeabilizing it to GFP. The CM permeabilization event is
      spatially localized. Cells whose CM has been permeabilized never recover growth.
      The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for cells lacking the osmolyte
      importer ProP is 4-fold smaller than for normal cells, suggesting that
      osmoprotection is an important survival strategy. In addition, at the time of CM
      permeabilization, we observe evidence of oxidative stress. The MIC under
      anaerobic conditions is at least 8-fold larger than under aerobic conditions,
      further implicating oxidative damage as an important bacteriostatic effect. Once
      the copolymer reaches the periplasm, multiple growth-halting mechanisms proceed
      in parallel. 

PMID- 26493223
TI  - A new paradigm for rectal cancer: Organ preservation: Introducing the
      International Watch & Wait Database (IWWD).

PMID- 26493222
TI  - The Structural Basis of Actin Organization by Vinculin and Metavinculin.
AB  - Vinculin is an essential adhesion protein that links membrane-bound integrin and
      cadherin receptors through their intracellular binding partners to filamentous
      actin, facilitating mechanotransduction. Here we present an 8.5-A-resolution cryo
      electron microscopy reconstruction and pseudo-atomic model of the vinculin tail
      (Vt) domain bound to F-actin. Upon actin engagement, the N-terminal "strap" and
      helix 1 are displaced from the Vt helical bundle to mediate actin bundling. We
      find that an analogous conformational change also occurs in the H1' helix of the
      tail domain of metavinculin (MVt) upon actin binding, a muscle-specific splice
      isoform that suppresses actin bundling by Vt. These data support a model in which
      metavinculin tunes the actin bundling activity of vinculin in a tissue-specific
      manner, providing a mechanistic framework for understanding metavinculin
      mutations associated with hereditary cardiomyopathies. 

PMID- 26493224
TI  - Molecular phylogenetics and the morphology of the Lycopodiaceae subfamily
      Huperzioideae supports three genera: Huperzia, Phlegmariurus and Phylloglossum.
AB  - The generic classification of huperzioid Lycopodiaceae was tested using Bayesian
      inference and Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences from four
      chloroplast loci for 119 taxa and optimisation of 29 morphological
      characteristics onto the phylogeny. Consistent with previous studies, the
      subfamilies Lycopodioideae and Huperzioideae are monophyletic and diagnosable by
      synapomorphies that correlate with differences in their life-histories. Within
      the Huperzioideae, the monophyly of the widely adopted genus Huperzia (excl.
      Phylloglossum) is poorly supported. Three clades of huperzioid Lycopodiaceae were
      recovered in all analyses of molecular data: Phylloglossum drummondii, Huperzia
      sensu stricto and Phlegmariurus sensu lato. These clades are strongly supported
      by morphological characters, including differences in spores, gametophytes,
      sporophyte macro-morphology, as well as growth habit and life-histories. Our
      findings indicate that either a one-genus (Huperzia s.l.) or a three-genus
      (Phylloglossum, Huperzia s.s. and Phlegmariurus s.l.) classification of
      huperzioid Lycopods are equally supported by molecular evidence, but a two-genus
      system (Huperzia s.l.+Phylloglossum) is not. We recommend recognising three
      genera in the huperzioid Lycopodiaceae, as this classification best reflects
      evolutionary, ecological, and morphological divergence within the lineage. 

PMID- 26493226
TI  - Evolutionary history of PEPC genes in green plants: Implications for the
      evolution of CAM in orchids.
AB  - The phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) gene is the key enzyme in CAM and C4
      photosynthesis. A detailed phylogenetic analysis of the PEPC family was performed
      using sequences from 60 available published plant genomes, the Phalaenopsis
      equestris genome and RNA-Seq of 15 additional orchid species. The PEPC family
      consists of three distinct subfamilies, PPC-1, PPC-2, and PPC-3, all of which
      share a recent common ancestor in chlorophyte algae. The eudicot PPC-1 lineage
      separated into two clades due to whole genome duplication (WGD). Similarly, the
      monocot PPC-1 lineage also divided into PPC-1M1 and PPC-1M2 through an ancient
      duplication event. The monocot CAM- or C4-related PEPC originated from the clade
      PPC-1M1. WGD may not be the major driver for the performance of CAM function by
      PEPC, although it increased the number of copies of the PEPC gene. CAM may have
      evolved early in monocots, as the CAM-related PEPC of orchids originated from the
      monocot ancient duplication, and the earliest CAM-related PEPC may have evolved
      immediately after the diversification of monocots, with CAM developing prior to
      C4. Our results represent the most complete evolutionary history of PEPC genes in
      green plants to date and particularly elucidate the origin of PEPC in orchids. 

PMID- 26493227
TI  - Phylogenetic placement of enigmatic percomorph families (Teleostei:
      Percomorphaceae).
AB  - Percomorphs are a large and diverse group of spiny-finned fishes that have come
      to be known as the "bush at the top" due to their persistent lack of phylogenetic
      resolution. Recently, the broader Euteleost Tree of Life project (EToL) inferred
      a well-supported phylogenetic hypothesis that groups the diversity of percomorphs
      into nine well-supported series (supraordinal groups): Ophidiaria,
      Batrachoidaria, Gobiaria, Syngnatharia, Pelagiaria, Anabantaria, Carangaria,
      Ovalentaria, and Eupercaria. The EToL also provided, for the first time, a
      monophyletic definition of Perciformes - the largest order of vertebrates.
      Despite significant progress made in accommodating the diversity of percomorph
      taxa into major clades, some 62 families (most previously placed in
      "Perciformes", as traditionally defined) were not examined by the EToL. Here, we
      provide evidence for the phylogenetic affinities of 10 of those 62 families,
      seven of which have largely remained enigmatic. This expanded taxonomic sampling
      also provides further support for the nine EToL supraordinal series. We examined
      sequences from 21 genes previously used by the EToL and added two fast-evolving
      mitochondrial markers in an attempt to increase resolution within the rapid
      percomorph radiations. We restricted the taxonomic sampling to 1229 percomorph
      species, including expanded sampling from recent studies. Results of maximum
      likelihood analysis revealed that bathyclupeids (Bathyclupeidae), galjoen fishes
      (Dichistiidae), kelpfishes (Chironemidae), marblefishes (Aplodactylidae),
      trumpeters (Latridae), barbeled grunters (Hapalogenyidae), slopefishes
      (Symphysanodontidae), and picarel porgies (formerly Centracanthidae) are members
      of the series Eupercaria ("new bush at the top"). The picarel porgies and porgies
      (Sparidae) are now placed in the same family (Sparidae). Our analyses suggest a
      close affinity between the orders Spariformes (including Lethrinidae,
      Nemipteridae and Sparidae) and Lobotiformes (including the tripletails or
      Lobotidae, the barbeled grunters, and tigerperches or Datnioididae), albeit
      support for this group is low. None of the newly examined families belong in the
      order Perciformes, as recently defined. Finally, we confirm results from other
      recent studies that place the Australasian salmons (Arripidae) within Pelagiaria,
      and the false trevallies (Lactariidae) close to flatfishes, jacks, and
      trevallies, within Carangaria. 

PMID- 26493225
TI  - Emergence and evolution of Zfp36l3.
AB  - In most mammals, the Zfp36 gene family consists of three conserved members, with
      a fourth member, Zfp36l3, present only in rodents. The ZFP36 proteins regulate
      post-transcriptional gene expression at the level of mRNA stability in organisms
      from humans to yeasts, and appear to be expressed in all major groups of
      eukaryotes. In Mus musculus, Zfp36l3 expression is limited to the placenta and
      yolk sac, and is important for overall fecundity. We sequenced the Zfp36l3 gene
      from more than 20 representative species, from members of the Muridae, Cricetidae
      and Nesomyidae families. Zfp36l3 was not present in Dipodidae, or any families
      that branched earlier, indicating that this gene is exclusive to the Muroidea
      superfamily. We provide evidence that Zfp36l3 arose by retrotransposition of an
      mRNA encoded by a related gene, Zfp36l2 into an ancestral rodent X chromosome.
      Zfp36l3 has evolved rapidly since its origin, and numerous modifications have
      developed, including variations in start codon utilization, de novo intron
      formation by mechanisms including a nested retrotransposition, and the insertion
      of distinct repetitive regions. One of these repeat regions, a long alanine rich
      sequence, is responsible for the full-time cytoplasmic localization of Mus
      musculus ZFP36L3. In contrast, this repeat sequence is lacking in Peromyscus
      maniculatus ZFP36L3, and this protein contains a novel nuclear export sequence
      that controls shuttling between the nucleus and cytosol. Zfp36l3 is an example of
      a recently acquired, rapidly evolving gene, and its various orthologues
      illustrate several different mechanisms by which new genes emerge and evolve. 

PMID- 26493228
TI  - Advances in Dendrobium molecular research: Applications in genetic variation,
      identification and breeding.
AB  - Orchids of the genus Dendrobium are of great economic importance in global
      horticultural trade and in Asian traditional medicine. For both areas, research
      yielding solid information on taxonomy, phylogeny, and breeding of this genus are
      essential. Traditional morphological and cytological characterization are used in
      combination with molecular results in classification and identification. Markers
      may be useful when used alone but are not always reliable in identification. The
      number of species studied and identified by molecular markers is small at
      present. Conventional breeding methods are time-consuming and laborious. In the
      past two decades, promising advances have been made in taxonomy, phylogeny and
      breeding of Dendrobium species due to the intensive use of molecular markers. In
      this review, we focus on the main molecular techniques used in 121 published
      studies and discuss their importance and possibilities in speeding up the
      breeding of new cultivars and hybrids. 

PMID- 26493229
TI  - Cost effectiveness of an antimicrobial stewardship programme.

PMID- 26493230
TI  - Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced brain shrinkage in older people,
      study finds.

PMID- 26493231
TI  - Investigating the contribution of the upper and lower lumbar spine, relative to
      hip motion, in everyday tasks.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is commonplace for clinicians to measure range of motion (ROM) in
      the assessment of the lumbar spine. Traditional single 'joint' models afford
      measuring only a limited number of regions along the spine and may, therefore,
      over-simplify the description of movement. It remains to be determined if
      additional, useful information can be gleaned by considering the traditional
      'lumbar region' as two regions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine
      whether modelling the lumbar spine as two separate regions (i.e. upper and
      lower), yields a different understanding of spinal movement relative to hip
      motion, than a traditional single-joint model. This study is unique in adopting
      this approach to evaluate a range of everyday tasks. METHOD: Lumbar spine motion
      was measured both by being considered as a whole region (S1 to T12), and where
      the lumbar spine was modelled as two regions (the upper (L3-T12) and lower (S1
      L3)). RESULTS: A significant difference was evident between the relative
      contribution from the lower and upper spine across all movements, with the lower
      lumbar spine consistently contributing on average 63% of the total ROM. A
      significant difference was also evident between the whole lumbar spine-hip ratio,
      and the lower lumbar spine-hip ratio, for the movement of lifting only. The lower
      lumbar spine achieved greater velocity for all tasks, when compared to the upper
      lumbar spine. CONCLUSION: This study has consistently demonstrated differences in
      the contribution of the upper and lower spinal regions across a range of everyday
      tasks; hence, it would appear that greater focus should be given to performing
      more detailed assessments to fully appreciate spinal movement.

PMID- 26493232
TI  - Current practice of target temperature management post-cardiac arrest in The
      Netherlands, a post-TTM trial survey.

PMID- 26493233
TI  - [Results following the implementation of a clinical pathway in the process of
      care to elderly patients with osteoporotic hip fracture in a second level
      hospital].
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficiency of a clinical pathway in the management of
      elderly patients with fragility hip fracture in a second level hospital in terms
      of length of stay time to surgery, morbidity, hospital mortality, and improved
      functional outcome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A comparative and prospective study was
      carried out between two groups of patients with hip fracture aged 75 and older
      prior to 2010 (n=216), and after a quality improvement intervention in 2013
      (n=196). A clinical pathway based on recent scientific evidence was implemented.
      The degree of compliance with the implemented measures was quantified. RESULTS:
      The characteristics of the patients in both groups were similar in age, gender,
      functional status (Barthel Index) and comorbidity (Charlson Index). Median length
      of stay was reduced by more than 45% in 2013 (16.61 vs. 9.08 days, p=.000). Also,
      time to surgery decreased 29.4% in the multidisciplinary intervention group (6.23
      vs. 4.4 days, p=.000). Patients assigned to the clinical pathway group showed
      higher medical complications rate (delirium, malnutrition, anaemia and
      electrolyte disorders), but a lower hospital mortality (5.10 vs. 2.87%, p>.005).
      The incidence of surgical wound infection (p=.031) and functional efficiency
      (p=.001) also improved in 2013. An increased number of patients started treatment
      for osteoporosis (14.80 vs. 76.09%, p=.001) after implementing the clinical
      pathway. CONCLUSION: The implementation of a clinical pathway in the care process
      of elderly patients with hip fracture reduced length of stay and time to surgery,
      without a negative impact on associated clinical and functional outcomes.

PMID- 26493234
TI  - Muscle stiffness estimation using a system identification technique applied to
      evoked mechanomyogram during cycling exercise.
AB  - The aims of this study were to develop a method to extract the evoked
      mechanomyogram (MMG) during cycling exercise and to clarify muscle stiffness at
      various cadences, workloads, and power. Ten young healthy male participants were
      instructed to pedal a cycle ergometer at cadences of 40 and 60 rpm. The loads
      were 4.9, 9.8, 14.7, and 19.6 N, respectively. One electrical stimulus per two
      pedal rotations was applied to the vastus lateralis muscle at a knee angle of 80
      degrees  in the down phase. MMGs were measured using a capacitor microphone, and
      the MMGs were divided into stimulated and non-stimulated sequences. Each sequence
      was synchronously averaged. The synchronously averaged non-stimulated MMG was
      subtracted from the synchronously averaged stimulated MMG to extract an evoked
      MMG. The evoked MMG system was identified and the poles of the transfer function
      were calculated. The poles and mass of the vastus lateralis muscle were used to
      estimate muscle stiffness. Results showed that muscle stiffness was 186-626 N /m
      and proportional to the workloads and power. In conclusion, our method can be
      used to assess muscle stiffness proportional to the workload and power.

PMID- 26493235
TI  - Diagnosis disclosure in dementia: Understanding the experiences of clinicians and
      patients who have recently given or received a diagnosis.
AB  - Diagnosis disclosure in dementia is a complex area that results in positive and
      negative outcomes for both clinicians and patients. Eight clinicians and seven
      patients were interviewed about their recent experience of either giving or
      receiving a diagnosis of dementia. Interview transcripts were analysed using
      interpretative phenomenological analysis. The analysis revealed two higher order
      themes: Hiding from the Truth and The Social Environment: Help or Hindrance? Both
      clinicians and patients experience avoidance in relation to the diagnosis. The
      results support a psychosocial model of dementia and highlight the need for
      flexible follow up interventions that both recognise patients' use of avoidance
      and denial as coping strategies and facilitate social support. The social
      environment can also assist and hamper clinicians' efforts to help their
      patients. Future research is needed to elucidate optimal conditions for
      facilitating patients' uptake of positive coping strategies.

PMID- 26493236
TI  - Qualitative assessment of self-identity in people with advanced dementia.
AB  - This study aimed to understand the preserved elements of self-identity in persons
      with moderate to severe dementia attributable to Alzheimer's disease. A semi
      structured interview was developed to explore the narrative self among residents
      with dementia in a residential care facility, and residents without dementia in
      an independent living setting. The interviews were transcribed verbatim from
      audio recordings and analyzed for common themes, while being sensitive to
      possible differences between the groups. The participants with dementia showed
      evidence of self-reference even though losses in explicit memory were evident.
      The most noticeable difference between the two groups was time frame reference.
      Nonetheless, all participants showed understanding of their role in relationships
      and exhibited concrete preferences. Our findings suggest that memory loss and
      other cognitive deficits associated with moderate to severe dementia do not
      necessarily lead to a loss of "self." 

PMID- 26493237
TI  - Multistimuli-Responsive Luminescence Switching of Pyrazine Derivative Based Donor
      Acceptor-Donor Luminophores.
AB  - Three symmetrical donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) luminophores (C1, C2, and C3) with
      pyrazine derivatives as electron-withdrawing groups have been developed for
      multistimuli-responsive luminescence switching. For comparison, reference
      compounds R1 and R2 without the pyrazine moiety have also been synthesized.
      Intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) interactions can be found for all D-A-D
      luminophores owing to the electron-withdrawing properties of the two imine
      nitrogen atoms in the pyrazine ring and the electron-donating properties of the
      other two amine nitrogen atoms in the two triphenylamine units. Moreover,
      luminophores C1, C2, and C3 exhibit "on-off-on" luminescence switching properties
      in mixtures of water/tetrahydrofuran with increasing water content, which is
      different from the "on-off" switching for typical aggregation-caused quenching
      (ACQ) materials and "off-on" switching for traditional aggregation-induced
      emission (AIE) materials. Additionally, upon grinding the pristine samples,
      luminophores C1, C2, and C3 display bathochromically shifted photoluminescence
      maxima that can be recovered by either solvent fuming or thermal annealing
      treatments. The piezofluorochromic (PFC) properties are more pronounced than
      those for reference compounds R1 and R2, which indicates that D-A molecules have
      the ability to amplify the PFC effect by tuning the ICT interactions upon tiny
      structural changes under pressure. Furthermore, the target luminophores
      demonstrate acid-responsive photoluminescence spectra that can be recovered in
      either basic or ambient environments. These results suggest that D-A complexes
      are potential candidates for multistimuli-responsive luminescence switching
      because their ICT profiles can be facilely tuned with tiny external stimuli. 

PMID- 26493238
TI  - Doppler Characteristics of Cavernosal-Spongiosal Communications in Patients with
      Erectile Dysfunction.
AB  - The goal of this work was to characterize the blood flow in cavernosal-spongiosal
      communications (CSCs) in patients with erectile dysfunction using color Doppler
      ultrasound. Peak systolic velocity was measured in the CSCs, cavernosal artery
      and urethral artery in 72 erectile dysfunction patients of the Han ethnic group
      in southern China. Blood in the CSCs was observed to flow from the cavernosal
      artery to the urethral artery in all except 5 patients with arteriogenic
      insufficiency whose blood flow was bidirectional. Peak systolic velocity in
      erectile dysfunction patients with normal vascular function or veno-occlusive
      dysfunction was significantly lower in the CSCs than in the cavernosal artery (p
      < 0.01), but significantly higher than in the urethral artery (p < 0.05). Peak
      systolic velocities in CSCs in patients with arteriogenic insufficiency were
      significantly lower than those in the cavernosal (p < 0.01) and urethral (p <
      0.01) arteries. The direction of blood flow in the CSCs is determined by the
      pressure gradient between the cavernosal and urethral arteries. 

PMID- 26493239
TI  - Ultrasound and Biochemical Diagnostic Tools for the Characterization of
      Vulnerable Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque.
AB  - Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and
      characterization of vulnerable carotid plaque remains the spearhead of scientific
      research. Plaque destabilization, the key factor that induces the series of
      events leading to the clinical symptoms of carotid artery disease, is a
      consequence of complex mechanical, structural and biochemical processes. Novel
      imaging and molecular markers have been studied as predictors of disease outcome
      with promising results. The aim of this review is to present the current state of
      research on the association between ultrasound-derived echogenicity indices and
      blood parameters indicative of carotid plaque stability and activity.
      Bibliographic research revealed that there are limited available data. Among the
      biomarkers studied, those related to oxidative stress, lipoproteins and
      diabetes/insulin resistance are associated with echolucent plaques, whereas
      adipokines are associated with echogenic plaques. Biomarkers of inflammation and
      coagulation have not exhibited any conclusive relationship with plaque
      echogenicity, and it is not possible to come to any conclusion regarding
      calcification-, apoptosis- and neo-angiogenesis-related parameters because of the
      extremely limited bibliographic data. 

PMID- 26493240
TI  - Prognostic impact of extra-nodal extension in thyroid cancer: A meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Lymph node involvement is common in thyroid cancer,
      but the system of staging does not consider the histological features of lymph
      node metastases. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the prognostic role
      of extranodal extension (ENE) in thyroid cancer patients. METHODS: We ran PubMed
      and SCOPUS searches without language restrictions. Prospective studies reporting
      data on overall mortality, cancer-specific mortality, or disease recurrence
      including thyroid cancer patients, in which cases with ENE (ENE+) were compared
      with those with only intranodal disease (ENE-) were eligible. Data were
      summarized using risk ratios (RR) for number of deaths/recurrences, and hazard
      ratios (HR) for time-dependent risks related to ENE+ status, adjusted for
      potential confounders. RESULTS: Of 414 hits, 23 studies were eligible and
      included. Compared to ENE-, patients who were ENE+ had significantly higher rates
      of all-cause mortality (studies = 8; RR = 3.25; 95%CI: 1.35-2.64, I(2) = 83%) and
      recurrence (studies = 17; RR = 2.64, 95%CI: 1.93-3.60, I(2) = 73%). Using HRs
      adjusted for potential confounders, ENE+ status carried a significantly higher
      risk of all-cause and cancer-specific mortality and disease recurrence.
      CONCLUSION: It becomes mandatory to consider ENE in the histopathological
      examination of surgical samples in thyroid cancer patients, and this factor
      should be included in future oncological staging systems.

PMID- 26493241
TI  - Functional, electrophysiological and molecular docking analysis of the modulation
      of Cav 1.2 channels in rat vascular myocytes by murrayafoline A.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The carbazole alkaloid murrayafoline A (MuA) enhances
      contractility and the Ca(2+) currents carried by the Cav 1.2 channels [ICa1.2 ]
      of rat cardiomyocytes. As only few drugs stimulate ICa1.2 , this study was
      designed to analyse the effects of MuA on vascular Cav 1.2 channels. EXPERIMENTAL
      APPROACH: Vascular activity was assessed on rat aorta rings mounted in organ
      baths. Cav 1.2 Ba(2+) current [IBa1.2 ] was recorded in single rat aorta and tail
      artery myocytes by the patch-clamp technique. Docking at a 3D model of the rat,
      alpha1c central pore subunit of the Cav 1.2 channel was simulated in silico. KEY
      RESULTS: In rat aorta rings MuA, at concentrations <=14.2 MUM, increased 30 mM
      K(+) -induced tone and shifted the concentration-response curve to K(+) to the
      left. Conversely, at concentrations >14.2 MUM, it relaxed high K(+) depolarized
      rings and antagonized Bay K 8644-induced contraction. In single myocytes, MuA
      stimulated IBa1.2 in a concentration-dependent, bell-shaped manner; stimulation
      was stable, incompletely reversible upon drug washout and accompanied by a
      leftward shift of the voltage-dependent activation curve. MuA docked at the
      alpha1C subunit central pore differently from nifedipine and Bay K 8644, although
      apparently interacting with the same amino acids of the pocket. Neither Bay K
      8644-induced stimulation nor nifedipine-induced block of IBa1.2 was modified by
      MuA. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Murrayafoline A is a naturally occurring
      vasoactive agent able to modulate Cav 1.2 channels and dock at the alpha1C
      subunit central pore in a manner that differed from that of dihydropyridines.

PMID- 26493243
TI  - Electronic Health Record Patient Portals in CKD and Hypertension Management:
      Meaningfully Used?

PMID- 26493242
TI  - Disparities in Electronic Health Record Patient Portal Use in Nephrology Clinics.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Electronic health record (EHR) patient portals allow
      individuals to access their medical information with the intent of patient
      empowerment. However, little is known about portal use in nephrology patients. We
      addressed this gap by characterizing adoption of an EHR portal, assessing secular
      trends, and examining the association of portal adoption and BP control (<140/90
      mmHg). DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Patients seen between
      January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2012, at any of four university-affiliated
      nephrology offices who had at least one additional nephrology follow-up visit
      before June 30, 2013, were included. Sociodemographic characteristics,
      comorbidities, clinical measurements, and office visits were abstracted from the
      EHR. Neighborhood median household income was obtained from the American
      Community Survey 2012. RESULTS: Of 2803 patients, 1098 (39%) accessed the portal.
      Over 87% of users reviewed laboratory results, 85% reviewed their medical
      information (e.g., medical history), 85% reviewed or altered appointments, 77%
      reviewed medications, 65% requested medication refills, and 31% requested medical
      advice from their renal provider. In adjusted models, older age, African-American
      race (odds ratio [OR], 0.50; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.39 to 0.64),
      Medicaid status (OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.77), and lower neighborhood median
      household income were associated with not accessing the portal. Portal adoption
      increased over time (2011 versus 2010: OR, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.09 to 1.75]; 2012
      versus 2010: OR, 1.95 [95% CI, 1.44 to 2.64]). Portal adoption was correlated
      with BP control in patients with a diagnosis of hypertension; however, in the
      fully adjusted model this was somewhat attenuated and no longer statistically
      significant (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.99 to 1.24). CONCLUSION: While portal adoption
      appears to be increasing, greater attention is needed to understand why
      vulnerable populations do not access it. Future research should examine barriers
      to the use of e-health technologies in underserved patients with CKD,
      interventions to address them, and their potential to improve outcomes.

PMID- 26493244
TI  - Cervical vertebrae maturation method and craniofacial growth.

PMID- 26493245
TI  - Percutaneous Transcatheter Assessment of the Left Main Coronary Artery: Current
      Status and Future Directions.
AB  - Accurate assessment of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) is critical in
      determining treatment strategies and delineating revascularization options to
      improve prognosis. There has been an evolution in invasive techniques that allow
      detailed assessment of both function and anatomy. As technologies advance, there
      is an increasing amount of evidence supporting the use of percutaneous coronary
      intervention for the LMCA. This state-of-the-art paper provides an in-depth
      exploration of intravascular ultrasound, fractional flow reserve, and optical
      coherence tomography. A discussion is provided that explores the basis for
      application of these technologies, the body of evidence for each modality and its
      use in LMCA assessment, and the potential role in post-PCI optimization in what
      is a dynamically changing field. 

PMID- 26493246
TI  - A Clinical and Angiographic Scoring System to Predict the Probability of
      Successful First-Attempt Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With
      Total Chronic Coronary Occlusion.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to develop a scoring model predicting percutaneous
      coronary intervention (PCI) success in chronic total occlusions. BACKGROUND:
      Coronary chronic total occlusion is the lesion subtype in which angioplasty is
      most likely to fail. Chronic total occlusion for PCI (CTO-PCI) failure is
      associated with higher 1-year mortality and major adverse cardiac events compared
      with successful CTO-PCI. Although several independent predictors of final
      procedural success have been identified, no study has yet produced a model
      predicting final procedural outcome. METHODS: Data from 1,657 consecutive
      patients who underwent a first-attempt CTO-PCI were prospectively collected. The
      scoring model was developed in a derivation cohort of 1,143 patients (70%) using
      a multivariable stepwise analysis to identify independent predictors of CTO-PCI
      failure. The model was then validated in the remaining 514 (30%). RESULTS: The
      overall procedural success rate was 72.5%. Independent predictors of CTO-PCI
      failure were identified and included in the clinical and lesion-related score (CL
      score) as follows: previous coronary artery bypass graft surgery +1.5 (odds ratio
      [OR]: 2.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.56 to 3.96), previous myocardial
      infarction +1 (OR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.17 to 2.2), severe lesion calcification +2 (OR:
      2.72, 95% CI :1.78 to 4.16), longer CTOs +1.5 (>=20 mm OR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.54 to
      2.7), non-left anterior descending coronary artery location +1 (OR: 1.56, 95% CI:
      1.14 to 2.15), and blunt stump morphology +1 (OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.81).
      Score values of 0 to 1, >1 and <3, >=3 and <5, and >=5 identified subgroups at
      high, intermediate, low, and very low probability, respectively, of CTO-PCI
      success (derivation cohort: 84.9%, 74.9%, 58%, and 31.9%; p < 0,0001; validation
      cohort: 88.3%, 73.1%, 59.4%, and 46.2%; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This clinical
      and angiographic score predicted the final CTO-PCI procedural outcome of our
      study population.

PMID- 26493247
TI  - Do We Need Another Predictive Scoring Tool for Chronic Total Occlusion
      Percutaneous Coronary Intervention?

PMID- 26493248
TI  - Stent Thrombosis in Drug-Eluting or Bare-Metal Stents in Patients Receiving Dual
      Antiplatelet Therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to compare rates of stent thrombosis and major
      adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) (composite of death,
      myocardial infarction, or stroke) after coronary stenting with drug-eluting
      stents (DES) versus bare-metal stents (BMS) in patients who participated in the
      DAPT (Dual Antiplatelet Therapy) study, an international multicenter randomized
      trial comparing 30 versus 12 months of dual antiplatelet therapy in subjects
      undergoing coronary stenting with either DES or BMS. BACKGROUND: Despite
      antirestenotic efficacy of coronary DES compared with BMS, the relative risk of
      stent thrombosis and adverse cardiovascular events is unclear. Many clinicians
      perceive BMS to be associated with fewer adverse ischemic events and to require
      shorter-duration dual antiplatelet therapy than DES. METHODS: Prospective
      propensity-matched analysis of subjects enrolled into a randomized trial of dual
      antiplatelet therapy duration was performed. DES- and BMS-treated subjects were
      propensity-score matched in a many-to-one fashion. The study design was
      observational for all subjects 0 to 12 months following stenting. A subset of
      eligible subjects without major ischemic or bleeding events were randomized at 12
      months to continued thienopyridine versus placebo; all subjects were followed
      through 33 months. RESULTS: Among 10,026 propensity-matched subjects, DES-treated
      subjects (n = 8,308) had a lower rate of stent thrombosis through 33 months
      compared with BMS-treated subjects (n = 1,718, 1.7% vs. 2.6%; weighted risk
      difference -1.1%, p = 0.01) and a noninferior rate of MACCE (11.4% vs. 13.2%,
      respectively, weighted risk difference -1.8%, p = 0.053, noninferiority p <
      0.001). CONCLUSIONS: DES-treated subjects have long-term rates of stent
      thrombosis that are lower than BMS-treated subjects. (The Dual Antiplatelet
      Therapy Study [DAPT study]; NCT00977938).

PMID- 26493249
TI  - Prasugrel in Clopidogrel Nonresponders: A Way to Improve Secondary Prevention in
      Patients After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention?

PMID- 26493250
TI  - Impact of Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibition in Contemporary Percutaneous Coronary
      Intervention for Acute Coronary Syndromes: Insights From the National
      Cardiovascular Data Registry.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the effects of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa
      inhibitors (GPIs) on outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
      BACKGROUND: Ischemic complications are reduced after PCI when a GPI is added to
      heparin. However, there are limited data on the safety and efficacy in
      contemporary PCI. METHODS: We used the National Cardiovascular Data Registry
      CathPCI Registry data to assess the association between GPI use and PCI outcomes
      for acute coronary syndrome between July 2009 and September 2011. The primary
      outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality. The secondary outcome was major
      bleeding. To adjust for potential bias, we used multivariable logistic
      regression, propensity-matched (PM) analysis, and instrumental variable analysis
      (IVA). RESULTS: There were 970,865 patients included; 326,283 (33.6%) received a
      GPI. Unadjusted mortality and major bleeding were more common with a GPI (2.4%
      vs. 1.4% and 3.7% vs. 1.5%, respectively; p < 0.001 for both). In contrast, GPI
      use was associated with lower mortality on adjusted analyses; relative risks
      range from 0.72 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.50 to 0.97) with IVA to 0.90
      (95% CI: 0.86 to 0.95) with PM. The association of GPI use with bleeding remained
      in adjusted analyses (multivariable relative risk: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.83 to 2.04; PM
      relative risk: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.74 to 1.92; and IVA relative risk: 1.53, 95% CI:
      1.27 to 2.13). Subgroup analysis revealed enhanced risk reduction with ST-segment
      elevation myocardial infarction, high predicted mortality, and heparin-based
      anticoagulation. CONCLUSIONS: In unselected acute coronary syndrome patients
      undergoing PCI, GPI use was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality and
      increased bleeding. In the modern era of PCI, there may still be a role for the
      judicious use of GPIs.

PMID- 26493251
TI  - What Role for Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibition in Contemporary Coronary
      Intervention?

PMID- 26493252
TI  - Prevention of Acute Kidney Injury With the RenalGuard System in Patients
      Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: The PROTECT-TAVI Trial
      (PROphylactic effecT of furosEmide-induCed diuresis with matched isotonic
      intravenous hydraTion in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation).

PMID- 26493253
TI  - Paclitaxel-Coated Balloon in Infrapopliteal Arteries: 12-Month Results From the
      BIOLUX P-II Randomized Trial (BIOTRONIK'S-First in Man study of the Passeo-18 LUX
      drug releasing PTA Balloon Catheter vs. the uncoated Passeo-18 PTA balloon
      catheter in subjects requiring revascularization of infrapopliteal arteries).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of BIOLUX P-II (BIOTRONIK'S-First in Man study of the Passeo
      18 LUX drug releasing PTA Balloon Catheter vs. the uncoated Passeo-18 PTA balloon
      catheter in subjects requiring revascularization of infrapopliteal arteries)
      trial was to compare the safety and efficacy of a novel paclitaxel-coated drug
      eluting balloon (DEB) versus an uncoated balloon (percutaneous transluminal
      angioplasty [PTA]) in de novo or native restenotic lesions of the infrapopliteal
      arteries in patients with claudication and critical limb ischemia. BACKGROUND:
      DEB have shown promising results in femoropopliteal lesions, but data for
      infrapopliteal lesions are scarce. METHODS: In this prospective, multicenter,
      randomized first-in-man study, 72 patients were randomized 1:1 to either a Passeo
      18 Lux DEB (Biotronik AG, Buelach, Switzerland) (n = 36) or Passeo-18 PTA (n =
      36). Follow-up assessments were scheduled at 1, 6, and 12 months, with
      angiographic assessment at 6 months. Adverse events were adjudicated by an
      independent clinical events committee, and angiographic parameters were assessed
      by an independent core laboratory. RESULTS: The primary safety endpoint (a
      composite of all-cause mortality, target extremity major amputation, target
      lesion thrombosis, and target vessel revascularization at 30 days) was 0% in the
      DEB group versus 8.3% in the PTA group (p = 0.239). The primary performance
      endpoint (patency loss at 6 months) was 17.1% in the DEB group versus 26.1% in
      the PTA group (p = 0.298), and major amputations of the target extremity occurred
      in 3.3% versus 5.6% of the patients at 12 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The
      Passeo-18 Lux DEB has been proven to be safe and effective in infrapopliteal
      lesions with comparable outcomes to PTA.

PMID- 26493254
TI  - Missing the Forest for the Trees?: Drug-Eluting Balloon Treatment for
      Infrapopliteal Disease.

PMID- 26493255
TI  - Reply: Sympathetic and Autonomic Effects of Renal Denervation on Atrial
      Remodeling and Atrial Arrhythmias.

PMID- 26493256
TI  - Sympathetic and Autonomic Effects of Renal Denervation on Atrial Remodeling and
      Atrial Arrhythmias.

PMID- 26493257
TI  - Post-Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Angina: A New Performance Measure?

PMID- 26493258
TI  - Reply: Post-Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Angina: A New Performance Measure?

PMID- 26493259
TI  - Endovascular Bariatrics: First in Humans Study of Gastric Artery Embolization for
      Weight Loss.

PMID- 26493260
TI  - How Did Andreas Get Here?

PMID- 26493261
TI  - Right Ventricular Free Wall Hematoma: Contemporary Multimodal Imaging.

PMID- 26493262
TI  - Severe Generalized Resistant Spasm of the Right Coronary Artery Causing
      Hemodynamic Collapse After Stenting.

PMID- 26493263
TI  - "Protruding Myocardium" as a Target for Percutaneous Transluminal Septal
      Myocardial Ablation in a Case of Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26493264
TI  - Thiazolidinediones and Parkinson Disease: A Cohort Study.
AB  - Thiazolidinediones, a class of medications indicated for the treatment of type 2
      diabetes mellitus, reduce inflammation and have been shown to provide a
      therapeutic benefit in animal models of Parkinson disease. We examined the
      association between treatment with thiazolidinediones and the onset of Parkinson
      disease in older individuals. We performed a cohort study of 29,397 Medicare
      patients enrolled in state pharmaceutical benefits programs who initiated
      treatment with thiazolidinediones or sulfonylureas during the years 1997 through
      2005 and had no prior diagnosis of Parkinson disease. New users of
      thiazolidinediones were propensity score matched to new users of sulfonylureas
      and followed to determine whether they were diagnosed with Parkinson disease. We
      used Cox proportional hazards models to compare time to diagnosis of Parkinson
      disease in the propensity score-matched populations. To assess the association
      with duration of use, we performed several analyses that required longer
      continuous use of medications. In the primary analysis, thiazolidinedione users
      had a hazard ratio for a diagnosis of Parkinson disease of 1.09 (95% confidence
      interval: 0.71, 1.66) when compared with sulfonylurea users. Increasing the
      duration-of-use requirements to 10 months did not substantially change the
      association; the hazard ratios ranged from 1.00 (95% confidence interval: 0.49,
      2.05) to 1.17 (95% confidence interval: 0.60, 2.25). Thiazolidinedione use was
      not associated with a longer time to diagnosis of Parkinson disease than was
      sulfonylurea use, regardless of duration of exposure. 

PMID- 26493266
TI  - Epidemiology: Then and Now.
AB  - Twenty-five years ago, on the 75th anniversary of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
      School of Public Health, I noted that epidemiologic research was moving away from
      the traditional approaches used to investigate "epidemics" and their close
      relationship with preventive medicine. Twenty-five years later, the role of
      epidemiology as an important contribution to human population research,
      preventive medicine, and public health is under substantial pressure because of
      the emphasis on "big data," phenomenology, and personalized medical therapies.
      Epidemiology is the study of epidemics. The primary role of epidemiology is to
      identify the epidemics and parameters of interest of host, agent, and environment
      and to generate and test hypotheses in search of causal pathways. Almost all
      diseases have a specific distribution in relation to time, place, and person and
      specific "causes" with high effect sizes. Epidemiology then uses such information
      to develop interventions and test (through clinical trials and natural
      experiments) their efficacy and effectiveness. Epidemiology is dependent on new
      technologies to evaluate improved measurements of host (genomics), epigenetics,
      identification of agents (metabolomics, proteomics), new technology to evaluate
      both physical and social environment, and modern methods of data collection.
      Epidemiology does poorly in studying anything other than epidemics and
      collections of numerators and denominators without specific hypotheses even with
      improved statistical methodologies. 

PMID- 26493265
TI  - Smoking and Risk of Breast Cancer in a Racially/Ethnically Diverse Population of
      Mainly Women Who Do Not Drink Alcohol: The MEC Study.
AB  - We prospectively examined the association between smoking and the risk of breast
      cancer in a racially/ethnically diverse population comprising mainly women who
      did not drink alcohol. From 1993 to 2010, we followed 83,300 women who were
      enrolled in the Multiethnic Cohort Study at 45-75 years of age. We identified
      cancer cases via linkage to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results
      Program cancer registries that covered the states of Hawaii and California
      through December 2010. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard
      ratios and 95% confidence intervals while adjusting for confounders that were
      decided a priori. During a mean follow-up of 15 years, 4,484 women developed
      invasive breast cancer. Compared with parous never smokers, women who had smoked
      for more than 20 pack-years and initiated smoking more than 5 years before their
      first childbirth had an overall risk of breast cancer that was 35% higher (hazard
      ratio = 1.35, 95% confidence interval: 1.13, 1.63). Among women who did not drink
      alcohol, the risk was 40% higher (hazard ratio = 1.40, 95% confidence interval:
      1.08, 1.81). This higher risk did not significantly differ among racial/ethnic
      groups (P(interaction) = 0.82). We found that various measures of smoking
      exposure were associated with a higher risk of breast cancer, especially smoking
      initiated many years before first childbirth, and that risk did not differ by
      alcohol consumption (yes vs. no) or racial/ethnic group.

PMID- 26493267
TI  - Randomized phase II study of paclitaxel/carboplatin intercalated with gefitinib
      compared to paclitaxel/carboplatin alone for chemotherapy-naive non-small cell
      lung cancer in a clinically selected population excluding patients with non
      smoking adenocarcinoma or mutated EGFR.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Considering cell cycle dependent cytotoxicity, intercalation of
      chemotherapy and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase
      inhibitor (TKI) may be a treatment option in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
      This randomized phase 2 study compared the efficacy of paclitaxel and carboplatin
      (PC) intercalated with gefitinib (G) versus PC alone in a selected, chemotherapy
      naive population of advanced NSCLC patients with a history of smoking or wild
      type EGFR. METHODS: Eligible patients were chemotherapy-naive advanced NSCLC
      patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2. Non
      smoking patients with adenocarcinoma or patients with activating EGFR mutation
      were excluded because they could benefit from gefitinib alone. Eligible patients
      were randomized to one of the following treatment arms: PCG, P 175 mg/m(2), and C
      AUC 5 administered intravenously on day 1 intercalated with G 250 mg orally on
      days 2 through 15 every 3 weeks for four cycles followed by G 250 mg orally until
      progressive disease; or PC, same dosing schedule for four cycles only. The
      primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR), and the secondary
      endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and
      toxicity profile. RESULTS: A total of 90 patients participated in the study. The
      ORRs were 41.9 % (95 % confidence interval (CI) 27.0-57.9 %) for the PCG arm and
      39.5 % (95 % CI 25.0-55.6 %) for the PC arm (P = 0.826). No differences in PFS
      (4.1 vs. 4.1 months, P = 0.781) or OS (9.3 vs. 10.5 months, P = 0.827) were
      observed between the PCG and PC arms. Safety analyses showed a similar incidence
      of drug-related grade 3/4 toxicity. Rash and pruritus were more frequent in the
      PCG than in the PC arm. CONCLUSIONS: PCG did not improve ORR, PFS, and OS
      compared to PC chemotherapy alone for NSCLC in a clinically selected population
      excluding non-smoking adenocarcinoma or mutated EGFR. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The
      study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT01196234 ). Registration date is
      08/09/2010.

PMID- 26493268
TI  - Gender differences in the use of psychiatric outpatient specialist services in
      Tromso, Norway are dependent on age: a population-based cross-sectional survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Overall, men are less likely than women to seek health care services
      for mental health problems, but differences between genders in higher age groups
      are equivocal. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association
      between gender and the use of psychiatric outpatient specialist services in
      Norway, both in a general population and in a subpopulation with self-reported
      anxiety and/or depression. METHODS: Using questionnaires from 12,982 participants
      (30-87 years) in the cross-sectional sixth Tromso Study (2007-8) we estimated
      proportions reporting anxiety/depression, and proportions using psychiatric
      outpatient specialist services in a year. By logistic regressions we studied the
      association between gender and the use of psychiatric outpatient specialist
      services. Analyses were adjusted for age, marital status, income, education, self
      reported degree of anxiety/depression, and GP visits last year. Analyses were
      also performed for genders separately. RESULTS: Anxiety/depression was reported
      by 21.5 % of women and 12.3 % of men in the general population. Visits to
      psychiatric outpatient services during one year were reported by 4.6 % of women
      and 3.3 % of men. The general population's probability of a visit was
      significantly lower among men compared to women in ages 30-49 years (odds ratio
      [OR] 0.58, confidence interval [CI] 0.39-0.84, p-value [p] = 0.004), whereas men
      used services slightly more than women in ages 50 years and over (OR 1.36, CI
      1.00-1.83, p = 0.047). Among those with anxiety/depression 13.5 % of women and
      10.5 % of men visited psychiatric outpatient services in a year. We found no
      statistically significant gender differences in the use of services in this
      subgroup. Other factors associated with services use in women with
      anxiety/depression were higher education, more severe anxiety/depression, and GP
      visits the last year, whereas in men only a more severe anxiety/depression was
      associated with psychiatric outpatient visits. Overall, the use of services
      decreased with higher age. CONCLUSIONS: Most people with self-reported
      anxiety/depression did not visit specialist outpatient clinics. This applies in
      particular to men aged 30-49 years, older individuals, and individuals with lower
      education. Gender differences in the use of services in the general population
      were dependent on age, whereas in the subgroup with anxiety/depression gender
      differences were not confirmed.

PMID- 26493270
TI  - The imaging findings of infratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumour: A case
      report.
AB  - Central primitive neuroectodermal tumour (cPNET), a rare malignant neoplasm of
      embryonal origin, often occurs in children younger than 15 years. This is the
      first case report of the imaging findings of an infratentorial cPNET to be
      reported in a patient. Here, is reported the case of a 6-year-old boy presenting
      with symptoms of diplopia for 14 days. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a
      solid mass in the fourth ventricle. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was
      cPNET. To conclude, whenever a child is diagnosed to have an infratentorial solid
      tumour in the fourth ventricle, cPNET should always be considered despite its
      rarity. 

PMID- 26493269
TI  - Differences in the variability of cerebral proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy
      (1H-MRS) measurements within three HIV-infected cohorts.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cerebral functional impairment remains prevalent in effectively
      treated HIV-infected subjects. As the results of formal cognitive testing are
      highly variable, surrogate markers to accurately measure cerebral function
      parameters are needed. Such markers include measurement of cerebral metabolite
      ratios (CMR) using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). However, data
      on the inter-subject variability of CMR are sparse. Our aim was to assess inter
      subject variability in CMRs within three different HIV-infected cohorts. METHODS:
      Cerebral 1H-MRS was performed using a Phillips AchievaTM 1.5 Tesla magnetic
      resonance scanner in HIV-infected subjects as follows: 12 subjects before (group
      1) and after intensification of antiretroviral therapy with maraviroc (group 2)
      and 13 subjects with acute viral hepatitis C (HCV) co-infection (group 3). The
      coefficients of variation (CV) for CMRs in each group were determined and
      compared using non-parametric tests to determine whether the inter-subject
      variability differed significantly. All baseline characteristics between the
      groups were similar. RESULTS: Overall CVs for all CMRs in groups 1, 2 and 3 were
      32.3%, 33.2% and 23.4%, respectively (group 1 vs. 2, p=0.863; group 1 vs. 3,
      p=0.076). On testing for differences in variability between individual CMRs, two
      metabolites in the right basal ganglia (RBG) had statistically significantly
      different CVs when comparing group 1 with group 3: N-acetyl aspartate/creatine
      (NAA/Cr), p=0.029 and myo-Inositol/creatine (mI/Cr), p=0.016. CONCLUSION: The
      variability of 1H MRS-measurable CMRs in HIV-infected individuals was lower in
      those with acute HCV co-infection (group 3).We can conclude that the use of these
      CMRs in 1H MRS imaging in patients with HIV/acute HCV co-infection is more
      reliable to assess cerebral function than in patients with HIV infection alone.
      This has implications for future sample size estimations.

PMID- 26493271
TI  - A fatal case of healthcare associated Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever with
      severe disease and multi-organ failure.

PMID- 26493272
TI  - Acute and sub-lethal exposure to copper oxide nanoparticles causes oxidative
      stress and teratogenicity in zebrafish embryos.
AB  - Nano-copper oxides are a versatile inorganic material. As a result of their
      versatility, the immense applications and usage end up in the environment causing
      a concern for the lifespan of various beings. The ambiguities surround globally
      on the toxic effects of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs). Hence, the present
      study endeavored to study the sub-lethal acute exposure effects on the developing
      zebrafish embryos. The 48 hpf LC50 value was about 64 ppm. Therefore, we have
      chosen the sub-lethal dose of 40 and 60 ppm for the study. Accumulation of CuO
      NPs was evidenced from the SEM-EDS and AAS analyzes. The alterations in the AChE
      and Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activities disrupted the development process. An increment
      in the levels of oxidants with a concomitant decrease in the antioxidant enzymes
      confirmed the induction of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress triggered apoptosis
      in the exposed embryos. Developmental anomalies were observed with CuO-NPs
      exposure in addition to oxidative stress in the developing embryos. Decreased
      heart rate and hatching delay hindered the normal developmental processes. Our
      work has offered valuable data on the connection between oxidative stress and
      teratogenicity leading to lethality caused by CuO-NPs. A further molecular
      mechanism unraveling the uncharted connection between oxidative stress and
      teratogenicity will aid in the safe use of CuO-NPs.

PMID- 26493273
TI  - Changes in different parameters, lymphocyte proliferation and hematopoietic
      progenitor colony formation in EAE mice treated with myelin oligodendrocyte
      glycoprotein.
AB  - Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) is an antigen of the myelin sheath,
      which may trigger immune cell responses and the production of auto-antibodies in
      multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study, we used MOG(35-55) -induced experimental
      autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of human MS, to assess the production
      of catalytically active immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies or abzymes which have
      been shown to be present in sera of patients with several autoimmune diseases.
      Here, we show that IgGs from the sera of control C57BL/6 mice are catalytically
      inactive. During development of EAE, a specific reorganization of the immune
      system of mice occurred leading to a condition which was associated with the
      generation of catalytically active IgGs hydrolysing DNA, myelin basic protein
      (MBP) and MOG which was associated with increased proteinuria, changes in
      differentiation of mice bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and an
      increase in proliferation of lymphocytes in bone marrow, spleen and thymus as
      well as a significant suppression of cell apoptosis in these organs. The
      strongest alterations were found in the early disease phase (18-24 days after
      immunization) and were less pronounced in later EAE stages (40 days after EAE
      induction). We conclude that a significant increase in DNase and proteolytic
      activities of antibodies may be considered the earliest statistically significant
      marker of MOG-induced EAE in mice. The possible differences in immune system
      reorganizations during preclinical phases of the disease, acute and late EAE,
      leading to production of different auto-antibodies and abzymes as well other
      changes are discussed.

PMID- 26493274
TI  - A novel prediction model for human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal
      squamous cell carcinoma using p16 and subcellular beta-catenin expression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: p16 overexpression is a highly sensitive yet moderately specific
      biomarker for predicting human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal
      squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Nuclear beta-catenin translocation has been
      linked to HPV-positive OPSCC. However, whether the strategy of combining beta
      catenin with p16 can better predict HPV-associated OPSCC remains unknown.
      METHODS: We evaluated the expression of p16 and beta-catenin (nuclear and
      membrane) by immunohistochemistry staining in 101 OPSCC tissues and HPV status by
      HPV DNA in situ hybridization. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate
      single or multiple biomarkers for HPV prediction. The prediction power,
      sensitivity, and specificity were determined by receiver operating characteristic
      (ROC) analyses. RESULTS: Our data showed that upon univariate analysis, p16 and
      nuclear beta-catenin were positively correlated with HPV status, while membrane
      beta-catenin was inversely correlated with HPV status (P < 0.01). p16 showed the
      highest HPV predictive power, with area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9074 compared
      to 0.6762 for nuclear beta-catenin and 0.7635 for membrane beta-catenin,
      respectively, indicating differential accuracies for HPV prediction.
      Multivariable analysis showed that p16 was significantly correlated with HPV,
      while nuclear and membrane beta-catenin showed marginal significance. The three
      biomarker model was similarly sensitive (98.9% vs. 100%) but more specific (88.9%
      vs. 81%) than p16 alone, which also showed a good predictive value for overall (P
      = 0.0002) survival and disease-free (P = 0.0158) survival. CONCLUSION: Our study
      suggests a novel model of combining p16 and subcellular beta-catenin for
      prediction of HPV-associatred OPSCC, and this finding deserves further
      validation.

PMID- 26493276
TI  - Cytologic findings in stratified mucin-producing intraepithelial lesion of the
      cervix: A report of 34 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stratified mucin-producing intraepithelial lesion (SMILE) is an
      uncommon variant of in situ carcinoma of the cervix. This study aimed to identify
      the cytologic features of SMILE since these have not been well documented
      previously. METHODS: The study group comprised 34 consecutive cases of SMILE
      encountered at a single institution in which a corresponding Papanicolaou smear,
      taken up to 12 months before histologic diagnosis, was available for review. The
      presence of associated cervical neoplastic lesions including cervical
      intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), and invasive
      carcinoma was recorded. The linear extent and distribution of the SMILEs was also
      noted. RESULTS: Most Pap smears had been reported to show possible or definite
      high-grade CIN although 3 cases reported the presence of a high-grade glandular
      abnormality. No case had a prospective cytologic diagnosis of SMILE. Histology
      revealed concurrent CIN and/or AIS in all cases, and 1 specimen (3%) showed
      invasive adenocarcinoma. Following smear review, 23 of the 31 cases that included
      endocervical material showed recurrent cytologic features that appeared
      consistent with SMILE. These included three dimensional cell clusters with
      nuclear stratification and crowding, mild nuclear atypia, cytoplasmic vacuoles,
      mitotic figures, and apoptosis. CONCLUSION: SMILE is almost always associated
      with additional HPV-related neoplastic lesions although only one patient (3%) had
      invasive carcinoma, a lower rate than recorded in other studies. Consistent
      cytologic features associated with SMILE were identified but these were
      relatively subtle. However, increased awareness of these features may permit
      prospective diagnosis and this could influence patient management.

PMID- 26493277
TI  - How should we address the diagnosis of overactive bladder in women?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Determine the degree of completion, agreement and diagnostic
      performance of various instruments for assessing the presence and intensity of
      urgency and other symptoms of idiopathic overactive bladder (OAB) and determine
      which is the best diagnostic combination. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Observational,
      noninterventional, cross-sectional multicentre study on 247 women aged 18 years
      or older, with a clinical diagnosis of OAB, evaluated in 55 functional urology
      and urodynamic units. The women completed the Patient Perception of Intensity of
      Urgency Scale questionnaire, an independent bladder control self-assessment
      questionnaire (B-SAQ), the Overactive Bladder Questionnaire Short-Form and a 3
      day voiding diary (VD3d), and they underwent a urodynamic study (UDS). The degree
      of completion and agreement among the instruments was assessed using the Kappa
      index (95% CI) and Cramer's V. The diagnostic performance of each tool and their
      combination was studied using absolute frequencies of positive cases for each OAB
      symptom. RESULTS: The patients mean age was 57.66 years (SD, 13.43). There was a
      high degree of completion (>85%). The agreement among the instruments was poor or
      moderate, and there was no agreement with the UDS. The best combination of tools
      for the diagnosis of OAB in women was the B-SAQ and VD3d. CONCLUSIONS: The degree
      of completion of all instruments was high, the agreement between them was poor
      moderate and not significant for the UDS. The instruments that had the best
      diagnostic performance for assessing urgency and other OAB symptoms, providing
      data on their severity and discomfort, were the B-SAQ and the VD3d.

PMID- 26493278
TI  - Correlation of Left Atrial Strain and Doppler Measurements with Invasive
      Measurement of Left Ventricular End-Diastolic Pressure in Patients Stratified for
      Different Values of Ejection Fraction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed at exploring the correlation of left atrial
      longitudinal function by speckle tracking echocardiography (left atrial strain)
      and Doppler measurements (E/E' ratio) with direct measurements of left
      ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) in patients stratified for
      different values of ejection fraction. METHODS: The study population was 80
      stable patients with sinus rhythm undergoing cardiac catheterization. This
      population was selected in order to have four groups of 20 patients each with
      different LV ejection fraction (>55%, 45-54%, 30-44%, and <30%). LVEDP was
      obtained during cardiac catheterization; peak atrial longitudinal strain (PALS)
      and mean E/E' ratio were measured in all subjects. RESULTS: Similar correlations
      with LVEDP of global PALS and E/E' ratio were recorded in patients with preserved
      (r = -0.79 vs. r = 0.72, respectively; P < 0.0001 for both) or mildly reduced
      ejection fraction (r = -0.75 vs. r = 0.73, respectively; P < 0.0001 for both). A
      closer correlation of global PALS compared to E/E' ratio was evident in patients
      with moderate (r = -0.78 P < 0.0001; vs. r = 0.47 P = 0.01, respectively) and
      severe reduction (r = -0.74 P < 0.0001; vs. r = 0.19 ns, respectively) of LV
      ejection fraction. In multivariate analysis of all measurements, global PALS
      emerged as a determinant of the LVEDP, independent on other confounding factors
      and, with the cutoff value of 18.0% presented the best diagnostic accuracy to
      predict a LVDP above 12 mmHg (AUC 0.87). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with preserved
      or mildly reduced LV ejection fraction, global PALS and mean E/E' ratio presented
      good correlations with LVEDP. In patients with moderate or severe reduction of
      ejection fraction, E/E' ratio correlated poorly with invasively obtained LV
      filling pressures. Global PALS provided an overall better estimation of LV
      filling pressures.

PMID- 26493275
TI  - Atypically rightward cerebral asymmetry in male adults with autism stratifies
      individuals with and without language delay.
AB  - In humans, both language and fine motor skills are associated with left
      hemisphere specialization, whereas visuospatial skills are associated with right
      hemisphere specialization. Individuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) show
      a profile of deficits and strengths that involves these lateralized cognitive
      functions. Here we test the hypothesis that regions implicated in these functions
      are atypically rightward lateralized in individuals with ASC and, that such
      atypicality is associated with functional performance. Participants included 67
      male, right-handed adults with ASC and 69 age- and IQ-matched neurotypical males.
      We assessed group differences in structural asymmetries in cortical regions of
      interest with voxel-based analysis of grey matter volumes, followed by
      correlational analyses with measures of language, motor and visuospatial skills.
      We found stronger rightward lateralization within the inferior parietal lobule
      and reduced leftward lateralization extending along the auditory cortex
      comprising the planum temporale, Heschl's gyrus, posterior supramarginal gyrus,
      and parietal operculum, which was more pronounced in ASC individuals with delayed
      language onset compared to those without. Planned correlational analyses showed
      that for individuals with ASC, reduced leftward asymmetry in the auditory region
      was associated with more childhood social reciprocity difficulties. We conclude
      that atypical cerebral structural asymmetry is a potential candidate
      neurophenotype of ASC.

PMID- 26493279
TI  - Quasi-steady-state air plasma channel produced by a femtosecond laser pulse
      sequence.
AB  - A long air plasma channel can be formed by filamentation of intense femtosecond
      laser pulses. However, the lifetime of the plasma channel produced by a single
      femtosecond laser pulse is too short (only a few nanoseconds) for many potential
      applications based on the conductivity of the plasma channel. Therefore,
      prolonging the lifetime of the plasma channel is one of the key challenges in the
      research of femtosecond laser filamentation. In this study, a unique femtosecond
      laser source was developed to produce a high-quality femtosecond laser pulse
      sequence with an interval of 2.9 ns and a uniformly distributed single-pulse
      energy. The metre scale quasi-steady-state plasma channel with a 60-80 ns
      lifetime was formed by such pulse sequences in air. The simulation study for
      filamentation of dual femtosecond pulses indicated that the plasma channel left
      by the previous pulse was weakly affected the filamentation of the next pulse in
      sequence under our experimental conditions.

PMID- 26493280
TI  - Cognitive and affective functions in Alzheimer's disease patients with metabolic
      syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The influence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) on cognitive
      and affective functions in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) was examined.
      METHODS: A total of 570 AD patients were divided into two subgroups depending on
      waist circumference (WC) (normal versus achieving Japanese diagnostic criteria of
      MetS). Afterwards, the AD control subgroup was defined as those normal WC
      patients with no vascular risk factors (VRFs). The AD with MetS (AD-MetS)
      subgroup was defined as the MetS WC group who had two or more VRFs to qualify as
      having MetS. Cognitive and affective functions, insulin resistance, vascular
      endothelial function and white matter changes between AD-MetS and AD controls
      were compared. RESULTS: Scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination, Hasegawa
      Dementia Score-Revised, Frontal Assessment Battery and Montreal Cognitive
      Assessment were worse in the AD-MetS group than in AD controls, but the
      difference was not significant. Some analyses were conducted twice, once
      including all patients and once including only late-elderly patients. Scores on
      the Geriatric Depression Scale were found to be significantly higher for AD-MetS
      than for AD controls (all ages, late-elderly), as were those for apathy (late
      elderly). Furthermore, both the homeostasis model assessment of insulin
      resistance and reactive hyperemia index scores were significantly worse in AD
      MetS than in AD controls, whilst white matter changes showed a tendency to be
      worse. CONCLUSIONS: Greater cognitive and affective decline occurs in patients
      with AD-MetS than in those without. Further, insulin resistance and vascular
      endothelial dysfunction are strongly correlated with AD-MetS before pathological
      white matter changes can be observed.

PMID- 26493281
TI  - Female sexual dysfunction in multiple sclerosis: Results of a survey among Dutch
      urologists and patients.
AB  - AIMS: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of female
      sexual dysfunction (FSD) in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in one of the
      leading MS centers in the Netherlands. Furthermore, we evaluated the practice
      patterns of members of the Dutch Urological Association (DUA) with respect to
      FSD. METHODS: A self-administered Web-based questionnaire for physicians was
      mailed to all 467 members of the DUA. The questions covered different topics in
      female sexuality. For the patient survey the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI)
      was used. RESULTS: The response rate of the physicians survey was 42% (n = 194).
      Sixty-one percent of the responders reported to ask their female patients about
      their sexual function. Thirty-nine percent of the physicians did not ask their
      patients about sexuality. The majority indicated that they lacked knowledge on
      FSD or found discussing sexuality not relevant for their practice. The response
      rate of the patient survey was 28% (n = 85). According to the FSFI questionnaire
      32% of the sexually active MS patients experienced FSD. Women with FSD scored low
      on all subdomains of the FSFI questionnaire. In particular, desire, arousal,
      lubrication, and the ability to achieve orgasm were affected. CONCLUSIONS: The
      prevalence of FSD in MS patients in our center is about 32%. Overall, many
      members of the DUA do not screen for sexual dysfunction in female patients
      because of lack of knowledge on FSD. Better and more structured education of
      urologists and residents in urology on FSD in The Netherlands is urgently needed.
      Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:116-120, 2017. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26493282
TI  - Microsecond-sustained lasing from colloidal quantum dot solids.
AB  - Colloidal quantum dots have grown in interest as materials for light
      amplification and lasing in view of their bright photoluminescence, convenient
      solution processing and size-controlled spectral tunability. To date, lasing in
      colloidal quantum dot solids has been limited to the nanosecond temporal regime,
      curtailing their application in systems that require more sustained emission.
      Here we find that the chief cause of nanosecond-only operation has been thermal
      runaway: the combination of rapid heat injection from the pump source, poor heat
      removal and a highly temperature-dependent threshold. We show microsecond
      sustained lasing, achieved by placing ultra-compact colloidal quantum dot films
      on a thermally conductive substrate, the combination of which minimizes heat
      accumulation. Specifically, we employ inorganic-halide-capped quantum dots that
      exhibit high modal gain (1,200 cm(-1)) and an ultralow amplified spontaneous
      emission threshold (average peak power of ~50 kW cm(-2)) and rely on an optical
      structure that dissipates heat while offering minimal modal loss. 

PMID- 26493283
TI  - A Multifunctional Subphthalocyanine Nanosphere for Targeting, Labeling, and
      Killing of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.
AB  - Developing a material that can combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a major
      global health threat, is an urgent requirement. To tackle this challenge, we
      synthesized a multifunctional subphthalocyanine (SubPc) polymer nanosphere that
      has the ability to target, label, and photoinactivate antibiotic-resistant
      bacteria in a single treatment with more than 99 % efficiency, even with a dose
      as low as 4.2 J cm(-2) and a loading concentration of 10 nM. The positively
      charged nanosphere shell composed of covalently linked SubPc units can increase
      the local concentration of photosensitizers at therapeutic sites. The nanosphere
      shows superior performance compared to corresponding monomers presumably because
      of their enhanced water dispersibility, higher efficiency of singlet-oxygen
      generation, and phototoxicity. In addition, this material is useful in
      fluorescence labeling of living cells and shows promise in photoacoustic imaging
      of bacteria in vivo. 

PMID- 26493284
TI  - Mutations in genes encoding PI3K-AKT and MAPK signaling define anogenital
      papillary hidradenoma.
AB  - Papillary hidradenoma (a.k.a. hidradenoma papilliferum) is a benign tumor of the
      anogenital region that almost exclusively arises in middle-aged Caucasian women.
      These tumors may recur and rare cases of malignant development have been
      reported. The genetic basis of papillary hidradenoma is currently unknown. Hence,
      we employed targeted high-coverage next generation sequencing interrogating 50
      cancer-related genes and conventional Sanger sequencing to investigate the
      mutational landscape in a cohort of 15 cases. Additionally, we analyzed the HPV
      status of these tumors. Thirteen cases (87%) harbored mutations in cancer-related
      genes. Recurrent mutations in PIK3CA and AKT1 were present in 10 of the cases
      (67%). One PIK3CA mutated case had a concomitant STK11 mutation. Three cases
      harbored mutually exclusive mutations in BRAF, APC and ERBB4. The remaining two
      cases showed no mutations. None of the cases harbored DNA of human papilloma
      virus. Our results also provide evidence that--just as BRAF V600E mutations in
      hyperplastic polyps and benign nevi- a mutated driver gene does not imply
      malignant behavior per se but may set the basis for malignant transformation. The
      latter point may explain why rare cases of papillary hidradenoma have been
      reported to take a malignant course. Lastly, our genetic data may suggest
      treatment avenues beyond conventional surgery for some of these tumors.

PMID- 26493285
TI  - The origins and destinies of the idea of thirdness in contemporary
      psychoanalysis.
AB  - The central aim that animates this paper is to present and discuss the idea of
      thirdness or analytic third in psychoanalysis, from its origins to the concepts
      formulated by Andre Green and Thomas Ogden. The contributions of Winnicott, Reik
      and the Baranger couple are discussed, as are their influences to contemporary
      psychoanalysis. In order to promote the clarification and to distinguish
      different psychoanalytic conceptions of the third, ten figures referring to the
      meaning of thirdness that appear in different theories are presented, without
      necessarily their being mutually exclusive. As a final consideration, the article
      seeks to reorder in four dimensions the ten figures originally presented,
      emphasizing the central elements in Ogden and Green's constructions. These
      dimensions are at the same time conceptual and clinical, insofar as they create
      possibilities of operating the idea of thirdness in the transference/
      countertransference dynamics. 

PMID- 26493286
TI  - Insulin Fibrillization at Acidic and Physiological pH Values is Controlled by
      Different Molecular Mechanisms.
AB  - Formation of amyloid-like fibrils by insulin was studied at different insulin
      concentrations, pH and temperatures. At low pH (pH 2.5) the insulin
      fibrillization occurred only at high ([10 lM) peptide concentrations, whereas at
      physiological pH values the fibril formation is inhibited at higher insulin
      concentrations. The enthalpy of activation Ea of the fibril growth at pH 2.5
      equals to 33 kJ/mol, which is considerably lower than 84 kJ/mol at physiological
      pH. The fibrillization rate of insulin decreases with increasing pH at high, 250
      lM concentration, which was opposite to the pH effect observed in 2.5 lM insulin
      solutions. The latter effect indicates that protonation of histidine residues
      seems to be important for the fibrillization of monomeric insulin, whereas the pH
      effect at high concentration may result from off-pathway oligomerization
      propensity. Together, the different effect of environmental factors on the
      insulin fibrillization suggest that the reaction rate is controlled by different
      molecular events in acidic conditions and at physiological pH values.

PMID- 26493287
TI  - Optimization of Expression and Purification of Recombinant Archeoglobus fulgidus
      F420H2:NADP+ Oxidoreductase, an F420 Cofactor Dependent Enzyme.
AB  - Methanogens play a critical role in carbon cycling and contain a number of
      intriguing biosynthetic pathways. One unusual cofactor found in methanogenic and
      sulfate reducing archaea is Factor 420 (F420), which can be interconverted
      between its reduced and oxidized forms by the F420H2:NADP(+) oxidoreductase (Fno)
      through hydride transfer mechanisms. Here, we report an optimized expression and
      purification method for recombinant Fno derived from the extreme thermophile
      Archeoglobus fulgidus. An expression vector that is codon-optimized for
      heterologous expression in Escherichia coli, modified growth conditions, and a
      modified purification protocol involving a key polyethyleneimine precipitation
      step results in a highly purified, homogeneous preparation of Fno that displays
      high catalytic activity with a truncated F420 analog. This method should
      accelerate studies on how Fno uses the unusual F420 cofactor during catalysis.

PMID- 26493288
TI  - Pharmacologic targeting of regulatory T cells for solid organ transplantation:
      current and future prospects.
AB  - The last three decades have witnessed significant advances in the development of
      immunosuppressive medications used in kidney transplantation leading to a
      remarkable gain in short-term graft function and outcomes. Despite these major
      breakthroughs, improvements in long-term outcomes lag behind due to a stalemate
      between drug-related nephrotoxicity and chronic rejection typically due to donor
      specific antibodies. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been shown to modulate the
      alloimmune response and can exert suppressive activity preventing allograft
      rejection in kidney transplantation. Currently available immunosuppressive agents
      impact Tregs in the alloimmune milieu with some of these interactions being
      deleterious to the allograft while others may be beneficial. Variable effects are
      seen with common antibody induction agents such that basiliximab, an IL-2
      receptor blocker, decreases Tregs while lymphocyte depleting agents such as
      antithymocyte globulin increase Tregs. Calcineurin inhibitors, a mainstay of
      maintenance immunosuppression since the mid-1980s, seem to suppress Tregs while
      mammalian targets of rapamycin (less commonly used in maintenance regimens)
      expand Tregs. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of Treg
      biology in transplantation, identify in more detail the interactions between
      commonly used immunosuppressive agents and Tregs in kidney transplantation and
      lastly describe future directions in the use of Tregs themselves as therapy for
      tolerance induction. 

PMID- 26493290
TI  - Comment on "Does the position of shoulder immobilization after reduced anterior
      glenohumeral dislocation affect coaptation of a Bankart lesion? An arthrographic
      comparison." by Momenzadeh O R et al.

PMID- 26493291
TI  - Polymorphisms of RAD50, IL33 and IL1RL1 are associated with atopic asthma in
      Chinese population.
AB  - Genetic architecture of asthma remains obscure. This study aimed to investigate
      whether the genetic polymorphisms of CDHR3 (rs6967330), GSDMB (rs2305480), IL33
      rs928413, RAD50 (rs6871536) and IL1RL1 (rs1558641) are associated with the
      development of atopic asthma in Chinese population. Genotype and allele
      frequencies were compared between 516 patients and 552 controls by Chi-square
      test. Patients were found to have significantly higher allele G of rs928413 and
      allele C of rs6871536 (9.5% vs 6.2%, P = 0.004 for rs928413; 26.1% vs 19.9%, P <
      0.001 for rs6871536). Besides, patients were found to have significantly lower
      frequency of allele A of rs1558641 (17.2% vs 21.7%, P = 0.007). This is the first
      study validating that IL33, IL1R1, and RAD50 genes are associated with the risk
      of asthma in Chinese population.

PMID- 26493292
TI  - Phosphatidic Acid (PA) can Displace PPARalpha/LXRalpha Binding to The EGFR
      Promoter Causing its Transrepression in Luminal Cancer Cells.
AB  - The expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is highly regulated
      in normal cells, whereas some cancer cells have high constitutive levels.
      Understanding naturally-occurring ways of downregulating EGFR in cancer cells was
      investigated. Phosphatidic acid (PA) or Nuclear Receptors (NR)
      PPARalpha/RXRalpha/LXRalpha, enhance EGFR expression, mediated by the promoter
      region -856(A) to -226(T). Unexpectedly, the combination of NRs and PA caused
      repression. PA induces a conformational change in the nuclear receptor PPARalpha
      (increase of alpha-helices at the expense of decreasing beta-sheets), as
      evidenced by circular dichroism. This represses the naturally-enhancing
      capability of PPARalpha on EGFR transcription. PPARalpha-overexpressing cells in
      the presence of PA > 300 nM or the enzyme that produces it, phospholipase D
      (PLD), downregulate EGFR expression. The reasons are two-fold. First, PA
      displaces PPARalpha binding to the EGFR promoter at those concentrations. Second,
      NR heterodimer-dependent promoter activity is weakened in the presence of PA in
      vivo. Since other genes considered (beta-catenin, cyclin D3, PLD2 and ACOX-1) are
      also downregulated with a PA + PPARalpha combination, the transrepression appears
      to be a global phenomenon. Lastly, the reported effect is greater in MCF-7 than
      in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, which could provide a novel basis for
      regulating excessive expression of EGFR in luminal cancer cells.

PMID- 26493289
TI  - Laparoscopic surgery: a narrative review of pharmacotherapy in pain management.
AB  - Laparoscopic surgery is widespread, and an increasing number of surgeries are
      performed laparoscopically. Early pain after laparoscopy can be similar or even
      more severe than that after open surgery. Thus, proactive pain management should
      be provided. Pain after laparoscopic surgery is derived from multiple origins;
      therefore, a single agent is seldom sufficient. Pain is most effectively
      controlled by a multimodal, preventive analgesia approach, such as combining
      opioids with non-opioid analgesics and local anaesthetics. Wound and port site
      local anaesthetic injections decrease abdominal wall pain by 1-1.5 units on a 0
      10 pain scale. Inflammatory pain and shoulder pain can be controlled by NSAIDs or
      corticosteroids. In some patient groups, adjuvant drugs, ketamine and alpha2
      adrenergic agonists can be helpful, but evidence on gabapentinoids is
      conflicting. In the present review, the types of pain that need to be taken into
      account while planning pain management protocols and the wide range of analgesic
      options that have been assessed in laparoscopic surgery are critically assessed.
      Recommendations to the clinician will be made regarding how to manage acute pain
      and how to prevent persistent postoperative pain. It is important to identify
      patients at the highest risk for severe and prolonged post-operative pain, and to
      have a proactive strategy in place for these individuals. 

PMID- 26493293
TI  - The RNA helicase, eIF4A-1, is required for ovule development and cell size
      homeostasis in Arabidopsis.
AB  - eIF4A is a highly conserved RNA-stimulated ATPase and helicase involved in the
      initiation of mRNA translation. The Arabidopsis genome encodes two isoforms, one
      of which (eIF4A-1) is required for the coordination between cell cycle
      progression and cell size. A T-DNA mutant eif4a1 line, with reduced eIF4A protein
      levels, displays slow growth, reduced lateral root formation, delayed flowering
      and abnormal ovule development. Loss of eIF4A-1 reduces the proportion of mitotic
      cells in the root meristem and perturbs the relationship between cell size and
      cell cycle progression. Several cell cycle reporter proteins, particularly those
      expressed at G2/M, have reduced expression in eif4a1 mutant meristems. Single
      eif4a1 mutants are semisterile and show aberrant ovule growth, whereas double
      eif4a1 eif4a2 homozygous mutants could not be recovered, indicating that eIF4A
      function is essential for plant growth and development. 

PMID- 26493294
TI  - Right handed chiral superstructures from achiral molecules: self-assembly with a
      twist.
AB  - The induction and development of chiral supramolecular structures from
      hierarchical self-assembly of achiral compounds is closely related to the
      evolution of life and the chiral amplification found in nature. Here we show that
      the combination of achiral tetraphenylethene (TPE) an AIE-active luminophore
      bearing four long alkyl chains via amide linkage allows the entire process of
      induction and control of supramolecular chirality into well-defined uniform right
      handed twisted superstructures via solvent composition and polarity, i.e.
      solvophobic effect. We showed that the degree of twist and the pitch of the
      ribbons can be controlled to one-handed helical structure via solvophobic
      effects. The twisted superstructure assembly was visualised by scanning electron
      microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), furthermore,
      circular dichroism (CD) confirms used to determine controlled right-handed
      assembly. This controlled assembly of an AIE-active molecule can be of practical
      value; for example, as templates for helical crystallisation, catalysis and a
      chiral mechanochromic luminescent superstructure formation. 

PMID- 26493295
TI  - The phylogenetic structure of plant-pollinator networks increases with habitat
      size and isolation.
AB  - Similarity among species in traits related to ecological interactions is
      frequently associated with common ancestry. Thus, closely related species usually
      interact with ecologically similar partners, which can be reinforced by diverse
      co-evolutionary processes. The effect of habitat fragmentation on the
      phylogenetic signal in interspecific interactions and correspondence between
      plant and animal phylogenies is, however, unknown. Here, we address to what
      extent phylogenetic signal and co-phylogenetic congruence of plant-animal
      interactions depend on habitat size and isolation by analysing the phylogenetic
      structure of 12 pollination webs from isolated Pampean hills. Phylogenetic signal
      in interspecific interactions differed among webs, being stronger for flower
      visiting insects than plants. Phylogenetic signal and overall co-phylogenetic
      congruence increased independently with hill size and isolation. We propose that
      habitat fragmentation would erode the phylogenetic structure of interaction webs.
      A decrease in phylogenetic signal and co-phylogenetic correspondence in plant
      pollinator interactions could be associated with less reliable mutualism and
      erratic co-evolutionary change. 

PMID- 26493296
TI  - Comparison of translocation methods to conserve metallophyte communities in the
      Southeastern D.R. Congo.
AB  - In southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, unique metallophyte communities
      supporting numerous endemic species occurred on the highly mineralized copper
      cobalt (Cu-Co) hills throughout the province. These hills are economically
      valuable mineral reserves; mining activities represent therefore a threat to the
      long-term persistence of these communities. Ex situ conservation program was set
      up by a mining company to rescue and conserve the diversity of Cu-Co communities
      until restoration activities are initiated. Two kinds of Cu-Co communities: the
      steppe and the steppic savanna, were translocated using topsoil spreading and
      whole-turf translocation. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of these
      two techniques in conserving Cu-Co communities and their potential use in future
      restoration programs. More than 2 years after the translocation, whole-turf
      translocation appeared to be the better technique for ex situ conservation of
      endemic Cu-Co species. Not only did whole-turf successfully translocate numerous
      target species that were not present in the topsoil areas, but it also resulted
      in fewer ruderal and non-target species compared to topsoil spreading. Topsoil
      spreading recorded low seedling emergence from seed bank due to large proportions
      of dormant seeds or the absence of a seed bank, especially for the steppic
      savanna. Restoration of the steppe is currently more successful than for steppic
      savanna where the lack of dominant and structuring species likely contributed to
      divergence in species composition compared to reference ecosystem. Our study
      stresses the fact that tropical old-growth grasslands, which require probably
      several centuries to assemble, are difficult to restore or translocate. 

PMID- 26493297
TI  - Effects of drip irrigation on migration and distribution of heavy metals in soil
      profile.
AB  - Drip irrigation systems have been widely applied in semiarid and arid regions of
      China. However, little is known about the migration of heavy metals in cultivated
      soil under drip irrigation. Therefore, the concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb,
      and Zn in soil were determined. The mean contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ni
      in surface soil subjected to irrigation with low and high amounts of water (W1
      and W2) were 0.11, 117.50, 37.51, 13.53, 78.10, and 38.41 mg/kg and 0.20, 94.45,
      29.71, 22.48, 63.00, and 36.62 mg/kg, respectively. Metal concentrations in deep
      soil varied slightly between W1 and W2. Among different distances from the
      dropper, the metal levels in surface soil varied widely, while they varied
      slightly in deep soil. The Igeo (geo-accumulation index) values indicated that
      the soil was usually contaminated by Cr, Cu, and Cd. Under W1, Cd and Cu usually
      accumulated in surface soil near the dropper, while the other metals leached into
      subsurface soil. Moreover, the metals generally accumulated in soil away from the
      dropper. However, significant leaching of metals to the subsurface and deep soil
      was observed near the dropper under W2. Away from the dropper, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni,
      and Pb usually accumulated in surface and deep soil. This suggested that heavy
      metals generally migrated to the soil away from the dropper when subjected to
      lower amounts of irrigation, while metals usually moved to surface soil and deep
      soil under high irrigation amounts. These findings indicate that drip irrigation
      greatly affected the distribution and migration of heavy metals in soil, with
      irrigation with lower amounts of irrigation water significantly affecting the
      horizontal migration of heavy metals and higher amounts influencing the vertical
      movement of heavy metals.

PMID- 26493298
TI  - Environment and air pollution like gun and bullet for low-income countries: war
      for better health and wealth.
AB  - The objective of the study is to examine the impact of environmental indicators
      and air pollution on "health" and "wealth" for the low-income countries. The
      study used a number of promising variables including arable land, fossil fuel
      energy consumption, population density, and carbon dioxide emissions that
      simultaneously affect the health (i.e., health expenditures per capita) and
      wealth (i.e., GDP per capita) of the low-income countries. The general
      representation for low-income countries has shown by aggregate data that consist
      of 39 observations from the period of 1975-2013. The study decomposes the data
      set from different econometric tests for managing robust inferences. The study
      uses temporal forecasting for the health and wealth model by a vector error
      correction model (VECM) and an innovation accounting technique. The results show
      that environment and air pollution is the menace for low-income countries' health
      and wealth. Among environmental indicators, arable land has the largest variance
      to affect health and wealth for the next 10-year period, while air pollution
      exerts the least contribution to change health and wealth of low-income
      countries. These results indicate the prevalence of war situation, where
      environment and air pollution become visible like "gun" and "bullet" for low
      income countries. There are required sound and effective macroeconomic policies
      to combat with the environmental evils that affect the health and wealth of the
      low-income countries. 

PMID- 26493299
TI  - Degradation of organic pollutants and microorganisms from wastewater using
      different dielectric barrier discharge configurations--a critical review.
AB  - The growing global drinking water crisis requires the development of novel
      advanced, sustainable, and cost-effective water treatment technologies to
      supplement the existing conventional methods. One such technology is advanced
      oxidation based on dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). DBD such as single and
      double planar and single and double cylindrical dielectric barrier configurations
      have been utilized for efficient degradation of recalcitrant organic pollutants.
      The overall performance of the different DBD system varies and depends on several
      factors. Therefore, this review was compiled to give an overview of different DBD
      configurations vis-a-viz their applications and the in situ mechanism of
      generation of free reactive species for water and wastewater treatment. Our
      survey of the literature indicated that application of double cylindrical
      dielectric barrier configuration represents an ideal and viable route for
      achieving greater water and wastewater purification efficiency. 

PMID- 26493300
TI  - Monitoring PAHs in the petrochemical area of Tarragona County, Spain: comparing
      passive air samplers with lichen transplants.
AB  - The levels of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in 8
      passive air samples (PAS) and 6 lichen transplants (Ramalina fastigiata) deployed
      for a period of 2 months in different zones of Tarragona County (Catalonia,
      Spain), an area with an important number of chemical and petrochemical
      industries. The accumulated amount of the sum of the 16 PAHs ranged between 1363
      to 7866 ng/sample in air samples. The highest concentration was found in the
      neighborhood of Puigdelfi (village of Perafort), in the vicinity of a big oil
      refinery and well under the potential influence of the petrochemical emissions.
      In lichen samples, the sum of the 16 PAHs ranged between 247 and 841 ng/g (dry
      weight), being the greatest value also observed in Puigdelfi. Data on the levels
      and profiles of PAHs in both passive monitoring methods were compared. A
      significant positive linear correlation was found between the concentrations of
      low molecular weight PAHs in lichens and the amounts accumulated in passive air
      samples (R = 0.827, P < 0.05), being especially significant the correlation of 4
      ring PAHs (R = 0.941, P < 0.05). These results strongly suggest that lichens can
      be used to monitor gas-phase PAHs, providing data that can be quantitatively
      translated into equivalents for air.

PMID- 26493301
TI  - Effects of N-Methylated Amyloid-beta30-40 Peptides on the Fibrillation of Amyloid
      beta1-40.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with amyloid-beta
      (Abeta) fibrillation. N-Methylated amyloid-beta peptides are potent inhibitors of
      amyloid-beta fibrillation. We investigated the inhibitory effect of N-Methylated
      Abeta30-40 peptides on Abeta1-40 fibrillation. N-Methylated Abeta30-40 peptides
      affected the fibrillation, and this effect was dependent on the concentration of
      N-Methylated peptide and the number and position of N-Methylated groups. N
      Methylated Abeta30-40 peptides were co-aggregated with Abeta1-40 . Spectroscopic
      technique was adopted to investigate an origin of the observed dependence.
      Suppression of thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence count was correlated with the
      dissociation constant Kd of monomer-dimer equilibrium of each N-Methylated
      Abeta30-40 peptide. Monomeric N-Methylated peptides decreased ThT fluorescence
      count during Abeta1-40 fibrillation. Secondary structure content was not largely
      different between Abeta1-40 fibrils and co-aggregates. These results suggested
      that N-Methylated Abeta30-40 peptides disrupted the regular beta-sheet structure
      of Abeta1-40 fibrils and affected the ThT fluorescence count. The monomer-dimer
      equilibrium of N-Methylated peptides was (partly) responsible for the observed
      dependence of their inhibitory effect on the concentration of N-Methylated
      peptide and the number and position of N-Methylated groups. Our study provides a
      hint to design new N-Methylated inhibitor peptides of fibrillation. 

PMID- 26493302
TI  - Genetic analysis of capsular polysaccharide synthesis gene clusters in 79
      capsular types of Klebsiella spp.
AB  - A total of 79 capsular types have been reported in Klebsiella spp., whereas
      capsular polysaccharide synthesis (cps) regions were available in only 22 types.
      Due to the limitations of serotyping, complete repertoire of cps will be helpful
      for capsular genotyping. We therefore resolved the rest 57 cps and conducted
      comparative analysis. Clustering results of 1,515 predicted proteins from cps
      loci categorized proteins which share similarity into homology groups (HGs)
      revealing that 77 Wzy polymerases were classified into 56 HGs, which indicate the
      high specificity of wzy between different types. Accordingly, wzy-based capsular
      genotyping could differentiate capsule types except for those lacking wzy (K29
      and K50), those sharing identical wzy (K22 vs. K37); and should be carefully
      applied in those exhibited high similarity (K12 vs. K41, K2 vs. K13, K74 vs. K80,
      K79 vs. KN1 and K30 vs. K69). Comparison of CPS structures in several capsular
      types that shared similarity in their gene contents implies possible functions of
      glycosyltransferases. Therefore, our results provide complete set of cps in
      various types of Klebsiella spp., which enable the understandings of relationship
      between genes and CPS structures and are useful for identification of documented
      or new capsular types. 

PMID- 26493303
TI  - Which ear should we choose for cochlear implantation in the elderly: The poorer
      or the better? Audiometric outcomes, quality of sound, and quality-of-life
      results.
AB  - CONCLUSIONS: Cochlear implantation in the poorer ear of an elderly patient does
      not predict poorer post-operative audiological, quality-of-life (QoL), and
      quality of sound results. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether choosing the 'better'
      or the 'poorer' ear for cochlear implantation impacts performance outcome in an
      elderly population. METHODS: Forty-two out of 73 elderly (>= 60 years) cochlear
      implant users with some residual hearing in at least one ear were selected. Three
      criteria were used to group the patients as 'better' or 'poorer' ear implanted;
      (C1) based on previous use of hearing aid, (C2) pre-operative PTA, and (C3) pre
      operative speech discrimination. The Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI) and the
      Hearing Implant Sound Quality Index (HISQUI) were used to measure QoL and quality
      of sound, respectively. RESULTS: The mean post-operative PTA was 38.7 +/- 7.2
      dBHL. In quiet, the mean disyllabic SDS at 65dBSPL was 75.4 +/- 18.5, whereas the
      discrimination of sentences was 95.0% +/- 6.9. The mean total GBI score was 30.9
      +/- 21.8, 92.9% of patients reporting a positive score. The mean HISQUI score was
      111.3 +/- 36.0, which corresponds to 'moderate' sound quality. No significant
      differences were found between both groups in terms of audiological outcomes,
      HISQUI scores or GBI scores when considering each of the three criteria.

PMID- 26493304
TI  - Morphine interaction with prasugrel: a double-blind, cross-over trial in healthy
      volunteers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Morphine decreases the concentrations and effects of clopidogrel,
      which could lead to treatment failure in myocardial infarction. OBJECTIVES: To
      clarify whether more potent P2Y12-inhibitors may provide an effective
      alternative, we examined drug-drug interactions between morphine and prasugrel.
      METHODS: Twelve healthy volunteers received 60 mg prasugrel with placebo or 5 mg
      morphine intravenously in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross
      over trial. Pharmacokinetics were determined by liquid chromatography tandem mass
      spectrometry, and prasugrel effects were measured by platelet function tests.
      RESULTS: Morphine neither diminished total drug exposure (AUC), which was the
      primary endpoint, nor significantly delayed drug absorption of prasugrel.
      However, morphine reduced maximal plasma concentrations (C max) of prasugrel
      active metabolite by 31 % (p = 0.019). Morphine slightly, but not significantly,
      delayed the onset of maximal inhibition of platelet plug formation under high
      shear rates (30 vs. 20 min). Whole blood aggregation was not influenced.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although morphine significantly decreases the maximal plasma
      concentrations of prasugrel active metabolite, it does not diminish its effects
      on platelets to a clinically relevant degree in healthy volunteers. However, it
      should be considered that the observed decrease in C max of prasugrel active
      metabolite caused by morphine co-administration may gain relevance in STEMI
      patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01369186, EUDRA-CT#: 2010-023761-22.

PMID- 26493306
TI  - Complete encapsulation of a leadless cardiac pacemaker.

PMID- 26493305
TI  - Effects of catheter-based renal denervation on cardiac sympathetic activity and
      innervation in patients with resistant hypertension.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate, whether renal denervation (RDN) has a direct effect
      on cardiac sympathetic activity and innervation density. BACKGROUND: RDN
      demonstrated its efficacy not only in reducing blood pressure (BP) in certain
      patients, but also in decreasing cardiac hypertrophy and arrhythmias. These
      pleiotropic effects occur partly independent from the observed BP reduction.
      METHODS: Eleven patients with resistant hypertension (mean office systolic BP 180
      +/- 18 mmHg, mean antihypertensive medications 6.0 +/- 1.5) underwent I-123-mIBG
      scintigraphy to exclude pheochromocytoma. We measured cardiac sympathetic
      innervation and activity before and 9 months after RDN. Cardiac sympathetic
      innervation was assessed by heart to mediastinum ratio (H/M) and sympathetic
      activity by wash out ratio (WOR). Effects on office BP, 24 h ambulatory BP
      monitoring, were documented. RESULTS: Office systolic BP and mean ambulatory
      systolic BP were significantly reduced from 180 to 141 mmHg (p = 0.006) and from
      149 to 129 mmHg (p = 0.014), respectively. Cardiac innervation remained unchanged
      before and after RDN (H/M 2.5 +/- 0.5 versus 2.6 +/- 0.4, p = 0.285). Cardiac
      sympathetic activity was significantly reduced by 67 % (WOR decreased from 24.1
      +/- 12.7 to 7.9 +/- 25.3 %, p = 0.047). Both, responders and non-responders
      experienced a reduction of cardiac sympathetic activity. CONCLUSION: RDN
      significantly reduced cardiac sympathetic activity thereby demonstrating a direct
      effect on the heart. These changes occurred independently from BP effects and
      provide a pathophysiological basis for studies, investigating the potential
      effect of RDN on arrhythmias and heart failure.

PMID- 26493308
TI  - Backbone and side chain chemical shift assignments of apolipophorin III from
      Galleria mellonella.
AB  - Apolipophorin III, a 163 residue monomeric protein from the greater wax moth
      Galleria mellonella (abbreviated as apoLp-IIIGM), has roles in upregulating
      expression of antimicrobial proteins as well as binding and deforming bacterial
      membranes. Due to its similarity to vertebrate apolipoproteins there is interest
      in performing atomic resolution analysis of apoLp-IIIGM as part of an effort to
      better understand its mechanism of action in innate immunity. In the first step
      towards structural characterization of apoLp-IIIGM, 99 % of backbone and 88 % of
      side chain (1)H, (13)C and (15)N chemical shifts were assigned. TALOS+ analysis
      of the backbone resonances has predicted that the protein is composed of five
      long helices, which is consistent with the reported structures of apolipophorins
      from other insect species. The next stage in the characterization of apoLp-III
      from G. mellonella will be to utilize these resonance assignments in solving the
      solution structure of this protein.

PMID- 26493307
TI  - Social and psychological contributions to the co-occurrence of sub-threshold
      psychotic experiences and suicidal behavior.
AB  - PURPOSE: Psychotic experiences and suicidal behavior commonly co-occur in the
      general population, which can have implications for suicide prevention
      approaches. However, little is known about the nature of this relation in non
      clinical samples. This cross-sectional study aimed to address a research gap by
      testing whether the relation between psychotic experiences and suicide-related
      outcomes (ideation, intent, and attempts) is explained by common social and
      psychological factors. METHODS: Young adult college students (N = 590) were
      assessed for psychotic experiences, suicidal behavior, and a comprehensive set of
      24 potential shared risk factors selected through review of past epidemiological
      studies and meta-analyses. Nonparametric bootstrapped regression models were used
      to examine whether these factors attenuated or eliminated the associations
      between psychotic experiences and suicide-related outcomes. RESULTS: Psychotic
      experiences were associated with greater risk for suicidal ideation and
      behaviors. Adjustment for psychosocial factors, particularly those contributing
      to cumulative stress, accounted for the associations between psychotic
      experiences and suicide-related outcomes, except broadly defined suicidal
      ideation. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the robust associations between
      psychotic experiences and suicidal behavior demonstrated in past studies may be
      primarily explained by shared risk factors, rather than by causal relations. In
      our sample, suicidal behavior and sub-threshold psychosis appear to be trans
      diagnostic clinical outcomes that share common causes, notably cumulative stress,
      but do not cause one another.

PMID- 26493309
TI  - Endogenous TSH levels at the time of 131I ablation do not influence ablation
      success, recurrence-free survival or differentiated thyroid cancer-related
      mortality.
AB  - PURPOSE: Based on a single older study it is established dogma that TSH levels
      should be >=30 mU/l at the time of postoperative 131I ablation in differentiated
      thyroid cancer (DTC) patients. We sought to determine whether endogenous TSH
      levels, i.e. after levothyroxine withdrawal, at the time of ablation influence
      ablation success rates, recurrence-free survival and DTC-related mortality.
      METHODS: A total of 1,873 patients without distant metastases referred for
      postoperative adjuvant 131I therapy were retrospectively included from 1991
      onwards. Successful ablation was defined as stimulated Tg <1 MUg/l. RESULTS: Age,
      gender and the presence of lymph node metastases were independent determinants of
      TSH levels at the time of ablation. TSH levels were not significantly related to
      ablation success rates (p = 0.34), recurrence-free survival (p = 0.29) or DTC 
      elated mortality (p = 0.82), but established risk factors such as T-stage, lymph
      node metastases and age were. Ablation was successful in 230 of 275 patients
      (83.6 %) with TSH <30 mU/l and in 1,359 of 1,598 patients (85.0 %) with TSH >=30
      mU/l. The difference was not significant (p = 0.55). Of the whole group of 1,873
      patients, 21 had recurrent disease. There were no significant differences in
      recurrence rates between patients with TSH <30 mU/l and TSH >=30 mU/l (p = 0.16).
      Ten of the 1,873 patients died of DTC. There were no significant differences in
      DTC-specific survival between patients with TSH <30 mU/l and TSH >=30 mU/l (p =
      0.53). CONCLUSION: The precise endogenous TSH levels at the time of 131I ablation
      are not related to the ablation success rates, recurrence free survival and DTC
      related mortality. The established dogma that TSH levels need to be >=30 mU/l at
      the time of 131I ablation can be discarded.

PMID- 26493310
TI  - Prostate-specific antigen and radiolabelled choline PET/CT   for the assessment
      of response to therapy: synergy or conflicting?

PMID- 26493311
TI  - Development of cellular hypertrophy by 8-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid in the
      human ventricular cardiomyocyte, RL-14 cell line, is implicated by MAPK and NF
      kappaB.
AB  - Recent studies have established the role of mid-chain hydroxyeicosatetraenoic
      acids (mid-chain HETEs) in the development of cardiovascular disease. Among these
      mid-chains, 8-HETE has been reported to have a proliferator and proinflammatory
      action. However, whether 8-HETE can induce cardiac hypertrophy has never been
      investigated before. Therefore, the overall objectives of the present study are
      to elucidate the potential hypertrophic effect of 8-HETE in the human ventricular
      cardiomyocytes, RL-14 cells, and to explore the mechanism(s) involved. Our
      results showed that 8-HETE induced cellular hypertrophy in RL-14 cells as
      evidenced by the induction of cardiac hypertrophy markers ANP, BNP, alpha-MHC,
      and beta-MHC in a concentration- and time-dependent manner as well as the
      increase in cell surface area. Mechanistically, 8-HETE was able to induce the NF
      kappaB activity as well as it significantly induced the phosphorylation of
      ERK1/2. The induction of cellular hypertrophy was associated with a proportional
      increase in the formation of dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs) parallel to
      the increase of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) enzyme activity. Blocking the
      induction of NF-kappaB, ERK1/2, and sEH signaling pathways significantly
      inhibited 8-HETE-induced cellular hypertrophy. Our study provides the first
      evidence that 8-HETE induces cellular hypertrophy in RL-14 cells through MAPK-
      and NF-kappaB-dependent mechanism

PMID- 26493312
TI  - Oxidative damage induced by retching; antiemetic  and neuroprotective role of
      Sambucus ebulus L.
AB  - Nausea and vomiting are the most common symptoms in different diseases. Medicinal
      plants are considered as a reliable source of new drugs to control these
      symptoms. In this study, we evaluated the antiemetic and neuroprotective effects
      of the methanolic extract of Sambucus ebulus L. fruit and relationship between
      emesis (retching) and oxidative stress biomarkers in the mitochondria brain of
      young chickens. Emesis was induced by ipecac and copper sulphate (60 and 600
      mg/kg, orally), respectively, and the methanolic extracts (50, 100, 200 mg/kg)
      were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.). The extract showed a significant
      antiemetic activity against ipecac and copper sulphate-induced emesis at all
      doses (p<0.001; percentages of retching inhibition 46, 96.5 and 83% against
      ipecac and 73, 79.5 and 69.2% against copper sulphate, respectively). Lipid
      peroxidation (LPO) was significantly decreased (p<0.001) at all doses of extract
      in retching induced by copper sulphate, and catalase (CAT) activity significantly
      increased (p<0.05) in the extract (50 mg/kg) and metoclopromide groups in
      retching induced by ipecac in the chickens' brain mitochondria. Protein carbonyl
      (PC) contents significantly (p<0.05) decreased only in extract (100 mg/kg) group
      in retching induced by ipecac. Mitochondria function (MTT assay) significantly
      increased by extract (100 mg/kg) as compared to control group in retching induced
      by ipecac. The results of this study suggests that the extract has protective
      effects, possibly by central and peripheral mechanisms, and neuroprotective
      effect by increasing plasma antioxidants or scavenging of free radicals induced
      by retching. It seems that extract could prevent protein modification and improve
      oxidative stress in the early stages.

PMID- 26493313
TI  - Validity of the portuguese version of the mini nutritional assessment in
      brazilian elderly.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is common and affects negatively the health of the older
      adult. The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), a nutritional assessment tool
      allows to identify elders malnourished and at risk of malnutrition. The aim of
      this study is to validate the Portuguese version of the MNA. METHODS: Cross
      sectional study with 344 Brazilian elderly. The full version of the MNA was
      performed, also calf circumference (CC), mid arm circumference (MAC) and body fat
      (BF). Psychometric evaluation was carried out and correlation, diagnostic
      accuracy and ROC curves were generated. RESULTS: Construct validity was
      supported, all four questionnaire dimensions were evidenced in the Principal
      Component Analysis and also significant Spearman correlation (P < 0.001) were
      demonstrated. Criterion validity was also evidenced with relevant sensitivity
      (MAC = 82.8; CI95% = 64.2-94.2) and specificity (CC = 80.0; CI95% = 74.0-85.1).
      In the ROC curve AUC was excellent (MAC = 0.832; CI95% =0.785-0.873).
      CONCLUSIONS: The full MNA demonstrated significant results and sufficient
      exploratory psychometric properties that supported its validity. It seems to be
      valid tool to access nutritional status of Brazilian elderly.

PMID- 26493314
TI  - Outcome measures and quality markers for perioperative blood  loss and
      transfusion in cardiac surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this narrative review is to address perioperative
      bleeding and transfusion as determinants of adverse outcomes after cardiac
      surgery. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The relationship between postoperative bleeding and
      adverse outcomes is non-linear, with an increase in the risk of mortality only in
      cases of severe perioperative bleeding. When perioperative bleeding is used as an
      outcome variable, it should be dichotomized according to the existing
      definitions. In retrospective observational studies, red blood cell transfusions
      have been associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality, which points to
      restriction of transfusion as a potential benefit. Nevertheless, randomized
      controlled trials have not confirmed that restrictive transfusion policies are
      associated with better outcomes. Additionally, a transfusion policy that is too
      restrictive may actually increase postoperative mortality in cardiac surgery
      patients. CONCLUSION: Perioperative bleeding itself is a complex syndrome that
      can be classified as an outcome measure. Red blood cell transfusion has
      limitations when considered as an outcome variable and can be biased by many
      confounders. Its relationship with clinical outcome remains uncertain. In
      addition to being potential outcome measures, transfusion rates and the number of
      allogeneic blood products transfused may also be considered as quality-of-care
      markers.

PMID- 26493315
TI  - De novo assembly and sex-specific transcriptome profiling in the sand fly
      Phlebotomus perniciosus (Diptera, Phlebotominae), a major Old World vector of
      Leishmania infantum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The phlebotomine sand fly Phlebotomus perniciosus (Diptera:
      Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) is a major Old World vector of the protozoan
      Leishmania infantum, the etiological agent of visceral and cutaneous
      leishmaniases in humans and dogs, a worldwide re-emerging diseases of great
      public health concern, affecting 101 countries. Despite the growing interest in
      the study of this sand fly species in the last years, the development of genomic
      resources has been limited so far. To increase the available sequence data for P.
      perniciosus and to start studying the molecular basis of the sexual
      differentiation in sand flies, we performed whole transcriptome Illumina RNA
      sequencing (RNA-seq) of adult males and females and de novo transcriptome
      assembly. RESULTS: We assembled 55,393 high quality transcripts, of which 29,292
      were unique, starting from adult whole body male and female pools. 11,736
      transcripts had at least one functional annotation, including full-length low
      abundance salivary transcripts, 981 transcripts were classified as putative long
      non-coding RNAs and 244 transcripts encoded for putative novel proteins specific
      of the Phlebotominae sub-family. Differential expression analysis identified 8590
      transcripts significantly biased between sexes. Among them, some show relaxation
      of selective constraints when compared to their orthologs of the New World sand
      fly species Lutzomyia longipalpis. CONCLUSIONS: In this paper, we present a
      comprehensive transcriptome resource for the sand fly species P. perniciosus
      built from short-read RNA-seq and we provide insights into sex-specific gene
      expression at adult stage. Our analysis represents a first step towards the
      identification of sex-specific genes and pathways and a foundation for
      forthcoming investigations into this important vector species, including the
      study of the evolution of sex-biased genes and of the sexual differentiation in
      phlebotomine sand flies.

PMID- 26493316
TI  - Tubulin cytoskeleton during microsporogenesis in the male-sterile  genotype of
      Allium sativum and fertile Allium ampeloprasum L.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: Microsporogenesis in garlic. The male-sterile Allium sativum
      (garlic) reproduces exclusively in the vegetative mode, and anthropogenic factors
      seem to be the cause of the loss of sexual reproduction capability. There are
      many different hypotheses concerning the causes of male sterility in A.sativum;
      however, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have not been comprehensively
      elucidated.Numerous attempts have been undertaken to understand the causes of
      male sterility, but the tubulin cytoskeleton in meiotically dividing cells during
      microsporogenesis has never been investigated in this species. Using sterile
      A.sativum genotype L13 and its fertile close relative A. ampeloprasum (leek), we
      have analysed the distribution of the tubulin cytoskeleton during
      microsporogenesis. We observed that during karyokinesis and cytokinesis, in both
      meiotic divisions I and II, the microtubular cytoskeleton in garlic L13 formed
      configurations that resembled tubulin arrangement typical of monocots. However,
      the tubulin cytoskeleton in garlic was distinctly poorer (composed of a few MT
      filaments) compared with that found in meiotically dividing cells in A.
      ampeloprasum. These differences did not affect the course of karyogenesis,
      chondriokinesis, and cytokinesis, which contributed to completion of
      microsporogenesis, but there was no further development of the male gametophyte.
      At the very beginning of the successive stage of development of fertile pollen
      grains, i.e. gametogenesis, there were disorders involving the absence of a
      normal cortical cytoskeleton and dramatically progressive degeneration of the
      cytoplasm in garlic. Therefore,we suggest that, due to disturbances in cortical
      cytoskeleton formation at the very beginning of gametogenesis, the intracellular
      transport governed by the cytoskeleton might be perturbed, leading to microspore
      decay in the male-sterile garlic genotype.

PMID- 26493317
TI  - AlloPred: prediction of allosteric pockets on proteins using normal mode
      perturbation analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite being hugely important in biological processes, allostery is
      poorly understood and no universal mechanism has been discovered. Allosteric
      drugs are a largely unexplored prospect with many potential advantages over
      orthosteric drugs. Computational methods to predict allosteric sites on proteins
      are needed to aid the discovery of allosteric drugs, as well as to advance our
      fundamental understanding of allostery. RESULTS: AlloPred, a novel method to
      predict allosteric pockets on proteins, was developed. AlloPred uses perturbation
      of normal modes alongside pocket descriptors in a machine learning approach that
      ranks the pockets on a protein. AlloPred ranked an allosteric pocket top for 23
      out of 40 known allosteric proteins, showing comparable and complementary
      performance to two existing methods. In 28 of 40 cases an allosteric pocket was
      ranked first or second. The AlloPred web server, freely available at
      http://www.sbg.bio.ic.ac.uk/allopred/home, allows visualisation and analysis of
      predictions. The source code and dataset information are also available from this
      site. CONCLUSIONS: Perturbation of normal modes can enhance our ability to
      predict allosteric sites on proteins. Computational methods such as AlloPred
      assist drug discovery efforts by suggesting sites on proteins for further
      experimental study.

PMID- 26493319
TI  - Risk environments facing potential users of a supervised injection site in
      Ottawa, Canada.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Supervised injection sites (SISs) have been effective in reducing
      health risks among people who inject drugs (PWID), including those who face
      issues of homelessness, mental health illness, interactions with local policing
      practices, and HIV infection. We investigate the risk behaviours and risk
      environments currently faced by potential users of an SIS in Ottawa to establish
      the need for such a service and to contribute to the design of an SIS that can
      address current health risks and reduce harm. METHODS: The PROUD cohort is a
      community-based participatory research (CBPR) project that examines the HIV risk
      environment among people who use drugs in Ottawa. From March to October 2013, 593
      people who reported using injection drugs or smoking crack cocaine were enrolled
      through street-based recruitment in the ByWard Market neighbourhood, an area of
      the city with a high concentration of public drug use and homelessness.
      Participants completed a demographic, behavioural, and risk environment
      questionnaire and were offered HIV point-of-care testing. We undertook
      descriptive and univariate analyses to estimate potential use of an SIS by PWID
      in Ottawa and to explore risk behaviours and features of the risk environment
      faced by potential users of the service. RESULTS: Of those participants who
      reported injecting drugs in the previous 12 months (n = 270), 75.2 % (203)
      reported a willingness to use an SIS in Ottawa. Among potential SIS users, 24.6 %
      had recently injected with a used needle, 19.0 % had trouble accessing new
      needles, 60.6 % were unstably housed, 49.8 % had been redzoned by the police, and
      12.8 % were HIV positive. Participants willing to use an SIS more frequently
      injected in public (OR = 1.98, 95 % CI = 1.06-3.70), required assistance to
      inject (OR = 1.84, 95 % CI = 1.00-3.38), were hepatitis C positive (OR = 2.13, 95
      % CI = 1.16-3.91), had overdosed in the previous year (OR = 2.00, 95 % CI = 1.02
      3.92), and identified as LGBTQ (OR = 5.61, 95 % CI = 1.30-24.19). CONCLUSION: An
      SIS in Ottawa would be well-positioned to reach its target group of highly
      marginalized PWID and reduce drug-related harms. The application of CBPR methods
      to a large-scale quantitative survey supported the mobilization of communities of
      PWID to identify and advocate for their own service needs, creating an enabling
      environment for harm reduction action.

PMID- 26493318
TI  - New discoveries in schizophrenia genetics reveal neurobiological pathways: A
      review of recent findings.
AB  - Schizophrenia research has undergone a recent transformation. By leveraging large
      sample sizes, genome-wide association studies of common genetic variants have
      approximately tripled the number of candidate genetic loci. Rare variant studies
      have identified copy number variants that are schizophrenia risk loci. Among
      these, the 3q29 microdeletion is now known to be the single largest schizophrenia
      risk factor. Next-generation sequencing studies are increasingly used for rare
      variant association testing, and have already facilitated identification of large
      effect alleles. Collectively, recent findings implicate voltage-gated calcium
      channel and cytoskeletal pathways in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Taken
      together, these results suggest the possibility of imminent breakthroughs in the
      molecular understanding of schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26493321
TI  - Aurantiacicella marina gen. nov., sp. nov., a myxol-producing bacterium from
      surface seawater.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, mesophilic, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium,
      strain 2A-8T, was isolated from surface seawater at Muroto city, Kochi
      prefecture, Japan. The strain produced myxol as a major carotenoid. Phylogenetic
      analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the strain fell within the
      family Flavobacteriaceae and was related most closely to the genus Aquimarina
      (91.0-94.4 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the type strains of species of
      this genus). The DNA G+C content was 35 mol%. The major fatty acids were iso-C15
      : 0 and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine,
      an unidentified aminolipid and five unidentified lipids. Menaquinone 6 was
      detected as the sole isoprenoid quinone. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic
      and chemotaxonomic data, strain 2A-8T represents a novel genus and species, for
      which the name Aurantiacicella marina gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type
      strain of Aurantiacicella marina is 2A-8T ( = NBRC 111187T = KCTC 42676T). 

PMID- 26493320
TI  - Methotrexate polyglutamates as a potential marker of adherence to long-term
      therapy in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and juvenile
      dermatomyositis: an observational, cross-sectional study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Methotrexate (MTX) is a cornerstone of treatment in a wide variety
      of inflammatory conditions, including juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and
      juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). However, owing to its narrow therapeutic index
      and the considerable interpatient variability in clinical response, monitoring of
      adherence to MTX is important. The present study demonstrates the feasibility of
      using methotrexate polyglutamates (MTXPGs) as a biomarker to measure adherence to
      MTX treatment in children with JIA and JDM. METHODS: Data were collected
      prospectively from a cohort of 48 children (median age 11.5 years) who received
      oral or subcutaneous (SC) MTX therapy for JIA or JDM. Dried blood spot samples
      were obtained from children by finger pick at the clinic or via self- or parent
      led sampling at home, and they were analysed to determine the variability in
      MTXPG concentrations and assess adherence to MTX therapy. RESULTS: Wide
      fluctuations in MTXPG total concentrations (>2.0-fold variations) were found in
      17 patients receiving stable weekly doses of MTX, which is indicative of
      nonadherence or partial adherence to MTX therapy. Age (P = 0.026) and route of
      administration (P = 0.005) were the most important predictors of nonadherence to
      MTX treatment. In addition, the study showed that MTX dose and route of
      administration were significantly associated with variations in the distribution
      of MTXPG subtypes. Higher doses and SC administration of MTX produced higher
      levels of total MTXPGs and selective accumulation of longer-chain MTXPGs (P <
      0.001 and P < 0.0001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Nonadherence to MTX therapy is
      a significant problem in children with JIA and JDM. The present study suggests
      that patients with inadequate adherence and/or intolerance to oral MTX may
      benefit from SC administration of the drug. The clinical utility of MTXPG levels
      to monitor and optimise adherence to MTX in children has been demonstrated. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Registry identifier: ISRCTN93945409 . Registered 2 December
      2011.

PMID- 26493322
TI  - Glutathionyl systems and metabolic dysfunction in obesity.
AB  - Oxidative stress is associated with obesity. However, glutathione (GSH), one of
      the body's most abundant antioxidants, plays dual and seemingly contradictory
      roles in the development of obesity and its comorbidities. Glutathione has
      complex metabolic and biochemical fates and is a cofactor for several enzymes
      that function in modifying obesity-related responses. For example, depletion of
      GSH increases energy metabolism and reduces adipose accretion, while elevation of
      GSH peroxidase activity induces insulin resistance. This review summarizes the
      literature linking GSH and its related enzymes, GSH peroxidase, glutaredoxins,
      and glutathione S-transferases, to obesity and its pertinent endpoints (e.g.,
      energy metabolism, inflammation, and insulin resistance). 

PMID- 26493323
TI  - Therapeutic engagement: Perspectives from adolescents with eating disorders.
AB  - This study aimed to identify factors that adolescents with eating disorders (ED)
      consider important for therapeutic engagement, and to examine similarities and
      differences in the number of identified factors considered important for
      therapeutic engagement based on diagnostic status and readiness and motivation to
      change dietary restriction behaviors. Treatment seeking adolescent females (n=34,
      Mage=16.33, SD=1.34) with an ED were prompted to generate responses to 4
      constructs related to therapeutic engagement: (1) Trust, (2) Agreement on
      therapeutic goals, (3) Confidence in Ability to Change and (4) Feelings of
      Inclusion in therapeutic decisions. A coding scheme for each construct was
      developed using a random sample of responses, and each category within a
      construct was rated as present or absent for each participant. Frequencies and
      percentages of participants who reported each category within each construct are
      reported. Additionally, findings indicate that the top two out of three
      categories reported within each construct were the same between participants with
      AN versus EDNOS, and between participants high and low in readiness and
      motivation to change dietary restriction behaviors. This study is a first step in
      identifying aspects of therapeutic engagement that are important to adolescents
      with ED, which may differ from adults.

PMID- 26493324
TI  - Meaning in life and non-suicidal self-injury: A follow-up study with participants
      with Borderline Personality Disorder.
AB  - Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is considered one of the defining features of
      people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Longitudinal studies
      are needed to identify factors predicting future NSSI in BPD participants.
      Several studies have shown that low meaning in life is associated with mental
      health problems, addiction problems, depression, hopelessness, and suicide. The
      purpose of this paper is to examine whether meaning in life predicts the
      frequency of NSSI behaviors during the one-year follow-up. The sample was
      composed up of 80 participants with a BPD diagnosis. We assessed the frequency of
      NSSI behaviors over a 12-month follow-up period. The results suggest that the
      participants who had low meaning in life had more frequency of NSSI, depression,
      and hopelessness at baseline, and more frequency of NSSI during the follow-up,
      than participants with high meaning in life. The predictor variables: Frequency
      of NSSI at base line, depression, hopelessness, and meaning in life,
      significantly predicted the frequency of NSSI during the one-year follow-up.
      Therefore, meaning in life was the only predictor of NSSI during the follow-up
      period.

PMID- 26493325
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy and feasibility of a net-based application for diagnosing
      common psychiatric disorders.
AB  - A net-based application, which enables users to diagnose and manage common
      psychiatric disorders independently, was developed. Diagnostic accuracy and
      reliability of the application were compared with the Mini International
      Neuropsychiatric Interview among 274 adult outpatients. The screening sub-module
      of the application had high sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive
      values for most disorders, but low positive predictive values for several
      disorders. The criteria-based diagnostic sub-module demonstrated moderate to
      substantial agreement (kappa>0.50) for all 4 broad categories and 10 of the 18
      individual disorders included. Diagnostic agreement was, however, low (kappa<0.4)
      for most of the disorders comprising the broad category of 'neurotic and stress
      related disorders'. Low sensitivity was also observed among these disorders,
      though specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were high for
      most disorders. Inter-rater reliability of the application's diagnoses was high.
      Symptom-severity and functional status scores correlated significantly with those
      on standard scales. Average time taken was 5min for screening and 20min for
      detailed diagnostic assessment. A majority of the patients, their relatives and
      interviewers were satisfied with the assessment. The results suggest that with
      further refinement the application could be suitable for use as a net-based
      diagnostic tool for psychiatric disorders.

PMID- 26493326
TI  - Diabetes care in England improves little, NAO report shows.

PMID- 26493327
TI  - Anomalous Stretchable Conductivity Using an Engineered Tricot Weave.
AB  - Robust electric conduction under stretching motions is a key element in upcoming
      wearable electronic devices but is fundamentally very difficult to achieve
      because percolation pathways in conductive media are subject to collapse upon
      stretching. Here, we report that this fundamental challenge can be overcome by
      using a parameter uniquely available in textiles, namely a weaving structure. A
      textile structure alternately interwoven with inelastic and elastic yarns,
      achieved via a tricot weave, possesses excellent elasticity (strain up to 200%)
      in diagonal directions. When this textile is coated with conductive
      nanomaterials, proper textile engineering allows the textile to obtain an
      unprecedented 7-fold conductivity increase, with conductivity reaching 33,000 S
      cm(-1), even at 130% strain, due to enhanced interyarn contacts. The observed
      stretching conductivity can be described well using a modified 3D percolation
      theory that reflects the weaving effect and is also utilized for stretchable
      electronic interconnects and supercapacitors with high performance. 

PMID- 26493328
TI  - Recent advances in microbiology: towards new horizons?

PMID- 26493329
TI  - IFT88 influences chondrocyte actin organization and biomechanics.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Primary cilia are microtubule based organelles which control a
      variety of signalling pathways important in cartilage development, health and
      disease. This study examines the role of the intraflagellar transport (IFT)
      protein, IFT88, in regulating fundamental actin organisation and mechanics in
      articular chondrocytes. METHODS: The study used an established chondrocyte cell
      line with and without hypomorphic mutation of IFT88 (IFT88(orpk)). Confocal
      microscopy was used to quantify F-actin and myosin IIB organisation. Viscoelastic
      cell and actin cortex mechanics were determined using micropipette aspiration
      with actin dynamics visualised in live cells transfected with LifeACT-GFP.
      RESULTS: IFT88(orpk) cells exhibited a significant increase in acto-myosin stress
      fibre organisation relative to wild-type (WT) cells in monolayer and an altered
      response to cytochalasin D. Rounded IFT88(orpk) cells cultured in suspension
      exhibited reduced cortical actin expression with reduced cellular equilibrium
      modulus. Micropipette aspiration resulted in reduced membrane bleb formation in
      IFT88(orpk) cells. Following membrane blebbing, IFT88(orpk) cells exhibited
      slower reformation of the actin cortex. IFT88(orpk) cells showed increased actin
      deformability and reduced cortical tension confirming that IFT regulates actin
      cortex mechanics. The reduced cortical tension is also consistent with the
      reduced bleb formation. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates for the first time
      that the ciliary protein IFT88 regulates fundamental actin organisation and the
      stiffness of the actin cortex leading to alterations in cell deformation,
      mechanical properties and blebbing in an IFT88 chondrocyte cell line. This adds
      to the growing understanding of the role of primary cilia and IFT in regulating
      cartilage biology.

PMID- 26493330
TI  - Culture expanded primary chondrocytes have potent immunomodulatory properties and
      do not induce an allogeneic immune response.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Allogeneic cell therapies, such as mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC),
      which have potent regenerative and anti-inflammatory potential are being
      investigated as a therapy for osteoarthritis (OA) and cartilage injury. Here we
      describe another potential source of regenerative and anti-inflammatory
      allogeneic cells, culture expanded primary chondrocytes (CEPC). In direct
      comparison to allogeneic MSC, we extensively assess the immunological
      interactions of CEPC in an allogeneic setting. METHODS: Chondrocytes were
      isolated from rat articular cartilage and cultured in normoxic or hypoxic
      conditions. In vitro co-culture assays with allogeneic lymphocytes and
      macrophages were used to assess the immunomodulatory capacities of the
      chondrocytes, followed by immune response analysis by flow cytometry, ELISA and
      qPCR. RESULTS: CEPC showed reduced induction of proliferation, activation and
      cytotoxic granzyme B expression in allogeneic T cells. Importantly, exposure to
      pro-inflammatory cytokines did not increase CEPC immunogenicity despite increases
      in MHC-I. Furthermore, CEPC had a potent ability to suppress allogeneic T cell
      proliferation, which was dependent on nitric oxide production. This suppression
      was contact independent in hypoxia cultured CEPC. Finally, chondrocytes were
      shown to have the capacity to modulate pro-inflammatory macrophage activity by
      reducing MHC-II expression and TNF-alpha secretion. CONCLUSION: These data
      indicate the potential use of allogeneic chondrocytes in OA and cartilage
      defects. The lack of evident immunogenicity, despite exposure to a pro
      inflammatory environment, coupled with the immunomodulatory ability indicates
      that these cells have the potential to evade the host immune system and suppress
      inflammation, thus potentially facilitating the resolution of OA induced
      inflammation and cartilage regeneration.

PMID- 26493331
TI  - Ubiquitylation of CD98 limits cell proliferation and clonal expansion.
AB  - CD98 heavy chain (SLC3A2) facilitates lymphocyte clonal expansion that enables
      adaptive immunity; however, increased expression of CD98 is also a feature of
      both lymphomas and leukemias and represents a potential therapeutic target in
      these diseases. CD98 is transcriptionally regulated and ectopic expression of the
      membrane-associated RING-CH (MARCH) E3 ubiquitin ligases MARCH1 or MARCH8 leads
      to ubiquitylation and lysosomal degradation of CD98. Here, we examined the
      potential role of ubiquitylation in regulating CD98 expression and cell
      proliferation. We report that blocking ubiquitylation by use of a catalytically
      inactive MARCH or by creating a ubiquitylation-resistant CD98 mutant, prevents
      MARCH-induced CD98 downregulation in HeLa cells. March1-null T cells display
      increased CD98 expression. Similarly, T cells expressing ubiquitylation-resistant
      CD98 manifest increased proliferation in vitro and clonal expansion in vivo.
      Thus, ubiquitylation and the resulting downregulation of CD98 can limit cell
      proliferation and clonal expansion. 

PMID- 26493333
TI  - A Prospective Nonrandomized Study on Carotid Surgery Performed under General
      Anesthesia without Intraoperative Cerebral Monitoring.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess our experience of carotid
      surgery habitually performed under general anesthesia without intraoperative
      intracerebral monitoring, and following a pre-established perioperative protocol,
      which includes extensive use of an intraoperative shunt (IOS). METHODS: This
      study included 311 consecutive carotid operations performed over 32 months. This
      patient cohort represents 14% of our total experience in carotid surgery (2219
      operations, major stroke/mortality rate: 1.4%). The IOS was inserted routinely in
      the presence of intraoperative blood pressure instability during cross-clamping
      and when the predictable clamping time might have exceeded 20 minutes. A moderate
      and stable hypertension was maintained throughout surgery without IOS. RESULTS:
      Overall, 120 (38.6%) endarterectomies were performed with primary closure, 73
      (23.5%) with eversion technique, 113 (36.3%) with patch angioplasty, and 5 (1.6%)
      with other techniques. Out of 113 patch angioplasties, 111 (98.2%) were performed
      with an IOS. This was utilized in only 3 cases of direct carotid reconstructions
      or other carotid endarterectomy techniques (1.5%). Overall, the IOS placement
      rate was 36.7%. Postoperatively, 2 major strokes (.64%), 2 minor strokes (.64%),
      4 hyperperfusion syndromes (1.3%), and no mortality were recorded. No cases of
      cross-clamp ischemia/shunt-related perioperative strokes were observed.
      CONCLUSIONS: The low perioperative stroke rate reported in this prospective study
      proves the advantages of wide use of IOS during carotid surgery. This coupled
      with a large experience in carotid surgery and close monitoring and support of
      blood pressure, are the major determinants of these results that demonstrate the
      low risk of shunt-related complications for surgeons who regularly utilize an
      IOS.

PMID- 26493332
TI  - Stress-induced inhibition of translation independently of eIF2alpha
      phosphorylation.
AB  - Exposure of fission yeast cells to ultraviolet (UV) light leads to inhibition of
      translation and phosphorylation of the eukaryotic initiation factor-2alpha
      (eIF2alpha). This phosphorylation is a common response to stress in all
      eukaryotes. It leads to inhibition of translation at the initiation stage and is
      thought to be the main reason why stressed cells dramatically reduce protein
      synthesis. Phosphorylation of eIF2alpha has been taken as a readout for
      downregulation of translation, but the role of eIF2alpha phosphorylation in the
      downregulation of general translation has not been much investigated. We show
      here that UV-induced global inhibition of translation in fission yeast cells is
      independent of eIF2alpha phosphorylation and the eIF2alpha kinase general control
      nonderepressible-2 protein (Gcn2). Also, in budding yeast and mammalian cells,
      the UV-induced translational depression is largely independent of GCN2 and
      eIF2alpha phosphorylation. Furthermore, exposure of fission yeast cells to
      oxidative stress generated by hydrogen peroxide induced an inhibition of
      translation that is also independent of Gcn2 and of eIF2alpha phosphorylation.
      Our findings show that stress-induced translational inhibition occurs through an
      unknown mechanism that is likely to be conserved through evolution.

PMID- 26493334
TI  - Influence of Diabetes Mellitus and Cigarette Smoking on Variability of the
      Clopidogrel-Induced Antiplatelet Effect and Efficacy of Active Management of the
      Target P2Y12 Reaction Unit Range in Patients Undergoing Neurointerventional
      Procedures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Optimal antiplatelet inhibition is essential in patients undergoing
      neurointerventional procedures; however, variability in response to clopidogrel
      can contribute to thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications. The present study
      evaluated the influence of diabetes mellitus and cigarette smoking on clopidogrel
      reactivity. METHODS: Between 2011 and 2013, 71 consecutive patients underwent
      aneurysmal coil embolization (CE) or carotid artery stenting (CAS) and received
      clopidogrel (75 mg daily) and aspirin (100 mg daily) before the treatment. The
      patients were divided into 2 groups: CE (n = 31) and CAS (n = 40). The patients
      underwent prospective assessment of preoperative platelet function using
      VerifyNow assay and received adjunctive cilostazol (200 mg daily, triple
      antiplatelet therapy) in case of clopidogrel hyporesponse. Patients with
      clopidogrel hyper-response underwent clopidogrel dose reduction (clopidogrel,
      12.5-50 mg daily). RESULTS: Clopidogrel resistance was noted in 15 patients
      (37.5%) in the CAS group and in 4 patients (12.9%) in the CE group (P = .031).
      Clopidogrel hyper-response was noted in 2 patients (5%) in the CAS group and in
      11 patients (54.8%) in the CE group (P < .001). There was a significant
      difference in the baseline clinical characteristics between the 2 groups. In the
      multivariate logistic regression analysis, diabetes and age were independent
      predictors of clopidogrel hyporesponse, whereas current smoker was an independent
      predictor of clopidogrel hyper-response. CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences in
      baseline clinical characteristics were present when comparing patients undergoing
      endovascular treatment of unruptured cerebral aneurysms and carotid artery
      stenosis. Diabetes mellitus and current smoker status were independent factors
      related to reactivity to clopidogrel.

PMID- 26493335
TI  - Regulation of cellular sphingosine-1-phosphate by sphingosine kinase 1 and
      sphingosine-1-phopshate lyase determines chemotherapy resistance in
      gastroesophageal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Resistance to chemotherapy is common in gastroesophageal cancer.
      Mechanisms of resistance are incompletely characterised and there are no
      predictive biomarkers in clinical practice for cytotoxic drugs. We used new cell
      line models to characterise novel chemotherapy resistance mechanisms and
      validated them in tumour specimens to identify new targets and biomarkers for
      gastroesophageal cancer. METHODS: Cell lines were selected for resistance to
      oxaliplatin, cisplatin and docetaxel and gene expression examined using
      Affymetrix Exon 1.0 ST arrays. Leads were validated by qRT-PCR and HPLC of tumour
      metabolites. Protein expression and pharmacological inhibition of lead target
      SPHK1 was evaluated in independent cell lines, and by immunohistochemistry in
      gastroesophageal cancer patients. RESULTS: Genes with differential expression in
      drug resistant cell lines compared to the parental cell line they were derived
      from, were identified for each drug resistant cell line. Biological pathway
      analysis of these gene lists, identified over-represented pathways, and only 3
      pathways - lysosome, sphingolipid metabolism and p53 signalling- were identified
      as over-represented in these lists for all three cytotoxic drugs investigated.
      The majority of genes differentially expressed in chemoresistant cell lines from
      these pathways, were involved in metabolism of glycosphingolipids and
      sphingolipids in lysosomal compartments suggesting that sphingolipids might be
      important mediators of cytotoxic drug resistance in gastroeosphageal cancers . On
      further investigation, we found that drug resistance (IC50) was correlated with
      increased sphingosine kinase 1(SPHK1) mRNA and also with decreased sphingosine-1
      phosphate lysase 1(SGPL1) mRNA. SPHK1 and SGPL1 gene expression were inversely
      correlated. SPHK1:SGPL1 ratio correlated with increased cellular sphingosine-1
      phosphate (S1P), and S1P correlated with drug resistance (IC50). High SPHK1
      protein correlated with resistance to cisplatin (IC50) in an independent gastric
      cancer cell line panel and with survival of patients treated with chemotherapy
      prior to surgery but not in patients treated with surgery alone. Safingol a SPHK1
      inhibitor, was cytotoxic as a single agent and acted synergistically with
      cisplatin in gastric cancer cell lines. CONCLUSION: Agents that inhibit SPHK1 or
      S1P could overcome cytotoxic drug resistance in gastroesophageal cancer. There
      are several agents in early phase human trials including Safingol that could be
      combined with chemotherapy or used in patients progressing after chemotherapy.

PMID- 26493336
TI  - Ceftiofur hydrochloride affects the humoral and cellular immune response in pigs
      after vaccination against swine influenza and pseudorabies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cephalosporins are a class of antibiotics that are active against
      many Gram-positive and some Gram-negative bacteria. Beyond their antibacterial
      activity, they are reported to have various immunomodulatory properties. It has
      been shown that they reduce the secretion of cytokines as well as influence the
      humoral and cellular immune response. In the field conditions antibiotics are
      frequently administered at the same time as vaccines in pigs and, in the view of
      their potential immunomodulatory properties, it is important to examine their
      effect on the development and persistence of the post-vaccinal immune response.
      Ceftiofur is a very popular veterinary medicine third-generation cephalosporin
      with a broad spectrum of activity. It has been shown that it can inhibit
      cytokines secretion and in this way can potentially affect host immune response.
      The influence of ceftiofur on the immune response has not yet been investigated
      in pigs. In the present study we evaluated the influence of therapeutic doses of
      ceftiofur hydrochloride on the post-vaccinal immune response after vaccination
      with two model vaccines (live and inactivated). METHODS: Seventy pigs were
      divided into five groups: control, unvaccinated (C), control vaccinated against
      swine influenza (SI-V), control vaccinated against pseudorabies (PR-V),
      vaccinated against SI during ceftiofur administration (SI-CEF) and vaccinated
      against PR during ceftiofur administration (PR-CEF). Pigs from SICEF and PR-CEF
      groups received therapeutic dose of ceftiofur for five days. Pigs from SI-CEF, PR
      CEF, SIV and PR-V groups were vaccinated against SI and PR. Antibodies to PRV
      were determined with the use of blocking ELISA tests (IDEXX Laboratories, USA).
      Humoral responses to SIV were assessed based on haemagglutination inhibition
      assay. T-cell response was analyzed with the use of proliferation test. The
      concentrations of IFN- gamma and IL-4 in culture supernatant were determined with
      the use of ELISA kits Invitrogen Corporation, USA). RESULTS: The significant
      delay in the development of humoral response against pseudorabies virus (PRV) as
      well as a significant suppression of production of antibodies against swine
      influenza virus (SIV) was found in pigs receiving ceftiofur hydrochloride at the
      time of vaccination. The cellular immune response against PRV was also
      significantly affected by ceftiofur. In contrast, there were no significant
      differences between vaccinated groups with regard to the T-cell response against
      SIV. From day 28 of study to day 70, the concentration of INF-gamma in culture
      supernatants were significantly lower in group treated with ceftiofur after
      restimulation with PRV. While, no significant differences were observed after
      restimulation of PBMC with H3N2 SIV. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of an antibiotic
      therapy with ceftiofur hydrochloride on the humoral and cellular post-vaccinal
      immune responses in pigs was investigated. Ceftiofur hydrochloride was given in
      therapeutic doses. The results of the present study indicate that both, humoral
      and cell-mediated post-vaccinal immune responses can be modulated by treatment
      with ceftiofur hydrochloride. The results of our study point out that caution
      should be taken when administered this antibiotic during vaccination of pigs.

PMID- 26493338
TI  - Athletic Performance at the NFL Scouting Combine After Anterior Cruciate Ligament
      Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common and potentially
      career ending in the National Football League (NFL). Although statistical
      performance has been demonstrated after ACL reconstruction, functional
      performance is not well defined. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study
      was to determine the functional performance of NFL combine participants after ACL
      reconstruction compared with an age-, size-, and position-matched control group.
      The hypothesis was that there would be no difference between players after ACL
      reconstruction as compared with controls in functional athletic performance.
      STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: A total of 98 NFL
      caliber athletes who had undergone primary ACL reconstruction and participated in
      the NFL scouting combine between 2010 and 2014 were reviewed and compared with an
      age-, size-, and position-matched control group. Data recorded for each player
      included a 40-yard dash, vertical leap, broad jump, shuttle drill, and 3-cone
      drill. RESULTS: With regard to speed and acceleration, the mean 40-yard dash time
      for ACL-reconstructed players was 4.74 seconds (range, 4.33-5.55 seconds)
      compared with controls at 4.74 seconds (range, 4.34-5.38 seconds; P = .96).
      Jumping performance was also similar, with a mean vertical leap for ACL
      reconstructed players of 33.35 inches (range, 23-43 inches) and broad jump of
      113.9 inches (range, 96-136 inches) compared with respective values for the
      controls of 33.22 inches (range, 23.5-43.5 inches; P = .84) and 113.9 inches
      (range, 92-134 inches; P = .99). Agility and quickness testing measures also did
      not show a statistically significantly difference, with ACL-reconstructed players
      performing the shuttle drill in 4.37 seconds (range, 4.02-4.84 seconds) and the 3
      cone drill in 7.16 seconds (range, 6.45-8.14 seconds), respectively, compared
      with respective times for the controls of 4.37 seconds (range, 3.96-5.00 seconds;
      P = .91) and 7.18 seconds (range, 6.64-8.24 seconds; P = .75). CONCLUSION: This
      study suggests that after ACL reconstruction, high-caliber athletes can achieve
      equivalent levels of performance with no statistically significant differences
      compared with matched controls. This information is unique when advising high
      level athletes on athletic performance after ACL reconstruction, suggesting that
      those who fully recover and return to play appear to have no decrement in
      athletic performance.

PMID- 26493337
TI  - Decreased Knee Joint Loading Associated With Early Knee Osteoarthritis After
      Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury predisposes individuals to
      early-onset knee joint osteoarthritis (OA). Abnormal joint loading is apparent
      after ACL injury and reconstruction. The relationship between altered joint
      biomechanics and the development of knee OA is unknown. HYPOTHESIS: Altered knee
      joint kinetics and medial compartment contact forces initially after injury and
      reconstruction are associated with radiographic knee OA 5 years after
      reconstruction. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS:
      Individuals with acute, unilateral ACL injury completed gait analysis before
      (baseline) and after (posttraining) preoperative rehabilitation and at 6 months,
      1 year, and 2 years after reconstruction. Surface electromyographic and knee
      biomechanical data served as inputs to an electromyographically driven
      musculoskeletal model to estimate knee joint contact forces. Patients completed
      radiographic testing 5 years after reconstruction. Differences in knee joint
      kinetics and contact forces were compared between patients with and those without
      radiographic knee OA. RESULTS: Patients with OA walked with greater frontal plane
      interlimb differences than those without OA (nonOA) at baseline (peak knee
      adduction moment difference: 0.00 +/- 0.08 N.m/kg.m [nonOA] vs -0.15 +/- 0.09
      N.m/kg.m [OA], P = .014; peak knee adduction moment impulse difference: -0.001 +/
      0.032 N.m.s/kg.m [nonOA] vs -0.048 +/- 0.031 N.m.s/kg.m [OA], P = .042). The
      involved limb knee adduction moment impulse of the group with osteoarthritis was
      also lower than that of the group without osteoarthritis at baseline (0.087 +/-
      0.023 N.m.s/kg.m [nonOA] vs 0.049 +/- 0.018 N.m.s/kg.m [OA], P = .023).
      Significant group differences were absent at posttraining but reemerged 6 months
      after reconstruction (peak knee adduction moment difference: 0.02 +/- 0.04
      N.m/kg.m [nonOA] vs -0.06 +/- 0.11 N.m/kg.m [OA], P = .043). In addition, the OA
      group walked with lower peak medial compartment contact forces of the involved
      limb than did the group without OA at 6 months (2.89 +/- 0.52 body weight [nonOA]
      vs 2.10 +/- 0.69 body weight [OA], P = .036). CONCLUSION: Patients who had
      radiographic knee OA 5 years after ACL reconstruction walked with lower knee
      adduction moments and medial compartment joint contact forces than did those
      patients without OA early after injury and reconstruction.

PMID- 26493339
TI  - Threats, rewards, and attention deployment in anxious youth and adults: An eye
      tracking study.
AB  - The current study examines anxiety and age associations with attention allocation
      and physiological response to threats and rewards. Twenty-two healthy-adults, 20
      anxious-adults, 26 healthy-youth, and 19 anxious-youth completed two eye-tracking
      tasks. In the Visual Scene Task (VST), participants' fixations were recorded
      while they viewed a central neutral image flanked by two threatening or two
      rewarding stimuli. In the Negative Words Task (NWT), physiological response was
      measured by means of pupil diameter change while negative and neutral words were
      presented. For both tasks, no interaction was found between anxiety and age
      group. In the VST, anxious participants avoided the threatening images when
      groups were collapsed across age. Similarly, adults but not adolescents avoided
      the threatening images when collapsed across anxiety. No differences were found
      for rewarding images. In NWT, all subjects demonstrated increase in pupil
      dilation after word presentation. Only main effect of age emerged with stronger
      pupil dilation in adults than children. Finally, maximum pupil change was
      correlated with threat avoidance bias in the scene task. Gaze patterns and pupil
      dilation show that anxiety and age are associated with attention allocation to
      threats. The relations between attention and autonomic arousal point to a complex
      interaction between bottom-up and top-down processes as they relate to attention
      allocation.

PMID- 26493340
TI  - Surprising sequential effects on MMN.
AB  - The mismatch negativity (MMN) is conceptualized as a confidence-weighted error
      signal elicited when a deviation violates the predicted next-state based on
      regularity. The mechanisms underpinning its generation remain contentious.
      Smaller MMN response is a robust finding in schizophrenia and reduced amplitude
      may implicate impairment in prediction-error signalling. An enriched
      understanding of factors that influence MMN size in healthy people is a
      prerequisite for translating the relevance of reduced MMN in schizophrenia. This
      paper features two studies designed to explore factors that impact MMN in healthy
      individuals. Study 1 confirms that MMN amplitude does not faithfully reflect
      transition statistics and is susceptible to order-driven bias. In study 2, we
      demonstrate that an order-driven bias remains despite repeated encounters with
      sound sequences. These data demonstrate that factors that impact on MMN size in
      non-clinical groups are not fully understood and that some mechanisms driving
      relevance filtering are likely influenced by 'top-down' expectations. 

PMID- 26493341
TI  - Retrograde Intramedullary Nailing for Femoral Shaft Fractures in Elderly Patients
      with Previous Ipsilateral Dynamic Hip Screw Fixation.
AB  - PURPOSE: We present our experience in managing femoral shaft fractures in elderly
      patients with previous ipsilateral dynamic hip screw fixation for extracapsular
      neck of femur fractures using retrograde intramedullary nailing implants.
      METHODS: This was a prospective consecutive study of patients presenting with a
      femoral shaft fracture and an ipsilateral dynamic hip screw fixation treated with
      unreamed retrograde femoral nailing. The Wilde modification of the Neer knee
      score was used as a primary outcome measure. RESULTS: A total of 16 patients were
      included (5 males, 11 females), with a mean age of 82 years (range 74-101). All
      fractures were closed and were due to low-energy trauma. There were 7 patients
      with 32-A1 fractures, 5 patients with 32-A2 fractures and 4 patients with 32-B1
      fractures. All patients had an ipsilateral 4-hole plate dynamic hip screw
      implant. Minor surgical complications were recorded in 5 patients. Two patients
      died due to medical complications and were excluded from the final analysis. All
      remaining 14 patients achieved satisfactory outcomes at 12 months of follow-up
      with a mean Wilde modification of the Neer knee score of 15.5 (SD 2.53; range 13
      20). CONCLUSIONS: Unreamed retrograde femoral nailing can achieve good functional
      recovery in elderly patients with a femoral shaft fracture and a previous
      ipsilateral dynamic hip screw fixation.

PMID- 26493342
TI  - The association between myometrial electrical activity and time to delivery in
      threatened preterm labor.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between myometrial electrical activity and
      time-to-delivery in preterm labor using uterine electromyography. METHODS:
      Myometrial electrical activity was measured via the electrical uterine monitor
      (EUM) device. Data was prospectively collected among women admitted due to
      suspected preterm labor, prior to 34 weeks of gestation. EUM-Index was defined as
      the mean electrical activity of the uterine muscle over a period of 10 minutes
      measured in units of microjoule (MUJ, microwatt second). The association between
      the EUM-Index at admission to time-to-delivery and delivery prior to 34 weeks of
      gestation was calculated. RESULTS: Overall, 45 women were included in the study.
      EUM-Index combined with cervical dilatation, demonstrated significant correlation
      to time-to-delivery (R(2 )= 0.49, p = 0.005), which was strengthened for women
      presenting prior to 28 weeks of gestation. EUM-Index above the median (>3.05 MJ)
      was significantly associated with a shorter latency period for delivery (36.0 +/-
      19.4 vs. 50.2 +/- 25.9 days, p = 0.04). For delivery prior to 34 weeks, the EUM
      Index showed an AUC = 0.65 (95% CI 0.48-0.82), and a cutoff of 2.5 MJ provided
      91.7% sensitivity and 93.3% negative predictive value. CONCLUSION: EUM-Index at
      time of admission due to suspected preterm labor is inversely correlated with
      time-to-delivery and may effectively rule out preterm delivery prior to 34 weeks.

PMID- 26493343
TI  - Religious Participation is Associated with Increases in Religious Social Support
      in a National Longitudinal Study of African Americans.
AB  - This study reports on the association between religious beliefs and behaviors and
      the change in both general and religious social support using two waves of data
      from a national sample of African Americans. The Religion and Health in African
      Americans (RHIAA) study is a longitudinal telephone survey designed to examine
      relationships between various aspects of religious involvement and psychosocial
      factors over time. RHIAA participants were 3173 African American men (1281) and
      women (1892). A total of 1251 men (456) and women (795) participated in wave 2 of
      data collection. Baseline religious behaviors were associated with increased
      overall religious social support from baseline to wave 2 (p < .001) and with
      increased religious social support from baseline to wave 2 in each of the
      following religious social support subscales: emotional support received (p <
      .001), emotional support provided (p < .001), negative interaction (p < .001),
      and anticipated support (p < .001). Religious beliefs did not predict change in
      any type of support, and neither beliefs nor behaviors predicted change in
      general social support. African Americans who are active in faith communities
      showed increases in all types of religious social support, even the negative
      aspects, over a relatively modest longitudinal study period. This illustrates the
      strength of the church as a social network and the role that it plays in people's
      lives. 

PMID- 26493344
TI  - The growth of railway ground vibration problems - A review.
AB  - Ground-borne noise and vibration from railway lines can cause human
      distress/annoyance, and also negatively affect real estate property values.
      Therefore this paper analyses a collection of technical ground-borne noise and
      vibration reports, detailing commercial vibration assessments undertaken at 1604
      railway track sections, in 9 countries across the world. A wide range of rail
      projects are considered including light rail, tram lines, underground/tunnelled
      lines, freight, conventional rail and high speed rail. It documents the rise in
      ground-borne vibration problems and trends in the prediction industry, with the
      aim of informing the current research area. Firstly, the reports are analysed
      chronologically and it is found that railway vibration is a growing global
      concern, and as such, assessments have become more prevalent. International
      assessment metrics are benchmarked and it is found that velocity decibels (VdB),
      vibration dose value (VDV) and peak particle velocity (PPV) are the most commonly
      used methods of assessment. Furthermore, to predict vibration levels, the
      physical measurement of frequency transfer functions is preferential to numerical
      modelling. Results from the reports show that ground vibration limits are
      exceeded in 44% of assessments, and that ground-borne noise limits are exceeded
      in 31%. Moreover, mitigation measures were required on approximately 50% of
      projects, revealing that ground-borne noise and vibration is a widespread
      railroad engineering challenge. To solve these problems, the most commonly used
      abatement strategy is a modification of the railtrack structure (active
      mitigation), rather than the implementation of a more passive solution in the far
      field. 

PMID- 26493345
TI  - Application of fault tree approach for the causation mechanism of urban haze in
      Beijing--Considering the risk events related with exhausts of coal combustion.
AB  - Haze weather has become a serious environmental pollution problem which occurs in
      many Chinese cities. One of the most critical factors for the formation of haze
      weather is the exhausts of coal combustion, thus it is meaningful to figure out
      the causation mechanism between urban haze and the exhausts of coal combustion.
      Based on above considerations, the fault tree analysis (FAT) approach was
      employed for the causation mechanism of urban haze in Beijing by considering the
      risk events related with the exhausts of coal combustion for the first time.
      Using this approach, firstly the fault tree of the urban haze causation system
      connecting with coal combustion exhausts was established; consequently the risk
      events were discussed and identified; then, the minimal cut sets were
      successfully determined using Boolean algebra; finally, the structure,
      probability and critical importance degree analysis of the risk events were
      completed for the qualitative and quantitative assessment. The study results
      proved that the FTA was an effective and simple tool for the causation mechanism
      analysis and risk management of urban haze in China. 

PMID- 26493346
TI  - On the load-sharing along the ligamentous lumbosacral spine in flexed and
      extended postures: Finite element study.
AB  - A harmonic synergy between the load-bearing and stabilizing components of the
      spine is necessary to maintain its normal function. This study aimed to
      investigate the load-sharing along the ligamentous lumbosacral spine under
      sagittal loading. A 3D nonlinear detailed Finite Element (FE) model of
      lumbosacral spine with realistic geometry was developed and validated using wide
      range of numerical and experimental (in-vivo and in-vitro) data. The model was
      subjected to 500 N compressive Follower Load (FL) combined with 7.5 Nm flexion
      (FLX) or extension (EXT) moments. Load-sharing was expressed as percentage of
      total internal force/moment developed along the spine that each spinal component
      carried. These internal forces and moments were determined at the discs centres
      and included the applied load and the resisting forces in the ligaments and facet
      joints. The contribution of the facet joints and ligaments in supporting bending
      moments produced additional forces and moments in the discs. The intervertebral
      discs carried up to 81% and 68% of the total internal force in case of FL
      combined with FLX and EXT, respectively. The ligaments withstood up to 67% and
      81% of the total internal moment in cases of FL combined with EXT and FLX,
      respectively. Contribution of the facet joints in resisting internal force and
      moment was noticeable at levels L4-S1 only particularly in case of FL combined
      with EXT and reached up 29% and 52% of the internal moment and force,
      respectively. This study demonstrated that spinal load-sharing depended on
      applied load and varied along the spine.

PMID- 26493347
TI  - Contact mechanics of reverse engineered distal humeral hemiarthroplasty implants.
AB  - Erosion of articular cartilage is a concern following distal humeral
      hemiarthroplasty, because native cartilage surfaces are placed in contact with
      stiff metallic implant components, which causes decreases in contact area and
      increases in contact stresses. Recently, reverse engineered implants have been
      proposed which are intended to promote more natural contact mechanics by
      reproducing the native bone or cartilage shape. In this study, finite element
      modeling is used in order to calculate changes in cartilage contact areas and
      stresses following distal humeral hemiarthroplasty with commercially available
      and reverse engineered implant designs. At the ulna, decreases in contact area
      were -34+/-3% (p=0.002), -27+/-1% (p<0.001) and -14+/-2% (p=0.008) using
      commercially available, bone reverse engineered and cartilage reverse engineered
      designs, respectively. Peak contact stresses increased by 461+/-57% (p=0.008),
      387+/-127% (p=0.229) and 165+/-16% (p=0.003). At the radius, decreases in contact
      area were -21+/-3% (p=0.013), -13+/-2% (p<0.006) and -6+/-1% (p=0.020), and peak
      contact stresses increased by 75+/-52% (p>0.999), 241+/-32% (p=0.010) and 61+/
      10% (p=0.021). Between the three different implant designs, the cartilage reverse
      engineered design yielded the largest contact areas and lowest contact stresses,
      but was still unable to reproduce the contact mechanics of the native joint.
      These findings align with a growing body of evidence indicating that although
      reverse engineered hemiarthroplasty implants can provide small improvements in
      contact mechanics when compared with commercially available designs, further
      optimization of shape and material properties is required in order reproduce
      native joint contact mechanics. 

PMID- 26493348
TI  - Treatment of lithium intoxication: facing the need for evidence.
AB  - Lithium has been used as the gold standard in the treatment of major depressive
      and bipolar disorders for decades. Due to its narrow therapeutic index, lithium
      toxicity is a common clinical problem. Although risk factors for lithium
      intoxication seem to be well-described, lacking patient education and
      inexperience of treatment are assumed to contribute to the probability of lithium
      intoxication. A review of literature shows that the treatment of lithium
      intoxication has not been adequately studied or standardized. The aim of this
      literature review is to compile and present current evidence on the treatment of
      lithium intoxication and contribute to a standardization regarding general
      treatment recommendations as well as evidence on indication for extracorporeal
      methods. Against the background of this common and potentially life-threatening
      condition, the standardization of the treatment of lithium intoxication is
      definitely a task for the future. 

PMID- 26493349
TI  - MMSA-1 expression pattern in multiple myeloma and its clinical significance.
AB  - Multiple myeloma-associated antigen-1 (MMSA-1) is a novel multiple myeloma (MM)
      associated antigen which has been recently identified. Herein, we have tried to
      examine its clinical significance by studying the relationship between its
      expression and selected clinicopathological features. We extracted mononuclear
      cells from the bone marrow of MM patients and healthy donors and compared the
      MMSA-1 expression by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. In addition, we also
      analyzed MMSA-1 expression in patients that were grouped based on selected
      clinical parameters. Moreover, the impact of MMSA-1 on patients' survival was
      also explored. MMSA-1 mRNA and protein were significantly upregulated in MM
      patients in comparison with healthy donors. Moreover, among the newly diagnosed
      and relapsed/refractory patients, the MMSA-1 expression was higher in
      relapsed/refractory patients. In addition, MMSA-1 mRNA expression not only showed
      significantly higher correlation with clinical parameters such as age, Durie and
      Salmon stage, bone lesion condition, albumin, creatinine and lactate
      dehydrogenase but also has a close relationship with myeloma bone disease-related
      cytokines, genetic abnormalities and treatment response. Multivariate COX
      analysis predicted MMSA-1 and LDH levels to be independently associated with a
      poor progression-free survival and overall survival in myeloma patients. Our
      findings provide initial proof of concept that MMSA-1 is a potent gene that is
      specifically expressed in MM patients and could be a feasible biomarker and
      independent prognostic factor.

PMID- 26493350
TI  - TGF-beta/BMP proteins as therapeutic targets in renal fibrosis. Where have we
      arrived after 25 years of trials and tribulations?
AB  - The understanding of renal fibrosis in chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains as a
      challenge. More than 10% of the population of developed countries suffer from
      CKD. Proliferation and activation of myofibroblasts and accumulation of
      extracellular matrix proteins are the main features of kidney fibrosis, a process
      in which a large number of cytokines are involved. Targeting cytokines
      responsible for kidney fibrosis development might be an important strategy to
      face the problem of CKD. The increasing knowledge of the signaling pathway
      network of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) superfamily members,
      such as the profibrotic cytokine TGF-beta1 or the bone morphogenetic proteins
      (BMPs), and their involvement in the regulation of kidney fibrosis, has
      stimulated numerous research teams to look for potential strategies to inhibit
      profibrotic cytokines or to enhance the anti-fibrotic actions of other cytokines.
      The consequence of all these studies is a better understanding of all these
      canonical (Smad-mediated) and non-canonical signaling pathways. In addition, the
      different receptors involved for signaling of each cytokine, the different
      combinations of type I-type II receptors, and the presence and function of co
      receptors that can influence the biological response have been also described.
      However, are these studies leading to suitable strategies to block the appearance
      and progression of kidney fibrosis? In this review, we offer a critical
      perspective analyzing the achievements using the most important strategies
      developed up till now: TGF-beta antibodies, chemical inhibitors of TGF-beta
      receptors, miRNAs and signaling pathways and BMP agonists with a potential role
      as therapeutic molecules against kidney fibrosis. 

PMID- 26493352
TI  - A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of the Catheter Reminder and Evaluation
      Program.

PMID- 26493351
TI  - Association of the variants and haplotypes in the DOCK7, PCSK9 and GALNT2 genes
      and the risk of hyperlipidaemia.
AB  - Little is known about the association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) and haplotypes of the dedicator of cytokinesis 7 (DOCK7), pro-protein
      convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) and polypeptide N
      acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 2 (GALNT2) and serum lipid traits in the Chinese
      populations. This study was to determine the association between nine SNPs in the
      three genes and their haplotypes and hypercholesterolaemia
      (HCH)/hypertriglyceridaemia (HTG), and to identify the possible gene-gene
      interactions among these SNPs. Genotyping was performed in 733 HCH and 540 HTG
      participants. The haplotype of C-C-G-C-T-G-C-C-G [in the order of DOCK7 rs1168013
      (G>C), rs10889332 (C>T); PCSK9 rs615563 (G>A), rs7552841 (C>T), rs11206517 (T>G);
      and GALNT2 rs1997947 (G>A), rs2760537 (C>T), rs4846913 (C>A) and rs11122316 (G>A)
      SNPs] was associated with increased risk of HCH and HTG. The haplotypes of C-C-G
      C-T-G-C-C-A and G-C-G-T-T-G-T-C-G were associated with a reduced risk of HCH and
      HTG. The haplotypes of G-C-G-C-T-G-C-C-A and G-C-G-C-T-G-T-C-G were associated
      with increased risk of HCH. The haplotypes of C-T-G-C-T-G-C-C-G, G-C-A-C-T-G-C-C
      G and G-C-G-C-T-G-C-C-A were associated with an increased risk of HTG. The
      haplotypes of G-C-G-C-T-G-T-C-A and G-C-G-T-T-G-T-C-G were associated with a
      reduced risk of HTG. In addition, possible inter-locus interactions among the
      DOCK7, PCSK9 and GALNT2 SNPs were also noted. However, further functional studies
      of these genes are still required to clarify which SNPs are functional and how
      these genes actually affect the serum lipid levels. 

PMID- 26493353
TI  - Cognitive training approaches to remediate attention and executive dysfunction
      after traumatic brain injury: A single-case series.
AB  - Attentional deficits are common following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and
      interfere with daily functioning. This study employed a single-case design to
      examine the effects of individualised strategy training on attention beyond the
      effects of computerised training using Attention Process Training 3 (APT-3), and
      to examine the participants' subjective experience of these approaches. An ABCA
      (baseline, APT-3, strategy training, follow-up) design was repeated across three
      participants with severe TBI. Outcomes were measured on alternate versions of the
      oral Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and cancellation tasks; generalisation
      with the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA) and self and significant other (SO)
      ratings on the Rating Scale of Attentional Behaviour (RSAB); and participant
      experiences with semi-structured interviews. Planned Tau-U analyses revealed
      improvements in speed of processing on the SDMT and the automatic condition of
      the cancellation task after APT-3 and at follow-up, but with most improvement
      after strategy training. Limited generalisation was evident on TEA subtests and
      self-RSAB ratings. SO-RSAB ratings were mixed after APT-3, but demonstrated
      improvement after strategy training. Variability in attentional deficits and
      everyday attentional requirements between patients required individualised goals
      and approaches to rehabilitation. This study highlights the need for
      individualised rehabilitation of attention to improve everyday functioning after
      TBI. 

PMID- 26493354
TI  - [Haut Conseil de la Sante Publique (HCSP). Guidance on the prioritization of
      antiviral drugs in case of seasonal influenza epidemics (March 3, 2015)].

PMID- 26493355
TI  - Exanthema, fever and arthralgia in a pregnant woman.

PMID- 26493356
TI  - [Laboratory diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection].
AB  - Clostridium difficile is the leading cause of nosocomial diarrhoea in developed
      countries, and is one of the main aetiologic agents of community diarrhea. The
      eruption of the hypervirulent strain BI/NAP1/027 has given rise to an increase in
      the morbidity and mortality of C.difficile infection (CDI). This document aims to
      review the main clinical pictures of CDI and the laboratory diagnosis, including
      sampling, transport and storage of specimens, specimen processing, diagnostic
      procedures, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and molecular characterisation
      of the isolates. The main purpose of the article is to develop a practical
      document that provides answers to the main questions that arise in the laboratory
      diagnosis of CDI.

PMID- 26493357
TI  - Paralympic athletes with cerebral palsy display altered pacing strategies in
      distance-deceived shuttle running trials.
AB  - This study investigated performance and physiology to understand pacing
      strategies in elite Paralympic athletes with cerebral palsy (CP). Six Paralympic
      athletes with CP and 13 able-bodied (AB) athletes performed two trials of eight
      sets of 10 shuttles (total 1600m). One trial was distance-deceived (DEC, 1000 m +
      600 m) one trial was nondeceived (N-DEC, 1600 m). Time (s), heart rate (HR, bpm),
      ratings of perceived exertion (RPE, units), and electromyography of five
      bilateral muscles (EMG) were recorded for each set of both trials. The CP group
      ran slower than the AB group, and pacing differences were seen in the CP DEC
      trial, presenting as a flat pacing profile over the trial (P < 0.05). HR was
      higher and RPE was lower in the CP group in both trials (P < 0.05). EMG showed
      small differences between groups, sides, and trials. The present study provides
      evidence for a possible pacing strategy underlying exercise performance and
      fatigue in CP. The results of this study show (1) underperformance of the CP
      group, and (2) altered pacing strategy utilization in the CP group. We proposed
      that even at high levels of performance, the residual effects of CP may
      negatively affect performance through selection of conservative pacing strategies
      during exercise. 

PMID- 26493359
TI  - Practical aspects of backward bifurcation in a mathematical model for
      tuberculosis.
AB  - In this work, we examine practical aspects of backward bifurcation for a data
      based model of tuberculosis that incorporates multiple features which have
      previously been shown to produce backward bifurcation (e.g. exogenous reinfection
      and imperfect vaccination) and new considerations such as the treatment of latent
      TB infection (LTBI) and the BCG vaccine's interference with detecting LTBI.
      Understanding the interplay between these multiple factors and backward
      bifurcation is particularly timely given that new diagnostic tests for LTBI
      detection could dramatically increase rates of both LTBI detection and
      vaccination in the coming decades. By establishing analytic thresholds for the
      existence of backward bifurcation, we identify those aspects of TB's complicated
      pathology that make backward bifurcation more or less likely to occur. We also
      examine the magnitude of the backward bifurcation produced by the model and its
      sensitivity to various model parameters. We find that backward bifurcation is
      unlikely to occur. While increased vaccine coverage and/or increased detection
      and treatment of LTBI can push the threshold for backward bifurcation into the
      region of biological plausibility, the resulting bifurcations may still be too
      small to have any noticeable epidemiological impact.

PMID- 26493358
TI  - Design, synthesis, and characterization of nucleosomes containing site-specific
      DNA damage.
AB  - How DNA damaged is formed, recognized, and repaired in chromatin is an area of
      intense study. To better understand the structure activity relationships of
      damaged chromatin, mono and dinucleosomes containing site-specific damage have
      been prepared and studied. This review will focus on the design, synthesis, and
      characterization of model systems of damaged chromatin for structural, physical,
      and enzymatic studies. 

PMID- 26493360
TI  - In silico identification of putative bifunctional Plk1 inhibitors by integrative
      virtual screening and structural dynamics approach.
AB  - Polo like kinase (Plk1) is a master regulator of cell cycle and considered as
      next generation antimitotic target in human. As Plk1 predominantly expresses in
      the dividing cells with a much higher expression in cancerous cells, it serves as
      a discriminative target for cancer therapeutics. Here we implied a novel and
      promising integrative strategy to identify "bifunctional" Plk1 inhibitors that
      compete simultaneously with ATP and substrate for their binding sites. We
      integrated structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) and molecular dynamics
      simulations with emphasis on unique structural properties of Plk1. Through
      screening of 20,000 compounds, nearly ~2000 hits were enriched and subjected to
      SBVS against ATP and substrate binding sites of Plk1. Subsequently, on the basis
      of their binding abilities to Plk1 kinase and polo box domains, filtration of
      candidate hits resulted in the isolation of 26 compounds. By exclusion of close
      analogs or isomers, 10 unique compounds were selected for detailed study. A
      representative compound was subjected to molecular dynamics simulation assay to
      have deep structural insights and to gauge critical structural crunch for
      inhibitor binding against kinase and polo box domains. Our integrative approach
      may complement high-throughput screening and identify bifunctional Plk1
      inhibitors that may contribute in selective targeting of Plk1 to elicit desired
      biological process. 

PMID- 26493361
TI  - Modeling nanoparticle delivery of TB drugs to granulomas.
AB  - Tuberculosis, which typically presents as a pulmonary disease, has a complex
      pathology. The primary site of infection, the Ghon focus, recruits immune cells
      and a granuloma forms. At earlier stages the granuloma is still vascularized,
      offering the best opportunity for drug treatment. In the more progressive state
      blood flow is reduced and a distinct caseous structure develops. Effective
      delivery of drugs to bacilli in the core of the granuloma becomes very difficult.
      It is perceivable that granuloma cores could create conditions where bacilli
      persist and develop resistance. In this study we analyze drug delivery to
      granulomas by means of a nanoparticle delivery system. The model consists of two
      parts; the overall distribution of the nanoparticles is described by a simple
      circulatory model and this result is used in the second part, focusing on
      transport in a capillary lined with macrophages. Nanoparticles enter the
      macrophages where they are metabolized and the drugs are released. The model
      reveals significant differences in drug concentrations between the plasma and
      macrophages. Based on the results of the model, strategies for improved drug
      delivery are proposed. 

PMID- 26493363
TI  - Dioxygen-Mediated Decarbonylative C-H Alkylation of Heteroaromatic Bases with
      Aldehydes.
AB  - An operationally simple and economical method for the direct alkylation of
      heteroaromatic bases employing readily available aldehydes as alkyl radical
      precursors and molecular oxygen as a reagent is presented. This simple
      transformation demonstrates a broad substrate scope with respect to aldehydes and
      nitrogen heterocycles, enabling the introduction of several medicinally important
      yet challenging alkyl moieties, such as ethyl, isopropyl, tert-butyl, and
      cyclohexyl to the different classes of heterocyclic bases in good to excellent
      yields. 

PMID- 26493362
TI  - How Schizophrenia Develops: Cognitive and Brain Mechanisms Underlying Onset of
      Psychosis.
AB  - Identifying cognitive and neural mechanisms involved in the development of
      schizophrenia requires longitudinal observation of individuals prior to onset.
      Here recent studies of prodromal individuals who progress to full psychosis are
      briefly reviewed in relation to models of schizophrenia pathophysiology.
      Together, this body of work suggests that disruption in brain connectivity,
      driven primarily by a progressive reduction in dendritic spines on cortical
      pyramidal neurons, may represent a key triggering mechanism. The earliest
      disruptions appear to be in circuits involved in referencing experiences
      according to time, place, and agency, which may result in a failure to recognize
      particular cognitions as self-generated or to constrain interpretations of the
      meaning of events based on prior experiences, providing the scaffolding for
      faulty reality testing. 

PMID- 26493364
TI  - Integrated multi-omics analyses reveal the pleiotropic nature of the control of
      gene expression by Puf3p.
AB  - The PUF family of RNA-binding proteins regulate gene expression post
      transcriptionally. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Puf3p is characterised as binding
      nuclear-encoded mRNAs specifying mitochondrial proteins. Extensive studies of its
      regulation of COX17 demonstrate its role in mRNA decay. Using integrated genome
      wide approaches we define an expanded set of Puf3p target mRNAs and
      quantitatively assessed the global impact of loss of PUF3 on gene expression
      using mRNA and polysome profiling and quantitative proteomics. In agreement with
      prior studies, our sequencing of affinity-purified Puf3-TAP associated mRNAs (RIP
      seq) identified mRNAs encoding mitochondrially-targeted proteins. Additionally,
      we also found 720 new mRNA targets that predominantly encode proteins that enter
      the nucleus. Comparing transcript levels in wild-type and puf3? cells revealed
      that only a small fraction of mRNA levels alter, suggesting Puf3p determines mRNA
      stability for only a limited subset of its target mRNAs. Finally, proteomic and
      translatomic studies suggest that loss of Puf3p has widespread, but modest,
      impact on mRNA translation. Taken together our integrated multi-omics data point
      to multiple classes of Puf3p targets, which display coherent post-transcriptional
      regulatory properties and suggest Puf3p plays a broad, but nuanced, role in the
      fine-tuning of gene expression.

PMID- 26493365
TI  - Defective titanium dioxide single crystals exposed by high-energy {001} facets
      for efficient oxygen reduction.
AB  - The cathodic material plays an essential role in oxygen reduction reaction for
      energy conversion and storage systems. Titanium dioxide, as a semiconductor
      material, is usually not recognized as an efficient oxygen reduction
      electrocatalyst owning to its low conductivity and poor reactivity. Here we
      demonstrate that nano-structured titanium dioxide, self-doped by oxygen vacancies
      and selectively exposed with the high-energy {001} facets, exhibits a
      surprisingly competitive oxygen reduction activity, excellent durability and
      superior tolerance to methanol. Combining the electrochemical tests with density
      functional calculations, we elucidate the defect-centred oxygen reduction
      reaction mechanism for the superiority of the reductive {001}-TiO2-x
      nanocrystals. Our findings may provide an opportunity to develop a simple,
      efficient, cost-effective and promising catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in
      energy conversion and storage technologies. 

PMID- 26493366
TI  - The prevalence of developmental delay among children aged 3-60 months in Izmir,
      Turkey.
AB  - BACKGROUNDS: Developmental delay is defined as delays in speech and language
      development, motor development, social-emotional development and cognitive
      development. On a global scale, the prevalence estimations in paediatric
      population range between 5% and 15%. However, no prevalence studies on
      developmental delay have been conducted in primary care in Turkey. The aim of
      this study was to determine the prevalence of developmental delay among children
      aged 3-60 months in Izmir. METHODS: This cross-sectional, descriptive study
      involved 1514 children aged 3-60 months, who were at 12 primary health centres
      for various reasons in Izmir between 1 November 2013 and 31 January 2014. The
      questionnaire and age-specific Turkish version of the Ages and Stages
      Questionnaires were applied to mothers via face-to-face interview. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of developmental delay was 6.4% (95% confidence interval 5.2-7.7). The
      prevalence for age groups varied between 3.3% and 12.1%. Significant associations
      were found between developmental delay and maternal age, maternal/paternal
      education, socio-economic level of the family and the presence of consanguineous
      marriage. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying developmental delay in children earlier by a
      validated, reliable, parent-completed questionnaire like Ages and Stages
      Questionnaires and detecting risk factors for delay are crucial for primary care
      where their growth and development are monitored. Identifying developmental delay
      and early referral to rehabilitation services may help improve children's quality
      of life.

PMID- 26493368
TI  - Solid-State Chemistry on the Nanoscale: Ion Transport through Interstitial Sites
      or Vacancies?
AB  - How can ion-exchange process occur in nanocrystals without the size and shape
      changing and why is the ion transport much faster than in classical
      interdiffusion processes in macrocrystalline solids? We have investigated these
      processes at the molecular level by means of high-resolution and analytical
      electron microscopy in temperature-dependent kinetic experiments for several
      model reactions. The results clearly show a diffusion process that proceeds
      exclusively through the interstitial lattice positions with a subsequent "kick
      out" to remove individual ions from lattice sites without the formation of
      vacancies. This mechanism has not been observed in nanocrystalline systems
      before. 

PMID- 26493369
TI  - Serviceable and consistent: The goal of metapsychology.

PMID- 26493370
TI  - Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: Time for all of us to feel the pressure.

PMID- 26493371
TI  - Neurodegeneration and Cancer: Where the Disorder Prevails.
AB  - It has been reported that genes up-regulated in cancer are often down-regulated
      in neurodegenerative disorders and vice versa. The fact that apparently unrelated
      diseases share functional pathways suggests a link between their etiopathogenesis
      and the properties of molecules involved. Are there specific features that
      explain the exclusive association of proteins with either cancer or
      neurodegeneration? We performed a large-scale analysis of physico-chemical
      properties to understand what characteristics differentiate classes of diseases.
      We found that structural disorder significantly distinguishes proteins up
      regulated in neurodegenerative diseases from those linked to cancer. We also
      observed high correlation between structural disorder and age of onset in
      Frontotemporal Dementia, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, which strongly
      supports the role of protein unfolding in neurodegenerative processes. 

PMID- 26493372
TI  - The Dialogue Continues: The Future of Public Health Nursing.
AB  - This editorial reflects upon the current discussion among nursing academics and
      educators about the division between individual level care and population health
      and its implications for the subdiscipline of public health nursing, from the
      perspective of a current practitioner in the field. 

PMID- 26493373
TI  - The Preparation of Community/Public Health Nurses: Amplifying the Impact.
AB  - In summary, improved population health, population focused care, and community
      based networks are the objectives of health care delivery systems.
      Community/public health nursing education, practice, and research must be re
      examined, re-focused, and re-designed to address the challenges of an expanding
      21st century health care delivery to populations and communities. Common
      standards are in place to be utilized by academia, practice and research. With a
      unified front, C/PHN can collectively play an important transformative role and
      go forward to meet the ever expanding challenges of the 21st century populations
      and communities. The Association of Public Health Nurses (APHN) and the
      Association of Community Health Nurse Educator (ACHNE) have a joint meeting
      planned in June 2016 in Indianapolis. Please bring your colleagues, stakeholders,
      and community partners to join the voices of C/PHN to make a positive impact on
      the changing health care environment through our education, practice and work.

PMID- 26493374
TI  - Bcl-2 phosphorylation confers resistance on chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cells
      to the BH3 mimetics ABT-737, ABT-263 and ABT-199 by impeding direct binding.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although the ongoing clinical trials of ABT-263 and ABT
      199 in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) have indicated that BH3 mimetics hold
      considerable promise, understanding the mechanism of CLL resistance to BH3
      mimetics remains a challenge. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: The LD50 values of ABT-737,
      ABT-263 and ABT-199 in a number of primary CLL cells from 40 patients, were
      determined. The levels of Bcl-2 family proteins, including phosphorylated Bcl-2
      (pBcl-2) and their interactions were measured by immunoblotting and co
      immunoprecipitation. In vitro binding assays were performed by isothermal
      titration calorimetry and ELISA. BH3 profiling in isolated mitochondria was
      analysed. KEY RESULTS: The ratio of (Mcl-1 + pBcl-2) to Bcl-2 expression provided
      the most significant predictive marker for the cytotoxic potential of ABT-737,
      ABT-263 and ABT-199 in the panel of CLL samples. Mechanistically, pBcl-2
      inhibited the effects of the ABT compounds on the displacement of Bax and Bim
      from Bcl-2, thereby suppressing mitochondrial apoptosis. The ABT compounds
      exhibited 100-300-fold lower binding affinity to the glutamic acid,
      phosphomimetic, mutant of Bcl-2 (T69E, S70E and S87E; EEE-Bcl-2). BH3 peptides
      exhibited different rank orders of binding affinities to full-length WT-Bcl-2 and
      full-length EEE-Bcl-2. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our study suggested that a
      structural alteration in the BH3-binding groove was induced by phosphorylation of
      Bcl-2. Our data also provided a framework to overcome resistance of CLL cells to
      the ABT compounds by combining pBcl-2 kinase inhibitors with the ABT compounds.

PMID- 26493375
TI  - Light exposure before learning improves memory consolidation at night.
AB  - Light is recently recognized as a modulator able to activate the hippocampus and
      modulate memory processing, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms.
      Here, we report that in mice, a short pulse of white light before learning
      dramatically improves consolidation of contextual fear memory during the night.
      The light exposure increases hippocampal active p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) and
      CA1 long-term potentiation (LTP). These light effects are abolished in PAK1
      knockout and dominant-negative transgenic mice, but preserved by expression of
      constitutively active PAK1 in the hippocampus. Our results indicate that light
      can act as a switch of PAK1 activity that modulate CA1 LTP and thereby memory
      consolidation without affecting learning and short-term memory. 

PMID- 26493376
TI  - Heart rate and suicide: findings from two cohorts of 533 000 Taiwanese and 75 000
      Norwegian adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of resting heart rate with suicide in
      two large cohorts. METHOD: The MJ cohort (Taiwan) included 532 932 adults from a
      health check-up programme (1994-2008). The HUNT cohort (Norway) included 74 977
      adults in the Nord-Trondelag County study (1984-1986), followed up to 2004. In
      both cohorts heart rate was measured at baseline, and suicide was ascertained
      through linkage to cause-of-death registers. Risk of suicide was estimated using
      Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: There were 569 and 188 suicides
      (average follow-up period of 8.1 and 16.9 years) in the MJ and HUNT cohorts
      respectively. Sex- and age-adjusted hazard ratio for every 10 beat increase in
      heart rate per minute was 1.08 (95% Confidence Interval 1.00-1.16) and 1.24 (1.12
      1.38) in the MJ and HUNT cohorts, respectively. In the MJ cohort this association
      was confined to individuals with a history of heart diseases vs. those without
      such a history (P for interaction = 0.008). In the HUNT cohort the association
      did not differ by history of heart diseases and was robust to adjustment for
      health-related life style, medication use, and symptoms of anxiety and
      depression. CONCLUSION: Elevated resting heart rate may be a marker of increased
      suicide risk.

PMID- 26493377
TI  - A comprehensive compartmental model of blood glucose regulation for healthy and
      type 2 diabetic subjects.
AB  - We have expanded a former compartmental model of blood glucose regulation for
      healthy and type 2 diabetic subjects. The former model was a detailed
      physiological model which considered the interactions of three substances,
      glucose, insulin and glucagon on regulating the blood sugar. The main drawback of
      the former model was its restriction on the route of glucose entrance to the body
      which was limited to the intravenous glucose injection. To handle the oral
      glucose intake, we have added a model of glucose absorption in the
      gastrointestinal tract to the former model to address the resultant variations of
      blood glucose concentrations following an oral glucose intake. Another model
      representing the incretins production in the gastrointestinal tract along with
      their hormonal effects on boosting pancreatic insulin production is also added to
      the former model. We have used two sets of clinical data obtained during oral
      glucose tolerance test and isoglycemic intravenous glucose infusion test from
      both type 2 diabetic and healthy subjects to estimate the model parameters and to
      validate the model results. The estimation of model parameters is accomplished
      through solving a nonlinear optimization problem. The results show acceptable
      precision of the estimated model parameters and demonstrate the capability of the
      model in accurate prediction of the body response during the clinical studies. 

PMID- 26493378
TI  - Outcomes of acute kidney injury patients with and without cancer.
AB  - Incidence of AKI in hospitalized patients with cancer is increasing, but there
      have been few studies on AKI in patients with cancer. We conducted a
      retrospective cohort study in a South Korean tertiary care hospital. A total of
      2211 consecutive patients (without cancer 61.5%; with cancer 38.5%) were included
      over a 140-month period. Predictors of all-cause death were examined using the
      Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model. The main contributing
      factors of AKI were sepsis (31.1%) and ischemia (52.7%). AKI was multifactorial
      in 78% of patients with cancer and in 71% of patients without cancer. Hospital
      mortality rates were higher in patients with cancer (42.8%) than in patients
      without cancer (22.5%) (p = 0.014). In multivariate analyses, diabetes mellitus
      (DM) and cancer diagnosis were associated with hospital mortality. Cancer
      diagnosis was independently associated with mortality [odds ratio = 3.010 (95%
      confidence interval, 2.340-3.873), p = 0.001]. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed
      that subjects with DM and cancer (n = 146) had lower survival rates than subjects
      with DM and without cancer (n = 687) (log rank test, p = 0.001). The presence of
      DM and cancer was independently associated with mortality in AKI patients both
      with and without cancer. Studies are warranted to determine whether proactive
      measures may limit AKI and improve outcomes. 

PMID- 26493379
TI  - Extraoral cutaneous sinus tracts of dental origin in the paediatric patient. A
      report of three cases and a review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An extraoral sinus of odontogenic origin within the face and neck
      region is normally the consequence of long-standing chronic infection due to
      caries, trauma or periodontal infection. There is little reported literature on
      the prevalence of extraoral cutaneous sinus lesions in the paediatric dental
      patient as presentation is often delayed resulting in misdiagnosis and
      consequential mismanagement. CASE REPORT: The cases discussed concentrate on the
      aetiology, history, presentation and diagnosis of extraoral sinus lesions that
      presented in children referred to the Child Dental Health Department at the
      University Dental Hospital of Manchester over a six-month period. CONCLUSIONS:
      The importance of correct diagnosis and treatment management of an extra oral
      cutaneous sinus in the paediatric patient only occurred when the child attended a
      specialist led paediatric dental clinic for consultation.

PMID- 26493380
TI  - Comparison of 10,11-Dehydrocurvularin Polyketide Synthases from Alternaria
      cinerariae and Aspergillus terreus Highlights Key Structural Motifs.
AB  - Iterative type I polyketide synthases (PKSs) from fungi are multifunctional
      enzymes that use their active sites repeatedly in a highly ordered sequence to
      assemble complex natural products. A phytotoxic macrolide with anticancer
      properties, 10,11-dehydrocurvularin (DHC), is produced by cooperation of a highly
      reducing (HR) iterative PKS and a non-reducing (NR) iterative PKS. We have
      identified the DHC gene cluster in Alternaria cinerariae, heterologously
      expressed the active HR PKS (Dhc3) and NR PKS (Dhc5) in yeast, and compared them
      to corresponding proteins that make DHC in Aspergillus terreus. Phylogenetic
      analysis and homology modeling of these enzymes identified variable surfaces and
      conserved motifs that are implicated in product formation. 

PMID- 26493381
TI  - Lumazine Synthase Protein Nanoparticle-Gd(III)-DOTA Conjugate as a T1 contrast
      agent for high-field MRI.
AB  - With the applications of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at higher magnetic
      fields increasing, there is demand for MRI contrast agents with improved
      relaxivity at higher magnetic fields. Macromolecule-based contrast agents, such
      as protein-based ones, are known to yield significantly higher r1 relaxivity at
      low fields, but tend to lose this merit when used as T1 contrast agents (r1/r2 =
      0.5 ~ 1), with their r1 decreasing and r2 increasing as magnetic field strength
      increases. Here, we developed and characterized an in vivo applicable magnetic
      resonance (MR) positive contrast agent by conjugating Gd(III)-chelating agent
      complexes to lumazine synthase isolated from Aquifex aeolicus (AaLS). The r1
      relaxivity of Gd(III)-DOTA-AaLS-R108C was 16.49 mM(-1)s(-1) and its r1/r2 ratio
      was 0.52 at the magnetic field strength of 7 T. The results of 3D MR angiography
      demonstrated the feasibility of vasculature imaging within 2 h of intravenous
      injection of the agent and a significant reduction in T1 values were observed in
      the tumor region 7 h post-injection in the SCC-7 flank tumor model. Our findings
      suggest that Gd(III)-DOTA-AaLS-R108C could serve as a potential theranostic
      nanoplatform at high magnetic field strength.

PMID- 26493383
TI  - Role of biomarkers in cardiac structure phenotyping in heart failure with
      preserved ejection fraction: critical appraisal and practical use.
AB  - Heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a heterogeneous
      clinical syndrome characterized by cardiovascular, metabolic, and pro
      inflammatory diseases associated with advanced age and extracardiac
      comorbidities. All of these conditions finally lead to impairment of myocardial
      structure and function. The large phenotypic heterogeneity of HFpEF from
      pathophysiological underpinnings presents a major hurdle to HFpEF therapy. The
      new therapeutic approach in HFpEF should be targeted to each HF phenotype,
      instead of the 'one-size-fits-all' approach, which has not been successful in
      clinical trials. Unless the structural and biological determinants of the failing
      heart are deeply understood, it will be impossible to appropriately differentiate
      HFpEF patients, identify subtle myocardial abnormalities, and finally reverse
      abnormal cardiac function. Based on evidence from endomyocardial biopsies, some
      of the specific cardiac structural phenotypes to be targeted in HFpEF may be
      represented by myocyte hypertrophy, interstitial fibrosis, myocardial
      inflammation associated with oxidative stress, and coronary disease. Once the
      diagnosis of HFpEF has been established, a potential approach could be to use a
      panel of biomarkers to identify the main cardiac structural HFpEF phenotypes,
      guiding towards more appropriate therapeutic strategies. Accordingly, the purpose
      of this review is to investigate the potential role of biomarkers in identifying
      different cardiac structural HFpEF phenotypes and to discuss the merits of a
      biomarker-guided strategy in HFpEF. 

PMID- 26493382
TI  - Gliomatosis cerebri: no evidence for a separate brain tumor entity.
AB  - Gliomatosis cerebri (GC) is presently considered a distinct astrocytic glioma
      entity according to the WHO classification for CNS tumors. It is characterized by
      widespread, typically bilateral infiltration of the brain involving three or more
      lobes. Genetic studies of GC have to date been restricted to the analysis of
      individual glioma-associated genes, which revealed mutations in the isocitrate
      dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and tumor protein p53 (TP53) genes in subsets of patients.
      Here, we report on a genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation and copy number
      aberrations in 25 GC patients. Results were compared with those obtained for 105
      patients with various types of conventional, i.e., non-GC gliomas including
      diffuse astrocytic gliomas, oligodendrogliomas and glioblastomas. In addition, we
      assessed the prognostic role of methylation profiles and recurrent DNA copy
      number aberrations in GC patients. Our data reveal that the methylation profiles
      in 23 of the 25 GC tumors corresponded to either IDH mutant astrocytoma (n = 6),
      IDH mutant and 1p/19q codeleted oligodendroglioma (n = 5), or IDH wild-type
      glioblastoma including various molecular subgroups, i.e., H3F3A-G34 mutant (n =
      1), receptor tyrosine kinase 1 (RTK1, n = 4), receptor tyrosine kinase 2
      (classic) (RTK2, n = 2) or mesenchymal (n = 5) glioblastoma groups. Two tumors
      showed methylation profiles of normal brain tissue due to low tumor cell content.
      While histological grading (WHO grade IV vs. WHO grade II and III) was not
      prognostic, the molecular classification as classic/RTK2 or mesenchymal
      glioblastoma was associated with worse overall survival. Multivariate Cox
      regression analysis revealed MGMT promoter methylation as a positive prognostic
      factor. Taken together, DNA-based large-scale molecular profiling indicates that
      GC comprises a genetically and epigenetically heterogeneous group of diffuse
      gliomas that carry DNA methylation and copy number profiles closely matching the
      common molecularly defined glioma entities. These data support the removal of GC
      as a distinct glioma entity in the upcoming revision of the WHO classification. 

PMID- 26493384
TI  - The bitter truth about bitter taste receptors: beyond sensing bitter in the oral
      cavity.
AB  - The bitter taste receptor (TAS2R)-family of G-protein-coupled receptors has been
      identified on the tongue as detectors of bitter taste over a decade ago. In the
      last few years, they have been discovered in an ever growing number of extra-oral
      tissues, including the airways, the gut, the brain and even the testis. In
      tissues that contact the exterior, protective functions for TAS2Rs have been
      proposed, in analogy to their function on the tongue as toxicity detector.
      However, TAS2Rs have also been found in internal organs, suggesting other roles
      for these receptors, perhaps involving as yet unidentified endogenous ligands.
      The current review gives an overview of the different proposed functions for
      TAS2Rs in tissues other than the oral cavity; from appetite regulation to the
      treatment of asthma, regulation of gastrointestinal motility and control of
      airway innate immunity. 

PMID- 26493385
TI  - Benzodiazepine-associated delirium dosing strategy or cumulative dose?

PMID- 26493386
TI  - Hospitalized patients at risk of dying: an Intensive Care Medicine call for
      papers.

PMID- 26493387
TI  - BCOR internal tandem duplication and YWHAE-NUTM2B/E fusion are mutually exclusive
      events in clear cell sarcoma of the kidney.
AB  - Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK) is the second most common pediatric renal
      tumor. Two recurrent genetic aberrations have been described in CCSK. One is a
      fusion of YWHAE and NUTM2B/E, the other is an internal tandem duplication (ITD)
      in the BCOR gene. Here it is shown that YWHAE-NUTM2B/E fusion and the BCOR ITD
      are mutually exclusive events and activated different downstream signaling
      systems. This has important diagnostic implications and opens up for further
      mechanistic studies of CCSK pathogenesis.

PMID- 26493388
TI  - Assessment of branch pulmonary artery stenosis in children after repair of
      tetralogy of Fallot using lung perfusion scintigraphy comparison with
      echocardiography.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the usefulness of lung perfusion
      scintigraphy and echocardiogram in the evaluation of the branch pulmonary
      arteries stenosis in children with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: From February 2006 to November 2008, 74 children (mean age 7.8 years,
      range 1-18 years) who underwent repair of TOF at ages from 10 months to 13 years
      were suspected to have unilateral or bilateral branch pulmonary artery stenosis.
      In all patients, cardiac angiography was performed to confirm the diagnosis of
      branch pulmonary artery stenosis. Lung perfusion scintigraphy and two-dimensional
      transthoracic echocardiography were performed in all patients to compare their
      abilities to diagnose branch pulmonary artery stenosis. RESULTS: Of the 74
      patients, 51 cases were found to have branch pulmonary artery stenosis by cardiac
      angiography. There was agreement between the scintigraphic and angiographic
      findings in 44 (86%) patients and there were discrepancies in 11 (15%) patients.
      The positive predictive value of our lung perfusion scintigraphy in detecting the
      branch pulmonary artery stenosis was 92 %. The positive and negative likelihood
      ratios of lung perfusion scintigraphy were 4.96 and 0.17, respectively. There was
      conformity between the echocardiographic and angiographic findings in 40 (78%)
      patients with discrepancies in 16 (21%) patients. The positive predictive value
      of our echocardiography in detecting the branch pulmonary artery stenosis was
      89%. The positive and negative likelihood ratios of echocardiography were 3.61
      and 0.28, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Lung perfusion scintigraphy is a valuable,
      non-invasive screening tool in the assessment of branch pulmonary artery stenosis
      in children after TOF.

PMID- 26493389
TI  - Secondary patella resurfacing in painful non-resurfaced total knee arthroplasties
      : A study of survival and clinical outcome from the Norwegian Arthroplasty
      Register (1994-2011).
AB  - PURPOSE: In Norway, 19 % of revisions of non-resurfaced total knee arthroplasties
      done for knee pain between 1994 and 2011 were Secondary Patella Resurfacing
      (SPR). It is, however, unclear whether SPR actually resolves the pain. The aim
      was to investigate prostheses survival and clinical outcomes following SPR.
      METHOD: A total of 308 knees (301 patients) with SPR were used to assess implant
      survival, and a sub-cohort (n = 114 out of 301 patients) with Patient Reported
      Outcome Measures (PROMs) data were used to assess the clinical outcomes. The
      EuroQol (EQ-5D), the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, and Visual
      Analogue Scales on satisfaction and pain were used to collect PROM data. Outcomes
      were analysed by Kaplan-Meier, Cox regression, and multiple linear regression.
      RESULTS: The five- and ten-year Kaplan-Meier survival percentages were 91 % and
      87 %, respectively. Overall, 35 knees were re-revised at a median follow-up of
      eight years and pain alone (10 knees) was the main cause of re-revision. Younger
      patients (<60 years) had nearly nine times higher risk of re-revision compared to
      older patients (>70 years) (RR = 8.6; p < 0.001). Mean EQ-5D index score had
      improved from 0.41 (SD 0.21) preoperative to 0.56 (SD 0.25) postoperative
      following SPR. A total of 63 % of patients with PROM data were satisfied with the
      outcomes of SPR. CONCLUSION: The long-term prostheses survival following SPR was
      satisfactory, although not as good as for primary knee replacement. Patients'
      health related quality of life improved significantly following SPR. Still, more
      than a third of patients with PROMs data were dissatisfied with the outcomes of
      the SPR procedure.

PMID- 26493390
TI  - Treatment of the trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis by arthroplasty with a
      pyrocarbon implant.
AB  - PURPOSE: Trapeziometacarpal (TM) osteoarthritis is the most common type of
      arthritis of the hand. To date, among surgical alternatives proposed, no one type
      has been proven superior to others. In this prospective study we evaluated the
      efficacy of treating arthroplasty with a latest-generation pyrocarbon implant
      (Pyrocardan). METHODS: Thirty-six patients with TM arthritis were treated using
      Pyrocardan implant arthroplasty. Results were evaluated through thumb radial and
      palmar abduction assessment, key pinch strength evaluation, thumb opposition
      assessment according to Kapandji classification, the visual analogue scale, the
      Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire and the Patient's
      Satisfaction Index. RESULTS: There was substantial pain reduction and a
      satisfying increase in range of motion and strength (p < 0.01) and improvement in
      DASH score (p < 0.01). Average Patient's Satisfaction Index was 8 out of 10.
      CONCLUSIONS: TM arthroplasty with Pyrocardan implantation is a suitable option in
      treating Eaton-Littler grade II or III TM osteoarthritis.

PMID- 26493391
TI  - Sleep Disordered Breathing: Hypertension and Cardiac Structure and Function.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common form of sleep disordered breathing and
      has a relatively high prevalence in the general population. The frequency and
      severity of OSA is associated with age, male sex, and obesity, and OSA has been
      linked to cardiovascular complications and death. Importantly, OSA has a strong
      association with both prevalent and incidental hypertension and has a
      particularly high prevalence in patients with resistant hypertension. In these
      patients, CPAP and other OSA-directed treatments have been proposed as therapy to
      help control blood pressure (BP), especially in patients who have not attained
      optimal BP control despite maximum pharmacological therapy. OSA has also been
      associated with alterations in cardiac structure and function, although most
      studies are small and highly limited in study design. Existing data suggest an
      association between OSA greater left ventricle (LV) mass and hypertrophy that
      appears independent of confounders including hypertension and obesity. Although
      less clear and more controversial, OSA severity has been linked to LV systolic
      and diastolic function, pulmonary hypertension, and right ventricular
      hypertrophy. Further studies are needed to confirm the potential causal role of
      OSA in these observed associations with cardiac abnormalities. 

PMID- 26493392
TI  - Parental Involvement in Infant Sleep Routines Predicts Differential Sleep
      Patterns in Children With and Without Anxiety Disorders.
AB  - This study compared parents' retrospective reports of their involvement in infant
      settling strategies and their relation to current sleep patterns among children
      (N = 84, ages 7-11) with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and healthy controls.
      Parents of children with GAD were significantly more likely to report rocking
      their infants to sleep and putting infants down when they were already asleep
      than parents of healthy controls, even when accounting for infant health-related
      factors and parental anxiety. Greater involvement in infant sleep routines also
      predicted sleep patterns (measured via actigraphy) during childhood, though
      opposite relationships were observed in the two groups. Early involvement was
      related to poorer sleep in control children but better sleep for children with
      GAD even after controlling for current parenting practices. Findings suggest
      differential effects of early sleep-related parenting for children with and
      without later anxiety disorders with possible implications for early
      intervention. 

PMID- 26493393
TI  - Psychometric Properties of the Original and Short Form of the Inventory of
      Callous-Unemotional Traits in Detained Female Adolescents.
AB  - This study examines the psychometric properties of the self-report version of the
      Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits in 191 detained female adolescents (M =
      15.76, SD = 1.02). Evidence supporting the validity of the ICU scores was
      generally weak, largely due to poor functioning of the Unemotional subscale.
      Results from confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated support for a recently
      proposed shortened version of the ICU consisting of two subscales (Callousness
      and Uncaring). Both subscales showed acceptable to good internal consistency.
      This short-form version also improved criterion validity, though some issues
      regarding its convergent validity need further consideration. In conclusion, this
      study suggests that a short-form version of the ICU that includes a subset of the
      original items may hold promise as an efficient and valid method for assessing CU
      traits.

PMID- 26493395
TI  - Enriching the Toxicology Experience through Twitter.

PMID- 26493394
TI  - Improving hospital hygiene to reduce the impact of multidrug-resistant organisms
      in health care--a prospective controlled multicenter study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nosocomial infections are the most common complication during
      inpatient hospital care. An increasing proportion of these infections are caused
      by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). This report describes an intervention
      study which was designed to address the practical problems encountered in trying
      to avoid and treat infections caused by MDROs. The aim of the HARMONIC
      (Harmonized Approach to avert Multidrug-resistant Organisms and Nosocomial
      Infections) study is to provide comprehensive support to hospitals in a defined
      study area in north-east Germany, to meet statutory requirements. To this end, a
      multimodal system of hygiene management was implemented in the participating
      hospitals. METHODS/DESIGN: HARMONIC is a controlled intervention study conducted
      in eight acute care hospitals in the 'Health Region Baltic Sea Coast' in Germany.
      The intervention measures include the provision of written recommendations on
      methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant
      Enterococci (VRE) and multi-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MRGN), supplemented
      by regional recommendations for antibiotic prescriptions. In addition, there is
      theoretical and practical training of health care workers (HCWs) in the
      prevention and handling of MDROs, as well as targeted and critically gauged
      applications of antibiotics. The main outcomes of the implementation and analysis
      of the HARMONIC study are: (i) screening rates for MRSA, VRE and MRGN in high
      risk patients, (ii) the frequency of MRSA decolonization, (iii) the level of
      knowledge of HCWs concerning MDROs, and (iv) specific types and amounts of
      antibiotics used. The data are predominantly obtained by paper-based
      questionnaires and documentation sheets. A computer-assisted workflow-based
      documentation system was developed in order to provide support to the
      participating facilities. The investigation includes three nested studies on risk
      profiles of MDROs, health-related quality of life, and cost analysis. A six-month
      follow-up study investigates the quality of life after discharge, the long-term
      costs of the treatment of infections caused by MDROs, and the sustainability of
      MRSA eradication. DISCUSSION: The aim of this study is to implement and evaluate
      an area-wide harmonized hygiene program to control the nosocomial spreading of
      MDROs. Comparability between the intervention and control group is ensured by
      matching the hospitals according to size (number of discharges per year/number of
      beds) and level of care (standard or maximum). The results of the study may
      provide important indications for the implementation of regional MDRO management
      programs.

PMID- 26493396
TI  - Caudal extradural catheterization in pediatric renal transplant and its effect on
      perioperative hemodynamics and pain scoring: a prospective randomized study.
AB  - PURPOSE: 'Hockey stick incision' used in renal transplant is large enough to
      cause severe postoperative morbidity especially in pediatric recipients. Although
      epidural analgesia is known to be effective in pain control, the resulting
      sympathectomy might affect hemodynamics interfering with the transplant process.
      In our study, we evaluated the feasibility and safety of inserting an epidural
      catheter to the thoracic level via the caudal route, and the effect of using
      epidural local anesthetics at low concentrations on hemodynamics. METHODS: After
      approval from the ethical committee at Kasr Al Ainy University Hospital and
      consent from parents/legal guardians, sixty patients aged 3-12 years who were
      scheduled for renal transplant were randomly divided into two equal groups. Group
      I (epidural group) received continuous caudal epidural bupivacaine 0.125 % with
      fentanyl together with intravenous (IV) fentanyl and paracetamol. Group II
      (control group) received only IV fentanyl and paracetamol. Intraoperative data
      included heart rate (HR), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and central venous
      pressure (CVP). Postoperative variables included HR, MAP, CVP, pain score and
      complications. RESULTS: Threading failure via the caudal route occurred in 6.67 %
      of cases. Intraoperative differences in hemodynamics and CVP were not clinically
      significant between groups. Postoperative HR, MAP, and CVP were generally higher
      in the control group. Pain control was more satisfactory and postoperative
      complications were less in the epidural group. CONCLUSION: Caudal epidural
      anesthesia in pediatric renal transplant is a valuable addition to general
      anesthesia as it provides stable perioperative hemodynamics, excellent
      postoperative analgesia and is associated with fewer complications than narcotic
      dependent analgesia. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02037802.

PMID- 26493397
TI  - Teaching basic fiberoptic intubation skills in a simulator: initial learning and
      skills decay.
AB  - PURPOSE: Generally, novices are taught fiberoptic intubation on patients by
      attending anesthesiologists; however, this approach raises patient safety
      concerns. Patient safety should improve if novice learners are trained for basic
      skills on simulators. In this educational study, we assessed the time and number
      of attempts required to train novices in fiberoptic bronchoscopy and fiberoptic
      intubation on simulators. Because decay in skills is inevitable, we also assessed
      fiberoptic bronchoscopy and fiberoptic intubation skill decay and the amount of
      effort required to regain fiberoptic bronchoscopy skill. METHODS: First, we
      established attempt- and duration-based quantitative norms for reaching skill
      proficiency for fiberoptic bronchoscopy and fiberoptic intubation by experienced
      anesthesiologists (n = 8) and prepared an 11-step checklist and a 5-point global
      rating scale for assessment. Novice learners (n = 15) were trained to reach the
      established skill proficiency in a Virtual Reality simulator for fiberoptic
      bronchoscopy skills and a Human Airway Anatomy Simulator for fiberoptic
      intubation skills. Two months later, novices were reassessed to determine decay
      in learned skills and the required time to retrain them to fiberoptic
      bronchoscopy proficiency level. RESULTS: Proficiency in fiberoptic bronchoscopy
      skill level was achieved with 11 +/- 5 attempts and after 658 +/- 351 s. After 2
      months without practice, the time taken by the novices to successful fiberoptic
      bronchoscopy on the Virtual Reality simulator increased from 41 +/- 8 to 68 +/-
      31 s (P = 0.0138). Time and attempts required to retrain them were 424 +/- 230 s
      and 9.1 +/- 4.6 attempts, respectively. CONCLUSION: Novices were successfully
      trained to proficiency skill level. Although fiberoptic bronchoscopy skills
      started to decay within 2 months, the re-training time was shorter.

PMID- 26493398
TI  - The distribution and impact of common copy-number variation in the genome of the
      domesticated apple, Malus x domestica Borkh.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Copy number variation (CNV) is a common feature of eukaryotic
      genomes, and a growing body of evidence suggests that genes affected by CNV are
      enriched in processes that are associated with environmental responses. Here we
      use next generation sequence (NGS) data to detect copy-number variable regions
      (CNVRs) within the Malus x domestica genome, as well as to examine their
      distribution and impact. METHODS: CNVRs were detected using NGS data derived from
      30 accessions of M. x domestica analyzed using the read-depth method, as
      implemented in the CNVrd2 software. To improve the reliability of our results, we
      developed a quality control and analysis procedure that involved checking for
      organelle DNA, not repeat masking, and the determination of CNVR identity using a
      permutation testing procedure. RESULTS: Overall, we identified 876 CNVRs, which
      spanned 3.5 % of the apple genome. To verify that detected CNVRs were not
      artifacts, we analyzed the B- allele-frequencies (BAF) within a single nucleotide
      polymorphism (SNP) array dataset derived from a screening of 185 individual apple
      accessions and found the CNVRs were enriched for SNPs having aberrant BAFs (P <
      1e-13, Fisher's Exact test). Putative CNVRs overlapped 845 gene models and were
      enriched for resistance (R) gene models (P < 1e-22, Fisher's exact test). Of note
      was a cluster of resistance gene models on chromosome 2 near a region containing
      multiple major gene loci conferring resistance to apple scab. CONCLUSION: We
      present the first analysis and catalogue of CNVRs in the M. x domestica genome.
      The enrichment of the CNVRs with R gene models and their overlap with gene loci
      of agricultural significance draw attention to a form of unexplored genetic
      variation in apple. This research will underpin further investigation of the role
      that CNV plays within the apple genome.

PMID- 26493399
TI  - Iterative reconstruction of three-dimensional models of human chromosomes from
      chromosomal contact data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The entire collection of genetic information resides within the
      chromosomes, which themselves reside within almost every cell nucleus of
      eukaryotic organisms. Each individual chromosome is found to have its own
      preferred three-dimensional (3D) structure independent of the other chromosomes.
      The structure of each chromosome plays vital roles in controlling certain genome
      operations, including gene interaction and gene regulation. As a result, knowing
      the structure of chromosomes assists in the understanding of how the genome
      functions. Fortunately, the 3D structure of chromosomes proves possible to
      construct through computational methods via contact data recorded from the
      chromosome. We developed a unique computational approach based on optimization
      procedures known as adaptation, simulated annealing, and genetic algorithm to
      construct 3D models of human chromosomes, using chromosomal contact data.
      RESULTS: Our models were evaluated using a percentage-based scoring function.
      Analysis of the scores of the final 3D models demonstrated their effective
      construction from our computational approach. Specifically, the models resulting
      from our approach yielded an average score of 80.41%, with a high of 91%, across
      models for all chromosomes of a normal human B-cell. Comparisons made with other
      methods affirmed the effectiveness of our strategy. Particularly, juxtaposition
      with models generated through the publicly available method Markov chain Monte
      Carlo 5C (MCMC5C) illustrated the outperformance of our approach, as seen through
      a higher average score for all chromosomes. Our methodology was further validated
      using two consistency checking techniques known as convergence testing and
      robustness checking, which both proved successful. CONCLUSIONS: The pursuit of
      constructing accurate 3D chromosomal structures is fueled by the benefits
      revealed by the findings as well as any possible future areas of study that
      arise. This motivation has led to the development of our computational
      methodology. The implementation of our approach proved effective in constructing
      3D chromosome models and proved consistent with, and more effective than, some
      other methods thereby achieving our goal of creating a tool to help advance
      certain research efforts. The source code, test data, test results, and
      documentation of our method, Gen3D, are available at our sourceforge site at:
      http://sourceforge.net/projects/gen3d/.

PMID- 26493400
TI  - The NIMA-like kinase Nek2 is a key switch balancing cilia biogenesis and
      resorption in the development of left-right asymmetry.
AB  - Vertebrate left-right (LR) asymmetry originates at a transient left-right
      organizer (LRO), a ciliated structure where cilia play a crucial role in breaking
      symmetry. However, much remains unknown about the choreography of cilia
      biogenesis and resorption at this organ. We recently identified a mutation
      affecting NEK2, a member of the NIMA-like serine-threonine kinase family, in a
      patient with congenital heart disease associated with abnormal LR development.
      Here, we report how Nek2 acts through cilia to influence LR patterning. Both
      overexpression and knockdown of nek2 in Xenopus result in abnormal LR development
      and reduction of LRO cilia count and motility, phenotypes that are modified by
      interaction with the Hippo signaling pathway. nek2 knockdown leads to a centriole
      defect at the LRO, consistent with the known role of Nek2 in centriole
      separation. Nek2 overexpression results in premature ciliary resorption in
      cultured cells dependent on function of the tubulin deacetylase Hdac6. Finally,
      we provide evidence that the known interaction between Nek2 and Nup98, a
      nucleoporin that localizes to the ciliary base, is important for regulating
      cilium resorption. Together, these data show that Nek2 is a switch balancing
      ciliogenesis and resorption in the development of LR asymmetry. 

PMID- 26493401
TI  - New markers for tracking endoderm induction and hepatocyte differentiation from
      human pluripotent stem cells.
AB  - The efficient generation of hepatocytes from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs)
      requires the induction of a proper endoderm population, broadly characterized by
      the expression of the cell surface marker CXCR4. Strategies to identify and
      isolate endoderm subpopulations predisposed to the liver fate do not exist. In
      this study, we generated mouse monoclonal antibodies against human embryonic stem
      cell-derived definitive endoderm with the goal of identifying cell surface
      markers that can be used to track the development of this germ layer and its
      specification to a hepatic fate. Through this approach, we identified two
      endoderm-specific antibodies, HDE1 and HDE2, which stain different stages of
      endoderm development and distinct derivative cell types. HDE1 marks a definitive
      endoderm population with high hepatic potential, whereas staining of HDE2 tracks
      with developing hepatocyte progenitors and hepatocytes. When used in combination,
      the staining patterns of these antibodies enable one to optimize endoderm
      induction and hepatic specification from any hPSC line. 

PMID- 26493402
TI  - Expression of an S phase-stabilized version of the CDK inhibitor Dacapo can alter
      endoreplication.
AB  - In developing organisms, divergence from the canonical cell division cycle is
      often necessary to ensure the proper growth, differentiation, and physiological
      function of a variety of tissues. An important example is endoreplication, in
      which endocycling cells alternate between G and S phase without intervening
      mitosis or cytokinesis, resulting in polyploidy. Although significantly different
      from the canonical cell cycle, endocycles use regulatory pathways that also
      function in diploid cells, particularly those involved in S phase entry and
      progression. A key S phase regulator is the Cyclin E-Cdk2 kinase, which must
      alternate between periods of high (S phase) and low (G phase) activity in order
      for endocycling cells to achieve repeated rounds of S phase and polyploidy. The
      mechanisms that drive these oscillations of Cyclin E-Cdk2 activity are not fully
      understood. Here, we show that the Drosophila Cyclin E-Cdk2 inhibitor Dacapo
      (Dap) is targeted for destruction during S phase via a PIP degron, contributing
      to oscillations of Dap protein accumulation during both mitotic cycles and
      endocycles. Expression of a PIP degron mutant Dap attenuates endocycle
      progression but does not obviously affect proliferating diploid cells. A
      mathematical model of the endocycle predicts that the rate of destruction of Dap
      during S phase modulates the endocycle by regulating the length of G phase. We
      propose from this model and our in vivo data that endo S phase-coupled
      destruction of Dap reduces the threshold of Cyclin E-Cdk2 activity necessary to
      trigger the subsequent G-S transition, thereby influencing endocycle oscillation
      frequency and the extent of polyploidy. 

PMID- 26493403
TI  - ATAF2 integrates Arabidopsis brassinosteroid inactivation and seedling
      photomorphogenesis.
AB  - The Arabidopsis thaliana hypocotyl is a robust system for studying the interplay
      of light and plant hormones, such as brassinosteroids (BRs), in the regulation of
      plant growth and development. Since BRs cannot be transported between plant
      tissues, their cellular levels must be appropriate for given developmental fates.
      BR homeostasis is maintained in part by transcriptional feedback regulation loops
      that control the expression of key metabolic enzymes, including the BR
      inactivating enzymes BAS1 (CYP734A1, formerly CYP72B1) and SOB7 (CYP72C1). Here,
      we find that the NAC transcription factor (TF) ATAF2 binds the promoters of BAS1
      and SOB7 to suppress their expression. ATAF2 restricts the tissue-specific
      expression of BAS1 and SOB7 in planta. ATAF2 loss- and gain-of-function seedlings
      have opposite BR-response phenotypes for hypocotyl elongation. ATAF2 modulates
      hypocotyl growth in a light-dependent manner, with the photoreceptor phytochrome
      A playing a major role. The photomorphogenic phenotypes of ATAF2 loss- and gain
      of-function seedlings are suppressed by treatment with the BR biosynthesis
      inhibitor brassinazole. Moreover, the disruption of BAS1 and SOB7 abolishes the
      short-hypocotyl phenotype of ATAF2 loss-of-function seedlings in low fluence rate
      white light, demonstrating an ATAF2-mediated connection between BR catabolism and
      photomorphogenesis. ATAF2 expression is suppressed by both BRs and light, which
      demonstrates the existence of an ATAF2-BAS1/SOB7-BR-ATAF2 feedback regulation
      loop, as well as a light-ATAF2-BAS1/SOB7-BR-photomorphogenesis pathway. ATAF2
      also modulates root growth by regulating BR catabolism. As it is known to
      regulate plant defense and auxin biosynthesis, ATAF2 therefore acts as a central
      regulator of plant defense, hormone metabolism and light-mediated seedling
      development. 

PMID- 26493404
TI  - ClearSee: a rapid optical clearing reagent for whole-plant fluorescence imaging.
AB  - Imaging techniques for visualizing and analyzing precise morphology and gene
      expression patterns are essential for understanding biological processes during
      development in all organisms. With the aid of chemical screening, we developed a
      clearing method using chemical solutions, termed ClearSee, for deep imaging of
      morphology and gene expression in plant tissues. ClearSee rapidly diminishes
      chlorophyll autofluorescence while maintaining fluorescent protein stability. By
      adjusting the refractive index mismatch, whole-organ and whole-plant imaging can
      be performed by both confocal and two-photon excitation microscopy in ClearSee
      treated samples. Moreover, ClearSee is applicable to multicolor imaging of
      fluorescent proteins to allow structural analysis of multiple gene expression.
      Given that ClearSee is compatible with staining by chemical dyes, the technique
      is useful for deep imaging in conjunction with genetic markers and for plant
      species not amenable to transgenic approaches. This method is useful for whole
      imaging for intact morphology and will help to accelerate the discovery of new
      phenomena in plant biological research. 

PMID- 26493405
TI  - Cytoreduction and HIPEC in the treatment of "unconventional" secondary peritoneal
      carcinomatosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peritoneal metastasis (PM) is considered a terminal and incurable
      disease. In the last 30 years, cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic
      intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) radically changed the therapeutic approach
      for these patients and is regarded as the standard of care for pseudomyxoma
      peritonei from appendiceal cancer and peritoneal mesotheliomas. Improved survival
      has also been reported in treating PM from ovarian, gastric, and colorectal
      cancers. However, PM often seriously complicates the clinical course of patients
      with other primary digestive and non-digestive cancers. There is increasing
      literature evidence that helped to identify not only the primary tumors for which
      CRS and HIPEC showed a survival advantage but also the patients who may benefit
      form this treatment modality for the potential lethal complications. Our goal is
      to report our experience with cytoreduction and HIPEC in patients with PM from
      rare or unusual primary tumors, discussing possible "unconventional" indications,
      outcome, and the peculiar issues related to each tumor. METHODS: From a series of
      253 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of peritoneal carcinomatosis and
      treated by CRS and HIPEC, we selected only those with secondary peritoneal
      carcinomatosis from rare or unusual primary tumors, excluding pseudomyxoma
      peritonei, peritoneal mesotheliomas, ovarian, gastric, and colorectal cancers.
      Complications and adverse effects were graded from 0 to 5 according to the WHO
      Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). Survival was expressed as
      mean and median. RESULTS: We admitted and treated by CRS and HIPEC 28 patients
      with secondary peritoneal carcinomatosis from rare or unusual primary tumors.
      Morbidity and mortality rates were in line with those reported for similar
      procedures. Median survival for the study group was 56 months, and 5-year overall
      survival reached 40.3 %, with a difference between patients with no (CC0) and
      minimal (CC1) residual disease (52.3 vs. 25.7), not reaching statistical
      significance. Ten patients are alive disease-free, and eight are alive with
      disease. CONCLUSIONS: Cytoreduction and HIPEC should not be excluded "a priori"
      for the treatment of peritoneal metastases from unconventional primary tumors.
      This combined therapeutic approach, performed in an experienced center, is safe
      and can provide a survival benefit over conventional palliative treatments.

PMID- 26493406
TI  - Laccase-mediated synthesis of a phenoxazine compound with antioxidative and
      dyeing properties--the optimisation process.
AB  - This study demonstrates the optimisation of the main parameters of the laccase
      mediated biosynthesis of high-intensity-coloured orange phenoxazine compound, 2
      amino-3-oxo-3H-phenoxazine-8-sulfonic acid, and the antioxidative and dyeing
      properties. Among optimised parameters were the pH value, the activity of
      laccase, and the high concentration of the precursor as the necessary step in
      terms of dye synthesis scale-up. The high concentration of the precursor of ca.
      10 g/L can be transformed totally by laccase at the activity of 30 U/g during 12
      hours, in an optimised and standardised process in nearly 100% yield of
      synthesis. The obtained dye exhibited good dyeing properties determined according
      to the ISO standards. Antioxidative activities were detected for phenoxazinone
      dye using two independent methods, the chemiluminescence assay and the ABTS free
      radical-scavenging test, with the values of EC50 for the tested phenoxazine dye
      amounting 189.8 MUg/mL and 1428 MUg/mL, respectively. Despite the presence of the
      phenoxazine core in the structure of this dye, no antibacterial capacity was
      noted.

PMID- 26493407
TI  - Exposure of pregnant women to persistent organic pollutants and cord sex hormone
      levels.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Is prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
      associated with variations of sex hormone levels in cord blood? SUMMARY ANSWER:
      Prenatal exposure to a number of POPs is associated with a disruption of hormone
      levels in cord blood, with sex specificities. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY:
      Epidemiological studies have reported disorders of reproductive health, in
      relation with POPs exposure during early life and the endocrine disruption
      properties of these chemicals have been suggested as possible mechanisms. STUDY
      DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A subset of 282 mother-child pairs was selected from the
      prospective population-based PELAGIE birth cohort (n = 3421, 2002-2006, Brittany,
      France). Pregnant women were recruited before 19 weeks of gestation and followed
      until delivery. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Sex hormone levels
      including sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), estradiol (E2), total testosterone
      (T), free testosterone (fT = T/SHBG) and the aromatase index (AI = T/E2) were
      measured in 282 cord blood samples. Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) was measured in
      male newborns only. Pesticide concentrations of alpha-endosulfan, beta
      hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH), gamma-HCH, dieldrin, pp'
      dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), heptachlor
      epoxide (HCE), as well as PCBs (congeners 153, 187 and the sum of anti-estrogenic
      PCBs 118, 138, and 170) and decabrominated diphenyl ether (BDE209) were also
      measured in cord blood. Associations between sex hormones and POPs exposure were
      explored using multiple linear regressions adjusted for potential confounders.
      MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: High PCB levels were associated with an
      increase of SHBG (P-trend < 0.01) and AMH (P-trend < 0.05) and a decrease of fT
      (P-trend < 0.05) and AI (P-trend < 0.01). High pesticide levels, particularly
      alpha-endosulfan and HCE, were associated with an increase of SHBG (P < 0.05) and
      E2 (P < 0.01) and a decrease of fT (P < 0.05) and AI (P < 0.01). Several of these
      associations were stronger, or specific, among male or female newborns. The
      associations were not altered in the sensitivity analyses. LIMITATIONS, REASONS
      FOR CAUTION: The study population was of relatively small sample size, and some
      compounds rarely detected in cord blood. The high level of correlation between
      POPs makes it difficult to identify the most contributing POPs. Hormone
      measurements were performed at birth (in cord blood) and may not adequately
      represent the infant endocrine system. Multiple statistical testing may have led
      to false-positive associations. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Our results
      are in discordance with those reported in the only published study of the kind
      but in accordance with studies about prenatal exposure to other endocrine
      disruptors such as phthalates. These findings may help understanding the pathways
      involved in adverse reproductive outcomes associated with POPs exposure. STUDY
      FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: The PELAGIE cohort is funded by Inserm, French
      Ministry of Health, French Ministry of Labor, InVS, ANR, ANSES, and French
      Ministry of Ecology. None of the authors has any competing interest to declare.

PMID- 26493408
TI  - Evidence from the very beginning: endoglandular trophoblasts penetrate and
      replace uterine glands in situ and in vitro.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: How is histiotrophic nutrition of the embryo secured during the
      first trimester of pregnancy? SUMMARY ANSWER: Rather than specifically focusing
      on invasion into spiral arteries, extravillous trophoblasts also invade into
      uterine glands (endoglandular trophoblast) from the very beginning and open them
      toward the intervillous space. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Extravillous trophoblasts
      can be found in close contact and within the lumen of uterine glands, sometimes
      replacing glandular epithelial cells. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: As well as
      extensive screening of specimens from first trimester placentation sites in situ
      we used a previously established three-dimensional co-culture in vitro model
      system of first trimester villous explants with non-invaded decidua parietalis.
      PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: First trimester placentas were obtained
      from elective terminations of pregnancies (n = 48) at 5-11 weeks of gestational
      age. A subset was processed for confrontation co-culture (n = 31). Invaded
      decidua basalis was obtained from 20 placentas. All tissues were sectioned,
      subsequently immunostained and immunodoublestained with antibodies against
      keratin 7 (KRT7), major histocompatibility complex, class I, G (HLA-G), matrix
      metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9), von Willebrand factor (VWF) and the appropriate
      Immunoglobulin G (IgG) negative controls. Replacement of endothelial/epithelial
      cells by extravillous trophoblasts was quantified semi-quantitatively.
      Additionally, hematoxylin and eosin-stained archival specimens from early
      implantation sites were assessed. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: The
      earliest available specimen was from around Day 10 after conception; already at
      this stage trophoblasts had penetrated into uterine glands and had started to
      replace the epithelium of the glands. Endoglandular trophoblasts replaced uterine
      glands in vitro and in situ and could be found in the lumen of invaded glands.
      Quantitative analysis revealed significantly more replacement of epithelial cells
      in glands (63.8 +/- 22.1%) compared with endothelial cells in vessels (26.4 +/-
      8.8%). Accumulated detached glandular epithelial cells could be repeatedly
      observed in the lumen of invaded glands. Additionally, in areas of trophoblast
      invasion the glandular epithelium seemed to be completely disintegrated compared
      with glandular epithelium in the non-invaded parts of the decidua. Whole tissue
      specimens were used in vitro and in situ instead of cell lines; these systems
      mostly maintain the context of the in vivo situation. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR
      CAUTION: This is a descriptive study supported by in vitro experiments. However,
      a histological section will always only be a snapshot and quantification from
      histological sections has its limitations. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS:
      This study further strengthens the hypothesis of histiotrophic nutrition of the
      embryo prior to the establishment of the maternal blood flow toward the placenta.
      Invasion of uterine glands by endoglandular trophoblasts may have more impact on
      the outcome of early pregnancy than assumed up to now.

PMID- 26493410
TI  - Cardiac myxoma imaging features and tissue characteristics at cardiovascular
      magnetic resonance.

PMID- 26493409
TI  - Anemia in a middle aged female with aortitis: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Idiopathic aortitis is among the most common causes of non-infectious
      aortitis, which rarely presents with anemia. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we report a
      case of a 49-year-old muhajir female who presented with shortness of breath and
      easy fatigability for the past 6 months. Physical examination revealed pallor and
      a diastolic murmur in the aortic region. Echocardiography showed thickened and
      calcified aortic and mitral valves, severe aortic regurgitation and dilatation of
      ascending aorta. She was advised aortic valve replacement and was referred to a
      haematologist due to concomitant anemia. Complete blood counts revealed
      haemoglobin: 7.7 gm/dl, mean corpuscular volume (MCV): 78 fl, mean corpuscular
      haemoglobin (MCH):23 pg, total white cell count: 9.0 * 10(9)/L and platelet
      count: 227 * 10(9)/L. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was 100 mm/hr. There
      was suspicion of myelodysplastic syndrome, but could not be confirmed as the
      patient refused bone marrow and cytogenetic studies. She was given
      erythropoietin, folic acid and ferrous sulphate. Following relatively prolonged
      therapy, her haemoglobin level increased to approximately 9.0 gm/dL. She was
      transfused with packed red cells and underwent aortic valve and ascending aorta
      replacement. The ascending aorta was dilated and aortic wall markedly thick and
      irregular. Histopathology of the resected aorta revealed granulomatous aortitis.
      She was prescribed prednisolone, which resulted in further incremental rise of
      haemoglobin to 13.1 gm/dL. One month later, she developed complaints of blurred
      vision in the right eye and was diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion.
      She was treated with antiplatelet agents and her vision improved. After 3 months,
      she was asymptomatic and her haemoglobin level rose to 11.2 gm/dL without
      hematinic therapy or blood transfusion. She was begun on anticoagulant therapy
      and remains clinically stable. CONCLUSION: We report a case of idiopathic
      aortitis with presumed diagnosis of anemia of chronic disease exhibiting a
      transient response towards steroid therapy post-valvuloplasty.

PMID- 26493411
TI  - Quality Management Systems Implementation Compared With Organizational Maturity
      in Hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A quality management system can provide a framework for continuous
      improvement in order to increase the probability of customers and other
      stakeholders' satisfaction. The test maturity model helps organizations to assess
      the degree of maturity in implementing effective and sustained quality management
      systems; plan based on the current realities of the organization and prioritize
      their improvement programs. OBJECTIVES: We aim to investigate and compare the
      level of organizational maturity in hospitals with the status of quality
      management systems implementation. MATERIALS & METHODS: This analytical cross
      sectional study was conducted among hospital administrators and quality experts
      working in hospitals with over 200 beds located in Tehran. In the first step, 32
      hospitals were selected and then 96 employees working in the selected hospitals
      were studied. The data were gathered using the implementation checklist of
      quality management systems and the organization maturity questionnaire derived
      from ISO 10014. The content validity was calculated using Lawshe method and the
      reliability was estimated using test - retest method and calculation of
      Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The descriptive and inferential statistics were
      used to analyze the data using SPSS 18 software. RESULTS: According to the table,
      the mean score of organizational maturity among hospitals in the first stage of
      quality management systems implementation was equal to those in the third stage
      and hypothesis was rejected (p-value = 0.093). In general, there is no
      significant difference in the organizational maturity between the first and third
      level hospitals (in terms of implementation of quality management systems).
      CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the findings of the study show that there is no significant
      difference in the organizational maturity between the hospitals in different
      levels of the quality management systems implementation and in fact, the maturity
      of the organizations cannot be attributed to the implementation of such systems.
      As a result, hospitals should make changes in the quantity and quality of quality
      management systems in an effort to increase organizational maturity, whereby they
      improve the hospital efficiency and productivity.

PMID- 26493412
TI  - Study of Relationship Between Depression and Quality of Life in Patients With
      Chronic Schizophrenia.
AB  - Depression is among the personality traits of schizophrenic patients, which
      results from psychotic features or is a consequence of a period of psychosis.
      Depression in schizophrenic patients is one of the important factors affecting
      their quality of life. The study population of this descriptive and analytic
      study consists of patients with chronic schizophrenia in Zahedan in 2014. The
      sample included 60 patients who simultaneously suffered from depression and were
      selected using random sampling (30 males and 30 females). The research
      instruments included the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SQLS) and the Beck
      Depression Inventory (the inventory was filled out by the tester). In order to
      form a statistics analysis, we used Pearson correlation and regression
      multivariate. Investigating the study hypotheses showed that there was a negative
      correlation between the high level of depression and low quality of life. the
      relationship between depression and the quality of life subscales showed that in
      women, the variable of symptoms and complications was a significant predictor;
      however, the other two variables (energy and motivation and psychosocial) were
      not significant predictors. In case of men, psychosocial variable was a
      significant predictor; however, the other two variables (energy and motivation
      and symptoms and complications) were not significant predictors. In general,
      depression on these patients makes discontent of life on them; therefore,
      elimination of their depression on their treatment is necessary. 

PMID- 26493413
TI  - The Determination of Predictive Construct of Physical Behavior Change on
      Osteoporosis Prevention Women Aged 30-50: A Trans-Theoretical Method Study.
AB  - Osteoporosis is a major public health priority in Iran and throughout the world.
      The prevention of osteoporosis has recently become the ultimate goal of many
      health professionals. Behavior change is one of the most powerful strategies to
      prevent osteoporosis. This study aimed to determine the predictive construct of
      physical preventive behavior of osteoporosis in women aged 30-50 in Khorramabad,
      west of Iran. This study included 269 women selected from all the health centers
      of Khorramabad city according to the inclusion criteria of the study and through
      random cluster and systematic sampling. The data gathering tools were valid and
      reliable questionnaires of demographic information, stages of change, decisional
      balance, self-efficacy, and physical activity. Data were analyzed using
      descriptive and inferential statistics. The mean of the subjects' age was 38.72+/
      7.003, and the mean of light weekly physical activity was 38.83+/-56.400. The
      results showed that the construct of self-efficacy had the highest predictive
      power of the preventive behavior. The results also showed that self-efficacy
      among the constructs of the Trans-theoretical Model was the only predictive
      construct for osteoporosis prevention behavior. Therefore, the findings of this
      study can serve as a base for educational interventions in behavioral changes to
      prevent of osteoporosis by health authorities. 

PMID- 26493414
TI  - Marriage Patterns and Childbearing: Results From a Quantitative Study in North of
      Iran.
AB  - Social changes have rapidly removed arranged marriages and it seems the change in
      marriage pattern has played a role in childbearing. On the other hand, there is a
      great reduction in population in many countries which requires a comprehensive
      policy to manage the considerable drop in population. To achieve this goal,
      initially, the factors affecting fertility must be precisely identified. This
      study aims to examine the role of marriage patterns in childbearing. In this
      cross-sectional quantitative study, 880 married women 15-49 years old, living in
      the north of Iran were studied using a cluster sampling strategy. The results
      showed that there are no significant differences in reproductive behaviors of
      three patterns of marriage in Bobol city of Iran. It seems there is a convergence
      in childbearing due to the different patterns of marriage and Policymakers should
      pay attention to other determinants of reproductive behaviors in demographic
      planning. 

PMID- 26493415
TI  - Quality of Life for Saudi Patients With Heart Failure: A Cross-Sectional
      Correlational Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Heart failure is a major public health issue and a growing concern
      in developing countries, including Saudi Arabia. Most related research was
      conducted in Western cultures and may have limited applicability for individuals
      in Saudi Arabia. Thus, this study assesses the quality of life of Saudi patients
      with heart failure. MATERIALS & METHODS: A cross-sectional correlational design
      was used on a convenient sample of 103 patients with heart failure. Data were
      collected using the Short Form-36 and the Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support
      Survey. RESULTS: Overall, the patients' scores were low for all domains of
      Quality of Life. The Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary mean
      scores and SDs were (36.7+/-12.4, 48.8+/-6.5) respectively, indicating poor
      Quality of Life. Left ventricular ejection fraction was the strongest predictor
      of both physical and mental summaries. CONCLUSION: Identifying factors that
      impact quality of life for Saudi heart failure patients is important in
      identifying and meeting their physical and psychosocial needs.

PMID- 26493416
TI  - The Relationship Between the Customer Relationship Management and Patients'
      Loyalty to Hospitals.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIM: Customer Relationship Management (CRM) with its various
      components has been considered as a tool causing customers' loyalty. The present
      study aims to investigate the relationship between the various components of
      customer relationship management and patients' loyalty to the place of their
      treatment. METHODS: This cross sectional and descriptive-analytical study was
      conducted among nurses and hospitalized patients in inpatient wards in selected
      hospitals in 2014. Using the stratified random sampling method, 224 valid and
      reliable researcher-drafted questionnaires were completed for CRM by nurses and
      359 questionnaires were completed by patients for patients' loyalty in the
      studied wards. Data were analyzed using the SPSS(20) software. RESULTS: There was
      no statistically significant relationship between the level of patients' loyalty
      and organizational indicators, information technology and knowledge management (P
      Value>0.05). However, there was a statistically significant relationship between
      loyalty and the dimensions of the service process (P Value=0.04), human resources
      (P Value=0.002) and CRM (P Value=0.038). The strength of these relationships were
      34, 40 and 36 percent, respectively all of which were positive. CONCLUSION:
      Customer Relationship Management is a tool for improving influencing factors on
      patients' satisfaction and loyalty. Therefore, attempts to implement customer
      relationship management as a process for improving hospitals performance and
      improving communication between service providers in hospitals and customers
      leading to enhance patients' loyalty should be taken into account by managers and
      policy makers in the health sectors.

PMID- 26493417
TI  - Incidence Trend and Epidemiology of Common Cancers in the Center of Iran.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cancer is a major public health problem in Iran and many other
      parts of the world. The cancer incidence is different in various countries and in
      country provinces. Geographical differences in the cancer incidence lead to be
      important to conduct an epidemiological study of the disease. This study aimed to
      investigate cancer epidemiology and trend in the province of Qom, located in
      center of Iran. METHOD: This is an analytical cross-sectional study carried out
      based on re-analysis cancer registry report and the disease management center of
      health ministry from 2004 to 2008 in the province of Qom. To describe incidence
      time trends, we carried out join point regression analysis using the software
      Join point Regression Program, Version 4.1.1.1. RESULTS: There were 3,029
      registered cases of cancer during 5 years studied. Sex ratio was 1.32 (male to
      female). Considering the frequency and mean standardized incidence, the most
      common cancer in women were breast, skin, colorectal, stomach, and esophagus,
      respectively while in men the most common cancers included skin, stomach,
      colorectal, bladder, and prostate, respectively. There was an increasing and
      significant trend, according to the annual percentage change (APC) equal to 8.08%
      (CI: 5.1-11.1) for all site cancer in women. CONCLUSION: The incidence trend of
      all cancers was increasing in this area. Hence, planning for identifying risk
      factors and performing programs for dealing with the disease are essential.

PMID- 26493418
TI  - The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Group Therapy on Marital
      Satisfaction and General Health in Woman With Infertility.
AB  - Infertility affects around 80 million people around the world and it has been
      estimated that psychological problems in infertile couples is within the range of
      25-60%. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of
      Mindfulness-based cognitive group therapy on consciousness regarding marital
      satisfaction and general health in woman with infertility. Recent work is a
      clinical trial with a pre/posttest plan for control group. Covering 60 women who
      were selected by in access method and arranged randomly in interference (30) and
      control (30) groups. Before and after implementation of independent variable, all
      subjects were measured in both groups using Enrich questionnaire and marital
      satisfaction questionnaire. Results of covariance analysis of posttest, after
      controlling the scores of pretest illustrated the meaningful difference of
      marital satisfaction and mental health scores in interference and control groups
      after treatment and the fact that MBCT treatment in infertile women revealed that
      this method has an appropriate contribution to improvement of marital
      satisfaction and mental health. Necessary trainings for infertile people through
      consultation services can improve their mental health and marital satisfaction
      and significantly help reducing infertile couples' problems. 

PMID- 26493419
TI  - Functional Status Assessment of COPD Based on Ability to Perform Daily Living
      Activities: A Systematic Review of Paper and Pencil Instruments.
AB  - CONTEXT: Activity of daily living (ADL) is an important predictor of mortality in
      patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Increasing ADL is
      important in patients with COPD and assessment of ADL is one of the best ways to
      evaluate the status of COPD patients. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this
      systematic review was to provide an overview of the psychometric properties of
      paper and pencil instruments measuring ADL in patients with COPD. DATA SOURCES:
      English papers published from 1980 to 2014 regarding ADL in patients with COPD
      were searched in  Web of Science, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Cochrane, PubMed,
      ProQuest, and CINAHL databases using the following keywords: "COPD", "ADL",
      "activities of daily living", "daily activities", "instrument", "questionnaire",
      "paper-and-pencil instruments", and "measure". Following the Internet search,
      manual search was also done to find article references. STUDY SELECTION: A total
      of 186 articles were found. Of those, 31 met the inclusion criteria. Full texts
      of articles meeting the inclusion criteria were studied. Consensus-based
      standards for the selection of health measurement instruments"(COSMIN) were used
      to assess the quality of the studies. DATA EXTRACTION: Data extraction form based
      on research aims developed by researchers and psychometric experts, with 17
      questions was used. RESULTS: In these articles, 14 pen and paper instruments were
      identified for examining ADL in patients with COPD; of which, 4 dealt directly
      with ADL while 9 assessed other criteria i.e. dyspnea as ADL indicator. The
      majority of instruments only dealt with two main dimensions of ADL: Basic
      Activities of Daily Living (BADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
      (IADL), and did not consider Advanced Activities of Daily Living (AADL), which is
      influenced by cultural and motivational factors. CONCLUSION: Despite several ADL
      instruments identified, complete psychometric processes have only been done in a
      few of them. Selection of the appropriate instrument should focus on the aim of
      the study and the target construct.

PMID- 26493420
TI  - Dysfunctional Metacognitive Beliefs in Body Dysmorphic Disorder.
AB  - The present study aims to examine the correlation of body dysmorphic disorder,
      with metacognitive subscales, metaworry and thought-fusion. The study was
      conducted in a correlation framework. Sample included 155 high school students in
      Isfahan, Iran in 2013-2014, gathered through convenience sampling. To gather data
      about BDD, Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Modified for BDD was applied.
      Then, Meta Cognitive Questionnaire, Metaworry Questionnaire, and Thought-Fusion
      Inventory were used to assess metacognitive subscales, metaworry and thought
      fusion. Data obtained from this study were analyzed using Pearson correlation and
      multiple regressions in SPSS 18. Result indicated YBOCS-BDD scores had a
      significant correlation with scores from MCQ (P<0.05), MWG (P<0.05), and TFI
      (P<0.05). Also, multiple regressions were run to predict YBOCS from TFI, MWQ, and
      MCQ-30. These variables significantly predicted YBOCS [F (3,151) =32.393,
      R(2)=0.57]. Findings indicated that body dysmorphic disorder was significantly
      related to metacognitive subscales, metaworry, and thought fusion in high school
      students in Isfahan, which is in line with previous studies. A deeper
      understanding of these processes can broaden theory and treatment of BDD, thereby
      improve the lives of sufferers and potentially protect others from developing
      this devastating disorder.

PMID- 26493421
TI  - Characteristics of Inpatient Falls not Reported in an Incident Reporting System.
AB  - An incident reporting system is the most commonly used method to identify patient
      safety incidents in a hospital. However, non-reporting of incidents for various
      reasons is a serious problem. We studied the rate of inpatient falls that were
      not reported in an incident reporting system but were recorded in medical charts
      and we evaluated characteristics of those falls by comparing with the falls
      reported in incident reports in a Japanese acute care hospital setting. Falls
      recorded in medical charts were detected by using a text mining method followed
      by a manual chart review. About 25% of the recorded falls were not reported in
      incident reports. Male patients, first fall, long lag time until recording, no
      witness at the time of the fall and physician profession were shown to be
      significant factors associated with non-reporting. Our results show that the rate
      of non-reporting of inpatient falls in a Japanese acute care hospital is compable
      to that shown in previous studies in other conutries and that the same barriers
      to incident reporting as those found in previous studies exist in the medical
      staff. 

PMID- 26493422
TI  - Comparing Intelligence Quotient (IQ)among 3 to 7-year-old strabismic and
      nonstrabismic children in an Iranian population.
AB  - This study was designed to compare the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) among 3 to 7
      year-old strabismic and nonstrabismic children in an Iranian population. In this
      cross-sectional study, 108 preschool children with equal numbers of
      strabismic/non-strabismic disorder (age 3-7 years) were randomly selected from
      exceptional strabismus clinics of Ahvaz and were evaluated with the preschool and
      primary scale of intelligence versions of Wechsler (WPPSI). In the current study,
      108 children were evaluated. In strabismic patients the mean performance, verbal
      and total IQ were 89.46+/-19.79, 89.57+/-21.57 and 91.54+/-22.08
      respectively.These mean scores in normal children  were 91.89+/-47.53 , 87.56+/
      15.6 and 89.96+/-17.62 consecuently. The results showed that these three
      different IQ subscales were not significantly different among 3 to 7 years old
      strabismic and nonstrabismic children ((P>0.05 for all comparisons). There was no
      significant difference in IQ between two sexes (P>0.05) while Persian tribe
      children had greater IQ score compared to other tribes (P<0.05). Also, higher
      paternal educational status of children related to higher IQ score. IQ score was
      better in combined deviations and was higher in exotropes than esotropes;
      however, these differences were not statistically significant.(p>0.05) In this
      evaluation, we did not found a significant negative interference of strabismus on
      IQ score of preschool children. It can be concluded that paternal educational
      level and tribe have a significant effect on intelligent quotient, while this is
      not the case on sex and ocular deviation. 

PMID- 26493423
TI  - Predictors of Mortality in Patients Undergoing Mitral Valve Replacement.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although mitral valve replacement is frequently performed in patients
      of all age groups, there are few studies available which determine the causes of
      operative mortality in mitral valve replacement especially in our region.
      Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify factors that are
      significantly associated with operative mortality in mitral valve replacement.
      METHODS: From August 2012 to March 2013, 80 consecutive patients undergoing
      mitral valve replacement in a single tertiary hospital were included. Patients
      with a history of previous coronary artery bypass graft surgery or congenital
      heart problems were excluded from the sample. The included patients were observed
      for a period of 30 days. Pre and post-operative variables were used to identify
      significant predictors of mortality. RESULTS: The overall hospital mortality (30
      days) was 15%. High post-perative creatinine (P =0.05), high ASO titre (P=0.03),
      young age (P=0.011), low cardiac output (P=0.0001), small mitral valve size
      (P=0.002) and new onset of atrial fibrillation (P=0.007) were the significant
      independent predictors of operative morality. CONCLUSION: Mitral valve
      replacement can be performed in third world countries with limited resources with
      low mortality. However, optimal selection of mitral valve size can help to
      improve operative mortality.

PMID- 26493424
TI  - Self Management Behaviors in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Associated Factors
      in Tehran 2013.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a systemic, autoimmune and
      inflammatory disease with an unknown etiology that is associated with progressive
      joint degeneration, limitation of physical activity and disability. The aim of
      the study was to evaluate self-management behaviors and their associated factors
      in RA patients. MATERIAL & METHOD: This cross-sectional study was performed in
      2013 on185 patients in Iran. Data were selected through convenient sampling. The
      collected data included demographic variables, disease related variables,
      Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale 2 (AIMS-2SF), and Self-Management Behaviors
      (SMB). Data were analyzed by SPSS17 using Spearman correlation and logistic
      regression test. RESULT: In this study drug management, regular follow-up, and
      food supplement were used as the most frequently applied SMB and aquatic
      exercise, diet, massage therapy, and relaxation were the least common SMBs. Age,
      education, health status, occupation, marital status, sex, DAS28 (Disease
      Activity Score 28 joints), and PGA (Physician Global Assessment) were
      significantly related with SMB. CONCLUSION: The result of the study highlight the
      influence of demographic variables, health status, and disease related data on
      SMB. Thus, more studies are required to find factors influencing SMB in order to
      improve SMB.

PMID- 26493425
TI  - Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Interpersonal Problems and
      Psychological Flexibility in Female High School Students With Social Anxiety
      Disorder.
AB  - Social anxiety is a psychological disorder which has devastative and pernicious
      effects on interpersonal relationships and one's psychological flexibility. The
      aim of this research was to determine the effectiveness of Acceptance and
      Commitment Therapy on interpersonal problems and psychological flexibility in
      female high school students with social anxiety disorder. With a semi
      experimental design, the subjects were assessed using the Social Anxiety Scale
      and clinical interview. The statistical population of the research was high
      school female students studying in 5 areas of Isfahan. 30 individuals were
      purposively selected as the sample. The subjects of the research were randomly
      assigned to the experimental and control groups. Acceptance and Commitment
      Therapy was given in 10 sessions of 90 minutes in the experimental group and the
      control group did not receive any treatment. Pre-test and post-test scores of
      Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire were
      analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance & the results showed that after
      the intervention, there was a significant difference between the scores of the
      subjects in the experimental and control groups. This means that Acceptance and
      Commitment Therapy can influence interpersonal problems and their six dimensions
      and psychological flexibility as well. 

PMID- 26493426
TI  - Survey of Nursery Errors in Healthcare Centers, Isfahan, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIM: Nurse's mistakes usually have a strong effect on the patients
      trust and satisfaction in the health services systems, and it can also lead to
      stress and moral contradicts among nurses. This study has aimed to survey the
      rate of nurses' mistakes, according to documents in the Isfahan Province during
      2007-2012. METHODS: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample
      population consisted of all complaints concerning nursing services provided in
      hospitals, private clinics and other health service centers between 2007 and
      2012, submitted to the Forensic Medicine Commission Office, in Isfahan. The data
      were collected by a cheklist and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 software.
      RESULTS: Out of 708 complaints, 70 (9.8%) cases were related to nurses. Twenty
      four cases led to awards. The age range of nurses was 35-40 (25.7%).  Out of 70
      nurses with a record, 75% (53 people) were female and the rest were male. Sixty
      four nurses (91.4%) were working in hospitals. Negligence was the first basis of
      the court rulings (16 cases out of 24). Nurses' recklessness in providing
      services was due to their convictions among 66.7% of the cases. CONCLUSION:
      Although efforts to reduce and control nurses' faults and mistakes depends on
      using a system for studying  and removing the factors which lead to faults, human
      error is inevitable in every occupation and a 100% accurate operation is
      unreachable.

PMID- 26493427
TI  - Decomposing Cost Efficiency in Regional Long-term Care Provision in Japan.
AB  - Many developed countries face a growing need for long-term care provision because
      of population ageing. Japan is one such example, given its population's longevity
      and low birth rate. In this study, we examine the efficiency of Japan's regional
      long-term care system in FY2010 by performing a data envelopment analysis, a non
      parametric frontier approach, on prefectural data and separating cost efficiency
      into technical, allocative, and price efficiencies under different average unit
      costs across regions. In doing so, we elucidate the structure of cost
      inefficiency by incorporating a method for restricting weight flexibility to
      avoid unrealistic concerns arising from zero optimal weight. The results indicate
      that technical inefficiency accounts for the highest share of losses, followed by
      price inefficiency and allocation inefficiency. Moreover, the majority of
      technical inefficiency losses stem from labor costs, particularly those for
      professional caregivers providing institutional services. We show that the
      largest share of allocative inefficiency losses can also be traced to labor costs
      for professional caregivers providing institutional services, while the labor
      provision of in-home care services shows an efficiency gain. However, although
      none of the prefectures gains efficiency by increasing the number of professional
      caregivers for institutional services, quite a few prefectures would gain
      allocative efficiency by increasing capital inputs for institutional services.
      These results indicate that preferred policies for promoting efficiency might
      vary from region to region, and thus, policy implications should be drawn with
      care. 

PMID- 26493428
TI  - Hydroxyurea: Clinical and Hematological Effects in Patients With Sickle Cell
      Anemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIM: it is well known that hydroxyurea impacts on clinical and
      hematologic indices in sickle cell disease (SCD), we aimed to evaluate the effect
      of hydroxyurea on clinical and hematological improvement of sickle cell anemia.
      METHODS & MATERIALS: In this cohort study 48 patients with sickle cell disease
      were enrolled and pain crisis, severity of pain, acute chest syndrome, the number
      of hospitalization, the rate of transfusion, spleen size, total Hb, HbF levels,
      MCV, MCH were compared before and after treatment with HU 10 mg/kg/day/for one
      year. RESULTS: In patients with Sickle cell disease Hu significantly decreased
      the rate of transfusion, hospitalization, spleen size and significantly increased
      Hb, RBC indices and HbF. Furthermore, we did not find any remarkable adverse
      effect related to HU during the one year follow up in patients. CONCLUSION: We
      demonstrated that in the course of one year hydroxyurea 10 mg/kg/day can
      significantly increase HbF, total hemoglobin and RBC indices without any notable
      side effect in patients with SCD.

PMID- 26493429
TI  - Effect of Nurse-Led Telephone Follow ups (Tele-Nursing) on Depression, Anxiety
      and Stress in Hemodialysis Patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Depressive and anxious patients on hemodialysis have a higher risk
      of death and hospitalizations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect
      of nurse-led telephone follow ups (tele-nursing) on depression, anxiety and
      stress in hemodialysis patients. METHOD & MATERIAL: The subjects of the study who
      were selected based on double blind randomized clinical trial consisted of 60
      patients with advanced chronic renal disease treated with hemodialysis. The
      patients were placed in two groups of 30 individuals. Before the intervention, a
      questionnaire was completed by patients.  There was no telephone follow up in the
      control group and the patients received only routine care in the hospital. The
      participants allocated to the intervention group received telephone follow-up 30
      days after dialysis shift, in addition to conventional treatment. Every session
      lasted 30 minutes, as possible. Then the DASS scale was filled out by the
      patients after completion of study by two groups. RESULT: Significant differences
      were observed between the two groups in the posttest regarding the dimensions
      scores of DASS scale. CONCLUSION: The result of this trial is expected to provide
      new knowledge to support the effective follow-up for hemodialysis patient in
      order to improve their emotional and health status.

PMID- 26493430
TI  - Comparison of the Effects of Maternal Supportive Care and Acupressure (at BL32
      Acupoint) on Labor Length and Infant's Apgar Score.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Prolonged labor leads to increase of cesarean
      deliveries, reduction of fetal heart rate, and maternal as well as infantile
      complications. Therefore, many women tend to use pharmacological or non
      pharmacological methods for reduction of labor length. The present study aimed to
      compare the effects of maternal supportive care and acupressure (at BL32
      acupoint) on labor length and infant's Apgar score. METHODS: In this clinical
      trial, 150 women with low-risk pregnancy were randomly divided into supportive
      care, acupressure, and control groups each containing 50 subjects. The data were
      collected using a questionnaire including demographic and pregnancy
      characteristics. Then, the data were analyzed using Chi-square test and one-way
      ANOVA. RESULTS: The mean length of the first and second stages of labor was
      respectively 157.0+/-29.5 and 58.9+/-5.8 minutes in the supportive care group,
      161.7+/-37.3 and 56.1+/-31.4 minutes in the acupressure group, ad 281.0+/-9.8 and
      128.4+/-44.9 minutes in the control group. The difference between the length of
      labor stages was significant in the three study groups (P<0.001). Moreover, the
      frequency of Apgar score>8 in the first and 5th minutes was higher in the
      supportive care and acupressure groups compared to the control group, and the
      difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Continuous
      support and acupressure could reduce the length of labor stages and increase the
      infants' Apgar scores. Therefore, these methods, as effective non-pharmacological
      strategies, can be introduced to the medical staff to improve the delivery
      outcomes.

PMID- 26493432
TI  - Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Nurses about Standard Precautions for
      Hospital-Acquired Infection in Teaching Hospitals Affiliated to Zabol University
      of Medical Sciences (2014).
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Hospital-acquired infection (HAI) is one of the common
      problems and difficulties faced by hospitals in all countries around the world.
      Since nurses are part of the healthcare team that plays a unique role in the
      control of hospital infection, this study is conducted to analyze the knowledge
      and practice of healthcare personnel about standard precautions for hospital
      infection. MATERIALS & METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted on 170
      nurses worked in medical surgical wards, pediatric wards, dialysis units of two
      teaching hospitals in Zabol city, Iran, in 2014. The sample population was
      selected through simple random sampling. The data collection instrument is
      composed of a researcher-made questionnaire titled "Hospital-acquired infection
      Control" based on precautions posited by the World Health Organization (WHO) and
      the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data were fed
      into the SPSS software v.20 and were analyzed using descriptive and inferential
      statistics. RESULTS: The results show that 43% of the participants in this study
      had poor knowledge, 42% had average practice, and 37% had a moderate attitude
      about hospital infection. There was a significant relationship between knowledge
      and gender (r = 00.8 p = 0.02). However, the variables of age, marital status,
      employment, work experience, education, and place of work did not establish a
      significant relationship with the independent variables (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: As
      the results indicate a low level of awareness among the personnel about hospital
      infection, it is suggested to provide training sessions on the prevention and
      control of HAI to increase the awareness of personnel and hold practical courses
      for practicing these principles.

PMID- 26493431
TI  - Health Promotion Behaviors and Chronic Diseases of Aging in the Elderly People of
      Iranshahr*- IR Iran.
AB  - INTRODUCTION & AIM: Aging is considered as the phenomenon of the day in the
      health arena of the world and Iran. It is anticipated that there will be an
      explosion of aging population in Iran in about 2031 and 20-25% of the population
      will be aged over 60 years. With aging, chronic diseases also increase and
      diminish the functional ability of older people. On the other hand, increased
      healthcare costs should be also added to this issue. Health promotion is a
      concept of process that continues throughout life. As much as health promotion is
      important in children and adults, it is equally important in older people. In
      fact, the elderlies, as a group, also acquire many benefits from health promotion
      behaviors. Due to the increasing elderly population, geriatric health promotion
      and enhancing the health level of older people is proposed as a health priority
      that should be properly planned. Hence, the present study has been conducted in
      this regard and aims to identify behaviors of health promotion and chronic
      diseases of aging in the elderly people of Iranshahr-Iran. MATERIALS & METHODS:
      The present research is a cross-sectional descriptive study whose population
      consists of 425 elderly people aged 60 years and over, who lived in the city of
      Iranshahr*, IR Iran. The random cluster sampling method has been used to select
      the research samples. The required information was collected using a
      questionnaire which was distributed among the older people through visiting their
      homes; then, the collected data was statistically analyzed using the statistical
      software of SPSS version 13. FINDINGS: the research findings show that the mean
      age of older people is and the highest frequency belongs to the age group of 60
      years and the maximum age is 92 years. 69.5% of the older people were in the age
      group of the young elderly (60-69 years) and 44% of them lived with their married
      children; also 55.8%, 81.9%, 70.5%, and 74.4% of them were respectively female,
      illiterate, married, and unemployed. The mean score of geriatric health promotion
      behaviors was in the range of 0-11 and 54.9% of them got the score of the
      inappropriate health promotion behavior. The most frequent chronic diseases of
      older people were respectively joint problems (78.9%), sensory problems (64.1%),
      and hypertension (56.6%). No significant relationship was observed between the
      score of health promotion behaviors and "the gender, lifestyle and marital status
      of the older people", but there was statistically a significant relationship
      between the score of health promotion behaviors and "the age, education, and job
      of the older people". CONCLUSION: Providing training programs for health
      promotion behaviors in elderly people can improve these behaviors and enhance
      their health and quality of life and reduce the incidence of chronic diseases in
      them. The goal of health promotion behaviors is to maintain performance,
      independence and quality of life; and many studies have demonstrated that the
      elderly people who aged 60 years and over benefit from health promotion behaviors
      more than middle-aged people.

PMID- 26493433
TI  - Histological Stains: A Literature Review and Case Study.
AB  - The history of histology indicates that there have been significant changes in
      the techniques used for histological staining through chemical, molecular biology
      assays and immunological techniques, collectively referred to as histochemistry.
      Early histologists used the readily available chemicals to prepare tissues for
      microscopic studies; these laboratory chemicals were potassium dichromate,
      alcohol and the mercuric chloride to harden cellular tissues. Staining techniques
      used were carmine, silver nitrate, Giemsa, Trichrome Stains, Gram Stain and
      Hematoxylin among others. The purpose of this research was to assess past and
      current literature reviews, as well as case studies, with the aim of informing
      ways in which histological stains have been improved in the modern age. Results
      from the literature review has indicated that there has been an improvement in
      histopathology and histotechnology in stains used. There has been a rising need
      for efficient, accurate and less complex staining procedures. Many stain
      procedures are still in use today, and many others have been replaced with new
      immunostaining, molecular, non-culture and other advanced staining techniques.
      Some staining methods have been abandoned because the chemicals required have
      been medically proven to be toxic. The case studies indicated that in modern
      histology a combination of different stain techniques are used to enhance the
      effectiveness of the staining process. Currently, improved histological stains,
      have been modified and combined with other stains to improve their effectiveness.

PMID- 26493434
TI  - Looking for a Taste of Home: A Qualitative Study of the Health Implications of
      the Diets of Australian - Based Southeast Asian Students.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate potential dietary changes among Southeast Asian
      international students living in self-catered accommodation while studying abroad
      and to consider implications for their health. DESIGN: Participants were
      interviewed about their food preferences and behaviours in their home countries
      and during their undergraduate studies at the Australian National University.
      SETTING: A university in Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Study participants were full
      time undergraduate students over 18 years of age from Southeast Asian countries
      studying at the Australian National University for at least one year, and living
      at self-catered accommodation. METHODS: Thirty-one, in-depth, face-to-face
      qualitative interviews concerning usual diets were collected over a three month
      period in 2013. Interviews were coded and analysed with the aid of a computer
      program Atlas.ti. RESULTS: The macro-nutrient content of Southeast Asian
      international students' diets did not change a great deal when they moved to
      Australia. Most students replaced some preferred foods on occasions because they
      either could not afford them, they were not available or they lacked the time to
      prepare them. These dietary changes were not necessarily reflected in changes to
      students' weights and most students considered that they were as healthy as when
      they lived at home. CONCLUSION: As students' adapt to a new food environment they
      reflexively manage potential health risks. Strong student networks and an
      accessible and healthy food environment would support students to make healthy
      dietary choices although additional information about healthy diets could
      facilitate this further.

PMID- 26493435
TI  - Clinical Factors Influencing the Efficacy of Systemic Moxifloxacin in the Therapy
      of Patients With Generalized Aggressive Periodontitis: A Multilevel Analysis From
      a Clinical Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been reported that clinical results of mechanical periodontal
      treatment could differ between subjects and among different sites of the tooth in
      the patient. The objective of this multilevel analysis is to investigate clinical
      factors at subject and sites of the tooth that influence variations in clinical
      attachment (CAL) increase and probing depth (PD) diminution of adjunctive
      moxifloxacin (MOX) at six months post-treatment in generalized aggressive
      periodontitis. METHODS: This clinical trial included 40 patients randomly
      distributed to two therapy protocols: scaling and root planing alone or combined
      with MOX. Multilevel linear models for continuous variables were formulated to
      evaluate the clinical impact of the hierarchical configuration of periodontal
      data. RESULTS: Six months following therapy, the divergences between both
      protocols were statistically significant in PD diminution and CAL increase,
      favouring the MOX therapy (p<0.001). Besides, the multilevel analysis revealed
      that adjunctive MOX at the subject level, non-molar and the interaction non-molar
      x MOX at the tooth level, interproximal sites and the interaction interproximal
      sites x MOX at the site level, were statistically significant factors in
      determining CAL increase and PD diminution. CONCLUSIONS: The main cause of
      variability in CAL gain and PD reduction following adjunctive MOX was
      attributable to the tooth level. Adjunctive MOX and their interactions with non
      molar and interproximal sites showed higher clinical benefits at the tooth and
      site levels which could be essential for PD reduction and CAL gain in generalized
      aggressive periodontitis subjects.

PMID- 26493436
TI  - Rabies Epidemiology and Control in Ecuador.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Describe the epidemiology and the control effort for rabies in
      Ecuador. METHODS: This observational study included data from the Ecuadorian
      National Institute of Census and Statistics (INEC), and mortality and morbidity
      data reported by the Ministry of Public Health and the National Institute for
      Social Security. We conducted a phylogeny analyses to compare the N gene from the
      Challenge Virus Standard (CVS) vaccine strain used in Ecuador with published
      Cosmopolitan, Asian and Sylvatic strains. Descriptive and inferential statistics
      were used to determine the significance of the data. RESULTS: In 1996 Ecuador
      suffered the highest rate of rabies per capita in the Americas, with an incidence
      rate of 0.56 cases per 100 000 people per year. Human and canine rabies showed a
      sharp decline until 2012. Between 1994 and 2014, we found a correlation of 0.925
      (p<0.01) between annual cases of dog and human rabies. In 2011, there was an
      epidemic of sylvatic rabies transmitted to people by vampire bats (Desmodus
      rotundus) in the Amazon region, specifically in Morona Santiago, leading to 11
      fatalities. Phylogenetic analyses of the CVS vaccine N gene showed an association
      with urban canine rabies strains (the Cosmopolitan lineage and Asian strains),
      whereas sylvatic rabies, like those reported in the Amazon region, were found to
      be grouped in a different clade represented mainly by bat-derived strains.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study presents the first compilation of epidemiological data on
      rabies in Ecuador. The incidence of human and canine rabies, also known as urban
      rabies, has clearly decreased due to massive canine vaccination campaigns.
      Phylogenetic analysis of the prevailing vaccine used in the country showed a
      clear separation from bat-derived rabies, the source of recent rabies outbreaks.
      Efforts are ongoing to develop rabies vaccines that are highly specific to the
      rabies virus genotype circulating in the region, including sylvatic rabies. These
      efforts include the implementation of reverse genetics to generate recombinant
      virus coding for the prevailing glycoprotein gene.

PMID- 26493437
TI  - Prevalence and Reporting of Needle Stick Injuries: A Survey of Surgery Team
      Members in Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgeons are one of the groups, most highly exposed to the risk of
      needle stick injuries at work. The present study aims to determine the prevalence
      and reporting of needle stick injuries during the first 6 months of 2012, in
      faculty surgeons affiliated to the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences.
      METHODS: In a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical survey, 29 surgeons were
      studied based on the census method. A reliable and valid questionnaire was used
      as a research instrument to collect the data. Data was analyzed using SPSS v.16
      and based on descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: Among 29 recruited
      surgeons, 5 (17.2%) had needle stick injuries during the 6 months, only one of
      whom had followed the established guidelines about reporting and following
      treatment. The most common instrument causing injury was the suture needle (60%).
      Significant differences were found in both groups of the injured and non-injured
      in term of gender (X(2)=5.612, P= 0.003), and number of patients (Z= 2.40,
      P=0.016) and daily working hours (Z=2.85, P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: In relation to
      the relatively high prevalence of needle stick injuries among the surgeons and
      their lack of reporting, it is suggested that the Safety Guidelines in the
      operating room are carefully observed. Moreover, safer and lower risk surgical
      Instruments should be used.

PMID- 26493438
TI  - Detection of Hydroxychloroquine Retinal Toxicity by Automated Perimetry in 60
      Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Normal Fundoscopic Findings.
AB  - Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an antimalarial drug used extensively in treatment of
      autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Retinal toxicity is the most
      important side effects of this drug. Even after the drug is discontinued, retinal
      degeneration from HCQ can continue to progress. Consequently, multiple ophthalmic
      screening tests have been developed to detect early retinopathy. The aim of the
      current study was to evaluate the value of central 2-10 perimetry method in early
      detection of retinal toxicity. This prospective cross-sectional investigation was
      carried out on 60 rheumatoid arthritis patients, who had been receiving HCQ for
      at least 6 months and still were on their medication (HCQ intake) at the time of
      enrollment. An ophthalmologist examined participants using direct and indirect
      ophthalmoscopy. Visual field testing with automated perimetry technique (central
      2-10 perimetry with red target) was performed on all included subjects twice in 6
      months interval: The first one at the time of enrollment and the second one 6
      months later. Males and females did not show any significant difference in terms
      of age, duration of therapy, daily and cumulative HCQ dose, anterior or posterior
      segment abnormalities, hypertension, body mass index, and best corrected visual
      acuity. Anterior segment was abnormal in 9 individuals including 3 subjects with
      macular pigmentary changes, 4 individuals with cataract and 2 cases with dry
      eyes. Moreover, 12 subjects had retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) in their
      posterior segments. After 6 months, depressive changes appeared in 12 subjects.
      Additionally, HCQ therapy worsened significantly the perimetric results of 5
      (55.6%) patients with abnormal anterior segment. A same trend was observed in
      perimetric results of 6 (50.0%) subjects with abnormal posterior segments
      (P=0.009). The daily dose of HCQ (P=0.035) as well as the cumulative dose of
      hydroxychloroquine (P=0.021) displayed statistically significant associations
      with perimetric results. Central 2-10 perimetry is a useful method for early
      detection of HCQ retinal toxicity, but more comprehensive studies, with larger
      sample size, longer-term follow-up and more precise techniques are mandatory to
      confirm HCQ retinal toxicity. 

PMID- 26493439
TI  - Concept of Educational Assistance to Health Protection of the Individual.
AB  - The article describes the theoretical and practical need for the development of
      the concept of assistance to health protection of the individual in order to
      address the problem of health protection of students and teachers in the
      conditions of a higher pedagogical education. The problem of studying human
      health, its entirety, systemacity and connection with the environment attracts
      particular attention in recent years. This was one of the reasons to study the
      problem of "healthy lifestyle" as the qualitative characteristic of a human life
      aimed at health, due to the fact that a healthy lifestyle is one of the
      determinants of health. This is made possible with the use of specific health
      protecting technologies aimed at searching for ways and means of protection and
      conservation of health of students and teachers in the conditions of the
      educational process and using educational tools, which is currently included into
      the priorities of education. 

PMID- 26493440
TI  - An Exploration of the Role of Hospital Committees to Enhance Productivity.
AB  - Productivity is the main concern of hospitals as organizations providing health
      services. As the role of hospital committees is increasing and their productivity
      and performance improvement is very important, the present study was performed to
      identify weaknesses and strengths of committee sessions. This analytical
      descriptive study was conducted cross- sectional from January to April in 2012.
      Summary of 405 committee session's agendas related to 11 kinds of committees in 8
      hospitals (out of 23 hospitals) of capital cities in 3 provinces of Sistan and
      Balouchestan, South Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi in Iran were extracted. Data was
      collected through a form and was analyzed by SPSS16 software using descriptive
      statistics and variance analysis and content analysis technique. This study
      showed that the number of hospital committee's sessions holding in 2012 was more
      than 2011.The differences between public and private hospitals in terms of the
      following subjects were significant (P-Value < 0.001). In terms of the number of
      selected policies, participants of the committees, and the duration of the
      sessions the public hospitals had better conditions. And regarding documentation
      process, feedback of decisions to personnel and the implementation of the
      formulated policies in the committees, private hospitals performed better.
      According to the results of this study, to improve the productivity of hospital
      committees, it is suggested to motivate senior, tactical and operational managers
      to appropriately participate in the committees and necessary planning for the
      committees in advance is mandatory. 

PMID- 26493441
TI  - Dorsal medial prefrontal cortex contributes to conditioned taste aversion memory
      consolidation and retrieval.
AB  - The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is known for its role in decision making and
      memory processing, including the participation in the formation of extinction
      memories. However, little is known regarding its contribution to aversive memory
      consolidation. Here we demonstrate that neural activity and protein synthesis are
      required in the dorsal mPFC for memory formation of a conditioned taste aversion
      (CTA) task and that this region is involved in the retrieval of recent and remote
      long-term CTA memory. In addition, both NMDA receptor and CaMKII activity in
      dorsal mPFC are needed for CTA memory consolidation, highlighting the complexity
      of mPFC functions. 

PMID- 26493442
TI  - Nanoscale Surface Creasing Induced by Post-polymerization Modification.
AB  - Creasing in soft polymeric films is a result of substantial compressive stresses
      that trigger instability beyond a critical strain and have been directly related
      to failure mechanisms in different materials. However, it has been shown that
      programming these instabilities into soft materials can lead to new applications,
      such as particle sorting, deformable capillaries, and stimuli-responsive
      interfaces. In this work, we present a method for fabricating reproducible
      nanoscale surface instabilities using reactive microcontacting printing (MUCP) on
      activated ester polymer brush layers of poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate). The
      sizes and structures of the nanoscale creases can be modulated by varying the
      grafting density of the brush substrate and pressure applied during MUCP. Stress
      is generated in the film under confinement due to the molecular weight increase
      of the side chains during post-polymerization modification, which results in
      substantial in-plane growth in the film and leads to the observed nanoscale
      creases. 

PMID- 26493443
TI  - Molecular alterations of the blood-brain barrier under inflammatory conditions:
      The role of endothelial to mesenchymal transition.
AB  - Impairment of the protective properties of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a key
      event during numerous neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS).
      Under these pathological conditions, the specialized brain endothelial cells
      (BECs) lose their protective function leading to neuroinflammation and
      neurodegeneration. To date, underlying mechanisms for this loss of function
      remain unclear. Endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) is a dynamic
      process by which endothelial cells (ECs) dedifferentiate into mesenchymal cells
      and as a result lose their specific phenotype and function. As yet, little is
      known about the involvement of this process in the impaired function of the BECs
      under pathological conditions such as MS. Interestingly, several signaling
      pathways that can induce EndoMT are also involved in different central nervous
      system (CNS) pathologies associated with BBB dysfunction. In this review, we
      first discuss the structure and function of the BBB highlighting the changes that
      occur during MS. Next, we will summarize recent findings on the pathways
      underlying EndoMT, and finally, we will discuss the potential role of EndoMT
      during BBB dysfunction in neurological disorders. This article is part of a
      Special Issue entitled: Neuro Inflammation edited by Helga E. de Vries and Markus
      Schwaninger.

PMID- 26493445
TI  - Glial cell response after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage - Functional
      consequences and clinical implications.

PMID- 26493446
TI  - The plasminogen activation system in neuroinflammation.
AB  - The plasminogen activation (PA) system consists in a group of proteases and
      protease inhibitors regulating the activation of the zymogen plasminogen into its
      proteolytically active form, plasmin. Here, we give an update of the current
      knowledge about the role of the PA system on different aspects of
      neuroinflammation. These include modification in blood-brain barrier integrity,
      leukocyte diapedesis, removal of fibrin deposits in nervous tissues, microglial
      activation and neutrophil functions. Furthermore, we focus on the molecular
      mechanisms (some of them independent of plasmin generation and even of
      proteolysis) and target receptors responsible for these effects. The description
      of these mechanisms of action may help designing new therapeutic strategies
      targeting the expression, activity and molecular mediators of the PA system in
      neurological disorders involving neuroinflammatory processes. This article is
      part of a Special Issue entitled: Neuro Inflammation edited by Helga E. de Vries
      and Markus Schwaninger.

PMID- 26493444
TI  - Comparative effects of diet and carcinogen on microRNA expression in the stem
      cell niche of the mouse colonic crypt.
AB  - There is mounting evidence that noncoding microRNAs (miRNA) are modulated by
      select chemoprotective dietary agents. For example, recently we demonstrated that
      the unique combination of dietary fish oil (containing n-3 fatty acids) plus
      pectin (fermented to butyrate in the colon) (FPA) up-regulates a subset of
      putative tumor suppressor miRNAs in intestinal mucosa, and down-regulates their
      predicted target genes following carcinogen exposure as compared to control (corn
      oil plus cellulose (CCA)) diet. To further elucidate the biological effects of
      diet and carcinogen modulated miR's in the colon, we verified that miR-26b and
      miR-203 directly target PDE4B and TCF4, respectively. Since perturbations in
      adult stem cell dynamics are generally believed to represent an early step in
      colon tumorigenesis and to better understand how the colonic stem cell population
      responds to environmental factors such as diet and carcinogen, we additionally
      determined the effects of the chemoprotective FPA diet on miRNAs and mRNAs in
      colonic stem cells obtained from Lgr5-EGFP-IRES-creER(T2) knock-in mice.
      Following global miRNA profiling, 26 miRNAs (P<0.05) were differentially
      expressed in Lgr5(high) stem cells as compared to Lgr5(negative) differentiated
      cells. FPA treatment up-regulated miR-19b, miR-26b and miR-203 expression as
      compared to CCA specifically in Lgr5(high) cells. In contrast, in Lgr5(negative)
      cells, only miR-19b and its indirect target PTK2B were modulated by the FPA diet.
      These data indicate for the first time that select dietary cues can impact stem
      cell regulatory networks, in part, by modulating the steady-state levels of
      miRNAs. To our knowledge, this is the first study to utilize Lgr5(+) reporter
      mice to determine the impact of diet and carcinogen on miRNA expression in
      colonic stem cells and their progeny.

PMID- 26493447
TI  - The effect of surgical approach on performance of lymphadenectomy and
      perioperative morbidity for radical nephroureterectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of surgical approach on regional
      lymphadenectomy (LND) performance and inpatient complications for radical
      nephroureterectomy (NU) using a national administrative database. METHODS: The
      National Inpatient Sample (2009-2012) was used to identify patients who underwent
      NU for urothelial carcinoma. Cohorts were stratified by performance of LND.
      Covariates included patient demographics, comorbidity, hospital characteristics,
      hospital volume, performance of LND, surgical approach (open [ONU], laparoscopic
      [LNU], or robotic [RNU]), and complications. Multivariable logistic regression
      was used to identify factors associated with LND performance and complications.
      RESULTS: A weighted population of 14,059 (85%) without LND and 2,560 (15%) with
      LND was identified. LND was more common in RNU (27%) compared with ONU (15%) and
      LNU (10%) (P<0.01). On multivariable analysis, when compared with ONU, RNU was
      associated with increased odds of LND performance (odds ratio [OR] = 1.9, 95% CI:
      [1.3-2.8]; P = 0.001), whereas LNU was associated with decreased odds of LND
      performance (OR = 0.6, 95% CI: [0.4-0.8]; P = 0.004). Multivariable analysis of
      risk factors for complications demonstrated lower odds of complications with RNU
      (OR = 0.6, 95% CI: [0.4-0.8]; P = 0.001), whereas performance of LND increased
      the risk of complications (OR = 1.3, 95% CI: [1.001-1.7]; P = 0.049).
      CONCLUSIONS: When compared with ONU, RNU increased the odds of LND performance
      and had a lower inpatient complication rate, whereas LNU reduced the odds of LND
      performance and had no significant effect on inpatient complication rates.
      Performance of LND was independently associated with higher inpatient
      complication rates.

PMID- 26493448
TI  - Randomized controlled trials in testicular cancer: A demographic and quality
      assessment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) provide the strongest evidence to
      justify interventions in patients. However, trials with inadequate methods are
      associated with bias and exaggerated treatment effects. A search of the
      literature was conducted to review RCTs in testicular cancer (TC) to assess
      demographic and trial reporting quality patterns over time. METHODS: MEDLINE and
      CENTRAL were queried for TC RCTs from 1989 to 2014. Demographic information was
      abstracted and reporting quality score was evaluated using the Consolidated
      Standards of Reporting Trials criteria. Linear regression was used to assess the
      trend in reporting quality over time. RESULTS: A total of 39 RCTs were
      identified, of which 25 were published from 1989 to 2001 and 14 were published
      from 2002 to 2014. Most (59%) of the RCTs involved chemotherapy as the
      intervention, had a medical oncologist as the first author (87%), and took place
      in Europe (59%). RCTs published between 2002 and 2014 had longer enrollment
      periods (mean = 6.1 [2.7] vs. 3.7 [1.5] years, P = 0.007), whereas the number of
      patients randomized, median follow-up, or time from manuscript submission to
      acceptance were not significantly different between the periods. For each
      increasing year of publication, there was a significant improvement of 1.34%
      points (95% CI: 0.86-1.83, P<0.0001) in the Consolidated Standards of Reporting
      Trials score. CONCLUSIONS: Fewer RCTs in TC were published in the recent 13-year
      period. Although the quality of trial reporting improved compared with the
      preceding 13-year period, deficiencies remain. Urologists can play an important
      role in trial design, recruitment, and execution, and ensuring trial methodology
      and reporting quality is prioritized.

PMID- 26493449
TI  - Prevalence and management of prostate cancer among East Asian men: Current trends
      and future perspectives.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Previously East Asian men had been considered less likely to develop
      or die of prostate cancer. Emerging research and the onset of prostate-specific
      antigen screening in East Asian countries suggests that this may not be the case.
      We sought to analyze epidemiology and molecular genetic data and recent trends in
      the management of prostate cancer among East Asian men. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We
      performed literature searches using PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar to examine
      current literature on prostate cancer in East Asian men. Additionally, articles
      were searched for further references related to the topic. RESULTS: Recent
      studies have reported increasing incidence of prostate cancer identified in East
      Asian men. Prostate cancer mortality has increased and is currently the fourth
      leading cause of death among men in Shanghai, China. Although prostate cancer was
      considered less aggressive among East Asian men, studies suggest that it is
      similarly aggressive to prostate cancer in Western populations. Molecular markers
      such as the TEMPRESS:ERG fusion gene and PTEN loss may provide novel methods of
      screening East Asian men for prostate cancer. National-level guidelines for
      prostate cancer screening and management are only available in Japan.
      CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of prostate cancer in East Asian men is likely
      similar to that in Western male populations. East Asian men present at higher
      stages of prostate cancer, likely because of a lack of standardized screening
      protocols. Urologists in Western countries should screen East Asian men for
      prostate cancer using the same standards as used for Western men.

PMID- 26493451
TI  - Obama outlines plan to curb prescription drug and heroin misuse.

PMID- 26493452
TI  - Oxalate induces breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microcalcifications can be the early and only presenting sign of
      breast cancer. One shared characteristic of breast cancer is the appearance of
      mammographic mammary microcalcifications that can routinely be used to detect
      breast cancer in its initial stages, which is of key importance due to the
      possibility that early detection allows the application of more conservative
      therapies for a better patient outcome. The mechanism by which mammary
      microcalcifications are formed is still largely unknown but breast cancers
      presenting microcalcifications are more often associated with a poorer prognosis.
      METHODS: We combined Capillary Electrochromatography, histology, and gene
      expression (qRT-PCR) to analyze patient-matched normal breast tissue vs. breast
      tumor. Potential carcinogenicity of oxalate was tested by its inoculation into
      mice. All data were subjected to statistical analysis. RESULTS: To study the
      biological significance of oxalates within the breast tumor microenvironment, we
      measured oxalate concentration in both human breast tumor tissues and adjoining
      non-pathological breast tissues. We found that all tested breast tumor tissues
      contain a higher concentration of oxalates than their counterpart non
      pathological breast tissue. Moreover, it was established that oxalate induces
      proliferation of breast cells and stimulates the expression of a pro-tumorigenic
      gene c-fos. Furthermore, oxalate generates highly malignant and undifferentiated
      tumors when it was injected into the mammary fatpad in female mice, but not when
      injected into their back, indicating that oxalate does not induce cancer
      formation in all types of tissues. Moreover, neither human kidney-epithelial
      cells nor mouse fibroblast cells proliferate when are treated with oxalate.
      CONCLUSIONS: We found that the chronic exposure of breast epithelial cells to
      oxalate promotes the transformation of breast cells from normal to tumor cells,
      inducing the expression of a proto-oncogen as c-fos and proliferation in breast
      cancer cells. Furthermore, oxalate has a carcinogenic effect when injected into
      the mammary fatpad in mice, generating highly malignant and undifferentiated
      tumors with the characteristics of fibrosarcomas of the breast. As oxalates seem
      to promote these differences, it is expected that a significant reduction in the
      incidence of breast cancer tumors could be reached if it were possible to control
      oxalate production or its carcinogenic activity.

PMID- 26493453
TI  - Identification of ABCC8 as a contributory gene to impaired early-phase insulin
      secretion in NZO mice.
AB  - Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with defective insulin secretion, which in
      turn contributes to worsening glycaemic control and disease progression. The
      genetic cause(s) associated with impaired insulin secretion in T2D are not well
      elucidated. Here we used the polygenic New Zealand Obese (NZO) mouse model, which
      displays all the cardinal features of T2D including hyperglycaemia to identify
      genes associated with beta-cell dysfunction. A genome-wide scan identified a
      major quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 7 associated with defective
      glucose-mediated insulin secretion. Using congenic strains, the locus was
      narrowed to two candidate genes encoding the components of the KATP channel:
      Abcc8 (SUR1) and Kcnj11 (Kir6.2). The NZO Abcc8 allele was associated with a ~211
      bp deletion in its transcript and reduced expression of SUR1. Transgenic NZO mice
      were generated that expressed the WT Abcc8/Kcnj11 genes and displayed significant
      improvements in early-phase glucose-mediated insulin secretion and glucose
      tolerance, confirming Abcc8 as a causative gene. Importantly, we showed that
      despite improving beta-cell function in the NZO transgenic mice, there was no
      enhancement of insulin sensitivity or body weight. This study provides evidence
      for a role of Abcc8 in early-phase glucose-mediated insulin secretion and
      validates this gene as a contributor to beta-cell dysfunction in T2D. 

PMID- 26493454
TI  - Systems analysis of non-parenchymal cell modulation of liver repair across
      multiple regeneration modes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A hallmark of chronic liver disease is the impairment of the liver's
      innate regenerative ability. In this work we use a computational approach to
      unravel the principles underlying control of liver repair following an acute
      physiological challenge. METHODS: We used a mathematical model of inter- and
      intra-cellular interactions during liver regeneration to infer key molecular
      factors underlying the dysregulation of multiple regeneration modes, including
      delayed, suppressed, and enhanced regeneration. We used model analysis techniques
      to identify organizational principles governing the cellular regulation of liver
      regeneration. We fit our model to several published data sets of deficient
      regeneration in rats and healthy regeneration in humans, rats, and mice to
      predict differences in molecular regulation in disease states and across species.
      RESULTS: Analysis of the computational model pointed to an important balance
      involving inflammatory signals and growth factors, largely produced by Kupffer
      cells and hepatic stellate cells, respectively. Our model analysis results also
      indicated an organizational principle of molecular regulation whereby production
      rate of molecules acted to induce coarse-grained control of signaling levels
      while degradation rate acted to induce fine-tuning control. We used this
      computational framework to investigate hypotheses concerning molecular regulation
      of regeneration across species and in several chronic disease states in rats,
      including fructose-induced steatohepatitis, alcoholic steatohepatitis, toxin
      induced cirrhosis, and toxin-induced diabetes. Our results indicate that altered
      non-parenchymal cell activation is sufficient to explain deficient regeneration
      caused by multiple disease states. We also investigated liver regeneration across
      mammalian species. Our results suggest that non-invasive measures of liver
      regeneration taken at 30 days following resection could differentiate between
      several hypotheses about how human liver regeneration differs from rat
      regeneration. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our results provide a new computational
      platform integrating a wide range of experimental information, with broader
      utility in exploring the dynamic patterns of liver regeneration across species
      and over multiple chronic diseases.

PMID- 26493455
TI  - Fitness predicts long-term survival after a cardiovascular event: a prospective
      cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify the role of fitness, fitness change, body mass index and
      other factors in predicting long-term (>5 years) survival in patients with
      coronary heart disease. DESIGN: Cohort study of patients with coronary heart
      disease recruited from 1 January 1993 to 31 December 2002, followed up to March
      2011 (1 day to 18 years 3 months, mean 10.7 years). SETTING: A community-based
      National Health Service (NHS) cardiac rehabilitation programme serving the
      Basingstoke and Alton area in Hampshire, UK. PARTICIPANTS: An unselected cohort
      of NHS patients, 2167 men and 547 women aged 28-88 years, who attended the
      rehabilitation programme following acute myocardial infarction, an episode of
      angina or revascularisation, and had a baseline fitness test. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: A high level
      of fitness (VO2>=22 mL/kg/min for men, VO2>=19 mL/kg/min for women) at completion
      of the programme was associated with decreased all-cause death, as was a
      prescription for statins or aspirin, and female gender. Increase in all-cause
      mortality was associated with higher age and ACE inhibitors prescription. Higher
      risk of cardiovascular mortality was associated with increasing age,
      prescriptions for ACE inhibitor, and diagnosis of myocardial infarction or angina
      as compared with the other diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: Prior fitness and fitness
      improvement are strong predictors of long-term survival in patients who have
      experienced a cardiac event or procedure. Some secondary prevention medications
      make a significant contribution to reducing all-cause mortality and
      cardiovascular mortality in these patients. This study supports public health
      messages promoting fitness for life.

PMID- 26493456
TI  - Comparative effectiveness of inhaled corticosteroids for paediatric asthma:
      protocol for a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Use of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) is the mainstream maintenance
      therapy for paediatric asthma. Several forms of ICS are available, but the
      relative effectiveness among ICS has not been well investigated in published,
      randomised, controlled trials. The paucity of direct comparisons between ICS may
      have resulted in insufficient estimation in former systematic reviews/meta
      analyses. To supplement the information on the comparative effectiveness of ICS
      for paediatric asthma, we plan to conduct a network meta-analysis that will
      enable summary of direct and indirect evidence. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will
      retrieve randomised, controlled trials that examined the effectiveness of ICS for
      paediatric asthma from the PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled
      Trials. After one author scans the title and abstract for eligible studies, two
      authors will independently review study data and assess the quality of the study.
      Studies of children (<=18 years old) with chronic asthma or recurrent wheezing
      episodes will be included if they used ICS for >=4 weeks. We will define a priori
      core outcomes and supplemental outcomes of paediatric asthma, including
      exacerbation, healthcare use and pulmonary function. Studies reporting a minimum
      of one core outcome will be entered into the systematic review. After the
      systematic review is performed, extracted data of relevant studies will be
      synthesised in the Bayesian framework using a random-effects model. ETHICS AND
      DISSEMINATION: The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed
      publications and conference presentations. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER: UMIN
      (000016724) and PROSPERO (CRD42015025889).

PMID- 26493457
TI  - Rapid diagnostic pathways for suspected colorectal cancer: views of primary and
      secondary care clinicians on challenges and their potential solutions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To ascertain the challenges associated with implementation of the 2
      week wait referral criteria and waiting time targets for colorectal cancer and to
      identify recommendations for improvements to the pathway. DESIGN: Qualitative
      research using semistructured interviews and applying thematic analysis using the
      method of constant comparison. SETTING: 10 primary care surgeries and 6 secondary
      care centres from 3 geographical areas in the England. PARTICIPANTS: Purposive
      sample of 24 clinicians (10 general practitioners (GPs), 7 oncologists and 7
      colorectal surgeons). RESULTS: GPs and specialists highlighted delays in patient
      help-seeking, difficulties applying the colorectal cancer referral criteria due
      to their low predictive value, and concerns about the stringent application of
      targets because of potential impact on individual care and associated penalties
      for breaching. Promoting patient awareness and early presentation, clarifying
      predictive symptoms, allowing flexibility, optimising resources and maximising
      care coordination were suggested as improvements. CONCLUSIONS: Challenges during
      diagnosis and treatment persist, with guidelines and waiting time targets
      producing the perception of unintended harms at individual and organisational
      levels. This has led to variations in how guidelines are implemented. These
      require urgent evaluation, so that effective practices can be adopted more
      widely.

PMID- 26493458
TI  - Patients who discontinued statin treatment: a protocol for cohort study using
      primary care data.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Risk thresholds for using statins to prevent cardiovascular disease
      (CVD) have recently been lowered, so an increasing number of patients are now
      prescribed these drugs. Although the safety of long-term statin use has been
      generally established, concerns about the balance of risks and benefits of
      statins still exist for some medical professionals and patients, and issues
      concerning their side effects are occasionally widely publicised. This study will
      report the rates of stopping for statins and also identify any patient groups
      more likely to stop using statins, so possibly increasing their risk of
      cardiovascular events. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A prospective open cohort study
      between 1 January 2002 and 30 September 2014 will be based on the general
      population of people prescribed statins, using records from UK general practices
      contributing to the Clinical Practice Research Database (CPRD). Participants aged
      25-84 years will enter the cohort on the date of their first prescription for a
      statin and leave on the earliest date of: a cardiovascular event; death; leaving
      the practice; the last practice upload date or the study end date. If there are
      no prescriptions within 90 days after the expected finishing date of a
      prescription, a patient will be defined as a stopper with the discontinuation
      outcome date as the expected finishing date. Rates of statin discontinuation will
      be calculated by calendar year, type and dose of statin, age, and morbidities.
      Cox proportional regression analyses will be run to identify the most important
      factors associated with discontinuation. Analyses will be run separately for
      patients without CVD (primary prevention) and with diagnosed CVD (secondary
      prevention). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The protocol has been reviewed and
      approved by Independent Scientific Advisory Committee for MHRA Database Research.
      The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

PMID- 26493459
TI  - Adaptation and uptake evaluation of an SMS text message smoking cessation
      programme (MiQuit) for use in antenatal care.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To adapt a tailored short message service (SMS) text message smoking
      cessation intervention (MiQuit) for use without active health professional
      endorsement in routine antenatal care settings, to estimate 'real-world' uptake
      and test the feasibility of its use. DESIGN: Single-site service evaluation.
      SETTING: A Nottinghamshire (UK) antenatal clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Pregnant women
      accessing the antenatal clinic (N=1750) over 6 months. INTERVENTION: A single
      sheet A5 leaflet provided in the women's maternity notes folder describing the
      MiQuit text service. Similar materials were left on clinic desks and
      noticeboards. OUTCOME MEASURES: MiQuit activation requests and system
      interactions were logged for two time frames: 6 months (strict) and 8 months
      (extended). Local hospital data were used to estimate the denominator of pregnant
      smokers exposed to the materials. RESULTS: During the strict and extended time
      frames, 13 and 25 activation requests were received, representing 3% (95% CI 2%
      to 5%) and 4% (95% CI 3% to 6%) of estimated smokers, respectively. Only 11 (44%)
      of the 25 requesting activation sent a correctly formatted initiation text. Of
      those activating MiQuit, and invited to complete tailoring questions (used to
      tailor support), 6 (67%) completed all 12 questions by text or website and 5
      (56%) texted a quit date to the system. Of the 11 activating MiQuit, 5 (45%, 95%
      CI 21% to 72%) stopped the programme prematurely. CONCLUSIONS: A low-intensity,
      cheap cessation intervention promoted at very low cost, resulted in a small but
      potentially impactful uptake rate by pregnant smokers.

PMID- 26493460
TI  - Interventions to improve antimicrobial prescribing of doctors in training: the
      IMPACT (IMProving Antimicrobial presCribing of doctors in Training) realist
      review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Antimicrobial resistance has been described as a global crisis-more
      prudent prescribing is part of the solution. Behaviour change interventions are
      needed to improve prescribing practice. Presently, the literature documents that
      context impacts on prescribing decisions, yet insufficient evidence exists to
      enable researchers and policymakers to determine how local tailoring should take
      place. Doctors in training are an important group to study, being numerically the
      largest group of prescribers in UK hospitals. Unfortunately very few
      interventions specifically targeted this group. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Our project
      aims to understand how interventions to change antimicrobial prescribing
      behaviours of doctors in training produce their effects. We will recruit a
      project stakeholder group to advise us throughout. We will synthesise the
      literature using the realist review approach-a form of theory-driven interpretive
      systematic review approach often used to make sense of complex interventions.
      Interventions to improve antimicrobial prescribing behaviours are complex-they
      are context dependent, have long implementation chains, multiple non-linear
      interactions, emergence and depend on human agency. Our review will iteratively
      progress through 5 steps: step 1--Locate existing theories; step 2--Search for
      evidence; step 3--Article selection; step 4--Extracting and organising data; and
      step 5--Synthesising the evidence and drawing conclusions. Data analysis will use
      a realist logic of analysis to describe and explain what works, for whom, in what
      circumstances, in what respects, how and why to improve antimicrobial prescribing
      behaviour of doctors in training. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was
      not required for our review. Our dissemination strategy will be participatory and
      involve input from our stakeholder group. Tailored project outputs will be
      targeted at 3 audiences: (1) doctors in training; (2) clinical
      supervisors/trainers and medical educators; and (3) policy, decision makers,
      regulators and royal societies.

PMID- 26493461
TI  - Evaluating the effectiveness of a home-based exercise programme delivered through
      a tablet computer for preventing falls in older community-dwelling people over 2
      years: study protocol for the Standing Tall randomised controlled trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In order to prevent falls, older people should exercise for at
      least 2 h per week for 6 months, with a strong focus on balance exercises. This
      article describes the design of a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the
      effectiveness of a home-based exercise programme delivered through a tablet
      computer to prevent falls in older people. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Participants
      aged 70 years or older, living in the community in Sydney will be recruited and
      randomly allocated to an intervention or control group. The intervention consists
      of a tailored, home-based balance training delivered through a tablet computer.
      Intervention participants will be asked to complete 2 h of exercises per week for
      2 years. Both groups will receive an education programme focused on health
      related information relevant to older adults, delivered through the tablet
      computer via weekly fact sheets. Primary outcome measures include number of
      fallers and falls rate recorded in weekly fall diaries at 12 months. A sample
      size of 500 will be necessary to see an effect on falls rate. Secondary outcome
      measures include concern about falling, depressive symptoms, health-related
      quality of life and physical activity levels (in all 500 participants); and
      physiological fall risk, balance, functional mobility, gait, stepping and
      cognitive performance (in a subsample of 200 participants). Adherence,
      acceptability, usability and enjoyment will be recorded in intervention group
      participants over 2 years. Data will be analysed using the intention-to-treat
      principle. Secondary analyses are planned in people with greater adherence.
      Economic analyses will be assessed from a health and community care provider
      perspective. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was obtained from UNSW
      Ethics Committee in December 2014 (ref number HC#14/266). Outcomes will be
      disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at
      international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Australian New Zealand
      Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN)12615000138583.

PMID- 26493462
TI  - Frequency-selective REDOR and spin-diffusion relays in uniformly labeled whole
      cells.
AB  - Solid-state NMR is a powerful and non-perturbative method to measure and define
      chemical composition and architecture in bacterial cell walls, even in the
      context of whole cells. Most NMR studies on whole cells have used selectively
      labeled samples. Here, we introduce an NMR sequence relay using frequency
      selective REDOR (fsREDOR) and spin diffusion elements to probe a unique amine
      contribution in uniformly (13)C- and (15)N-labeled Staphylococcus aureus whole
      cells that we attribute to the d-alanine of teichoic acid. In addition to the
      primary peptidoglycan structural scaffold, cell walls can contain significant
      amounts of teichoic acid that contribute to cell-wall function. When incorporated
      into teichoic acid, d-alanine is present as an ester, connected via its carbonyl
      to a ribitol carbon, and thus has a free amine. Teichoic acid d-Ala is removed
      during cell-wall isolations and can only be detected in the context of whole
      cells. The sequence presented here begins with fsREDOR and a chemical shift
      evolution period for 2D data acquisition, followed by DARR spin diffusion and
      then an additional fsREDOR period. fsREDOR elements were used for (13)C
      observation to avoid complications from (13)C-(13)C couplings due to uniform
      labeling and for (15)N dephasing to achieve selectivity in the nitrogens serving
      as dephasers. The results show that the selected amine nitrogen of interest is
      near to teichoic acid ribitol carbons and also the methyl group carbon associated
      with alanine. In addition, its carbonyl is not significantly dephased by amide
      nitrogens, consistent with the expected microenvironment around teichoic acid. 

PMID- 26493463
TI  - Is osteonecrosis of the lunate bone an underestimated feature of systemic
      sclerosis? A case series of nine patients and review of literature.
AB  - Osteonecrosis of the lunate bone, also known as Kienbock's disease, is a very
      rare disease of unknown cause. Until today, only six cases of osteonecrosis of
      the lunate bone in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have been reported in
      the literature. It is unknown whether these few cases reflect only a coincidence
      of two rare diseases or whether osteonecrosis of the lunate bone is a potential
      currently underestimated disease-associated feature of SSc. In this study, we
      report the clinical course of nine SSc patients with magnetic resonance imaging
      proven osteonecrosis of the lunate bone and discuss associated disease
      characteristics and potential underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. Overall,
      our observations suggest that osteonecrosis of the lunate bone is a frequent and
      so far under-recognized manifestation of SSc which might be linked to SSc-related
      vasculopathy. It is important to distinguish osteonecrosis of the lunate bone
      from wrist arthritis in SSc patients because the clinical treatment is different.
      In general, the clinical progression of osteonecrosis of the lunate bone seems to
      be slow in SSc patients. As most of the patients have only minor complaints,
      watchful waiting in combination with analgesic therapy seems to be a feasible
      treatment approach in most patients whether an operative intervention might be
      necessary in rapid progressive cases. 

PMID- 26493464
TI  - Exercise for ankylosing spondylitis: An evidence-based consensus statement.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Despite Level 1b evidence and international consensus that exercise is
      beneficial in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), there is a paucity of detailed
      information to guide exercise prescription, including the type and dosage of
      exercise required for the most benefit. This collaborative project, combining
      evidence with clinical expertise, was established to develop practical
      recommendations to guide sustainable exercise prescription for individuals with
      AS. METHODS: Using a modified Delphi technique, 10 clinical questions were
      generated and a systematic literature review was conducted for each. Draft
      recommendations were developed at a 2-day meeting, based on the integration of
      evidence summaries and expert opinion. Feedback was obtained from patient and
      health professional groups prior to finalisation. RESULTS: Recommendations and
      practice points were developed for the following areas: assessment; monitoring;
      safety; disease management; AS-specific exercise; physical activity; dosage,
      adherence and setting. A framework was developed that could also be adapted for
      exercise in other chronic musculoskeletal conditions. Feedback suggests that the
      final consensus statement provides useful information for those seeking to
      provide best practice exercise prescription for people with AS. CONCLUSION: The
      recommendations provide an up-to-date, evidence-based approach to the full range
      of issues related to the use of exercise in AS, as well as identifying evidence
      gaps for further research. Most importantly, this includes investigation of
      aspects of exercise programme design required to produce the largest effect, long
      term adherence with exercise programs and the specific exercise requirements of
      sub-groups of people with AS. Widespread dissemination and implementation of the
      guidelines will be required to optimise exercise outcomes.

PMID- 26493465
TI  - Ameliorative potential of gingerol: Promising modulation of inflammatory factors
      and lipid marker enzymes expressions in HFD induced obesity in rats.
AB  - Obesity, generally linked to hyperlipidemia, has been occurring of late with
      distressing alarm and has now become a global phenomenon casting a huge economic
      burden on the health care system of countries around the world. The present study
      investigated the effects of gingerol over 30 days on the changes in HFD-induced
      obese rats in marker enzymes of lipid metabolism such as fatty-acid synthase
      (FAS), Acetyl CoA Carboxylase (ACC), Carnitine Palmitoyl Transferase-1(CPT-1),
      HMG co-A Reductase (HMGR), Lecithin Choline Acyl Transferase (LCAT) and
      Lipoprotein Lipase (LPL) and inflammatory markers (TNF-alpha and IL-6). The rats
      were treated orally with gingerol (75 mg kg(-1)) once daily for 30 days with a
      lorcaserin-treated group (10 mg kg(-1)) included for comparison. Changes in body
      weight, glucose, insulin resistance and expressions of lipid marker enzymes and
      inflammatory markers in tissues were observed in experimental rats. The
      administration of gingerol resulted in a significant reduction in body weight
      gain, glucose and insulin levels, and insulin resistance, which altered the
      activity, expressions of lipid marker enzymes and inflammatory markers. It showed
      that gingerol had significantly altered these parameters when compared with HFD
      control rats. This study confirms that gingerol prevents HFD-induced
      hyperlipidemia by modulating the expression of enzymes important to cholesterol
      metabolism.

PMID- 26493466
TI  - Low plasma levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor are potential risk factors
      for diabetic retinopathy in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients.
AB  - Previous studies suggested that neurotrophins play a role in the diabetic
      retinopathy (DR). We therefore evaluated the role of plasma brain derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients with and
      without diabetic retinopathy (DR). Plasma levels of BDNF were determined in type
      2 diabetic patients (N=344). At baseline, the demographical and clinical data
      were taken. Multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression
      models. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) was used to test the
      overall predict accuracy of BDNF and other markers. Diabetic patients with DR and
      vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR) had significantly lower BDNF
      levels on admission (P<0.0001 both). BDNF improved the area under the receiver
      operating characteristic curve of the diabetes duration for DR from 0.76 (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 0.71-0.82) to 0.89 (95% CI, 0.82-0.95; P<0.01) and for
      VDTR from 0.84 (95% CI, 0.78-0.92) to 0.95 (95% CI, 0.90-0.98; P<0.01).
      Multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for common risk factors showed
      that plasma BDNF levels<=12.4 ng/mL(1(rd) quartiles) was an independent marker of
      DR (OR=3.92; 95%CI: 2.31-6.56) and VTDR (OR=4.88; 95%CI: 2.21-9.30). The present
      study demonstrated that decreased plasma levels of BDNF were independent markers
      for DR and VDTR in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients, suggesting a possible role
      of BDNF in the pathogenesis of DR complications. 

PMID- 26493467
TI  - Multicentre analysis of incidental findings on low-resolution CT attenuation
      correction images: an extended study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review new incidental findings detected on low-resolution CT
      attenuation correction (CTAC) images acquired during single-photon emission CT-CT
      myocardial perfusion imaging as an extension to our initial study. METHODS: CTAC
      images acquired as part of myocardial perfusion imaging performed using single
      photon emission CT at four UK nuclear medicine centres were evaluated as part of
      a multicentre study. New incidental findings that were considered to be
      clinically significant were evaluated further. Positive-predictive value (PPV)
      was determined at the time of definitive diagnosis. RESULTS: Out of 3485
      patients, 962 (28%) patients had a positive finding on the CTAC image, of which
      824 (24%) were new findings. 84 (2.4%) patients had findings that were considered
      clinically significant at the time of the CTAC report and which had not been
      previously diagnosed. However, only 10 (0.29%) of these had findings that were
      confirmed as clinically significant, with the potential to be detrimental to
      patient outcome, after follow-up and definitive diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The
      overall PPV from all centres over the 2-year period was 12%. Each centre achieved
      what we considered to be low PPVs with no significant difference between the
      present and initial studies. The additional data from the combined studies show
      that, statistically, there is no significant difference between the PPVs from any
      of the centres. We conclude that routine reporting of CTAC images is not
      beneficial. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: This study combined with the previous study
      offers a unique evaluation of new clinically significant incidental findings on
      low-resolution CT images in an attempt to determine the benefit of reporting the
      CTAC images.

PMID- 26493468
TI  - The incremental impact of cardiac MRI on clinical decision-making.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Despite a significant expansion in the use of cardiac MRI (CMR), there
      is inadequate evaluation of its incremental impact on clinical decision-making
      over and above other well-established modalities. We sought to determine the
      incremental utility of CMR in routine practice. METHODS: 629 consecutive CMR
      studies referred by 44 clinicians from 9 institutions were evaluated. Pre-defined
      algorithms were used to determine the incremental influence on diagnostic
      thinking, influence on clinical management and thus the overall clinical utility.
      Studies were also subdivided and evaluated according to the indication for CMR.
      RESULTS: CMR provided incremental information to the clinician in 85% of cases,
      with incremental influence on diagnostic thinking in 85% of cases and incremental
      impact on management in 42% of cases. The overall incremental utility of CMR
      exceeded 90% in 7 out of the 13 indications, whereas in settings such as the
      evaluation of unexplained ventricular arrhythmia or mild left ventricular
      systolic dysfunction, this was <50%. CONCLUSION: CMR was frequently able to
      inform and influence decision-making in routine clinical practice, even with
      analyses that accepted only incremental clinical information and excluded a
      redundant duplication of imaging. Significant variations in yield were noted
      according to the indication for CMR. These data support a wider integration of
      CMR services into cardiac imaging departments. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: These data
      are the first to objectively evaluate the incremental value of a UK CMR service
      in clinical decision-making. Such data are essential when seeking justification
      for a CMR service.

PMID- 26493469
TI  - The effect of labor and delivery on white blood cell count.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore post-partum white blood cell (WBC) count, and possible
      factors affecting it. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis of 12 079
      healthy women, delivering a singleton term fetus with an uncomplicated course of
      labor, delivery and puerperium. All women delivered in a single tertiary,
      university-affiliated medical center from 2009 to 2014. Student's t-test, Mann
      Whitney's U-test, chi(2) test and ANOVA were used to compare between variables.
      Multiple variable analyses was performed to allow adjustment for potential
      covariates and confounders. The main outcome measures included post-partum WBC
      count and the difference in the post-partum versus ante-partum WBC count, in
      association to mode of delivery, type of analgesia, timing of cesarean delivery
      and perineal trauma. RESULTS: The mean post-partum WBC count was 13.39 +/- .24 *
      10(9)/L (range 1.20-37.30 * 10(9)/L). There is a significant increase in the WBC
      after delivery (2.1 9 +/- 3.33 * 10(9)/L) with significant differences according
      to mode of delivery (2.34 +/- 3.48, 3.32 +/- 3.69 and 1.6 0 +/- 2.87 * 10(9)/L
      for spontaneous, assisted and cesarean deliveries. Multiple variables can affect
      post-partum leukocytosis, including: age, parity, gestational age, mode of
      delivery, type of anesthesia, timing of cesarean delivery in relation to labor
      onset and the extent of perineal trauma. CONCLUSIONS: Post-partum leukocytosis is
      a physiological phenomenon with a wide normal variation and multiple contributing
      factors. As a single parameter, post-partum leukocytosis should not prompt
      further work up.

PMID- 26493470
TI  - Long-term water stress leads to acclimation of drought sensitivity of
      photosynthetic capacity in xeric but not riparian Eucalyptus species.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Experimental drought is well documented to induce a decline
      in photosynthetic capacity. However, if given time to acclimate to low water
      availability, the photosynthetic responses of plants to low soil moisture content
      may differ from those found in short-term experiments. This study aims to test
      whether plants acclimate to long-term water stress by modifying the functional
      relationships between photosynthetic traits and water stress, and whether species
      of contrasting habitat differ in their degree of acclimation. METHODS: Three
      Eucalyptus taxa from xeric and riparian habitats were compared with regard to
      their gas exchange responses under short- and long-term drought. Photosynthetic
      parameters were measured after 2 and 4 months of watering treatments, namely
      field capacity or partial drought. At 4 months, all plants were watered to field
      capacity, then watering was stopped. Further measurements were made during the
      subsequent 'drying-down', continuing until stomata were closed. KEY RESULTS: Two
      months of partial drought consistently reduced assimilation rate, stomatal
      sensitivity parameters (g1), apparent maximum Rubisco activity (V'(cmax)) and
      maximum electron transport rate (J'(max)). Eucalyptus occidentalis from the xeric
      habitat showed the smallest decline in V'(cmax) and J'(max); however, after 4
      months, V'(cmax) and J'(max) had recovered. Species differed in their degree of
      V'(cmax) acclimation. Eucalyptus occidentalis showed significant acclimation of
      the pre-dawn leaf water potential at which the V'(cmax) and 'true' V(cmax)
      (accounting for mesophyll conductance) declined most steeply during drying-down.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate carbon loss under prolonged drought could be
      over-estimated without accounting for acclimation. In particular, (1) species
      from contrasting habitats differed in the magnitude of V'(cmax) reduction in
      short-term drought; (2) long-term drought allowed the possibility of acclimation,
      such that V'(cmax) reduction was mitigated; (3) xeric species showed a greater
      degree of V'(cmax) acclimation; and (4) photosynthetic acclimation involves
      hydraulic adjustments to reduce water loss while maintaining photosynthesis.

PMID- 26493471
TI  - Cox regression with missing covariate data using a modified partial likelihood
      method.
AB  - Missing covariate values is a common problem in survival analysis. In this paper
      we propose a novel method for the Cox regression model that is close to maximum
      likelihood but avoids the use of the EM-algorithm. It exploits that the observed
      hazard function is multiplicative in the baseline hazard function with the idea
      being to profile out this function before carrying out the estimation of the
      parameter of interest. In this step one uses a Breslow type estimator to estimate
      the cumulative baseline hazard function. We focus on the situation where the
      observed covariates are categorical which allows us to calculate estimators
      without having to assume anything about the distribution of the covariates. We
      show that the proposed estimator is consistent and asymptotically normal, and
      derive a consistent estimator of the variance-covariance matrix that does not
      involve any choice of a perturbation parameter. Moderate sample size performance
      of the estimators is investigated via simulation and by application to a real
      data example.

PMID- 26493472
TI  - Thermodynamic modelling of hydrophobic interaction chromatography of biomolecules
      in the presence of salt.
AB  - Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) is a useful method for isolation and
      purification of macromolecules. HIC separates proteins on the basis of surface
      hydrophobicity while generally retaining the activity of proteins. Aqueous mobile
      phases with high salt concentrations are often used to adsorb the proteins on a
      mildly hydrophobic support. In this research, the thermodynamic model of Chen and
      Sun, which predicts the adsorption isotherms of protein in presence of different
      type of salts, was modified by substitution the protein and salt activities in
      the mobile phase instead of their concentrations. In addition, model was examined
      for studying the adsorption of BSA, HSA, alpha-lactalbumin and Trypsinogen on
      different sepharose gels. The model parameters of Chen and Sun are adsorption
      equilibrium constant (KP), protein dehydration equilibrium constant (Ks), salt
      coefficient (alpha) and number of ligand binding (n). By substitution activity
      instead of salt and protein concentration, two other parameters (c1 and As),
      which related to the activity coefficients, are added to the model. The
      parameters of this nonlinear model are calculated by genetic algorithm (GA). The
      maximum average absolute percentage deviation (AAD) for the data which are
      obtained from the adsorption isotherm of BSA on phenyl sepharose gel, in the
      presence of different concentration of NaCl was 4.8%, while for Chen and Sun
      model, was 22.0%. Also maximum ADD for HSA, alpha-lactalbumin, and Trypsinogen
      adsorption was 7.8, 6.9, and 8.4, respectively. The results indicate that the
      modified model has adequate accuracy to predict protein HIC behaviour. 

PMID- 26493473
TI  - Asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation coupled to inductively coupled plasma
      mass spectrometry for the quantification of quantum dots bioconjugation
      efficiency.
AB  - Hyphenation of asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) to an on-line
      elemental detection (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, ICP-MS) is
      proposed as a powerful diagnostic tool for quantum dots bioconjugation studies.
      In particular, conjugation effectiveness between a "model" monoclonal IgG
      antibody (Ab) and CdSe/ZnS core-shell Quantum Dots (QDs), surface-coated with an
      amphiphilic polymer, has been monitored here by such hybrid AF4-ICP-MS technique.
      Experimental conditions have been optimized searching for a proper separation
      between the sought bioconjugates from the eventual free reagents excesses
      employed during the bioconjugation (QDs and antibodies). Composition and pH of
      the carrier have been found to be critical parameters to ensure an efficient
      separation while ensuring high species recovery from the AF4 channel. An ICP-MS
      equipped with a triple quadropole was selected as elemental detector to enable
      sensitive and reliable simultaneous quantification of the elemental constituents,
      including sulfur, of the nanoparticulated species and the antibody. The
      hyphenated technique used provided nanoparticle size-based separation, elemental
      detection, and composition analysis capabilities that turned out to be
      instrumental in order to investigate in depth the Ab-QDs bioconjugation process.
      Moreover, the analytical strategy here proposed allowed us not only to clearly
      identify the bioconjugation reaction products but also to quantify
      nanoparticle:antibodies bioconjugation efficiency. This is a key issue in future
      development of analytical and bioanalytical photoluminescent QDs applications. 

PMID- 26493474
TI  - Sedimentation field-flow fractionation for characterization of citric acid
      modified Hbeta zeolite particles: Effect of particle dispersion and carrier
      composition.
AB  - In this study, sedimentation field-flow fractionation (SdFFF) was, for the first
      time, applied for determination of size distribution of Hbeta zeolite particles
      modified by citric acid (CA-Hbeta). Effects of the particle dispersion and the
      carrier liquid composition (type of dispersing reagent (surfactant) and salt
      added in the carrier liquid, ionic strength, and pH) on SdFFF elution behavior of
      CA-Hbeta zeolite particles were systematically investigated. Also the SdFFF
      separation efficiency of the particles was discussed in terms of the forces such
      as van der Waals, hydrophobic, and induced-dipole interactions. Results reveal
      that the type of salt and pH of the carrier liquid significantly affect the SdFFF
      separation efficiency of the zeolite particles. It was found that addition of a
      salt (NaN3) into the carrier liquid affects the characteristic of the SdFFF
      channel surface. It was found that the use of an acidic medium (pH 3.2) leads to
      a particle-channel interaction, while the use of a basic medium (pH 10.6)
      promotes an inter-particle hydrophobic interaction. Result from SdFFF was
      compared with those from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic light
      scattering (DLS). It seems that, once the experimental conditions are optimized,
      SdFFF becomes a valuable tool for size characterization of the zeolite particles.

PMID- 26493475
TI  - Ocular myasthenia gravis induced by human acetylcholine receptor epsilon subunit
      immunization in HLA DR3 transgenic mice.
AB  - Extraocular muscles (EOM) are preferentially involved in myasthenia gravis (MG)
      and acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody positive MG patients may occasionally
      present with isolated ocular symptoms. Although experimental autoimmune
      myasthenia gravis (EAMG) induced by whole AChR immunization closely mimics
      clinical and immunopathological aspects of MG, EOM are usually not affected. We
      have previously developed an EAMG model, which imitates EOM symptoms of MG by
      immunization of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) transgenic mice with alpha or gamma
      subunits of human AChR (H-AChR). To investigate the significance of the epsilon
      subunit in ocular MG, we immunized HLA-DR3 and HLA-DQ8 transgenic mice with
      recombinant H-AChR epsilon-subunit expressed in Escherichia coli. HLA-DR3
      transgenic mice showed significantly higher clinical ocular and generalized MG
      severity scores and lower grip strength values than HLA-DQ8 mice. H-AChR epsilon
      subunit-immunized HLA-DR3 transgenic mice had higher serum anti-AChR antibody
      (IgG, IgG1, IgG2b, IgG2c and IgM) levels, neuromuscular junction IgG and
      complement deposit percentages than epsilon-subunit-immunized HLA-DQ8 transgenic
      mice. Control mice immunized with E. coli extract or complete Freund adjuvant
      (CFA) did not show clinical and immunopathological features of ocular and
      generalized EAMG. Lymph node cells of epsilon-subunit-immunized HLA-DR3 mice
      showed significantly higher proliferative responses than those of epsilon-subunit
      immunized HLA-DQ8 mice, crude E. coli extract-immunized and CFA-immunized
      transgenic mice. Our results indicate that the human AChR epsilon-subunit is
      capable of inducing myasthenic muscle weakness. Diversity of the autoimmune
      responses displayed by mice expressing different HLA class II molecules suggests
      that the interplay between HLA class II alleles and AChR subunits might have a
      profound impact on the clinical course of MG. 

PMID- 26493476
TI  - Selection of population controls for a Salmonella case-control study in the UK
      using a market research panel and web-survey provides time and resource savings.
AB  - Timely recruitment of population controls in infectious disease outbreak
      investigations is challenging. We evaluated the timeliness and cost of using a
      market research panel as a sampling frame for recruiting controls in a case
      control study during an outbreak of Salmonella Mikawasima in the UK in 2013. We
      deployed a web-survey by email to targeted members of a market research panel
      (panel controls) in parallel to the outbreak control team interviewing randomly
      selected public health staff by telephone and completing paper-based
      questionnaires (staff controls). Recruitment and completion of exposure history
      web-surveys for panel controls (n = 123) took 14 h compared to 15 days for staff
      controls (n = 82). The average staff-time cost per questionnaire for staff
      controls was L13.13 compared to an invoiced cost of L3.60 per panel control.
      Differences in the distribution of some exposures existed between these control
      groups but case-control studies using each group found that illness was
      associated with consumption of chicken outside of the home and chicken from local
      butchers. Recruiting market research panel controls offers time and resource
      savings. More rapid investigations would enable more prompt implementation of
      control measures. We recommend that this method of recruiting controls is
      considered in future investigations and assessed further to better understand
      strengths and limitations. 

PMID- 26493477
TI  - Selection of the method to appraise and compare health systems using risk
      stratification: the ASSEHS approach.
AB  - To face the challenge of active and healthy ageing, European Health Systems and
      services should move towards proactive, anticipatory and integrated care. The
      comparison of methods to combine results across studies and to determine an
      overall effect was undertaken by the EU project ASSEHS (Activation of
      Stratification Strategies and Results of the interventions on frail patients of
      Healthcare Services, EU project (No. 2013 12 04). The questions raised in ASSEHS
      are broad and involve a complex body of literature. Thus, systematic reviews are
      not appropriate. The most appropriate method appears to be scoping studies. In
      this paper, an updated method of scoping studies has been used to determine the
      questions needed to appraise the health systems and services for frailty in the
      ageing population. Three objectives were set (i) to detect a relevant number of
      risk stratification tools for frailty and identify the best-in-class, (ii) to
      understand the feasibility of introducing stratification tools and identify the
      difficulties of the process and (iii) to find evidence on the impact of risk
      stratification in Health Services. This novel approach may provide greater
      clarity about scoping study methodology and help enhance the methodological rigor
      with which authors undertake and report scoping studies. 

PMID- 26493478
TI  - Effects of the Mediterranean diet and exercise in subjects with coronary artery
      disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The association of the Mediterranean diet and exercise appears to
      have a protective role, reducing cardiovascular risk. This study investigated the
      effects of education sessions on the Mediterranean diet and an exercise program
      in modifying eating behaviors, body composition and abdominal fat. METHODS: An
      experimental study was performed on 20 subjects with known coronary heart disease
      randomly assigned to experimental (n=10) and control (n=10) groups. Both groups
      received education sessions on the Mediterranean diet, but the experimental group
      also followed an eight-week program of specific exercises. A semiquantitative
      food frequency questionnaire was administered to analyze food intake,
      bioimpedance was used to measure weight, fat mass and lean mass, and waist
      circumference was measured to calculate waist-to-height ratio. RESULTS: After
      eight weeks, protein (p<0.05) and cholesterol (p<0.05) intake in the experimental
      group had decreased significantly compared with the control group. Between the
      beginning and end of the study, there were significant decreases in the control
      group in carbohydrate (p<0.05) and saturated fat intake (p<0.05). In both groups
      the percentage of total fat (p<0.05) and fat mass (p<0.05) was significantly
      decreased. In the experimental group the waist-to-height ratio was significantly
      reduced (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The Mediterranean diet reduced carbohydrate and
      saturated fat intake, reflected in reduced fat mass. The association of the
      exercise program showed additional benefits in reduction of protein and
      cholesterol intake and abdominal fat.

PMID- 26493479
TI  - Palmitoylacyltransferase Zdhhc9 inactivation mitigates leukemogenic potential of
      oncogenic Nras.

PMID- 26493481
TI  - [Background and practical use of the assessment of identity development in
      adolescence (AIDA)].
AB  - A paradigm shift towards early detection and intervention of personality
      disorders in adolescence to prevent persistent and chronic suffering is currently
      taking place. Aside further distinct areas of impaired psychosocial integrity,
      disturbed identity development is seen as one core component of personality
      disorders. Thus, the detection of early antecedents of impaired identity
      development is an important step to allow for early intervention. The self-report
      questionnaire Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence (AIDA) is a
      reliable and valid diagnostic instrument to detect disturbed identity
      development. This questionnaire allows for global assessment of identity and a
      differentiation in fundamental subdomains as well and distinguishes between
      identity diffusion on one side and consolidated and stable identity on the other.
      In clinical practice, it supports the differentiation between severely disturbed
      identity as the core component of personality disorders and identity crisis or
      stable identity development that can be found in other mental disorders.

PMID- 26493482
TI  - [Visual perceptual abilities of children with low motor abilities--a pilot
      study].
AB  - The results of many studies show visual perceptual deficits in children with low
      motor abilities. This study aims to indicate the correlation between visual
      perceptual and motor abilities. The correlation of visual-perceptual and motor
      abilities of 41 children is measured by using the German versions of the
      Developmental Test of Visual Perception--Adolescent and Adult (DTVP-A) and the
      Movement Assessment Battery for Children--Second Edition (M-ABC-2). The visual
      perceptual abilities of children with low motor abilities (n=21) are also
      compared to the visual-perceptual abilities of children with normal motor
      abilities (the control group, n=20). High correlations between the visual
      perceptual and motor abilities are found. The perceptual abilities of the groups
      differ significantly. Nearly half of the children with low motor abilities show
      visual-perceptual deficits. Visual perceptual abilities of children suffering
      coordination disorders should always be assessed. The DTVP-A is useful, because
      it provides the possibilities to compare motor-reduced visual-perceptual
      abilities and visualmotor integration abilities and to estimate the deficit's
      degree.

PMID- 26493483
TI  - [Frequency and Type of Traumatic Events in Children and Adolescents with a
      Posttraumatic Stress Disorder].
AB  - The risk for children and adolescents to be exposed to a potentially traumatic
      event (PTE) is high. The present study examines the frequency of PTEs in children
      and adolescents with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the type of index
      trauma, and its relation to PTSD symptom severity and gender. A clinical sample
      of 159 children and adolescents between 7-16 years was assessed using the
      Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for Children and Adolescents (CAPS-CA). All
      reported PTEs from the checklist were analyzed according to frequency. The index
      events were categorized according to the following categories: cause (random vs.
      intentional), relation to offender (intrafamilial vs. extrafamilial), patient's
      role (victim, witness or vicarious traumatization), and type of PTE (physical or
      sexual violence). Relation between categories and PTSD symptom severity and sex
      were analyzed with inferential statistics. On average participants reported five
      PTEs, most frequently physical violence without weapons (57.9%), loss of loved
      person through death (45.9%), and sexual abuse/assaults (44%). The most frequent
      index traumata were intentional (76.7%). Regarding trauma type, there was a
      significant difference concerning higher symptom severity in children and
      adolescents who experienced sexual abuse/assault compared to physical violence
      (t=-1.913(109), p=0.05). A significantly higher symptom severity was found for
      girls compared to boys for the trauma categories extrafamilial offender (z=-2,27,
      p=0.02), victim (z=-2,11, p=0,04), and sexual abuse/assault (z=-2,43, p=0,01).
      Clinical and diagnostic implications are discussed in relation to the amendments
      of PTSD diagnostic criteria in DSM-5.

PMID- 26493489
TI  - Foxo3a Inhibitors of Microbial Origin, JBIR-141 and JBIR-142.
AB  - JBIR-141 (1) and JBIR-142 (2) were discovered as potent Foxo3a inhibitors that
      consist of three quite unique substructures, a 1-((dimethylamino)ethyl)-5-methyl
      4,5-dihydrooxazole-4-carboxylic acid that is originated from Ala-Thr amino acid
      residues, a 3-acetoxy-4-amino-7-(hydroxy(nitroso)amino)-2,2-dimethylheptanoic
      acid, and an alpha-acyl tetramic acid fused with a 2-methylpropan-1-ol moiety.
      Their structures involving absolute configurations were determined by
      spectroscopic data, chemical degradation, anisotropy methods, and LC-MS analyses
      of diastereomeric derivatives. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited specific inhibition
      against Foxo3a transcriptional activity with IC50 values of 23.1 and 166.2 nM,
      respectively. 

PMID- 26493488
TI  - Functional analyses of the plant-specific C-terminal region of VPS9a: the
      activating factor for RAB5 in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Recent studies demonstrated that endosomal transport played important roles in
      various plant functions. The RAB GTPase regulates the tethering and fusion steps
      of vesicle trafficking to target membranes in each trafficking pathway by acting
      as a molecular switch. RAB GTPase activation is catalyzed by specific guanine
      nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) that promote the exchange of GDP on the RAB
      GTPase with GTP. RAB5 is a key regulator of endosomal trafficking and is uniquely
      diversified in plants; the plant-unique RAB5 group ARA6 was acquired in addition
      to conventional RAB5 during evolution. In Arabidopsis thaliana, conventional
      RAB5, ARA7 and RHA1 regulate the endosomal/vacuolar trafficking pathways, whereas
      ARA6 acts in the pathway from the endosome to the plasma membrane. Despite their
      distinct functions, all RAB5 members are activated by the common GEF VACUOLAR
      PROTEIN SORTING 9a (VPS9a). VPS9a consists of an N-terminal conserved domain and
      C-terminal region (CTR) with no similarity to known functional domains. In this
      study, we investigated the function of the CTR by generating truncated versions
      of VPS9a and found that it was specifically responsible for ARA6 regulation;
      moreover, the CTR was required for the oligomerization and correct localization
      of VPS9a. The oligomerization of VPS9a was mediated by a distinctive region
      consisting of 36 amino acids in the CTR that was conserved in plant RAB5 GEFs.
      Thus the VPS9a CTR plays an important role in the regulation of the two RAB5
      groups in plants.

PMID- 26493490
TI  - Electromyographic adjustments during continuous and intermittent incremental
      fatiguing cycling.
AB  - We studied the sensitivity of electromyographic (EMG) variables to load and
      muscle fatigue during continuous and intermittent incremental cycling. Fifteen
      men attended three laboratory sessions. Visit 1: lactate threshold, peak power
      output, and VO2max . Visits 2 and 3: Continuous (more fatiguing) and intermittent
      (less fatiguing) incremental cycling protocols [20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of
      peak power output (PPO)]. During both protocols, multichannel EMG signals were
      recorded from vastus lateralis: muscle fiber conduction velocity (MFCV),
      instantaneous mean frequency (iMNF), and absolute and normalized root mean square
      (RMS) were analyzed. MFCV differed between protocols (P < 0.001), and only
      increased consistently with power output during intermittent cycling. RMS
      parameters were similar between protocols, and increased linearly with power
      output. However, only normalized RMS was higher during the more fatiguing 100%
      PPO stage of the continuous protocol [continuous-intermittent mean difference
      (95% CI): 45.1 (8.5% to 81.7%)]. On the contrary, iMNF was insensitive to load
      changes and muscle fatigue (P = 0.14). Despite similar power outputs, continuous
      and intermittent cycling influenced MFCV and normalized RMS differently. Only
      normalized RMS was sensitive to both increases in power output (in both
      protocols) and muscle fatigue, and thus is the most suitable EMG parameter to
      monitor changes in muscle activation during cycling.

PMID- 26493491
TI  - High frequency bone conduction auditory evoked potentials in the guinea pig:
      Assessing cochlear injury after ossicular chain manipulation.
AB  - Permanent high frequency (>4 kHz) sensorineural hearing loss following middle ear
      surgery occurs in up to 25% of patients. The aetiology of this loss is poorly
      understood and may involve transmission of supra-physiological forces down the
      ossicular chain to the cochlea. Investigating the mechanisms of this injury using
      animal models is challenging, as evaluating cochlear function with evoked
      potentials is confounded when ossicular manipulation disrupts the normal air
      conduction (AC) pathway. Bone conduction (BC) using clinical bone vibrators in
      small animals is limited by poor transducer output at high frequencies sensitive
      to trauma. The objectives of the present study were firstly to evaluate a novel
      high frequency bone conduction transducer with evoked auditory potentials in a
      guinea pig model, and secondly to use this model to investigate the impact of
      middle ear surgical manipulation on cochlear function. We modified a
      magnetostrictive device as a high frequency BC transducer and evaluated its
      performance by comparison with a calibrated AC transducer at frequencies up to 32
      kHz using the auditory brainstem response (ABR), compound action potential (CAP)
      and summating potential (SP). To mimic a middle ear traumatising stimulus, a
      rotating bur was brought in to contact with the incudomalleal complex and the
      effect on evoked cochlear potentials was observed. BC-evoked potentials followed
      the same input-output function pattern as AC potentials for all ABR frequencies.
      Deterioration in CAP and SP thresholds was observed after ossicular manipulation.
      It is possible to use high frequency BC to evoke responses from the injury
      sensitive basal region of the cochlea and so not rely on AC with the potential
      confounder of conductive hearing loss. Ongoing research explores how these
      findings evolve over time, and ways in which injury may be reduced and the
      cochlea protected during middle ear surgery.

PMID- 26493492
TI  - Saracatinib as a metastasis inhibitor in metastatic castration-resistant prostate
      cancer: A University of Chicago Phase 2 Consortium and DOD/PCF Prostate Cancer
      Clinical Trials Consortium Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fyn is a kinase that is upregulated in a subset of metastatic
      castration-resistant prostate cancer. Saracatinib potently inhibits Fyn
      activation. We have noted a relationship between Fyn expression and directional
      motility, a cellular process related to metastasis. As such we hypothesized that
      treatment with saracatinib would increase the time required to develop new
      metastatic lesions. METHODS: Patients with metastatic castration-resistant
      prostate cancer that had progressed after docetaxel were eligible for enrollment.
      This study was executed as a randomized discontinuation trial. During a lead-in
      phase of two 28-Day cycles, all patients received saracatinib. Afterward,
      patients with radiographically stable disease were randomized to either
      saracatinib or placebo. Patients continued treatment until evidence of new
      metastasis. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were treated. Only 26% of patients had
      stable disease after 8 weeks and thus proceeded to randomization. This required
      early termination of the study for futility. The 70% of patients who progressed
      after the lead-in phase exhibited expansion of existing lesions or decompensation
      due to clinical progression without new metastatic lesions. Fatigue was reported
      in more than 25% of patients (all grades) with only two patients experiencing
      grade 3 toxicity. Other grade 3 adverse events included dehydration,
      thrombocytopenia, and weakness. CONCLUSIONS: This study was unable to determine
      if saracatinib had potential as metastasis inhibitor. Metastasis inhibition by
      saracatinib may still be viable in an earlier time in the disease history.

PMID- 26493493
TI  - Single-cell high resolution melting analysis: A novel, generic, pre-implantation
      genetic diagnosis (PGD) method applied to cystic fibrosis (HRMA CF-PGD).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Institutions offering CF-PGD face the challenge of developing and
      optimizing single cell genotyping protocols that should cover for the extremely
      heterogeneous CF mutation spectrum. Here we report the development and successful
      clinical application of a generic CF-PGD protocol to facilitate direct detection
      of any CFTR nucleotide variation(s) by HRMA and simultaneous confirmation of
      diagnosis through haplotype analysis. METHODS: A multiplex PCR was optimized
      supporting co-amplification of any CFTR exon-region, along with 6 closely linked
      STRs. Single cell genotypes were established through HRM analysis following
      melting of the 2nd round PCR products and were confirmed by STR haplotype
      analysis of the 1st PCR products. The protocol was validated pre-clinically, by
      testing 208 single lymphocytes, isolated from whole blood samples from 4
      validation family trios. Fifteen PGD cycles were performed and 103 embryos were
      biopsied. RESULTS: In 15 clinical PGD cycles, genotypes were achieved in 88/93
      (94.6%) embryo biopsy samples, of which 57/88 (64.8%) were deemed genetically
      suitable for embryo transfer. Amplification failed at all loci for 10/103
      blastomeres biopsied from poor quality embryos. Six clinical pregnancies were
      achieved (2 twin, 4 singletons). PGD genotypes were confirmed following
      conventional amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling in all achieved
      pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: The single cell HRMA CF-PGD protocol described herein
      is a flexible, generic, low cost and robust genotyping method, which facilitates
      the analysis of any CFTR genotype combination. Single-cell HRMA can be beneficial
      to other clinical settings, for example the detection of single nucleotide
      variants in single cells derived from clinical tumor samples.

PMID- 26493494
TI  - Artificial Urinary Sphincter Mechanical Failures-Is it Better to Replace the
      Entire Device or Just the Malfunctioning Component?
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluate the characteristics of artificial urinary sphincter
      mechanical failures and compare outcomes based on the surgical revision strategy,
      replacing only the failed component or the entire device. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      A total of 1,802 male patients with stress urinary incontinence underwent
      artificial urinary sphincter procedures from 1983 to 2011 at our institution, of
      which 1,082 were primary placements. Of these patients 125 experienced mechanical
      device malfunction. Multiple clinical and surgical variables were evaluated for a
      potential association with device malfunction. In addition, we evaluated for
      predictors of failure of the revised device, including time from primary
      artificial urinary sphincter to revision surgery and surgical revision strategy
      (single component vs entire device), with failure defined as any tertiary
      surgery. RESULTS: At a median followup of 4.2 years (IQR 0.8, 7.9) 125 patients
      experienced device malfunction. The urethral cuff was the most common component
      failure (46.1%), followed by abdominal reservoir (22.6%), tubing (21.7%) and pump
      (9.6%). There was no association of time from primary surgery to revision for
      mechanical failure (HR 0.89, p=0.33) or revision strategy (HR 0.47, p=0.15) with
      the risk of tertiary surgery. Additionally, as there was no significant
      interaction between these variables (HR 1.11, p=0.39), no cutoff could be
      identified at which one revision technique produced significantly improved device
      survival compared to another. However, there was a trend toward improved 3-year
      device survival after replacement of the entire device vs a single component (76%
      vs 60%, p=0.11). CONCLUSIONS: No cutoff in time to mechanical failure could be
      identified to guide decision making in the management of mechanical artificial
      urinary sphincter failure. Likewise, it is unclear if replacing the entire
      device, rather than the single malfunctioning component, alters device survival.
      As such, further studies are needed. However, given the current trend toward
      improved overall device survival, the limited additional risk and the lack of
      adequate clinical predictors for tertiary surgery, we would advocate for
      replacement of the entire device when possible.

PMID- 26493495
TI  - Intracranial EEG analysis in tumor-related epilepsy: Evidence of distant
      epileptic abnormalities.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In patients with tumor-related epilepsy (TRE), surgery traditionally
      focuses on tumor resection; but identification and removal of associated
      epileptogenic zone may improve seizure outcome. Here, we study spatial
      relationship of tumor and seizure onset and early spread zone (SOSz). We also
      perform quantitative analysis of interictal epileptiform activities in patients
      with both TRE and non-lesional epilepsy in order to better understand the
      electrophysiological basis of epileptogenesis. METHODS: Twenty-five patients (11
      with TRE and 14 with non-lesional epilepsy) underwent staged surgery using
      intracranial electrodes. Tumors were outlined on MRI and images were coregistered
      with post-implantation CT images. For each electrode, distance to the nearest
      tumor margin was measured. Electrodes were categorized based on distance from
      tumor and involvement in seizure. Quantitative EEG analysis studying frequency,
      amplitude, power, duration and slope of interictal spikes was performed. RESULTS:
      At least part of the SOSz was located beyond 1.5 cm from the tumor margin in
      10/11 patients. Interictally, spike frequency and power were higher in the SOSz
      and spikes near tumor were smaller and less sharp. Interestingly, peritumoral
      electrodes had the highest spike frequencies and sharpest spikes, indicating
      greatest degree of epileptic synchrony. A complete resection of the SOSz resulted
      in excellent seizure outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Seizure onset and early spread often
      involves brain areas distant from the tumor. SIGNIFICANCE: Utilization of
      epilepsy surgery approach for TRE may provide better seizure outcome and study of
      the intracranial EEG may provide insight into pathophysiology of TRE.

PMID- 26493497
TI  - Identification and analysis of anthocyanin components in fruit color variation in
      Schisandra chinensis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fruit color is an important index and parameter for measuring fruit
      quality. As an important pigment, anthocyanin is a determinant which appears in
      all sorts of colors of fruits in nature. RESULTS: Color parameters were measured
      using a spectrometer and used as a basis to divide the materials into three
      groups: reddish-orange, orange and yellow. A validated high-performance liquid
      chromatographic-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometric method was used for
      the analysis of anthocyanin in Schisandra chinensis and for determining major
      anthocyanin components in S. chinensis fruits, i.e. cyanidin xylosyl-glucoside
      (CyXylGlu), cyanidin glucosyl-rutinoside (CyGluRutin), cyanidin rutinoside
      (CyRutin) and cyanidin xylosyl-rutinoside (CyXylRutin). The anthocyanin contents
      vary obviously in different colored fruits in S. chinensis. The impact of
      anthocyanin on coloration of fruits was investigated by multiple regression
      analysis between color parameters and anthocyanin components, which indicated
      that CyRutin is the primary cause of fruit color variation in S. chinensis.
      CONCLUSION: The content and type of anthocyanin determine fruit coloration in S.
      chinensis, laying the early foundations for systematically interpreting the
      mechanism of fruit coloration in S. chinensis. (c) 2015 Society of Chemical
      Industry.

PMID- 26493496
TI  - Immune Endophenotypes in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by social
      communication deficits and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior. Varied
      immunological findings have been reported in children with ASD. To address the
      question of heterogeneity in immune responses, we sought to examine the diversity
      of immune profiles within a representative cohort of boys with ASD. METHODS:
      Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from male children with ASD (n = 50) and from
      typically developing age-matched male control subjects (n = 16) were stimulated
      with either lipopolysaccharide or phytohemagglutinin. Cytokine production was
      assessed after stimulation. The ASD study population was clustered into subgroups
      based on immune responses and assessed for behavioral outcomes. RESULTS: Children
      with ASD who had a proinflammatory profile based on lipopolysaccharide
      stimulation were more developmentally impaired as assessed by the Mullen Scales
      of Early Learning. They also had greater impairments in social affect as measured
      by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. These children also displayed more
      frequent sleep disturbances and episodes of aggression. Similarly, children with
      ASD and a more activated T cell cytokine profile after phytohemagglutinin
      stimulation were more developmentally impaired as measured by the Mullen Scales
      of Early Learning. CONCLUSIONS: Children with ASD may be phenotypically
      characterized based upon their immune profile. Those showing either an innate
      proinflammatory response or increased T cell activation/skewing display a more
      impaired behavioral profile than children with noninflamed or non-T cell
      activated immune profiles. These data suggest that there may be several possible
      immune subphenotypes within the ASD population that correlate with more severe
      behavioral impairments.

PMID- 26493498
TI  - Efficacy of Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation is Related to
      Sensitivity to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has become an
      important non-invasive brain stimulation tool for basic human brain physiology
      and cognitive neuroscience, with potential applications in cognitive and motor
      rehabilitation. To date, tDCS studies have employed a fixed stimulation level,
      without considering the impact of individual anatomy and physiology on the
      efficacy of the stimulation. This approach contrasts with the standard procedure
      for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) where stimulation levels are usually
      tailored on an individual basis. OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: The present study tests
      whether the efficacy of tDCS-induced changes in corticospinal excitability varies
      as a function of individual differences in sensitivity to TMS. METHODS: We
      performed an archival review to examine the relationship between the TMS
      intensity required to induce 1 mV motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) and the efficacy
      of (fixed-intensity) tDCS over the primary motor cortex (M1). For the latter, we
      examined tDCS-induced changes in corticospinal excitability, operationalized by
      comparing MEPs before and after anodal or cathodal tDCS. For comparison, we
      performed a similar analysis on data sets in which MEPs had been obtained before
      and after paired associative stimulation (PAS), a non-invasive brain stimulation
      technique in which the stimulation intensity is adjusted on an individual basis.
      RESULTS: MEPs were enhanced following anodal tDCS. This effect was larger in
      participants more sensitive to TMS as compared to those less sensitive to TMS,
      with sensitivity defined as the TMS intensity required to produce MEPs amplitudes
      of the size of 1 mV. While MEPs were attenuated following cathodal tDCS, the
      magnitude of this attenuation was not related to TMS sensitivity nor was there a
      relationship between TMS sensitivity and responsiveness to PAS. CONCLUSION:
      Accounting for variation in individual sensitivity to non-invasive brain
      stimulation may enhance the utility of tDCS as a tool for understanding brain
      behavior interactions and as a method for clinical interventions.

PMID- 26493499
TI  - New aspects in the phase behaviour of poly-N-isopropyl acrylamide: systematic
      temperature dependent shrinking of PNiPAM assemblies well beyond the LCST.
AB  - We investigate the phase behaviour of aqueous dispersions of poly-N-isopropyl
      acrylamide (PNiPAM) microgels above their lower critical solution temperature
      (LCST) and find that beyond a well-defined concentration the systems exhibit a
      peculiar behaviour: the microgels assemble into space-spanning gels that shrink
      in time while maintaining the shape of the container in which they have been
      formed. Over a wide range of concentrations this shrinking behaviour is
      independent of PNiPAM concentration, but systematically depends on temperature in
      a temperature range significantly exceeding the LCST. The overall shrinking
      characteristics are consistent with those expected for scaffolds made of
      materials that exhibit thermal contraction. However, for the PNiPAM assemblies
      contraction is irreversible and can be as large as 90%. Such characteristics
      disclose complex interactions between fully collapsed PNiPAM and water well
      beyond the LCST, the origin of which has yet to be elucidated. 

PMID- 26493501
TI  - The nature of peer-directed behaviours in children with profound intellectual and
      multiple disabilities and its relationship with social scaffolding behaviours of
      the direct support worker.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The multiple and complex disabilities of persons with profound
      intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) form a barrier for peer
      interactions and peer-directed behaviours. In this study, we further explore the
      nature of peer-directed behaviours in persons with PIMD and its relationship with
      social scaffolding behaviour of direct support workers (DSWs). METHODS: Fourteen
      dyads of children with PIMD, who knew each other for at least 12 months,
      participated. They were sitting in close proximity while they were filmed with
      and without the presence of the DSW. Video recordings were coded continuously
      making use of observation schemes for the peer-directed behaviours of the
      children and the peer interaction influencing behaviours of the DSW. RESULTS:
      Significantly more singular peer-directed behaviour (without DSW: 18.00%; with
      DSW: 3.81%) was observed than multiple peer-directed behaviour (without DSW:
      4.01%; with DSW: 0.52%). The amount of time the singular and multiple peer
      directed behaviours were observed was significantly lower in the presence of a
      DSW. When the DSW shows peer interaction influencing behaviour, it was mostly
      social scaffolding behaviour (2.17%). The conditional probability of observing
      social scaffolding behaviour in the 10 s following on singular peer-directed
      behaviour was 0.02 with a Yule's Q of 0.04 and following on multiple peer
      directed behaviour 0.04 with a Yule's Q of 0.33. CONCLUSION: The way in which
      peer interactions in children with PIMD are defined could have an impact on the
      amount of observed peer-directed behaviours and on the effect of the social
      scaffolding behaviours presented by DSW.

PMID- 26493502
TI  - [Role of Gastroenterologists in Management of Obesity].
AB  - Obesity is a serious disorder that increases morbidity and mortality. Primary
      intervention with life style modification and medication is not always effective
      for obese patients. Endoscopic management of obesity may be a less invasive, more
      cost-effective, and relatively safer option than bariatric surgery. Moreover,
      therapeutic endoscopy is considered to be the primary modality for managing
      complications that occur after bariatric surgery. In the near future, role of
      gastroenterologists will be more important in the management of obesity and its
      related problems. 

PMID- 26493503
TI  - [Colonoscopic Tattooing of Colonic Lesions].
AB  - With the development of minimal invasive surgery including laparoscopic and robot
      surgery, colonoscopic tattooing of colonic lesions is becoming more important to
      ensure easy localization of the lesion during surgery. Lack of accurate lesion
      identification during minimal invasive surgery may lead to resection of wrong
      segment of the bowel. In this article, some topics including proper materials,
      injection technique, and safety of colonoscopic tattooing are reviewed. 

PMID- 26493500
TI  - Modelling kidney disease with CRISPR-mutant kidney organoids derived from human
      pluripotent epiblast spheroids.
AB  - Human-pluripotent-stem-cell-derived kidney cells (hPSC-KCs) have important
      potential for disease modelling and regeneration. Whether the hPSC-KCs can
      reconstitute tissue-specific phenotypes is currently unknown. Here we show that
      hPSC-KCs self-organize into kidney organoids that functionally recapitulate
      tissue-specific epithelial physiology, including disease phenotypes after genome
      editing. In three-dimensional cultures, epiblast-stage hPSCs form spheroids
      surrounding hollow, amniotic-like cavities. GSK3beta inhibition differentiates
      spheroids into segmented, nephron-like kidney organoids containing cell
      populations with characteristics of proximal tubules, podocytes and endothelium.
      Tubules accumulate dextran and methotrexate transport cargoes, and express kidney
      injury molecule-1 after nephrotoxic chemical injury. CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of
      podocalyxin causes junctional organization defects in podocyte-like cells.
      Knockout of the polycystic kidney disease genes PKD1 or PKD2 induces cyst
      formation from kidney tubules. All of these functional phenotypes are distinct
      from effects in epiblast spheroids, indicating that they are tissue specific. Our
      findings establish a reproducible, versatile three-dimensional framework for
      human epithelial disease modelling and regenerative medicine applications. 

PMID- 26493504
TI  - [Primary Non-ampullary Duodenal Adenocarcinoma: A Single-center Experience for 15
      Years].
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Primary non-ampullary duodenal adenocarcinomas (PNADAs) comprise
      <?0.3% of gastrointestinal malignancies. The rarity of PNADA and poorly defined
      natural history often leads to a delayed correct diagnosis. This study was
      conducted to evaluate the clinical characteristics of PNADA and to identify its
      prognostic factors. METHODS: Data were collected by retrospectively reviewing the
      medical records of patients with PNADA managed at Gyeongsang National University
      Hospital from January 2000 to December 2014. Demographic, clinical, endoscopic,
      and pathological variables were investigated, and factors related to survival
      were analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients with PNADA were identified, and
      their median age was 64.9+/-13.6 years with 16 (59.3%) being male. The majority
      of patients (25/27, 92.6%) were initially diagnosed during upper endoscopy with
      biopsies. The tumor was located on the 1st or 2nd portion of duodenum in 92.6%
      (25/27) of patients. At the time of diagnosis, 85.2% (23/27) had advanced
      diseases (stage III or IV); 48.2% (13/27) had distant metastasis. Median survival
      time was 12 months (1-93 months). One and 3-year survival rates were 48.1% and
      33.3%, respectively. On multivariable analysis, total bilirubin >=2 mg/dL (OR,
      85.28; 95% CI, 3.77-1,938.79; p=0.005) and distant metastasis (OR, 26.74; 95% CI,
      3.13-2,328.14; p=0.003) at the time of diagnosis were independent poor prognostic
      factors. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients were diagnosed at an advanced
      stage. Presence of distant metastasis was independent prognostic factor of PNADA
      together with elevated total bilirubin.

PMID- 26493506
TI  - Timing of Cholecystectomy after Percutaneous Cholecystostomy for Acute
      Cholecystitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the standard treatment for acute
      cholecystitis. Percutaneous cholecystostomy is an alternative treatment to
      resolve acute inflammation in patients with severe comorbidities. The purpose of
      this study is to determine the optimal timing of laparoscopic cholecystectomy
      after percutaneous cholecystostomy for the patients with acute cholecystitis.
      METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted in patients who underwent
      cholecystectomy after percutaneous cholecystostomy from January 2010 through
      November 2014. Seventy-four patients were included in this study. The patients
      were divided into two groups by the operation timing. Group I patients underwent
      cholecystectomy within 10 days after percutaneous cholecystostomy (n=30) and
      group II patients underwent cholecystectomy at more than 10 days after
      percutaneous cholecystostomy (n=44). RESULTS: There was no significant difference
      between groups in conversion rate to open surgery, operation time, perioperative
      complications rate, and days of hospital stay after operation. However,
      complications related to cholecystostomy such as catheter dislodgement occurred
      significantly more often in group II than group I (group I:group II=0%:18.2%;
      p=0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Timing of laparoscopic cholecystectomy after percutaneous
      cholecystostomy did not influence postoperative outcomes. However, late surgery
      caused more complications related to cholecystostomy than early surgery.
      Therefore, early laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be considered over late
      surgery after percutaneous cholecystostomy insertion.

PMID- 26493505
TI  - Uric Acid Is a Risk Indicator for Metabolic Syndrome-related Colorectal Adenoma:
      Results in a Korean Population Receiving Screening Colonoscopy.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: An association between serum uric acid and cancer risk has been
      noted over the past few decades. There is ongoing debate about whether
      hyperuricemia represents an independent risk factor for colorectal neoplasm. We
      investigated the association between serum uric acid and prevalence of colorectal
      adenoma considering numerous confounding factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional
      study was performed with individuals who underwent a routine health check-up
      examination, including a screening colonoscopy and blood chemistry. The
      association between serum uric acid and prevalence of colorectal adenoma was
      estimated from the results of a logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the
      1,066 participants, 402 had colorectal adenoma (37.7%). In univariate models, the
      prevalence of colorectal adenoma was higher in participants in the fourth
      quartile uric acid level, compared to those in the first quartile uric acid level
      (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.17-2.42; p=0.004). However, no significant association was
      detected between serum uric acid and prevalence of colorectal adenoma in multiple
      logistic regression analysis. A number of metabolic syndrome components exhibited
      a strong association with the prevalence of colorectal adenoma in the
      multivariate model (OR, 3.46 for highest vs. lowest; 95% CI, 1.30-9.20; p=0.021).
      Moreover, serum uric acid was strongly associated with metabolic syndrome
      associated variables, including waist circumference, fasting blood glucose,
      systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triglyceride, and high-density
      lipoprotein. CONCLUSIONS: Uric acid is not an independent risk factor for
      colorectal adenoma but is a risk indicator for metabolic syndrome-related
      colorectal adenoma.

PMID- 26493507
TI  - MicroRNA-200c as a Prognostic Biomarker for Pancreatic Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: MicroRNA (miRNA) regulates messenger RNA stability and
      translation. In cancer biology, miRNA affects the growth and metastasis of cancer
      cells by controlling epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). MiR-200 family
      (200a/200b/ 200c/141) and miR-205 are associated with the regulation of EMT. We
      investigated the prognostic role of EMT-related miRNAs in pancreatic cancer.
      METHODS: We analyzed miR-200 family and miR-205 expression in tissue samples of
      84 patients who underwent radical resection for pancreatic cancer. RESULTS:
      Patients were followed from the date of diagnosis until death or censoring. The
      mean overall survival was 25.0 +/- 2.0 months (2-140 months). The R0 resection
      rate was obtained in 84.5% (n=71) of patients. The relative expressions of miR
      200a/200b/200c/141 and miR-205 were 266.9 +/- 57.3/18.5 +/- 2.2/0.7 +/- 0.1/27.2
      +/- 6.6 folds and 0.1 +/- 0.1 compared with human pancreatic ductal epithelial
      cells, respectively. Overall survival was longer in the low miR-200c expression
      group than in the high expression group (35 vs. 19 months, p=0.013). Multivariate
      analysis confirmed that patients with low miR-200c expression survived longer
      than the high expression group (hazard ratio, 1.771; 95% CI, 1.081-2.900;
      p=0.023). There was a trend toward longer disease-free survival in low miR-200c
      group without statistical significance (p=0.061). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of
      miR-200c may be an important prognosis factor in pancreatic cancer, and it could
      be a novel therapeutic target of pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 26493508
TI  - [A Case of Advanced Gastric Cancer Presenting as Multiple Colonic Lymphoid
      Hyperplasia].
AB  - Gastric cancer frequently disseminates to the liver, lung, and bone via
      hematogeneous, lymphatic, or peritoneal routes. However, gastric adenocarcinoma
      that metastasize to the colon and that shows typical linea platisca pattern on
      colonofiberscopy has rarely been reported. Recently, the authors experience a
      case of advanced gastric cancer with colonic metastases in a 55-year-old female
      patient. Multiple colonic lymphoid hyperplasias were detected on colonofiberscopy
      and biopsy revealed metastatic gastric cancer to the colonic wall. She was
      treated with mFOLFOX (5-FU, oxaliplatin, leucovorin) and has achieved stable
      disease status without disease progression. Herein, we report a rare case of
      signet ring-cell gastric cancer which metastasized to the colon in the form of
      multiple colonic lymphoid hyperplasias.

PMID- 26493509
TI  - [A Case of Primary Gastric Amyloidosis with Fulminant Heart Failure].
AB  - A 53-year-old woman was admitted with epigastric discomfort and weakness.
      Laboratory examination at admission showed mild anemia and proteinuria.
      Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed marked mucosal atrophy, diffuse nodularity
      and granular appearance with mucosal friability. Biopsy was performed on the
      antrum and body of the stomach. On the next day, the patient began to complain of
      severe dyspnea, and hypoxia was present on pulse oximetry. Therefore, emergency
      echocardiography was conducted and it showed restrictive cardiomyopathy along
      with thrombus in the left atrium. With time, heart failure was aggravated despite
      intensive management. The result of gastric biopsy revealed amyloid deposits
      which stained positively with Congo red. On immunohistochemistry study, kappa and
      lambda chain were present. In addition, kappa chain was significantly elevated in
      urine and serum on electrophoresis. Although the patient was finally diagnosed as
      having primary gastric amyloidosis with restrictive cardiomyopathy, her general
      condition rapidly deteriorated and died at 12th hospital day. When obscure
      gastric lesion is encountered, performing gastric biopsy is strongly recommended
      since it be primary gastric amyloidosis. Herein, we present an unusual case of
      primary gastric amyloidosis. 

PMID- 26493510
TI  - [A Case of Crohn's Disease Showing Favorable Response to Induction and
      Maintenance Therapy with Methotrexate after Failure of Anti-tumor Necrosis Factor
      Therapy].
AB  - Thanks to the introduction of immumomodulators and biologics, therapeutic
      approaches in Crohn's disease have changed significantly during the past decade.
      Although new biologic therapy has dramatically improved the treatment of Crohn's
      disease, a substantial number of patients are refractory to these therapies or
      lose their initial response. Methotrexate (MTX) is a structural analogue of folic
      acid that can competitively inhibit the binding of dihydrofolic acid to the
      enzyme dihydrofolate reductase and has been widely used as immunomodulator in
      rheumatology area for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. Although
      MTX has also been shown to be an effective agent for remission induction and
      maintenance of remission in Crohn's disease, the use of MTX in Crohn's disease
      has not yet been reported in Korea. Herein, we report a case of Crohn's disease
      patient who was successfully treated with MTX after treatment failure with
      thiopurine and anti-tumor necrosis factor. 

PMID- 26493511
TI  - [A Case of Delayed-onset Multiple Metastatic Infection following Liver Abscess].
AB  - Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess has a tendency to spread to distant sites
      early in the course of disease and to involve multiple organs synchronously. A 59
      year-old male was admitted because of liver abscess accompanied by fever and
      abdominal pain. The patient underwent percutaneous catheter drainage and received
      intravenous antibiotics. Symptom relief was achieved after the treatment as well
      as marked reduction in the size of the abscess. Despite proper treatment of the
      liver abscess, however, patient developed multiple metastatic infections in a non
      concurrent manner: left and right endophthalmitis, psoas abscess, and infectious
      spondylitis at 5, 23, 30 and 65 days after initial manifestations of liver
      abscess, respectively. Each infectious episode followed one another after
      resolution of the former one. For each episode of metastatic infections, the
      patient promptly underwent treatment with systemic and local antibiotics,
      interventional abscess drainage, and surgical treatments as needed. The patient
      fully recovered without sequelae after the use of intravenous antibiotics for an
      extended period of time. Herein, we report a case of K. pneumoniae liver abscess
      complicated with delayed-onset multiple metastatic infections. 

PMID- 26493512
TI  - Scope and Mechanisms of Frustrated Lewis Pair Catalyzed Hydrogenation Reactions
      of Electron-Deficient C=C Double Bonds.
AB  - Several phosphonium and ammonium triarylborohydrides, which are intermediates in
      hydrogenation reactions catalyzed by frustrated Lewis pairs, were synthesized in
      high yield under mild conditions from triaryl boranes, ammonium or phosphonium
      halides, and triethylsilane. The kinetics and mechanisms of the reactions of
      these hydridoborate salts with benzhydrylium ions, iminium ions, quinone
      methides, and Michael acceptors were investigated, and their nucleophilicity was
      determined and compared with that of other hydride donors. 

PMID- 26493515
TI  - A Highly Efficient Heterogenized Iridium Complex for the Catalytic Hydrogenation
      of Carbon Dioxide to Formate.
AB  - A heterogenized catalyst on a highly porous covalent triazine framework was
      synthesized and characterized to have a coordination environment similar to that
      of its homogeneous counterpart. The catalyst efficiently converted CO2 into
      formate through hydrogenation with a turnover number of 5000 after 2 h and an
      initial turnover frequency of up to 5300 h(-1) ; both of these values are the
      highest reported to date for a heterogeneous catalyst, which makes it attractive
      toward industrial application. Furthermore, the synthesized catalyst was found to
      be stable in air and was recycled by simple filtration without significant loss
      of catalytic activity. 

PMID- 26493516
TI  - Adolescents' co-rumination and stress predict affective changes in a daily-diary
      paradigm.
AB  - Co-rumination has been related to both high quality friendship and depressive
      symptoms. However, little is known regarding the extent to which co-rumination
      may be detrimental, its distinction from rumination and potential gender
      differences in co-rumination. This study used a modified version of Rose's Co
      rumination Questionnaire (Rose, 2002) to examine the behaviour of daily co
      rumination with daily stress and negative affect among adolescents. Results
      demonstrated that co-rumination did not have a main effect in predicting negative
      affect, but did evidence a significant interaction with life stress.
      Additionally, co-rumination demonstrated incremental utility above that of
      rumination. Finally, gender differences were not supported. In conclusion, this
      investigation revealed that co-rumination exacerbates the effects of life stress
      and is predictive of increased internalising symptoms.

PMID- 26493517
TI  - Metabolic consequences of knocking out UGT85B1, the gene encoding the
      glucosyltransferase required for synthesis of dhurrin in Sorghum bicolor (L.
      Moench).
AB  - Many important food crops produce cyanogenic glucosides as natural defense
      compounds to protect against herbivory or pathogen attack. It has also been
      suggested that these nitrogen-based secondary metabolites act as storage reserves
      of nitrogen. In sorghum, three key genes, CYP79A1, CYP71E1 and UGT85B1, encode
      two Cytochrome P450s and a glycosyltransferase, respectively, the enzymes
      essential for synthesis of the cyanogenic glucoside dhurrin. Here, we report the
      use of targeted induced local lesions in genomes (TILLING) to identify a line
      with a mutation resulting in a premature stop codon in the N-terminal region of
      UGT85B1. Plants homozygous for this mutation do not produce dhurrin and are
      designated tcd2 (totally cyanide deficient 2) mutants. They have reduced vigor,
      being dwarfed, with poor root development and low fertility. Analysis using
      liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) shows that tcd2 mutants
      accumulate numerous dhurrin pathway-derived metabolites, some of which are
      similar to those observed in transgenic Arabidopsis expressing the CYP79A1 and
      CYP71E1 genes. Our results demonstrate that UGT85B1 is essential for formation of
      dhurrin in sorghum with no co-expressed endogenous UDP-glucosyltransferases able
      to replace it. The tcd2 mutant suffers from self-intoxication because sorghum
      does not have a feedback mechanism to inhibit the initial steps of dhurrin
      biosynthesis when the glucosyltransferase activity required to complete the
      synthesis of dhurrin is lacking. The LC-MS analyses also revealed the presence of
      metabolites in the tcd2 mutant which have been suggested to be derived from
      dhurrin via endogenous pathways for nitrogen recovery, thus indicating which
      enzymes may be involved in such pathways. 

PMID- 26493518
TI  - Functional Characterization of PhapLEAFY, a FLORICAULA/LEAFY Ortholog in
      Phalaenopsis aphrodite.
AB  - The plant-specific transcription factor LEAFY (LFY) is considered to be a master
      regulator of flower development in the model plant, Arabidopsis. This protein
      plays a dual role in plant growth, integrating signals from the floral inductive
      pathways and acting as a floral meristem identity gene by activating genes for
      floral organ development. Although LFY occupies an important position in flower
      development, the functional divergence of LFY homologs has been demonstrated in
      several plants including monocots and gymnosperms. In particular, the functional
      roles of LFY genes from orchid species such as Phalaenopsis that contain unique
      floral morphologies with distinct expression patterns of floral organ identity
      genes remain elusive. Here, PhapLFY, an ortholog of Arabidopsis LFY from
      Phalaenopsis aphrodite subsp. formosana, a Taiwanese native monopodial orchid,
      was isolated and characterized through analyses of expression and protein
      activity. PhapLFY transcripts accumulated in the floral primordia of developing
      inflorescences, and the PhapLFY protein had transcriptional autoactivation
      activity forming as a homodimer. Furthermore, PhapLFY rescues the aberrant floral
      phenotypes of Arabidopsis lfy mutants. Overexpression of PhapLFY alone or
      together with PhapFT1, a P. aphrodite subsp. formosana homolog of Arabidopsis
      FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) in rice, caused precocious heading. Consistently, a higher
      Chl content in the sepals and morphological changes in epidermal cells were
      observed in the floral organs of PhapLFY knock-down orchids generated by virus
      induced gene silencing. Taken together, these results suggest that PhapLFY is
      functionally distinct from RICE FLORICAULA/LEAFY (RFL) but similar to Arabidopsis
      LFY based on phenotypes of our transgenic Arabidopsis and rice plants. 

PMID- 26493519
TI  - Down the Rabbit Hole: Emergency Department Medical Clearance of Patients with
      Psychiatric or Behavioral Emergencies.
AB  - Patients presenting with behavior or psychiatric complaints may have an
      underlying medical disorder causing or worsening their symptoms. Misdiagnosing a
      medical illness as psychiatric can lead to increased morbidity and mortality. A
      thorough history and physical examination, including mental status, are important
      to identify these causes and guide further testing. Laboratory and ancillary
      testing should be guided by what is indicated based on clinical assessment.
      Certain patient populations and signs and symptoms have a higher association with
      organic causes of behavioral complaints. Many medical problems can present with
      or exacerbate psychiatric symptoms, and a thorough medical assessment is
      imperative. 

PMID- 26493520
TI  - Stabilization and Management of the Acutely Agitated or Psychotic Patient.
AB  - Acutely agitated or psychotic patients are particularly challenging to manage in
      the emergency department. Often these patients present with little or no history,
      and an adequate assessment may initially be difficult because of the condition of
      the patient. This article discusses basic concepts regarding agitation, and the
      related management goals and strategies. 

PMID- 26493521
TI  - Stabilizing and Managing Patients with Altered Mental Status and Delirium.
AB  - Present in all patient populations, altered mental status (AMS) is a common, but
      nonspecific emergency department (ED) presentation that can signify serious
      underlying pathology. Delirium is a more defined mental status change caused by
      another medical condition that carries a high morbidity and mortality if missed.
      However, ED physicians miss the condition in more than 50% of cases. The ED
      physician should maintain a high index of suspicion for delirium, because if
      missed in the ED, delirium is more likely to be missed on the floors as well.
      Management of delirium is directed toward treating the underlying course. 

PMID- 26493522
TI  - Depression and the Suicidal Patient.
AB  - Depression is the most common psychiatric illness in the general community, with
      3% to 4% of depressives dying by suicide today. Studies have shown that
      depression has considerable morbidity and mortality. This article focuses on
      depressed patients and their management within the emergency department.
      Understanding the intricacies of the interview process and identifying which
      patients need immediate attention are important skills for the emergency
      physician. 

PMID- 26493523
TI  - New Drugs of Abuse and Withdrawal Syndromes.
AB  - New drugs of abuse continue to emerge, including synthetic cannabinoids,
      synthetic cathinones, and hallucinogens. It is important to recognize their
      individual psychopharmacologic properties, symptoms of intoxication, and symptoms
      of withdrawal. Providers must be vigilant of acute medical or psychiatric
      complications that may arise from use of these substances. Treatment of the
      patient also includes recognition of any substance use disorders as well as
      comorbid psychiatric disorders. Although pharmacologic treatments for substance
      use disorder (of the drugs included in this article) are limited, there are a
      variety of psychotherapeutic modalities that may be of some benefit.

PMID- 26493524
TI  - Shift, Interrupted: Strategies for Managing Difficult Patients Including Those
      with Personality Disorders and Somatic Symptoms in the Emergency Department.
AB  - Difficult patients are often those who present with a mix of physical and
      psychiatric symptoms, and seem refractory to usual treatments or reassurance.
      such patients can include those with personality disorders, those with
      somatization symptoms; they can come across as entitled, drug-seeking,
      manipulative, or simply draining to the provider. Such patients are often
      frequent visitors to Emergency Departments. Other reasons for difficult
      encounters could be rooted in provider bias or countertransference, rather than
      sole patient factors. Emergency providers need to have high awareness of these
      possibilities, and be prepared to manage such situations, otherwise workup can be
      sub-standard and dangerous medical mistakes can be made. 

PMID- 26493525
TI  - Special Considerations in Pediatric Psychiatric Populations.
AB  - Proper treatment of the pediatric psychiatric population can be challenging.
      Emergency department (ED) boarding, availability of child and adolescent
      psychiatrists, lack of parental understanding, and inexperience working with
      children with special needs are just some of the obstacles the ED physician will
      encounter. We discuss the risk stratification and interventions necessary when
      dealing with children and adolescents presenting with suicidal ideation and
      violent behavior. In addition, we discuss the unique approaches to patients with
      autism spectrum disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. 

PMID- 26493526
TI  - Psychiatric Emergencies in the Elderly.
AB  - With the increasing life expectancy, the geriatric population has been increasing
      over the past few decades. By the year 2050, it is projected to compose more than
      a fifth of the entire population, representing a 147% increase in this age group.
      There has been a steady increase in the number of medical and psychiatric
      disorders, and a large percentage of geriatric patients are now presenting to the
      emergency department with such disorders. The management of our progressively
      complex geriatric patient population will require an integrative team approach
      involving emergency medicine, psychiatry, and hospitalist medicine. 

PMID- 26493527
TI  - Psychiatric Emergencies in Pregnant Women.
AB  - Psychiatric emergencies in pregnancy can be difficult to manage. The authors
      (both practicing psychiatrists and emergency clinicians) review the evaluation
      and treatment of common mental health diagnoses in pregnancy. 

PMID- 26493528
TI  - Special Considerations in Trauma Patients.
AB  - The emergent management of a traumatic injury can be an extremely intense
      situation. These assessments can be even more difficult when patients have an
      underlying psychiatric condition. After a protocoled evaluation of the traumatic
      injuries, the psychological manifestation of diseases can be addressed. The
      appropriate use of physical or chemical restraints to facilitate the work-up is
      paramount in the ability of the provider to protect patients and staff from
      agitated and traumatized patients. The emergency medicine provider should have a
      low threshold for including psychiatry in the treatment plans, as the long-term
      sequelae of these entities require specialized treatment.

PMID- 26493529
TI  - Ethical Issues in Emergency Psychiatry.
AB  - The care of patients with a psychiatric emergency is fraught with ethical
      challenges. Applying ethical reasoning to clinical challenges may help to improve
      care. Emergency providers should assess decision-making capacity using 4
      criteria: communication, understanding, appreciation, and reasoning. Maintaining
      patient confidentiality is a strong imperative for emergency physicians and
      should be protected unless compelling additional concerns take precedence. The
      goal of involuntary treatment should be to protect patients from harm that they
      would not be exposed to were they capable of autonomous decision making, not
      dangerous, or not impaired by their psychiatric illness using the least
      restrictive means possible. 

PMID- 26493530
TI  - Health Policy Considerations in Treating Mental and Behavioral Health Emergencies
      in the United States.
AB  - In recent years, health care providers have sounded the call that the US mental
      health system is in crisis. With decreases in funding and eroding access to care,
      the availability of psychiatric services has become increasingly limited, failing
      to meet growing needs. This article provides a brief history of mental health
      services in the United States and describes the current landscape of US
      psychiatric care; it touches upon some of the most important policy
      considerations, describing some of the glaring issues in US mental health care
      today. Last, it offers some potential remedies to improve care in acute
      behavioral emergencies. 

PMID- 26493531
TI  - Behavioral and Psychiatric Emergencies.

PMID- 26493532
TI  - The Hidden Costs of Behavioral and Psychiatric Emergencies.

PMID- 26493533
TI  - Super-strengthening and stabilizing with carbon nanotube harnessed high density
      nanotwins in metals by shock loading.
AB  - CNTs reinforced metal composites has great potential due to their superior
      properties, such as light weight, high strength, low thermal expansion and high
      thermal conductivity. The current strengthening mechanisms of CNT/metal composite
      mainly rely on CNTs' interaction with dislocations and CNT's intrinsic high
      strength. Here we demonstrated that laser shock loading the CNT/metal composite
      results in high density nanotwins, stacking fault, dislocation around the
      CNT/metal interface. The composites exhibit enhanced strength with excellent
      stability. The results are interpreted by both molecular dynamics simulation and
      experiments. It is found the shock wave interaction with CNTs induces a stress
      field, much higher than the applied shock pressure, surrounding the CNT/metal
      interface. As a result, nanotwins were nucleated under a shock pressure much
      lower than the critical values to generate twins in metals. This hybrid unique
      nanostructure not only enhances the strength, but also stabilize the strength, as
      the nanotwin boundaries around the CNTs help pin the dislocation movement. 

PMID- 26493534
TI  - Erratum to Center-out echo-planar spectroscopic imaging with correction of
      gradient-echo phase and time Shifts (Magn Reson Med 2013;70:16-24).

PMID- 26493535
TI  - Erratum to Myelin water mapping by spatially regularized longitudinal
      relaxographic imaging at high magnetic fields (Magn Reson Med 2014;71:375-387).

PMID- 26493538
TI  - Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in Highly Viscous Media: A Comparison between the
      Dispersive Agents [BMIM][BF4 ], L121, and Triton X-100.
AB  - Dispersions of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been prepared by using
      the room-temperature ionic liquid [BMIM][BF4 ] (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium
      tetrafluoroborate), the triblock copolymer Pluronic L121 [poly(ethylene oxide)5 
      poly(propylene oxide)68 -poly(ethylene oxide)5 ] and the non-ionic surfactant
      Triton X-100 (TX100) in the pure state. The size of the SWNTs aggregates and the
      dispersion degree in the three viscous systems depend on the sonication time, as
      highlighted by UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopy and optical microscopy analysis. A
      nonlinear increase in conductivity can be observed as a function of the SWNTs
      loading, as suggested by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The generation
      of a three-dimensional network of SWNTs showing a viscoelastic gel-like behavior
      above a critical percolation concentration has been found at 25  degrees C in all
      the investigated systems by oscillatory rheology measurements. 

PMID- 26493541
TI  - First discovery of Holocene cryptotephra in Amazonia.
AB  - The use of volcanic ash layers for dating and correlation (tephrochronology) is
      widely applied in the study of past environmental changes. We describe the first
      cryptotephra (non-visible volcanic ash horizon) to be identified in the Amazon
      basin, which is tentatively attributed to a source in the Ecuadorian Eastern
      Cordillera (0-1 degrees S, 78-79 degrees W), some 500-600 km away from our field
      site in the Peruvian Amazon. Our discovery 1) indicates that the Amazon basin has
      been subject to volcanic ash fallout during the recent past; 2) highlights the
      opportunities for using cryptotephras to date palaeoenvironmental records in the
      Amazon basin and 3) indicates that cryptotephra layers are preserved in a dynamic
      Amazonian peatland, suggesting that similar layers are likely to be present in
      other peat sequences that are important for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction.
      The discovery of cryptotephra in an Amazonian peatland provides a baseline for
      further investigation of Amazonian tephrochronology and the potential impacts of
      volcanism on vegetation.

PMID- 26493539
TI  - Enhanced serelaxin signalling in co-cultures of human primary endothelial and
      smooth muscle cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In the phase III clinical trial, RELAX-AHF, serelaxin
      caused rapid and long-lasting haemodynamic changes. However, the cellular
      mechanisms involved are unclear in humans. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: This study
      examined the effects of serelaxin in co-cultures of human primary endothelial
      cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) on cAMP and cGMP signalling. KEY
      RESULTS: Stimulation of HUVECs or human coronary artery endothelial cells
      (HCAECs) with serelaxin, concentration-dependently increased cGMP accumulation in
      co-cultured SMCs to a greater extent than in monocultures of either cell type.
      This was not observed in human umbilical artery endothelial cells (HUAECs) that
      do not express the relaxin receptor, RXFP1. Treatment of ECs with l-N(G) -nitro
      arginine (NOARG; 30 MUM, 30 min) inhibited serelaxin-mediated (30 nM) cGMP
      accumulation in HUVECs, HCAECs and co-cultured SMCs. In HCAECs, but not HUVECs,
      pre-incubation with indomethacin (30 MUM, 30 min) also inhibited cGMP
      accumulation in SMCs. Pre-incubation of SMCs with the guanylate cyclase inhibitor
      ODQ (1 MUM, 30 min) had no effect on serelaxin-mediated (30 nM) cGMP accumulation
      in HUVECs and HCAECs but inhibited cGMP accumulation in SMCs. Serelaxin
      stimulation of HCAECs, but not HUVECs, increased cAMP accumulation concentration
      dependently in SMCs. Pre-incubation of HCAECs with indomethacin, but not l-NOARG,
      abolished cAMP accumulation in co-cultured SMCs, suggesting involvement of
      prostanoids. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: In co-cultures, treatment of ECs with
      serelaxin caused marked cGMP accumulation in SMCs and with HCAEC also cAMP
      accumulation. Responses involved EC-derived NO and with HCAEC prostanoid
      production. Thus, serelaxin differentially modulates vascular tone in different
      vascular beds.

PMID- 26493540
TI  - Mixed methods evaluation of targeted selective anthelmintic treatment by resource
      poor smallholder goat farmers in Botswana.
AB  - Due to the threat of anthelmintic resistance, livestock farmers worldwide are
      encouraged to selectively apply treatments against gastrointestinal nematodes
      (GINs). Targeted selective treatment (TST) of individual animals would be
      especially useful for smallholder farmers in low-income economies, where cost
      effective and sustainable intervention strategies will improve livestock
      productivity and food security. Supporting research has focused mainly on
      refining technical indicators for treatment, and much less on factors influencing
      uptake and effectiveness. We used a mixed method approach, whereby qualitative
      and quantitative approaches are combined, to develop, implement and validate a
      TST system for GINs in small ruminants, most commonly goats, among smallholder
      farmers in the Makgadikgadi Pans region of Botswana, and to seek better
      understanding of system performance within a cultural context. After the first
      six months of the study, 42 out of 47 enrolled farmers were followed up; 52% had
      monitored their animals using the taught inspection criteria and 26% applied TST
      during this phase. Uptake level showed little correlation with farmer
      characteristics, such as literacy and size of farm. Herd health significantly
      improved in those herds where anthelmintic treatment was applied: anaemia, as
      assessed using the five-point FAMACHA((c)) scale, was 0.44-0.69 points better
      (95% confidence interval) and body condition score was 0.18-0.36 points better
      (95% C.I., five-point scale) in treated compared with untreated herds. Only
      targeting individuals in greatest need led to similar health improvements
      compared to treating the entire herd, leading to dose savings ranging from 36% to
      97%. This study demonstrates that TST against nematodes can be implemented
      effectively by resource-poor farmers using a community-led approach. The use of
      mixed methods provides a promising system to integrate technical and social
      aspects of TST programmes for maximum uptake and effect. 

PMID- 26493542
TI  - Low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy in the treatment of
      postprostatectomy erectile dysfunction: a pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective was to investigate the effect and feasibility of low
      intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy (LI-ESWT) as a treatment for erectile
      dysfunction (ED) after bilateral nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (RP).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who had undergone robot-assisted bilateral nerve
      sparing RP more than a year before entering this pilot study, had no preoperative
      ED and were suffering from mild to severe postoperative ED were invited to
      participate. Six treatments were given over a 6 week period, using the Duolith(r)
      SD1 T-Top machine. The effect of the treatment was evaluated 1 month (t1) and 1
      year (t2) after the final treatment. The main outcome measure was changes in the
      five-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) scores. RESULTS:
      Eighteen patients were included in the study. However, two patients breached the
      protocol and consequently 16 patients were included in the analysis at t1 and 15
      patients were included in the analysis at t2. At baseline the median age was 62
      years (range 51 to 70 years) and the median time since surgery was 24 months
      (range 12 to 54 months). The median preoperative IIEF-5 score was 25 (range 22 to
      25) and the median baseline IIEF-5 score was 9.5 (range 5 to 20). The median
      change in IIEF-5 scores was +3.5 (range -1 to 8; p = 0.0049) and +1 (range -3 to
      14; p = 0.046) at t1 and t2, respectively. No severe side-effects were reported.
      CONCLUSIONS: LI-ESWT may improve erectile function after bilateral nerve-sparing
      RP. Based on these results, further studies in patients with ED after nerve
      sparing RP are justified.

PMID- 26493544
TI  - Short- and Long-Term Optimal Control of a Mathematical Model for HIV Infection of
      CD4+T Cells.
AB  - The main goal of this study was to develop a theoretical short- and long-term
      optimal control treatment of HIV infection of [Formula: see text] cells. The aim
      of the mathematical model used herein is to make the free HIV virus particles in
      the blood decrease, while administering a treatment that is less toxic to
      patients. Pontryagin's classical control theory is applied to a mathematical
      model of HIV infection of [Formula: see text] cells characterized by a system of
      nonlinear differential equations with the following unknown functions: the
      concentration of susceptible [Formula: see text] cells, [Formula: see text] cells
      infected by the HIV viruses and free HIV virus particles in the blood. 

PMID- 26493543
TI  - Clinical evaluation of the IONA test: a non-invasive prenatal screening test for
      trisomies 21, 18 and 13.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical accuracy of the IONA(r) test for aneuploidy
      screening. METHODS: This was a multicenter blinded study in which plasma samples
      from pregnant women at increased risk of trisomy 21 underwent cell-free DNA
      analysis utilizing the IONA test. For each sample, the IONA software generated a
      likelihood ratio and a maternal age-adjusted probability risk score for trisomies
      21, 18 and 13. All results from the IONA test were compared against accepted
      diagnostic karyotyping. RESULTS: A total of 442 maternal samples were obtained,
      of which 437 had test results available for analysis and assessment of clinical
      accuracy. The IONA test had a detection rate of 100% for trisomies 21 (n = 43;
      95% CI, 87.98-100%), 18 (n = 10; 95% CI, 58.72-100%) and 13 (n = 5; 95% CI, 35.88
      100%) with cut-offs applied to likelihood ratio (cut-off > 1 considered high risk
      for trisomy) and probability risk score incorporating adjustment for maternal age
      (cut-off >= 1/150 considered high risk for trisomy). The false-positive rate
      (FPR) was 0% for trisomies 18 and 13 with both analysis outputs. For trisomy 21,
      a FPR of 0.3% was observed for the likelihood ratio, but became 0% with
      adjustment for maternal age. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the IONA test
      is suitable for trisomy screening in a high-risk screening population. The result
      interpretation feature of the IONA software should facilitate wider
      implementation, particularly in local laboratories, and should be a useful
      addition to the current screening methods for trisomies 21, 18 and 13.

PMID- 26493545
TI  - Novel Abscisic Acid Antagonists Identified with Chemical Array Screening.
AB  - Abscisic acid (ABA) signaling is involved in multiple processes in plants, such
      as water stress control and seed dormancy. Major regulators of ABA signaling are
      the PYR/PYL/RCAR family receptor proteins, group A protein phosphatases 2C
      (PP2Cs), and subclass III of SNF1-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2). Novel ABA
      agonists and antagonists to modulate the functions of these proteins would not
      only contribute to clarification of the signaling mechanisms but might also be
      used to improve crop yields. To obtain small molecules that interact with
      Arabidopsis ABA receptor PYR1, we screened 24 275 compounds from a chemical
      library at the RIKEN Natural Products Depository by using a chemical array
      platform. Subsequent SnRK2 and PP2C assays narrowed down the candidates to two
      molecules. One antagonized ABA in a competitive manner and inhibited the
      formation of the PYR1-ABA-PP2C ternary complex. These compounds might have
      potential as bioprobes to analyze ABA signaling. 

PMID- 26493546
TI  - Inverse relationship between chitobiase and transglycosylation activities of
      chitinase-D from Serratia proteamaculans revealed by mutational and biophysical
      analyses.
AB  - Serratia proteamaculans chitinase-D (SpChiD) has a unique combination of
      hydrolytic and transglycosylation (TG) activities. The TG activity of SpChiD can
      be used for large-scale production of chito-oligosaccharides (CHOS). The multiple
      activities (hydrolytic and/or chitobiase activities and TG) of SpChiD appear to
      be strongly influenced by the substrate-binding cleft. Here, we report the unique
      property of SpChiD substrate-binding cleft, wherein, the residues Tyr28, Val35
      and Thr36 control chitobiase activity and the residues Trp160 and Trp290 are
      crucial for TG activity. Mutants with reduced (V35G and T36G/F) or no
      (SpChiDDelta30-42 and Y28A) chitobiase activity produced higher amounts of the
      quantifiable even-chain TG product with degree of polymerization (DP)-6,
      indicating that the chitobiase and TG activities are inversely related. In
      addition to its unprecedented catalytic properties, unlike other chitinases, the
      single modular SpChiD showed dual unfolding transitions. Ligand-induced thermal
      stability studies with the catalytically inactive mutant of SpChiD (E153A) showed
      that the transition temperature increased upon binding of CHOS with DP2-6.
      Isothermal titration calorimetry experiments revealed the exceptionally high
      binding affinities for E153A to CHOS with DP2-6. These observations strongly
      support that the architecture of SpChiD substrate-binding cleft adopted to
      control chitobiase and TG activities, in addition to usual chitinase-mediated
      hydrolysis. 

PMID- 26493547
TI  - Tacrolimus interaction with dexmedetomidine--a case report.
AB  - Drugs and xenobiotics that inhibit the CYP-450 isoenzyme 3A4 are associated with
      increased serum tacrolimus levels. We sought to determine whether there was a
      temporal association between initiation of dexmedetomidine and increased serum
      tacrolimus levels. An interaction has not been previously documented. We reviewed
      tacrolimus levels and dosing in a pediatric patient aged 8 months who had
      undergone deceased-donor liver transplantation for biliary atresia and later
      required sedation with dexmedetomidine continuous infusion during the POD (212
      216). Serum tacrolimus trough levels increased 4-fold from 3.4 to 13.1 ng/mL
      (tacrolimus regimen: 1 mg every 12 h) within 21 h of initiating dexmedetomidine.
      During dexmedetomidine infusion, serum tacrolimus trough levels were maintained
      with doses that were 25% of baseline tacrolimus dose. Tacrolimus trough levels
      decreased to below goal range within 30-40 h of discontinuation of
      dexmedetomidine. Data submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
      demonstrate that dexmedetomidine inhibits CYP 3A4 and may produce adequate liver
      concentrations that could interfere with tacrolimus metabolism. We suggest that
      tacrolimus levels should be carefully monitored in children receiving prolonged
      infusions of dexmedetomidine to avoid adverse events associated with elevated
      tacrolimus levels. 

PMID- 26493548
TI  - Prospective case-control study of efficacy of bilateral selective neck dissection
      in primary surgical treatment of supraglottic laryngeal cancers with clinically
      negative cervical findings (N0).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of bilateral selective neck dissection of
      levels II-IV in elective and therapeutic management of the neck as a part of
      primary surgical treatment of patients with supraglottic laryngeal cancer and
      clinically negative cervical findings (N0). DESIGN: Institutional, observational,
      case-control study with historic control of patients who underwent primary
      supraglottic tumour surgery, and a prospective cohort of patient, who underwent,
      besides the operation of primary tumour, bilateral selective neck dissection
      (level II-IV). SETTING: University, tertiary level hospital, national referral
      centre. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 193 patients with supraglottic cancer
      and without palpable or ultrasound positive cervical findings who were surgically
      treated from 1988 to 2005. Besides the operation of primary tumour, all patients
      in the study group underwent bilateral selective neck dissection (level II-IV).
      Patients in the control group (N = 51) underwent primary tumour operation only
      and were followed up regularly. In cases with postoperative regional recurrences,
      the radical neck dissection was performed. All patients with histopathological
      confirmation of occult metastases were administered radiotherapy treatment (60
      Gy) in the postoperative period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Five-year overall
      survival rate. RESULTS: Occult cervical metastases were found in 18% of patients.
      They were present in level II in 77.5%, in level III in 20% of cases and in one
      patient in level IV (2.5%); the extracapsular spread was observed in 20% of
      cases. Postoperative regional metastases were found in 4.15% of cases in the
      study group, and in 11.8% in the control group, which proved to be significantly
      higher. The five-year overall survival rate showed no significant difference
      between the study group and the control group. CONCLUSION: The incidence of
      postoperative regional recurrences could be reduced by performing bilateral
      selective neck dissection simultaneously with primary tumour operation, but with
      no influence on the survival rate.

PMID- 26493549
TI  - Medium-term outcomes of mosaicplasty versus arthroscopic microfracture with or
      without platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of osteochondral lesions of the
      talus.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare medium-term functional effects of three
      different treatment modalities in patients with osteochondral lesions of the
      talus (OLT). METHODS: Fifty-four patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery for
      osteochondral lesion of the talus were included in this study. Patients were
      assigned to one of the three treatment groups: microfracture surgery (n = 19),
      microfracture surgery plus platelet-rich plasma (PRP) (n = 22), and mosaicplasty
      (n = 13). Function was assessed using the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle
      Society (AOFAS) scoring system and VAS scores for pain, before and after surgery.
      In addition, the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) tests for pain and 15-min
      walking were done at follow-up visits. RESULTS: The median duration of follow-up
      was 42 months (range 12-84 months). All groups showed significant improvements in
      AOFAS and VAS pain scores at the last follow-up visit, when compared to baseline.
      The groups did not differ with regard to change in baseline AOFAS score; however,
      improvement in VAS pain scores was significantly better in the mosaicplasty group
      when compared to the microfracture group (change from baseline, -5.8 +/- 1.0 vs. 
      3.2 +/- 2.9, p = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: All the three treatment modalities resulted
      in good medium-term functional results. However, mosaicplasty procedure seems to
      be a promising option and it might be preferred particularly in patients where
      pain control is important. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

PMID- 26493550
TI  - A meta-analysis of clinical and radiographic outcomes of posterior horn medial
      meniscus root repairs.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although interest in medial meniscus posterior root tear (MMPRT) repair
      has increased, few case series have been reported. This meta-analysis aimed to
      examine the clinical and radiological effects of MMPRT repair by pooling pre- and
      post-operative data from case-series reports. METHODS: A literature search was
      performed using MEDLINE/PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled
      Trials, and EMBASE databases. Pre- and post-operative data were pooled to
      investigate the effects of MMPRT repair, including the Lysholm score improvement,
      meniscal extrusion (mm) reduction, progression of the Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L)
      grade, and cartilage status according to the Outerbridge classification.
      Treatment effects included paired standardized mean differences (difference in
      the pre- and post-operative mean outcomes divided by the standard deviation) for
      the Lysholm score and meniscal extrusion, as well as the pooled event rates of
      progression of K-L grade and cartilage status. RESULTS: As treatment effects, the
      Lysholm score increased by as much as 3.675 (P < 0.001), whereas meniscus
      extrusion was not reduced (n.s.). The overall pooled event rates of progression
      of K-L grade and cartilage status were 10.6 and 17.3 % (P < 0.001), respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: According to the current literature, MMPRT repair resulted in
      significant improvements in the post-operative clinical subjective scores
      compared with the preoperative status. However, meniscus extrusion was not
      reduced. Considering the occurrence of progression of K-L grade and cartilage
      status, it did not prevent the progression of arthrosis completely. Based on
      these results, repair results in favourable outcomes for MMPRT. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Meta-analysis, Level IV.

PMID- 26493551
TI  - Comparing ovarian reserve after laparoscopic excision of endometriotic cysts and
      hemostasis achieved either by bipolar coagulation or suturing: a randomized
      clinical trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare ovarian reserve between laparoscopic
      suturing and bipolar coagulation techniques in women with unilateral
      endometrioma. METHODS: In a prospective randomized clinical trial, 109 patients
      with unilateral endometrioma underwent laparoscopic cystectomy. Patients were
      then randomized to undergo hemostasis with either bipolar coagulation (n = 57) or
      suturing (n = 52) technique. We evaluated the impact of surgery and hemostasis
      techniques on ovarian reserve using serum levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH)
      and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) that were measured preoperatively and at 3
      months postoperatively. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics such as age and
      preoperative AMH and FSH levels were similar between the two study groups. At 3
      month follow-up, in both groups, postoperative AMH levels were significantly
      lower and FSH levels were significantly higher than before surgery. The decline
      rate of AMH levels was significantly greater in the bipolar coagulation (53.42 +/
      15.28) group than in the suturing group (15.94 +/- 18.55). Furthermore, patients
      in the suturing group had higher AMH and lower FSH as compared with the other
      group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: After laparoscopic stripping of endometrioma,
      intracorporeal suturing showed less damage on ovarian reserve as compared with
      bipolar electrocoagulation. Therefore, hemostatic suturing technique may be
      considered as a better choice after laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy.

PMID- 26493552
TI  - Some clarifications on the Avicenna's nationality.

PMID- 26493553
TI  - p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism confers the susceptibility to endometriosis among Asian
      and Caucasian populations.
AB  - PURPOSE: Findings from studies on the association between the p53 Arg72Pro
      polymorphism and endometriosis susceptibility have so far been inconsistent.
      Therefore, we undertook a meta-analysis to clarify the association of p53
      Arg72Pro polymorphism with the risk of endometriosis. METHODS: Relevant studies
      were chosen by searching PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library databases, CNKI,
      Wanfang database, and CBM for articles published before and up to April 30, 2015.
      Two independent reviewers performed the eligibility evaluation and data
      extraction. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were
      calculated for the overall risk estimate. RESULTS: Eleven case-control studies
      involving 1834 endometriosis cases and 2331 controls were included. Pooled data
      analysis suggested that the p53 72Pro variant is a significant endometriosis risk
      factors in comparison to the 72Arg variant (Pro vs. Arg: OR = 1.298, 95 % CI
      1.082-1.558; Pro/Pro vs. Arg/Arg: OR = 1.751, 95 % CI 1.130-2.711; Pro/Arg vs.
      Arg/Arg: OR = 1.530, 95 % CI 1.174-1.994), which was strengthened in the dominant
      model (Pro/Pro + Arg/Pro vs. Arg/Arg: OR = 1.570, 95 % CI = 1.181-2.087). In the
      stratified analysis by ethnicity and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) in the
      controls, we found strong associations in Asians and in studies that were
      consistent with HWE. However, the analyses of the revised American Fertility
      Society (rAFS) stage and the menopausal status subgroup did not reveal any
      significant associations. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the p53 Arg72Pro
      polymorphism was closely related to the risk of endometriosis, especially in
      Asian populations.

PMID- 26493554
TI  - Perinatal survival and procedure-related complications after intrauterine
      transfusion for red cell alloimmunization.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study the perinatal survival and procedure-related
      (PR)complications after intrauterine transfusions in red cell alloimmunization.
      METHODS: Prospective data of 102 women with Rh-alloimmunized pregnancy undergoing
      intrauterine intravascular transfusion for fetal anemia, from January 2011 to
      October 2014 were analyzed. Main outcome measures were perinatal survival and
      procedure-related (PR) complications. RESULTS: A total of 303 intrauterine
      transfusions were performed in 102 women. Of 102 fetuses, 22 were hydropic at
      first transfusion. The mean period of gestation and hematocrit at first
      transfusion was 26.9 +/- 3.3 weeks (range 19.7-33.8 weeks) and 17 +/- 7.82 %
      (range 5.7-30 %), respectively. Average number of transfusions was 2.97 (range 1
      7) per patient. Overall survival was 93 % and mean period of gestation at
      delivery was 34.5 +/- 1.94 (range 28.3-37.4) weeks. Mean hematocrit at delivery
      was 36.9 +/- 8.77 % (range 10-66 %). Fetal death occurred in four cases (3PR),
      neonatal death occurred in three cases (2PR). Emergency cesarean delivery after
      transfusion was performed in four pregnancies. The total PR complication rate was
      2.97 %, resulting in overall PR loss in 1.65 % per procedure. CONCLUSION: Our
      results compare favorably with other studies published in the literature.
      Intravascular transfusion is a safe procedure improving perinatal survival in
      fetuses with anemia due to Rh-alloimmunization.

PMID- 26493556
TI  - Late-Life Exercise and Difficulty with Activities of Daily Living: an 8-Year
      Nationwide Follow-up Study in Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many studies have shown that low levels of exercise in later life are
      associated with the progression of difficulties with activities of daily living.
      However, few have assessed the independent effect of exercise components on
      difficulty in performing activities of daily living and explored whether the
      relationship between exercise and activities of daily living is reciprocal.
      PURPOSES: This study aimed to examine, in a nationally representative sample of
      older Taiwanese, the independent effect of the frequency, duration, and intensity
      of exercise on difficulty with activities of daily living. A secondary objective
      was to explore the degree to which the relationship of late-life exercise with
      activities of daily living is bi-directional. METHODS: Data from a fixed cohort
      (n = 1268, aged 70+) in 1999 with 8 years of follow-up were analyzed. Generalized
      estimating equation models with multivariate adjustment were performed. RESULTS:
      Participants engaging in higher levels of exercise had less difficulty with
      subsequent activities of daily living. Among the components of exercise, only
      duration, especially 30 min or more per session, was associated with fewer
      difficulties with activities of daily living. The relationship between exercise
      and activities of daily living was reciprocal, although the influence of
      activities of daily living on subsequent exercise levels was weaker. CONCLUSIONS:
      Exercise in later life may be able to minimize the difficulties in activities of
      daily living and help maintain the mobility and independence of older adults.

PMID- 26493555
TI  - Anger Expression, Momentary Anger, and Symptom Severity in Patients with Chronic
      Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anger expression styles are associated with physical health, and may
      affect health by modulating anger experience in daily life. Research examining
      this process in the daily lives of clinically relevant populations, such as
      patients with chronic disease, is needed. METHOD: Community adults with asthma (N
      = 97) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA; N = 31) completed measures of trait-level
      anger expression styles (anger-in and anger-out), followed by ecological
      momentary assessments of anger and physical health five times daily for 7 days.
      RESULTS: High anger-in predicted greater momentary anger, physical limitations,
      and greater asthma symptoms. High anger-out predicted reduced RA symptoms.
      Momentary anger was robustly associated with more severe symptoms in daily life.
      Three-way interactions showed that anger-in moderated these momentary anger
      symptom associations more consistently in men. CONCLUSIONS: Anger expression
      styles, particularly anger-in, may affect the day-to-day adjustment of patients
      with chronic disease in part by altering the dimensions of everyday anger
      experience, in ways that appear to differ by gender.

PMID- 26493557
TI  - The Efficacy and Safety of Lidocaine-Containing Hyaluronic Acid Dermal Filler for
      Treatment of Nasolabial Folds: A Multicenter, Randomized Clinical Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of injectable hyaluronic acid-based gel is well established
      in aesthetic facial procedures especially on the nasolabial fold (NLF).
      OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of PP-501-A-Lidocaine dermal filler
      with RestylaneLidocaine((r)) when administered to the NLF. METHODS: Sixty-six
      subjects seeking correction of NLFs, with moderate or severe wrinkle severity,
      were recruited for this multicenter, randomized, patient and evaluator-blind,
      matched pairs, and active-controlled design clinical study. PP-501-A-Lidocaine
      and RestylaneLidocaine((r)) were injected into the deep layer of the dermis
      and/or subcutis of the NLF. The first validity evaluation variable was the
      average wrinkle severity rating scale (WSRS), as scored by independent blinded
      evaluators at week 24. The second validity evaluation variable including the
      global aesthetic improvement scale (GAIS), the WSRS, and adverse event reporting
      at weeks 8, 16, and 24 were also performed. RESULTS: The mean improvement in the
      WSRS from baseline was 1.58 +/- 0.68 for the PP-501-A-Lidocaine and 1.51 +/- 0.66
      for the RestylaneLidocaine((r)) at week 24. The average value at week 8 after the
      final application was 1.62 +/- 0.78 and 1.60 +/- 0.75 in parts subject to PP-501
      A-Lidocaine and RestylaneLidocaine((r)), respectively, and 1.58 +/- 0.70 and 1.57
      +/- 0.68 at week 16, respectively. Both improvement and duration of the treatment
      effect were similar between the two groups. GAIS data rated by the treating
      investigator and participants showed no statistically significant differences.
      Both fillers were well tolerated and adverse reactions were mild and transient in
      most cases. CONCLUSION: PP-501-A-Lidocaine showed an equivalent efficacy and
      safety observed after 6 months of follow-up compared to RestylaneLidocaine((r)).
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE I: This journal requires that authors assign a level of
      evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine
      ratings, please refer to Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors
      www.springer.com/00266.

PMID- 26493558
TI  - Neurological Complications of Bariatric Surgery.
AB  - Obesity has attained pandemic proportions, and bariatric surgery is increasingly
      being employed resulting in turn to more neurological complications which must be
      recognized and managed. Neurological complications may result from mechanical or
      inflammatory mechanisms but primarily result from micro-nutritional deficiencies.
      Vitamin B12, thiamine, and copper constitute the most frequent deficiencies.
      Neurological complications may occur at reasonably predictable times after
      bariatric surgery and are associated with the type of surgery used. During the
      early post-operative period, compressive or stretch peripheral nerve injury,
      rhabdomyolysis, Wernicke's encephalopathy, and inflammatory
      polyradiculoneuropathy may occur. Late complications ensue after months to years
      and include combined system degeneration (vitamin B12 deficiency) and hypocupric
      myelopathy. Bariatric surgery patients require careful nutritional follow-up with
      routine monitoring of micronutrients at 6 weeks and 3, 6, and 12 months post
      operatively and then annually after surgery and multivitamin supplementation for
      life. Sustained vigilance for common and rare neurological complications is
      essential.

PMID- 26493559
TI  - A qualitative study on health workers' and community members' perceived sources,
      role of information and communication on malaria treatment, prevention and
      control in southeast Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been widely acknowledged that well-planned and executed
      communication programmes can contribute to achieving malaria prevention and
      treatment goals. This however requires a good understanding of current sources
      and roles of information used by both health workers and communities. The study
      aimed at determining health workers' and community members' sources, value and
      use of information on malaria prevention and treatment in Nigeria. METHODS:
      Qualitative data was collected from six selected communities (three urban and
      three rural) in Enugu state, southeast Nigeria. A total of 18 Focus Group
      Discussions (FGDs) with 179 community members and 26 in-depth interviews (IDIs)
      with health workers in public and private health facilities were used to collect
      data on where people receive treatment for malaria and access information on
      malaria. The FGDS and IDIs also provided data on the values, uses and effects of
      information and communication on malaria treatment seeking and provision of
      services. RESULTS: The findings revealed that the major sources of information on
      malaria for health workers and community members were advertisements in the mass
      media, workshops and seminars organized by donor agencies, facility supervision,
      posters, other health workers, television and radio adverts. Community
      involvement in the design and delivery of information on malaria control was seen
      as a strong strategy for improving both consumer and provider knowledge.
      Information from the different sources catalyzed appropriate provision and
      consumption of malaria treatment amongst health workers and community members.
      CONCLUSION: Health workers and consumers receive information on malaria
      prevention and treatment from multiple sources of communication and information,
      which they find useful. Harnessing these information sources to encourage
      consistent and accurate messages around malaria prevention and treatment is a
      necessary first step in the design and implementation of malaria communication
      and behaviour change interventions and ultimately for the sustained control of
      malaria.

PMID- 26493560
TI  - Phylogenomics and sequence-structure-function relationships in the GmrSD family
      of Type IV restriction enzymes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: GmrSD is a modification-dependent restriction endonuclease that
      specifically targets and cleaves glucosylated hydroxymethylcytosine (glc-HMC)
      modified DNA. It is encoded either as two separate single-domain GmrS and GmrD
      proteins or as a single protein carrying both domains. Previous studies suggested
      that GmrS acts as endonuclease and NTPase whereas GmrD binds DNA. METHODS: In
      this work we applied homology detection, sequence conservation analysis, fold
      recognition and homology modeling methods to study sequence-structure-function
      relationships in the GmrSD restriction endonucleases family. We also analyzed the
      phylogeny and genomic context of the family members. RESULTS: Results of our
      comparative genomics study show that GmrS exhibits similarity to proteins from
      the ParB/Srx fold which can have both NTPase and nuclease activity. In contrast
      to the previous studies though, we attribute the nuclease activity also to GmrD
      as we found it to contain the HNH endonuclease motif. We revealed residues
      potentially important for structure and function in both domains. Moreover, we
      found that GmrSD systems exist predominantly as a fused, double-domain form
      rather than as a heterodimer and that their homologs are often encoded in regions
      enriched in defense and gene mobility-related elements. Finally, phylogenetic
      reconstructions of GmrS and GmrD domains revealed that they coevolved and only
      few GmrSD systems appear to be assembled from distantly related GmrS and GmrD
      components. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides insight into sequence-structure
      function relationships in the yet poorly characterized family of Type IV
      restriction enzymes. Comparative genomics allowed to propose possible role of
      GmrD domain in the function of the GmrSD enzyme and possible active sites of both
      GmrS and GmrD domains. Presented results can guide further experimental
      characterization of these enzymes.

PMID- 26493561
TI  - Identification of novel mutations by targeted exome sequencing and the genotype
      phenotype assessment of patients with achromatopsia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Achromatopsia (ACHM) is a severe congenital autosomal recessive
      retinal disorder caused by loss of cone photoreceptors. Here, we aimed to
      determine the underlying genetic lesions and phenotypic correlations in two
      Chinese families with ACHM. METHODS: Medical history and clinical evaluation were
      obtained from both families. Targeted exome sequencing (TES) was performed on 201
      disease-causing genes of inherited retinal dystrophies to screen for ACHM
      causative mutations in the two probands. RESULTS: The compound heterozygous
      mutations in CNGA3 (c.1074G > A, p.W358X; c.1706G > A, p.R569H) were identified
      in the first proband, and a novel homozygous mutation (c.968C > A, p.A323D) was
      detected in the other pedigree. The proposed topological model of the CNGA3
      polypeptide suggested that the missense mutations primarily affected the
      transmembrane helix 5 and the cGMP-binding domain, respectively. Crystal
      structure modeling of the cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel alpha-3 (CNGA3)
      protein encoded by the CNGA3 gene revealed an abnormal combined structure
      generated by R569H. CONCLUSIONS: We firstly used the TES approach to identify
      genetic alterations in patients with ACHM. We uncovered three mutations in CNGA3,
      including one novel mutation. Our results not only expand the genotypic spectrum
      for CNGA3 mutations, but also demonstrate that the TES approach is a valuable
      tool for molecular diagnosis.

PMID- 26493562
TI  - Novel method to detect microRNAs using chip-based QuantStudio 3D digital PCR.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research efforts for the management of cancer, in particular for lung
      cancer, are directed to identify new strategies for its early detection.
      MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a new promising class of circulating biomarkers for cancer
      detection, but lack of consensus on data normalization methods has affected the
      diagnostic potential of circulating miRNAs. There is a growing interest in
      techniques that allow an absolute quantification of miRNAs which could be useful
      for early diagnosis. Recently, digital PCR, mainly based on droplets generation,
      emerged as an affordable technology for precise and absolute quantification of
      nucleic acids. RESULTS: In this work, we described a new interesting approach for
      profiling circulating miRNAs in plasma samples using a chip-based platform, the
      QuantStudio 3D digital PCR. The proposed method was validated using synthethic
      oligonucleotide at serial dilutions in plasma samples of lung cancer patients and
      in lung tissues and cell lines. CONCLUSION: Given its reproducibility and
      reliability, our approach could be potentially applied for the identification and
      quantification of miRNAs in other biological samples such as circulating exosomes
      or protein complexes. As chip-digital PCR becomes more established, it would be a
      robust tool for quantitative assessment of miRNA copy number for diagnosis of
      lung cancer and other diseases.

PMID- 26493564
TI  - Implications and Management of Central Nervous System Involvement before
      Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
AB  - Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with a history of central nervous system (CNS)
      involvement, either at diagnosis or relapse, poses challenges when the decision
      is made to proceed with allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT),
      as there is no evidence-based consensus on the best peri-transplantation approach
      to reduce subsequent CNS relapse risk. Here, we retrospectively analyzed outcomes
      of 87 patients with ALL and a history of CNS involvement who later underwent
      alloHCT. Patients with pretransplantation CNS involvement had higher risk of CNS
      relapse after transplantation (2-year CNS relapse: 9.6% versus 1.4%, P < .0001),
      inferior event-free survival (EFS) (hazard ratio [HR], 1.52; P = .003), and worse
      overall survival (OS) (HR, 1.55; P = .003) compared with patients without
      pretransplantation CNS involvement (n = 543). There was no difference in post
      transplantation CNS relapse, EFS, or OS among patients presenting with CNS
      involvement at diagnosis, those with isolated CNS relapse, and those with
      combined bone marrow and CNS relapse before HCT. Interestingly, neither
      pretransplantation cranial irradiation, use of total body irradiation-based
      conditioning, nor post-transplantation prophylactic intrathecal chemotherapy were
      associated with a reduction of CNS relapse risk after transplantation. Thus,
      among the patients in the cohort studied, there was no clear benefit of CNS
      directed therapy in the peri-transplantation period among patients who had prior
      CNS involvement and underwent subsequent alloHCT.

PMID- 26493563
TI  - Outcomes of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Patients with
      Myelofibrosis with Prior Exposure to Janus Kinase 1/2 Inhibitors.
AB  - The impact of Janus kinase (JAK) 1/2 inhibitor therapy before allogeneic
      hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has not been studied in a large cohort
      in myelofibrosis (MF). In this retrospective multicenter study, we analyzed
      outcomes of patients who underwent HCT for MF with prior exposure to JAK1/2
      inhibitors. One hundred consecutive patients from participating centers were
      analyzed, and based on clinical status and response to JAK1/2 inhibitors at the
      time of HCT, patients were stratified into 5 groups: (1) clinical improvement (n
      = 23), (2) stable disease (n = 31), (3) new cytopenia/increasing
      blasts/intolerance (n = 15), (4) progressive disease: splenomegaly (n = 18), and
      (5) progressive disease: leukemic transformation (LT) (n = 13). Overall survival
      (OS) at 2 years was 61% (95% confidence interval [CI], 49% to 71%). OS was 91%
      (95% CI, 69% to 98%) for those who experienced clinical improvement and 32% (95%
      CI, 8% to 59%) for those who developed LT on JAK1/2 inhibitors. In multivariable
      analysis, response to JAK1/2 inhibitors (P = .03), dynamic international
      prognostic scoring system score (P = .003), and donor type (P = .006) were
      independent predictors of survival. Among the 66 patients who remained on JAK1/2
      inhibitors until stopped for HCT, 2 patients developed serious adverse events
      necessitating delay of HCT and another 8 patients had symptoms with lesser
      severity. Adverse events were more common in patients who started tapering or
      abruptly stopped their regular dose >=6 days before conditioning therapy. We
      conclude that prior exposure to JAK1/2 inhibitors did not adversely affect post
      transplantation outcomes. Our data suggest that JAK1/2 inhibitors should be
      continued near to the start of conditioning therapy. The favorable outcomes of
      patients who experienced clinical improvement with JAK1/2 inhibitor therapy
      before HCT were particularly encouraging, and need further prospective
      validation.

PMID- 26493566
TI  - A tribute to Massimo Gallucci.

PMID- 26493565
TI  - Comparison of pain neurophysiology knowledge among health sciences students: a
      cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A key tool for use in approaching chronic pain treatment is educating
      patients to reconceptualize pain. Thus, health professionals are fundamental to
      the transmission of pain information to patients. Because their understanding of
      pain is acquired during the educational process, the aim of this study was to
      compare the knowledge about pain neurophysiology in first and final-year students
      from three different health science programs at a single University to determine
      their gain in knowledge using a well-known questionnaire designed to evaluate the
      understanding of pain. METHODS: The Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (19
      closed-ended questions) was administered to students in their first and final
      years of study in Medicine, Physiotherapy, or Nutrition. The percentage of
      correct responses was determined and comparisons of the results were analyzed
      between the programs as well as between the first and final years of study within
      each program. For all tests, p-values were two-sided, and results with p-values
      below 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The participation
      rate was greater than 51% (n = 285). The mean percentage of correct responses,
      reported as mean (SD), among the first year students was 42.14 (12.23), without
      significant statistical differences detected between the programs. The mean
      percentages of correct responses for students in their final year were as
      follows: Medicine, 54.38 (13.87); Physiotherapy, 68.92 (16.22); Nutrition, 42.34
      (10.11). We found statistically significant differences among all three programs
      and between the first and final years in Medicine and Physiotherapy. A question
      by-question analysis showed that the percentage of correct responses for
      questions related to the biopsychosocial aspects of pain was higher for students
      in Physiotherapy than those in Medicine. CONCLUSIONS: Students in their final
      years of Medicine and Physiotherapy programs know more about the neurophysiology
      of pain than students in their first years of these programs, however there are
      some questions where first years students have better results. Physiotherapy
      students have greater knowledge of neurophysiology of pain than Medicine
      students, especially the biopsychosocial aspects. Even so, their understanding
      may not be sufficient and does not guarantee an approach to chronic pain that
      will help patients reconceptualize their pain.

PMID- 26493567
TI  - Contingency management effects on delay discounting among patients receiving
      smoking cessation treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that delay discounting may change
      following effective interventions. Nonetheless, previous studies that assessed
      the effect of contingency management (CM) on delay discounting are scarce, and
      their results are mixed. The current study assessed whether CM in conjunction
      with a cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) for smoking cessation was associated
      with changes in delay discounting at end-of-treatment and at 6-month follow-up
      compared to CBT alone. METHOD: One hundred and sixteen treatment-seeking smokers
      were randomly assigned either to CM + CBT (n = 69) or to CBT alone (n = 47).
      Participants completed delay discounting assessments at the intake, at end-of
      treatment, and at 6-month follow-up. We evaluated CM&rsquo;s effect on
      discounting with parametric and nonparametric methods. RESULTS: Between-group
      analyses showed that none of the interventions changed delay discounting from
      intake to end-of-treatment or to 6-month follow-up. Nonetheless, some within
      group analyses showed that the CM + CBT condition evidenced some degree of
      reduction. CONCLUSIONS: The current results suggest that CM intervention is not
      robustly associated with delay discounting changes. Future studies should address
      treatments that may potentially change delay discounting.

PMID- 26493568
TI  - [2013 research ranking of Spanish public universities].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The evaluation of research production and productivity is becoming
      increasingly necessary for universities. Having reliable and clear data is
      extremely useful in order to uncover strengths and weaknesses. The objective of
      this article is to update the research ranking of Spanish public universities
      with the 2013 data. METHOD: Assessment was carried out based on articles in
      journals indexed in the JCR, research periods, R+D projects, doctoral theses, FPU
      grants, doctoral studies awarded with a citation of excellence, and patents,
      providing a rating, both for each individual indicator and globally, in
      production and productivity. The same methodology as previous editions was
      followed. RESULTS: In the global ranking, the universities with a higher
      production are Barcelona, Complutense of Madrid, and Granada. In productivity,
      the first positions are held by the universities Pompeu Fabra, Pablo de Olavide,
      and the Autonomous University of Barcelona. CONCLUSIONS: Differences can be found
      between the universities in production and productivity, while there are also
      certain similarities with regard to the position of Spanish universities in
      international rankings.

PMID- 26493569
TI  - Justification beliefs of violence, myths about love and cyber dating abuse.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Distorted beliefs about violence and love are often associated with
      the presence of violence in dating relationships. This study analyzes the
      relationship between beliefs that justify violence and myths about love in two
      types of cyber dating abuse (control and direct aggression). METHOD: The sample
      consisted of 656 young people between the ages of 18 and 30 years (79.5% women).
      RESULTS: Regression analysis showed that justification of cyber dating abuse was
      significantly associated with a higher likelihood of direct aggression in online
      dating relationships. Myths about love were associated with a greater likelihood
      of control in online dating relationships. Furthermore, the relationship between
      justification of cyber dating abuse and perpetration of direct aggression was
      stronger in women. The relationship between myths about love and perpetration of
      online control was stronger among the youngest individuals. CONCLUSION: The
      justification of abuse and myths about love are important aspects in the
      development of different kinds of online abuse among young couples. This finding
      has important implications for the prevention of and intervention in these
      behaviors.

PMID- 26493570
TI  - Predicting approach to homework in Primary school students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The goal of this research was to study the weight of student
      variables related to homework (intrinsic homework motivation, perceived homework
      instrumentality, homework attitude, time spent on homework, and homework time
      management) and context (teacher feedback on homework and parental homework
      support) in the prediction of approaches to homework. METHOD: 535 students of the
      last three courses of primary education participated in the study. Data were
      analyzed with hierarchical regression models and path analysis. RESULTS: The
      results obtained suggest that students&rsquo; homework engagement (high or low)
      is related to students&acute; level of intrinsic motivation and positive attitude
      towards homework. Furthermore, it was also observed that students who manage
      their homework time well (and not necessarily those who spend more time) are more
      likely to show the deepest approach to homework. CONCLUSIONS: Parental support
      and teacher feedback on homework affect student homework engagement through their
      effect on the levels of intrinsic homework motivation (directly), and on homework
      attitude, homework time management, and perceived homework instrumentality
      (indirectly). Data also indicated a strong and significant relationship between
      parental and teacher involvement.

PMID- 26493571
TI  - Adaptation of the Evidence-Based Practices Attitude Scale in Spanish child
      welfare professionals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) into real-world
      settings represents an organizational change that may be limited or facilitated
      by provider attitudes towards the adoption of new interventions and practices.
      The objective of the present study was to analyze psychometric properties of the
      Evidence Based Practices Attitude Scale (EBPAS) Spanish version in Child Welfare
      professionals. METHOD: The EBPAS 50-item version was administered to a sample of
      professionals (N = 240) providing services to children/adolescents and their
      families in Child Welfare Services from three Spanish regions. RESULTS: Most of
      the dimensions measured by the EBPAS (50 items) were confirmed in the Spanish
      version administrated to Child Welfare professionals. Internal consistency
      reliabilities were fair to excellent. Provider attitudes varied by professional
      discipline and organizational context. CONCLUSIONS: The EBPAS Spanish version is
      an adequate instrument to be used as a measure of attitudes toward implementation
      of evidence-based practices.

PMID- 26493572
TI  - Explicative factors of face-to-face harassment and cyberbullying in a sample of
      primary students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research has shown that there is a co-occurrence between bullying and
      cyberbullying in relation to certain variables that describe and explain them.
      The present study aims to examine the differential influence of individual and
      contextual variables on perception of the role played in the involvement in both
      phenomena. METHOD: Participants were 1278 schoolchildren (47.7 % girls) of
      primary education, aged 10 to 14 years ( M =11.11, SD = 0.75). RESULTS: Logistic
      regression analysis indicated that social adjustment, normative adjustment,
      disruptiveness, gender, and self-esteem explain a substantial part of the
      involvement in both violent phenomena as victims, aggressors, and bully/victims.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results are discussed regarding the weight that must attributed
      to individual versus contextual factors, concluding that the explicative weight
      of the immediate social elements and educational context may make the difference.

PMID- 26493573
TI  - Assessing teamwork competence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent years, organizations of all types have undergone major
      changes, and teamwork is one of them. This way of working generates greater
      profits for an organization. This article aims to assess the teamwork competence
      of the employees of various Spanish companies in order to determine how effective
      the team members are in their professional actions. METHOD: We contacted 55 teams
      from different organizations and obtained a non-probabilistic sample comprised of
      55 participants (subjects tested) and 218 observers (evaluators: coordinators and
      co-workers). The instrument used for data collection was the Teamwork Rubric
      (Torrelles, 2011) and data analysis was based on 360o feedback. RESULTS: 80% of
      the teams analyzed obtained median scores for teamwork competence that were
      greater than 3, whereas 20% obtained scores between 2 and 3. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results showed that the workers in the companies studied had not fully acquired
      teamwork competence. It is necessary to find training solutions to improve their
      level of acquisition, particularly the dimensions of performance and regulation.

PMID- 26493574
TI  - An overall decline both in recollection and familiarity in healthy aging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the area of recognition memory, the experimental data have been
      inconsistent about whether or not familiarity declines in healthy aging. A recent
      meta-analysis concluded that familiarity is impaired when estimated with the
      remember-know procedure, but not with the process-dissociation procedure. METHOD:
      We present an associative recognition experiment with remember-know judgments
      that allow us to estimate both recollection and familiarity using both procedures
      in the same task and with the same participants (a sample of healthy older people
      and another sample of young people). Moreover, we performed a within-subjects
      manipulation of the type of materials (pairs of words or pairs of pictures), and
      the repetition or not of the pairs during the study phase. RESULTS: The results
      show that familiarity, estimated using both estimation procedures, declines
      significantly with age, although the effect size obtained with the process
      dissociation procedure is significantly smaller than the one obtained with the
      remember-know procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that aging is associated
      with significant decreases both in recollection and, to a lesser extent,
      familiarity.

PMID- 26493575
TI  - Enhancing emotion-based learning in decision-making under uncertainty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is widely used to study decision-making
      differences between several clinical and healthy populations. Unlike the healthy
      participants, clinical participants have difficulty choosing between advantageous
      options, which yield long-term benefits, and disadvantageous options, which give
      high immediate rewards but lead to negative profits. However, recent studies have
      found that healthy participants avoid the options with a higher frequency of
      losses regardless of whether or not they are profitable in the long run. The aim
      of this study was to control for the confounding effect of the frequency of
      losses between options to improve the performance of healthy participants on the
      IGT. METHOD: Eighty healthy participants were randomly assigned to the original
      IGT or a modified version of the IGT that diminished the gap in the frequency of
      losses between options. RESULTS: The participants who used the modified IGT
      version learned to make better decisions based on long-term profit, as indicated
      by an earlier ability to discriminate good from bad options, and took less time
      to make their choices. CONCLUSIONS: This research represents an advance in the
      study of decision making under uncertainty by showing that emotion-based learning
      is improved by controlling for the loss-frequency bias effect.

PMID- 26493576
TI  - Factors involved in making post-performance judgments in mathematics problem
      solving.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study examines the impact of executive functions, affective
      motivational variables related to mathematics, mathematics achievement and task
      characteristics on fifth and sixth graders&rsquo; calibration accuracy after
      completing two mathematical problems. METHOD: A sample of 188 students took part
      in the study. They were divided into two groups as function of their judgment
      accuracy after completing the two tasks (accurate= 79, inaccurate= 109).
      Differences between these groups were examined. The discriminative value of these
      variables to predict group membership was analyzed, as well as the effect of age,
      gender, and grade level. RESULTS: The results indicated that accurate students
      showed better levels of executive functioning, and more positive feelings,
      beliefs, and motivation related to mathematics. They also spent more time on the
      tasks. Mathematics achievement, perceived usefulness of mathematics, and time
      spent on Task 1 significantly predicted group membership, classifying 71.3% of
      the sample correctly. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the relationship between
      academic achievement and calibration accuracy, suggesting the need to consider a
      wide range of factors when explaining performance judgments.

PMID- 26493577
TI  - Gender and cultural effects on perception of psychological violence in the
      partner.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies reporting similar figures of couple (man-woman) violence and
      works questioning the validity of the instruments employed have generated
      controversy about the conceptualization of this construct. One of the critical
      issues is the different ways of perceiving violence between men and women, as
      well as its nature in the cultural context. This may affect self-reported
      answers. METHOD: A questionnaire evaluating the degree of violence perceived in
      ten kinds of psychological partner abuse was applied. 1750 students from Spain
      and Mexico, all of them randomly selected, completed it. RESULTS: Through MANOVA,
      greater perception of violence in the Spanish sample than in the Mexican one was
      obtained; in both countries, there was a greater perception in women than in men.
      Effects of gender-culture interaction were obtained in four dimensions:
      Isolation, Sexual Pressure, Emotional Manipulation, and Dominance.
      Multidimensional scaling showed two perceived dimensions: (1) "Proactive-Passive
      Tactics", stronger in the Spanish culture and (2) "Punitive-Emotional Tactics",
      stronger in the Mexican culture. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm gender
      culture effects in perception of psychological violence in the partner.

PMID- 26493578
TI  - Guidelines based on validity criteria for the development of multiple choice
      items.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many different guidelines have been presented for the construction of
      multiple choice items. Those guidelines have been based on the observation of
      errors when constructing items but not on any clear scientific criterion. Our
      main objective was to draw up guidelines for the development of multiple choice
      items based on validity criteria. METHOD: We used the properties of adjustment,
      precision, and differentiation, applying them to three basic phases of instrument
      construction: the definition of the objective and its context; their expression
      in the instrument and item stem; and the elaboration of response options.
      RESULTS: We have combined these properties and phases to give nine general
      guidelines with a firm theoretical footing. CONCLUSIONS: Finally, we have written
      a checklist with twenty-four points to check how far the measurement instruments
      comply with the proposed guidelines.

PMID- 26493579
TI  - Psychometric evaluation of the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire in a Spanish sample
      of offenders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Self-Appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ) is a self-report instrument
      designed to predict recidivism among adult criminal offenders. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of this self-report in a
      Spanish sample of offenders. METHOD: The questionnaire was administered to 276
      offenders recruited from various prisons in Madrid (Spain). RESULTS: Confirmatory
      factor analyses showed that the underlying structure of SAQ was best explained by
      a one-factor solution. SAQ total scores exhibited high levels of internal
      consistency (.92). Correlations of the instrument with violence risk measures
      were statistically significant and had a moderate magnitude, indicating a
      reasonable degree of concurrent validity. CONCLUSIONS: After examination of its
      psychometric properties, it was concluded that the SAQ total score is a reliable
      and valid measure to estimate violence risk in Spanish offenders.

PMID- 26493580
TI  - Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Passion Scale.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Passion has been shown to be involved in psychological processes that
      emerge in diverse human activities like physical activity and sports, work,
      leisure, videogaming, pathological gambling, and interpersonal relationships. We
      aimed to present evidence of validity and internal consistency of the Passion
      Scale in Spanish based on the Dualistic Model of Passion, comprising harmonious
      and obsessive dimensions. METHOD: The sample comprised 1,007 participants (350
      females and 657 males), aged 16-65 (Md= 30.0 years). Exploratory Structural
      Equation Modeling (ESEM), measurement invariance and Multiple-Cause-Multiple
      Indicator models (MIMIC) were used. RESULTS: Fit for the ESEM 2-factor solution
      was acceptable. Near full or partial measurement invariance across sex, type of
      activity, and age was supported. Relationships between both harmonious and
      obsessive dimensions and the external variables considered (age, sex, and
      criterion items) reasonably replicated those found in previous studies. Both
      scale scores showed adequate internal consistency (&alpha; = .81). CONCLUSIONS:
      Empirical evidence for the validity and internal consistency of the Spanish
      version of the Passion Scale is satisfactory and reveals that the scale is
      comparable to the English and French versions. Therefore, the Passion Scale can
      be used in research conducted in Spanish.

PMID- 26493581
TI  - Validation of the General Self-Efficacy Scale in psychiatric outpatient care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self-efficacy has been used to explain and predict human
      characteristics in different domains, including health behavior. The aim of this
      paper is to study the internal consistency, components, and convergent validity
      of the Spanish version of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) in psychiatric
      outpatients. METHODS: A convenience sample of 966 consecutive psychiatric out
      patients completed in 2014 the Spanish versions of the General Self-Efficacy
      Scale (GSE), Form C of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC
      C), the Hong Psychological Reactance Scale (HPRS), the Drug Attitude Inventory
      (DAI-10), and a questionnaire including socio-demographic and clinical variables.
      RESULTS: The GSE scale attained high internal consistency. Principal component
      analysis produced a general one-component solution. This structure accounted for
      more than 50% of the common variance. Further analyses yielded significant
      results with health locus of control dimensions, attitudes toward psychiatric
      treatment, age, and affective psychological reactance, but not with other socio
      demographic or clinical variables. CONCLUSIONS: The structure of the General Self
      efficacy Scale is unidimensional, homogenous and positively related to the
      constructs examined. The scale is a reliable and valid measure of the perception
      of self-efficacy in psychiatric outpatient care.

PMID- 26493582
TI  - Further validity evidence of the Behavioral Inhibition Observation System (BIOS).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Behavioral Inhibition Observation System (BIOS) is a brief
      clinician-report scale for detecting behavioral inhibition (BI) from direct
      observation. This study aims to compare the validity coefficients obtained in the
      natural context of use of the BIOS (i.e., a clinical situation) with those
      obtained using the BIOS after standardized observation. METHOD: The participants
      were 74 randomly selected preschool children who were exposed to systematic
      observation. RESULTS: The results indicate excellent internal consistency (alpha
      = .91) and moderate to good inter-rater reliability for all items (ICC from .55
      to .88). The correlations with observational measures of BI ranged from .40 to
      .70, and were mostly equivalent to those of the previous study. The correlations
      with parents', teachers', and clinicians' measures of BI and related constructs
      ranged from .30 to .60, and were also equivalent to those obtained in the natural
      context of use of the BIOS (i.e., clinical situation). CONCLUSIONS: The validity
      coefficients obtained with the BIOS in a non-structured natural observation are
      mostly equivalent to those obtained in an experimental situation, thus supporting
      that the BIOS is a cost-efficient instrument for measuring BI from observation in
      a clinical situation.

PMID- 26493583
TI  - Cooperative Self-Assembly Transfer from Hierarchical Supramolecular Polymers to
      Gold Nanoparticles.
AB  - The transfer of information encoded by molecular subcomponents is a key
      phenomenon that regulates the biological inheritance in living organisms, yet
      there is a lack of understanding of related transfer mechanisms at the
      supramolecular level in artificial multicomponent systems. Our contribution to
      tackle this challenge has focused on the design of a thiolated pi-conjugated
      linking unit, whose hierarchical, cooperative self-assembly in nonpolar media can
      be efficiently transferred from the molecular to the nanoscopic level, thereby
      enabling the reversible self-assembly of gold nanoparticle (AuNP) clusters. The
      transfer of supramolecular information by the linking pi-system can only take
      place when a specific cooperative nucleation-elongation mechanism is operative,
      whereas low-ordered noncooperative assemblies formed below a critical
      concentration do not suffice to extend the order to the AuNP level. To the best
      of our knowledge, our approach has allowed for the first time a deep analysis of
      the hierarchy levels and thermodynamics involved in the self-assembly of AuNPs. 

PMID- 26493585
TI  - Quantitative aspects of drug permeation across in vitro and in vivo barriers.
AB  - The kinetics of permeation across epithelial and endothelial cell sheets and
      across cell membranes is determinant for the pharmacokinetics of a drug. In vitro
      transport experiments with cultured cells or artificial barriers have
      tremendously improved the predictability of the in vivo behaviour of tested
      compounds. This article focuses on the parameters and calculation methods that
      are used to describe permeation quantitatively, with a focus on in vitro
      experiments and the prediction of intestinal absorption and blood-brain barrier
      passage. It shows under which in vitro experimental conditions standard
      calculations are adequate and under which conditions equations should be adapted
      to the experimental details. The impact of volume differences between donor and
      receiver compartments, pH gradients, addition of albumin, accumulation in the
      barrier and unidirectional transport by an efflux transporter on the results is
      shown in simulations. The article should make researchers aware of experimental
      factors that affect the outcome of a permeation experiment and how to account for
      this during data analysis. Finally, strategies to predict the in vivo behaviour
      of a compound based on the in vitro data are discussed. The goal of the article
      is to support researchers in choosing experimental conditions and calculation
      methods that deliver appropriate and reproducible results in permeation studies
      in vitro. 

PMID- 26493584
TI  - Licensing failure in the European decentralised procedure.
AB  - The majority of the licensing applications in the European Union are submitted
      via the decentralised procedure. Little is known about licensing failure (i.e.
      refusal or withdrawal of a marketing authorisation application) in the EU
      decentralised procedure compared to the EU centralised procedure and the approval
      procedure in the United States. The study aim was to determine the frequency of
      and determinants for licensing failure of marketing authorisation applications
      submitted via this procedure. We assessed procedures that failed between 2008 and
      2012 with The Netherlands as leading authority and assessed the remaining major
      objections. In total 492 procedures were completed, of which 48 (9.8%) failed: 8
      refused, 40 withdrawn. A wide variety of major objections was identified and
      included both quality (48 major objections) and clinical (45 major objections)
      issues. The low failure rate may be related to the regular interaction between
      competent authorities and applicants during the procedure. Some degree of
      licensing failure may be inevitable, as it may also be affected by the financial
      feasibility or willingness to resolve major objections, as well as other reasons
      to withdraw an application besides the raised major objections. 

PMID- 26493586
TI  - Mitigating unwanted amorphisation: A screening method for the selection of
      suitable excipients.
AB  - Co-processing an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) with a low Tg excipient
      has been previously reported to be an effective strategy for preventing drug
      amorphisation on milling. This technique relies on the ability of the excipient
      to form a molecular dispersion with the amorphous API during the milling process.
      The presence of the excipient within the amorphous phase induces a reduction of
      the Tg. Hence, the molecular dispersion becomes less stable than the amorphous
      API alone and recrystallises upon milling. The objective of this study was to
      develop a screening method for the selection of suitable excipients to prevent
      amorphisation, based on two criteria: the Tg of the excipient and the solubility
      of the excipient in the amorphous API. The ability of the excipients to induce Tg
      reduction was first assessed by measuring the Tg of the amorphous composite by
      thermal analysis and comparing it with that of the pure API (griseofulvin). A
      predicted ability for mitigation of amorphisation upon milling was then deduced
      from these observations for each excipient and assessed against experimental
      results. The same excipients were then studied with regard to their expected
      solubility in another amorphous API (budesonide) by Hildebrand solubility
      parameter calculations in order to evaluate their capacity to form an amorphous
      composite with the drug. The predicted effects of the excipients on comilling
      were compared with the amorphous content of the processed API. The screening
      method as applied to both APIs showed good agreement with the experimental
      results and were shown to be efficient for the selection of the most appropriate
      excipient. This approach revealed that the two key parameters involved are the Tg
      of the excipient and the ability of the API to form an amorphous molecular
      dispersion with the excipients. This work confirms and completes our previously
      published results on the mitigation of the amorphisation by comilling with low Tg
      excipients and constitutes the first report of the use of a polymeric additive
      for this purpose. 

PMID- 26493587
TI  - A comprehensive Candida albicans PeptideAtlas build enables deep proteome
      coverage.
AB  - To provide new and expanded proteome documentation of the opportunistically
      pathogen Candida albicans, we have developed new protein extraction and analysis
      routines to provide a new, extended and enhanced version of the C. albicans
      PeptideAtlas. Two new datasets, resulting from experiments consisting of
      exhaustive subcellular fractionations and different growing conditions, plus two
      additional datasets from previous experiments on the surface and the secreted
      proteomes, have been incorporated to increase the coverage of the proteome. High
      resolution precursor mass spectrometry (MS) and ion trap tandem MS spectra were
      analyzed with three different search engines using a database containing allele
      specific sequences. This approach, novel for a large-scale C. albicans proteomics
      project, was combined with the post-processing and filtering implemented in the
      Trans Proteomic Pipeline consistently used in the PeptideAtlas project and
      resulted in 49,372 additional peptides (3-fold increase) and 1630 more proteins
      (1.6-fold increase) identified in the new C. albicans PeptideAtlas with respect
      to the previous build. A total of 71,310 peptides and 4174 canonical (minimal non
      redundant set) proteins (4115 if one protein per pair of alleles is considered)
      were identified representing 66% of the 6218 proteins in the predicted proteome.
      This makes the new PeptideAtlas build the most comprehensive C. albicans
      proteomics resource available and the only large-scale one with detections of
      individual alleles. 

PMID- 26493588
TI  - Bevacizumab and Combination Chemotherapy in rectal cancer Until Surgery
      (BACCHUS): a phase II, multicentre, open-label, randomised study of neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy alone in patients with high-risk cancer of the rectum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) preoperative chemoradiation
      (CRT) is the standard of care, but the risk of local recurrence is low with good
      quality total mesorectal excision (TME), although many still develop metastatic
      disease. Current challenges in treating rectal cancer include the development of
      effective organ-preserving approaches and the prevention of subsequent metastatic
      disease. Neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy (NACT) alone may reduce local and
      systemic recurrences, and may be more effective than postoperative treatments
      which often have poor compliance. Investigation of intensified NACT is warranted
      to improve outcomes for patients with LARC. The objective is to evaluate
      feasibility and efficacy of a four-drug regimen containing bevacizumab prior to
      surgical resection. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a multi-centre, randomized phase II
      trial. Eligible patients must have histologically confirmed LARC with distal part
      of the tumour 4-12 cm from anal verge, no metastases, and poor prognostic
      features on pelvic MRI. Sixty patients will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio
      to receive folinic acid + flurourcil + oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) + bevacizumab (BVZ)
      or FOLFOX + irinotecan (FOLFOXIRI) + BVZ, given in 2 weekly cycles for up to 6
      cycles prior to TME. Patients stop treatment if they fail to respond after 3
      cycles (defined as >= 30 % decrease in Standardised Uptake Value (SUV) compared
      to baseline PET/CT). The primary endpoint is pathological complete response rate.
      Secondary endpoints include objective response rate, MRI tumour regression grade,
      involved circumferential resection margin rate, T and N stage downstaging,
      progression-free survival, disease-free survival, overall survival, local
      control, 1-year colostomy rate, acute toxicity, compliance to chemotherapy.
      DISCUSSION: In LARC, a neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen - if feasible, effective
      and tolerable would be suitable for testing as the novel arm against the current
      standards of short course preoperative radiotherapy (SCPRT) and/or fluorouracil
      (5FU)-based CRT in a future randomised phase III trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Clinical trial identifier BACCHUS: NCT01650428.

PMID- 26493590
TI  - Information about Sexual Health on Crisis Pregnancy Center Web Sites: Accurate
      for Adolescents?
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality and
      accuracy of sexual health information on crisis pregnancy center Web sites listed
      in state resource directories for pregnant women, and whether these Web sites
      specifically target adolescents. DESIGN: A survey of sexual health information
      presented on the Web sites of crisis pregnancy centers. SETTING: Internet.
      PARTICIPANTS: Crisis pregnancy center Web sites. INTERVENTIONS: Evaluation of the
      sexual health information presented on crisis pregnancy center Web sites. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Themes included statements that condoms are not effective,
      promotion of abstinence-only education, availability of comprehensive sexual
      education, appeal to a young audience, provision of comprehensive sexual health
      information, and information about sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
      RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Crisis pregnancy center Web sites provide inaccurate and
      misleading information about condoms, STIs, and methods to prevent STI
      transmission. This information might be particularly harmful to adolescents, who
      might be unable to discern the quality of sexual health information on crisis
      pregnancy center Web sites. Listing crisis pregnancy centers in state resource
      directories might lend legitimacy to the information on these Web sites. States
      should be discouraged from listing Web sites as an accurate source of information
      in their resource directories.

PMID- 26493589
TI  - Precision of spinal radiographs as a screening test for intervertebral disc
      calcification in Dachshunds.
AB  - Among dog breeds, the Dachshund has the highest lifetime incidence of
      intervertebral disc disease (IVDD). Intervertebral disc (IVD) calcification is an
      indicator of severe degeneration that predisposes to disc herniation. IVDD is
      heritable in Dachshunds, and in some countries, breeding candidates are screened
      to reduce IVDD occurrence by selecting dogs according to their score of
      radiographically detectable intervertebral disc calcification (RDIDC) and
      excluding dogs with >=5 RDIDCs from breeding. This study evaluated the precision
      of scoring spinal radiographs for IVD calcification and subsequent classification
      of Dachshund dogs for breeding based on their RDIDC score. Digital radiographs of
      the spine were obtained in 19 clinically healthy, young adult Dachshunds, and
      scored for RDIDC independently by five scorers with varying levels of experience,
      three times each. Within scorer (repeatability) and between scorer
      (reproducibility) variability was estimated both at the individual IVD level and
      at the whole dog level for breeding classification purposes. At the IVD level,
      some degree of scorer effect was supported by the pairwise repeatability (92.3%;
      95% CI: 88.8-94.7%) being marginally higher than the reproducibility (89.2%; 95%
      CI: 85.7-91.8%). Scorer-specific patterns confirmed the presence of scorer
      subjectivity. Repeatability significantly increased with scorer experience but
      the reproducibility did not. RDIDC scoring repeatability and reproducibility
      substantially decreased at the cervicothoracic spine region, likely due to
      anatomical superimpositions. At the dog level, a breeding classification could be
      repeated by the same scorer for 83.6% (95% CI: 73.8-90.2%) of the dogs, and was
      reproduced between two scorers for 80.2% (95% CI: 66.6-89.1%) of the dogs. The
      repeatability of breeding classification also seemed to increase with scorer
      experience but not the reproducibility. Overall, RDIDC scoring revealed some
      degree of inconsistency explained by scorer subjectivity and inexperience, and
      anatomical superimpositions. Scorer training and experience is strongly
      recommended to improve test precision and ensure appropriate classification of
      Dachshunds for breeding. 

PMID- 26493591
TI  - Systematic Review of Inspiratory Muscle Training After Cerebrovascular Accident.
AB  - This systematic review examines levels of evidence and recommendation grades of
      various therapeutic interventions of inspiratory muscle training in people who
      have had a stroke. Benefits from different levels of force and resistance in
      respiratory muscles are shown in this population. This review was conducted
      following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta
      Analyses) directives and was completed in November 2014. The search limits were
      studies published in English between 2004 and 2014. Relevant studies were
      searched for in MEDLINE, PEDro, OAIster, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Knowledge,
      CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, DOAJ, Cochrane, Embase, Academic Search Complete, Fuente
      Academica, and MedicLatina. Initially, 20 articles were identified. After
      analyzing all primary documents, 14 studies were excluded. Only 6 studies were
      relevant to this review. Three different types of interventions were found
      (maximum inspiratory training, controlled training, and nonintervention) in 3
      different groups. One specific study compared 3 inspiratory muscle training
      groups with a group of breathing exercises (diaphragmatic exercises with pursed
      lips) and a control group. Future long-term studies with larger sample sizes are
      needed. It is necessary to apply respiratory muscle training as a service of the
      national health system and to consider its inclusion in the conventional
      neurological program. 

PMID- 26493592
TI  - A Comprehensive Review of Prone Position in ARDS.
AB  - Prone position (PP) has been used since the 1970s to treat severe hypoxemia in
      patients with ARDS because of its effectiveness at improving gas exchange.
      Compared with the supine position (SP), placing patients in PP effects a more
      even tidal volume distribution, in part, by reversing the vertical pleural
      pressure gradient, which becomes more negative in the dorsal regions. PP also
      improves resting lung volume in the dorsocaudal regions by reducing the
      superimposed pressure of both the heart and the abdomen. In contrast, pulmonary
      perfusion remains preferentially distributed to the dorsal lung regions, thus
      improving overall alveolar ventilation/perfusion relationships. Moreover, the
      larger tissue mass suspended from a wider dorsal chest wall effects a more
      homogeneous distribution of pleural pressures throughout the lung that reduces
      abnormal strain and stress development. This is believed to ameliorate the
      severity or development of ventilator-induced lung injury and may partly explain
      why PP reduces mortality in severe ARDS. Over 40 years of clinical trials have
      consistently reported improved oxygenation in approximately 70% of subjects with
      ARDS. Early initiation of PP is more likely to improve oxygenation than
      initiation during the subacute phase. Maximal oxygenation improvement occurs over
      a wide time frame ranging from several hours to several days. Meta-analyses of
      randomized controlled trials suggest that PP provides a survival advantage only
      in patients with relatively severe ARDS (PaO2 /FIO2 < 150 mm Hg). Moreover,
      survival is enhanced when patients are managed with a smaller tidal volume (<= 8
      mL/kg), higher PEEP (10-13 cm H2O), and longer duration of PP sessions (> 10-12
      h/session). Combining adjunctive therapies (high PEEP, recruitment maneuvers, and
      inhaled vasodilators) with PP has an additive effect in improving oxygenation and
      may be particularly helpful in stabilizing gas exchange in very severe ARDS.

PMID- 26493593
TI  - Recruitment Maneuvers and PEEP Titration.
AB  - The injurious effects of alveolar overdistention are well accepted, and there is
      little debate regarding the importance of pressure and volume limitation during
      mechanical ventilation. The role of recruitment maneuvers is more controversial.
      Alveolar recruitment is desirable if it can be achieved, but the potential for
      recruitment is variable among patients with ARDS. A stepwise recruitment
      maneuver, similar to an incremental PEEP titration, is favored over sustained
      inflation recruitment maneuvers. Many approaches to PEEP titration have been
      proposed, and the best method to choose the most appropriate level for an
      individual patient is unclear. A PEEP level should be selected that balances
      alveolar recruitment against overdistention. The easiest approach to select PEEP
      might be according to the severity of the disease: 5-10 cm H2O PEEP in mild ARDS,
      10-15 cm H2O PEEP in moderate ARDS, and 15-20 cm H2O PEEP in severe ARDS.
      Recruitment maneuvers and PEEP should be used within the context of lung
      protection and not just as a means of improving oxygenation. 

PMID- 26493594
TI  - Why Use Anything But a Standard Spontaneous Breathing Trial to Determine
      Readiness for Ventilator Discontinuation?

PMID- 26493595
TI  - Noninvasive Ventilatory Support: The Detail Lies in the Interface.

PMID- 26493596
TI  - Capnography: A Feasible Tool in Clinical and Experimental Settings.

PMID- 26493599
TI  - Empagliflozin in diabetes: A therapeutic light at the end of the cardiovascular
      tunnel?

PMID- 26493598
TI  - High metallothionein predicts poor survival in glioblastoma multiforme.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive
      malignant brain tumor. Even with vigorous surgery, radiation and chemotherapy
      treatment, survival rates of GBM are very poor and predictive markers for
      prognosis are currently lacking. METHODS: We performed whole genome expression
      studies of 67 fresh frozen untreated GBM tumors and validated results by 210 GBM
      samples' expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:
      Here we show that in GBM patients, high metallothionein (MT) expression is
      associated with poor survival whereas low MT levels correspond to good prognosis.
      Furthermore we show that in U87 GBM cell line, p53 is found to be in an inactive
      mutant-like conformation concurrently with more than 4 times higher MT3
      expression level than normal astrocytes and U251GBM cell line. We then show that
      U87- p53 inactivity can be rescued by zinc (Zn). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together,
      these data suggest that MT expression may be a potential novel prognostic
      biomarker for GBM, and that U87 cells may be a good model for patients with non
      active WT p53 resulting from high levels of MTs.

PMID- 26493600
TI  - Seven days in medicine: 17-23 October.

PMID- 26493602
TI  - Is Breast-conserving Therapy Really a Good Option for BRCA1/2 Mutation Carriers?

PMID- 26493601
TI  - The Sensitivity to Change and Responsiveness of the Adult Responses to Children's
      Symptoms in Children and Adolescents With Chronic Pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the sensitivity to change and responsiveness of the Adult
      Responses to Children's Symptoms (ARCS) among parents of youth with chronic pain.
      METHODS: Participants included 330 youth (89 children aged 7-11 years, 241
      children aged 12-17 years) and their parents who participated in randomized
      controlled trials of family-based cognitive-behavioral therapy for chronic pain.
      Child pain and disability, parental emotional functioning, and parental responses
      to child pain were assessed at baseline and posttreatment.  RESULTS: The Protect
      and Monitor scales of the ARCS were sensitive to change following intervention
      for both developmental groups, with clinically meaningful reductions in these
      behaviors, thereby demonstrating responsiveness. Among the adolescent sample,
      greater change on some ARCS scales was associated with better parental emotional
      functioning and lower child pain at posttreatment.  CONCLUSIONS: Findings support
      the sensitivity to change and responsiveness of the Protect and Monitor scales
      among parents of youth with chronic pain.

PMID- 26493603
TI  - Thrombin generation and international normalized ratio in inherited thrombophilia
      patients receiving thromboprophylactic therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thrombin generation assay (TGA) is useful as a global functional test
      for assessing bleeding or thrombotic risk and its modification with therapy. We
      investigated TGA to assess anticoagulation status compared with the international
      normalized ratio (INR) system in patients with primary thrombophilia receiving
      and not undergoing thromboprophylaxis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 50
      patients with at least one thrombotic event and a confirmed diagnosis of
      inherited thrombophilia. Thrombin generation was measured in platelet-poor plasma
      by calibrated automated thrombography (CAT). RESULTS: Patients in optimal
      anticoagulation (INR: 2.0-3.0) showed an endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) of
      14-56% of normal and a peak of 18-55% of normal. A significant inverse
      relationship between INR and thrombin generation parameters (ETP, peak and
      velocity index) and a linear correlation for lag time was found in patients
      treated with vitamin-K antagonists (VKA). Receiver-operating characteristics
      (ROC) analysis showed that the optimal cutoff for ETP was 1600.2 nM . min (111.6%
      of normal, with a sensitivity of 96.6% and a specificity of 92.9%) and for the
      peak was 298.3 nM (112.1% of normal, with a sensitivity of 96.4% and a
      specificity of 100%). According to this analysis, ETP was able to identify
      patients with increased thrombotic and hemorrhagic risk, correlating with severe
      clinical complications. CONCLUSION: TGA showed excellent sensitivity and
      specificity for assessing anticoagulation status in patients with primary
      thrombophilia receiving VKA, with significant advantages with regard to INR.
      Clinical data strongly support ETP as a valuable indicator of thrombotic or
      hemorrhagic risk in patients receiving or not receiving thromboprophylaxis.

PMID- 26493604
TI  - Severe hepatic dysfunction is associated with venous thromboembolic events in
      phase 1 clinical trials.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) are a significant cause of
      death in patients with cancer. The incidence of VTE is not well characterized in
      early phase clinical trials of novel antineoplastic agents, or in hepatic
      dysfunction studies designed for patients with varying degrees of liver test
      abnormalities. We compared the incidences of VTE in phase 1 clinical trials
      (P1CTs) and hepatic dysfunction trials (HDCTs) sponsored by the Cancer Therapy
      Evaluation Program of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the United States.
      MATERIALS & METHODS: We reviewed individual patient records of 1841 subjects for
      symptomatic VTE diagnosed while on study: 1328 subjects on 42 P1CTs, and 513
      subjects on 9 HDCTs. The NCI's Organ Dysfunction Working Group definitions were
      used to categorize patients. The incidences of VTEs between patients were
      compared by the Chi square test. Confounders were evaluated with the Cochran
      Mantel-Haenszel method. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS: There were 43 VTEs identified
      among all subjects (2.3%). There were significantly more VTE observed in the
      subjects on P1CTs (n=38, 2.9%) than in the subjects on HDCTs (n=5, 1.0%; RR
      0.341, 95% 0.13-0.86, p=0.015). For patients on HDCTs, those with severe
      dysfunction had a high incidence of VTE (RR 10.5 (1.12-93.6), p=0.021) that
      remained significant in a multivariate model. VTEs were observed less frequently
      in patients who were enrolled in HDCT than those who were enrolled in P1CT;
      however, patients with severe hepatic dysfunction were more likely to experience
      VTE. Severe liver test abnormalities may not be protective against VTE in
      patients with malignancies receiving chemotherapy.

PMID- 26493605
TI  - Neuronal-glial populations form functional networks in a biocompatible 3D
      scaffold.
AB  - Monolayers of neurons and glia have been employed for decades as tools for the
      study of cellular physiology and as the basis for a variety of standard
      toxicological assays. A variety of three dimensional (3D) culture techniques have
      been developed with the aim to produce cultures that recapitulate desirable
      features of intact. In this study, we investigated the effect of preparing
      primary mouse mixed neuron and glial cultures in the inert 3D scaffold, Alvetex.
      Using planar multielectrode arrays, we compared the spontaneous bioelectrical
      activity exhibited by neuroglial networks grown in the scaffold with that seen in
      the same cells prepared as conventional monolayer cultures. Two dimensional
      (monolayer; 2D) cultures exhibited a significantly higher spike firing rate than
      that seen in 3D cultures although no difference was seen in total signal power
      (<50Hz) while pharmacological responsiveness of each culture type to antagonism
      of GABAAR, NMDAR and AMPAR was highly comparable. Interestingly, correlation of
      burst events, spike firing and total signal power (<50Hz) revealed that local
      field potential events were associated with action potential driven bursts as was
      the case for 2D cultures. Moreover, glial morphology was more physiologically
      normal in 3D cultures. These results show that 3D culture in inert scaffolds
      represents a more physiologically normal preparation which has advantages for
      physiological, pharmacological, toxicological and drug development studies,
      particularly given the extensive use of such preparations in high throughput and
      high content systems. 

PMID- 26493607
TI  - Critical role of androgen receptor in the postnatal period in male sexual
      behavior in rats.
AB  - Gonadal hormones have a developmental role in organization of the nervous system
      that regulates sexually dimorphic behavior. It is well known that androgen
      secreted from testes in the perinatal period is converted to estrogen by
      aromatase in rodent brain, and that estrogen and its receptor play a pivotal role
      in masculinization of brain structure and function. Treatment with flutamide, an
      androgen receptor (AR) antagonist, during the perinatal period inhibits
      development of malespecific brain structure and function, suggesting that
      androgen signaling via AR also influences brain masculinization. In this study,
      we investigated which stage during the postnatal period is critical for androgen
      signaling in brain masculinization. The postnatal period was designated as
      postnatal days (PD) 0-22, and divided into stages I (PD 0-7), II (PD 8-14), and
      III (PD 15-22). Newborn male rats were given flutamide subcutaneously in each
      stage. After adulthood, the effects of postnatal flutamide treatment on brain
      masculinization were evaluated byanalysis of male sexual behavior. Continuous
      inhibition of AR throughout stages I and II caused a robust reduction of the
      intromission ratio and ejaculation frequency compared with other groups. AR
      inhibition in stage I, II, or III did not cause any change. AR inhibition had no
      effect onmount behavior. These results show that stage-specific AR activation in
      the first two postnatal weeks may contribute to brain masculinization mediating
      male sexual behavior in adulthood. 

PMID- 26493606
TI  - Fronto-temporal regions encode the manner of motion in spatial language.
AB  - When describing spatial events, dynamic actions can be decomposed into the path
      of motion (where the object moves), and the manner of motion (how the object
      moves). These components may be instantiated in two processing streams in the
      human brain, wherein dorsal parietal areas process path-related information,
      while ventral temporal regions process manner information. Previous research
      showed this pattern during the observation of videos showing animate characters
      in motion [15]. It is unknown whether reading language describing path and manner
      information - a level of abstraction beyond the perception of visual motion -
      relies on similar mechanisms. Here, we use functional neuroimaging to show that
      the left pMTG processes the manner of motion during reading. We also demonstrate
      the involvement of other ventral fronto-temporal regions in the understanding of
      manner of motion in spatial language. 

PMID- 26493608
TI  - The persistent and broadly distributed EEG synchronization might inhibit the
      normal processing capability of the human brain.
AB  - Synchrony in the brain functioning describes the mode that the components are
      interacted and reflect the collective behaviour of neuronal assemblies.
      Nevertheless, the excessive and prolonged coupling among brain sites is relevant
      with disturbed information routing. In the present study we investigated the
      possibility that the sustained oscillatory states and the common mode in which
      several brain sites vary their functional connectivity inhibit the ability of the
      brain in perceiving and processing information. The hypothesis, that in many
      interacting systems, greater regularity-rhythmicity corresponds to grater
      component self-organization and isolation, is investigated in the case of thought
      blocks (under persistent auditory verbal hallucinations) and epileptic absences
      (under spike wave discharges). Our findings indicate that the observed common
      mode of coupling significantly restrains the normal flow of mental processes.
      This erroneous "connectivity mode" in the presence of symptoms such as thought
      blocks and absences respectively, was found to eliminate the spontaneous
      synchrony variability, essentially needed for the information processing, by
      fixating the functional specificity of the respected brain sites. 

PMID- 26493609
TI  - Predicting the Movement Speeds of Animals in Natural Environments.
AB  - An animal's movement speed affects all behaviors and underlies the intensity of
      an activity, the time it takes to complete it, and the probability of
      successfully completing it, but which factors determine how fast or slow an
      animal chooses to move? Despite the critical importance of an animal's choice of
      speed (hereafter designated as "speed-choice"), we still lack a framework for
      understanding and predicting how fast animals should move in nature. In this
      article, we develop a framework for predicting speed that is applicable to any
      animal-including humans-performing any behavior where choice of speed occurs. To
      inspire new research in this area, we (1) detail the main factors likely to
      affect speed-choice, including organismal constraints (i.e., energetic,
      physiological, and biomechanical) and environmental constraints (i.e., predation
      intensity and abiotic factors); (2) discuss the value of optimal foraging theory
      in developing models of speed-choice; and (3) describe how optimality models
      might be integrated with the range of potential organismal and environmental
      constraints to predict speed. We show that by utilizing optimality theory it is
      possible to provide quantitative predictions of optimal speeds across different
      ecological contexts. However, the usefulness of any predictive models is still
      entirely dependent on being able to provide relevant mathematical functions to
      insert into such models. We still lack basic knowledge about how an animal's
      speed affects its motor control, maneuverability, observational skills, and
      vulnerability to predators. Studies exploring these gaps in knowledge will help
      facilitate the field of optimal performance and allow us to adequately
      parameterize models predicting the speed-choice of animals, which represents one
      of the most basic of all behavioral decisions. 

PMID- 26493610
TI  - Introduction to the Symposium: Towards a General Framework for Predicting Animal
      Movement Speeds in Nature.
AB  - Speed of movement is fundamental to animal behavior-defining the intensity of a
      task, the time needed to complete it, and the likelihood of success-but how does
      an animal decide how fast to move? Most studies of animal performance measure
      maximum capabilities, but animals rarely move at their maximum in the wild. It
      was the goal of our symposium to develop a conceptual framework to explore the
      choices of speed in nature. A major difference between our approach and previous
      work is our move toward understanding optimal rather than maximal speeds. In the
      following series of papers, we provide a starting point for future work on animal
      movement speeds, including a conceptual framework, a simple optimality model, an
      evolutionary context, and an exploration of the various biomechanical and
      energetic constraints on speed. By applying a cross-disciplinary approach to the
      study of the choice of speed-as we have done here-we can reveal much about the
      way animals use habitats, interact with conspecifics, avoid predators, obtain
      food, and negotiate human-modified landscapes. 

PMID- 26493611
TI  - Reference ranges for the uterine arteries Doppler and cervical length measurement
      at 11-13(+6) weeks of gestation in a Brazilian population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish references ranges for the uterine arteries (UtA) Doppler
      and cervical length (CL) measurements at 11-13(+6) weeks of gestation in a
      Brazilian population. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study
      with singleton low-risk pregnant women who underwent first trimester ultrasound
      exams of fetuses with crown-rump length (CRL) ranging from 45 to 84 mm. The mean
      UtA Doppler and CL measurements were performed by transvaginal route. The mean
      pulsatility index (PI) of uterine arteries was obtained with color Doppler at the
      level of cervico-corporeal junction. The CL was obtained in a sagittal view using
      the cervical gland area as landmark. We determined mean +/- standard deviation
      (SD), ranges for mean PI of UtA and CL in each gestational age. Polynomial
      regression was performed to establish reference values. RESULTS: We have assessed
      598 first-trimester pregnancies: the CL measurement was obtained from 497, while
      the mean PI UtA Doppler was available in 450 pregnant women. The mean CL ranged
      from 33.41 to 35.58 mm while the PI UtA Doppler ranged from 1.89 to 1.45. The
      best fit curves were: CL = 30.790 + 0.057 * CRL and UtA PI = 2.411-0.011 * CRL.
      CONCLUSION: References ranges for the mean UtA PI Doppler and CL measurement at
      11-13(+6) weeks of gestation in a Brazilian population were established.

PMID- 26493612
TI  - The developmental emergence of unconscious fear processing from eyes during
      infancy.
AB  - From early in life, emotion detection plays an important role during social
      interactions. Recently, 7-month-old infants have been shown to process facial
      signs of fear in others without conscious perception and solely on the basis of
      their eyes. However, it is not known whether unconscious fear processing from
      eyes is present before 7months of age or only emerges at around 7months. To
      investigate this question, we measured 5-month-old infants' event-related
      potentials (ERPs) in response to subliminally presented fearful and non-fearful
      eyes and compared these with 7-month-old infants' ERP responses from a previous
      study. Our ERP results revealed that only 7-month-olds, but not 5-month-olds,
      distinguished between fearful and non-fearful eyes. Specifically, 7-month-olds'
      processing of fearful eyes was reflected in early visual processes over occipital
      cortex and later attentional processes over frontal cortex. This suggests that,
      in line with prior work on the conscious detection of fearful faces, the brain
      processes associated with the unconscious processing of fearful eyes develop
      between 5 and 7months of age. More generally, these findings support the notion
      that emotion perception and the underlying brain processes undergo critical
      change during the first year of life. Therefore, the current data provide further
      evidence for viewing infancy as a formative period in human socioemotional
      functioning. 

PMID- 26493613
TI  - Phosphatidylinositol kinase activities in Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes.
AB  - Phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) metabolism through phosphatidylinositol kinase
      (PIKs) activities plays a central role in different signaling pathways. In
      Trypanosoma cruzi, causative agent of Chagas disease, PIKs have been proposed as
      target for drug design in order to combat this pathogen. In this work, we studied
      the classes of PI4K, PIPK and PI3K that could participate in signaling pathways
      in T. cruzi epimastigote forms. For this reason, we analyzed their enzymatic
      parameters and detailed responses to avowed kinase inhibitors (adenosine, sodium
      deoxycholate, wortmannin and LY294002) and activators (Ca(2+), phosphatidic acid,
      spermine and heparin). Our results suggest the presence and activity of a class
      III PI4K, a class I PIPK, a class III PI3K previously described (TcVps34) and a
      class I PI3K. Class I PI3K enzyme, here named TcPI3K, was cloned and expressed in
      a bacterial system, and their product was tested for kinase activity. The
      possible participation of TcPI3K in central cellular events of the parasite is
      also discussed. 

PMID- 26493614
TI  - Subcutaneous Infection Associated with Trichosporon ovoides: A Case Report and
      Review of Literature.
AB  - Trichosporon species are opportunistic yeasts which can cause infections,
      especially in immunocompromised patients. This is a report of Trichosporon
      ovoides that caused subcutaneous infection in a patient with underlying ischemic
      heart disease. The identification of fungal isolate was confirmed by PCR
      sequencing of ITS and large subunit regions in rRNA gene. In vitro susceptibility
      study showed that the isolate was susceptible to amphotericin B, fluconazole and
      voriconazole, and resistant to caspofungin, anidulafungin and itraconazole. The
      lesion improved after treatment with oral fluconazole and topical miconazole. 

PMID- 26493615
TI  - One Health approach to controlling a Q fever outbreak on an Australian goat farm.
AB  - A recent outbreak of Q fever was linked to an intensive goat and sheep dairy farm
      in Victoria, Australia, 2012-2014. Seventeen employees and one family member were
      confirmed with Q fever over a 28-month period, including two culture-positive
      cases. The outbreak investigation and management involved a One Health approach
      with representation from human, animal, environmental and public health.
      Seroprevalence in non-pregnant milking goats was 15% [95% confidence interval
      (CI) 7-27]; active infection was confirmed by positive quantitative PCR on
      several animal specimens. Genotyping of Coxiella burnetii DNA obtained from goat
      and human specimens was identical by two typing methods. A number of farming
      practices probably contributed to the outbreak, with similar precipitating
      factors to the Netherlands outbreak, 2007-2012. Compared to workers in a high
      efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) filtered factory, administrative staff
      in an unfiltered adjoining office and those regularly handling goats and kids had
      5.49 (95% CI 1.29-23.4) and 5.65 (95% CI 1.09-29.3) times the risk of infection,
      respectively; suggesting factory workers were protected from windborne spread of
      organisms. Reduction in the incidence of human cases was achieved through an
      intensive human vaccination programme plus environmental and biosecurity
      interventions. Subsequent non-occupational acquisition of Q fever in the spouse
      of an employee, indicates that infection remains endemic in the goat herd, and
      remains a challenge to manage without source control. 

PMID- 26493617
TI  - Assessment of experimental thermal, numerical, and mandibular drilling factors in
      implantology.
AB  - The main factors that cause an increase in the temperature of the jaw during
      drilling when implanting teeth are the geometric measurements of the surgical
      drill, its rotational speed, and its feed rate (cutting speed). Using finite
      element modelling we analysed the effect of the three variables - the angle of
      the head of the drill bit, the rotational speed, and the feed rate - on the
      increase in the temperature of the bone at the point of the drill. This showed
      that drilling with the angle of the head of the drill bit at 70 degrees 
      generates a lower temperature than when it is at 90 degrees  or 118 degrees . The
      same is true when the drill bit is set at 200 rotations/minute (rpm) compared
      with 400,800, or 1200rpm. When the feed rate of the drill bit is 120mm/minute it
      generates less heat than when it is at 90 or 60mm/minute. An increase in
      temperature during drilling of the jaw has a direct relation with the rotational
      speed of the drill bit, and a reverse relation to its feed rate. The sharper the
      drill bit, the lower the temperature during drilling. 

PMID- 26493616
TI  - A Source-based Measurement Database for Occupational Exposure Assessment of
      Electromagnetic Fields in the INTEROCC Study: A Literature Review Approach.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To date, occupational exposure assessment of electromagnetic fields
      (EMF) has relied on occupation-based measurements and exposure estimates.
      However, misclassification due to between-worker variability remains an unsolved
      challenge. A source-based approach, supported by detailed subject data on
      determinants of exposure, may allow for a more individualized exposure
      assessment. Detailed information on the use of occupational sources of exposure
      to EMF was collected as part of the INTERPHONE-INTEROCC study. To support a
      source-based exposure assessment effort within this study, this work aimed to
      construct a measurement database for the occupational sources of EMF exposure
      identified, assembling available measurements from the scientific literature.
      METHODS: First, a comprehensive literature search was performed for published and
      unpublished documents containing exposure measurements for the EMF sources
      identified, a priori as well as from answers of study subjects. Then, the
      measurements identified were assessed for quality and relevance to the study
      objectives. Finally, the measurements selected and complementary information were
      compiled into an Occupational Exposure Measurement Database (OEMD). RESULTS:
      Currently, the OEMD contains 1624 sets of measurements (>3000 entries) for 285
      sources of EMF exposure, organized by frequency band (0 Hz to 300 GHz) and
      dosimetry type. Ninety-five documents were selected from the literature (almost
      35% of them are unpublished technical reports), containing measurements which
      were considered informative and valid for our purpose. Measurement data and
      complementary information collected from these documents came from 16 different
      countries and cover the time period between 1974 and 2013. CONCLUSION: We have
      constructed a database with measurements and complementary information for the
      most common sources of exposure to EMF in the workplace, based on the responses
      to the INTERPHONE-INTEROCC study questionnaire. This database covers the entire
      EMF frequency range and represents the most comprehensive resource of information
      on occupational EMF exposure. It is available at
      www.crealradiation.com/index.php/en/databases.

PMID- 26493619
TI  - TCL1 expression patterns in Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia.
AB  - The oncogenic role of TCL1 in chronic lymphocytic leukemia is well established in
      transgenic mice. TCL1 expression in other B-cell malignancies has been also
      described: post-germinal center-derived malignancies, such as multiple myeloma,
      classically do not express TCL1. Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia is a post-germinal
      center malignancy that is known to be similar to chronic lymphocytic leukemia in
      terms of its gene expression profile. TCL1 expression has not been so far
      assessed in Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. Transcriptomic explorations show that
      TCL1A expression is linked to signaling pathways and biological functions that
      are known to be involved in Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia as well as to gene
      signatures of interest in B-cell malignancies. We investigated TCL1 expression at
      the protein level in the bone marrow of a series of 59 patients with Waldenstrom
      macroglobulinemia: 76% of patients expressed TCL1, which appeared to be
      associated with a pejorative prognostic impact. TCL1 could have an oncogenic role
      in Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, and deserves further exploration. 

PMID- 26493620
TI  - Vinylogous Mukaiyama-Michael Reactions of Dihydropyridinones.
AB  - An In(III)-catalyzed vinylogous addition of O-silyl vinylketene acetals to 2,3
      dihydro-4-pyridinones has been developed. The method features the unprecedented
      employment of supersilyl groups to influence the gamma versus alpha regiochemical
      control of vinylogous Mukaiyama-Michael (vM-Michael) reactions when gamma
      substituted O-silyl vinylketene acetals are used. We also demonstrate that these
      reactions allow facile access to quinolizidine-based alkaloids such as
      deoxynupharidine and well as lasubine I and II. 

PMID- 26493618
TI  - The prognostic significance of BAP1, NF2, and CDKN2A in malignant peritoneal
      mesothelioma.
AB  - Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion for
      patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma has resulted in improved disease
      control and increased survival. Despite these results, there are significant
      perioperative risks associated with this aggressive procedure that necessitate
      consideration of prognostic markers during patient selection. The molecular
      pathogenesis of peritoneal mesothelioma remains relatively unknown, but
      extrapolation of findings from their pleural counterpart would suggest frequent
      alterations in CDKN2A, NF2, and BAP1. Homozygous deletions in CDKN2A portend a
      worse overall survival in peritoneal mesothelioma. However, the prevalence and
      prognostic significance of NF2 and BAP1 abnormalities has not been studied. Dual
      color fluorescence in situ hybridization using CDKN2A and NF2 locus-specific
      probes and BAP1 immunohistochemistry identified homozygous CDKN2A deletions
      (n=25, 29%), hemizygous NF2 loss (n=30, 35%), and/or loss of BAP1 protein
      expression (n=49, 57%) in 68 of 86 (79%) peritoneal mesotheliomas. Homozygous
      CDKN2A deletions or hemizygous NF2 loss correlated with shorter progression-free
      survival (P<0.02) and poor overall survival (P<0.03). Moreover, the significance
      of these findings was cumulative. Patients harboring both homozygous CDKN2A
      deletions and hemizygous NF2 loss had a 2-year progression-free survival rate of
      9% with a median of 6 months (P<0.01) and overall survival rate of 18% with a
      median of 8 months (P<0.01). By multivariate analysis, combined homozygous CDKN2A
      deletions and hemizygous NF2 loss was a negative prognostic factor for both
      progression-free survival and overall survival, independent of patient age,
      peritoneal cancer index, completeness of cytoreduction, and extent of invasion.
      In contrast, loss of BAP1 was not associated with clinical outcome. In summary,
      homozygous deletions in CDKN2A and hemizygous loss of NF2 as detected by
      fluorescence in situ hybridization would confer a poor clinical outcome and may
      guide future treatment decisions for patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. 

PMID- 26493621
TI  - Atrial fibrillation and low vitamin D levels are associated with severe vascular
      calcifications in hemodialysis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Vascular calcifications (VCs) and fractures are major
      complications of chronic kidney disease. Hemodialysis patients have a high
      prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and an increased risk of thromboembolism,
      which should be prevented with warfarin, a drug potentially causing increased
      risk of VCs and fractures. Aim of this study is evaluating, in hemodialysis
      patients with and without AF, the prevalence of VCs and fractures, as well as
      identifying the associated risk factors. METHODS: A total of 314 hemodialysis
      patients were recruited, 101 with documented AF and 213 without AF.
      Comorbidities, chronic kidney disease mineral and bone disorder blood tests and
      therapies were collected. Vertebral quantitative morphometry was carried out
      centrally for the detection of fractures, defined as vertebral body reduction by
      >=20 %. In the same radiograph, the length of aortic calcification was also
      measured. Logistic regression models were applied for evaluating the independent
      predictors of presence of VCs and vertebral fractures. RESULTS: In our population
      VCs were very common (>85 %). Severe VCs (>10 cm) were more common in patients
      with AF (76 %) than in patients without (33 %). Vertebral fractures were present
      in 54 % of patients. Multivariable analysis showed that AF (OR 5.41, 95 % CI 2.30
      12.73) and 25(OH) vitamin D <20 ng/mL (OR 2.05, 95 % CI 1.10-3.83) were
      independent predictors of VCs. Age (OR 1.04/year, 95 % CI 1.01-1.07) and male
      gender (OR 1.76, 95 % CI 1.07-2.90) predicted vertebral fractures. CONCLUSIONS:
      Hemodialysis patients had an elevated prevalence of severe VCs, especially when
      affected by AF. Low vitamin D levels were strongly associated with severe VCs.
      Prevalence of vertebral fractures was also remarkably high and associated with
      older age and male gender.

PMID- 26493622
TI  - Percutaneous endoscopic cecostomy (introducer method) in chronic intestinal
      pseudo-obstruction: Report of two cases and literature review.
AB  - We report on two patients with recurrent episodes of chronic intestinal pseudo
      obstruction (CIPO). A 50-year-old woman with severe multiple sclerosis and an 84
      year-old man with Parkinson's disease and dementia had multiple hospital
      admissions because of pain and distended abdomen. Radiographic and endoscopic
      findings showed massive dilation of the colon without any evidence of
      obstruction. Conservative management resolved symptoms only for a short period of
      time. As these patients were poor candidates for any surgical treatment we
      carried out percutaneous endoscopic colostomy by placing a 20-Fr tube in the
      cecum with the introducer method. The procedure led to durable symptom relief
      without complications. We present these two cases and give a review through the
      existing literature of the procedure in CIPO. 

PMID- 26493623
TI  - A pilot study of photoacoustic imaging system for improved real-time
      visualization of neurovascular bundle during radical prostatectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Photoacoustic imaging, a noninvasive imaging based on optical
      excitation and ultrasonic detection, enables one to visualize the distribution of
      hemoglobin and acquire a map of microvessels without using contrast agents. We
      examined whether it helps visualize periprostatic microvessels and improves
      visualization of the neurovascular bundle. METHODS: We developed a photoacoustic
      imaging (PAI) system with a hand-held probe combining optical illumination and a
      conventional linear array ultrasound probe. In experiments with a phantom model,
      it was able to visualize vessels with diameters as small as 300 MUm within a
      depth of 10 mm. We also developed a TRUS type probe for our photoacoustic imaging
      system and used it to intraoperatively monitor periprostatic tissues in seven
      patients with clinically organ-confined prostate cancer who were undergoing non
      nerve-sparing retropubic radical prostatectomy. Images of periprostatic tissues
      from resected prostatectomy specimens were also obtained using the linear
      photoacoustic probe, and the consistency of the microvessel distribution and co
      existence of nerve fibers was examined by double immunostaining of paraffin
      embedded sections with anti-CD31 and anti-S-100 antibodies. RESULTS:
      Intraoperative monitoring of periprostatic tissues with the TRUS photoacoustic
      probe showed substantial signals on the posterolateral surface of the prostate
      and clearly demonstrated the location and extent of the neurovascular bundle
      better than does TRUS alone. Photoacoustic images of the periprostatic tissues in
      resected specimens also showed substantial signals that were especially strong on
      the posterolateral surface of the prostate. Nerve fibers were closely co
      localized with periprostatic microvessels and the pattern of their distribution
      was consistent with that of PAI signals. CONCLUSIONS: The intraoperative
      photoacoustic imaging located the microvascular complex in the neurovascular
      bundle. Moreover, the neurovascular bundle was easier to identify by PAI than by
      TRUS alone, suggesting that PAI could be helpful in nerve-sparing radical
      prostatectomy.

PMID- 26493624
TI  - Invasion of the Fungal Pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on California
      Islands.
AB  - Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), an amphibian fungal pathogen, has infected
      >500 species and caused extinctions or declines in >200 species worldwide.
      Despite over a decade of research, little is known about its invasion biology. To
      better understand this, we conducted a museum specimen survey (1910-1997) of Bd
      in amphibians on 11 California islands and found a pattern consistent with the
      emergence of Bd epizootics on the mainland, suggesting that geographic isolation
      did not prevent Bd invasion. We propose that suitable habitat, host diversity,
      and human visitation overcome isolation from the mainland and play a role in Bd
      invasion. 

PMID- 26493625
TI  - Essay: Evidence-based medicine (EBM): New paradigm or integration?

PMID- 26493626
TI  - PNPLA3 rs738409 and TM6SF2 rs58542926 variants increase the risk of
      hepatocellular carcinoma in alcoholic cirrhosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: PNPLA3 rs738409 polymorphism is associated with fatty liver disease,
      alcoholic or non-alcoholic (NAFLD) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). TM6SF2
      rs58542926 is clearly associated with NAFLD, but it is not clearly associated
      with HCC. The relationship between TM6SF2 rs58542926 and HCC and the potential
      synergistic effect of TM6SF2 and PNPLA3 variants in modifying the risk of HCC are
      not known. AIM: This study assessed the interaction between PNPLA3 rs738409 and
      TM6SF2 rs58542926 variants in the conditioning of HCC development. METHODS: A
      total of 511 cirrhotic patients (44% alcohol-related, 56% viral, 57.5% liver
      transplanted) were retrospectively investigated for HCC occurrence. PNPLA3
      rs734809 and TM6SF2 rs58542926 were genotyped using restriction fragment length
      polymorphism and real-time allelic discrimination polymerase chain reaction
      methods. RESULTS: Patients with HCC were more likely to be PNPLA3 rs734809 G/G
      homozygotes (41/150 vs. 60/361, p=0.009) or TM6SF2 rs58542926 C/T-T/T (27/150 vs.
      41/361, p=0.044). The presence of either PNPLA3 G/G or TM6SF2*/T identified high
      risk genotypes for HCC, which were strongly associated with HCC (64/150 vs.
      93/361, p=0.0002). This association was evident in alcohol-related (p=0.0007) but
      not in viral cirrhosis. CONCLUSION: TM6SF2 C/T or T/T in conjunction with PNPLA3
      G/G variants may be potential genetic risk factors for developing HCC in alcohol
      related cirrhosis.

PMID- 26493627
TI  - Health-related quality of life is a prognostic factor for survival in older
      patients after colorectal cancer diagnosis: A population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies carried out in the context of clinical trials have shown a
      relationship between survival and health-related quality of life in colorectal
      cancer patients. AIMS: We assessed the prognostic value of health-related quality
      of life at diagnosis and of its longitudinal evolution on survival in older
      colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: All patients aged >=65 years, diagnosed with
      new colorectal cancer between 2003 and 2005 and registered in the Digestive
      Cancer Registry of Burgundy were eligible. Patients were asked to complete the
      European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life
      Questionnaire Core 30 at inclusion, three, six and twelve months after.
      Multivariate regression models were used to evaluate the prognostic value of
      health-related quality of life scores at diagnosis and their deterioration on
      relative survival. RESULTS: In multivariate analysis, a role functioning
      dimension lower than median was predictive of lower survival (hazard ratio=3.1,
      p=0.015). After three and six months of follow-up, patients with greater appetite
      loss were more likely to die, with hazard ratios of 4.7 (p=0.013) and 3.7
      (p=0.002), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Health-related quality of life assessments
      at diagnosis are independently associated with older colorectal cancer patients'
      survival. Its preservation should be a major management goal for older cancer
      patients.

PMID- 26493628
TI  - Krill oil reduces intestinal inflammation by improving epithelial integrity and
      impairing adherent-invasive Escherichia coli pathogenicity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Krill oil is a marine derived oil rich in phospholipids, astaxanthin
      and omega-3 fatty acids. Several studies have found benefits of krill oil against
      oxidative and inflammatory damage. AIMS: We aimed at assessing the ability of
      krill oil to reduce intestinal inflammation by improving epithelial barrier
      integrity, increasing cell survival and reducing pathogenicity of adherent
      invasive Escherichia coli. METHODS: CACO2 and HT29 cells were exposed to cytomix
      (TNFalpha and IFNgamma) to induce inflammation and co-exposed to cytomix and
      krill oil. E-cadherin, ZO-1 and F-actin levels were analyzed by
      immunofluorescence to assess barrier integrity. Scratch test was performed to
      measure wound healing. Cell survival was analyzed by flow cytometry. Adherent
      invasive Escherichia coli LF82 was used for adhesion/invasion assay. RESULTS: In
      inflamed cells E-cadherin and ZO-1 decreased, with loss of cell-cell adhesion,
      and F-actin polymerization increased stress fibres; krill oil restored initial
      conditions and improved wound healing, reduced bacterial adhesion/invasion in
      epithelial cells and survival within macrophages; krill oil reduced LF82-induced
      mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. CONCLUSIONS: Krill oil improves
      intestinal barrier integrity and epithelial restitution during inflammation and
      controls bacterial adhesion and invasion to epithelial cells. Thus, krill oil may
      represent an innovative tool to reduce intestinal inflammation.

PMID- 26493629
TI  - Early and delayed complications of polypectomy in a community setting: The SPoC
      prospective multicentre trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Colonoscopic polypectomy is effective in reducing the incidence of
      and mortality from colorectal cancer, but is not complication-free. AIMS: To
      evaluate the incidence of early and delayed polypectomy complications and factors
      associated with their occurrence in a community setting. METHODS: Web-database
      collection of patients' and polyp's features in consecutive colonic polypectomies
      during a 3-month period in 18 endoscopy centres. RESULTS: Data on 5178
      polypectomies in 2692 patients (54.3% males, mean age 59 years) were collected.
      The majority of the polyps were <10mm (83.5%). Antithrombotic agents were taken
      by 22.7% of patients, 57.3% of which withheld them before the procedure. Overall,
      5 patients experienced perforations (0.2%) and 114 had bleeding (4.2%); the
      overall complication rate was 4.4%. Early complications were observed in 87
      (3.2%); delayed complications (all major bleedings) occurred in 32 (1.2%). At
      multivariate analysis polyp size (size >10mm: OR 4.35, 95% CI 5.53-7.48) and,
      inversely, right-sided location (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.36-0.94) were correlated with
      bleeding events. The use of antithrombotics was associated with 5-fold increased
      risk of delayed bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: In the community setting, polypectomy was
      associated with a 1.4% risk of major complications. Polyp size and, inversely,
      right-sided location were associated with early bleeding; the use of
      antithrombotics increased the risk of delayed events.

PMID- 26493630
TI  - A variant in the nuclear dot protein 52kDa gene increases the risk for
      spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is frequently a fatal infection in
      patients with liver cirrhosis. We investigated if nuclear dot protein 52kDa
      (NDP52), a negative regulator of toll-like receptor (TLR) signalling and
      autophagy adaptor protein, might be involved. METHODS: Two cohorts comprising 152
      (derivation cohort) and 198 patients (validation cohort) with decompensated liver
      cirrhosis and 168 healthy controls were genotyped for the rs2303015 polymorphism
      in the NDP52 gene and prospectively followed-up for spontaneous bacterial
      peritonitis. RESULTS: Overall, 57 (38%) patients in the derivation cohort and 77
      (39%) in the validation cohort had spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Cirrhosis
      was due to alcohol abuse in 57% of the derivation and 66% of the validation
      cohort. In patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, patients with spontaneous bacterial
      peritonitis had an increased frequency of the NDP52 rs2303015 minor variant in
      the derivation (p=0.04) and in the validation cohort (p=0.01). Multivariate
      analysis confirmed this minor variant (odds ratio 4.7, p=0.002) and the TLR2 
      16934 TT variant (odds ratio 2.5, p=0.008) as risk factors for spontaneous
      bacterial peritonitis. In addition, presence of the NDP52 minor variant affected
      survival negatively. CONCLUSION: Presence of the NDP52 rs2303015 minor variant
      increases the risk for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with
      alcoholic cirrhosis.

PMID- 26493632
TI  - De novo transcriptome analysis of Inonotus baumii by RNA-seq.
AB  - Inonotus baumii, a basidiomycete white rot fungus, has been widely used as
      traditional herbal medicine in China, Korea, Japan and other Asian countries for
      many years. Its extract is of great medicinal importance and plays a valuable
      role in the immune response and disease resistance. However, limited genetic
      resources for I. baumii have hindered exploration of this species. In order to
      gain a molecular understanding of this fungus, Illumina high-throughput
      technology was used to sequence and analyze the transcriptome of I. baumii, and
      280,691 contigs, 43,890 scaffolds and 30,051 unigenes were obtained.
      Additionally, based on similarity search with known proteins, unigenes were
      annotated with gene descriptions, gene ontology (GO), clusters of orthologous
      group (COG), and database of protein families (Pfam) terms. According to the
      annotation of unigenes, a total of 12 candidate genes involved in the
      triterpenoid biosynthesis pathway and 21 putative FOLymes (fungal oxidative
      lignin enzymes) and 176 CAZymes (carbohydrate-active enzymes) were obtained using
      homology-based BlastX. Moreover, for better understanding of the transcripts
      function, the BlastX algorithm was used to search for homologous sequences
      against the Yeast genome. This is the first study on transcriptome analyses of I.
      baumii, which provided a dataset for functional gene mining and laid a basis for
      further functional genomics studies of I. baumii. 

PMID- 26493633
TI  - Epistasis effects of multiple ancestral-consensus amino acid substitutions on the
      thermal stability of glycerol kinase from Cellulomonas sp. NT3060.
AB  - Thermostable variants of the Cellulomonas sp. NT3060 glycerol kinase have been
      constructed by through the introduction of ancestral-consensus mutations. We
      produced seven mutants, each having an ancestral-consensus amino acid residue
      that might be present in the common ancestors of both bacteria and of archaea,
      and that appeared most frequently at the position of 17 glycerol kinase sequences
      in the multiple sequence alignment. The thermal stabilities of the resulting
      mutants were assessed by determining their melting temperatures (Tm), which was
      defined as the temperature at which 50% of the initial catalytic activity is lost
      after 15 min of incubation, as well as when the half-life of the catalytic
      activity occurs at a temperature of 60 degrees C (t1/2). Three mutants showed
      increased stabilities compared to the wild-type protein. We then produced five
      more mutants with multiple amino acid substitutions. Some of the resulting
      mutants showed thermal stabilities much greater than those expected given the
      stabilities of the respective mutants with single mutations. Therefore, the
      effects of mutations are not always simply additive and some amino acid
      substitutions, which do not affect or only slightly improve stability when
      individually introduced into the protein, show substantial stabilizing effects in
      combination with other mutations.

PMID- 26493631
TI  - Caffeine stimulates locomotor activity in the mammalian spinal cord via adenosine
      A1 receptor-dopamine D1 receptor interaction and PKA-dependent mechanisms.
AB  - Caffeine is a potent psychostimulant that can have significant and widely
      variable effects on the activity of multiple neuronal pathways. The most
      pronounced caffeine-induced behavioral effect seen in rodents is to increase
      locomotor activity which has been linked to a dose-dependent inhibition of A1 and
      A(2A) receptors. The effects of caffeine at the level of the lumbar spinal
      central pattern generator (CPG) network for hindlimb locomotion are lacking. We
      assessed the effects of caffeine to the locomotor function of the spinal CPG
      network via extracellular ventral root recordings using the isolated neonatal
      mouse spinal cord preparation. Addition of caffeine and of an A1 receptor
      antagonist significantly decreased the cycle period accelerating the ongoing
      locomotor rhythm, while decreasing burst duration reversibly in most preparations
      suggesting the role of A1 receptors as the primary target of caffeine. Caffeine
      and an A1 receptor antagonist failed to stimulate ongoing locomotor activity in
      the absence of dopamine or in the presence of a D1 receptor antagonist supporting
      A1/D1 receptor-dependent mechanism of action. The use of caffeine or an A1
      receptor blocker failed to stimulate an ongoing locomotor rhythm in the presence
      of a blocker of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) supporting the need of
      this intracellular pathway for the modulatory effects of caffeine to occur. These
      results support a stimulant effect of caffeine on the lumbar spinal network
      controlling hindlimb locomotion through the inhibition of A1 receptors and
      subsequent activation of D1 receptors via a PKA-dependent intracellular
      mechanism.

PMID- 26493634
TI  - Antioxidant, immunomodulatory and antiproliferative effects of gelatin
      hydrolysate from unicorn leatherjacket skin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The in vitro cellular bioactivities including, antioxidant,
      immunomodulatory and antiproliferative effects of a gelatin hydrolysate (GH)
      prepared from unicorn leatherjacket skin, using partially purified glycyl
      endopeptidase, were investigated in order to optimize the use of fish skin waste
      products as functional food ingredients. RESULTS: GH under the tested
      concentrations (750-1500 ug mL(-1) ) protected against H2 O2 -induced DNA damage
      in U937 cells. GH also protected against the H2 O2 -induced reduction in cellular
      antioxidant enzyme activities, superoxide dismutase and catalase, in HepG2 cells.
      GH demonstrated immunomodulatory potential by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine
      (interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1beta) production and nitric oxide production in
      lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Cell proliferation in
      human colon cancer (Caco-2) cells was significantly reduced in a dose-dependent
      manner following incubation with GH. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that GH
      has several bioactivities which support its potential as a promising functional
      food ingredient with various health benefits. (c) 2015 Society of Chemical
      Industry.

PMID- 26493635
TI  - Passive immunotherapy targeting amyloid-beta reduces cerebral amyloid angiopathy
      and improves vascular reactivity.
AB  - Prominent cerebral amyloid angiopathy is often observed in the brains of elderly
      individuals and is almost universally found in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
      Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is characterized by accumulation of the shorter
      amyloid-beta isoform(s) (predominantly amyloid-beta40) in the walls of
      leptomeningeal and cortical arterioles and is likely a contributory factor to
      vascular dysfunction leading to stroke and dementia in the elderly. We used
      transgenic mice with prominent cerebral amyloid angiopathy to investigate the
      ability of ponezumab, an anti-amyloid-beta40 selective antibody, to attenuate
      amyloid-beta accrual in cerebral vessels and to acutely restore vascular
      reactivity. Chronic administration of ponezumab to transgenic mice led to a
      significant reduction in amyloid and amyloid-beta accumulation both in
      leptomeningeal and brain vessels when measured by intravital multiphoton imaging
      and immunohistochemistry. By enriching for cerebral vascular elements, we also
      measured a significant reduction in the levels of soluble amyloid-beta
      biochemically. We hypothesized that the reduction in vascular amyloid-beta40
      after ponezumab administration may reflect the ability of ponezumab to mobilize
      an interstitial fluid pool of amyloid-beta40 in brain. Acutely, ponezumab
      triggered a significant and transient increase in interstitial fluid amyloid
      beta40 levels in old plaque-bearing transgenic mice but not in young animals. We
      also measured a beneficial effect on vascular reactivity following acute
      administration of ponezumab, even in vessels where there was a severe cerebral
      amyloid angiopathy burden. Taken together, the beneficial effects ponezumab
      administration has on reducing the rate of cerebral amyloid angiopathy deposition
      and restoring cerebral vascular health favours a mechanism that involves rapid
      removal and/or neutralization of amyloid-beta species that may otherwise be
      detrimental to normal vessel function. 

PMID- 26493636
TI  - Reply: The challenges for research on deep brain stimulation and memory.

PMID- 26493638
TI  - The cross-sectional association between severity of non-cognitive disability and
      self-reported worsening memory.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research has demonstrated a clear association between cognitive
      decline and non-cognitive disability; however, all of these studies focus on
      disability as a correlate or result of some level of cognitive impairment or
      dysfunction. The relationship between disability and cognition is likely a
      complex one, that is currently incompletely described in the literature.
      OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of long-term, non
      cognitive disability using a population-representative sample of adults aged 18
      and older, and then estimate the association between long-term, non-cognitive
      disability and self-reported worsening memory. METHODS: Using the 2009 Florida
      Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), we measured the relationship
      between non-cognitive disability and worsening memory using multivariable
      logistic regression analysis weighted to account for the complex sampling design
      of the BRFSS. We also estimated the adjusted odds of worsening memory by
      disability severity, classified according to the types of assistance needed.
      RESULTS: Approximately 18% (95% confidence interval = (16%, 19%)) of Floridians
      were living with a long-term, non-cognitive disability in 2009. Among adults with
      no disability during or prior to the last year, only 5% reported worsening
      memory. The proportion of Floridians reporting worsening memory increases with
      increasing severity of disability-related limitations. In a multivariable
      logistic regression model, odds of worsening memory increased significantly with
      severity of disability-related limitations. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight
      the association between non-cognitive disability and subsequent increased odds of
      worsening memory, independent of several other known risk factors, and a dose
      response association with disability-related limitations.

PMID- 26493639
TI  - Crystal structure, equation of state, and elasticity of phase H (MgSiO4H2) at
      Earth's lower mantle pressures.
AB  - Dense hydrous magnesium silicate (DHMS) phases play a crucial role in
      transporting water in to the Earth's interior. A newly discovered DHMS, phase H
      (MgSiO4H2), is stable at Earth's lower mantle, i.e., at pressures greater than 30
      GPa. Here we report the crystal structure and elasticity of phase H and its
      evolution upon compression. Using first principles simulations, we have explored
      the relative energetics of the candidate crystal structures with ordered and
      disordered configurations of magnesium and silicon atoms in the octahedral sites.
      At conditions relevant to Earth's lower mantle, it is likely that phase H is able
      to incorporate a significant amount of aluminum, which may enhance the
      thermodynamic stability of phase H. The sound wave velocities of phase H are ~2
      4% smaller than those of isostructural delta-AlOOH. The shear wave impedance
      contrast due to the transformation of phase D to a mixture of phase H and
      stishovite at pressures relevant to the upper part of the lower mantle could
      partly explain the geophysical observations. The calculated elastic wave
      velocities and anisotropies indicate that phase H can be a source of significant
      seismic anisotropy in the lower mantle.

PMID- 26493637
TI  - Disrupted sensorimotor and social-cognitive networks underlie symptoms in
      childhood-onset schizophrenia.
AB  - Schizophrenia is increasingly recognized as a neurodevelopmental disorder with
      altered connectivity among brain networks. In the current study we examined large
      scale network interactions in childhood-onset schizophrenia, a severe form of the
      disease with salient genetic and neurobiological abnormalities. Using a data
      driven analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging
      fluctuations, we characterized data from 19 patients with schizophrenia and 26
      typically developing controls, group matched for age, sex, handedness, and
      magnitude of head motion during scanning. This approach identified 26 regions
      with decreased functional correlations in schizophrenia compared to controls.
      These regions were found to organize into two function-related networks, the
      first with regions associated with social and higher-level cognitive processing,
      and the second with regions involved in somatosensory and motor processing.
      Analyses of across- and within-network regional interactions revealed pronounced
      across-network decreases in functional connectivity in the schizophrenia group,
      as well as a set of across-network relationships with overall negative coupling
      indicating competitive or opponent network dynamics. Critically, across-network
      decreases in functional connectivity in schizophrenia predicted the severity of
      positive symptoms in the disorder, such as hallucinations and delusions. By
      contrast, decreases in functional connectivity within the social-cognitive
      network of regions predicted the severity of negative symptoms, such as
      impoverished speech and flattened affect. These results point toward the role
      that abnormal integration of sensorimotor and social-cognitive processing may
      play in the pathophysiology and symptomatology of schizophrenia.

PMID- 26493640
TI  - Therapeutic resistance: Multiple mechanisms to keep going.

PMID- 26493645
TI  - Centrosomes and cancer: revisiting a long-standing relationship.
AB  - Over a century ago, centrosome aberrations were postulated to cause cancer by
      promoting genome instability. The mechanisms governing centrosome assembly and
      function are increasingly well understood, allowing for a timely reappraisal of
      this postulate. This Review discusses recent advances that shed new light on the
      relationship between centrosomes and cancer, and raise the possibility that
      centrosome aberrations contribute to this disease in different ways than
      initially envisaged. 

PMID- 26493646
TI  - Functional and genetic deconstruction of the cellular origin in liver cancer.
AB  - During the past decade, research on primary liver cancers has particularly
      highlighted the uncommon plasticity of differentiated parenchymal liver cells
      (that is, hepatocytes and cholangiocytes (also known as biliary epithelial
      cells)), the role of liver progenitor cells in malignant transformation, the
      importance of the tumour microenvironment and the molecular complexity of liver
      tumours. Whereas other reviews have focused on the landscape of genetic
      alterations that promote development and progression of primary liver cancers and
      the role of the tumour microenvironment, the crucial importance of the cellular
      origin of liver cancer has been much less explored. Therefore, in this Review, we
      emphasize the importance and complexity of the cellular origin in tumour
      initiation and progression, and attempt to integrate this aspect with recent
      discoveries in tumour genomics and the contribution of the disrupted hepatic
      microenvironment to liver carcinogenesis. 

PMID- 26493650
TI  - Carbon-Free Cathodes: A Step Forward in the Development of Stable Lithium-Oxygen
      Batteries.
AB  - Lithium-oxygen (Li-O2 ) batteries are receiving considerable interest owing to
      their potential for higher energy densities than current Li-ion systems. However,
      the lack stability of carbon-based oxygen electrodes is believed to promote
      carbonate formation leading to capacity fade and limiting the cycling performance
      of the battery. To improve the stability and cyclability of these systems,
      alternative electrode materials are required. Metal oxides are mainly utilized at
      low current densities, whereas noble metals show outstanding performance at high
      current densities. Carbides appear to provide a good compromise between
      electrochemical performance and cost, which makes them interesting materials for
      further investigations. Here, a critical review of current carbon-free electrode
      research is provided with the goal of identifying routes to its successful
      optimization. 

PMID- 26493651
TI  - MERS epidemiological investigation to detect potential mode of transmission in
      the 178th MERS confirmed case in Pyeongtaek, Korea.
AB  - Most cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) infection in Korea
      (outbreak: May 11-July 4, 2015) occurred in hospital settings, with uncertain
      transmission modes in some cases. We performed an in-depth investigation
      epidemiological survey on the 178th case to determine the precise mode of
      transmission. A 29- year-old man living in Pyeongtaek presented on June 16 with a
      febrile sensation, chills, and myalgia. Upon confirmatory diagnosis on June 23,
      he was treated in an isolation room and discharged on July 2 after cure. An
      epidemiological investigation of all possible infection routes indicated two
      likely modes of transmission: exposure to MERS in Pyeongtaek St. Mary's Hospital
      during a visit to his hospitalized father (May 18-29), and infection through
      frequent contact with his father between the latter's referral to Pyeongtaek Good
      Samaritan Bagae Hospital for treatment without confirmatory diagnosis until his
      death (May 29-June 6). Although lack of clear proof or evidence to the contrary
      does not allow a definitive conclusion, all other possibilities could be excluded
      by epidemiological inferences. While it is impossible to trace back the modes of
      transmission of all cases in a large-scale outbreak, case-by-case tracking and
      isolation of infected individuals and those in close contact with them is
      important in preventing the spread. Efforts should be made to establish a
      methodology for rapid tracking of all possible contacts and elimination-based
      identification of the precise modes of transmission. 

PMID- 26493648
TI  - Directly targeting transcriptional dysregulation in cancer.
AB  - Drugs that target intracellular signalling pathways have markedly improved
      progression-free survival of patients with cancers who were previously regarded
      as untreatable. However, the rapid emergence of therapeutic resistance, as a
      result of bypass signalling or downstream mutation within kinase-mediated
      signalling cascades, has curtailed the benefit gained from these therapies. Such
      resistance mechanisms are facilitated by the linearity and redundancy of kinase
      signalling pathways. We argue that, in each cancer, the dysregulation of key
      transcriptional regulators not only defines the cancer phenotype but is essential
      for its development and maintenance. Furthermore, we propose that, as therapeutic
      targets, these transcriptional regulators are less prone to bypass by alternative
      mutational events or clonal heterogeneity, and therefore we must rekindle our
      efforts to directly target transcriptional regulation across a broad range of
      cancers. 

PMID- 26493652
TI  - "The Duty to Prevent" during an epidemic situation like 2015 Korean MERS
      outbreak.

PMID- 26493653
TI  - Changing trends in colorectal cancer in the Republic of Korea: contrast with
      Japan.
AB  - Colorectal cancer has a high worldwide incidence. Japan, a country that is
      geographically and culturally similar to the Republic of Korea (here after
      Korea), has recently reported a decreasing trend in the incidence of colorectal
      cancer. However, Korea had the highest incidence of colorectal cancer among Asian
      countries in 2012. Our aim was to observe the changing trends in incidence and
      mortality of colorectal cancer in Korea and to compare them to those in Japan.
      Incidence data were collected from the Korean Central Cancer Registry and
      mortality data were collected from Korean Statistical Information Service.
      Incidence and mortality data on colorectal cancer in Japan were acquired from the
      National Cancer Center in Japan. Age-standardized incidence and mortality rates
      were determined based on Segi's world population. Screening data from both
      countries were collected from the national cancer center in each country. In
      Korea, the age-standardized incidence rate of colorectal cancer in both sexes was
      20.9 to 38.0 per 100,000 from 1999 to 2012 and the rate in males increased more
      dramatically than in females. In addition, the increase between 2002 and 2012 was
      first observed in the age group over 40. In Japan, the incidence of colorectal
      cancer has been more constant over recent years than in Korea. The age
      standardized mortality rate of colorectal cancer in both sexes in Korea was 8.5
      to 9.3 per 100,000 from 2000 to 2013, and the trend in mortality was constant
      during this period. In Japan, the mortality rate decreased slightly during the
      same period. Crude screening rates were increased overall in both Korea and Japan
      during the period studied. Since the incidence of colorectal cancer has increased
      in Korea, the control of this cancer is an important public health issue. As
      Japan has achieved a reduction in colorectal cancer, adjustment of Korea's
      current systems for screening and treatment of colorectal cancer according to
      those of Japan may contribute to improved colorectal cancer control in Korea. 

PMID- 26493647
TI  - Rethinking ovarian cancer II: reducing mortality from high-grade serous ovarian
      cancer.
AB  - High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) accounts for 70-80% of ovarian cancer
      deaths, and overall survival has not changed significantly for several decades.
      In this Opinion article, we outline a set of research priorities that we believe
      will reduce incidence and improve outcomes for women with this disease. This
      'roadmap' for HGSOC was determined after extensive discussions at an Ovarian
      Cancer Action meeting in January 2015. 

PMID- 26493654
TI  - Strengthening epidemiologic investigation of infectious diseases in Korea:
      lessons from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak.
AB  - The recent outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus
      infection in Korea resulted in large socioeconomic losses. This provoked the
      Korean government and the general public to recognize the importance of having a
      well-established system against infectious diseases. Although epidemiologic
      investigation is one of the most important aspects of prevention, it has been
      pointed out that much needs to be improved in Korea. We review here the current
      status of the Korean epidemiologic service and suggest possible supplementation
      measures. We examine the current national preventive infrastructure, including
      human resources such as Epidemic Intelligence Service officers, its governmental
      management, and related policies. In addition, we describe the practical
      application of these resources to the recent MERS outbreak and the progress in
      preventive measures. The spread of MERS demonstrated that the general readiness
      for emerging infectious diseases in Korea is considerably low. We believe that it
      is essential to increase society's investment in disease prevention. Fostering
      public health personnel, legislating management policies, and establishing
      research centers for emerging infectious diseases are potential solutions.
      Evaluating international preventive systems, developing cooperative measures, and
      initiating improvements are necessary. We evaluated the Korean epidemiologic
      investigation system and the public preventive measures against infectious
      diseases in light of the recent MERS outbreak. We suggest that governmental
      authorities in Korea enforce preventive policies, foster the development of
      highly qualified personnel, and increase investment in the public health domain
      of infectious disease prevention. 

PMID- 26493655
TI  - Comparative Performance of ATRIA, CHADS2, and CHA2DS2-VASc Risk Scores Predicting
      Stroke in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Results From a National Primary Care
      Database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies report that CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc risk scores have
      similar discriminating ability (C statistic ~0.6). Recently a clinically based
      risk score, the ATRIA (Anticoagulation and Risk Factors in Atrial Fibrillation)
      study risk score, was developed and validated. OBJECTIVES: This study compared
      predictive ability of CHA2DS2-VASc and CHADS2 ischemic stroke risk scores with
      ATRIA stroke risk score and their implications for anticoagulant treatment in
      patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: Patients with AF not using
      warfarin were included from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink database,
      1998 to 2012. Patients were followed from AF diagnosis until occurrence of
      ischemic stroke, prescription of warfarin, death, or the study's end. Independent
      predictors of ischemic stroke were identified and the c-index and net
      reclassification improvement were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 60,594 patients
      with AF were included. Annualized stroke rate was 2.99%. Event rates for moderate
      and high-risk categories for CHA2DS2-VASc were lower than those of the ATRIA and
      CHADS2. Age and previous stroke most strongly predicted ischemic stroke. C
      statistics for the full point scores were 0.70 (95% confidence interval [CI]:
      0.69 to 0.71) for the ATRIA risk score, 0.68 (95% CI: 0.67 to 0.69) for CHADS2,
      and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.67 to 0.69) for CHA2DS2-VASc risk score. The net
      reclassification improvement was 0.23 (95% CI: 0.22 to 0.25) for ATRIA compared
      with CHA2DS2-VASc. CONCLUSIONS: The ATRIA score performed better in the U.K.
      Clinical Practice Research Datalink AF cohort. It more accurately identified low
      risk patients than the CHA2DS2-VASc score, which assigned these patients to
      higher-risk categories. Such reclassification of stroke risk could prevent
      overuse of anticoagulants in very low stroke risk patients with AF.

PMID- 26493656
TI  - Stroke Risk Stratification in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Comme Ci, Comme
      Ca, Plus Ca Change....

PMID- 26493657
TI  - Trends in the Use of Nonstatin Lipid-Lowering Therapy Among Patients With
      Coronary Heart Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study in the Medicare Population
      2007 to 2011.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nonstatin lipid-lowering therapy is adjunctive therapy for high-risk
      individuals on statins or monotherapy among those who cannot tolerate statins.
      OBJECTIVES: This study determined time trends between 2007 and 2011 for statin
      and nonstatin lipid-lowering therapy (niacin, fibrates, bile acid sequestrants,
      and ezetimibe) use among Medicare beneficiaries with coronary heart disease (CHD)
      in light of emerging clinical trial evidence. METHODS: We conducted a
      retrospective cohort study using the national 5% random sample of Medicare
      beneficiaries (n = 310,091). We created 20 cohorts of individuals with CHD,
      representing calendar quarters from 2007 through 2011, to assess trends in use of
      statins and nonstatin lipid-lowering medications. RESULTS: Statin use increased
      from 53.1% to 58.8% between 2007 and 2011. Ezetimibe use peaked at 12.1% and
      declined to 4.6% by the end of 2011, declining among both patients on statins
      (18.4% to 6.2%) and not on statins (5.0% to 2.4%). Fibrate use increased from
      4.2% to 5.0%, bile acid sequestrants did not change significantly, and niacin use
      increased from 1.5% to 2.4% and then declined in late 2011. Use of nonstatin
      lipid-lowering therapy was less common at older age, among African Americans,
      patients with heart failure, and patients with a higher Charlson comorbidity
      score. Nonstatin lipid-lowering therapy use was more common among men and
      patients with diabetes, those who had cardiologist visits, and among those taking
      statins. CONCLUSIONS: Declining ezetimibe and niacin use but not fibrate therapy
      among Medicare beneficiaries with CHD coincides with negative clinical trial
      results for these agents.

PMID- 26493658
TI  - Treatment of Dyslipidemia in Elderly Patients With Coronary Heart Disease: There
      Are Miles to Go Before We Sleep.

PMID- 26493659
TI  - Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Middle Age and Health Care Costs in Later Life.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low cardiovascular risk factor burdens in middle age are associated
      with lower health care costs in later life. However, there are few data regarding
      the effect of cardiorespiratory fitness on health care costs independent of these
      risk factors. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the association of health
      care costs in later life with cardiorespiratory fitness in midlife after
      adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: We studied 19,571 healthy
      individuals in the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study who underwent
      cardiorespiratory fitness assessment at a mean age of 49 years and received
      Medicare coverage from 1999 to 2009 at an average age of 71 years.
      Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated by maximal metabolic equivalents (METs)
      calculated from treadmill time. The primary outcome was average annual health
      care costs obtained from Medicare standard analytical files. RESULTS: Over
      126,388 person-years of follow-up, average annual health care costs were
      significantly lower forparticipants aged 65 years or older with high midlife
      fitness than with low midlife fitness in both men($7,569 vs. $12,811; p < 0.001)
      and women ($6,065 vs. $10,029; p < 0.001). [corrected].In a generalized linear
      model adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors, average annual health care costs
      in later life were incrementally lower per MET achieved in midlife in men (6.8%
      decrease in costs per MET achieved; 95% confidence interval: 5.7% to 7.8%; p <
      0.001) and women (6.7% decrease in costs per MET achieved; 95% confidence
      interval: 4.1% to 9.3%; p < 0.001). These associations persisted when
      participants were separated into those who died during Medicare follow-up and
      those who survived. CONCLUSIONS: Higher cardiorespiratory fitness in middle age
      is strongly associated with lower health care costs at an average of 22 years
      later in life, independent of cardiovascular risk factors. These findings may
      have important implications for health policies directed at improving physical
      fitness.

PMID- 26493660
TI  - Fiscal Fitness? Exercise Capacity and Health Care Costs.

PMID- 26493661
TI  - Household Disposable Income and Long-Term Survival After Cardiac Surgery: A
      Swedish Nationwide Cohort Study in 100,534 Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lower socioeconomic groups face higher mortality risk, possibly due
      to a higher burden of cardiovascular risk factors. The independent association
      between income and survival following cardiac surgery is not known. OBJECTIVES:
      This study sought to investigate the association between household disposable
      income and long-term mortality after cardiac surgery. METHODS: In a Swedish
      nationwide population-based analysis, we included all patients who underwent
      cardiac surgery between 1999 and 2012 using a large national registry.
      Information regarding income, education, marital status, medical history, and
      cardiovascular risk factors was obtained from data managed by the National Board
      of Health and Welfare and Statistics Sweden. The adjusted risk for all-cause
      mortality was estimated using Cox regression by quintiles of household disposable
      income. RESULTS: We included 100,534 patients and, during a mean follow-up of 7.3
      years, 29,176 (29%) patients died. There was a stepwise inverse association
      between household disposable income and all-cause mortality: the adjusted hazard
      ratio was 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.89 to 0.96), 0.87 (95% CI: 0.84
      to 0.91), 0.78 (95% CI: 0.75 to 0.82), and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.67 to 0.75), for the
      second, third, fourth, and fifth income quintiles, respectively, compared to the
      first (and lowest) income quintile. The inverse association between income and
      mortality was consistent through the study period and in selected subgroups,
      although it was slightly attenuated in older patients. CONCLUSIONS: We found a
      strong inverse association between income and mortality following cardiac surgery
      in Sweden that was independent of other socioeconomic status variables,
      comorbidities, and cardiovascular risk profile. Ways to better implement
      secondary prevention measures should be explored in low-income patient groups.
      (HeAlth-data Register sTudies of Risk and Outcomes in Cardiac Surgery [HARTROCS];
      NCT02276950).

PMID- 26493662
TI  - Merits and Pitfalls of Using Observational "Big Data" to Inform Our Understanding
      of Socioeconomic Outcome Disparities.

PMID- 26493663
TI  - Very Late Scaffold Thrombosis: Intracoronary Imaging and Histopathological and
      Spectroscopic Findings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bioresorbable scaffolds provide transient lumen support followed by
      complete resorption. OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether very late scaffold
      thrombosis (VLScT) occurs when resorption is presumed to be nearly complete.
      METHODS: Patients with VLScT at 3 tertiary care centers underwent thrombus
      aspiration followed by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Thrombus aspirates
      were analyzed by histopathological and spectroscopic examination. RESULTS:
      Between March 2014 and February 2015, 4 patients presented with VLScT at 44 (case
      1), 19 (cases 2 and 4), and 21 (case 3) months, respectively, after implantation
      of an Absorb Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold 1.1 (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott
      Park, Illinois). At the time of VLScT, all patients were taking low-dose aspirin,
      and 2 patients were also taking prasugrel. OCT showed malapposed scaffold struts
      surrounded by thrombus in 7.1%, 9.0%, and 8.9% of struts in cases 1, 2, and 4,
      respectively. Scaffold discontinuity with struts in the lumen center was the
      cause of malapposition in cases 2 and 4. Uncovered scaffold struts with
      superimposed thrombus were the predominant findings in case 3. OCT percent area
      stenosis at the time of VLScT was high in case 1 (74.8%) and case 2 (70.9%)
      without evidence of excessive neointimal hyperplasia. Spectroscopic thrombus
      aspirate analysis showed persistence of intracoronary polymer fragments in case
      1. CONCLUSIONS: VLScT may occur at advanced stages of scaffold resorption.
      Potential mechanisms specific for VLScT include scaffold discontinuity and
      restenosis during the resorption process, which appear delayed in humans; these
      findings suggest an extended period of vulnerability for thrombotic events.

PMID- 26493664
TI  - Very Late Thrombosis After Bioresorbable Scaffolds: Cause for Concern?

PMID- 26493666
TI  - Mitral Annulus Calcification.
AB  - Mitral annulus calcification (MAC) is a chronic, degenerative process in the
      fibrous base of the mitral valve. Although MAC was initially thought to be an age
      related degenerative process, there is accumulating evidence that other
      mechanisms, such as atherosclerosis and abnormal calcium-phosphorus metabolism,
      also contribute to the development of MAC. Despite its frequency, the clinical
      relevance of MAC is grossly underappreciated. Indeed, MAC is associated with an
      increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, mitral valve disease, arrhythmias,
      and mortality. MAC also influences the outcomes of cardiac surgery and
      interventions, and its clinical relevance may well increase substantially in the
      forthcoming era of transcatheter mitral valve replacement. In this paper, we
      review the available published data to provide a consistent, clinically relevant
      description of MAC on the basis of contemporary imaging. We describe the
      pathophysiological mechanisms contributing to the formation of MAC and the
      clinical implications of this disease entity. 

PMID- 26493667
TI  - Telomere Maintenance Is a Critical Determinant in the Physiopathology of
      Pulmonary Hypertension.

PMID- 26493668
TI  - Is Caffeine Abstention Necessary Before Adenosine-Induced Fractional Flow Reserve
      Measurement?

PMID- 26493665
TI  - Emergence of Nonobstructive Coronary Artery Disease: A Woman's Problem and Need
      for Change in Definition on Angiography.
AB  - Recognition of ischemic heart disease (IHD) is often delayed or deferred in
      women. Thus, many at risk for adverse outcomes are not provided specific
      diagnostic, preventive, and/or treatment strategies. This lack of recognition is
      related to sex-specific IHD pathophysiology that differs from traditional models
      using data from men with flow-limiting coronary artery disease (CAD)
      obstructions. Symptomatic women are less likely to have obstructive CAD than men
      with similar symptoms, and tend to have coronary microvascular dysfunction,
      plaque erosion, and thrombus formation. Emerging data document that more
      extensive, nonobstructive CAD involvement, hypertension, and diabetes are
      associated with major adverse events similar to those with obstructive CAD. A
      central emerging paradigm is the concept of nonobstructive CAD as a cause of IHD
      and related adverse outcomes among women. This position paper summarizes
      currently available knowledge and gaps in that knowledge, and recommends
      management options that could be useful until additional evidence emerges. 

PMID- 26493669
TI  - Going Over LEGACY With a Pinch of Salt.

PMID- 26493670
TI  - Reply: Going Over LEGACY With a Pinch of Salt.

PMID- 26493671
TI  - Secondary Mitral Regurgitation.

PMID- 26493672
TI  - Reply: Secondary Mitral Regurgitation.

PMID- 26493673
TI  - Cerebral Fat Embolism: A Case of Rapid-Onset Coma.

PMID- 26493674
TI  - Time-Resolved C-Arm Computed Tomographic Angiography Derived From Computed
      Tomographic Perfusion Acquisition: New Capability for One-Stop-Shop Acute
      Ischemic Stroke Treatment in the Angiosuite.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Multimodal imaging using cone beam C-arm computed
      tomography (CT) may shorten the delay from ictus to revascularization for acute
      ischemic stroke patients with a large vessel occlusion. Largely because of
      limited temporal resolution, reconstruction of time-resolved CT angiography (CTA)
      from these systems has not yielded satisfactory results. We evaluated the image
      quality and diagnostic value of time-resolved C-arm CTA reconstructed using novel
      image processing algorithms. METHODS: Studies were done under an Institutional
      Review Board approved protocol. Postprocessing of data from 21 C-arm CT dynamic
      perfusion acquisitions from 17 patients with acute ischemic stroke were done to
      derive time-resolved C-arm CTA images. Two observers independently evaluated
      image quality and diagnostic content for each case. ICC and receiver-operating
      characteristic analysis were performed to evaluate interobserver agreement and
      diagnostic value of this novel imaging modality. RESULTS: Time-resolved C-arm CTA
      images were successfully generated from 20 data sets (95.2%, 20/21). Two
      observers agreed well that the image quality for large cerebral arteries was good
      but was more limited for small cerebral arteries (distal to M1, A1, and P1).
      receiver-operating characteristic curves demonstrated excellent diagnostic value
      for detecting large vessel occlusions (area under the curve=0.987-1).
      CONCLUSIONS: Time-resolved CTAs derived from C-arm CT perfusion acquisitions
      provide high quality images that allowed accurate diagnosis of large vessel
      occlusions. Although image quality of smaller arteries in this study was not
      optimal ongoing modifications of the postprocessing algorithm will likely remove
      this limitation. Adding time-resolved C-arm CTAs to the capabilities of the
      angiography suite further enhances its suitability as a one-stop shop for care
      for patients with acute ischemic stroke.

PMID- 26493675
TI  - Time From Symptoms to Carotid Endarterectomy or Stenting and Perioperative Risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Prior meta-analysis showed that carotid endarterectomy
      benefits decline with increasing surgical delay following symptoms. For
      symptomatic patients in the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy Versus
      Stenting Trial (CREST), we assessed if differences in time between symptoms and
      carotid endarterectomy or carotid artery stenting are associated with differences
      in risk of periprocedural stroke or death. METHODS: We analyzed the 1180
      symptomatic patients in CREST who received their assigned procedure and had
      clearly defined timing of symptoms. Patients were classified into 3 groups based
      on time from symptoms to procedure: <15, 15 to 60, and >60 days. RESULTS: For
      carotid endarterectomy, risk of periprocedural stroke or death was not
      significantly different for the 2 later time periods relative to the earliest
      time period (hazard ratio, 0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.22-2.49 for 15-60
      days and hazard ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.25-3.33 for >60 days;
      P=0.89). For carotid artery stenting, risk of periprocedural stroke or death was
      also not significantly different for later time periods relative to the earliest
      time period (hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-2.40 for 15-60
      days and hazard ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 0.48-2.75 for >60 days;
      P=0.93). CONCLUSIONS: Time from symptoms to carotid endarterectomy or carotid
      artery stenting did not alter periprocedural safety, supporting early
      revascularization regardless of modality. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL:
      http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00004732.

PMID- 26493676
TI  - Shear-Activated Nanoparticle Aggregates Combined With Temporary Endovascular
      Bypass to Treat Large Vessel Occlusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The goal of this study is to combine temporary
      endovascular bypass (TEB) with a novel shear-activated nanotherapeutic (SA-NT)
      that releases recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (r-tPA) when exposed
      to high levels of hemodynamic stress and to determine if this approach can be
      used to concentrate r-tPA at occlusion sites based on high shear stresses created
      by stent placement. METHODS: A rabbit model of carotid vessel occlusion was used
      to test the hypothesis that SA-NT treatment coupled with TEB provides high
      recanalization rates while reducing vascular injury. We evaluated angiographic
      recanalization with TEB alone, intra-arterial delivery of soluble r-tPA alone, or
      TEB combined with 2 doses of intra-arterial infusion of either the SA-NT or
      soluble r-tPA. Vascular injury was compared against stent-retriever thrombectomy.
      RESULTS: Shear-targeted delivery of r-tPA using the SA-NT resulted in the highest
      rate of complete recanalization when compared with controls (P=0.0011). SA-NT (20
      mg) had a higher likelihood of obtaining complete recanalization as compared with
      TEB alone (odds ratio 65.019, 95% confidence interval 1.77, >1000; P=0.0231),
      intra-arterial r-tPA alone (odds ratio 65.019, 95% confidence interval 1.77,
      >1000; P=0.0231), or TEB with soluble r-tPA (2 mg; odds ratio 18.78, 95%
      confidence interval 1.28, 275.05; P=0.0322). Histological analysis showed
      circumferential loss of endothelium restricted to the area where the TEB was
      deployed; however, there was significantly less vascular injury using a TEB as
      compared with stent-retriever procedure (odds ratio 12.97, 95% confidence
      interval 8.01, 21.02; P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: A novel intra-arterial,
      nanoparticle-based thrombolytic therapy combined with TEB achieves high rates of
      complete recanalization. Moreover, this approach reduces vascular trauma as
      compared with stent-retriever thrombectomy.

PMID- 26493677
TI  - Beneficial Effects of Implementing Stroke Protocols Require Establishment of a
      Geographically Distinct Unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Usefulness of multidisciplinary stroke units in acute
      stroke patients is well established. There is extensive western literature on
      usefulness of stroke units in outcome, but limited evidence from the rest of the
      world. We aim to evaluate the impact of establishing a stroke unit on outcome in
      patients presenting to a tertiary care facility. METHODS: This is a retrospective
      study of 1003 patients with acute stroke admitted to Hamad General Hospital,
      Qatar, between January 2014 and February 2015. Patients directly admitted to
      intensive care unit (132) were excluded. We compared outcomes of pre- and
      poststroke ward (SW) establishment and in SW patients versus those of general
      medical wards. RESULTS: Before the establishment of the SW, 175 patients were
      admitted to the hospital. From April 2014 to February 2015, 696 patients were
      admitted (SW, 545; medical ward, 151). There was a significant reduction in
      length of stay from 14.7+/-27.7 to 6.2+/-20.2 days (P=0.0001) and incidence of
      complications (23.6% versus 6.4%, P=0.0001) after implementation of stroke
      specific protocols. Prognosis at discharge (modified Rankin Scale 0-2 in 56.0%
      versus 70.4%, P=0.001) and at 90 days (modified Rankin Scale 0-2 in 70.6% versus
      95.0%, P=0.001) also significantly improved. Compared with medical ward patients,
      outcome was significantly better in SW patients with fewer complications (10.9%
      versus 5.0%, P=0.013) and shorter length of stay (8.9+/-30.7 versus 5.4+/-16.1
      days, P=0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Establishing a distinct SW is essential for achieving
      full benefits of stroke protocols implementation. SW patients have significantly
      fewer complications and better prognosis when compared with patients in medical
      wards.

PMID- 26493678
TI  - Silencing NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase results in reduced acaricide resistance
      in Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval).
AB  - Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) are involved in metabolic resistance to
      insecticides and require NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) to transfer
      electrons when they catalyze oxidation reactions. The carmine spider mite,
      Tetranychus cinnabarinus is an important pest mite of crop and vegetable plants
      worldwide, and its resistance to acaricides has quickly developed. However, the
      role of CPR on the formation of acaricide-resistance in T. cinnabarinus is still
      unclear. In this study, a full-length cDNA encoding CPR was cloned and
      characterized from T. cinnabarinus (designated TcCPR). TcCPR expression was
      detectable in all developmental stages of T. cinnabarinus, but it's much lower in
      eggs. TcCPR was up-regulated and more inducible with fenpropathrin treatment in
      the fenpropathrin-resistant (FeR) strain compared with the susceptible SS strain.
      Feeding of double-strand RNA was effective in silencing the transcription of
      TcCPR in T. cinnabarinus, which resulted in decreasing the activity of P450s and
      increasing the susceptibility to fenpropathrin in the FeR strain but not in the
      susceptible strain. The current results provide first evidence that the down
      regulation of TcCPR contributed to an increase of the susceptibility to
      fenpropathrin in resistant mites. TcCPR could be considered as a novel target for
      the development of new pesticides. 

PMID- 26493679
TI  - CREB, AP-1, ternary complex factors and MAP kinases connect transient receptor
      potential melastatin-3 (TRPM3) channel stimulation with increased c-Fos
      expression.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The rise in intracellular Ca(2+) stimulates the
      expression of the transcription factor c-Fos. Depending on the mode of entry of
      Ca(2+) into the cytosol, distinct signal transducers and transcription factors
      are required. Here, we have analysed the signalling pathway connecting a Ca(2+)
      influx via activation of transient receptor potential melastatin-3 (TRPM3)
      channels with enhanced c-Fos expression. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Transcription of
      c-Fos promoter/reporter genes that were integrated into the chromatin via
      lentiviral gene transfer was analysed in HEK293 cells overexpressing TRPM3. The
      transcriptional activation potential of c-Fos was measured using a GAL4-c-Fos
      fusion protein. KEY RESULTS: The signalling pathway connecting TRPM3 stimulation
      with enhanced c-Fos expression requires the activation of MAP kinases. On the
      transcriptional level, three Ca(2+) -responsive elements, the cAMP-response
      element and the binding sites for the serum response factor (SRF) and AP-1, are
      essential for the TRPM3-mediated stimulation of the c-Fos promoter. Ternary
      complex factors are additionally involved in connecting TRPM3 stimulation with
      the up-regulation of c-Fos expression. Stimulation of TRPM3 channels also
      increases the transcriptional activation potential of c-Fos. CONCLUSIONS AND
      IMPLICATIONS: Signalling molecules involved in connecting TRPM3 with the c-Fos
      gene are MAP kinases and the transcription factors CREB, SRF, AP-1 and ternary
      complex factors. As c-Fos constitutes, together with other basic region leucine
      zipper transcription factors, the AP-1 transcription factor complex, the results
      of this study explain TRPM3-induced activation of AP-1 and connects TRPM3 with
      the biological functions regulated by AP-1.

PMID- 26493680
TI  - Hamartomatous polyposis in tuberous sclerosis complex: Case report and review of
      the literature.
AB  - Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder with multisystem
      involvement that is due to autosomal-dominantly inherited or sporadic mutations
      in TSC1 and TSC2 genes. Involvement of the gastrointestinal tract is rare. We
      report the case of a 51-year-old woman with diagnosis of TSC established by
      genetic testing, who presented with colorectal hamartomatous polyposis. Multiple
      small polyps were found scattered through the left colon and rectum. Histology
      revealed a distinct spindle cell proliferation in the lamina propria, originating
      from the muscularis mucosae. The cells lacked atypia or mitotic activity and were
      diffusely positive for smooth muscle actin and negative for S100 protein. Genetic
      testing proved a disease causing frameshift mutation in the TSC1 gene. Although
      gastrointestinal involvement is rare in TSC, hamartomatous polyps can be the
      initial manifestation of this syndrome. Genetic testing should be considered in
      every case for which TSC is clinically suspected. 

PMID- 26493681
TI  - Detecting Lateral Motion using Light's Orbital Angular Momentum.
AB  - Interrogating an object with a light beam and analyzing the scattered light can
      reveal kinematic information about the object, which is vital for applications
      ranging from autonomous vehicles to gesture recognition and virtual reality. We
      show that by analyzing the change in the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of a
      tilted light beam eclipsed by a moving object, lateral motion of the object can
      be detected in an arbitrary direction using a single light beam and without
      object image reconstruction. We observe OAM spectral asymmetry that corresponds
      to the lateral motion direction along an arbitrary axis perpendicular to the
      plane containing the light beam and OAM measurement axes. These findings extend
      OAM-based remote sensing to detection of non-rotational qualities of objects and
      may also have extensions to other electromagnetic wave regimes, including radio
      and sound. 

PMID- 26493682
TI  - Sparse Markov chain-based semi-supervised multi-instance multi-label method for
      protein function prediction.
AB  - Automated assignment of protein function has received considerable attention in
      recent years for genome-wide study. With the rapid accumulation of genome
      sequencing data produced by high-throughput experimental techniques, the process
      of manually predicting functional properties of proteins has become increasingly
      cumbersome. Such large genomics data sets can only be annotated computationally.
      However, automated assignment of functions to unknown protein is challenging due
      to its inherent difficulty and complexity. Previous studies have revealed that
      solving problems involving complicated objects with multiple semantic meanings
      using the multi-instance multi-label (MIML) framework is effective. For the
      protein function prediction problems, each protein object in nature may associate
      with distinct structural units (instances) and multiple functional properties
      (class labels) where each unit is described by an instance and each functional
      property is considered as a class label. Thus, it is convenient and natural to
      tackle the protein function prediction problem by using the MIML framework. In
      this paper, we propose a sparse Markov chain-based semi-supervised MIML method,
      called Sparse-Markov. A sparse transductive probability graph is constructed to
      encode the affinity information of the data based on ensemble of Hausdorff
      distance metrics. Our goal is to exploit the affinity between protein objects in
      the sparse transductive probability graph to seek a sparse steady state
      probability of the Markov chain model to do protein function prediction, such
      that two proteins are given similar functional labels if they are close to each
      other in terms of an ensemble Hausdorff distance in the graph. Experimental
      results on seven real-world organism data sets covering three biological domains
      show that our proposed Sparse-Markov method is able to achieve better performance
      than four state-of-the-art MIML learning algorithms. 

PMID- 26493683
TI  - Modeling the heterogeneity of p53 dynamics in DNA damage response.
AB  - The tumor suppressor p53 can be activated by DNA damage and exhibits undamped
      pulses. Recent reports have demonstrated a non-threshold mechanism for p53
      dynamics. However, no related theoretical studies have been proposed. Here, we
      constructed a refined DNA damage repair model that incorporated both intrinsic
      and extrinsic DNA lesions. We proposed that the basal DNA damage may trigger
      significant fractions of p53 pulses. We also reproduced the heterogeneity of p53
      dynamics in experiments. The number of p53 pulses showed no correlations with DNA
      damage. We also replicated the linear correlation between DNA damage and the
      probability of igniting a pulse. Our model has unraveled the heterogeneous p53
      responses.

PMID- 26493684
TI  - An MRI-compatible platform for one-dimensional motion management studies in MRI.
AB  - PURPOSE: Abdominal MRI remains challenging because of respiratory motion. Motion
      compensation strategies are difficult to compare clinically because of the
      variability across human subjects. The goal of this study was to evaluate a
      programmable system for one-dimensional motion management MRI research. METHODS:
      A system comprised of a programmable motorized linear stage and computer was
      assembled and tested in the MRI environment. Tests of the mutual interference
      between the platform and a whole-body MRI were performed. Organ trajectories
      generated from a high-temporal resolution scan of a healthy volunteer were used
      in phantom tests to evaluate the effects of motion on image quality and
      quantitative MRI measurements. RESULTS: No interference between the motion
      platform and the MRI was observed, and reliable motion could be produced across a
      wide range of imaging conditions. Motion-related artifacts commensurate with
      motion amplitude, frequency, and waveform were observed. T2 measurement of a
      kidney lesion in an abdominal phantom showed that its value decreased by 67% with
      physiologic motion, but could be partially recovered with navigator-based motion
      compensation. CONCLUSION: The motion platform can produce reliable linear motion
      within a whole-body MRI. The system can serve as a foundation for a research
      platform to investigate and develop motion management approaches for MRI. Magn
      Reson Med 76:702-712, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26493685
TI  - A {Nb6 P2 W12 }-Based Hexameric Manganese Cluster with Single-Molecule Magnet
      Properties.
AB  - By deliberately using a metastable polyanion [(NbO2 )6 P2 W12 O56 ](12-) (1),
      which was formed in situ, we have discovered the unprecedented hexameric cluster
      {Mn15 (Nb6 P2 W12 O62 )6 } (2), in which the six polyanions [Nb6 P2 W12 O61 ](10
      ) are alternately connected by four intriguing trinuclear {Mn(III) 3 } moieties
      and four {Mn(II) } linkers. This discovery is the first in which the
      phosphoniobotungstate has been made accessible by using transition-metal ions;
      furthermore, polyanion 2 represents the largest niobotungstate cluster reported
      to date. Analysis by means of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS)
      provides insight into the self-assembly process, and the peaks observed relate to
      the different charge states of the parent cluster, thus confirming the stability
      of 2. In addition, magnetic-susceptibility measurements reveal that each {Mn(III)
      3 } subunit is a separate single-molecule magnet (SMM). This discovery results
      from the exploration of the reverse effect of metastable polyanion 1 possessing
      high reactivity, thereby turning a disadvantage into an advantage. This finding
      could define a new synthetic strategy for the design and synthesis of magnetic
      polyoxometalate (POM) clusters. 

PMID- 26493686
TI  - Operating room nurses' positioning of anesthetized surgical patients.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To describe the incidence of problems associated with the
      positioning of anaesthetised surgical patients. BACKGROUND: The positioning of
      the anaesthetised surgical patient is a complex task. The interdisciplinary
      nature with several professional groups in a surgical team may lead to conflict
      between the positioning standards and individual consideration for the patient.
      Existing knowledge of the relationship between the different positioning forms,
      surgical team competences and the applicability and availability of positioning
      equipment is sparse. DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study. METHOD: An
      electronic questionnaire was sent to 833 OR nurses employed at four public
      university hospitals. With 481 responses, a response rate of 57.7% was achieved.
      Descriptive statistical analyses were performed using the spss software package
      (version 19.00). RESULTS: Positioning of the patient was found to be particularly
      difficult for the prone (43.8%), lithotomy (53.4%) and lateral (65.5%) positions.
      Lack of positioning competences and equipment for arm support, standardised
      equipment for leg support and standard sizes of OR beds seemed to complicate
      positioning. CONCLUSION: Lack of appropriate positioning equipment and
      positioning competences in surgical teams, combined with the poor availability of
      positioning equipment in ORs were found to cause problems. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL
      PRACTICE: There is a need for innovative solutions to develop modern forms of
      positioning equipment allowing individual consideration of the patient. Further
      research is required on positioning equipment, optimisation of continuity and the
      establishment of permanent surgical teams.

PMID- 26493687
TI  - Photocontrolled Exposure of Pro-apoptotic Peptide Sequences in LOV Proteins
      Modulates Bcl-2 Family Interactions.
AB  - LOV domains act as biomolecular sensors for light, oxygen or the environment's
      redox potential. Conformational changes upon the formation of a covalent
      cysteinyl flavin adduct are propagated through hydrogen-bonding networks in the
      core of designed hybrid phototropin LOV2 domains that incorporate the Bcl
      homology region 3 (BH3) of the key pro-apoptotic protein BH3-interacting-domain
      death agonist (BID). The resulting change in conformation of a flanking
      amphiphilic alpha-helix creates a light-dependent optogenetic tool for the
      modulation of interactions with the anti-apoptotic B-cell leukaemia-2 (Bcl-2)
      family member Bcl-xL . 

PMID- 26493688
TI  - High-resolution computed tomography and rheumatoid arthritis: semi-quantitative
      evaluation of lung damage and its correlation with clinical and functional
      abnormalities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to establish risk factors for radiological lung damage
      associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and determine whether clinical findings
      and pulmonary function test were correlated with Warrick score calculated on the
      basis of high-resolution computed tomography or not. METHODS: One hundred thirty
      RA patients who were followed at rheumatology outpatient clinic were included
      through retrospective screening. To evaluate radiological involvement, the semi
      quantitative evaluation proposed by Warrick was used to assign a score for each
      lesion based on the severity and extent of the pulmonary damage. In addition to
      the total score, indices for alveolitis and fibrosis were created. The
      correlations between each score and clinical and functional parameters were
      tested for all patients. RESULTS: We showed that age was an independent
      explanatory variable of radiological lung damage. Percentage of predicted lung
      diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLco) below 75 % and presence of
      respiratory symptoms were found to contribute more to radiological lung damage.
      Warrick score was positively correlated with age at study onset (r = 0.43, p <
      0.001). In addition, a negative correlation was found between Warrick score and
      DLco % predicted (r = -0.357, p = 0.001). Alveolitis index was negatively
      correlated with DLco % predicted (r = -0.321, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: It is
      considered that this semi-quantitative method may have added value in early
      diagnosis, appropriate treatment decisions and follow-up when taken into account
      together with risk factors associated with pulmonary damage in RA.

PMID- 26493690
TI  - Factors that influence outcomes in cochlear implantation in adults, based on
      patient-related characteristics - a retrospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Outcomes in speech perception following cochlear implantation in
      adults vary widely. Many studies have been carried out to identify and quantify
      factors that influence outcomes. This study adds a new dimension to pre-existing
      literature. DESIGN: Single-centre retrospective cohort study. SETTING: University
      Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 428 adults with
      bilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss, unilaterally implanted
      between February 1988 and March 2014. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Univariable and
      multivariable linear regression analyses were carried out to identify factors
      that may influence outcome after cochlear implantation. Consonant-vowel-consonant
      word scores were recorded pre- and post-implant and were used as outcome measure
      in two groups of patients (prelingually and postlingually deafened adults). As an
      added dimension, multiple imputation was implemented and evaluated to tackle 4%
      (17/407) missing data. RESULTS: For postlinguals, pre-implant speech perception
      score and age at onset of deafness are positive predictors and meningitis and
      otosclerosis as cause of deafness are negative predictors of post-implant speech
      perception. This model accounted for 26% of variance. For prelinguals, pre
      implant speech perception score is the only strong positive predictor (beta
      0.524; P < 0.001). This model accounted for 31% of variance. Age at implantation
      was not a significant predictor in either group. CONCLUSIONS: Speech perception
      is predicted by pre-implant speech perception, age at onset of deafness and
      aetiology (meningitis and otosclerosis) for postlinguals and solely pre-implant
      speech perception for prelinguals. Age at implantation is of lesser importance in
      predicting speech perception outcome post-implant. Multiple imputation is a
      useful statistical technique when analysing incomplete data sets.

PMID- 26493689
TI  - Apoptosis of tumor infiltrating effector TIM-3+CD8+ T cells in colon cancer.
AB  - TIM-3 functions to enforce CD8+ T cell exhaustion, a dysfunctional state
      associated with the tolerization of tumor microenvironment. Here we report
      apoptosis of IFN-gamma competent TIM-3+ population of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T
      cells in colon cancer. In humans suffering from colorectal cancer, TIM-3+
      population is higher in cancer tissue-resident relative to peripheral blood CD8+
      T cells. Both the TIM-3+ and TIM-3- cancer tissue-resident CD8+ T cells secrete
      IFN-gamma of comparable levels, although apoptotic cells are more in TIM-3+
      compared to TIM-3- population. In mouse CT26 colon tumor model, majority of tumor
      infiltrating CD8+ T cells express TIM-3 and execute cytolysis function with
      higher effector cytokine secretion and apoptosis in TIM-3+ compared to TIM-3-
      population. The tumor cells secrete galectin-9, which increases apoptosis of
      tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells. Galectin-9/TIM-3 signaling blockade with anti
      TIM-3 antibody reduces the apoptosis and in addition, inhibits tumor growth in
      mice. The blockade increases therapeutic efficacy of cyclophosphamide to treat
      tumor in mice as well. These results reveal a previously unexplored role of TIM-3
      on tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells in vivo. 

PMID- 26493691
TI  - Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from non-sibling matched family donors
      for patients with thalassemia major in Jordan.
AB  - There are limited data on the outcome of patients with thalassemia receiving HSCT
      from non-sibling matched family donors. Of the 341 patients with thalassemia
      major that underwent donor search at our center from January 2003 to December
      2011, 236 (69.2%) had fully matched family donor of which 28 patients (8.2%) had
      non-sibling matched family donors identified. We report on seven patients with a
      median age of eight yr (4-21) who underwent myeloablative (n = 4) or RIC (n = 3)
      HSCT. The median age of the donors was 33 yr (4-47), three were parents, two
      first cousins, one paternal uncle, and one paternal aunt. All patients achieved
      primary neutrophil and platelet engraftment at a median of 18 (13-20) and 16 days
      (11-20), respectively. One patient developed grade II acute GVHD, and two
      patients developed limited chronic GVHD. One patient experienced secondary GF
      requiring a second transplant. At a median follow-up of 69 months (7-110), all
      patients are alive and thalassemia free. Our data emphasize the need for extended
      family HLA typing for patients with thalassemia major in regions where there is
      high rate of consanguinity. Transplant from non-sibling matched family donor can
      result in excellent outcome. 

PMID- 26493692
TI  - Can we predict and prevent pelvic floor dysfunction?

PMID- 26493693
TI  - The formation of adipocere in model aquatic environments.
AB  - An examination of the chemistry of adipocere formation in aquatic systems
      provides insight into how environmental factors affect the decomposition
      processes of human remains. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and
      inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICPMS) have been employed to
      monitor the changes to the chemistry of adipocere formed in aquatic environments
      used to model seawater, river and chlorinated water systems. Seawater was shown
      to inhibit adipocere formation, and a distinctively different elemental
      composition was produced in this environment due to the high concentrations of
      salts. By comparison, river water has been shown to accelerate the formation of
      adipocere. Chlorinated water appears to significantly enhance adipocere
      formation, based on a comparison with established fatty acid concentration
      values. However, a competing reaction to form chlorohydrins in chlorinated water
      is believed to be responsible for the unusual findings in this environment. The
      application of the chemical characterization of adipocere to an understanding of
      how this particular decomposition product forms in different water environments
      has been demonstrated, and there is potential to utilise this approach to
      identify the environment in which a body has been immersed.

PMID- 26493694
TI  - Oxygen: The Missing Element in Low-Income Countries.

PMID- 26493695
TI  - The Prediction of Sonographic features and BRAF Mutation for Central Lymph Node
      Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma: Reply.

PMID- 26493696
TI  - Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Prognostic Marker for Lung Adenocarcinoma After
      Complete Resection.
AB  - BACKGROUNDS: The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a simple and low-cost index
      that may be a benchmark for systemic inflammatory response and antitumor
      immunity. The goal of the study was to investigate the prognostic value of
      preoperative NLR in patients with lung adenocarcinoma after complete resection.
      METHODS: The subjects were 361 consecutive patients with lung adenocarcinoma who
      underwent complete resection between 2000 and 2009. Perioperative clinical and
      laboratory data were evaluated retrospectively. The cohort was divided using the
      cut-off value for preoperative NLR identified in receiver operating
      characteristic analysis. Correlations of NLR with clinicopathological
      characteristics and prognosis were examined. RESULTS: A high NLR was
      significantly correlated with a smoking history >10 pack-years (p = 0.023),
      pathological stage II or III (p < 0.001), lymphatic invasion (p = 0.003), and
      pleural invasion (p = 0.039). In univariate analysis, the high NLR group had
      significantly lower 5-year overall survival (86.0 vs. 77.1 %, p < 0.001) and 5
      year recurrence-free survival (75.1 vs. 59.9 %, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis
      showed that NLR was an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio 1.822, 95 %
      confidence interval 1.133-2.931, p = 0.013). CONCLUSION: These results show that
      preoperative NLR is an independent prognostic factor in patients with lung
      adenocarcinoma after complete resection. NLR may reflect host immunity and
      systemic inflammation that facilitates tumor growth.

PMID- 26493697
TI  - Chordoma: an update on the pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms.
AB  - Chordoma is a rare low-grade primary malignant skeletal tumor, which is presumed
      to derive from notochord remnants. The pathogenesis of chordoma has not been
      fully elucidated. However, recent advances in the molecular biology studies have
      identified brachyury underlying the initiation and progression of chordoma cells.
      More efforts have been made on accumulating evidence of the notochordal origin of
      chordoma, discovering signaling pathways and identifying crucial targets in
      chordomagenesis. In this review, we summarize the most recent research findings
      and focus on the pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms of chordoma. 

PMID- 26493699
TI  - Variation in dry grassland communities along a heavy metals gradient.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the variation in plant communities
      growing on metal-enriched sites created by historical Zn-Pb mining. The study
      sites were 65 small heaps of waste rock covered by grassland vegetation and
      scattered mostly over agricultural land of southern Poland. The sites were
      described in terms of plant coverage, species richness and composition, and the
      composition of plant traits. They were classified using phytosociological methods
      and detrended correspondence analysis. Identified plant communities were compared
      for vegetation parameters and habitat properties (soil characteristics, distance
      from the forest) by analysis of variance. The variation in plant community
      parameters was explained by multiple regression, in which the predictors were
      properties of the habitat selected on the basis of factor analysis. Grasslands
      that developed at low and high concentrations of heavy metals in soil were
      similar to some extent: they were composed on average of 17-20 species (per 4
      m(2)), and their total coverage exceeded 90%. The species composition changed
      substantially with increasing contamination with heavy metals; metal-sensitive
      species withdrew, while the metal-tolerant became more abundant. Other important
      predictors of community structure were: proximity to the forest (responsible for
      the encroachment of competitive forest species and ruderals), and the thickness
      of the surface soil (shallow soil favored the formation of the heavy metal
      grassland). The heavy metal grassland was closely related to the dry calcareous
      grasslands. The former was an earlier succession stage of the latter at low
      contamination with heavy metals.

PMID- 26493698
TI  - Review of the Uses of Vagal Nerve Stimulation in Chronic Pain Management.
AB  - Recent human and animal studies provide growing evidence that vagal nerve
      stimulation (VNS) can deliver strong analgesic effects in addition to providing
      therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of refractory epilepsy and depression.
      Analgesia is potentially mediated by vagal afferents that inhibit spinal
      nociceptive reflexes and transmission and have strong anti-inflammatory
      properties. The purpose of this review is to provide pain practitioners with an
      overview of VNS technology and limitations. It specifically focuses on clinical
      indications of VNS for various chronic pain syndromes, including fibromyalgia,
      pelvic pain, and headaches. We also present potential mechanisms for VNS
      modulation of chronic pain by reviewing both animal and human studies.

PMID- 26493700
TI  - Feasibility of a birth cohort study dedicated to assessing acute infections using
      symptom diaries and parental collection of biomaterials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A birth cohort dedicated to studying infections in early childhood
      may be assisted by parental recording of symptoms on a daily basis and a
      collection of biomaterials. We aimed at testing the feasibility of this approach
      for use in a long-term study focusing on infections in children in Germany.
      METHODS: Parents of 1- to 3-year-old children (n = 75) were recruited in nursery
      schools. They were asked to complete a symptom diary on a daily basis and to take
      monthly and symptom-triggered nasal swabs and stool samples from their child over
      the study period of three months. Feasibility was measured by means of the return
      proportions of symptom diaries and bio samples; acceptance was assessed by a
      questionnaire delivered to participants at the end of the study. RESULTS: The
      majority of the participants filled in the symptom diary during the three months
      study for 75 or more days (77.3%), and provided the monthly nasal swabs (62.7%)
      and stool samples (65.3%). The time needed for the tasks was acceptable for most
      participants (symptom diary: 92.3%, nasal swabs: 98.5%, stool samples: 100.0%).
      In 64.3% of the symptom-triggered nasal swabs, respiratory viruses were found
      compared to 55.5% in throat swabs taken by health-care professionals within the
      "ARE surveillance Lower Saxony", a special project by the Governmental Institute
      of Public Health of Lower Saxony to investigate causal pathogens for acute
      respiratory infections in children. CONCLUSIONS: The parental assessment of
      symptoms and collection of biomaterials in a birth cohort dedicated to studying
      infections appears feasible in a middle class German population. The success of
      the study will depend on the ability to maintain these activities over a long
      time period.

PMID- 26493701
TI  - A large-scale conformation sampling and evaluation server for protein tertiary
      structure prediction and its assessment in CASP11.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With more and more protein sequences produced in the genomic era,
      predicting protein structures from sequences becomes very important for
      elucidating the molecular details and functions of these proteins for biomedical
      research. Traditional template-based protein structure prediction methods tend to
      focus on identifying the best templates, generating the best alignments, and
      applying the best energy function to rank models, which often cannot achieve the
      best performance because of the difficulty of obtaining best templates,
      alignments, and models. METHODS: We developed a large-scale conformation sampling
      and evaluation method and its servers to improve the reliability and robustness
      of protein structure prediction. In the first step, our method used a variety of
      alignment methods to sample relevant and complementary templates and to generate
      alternative and diverse target-template alignments, used a template and alignment
      combination protocol to combine alignments, and used template-based and template
      free modeling methods to generate a pool of conformations for a target protein.
      In the second step, it used a large number of protein model quality assessment
      methods to evaluate and rank the models in the protein model pool, in conjunction
      with an exception handling strategy to deal with any additional failure in model
      ranking. RESULTS: The method was implemented as two protein structure prediction
      servers: MULTICOM-CONSTRUCT and MULTICOM-CLUSTER that participated in the 11th
      Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction (CASP11) in
      2014. The two servers were ranked among the best 10 server predictors.
      CONCLUSIONS: The good performance of our servers in CASP11 demonstrates the
      effectiveness and robustness of the large-scale conformation sampling and
      evaluation. The MULTICOM server is available at:
      http://sysbio.rnet.missouri.edu/multicom_cluster/.

PMID- 26493702
TI  - Effects of a multidisciplinary programme on postural stability in patients with
      chronic recurrent low back pain: preliminary findings.
AB  - PURPOSE: This longitudinal study investigated the effects of a multidisciplinary
      rehabilitation programme on postural stability in patients with low back pain.
      While the consequences of such rehabilitation programme have been described for
      pain, mobility, strength, and functional disability, the effects on postural
      stability have not been examined so far. METHODS: Thirty-four patients suffering
      from chronic low back pain were included to participate in a multidisciplinary
      rehabilitation programme. We assessed postural stability, pain, strength of the
      lumbar extensor muscles, and functional disability. The examinations were
      performed before the intervention, after 20 training sessions ("half-way point"),
      and at the end of the rehabilitation programme. RESULTS: All outcome measures
      improved significantly from baseline to the first follow-up evaluation and
      remained constant until completion of the rehabilitation programme. CONCLUSIONS:
      A multidisciplinary outpatient rehabilitation programme may improve postural
      stability, muscle strength, pain, and functional disability in patients with
      chronic low back pain.

PMID- 26493703
TI  - Second messenger - Sensing riboswitches in bacteria.
AB  - Signal sensing in bacteria has traditionally been attributed to protein-based
      factors. It is however becoming increasingly clear that bacteria also exploit
      RNAs to serve this role. This review discusses how key developmental processes in
      bacteria, such as community formation, choice of a sessile versus motile
      lifestyle, or vegetative growth versus dormant spore formation may be governed by
      signal sensing RNAs. The signaling molecules that affect these processes, the
      RNAs that sense these molecules and the underlying molecular basis for specific
      signal-response are discussed here. 

PMID- 26493704
TI  - Physico-chemical and biological considerations for membrane wound evolution and
      repair in animal cells.
AB  - Membrane damage is a daily threat to the life of a cell, especially cells from
      muscles, gut, epidermis and vasculature, tissues that are particularly subjected
      to mechanical stress. Damages can come from different sources and give rise to
      different holes in terms of size and nature. For example, while some holes are
      simply scratches in the lipid bilayer, others are delimited by pore forming
      proteins. It is thus expectable that these wounds will not evolve similarly in a
      cellular context, and that repair mechanisms will differ to a certain extent. It
      would therefore be misleading to fully generalize cell membrane damage and
      repair, and consider it as one universal phenomenon. Indeed, damage has been
      observed in cells ranging from the rather small mammalian cells (~30MUm) to the
      very big Urchin egg (~100MUm). Moreover, the wounds observed or artificially
      induced in eukaryotic cells range from some nanometers to several micrometers,
      and can be delimited by particular molecules as mentioned before. This chapter
      aims at reviewing the different physico-chemical and biological parameters that
      can influence wound evolution in cells and to conciliate the different repair
      mechanisms that have been described by evaluating them in their cellular and
      wound type context. 

PMID- 26493706
TI  - Developmental regulation and evolution of muscle-specific microRNAs.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRs) are a group of small RNAs that play a major role in post
      transcriptional regulation of gene expression. In animals, many of the miRs are
      expressed in a conserved spatiotemporal manner. Muscle tissues, the major
      cellular systems involved in the locomotion and physiological functions of
      animals, have been one of the main sites for verification of miR targets and
      analysis of their developmental functions. During the determination and
      differentiation of muscle cells, numerous miRs bind to and repress target mRNAs
      in a highly specific but redundant manner. Interspecific comparisons of the
      sequences and expression of miRs have suggested that miR regulation became
      increasingly important during the course of vertebrate evolution. However, the
      detailed molecular interactions that have led to the highly complex morphological
      structures still await investigation. In this review, we will summarize the
      recent findings on the functional and developmental characteristics of miRs that
      have played major roles in vertebrate myogenesis, and discuss how the evolution
      of miRs is related to the morphological complexity of the vertebrates. 

PMID- 26493705
TI  - Non-coding functions of alternative pre-mRNA splicing in development.
AB  - A majority of messenger RNA precursors (pre-mRNAs) in the higher eukaryotes
      undergo alternative splicing to generate more than one mature product. By
      targeting the open reading frame region this process increases diversity of
      protein isoforms beyond the nominal coding capacity of the genome. However,
      alternative splicing also frequently controls output levels and spatiotemporal
      features of cellular and organismal gene expression programs. Here we discuss how
      these non-coding functions of alternative splicing contribute to development
      through regulation of mRNA stability, translational efficiency and cellular
      localization. 

PMID- 26493707
TI  - Fine mapping of a large-effect QTL conferring Fusarium crown rot resistance on
      the long arm of chromosome 3B in hexaploid wheat.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fusarium crown rot (FCR) is a major cereal disease in semi-arid areas
      worldwide. Of the various QTL reported, the one on chromosome arm 3BL (Qcrs.cpi
      3B) has the largest effect that can be consistently detected in different genetic
      backgrounds. Nine sets of near isogenic lines (NILs) for this locus were made
      available in a previous study. To identify markers that could be reliably used in
      tagging the Qcrs.cpi-3B locus, a NIL-derived population consisting of 774 F10
      lines were generated and exploited to assess markers selected from the existing
      linkage map and generated from sequences of the 3B pseudomolecule. RESULTS: This
      is the first report on fine mapping a QTL conferring FCR resistance in wheat. By
      three rounds of linkage mapping using the NILs and the NIL-derived population,
      the Qcrs.cpi-3B locus was mapped to an interval of 0.7 cM covering a physical
      distance of about 1.5 Mb. Seven markers co-segregating with the locus were
      developed. This interval contains a total of 63 gene-coding sequences based on
      the 3B pseudomolecule, and six of them were known to encode disease resistance
      proteins. Several of the genes in this interval were among those responsive to
      FCR infection detected in an earlier study. CONCLUSIONS: The accurate
      localization of the Qcrs.cpi-3B locus and the development of the markers co
      segregating with it should facilitate the incorporation of this large-effect QTL
      conferring FCR resistance into breeding programs as well as the cloning of the
      gene(s) underlying the QTL.

PMID- 26493709
TI  - Palladium-catalyzed carbonylative couplings of vinylogous enolates: application
      to statin structures.
AB  - The first Pd-catalyzed carbonylative couplings of aryl and vinyl halides with
      vinylogous enolates are reported generating products derived from C-C bond
      formation exclusively at the gamma-position. Good results were obtained with a
      dienolate derivative of acetoacetate (1,3-dioxin-4-one). These transformations
      occurred at room temperature and importantly with only stoichiometric carbon
      monoxide in a two-chamber reactor. The methodology was applied to the synthesis
      of two members of the statin family generating the cis-3,5-diol acid motif by a
      gamma-selective carbonylation followed by a cis-stereoselective reduction of the
      3,5-dicarbonyl acid intermediates. 

PMID- 26493708
TI  - Depression literacy of undergraduates in a non-western developing context: the
      case of Sri Lanka.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research examining the depression literacy of undergraduates in non
      western developing countries is limited. This study explores this among
      undergraduates in Sri Lanka. METHODS: A total of 4671 undergraduates responded to
      a survey presenting a vignette of a depressed undergraduate. They were asked to
      identify the problem, describe their intended help-seeking actions if affected by
      it and rate the helpfulness of a range of help-providers and interventions for
      dealing with it. Mental health experts also rated these options, providing a
      benchmark for assessing the undergraduates' responses. RESULTS: Only 17.4% of
      undergraduates recognised depression, but this was significantly lower among
      those responding in Sinhala compared to English (3.5 vs 36.8%). More
      undergraduates indicated intentions of seeking informal help, such as from
      friends and parents, than from professionals, such as psychiatrists and
      counsellors. However, a majority rated all these help-providers as 'helpful',
      aligning with expert opinion. Other options recommended by experts and rated as
      'helpful' by a large proportion of undergraduates included
      counselling/psychological therapy and self-help strategies such as doing
      enjoyable activities and meditation/yoga/relaxation exercises. However, a low
      proportion of undergraduates rated "western medicine to improve mood" as
      'helpful', deviating from expert opinion. Although not endorsed by experts,
      undergraduates indicated intentions of using religious strategies, highly
      endorsing these as 'helpful'. Labelling the problem as depression and using
      mental health-related labels were both associated with higher odds of endorsing
      professional help, with the label 'depression' associated with endorsing a wider
      range of professional options. CONCLUSIONS: The recognition rate of depression
      might be associated with the language used to label it. These undergraduates'
      knowledge about the use of medication for depression needs improvement. Health
      promotion interventions for depressed undergraduates must be designed in light of
      the prevalent socio-cultural backdrop, such as the undergraduates' high
      endorsement of informal and culturally relevant help-seeking. Improving their
      ability to recognise the problem as being mental health-related might trigger
      their use of professional options of help.

PMID- 26493710
TI  - Advances in Dental Materials through Nanotechnology: Facts, Perspectives and
      Toxicological Aspects.
AB  - Nanotechnology is currently driving the dental materials industry to substantial
      growth, thus reflecting on improvements in materials available for oral
      prevention and treatment. The present review discusses new developments in
      nanotechnology applied to dentistry, focusing on the use of nanomaterials for
      improving the quality of oral care, the perspectives of research in this arena,
      and discussions on safety concerns regarding the use of dental nanomaterials.
      Details are provided on the cutting-edge properties (morphological,
      antibacterial, mechanical, fluorescence, antitumoral, and remineralization and
      regeneration potential) of polymeric, metallic and inorganic nano-based
      materials, as well as their use as nanocluster fillers, in nanocomposites,
      mouthwashes, medicines, and biomimetic dental materials. Nanotoxicological
      aspects, clinical applications, and perspectives for these nanomaterials are also
      discussed. 

PMID- 26493711
TI  - Vault Nanoparticles Packaged with Enzymes as an Efficient Pollutant
      Biodegradation Technology.
AB  - Vault nanoparticles packaged with enzymes were synthesized as agents for
      efficiently degrading environmental contaminants. Enzymatic biodegradation is an
      attractive technology for in situ cleanup of contaminated environments because
      enzyme-catalyzed reactions are not constrained by nutrient requirements for
      microbial growth and often have higher biodegradation rates. However, the limited
      stability of extracellular enzymes remains a major challenge for practical
      applications. Encapsulation is a recognized method to enhance enzymatic
      stability, but it can increase substrate diffusion resistance, lower catalytic
      rates, and increase the apparent half-saturation constants. Here, we report an
      effective approach for boosting enzymatic stability by single-step packaging into
      vault nanoparticles. With hollow core structures, assembled vault nanoparticles
      can simultaneously contain multiple enzymes. Manganese peroxidase (MnP), which is
      widely used in biodegradation of organic contaminants, was chosen as a model
      enzyme in the present study. MnP was incorporated into vaults via fusion to a
      packaging domain called INT, which strongly interacts with vaults' interior
      surface. MnP fused to INT and vaults packaged with the MnP-INT fusion protein
      maintained peroxidase activity. Furthermore, MnP-INT packaged in vaults displayed
      stability significantly higher than that of free MnP-INT, with slightly increased
      Km value. Additionally, vault-packaged MnP-INT exhibited 3 times higher phenol
      biodegradation in 24 h than did unpackaged MnP-INT. These results indicate that
      the packaging of MnP enzymes in vault nanoparticles extends their stability
      without compromising catalytic activity. This research will serve as the
      foundation for the development of efficient and sustainable vault-based
      bioremediation approaches for removing multiple contaminants from drinking water
      and groundwater. 

PMID- 26493712
TI  - Toxicity evaluation of nanocarriers for the oral delivery of macromolecular
      drugs.
AB  - Oral administration is the most commonly used and accepted route for drug
      administration. However, two of the main concerns are the poor intestinal
      epithelium permeability and rapid degradation, which limit absorption of drugs.
      In this context, nanocarriers have shown great potential for oral drug delivery.
      Nevertheless, special importance should be given to the possible toxic effect of
      these nanocarriers, such as their bioaccumulation in different tissues of the
      body, as well as, the different physicochemical parameters influencing their
      properties and so their potential toxic effect. This review describes first some
      aspects related to the behavior of nanosystems within the gastrointestinal tract
      and then some aspects of nanotoxicology and its evaluation, including the most
      popular techniques and approaches used for in vitro and in vivo toxicity studies.
      It also reviews the physicochemical characteristics of polymeric nanoparticles
      that may influence the development of toxicological effects, and finally it
      summarizes the toxicity results that have been published regarding polymeric
      nanocarriers. 

PMID- 26493713
TI  - Simultaneous determination of active component and vehicle penetration from F
      DPPC liposomes into porcine skin layers.
AB  - Liposomes have been used as innovative delivery vehicles on skin for a number of
      years due to their positive influence on skin penetration. However, until now it
      is not entirely clear how and by which mechanism enhancement is achieved. In the
      present study, the skin permeation of a model substance incorporated into
      liposomes and a control formulation was compared to study the influence of the
      vehicle in Franz-type diffusion cell experiments. Furthermore, the penetration
      depths of both components were studied by simultaneous determination of the
      active substance and the vehicle component during tape stripping studies and
      horizontal sectioning. For these purposes we prepared liposomes with 1-palmitoyl
      2-(16-fluoropalmitoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (F-DPPC), the monofluorinated
      analogue of dipalmitoylphosphaditylcholine (DPPC) loaded with sodium fluorescein
      (SoFl). A sodium-fluorescein solution was used as control formulation. While the
      semi-solid F-DPPC liposomes and the SoFl-solution performed equally well with
      similar permeation profiles during skin diffusion experiments, superior
      penetrated amounts of SoFl into the stratum corneum (SC) from F-DPPC liposomes
      compared to the SoFl-solution were observed possibly due to a "push" exerted by
      the vehicle F-DPPC. We also showed that SoFl penetrated through SC into the
      viable epidermis. 

PMID- 26493714
TI  - Junior Seau: An Illustrative Case of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and Update
      on Chronic Sports-Related Head Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few neurologic diseases have captured the nation's attention more
      completely than chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which has been discovered
      in the autopsies of professional athletes, most notably professional football
      players. The tragic case of Junior Seau, a Hall of Fame, National Football League
      linebacker, has been the most high-profile confirmed case of CTE. Here we
      describe Seau's case, which concludes an autopsy conducted at the National
      Institutes of Health that confirmed the diagnosis. CASE DESCRIPTION: Since 1990,
      Junior Seau had a highly distinguished 20-year career playing for the National
      Football League as a linebacker, from which he sustained multiple concussions. He
      committed suicide on May 2, 2012, at age 43, after which an autopsy confirmed a
      diagnosis of CTE. His clinical history was significant for a series of behavioral
      disturbances. Seau's history and neuropathologic findings were used to better
      understand the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and possible risk factors for CTE.
      CONCLUSIONS: This high-profile case reflects an increasing awareness of CTE as a
      long-term consequence of multiple traumatic brain injuries. The previously
      unforeseen neurologic risks of American football have begun to cast doubt on the
      safety of the sport.

PMID- 26493715
TI  - Human Brain-to-Brain Interface: Prelude to Telepathy.

PMID- 26493716
TI  - Omental Approach to Functional Recovery After Cerebrovascular Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review and synthesize the clinical literature regarding risks and
      benefits of omentum transplantation and transposition surgery in patients with
      ischemic stroke of other etiology (non-MMD) and Moyamoya disease (MMD), and to
      evaluate the evidence for biological underpinnings of the presumed physiologic
      effects of omentum transplantation and transposition on vascularization of brain
      parenchyma. METHODS: Articles were searched on scientific databases using
      predefined key terms. Data abstraction was based on the clinical course as
      reported in the articles. For further analysis, patients were divided into groups
      according to their diagnosis (MMD or non-MMD). Descriptive statistics were
      computed for better integration of the results. RESULTS: The final literature
      review contained 15 articles (11 case series, 4 single case studies) with data on
      93 patients (29 non-MMD, 64 MMD). At post-assessment 56% of patients showed
      substantial gains in functional domains (24% in the non-MMD group, 71% in the MMD
      group) and 92% demonstrated improvements of cerebral vascularization (55% in the
      non-MMD group, 98% in the MMD group). Differences in improvement became apparent
      with regard to the initial symptomatology wherein transient ischemic attacks were
      related to superior recovery rates and language pathologies showed least
      improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical revascularization using omental tissue has
      shown good success rates, particularly for recurrent transient ischemic attacks
      and prevention of further strokes and should be considered as treatment option
      for selected patients. Experimental data on the physiologic basis for
      postoperative improvement delivered convincing evidence for its arteriogenic
      potential and recent developments in omental stem cell research suggest a role in
      recovery from long-standing neurological deficits.

PMID- 26493717
TI  - Effects of black adzuki bean (Vigna angularis, Geomguseul) extract on body
      composition and hypothalamic neuropeptide expression in rats fed a high-fat diet.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is often considered to result from either excessive food
      intake or insufficient physical activity. Adzuki beans have been evaluated as
      potential remedies for various health conditions, and recent studies have
      reported their effects on the regulation of lipid metabolism, but it remains to
      be determined whether they may be effective in overcoming obesity by regulating
      appetite and satiety. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effect of black
      adzuki bean (BAB) extract on body composition and hypothalamic neuropeptide
      expression in Sprague Dawley rats (Rattus norvegicus) fed a high-fat diet.
      DESIGN: The rats were fed for 8 weeks with a control diet containing 10 kcal%
      from fat (CD), a high-fat diet containing 60 kcal% from fat (HD), or a high-fat
      diet with 1% or 2% freeze-dried ethanolic extract powder of BAB (BAB-1 and BAB
      2). RESULTS: The body weights and epididymal fat weights were significantly
      reduced and the serum lipid profiles were improved in the group fed the diet
      containing BAB compared to the HD group. The expression of AGRP mRNA
      significantly decreased in the BAB groups, and treatment with BAB-2 resulted in a
      marked induction of the mRNA expression of POMC and CART, which are anorexigenic
      neuropeptides that suppress food intake. Furthermore, mRNA expression levels of
      ObRb, a gene related to leptin sensitivity in the hypothalamus, were
      significantly higher in the BAB groups than in the HD group. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results suggest that supplementation with BAB has a significant effect on body
      weight via regulation of hypothalamic neuropeptides.

PMID- 26493718
TI  - Combination of videolaryngoscope and tracheal tube introducer for difficult
      infant airway management.

PMID- 26493719
TI  - Combined inhibition of Hsp90 and heme oxygenase-1 induces apoptosis and
      endoplasmic reticulum stress in melanoma.
AB  - Heat shock proteins are ubiquitous molecular chaperones involved in post
      translational folding, stability, activation and maturation of many proteins that
      are essential mediators of signal transduction and cell cycle progression. Heat
      shock protein 90 (Hsp90) has recently emerged as an attractive therapeutic target
      in cancer treatment since it may act as a key regulator of various oncogene
      products and cell-signaling molecules. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1; also known as
      Hsp32) is an inducible enzyme participating in heme degradation and involved in
      oxidative stress resistance. Recent studies indicate that HO-1 activation may
      play a role in tumor development and progression. In the present study we
      investigated the chemotherapic effects of combining an Hsp90 inhibitor (NMS E973)
      and an HO-1 inhibitor (SnMP) on A375 melanoma cells. NMS E973 treatment was able
      to reduce cell viability and induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress (i.e.
      Ire1alpha, ERO1, PDI, BIP and CHOP). Interestingly, no significant effect was
      observed in reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. Finally, NMS E973 treatment
      resulted in a significant HO-1 overexpression, which in turn serves as a possible
      chemoresistance molecular mechanism. Interestingly, the combination of NMS E973
      and SnMP produced an increase of ROS and reduced cell viability compared to NMS
      E973 treatment alone. The inhibitors combination exhibited higher ER stress,
      apoptosis as evidenced by bifunctional apoptosis regulator (BFAR) mRNA expression
      and lower phosphorylation of Akt when compared to NMS E973 alone. In conclusion,
      these data suggest that HO-1 inhibition potentiates NMS E973 toxicity and may be
      exploited as a strategy for melanoma treatment. 

PMID- 26493720
TI  - Localization and distribution of neurons that co-express xeroderma pigmentosum-A
      and epidermal growth factor receptor within Rosenthal's canal.
AB  - Xeroderma pigmentosum-A (XPA) is a C4-type zinc-finger scaffolding protein that
      regulates the removal of bulky-helix distorting DNA damage products from the
      genome. Phosphorylation of serine residues within the XPA protein is associated
      with improved protection of genomic DNA and cell death resistance. Therefore,
      kinase signaling is one important mechanism for regulating the protective
      function of XPA. Previous experiments have shown that spiral ganglion neurons
      (SGNs) may mobilize XPA as a general stress response to chemical and physical
      ototoxicants. Therapeutic optimization of XPA via kinase signaling could serve as
      a means to improve DNA repair capacity within neurons following injury. The
      kinase signaling activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been
      shown in tumor cell lines to increase the repair of DNA damage products that are
      primarily repaired by XPA. Such observations suggest that EGFR may regulate the
      protective function of XPA. However, it is not known whether SGNs in particular
      or neurons in general could co-express XPA and EGFR. In the current study gene
      and protein expression of XPA and EGFR were determined from cochlear homogenates.
      Immunofluorescence assays were then employed to localize neurons expressing both
      EGFR and XPA within the ganglion. This work was then confirmed with double
      immunohistochemistry. Rosenthal's canal served as the reference space in these
      experiments and design-based stereology was employed in first-order stereology
      quantification of immunoreactive neurons. The results confirmed that a population
      of SGNs that constitutively express XPA may also express the EGFR. These results
      provide the basis for future experiments designed to therapeutically manipulate
      the EGFR in order to regulate XPA activity and restore gene function in neurons
      following DNA damage. 

PMID- 26493721
TI  - Delayed entry into HIV medical care in a nationally representative sample of HIV
      infected adults receiving medical care in the USA.
AB  - Before widespread antiretroviral therapy (ART), an estimated 17% of people
      delayed HIV care. We report national estimates of the prevalence and factors
      associated with delayed care entry in the contemporary ART era. We used Medical
      Monitoring Project data collected from June 2009 through May 2011 for 1425
      persons diagnosed with HIV from May 2004 to April 2009 who initiated care within
      12 months. We defined delayed care as entry >three months from diagnosis.
      Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) were calculated to identify risk factors
      associated with delayed care. In this nationally representative sample of HIV
      infected adults receiving medical care, 7.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.3
      8.8) delayed care after diagnosis. Black race was associated with a lower
      likelihood of delay than white race (aPR 0.38). Men who have sex with women
      versus women who have sex with men (aPR 1.86) and persons required to take an HIV
      test versus recommended by a provider (aPR 2.52) were more likely to delay. Among
      those who delayed 48% reported a personal factor as the primary reason. Among
      persons initially diagnosed with HIV (non-AIDS), those who delayed care were
      twice as likely (aPR 2.08) to develop AIDS as of May 2011. Compared to the pre
      ART era, there was a nearly 60% reduction in delayed care entry. Although
      relatively few HIV patients delayed care entry, certain groups may have an
      increased risk. Focus on linkage to care among persons who are required to take
      an HIV test may further reduce delayed care entry. 

PMID- 26493723
TI  - Basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors involved in abiotic stresses: A
      molecular model of a wheat bZIP factor and implications of its structure in
      function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Basic leucine zipper (bZIP) genes encode transcription factors (TFs)
      that control important biochemical and physiological processes in plants and all
      other eukaryotic organisms. SCOPE OF REVIEW: Here we present (i) the homo-dimeric
      structural model of bZIP consisting of basic leucine zipper and DNA binding
      regions, in complex with the synthetic Abscisic Acid-Responsive Element
      (ABREsyn); (ii) discuss homo- and hetero-dimerisation patterns of bZIP TFs; (iii)
      summarise the current progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms of
      function of bZIP TFs, including features determining the specificity of their
      binding to DNA cis-elements, and (iv) review information on interaction partners
      of bZIPs during plant development and stress response, as well as on types and
      roles of post-translational modifications, and regulatory aspects of protein
      degradation mediated turn-over. Finally, we (v) recapitulate on the recent
      advances regarding functional roles of bZIP factors in major agricultural crops,
      and discuss the potential significance of bZIP-based genetic engineering in
      improving crop yield and tolerance to abiotic stresses. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: An
      accurate analysis and understanding of roles of plant bZIP TFs in different
      biological processes requires the knowledge of interacting partners, time and
      location of expression in plant organs, and the information on mechanisms of homo
      and hetero-dimerisation of bZIP TFs. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: Studies on molecular
      mechanisms of plant bZIP TFs at the atomic levels will provide novel insights
      into the regulatory processes during plant development, and responses to abiotic
      and biotic stresses.

PMID- 26493722
TI  - Ligand tunnels in T. brucei and human CYP51: Insights for parasite-specific drug
      design.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cytochrome P450 sterol 14alpha-demethylase (CYP51) is an essential
      enzyme for sterol biosynthesis and a target for anti-parasitic drug design.
      However, the design of parasite-specific drugs that inhibit parasitic CYP51
      without severe side effects remains challenging. The active site of CYP51 is
      situated in the interior of the protein. Here, we characterize the potential
      ligand egress routes and mechanisms in Trypanosoma brucei and human CYP51
      enzymes. METHODS: We performed Random Acceleration Molecular Dynamics simulations
      of the egress of four different ligands from the active site of models of soluble
      and membrane-bound T. brucei CYP51 and of soluble human CYP51. RESULTS: In the
      simulations, tunnel 2f, which leads to the membrane, was found to be the
      predominant ligand egress tunnel for all the ligands studied. Tunnels S, 1 and W,
      which lead to the cytosol, were also used in T. brucei CYP51, whereas tunnel 1
      was the only other tunnel used significantly in human CYP51. The common tunnels
      found previously in other CYPs were barely used. The ligand egress times were
      shorter for human than T. brucei CYP51, suggesting lower barriers to ligand
      passage. Two gating residues, F105 and M460, in T. brucei CYP51 that modulate the
      opening of tunnels 2f and S were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Although the main
      egress tunnel was the same, differences in the tunnel-lining residues, ligand
      passage and tunnel usage were found between T. brucei and human CYP51s. GENERAL
      SIGNIFICANCE: The results provide a basis for the design of selective anti
      parasitic agents targeting the ligand tunnels.

PMID- 26493724
TI  - CacyBP/SIP--Structure and variety of functions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: CacyBP/SIP (Calcyclin-Binding Protein and Siah-1 Interacting Protein)
      is a small modular protein implicated in a wide range of cellular processes. It
      is expressed in different tissues of mammals but homologs are also found in some
      lower organisms. In mammals, a high level of CacyBP/SIP is present in tumor cells
      and in neurons. CacyBP/SIP binds several target proteins such as members of the
      S100 family, components of a ubiquitin ligase complex, and cytoskeletal proteins.
      SCOPE OF REVIEW: CacyBP/SIP has been shown to be involved in protein de
      phosphorylation, ubiquitination, cytoskeletal dynamics, regulation of gene
      expression, cell proliferation, differentiation, and tumorigenesis. This review
      focuses on very recent reports on CacyBP/SIP structure and function in these
      important cellular processes. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: CacyBP/SIP is a multi-domain and
      multi-functional protein. Altered levels of CacyBP/SIP in several cancers
      implicate its involvement in the maintenance of cell homeostasis. Changes in
      CacyBP/SIP subcellular localization in neurons of AD brains suggest that this
      protein is strongly linked to neurodegenerative diseases. Elucidation of
      CacyBP/SIP structure and cellular function is leading to greater understanding of
      its role in normal physiology and disease pathologies. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: The
      available results suggest that CacyBP/SIP is a key player in multiple biological
      processes. Detailed characterization of the physical, biochemical and biological
      properties of CacyBP/SIP will provide better insight into the regulation of its
      diverse functions in vivo, and given the association with specific diseases, will
      help clarify the potential of therapeutic targeting of this protein.

PMID- 26493726
TI  - Brain tumour classification and abnormality detection using neuro-fuzzy technique
      and Otsu thresholding.
AB  - Brain tumour is one of the main causes for an increase in transience among
      children and adults. This paper proposes an improved method based on Magnetic
      Resonance Imaging (MRI) brain image classification and image segmentation
      approach. Automated classification is encouraged by the need of high accuracy
      when dealing with a human life. The detection of the brain tumour is a
      challenging problem, due to high diversity in tumour appearance and ambiguous
      tumour boundaries. MRI images are chosen for detection of brain tumours, as they
      are used in soft tissue determinations. First of all, image pre-processing is
      used to enhance the image quality. Second, dual-tree complex wavelet transform
      multi-scale decomposition is used to analyse texture of an image. Feature
      extraction extracts features from an image using gray-level co-occurrence matrix
      (GLCM). Then, the Neuro-Fuzzy technique is used to classify the stages of brain
      tumour as benign, malignant or normal based on texture features. Finally, tumour
      location is detected using Otsu thresholding. The classifier performance is
      evaluated based on classification accuracies. The simulated results show that the
      proposed classifier provides better accuracy than previous method. 

PMID- 26493725
TI  - Systems biology evaluation of cell-free amniotic fluid transcriptome of term and
      preterm infants to detect fetal maturity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Amniotic fluid (AF) is a proximal fluid to the fetus containing
      higher amounts of cell-free fetal RNA/DNA than maternal serum, thereby making it
      a promising source for identifying novel biomarkers that predict fetal
      development and organ maturation. Our aim was to compare AF transcriptomic
      profiles at different time points in pregnancy to demonstrate unique genetic
      signatures that would serve as potential biomarkers indicative of fetal
      maturation. METHODS: We isolated AF RNA from 16 women at different time points in
      pregnancy: 4 from 18 to 24 weeks, 6 from 34 to 36 weeks, and 6 from 39 to 40
      weeks. RNA-sequencing was performed on cell-free RNA. Gene expression and
      splicing analyses were performed in conjunction with cell-type and pathway
      predictions. RESULTS: Sample-level analysis at different time points in pregnancy
      demonstrated a strong correlation with cell types found in the intrauterine
      environment and fetal respiratory, digestive and external barrier tissues of the
      fetus, using high-confidence cellular molecular markers. While some RNAs and
      splice variants were present throughout pregnancy, many transcripts were uniquely
      expressed at different time points in pregnancy and associated with distinct
      neonatal co-morbidities (respiratory distress and gavage feeding), indicating
      fetal immaturity. CONCLUSION: The AF transcriptome exhibits unique cell/organ
      selective expression patterns at different time points in pregnancy that can
      potentially identify fetal organ maturity and predict neonatal morbidity.
      Developing novel biomarkers indicative of the maturation of multiple organ
      systems can improve upon our current methods of fetal maturity testing which
      focus solely on the lung, and will better inform obstetrical decisions regarding
      delivery timing.

PMID- 26493728
TI  - NHS values should be preserved, but institutions changed, former health secretary
      tells conference.

PMID- 26493727
TI  - DNA damage-induced apoptosis suppressor (DDIAS), a novel target of NFATc1, is
      associated with cisplatin resistance in lung cancer.
AB  - In a previous study, we reported that DNA damage induced apoptosis suppressor
      (DDIAS; hNoxin), a human homolog of mouse Noxin, functions as an anti-apoptotic
      protein in response to DNA repair. Here we reveal that DDIAS is a target gene of
      nuclear factor of activated T cells 2 (NFATc1) and is associated with cisplatin
      resistance in lung cancer cells. In the DDIAS promoter analysis, we found that
      NFATc1 activated the transcription of DDIAS through binding to NFAT consensus
      sequences in the DDIAS promoter. In addition, tissue array immunostaining
      revealed a correlation between DDIAS and NFATc1 expression in human lung tumors.
      NFATc1 knockdown or treatment with the NFAT inhibitor cyclosporine A induced
      apoptosis and led to growth inhibition of lung cancer cells, indicating the
      functional relevance of both the proteins. In contrast, DDIAS overexpression
      overcame this NFATc1 knockdown-induced growth inhibition, supporting the cancer
      specific role of DDIAS as a target gene of NFATc1. NFATc1 or DDIAS inhibition
      clearly enhanced apoptosis induced by cisplatin in NCI-H1703 and A549 cells.
      Conversely, DDIAS overexpression rescued NCI-H1703 cells from cisplatin-mediated
      cell death and caspase-3/7 activation. These results suggest that NFATc1-induced
      DDIAS expression contributes to cisplatin resistance, and targeting DDIAS or
      NFATc1 impairs the mechanism regulating cisplatin resistance in lung cancer
      cells. Taken together, DDIAS is a target of NFATc1 and is associated with
      cisplatin resistance in lung cancer cells. 

PMID- 26493729
TI  - Patient-Reported Outcomes and Return to Activity After Peroneus Brevis Repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is limited data on functional outcomes after primary repair of
      partial peroneal tendon tears. Previous reports have been limited by small
      cohorts, duration of follow-up, and often included both tenodesis and primary
      repair. The purpose of this study was to report the functional outcomes and
      return to activity in the largest cohort to date with partial peroneal tendon
      tears treated with primary repair. METHODS: A chart review identified all
      patients who underwent primary repair of the peroneus brevis tendon from 2008 to
      2012. Demographic data, magnetic resonance imaging findings, and postoperative
      complications were reviewed. Patients were asked to complete a follow-up
      questionnaire, Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM), and Foot Function Index
      (FFI). There were 201 patients who underwent primary repair of the peroneus
      brevis tendon. The average age at time of operation was 44.3 years. Seventy-one
      patients returned the follow-up questionnaires with an average follow-up of 4.6
      years. Fifty-two patients completed the FFI questionnaire preoperatively and
      postoperatively. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients (83.1%) reported a return to
      regular exercise and sports at final follow-up. At 1 year postoperatively, 76.5%
      of patients returned to the same preinjury activities, and 62.3% returned to the
      same level of preinjury activity. Furthermore, 85.9% of patients were satisfied
      with their outcome, and 91.4% of patients reported they would choose to undergo
      the same procedure again. The mean FAAM score was 85.2 at follow-up. The mean
      preoperative and postoperative FFI score was 41.1 and 12.2, respectively. There
      was a significant improvement in the FFI score of 28.9 after primary peroneus
      brevis tendon repair (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Primary repair of peroneus brevis
      tendon provided consistent improvement in functional outcomes in the majority of
      patients, as measured by a validated scoring system, the FFI. FAAM scores
      demonstrated good function compared to historical controls. The majority of
      patients were able to return to preinjury activity. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV,
      retrospective case series.

PMID- 26493730
TI  - Outbreak of hospital-acquired gastroenteritis and invasive infection caused by
      Listeria monocytogenes, Finland, 2012.
AB  - During one week in July 2012, two patients from the same ward at the municipal
      hospital in Vaasa, Finland, were diagnosed with septicaemia caused by Listeria
      monocytogenes. An outbreak investigation revealed eight concomitant cases of
      febrile gastroenteritis caused by L. monocytogenes on the same ward. Median age
      of the cases was 82 years and median incubation time for listerial
      gastroenteritis was 21 h (range 9-107). An additional 10 cases of invasive
      listeriosis caused by the same outbreak strain were identified across the whole
      country during the summer of 2012. Environmental investigation at the affected
      municipal hospital ward revealed ready-sliced meat jelly as the suspected source
      of the infection. During inspection of the meat jelly production plant, one
      pooled sample taken from a floor drain and a trolley wheel in the food processing
      environment was positive for the outbreak strain of L. monocytogenes. After the
      producer stopped the production of meat jelly, no further cases of listeriosis
      with the outbreak strain were identified via nationwide surveillance. 

PMID- 26493731
TI  - Effects of Exercise on Falls, Balance, and Gait Ability in Parkinson's Disease: A
      Meta-analysis.
AB  - Postural instability and falls are complex and disabling features of Parkinson's
      disease (PD) and respond poorly to anti-Parkinsonian medication. There is an
      imperative need to evaluate the effectiveness of exercise interventions in
      enhancing postural stability and decreasing falls in the PD population. The
      objectives of our study were to determine the effects of exercise training on the
      enhancement of balance and gait ability and reduction in falls for people with PD
      and to investigate potential factors contributing to the training effects on
      balance and gait ability of people with PD. We included 25 randomized control
      trials of a moderate methodological quality in our meta-analysis. The trials
      examined the effects of exercise training on balance and gait ability and falls
      against no intervention and placebo intervention. The results showed positive
      effects of exercise intervention on enhancing balance and gait performance
      (Hedges' g = 0.303 over the short-term in 24 studies and 0.419 over the long-term
      in 12 studies; P < .05) and reducing the fall rate (rate ratio = 0.485 over the
      short-term in 4 studies and 0.413 over the long-term in 5 studies; P < .05). The
      longest follow-up duration was 12 months. There was no evidence that training
      decreased the number of fallers over the short- or long-term (P > .05). The
      results of our metaregression and subgroup analysis showed that facility-based
      training produced greater training effects on improving PD participants' balance
      and gait ability (P < .05). The findings support the application of exercise
      training to improve balance and gait ability and prevent falls in people with PD.

PMID- 26493732
TI  - Prefrontal Cortex Activation While Walking Under Dual-Task Conditions in Stroke:
      A Multimodal Imaging Study.
AB  - Background Walking while performing another task (eg, talking) is challenging for
      many stroke survivors, yet its neural basis are not fully understood. Objective
      To investigate prefrontal cortex activation and its relationship to gait measures
      while walking under single-task (ST) and dual-task (DT) conditions (ie, walking
      while simultaneously performing a cognitive task) in stroke survivors. Methods We
      acquired near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) data from the prefrontal cortex during
      treadmill walking in ST and DT conditions in chronic stroke survivors and healthy
      controls. We also acquired functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and NIRS
      during simulated walking under these conditions. Results NIRS revealed increased
      oxygenated hemoglobin concentration in DT-walking compared with ST-walking for
      both groups. For simulated walking, NIRS showed a significant effect of group and
      group * task, being greater on both occasions, in stroke survivors. A greater
      increase in brain activation observed from ST to DT walking/ simulated walking
      was related to a greater change in motor performance in stroke survivors. fMRI
      revealed increased activity during DT relative to ST conditions in stroke
      patients in areas including the inferior temporal gyri, superior frontal gyri and
      cingulate gyri bilaterally, and the right precentral gyrus. The DT-related
      increase in fMRI activity correlated with DT-related change in behavior in stroke
      participants in the bilateral inferior temporal gyrus, left cingulate gyrus, and
      left frontal pole. Conclusion Our results provide novel evidence that enhanced
      brain activity changes relate to dual task motor decrements.

PMID- 26493733
TI  - Analysis of muscle synergies and activation-deactivation patterns in subjects
      with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency during walking.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The knowledge of muscle activation patterns when doing a certain task
      in subjects with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency could help to improve
      their rehabilitation treatment. The goal of this study is to identify differences
      in such patterns between anterior cruciate ligament-deficient and healthy
      subjects during walking. METHODS: Electromyographic data for eight muscles were
      measured in a sample of eighteen subjects with anterior cruciate ligament
      deficiency, in both injured (ipsilateral group) and non-injured (contralateral
      group) legs, and a sample of ten healthy subjects (control group). The analysis
      was carried out at two levels: activation-deactivation patterns and muscle
      synergies. Muscle synergy components were calculated using a non-negative matrix
      factorization algorithm. FINDINGS: The results showed that there was a higher co
      contraction in injured than in healthy subjects. Although all muscles were
      activated similarly since all subjects developed the same task (walking), some
      differences could be observed among the analyzed groups. INTERPRETATION: The
      observed differences in the synergy components of injured subjects suggested that
      those individuals alter muscle activation patterns to stabilize the knee joint.
      This analysis could provide valuable information for the physiotherapist to
      identify alterations in muscle activation patterns during the follow-up of the
      subject's rehabilitation.

PMID- 26493734
TI  - Seizure Freedom in Children With Pathology-Confirmed Focal Cortical Dysplasia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the temporal course of seizure outcome in children with
      pathology-confirmed focal cortical dysplasia and explored predictors of sustained
      seizure freedom. METHODS: We performed a single-center retrospective study of
      children <= 18 years who underwent resective surgery from January 1, 2000 through
      December 31, 2012 and had pathology-proven focal cortical dysplasia. Surgical
      outcome was classified as seizure freedom (Engel class I) or seizure recurrence
      (Engel classes II-IV). Fisher exact and nonparametric Wilcoxon ranksum tests were
      used, as appropriate. Survival analysis was based on seizure-free outcome.
      Patients were censored at the time of seizure recurrence or seizure freedom at
      last follow-up. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients were identified (median age at
      surgery, 6.5 years; median duration of epilepsy, 3.3 years). Median time to last
      follow-up was 13.5 months (interquartile range, 7-41 months). Twenty patients
      (53%) were seizure free and 26 patients (68%) attained seizure freedom for a
      minimum of 3 months. Median time to seizure recurrence was 38 months (95%
      confidence interval, 6-109 months), and the cumulative seizure-free rate was 60%
      at 12 months (95% confidence interval, 43%-77%). Clinical features associated
      with seizure freedom at last follow-up included older age at seizure onset (P =
      .02), older age at surgery (P = .04), absent to mild intellectual disability
      before surgery (P = .05), and seizure freedom for a minimum of 3 months (P <
      .001). CONCLUSION: Favorable clinical features associated with sustained seizure
      freedom included older age at seizure onset, older age at surgery, absent or mild
      intellectual disability at baseline, and seizure freedom for a minimum of 3
      months.

PMID- 26493735
TI  - Too Old for a Diaper! A Child With Diaper Changing-Induced Seizures.

PMID- 26493736
TI  - Exaggerated Startle.

PMID- 26493737
TI  - Commentary: The salience of socioeconomic status in assessing cardiovascular
      disease and risk in low- and middle-income countries.

PMID- 26493738
TI  - Coral record of southeast Indian Ocean marine heatwaves with intensified Western
      Pacific temperature gradient.
AB  - Increasing intensity of marine heatwaves has caused widespread mass coral
      bleaching events, threatening the integrity and functional diversity of coral
      reefs. Here we demonstrate the role of inter-ocean coupling in amplifying thermal
      stress on reefs in the poorly studied southeast Indian Ocean (SEIO), through a
      robust 215-year (1795-2010) geochemical coral proxy sea surface temperature (SST)
      record. We show that marine heatwaves affecting the SEIO are linked to the
      behaviour of the Western Pacific Warm Pool on decadal to centennial timescales,
      and are most pronounced when an anomalously strong zonal SST gradient between the
      western and central Pacific co-occurs with strong La Nina's. This SST gradient
      forces large-scale changes in heat flux that exacerbate SEIO heatwaves. Better
      understanding of the zonal SST gradient in the Western Pacific is expected to
      improve projections of the frequency of extreme SEIO heatwaves and their
      ecological impacts on the important coral reef ecosystems off Western Australia. 

PMID- 26493739
TI  - Erratum to: Predictors of recurrence in the management of chordoid meningioma.

PMID- 26493740
TI  - Clinical outcome and prognostic factors for central neurocytoma:  twenty year
      institutional experience.
AB  - Central neurocytomas are uncommon intraventricular neoplasms whose optimal
      management remains controversial due to their rarity. We assessed outcomes for a
      historical cohort of neurocytoma patients and evaluated effects of tumor atypia,
      size, resection extent, and adjuvant radiotherapy. Progression-free survival
      (PFS) was measured by Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards methods. A total
      of 28 patients (15 males, 13 females) were treated between 1995 and 2014, with a
      median age at diagnosis of 26 years (range 5-61). Median follow-up was 62.2
      months and 3 patients were lost to follow-up postoperatively. Thirteen patients
      experienced recurrent/progressive disease and 2-year PFS was 75% (95% CI 53-88%).
      Two-year PFS was 48% for MIB-1 labeling >4% versus 90% for <=4% (HR 5.4, CI 2.2
      27.8, p = 0.0026). Nine patients (32%) had gross total resections (GTR) and 19
      (68%) had subtotal resections (STR). PFS for >80% resection was 83 versus 67% for
      <=80% resection (HR 0.67, CI 0.23-2.0, p = 0.47). Three STR patients (16%)
      received adjuvant radiation which significantly improved overall PFS (p = 0.049).
      Estimated 5-year PFS was 67% for STR with radiotherapy versus 53% for STR without
      radiotherapy. Salvage therapy regimens were diverse and resulted in stable
      disease for 54% of patients and additional progression for 38 %. Two patients
      with neuropathology-confirmed atypical neurocytomas died at 4.3 and 113.4 months
      after initial surgery. For central neurocytomas, MIB-1 labeling index >4% is
      predictive of poorer outcome and our data suggest that adjuvant radiotherapy
      after STR may improve PFS. Most patients requiring salvage therapy will be
      stabilized and multiple modalities can be effectively utilized.

PMID- 26493741
TI  - Nursing assessment of older people who are in hospital: exploring registered
      nurses' understanding of their assessment skills.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nurses worldwide are expected to take a leading role in caring for
      older people. Considerable literature dedicated to the range and application of
      assessment skills used by nurses vary. There is limited knowledge of registered
      nurses' (RNs) views of their assessment of older adults. AIM: The aim of this
      project was to explore RNs current perceptions of nursing assessment, and the
      core skills they identified as necessary. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive
      design study was conducted in three inpatient units in one regional hospital in
      Victoria. METHOD: Date were collected through participant observation of RNs (n =
      13) followed by 1:1 semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed thematically.
      CONCLUSION: This research has illuminated that an ill-defined repertoire of
      skills was used by RNs when assessing older persons. Skills identified appeared
      to be based on years of personal-professional experience. Differences were noted
      between the descriptions nurses gave and what was observed during interactions
      with older persons.

PMID- 26493742
TI  - Organocatalyzed One-Step Synthesis of Functionalized N-Alkyl-Pyridinium Salts
      from Biomass Derived 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural.
AB  - An efficient and scalable method has been developed for the synthesis of N
      alkylpyridinium salts from biomass derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and alkyl
      amines using a catalytic amount of formic acid. This protocol is also extended to
      various diamines providing the exclusive formation of mono-N-alkylpyridinium
      salts. In addition, the mechanism for the formation of pyridinium salts was
      studied by DFT and using H2(18)O isotope labeled experiments showing no
      incorporation of (18)O in the product. 

PMID- 26493743
TI  - Observing real-time images during ultrasound-guided procedures improves patients'
      experience.

PMID- 26493744
TI  - An argument for early genomic sequencing in atypical cases: a WISP3 variant leads
      to diagnosis of progressive pseudorheumatoid arthropathy of childhood.

PMID- 26493745
TI  - Qualitative Analyses of Protein Phosphorylation in Bovine Pluripotent Stem Cells
      Generated from Embryonic Fibroblasts.
AB  - Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) generated from somatic cells via ectopic expression
      of specific transcription factors provide an unlimited cell resource for
      regenerative medicine and transgenic breeding. Here, we describe the successful
      generation of bovine induced PSCs (biPSCs) from foetal fibroblasts by lentivirus
      mediated delivery of bovine pluripotency reprogramming factors (PRFs) OCT3/4,
      SOX2, KLF4, c-MYC, NANOG and LIN28. The generated biPSCs resembled embryonic stem
      cells (ESCs) in their gene expression profiles, self-renewal capabilities and
      proliferation, as well as maintenance of a normal karyotype and differentiation
      into diverse cell types of all three germ layers both in vitro and in vivo.
      Qualitative phosphoproteomics of biPSCs revealed a large number of phosphorylated
      proteins, which might be related to the control of biPSCs status. The successful
      generation of biPSCs and the analysis of their phosphoproteome would further our
      understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms underlying iPSC pluripotency, thus
      promoting their application in bovine transgenic breeding and marking avenues for
      future research.

PMID- 26493746
TI  - Involvement of Potassium Channels and Calcium-Independent Mechanisms in Hydrogen
      Sulfide-Induced Relaxation of Rat Mesenteric Small Arteries.
AB  - Endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is involved in the regulation of vascular tone.
      We hypothesized that the lowering of calcium and opening of potassium (K)
      channels as well as calcium-independent mechanisms are involved in H2S-induced
      relaxation in rat mesenteric small arteries. Amperometric recordings revealed
      that free [H2S] after addition to closed tubes of sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS),
      Na2S, and GYY4137 [P-(4-methoxyphenyl)-P-4-morpholinyl-phosphinodithioic acid]
      were, respectively, 14%, 17%, and 1% of added amount. The compounds caused
      equipotent relaxations in isometric myographs, but based on the measured free
      [H2S], GYY4137 caused more relaxation in relation to released free H2S than NaHS
      and Na2S in rat mesenteric small arteries. Simultaneous measurements of [H2S] and
      tension showed that 15 uM of free H2S caused 61% relaxation in superior
      mesenteric arteries. Simultaneous measurements of smooth muscle calcium and
      tension revealed that NaHS lowered calcium and caused relaxation of NE-contracted
      arteries, while high extracellular potassium reduced NaHS relaxation without
      corresponding calcium changes. In NE-contracted arteries, NaHS (1 mM) lowered the
      phosphorylation of myosin light chain, while phosphorylation of myosin
      phosphatase target subunit 1 remained unchanged. Protein kinase A and G,
      inhibitors of guanylate cyclase, failed to reduce NaHS relaxation, whereas
      blockers of voltage-gated KV7 channels inhibited NaHS relaxation, and blockers of
      mitochondrial complex I and III abolished NaHS relaxation. Our findings suggest
      that low micromolar concentrations of free H2S open K channels followed by
      lowering of smooth muscle calcium, and by another mechanism involving
      mitochondrial complex I and III leads to uncoupling of force, and hence
      vasodilation. 

PMID- 26493747
TI  - New Multi-target Antagonists of alpha1A-, alpha1D-Adrenoceptors and 5-HT1A
      Receptors Reduce Human Hyperplastic Prostate Cell Growth and the Increase of
      Intraurethral Pressure.
AB  - Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is characterized by stromal cell proliferation
      and contraction of the periurethral smooth muscle, causing lower urinary tract
      symptoms. Current BPH treatment, based on monotherapy with alpha1A-adrenoceptor
      antagonists, is helpful for many patients, but insufficient for others, and
      recent reports suggest that stimulation of alpha1D-adrenoceptors and 5
      hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) (5-HT)1A receptors contributes to cell
      proliferation. In this study, we investigated the potential of three N
      phenylpiperazine derivatives (LDT3, LDT5, and LDT8) as multi-target antagonists
      of BPH-associated receptors. The affinity and efficacy of LDTs were estimated in
      isometric contraction and competition-binding assays using tissues (prostate and
      aorta) and brain membrane samples enriched in specific on- or off-target
      receptors. LDTs' potency was estimated in intracellular Ca(2+) elevation assays
      using cells overexpressing human alpha1-adrenoceptor subtypes. The
      antiproliferative effect of LDTs on prostate cells from BPH patients was
      evaluated by viable cell counting and 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl
      tetrazolium bromide assays. We also determined LDTs' effects on rat intraurethral
      and arterial pressure. LDT3 and LDT5 are potent antagonists of alpha1A-, alpha1D
      adrenoceptors, and 5-HT1A receptors (Ki values in the nanomolar range), and fully
      inhibited phenylephrine- and 5-HT-induced proliferation of BPH cells. In vivo,
      LDT3 and LDT5 fully blocked the increase of intraurethral pressure (IUP) induced
      by phenylephrine at doses (ED50 of 0.15 and 0.09 MUg.kg(-1), respectively)
      without effect on basal mean blood pressure. LDT3 and LDT5 are multi-target
      antagonists of key receptors in BPH, and are capable of triggering both prostate
      muscle relaxation and human hyperplastic prostate cell growth inhibition in
      vitro. Thus, LDT3 and LDT5 represent potential new lead compounds for BPH
      treatment. 

PMID- 26493749
TI  - Novel Direct Assay for Acetyl-CoA:alpha-Glucosaminide N-Acetyltransferase Using
      BODIPY-Glucosamine as a Substrate.
AB  - Heparan sulfate acetyl-CoA:alpha-glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase (HGSNAT)
      catalyzes the transmembrane acetylation of heparan sulfate in lysosomes required
      for its further catabolism. Inherited deficiency of HGSNAT in humans results in
      lysosomal storage of heparan sulfate and causes severe neurodegenerative disease,
      mucopolysaccharidosis III type C (MPS IIIC). MPS IIIC patients can potentially
      benefit from a therapeutic approach based on active site-specific inhibitors of
      HGSNAT used as pharmacological chaperons to modify the folding of the mutant
      protein in the patient's cells. This research however was hampered by the absence
      of the assay suitable for high-throughput screening of drug libraries for HGSNAT
      inhibitors. The existing method utilizing 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D
      glucosaminide (MU-betaGlcN) requires the sequential action of two enzymes, HGSNAT
      and beta-hexosaminidase, whereas the radioactive assay with [C14]-AcCoA is
      complicated and expensive. We describe a novel direct method to assay HGSNAT
      enzymatic activity using fluorescent BODIPY-glucosamine as a substrate. The
      specificity of the assay was tested using cultured fibroblasts of MPS IIIC
      patients, which showed a profound deficiency of HGSNAT activity as compared to
      normal controls as well as to MPS IIIA and D patients known to have normal HGSNAT
      activity. Known competitive HGSNAT inhibitor, glucosamine, had similar inhibition
      constants for MU-betaGlcN and BODIPY-glucosamine acetylation reactions.
      Altogether our data show that novel HGSNAT assay is specific and potentially
      applicable for the biochemical diagnosis of MPS IIIC and high-throughput
      screening for HGSNAT inhibitors.

PMID- 26493748
TI  - Visual features as stepping stones toward semantics: Explaining object similarity
      in IT and perception with non-negative least squares.
AB  - Object similarity, in brain representations and conscious perception, must
      reflect a combination of the visual appearance of the objects on the one hand and
      the categories the objects belong to on the other. Indeed, visual object features
      and category membership have each been shown to contribute to the object
      representation in human inferior temporal (IT) cortex, as well as to object
      similarity judgments. However, the explanatory power of features and categories
      has not been directly compared. Here, we investigate whether the IT object
      representation and similarity judgments are best explained by a categorical or a
      feature-based model. We use rich models (>100 dimensions) generated by human
      observers for a set of 96 real-world object images. The categorical model
      consists of a hierarchically nested set of category labels (such as "human",
      "mammal", and "animal"). The feature-based model includes both object parts (such
      as "eye", "tail", and "handle") and other descriptive features (such as
      "circular", "green", and "stubbly"). We used non-negative least squares to fit
      the models to the brain representations (estimated from functional magnetic
      resonance imaging data) and to similarity judgments. Model performance was
      estimated on held-out images not used in fitting. Both models explained
      significant variance in IT and the amounts explained were not significantly
      different. The combined model did not explain significant additional IT variance,
      suggesting that it is the shared model variance (features correlated with
      categories, categories correlated with features) that best explains IT. The
      similarity judgments were almost fully explained by the categorical model, which
      explained significantly more variance than the feature-based model. The combined
      model did not explain significant additional variance in the similarity
      judgments. Our findings suggest that IT uses features that help to distinguish
      categories as stepping stones toward a semantic representation. Similarity
      judgments contain additional categorical variance that is not explained by visual
      features, reflecting a higher-level more purely semantic representation. 

PMID- 26493750
TI  - Elevated Circulating S100A12 Associates with Vascular Disease and Worse Clinical
      Outcome in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients.
AB  - ? BACKGROUND: The pro-inflammatory receptor of advanced glycation end-products
      (RAGE)-ligand S100A12 is thought to promote, whereas anti-inflammatory soluble
      RAGE (sRAGE) may protect against, vascular disease. We evaluated circulating
      S100A12 and sRAGE in relation to vascular disease, inflammation, nutritional
      status, and mortality risk in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. ? METHODS:
      Plasma S100A12 and sRAGE, biomarkers of inflammation, nutritional status, and
      comorbidities were analyzed in 82 prevalent PD patients (median age 65 years; 70%
      men; median vintage 12 months) and, for comparative analysis, also in 190
      hemodialysis (HD) patients and 50 control subjects. Associations between
      mortality risk and concentrations of S100A12 and sRAGE were assessed in PD and HD
      patients after a mean follow-up period of 31 and 29 months respectively using a
      competing risk Cox regression model. ? RESULTS: In PD patients, median S100A12,
      sRAGE and S100A12/sRAGE were markedly higher than in controls, and S100A12 was
      1.9 times higher and median sRAGE 14% lower compared with HD patients. In PD
      patients, S100A12 associated with C-reactive protein (rho = 0.46; p < 0.001) and
      interleukin-6 (rho = 0.38; p < 0.001), and, negatively, with s-albumin (rho = 
      0.27; p < 0.05) whereas sRAGE associated negatively with body mass index (rho = 
      0.37; p < 0.001), fat body mass index (rho = -0.34; p < 0.001), and lean body
      mass index (rho = -0.36; p < 0.001). Peripheral vascular disease or
      cerebrovascular disease (PCVD) was present in 28% of PD patients and, in
      multivariate analysis, associated mainly with high S100A12 (odds ratio [OR] 3.52,
      p = 0.04). In both PD and HD patients, the highest versus other tertiles of
      S100A12 associated with increased mortality. In contrast, sRAGE did not associate
      with PCVD or mortality in PD and HD patients. ? CONCLUSIONS: Plasma S100A12 and
      sRAGE are markedly elevated in PD patients. Soluble RAGE was inversely related to
      body mass indices while S100A12 associated with increased inflammation, PCVD, and
      mortality, suggesting that S100A12 may identify PD patients at high risk for
      vascular disease and increased mortality.

PMID- 26493751
TI  - Erythrocytes as Volume Markers in Experimental PD Show that Albumin Transport in
      the Extracellular Space Depends on PD Fluid Osmolarity.
AB  - ? BACKGROUND: Macromolecules, when used as intraperitoneal volume markers, have
      the disadvantage of leaking into the surrounding tissue. Therefore, (51)Cr
      labeled erythrocytes were evaluated as markers of intraperitoneal volume and used
      in combination with (125)I-labeled bovine serum albumin to study albumin
      transport into peritoneal tissues in a rat model of peritoneal dialysis (PD). ?
      METHODS: Single dwells of 20 mL of lactate-buffered filter-sterilized PD fluid at
      glucose concentrations of 0.5%, 2.5%, and 3.9% were performed for 1 or 4 hours.
      Tissue biopsies from abdominal muscle, diaphragm, liver, and intestine, and blood
      and dialysate samples, were analyzed for radioactivity. ? RESULTS: The dialysate
      distribution volume of labeled erythrocytes, measured after correction for
      lymphatic clearance to blood, was strongly correlated with, but constantly 3.3 mL
      larger than, drained volumes. Erythrocyte activity of rinsed peritoneal tissue
      biopsies corresponded to only 1 mL of dialysate, supporting our utilization of
      erythrocytes as markers of intraperitoneal volume. The difference between the
      distribution volumes of albumin and erythrocytes was analyzed to represent the
      albumin loss into the peritoneal tissues, which increased rapidly during the
      first few minutes of the dwell and then leveled out at 2.5 mL. It resumed when
      osmotic ultrafiltration turned into reabsorption and, at the end of the dwell, it
      was significantly lower for the highest osmolarity PD fluid (3.9% glucose).
      Biopsy data showed the lowest albumin accumulation and edema formation in
      abdominal muscle for the 3.9% fluid. ? CONCLUSION: Labeled erythrocytes are
      acceptable markers of intraperitoneal volume and, combined with labeled albumin,
      provided novel kinetic data on albumin transport in peritoneal tissues.

PMID- 26493752
TI  - Peritoneal Dialysis Fluid and Some of Its Components Potentiate Fibrocyte
      Differentiation.
AB  - Long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD) often results in the development of peritoneal
      fibrosis. In many other fibrosing diseases, monocytes enter the fibrotic lesion
      and differentiate into fibroblast-like cells called fibrocytes. We find that
      peritoneal tissue from short-term PD patients contains few fibrocytes, while
      fibrocytes are readily observed in the peritoneal membrane of long-term PD
      patients. The PD fluid Dianeal (Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Deerfield, IL,
      USA) contains dextrose, a number of electrolytes including sodium chloride, and
      sodium lactate. We find that PD fluid potentiates human fibrocyte differentiation
      in vitro and implicates sodium lactate in this potentiation. The plasma protein
      serum amyloid P (SAP) inhibits fibrocyte differentiation. Peritoneal dialysis
      fluid and sodium chloride decrease the ability of human SAP to inhibit human
      fibrocyte differentiation in vitro Together, these results suggest that PD fluid
      contributes to the development of peritoneal fibrosis by potentiating fibrocyte
      differentiation.

PMID- 26493753
TI  - Stability of Antibiotics for Intraperitoneal Administration in Extraneal 7.5%
      Icodextrin Peritoneal Dialysis Bags (STAB Study).
AB  - ? BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patients with peritoneal dialysis (PD)-associated
      peritonitis may be advised to store PD-bags with pre-mixed antibiotics at home,
      although there is a paucity of antibiotic stability studies in the commonly used
      icodextrin solutions. The purpose of this study was to assess the stability of
      various antibiotics in PD-bags when stored at different temperatures over a 14
      day period. ? METHODS: 7.5% icodextrin PD-bags were dosed with gentamicin 20 mg/L
      (n = 9), vancomycin 1,000 mg/L (n = 9), cefazolin 500 mg/L (n = 9) and
      ceftazidime 500 mg/L (n = 9) as for intermittent dosing. Combinations of
      gentamicin/vancomycin (n = 9), cefazolin/ceftazidime (n = 9), and
      cefazolin/gentamicin (n = 9) were also tested. Nine drug-free bags were used as
      controls. Bags were stored in triplicate at 37 degrees C, room-temperature (25
      degrees C), and refrigeration (4 degrees C). Antibiotic concentrations were
      quantified at various time intervals using validated chromatography. Storage
      duration was considered unstable if the concentration of the antibiotic dropped
      <= 90% of the initial value. ? RESULTS: Gentamicin was stable for 14 days at all
      temperatures. Vancomycin was stable for 4 days at 37 degrees C and for 14 days at
      both 25 degrees C and 4 degrees C. The gentamicin and vancomycin combination was
      stable for 4 days at 37 degrees C and for 14 days at 25 degrees C and 4 degrees
      C. Cefazolin alone was stable for 24 hours at 37 degrees C, 7 days at 25 degrees
      C, and 14 days at 4 degrees C. Ceftazidime alone was stable for only 6 hours at
      37 degrees C, 2 days at 25 degrees C, and 14 days at 4 degrees C. The cefazolin
      and ceftazidime combination was stable for 24 hours at 37 degrees C, 2 days at 25
      degrees C, and 14 days at 4 degrees C. The cefazolin and gentamicin combination
      was stable for 1 day at 37 degrees C, 4 days at 25 degrees C, and 14 days at 4
      degrees C. ? CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotics premixed in icodextrin PD-bags have varying
      stabilities with stability generally least at 37 degrees C and best at 4(o)C,
      permitting storage for 14 days when refrigerated and prewarming to body
      temperature prior to administration. Further research confirming the sterility of
      these antibiotic-containing bags is recommended.

PMID- 26493754
TI  - Catheter Insertion and Perioperative Practices Within the ISPD North American
      Research Consortium.
AB  - ? BACKGROUND: In general, efforts to standardize care based on group consensus
      practice guidelines have resulted in lower morbidity and mortality. Although
      there are published guidelines regarding insertion and perioperative management
      of peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters, variation in practice patterns between
      centers may exist. The objective of this study is to understand variation in PD
      catheter insertion practices in preparation for conducting future studies. ?
      METHODS: An electronic survey was developed by the research committee of the
      International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis - North American Research
      Consortium (ISPD-NARC) to be completed by physicians and nurses involved in PD
      programs across North America. It consisted of 45 questions related to 1)
      organizational characteristics; 2) PD catheter insertion practices; 3) current
      quality-improvement initiatives; and 4) interest in participation in PD studies.
      Invitation to participate in the survey was given to nephrologists and nurses in
      centers across Canada and the United States (US) identified by participation in
      the inaugural meeting of the ISPD-NARC. Descriptive statistics were applied to
      analyze the data. ? RESULTS: Fifty-one ISPD-NARC sites were identified (45% in
      Canada and 55% in the US) of which 42 responded (82%). Center size varied
      significantly, with prevalent PD population ranging from 6 - 300 (median: 60) and
      incident PD patients in the year prior to survey administration ranging from 3 -
      180 (median: 20). The majority of centers placed fewer than 19 PD catheters/year,
      with a range of 0 - 50. Availability of insertion techniques varied
      significantly, with 83% of centers employing more than 1 insertion technique.
      Seventy-one percent performed laparoscopic insertion with advanced techniques
      (omentectomy, omentopexy, and lysis of adhesions), 62% of sites performed open
      surgical dissection, 10% performed blind insertion via trocar, and 29% performed
      blind placement with the Seldinger technique. Use of double-cuff catheters was
      nearly universal, with a near even distribution of catheters with pre-formed bend
      versus straight inter-cuff segments. There was also variation in the choice of
      perioperative antibiotics and perioperative flushing practices. Although 86% of
      centers had quality-improvement initiatives, there was little consensus as to
      appropriate targets. ? CONCLUSIONS: There is marked variability in PD catheter
      insertion techniques and perioperative management. Large multicenter studies are
      needed to determine associations between these practices and catheter and patient
      outcomes. This research could inform future trials and guidelines and improve
      practice. The ISPD-NARC is a network of PD units that has been formed to conduct
      multicenter studies in PD.

PMID- 26493756
TI  - Pernicious Emboli: An Uncommon Cause of a Common Problem.

PMID- 26493755
TI  - Burkholderia cepacia Exit-Site Infection in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients-Clinical
      Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes.
AB  - ? BACKGROUND: Burkholderia cepacia is a hardy bacterium with intrinsic resistance
      to multiple antibiotics and high transmissibility. Opportunistic healthcare
      associated B. cepacia infections among immunocompromised or critically ill
      patients have been reported, but there is limited data on the clinical
      characteristics and treatment outcomes of exit-site infection (ESI) in peritoneal
      dialysis (PD) patients. ? PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who suffered from B.
      cepacia ESI from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2014 were reviewed. The clinical
      characteristics and treatment outcomes of the patients and the antibiotic
      susceptibility patterns of the bacterial isolates were analyzed. ? RESULTS:
      Twenty-two patients were included for analysis. Eight patients (36.4%) had
      medical conditions which impaired host immunity, while 7 (31.8%) had pre-existing
      skin abnormalities. Three patients (13.6%) progressed to tunnel-tract infection
      and another 3 patients (13.6%) developed associated peritonitis. Fifteen patients
      (68.2%) responded to medical treatment while 7 (31.8%) required catheter removal.
      Eleven patients (50.0%) had recurrent B. cepacia ESI, which occurred at 7.8
      months (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.1 - 19.4 months) after the first episode.
      Most B. cepacia strains were susceptible to ceftazidime (95.5%),
      piperacillin/tazobactam (95.5%), and piperacillin (90.9%). Besides
      aminoglycosides (80 - 100%), high rates of resistance were also observed for
      ticarcillin/clavulanate (90.9%). ? CONCLUSION: Burkholderia cepacia ESI is
      associated with low rates of tunnel-tract infection or peritonitis, but the risk
      of recurrence is high. Most cases can be managed with medical treatment alone,
      although one third of patients might require catheter removal.

PMID- 26493757
TI  - Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPN-B): also a disease of
      western Caucasian patients. A literature review and case series.
AB  - Cholangiocarcinoma (CCa) is an aggressive malignancy, which often presents with
      advanced, inoperable disease. Early detection of any premalignant condition could
      improve the dismal prognosis of cholangiocarcinoma (5% 5-year survival). There
      are two premalignant precursors of CCa: biliary intraepithelial neoplasia (BilIN)
      and intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPN-B). BilIN is only
      visible microscopically; imaging has no role in identification. IPN-B is a recent
      diagnostic entity, arising from a World Health Organization (WHO)
      reclassification of tumours. IPN-B is visible macroscopically, and can be
      identified on imaging. With its propensity to spread preferentially along the
      biliary epithelium, only infiltrating the duct wall at a late stage, it may be
      more amenable to complete resection than typical CCa. The lead time with early
      detection, during which dysplasia could progress to invasive carcinoma, is an
      opportunity where resection may be curative. The literature on IPN-B has
      originated from Asia, but awareness of this condition in the western world is
      limited. We report a case series of IPN-B occurring in Caucasian patients from
      the UK, with radiological-pathological correlation. The protean imaging
      appearances present a unique challenge, but also a great opportunity, for
      radiologists. Early identification and resection of lesions, even in asymptomatic
      or minimally symptomatic patients, should be considered. 

PMID- 26493758
TI  - Splenic Preservation Versus Splenectomy During Distal  Pancreatectomy: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies have been published comparing spleen-preserving distal
      pancreatectomy (SPDP) with distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy (DPS), but the
      results remain inconsistent. The aim of this study was to compare SPDP with DPS
      by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Literature searches
      of the Medline/PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were performed to
      identify relevant studies published before April 30,2015. Perioperative outcomes
      of SPDP and DPS were evaluated. The meta-analysis was performed in random- or
      fixed-effects models, as appropriate. A subanalysis was conducted to compare the
      two techniques of splenic preservation: splenic vessel preservation (SVP) and
      Warshaw technique (WT). RESULTS: Eighteen studies and 1156 patients were included
      in the comparison between SPDP and DPS. A total of 502 of these patients
      underwent SPDP and 654 underwent DPS. Meta-analysis showed the SPDP group had
      significantly fewer infectious complications (odds ratio [OR] 0.57, P = 0.006),
      less operative blood loss (P<0.0001), lower overall morbidity rate (OR 0.66, P =
      0.002), and lower clinical pancreatic fistula rate (OR 0.42, P = 0.002) than the
      DPS group. Subanalysis indicated the SVP group had significantly lower rate of
      spleen infarction (OR 0.12, P<0.00001) and fewer secondary splenectomies (OR
      0.13, P = 0.008) than the WT group. CONCLUSIONS: SPDP was a safe procedure
      associated with better short-term outcomes than DPS. SVP could provide more
      sufficient blood perfusion for the conserved spleen than WT. However, the
      evidence is limited, and more randomized controlled trials are warranted.

PMID- 26493759
TI  - [Minimally invasive tricuspid valve replacement using percutaneous endocaval
      occlusion in patients with previous cardiac surgery].

PMID- 26493760
TI  - Influence of the hydrophilic head size and hydrophobic tail length of surfactants
      on the ability of micelles to stabilize citral.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surfactant-made micelles can control the rate of chemical degradation
      of poorly water-soluble food flavors. To evaluate how the molecular structure of
      surfactant has an influence on the chemical decomposition rate of citral,
      micelles were prepared with polyoxyethylene alkyl ether-type surfactants that had
      similar molecular structures but various hydrophilic head sizes and hydrophobic
      tail lengths. RESULTS: At a critical 20* micelle concentration of surfactant,
      there was no significant difference in the chemical degradation rate of citral in
      micelles in neutral pH, regardless of the hydrophilic head size or hydrophobic
      tail length. In an acidic environment, the degradation rate constant of citral
      generally increased proportionally with increasing hydrophilic head size of
      surfactant (0.1563 and 0.2217 for surfactants with 23 and 100 oxyethylene units,
      respectively) but the length of hydrophobic tail did not affect the citral
      stability. Also, little difference (0.2217 and 0.2265 for surfactant having 100
      oxyethylene units with and without Fe(3+) ) in degradation rate constant of
      citral between simple micellar solution and micellar solution containing iron
      suggested that iron ions could not accelerate citral degradation in micelles,
      regardless of the form of iron (Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) ). CONCLUSION: This work
      concludes that although the concentration of surfactant could be relevant, if its
      concentration could be controlled in the same manner as the critical micelle
      concentration, then a polyethylene alkyl ether-type surfactant with a small
      hydrophilic head could more efficiently stabilize citral at an acidic pH. (c)
      2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 26493761
TI  - Ectopic thyroid tissue in the adrenal gland: CT and MRI findings.

PMID- 26493762
TI  - Multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) features of small bowel obstruction
      (SBO) caused by Meckel's diverticulum.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To report the multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) findings
      of small bowel obstruction (SBO) caused by Meckel's diverticulum. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Ten patients (9 men and 1 woman; age range, 2-44 years; median age,
      21years) with surgical proven Meckel's diverticulum who presented SBO on the
      preoperative MDCT were included in the study. RESULTS: On MDCT, all patients
      presented with SBO, either high-grade (n=6) or low-grade obstruction (n=4).
      Meckel's diverticulum was identified in five patients (n=5, 50%) on preoperative
      MDCT. In the five patients in whom a diverticulum was not seen on preoperative
      MDCT, MDCT showed a transition site on ileum with dilated proximal loops (n=3),
      pneumoperitoneum (n=1), jejuno-jejunal intussusception (n=1). Transition zone was
      located near midline in four patients (4/5, 80%). CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of
      Meckel's diverticulum complicated SBO can be made with certainty when the
      diverticulum is visualized on preoperative MDCT. However, the preoperative
      diagnosis is difficult if the Meckel's diverticulum is not noted on the MDCT.
      When the obstructive processes are visualized in the lower abdomen or pelvis,
      particularly near the midline, one should keep in mind that SBO may be caused by
      Meckel's diverticulum without prior surgical history.

PMID- 26493763
TI  - Retrieval of a dislocated coil and stent-assisted coiling by Solitaire((r)) stent
      during endovascular treatment of an intracranial aneurysm.

PMID- 26493764
TI  - Unique Separation Behavior of a C60 Fullerene-Bonded Silica Monolith Prepared by
      an Effective Thermal Coupling Agent.
AB  - Herein, we report a newly developed C60 fullerene-bonded silica monolith in a
      capillary with unique retention behavior due to the structure of C60 fullerene. N
      Hydroxysuccinimide (NHS)-conjugated C60 fullerene was successfully synthesized by
      a thermal coupling agent, perfluorophenyl azide (PFPA), and assigned by
      spectroscopic analyses. Then, NHS-PFPA-C60 fullerene was attached onto the
      surface of a silica monolith in a capillary. The capillary provided specific
      separation ability for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in liquid chromatography
      by an effective pi-pi interaction. Furthermore, corannulene, which has a
      hemispherical structure, was selectively retained in the capillary based on the
      specific structural recognition due to the spherical C60 fullerene. This is the
      first report revealing the spherical recognition ability by C60 fullerene in
      liquid chromatographic separation. 

PMID- 26493765
TI  - Comparison of medetomidine, thiopental and ketamine/midazolam anesthesia in chick
      embryos for in ovo Magnetic Resonance Imaging free of motion artifacts.
AB  - Non-invasive assessment of the perfusion capacity of tissue engineered constructs
      grown on the chorioallantoic membrane by MRI is often hampered by motion
      artifacts. Therefore, we examined the suitability of three anesthetic regimes for
      sufficient sedation of the chick embryo. Medetomidine at a dosage of 0.3 mg/kg,
      was compared to thiopental at 100 mg/kg and ketamine/midazolam at 50 mg/kg and 1
      mg/kg, respectively. These soluble anesthetics were applied by dropping a total
      volume of 0.3 mL onto the surface of the CAM. Motion was videotaped through the
      window of the eggshell and scored semi-quantitatively. Medetomidine performed
      best in terms of reduced motion; onset of anesthesia occurred within 10 minutes
      and for the following 30 minutes, allowing proper in vivo MRI measurements. The
      other regimen were not sedating deep enough (ketamine/midazolam) and not long
      enough (thiopental). In sum, medetomidine allows proper sedation for MRI
      assessment of the perfusion capacity in a tissue engineered construct placed on
      the CAM.

PMID- 26493769
TI  - Total Synthesis of (+)-MPC1001B.
AB  - The first total synthesis of an epidithiodiketopiperazine alkaloid, (+)-MPC1001B,
      was accomplished. This synthesis features a tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride
      mediated intramolecular aldol reaction for forming the 15-membered macrolactone
      ring, and the construction of an epidithiodiketopiperazine substructure through a
      stepwise sulfenylation reaction involving a novel trityl trisulfide (TrSSS)-group
      transfer. 

PMID- 26493768
TI  - A population database study of outcomes associated with vitamin K antagonists in
      atrial fibrillation before DOAC.
AB  - AIMS: This study aimed to describe the real-life incidence of bleeding, arterial
      thrombotic events and death during vitamin K antagonist (VKA) treatment in atrial
      fibrillation (AF). METHODS: This was a cohort study in Echantillon Generaliste de
      Beneficiaires, the 1/97 sample of the French national healthcare claims and
      hospitalization database, of new VKA users with definite or probable AF and no
      other indication, and of patients without AF, from 2007 to 2011. Prespecified
      outcomes were all-cause death, hospitalization for bleeding, arterial thrombotic
      event (ATE), or acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or any of the above (composite
      outcome). RESULTS: Of 8894 new VKA users, 3345 had probable or certain AF, 51.7%
      were male, mean age was 75.1 years, 87.1% had a CHA2 DS2 -VASc score >= 2 and
      11.6% a HAS-BLED score > 3. Among AF patients, during VKA exposure the incidence
      rate of bleeding was 2.8 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.2, 3.4] per 100 patient
      years, including 0.6 (95% CI 0.3, 0.8) cerebral, 1.0 (95% CI 0.7, 1.3) digestive
      and 1.4 (95% CI 1.0, 1.7) other bleeds. There were 1.6 (95% CI 1.2, 2.0) ACS, 1.5
      (95% CI 1.1, 1.8) ATE and 3.8 (95% CI 3.2, 4.4) deaths per 100 patient-years. The
      incidence rate of the composite outcome was 9.1 per 100 patient-years (95% CI
      8.2, 10.0). When patients stopped VKA, bleeding decreased (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.43,
      1.04)), but death or thrombosis increased (RR 3.06, 95% CI 2.46, 3.81 and 1.75,
      95% CI 1.14, 2.70, respectively). During VKA exposure non-AF patients had similar
      rates of bleeding, but fewer deaths, ACS and ischaemic events. CONCLUSIONS: Real
      life rates for bleeding, arterial thrombotic events, ACS and deaths in AF
      patients treated with VKA were similar to those observed in clinical trials.

PMID- 26493767
TI  - Antibiotic resistance breakers: can repurposed drugs fill the antibiotic
      discovery void?
AB  - Concern over antibiotic resistance is growing, and new classes of antibiotics,
      particularly against Gram-negative bacteria, are needed. However, even if the
      scientific hurdles can be overcome, it could take decades for sufficient numbers
      of such antibiotics to become available. As an interim solution, antibiotic
      resistance could be 'broken' by co-administering appropriate non-antibiotic drugs
      with failing antibiotics. Several marketed drugs that do not currently have
      antibacterial indications can either directly kill bacteria, reduce the
      antibiotic minimum inhibitory concentration when used in combination with
      existing antibiotics and/or modulate host defence through effects on host innate
      immunity, in particular by altering inflammation and autophagy. This article
      discusses how such 'antibiotic resistance breakers' could contribute to reducing
      the antibiotic resistance problem, and analyses a priority list of candidates for
      further investigation. 

PMID- 26493766
TI  - Complement, a target for therapy in inflammatory and degenerative diseases.
AB  - The complement system is a key innate immune defence against infection and an
      important driver of inflammation; however, these very properties can also cause
      harm. Inappropriate or uncontrolled activation of complement can cause local
      and/or systemic inflammation, tissue damage and disease. Complement provides
      numerous options for drug development as it is a proteolytic cascade that
      involves nine specific proteases, unique multimolecular activation and lytic
      complexes, an arsenal of natural inhibitors, and numerous receptors that bind to
      activation fragments. Drug design is facilitated by the increasingly detailed
      structural understanding of the molecules involved in the complement system. Only
      two anti-complement drugs are currently on the market, but many more are being
      developed for diseases that include infectious, inflammatory, degenerative,
      traumatic and neoplastic disorders. In this Review, we describe the history,
      current landscape and future directions for anti-complement therapies. 

PMID- 26493770
TI  - Non-Oxidative Dehydrogenation Pathways for the Conversion of C2 -C4 Alcohols to
      Carbonyl Compounds.
AB  - Gold nanoparticles (NPs) supported on hydrotalcite (Au/HT) are highly active and
      selective catalysts for the continuous, gas-phase, non-oxidative dehydrogenation
      of bioderived C2 -C4 alcohols. A sharp increase in turn over frequency (TOF) is
      noted when the size of Au NPs is less than 5 nm relating to the strong synergy
      between metallic Au NPs and the acid-base groups on the support surface. It is
      shown that catalytic activity depends critically on Au NP size, support
      composition, and support pretreatments. A reaction pathway elucidated from
      kinetic isotope effects suggests that the abstraction of beta-H by Au NPs (C-H
      activation) is the rate-determining step in the dehydrogenation of bioderived C2 
      C4 alcohols.

PMID- 26493771
TI  - The SUMO Protease SENP3 Orchestrates G2-M Transition and Spindle Assembly in
      Mouse Oocytes.
AB  - Oocyte meiosis is a transcription quiescence process and the cell-cycle
      progression is coordinated by multiple post-translational modifications,
      including SUMOylation. SENP3 an important deSUMOylation protease has been
      intensively studied in ribosome biogenesis and oxidative stress. However, the
      roles of SENP3 in cell-cycle regulation remain enigmatic, particularly for oocyte
      meiotic maturation. Here, we found that SENP3 co-localized with spindles during
      oocyte meiosis and silencing of SENP3 severely compromised the M phase entry
      (germinal vesicle breakdown, GVBD) and first polar body extrusion (PBI). The
      failure in polar body extrusion was due to the dysfunction of gamma-tubulin that
      caused defective spindle morphogenesis. SENP3 depletion led to mislocalization
      and a substantial loss of Aurora A (an essential protein for MTOCs localization
      and spindle dynamics) while irregularly dispersed distribution of Bora (a binding
      partner and activator of Aurora A) in cytoplasm instead of concentrating at
      spindles. The SUMO-2/3 but not SUMO-1 conjugates were globally decreased by SENP3
      RNAi. Additionally, the spindle assembly checkpoint remained functional upon
      SENP3 RNAi. Our findings renew the picture of SENP3 function by exploring its
      role in meiosis resumption, spindle assembly and following polar body emission
      during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation, which is potentially due to its
      proteolytic activity that facilitate SUMO-2/3 maturation. 

PMID- 26493772
TI  - Judging trustworthiness from faces: Emotion cues modulate trustworthiness
      judgments in young children.
AB  - By adulthood, people judge trustworthiness from appearances rapidly and reliably.
      However, we know little about these judgments in children. This novel study
      investigates the developmental trajectory of explicit trust judgments from faces,
      and the contribution made by emotion cues across age groups. Five-, 7-, 10-year
      olds, and adults rated the trustworthiness of trustworthy and untrustworthy faces
      with neutral expressions. The same participants also rated faces displaying overt
      happy and angry expressions, allowing us to investigate whether emotion cues
      modulate trustworthiness judgments similarly in children and adults. Results
      revealed that the ability to evaluate the trustworthiness of faces emerges in
      childhood, but may not be adult like until 10 years of age. Moreover, we show
      that emotion cues modulate trust judgments in young children, as well as adults.
      Anger cues diminished the appearance of trustworthiness for participants from 5
      years of age and happy cues increased it, although this effect did not
      consistently emerge until later in childhood, that is, 10 years of age. These
      associations also extended to more subtle emotion cues present in neutral faces.
      Our results indicate that young children are sensitive to facial trustworthiness,
      and suggest that similar expression cues modulate these judgments in children and
      adults. 

PMID- 26493773
TI  - Visual Identification of Light-Driven Breakage of the Silver-Dithiocarbamate Bond
      by Single Plasmonic Nanoprobes.
AB  - Insight into the nature of metal-sulfur bond, a meaningful one in life science,
      interface chemistry and organometallic chemistry, is interesting but challenging.
      By utilizing the localized surface plasmon resonance properties of silver
      nanoparticles, herein we visually identified the photosensitivity of silver
      dithiocarbamate (Ag-DTC) bond by using dark field microscopic imaging (iDFM)
      technique at single nanoparticle level. It was found that the breakage of Ag-DTC
      bond could be accelerated effectively by light irradiation, followed by a pH
      dependent horizontal or vertical degradation of the DTC molecules, in which an
      indispensable preoxidation process of the silver was at first disclosed. These
      findings suggest a visualization strategy at single plasmonic nanoparticle level
      which can be excellently applied to explore new stimulus-triggered reactions, and
      might also open a new way to understand traditional organic reaction mechanisms. 

PMID- 26493774
TI  - [Etiologic diagnosis in meningitis and encephalitis molecular biology
      techniques].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aetiological study of infections of the central nervous system
      has traditionally been performed using bacterial cultures and, more recently,
      using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for herpes simplex virus (HSV). Bacterial
      cultures may not have good performance, especially in the context of patients who
      have received antibiotics prior to sampling, and a request for HSV only by PCR
      reduces the information to only one aetiological agent. The aim of this study is
      to determine the infectious causes of meningitis and encephalitis, using
      traditional microbiology and molecular biology to improve the aetiological
      diagnosis of these diseases. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A prospective study was
      conducted on 19 patients with suspected meningitis, admitted to the Luis Calvo
      Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, Chile, from March 1, 2011 to March 30, 2012. After
      obtaining informed consent, the CSF samples underwent cytochemical study,
      conventional culture, multiplex PCR for the major producing bacterial meningitis
      (N. meningitidis, S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae), real-time single PCR for HSV-1
      and 2, VZV, EBV, CMV, HHV-6 and enterovirus. Clinical and epidemiological data
      were also collected from the clinical records. RESULTS: Of the 19 patients
      analysed, 2 were diagnosed by conventional methods and 7 by adding molecular
      biology (increase to 37%). Three patients had meningitis due to S. pneumoniae,
      one due to Enterobacter cloacae, 2 patients meningoencephalitis HSV-1, and one
      VZV meningitis. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of PCR to conventional diagnostic
      methods in CNS infections increases the probability of finding the causal agent.
      This allows a more adequate, timely and rational management of the disease.

PMID- 26493775
TI  - Do the tuberculin skin test and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold in-tube test agree in
      detecting latent tuberculosis among high-risk contacts? A systematic review and
      meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The QuantiFERON-TB Gold in-tube test (QFT-GIT) and the tuberculin
      skin test (TST) are used to diagnose latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI).
      However, conclusive evidence regarding the agreement of these two tests among
      high risk contacts is lacking. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to
      estimate the agreement between the TST and the QFT-GIT using kappa statistics.
      METHODS: According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and
      Meta-Analyses guidelines, scientific databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Ovid
      were searched using a targeted search strategy to identify relevant studies
      published as of June 2015. Two researchers reviewed the eligibility of studies
      and extracted data from them. The pooled kappa estimate was determined using a
      random effect model. Subgroup analysis, Egger's test and sensitivity analysis
      were also performed. RESULTS: A total of 6,744 articles were retrieved in the
      initial search, of which 24 studies had data suitable for meta-analysis. The
      pooled kappa coefficient and prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted kappa were 0.40
      (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34 to 0.45) and 0.45 (95% CI, 0.38 to 0.49),
      respectively. The results of the subgroup analysis found that age group, quality
      of the study, location, and the TST cutoff point affected heterogeneity for the
      kappa estimate. No publication bias was found (Begg's test, p=0.53; Egger's test,
      p=0.32). CONCLUSIONS: The agreement between the QFT-GIT and the TST in diagnosing
      LTBI among high-risk contacts was found to range from fair to moderate.

PMID- 26493776
TI  - Test-retest reliability of health behavior items in the Community Health Survey
      in South Korea.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Responses to health-related items on the Community Health Survey
      (CHS) provide evidence that is used to develop community-based health policy.
      This study aimed to assess the test-retest reliability of selected health
      behavioral items on the CHS according to item category, response period, and
      response scale. METHODS: A sample of 159 men and women 20 to 69 years of age
      participated in a test-retest with an interval of 14 to 21 days. A total of 28
      items relating to smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and weight control, and
      mental health were selected. We evaluated the test-retest reliability of the
      items using kappa statistics. RESULTS: Kappa values ranged from 0.44 to 0.93.
      Items concerning habits had higher kappa values (mean, 0.7; standard error, 0.05)
      than items concerning awareness or attitudes (p=0.012). The kappa value of items
      with two- to four-point scales was 0.63, which was higher than the value of 0.59
      for items with scales involving five or more points, although this difference was
      not statistically significant. Different kappa values were observed for each
      reference period, but no statistically significant differences were noted.
      CONCLUSIONS: The test-retest reliability of the CHS items that we studied was
      associated with item category. Further study of the relationship between item
      category and reliability in domains other than health behaviors is required.

PMID- 26493777
TI  - Risk factors for amputation in patients with diabetic foot ulcer in southwest
      Iran: a matched case-control study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Amputation is a multifactorial complication in diabetic patients. The
      aim of this study was to determine the risk factors associated with amputation in
      patients with diabetic foot ulcers. METHODS: This matched case-control study was
      conducted based on new cases of amputation from March 2012 to November 2014. We
      selected new cases who had undergone amputation, and the control group was chosen
      from the cities or areas where the cases resided. Each case was matched with two
      controls based on the duration of diabetes and location. Conditional logistic
      regression was used to evaluate the associations between potential risk factors
      and amputation. RESULTS: A total of 131 cases were compared with 262 controls.
      The results of the adjusted model showed that sex (odds ratio [OR], 8.66; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 2.68 to 27.91), fewer than two hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)
      tests per year (OR, 13.97; 95% CI, 4.97 to 39.26), unsuitable shoes (OR, 5.50;
      95% CI, 2.20 to 13.77), smoking (OR, 3.44; 95% CI, 1.45 to 8.13), and body mass
      index (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.41) were associated with amputation in
      diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS: The most important factors associated with
      amputation were females, irregular monitoring of HbA1c levels, improper footwear,
      and smoking. Developing educational programs and working to ensure a higher
      quality of care for diabetic patients are necessary steps to address these
      issues.

PMID- 26493778
TI  - Trends in health-related behaviors of Korean adults: study based on data from the
      2008-2014 Community Health Surveys.
AB  - Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical
      inactivity (multiple risks) often lead to serious health consequence and impaired
      health status. The purpose of this study was to investigate the trend in health
      related behavioral factors over time among adults in South Korea (hereafter
      Korea). The data of 1,595,842 Koreans older than 19 years who participated in the
      2008-2014 Korea Community Health Survey were analyzed to assess the trend in the
      prevalence of behavioral risk factors. Individual or clustering health-related
      behaviors were assessed according to sex, age, and region among 228,712 adults
      who participated in the 2014 survey. From 2008 to 2014, the age-adjusted
      prevalence of obesity and high-risk alcohol use increased the prevalence of male
      current smoking and marginally decreased walking ability. Over 7 years, the
      percentage of adults who reported having all three healthy behaviors (i.e.,
      currently not smoking, not consuming alcohol or having high-risk alcohol use, and
      engaging in walking) decreased from 35.2% in 2008 to 29.6% in 2014. Increased
      efforts to emphasize multiple health-related behavioral risk factors, including
      reducing alcohol use and smoking, and to encourage walking are needed in the
      thirties and forties age groups in Korea. 

PMID- 26493779
TI  - [Formula: see text]Gestational age and gender influence on executive control and
      its related neural structures in preterm-born children at 6 years of age.
AB  - Within preterm-born children, being born male and at a lower gestational age (GA)
      have both been associated with a heightened risk for developmental difficulties.
      However, in this population little is known about the combined effect and the
      influence of these risk factors on cortical structures and executive control. In
      the present study, 58 preterm-born children (GA ranging from 24.0 to 35.1 weeks)
      were administered the computerized Child Attention Network Task at 6 years of
      age. Brain magnetic resonance imaging was performed and analyzed using Voxel
      Based Morphometry (VBM) in all children. At a behavioral level, boys born <28
      weeks of GA had significantly less executive control than preterm-born girls <28
      weeks (p = .001) and preterm-born boys >=28 (p = .003). The reduced executive
      control in preterm-born boys <28 weeks gestation was related to lower cortical
      densities in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
      (DLPFC). The current study links the higher incidence of reduced executive
      control in preterm-born boys to a higher degree of prematurity (low GA) and
      identifies brain structural abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex related to
      these deficits. The implications of these results are discussed.

PMID- 26493780
TI  - Oxidation and beta-Alkylation of Alcohols Catalysed by Iridium(I) Complexes with
      Functionalised N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands.
AB  - The borrowing hydrogen methodology allows for the use of alcohols as alkylating
      agents for C?C bond forming processes offering significant environmental benefits
      over traditional approaches. Iridium(I)-cyclooctadiene complexes having a NHC
      ligand with a O- or N-functionalised wingtip efficiently catalysed the oxidation
      and beta-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols in the presence
      of a base. The cationic complex [Ir(NCCH3 )(cod)(MeIm(2- methoxybenzyl))][BF4 ]
      (cod=1,5-cyclooctadiene, MeIm=1-methylimidazolyl) having a rigid O-functionalised
      wingtip, shows the best catalyst performance in the dehydrogenation of benzyl
      alcohol in acetone, with an initial turnover frequency (TOF0 ) of 1283 h(-1) ,
      and also in the beta-alkylation of 2-propanol with butan-1-ol, which gives a
      conversion of 94 % in 10 h with a selectivity of 99 % for heptan-2-ol. We have
      investigated the full reaction mechanism including the dehydrogenation, the cross
      aldol condensation and the hydrogenation step by DFT calculations. Interestingly,
      these studies revealed the participation of the iridium catalyst in the key step
      leading to the formation of the new C?C bond that involves the reaction of an O
      bound enolate generated in the basic medium with the electrophilic aldehyde. 

PMID- 26493781
TI  - Semiparametric Allelic Tests for Mapping Multiple Phenotypes: Binomial Regression
      and Mahalanobis Distance.
AB  - Binary phenotypes commonly arise due to multiple underlying quantitative
      precursors and genetic variants may impact multiple traits in a pleiotropic
      manner. Hence, simultaneously analyzing such correlated traits may be more
      powerful than analyzing individual traits. Various genotype-level methods, e.g.,
      MultiPhen (O'Reilly et al. []), have been developed to identify genetic factors
      underlying a multivariate phenotype. For univariate phenotypes, the usefulness
      and applicability of allele-level tests have been investigated. The test of
      allele frequency difference among cases and controls is commonly used for mapping
      case-control association. However, allelic methods for multivariate association
      mapping have not been studied much. In this article, we explore two allelic tests
      of multivariate association: one using a Binomial regression model based on
      inverted regression of genotype on phenotype (Binomial regression-based
      Association of Multivariate Phenotypes [BAMP]), and the other employing the
      Mahalanobis distance between two sample means of the multivariate phenotype
      vector for two alleles at a single-nucleotide polymorphism (Distance-based
      Association of Multivariate Phenotypes [DAMP]). These methods can incorporate
      both discrete and continuous phenotypes. Some theoretical properties for BAMP are
      studied. Using simulations, the power of the methods for detecting multivariate
      association is compared with the genotype-level test MultiPhen's. The allelic
      tests yield marginally higher power than MultiPhen for multivariate phenotypes.
      For one/two binary traits under recessive mode of inheritance, allelic tests are
      found to be substantially more powerful. All three tests are applied to two
      different real data and the results offer some support for the simulation study.
      We propose a hybrid approach for testing multivariate association that implements
      MultiPhen when Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) is violated and BAMP otherwise,
      because the allelic approaches assume HWE. 

PMID- 26493782
TI  - From light-harvesting to photoprotection: structural basis of the dynamic switch
      of the major antenna complex of plants (LHCII).
AB  - Light-Harvesting Complex II (LHCII) is largely responsible for light absorption
      and excitation energy transfer in plants in light-limiting conditions, while in
      high-light it participates in photoprotection. It is generally believed that
      LHCII can change its function by switching between different conformations.
      However, the underlying molecular picture has not been elucidated yet. The
      available crystal structures represent the quenched form of the complex, while
      solubilized LHCII has the properties of the unquenched state. To determine the
      structural changes involved in the switch and to identify potential quenching
      sites, we have explored the structural dynamics of LHCII, by performing a series
      of microsecond Molecular Dynamics simulations. We show that LHCII in the membrane
      differs substantially from the crystal and has the signatures that were
      experimentally associated with the light-harvesting state. Local conformational
      changes at the N-terminus and at the xanthophyll neoxanthin are found to strongly
      correlate with changes in the interactions energies of two putative quenching
      sites. In particular conformational disorder is observed at the terminal emitter
      resulting in large variations of the excitonic coupling strength of this
      chlorophyll pair. Our results strongly support the hypothesis that light
      harvesting regulation in LHCII is coupled with structural changes. 

PMID- 26493783
TI  - Rhinovirus-associated pulmonary exacerbations show a lack of FEV1 improvement in
      children with cystic fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Respiratory viral infections lead to bronchial inflammation in
      patients with cystic fibrosis, especially during pulmonary exacerbations. The aim
      of this study was to determine the impact of viral-associated pulmonary
      exacerbations in children with cystic fibrosis and failure to improve forced
      expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 ) after an appropriate treatment. METHODS: We lead
      a pilot study from January 2009 until March 2013. Children with a diagnosis of
      cystic fibrosis were longitudinally evaluated three times: at baseline (Visit 1),
      at the diagnosis of pulmonary exacerbation (Visit 2), and after exacerbation
      treatment (Visit 3). Nasal and bronchial samples were analyzed at each visit with
      multiplex viral respiratory PCR panel (qualitative detection of 16 viruses).
      Pulmonary function tests were recorded at each visit, in order to highlight a
      possible failure to improve them after treatment. Lack of improvement was defined
      by an increase in FEV1 less than 5% between Visit 2 and Visit 3. RESULTS:
      Eighteen children were analyzed in the study. 10 patients failed to improve by
      more than 5% their FEV1 between Visit 2 and Visit 3. Rhinovirus infection at
      Visit 2 or Visit 3 was the only risk factor significantly associated with such a
      failure (OR, 12; 95% CI, 1.3-111.3), P = 0.03. CONCLUSIONS: Rhinovirus infection
      seems to play a role in the FEV1 recovery after pulmonary exacerbation treatment
      in children with cystic fibrosis. Such an association needs to be confirmed by a
      large-scale study because this finding may have important implications for
      pulmonary exacerbation management.

PMID- 26493784
TI  - Predictors of costs from the hospital perspective of primary pulmonary embolism.
AB  - The objective of this study was to estimate the total hospital cost per patient
      admitted through the emergency department with a primary diagnosis of pulmonary
      embolism (PE), and to identify the main components and predictors of costs.Actual
      costs of care of 652 consecutive patients hospitalised in 10 general hospitals in
      Belgium, including 31 outlier patients in terms of length of stay (4.8%), were
      obtained by aggregating all cost components contributing to care of each
      patient.In both inlier and outlier patients, the mean total cost per patient
      increased linearly with the degree of severity of illness classes related to the
      All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Group (p<0.0001). Medical procedures,
      nursing activities and hospitalisation accommodation were the main cost
      components. We identified six independent predictors of costs in inliers: age
      group, chronic pulmonary heart disease, heart failure, admission to intensive
      care unit, initial thrombolysis treatment and type of hospital. There was a
      statistically significant linear trend between age groups and costs (p<0.0001).An
      increasing burden of comorbid illness was strongly associated with increasing
      actual cost for caring hospitalised patients for PE. Increasing age was
      associated with an increase in all main cost components. 

PMID- 26493785
TI  - Circulating free DNA concentration is an independent prognostic biomarker in lung
      cancer.
AB  - Plasma circulating cell-free (cf)DNA is of interest in oncology because it has
      been shown to contain tumour DNA and may thus be used as liquid biopsy. In
      nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), cfDNA quantification has been proposed for the
      monitoring and follow-up of patients. However, available studies are limited and
      need to be confirmed by studies with larger sample sizes and including patients
      who receive more homogenous treatments. Our objective was to assess the
      predictive and prognostic value of plasma cfDNA concentration in a large series
      of patients with NSCLC and treated with a standard chemotherapy regimen.We
      included samples from lung cancer patients recruited into the Pharmacogenoscan
      study. The cfDNA of 218 patients was extracted and quantified by fluorometry
      before and after two or three cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy. The
      association between baseline and post-chemotherapy concentrations and treatment
      response, assessed by RECIST (response evaluation criteria in solid tumours) or
      patient survival was analysed.Patients with high cfDNA concentrations (highest
      tertile) at baseline had a significantly worse disease-free and overall survival
      than those with lower concentrations (lowest and middle tertiles) (median overall
      survival 10 months (95% CI 10.7-13.9) versus 14.2 months (95% CI 12.6-15.8),
      respectively; p=0.001). In multivariate analysis, increased baseline
      concentration of cfDNA was an independent prognostic factor. However, we did not
      find any association between cfDNA concentration and response to treatment.cfDNA
      may be a biomarker for the assessment of prognosis in NSCLC. However, total
      concentration of cfDNA does not appear to predict chemotherapy response. 

PMID- 26493786
TI  - Incident and prevalent cohorts with pulmonary arterial hypertension: insight from
      SERAPHIN.
AB  - In SERAPHIN, a long-term, randomised, controlled trial (NCT00660179) in pulmonary
      arterial hypertension (PAH), macitentan significantly reduced the risk of
      morbidity/mortality and PAH-related death/hospitalisation. We evaluated disease
      progression and the effect of macitentan in treatment-naive incident and
      prevalent cohorts.Patients allocated to placebo, or macitentan 3 mg or 10 mg were
      classified by time from diagnosis to enrolment as incident (<=6 months; n=110) or
      prevalent (>6 months; n=157). The risk of morbidity/mortality and PAH-related
      death/hospitalisation was determined using Cox regression.The risk of
      morbidity/mortality (Kaplan-Meier estimates at month 12: 54.4% versus 26.7%;
      p=0.006) and PAH-related death/hospitalisation (Kaplan-Meier estimates at month
      12: 47.3% versus 19.9%; p=0.006) were significantly higher for incident versus
      prevalent patients receiving placebo, respectively. There was no significant
      difference in the risk of all-cause death between incident and prevalent cohorts
      (p=0.587). Macitentan 10 mg significantly reduced the risk of morbidity/mortality
      and PAH-related death/hospitalisation versus placebo in incident and prevalent
      cohorts.Incident patients had a higher risk for PAH progression compared with
      prevalent patients but not a higher risk of death. Macitentan delayed disease
      progression in both incident and prevalent PAH patients. 

PMID- 26493787
TI  - Bile acid aspiration in people with cystic fibrosis before and after lung
      transplantation.

PMID- 26493788
TI  - Functional evidence for continued alveolarisation in former preterms at school
      age?
AB  - Prematurity is the most common disruptor of lung development. The aim of our
      study was to examine the function of the more vulnerable peripheral airways in
      former preterm children by multiple-breath washout (MBW) measurements.86 school
      aged children, born between 24 and 35 weeks of gestation and 49 term-born
      children performed nitrogen MBW. Lung clearance index (LCI), and slope III
      derived Scond and Sacin were assessed as markers for global, convection-dependent
      and diffusion-convection-dependent ventilation inhomogeneity, respectively.We
      analysed the data of 77 former preterm (mean (range) age 9.5 (7.2-12.8) years)
      and 46 term-born children (mean age 9.9 (6.0-15.9) years). LCI and Sacin did not
      differ between preterm and term-born children. Scond was significantly elevated
      in preterm compared to term-born participants (mean difference z-score 1.74, 95%
      CI 1.17-2.30; p<0.001), with 54% of former preterm children showing elevated
      Scond. In multivariable regression analysis Scond was significantly related only
      to gestational age (R(2)=0.37).Normal Sacin provides evidence for a functionally
      normal alveolar compartment, while elevated Scond indicates impaired function of
      more proximal conducting airways. Together, our findings support the concept of
      continued alveolarisation, albeit with "dysanaptic" lung growth in former preterm
      children. 

PMID- 26493789
TI  - Tuberculosis screening using ability to provide sputum in an endemic emergency
      department.

PMID- 26493790
TI  - Pulmonary artery diameter to predict pulmonary hypertension in pulmonary
      sarcoidosis.

PMID- 26493791
TI  - Exertional dyspnoea and cortical oxygenation in patients with COPD.
AB  - This study was designed to investigate the association of perceived dyspnoea
      intensity with cortical oxygenation and cortical activation during exercise in
      patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and exertional
      hypoxaemia.Low-intensity exercise was performed at a constant work rate by
      patients with COPD and exertional hypoxaemia (n=11) or no hypoxaemia (n=16), and
      in control participants (n=11). Cortical oxyhaemoglobin (oxy-Hb) and
      deoxyhaemoglobin (deoxy-Hb) concentrations were measured by multichannel near
      infrared spectroscopy. Increased deoxy-Hb is assumed to reflect impaired
      oxygenation, whereas decreased deoxy-Hb signifies cortical activation.Exercise
      decreased cortical deoxy-Hb in control and nonhypoxaemic patients. Deoxy-Hb was
      increased in hypoxaemic patients and oxygen supplementation improved cortical
      oxygenation. Decreased deoxy-Hb in the pre-motor cortex (PMA) was significantly
      correlated with exertional dyspnoea in control participants and patients with
      COPD without hypoxaemia. In contrast, increased cortical deoxy-Hb concentration
      was correlated with dyspnoea in patients with COPD and hypoxaemia. With the
      administration of oxygen supplementation, exertional dyspnoea was correlated with
      decreased deoxy-Hb in the PMA of COPD patients with hypoxaemia.During exercise,
      cortical oxygenation was impaired in patients with COPD and hypoxaemia compared
      with control and nonhypoxaemic patients; this difference was ameliorated with
      oxygen supplementation. Exertional dyspnoea was related to activation of the pre
      motor cortex in COPD patients. 

PMID- 26493793
TI  - CC-chemokine ligand 2 inhibition in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a phase 2
      trial of carlumab.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of carlumab
      in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).A phase 2, randomised,
      double-blind placebo-controlled dose-ranging study was conducted in patients with
      IPF (n=126). Patients were randomised to carlumab (1 mg.kg(-1), 5 mg.kg(-1), or
      15 mg.kg(-1)) or placebo every 4 weeks. The primary endpoint was the rate of
      percentage change in forced vital capacity (FVC). Secondary endpoints were time
      to disease progression, absolute change in FVC, relative change in diffusing
      capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO), and St George's Respiratory
      Questionnaire (SGRQ) total score.Due to a pre-planned, unfavourable interim
      benefit-risk analysis, dosing was suspended. The rate of percentage change in FVC
      showed no treatment effect (placebo -0.582%, 1 mg.kg(-1) -0.533%, 5 mg.kg(-1) 
      0.799% and 15 mg.kg(-1) -0.470%; p=0.261). All active treatment groups showed a
      greater decline in FVC (1 mg.kg(-1) -290 mL, 5 mg.kg(-1) -370 mL and 15 mg.kg(-1)
      -320 mL) compared with placebo (-130 mL). No effect on disease progression, DLCO,
      infection rates or mortality was observed. SGRQ scores showed a nonsignificant
      trend toward worsening with active treatment. Unexpectedly, free CC-chemokine
      ligand 2 levels were elevated above baseline at both 24 and 52 weeks. A higher
      proportion of patients with one or more serious adverse events was observed in
      the 5 mg.kg(-1) group (53.1%) compared with 1 mg.kg(-1) (15.2%), 15 mg.kg(-1)
      (21.9%) and placebo (46.4%), although no unexpected serious adverse events were
      noted.Although dosing was stopped prematurely, it is unlikely that carlumab
      provides benefit to IPF patients. 

PMID- 26493794
TI  - Differential release and deposition of S100A8/A9 proteins in inflamed upper
      airway tissue.
AB  - Intracellular Ca(2+)-binding S100A8/A9 proteins gain novel functions when
      released during inflammation. The exact outcome of their extracellular function
      depends on the local tissue environment in which they are released; both anti
      inflammatory and pro-inflammatory responses are described, modulating the immune
      system by binding Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 or the receptor for advanced
      glycation end-products (RAGE). However, the contribution of the proteins in the
      pathophysiology of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) remains unclear.Homomeric S100A8
      and S100A9, and heteromeric S100A8/A9 proteins were evaluated in CRS with/without
      nasal polyps (CRSw/sNP) and controls. Functional responses were assessed in polyp
      tissue stimulated with S100 proteins in the presence of TLR-4 and RAGE blocking
      antibodies.S100A8, S100A9 and S100A8/A9 protein levels were significantly higher
      in CRSwNP patients, showing increased deposition on extracellular matrix (ECM)
      structures of CRSwNP tissue in contrast to CRSsNP and controls. In the presence
      of Staphylococcus aureus, S100A8/A9 is released from neutrophils and from the
      ECM. Extracellular S100A8 and S100A9 proteins induced increased levels of diverse
      inflammatory mediators via TLR-4 engagement.The inflammatory/remodelling
      characteristics of CRSwNP specifically allow increased retention of S100A8,
      S100A9 and S100A8/A9 proteins in the ECM of CRSwNP tissue. Upon release,
      homodimeric proteins act as a local danger signal inducing inflammatory
      mediators, predominantly via TLR-4 activation. 

PMID- 26493792
TI  - Pilot randomised trial of a healthy eating behavioural intervention in
      uncontrolled asthma.
AB  - Rigorous research on the benefit of healthy eating patterns for asthma control is
      lacking.We randomised 90 adults with objectively confirmed uncontrolled asthma
      and a low-quality diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) scores <6
      out of 9) to a 6-month DASH behavioural intervention (n=46) or usual-care control
      (n=44). Intention-to-treat analyses used repeated-measures mixed
      models.Participants were middle-aged, 67% female and multiethnic. Compared with
      controls, intervention participants improved on DASH scores (mean change (95% CI)
      0.6 (0, 1.1) versus -0.3 (-0.8, 0.2); difference 0.8 (0.2, 1.5)) and the primary
      outcome, Asthma Control Questionnaire scores (-0.2 (-0.5, 0) versus 0 (-0.3,
      0.3); difference -0.2 (-0.5, 0.1)) at 6 months. The mean group differences in
      changes in Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire overall and subdomain scores
      consistently favoured the intervention over the control group: overall 0.4 (95%
      CI 0, 0.8), symptoms 0.5 (0, 0.9), environment 0.4 (-0.1, 1.0), emotions 0.4 (
      0.2, 0.9) and activities 0.3 (0, 0.7). These differences were modest, but
      potentially clinical significant.The DASH behavioural intervention improved diet
      quality with promising clinical benefits for better asthma control and functional
      status among adults with uncontrolled asthma. A full-scale efficacy trial is
      warranted.

PMID- 26493795
TI  - Longitudinal assessment of airway responsiveness from 1 month to 18 years in the
      PIAF birth cohort.
AB  - The Perth Infant Asthma Follow-up (PIAF) study involves a birth cohort of
      unselected subjects who have undergone longitudinal assessments of airway
      responsiveness at 1, 6 and 12 months and 6, 11 and 18 years of age. The aim of
      this study was to determine the relationship between increased airway
      responsiveness throughout childhood and asthma in early adult life.Airway
      responsiveness to histamine, assessed as a dose-response slope (DRS), and a
      respiratory questionnaire were completed at 1, 6 and 12 months and 6, 11 and 18
      years of age.253 children were initially recruited and studied. Airway
      responsiveness was assessed in 203, 174, 147, 103, 176 and 137 children at the
      above-mentioned time points, respectively (39 participants being assessed on all
      test occasions). Asthma at 18 years was associated with increased airway
      responsiveness at 6, 12 and 18 years, but not during infancy (slope 0.24, 95% CI
      0.06-0.42; p=0.01; slope 0.25, 95% CI 0.08-0.49; p=0.006; and slope 0.56, 95% CI
      0.29-0.83; p<0.001, respectively).Increased airway responsiveness and its
      association with asthma at age 18 years is established between infancy and 6
      years. We propose that airway responsiveness in early life reflects the initial
      airway geometry and airway responsiveness later in childhood increasingly
      reflects immunological responses to environmental influences. 

PMID- 26493796
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of incorporating bedaquiline into a treatment regimen for
      MDR/XDR-TB in Germany.

PMID- 26493797
TI  - The minimal important difference for the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire in
      patients with severe COPD.
AB  - The St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) is a validated, commonly used
      questionnaire for measuring quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD). The current established minimal important difference
      (MID) for SGRQ scores in an average COPD population is -4 units. However, for
      patients with severe COPD, the MID has not been thoroughly validated. We re
      determined the SGRQ MID for this patient group.115 severe COPD patients (forced
      expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) 26+/-9% of predicted, SGRQ score 62+/-11 units;
      mean+/-sd,) who participated in seven different bronchoscopic lung volume
      reduction clinical trials were included in the analysis. Anchor- and distribution
      based methods were used to define the MID for SGRQ scores. FEV1, 6-min walk
      distance and residual volume were used as anchors.Combining both anchor- and
      distribution-based methods, we identified a SGRQ MID of -8.3 units at 1 month and
      -7.1 units at 6 months.This study proposes an alternative SGRQ MID for patients
      with severe COPD of -8.3 units at 1 month and -7.1 units at 6 months follow-up
      after intervention. Our new MID estimates could be applied for both interpreting
      SGRQ outcomes as well as sample size determination in future clinical trials
      investigating interventions in severe COPD patients.

PMID- 26493798
TI  - Lung inhomogeneities, inflation and [18F]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake rate
      in acute respiratory distress syndrome.
AB  - The aim of the study was to determine the size and location of homogeneous
      inflamed/noninflamed and inhomogeneous inflamed/noninflamed lung compartments and
      their association with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) severity.In
      total, 20 ARDS patients underwent 5 and 45 cmH2O computed tomography (CT) scans
      to measure lung recruitability. [(18)F]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose ([(18)F]FDG)
      uptake and lung inhomogeneities were quantified with a positron emission
      tomography-CT scan at 10 cmH2O. We defined four compartments with normal/abnormal
      [(18)F]FDG uptake and lung homogeneity.The homogeneous compartment with normal
      [(18)F]FDG uptake was primarily composed of well-inflated tissue (80+/-16%),
      double-sized in nondependent lung (32+/-27% versus 16+/-17%, p<0.0001) and
      decreased in size from mild, moderate to severe ARDS (33+/-14%, 26+/-20% and 5+/
      9% of the total lung volume, respectively, p=0.05). The homogeneous compartment
      with high [(18)F]FDG uptake was similarly distributed between the dependent and
      nondependent lung. The inhomogeneous compartment with normal [(18)F]FDG uptake
      represented 4% of the lung volume. The inhomogeneous compartment with high
      [(18)F]FDG uptake was preferentially located in the dependent lung (21+/-10%
      versus 12+/-10%, p<0.0001), mostly at the open/closed interfaces and related to
      recruitability (r(2)=0.53, p<0.001).The homogeneous lung compartment with normal
      inflation and [(18)F]FDG uptake decreases with ARDS severity, while the
      inhomogeneous poorly/not inflated compartment increases. Most of the lung
      inhomogeneities are inflamed. A minor fraction of healthy tissue remains in
      severe ARDS. 

PMID- 26493799
TI  - Spontaneous pneumothorax can be associated with TGFBR2 mutation.

PMID- 26493800
TI  - Risk stratification of normotensive pulmonary embolism: prognostic impact of
      copeptin.
AB  - The prognostic value of copeptin, the C-terminal fragment of the precursor
      protein of vasopressin which is released upon stress, and hypotension in
      pulmonary embolism is unknown, especially if combined with biomarkers reflecting
      different pathophysiological axes such as myocardial injury (high-sensitivity
      troponin T (hsTnT)) and stretch (N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT
      proBNP)).We prospectively studied 268 normotensive pulmonary embolism patients
      included in a single-centre cohort study.Patients with an adverse 30-day outcome
      (5.6%) had higher copeptin levels than patients with a favourable course (median
      (interquartile range) 51.8 (21.6-90.8) versus 13.2 (5.9-39.3) pmol.L(-1);
      p=0.020). Patients with copeptin levels above the calculated optimal cut-off
      value of 24 pmol.L(-1) had a 5.4-fold increased risk for an adverse outcome (95%
      CI 1.68-17.58; p=0.005). We developed a strategy for risk stratification based on
      biomarkers. None of 141 patients (52.6%) with hsTnT <14 pg.mL(-1) or NT-proBNP
      <600 pg.mL(-1) had an adverse outcome (low risk). Copeptin >=24 pmol.L(-1)
      stratified patients with elevated hsTnT and NT-proBNP as intermediate-low and
      intermediate-high risk (5.6% and 20.0% adverse outcome, respectively). Compared
      to the algorithm proposed by the 2014 European Society of Cardiology guideline,
      more patients were classified as low risk (52.8% versus 17.5%, p<0.001) and more
      patients in the intermediate-high risk group had an adverse outcome (20.0% versus
      11.6%).Copeptin might be helpful for risk stratification of normotensive patients
      with pulmonary embolism, especially if integrated into a biomarker-based
      algorithm. 

PMID- 26493801
TI  - Lung function in children in relation to ethnicity, physique and socioeconomic
      factors.
AB  - Can ethnic differences in spirometry be attributed to differences in physique and
      socioeconomic factors?Assessments were undertaken in 2171 London primary
      schoolchildren on two occasions 1 year apart, whenever possible, as part of the
      Size and Lung function In Children (SLIC) study. Measurements included
      spirometry, detailed anthropometry, three-dimensional photonic scanning for
      regional body shape, body composition, information on ethnic ancestry, birth and
      respiratory history, socioeconomic circumstances, and tobacco smoke
      exposure.Technically acceptable spirometry was obtained from 1901 children (mean
      (range) age 8.3 (5.2-11.8) years, 46% boys, 35% White, 29% Black-African origin,
      24% South-Asian, 12% Other/mixed) on 2767 test occasions. After adjusting for
      sex, age and height, forced expiratory volume in 1 s was 1.32, 0.89 and 0.51 z
      score units lower in Black-African origin, South-Asian and Other/mixed ethnicity
      children, respectively, when compared with White children, with similar
      decrements for forced vital capacity (p<0.001 for all). Although further
      adjustment for sitting height and chest width reduced differences attributable to
      ethnicity by up to 16%, significant differences persisted after adjusting for all
      potential determinants, including socioeconomic circumstances.Ethnic differences
      in spirometric lung function persist despite adjusting for a wide range of
      potential determinants, including body physique and socioeconomic circumstances,
      emphasising the need to use ethnic-specific equations when interpreting results. 

PMID- 26493802
TI  - No added value of interferon-gamma release to a prediction model for childhood
      tuberculosis.
AB  - The predictive value of a combination of clinical and radiological features with
      interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) for diagnosis of active tuberculosis (TB)
      disease among TB-exposed children is unknown.150 symptomatic HIV-negative
      children (aged 3 months to 14 years), prospectively recruited through active
      contact tracing, were included. Backward stepwise logistic regression and
      bootstrapping techniques were used for the development and internal validation of
      a clinical prediction model for active TB disease. Model discrimination and
      incremental value of a positive IGRA test were assessed by area under the
      receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).35 (23%) children were diagnosed
      with active TB disease and started on treatment and 115 (77%) had other
      respiratory tract infections. A final parsimonious clinical model, comprising age
      <5 years (adjusted (a)OR 4.8, 95% CI 2.0-11.5) and lymphadenopathy on clinical
      examination (aOR 4.9, 95% CI 1.8-13.0) discriminated active TB disease from other
      disease with an AUC of 0.70 (95% CI 0.61-0.80). A positive IGRA result did not
      improve the discriminatory ability of the clinical model (c-statistic 0.72 versus
      0.70; p=0.644).A clinical algorithm, including age <5 years and lymphadenopathy
      classified 70% of active TB disease among symptomatic TB-exposed children. IGRA
      does not add any discriminatory value to this prediction model. 

PMID- 26493803
TI  - Tuberculosis in Germany: a declining trend coming to an end?

PMID- 26493804
TI  - Oxygen sensing and signal transduction in hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction.
AB  - Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV), also known as the von Euler-Liljestrand
      mechanism, is an essential response of the pulmonary vasculature to acute and
      sustained alveolar hypoxia. During local alveolar hypoxia, HPV matches perfusion
      to ventilation to maintain optimal arterial oxygenation. In contrast, during
      global alveolar hypoxia, HPV leads to pulmonary hypertension. The oxygen sensing
      and signal transduction machinery is located in the pulmonary arterial smooth
      muscle cells (PASMCs) of the pre-capillary vessels, albeit the physiological
      response may be modulated in vivo by the endothelium. While factors such as
      nitric oxide modulate HPV, reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been suggested to
      act as essential mediators in HPV. ROS may originate from mitochondria and/or
      NADPH oxidases but the exact oxygen sensing mechanisms, as well as the question
      of whether increased or decreased ROS cause HPV, are under debate. ROS may induce
      intracellular calcium increase and subsequent contraction of PASMCs via direct or
      indirect interactions with protein kinases, phospholipases, sarcoplasmic calcium
      channels, transient receptor potential channels, voltage-dependent potassium
      channels and L-type calcium channels, whose relevance may vary under different
      experimental conditions. Successful identification of factors regulating HPV may
      allow development of novel therapeutic approaches for conditions of disturbed
      HPV. 

PMID- 26493805
TI  - Change in the manifestations of asthma and asthma-related traits in childhood: a
      latent transition analysis.
AB  - It is known that asthma is a heterogeneous entity whose manifestations vary with
      age. Our objective was to examine changes in the manifestation of asthma and
      asthma-related traits in childhood by defining empirically derived childhood
      asthma phenotypes and examining their transitions over time.To define the
      phenotypes we used data on respiratory symptoms, healthcare utilisation,
      medications, spirometry, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), exhaled nitric oxide
      concentration and atopy from a birth cohort recruited on the basis of having a
      first-degree relative with asthma. Data were acquired at ages 1.5-11.5 years and
      analysed using latent transition analysis.In a study population of 370
      participants, we classified subjects into four phenotypes: 1) nonatopic, few
      symptoms (prevalence range from 1.5 to 5 years: 52-60%), 2) atopic, few symptoms
      (3-21%), 3) nonatopic, asthma and rhinitis symptoms (13-35%), and 4) atopic,
      asthma and rhinitis symptoms (2-14%) in early childhood; and 1) nonatopic, no
      respiratory disease (prevalence range from 8 to 11.5 years: 41-46%), 2) atopic,
      no respiratory disease (23-33%), 3) nonatopic, asthma symptoms, no AHR or airway
      inflammation (8-12%) and 4) atopic asthma (19%) in mid-childhood. Transitioning
      between phenotypes was common in early childhood, but less common in later
      childhood.This analysis represents the first attempt to incorporate longitudinal
      patterns of several manifestations of asthma into a single model to
      simultaneously define phenotypes and examine their transitions over time. It
      provides quantitative support for the view that asthma is a heterogeneous entity,
      and that some children with wheeze and other respiratory symptoms in early life
      progress to asthma in mid-childhood, while others become asymptomatic.

PMID- 26493806
TI  - Risk of death and readmission of hospital-admitted COPD exacerbations: European
      COPD Audit.
AB  - Studies report high in-hospital and post-discharge mortality of chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations varying depending upon patient
      characteristics, hospital resources and treatment standards. This study aimed to
      investigate the patient, resource and organisational factors associated with in
      hospital and 90-day post-discharge mortality and readmission of COPD
      exacerbations within the European COPD Audit. The audit collected data of COPD
      exacerbation admissions from 13 European countries.On admission, only 49.7% of
      COPD patients had spirometry results available and only 81.6% had blood gases
      taken. Using logistic regression analysis, the risk associated with in-hospital
      and post-discharge mortality was higher age, presence of acidotic respiratory
      failure, subsequent need for ventilatory support and presence of comorbidity. In
      addition, the 90-day risk of COPD readmission was associated with previous
      admissions. Only the number of respiratory specialists per 1000 beds, a variable
      related to hospital resources, decreased the risk of post-discharge mortality.The
      European COPD Audit identifies risk factors associated with in-hospital and post
      discharge mortality and COPD readmission. Addressing the deficiencies in acute
      COPD care such as making spirometry available and measuring blood gases and
      providing noninvasive ventilation more regularly would provide opportunities to
      improve COPD outcomes. 

PMID- 26493807
TI  - Chronic pulmonary disease with Mycobacterium abscessus complex is a biofilm
      infection.

PMID- 26493808
TI  - Efficiency of mechanical activation of inspiratory muscles in COPD using sample
      entropy.

PMID- 26493809
TI  - Intramural esophageal dissection diagnosed on transabdominal ultrasonography.
AB  - Intramural esophageal dissection (IED) is an uncommon yet important clinical
      entity characterized by a rupture or fissure in the esophageal submucosal layer.
      IED could occur spontaneously or secondary to direct extrinsic injury to the
      esophageal mucosa. Traditionally, IED has been diagnosed on the swallowing study
      using water-soluble contrast agents or barium. For alternative diagnostic
      modalities, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and chest computed tomography have
      been frequently performed. However, to the best of our knowledge, the
      transabdominal ultrasonography (USG) appearance of IED has not been reported in
      the literature yet. We report an interesting case of IED, which was initially
      diagnosed on the transabdominal USG. 

PMID- 26493810
TI  - Management of vascular lake phenomenon on angiography during chemoembolization
      with superabsorbent polymer microspheres.
AB  - PURPOSE: Contrast material pooling on angiography within a tumor bed during
      embolization for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presents as the vascular lake
      (VL) phenomenon. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the frequency and
      management of VLs during chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads (DEBs) and the
      relationship between the VL and local response. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of
      123 HCC patients without vascular invasion or intrahepatic metastases who
      underwent chemoembolization with DEBs (50-100 um superabsorbent polymer
      microspheres loaded with epirubicin) were enrolled. Gelatin sponge particles (GS)
      were injected for additional embolization in limited patients with steadily
      increasing size of VLs during DEB injection. Overall, 338 nodules were divided
      into three groups: lesions without a VL (non-VL; n = 250); lesions with a VL but
      without additional GS embolization [VL-GS (-), n = 58]; and lesions with both VL
      and additional GS embolization [VL-GS (+); n = 30]. The local responses were
      statistically compared by Fisher's exact test with the Bonferroni correction.
      RESULTS: The frequency of VLs was 26.0% (88/338). The response rate in the non-VL
      group (54.0%) was significantly lower than those in the VL-GS (-) (91.4%; P <
      0.0001) and VL-GS (+) (96.7%; P < 0.0001) groups. CONCLUSIONS: VL is a common
      angiographic finding and might be associated with the local response.

PMID- 26493811
TI  - Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ): diagnosis and management in 2015.
AB  - Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) has been associated with the use of
      aminobisphosphonates and denosumab. The vast majority (>90%) of cases occur in
      the oncology patient population receiving high doses of intravenous
      bisphosphonates or subcutaneous denosumab. The incidence of ONJ in the
      osteoporosis patient population is very low and is estimated at 1-90 per 100,000
      patient-years of exposure. In the oncology patient population the incidence
      appears to be related to dose and duration of exposure, and prevalence has been
      estimated to be as high as 18.6%. A number of risk factors in addition to
      antiresorptive therapy have been identified. These include the presence of
      periodontal disease, oral surgical procedures with extractions or implants,
      radiation therapy, chemotherapy, diabetes, glucocorticoid use, and smoking.
      Antiangiogenic agents appear to contribute to the risk of ONJ, however, data at
      this time are limited and further evidence is required prior to confirming a
      causal relationship. ONJ may be prevented with optimization of oral hygiene, the
      use of oral antimicrobial mouth rinses, as well as systemic antibiotic therapy.
      Individuals not responding to conservative management or in the advanced stages
      of ONJ may be considered for surgery, as data over the past several years have
      demonstrated surgical success in this patient population. Case reports have
      indicated that teriparatide may enhance healing. A number of experimental
      therapies are being evaluated and include the use of bone marrow stem cell
      intralesional transplantation, local application of platelet-derived growth
      factor, hyperbaric oxygen, tissue grafting, and low-level laser therapy. This
      paper summarizes the current research as well as the international consensus on
      the diagnosis and management of ONJ.

PMID- 26493813
TI  - Both falling and bone fragility should be targeted to prevent hip fracture in
      older adults.

PMID- 26493812
TI  - Acute and 3-month effects of calcium carbonate on the calcification propensity of
      serum and regulators of vascular calcification: secondary analysis of a
      randomized controlled trial.
AB  - SUMMARY: Calcium supplements have been associated with increased cardiovascular
      risk, but the mechanism is unknown. We investigated the effects of calcium
      supplements on the propensity of serum to calcify, based on the transition time
      of primary to secondary calciprotein particles (T50). Changes in serum calcium
      were related to changes in T50. INTRODUCTION: Calcium supplements have been
      associated with increased cardiovascular risk; however, it is unknown whether
      this is related to an increase in vascular calcification. METHODS: We
      investigated the acute and 3-month effects of calcium supplements on the
      propensity of serum to calcify, based on the transition time of primary to
      secondary calciprotein particles (T50), and on three possible regulators of
      calcification: fetuin-A, pyrophosphate and fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23).
      We randomized 41 postmenopausal women to 1 g/day of calcium as carbonate, or to a
      placebo containing no calcium. Measurements were performed at baseline and then 4
      and 8 h after their first dose, and after 3 months of supplementation. Fetuin-A,
      pyrophosphate and FGF23 were measured in the first 10 participants allocated to
      calcium carbonate and placebo who completed the study. RESULTS: T50 declined in
      both groups, the changes tending to be greater in the calcium group.
      Pyrophosphate declined from baseline in the placebo group at 4 h and was
      different from the calcium group at this time point (p = 0.04). There were no
      other significant between-groups differences. The changes in serum total calcium
      from baseline were significantly related to changes in T50 at 4 h (r = -0.32, p =
      0.05) and 8 h (r = -0.39, p = 0.01), to fetuin-A at 3 months (r = 0.57, p = 0.01)
      and to pyrophosphate at 4 h (r = 0.61, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: These correlative
      findings suggest that serum calcium concentrations modulate the propensity of
      serum to calcify (T50), and possibly produce counter-regulatory changes in
      pyrophosphate and fetuin-A. This provides a possible mechanism by which calcium
      supplements might influence vascular calcification.

PMID- 26493814
TI  - Activated T cells enhance interferon-alpha production by plasmacytoid dendritic
      cells stimulated with RNA-containing immune complexes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have an ongoing
      interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs).
      We investigated whether T cells can promote IFN-alpha production by pDCs.
      METHODS: Human pDCs were stimulated with immune complexes (ICs) containing U1
      small nuclear ribonucleic proteins particles and SLE-IgG (RNA-IC) in the presence
      of T cells or T cell supernatants. T cells were activated by anti-CD3/CD28
      antibodies or in a mixed leucocyte reaction. IFN-alpha and other cytokines were
      determined in culture supernatants or patient sera with immunoassays. The effect
      of interleukin (IL) 3 and granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM
      CSF) on pDCs was examined by the use of antibodies, and the expression of
      CD80/CD86 was determined using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Activated T cells and
      supernatants from activated T cells increased IFN-alpha production by >20-fold.
      The stimulatory effect of T cell supernatants was reduced after depletion of GM
      CSF (81%) or by blocking the GM-CSF receptor (55%-81%). Supernatant from
      activated T cells, furthermore, increased the frequency of CD80 and CD86
      expressing pDCs stimulated with RNA-IC from 6% to 35% (p<0.05) and from 10% to
      26% (p<0.01), respectively. Activated SLE T cells enhanced IFN-alpha production
      to the same extent as T cells from healthy individuals and a subset of patients
      with SLE had increased serum levels of GM-CSF. CONCLUSIONS: Activated T cells
      enhance IFN-alpha production by RNA-IC stimulated pDCs via GM-CSF and induce pDC
      maturation. Given the increased serum levels of GM-CSF in a subset of patients
      with SLE, these findings suggest that activated T cells may upregulate type I IFN
      production in SLE.

PMID- 26493815
TI  - Defining remission and treatment success using the DAPSA score: response to
      letter by Helliwell and Coates.

PMID- 26493817
TI  - Incidence and predictors for cardiovascular events in patients with psoriatic
      arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence and risk factors of cardiovascular events in
      patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). METHODS: A cohort analysis was conducted
      involving patients recruited and followed over the period from 1978 to 2013 in a
      large PsA clinic. The participants were assessed at 6 to 12-month intervals
      according to a standard protocol. The collected information included
      demographics, lifestyle habits, medical history, medications use and PsA-related
      outcomes. The primary outcome was a composite major cardiovascular end point
      comprising myocardial infarction, ischaemic stroke, revascularisation or
      cardiovascular death. The association between the features of disease activity
      and the occurrence of cardiovascular events was assessed using Cox proportional
      hazard models. RESULTS: A total of 1091 patients with PsA were analysed. During
      the follow-up period, 104 cardiovascular events occurred. A considerable
      proportion of patients developed a cardiovascular event (19.8% of the patients by
      the age of 70 years and 30.1% of patient by the age of 80 years). No trend in the
      risk of developing cardiovascular events was observed over the decades from 1978
      to 2013 (p=0.73). In multivariate analysis, the following variables were
      independent predictors of major cardiovascular events: hypertension (relative
      risk (RR) 1.81, p=0.015), diabetes (RR 2.72, p<0.001) and the number of
      dactylitic digits (RR 1.20, p<0.001). Sedimentation rate was a significant
      predictor only among women (RR 1.83, p=0.02). CONCLUSION: A significant
      proportion of patients with PsA develop cardiovascular events during the course
      of their disease. Increased cardiovascular risk is associated with a combination
      of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and disease activity.

PMID- 26493816
TI  - Gene copy-number variations (CNVs) of complement C4 and C4A deficiency in genetic
      risk and pathogenesis of juvenile dermatomyositis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Complement-mediated vasculopathy of muscle and skin are clinical
      features of juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). We assess gene copy-number variations
      (CNVs) for complement C4 and its isotypes, C4A and C4B, in genetic risks and
      pathogenesis of JDM. METHODS: The study population included 105 patients with JDM
      and 500 healthy European Americans. Gene copy-numbers (GCNs) for total C4, C4A,
      C4B and HLA-DRB1 genotypes were determined by Southern blots and qPCRs. Processed
      activation product C4d bound to erythrocytes (E-C4d) was measured by flow
      cytometry. Global gene-expression microarrays were performed in 19 patients with
      JDM and seven controls using PAXgene-blood RNA. Differential expression levels
      for selected genes were validated by qPCR. RESULTS: Significantly lower GCNs and
      differences in distribution of GCN groups for total C4 and C4A were observed in
      JDM versus controls. Lower GCN of C4A in JDM remained among HLA DR3-positive
      subjects (p=0.015). Homozygous or heterozygous C4A-deficiency was present in
      40.0% of patients with JDM compared with 18.2% of controls (OR=3.00 (1.87 to
      4.79), p=8.2*10(-6)). Patients with JDM had higher levels of E-C4d than controls
      (p=0.004). In JDM, C4A-deficient subjects had higher levels of E-C4d (p=0.0003)
      and higher frequency of elevated levels of multiple serum muscle enzymes at
      diagnosis (p=0.0025). Microarray profiling of blood RNA revealed upregulation of
      type I interferon-stimulated genes and lower abundance of transcripts for T-cell
      and chemokine function genes in JDM, but this was less prominent among C4A
      deficient or DR3-positive patients. CONCLUSIONS: Complement C4A deficiency
      appears to be an important factor for the genetic risk and pathogenesis of JDM,
      particularly in patients with a DR3-positive background.

PMID- 26493818
TI  - Patient-physician discordance in global assessment in early spondyloarthritis and
      its change over time: the DESIR cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess patient-physician discordance in global assessment of
      disease activity in early axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) over time and
      determinants of discordance. METHODS: DESIR (Devenir des Spondyloarthropathies
      Indifferenciees Recentes) is a French, multicentre, longitudinal cohort of
      patients with early inflammatory back pain suggestive of axSpA. Patient global
      assessment (PGA) and physician global assessment (PhGA) were rated with a 0-10
      numerical rating scale, every 6 months during 2 years then at 3 years.
      Discordance was defined by the absolute difference |PGA-PhGA|>=3 (range 0-10) and
      was analysed at each visit. Determinants of (PGA-PhGA) were assessed at the visit
      level by a generalised linear mixed model. RESULTS: A total of 702 patients were
      analysed at baseline (401 with complete data over 3 years): mean age 33.8+/-8.6
      years, 379 (54.0%) female, mean symptom duration 18.1+/-10.5 months. Mean PGA
      values were always higher than mean PhGA values with a mean absolute difference
      of 1.8 points. At baseline, 202 (28.8%) patients had discordance mainly by
      PGA>PhGA; over 3 years the frequency of discordance was stable (range 25.5
      28.8%). Discordance was not stable at the patient level, 118 (29.4%) patients
      were discordant once and 88 (22.0%) twice, and only 92 (22.9%) more than twice.
      Determinants of (PGA-PhGA) were spine pain (beta=0.24, p<0.001) and fatigue
      (beta=0.13, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Discordance concerned a quarter of patients
      with early axSpA. Over 3 years of follow-up, discordance did not decrease (no
      'reference shift'). Discordance was not a stable trait, indicating discordance is
      not a patient characteristic.

PMID- 26493819
TI  - Endovascular Aneurysm Repair and Sealing (EVARS): A Useful Adjunct in Treating
      Challenging Morphology.
AB  - An 81-year-old male with previous open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair presented
      with asymptomatic large pseudoaneurysms at both ends of an open surgical tube
      graft. Endovascular aneurysm sealing (EVAS) in combination with the iliac limbs
      of a standard endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) successfully excluded both
      pseudoaneurysms from circulation. We describe the combination of elements of EVAS
      and EVAR and have termed this endovascular aneurysm repair and sealing (EVARS).
      EVARS has the advantage of harnessing the benefits of endobag sealing in aortic
      necks unsuitable for standard EVAR whilst providing the security of accurate
      stent placement within short common iliac arteries. In conclusion, EVAS may be
      combined with standard endovascular iliac limbs and is a possible treatment
      option for pseudoaneurysm following open aneurysm repair. 

PMID- 26493820
TI  - Patient Evaluation and Preparation in Vascular   and Interventional Radiology:
      What Every Interventional   Radiologist Should Know (Part 1: Patient Assessment  
      and Laboratory Tests).
AB  - Performing an interventional procedure imposes a commitment on interventional
      radiologists to conduct the initial patient assessment, determine the best course
      of therapy, and provide long-term care after the procedure is completed. After
      patient referral, contact with the referring physician and multidisciplinary team
      approach is vital. In addition, clinical history, physical examination, as well
      as full understanding of the pre-procedural laboratory results and imaging
      findings can guide the interventional radiologist to implement the most
      appropriate management plan, avoid unnecessary procedures, and prevent
      complications to achieve a successful outcome. We provide a comprehensive,
      methodical review of pre-procedural care and management in patients undergoing
      vascular and interventional radiology procedures.

PMID- 26493821
TI  - The Effect of Stent Cell Geometry on Carotid Stenting Outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of stent cell
      geometry on midterm results of carotid artery stenting (CAS). MATERIALS AND
      METHOD: One hundred fifty-five patients underwent CAS between February 2010 and
      December 2012. Ninety-one open- and 84 closed-cell stents were used in this non
      randomized, retrospective study. Periprocedural complications were defined as the
      ones happened during the procedure or within 30 days afterwards. Starting from
      the 6th month after the procedure, in-stent restenosis was detected with
      multidetector computed tomography angiography and classified into four groups
      from focal restenosis to occlusion. RESULTS: Eleven complications were
      encountered in the periprocedural period (four on the open- and seven on the
      closed-cell group). Total complication rate was 6.3% (11/175). No significant
      difference was detected in terms of periprocedural complications between two
      groups (p = 0.643). There was statistically significant difference between stent
      design groups in regard to radiological findings (p = 0.002). Sixteen of open
      cell stents and three of closed-cell stents had focal restenosis. One closed-cell
      stent had diffuse proliferative restenosis and one open-cell stent had total
      occlusion. CONCLUSION: In-stent restenosis was more common in open-cell stent
      group, which have larger free cell area than closed-cell stents. Although our
      radiologic findings promote us to use closed-cell design if 'possible', no
      difference was detected in terms of clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26493822
TI  - Radiation Dose Reduction in CT Fluoroscopy-Guided Cervical Transforaminal
      Epidural Steroid Injection by Modifying Scout and Planning Steps.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In CT fluoroscopy (CTF)-guided cervical transforaminal
      epidural steroid injection (TFESI), the majority of radiation dose is contributed
      by the planning CT scan rather than the CTF procedure itself. We replaced the
      planning helical CT with a spot CTF and accordingly changed the patient posture
      during scout and planning scans. The aim of this study was to test whether
      radiation dose reduction would be achieved by this protocol modification while
      still maintaining technical performance. METHODS: Overall, 338 consecutive
      procedures before (control group: n = 163) and after (study group: n = 175)
      instituting the above-mentioned protocol modification were analyzed
      retrospectively, comparing patient characteristics (age, sex, neck diameter, and
      level injected) and technical performance [technical success rate, dose-length
      product (DLP), inadvertent contrast flow incidence, number of CTF acquisitions,
      and procedural time] between the two groups. RESULTS: All injections were
      technically successful at every level from C3-C4 to C7-T1 without serious
      complications in both groups. The median DLP of the study group (7.92 mGy.cm) was
      significantly reduced compared to that of the control group (39.05 mGy.cm, P <
      0.001). There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding
      the incidence of inadvertent contrast flow (20.6 vs. 17.2%, P = 0.426), number of
      CTF acquisitions (median 5 vs. 4, P = 0.123), and the procedural time (median
      6.62 vs. 6.90 min, P = 0.100). CONCLUSIONS: When conducting CTF-guided cervical
      TFESIs, a significant radiation dose reduction (median 79.7% in DLP) can be
      achieved by modifying scout and planning steps, without compromising the
      technical performance.

PMID- 26493823
TI  - Diaphragmatic Hernia After Lung Percutaneous Radiofrequency   Ablation: Incidence
      and Risk Factors-Reply.

PMID- 26493824
TI  - Comparing Effective Doses During Image-Guided Core Needle Biopsies with Computed
      Tomography Versus C-Arm Cone Beam CT Using Adult and Pediatric Phantoms.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the effective doses of needle biopsies based on dose
      measurements and simulations using adult and pediatric phantoms, between cone
      beam c-arm CT (CBCT) and CT. METHOD: Effective doses were calculated and compared
      based on measurements and Monte Carlo simulations of CT- and CBCT-guided biopsy
      procedures of the lungs, liver, and kidney using pediatric and adult phantoms.
      RESULTS: The effective doses for pediatric and adult phantoms, using our standard
      protocols for upper, middle and lower lungs, liver, and kidney biopsies, were
      significantly lower under CBCT guidance than CT. The average effective dose for a
      5-year old for these five biopsies was 0.36 +/- 0.05 mSv with the standard CBCT
      exposure protocols and 2.13 +/- 0.26 mSv with CT. The adult average effective
      dose for the five biopsies was 1.63 +/- 0.22 mSv with the standard CBCT protocols
      and 8.22 +/- 1.02 mSv using CT. The CT effective dose was higher than CBCT
      protocols for child and adult phantoms by 803 and 590% for upper lung, 639 and
      525% for mid-lung, and 461 and 251% for lower lung, respectively. Similarly, the
      effective dose was higher by 691 and 762% for liver and 513 and 608% for kidney
      biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: Based on measurements and simulations with pediatric and
      adult phantoms, radiation effective doses during image-guided needle biopsies of
      the lung, liver, and kidney are significantly lower with CBCT than with CT.

PMID- 26493825
TI  - Osteomyelitis and Discitis Following Translumbar Repair  of a Type II Endoleak.
AB  - Here we present the case of an 80-year-old man who developed a type II endoleak
      following endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Initial attempts at
      treating the endoleak via a transarterial approach were unsuccessful; therefore
      the patient underwent percutaneous translumbar endoleak embolization.
      Approximately 1 month following the translumbar procedure, he developed back
      pain, with subsequent workup revealing osteomyelitis and discitis as a
      complication following repair via the translumbar approach.

PMID- 26493828
TI  - Inflation of Molecular Clock Rates and Dates: Molecular Phylogenetics,
      Biogeography, and Diversification of a Global Cicada Radiation from Australasia
      (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadettini).
AB  - Dated phylogenetic trees are important for studying mechanisms of
      diversification, and molecular clocks are important tools for studies of
      organisms lacking good fossil records. However, studies have begun to identify
      problems in molecular clock dates caused by uncertainty of the modeled molecular
      substitution process. Here we explore Bayesian relaxed-clock molecular dating
      while studying the biogeography of ca. 200 species from the global cicada tribe
      Cicadettini. Because the available fossils are few and uninformative, we
      calibrate our trees in part with a cytochrome oxidase I (COI) clock prior
      encompassing a range of literature estimates for arthropods. We show that tribe
      level analyses calibrated solely with the COI clock recover extremely old dates
      that conflict with published estimates for two well-studied New Zealand subclades
      within Cicadettini. Additional subclade analyses suggest that COI relaxed-clock
      rates and maximum-likelihood branch lengths become inflated relative to EF
      1[Formula: see text] intron and exon rates and branch lengths as clade age
      increases. We present corrected estimates derived from: (i) an extrapolated EF
      1[Formula: see text] exon clock derived from COI-calibrated analysis within the
      largest New Zealand subclade; (ii) post hoc scaling of the tribe-level chronogram
      using results from subclade analyses; and (iii) exploitation of a geological
      calibration point associated with New Caledonia. We caution that considerable
      uncertainty is generated due to dependence of substitution estimates on both the
      taxon sample and the choice of model, including gamma category number and the
      choice of empirical versus estimated base frequencies. Our results suggest that
      diversification of the tribe Cicadettini commenced in the early- to mid-Cenozoic
      and continued with the development of open, arid habitats in Australia and
      worldwide. We find that Cicadettini is a rare example of a global terrestrial
      animal group with an Australasian origin, with all non-Australasian genera
      belonging to two distal clades. Within Australia, we show that Cicadettini is
      more widely distributed than any other cicada tribe, diverse in temperate, arid
      and monsoonal habitats, and nearly absent from rainforests. We comment on the
      taxonomic implications of our findings for thirteen cicada genera. 

PMID- 26493827
TI  - Total-Evidence Dating under the Fossilized Birth-Death Process.
AB  - Bayesian total-evidence dating involves the simultaneous analysis of
      morphological data from the fossil record and morphological and sequence data
      from recent organisms, and it accommodates the uncertainty in the placement of
      fossils while dating the phylogenetic tree. Due to the flexibility of the
      Bayesian approach, total-evidence dating can also incorporate additional sources
      of information. Here, we take advantage of this and expand the analysis to
      include information about fossilization and sampling processes. Our work is based
      on the recently described fossilized birth-death (FBD) process, which has been
      used to model speciation, extinction, and fossilization rates that can vary over
      time in a piecewise manner. So far, sampling of extant and fossil taxa has been
      assumed to be either complete or uniformly at random, an assumption which is only
      valid for a minority of data sets. We therefore extend the FBD process to
      accommodate diversified sampling of extant taxa, which is standard practice in
      studies of higher-level taxa. We verify the implementation using simulations and
      apply it to the early radiation of Hymenoptera (wasps, ants, and bees). Previous
      total-evidence dating analyses of this data set were based on a simple uniform
      tree prior and dated the initial radiation of extant Hymenoptera to the late
      Carboniferous (309 Ma). The analyses using the FBD prior under diversified
      sampling, however, date the radiation to the Triassic and Permian (252 Ma),
      slightly older than the age of the oldest hymenopteran fossils. By exploring a
      variety of FBD model assumptions, we show that it is mainly the accommodation of
      diversified sampling that causes the push toward more recent divergence times.
      Accounting for diversified sampling thus has the potential to close the long
      discussed gap between rocks and clocks. We conclude that the explicit modeling of
      fossilization and sampling processes can improve divergence time estimates, but
      only if all important model aspects, including sampling biases, are adequately
      addressed.

PMID- 26493829
TI  - Recruitment Processes in Academia: Does the Emperor Have Any Clothes?
AB  - The final outcome of promotion and recruitment processes in universities should
      be conventional and plausible by the members of the relevant scientific
      community, to affirm that the processes have been competitive and fair. The
      objective of this opinion letter is to make a plea for the importance of the post
      auditing and quantitative assessment of the selection criteria. It is shown that
      for an example case the outcome of the post-audit does not look reasonable from
      an external point of view, at least regarding the research competency.

PMID- 26493831
TI  - Bioaccessibility of Cd and Pb in tailings from a zinc smelting in Brazil:
      implications for human health.
AB  - Soils and wastes enriched with heavy metals may present ecological and human
      health risks. A considerable number of mining areas exist in Brazil, where high
      levels of metals have been found. However, studies of bioaccessibility of metals
      in soils/tailings from these areas are scarce, despite their potential
      informational contribution concerning exposure risks of residents near these
      areas. This study evaluated tailings collected from four sites of a zinc smelting
      area located in Brazil with aims to: (1) evaluate the presence of metals of
      potential concern; (2) investigate Cd and Pb bioaccessibility; and (3) determine
      the desorption kinetics of Cd and Pb. High concentrations of total Cd and Pb (up
      to 1743 mg Cd kg(-1) and 8675 mg Pb kg(-1)) and great variability were found in
      the tailings, indicating the importance of adequate planning for their final
      disposal, in order to avoid contamination in the surrounding environment. Cadmium
      and Pb bioaccessibility percentages in the intestinal phase were less than 47 and
      4 %, respectively, which represents significant fractions not available for
      absorption in the intestinal tract. However, this material has to be monitored
      since its bioaccessibility may increase with eventual physicochemical changes,
      releasing Cd and Pb. Desorption kinetics experiments revealed that Pb in the
      samples remained in less labile fractions, whereas Cd was found in more labile
      fractions, which is in accordance with the bioaccessibility results. 

PMID- 26493830
TI  - Hepatitis E virus antibody prevalence in hunters from a district in Central
      Germany, 2013: a cross-sectional study providing evidence for the benefit of
      protective gloves during disembowelling of wild boars.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Germany, 17% of the general human population have antibodies to
      hepatitis E virus (HEV) (recomLine HEV-IgG/IgM immunoassay [Mikrogen GmbH]). Wild
      boars represent an animal reservoir for HEV genotype 3, which is the common
      genotype in Germany. We estimated the seroprevalence among hunters with contact
      to wild boars to identify factors that may be associated with past or present HEV
      infection. METHODS: In 2013, the local veterinarian authority in a district in
      Central Germany attended meetings of hunters who provided blood specimens and
      completed a questionnaire collecting information on age, sex, hunting-related
      activities and consumption of wild boar meat. Specimens of wild boars were taken
      during drive hunts in this district during the season 2012/2013. All specimens
      were tested for HEV RNA and anti-HEV IgM and IgG antibodies. Log-binomial
      regression was used to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) for the hunters. RESULTS:
      Of 126 hunters (median age 55; 94% male) 21% tested positive for anti-HEV IgG
      antibodies (95% confidence interval [CI] 13-28%) (recomWell HEV IgG assay
      [Mikrogen GmbH]). Anti-HEV prevalence was highest in the age group of the 70-79
      year-olds (67%; 95% CI 39-95%). Wild boars showed an average anti-HEV prevalence
      of 41%. HEV RNA was detected in 4/22 (18%) liver specimens and in 1/22 (4.5%)
      muscle specimens. Most wild boars were tested positive for HEV RNA (3/10; 30%)
      and HEV-specific antibodies (7/15; 47%) in the southwestern part of the district.
      Hunters preferring this hunting ground had a lower anti-HEV prevalence when
      gloves were frequently used during disembowelling of wild boars compared to
      hunters using gloves never or infrequently (age-adjusted PR 0.12; 95% CI 0.02
      0.86). CONCLUSIONS: Hunters may benefit from wearing gloves when in contact with
      blood or body fluids of HEV animal reservoirs. Anti-HEV prevalence among the
      hunters of this study did not significantly differ from that of the general
      population suggesting that other factors play a major role in the epidemiology of
      HEV in Germany.

PMID- 26493832
TI  - Inhibition of pyrite oxidation by surface coating: a long-term field study.
AB  - Pyrite and other iron sulfides are readily oxidized by dissolved oxygen in
      aqueous phase, producing acidity and Fe(2+), which causes significant
      environmental problems. Applications of surface coating agents (Na2SiO3 and
      KH2PO4) were conducted at Boeun (Chungbuk, South Korea) outcrop site, and their
      efficiencies to inhibit the oxidation of sulfide minerals were monitored for a
      long-term period (449 days). The rock sample showed positive Net Acid Production
      Potential (NAPP = 20.23) and low Net Acid Generation pH (NAGpH = 2.42) values,
      suggesting that the rock sample was categorized in the potential acid-forming
      group. For the monitored time period (449 days), field study results showed that
      the application of Na2SiO3 effectively inhibited the pyrite oxidation as compared
      to KH2PO4. Na2SiO3 as a surface coating agent maintained pH 5-6 and reduced
      oxidation of pyrite surface up to 99.95 and 97.70 % indicated by Fe(2+) and SO4
      (2-) release, respectively. The scanning electron microscope and energy
      dispersive X-ray spectrometer analysis indicated that the morphology of rock
      surface was completely changed attributable to formation of iron silicate
      coating. The experimental results suggested that the treatment with Na2SiO3 was
      highly effective and it might be applicable on field for inhibition of iron
      sulfide oxidation. 

PMID- 26493833
TI  - Efficacy and feasibility of autologous stem cell transplantation  in patients
      with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with secondary  central nervous system
      involvement.
AB  - Secondary central nervous system (CNS) involvement is a fatal complication of
      diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We evaluated the efficacy and feasibility
      of high-dose chemotherapy containing busulfan and thiotepa followed by autologous
      stem cell transplantation (HDC-ASCT) in DLBCL with secondary CNS involvement.
      Thirty-one patients with secondary CNS involvement including CNS involvement at
      diagnosis (n = 9), isolated CNS relapse (n = 14), and CNS involvement with
      systemic disease progression or relapse (n = 8) were selected and analyzed from
      our prospective cohorts. Of these, 12 patients, including seven with isolated CNS
      relapse, successfully completed HDC-ASCT without engraftment failure or
      transplantation-related mortality. After ASCT, six patients were alive; however,
      three patients experienced post-transplantation relapse. With a median follow-up
      of 29 months after secondary CNS involvement, the median overall survival of 31
      patients was 9 months (95% CI 5-12 months). The survival outcomes of patients who
      had undergone HDC-ASCT were significantly better than those of patients who did
      not (p < 0.01). Accordingly, patients with isolated CNS relapse tended to have a
      longer survival outcome than other cases. Our results suggest that HDC-ASCT may
      provide survival benefits in DLBCL patients with secondary CNS involvement,
      especially in case of isolated CNS relapse.

PMID- 26493834
TI  - Transition to motherhood in women with eating disorders: A qualitative study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine in depth the individual
      experience of transition from pregnancy to motherhood, among women with current
      eating disorders (EDs), focusing on differences between the first and subsequent
      pregnancies. DESIGN AND METHODS: We analysed the narratives of 12 women with
      severe ED during pregnancy using interpretative phenomenological analysis. We
      employed a sequential structure, and the emerging themes were ordered according
      to consecutive pregnancy stages. RESULTS: Our results indicate that experiences
      of pregnancy vary across pregnancy stages and in the first pregnancy compared to
      subsequent pregnancies. In particular, during their first pregnancy women with an
      ED seem to experience an inner conflict and questioned the continuity of their ED
      identity leading them to be more open to change. CONCLUSIONS: The first
      pregnancy, during its early stages, should be considered a potentially unique
      window for intervention for women with current ED. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Eating
      disorders (EDs) are known to seriously affect fertility, pregnancy, and pregnancy
      outcomes. Our research sheds a light on experiences of pregnancy in women with ED
      and ultimately helps to define a window for intervention. Our findings have
      important implications in understanding mechanisms of relapse in the post-partum
      period and consequently could help in tailoring an adequate intervention for
      women with ED and in preventing ED relapse.

PMID- 26493835
TI  - PDB-Explorer: a web-based interactive map of the protein data bank in shape
      space.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The RCSB Protein Data Bank (PDB) provides public access to
      experimentally determined 3D-structures of biological macromolecules (proteins,
      peptides and nucleic acids). While various tools are available to explore the
      PDB, options to access the global structural diversity of the entire PDB and to
      perceive relationships between PDB structures remain very limited. METHODS: A 136
      dimensional atom pair 3D-fingerprint for proteins (3DP) counting categorized atom
      pairs at increasing through-space distances was designed to represent the
      molecular shape of PDB-entries. Nearest neighbor searches examples were reported
      exemplifying the ability of 3DP-similarity to identify closely related
      biomolecules from small peptides to enzyme and large multiprotein complexes such
      as virus particles. The principle component analysis was used to obtain the
      visualization of PDB in 3DP-space. RESULTS: The 3DP property space groups
      proteins and protein assemblies according to their 3D-shape similarity, yet shows
      exquisite ability to distinguish between closely related structures. An
      interactive website called PDB-Explorer is presented featuring a color-coded
      interactive map of PDB in 3DP-space. Each pixel of the map contains one or more
      PDB-entries which are directly visualized as ribbon diagrams when the pixel is
      selected. The PDB-Explorer website allows performing 3DP-nearest neighbor
      searches of any PDB-entry or of any structure uploaded as protein-type PDB file.
      All functionalities on the website are implemented in JavaScript in a platform
      independent manner and draw data from a server that is updated daily with the
      latest PDB additions, ensuring complete and up-to-date coverage. The essentially
      instantaneous 3DP-similarity search with the PDB-Explorer provides results
      comparable to those of much slower 3D-alignment algorithms, and automatically
      clusters proteins from the same superfamilies in tight groups. CONCLUSION: A
      chemical space classification of PDB based on molecular shape was obtained using
      a new atom-pair 3D-fingerprint for proteins and implemented in a web-based
      database exploration tool comprising an interactive color-coded map of the PDB
      chemical space and a nearest neighbor search tool. The PDB-Explorer website is
      freely available at www.cheminfo.org/pdbexplorer and represents an unprecedented
      opportunity to interactively visualize and explore the structural diversity of
      the PDB. ?

PMID- 26493836
TI  - A practical guide for performing arthrography under fluoroscopic or ultrasound
      guidance.
AB  - We propose a practical approach for performing arthrography with fluoroscopic or
      ultrasound guidance. Different approaches to the principal joints of the upper
      limb (shoulder, elbow, wrist and fingers), lower limb (hip, knee, ankle and foot)
      as well as the facet joints of the spine are discussed and illustrated with
      numerous drawings. Whenever possible, we emphasise the concept of targeting
      articular recesses, which offers many advantages over traditional techniques
      aiming at the joint space. TEACHING POINTS: * Arthrography remains a foremost
      technique in musculoskeletal radiology * Most joints can be successfully accessed
      by targeting the articular recess * Targeting the recess offers several
      advantages over traditional approaches * Ultrasound-guidance is now favoured over
      fluoroscopy and targeting the recess is equally applicable.

PMID- 26493837
TI  - Biceps tenodesis (long head): arthroscopic keyhole technique  versus arthroscopic
      interference screw: a prospective comparative  clinical and radiographic marker
      study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The long head biceps tenodesis (LHBT) is an alternative to tenotomy in
      order to prevent Popeye sign.Biomechanical studies showed that interference
      screw(IFS) was the strongest fixation but there might be complications and cost.
      What's more, the analyses of tenodesis failures are undervalued because they only
      take visible deformations of the arm into account. The purpose of this study was
      to compare a modified arthroscopic "keyhole" LHBT (modified @KH) with an
      arthroscopic IFS LHBT(@IFS) using an objective method. We hypothesized that
      modified @KH gave similar clinical outcomes as @IFS without its hassles or
      drawbacks. METHODS: We present a 12-month prospective comparative study (modified
      @KH versus @IFS) performed by two experienced orthopedic surgeons. Modified @KH
      was performed on one hundred and nine patients versus @IFS that was performed on
      one hundred and two. A radiopaque marker was placed into the tendon. The review
      was conducted in the sixth month with clinical examination and plain standard X
      ray to objectify the potential migration of the marker. RESULTS: Modified @KH
      showed 2.4 % visible deformity without any Popeye sign but 3.4 % radiographic
      metallic marker migrations. No complications were noted. @IFS showed 5.8 %
      visible deformity with 2.9 % Popeye sign and with 10.3 % radiographic metallic
      marker migrations;pain at tenodesis location was noted in 2 %. P value (0.13)
      indicates that there were no statistically significant differences. CONCLUSION:
      We confirm the hypothesis that the modified@KH gives clinical and radiographic
      outcomes at least similar to @IFS without any complications and cost. The
      establishment of the radiopaque marker allows us to know the exact number of
      failures.Level of evidence Consecutive prospective comparative clinical, Level II
      1 studies.

PMID- 26493838
TI  - Impact of traditional culture on Camellia reticulata in Yunnan, China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cha-hua (Camellia reticulata) is one of China's traditional
      ornamental flowers developed by the local people of Yunnan Province. Today, more
      than 500 cultivars and hybrids are recognized. Many ancient camellia trees still
      survive and are managed by local peopl. A few records on cha-hua culture exist,
      but no studies expound the interaction between C. reticulata and traditional
      culture of ethnic groups. The contribution of traditional culture of different
      nationalities and regions to the diversity of Camellia reticulate is discussed.
      METHODS: Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted throughout Central and Western
      Yunnan to investigate and document the traditional culture related to Camellia
      reticulata. Five sites were selected to carry out the field investigation.
      Information was collected using participatory observation, semi-structured
      interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and participatory
      rural appraisal (PRA). RESULTS: Most of the ancient camellia trees were preserved
      or saved in the courtyards of old buildings and cultural or religious sites.
      Religion-associated culture plays an important role in C. reticulata protection.
      In every site we investigated, we found extensive traditional culture on C.
      reticulata and its management. These traditional cultures have not only protected
      the germplasm resources of C. reticulata, but also improved the diversity of
      Camellia cultivars. CONCLUSIONS: There are abundant and diverse genetic resources
      of cha-hua, Camellia reticulata in Yunnan. Cha-hua is not only an ornamental
      flower but also has been endowed with rich spiritual connotation. The influence
      of traditional culture had improved the introduction and domestication of wild
      plants, breeding and selection of different varieties, and the propagation and
      dissemination of the tree in Yunnan. However, either some ancient cha-hua trees
      or their associated traditional culture are facing various threats. The old cha
      hua trees and the ethnic camellia culture should be respected and protected since
      they have made great contributions in the history, and will make more
      contributions in the future.

PMID- 26493839
TI  - Sequence conservation analysis and in silico human leukocyte antigen-peptide
      binding predictions for the Mtb72F and M72 tuberculosis candidate vaccine
      antigens.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Requisites for an efficacious tuberculosis (TB) vaccine are a minimal
      genomic diversity among infectious Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains for the
      selected antigen, and the capability to induce robust T-cell responses in the
      majority of human populations. A tool in the identification of putative T-cell
      epitopes is in silico prediction of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)
      peptide binding. Candidate TB vaccine antigen Mtb72F and its successor M72 are
      recombinant fusion proteins derived from Mtb32A and Mtb39A (encoded by Rv0125 and
      Rv1196, respectively). Adjuvanted Mtb72F and M72 candidate vaccines were shown to
      induce CD4(+) T-cell responses in European, US, African and Asian populations.
      METHODS: Sequence conservation of Mtb32A, Mtb39A, Mtb72F and M72 among 46 strains
      (prevalent Mycobacterium strains causing human TB disease, and H37Ra) was
      assessed by multiple alignments using ClustalX. For Mtb32A, Mtb39A and Mtb72F, 15
      mer human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-class II-binding peptides were predicted for
      158 DRB1 alleles prevailing in populations with high TB burden, 6 DRB3/4/5, 8 DQ
      and 6 DP alleles, using NetMHCII-pan-3.0. Results for 3 DRB1 alleles were
      compared with previously published allele-matched in vitro binding data.
      Additional analyses were done for M72. Nonameric MHC class I-binding peptides in
      Mtb72F were predicted for three alleles representative of class I supertypes A02,
      A03 and B07, using seven prediction algorithms. RESULTS: Sequence identity among
      strains was >=98 % for each protein. Residue changes in Mtb39A comprised
      primarily single residue or nucleotide insertions and/or deletions in repeat
      regions, and were observed in 67 % of strains. For Mtb72F, 156 DRB1, 6 DRB3/4/5,
      7 DQ and 5 DP alleles were predicted to contain at least one MHC class II-binding
      peptide, and class I-binding peptides were predicted for each HLA-A/B allele.
      Comparison of predicted MHC-II-binding peptides with experimental data indicated
      that the algorithm's sensitivity and specificity were variable among alleles.
      CONCLUSIONS: The sequences from which Mtb72F and M72 are derived are highly
      conserved among representative Mycobacterium strains. Predicted putative T-cell
      epitopes in M72 and/or Mtb72F covered a wide array of HLA alleles. In silico
      binding predictions for class I- and II-binding putative epitopes can be
      complemented with biochemical verification of HLA binding capacity, processing
      and immunogenicity of the predicted peptides.

PMID- 26493840
TI  - High-volume bilateral chylothorax presenting with hypoxemia and shock in a
      pediatric patient following tracheostomy revision: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chylothorax is a rare complication of surgical neck dissection.
      This is the first reported pediatric case of bilateral chylothorax following
      cervical surgery and the first to occur after tracheoplasty. Chylothorax can lead
      to significant complications, including hypoxemia and shock, and requires timely
      treatment. This case report discusses the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and
      treatment of our patient and reviews possible pathophysiologic mechanisms to
      explain the development of postoperative bilateral chylous effusions. CASE
      PRESENTATION: An 18-month-old white baby girl with a complex past medical history
      including choanal atresia, atrioventricular septal defect, failure to thrive,
      developmental delay, and tracheostomy dependence developed significant hypoxemia
      and shock following a routine tracehostomy revision. She was subsequently found
      to have developed massive bilateral chylothorax, requiring escalation of
      mechanical ventilation, thoracostomy tube drainage, vasoactive support, and
      eventual surgical ligation of her thoracic duct. CONCLUSIONS: Massive bilateral
      chylothorax is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication following
      tracheoplasty. Clinicians caring for this patient population postoperatively
      should be aware of this potential complication and its management.

PMID- 26493842
TI  - Refugee crisis and re-emergence of forgotten infections in Europe.

PMID- 26493841
TI  - Social support and dairy products intake among adolescents: a study from Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adequate daily milk and dairy products intake seems to an important
      for adolescents' health. This study aimed to identify the high-risk group
      adolescents who did not meet the recommended daily serving milk and dairy
      products and indeed to find out associated factors relating to their nutrition
      behaviors. METHODS: This cross sectional study was carried out on 7th grade
      students, in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan province, Iran. An anonymous self
      administrated questionnaire including items on perceived social support, physical
      activity, and sedentary behaviors was administered. In addition a valid food
      frequency questionnaire (FFQ) measuring daily milk products serving intake as a
      main outcome measure was completed for each respondent. Logistic regression
      analysis was applied to examine the association between milk and dairy products
      consumption and independents variables. RESULTS: In all 402 students (51.5 %
      female) participated in the study. The mean age of students was 12.9 (SD = 0.49)
      years. The average daily intake of milk and dairy products was 1.64 (SD = 0.78)
      servings per day. Overall 14.2 % of adolescents (18.8 % of girls, and 9.2 % of
      boys, p = 0.006) reported consumption of the recommended daily milk and dairy
      products serving per day. The results indicated that gender boys (OR for boys =
      2.41, 95 % CI = 1.25-4.67), mother age (OR for age group 40-55 years = 2.52, 95 %
      CI = 1.18-5.38), poor perceived emotional family support, (OR = 1.10, 95 % CI =
      1.05-3.61), and poor perceived practical family support (OR = 2.04, 95 % CI =
      1.18-4.17) were the most significant contributing factors to low level milk and
      dairy products intake in adolescents. CONCLUSION: The findings indicated that
      adolescents did not take the recommended daily amount of milk and dairy products
      and this appeared to be strongly related to low perceived family support. To
      achieve the recommended daily milk and dairy products serving consumption, family
      involvements in any programs that specifically address emotional and practical
      support for promoting daily milk and dairy products intake among adolescents are
      suggested.

PMID- 26493844
TI  - Emerging bacterial pathogens: the past and beyond.
AB  - Since the 1950s, medical communities have been facing with emerging and
      reemerging infectious diseases, and emerging pathogens are now considered to be a
      major microbiologic public health threat. In this review, we focus on bacterial
      emerging diseases and explore factors involved in their emergence as well as
      future challenges. We identified 26 major emerging and reemerging infectious
      diseases of bacterial origin; most of them originated either from an animal and
      are considered to be zoonoses or from water sources. Major contributing factors
      in the emergence of these bacterial infections are: (1) development of new
      diagnostic tools, such as improvements in culture methods, development of
      molecular techniques and implementation of mass spectrometry in microbiology; (2)
      increase in human exposure to bacterial pathogens as a result of sociodemographic
      and environmental changes; and (3) emergence of more virulent bacterial strains
      and opportunistic infections, especially affecting immunocompromised populations.
      A precise definition of their implications in human disease is challenging and
      requires the comprehensive integration of microbiological, clinical and
      epidemiologic aspects as well as the use of experimental models. It is now urgent
      to allocate financial resources to gather international data to provide a better
      understanding of the clinical relevance of these waterborne and zoonotic emerging
      diseases. 

PMID- 26493843
TI  - Increased risk of infections and infection-related mortality in children
      undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation compared to conventional
      anticancer therapy: a multicentre nationwide study.
AB  - This nationwide multicentre study analysed the epidemiology of bacterial, viral
      and fungal infections in paediatric haematopoietic stem cell transplantation
      (HSCT) and paediatric haematology and oncology (PHO) patients over a period of 24
      consecutive months, including incidence, hazard risk and outcome of infections as
      well as occurrence of multidrug-resistant bacteria. During this period, 308 HSCTs
      were performed and 1768 children were newly diagnosed for malignancy. Compared to
      PHO, the risk in HSCT patients was significantly higher for all infections
      (hazard ratio (HR) 2.7), bacterial (HR 1.4), fungal (HR 3.5) and viral (HR 15.7)
      infections. The risk was higher in allo- than auto-HSCT for bacterial (HR 1.4),
      fungal (HR 3.2) and viral (HR 17.7) infections. The incidence of resistant
      bacteria was higher in HSCT than in PHO patients for both G-negative (72.5% vs.
      59.2%) and G-positive (41.4% vs. 20.5%) strains. Cumulative incidence of
      bacterial, fungal and viral infections in HSCT patients was 33.9, 22.8 and 38.3%,
      respectively. Cumulative incidence of viral infections in allo-HSCT was 28.0% for
      cytomegalovirus, 18.5% for BK virus, 15.5% for Epstein-Barr virus, 9.5% for
      adenovirus, 2.6% for varicella zoster virus, 0.9% for influenza, 0.9% for human
      herpesvirus 6 and 0.3% for hepatitis B virus. Survival rates from infections were
      lower in HSCT than in PHO patients in bacterial (96.0 vs. 98.2%), fungal (75.5
      vs. 94.6%) and most viral infections. In conclusion, the risk of any infections
      and the occurrence of resistant bacterial strains in allo-HSCT patients were
      higher than in auto-HSCT and PHO patients, while the outcome of infections was
      better in the PHO setting.

PMID- 26493845
TI  - How do physicians cope with controversial topics in existing guidelines for the
      management of infective endocarditis? Results of an international survey.
AB  - International guidelines are available to help physicians prescribe appropriate
      antibiotic regimens to patients with infective endocarditis (IE). However some
      topics of these guidelines are controversial. We conducted an international
      survey to assess physicians' adherence to these guidelines, focusing on these
      controversial items. An invitation to participate to a 15-question online survey
      was sent in 2012-2013 to European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious
      Diseases (ESCMID) members, scientific societies and corresponding authors of
      publications on IE mentioned in PubMed from 1990 to 2012, inclusive. Eight
      hundred thirty-seven physicians participated in the survey, and 625 (74.7%)
      completed it over the first question. The results showed great heterogeneity of
      practices. Claiming to follow guidelines was marginally associated with more
      guideline-based strategies. Gentamicin use depended on causative pathogens (p
      <0.001) and physician specialty (p 0.02). Eighty-six per cent of the physicians
      favoured vancomycin alone or in combination with gentamicin or rifampicin as a
      first-line treatment for left-sided native valve methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus IE, 31% considered switching to oral therapy as a
      therapeutic option and 33% used the ampicillin and ceftriaxone combination for
      enterococcal IE as a first-line therapy. Physician specialty significantly
      affected the choice of a therapeutic strategy, while practicing in a university
      hospital or the number of years of practice had virtually no impact. Our survey,
      the largest on IE treatment, underscores important heterogeneity in practices for
      treatment of IE. Nonetheless, physicians who do not follow guidelines can have
      rational strategies that are based on the literature. These results could inform
      the revision of future guidelines and identify unmet needs for future studies.

PMID- 26493846
TI  - Poultry and human infections.

PMID- 26493847
TI  - Increased intrahepatic quasispecies heterogeneity correlates with off-treatment
      sustained response to nucleos(t)ide analogues in e antigen-positive chronic
      hepatitis B patients.
AB  - Finite treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) remains a great challenge for
      chronic hepatitis B in the clinic. This study aimed to investigate the
      relationship between intrahepatic quasispecies heterogeneity and the NAs off
      treatment outcomes in a prospective cohort. Eighteen HBeAg-positive patients with
      chronic hepatitis B who achieved the cessation criteria underwent liver biopsy,
      and stopped treatment thereafter. Patients were followed up prospectively for 1
      year. The reverse transcriptase (RT) gene of intrahepatic hepatitis B virus (HBV)
      was cloned and sequenced. Intrahepatic quasispecies heterogeneity and specific
      gene mutations were analysed using bioinformatic methods. Ten patients achieved
      sustained response, and eight patients developed viral relapse. The intrahepatic
      quasispecies Shannon entropy and nucleotide diversity within either RT or the
      surface (S) region of patients with sustained response were significantly higher
      (p < 0.05) than those of patients who had a viral relapse. Intrahepatic
      quasispecies Shannon entropy at the nucleotide level predicted the sustained off
      treatment response (area under receiver operating characteristics curve 0.925;
      95% CI 0.807-1.000; p 0.003). More positive selection sites and N-glycosylation
      mutations within the S region were found in patients with sustained response than
      in the patients with viral relapse (p < 0.01). Most of the positive selection
      sites in patients with sustained response were located in reported HLA-I
      restricted or HLA-II-restricted epitopes. Intrahepatic quasispecies heterogeneity
      at the end of treatment was correlated with off-treatment outcomes in HBeAg
      positive patients with chronic hepatitis B. More immune escape mutations were
      found within the S region in patients with sustained response. The higher
      intrahepatic quasispecies heterogeneity indicated a more robust immune control
      over HBV, which in turn maintained a sustained response after withdrawal of NAs.

PMID- 26493848
TI  - Microbiota studies in the bile duct strongly suggest a role for Helicobacter
      pylori in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - Biliary tract cancer or extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECCA) represents the
      sixth commonest cause of cancer in the gastrointestinal tract in western
      countries. We aimed to characterize the microbiota and its predicted associated
      functions in the biliary tract of ECCA and benign biliary pathology (BBP).
      Samples were taken from 100 patients with ECCA and 100 patients with BBP by
      endoscopic cholangio-pancreatography for DNA extraction. Ten patients with ECCA
      and ten with BBP were selected for microbiota studies using the V4-16S rRNA gene
      and sequenced in Illumina platform. Microbiota analyses included sample-to-sample
      distance metrics, ordination/clustering and prediction of functions. Presence of
      Nesterenkonia sp. and Helicobacter pylori cagA and vacA genes were tested in the
      100 ECCA and 100 BBP samples. Phylum Proteobacteria dominated all samples (60.4%
      average). Ordination multicomponent analyses showed significant microbiota
      separation between ECCA and BBP (p 0.010). Analyses of 4002 operational taxonomic
      units with presence variation in at least one category probed a separation of
      ECCA from BBP. Among these, Nesterenkonia decreased, whereas Methylophilaceae,
      Fusobacterium, Prevotella, Actinomyces, Novosphingobium and H. pylori increased
      in ECCA. Predicted associated functions showed increased abundance of H. pylori
      virulence genes in ECCA. cagA and vacA genes were confirmed by PCR in ECCA and
      BBP samples. This is the first microbiota report in ECCA and BBP to show
      significant changes in microbial composition. Bacterial species unusual for human
      flora were found: Methylophilaceae and Nesterenkonia are reported in hypersaline
      soils, and Mesorhizobium is a nitrogen-fixing bacterium. Enrichment of virulence
      genes confirms previous studies suggesting that H. pylori might be associated
      with ECCA.

PMID- 26493849
TI  - Clostridium butyricum: from beneficial to a new emerging pathogen.
AB  - Clostridium butyricum, a strictly anaerobic spore-forming bacillus, is a common
      human and animal gut commensal bacterium, and is also frequently found in the
      environment. Whereas non-toxigenic strains are currently used as probiotics in
      Asia, other strains have been implicated in pathological conditions, such as
      botulism in infants or necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm neonates. In terms of
      the latter, within the same species, different strains have antagonist effects on
      the intestinal mucosa. In particular, short-chain fatty acids, which are products
      of carbohydrate fermentation, have a dose-dependent paradoxical effect. Moreover,
      toxin genes have been identified by genome sequencing in pathological strains.
      Asymptomatic carriage of these strains has also been reported. Herein, we provide
      an overview of the implications of C. butyricum for human health, from the
      beneficial to the pathogenic. We focus on pathogenic strains associated with the
      occurrence of necrotizing enterocolitis. We also discuss the need to use
      complementary microbiological methods, including culture, in order to better
      assess gut bacterial diversity and identify new emergent enteropathogens at the
      strain level.

PMID- 26493850
TI  - Development of global rating instruments for pediatric patients with ataxia
      telangiectasia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) is a neurodegenerative disorder with
      cerebellar and extrapyramidal features. Interventional and epidemiological
      studies in AT should rely on specific scales which encompass the specific
      neurological features, as well the early progressive course and the subsequent
      plateau. The aim of this study was to build a scale of the CGI type (Clinical
      Global Impression) which is disease specific, as well as to check the feasibility
      of the ICARS scale for ataxia in this population. METHODS: We recruited 63
      patients with ataxia, aged 10.76 +/- 3.2 years, followed at 6 international AT
      centers, 49 of them (77.8%) with classical AT. All patients were evaluated for
      ataxia with ICARS scale. In patients with AT, two CGI scales were scored,
      unstructured as structured for which separate anchors were provided. RESULTS:
      Mean ICARS score was 44.7 +/- 20.52, and it's severity positively correlated with
      age (Spearman correlation, r = 0.46, p < 0.01). Mean CGI score was 2 (moderately
      involved). There was a high correlation between the structured and unstructured
      CGIs (Spearman correlation, r = 0.87, p < 0.01). Both CGI scales showed positive
      correlation between severity and increasing age (Spearman correlation r = 0.59, p
      < 0.01 for structured CGI and r = 0.61, p < 0.01 for unstructured). DISCUSSION:
      We succeeded to build two CGI scales: structured and unstructured, which are
      disease specific for AT. The unstructured scale showed better connection to
      disease course; the sensitivity of the unstructured scale could be improved by
      adding anchors related to extrapyramidal features. In addition we showed that
      ataxia can be reliably measured in children with AT by using ICARS.

PMID- 26493851
TI  - Is major depression associated with serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha
      in patients with rheumatoid arthritis?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study presents the serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)
      levels in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with major depression and without
      any psychiatric disorder. METHODS: The study sample included 61 patients with a
      diagnosis of RA. Major depression and other psychiatric disorders were screened
      with the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
      of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Blood sample for the determination of serum
      TNF-alpha level was obtained before the psychiatric interview. RESULTS: The
      prevalence rates of any depressive disorder and any anxiety disorder were 40.3%
      (n=25) and 22.6% (n=14), respectively. Fifteen (24.2%) patients had major
      depression alone, whereas 27 (43.5%) patients were not diagnosed with any
      psychiatric disorder. We could not determine any significant differences between
      the patients with major depression alone and patients without any psychiatric
      diagnosis with regard to the serum levels of TNF-alpha. CONCLUSIONS: The
      existence of major depression in RA patients does not seem to be associated with
      serum levels of TNF-alpha.

PMID- 26493852
TI  - Diagnosis of 21-hydroxylase deficiency by urinary metabolite ratios using gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis: Reference values for neonates and
      infants.
AB  - One major issue of newborn screening programs for 21-hydroxylase deficiency
      (21OHD) is the high rate of false-positive results, especially in preterm
      neonates. Urinary steroid metabolite analysis using gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry (GC-MS) is suitable as a confirmatory diagnostic tool. The objective
      of this study was to analyze retrospectively diagnostic metabolite ratios in
      neonates and infants with and without 21OHD using GC-MS with emphasis on
      glucocorticoid metabolism, and to develop reference values for the steroid
      metabolite ratios for the diagnosis of 21OHD. We retrospectively analyzed urinary
      steroid hormone metabolites determined by GC-MS of 95 untreated neonates and
      infants with 21OHD (1-148 days), and 261 neonates and infants (100 preterms)
      without 21OHD (0-217 days). Metabolites of 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone showed
      specificities below 98%, whereas the 21-deoxycortisol metabolite pregnanetriolone
      clearly separated 21OHD from non-21OHD subjects. The best diagnostic ratio for
      21OHD was pregnanetriolone to 6alpha-hydroxy-tetrahydrocortisone. The lowest
      value of this ratio in the 21OHD group (0.47) was at least eight times higher
      than the highest values in the non-21OHD group (0.055). We have given appropriate
      reference values for steroid metabolite ratios in the largest 21OHD cohort so far
      described. Consideration of glucocorticoid metabolism, especially the use of
      typical neonatal 6alpha-hydroxylates metabolites, leads to improvement of
      diagnostic metabolite ratios. 

PMID- 26493853
TI  - Prevention and treatment of nutritional rickets.
AB  - Nutritional rickets continues to be a significant health problem for children
      worldwide with recent evidence of increasing incidence in many developed
      countries. It is due to vitamin D deficiency and/or inadequate dietary calcium
      intake with variation in the relative contributions of each of these dependant on
      environmental factors such a dietary intake and sunlight exposure. Key to the
      prevention of rickets is ensuring that pregnant women and their infants receive
      vitamin D supplementation with good evidence from randomised controlled trials
      that infants who receive 400iu daily can achieve levels of 25 hydroxyvitamin D of
      >50nmol/l. However, public health implementation of daily supplementation is more
      challenging with a need to revisit food fortification strategies to ensure
      optimal vitamin D status of the population. Treatment of nutritional rickets has
      traditionally been with vitamin D2 or D3, often given as a daily oral dose for
      several weeks until biochemical and radiological evidence of healing. However,
      other treatment regimes with single or intermittent high doses have also proved
      to be effective. It is now recognised that oral calcium either as dietary intake
      or supplements should be routinely used in conjunction with vitamin D for
      treatment.

PMID- 26493854
TI  - Acute Responses of Functional Electrical Stimulation Cycling on the Ventilation
      to-CO2 Production Ratio and Substrate Utilization After Spinal Cord Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ventilation-to-carbon dioxide ratio is comparable with peak oxygen
      uptake in the prognosis of cardiovascular disorders. Currently, there are no
      established indices to determine the submaximal effects of functional electrical
      stimulation on cardiovascular performance in persons with spinal cord injury.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of an acute bout of functional electrical
      stimulation-lower extremity cycling on ventilation, carbon dioxide production,
      ventilation-to-carbon dioxide ratio, and substrate utilization in people with
      motor complete spinal cord injury. DESIGN: Observational cross-sectional design.
      SETTING: Clinical laboratory setting. PARTICIPANTS: Ten individuals with motor
      complete spinal cord injury. METHODS: Participants were allowed to cycle until
      fatigue. The effects of functional electrical stimulation on ventilation, carbon
      dioxide production, ventilation-to-carbon dioxide ratio, and substrate
      utilization were measured with a portable metabolic cart (COSMED K4b2). Body
      composition was determined with bioelectrical impedance. RESULTS: Resting and
      warm-up ventilation were 8.15 +/- 3.5 L/min and 8.15 +/- 2.8 L/min, respectively.
      Functional electrical stimulation increased ventilation significantly (14.5 +/-
      6.4 L/min), which remained significantly elevated (13.3 +/- 4.3 L/min) during the
      recovery period. During resting and warm-up phases, the ventilation-to-carbon
      dioxide ratios were 41 +/- 4.8 and 38 +/- 5.4, respectively. Functional
      electrical stimulation decreased the ventilation-to-carbon dioxide ratio
      significantly to 31.5 +/- 4, which remained significantly reduced during the
      recovery period (34.4 +/- 3). Functional electrical stimulation relied primarily
      on carbohydrate utilization (188 +/- 160 g/day to 574 +/- 324 g/day; P = .001)
      with no changes in fat utilization (77.5 +/- 28 g/day to 93.5 +/- 133.6 g/day; P
      = .7) from resting to exercise periods. Significant relationships were noted
      between carbohydrate utilization during functional electrical stimulation and
      carbon dioxide (r = 0.98; P = .00010) production. The percentage whole body fat
      free mass was negatively related to the exercise ventilation-to-carbon ratio (r =
      -0.66; P = .045). CONCLUSIONS: An acute bout of functional electrical stimulation
      resulted in a significant drop in the ventilation-to-carbon ratio, accompanied
      with a reliance on carbohydrate utilization and a diminished capacity to utilize
      fat as a substrate. Fat-free mass may be associated with a decrease in
      ventilation to carbon dioxide ratio and an increase in carbohydrate utilization
      in persons with spinal cord injury.

PMID- 26493855
TI  - Ultrasound-Guided Intercostobrachial Nerve Block for Intercostobrachial Neuralgia
      in Breast Cancer Patients: A Case Series.
AB  - This case series describes 3 cases in which ultrasound-guided intercostobrachial
      perineural injection was used for intercostobrachial neuralgia, a common cause of
      postmastectomy pain syndrome. All cases had undergone modified radical mastectomy
      with axillary lymph node dissection for breast cancer. Two cases developed
      axillary and unilateral chest wall pain. The third case initially presented with
      axillary pain and lateral shoulder pain 1 year out from radical mastectomy. After
      a cervical epidural steroid injection, her lateral shoulder pain resolved, but
      she continued to have residual chest wall paresthesia. It was at this time, we
      decided to treat with an intercostobrachial nerve perineural injection. Injury to
      the intercostobrachial nerve is thought to be a common cause of postmastectomy
      pain. In our case series, all patients had pain relief after the
      intercostobrachial perineural injection. There is a relative dearth of published
      information on the treatment of postmastectomy pain and more specifically
      intercostobrachial neuralgia. We review the anatomy of the intercostobrachial
      nerve and its variants, etiologies of intercostobrachial neuralgia, and current
      indications and methods of an intercostobrachial perineural injection. 

PMID- 26493856
TI  - Translation of a Motor Learning Walking Rehabilitation Program Into a Group-Based
      Exercise Program for Community-Dwelling Older Adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traditional exercise programs for older adults, which focus on
      aerobic and strength training, have had only modest effects on walking. Recently,
      a motor learning exercise program was shown to have greater effects on walking
      compared with a traditional exercise program. Translating this novel motor
      learning exercise program into a group exercise program would allow it to be
      offered as an evidence-based, community-based program for older adults.
      OBJECTIVE: To translate a walking rehabilitation program based on motor learning
      theory from one-on-one to group delivery (On the Move) and evaluate multiple
      aspects of implementation in older adults with impaired mobility. DESIGN: The
      translation process involved multiple iterations, including meetings of experts
      in the field (Phase I), focus groups (Phase II), and implementation of the newly
      developed program (Phase III). Phase III was based on a one-group model of
      intervention development for feasibility, safety, potential effects, and
      acceptability. SETTING: Community sites, including 2 independent living
      facilities, an apartment building, and a community center. PARTICIPANTS: Adults
      65 years of age or older who could ambulate independently and who were medically
      stable. Thirty-one adults, mean age 82.3 +/- 5.6 years, were eligible to
      participate. METHODS: The group exercise program was held twice a week for 12
      weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Acceptability of the program was determined by
      retention and adherence rates and a satisfaction survey. Risk was measured by
      adverse events and questions on perceived challenge and safety. Mobility was
      assessed pre- and postintervention by gait speed, Figure of 8 Walk Test, and 6
      minute walk test. RESULTS: Modifications to the program included adjustments to
      format/length, music, education, and group interaction. The 12-week program was
      completed by 24 of 31 entrants (77%). Adherence was high, with participants
      attending on average 83% of the classes. Safety was excellent, with only 1
      subject experiencing a controlled, noninjurious fall. There was preliminary
      evidence for improved mobility after the intervention: gait speed improved from
      0.76 +/- 0.21 to 0.81 +/- 0.22 m/s, P = .06; Figure of 8 Walk Test from 13.0 +/-
      3.9 to 12.0 +/- 3.9 seconds, P = .07; and 6-minute walk test from 246 +/- 75 to
      281 +/- 67 m, P = .02. CONCLUSIONS: The group-based program was safe and
      acceptable to older adults with impaired mobility and resulted in potentially
      clinically meaningful improvements in mobility.

PMID- 26493857
TI  - Optically Triggered Stepwise Double-Proton Transfer in an Intramolecular Proton
      Relay: A Case Study of 1,8-Dihydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde.
AB  - 1,8-Dihydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde (DHNA), having doubly intramolecular hydrogen
      bonds, was strategically designed and synthesized in an aim to probe a long
      standing fundamental issue regarding synchronous versus asynchronous double
      proton transfer in the excited state. In cyclohexane, DHNA shows the lowest lying
      S0 ->S1 (pi-pi*) absorption at ~400 nm. Upon excitation, two large Stokes shifted
      emission bands maximized at 520 and 650 nm are resolved, which are ascribed to
      the tautomer emission resulting from the first and second proton-transfer
      products, denoted by TA* and TB*, respectively. The first proton transfer (DHNA* 
      > TA*) is ultrafast (< system response of 150 fs), whereas the second proton
      transfer is reversible, for which the rates of forward (TA* -> TB*) and backward
      (TA* <- TB*) proton transfer were determined to be (1.7 ps)(-1) and (3.6 ps)(-1),
      respectively. The fast equilibrium leads to identical population lifetimes of ~54
      ps for both TA* and TB* tautomers. Similar excited-state double-proton transfer
      takes place for DHNA in a single crystal, resulting in TA* (560 nm) and TB* (650
      nm) dual-tautomer emission. A comprehensive 2D plot of reaction potential energy
      surface further proves that the sequential two-step proton motion is along the
      minimum energetic pathway firmly supporting the experimental results. Using DHNA
      as a paradigm, we thus demonstrate unambiguously a stepwise, proton-relay type of
      intramolecular double-proton transfer reaction in the excited state, which should
      gain fundamental understanding of the multiple proton transfer reactions. 

PMID- 26493858
TI  - Rehabilitation and plasticity following stroke: Insights from rodent models.
AB  - Ischemic injuries within the motor cortex result in functional deficits that may
      profoundly impact activities of daily living in patients. Current rehabilitation
      protocols achieve only limited recovery of motor abilities. The brain reorganizes
      spontaneously after injury, and it is believed that appropriately boosting these
      neuroplastic processes may restore function via recruitment of spared areas and
      pathways. Here I review studies on circuit reorganization, neuronal and glial
      plasticity and axonal sprouting following ischemic damage to the forelimb motor
      cortex, with a particular focus on rodent models. I discuss evidence pointing to
      compensatory take-over of lost functions by adjacent peri-lesional areas and the
      role of the contralesional hemisphere in recovery. One key issue is the need to
      distinguish "true" recovery (i.e. re-establishment of original movement patterns)
      from compensation in the assessment of post-stroke functional gains. I also
      consider the effects of physical rehabilitation, including robot-assisted
      therapy, and the potential mechanisms by which motor training induces recovery.
      Finally, I describe experimental approaches in which training is coupled with
      delivery of plasticizing drugs that render the remaining, undamaged pathways more
      sensitive to experience-dependent modifications. These combinatorial strategies
      hold promise for the definition of more effective rehabilitation paradigms that
      can be translated into clinical practice. 

PMID- 26493859
TI  - Assessment of factors impacting cervical cancer screening among low-income women
      living with HIV-AIDS.
AB  - Very little is currently known about factors impacting the prevalence of cervical
      cancer screening among women living with HIV-AIDS (WLHA). To better understand
      this issue, we surveyed low-income, medically underserved women receiving
      subsidized gynecologic care through an integrated HIV clinic. A self-administered
      questionnaire was completed by 209 women who self-identified as HIV positive. A
      total of 179 subjects (85.7%) reported having had a Pap test in the last three
      years. The majority of WLHA (95%) knew that the Pap test screens for cervical
      cancer. However, overall knowledge of cervical cancer risk factors, such as
      multiple sexual partners or sex with a man with multiple partners, was low (43%
      and 35%, respectively). Unscreened women were younger and more likely to be
      single with multiple current sexual partners. In multivariable analyses, the only
      factors associated with Pap testing were a woman's perception that her partner
      wants her to receive regular screening (aOR 4.64; 95% CI: 1.15-23.76; p = .04),
      number of clinic visits during the past year (aOR 1.36, 95% CI: 1.05-1.94; p =
      .04) and knowledge that the need for a Pap test does not depend on whether or not
      a woman is experiencing vaginal bleeding (aOR 6.52, 95% CI: 1.04-49.71; p = .05).
      We conclude that support from male partners in addition to effective contact with
      the health system and knowledge of cervical cancer risk factors influence Pap
      utilization among low-income WLHA. Future measures to improve the care for this
      population should increase knowledge of cervical cancer risk factors and
      encourage social support for cervical cancer screening among WLHA.

PMID- 26493860
TI  - Towards an effective cross-task mental workload recognition model using
      electroencephalography based on feature selection and support vector machine
      regression.
AB  - Electroencephalographic (EEG) has been believed to be a potential
      psychophysiological measure of mental workload. There however remain a number of
      challenges in building a generalized mental workload recognition model, one of
      which includes the inability of an EEG-based workload classifier trained on a
      specific task to handle other tasks. The primary goal of the present study was to
      examine the possibility of addressing this challenge using feature selection and
      regression model. Support vector machine classifier and regression models were
      examined under within-task conditions (trained and tested on the same task) and
      cross-task conditions (trained on one task and tested on another task) for well
      trained verbal and spatial n-back tasks. A specifically designed cross-task
      recursive feature elimination (RFE) based feature selection was used to handle
      the possible causes responsible for the deterioration of the performance of cross
      task regression model. The within-task classification and regression performed
      fairly well. Cross-task classification and regression performance, however,
      deteriorated to unacceptable levels (around chance level). Trained and tested
      with the most robust feature subset selected by cross-task RFE, the performance
      of cross-task regression was significantly improved, and there were no
      significant changes in the performance of within-task regression. It can be
      inferred that workload-related features can be picked out from those which have
      been contaminated using RFE, and regression models rather than classifiers may be
      a wiser choice for cross-task conditions. These encouraging results suggest that
      the cross-task workload recognition model built in this study is much more
      generalizable across task when compared to the model built in traditional way. 

PMID- 26493861
TI  - Atrial fibrillation, CHA2DS2-VASc score, antithrombotics and risk of non-traffic
      , non-cancer-related bone fractures: A population-based cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accidental bone fractures are a major cause of premature disabilities
      and death. Whether atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with or without
      antithrombotics correlates with occurrence of such events remains under
      investigated. METHODS: Patients >=18 years with newly diagnosed AF between 2005
      and 2009 without previous cancers or traffic injury were identified from the
      "Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005" (1 million beneficiaries) of
      Taiwan's National Health Research Institutes and served as the AF group. A
      fourfold number of age-, gender-, and comorbidity-matched patients but without AF
      served as the non-AF controls. Patients were followed, and cumulative incidence
      of hospitalization-requiring bone fractures was compared between groups.
      Predictors of accidental bone fractures were determined by Cox regression
      analysis. RESULTS: Within a mean follow-up of 3.6 years, bone fractures,
      especially those involving neck/trunk and lower limbs, were significantly more
      frequent in patients with AF (N=6925) than in those without (N=27,700) (7.0 vs.
      3.8 per 1000 person-years, log-rank p=0.001, adjusted HR=1.85, 95% CI=1.50-2.30,
      p<0.001). Cox models identified female gender, previous stroke, and CHA2DS2-VASc
      score?1 as risk factors for bone fractures in AF patients, whereas oral
      anticoagulants (HR=0.62, 95% CI=0.35-0.91, p=0.034), especially when used in
      patients with CHA2DS2-VASc score?1 but not antiplatelet therapy (p=0.39) as
      negative predictors. CONCLUSION: Patients with AF are more vulnerable to non
      traffic-, non-cancer-related bone fractures especially when with specified
      characteristics. For those with higher CHA2DS2-VASc scores, the use of
      anticoagulant but not antiplatelet agents could be associated with lower risk of
      such events.

PMID- 26493862
TI  - Predicting Sizes of Hexagonal and Gyroid Metal Nanostructures from Liquid Crystal
      Templating.
AB  - We describe a method to predict and control the lattice parameters of hexagonal
      and gyroid mesoporous materials formed by liquid crystal templating. In the first
      part, we describe a geometric model with which the lattice parameters of
      different liquid crystal mesophases can be predicted as a function of their
      water/surfactant/oil volume fractions, based on certain geometric parameters
      relating to the constituent surfactant molecules. We demonstrate the application
      of this model to the lamellar (Lalpha), hexagonal (H1), and gyroid bicontinuous
      cubic (V1) mesophases formed by the binary Brij-56 (C16EO10)/water system and the
      ternary Brij-56/hexadecane/water system. In this way, we demonstrate predictable
      and independent control over the size of the cylinders (with hexadecane) and
      their spacing (with water). In the second part, we produce mesoporous platinum
      using as templates hexagonal and gyroid phases with different compositions and
      show that in each case the symmetry and lattice parameter of the metal
      nanostructure faithfully replicate those of the liquid crystal template, which is
      itself in agreement with the model. This demonstrates a rational control over the
      geometry, size, and spacing of pores in a mesoporous metal. 

PMID- 26493864
TI  - Experimental infection of rock pigeons (Columba livia) with three West Nile virus
      lineage 1 strains isolated in Italy between 2009 and 2012.
AB  - West Nile virus (WNV) circulation dynamics in the context of the urban
      environment is not yet elucidated. In this perspective, three groups of eight
      rock pigeons (Columbia livia) were inoculated with three WNV lineage 1 strains
      isolated in Italy between 2009 and 2012. The pigeons did not develop any clinical
      signs consistent with WNV acute infection. All animals seroconverted and shed
      virus up to 15 days post-infection by the oral or cloacal routes. In all infected
      groups viraemia lasted for 4 days post-infection. No WNV-specific gross or
      histological lesions were found in infected birds compared to control birds and
      immunohistochemistry remained constantly negative from all tissues. The reservoir
      competence index was also assessed and it ranged between 0.11 and 0.14. This
      study demonstrates that pigeons are competent reservoir hosts for Italian WNV
      lineage 1 circulating strains thus potentially posing a risk to the public health
      system. 

PMID- 26493865
TI  - Air quality impacts of a CicLAvia event in Downtown Los Angeles, CA.
AB  - CicLAvia in Los Angeles, CA is the open streets program that closes streets to
      motorized vehicles and invites people to walk, run, play or ride their bicycles
      on these streets, allowing them to experience the city in a new way and get
      exercise at the same time. Since the events reduce the motorized traffic flow,
      which is a significant source of air pollution, on the streets, it is reasonable
      to hypothesize that the CicLAvia events can reduce the concentrations of traffic
      emitted air pollutants during the road closure. This study is the first
      experiment to test this hypothesis. The on-road and community-wide ultrafine
      particle (UFP) and PM2.5 were measured on the Event-Sunday (October 5th, 2014)
      and the Pre- and Post- Sundays (September 28(th) and October 12(th), 2014). Data
      analysis results showed the on-road UFP and PM2.5 reduction was 21% and 49%,
      respectively, and the community-wide PM2.5 reduction was 12%. 

PMID- 26493863
TI  - The green shoots of a novel training programme: progress and identified key
      actions to providing services to MSM at Kenyan health facilities.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although men who have sex with men (MSM) in sub-Saharan Africa are
      at high risk for HIV acquisition, access to and quality of health and HIV
      services within this population are negatively affected by stigma and capacity
      within the health sector. A recently developed online MSM training programme
      (www.marps-africa.org) was shown to contribute to reductions in MSM prejudice
      among healthcare providers (HCPs) in coastal Kenya. In this study, we used
      qualitative methods to explore the provision of MSM healthcare services two years
      post-training in coastal Kenya. METHODS: From February to July 2014, we held 10
      focus group discussions (FGD) with 63 participants, including HCP from 25
      facilities, county AIDS coordinators and MSM from local support groups.
      Participants discussed availability, acceptability and accessibility of HIV
      healthcare for MSM. HCP also discussed changes in their health service practices
      after completing the training. FGD were recorded, transcribed verbatim and
      analyzed using Ritchie and Spencer's "framework approach" for qualitative data.
      RESULTS: HCPs described continued improvements in their ability to provide
      service in a non-stigmatizing way to MSM patients since completing the training
      programme and expressed comfort engaging MSM patients in care. Four additional
      recommendations for improving MSM healthcare services were identified: 1)
      expanding the reach of MSM sensitivity training across the medical education
      continuum; 2) establishing guidelines to manage sexually transmitted anal
      infections; 3) promoting legal and policy reforms to support integration of MSM
      appropriate services into healthcare; and 4) including MSM information in
      national reporting tools for HIV services. CONCLUSIONS: Positive impacts of this
      sensitivity and skills training programme were reflected in HCP attitudes two
      years post-intervention. Scaling-up of efforts will rely on continued policies to
      include MSM in healthcare programmes to reduce stigma in health settings and
      guidelines for MSM STI service delivery.

PMID- 26493866
TI  - Monosodium glutamate-induced oxidative kidney damage and possible mechanisms: a
      mini-review.
AB  - Animal studies suggest that chronic monosodium glutamate (MSG) intake induces
      kidney damage by oxidative stress. However, the underlying mechanisms are still
      unclear, despite the growing evidence and consensus that alpha-ketoglutarate
      dehydrogenase, glutamate receptors and cystine-glutamate antiporter play an
      important role in up-regulation of oxidative stress in MSG-induced renal
      toxicity. This review summaries evidence from studies into MSG-induced renal
      oxidative damage, possible mechanisms and their importance from a toxicological
      viewpoint. 

PMID- 26493867
TI  - Scalable fabrication of a hybrid field-effect and acousto-electric device by
      direct growth of monolayer MoS2/LiNbO3.
AB  - Lithium niobate is the archetypical ferroelectric material and the substrate of
      choice for numerous applications including surface acoustic wave radio
      frequencies devices and integrated optics. It offers a unique combination of
      substantial piezoelectric and birefringent properties, yet its lack of optical
      activity and semiconducting transport hamper application in optoelectronics. Here
      we fabricate and characterize a hybrid MoS2/LiNbO3 acousto-electric device via a
      scalable route that uses millimetre-scale direct chemical vapour deposition of
      MoS2 followed by lithographic definition of a field-effect transistor structure
      on top. The prototypical device exhibits electrical characteristics competitive
      with MoS2 devices on silicon. Surface acoustic waves excited on the substrate can
      manipulate and probe the electrical transport in the monolayer device in a
      contact-free manner. We realize both a sound-driven battery and an acoustic
      photodetector. Our findings open directions to non-invasive investigation of
      electrical properties of monolayer films. 

PMID- 26493869
TI  - Primary care commissioners need five year budgets to transform care, says report.

PMID- 26493868
TI  - Microarray Analyses Reveal Marked Differences in Growth Factor and Receptor
      Expression Between 8-Cell Human Embryos and Pluripotent Stem Cells.
AB  - Previous microarray analyses of RNAs from 8-cell (8C) human embryos revealed a
      lack of cell cycle checkpoints and overexpression of core circadian oscillators
      and cell cycle drivers relative to pluripotent human stem cells [human embryonic
      stem cells/induced pluripotent stem (hES/iPS)] and fibroblasts, suggesting growth
      factor independence during early cleavage stages. To explore this possibility, we
      queried our combined microarray database for expression of 487 growth factors and
      receptors. Fifty-one gene elements were overdetected on the 8C arrays relative to
      hES/iPS cells, including 14 detected at least 80-fold higher, which annotated to
      multiple pathways: six cytokine family (CSF1R, IL2RG, IL3RA, IL4, IL17B, IL23R),
      four transforming growth factor beta (TGFB) family (BMP6, BMP15, GDF9, ENG), one
      fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family [FGF14(FH4)], one epidermal growth factor
      member (GAB1), plus CD36, and CLEC10A. 8C-specific gene elements were enriched
      (73%) for reported circadian-controlled genes in mouse tissues. High-level
      detection of CSF1R, ENG, IL23R, and IL3RA specifically on the 8C arrays suggests
      the embryo plays an active role in blocking immune rejection and is poised for
      trophectoderm development; robust detection of NRG1, GAB1, -2, GRB7, and
      FGF14(FHF4) indicates novel roles in early development in addition to their known
      roles in later development. Forty-four gene elements were underdetected on the 8C
      arrays, including 11 at least 80-fold under the pluripotent cells: two cytokines
      (IFITM1, TNFRSF8), five TGFBs (BMP7, LEFTY1, LEFTY2, TDGF1, TDGF3), two FGFs
      (FGF2, FGF receptor 1), plus ING5, and WNT6. The microarray detection patterns
      suggest that hES/iPS cells exhibit suppressed circadian competence,
      underexpression of early differentiation markers, and more robust expression of
      generic pluripotency genes, in keeping with an artificial state of continual
      uncommitted cell division. In contrast, gene expression patterns of the 8C embryo
      suggest that it is an independent circadian rhythm-competent equivalence group
      poised to signal its environment, defend against maternal immune rejection, and
      begin the rapid commitment events of early embryogenesis.

PMID- 26493870
TI  - Adaptation of a Cancer Clinical Trials Education Program for African American and
      Latina/o Community Members.
AB  - The pilot study reported in this article culturally and linguistically adapted an
      educational intervention to promote cancer clinical trials (CCTs) participation
      among Latinas/os and African Americans. The single-session slide presentation
      with embedded videos, originally developed through a campus-community partnership
      in Southern California, was chosen for adaptation because it was perceived to fit
      the CORRECT model of innovation (credible, observable, relevant, relatively
      advantageous, easy to understand, compatible, and testable) and because of the
      potential to customize any components not identified as core, allowing them to be
      revised for cultural and linguistic alignment in New York City. Most of the 143
      community participants (76.2%) were female; most (54.6%) were older than 59
      years. More than half (78.3%) preferred to speak English or were bilingual in
      English and Spanish. A large proportion (41.3%) had not completed high school.
      Knowledge and perceived benefits and barriers regarding CCT showed small, though
      statistically significant, increases. There were no statistically significant
      group differences for changes in mean knowledge, perceived benefits, or perceived
      barriers when examined by ethnicity, education level, language, or other included
      sociodemographic variables. However, a small, but statistically significant
      difference in perceived barriers was observed when examined by country of origin,
      with the foreign born score worsening 0.08 points (SD = 0.47, p = .007) on the 5
      point Likert-type scale administered posteducation compared to preeducation.
      Participants' open-ended comments demonstrated the acceptability of the topic and
      intervention. This adaptation resulted in an intervention with the potential to
      educate African American and Latina/o general community members in a new
      geographic region about the purpose, methods, and benefits of CCTs.

PMID- 26493871
TI  - Impact of a pharmacist-led oral chemotherapy-monitoring program in patients with
      metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With the introduction of oral chemotherapy, the paradigm for cancer
      treatment is shifting. Use of oral chemotherapy agents offers a non-invasive
      option for patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. However,
      these medications are not without challenges including strict adherence for
      optimal effects, novel toxicity profiles, frequent lab parameter monitoring, high
      cost, and proper handling and disposal methods. Pharmacists are positioned to
      play a key role in providing patients with the education required to assure an
      optimal treatment course is carried out. METHODS: Two cohorts of patients
      receiving abiraterone, bicalutamide, or enzalutamide for metastatic castrate
      resistant prostate cancer seen in our outpatient cancer center 21 months before
      and 24 months after the implementation of a pharmacist-led oral chemotherapy
      monitoring program in December of 2012 were retrospectively compared. Patients
      were evaluated for number of interventions, adherence to lab parameter
      monitoring, and overall time on each therapy. RESULTS: Of the 64 patients
      identified, 31 patients fulfilled inclusion criteria. A significant increase in
      the average number of interventions per patient (6.9 vs. 2.6; P = 0.004) and
      adherence to lab parameter monitoring (10 vs. 3; P = 0.04) in the post-program
      implementation cohort was found. However, no significant difference in overall
      time on therapy (10.3 vs. 8.1; P = 0.341) between the two groups was observed.
      CONCLUSION: These results suggest a potential opportunity exists to maximize oral
      chemotherapy treatment outcomes with the addition of a formalized monitoring
      program directed by an oncology pharmacist.

PMID- 26493873
TI  - Corrigendum: Multiple Multidentate Halogen Bonding in Solution, in the Solid
      State, and in the (Calculated) Gas Phase.

PMID- 26493872
TI  - Olfactory Dysfunctions and Decreased Nitric Oxide Production in the Brain of
      Human P301L Tau Transgenic Mice.
AB  - Different patterns of olfactory dysfunction have been found in both patients and
      mouse models of Alzheimer's Disease. However, the underlying mechanism of the
      dysfunction remained unknown. Deficits of nitric oxide production in brain can
      cause olfactory dysfunction by preventing the formation of olfactory memory. The
      aim of this study was to investigate the behavioral changes in olfaction and
      alterations in metabolites of nitric oxide, nitrate/nitrite concentration, in the
      brain of human P301L tau transgenic mice. The tau mice showed impairments in
      olfaction and increased abnormal phosphorylation of Tau protein at AT8 in
      different brain areas, especially in olfactory bulb. We now report that these
      olfactory deficits and Tau pathological changes were accompanied by decreased
      nitrate/nitrite concentration in the brain, especially in the olfactory bulb, and
      reduced expression of nNOS in the brain of tau mice. These findings provided
      evidence of olfactory dysfunctions correlated with decreased nitric oxide
      production in the brain of tau mice.

PMID- 26493875
TI  - A Boron Dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-Based Cu(II) -Bipyridine Complex for Highly
      Selective NO Detection.
AB  - A BODIPY-containing Cu(II) -bipyridine complex for the simple selective
      fluorogenic detection of NO in air and in live cells is reported. The detection
      mechanism is based on NO-promoted Cu(II) to Cu(I) reduction, followed by
      demetallation of the complex, which results in the clearly enhanced emission of
      the boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) unit. 

PMID- 26493876
TI  - Caspase 3 Targeted Cargo Delivery in Apoptotic Cells Using Capped Mesoporous
      Silica Nanoparticles.
AB  - Excessive apoptotic cell death is at the origin of several pathologies, such as
      degenerative disorders, stroke or ischemia-reperfusion damage. In this context,
      strategies to improve inhibition of apoptosis and other types of cell death are
      of interest and may represent a pharmacological opportunity for the treatment of
      cell-death-related disorders. In this scenario new peptide-containing delivery
      systems (solids S1 -P1 and S1 -P2 ) are described based on mesoporous silica
      nanoparticles (MSNs) loaded with a dye and capped with the KKGDEVDKKARDEVDK (P1 )
      peptide that contains two repeats of the DEVD target sequence that are
      selectively hydrolyzed by caspase 3 (C3). This enzyme plays a central role in the
      execution-phase of apoptosis. HeLa cells electroporated with S1 -P1 are able to
      deliver the cargo in the presence of staurosporin (STS), which induces apoptosis
      with the consequent activation of the cytoplasmic C3 enzyme. Moreover, the
      nanoparticles S1 -P2 , containing both a cell-penetrating TAT peptide and P1 also
      entered in HeLa cells and delivered the cargo preferentially in cells treated
      with the apoptosis inducer cisplatin. 

PMID- 26493877
TI  - Access to Highly Functionalized Sulfonated Cyclopentanes by Acid-Promoted Rauhut
      Currier Reaction with Sulfinamides.
AB  - An unexpected acid-mediated cascade reaction induced by conjugate addition of
      sulfinamides to dienediones has been developed. This highly efficient Rauhut
      Currier reaction enables the rapid, high-yielding construction of sulfonated
      cyclopentanes with three contiguous stereogenic centers in a single operation
      starting from simple sulfinamides. This process constitutes the first example of
      sulfinamide-promoted cycloisomerization. 

PMID- 26493878
TI  - Iodine-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Amidation of beta,gamma-Unsaturated Carboxylic
      Acids with Chloramine Salts Leading to Allylic Amides.
AB  - The iodine-catalyzed decarboxylative amidation of beta,gamma-unsaturated
      carboxylic acids with chloramine salts is described. This method enables the
      regioselective synthesis of allylic amides from various types of beta,gamma
      unsaturated carboxylic acids containing substituents at the alpha- and beta
      positions. In the reaction, N-iodo-N-chloroamides, generated by the reaction of a
      chloramine salt with I2 , function as a key active species. The reaction provides
      an attractive alternative to existing methods for the synthesis of useful
      secondary allylic amine derivatives. 

PMID- 26493879
TI  - Unusual Transformation from a Solvent-Stabilized 1D Coordination Polymer to a
      Metal-Organic Framework (MOF)-Like Cross-Linked 3D Coordination Polymer.
AB  - An unusual 1D-to-3D transformation of a coordination polymer based on organic
      linkers containing highly polar push-pull pi-conjugated side chains is reported.
      The coordination polymers are synthesized from zinc nitrate and an organic
      linker, namely, 2,5-bis{4-[1-(4-nitrophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-yl]butoxy}terephthalic
      acid, which possesses highly polar (4-nitrophenyl)pyrrolidine groups, with high
      dipole moments of about 7 D. The coordination polymers exhibit an unusual
      transformation from a soluble, solvent-stabilized 1D coordination polymer into an
      insoluble, metal-organic framework (MOF)-like 3D coordination polymer. The
      coordination polymer exhibits good film-forming ability, and the MOF-like films
      are insoluble in conventional organic solvents. 

PMID- 26493880
TI  - Coordination Chemistry of Homoleptic Actinide(IV)-Thiocyanate Complexes.
AB  - The synthesis, X-ray crystal structure, vibrational and optical spectroscopy for
      the eight-coordinate thiocyanate compounds, [Et4 N]4 [Pu(IV) (NCS)8 ], [Et4 N]4
      [Th(IV) (NCS)8 ], and [Et4 N]4 [Ce(III) (NCS)7 (H2 O)] are reported. Thiocyanate
      was found to rapidly reduce plutonium to Pu(III) in acidic solutions (pH<1) in
      the presence of NCS(-) . The optical spectrum of [Et4 N][SCN] containing Pu(III)
      solution was indistinguishable from that of aquated Pu(III) suggesting that inner
      sphere complexation with [Et4 N][SCN] does not occur in water. However, upon
      concentration, the homoleptic thiocyanate complex [Et4 N]4 [Pu(IV) (NCS)8 ] was
      crystallized when a large excess of [Et4 N][NCS] was present. This compound,
      along with its U(IV) analogue, maintains inner-sphere thiocyanate coordination in
      acetonitrile based on the observation of intense ligand-to-metal charge-transfer
      bands. Spectroscopic and crystallographic data do not support the interaction of
      the metal orbitals with the ligand pi system, but support an enhanced An(IV) -NCS
      interaction, as the Lewis acidity of the metal ion increases from Th to Pu. 

PMID- 26493881
TI  - The Influence of the Amide Linkage in the Fe(III) -Binding Properties of Catechol
      Modified Rosamine Derivatives.
AB  - The two new fluorescent ligands RosCat1 and RosCat2 contain catechol receptors
      connected to rosamine platforms through an amide linkage and were synthesized by
      using microwave-assisted coupling reactions of carboxyl- or amine-substituted
      rosamines with the corresponding catechol units and subsequent deprotection.
      RosCat1 possesses a reverse amide, whereas RosCat2 has the usual oriented amide
      bond (HNCO vs. CONH, respectively). The ligands were characterized by means of
      NMR spectroscopy, mass-spectrometry, and DFT calculations and X-ray
      crystallography studies for RosCat1. The influence of the amide linkage on the
      photophysical properties of the fluorescent ligands was assessed in different
      solvents and showed a higher fluorescence quantum yield for RosCat1. The
      coordination chemistry of these ligands with a Fe(III) center has been
      rationalized by mass-spectrometric analysis and semiempirical calculations.
      Octahedral Fe(III) complexes were obtained by the chelation of three RosCat1 or
      RosCat2 ligands. Interestingly, the unconventional amide connectivity in RosCat1
      imposes the formation of an eight-membered ring on the chelate complex through a
      "salicylate-type" mode of coordination. 

PMID- 26493882
TI  - Selective Sensing of Fe(3+) and Al(3+) Ions and Detection of 2,4,6-Trinitrophenol
      by a Water-Stable Terbium-Based Metal-Organic Framework.
AB  - A water-stable luminescent terbium-based metal-organic framework (MOF), {[Tb(L1
      )1.5 (H2 O)]?3 H2 O}n (Tb-MOF), with rod-shaped secondary building units (SBUs)
      and honeycomb-type tubular channels has been synthesized and structurally
      characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The high green emission
      intensity and the microporous nature of the Tb-MOF indicate that it can
      potentially be used as a luminescent sensor. In this work, we show that Tb-MOF
      can selectively sense Fe(3+) and Al(3+) ions from mixed metal ions in water
      through different detection mechanisms. In addition, it also exhibits high
      sensitivity for 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP) in the presence of other nitro
      aromatic compounds in aqueous solution by luminescence quenching experiments. 

PMID- 26493883
TI  - Heterolysis of H2 Across a Classical Lewis Pair, 2,6-Lutidine?BCl3 : Synthesis,
      Characterization, and Mechanism.
AB  - We report that 2,6-lutidine?trichloroborane (Lut?BCl3 ) reacts with H2 in
      toluene, bromobenzene, dichloromethane, and Lut solvents producing the neutral
      hydride, Lut?BHCl2 . The mechanism was modeled with density functional theory,
      and energies of stationary states were calculated at the G3(MP2)B3 level of
      theory. Lut?BCl3 was calculated to react with H2 and form the ion pair, [LutH(+)
      ][HBCl3 (-) ], with a barrier of DeltaH(?) =24.7 kcal mol(-1) (DeltaG(?) =29.8
      kcal mol(-1) ). Metathesis with a second molecule of Lut?BCl3 produced Lut?BHCl2
      and [LutH(+) ][BCl4 (-) ]. The overall reaction is exothermic by 6.0 kcal mol(-1)
      (Deltar G degrees =-1.1). Alternate pathways were explored involving the borenium
      cation (LutBCl2 (+) ) and the four-membered boracycle [(CH2 {NC5 H3 Me})BCl2 ].
      Barriers for addition of H2 across the Lut/LutBCl2 (+) pair and the boracycle B?C
      bond are substantially higher (DeltaG(?) =42.1 and 49.4 kcal mol(-1) ,
      respectively), such that these pathways are excluded. The barrier for addition of
      H2 to the boracycle B?N bond is comparable (DeltaH(?) =28.5 and DeltaG(?) =32
      kcal mol(-1) ). Conversion of the intermediate 2-(BHCl2 CH2 )-6-Me(C5 H3 NH) to
      Lut?BHCl2 may occur by intermolecular steps involving proton/hydride transfers to
      Lut/BCl3 . Intramolecular protodeboronation, which could form Lut?BHCl2 directly,
      is prohibited by a high barrier (DeltaH(?) =52, DeltaG(?) =51 kcal mol(-1) ). 

PMID- 26493884
TI  - A Monolithic Hybrid Cellulose-2.5-Acetate/Polymer Bioreactor for Biocatalysis
      under Continuous Liquid-Liquid Conditions Using a Supported Ionic Liquid Phase.
AB  - Mesoporous monolithic hybrid cellulose-2.5-acetate (CA)/polymer supports were
      prepared under solvent-induced phase separation conditions using cellulose-2.5
      acetate microbeads 8-14 MUm in diameter, 1,1,1-tris(hydroxymethyl)propane and
      4,4'-methylenebis(phenylisocyanate) as monomers as well as THF and n-heptane as
      porogenic solvents. 4-(Dimethylamino)pyridine and dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL),
      respectively, were used as catalysts. Monolithic hybrid supports were used in
      transesterification reactions of vinyl butyrate with 1-butanol under continuous,
      supported ionic liquid-liquid conditions with Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB)
      and octylmethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([OMIM(+) ][BF4 (-) ]) immobilized
      within the CA beads inside the polymeric monolithic framework and methyl tert
      butyl ether (MTBE) as the continuous phase. The new hybrid bioreactors were
      successfully used in dimensions up to 2*30 cm (V=94 mL). Under continuous
      biphasic liquid-liquid conditions a constant conversion up to 96 % was achieved
      over a period of 18 days, resulting in a productivity of 58 MUmol mg(-1) (CALB)
      min(-1) . This translates into an unprecedented turnover number (TON) of
      3.9*10(7) within two weeks, which is much higher than the one obtained under
      standard biphasic conditions using [OMIM(+) ][BF4 (-) ]/MTBE (TON=2.7*10(6) ).
      The continuous liquid-liquid setup based on a hybrid reactor presented here is
      strongly believed to be applicable to many other enzyme-catalyzed reactions.

PMID- 26493885
TI  - Coordination Complexes of a Neutral 1,2,4-Benzotriazinyl Radical Ligand:
      Synthesis, Molecular and Electronic Structures, and Magnetic Properties.
AB  - A series of d-block metal complexes of the recently reported coordinating neutral
      radical ligand 1-phenyl-3-(pyrid-2-yl)-1,4-dihydro-1,2,4-benzotriazin-4-yl (1)
      was synthesized. The investigated systems contain the benzotriazinyl radical 1
      coordinated to a divalent metal cation, Mn(II) , Fe(II) , Co(II) , or Ni(II) ,
      with 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetonato (hfac) as the auxiliary ligand of
      choice. The synthesized complexes were fully characterized by single-crystal X
      ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and electronic structure
      calculations. The complexes [Mn(1)(hfac)2 ] and [Fe(1)(hfac)2 ] displayed
      antiferromagnetic coupling between the unpaired electrons of the ligand and the
      metal cation, whereas the interaction was found to be ferromagnetic in the
      analogous Ni(II) complex [Ni(1)(hfac)2 ]. The magnetic properties of the complex
      [Co(1)(hfac)2 ] were difficult to interpret owing to significant spin-orbit
      coupling inherent to octahedral high-spin Co(II) metal ion. As a whole, the
      reported data clearly demonstrated the favorable coordinating properties of the
      radical 1, which, together with its stability and structural tunability, make it
      an excellent new building block for establishing more complex metal-radical
      architectures with interesting magnetic properties. 

PMID- 26493886
TI  - Real-Time Detection of Traces of Benzaldehyde in Benzyl Alcohol as a Solvent by a
      Flexible Lanthanide Microporous Metal-Organic Framework.
AB  - Luminescent 3D lanthanide metal-organic framework (Ln-MOF) {[Tb2 (TATAB)2 ]?4 H2
      O?6 DMF}n (1) was synthesized under solvothermal conditions by using flexible
      ligand 4,4',4''-s-triazine-1,3,5-triyltri-p-aminobenzoate (TATAB). A phase
      transition was observed between low temperature and room temperature. The
      luminescence of 1 could be enhanced by formaldehyde and quenched efficiently by
      trace amounts of benzaldehyde in solvents such as benzyl alcohol (0.01-2.0 vol %)
      and ethanol (0.01-2.5 vol %). This is the first use of a Ln-MOF as chemical
      sensor for both formaldehyde and benzaldehyde. The high sensitivity and
      selectivity of the luminescence response of 1 to benzaldehyde allows it to be
      used as an excellent sensor for identifying benzaldehyde and provides a simple
      and convenient method for detecting traces of benzaldehyde in benzyl alcohol
      based injections. This work establishes a new strategy for detection of
      benzaldehyde in benzyl alcohol by luminescent MOFs. 

PMID- 26493889
TI  - The impact of revised CLSI cefazolin breakpoints on the clinical outcomes of
      Escherichia coli bacteremia.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The susceptibility breakpoints of cephalosporins for
      Enterobacteriaceae were revised by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards
      Institute (CLSI) in 2010 and 2011. The clinical outcome and susceptibility data
      were analyzed to evaluate the impact of revised CLSI cefazolin breakpoints on the
      treatment of Escherichia coli bacteremia. METHODS: Forty-three bacteremic
      Escherichia coli isolates from Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung,
      Taiwan, during the period from January 2013 to December 2013, were selected to
      analyze the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) distributions of cefazolin and
      the correlated clinical responses to cefazolin therapy. RESULTS: The modal
      cefazolin MIC among the 43 isolates was 1 MUg/mL and accounted for 18 (42%)
      isolates. The cumulative percentage for MICs <= 2 MUg/mL was 79%. The
      conventional dosing regimens achieved clinical cure in 33 (97%) of 34 patients
      with bacteremia due to E. coli with a cefazolin MIC <= 2 MUg/mL, in all of the
      six patients with a cefazolin MIC of 4 MUg/mL, and all of the three patients with
      a cefazolin MIC of 8 MUg/mL. CONCLUSION: The microbiological data support the
      revised CLSI breakpoints of cefazolin. The conventional cefazolin dosing regimens
      can still achieve satisfactory clinical cure rates for bacteremia of E. coli with
      a cefazolin MIC <= 2 MUg/mL in patients without severe septic shock. Before the
      approval of the efficacy of cefazolin for the treatment of E. coli isolates with
      a cefazolin MIC of 4 MUg/mL, it is prudent to use cefazolin only when a high drug
      level can be achieved in the infection site, such as the urinary tract.

PMID- 26493890
TI  - Communication: Surface stability and topological surface states of cleaved
      Bi2Se3: First-principles studies.
AB  - Through systematic first principles calculations within the nonlocal van der
      Waals functional, we investigated the structure stability and topological surface
      state properties of various surface cleaves in the topological insulator Bi2Se3
      Our results reveal that under Bi-rich conditions, the Bi bilayer-covered surface
      and the Se-terminated surface with a Bi bilayer under the first quintuple layer
      are even more stable than the generic Bi2Se3. The surface state bands are changed
      by different surface terminations, causing the formation of new Dirac states. We
      may distinguish various surfaces by using scanning tunneling microscopy
      experimentally. 

PMID- 26493891
TI  - Gaussian process model for extrapolation of scattering observables for complex
      molecules: From benzene to benzonitrile.
AB  - We consider a problem of extrapolating the collision properties of a large
      polyatomic molecule A-H to make predictions of the dynamical properties for
      another molecule related to A-H by the substitution of the H atom with a small
      molecular group X, without explicitly computing the potential energy surface for
      A-X. We assume that the effect of the -H ->-X substitution is embodied in a
      multidimensional function with unknown parameters characterizing the change of
      the potential energy surface. We propose to apply the Gaussian Process model to
      determine the dependence of the dynamical observables on the unknown parameters.
      This can be used to produce an interval of the observable values which
      corresponds to physical variations of the potential parameters. We show that the
      Gaussian Process model combined with classical trajectory calculations can be
      used to obtain the dependence of the cross sections for collisions of C6H5CN with
      He on the unknown parameters describing the interaction of the He atom with the
      CN fragment of the molecule. The unknown parameters are then varied within
      physically reasonable ranges to produce a prediction uncertainty of the cross
      sections. The results are normalized to the cross sections for He - C6H6
      collisions obtained from quantum scattering calculations in order to provide a
      prediction interval of the thermally averaged cross sections for collisions of
      C6H5CN with He. 

PMID- 26493892
TI  - Resummation of divergent perturbation series: Application to the vibrational
      states of H2CO molecule.
AB  - Large-order Rayleigh-Schrodinger perturbation theory (RSPT) is applied to the
      calculation of anharmonic vibrational energy levels of H2CO molecule. We use the
      model of harmonic oscillators perturbed by anharmonic terms of potential energy.
      Since the perturbation series typically diverge due to strong couplings, we apply
      the algebraic approximation technique because of its effectiveness shown earlier
      by Goodson and Sergeev [J. Chem. Phys. 110, 8205 (1999); ibid. 124, 094111
      (2006)] and in our previous articles [A. D. Bykov et al. Opt. Spectrosc. 114, 396
      (2013); ibid. 116, 598 (2014)]. To facilitate the resummation of terms
      contributing to perturbed states, when resonance mixing between states is
      especially strong and perturbation series diverge very quick, we used repartition
      of the Hamiltonian by shifting the normal mode frequencies. Energy levels
      obtained by algebraic approximants were compared with the results of variational
      calculation. It was found that for low energy states (up to ~5000 cm(-1)),
      algebraic approximants gave accurate values of energy levels, which were in
      excellent agreement with the variational method. For highly excited states,
      strong and multiple resonances complicate series resummation, but a suitable
      change of normal mode frequencies allows one to reduce the resonance mixing and
      to get accurate energy levels. The theoretical background of the problem of RSPT
      series divergence is discussed along with its numerical analysis. For these
      purposes, the vibrational energy is considered as a function of a complex
      perturbation parameter. Layout and classification of its singularities allow us
      to model the asymptotic behavior of the perturbation series and prove the
      robustness of the algorithm. 

PMID- 26493893
TI  - Revisiting the definition of the electronic chemical potential, chemical
      hardness, and softness at finite temperatures.
AB  - We extend the definition of the electronic chemical potential (MUe) and chemical
      hardness (etae) to finite temperatures by considering a reactive chemical species
      as a true open system to the exchange of electrons, working exclusively within
      the framework of the grand canonical ensemble. As in the zero temperature
      derivation of these descriptors, the response of a chemical reagent to electron
      transfer is determined by the response of the (average) electronic energy of the
      system, and not by intrinsic thermodynamic properties like the chemical potential
      of the electron-reservoir which is, in general, different from the electronic
      chemical potential, MUe. Although the dependence of the electronic energy on
      electron number qualitatively resembles the piecewise-continuous straight-line
      profile for low electronic temperatures (up to ca. 5000 K), the introduction of
      the temperature as a free variable smoothens this profile, so that derivatives
      (of all orders) of the average electronic energy with respect to the average
      electron number exist and can be evaluated analytically. Assuming a three-state
      ensemble, well-known results for the electronic chemical potential at negative (
      I), positive (-A), and zero values of the fractional charge (-(I + A)/2) are
      recovered. Similarly, in the zero temperature limit, the chemical hardness is
      formally expressed as a Dirac delta function in the particle number and satisfies
      the well-known reciprocity relation with the global softness. 

PMID- 26493894
TI  - Transport coefficients of helium-argon mixture based on ab initio potential.
AB  - The viscosity, thermal conductivity, diffusion coefficient, and thermal diffusion
      factor of helium-argon mixtures are calculated for a wide range of temperature
      and for various mole fractions up to the 12th order of the Sonine polynomial
      expansion with an ab initio intermolecular potential. The calculated values for
      these transport coefficients are compared with other data available in the open
      literature. The comparison shows that the obtained transport coefficients of
      helium-argon mixture have the best accuracy for the moment. 

PMID- 26493895
TI  - Resonance Raman spectra of organic molecules absorbed on inorganic semiconducting
      surfaces: Contribution from both localized intramolecular excitation and
      intermolecular charge transfer excitation.
AB  - The time-dependent correlation function approach for the calculations of
      absorption and resonance Raman spectra (RRS) of organic molecules absorbed on
      semiconductor surfaces [Y. Zhao and W. Z. Liang, J. Chem. Phys. 135, 044108
      (2011)] is extended to include the contribution of the intermolecular charge
      transfer (CT) excitation from the absorbers to the semiconducting nanoparticles.
      The results demonstrate that the bidirectionally interfacial CT significantly
      modifies the spectral line shapes. Although the intermolecular CT excitation
      makes the absorption spectra red shift slightly, it essentially changes the
      relative intensities of mode-specific RRS and causes the oscillation behavior of
      surface enhanced Raman spectra with respect to interfacial electronic couplings.
      Furthermore, the constructive and destructive interferences of RRS from the
      localized molecular excitation and CT excitation are observed with respect to the
      electronic coupling and the bottom position of conductor band. The interferences
      are determined by both excitation pathways and bidirectionally interfacial CT. 

PMID- 26493896
TI  - Exchange splitting of the interaction energy and the multipole expansion of the
      wave function.
AB  - The exchange splitting J of the interaction energy of the hydrogen atom with a
      proton is calculated using the conventional surface-integral formula Jsurf[Phi],
      the volume-integral formula of the symmetry-adapted perturbation theory
      JSAPT[Phi], and a variational volume-integral formula Jvar[Phi]. The calculations
      are based on the multipole expansion of the wave function Phi, which is divergent
      for any internuclear distance R. Nevertheless, the resulting approximations to
      the leading coefficient j0 in the large-R asymptotic series J(R) = 2e(-R-1)R(j0 +
      j1R(-1) + j2R(-2) + ?) converge with the rate corresponding to the convergence
      radii equal to 4, 2, and 1 when the Jvar[Phi], Jsurf[Phi], and JSAPT[Phi]
      formulas are used, respectively. Additionally, we observe that also the higher jk
      coefficients are predicted correctly when the multipole expansion is used in the
      Jvar[Phi] and Jsurf[Phi] formulas. The symmetry adapted perturbation theory
      formula JSAPT[Phi] predicts correctly only the first two coefficients, j0 and j1,
      gives a wrong value of j2, and diverges for higher jn. Since the variational
      volume-integral formula can be easily generalized to many-electron systems and
      evaluated with standard basis-set techniques of quantum chemistry, it provides an
      alternative for the determination of the exchange splitting and the exchange
      contribution of the interaction potential in general. 

PMID- 26493897
TI  - An atomic orbital-based formulation of analytical gradients and nonadiabatic
      coupling vector elements for the state-averaged complete active space self
      consistent field method on graphical processing units.
AB  - We recently presented an algorithm for state-averaged complete active space self
      consistent field (SA-CASSCF) orbital optimization that capitalizes on sparsity in
      the atomic orbital basis set to reduce the scaling of computational effort with
      respect to molecular size. Here, we extend those algorithms to calculate the
      analytic gradient and nonadiabatic coupling vectors for SA-CASSCF. Combining the
      low computational scaling with acceleration from graphical processing units
      allows us to perform SA-CASSCF geometry optimizations for molecules with more
      than 1000 atoms. The new approach will make minimal energy conical intersection
      searches and nonadiabatic dynamics routine for molecular systems with O(10(2))
      atoms. 

PMID- 26493898
TI  - Nested sampling of isobaric phase space for the direct evaluation of the
      isothermal-isobaric partition function of atomic systems.
AB  - Nested Sampling (NS) is a powerful athermal statistical mechanical sampling
      technique that directly calculates the partition function, and hence gives access
      to all thermodynamic quantities in absolute terms, including absolute free
      energies and absolute entropies. NS has been used predominately to compute the
      canonical (NVT) partition function. Although NS has recently been used to obtain
      the isothermal-isobaric (NPT) partition function of the hard sphere model, a
      general approach to the computation of the NPT partition function has yet to be
      developed. Here, we describe an isobaric NS (IBNS) method which allows for the
      computation of the NPT partition function of any atomic system. We demonstrate
      IBNS on two finite Lennard-Jones systems and confirm the results through
      comparison to parallel tempering Monte Carlo. Temperature-entropy plots are
      constructed as well as a simple pressure-temperature phase diagram for each
      system. We further demonstrate IBNS by computing part of the pressure-temperature
      phase diagram of a Lennard-Jones system under periodic boundary conditions. 

PMID- 26493900
TI  - Two-dimensional vibrational-electronic spectroscopy.
AB  - Two-dimensional vibrational-electronic (2D VE) spectroscopy is a femtosecond
      Fourier transform (FT) third-order nonlinear technique that creates a link
      between existing 2D FT spectroscopies in the vibrational and electronic regions
      of the spectrum. 2D VE spectroscopy enables a direct measurement of infrared (IR)
      and electronic dipole moment cross terms by utilizing mid-IR pump and optical
      probe fields that are resonant with vibrational and electronic transitions,
      respectively, in a sample of interest. We detail this newly developed 2D VE
      spectroscopy experiment and outline the information contained in a 2D VE
      spectrum. We then use this technique and its single-pump counterpart (1D VE) to
      probe the vibrational-electronic couplings between high frequency cyanide
      stretching vibrations (nuCN) and either a ligand-to-metal charge transfer
      transition ([Fe(III)(CN)6](3-) dissolved in formamide) or a metal-to-metal charge
      transfer (MMCT) transition ([(CN)5Fe(II)CNRu(III)(NH3)5](-) dissolved in
      formamide). The 2D VE spectra of both molecules reveal peaks resulting from
      coupled high- and low-frequency vibrational modes to the charge transfer
      transition. The time-evolving amplitudes and positions of the peaks in the 2D VE
      spectra report on coherent and incoherent vibrational energy transfer dynamics
      among the coupled vibrational modes and the charge transfer transition. The
      selectivity of 2D VE spectroscopy to vibronic processes is evidenced from the
      selective coupling of specific nuCN modes to the MMCT transition in the mixed
      valence complex. The lineshapes in 2D VE spectra report on the correlation of the
      frequency fluctuations between the coupled vibrational and electronic frequencies
      in the mixed valence complex which has a time scale of 1 ps. The details and
      results of this study confirm the versatility of 2D VE spectroscopy and its
      applicability to probe how vibrations modulate charge and energy transfer in a
      wide range of complex molecular, material, and biological systems. 

PMID- 26493899
TI  - Driven diffusion against electrostatic or effective energy barrier across alpha
      hemolysin.
AB  - We analyze the translocation of a charged particle across an alpha-Hemolysin
      (alphaHL) pore in the framework of a driven diffusion over an extended energy
      barrier generated by the electrical charges of the alphaHL. A one-dimensional
      electrostatic potential is extracted from the full 3D solution of the Poisson's
      equation. We characterize the particle transport under the action of a constant
      forcing by studying the statistics of the translocation time. We derive an
      analytical expression of translocation time average that compares well with the
      results from Brownian dynamic simulations of driven particles over the
      electrostatic potential. Moreover, we show that the translocation time
      distributions can be perfectly described by a simple theory which replaces the
      true barrier by an equivalent structureless square barrier. Remarkably, our
      approach maintains its accuracy also for low-applied voltage regimes where the
      usual inverse-Gaussian approximation fails. Finally, we discuss how the
      comparison between the simulated time distributions and their theoretical
      prediction results to be greatly simplified when using the notion of the
      empirical Laplace transform technique. 

PMID- 26493901
TI  - Peculiarities of high-overtone transition probabilities in carbon monoxide
      revealed by high-precision calculation.
AB  - In the recent work devoted to the calculation of the rovibrational line list of
      the CO molecule [G. Li et al., Astrophys. J., Suppl. Ser. 216, 15 (2015)],
      rigorous validation of the calculated parameters including intensities was
      carried out. In particular, the Normal Intensity Distribution Law (NIDL) [E. S.
      Medvedev, J. Chem. Phys. 137, 174307 (2012)] was employed for the validation
      purposes, and it was found that, in the original CO line list calculated for
      large changes of the vibrational quantum number up to Deltan = 41, intensities
      with Deltan > 11 were unphysical. Therefore, very high overtone transitions were
      removed from the published list in Li et al. Here, we show how this type of
      validation is carried out and prove that the quadruple precision is indispensably
      required to predict the reliable intensities using the conventional 32-bit
      computers. Based on these calculations, the NIDL is shown to hold up for the 0 ->
      n transitions till the dissociation limit around n = 83, covering 45 orders of
      magnitude in the intensity. The low-intensity 0 -> n transition predicted in the
      work of Medvedev [Determination of a new molecular constant for diatomic systems.
      Normal intensity distribution law for overtone spectra of diatomic and polyatomic
      molecules and anomalies in overtone absorption spectra of diatomic molecules,
      Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, 1984]
      at n = 5 is confirmed, and two additional "abnormal" intensities are found at n =
      14 and 23. Criteria for the appearance of such "anomalies" are formulated. The
      results could be useful to revise the high-overtone molecular transition
      probabilities provided in spectroscopic databases. 

PMID- 26493902
TI  - Symmetry of extremely floppy molecules: Molecular states beyond rotation
      vibration separation.
AB  - Traditionally, molecules are theoretically described as near-static structures
      rotating in space. Vibrational motion causing small structural deformations
      induces a perturbative treatment of the rotation-vibration interaction, which
      fails in highly fluxional molecules, where all vibrational motions have
      amplitudes comparable in size to the linear dimensions of the molecule. An
      example is protonated methane (CH5(+)) [P. Kumar and D. Marx, Phys. Chem. Chem.
      Phys. 8, 573 (2006); Z. Jin et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 110, 1569 (2006); and A. S.
      Petit et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 118, 7206 (2014)]. For these molecules, customary
      theory fails to simulate reliably even the low-energy spectrum [T. Oka, Science
      347, 1313-1314 (2015) and O. Asvany et al., Science 347, 1346-1349 (2015)].
      Within the traditional view of rotation and vibration being near-separable,
      rotational and vibrational wavefunctions can be symmetry classified separately in
      the molecular symmetry (MS) group [P. Bunker and P. Jensen, Molecular Symmetry
      and Spectroscopy, NRC Monograph Publishing Program (NRC Research Press, 2006)].
      In this article, we discuss a fundamental group theoretical approach to the
      problem of determining the symmetries of molecular rotation-vibration states. We
      will show that all MS groups discussed so far are isomorphic to subgroups of the
      special orthogonal group in three dimensions SO(3). This leads to a group
      theoretical foundation of the technique of equivalent rotations [H. Longuet
      Higgins, Mol. Phys. 6, 445 (1963)]. The group G240 (the MS group of protonated
      methane) represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first example of a MS
      group which is not isomorphic to a subgroup of SO(3) (nor of O(3) or of SU(2)).
      Because of this, a separate symmetry classification of vibrational and rotational
      wavefunctions becomes impossible in this MS group, consistent with the fact that
      a decoupling of vibrational and rotational motion is impossible. We discuss here
      the consequences of this. In conclusion, we show that the prototypical, extremely
      floppy molecule CH5(+) represents a new class of molecules, where customary group
      theoretical methods for determining selection rules and spectral assignments fail
      so that new methods have to be developed.

PMID- 26493903
TI  - Rotational study of the CH4-CO complex: Millimeter-wave measurements and ab
      initio calculations.
AB  - The rotational spectrum of the van der Waals complex CH4-CO has been measured
      with the intracavity OROTRON jet spectrometer in the frequency range of 110-145
      GHz. Newly observed and assigned transitions belong to the K = 2-1 subband
      correlating with the rotationless jCH4 = 0 ground state and the K = 2-1 and K = 0
      1 subbands correlating with the jCH4 = 2 excited state of free methane. The
      (approximate) quantum number K is the projection of the total angular momentum J
      on the intermolecular axis. The new data were analyzed together with the known
      millimeter-wave and microwave transitions in order to determine the molecular
      parameters of the CH4-CO complex. Accompanying ab initio calculations of the
      intermolecular potential energy surface (PES) of CH4-CO have been carried out at
      the explicitly correlated coupled cluster level of theory with single, double,
      and perturbative triple excitations [CCSD(T)-F12a] and an augmented correlation
      consistent triple zeta (aVTZ) basis set. The global minimum of the five
      dimensional PES corresponds to an approximately T-shaped structure with the CH4
      face closest to the CO subunit and binding energy De = 177.82 cm(-1). The bound
      rovibrational levels of the CH4-CO complex were calculated for total angular
      momentum J = 0-6 on this intermolecular potential surface and compared with the
      experimental results. The calculated dissociation energies D0 are 91.32, 94.46,
      and 104.21 cm(-1) for A (jCH4 = 0), F (jCH4 = 1), and E (jCH4 = 2) nuclear spin
      modifications of CH4-CO, respectively. 

PMID- 26493904
TI  - Theoretical studies for the N2-N2O van der Waals complex: The potential energy
      surface, intermolecular vibrations, and rotational transition frequencies.
AB  - Theoretical studies of the potential energy surface (PES) and bound states are
      performed for the N2-N2O van der Waals (vdW) complex. A four-dimensional
      intermolecular PES is constructed at the level of single and double excitation
      coupled-cluster method with a non-iterative perturbation treatment of triple
      excitations [CCSD(T)] with aug-cc-pVTZ basis set supplemented with bond
      functions. Two equivalent T-shaped global minima are located, in which the O atom
      of N2O monomer is near the N2 monomer. The intermolecular fundamental vibrational
      states are assigned by inspecting the orientation of the nodal surface of the
      wavefunctions. The calculated frequency for intermolecular disrotation mode is
      23.086 cm(-1), which is in good agreement with the available experimental data of
      22.334 cm(-1). A negligible tunneling splitting with the value of 4.2 MHz is
      determined for the ground vibrational state and the tunneling splitting increases
      as the increment of the vibrational frequencies. Rotational levels and transition
      frequencies are calculated for both isotopomers (14)N2-N2O and (15)N2-N2O. The
      accuracy of the PES is validated by the good agreement between theoretical and
      experimental results for the transition frequencies and spectroscopic parameters.

PMID- 26493905
TI  - Ionization and photofragmentation of Ru3(CO)12 and Os3(CO)12.
AB  - In this paper, we use a combination of photoelectron spectroscopy, mass
      spectrometry, and density functional theory calculations to get a detailed
      understanding of valence single and double ionization and the subsequent
      dissociation processes. This is exemplified on benchmark systems, trimetallo
      dodecacarbonyls M3(CO)12 with M = Ru, Os, where the energy remaining in the
      molecule after photoionization can be retrieved by measuring the degree of
      fragmentation of the molecular ion. The intensity of different mass peaks can
      thus be directly related to ionization cross sections obtained by photoelectron
      spectroscopy. We find that the M-CO dissociation energy rises as the number of CO
      ligands decreases due to dissociation. Moreover, ionization of the CO ligands has
      a higher cross section than that of the metal center for both single and double
      ionization. After advanced fragmentation, a CO bond can break and the carbon atom
      remains bonded to the metal core. In addition, we found that the valence
      ionization cross sections of M3(CO)12 are maximal at about 40 eV photon energy
      thus showing a more pronounced shape resonance than Ru and Os-complexes with a
      single metal atom center. Finally, an np -> nd giant resonance absorption causes
      a significant increase of the ionization cross section above 50 eV for Ru3(CO)12.

PMID- 26493906
TI  - Far-infrared VRT spectroscopy of the water dimer: Characterization of the 20 MUm
      out-of-plane librational vibration.
AB  - We report the first high-resolution spectra for the out-of-plane librational
      vibration in the water dimer. Three vibrational subbands comprising a total of
      188 transitions have been measured by diode laser spectroscopy near 500 cm(-1)
      and assigned to (H2O)2 libration-rotation-tunneling eigenstates. The band origin
      for the Ka = 1 subband is ~524 cm(-1). Librational excitation increases the
      interchange and bifurcation hydrogen bond rearrangement tunneling splittings by
      factors of 3-5 and 4-40, respectively. Analysis of the rotational constants
      obtained from a nonlinear least squares fit indicates that additional external
      perturbations to the energy levels are likely.

PMID- 26493907
TI  - Mode specific dynamics of the H2 + CH3 -> H + CH4 reaction studied using quasi
      classical trajectory and eight-dimensional quantum dynamics methods.
AB  - An eight-dimensional quantum dynamical model is proposed and applied to the title
      reaction. The reaction probabilities and integral cross sections have been
      determined for both the ground and excited vibrational states of the two
      reactants. The results indicate that the H2 stretching and CH3 umbrella modes,
      along with the translational energy, strongly promote the reactivity, while the
      CH3 symmetric stretching mode has a negligible effect. The observed mode
      specificity is confirmed by full-dimensional quasi-classical trajectory
      calculations. The mode specificity can be interpreted by the recently proposed
      sudden vector projection model, which attributes the enhancement effects of the
      reactant modes to their strong couplings with the reaction coordinate at the
      transition state. 

PMID- 26493908
TI  - Characteristic footprints of an exceptional point in the dynamics of Li dimer
      under a laser field.
AB  - Non-hermitian quantum mechanics is a formalism that excels in describing time
      dependent states such as resonances. As one, it opens up a window to explore new
      and undiscovered phenomena. Under this formalism coalescence of two eigenstates
      and a deficient spectrum are a possible situation. These situations are unique
      and can occur solely in specific conditions known as Exceptional Points (EPs). An
      EP holds unique characteristics. One of which is a switch-like behavior: upon
      adiabatically changing the conditions in a closed loop around the EP, the
      population of one resonance can be transferred completely to another resonance.
      The phenomenon was not experimentally observed in an atomic or molecular system
      so far, although experiments involving nonlinear PT symmetry optics and microwave
      cavities have already indicated its existence. In this work, we demonstrate and
      confirm that the switch-like behavior exists in the spectrum of a lithium dimer
      taking into account both the rotations and the vibrations of the system.
      Moreover, a footprint of the EP is also shown to exist in the photo-association
      process of the lithium dimer. In this process, the EP's resonances serve as the
      mean to associate two free lithium atoms into a dimer. Based on this, we suggest
      a corresponding experiment to demonstrate for the first time the EP phenomenon in
      a molecular system. 

PMID- 26493909
TI  - A simple transferable adaptive potential to study phase separation in large-scale
      xMgO-(1-x)SiO2 binary glasses.
AB  - A simple transferable adaptive model is developed and it allows for the first
      time to simulate by molecular dynamics the separation of large phases in the MgO
      SiO2 binary system, as experimentally observed and as predicted by the phase
      diagram, meaning that separated phases have various compositions. This is a real
      improvement over fixed-charge models, which are often limited to an
      interpretation involving the formation of pure clusters, or involving the
      modified random network model. Our adaptive model, efficient to reproduce known
      crystalline and glassy structures, allows us to track the formation of large
      amorphous Mg-rich Si-poor nanoparticles in an Mg-poor Si-rich matrix from a
      0.1MgO-0.9SiO2 melt. 

PMID- 26493911
TI  - Fluctuations of local electric field and dipole moments in water between metal
      walls.
AB  - We examine the thermal fluctuations of the local electric field Ek (loc) and the
      dipole moment MUk in liquid water at T = 298 K between metal walls in electric
      field applied in the perpendicular direction. We use analytic theory and
      molecular dynamics simulation. In this situation, there is a global electrostatic
      coupling between the surface charges on the walls and the polarization in the
      bulk. Then, the correlation function of the polarization density pz(r) along the
      applied field contains a homogeneous part inversely proportional to the cell
      volume V. Accounting for the long-range dipolar interaction, we derive the
      Kirkwood-Frohlich formula for the polarization fluctuations when the specimen
      volume v is much smaller than V. However, for not small v/V, the homogeneous part
      comes into play in dielectric relations. We also calculate the distribution of Ek
      (loc) in applied field. As a unique feature of water, its magnitude |Ek (loc)|
      obeys a Gaussian distribution with a large mean value E0 ? 17 V/nm, which arises
      mainly from the surrounding hydrogen-bonded molecules. Since |MUk|E0 ~ 30kBT, MUk
      becomes mostly parallel to Ek (loc). As a result, the orientation distributions
      of these two vectors nearly coincide, assuming the classical exponential form. In
      dynamics, the component of MUk(t) parallel to Ek (loc)(t) changes on the time
      scale of the hydrogen bonds ~5 ps, while its smaller perpendicular component
      undergoes librational motions on time scales of 0.01 ps. 

PMID- 26493910
TI  - On the nature of the molecular ordering of water in aqueous DMSO mixtures.
AB  - Computer simulation studies of aqueous dimethyl sulfoxyde (DMSO) mixtures show
      micro-heterogeneous structures, just like aqueous alcohol mixtures. However,
      there is a marked difference in the aggregate structure of water between the two
      types of systems. While water molecules form multiconnected globular clusters in
      alcohols, we report herein that the typical water aggregates in aqueous DMSO
      mixtures are linear, favouring a 2 hydrogen bond structure per water molecule,
      and for all DMSO mole fractions ranging from 0.1 to 0.9. This linear-aggregate
      structure produces a particular signature in the water site-site structure
      factors, in the form of a pre-peak at k ~ 0.2-0.8 A(-1), depending on DMSO
      concentration. This pre-peak is either absent in other aqueous mixtures, such as
      aqueous methanol mixtures, or very difficult to see through computer simulations,
      such as in aqueous-t-butanol mixtures. This difference in the topology of the
      aggregates explains why the Kirkwood-Buff integrals of aqueous-DMSO mixture look
      nearly ideal, in contrast with those of aqueous alcohol mixtures, suggesting a
      connection between the shape of the water aggregates, its fluctuations, and the
      concentration fluctuations. In order to further study this discrepancy between
      aqueous DMSO and aqueous alcohol mixture, two models of pseudo-DMSO are
      introduced, where the size of the sulfur atom is increased by a factor 1.6 and
      1.7, respectively, hence increasing the hydrophobicity of the molecule. The study
      shows that these mixtures become closer to the emulsion type seen in aqueous
      alcohol mixtures, with more globular clustering of the water molecules, long
      range domain oscillations in the water-water correlations and increased water
      water Kirkwood-Buff integrals. It demonstrates that the local ordering of the
      water molecules is influenced by the nature of the solute molecules, with very
      different consequences for structural properties and related thermodynamic
      quantities. This study illustrates the unique plasticity of water in presence of
      different types of solutes. 

PMID- 26493912
TI  - Hydrogen-bond vibrational and energetic dynamical properties in sI and sII
      clathrate hydrates and in ice Ih: Molecular dynamics insights.
AB  - Equilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed on cubic (sI
      and sII) polymorphs of methane hydrate, and hexagonal ice (ice Ih), to study the
      dynamical properties of hydrogen-bond vibrations and hydrogen-bond self-energy.
      It was found that hydrogen-bond energies are greatest in magnitude in sI
      hydrates, followed by sII, and their energies are least in magnitude in ice Ih.
      This is consistent with recent MD-based findings on thermal conductivities for
      these various materials [N. J. English and J. S. Tse, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103,
      015901 (2009)], in which the lower thermal conductivity of sI methane hydrate was
      rationalised in terms of more strained hydrogen-bond arrangements. Further, modes
      for vibration and energy-transfer via hydrogen bonds in sI hydrate were found to
      occur at higher frequencies vis-a-vis ice Ih and sII hydrate in both the water
      librational and OH?H regions because of the more strained nature of hydrogen
      bonds therein. 

PMID- 26493913
TI  - Metal-organic frameworks as host materials of confined supercooled liquids.
AB  - In this work, we examine the use of metal-organic framework (MOF) systems as host
      materials for the investigation of glassy dynamics in confined geometry. We
      investigate the confinement of the molecular glass former glycerol in three MFU
      type MOFs with different pore sizes (MFU stands for "Metal-Organic Framework Ulm
      University") and study the dynamics of the confined liquid via dielectric
      spectroscopy. In accord with previous reports on confined glass formers, we find
      different degrees of deviations from bulk behavior depending on pore size,
      demonstrating that MOFs are well-suited host systems for confinement
      investigations. 

PMID- 26493914
TI  - Dynamics of asymmetric non-polymeric binary glass formers-A nuclear magnetic
      resonance and dielectric spectroscopy study.
AB  - We study a dynamically asymmetric binary glass former with the low-Tg component m
      tri-cresyl phosphate (m-TCP: Tg = 206 K) and a spirobichroman derivative as a non
      polymeric high-Tg component (Tg = 382 K) by means of (1)H nuclear magnetic
      resonance (NMR), (31)P NMR, and dielectric spectroscopy which allow component
      selectively probing the dynamics. The entire concentration range is covered, and
      two main relaxation processes with two Tg are identified, Tg 1 and Tg 2. The
      slower one is attributed to the high-Tg component (alpha1-process), and the
      faster one is related to the m-TCP molecules (alpha2-process). Yet, there are
      indications that a small fraction of m-TCP is associated also with the alpha1
      process. While the alpha1-relaxation only weakly broadens upon adding m-TCP, the
      alpha2-relaxation becomes extremely stretched leading to quasi-logarithmic
      correlation functions at low m-TCP concentrations-as probed by (31)P NMR
      stimulated echo experiments. Frequency-temperature superposition does not apply
      for the alpha2-process and it reflects an isotropic, liquid-like motion which is
      observed even below Tg 1, i.e., in the matrix of the arrested high-Tg molecules.
      As proven by 2D (31)P NMR, the corresponding dynamic heterogeneities are of
      transient nature, i.e., exchange occurs within the distribution G(lntaualpha 2).
      At Tg 1 a crossover is found for the temperature dependence of (mean) taualpha
      2(T) from non-Arrhenius above to Arrhenius below Tg 1 which is attributed to
      intrinsic confinement effects. This "fragile-to-strong" transition also leads to
      a re-decrease of Tg 2(cm - TCP) at low concentration cm - TCP, i.e., a maximum is
      observed in Tg 2(cm - TCP) while Tg 1(cm - TCP) displays the well-known
      plasticizer effect. Although only non-polymeric components are involved, we re
      discover essentially all features previously reported for polymer-plasticizer
      systems. 

PMID- 26493915
TI  - Computational phase diagrams of noble gas hydrates under pressure.
AB  - We present results from a first-principles study on the stability of noble gas
      water compounds in the pressure range 0-100 kbar. Filled-ice structures based on
      the host water networks ice-Ih, ice-Ic, ice-II, and C0 interacting with guest
      species He, Ne, and Ar are investigated, using density functional theory (DFT)
      with four different exchange-correlation functionals that include dispersion
      effects to various degrees: the non-local density-based optPBE-van der Waals
      (vdW) and rPW86-vdW2 functionals, the semi-empirical D2 atom pair correction, and
      the semi-local PBE functional. In the He-water system, the sequence of stable
      phases closely matches that seen in the hydrogen hydrates, a guest species of
      comparable size. In the Ne-water system, we predict a novel hydrate structure
      based on the C0 water network to be stable or at least competitive at relatively
      low pressure. In the Ar-water system, as expected, no filled-ice phases are
      stable; however, a partially occupied Ar-C0 hydrate structure is metastable with
      respect to the constituents. The ability of the different DFT functionals to
      describe the weak host-guest interactions is analysed and compared to coupled
      cluster results on gas phase systems. 

PMID- 26493916
TI  - Numerical simulations of bijel morphology in thin films with complete surface
      wetting.
AB  - Bijels are a relatively new class of soft materials that have many potential
      energy and environmental applications. In this work, simulation results of bijel
      evolution confined within thin films with preferential surface wetting are
      presented. The computational approach used is a hybrid Cahn-Hilliard/Brownian
      dynamics method. In the absence of suspended particles, we demonstrate that the
      model accurately captures the rich kinetics associated with diffusion-based
      surface-directed spinodal decomposition, as evidenced by comparison with previous
      theoretical and simulation-based studies. When chemically neutral particles are
      included in the films, the simulations capture surface-modified bijel formation,
      with stabilized domain structures comparable with the experimental observations
      of Composto and coworkers. Namely, two basic morphologies - bicontinuous or
      discrete - are seen to emerge, with direct dependence on the film thickness,
      particle volume fraction, and particle radius. 

PMID- 26493917
TI  - Correlation between length and tilt of lipid tails.
AB  - It is becoming recognized from simulations, and to a lesser extent from
      experiment, that the classical Helfrich-Canham membrane continuum mechanics model
      can be fruitfully enriched by the inclusion of molecular tilt, even in the fluid,
      chain disordered, biologically relevant phase of lipid bilayers. Enriched
      continuum theories then add a tilt modulus kappatheta to accompany the well
      recognized bending modulus kappa. Different enrichment theories largely agree for
      many properties, but it has been noticed that there is considerable disagreement
      in one prediction; one theory postulates that the average length of the
      hydrocarbon chain tails increases strongly with increasing tilt and another
      predicts no increase. Our analysis of an all-atom simulation favors the latter
      theory, but it also shows that the overall tail length decreases slightly with
      increasing tilt. We show that this deviation from continuum theory can be
      reconciled by consideration of the average shape of the tails, which is a
      descriptor not obviously includable in continuum theory. 

PMID- 26493918
TI  - Thermal conductivity of penta-graphene from molecular dynamics study.
AB  - Using classical equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations and applying the
      original Tersoff interatomic potential, we study the thermal transport property
      of the latest two dimensional carbon allotrope, penta-graphene. It is predicted
      that its room-temperature thermal conductivity is about 167 W/mK, which is much
      lower than that of graphene. With normal mode decomposition, the accumulated
      thermal conductivity with respect to phonon frequency and mean free path is
      analyzed. It is found that the acoustic phonons make a contribution of about 90%
      to the thermal conductivity, and phonons with mean free paths larger than 100 nm
      make a contribution over 50%. We demonstrate that the remarkably lower thermal
      conductivity of penta-graphene compared with graphene results from the lower
      phonon group velocities and fewer collective phonon excitations. Our study
      highlights the importance of structure-property relationship and provides better
      understanding of thermal transport property and valuable insight into thermal
      management of penta-graphene. 

PMID- 26493919
TI  - Hydrophilic behavior of graphene and graphene-based materials.
AB  - Graphene and the graphene-based materials like graphite, carbon nanotubes, and
      fullerenes are not only usually regarded as hydrophobic but also have been widely
      employed as paradigms for the investigation of the behavior of water under
      nonpolar confinement, a question of major concern for fields ranging from biology
      to materials design. However, some experimental and theoretical insights seem to
      contradict, at least partially, such a picture. In this work, we will provide
      firm evidence for a neat hydrophilic nature of graphene surfaces. Our molecular
      dynamics studies will demonstrate that parallel graphene sheets present a strong
      tendency to remain fully hydrated for moderately long times (even when the
      equilibrium state is indeed the collapse of the plates), and thus, they are less
      prone to self-assembly than model hydrophobic surfaces we shall employ as control
      which readily undergo a hydrophobic collapse. Potential of mean force
      calculations will indeed make evident that the solvent exerts a repulsive
      contribution on the self-assembly of graphene surfaces. Moreover, we shall also
      quantify graphene hydrophilicity by means of the calculation of water density at
      two pressures and water density fluctuations. This latter study has never been
      performed on graphene and represents a means both to confirm and to quantify its
      neat hydrophilic behavior. We shall also make evident the relevance of the mildly
      attractive water-carbon interactions, since their artificial weakening will be
      shown to revert from typically hydrophilic to typically hydrophobic behavior. 

PMID- 26493920
TI  - Dynamics of homogeneous nucleation.
AB  - The classical nucleation theory for homogeneous nucleation is formulated as a
      theory for a density fluctuation in a supersaturated gas at a given temperature.
      But molecular dynamics simulations reveal that it is small cold clusters which
      initiates the nucleation. The temperature in the nucleating clusters fluctuates,
      but the mean temperature remains below the temperature in the supersaturated gas
      until they reach the critical nucleation size. The critical nuclei have, however,
      a temperature equal to the supersaturated gas. The kinetics of homogeneous
      nucleation is not only caused by a grow or shrink by accretion or evaporation of
      monomers only but also by an exponentially declining change in cluster size per
      time step equal to the cluster distribution in the supersaturated gas. 

PMID- 26493921
TI  - Opening the way to molecular cycloaddition of large molecules on supported
      silicene.
AB  - Within density functional theory, the adsorption of the H2Pc molecule on the (3 *
      3) silicene/(4 * 4) Ag(111) surface has been investigated. We observe an
      electronic redistribution in the central macrocycle of the H2Pc molecule and the
      formation of two Si - N covalent bonds between the molecule and the silicene, in
      agreement with a cycloaddition reaction. However, while on SiC(0001)(3 * 3) or
      Si(111)(?3*?3)R30 degrees -boron, the H2Pc molecule remains planar, and the H2Pc
      molecule takes a butterfly conformation on the silicene/Ag substrate due to an
      electrostatic or a polarization repulsion between the molecule and the silicene.
      Our study opens a way to the experimental adsorption of large organic molecules
      on supported silicene.

PMID- 26493922
TI  - The polarized interface between quadrupolar insulators: Maxwell stress tensor,
      surface tension, and potential.
AB  - The quadrupolar Maxwell electrostatic equations predict several qualitatively
      different results compared to Poisson's classical equation in their description
      of the properties of a dielectric interface. All interfaces between dielectrics
      possess surface dipole moment which results in a measurable surface potential
      jump. The surface dipole moment is conjugated to the bulk quadrupole moment
      density (the quadrupolarization) similarly to Gauss's relation between surface
      charge and bulk polarization. However, the classical macroscopic Maxwell
      equations completely neglect the quadrupolarization of the medium. Therefore, the
      electrostatic potential distribution near an interface of intrinsic dipole moment
      can be correctly described only within the quadrupolar macroscopic equations of
      electrostatics. They predict that near the polarized interface a diffuse dipole
      layer exists, which bears many similarities to the diffuse charge layer near a
      charged surface, in agreement with existing molecular dynamics simulation data.
      It turns out that when the quadrupole terms are kept in the multipole expansion
      of the laws of electrostatics, the solutions for the potential and the electric
      field are continuous functions at the surface. A well-defined surface electric
      field exists, interacting with the adsorbed dipoles. This allows for a
      macroscopic description of the surface dipole-surface dipole and the surface
      dipole-bulk quadrupole interactions. They are shown to have considerable
      contribution to the interfacial tension-of the order of tens of mN/m! To evaluate
      it, the Maxwell stress tensor in quadrupolar medium is deduced, including the
      electric field gradient action on the quadrupoles, as well as quadrupolar image
      force and quadrupolar electrostriction. The dependence of the interfacial tension
      on the external normal electric field (the dielectrocapillary curve) is predicted
      and the dielectric susceptibility of the dipolar double layer is related to the
      quadrupolarizabilities of the bulk phases and the intrinsic polarization of the
      interface. The coefficient of the dielectro-Marangoni effect (surface flow due to
      gradient of the normal electric field) is found. A model of the Langevin type for
      the surface dipole moment and the intrinsic surface polarizability is presented. 

PMID- 26493923
TI  - Impact of potassium doping on the electronic structure of tetracene and
      pentacene: An electron energy-loss study.
AB  - We report the doping induced changes of the electronic structure of tetracene and
      pentacene probed by electron energy-loss spectroscopy in transmission. A
      comparison between the dynamic response of undoped and potassium-intercalated
      tetracene and pentacene emphasizes the appearance of a new excitation feature in
      the former gap upon potassium addition. Interestingly, the momentum dependency of
      this new excitation shows a negative dispersion. Moreover, the analysis of the C
      1s and K 2p core-level excitation results in a significantly lower doping level
      compared to potassium doped picene, a recently discovered superconductor.
      Therefore, the present electronic structure investigations open a new pathway to
      better understand the exceptional differences between acenes and phenacene and
      their divergent behavior upon alkali doping. 

PMID- 26493924
TI  - Ferrogels cross-linked by magnetic particles: Field-driven deformation and
      elasticity studied using computer simulations.
AB  - Ferrogels, i.e., swollen polymer networks into which magnetic particles are
      immersed, can be considered as "smart materials" since their shape and elasticity
      can be controlled by an external magnetic field. Using molecular dynamics
      simulations on the coarse-grained level, we study a ferrogel in which the
      magnetic particles act as the cross-linkers of the polymer network. In a
      homogeneous external magnetic field, the direct coupling between the orientation
      of the magnetic moments and the polymers by means of covalent bonds gives rise to
      a deformation of the gel, independent of the interparticle dipole-dipole
      interaction. In this paper, we quantify this deformation, and, in particular, we
      investigate the gel's elastic moduli and its magnetic response for two different
      connectivities of the network nodes. Our results demonstrate that these
      properties depend significantly on the topology of the polymer network. 

PMID- 26493925
TI  - Picosecond dissociation of amyloid fibrils with infrared laser: A nonequilibrium
      simulation study.
AB  - Recently, mid-infrared free-electron laser technology has been developed to
      dissociate amyloid fibrils. Here, we present a theoretical framework for this
      type of experiment based on laser-induced nonequilibrium all-atom molecular
      dynamics simulations. We show that the fibril is destroyed due to the strong
      resonance between its amide I vibrational modes and the laser field. The effects
      of laser irradiation are determined by a balance between fibril formation and
      dissociation. While the overall rearrangements of the fibril finish over short
      time scales, the interaction between the peptides and the solvent continues over
      much longer times indicating that the waters play an important role in the
      dissociation process. Our results thus provide new insights into amyloid fibril
      dissociation by laser techniques and open up new venues to investigate the
      complex phenomena associated with amyloidogenesis. 

PMID- 26493926
TI  - Enhancing light-harvesting power with coherent vibrational interactions: A
      quantum heat engine picture.
AB  - Recent evidence suggests that quantum effects may have functional importance in
      biological light-harvesting systems. Along with delocalized electronic
      excitations, it is now suspected that quantum coherent interactions with certain
      near-resonant vibrations may contribute to light-harvesting performance. However,
      the actual quantum advantage offered by such coherent vibrational interactions
      has not yet been established. We investigate a quantum design principle, whereby
      coherent exchange of single energy quanta between electronic and vibrational
      degrees of freedom can enhance a light-harvesting system's power above what is
      possible by thermal mechanisms alone. We present a prototype quantum heat engine
      which cleanly illustrates this quantum design principle and quantifies its
      quantum advantage using thermodynamic measures of performance. We also
      demonstrate the principle's relevance in parameter regimes connected to natural
      light-harvesting structures. 

PMID- 26493928
TI  - Erratum: "Accurate transport properties for H-CO and H-CO2" [J. Chem. Phys. 143,
      054303 (2015)].

PMID- 26493927
TI  - Erratum: "Average local ionization energy generalized to correlated
      wavefunctions" [J. Chem. Phys. 141, 084107 (2014)].

PMID- 26493929
TI  - Erratum: "Phase diagram of mixtures of colloids and polymers in the thermal
      crossover from good to theta solvent" [J. Chem. Phys. 141, 024902 (2014)].

PMID- 26493930
TI  - Exposure to bisphenol A in young adult mice does not alter ovulation but does
      alter the fertilization ability of oocytes.
AB  - Follicle growth culminates in ovulation, which allows for the expulsion of
      fertilizable oocytes and the formation of corpora lutea. Bisphenol A (BPA) is
      present in many consumer products, and it has been suggested that BPA impairs
      ovulation; however, the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Therefore, this study
      first evaluated whether BPA alters ovulation by affecting folliculogenesis, the
      number of corpora lutea or eggs shed to the oviduct, ovarian gonadotropin
      responsiveness, hormone levels, and estrous cyclicity. Because it has been
      suggested (but not directly confirmed) that BPA exerts toxic effects on the
      fertilization ability of oocytes, a second aim was to evaluate whether BPA
      impacts the oocyte fertilization rate using an in vitro fertilization assay and
      mating. The possible effects on early zygote development were also examined.
      Young adult female C57BL/6J mice (39 days old) were orally dosed with corn oil
      (vehicle) or 50 MUg/kgbw/day BPA for a period encompassing the first three
      reproductive cycles (12-15 days). BPA exposure did not alter any parameters
      related to ovulation. Moreover, BPA exposure reduced the percentage of fertilized
      oocytes after either in vitro fertilization or mating, but it did not alter the
      zygotic stages. The data indicate that exposure to the reference dose of BPA does
      not impact ovulation but that it does influence the oocyte quality in terms of
      its fertilization ability.

PMID- 26493932
TI  - Sum over Histories Representation for Kinetic Sensitivity Analysis: How Chemical
      Pathways Change When Reaction Rate Coefficients Are Varied.
AB  - The sensitivity of kinetic observables is analyzed using a newly developed sum
      over histories representation of chemical kinetics. In the sum over histories
      representation, the concentrations of the chemical species are decomposed into
      the sum of probabilities for chemical pathways that follow molecules from
      reactants to products or intermediates. Unlike static flux methods for reaction
      path analysis, the sum over histories approach includes the explicit time
      dependence of the pathway probabilities. Using the sum over histories
      representation, the sensitivity of an observable with respect to a kinetic
      parameter such as a rate coefficient is then analyzed in terms of how that
      parameter affects the chemical pathway probabilities. The method is illustrated
      for species concentration target functions in H2 combustion where the rate
      coefficients are allowed to vary over their associated uncertainty ranges. It is
      found that large sensitivities are often associated with rate limiting steps
      along important chemical pathways or by reactions that control the branching of
      reactive flux. 

PMID- 26493931
TI  - Effects of sexually dimorphic growth hormone secretory patterns on arachidonic
      acid metabolizing enzymes in rodent heart.
AB  - The arachidonic acid (AA) metabolizing enzymes are the potential therapeutic
      targets of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). As sex differences have been shown in
      the risk and outcome of CVDs, we investigated the regulation of heart AA
      metabolizing enzymes (COXs, LOXs, and CYPs) by sex-dependent growth hormone (GH)
      secretory patterns. The pulsatile (masculine) GH secretion at a physiological
      concentration decreased CYP1A1 and CYP2J3 mRNA levels more efficiently in the
      H9c2 cells compared with the constant (feminine) GH secretion; however, CYP1B1
      mRNA levels were higher following the pulsatile GH secretion. Sex differences in
      CYP1A1, CYP1B1, and CYP2J11 mRNA levels were observed in both the wild-type and
      GHR deficient mice. No sex differences in the mRNA levels of COXs, LOXs, or
      CYP2E1 were observed in the wild-type mice. The constant GH infusion induced
      heart CYP1A1 and CYP2J11, and decreased CYP1B1 in the male C57/B6 mice constantly
      infused with GH (0.4 MUg/h, 7 days). The activity of rat Cyp2j3 promoter was
      inhibited by the STAT5B protein, but was activated by C/EBPalpha (CEBPA).
      Compared with the constant GH administration, the levels of the nuclear
      phosphorylated STAT5B protein and its binding to the rat Cyp2j3 promoter were
      higher following the pulsatile GH administration. The constant GH infusion
      decreased the binding of the nuclear phosphorylated STAT5B protein to the mouse
      Cyp2j11 promoter. The data suggest the sexually dimorphic transcription of heart
      AA metabolizing enzymes, which might alter the risk and outcome of CVDs. GHR
      STAT5B signal transduction pathway may be involved in the sex difference in heart
      CYP2J levels.

PMID- 26493933
TI  - A posterior anal sling for fecal incontinence: results of a 152-patient
      prospective multicenter study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The transobturator posterior anal sling (TOPAS) system is a posterior
      anal sling that is a minimally invasive, self-fixating polypropylene mesh
      intended to treat fecal incontinence (FI) in women who have failed conservative
      therapy. OBJECTIVE: We are reporting 1-year outcome in a prospective, multicenter
      study under investigational device exemption, evaluating this new treatment
      modality. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 152 women were implanted with the TOPAS system
      at 14 centers in the United States. FI was assessed preoperatively and at the 12
      month follow up with a 14-day bowel diary, Cleveland Clinic Incontinence Scores,
      and FI Quality of Life questionnaires. Treatment success was defined as reduction
      in number of FI episodes of >=50% compared to baseline. Missing bowel diary data
      were considered treatment failures. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to
      compare changes observed at 12 months vs baseline. RESULTS: Mean age was 59.6
      years old (SD 9.7). The mean duration of FI was 110 mo (range 8-712) months. Mean
      length of the implant procedure was 33.4 (SD 11.6) minutes. Mean EBL was 12.9 (SD
      10.5) mL. Average follow-up was 24.9 months. At 12 months, 69.1% of patients met
      the criteria for treatment success, and 19% of subjects reported complete
      continence. FI episodes/wk decreased from a median of 9.0 (range 2-40) at
      baseline to 2.5 (range 0-40) (P < .001). FI days decreased from a median of 5.0
      (range 1.5-7) at baseline to 2.0 (range 0-7) (P < .001) over a 7-day period. FI
      associated with urgency decreased from a median at baseline of 2.0 (range 0-26)
      to 0 (range 0-14.5) (P < .001). The mean Cleveland Clinic Incontinence Scores
      decreased from 13.9 at baseline to 9.6 at 12 months (P < .001). FI Quality of
      Life scores for all 4 domains improved significantly from baseline to 12 months
      (P < .001). A total of 66 subjects experienced 104 procedure- and/or device
      related adverse events (AEs). Most AEs were short in duration and 97% were
      managed without therapy or with nonsurgical interventions. No treatment-related
      deaths, erosions, extrusions, or device revisions were reported. The most common
      AE categories were pelvic pain (n = 47) and infection (n = 26). Those subjects
      experiencing pelvic pain had a mean pain score (0-10 scale, 0 = no pain) during
      the 12-month follow-up of 1.2 (SD 2.4). CONCLUSION: The TOPAS system provides
      significant improvements in FI symptoms and quality of life with an acceptable AE
      profile and may therefore be a viable minimally invasive treatment option for FI
      in women.

PMID- 26493935
TI  - Prevalence and predictors of anaemia in Romanian infants 6-23 months old.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anaemia is a public health problem that can lead to a variety of
      detrimental effects on physical and neurodevelopment in young children. The
      present study explored the epidemiology of anaemia among infants in Romania,
      identified risk factors and created a model for predicting it. METHODS: Data from
      1532 infants aged 6-24 months were selected from a larger nationally
      representative cross-sectional survey. Demographic predictor variables and
      haemoglobin concentration were extant variables in the data set. Multiple
      logistic regression was used to determine the best predictors of anaemia.
      RESULTS: Overall, 46% of 6-24 month olds in the sample had anaemia (Hb < 11.0
      g/dl). A variety of risk factors were associated with significantly greater odds
      of anaemia, but a five-factor model best predicted it (67.9% accuracy). These
      predictors included being male, living in a rural area, being third born or
      later, being a Hungarian and living in the South, South-West or West region of
      Romania. CONCLUSIONS: While data indicate a modest decrease in anaemia from
      earlier Romanian studies, it remains a significant problem. Models like this one
      have the potential to improve identification and treatment of anaemia in young
      children.

PMID- 26493936
TI  - Differential role of endogenous cathepsin and microorganism in texture softening
      of ice-stored grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) fillets.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Texture deterioration often negatively affects sensory attributes and
      commercial values of ice-stored fish fillets. The mechanism of softening of fish
      fillets during chilling storage is not fully resolved. Grass carp is a
      predominant freshwater fish species in China. The objective of the present study
      was to investigate the differential role of endogenous cathepsin and
      microorganisms in texture softening of ice-stored grass carp fillets. RESULTS:
      The fillets were immersed in either NaN3 solution to reduce microbial activity or
      in iodoacetic acid solution to exclude cathepsin activity before ice storage.
      Treatment with NaN3 reduced microbial load of fillets below 2 log CFU g(-1)
      muscle during the entire storage period, and had no significant influence on the
      cathepsin activity and proteolysis. But the shear force of fillets treated with
      NaN3 decreased by 66% after 21 days of storage. Meanwhile, treatment with
      iodoacetic acid inactivated cathepsin B and B + L but did not significantly
      affect the microbial growth of fillets. Compared to NaN3 treatment, iodoacetic
      acid effectively alleviated softening and inhibited the increase in TCA-soluble
      peptides during storage. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that proteolysis
      induced by endogenous cathepsins, rather than microorganisms, plays an important
      role in texture softening of ice-stored grass carp fillets. (c) 2015 Society of
      Chemical Industry.

PMID- 26493937
TI  - Blood or sputum eosinophils to guide asthma therapy?

PMID- 26493934
TI  - Recent research on Gulf War illness and other health problems in veterans of the
      1991 Gulf War: Effects of toxicant exposures during deployment.
AB  - Veterans of Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield - the 1991 Gulf War (GW) - are a
      unique population who returned from theater with multiple health complaints and
      disorders. Studies in the U.S. and elsewhere have consistently concluded that
      approximately 25-32% of this population suffers from a disorder characterized by
      symptoms that vary somewhat among individuals and include fatigue, headaches,
      cognitive dysfunction, musculoskeletal pain, and respiratory, gastrointestinal
      and dermatologic complaints. Gulf War illness (GWI) is the term used to describe
      this disorder. In addition, brain cancer occurs at increased rates in subgroups
      of GW veterans, as do neuropsychological and brain imaging abnormalities.
      Chemical exposures have become the focus of etiologic GWI research because
      nervous system symptoms are prominent and many neurotoxicants were present in
      theater, including organophosphates (OPs), carbamates, and other pesticides;
      sarin/cyclosarin nerve agents, and pyridostigmine bromide (PB) medications used
      as prophylaxis against chemical warfare attacks. Psychiatric etiologies have been
      ruled out. This paper reviews the recent literature on the health of 1991 GW
      veterans, focusing particularly on the central nervous system and on effects of
      toxicant exposures. In addition, it emphasizes research published since 2008,
      following on an exhaustive review that was published in that year that summarizes
      the prior literature (RACGWI, 2008). We conclude that exposure to pesticides
      and/or to PB are causally associated with GWI and the neurological dysfunction in
      GW veterans. Exposure to sarin and cyclosarin and to oil well fire emissions are
      also associated with neurologically based health effects, though their
      contribution to development of the disorder known as GWI is less clear. Gene
      environment interactions are likely to have contributed to development of GWI in
      deployed veterans. The health consequences of chemical exposures in the GW and
      other conflicts have been called "toxic wounds" by veterans. This type of injury
      requires further study and concentrated treatment research efforts that may also
      benefit other occupational groups with similar exposure-related illnesses.

PMID- 26493938
TI  - Blood eosinophil count and prospective annual asthma disease burden: a UK cohort
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Elevated sputum eosinophil counts predict asthma exacerbations and
      responsiveness to inhaled corticosteroids but are impractical to measure in
      primary care. We investigated the relation between blood eosinophil count and
      prospective annual asthma outcomes for a large UK cohort. METHODS: This
      historical cohort study used anonymised medical record data to identify primary
      care patients with asthma aged 12-80 years with 2 years of continuous records,
      including 1 year before (baseline) and 1 year after (outcome) their most recent
      eosinophil count. Negative binomial regression was used to compare outcome
      exacerbation rates and logistic regression to compare odds of asthma control for
      patients with blood eosinophil counts of 400 cells per MUL or less versus greater
      than 400 cells per MUL, adjusting for age, sex, body-mass index, smoking status,
      and Charlson comorbidity index. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov,
      number NCT02140541. FINDINGS: Overall, 20 929 (16%) of 130 248 patients had blood
      eosinophil counts greater than 400 cells per MUL. During the outcome year, these
      patients experienced significantly more severe exacerbations (adjusted rate ratio
      [RR] 1.42, 95% CI 1.36-1.47) and acute respiratory events (RR 1.28, 1.24-1.33)
      than those with counts of 400 cells per MUL or less. They also had significantly
      lower odds of achieving overall asthma control (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.72-0.77),
      defined as limited reliever use and no asthma-related hospital attendance or
      admission, acute course of oral corticosteroids, or prescription for antibiotics.
      Exacerbation rates increased progressively with nine ascending categories of
      blood eosinophil count as compared with a reference category of 200 cells per MUL
      or less. INTERPRETATION: Patients with asthma and blood eosinophil counts greater
      than 400 cells per MUL experience more severe exacerbations and have poorer
      asthma control. Furthermore, a count-response relation exists between blood
      eosinophil counts and asthma-related outcomes. Blood eosinophil counts could add
      predictive value to Global Initiative for Asthma control-based risk assessment.
      FUNDING: Teva Pharmaceuticals.

PMID- 26493939
TI  - The role of EpCAM in physiology and pathology of the epithelium.
AB  - Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule (EpCAM) has been discovered as one of the first
      tumor-specific antigens overexpressed in epithelial cancer. The present review
      focuses on the role of EpCAM in physiology and homeostasis of epithelia. Recent
      research pointed to a close interaction of EpCAM with other cell-cell contact
      molecules like E-cadherin and claudins and an intimate crosstalk with Wnt and TGF
      beta signaling in the regulation of cell growth. Moreover, EpCAM has been shown
      to modulate trans-epithelial migration processes of white blood cells. Mutations
      of the EpCAM gene lead to disturbances of epithelial homeostasis and cellular
      differentiation from the stem cell compartment. In the intestinal tract EpCAM
      mutations contribute to congenital tufting enteropathy. Regarding tumorigenesis
      EpCAM can act as an oncogene still depending on additional driver mutations and
      epithelial phenotype of tumor cells. Tumor cells display increased EpCAM
      expression that often correlates with the loss of strict basolateral
      localization. Many tumors show enhanced regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIP)
      of EpCAM and loose EpCAM expression under conditions of epithelial to mesenchymal
      transition. The resulting extracellular EpEX and intracellular EpICD fragments
      mediate proliferative signals to the cell. Resulting fragments can be validated
      either by sensitive enzyme-linked immune-sandwich assays (EpEX) or by
      immunohistochemistry (EpICD). The present review gives an overview on the
      detection of EpCAM fragments as predictive markers for disease progression and
      survival of cancer patients. 

PMID- 26493940
TI  - Size does matter: crocodile mothers react more to the voice of smaller offspring.
AB  - Parental care is widespread in Archosaurs (birds, crocodilians, dinosaurs and
      pterosaurs), and this group provides a useful model for the evolution of parent
      offspring interactions. While offspring signalling has been well-studied in
      birds, the modulation of parental care in crocodilians remains an open question.
      Here we show that acoustic communication has a key role in the dynamics of
      crocodilian' mother-offspring relationships. We found embedded information about
      the emitter's size in juvenile calls of several species, and experimentally
      demonstrated that Nile crocodile mothers breeding in the wild are less receptive
      to the calls of larger juveniles. Using synthetized sounds, we further showed
      that female' reaction depends on call pitch, an important cue bearing size
      information. Changes in acoustic interactions may thus go with the break of
      maternal care as well as dispersal of juvenile crocodilians. This process could
      have characterized other archosaurs displaying rapid early growth such as
      dinosaurs and pterosaurs. 

PMID- 26493941
TI  - Cell death: Pathways for cross-priming.

PMID- 26493942
TI  - Shelley procedure in axillary hyperhidrosis.

PMID- 26493943
TI  - Low Shear Stress Inhibited Endothelial Cell Autophagy Through TET2
      Downregulation.
AB  - Low shear stress plays a crucial role in the initiation and progression of
      atherosclerotic lesions. However, the detailed mechanisms of these processes
      remain unclear. In this study, the effect of low shear stress on endothelial cell
      autophagy and its potential mechanism were investigated. Results showed autophagy
      dysfunction and ten-eleven translocation 2 (TET2) protein downregulation during
      atherosclerotic lesion progression. Autophagic markers BECLIN 1 and LC3II/LC3I
      under low shear stress (5 dyne/cm(2)) obviously decreased compared with those
      under physiological shear stress (15 dyne/cm(2)), whereas autophagic substrate
      p62 increased. TET2 expression was also downregulated under low shear stress.
      Endothelial cell autophagy was improved with TET2 overexpression but was impaired
      by TET2 siRNA treatment. Moreover, TET2 overexpression upregulated the expression
      of endothelial cell nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and downregulated the expression
      of endothelin-1 (ET-1). TET2 siRNA further attenuated eNOS expression and
      stimulated ET-1 expression. Overall, the results showed that low shear stress
      downregulated endothelial cell autophagy by impaired TET2 expression, which might
      contribute to the atherogenic process.

PMID- 26493944
TI  - A Phosphole Oxide Based Fluorescent Dye with Exceptional Resistance to
      Photobleaching: A Practical Tool for Continuous Imaging in STED Microscopy.
AB  - The development of stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy represented a
      major breakthrough in cellular and molecular biology. However, the intense laser
      beams required for both excitation and STED usually provoke rapid photobleaching
      of fluorescent molecular probes, which significantly limits the performance and
      practical utility of STED microscopy. We herein developed a photoresistant
      fluorescent dye C-Naphox as a practical tool for STED imaging. With excitation
      using either a lambda=405 or 488 nm laser in protic solvents, C-Naphox exhibited
      an intense red/orange fluorescence (quantum yield PhiF >0.7) with a large Stokes
      shift (circa 5900 cm(-1) ). Even after irradiation with a Xe lamp (300 W,
      lambdaex =460 nm, full width at half maximum (FWHM)=11 nm) for 12 hours, 99.5 %
      of C-Naphox remained intact. The high photoresistance of C-Naphox allowed
      repeated STED imaging of HeLa cells. Even after recording 50 STED images, 83 % of
      the initial fluorescence intensity persisted. 

PMID- 26493945
TI  - Stainless-Steel Ball-Milling Method for Hydro-/Deutero-genation using H2O/D2O as
      a Hydrogen/Deuterium Source.
AB  - A one-pot continuous-flow method for hydrogen (deuterium) generation and
      subsequent hydrogenation (deuterogenation) was developed using a stainless-steel
      (SUS304)-mediated ball-milling approach. SUS304, especially zero-valent Cr and Ni
      as constituents of the SUS304, and mechanochemical processing played crucial
      roles in the development of the reactions. 

PMID- 26493946
TI  - FIELD CORRECTION FACTORS FOR PERSONAL NEUTRON DOSEMETERS.
AB  - A field-dependent correction factor can be obtained by comparing the readings of
      two albedo neutron dosemeters fixed in opposite directions on a polyethylene
      sphere to the H*(10) reading as determined with a thermal neutron detector in the
      centre of the same sphere. The work shows that the field calibration technique as
      used for albedo neutron dosemeters can be generalised for all kind of dosemeters,
      since H*(10) is a conservative estimate of the sum of the personal dose
      equivalents Hp(10) in two opposite directions. This result is drawn from
      reference values as determined by spectrometers within the EVIDOS project at
      workplace of nuclear installations in Europe. More accurate field-dependent
      correction factors can be achieved by the analysis of several personal dosimeters
      on a phantom, but reliable angular responses of these dosemeters need to be taken
      into account. 

PMID- 26493947
TI  - ASSESSING THE USEFULNESS OF THE QUASI-IDEAL OBSERVER FOR QUALITY CONTROL IN
      FLUOROSCOPY.
AB  - The aim of this work was to evaluate the reliability of the square of the signal
      to-noise ratio rate, [Formula: see text], as a precise measurement for quality
      control test in a digital fluoroscopy system. The quasi-ideal model observer was
      used to measure [Formula: see text] The dose rate, pulse rate and field of view
      were varied, and their effect on dose efficiency, defined as [Formula: see text],
      was evaluated (where [Formula: see text] is the air kerma-area product rate).
      Measurements were repeated to assess reproducibility. The relative standard
      deviation in [Formula: see text] over seven consecutive measurements was 5 %. No
      significant variation in [Formula: see text] was observed across different pulse
      rates (10-30 pulses s(-1)). The low-dose-rate setting had a superior dose
      efficiency compared with the medium- and high-dose-rate settings. A smaller field
      of view resulted in higher dose efficiency.The results show that [Formula: see
      text] measurements offer the high precision required in quality control constancy
      tests. 

PMID- 26493948
TI  - Oppositional defiant disorder dimensions and subtypes among detained male
      adolescent offenders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In adolescent offenders, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and its
      dimensions/subtypes have been frequently ignored due to the stronger focus on
      criminal behaviours. The revised criteria of the DSM-5 now allow diagnosing ODD
      in older youths independent of conduct disorder (CD). This study aimed at
      analysing ODD dimensions/subtypes and their relation to suicidality, comorbid
      psychiatric disorders, and criminal behaviours after release from detention in a
      sample of detained male adolescents. METHODS: Suicidality and psychiatric
      disorders (including ODD symptoms) were assessed in a consecutive sample of 158
      male adolescents (Mage  = 16.89 years) from the Zurich Juvenile Detention Centre.
      Based on previous research findings, an irritable ODD dimension and a
      defiant/vindictive ODD dimension based on ODD symptoms were defined. Latent Class
      Analysis (LCA) was used to identify distinct subtypes of adolescent offenders
      according to their ODD symptom profiles. Logistic regression and Cox regression
      were used to analyse the relations of ODD dimensions/ODD subtypes to comorbid
      psychopathology and criminal reoffenses from official data. RESULTS: The ODD
      irritable dimension, but not the ODD defiant/vindictive dimension predicted
      comorbid anxiety, suicidality and violent reoffending. LCA identified four
      subtypes, namely, a no-ODD subtype, a severe ODD subtype and two moderate ODD
      subtypes with either defiant or irritable symptoms. The irritable ODD subtype and
      the severe ODD subtype were related to suicidality and comorbid affective/anxiety
      disorders. The irritable ODD subtype was the strongest predictor of criminal
      (violent) reoffending even when controlling for CD. CONCLUSIONS: The present
      findings confirm the presence of ODD dimensions/subtypes in a highly disturbed
      adolescent offender sample. Irritable youths were at risk of suicide and
      persistent criminal behaviours. Due to the severe consequences of irritability, a
      standardized assessment approach and a specific treatment is needed in prison to
      prevent suicide among the detainees and further harm to the society. As defined
      in the DSM-5, the present findings confirm the validity of ODD and ODD
      dimensions/subtypes as a diagnostic category among older youths.

PMID- 26493949
TI  - Single Canonical Model of Reflexive Memory and Spatial Attention.
AB  - Many neurons in the dorsal and ventral visual stream have the property that after
      a brief visual stimulus presentation in their receptive field, the spiking
      activity in these neurons persists above their baseline levels for several
      seconds. This maintained activity is not always correlated with the monkey's task
      and its origin is unknown. We have previously proposed a simple neural network
      model, based on shape selective neurons in monkey lateral intraparietal cortex,
      which predicts the valence and time course of reflexive (bottom-up) spatial
      attention. In the same simple model, we demonstrate here that passive maintained
      activity or short-term memory of specific visual events can result without need
      for an external or top-down modulatory signal. Mutual inhibition and neuronal
      adaptation play distinct roles in reflexive attention and memory. This modest 4
      cell model provides the first simple and unified physiologically plausible
      mechanism of reflexive spatial attention and passive short-term memory processes.

PMID- 26493950
TI  - A Time and Place for Everything: Developmental Differences in the Building Blocks
      of Episodic Memory.
AB  - This research investigated whether episodic memory development can be explained
      by improvements in relational binding processes, involved in forming novel
      associations between events and the context in which they occurred. Memory for
      item-space, item-time, and item-item relations was assessed in an ethnically
      diverse sample of 151 children aged 7-11 years and 28 young adults. Item-space
      memory reached adult performance by 91/2 years, whereas item-time and item-item
      memory improved into adulthood. In path analysis, item-space, but not item-time
      best explained item-item memory. Across age groups, relational binding related to
      source memory and performance on standardized memory assessments. In conclusion,
      relational binding development depends on relation type, but relational binding
      overall supports episodic memory development.

PMID- 26493951
TI  - DNA methylation signatures of long intergenic noncoding RNAs in porcine adipose
      and muscle tissues.
AB  - Long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) are one of the major unexplored
      components of genomes. Here we re-analyzed a published methylated DNA
      immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeDIP-seq) dataset to characterize the DNA
      methylation pattern of pig lincRNA genes in adipose and muscle tissues. Our study
      showed that the methylation level of lincRNA genes was higher than that of mRNA
      genes, with similar trends observed in comparisons of the promoter, exon or
      intron regions. Different methylation pattern were observed across the
      transcription start sites (TSS) of lincRNA and protein-coding genes. Furthermore,
      an overlap was observed between many lincRNA genes and differentially methylated
      regions (DMRs) identified among different breeds of pigs, which show different
      fat contents, sexes and anatomic locations of tissues. We identify a lincRNA
      gene, linc-sscg3623, that displayed differential methylation levels in backfat
      between Min and Large White pigs at 60 and 120 days of age. We found that a
      demethylation process occurred between days 150 and 180 in the Min and Large
      White pigs, which was followed by remethylation between days 180 and 210. These
      results contribute to our understanding of the domestication of domestic animals
      and identify lincRNA genes involved in adipogenesis and muscle development. 

PMID- 26493953
TI  - Maternal high-fat diet-induced programing of gut taste receptor and inflammatory
      gene expression in rat offspring is ameliorated by CLA supplementation.
AB  - Consumption of a high-fat (HF) diet during pregnancy and lactation influences
      later life predisposition to obesity and cardiometabolic disease in offspring.
      The mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain poorly defined, but one
      potential target that has received scant attention and is likely pivotal to
      disease progression is that of the gut. The present study examined the effects of
      maternal supplementation with the anti-inflammatory lipid, conjugated linoleic
      acid (CLA), on offspring metabolic profile and gut expression of taste receptors
      and inflammatory markers. We speculate that preventing high-fat diet-induced
      metainflammation improved maternal metabolic parameters conferring beneficial
      effects on adult offspring. Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to a
      purified control diet (CD; 10% kcal from fat), CD with CLA (CLA; 10% kcal from
      fat, 1% CLA), HF (45% kcal from fat) or HF with CLA (HFCLA; 45% kcal from fat, 1%
      CLA) throughout gestation and lactation. Plasma/tissues were taken at day 24 and
      RT-PCR was carried out on gut sections. Offspring from HF mothers were
      significantly heavier at weaning with impaired insulin sensitivity compared to
      controls. This was associated with increased plasma IL-1beta and TNFalpha
      concentrations. Gut Tas1R1, IL-1beta, TNFalpha, and NLRP3 expression was
      increased and Tas1R3 expression was decreased in male offspring from HF mothers
      and was normalized by maternal CLA supplementation. Tas1R1 expression was
      increased while PYY and IL-10 decreased in female offspring of HF mothers. These
      results suggest that maternal consumption of a HF diet during critical
      developmental windows influences offspring predisposition to obesity and
      metabolic dysregulation. This may be associated with dysregulation of taste
      receptor, incretin, and inflammatory gene expression in the gut. 

PMID- 26493952
TI  - Smaller Dentate Gyrus and CA2 and CA3 Volumes Are Associated with Kynurenine
      Metabolites in Collegiate Football Athletes.
AB  - An imbalance in kynurenine pathway metabolism is hypothesized to be associated
      with dysregulated glutamatergic neurotransmission, which has been proposed as a
      mechanism underlying the hippocampal volume loss observed in a variety of
      neurological disorders. Pre-clinical models suggest that the CA2-3 and dentate
      gyrus hippocampal subfields are particularly susceptible to excitotoxicity after
      experimental traumatic brain injury. We tested the hypothesis that smaller
      hippocampal volumes in collegiate football athletes with (n = 25) and without (n
      = 24) a concussion history would be most evident in the dentate gyrus and CA2-3
      subfields relative to nonfootball healthy controls (n = 27). Further, we
      investigated whether the concentration of peripheral levels of kynurenine
      metabolites are altered in football athletes. Football athletes with and without
      a self-reported concussion history had smaller dentate gyrus (p < 0.05, p < 0.10)
      and CA2-3 volumes (p's < 0.05) relative to healthy controls. Football athletes
      with and without a concussion history had a trend toward lower (p < 0.10) and
      significantly lower (p < 0.05) kynurenine levels compared with healthy controls,
      while athletes with a concussion history had greater levels of quinolinic acid
      compared with athletes without a concussion history (p < 0.05). Finally, plasma
      levels of 3-hydroxykynurenine inversely correlated with bilateral hippocampal
      volumes in football athletes with a concussion history (p < 0.01), and left
      hippocampal volume was correlated with the ratio of kynurenic acid to quinolinic
      acid in football athletes without a concussion history (p < 0.05). Our results
      raise the possibility that abnormalities of the kynurenine metabolic pathway
      constitute a mechanism for hippocampal volume differences in the context of
      sports-related brain injury.

PMID- 26493954
TI  - Ventilation heterogeneity is increased in patients with chronic heart failure.
AB  - In the healthy lung, ventilation is distributed heterogeneously due to factors
      such as anatomical asymmetry and gravity. This ventilation heterogeneity
      increases pathologically in conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive lung
      disease, and cystic fibrosis. In chronic heart failure, lung biopsy demonstrates
      evidence of peripheral lung fibrosis and small airways narrowing and distortion.
      We hypothesized that this would lead to increased ventilation heterogeneity.
      Furthermore, we proposed that rostral fluid shifts when seated patients lie
      supine would further increase ventilation heterogeneity. We recruited 30
      ambulatory chronic heart failure patients (57 +/- 10 years, 83% male, left
      ventricular ejection fraction 31 +/- 12%) as well as 10 healthy controls (51 +/-
      13 years, 90% male). Heart failure patients were clinically euvolemic. Subjects
      underwent measurement of ventilation heterogeneity using the multiple-breath
      nitrogen washout technique in the seated position, followed by repeat
      measurements after 5 and 45 min in the supine position. Ventilation heterogeneity
      was calculated using the lung clearance index (LCI), Sacin and Scond which
      represent overall, acinar, and small conducting airway function, respectively.
      Lung clearance index (9.6 +/- 1.2 vs. 8.6 +/- 1.4 lung turnovers, P = 0.034) and
      Scond (0.029 +/- 0.014 vs. 0.006 +/- 0.016/L, P = 0.007) were higher in the heart
      failure patients. There was no difference in Sacin (0.197 +/- 0.171 vs. 0.125 +/-
      0.081/L, P = 0.214). Measures of ventilation heterogeneity did not change in the
      supine position. This study confirms the presence of peripheral airway pathology
      in patients with chronic heart failure. This leads to subtle but detectable
      functional abnormalities which do not change after 45 min in the supine position.

PMID- 26493955
TI  - Substituting CF2 for O4' in Components of Nucleic Acids: Towards Systems with
      Reduced Propensity to Form Abasic Lesions.
AB  - Intrinsic structural features and energetics of nucleotides containing variously
      fluorinated sugars as potential building blocks of DNA duplexes and quadruplexes
      are explored systematically using the modern methods of density functional theory
      (DFT) and quantum chemical topology (QCT). Our results suggest that fluorination
      at the 2'-beta or 2'-alpha,beta positions somewhat stabilizes in vacuo the AI
      relative to the BI conformations. In contrast, substitution of the CF2 group for
      the O4' atom (O4'-CF2 modification) leads to a preference of the BI relative to
      AI DNA-like conformers. All the studied modifications result in a noticeable
      increase in the stability of the glycosidic bond [estimated by the relaxed force
      constants (RFC) approach], with particularly encouraging results for the O4'-CF2
      derivative. Consequently, the O4'-CF2 modified systems are suggested and explored
      as promising scaffolds for the development of duplex and quadruplex structures
      with reduced propensity to form abasic lesions and to undergo DNA damage. 

PMID- 26493956
TI  - An Adaptive Association Test for Multiple Phenotypes with GWAS Summary
      Statistics.
AB  - We study the problem of testing for single marker-multiple phenotype associations
      based on genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics without access
      to individual-level genotype and phenotype data. For most published GWASs,
      because obtaining summary data is substantially easier than accessing individual
      level phenotype and genotype data, while often multiple correlated traits have
      been collected, the problem studied here has become increasingly important. We
      propose a powerful adaptive test and compare its performance with some existing
      tests. We illustrate its applications to analyses of a meta-analyzed GWAS dataset
      with three blood lipid traits and another with sex-stratified anthropometric
      traits, and further demonstrate its potential power gain over some existing
      methods through realistic simulation studies. We start from the situation with
      only one set of (possibly meta-analyzed) genome-wide summary statistics, then
      extend the method to meta-analysis of multiple sets of genome-wide summary
      statistics, each from one GWAS. We expect the proposed test to be useful in
      practice as more powerful than or complementary to existing methods. 

PMID- 26493957
TI  - Dysembryoplastic Neuroepithelial Tumors.
AB  - Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNT) is a benign glioneuronal neoplasm
      that most commonly occurs in children and young adults and may present with
      medically intractable, chronic seizures. Radiologically, this tumor is
      characterized by a cortical topography and lack of mass effect or perilesional
      edema. Partial complex seizures are the most common presentation. Three
      histologic subtypes of DNTs have been described. Histologically, the recognition
      of a unique, specific glioneuronal element in brain tumor samples from patients
      with medically intractable, chronic epilepsy serves as a diagnostic feature for
      complex or simple DNT types. However, nonspecific DNT has diagnostic difficulty
      because its histology is indistinguishable from conventional gliomas and because
      a specific glioneuronal element and/or multinodularity are absent. This review
      will focus on the clinical, radiographic, histopathological, and
      immunohistochemical features as well as the molecular genetics of all three
      variants of DNTs. The histological and cytological differential diagnoses for
      this lesion, especially the nonspecific variant, will be discussed. 

PMID- 26493958
TI  - Illuminating Cancer Resistance in Elephants.
AB  - A new study shows that elephants have at least 20 copies of the tumor suppressor
      gene TP53; their cells also favor apoptosis over DNA repair when subjected to DNA
      damaging agents. These findings may help explain elephants' longevity and low
      cancer risk, and shed further light on natural cancer suppression mechanisms. 

PMID- 26493959
TI  - ADC Shows Effectiveness in SCLC.
AB  - Results from a phase I trial presented during the 2015 European Cancer Congress
      suggest that an experimental antibody-drug conjugate, rovalpituzumab tesirine,
      may be effective against recurrent small cell lung cancer, for which there are
      few treatment options. 

PMID- 26493960
TI  - Advancing the Precision Medicine Initiative.
AB  - The NIH has approved the framework to build a national research cohort of 1
      million Americans, a key part of President Obama's Precision Medicine Initiative.

PMID- 26493967
TI  - Novel reversible and switchable electrolytes based on magneto-rheology.
AB  - Replacing organic liquid electrolytes with solid electrolytes has led to a new
      perspective on batteries, enabling high-energy battery chemistry with
      intrinsically safe cell designs. However, most solid/gel electrolytes are easily
      deformed; under extreme deformation, leakage and/or short-circuiting can occur.
      Here, we report a novel magneto-rheological electrolyte (MR electrolyte) that
      responds to changes in an external magnetic field; the electrolyte exhibits low
      viscosity in the absence of a magnetic field and increased viscosity or a solid
      like phase in the presence of a magnetic field. This change from a liquid to
      solid does not significantly change the conductivity of the MR electrolyte. This
      work introduces a new class of magnetically sensitive solid electrolytes that can
      enhance impact resistance and prevent leakage from electronic devices through
      reversible active switching of their mechanical properties. 

PMID- 26493961
TI  - Cancer Immunotherapy with Immunomodulatory Anti-CD137 and Anti-PD-1 Monoclonal
      Antibodies Requires BATF3-Dependent Dendritic Cells.
AB  - Weak and ineffective antitumor cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses can be
      rescued by immunomodulatory mAbs targeting PD-1 or CD137. Using Batf3(-/-) mice,
      which are defective for cross-presentation of cell-associated antigens, we show
      that BATF3-dependent dendritic cells (DC) are essential for the response to
      therapy with anti-CD137 or anti-PD-1 mAbs. Batf3(-/-) mice failed to prime an
      endogenous CTL-mediated immune response toward tumor-associated antigens,
      including neoantigens. As a result, the immunomodulatory mAbs could not amplify
      any therapeutically functional immune response in these mice. Moreover,
      administration of systemic sFLT3L and local poly-ICLC enhanced DC-mediated cross
      priming and synergized with anti-CD137- and anti-PD-1-mediated immunostimulation
      in tumor therapy against B16-ovalbumin-derived melanomas, whereas this function
      was lost in Batf3(-/-) mice. These experiments show that cross-priming of tumor
      antigens by FLT3L- and BATF3-dependent DCs is crucial to the efficacy of
      immunostimulatory mAbs and represents a very attractive point of intervention to
      enhance their clinical antitumor effects. SIGNIFICANCE: Immunotherapy with
      immunostimulatory mAbs is currently achieving durable clinical responses in
      different types of cancer. We show that cross-priming of tumor antigens by BATF3
      dependent DCs is a key limiting factor that can be exploited to enhance the
      antitumor efficacy of anti-PD-1 and anti-CD137 immunostimulatory mAbs.

PMID- 26493968
TI  - Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with pulmonary hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) - a
      potential phenotypical risk for pulmonary hypertension (PH) - in patients with PH
      and by PH diagnostic group including group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension
      (PAH); group 1.1 idiopathic PAH, groups 1.2 heritable PAH, 1.3 drug and toxin
      induced, 1.4 associated PAH, group 2 PH with left heart disease, group 3 PH
      associated with lung disease and/or hypoxemia, group 4 PH owing to chronic
      thrombotic and/or embolic disease, and group 5 PH from multifactorial mechanisms.
      METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients referred to Mayo
      Clinic in Florida from January 1990 to October 2013 (N = 1287). Only patients
      whom PH was confirmed by right heart catheterization were included (N = 640).
      MetS was defined with at least three of the following: systemic hypertension,
      diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and body mass index > 30. RESULTS: MetS was
      prevalent in 247 of 640 (39%) with PH: 13% in group 1.1 PAH, 12% in groups 1.2
      1.4 PAH, 54% in group 2, 55% in group 3, 23% in group 4 and 24% in group 5. After
      adjusting for age, sex and race, diagnostic subgroup analysis revealed a higher
      prevalence of MetS in WHO Group 2 PH patients [adjusted odd ratios (OR): 2.58, P
      < 0.0001] and WHO group 3 PH (adjusted OR: 2.77, P < 0.0001) when compared to
      group 1 PH. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of MetS was observed in 39% of patients
      with PH; however, among PH patients, the prevalence was higher in group 2 and 3
      PH.

PMID- 26493969
TI  - Establishing Realistic Patient Expectations Following Total Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - Nearly 20% of patients are dissatisfied following well-performed total knee
      arthroplasty with good functional outcomes. Surgeons must understand the drivers
      of dissatisfaction to minimize the number of unhappy patients following surgery.
      Several studies have shown that unfulfilled expectations are a principal source
      of patient dissatisfaction. Patients contemplating total knee arthroplasty expect
      pain relief, improved walking ability, return to sports, and improvement in
      psychological well-being and social interactions. However, patients are typically
      overly optimistic with regard to expected outcomes following surgery. Patient
      expectations and satisfaction can be influenced by age, socioeconomic factors,
      sex, and race. The interplay of these factors can be complex and specific to each
      person. Published data on clinical and functional outcomes show that persistence
      of symptoms, such as pain, stiffness, and failure to return to preoperative
      levels of function, are common and normal. Therefore, the surgeon needs to help
      the patient to establish realistic expectations. 

PMID- 26493970
TI  - Acute Management of Traumatic Knee Dislocations for the Generalist.
AB  - Acute knee dislocations are an uncommon injury that can result in profound
      consequences if not recognized and managed appropriately on presentation.
      Patients presenting with knee pain in the setting of high- or low-energy trauma
      may have sustained a knee dislocation that spontaneously reduced. Prompt
      reduction of the dislocated knee and serial neurovascular examinations are
      paramount. Damage to the popliteal artery is a common associated injury that can
      be diagnosed on physical examination using ankle brachial indices (ABIs), CT
      angiography, or standard angiography. After reduction, patients with a normal
      pulse examination and an ABI >=0.9 may be observed, with serial examination
      performed to document vascular status and monitor for compartment syndrome.
      Patients with asymmetric pulses or an ABI <0.9 in the presence of pulses may be
      treated urgently depending on the results of additional vascular imaging, and
      patients with absent pulses and clear signs of vascular compromise should be
      treated emergently. Some knee dislocations are not reducible and should be taken
      emergently to the operating room for an open reduction. Persistent joint
      subluxation or severe soft-tissue injuries after reduction require temporary
      external fixation before definitive repair or reconstruction of ligaments is
      performed. 

PMID- 26493971
TI  - Tranexamic Acid in Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - Perioperative blood loss is a significant concern for patients undergoing total
      joint arthroplasty. A growing body of evidence has shown tranexamic acid (TXA) to
      be effective in decreasing perioperative blood loss and transfusion requirements
      in both primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty. TXA is a synthetic drug
      that limits blood loss through inhibition of fibrinolysis and clot degradation.
      Both topical and intravenous administration of TXA, in a variety of dosing
      regimens, has proven effective. Further investigation is required to determine
      the optimal dose and dosing regimens; however, evidence exists to recommend an
      initial intravenous dose be given before beginning the procedure, with at least
      one additional intravenous dose administered postoperatively. Additionally,
      topical TXA doses >2 g appear to be more efficacious than lower doses. Finally,
      relatively few adverse reactions have been reported in arthroplasty patients, and
      no study to date has demonstrated an increased risk of symptomatic venous
      thromboembolic events in this patient population. 

PMID- 26493972
TI  - Metal-on-Metal Total Hip Arthroplasty: Patient Evaluation and Treatment.
AB  - Metal-on-metal (MoM) hip articulations were thought to represent a biologic and
      biomechanically favorable alternative to conventional metal-on-polyethylene total
      hip arthroplasty implants. However, concerns emerged when registry data reported
      significantly higher failure rates associated with MoM implants compared with
      other contemporary hip implants. These high implant failure rates have been
      attributed to the release of metal particles into the periprosthetic space,
      creating macroscopic necrosis; corrosive osteolysis; large, sterile hip
      effusions; and periprosthetic solid and cystic masses (ie, pseudotumors)-a
      spectrum of findings termed adverse reaction to metal debris. A thorough clinical
      history and physical examination, along with laboratory data and imaging
      surveillance of these patients, is critical for appropriate diagnosis and
      treatment. The decision to perform revision hip arthroplasty of a metal-on-metal
      implant is multifactorial and should be based on documented, objective clinical
      indications. A systematic and objective approach to this evaluation and treatment
      is essential to optimize the care of patients who undergo total hip arthroplasty
      with MoM implants. 

PMID- 26493973
TI  - The ventral hippocampus, but not the dorsal hippocampus is critical for learned
      approach-avoidance decision making.
AB  - The resolution of an approach-avoidance conflict induced by ambivalent
      information involves the appraisal of the incentive value of the outcomes and
      associated stimuli to orchestrate an appropriate behavioral response. Much
      research has been directed at delineating the neural circuitry underlying
      approach motivation and avoidance motivation separately. Very little research,
      however, has examined the neural substrates engaged at the point of decision
      making when opposing incentive motivations are experienced simultaneously. We
      hereby examine the role of the dorsal and ventral hippocampus (HPC) in a novel
      approach-avoidance decision making paradigm, revisiting a once popular theory of
      HPC function, which posited the HPC to be the driving force of a behavioral
      inhibition system that is activated in situations of imminent threat. Rats
      received pre-training excitotoxic lesions of the dorsal or ventral HPC, and were
      trained to associate different non-spatial cues with appetitive, aversive and
      neutral outcomes in three separate arms of the radial maze. On the final day of
      testing, a state of approach-avoidance conflict was induced by simultaneously
      presenting two cues of opposite valences, and comparing the time the rats spent
      interacting with the superimposed 'conflict' cue, and the neutral cue. The
      ventral HPC-lesioned group showed significant preference for the conflict cue
      over the neutral cue, compared to the dorsal HPC-lesioned, and control groups.
      Thus, we provide evidence that the ventral, but not dorsal HPC, is a crucial
      component of the neural circuitry concerned with exerting inhibitory control over
      approach tendencies under circumstances in which motivational conflict is
      experienced.

PMID- 26493974
TI  - A Graded Evaluation of Outcomes Following Pancreaticoduodenectomy with Major
      Vascular Resection in Pancreatic Cancer.
AB  - Previous studies examining short- and long-term outcomes of
      pancreaticoduodenectomy with vascular resection for pancreatic adenocarcinoma
      have not graded perioperative complication severity. These studies may provide
      incomplete assessments of the efficacy of vascular resection. In the current
      study, we evaluated 36 patients who had pancreaticoduodenectomy with major
      vascular resection. These were matched 1:3 by tumor stage and age to patients who
      had pancreaticoduodenectomy without vascular resection. Charts were reviewed to
      identify all complications and 90-day readmissions. Complications were graded as
      either severe or minor adverse postoperative outcomes, taking into account the
      total length of stay. There were no statistical differences in patient
      demographics, comorbidities, or symptoms between the groups. Patients who had
      vascular resection had significantly increased rates of severe adverse
      postoperative outcomes, readmissions, lengths of hospital stay, as well as higher
      hospital costs. Hypoalbuminemia and major vascular resection were independent
      predictors of severe adverse postoperative outcomes. On multivariate Cox
      regression survival analysis, patients who had vascular resection had decreased
      recurrence-free (12 vs. 17 months) and overall (17 vs. 29 months) survival. Major
      vascular resection was a predictor of mortality, may be an independent prognostic
      factor for survival, and may warrant incorporation into future staging systems.

PMID- 26493975
TI  - Both Pre-Transplant and Early Post-Transplant Antireflux Surgery Prevent
      Development of Early Allograft Injury After Lung Transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antireflux surgery (ARS) has been associated with improved lung
      transplant outcomes. Pre-transplant ARS has been shown in small studies to
      improve pulmonary function among transplant candidates with gastroesophageal
      reflux disease (GERD). Although early post-transplant ARS has been shown to be
      effective in reducing chronic rejection, the optimal timing of ARS in transplant
      recipients remains unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the time to
      early allograft injury among lung transplant recipients by timing of ARS.
      METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of lung transplant recipients
      undergoing ARS before or after transplantation at a tertiary care center since
      2007, with at least 1-year follow-up. Early allograft injury was defined
      clinically and histologically as acute rejection or lymphocytic bronchiolitis,
      occurring within the first year after transplantation. In accordance with prior
      studies, the cutoff between early and late post-transplant ARS was set at 6
      months. Time-to-event analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model was
      applied to assess the relationship between timing of surgery and early allograft
      injury. Subjects not meeting this outcome were censored at 1 year in the time-to
      event analysis. Fisher's exact test for binary variables and Student's t test for
      continuous variables were performed to assess for differences among the three
      groups: ARS pre-transplant, ARS early post-transplant, and ARS late post
      transplant. RESULTS: Forty-eight subjects (60% men, mean age 55) met the
      inclusion criteria for the study. Patient demographics, pre-transplant
      cardiopulmonary function, BMI, CMV status, and PPI exposure were similar between
      groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated significantly increased early
      allograft injury in late post-transplant ARS patients compared with both pre
      transplant (log-rank p = 0.007) and early post-transplant (log-rank p = 0.05)
      patients, as well as a significant trend across groups (log-rank p = 0.005). No
      significant difference between pre- and early post-transplant groups was noted.
      Three ARS failures were noted in the pre- and late post-transplant groups.
      Complications included one death due to aspiration pneumonia in a late post
      transplant ARS recipient. No early post-transplant ARS patients experienced ARS
      failure or complications. CONCLUSION: Late post-lung transplant ARS resulted in
      increased risk of early allograft injury compared to pre-transplant and early
      post-transplant ARS. Both pre- and early post-transplant ARS appear equally safe
      and effective in improving lung transplant outcomes. These findings support
      consideration of aggressive reflux testing and application of antireflux measures
      before or soon after transplantation to minimize the impact of reflux on
      allograft injury.

PMID- 26493976
TI  - After Pancreatectomy, the "90 Days from Surgery" Definition Is Superior to the
      "30 Days from Discharge" Definition for Capture of Clinically Relevant
      Readmissions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies by different authors have reported their readmission
      rates after pancreatectomy as either "30 days from discharge" or "90 days from
      surgery." The objective of this study was to determine which of these definitions
      captures the most surgery-related complications. METHODS: A prospectively
      maintained database at a high volume center was queried to identify all
      individuals who underwent pancreatectomy between 2000 and 2012 for any diagnosis.
      The data was analyzed at 30 days after discharge and 90 days after operation. The
      optimal timing for complication reporting was defined as the time point that
      maximized the capture of surgery-related readmissions and direct major surgical
      complications while minimizing the capture of disease (cancer)-related
      readmissions. RESULTS: There were 1123 patients included during the study time
      period. The median age was 63 years old, and 55.6% were male. Operations included
      833 (74.2%) pancreaticoduodenectomies, 257 (22.9%) distal pancreatectomies, 18
      (1.6%) total pancreatectomies, and 15 (1.3%) central pancreatectomies. Surgery
      related readmissions occurred in 248 (22%) individuals, while readmission related
      to malignant disease progression occurred in 25 (2%) individuals. The 30 days
      from discharge definition captured 184 surgery-related readmissions and 1 disease
      related readmission (sensitivity 0.74, specificity 0.96). The 90 days from
      surgery definition captured 215 surgery-related readmissions and 1 disease
      related readmission (sensitivity 0.87, specificity 0.96). Major surgical
      complication was the only independent factor associated with readmission not
      captured by the 30 days from discharge definition (p = 0.002, HR 3.94, 95% CI
      1.44-12.22). CONCLUSION: The 90 days from surgery definition was superior to the
      30 days from discharge definition, especially with regards to readmission related
      to major surgical complications.

PMID- 26493977
TI  - FTIR spectroscopy characterization of fatty-acyl-chain conjugates.
AB  - FTIR spectroscopy is used to identify poly-L-lysin fatty-acyl-chain (PLL-FAC)
      conjugates based on structural differences found between FAC species. Twenty-one
      PLL-FAC models were used, from C8 to C24, and with up to 5 unsaturation levels
      (C20:5). Curve fitting of the 3050-2800 cm(-1) spectral interval permitted
      extraction of IR bands belonging to the stretching vibration modes of methyl,
      methylene, and alkene groups. Based on molecular structure models in 3D, the
      number and position of methyl bands could be set according to chain length and
      unsaturation level. Band positions for nu-(C = C < H), nu(as)(CH3), and
      nu(as)(CH2) groups did not follow the maximum intensity shift of spectrum curve;
      it is the underlying band's intensity that is modifying maximum intensity of
      spectrum curve with respect to chain length and unsaturation level. We thus
      propose to use FTIR spectroscopy for the production monitoring and the quality
      control of PLL-FAC conjugates used as nutritional complements, and this should be
      extended to analysis of fatty acid compounds in general.

PMID- 26493979
TI  - E-Health--a topic for analytical chemists?

PMID- 26493978
TI  - Ion source-dependent performance of 4-vinylpyridine, iodoacetamide, and N-maleoyl
      derivatives for the detection of cysteine-containing peptides in complex
      proteomics.
AB  - Cysteine is unique among the proteinogenic amino acids due to its ability to form
      disulfide bonds. While this property is of vital importance for protein
      structures and biological processes, it causes difficulties for the mass
      spectrometric identification of cysteine-containing peptides. A common approach
      to overcome these problems in bottom-up proteomics is the reduction and covalent
      modification of sulfhydryl groups prior to enzymatic digestion. In this study,
      established alkylating agents and N-maleoyl amino acids with variable
      hydrophobicity were characterized with respect to a variety of relevant
      parameters and subsequently evaluated in a large-scale analysis using different
      ion sources. Depending on the compound, the ion source had a profound impact on
      the relative and absolute identification of cysteine-containing peptides. The
      best results were obtained by derivatization of the cysteine residues with 4
      vinylpyridine and subsequent matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI).
      Modification with 4-vinylpyridine increased the number of cysteine-containing
      peptides identified with any other compound using LC-MALDI/MS at least by a
      factor of 2. This experimental observation is mirrored by differences in the gas
      phase basicities, which were computed for methyl thiolate derivatives of the
      compounds using density functional theory. With electrospray ionization (ESI),
      complementary use of reagents from three different compound classes, e.g.,
      iodoacetamide, 4-vinylpyridine, and N-maleoyl beta-alanine, was beneficial
      compared to the application of a single reagent.

PMID- 26493980
TI  - Functionalized electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibers for on-chip
      concentration of E. coli cells.
AB  - Positively and negatively charged electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)
      nanofibers were incorporated into poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microchannels
      in order to facilitate on-chip concentration of Escherichia coli K12 cells. The
      effects of fiber distribution and fiber mat height on analyte retention were
      investigated. The 3D morphology of the mats was optimized to prevent size-related
      retention of the E. coli cells while also providing a large enough surface area
      for analyte concentration. Positively charged nanofibers produced an 87%
      retention and over 80-fold concentration of the bacterial cells by mere
      electrostatic interaction, while negatively charged nanofibers reduced
      nonspecific analyte retention when compared to an empty microfluidic channel. In
      order to take advantage of this reduction in nonspecific retention, these
      negatively charged nanofibers were then modified with anti-E. coli antibodies.
      These proof-of-principle experiments showed that antibody-functionalized
      negatively charged nanofiber mats were capable of the specific capture of 72% of
      the E. coli cells while also significantly reducing nonspecific analyte retention
      within the channel as expected. The ease of fabrication and immense surface area
      of the functionalized electrospun nanofibers make them a promising alternative
      for on-chip concentration of analytes. The pore size and fiber mat morphology, as
      well as surface functionality of the fibers, can be tailored to allow for
      specific capture and concentration of a wide range of analytes.

PMID- 26493981
TI  - Measurement of volatile plant compounds in field ambient air by thermal
      desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
AB  - Determination of volatile plant compounds in field ambient air is important to
      understand chemical communication between plants and insects and will aid the
      development of semiochemicals from plants for pest control. In this study, a
      thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) method was
      developed to measure ultra-trace levels of volatile plant compounds in field
      ambient air. The desorption parameters of TD, including sorbent tube material,
      tube desorption temperature, desorption time, and cold trap temperature, were
      selected and optimized. In GC-MS analysis, the selected ion monitoring mode was
      used for enhanced sensitivity and selectivity. This method was sufficiently
      sensitive to detect part-per-trillion levels of volatile plant compounds in field
      ambient air. Laboratory and field evaluation revealed that the method presented
      high precision and accuracy. Field studies indicated that the background odor of
      tea plantations contained some common volatile plant compounds, such as (Z)-3
      hexenol, methyl salicylate, and (E)-ocimene, at concentrations ranging from 1 to
      3400 ng m(-3). In addition, the background odor in summer was more abundant in
      quality and quantity than in autumn. Relative to previous methods, the TD-GC-MS
      method is more sensitive, permitting accurate qualitative and quantitative
      measurements of volatile plant compounds in field ambient air.

PMID- 26493982
TI  - Sex-dependent alterations of Ca2+ cycling in human cardiac hypertrophy and heart
      failure.
AB  - AIMS: Clinical studies have shown differences in the propensity for malignant
      ventricular arrhythmias between women and men suffering from cardiomyopathies and
      heart failure (HF). This is clinically relevant as it impacts therapies like
      prophylactic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation but the
      pathomechanisms are unknown. As an increased sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+)
      leak is arrhythmogenic, it could represent a cellular basis for this paradox.
      METHODS/RESULTS: We evaluated the SR Ca(2+) leak with respect to sex differences
      in (i) afterload-induced cardiac hypertrophy (Hy) with preserved left ventricular
      (LV) function and (ii) end-stage HF. Cardiac function did not differ between
      sexes in both cardiac pathologies. Human cardiomyocytes isolated from female
      patients with Hy showed a significantly lower Ca(2+) spark frequency (CaSpF,
      confocal microscopy, Fluo3-AM) compared with men (P < 0.05). As Ca(2+) spark
      width and duration were similar in women and men, this difference in CaSpF did
      not yet translate into a significant difference of the calculated SR Ca(2+) leak
      between both sexes at this stage of disease (P = 0.14). Epifluorescence
      measurements (Fura2-AM) revealed comparable Ca(2+) cycling properties (diastolic
      Ca(2+) levels, amplitude of systolic Ca(2+) transients, SR Ca(2+) load) in
      patients of both sexes suffering from Hy. Additionally, the increased diastolic
      CaSpF in male patients with Hy did not yet translate into an elevated ratio of
      cells showing arrhythmic events (Ca(2+) waves, spontaneous Ca(2+) transients) (P
      = 0.77). In the transition to HF, both sexes showed an increase of the CaSpF (P <
      0.05) and the sex dependence was even more pronounced. Female patients had a 69
      +/- 10% lower SR Ca(2+) leak (P < 0.05), which now even translated into a lower
      ratio of arrhythmic cells in female HF patients compared with men (P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: These data show that the SR Ca(2+) leak is lower in women than in men
      with comparable cardiac impairment. Since the SR Ca(2+) leak triggers delayed
      afterdepolarizations, our findings may explain why women are less prone to
      ventricular arrhythmias and confirm the rationale of therapeutic measures
      reducing the SR Ca(2+) leak.

PMID- 26493983
TI  - Exploring the link between maternal attachment-related anxiety and avoidance and
      mindful parenting: The mediating role of self-compassion.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Mindful parenting has been described as a set of parental practices or
      skills that seek to enhance moment-to-moment awareness in the parent-child
      relationship. Although it has been suggested that adopting a mindful approach in
      parenting may foster positive parent-child relationships and promote the
      psychological functioning of children and parents, little is known about the
      factors that may be associated with this parental skill. In this study, we aimed
      to examine whether attachment-related anxiety and avoidance were associated with
      mindful parenting through self-compassion. DESIGN AND METHODS: The sample
      included 290 mothers of school-aged children and adolescents recruited in school
      settings, who completed self-reported measures of adult attachment (Experiences
      in Close Relationships - Relationships Structures), self-compassion (Self
      compassion Scale), and mindful parenting (Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting
      Scale). RESULTS: Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed
      mediation model and to ascertain direct and indirect effects among study
      variables. Whereas attachment avoidance had a direct effect on mindful parenting,
      attachment anxiety was indirectly associated with mindful parenting through self
      compassion. Specifically, higher levels of anxiety were associated with lower
      self-compassion, which, in turn, was associated with lower levels of mindful
      parenting. Higher levels of avoidance were directly associated with lower levels
      of mindful parenting. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that mothers'
      attachment dimensions play an important role in their levels of mindful
      parenting, although through different pathways. Interventions aimed at promoting
      mindful parenting skills should attempt to promote parents' self-compassion and
      consider parents' levels of attachment insecurity. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The
      results underline the important role of mothers' attachment on levels of mindful
      parenting and evidence different pathways through which attachment anxiety and
      attachment avoidance are associated with this parental skill. Higher levels of
      attachment avoidance were directly associated with lower levels of mindful
      parenting, whereas higher levels of anxiety were indirectly associated with lower
      levels of mindful parenting through lower levels of self-compassion. Mothers who
      are more self-compassionate are more able to adopt a mindful stance in the parent
      child relationship. Parenting interventions aimed at promoting mindfulness skills
      in the parenting context can benefit from including self-compassionate exercises
      and are particularly important for insecurely attached parents.

PMID- 26493984
TI  - Indolent cytotoxic T cell lymphoproliferation associated with nodular
      regenerative hyperplasia: a common liver lesion in the context of common variable
      immunodeficiency disorder.
AB  - Patients with common variable immunodeficiency disorder (CVID) are subject to
      lymphoproliferative disorders and predisposed to lymphoma. Some patients may also
      develop liver lesions. The purpose of this study was to define clinical and
      histopathological features of patients with CVID presenting with liver lesions
      suspicious of lymphoma. Four CVID cases corresponding to these criteria were
      retrieved from our files. Liver biopsy specimens were subjected to morphologic,
      immunophenotypic and molecular analysis. All patients presented with
      hepatosplenomegaly and two furthermore with lymphadenopathy. The clinical working
      diagnosis in the four cases was lymphoma. All liver biopsies revealed nodular
      regenerative hyperplasia (NRH), associated with mild to marked sinusoid
      lymphocytic infiltrate consisting of "activated" cytotoxic T cells (CD8+, Tia1+,
      granzyme B+, TCRbetaF1+, CD56-). EBER was negative in all cases. T cell clonality
      was found in one of the two interpretable cases. All patients had an indolent
      course and clinical symptoms regressed with immunoglobulin replacement. This
      study suggests that indolent proliferation in the liver sinusoid of cytotoxic T
      cell associated with NRH is a specific liver lesion in the context of CVID. In
      CVID patients clinically suspected of lymphoma, pathologists should avoid a
      misdiagnosis of aggressive T cell lymphoma with a risk of over treatment.

PMID- 26493985
TI  - Free digital image analysis software helps to resolve equivocal scores in HER2
      immunohistochemistry.
AB  - Evaluation of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)
      immunohistochemistry (IHC) is subject to interobserver variation and lack of
      reproducibility. Digital image analysis (DIA) has been shown to improve the
      consistency and accuracy of the evaluation and its use is encouraged in current
      testing guidelines. We studied whether digital image analysis using a free
      software application (ImmunoMembrane) can assist in interpreting HER2 IHC in
      equivocal 2+ cases. We also compared digital photomicrographs with whole-slide
      images (WSI) as material for ImmunoMembrane DIA. We stained 750 surgical
      resection specimens of invasive breast cancers immunohistochemically for HER2 and
      analysed staining with ImmunoMembrane. The ImmunoMembrane DIA scores were
      compared with the originally responsible pathologists' visual scores, a
      researcher's visual scores and in situ hybridisation (ISH) results. The
      originally responsible pathologists reported 9.1 % positive 3+ IHC scores, for
      the researcher this was 8.4 % and for ImmunoMembrane 9.5 %. Equivocal 2+ scores
      were 34 % for the pathologists, 43.7 % for the researcher and 10.1 % for
      ImmunoMembrane. Negative 0/1+ scores were 57.6 % for the pathologists, 46.8 % for
      the researcher and 80.8 % for ImmunoMembrane. There were six false positive
      cases, which were classified as 3+ by ImmunoMembrane and negative by ISH. Six
      cases were false negative defined as 0/1+ by IHC and positive by ISH.
      ImmunoMembrane DIA using digital photomicrographs and WSI showed almost perfect
      agreement. In conclusion, digital image analysis by ImmunoMembrane can help to
      resolve a majority of equivocal 2+ cases in HER2 IHC, which reduces the need for
      ISH testing.

PMID- 26493986
TI  - A radial artery originating from the thoracoacromial artery.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this case report is to report a rare vascular variation
      in the upper limbs because of its clinical importance and embryological
      implication. METHODS: During the educational dissection of a 73-year-old Korean
      male cadaver's right upper limb, we found a variant branch which is originated
      from the thoracoacromial artery. RESULTS: The variant branch from the
      thoracoacromial artery ran to the distal forearm in the deep fascia. Because it
      finally coursed like the radial artery in the forearm and the palm, we defined
      the variant artery as superficial brachioradial artery (SBRA). In the cubital
      region a little below the intercondylar line, the brachial artery gave off a
      small communicating branch to SBRA, and continued as the ulnar artery.
      CONCLUSIONS: We reported this unique variation and discussed its clinical and
      embryological implication.

PMID- 26493987
TI  - Weaker Functional Pinch Strength Is Associated With Early Thumb Carpometacarpal
      Osteoarthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint orchestrates pinch in its
      various positions, and thumb CMC osteoarthritis (OA) is a major source of
      orthopaedic morbidity. Self-reported pain, weakness, and physical examination may
      not correspond to radiographic findings when diagnosing early thumb CMC OA.
      Weakness is a prominent feature of the disease, but little evidence exists to
      quantify self-reported loss of strength with time, or to compare weakness with
      that of a nonarthritic population during early disease. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We
      asked: (1) Is pinch strength in subjects with early thumb CMC OA less than that
      in asymptomatic control subjects; and (2) weakness in which pinch position (key,
      tripod, or tip pinch) has the strongest association with early OA diagnosis?
      METHODS: For this case-control study, we recruited 23 subjects who were
      asymptomatic and 91 with early OA for comprehensive history, physical
      examination, strength measurements, pain surveys, and radiographic evaluation. We
      used multivariate logistic regression to quantify the association between
      declining pinch strength and early OA diagnosis after controlling for age, sex,
      and BMI. This analysis was performed for three different pinch positions (key,
      tripod, and tip pinch) to evaluate which measurement was most closely associated
      with diagnosis. RESULTS: Pinch strength was less in patients with early thumb CMC
      OA. Key pinch had the most robust association with OA diagnosis, in which a 20%
      decrease in key pinch strength from the control subjects' baseline was associated
      with a 10% increase in the OA diagnosis (95% CI, 3%-16%; p = 0.004). This had a
      stronger association with OA diagnosis than tip pinch, in which a 20% decrease in
      strength was associated with a 6% increase in early CMC OA (95% CI, 1.0%-11%; p =
      0.031). Tripod pinch also was associated to a lesser extent; a 20% reduction in
      tripod pinch led to a 5% increase in OA (95% CI, 1.3%-9%; p = 0.048).
      CONCLUSIONS: Decreasing pinch strength, especially key pinch, is associated with
      early CMC arthritis before the development of extensive radiographic disease.
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Weakness in pinch strength, especially key pinch, is an
      important feature in the pathogenesis of early CMC OA and may appear before
      radiographic disease is present or advanced. These findings suggest a role for
      intervention in early disease for promoting nonoperative joint protection and
      strengthening, and designing surgical procedures aimed to delay or prevent
      clinical and radiographic progression.

PMID- 26493988
TI  - CORR Insights((r)): A Randomized Trial Among Compression Plus Nonsteroidal
      Antiinflammatory Drugs, Aspiration, and Aspiration With Steroid Injection for
      Nonseptic Olecranon Bursitis.

PMID- 26493990
TI  - Inflammasomes in COPD and neutrophilic asthma.

PMID- 26493991
TI  - Dissipation, terminal residues and risk assessment of fluopicolide and its
      metabolite in cucumber under field conditions.
AB  - In this study, the dissipation, terminal residue levels, and risk assessment of
      fluopicolide and its metabolite (2,6-dichlorobenzamide) in cucumber and soil
      under field conditions were investigated. An analytical method for the
      simultaneous quantification of fluopicolide and its metabolite in cucumber and
      soil using gas chromatography coupled with electron capture detection (GC-ECD)
      was developed. Recoveries were between 78 and 111%, with relative standard
      deviations (RSDs) from 1.6 to 10.2% at different spiked levels (0.01, 0.025, 0.5,
      and 2 mg kg(-1)). The limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.01 mg kg(-1).
      Fluopicolide exhibited half-lives ranging from 2.0 to 3.3 days and 35 to 63 days,
      in cucumber and soil under field ecosystem, respectively. The results suggested
      that the degradation of fluopicolide to 2,6-dichlorobenzamide was quite limited.
      During harvest, the terminal residues of fluopicolide and its metabolite were
      both below 0.13 mg kg(-1), which were lower than the established temporary
      maximum residue limits (MRLs), 0.5 mg kg(-1). The risk quotients (RQs) ranged
      from 0.0033 to 0.0078, which showed low risk for different groups of people in
      China. The present study may provide guidance on reasonable use of this pesticide
      and serve as a reference for establishment official MRLs in China.

PMID- 26493989
TI  - Effect of isoniazid preventive therapy on immune responses to mycobacterium
      tuberculosis: an open label randomised, controlled, exploratory study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With the renewed emphasis to implement isoniazid preventive therapy
      (IPT) in Sub-Saharan Africa, we investigated the effect of IPT on immunological
      profiles among household contacts with latent tuberculosis. METHODS: Household
      contacts of confirmed tuberculosis patients were tested for latent tuberculosis
      using the QuantiFERON(r)-TB Gold In-Tube (QFN) assay and tuberculin skin test
      (TST). HIV negative contacts aged above 5 years, positive to both QFN and TST,
      were randomly assigned to IPT and monthly visits or monthly visits only. QFN
      culture supernatants from enrolment and six months' follow-up were analysed for
      M.tb-specific Th1, Th2, Th17, and regulatory cytokines by Luminex assay, and for
      M.tb-specific IgG antibody concentrations by ELISA. Effects of IPT were assessed
      as the net cytokine and antibody production at the end of six months. RESULTS:
      Sixteen percent of contacts investigated (47/291) were randomised to IPT (n = 24)
      or no IPT (n = 23). After adjusting for baseline cytokine or antibody responses,
      and for presence of a BCG scar, IPT (compared to no IPT) resulted in a relative
      decline in M.tb-specific production of IFN gamma (adjusted mean difference at the
      end of six months (bootstrap 95% confidence interval (CI), p-value) -1488.6 pg/ml
      ((-2682.5, -294.8), p = 0.01), and IL- 2 (-213.1 pg/ml (-419.2, -7.0), p = 0.04).
      A similar decline was found in anti-CFP-10 antibody levels (adjusted geometric
      mean ratio (bootstrap 95% CI), p-value) 0.58 ((0.35, 0.98), p = 0.04). We found
      no effect on M.tb-specific Th2 or regulatory or Th17 cytokine responses, or on
      antibody concentrations to PPD and ESAT-6. CONCLUSIONS: IPT led to a decrease in
      Th1 cytokine production, and also in the anti CFP-10 antibody concentration. This
      could be secondary to a reduction in mycobacterial burden or as a possible direct
      effect of isoniazid induced T cell apoptosis, and may have implications for
      protective immunity following IPT in tuberculosis-endemic countries. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN15705625. Registered on 30(th) September
      2015.

PMID- 26493992
TI  - Accuracy of dose calculation algorithms for virtual heterogeneous  phantoms and
      intensity-modulated radiation therapy in the head  and neck.
AB  - This study verified the dose calculation accuracy of the analytical anisotropic
      algorithm (AAA), Acuros XB version 10 (AXB10), and version 11 (AXB11) installed
      in an Eclipse treatment planning system, by comparing with Monte Carlo (MC)
      simulations. First, the algorithms were compared in terms of dose distributions
      using four types of virtual heterogeneous multi-layer phantom for 6 and 15 MV
      photons. Next, the clinical head and neck intensity-modulated radiation therapy
      (IMRT) dose distributions for 6 MV photons were evaluated using dose volume
      histograms (DVHs) and three-dimensional gamma analysis. In percentage depth doses
      (PDDs) for virtual heterogeneous phantoms, AAA overestimated absorbed doses in
      the air cavity, bone, and aluminum in comparison with MC, AXB10, and AXB11. The
      PDDs of AXB10 almost agreed with those of MC and AXB11, except for the air
      cavity. The dose in the air cavity was higher for AXB10 than for AXB11, because
      their electron cutoff energies are set at 500 and 200 keV, respectively. For head
      and neck IMRT dose distributions, the D95 in the clinical target volume (CTV) for
      AAA was almost the same as that for AXB10 and was approximately 7 % larger than
      that for MC. Comparing each approach with MC using a criterion of 3 %/3 mm, the
      pass rates for AXB10, AXB11, and AAA were 92.4, 94.7, and 90.4 % in the CTV,
      respectively. In conclusion, AAA produces dose errors in heterogeneous regions,
      while AXB11 provides calculation accuracy comparable to MC. AXB10 overestimates
      the dose in regions that include an air cavity.

PMID- 26493994
TI  - PKM2 promotes stemness of breast cancer cell by through Wnt/beta-catenin pathway.
AB  - Metastasis is one of the main causes of breast cancer (BCa)-related deaths in
      female. It has been reported that cancer stem cell played an important role in
      metastasis. Here we first revealed a specific role of pyruvate kinase isozymes M2
      (PKM2) in the stemness of breast cancer cells. Breast cancer tissue analysis
      confirmed the upregulation of PKM2 in breast cancer, and high PKM2 levels were
      associated with poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. Holoclone assay and
      colony formation assay significantly elucidated the role of PKM2 in the self
      renewal of breast cancer cells. Moreover, PKM2 elevated the proportion of stem
      cell and the ability of sphere formation in breast cancer cells. PKM2 played its
      functional role in stemness by regulating beta-catenin. Collectively, we
      identified critical roles of PKM2 in the stemness of breast cancer cells which
      may elevate the therapeutic effect on breast cancer patients. 

PMID- 26493993
TI  - A genetic framework for H2O2 induced cell death in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To survive in a changing environment plants constantly monitor their
      surroundings. In response to several stresses and during photorespiration plants
      use reactive oxygen species as signaling molecules. The Arabidopsis thaliana
      catalase2 (cat2) mutant lacks a peroxisomal catalase and under photorespiratory
      conditions accumulates H2O2, which leads to activation of cell death. METHODS: A
      cat2 double mutant collection was generated through crossing and scored for cell
      death in different assays. Selected double mutants were further analyzed for
      photosynthetic performance and H2O2 accumulation. RESULTS: We used a targeted
      mutant analysis with more than 50 cat2 double mutants to investigate the role of
      stress hormones and other defense regulators in H2O2-mediated cell death. Several
      transcription factors (AS1, MYB30, MYC2, WRKY70), cell death regulators (RCD1,
      DND1) and hormone regulators (AXR1, ERA1, SID2, EDS1, SGT1b) were essential for
      execution of cell death in cat2. Genetic loci required for cell death in cat2 was
      compared with regulators of cell death in spontaneous lesion mimic mutants and
      led to the identification of a core set of plant cell death regulators. Analysis
      of gene expression data from cat2 and plants undergoing cell death revealed
      similar gene expression profiles, further supporting the existence of a common
      program for regulation of plant cell death. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide a
      genetic framework for further study on the role of H2O2 in regulation of cell
      death. The hormones salicylic acid, jasmonic acid and auxin, as well as their
      interaction, are crucial determinants of cell death regulation.

PMID- 26493995
TI  - The role of astrocytes in the progression of brain cancer: complicating the
      picture of the tumor microenvironment.
AB  - Gliomas and brain-metastatic tumors contribute to hundreds of thousands of deaths
      every year. Typical survival times for brain cancer patients, even with surgical,
      chemotherapy, and radiation treatment, remain very low despite advances in
      treatment. In brain cancers, astrocytes, which comprise approximately 50 % of the
      cells in the brain, become activated, resulting in a layer of reactive astrocytes
      surrounding the tumor. This process of reactive gliosis, which involves the
      secretion of growth factors and cytokines, helps repair injury in the brain, but
      also plays a role in disease progression. In this review, we survey the
      mechanisms by which astrocytes modulate the local tumor microenvironment,
      enhancing proliferation, invasion, chemoprotection, and immunoprotection of tumor
      cells. Consideration of the effect of astrocytes and reactive gliosis in in vitro
      and in vivo assays may allow us to obtain a more complete picture of the
      interactions occurring at the tumor microenvironment, which will provide
      additional insight into potential pathways that can be targeted by brain cancer
      therapeutics. 

PMID- 26493997
TI  - Upregulation of MALAT-1 and its association with survival rate and the effect on
      cell cycle and migration in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - The aim of this study is to investigate whether metastasis-associated lung
      adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT-1) can be used as a potential therapy target
      for human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. MALAT-1 expression levels were
      detected in 137 paired EC samples and adjacent nonneoplastic tissues. Human
      esophageal carcinoma cell lines EC9706 and KYSE150 were transfected with MALAT-1
      small interference RNA. Cell proliferation, migration/invasion ability, cell
      cycle, and apoptosis were assessed. MALAT-1 expressed higher levels in esophageal
      cancer tissues when compared with paired adjacent normal tissues. This high
      expression was associated with a decreased survival rate. MALAT-1 knockdown
      induced a decrease in proliferation-enhanced apoptosis, inhibited
      migration/invasion, and reduced colony formation and led to cell cycle arrest at
      the G2/M phase. These data indicates that MALAT-1 could be exploited for
      therapeutic benefit. 

PMID- 26493996
TI  - Glucose-regulated protein 94 mediates cancer progression via AKT and eNOS in
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a crucial health issue worldwide. High glucose
      regulated protein 94 (GRP94) expression has been observed in different types of
      cancer, suggesting a link between tumor progression and GRP94 expression.
      However, the mechanisms underlying the role of GRP94 in HCC progression remain
      unclear. We used specific small hairpin RNA (shRNA) to manipulate GRP94
      expression in HCC cells. Tissue arrays, MTT assays, xCELLigence assays, and in
      vivo xenograft model were performed to identify clinicopathological correlations
      and to analyze cell growth. We found that high GRP94 expression reflected a poor
      response and a lower survival rate. In vitro and in vivo studies showed that
      silencing GRP94 suppressed cancer progression. Mechanistically, GRP94 knockdown
      reduced AKT, phospho-AKT, and eNOS levels but did not influence the AMPK pathway.
      Our results demonstrated that GRP94 is a key molecule in HCC progression that
      modulates the AKT pathway and eNOS levels. Our findings suggest that GRP94 may be
      a new prognostic and therapeutic target for HCC. 

PMID- 26493998
TI  - FGF2-mediated reciprocal tumor cell-endothelial cell interplay contributes to the
      growth of chemoresistant cells: a potential mechanism for superficial bladder
      cancer recurrence.
AB  - Patients with superficial bladder cancer can be definitively cured by one single
      transurethral resection (TUR) with additional intravesical chemotherapy; however,
      up to 75 % of cases display frequent and multiple recurrences. One of the major
      causes of recurrence is that chemotherapeutic drugs used in intravesical regimens
      may induce chemoresistance. However, the mechanisms by which these chemoresistant
      cells develop into recurrent tumors remain unclear. Recent clinical evidence
      revealed that the expression of pro-angiogenic factor FGF2 was associated with
      early local relapse in patients with superficial bladder cancer. In this study,
      we conducted a preliminary investigation of the mechanisms of chemoresistant
      cells mediated bladder cancer recurrence, focusing on FGF2-initiated tumor cell
      endothelial cell interaction on chemoresistant cancer cell growth. We found that
      the expression of FGF2 was increased in chemoresistant bladder cell lines and in
      bladder tissues after intravesical chemotherapy. Although chemoresistant bladder
      cells grow slower than parental cells, chemoresistant bladder cancer cells had
      stronger ability than parental cells to stimulate endothelial cell migration,
      growth, and tube formation by producing FGF2. Inversely, endothelial cells
      significantly promoted chemoresistant bladder cancer growth in vitro and in vivo.
      Thus, targeting chemotherapy-induced FGF2 upregulation may provide a promising
      approach to manage the recurrence of superficial bladder cancer. 

PMID- 26493999
TI  - SAHA, an HDAC inhibitor, overcomes erlotinib resistance in human pancreatic
      cancer cells by modulating E-cadherin.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancers and remains a major unsolved
      health problem. Less than 20 % of patients are surgical candidates, and the
      median survival for non-resected patients is approximately 3 to 4 months. Despite
      the existence of many conventional cancer therapies, few targeted therapies have
      been developed for pancreatic cancer. Combination therapy using erlotinib and
      gemcitabine is an approved standard chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer,
      but it has marginal therapeutic benefit. To try to improve the therapeutic
      outlook, we studied the efficacy of another combination treatment and the
      relevance to E-cadherin in human pancreatic cancer cells. We treated two human
      pancreatic cancer cell lines with the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) SAHA.
      Interestingly, in these Panc-1 and Capan1 cells, we observed that the expression
      levels of E-cadherin and phosphorylated EGFR were gradually upregulated after
      treatment with SAHA. Furthermore, these cells underwent induced cell death after
      exposure to the combination treatment of SAHA and erlotinib. In Panc-1 cells,
      overexpression of E-cadherin activated the phosphorylation of EGFR and increased
      the cell sensitivity to erlotinib. In Capan1 cells, knocking down E-cadherin
      decreased the expression of phosphorylated EGFR, and these cells did not respond
      to erlotinib. Therefore, we demonstrated the efficacy of the combined treatment
      with SAHA and erlotinib in human pancreatic cancer cells, and we determined that
      the increased efficacy was due, at least in part, to the effects of SAHA on the
      expression of E-cadherin. Our studies suggest that E-cadherin may be a potent
      biomarker for pancreatic cancer. 

PMID- 26494001
TI  - Molecular behavior of human Mrt4 protein, MRTO4, in stress conditions is
      regulated by its C-terminal region.
AB  - Protein Mrt4 is one of trans-acting factors involved in ribosome biogenesis,
      which in higher eukaryotic cells contains a C-terminal extension similar to the C
      terminal part of ribosomal P proteins. We show that human Mrt4 (hMrt4/MRTO4)
      undergoes phosphorylation in vivo and that serines S229, S233, and S235, placed
      within its acidic C-termini, have been phosphorylated by CK2 kinase in vitro.
      Such modification does not alter the subcellular distribution of hMrt4 in
      standard conditions but affects its molecular behavior during ActD induced
      nucleolar stress. Thus, we propose a new regulatory element important for the
      stress response pathway connecting ribosome biogenesis with cellular metabolism. 

PMID- 26494000
TI  - miR-186 downregulates protein phosphatase PPM1B in bladder cancer and mediates G1
      S phase transition.
AB  - Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) is a core regulator in multiple tumorigenic
      pathways. Its activation is mediated by IkappaB kinase beta (IKKbeta). Protein
      phosphatase PPM1B is reported to dephosphorylate IKKbeta, thereby terminating
      IKKbeta-mediated NF-kappaB activation. However, the role of PPM1B in bladder
      cancer is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the expression patterns
      and molecular mechanisms of PPM1B in bladder cancer. Comparative analyses were
      conducted in six bladder cancer cell lines, a normal urinary epithelial cell
      line, and adjacent non-tumorous bladder epithelia. Searches were conducted
      through publicly available algorithms and The Cancer Genome Atlas. HT-1376 and
      RT4 cells were transduced to stably overexpress PPM1B and its predicted regulator
      miR-186. Subsequent in vitro studies included 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5
      diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT), colony formation, anchorage-independent
      growth ability, luciferase reporter assays, and flow cytometric cell cycle
      analyses. A xenograft model was established in nude mice to evaluate the effect
      of PPM1B in bladder tumors in vivo. The results revealed that PPM1B was
      frequently downregulated in bladder cancer cells at both protein and messenger
      RNA (mRNA) levels, whereas miR-186 was upregulated. Further analyses showed that
      miR-186 promoted G1-S transition by targeting PPM1B at its 3'-untranslated region
      (3'UTR). Conversely, ectopic expression of PPM1B significantly suppressed
      proliferation and tumorigenicity in bladder cancer cells in vitro and in vivo,
      thereby neutralizing the oncogenic effect of miR-186. This study has identified
      PPM1B and miR-186 as potential diagnostic markers in bladder cancer. Promotion of
      PPM1B and suppression of miR-186 may offer effective therapeutic strategies in
      the treatment of bladder cancer. 

PMID- 26494002
TI  - Apelin induces vascular smooth muscle cells migration via a PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a/MMP-2
      pathway.
AB  - Apelin is an adipokine that has a critical role in the development of
      atherosclerosis, which may offer potential for therapy. Because migration of
      vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is a key event in the development of
      atherosclerosis, understanding its effect on the atherosclerotic vasculature is
      needed. Here we investigated the effect of apelin on VSMC migration and the
      possible signaling mechanism. In cultured rat VSMCs, apelin dose- and time
      dependently promoted VSMC migration. Apelin increased the phosphorylation of Akt,
      whereas LY294002, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and an
      Akt1/2 kinase inhibitor blocked the apelin-induced VSMC migration. Apelin dose
      dependently induced phosphorylation of Forkhead box O3a (FoxO3a) and promoted its
      translocation from the nucleus to cytoplasm, which were blocked by LY294002 and
      Akt1/2 kinase inhibitor. Furthermore, apelin increased matrix metalloproteinase 2
      (MMP-2) expression and gelatinolytic activity. Overexpression of a constitutively
      active, phosphorylation-resistant mutant, TM-FoxO3a, in VSMCs abrogated the
      effect of apelin on MMP-2 expression and VSMC migration. ARP101, an inhibitor of
      MMP-2, suppressed apelin-induced VSMC migration. Moreover, the levels of apelin,
      phosphorylated Akt, FoxO3a, and MMP-2 were higher in human carotid-artery
      atherosclerotic plaque than in adjacent normal vessels. We demonstrate that
      PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a signaling may be involved in apelin inducing VSMC migration.
      Phosphorylation of FoxO3a plays a central role in mediating the apelin-induced
      MMP-2 activation and VSMC migration. 

PMID- 26494003
TI  - Epigenetic-based therapy: From single- to multi-target approaches.
AB  - The treatment of cancer has traditionally been based on the identification of a
      single molecule and/or enzymatic function (target) responsible for a particular
      phenotype, and therefore on the ability to stimulate, attenuate or inhibit its
      activity through the use of selective compounds. However, cancer is no longer
      considered a disease caused by a single factor, but is now recognized as a multi
      factorial disorder. Genetic, epigenetic and metabolic factors all contribute to
      neoplasia, causing significant changes in molecular networks that govern cell
      growth, development, death and specialization. Consequently, many antitumor
      therapies are no longer directed against a single target but the biological
      system as a whole, in which functions determining the onset and maintenance of a
      physio-pathological state are modulated. The field of epi-drug discovery is
      currently in a transitional phase where the search for putative anticancer drugs
      is shifting from single-target-oriented molecules to network-active compounds and
      to epi-drugs used in combination with other epi-agents and with traditional
      chemotherapeutics. This review illustrates the pros and cons of each therapeutic
      option, providing examples in support of single-target and multi (network)-target
      epi-drug approaches. 

PMID- 26494004
TI  - Strong cytoplasmic expression of NF-kappaB/p65 correlates with a good prognosis
      in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Recent studies have indicated that constitutive NF-kappaB activity could
      be involved in the proliferation of triple-negative breast cancer. METHODS: The
      NF-kappaB/p65 expression and the effects of a NF-kappaB inhibitor, (-)-DHMEQ,
      were examined in triple-negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Women with
      triple-negative breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy between 2002
      and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed for their expression of NF-kappaB/p65,
      Bcl2 and Ki67 by immunohistochemistry in pre- and post-treatment specimens. The
      factors predicting the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the prognosis
      were analyzed. RESULTS: NF-kappaB/p65 was predominantly expressed in the
      cytoplasm of MDA-MB-231 cells. Of 34 triple-negative breast cancer patients,
      positive staining for NF-kappaB/p65 expression was detected in the nuclei of a
      few cells in seven tumors before neoadjuvant chemotherapy, while the expression
      of NF-kappaB/p65 in the cytoplasm was detected in almost all tumor cells of 33
      tumors. The expression levels of NF-kappaB/p65 were not associated with the
      response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, although the cytoplasmic NF-kappaB/p65
      staining intensity was significantly decreased in the post-treatment tumor
      samples compared with the pretreatment samples. All patients whose tumors showed
      strong cytoplasmic NF-kappaB/p65 expression before neoadjuvant chemotherapy are
      currently disease free. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that strong cytoplasmic
      NF-kappaB/p65 expression could be a prognostic marker for patients with triple
      negative breast cancer.

PMID- 26494005
TI  - The feasibility of laparoscopic extended pelvic surgery for rectal cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The present study aimed to assess the safety and feasibility of
      laparoscopic extended pelvic surgery for primary or recurrent rectal cancer.
      METHODS: The data on 77 patients, who underwent extended pelvic surgery between
      February 2008 and June 2014, were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were
      divided, based on their treatment history, into an open surgery (OS) group (n =
      41) and a laparoscopic surgery (LS) group (n = 36). RESULTS: The operative time
      in the LS group was significantly longer than that in the OS group (766 vs. 561
      min; p < 0.001). In contrast, the LS group was associated with a significantly
      lower volume of intraoperative blood loss (195 vs. 923 ml; p < 0.001), fluid
      balance (5.38 vs. 8.23 ml/kg/h; p < 0.001) and rate of complications (40.0 vs.
      68.3 %; p = 0.035), and a significantly shorter postoperative hospital stay. The
      postoperative levels of colloid osmotic pressure and albumin were significantly
      higher in the LS group. CONCLUSION: The operative time of the LS group was longer
      than that of the OS group; however, the LS group experienced less blood loss and
      fewer complications. Moreover, LS was associated with a reduction in
      intraoperative infusions and a reduced fluid balance, which maintained
      homeostasis.

PMID- 26494006
TI  - Mortality-related resource utilization in the inpatient care of hypoplastic left
      heart syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quantifying resource utilization in the inpatient care of congenital
      heart diease is clinically relevant. Our purpose is to measure the investment of
      inpatient care resources to achieve survival in hypoplastic left heart syndrome
      (HLHS), and to determine how much of that investment occurs in hospitalizations
      that have a fatal outcome, the mortality-related resource utilization fraction
      (MRRUF). METHODS: A collaborative administrative database, the Pediatric Health
      Information System (PHIS) containing data for 43 children's hospitals, was
      queried by primary diagnosis for HLHS admissions of patients <=21 years old
      during 2004-2013. Institution, patient age, inpatient deaths, billed charges (BC)
      and length of stay (LOS) were recorded. RESULTS: In all, 11,122 HLHS admissions
      were identified which account for total LOS of 277,027 inpatient-days and
      $3,928,794,660 in BC. There were 1145 inpatient deaths (10.3%). LOS was greater
      among inpatient deaths than among patients discharged alive (median 17 vs. 12, p
      < 0.0001). BC were greater among inpatient deaths than among patients discharged
      alive (median 4.09 * 10(5) vs. 1.63 * 10(5), p < 0.0001). 16% of all LOS and 21%
      of all BC were accrued by patients who did not survive their hospitalization.
      These proportions showed no significant change year-by-year. The highest volume
      institutions had lower mortality rates, but there was no relation between
      institutional volume and the MRRUF. CONCLUSIONS: These data should alert
      providers and consumers that current practices often result in major resource
      expenditure for inpatient care of HLHS that does not result in survival to
      hospital dismissal. They highlight the need for data-driven critical review of
      standard practices to identify patterns of care associated with success, and to
      modify approaches objectively.

PMID- 26494008
TI  - Message From the Chairperson: Focus on Professional Involvement.

PMID- 26494007
TI  - Molecular study on the carAB operon reveals that carB gene is required for
      swimming and biofilm formation in Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The carA and carB genes code the small and large subunits of
      carbamoyl-phosphate synthase (CPS) that responsible for arginine and pyrimidine
      production. The purpose of this work was to study the gene organization and
      expression pattern of carAB operon, and the biological functions of carA and carB
      genes in Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri. METHODS: RT-PCR method was employed to
      identify the full length of carAB operon transcript in X. citri subsp. citri. The
      promoter of carAB operon was predicted and analyzed its activity by fusing a GUS
      reporter gene. The swimming motility was tested on 0.25% agar NY plates with 1%
      glucose. Biofilm was measured by cell adhesion to polyvinyl chloride 96-well
      plate. RESULTS: The results indicated that carAB operon was composed of five gene
      members carA-orf-carB-greA-rpfE. A single promoter was predicted from the
      nucleotide sequence upstream of carAB operon, and its sensitivity to glutamic
      acid, uracil and arginine was confirmed by fusing a GUS reporter gene. Deletion
      mutagenesis of carB gene resulted in reduced abilities in swimming on soft solid
      media and in forming biofilm on polystyrene microtiter plates. CONCLUSIONS: From
      these results, we concluded that carAB operon was involved in multiple biological
      processes in X. citri subsp. citri.

PMID- 26494009
TI  - Advance Care Planning: The Dietitian's Role (Part 2).

PMID- 26494010
TI  - Applying systematic review search methods to the grey literature: a case study
      examining guidelines for school-based breakfast programs in Canada.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Grey literature is an important source of information for large-scale
      review syntheses. However, there are many characteristics of grey literature that
      make it difficult to search systematically. Further, there is no 'gold standard'
      for rigorous systematic grey literature search methods and few resources on how
      to conduct this type of search. This paper describes systematic review search
      methods that were developed and applied to complete a case study systematic
      review of grey literature that examined guidelines for school-based breakfast
      programs in Canada. METHODS: A grey literature search plan was developed to
      incorporate four different searching strategies: (1) grey literature databases,
      (2) customized Google search engines, (3) targeted websites, and (4) consultation
      with contact experts. These complementary strategies were used to minimize the
      risk of omitting relevant sources. Since abstracts are often unavailable in grey
      literature documents, items' abstracts, executive summaries, or table of contents
      (whichever was available) were screened. Screening of publications' full-text
      followed. Data were extracted on the organization, year published, who they were
      developed by, intended audience, goal/objectives of document, sources of
      evidence/resources cited, meals mentioned in the guidelines, and recommendations
      for program delivery. RESULTS: The search strategies for identifying and
      screening publications for inclusion in the case study review was found to be
      manageable, comprehensive, and intuitive when applied in practice. The four
      search strategies of the grey literature search plan yielded 302 potentially
      relevant items for screening. Following the screening process, 15 publications
      that met all eligibility criteria remained and were included in the case study
      systematic review. The high-level findings of the case study systematic review
      are briefly described. CONCLUSIONS: This article demonstrated a feasible and
      seemingly robust method for applying systematic search strategies to identify web
      based resources in the grey literature. The search strategy we developed and
      tested is amenable to adaptation to identify other types of grey literature from
      other disciplines and answering a wide range of research questions. This method
      should be further adapted and tested in future research syntheses.

PMID- 26494011
TI  - Photodynamic therapy of human lung cancer xenografts in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a need to develop novel therapies for non-small cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC). Photodynamic therapy has been used successfully for endobronchial
      palliation of NSCLC, and its role in early stages of disease is being explored.
      We hypothesized that a novel photosensitizer, PS1, would be more effective than
      the standard agent, porfimer sodium (Photofrin or PFII), in treating human lung
      cancer xenografts in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patient-derived NSCLC
      xenografts were established subcutaneously in severe combined immune deficiency
      mice. Two groups of five mice were injected with PS1 (3-[1'-m-iodobenzyloxy]ethyl
      3-devinylpyropheophorbide-a), a chlorophyll-a derivative, or PFII (a purified
      version of hematoporphyrin derivative) and then treated with nonthermal laser
      light. Four mice were treated with laser light without photosensitizer and six
      mice received no treatment at all. All mice were then observed for tumor growth.
      The tumor growth end point, time-to-1000 mm(3), was evaluated using standard
      Kaplan-Meier methods and the log-rank test. Tumor hematoxylin and eosin and
      caspase 3 staining was done to evaluate necrosis and apoptosis. RESULTS: The
      median time-to-1000 mm(3) was 12, 12, 26, and 52 d for the control, light only,
      PFII, and PS1 groups. There was a significant association between the tumor
      growth end point and treatment (P < 0.05). Hematoxylin and eosin staining
      revealed <1%, 0%, 67%, and 80% necrosis, and caspase 3 positivity was 2%, <1%,
      17%, and 39%, respectively, in the same four groups. CONCLUSIONS: The mice
      treated with PS1 exhibited a longer time for tumor regrowth and showed more tumor
      necrosis and apoptosis compared with the other treatment groups. Thus, the novel
      photosensitizer, PS1, was demonstrated to be more effective than porfimer sodium
      in this preclinical pilot study.

PMID- 26494012
TI  - Timing of death after traumatic injury--a contemporary assessment of the temporal
      distribution of death.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The trimodal distribution of traumatic death was first described by
      Trunkey in 1983, which demonstrated that most deaths occur in the first 24 h. We
      postulate that since 1983, the time-to-death histogram described has shifted.
      METHODS: A retrospective analysis identifying timing of death was conducted on
      the National Trauma Data Bank (version 7.2) from 2002 to 2006. Early death was
      defined as death within 24 h of admission. International Classification of
      Diseases ninth edition codes with greater than 20% early deaths were called "high
      risk codes". Bivariate analyses were conducted to assess the association between
      demographics, injury factors, and death. Pearson's chi(2) test was used to
      compare timing of death by region of injury. Multivariate logistic regression was
      conducted to show the effect of region of injury on death while controlling for
      demographic factors and injury type. RESULTS: The cohort includes 898,982
      patients. The study population was predominantly male (66%) and Caucasian (62%).
      Mean age and injury severity score were 45 +/- 20.3 and 11 +/- 10, respectively.
      Overall mortality rate was 5% with 56% dying early. Head/neck, thorax, and
      abdomen/pelvis injuries were more prevalent in overall deaths (35%, 22%, and 11%,
      respectively). Thorax and abdomen/pelvis injuries predicted early death (odds
      ratio 2.03 and 1.39, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of early death
      has decreased since 1983, but the majority of deaths still occur within 24 h of
      injury. Ample opportunity remains to impact mortality in the first 24 h after
      injury.

PMID- 26494013
TI  - A single nucleotide change in a core promoter is involved in the progressive
      overexpression of the duplicated CYP9M10 haplotype lineage in Culex
      quinquefasciatus.
AB  - Although the importance of cis-acting mutations on detoxification enzyme genes
      for insecticide resistance is widely accepted, only a few of them have been
      determined as concrete mutations present in genomic DNA till date. The
      overexpression of a cytochrome P450 gene, CYP9M10, is associated with pyrethroid
      resistance in the southern house mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus. The haplotypes
      of CYP9M10 exhibiting overexpression (resistant haplotypes) belong to one
      specific phylogenetic lineage that shares high nucleotide sequence homology and
      the same insertion of a transposable element. Among the resistant haplotypes,
      allelic progression involving an additional cis-acting mutation and gene
      duplication evolved a CYP9M10 haplotype associated with extremely high
      transcription and strong pyrethroid resistance. Here we show that a single
      nucleotide substitution G-27A, which is located near the transcription start site
      of CYP9M10, is involved in the progression of the duplicated haplotype lineage.
      The deletion of a 7-bp AT-rich sequence that includes nucleotide -27 inhibited
      the initiation of transcription from the original transcriptional initiation
      site. The mutation was suspected to reside within a core promoter, TATA-box, of
      CYP9M10. 

PMID- 26494014
TI  - Odorant receptor-based discovery of natural repellents of human lice.
AB  - The body louse, Pediculus humanus humanus, is an obligate blood-feeding
      ectoparasite and an important insect vector that mediates the transmission of
      diseases to humans. The analysis of the body louse genome revealed a drastic
      reduction of the chemosensory gene repertoires when compared to other insects,
      suggesting specific olfactory adaptations to host specialization and permanent
      parasitic lifestyle. Here, we present for the first time functional evidence for
      the role of odorant receptors (ORs) in this insect, with the objective to gain
      insight into the chemical ecology of this vector. We identified seven putative
      full-length ORs, in addition to the odorant receptor co-receptor (Orco), and
      expressed four of them in the Xenopus laevis oocytes system. When screened with a
      panel of ecologically-relevant odorants, PhumOR2 responded to a narrow set of
      compounds. At the behavior level, both head and body lice were repelled by the
      physiologically-active chemicals. This study presents the first evidence of the
      OR pathway being functional in lice and identifies PhumOR2 as a sensitive
      receptor of natural repellents that could be used to develop novel efficient
      molecules to control these insects. 

PMID- 26494015
TI  - An evaluation of China's new rural cooperative medical system: achievements and
      inadequacies from policy goals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although much public scrutiny and academic attention has focused on
      the evaluations of system implementation since the beginning of New Rural
      Cooperative Medical System (NRCMS) in China, few studies have systematically
      evaluated the achievements of the stated policy goals. The purpose of this study
      is to examine to what extent the policy goals of NRCMS have been achieved.
      METHODS: Using multistage sampling processes, two rounds of cross-sectional
      household surveys including 9787 and 7921 rural households were conducted in
      Eastern China in year 2000 and year 2008, respectively. A pre- and post
      implementation comparison was used to evaluate the achievement of policy goals in
      three measures: impoverishment from major health hazards, household financial
      risk from medical expenses, and rural income inequity. Intention surveys were
      also applied to find out potential obstacles in the implementation of NRCMS.
      RESULTS: The rate of re-impoverishment from health hazard was reduced from 2.69 %
      ex ante to 2.12 % ex post, a decrease of 21.13 %. The severity of impoverishment
      fell from a previous 4.66 % to 3.02 %, a decline of 35.18 %. Economic risk of
      medical treatment population relative to the whole population fell from 2.62 ex
      ante to 2.03 ex post, a 22.52 % reduction. As indication of effect on improving
      income equity, the Gini coefficient fell from 0.4629 to 0.4541. The effects of
      NRCMS were significantly better than those of RCMS. Despite the preliminary
      achievements, our intention survey of key respondents identified that technical
      difficulties in actuarial funding and more sustainable reimbursement schedules
      has become the most challenging barriers in achieving the goals of NRCMS, while
      raising the insurance premium on NRCMS was no longer as big a barrier.
      CONCLUSIONS: With NRCMS, China has established a medical security system to
      reduce the financial burden of healthcare on rural residents. NRCMS has achieved
      some positive though limited effects; but technical difficulties in the
      implementation of NRCMS have become barriers to achieve the pre-set policy goals.
      Efforts should be made to improve the capacity building in the design of the
      reimbursement schemes for the implementers of NRCMS, such as identifying medical
      impoverishment, calculating actuarial funding levels for the risk pooling.

PMID- 26494016
TI  - Recommendations for accreditation of laboratories in molecular biology of
      hematologic malignancies.
AB  - Over recent years, the development of molecular biology techniques has improved
      the hematological diseases diagnostic and follow-up. Consequently, these
      techniques are largely used in the biological screening of these diseases;
      therefore the Hemato-oncology molecular diagnostics laboratories must be actively
      involved in the accreditation process according the ISO 15189 standard. The
      French group of molecular biologists (GBMHM) provides requirements for the
      implementation of quality assurance for the medical molecular laboratories. This
      guideline states the recommendations for the pre-analytical, analytical (methods
      validation procedures, quality controls, reagents), and post-analytical
      conditions. In addition, herein we state a strategy for the internal quality
      control management. These recommendations will be regularly updated. 

PMID- 26494017
TI  - New Antibiotic Candidates against Helicobacter pylori.
AB  - Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative bacterium that colonizes the gut of over
      50% of the world's population. It is responsible for most peptic ulcers and is an
      important risk factor for gastric cancer. Antibiotic treatment for H. pylori
      infections is challenging as drug resistance has developed to antibiotics with
      traditional mechanisms of action. H. pylori uses an unusual pathway for
      menaquinone biosynthesis with 5'-methylthioadenosine/S-adenosylhomocysteine
      nucleosidase (MTAN) catalyzing an essential step. We validated MTAN as a target
      with a transition-state analogue of the enzyme [Wang, S.; Haapalainen, A. M.;
      Yan, F.; et al. Biochemistry 2012, 51, 6892-6894]. MTAN inhibitors will only be
      useful drug candidates if they can both include tight binding to the MTAN target
      and have the ability to penetrate the complex cell membrane found in Gram
      negative H. pylori. Here we explore structural scaffolds for MTAN inhibition and
      for growth inhibition of cultured H. pylori. Sixteen analogues reported here are
      transition-state analogues of H. pylori MTAN with dissociation constants of 50 pM
      or below. Ten of these prevent growth of the H. pylori with IC90 values below
      0.01 MUg/mL. These remarkable compounds meet the criteria for potent inhibition
      and cell penetration. As a consequence, 10 new H. pylori antibiotic candidates
      are identified, all of which prevent H. pylori growth at concentrations 16-2000
      fold lower than the five antibiotics, amoxicillin, metronidazole, levofloxacin,
      tetracyclin, and clarithromycin, commonly used to treat H. pylori infections. X
      ray crystal structures of MTAN cocrystallized with several inhibitors show them
      to bind in the active site making interactions consistent with transition-state
      analogues. 

PMID- 26494019
TI  - Impact of mobile apps to combat obesity in children and adolescents: A systematic
      literature review.
AB  - PURPOSE: This review examines the impact of mobile app technology on obesity
      related anthropometric, psychosocial, and behavioral outcomes in children and
      adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: Nine research articles retrieved from a systematic
      review of the literature met criteria. Evidence is limited and mixed, but argues
      for an impact of mobile app use on motivation and goal-setting behavior, and
      supports further study of the impact on childhood obesity-related outcomes such
      as attitudes, perceptions, physical activity, and dietary habits. PRACTICE
      IMPLICATIONS: Nurses can use this evidence to discuss potential benefits of
      health promotion mobile apps with parents, children, and adolescents to combat
      childhood obesity.

PMID- 26494018
TI  - Early avoidance of a heroin-paired taste-cue and subsequent addiction-like
      behavior in rats.
AB  - The ability to predict individual vulnerability to substance abuse would allow
      for a better understanding of the progression of the disease and development of
      better methods for prevention and/or early intervention. Here we use drug-induced
      devaluation of a saccharin cue in an effort to predict later addiction-like
      behavior in a model akin to that used by Deroche-Gamonet et al. (2004) and seek
      to link such vulnerability to changes in expression of various mu opioid receptor
      and D2 receptor-interacting proteins in brain. The results show that the greatest
      heroin-induced suppression of intake of a saccharin cue is associated with the
      greatest vulnerability to later addiction-like behavior and to differences in the
      expression of WLS, beta-catenin, and NCS-1 in brain compared to rats that
      exhibited the least suppression of intake of the heroin-paired cue and/or saline
      controls. Finally, because the self-administration model employed produced no
      significant differences in drug intake between groups, overall, the resultant
      changes in protein expression can be more closely linked to individual
      differences in motivation for drug.

PMID- 26494020
TI  - High predictive ability of glycated hemoglobin on comparison with oxidative
      stress markers in assessment of chronic vascular complications in type 2 diabetes
      mellitus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To validate the diagnostic utility of oxidative stress markers along
      with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c ) in the assessment of chronic vascular
      complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: Ischemia modified
      albumin (IMA), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) and malondialdehyde
      (MDA) were measured in 100 type 2 DM (without complications n = 50, with
      complications n = 50) and healthy controls (n = 50). Diagnostic potential was
      evaluated by receiver operating characteristic analysis and their relationships
      to risk variables were analyzed. RESULTS: MDA, IMA and AOPP were significantly
      increased in diabetics, both with and without complications. Oxidative stress
      parameters correlated with fasting blood glucose and HbA1c (independent
      predictors). Duration of diabetes was an independent predictor for AOPP and MDA.
      The association of IMA with diabetes duration was lost on multiple regression
      analysis. Area under the curve, sensitivity and specificity for MDA were 0.795,
      84%, 66%; for AOPP, they were 0.762, 82%, 56%; for IMA, they were 0.611, 60%,
      52%; and for HbA1c, they were 0.848, 90%, 70%, respectively. CONCLUSION: MDA and
      AOPP could be considered better than IMA in the evaluation of diabetes
      progression, but MDA is more useful as a diagnostic indicator to detect vascular
      complications. HbA1c measurement is of greater value than the oxidative stress
      markers in the prediction of vascular complications.

PMID- 26494021
TI  - What is the effect of mandatory pasteurisation on the biogas transformation of
      solid slaughterhouse wastes?
AB  - The effect of mandatory pasteurisation on Category 3 offals, according to the
      Animal By-Products Regulation (ABPR 1069/2009/EC), was determined using
      Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) assays as well as kinetic and statistical
      analysis. Pasteurised and unpasteurised offals sampled from cattle, pig and
      chicken slaughterhouses were characterised and their specific methane yields
      (SMYs) and their bioavailability was assessed. The resultant SMYs were high (465
      650mLCH4gVS(-1)) with no statistically significant increase in methane production
      identified due to pasteurisation. However, the kinetics of the biogas
      transformation processes highlighted increased bioavailability of the organics
      due to pasteurisation. This was brought to light by the change in maximum daily
      SMY from day 22 to day 1 for the cattle offal (p=0.001), day 17 to day 1 for
      chicken offal (p=0.025) and an increase of 18.8% in the maximum daily SMY of the
      pig offal on day 1 (p=0.003). The increased bioavailability of the offals
      manifested itself in two ways with the determining factor being identified as the
      physical characteristics of the fats i.e. particle size. Firstly reducing the
      hydrolytic lag phase for the cattle offal, lambda=7.46-1.52days (p=0.013).
      Secondly, causing increased accumulation of Long Chain Fatty Acids to acute
      inhibitory levels in the chicken and pig offal indicated by increased lag phases
      lambda=5.05-21.91days (p=0.012), lambda=15.54-23.04days (p=0.007) respectively. 

PMID- 26494022
TI  - Recovering Paleo-Records from Antarctic Ice-Cores by Coupling a Continuous
      Melting Device and Fast Ion Chromatography.
AB  - Recently, the increasing interest in the understanding of global climatic changes
      and on natural processes related to climate yielded the development and
      improvement of new analytical methods for the analysis of environmental samples.
      The determination of trace chemical species is a useful tool in paleoclimatology,
      and the techniques for the analysis of ice cores have evolved during the past few
      years from laborious measurements on discrete samples to continuous techniques
      allowing higher temporal resolution, higher sensitivity and, above all, higher
      throughput. Two fast ion chromatographic (FIC) methods are presented. The first
      method was able to measure Cl(-), NO3(-) and SO4(2-) in a melter-based continuous
      flow system separating the three analytes in just 1 min. The second method
      (called Ultra-FIC) was able to perform a single chromatographic analysis in just
      30 s and the resulting sampling resolution was 1.0 cm with a typical melting rate
      of 4.0 cm min(-1). Both methods combine the accuracy, precision, and low
      detection limits of ion chromatography with the enhanced speed and high depth
      resolution of continuous melting systems. Both methods have been tested and
      validated with the analysis of several hundred meters of different ice cores. In
      particular, the Ultra-FIC method was used to reconstruct the high-resolution
      SO4(2-) profile of the last 10,000 years for the EDML ice core, allowing the
      counting of the annual layers, which represents a key point in dating these kind
      of natural archives.

PMID- 26494024
TI  - Murine models provide insight to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver
      disease.
AB  - Associated with the obesity epidemic, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
      has become the leading liver disease in North America. Approximately 30 % of
      patients with NAFLD may develop non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) that can
      lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Frequently animal models
      are used to help identify underlying factors contributing to NAFLD including
      insulin resistance, dysregulated lipid metabolism and mitochondrial stress.
      However, studying the inflammatory, progressive nature of NASH in the context of
      obesity has proven to be a challenge in mice. Although the development of
      effective treatment strategies for NAFLD and NASH is gaining momentum, the field
      is hindered by a lack of a concise animal model that reflects the development of
      liver disease during obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Therefore, selecting an
      animal model to study NAFLD or NASH must be done carefully to ensure the optimal
      application. The most widely used animal models have been reviewed highlighting
      their advantages and disadvantages to studying NAFLD and NASH specifically in the
      context of obesity.

PMID- 26494023
TI  - MIP-1alpha level in nasopharyngeal aspirates at the first wheezing episode
      predicts recurrent wheezing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Respiratory virus-induced wheezing, such as that induced by
      respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human rhinovirus, is an important risk
      factor for recurrent wheezing and childhood asthma. However, no biomarkers for
      predicting recurrent wheezing have been identified. OBJECTIVE: We searched for
      predictors of recurrent wheezing using nasopharyngeal aspirates obtained from
      patients during the first wheezing episode who were hospitalized with an acute
      lower respiratory tract illness. METHODS: We enrolled 82 infants during the first
      wheezing episode (median age, 5.0 months) who were hospitalized for acute lower
      respiratory tract illness between August 2009 and June 2012 and followed these
      patients for 2.5 years. Nasopharyngeal aspirates and blood samples were obtained
      on the first day of hospitalization. Viral genomes were identified by using RT
      PCR and sequencing. Levels of 33 cytokines, tryptase, IgE, anti-RSV IgE, and anti
      RSV IgG were measured by using ELISAs or the Bio-Plex multiplex assay. Predictors
      of recurrent wheezing were examined by using a stepwise logistic regression model
      with backward elimination. RESULTS: Sixty percent of the patients experienced
      recurrent wheezing episodes. One or more viruses were detected in the
      nasopharynxes of 93% of the patients during the first wheezing episode. IFN
      gamma, IL-2, IL-9, MIP-1alpha, and MIP-1beta levels were significantly higher
      among patients with recurrent wheezing than among those without recurrent
      wheezing (P < .05 or .01). The stepwise model demonstrated that the MIP-1alpha
      level (odds ratio, 7.72; 95% CI, 1.50-39.77; P = .015) was the strongest
      independent predictor of the occurrence of recurrent wheezing. CONCLUSION: An
      increased MIP-1alpha level in nasopharyngeal aspirates from patients with acute
      respiratory symptoms during the first wheezing episode caused by viral infections
      might predict recurrent wheezing.

PMID- 26494025
TI  - Oatmeal consumption is associated with better diet quality and lower body mass
      index in adults: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES),
      2001-2010.
AB  - Data from the 2001-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were
      analyzed to assess the relationship between oatmeal consumption and nutrient
      intake, diet quality, and physiological measures in adults 19 years and older (n
      = 22,823). We hypothesized that oatmeal consumption is associated with a more
      favorable nutrient intake profile, better diet quality, and healthier
      physiological end points. Oatmeal consumers (n = 1429) were defined as those who
      had consumed any amount of cooked oatmeal cereal during a 24-hour recall period.
      Multiple regression analysis, after transforming variables to normality and using
      appropriate sample weights to ensure national representation, was used to assess
      differences between oatmeal consumers and nonconsumers in terms of demographics,
      and covariate-adjusted analysis of variance was used to assess differences
      between consumers and nonconsumers in nutrient intakes, diet quality (calculated
      using the Healthy Eating Index-2010), and physiological measures. Our results
      show that oatmeal consumers were older than nonconsumers and more likely to be
      female; they also were less likely to smoke and consumed less alcohol. Consumers
      had higher intakes of protein, dietary fiber, vitamin A, thiamin, calcium,
      phosphorus, magnesium, iron, copper, selenium, and potassium and lower intakes of
      total, monounsaturated, and saturated fats; cholesterol; and vitamin B12. Oatmeal
      consumers had higher Healthy Eating Index-2010 scores and lower body weights,
      waist circumferences, and body mass indices. To conclude, our results suggest
      that consuming oatmeal is consistent with better nutrient intakes and a higher
      diet quality. 

PMID- 26494026
TI  - Oxygenated amorphous carbon for resistive memory applications.
AB  - Carbon-based electronics is a promising alternative to traditional silicon-based
      electronics as it could enable faster, smaller and cheaper transistors,
      interconnects and memory devices. However, the development of carbon-based memory
      devices has been hampered either by the complex fabrication methods of
      crystalline carbon allotropes or by poor performance. Here we present an
      oxygenated amorphous carbon (a-COx) produced by physical vapour deposition that
      has several properties in common with graphite oxide. Moreover, its simple
      fabrication method ensures excellent reproducibility and tuning of its
      properties. Memory devices based on a-COx exhibit outstanding non-volatile
      resistive memory performance, such as switching times on the order of 10 ns and
      cycling endurance in excess of 10(4) times. A detailed investigation of the
      pristine, SET and RESET states indicates a switching mechanism based on the
      electrochemical redox reaction of carbon. These results suggest that a-COx could
      play a key role in non-volatile memory technology and carbon-based electronics. 

PMID- 26494027
TI  - Increased Proportion of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Population in Cord
      Blood of Neonates Born to Mothers with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - We assessed the hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) population in the
      cord blood of neonates born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)
      in a hypothesis generating pilot study, due to that, neonatal polycythemia may be
      the consequence of GDM pregnancy. Forty-five pregnant women with GDM (last
      trimester mean HbA1C = 33.9 mmol/mol) and 42 (nondiabetic) control pregnant women
      were enrolled after their routine 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) between
      the 24th and 28th gestational week (with expected differences in their mean
      routine clinical characteristics: plasma glucose at OGTT: 0' = 5.07 vs. 4.62 mM,
      120' = 8.9 vs. 5.76 mM, age = 35.07 vs. 31.66 years, prepregnancy body mass index
      = 27.9 vs. 23.9 kg/m(2), GDM vs. control, respectively) on a voluntary basis
      after signing the informed consent. EDTA-treated cord blood samples were analyzed
      by flow cytometry and the software Kaluza1.2 using CD45 and CD34-specific
      fluorescent antibodies to identify the HSPC population (CD34(+) cells within the
      CD45(dim) blast gate). The proportion of CD34(+)CD45(dim) HSPCs among the
      nucleated cells was significantly (P < 0.05, statistical power = 60.8%) higher in
      the cord blood samples of neonates born to mothers with GDM (median 0.38%)
      compared to neonates born to nondiabetic mothers (median 0.32%) and according to
      treatment types (P < 0.05) median: control 0.32%, GDM-diet only 0.37%, GDM-on
      insulin 0.45%; control versus GDM on insulin (P < 0.05). The increased proportion
      of circulating CD34(+)CD45(dim) cells in the cord blood may possibly be related
      to altered fetal stem cell mobilization in GDM pregnancy, yet these results
      should be interpreted only as preliminary due to the small sample sizes. 

PMID- 26494029
TI  - Corrigendum: Twisted Baskets.

PMID- 26494028
TI  - Soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor enhances synaptic neurotransmission and
      plasticity in mouse prefrontal cortex.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is an important enzyme chiefly
      involved in the metabolism of fatty acid signaling molecules termed
      epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs). sEH inhibition (sEHI) has proven to be
      protective against experimental cerebral ischemia, and it is emerging as a
      therapeutic target for prevention and treatment of ischemic stroke. However, the
      role of sEH on synaptic function in the central nervous system is still largely
      unknown. This study aimed to test whether sEH C-terminal epoxide hydrolase
      inhibitor, 12-(3-adamantan-1-yl-ureido) dodecanoic acid (AUDA) affects basal
      synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex area
      (PFC). Whole cell and extracellular recording examined the miniature excitatory
      postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) and field excitatory postsynaptic potentials
      (fEPSPs); Western Blotting determined the protein levels of glutamate receptors
      and ERK phosphorylation in acute medial PFC slices. RESULTS: Application of the
      sEH C-terminal epoxide hydrolase inhibitor, AUDA significantly increased the
      amplitude of mEPSCs and fEPSPs in prefrontal cortex neurons, while additionally
      enhancing long term potentiation (LTP). Western Blotting demonstrated that AUDA
      treatment increased the expression of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA)
      subunits NR1, NR2A, NR2B; the alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic
      acid (AMPA) receptor subunits GluR1, GluR2, and ERK phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS:
      Inhibition of sEH induced an enhancement of PFC neuronal synaptic
      neurotransmission. This enhancement of synaptic neurotransmission is associated
      with an enhanced postsynaptic glutamatergic receptor and postsynaptic
      glutamatergic receptor mediated synaptic LTP. LTP is enhanced via ERK
      phosphorylation resulting from the delivery of glutamate receptors into the PFC
      by post-synapse by treatment with AUDA. These findings provide a possible link
      between synaptic function and memory processes.

PMID- 26494031
TI  - Near-Infrared Light and pH-Responsive Polypyrrole@Polyacrylic acid/Fluorescent
      Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Imaging and Chemo-Photothermal Cancer
      Therapy.
AB  - We have rationally designed a new theranostic agent by coating near-infrared
      (NIR) light-absorbing polypyrrole (PPY) with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), in which
      PAA acts as a nanoreactor and template, followed by growing small fluorescent
      silica nanoparticles (fSiO2 NPs) inside the PAA networks, resulting in the
      formation of polypyrrole@polyacrylic acid/fluorescent mesoporous silica
      (PPY@PAA/fmSiO2 ) core-shell NPs. Meanwhile, DOX-loaded PPY@PAA/fmSiO2 NPs as pH
      and NIR dual-sensitive drug delivery vehicles were employed for fluorescence
      imaging and chemo-photothermal synergetic therapy in vitro and in vivo. The
      results demonstrate that the PPY@PAA/fmSiO2 NPs show high in vivo tumor uptake by
      the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect after intravenous injection
      as revealed by in vivo fluorescence imaging, which is very helpful for
      visualizing the location of the tumor. Moreover, the obtained NPs inhibit tumor
      growth (95.6 % of tumors were eliminated) because of the combination of chemo
      photothermal therapy, which offers a synergistically improved therapeutic outcome
      compared with the use of either therapy alone. Therefore, the present study
      provides new insights into developing NIR and pH-stimuli responsive PPY-based
      multifunctional platform for cancer theranostics. 

PMID- 26494034
TI  - Finding Food Deserts: A Comparison of Methods Measuring Spatial Access to Food
      Stores.
AB  - Public health research has increasingly focused on how access to resources
      affects health behaviors. Mapping environmental factors, such as distance to a
      supermarket, can identify intervention points toward improving food access in low
      income and minority communities. However, the existing literature provides little
      guidance on choosing the most appropriate measures of spatial access. This study
      compared the results of different measures of spatial access to large food stores
      and the locations of high and low access identified by each. The data set
      included U.S. Census population data and the locations of large food stores in
      the six-county area around Chicago, Illinois. Six measures of spatial access were
      calculated at the census block group level and the results compared. The analysis
      found that there was little agreement in the identified locations of high or low
      access between measures. This study illustrates the importance of considering the
      access measure used when conducting research, interpreting results, or comparing
      studies. Future research should explore the correlation of different measures
      with health behaviors and health outcomes.

PMID- 26494035
TI  - Acute Achilles tendon rupture.

PMID- 26494036
TI  - On-line solid-phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography tandem mass
      spectrometry for the analysis of cyanotoxins in algal blooms.
AB  - An analytical method based on on-line SPE-LC-HESI-MS/MS has been developed for
      the detection and quantification of eight selected cyanotoxins in algal bloom
      waters that include mycrocystins, anatoxin-a and cylindrospermopsin. The
      injection volume was 2 mL according to the expected concentration of cyanotoxins
      in matrix. The method provides an analysis time of 7 min per sample, acceptable
      recovery values (91-101%), good precision (RSD < 13%) and method limits of
      detection at the sub-microgram per liter levels (0.01-0.02 MUg L(-1)). A detailed
      discussion on optimization parameters that have an impact on the overall
      performance of the method are presented. In particular, method optimization
      permitted the chromatographic separation of anatoxin-a and phenylalanine, an
      isobaric interference with a similar chromatographic characteristics. All
      optimization and validation experiments for the on-line SPE method and
      chromatographic separation were performed in environmentally relevant algal bloom
      water matrices. The applicability of the method was tested on several algal bloom
      water samples from monitored lakes across the province of Quebec (Quebec, Canada)
      known to produce cyanotoxins. All of the targeted cyanotoxins were detected with
      the exception of cylindrospermopsin. In addition, it was found that total
      microcystin concentrations in several surface water samples exceeded the proposed
      guidelines established by the province of Quebec in Canada of 1.5 MUg L(-1) as
      well as the World Health Organization of 1 MUg L(-1) for both free and cell-bound
      microcystin-LR equivalent.

PMID- 26494037
TI  - IRE1 inhibition affects the expression of insulin-like growth factor binding
      protein genes and modifies its sensitivity to glucose deprivation in U87 glioma
      cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of
      inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling mediated by IRE1/ERN1
      (inositol-requiring enzyme 1/endoplasmic reticulum to nucleus signaling 1) on the
      expression of genes encoding different groups of insulin-like growth binding
      proteins (IGFBP6 and IGFBP7) and CCN family (IGFBP8/CTGF/CCN2, IGFBP9/NOV/CCN3,
      IGFBP10/CYR61/CCN1, WISP1/CCN4, and WISP2/CCN5) and its sensitivity to glucose
      deprivation in U87 glioma cells. METHODS: The expression of IGFBP6, IGFBP7,
      IGFBP8, IGFBP9, IGFBP10, WISP1, and WISP2 genes was studied by qPCR in control
      U87 glioma cells (wild-type) and its subline with IRE1 signaling enzyme loss of
      function upon glucose deprivation. RESULTS: The expression of IGFBP8, IGFBP9, and
      WISP2 genes was up-regulated in control glioma cells upon glucose deprivation
      with most significant changes for IGFBP9 gene. At the same time, the expression
      of IGFBP6, IGFBP10, and WISP1 genes was resistant to glucose deprivation in these
      glioma cells, but the IGFBP7 gene expression was down-regulated. The inhibition
      of both enzymatic activities (kinase and endoribonuclease) of IRE1 in glioma
      cells modified the sensitivity of most studied gene expressions to glucose
      deprivation condition: introduced sensitivity of IGFBP10 and WISP1 genes to
      glucose deprivation, enhanced the effect of this deprivation on IGFBP7 and IGFBP9
      gene expressions, and reduced this effect on WISP2 gene and induced suppressive
      effect of glucose deprivation on the expression of IGFBP8 gene. Furthermore, the
      inhibition of IRE1 strongly affected the expression of all studied genes in
      glioma cells upon regular growing condition in gene specific manner: up-regulated
      the expression levels of IGFBP7, IGFBP8, IGFBP10, WISP1, and WISP2 genes and down
      regulated the IGFBP6 and IGFBP9 genes. CONCLUSIONS: The data of this
      investigation demonstrate that the expression of IGFBP7, IGFBP8, IGFBP9, and
      WISP2 genes are sensitive to glucose deprivation in U87 glioma cells and that
      inhibition of IRE1 signaling enzyme function may significantly affect the
      expression of all studied genes in the presence of glucose as well as modify the
      effect of glucose deprivation on the expression of most studied genes. These data
      also show that proteins encoded by these genes may participate in the regulation
      of metabolic and proliferative processes via IGF/INS receptors and possibly other
      signaling pathways as well, via IRE1 signaling, which is a central mediator of
      the unfolded protein response and an important component of the tumor growth and
      metabolic diseases.

PMID- 26494038
TI  - The protective role of the opioid antagonist LY255582 in the management of high
      fat diet-induced obesity in adult male albino rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The involvement of the opioid system in energy balance has been known
      for several decades but many questions remain unanswered. Therefore, this study
      was designed to investigate the effect of the non-selective opioid receptor
      antagonist (LY255582) on high fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. METHODS: Twenty
      four adult male albino rats were divided into 4 groups: Control, HFD non-treated,
      HFD+LY255582 treated during the first 4 weeks and Obese-LY255582- treated groups
      during the following 4 weeks after the induction of obesity. LY255582 (0.31
      mg/kg, s.c.) was administrated daily with HFD feeding. Blood samples were
      collected for measurement of lipid profile, glucose, insulin, and leptin. Body
      weight, body mass index (BMI), and food intake were also measured. RESULTS:
      Consumption of HFD resulted in a significant increase in body weight, body mass
      index (BMI), glucose, insulin, leptin levels, and induced a state of
      dyslipideamia. Opioid antagonist LY255582 administration with HFD decreased food
      intake, body weight and BMI, in addition to the improvement of HFD related
      metabolic abnormalities (dyslipidemia and insulin resistance) during the dynamic
      phase of obesity development than in animals with already developed dietary
      obesity. CONCLUSION: The use of opioid antagonist may be a promising approach in
      treatment of HFD-induced obesity.

PMID- 26494039
TI  - Effect of unilateral adrenalectomy on acute immobilization stress response in
      rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to investigate the differential
      effect of unilateral adrenalectomy, right vs. left, in response to acute
      immobilization stress (IS) in rats. METHODS: Adult male rats were subjected to
      unilateral right or left adrenalectomy or sham operation (control). Two weeks
      later, the rats were sacrificed either immediately or 3 hours after IS exposure.
      Plasma samples were used for determination of catecholamines (CAs),
      adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone (CORT), sodium, potassium,
      and glucose levels. After terminating the experiment, both or remaining adrenals
      were removed, weighed, and used for estimation of CAs and nitric oxide (NO)
      levels. RESULTS: Under basal conditions, either right or left adrenal kept all
      the tested parameters near to the control levels, except the adrenal weight and
      CAs content. These were significantly higher in the remaining right than left
      adrenal. However, the remaining right adrenal responded better to IS exposure
      than the remaining left one in the term of compensatory adrenal growth and plasma
      parameters which were all kept insignificantly different from those of IS intact
      group. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that the adrenal glands may substitute each
      other under basal conditions. However, the right adrenal seems to be dominant
      during exposure to acute immobilization stress.

PMID- 26494040
TI  - Biological variations in adrenal gland response to immobilization and
      glucoprivation stressors in rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential
      variation in adrenal gland response to two different types of acute stressors,
      immobilization and glucoprivation. METHODS: Twenty-four adult male albino rats
      were randomly divided into three main groups (8 rats/group): a) control, i.e. non
      stressed group, b) immobilized group (IS), and c) glucoprivated (GS) group.
      Plasma catecholamines (CAs), including epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE),
      dopamine (DA), adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone (CORT),
      sodium, potassium, and glucose were measured. Adrenals weight, CAs levels, and
      nitric oxide (NO) content were also determined. RESULTS: Immobilized group of
      rats showed significantly higher plasma NE and DA levels along with a
      significantly lower adrenal NE content than GS group. On the other hand, GS group
      was associated with significantly higher plasma E, ACTH, CORT, glucose, and Na+
      levels as well as higher adrenal DA and NO levels along with significantly lower
      plasma K+ levels and adrenal E content in comparison with IS group. CONCLUSION:
      Stress response is unique according to the nature of the stressor. Adrenal glands
      play a key role in this stress-induced differentiated response probably via
      modulation of its adreno-medullary and/or adrenocortical hormone levels in order
      to assign the body cope with different types of stress challenges during the
      life.

PMID- 26494041
TI  - Incidental pheochromocytoma in a patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
AB  - Because the adrenal glands are common locations for metastases, pheochromocytoma
      is frequently misdiagnosed as adrenal metastasis in patients with a history of
      cancer. An incidental adrenal mass was detected during an abdominal computed
      tomography (CT) scan performed to stage the nasopharyngeal carcinoma in a 35-year
      old male patient. The features of an adrenal mass on the CT, magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI), and fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission
      tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) were thought to show adrenal
      metastasis. However, the patient did not complain about flushing, palpitation,
      headache or excessive sweating. His blood pressure was 132/74 mmHg, and his pulse
      rate was 82 bpm. A pheochromocytoma was found during a biochemical diagnosis that
      evaluated the catecholamine in urine collected over a 24-hour period. The urine
      had elevated urinary adrenaline, metanephrine, and vanillylmandelic. An I123 MIBG
      scan showed avid tracer uptake in the right adrenal mass with no evidence of
      abnormal uptake elsewhere. A right adrenalectomy operation was performed and a
      diagnosis of pheochromocytoma was confirmed histopathologically. Incidental
      adrenal masses detected in the presence history of cancer should always be
      subjected to hormonal evaluation. Although patients may be asymptomatic, the
      probability of incidental pheochromocytoma should not be ignored. 

PMID- 26494042
TI  - Spaceflight osteoporosis: current state and future perspective.
AB  - Osteoporosis is one of the established major consequences of long-duration
      spaceflights in astronauts seriously undermining their health after their
      returning on Earth. Indeed, astronauts typically lose more bone mass during one
      month than postmenopausal women on Earth lose in one year. To date,
      countermeasures mainly consist in exercise and supplementation while
      pharmacological treatment as those used in postmenopausal women are not routine.
      However, it is evident that exercise and supplementation alone are not enough to
      maintain bone homeostasis. In this paper we describe the current countermeasures
      for bone loss during long-term spaceflight, review the modern treatment which are
      successfully employed to prevent osteoporosis on Earth and that could be quickly
      used also for astronauts and finally focus on the recent cellular and molecular
      understanding of bone homeostasis which might provide the basis for the
      development of future targeted therapies. 

PMID- 26494043
TI  - Retinal nerve fiber layer changes after transsphenoidal  and transcranial
      pituitary adenoma resection.
AB  - PURPOSE: Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) will show retrograde degeneration
      following damage to the optic nerve or the optic tract in patients with pituitary
      adenoma. RNFL changes after surgery have not been studied thoroughly in patients
      with the transsphenoidal surgery and patients with the transcranial surgery.
      METHODS: Thirty-seven patients with pituitary adenoma were recruited from Huashan
      hospital between September 2010 and July 2014. Patients were divided into two
      groups: the transsphenoidal group and the transcranial group. Before surgery, 3
      and 9 months after surgery, follow-up optic coherence tomography were conducted.
      RESULTS: Twenty-one patients underwent transsphenoidal surgery and 16 patients
      underwent transcranial surgery. No obvious difference were observed between these
      two groups before surgery. The mean RNFL thickness did not change significantly
      in patients who underwent transsphenoidal surgery: 91.1 before surgery, 92.7 at 3
      months after surgery (p = 0.392) and 92.8 at 9 months after surgery( p = 0.395).
      The mean RNFL thickness decreased inpatients who underwent transcranial surgery:
      93.6 before surgery, 86.1 at 3 months after surgery (p = 0.000) and 88.1 at 9
      months after surgery (p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: In the short time follow-up, there
      was no change of RNFL thickness in pituitary adenoma patients underwent
      transsphenoidal surgery, but a decrease inpatients underwent transcranial
      surgery.

PMID- 26494044
TI  - Electrostatics effects on Ca(2+) binding and conformational changes in EF-hand
      domains: Functional implications for EF-hand proteins.
AB  - Mutations of Gln41 and Lys75 with nonpolar residues in the N-terminal domain of
      calmodulin (N-Cam) revealed the importance of solvation energetics in
      conformational change of Ca(2+) sensor EF-hand domains. While in general these
      domains have polar residues at these corresponding positions yet the extent of
      their conformational response to Ca(2+) binding and their Ca(2+) binding affinity
      can be different from N-Cam. Consequently, here we address the charge state of
      the polar residues at these positions. The results show that the charge state of
      these polar residues can affect substantially the conformational change and the
      Ca(2+) binding affinity of our N-Cam variants. Since all the variants kept their
      conformational activity in the presence of Ca(2+) suggests that the differences
      observed among them mainly originate from the difference in their molecular
      dynamics. Hence we propose that the molecular dynamics of Ca(2+) sensor EF-hand
      domains is a key factor in the multifunctional aspect of EF-hand proteins. 

PMID- 26494045
TI  - Metabolome analyses in exposome studies: Profiling methods for a vast chemical
      space.
AB  - Metabolic profiling (metabonomics/metabolomics) is now used routinely as a tool
      to provide information-rich datasets for biomarker discovery, prompting and
      augmenting detailed mechanistic studies. The experimental design and focus of any
      individual study will be reflected in the types of biomarkers that can be
      detected; toxicological studies will likely focus on markers of response to
      insult, whereas clinical case-control studies may yield diagnostic markers of
      disease. Population studies can make use of omics analyses, including
      metabonomics, to provide mechanistically-relevant markers that link environmental
      exposures to chronic disease endpoints. In this article, examples of how
      metabolic profiling has played a key role in molecular epidemiological analyses
      of chronic disease are presented, and how these reflect different aspects of the
      causal pathway. A commentary on the nature of metabolome analysis as a complex
      mixture problem as opposed to a coded, sequence or template problem is provided,
      alongside an overview of current and future analytical platforms that are being
      applied to meet this analytical challenge. Epidemiological studies are an
      important nexus for integrating various measures of the human exposome, and the
      ubiquity, diversity and functions of small molecule metabolites, represent an
      important way to link individual exposures, genetics and phenotype. 

PMID- 26494047
TI  - Production of the angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitory peptides and
      isolation of four novel peptides from jellyfish (Rhopilema esculentum) protein
      hydrolysate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) plays an important role in
      regulating blood pressure in the human body. ACE inhibitory peptides derived from
      food proteins could exert antihypertensive effects without side effects.
      Jellyfish (Rhopilema esculentum) is an important fishery resource suitable for
      production of ACE inhibitory peptides. The objective of this study was to
      optimize the hydrolysis conditions for production of protein hydrolysate from R.
      esculentum (RPH) with ACE inhibitory activity, and to isolate and identify the
      ACE inhibitory peptides from RPH. RESULTS: Rhopilema esculentum protein was
      hydrolyzed with Compound proteinase AQ to produce protein hydrolysate with ACE
      inhibitory activity, and the hydrolysis conditions were optimized using response
      surface methodology. The optimum parameters for producing peptides with the
      highest ACE inhibitory activity were as follows: hydrolysis time 3.90 h,
      hydrolysis temperature 58  degrees C, enzyme:substrate ratio 2.8% and pH 7.60.
      Under these conditions, the ACE inhibitory rate reached 32.21%. In addition, four
      novel ACE inhibitory peptides were isolated, and their amino acids sequences were
      identified as Val-Gly-Pro-Tyr, Phe-Thr-Tyr-Val-Pro-Gly, Phe-Thr-Tyr-Val-Pro-Gly
      Ala and Phe-Gln-Ala-Val-Trp-Ala-Gly, respectively. The IC50 value of the purified
      peptides for ACE inhibitory activity was 8.40, 23.42, 21.15 and 19.11 umol L(-1)
      . CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the protein hydrolysate prepared from
      R. esculentum might be a commercial competitive source of ACE inhibitory
      ingredients to be used in functional foods. (c) 2015 Society of Chemical
      Industry.

PMID- 26494048
TI  - Phagocytosis: Mitochondria and phagosomes: better together.

PMID- 26494049
TI  - Mucosal immunology: Battle scars.

PMID- 26494046
TI  - Antibodies as Mediators of Brain Pathology.
AB  - The brain is normally sequestered from antibody exposure by the blood brain
      barrier. However, antibodies can access the brain during fetal development before
      the barrier achieves full integrity, and in disease states when barrier integrity
      is compromised. Recent studies suggest that antibodies contribute to brain
      pathology associated with autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus
      erythematosus and neuromyelitis optica, and can lead to transient or permanent
      behavioral or cognitive abnormalities. We review these findings here and examine
      the circumstances associated with antibody entry into the brain, the routes of
      access and the mechanisms that then effect pathology. Understanding these
      processes and the nature and specificity of neuronal autoantibodies may reveal
      therapeutic strategies toward alleviating or preventing the neurological
      pathologies and behavioral abnormalities associated with autoimmune disease. 

PMID- 26494051
TI  - Water and nitrogen availability co-control ecosystem CO2 exchange in a semiarid
      temperate steppe.
AB  - Both water and nitrogen (N) availability have significant effects on ecosystem
      CO2 exchange (ECE), which includes net ecosystem productivity (NEP), ecosystem
      respiration (ER) and gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP). How water and N
      availability influence ECE in arid and semiarid grasslands is still uncertain. A
      manipulative experiment with additions of rainfall, snow and N was conducted to
      test their effects on ECE in a semiarid temperate steppe of northern China for
      three consecutive years with contrasting natural precipitation. ECE increased
      with annual precipitation but approached peak values at different precipitation
      amount. Water addition, especially summer water addition, had significantly
      positive effects on ECE in years when the natural precipitation was normal or
      below normal, but showed trivial effect on GEP when the natural precipitation was
      above normal as effects on ER and NEP offset one another. Nitrogen addition
      exerted non-significant or negative effects on ECE when precipitation was low but
      switched to a positive effect when precipitation was high, indicating N effect
      triggered by water availability. Our results indicate that both water and N
      availability control ECE and the effects of future precipitation changes and
      increasing N deposition will depend on how they can change collaboratively in
      this semiarid steppe ecosystem. 

PMID- 26494052
TI  - You are not alone: selecting your group members and leading an outstanding
      research team.

PMID- 26494053
TI  - Surgical Visual Reference for Auditory Brainstem Implantation in Children with
      Cochlear Nerve Deficiency.

PMID- 26494050
TI  - Resistance and tolerance to foreign elements by prokaryotic immune systems -
      curating the genome.
AB  - To engage in adaptive symbioses or genetic exchange, organisms must interact with
      foreign, non-self elements despite the risks of predation and parasitism. By
      surveying the interface between self and non-self, immune systems can help ensure
      the benevolence of these interactions without isolating their hosts altogether.
      In this Essay, we examine prokaryotic restriction-modification and CRISPR-Cas
      (clustered, regularly interspaced palindromic repeat-CRISPR-associated proteins)
      activities and discuss their analogy to mammalian immune pathways. We further
      explain how their capacities for resistance and tolerance are optimized to reduce
      parasitism and immunopathology during encounters with non-self. 

PMID- 26494054
TI  - Complications of Pediatric Otitis Media.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Otitis media (OM) is a common diagnosis in the pediatric population
      that is usually managed on an outpatient basis. A small proportion of children
      are admitted due to a complex disease course. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the demographics of those patients and the resources utilized during
      their admissions. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review based on the 2009 Kids'
      Inpatient Database. SETTING: Nationwide administrative database. SUBJECTS AND
      METHODS: A review based on the 2009 Kids' Inpatient Database was conducted.
      Inclusion criteria were clinical modification codes for OM (ICD-9 code 382). Data
      recorded included patient demographics, concurrent discharge diagnosis codes,
      length of stay, total charges, and frequency of procedures performed. RESULTS:
      There were 61,783 (92,548 nationally weighted) admissions with OM, which were
      analyzed. The average age (SD) for the patients was 2.18 (3.49) years, and the
      average length of stay was 2.88 days. The majority (80.75%) of patients did not
      have to undergo a procedure during admission, whereas a small proportion (5.4%)
      underwent a major operating room procedure. There were 21 deaths recorded
      (0.03%). A diagnosis of mastoiditis, meningitis, venous sinus thrombosis, or
      intracranial abscess was associated with significantly increased length of stay,
      incidence of procedures, and total cost of admission. CONCLUSIONS: Complicated
      pediatric OM remains of concern requiring prompt and thorough management. Major
      complications include mastoiditis and meningitis, and unfortunately, fatalities
      still occur in patients with OM. An understanding of resource utilization and
      socioeconomic implications can identify and drive opportunities for targeted
      quality improvement.

PMID- 26494056
TI  - Predicting and influencing training success: spatial abilities and instructional
      design.

PMID- 26494057
TI  - Accessory cystic artery as instructed object.

PMID- 26494058
TI  - Are influential teachers born or can they be taught?

PMID- 26494059
TI  - Academic integrity of health care educators: requisite for nurturing
      professionalism.

PMID- 26494060
TI  - When I say... patient-centredness.

PMID- 26494061
TI  - Spatial abilities and technical skills performance in health care: a systematic
      review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta
      analysis of the relationship between spatial abilities and technical skills
      performance in health care in beginners and to compare this relationship with
      those in intermediate and autonomous learners. METHODS: Search criteria included
      'spatial abilities' and 'technical skills'. Keywords related to these criteria
      were defined. A literature search was conducted to 20 December, 2013 in Scopus
      (including MEDLINE) and in several databases on EBSCOhost platforms (CINAHL Plus
      with Full Text, ERIC, Education Source and PsycINFO). Citations were obtained and
      reviewed by two independent reviewers. Articles related to retained citations
      were reviewed and a final list of eligible articles was determined. Articles were
      assessed for quality using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network-50
      assessment instrument. Data were extracted from articles in a systematic way.
      Correlations between spatial abilities test scores and technical skills
      performance were identified. RESULTS: A series of 8289 citations was obtained.
      Eighty articles were retained and fully reviewed, yielding 36 eligible articles.
      The systematic review found a tendency for spatial abilities to be negatively
      correlated with the duration of technical skills and positively correlated with
      the quality of technical skills performance in beginners and intermediate
      learners. Pooled correlations of studies were -0.46 (p = 0.03) and -0.38 (95%
      confidence interval [CI] -0.53 to -0.21) for duration and 0.33 (95% CI 0.20-0.44)
      and 0.41 (95% CI 0.26-0.54) for quality of technical skills performance in
      beginners and intermediate learners, respectively. However, correlations between
      spatial abilities test scores and technical skills performance were not
      statistically significant in autonomous learners. CONCLUSIONS: Spatial abilities
      are an important factor to consider in selecting and training individuals in
      technical skills in health care.

PMID- 26494062
TI  - Implementation of competency-based medical education: are we addressing the
      concerns and challenges?
AB  - CONTEXT: Competency-based medical education (CBME) has emerged as a core strategy
      to educate and assess the next generation of physicians. Advantages of CBME
      include: a focus on outcomes and learner achievement; requirements for
      multifaceted assessment that embraces formative and summative approaches; support
      of a flexible, time-independent trajectory through the curriculum; and increased
      accountability to stakeholders with a shared set of expectations and a common
      language for education, assessment and regulation. OBJECTIVES: Despite the
      advantages of CBME, numerous concerns and challenges to the implementation of
      CBME frameworks have been described, including: increased administrative
      requirements; the need for faculty development; the lack of models for flexible
      curricula, and inconsistencies in terms and definitions. Additionally, there are
      concerns about reductionist approaches to assessment in CBME, lack of good
      assessments for some competencies, and whether CBME frameworks include domains of
      current importance. This study will outline these issues and discuss the
      responses of the medical education community. METHODS: The concerns and
      challenges expressed are primarily categorised as: (i) those related to
      practical, administrative and logistical challenges in implementing CBME
      frameworks, and (ii) those with more conceptual or theoretical bases. The
      responses of the education community to these issues are then summarised.
      CONCLUSIONS: The education community has begun to address the challenges involved
      in implementing CBME. Models and guidance exist to inform implementation
      strategies across the continuum of education, and focus on the more efficient use
      of resources and technology, and the use of milestones and entrustable
      professional activities-based frameworks. Inconsistencies in CBME definitions and
      frameworks remain a significant obstacle. Evolution in assessment approaches from
      in vitro task-based methods to in vivo integrated approaches is responsive to
      many of the theoretical and conceptual concerns about CBME, but much work remains
      to be done to bring rigour and quality to work-based assessment.

PMID- 26494063
TI  - 'You see?' Teaching and learning how to interpret visual cues during surgery.
AB  - CONTEXT: The ability to interpret visual cues is important in many medical
      specialties, including surgery, in which poor outcomes are largely attributable
      to errors of perception rather than poor motor skills. However, we know little
      about how trainee surgeons learn to make judgements in the visual domain.
      OBJECTIVES: We explored how trainees learn visual cue interpretation in the
      operating room. METHODS: A multiple case study design was used. Participants were
      postgraduate surgical trainees and their trainers. Data included observer field
      notes, and integrated video- and audio-recordings from 12 cases representing more
      than 11 hours of observation. A constant comparative methodology was used to
      identify dominant themes. RESULTS: Visual cue interpretation was a recurrent
      feature of trainer-trainee interactions and was achieved largely through the
      pedagogic mechanism of co-construction. Co-construction was a dialogic sequence
      between trainer and trainee in which they explored what they were looking at
      together to identify and name structures or pathology. Co-construction took two
      forms: 'guided co-construction', in which the trainer steered the trainee to see
      what the trainer was seeing, and 'authentic co-construction', in which neither
      trainer nor trainee appeared certain of what they were seeing and pieced together
      the information collaboratively. Whether the co-construction activity was guided
      or authentic appeared to be influenced by case difficulty and trainee seniority.
      Co-construction was shown to occur verbally, through discussion, and also through
      non-verbal exchanges in which gestures made with laparoscopic instruments
      contributed to the co-construction discourse. CONCLUSIONS: In the training
      setting, learning visual cue interpretation occurs in part through co
      construction. Co-construction is a pedagogic phenomenon that is well recognised
      in the context of learning to interpret verbal information. In articulating the
      features of co-construction in the visual domain, this work enables the
      development of explicit pedagogic strategies for maximising trainees' learning of
      visual cue interpretation. This is relevant to multiple medical specialties in
      which judgements must be based on visual information.

PMID- 26494064
TI  - The highly influential teacher: recognising our unsung heroes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to investigate the roles, characteristics and
      contributions to the educational process of highly influential teachers described
      retrospectively by faculty members who were former medical students and trainees.
      METHODS: The authors collected 20 appreciative inquiry narratives from a
      convenience sample of 22 faculty members (91% collection rate) at three medical
      schools that had volunteered to participate in a year-long programme of faculty
      development in humanism in medicine. The faculty members wrote narratives in
      response to the prompt: 'Write about your most influential teacher.' The four
      authors performed qualitative analysis of the 20 narratives using the constant
      comparison method to identify the characteristics of influential teachers.
      RESULTS: Particular relational features with their learners explain the profound
      influences of these teachers on the professional development of their learners.
      All influential teachers shared qualities of excellence in teaching and nearly
      all were described as caring, generous and selfless in their relationships with
      learners. CONCLUSIONS: Highly influential teachers have no official roles, yet
      appear to profoundly influence the professional development of many learners at
      various stages of the educational process.

PMID- 26494065
TI  - 'It was serendipity': a qualitative study of academic careers in medical
      education.
AB  - CONTEXT: Despite a demand for educational expertise in medical universities,
      little is known of the roles of medical educators and the sustainability of
      academic careers in medical education. We examined the experiences and career
      paths of medical educators from diverse professional backgrounds seeking to
      establish, maintain and strengthen their careers in medical schools. METHODS:
      Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 44 lead and early-career medical
      educators from all 21 Australian and New Zealand medical schools. Questions
      explored career beginnings, rewards and challenges. Transcripts underwent
      systematic coding and independent thematic analysis. Final themes were confirmed
      by iterative review and member checking. Analysis was informed by Bourdieu's
      concepts of field (a social space for hierarchical interactions), habitus
      (individual dispositions which influence social interactions) and capital
      (economic, symbolic, social and cultural forms of power). RESULTS: Participants
      provided diverse accounts of what constitutes the practice of medical education.
      Serendipitous career entry and little commonality of professional backgrounds and
      responsibilities suggest an ambiguous habitus with ill-defined career pathways.
      Within the field of medicine as enacted in medical schools, educators have
      invisible yet essential roles, experiencing tension between service expectations,
      a lesser form of capital, and demands for more highly valued forms of
      scholarship. Participants reported increasing expectations to produce research
      and obtain postgraduate qualifications to enter and maintain their careers.
      Unable to draw upon cultural capital accrued from clinical work, non-clinician
      educators faced additional challenges. To strengthen their position, educators
      consciously built social capital through essential service relationships,
      capitalising on times when education takes precedence, such as curriculum renewal
      and accreditation. CONCLUSIONS: Bourdieu's theory provides insight into medical
      educator career paths and the positioning of medical education within medical
      schools. Medical educators have an indistinct practice, and limited cultural
      capital in the form of research outputs. In order to maintain and strengthen
      their careers, educators must create alternative sources of capital, through
      fostering collaborative alliances.

PMID- 26494067
TI  - A model for medical school application courses: widening access to student
      preparation.

PMID- 26494068
TI  - Order of curricular interventions in recognition of haematopathological images.

PMID- 26494069
TI  - Verisimilitude game to teach infectious disease epidemiology to medical students.

PMID- 26494070
TI  - Using comics for pre-class preparation.

PMID- 26494071
TI  - Flipped classroom on humanities: medicine, narrative and art.

PMID- 26494072
TI  - Lessons learned with a flipped classroom.

PMID- 26494073
TI  - Breakfast club: a simple, reproducible, student education initiative.

PMID- 26494074
TI  - Toward full student engagement in pre-clerkship training.

PMID- 26494075
TI  - Medical students as nutritional mentors for underserved patients.

PMID- 26494076
TI  - Video voiceover feedback: economised surgical skills training.

PMID- 26494077
TI  - Body language in workshop evaluation.

PMID- 26494078
TI  - Facilitated simulated patient sessions in mental-state examination teaching.

PMID- 26494079
TI  - Improved trainee experience with a structured subspecialty rotation.

PMID- 26494080
TI  - A customised board game enhances learning about obesity.

PMID- 26494081
TI  - CanMEDS in context: a transition to residency innovation.

PMID- 26494082
TI  - Using real-time Delphi to develop a consensus on competencies.

PMID- 26494083
TI  - CPIRD: a successful programme to foster clinical competency for rural doctors.

PMID- 26494084
TI  - Teaching and developing referral skills for new doctors.

PMID- 26494085
TI  - The Bristol Clinical Data Exam.

PMID- 26494086
TI  - Teamwork attitude: not just a student issue.

PMID- 26494087
TI  - Developing film resources for interprofessional education: effective
      partnerships.

PMID- 26494088
TI  - Team-based learning during clerkships: a cohort study.

PMID- 26494089
TI  - Interprofessional projects promote and strengthen interdisciplinary
      collaboration.

PMID- 26494090
TI  - Implementing patient safety interprofessional practice in developing regions.

PMID- 26494091
TI  - A blended-learning format to support peer tutors.

PMID- 26494092
TI  - Innovative intervention to improve fellows' research training.

PMID- 26494093
TI  - Simulation and feedback debriefing as motivational teaching tools.

PMID- 26494094
TI  - A faculty development blog: curated and convenient.

PMID- 26494095
TI  - Clicker system improvement with a web technology system.

PMID- 26494096
TI  - Using smartphones to learn exercise physiology.

PMID- 26494097
TI  - A headset communication system for interventional radiology training.

PMID- 26494098
TI  - Using a mobile application to facilitate post-simulation debriefing.

PMID- 26494099
TI  - Open access video resource for paediatric exam revision.

PMID- 26494100
TI  - Patient-perspective video feedback for trauma training.

PMID- 26494101
TI  - Practical histology in tune with the times.

PMID- 26494102
TI  - Feedback just in time: group-ePortfolios for PBL.

PMID- 26494104
TI  - Feedback and evaluation in an undergraduate teaching skills course.

PMID- 26494105
TI  - Regioselective Synthesis and Characterization of Multinuclear Convex-Bound
      Ruthenium-[n]Cycloparaphenylene (n = 5 and 6) Complexes.
AB  - Mono- and multinuclear complexes of ruthenium and [n]cycloparaphenylene (CPP, n =
      5 and 6) were synthesized in excellent yields through ligand exchange of the
      cationic complex [(Cp)Ru(CH3CN)3](PF6) with CPP. In the multinuclear complexes,
      ruthenium selectively coordinated to alternate paraphenylene units to give bis-
      and tris-coordinated Ru complexes for [5] and [6]CPPs, respectively. Single
      crystal X-ray analysis revealed the Ru was coordinated with eta(6)-hapticity on
      the convex surface of CPP.

PMID- 26494106
TI  - Efficient Epimerization of Aldoses Using Layered Niobium Molybdates.
AB  - Both non-acidic LiNbMoO6 and strongly acidic HNbMoO6 efficiently catalyze the
      epimerization of sugars including glucose, mannose, xylose, and arabinose in
      water. The reactions over these oxides reached almost equilibrium within a few
      hours where yields of corresponding epimers from glucose, xylose, and arabinose
      were 24-29%. The layered mixed oxides functioned as heterogeneous catalysts and
      could be reused without loss of activity, whereas bulk molybdenum oxide MoO3 was
      completely dissolved during the reaction. A (13)C substitution experiment showed
      that the reaction proceeds through a 1,2-rearrangement mechanism. The surface Mo
      octahedra were responsible for the activity. The layered HNbMoO6 could also
      afford mannose from cellobiose through hydrolysis and successive epimerization.

PMID- 26494107
TI  - Divergent biophysical controls of aquatic CO2 and CH4 in the World's two largest
      rivers.
AB  - Carbon emissions to the atmosphere from inland waters are globally significant
      and mainly occur at tropical latitudes. However, processes controlling the
      intensity of CO2 and CH4 emissions from tropical inland waters remain poorly
      understood. Here, we report a data-set of concurrent measurements of the partial
      pressure of CO2 (pCO2) and dissolved CH4 concentrations in the Amazon (n = 136)
      and the Congo (n = 280) Rivers. The pCO2 values in the Amazon mainstem were
      significantly higher than in the Congo, contrasting with CH4 concentrations that
      were higher in the Congo than in the Amazon. Large-scale patterns in pCO2 across
      different lowland tropical basins can be apprehended with a relatively simple
      statistical model related to the extent of wetlands within the basin, showing
      that, in addition to non-flooded vegetation, wetlands also contribute to CO2 in
      river channels. On the other hand, dynamics of dissolved CH4 in river channels
      are less straightforward to predict, and are related to the way hydrology
      modulates the connectivity between wetlands and river channels.

PMID- 26494108
TI  - Helping Head Start Parents Promote Their Children's Kindergarten Adjustment: The
      Research-Based Developmentally Informed Parent Program.
AB  - Head Start enhances school readiness during preschool, but effects diminish after
      children transition into kindergarten. Designed to promote sustained gains, the
      Research-based Developmentally Informed (REDI) Parent program (REDI-P) provided
      home visits before and after the kindergarten transition, giving parents evidence
      based learning games, interactive stories, and guided pretend play to use with
      their children. To evaluate impact, two hundred 4-year-old children in Head Start
      REDI classrooms were randomly assigned to REDI-P or a comparison condition (mail
      home math games). Beyond the effects of the classroom program, REDI-P promoted
      significant improvements in child literacy skills, academic performance, self
      directed learning, and social competence, demonstrating the utility of the
      approach in promoting gains in cognitive and social-emotional skills evident
      after the transition into kindergarten. 

PMID- 26494109
TI  - Genetic and functional characterization of HIV-1 Vif on APOBEC3G degradation:
      First report of emergence of B/C recombinants from North India.
AB  - HIV-1 is characterized by high genetic heterogeneity which is a challenge for
      developing therapeutics. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the extent of
      genetic variations that HIV is undergoing in North India. The objective of this
      study was to determine the role of genetic and functional role of Vif on APOBEC3G
      degradation. Vif is an accessory protein involved in counteracting APOBEC3/F
      proteins. Genetic analysis of Vif variants revealed that Vif C variants were
      closely related to South African Vif C whereas Vif B variants and Vif B/C showed
      distinct geographic locations. This is the first report to show the emergence of
      Vif B/C in our population. The functional domains, motifs and phosphorylation
      sites were well conserved. Vif C variants differed in APOBEC3G degradation from
      Vif B variants. Vif B/C revealed similar levels of APOBEC3G degradation to Vif C
      confirming the presence of genetic determinants in C-terminal region. High
      genetic diversity was observed in Vif variants which may cause the emergence of
      more complex and divergent strains. These results reveal the genetic determinants
      of Vif in mediating APOBEC3G degradation and highlight the genetic information
      for the development of anti-viral drugs against HIV. IMPORTANCE: Vif is an
      accessory HIV-1 protein which plays significant role in the degradation of human
      DNA-editing factor APOBEC3G, thereby impeding the antiretroviral activity of
      APOBEC3G. It is known that certain natural polymorphisms in Vif could degrade
      APOBEC3G relatively higher rate, suggesting its role in HIV-1 pathogenesis. This
      is the first report from North India showcasing genetic variations and novel
      polymorphisms in Vif gene. Subtype C is prevalent in India, but for the first
      time we observed putative B/C recombinants with a little high ability to degrade
      APOBEC3G indicating adaptation and evolving nature of virus in our population.
      Indian Vif C variants were able to degrade APOBEC3G well in comparison to Vif B
      variants. These genetic changes were most likely selected during adaptation of
      HIV to our population. These results elucidate that the genetic determinants of
      Vif and highlights the potential targets for therapeutics.

PMID- 26494110
TI  - Exploring Coping and Social Support with Gender and Education Among People Living
      with HIV in China.
AB  - Social support promotes positive coping strategies among people living with HIV
      (PLH); however, little is known about the various aspects of social support and
      their distinct effects on coping. The present study investigates the specific
      links between coping and perceived social support with respect to gender and
      education among PLH. A total of 522 PLH in Anhui, China, participated in an
      assessment that collected data on demographics, perceived tangible and emotional
      support, and cognitive and behavioral coping. The assessment was conducted using
      the computer-assisted personal interviewing method. The data were analyzed using
      linear mixed models. Emotional support was significantly associated with both
      cognitive and behavioral coping. Tangible support was significantly associated
      with behavioral coping but not with emotional coping. Women reported
      significantly lower levels of emotional support, cognitive coping, and behavioral
      coping than men did. Significant associations between tangible support and coping
      were found only among illiterate males. Women living with HIV are in greater need
      of social support and coping strategies. Future interventions should be gender
      specific, with targeted support for women with lower education levels to enhance
      their coping strategies. 

PMID- 26494111
TI  - Quantitative assessment of faecal shedding of beta-lactam-resistant Escherichia
      coli and enterococci in dogs.
AB  - Quantitative data on faecal shedding of antimicrobial resistant bacteria are
      crucial to assess the risk of transmission from dogs to other animals as well as
      humans. In this study we investigated prevalence and concentrations of beta
      lactam-resistant Escherichia coli and enterococci in the faeces of 108 dogs
      presenting at a veterinary hospital in Denmark. The dogs had not been treated
      with antimicrobials for 4 weeks prior to the study. Total E. coli and enterococci
      were quantified by counts on MacConkey and Slanetz-Bartley, respectively.
      Resistant E. coli and enterococci were counted on the same media containing
      relevant antibiotic concentrations, followed by species identification using
      MALDI-TOF. Ampicillin- and cefotaxime-resistant E. coli were detected in 40% and
      8% of the dogs, respectively, whereas approximately 15% carried ampicillin
      resistant enterococci, mainly Enterococcus faecium. In the faeces of the
      carriers, the proportion of resistant strains in the total bacterial species
      population was on average 15% for both ampicillin-resistant E. coli (median
      faecal load 3.2*10(4)cfu/g) and E. faecium (5.8*10(2) cfu/g), and 4.6% for
      cefotaxime-resistant E. coli (8.6*10(3) cfu/g). Cefotaxime resistance was
      associated with the presence of blaCTX-M-1 (n=4), blaCMY-2 (n=4) or multiple
      mutations in the promoter and coding region of chromosomal ampC (n=1). Altogether
      the results indicate that the risks of zoonotic transmission of beta-lactam
      resistant bacteria via human exposure to canine faeces greatly vary amongst
      individual dogs and are influenced by unidentified factors other than recent
      antimicrobial use.

PMID- 26494112
TI  - Bos taurus papillomavirus (BPV) E6 protein: Sequence analysis and molecular
      evolution.

PMID- 26494113
TI  - Prevalence and genetic diversity of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)
      producing Escherichia coli in nursing homes in Bavaria, Germany.
AB  - Main goal of this study was to determine the prevalence and molecular
      epidemiology of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing
      Enterobacteriaceae among 156 nursing home residents in Bavaria and to compare the
      results with healthy individuals from the Bavarian community. Intestinal
      colonisation by ESBL-producing Escherichia coli was detected in 23 nursing home
      residents (14.7%) using MacConkey agar supplemented with cefotaxime (1mg/L) for
      screening and the combined disc method for ESBL confirmation. Antimicrobial
      susceptibility testing revealed co-resistance to ciprofloxacin in 86.9% of the
      ESBL-producers. All isolates harboured CTX-M-ESBL with CTX-M-15 (65.2%) and CTX-M
      27 (21.7%) as the most common types. Moreover, 16 isolates (69.6%) could be
      assigned by PCR-typing to the epidemic clonal lineage E. coli O25b-ST131. Further
      typing by rep-PCR and XbaI-macrorestriction with subsequent pulsed-field gel
      electrophoresis, respectively, revealed that two or more residents shared the
      same ESBL-producing E. coli clone in four nursing homes. In conclusion, we could
      show a high prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli in Bavarian nursing homes
      (14.7%) compared to the healthy population (6.3%). Although the prevalence of
      ESBL-type CTX-M-15 in E. coli was similar in nursing home residents (65.2%) and
      healthy individuals (46%) the presence of E. coli O25b-ST131 clones differed
      substantially (69.6% and 14.2%, respectively). Furthermore, this study
      demonstrates that a person-to-person transmission or a common source of infection
      for ESBL-producing microorganisms may occur in these facilities. Therefore, basic
      hygiene measures should be assiduously implemented to prevent the further spread
      of these multidrug-resistant bacteria.

PMID- 26494114
TI  - Do Patients with Complete Spinal Cord Injury Benefit from Early Surgical
      Decompression? Analysis of Neurological Improvement in a Prospective Cohort
      Study.
AB  - The prognosis for patients with a complete traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is
      generally poor. It is unclear whether some subgroups of patients with a complete
      traumatic SCI could benefit from early surgical decompression of the spinal cord.
      The objectives of this study were: (1) to compare the effect of early and late
      surgical decompression on neurological recovery in complete traumatic SCI and (2)
      to assess whether the impact of surgical timing is different in patients with
      cervical or thoracolumbar SCI. A prospective cohort study was followed in a
      single Level 1 Trauma Center specializing in SCI care. All consecutive patients
      who sustained a traumatic SCI and were referred between 2010 and 2013 were
      screened for eligibility. Neurological status was assessed systematically using
      the American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale (AIS) at arrival to the
      trauma center and at rehabilitation discharge. Patients operated within 24 h of
      the trauma were compared with patients operated later than 24 h after the trauma.
      Potential confounders such as age, Injury Severity Score (ISS), smoking history,
      body mass index (BMI), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, and duration of follow-up
      were recorded. Fifty-three patients with complete SCI were included in the study:
      33 thoracolumbar and 20 cervical SCIs. The 38 patients operated <24 h were
      generally younger than the 15 patients operated >= 24 h (p = 0.049). Overall, 28%
      (15/53) of complete SCI had improvement in AIS: 34% (13/38) who were operated <24
      h and 13% (2/15) who were operated >= 24 h (p = 0.182). Sixty-four percent (9/14)
      of cervical complete SCI operated <24 h had improvement in AIS as opposed to none
      in the subgroup of six complete cervical SCI operated >= 24 h (p = 0.008).
      Surgical decompression within 24 h in complete SCI may optimize neurological
      recovery, especially in patients with cervical SCI.

PMID- 26494115
TI  - Stereotactic body radiotherapy for lung metastases as oligo-recurrence: a single
      institutional study.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate clinical outcomes following
      stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for lung metastases as oligo-recurrence.
      From May 2003 to June 2014, records for 66 patients with 76 oligo-recurrences in
      the lungs treated with SBRT were retrospectively reviewed. Oligo-recurrence
      primary sites and patient numbers were as follows: lungs, 31; colorectal, 13;
      head and neck, 10; esophagus, 3; uterus, 3; and others, 6. The median SBRT dose
      was 50 Gy (range, 45-60 Gy) administered in a median of 5 (range, 5-9) fractions.
      All patients received SBRT, with no acute toxicity. Surviving patients had a
      median follow-up time of 36.5 months. The 3-year rates of local control, overall
      survival and disease-free survival were 90.6%, 76.0% and 53.7%, respectively.
      Longer disease-free interval from initial treatment to SBRT, and non-colorectal
      cancer were both associated with favorable outcomes. Disease progression after
      SBRT occurred in 31 patients, most with distant metastases (n = 24) [among whom,
      87.5% (n = 21) had new lung metastases]. Among these 21 patients, 12 were judged
      as having a second oligo-recurrence. Additional SBRT was performed for these 12
      patients, and all 12 tumors were controlled without disease progression. Three
      patients (4.5%) developed Grade 2 radiation pneumonitis. No other late adverse
      events of Grade >=2 were identified. Thus, SBRT for oligo-recurrence achieved
      acceptable tumor control, with additional SBRT also effective for selected
      patients with a second oligo-recurrence after primary SBRT. 

PMID- 26494117
TI  - Insight into the Mechanism of the Initial Reaction of an OH Radical with DNA/RNA
      Nucleobases: A Computational Investigation of Radiation Damage.
AB  - Earlier theoretical investigations of the mechanism of radiation damage to
      DNA/RNA nucleobases have claimed OH radical addition as the dominating pathway
      based solely on energetics. In this study we supplement calculations of energies
      with the kinetics of all possible reactions with the OH radical through hydrogen
      abstraction and OH radical addition onto carbon sites, using DFT at the omegaB97X
      D/6-311++G(2df,2pd) level with the Eckart tunneling correction. The overall rate
      constants for the reaction with adenine, guanine, thymine, and uracil are found
      to be 2.17*10(-12) , 5.64*10(-11) , 2.01*10(-11) , and 5.03*10(-12)  cm(3) 
      molecules(-1)  s(-1) , respectively, which agree exceptionally well with
      experimental values. We conclude that abstraction of the amine group hydrogen
      atoms competes with addition onto C8 as the most important reaction pathway for
      the purine nucleobases, while for the pyrimidine nucleobases addition onto C5 and
      C6 competes with the abstraction of H1 . Thymine shows favourability against
      abstraction of methyl hydrogens as the dominating pathway based on rate
      constants. These mechanistic conclusions are partly explained by an analysis of
      the electrostatic potential together with HOMO and LUMO orbitals of the
      nucleobases. 

PMID- 26494116
TI  - Multi-institutional retrospective analysis of learning curves on dosimetry and
      operation time before and after introduction of intraoperatively built custom
      linked seeds in prostate brachytherapy.
AB  - This multi-institutional retrospective analysis examined learning curves for
      dosimetric parameters and operation time after introduction of intraoperatively
      built custom-linked (IBCL) seeds. Data from consecutive patients treated with
      seed implantation before and after introduction of IBCL seeds (loose seed, n =
      428; IBCL seed, n = 426) were collected from 13 centers. Dose-volume histogram
      parameters, operation times, and seed migration rates were compared before and
      after introduction of IBCL seeds. At the 1-month CT analysis, no significant
      differences were seen in dose to 90% of prostate volume between before and after
      IBCL seed introduction. No learning curve for dosimetry was seen. Prostate and
      rectal volume receiving at least 150% of prescription dose (V150 and RV150) were
      higher in the loose-seed group than in the IBCL-seed group. Operation time was
      extended by up to 10 min when IBCL seeds were used, although there was a short
      learning curve of about five patients. The percentage of patients with seed
      migration in the IBCL-seed group was one-tenth that in the loose-seed group. Our
      study revealed no dosimetric demerits, no learning curve for dosimetry, and a
      slightly extended operation time for IBCL seeds. A significant reduction in the
      rate of seed migration was identified in the IBCL-seed group. 

PMID- 26494118
TI  - Left Ventricular Thrombus in the Setting of Normal Left Ventricular Function in
      Patients with Crohn's Disease.
AB  - Crohn's disease results in a hypercoagulable state increasing the risk of venous
      or arterial thromboembolism. Cardiac involvement has not been routinely
      identified. Two cases are presented to illustrate that patients with Crohn's
      disease may represent an exception to the rule that left ventricular apical
      thrombus should be associated with an underlying wall motion abnormality and
      reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction. 

PMID- 26494119
TI  - Information, connection and giving back: peer support outcomes for families
      following acquired brain injury in South Australia.
AB  - This study aimed to identify the experiences and outcomes of participation in
      Families4Families Inc., a peer support network for families following acquired
      brain injury (ABI) in South Australia. Prior to the programme's launch in January
      2013, new members of the network were invited to participate in pre- and post
      programme phone interviews to identify benefits and limitations of the programme,
      and identify outcomes of participation. Fifty-five members (20 people with ABI;
      35 caregivers) participated in pre-programme interviews, with 34 repeating the
      final interview at the end of the 18-month pilot programme in June 2014.
      Interview transcripts were imported into Nvivo 10, where comments were analysed
      using inductive data-driven thematic analysis. Responses to rating questions were
      analysed using SPSS 20. Attendance records indicate that 39 of 55 participants
      were involved in the programme (12 active, 27 occasional) and 16 participants did
      not attend. Active attenders reported that they provided and received higher
      levels of support and information than those who attended only occasionally,
      including the significantly higher development of new friendships and contacts (P
      < 0.001). Statistically significant improvements in knowledge of services by both
      active and occasional attenders were reported (P = 0.014 and 0.026 respectively)
      with non-significant improvements for non-attenders. Qualitative analysis of
      interview transcripts revealed three major thematic benefits of involvement.
      These include the opportunity to access information, receive emotional support
      and give back to others in the network. Reasons for no longer participating in
      the network are explored. Peer support programmes can enable families to share
      experiences, knowledge, positive coping strategies, understanding of systems and
      develop new social networks that last beyond the programme. The continuing need
      for extended regional access is highlighted, with follow-up and referral to
      counselling and other services also critical to ensure members are appropriately
      supported through difficult personal experiences.

PMID- 26494120
TI  - Chronic Total Uterine Inversion in a Young Adult Patient.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic uterine inversion is a very rare and life-threatening
      disease. It requires emergent treatment. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a 17
      year-old patient with chronic uterine inversion. A fragile, bleeding, and soft
      mass, which filled the entire vagina, was seen during vaginal inspection. There
      was also a hard and tight cervical ring palpated behind the mass. She was
      operated on with Haultain technique. She was treated in the first postpartum
      year. She had normal menstrual bleeding and normal sexual intercourse after 1
      month of outpatient control. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate diagnosis and treatment of
      isolated chronic inversion decreases maternal morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 26494121
TI  - BnaC9.SMG7b Functions as a Positive Regulator of the Number of Seeds per Silique
      in Brassica napus by Regulating the Formation of Functional Female Gametophytes.
AB  - Number of seeds per silique (NSS) is an important determinant of seed yield
      potential in Brassicaceae crops, and it is controlled by naturally occurring
      quantitative trait loci. We previously mapped a major quantitative trait locus,
      qSS.C9, on the C9 chromosome that controls NSS in Brassica napus. To gain a
      better understanding of how qSS.C9 controls NSS in B. napus, we isolated this
      locus through a map-based cloning strategy. qSS.C9 encodes a predicted small
      protein with 119 amino acids, designated as BnaC9.SMG7b, that shows homology with
      the Ever ShorterTelomere1 tertratricopeptide repeats and Ever Shorter Telomere
      central domains of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) SUPPRESSOR WITH
      MORPHOGENETIC EFFECTS ON GENITALIA7 (SMG7). BnaC9.SMG7b plays a role in
      regulating the formation of functional female gametophyte, thus determining the
      formation of functional megaspores and then mature ovules. Natural loss or
      artificial knockdown of BnaC9.SMG7b significantly reduces the number of
      functional ovules per silique and thus, results in decreased seed number,
      indicating that qSS.C9 is a positive regulator of NSS in B. napus. Sequence and
      function analyses show that BnaC9.SMG7b experiences a subfunctionalization
      process that causes loss of function in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, such as in
      Arabidopsis SMG7. Haplotype analysis in 84 accessions showed that the favorable
      BnaC9.SMG7b alleles are prevalent in modern B. napus germplasms, suggesting that
      this locus has been a major selection target of B. napus improvement. Our results
      represent the first step toward unraveling the molecular mechanism that controls
      the natural variation of NSS in B. napus. 

PMID- 26494123
TI  - Graphene-supported Pd catalyst for highly selective hydrogenation of resorcinol
      to 1, 3-cyclohexanedione through giant pi-conjugate interactions.
AB  - The selective hydrogenation of resorcinol (RES) to 1, 3-cyclohexanedione (1,3
      CHD) without the addition of alkali is a big challenge. In this article, a novel
      reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported Pd catalyst was prepared through co
      reduction method, over which we obtained 99.9% of resorcinol conversion and 94.2%
      of the ever-reported highest 1,3-cyclohexanedione selectivity at 25  degrees C in
      only CH2Cl2 solvent. The excellent selectivity was contributed to the strong pi
      pi and p-pi interactions between the graphene nanosheet and the benzene ring as
      well as hydroxyl in RES molecule. The followed adsorption experiment and Raman
      analysis also showed the existence of aromatic graphite structures in rGO, which
      exhibited stronger adsorption towards RES than towards 1,3-CHD. 

PMID- 26494122
TI  - Bortezomib Improves Adoptive T-cell Therapy by Sensitizing Cancer Cells to FasL
      Cytotoxicity.
AB  - Cancer immunotherapy shows great promise but many patients fail to show objective
      responses, including in cancers that can respond well, such as melanoma and renal
      adenocarcinoma. The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib sensitizes solid tumors to
      apoptosis in response to TNF-family death ligands. Because T cells provide
      multiple death ligands at the tumor site, we investigated the effects of
      bortezomib on T-cell responses in immunotherapy models involving low-avidity
      antigens. Bortezomib did not affect lymphocyte or tissue-resident CD11c(+)CD8(+)
      dendritic cell counts in tumor-bearing mice, did not inhibit dendritic cell
      expression of costimulatory molecules, and did not decrease MHC class I/II
      associated antigen presentation to cognate T cells. Rather, bortezomib activated
      NF-kappaB p65 in CD8(+) T cells, stabilizing expression of T-cell receptor
      CD3zeta and IL2 receptor-alpha, while maintaining IFNgamma secretion to improve
      FasL-mediated tumor lysis. Notably, bortezomib increased tumor cell surface
      expression of Fas in mice as well as human melanoma tissue from a responsive
      patient. In renal tumor-bearing immunodeficient Rag2(-/-) mice, bortezomib
      treatment after adoptive T-cell immunotherapy reduced lung metastases and
      enhanced host survival. Our findings highlight the potential of proteasome
      inhibitors to enhance antitumor T-cell function in the context of cancer
      immunotherapy.

PMID- 26494124
TI  - Diffusion weighted imaging for the differentiation of breast tumors: From
      apparent diffusion coefficient to high order diffusion tensor imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To compare "standard" diffusion weighted imaging, and diffusion
      tensor imaging (DTI) of 2(nd) and 4(th) -order for the differentiation of
      malignant and benign breast lesions. METHODS: Seventy-one patients were imaged at
      3 Tesla with a 16-channel breast coil. A diffusion weighted MRI sequence
      including b = 0 and b = 700 in 30 directions was obtained for all patients. The
      image data were fitted to three different diffusion models: isotropic model -
      apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), 2(nd) -order tensor model (the standard
      model used for DTI) and a 4(th) -order tensor model, with increased degrees of
      freedom to describe anisotropy. The ability of the fitted parameters in the
      different models to differentiate between malignant and benign tumors was
      analyzed. RESULTS: Seventy-two breast lesions were analyzed, out of which 38
      corresponded to malignant and 34 to benign tumors. ADC (using any model)
      presented the highest discriminative ability of malignant from benign tumors with
      a receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (AUC) of 0.968, and
      sensitivity and specificity of 94.1% and 94.7% respectively for a 1.33 * 10(-3)
      mm(2) /s cutoff. Anisotropy measurements presented high statistical significance
      between malignant and benign tumors (P < 0.001), but with lower discriminative
      ability of malignant from benign tumors than ADC (AUC of 0.896 and 0.897 for
      fractional anisotropy and generalized anisotropy respectively). Statistical
      significant difference was found between generalized anisotropy and fractional
      anisotropy for cancers (P < 0.001) but not for benign lesions (P = 0.87).
      CONCLUSION: While anisotropy parameters have the potential to provide additional
      value for breast applications as demonstrated in this study, ADC exhibited the
      highest differentiation power between malignant and benign breast tumors.

PMID- 26494125
TI  - The 5alpha-reductase inhibitor finasteride is not associated with alterations in
      sleep spindles in men referred for polysomnography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Endogenous neurosteroids that potentiate the gamma-aminobutyric acid
      type A (GABAA ) receptor are thought to enhance the generation of sleep spindles.
      This study tested the hypothesis that the 5alpha-reductase inhibitor finasteride,
      an agent associated with reductions in neurosteroids, would be associated with
      reduced sleep spindles in men referred for polysomnography. METHODS: Spectral
      analysis and spindle waveform detection were performed on electroencephalographic
      (EEG) sleep data in the 11-16 Hz sigma band, as well as several subranges, from
      27 men taking finasteride and 27 matched comparison patients (ages 18 to 81
      years). RESULTS: No significant differences between groups were observed for
      spectral power or sleep spindle morphology measures, including spindle density,
      amplitude, duration, and integrated spindle activity. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to
      our hypothesis, these findings demonstrate that finasteride is not associated
      with alterations in sleep spindle range activity or spindle morphology
      parameters.

PMID- 26494126
TI  - Cooperative Cluster Metalation and Ligand Migration in Zirconium Metal-Organic
      Frameworks.
AB  - Cooperative cluster metalation and ligand migration were performed on a Zr-MOF,
      leading to the isolation of unique bimetallic MOFs based on decanuclear Zr6M4 (M
      = Ni, Co) clusters. The M(2+) reacts with the MU3-OH and terminal H2O ligands on
      an 8-connected [Zr6O4(OH)8(H2O)4] cluster to form a bimetallic
      [Zr6M4O8(OH)8(H2O)8] cluster. Along with the metalation of Zr6 cluster, ligand
      migration is observed in which a Zr-carboxylate bond dissociates to form a M
      carboxylate bond. Single-crystal to single-crystal transformation is realized so
      that snapshots for cooperative cluster metalation and ligand migration processes
      are captured by successive single-crystal X-ray structures. In(3+) was metalated
      into the same Zr-MOF which showed excellent catalytic activity in the
      acetaldehyde cyclotrimerization reaction. This work not only provides a powerful
      tool to functionalize Zr-MOFs with other metals, but also structurally elucidates
      the formation mechanism of the resulting heterometallic MOFs.

PMID- 26494127
TI  - Morphological Bases of Neuronal Hyperexcitability in Neurodegeneration.

PMID- 26494129
TI  - Adoption of a national antimicrobial guide (SWAB-ID) in the Netherlands.

PMID- 26494128
TI  - TLR3 ligand Poly IC Attenuates Reactive Astrogliosis and Improves Recovery of
      Rats after Focal Cerebral Ischemia.
AB  - AIMS: Brain ischemia activates astrocytes in a process known as astrogliosis.
      Although this process has beneficial effects, excessive astrogliosis can impair
      neuronal recovery. Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly IC) has shown
      neuroprotection against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, but whether it
      regulates reactive astrogliosis and glial scar formation is not clear. METHODS:
      We exposed cultured astrocytes to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation
      (OGD/R) and used a rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)/reperfusion model
      to investigate the effects of Poly IC. Astrocyte proliferation and proliferation
      related molecules were evaluated by immunostaining and Western blotting.
      Neurological deficit scores, infarct volumes and neuroplasticity were evaluated
      in rats after transient MCAO. RESULTS: In vitro, Poly IC inhibited astrocyte
      proliferation, upregulated Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) expression, upregulated
      interferon-beta, and downregulated interleukin-6 production. These changes were
      blocked by a neutralizing antibody against TLR3, suggesting that Poly IC function
      is TLR3-dependent. Moreover, in the MCAO model, Poly IC attenuated reactive
      astrogliosis, reduced brain infarction volume, and improved neurological
      function. In addition, Poly IC prevented MCAO-induced reductions in soma size,
      dendrite length, and number of dendritic bifurcations in cortical neurons of the
      infarct penumbra. CONCLUSIONS: By ameliorating astrogliosis-related damage, Poly
      IC is a potential therapeutic agent for attenuating neuronal damage and promoting
      recovery after brain ischemia.

PMID- 26494130
TI  - Panobinostat PK/PD profile in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone in
      patients with relapsed and relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Panobinostat, a potent pan-deacetylase inhibitor, improved progression
      free survival (PFS) in patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma
      when combined with bortezomib and dexamethasone in a phase 3 trial, PANORAMA-1.
      This study aims to explore exposure-response relationship for panobinostat in
      this combination in a phase 1 trial, B2207 and contrast with data from historical
      single-agent studies. METHODS: Panobinostat plasma concentration-time profiles
      were obtained in patients from PANORAMA-1 (n = 12) and B2207 (n = 12) trials.
      Overall response rates (ORR) and major adverse events (AE) by panobinostat
      exposure were investigated in the B2207 trial. Panobinostat PK data from
      combination trials were contrasted with data from single-agent studies. RESULTS:
      At maximum tolerated dose (MTD), the geometric mean of panobinostat area under
      curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC0-24) was 47.5 ng h/mL (77 % CV), and maximum plasma
      concentration (Cmax) was 8.1 ng/mL (90 % CV). These values were comparable with
      exposure data obtained in PANORAMA-1, but were 20 % lower than those without
      dexamethasone, and ~ 50 % lower from single-agent trials, likely due to enzyme
      induction by dexamethasone. Higher levels of panobinostat exposure were
      associated with higher response rates and higher incidences of diarrhea and
      thrombocytopenia. CONCLUSIONS: Apparent panobinostat exposure-AE and exposure-ORR
      relationships were observed when combined with bortezomib and dexamethasone in
      the treatment of patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. The
      addition of dexamethasone facilitated best response even though plasma exposure
      of panobinostat was reduced. Combination with a strong enzyme inducer should be
      avoided in future trials to prevent further reduction of panobinostat exposure.

PMID- 26494131
TI  - Reassessment of osteoporosis-related femoral fractures and economic burden in
      Saudi Arabia.
AB  - The current study reassesses the prevalence of fragility fractures and lifetime
      costs in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Forty-two percent (391) of the
      fractures were at the neck of the femur, and 38.6 % (354) were inter-trochanteric
      fractures. The overall incidence was assessed to be 7528 (1,300,336 population 55
      years or older) with the direct cost of SR564.75 million ($150.60 million). A
      National Fracture Registry and osteoporosis awareness programs are recommended.
      PURPOSE: Proximal femur fragility fractures are reported to be increasing
      worldwide due to increased life expectancy. The current study is carried out to
      assess the incidence of such fractures in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia
      and to assess the costs incurred in managing them annually. Finally, by
      extrapolating the data, the study can calculate the overall economic burden in
      Saudi Arabia. METHODS: The data of fragility proximal femur fractures was
      collected from 24 of 28 hospitals in the Eastern Province. The data included age,
      sex, mode of injury, type of fracture, prescribed drug (and its cost), and length
      of hospital stay. Population statistics were obtained from the Department of
      Statistics of the Saudi Arabian government Web site. RESULTS: Twenty-four
      hospitals (85 %) participated in the study. A total of 780 fractures were
      sustained by 681 patients. Length of stay in the hospital averaged 23.28 +/-
      13.08 days. The projected fracture rate from all the hospitals would be 917 (an
      incidence of 5.81/1000), with a total cost of SR68.77 million. Further
      extrapolation showed that the overall incidence could be 7528 (1,300,336
      population 55 years or older) with the direct cost of SR564.75 million ($150.60
      million). CONCLUSIONS: Osteoporosis-related femoral fractures in Saudi Arabia are
      significant causes of morbidity besides incurring economic burden. We believe
      that a National Fracture Registry needs to be established, and osteoporosis
      awareness programs should be instituted in every part of Saudi Arabia so that
      these patients can be diagnosed early and treated appropriately to reduce both
      the number of fractures and the economic burden of the fractures.

PMID- 26494132
TI  - Change in incidence of hip fracture in Gwangju City and Jeonnam Province, Korea,
      over 20 years.
AB  - This study determined the incidence of hip fractures in Gwangju city and Jeonnam
      province of Korea in 2011 and compared it with the rates in the same area in 1991
      and 2001. INTRODUCTION: This study determined the incidence of hip fracture in
      Gwangju city and Jeonnam province in Korea in 2011 and compared it with the rates
      in the same area in 1991 and 2001, with the aim of identifying any changes in
      2011. METHODS: Korea Health Insurance Review Agency patient data from Gwangju
      city and Jeonnam province for the period 2011 January 1 to December 31 was
      analyzed. All claims and records of patients >= 50 years of age with a diagnosis
      of fracture of the neck of the femur, pertrochanteric fracture, and hip fracture
      related surgeries including open reduction and internal fixation, closed
      reduction and osteosynthesis, total hip replacement, or bipolar hemiarthroplasty
      were analyzed. Population figures were obtained from the Korea National
      Statistical Office. Age- and sex-specific annual incidences were calculated. The
      2011 data was compared with published data from 1991 to 2001. RESULTS: There were
      1590 hip fractures in 2011, representing a crude incidence of 14.0/10,000. The
      incidence was 9.7/10,000 in males and 17.5/10,000 in females. The number of hip
      fractures and fracture incidence was 247 and 3.3/10,000 in 1991 and 1152 and
      13.3/10,000 in 2001, respectively. There was a fourfold increase of fracture
      incidence between 1991 and 2001. Thereafter, the number of fractures increased
      only by 5.2 %. However, the number of arthroplasties done increased
      significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of fractures increased considerably
      between 1991 and 2001, with less increase in the ensuing 10 years.

PMID- 26494133
TI  - Attitudes of parents of Klinefelter boys and pediatricians towards neonatal
      screening and fertility preservation techniques in Klinefelter syndrome.
AB  - To evaluate the attitude of parents of Klinefelter syndrome (KS) boys and
      pediatricians with regard to early detection of KS and fertility preservation, a
      specific questionnaire investigating the acceptability towards neonatal screening
      for KS and the use of testicular biopsy and sperm collection was designed. The
      responses of 49 pediatricians and 18 parents were evaluated. All parents and 67%
      of the pediatricians consider neonatal screening for KS to be a good option. A
      total of 83.3% of the parents agree on performing a testicular biopsy in their
      pubertal KS boy, 72.2% are in favor of banking spermatozoa after masturbation
      while 77.7% agree on spermatozoa banking after penile vibro-stimulation or rectal
      electro-stimulation under general anesthesia. Sixty-nine percent of pediatricians
      would counsel parents and KS adolescents in favor of early detection and
      cryopreservation of spermatozoa after masturbation, and 71.2% agrees on
      testicular biopsy to detect spermatozoa or eventually spermatogonial stem cells
      (SSCs) for cryopreservation in minor KS patients. CONCLUSION: The majority of KS
      parents and pediatricians, completing a specific designed questionnaire on
      fertility preservation modalities, were in favor of neonatal screening of KS.
      Both sperm collection and SSC collection are highly appreciated by parents and
      pediatricians, despite the currently experimental character of these fertility
      preservation strategies.

PMID- 26494134
TI  - Seasonal variation of diseases in children: a 6-year prospective cohort study in
      a general hospital.
AB  - Seasonal variation in pediatrics has been well described in some infectious
      diseases, asthma, and diabetes, but data on seasonality for other diseases in
      children are sparse. To explore the extent of seasonal variation of the entire
      pediatric field, we analyzed diagnostic codes of all newly referred patients (n =
      51,054) to our pediatric department of a large teaching hospital in the
      Netherlands over a 6-year period (2008-2013). Seasonality was analyzed using
      simple moving averages, the standard error of the mean (SEM) and the percentage
      monthly variation. We defined seasonal variation as a visually recognizable
      periodic pattern in every year in combination with a standard error of the mean >
      0.20. Four diseases fulfilled our definition of seasonality: respiratory tract
      infections (peak in January, +107.0 %), gastroenteritis (peak in February-March,
      +95.8 % and +112.9 %, respectively), functional complaints (peak in March, +34.0
      %, and November, +13.4 %), and asthma (peak in March, +27.8 %, and October, +17.5
      %). Together, these four categories comprised 21.2 % of all newly referred
      patients. CONCLUSION: Seasonal variation occurs in more than one fifth of all
      patients with pediatric disease. We demonstrated not only seasonal variation for
      respiratory tract infections, gastroenteritis, and asthma, but also for
      functional complaints. WHAT IS KNOWN: * Seasonal variation has been described for
      pediatric diseases such as bronchiolitis, gastroenteritis, asthma, and diabetes.
      * Information on seasonality in other pediatric fields is sparse but may be
      helpful in understanding pathophysiology and workforce planning. What is new: *
      This study confirmed seasonal variation in respiratory infection diseases
      gastroenteritis and asthma. * Moreover, it showed seasonal variation for
      functional complaints for example (abdominal pain and headache), which has not
      been described previously.

PMID- 26494135
TI  - Cloning, Expression, and Characterization of budC Gene Encoding meso-2,3
      Butanediol Dehydrogenase from Bacillus licheniformis.
AB  - The budC gene encoding a meso-2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase (BlBDH) from Bacillus
      licheniformis was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3).
      Sequence analysis reveals that this BlBDH belongs to short-chain
      dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) superfamily. In the presence of NADH, BlBDH
      catalyzes the reduction of diacetyl to (3S)-acetoin (97.3% ee), and further to
      (2S,3S)-2,3-butanediol (97.3% ee and 96.5% de). Similar to other meso-2,3-BDHs,
      it shows oxidative activity to racemic 2,3-butanediol whereas no activity toward
      racemic acetoin in the presence of NAD(+). For diacetyl reduction and 2,3
      butanediol oxidation, the pH optimum of BlBDH is 5.0 and 10.0, respectively.
      Unusually, it shows relatively high activity over a wide pH range from 5.0 to 8.0
      for racemic acetoin reduction. BlBDH shows lower K m and higher catalytic
      efficiency toward racemic acetoin (K m = 0.47 mM, k cat /K m = 432 s(-1).mM(-1))
      when compared with 2,3-butanediol (K m = 7.25 mM, k cat /K m = 81.5 s(-1).mM(
      1)), indicating its physiological role in favor of reducing racemic acetoin into
      2,3-butanediol. The enzymatic characterization of BlBDH provides evidence for the
      directed engineering of B. licheniformis for producing enantiopure 2,3
      butanediol.

PMID- 26494136
TI  - Cloning, Overexpression, and Characterization of Halostable, Solvent-Tolerant
      Novel beta-Endoglucanase from a Marine Bacterium Photobacterium panuliri LBS5(T)
      (DSM 27646(T)).
AB  - A 1329 nucleotide long endoglucanase gene was amplified from marine bacterium
      Photobacterium panuliri strain LBS5(T).The enzyme sequence was novel as protein
      based similarity search revealed that it shared maximum similarity of 99% with
      hypothetical protein of P. aquae and 40% with endoglucanase of P. marinum AK15.
      The gene was cloned, overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), and purified
      up to homogeneity using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. The purified enzyme,
      designated as Cel8, was monomeric and has a molecular mass of 53 kDa. The enzyme
      was halostable and exhibited optimal carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) activity
      and stability at 2 M NaCl. Optimal activity was obtained at 40  degrees C and at
      pH 4. The enzyme exhibited remarkable stability in different organic solvents
      (50%, v/v), and activity increased nearly 1.5-fold in presence of butanol,
      isopropanol, petroleum ether, benzene, acetone, and n-hexane. It was active in
      Ca(2+), Ba(2+), and Ni(2+) and inhibited by Co(2+), Cd(2+), Zn(2+), Cu(2+), and
      Hg(2+). Under normal physiological conditions, the enzyme has 25% helix, 30%
      sheets, and 56% irregularities, whereas salt leads to helix to sheet transition
      in enzyme. Three-dimensional reconstruction analysis revealed that the enzyme has
      (alpha/beta)8 structure and a TIM barrel fold-like structure at the central
      groove of enzyme. This is the first evidenced report on halostable, organic
      solvent tolerant cellulase in the marine bacterial genus Photobacterium.

PMID- 26494137
TI  - Dilute oxalic acid pretreatment for high total sugar recovery in pretreatment and
      subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis.
AB  - Oxalic acid was evaluated as an alternative reagent to mineral inorganic acid in
      pretreatment of corncob to achieve high xylose yield in addition to highly
      digestible solid residue. A quadratic polynomial model of xylose formation was
      developed for optimization of pretreatment process by the response surface
      methodology based on the impact factors of pretreatment temperature, reaction
      time, acid concentration, and solid-to-liquid ratio. The highest xylose yield was
      94.3 % that was obtained under the pretreatment condition of 140  degrees C for
      40 min with 0.5 wt% oxalic acid at a solid loading of 7.5 %. Under these
      conditions, the xylose yield results of verification experiments were very close
      to the model prediction, which indicated that the model was applicable. The solid
      residue generated under this condition also demonstrated a satisfactory enzymatic
      digestibility and fermentability. 

PMID- 26494138
TI  - The Effect of Light Stress and Other Culture Conditions on Photoinhibition and
      Growth of Dunaliella tertiolecta.
AB  - This work aimed to examine the effects of high light stress as well as other
      culture conditions including HCO3 - concentration, temperature, salinity, and pre
      acclimation on photoinhibition and growth of halotolerant alga Dunaliella
      tertiolecta. Significant photoinhibition of D. tertiolecta was observed during a
      short period of exposure (6 hours) to high intensity of lights (1000, 1500, and
      2000 MUmol photons m-2 s-1); however, after 2 days of continuous light exposure,
      the alga adapted to high light stress and reached similar growth rates as low
      light exposure. The increase in HCO3 - concentration in the culture medium did
      not reduce photoinhibition, but the growth rate and chlorophyll contents
      increased with increasing HCO3 - concentrations. Temperature had significant
      effects on photoinhibition. Combined high temperature and high light intensity
      led to more serious photoinhibition and reduced cell growth rates, so did
      combined low salinity and high light intensity. Pre-acclimation by 50, 200, or
      500 MUmol photons m-2 s-1 each for 1, 3, or 6 hours (a total of nine treatments)
      did not significantly influence photoinhibition or cell growth of D. tertiolecta,
      probably because the acclimation periods were not long enough.

PMID- 26494139
TI  - Lignocellulosic Wheat Straw-Derived Ion-Exchange Adsorbent for Heavy Metals
      Removal.
AB  - The aim of this work is to develop partially delignified Ca(2+)-and-Mg(2+)-ion
      exchanged product from lignocellulosic wheat straw for the removal of eight
      different heavy metals Pb(2+), Cd(2+), Hg(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Mn(2+), Zn(2+),
      and Cu(2+) and for detoxification of Cr(VI). Maximum fixation capacity, pH, and
      initial metal concentration dependence were determined to confirm strong affinity
      of Pb(2+), Cd(2+), Cu(2+), Zn(2+), and Hg(2+) ions onto the product, whereas
      Co(2+), Ni(2+), and Mn(2+) were the least fixed. Morphology of the product
      characterized by scanning electron microscope showed its physical integrity.
      Different experimental approaches were applied to determine the role of cations
      such as Ca(2+), Mg(2+), and Na(+) and several functional groups present in the
      product in an ion exchange for the fixation of metal ions. Potentiometric
      titration and Scatchard and Dahlquist interpretation were employed for
      determination of binding site heterogeneity. Results showed strong and weak
      binding sites in the product. This product has advantages over other conventional
      processes by virtue of abundance, easy operational process, and cost reduction in
      waste disposal of its raw material. 

PMID- 26494140
TI  - Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia and malaria among pregnant women at first
      clinic visit in the mount Cameroon Area.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pregnant women in malaria endemic areas are at high risk of P.
      falciparum infection and its complications. This study investigated the
      prevalence and risk factors for P. falciparum infection and malaria among
      pregnant women reporting for first antenatal care (ANC) clinic visit in the mount
      Cameroon area. METHODS: Venous blood samples from consented pregnant women were
      screened for malaria parasitaemia by light microscopy. Haemoglobin levels, white
      blood cell (WBC) counts, lymphocyte counts and percentage were determined using
      an automated haematology analyser. Socio-demographic/economic data, environmental
      factors and use of malaria control measures were documented. Univariate and
      multivariate statistical analyses were used. RESULTS: Sixty-eight (22.4%; N =
      303) of the women enrolled were positive for P. falciparum parasitaemia. Malaria
      parasitaemia was significantly (P < 0.001) associated with febrile illness. The
      overall prevalence of malaria and asymptomatic infection was 16.0% (95% CI = 11
      20%) and 10.5% (95% CI = 7.3-15%) respectively. A greater proportion of the
      malaria cases (61%) reported at the clinic during unscheduled days meanwhile
      women with asymptomatic parasitaemia mostly (92.8%) seek for ANC during scheduled
      clinic days. Lower lymphocyte percentage was significantly associated with
      increase parasite density (r = - 0.34; P = 0.011) and febrile status (MU = 2.46;
      P = 0.014). While age and gravidity were significant factors associated with P.
      falciparum infection and/or malaria, the presence of bush and/or standing water
      around human residence was an independent risk factor of P. falciparum
      parasitaemia (OR = 3.3: 95% CI = 1.6-7.0; P = 0.002) and malaria (OR = 5.2: 95%
      CI = 2.0-14; P = 0.001). Being unmarried was significantly associated with
      increase risk (OR = 2.6:95% CI = 1.1-6.0; P = 0.032) of P. falciparum
      parasitaemia. Similarly, single women (938) had a significantly higher (t = 2.70;
      P = 0.009) geometric mean parasite density (GMPD) compared with married women
      (338). CONCLUSION: Marital status and human residence in areas with bushes and/or
      standing water modify risk of P. falciparum infection and malaria. Education on
      early ANC attendance and environmental sanitation are important public health
      targets for malaria control in pregnancy in this setting.

PMID- 26494142
TI  - Next-generation sequencing and empowering personalised cancer medicine.
AB  - The announcement earlier this year of the US$1000 genome by Illumina has excited
      a debate as to when and how genomes will at last transition from the research
      laboratory to the clinic. Although it is still unclear what the benefit will be
      to patients, there is sufficient evidence supporting the importance of the genome
      in driving cancer development, treatment response and drug resistance. Therefore
      it is reasonable to assume that large-scale stratification of patients using next
      generation sequencing technologies will improve patient outcome in at least some
      common cancer types. 

PMID- 26494141
TI  - Genetic polymorphisms and DNA methylation in exon 1 CpG-rich regions of PACAP
      gene and its effect on mRNA expression and growth traits in half smooth tongue
      sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis).
AB  - The pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a new type of
      hypophysiotropic hormone and plays an important role in regulating the synthesis
      and secretion of growth hormone and gonadotropin. The research on the
      relationship between PACAP and different growth traits would contribute to
      explain its function during the process of growth. Moreover, epigenetic
      modifications, especially DNA methylation at the CpG sites of the SNPs, play
      important roles in regulating gene expression. The results suggest that a SNP
      mutation (c.C151G) in the PACAP gene of male half smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus
      semilaevis) is significantly associated with growth traits and serum
      physiological and biochemical parameters such as inorganic phosphorus (P < 0.05).
      The SNP is located in a CpG-rich region of exon 1. Intriguingly, the transition
      (C->G) added a new methylation site of PACAP gene. This SNP was also
      significantly related to the expression and methylation level of PACAP (P <
      0.05). Individuals with GG genotype had faster growth rates than those of CG and
      CC genotypes. Moreover, GG genotype had significantly higher PACAP expression
      level and lower methylation level than CG and CC genotypes. In the serum indexes,
      only inorganic phosphorus content within GG genotypes was significantly higher
      than CC genotypes. This implied that the mutation and methylation status of PACAP
      gene could influence growth traits and this locus could be considered as a
      candidate genetic or epigenetic marker for Cynoglossus semilaevis molecular
      breeding.

PMID- 26494143
TI  - Clonotyping for precision oncology.
AB  - Advances in identifying subpopulations of cancer cells and reconstructing the
      clonal evolution of tumors greatly enhance our understanding of the molecular
      events within a patient and their context relative to one another. In the rapidly
      unfolding era of personalized medicine, the ability to monitor clonal dynamics
      throughout patient care has significant clinical implications for the appropriate
      development or application of targeted therapies as well as understanding the
      potential mechanisms driving resistance. In this review, we discuss advances in
      biotechnology and bioinformatics that improve precision treatment by dissecting
      clonal evolution, focusing first on the initial discoveries in lymphomas and
      leukemias followed by the more recent applications to advance our understanding
      of prostate cancer (PCa). 

PMID- 26494144
TI  - Cancer 2015: a longitudinal whole-of-system study of genomic cancer medicine.
AB  - Genomic cancer medicine promises revolutionary change in oncology. The impacts of
      'personalized medicine', based upon a molecular classification of cancer and
      linked to targeted therapies, will extend from individual patient outcomes to the
      health economy at large. To address the 'whole-of-system' impact of genomic
      cancer medicine, we have established a prospective cohort of patients with newly
      diagnosed cancer in the state of Victoria, Australia, about whom we have
      collected a broad range of clinical, demographic, molecular, and patient-reported
      data, as well as data on health resource utilization. Our goal is to create a
      model for investigating public investment in genomic medicine that maximizes the
      cost:benefit ratio for the Australian community at large. 

PMID- 26494145
TI  - Characterization and fine mapping of a novel barley Stage Green-Revertible Albino
      Gene (HvSGRA) by Bulked Segregant Analysis based on SSR assay and Specific Length
      Amplified Fragment Sequencing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leaf color variations are common in plants. Herein we describe a
      natural mutant of barley cultivar Edamai No.6, whs18, whose leaf color showed
      stable and inheritable stage-green-revertible-albino under field condition.
      METHODS: Bulked Segregant Analysis (BSA) based on SSR assay and Specific Length
      Amplified Fragment Sequencing (SLAF-seq) was used to map the candidate gene for
      this trait. RESULTS: We found that leaf color of whs18 was green at seedling
      stage, while the seventh or eighth leaf began to show etiolation, and albino
      leaves emerged after a short period. The newly emerged leaves began to show
      stripe white before jointing stage, and normal green leaves emerged gradually.
      The duration of whs18 with abnormal leaf color lasted for about 3 months, which
      had some negative impacts on yield-related-traits. Further investigations showed
      that the variation was associated with changes in chlorophyII content and
      chloroplast development. Genetic analysis revealed that the trait was controlled
      by a single recessive nuclear gene, and was designed as HvSGRA in this study.
      Based on the F2 population derived from Edamai No.9706 and whs18, we initially
      mapped the HvSGRA gene on the short arm of chromosome 2H using SSR and BSA.
      GBMS247 on 2HS showed co-segregation with HvSGRA. The genetic distance between
      the other marker GBM1187 and HvSGRA was 1.2 cM. Further analysis using BSA with
      SLAF-seq also identified this region as candidate region. Finally, HvSGRA
      interval was narrowed to 0.4 cM between morex_contig_160447 and
      morex_contig_92239, which were anchored to two adjacent FP contigs, contig_34437
      and contig_46434, respectively. Furthermore, six putative genes with high
      confidence in this interval were identified by POPSEQ. Further analysis showed
      that the substitution from C to A in the third exon of fructokinase-1-like gene
      generated a premature stop codon in whs18, which may lead to loss function of
      this gene. CONCLUSIONS: Using SSR and SLAF-seq in conjunction with BSA, we mapped
      HvSGRA within two adjacent FP contigs of barley. The mutation of fructokinase-1
      like gene in whs18 may cause the stage green-revertible albino of barley. The
      current study lays foundation for hierarchical map-based cloning of HvSGRA and
      utilizing the gene/trait as a visualized maker in molecular breeding in future.

PMID- 26494146
TI  - Association between academic achievement and physical status including physical
      activity, aerobic and muscular fitness tests in adolescent boys.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to explore the association between academic
      achievement and physical status including physical activity, aerobic and muscular
      fitness tests in a sample of adolescents. METHODS: Five hundred and eighty 15-17
      years old adolescent boys underwent standard anthropometry and various physical
      fitness tests (e.g., one-mile run/walk, grip strength, run speed, agility, push
      ups and sit and reach tests). PA was obtained by questionnaire. Academic
      achievement of the boys was extracted from the cumulative grade point averages
      (CGPA) from school records. Possible covariates/confounders such as adiposity,
      pubertal maturation status and socioeconomic status were obtained. RESULTS: After
      controlling for potential confounders PA was not significantly correlated to CGPA
      (P > 0.05). Among the physical fitness tests, just time in one-mile run/walk test
      added significant effect on prediction of CGPA (P < 0.01). None of the other
      fitness tests were significantly correlated to CGPA (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      Aerobic fitness (but not PA and muscular fitness) was significantly correlated to
      better academic achievement in the adolescent boys.

PMID- 26494148
TI  - Comment on: Evaluation of the RAPIDEC(r) CARBA NP, the Rapid CARB Screen(r) and
      the Carba NP test for biochemical detection of carbapenemase-producing
      Enterobacteriaceae.

PMID- 26494147
TI  - Human oligopeptide transporter 2 (PEPT2) mediates cellular uptake of polymyxins.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Polymyxins are a last-line therapy to treat MDR Gram-negative
      bacterial infections. Nephrotoxicity is the dose-limiting factor for polymyxins
      and recent studies demonstrated significant accumulation of polymyxins in renal
      tubular cells. However, little is known about the mechanism of polymyxin uptake
      into these cells. Oligopeptide transporter 2 (PEPT2) is a solute carrier
      transporter (SLC) expressed at the apical membrane of renal proximal tubular
      cells and facilitates drug reabsorption in the kidney. In this study, we examined
      the role of PEPT2 in polymyxin uptake into renal tubular cells. METHODS: We
      investigated the inhibitory effects of colistin and polymyxin B on the substrate
      uptake mediated through 15 essential SLCs in overexpressing HEK293 cells. The
      inhibitory potency of both polymyxins on PEPT2-mediated substrate uptake was
      measured. Fluorescence imaging was employed to investigate PEPT2-mediated uptake
      of the polymyxin fluorescent probe MIPS-9541 and a transport assay was conducted
      with MIPS-9541 and [(3)H]polymyxin B1. RESULTS: Colistin and polymyxin B potently
      inhibited PEPT2-mediated [(3)H]glycyl-sarcosine uptake (IC50 11.4 +/- 3.1 and
      18.3 +/- 4.2 MUM, respectively). In contrast, they had no or only mild inhibitory
      effects on the transport activity of the other 14 SLCs evaluated. MIPS-9541
      potently inhibited PEPT2-mediated [(3)H]glycyl-sarcosine uptake (IC50 15.9 MUM)
      and is also a substrate of PEPT2 (Km 74.9 MUM). [(3)H]polymyxin B1 was also
      significantly taken up by PEPT2-expressing cells (Km 87.3 MUM). CONCLUSIONS: Our
      study provides the first evidence of PEPT2-mediated uptake of polymyxins and
      contributes to a better understanding of the accumulation of polymyxins in renal
      tubular cells.

PMID- 26494149
TI  - National Variations in Comorbidities, Glycosylated Hemoglobin Reduction, and
      Insulin Dosage in Asian Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: The FINE-Asia Registry.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The First Basal Insulin Evaluation (FINE) Asia study was a
      prospective, observational registry evaluating basal insulin initiation in Asian
      patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus inadequately controlled by oral
      antihyperglycemic agents. METHODS: The objective of this post hoc analysis was to
      observe and report the findings from individual participating countries. The
      primary endpoint was change in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) from baseline to
      month 6 after basal insulin initiation. Secondary endpoints included change in
      fasting blood glucose (FBG), percent of patients achieving target HbA1c and FBG
      levels, average insulin doses, and hypoglycemic events. RESULTS: The study
      included 2921 patients from 11 Asian countries at baseline, 2679 (92%) of whom
      had evaluable data. Following initiation of basal insulin (neutral protamine
      Hagedorn insulin, glargine, or detemir), there was a significant (P < 0.001)
      difference in HbA1c reduction and proportions of patients meeting HbA1c and FBG
      targets (<7% and <110 mg/dL, respectively) across all country cohorts by month 6.
      Glycemic control also varied greatly, with 7.4% (Taiwan) to 71.5% (China) of
      patients reaching target HbA1c <7% levels. Mean (+/-standard deviation) insulin
      dose increases over the 6-month period ranged from 0.5 +/- 3.1 U (Pakistan) to
      6.0 +/- 8.6 U (Thailand). Hypoglycemia rates also varied, with 7.1% (India) to
      27.3% (China) of patients experiencing one or more events. CONCLUSIONS: Data from
      the FINE-Asia registry study show widely varying degrees of baseline
      comorbidities and glycemic control in patients among the country cohorts
      observed. Countries with >9 years of diabetes prior to insulin initiation had the
      lowest reductions in HbA1c and proportions of patients achieving HbA1c and FBG
      targets, suggesting that earlier basal insulin initiation may afford better
      glycemic control in these patients. FUNDING: This study was funded by Sanofi.

PMID- 26494151
TI  - The sexual phase of the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata: cytological and
      time-lapse cinematography characterization.
AB  - Pseudo-nitzschia is a thoroughly studied pennate diatom genus for ecological and
      biological reasons. Many species in this genus, including Pseudo-nitzschia
      multistriata, can produce domoic acid, a toxin responsible for amnesic shellfish
      poisoning. Physiological, phylogenetic and biological features of P. multistriata
      were studied extensively in the past. Life cycle stages, including the sexual
      phase, fundamental in diatoms to restore the maximum cell size and avoid
      miniaturization to death, have been well described for this species. P.
      multistriata is heterothallic; sexual reproduction is induced when strains of
      opposite mating type are mixed, and proceeds with cells producing two
      functionally anisogamous gametes each; however, detailed cytological information
      for this process is missing. By means of confocal laser scanning microscopy and
      nuclear staining, we followed the nuclear fate during meiosis, and using time
      lapse cinematography, we timed every step of the sexual reproduction process from
      mate pairing to initial cell hatching. The present paper depicts cytological
      aspects during gametogenesis in P. multistriata, shedding light on the
      chloroplast behaviour during sexual reproduction, finely describing the timing of
      the sexual phases and providing reference data for further studies on the
      molecular control of this fundamental process.

PMID- 26494150
TI  - Inhibitors of plant hormone transport.
AB  - Here we present an overview of what is known about endogenous plant compounds
      that act as inhibitors of hormonal transport processes in plants, about their
      identity and mechanism of action. We have also summarized commonly and less
      commonly used compounds of non-plant origin and synthetic drugs that show at
      least partial 'specificity' to transport or transporters of particular
      phytohormones. Our main attention is focused on the inhibitors of auxin
      transport. The urgent need to understand precisely the molecular mechanism of
      action of these inhibitors is highlighted.

PMID- 26494152
TI  - Pre-apoptotic activity of aqueous extracts of Cynanchum sarcomedium Meve & Liede
      on cells of Allium cepa and human erythrocytes.
AB  - Cynanchum sarcomedium Meve & Liede is a member of Apocynaceae, seen in dry and
      rocky areas. The present study highlights the cytotoxic potential of C.
      sarcomedium mediated by apoptosis on cells of Allium cepa and human red blood
      cells (RBCs). Cytogenetic changes in A. cepa and in situ visualization of cell
      death were revealed through acetocarmine and Evans blue staining techniques.
      Quantitative estimation of cell death was carried out at 600 nm in a
      spectrophotometer. Membrane characteristics of RBC in response to the treatment
      were evaluated by May-Grunwald-Giemsa staining and scanning electron microscopy
      (SEM). Cell membrane damage is a major factor for assessing apoptosis which is
      observed in the present study (90.91 %). Cell shrinkage, cytoplasmic
      fragmentation, condensed chromatin and presence of apoptotic bodies were the
      common cytological changes in A. cepa associated with apoptosis. Blebs in RBC
      evidenced by SEM revealed the membrane damage potential of the plant. Results
      obtained hereby suggest that the plant is an effective source to be used in
      toxicological studies and anti-cancer therapy.

PMID- 26494153
TI  - Fluid balance and mortality in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury:
      a multicenter prospective epidemiological study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Early and aggressive volume resuscitation is fundamental in the
      treatment of hemodynamic instability in critically ill patients and improves
      patient survival. However, one important consequence of fluid administration is
      the risk of developing fluid overload (FO), which is associated with increased
      mortality in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). We evaluated the impact of
      fluid balance on mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with AKI.
      METHODS: The data were extracted from the Beijing Acute Kidney Injury Trial. This
      trial was a prospective, observational, multicenter study conducted in 30 ICUs
      among 28 tertiary hospitals in Beijing, China, from 1 March to 31 August 2012. In
      total, 3107 patients were admitted consecutively, and 2526 patients were included
      in this study. The data from the first 3 sequential days were analyzed. The AKI
      severity was classified according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global
      Outcomes guidelines. The daily fluid balance was recorded, and the cumulative
      fluid balance was registered at 24, 48, and 72 h. A multivariate analysis was
      performed with Cox regression to determine the impact of fluid balance on
      mortality in patients with AKI. RESULTS: Among the 2526 patients included, 1172
      developed AKI during the first 3 days. The mortality was 25.7 % in the AKI group
      and 10.1 % in the non-AKI group (P < 0.001). The daily fluid balance was higher,
      and the cumulative fluid balance was significantly greater, in the AKI group than
      in the non-AKI group. FO was an independent risk factor for the incidence of AKI
      (odds ratio 4.508, 95 % confidence interval 2.900 to 7.008, P < 0.001) and
      increased the severity of AKI. Non-surviving patients with AKI had higher
      cumulative fluid balance during the first 3 days (2.77 [0.86-5.01] L versus 0.93
      [-0.80 to 2.93] L, P < 0.001) than survivors did. Multivariate analysis revealed
      that the cumulative fluid balance during the first 3 days was an independent risk
      factor for 28-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter ICU study, the
      fluid balance was greater in patients with AKI than in patients without AKI. FO
      was an independent risk factor for the incidence of AKI and increased the
      severity of AKI. A higher cumulative fluid balance was an important factor
      associated with 28-day mortality following AKI.

PMID- 26494154
TI  - Proteomic and metabolomic profiles demonstrate variation among free-living and
      symbiotic vibrio fischeri biofilms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A number of bacterial species are capable of growing in various life
      history modes that enable their survival and persistence in both planktonic free
      living stages as well as in biofilm communities. Mechanisms contributing to
      either planktonic cell or biofilm persistence and survival can be carefully
      delineated using multiple differential techniques (e.g., genomics and
      transcriptomics). In this study, we present both proteomic and metabolomic
      analyses of Vibrio fischeri biofilms, demonstrating the potential for combined
      differential studies for elucidating life-history switches important for
      establishing the mutualism through biofilm formation and host colonization.
      METHODS: The study used a metabolomics/proteomics or "meta-proteomics" approach,
      referring to the combined protein and metabolic data analysis that bridges the
      gap between phenotypic changes (planktonic cell to biofilm formation) with
      genotypic changes (reflected in protein/metabolic profiles). Our methods used
      protein shotgun construction, followed by liquid chromatography coupled with mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS) detection and quantification for both free-living and
      biofilm forming V. fischeri. RESULTS: We present a time-resolved picture of
      approximately 100 proteins (2D-PAGE and shotgun proteomics) and 200 metabolites
      that are present during the transition from planktonic growth to community
      biofilm formation. Proteins involved in stress response, DNA repair damage, and
      transport appeared to be highly expressed during the biofilm state. In addition,
      metabolites detected in biofilms correspond to components of the
      exopolysaccharide (EPS) matrix (sugars and glycerol-derived). Alterations in
      metabolic enzymes were paralleled by more pronounced changes in concentration of
      intermediates from the glycolysis pathway as well as several amino acids.
      CONCLUSIONS: This combined analysis of both types of information (proteins,
      metabolites) has provided a more complete picture of the biochemical processes of
      biofilm formation and what determines the switch between the two life history
      strategies. The reported findings have broad implications for Vibrio biofilm
      ecology, and mechanisms for successful survival in the host and environment.

PMID- 26494155
TI  - 3D reconstruction based on compressed-sensing (CS)-based framework by using a
      dental panoramic detector.
AB  - In this work, we propose a practical method that can combine the two
      functionalities of dental panoramic and cone-beam CT (CBCT) features in one by
      using a single panoramic detector. We implemented a CS-based reconstruction
      algorithm for the proposed method and performed a systematic simulation to
      demonstrate its viability for 3D dental X-ray imaging. We successfully
      reconstructed volumetric images of considerably high accuracy by using a
      panoramic detector having an active area of 198.4 mm * 6.4 mm and evaluated the
      reconstruction quality as a function of the pitch (p) and the angle step
      (Deltatheta). Our simulation results indicate that the CS-based reconstruction
      almost completely recovered the phantom structures, as in CBCT, for p<=2.0 and
      theta<=6 degrees , indicating that it seems very promising for accurate image
      reconstruction even for large-pitch and few-view data. We expect the proposed
      method to be applicable to developing a cost-effective, volumetric dental X-ray
      imaging system. 

PMID- 26494156
TI  - Effect of inorganic salts and glucose additives on dose-response, melting point
      and mass density of genipin gel dosimeters.
AB  - Genipin gel dosimeters are hydrogels infused with a radiation-sensitive material
      which yield dosimetric information in three dimensions (3D). The effect of
      inorganic salts and glucose on the visible absorption dose-response, melting
      points and mass density of genipin gel dosimeters has been experimentally
      evaluated using 6-MV LINAC photons. As a result, the addition of glucose with
      optimum concentration of 10% (w/w) was found to improve the thermal stability of
      the genipin gel and increase its melting point (Tm) by 6  degrees C accompanied
      by a slight decrease of dose-response. Furthermore, glucose helps to adjust the
      gel mass density to obtain the desired tissue-equivalent properties. A drop of Tm
      was observed when salts were used as additives. As the salt concentration
      increased, gel Tm decreased. The mass density and melting point of the genipin
      gel could be adjusted using different amounts of glucose that improved the
      genipin gel suitability for 3D dose measurements without introducing additional
      toxicity to the final gel. 

PMID- 26494157
TI  - The prognostic significance of glomerular infiltrating leukocytes during acute
      renal allograft rejection.
AB  - Transplant glomerulitis, observed in T cell-mediated and antibody-mediated
      rejection, is histologically characterized by intracapillary mononuclear cell
      infiltration. However, the prognostic value of counting various glomerular
      inflammatory cells during rejection has not been elucidated, which is a key step
      for the introduction of novel biomarkers in the clinics. We immunophenotyped
      glomerulitis during episodes of acute rejection in order to investigate their
      predictive value for transplant outcomes. To do so, we included 57 transplant
      biopsies of 57 renal transplant recipients with biopsy-proven acute rejection
      with a median follow-up of 4.2 years. We determined average glomerular cell
      counts for T cells, B cells, Tregs, IL-17(+) cells, neutrophils and macrophages.
      Logistic and Cox regression models were used to investigate the association of
      glomerular inflammatory cells with response to therapy and graft failure on a
      population level. We used novel time-dependent ROC curve analyses to investigate
      the value of glomerular inflammatory cell infiltrates for the prediction of
      transplant outcomes, applicable to the individual patient. We identified three
      cell types that were responsible for glomerulitis during rejection: macrophages,
      T cells and neutrophils. By quantification of glomerular macrophages, an emerging
      cell type associated with antibody-mediated rejection, we were able to predict
      the progression towards death-censored graft failure within the first 500 days
      after the initial episode of rejection. With the use of novel time-dependent ROC
      analyses, we propose dynamic sensitivities, specificities, and positive and
      negative predictive values with their corresponding cut-off values for the
      average amount of glomerular macrophages, depending on what time after rejection
      death-censored graft failure needs prediction.

PMID- 26494158
TI  - Nontargeted Analysis Using Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time
      of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Uncovers the Effects of Harvest Season on the
      Metabolites and Taste Quality of Tea (Camellia sinensis L.).
AB  - The chemical composition and taste quality of tea fluctuate seasonally. However,
      the compounds responsible for the seasonal variation of metabolic pattern and
      taste quality are far from clear. This study compared the metabolite profiles of
      green teas of nine varieties that were plucked in spring, summer, and autumn by
      using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) on a reversed phase column. A multivariate analysis
      indicated distinct differences among the metabolite phenotypes of teas harvested
      in different seasons. Heat-map analysis and metabolic pathway analysis
      demonstrated that flavan-3-ols, theasinensins, procyanidins, quercetin-O
      glycosides, apigenin-C-glycosides, and amino acids exhibited sharp seasonal
      fluctuations. An equivalent quantification of tea tastes showed that in summer
      and autumn teas, the bitterness and astringency were significantly elevated,
      whereas umami declined. Metabolite content comparisons and partial least-squares
      analysis suggested that several flavonoids and amino acids are mainly responsible
      for the seasonal variations in taste quality. 

PMID- 26494159
TI  - Using WhatsApp and Facebook Online Social Groups for Smoking Relapse Prevention
      for Recent Quitters: A Pilot Pragmatic Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quit attempters often have episodes of smoking relapse before they
      eventually quit. Interactive text messaging through mobile phones has been shown
      to increase abstinence. This service can be potentially applied on the platform
      of a social networking service to help quitters maintain abstinence. OBJECTIVE:
      Our aim was to determine if the group discussion and reminders via the WhatsApp
      or Facebook social group were effective to prevent smoking relapse in quitters
      who had stopped smoking recently. METHODS: This was a single-blinded, parallel, 3
      arm pilot cluster randomized controlled trial allocating recent quitters, who had
      completed an 8-week treatment and reported abstinence for at least 7 days, to
      WhatsApp (n=42), Facebook (n=40), and a control group (n=54). The 2 intervention
      groups participated in a 2-month online group discussion with either WhatsApp or
      Facebook moderated by a trained smoking cessation counselor and received a self
      help booklet on smoking cessation. The control group only received the booklet.
      The primary outcome was the 2- and 6-month relapse rates, defined as the
      proportion of participants who smoked at least 5 cigarettes in 3 consecutive
      days. RESULTS: Fewer participants in the WhatsApp group (17%, 7/42) reported
      relapse than the control group (42.6%, 23/54) at 2-month (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.10
      0.71) and 6-month (40.5%, 17/42 vs 61.1%, 33/54; OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.19-0.99)
      follow-ups. The Facebook group (30.0%, 12/40) had an insignificantly lower
      relapse rate than the control group (42.6%, 23/54) at 2-month (OR 0.58, 95% CI
      0.24-1.37) and 6-month (52.5%, 13/40 vs 61.1%, 33/54; OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.31-1.61)
      follow-ups. The WhatsApp social groups had more moderators' posts (median 60, IQR
      25 vs median 32, IQR 7; P=.05) and participants' posts (median 35, IQR 50 vs
      median 6, IQR 9; P=.07) than their Facebook counterparts, but the difference was
      insignificant. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention via the WhatsApp social group was
      effective in reducing relapse probably because of enhanced discussion and social
      support. Inactive discussion in the Facebook social group might have attributed
      to the lower effectiveness. CLINICALTRIAL: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02007369;
      https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02007369 (Archived by WebCite(r) at
      http://www.webcitation.org/6c3RbltQG).

PMID- 26494160
TI  - Population genetic structure of Indian oil sardine, Sardinella longiceps along
      Indian coast.
AB  - Genetic stock structure and historical demography of Indian oil sardine, a
      commercially and ecologically important small pelagic fish, was studied using
      mitochondrial control region and Cytochrome C Oxidase I (COI) sequences. A 758 bp
      portion of the control region in 287 individuals and a 576 bp portion of the COI
      gene in 291 individuals from 10 locations along the distribution range were
      amplified resulting in 236 and 84 haplotypes, respectively. The high haplotype
      and low nucleotide diversity values (0.99 and 0.19 for control region and 0.85
      and 0.004 for COI, respectively) are characteristic of populations having
      undergone a demographic expansion. Genetic differentiation, PhiST, was low and
      insignificant between populations using both control region and COI gene markers.
      Mismatch analysis showed a recent demographic and spatial expansion coinciding
      with the late Pleistocene epoch. Mantel tests revealed the lack of isolation by
      distance which is attributable either to high levels of migration overriding the
      effect of genetic drift or to insufficient time for accomplishing a balance
      between migration and drift after a recent range expansion.

PMID- 26494161
TI  - De novo assembly and characterization of the transcriptome of the pancreatic
      fluke Eurytrema pancreaticum (trematoda: Dicrocoeliidae) using Illumina paired
      end sequencing.
AB  - Eurytrema pancreaticum is one of the most common trematodes living in the
      pancreatic and bile ducts of ruminants and also occasionally infects humans,
      causing eurytremiasis. In spite of its economic and medical importance, very
      little is known about the genomic resources of this parasite. Herein, we
      performed de novo sequencing, assembly and characterization of the transcriptome
      of adult E. pancreaticum. Approximately 36.4 million high-quality clean reads
      were obtained, and the length of the transcript contigs ranged from 66 to 19,968
      nt with mean length of 479 nt and N50 length of 1094 nt, and then 23,573 unigenes
      were assembled. Of these unigenes, 15,353 (65.1%) were annotated by blast
      searches against the NCBI non-redundant protein database. Among these, 15,267
      (64.8%), 2732 (11.6%) and 10,354 (43.9%) of the unigenes had significant
      similarity with proteins in the NR, NT and Swiss-Prot databases, respectively.
      5510 (23.4%) and 4567 (19.4%) unigenes were assigned to GO and COG, respectively.
      8886 (37.7%) unigenes were identified and mapped onto 254 pathways in the KEGG
      Pathway database. Furthermore, we found that 105 (1.18%) unigenes were related to
      pancreatic secretion and 61 (0.7%) to pancreatic cancer. The present study
      represents the first transcriptome of any members of the family Dicrocoeliidae,
      which has little genomic information available in the public databases. The novel
      transcriptome of E. pancreaticum should provide a useful resource for designing
      new strategies against pancreatic flukes and other trematodes of human and animal
      health significance.

PMID- 26494162
TI  - Prenatal findings in cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome.
AB  - Our study was designed to analyze prenatal manifestations in patients affected
      with cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome (CFCS), in order to define indications of
      DNA testing in utero. Prenatal features were extracted from a national database
      and additional data were collected from 16 families contacted through the French
      association of CFC-Costello syndrome. We collected results of ultrasound scan
      (USS) biometrics, presence of congenital birth defects, and polyhydramnios. From
      the database, increased nuchal translucency was present in 13% of pregnancies,
      polyhydramnios in 52%, macrosomia and/or macrocephaly in 16%. Of the 16
      pregnancies, 81% were complicated by abnormal USS findings. Polyhydramnios was
      reported in 67%. Head circumference, biparietal diameter, and abdominal
      circumference were above the 90th centile in 72%, 83% and, 81% of fetuses,
      respectively. Contrasting with macrosomia, femur length was below the 10th
      centile in 38%. Urinary tract abnormalities were found in 47% of fetuses. Most
      CFCS fetuses showed a combination of macrocephaly, macrosomia, and
      polyhydramnios, contrasting with relatively short femora. This growth pattern is
      also seen in Costello syndrome. We suggest that screening for CFCS and Costello
      gene mutations could be proposed in pregnancies showing this unusual pattern of
      growth parameters.

PMID- 26494163
TI  - Renal effects of canagliflozin in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease is commonly associated with type 2 diabetes
      mellitus (T2DM) and may impact the efficacy and safety of glucose-lowering
      therapies. Canagliflozin, a sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor, reduces
      blood glucose levels in patients with T2DM by lowering the renal threshold for
      glucose, thereby promoting urinary glucose excretion. This review describes the
      pharmacology, efficacy and safety of canagliflozin according to kidney function
      in participants with T2DM. METHODS: Published articles that reported efficacy,
      safety and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics data for canagliflozin in patients
      with T2DM and impaired renal function, and renal safety data with canagliflozin
      in various populations of patients with T2DM through May 2015 were included.
      RESULTS: Early transient reductions in estimated glomerular filtration rate were
      observed with canagliflozin; these changes generally stabilized or attenuated
      over time and reversed after discontinuation, suggesting no renal (glomerular or
      tubular) damage with canagliflozin treatment. Urinary albumin-to-creatinine
      ratios were reduced with canagliflozin. Canagliflozin was generally well
      tolerated in patients with normal or mild to moderately impaired renal function,
      with a modestly higher incidence of renal-related adverse events and volume
      depletion-related adverse events in patients with moderate renal impairment.
      Adverse events related to potassium elevations were infrequent with canagliflozin
      100 mg regardless of kidney function status; however, patients with moderately
      impaired kidney function experienced hyperkalemia more frequently with
      canagliflozin 300 mg compared with patients treated with either canagliflozin 100
      mg or placebo. Canagliflozin was not associated with increased cardiovascular
      risk across studies; however, relatively few events among patients with impaired
      renal function meant that the analysis was not adequately powered to examine this
      outcome, and results from separate trials are awaited. CONCLUSIONS: Overall,
      canagliflozin is associated with small, transient changes in kidney function, and
      is well tolerated in patients with T2DM with varying kidney function status.

PMID- 26494165
TI  - Molecular detection and Smoothing spline clustering of the IBV strains detected
      in China during 2011-2012.
AB  - Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a highly variable virus with a large number
      of genotypes. During 2011-2012, nineteen wild IBV strains were isolated in China.
      Sequence analysis showed that these isolates were divided into five sub-clusters:
      A2-like, CKCHLDL08I-like, SAIBK-like, KM91-like and TW97/4-like. Phylogenetic
      analysis based on the 1118 sequences available on line suggested that all IBVs
      were classified into six clusters. The prevalent strains including all the
      isolates were in cluster VI with a 0.194-0.259 genetic distance to Mass type
      vaccines. In addition, we introduced the smoothing spline clustering (SSC) method
      to estimate the highly variable sites for some sub-clusters. The results showed
      that highly variable sites range from sub-clusters, the N-terminal sequences of
      4/91-like, TW97/4-like and Arkansas-like are more variable than other sub
      clusters. This is the first time that the SSC method has been used for the
      evolution study of IBV. 

PMID- 26494164
TI  - The value of liver resection for focal nodular hyperplasia: resection yes or no?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) are benign lesions in the liver.
      Although liver resection is generally not indicated in these patients, rare
      indications for surgical approaches indeed exist. We here report on our single
      center experience with patients undergoing liver resection for FNH, focussing on
      preoperative diagnostic algorithms and quality of life (QoL) after surgery.
      METHODS: Medical records of 100 consecutive patients undergoing liver resection
      for FNH between 1992 and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed with regard to
      diagnostic pathways and indications for surgery. Quality of life (QoL) before and
      after surgery was evaluated using validated assessment tools. Student's t test,
      one-way ANOVA, chi (2), and binary logistic regression analyses such as Wilcoxon
      Mann-Whitney test were used, as indicated. RESULTS: A combination of at least two
      preoperative diagnostic imaging approaches was applied in 99 cases, of which 70
      patients were subjected to further imaging or tumor biopsy. In most patients,
      there was more than one indication for liver resection, including tumor
      associated symptoms with abdominal discomfort (n = 46, 40.7 %), balance of risk
      for malignancy/history of cancer (n = 54, 47.8 %/n = 18; 33.3 %), tumor
      enlargement/jaundice of vascular and biliary structures (n = 13, 11.5 %), such as
      incidental findings during elective operation (n = 1, 0.9 %). Postoperative
      morbidity was 19 %, with serious complications (>grade 2, Clavien-Dindo
      classification) being evident in 8 %. Perioperative mortality was 0 %. Liver
      resection was associated with a significant overall improvement in general health
      (very good-excellent: preoperatively 47.4 % vs. postoperatively 68.1 %; p =
      0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Liver resection remains a valuable therapeutic option in the
      treatment of either symptomatic FNH or if malignancy cannot finally be ruled out.
      If clinically indicated, liver resection for FNH represents a safe approach and
      may lead to significant improvements of QoL especially in symptomatic patients.

PMID- 26494166
TI  - HIV-1 resistance to neutralizing antibodies: Determination of antibody
      concentrations leading to escape mutant evolution.
AB  - Broadly neutralizing antibodies against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV
      1) are considered vital components of novel therapeutics and blueprints for
      vaccine research. Yet escape to even the most potent of these antibodies is
      imminent in natural infection. Measures to define antibody efficacy and prevent
      mutant selection are thus urgently needed. Here, we derive a mathematical
      framework to predict the concentration ranges for which antibody escape variants
      can outcompete their viral ancestors, referred to as mutant selection window
      (MSW). When determining the MSW, we focus on the differential efficacy of
      neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1 in two canonical infection routes, free
      virus infection and cell-cell transmission. The latter has proven highly
      effective in vitro suggesting its importance for both in vivo spread as well as
      for escaping targeted intervention strategies. We observed a range of MSW
      patterns that highlight the potential of mutants to arise in both transmission
      pathways and over wide concentration ranges. Most importantly, we found that only
      when the arising mutant has both, residual sensitivity to the neutralizing
      antibody and reduced infectivity compared to the parental virus, antibody dosing
      outside of the MSW to restrict mutant selection is possible. Emergence of mutants
      that provide complete escape and have no considerable fitness loss cannot be
      prevented by adjusting antibody doses. The latter may in part explain the
      ubiquitous resistance to neutralizing antibodies observed in natural infection
      and antibody treatment. Based on our findings, combinations of antibodies
      targeting different epitopes should be favored for antibody-based interventions
      as this may render complete resistance less likely to occur and also increase
      chances that multiple escapes result in severe fitness loss of the virus making
      longer-term antibody treatment more feasible.

PMID- 26494167
TI  - Aquatic viruses induce host cell death pathways and its application.
AB  - Virus infections of mammalian and animal cells consist of a series of events. As
      intracellular parasites, viruses rely on the use of host cellular machinery.
      Through the use of cell culture and molecular approaches over the past decade,
      our knowledge of the biology of aquatic viruses has grown exponentially. The
      increase in aquaculture operations worldwide has provided new approaches for the
      transmission of aquatic viruses that include RNA and DNA viruses. Therefore, the
      struggle between the virus and the host for control of the cell's death machinery
      is crucial for survival. Viruses are obligatory intracellular parasites and, as
      such, must modulate apoptotic pathways to control the lifespan of their host to
      complete their replication cycle. This paper updates the discussion on the
      detailed mechanisms of action that various aquatic viruses use to induce cell
      death pathways in the host, such as Bad-mediated, mitochondria-mediated, ROS
      mediated and Fas-mediated cell death circuits. Understanding how viruses exploit
      the apoptotic pathways of their hosts may provide great opportunities for the
      development of future potential therapeutic strategies and pathogenic insights
      into different aquatic viral diseases. 

PMID- 26494168
TI  - A novel betapartitivirus RnPV6 from Rosellinia necatrix tolerates host RNA
      silencing but is interfered by its defective RNAs.
AB  - The family Partitiviridae comprises of five genera with bi-segmented dsRNA
      genomes that accommodate members infecting plants, fungi or protists. All
      partitiviruses with only a few exceptions cause asymptomatic infections. We
      report the characterization of a novel betapartitivirus termed Rosellinia
      necatrix partitivirus 6 (RnPV6) from a field isolate of a plant pathogenic
      fungus, white root rot fungus. RnPV6 has typical partitivirus features: dsRNA1
      and dsRNA2 are 2462 and 2499bps in length encoding RNA-dependent RNA polymerase
      and capsid protein. Purified particles are spherical with a diameter of 30nm.
      Taking advantage of infectivity as virions, RnPV6 was introduced into a model
      filamentous fungal host, chestnut blight fungus to investigate virus/host
      interactions. Unlike other partitiviruses tested previously, RnPV6 induced
      profound phenotypic alterations with symptoms characterized by a reduced growth
      rate and enhanced pigmentation and was tolerant to host RNA silencing. In
      addition, a variety of defective RNAs derived from dsRNA1 appear after virion
      transfection. These sub-viral RNAs were shown to interfere with RnPV6
      replication, at least for that of cognate segment dsRNA1. Presence of these sub
      viral elements resulted in reduced symptom expression by RnPV6, suggesting their
      nature as defective-interfering RNAs. The features of RnPV6 are similar to but
      distinct from those of a previously reported alphapartitivirus, Rosellinia
      necatrix partitivirus 2 that is susceptible to RNA silencing.

PMID- 26494169
TI  - Murine norovirus (MNV-1) exposure in vitro to the purine nucleoside analog
      Ribavirin increases quasispecies diversity.
AB  - Ribavirin is a pharmaceutical antiviral used for the treatment of RNA virus
      infections including norovirus, hepatitis C virus, hepatitis E virus, Lassa
      virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and rhinovirus. Despite the drug's history
      and documented efficacy, the antiviral mechanism of Ribavirin remains unclear.
      Mechanisms proposed include depletion of the intracellular GTP pool,
      immunomodulatory effects, induction of error catastrophe, inhibition of viral
      polymerase activity, and/or inhibition of viral capping. In the present study, we
      leveraged deep sequencing data to demonstrate that Ribavirin increases murine
      norovirus (MNV-1) viral diversity. By serial passaging MNV-1 in RAW 264.7 cells
      for twenty generations in the presence of Ribavirin, we demonstrated
      statistically significant increases in both the number of unique haplotypes and
      the average pairwise difference (APD). Based on statistically significant
      differences in the probability of nucleotide mutations based on Roche 454
      sequencing, we also demonstrated that single nucleotide substitutions are
      increased in the presence of Ribavirin. Finally, we demonstrated Ribavirin's
      impact on statistically significantly reducing the relative proportion of the
      dominant sequence within the quasispecies. 

PMID- 26494170
TI  - Development and promotion of a national website to improve dissemination of
      information related to the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT)
      in Tanzania.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Websites that address national public health issues provide an
      important mechanism to improve health education and services in resource limited
      countries. This article describes the development, promotion and initial
      evaluation of a national website to increase access to information and resources
      about prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) among healthcare
      workers and PMTCT stakeholders in Tanzania. METHODS: A participatory approach,
      involving the Tanzania Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) and key
      PMTCT stakeholders, was used to develop and manage the online PMTCT National
      Resource Center (NRC), http://pmtct.or.tz/ . The website was created with a
      content management system software system that does not require advanced computer
      skills and facilitates content updates and site management. The PMTCT NRC hosts
      related regularly updated PMTCT-related news, resources and publications. Website
      implementation, access and performance were evaluated over two years using Google
      Analytics data about visits, page views, downloads, bounce rates and location of
      visitors, supplemented by anecdotal feedback. RESULTS: Following its launch in
      July 2013, the PMTCT NRC website received a total of 28,400 visits, with 66,463
      page views, over 2 years; 30 % of visits were from returning visitors. During
      year 1, visits increased by 80 % from the first to second 6 month period and then
      declined slightly (9-11 %) but remained stable in Year 2. Monthly visits spiked
      by about 70 % during October 2013 and January 2014 in response to the release and
      promotion of revised national PMTCT guidelines and training manuals. The majority
      of visitors came from primarily urban areas in Tanzania (50 %) and from other
      African countries (16 %). By year 2, over one-third of visitors used mobile
      devices to access the site. CONCLUSIONS: The successfully implemented PMTCT NRC
      website provides centralized, easily accessed information designed to address the
      needs of clinicians, educators and program partners in Tanzania. Ongoing
      involvement of the MOHSW and key stakeholders are essential ensure the website's
      growth, effectiveness and sustainability. Additional efforts are needed to expand
      use of the PMTCT NRC throughout the country. Future evaluations should examine
      the role of the website in supporting implementation of national PMTCT guidelines
      and services in Tanzania.

PMID- 26494171
TI  - MicroRNA-encoded behavior in Drosophila.
AB  - The relationship between microRNA (miRNA) regulation and the specification of
      behavior is only beginning to be explored. We found that mutation of a single
      miRNA locus (miR-iab4/iab8) in Drosophila larvae affects the animal's capacity to
      correct its orientation if turned upside down (self-righting). One of the miRNA
      targets involved in this behavior is the Hox gene Ultrabithorax, whose
      derepression in two metameric neurons leads to self-righting defects. In vivo
      neural activity analysis reveals that these neurons, the self-righting node
      (SRN), have different activity patterns in wild type and miRNA mutants, whereas
      thermogenetic manipulation of SRN activity results in changes in self-righting
      behavior. Our work thus reveals a miRNA-encoded behavior and suggests that other
      miRNAs might also be involved in behavioral control in Drosophila and other
      species. 

PMID- 26494172
TI  - Nlrp6 regulates intestinal antiviral innate immunity.
AB  - The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor (Nlrp) 6 maintains
      gut microbiota homeostasis and regulates antibacterial immunity. We now report a
      role for Nlrp6 in the control of enteric virus infection. Nlrp6(-/-) and control
      mice systemically challenged with encephalomyocarditis virus had similar
      mortality; however, the gastrointestinal tract of Nlrp6(-/-) mice exhibited
      increased viral loads. Nlrp6(-/-) mice orally infected with encephalomyocarditis
      virus had increased mortality and viremia compared with controls. Similar results
      were observed with murine norovirus 1. Nlrp6 bound viral RNA via the RNA helicase
      Dhx15 and interacted with mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein to induce
      type I/III interferons (IFNs) and IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). These data
      demonstrate that Nlrp6 functions with Dhx15 as a viral RNA sensor to induce ISGs,
      and this effect is especially important in the intestinal tract. 

PMID- 26494173
TI  - Cells of a common developmental origin regulate REM/non-REM sleep and wakefulness
      in mice.
AB  - Mammalian sleep comprises rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM)
      sleep. To functionally isolate from the complex mixture of neurons populating the
      brainstem pons those involved in switching between REM and NREM sleep, we
      chemogenetically manipulated neurons of a specific embryonic cell lineage in
      mice. We identified excitatory glutamatergic neurons that inhibit REM sleep and
      promote NREM sleep. These neurons shared a common developmental origin with
      neurons promoting wakefulness; both derived from a pool of proneural hindbrain
      cells expressing Atoh1 at embryonic day 10.5. We also identified inhibitory gamma
      aminobutyric acid-releasing neurons that act downstream to inhibit REM sleep.
      Artificial reduction or prolongation of REM sleep in turn affected slow-wave
      activity during subsequent NREM sleep, implicating REM sleep in the regulation of
      NREM sleep. 

PMID- 26494175
TI  - Measurement and laser control of attosecond charge migration in ionized
      iodoacetylene.
AB  - The ultrafast motion of electrons and holes after light-matter interaction is
      fundamental to a broad range of chemical and biophysical processes. We advanced
      high-harmonic spectroscopy to resolve spatially and temporally the migration of
      an electron hole immediately after ionization of iodoacetylene while
      simultaneously demonstrating extensive control over the process. A
      multidimensional approach, based on the measurement and accurate theoretical
      description of both even and odd harmonic orders, enabled us to reconstruct both
      quantum amplitudes and phases of the electronic states with a resolution of ~100
      attoseconds. We separately reconstructed quasi-field-free and laser-controlled
      charge migration as a function of the spatial orientation of the molecule and
      determined the shape of the hole created by ionization. Our technique opens the
      prospect of laser control over electronic primary processes. 

PMID- 26494174
TI  - Patrolling monocytes control tumor metastasis to the lung.
AB  - The immune system plays an important role in regulating tumor growth and
      metastasis. Classical monocytes promote tumorigenesis and cancer metastasis, but
      how nonclassical "patrolling" monocytes (PMo) interact with tumors is unknown.
      Here we show that PMo are enriched in the microvasculature of the lung and reduce
      tumor metastasis to lung in multiple mouse metastatic tumor models. Nr4a1
      deficient mice, which specifically lack PMo, showed increased lung metastasis in
      vivo. Transfer of Nr4a1-proficient PMo into Nr4a1-deficient mice prevented tumor
      invasion in the lung. PMo established early interactions with metastasizing tumor
      cells, scavenged tumor material from the lung vasculature, and promoted natural
      killer cell recruitment and activation. Thus, PMo contribute to cancer
      immunosurveillance and may be targets for cancer immunotherapy. 

PMID- 26494176
TI  - Lanosterol influences cytoplasmic maturation of pig oocytes in vitro and improves
      preimplantation development of cloned embryos.
AB  - Lanosterol is a precursor of meiosis-activating sterols in the cholesterol
      biosynthetic pathway and induces a physiological signal that instructs the oocyte
      to reinitiate meiosis. In this study, we examined the effect of lanosterol on IVM
      of porcine oocytes, specifically on nuclear maturation, cytoplasmic maturation by
      investigating intracellular glutathione (GSH) levels and lipid content, embryonic
      development after parthenogenetic activation and somatic cell nuclear transfer
      (SCNT), and on gene expression in cumulus cells, oocytes, and SCNT-derived
      blastocysts. There was no significant difference in nuclear maturation rates
      between the control and treatment groups (10, 50, and 100 MUM of lanosterol added
      to IVM culture medium). Supplementation with 50-MUM lanosterol significantly
      increased lipid content and GSH levels and decreased reactive oxygen species
      levels compared with the control. In addition, oocytes treated with 50 MUM of
      lanosterol exhibited significantly increased blastocyst formation rates and total
      cell numbers after parthenogenetic activation (30.3% and 63.9 vs. 21.6% and 36.5,
      respectively) and SCNT (18.2% and 53.7 vs. 12.6% and 37.5, respectively), when
      compared with the control group. Cumulus cells treated with 50 MUM of lanosterol
      showed significantly increased 14alpha-demethylase, Delta14-reductase, and Delta7
      reductase mRNA transcript levels. Significantly increased PPARgamma, SREBF1,
      GPX1, and Bcl-2 and decreased Bax transcript levels were observed in mature
      oocytes treated with 50 MUM of lanosterol compared with the control. SCNT
      blastocysts derived from 50-MUM lanosterol-treated oocytes had significantly
      higher POU5F1, FGFR2, and Bcl-2 transcript levels than control SCNT-derived
      blastocysts. In conclusion, supplementation with 50 MUM of lanosterol during IVM
      improves preimplantation development of SCNT embryos by elevating lipid content
      of oocytes, increasing GSH levels, decreasing reactive oxygen species levels, and
      regulating genes related to the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway in cumulus
      cells, to lipid metabolism and apoptosis in oocytes, and their developmental
      potential and apoptosis in blastocysts.

PMID- 26494177
TI  - Highly Efficient Photothermal Semiconductor Nanocomposites for Photothermal
      Imaging of Latent Fingerprints.
AB  - Optical imaging of latent fingerprints (LFPs) has been widely used in forensic
      science and for antiterrorist applications, but it suffers from interference from
      autofluorescence and the substrates background color. Cu7S4 nanoparticles (NPs),
      with excellent photothermal properties, were synthesized using a new strategy and
      then fabricated into amphiphilic nanocomposites (NCs) via polymerization of allyl
      mercaptan coated on Cu7S4 NPs to offer good affinities toward LFPs. Here, we
      develop a facile and versatile photothermal LFP imaging method based on the high
      photothermal conversion efficiency (52.92%, 808 nm) of Cu7S4 NCs, indicating its
      effectiveness for imaging LFPs left on different substrates (with various
      background colors), which will be extremely useful for crime scene
      investigations. Furthermore, by fabricating Cu7S4-CdSe@ZnS NCs, a fluorescent
      photothermal dual-mode imaging strategy was used to detect trinitrotoluene (TNT)
      in LFPs while still maintaining a complete photothermal image of LFP. 

PMID- 26494178
TI  - Effects of nutrient profiling and price changes based on NuVal(r) scores on food
      purchasing in an online experimental supermarket.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal of the present study was to apply experimental economic
      methods in an online supermarket to examine the effects of nutrient profiling,
      and differential pricing based on the nutrient profile, on the overall diet
      quality, energy and macronutrients of the foods purchased, and diet cost. DESIGN:
      Participants were provided nutrient profiling scores or price adjustments based
      on nutrient profile scores while completing a hypothetical grocery shopping task.
      Prices of foods in the top 20 % of nutrient profiling scores were reduced
      (subsidized) by 25 % while those in the bottom 20 % of scores were increased
      (taxed) by 25 %. We evaluated the independent and interactive effects of nutrient
      profiling or price adjustments on overall diet quality of foods purchased as
      assessed by the NuVal(r) score, energy and macronutrients purchased and diet cost
      in a 2*2 factorial design. SETTING: A large (>10 000 food items) online
      experimental supermarket in the USA. SUBJECTS: Seven hundred and eighty-one
      women. RESULTS: Providing nutrient profiling scores improved overall diet quality
      of foods purchased. Price changes were associated with an increase in protein
      purchased, an increase in energy cost, and reduced carbohydrate and protein
      costs. Price changes and nutrient profiling combined were associated with no
      unique benefits beyond price changes or nutrient profiling alone. CONCLUSIONS:
      Providing nutrient profile score increased overall NuVal(r) score without a
      reduction in energy purchased. Combining nutrient profiling and price changes did
      not show an overall benefit to diet quality and may be less useful than nutrient
      profiling alone to consumers who want to increase overall diet quality of foods
      purchased.

PMID- 26494179
TI  - Remote cognitive-behavior therapy for obsessive-compulsive symptoms: A meta
      analysis.
AB  - Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic mental health condition that
      results in a significant societal burden. Remote treatments do not require the
      patient to attend traditional face-to-face treatment services and can be used as
      a way to overcome barriers to accessing face-to-face treatment. The aim of the
      current study was to synthesize the current literature on remote treatment for
      OCD using a meta-analytic approach. Relevant articles were identified through an
      electronic database search and the references of previously completed reviews on
      the topic of remote treatment for OCD were also reviewed. Eighteen studies
      (n=823; mean age=31.20 (SD=10.36); 56.2% female) were included in the meta
      analysis. Within-group findings indicate that remote treatment for OCD produces a
      decrease in symptoms of a large magnitude (g=1.17; 95% CI: 0.91-1.43). Between
      group findings indicate that remote treatment for OCD is more effective than
      control (g=1.06; 95% CI: 0.68-1.45) and outcomes are not meaningfully different
      from face-to-face treatment (g=-0.21; 95% CI: -0.43-0.02). Those methodologies
      that are low intensity produce a decrease in symptoms of a large magnitude
      (g=1.36, 95% CI: 1.00-1.72), as do higher intensity treatments (g=1.64, 95% CI:
      1.33-1.95). These findings have important implications for the development of
      stepped-care treatments, which may be able to be delivered in a purely remote
      fashion. 

PMID- 26494180
TI  - Influence of Voice Focus on Oral-Nasal Balance in Speech.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The concept of voice focus describes the relationship of the vocal
      tract length on the perceived brightness or darkness of the speaker's voice. The
      present study explored the impact of adjustments of the voice focus on oral-nasal
      balance. The vocal tract settings in question were backward focus (retracted
      tongue, wide pharynx, and lowered larynx) and forward focus (fronted tongue,
      constricted pharynx, and raised larynx). The backward focus condition was
      expected to decrease nasalance scores and the forward focus condition was
      expected to increase nasalance scores. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental repeated
      measures study. METHODS: Sixteen females aged 23.78 (standard deviation 1.99)
      produced oral and nasal test sentences with a backward focus and a forward focus.
      Audio recordings and nasometry measurements were made. Nine of the participants
      completed the task successfully. RESULTS: In a repeated-measures analysis of
      variance, the nasalance scores were compared across stimuli, speaking condition,
      and repetition. There was a main effect for stimuli (F = 109.37, P < 0.0001). In
      a follow-up analysis of variance we found a condition effect for the nasal
      stimulus (F = 17.91, P < 0.0001). For the nasal stimulus, the nasalance scores of
      the backward focus were lower, and the nasalance scores of the forward focus were
      higher than in the normal condition. CONCLUSIONS: Changing the voice focus
      influenced oral-nasal balance more when the velopharyngeal port was open. Future
      studies should explore the possible treatment potential of voice focus for
      patients with hypernasality.

PMID- 26494182
TI  - Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells: A Potential Developmental Link Between
      Germinal Lineage and Hematopoiesis in Humans.
AB  - It has been suggested that hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) could
      become specified from a population of migrating primordial germ cells (PGCs),
      precursors of gametes, during embryogenesis. Some recent experimental data
      demonstrated that the cell population that is usually considered to be PGCs,
      moving toward the gonadal ridges of an embryo, contains a subset of cells
      coexpressing several germ cell and hematopoietic markers and possessing
      hematopoietic activity. Experimental data showed that bone morphogenetic protein
      4 (BMP4) generates PGCs from mouse bone marrow-derived pluripotent stem cells.
      Interestingly, functional reproductive hormone receptors have been identified in
      HSPCs, thus indicating their potential role in reproductive function. Several
      reports have demonstrated fertility restoration and germ cell generation after
      bone marrow transplantation in both animal models and humans. A potential link
      between HSPCs and germinal lineage might be represented by very small embryonic
      like stem cells (VSELs), which have been found in adult human bone marrow,
      peripheral blood, and umbilical cord blood, express a specific pattern of
      pluripotency, germinal lineage, and hematopoiesis, and are proposed to persist in
      adult tissues and organs from the embryonic period of life. Stem cell
      populations, similar to VSELs, expressing several genes related to pluripotency
      and germinal lineage, especially to PGCs, have been discovered in adult human
      reproductive organs, ovaries and testicles, and were related to primitive germ
      cell-like cell development in vitro, thus supporting the idea of VSELs as a
      potential link between germinal lineage and hematopoiesis.

PMID- 26494181
TI  - Structurally driven one-dimensional electron confinement in sub-5-nm graphene
      nanowrinkles.
AB  - Graphene-based carbon materials such as fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and
      graphenes have distinct and unique electronic properties that depend on their
      dimensionality and geometric structures. Graphene wrinkles with pseudo one
      dimensional structures have been observed in a graphene sheet. However, their one
      dimensional electronic properties have never been observed because of their large
      widths. Here we report the unique electronic structure of graphene nanowrinkles
      in a graphene sheet grown on Ni(111), the width of which was small enough to
      cause one-dimensional electron confinement. Use of spatially resolved, scanning
      tunnelling spectroscopy revealed bandgap opening and a one-dimensional van Hove
      singularity in the graphene nanowrinkles, as well as the chemical potential
      distribution across the graphene nanowrinkles. This observation allows us to
      realize a metallic-semiconducting-metallic junction in a single graphene sheet.
      Our demonstration of one-dimensional electron confinement in graphene provides
      the novel possibility of controlling its electronic properties not by chemical
      modification but by 'mechanical structuring'. 

PMID- 26494183
TI  - High diabetes mellitus prevalence with increasing trend among newly-diagnosed
      tuberculosis patients in an Asian population: A nationwide population-based
      study.
AB  - AIMS: Our aims were to investigate the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) among
      patients with newly-diagnosed tuberculosis (TB) and to determine its associated
      factors in an Asian population. METHODS: The data were obtained from the National
      Health Insurance Research Database and included 9831 newly-diagnosed TB
      individuals in the period of 2000-2010. The data were divided into a DM group and
      a non-DM group. We measured the prevalence and the associated comorbidities of
      DM. RESULTS: During 2000-2010, the prevalence of DM progressively increased, with
      an average prevalence rate of 27.9%. The patients with ages of 55-64 years had
      the highest association of DM (OR=3.53) compared with those under 45 years. TB
      patients with heart failure, ischemic heart disease, cerebral vascular disease,
      hypertension, dyslipidemia, chronic kidney disease, and liver disease were more
      likely to associate with DM (ORs=1.27, 1.23, 1.30, 2.32, 3.26, 1.6, and 1.68,
      respectively) compared to those without the variables. CONCLUSIONS: The
      prevalence of DM among TB patients in Taiwan was high and tended to increase in
      the past decade. Clinically, inquiring about DM history and screening routinely
      for those without DM history among TB patients should be carried out in Taiwan.

PMID- 26494184
TI  - Transition Metal Nitrides for Electrocatalytic Energy Conversion: Opportunities
      and Challenges.
AB  - Electrocatalytic energy conversion has been considered as one of the most
      efficient and promising pathways for realizing energy storage and energy
      utilization in modern society. To improve electrocatalytic reactions, specific
      catalysts are needed to lower the overpotential. In the search for efficient
      alternatives to noble metal catalysts, transition metal nitrides have attracted
      considerable interest due to their high catalytic activity and unique electronic
      structure. Over the past few decades, numerous nitride-based catalysts have been
      explored with respect to their ability to drive various electrocatalytic
      reactions, such as the hydrogen evolution reaction and the oxygen evolution
      reaction to achieve water splitting and the oxygen reduction reaction coupled
      with the methanol oxidation reaction to construct fuel cells or rechargeable Li
      O2 batteries. This Minireview provides a brief overview of recent progress on
      electrocatalysts based on transition metal nitrides, and outlines the current
      challenges and future opportunities. 

PMID- 26494185
TI  - Binge Drinking and Risk Taking Behavior Among Adolescent Females in Israel.
AB  - PURPOSE: This prospective study examined binge drinking and alcohol-related
      problem behavior among Israeli adolescent females attending public school or a
      residential facility for substance abuse treatment. PROBLEM: Scant information is
      known about adolescent females, especially those with high-risk (e.g., school
      dropout and immigrant origin) characteristics. METHODS: The authors hypothesized
      that school, residential treatment, and mothers' country of origin status are
      associated with binge drinking and problem behavior. FINDINGS: Females in
      residential treatment reported higher levels of binge drinking and problem
      behavior as expected. However, country of origin was not a significant factor
      differentiating the female adolescents in school or a residential facility.
      Logistic regression points to current cigarette smoking, ease of purchasing
      alcohol, unsupervised night activity, low religiosity, and being physically
      threatened as predictors of binge drinking and problem behavior. CONCLUSION: The
      lack of differences based on country of origin status points to acculturation as
      a possible reason for the homogeneity. Further research is needed to study the
      impact of acculturation as well as monitor the alcohol use patterns and problems
      of adolescents over time and across locations to address prevailing needs.

PMID- 26494186
TI  - Unconserved C terminal of human cytomegalovirus tegument protein pUL76 elicits
      nuclear aggresome formation and induces DNA damage in transfected cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The HCMV UL76 gene is a member of UL24 family in herpes virus and
      encodes a highly conserved herpes virus protein. Inherited from common ancestor,
      members of Herpes_UL24 family encode proteins with a conserved N terminal and
      varied in C terminal region. To define which region (conserved N terminal or
      unconserved C terminal) of UL76 was responsible for its ability to induce DNA
      damage and aggresome formation, the wild-type UL76 gene and two deletion mutants
      were transfected to cells and analyzed by immunofluorescent staining, Western
      blotting and comet assay. RESULTS: We report that the EGFP-fusion proteins
      present as globular aggresomes and colocalize with gamma-H2AX in cells
      transfected with either pEGFP-UL76 or pEGFP-UL76C. The relative expression level
      of gamma-H2AX and percentage of cells with comet tails were elevated in pEGFP
      UL76 or pEGFP-UL76C transfection groups compared to the control. CONCLUSION: Our
      findings suggest that the unconserved C terminal (not the conserved N terminal)
      of pUL76 was sufficient to induce DNA damage and aggresome formation in
      transfected cells.

PMID- 26494187
TI  - Directionality of individual cone photoreceptors in the parafoveal region.
AB  - The pointing direction of cone photoreceptors can be inferred from the Stiles
      Crawford Effect of the First Kind (SCE-I) measurement. Healthy retinas have
      tightly packed cones with a SCE-I function peak either centered in the pupil or
      with a slight nasal bias. Various retinal pathologies can change the profile of
      the SCE-I function implying that the arrangement or the light capturing
      properties of the cone photoreceptors are affected. Measuring the SCE-I may
      reveal early signs of photoreceptor change before actual cell apoptosis occurs.
      In vivo retinal imaging with adaptive optics (AO) was used to measure the
      pointing direction of individual cones at eight retinal locations in four control
      human subjects. Retinal images were acquired by translating an aperture in the
      light delivery arm through 19 different locations across a subject's entrance
      pupil. Angular tuning properties of individual cones were calculated by fitting a
      Gaussian to the reflected intensity profile of each cone projected onto the
      pupil. Results were compared to those from an accepted psychophysical SCE-I
      measurement technique. The maximal difference in cone directionality of an
      ensemble of cones, rho-, between the major and minor axes of the Gaussian fit was
      0.05 versus 0.29mm(-2) in one subject. All four subjects were found to have a
      mean nasal bias of 0.81mm with a standard deviation of +/-0.30mm in the peak
      position at all retinal locations with mean rho- value decreasing by 23% with
      increasing retinal eccentricity. Results show that cones in the parafoveal region
      converge towards the center of the pupillary aperture, confirming the anterior
      pointing alignment hypothesis. 

PMID- 26494188
TI  - The impact of the C-terminal domain on the gating properties of MscCG from
      Corynebacterium glutamicum.
AB  - The mechanosensitive (MS) channel MscCG from the soil bacterium Corynebacterium
      glutamicum functions as a major glutamate exporter. MscCG belongs to a subfamily
      of the bacterial MscS-like channels, which play an important role in
      osmoregulation. To understand the structural and functional features of MscCG, we
      investigated the role of the carboxyl-terminal domain, whose relevance for the
      channel gating has been unknown. The chimeric channel MscS-(C-MscCG), which is a
      fusion protein between the carboxyl terminal domain of MscCG and the MscS
      channel, was examined by the patch clamp technique. We found that the chimeric
      channel exhibited MS channel activity in Escherichia coli spheroplasts
      characterized by a lower activation threshold and slow closing compared to MscS.
      The chimeric channel MscS-(C-MscCG) was successfully reconstituted into azolectin
      liposomes and exhibited gating hysteresis in a voltage-dependent manner,
      especially at high pipette voltages. Moreover, the channel remained open after
      releasing pipette pressure at membrane potentials physiologically relevant for C.
      glutamicum. This contribution to the gating hysteresis of the C-terminal domain
      of MscCG confers to the channel gating properties highly suitable for release of
      intracellular solutes. 

PMID- 26494189
TI  - Pathways to Firesetting for Mentally Disordered Offenders: A Preliminary
      Examination.
AB  - The current study aimed to investigate the specific pathways in the offence
      process for mentally disordered firesetters. In a previous study, an offence
      chain model was constructed (i.e., the Firesetting Offence Chain for Mentally
      Disordered Offenders, FOC-MD) using offence descriptions obtained from 23
      mentally disordered firesetters, detailing the sequence of contextual,
      behavioural, affective, and cognitive factors that precipitate an incidence of
      firesetting for this population. The current study examines the prevalence of the
      specific pathways to firesetting for the original 23 mentally disordered
      firesetters and a further sample of 13 mentally disordered firesetters. Three
      distinct pathways to firesetting are identified within the FOC-MD: fire interest
      childhood mental health, no fire interest-adult mental health, fire interest
      adult mental health. In this article, we describe these three pathways in detail
      using illustrative case studies. The practice implications of these identified
      pathways are also discussed.

PMID- 26494190
TI  - Can Nucleoli Be Markers of Developmental Potential in Human Zygotes?
AB  - In 1999, Tesarik and Greco reported that they could predict the developmental
      potential of human zygotes from a single static evaluation of their pronuclei.
      This was based on the distribution and number of specific nuclear organelles -
      the nucleoli. Recent studies in mice show that nucleoli play a key role in
      parental genome restructuring after fertilization, and that interfering with this
      process may lead to developmental failure. These studies thus support the Tesarik
      Greco evaluation as a potentially useful method for selecting high-quality
      embryos in human assisted reproductive technologies. In this opinion article we
      discuss recent evidence linking nucleoli to parental genome reprogramming, and
      ask whether nucleoli can mirror or be used as representative markers of embryonic
      parameters such as chromosome content or DNA fragmentation. 

PMID- 26494191
TI  - Thermodynamic Properties of Carbosilane Dendrimers of the Sixth Generation with
      Ethylene Oxide Terminal Groups.
AB  - The temperature dependences of heat capacities of carbosilane dendrimers of the
      sixth generation with ethyleneoxide terminal groups, denoted as
      G6[(OCH2CH2)1OCH3]256 and G6[(OCH2CH2)3OCH3]256, were measured in the temperature
      range from T = (6 to 520) K by precision adiabatic calorimetry and differential
      scanning calorimetry (DSC). In the above temperature range the physical
      transformations, such as glass transition and high-temperature relaxation
      transition, were detected. The standard thermodynamic characteristics of the
      revealed transformations were determined and analyzed. The standard thermodynamic
      functions, namely, heat capacity Cp degrees (T), enthalpy H degrees (T) - H
      degrees (0), entropy S degrees (T) - S degrees (0), and Gibbs energy G degrees
      (T) - H degrees (0) for the range from T -> 0 to 520 K, and the standard
      entropies of formation DeltafS degrees  of the investigated dendrimers in the
      devitrified state at T = 298.15 K, were calculated per corresponding moles of the
      notional structural units. The standard thermodynamic properties of dendrimers
      under study were discussed and compared with literature data for carbosilane
      dendrimers with different functional terminal groups. 

PMID- 26494193
TI  - Medicine's social movement: #JuniorContract.

PMID- 26494192
TI  - Expression and diversification analysis reveals transposable elements play
      important roles in the origin of Lycopersicon-specific lncRNAs in tomato.
AB  - Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate gene expression and biological processes.
      With the development of high-throughput RNA sequencing technology, lncRNAs have
      been extensively studied in recent years. Nevertheless, the expression and
      evolution of lncRNAs in plants remain poorly understood. Here, we identified 413
      and 709 multi-exon noncoding transcripts from 353 and 595 loci of the cultivar
      tomato Heinz1706 and its wild relative LA1589, respectively. Systematic
      comparison of the sequence and expression of lncRNAs showed that they are poorly
      conserved in Solanaceae, with only < 0.4% lncRNAs present in all sequenced
      genomes of tomato and potato. Sequence analysis of Lycopersicon-specific lncRNA
      loci in Solanum lycopersicum and S. pennellii showed that the origins of these
      molecules are associated with transposable elements (TEs). LncRNA-314, a fruit
      specific lncRNA expressed in S. lycopersicum and S. pimpinellifolium, but not in
      S. pennellii, originated through two evolutionary events: speciation of S.
      pennellii resulted in insertion of a long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposon
      into chromosome 10 and contributed to most of the transcribed region of lncRNA
      314; and a large deletion in Lycopersicon generated the promoter region and part
      of the transcribed region of lncRNA-314. These results provide novel insights
      into the evolution of lncRNAs in plants. 

PMID- 26494194
TI  - Lack of coordination during Ebola outbreak was a "lost opportunity" to test
      therapies.

PMID- 26494195
TI  - Celebrating our first 10 years.

PMID- 26494197
TI  - Significant Performance Enhancement in Asymmetric Supercapacitors based on Metal
      Oxides, Carbon nanotubes and Neutral Aqueous Electrolyte.
AB  - Amongst the materials being investigated for supercapacitor electrodes, carbon
      based materials are most investigated. However, pure carbon materials suffer from
      inherent physical processes which limit the maximum specific energy and power
      that can be achieved in an energy storage device. Therefore, use of carbon-based
      composites with suitable nano-materials is attaining prominence. The synergistic
      effect between the pseudocapacitive nanomaterials (high specific energy) and
      carbon (high specific power) is expected to deliver the desired improvements. We
      report the fabrication of high capacitance asymmetric supercapacitor based on
      electrodes of composites of SnO2 and V2O5 with multiwall carbon nanotubes and
      neutral 0.5 M Li2SO4 aqueous electrolyte. The advantages of the fabricated
      asymmetric supercapacitors are compared with the results published in the
      literature. The widened operating voltage window is due to the higher over
      potential of electrolyte decomposition and a large difference in the work
      functions of the used metal oxides. The charge balanced device returns the
      specific capacitance of ~198 F g(-1) with corresponding specific energy of ~89 Wh
      kg(-1) at 1 A g(-1). The proposed composite systems have shown great potential in
      fabricating high performance supercapacitors.

PMID- 26494198
TI  - Moody booze: Introducing the special section on affect regulation and substance
      use.

PMID- 26494196
TI  - Self-assembly and structural-functional flexibility of oxygenic photosynthetic
      machineries: personal perspectives.
AB  - This short review, with a bit of historical aspect and a strong personal bias and
      emphases on open questions, is focusing on the (macro-)organization and
      structural-functional flexibilities of the photosynthetic apparatus of oxygenic
      photosynthetic organisms at different levels of the structural complexity
      selected problems that have attracted most my attention in the past years and
      decades. These include (i) the anisotropic organization of the pigment-protein
      complexes and photosynthetic membranes-a basic organizing principle of living
      matter, which can, and probably should be adopted to intelligent materials; (ii)
      the organization of protein complexes into chiral macrodomains, large self
      assembling highly organized but structurally flexible entities with unique
      spectroscopic fingerprints-structures, where, important, high-level regulatory
      functions appear to 'reside'; (iii) a novel, dissipation-assisted mechanism of
      structural changes, based on a thermo-optic effect: ultrafast thermal transients
      in the close vicinity of dissipation of unused excitation energy, which is
      capable of inducing elementary structural changes; it makes plants capable of
      responding to excess excitation with reaction rates proportional to the
      overexcitation above the light-saturation of photosynthesis; (iv) the 3D
      ultrastructure of the granum-stroma thylakoid membrane assembly and other
      multilamellar membrane systems, and their remodelings-associated with regulatory
      mechanisms; (v) the molecular organization and structural-functional plasticity
      of the main light-harvesting complex of plants, in relation to their crystal
      structure and different in vivo and in vitro states; and (vi) the enigmatic role
      of non-bilayer lipids and lipid phases in the bilayer thylakoid membrane
      warranting its high protein content and contributing to its structural
      flexibility.

PMID- 26494199
TI  - Assessing safety culture in NICU: psychometric properties of the Italian version
      of Safety Attitude Questionnaire and result implications.
AB  - RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are a high
      risk setting. The Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) is a widely used tool to
      measure safety culture. The aims of the study are to verify the psychometric
      properties of the Italian version of SAQ, to evaluate safety culture in the NICUs
      and to identify improvement interventions. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was
      conducted in 6 level III NICUs. The SAQ was translated into Italian and adapted
      to the context, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to validate
      the questionnaire. RESULTS: 193 questionnaires were collected. The mean response
      rate was 59.7% (range 44.5%-95.7%). The answers were analysed according to six
      factors: f1 - teamwork climate, f2 - safety climate, f3 - job satisfaction, f4 -
      stress recognition, f5 - perception of management, f6 - working conditions. The
      CFA indexes were adequate (McDonald's omega indexes varied from 0.74 to 0.94, the
      SRMR index was equal to 0.79 and the RMSEA index was 0.070, 95% CI = 0.063
      0.078). The mean composite score was 57.6 (SD 17.9), ranging between 42.3 and
      69.7 on a standardized 100-point scale. We highlighted significant differences
      among units and professions (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The Italian version of the
      SAQ proved to be an effective tool to evaluate and compare the safety culture in
      the NICUs. The obtained scores significantly varied both within and among the
      NICUs. The organizational and structural characteristics of the involved
      hospitals probably affect the safety culture perception by the staff.

PMID- 26494201
TI  - Realtime (31)P NMR Investigation on the Catalytic Behavior of the Enzyme
      Adenylate kinase in the Matrix of a Switchable Ionic Liquid.
AB  - The integration of highly efficient enzymatic catalysis with the solvation
      properties of ionic liquids for an environmentally friendly and efficient use of
      raw materials such as wood requires fundamental knowledge about the influence of
      relevant ionic liquids on enzymes. Switchable ionic liquids (SIL) are promising
      candidates for implementation of enzymatic treatments of raw materials. One
      industrially interesting SIL is constituted by monoethanol amine (MEA) and 1,8
      diazabicyclo-[5.4.0]-undec-7-ene (DBU) formed with sulfur dioxide (SO2) as the
      coupling media (DBU-SO2-MEASIL). It has the ability to solubilize the matrix of
      lignocellulosic biomass while leaving the cellulose backbone intact. Using a
      novel (31)P NMR-based real-time assay we show that this SIL is compatible with
      enzymatic catalysis because a model enzyme, adenylate kinase, retains its
      activity in up to at least 25 wt % of DBU-SO2-MEASIL. Thus this SIL appears
      suitable for, for example, enzymatic degradation of hemicellulose.

PMID- 26494200
TI  - Crystal Structure of the Isopropylzinc Alkoxide of Pyrimidyl Alkanol: Mechanistic
      Insights for Asymmetric Autocatalysis with Amplification of Enantiomeric Excess.
AB  - Asymmetric amplification during self-replication is a key feature that is used to
      explain the origin of homochirality. Asymmetric autocatalysis of pyrimidyl
      alkanol in the asymmetric addition of diisopropylzinc to pyrimidine-5
      carbaldehyde is a unique example of this phenomenon. Crystallization of zinc
      alkoxides of this 5-pyrimidyl alkanol and single-crystal X-ray diffraction
      analysis of the alkoxide crystals reveal the existence of tetramer or higher
      oligomer structures in this asymmetric autocatalytic system. 

PMID- 26494202
TI  - Great influence of geographic isolation on the genetic differentiation of
      Myriophyllum spicatum under a steep environmental gradient.
AB  - Understanding how natural processes affect population genetic structures is an
      important issue in evolutionary biology. One effective method is to assess the
      relative importance of environmental and geographical factors in the genetic
      structure of populations. In this study, we examined the spatial genetic
      variation of thirteen Myriophyllum spicatum populations from the Qinghai-Tibetan
      Plateau (QTP) and adjacent highlands (Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, YGP) by using
      microsatellite loci and environmental and geographical factors. Bioclim layers,
      hydrological properties and elevation were considered as environmental variables
      and reduced by principal component analysis. The genetic isolation by geographic
      distance (IBD) was tested by Mantel tests and the relative importance of
      environmental variables on population genetic differentiation was determined by a
      partial Mantel test and multiple matrix regression with randomization (MMRR). Two
      genetic clusters corresponding to the QTP and YGP were identified. Both tests and
      MMRR revealed a significant and strong correlation between genetic divergence and
      geographic isolation under the influence of environmental heterogeneity at the
      overall and finer spatial scales. Our findings suggested the dominant role of
      geography on the evolution of M. spicatum under a steep environmental gradient in
      the alpine landscape as a result of dispersal limitation and genetic drift. 

PMID- 26494203
TI  - Highly sensitive and selective sugar detection by terahertz nano-antennas.
AB  - Molecular recognition and discrimination of carbohydrates are important because
      carbohydrates perform essential roles in most living organisms for energy
      metabolism and cell-to-cell communication. Nevertheless, it is difficult to
      identify or distinguish various carbohydrate molecules owing to the lack of a
      significant distinction in the physical or chemical characteristics. Although
      there has been considerable effort to develop a sensing platform for individual
      carbohydrates selectively using chemical receptors or an ensemble array, their
      detection and discrimination limits have been as high in the millimolar
      concentration range. Here we show a highly sensitive and selective detection
      method for the discrimination of carbohydrate molecules using nano-slot-antenna
      array-based sensing chips which operate in the terahertz (THz) frequency range
      (0.5-2.5 THz). This THz metamaterial sensing tool recognizes various types of
      carbohydrate molecules over a wide range of molecular concentrations. Strongly
      localized and enhanced terahertz transmission by nano-antennas can effectively
      increase the molecular absorption cross sections, thereby enabling the detection
      of these molecules even at low concentrations. We verified the performance of
      nano-antenna sensing chip by both THz spectra and images of transmittance.
      Screening and identification of various carbohydrates can be applied to test even
      real market beverages with a high sensitivity and selectivity. 

PMID- 26494204
TI  - Criterion Validity of the WAIS-IV Cognitive Proficiency Index (CPI).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The current study sought to validate the Cognitive Proficiency Index
      (CPI) against similar, well-established measures of attention and processing
      speed. Additionally, the sensitivity of the CPI and Attention Index of the
      Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and
      their ability to differentiate among clinical groups were compared. METHOD: The
      first objective was accomplished by calculating correlation coefficients between
      the CPI and similar attention and processing speed measures. The second objective
      was accomplished using a clinical group of 25 individuals with Mini-Mental State
      Exam (MMSE) scores of less than or equal to 23 matched to a non-clinical group of
      43 participants with MMSE scores of 30, all derived from the original sample.
      RESULTS: The CPI correlated in expected ways with other measures of attention and
      processing speed (magnitude of r = .19-.77). ANCOVA, receiver operating
      characteristic, and discriminant function analyses suggested that the CPI is
      superior to the RBANS Attention Index in differentiating between clinical and non
      clinical groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide support for convergent
      validity and criterion-related concurrent validity for the CPI.

PMID- 26494206
TI  - Secondary hemochromatosis and mechanical circulatory support with a total
      artificial heart.

PMID- 26494205
TI  - LIS1-associated classic lissencephaly: A retrospective, multicenter survey of the
      epileptogenic phenotype and response to antiepileptic drugs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with LIS1-associated classic lissencephaly typically present
      with severe psychomotor retardation and drug-resistant epilepsy within the first
      year. AIM: To analyze the epileptogenic phenotype and response to antiepileptic
      therapy in LIS1-associated classic lissencephaly. METHOD: Retrospective
      evaluation of 22 patients (8 months-24 years) with genetically and radiologically
      confirmed LIS1-associated classic lissencephaly in 16 study centers. RESULTS: All
      patients in our cohort developed drug-resistant epilepsy. In 82% onset of
      seizures was noted within the first six months of life, most frequently with
      infantile spasms. Later in infancy the epileptogentic phenotype became more
      variable and included different forms of focal seizures as well generalized as
      tonic-clonic seizures, with generalized tonic-clonic seizures being the
      predominant type. Lamotrigine and valproate were rated most successful with good
      or partial response rates in 88-100% of the patients. Both were evaluated
      significantly better than levetiracetam (p<0.05) and sulthiame (p<0.01) in the
      neuropediatric assessment and better than levetiracetam, sulthiame (p<0.05) and
      topiramate (p<0.01) in the family survey. Phenobarbital and vigabatrin achieved
      good or partial response in 62-83% of the patients. CONCLUSION: Our findings
      suggest that patients with LIS1-associated lissencephaly might benefit most from
      lamotrigine, valproate, vigabatrin or phenobarbital.

PMID- 26494207
TI  - Chiral Lithiated Allylic alpha-Sulfonyl Carbanions: Experimental and
      Computational Study of Their Structure, Configurational Stability, and
      Enantioselective Synthesis.
AB  - X-ray crystal structure analysis of the lithiated allylic alpha-sulfonyl
      carbanions [CH2 ?CHC(Me)SO2 Ph]Li?diglyme, [cC6 H8 SO2 tBu]Li?PMDETA and [cC7 H10
      SO2 tBu]Li?PMDETA showed dimeric and monomeric CIPs, having nearly planar anionic
      C atoms, only O?Li bonds, almost planar allylic units with strong C?C bond length
      alternation and the s-trans conformation around C1?C2. They adopt a C1?S
      conformation, which is similar to the one generally found for alkyl and aryl
      substituted alpha-sulfonyl carbanions. Cryoscopy of [EtCH?CHC(Et)SO2 tBu]Li in
      THF at 164 K revealed an equilibrium between monomers and dimers in a ratio of
      83:17, which is similar to the one found by low temperature NMR spectroscopy.
      According to NMR spectroscopy the lone-pair orbital at C1 strongly interacts with
      the C?C double bond. Low temperature (6) Li,(1) H NOE experiments of
      [EtCH?CHC(Et)SO2 tBu]Li in THF point to an equilibrium between monomeric CIPs
      having only O?Li bonds and CIPs having both O?Li and C1?Li bonds. Ab initio
      calculation of [MeCH?CHC(Me)SO2 Me]Li?(Me2 O)2 gave three isomeric CIPs having
      the s-trans conformation and three isomeric CIPs having the s-cis conformation
      around the C1?C2 bond. All s-trans isomers are more stable than the s-cis
      isomers. At all levels of theory the s-trans isomer having O?Li and C1?Li bonds
      is the most stable one followed by the isomer which has two O?Li bonds. The
      allylic unit of the C,O,Li isomer shows strong bond length alternation and the C1
      atom is in contrast to the O,Li isomer significantly pyramidalized. According to
      NBO analysis of the s-trans and s-cis isomers, the interaction of the lone pair
      at C1 with the pi* orbital of the CC double bond is energetically much more
      favorable than that with the "empty" orbitals at the Li atom. The C1?S and C1?C2
      conformations are determined by the stereoelectronic effects nC -sigmaSR *
      interaction and allylic conjugation. (1) H DNMR spectroscopy of racemic
      [EtCH?CHC(Et)SO2 tBu]Li, [iPrCH?CHC(iPr)SO2 tBu]Li and [EtCH?C(Me)C(Et)SO2 tBu]Li
      in [D8 ]THF gave estimated barriers of enantiomerization of DeltaG(?) =13.2 kcal
      mol(-1) (270 K), 14.2 kcal mol(-1) (291 K) and 14.2 kcal mol(-1) (295 K),
      respectively. Deprotonation of sulfone (R)-EtCH?CHCH(Et)SO2 tBu (94 % ee) with
      nBuLi in THF at -105  degrees C occurred with a calculated enantioselectivity of
      93 % ee and gave carbanion (M)-[EtCH?CHC(Et)SO2 tBu]Li, the deuteration and
      alkylation of which with CF3 CO2 D and MeOCH2 I, respectively, proceeded with
      high enantioselectivities. Time-dependent deuteration of the enantioenriched
      carbanion (M)-[EtCH?CHC(Et)SO2 tBu]Li in THF gave a racemization barrier of
      DeltaG(?) =12.5 kcal mol(-1) (168 K), which translates to a calculated half-time
      of racemization of t1/2 =12 min at -105  degrees C. 

PMID- 26494208
TI  - Phylogenomic analysis of the genus Ralstonia based on 686 single-copy genes.
AB  - The genus Ralstonia contains species that are devastating plant pathogens,
      opportunistic human pathogens, and/or important degraders of xenobiotic and
      recalcitrant compounds. However, significant nomenclature problems exist,
      especially for the Ralstonia solanacearum species complex which consists of four
      phylotypes. Phylogenomics of the Ralstonia genus was investigated via a
      comprehensive analysis of 39 Ralstonia genomes as well as four genomes of
      Cupriavidus necator (more commonly known by its previous name Ralstonia
      eutropha). These data revealed 686 single-copy orthologs that could be extracted
      from the Ralstonia core-genome and used to reconstruct the phylogeny of the genus
      Ralstonia. The generated tree has strong bootstrap support for almost all
      branches. We also estimated the in silico DNA-DNA hybridization (isDDH) and the
      average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between each genome. Our data confirmed
      that whole genome sequence data provides a powerful tool to resolve the complex
      taxonomic questions of the genus Ralstonia, e.g. strains of Ralstonia
      solanacearum phylotype IIA and IIB may represent two subspecies of R.
      solanacearum, and strains of R. solanacearum phylotype I and III may be
      classified into two subspecies of Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum. Recently, strains
      of R. solanacearum phylotype IV were proposed to be reclassified into different
      subspecies of Ralstonia syzygii; our study, however, showed that phylotype IV
      strains had high isDDH values (83.8-96.1 %), indicating it may be not appropriate
      to classify these closely related strains into different subspecies. We also
      evaluated the performance of six chromosomal housekeeping genes (gdhA, mutS, adk,
      leuS, rplB and gyrB) used in Ralstonia phylogenetic inference. The multilocus
      sequence analysis of these six marker genes was able to reliably infer the
      phylogenetic relationships of the genus Ralstonia. 

PMID- 26494209
TI  - Trimeric autotransporter adhesins contribute to Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae
      pathogenicity in mice and regulate bacterial gene expression during interactions
      between bacteria and porcine primary alveolar macrophages.
AB  - Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is an important pathogen that causes respiratory
      disease in pigs. Trimeric autotransporter adhesin (TAA) is a recently discovered
      bacterial virulence factor that mediates bacterial adhesion and colonization. Two
      TAA coding genes have been found in the genome of A. pleuropneumoniae strain 5b
      L20, but whether they contribute to bacterial pathogenicity is unclear. In this
      study, we used homologous recombination to construct a double-gene deletion
      mutant, DeltaTAA, in which both TAA coding genes were deleted and used it in in
      vivo and in vitro studies to confirm that TAAs participate in bacterial auto
      aggregation, biofilm formation, cell adhesion and virulence in mice. A microarray
      analysis was used to determine whether TAAs can regulate other A.
      pleuropneumoniae genes during interactions with porcine primary alveolar
      macrophages. The results showed that deletion of both TAA coding genes up
      regulated 36 genes, including ene1514, hofB and tbpB2, and simultaneously down
      regulated 36 genes, including lgt, murF and ftsY. These data illustrate that TAAs
      help to maintain full bacterial virulence both directly, through their
      bioactivity, and indirectly by regulating the bacterial type II and IV secretion
      systems and regulating the synthesis or secretion of virulence factors. This
      study not only enhances our understanding of the role of TAAs but also has
      significance for those studying A. pleuropneumoniae pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26494210
TI  - Intramuscular Lipoma as an Unusual Cause of Right Ventricular Outflow Tract
      Obstruction.

PMID- 26494211
TI  - Understanding carers' lived experience of stigma: the voice of families with a
      child on the autism spectrum.
AB  - Existing research suggests that there are several unique challenges associated
      with caring for a child on the autism spectrum. Despite a growing evidence base
      regarding autism spectrum disorders and their increasing prevalence, children on
      the autism spectrum and their families continue to perceive stigmatisation from
      various sources throughout the community. These perceptions of stigma can
      profoundly impact the quality of life of these children and their carers alike.
      This exploratory study sought to investigate carers' perceptions of stigma in
      caring for a child with high functioning autism. Fifteen carers from Sydney and
      the South Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia, participated in semi
      structured interviews regarding their caring experiences and any perceived
      encounters with stigma. Four domains of stigmatising experiences were identified:
      (i) lack of knowledge, (ii) judgement, (iii) rejection and (iv) lack of support.
      These domains were each reported to exist in four main contexts: (i) school, (ii)
      public, (iii) family and (iv) friends. These domains and contexts established a
      framework which provided a detailed account of how and where carers felt
      stigmatised, including the suggestion of a stigmatising pathway through the four
      domains. The main contexts in which stigma was perceived also appeared to be
      related, with those carers who experienced stigma in one context being more
      likely to report similar experiences in other contexts. Any attempts to empower
      carers in the face of stigmatisation should therefore consider each of these
      domains, the pathway that connects them and the relationship between different
      social contexts. Through identifying this pathway, supportive services can be
      acutely aware of how carers may perceive potentially stigmatising experiences and
      therefore provide appropriate interventions or support for the relevant stage of
      the pathway.

PMID- 26494212
TI  - Expression of P53 and HSP70 in Chronic Hepatitis, Liver Cirrhosis, and Early and
      Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tissues and Their Diagnostic Value in
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Immunohistochemical Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumor protein (P53) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) play key roles
      in chronic liver diseases. This study aimed to characterize P53 and HSP70
      expression in chronic hepatitis (CH), liver cirrhosis (LC), early and advanced
      HCC, and to analyze their diagnostic value in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining was conducted to evaluate the
      expression of P53 and HSP70 in 200 human liver tissue specimens, with advanced
      HCC (n=80), early HCC (n=30), CH (n=30), LC (n=30), and Controls (n=30). RESULTS:
      P53 expression levels were lower in LC than those of HCC, but remained on par
      with those of CH and Controls. HSP70 expression levels were higher in HCC than
      those of LC, CH, and Controls. The sensitivity and specificity for HCC diagnosis
      were: 50.9% and 98.9% for P53, and 78.2 and 77.8% for HSP70, respectively. The
      sensitivity and specificity of different combinations were: 95.5% and 85.5% with
      either P53 or HSP70 being positive, and 33.6% and 98.9% if both were positive.
      Among the differentiation stages marked low, intermediate, and high in HCC, the
      P53 positive rate was higher in the low than in the intermediate, which was
      higher than that in the high. HSP70 positive rate was higher in the low and the
      intermediate than in the high, but no obvious changes were found between the low
      and the intermediate. CONCLUSIONS: P53 and HSP70 could be potential biomarkers
      for HCC diagnosis, and proper combinations of these 2 markers could improve
      diagnostic accuracy.

PMID- 26494213
TI  - Optically secured information retrieval using two authenticated phase-only masks.
AB  - We propose an algorithm for jointly designing two phase-only masks (POMs) that
      allow for the encryption and noise-free retrieval of triple images. The images
      required for optical retrieval are first stored in quick-response (QR) codes for
      noise-free retrieval and flexible readout. Two sparse POMs are respectively
      calculated from two different images used as references for authentication based
      on modified Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm (GSA) and pixel extraction, and are then
      used as support constraints in a modified double-phase retrieval algorithm
      (MPRA), together with the above-mentioned QR codes. No visible information about
      the target images or the reference images can be obtained from each of these
      authenticated POMs. This approach allows users to authenticate the two POMs used
      for image reconstruction without visual observation of the reference images. It
      also allows user to friendly access and readout with mobile devices. 

PMID- 26494216
TI  - Caveolin-1 in Cardiovascular Disease: A Double-Edged Sword.

PMID- 26494217
TI  - Human Growth Hormone in Transgenesis: A Growing Problem?

PMID- 26494215
TI  - beta-Cell MicroRNAs: Small but Powerful.
AB  - Noncoding RNA and especially microRNAs (miRs) have emerged as important
      regulators of key processes in cell biology, including development,
      differentiation, and survival. Currently, over 2,500 mature miRs have been
      reported in humans, and considering that each miR has multiple targets, the
      number of genes and pathways potentially affected is huge. Not surprisingly, many
      miRs have also been implicated in diabetes, and more recently, some have been
      discovered to play important roles in the pancreatic islet, including beta-cell
      function, proliferation, and survival. The goal of this Perspective is to offer
      an overview of this rapidly evolving field and the miRs involved, reveal novel
      networks of beta-cell miR signaling, and provide an outlook of the opportunities
      and challenges ahead. 

PMID- 26494218
TI  - Sweet and Low on Leptin: Hormonal Regulation of Sweet Taste Buds.

PMID- 26494219
TI  - A Key Role of Insulin Receptors in Memory.

PMID- 26494220
TI  - Enhancing the Metabolic Benefits of Bariatric Surgery: Tipping the Scales With
      Exercise.

PMID- 26494222
TI  - Reply to Letter: Complexity of venous symptoms.

PMID- 26494223
TI  - Sclerotherapy complications of peripheral venous malformations.
AB  - Background Sclerotherapy is often the primary treatment for peripheral venous
      malformations. It is mostly sufficient alone, but can be combined with other
      endovascular techniques. Despite its mini-invasiveness, it is not without
      potentially severe complications. Here, we systematically report sclerotherapy
      complications in trunk and extremity venous malformations. Methods We
      retrospectively assessed the complications of 127 consecutive patients who had
      received sclerotherapy for peripheral venous malformation in our tertiary care
      unit (January 2007-August 2013). We applied the Clavien-Dindo classification to
      grade the severity of complications. We mostly used detergent sclerosants
      (85.7%), and less often ethanol (5.7%) or bleomycin (4.2%). In 4.2% of the
      procedures, we combined glue, coils, endovascular laser or particles to
      sclerotherapy. Results The overall complication rate per procedure was 12.5%.
      Most complications (83.3%) were local and managed conservatively. We encountered
      four severe complications, all related to blood coagulopathy. Subcutaneous lesion
      location and use of ethanol significantly increased the risk of local
      complications. Conclusion Sclerotherapy alone or combined with other endovascular
      techniques is a safe method for local venous malformations with moderate risk for
      conservatively manageable complications. Blood coagulopathy constitutes a risk
      for, otherwise rare, severe complications.

PMID- 26494225
TI  - A Triphasic Sorting System: Coordination Cages in Ionic Liquids.
AB  - Host-guest chemistry is usually carried out in either water or organic solvents.
      To investigate the utility of alternative solvents, three different coordination
      cages were dissolved in neat ionic liquids. By using (19) F NMR spectroscopy to
      monitor the presence of free and bound guest molecules, all three cages were
      demonstrated to be stable and capable of encapsulating guests in ionic solution.
      Different cages were found to preferentially dissolve in different phases,
      allowing for the design of a triphasic sorting system. Within this system, three
      coordination cages, namely Fe4 L6 2, Fe8 L12 3, and Fe4 L4 4, each segregated
      into a distinct layer. Upon the addition of a mixture of three different guests,
      each cage (in each separate layer) selectively bound its preferred guest. 

PMID- 26494224
TI  - Automated liver elasticity calculation for MR elastography.
AB  - PURPOSE: MR elastography (MRE) is a phase-contrast MRI technique that is used to
      quantitatively assess liver stiffness for staging hepatic fibrosis. The current
      approach requires manual selection of a region of interest (ROI) with good wave
      quality from which to measure stiffness. The purpose of this work was to develop
      and evaluate a fully automated approach for measuring hepatic stiffness from MRE
      images to further reduce measurement variability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An
      automated liver elasticity calculation (ALEC) algorithm was developed to address
      reader stiffness measurement variability. ALEC has three stages: initial tissue
      estimation, segmentation, and ROI cleanup. Stiffnesses measured by the algorithm
      were compared with technicians and an expert radiologist in a set of 121 clinical
      cases acquired at 1.5 Tesla. Intra-class correlation (ICC), Bland-Altman
      analysis, and a noninferiority test were performed to evaluate whether the
      algorithm can be used in place of manual analysis by technicians. RESULTS: The
      stiffness measurement difference with the expert was 1.42% +/- 11.17% (mean +/-
      standard deviation) for the algorithm and 1.82% +/- 13.65% for the technicians.
      The ICCs were 0.981 and 0.984, respectively. Both the algorithm and technicians
      were equivalent to the expert within a 5% significance margin (P < 0.01). The
      algorithm had no failures in the 119 cases that were considered analyzable by the
      human readers. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that the newly
      developed automated algorithm is able to measure stiffness in clinical liver MRE
      exams with an accuracy that is equivalent to that of an expert radiologist. ALEC
      may be useful for analysis of archived data and suitable for performing multi
      center studies.

PMID- 26494226
TI  - Prp40 and early events in splice site definition.
AB  - The alternative splicing (AS) of precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) is a tightly
      regulated process through which introns are removed to leave the resulting exons
      in the mRNA appropriately aligned and ligated. The AS of pre-mRNA is a key
      mechanism for increasing the complexity of proteins encoded in the genome. In
      humans, more than 90% of genes undergo AS, underscoring the importance of this
      process in RNA biogenesis. As such, AS misregulation underlies multiple human
      diseases. The splicing reaction is catalyzed by the spliceosome, a highly dynamic
      complex that assembles at or near the intron/exon boundaries and undergoes
      sequential conformational and compositional changes during splicing. The initial
      recognition of splice sites defines the exons that are going to be removed, which
      is a critical step in the highly regulated splicing process. Although the
      available lines of evidence are increasing, the molecular mechanisms governing
      AS, including the initial interactions occurring at intron/exon boundaries, and
      the factors that modulate these critical connections by functioning as a scaffold
      for active-site RNAs or proteins, remain poorly understood. In this review, we
      summarize the major hallmarks of the initial steps in the splicing process and
      the role of auxiliary factors that contribute to the assembly of the spliceosomal
      complex. We also discuss the role of the essential yeast Prp40 protein and its
      mammalian homologs in the specificity of this pre-mRNA processing event. In
      addition, we provide the first exhaustive phylogenetic analysis of the molecular
      evolution of Prp40 family members. WIREs RNA 2016, 7:17-32. doi:
      10.1002/wrna.1312 For further resources related to this article, please visit the
      WIREs website. 

PMID- 26494227
TI  - Connexin 32 and luteolin play protective roles in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
      development and its related hepatocarcinogenesis in rats.
AB  - Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has the potential to lead to the development
      of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Connexin (Cx) 32, a hepatocyte
      gap-junction protein, plays a preventive role in hepatocarcinogenesis. However,
      the precise contribution of Cx32 in the development of NASH has not been
      established. In this study, we aimed to clarify the role of Cx32 and the
      chemopreventive effect of luteolin, an antioxidant flavonoid, on the progression
      of NASH and NASH-related hepatocarcinogenesis. Cx32 dominant negative transgenic
      (Cx32DeltaTg) and wild-type (Wt) rats at 10 weeks of age were given
      diethylnitrosamine and fed methionine-choline-deficient diet (MCDD) or MCDD with
      luteolin for 12 weeks. MCDD induced steatohepatitis and fibrosis along with
      increased inflammatory cytokine expression and reactive oxygen species in the
      liver. These effects were more severe in Cx32DeltaTg rats as compared with Wt
      rats, and significantly suppressed by luteolin in both genotypes. Concerning NASH
      related hepatocarcinogenesis, the number of glutathione S-transferase placental
      form (GST-P)-positive foci was greater in Cx32DeltaTg versus Wt rats, and
      significantly reduced by luteolin in Cx32DeltaTg rats. Microarray analysis
      identified brain expressed, X-linked 1 (Bex1) as an upregulated gene in
      Cx32DeltaTg rat liver. Quantitative RT-PCR and in situ hybridization revealed
      that increased Bex1 mRNA was localized in GST-P-positive foci in Cx32DeltaTg
      rats, and the expression level was significantly decreased by luteolin. Moreover,
      Bex1 knockdown resulted in significant growth inhibition of the rat HCC cell
      lines. These results show that Cx32 and luteolin have suppressive roles in
      inflammation, fibrosis and hepatocarcinogenesis during NASH progression,
      suggesting a potential therapeutic application for NASH. 

PMID- 26494228
TI  - PCSK9 Induces CD36 Degradation and Affects Long-Chain Fatty Acid Uptake and
      Triglyceride Metabolism in Adipocytes and in Mouse Liver.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) promotes the
      degradation of the low-density lipoprotein receptor thereby elevating plasma low
      density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and the risk of coronary heart disease.
      Thus, the use of PCSK9 inhibitors holds great promise to prevent heart disease.
      Previous work found that PCSK9 is involved in triglyceride metabolism,
      independently of its action on low-density lipoprotein receptor, and that other
      yet unidentified receptors could mediate this effect. Therefore, we assessed
      whether PCSK9 enhances the degradation of CD36, a major receptor involved in
      transport of long-chain fatty acids and triglyceride storage. APPROACH AND
      RESULTS: Overexpressed or recombinant PCSK9 induced CD36 degradation in cell
      lines and primary adipocytes and reduced the uptake of the palmitate analog
      Bodipy FL C16 and oxidized low-density lipoprotein in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and
      hepatic HepG2 cells, respectively. Surface plasmon resonance,
      coimmunoprecipitation, confocal immunofluorescence microscopy, and protein
      degradation pathway inhibitors revealed that PCSK9 directly interacts with CD36
      and targets the receptor to lysosomes through a mechanism involving the
      proteasome. Importantly, the level of CD36 protein was increased by >3-fold upon
      small interfering RNA knockdown of endogenous PCSK9 in hepatic cells and
      similarly increased in the liver and visceral adipose tissue of Pcsk9(-/-) mice.
      In Pcsk9(-/-) mice, increased hepatic CD36 was correlated with an amplified
      uptake of fatty acid and accumulation of triglycerides and lipid droplets.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate an important role of PCSK9 in modulating the
      function of CD36 and triglyceride metabolism. PCSK9-mediated CD36 degradation may
      serve to limit fatty acid uptake and triglyceride accumulation in tissues, such
      as the liver.

PMID- 26494229
TI  - Expansion of CD25+ Innate Lymphoid Cells Reduces Atherosclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a newly discovered subset of immune
      cells that promote tissue homeostasis and protect against pathogens. ILCs produce
      cytokines also produced by T lymphocytes that have been shown to affect
      atherosclerosis, but the influence of ILCs on atherosclerosis has not been
      explored. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We demonstrate that CD25(+) ILCs that produce
      type 2 cytokines (ILC2s) are present in the aorta of atherosclerotic
      immunodeficient ldlr(-/-)rag1(-/-) mice. To investigate the role of ILCs in
      atherosclerosis, ldlr(-/-)rag1(-/-) mice were concurrently fed an atherogenic
      diet and treated with either ILC-depleting anti-CD90.2 antibodies or IL-2/anti-IL
      2 complexes that expand CD25(+) ILCs. Lesion development was not affected by anti
      CD90.2 treatment, but was reduced in IL-2/anti-IL-2-treated mice. These IL-2
      treated mice had reduced very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increased
      triglycerides compared with controls and reduced apolipoprotein B100 gene
      expression in the liver. IL-2/anti-IL-2 treatment caused expansion of ILC2s in
      aorta and other tissues, elevated levels of IL-5, systemic eosinophila, and
      hepatic eosinophilic inflammation. Blockade of IL-5 reversed the IL-2 complex
      induced eosinophilia but did not change lesion size. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      demonstrates that expansion of CD25-expressing ILCs by IL-2/anti-IL-2 complexes
      leads to a reduction in very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and
      atherosclerosis. Global depletion of ILCs by anti-CD90.2 did not significantly
      affect lesion size indicating that different ILC subsets may have divergent
      effects on atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26494230
TI  - Implications of alphavbeta3 Integrin Signaling in the Regulation of Ca2+ Waves
      and Myogenic Tone in Cerebral Arteries.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The myogenic response is central to blood flow regulation in the
      brain. Its induction is tied to elevated cytosolic [Ca(2+)], a response primarily
      driven by voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels and secondarily by Ca(2+) wave
      production. Although the signaling events leading to the former are well studied,
      those driving Ca(2+) waves remain uncertain. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We postulated
      that alphavbeta3 integrin signaling is integral to the generation of pressure
      induced Ca(2+) waves and cerebral arterial tone. This hypothesis was tested in
      rat cerebral arteries using the synergistic strengths of pressure myography,
      rapid Ca(2+) imaging, and Western blot analysis. GRGDSP, a peptide that
      preferentially blocks alphavbeta3 integrin, attenuated myogenic tone, indicating
      the modest role for sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release in myogenic tone
      generation. The RGD peptide was subsequently shown to impair Ca(2+) wave
      generation and myosin light chain 20 (MLC20) phosphorylation, the latter of which
      was attributed to the modulation of MLC kinase and MLC phosphatase via MYPT1-T855
      phosphorylation. Subsequent experiments revealed that elevated pressure enhanced
      phospholipase Cgamma1 phosphorylation in an RGD-dependent manner and that
      phospholipase C inhibition attenuated Ca(2+) wave generation. Direct inhibition
      of inositol 1, 4, 5-triphosphate receptors also impaired Ca(2+) wave generation,
      myogenic tone, and MLC20 phosphorylation, partly through the T-855
      phosphorylation site of MYPT1. CONCLUSIONS: Our investigation reveals a hitherto
      unknown role for alphavbeta3 integrin as a cerebral arterial pressure sensor. The
      membrane receptor facilitates Ca(2+) wave generation through a signaling cascade,
      involving phospholipase Cgamma1, inositol 1,3,4 triphosphate production, and
      inositol 1, 4, 5-triphosphate receptor activation. These discrete asynchronous
      Ca(2+) events facilitate MLC20 phosphorylation and, in part, myogenic tone by
      influencing both MLC kinase and MLC phosphatase activity.

PMID- 26494231
TI  - Association of Plasma gamma' Fibrinogen With Incident Cardiovascular Disease: The
      Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To prospectively examine the association of plasma gamma' fibrinogen
      with the incidence of multiple cardiovascular disease (CVD) end points,
      independent of established CVD risk factors, total fibrinogen, and other
      inflammatory markers. APPROACH AND RESULTS: The Atherosclerosis Risk in
      Communities (ARIC) study measured gamma' fibrinogen by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay in stored plasma samples from 1993 to 1995 and related levels
      in 10 601 adults to incident CVD end points (coronary heart disease [n=1603],
      ischemic stroke [n=548], peripheral artery disease [n=599], heart failure
      [n=1411], and CVD mortality [n=705]) through 2012 (median follow-up, 18 years).
      In Cox models accounting for established CVD risk factors and total fibrinogen
      levels, gamma' fibrinogen was associated positively with peripheral artery
      disease (hazard ratio [HR] per 1-SD [8.80 mg/dL] increment, 1.14 [1.04-1.24]),
      heart failure (HR, 1.06 [1.01-1.13]), and CVD deaths (HR, 1.12 [1.04-1.21]) but
      not with incident coronary heart disease (HR, 1.01 [0.96-1.07]) or ischemic
      stroke (HR, 0.98 [0.89-1.07]). Additional adjustment for C-reactive protein,
      however, eliminated the associations with peripheral artery disease and heart
      failure. CONCLUSIONS: These findings do not lend support to the hypothesis that
      gamma' fibrinogen influences CVD events through its prothrombotic properties.
      Rather, gamma' fibrinogen concentrations seem to reflect general inflammation
      that accompanies and may contribute to atherosclerotic CVD, instead of gamma'
      fibrinogen being a causal risk factor.

PMID- 26494232
TI  - Cell-Free DNA Modulates Clot Structure and Impairs Fibrinolysis in Sepsis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Sepsis is characterized by systemic activation of inflammation and
      coagulation in response to infection. In sepsis, activated neutrophils extrude
      neutrophil extracellular traps composed of cell-free DNA (CFDNA) that not only
      trap pathogens but also provide a stimulus for clot formation. Although the
      effect of CFDNA on coagulation has been extensively studied, much less is known
      about the impact of CFDNA on fibrinolysis. To address this, we (1) investigated
      the relationship between CFDNA levels and fibrinolytic activity in sepsis and (2)
      determined the mechanisms by which CFDNA modulates fibrinolysis. APPROACH AND
      RESULTS: Plasma was collected from healthy and septic individuals, and CFDNA was
      quantified. Clot lysis assays were performed in plasma and purified systems, and
      lysis times were determined by monitoring absorbance. Clot morphology was
      assessed using scanning electron microscopy. Clots formed in plasma from septic
      patients containing >5 ug/mL CFDNA were dense in structure and resistant to
      fibrinolysis, a phenomenon overcome by deoxyribonuclease addition. These effects
      were recapitulated in control plasma supplemented with CFDNA. In a purified
      system, CFDNA delayed fibrinolysis but did not alter tissue-type plasminogen
      activator-induced plasmin generation. Using surface plasmon resonance, CFDNA
      bound plasmin with a Kd value of 4.2+/-0.3 umol/L, and increasing concentrations
      of CFDNA impaired plasmin-mediated degradation of fibrin clots via the formation
      of a nonproductive ternary complex between plasmin, CFDNA, and fibrin.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our studies suggest that the increased levels of CFDNA in sepsis
      impair fibrinolysis by inhibiting plasmin-mediated fibrin degradation, thereby
      identifying CFDNA as a potential therapeutic target for sepsis treatment.

PMID- 26494233
TI  - Postnatal Deletion of the Type II Transforming Growth Factor-beta Receptor in
      Smooth Muscle Cells Causes Severe Aortopathy in Mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Prenatal deletion of the type II transforming growth factor-beta (TGF
      beta) receptor (TBRII) prevents normal vascular morphogenesis and smooth muscle
      cell (SMC) differentiation, causing embryonic death. The role of TBRII in adult
      SMC is less well studied. Clarification of this role has important clinical
      implications because TBRII deletion should ablate TGF-beta signaling, and
      blockade of TGF-beta signaling is envisioned as a treatment for human
      aortopathies. We hypothesized that postnatal loss of SMC TBRII would cause
      aortopathy. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We generated mice with either of 2 tamoxifen
      inducible SMC-specific Cre (SMC-CreER(T2)) alleles and homozygous floxed Tgfbr2
      alleles. Mice were injected with tamoxifen, and their aortas examined 4 and 14
      weeks later. Both SMC-CreER(T2) alleles efficiently and specifically rearranged a
      floxed reporter gene and efficiently rearranged a floxed Tgfbr2 allele, resulting
      in loss of aortic medial TBRII protein. Loss of SMC TBRII caused severe
      aortopathy, including hemorrhage, ulceration, dissection, dilation, accumulation
      of macrophage markers, elastolysis, abnormal proteoglycan accumulation, and
      aberrant SMC gene expression. All areas of the aorta were affected, with the most
      severe pathology in the ascending aorta. Cre-mediated loss of SMC TBRII in vitro
      ablated both canonical and noncanonical TGF-beta signaling and reproduced some of
      the gene expression abnormalities detected in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: SMC TBRII plays
      a critical role in maintaining postnatal aortic homeostasis. Loss of SMC TBRII
      disrupts TGF-beta signaling, acutely alters SMC gene expression, and rapidly
      results in severe and durable aortopathy. These results suggest that
      pharmacological blockade of TGF-beta signaling in humans could cause aortic
      disease rather than prevent it.

PMID- 26494234
TI  - Prostate cancer patients' report on communication about endocrine therapy and its
      association with adherence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endocrine therapy is a mainstay of prostate cancer therapy. Given
      that few data exist on patient physician communication with regard to this field
      of therapy and adherence, we conducted a survey of patient members of a German
      support organization. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We developed a structured
      questionnaire that was tested in a pilot version and then programmed as an online
      questionnaire. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 694 patients. While 58
      % of participants rated the information they received as comprehensive, 42 % did
      not. Fifty-one percentage stated that they were informed of side effects in
      detail, and 35 % received information on supportive treatments available in the
      event of side effects. Patients with higher education more often reported
      receiving information on side effects (p = 0.036) as well as alternatives for
      treatment (p = 0.001). Only 13 % stated that their questions were answered in
      detail, with 43 % receiving no answers or only non-detailed answers. Additional
      information was sought by 82 %, mostly from the Internet (67 %) and patient
      support groups (66 %). Seventy-six percentage experienced side effects that
      imposed limitations on their daily activities. Of those patients with side
      effects, 60 % reported that their physicians did not react to their complaints.
      There is a significant association between side effects in general and depression
      in particular and non-adherence (p < 0.01 and p = 0.002, respectively). In
      contrast, better information on side effects is associated with better adherence
      (p < 0001). CONCLUSION: In order to improve adherence, detailed information on
      side effects and comprehensive supportive care is most important. Physicians
      should not rely on written information but should rather mainly engage in direct
      communication.

PMID- 26494236
TI  - Synthesis of Si-Sb-ZnO Composites as High-Performance Anodes for Lithium-ion
      Batteries.
AB  - The Si-Sb-ZnO composites were prepared by a chemical reduction-mechanical
      alloying method and were employed as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.
      The electrochemical performance of the Si-Sb alloy was significantly improved by
      the addition of ZnO nanoparticles. Especially, the initial specific charge and
      discharge capacities for Si-Sb-(ZnO)0.3 composite were 845.1 and 1301.5 mAh/g,
      respectively, while the initial coulombic efficiency was 64.9 %. The capacity
      remained at 690 mAh/g after 200 cycles, and the capacity retention ratio was 81.6
      %, which demonstrated excellent cycling stability and rate capability of the
      composite materials. 

PMID- 26494235
TI  - Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation without fluconazole and
      fluoroquinolone prophylaxis.
AB  - Fluoroquinolone (FQ) and fluconazole prophylaxis is recommended for patients
      undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT). However, due
      to an uncertain scientific basis and the increasing emergence of resistant germs,
      this policy should be questioned. Therefore, FQ and fluconazole prophylaxis was
      omitted in alloHCT at our center. In this retrospective analysis, all consecutive
      patients (n = 63) who underwent first alloHCT at our institution from September
      2010 to September 2013 were included. Patients neither received FQ nor
      fluconazole prophylaxis. Day 100 mortality, incidence of febrile neutropenia,
      bacterial infections, and invasive fungal diseases (IFD) were assessed. Sixteen
      patients who started conditioning under antimicrobial treatment/prophylaxis due
      to pre-existing neutropenia (3/16), IFD (12/16), or aortic valve replacement
      (1/16) were excluded from the analysis. Finally, 47 patients were transplanted
      without prophylaxis as intended. Day 100 mortality was 9 %. Febrile neutropenia
      occurred in 62 % (29/47); 17/47 patients (36 %) experienced a blood stream
      infection (BSI) with detection of Gram-positive bacteria in 14 patients, Gram
      negative bacteria in five patients, and candida in one patient, respectively.
      Coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most frequently isolated Gram-positive
      bacteria; 12/21 isolated Gram-positive and 3/6 Gram-negative bacteria were FQ
      resistant. In 21 % (10/47) of the patients, IFD (1x proven, 1x probable, and 8x
      possible) were diagnosed. To conclude, all three criteria, day 100 mortality, the
      incidence of IFD, and BSI, are in the range of published data for patients
      transplanted with FQ and fluconazole prophylaxis. These data demonstrate that
      alloHCT is feasible without FQ and fluconazole prophylaxis.

PMID- 26494237
TI  - Visible Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity of Oleic Acid-Coated TiO2
      Nanoparticles Synthesized from Absolute Ethanol Solution.
AB  - The one-step synthesis of oleic acid-coated TiO2 nanoparticles with visible light
      driven photocatalytic activity was reported by this manuscript, using oleic acid
      ethanol as crucial starting materials. The photocatalytic degradation of nitrogen
      monoxide (deNOx) in the gas phase was investigated in a continuous reactor using
      a series of TiO2 semiconductors, prepared from oleic acid- or acetic acid-ethanol
      solution. The surface modification on TiO2 by organic fatty acid, oleic acid,
      could reinvest TiO2 photocatalyst with the excellent visible light response. The
      deNOx ability is almost as high as 30 % destruction in the visible light region
      (lambda > 510 nm) which is similar to the nitrogen-doped TiO2. Meanwhile, acetic
      acid, a monobasic acid, has a weaker ability on visible light modification of
      TiO2. 

PMID- 26494238
TI  - Erratum to: Trace Element Levels in Congenital Hypogonadotrophic Hypogonadism.

PMID- 26494239
TI  - Genetics, realized heritability and preliminary mechanism of spinosad resistance
      in Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae): an invasive pest
      from Pakistan.
AB  - The cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae)
      has gained recognition as a key pest due to its invasive nature throughout the
      world. The P. solenopsis has a wide range of host plants and damages the cotton
      crop in various parts of the world. In view of the economic importance of this
      pest, a study on selection, inheritance and mechanism of spinosad resistance was
      conducted on P. solenopsis. Selection of field collected P. solenopsis for seven
      generations with spinosad resulted in a high resistance ratio of 282.45-fold.
      Genetic studies of spinosad resistance in P. solenopsis indicated that maternal
      effects are not involved in spinosad resistance; and resistance development is an
      autosomal and incompletely dominant trait. The number of genes involved in
      spinosad resistance was determined to be more than one, suggesting that
      resistance is controlled by multiple loci. The realized heritability (h (2))
      value for spinosad resistance was 0.94. Synergism bioassays of spinosad with
      piperonyl butoxide and S,S,S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate showed that spinosad
      resistance in P. solenopsis could be due to esterase only. The study provides the
      basic information for implementation of effective resistance management
      strategies to control P. solenopsis. 

PMID- 26494240
TI  - Bovine vaginal strain Kocuria kristinae and its characterization.
AB  - Kocuria spp. are widely distributed in nature. They are Gram-positive, coagulase
      negative, coccoid bacteria belonging to the family Micrococcaceae, suborder
      Micrococcineae, order Actinomycetales, class Actinobacteria. In general, limited
      knowledge exists concerning the properties associated with the representants of
      the genus Kocuria, Kocuria kristinae as well. Following our previous results, K.
      kristinae Kk2014 Biocenol(TM) (CCM 8628) was isolated from vagina of a healthy
      cow. Its taxonomical allottation was confirmed by matrix-assisted laser
      desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) identification system and
      phenotypic characteristics. Kk2014 strain showed strong adherence capability to
      the vaginal mucus, produced organic acids which can play a role in prevention of
      unsuitable contamination, and showed in vitro antagonistic/antimicrobial activity
      against strains Arcanobacterium pyogenes CCM 5753, Fusobacterium necrophorum CCM
      5982, Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus CCM 7316, and Gardnerella vaginalis
      CCM 6221. Antimicrobial activity ranged from 100 to 200 AU/mL, up to 32 mm in
      size, respectively. 

PMID- 26494241
TI  - The rumen microbial metagenome associated with high methane production in cattle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methane represents 16 % of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas
      emissions. It has been estimated that ruminant livestock produce ca. 29 % of this
      methane. As individual animals produce consistently different quantities of
      methane, understanding the basis for these differences may lead to new
      opportunities for mitigating ruminal methane emissions. Metagenomics is a
      powerful new tool for understanding the composition and function of complex
      microbial communities. Here we have applied metagenomics to the rumen microbial
      community to identify differences in the microbiota and metagenome that lead to
      high- and low-methane-emitting cattle phenotypes. METHODS: Four pairs of beef
      cattle were selected for extreme high and low methane emissions from 72 animals,
      matched for breed (Aberdeen-Angus or Limousin cross) and diet (high or medium
      concentrate). Community analysis was carried out by qPCR of 16S and 18S rRNA
      genes and by alignment of Illumina HiSeq reads to the GREENGENES database. Total
      genomic reads were aligned to the KEGG genes databasefor functional analysis.
      RESULTS: Deep sequencing produced on average 11.3 Gb per sample. 16S rRNA gene
      abundances indicated that archaea, predominantly Methanobrevibacter, were 2.5*
      more numerous (P = 0.026) in high emitters, whereas among bacteria
      Proteobacteria, predominantly Succinivibrionaceae, were 4-fold less abundant (2.7
      vs. 11.2 %; P = 0.002). KEGG analysis revealed that archaeal genes leading
      directly or indirectly to methane production were 2.7-fold more abundant in high
      emitters. Genes less abundant in high emitters included acetate kinase, electron
      transport complex proteins RnfC and RnfD and glucose-6-phosphate isomerase.
      Sequence data were assembled de novo and over 1.5 million proteins were annotated
      on the subsequent metagenome scaffolds. Less than half of the predicted genes
      matched matched a domain within Pfam. Amongst 2774 identified proteins of the 20
      KEGG orthologues that correlated with methane emissions, only 16 showed 100 %
      identity with a publicly available protein sequence. CONCLUSIONS: The abundance
      of archaeal genes in ruminal digesta correlated strongly with differing methane
      emissions from individual animals, a finding useful for genetic screening
      purposes. Lower emissions were accompanied by higher Succinovibrionaceae
      abundance and changes in acetate and hydrogen production leading to less
      methanogenesis, as similarly postulated for Australian macropods. Large numbers
      of predicted protein sequences differed between high- and low-methane-emitting
      cattle. Ninety-nine percent were unknown, indicating a fertile area for future
      exploitation.

PMID- 26494243
TI  - Erratum to: Comparison of pulpal anesthesia and cardiovascular parameters with
      lidocaine with epinephrine and lidocaine with clonidine after maxillary
      infiltration in type 2 diabetic volunteers.

PMID- 26494244
TI  - Gestational dietary betaine supplementation suppresses hepatic expression of
      lipogenic genes in neonatal piglets through epigenetic and glucocorticoid
      receptor-dependent mechanisms.
AB  - Methyl donors play critical roles in nutritional programming through epigenetic
      regulation of gene expression. Here we fed gestational sows with control or
      betaine-supplemented diets (3g/kg) throughout the pregnancy to explore the
      effects of maternal methyl-donor nutrient on neonatal expression of hepatic
      lipogenic genes. Betaine-exposed piglets demonstrated significantly lower liver
      triglyceride content associated with down-regulated hepatic expression of
      lipogenic genes acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid synthase (FAS), stearoyl
      CoA desaturase (SCD) and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c. Moreover,
      s-adenosyl methionine to s-adenosyl homocysteine ratio was elevated in the liver
      of betaine-exposed piglets, which was accompanied by DNA hypermethylation on FAS
      and SCD gene promoters and more enriched repression histone mark H3K27me3 on SCD
      gene promoter. Furthermore, glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding to SCD gene
      promoter was diminished along with reduced serum cortisol and liver GR protein
      content in betaine-exposed piglets. GR-mediated SCD gene regulation was confirmed
      in HepG2 cells in vitro. Dexamethasone (Dex) drastically increased the luciferase
      activity of porcine SCD promoter, while the deletion of GR response element on
      SCD promoter significantly attenuated Dex-mediated SCD transactivation. In
      addition, miR-let-7e, miR-1285 and miR-124a, which respectively target porcine
      SCD, ACC and GR, were significantly up-regulated in the liver of betaine-exposed
      piglets, being in accordance with decreased protein content of these three genes.
      Taken together, our results suggest that maternal dietary betaine supplementation
      during gestation attenuates hepatic lipogenesis in neonatal piglets via
      epigenetic and GR-mediated mechanisms. 

PMID- 26494242
TI  - Immunotherapeutic Approaches Targeting Amyloid-beta,  alpha-Synuclein, and Tau
      for the Treatment  of Neurodegenerative Disorders.
AB  - Disease-modifying alternatives are sorely needed for the treatment of
      neurodegenerative disorders, a group of diseases that afflict approximately 50
      million Americans annually. Immunotherapy is one of the most developed approaches
      in this direction. Vaccination against amyloid-beta, alpha-synuclein, or tau has
      been extensively explored, specially as the discovery that these proteins may
      propagate cell-to-cell and be accessible to antibodies when embedded into the
      plasma membrane or in the extracellular space. Likewise, the use of passive
      immunization approaches with specific antibodies against abnormal conformations
      of these proteins has also yielded promising results. The clinical development of
      immunotherapies for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, frontotemporal
      dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and other neurodegenerative disorders is a
      field in constant evolution. Results to date suggest that immunotherapy is a
      promising therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative diseases that progress with
      the accumulation and prion-like propagation of toxic protein aggregates. Here we
      provide an overview of the most novel and relevant immunotherapeutic advances
      targeting amyloid-beta in Alzheimer's disease, alpha-synuclein in Alzheimer's
      disease and Parkinson's disease, and tau in Alzheimer's disease and
      frontotemporal dementia.

PMID- 26494245
TI  - Ventilator-derived carbon dioxide production to assess energy expenditure in
      critically ill patients: proof of concept.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Measurement of energy expenditure (EE) is recommended to guide
      nutrition in critically ill patients. Availability of a gold standard indirect
      calorimetry is limited, and continuous measurement is unfeasible. Equations used
      to predict EE are inaccurate. The purpose of this study was to provide proof of
      concept that EE can be accurately assessed on the basis of ventilator-derived
      carbon dioxide production (VCO2) and to determine whether this method is more
      accurate than frequently used predictive equations. METHODS: In 84 mechanically
      ventilated critically ill patients, we performed 24-h indirect calorimetry to
      obtain a gold standard EE. Simultaneously, we collected 24-h ventilator-derived
      VCO2, extracted the respiratory quotient of the administered nutrition, and
      calculated EE with a rewritten Weir formula. Bias, precision, and accuracy and
      inaccuracy rates were determined and compared with four predictive equations: the
      Harris-Benedict, Faisy, and Penn State University equations and the European
      Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) guideline equation of 25
      kcal/kg/day. RESULTS: Mean 24-h indirect calorimetry EE was 1823 +/- 408 kcal. EE
      from ventilator-derived VCO2 was accurate (bias +141 +/- 153 kcal/24 h; 7.7 % of
      gold standard) and more precise than the predictive equations (limits of
      agreement -166 to +447 kcal/24 h). The 10 % and 15 % accuracy rates were 61 % and
      76 %, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of the Harris
      Benedict, Faisy, and ESPEN guideline equations. Large errors of more than 30 %
      inaccuracy did not occur with EE derived from ventilator-derived VCO2. This 30 %
      inaccuracy rate was significantly lower than that of the predictive equations.
      CONCLUSIONS: In critically ill mechanically ventilated patients, assessment of EE
      based on ventilator-derived VCO2 is accurate and more precise than frequently
      used predictive equations. It allows for continuous monitoring and is the best
      alternative to indirect calorimetry.

PMID- 26494246
TI  - [Metabolic therapy with iodine 131 in patients with chronic renal failure.
      Clinical case].
AB  - CASE REPORT: 62 year-old male with CKD stage 5 in dialysis program since 2012 who
      underwent surgery for papillary thyroid carcinoma with lymph node metastasis.
      Subsequently, the patient was admitted to the Unit of Metabolic Therapy at his
      reference hospital, where he is administered 80 millicuries of iodine-131 as a
      treatment associated with the surgery, unable to have his conventional dialysis,
      nursing interventions required in various stages of implementation of the
      continuous extrarenal clearance techniques (TCDE) were performed. CARE PLAN: The
      following care values were addressed targeted to patients undergoing treatment
      with I(131): specific equipment, personal protective measures and major diagnoses
      and nursing interventions. PROGRESS: TCDE, despite being attributed to very
      critical patients, they can be extrapolated to other patients in a given time.
      TCDE allowed these patients to undergo dialysis in a safe environment for staff,
      ensuring proper disposal of contaminated liquids. CONCLUSIONS: TCDE were an
      effective treatment for the removal of I131, a single ssesion being necessary to
      normalize the levels of radioactivity. Coordination between services allewed
      ensure proper and effective treatment for the patient.

PMID- 26494247
TI  - Effect of rhamnolipid biosurfactant on solubilization of polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons.
AB  - Rhamnolipid biosurfactant-producing bacteria, Bacillus Lz-2, was isolated from
      oil polluted water collected from Dongying Shengli oilfield, China. The factors
      that influence PAH solubilization such as biosurfactant concentration, pH, ionic
      strength and temperature were discussed. The results showed that the solubilities
      of naphthalene, phenanthrene and pyrene increased linearly with the rise of
      rhamnolipid biosurfactant dose above the biosurfactant critical micelle
      concentration (CMC). Furthermore, the molar solubilization ratio (MSR) values
      decreased in the following order: naphthalene>phenanthrene>pyrene. However, the
      solubility percentage increased and followed the opposite order:
      pyrene>phenanthrene>naphthalene. The solubilities of PAHs in rhamnolipid
      biosurfactant solution increased with the rise of pH and ionic strength, and
      reached the maximum values under the conditions of pH11 and NaCl concentration 8
      g . L(-1). The solubility of phenanthrene and pyrene increased with the rise of
      temperature.

PMID- 26494248
TI  - Variations in the abundance and structural diversity of microbes forming biofilms
      in a thermally stressed coral reef system.
AB  - Little information is known about biofilm formation in the thermally stressed
      coral reef systems north of the Arabian Gulf. The current study investigates the
      abundance and diversity of marine microbes involved in biofilm formation and
      their succession over a period of 14 weeks (May-August 2007) at temperatures
      exceeding 32  degrees C. The results showed variations in microbial numbers and
      the development of more stable biofilm communities as the biofilms aged. The
      culture-dependent technique and microscopic examination of the developed biofilms
      showed the dominance of key species known for their role in precipitating CaCO3
      such as Vibrio and in facilitating coral larvae settlement and metamorphosis such
      as Pseudoalteromonas, Bacillariophyceae and Rhodophyceae. The results revealed
      biofilm formations with microbial diversities that have the potential to support
      the larval settlement and metamorphism of marine organisms and to consolidate and
      stabilize biofilms via the process of calcification in the thermally stressed
      coral reef system considered herein.

PMID- 26494249
TI  - Biotransformation of petroleum hydrocarbons and microbial communities in seawater
      with oil dispersions and copepod feces.
AB  - To determine biotransformation of components in crude oil dispersions in the
      presence of feces from marine copepods, dispersed oil was incubated alone, with
      the addition of clean or oil-containing feces. We hypothesized that the feces
      would contribute with nutrients to bacteria, and higher concentrations of oil
      degrading bacteria, respectively. Presence of clean feces resulted in higher
      degradation of aromatic oil compounds, but lower degradation of n-alkanes.
      Presence of oil-containing feces resulted in higher degradation of n-alkanes. The
      effect of clean feces on aromatic compounds are suggested to be due to higher
      concentrations of nutrients in the seawater where aromatic degradation takes
      place, while the lower degradation of n-alkanes are suggested to be due to a
      preference by bacteria for feces over these compounds. Large aggregates were
      observed in oil dispersions with clean feces, which may cause sedimentation of un
      weathered lipophilic oil compounds towards the seafloor if formed during oil
      spills. 

PMID- 26494250
TI  - Antibiotic resistance monitoring in Vibrio spp. isolated from rearing environment
      and intestines of abalone Haliotis diversicolor.
AB  - 546 Vibrio isolates from rearing seawater (292 strains) and intestines of abalone
      (254 strains) were tested to ten antibiotics using Kirby-Bauer diffusion method.
      Resistant rates of abalone-derived Vibrio isolates to chloramphenicol (C),
      enrofloxacin (ENX) and norfloxacin (NOR) were <28%, whereas those from seawater
      showed large fluctuations in resistance to each of the tested antibiotics. Many
      strains showed higher resistant rates (>40%) to kanamycin (KNA), furazolidone
      (F), tetracycline (TE), gentamicin (GM) and rifampin (RA). 332 isolates from
      seawater (n=258) and abalone (n=74) were resistant to more than three
      antibiotics. Peaked resistant rates of seawater-derived isolates to multiple
      antibiotics were overlapped in May and August. Statistical analysis showed that
      pH had an important effect on resistant rates of abalone-derived Vibrio isolates
      to RA, NOR, and ENX. Salinity and dissolved oxygen were negatively correlated
      with resistant rates of seawater-derived Vibrio isolates to KNA, RA, and PG. 

PMID- 26494251
TI  - Detection of the HA-33 protein in botulinum neurotoxin type G complex by mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The disease botulism is caused by intoxication with botulinum
      neurotoxins (BoNTs), extremely toxic proteins which cause paralysis. This
      neurotoxin is produced by some members of the Clostridium botulinum and closely
      related species, and is produced as a protein complex consisting of the
      neurotoxin and neurotoxin-associated proteins (NAPs). There are seven known
      serotypes of BoNT, A-G, and the composition of the NAPs can differ between these
      serotypes. It was previously published that the BoNT/G complex consisted of
      BoNT/G, nontoxic-nonhemagglutinin (NTNH), Hemagglutinin 70 (HA-70), and HA-17,
      but that HA-33, a component of the protein complex of other serotypes of BoNT,
      was not found. METHODS: Components of the BoNT/G complex were first separated by
      SDS-PAGE, and bands corresponding to components of the complex were digested and
      analyzed by LC-MS/MS. RESULTS: Gel bands were identified with sequence coverages
      of 91% for BoNT/G, 91% for NTNH, 89% for HA-70, and 88% for HA-17. Notably, one
      gel band was also clearly identified as HA-33 with 93% sequence coverage.
      CONCLUSIONS: The BoNT/G complex consists of BoNT/G, NTNH, HA-70, HA-17, and HA
      33. These proteins form the progenitor form of BoNT/G, similar to all other HA
      positive progenitor toxin complexes.

PMID- 26494252
TI  - Erk-Creb pathway suppresses glutathione-S-transferase pi expression under basal
      and oxidative stress conditions in zebrafish embryos.
AB  - Transcriptional activation of phase II enzymes including glutathione-S
      transferase pi class (Gst Pi) is important for redox regulation and defense from
      xenobiotics. The role of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) and protein
      kinase B (Akt) in regulation of Gst Pi expression has been described using adult
      mammalian cells. Whether these signaling pathways contribute to Gst Pi expression
      during embryogenesis is unknown. Using zebrafish embryo model, we provide novel
      evidence that Erk signaling acts as a specific suppressor of gstp1-2 mRNA during
      early embryogenesis. Addition of Erk inhibitor U0126 enhanced gstp1-2 mRNA
      expression during transition from blastula to the segmentation stage and from
      pharyngula until the hatching stage. Basal Erk activity did not affect gstp1-2
      expression in tert-butylhydroquinone-exposed embryos. Addition of phorbol 12
      myristate 13-acetate increased Erk activity leading to suppression of gstp1-2
      mRNA. Activation of cAMP/Creb pathway by forskolin prevented gstp1-2 expression,
      whereas U0126 suppressed Creb phosphorylation, thus setting up Creb as a proximal
      transmitter of Erk inhibitory effect. Collectively, these findings suggest that
      Erk-Creb pathway exerts suppressive effect on gstp1-2 mRNA in a narrow
      developmental window. This study also provides a novel link between Erk and gstp1
      2 expression, setting apart a possible differential regulation of gstp1-2 in
      adult and embryonic cells. 

PMID- 26494253
TI  - A novel fluorogenic probe for the investigation of free thiols: Application to
      kinetic measurements of acetylcholinesterase activity.
AB  - A novel coumarin-derived thiol probe, based on the thiol-promoted cleavage of a
      quenching 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonyl group is described. The probe shows a
      sensitive fluorescence turn-on and sufficient solubility in aqueous environments.
      As a proof of concept, a new assay for AChE activity was developed as a useful
      addition to the established Ellman method. The observed reaction kinetics
      followed an asymmetric sigmoidal pattern and were successfully evaluated applying
      a three parameter Gompertz equation. Providing a linear relationship between the
      detected fluorescence formation curves and corresponding enzyme activities, this
      probe appears as a valuable tool for AChE activity measurements. 

PMID- 26494254
TI  - Mitochondrial fusion/fission dynamics in neurodegeneration and neuronal
      plasticity.
AB  - Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that continually move, fuse and divide. The
      dynamic balance of fusion and fission of mitochondria determines their morphology
      and allows their immediate adaptation to energetic needs, keeps mitochondria in
      good health by restoring or removing damaged organelles or precipitates cells in
      apoptosis in cases of severe defects. Mitochondrial fusion and fission are
      essential in mammals and their disturbances are associated with several diseases.
      However, while mitochondrial fusion/fission dynamics, and the proteins that
      control these processes, are ubiquitous, associated diseases are primarily
      neurological disorders. Accordingly, inactivation of the main actors of
      mitochondrial fusion/fission dynamics is associated with defects in neuronal
      development, plasticity and functioning, both ex vivo and in vivo. Here, we
      present the central actors of mitochondrial fusion and fission and review the
      role of mitochondrial dynamics in neuronal physiology and pathophysiology.
      Particular emphasis is placed on the three main actors of these processes i.e.
      DRP1,MFN1-2, and OPA1 as well as on GDAP1, a protein of the mitochondrial outer
      membrane preferentially expressed in neurons. This article is part of a Special
      Issue entitled: Mitochondria & Brain.

PMID- 26494255
TI  - Production of Ginsenoside F2 by Using Lactococcus lactis with Enhanced Expression
      of beta-Glucosidase Gene from Paenibacillus mucilaginosus.
AB  - This study aimed to produce a pharmacologically active minor ginsenoside F2 from
      the major ginsenosides Rb1 and Rd by using a recombinant Lactococcus lactis
      strain expressing a heterologous beta-glucosidase gene. The nucleotide sequence
      of the gene (BglPm) was derived from Paenibacillus mucilaginosus and synthesized
      after codon optimization, and the two genes (unoptimized and optimized) were
      expressed in L. lactis NZ9000. Codon optimization resulted in reduction of
      unfavorable codons by 50% and a considerable increase in the expression levels
      (total activities) of beta-glucosidases (0.002 unit/mL, unoptimized; 0.022
      unit/mL, optimized). The molecular weight of the enzyme was 52 kDa, and the
      purified forms of the enzymes could successfully convert Rb1 and Rd into F2. The
      permeabilized L. lactis expressing BglPm resulted in a high conversion yield
      (74%) of F2 from the ginseng extract. Utilization of this microbial cell to
      produce F2 may provide an alternative method to increase the health benefits of
      Panax ginseng. 

PMID- 26494256
TI  - Effectiveness of a Mobile Phone App for Adults That Uses Physical Activity as a
      Tool to Manage Cigarette Craving After Smoking Cessation: A Study Protocol for a
      Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Results from studies on the effects of exercise on smoking-related
      variables have provided strong evidence that physical activity acutely reduces
      cigarette cravings. Mobile technology may provide some valuable tools to move
      from explanatory randomized controlled trials to pragmatic randomized controlled
      trials by testing the acute effectiveness of exercise on quitters under real-life
      conditions. An mHealth app was developed to be used as a support tool for
      quitters to manage their cigarette cravings. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this
      paper is to present the protocol of a study examining the effectiveness of the
      Physical over smoking app (Ph.o.S) by comparing the point prevalence abstinence
      rate of a group of users to a comparator group during a 6-month follow-up period.
      METHODS: After initial Web-based screening, eligible participants are recruited
      to attend a smoking cessation program for 3 weeks to set a quit smoking date.
      Fifty participants who succeed in quitting will be randomly allocated to the
      comparator and experimental groups. Both groups will separately have 1 more
      counseling session on how to manage cravings. In this fourth session, the only
      difference in treatment between the groups is that the experimental group will
      have an extra 10-15 minutes of guidance on how to use the fully automated Ph.o.S
      app to manage cravings during the follow-up period. Data will be collected at
      baseline, as well as before and after the quit day, and follow-up Web-based
      measures will be collected for a period of 6 months. The primary efficacy outcome
      is the 7-day point prevalence abstinence rate, and secondary efficacy outcomes
      are number of relapses and cravings, self-efficacy of being aware of craving
      experience, self-efficacy in managing cravings, and power of control in managing
      cravings. RESULTS: Recruitment for this project commenced in December 2014, and
      proceeded until May 2015. Follow-up data collection has commenced and will be
      completed by the end of December 2015. CONCLUSIONS: If the Ph.o.S app is shown to
      be effective, the study will provide evidence for the use of the app as a support
      tool for people who are trying to manage cravings during smoking cessation
      programs. It is anticipated that the results of the study will provide knowledge
      of how physical activity affects cigarette craving in real-life situations and
      inform the development and delivery of relapse prevention in smoking cessation
      treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial
      Number (ISRCTN): ISRCTN55259451; http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN55259451
      (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6cKF2mzEI).

PMID- 26494257
TI  - BRAT1-related disease--identification of a patient without early lethality.
AB  - We present a patient with neonatal onset of hypertonia and seizures identified
      through whole exome sequencing to have compound heterozygous variants, c.294dupA
      (p.Leu99fs) and c.1925C>A (p.Ala642Glu), in the BRCA1-associated protein required
      for ATM activation-1 (BRAT1) gene. Variants in BRAT1 have been identified to
      cause lethal neonatal rigidity and multifocal seizure syndrome (OMIM# 614498),
      which consistently manifests a severe neurological phenotype that includes
      neonatal presentation of rigidity and hypertonia, microcephaly and arrested head
      growth, intractable seizures, absence of developmental progress, apneic episodes,
      and death usually by 6 months of age. Our patient initially had a similarly
      severe neurological picture but remains alive at 6 years of age, expanding the
      phenotype to include longer term survival and providing further insights into
      genotype-phenotype correlations and the natural history of this disease.

PMID- 26494258
TI  - Multivalent nanoparticles bind the retinal and choroidal vasculature.
AB  - The angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1R), which is expressed in blood vessels of
      the posterior eye, is of paramount significance in the pathogenesis of severe
      ocular diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular
      degeneration. However, small molecule angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have
      not proven to be a significant therapeutic success. We report here on a
      nanoparticle system consisting of ARB molecules presented in a multivalent
      fashion on the surface of quantum dots (Qdots). As a result of the multivalent
      receptor binding, nanoparticles targeted cells with high AT1R expression and
      inhibited their angiotensin receptor signaling with an IC50 of 3.8 nM while
      showing only minor association to cells with low AT1R expression. After
      intravenous injection into the tail vein of mice, multivalent nanoparticles
      accumulated in retinal and choroidal blood vessels of the posterior eye. At the
      same time, multivalent ligand display doubled the Qdot concentration in the blood
      vessels compared to non-targeted Qdots. Remarkably, ARB-targeted Qdots showed no
      pronounced accumulation in AT1R-expressing off-target tissues such as the kidney.
      Following systemic application, this multivalent targeting approach has the
      potential to amplify AT1R blockade in the eye and concomitantly deliver a
      therapeutic payload into ocular lesions.

PMID- 26494259
TI  - EGFR mutation detection in ctDNA from NSCLC patient plasma: A cross-platform
      comparison of leading technologies to support the clinical development of
      AZD9291.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the ability of different technology platforms to detect
      epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, including T790M, from
      circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comparison of multiple platforms for detecting
      EGFR mutations in plasma ctDNA was undertaken. Plasma samples were collected from
      patients entering the ongoing AURA trial (NCT01802632), investigating the safety,
      tolerability, and efficacy of AZD9291 in patients with EGFR-sensitizing mutation
      positive NSCLC. Plasma was collected prior to AZD9291 dosing but following
      clinical progression on a previous EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI).
      Extracted ctDNA was analyzed using two non-digital platforms (cobas((r)) EGFR
      Mutation Test and therascreenTM EGFR amplification refractory mutation system
      assay) and two digital platforms (Droplet DigitalTM PCR and BEAMing digital PCR
      [dPCR]). RESULTS: Preliminary assessment (38 samples) was conducted using all
      four platforms. For EGFR-TKI-sensitizing mutations, high sensitivity (78-100%)
      and specificity (93-100%) were observed using tissue as a non-reference standard.
      For the T790M mutation, the digital platforms outperformed the non-digital
      platforms. Subsequent assessment using 72 additional baseline plasma samples was
      conducted using the cobas((r)) EGFR Mutation Test and BEAMing dPCR. The two
      platforms demonstrated high sensitivity (82-87%) and specificity (97%) for EGFR
      sensitizing mutations. For the T790M mutation, the sensitivity and specificity
      were 73% and 67%, respectively, with the cobas((r)) EGFR Mutation Test, and 81%
      and 58%, respectively, with BEAMing dPCR. Concordance between the platforms was
      >90%, showing that multiple platforms are capable of sensitive and specific
      detection of EGFR-TKI-sensitizing mutations from NSCLC patient plasma.
      CONCLUSION: The cobas((r)) EGFR Mutation Test and BEAMing dPCR demonstrate a high
      sensitivity for T790M mutation detection. Genomic heterogeneity of T790M-mediated
      resistance may explain the reduced specificity observed with plasma-based
      detection of T790M mutations versus tissue. These data support the use of both
      platforms in the AZD9291 clinical development program.

PMID- 26494260
TI  - Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor binding affinities of pethidine analogs.
AB  - A series of pethidine analogs were synthesized and their affinities for the
      [(3)H]N-methyl-scopolamine (NMS) binding site on muscarinic acetylcholine
      receptors (mAChRs) were determined using M1, M3 or M5 human mAChRs expressed by
      Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell membranes. Compound 6b showed the highest
      binding affinities at M1, M3 and M5 mAChRs (Ki=0.67, 0.37, and 0.38 MUM,
      respectively).

PMID- 26494261
TI  - Esters of some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with cinnamyl alcohol are
      potent lipoxygenase inhibitors with enhanced anti-inflammatory activity.
AB  - Novel esters of non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, alpha-lipoic acid and
      indol-3-acetic acid with cinnamyl alcohol were synthesised by a straightforward
      method and at high yields (60-98%). They reduced acute inflammation more than the
      parent acids and are potent inhibitors of soybean lipoxygenase. Selected
      structures decreased plasma lipidemic indices in Triton-induced hyperlipidemia to
      rats. Therefore, the synthesised compounds may add to the current knowledge about
      agents acting against various inflammatory disorders. 

PMID- 26494262
TI  - Individual oral symptoms in burning mouth syndrome may be associated
      differentially with depression and anxiety.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is an idiopathic disease characterized
      by the feeling of burning in the oral cavity. Ten per cent of patients presenting
      to oral medicine clinics have BMS. Anxiety and depression are common co
      morbidities in BMS, but it is not known if they are associated with specific BMS
      symptoms. OBJECTIVE: In an exploratory analysis, this study examined the
      association of generalized anxiety and depression with individual BMS symptoms.
      METHODS: Forty-one patients were recruited from a dental outpatient clinic (30
      with BMS and 11 with other oral conditions), evaluating specific BMS symptoms and
      their intensity. Anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed using a
      standardized measure (Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised). RESULTS: Taste change
      (p = 0.007), fear of serious illness (p = 0.011), metallic taste (p = 0.018) and
      sensation of a film on the gums (p = 0.047) were associated with an excess of
      psychiatric symptoms. More specifically, metallic taste (coefficient = 0.497, 95%
      CI = 0.149-0.845; p = 0.006) and sensation of film on gums (coefficient = 0.625,
      95% CI = 0.148-1.103; p = 0.012) were associated significantly with higher scores
      for depressive symptoms; taste change (coefficient = 0.269, 95% CI = 0.077-0.461;
      p = 0.007), bad breath (coefficient = 0.273, 95% CI = 0.065-0.482; p = 0.012) and
      fear of serious illness (coefficient = 0.242, 95% CI = 0.036-0.448; p = 0.023)
      were associated with higher anxiety scores. CONCLUSION: Specific BMS symptoms are
      associated differentially with generalized anxiety and depression. Dental
      practitioners should ascertain which BMS symptoms are predominant and be mindful
      of the association of certain symptoms with anxiety or depression and, where
      necessary, consider medical consultation.

PMID- 26494263
TI  - Relationship between some indicators of reproductive history, body fatness and
      the menopausal transition in Hungarian women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This paper analyzed the relationship between some indicators of
      reproductive history and body fatness in relation to the timing of the menopause
      transition in Hungarian women using survival analysis after controlling for birth
      cohort. METHODS: Data on menstruation and reproductive history were collected
      during the personal interviews in a sample of 1932 women (aged 35+ years).
      Menarcheal age, the length of menstrual cycles and menstrual bleedings,
      regularity of menstrual cycles, number of gestations, lactation, the ever use of
      contraceptives, menopausal status and age at menopause were used as indicators of
      reproductive history. The body fat fraction was estimated by bioelectrical
      impedance analysis. Body fatness was also estimated by dividing women into obese
      and non-obese categories (considering body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio).
      Survival analyses were used to analyze the relationship between the indicators of
      reproductive history and body fatness during the menopausal transition. RESULTS:
      Only the menarcheal age among the investigated reproductive life characteristics
      showed secular changes in the studied decades in Hungary; the mean age at
      menarche decreased by approximately 2.5 months per decade from the 1920s until
      the 1970s. Ever use of hormonal contraceptives, a relatively long cycle length in
      the perimenopausal transition and higher parity were all related with lower risk
      of early menopause. Later menarcheal age, normal length of menstrual cycle or
      bleeding in the climacterium, irregular bleeding pattern and postmenopausal
      status were associated with a higher amount of body fatness, while never use of
      contraceptives, regular menstruation, postmenopausal status and relatively early
      menopause were associated with a higher risk of abdominal obesity. CONCLUSION:
      This report confirms that age of menarche is not significantly predictive of age
      at menopause but prior use of oral contraceptives, longer mean cycle length and
      smaller number of gestations all are. In addition, age of menarche, irregular
      bleeding pattern before the climacterium, length of menstrual cycles and
      bleedings during the climacterium and postmenopausal status were associated with
      obesity during the climacterium.

PMID- 26494264
TI  - Photolithographic Synthesis of High-Density DNA and RNA Arrays on Flexible,
      Transparent, and Easily Subdivided Plastic Substrates.
AB  - The photolithographic fabrication of high-density DNA and RNA arrays on flexible
      and transparent plastic substrates is reported. The substrates are thin sheets of
      poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) coated with cross-linked polymer multilayers
      that present hydroxyl groups suitable for conventional phosphoramidite-based
      nucleic acid synthesis. We demonstrate that by modifying array synthesis
      procedures to accommodate the physical and chemical properties of these
      materials, it is possible to synthesize plastic-backed oligonucleotide arrays
      with feature sizes as small as 14 MUm * 14 MUm and feature densities in excess of
      125 000/cm(2), similar to specifications attainable using rigid substrates such
      as glass or glassy carbon. These plastic-backed arrays are tolerant to a wide
      range of hybridization temperatures, and improved synthetic procedures are
      described that enable the fabrication of arrays with sequences up to 50
      nucleotides in length. These arrays hybridize with S/N ratios comparable to those
      fabricated on otherwise identical arrays prepared on glass or glassy carbon. This
      platform supports the enzymatic synthesis of RNA arrays and proof-of-concept
      experiments are presented showing that the arrays can be readily subdivided into
      smaller arrays (or "millichips") using common laboratory-scale laser cutting
      tools. These results expand the utility of oligonucleotide arrays fabricated on
      plastic substrates and open the door to new applications for these important
      bioanalytical tools. 

PMID- 26494265
TI  - Choice of comparator in restorative trials: A network analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The choice of trial comparators might impact on the validity of the
      available evidence. We aimed at evaluating dental restorative trial networks and
      the underlying comparisons made, hypothesizing that certain comparators are
      disproportionally preferred or avoided. METHODS: A systematic review was
      performed via Medline, CENTRAL and EMBASE. Randomized controlled trials on dental
      restoration or adhesive materials published 2005-2015 were included. Social
      network analysis techniques were used to assess trial networks. RESULTS: 114
      studies on 15321 restorations placed in 5232 patients were included. 57 and 53
      trials investigated restoration of cervical and load-bearing cavities,
      respectively. Four trials on non-cervical, non-load-bearing cavities did not form
      a network and were not evaluated. The most frequently assessed material
      combination was hybrid composites placed using 2-step etch-and-rinse adhesives.
      In cervical cavities, the majority of trials compared adhesives, not restorative
      materials. In load-bearing cavities, testing other restorative materials
      (ormocers, compomers) was common, too. In both networks, comparisons within
      material classes were frequent. There was significant homophily (p<0.001), i.e.
      certain material classes were preferred as comparators, while this preference
      seemed to change with time. Only very few comparisons yielded significant
      differences between materials. SIGNIFICANCE: The disproportional use of certain
      material classes as comparator might be due to their perceived role as gold
      standard. Compared with other scientific disciplines, dental restorative trial
      networks seem less prone for bias by comparator choice. Factors underlying the
      network geometry should be assessed to understand drivers of the research agenda.

PMID- 26494266
TI  - Impact of gastric acidic challenge on surface topography and optical properties
      of monolithic zirconia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the surface topography and optical properties of
      monolithic zirconia after immersion in simulated gastric acid. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Four partially stabilized (PSZ) and one fully stabilized (FSZ) zirconia
      materials were selected for the study: Prettau (PRT, Zirkonzahn), Zenostar (ZEN,
      Ivoclar), Bruxzir (BRX, Glidewell), Katana (KAT, Noritake) and FSZ Prettau
      Anterior (PRTA, Zirkonzahn). IPS e.max (Ivoclar) was used as a control. The
      specimens (10*10*1.2mm, n=5 per material) were cut, sintered, polished and
      cleaned before immersed in 5ml of simulated gastric acid solution (Hydrochloric
      acid (HCl) 0.06M, 0.113% solution in deionized distal water, pH 1.2) for 96h in a
      37 degrees C incubator. Specimens were weighed and examined for morphological
      changes under scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X
      ray spectroscopy (EDX). Surface roughness was evaluated by a confocal microscope.
      Surface gloss and translucency parameter (TP) values were determined by a
      reflection spectrophotometer before and after acid immersion. The data was
      analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's HSD post hoc test (p<0.05).
      RESULTS: PRTA displayed the most weight loss (1.40%) among the zirconia
      specimens. IPS e.max showed about three times more weight loss (3.05%) than
      zirconia specimens as an average. SEM examination indicated areas of degradation,
      bead-like shapes and smoothening of the polishing scratches after acid immersion.
      EDX displayed ion interactions and possible ion leaching from all specimens. Sa
      and Sq values for PRTA, ZEN and IPS e.max were significantly lower (p<0.05) after
      acid immersion. TP values increased significantly for PRT, ZEN and IPS e.max
      (p<0.05), while the surface gloss of ZEN, PRTA and IPS e.max increased (p<0.05).
      SIGNIFICANCE: Monolithic zirconia materials show some surface alterations in an
      acidic environment with minimum effect on their optical properties. Whether a
      smoother surface is in fact a sign of true corrosion resistance or is purely the
      result of an evenly progressive corrosive process is yet to be confirmed by
      further research.

PMID- 26494268
TI  - 3D printing with polymers: Challenges among expanding options and opportunities.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Additive manufacturing, which is more colloquially referred to as 3D
      printing, is quickly approaching mainstream adoption as a highly flexible
      processing technique that can be applied to plastic, metal, ceramic, concrete and
      other building materials. However, taking advantage of the tremendous versatility
      associated with in situ photopolymerization as well as the ability to select from
      a variety of preformed processible polymers, 3D printing predominantly targets
      the production of polymeric parts and models. The goal of this review is to
      connect the various additive manufacturing techniques with the monomeric and
      polymeric materials they use while highlighting emerging material-based
      developments. METHODS: Modern additive manufacturing technology was introduced
      approximately three decades ago but this review compiles recent peer-reviewed
      literature reports to demonstrate the evolution underway with respect to the
      various building techniques that differ significantly in approach as well as the
      new variations in polymer-based materials being employed. RESULTS: Recent growth
      of 3D printing has been dramatic and the ability of the various platform
      technologies to expand from rapid production prototypic models to the greater
      volume of readily customizable production of working parts is critical for
      continued high growth rates. This transition to working part production is highly
      dependent on adapting materials that deliver not only the requisite design
      accuracy but also the physical and mechanical properties necessary for the
      application. SIGNIFICANCE: With the weighty distinction of being called the next
      industrial revolution, 3D printing technologies is already altering many
      industrial and academic operations including changing models for future
      healthcare delivery in medicine and dentistry.

PMID- 26494269
TI  - Cost of inaction on sugar-sweetened beverage consumption: implications for
      obesity in South Africa.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of increased sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB)
      consumption on future adult obesity prevalence in South Africa in the absence of
      preventive measures. DESIGN: A model was constructed to simulate the effect of a
      2.4 % annual increase in SSB consumption on obesity prevalence. The model
      computed the change in energy intake assuming a compounding increase in SSB
      consumption. The population distribution of BMI by age and sex was modelled by
      fitting measured data from the 2012 South African National Income Dynamics Survey
      to the log-normal distribution and shifting the mean values. SETTING: Over the
      past decade the prevalence of obesity and related non-communicable diseases has
      increased in South Africa, as have the sales and availability of SSB. Soft drink
      sales in South Africa are projected to grow between 2012 and 2017 at an annual
      compounded growth rate of 2.4 % in the absence of preventive measures to curb
      consumption. RESULTS: A 2.4 % annual growth in SSB sales alongside population
      growth and ageing will result in an additional 1 287 000 obese adults in South
      Africa by 2017, 22 % of which will be due to increased SSB consumption.
      CONCLUSIONS: In order to meet the South African target of reducing the number of
      people who are obese and/or overweight by 10 % by 2020, the country cannot afford
      to delay implementing effective population-wide interventions. In the face of
      plans to increase growth of SSB, the country will soon face even greater
      challenges in overcoming obesity and related non-communicable diseases.

PMID- 26494267
TI  - Cytotoxicity and osteogenic potential of silicate calcium cements as potential
      protective materials for pulpal revascularization.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In pulpal revascularization, a protective material is placed coronal
      to the blood clot to prevent recontamination and to facilitate osteogenic
      differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells to produce new dental tissues. Although
      mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) has been the material of choice for clot
      protection, it is easily displaced into the clot during condensation. The present
      study evaluated the effects of recently introduced calcium silicate cements
      (Biodentine and TheraCal LC) on the viability and osteogenic differentiation of
      human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) by comparing with MTA Angelus. METHODS:
      Cell viability was assessed using XTT assay and flow cytometry. The osteogenic
      potential of hDPSCs exposed to calcium silicate cements was examined using qRT
      PCR for osteogenic gene expressions, alkaline phosphatase enzyme activity,
      Alizarin red S staining and transmission electron microscopy of extracellular
      calcium deposits. Parametric statistical methods were employed for analyses of
      significant difference among groups, with alpha=0.05. RESULTS: The cytotoxic
      effects of Biodentine and TheraCal LC on hDPSCs were time- and concentration
      dependent. Osteogenic differentiation of hDPSCs was enhanced after exposure to
      Biodentine that was depleted of its cytotoxic components. This effect was less
      readily observed in hDPSCs exposed to TheraCal LC, although both cements
      supported extracellular mineralization better than the positive control (zinc
      oxide-eugenol-based cement). SIGNIFICANCE: A favorable tissue response is
      anticipated to occur with the use of Biodentine as a blood clot-protecting
      material for pulpal revascularization. Further investigations with the use of in
      vivo animal models are required to validate the potential adverse biological
      effects of TheraCal LC on hDPSCs.

PMID- 26494270
TI  - Current therapeutic strategies of heterotopic ossification--a survey amongst
      orthopaedic and trauma departments in Germany.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a complication after tissue trauma,
      fracture and surgery (i.e. total hip arthroplasty). Prophylaxis is the most
      effective therapy. If HO formations become symptomatic and limit patients'
      quality of life, revision surgery is indicated and is usually combined with a
      perioperative oral prophylaxis (NSAIDs) and/or irradiation. However, a long-term
      use of NSAIDs can induce gastro-intestinal or cardiac side-effects and possible
      bony non-unions during fracture healing. Subject of this study was to assess the
      current status of HO prophylaxis after injuries or fractures and to evaluate
      current indications and strategies for excision of symptomatic HO. METHODS:
      Between 2013 and 2014, a questionnaire was sent to 119 orthopaedic and trauma
      surgery departments in Germany. Participation was voluntary and all acquired data
      was given anonymously. RESULTS: The cumulative feedback rate was 71 %. Trauma and
      orthopaedic surgery departments in Germany recommend oral HO prophylaxis after
      acetabulum and femoral neck fractures, elbow dislocation, and fracture or
      dislocation of the radial head. Pain upon movement and an increasing loss of
      range of motion in the affected joint are considered to be clear indications for
      HO surgery. A partial removal of ROM-limiting HO formations was also considered
      important. The vast majority of all departments include perioperative oral HO
      prophylaxis and/or irradiation if surgical HO removal is planned. The choice and
      duration of NSAIDs is highly variable. CONCLUSION: HO is of clinical significance
      in current traumatology and orthopaedics. Certain fractures and injuries are
      prone to HO, and prophylactic measures should be taken. The respondents in this
      survey assessed current therapeutic strategies for HO formations similarly. These
      concepts are in line with the literature. However, the duration of perioperative
      oral HO prophylaxis varied greatly among the specialist centres. This is
      significant as a long-term use of NSAIDs fosters a potential risk for the
      patients' safety and could influence the clinical outcome. National and
      international guidelines need to be developed to further reduce HO rates and
      improve patients' safety in trauma and orthopaedic surgery.

PMID- 26494271
TI  - Re-evaluation of the Blood-Brain Barrier in the Presence of Alzheimer's Disease
      Pathology.
AB  - Blood-brain barrier disruption is believed to occur in Alzheimer's disease, which
      could influence the bioavailability of drugs within the brain. However, in this
      issue of Neuron, Bien-Ly et al. (2015) report no evidence of widespread blood
      brain barrier dysfunction.

PMID- 26494272
TI  - A Direct Path to Action Initiation.
AB  - In this issue of Neuron, Sippy et al. (2015) provide the clearest evidence to
      date that information is differentially encoded in the direct and indirect
      pathways of the striatum. The results support the classical notion that the
      direct pathway plays a critical role in initiating actions.

PMID- 26494273
TI  - Default Distance Coding Properties in the Hippocampus.
AB  - Whereas hippocampal activity is thought to be driven by precise conjunctions of
      sensory input, a recent study by Villette and Malvache et al. (Villette et al.,
      2015, in this issue of Neuron) reveals that neurons imaged in a static sensory
      environment organize into sequences endowed with intrinsic spatiotemporal
      properties.

PMID- 26494274
TI  - Processing Timescales as an Organizing Principle for Primate Cortex.
AB  - An emerging view posits a timescale-based cortical topography, with integration
      windows increasing from sensory to association areas. In this issue, Chaudhuri et
      al. (2015) present a cortical model wherein a hierarchy of timescales arises from
      local and inter-regional circuit dynamics.

PMID- 26494276
TI  - Disinhibition, a Circuit Mechanism for Associative Learning and Memory.
AB  - Although a wealth of data have elucidated the structure and physiology of
      neuronal circuits, we still only have a very limited understanding of how
      behavioral learning is implemented at the network level. An emerging crucial
      player in this implementation is disinhibition--a transient break in the balance
      of excitation and inhibition. In contrast to the widely held view that the
      excitation/inhibition balance is highly stereotyped in cortical circuits, recent
      findings from behaving animals demonstrate that salient events often elicit
      disinhibition of projection neurons that favors excitation and thereby enhances
      their activity. Behavioral functions ranging from auditory fear learning, for
      which most data are available to date, to spatial navigation are causally linked
      to disinhibition in different compartments of projection neurons, in diverse
      cortical areas and at timescales ranging from milliseconds to days, suggesting
      that disinhibition is a conserved circuit mechanism contributing to learning and
      memory expression.

PMID- 26494275
TI  - Dopamine Prediction Errors in Reward Learning and Addiction: From Theory to
      Neural Circuitry.
AB  - Midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons are proposed to signal reward prediction error
      (RPE), a fundamental parameter in associative learning models. This RPE
      hypothesis provides a compelling theoretical framework for understanding DA
      function in reward learning and addiction. New studies support a causal role for
      DA-mediated RPE activity in promoting learning about natural reward; however,
      this question has not been explicitly tested in the context of drug addiction. In
      this review, we integrate theoretical models with experimental findings on the
      activity of DA systems, and on the causal role of specific neuronal projections
      and cell types, to provide a circuit-based framework for probing DA-RPE function
      in addiction. By examining error-encoding DA neurons in the neural network in
      which they are embedded, hypotheses regarding circuit-level adaptations that
      possibly contribute to pathological error signaling and addiction can be
      formulated and tested. 

PMID- 26494277
TI  - Time-Resolved Imaging Reveals Heterogeneous Landscapes of Nanomolar Ca(2+) in
      Neurons and Astroglia.
AB  - Maintaining low intracellular calcium is essential to the functioning of brain
      cells, yet the phenomenology and mechanisms involved remain an enigma. We have
      advanced a two-photon excitation time-resolved imaging technique, which exploits
      high sensitivity of the OGB-1 fluorescence lifetime to nanomolar Ca(2+)
      concentration ([Ca(2+)]) and enables a high data acquisition rate in situ. The
      [Ca(2+)] readout is not affected by dye concentration, light scattering,
      photobleaching, micro-viscosity, temperature, or the main known concomitants of
      cellular activity. In quiescent tissue, standard whole-cell configuration has
      little effect on resting [Ca(2+)] inside neuronal dendrites or inside astroglia
      dye-filled via gap junctions. Mapping basal [Ca(2+)] in neurons and astrocytes
      with submicron resolution unveils heterogeneous concentration landscapes that
      depend on age and preceding activity. The rich information content represented by
      such landscapes in acute slices and in vivo promises to unveil the hitherto
      unexplored, potentially fundamental aspects of brain cell physiology.

PMID- 26494278
TI  - Lack of Widespread BBB Disruption in Alzheimer's Disease Models: Focus on
      Therapeutic Antibodies.
AB  - The blood-brain barrier (BBB) limits brain uptake of therapeutic antibodies. It
      is believed that the BBB is disrupted in Alzheimer's disease (AD), potentially
      increasing drug permeability de facto. Here we compared active versus passive
      brain uptake of systemically dosed antibodies (anti-transferrin receptor [TfR]
      bispecific versus control antibody) in mouse models of AD. We first confirmed BBB
      disruption in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis as a positive control.
      Importantly, we found that BBB permeability was vastly spared in mouse models of
      AD, including PS2-APP, Tau transgenics, and APOE4 knockin mice. Brain levels of
      TfR in mouse models or in human cases of AD resembled controls, suggesting target
      engagement of TfR bispecific is not limited. Furthermore, infarcts from human AD
      brain showed similar occurrences compared to age-matched controls. These results
      question the widely held view that the BBB is largely disrupted in AD, raising
      concern about assumptions of drug permeability in disease. 

PMID- 26494279
TI  - Input- and Output-Specific Regulation of Serial Order Performance by
      Corticostriatal Circuits.
AB  - The serial ordering of individual movements into sequential patterns is thought
      to require synaptic plasticity within corticostriatal circuits that route
      information through the basal ganglia. We used genetically and anatomically
      targeted manipulations of specific circuit elements in mice to isolate the source
      and target of a corticostriatal synapse that regulates the performance of a
      serial order task. This excitatory synapse originates in secondary motor cortex,
      terminates on direct pathway medium spiny neurons in the dorsolateral striatum,
      and is strengthened by serial order learning. This experience-dependent and
      synapse-specific form of plasticity may sculpt the balance of activity in basal
      ganglia circuits during sequential movements, driving a disparity in striatal
      output that favors the direct pathway. This disparity is necessary for execution
      of responses in serial order, even though both direct and indirect pathways are
      active during movement initiation, suggesting dynamic modulation of
      corticostriatal circuitry contributes to the choreography of behavioral routines.

PMID- 26494281
TI  - A GPU-accelerated cortical neural network model for visually guided robot
      navigation.
AB  - Humans and other terrestrial animals use vision to traverse novel cluttered
      environments with apparent ease. On one hand, although much is known about the
      behavioral dynamics of steering in humans, it remains unclear how relevant
      perceptual variables might be represented in the brain. On the other hand,
      although a wealth of data exists about the neural circuitry that is concerned
      with the perception of self-motion variables such as the current direction of
      travel, little research has been devoted to investigating how this neural
      circuitry may relate to active steering control. Here we present a cortical
      neural network model for visually guided navigation that has been embodied on a
      physical robot exploring a real-world environment. The model includes a rate
      based motion energy model for area V1, and a spiking neural network model for
      cortical area MT. The model generates a cortical representation of optic flow,
      determines the position of objects based on motion discontinuities, and combines
      these signals with the representation of a goal location to produce motor
      commands that successfully steer the robot around obstacles toward the goal. The
      model produces robot trajectories that closely match human behavioral data. This
      study demonstrates how neural signals in a model of cortical area MT might
      provide sufficient motion information to steer a physical robot on human-like
      paths around obstacles in a real-world environment, and exemplifies the
      importance of embodiment, as behavior is deeply coupled not only with the
      underlying model of brain function, but also with the anatomical constraints of
      the physical body it controls. 

PMID- 26494280
TI  - Internally Recurring Hippocampal Sequences as a Population Template of
      Spatiotemporal Information.
AB  - The hippocampus is essential for spatiotemporal cognition. Sequences of neuronal
      activation provide a substrate for this fundamental function. At the behavioral
      timescale, these sequences have been shown to occur either in the presence of
      successive external landmarks or through internal mechanisms within an episodic
      memory task. In both cases, activity is externally constrained by the
      organization of the task and by the size of the environment explored. Therefore,
      it remains unknown whether hippocampal activity can self-organize into a default
      mode in the absence of any external memory demand or spatiotemporal boundary.
      Here we show that, in the presence of self-motion cues, a population code
      integrating distance naturally emerges in the hippocampus in the form of
      recurring sequences. These internal dynamics clamp spontaneous travel since run
      distance distributes into integer multiples of the span of these sequences. These
      sequences may thus guide navigation when external landmarks are reduced. 

PMID- 26494282
TI  - Designing bioinspired composite reinforcement architectures via 3D magnetic
      printing.
AB  - Discontinuous fibre composites represent a class of materials that are strong,
      lightweight and have remarkable fracture toughness. These advantages partially
      explain the abundance and variety of discontinuous fibre composites that have
      evolved in the natural world. Many natural structures out-perform the
      conventional synthetic counterparts due, in part, to the more elaborate
      reinforcement architectures that occur in natural composites. Here we present an
      additive manufacturing approach that combines real-time colloidal assembly with
      existing additive manufacturing technologies to create highly programmable
      discontinuous fibre composites. This technology, termed as '3D magnetic
      printing', has enabled us to recreate complex bioinspired reinforcement
      architectures that deliver enhanced material performance compared with monolithic
      structures. Further, we demonstrate that we can now design and evolve elaborate
      reinforcement architectures that are not found in nature, demonstrating a high
      level of possible customization in discontinuous fibre composites with arbitrary
      geometries. 

PMID- 26494283
TI  - Preparation of reminiscent aroma mixture of Japanese soy sauce.
AB  - To prepare an aroma mixture of Japanese soy sauce by fewest components, the aroma
      concentrate of good sensory attributes was prepared by polyethylene membrane
      extraction, which could extract only the volatiles with diethyl ether. GC-MS
      Olfactometry was done with the aroma concentrate, and 28 odor-active compounds
      were detected. Application of aroma extract dilution analysis to the separated
      fraction revealed high flavor dilution factors with respect to acetic acid, 4
      hydroxy-2(or5)-ethyl-5(or2)-methyl-3(2H)-furanone (HEMF), 3-methyl-1-butanol
      (isoamyl alcohol), and 3-(methylsulfanyl)propanal (methional). A model aroma
      mixture containing above four odorants showed a good similarity with the aroma of
      the soy sauce itself. Consequently, the reminiscent aroma mixture of soy sauce
      was prepared in water. The ratio of acetic acid, HEMF, isoamyl alcohol, and
      methional was 2500:300:100:1. 

PMID- 26494284
TI  - The sRNA NsiR4 is involved in nitrogen assimilation control in cyanobacteria by
      targeting glutamine synthetase inactivating factor IF7.
AB  - Glutamine synthetase (GS), a key enzyme in biological nitrogen assimilation, is
      regulated in multiple ways in response to varying nitrogen sources and levels.
      Here we show a small regulatory RNA, NsiR4 (nitrogen stress-induced RNA 4), which
      plays an important role in the regulation of GS in cyanobacteria. NsiR4
      expression in the unicellular Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and in the filamentous,
      nitrogen-fixing Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 is stimulated through nitrogen limitation
      via NtcA, the global transcriptional regulator of genes involved in nitrogen
      metabolism. NsiR4 is widely conserved throughout the cyanobacterial phylum,
      suggesting a conserved function. In silico target prediction, transcriptome
      profiling on pulse overexpression, and site-directed mutagenesis experiments
      using a heterologous reporter system showed that NsiR4 interacts with the 5'UTR
      of gifA mRNA, which encodes glutamine synthetase inactivating factor (IF)7. In
      Synechocystis, we observed an inverse relationship between the levels of NsiR4
      and the accumulation of IF7 in vivo. This NsiR4-dependent modulation of gifA
      (IF7) mRNA accumulation influenced the glutamine pool and thus [Formula: see
      text] assimilation via GS. As a second target, we identified ssr1528, a hitherto
      uncharacterized nitrogen-regulated gene. Competition experiments between WT and
      an DeltansiR4 KO mutant showed that the lack of NsiR4 led to decreased
      acclimation capabilities of Synechocystis toward oscillating nitrogen levels.
      These results suggest a role for NsiR4 in the regulation of nitrogen metabolism
      in cyanobacteria, especially for the adaptation to rapid changes in available
      nitrogen sources and concentrations. NsiR4 is, to our knowledge, the first
      identified bacterial sRNA regulating the primary assimilation of a macronutrient.

PMID- 26494285
TI  - A dual control mechanism synchronizes riboflavin and sulphur metabolism in
      Bacillus subtilis.
AB  - Flavin mononucleotide (FMN) riboswitches are genetic elements, which in many
      bacteria control genes responsible for biosynthesis and/or transport of
      riboflavin (rib genes). Cytoplasmic riboflavin is rapidly and almost completely
      converted to FMN by flavokinases. When cytoplasmic levels of FMN are sufficient
      ("high levels"), FMN binding to FMN riboswitches leads to a reduction of rib gene
      expression. We report here that the protein RibR counteracts the FMN-induced
      "turn-off" activities of both FMN riboswitches in Bacillus subtilis, allowing rib
      gene expression even in the presence of high levels of FMN. The reason for this
      secondary metabolic control by RibR is to couple sulfur metabolism with
      riboflavin metabolism. 

PMID- 26494288
TI  - Mesomeric Effects of Graphene Modified with Diazonium Salts: Substituent Type and
      Position Influence its Properties.
AB  - In the last decade, graphene and graphene derivatives have become some of the
      most intensively studied materials. Tuning of the electronic and electrochemical
      properties of graphene is of paramount importance. In this study, six diazonium
      modified graphenes containing different functional groups according to the
      diazonium salt precursor were investigated. These diazonium moieties have a
      strong mesomeric (resonance) effect and act as either electron-donating or 
      withdrawing species. Different graphene precursors, such as thermally and
      chemically reduced graphenes were studied. All the products were characterized in
      detail by elemental combustion analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy,
      high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and cyclic voltammetry.
      Resistivity and zeta potential measurements were consistent with theoretical
      (DFT) calculations. The results show that chemical modification of graphene by
      diazotation strongly influences its properties, creating a huge application
      potential in microelectronics, energy storage and conversion devices, and
      electrocatalysis. 

PMID- 26494286
TI  - Fetal endocannabinoids orchestrate the organization of pancreatic islet
      microarchitecture.
AB  - Endocannabinoids are implicated in the control of glucose utilization and energy
      homeostasis by orchestrating pancreatic hormone release. Moreover, in some cell
      niches, endocannabinoids regulate cell proliferation, fate determination, and
      migration. Nevertheless, endocannabinoid contributions to the development of the
      endocrine pancreas remain unknown. Here, we show that alpha cells produce the
      endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in mouse fetuses and human
      pancreatic islets, which primes the recruitment of beta cells by CB1 cannabinoid
      receptor (CB1R) engagement. Using subtractive pharmacology, we extend these
      findings to anandamide, a promiscuous endocannabinoid/endovanilloid ligand, which
      impacts both the determination of islet size by cell proliferation and alpha/beta
      cell sorting by differential activation of transient receptor potential cation
      channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) and CB1Rs. Accordingly, genetic disruption
      of TRPV1 channels increases islet size whereas CB1R knockout augments cellular
      heterogeneity and favors insulin over glucagon release. Dietary enrichment in
      omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation in mice, which permanently
      reduces endocannabinoid levels in the offspring, phenocopies CB1R(-/-) islet
      microstructure and improves coordinated hormone secretion. Overall, our data
      mechanistically link endocannabinoids to cell proliferation and sorting during
      pancreatic islet formation, as well as to life-long programming of hormonal
      determinants of glucose homeostasis. 

PMID- 26494287
TI  - Genetic analysis of the contribution of LTBP-3 to thoracic aneurysm in Marfan
      syndrome.
AB  - Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an autosomal dominant disorder of connective tissue,
      caused by mutations of the microfibrillar protein fibrillin-1, that predisposes
      affected individuals to aortic aneurysm and rupture and is associated with
      increased TGFbeta signaling. TGFbeta is secreted from cells as a latent complex
      consisting of TGFbeta, the TGFbeta propeptide, and a molecule of latent TGFbeta
      binding protein (LTBP). Improper extracellular localization of the latent complex
      can alter active TGFbeta levels, and has been hypothesized as an explanation for
      enhanced TGFbeta signaling observed in MFS. We previously reported the absence of
      LTBP-3 in matrices lacking fibrillin-1, suggesting that perturbed TGFbeta
      signaling in MFS might be due to defective interaction of latent TGFbeta
      complexes containing LTBP-3 with mutant fibrillin-1 microfibrils. To test this
      hypothesis, we genetically suppressed Ltbp3 expression in a mouse model of
      progressively severe MFS. Here, we present evidence that MFS mice lacking LTBP-3
      have improved survival, essentially no aneurysms, reduced disruption and
      fragmentation of medial elastic fibers, and decreased Smad2/3 and Erk1/2
      activation in their aortas. These data suggest that, in MFS, improper
      localization of latent TGFbeta complexes composed of LTBP-3 and TGFbeta
      contributes to aortic disease progression. 

PMID- 26494289
TI  - Oscillations of Skin Microvascular Blood Flow in Patients with Asthma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This research is aimed at studying the features of skin blood flow
      oscillations in patients with severe persistent atopic BA during a period of fine
      control over symptoms. METHODS: The study of microcirculation was carried out by
      LDF at rest and in response to a transient ischemia in 20 patients. The time
      amplitude adaptive wavelet analysis of the blood flow oscillations was conducted
      to elucidate the peculiarities of microcirculatory regulation system functioning.
      RESULTS: No significant changes were revealed for SBP and the oscillation
      amplitudes in the cardiac (0.6-2 Hz) and respiratory (0.145-0.6 Hz) intervals,
      both at rest and in response to transient ischemia, in patients compared to the
      control group. A consistent twofold decrease in the oscillation amplitudes was
      found in the neurogenic (0.021-0.052 Hz) interval at rest, as well as in the
      myogenic (0.052-0.145 Hz) and NO-dependent endothelial (0.0095-0.021 Hz)
      intervals both at rest and during the postocclusive reactive hyperemia in
      patients with lung obstruction (FEV1 < 80%) in comparison with a control group.
      CONCLUSIONS: The amplitudes of skin blood flow oscillations in the myogenic,
      neurogenic and NO-dependent endothelial intervals in patients with obstruction
      are different from those in patients without obstruction.

PMID- 26494290
TI  - Functional Recovery From Extended Warm Ischemia Associated With Partial
      Nephrectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of extended warm ischemia on incidence of acute
      kidney injury (AKI) and ultimate functional recovery after partial nephrectomy
      (PN), incorporating rigorous control for loss of parenchymal mass, and embedded
      within comparison to cohorts of patients managed with hypothermia or limited warm
      ischemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 2007 to 2014, 277 patients managed with PN
      had appropriate studies to evaluate changes in function/mass specifically within
      the operated kidney. Recovery from ischemia was defined as %function
      saved/%parenchymal mass saved. AKI was based on global renal function and defined
      as a >=1.5-fold increase in serum creatinine above the preoperative level.
      RESULTS: Hypothermia was utilized in 112 patients (median = 27 minutes) and warm
      ischemia in 165 (median = 21 minutes). AKI strongly correlated with solitary
      kidney (P < .001) and duration (P < .001) but not type (P = .49) of ischemia.
      Median recovery from ischemia in the operated kidney was 100% (interquartile
      range [IQR] = 88%-109%) for cold ischemia, with 6 (5%) noted to have <80%
      recovery from ischemia. For the warm ischemia group, median recovery from
      ischemia was 91% (IQR = 82%-101%, P < .001 compared with hypothermia), and 34
      (21%) had recovery from ischemia <80% (P < .001). For warm ischemia subgrouped by
      duration <25 minutes (n = 114), 25-35 minutes (n = 35), and >35 minutes (n = 16),
      median recovery from ischemia was 92% (IQR = 86%-100%), 90% (IQR = 78%-104%), and
      91% (IQR = 80%-96%), respectively (P = .77). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that
      AKI after PN correlates with duration but not with type of ischemia. However,
      subsequent recovery, which ultimately defines the new baseline glomerular
      filtration rate, is most reliable with hypothermia. However, most patients
      undergoing PN with warm ischemia still recover relatively strongly from ischemia,
      even if extended to 35-45 minutes.

PMID- 26494291
TI  - Comparison of Single-docking Robotic-assisted and Traditional Laparoscopy for
      Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection During Nephroureterectomy With Bladder Cuff
      Excision for Upper-tract Urothelial Carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the results of traditional laparoscopy and a simple, single
      docking robotic approach for retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND),
      nephroureterectomy, and bladder cuff excision. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      evaluated 63 and 37 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic and robotic
      nephrouretectomy with RPLND, respectively, for upper-tract urothelial carcinoma
      (UTUC). RESULTS: Our robotic approach was associated with improved lymph node
      procurement (21.0 nodes [interquartile range 16.0-30.0]) when compared with
      laparoscopy (11.0 nodes [interquartile range 5.5-21.0]) (P < .0001). Major blood
      loss as defined by requiring a blood transfusion was less for the robotic group
      than for the laparoscopic cohort (8% vs 30%) (P = .012). In contrast, the robotic
      group had longer operative times (5.1 vs 3.9 hours) (P = .0001) and longer
      hospital stays (5.0 vs 4.0 days) (P = .0002). CONCLUSION: Our single-docking
      robotic technique for concomitant RPLND during nephrouretectomy is associated
      with improved lymph node yield.

PMID- 26494292
TI  - An Analysis of Case Logs From American Urologists in the Treatment of Peyronie's
      Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review recent trends in the treatment of Peyronie's disease (PD),
      we assess surgical practice patterns of urologists in the United States with
      emphasis on specialty training, demographics, and temporal changes. METHODS: Six
      month case log data of American urologists between 2004 and 2013 were obtained
      from the American Board of Urology. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes
      were used to identify surgical procedures, including plaque injection. RESULTS: A
      total of 6564 urologists were included in the surgical cohort, logging 8195
      surgical procedures for PD. Only 15.4% of urologists (1012/6564) reported a
      surgical case for PD. Andrologists (urologist subspecialty designation) accounted
      for 5.3% of these urologists (54/1012) and performed 18.5% of PD procedures (P =
      .0001). The frequency of plaque injections increased from 499 in 2004 to 797 in
      2013, a 59% increase, whereas surgical correction remained stable. Urologists
      performed four times as many injections as surgical procedures for PD (P = .001)
      with andrologists more likely to attempt injection than surgical correction (P =
      .045). Among surgeries performed, 73.2% were corrections of angulation without
      plaque excision, 20.5% were excisions of plaque (with possible grafting) up to 5
      cm, and 6.2% were excisions of plaque (with possible grafting) >5 cm. There was a
      313% increase in the ratio of plication to plaque manipulation (0.92 in 2004 to
      2.91 in 2013). CONCLUSION: PD is treated by a minority of urologists and
      disproportionately by subspecialist in andrology. When compared with surgical
      interventions, excluding prosthesis implantation, most surgeons favor
      conservative treatment. The majority of surgical corrections were corrections of
      angulation without plaque manipulation.

PMID- 26494293
TI  - Prostatic Urethral Lift Vs Prostate Arterial Embolization: Novel Nonablative
      Strategies in the Management of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Secondary to Benign
      Prostate Hyperplasia.
AB  - Prostate urethral lift and prostate arterial embolization represent two evolving
      techniques with contrasting mechanisms of action (mechanical decompression vs
      angiographic embolization). Both yield relief of lower urinary tract symptoms
      over a period of several weeks. They display similar safety profiles with self
      limiting pelvic discomfort characterizing the commonest minor adverse event. Both
      procedures have the potential to be carried out under local anesthesia and in the
      outpatient setting with suitability for patients with cardiovascular
      comorbidities. Neither has been found to cause degradation of sexual function.
      Further randomized studies are needed to delineate the formal position of these
      techniques in the surgical management of benign prostate hyperplasia. 

PMID- 26494294
TI  - Idiopathic Calcium Nephrolithiasis and Hypovitaminosis D: A Case-control Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between vitamin D deficiency (25
      hydroxyvitamin D <20 ng/mL) and idiopathic calcium nephrolithiasis (ICN).
      METHODS: A total of 884 patients with ICN (363 males, mean age of 51 +/- 14) and
      967 controls (162 males, mean age of 59 +/- 15) from an area with no food
      fortification policy were considered following a case-control study design.
      Patients were enrolled at a third-level outpatient stone clinic. Controls were
      selected from a laboratory database after exclusion of those with
      nephrolithiasis, bone, endocrine, liver, and kidney diseases. Serum 25
      hydroxyvitamin-D (25-OH-D), date of test, presence/history of diabetes, and
      cardiovascular disease including hypertension were recorded for all subjects.
      Serum parathormone, calcium, phosphorus, and urinary factors of lithogenic risk
      were available in stone formers (SF). After univariate statistical analysis,
      propensity score matching with conditional logistic regression was used to
      control for the possible effects of covariates. RESULTS: The prevalence of 25-OH
      D <20 ng/mL was 56% in SF and 44% in controls (P <.001), with median levels of 18
      ng/mL [interquartile range (IQR) of 12-24)] versus 23 ng/mL (IQR of 14-30) (age
      and sex adjusted P <.001). After a fully adjusted conditional logistic regression
      analysis, performed on propensity-matched cohorts (442 SF, 442 controls), there
      was a statistically significant association between vitamin D deficiency and odds
      of nephrolithiasis (estimated odds ratio of 2.29, confidence interval 95% 1.74
      3.02, P <.001). 25-OH-D levels were not different in hypercalciuric and
      normocalciuric SF (median and IQR of 18 ng/mL and 13-23 vs 19 ng/mL and 13-26,
      respectively, P = .2). CONCLUSIONS: SF have lower serum 25-OH-D levels than
      controls. The role of hypovitaminosis D in the onset of ICN should be better
      reconsidered.

PMID- 26494295
TI  - Trends in Urology Residents' Exposure to Operative Urotrauma: A Survey of
      Residency Program Directors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine longitudinal trends in resident exposure to urotrauma and
      to assess whether presence of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeon (GURS) faculty
      has impacted exposure and career choice. METHODS: An identical, 31-question
      multiple-choice survey was sent to program directors of Accreditation Council for
      Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited urology residency programs in 2006
      and 2013. The areas of focus included program demographics, extent of urotrauma
      exposure, program director perceptions regarding educational value of urotrauma,
      and impact of GURS fellowship trained faculty. Responses were de-identified,
      compiled, and compared for differences. RESULTS: Response rates were 57% (64/112)
      and 43% (53/123) for the 2006 and 2013 survey, respectively (P = .03). Trauma
      Level 1 designation (56/64 [89%] vs 44/53 [88%], P = .84) and presence of GURS
      faculty (22/64 [34%] vs 22/53 [43%], P = .43) were similar between survey
      periods. Although survey respondents felt urotrauma volume had remained constant
      (34/64 [53%] vs 30/53 [56%], P = .71), more recent respondents reported that
      conservative management strategies negatively impacted resident exposure (14/64
      [22%] vs 23/53 [43%], P = .01). Residencies with GURS faculty in 2013 (22/53,
      42%) were positively associated with residents publishing urotrauma literature
      (9/22 [41%] vs 4/31 [13%], P = .02), the presence of multidisciplinary trauma and
      urology conferences (3/22 [14%] vs 0/31 [0%], P = .03), and residents
      matriculating to GURS fellowships (15/22 [68%] vs 10/31 [32%], P = .009).
      CONCLUSION: Many contemporary urology residencies report poor resident exposure
      to urotrauma during training. Although presence of GURS faculty may influence
      resident career choice, additional strategies may be warranted to expose
      residents to urotrauma during training.

PMID- 26494296
TI  - Isolated Renal Sinus Lymphangiectasia-Close Mimic of Pelviureteric Junction
      Obstruction and Hydronephrosis.
AB  - Renal lymphangiectasia is a rare disorder which may present as perirenal or
      peripelvic collection. Isolated renal sinus lymphangiectasia is a close
      differential diagnosis for pelviureteric junction obstruction on ultrasound, but
      can be resolved without ambiguity using computed tomography and magnetic
      resonance imaging. Here we describe such a case where imaging helped avoid
      unnecessary confusion. 

PMID- 26494297
TI  - Identification of the neural crest-specific enhancer of Seraf gene in avian
      peripheral nervous system development.
AB  - In vertebrate embryos, trunk neural crest cells give rise to Schwann cells, along
      with other derivatives. In this study, to elucidate the molecular mechanisms for
      the Schwann cell specification, we aimed to identify enhancer elements
      responsible for the expression of the Seraf gene, the earliest marker for the
      Schwann cell precursors in the avian embryos. We first compared the genomic
      structure around the Seraf locus in various vertebrates, and found that, while
      mammals do not have a Seraf homolog, teleost fish species have it. However, the
      intergenic sequences around the Seraf locus are not conserved between zebrafish
      and chicken, consistent with the fact that fish Seraf expression is not Schwann
      cell precursor-specific. We thus compared the intergenic sequences around the
      Seraf locus among avian species, and identified a potential enhancer containing a
      cluster of Sox10-binding sites. Accordingly, the identified enhancer is activated
      in a neural crest-specific manner in transfected quail embryos. We also found
      that Sox10 activated the enhancer in cultured cells. Thus, our results revealed a
      new role of Sox10 in the earliest phase of the Schwann cell fate specification. 

PMID- 26494298
TI  - Notch increased vitronection adhesion protects myeloma cells from drug induced
      apoptosis.
AB  - Notch signaling activation was found in many human cancers including multiple
      myeloma. It was previously reported that notch contributes to drug resistant of
      myeloma cells upon chemotherapy treatment, inhibition of notch by inhibitors
      helped to overcome drug resistance. However, the mechanism of notch developed
      drug resistance is remained to be fully illustrated. In the current study, we
      reported that Notch signaling activation up-regulated expression of integrin
      alphavbeta5 in myeloma cells companied with enhanced cells adhesion on
      vitronectin. Silencing Notch-1 receptor with siRNA or blocking cells with
      integrin alphavbeta5 antibody reduced myeloma cells adhesion on vitronectin,
      importantly, vitronectin mediated adhesion confers protection of myeloma cells
      from drug induced apoptosis. Thus, we revealed a novel mechanism of myeloma cells
      resistance to drug induced apoptosis. This study first connected Notch signaling,
      VTN adhesion and drug resistance together. Therefore, blocking alphavbeta5
      receptor with antibody or knock down approach would be a novel promising strategy
      to treat MM. 

PMID- 26494299
TI  - microRNA-26a and -584 inhibit the colorectal cancer progression through
      inhibition of the binding of hnRNP A1-CDK6 mRNA.
AB  - While the progress of chemotherapy and molecular targeted therapy has improved
      the outcome of colorectal cancer patients, the mortality of colon cancer remains
      high, indicating the need to develop novel therapeutic targets for improving the
      outcome of colon cancer. Heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNP A1) is highly
      expressed in colorectal cancer and its expression correlates with malignant
      transformation. In this study, we performed a microarray analysis with the RNA
      immunoprecipitation (RNA-IP) method and identified hnRNP A1-interacting miRs,
      including miR-26a and -584, in a colorectal cancer cell line, SW620. A SRB assay
      revealed the tumor suppressive effect of miR-26a and -584, and the tumor
      suppressive effect of these miRs was diminished by the downregulation of hnRNP
      A1. The combined method of a transcriptome analysis and RNA-IP revealed hnRNP A1
      interacting mRNAs, including cyclin dependent kinase 6 (CDK6). A Western blot
      analysis revealed the downregulation of CDK6 in miR-26a and -584 overexpression
      cells, as well as hnRNP A1 knockdown cells. The binding assay indicated that the
      binding of hnRNP A1-CDK6 mRNA was reduced by transfection of miR-26a and -584.
      The expression of cleaved caspase-3 was induced in miR-26a and -584
      overexpression cells. These data indicate that miR-26a and -584 inhibit the
      binding of hnRNP A1-CDK6 mRNA and induce colorectal cancer cell apoptosis. 

PMID- 26494300
TI  - Bone stroma-derived cells change coregulators recruitment to androgen receptor
      and decrease cell proliferation in androgen-sensitive and castration-resistant
      prostate cancer cells.
AB  - Prostate cancer (CaP) bone metastasis is an early event that remains inactive
      until later-stage progression. Reduced levels of circulating androgens, due to
      andropause or androgen deprivation therapies, alter androgen receptor (AR)
      coactivator expression. Coactivators shift the balance towards enhanced AR
      mediated gene transcription that promotes progression to androgen-resistance.
      Disruptions in coregulators may represent a molecular switch that reactivates
      latent bone metastasis. Changes in AR-mediated transcription in androgen
      sensitive LNCaP and androgen-resistant C4-2 cells were analyzed for AR
      coregulator recruitment in co-culture with Saos-2 and THP-1. The Saos-2 cell line
      derived from human osteosarcoma and THP-1 cell line representing human monocytes
      were used to display osteoblast and osteoclast activity. Increased AR activity in
      androgen-resistant C4-2 was due to increased AR expression and SRC1/TIF2
      recruitment and decreased SMRT/NCoR expression. AR activity in both cell types
      was decreased over 90% when co-cultured with Saos-2 or THP-1 due to dissociation
      of AR from the SRC1/TIF2 and SMRT/NCoR coregulators complex, in a ligand
      dependent and cell-type specific manner. In the absence of androgens, Saos-2
      decreased while THP-1 increased proliferation of LNCaP cells. In contrast, both
      Saos-2 and THP-1 decreased proliferation of C4-2 in absence and presence of
      androgens. Global changes in gene expression from both CaP cell lines identified
      potential cell cycle and androgen regulated genes as mechanisms for changes in
      cell proliferation and AR-mediated transactivation in the context of bone marrow
      stroma cells. 

PMID- 26494301
TI  - Epigallocatechin-3-gallate attenuates the AIM2-induced secretion of IL-1beta in
      human epidermal keratinocytes.
AB  - The pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) plays a central role
      in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Keratinocytes are a major source of IL-1beta
      and express absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2). AIM2 recognizes a double-stranded DNA
      and initiates the IL-1beta-processing of inflammasome. The AIM2 inflammasome is a
      cytosolic multiprotein complex composed of AIM2, an apoptosis-associated speck
      like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), and pro-caspase-1.
      Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG), a major polyphenolic component of green tea,
      has anti-inflammatory properties. In the current study, we investigated the issue
      of whether or how EGCG suppresses AIM2 inflammasome in human epidermal
      keratinocytes, neonatal (HEKn). Treatment with EGCG, before or after IFN-gamma
      priming, attenuated poly(dA:dT)-induced IL-1beta secretion in HEKn cells. Pre
      treatment with EGCG reduced the level of IFN-gamma-induced priming signal via the
      down-regulation of pro-IL-1beta and pro-capspase-1 in HEKn cells. Furthermore,
      treatment with EGCG attenuated poly(dA:dT)-induced ASC oligomerization and
      caspase-1 activation in IFN-gamma-primed HEKn cells. These results suggest that
      EGCG attenuates AIM2-induced IL-1beta secretion by suppressing both IFN-gamma
      mediated priming and poly(dA:dT)-induced ASC oligomerization of inflammasomes in
      human epidermal keratinocytes. 

PMID- 26494302
TI  - A descriptive study of baccalaureate nursing students' responses to suicide
      prevention education.
AB  - Internationally, little is known regarding the amount of educational content on
      suicide in undergraduate nursing curriculum. The literature conducted found few
      published research studies on implementation of suicide prevention instruction in
      baccalaureate nursing curriculum, even though various international healthcare
      and nursing initiatives address suicide prevention. The aim was to describe
      senior baccalaureate students' responses to an evidence-based suicide prevention
      gatekeeper training program entitled Question-Persuade-Refer implemented in a
      required course. This is a multi-method descriptive study. Data were collected
      utilizing a pre-post-survey questionnaire administered to 150 students in four
      classes of a psychiatric nursing course over a two-year period. The quantitative
      data were statistically significant (p < 0.000) indicating an overall positive
      rating of the training. From the qualitative data, the main theme was 'becoming
      capable intervening with persons at risk for suicide'. Students responded very
      positively to the evidence based suicide prevention gatekeeper training program.
      The instruction addresses various national initiatives and strategies filling a
      void in nursing curriculum, as well as empowering students to engage in suicide
      prevention interventions. 

PMID- 26494303
TI  - New ways of seeing: Nursing students' experiences of a pilot service learning
      program in Australia.
AB  - The objective of this paper was to evaluate pre-registration nursing students'
      experiences of a pilot program that placed them in community based non-government
      organisations for clinical placement as part of a core mental health subject.
      Clinical placements that adopt a Service Learning model in primary health care
      environments are valuable to nursing students but are not commonly available in
      Australia. In order to enhance student exposure to primary health care models and
      support experiential learning about the social determinants of health, a pilot
      Service Learning program was designed to provide clinical placements in non
      government organisations. Qualitative data were collected through one focus group
      with program participants. The focus group was audio-recorded and transcribed
      verbatim. Thematic analysis of transcribed data was undertaken. The overarching
      theme identified was 'new ways of seeing'. Three sub-themes - 'learning outside
      the box', 'confronting the real world' and 'transformative experiences' - were
      also identified. The authors have concluded that nursing students in community
      organisations for clinical practicum facilitated valuable learning and generated
      professional and personal insight leading to increased understanding of the
      social determinants of health and increased awareness of mental health nursing in
      the community. 

PMID- 26494304
TI  - Surveying the experiences and perceptions of undergraduate nursing students of a
      flipped classroom approach to increase understanding of drug science and its
      application to clinical practice.
AB  - Patient harm from medication error is a significant issue. Individual failures by
      health professionals including knowledge deficits and poor communication have
      been identified as increasing the likelihood of medication administration errors.
      In Australia, the National Strategy for Quality Use of Medicines in 2002 compels
      health professionals to have the knowledge and skills to use medicines safely and
      effectively. This paper examines nursing students' perceptions of the
      effectiveness of a flipped classroom approach to increase understanding of
      pharmacology principles and the application of this knowledge to medication
      practice. An internet-based self-completion questionnaire was used in 2013 (n =
      26) after the flipped classroom approach was implemented, and pre- (n = 6) and
      post-flipping (n = 25) in 2014. Students who engaged with digitally recorded
      lectures (eLectures) prior to face-to-face workshops stated that they had greater
      understanding of the subject and enhanced critical thinking skills. The replay
      function of the eLecture was perceived by some students as most beneficial to
      independent learning. However, for some students, time constraints meant that
      they relied on eLectures alone, while others preferred traditional teaching
      methods. Although limited by sample size and potential participant bias, the
      results provide insights about the flipped classroom experience from a student
      perspective.

PMID- 26494306
TI  - Update on the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) remains the most important human infectious disease. Currently,
      the TB diagnosis is still based on the clinical presentation, radiographic
      findings and microbiological results; all of which have sensitivity or
      specificity issues. For that reason, the immediate future involves rapid
      molecular microbiological techniques, in particular GeneXpert (which is more
      sensitive than bacilloscopy and is able to detect rifampicin resistance) and
      GenoType. The current six-month treatment for TB has remained unchanged for
      decades. Attempts to shorten this treatment have failed. In recent years, new
      drugs have been reported that could contribute to TB treatment in the near
      future, and are already being used in multi-drug-resistance TB. 

PMID- 26494305
TI  - TNFalpha-blockade stabilizes local airway hyperresponsiveness during TLR-induced
      exacerbations in murine model of asthma.
AB  - Viral infections are a common cause of asthma exacerbation. These maladies are
      sometimes complicated by bacterial infections. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are in
      the forefront of our microbial defence, with TLR3 responding to viral and TLR4 to
      bacterial stimulation. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of
      concomitant TLR3 and TLR4 stimulation in a murine model of allergic asthma.BALB/c
      mice were stimulated intranasally with a combination of poly(I:C) and LPS
      activating TLR3 and TLR4, respectively. This resulted in the development of
      airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in the proximal part of the lung, along with
      signs of neutrophilic inflammation. Analysis of the bronchioalveolar lavage fluid
      (BALF) revealed a marked increase in TNFalpha. In contrast, the allergic airway
      inflammation induced by ovalbumin administration to sensitized mice caused AHR in
      the whole lung along with an increase in eosinophils and lymphocytes in the BALF
      and lung.When poly(I:C) + LPS were given to mice with an ongoing allergic airway
      inflammation induced by ovalbumin, the AHR was further increased in the
      peripheral lung and neutrophils appeared together with eosinophils and
      lymphocytes in the BALF and lung. Treatment with the TNFalpha-blocking antibody
      infliximab blunted the AHR increase, without affecting the cells influx in
      BALF.To conclude; a combined TLR3- and TLR4-stimulation, representing a
      concomitant viral and bacterial infection, causes an AHR that is further
      exaggerated during an ongoing allergic inflammation. The airway stabilizing
      effect of infliximab indicates the possible future use of TNFalpha blockade in
      treatment of microbial induced exacerbations of allergic asthma.

PMID- 26494307
TI  - Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating the Educational Module Students Active
      Learning via Internet Observations (SALIO) in Undergraduate Nursing Education.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed not only to describe the development and implementation
      of the module but also to evaluate the nursing students' perceptions. DESIGN AND
      METHODS: A cross-sectional design including 101 students who were asked to
      participate and answer a survey. We describe the development of the pedagogic
      module Students Active Learning via Internet Observations based on situated
      learning. FINDINGS: The findings show that learning about service users' own
      lived experiences via web-based platforms was instructive according to the
      students: 81% agreed to a high or very high degree. Another important finding was
      that 96% of students responded that the module had clinical relevance for nursing
      work. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: We argue that learning that engages students with
      data that are contextually and culturally situated is important for developing
      competence in caregiving.

PMID- 26494308
TI  - Early and severe haemolysis after treatment with artesunate for severe malaria.

PMID- 26494309
TI  - Erratum: Reward feedback stimuli elicit high-beta EEG oscillations in human
      dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

PMID- 26494311
TI  - Relationships between problematic alcohol consumption and delinquent behaviour
      from adolescence to young adulthood.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heavy episodic drinking (HED) has been associated with increased risk
      for short- and long-term injury and harms, such as violence and delinquent
      behaviour; however, the temporal relationship between the two remains unclear,
      particularly on transition to young adulthood. This study investigates
      transactional pathways between HED and delinquent behaviour from adolescence to
      emerging adulthood. METHODS: Data were drawn from the Australian Temperament
      Project; a population-based longitudinal study that has followed the health and
      development of participants (and parents) across 30 years from birth in 1982. The
      analytic sample was 1650 participants and included five measurement waves
      spanning adolescence (3 waves: 13-18 years) and young adulthood (2 waves; 19-24
      years). RESULTS: There was strong continuity across waves of both HED and
      delinquency, as well as across-time associations between them. Delinquent
      behaviour in adolescence was associated with up to twofold increases in the odds
      of HED at each subsequent adolescent wave. HED in the late teens was associated
      with over fourfold increases in the odds of persistent (two waves) HED in young
      adulthood. HED in the late teens was associated with increases in the odds of
      delinquent behaviour in young adulthood (over twofold for male and one and a half
      fold for female participants). CONCLUSIONS: While delinquent behaviour predicts
      both future HED and future delinquent behaviour in adolescence, once young people
      reach the legal drinking age of 18 years, HED becomes a predictor of current and
      future delinquent behaviour and future HED, suggesting that increased access to
      alcohol increases the likelihood of young people engaging in delinquent
      behaviour. [Miller PG, Butler E, Richardson B, Staiger PK, Youssef GJ, Macdonald
      JA, Sanson A, Edwards B, Olsson CA. Relationships between problematic alcohol
      consumption and delinquent behaviour from adolescence to young adulthood. Drug
      Alcohol Rev 2016;35:317-325].

PMID- 26494312
TI  - Cuprous Oxide Catalyzed Oxidative C-C Bond Cleavage for C-N Bond Formation:
      Synthesis of Cyclic Imides from Ketones and Amines.
AB  - Selective oxidative cleavage of a C-C bond offers a straightforward method to
      functionalize organic skeletons. Reported herein is the oxidative C-C bond
      cleavage of ketone for C-N bond formation over a cuprous oxide catalyst with
      molecular oxygen as the oxidant. A wide range of ketones and amines are converted
      into cyclic imides with moderate to excellent yields. In-depth studies show that
      both alpha-C-H and beta-C-H bonds adjacent to the carbonyl groups are
      indispensable for the C-C bond cleavage. DFT calculations indicate the reaction
      is initiated with the oxidation of the alpha-C-H bond. Amines lower the
      activation energy of the C-C bond cleavage, and thus promote the reaction. New
      insight into the C-C bond cleavage mechanism is presented.

PMID- 26494310
TI  - Lactate dehydrogenase-A inhibition induces human glioblastoma multiforme stem
      cell differentiation and death.
AB  - Therapies that target the signal transduction and metabolic pathways of cancer
      stem cells (CSCs) are innovative strategies to effectively reduce the recurrence
      and significantly improve the outcome of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). CSCs
      exhibit an increased rate of glycolysis, thus rendering them intrinsically more
      sensitive to prospective therapeutic strategies based on the inhibition of the
      glycolytic pathway. The enzyme lactate dehydrogenase-A (LDH-A), which catalyses
      the interconversion of pyruvate and lactate, is up-regulated in human cancers,
      including GBM. Although several papers have explored the benefits of targeting
      cancer metabolism in GBM, the effects of direct LDH-A inhibition in glial tumours
      have not yet been investigated, particularly in the stem cell subpopulation.
      Here, two representative LDH-A inhibitors (NHI-1 and NHI-2) were studied in GBM
      derived CSCs and compared to differentiated tumour cells. LDH-A inhibition was
      particularly effective in CSCs isolated from different GBM cell lines, where the
      two compounds blocked CSC formation and elicited long-lasting effects by
      triggering both apoptosis and cellular differentiation. These data demonstrate
      that GBM, particularly the stem cell subpopulation, is sensitive to glycolytic
      inhibition and shed light on the therapeutic potential of LDH-A inhibitors in
      this tumour type. 

PMID- 26494313
TI  - Sixty seconds on: flu vaccination.

PMID- 26494314
TI  - The Effects of the Moms and Teens for Safe Dates Program on Dating Abuse: a
      Conditional Process Analysis.
AB  - Moms and Teens for Safe Dates (MTSD) is a dating abuse (DA) prevention program
      for teens exposed to domestic violence. In a randomized controlled trial (RCT),
      MTSD prevented certain types of DA victimization (psychological and physical) and
      perpetration (psychological and cyber) among teens with higher, but not lower,
      exposure to domestic violence. We built on these findings by using moderated
      mediation analysis to examine whether level of teen exposure to domestic violence
      conditioned the indirect effects of MTSD on these types of DA through targeted
      mediators. MTSD consisted of six mailed activity booklets. Mothers who had been
      former victims of domestic violence delivered the program to their teens. Mother
      and teen pairs were recruited into the RCT through community advertising and
      completed baseline and 6-month follow-up interviews (N = 277 pairs). As expected,
      MTSD had significant favorable effects for teens with higher but not lower
      exposure to domestic violence on several mediators that guided program content,
      including teen conflict management skills and mother-perceived severity of DA,
      self-efficacy for enacting DA prevention efforts, and comfort in communicating
      with her teen. MTSD had significant main effects on other mediators including
      teen feeling of family closeness and cohesion and mother-perceived susceptibility
      of her teen to DA. As expected, all significant indirect effects of MTSD on DA
      outcomes through mediators were for teens with higher exposure to domestic
      violence. Findings have implications for developing DA victimization and
      perpetration prevention programs for teens with high exposure to domestic
      violence. 

PMID- 26494315
TI  - Toxicological and biochemical analyses demonstrate no toxic effect of Cry1C and
      Cry2A to Folsomia candida.
AB  - Collembolans are common soil arthropods that may be exposed to insecticidal
      proteins produced in genetically engineered (GE) plants by ingestion of crop
      residues or root exudates. In the present study, a dietary exposure assay was
      validated and used to assess the lethal and sublethal effects of two Bacillus
      thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal proteins, Cry1C and Cry2A, on Folsomia candida.
      Using the insecticidal compounds potassium arsenate (PA), protease inhibitor (E
      64), and Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) mixed into Baker's yeast, we show
      that the assay used can detect adverse effects on F. candida. Survival and
      development were significantly reduced when F. candida was fed a diet containing
      PA, E-64, and GNA at 9, 75, and 100 MUg/g diet, respectively, but not when fed a
      diet containing 300 MUg/g Cry1C or 600 MUg/g Cry2A. The activities of test
      antioxidant-, detoxification-, and digestion-related enzymes in F. candida were
      unaltered by a diet containing 300 MUg/g Cry1C or 600 MUg/g Cry2A, but were
      significantly increased by a diet containing 75 MUg/g E-64. The results confirm
      that Cry1C and Cry2A are not toxic to F. candida at concentrations that are much
      higher than those encountered under field conditions.

PMID- 26494316
TI  - Comparative analysis of antibodies to xCT (Slc7a11): Forewarned is forearmed.
AB  - The cystine/glutamate antiporter or system Xc- exchanges cystine for glutamate,
      thereby supporting intracellular glutathione synthesis and nonvesicular glutamate
      release. The role of system Xc- in neurological disorders can be dual and remains
      a matter of debate. One important reason for the contradictory findings that have
      been reported to date is the use of nonspecific anti-xCT (the specific subunit of
      system Xc-) antibodies. Often studies rely on the predicted molecular weight of
      55.5 kDa to identify xCT on Western blots. However, using brain extracts from xCT
      knockout (xCT(-/-)) mice as negative controls, we show that xCT migrates as a 35
      kDa protein. Misinterpretation of immunoblots leads to incorrect assessment of
      antibody specificity and thereby to erroneous data interpretation. Here we have
      verified the specificity of most commonly used commercial and some in-house
      developed anti-xCT antibodies by comparing their immunoreactivity in brain tissue
      of xCT(+/+) and xCT(-/-) mice by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The
      Western blot screening results demonstrate that antibody specificity not only
      differs between batches produced by immunizing different rabbits with the same
      antigen but also between bleedings of the same rabbit. Moreover, distinct
      immunohistochemical protocols have been tested for all the anti-xCT antibodies
      that were specific on Western blots in order to obtain a specific immunolabeling.
      Only one of our in-house-developed antibodies could reveal specific xCT labeling
      and exclusively on acetone-postfixed cryosections. Using this approach, we
      observed xCT protein expression throughout the mouse forebrain, including cortex,
      striatum, hippocampus, midbrain, thalamus, and amygdala, with greatest expression
      in regions facing the cerebrospinal fluid and meninges.

PMID- 26494318
TI  - Limited generalisation of changes in attentional bias following attentional bias
      modification with the visual probe task.
AB  - Although attentional bias modification (ABM) can change anxiety, recent studies
      failed to replicate such effects, possibly because the visual probe ABM failed to
      induce changes in attentional bias (AB). We investigated whether visual probe ABM
      generalised to different measures of AB besides the visual probe task (VPT), and
      thus whether ABM genuinely changes attentional processing. We trained
      participants (N = 60) to either attend towards or away from angry facial
      expressions, and we examined training effects on the dot probe task, the
      exogenous cueing task, and the visual search task. We found a small change in AB
      in the VPT, but this effect did not transfer to the exogenous cueing task or the
      visual search task. Our study shows that ABM does not necessarily lead to
      generalised effects on AB. This finding can be explained by the poor psychometric
      properties of the AB measures.

PMID- 26494317
TI  - Overshoot during phenotypic switching of cancer cell populations.
AB  - The dynamics of tumor cell populations is hotly debated: do populations derive
      hierarchically from a subpopulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs), or are
      stochastic transitions that mutate differentiated cancer cells to CSCs important?
      Here we argue that regulation must also be important. We sort human melanoma
      cells using three distinct cancer stem cell (CSC) markers - CXCR6, CD271 and
      ABCG2 - and observe that the fraction of non-CSC-marked cells first overshoots to
      a higher level and then returns to the level of unsorted cells. This clearly
      indicates that the CSC population is homeostatically regulated. Combining
      experimental measurements with theoretical modeling and numerical simulations, we
      show that the population dynamics of cancer cells is associated with a complex
      miRNA network regulating the Wnt and PI3K pathways. Hence phenotypic switching is
      not stochastic, but is tightly regulated by the balance between positive and
      negative cells in the population. Reducing the fraction of CSCs below a threshold
      triggers massive phenotypic switching, suggesting that a therapeutic strategy
      based on CSC eradication is unlikely to succeed. 

PMID- 26494319
TI  - Design of a national and regional survey among French general practitioners and
      method of the first wave of survey dedicated to vaccination.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: France is currently facing a vaccine-hesitancy crisis. We conducted a
      questionnaire-based telephone interview with a large sample of general
      practitioners (GPs) as they play a crucial role in the vaccination process. Our
      main objectives were to study the GPs' vaccination behaviors when it comes to
      their own vaccination and that of their relatives, and the vaccine
      recommendations made to their patients. We also aimed to understand their opinion
      related to the severity of vaccine-preventable diseases and to assess their trust
      in various sources of information. Finally, we enquired about their opinion in
      terms of vaccination-related tools that could help them in their daily practice.
      The article aimed to present the design of this panel and survey. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Four samples of GPs (one national and three regional) were selected
      among all the French GPs (metropolitan France) using random sampling. Five cross
      sectional surveys should be conducted with that panel. The mean targeted sample
      size is 2350 GPs for each survey. The survey dedicated to vaccination was
      conducted by telephone or on the Internet. RESULTS: GPs were included in the
      survey between December 2013 and February 2014. The national sample included 1582
      GPs (response rate: 46%) and the three regional samples included 1297 GPs
      (response rate: 44%). The survey dedicated to vaccination was conducted between
      April and July 2014; the national sample response rate was 92% (1582/1712).
      CONCLUSION: The results of the first wave of surveys, conducted on a large sample
      of French GPs, provide important information to guide the French vaccination
      policy.

PMID- 26494321
TI  - Abnormal Connection of the Ductus Venosus to a Dilated Coronary Sinus Imaged by
      Prenatal Echocardiography: Case Report.
AB  - We describe a case of a fetus with an ectopic connection of the ductus venosus to
      a dilated coronary sinus that was diagnosed at ShengJing Hospital of China
      Medical University. A dilated coronary sinus was initially detected with prenatal
      echocardiography. Neither a persistent left superior vena cava nor an anomalous
      pulmonary venous connection was present. After comprehensive examination, we
      discovered that the ductus venosus had an abnormal course draining into the
      coronary sinus. The postnatal outcome of this fetus was good. Once a dilated
      coronary sinus is confirmed, further ultrasound evaluation should be performed to
      search for a potential cause. 

PMID- 26494320
TI  - Six, Seven or Eight Coordinate Fe(II) , Co(II) or Ni(II) Complexes of Amide
      Appended Tetraazamacrocycles for ParaCEST Thermometry.
AB  - Fe(II) , Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes of two tetraazamacrocycles (1,4,8,11
      tetrakis(carbamoylmethyl)-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane (L1) and 1,4,7,10
      tetrakis(carbamoylmethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (L2) show promise as
      paraCEST agents for registration of temperature (paraCEST=paramagnetic chemical
      exchange saturation transfer). The Fe(II) , Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes of L1
      show up to four CEST peaks shifted <=112 ppm, whereas analogous complexes of L2
      show only a single CEST peak at <=69 ppm. Comparison of the temperature
      coefficients (CT ) of the CEST peaks of [Co(L2)](2+) , [Fe(L2)](2+) ,
      [Ni(L1)](2+) and [Co(L1)](2+) showed that a CEST peak of [Co(L1)](2+) gave the
      largest CT (-0.66 ppm (o) C(-1) at 4.7 T). NMR spectral and CEST properties of
      these complexes correspond to coordination complex symmetry as shown by
      structural data. The [Ni(L1)](2+) and [Co(L1)](2+) complexes have a six
      coordinate metal ion bound to the 1-, 4-amide oxygen atoms and four nitrogen
      atoms of the tetraazamacrocycle. The [Fe(L2)](2+) complex has an unusual eight
      coordinate Fe(II) bound to four amide oxygen atoms and four macrocyclic nitrogen
      atoms. For [Co(L2)](2+) , one structure has seven-coordinate Co(II) with three
      bound amide pendents and a second structure has a six-coordinate Co(II) with two
      bound amide pendents. 

PMID- 26494322
TI  - Early constraints in sexual dimorphism: survival benefits of feminized
      phenotypes.
AB  - Sexual dimorphism (SD) has evolved in response to selection pressures that differ
      between sexes. Since such pressures change across an individual's life, SD may
      vary within age classes. Yet, little is known about how selection on early
      phenotypes may drive the final SD observed in adults. In many dimorphic species,
      juveniles resemble adult females rather than adult males, meaning that out of the
      selective pressures established by sexual selection feminized phenotypes may be
      adaptive. If true, fitness benefits of early female-like phenotypes may constrain
      the expression of male phenotypes in adulthood. Using the common kestrel Falco
      tinnunculus as a study model, we evaluated the fitness advantages of expressing
      more feminized phenotypes at youth. Although more similar to adult females than
      to adult males, common kestrel fledglings are still sexually dimorphic in size
      and coloration. Integrating morphological and chromatic variables, we analysed
      the phenotypic divergence between sexes as a measure of how much each individual
      looks like the sex to which it belongs (phenotypic sexual resemblance, PSR). We
      then tested the fitness benefits associated with PSR by means of the probability
      of recruitment in the population. We found a significant interaction between PSR
      and sex, showing that in both sexes more feminized phenotypes recruited more into
      the population than less feminized phenotypes. Moreover, males showed lower PSR
      than females and a higher proportion of incorrect sex classifications. These
      findings suggest that the mechanisms in males devoted to resembling female
      phenotypes in youth, due to a trend to increase fitness through more feminized
      phenotypes, may provide a mechanism to constrain the SD in adulthood. 

PMID- 26494323
TI  - Is lipstick oral health?

PMID- 26494324
TI  - Patient confidentiality: A pertinent point.

PMID- 26494325
TI  - Incision and drainage can still be attempted for a superficial ranula.

PMID- 26494326
TI  - In practice: Glove wearing: new circumstances and many unknowns.

PMID- 26494327
TI  - Discrepancy in guidelines in periodontal examination.

PMID- 26494328
TI  - Right of reply: Stereopsis.

PMID- 26494330
TI  - Cochlear implant update.

PMID- 26494329
TI  - Communication: Naming names.

PMID- 26494332
TI  - Bringing smiles across Nepal.

PMID- 26494337
TI  - Nothing has changed.

PMID- 26494341
TI  - From the archive: The mysterious case of 'exploding teeth'.

PMID- 26494342
TI  - You can catch a killer.

PMID- 26494343
TI  - Are we human, or are we dentists?
AB  - There are often moments in life when you can pinpoint exactly where you were,
      what you were doing and how you felt. From the ecstasy of your wedding to the
      moment you found out about a family bereavement, those feelings stay with you for
      the rest of your life. As dental professionals, it is understandable that, given
      the pressures exerted by UDAs and the way the contracts are, many patients will
      be treated and forgotten about by the time the next person is in the chair. 

PMID- 26494344
TI  - Effective anaesthesia of the acutely inflamed pulp: part 1. The acutely inflamed
      pulp.
AB  - Achieving profound pulpal anaesthesia in a mandibular molar diagnosed with
      irreversible pulpitis can be argued to be the most testing of dental anaesthetic
      challenges. This can be attributed to the technical complexities of conventional
      techniques and the presence of pulp pathosis. Reasons for why the latter
      influences the ability to attain pulpal anaesthesia is not yet fully understood,
      but its frequent occurrence is well documented. In light of overcoming this it
      has become common practice to prescribe antibiotics, refer onto secondary care or
      to even commence treatment without appropriately anaesthetising the tooth.
      Therefore, this two part series aims to help practitioners attain clinically
      acceptable pulpal anaesthesia in the most testing of scenarios; the acutely
      inflamed mandibular molar. They should then be able to apply these same
      principles to other teeth presenting with similar symptoms. This section outlines
      the clinical presentation and pathophysiology associated with an acutely inflamed
      pulp, defines what it is to attain pulpal anaesthesia and critically analyses
      theories as to why these teeth are up to eight times more difficult to
      anaesthetise than their healthy counterparts. 

PMID- 26494348
TI  - The Hall Technique; retrospective case-note follow-up of 5-year RCT.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Few paediatric dental restorative trials present outcomes for
      more than two years, leaving clinicians uncertain of long-term implications for
      their patients. This study aimed to establish the Hall Technique's success over
      the lifetime of primary teeth compared to conventional restorations (CR), by
      following up participants in the Tayside (Scotland), UK trial. DESIGN: Following
      the Phase 1 prospective, split-mouth randomised control trial with 132 children
      (264 teeth) in 17 general practices in Scotland, 142/264 (54%) teeth had reached
      an endpoint of exfoliation or extraction. Through practices, Phase 2 follow-up
      data were collected retrospectively from case-notes, using original trial
      outcomes. Phase 1/ 2 outcome data were combined. RESULTS: Data were obtained up
      until exfoliation/extraction for 184 teeth (73%) in matched pairs. Major
      failures: 16 CR; 4 HT (P = 0.0015); ARR = 0.13 (95%CI: 0.04;0.22), numbers needed
      to treat (NNT) 8 (95%CI: 4;25) favouring HT. Minor failures: 37 CR; 5 HT (P
      <0.0001); ARR = 0.35 (95%CI: 0.23;0.45) and NNT = 3 (95%CI: 2;4). Repeat failures
      occurred mostly in the conventional restoration arm for both major and minor
      failures. CONCLUSIONS: The HT continued to outperform GDP's standard restorations
      in primary molar teeth with significant caries involvement over the lifetime of
      the teeth.

PMID- 26494349
TI  - Understanding emotionally relevant situations in primary care dental practice: 1.
      Clinical situations and emotional responses.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The stressful nature of dental practice is well established.
      Much less information is available on the coping strategies used by dentists and
      the emotions which underlie the stressful experience. Previous research has been
      almost exclusively questionnaire-based, limiting the range of emotions explored.
      This study used qualitative methods to explore the full extent of emotions and
      coping strategies associated with stressful events in primary dental practice.
      METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 dentists in Lincoln and
      the surrounding area. Verbatim transcriptions were analysed using thematic
      analysis. RESULTS: Participants reported a wide variety of stressful situations,
      consistent with the existing literature, which were associated with a diverse
      range of negative emotional responses including anxiety, anger and sadness.
      Dentists tended to have more difficulty identifying positive events and emotions.
      The designation of a situation as stressful or otherwise was dependent on the
      dentist's personal interpretation of the event. Data relating to the effects of
      stressors and the coping strategies used by dentists will be presented in
      subsequent papers. CONCLUSION: The situations which dentists find difficult are
      accompanied by a diverse set of emotions, rather than omnipresent 'stress.' This
      has implications for stress management programmes for those in dental practice.

PMID- 26494359
TI  - Unconscious Desire: The Affective and Motivational Aspects  of Subliminal Sexual
      Priming.
AB  - Sexual arousal is thought to be the result of the processing of sexual cues at
      two levels: conscious and unconscious. Whereas numerous studies have examined the
      affective and motivational responses to supraliminal (consciously processed)
      sexual cues, much less is known regarding the responses to subliminal (processed
      outside of one's awareness) sexual cues. Five studies examined responses to
      subliminal sexual cues. Studies 1-3 demonstrated increases in adults' positive
      affect following exposure to subliminal sexual cues compared to control cues.
      Study 4 demonstrated that the positive affect resulting from exposure to
      subliminal sexual cues increased motivation to further engage in a neutral task.
      Study 5 provided evidence suggesting that the affect and motivation found in
      Studies 1-4 were associated with motivation to engage in sex specifically, rather
      than a general approach motivation. The implications of these findings for the
      processing of subliminal sexual cues and for human sexuality are discussed.

PMID- 26494358
TI  - Testicular expression of the Lin28/let-7 system: Hormonal regulation and changes
      during postnatal maturation and after manipulations of puberty.
AB  - The Lin28/let-7 system, which includes the RNA-binding proteins, Lin28a/Lin28b,
      and let-7 miRNAs, has emerged as putative regulator of puberty and male
      gametogenesis; yet, its expression pattern and regulation in postnatal testis
      remain ill defined. We report herein expression profiles of Lin28 and let-7
      members, and related mir-145 and mir-132, in rat testis during postnatal
      maturation and in models of altered puberty and hormonal deregulation. Neonatal
      expression of Lin28a and Lin28b was low and rose markedly during the infantile
      period; yet, expression patterns diverged thereafter, with persistently elevated
      levels only for Lin28b, which peaked at puberty. Let-7a, let-7b, mir-132 and mir
      145 showed profiles opposite to Lin28b. In fact, let-7b and mir-145 were abundant
      in pachytene spermatocytes, but absent in elongating spermatids, where high
      expression of Lin28b was previously reported. Perturbation of puberty by neonatal
      estrogenization reverted the Lin28/let-7 expression ratio; expression changes
      were also detected in other models of delayed puberty, due to early photoperiod
      or nutritional manipulations. In addition, hypophysectomy or growth hormone (GH)
      deficiency revealed regulation of this system by gonadotropins and GH. Our data
      document the expression profiles of the Lin28/let-7 system in rat testis along
      postnatal/pubertal maturation, and their perturbation in models of pubertal and
      hormonal manipulation. 

PMID- 26494360
TI  - Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Pedophilia.
AB  - Pedophilia is a principal motivator of child molestation, incurring great
      emotional and financial burdens on victims and society. Even among pedophiles who
      never commit any offense,the condition requires lifelong suppression and control.
      Previous comparison using voxel-based morphometry (VBM)of MR images from a large
      sample of pedophiles and controls revealed group differences in white matter. The
      present study therefore sought to verify and characterize white matter
      involvement using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), which better captures the
      microstructure of white matter than does VBM. Pedophilics ex offenders (n=24)
      were compared with healthy, age-matched controls with no criminal record and no
      indication of pedophilia (n=32). White matter microstructure was analyzed with
      Tract-Based Spatial Statistics, and the trajectories of implicated fiber bundles
      were identified by probabilistic tractography. Groups showed significant, highly
      focused differences in DTI parameters which related to participants' genital
      responses to sexual depictions of children, but not to measures of psychopathy or
      to childhood histories of physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect. Some
      previously reported gray matter differences were suggested under highly liberal
      statistical conditions (p(uncorrected)<.005), but did not survive ordinary
      statistical correction (whole brain per voxel false discovery rate of 5%). These
      results confirm that pedophilia is characterized by neuroanatomical differences
      in white matter microstructure, over and above any neural characteristics
      attributable to psychopathy and childhood adversity, which show neuroanatomic
      footprints of their own. Although some gray matter structures were implicated
      previously, only few have emerged reliably.

PMID- 26494361
TI  - Initiation patterns of statin therapy among adult patients undergoing
      intermediate to high-risk non-cardiac surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A growing body of literature has been produced on the potential role
      of statins in reducing perioperative cardiac events in patients undergoing non
      cardiac surgery. However, evidence remains inconsistent, and little is known
      about the patterns of perioperative statin use in routine care. OBJECTIVES: The
      objective of this study was to examine patterns of perioperative statin
      initiation among adults undergoing non-cardiac elective surgery in the USA.
      METHODS: Using data from a large US healthcare insurer, we identified patients
      aged >=18 years who underwent moderate-risk to high-risk non-cardiac elective
      surgery between 2003 and 2012 and initiated statins within 30 days before
      surgery. We evaluated temporal trends of statin initiation and patient
      characteristics. In a matched analysis, we assessed the effect of temporal
      proximity to surgery on the likelihood of statin initiation. RESULTS: Of 460,154
      patients undergoing surgery, 5628 (12 per 1000 patients) initiated a statin
      within 30 days before surgery. Statin initiation increased from 8 per 1000
      patients in 2003 to 15 in 2012 (p = 0.0022). The increase was more pronounced
      among patients undergoing vascular surgery (149 initiators per 1000 patients by
      the end of 2012) and with Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) score >=2 (72 per
      1000 patients). Proximity to surgery, in particular vascular surgery, was
      predictive of statin initiation. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the lack of robust
      evidence, perioperative statin initiation progressively increased from 2003 to
      2012, particularly among patients undergoing major vascular surgery and with
      higher RCRI score. These trends were largely attributable to the initiation of
      statins in anticipation of non-cardiac surgery rather than routine dyslipidemia
      treatment.

PMID- 26494362
TI  - Are People Living in Walkable Areas Healthier and More Satisfied with Life?
AB  - Are people who live in more walkable areas healthier and more satisfied with
      life? This study investigates that question by using the 2005 Behavioral Risk
      Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey, the largest telephone survey on
      health in the US (302,841 respondents from 989 metropolitan and micropolitan
      statistical areas [MSA]; 177,524 respondents from 703 MSAs had complete data).
      Using multilevel random coefficient modeling, we found that people living in
      walkable areas reported being generally healthier than people living in less
      walkable areas. In addition, aside from higher self-reported health, people
      living in walkable areas also had a lower body mass index (BMI). However,
      contrary to our prediction, people in more walkable areas were less satisfied
      with their lives than people in less walkable areas after controlling for various
      individual-level variables (age, gender, race, education, marital status, income,
      and unemployment). People who live in walkable areas are healthier but not
      happier than those living in less walkable areas. 

PMID- 26494364
TI  - Upregulated Tim-3/galectin-9 expressions in acute lung injury  in a murine
      malarial model.
AB  - Malaria is the most relevant parasitic disease worldwide, and severe malaria is
      characterized by cerebral edema, acute lung injury (ALI), and multiple organ
      dysfunctions; however, the mechanisms of lung damage need to be better clarified.
      In this study, we used Kunming outbred mice infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA
      (PbANKA) to elucidate the profiles of T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-3
      (Tim-3) and its ligand galecin-9 (Gal-9) in the development of ALI. Mice were
      injected intraperitoneally with 10(6) PbANKA-infected red blood cells. The lungs
      and mediastinal lymph nodes (MLNs) were harvested at days 5, 10, 15, and 20 post
      infections (p.i.). The grade of lung injury was histopathologically evaluated.
      Tim-3- and Gal-9-positive cells in the lungs and MLNs were stained by
      immunohistochemistry, and the messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions of Tim-3, Gal-9,
      and related cytokines were assessed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain
      reaction (qRT-PCR). Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) analyses were performed
      from days 18 to 20 p.i. The results showed that the pathological severities in
      the lungs were increased with times and the total protein level in the BALFs was
      significantly elevated in PbANKA-infected mice. The numbers of Gal-9(+) and Tim
      3(+) cells in the lungs were significantly increased, and the mRNA levels of both
      Gal-9 and Tim-3 in the lungs and MLNs were over-expressed in PbANKA-infected
      mice. In conclusion, our data suggested that Tim-3/Gal-9 may play a role in
      PbANKA-induced ALI.

PMID- 26494365
TI  - Antibiotic Susceptibility of Commensal Bacteria from Human Milk.
AB  - Recent studies have focused on foodborne or commensal bacteria as vehicles of
      antibiotic resistance. However, the antibiotic resistance of milk bacteria from
      healthy donors is still vague in Taiwan. For this purpose, human milk samples
      were obtained from randomly recruited 19 healthy women between 3 and 360 days
      post-partum. Antibiotic susceptibility profile of bacteria from milk samples was
      determined. About 20 bacterial species were isolated from milk samples including
      Staphylococcus (6 species), Streptococcus (4 species), Enterococcus (2 species),
      Lactobacillus (1 species), and bacteria belonging to other genera (7 species).
      Some opportunistic or potentially pathogenic bacteria including Kluyvera
      ascorbata, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii,
      Actinomyces bovis, and Staphylococcus aureus were also isolated. Intriguingly,
      Staphylococcus isolates (22 strains) were resistant to 2-8 of 8 antibiotics,
      while Streptococcus isolates (3 strains) were resistant to 3-7 of 9 antibiotics,
      and members of the genus Enterococcus (5 strains) were resistant to 3-8 of 9
      antibiotics. Notably, Staphylococcus lugdunensis, S. aureus, Streptococcus
      parasanguinis, Streptococcus pneumonia, and Enterococcus faecalis were resistant
      to vancomycin, which is considered as the last-resort antibiotic. Therefore, this
      study shows that most bacterial strains in human milk demonstrate mild to strong
      antibiotic resistance. Whether commensal bacteria in milk could serve as vehicles
      of antibiotic resistance should be further investigated.

PMID- 26494363
TI  - Interpreting functional effects of coding variants: challenges in proteome-scale
      prediction, annotation and assessment.
AB  - Accurate assessment of genetic variation in human DNA sequencing studies remains
      a nontrivial challenge in clinical genomics and genome informatics. Ascribing
      functional roles and/or clinical significances to single nucleotide variants
      identified from a next-generation sequencing study is an important step in genome
      interpretation. Experimental characterization of all the observed functional
      variants is yet impractical; thus, the prediction of functional and/or regulatory
      impacts of the various mutations using in silico approaches is an important step
      toward the identification of functionally significant or clinically actionable
      variants. The relationships between genotypes and the expressed phenotypes are
      multilayered and biologically complex; such relationships present numerous
      challenges and at the same time offer various opportunities for the design of in
      silico variant assessment strategies. Over the past decade, many bioinformatics
      algorithms have been developed to predict functional consequences of single
      nucleotide variants in the protein coding regions. In this review, we provide an
      overview of the bioinformatics resources for the prediction, annotation and
      visualization of coding single nucleotide variants. We discuss the currently
      available approaches and major challenges from the perspective of protein
      sequence, structure, function and interactions that require consideration when
      interpreting the impact of putatively functional variants. We also discuss the
      relevance of incorporating integrated workflows for predicting the biomedical
      impact of the functionally important variations encoded in a genome, exome or
      transcriptome. Finally, we propose a framework to classify variant assessment
      approaches and strategies for incorporation of variant assessment within
      electronic health records.

PMID- 26494367
TI  - Bringing the economic cost of informal caregiving into focus.

PMID- 26494366
TI  - Metanil yellow impairs the estrous cycle physiology and ovarian folliculogenesis
      in female rats.
AB  - Metanil yellow (MY) is a most frequently used food color in West Bengal, India.
      The toxic effects of MY on the male reproductive system have been reported
      discriminately in animal models. The probable toxic effects of MY on female
      reproductive functions have not been reported till date. Therefore, this study
      was designed to examine the effect of MY on estrous cycle rhythmicity and ovarian
      folliculogenesis in female rats. Rats have been exposed to MY at three doses of
      250, 500, 750 mg kgBW-1  day-1 for two exposure durations, 20 and 30 days. We
      observed significant changes in the number and duration of estrous cycle along
      with prominent cytoarchitectural changes in the cellular characteristics of
      vaginal smear of component phases of estrous cycle in a dose and duration
      dependent manner in MY-treated rats compared to control rats. We also observed a
      significant decrease in serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing
      hormone (LH), and estradiol levels in MY-treated rats. Further, the activities of
      some antioxidants enzymes in brain tissues of MY-treated rats were significantly
      decreased and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of lipid peroxidation,
      in brain tissues of MY-treated rats was also significantly increased. The ovarian
      folliculogenesis in this study was also significantly impaired in MY-treated
      rats. In conclusion, MY impairs the estrous cycle and ovarian folliculogenesis in
      female rats by inhibiting the secretion of FSH and estradiol from the ovary, and
      inducing the oxidative stress in hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. (c) 2015
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 2057-2067, 2016.

PMID- 26494368
TI  - The importance of the feasibility study: Lessons from a study of the hand-held
      fan used to relieve dyspnea in people who are breathless at rest.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The dyspnea accompanying advanced cardiorespiratory disease is often
      refractory to palliation. It is disabling, distressing and associated with the
      diseases most common everywhere in the world. The hand-held fan, used to generate
      a draught across the face, is a simple, cost-effective, safe, and universally
      applicable palliative breathlessness intervention, consistently described as
      valuable in qualitative research. A previous crossover trial confirmed its
      benefit in patients breathless at rest, but the washout period was uncertain.
      AIM: To determine the washout period after use of the hand-held fan to inform
      accurate randomized controlled trial design. DESIGN: An observational
      methodological study. Breathlessness intensity was measured using 100 mm visual
      analog scale and numerical rating scale, and "relief of breathlessness" was
      measured on a 5-point scale. Those benefitting from the fan provided visual
      analog scale/numerical rating scale scores until (1) scores returned to baseline
      values or (2) until response had plateaued. The primary outcome measure was the
      time (in minutes) to reach either component of the primary study endpoint.
      SETTINGS/PARTICIPANTS: Four in-/out-patient hospice/hospital units; participants
      had chronic refractory breathlessness using the fan. RESULTS: Overall, 31
      patients participated (mean age: 74.8 years; range: 49-98 years, standard
      deviation = 11.5 years); 64% were males. Approximately, half of the sample
      experienced benefit of moderate effect size. The relative reduction in
      breathlessness relative to the mean baseline score for the sample was 27% for the
      visual analog scale and 19% for the numerical rating scale. CONCLUSION:
      Feasibility work is essential, even for simple widely employed interventions.

PMID- 26494369
TI  - Quality of Life Outcomes of Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review.
AB  - Bariatric surgery is often pursued to improve quality of life (QOL). This paper
      systematically reviews the literature examining QOL following bariatric surgery.
      Fifteen controlled trials examined changes in QOL in obese (BMI > 30) adults (18
      65 years) following bariatric surgery; seven compared bariatric surgery to non
      surgical interventions and six compared different types of bariatric surgery.
      Bariatric surgery resulted in greater improvements in QOL than other obesity
      treatments. Significant differences in QOL improvements were found between
      different types of bariatric surgery. QOL improvements were more likely to occur
      within the first 2 years following surgery, with greater improvements in physical
      QOL than mental QOL. Bariatric surgery improves QOL. Future research is needed to
      investigate changes in QOL in different domains in the short- and long-term
      following bariatric surgery.

PMID- 26494372
TI  - A case of acute compression fracture in block vertebra.

PMID- 26494370
TI  - Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition increases ADMA concentration in patients
      on maintenance hemodialysis--a randomized cross-over study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction occurs in patients with end-stage renal
      disease (ESRD) and is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and
      mortality. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) contributes to endothelial
      dysfunction in ESRD. In the general population, angiotensin-converting enzyme
      (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) decrease ADMA levels,
      but no study has compared the effect of these drugs in patients with ESRD on
      maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). METHODS: We evaluated the effect of 1-week
      treatment with ramipril (5 mg/d), valsartan (160 mg/d), and placebo on ADMA
      levels in 15 patients on MHD in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, three x three
      cross-over study. RESULTS: We found that ADMA levels were increased at baseline
      and throughout the dialysis session during ramipril treatment (p < 0.001 compared
      to both, placebo and valsartan). Ramipril did not increase ADMA levels in a study
      of patients without ESRD, suggesting that factors related to ESRD or hemodialysis
      contribute to the ACE inhibitor-induced increase in ADMA. We have previously
      shown that ACE inhibition increases bradykinin (BK) levels during hemodialysis.
      We therefore evaluated the effect of bradykinin on ADMA production in A549 cells;
      a cell line that expresses BK receptors. Incubation with BK increased
      intracellular ADMA concentration through BK B2-receptor stimulation. CONCLUSION:
      These data indicate that short-term ACE inhibition increases ADMA in patients on
      MHD whereas ARBs do not. In vitro studies further suggest that this may occur
      through BK-mediated increase in ADMA production during ACE inhibition. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00732069 August 6 2008 and NCT00607672
      February 4 2008.

PMID- 26494371
TI  - Changes in glycosylation of human blood plasma chitotriosidase in patients with
      type 2 diabetes.
AB  - Human blood plasma chitotriosidase (CHIT1) is a glycoprotein with chitinolytic
      activity with not fully elucidated biological function. Its increased level is
      observed in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and is associated with development of
      diabetic complications. The CHIT1 glycosylation profile and degree is still
      poorly studied and never investigated in T2DM. Therefore the aim of the present
      study was to examine the association between glycosylation profile and degree and
      diabetes with accompanying nephropathy. In blood plasma of 28 patients with T2DM
      and 11 healthy subjects the CHIT1 concentration and specific activity were
      examined. The profile and degree of CHIT1 glycosylation were determined by lectin
      ELISA using lectins specific to O-glycans (Jacalin, MPL, VVL) and sialo-specific
      SNA and MAA. We revealed that both concentration and specific activity of CHIT1
      significantly increased in T2DM, especially in nephropathy with elevated
      albuminuria. The relative reactivities with lectins, except Jacalin, decreased
      progressively with T2DM occurrence and albuminuria progression. The most
      significant differences were observed between control vs. albuminuric group
      (Micro and Macro). It is also possible that the observed differences in
      immunoblotting pattern in molecular masses of CHIT1 bands between T2DM patients
      and healthy subjects may be caused by the differences in degree of CHIT1
      glycosylation. The analysis of CHIT1 glycosylation status and the determination
      of CHIT1 concentration together with its enzymatic activity in blood plasma might
      constitute additional valuable diagnosis tools for the evaluation the T2DM
      patients with accompanying nephropathy. Extension of the lectin panel specific to
      O-glycans occurs useful for the further research using microarray formats, which
      are expected to accelerate "lectin-based glycan profiling" of glycoproteins.

PMID- 26494373
TI  - The Team Physician: Ethical and Legal Issues.

PMID- 26494374
TI  - Cooled Versus Conventional Thermal Radiofrequency Neurotomy for the Treatment of
      Lumbar Facet-Mediated Pain.

PMID- 26494375
TI  - [Evaluation of midwives transfusion knowledge in Brittany public and private
      maternities, 2014].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This regional study aims to evaluate the transfusion knowledge of
      midwives in 22 Brittany maternity hospitals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      multicentre, descriptive and comparative study used a questionnaire consisting in
      16 theoretical questions about transfusion and questions being carried out. The
      analysis used the rate of correct answers and a pondered coefficient has been
      assigned to the different questions to evaluate the level of midwife knowledge.
      RESULTS: Twenty-two maternity hospitals participated in the study and 238
      returned questionnaires could be analysed, a return rate of 36%. The rate of
      correct answers was between 5 and 98% depending on the questions; for example,
      the rate of correct answers of the ultimate control's reading varied between 64
      and 98% and revealed that 5 to 7% of midwives would validate an incompatible
      transfusion. The average score was 31/50 with a minimum of 7/50 and a maximum of
      44/50. Three statically significant links have been found according to the last
      year of training specific to blood transfusion, the graduation year and the level
      of maternity. CONCLUSION: This study revealed an insufficient knowledge of the
      transfusion among midwives and raised prospects, which could lead to an
      improvement of training courses offered to midwives.

PMID- 26494376
TI  - Hygiene monitoring in a hospital immunohaematological laboratory.
AB  - PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Not only in blood donation services, but also in the
      immunohaematological laboratory of a hospital including the depository for blood
      products a hygiene plan must be drawn up and its realization has to be
      documented. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From 2011 to 2014, some equipment in the
      depository and in the immunohematological laboratory was microbiologically
      monitored once a year. The examinations were done by direct contact cultures
      taken from several places of each device. RESULTS: Most of the devices showed
      inconspicuous numbers of environmental microorganisms. Sometimes the
      refrigerators for fresh frozen plasma and a transport container for blood
      products revealed moderately, the incubator in the laboratory and a transport
      container for patient blood samples inadequately increased bacterial
      contamination. CONCLUSION: Microbiological examinations can detect critical
      points in the immunohaematological laboratory of a hospital. By communicating
      these results, the staff can be motivated to observe the regulations of the
      hygiene plan.

PMID- 26494377
TI  - In silico hybridization enables transcriptomic illumination of the nature and
      evolution of Myxozoa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Myxozoa, a group of oligocellular, obligate endoparasites, has
      long been poorly understood in an evolutionary context. Recent genome-level
      sequencing techniques such as RNA-seq have generated large amounts of myxozoan
      sequence data, providing valuable insight into their evolutionary history.
      However, sequences from host tissue contamination are present in next-generation
      sequencing reactions of myxozoan tissue, and differentiating between the two has
      been inadequately addressed. In order to shed light on the genetic underpinnings
      of myxozoan biology, assembled contigs generated from these studies that derived
      from the myxozoan must be decoupled from transcripts derived from host tissue and
      other contamination. This study describes a pipeline for categorization of
      transcripts asmyxozoan based on similarity searching with known host and parasite
      sequences, explores the extent to which host contamination is present in
      previously existing myxozoan datasets, and implements this pipeline on a newly
      sequenced transcriptome of Myxobolus pendula, a parasite of the common creek chub
      gill arch. METHODS: The insilico hybridization pipeline uses iterative BLAST
      searching and database-driven e-value comparison to categorize transcripts as
      deriving from host, parasite, or other contamination. Functional genetic analysis
      of M. pendula was conducted using further BLAST searching, Hidden Markov
      Modeling, and sequence alignment and phylogenetic reconstruction. RESULTS: Three
      RNA libraries of encysted M. pendula plasmodia were sequenced and subjected to
      the method. Nearly half of the final set of contiguous assembly sequences (47.3
      %) was identified as putative myxozoan transcripts. Putative contamination was
      also identified in at least 1/3(rd) of previously published myxozoan transcripts.
      The set of M. pendula transcripts was mined for a range of biologically
      insightful genes, including taxonomically restricted nematocyst structural
      proteins and nematocyst proteins identified through mass tandem spectrometry of
      other cnidarians. Several novel findings emerged, including a fourth myxozoan
      minicollagen gene, putative myxozoan toxin proteins,and extracellular matrix
      glycoproteins. CONCLUSIONS: This study serves as a model for the handling of next
      generation myxozoan sequence. The need for careful categorization was
      demonstrated in both previous and new sets of myxozoan sequences. The final set
      of confidently assigned myxozoan transcripts can be mined for any biologically
      relevant gene or gene family without spurious misidentification of host
      contamination as a myxozoan homolog. As exemplified by M. pendula, the repertoire
      of myxozoan polar capsules may be more complex than previously thought, with an
      additional minicollagen homolog and putative expression of toxin proteins.

PMID- 26494379
TI  - Different effects of executive and visuospatial working memory on visual
      consciousness.
AB  - Consciousness and working memory are two widely studied cognitive phenomena.
      Although they have been closely tied on a theoretical and neural level, empirical
      work that investigates their relation is largely lacking. In this study, the
      relationship between visual consciousness and different working memory components
      is investigated by using a dual-task paradigm. More specifically, while
      participants were performing a visual detection task to measure their visual
      awareness threshold, they had to concurrently perform either an executive or
      visuospatial working memory task. We hypothesized that visual consciousness would
      be hindered depending on the type and the size of the load in working memory.
      Results showed that maintaining visuospatial content in working memory hinders
      visual awareness, irrespective of the amount of information maintained. By
      contrast, the detection threshold was progressively affected under increasing
      executive load. Interestingly, increasing executive load had a generic effect on
      detection speed, calling into question whether its obstructing effect is specific
      to the visual awareness threshold. Together, these results indicate that visual
      consciousness depends differently on executive and visuospatial working memory. 

PMID- 26494378
TI  - Troponin T as a Predictor of End-Stage Renal Disease and All-Cause Death in
      African Americans and Whites From Hypertensive Families.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cardiac troponin T (cTnT) as a predictor of end-stage
      renal disease (ESRD) and death in a cohort of African American and white
      community-dwelling adults with hypertensive families. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A
      total of 3050 participants (whites from Rochester, Minnesota; African Americans
      from Jackson, Mississippi) of the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy
      study were followed from baseline examination (June 1, 1996, through August 31,
      2000) through January 22, 2010. Cox proportional hazards regression models were
      used to examine the association of cTnT with ESRD and death after adjusting for
      traditional risk factors. RESULTS: Cohort demographic characteristics and
      measurements included 1395 whites (45.7%), 2174 hypertensive (71.3%), 992
      estimated glomerular filtration rate of less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m(2)
      (32.5%), 1574 high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of greater than 3 mg/L
      (51.6%), and 66 abnormal cTnT level of 0.01 ng/mL or higher (2.2%). The estimated
      cumulative incidence of ESRD at 10 years was 27.4% among those with abnormal cTnT
      levels compared with 1.3% for those with normal levels. Similarly, the estimated
      cumulative incidence of death at 10 years was 47% among those with abnormal cTnT
      compared with 7.3% among those with normal cTnT. Abnormal cTnT levels were
      strongly associated with ESRD and death. This effect was attenuated but was still
      highly significant after adjustment for demographic characteristics, estimated
      glomerular filtration rate, and traditional risk factors for ESRD (unadjusted
      hazard ratio [HR], 23.91; 95% CI, 12.9-44.2; adjusted HR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.3-5.9)
      and death (unadjusted HR, 8.43; 95% CI, 6.0-11.9; adjusted HR, 3.46; 95% CI, 2.3
      5.1). CONCLUSION: Cardiac troponin T makes an independent contribution to the
      prediction of ESRD and all-cause death in community-dwelling individuals beyond
      traditional risk markers. Further studies may be needed to determine whether cTnT
      screening in individuals with hypertension or in a subset of hypertensive
      individuals would help identify those at risk of ESRD and all-cause death.

PMID- 26494380
TI  - Value-driven attentional capture in the auditory domain.
AB  - It is now well established that the visual attention system is shaped by reward
      learning. When visual features are associated with a reward outcome, they acquire
      high priority and can automatically capture visual attention. To date, evidence
      for value-driven attentional capture has been limited entirely to the visual
      system. In the present study, I demonstrate that previously reward-associated
      sounds also capture attention, interfering more strongly with the performance of
      a visual task. This finding suggests that value-driven attention reflects a broad
      principle of information processing that can be extended to other sensory
      modalities and that value-driven attention can bias cross-modal stimulus
      competition.

PMID- 26494381
TI  - Using multidimensional scaling to quantify similarity in visual search and
      beyond.
AB  - Visual search is one of the most widely studied topics in vision science, both as
      an independent topic of interest, and as a tool for studying attention and visual
      cognition. A wide literature exists that seeks to understand how people find
      things under varying conditions of difficulty and complexity, and in situations
      ranging from the mundane (e.g., looking for one's keys) to those with significant
      societal importance (e.g., baggage or medical screening). A primary determinant
      of the ease and probability of success during search are the similarity
      relationships that exist in the search environment, such as the similarity
      between the background and the target, or the likeness of the non-targets to one
      another. A sense of similarity is often intuitive, but it is seldom quantified
      directly. This presents a problem in that similarity relationships are
      imprecisely specified, limiting the capacity of the researcher to examine
      adequately their influence. In this article, we present a novel approach to
      overcoming this problem that combines multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) analyses
      with behavioral and eye-tracking measurements. We propose a method whereby MDS
      can be repurposed to successfully quantify the similarity of experimental
      stimuli, thereby opening up theoretical questions in visual search and attention
      that cannot currently be addressed. These quantifications, in conjunction with
      behavioral and oculomotor measures, allow for critical observations about how
      similarity affects performance, information selection, and information
      processing. We provide a demonstration and tutorial of the approach, identify
      documented examples of its use, discuss how complementary computer vision methods
      could also be adopted, and close with a discussion of potential avenues for
      future application of this technique.

PMID- 26494383
TI  - Histopathology of C Cells and Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.
AB  - The human thyroid gland contains less than 0.01-0.1% calcitonin producing and
      secreting C cells, which in men are almost exclusively situated in an
      intrafollicular location; the vast majority of C cells are embryologically
      derived of remnants of the ultimobranchial body and ultimately of the neural
      crest, a small subset, however, is presumed to originate from endodermal stem
      cells. Thyroid tumours with C cell differentiation have been named medullary
      thyroid carcinoma (MTC); calcitonin is also produced and secreted by MTC which
      makes this peptide hormone a very useful serum marker both for early detection
      and clinical follow-up of patients with MTC. About 70-80% of MTC are sporadic
      tumours, whereas 20-30% are familial MTC which are autosomal-dominant inherited
      and caused by germline mutations of the RET proto-oncogene located on chromosome
      10. This article summarizes the histological, immunhistochemical and molecular
      genetic features of C cells, C-cell hyperplasia (CCH) and MTC, emphasizing the
      role of diagnostic pathology.

PMID- 26494384
TI  - Epidemiology and Clinical Presentation of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.
AB  - Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare neuroendocrine tumor originating from
      the thyroid C cells producing mainly calcitonin (CTN) used as tumor marker. MTC
      occurs either sporadic (75%) or in a hereditary form (multiple endocrine
      neoplasia type 2, MEN2), due to germline mutations in the RET proto-oncogene. The
      discovery of an MTC in a patient has several diagnostic implications involving a
      specific strategy: preoperative evaluation of the tumor marker CTN and the extent
      of the disease, classification of MTC as sporadic or hereditary by DNA testing,
      and screening for associated endocrinopathies in hereditary MTC. Elevated CTN is
      a highly sensitive and specific tumor marker for diagnosis and follow-up of MTC.
      CTN is directly related to the tumor mass. In patients with nodular thyroid
      disease, diagnosis of MTC could be made by CTN determination as an indicator of
      tumor burden in conjunction with fine-needle aspiration. Patients with confirmed
      sporadic or hereditary MTC should have a total thyroidectomy and depending on the
      preoperative CTN value and the extent of disease additional dissection of the
      lymph nodes in the central and lateral neck compartment. In MEN 2 patients
      diagnosed by screening, the time of prophylactic thyroidectomy depends on RET
      mutation and CTN level.

PMID- 26494385
TI  - Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: Imaging.
AB  - Imaging plays an important role in early detection and staging of medullary
      thyroid carcinoma (MTC) as well as in follow-up to localize early recurrence. MTC
      is a rare, calcitonin-secreting thyroid malignancy often diagnosed by ultrasound
      and calcitonin screening as part of the routine workup for any thyroid nodule. If
      calcitonin is elevated, imaging studies are needed for preoperative staging,
      which dictates surgical management. This can be done by ultrasound of the neck
      and abdomen. Computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies
      for more distant disease are done preoperatively if calcitonin levels are higher
      than 500 pg/ml. Neither FDG-PET/CT nor F-DOPA-PET/CT are used routinely for
      preoperative staging but may contribute in doubtful individual cases.
      Postoperative elevated calcitonin is related to persistence or recurrence of MTC.
      Imaging studies to localize tumor tissue during postoperative follow-up include
      ultrasound, CT, MRI as well as PET studies. They should be used wisely, however,
      since treatment consequences are often limited, and even patients with persistent
      disease may survive long enough to accumulate significant radiation doses.
      Imaging studies are also useful for diagnosis of associated components of the
      hereditary MTC such as pheochromocytoma and primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). 

PMID- 26494386
TI  - Calcitonin as Biomarker for the Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.
AB  - Calcitonin (CTN) is a polypeptide hormone consisting of 32 amino acids with a
      disulfide bridge between position 1 and 7 that is mainly produced by the C-cells
      of thyroid gland. The measurement of CTN concentrations in blood reflects C-cell
      activity and is performed in general by immunoassay methods. However, there are
      analytical, physiological, pharmacological, and pathological factors that can
      influence results of serum CTN values. Due to the influence of these factors,
      there is a high variability in assay-dependent cutoffs used to discriminate
      between MTC, C-cell hyperplasia (CCH), and the absence of the pathological
      impairment of C-cells. There is a lot of evidence that the measurement of serum
      CTN concentrations in patients with thyroid nodules can lead to an earlier
      diagnosis of MTC or CCH than the exclusive use of imaging procedures and/or fine
      needle aspiration cytology. Basal CTN concentrations higher than 60-100 pg/mL are
      highly indicative for the diagnosis MTC. In the range between cutoff and 60 pg/mL
      CTN, both MTC and HCC may be a relevant diagnosis. PCT and CTN appear to have a
      comparable diagnostic capability to diagnose MTCs. However, "positive" PCT values
      of more than 50 pg/mL may be reached also in subclinical infections and will
      lead, therefore, to an overdiagnosis of the tumor. Pentagastrin- or calcium
      stimulated serum CTN concentrations higher than cutoff values might improve
      diagnostics of MTC, but the non-availability of the first and the lacking of
      relevant cutoff values for the second tool favors the use of only basal values
      currently. 

PMID- 26494387
TI  - Hereditary Medullary Thyroid Cancer Genotype-Phenotype Correlation.
AB  - During the last two decades, there has been a marked expansion of our knowledge
      of both the basic and clinical aspects of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2
      (MEN2). There are two clinically distinct types of MEN2 syndrome, termed MEN2A
      and MEN2B. Within MEN2A, there are four variants: (i) classical MEN2A,
      represented by the uniform presence of MTC and the less frequent occurrence of
      pheochromocytoma, or primary hyperparathyroidism, or both; (ii) MEN2A with
      cutaneous lichen amyloidosis; (iii) MEN2A with Hirschsprung's disease; and (iv)
      familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (FMTC), i.e., families or individuals with
      only MTC. MEN2B is associated with MTC, pheochromocytoma, and mucosal neuromas.
      Hereditary MTC is caused by autosomal dominant gain of function mutations in the
      RET proto-oncogene. Specific RET mutations may suggest a predilection toward a
      particular phenotype and clinical course with a strong genotype-phenotype
      correlation. Based upon these genotype-phenotype correlations, RET mutations are
      now stratified into three risk levels, i.e., highest, high, and moderate risk,
      based on the penetrance and aggressiveness of the MTC. Children in the highest
      risk category should undergo thyroidectomy in their first year of life, and
      perhaps even in their first months of life. Children in the high-risk category
      should have ultrasound of the neck and calcitonin (CTN) measurement performed
      prior to thyroidectomy. Thyroidectomy should typically be performed at the age of
      5 or earlier, depending on the presence of elevated serum CTN levels. However,
      heterogeneity in disease expression and progression within these groups varies
      considerably. To personalize disease management, the decision regarding the age
      of prophylactic thyroidectomy is no longer based upon genotype alone but is
      currently driven by additional clinical data, the most important being serum CTN
      levels; specifically, the decision to perform thyroidectomy should err on the
      safe side if the CTN level is elevated but below 30 pg/ml, especially in the
      moderate risk group. Personalized management also includes decisions about the
      best age to begin biochemical screening for pheochromocytoma and primary
      hyperparathyroidism. 

PMID- 26494382
TI  - Thyroid C-Cell Biology and Oncogenic Transformation.
AB  - The thyroid parafollicular cell, or commonly named "C-cell," functions in serum
      calcium homeostasis. Elevations in serum calcium trigger release of calcitonin
      from the C-cell, which in turn functions to inhibit absorption of calcium by the
      intestine, resorption of bone by the osteoclast, and reabsorption of calcium by
      renal tubular cells. Oncogenic transformation of the thyroid C-cell is thought to
      progress through a hyperplastic process prior to malignancy with increasing
      levels of serum calcitonin serving as a biomarker for tumor burden. The discovery
      that multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 is caused by activating mutations of the
      RET gene serves to highlight the RET-RAS-MAPK signaling pathway in both
      initiation and progression of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). Thyroid C-cells
      are known to express RET at high levels relative to most cell types; therefore,
      aberrant activation of this receptor is targeted primarily to the C-cell,
      providing one possible cause of tissue-specific oncogenesis. The role of RET
      signaling in normal C-cell function is unknown though calcitonin gene
      transcription appears to be sensitive to RET activation. Beyond RET, the modeling
      of oncogenesis in animals and screening of human tumors for candidate gene
      mutations have uncovered mutation of RAS family members and inactivation of Rb1
      regulatory pathway as potential mediators of C-cell transformation. A growing
      understanding of how RET interacts with these pathways, both in normal C-cell
      function and during oncogenic transformation, will help in the development of
      novel molecular-targeted therapies. 

PMID- 26494388
TI  - Pheochromocytomas in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2.
AB  - Pheochromocytoma (PC) is a neuroendocrine tumor that originates from chromaffin
      cells of the adrenal medulla. The production of catecholamines, including
      epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine, may lead to haemodynamic instability.
      Over 30% of PCs are associated with germline mutations, including re-arranged in
      transfection (RET) mutations seen in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2)
      syndromes. Around 40% of individuals with MEN2 develop PC, though it is rarely
      the presenting feature. Compared to sporadic PC, MEN2-associated PC is more
      likely to be epinephine secreting and demonstrate bilateral adrenal involvement,
      and is less likely to be malignant. The diagnosis of PC requires clinical
      suspicion and biochemical testing, followed by imaging studies. Novel nuclear
      medicine modalities, including FDG positron emission tomography (PET) and 68Ga
      DOTATATE PET have added to the conventional techniques of 123I
      metaiodobenzylguanindine (MIBG) scintigraphy, computer tomography and magnetic
      resonance imaging. Treatment of PC is surgical and requires peri-operative alpha
      and, frequently, beta blockade. Novel surgical techniques, such as adrenal
      sparing surgery and a laparoscopic approach, have decreased peri-operative
      morbidity. Surveillance for PC is life long, due to the risk of metastatic
      disease.

PMID- 26494389
TI  - Primary Hyperparathyroidism in MEN2 Syndromes.
AB  - One of the components of trethe classical form of MEN2 syndromes is primary
      hyperparathyroidism (PHP). It occurs in 20-30% of the typical MEN2A syndrome. The
      prevalence is more rare in gene carriers as these frequently have familial MTC
      only. PHP is diagnosed more frequently in association with the exon 11, codon 634
      mutation of the ret gene-so there is phenotype/genotype correlation. The clinical
      manifestations of PHP in MEN2 are usually mild and the peak age of diagnosis
      after the 3rd decade. The treatment is surgical excision of the enlarged
      gland(s). Although there can be multigland disease in the parathyroids, it is
      frequently the case that both hyperplasia and adenoma may coexist, or even a
      single adenoma may be found during the investigation and finally during the
      operation. Patients with MEN2 syndromes should be screened for PHP with serum
      calcium measurements. The intensity of the screening should be higher in those
      carrying the ret mutations most frequently associated with this manifestation.

PMID- 26494390
TI  - Surgical Treatment of Medullary Thyroid Cancer.
AB  - Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) can vary in tumor biology and progression. The
      most important indicator of distant metastases, determining clinical outcome, is
      lymph node metastasis to the neck and mediastinum. Surgical cure is within reach
      in node-negative tumors or node-positive tumors with fewer than 10 lymph node
      metastases. From a surgical point of view, compartment-oriented lymph node
      dissection, clearing gross, and occult metastases are important for locoregional
      tumor control. The discovery of missense germline mutations in the RET proto
      oncogene and the close genotype-phenotype correlation in hereditary MTC promoted
      the worldwide breakthrough of prophylactic thyroidectomy. The best approach to
      hereditary MTC affords the DNA-based/biochemical concept, which is geared at
      limiting prophylactic surgery to total thyroidectomy at minimal surgical
      morbidity before the tumor can spread beyond the thyroid capsule. To improve
      outcome, routine calcitonin screening in nodular thyroid disease and DNA-based
      screening of the offspring in RET families are effective interventions. 

PMID- 26494391
TI  - Long-Term Follow-up in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.
AB  - After surgery, patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) should be assessed
      regarding the presence of residual disease, the localization of metastases, and
      the identification of progressive disease. Postoperatively, patients with MTC are
      staged to separate those at low risk from those at high risk of recurrence. The
      TNM staging system is based on tumor size, extra-thyroidal invasion, nodal
      metastasis, and distant spread of cancer. In addition, the number of lymph-node
      metastases, the number of compartments involved, and the postoperative calcitonin
      (CTN) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels should be documented. The
      postoperative normalization of the serum CTN level is associated with a favorable
      outcome. When patients have basal serum CTN levels less than 150 pg/ml after a
      thyroidectomy, any persistent or recurrent disease is nearly always confined to
      lymph nodes in the neck. When the postoperative serum CTN level exceeds 150
      pg/ml, patients should be evaluated with imaging procedures, including computed
      tomography (CT) of the neck and chest, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US) of the liver, bone scintigraphy, MRI of the
      bone, and positron emission tomography (PET)/CT. One can estimate the growth rate
      of MTC metastases by quantifying increases in tumor size over time from
      sequential imaging studies analyzed with response evaluation criteria in solid
      tumors (RECIST), and by determining the tumor marker doubling time from
      sequential measures of serum CTN or CEA levels over multiple time points. One of
      the main challenges remains to find effective adjuvant and palliative options for
      patients with metastatic disease. Patients with persistent or recurrent MTC
      localized to the neck following thyroidectomy are candidates for neck operations,
      depending on the tumor extension. Once metastases appear, the clinician must
      decide which patients require therapy. This requires a balance between the
      (often) slow rate of tumor progression, which is associated with a good quality
      of life, and the limited efficacy and potential toxicities of local and systemic
      therapies. Considering that metastatic MTC is incurable, the management goals are
      to provide loco-regional disease control, palliate symptoms of hormonal excess,
      such as diarrhea, palliate symptomatic metastases, like pain or bone fracture,
      and control metastases that threaten life, such as bronchial obstruction or
      spinal cord compression. This can be achieved with palliative surgery, external
      beam radiation therapy (EBRT), or systemic therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitor
      (TKI). 

PMID- 26494392
TI  - Use of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Treatment of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.
AB  - Two independent events--the identification of activating mutations of the RET
      proto-oncogene, a receptor tyrosine kinase, in medullary thyroid carcinoma, and
      the recognition that small organic molecules could bind to and inhibit
      phosphorylation of signaling molecules, thereby inactivating the pathway-led to
      the recognition that kinase inhibitors could be used to treat medullary thyroid
      carcinoma (MTC). The introduction of these compounds into clinical practice has
      transformed the treatment of metastatic MTC and provided insight into the
      mechanisms by which RET causes C-cell transformation. This chapter will review
      the progress in this field over the past 7 years.

PMID- 26494393
TI  - Introductory letter from the Guest Editors.

PMID- 26494394
TI  - Introduction of omega-3 Desaturase Obviously Changed the Fatty Acid Profile and
      Sterol Content of Schizochytrium sp.
AB  - omega-3 fatty acids play significant roles in brain development and
      cardiovascular disease prevention and have been widely used in food additives and
      the pharmaceutical industry. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility
      of omega-3 desaturase for regulating fatty acid composition and sterol content in
      Schizochytrium sp. The exogenous omega-3 desaturase gene driven by ubiqutin
      promoter was introduced by 18S homologous sequence to the genome of
      Schizochytrium sp. Genetically modified strains had greater size and lower polar
      lipids than wild type strains. In addition, the introduction of omega-3
      desaturase improved the omega-3/omega-6 ratio from 2.1 to 2.58 and converted 3%
      docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Furthermore, squalene
      and sterol contents in lipid of the genetically modified strain reduced by 37.19
      and 22.31%, respectively. The present study provided an advantageous genetically
      engineered Schizochytrium sp. for DHA production and effective metabolic
      engineering strategy for fatty acid producing microbes. 

PMID- 26494396
TI  - The categories of cutaneous mosaicism: A proposed classification.
AB  - Mosaic disorders can most easily be studied in the skin. This article presents a
      comprehensive overview of the different forms of cutaneous mosaicism. Major
      categories are genomic versus epigenetic mosaicism and nonsegmental versus
      segmental mosaicism. The class of nonsegmental mosaics includes single point
      mosaicism as exemplified by solitary benign or malignant skin tumors;
      disseminated mosaicism as noted in autosomal dominant tumor syndromes such as
      neurofibromatosis 1; and patchy mosaicism without midline separation as found in
      giant melanocytic nevus. The class of segmental mosaics includes segmental
      manifestation of lethal genes surviving by mosaicism as noted in Proteus
      syndrome; type 1 segmental mosaicism of autosomal dominant skin disorders
      reflecting heterozygosity for a postzygotic new mutation; type 2 segmental
      mosaicism of autosomal dominant skin disorders reflecting loss of heterozygosity
      that occurred at an early developmental stage in a heterozygous embryo; and
      isolated or superimposed segmental mosaicism of common polygenic skin disorders
      such as psoriasis or atopic dermatitis. A particular form of genomic mosaicism is
      didymosis (twin spotting). Revertant mosaicism is recognizable as one or more
      areas of healthy skin in patients with epidermolysis bullosa or other serious
      genodermatoses. The category of epigenetic mosaicism includes several X-linked,
      male lethal disorders such as incontinentia pigmenti, and the patterns of
      lyonization as noted in X-linked non-lethal disorders such as hypohidrotic
      ectodermal dysplasia of the Christ-Siemens-Touraine type. An interesting field of
      future research will be the concept of epigenetic autosomal mosaicism that may
      explain some unusual cases of autosomal transmission of linear hypo- or
      hypermelanosis.

PMID- 26494395
TI  - Aspirin as a potential treatment in sepsis or acute respiratory distress
      syndrome.
AB  - Sepsis is a common condition that is associated with significant morbidity,
      mortality and health-care cost. Pulmonary and non-pulmonary sepsis are common
      causes of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The mortality from ARDS
      remains high despite protective lung ventilation, and currently there are no
      specific pharmacotherapies to treat sepsis or ARDS. Sepsis and ARDS are
      characterised by activation of the inflammatory cascade. Although there is much
      focus on the study of the dysregulated inflammation and its suppression, the
      associated activation of the haemostatic system has been largely ignored until
      recently. There has been extensive interest in the role that platelet activation
      can have in the inflammatory response through induction, aggregation and
      activation of leucocytes and other platelets. Aspirin can modulate multiple
      pathogenic mechanisms implicated in the development of multiple organ dysfunction
      in sepsis and ARDS. This review will discuss the role of the platelet, the
      mechanisms of action of aspirin in sepsis and ARDS, and aspirin as a potential
      therapy in treating sepsis and ARDS. 

PMID- 26494397
TI  - Apoptosis modulation by activin A and follistatin in human endometrial stromal
      cells.
AB  - Activin A is a growth factor that stimulates decidualization and is abundantly
      expressed in endometrial proliferative disorders. Nevertheless, whether it
      directly affects endometrial cell survival is still unknown. This study
      investigated the effects of activin A on total death and apoptosis rates and on
      tumor necrosis factor (TNF) release by human endometrial stromal cells (HESC). We
      performed a controlled prospective in vitro study using primary HESC cultures
      obtained from healthy reproductive age women (n = 11). Cells were treated with
      medium alone (control) or activin A (25 ng/mL) or activin A (25 ng/mL) and its
      antagonist follistatin (250 ng/mL). Apoptosis and total cell death were measured
      by flow cytometry, while TNF concentrations in culture media were quantified by
      ELISA. Activin A decreased the percentage of apoptotic/dead cells from 31% to 22%
      (p < 0.05, paired t-test) and reduced TNF levels in culture medium by 14%, but
      there was no linear correlation between TNF release and apoptotic rates. Both
      effects of activin A were reversed by follistatin. These findings indicate that
      activin A promotes HESC survival, possibly by a TNF-independent pathway. This
      mechanism may be critical to the actions of activin A upon stromal cell growth
      and differentiation in physiology and disease. 

PMID- 26494398
TI  - Targeting cancer epigenetics: Linking basic biology to clinical medicine.
AB  - Recent studies provide compelling evidence that epigenetic dysregulation is
      involved in almost every step of tumor development and progression. Differences
      in tumor behavior, which ultimately reflects clinical outcome, can be explained
      by variations in gene expression patterns generated by epigenetic mechanisms,
      such as DNA methylation. Therefore, epigenetic abnormalities are considered
      potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. DNA methylation is stable at
      certain specific loci in cancer cells and predominantly reflects the
      characteristic clinicopathological features. Thus, it is an ideal biomarker for
      cancer screening, classification and prognostic purposes. Epigenetic treatment
      for cancers is based on the pharmacologic targeting of various core
      transcriptional programs that sustains cancer cell identity. Therefore, targeting
      aberrant epigenetic modifiers may be effective for multiple processes compared
      with using a selective inhibitor of aberrant single signaling pathway. This
      review provides an overview of the epigenetic alterations in human cancers and
      discusses about novel therapeutic strategies targeting epigenetic alterations. 

PMID- 26494399
TI  - Technological development of structural DNA/RNA-based RNAi systems and their
      applications.
AB  - RNA interference (RNAi)-based gene therapy has drawn tremendous attention due to
      its highly specific gene regulation by selective degradation of any target mRNA.
      There have been multiple reports regarding the development of various cationic
      materials for efficient siRNA delivery, however, many studies still suffer from
      the conventional delivery problems such as suboptimal transfection performance, a
      lack of tissue specificity, and potential cytotoxicity. Despite the huge
      therapeutic potential of siRNAs, conventional gene carriers have failed to
      guarantee successful gene silencing in vivo, thus not warranting clinical trials.
      The relatively short double-stranded structure of siRNAs has resulted in
      uncompromising delivery formulations, as well as low transfection efficiency,
      compared with the conventional nucleic acid drugs such as plasmid DNAs. Recent
      developments in structural siRNA and RNAi nanotechnology have enabled more
      refined and reliable in vivo gene silencing with multiple advantages over naked
      siRNAs. This review focuses on recent progress in the development of structural
      DNA/RNA-based RNAi systems and their potential therapeutic applications. In
      addition, an extensive list of prior reports on various RNAi systems is provided
      and categorized by their distinctive molecular characters.

PMID- 26494400
TI  - Comparative analysis of the growth and biological activity of a respiratory and
      atheroma isolate of Chlamydia pneumoniae reveals strain-dependent differences in
      inflammatory activity and innate immune evasion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chlamydia pneumoniae is a common human pathogen that is associated
      with upper and lower respiratory tract infections. It has also been suggested
      that C. pneumoniae infection can trigger or promote a number of chronic
      inflammatory conditions, including asthma and atherosclerosis. Several strains of
      C. pneumoniae have been isolated from humans and animals, and sequence data
      demonstrates marked genetic conservation, leaving unanswered the question as to
      why chronic inflammatory conditions may occur following some respiratory-acquired
      infections. METHODS: C. pneumoniae strains AR39 and AO3 were used in vitro to
      infect murine bone marrow derived macrophages and L929 fibroblasts, or in vivo to
      infect C57BL/6 mice via the intranasal route. RESULTS: We undertook a comparative
      study of a respiratory isolate, AR39, and an atheroma isolate, AO3, to determine
      if bacterial growth and host responses to infection varied between these two
      strains. We observed differential growth depending on the host cell type and the
      growth temperature; however both strains were capable of forming plaques in
      vitro. The host response to the respiratory isolate was found to be more
      inflammatory both in vitro, in terms of inflammatory cytokine induction, and in
      vivo, as measured by clinical response and lung inflammatory markers using a
      mouse model of respiratory infection. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrates that a
      subset of C. pneumoniae strains is capable of evading host innate immune defenses
      during the acute respiratory infection. Further studies on the genetic basis for
      these differences on both the host and pathogen side could enhance our
      understanding how C. pneumoniae contributes to the development chronic
      inflammation at local and distant sites.

PMID- 26494401
TI  - A combinatorial alphabeta T cell receptor expressed by macrophages in the tumor
      microenvironment.
AB  - Recent evidence indicates the presence of macrophage subpopulations that express
      the TCRalphabeta in two major inflammatory diseases, tuberculosis and
      atherosclerosis. Inflammation is also a well-established attribute of cancer
      progression and macrophages are one of the major immune cells that infiltrate
      tumors. Here, we demonstrate that the macrophage-TCRalphabeta is expressed in the
      tumor microenvironment of human and murine malignancies. We identify
      TCRalphabeta+ macrophages in each case of four randomly selected distinct human
      tumor entities. In human tumor tissues, the TCRalphabeta expressed by macrophages
      in the tumor microenvironment is a combinatorial and individual-specific immune
      receptor. Furthermore, we routinely find TCRalphabeta+ macrophage subpopulations
      in experimental tumors (TS/A, mammary adenocarcinoma) which we induced both in
      normal mice and mice deficient in the macrophage receptor stabilin-1. Expression
      of the combinatorial murine tumor macrophage TCRalphabeta is individual-specific
      and independent of stabilin-1. These results demonstrate that TCRalphabeta
      expression is a characteristic feature of macrophages in the tumor
      microenvironment and identify an as yet unrecognized flexible element in the
      macrophage-based host response to tumors.

PMID- 26494402
TI  - Stenting for acute cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in the superior sagittal
      sinus.
AB  - Endovascular treatment for superior sagittal sinus (SSS) thrombosis is not always
      successful because of difficult access and long thrombus lesions. We report the
      first two cases of patients with acute cerebral venous sinus thrombosis at the
      SSS that was not recanalized by anticoagulation, mechanical thrombectomy, or
      thrombolysis, but was successfully treated by stent placement. Case 1 was a 37
      year-old woman with bilateral subdural hematomas. Digital subtraction angiography
      showed obstruction of the sinus from the SSS to the right transverse sinus.
      Recanalization was achieved by selective thrombolysis using urokinase followed by
      balloon angioplasty, but re-occlusion occurred on the next day of treatment.
      Repeated endovascular treatment including balloon angioplasty, thrombus
      aspiration and thrombolysis using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator failed
      to achieve recanalization. We thus placed intracranial stents in the SSS, which
      did achieve recanalization. Case 2 was a 69-year-old woman with a small
      infarction in the left parietal lobe. Digital subtraction angiography showed
      sinus obliteration from the SSS to the bilateral transverse sinuses.
      Recanalization was not achieved by balloon angioplasty, thrombus aspiration and
      selective thrombolysis. We thus placed intracranial stents in the SSS, which did
      achieve recanalization. Postoperative course was uneventful in both cases and
      venous sinus patency was confirmed by venography >1.5 years after treatment. When
      conventional endovascular strategies have been unsuccessful, placement of
      intracranial stents, which can easily gain access to the distal part of the SSS
      as compared with carotid stents, may be a useful treatment option for the acute
      sinus thrombosis in this region. 

PMID- 26494403
TI  - Dual flow diversion stents for aneurysm treatment in a partial unfused basilar
      artery.
AB  - Unfused basilar arteries, frequently but erroneously referred to as
      'fenestrations', are not uncommonly associated with aneurysms. The difficulty in
      treating these aneurysms lie in the fact that they are often wide necked and
      frequently incorporate both channels of the unfused segment, with varying
      calibres of the channels, necessitating technically challenging treatment
      strategies. It is important to preserve both channels because of the potential
      presence of perforating arteries originating from these segments. There are
      numerous case reports of such aneurysms being treated by coils alone, coiling
      with balloon assistance and stent-assisted coiling in configurations such as 'X',
      'double barrel' or waffle cone. We present an exemplary case, in which an
      aneurysm on a partial unfused basilar segment was treated with parallel flow
      diverters with an excellent result on follow-up imaging. 

PMID- 26494404
TI  - Anchor technique: Use of stent retrievers as an anchor to advance thrombectomy
      catheters in internal carotid artery occlusions.
AB  - In three recent cases of acute complete internal artery occlusions, we used stent
      retriever deployed through the mechanical aspiration/distal access catheters to
      achieve recanalization. In all cases the stent retriever was used as an anchor
      and supplemented mechanical thrombectomy. This report describes the technical
      details of the procedure and presents an alternative plan of action in difficult
      cases when standard thrombectomy techniques do not work. 

PMID- 26494405
TI  - Manual aspiration thrombectomy using the Penumbra catheter in patients with acute
      M1 occlusion: A single-center study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The efficacy and safety of aspiration thrombectomy using Penumbra in
      acute occlusion of intracranial artery have been proved in many previous studies.
      Our study aimed to retrospectively assess the efficacy and safety of a manual
      aspiration thrombectomy using Penumbra in patients with M1 occlusion. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of 70 patients who underwent
      manual aspiration thrombectomy using Penumbra catheters for treatment of M1
      occlusion between January 2012 and December 2014. We evaluated immediate
      angiographic results and clinical outcomes through review of patient electronic
      medical records. RESULTS: Male was the dominant sex in this study (M:F = 38:32)
      and median age was 72 (age range, 36-91). The rate of successful recanalization
      (TICI grade >=2 b) was 91.4% (64/70). The successful recanalization rate by
      single Penumbra was 82.9% (58/70). Six patients were treated in combination with
      Solitaire stent. Median NIHSS score was 11 (range, 4-20) at admission and was 3
      (range 0-23) at discharge. Favorable clinical outcomes (mRS score at three months
      <=2) were seen in 42 patients (60%). Two patients were observed to have
      subarachnoid hemorrhage after the procedure. Another two patients died related to
      massive symptomatic hemorrhage, brain edema and herniation in the hospital.
      CONCLUSION: Manual aspiration thrombectomy appears to be safe and is capable of
      achieving a high rate of successful recanalization and favorable clinical
      outcomes in patients with M1 occlusion.

PMID- 26494406
TI  - Endovascular management of a carotid aneurysm into the sphenoid sinus presenting
      with epistaxis.
AB  - Non-traumatic cavernous internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms are rare, and
      favour the occurrence of massive recurrent epistaxis, which is associated with a
      high mortality rate. We report the case of a 67-year-old woman presenting a
      ruptured ICA aneurysm extending into the sphenoid sinus, revealed by epistaxis.
      Selective coil embolization of the aneurysm was performed. Flow-diverter stents
      were deployed in order to utterly exclude the aneurysm and prevent
      revascularization. Anti-platelet treatment was provided to lower the risk of in
      stent thrombosis. A left frontal hematoma associated with a subarachnoid
      haemorrhage occurred at day 2. Outcome was favourable with no neurological
      sequelae, and no clinical recurrence of epistaxis occurred. A 4 months follow-up
      digital subtraction angiography showed a complete exclusion of the aneurysm. In
      addition, a magnetic resonance cerebral angiography at 16 months showed stable
      results. Thus, this two-stage endovascular procedure has proven its effectiveness
      in preventing epistaxis recurrence while preserving the ICA patency. 

PMID- 26494407
TI  - Normal pio-dural arterial connections.
AB  - The arterial blood supply to the dura mater is rich, complex and is derived from
      both the internal and external carotid systems. Endovascular management of a
      variety of intracranial diseases necessitates a thorough understanding of the
      dural arterial network. In this article we review the normal contributions of the
      pial arteries to the blood supply of the dura mater and discuss some aspects of
      its role in the supply of dural arteriovenous shunts (DAVS). 

PMID- 26494408
TI  - Divalent cation-responsive myotonia and muscle paralysis in skeletal muscle
      sodium channelopathy.
AB  - We report a patient with paramyotonia congenita/hyperkalemic periodic paralysis
      due to Nav1.4 I693T mutation who had worsening of myotonia and muscle weakness in
      the setting of hypomagnesemia and hypocalcemia with marked recovery after
      magnesium administration. Computer simulations of the effects of the I693T
      mutation were introduced in the muscle fiber model by both hyperpolarizing shifts
      in the Nav1.4 channel activation and a faster recovery from slow channel
      inactivation. A further shift in the Nav1.4 channel activation in the
      hyperpolarizing direction as expected with low divalent cations resulted in
      myotonia that progressed to membrane inexcitability. Shifting the channel
      activation in the depolarizing direction as would be anticipated from magnesium
      supplementation abolished the myotonia. These observations provide clinical and
      biophysical evidence that the muscle symptoms in sodium channelopathy are
      sensitive to divalent cations. Exploration of the role of magnesium
      administration in therapy or prophylaxis is warranted with a randomized clinical
      trial. 

PMID- 26494409
TI  - Dropped-head in recessive oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.
AB  - A 69-year-old woman presented a dropped head, caused by severe neck extensor
      weakness that had started two years before. She had also developed a mild degree
      of dysphagia, rhinolalia, eyelid ptosis and proximal limb weakness during the
      last months. EMG revealed myopathic changes. Muscle MRI detected fatty
      infiltration in the posterior neck muscles and tongue. Muscle biopsy revealed
      fiber size variations, sporadic rimmed vacuoles, small scattered angulated fibers
      and a patchy myofibrillar network. Genetic analysis revealed homozygous (GCN)11
      expansions in the PABPN1 gene that were consistent with recessive oculopharyngeal
      muscular dystrophy (OPMD). There are a few reports of the recessive form, which
      has a later disease onset with milder symptoms and higher clinical variability
      than the typical dominantly inherited form. This patient, who is the first
      Italian and the eighth worldwide reported case of recessive OPMD, is also the
      first case of OPMD with dropped-head syndrome, which thus expands the clinical
      phenotype of recessive OPMD. 

PMID- 26494410
TI  - Positive effects of bisphosphonates on bone and muscle in a mouse model of
      Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
AB  - Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy are at increased risk of decreased bone
      mineral density and bone fracture as a result of inactivity. To determine if
      antiresorptive bisphosphonates could improve bone quality and their effects on
      muscle we studied the Mdx mouse, treated with pamidronate during peak bone growth
      at 5 and 6 weeks of age, and examined the outcome at 13 weeks of age. Pamidronate
      increased cortical bone architecture and strength in femurs with increased
      resistance to fracture. While overall long bone growth was not affected by
      pamidronate, there was significant inhibition of remodeling in metaphyseal
      trabecular bone with evidence of residual calcified cartilage. Pamidronate
      treatment had positive effects on skeletal muscle in the Mdx mice with decreased
      serum and muscle creatine kinase and evidence of improved muscle histology and
      grip strength. 

PMID- 26494411
TI  - Randomized phase II trial comparing twice daily hyperfractionated with once daily
      hypofractionated thoracic radiotherapy in limited disease small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Concurrent chemotherapy and thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) is
      recommended for limited disease small cell lung cancer (LD SCLC). Twice daily TRT
      is well documented, but not universally implemented - probably mainly due to
      inconvenience and concerns about toxicity. A schedule of three-week
      hypofractionated TRT is a commonly used alternative. This is the first randomized
      trial comparing twice daily and hypofractionated TRT in LD SCLC. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Patients received four courses of cisplatin/etoposide (PE) and were
      randomized to TRT of 42 Gy in 15 fractions (once daily, OD) or 45 Gy in 30
      fractions (twice daily, BID) between the second and third PE course. Good
      responders received prophylactic cranial irradiation of 30 Gy in 15 fractions.
      RESULTS: 157 patients were enrolled between May 2005 and January 2011 (OD: n =
      84, BID: n = 73). Median age was 63 years, 52% were men, 84% had performance
      status 0-1, 72% had stage III disease and 11% non-malignant pleural effusion. The
      treatment arms were well balanced. The response rates were similar (OD: 92%, BID:
      88%; p = 0.41), but more BID patients achieved a complete response (OD: 13%, BID:
      33%; p = 0.003). There was no difference in one-year progression-free survival
      (PFS) (OD: 45%, BID: 49%; p = 0.61) or median PFS (OD: 10.2 months, BID: 11.4
      months; p = 0.93). The median overall survival in the BID arm was 6.3 months
      longer (OD: 18.8 months, BID: 25.1 months; p = 0.61). There were no differences
      in grade 3-4 esophagitis (OD: 31%, BID: 33%, p = 0.80) or pneumonitis (OD: 2%,
      BID: 3%, p = 1.0). Patients on the BID arm reported slightly more dysphagia at
      the end of the TRT. CONCLUSION: There was no difference in severe toxicity
      between the two TRT schedules. The twice daily schedule resulted in significantly
      more complete responses and a numerically longer median overall survival, but no
      firm conclusions about efficacy could be drawn from this phase II trial.

PMID- 26494412
TI  - Patterned Plasmonic Nanoparticle Arrays for Microfluidic and Multiplexed
      Biological Assays.
AB  - For applications ranging from medical diagnostics and drug screening to chemical
      and biological warfare detection, inexpensive, rapid-readout, portable devices
      are required. Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) technologies show
      substantial promise toward meeting these goals, but the generation of portable,
      multiplexed and/or microfluidic devices incorporating sensitive nanoparticle
      arrays is only in its infancy. Herein, we have combined photolithography with
      Hole Mask Colloidal lithography to pattern uniform nanoparticle arrays for both
      microfluidic and multiplexed devices. The first proof-of-concept study is carried
      out with 5- and 7-channel microfluidic devices to acquire one-shot binding curves
      and protein binding kinetic data. The second proof-of-concept study involved the
      fabrication of a 96-spot plate that can be inserted into a standard plate reader
      for the multiplexed detection of protein binding. This versatile fabrication
      technique should prove useful in next generation chips for bioassays and genetic
      screening. 

PMID- 26494414
TI  - Accelerated partial breast irradiation: the new standard?

PMID- 26494413
TI  - Targeting truncated RXRalpha for cancer therapy.
AB  - Retinoid X receptor-alpha (RXRalpha), a unique member of the nuclear receptor
      superfamily, is a well-established drug target, representing one of the most
      important targets for pharmacologic interventions and therapeutic applications
      for cancer. However, how RXRalpha regulates cancer cell growth and how RXRalpha
      modulators suppress tumorigenesis are poorly understood. Altered expression and
      aberrant function of RXRalpha are implicated in the development of cancer.
      Previously, several studies had demonstrated the presence of N-terminally
      truncated RXRalpha (tRXRalpha) proteins resulted from limited proteolysis of
      RXRalpha in tumor cells. Recently, we discovered that overexpression of tRXRalpha
      can promote tumor growth by interacting with tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced
      phosphoinositide 3-kinase and NF-kappaB signal transduction pathways. We also
      identified nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug Sulindac and analogs as effective
      inhibitors of tRXRalpha activities via a unique binding mechanism. This review
      discusses the emerging roles of tRXRalpha and modulators in the regulation of
      cancer cell survival and death as well as inflammation and our recent
      understanding of tRXRalpha regulation by targeting the alternate binding sites on
      its surface.

PMID- 26494415
TI  - 5-year results of accelerated partial breast irradiation using sole interstitial
      multicatheter brachytherapy versus whole-breast irradiation with boost after
      breast-conserving surgery for low-risk invasive and in-situ carcinoma of the
      female breast: a randomised, phase 3, non-inferiority trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In a phase 3, randomised, non-inferiority trial, accelerated partial
      breast irradiation (APBI) for patients with stage 0, I, and IIA breast cancer who
      underwent breast-conserving treatment was compared with whole-breast irradiation.
      Here, we present 5-year follow-up results. METHODS: We did a phase 3, randomised,
      non-inferiority trial at 16 hospitals and medical centres in seven European
      countries. 1184 patients with low-risk invasive and ductal carcinoma in situ
      treated with breast-conserving surgery were centrally randomised to either whole
      breast irradiation or APBI using multicatheter brachytherapy. The primary
      endpoint was local recurrence. Analysis was done according to treatment received.
      This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00402519. FINDINGS:
      Between April 20, 2004, and July 30, 2009, 551 patients had whole-breast
      irradiation with tumour-bed boost and 633 patients received APBI using
      interstitial multicatheter brachytherapy. At 5-year follow-up, nine patients
      treated with APBI and five patients receiving whole-breast irradiation had a
      local recurrence; the cumulative incidence of local recurrence was 1.44% (95% CI
      0.51-2.38) with APBI and 0.92% (0.12-1.73) with whole-breast irradiation
      (difference 0.52%, 95% CI -0.72 to 1.75; p=0.42). No grade 4 late side-effects
      were reported. The 5-year risk of grade 2-3 late side-effects to the skin was
      3.2% with APBI versus 5.7% with whole-breast irradiation (p=0.08), and 5-year
      risk of grade 2-3 subcutaneous tissue late side-effects was 7.6% versus 6.3%
      (p=0.53). The risk of severe (grade 3) fibrosis at 5 years was 0.2% with whole
      breast irradiation and 0% with APBI (p=0.46). INTERPRETATION: The difference
      between treatments was below the relevance margin of 3 percentage points.
      Therefore, adjuvant APBI using multicatheter brachytherapy after breast
      conserving surgery in patients with early breast cancer is not inferior to
      adjuvant whole-breast irradiation with respect to 5-year local control, disease
      free survival, and overall survival. FUNDING: German Cancer Aid.

PMID- 26494417
TI  - Exploring the association between women's access to economic resources and
      intimate partner violence in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya, Tanzania.
AB  - The relationship between women's access to economic resources, e.g. employment or
      access to micro-credit, and experience of intimate partner violence is complex.
      Empirical evidence documents that in some settings women's employment is
      associated with higher risk of partner violence but in other settings with lower
      risk. Evidence also shows that these conflicting associations exist not only
      between countries but also within different country settings. Using two
      population-based data sets gathered in 2002 in contrasting Tanzania settings-Dar
      es Salaam and Mbeya-, we used multivariate logistic regression to examine the
      relationship between women's access to economic resources and partner violence.
      Two indicators of economic resources were examined: whether women earned money
      and whether women owned a business either with someone or exclusively. In Dar es
      Salaam we found evidence of a higher risk association among women who earned
      money and who owned a business exclusively by themselves and a lower risk
      association among women who owned a business with someone. We found no
      relationship between either indicator of economic resources and partner violence
      in Mbeya. Other factors were similarly associated with partner violence in both
      settings and the strongest associations found were related to the respondents'
      partners: refusal to give money; alcohol use and relationships with other women.
      The findings support the assertion that women's access to economic resources
      operate differently in different country settings, thus highlighting the need for
      targeted prevention efforts that are relevant for the context. 

PMID- 26494416
TI  - High protein and cholesterol intakes associated with emergence of glucose
      intolerance in a low-risk Canadian Inuit population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The rate of type 2 diabetes mellitus among Inuit is 12.2 % in
      individuals over 50 years of age, similar to the Canadian prevalence. Given
      marked dietary transitions in the Arctic, we evaluated the dietary and other
      correlates of not previously diagnosed glucose intolerance, defined as type 2
      diabetes mellitus, impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance.
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional analyses were limited to adults with a completed 2 h oral
      glucose tolerance test and without pre-existing diabetes. Anthropometric
      assessments, health and medication usage questionnaires and a 24 h dietary recall
      were administered. SETTING: Canadian International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey
      (2007-2008). SUBJECTS: Inuit adults (n 777). RESULTS: Glucose intolerance was
      associated with older age and adiposity. Percentage of energy from protein above
      the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range of 35 %, compared with intake
      within the range, was associated with increased odds of glucose intolerance
      (OR=1.98; 95 % CI 1.09, 3.61) in multivariable analyses. Further, cholesterol
      intake in the highest three quartiles combined (median exposures of 207, 416 and
      778 mg/d, respectively) compared with the lowest quartile (median intake of 81
      mg/d) was associated with glucose intolerance (OR=2.15; 95 % CI 1.23, 3.78) in
      multivariable analyses. Past-day traditional food consumption was borderline
      protective of glucose intolerance (P=0.054) and high fibre intake was not
      significantly protective (P=0.08). CONCLUSIONS: The results contribute to the
      existing literature on high protein and cholesterol intakes as they may relate to
      diabetes risk.

PMID- 26494418
TI  - Intracardiac Doppler Echocardiography for Monitoring of Pulmonary Artery
      Pressures in High-Risk Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve
      Replacement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled pulmonary hypertension may cause worse outcomes after
      transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), while hemodynamic monitoring is
      desirable for risk control. Pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) readings obtained by
      intracardiac Doppler echocardiography were evaluated. METHODS: In 114 patients
      with symptomatic aortic stenosis and median Society of Thoracic Surgeons scores
      of 10.5% (interquartile range, 7.7%-15.0%), transfemoral and transapical TAVR was
      guided by intracardiac Doppler echocardiography. The continuous-wave Doppler beam
      interrogated the jet of tricuspid regurgitation from the "home view" position.
      Systolic PAP (PAPs) was estimated as the sum of the pressure gradient derived
      from the maximum transtricuspid regurgitation jet velocity and the central venous
      pressure. Mean PAP (PAPm) was calculated by the mean gradient method (1) and the
      Chemla formula (2). Measurements were obtained immediately before and after TAVR.
      RESULTS: Pre- and postinterventional readings showed marginal pressure
      underestimation in comparison with measurements derived from right-heart
      catheterization: PAPs, -2.7 (95% CI, -3.3 to 2.1) and -1.4 (95% CI, -1.9 to 
      0.9); PAPm by the mean gradient method, -1.9 (95% CI, -2.2 to -1.6) and -0.1 (95%
      CI, -0.4 to 0.2). Agreement (95% limits) for PAPs was -8.6 to 3.2 and -6.8 to
      4.0; agreement for PAPm by the mean gradient method was -5.4 to 1.6 and -3.4 to
      3.2. The repeatability coefficient (95% limits of agreement) for PAPs was
      excellent: 3.4 (-4.2 to 2.5) and 5.5 (-5.3 to 5.8); repeatability for PAPm was
      higher by the mean gradient method than by the Chemla method. In >= 85% of
      patients with pulmonary hypertension, PAPm improved after valve deployment.
      CONCLUSIONS: Intracardiac Doppler echocardiography-derived monitoring of PAP by
      the mean gradient method is accurate and well applicable to high-risk TAVR
      candidates for intraprocedural risk control.

PMID- 26494420
TI  - Virtual screening, docking, and dynamics of potential new inhibitors of
      dihydrofolate reductase from Yersinia pestis.
AB  - In the present work, we propose to design drugs that target the enzyme
      dihydrofolate redutase (DHFR) as a means of a novel drug therapy against plague.
      Potential inhibitors of DHFR from Yersinia pestis (YpDHFR) were selected by
      virtual screening and subjected to docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations,
      and Poisson-Boltzmann surface area method, in order to evaluate their
      interactions in the active sites of YpDHFR and human DHFR (HssDHFR). The results
      suggested selectivity for three compounds that were further used to propose the
      structures of six new potential selective inhibitors for YpDHFR. 

PMID- 26494419
TI  - MHC variation sculpts individualized microbial communities that control
      susceptibility to enteric infection.
AB  - The presentation of protein antigens on the cell surface by major
      histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules coordinates vertebrate adaptive immune
      responses, thereby mediating susceptibility to a variety of autoimmune and
      infectious diseases. The composition of symbiotic microbial communities (the
      microbiota) is influenced by host immunity and can have a profound impact on host
      physiology. Here we use an MHC congenic mouse model to test the hypothesis that
      genetic variation at MHC genes among individuals mediates susceptibility to
      disease by controlling microbiota composition. We find that MHC genotype
      significantly influences antibody responses against commensals in the gut, and
      that these responses are correlated with the establishment of unique microbial
      communities. Transplantation experiments in germfree mice indicate that MHC
      mediated differences in microbiota composition are sufficient to explain
      susceptibility to enteric infection. Our findings indicate that MHC polymorphisms
      contribute to defining an individual's unique microbial fingerprint that
      influences health. 

PMID- 26494421
TI  - Development and feasibility of a personalized, interactive risk calculator for
      knee osteoarthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) is rising. While several
      risk factors have been associated with the development of knee OA, this
      information is not readily accessible to those at risk for osteoarthritis. Risk
      calculators have been developed for several prevalent chronic conditions but not
      for OA. Using published evidence on established risk factors, we developed an
      interactive, personalized knee OA risk calculator (OA Risk C) and conducted a
      pilot study to evaluate its acceptability and feasibility. METHODS: We used the
      Osteoarthritis Policy (OAPol) Model, a validated, state-transition simulation of
      the natural history and management of OA, to generate data for OA Risk C. Risk
      estimates for calculator users were based on a set of demographic and clinical
      factors (age, sex, race/ethnicity, obesity) and select risk factors (family
      history of knee OA, occupational exposure, and history of knee injury). OA Risk C
      presents personalized risk of knee OA in several ways to maximize understanding
      among a wide range of users. We conducted a study of 45 subjects in a primary
      care setting to establish the feasibility and acceptability of the OA risk
      calculator. Pilot study participants were asked several questions regarding ease
      of use, clarity of presentation, and clarity of the graphical representation of
      their risk. These questions used a five-level agreement scale ranging from
      strongly disagree to strongly agree. RESULTS: OA Risk C depicts information about
      users' risk of symptomatic knee OA in 5 year intervals. Study participants
      estimated their lifetime risk at 38 %, while their actual lifetime risk, as
      estimated by OA Risk C, was 25 %. Eighty-four percent of pilot study participants
      reported that OA Risk C was easy to understand, and 89 % agreed that the graphs
      depicting their risk were clear and comprehensible. CONCLUSIONS: We have
      developed a personalized, computer-based OA risk calculator that is easy to use.
      OA Risk C may be utilized to estimate individuals' knee OA risk and to deliver
      educational and behavioral interventions focused on osteoarthritis risk
      reduction.

PMID- 26494423
TI  - Global burden of COPD.
AB  - It is estimated that the world population will reach a record 7.3 billion in
      2015, and the high burden of chronic conditions associated with ageing and
      smoking will increase further. Respiratory diseases in general receive little
      attention and funding in comparison with other major causes of global morbidity
      and mortality. In particular, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has
      been a major public health problem and will remain a challenge for clinicians
      within the 21st century. Worldwide, COPD is in the spotlight, since its high
      prevalence, morbidity and mortality create formidable challenges for health-care
      systems. This review emphasizes the magnitude of the COPD problem from a
      clinician's standpoint by drawing extensively from the new findings of the Global
      Burden of Disease study. Updated, distilled information on the population
      distribution of COPD is useful for the clinician to help provide an appreciation
      of the relative impact of COPD in daily practice compared with other chronic
      conditions, and to allocate minimum resources in anticipation of future needs in
      care. Despite recent trends in reduction of COPD standardized mortality rates and
      some recent successes in anti-smoking efforts in a number of Western countries,
      the overarching demographic impact of ageing in an ever-expanding world
      population, joined with other factors such as high rates of smoking and air
      pollution in Asia, will ensure that COPD will continue to pose an ever-increasing
      problem well into the 21st century. 

PMID- 26494422
TI  - Evaluation of a Postoperative Pain-Like State on Motivated Behavior in Rats:
      Effects of Plantar Incision on Progressive-Ratio Food-Maintained Responding.
AB  - There has been recent interest in characterizing the effects of pain-like states
      on motivated behaviors in order to quantify how pain modulates goal-directed
      behavior and the persistence of that behavior. The current set of experiments
      assessed the effects of an incisional postoperative pain manipulation on food
      maintained responding under a progressive-ratio (PR) operant schedule.
      Independent variables included injury state (plantar incision or anesthesia
      control) and reinforcer type (grain pellet or sugar pellet); dependent variables
      were tactile sensory thresholds and response breakpoint. Once responding
      stabilized on the PR schedule, separate groups of rats received a single ventral
      hind paw incision or anesthesia (control condition). Incision significantly
      reduced breakpoints in rats responding for grain, but not sugar. In rats
      responding for sugar, tactile hypersensitivity recovered within 24 hr, indicating
      a faster recovery of incision-induced tactile hypersensitivity compared to rats
      responding for grain, which demonstrated recovery at PD2. The NSAID analgesic,
      diclofenac (5.6 mg/kg) completely restored incision-depressed PR operant
      responding and tactile sensitivity at 3 hr following incision. The PR schedule
      differentiated between sucrose and grain, suggesting that relative reinforcing
      efficacy may be an important determinant in detecting pain-induced changes in
      motivated behavior.

PMID- 26494424
TI  - Prognostic factors of regression and relapse of complex atypical hyperplasia and
      well-differentiated endometrioid carcinoma with conservative treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate possible prognostic factors regarding regression and
      relapse of complex atypical hyperplasia (CAH) and well-differentiated
      endometrioid adenocarcinoma (WDC) treated with conservative treatment. METHODS:
      The retrospective study reviewed clinicopathologic, treatment, regression and
      relapse data from patients diagnosed with CAH or WDC who were treated with
      conservative treatment at 4 institutions. Potential factor evaluation was
      performed. SPSS 16 was used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: Eighty-eight
      patients were included (51 had WDC, and 37 had CAH). Regression was evaluated in
      88 patients, with a median follow-up of 61 (range 15-95) months. Seventy-seven
      (87.5%) patients regressed, and 11 (12.5%) had persistent or progressive disease.
      Univariate and multivariate analyses showed no factors associated with
      regression. Relapse was evaluated in 71 patients, with median follow-up of 54
      (range 8-86) months. Twenty-five/71 (35.2%) patients experienced relapse. On
      univariate analysis, body mass index (BMI) 30 or higher (p=0.001), WCD at initial
      biopsy (p=0.017) and positive expression of post-treatment ki67 (p=0.033) were
      associated to a higher relapse probability. However, only BMI 30 or higher was
      significant on multivariate analysis (p=0.012). The Kaplan-Meier analysis
      revealed a higher relapse probability in the patients with BMI 30 or higher
      (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Obesity seems to be a risk factor for relapse of CAH or
      WDC with conservative treatment.

PMID- 26494426
TI  - The scenario approach for countries considering the addition of oral cholera
      vaccination in cholera preparedness and control plans.
AB  - Oral cholera vaccination could be deployed in a diverse range of situations from
      cholera-endemic areas and locations of humanitarian crises, but no clear
      consensus exists. The supply of licensed, WHO-prequalified cholera vaccines is
      not sufficient to meet endemic and epidemic needs worldwide and so prioritisation
      is needed. We have developed a scenario approach to systematically classify
      situations in which oral cholera vaccination might be useful. Our scenario
      approach distinguishes between five types of cholera epidemiology based on
      experiences from around the world and provides evidence that we hope will spur
      the development of detailed guidelines on how and where oral cholera vaccines
      could, and should, be most rationally deployed. 

PMID- 26494425
TI  - In vitro and in vivo metabolism of N-adamantyl substituted urea-based soluble
      epoxide hydrolase inhibitors.
AB  - N,N'-disubstituted urea-based soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitors are
      promising therapeutics for hypertension, inflammation, and pain in multiple
      animal models. The drug absorption and pharmacological efficacy of these
      inhibitors have been reported extensively. However, the drug metabolism of these
      inhibitors is not well described. Here we reported the metabolic profile and
      associated biochemical studies of an N-adamantyl urea-based sEH inhibitor 1
      adamantan-1-yl-3-(5-(2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethoxy)pentyl)urea (AEPU) in vitro and in
      vivo. The metabolites of AEPU were identified by interpretation of liquid
      chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and/or NMR. In vitro, AEPU had three major positions for
      phase I metabolism including oxidations on the adamantyl moiety, urea nitrogen
      atoms, and cleavage of the polyethylene glycol chain. In a rodent model, the
      metabolites from the hydroxylation on the adamantyl group and nitrogen atom were
      existed in blood while the metabolites from cleavage of polyethylene glycol chain
      were not found in urine. The major metabolite found in rodent urine was 3-(3
      adamantyl-ureido)-propanoic acid, a presumably from cleavage and oxidation of the
      polyethylene glycol moiety. All the metabolites found were active but less potent
      than AEPU at inhibiting human sEH. Furthermore, cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 was
      found to be a major enzyme mediating AEPU metabolism. In conclusion, the
      metabolism of AEPU resulted from oxidation by CYP could be shared with other N
      adamantyl-urea-based compounds. These findings suggest possible therapeutic roles
      for AEPU and new strategies for drug design in this series of possible drugs. 

PMID- 26494427
TI  - Budd-Chiari syndrome: investigation, treatment and outcomes.
AB  - Budd-Chiari syndrome is a rare disorder characterised by hepatic venous outflow
      obstruction. It affects 1.4 per million people, and presentation depends upon the
      extent and rapidity of hepatic vein occlusion. An underlying myeloproliferative
      neoplasm is present in 50% of cases with other causes including infection and
      malignancy. Common symptoms are abdominal pain, hepatomegaly and ascites;
      however, up to 20% of cases are asymptomatic, indicating a chronic onset of
      hepatic venous obstruction and the formation of large hepatic vein collaterals.
      Doppler ultrasonography usually confirms diagnosis with cross-sectional imaging
      used for complex cases and to allow temporal comparison. Myeloproliferative
      neoplasms should be tested for even if a clear causative factor has been
      identified. Management focuses on anticoagulation with low-molecular-weight
      heparin and warfarin, with the new oral anticoagulants offering an exciting
      prospect for the future, but their current effectiveness in Budd-Chiari syndrome
      is unknown. A third of patients require further intervention in addition to
      anticoagulation, commonly due to deteriorating liver function or patients
      identified as having a poorer prognosis. Prognostic scoring systems help guide
      treatment, but management is complex and patients should be referred to a
      specialist liver centre. Recent studies have shown comparable procedure-related
      complications and long-term survival in patients who undergo transjugular
      intrahepatic portosystemic shunting and liver transplantation in Budd-Chiari
      syndrome compared with other liver disease aetiologies. Also, the optimal timing
      of these interventions and which patients benefit from liver transplantation
      instead of portosystemic shunting remains to be answered. 

PMID- 26494428
TI  - Amino Acid-Porphyrin Conjugates: Synthesis and Study of their Photophysical and
      Metal Ion Recognition Properties.
AB  - Synthesis, photophysical and metal ion recognition properties of a series of
      amino acid-linked free-base and Zn-porphyrin derivatives (5-9) are reported.
      These porphyrin derivatives showed favorable photophysical properties including
      high molar extinction coefficients (>1 * 10(5) m(-1) cm(-1) for the Soret band),
      quantum yields of triplet excited states (63-94%) and singlet oxygen generation
      efficiencies (59-91%). Particularly, the Zn-porphyrin derivatives, 6 and 9 showed
      higher molar extinction coefficients, decreased fluorescence quantum yields, and
      higher triplet and singlet oxygen quantum yields compared to the corresponding
      free-base porphyrin derivatives. Further, the study of their interactions with
      various metal ions indicated that the proline-conjugated Zn-porphyrins (6 and 9)
      showed high selectivity toward Cu(2+) ions and signaled the recognition through
      changes in fluorescence intensity. Our results provide insights on the role of
      nature of amino acid and metallation in the design of the porphyrin systems for
      application as probes and sensitizers.

PMID- 26494429
TI  - Diversity and distribution of fungal communities in the marine sediments of
      Kongsfjorden, Svalbard (High Arctic).
AB  - This study assessed the diversity and distribution of fungal communities in eight
      marine sediments of Kongsfjorden (Svalbard, High Arctic) using 454 pyrosequencing
      with fungal-specific primers targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)
      region of the ribosomal rRNA gene. Sedimentary fungal communities showed high
      diversity with 42,219 reads belonging to 113 operational taxonomic units (OTUs).
      Of these OTUs, 62 belonged to the Ascomycota, 26 to Basidiomycota, 2 to
      Chytridiomycota, 1 to Zygomycota, 1 to Glomeromycota, and 21 to unknown fungi.
      The major known orders included Hypocreales and Saccharomycetales. The common
      fungal genera were Pichia, Fusarium, Alternaria, and Malassezia. Interestingly,
      most fungi occurring in these Arctic sediments may originate from the terrestrial
      habitats and different basins in Kongsfjorden (i.e., inner basin, central basin,
      and outer basin) harbor different sedimentary fungal communities. These results
      suggest the existence of diverse fungal communities in the Arctic marine
      sediments, which may serve as a useful community model for further ecological and
      evolutionary study of fungi in the Arctic. 

PMID- 26494430
TI  - Chronic Activation of the Renin-Angiotensin System Induces Lung Fibrosis.
AB  - Pulmonary fibrosis is a serious lung disorder that can lead to respiratory
      failure. Here we show that transgenic mice expressing active renin from the liver
      (RenTgMK) developed progressive pulmonary fibrosis leading to impaired pulmonary
      function. Histological analyses revealed a marked increase in extracellular
      matrix (ECM) deposition and decrease in alveolar size in the lungs of RenTgMK
      mice compared to wild-type (WT) littermates, accompanied with increased
      expression of ECM proteins and fibrogenic factors. The increase in lung fibrosis
      led to a substantial decrease in respiratory system compliance. Two-week
      treatment with aliskiren (renin inhibitor) or losartan (AT1 antagonist)
      ameliorated pulmonary ECM deposition, blocked the induction of ECM proteins and
      fibrogenic factors and improved respiratory compliance in RenTgMK mice,
      confirming a critical role of the renin-Ang II-AT1 cascade in promoting pulmonary
      fibrogenesis. However, when RenTgMK mice were treated with hydralazine (a smooth
      muscle relaxant), the blood pressure was normalized but the lung fibrotic
      abnormalities, fibrogenic gene induction and pulmonary elasticity were not
      corrected. Moreover, intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide induced
      more severe lung injury in RenTgMK mice compared to WT littermates. These
      observations demonstrate that the renin-angiotensin system is a key mediator of
      lung fibrosis, and its pro-fibrotic effect is independent of blood pressure. 

PMID- 26494431
TI  - Trajectories of alcohol use and association with symptoms of depression from
      early to late adolescence: The Norwegian Longitudinal Health Behaviour Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Adolescence is a period in which many have an onset of
      alcohol use, but there is much heterogeneity in the individual development of
      alcohol use. Further, there is a general increase in depressive symptoms from
      early to late adolescence, but less is known about how different alcohol habit
      trajectories are associated with symptoms of depression. The aims of the present
      study were: to identify trajectories of alcohol consumption and drinking to
      intoxication during adolescence (age 13-18 years); and examine to what extent the
      different trajectories of alcohol use were associated with symptoms of depression
      over the same age span, from early to late adolescence. METHODS: Data from the
      Norwegian Longitudinal Health Behaviour Study were employed. Latent class growth
      analyses were employed to identify different trajectories of both alcohol
      consumption and drinking to intoxication. The resulting trajectories for each
      participant were used to estimate the gender-adjusted association between
      different development of alcohol use and symptoms of depression. RESULTS: Four
      trajectories of both alcohol consumption and drinking to intoxication were
      identified. The trajectories with an early onset of alcohol consumption or
      drinking to intoxication were associated with higher levels of depressive
      symptoms compared with late onset or stable low use trajectories. CONCLUSIONS:
      The findings from the present study suggest that early onset developmental
      trajectories of alcohol use are associated with depression. Therefore, broad
      assessment and interventions targeting both alcohol and depression may be
      indicated among early onset alcohol users, especially if they report increasing
      levels of consumption. [Skogen JC, Knudsen AK, Hysing M, Wold B, Sivertsen B.
      Trajectories of alcohol use and association with symptoms of depression from
      early to late adolescence: The Norwegian Longitudinal Health Behaviour Study.
      Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:307-316].

PMID- 26494432
TI  - Italian legumes: effect of sourdough fermentation on lunasin-like polypeptides.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is an increasing interest toward the use of legumes in food
      industry, mainly due to the quality of their protein fraction. Many legumes are
      cultivated and consumed around the world, but few data is available regarding the
      chemical or technological characteristics, and especially on their suitability to
      be fermented. Nevertheless, sourdough fermentation with selected lactic acid
      bacteria has been recognized as the most efficient tool to improve some
      nutritional and functional properties. This study investigated the presence of
      lunasin-like polypeptides in nineteen traditional Italian legumes, exploiting the
      potential of the fermentation with selected lactic acid bacteria to increase the
      native concentration. An integrated approach based on chemical, immunological and
      ex vivo (human adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cell cultures) analyses was used to show the
      physiological potential of the lunasin-like polypeptides. RESULTS: Italian legume
      varieties, belonging to Phaseulus vulgaris, Cicer arietinum, Lathyrus sativus,
      Lens culinaris and Pisum sativum species, were milled and flours were chemically
      characterized and subjected to sourdough fermentation with selected Lactobacillus
      plantarum C48 and Lactobacillus brevis AM7, expressing different peptidase
      activities. Extracts from legume doughs (unfermented) and sourdoughs were
      subjected to western blot analysis, using an anti-lunasin primary antibody.
      Despite the absence of lunasin, different immunoreactive polypeptide bands were
      found. The number and the intensity of lunasin-like polypeptides increased during
      sourdough fermentation, as the consequence of the proteolysis of the native
      proteins carried out by the selected lactic acid bacteria. A marked inhibitory
      effect on the proliferation of human adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cells was observed
      using extracts from legume sourdoughs. In particular, sourdoughs from Fagiolo di
      Lamon, Cece dell'Alta Valle di Misa, and Pisello riccio di Sannicola flours were
      the most active, showing a decrease of Caco-2 cells viability up to 70 %. The
      over-expression of Caco-2 filaggrin and involucrin genes was also induced. Nine
      lunasin-like polypeptides, having similarity to lunasin, were identified.
      CONCLUSIONS: The features of the sourdough fermented legume flours suggested the
      use for the manufacture of novel functional foods and/or pharmaceuticals
      preparations.

PMID- 26494434
TI  - Fabrication of Two-Dimensional Lateral Heterostructures of WS2 /WO3 ?H2 O Through
      Selective Oxidation of Monolayer WS2.
AB  - Two-dimensional (2D) lateral heterostructures have emerged as a hot topic in the
      fast evolving field of advanced functional materials , but their fabrication is
      challenging. The layer-structured WS2 was theoretically demonstrated to be inert
      to oxidation except for the monolayer, which can be selectively oxidized owing to
      the simultaneous interaction of oxygen with both sides. Combined with the
      theoretical calculations, a new method was developed for the successful
      construction of 2D lateral heterostructures of WS2 /WO3 ?H2 O in an ambient
      environment, based on a simple liquid-phase solution exfoliation. These lateral
      heterostructures of WS2 /WO3 ?H2 O have interesting properties, as indicated by
      enhanced photocatalytic activity toward the degradation of methyl orange (MO). 

PMID- 26494433
TI  - Understanding the relationship between breastfeeding and postnatal depression:
      the role of pain and physical difficulties.
AB  - AIMS: To examine the relationship between specific reasons for stopping
      breastfeeding and depressive symptoms in the postnatal period. BACKGROUND:
      Difficulty breastfeeding has been connected to postnatal depression although it
      is unclear whether difficulty breastfeeding precedes or succeeds a diagnosis.
      However, the concept of 'breastfeeding difficulty' is wide and includes
      biological, psychological and social factors. DESIGN: A cross-sectional self
      report survey. METHODS: Data were collected between December 2012 and February
      2013. 217 women with an infant aged 0-6 months who had started breastfeeding at
      birth but had stopped before 6 months old completed a questionnaire examining
      breastfeeding duration and reasons for stopping breastfeeding. They further
      completed a copy of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. RESULTS: A short
      breastfeeding duration and multiple reasons for stopping breastfeeding were
      associated with higher depression score. However, in a regression analysis only
      the specific reasons of stopping breastfeeding for physical difficulty and pain
      remained predictive of depression score. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding women's
      specific reasons for stopping breastfeeding rather than breastfeeding duration is
      critical in understanding women's breastfeeding experience and providing women
      with emotional support. Issues with pain and physical breastfeeding were most
      indicative of postnatal depression in comparison to psychosocial reasons
      highlighting the importance of spending time with new mothers to help them with
      issues such as latch.

PMID- 26494435
TI  - Anaerobic ammonium oxidation and its contribution to nitrogen removal in China's
      coastal wetlands.
AB  - Over the past several decades, human activities have caused substantial
      enrichment of reactive nitrogen in China's coastal wetlands. Although anaerobic
      ammonium oxidation (anammox), the process of oxidizing ammonium into dinitrogen
      gas through the reduction of nitrite, is identified as an important process for
      removing reactive nitrogen, little is known about the dynamics of anammox and its
      contribution to nitrogen removal in nitrogen-enriched environments. Here, we
      examine potential rates of anammox and associate them with bacterial diversity
      and abundance across the coastal wetlands of China using molecular and isotope
      tracing techniques. High anammox bacterial diversity was detected in China's
      coastal wetlands and included Candidatus Scalindua, Kuenenia, Brocadia, and
      Jettenia. Potential anammox rates were more closely associated with the abundance
      of anammox bacteria than to their diversity. Among all measured environmental
      variables, temperature was a key environmental factor, causing a latitudinal
      distribution of the anammox bacterial community composition, biodiversity and
      activity along the coastal wetlands of China. Based on nitrogen isotope tracing
      experiments, anammox was estimated to account for approximately 3.8-10.7% of the
      total reactive nitrogen removal in the study area. Combined with denitrification,
      anammox can remove 20.7% of the total external terrigenous inorganic nitrogen
      annually transported into China's coastal wetland ecosystems. 

PMID- 26494436
TI  - Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: Identifying risk and preventing mortality.
AB  - Premature death among individuals with epilepsy is higher than in the general
      population, and sudden unexpected death is the most common cause of this
      mortality. A new multisite collaborative research consortium, the Center for
      sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) Research (CSR), has received major
      funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to examine the possible
      biologic mechanisms underlying this potentially preventable comorbidity and
      develop predictive biomarkers for interventions that could lower SUDEP incidence.
      This inaugural report describes the structure of the CSR, its priorities for
      human and experimental research, and the strategic collaborations and advanced
      tools under development to reduce this catastrophic outcome of epilepsy. The CSR
      Partners Program will work closely with committed volunteer agencies, industry,
      and academic institutions to accelerate and communicate these advances to the
      professional and lay community. 

PMID- 26494437
TI  - In vivo optical modulation of neural signals using monolithically integrated two
      dimensional neural probe arrays.
AB  - Integration of stimulation modalities (e.g. electrical, optical, and chemical) on
      a large array of neural probes can enable an investigation of important
      underlying mechanisms of brain disorders that is not possible through neural
      recordings alone. Furthermore, it is important to achieve this integration of
      multiple functionalities in a compact structure to utilize a large number of the
      mouse models. Here we present a successful optical modulation of in vivo neural
      signals of a transgenic mouse through our compact 2D MEMS neural array
      (optrodes). Using a novel fabrication method that embeds a lower cladding layer
      in a silicon substrate, we achieved a thin silicon 2D optrode array that is
      capable of delivering light to multiple sites using SU-8 as a waveguide core.
      Without additional modification to the microelectrodes, the measured impedance of
      the multiple microelectrodes was below 1 MOmega at 1 kHz. In addition, with a low
      background noise level (+/- 25 MUV), neural spikes from different individual
      neurons were recorded on each microelectrode. Lastly, we successfully used our
      optrodes to modulate the neural activity of a transgenic mouse through optical
      stimulation. These results demonstrate the functionality of the 2D optrode array
      and its potential as a next-generation tool for optogenetic applications.

PMID- 26494439
TI  - Redox-Robust Pentamethylferrocene Polymers and Supramolecular Polymers, and
      Controlled Self-Assembly of Pentamethylferricenium Polymer-Embedded Ag, AgI, and
      Au Nanoparticles.
AB  - We report the first pentamethylferrocene (PMF) polymers and the redox chemistry
      of their robust polycationic pentamethylferricenium (PMFium) analogues. The PMF
      polymers were synthesized by ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of a
      PMF-containing norbornene derivative by using the third-generation Grubbs
      ruthenium metathesis catalyst. Cyclic voltammetry studies allowed us to determine
      confidently the number of monomer units in the polymers through the Bard-Anson
      method. Stoichiometric oxidation by using ferricenium hexafluorophosphate
      quantitatively and instantaneously provided fully stable (even in aerobic
      solutions) blue d(5) Fe(III) metallopolymers. Alternatively, oxidation of the PMF
      containing polymers was conducted by reactions with Ag(I) or Au(III) , to give
      PMFium polymer-embedded Ag and Au nanoparticles (NPs). In the presence of I2 ,
      oxidation by using Ag(I) gave polymer-embedded Ag/AgI NPs and AgNPs at the
      surface of AgI NPs. Oxidation by using Au(III) also produced an Au(I)
      intermediate that was trapped and characterized. Engineered single-electron
      transfer reactions of these redox-robust nanomaterial precursors appear to be a
      new way to control their formation, size, and environment in a supramolecular
      way. 

PMID- 26494440
TI  - Five minutes with Mark Britnell: Does a perfect health system exist?

PMID- 26494441
TI  - Cerebral spinal fluid dynamics: effect of hypoxia and implications for high
      altitude illness.
AB  - The pathophysiology of acute mountain sickness and high-altitude cerebral edema,
      the cerebral forms of high-altitude illness, remain uncertain and controversial.
      Persistently elevated or pathological fluctuations in intracranial pressure are
      thought to cause symptoms similar to those reported by individuals suffering
      cerebral forms of high-altitude illness. This review first focuses on the basic
      physiology of the craniospinal system, including a detailed discussion of the
      long-term and dynamic regulation of intracranial pressure. Thereafter, we
      critically examine the available literature, based primarily on invasive pressure
      monitoring, that suggests intracranial pressure is acutely elevated at altitude
      due to brain swelling and/or elevated sagittal sinus pressure, but normalizes
      over time. We hypothesize that fluctuations in intracranial pressure occur around
      a slightly elevated or normal mean intracranial pressure, in conjunction with
      oscillations in arterial Po2 and arterial blood pressure. Then these modest
      fluctuations in intracranial pressure, in concert with direct vascular stretch
      due to dilatation and/or increased blood pressure transmission, activate the
      trigeminal vascular system and cause symptoms of acute mountain sickness.
      Elevated brain water (vasogenic edema) may be due to breakdown of the blood-brain
      barrier. However, new information suggests cerebral spinal fluid flux into the
      brain may be an important factor. Regardless of the source (or mechanisms
      responsible) for the excess brain water, brain swelling occurs, and a "tight fit"
      brain would be a major risk factor to produce symptoms; activities that produce
      large changes in brain volume and cause fluctuations in blood pressure are likely
      contributing factors. 

PMID- 26494442
TI  - Is the metabolic cost of walking higher in people with diabetes?
AB  - People with diabetes walk slower and display biomechanical gait alterations
      compared with controls, but it remains unknown whether the metabolic cost of
      walking (CoW) is elevated. The aim of this study was to investigate the CoW and
      the lower limb concentric joint work as a major determinant of the CoW, in
      patients with diabetes and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Thirty-one
      nondiabetic controls (Ctrl), 22 diabetic patients without peripheral neuropathy
      (DM), and 14 patients with moderate/severe DPN underwent gait analysis using a
      motion analysis system and force plates and treadmill walking using a gas
      analyzer to measure oxygen uptake. The CoW was significantly higher particularly
      in the DPN group compared with controls and also in the DM group (at selected
      speeds only) compared with controls, across a range of matched walking speeds.
      Despite the higher CoW in patients with diabetes, concentric lower limb joint
      work was significantly lower in DM and DPN groups compared with controls. The
      higher CoW is likely due to energetic inefficiencies associated with diabetes and
      DPN reflecting physiological and biomechanical characteristics. The lower
      concentric joint work in patients with diabetes might be a consequence of
      kinematic gait alterations and may represent a natural strategy aimed at
      minimizing the CoW. 

PMID- 26494444
TI  - Caffeine improves performance in double poling during acute exposure to 2,000-m
      altitude.
AB  - There is limited research on the physiological effects of caffeine (CAF)
      ingestion on exercise performance during acute hypoxia. The aim of the present
      study was therefore to test the effect of placebo (PLA) and CAF (4.5 mg/kg) on
      double poling (DP) performance during acute hypoxia. Thirteen male subelite cross
      country skiers (Vo2max 72.6 +/- 5.68 ml.kg(-1).min(-1)) were included.
      Performance was assessed as 1) an 8-km cross-country DP time-trial (C-PT), and 2)
      time until task failure at a set workload equal to ~90% of DP Vo2max. Testing was
      carried out in a hypobaric chamber, at 800 mbar (Pio2: ~125 mmHg) corresponding
      to ~2,000 m above sea level in a randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled,
      cross-over design. CAF improved time to task failure from 6.10 +/- 1.40 to 7.22
      +/- 1.30 min (P < 0.05) and velocity the first 4 km (P < 0.05) but not overall
      time usage for the 8-km C-PT. During submaximal exercise subjects reported lower
      pain in arms and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) following CAF ingestion.
      Throughout C-PTs similar RPE and pain was shown between treatments. However,
      higher heart rate was observed during the CAF 8 km (187 +/- 7 vs. 185 +/- 7; P <
      0.05) and 90% C-PT (185 +/- 7 vs. 181 +/- 9) associated with increased
      ventilation, blood lactate, glucose, adrenaline, decreased pH, and bicarbonate.
      The present study demonstrates for the first time that CAF ingestion improves DP
      time to task failure although not consistently time trial performance during
      acute exposure to altitude. Mechanisms underpinning improvements seem related to
      reduced pain RPE and increased heart rate during CAF C-PTs. 

PMID- 26494443
TI  - Eccentric contraction-induced myofiber growth in tumor-bearing mice.
AB  - Cancer cachexia is characterized by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass.
      While mouse skeletal muscle's response to an acute bout of stimulated low
      frequency concentric muscle contractions is disrupted by cachexia, gaps remain in
      our understanding of cachexia's effects on eccentric contraction-induced muscle
      growth. The purpose of this study was to determine whether repeated bouts of
      stimulated high-frequency eccentric muscle contractions [high-frequency
      electrical muscle stimulation (HFES)] could stimulate myofiber growth during
      cancer cachexia progression, and whether this training disrupted muscle signaling
      associated with wasting. Male Apc(Min/+) mice initiating cachexia (N = 9)
      performed seven bouts of HFES-induced eccentric contractions of the left tibialis
      anterior muscle over 2 wk. The right tibialis anterior served as the control, and
      mice were killed 48 h after the last stimulation. Age-matched C57BL/6 mice (N =
      9) served as wild-type controls. Apc(Min/+) mice lost body weight, muscle mass,
      and type IIA, IIX, and IIB myofiber cross-sectional area. HFES increased myofiber
      cross-sectional area of all fiber types, regardless of cachexia. Cachexia
      increased muscle noncontractile tissue, which was attenuated by HFES. Cachexia
      decreased the percentage of high succinate dehydrogenase activity myofibers,
      which was increased by HFES, regardless of cachexia. While cachexia activated AMP
      kinase, STAT3, and ERK1/2 signaling, HFES decreased AMP kinase phosphorylation,
      independent of the suppression of STAT3. These results demonstrate that cachectic
      skeletal muscle can initiate a growth response to repeated eccentric muscle
      contractions, despite the presence of a systemic cachectic environment. 

PMID- 26494445
TI  - Triceps surae muscle-tendon properties in older endurance- and sprint-trained
      athletes.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that aging is associated with alterations in muscle
      architecture and tendon properties (Morse CI, Thom JM, Birch KM, Narici MV. Acta
      Physiol Scand 183: 291-298, 2005; Narici MV, Maganaris CN, Reeves ND, Capodaglio
      P. J Appl Physiol 95: 2229-2234, 2003; Stenroth L, Peltonen J, Cronin NJ, Sipila
      S, Finni T. J Appl Physiol 113: 1537-1544, 2012). However, the possible influence
      of different types of regular exercise loading on muscle architecture and tendon
      properties in older adults is poorly understood. To address this, triceps surae
      muscle-tendon properties were examined in older male endurance (OE, n = 10, age =
      74.0 +/- 2.8 yr) and sprint runners (OS, n = 10, age = 74.4 +/- 2.8 yr), with an
      average of 42 yr of regular training experience, and compared with age-matched
      [older control (OC), n = 33, age = 74.8 +/- 3.6 yr] and young untrained controls
      (YC, n = 18, age = 23.7 +/- 2.0 yr). Compared with YC, Achilles tendon cross
      sectional area (CSA) was 22% (P = 0.022), 45% (P = 0.001), and 71% (P < 0.001)
      larger in OC, OE, and OS, respectively. Among older groups, OS had significantly
      larger tendon CSA compared with OC (P = 0.033). No significant between-group
      differences were observed in Achilles tendon stiffness. In older groups, Young's
      modulus was 31-44%, and maximal tendon stress 44-55% lower, than in YC (P <=
      0.001). OE showed shorter soleus fascicle length than both OC (P < 0.05) and YC
      (P < 0.05). These data suggest that long-term running does not counteract the
      previously reported age-related increase in tendon CSA, but, instead, may have an
      additive effect. The greatest Achilles tendon CSA was observed in OS followed by
      OE and OC, suggesting that adaptation to running exercise is loading intensity
      dependent. Achilles tendon stiffness was maintained in older groups, even though
      all older groups displayed larger tendon CSA and lower tendon Young's modulus.
      Shorter soleus muscle fascicles in OE runners may be an adaptation to life-long
      endurance running. 

PMID- 26494446
TI  - The role of morphology in mathematical models of placental gas exchange.
AB  - The performance of the placenta as a gas exchanger has a direct impact on the
      future health of the newborn. To provide accurate estimates of respiratory gas
      exchange rates, placenta models need to account for both the physiology of
      exchange and the organ morphology. While the former has been extensively studied,
      accounting for the latter is still a challenge. The geometrical complexity of
      placental structure requires use of carefully crafted approximations. We present
      here the state of the art of respiratory gas exchange placenta modeling and
      demonstrate the influence of the morphology description on model predictions.
      Advantages and shortcomings of various classes of models are discussed, and
      experimental techniques that may be used for model validation are summarized.
      Several directions for future development are suggested. 

PMID- 26494447
TI  - Fluoxetine stimulates anti-inflammatory IL-10 cytokine production and attenuates
      sensory deficits in a rat model of decompression sickness.
AB  - Despite "gold standard" hyperbaric oxygen treatment, 30% of patients suffering
      from neurological decompression sickness still exhibit incomplete recovery,
      including sensory impairments. Fluoxetine, a well-known antidepressant, is
      recognized as having anti-inflammatory effects in the setting of cerebral
      ischemia. In this study, we focused on the assessment of sensory neurological
      deficits and measurement of circulating cytokines after decompression in rats
      treated or not with fluoxetine. Seventy-eight rats were divided into a clinical
      (n = 38) and a cytokine (n = 40) group. In both groups, the rats were treated
      with fluoxetine (30 mg/kg po, 6 h beforehand) or with a saccharine solution. All
      of the rats were exposed to 90 m seawater for 45 min before staged decompression.
      In the clinical group, paw withdrawal force after mechanical stimulation and paw
      withdrawal latency after thermal stimulation were evaluated before and 1 and 48 h
      after surfacing. At 48 h, a dynamic weight-bearing device was used to assess
      postural stability, depending on the time spent on three or four paws. For
      cytokine analysis, blood samples were collected from the vena cava 1 h after
      surfacing. Paw withdrawal force and latency were increased after surfacing in the
      controls, but not in the fluoxetine group. Dynamic weight-bearing assessment
      highlighted a better stability on three paws for the fluoxetine group. IL-10
      levels were significantly decreased after decompression in the controls, but
      maintained at baseline level with fluoxetine. This study suggests that fluoxetine
      has a beneficial effect on sensory neurological recovery. We hypothesize that the
      observed effect is mediated through maintained anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10
      production. 

PMID- 26494449
TI  - Sulforaphane mitigates muscle fibrosis in mdx mice via Nrf2-mediated inhibition
      of TGF-beta/Smad signaling.
AB  - Sulforaphane (SFN), an activator of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), has been found
      to have an antifibrotic effect on liver and lung. However, its effects on
      dystrophic muscle fibrosis remain unknown. This work was undertaken to evaluate
      the effects of SFN-mediated activation of Nrf2 on dystrophic muscle fibrosis.
      Male mdx mice (age 3 mo) were treated with SFN by gavage (2 mg/kg body wt per
      day) for 3 mo. Experimental results demonstrated that SFN remarkably attenuated
      skeletal and cardiac muscle fibrosis as indicated by reduced Sirius Red staining
      and immunostaining of the extracellular matrix. Moreover, SFN significantly
      inhibited the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta)/Smad signaling pathway
      and suppressed profibrogenic gene and protein expressions such as those of alpha
      smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), fibronectin, collagen I, plasminogen activator
      inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in an Nrf2
      dependent manner. Furthermore, SFN significantly decreased the expression of
      inflammatory cytokines CD45, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 in mdx mice. In conclusion,
      these results show that SFN can attenuate dystrophic muscle fibrosis by Nrf2
      mediated inhibition of the TGF-beta/Smad signaling pathway, which indicates that
      Nrf2 may represent a new target for dystrophic muscle fibrosis. 

PMID- 26494448
TI  - Left ventricular remodeling during and after 60 days of sedentary head-down bed
      rest.
AB  - Short periods of weightlessness are associated with reduced stroke volume and
      left ventricular (LV) mass that appear rapidly and are thought to be largely
      dependent on plasma volume. The magnitude of these cardiac adaptations are even
      greater after prolonged periods of simulated weightlessness, but the time course
      during and the recovery from bed rest has not been previously described. We
      collected serial measures of plasma volume (PV, carbon monoxide rebreathing) and
      LV structure and function [tissue Doppler imaging, three-dimensional (3-D) and 2
      D echocardiography] before, during, and up to 2 wk after 60 days of 6 degrees 
      head down tilt bed rest (HDTBR) in seven healthy subjects (four men, three
      women). By 60 days of HDTBR, PV was markedly reduced (2.7 +/- 0.3 vs. 2.3 +/- 0.3
      liters,P< 0.001). Resting measures of LV volume and mass were ~15% (P< 0.001) and
      ~14% lower (P< 0.001), respectively, compared with pre-HDTBR values. After 3 days
      of reambulation, both PV and LV volumes were not different than pre-HDTBR values.
      However, LV mass did not recover with normalization of PV and remained 12 +/- 4%
      lower than pre-bed rest values (P< 0.001). As previously reported, decreased PV
      and LV volume precede and likely contribute to cardiac atrophy during prolonged
      LV unloading. Although PV and LV volume recover rapidly after HDTBR, there is no
      concomitant normalization of LV mass. These results demonstrate that reduced LV
      mass in response to prolonged simulated weightlessness is not a simple effect of
      tissue dehydration, but rather true LV muscle atrophy that persists well into
      recovery. 

PMID- 26494451
TI  - Reappraisal of the acute, moderate intensity exercise-catecholamines interaction
      effect on speed of cognition: role of the vagal/NTS afferent pathway.

PMID- 26494450
TI  - Impairments in central cardiovascular function contribute to attenuated reflex
      vasodilation in aged skin.
AB  - During supine passive heating, increases in skin blood flow (SkBF) and cardiac
      output (Qc) are both blunted in older adults. The aim here was to determine the
      effect of acutely correcting the peripheral vasodilatory capacity of aged skin on
      the integrated cardiovascular responses to passive heating. A secondary aim was
      to examine the SkBF-Qc relation during hyperthermia in the presence (upright
      posture) and absence (dynamic exercise) of challenges to central venous pressure.
      We hypothesized that greater increases in SkBF would be accompanied by greater
      increases in Qc. Eleven healthy older adults (69 +/- 3 yr) underwent supine
      passive heating (0.8 degrees C rise in core temperature; water-perfused suit)
      after ingesting sapropterin (BH4, a nitric oxide synthase cofactor; 10 mg/kg) or
      placebo (randomized double-blind crossover design). Twelve young (24 +/- 1 yr)
      subjects served as a comparison group. SkBF (laser-Doppler flowmetry) and Qc
      (open-circuit acetylene wash-in) were measured during supine heating, heating +
      upright posture, and heating + dynamic exercise. Throughout supine and upright
      heating, sapropterin fully restored the SkBF response of older adults to that of
      young adults but Qc remained blunted. During heat + upright posture, SkBF failed
      to decrease in untreated older subjects. There were no age- or treatment-related
      differences in SkBF-Qc during dynamic exercise. The principal finding of this
      study was that the blunted Qc response to passive heat stress is directly related
      to age as opposed to the blunted peripheral vasodilatory capacity of aged skin.
      Furthermore, peripheral impairments to SkBF in the aged may contribute to
      inapposite responses during challenges to central venous pressure during
      hyperthermia. 

PMID- 26494452
TI  - Cardioprotective adaptation of rats to intermittent hypobaric hypoxia is
      accompanied by the increased association of hexokinase with mitochondria.
AB  - Chronic hypoxia increases the myocardial resistance to acute ischemia-reperfusion
      injury by affecting the mitochondrial redox balance. Hexokinase (HK) bears a high
      potential to suppress the excessive formation of reactive oxygen species because
      of its increased association with mitochondria, thereby inhibiting the membrane
      permeability transition pore opening and preventing cell death. The purpose of
      this study was to determine the effect of severe intermittent hypobaric hypoxia
      (7,000 m, 8 h/day, 5 wk) on the function and colocalization of HK isoforms with
      mitochondria in the left (LV) and right ventricles of rat myocardium. The real
      time RT-PCR, Western blot, enzyme coupled assay, and quantitative
      immunofluorescence techniques were used. Our results showed significantly
      elevated expression of HK isoforms (HK1 and HK2) in the hypoxic LV. In addition,
      intermittent hypoxia increased the total HK activity and the association of HK
      isoforms with mitochondria in both ventricles. These findings suggest that HK may
      contribute to the cardioprotective phenotype induced by adaptation to severe
      intermittent hypobaric hypoxia. 

PMID- 26494454
TI  - Understanding Aspects of Aluminum Exposure in Alzheimer's Disease Development.
AB  - Aluminum is a ubiquitously abundant nonessential element. Aluminum has been
      associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD),
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and dialysis encephalopathy. Many continue to
      regard aluminum as controversial although increasing evidence supports the
      implications of aluminum in the pathogenesis of AD. Aluminum causes the
      accumulation of tau protein and Abeta protein in the brain of experimental
      animals. Aluminum induces neuronal apoptosis in vivo and in vitro, either by
      endoplasmic stress from the unfolded protein response, by mitochondrial
      dysfunction, or a combination of them. Some, people who are exposed chronically
      to aluminum, either from through water and/or food, have not shown any AD
      pathology, apparently because their gastrointestinal barrier is more effective.
      This article is written keeping in mind mechanisms of action of aluminum
      neurotoxicity with respect to AD. 

PMID- 26494455
TI  - Tobacco exceptionalism in airports: time to address gaps.

PMID- 26494453
TI  - Onset of alveolar recirculation in the developing lungs and its consequence on
      nanoparticle deposition in the pulmonary acinus.
AB  - The structure of the gas exchange region of the human lung (the pulmonary acinus)
      undergoes profound change in the first few years of life. In this paper, we
      investigate numerically how the change in alveolar shape with time affects the
      rate of nanoparticle deposition deep in the lung during postnatal development. As
      human infant data is unavailable, we use a rat model of lung development. The
      process of postnatal lung development in the rat is remarkably similar to that of
      the human, and the structure of the rat acinus is indistinguishable from that of
      the human acinus. The current numerical predictions support our group's recent in
      vivo findings, which were also obtained by using growing rat lung models, that
      nanoparticle deposition in infants is strongly affected by the change in the
      structure of the pulmonary acinus. In humans, this major structural change occurs
      over the first 2 yr of life. Our current predictions would suggest that human
      infants at the age of ~ 2 yr might be most at risk to the harmful effects of air
      pollution. Our results also suggest that dose estimates for inhalation therapies
      using nanoparticles, based on fully developed adult lungs with simple body weight
      scaling, are likely to overestimate deposition by up to 55% for newborns and
      underestimate deposition by up to 17% for 2-yr-old infants.

PMID- 26494458
TI  - An Unusual Localization of a Cardiac Pseudoaneurysm Complicated by Paravalvular
      Leak in a Patient with Prosthetic Heart Valves.

PMID- 26494459
TI  - Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy and Offspring Birth Weight: A Genetically
      Informed Approach Comparing Multiple Raters.
AB  - Maternal smoking during pregnancy (SDP) is a significant public health concern
      with adverse consequences to the health and well-being of the fetus. There is
      considerable debate about the best method of assessing SDP, including
      birth/medical records, timeline follow-back approaches, multiple reporters, and
      biological verification (e.g., cotinine). This is particularly salient for
      genetically-informed approaches where it is not always possible or practical to
      do a prospective study starting during the prenatal period when concurrent
      biological specimen samples can be collected with ease. In a sample of families
      (N = 173) specifically selected for sibling pairs discordant for prenatal smoking
      exposure, we: (1) compare rates of agreement across different types of report
      maternal report of SDP, paternal report of maternal SDP, and SDP contained on
      birth records from the Department of Vital Statistics; (2) examine whether SDP is
      predictive of birth weight outcomes using our best SDP report as identified via
      step (1); and (3) use a sibling-comparison approach that controls for genetic and
      familial influences that siblings share in order to assess the effects of SDP on
      birth weight. Results show high agreement between reporters and support the
      utility of retrospective report of SDP. Further, we replicate a causal
      association between SDP and birth weight, wherein SDP results in reduced birth
      weight even when accounting for genetic and familial confounding factors via a
      sibling comparison approach.

PMID- 26494460
TI  - A Swedish Population-Based Multivariate Twin Study of Externalizing Disorders.
AB  - In epidemiological and twin populations, prior interview studies have identified
      an externalizing spectrum of disorders. Could this be detected utilizing
      objective registry data? In 20,603 twin pairs from the Swedish Twin Registry, we
      obtained information from national medical, criminal and pharmacy records on drug
      abuse (DA), criminal behavior (CB) and alcohol use disorders (AUD). Multivariate
      twin modeling was performed with the OpenMx package. A common pathway model with
      quantitative but not qualitative sex effects fit best with twin resemblance for
      the latent liability to externalizing syndromes due to both genetic and shared
      environmental factors. Heritability of the liability was higher in females (76
      vs. 62%) while shared environmental influences were considerably stronger in
      males (23 vs. 3%). In both sexes, this latent liability was most strongly indexed
      by DA and least by CB. All three syndromes had specific genetic influences
      (especially CB and AUD in males, and CB in females) and specific shared
      environmental effects (especially DA and CB in males, and AUD in females). For
      DA, CB and AUD in men, and DA and AUD in women, at least 75% of the genetic risk
      arose through the common factor. The best fit model assumed that genetic and
      environmental influences on these externalizing syndromes in males and females
      were the same. We identified, in registry data, a highly heritable externalizing
      spectrum. DA, CB and AUD share substantial genetic and modest to moderate shared
      environmental influences. The nature of the externalizing spectrum differed
      meaningfully between the sexes.

PMID- 26494461
TI  - Neonatal brain MRI: how reliable is the radiologist's eye?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: White matter (WM) analysis in neonatal brain magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) is challenging, as demonstrated by the issue of diffuse excessive
      high signal intensity (DEHSI). We evaluated the reliability of the radiologist's
      eye in this context. METHODS: Three experienced observers graded the WM signal
      intensity on axial T2-weighted 1.5T images from 60 different premature newborns
      on 2 occasions 4 weeks apart with a semi-quantitative classification under
      identical viewing conditions. RESULTS: The intra- and inter-observer correlation
      coefficients were fair to moderate (Fleiss' kappa between 0.21 and 0.60).
      CONCLUSION: This is a serious limitation of which we need to be aware, as it can
      lead to contradictory conclusions in the challenging context of term-equivalent
      age brain MRI in premature infants. These results highlight the need for a
      semiautomatic tool to help in objectively analyzing MRI signal intensity in the
      neonatal brain.

PMID- 26494462
TI  - Observer variability of absolute and relative thrombus density measurements in
      patients with acute ischemic stroke.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Thrombus density may be a predictor for acute ischemic stroke
      treatment success. However, only limited data on observer variability for
      thrombus density measurements exist. This study assesses the variability and bias
      of four common thrombus density measurement methods by expert and non-expert
      observers. METHODS: For 132 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke,
      three experts and two trained observers determined thrombus density by placing
      three standardized regions of interest (ROIs) in the thrombus and corresponding
      contralateral arterial segment. Subsequently, absolute and relative thrombus
      densities were determined using either one or three ROIs. Intraclass correlation
      coefficient (ICC) was determined, and Bland-Altman analysis was performed to
      evaluate interobserver and intermethod agreement. Accuracy of the trained
      observer was evaluated with a reference expert observer using the same
      statistical analysis. RESULTS: The highest interobserver agreement was obtained
      for absolute thrombus measurements using three ROIs (ICCs ranging from 0.54 to
      0.91). In general, interobserver agreement was lower for relative measurements,
      and for using one instead of three ROIs. Interobserver agreement of trained non
      experts and experts was similar. Accuracy of the trained observer measurements
      was comparable to the expert interobserver agreement and was better for absolute
      measurements and with three ROIs. The agreement between the one ROI and three ROI
      methods was good. CONCLUSION: Absolute thrombus density measurement has superior
      interobserver agreement compared to relative density measurement. Interobserver
      variation is smaller when multiple ROIs are used. Trained non-expert observers
      can accurately and reproducibly assess absolute thrombus densities using three
      ROIs.

PMID- 26494463
TI  - Non-Gaussian diffusion MR imaging of glioma: comparisons of multiple diffusion
      parameters and correlation with histologic grade and MIB-1 (Ki-67 labeling)
      index.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study was conducted to compare the association of Gaussian and
      non-Gaussian magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived parameters with histologic
      grade and MIB-1 (Ki-67 labeling) index (MI) in brain glioma. METHODS: Sixty-five
      patients with pathologically confirmed glioma, who underwent diffusion-weighted
      MRI with 2 b values (0, 1000 s/mm(2)) and 22 b values (<=5000 s/mm(2)),
      respectively, were divided into three groups of grade II (n = 35), grade III (n =
      8), and grade IV (n = 22). Comparisons by two groups were made for apparent
      diffusion coefficient (ADC), slow diffusion coefficient (Dslow), distributed
      diffusion coefficient (DDC), and heterogeneity index alpha. Analyses of receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curve were performed to maximize the area under
      the curve (AUC) for differentiating grade III + IV (high-grade glioma, HGG) from
      grade II (low-grade glioma, LGG) and grade IV (glioblastoma multiforme, GBM) from
      grade II + III (other grade glioma, OGG). Correlations with MI were analyzed for
      the MRI parameters. RESULTS: On tumor regions, the values of ADC, Dslow, DDC, and
      alpha were significantly higher in grade II [(1.37 +/- 0.29, 0.70 +/- 0.11, 1.39
      +/- 0.34) (*10(-3) mm(2)/s) and 0.88 +/- 0.05, respectively] than in grade III
      [(0.99 +/- 0.13, 0.55 +/- 0.07, 1.04 +/- 0.20) (*10(-3) mm(2)/s) and 0.80 +/-
      0.03, respectively] and grade IV [(1.03 +/- 0.14, 0.50 +/- 0.05, 1.02 +/- 0.16)
      (*10(-3) mm(2)/s) and 0.76 +/- 0.04, respectively] (all P < 0.001). The parameter
      alpha showed the highest AUCs of 0.950 and 0.922 in discriminating HGG from LGG
      and GBM from OGG, respectively. Significant correlations with histologic grade
      and MI were observed for the MRI parameters. CONCLUSION: The non-Gaussian MRI
      derived parameters alpha and Dslow are superior to ADC in glioma grading, which
      are comparable with ADC as reliable biomarkers in noninvasively predicting the
      proliferation level of glioma malignancy.

PMID- 26494464
TI  - Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator before endovascular treatment increases
      symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage in patients with occlusion of the middle
      cerebral artery second division: subanalysis of the RESCUE-Japan Registry.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: No previous study has investigated the relationship between
      intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV t-PA) and intracranial hemorrhage
      (ICH) according to the location of vessel occlusion. The aim of the present study
      was to investigate the relationship between preprocedural IV t-PA and
      endovascular treatment (EVT) and ICH according to the location of occlusion using
      data from the nationwide prospective registry of acute cerebral large vessel
      occlusion (LVO), the RESCUE-Japan Registry. METHODS: Among 1442 patients with
      acute LVO enrolled in the registry, we examined 410 patients who received EVT.
      Patients were divided into the following four groups according to the location of
      occlusion: the internal carotid artery (ICA), middle cerebral artery first
      division (M1), middle cerebral artery second division (M2), and vertebral artery
      (VA)/basilar artery (BA) groups. RESULTS: A total of 399 patients in whom the
      occlusion was located in these vessels were finally included. Any ICH (aICH) was
      identified in 127 (30.9%) patients, and symptomatic ICH (sICH) was identified in
      20 (4.9%). Preprocedural IV t-PA did not increase the incidence of aICH in any
      group and tended to increase the incidence of sICH in only the M2 group. In
      multivariate analysis of the M2 group, IV t-PA was an independent risk factor for
      sICH. CONCLUSION: Preprocedural IV t-PA did not increase the incidence of ICH in
      total, but could increase the incidence of sICH in those with M2 occlusion. IV t
      PA before EVT may be an independent risk factor for sICH in patients with M2
      occlusion.

PMID- 26494465
TI  - Rapid Hepatobiliary Excretion of Micelle-Encapsulated/Radiolabeled Upconverting
      Nanoparticles as an Integrated Form.
AB  - In the field of nanomedicine, long term accumulation of nanoparticles (NPs) in
      the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) such as liver is the major hurdle in
      clinical translation. On the other hand, NPs could be excreted via hepatobiliary
      excretion pathway without overt tissue toxicity. Therefore, it is critical to
      develop NPs that show favorable excretion property. Herein, we demonstrated that
      micelle encapsulated (64)Cu-labeled upconverting nanoparticles (micelle
      encapsulated (64)Cu-NOTA-UCNPs) showed substantial hepatobiliary excretion by in
      vivo positron emission tomography (PET) and also upconversion luminescence
      imaging (ULI). Ex vivo biodistribution study reinforced the imaging results by
      showing clearance of 84% of initial hepatic uptake in 72 hours. Hepatobiliary
      excretion of the UCNPs was also verified by transmission electron microscopy
      (TEM) examination. Micelle encapsulated (64)Cu-NOTA-UCNPs could be an optimal
      bimodal imaging agent owing to quantifiability of (64)Cu, ability of in vivo/ex
      vivo ULI and good hepatobiliary excretion property.

PMID- 26494466
TI  - Unexpected requirement for a binding partner of the syntaxin family in
      phagocytosis by murine testicular Sertoli cells.
AB  - Testicular phagocytosis by Sertoli cells (SCs) plays an essential role in the
      efficient clearance of apoptotic spermatogenic cells under both physiological and
      pathological conditions. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this unique
      process is poorly understood. Herein, we report for the first time that alpha
      taxilin protein (TXLNA), a binding partner of the syntaxin family that functions
      as a central player in the intracellular vesicle traffic, was dominantly
      expressed in SCs. Induction of apoptosis in murine meiotic spermatocytes and
      haploid spermatids by busulfan treatment stimulated a significant increase of
      TXLNA in SCs at day (d) 14 and d 24 after busulfan treatment, respectively.
      Consistently, TXLNA expression was steadily upregulated when SCs were co-cultured
      with apoptotic germ cells (GCs). Moreover, using siRNA treatment, we found that
      ablation of endogenous TXLNA significantly impaired the phagocytotic capacity of
      SCs and thereby resulted in defective spermiogenesis and reduced fertility during
      the late recovery after testicular heat stress. Mechanistically, upregulation of
      TXLNA expression by apoptotic GCs was associated with the stabilization of ATP
      binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1), a transporter-mediated lipid efflux from
      SCs and influencing male fertility. TXLNA acted as an upstream suppressor of
      ABCA1 ubiquitination and thus promoted ABCA1 stability and accumulation following
      GC apoptosis. We further provide in vitro evidence that epidermal growth factor
      receptor (EGFR)-mediated phosphorylation regulated ABCA1 ubiquitination and was
      enhanced by TXLNA deficiency during testicular phagocytosis. Taken together, the
      TXLNA/ABCA1 cascade may serve as an important feedback mechanism to modulate the
      magnitude of subsequent phagocytotic process of SCs in response to testicular
      injury. 

PMID- 26494467
TI  - Molecular architecture of the DED chains at the DISC: regulation of procaspase-8
      activation by short DED proteins c-FLIP and procaspase-8 prodomain.
AB  - The CD95/Fas/APO-1 death-inducing signaling complex (DISC), comprising CD95,
      FADD, procaspase-8, procaspase-10, and c-FLIP, has a key role in apoptosis
      induction. Recently, it was demonstrated that procaspase-8 activation is driven
      by death effector domain (DED) chains at the DISC. Here, we analyzed the
      molecular architecture of the chains and the role of the short DED proteins in
      regulating procaspase-8 activation in the chain model. We demonstrate that the
      DED chains are largely composed of procaspase-8 cleavage products and, in
      particular, of its prodomain. The DED chain also comprises c-FLIP and procaspase
      10 that are present in 10 times lower amounts compared with procaspase-8. We show
      that short c-FLIP isoforms can inhibit CD95-induced cell death upon
      overexpression, likely by forming inactive heterodimers with procaspase-8.
      Furthermore, we have addressed mechanisms of the termination of chain elongation
      using experimental and mathematical modeling approaches. We show that neither c
      FLIP nor procaspase-8 prodomain terminates the DED chain, but rather the
      dissociation/association rates of procaspase-8 define the stability of the chain
      and thereby its length. In addition, we provide evidence that procaspase-8
      prodomain generated at the DISC constitutes a negative feedback loop in
      procaspase-8 activation. Overall, these findings provide new insights into
      caspase-8 activation in DED chains and apoptosis initiation. 

PMID- 26494469
TI  - Ring-enhancing brain lesions: Listeria monocytogenes abscesses.

PMID- 26494468
TI  - DNA damage-induced ephrin-B2 reverse signaling promotes chemoresistance and
      drives EMT in colorectal carcinoma harboring mutant p53.
AB  - Mutation in the TP53 gene positively correlates with increased incidence of
      chemoresistance in different cancers. In this study, we investigated the
      mechanism of chemoresistance and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in
      colorectal cancer involving the gain-of-function (GOF) mutant p53/ephrin-B2
      signaling axis. Bioinformatic analysis of the NCI-60 data set and subsequent hub
      prediction identified EFNB2 as a possible GOF mutant p53 target gene, responsible
      for chemoresistance. We show that the mutant p53-NF-Y complex transcriptionally
      upregulates EFNB2 expression in response to DNA damage. Moreover, the acetylated
      form of mutant p53 protein is recruited on the EFNB2 promoter and positively
      regulates its expression in conjunction with coactivator p300. In vitro cell line
      and in vivo nude mice data show that EFNB2 silencing restores chemosensitivity in
      mutant p53-harboring tumors. In addition, we observed high expression of EFNB2 in
      patients having neoadjuvant non-responder colorectal carcinoma compared with
      those having responder version of the disease. In the course of deciphering the
      drug resistance mechanism, we also show that ephrin-B2 reverse signaling induces
      ABCG2 expression after drug treatment that involves JNK-c-Jun signaling in mutant
      p53 cells. Moreover, 5-fluorouracil-induced ephrin-B2 reverse signaling promotes
      tumorigenesis through the Src-ERK pathway, and drives EMT via the Src-FAK
      pathway. We thus conclude that targeting ephrin-B2 might enhance the therapeutic
      potential of DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic agents in mutant p53-bearing human
      tumors. 

PMID- 26494470
TI  - Severe digital necrosis as the clinical onset of antiphospholipid syndrome.

PMID- 26494471
TI  - Lung ultrasound in systemic sclerosis: correlation with high-resolution computed
      tomography, pulmonary function tests and clinical variables of disease.
AB  - Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a hallmark of systemic sclerosis (SSc).
      Although high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is the gold standard to
      diagnose ILD, recently lung ultrasound (LUS) has emerged in SSc patients as a new
      promising technique for the ILD evaluation, noninvasive and radiation-free. The
      aim of this study was to evaluate if there is a correlation between LUS, chest
      HRCT, pulmonary function tests findings and clinical variables of the disease.
      Thirty-nine patients (33 women and 6 men; mean age 51 +/- 15.2 years) underwent
      clinical examination, HRCT, pulmonary function tests and LUS for detection of B
      lines. A positive correlation exists between the number of B-lines and the HRCT
      score (r = 0.81, p < 0.0001), conversely a negative correlation exists between
      the number of B-lines and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide
      (DLCO) (r = -0.63, p < 0.0001). The number of B-lines increases along with the
      progression of the capillaroscopic damage. A statistically significant difference
      in the number of B-lines was found between patients with and without digital
      ulcers [42 (3-84) vs 16 (4-55)]. We found that the number of B-lines increased
      with the progression of both HRCT score and digital vascular damage. LUS may
      therefore, be a useful tool to determine the best timing for HRCT execution,
      thus, preventing for many patients a continuous and useless exposure to ionizing
      radiation. 

PMID- 26494473
TI  - [Erratum to: Cytology in uropathological diagnostics].

PMID- 26494472
TI  - Chronic kidney disease in the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia,
      2002-2011: a retrospective cohort study using existing laboratory data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Northern Territory of Australia has a very high incidence of
      treated end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), largely confined to Indigenous
      Australians living in remote, under-resourced areas. Surveillance of chronic
      kidney disease (CKD) is still in its infancy in Australia. We estimate the
      prevalence and rate of progression of measured CKD across a region using
      inexpensive readily available laboratory information. METHODS: Using a
      retrospective de-identified extraction of all records with a serum creatinine or
      urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio from the single largest ambulatory pathology
      provider to the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia between 1st
      February 2002 and 31st December 2011, the yearly total and age-specific
      prevalence of measured microalbuminuria, overt albuminuria and estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2), and the prevalence of
      progressive CKD, were calculated. RESULTS: There was a steady increase in the
      proportion tested across all health districts in the region, more prominent in
      non-urban districts. In 2009, the regional adult prevalence of measured
      microalbuminuria and overt albuminuria was as high as 8.1 %, overt albuminuria
      alone up to 3.0 % and eGFR < 60 up to 2.3 %. Rates of progressive disease were
      extremely high, particularly for those with albuminuria (53.1-100 % for those
      with urinary albumin-creatinine ratio > 300 mg/mmol). CONCLUSIONS: The rates of
      testing, particularly in districts of high measured prevalence of markers of CKD,
      are encouraging. However, extremely high rates of progressive CKD are troubling.
      Further describing the outcomes of CKD in this population would require analysis
      of linked datasets.

PMID- 26494474
TI  - Dithiothreitol enhanced arsenic-trioxide-induced cell apoptosis in cultured oral
      cancer cells via mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress.
AB  - Arsenic is naturally occurring toxic metalloid and drinking As2 O3 containing
      water are recognized to be related to increased risk of neurotoxicity, liver
      injury, blackfoot disease, hypertension, and cancer. On the contrary, As2 O3 has
      been an ancient drug used in traditional Chinese medicine with substantial
      anticancer activities, especially in the treatment of acute promyelocytic
      leukemia as well as chronic wound healing. However, the cytotoxicity and detail
      mechanisms of As2 O3 action in solid cancer cells, such as oral cancer cells, are
      largely unknown. In this study, we have primarily cultured four pairs of tumor
      and nontumor cells from the oral cancer patients and treated the cells with As2
      O3 alone or combined with dithiothreitol (DTT). The results showed that 0.5 MUM
      As2 O3 plus 20 MUM DTT caused a significant cell death of oral cancer cells but
      not the nontumor cells. Also As2 O3 plus DTT upregulated Bax and Bak,
      downregulated Bcl-2 and p53, caused a loss of mitochondria membrane potential in
      oral cancer cells. On the other way, As2 O3 also triggered endoplasmic reticulum
      stress and increased the levels of glucose-regulated protein 78, calpain 1 and 2.
      Our results suggest that DTT could synergistically enhance the effects of As2 O3
      on killing oral cancer cells while nontoxic to the nontumor cells. The
      combination is promising for clinical practice in oral cancer therapy and worth
      further investigations. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 17
      27, 2017.

PMID- 26494475
TI  - Role of ultrasound biomicroscopy in the planning for secondary implantation of
      intra ocular lens in aphakia.
AB  - Purpose This is a prospective investigational study that was performed at Tanta
      University Eye Hospital, Tanta, Egypt to evaluate the role of ultrasound
      biomicroscopy (UBM) in planning secondary implantation of intra ocular lens (IOL)
      in aphakia. Methods Preoperative UBM was performed for the assessment of anterior
      segment of 30 aphakic eyes admitted for secondary IOL implantation with special
      attention to central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD),
      ciliary sulcus (CS), anatomical changes, and posterior capsular (PC) integrity
      which had been assessed by measuring the remnants of PC with special attention to
      the 12, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9 o'clock meridians. Results This study involved 30 eyes
      in 27 patients; 16 males and 11 females. The mean age was 8.39 +/- 2.36 years.
      The causes of aphakia were: congenital cataract extraction in14 eyes (46.7 %);
      trauma in 14 eyes (46.7 %); and after extracapsular cataract extraction in 2 eyes
      (6.6 %). The mean CCT was 0.61 + 0.35 mm and the mean ACD was 3.03 + 0.41 mm. The
      ciliary sulcus was patent in 28 eyes (93.4 %). Posterior synechia was observed in
      8 eyes (26.7 %), lens remnants in 11 eyes (36.7 %), corneal scars in 11 eyes
      (36.7 %), and vitreous in anterior chamber in 1 eye (3.3 %). The integrity of PC
      was illustrated with a diagram. Conclusions UBM is a useful device to evaluate
      aphakic eyes before secondary IOL implantation through good evaluation of the
      anterior segment with special attention to the posterior capsular integrity,
      ciliary sulcus, anterior chamber depth, corneal thickness, and detection of any
      structural changes in the anterior segment resulting from the remote cause of
      aphakia. 

PMID- 26494476
TI  - A review of unilateral acute idiopatic maculopathy related to hand-foot-mouth
      disease with a representative case.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to review unilateral acute maculopathy associated
      with hand-foot-mouth disease with a representative case. Clinical course of a 24
      year-old male case with unilateral acute idiopatic maculopathy documented by
      multimodal imaging is presented, and a review of similar cases is given. On
      initial examination, best-corrected visual acuity was 20/200 in the left eye.
      Fundoscopy revealed grayish-yellowish subretinal exudate, and fluorescein
      angiography demonstrated irregular mottled hyperfluorescence at the central
      macula. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography demonstrated disruption of
      ellipsoid layer, which partially resolved on follow-up examinations. Best
      corrected visual acuity increased to 20/20 at 3 months, with persistent retinal
      changes, and mild disruption of ellipsoid layer and persistent mild
      metamorphopsia. Although hand-foot-mouth disease is usually benign and self
      limited in childhood, it may be rarely associated with unilateral vision loss due
      to maculopathy, especially at early adulthood in both sexes. Vision loss
      associated with this eruption is acute and reversible in most cases, despite some
      residual pigmentary and scarring changes in all cases and persistent mild visual
      loss in some cases. Exact pathophysiology, the causes of variability of clinical
      features, adulthood onset, unilateral involvement, and role of multimodal imaging
      are issues which need to be clarified with further research. 

PMID- 26494477
TI  - Risk factors for intra-operative complications during phacoemulsification
      performed by residents.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the risk factors for occurrence of
      intra-operative complications during phacoemulsification performed by residents.
      One hundred fifty patients with cataract who underwent phacoemulsification by
      residents, with an experience of five or more phacoemulsification surgery, at a
      tertiary care centre were included in this study. The pre-operative data of these
      patients were collected from the hospital records. Surgeons were interviewed
      immediately after the surgery regarding the surgeon experience,
      phacoemulsification technique, machine factors, and intra-operative
      complications. Statistical analysis was done to determine pre-operative and intra
      operative risk factors. The overall surgical complication rate in resident
      performed phacoemulsification was 37 % of which major and minor complications
      were 21 and 16 %, respectively. Success in terms of placement of intraocular lens
      in capsular bag was 84 %. The most common major and minor complications found
      were posterior capsular tear and irregular capsulorhexis, respectively. Systemic
      and ocular features of patients as well as type of machine (longitudinal versus
      torsional longitudinal) had no significant association in terms of complication
      rate. Increase in success rate was seen with increase in semester and number of
      surgeries performed. Patient factors including general physical condition,
      systemic diseases, and anatomical factors do not influence success in resident
      performed phacoemulsification. With increase in semester of residents, there is a
      significant decrease in intra-operative complications. Minor complications in the
      beginning of case lead to increase in major complications later on during the
      case and decrease in success rate by junior-semester residents. 

PMID- 26494478
TI  - Introduction of temperature-sensitive helper and donor plasmids into Bac-to-Bac
      baculovirus expression systems.
AB  - In the baculovirus shuttle vector (bacmid) system, a helper plasmid and a donor
      plasmid are employed to insert heterologous genes into a cloned baculovirus
      genome via Tn7 transposition in Escherichia coli. The helper and donor plasmids
      are usually cotransfected with constructed bacmids into insect cells, which will
      lead to integration of these plasmids into the viral genome, and hence to the
      production of defective virions. In this study, to facilitate the preparation of
      plasmid-free recombinant bacmids, we modified a set of helper and donor plasmids
      by replacing their replication origins with that of a temperature-sensitive (ts)
      plasmid, pSIM6. Using the resulting ts helper plasmid pMON7124(ts) and the ts
      donor plasmid pFB1(ts)-PH-GFP, a recombinant bacmid, bAcWT-PG(-), was
      constructed, and the transposition efficiency was found to be 33.1%. The plasmids
      were then removed by culturing at 37  degrees C. For bAcWT-PG(-), the infectious
      progeny virus titer and the protein expression level under the control of the
      polyhedrin promoter were similar to those of a bacmid constructed with unmodified
      helper and donor plasmids. These ts plasmids will be useful for obtaining plasmid
      free bacmids for both heterologous protein production and fundamental studies of
      baculovirus biology. 

PMID- 26494480
TI  - Human enteric viruses--potential indicators for enhanced monitoring of
      recreational water quality.
AB  - Recreational waters contaminated with human fecal pollution are a public health
      concern, and ensuring the safety of recreational waters for public use is a
      priority of both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for
      Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Current recreational water standards rely
      on fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) levels as indicators of human disease risk.
      However present evidence indicates that levels of FIB do not always correspond to
      the presence of other potentially harmful organisms, such as viruses. Thus,
      enteric viruses are currently tested as water quality indicators, but have yet to
      be successfully implemented in routine monitoring of water quality. This study
      utilized enteric viruses as possible alternative indicators of water quality to
      examine 18 different fresh and offshore recreational waters on O'ahu, Hawai'i, by
      using newly established laboratory techniques including highly optimized PCR,
      real time PCR, and viral infectivity assays. All sample sites were detected
      positive for human enteric viruses by PCR including enterovirus, norovirus
      genogroups I and II, and male specific FRNA coliphage. A six time-point seasonal
      study of enteric virus presence indicated significant variation in virus
      detection between the rainy and dry seasons. Quantitative PCR detected the
      presence of norovirus genogroup II at levels at which disease risk may occur, and
      there was no correlation found between enteric virus presence and FIB counts.
      Under the present laboratory conditions, no infectious viruses were detected from
      the samples PCR-positive for enteric viruses. These data emphasize both the need
      for additional indicators for improved monitoring of water quality, and the
      feasibility of using enteric viruses as these indicators. 

PMID- 26494479
TI  - Dengue epidemiology and pathogenesis: images of the future viewed through a
      mirror of the past.
AB  - Every year, millions of individuals throughout the world are seriously affected
      by dengue virus. The unavailability of a vaccine and of anti-viral drugs has made
      this mosquito-borne disease a serious health concern. Not only does dengue cause
      fatalities but it also has a profoundly negative economic impact. In recent
      decades, extensive research has been performed on epidemiology, vector biology,
      life cycle, pathogenesis, vaccine development and prevention. Although dengue
      research is still not at a stage to suggest definite hopes of a cure, encouraging
      significant advances have provided remarkable progress in the fight against
      infection. Recent developments indicate that both anti-viral drug and vaccine
      research should be pursued, in parallel with vector control programs. 

PMID- 26494481
TI  - Ocular Involvement in Systemic Autoimmune Diseases.
AB  - Eye involvement represents a common finding in patients with systemic autoimmune
      diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren syndrome, seronegative
      spondyloarthropathy, and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated
      vasculitis. The eye is a privileged immune site but commensal bacteria are found
      on the ocular surface. The eye injury may be inflammatory, vascular or
      infectious, as well as iatrogenic, as in the case of hydroxychloroquine,
      chloroquine, corticosteroids, and bisphosphonates. Manifestations may affect
      different components of the eye, with episcleritis involving the episclera, a
      thin layer of tissue covering the sclera; scleritis being an inflammation of the
      sclera potentially leading to blindness; keratitis, referring to corneal
      inflammation frequently associated with scleritis; and uveitis as the
      inflammation of the uvea, including the iris, ciliary body, and choroid,
      subdivided into anterior, posterior, or panuveitis. As blindness may result from
      the eye involvement, clinicians should be aware of the possible manifestations
      and their management also independent of the ophthalmologist opinion as the
      therapeutic approach generally points to the underlying diseases. In some cases,
      the eye involvement may have a diagnostic implication, as for episcleritis in
      rheumatoid arthritis, or acute anterior uveitis in seronegative
      spondyloarthritis. Nonetheless, some conditions lack specificity, as in the case
      of dry eye which affects nearly 30 % of the general population. The aim of this
      review is to elucidate to non-ophthalmologists the major ocular complications of
      rheumatic diseases and their specific management and treatment options.

PMID- 26494482
TI  - Targeted association mapping demonstrating the complex molecular genetics of
      fatty acid formation in soybean.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relative abundance of five dominant fatty acids (FAs) (palmitic,
      stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids) is a major factor determining seed
      quality in soybean. METHODS: To clarify the currently poorly understood genetic
      architecture of FAs in soybean, targeted association analysis was conducted in
      421 diverse accessions phenotyped in three environments and genotyped using 1536
      pre-selected SNPs. RESULTS: The population of 421 soybean accessions displayed
      significant genetic variation for each FA. Analysis of the molecular data
      revealed three subpopulations, which reflected a trend depending on latitude of
      cultivation. A total of 37 significant (p < 0.01) associations with FAs were
      identified by association mapping analysis. These associations were represented
      by 33 SNPs (occurring in 32 annotated genes); another four SNPs had a significant
      association with two different FAs due to pleiotropic interactions. The most
      significant associations were cross-verified by known genes/QTL or consistency
      across cultivation year and subpopulations. CONCLUSION: The detected marker-trait
      associations represent a first important step towards the implementation of
      molecular-marker-based selection of FA composition with the potential to
      substantially improve the seed quality of soybean with benefits for human health
      and for food processing.

PMID- 26494483
TI  - The neural circuitry supporting goal maintenance during cognitive control: a
      comparison of expectancy AX-CPT and dot probe expectancy paradigms.
AB  - Goal maintenance is an aspect of cognitive control that has been identified as
      critical for understanding psychopathology according to criteria of the NIMH
      sponsored CNTRICS (Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition
      in Schizophrenia) and Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiatives. CNTRICS
      proposed the expectancy AX-CPT, and its visual-spatial parallel the dot probe
      expectancy (DPX), as valid measures of the cognitive and neural processes thought
      to be relevant for goal maintenance. The goal of this study was to specifically
      examine the functional neural correlates and connectivity patterns of both goal
      maintenance tasks in the same subset of subjects to further validate their neural
      construct validity and clarify our understanding of the nature and function of
      the neural circuitry engaged by the tasks. Twenty-six healthy control subjects
      performed both the letter (AX) and dot pattern (DPX) variants of the CPT during
      fMRI. Behavioral performance was similar between tasks. The 2 tasks engaged the
      same brain networks including dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and dorsal
      parietal regions, supporting their validity as complementary measures of the goal
      maintenance construct. Interestingly there was greater engagement of the frontal
      opercular insula region during the expectancy AX-CPT (letter) and greater
      functional connectivity between the PFC and medial temporal lobe in the DPX (dot
      pattern). These differences are consistent with differential recruitment of
      phonological and visual-spatial processes by the two tasks and suggest that
      additional long-term memory systems may be engaged by the dot probe version.

PMID- 26494484
TI  - Possible Involvement of Serum and Synovial Fluid Resistin in Knee Osteoarthritis:
      Cartilage Damage, Clinical, and Radiological Links.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Resistin is an adipocytokine associated with inflammation and insulin
      resistance. Recent studies have shown that resistin plays an important role in
      the pathogenesis and progression in osteoarthritis (OA) patients. The current
      study was aimed at investigating the relationship between resistin in serum and
      synovial fluid (SF) and disease severity in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
      METHOD: Seventy-four patients diagnosed with knee OA and 79 healthy controls
      receiving regular body check in our hospital were recruited in the study. The
      Noyes score method was used to assess articular cartilage damage
      arthroscopically. The symptomatic severity was evaluated according to the Western
      Ontario McMaster University Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) scores. The radiographic
      disease severity of OA was assessed by the Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) grading
      system. The resistin levels in serum and SF were determined by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. Cartilage degradation marker CTX-II in SF was also examined.
      RESULTS: SF but not serum resistin levels are positively associated with Noyes
      scores, K-L grading scores WOMAC pain scores, physical functional scores and
      WOMAC total scores. In addition, SF resistin correlated positively with CTX-II.
      CONCLUSION: Resistin in SF might serve as a potential biomarker for reflecting
      the disease severity and cartilage degenerative extent of knee OA.

PMID- 26494485
TI  - Additional postoperative cell salvage of shed mediastinal blood in cardiac
      surgery does not reduce allogeneic blood transfusions: a cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Does additional postoperative collection and processing of
      mediastinal shed blood with a cell salvage device reduce the number of allogeneic
      blood transfusions compared to intraoperative cell salvage alone? METHODS: A
      single-centre cohort study in which adult patients with coronary artery bypass
      grafting or aortic valve replacement were allocated to either a C.A.T.S((r))
      group with intraoperative blood processing only or a CardioPat((r)) group with
      both intra- and postoperative blood processing. The primary endpoint was the
      number of allogeneic blood transfusions during hospital admission. RESULTS: The
      study included 99 patients; 50 in the C.A.T.S((r)) and 49 in the CardioPat((r))
      group.There was no difference in the number of red blood cells (RBC)
      (C.A.T.S((r)) group 43 units versus CardioPat((r)) 50 units, p=0.74), fresh
      frozen plasma (C.A.T.S((r)) 8 units versus CardioPat((r)) 8 units, p=1.00) or
      platelets (C.A.T.S((r)) 5 units versus CardioPat((r)) 4 units, p=1.00) transfused
      during the hospital stay.Cardiac creatinine kinase (CK-MB) and troponin levels
      did not differ between the groups although a significant time effect (p<0.001)
      was present. Creatinine kinase (CK) levels were not different between the groups
      three hours after arrival in the intensive care unit (ICU) (CardioPat((r)) group
      versus C.A.T.S((r)) group, p=0.17). But, compared to the C.A.T.S((r)) group on
      the first (350 [232-469] IU/L) and second postoperative days (325 [201-480]
      IU/L), the increase in CK levels was more in the CardioPat((r)) group on the
      first (431 [286-642] IU/L, p=0.02) and second postoperative days (406 [239-760]
      IU/L, p=0.05), resulting in a difference between the groups (p=0.04) CONCLUSIONS:
      Postoperative cell salvage does not reduce transfusion requirements compared to
      intraoperative cell salvage alone, but results in elevated total CK levels that
      suggest haemolysis.

PMID- 26494486
TI  - Cardiovascular causes of emergency neurology presenting to an ICU.
AB  - Stroke or transient ischemic attacks (TIA) represent an urgent clinical entity
      that is not limited only to elderly patients. The underlying causes of stroke and
      TIA are diverse, with those of cardiovascular origin being among the most
      prominent. This review seeks to elucidate some of the most important aspects of
      the disease in the context of emergency and critical care practice. 

PMID- 26494487
TI  - Asymmetric synthesis of aromatic beta-amino acids using omega-transaminase:
      Optimizing the lipase concentration to obtain thermodynamically unstable beta
      keto acids.
AB  - Synthesized aromatic beta-amino acids have recently attracted considerable
      attention for their application as precursors in many pharmacologically relevant
      compounds. Previous studies on asymmetric synthesis of aromatic beta-amino acids
      using omega-transaminases could not be done efficiently due to the instability of
      beta-keto acids. In this study, a strategy to circumvent the instability problem
      of beta-keto acids was utilized to generate beta-amino acids efficiently via
      asymmetric synthesis. In this work, thermodynamically stable beta-ketoesters were
      initially converted to beta-keto acids using lipase, and the beta-keto acids were
      subsequently aminated using omega-transaminase. By optimizing the lipase
      concentration, we successfully overcame the instability problem of beta-keto
      acids and enhanced the production of beta-amino acids. This strategy can be used
      as a general approach to efficiently generate beta-amino acids from beta
      ketoesters. 

PMID- 26494488
TI  - In-hospital resource utilization in surgical and transcatheter aortic valve
      replacement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about preoperative predictors of resource utilization
      in the treatment of high-risk patients with severe symptomatic aortic valve
      stenosis. We report results from the prospective, medical-economic "TAVI
      Calculation of Costs Trial". METHODS: In-hospital resource utilization was
      evaluated in 110 elderly patients (age >= 75 years) treated either with
      transfemoral (TF) or transapical (TA) transcatheter aortic valve implantation
      (TAVI, N = 83), or surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR, N = 27). Overall, 22
      patient-specific baseline parameters were tested for within-group prediction of
      resource use. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics differed between groups and
      reflected the non-randomized, real-world allocation of treatment options. Overall
      procedural times were shortest for TAVI, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay
      (LoS) was lowest for AVR. Length of total hospitalization since procedure (THsP)
      was lowest for TF-TAVI; 13.4 +/- 11.4 days as compared to 15.7 +/- 10.5 and 21.2
      +/- 15.4 days for AVR and TA-TAVI, respectively. For TAVI and AVR, EuroScore I
      remained the main predictor for prolonged THsP (p <0.01). Within the TAVI group,
      multivariate regression analyses showed that TA-TAVI was associated with a
      substantial increase in THsP (55 to 61 %, p <0.01). Additionally, preoperative
      aortic valve area (AVA) was identified as an independent predictor of prolonged
      THsP in TAVI patients, irrespective of risk scores (p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results demonstrate significant heterogeneity in patients baseline
      characteristics dependent on treatment and corresponding differences in resource
      utilization. Prolonged ThsP is not only predicted by risk scores but also by
      baseline AVA, which might be useful in stratifying TAVI patients. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trial Register Nr. DRKS00000797.

PMID- 26494489
TI  - Medication use for chronic health conditions among adults in Saudi Arabia:
      findings from a national household survey.
AB  - PURPOSE: Chronic diseases and their risk factors are believed to be common in the
      Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Most of them require long-term management through
      medications. We examined patterns of medication use for chronic health conditions
      (CHC) in KSA based on a national survey. METHODS: The Saudi Health Interview
      Survey was a cross-sectional nationally representative household survey of 10,735
      individuals aged 15 years or older in 2013. The survey consisted of a detailed
      health questionnaire. Current medications for CHC were assessed and classified
      based on the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification. RESULTS: Among the
      respondents, 11.8% (standard error = 0.4) reported taking at least one medication
      for CHC with a mean number of 2.05 (standard error = 0.05) medication items. In
      addition to older age (odds ratio = 1.94 per each decade, 95%CI: 1.83-2.05) and
      male gender (odds ratio = 1.22, 95%CI: 1.06-1.41), those with higher income were
      more likely to take medication. The most common medicines were drugs used for
      diabetes (A10 Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical code). The top 20 drugs accounted
      for about 80% of all medications. Only 32.7% of medications were reported to be
      used exactly as prescribed. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the prevalence of CHC in
      KSA, our study indicates a potential underuse of medications as well as non
      adherence to the directions for use. Interventions such as improved clinical
      guidelines for healthcare providers to increase utilization of necessary
      medication and educational programs to improve patients' adherence are needed.

PMID- 26494490
TI  - Isoflavones in Chickpeas Inhibit Adipocyte Differentiation and Prevent Insulin
      Resistance in 3T3-L1 Cells.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia arising
      from defects in insulin secretion. This study investigated the effects of
      isoflavones in chickpea sprouts germinated in light (IGL) and isoflavones in
      chickpea seeds (ICS) on insulin resistance through their role in suppression of
      3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation. Results showed that IGL and ICS inhibit the
      differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes induced by differentiation medium in a
      dose-dependent manner, and the suppressive effect of IGL was stronger (p < 0.05)
      than that of ICS, evidenced by a decrease of Oil Red O staining and intracellular
      triacylglycerol content in the mature adipocytes. IGL and ICS also stimulated
      glucose uptake significantly (p < 0.05). Besides, IGL and ICS treatment caused a
      significant decrease in mRNA and protein expression levels of adipogenesis
      related transcription factors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma
      (PPARgamma) and CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha). Furthermore,
      the mRNA and protein expression levels of adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein
      (ap2), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), uncoupling protein-2 (UCP-2), and glucose
      transporter 4 (Glut4) in 3T3-L1 cells were also markedly down-regulated (p <
      0.05). 

PMID- 26494491
TI  - [Magnetic resonance imaging of the prostate: usefulness of diffusion sequences in
      detecting postembolization ischemia in patients with benign prostatic
      hyperplasia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the usefulness of diffusion magnetic resonance (MR)
      sequences before and after prostatic artery embolization (PAE) in patients with
      benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed MR studies
      done before (7-10 days) and after (30 days) PAE in 19 patients with BPH treated
      with PAE between June 2012 and December 2013. We used 1.5 Tesla scanners with
      body surface coils. In pre-PAE MR studies, we recorded mean b40 values and
      minimum (min) and maximum (max) apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. In
      post-PAE MR studies, we recorded b40, b400, and b1000 values and min, mean, and
      max ADC values. We compared diffusion behavior/ADC before and after PAE and areas
      without ischemia. We correlated these with decreased prostatic volume (PV).
      RESULTS: We identified ischemia with contrast in 8 (42.1%) patients. No
      significant difference was found in mean b40 (p= 0.1650) or in the b40 ratio (p=
      0.8868) between patients with ischemia and those without before PAE. Min b40, b40
      ratio, and min ADC values differed significantly between ischemic areas and
      nonischemic areas within patients [p= 0.048 (b40min and ratio) and p= 0.002 (min
      ADC)]. No significant correlation was found between the percentage decrease in PV
      and mean b40 (p= 0.8490) or b40 ratio (p=0.8573). CONCLUSION: Post-PAE ischemia
      generates objective changes in diffusion and ADC values that enable ischemic
      sectors to be differentiated from nonischemic sectors. Future studies should
      analyze whether it is possible to subjectively differentiate between these areas
      through the visualization of nonischemic sectors and the feasibility of replacing
      them with contrast to detect ischemia.

PMID- 26494492
TI  - [The use of metal radiotracers in PET: the new reality].

PMID- 26494493
TI  - [Response to the letter: "Neither a scientist nor a moralist: only a
      radiologist"].

PMID- 26494494
TI  - [Neither a scientist nor a moralist: only a radiologist].

PMID- 26494495
TI  - [Evaluation of the new Canon HS-100 SD-OCT: Reproducibility of macular ganglion
      cell complex (GCC) thickness measurement in normal, hypertensive and glaucomatous
      eyes].
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate intra- and interobserver reproducibility of macular GCC
      thickness measurement by automated segmentation on the Canon HS-100 SD-OCT
      (Tokyo, Japan) in normal (N), hypertensive (OHT) and glaucomatous eyes. METHODS:
      A total of 179 eyes of 93 patients were included: 90 N, 28 OHT and 36 early
      glaucoma and 25 advanced glaucoma. All patients underwent a complete
      ophthalmologic exam, central corneal thickness and 24-2 standard automated
      perimetry (HFA SITA standard). Each of two observers performed three macular
      acquisitions with the Canon OCT HS-100. Acquisitions were analyzed with the
      Glaucoma 3D mode, which estimated the macular GCC thickness in global, superior
      and inferior hemisectors, and in eight separate macular areas. Reproducibility
      was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), coefficient of
      variation (CV) and test-retest variability (TRTV) calculated as 1.96 times the
      standard deviation. RESULTS: Mean GCC thickness was respectively 92.4 MUm, 89.0
      MUm, 80.7 MUm and 71.2 MUm in N, OHT, early and advanced glaucomatous eyes. In
      all groups, intra- and interobserver reproducibility ranged respectively for ICC
      from 89.8 to 99.8% and from 90.2 to 99.4%, for CV from 0.43 to 1.95% and from
      0.58 to 2.16% and for TRTV from 0.8 to 3.22 MUm and from 1.04 to 3.53 MUm. GCC
      thickness measurements using the new HS-100 SD-OCT were highly reproducible.
      However, in the advanced glaucoma group, while the reproducibility of GCC
      thickness measurement is good in the average, superior and inferior hemisectors
      of the macula, it was slightly less for the paracentral sectors, especially
      inferior. These sectors correspond generally to the areas most affected by
      glaucoma. CONCLUSION: The reproducibility of GCC thickness measurements using the
      new Canon HS-100 SD-OCT is high for normal, OHT, and glaucomatous eyes. It is
      thus a reliable and reproducible ancillary test available to the clinician for
      the examination of glaucomatous optic neuropathies.

PMID- 26494496
TI  - [Physician information sheet: Treatment of diabetic macular edema].

PMID- 26494497
TI  - Introduction.

PMID- 26494498
TI  - Corneal Emergencies.
AB  - Corneal emergencies can be due to a number of different causes and may be vision
      threatening if left untreated. In an attempt to stabilize the cornea, it is of
      benefit to place an Elizabethan collar on the patient to prevent further corneal
      damage. This article discusses the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of
      corneal emergencies in dogs and cats. 

PMID- 26494499
TI  - Lens-Related Emergencies: Not Always So Clear.
AB  - Emergencies involving the crystalline lens are not common; however, their
      clinical signs must be recognized quickly to begin treatment or referred
      immediately to improve the chances of retaining sight. The lens is a unique
      structure because of its immunologically privileged status and its imperative
      clarity for vision. Any insult to the lens capsule's integrity, its position
      within the globe, or to its clarity may result in undesirable sequelae. 

PMID- 26494500
TI  - Glaucomas.
AB  - Canine and feline glaucomas are commonly presented as ocular emergencies.
      Glaucoma is a common cause of vision loss and a frustrating disorder in terms of
      medical and surgical treatment. Increased intraocular pressure (IOP) is a
      significant risk factor in the disease, leading to damage of the retina and optic
      nerve head. IOP measurement and gonioscopic and fundic examinations provide the
      instruments for diagnosis of glaucoma. The primary goal in glaucoma therapy is
      aimed at vision preservation. Medical treatment provides temporary relief, but
      alone it fails to control IOP in the long term, and surgical intervention is
      recommended. Surgical patient selection depends on several factors, from type and
      stage of glaucoma to the presence of or potential for vision. Available surgical
      procedures to decrease IOP consist of cyclodestructive techniques to decrease
      aqueous humor production and filtering techniques to increase its drainage. Even
      with recent surgical and medical advances, pain and blindness are still common
      occurrences in the disease: end-stage procedures such as enucleation,
      evisceration with intrascleral prosthesis, and pharmacologic ablation of ciliary
      bodies are then recommended to address chronic discomfort for buphthalmic and
      blind globes. 

PMID- 26494501
TI  - Hyphema: Considerations in the Small Animal Patient.
AB  - Classification, diagnosis, and treatment of hemorrhage into the anterior chamber
      of the eye, or hyphema, can be a challenging and frustrating process for many
      practitioners, especially in emergency situations. This review outlines an
      inclusive list of causes, diagnostics, and treatments for traumatic and
      nontraumatic hyphema in both canine and feline patients. The review is tailored
      to small animal practitioners, especially in emergency practice, and is designed
      to provide concise but thorough descriptions on investigating underlying causes
      of hyphema and treating accordingly. 

PMID- 26494502
TI  - Management of Orbital Diseases.
AB  - Orbital diseases are common in dogs and cats and can present on emergency due to
      the acute onset of many of these issues. The difficulty with diagnosis and
      therapy of orbital disease is that the location of the problem is not readily
      visible. The focus of this article is on recognizing classical clinical
      presentations of orbital disease, which are typically exophthalmos, strabismus,
      enophthalmos, proptosis, or intraconal swelling. After the orbital disease is
      confirmed, certain characteristics such as pain on opening the mouth, acute vs.
      chronic swelling, and involvement of nearby structures can be helpful in
      determining the underlying cause. Abscesses, cellulitis, sialoceles, neoplasia
      (primary or secondary), foreign bodies, and immune-mediated diseases can all lead
      to exophthalmos, but it can be difficult to determine the cause of disease
      without advanced diagnostic imaging, such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance
      imaging, or computed tomography scan. Fine-needle aspirates and biopsies of the
      retrobulbar space can also be performed. 

PMID- 26494503
TI  - Acute Blindness.
AB  - Sudden loss of vision is an ophthalmic emergency with numerous possible causes.
      Abnormalities may occur at any point within the complex vision pathway, from
      retina to optic nerve to the visual center in the occipital lobe. This article
      reviews specific prechiasm (retina and optic nerve) and cerebral cortical
      diseases that lead to acute blindness. Information regarding specific etiologies,
      pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis for vision is discussed. 

PMID- 26494504
TI  - Cardiovascular Safety of Concomitant Use of Atypical Antipsychotics and Long
      Acting Stimulants in Children and Adolescents With ADHD.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examined cardiovascular safety of concomitant use of long
      acting stimulants (LAS) and atypical antipsychotics (AAP) in children and
      adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). METHOD: The
      study used 2004-2007 IMS LifeLinkTM claims data involving 6- to 16-year-old
      children with ADHD and at least one LAS prescription from July 2004 to December
      2006. Time-dependent Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate the risk
      of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events due to concomitant use of LAS and AAP.
      RESULTS: The analytical cohort consisted of 37,903 children: 538 (1.9%) used LAS
      and AAP concurrently and the rest used LAS monotherapy. Time-dependent Cox
      regression analysis revealed no difference in CVD risk among concomitant users of
      LAS and AAP (hazard ratio = 1.19; 95% confidence interval = [0.60, 2.53]) when
      compared with users of LAS monotherapy. CONCLUSION: Concomitant use of LAS and
      AAP was not associated with risk of CVD events in ADHD patients when compared
      with LAS monotherapy.

PMID- 26494505
TI  - Working Memory and Increased Activity Level (Hyperactivity) in ADHD: Experimental
      Evidence for a Functional Relation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Converging evidence indicates large magnitude deficits in the
      "working" component of working memory for children with ADHD. However, our
      understanding of the relation between these central executive deficits and ADHD
      behavioral symptoms remains limited due to problems with several commonly used
      working memory tests. METHOD: Children with ADHD (n = 25) completed a
      counterbalanced series of working memory tasks that differed only in memory set
      predictability. RESULTS: Results indicated that central executive demands
      increased when memory set was unpredictable, as evidenced by moderate performance
      decreases (d = 0.22-0.56) and large changes in performance variability (d = 0.93
      3.16) and response times (d = 1.74-4.16). Activity level remained relatively
      stable when memory set was unpredictable but decreased significantly over time
      when memory set was predictable. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that altering memory
      set predictability is a feasible method for increasing/maintaining central
      executive demands over time, and suggest a positive association between working
      memory demands and gross motor activity for children with ADHD.

PMID- 26494506
TI  - Effects of bisphenol A on lipid metabolism in rare minnow Gobiocypris rarus.
AB  - As one of the most abundant endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), bisphenol A
      (BPA) exists ubiquitously in an aquatic environment. Many studies on fish have
      focused on the reproductive toxicity effects of BPA. However, few has involved
      the effects of BPA on lipid metabolism. To evaluate the effects of BPA on lipid
      metabolism, we determine the hepato-somatic index, triglyceride contents in the
      liver and serum, the activities of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid
      synthase (FASN), carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT1), and glycerol-3-phosphate
      acyltransferase (GPAT) enzymes and the mRNA expression of acaca, acacb, fasn,
      gpat1 and cpt1alpha in Gobiocypris rarus after exposure to BPA for 28days. BPA
      induced increasing tendency of triglyceride contents in male fish, possibly due
      to up-regulated lipid synthesis. Although in this process, fatty acid beta
      oxidation was up-regulated, it might be compensated by increasing lipogenesis.
      Our result also revealed that the GPAT enzyme might play a key role in lipid
      metabolism disturbance by BPA in females. Besides, the effect of BPA on the fatty
      acid beta-oxidation pathway might be gender-dependent in G. rarus. Further
      studies are needed to investigate BPA's effects on the signaling pathway of lipid
      metabolism. 

PMID- 26494507
TI  - Berberine and Coptidis Rhizoma as potential anticancer agents: Recent updates and
      future perspectives.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The antineoplastic property of Coptidis Rhizoma
      and berberine was correlated with its traditional use of clearing internal fire,
      removing damp-heat and counteracting toxic pathogens. AIM OF THE STUDY: The anti
      tumor effect of Coptidis Rhizoma and berberine was extensively studied since our
      last comprehensive review in 2009. This study aims to summarize the recent
      updates and give rise to perspectives of Coptidis Rhizoma and berberine as
      potential novel antineoplastic agents. METHODS: Quality studies in recent 5 years
      were retrieved from PubMed, Medline and CNKI with keywords including Coptis,
      Coptidis Rhizoma, huanglian, berberine, tumor and cancer. Studies were focused on
      the pharmacological actions of Coptidis Rhizoma and berberine in cancer
      progression. RESULTS: It was shown that Coptidis Rhizoma extract and berberine
      may repress tumor progression by regressing abnormal cell proliferation,
      arresting cell cycle and inducing cell death. Studies also highlighted the
      actions of Coptidis Rhizoma extract and berberine in inhibiting tumor cell
      invasion and angiogenesis, which in turn abolish cancer metastasis. Some studies
      have also been conducted to reveal the potential effect of Coptidis Rhizoma
      extract and berberine in regulating tumor stromal microenvironment, as well as in
      preventing carcinogenesis. Most of the results have been demonstrated with in
      vivo models, but results of high-quality clinical trials are not yet available.
      Unspecified cancer type and staging, fluctuated dose information and variants of
      targets across studies of berberine/ Coptidis Rhizoma impede their clinical use
      for cancer treatment. CONCLUSION: Recent advances highlighted by this review may
      shed light on future direction of studies featuring Coptidis Rhizoma and
      berberine as novel antineoplastic agents, which should be repeatedly proven in
      future animal and clinical studies. Although more evidences on its specificity
      and clinical efficacy are necessary to support its clinical use, Coptidis Rhizoma
      and berberine are highly expected to be effective, safe and affordable treatments
      for cancer patients.

PMID- 26494508
TI  - Protective effects of sea buckthorn polysaccharide extracts against LPS/d-GalN
      induced acute liver failure in mice via suppressing TLR4-NF-kappaB signaling.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) berries
      have been traditionally used to treat gastric disorders, cardiovascular problems,
      and liver injuries in oriental medicinal system. This study aimed to explore the
      protective effects and mechanisms of the polysaccharide extracts of Sea buckthorn
      (HRP) berries against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and d-galactosamine hydrochloride
      (d-GalN)-induced acute liver failure in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HRP was
      isolated by hot-water extraction and characterized by HPLC and infrared spectrum
      analysis. The total carbohydrate, uronic acid and protein contents of HRP were
      measured by a spectrophotometric method. Mice were orally administrated with HRP
      (50, 100, 200mg/kg) once daily for 14 consecutive days prior to the challenge
      with LPS (50 MUg/kg) and d-GalN (300 mg/kg). Animals of positive control group
      were intraperitoneally injected with dexamethasone (10mg/kg). Mice were
      sacrificed at 8h after LPS/d-GalN injection. RESULTS: Pretreatment with HRP
      significantly inhibited LPS/d-GalN-induced increases in serum alanine
      aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, which were
      accompanied by alleviated liver injuries and reduced production of tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta). HRP was also found to
      reduce malondialdehyde (MDA) content and to restore superoxide dismutase (SOD)
      and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activities. Furthermore, HRP supplementation
      dose-dependently inhibited the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4),
      phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK), phosphorylated c
      Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), and phosphorylated mitogen activated protein
      kinase 38 (p-p38 MAPK) in the liver of LPS/d-GalN challenged mice. Pretreatment
      with HRP also inhibited LPS/d-GalN-induced activation and translocation of
      nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that
      pretreatment with HRP protects against LPS/d-GalN-induced liver injury in mice
      via suppressing the TLR4-NF-kappaB signaling pathway. Sea buckthorn may be a
      hopeful drug for prevention of acute live injury.

PMID- 26494509
TI  - Contribution to the traditional uses of medicinal plants of Turgutlu (Manisa-
      Turkey).
AB  - ETHNOBOTANICAL RELEVANCE: The aim of this study is to document and describe
      important ethnobotanical features of 14 villages of Turgutlu (Manisa - Turkey).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The regular ethnobotanical surveys were carried out during
      different seasons in the years 2009 and 2010 in 14 villages of Turgutlu. The data
      was collected from 91 village inhabitants using semi-structured interviews. Use
      value (UV) was used to calculate the relative importance of species known by the
      inhabitants. Informant Consensus Factor (FIC) was used to calculate the level of
      homogeneity of diseases. RESULTS: Twenty-nine plant families and 54 plant species
      were found in this ethnobotanical survey. Among them, 22 (40.7%) species were
      wild and 32 (59.3%) species were cultivated plants. Rosaceae (14.8%), Asteraceae
      (9.3%), Lamiaceae (9.3%), Apiaceae (5.6%) and Brassicaceae (5.6%) were the most
      common plant families. According to results of the use value (UV) calculations,
      Agropyron repens (L.) P.Beauv., Lactuca sativa L., Beta vulgaris L. var. crassa
      (Alef.) Helm, Spinacia oleracea L., Brassica nigra (L.) Koch, Capsella bursa
      pastoris L. and Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb. yielded the highest use value.
      Consensus Informants Factor (FIC) ranges were between 0.87 and 0.95. Blood
      disorders, wounds, dermatological diseases and chest infections were 0.95, 0.93,
      0.92, 0.90 while both gastrointestinal and skeletomuscular ailments were 0.87
      informant consensus values, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The usage of medicinal
      plants for traditional healers is still popular among the inhabitants of the
      village. This study documents valuable information for traditional remedies and
      contributes to the usage of medicinal plants in the research area.

PMID- 26494510
TI  - Partial mastectomy using manual blunt dissection (MBD) in early breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast-preserving surgery (Bp) and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB)
      are established as standard treatment for axillary lymph node-negative early
      breast cancer. METHODS: A surgical technique using manual blunt dissection (MBD),
      in which use of electrocautery, an ultrasonically activated scalpel, and ligation
      is minimized, is described. This involves an approach from small incisions in the
      axilla or areola to avoid injury to skin flaps, and with adequate mobilization of
      the breast, so that regardless of the tumor site, surgical wounds are not
      noticeable. The usefulness and tolerability of this surgical technique were
      examined. RESULTS: This surgical technique was evaluated in 233 patients. Surgery
      could be performed rapidly, with a mean operative time of 67 +/- 21 min and a low
      mean blood loss of only 35 +/- 28 ml. There was little need for postoperative
      analgesia, and surgery was well tolerated without postoperative bleeding or wound
      infection. CONCLUSION: Our proposed technique for partial mastectomy using MBD
      provides good curative and cosmetic results.

PMID- 26494511
TI  - DBD atmospheric plasma-modified, electrospun, layer-by-layer polymeric scaffolds
      for L929 fibroblast cell cultivation.
AB  - This paper reported a study related to atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier
      discharge (DBD) Ar + O2 and Ar + N2 plasma modifications to alter surface
      properties of 3D PCL/Chitosan/PCL layer-by-layer hybrid scaffolds and to improve
      mouse fibroblast (L929 ATCC CCL-1) cell attachment, proliferation, and growth.
      The scaffolds were fabricated using electrospinning technique and each layer was
      electrospun sequentially on top of the other. The surface modifications were
      performed with an atmospheric pressure DBD plasma under different gas flow rates
      (50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 sccm) and for different modification times (0.5-7
      min), and then the chemical and topographical characterizations of the modified
      samples were done by contact angle (CA) measurements, scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
      The samples modified with Ar + O2 plasma for 1 min under 70 cm(3)/min O2 flow
      rate (71.077 degrees  +/- 3.578) showed a 18.83% decrease compare to unmodified
      samples' CA value (84.463 degrees  +/- 3.864). Comparing with unmodified samples,
      the average fiber diameter values for plasma-modified samples by Ar + O2 (1 min
      70 sccm) and Ar + N2 (40 s 70 sccm) increased 40.756 and 54.295%, respectively.
      Additionally, the average inter-fiber pore size values exhibited decrease of
      37.699 and 48.463% for the same Ar + O2 and Ar + N2 plasma-modified samples,
      respectively, compare to unmodified samples. Biocompatibility performance was
      determined with MTT assay, fluorescence, Giemsa, and confocal imaging as well as
      SEM. The results showed that Ar + O2-based plasma modification increased the
      hydrophilicity and oxygen functionality of the surface, thus affecting the cell
      viability and proliferation on/within scaffolds.

PMID- 26494512
TI  - Danish retinoblastoma patients 1943-2013 - genetic testing and clinical
      implications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In heritable retinoblastoma there is a 50% risk of transmitting the
      RB1 mutation, and offspring carriers have more than 90% risk of developing
      retinoblastoma. Today, all newly diagnosed retinoblastoma patients in Denmark are
      screened for mutations in RB1, as opposed to only a minority of patients
      diagnosed before DNA testing was offered. Knowledge of heredity increases the
      chance of early diagnosis in offspring, leading to improved prognosis. We present
      data from the Danish retinoblastoma patients that emphasize the need for genetic
      counseling and RB1 screening in all untested retinoblastoma survivors. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: Data are extracted from The Danish Ocular Oncology Group Database, a
      national population database containing data on all Danish retinoblastoma
      patients since 1943. RESULTS: In total 323 retinoblastoma patients have been
      diagnosed between 1943 and 2013. Since 1963, the rate has been stable around 1
      per 14 000 live births with 95% of the patients surviving their retinoblastoma.
      Stratifying data on the time of diagnosis and status of genetic testing, the
      number of screened patients gradually increased from 5% in the beginning of the
      period to 96% in the last five-year period. A cohort of 181 retinoblastoma
      survivors with sporadic disease (15% heritable) did not receive genetic testing.
      Since the introduction of routine testing, one of 14 sporadic unilateral patients
      tested (7%) has been identified with a germline mutation. Before routine testing,
      five additional sporadic unilateral patients have been identified as heritable.
      CONCLUSION: Only a minority of Danish retinoblastoma patients diagnosed before
      routine genetic testing was offered have been RB1 screened. To counsel the
      remaining untested patients and their families sufficiently regarding the risk to
      offspring and elevated risk of second primary cancers, we recommend information
      and access to genetic counseling and RB1 screening. This has ethical,
      psychological and possible economic consequences, and should be handled with
      caution.

PMID- 26494513
TI  - Functional interaction between OX2 and CB1 receptors in the ventral tegmental
      area and the nucleus accumbens in response to place preference induced by
      chemical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus.
AB  - Orexinergic projections derived from the lateral hypothalamus (LH) to the ventral
      tegmental area (VTA) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc), play a key role in the
      acquisition of conditioned place preference (CPP) induced by LH stimulation. On
      the other hand, there are several studies which support the idea of the existence
      of a cross-talk between the orexinergic and cannabinoid systems. Nevertheless,
      the function and how both systems interact in the reward circuit remain unknown.
      In this study, the authors tried to clarify the role of orexin-2 receptor (OX2r)
      within the VTA and NAc in the development of reward-related behaviors after
      chemical stimulation of the LH and also find out the involvement of CB1
      cannabinoid receptors in this phenomenon. Animals were implanted by two separate
      cannulae into the LH and VTA or NAc, unilaterally. The CPP paradigm was done; and
      conditioning scores were recorded. The results showed that administration of TCS
      OX2 29 as a selective OX2r antagonist (1, 3 and 10 nM/rat) into the VTA or NAc
      just 5 min before microinjection of carbachol (250 nM/0.5 MUl saline), a
      cholinergic agonist, into the LH during the 3-day conditioning phase, could dose
      dependently inhibit the development of LH stimulation-induced CPP. Furthermore,
      concurrent injection of ineffective doses of TCS OX2 29 and AM251, as a CB1
      receptor antagonist, into the NAc could reduce conditioning scores. The findings
      of this study showed that the OX2 receptor has a critical role in modulating
      reward circuit in the VTA and NAc, when the LH was stimulated by carbachol.
      Moreover, we suggest the existence of an interaction between orexinergic and
      cannabinoid systems within the VTA and NAc in place preference induced by LH
      stimulation.

PMID- 26494514
TI  - Effects of phenol on metabolic activities and transcription profiles of
      cytochrome P450 enzymes in Chironomus kiinensis larvae.
AB  - Phenol, also known as carbolic acid or phenic acid, is a priority pollutant in
      aquatic ecosystems. The present study has investigated metabolic activities and
      transcription profiles of cytochrome P450 enzymes in Chironomus kiinensis under
      phenol stress. Exposure of C. kiinensis larvae to three sublethal doses of phenol
      (1, 10 and 100 uM) inhibited cytochrome P450 enzyme activity during the 96 h
      exposure period. The P450 activity measured after the 24 h exposure to phenol
      stress could be used to assess the level (low or high) of phenol contamination in
      the environment. To investigate the potential of cytochrome P450 genes as
      molecular biomarkers to monitor phenol contamination, the cDNA of ten CYP6 genes
      from the transcriptome of C. kiinensis were identified and sequenced. The open
      reading frames of the CYP6 genes ranged from 1266 to 1587 bp, encoding deduced
      polypeptides composed of between 421 and 528 amino acids, with predicted
      molecular masses from 49.01 to 61.94 kDa and isoelectric points (PI) from 6.01 to
      8.89. Among the CYP6 genes, the mRNA expression levels of the CYP6EW3, CYP6EV9,
      CYP6FV1 and CYP6FV2 genes significantly altered in response to phenol exposure;
      therefore, these genes could potentially serve as biomarkers in the environment.
      This study shows that P450 activity combined with one or multiple CYP6 genes
      could be used to monitor phenol pollution. 

PMID- 26494515
TI  - The neurobiological basis of human aggression: A review on genetic and epigenetic
      mechanisms.
AB  - Aggression is an evolutionary conserved behavior present in most species
      including humans. Inadequate aggression can lead to long-term detrimental
      personal and societal effects. Here, we differentiate between proactive and
      reactive forms of aggression and review the genetic determinants of it.
      Heritability estimates of aggression in general vary between studies due to
      differing assessment instruments for aggressive behavior (AB) as well as age and
      gender of study participants. In addition, especially non-shared environmental
      factors shape AB. Current hypotheses suggest that environmental effects such as
      early life stress or chronic psychosocial risk factors (e.g., maltreatment) and
      variation in genes related to neuroendocrine, dopaminergic as well as
      serotonergic systems increase the risk to develop AB. In this review, we
      summarize the current knowledge of the genetics of human aggression based on twin
      studies, genetic association studies, animal models, and epigenetic analyses with
      the aim to differentiate between mechanisms associated with proactive or reactive
      aggression. We hypothesize that from a genetic perspective, the aminergic systems
      are likely to regulate both reactive and proactive aggression, whereas the
      endocrine pathways seem to be more involved in regulation of reactive aggression
      through modulation of impulsivity. Epigenetic studies on aggression have
      associated non-genetic risk factors with modifications of the stress response and
      the immune system. Finally, we point to the urgent need for further genome-wide
      analyses and the integration of genetic and epigenetic information to understand
      individual differences in reactive and proactive AB. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc.

PMID- 26494517
TI  - REFLECTIONS.

PMID- 26494516
TI  - Effects of Long-Term Aging in Arsenical Copper Alloys.
AB  - Archaeological materials present unique records on natural processes allowing the
      study of long-term material behaviors such as structural modifications and
      degradation mechanisms. The present work is focused on the chemical and
      microstructural characterization of four prehistoric arsenical copper artifacts.
      These artifacts were characterized by micro-energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence
      spectrometry, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with X-ray
      microanalysis, micro-X-ray diffraction and synchrotron radiation micro-X-ray
      diffraction. Cu3As is the expected intermetallic arsenide in arsenical copper
      alloys, reported in the literature as exhibiting a hexagonal crystallographic
      structure. However, a cubic Cu3As phase was identified by X-ray diffraction in
      all of our analyzed archaeological artifacts, while the hexagonal Cu3As phase was
      clearly identified only in the artifact with higher arsenic content. Occurrence
      of the cubic arsenide in these particular objects, suggests that it was
      precipitated due to long-term aging at room temperature, which points to the need
      of a redefinition of the Cu-As equilibrium phase constitution. These results
      highlight the importance of understanding the impact of structural aging for the
      assessment of original properties of archaeological arsenical copper artifacts,
      such as hardness or color.

PMID- 26494518
TI  - Health trends in a geriatric and special needs clinic patient population.
AB  - PURPOSE: To quantify differences and recent changes in health status among
      patients attending the Geriatric and Special Needs Dentistry (GSND) and Family
      Dentistry (FAMD) clinics at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. METHODS:
      A total of 388 randomly selected records from patients attending the GSND or FAMD
      clinics from 1996-2000 or from 2006-2010 were reviewed. Univariate and bivariate
      analyses were conducted, followed by multivariable logistic regression analyses
      to compare characteristics of patients across clinics. RESULTS: Between the two
      GSND cohorts, the mean number of medications reported increased from 4.0 to 6.5
      (p < 0.001).  Within both cohorts, mental health conditions were significantly
      more prevalent among patients attending the GSND than FAMD clinic (p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Within cohorts, patients seen in the GSND clinic tended to have more
      medical problems than patients attending the FAMD clinic, particularly mental
      health conditions; and medication use was more common in the recent cohort in
      both GSND and FAMD clinics.

PMID- 26494520
TI  - Public Access Defibrillation Programs: Improving Outcomes Worldwide.

PMID- 26494521
TI  - Attitudes toward beef and vegetarians in Argentina, Brazil, France, and the USA.
AB  - Meat is both the most favored and most tabooed food in the world. In the
      developed world, there is a tension between its high nutritional density,
      preferred taste, and high status on the one hand, and concerns about weight,
      degenerative diseases, the ethics of killing animals, and the environmental cost
      of meat production on the other hand. The present study investigated attitudes
      toward beef, and toward vegetarians, among college students in Argentina, Brazil,
      France, and the USA. Across countries, men were more pro-beef, in free
      associations, liking, craving, and frequency of consumption. By country, Brazil
      and Argentina were generally the most positive, followed by France and then the
      United States. Ambivalence to beef was higher in women, and highest in Brazil.
      Only Brazilian and American women reported frequent negative associations to beef
      (e.g. "disgusting", "fatty"). Overall, most students had positive attitudes to
      beef, and the attitude to vegetarians was generally neutral. America and
      Brazilian women showed some admiration for vegetarians, while only French men and
      women had negative attitudes to vegetarians. In spite of frequent negative
      ethical, health, and weight concerns, in the majority of the sample, liking for
      and consumption of beef was maintained at a high level. 

PMID- 26494519
TI  - Metformin and Myocardial Injury in Patients With Diabetes and ST-Segment
      Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although animal studies have documented metformin's cardioprotective
      effects, the impact in humans remains elusive. The study objective was to explore
      the association between metformin and myocardial infarct size in patients with
      diabetes presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Data extraction used the National Cardiovascular Data CathPCI Registry
      in all patients with diabetes aged >18 years presenting with ST-segment elevation
      myocardial infarction at 2 academic medical centers from January 2010 to December
      2013. The exposure of interest was ongoing metformin use before the event.
      Propensity score matching was used for the metformin and nonmetformin groups on
      key prognostic variables. All matched pairs had acceptable D scores of <10%,
      confirming an efficient matching procedure. The primary outcome was myocardial
      infarct size, reflected by peak serum creatine kinase-myocardial band, troponin
      T, and hospital discharge left ventricular ejection fraction. Of all 1726 ST
      segment elevation myocardial infarction cases reviewed, 493 patients had diabetes
      (28.5%), with 208 metformin users (42.1%) and 285 nonusers. Matched pairs
      analysis yielded 137 cases per group. The difference between metformin and
      nonmetformin groups was -18.1 ng/mL (95% CI -55.0 to 18.8; P=0.56) for total peak
      serum creatine kinase-myocardial band and -1.1 ng/mL (95% CI -2.8 to 0.5; P=0.41)
      for troponin T. Median discharge left ventricular ejection fraction in both
      groups was 45, and the difference between metformin and nonmetformin users was
      0.7% (95% CI -2.2 to 3.6; P=0.99). CONCLUSIONS: No statistically significant
      association of cardioprotection was found between metformin and myocardial
      infarct size in patients with diabetes and acute ST-segment elevation myocardial
      infarction.

PMID- 26494522
TI  - Eating behavior associated with gray matter volume alternations: A voxel based
      morphometry study.
AB  - Little is known about whether eating behavior is associated with alterations of
      brain structure or whether the possible alterations are related to body weight
      status. The current study employed structural imaging from an open MRI data set
      (http://fcon_1000. PROJECTS: nitrc.org/indi/pro/nki.html) to examine the
      relationship between eating behavior traits and brain structural changes. The
      eating behavior traits were measured by the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire
      Scale. The brain structural alterations were analyzed using the Voxel Based
      Morphometry (VBM) method, and a multiple linear regression model was constructed
      to identify significant brain structural changes that related to eating behavior
      factors. We found that cognitive restraint of eating was positively correlated
      with the gray matter volume (GMV) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)
      and negatively correlated with the GMV in the putamen; disinhibition scores were
      negatively associated with the GMV in the left middle frontal gyrus; hunger
      scores showed a positive correlation with the GMV in the hypothalamus and the
      visual memory areas and a negative association with the GMV in the inferior
      temporal gyrus and the bilateral middle frontal gyrus. These results indicated a
      close connection between the eating behavior traits and structural changes in
      particular brain regions. Conjunction analysis was also performed to further
      explore the brain structural alterations that were commonly associated with
      eating behavior and weight status. The findings add to our understanding of the
      neural basis underlying eating behaviors, and the connection between these
      behaviors and body weight status.

PMID- 26494523
TI  - Non-destructive mapping of grain orientations in 3D by laboratory X-ray
      microscopy.
AB  - The ability to characterise crystallographic microstructure, non-destructively
      and in three-dimensions, is a powerful tool for understanding many aspects
      related to damage and deformation mechanisms in polycrystalline materials. To
      this end, the technique of X-ray diffraction contrast tomography (DCT) using
      monochromatic synchrotron and polychromatic laboratory X-ray sources has been
      shown to be capable of mapping crystal grains and their orientations non
      destructively in 3D. Here we describe a novel laboratory-based X-ray DCT modality
      (LabDCT), enabling the wider accessibility of the DCT technique for routine use
      and in-depth studies of, for example, temporal changes in crystallographic grain
      structure non-destructively over time through '4D' in situ time-lapse studies.
      The capability of the technique is demonstrated by studying a titanium alloy (Ti
      beta21S) sample. In the current implementation the smallest grains that can be
      reliably detected are around 40 MUm. The individual grain locations and
      orientations are reconstructed using the LabDCT method and the results are
      validated against independent measurements from phase contrast tomography and
      electron backscatter diffraction respectively. Application of the technique
      promises to provide important insights related to the roles of recrystallization
      and grain growth on materials properties as well as supporting 3D polycrystalline
      modelling of materials performance.

PMID- 26494525
TI  - Targeting pain in Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 26494526
TI  - Impact of weak social ties and networks on poor sleep quality: A case study of
      Iranian employees.
AB  - The poor sleep quality is one of the major risk factors of somatic, psychiatric
      and social disorders and conditions as well as the major predictors of quality of
      employees' performance. The previous studies in Iran had neglected the impacts of
      social factors including social networks and ties on adults sleep quality. Thus,
      the aim of the current research was to determine the relationship between social
      networks and adult employees' sleep quality. This study was conducted with a
      correlational and descriptive design. Data were collected from 360 participants
      (183 males and 177 females) who were employed in Yazd public organizations in
      June and July of 2014. These samples were selected based on random sampling
      method. In addition, the measuring tools were the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
      (PSQI) and Social Relations Inventory (SRI). Based on the results, the prevalence
      rate of sleep disorder among Iranian adult employees was 63.1% (total PSQI>5).
      And, after controlling for socio-demographic variables, there was significant
      difference between individuals with strong and poor social network and ties in
      terms of overall sleep quality (p<.01), subjective sleep quality (p<.01),
      habitual sleep efficiency (p<.05), and daytime dysfunction (p<.01). The results
      also revealed that the employees with strong social network and ties had better
      overall sleep quality, had the most habitual sleep efficiency, and less daytime
      dysfunction than employees with poor social network and ties. It can be implied
      that the weak social network and ties serve as a risk factor for sleep disorders
      or poor sleep quality for adult employees. Therefore, the social and behavioral
      interventions seem essential to improve the adult's quality sleep. 

PMID- 26494524
TI  - Prolonged-release oxycodone-naloxone for treatment of severe pain in patients
      with Parkinson's disease (PANDA): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pain is a common non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease. We
      investigated the analgesic efficacy of prolonged-release oxycodone-naloxone (OXN
      PR) in patients with Parkinson's disease and chronic, severe pain. METHODS: We
      did this phase 2 study in 47 secondary care centres in the Czech Republic,
      Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Spain, and the UK. We enrolled patients with
      Hoehn and Yahr Stage II-IV Parkinson's disease, at least one type of severe pain,
      and an average 24-h pain score of at least 6 (assessed on an 11-point rating
      scale from 0=no pain to 10=pain as bad as you can imagine). Participants were
      randomly assigned (1:1) with a validated automated system (block size four) to
      either oral OXN PR or placebo for 16 weeks (starting dose oxycodone 5 mg,
      naloxone 2.5 mg, twice daily). Patients and investigators were masked to
      treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was average 24-h pain score at 16
      weeks in the full analysis population. This study is registered with EudraCT
      (2011-002901-31) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01439100). FINDINGS: We enrolled 202
      patients; 93 were assigned to OXN PR and 109 to placebo; the full analysis
      population consisted of 88 patients versus 106 patients. Least squares mean
      average 24-h pain score at 16 weeks in the full analysis population was 5.0 (95%
      CI 4.5 to 5.5) in the OXN PR group versus 5.6 (5.1 to 6.0) in the placebo group
      (difference -0.6, 95% CI -1.3 to 0.0; p=0.058). Similar proportions of patients
      in each group had adverse events (60/92 [65%] vs 76/109 [70%]), treatment-related
      adverse events (52/92 [57%] vs 62/109 [57%]), and serious adverse events (5/92
      [5%] vs 7/109 [6%]). Treatment-related nausea was more common in the OXN PR group
      than in the placebo group (16/92 [17%] vs 10/109 [9%]), as was treatment-related
      constipation (16/92 [17%] vs 6/109 [6%]). INTERPRETATION: The primary endpoint,
      based on the full analysis population at week 16, was not significant.
      Nonetheless, the results of this study highlight the potential efficacy of OXN PR
      for patients with Parkinson's disease-related pain and might warrant further
      research on OXN PR in this setting. FUNDING: Mundipharma Research.

PMID- 26494527
TI  - Polymicrobial community-acquired pneumonia: An emerging entity.
AB  - Polymicrobial aetiology in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is more common than
      previously recognized. This growing new entity can influence inflammation, host
      immunity and disease outcomes in CAP patients. However, the true incidence is
      complicated to determine and probably underestimated due mainly to many cases
      going undetected, particularly in the outpatient setting, as the diagnostic yield
      is restricted by the sensitivity of currently available microbiologic tests and
      the ability to get certain types of clinical specimens. The observed rate of
      polymicrobial cases may also lead to new antibiotic therapy considerations. In
      this review, we discuss the pathogenesis, microbial interactions in pneumonia,
      epidemiology, biomarkers and antibiotic therapy for polymicrobial CAP. 

PMID- 26494528
TI  - Multimaterial magnetically assisted 3D printing of composite materials.
AB  - 3D printing has become commonplace for the manufacturing of objects with unusual
      geometries. Recent developments that enabled printing of multiple materials
      indicate that the technology can potentially offer a much wider design space
      beyond unusual shaping. Here we show that a new dimension in this design space
      can be exploited through the control of the orientation of anisotropic particles
      used as building blocks during a direct ink-writing process. Particle orientation
      control is demonstrated by applying low magnetic fields on deposited inks pre
      loaded with magnetized stiff platelets. Multimaterial dispensers and a two
      component mixing unit provide additional control over the local composition of
      the printed material. The five-dimensional design space covered by the proposed
      multimaterial magnetically assisted 3D printing platform (MM-3D printing) opens
      the way towards the manufacturing of functional heterogeneous materials with
      exquisite microstructural features thus far only accessible by biological
      materials grown in nature. 

PMID- 26494529
TI  - Use of Ventricular Assist Device in Univentricular Physiology: The Role of Lumped
      Parameter Models.
AB  - Failing single-ventricle (SV) patients might benefit from ventricular assist
      devices (VADs) as a bridge to heart transplantation. Considering the complex
      physiopathology of SV patients and the lack of established experience, the aim of
      this work was to realize and test a lumped parameter model of the cardiovascular
      system, able to simulate SV hemodynamics and VAD implantation effects. Data of 30
      SV patients (10 Norwood, 10 Glenn, and 10 Fontan) were retrospectively collected
      and used to simulate patients' baseline. Then, the effects of VAD implantation
      were simulated. Additionally, both the effects of ventricular assistance and
      cavopulmonary assistance were simulated in different pathologic conditions on
      Fontan patients, including systolic dysfunction, diastolic dysfunction, and
      pulmonary vascular resistance increment. The model can reproduce patients'
      baseline well. Simulation results suggest that the implantation of VAD: (i)
      increases the cardiac output (CO) in all the three palliation conditions (Norwood
      77.2%, Glenn 38.6%, and Fontan 17.2%); (ii) decreases the SV external work (SVEW)
      (Norwood 55%, Glenn 35.6%, and Fontan 41%); (iii) increases the mean pulmonary
      arterial pressure (Pap) (Norwood 39.7%, Glenn 12.1%, and Fontan 3%). In Fontan
      circulation, with systolic dysfunction, the left VAD (LVAD) increases CO (35%),
      while the right VAD (RVAD) determines a decrement of inferior vena cava pressure
      (Pvci) (39%) with 34% increment of CO. With diastolic dysfunction, the LVAD
      increases CO (42%) and the RVAD decreases the Pvci. With pulmonary vascular
      resistance increment, the RVAD allows the highest CO (50%) increment with the
      highest decrement of Pvci (53%). The single ventricular external work (SVEW)
      increases (decreases) increasing the VAD speed in cavopulmonary (ventricular)
      assistance. Numeric models could be helpful in this challenging and innovative
      field to support patients and VAD selection to optimize the clinical outcome and
      personalize the therapy. 

PMID- 26494530
TI  - Converting the bis-FeIV state of the diheme enzyme MauG to Compound I decreases
      the reorganization energy for electron transfer.
AB  - The electron transfer (ET) properties of two types of high-valent hemes were
      studied within the same protein matrix; the bis-Fe(IV) state of MauG and the
      Compound I state of Y294H MauG. The latter is formed as a consequence of mutation
      of the tyrosine which forms the distal axial ligand of the six-coordinate heme
      that allows it to stabilize Fe(IV) in the absence of an external ligand. The
      rates of the ET reaction of each high-valent species with the type I copper
      protein, amicyanin, were determined at different temperatures and analysed by ET
      theory. The reaction with bis-Fe(IV) wild-type (WT) MauG exhibited a
      reorganization energy (lambda) that was 0.39 eV greater than that for the
      reaction of Compound I Y295H MauG. It is concluded that the delocalization of
      charge over the two hemes in the bis-Fe(IV) state is responsible for the larger
      lambda, relative to the Compound I state in which the Fe(V) equivalent is
      isolated on one heme. Although the increase in lambda decreases the rate of ET,
      the delocalization of charge decreases the ET distance to its natural substrate
      protein, thus increasing the ET rate. This describes how proteins can balance
      different ET properties of complex redox cofactors to optimize each system for
      its particular ET or catalytic reaction.

PMID- 26494532
TI  - In silico studies on the role of mutant Y337A to reactivate tabun inhibited mAChE
      with K048.
AB  - Organophosphorus compound (OP) tabun is resistant to reactivate by many oxime
      drugs after the formation of OP-conjugate with AChE. The reactivation of tabun
      inhibited mAChE and site-directed mutants by bispyridinium oxime, K048 (N-[4-(4
      hydroxyiminomethylpyridinio)butyl]-4-carbamoylpyridinium dibromide) showed that
      the mutations significantly poor the overall reactivation efficacy of K048. We
      have unravelled the lowered efficacy of K048 with the tabun-mutant mAChE(Y337A)
      using docking and steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations. The computed
      results showed some interesting features for the interaction of drug molecule
      K048 with tabun-mAChE(wild-type) and tabun-mutant mAChE(Y337A). The SMD
      simulations showed that the active pyridinium ring of K048 is directed towards
      the phosphorus atom conjugated to the active serine (SUN203) of tabun-mAChE(wild
      type). The cradle shaped residues Tyr337-Phe338 present in the choline binding
      site stabilize the active pyridinium ring of K048 with pi-pi interaction and the
      residue Trp86 involved in T-shaped cation-pi interaction. However, in the case of
      tabun-mutant mAChE(Y337A).K048 conjugate, the replacement of aromatic Tyr337 with
      the aliphatic alanine unit in the choline binding site, however, loses one of the
      pi-pi interaction between the active pyridinium ring of K048 and the Tyr337. The
      placement of aliphatic alanine unit resulted in the displacement of the side
      chain of Phe338 towards the His447. Such displacement is causing the
      inaccessibility of the drug towards the phosphorus atom conjugated to the active
      serine (SUN203) of tabun-mutant mAChE(Y337A). Furthermore, the unbinding of the
      K048 with SMD studies showed that the active pyridinium ring of the drug
      undergoes a complete turn along the gorge axis and is directed away from the
      phosphorus atom conjugated to the active serine of the tabun-mutant mAChE(Y337A).
      Such effects inside the gorge of tabun-mutant mAChE(Y337A) would lower the
      efficacy of the drug molecule (K048) for the reactivation process. The binding
      free energy computed for the tabun-mAChE(wild-type) and tabun-mutant mAChE(Y337A)
      with K048 showed that the drug molecule prefers to bind strongly with the former
      enzyme (~30 kJ/mol) than the later one. 

PMID- 26494531
TI  - Lactobacillus plantarum displaying CCL3 chemokine in fusion with HIV-1 Gag
      derived antigen causes increased recruitment of T cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chemokines are attractive candidates for vaccine adjuvants due to
      their ability to recruit the immune cells. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB)-based
      delivery vehicles have potential to be used as a cheap and safe option for
      vaccination. Chemokine produced on the surface of LAB may potentially enhance the
      immune response to an antigen and this approach can be considered in development
      of future mucosal vaccines. RESULTS: We have constructed strains of Lactobacillus
      plantarum displaying a chemokine on their surface. L. plantarum was genetically
      engineered to express and anchor to the surface a protein called CCL3Gag. CCL3Gag
      is a fusion protein comprising of truncated HIV-1 Gag antigen and the murine
      chemokine CCL3, also known as MIP-1alpha. Various surface anchoring strategies
      were explored: (1) a lipobox-based covalent membrane anchor, (2) sortase-mediated
      covalent cell wall anchoring, (3) LysM-based non-covalent cell wall anchoring,
      and (4) an N-terminal signal peptide-based transmembrane anchor. Protein
      production and correct localization were confirmed using Western blotting, flow
      cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy. Using a chemotaxis assay, we
      demonstrated that CCL3Gag-producing L. plantarum strains are able to recruit
      immune cells in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: The results show the ability of engineered L.
      plantarum to produce a functional chemotactic protein immobilized on the
      bacterial surface. We observed that the activity of surface-displayed CCL3Gag
      differed depending on the type of anchor used. The chemokine which is a part of
      the bacteria-based vaccine may increase the recruitment of immune cells and,
      thereby, enhance the reaction of the immune system to the vaccine.

PMID- 26494533
TI  - Normalisation theory: Does it accurately describe temporal changes in adolescent
      drunkenness and smoking?
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: The multiple risk model postulates that accumulating risk
      factors increase adolescent drunkenness and smoking. The normalisation theory
      adds to this by arguing that the relation between accumulative risk and
      drunkenness and smoking is dependent on the distribution of these behaviours in
      the larger population. More concretely, normalisation theory predicts that: (i)
      when population level use increases, low risk adolescents will be more likely to
      use alcohol and cigarettes; and (ii) adolescents facing multiple risk factors
      will be equally likely to use alcohol and cigarettes, regardless of trends in
      population level use. The current study empirically tests these assumptions on
      five waves of nationally representative samples of Israeli Jewish youth. DESIGN
      AND METHODS: Five cross-sectional waves of data from the Israeli Health Behaviour
      in School-aged Children survey for Jewish 10th graders were used. Logistic
      regression models measured the impact of changes in population level use across
      waves on drunkenness and smoking, and their association with differing levels of
      risk factors. RESULTS: Between zero and two risk factors, the risk of drunkenness
      and smoking increases for each additional risk factor. When reaching two risk
      factors, added risk does not significantly increase the likelihood of smoking and
      drunkenness. Changes in population level drunkenness and smoking did not
      systematically relate to changes in the individual level relationship between
      risk factors and smoking and drunkenness. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The pattern
      of results in this study provides strong evidence for the multiple risk factor
      model and inconsistent evidence for the normalisation theory. [Sznitman SR,
      Zlotnick C, Harel-Fisch Y. Normalisation theory: Does it accurately describe
      temporal changes in adolescent drunkenness and smoking? Drug Alcohol Rev
      2016;35:424-432].

PMID- 26494534
TI  - Flexible modelling of vaccine effect in self-controlled case series models.
AB  - The self-controlled case series (SCCS) method, commonly used to investigate the
      safety of vaccines, requires information on cases only and automatically controls
      all age-independent multiplicative confounders, while allowing for an age
      dependent baseline incidence. Currently, the SCCS method represents the time
      varying exposures using step functions with pre-determined cut points. A less
      prescriptive approach may be beneficial when the shape of the relative risk
      function associated with exposure is not known a priori, especially when exposure
      effects can be long-lasting. We therefore propose to model exposure effects using
      flexible smooth functions. Specifically, we used a linear combination of cubic M
      splines which, in addition to giving plausible shapes, avoids the integral in the
      log-likelihood function of the SCCS model. The methods, though developed
      specifically for vaccines, are applicable more widely. Simulations showed that
      the new approach generally performs better than the step function method. We
      applied the new method to two data sets, on febrile convulsion and exposure to
      MMR vaccine, and on fractures and thiazolidinedione use. 

PMID- 26494535
TI  - Subdiffraction localization of a nanostructured photosensitizer in bacterial
      cells.
AB  - Antibacterial treatments based on photosensitized production of reactive oxygen
      species is a promising approach to address local microbial infections. Given the
      small size of bacterial cells, identification of the sites of binding of the
      photosensitizing molecules is a difficult issue to address with conventional
      microscopy. We show that the excited state properties of the naturally occurring
      photosensitizer hypericin can be exploited to perform STED microscopy on bacteria
      incubated with the complex between hypericin and apomyoglobin, a self-assembled
      nanostructure that confers very good bioavailability to the photosensitizer.
      Hypericin fluorescence is mostly localized at the bacterial wall, and accumulates
      at the polar regions of the cell and at sites of cell wall growth. While these
      features are shared by Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, only the latter
      are effectively photoinactivated by light exposure. 

PMID- 26494536
TI  - Sclerostin Antibody Treatment Increases Bone Formation, Bone Mass, and Bone
      Strength of Intact Bones in Adult Male Rats.
AB  - We investigated the systemic effect of sclerostin monoclonal antibody (Scl-Ab)
      treatment on intact non-operated bones in an open osteotomy male Sprague Dawley
      (SD) rat model. Six-month-old male SD rats were subjected to transverse osteotomy
      at the right femur mid-shaft. Rats were injected subcutaneously with vehicle or
      Scl-Ab (25 mg/kg, 2 times per week) treatment for 9 weeks. Compared with vehicle
      control, Scl-Ab treatment significantly improved trabecular and cortical bone
      mass and microarchitecture at L5 vertebrae and left femora by micro-CT at week 6
      and 9. Mechanical testing showed that Scl-Ab treatment resulted in significantly
      higher stiffness, energy to failure and ultimate load at the femora at week 9.
      Mineral apposition rate, mineralizing surface and bone formation rate on the
      trabecular bone in the distal femora was significantly increased in Scl-Ab group
      at week 6 and 9. The administered Scl-Ab was localized in the osteocytes and beta
      catenin was strongly expressed in osteoblasts. Scl-Ab treatment significantly
      increased serum P1NP level and there was no between-group difference in serum
      level of CTX-1. In conclusion, Scl-Ab treatment could induce rapid and sustained
      increase in bone formation, bone mass and bone strength in non-operated bones.
      Sclerostin inhibition might be advantageous to prevent secondary fracture(s).

PMID- 26494537
TI  - Three-dimensional optical transfer function in differential confocal microscopy.
AB  - To reveal the fundamental characteristics of differential confocal microscopy
      (DCM), its imaging properties were analysed by studying the 3D optical transfer
      function (OTF). The zero transfer at zero frequency along the axial direction in
      DCM, which has not been well understood and is considerably different from the
      transfer behaviour in conventional confocal microscopy (CM), was elucidated. The
      integral expressions of the OTFs for CM and DCM and the subsequent simulation
      results showed that DCMs have higher transfer capability than CM in the axial
      direction at medium and high frequencies. Conventionally, the relative optimal
      defocusing amount in DCMs are determined through calculations of the gradient of
      the point spread functions in the spatial domain. In contrast, in this study, the
      OTF performances were compared and the optimal defocusing amount was found to be
      between 5 and 7. 

PMID- 26494539
TI  - Splitting a Substrate into Three Parts: Gold-Catalyzed Nitrogenation of Alkynes
      by C-C and C=C Bond Cleavage.
AB  - A gold-catalyzed nitrogenation of alkynes for the synthesis of carbamides and
      amino tetrazoles through C-C and C=C bond cleavages is described. A diverse set
      of functionalized carbamide and amino tetrazole derivatives were selectively
      constructed under mild conditions. The chemoselectivity can be easily switched by
      the selection of the acid additives. The reaction is characterized by its broad
      substrate scope, direct construction of high value products, easy operation under
      air, and mild conditions at room temperature. This chemistry provides a way to
      transform alkynes by splitting the substrate into three parts.

PMID- 26494538
TI  - Neural tube opening and abnormal extraembryonic membrane development in SEC23A
      deficient mice.
AB  - COPII (coat protein complex-II) vesicles transport proteins from the endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) to the Golgi. Higher eukaryotes have two or more paralogs of most
      COPII components. Here we characterize mice deficient for SEC23A and studied
      interactions of Sec23a null allele with the previously reported Sec23b null
      allele. SEC23A deficiency leads to mid-embryonic lethality associated with
      defective development of extraembryonic membranes and neural tube opening in
      midbrain. Secretion defects of multiple collagen types are observed in different
      connective tissues, suggesting that collagens are primarily transported in SEC23A
      containing vesicles in these cells. Other extracellular matrix proteins, such as
      fibronectin, are not affected by SEC23A deficiency. Intracellular accumulation of
      unsecreted proteins leads to strong induction of the unfolded protein response in
      collagen-producing cells. No collagen secretion defects are observed in SEC23B
      deficient embryos. We report that E-cadherin is a cargo that accumulates in acini
      of SEC23B deficient pancreas and salivary glands. Compensatory increase of one
      paralog is observed in the absence of the second paralog. Haploinsufficiency of
      the remaining Sec23 paralog on top of homozygous inactivation of the first
      paralog leads to earlier lethality of embryos. Our results suggest that mammalian
      SEC23A and SEC23B transport overlapping yet distinct spectra of cargo in vivo. 

PMID- 26494540
TI  - Overgeneral autobiographical memory predicts higher prospective levels of
      depressive symptoms and intrusions in borderline patients.
AB  - Overgeneral memory (OGM), the tendency to retrieve categories of events from
      autobiographical memory instead of single events, is found to be a reliable
      predictor for future mood disturbances and post-traumatic symptom severity.
      Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) often report co-morbid
      episodes of major depressive disorder (MDD) and post-traumatic stress disorder
      (PTSD). Therefore, we investigated whether OGM would predict depression severity
      and (post-traumatic) stress symptoms in BPD patients. At admission (N = 54) and
      at six-month follow-up (N >= 31), BPD patients completed the Structured Clinical
      Interview for DSM-IV Disorders, the Assessment of DSM-IV Personality Disorders,
      the Autobiographical Memory Test, the Beck Depression Inventory-2nd edition (BDI
      II), and the Impact of Event Scale. OGM at baseline predicted (a) higher levels
      of depressive symptoms at follow-up and (b) more intrusions related to a
      stressful event over and above baseline levels of borderline symptoms, depressive
      symptoms, and intrusions, respectively. No association was found between memory
      specificity and event-related avoidance at follow-up. Despite previous findings
      suggesting that OGM in BPD is less robust than in MDD and PTSD, our results
      suggest that memory specificity in BPD patients may have some relevance for the
      course of depressive and stress symptomatology in BPD.

PMID- 26494541
TI  - Advances and challenges in paracoccidioidomycosis serology caused by
      Paracoccidioides species complex: an update.
AB  - Understanding the possible methodologies for the rapid and inexpensive
      identification of fungal infections is essential for disease diagnosis, but there
      are some limitations. To help with this problem, serological methods that detect
      antigens or antibodies are widely used and are useful for the diagnosis of
      paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) through the detection of gp43, which is the main
      antigen employed for the immunodiagnosis of this disease caused by
      Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. However, the use of gp43 has become restricted
      because it was recently found that this marker is not identified in the
      infections caused by Paracoccidioides lutzii. Therefore, it is necessary to
      identify new antigens in both species or antigens specific for P. lutzii to
      decrease the morbidity and/or mortality associated with PCM. This review provides
      a discussion of new diagnostic challenges after the recent discoveries regarding
      the taxonomy of the Paracoccidioides genus. 

PMID- 26494542
TI  - Intramolecular OH???Fluorine Hydrogen Bonding in Saturated, Acyclic
      Fluorohydrins: The gamma-Fluoropropanol Motif.
AB  - Fluorination is commonly exercised in compound property optimization. However,
      the influence of fluorination on hydrogen-bond (HB) properties of adjacent
      functional groups, as well as the HB-accepting capacity of fluorine itself, is
      still not completely understood. Although the formation of OH???F intramolecular
      HBs (IMHBs) has been established for conformationally restricted fluorohydrins,
      such interaction in flexible compounds remained questionable. Herein is
      demonstrated for the first time-and in contrast to earlier reports-the occurrence
      of OH???F IMHBs in acyclic saturated gamma-fluorohydrins, even for the parent 3
      fluoropropan-1-ol. The relative stereochemistry is shown to have a crucial
      influence on the corresponding (h1) JOH???F values, as illustrated by syn- and
      anti-4-fluoropentan-2-ol (6.6 and 1.9 Hz). The magnitude of OH???F IMHBs and
      their strong dependence on the overall molecular conformational profile,
      fluorination motif, and alkyl substitution level, is rationalized by quantum
      chemical calculations. For a given alkyl chain, the "rule of shielding" applies
      to OH???F IMHB energies. Surprisingly, the predicted OH???F IMHB energies are
      only moderately weaker than these of the corresponding OH???OMe. These results
      provide new insights of the impact of fluorination of aliphatic alcohols, with
      attractive perspectives for rational drug design. 

PMID- 26494543
TI  - Large Esophageal Hematoma Following Transesophageal Echocardiography-Guided
      Device Closure of Atrial Septal Defect.
AB  - A 47-year-old woman with a large ostium secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) and
      severe pulmonary artery hypertension underwent device closure of ASD under
      transesophageal echocardiography guidance. She developed a massive esophageal
      hematoma which was diagnosed 4 days after the procedure. The use of dual
      antiplatelets after the device closure further aggravated the hematoma. As the
      patient remained stable and the site of leak could not be identified by contrast
      studies, she was managed conservatively with nil per mouth, broad-spectrum
      antibiotics, and continuous nasogastric aspiration. We were faced with the risk
      of thromboembolism after stopping antiplatelets versus the risk of increasing
      peri-esophageal hematoma if they were continued. With careful monitoring for
      thrombus formation on the device, the antiplatelets were stopped and the hematoma
      resolved. The hematoma resolved by 10 days, and the antiplatelets were restarted
      gradually. Iatrogenic esophageal injury is an important cause of esophageal
      perforation, which is a condition with high mortality and morbidity. Esophageal
      perforation following device closure of ASD is particularly challenging as the
      scenario is worsened by the use of antiplatelets and they have to be discontinued
      with the attendant risk of thromboembolism. 

PMID- 26494544
TI  - Effects of dietary restriction followed by high dietary energy  or protein on
      compensatory growth of Ashanti  Black * Large White crossbred weaner pigs.
AB  - The study determined the effect of re-alimenting dietary protein or energy on
      compensatory growth. Eighteen Ashanti Black * Large White crossbred weaner pigs
      (7.5 +/- 0.30 kg) were randomly assigned to one of three dietary treatments in a
      completely randomized design resulting in three replicate pens per treatment (n =
      3) and two pigs per pen. In the first treatment, pigs were fed ad libitum a diet
      containing 12.0 MJ/kg of metabolizable energy (ME) and 14.4% crude protein (CP)
      (maintenance diet) for 56 days. In the second and third dietary treatments, pigs
      were fed the maintenance diet for the initial 28 days and then switched to a high
      protein (17.4% dry matter (DM) CP; protein) or high (14.0 MJ/kg DM; energy) diet
      for the rest of the 28-day period. Dry matter intake and growth performance were
      similar (P >= 0.52) among treatments during the first 28 days of restrictive
      feeding, but pigs re-alimented with the protein diet achieved superior (P =
      0.004) DM intake, average daily gain (ADG), and feed efficiency than those fed
      the maintenance diet or re-alimented with the energy diet in the re-alimentation
      period. At the end of the entire 56-day period, pigs re-alimented with the
      protein diet had higher (P >= 0.01) live weight gains and ADG compared with those
      fed the maintenance diet or re-alimented with the energy diet, but DM intake was
      similar (P = 0.66) among treatments. It was concluded that re-alimentation with
      protein rather than energy can improve compensatory growth of Ashanti Black *
      Large White crossbred weaner pigs.

PMID- 26494545
TI  - Alleviation of chronic heat stress in broilers by dietary  supplementation of
      betaine and turmeric rhizome powder:  dynamics of performance, leukocyte profile,
      humoral immunity,  and antioxidant status.
AB  - Heat stress (HS), one of the most serious climate problems of tropical and
      subtropical countries, negatively affects the production performance of broilers.
      Keeping this in view, the current study was aimed at elucidating the effects of
      supplementing betaine (Bet) and dried turmeric rhizome powder (TRP), either
      singly or in combination, on growth performance, leukocyte profile, humoral
      immunity, and antioxidant status in broilers kept under chronic HS. A total of
      625 one-day-old Ross male chicks were randomly assigned to five treatment groups
      (5 replicates of 25 birds per replicate pen). From day 1, the birds were either
      kept at the thermoneutral zone (TN) or exposed to HS (33 +/- 1 degrees C) to the
      conclusion of study, day 42. THeat stress (HS), one of the most serious climate
      problems of tropical and subtropical countries, negatively affects the production
      performance of broilers. Keeping this in view, the current study was aimed at
      elucidating the effects of supplementing betaine (Bet) and dried turmeric rhizome
      powder (TRP), either singly or in combination, on growth performance, leukocyte
      profile, humoral immunity, and antioxidant status in broilers kept under chronic
      HS. A total of 625 one-day-old Ross male chicks were randomly assigned to five
      treatment groups (5 replicates of 25 birds per replicate pen). From day 1, the
      birds were either kept at the thermoneutral zone (TN) or exposed to HS (33 +/- 1
      degrees C) to the conclusion of study, day 42. The treatment groups were as
      follows: thermoneutral control (TN-CON), HS-CON, HS-Bet, HS-TRP, and HS-BT (fed
      Bet and TRP). The results showed that decreases in body weight gain, feed intake,
      and increases in feed-to-gain ratio and mortality induced by HS were partially
      restored by dietary supplementation of Bet and TRP. The heterophil/lymphocyte
      ratio, total, and IgG antibody titers against sheep red blood cell for secondary
      responses in the HS-TRP and HS-BT groups were also similar to those of the
      broilers in the TN-CON group but better (P < 0.05) than for HS-CON group. An
      increase (P < 0.05) in serum concentration of malondialdehyde induced by HS was
      significantly decreased by dietary supplementations. The serum glutathione
      peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities were also higher (P < 0.05) in the
      supplemented groups compared to both TN and HS-CON groups. In conclusion, dietary
      supplementation of either Bet or TRP alone or in combination can partially
      ameliorate some of the detrimental effects of HS in broilers. Results also
      suggest that TRP might be better than Bet for improving stress tolerance and
      immune response in heat-stressed broilers.he treatment groups were as follows:
      thermoneutral control (TN-CON), HS-CON, HS-Bet, HS-TRP, and HS-BT (fed Bet and
      TRP). The results showed that decreases in body weight gain, feed intake, and
      increases in feed-to-gain ratio and mortality induced by HS were partially
      restored by dietary supplementation of Bet and TRP. The heterophil/lymphocyte
      ratio, total, and IgG antibody titers against sheep red blood cell for secondary
      responses in the HS-TRP and HS-BT groups were also similar to those of the
      broilers in the TN-CON group but better (P < 0.05) than for HS-CON group. An
      increase (P < 0.05) in serum concentration of malondialdehyde induced by HS was
      significantly decreased by dietary supplementations. The serum glutathione
      peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities were also higher (P < 0.05) in the
      supplemented groups compared to both TN and HS-CON groups. In conclusion, dietary
      supplementation of either Bet or TRP alone or in combination can partially
      ameliorate some of the detrimental effects of HS in broilers. Results also
      suggest that TRP might be better than Bet for improving stress tolerance and
      immune response in heat-stressed broilers.

PMID- 26494546
TI  - The bioefficacy of crude extracts of Azadirachta indica (Meliaceae)  on the
      survival and development of myiasis-causing larvae  of Chrysomya bezziana
      (Diptera: Calliphoridae).
AB  - Myiasis is a type of parasitosis originating from the invasion of tissues of live
      humans and other vertebrates by dipteran larvae. The Old World screwworm fly
      Chrysomya bezziana-is known worldwide in the tropical regions for causing myiasis
      among man and domestic animals, thereby leading to health hazards and severe
      economic losses to the dairy farmers. Management techniques for controlling
      populations of the fly are needed to minimize these losses. Plant-derived
      materials have been increasingly evaluated these days in controlling the insects
      of medical and veterinary importance. This study evaluated the efficacy of crude
      extracts of the plant neem, Azadirachta indica, against C. bezziana. The dried
      leaves of the plant were extracted successively with four different solvents viz.
      petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol and were evaluated
      against the third instar larvae of C. bezziana using dipping method and thin film
      application technique. In the dipping method, larvae were dipped in four
      different concentrations of plant extracts for 30 s, whereas in the thin film
      application, they were exposed to a thin film of plant extracts. The results
      showed that all the extracts had toxic effect on the larvae in both the
      techniques. In the dipping method, the highest mortalities were recorded in
      methanol extract followed by chloroform, petroleum ether and ethyl acetate
      extracts with LC50 values 1.07 g/100 ml, 1.7 g/100 ml, 3.39 g/100 ml and 4.9
      g/100 ml, respectively. In the thin film application method, methanol extract
      showed the highest mortalities followed by chloroform, ethyl acetate and
      petroleum ether with LC50 values 0.4 mg/cm2, 0.6 mg/cm2, 2.1 mg/cm2 and 2.5
      mg/cm2. It is concluded that the crude extracts of A. indica can be used in
      controlling the larvae of C. bezziana by using the dipping as well as thin film
      application technique.

PMID- 26494547
TI  - Partial substitution of soybean meal by Gliricidia sepium  or Guazuma ulmifolia
      leaves in the rations of growing lambs.
AB  - The partial substitution of soybean meal by Gliricidia sepium or Guazuma
      ulmifolia leaves in the rations of growing lambs was evaluated at an experimental
      station in the dry tropics of Mexico. Sixteen weaned crossbred male Pelibuey *
      Blackbelly lambs (initial weight 19 +/- 1.66 kg), distributed in a completely
      randomized design, were assigned to the following protein sources: (a) 100%
      soybean meal, (b) 50% soybean meal + 50% G. sepium, (c) 50 % soybean meal + 25%
      G. ulmifolia + 25% G. sepium, and (d) 50% soybean meal + 50% G. ulmifolia in
      isoproteic rations. The lambs were housed in individual pens and fed ad libitum.
      Substitution of protein from soybean meal with G. ulmifolia did not affect gain,
      intake, or feed conversion; however, the inclusion of G. sepium reduced (linear
      effect, P < 0.01) gain and intake and impaired feed conversion (linear effect, P
      < 0.01). Partial substitution up to 50% of soybean meal with 50% G. ulmifolia
      leaves resulted in similar growth and lamb performance, but inclusion of G.
      sepium leaves adversely affected lamb growth, presumably due to other factors not
      related to the protein content.

PMID- 26494548
TI  - Dispersion of Polymers in Metallic Gallium.
AB  - This work examines the concept of dispersing polymers in metals. Herein, this was
      mainly studied with molten gallium, in which 5-18 wt % of various short-chain
      polymers were incorporated and mixed. The nature of the solidified products was
      examined by using X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, UV/Vis, differential
      scanning calorimetry, and thermal gravimetric analyses. It was found that some
      polymers can be dispersed as small domains within molten metals to form a
      heterogeneous solid. The ability to dope Ga with large polymers opens a new
      avenue to electronic materials. 

PMID- 26494549
TI  - More complaints should be resolved locally, says health ombudsman.

PMID- 26494550
TI  - Olfactory Transcriptional Analysis of Salmon Exposed to Mixtures of Chlorpyrifos
      and Malathion Reveal Novel Molecular Pathways of Neurobehavioral Injury.
AB  - Pacific salmon exposed to sublethal concentrations of organophosphate pesticides
      (OP) have impaired olfactory function that can lead to loss of behaviors that are
      essential for survival. These exposures often involve mixtures and can occur at
      levels below those which inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE). In this study,
      juvenile Coho salmon were exposed for 24 h to either 0.1, 0.5, or 2.5 ppb
      chlorpyrifos (CPF), 2, 10, or 50 ppb malathion (MAL), or binary mixtures of 0.1
      CPF:2 ppb MAL, 0.5 CPF:10 ppb MAL, or 2.5 CPF:10 ppb MAL to mimic single and
      binary environmental exposures. Microarray analysis of olfactory rosettes from
      pesticide-exposed salmon revealed differentially expressed genes involved in
      nervous system function and signaling, aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling,
      xenobiotic metabolism, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Coho exposed to OP mixtures
      exhibited a more pronounced loss in detection of a predatory olfactory cue
      relative to those exposed to single compounds, whereas respirometry experiments
      demonstrated that exposure to OPs, individually and in mixtures, reduced maximum
      respiratory capacity of olfactory rosette mitochondria. The observed molecular,
      biochemical, and behavioral effects occurred largely in the absence of effects on
      brain AChE. In summary, our results provide new insights associated with the
      sublethal neurotoxic effects of OP mixtures relevant to environmental exposures
      involving molecular and cellular pathways of injury to the salmon olfactory
      system that underlie neurobehavioral injury. 

PMID- 26494551
TI  - Association study of BCL9 gene polymorphism rs583583 with schizophrenia and
      negative symptoms in Japanese population.
AB  - B-cell CLL/lymphoma 9 (BCL9) is located within the schizophrenia (SCZ) suspected
      locus chr1q21.1. A recent study reported that a single nucleotide polyphormism
      (SNP) within BCL9 (rs583583) is associated with negative symptoms of
      Schizophrenia, as measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS),
      in the Caucasian population. We therefore investigated genetic association of
      rs583583, and its effect on negative symptoms in the Japanese patients. For
      association analysis, we used a Japanese sample set comprising 1089 SCZ and 950
      controls (CON). Analysis of the effect of rs586586 on negative symptoms as
      examined by PANSS was investigated using 280 SCZ. Furthermore, for analysis of
      cognitive performance, we investigated 90 SCZ and 51 CON using the Continuous
      Performance Test (CPT-IP) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) Keio
      version. We did not detect association between rs583583 and SCZ. Furthermore,
      rs583583 was not associated with PANSS negative scores or with CPT-IT or WCST
      cognitive tests. Considering the results of our previous study, combined with the
      results of the current study of rs583583, we argue that BCL9 most likely does not
      harbor a common genetic variant that can increase the risk for SCZ in the
      Japanese population. 

PMID- 26494552
TI  - The Interaction of Water with Free Mn4 O4 (+) Clusters: Deprotonation and
      Adsorption-Induced Structural Transformations.
AB  - As the biological activation and oxidation of water takes place at an inorganic
      cluster of the stoichiometry CaMn4 O5 , manganese oxide is one of the materials
      of choice in the quest for versatile, earth-abundant water splitting catalysts.
      To probe basic concepts and aid the design of artificial water-splitting
      molecular catalysts, a hierarchical modeling strategy was employed that explores
      clusters of increasing complexity, starting from the tetramanganese oxide cluster
      Mn4 O4 (+) as a molecular model system for catalyzed water activation. First
      principles calculations in conjunction with IR spectroscopy provide fundamental
      insight into the interaction of water with Mn4 O4 (+) , one water molecule at a
      time. All of the investigated complexes Mn4 O4 (H2 O)n (+) (n=1-7) contain
      deprotonated water with a maximum of four dissociatively bound water molecules,
      and they exhibit structural fluxionality upon water adsorption, inducing
      dimensional and structural transformations of the cluster core. 

PMID- 26494553
TI  - Laparoscopy assisted percutaneous stone surgery can be performed in multiple ways
      for pelvic ectopic kidneys.
AB  - Pelvic kidney stones remain a unique challenge to the endourologists. Treatment
      options include open surgery, extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, percutaneous
      nephrolithotomy (PNL), retrograde intrarenal surgery, and laparoscopy assisted
      PNL (LA-PNL). As a minimal invasive option, LA-PNL can decrease the risk for
      bowel and major vessel injury. Here, we describe our experience using the LA-PNL
      procedures with different combinations, to treat kidney stones in multiple
      patients with a pelvic ectopic kidney (PEK). Eight patients, with PEK, kidney
      stones, and no other treatment choice, but open surgery, were included in the
      study. Two different laparoscopic techniques such as mesocolon dissection and
      transmesocolic, and four different percutaneous procedures such as standard-PNL,
      mini-PNL, micro-PNL, and a PNL through the renal pelvis were used for stone
      extraction in these patients. The mean age of patients was 25.6 +/- 12.9 years
      and mean stone size was 524.1 +/- 430.3 mm(2). Mean operation time was 150.5 +/-
      40.0 (77-210) min which was composed of retrograde catheterization (14.8 +/- 2.9
      min), laparoscopic procedure (48.7 +/- 20.6 min) and PNL procedure (86.8 +/- 31.1
      min). Residual stones were seen in two patients (no additional treatment was
      need), while a 'stone-free' procedure was achieved in six patients (75.0 %). On
      the post-operative first month visit, a stone was observed on radiological
      examinations in only one patient (87.5 % stone-free). Mean hospitalization time
      was 2.8 +/- 0.9 days. No perioperative or post-operative complication was
      observed in all patients. LA-PNL surgery is a safe and effective option for
      treatment of PEK stones, and has several alternative approaches. 

PMID- 26494554
TI  - CRISPR/Cas9: molecular tool for gene therapy to target genome and epigenome in
      the treatment of lung cancer.
AB  - Although varied drugs and therapies have been developed for lung cancer
      treatment, in the past 5 years overall survival rates have not improved much. It
      has also been reported that lung cancer is diagnosed in most of the patients when
      it is already in the advanced stages with heterogeneous tumors where single
      therapy is mostly ineffective. A combination of therapies are being administered
      and specific genes in specific tissues are targeted while protecting normal cell,
      but most of the therapies face drawbacks for the development of resistance
      against them and tumor progression. Therefore, therapeutic implications for
      various therapies need to be complemented by divergent strategies. This review
      frames utilization of CRISPR/Cas9 for molecular targeted gene therapy leading to
      long-term repression and activation or inhibition of molecular targets linked to
      lung cancer, avoiding the cycles of therapy. 

PMID- 26494555
TI  - HuR-targeted nanotherapy in combination with AMD3100 suppresses CXCR4 expression,
      cell growth, migration and invasion in lung cancer.
AB  - The CXCR4 chemokine receptor has an important role in cancer cell metastasis. The
      CXCR4 antagonist, AMD3100, has limited efficacy in controlling metastasis. HuR,
      an RNA-binding protein, regulates CXCR4 in cancer cells. We therefore
      investigated whether targeting HuR using a siRNA-based nanoparticle plus AMD3100
      would suppress CXCR4 and inhibit lung cancer metastasis. We treated human H1299
      lung cancer cells with HuR-specific siRNA contained in a folate-targeted lipid
      nanoparticle (HuR-FNP) plus AMD3100, and compared this with AMD3100 alone, HuR
      FNP alone and no treatment. HuR-FNP plus AMD3100 treatment produced a G1 phase
      cell cycle arrest and reduced cell viability above and beyond the effects of
      AMD3100 alone. HuR and CXCR4 mRNA and protein expression levels were markedly
      reduced in all treatment groups. Phosphorylated (p) AKT(S473) protein was also
      reduced. P27 protein expression increased with HuR-FNP and combination treatment.
      Promoter-based reporter studies showed that the combination inhibited CXCR4
      promoter activity more than did either treatment alone. Cell migration and
      invasion was significantly reduced with all treatments; the combination provided
      the most inhibition. Reduced matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-2 and -9 expression was
      associated with reduced invasion in all treatment groups. Thus, we found that
      combined HuR and CXCR4 targeting effectively controlled lung cancer metastasis. 

PMID- 26494556
TI  - Tumor suppressor microRNA-31 inhibits gastric carcinogenesis by targeting Smad4
      and SGPP2.
AB  - To investigate the function of microRNA-31 (miR-31) in the pathogenesis of
      gastric cancer (GC) and to explore the possible mechanisms involved in it. A
      quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) analysis was performed
      to evaluate miR-31 expression in GC cell lines. After transfecting GC cells with
      miR-31 precursors, Alamar blue and apoptosis assays were used to measure the
      respective proliferation and apoptosis rates. SGPP2 and Smad4 expression were
      determined by real-time RT-PCR and western blot assays after miR-31 transfection.
      Animal assay was used to further investigate miR-31 in the pathogenesis of GC.
      miR-31 was significantly reduced in GC tissues and GC cell lines, and that the
      reduced miR-31 was associated with distant metastasis and GC clinical
      pathological stages, miR-31 was lower at stages III/IV than that at stage II.
      SGPP2 and Smad4 were proven to be the direct target of miR-31. SGPP2 and Smad4 at
      mRNA and protein levels were negatively correlated with miR-31 in human GC
      tissues and cancer cell lines. Increased miR-31 significantly repressed SGPP2 and
      Smad4 at transcriptional and translational levels. Functional studies showed that
      increasing miR-31 inhibited GC cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis and
      attenuated cell migration, which were also linked to downregulation of STAT3. In
      vivo, miR-31 inhibited GC cell growth in tumor-bearing mice. This study has
      revealed miR-31 as a tumor suppressor and has identified SGPP2 and Smad4 as novel
      targets of miR-31, linking to STAT3 for regulating cancer cell proliferation,
      apoptosis and migration in GC. Therefore, miR-31 could be a useful biomarker for
      monitoring GC development and progression, and also could have a therapeutic
      potential by targeting SGPP2, Smad4 and STAT3 for GC therapy. 

PMID- 26494557
TI  - Conditioned media from human ovarian cancer endothelial progenitor cells induces
      ovarian cancer cell migration by activating epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
AB  - Bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) migrate to and engraft at
      ovarian cancer sites. Understanding the interactions between ovarian cancer cells
      and EPCs is fundamental for determining whether to harness EPC-tumor interactions
      for delivery of therapeutic agents or target them for intervention. Ovarian
      cancer cell lines (SKOV-3 and OVCAR-3) were cultured alone or in EPC-conditioned
      media (EPC-CM). Migration of ovarian cancer cells was detected by transwell
      chamber. N-cadherin and E-cadherin expression were analyzed by real-time reverse
      transcription PCR and western blot. EPC-CM can increase transforming growth
      factor-beta (TGF-beta) secretion in SKOV-3 and OVCAR-3 cells. EPC-CM induced loss
      of ovarian cancer cell-cell junctions, downregulation of E-cadherin, upregulation
      of N-cadherin and acquisition of a fibroblastic phenotype, consistent with an
      epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The specific TGF-beta inhibitor
      SB431542 abolished the SKOV-3 and OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cell migration induced
      by EPC-CM. In SKOV-3 and OVCAR-3 cells, EPC-CM downregulated E-cadherin and
      concurrently upregulated N-cadherin. EPC-CM upregulated the expression of
      transcriptional repressors of E-cadherin, Snail and Twist. Treatment with
      SB431542 abolished the effects of EPC-CM on the relative expression levels of
      cadherin, Snail and Twist. This study demonstrates that TGF-beta has a role in
      EPC-CM-induced ovarian cancer migration by activating EMT. 

PMID- 26494558
TI  - Functional studies of miR-130a on the inhibitory pathways of apoptosis in
      patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.
AB  - The p53 mutation in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) led to decreased overall
      survival and therapy resistance which was also closely correlated with the
      downstream proto-oncogenes BCL-2, TCL-1 and MCL-1. We in this study aimed to
      investigate the function of miR130a in p53 tumor suppressor signaling pathway. We
      performed microRNA (miRNA) expression profile analysis in CML cancer stem cells
      of 38 cases and extracted total RNA from peripheral blood of 143 cases. Standard
      curves of U6 and miRNA were made from 10-fold serial dilutions of the cDNA, which
      were quantified using real-time quantitative PCR with SYBR Green by ABI 7300. The
      p53 mutations and BCR/ABL mutation status analysis in CML patients were detected
      by PCR and direct sequencing. Candidate targets of miR130a of putative relevance
      in CML pathogenesis were analyzed by bioinformatics approach. We then used dual
      luciferase activity assay to verify the target genes of miR130a and used western
      blot analysis to elucidate the mechanism of miR130a on modulating drug
      resistance. The levels of miR-130a expression in CML were significantly lower in
      poor prognostic subgroups, defined by prognostic factors including mutated
      BCR/ABL status, p53 and ATM deletions and p53 mutations. Furthermore,
      underexpression of miR-130a was significantly associated with shorter overall
      survival and treatment-free survival in CML patients. We demonstrated that
      miR130a function as tumor suppressors by inhibiting multiple anti-apoptosis
      proteins, including BCL-2, MCL-1 and XIAP. This was a direct effect because
      miR130a negatively regulated expression of a BCL-2/MCL-1/XIAP 3'untranslated
      region-based reporter construct. Transfection of miR130a mimics into CML cells
      from 30 patients without p53 aberrations led to significant increases in
      apoptosis compared with transfection with the miRNA control. Besides, enforced
      expression of miR130a had no significant drug-sensitization effect in CML cells
      from p53-attenuated patients. MiR-130a may have an important role in the
      pathogenesis of CML and may be useful for assessing prognosis in patients with
      CML. Moreover, miR130a may provide a possible therapeutic avenue and a sensitive
      indicator of the activity of the p53 in CML. 

PMID- 26494559
TI  - Fusion expression of cecropin B-like antibacterial peptide in Pichia GS115 and
      its antibacterial mechanism.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To establish an efficient expression system for a fusion protein of
      glutathione S-transferase and cecropin B (GST-CB) and to clarify the
      antibacterial mechanism of CB. RESULTS: The optimal incubation time and methanol
      concentration for induced expression of CB were 36 h and 1 % w/v, respectively.
      The yield of GST-CB was 2.2 g/l. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of GST-CB
      towards Staphylococcus aureus subsp. saprophyticus (ATCC 15305) and Escherichia
      coli strain CFT073 were 250 and 125 MUg/ml, respectively. Notably, mutations of
      proline 24 (P24) in CB produced a polypeptide without antimicrobial activity.
      CONCLUSION: The fusion protein GST-CB, which has a broad spectrum antimicrobial
      activity, can be abundantly expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115, and P24 may be an
      important amino acid for the antimicrobial activity of GST-CB.

PMID- 26494561
TI  - Associations of arsenic metabolites, methylation capacity, and skin lesions
      caused by chronic exposure to high arsenic in tube well water.
AB  - To investigate the interaction between skin lesion status and arsenic methylation
      profiles, the concentrations and proportions of arsenic metabolites in urine and
      arsenic methylation capacities of study subjects were determined. The results
      showed that the mean urinary concentrations of iAs (inorganic arsenic), MMA
      (monomethylarsonic acid), DMA (dimethylarsinic acid), and TAs (total arsenic)
      were 75.65, 68.78, 265.81, and 410.24 MUg/L, respectively, in the skin lesions
      subjects. The highest values were observed in the multiple skin lesions subjects.
      Higher %iAs and %MMA, and lower %DMA, PMI (primary methylation index), and SMI
      (secondary methylation index) were found in skin lesions subjects. The multiple
      skin lesions subjects had highest %iAs and %MMA, and lowest %DMA, PMI, and SMI.
      The prevalence of skin lesions strongly, positively correlated with arsenic
      levels in drinking water. The elder persons also had higher frequency of skin
      lesions compared with younger persons. It can be concluded that arsenic levels in
      drinking water significantly affected the prevalence of skin lesions. Male
      subjects usually had higher proportions of skin lesions when compared with female
      subjects. Moreover, it may be concluded that MMA was significantly related to
      single skin lesion, whereas DMA and iAs were associated with multiple skin
      lesions. It seemed that MMA had greater toxicity to hyperkeratosis, whereas DMA
      and iAs had higher toxicity to depigmentation or pigmentation. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 28-36, 2017.

PMID- 26494560
TI  - 3-Deoxyschweinfurthin B Lowers Cholesterol Levels by Decreasing Synthesis and
      Increasing Export in Cultured Cancer Cell Lines.
AB  - The schweinfurthins have potent antiproliferative activity in multiple
      glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cell lines; however, the mechanism by which growth
      is impeded is not fully understood. Previously, we demonstrated that the
      schweinfurthins reduce the level of key isoprenoid intermediates in the
      cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. Herein, we describe the effects of the
      schweinfurthins on cholesterol homeostasis. Intracellular cholesterol levels are
      greatly reduced in cells incubated with 3-deoxyschweinfurthin B (3dSB), an analog
      of the natural product schweinfurthin B. Decreased cholesterol levels are due to
      decreased cholesterol synthesis and increased cholesterol efflux; both of these
      cellular actions can be influenced by liver X-receptor (LXR) activation. The
      effects of 3dSB on ATP-binding cassette transporter 1 levels and other LXR
      targets are similar to that of 25-hydroxycholesterol, an LXR agonist. Unlike 25
      hydroxycholesterol, 3dSB does not act as a direct agonist for LXR alpha or beta.
      These data suggest that cholesterol homeostasis plays a significant role in the
      growth inhibitory activity of the schweinfurthins and may elucidate a mechanism
      that can be targeted in human cancers such as GBM. 

PMID- 26494562
TI  - The Kidney Awareness Registry and Education (KARE) study: protocol of a
      randomized controlled trial to enhance provider and patient engagement with
      chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common and is associated with excess
      mortality and morbidity. Better management could slow progression of disease,
      prevent metabolic complications, and reduce cardiovascular outcomes. Low patient
      awareness of CKD and ineffective patient-provider communication can impede such
      efforts. We developed provider and patient-directed interventions that harness
      health information technology to enhance provider recognition of CKD and delivery
      of guideline concordant care and augment patient understanding and engagement in
      CKD care. METHODS/DESIGN: We report the design and protocol of the Kidney
      Awareness Registry and Education (KARE) Study, a 2x2 factorial randomized
      controlled trial that examines the impact of a multi-level intervention on health
      outcomes among low-income English, Spanish and Cantonese-speaking patients with
      CKD in a safety net system. The intervention includes: (1) implementation of a
      primary care electronic CKD registry that notifies practice teams of patients'
      CKD status and employs a patient profile and quarterly feedback to encourage
      provision of guideline-concordant care at point-of-care and via outreach; and (2)
      a language-concordant, culturally-sensitive self-management support program that
      consists of automated telephone modules, provision of low-literacy written
      patient-educational materials and telephone health coaching. The primary outcomes
      of the trial are changes in systolic blood pressure (BP) and the proportion of
      patients with BP control (<= 140/90 mmHg) after one year. Secondary outcomes
      include patient understanding of CKD, participation in healthy behaviors, and
      practice team delivery of guideline-concordant CKD care. DISCUSSION: Results from
      the KARE study will provide data on the feasibility, effectiveness, and
      acceptability of technology-based interventions that support primary care efforts
      at improving health outcomes among vulnerable patients with CKD. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, number: NCT01530958.

PMID- 26494563
TI  - Which plant trait explains the variations in relative growth rate and its
      response to elevated carbon dioxide concentration among Arabidopsis thaliana
      ecotypes derived from a variety of habitats?
AB  - Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration ([CO2]) enhances plant
      growth, but this enhancement varies considerably. It is still uncertain which
      plant traits are quantitatively related to the variation in plant growth. To
      identify the traits responsible, we developed a growth analysis model that
      included primary parameters associated with morphology, nitrogen (N) use, and
      leaf and root activities. We analysed the vegetative growth of 44 ecotypes of
      Arabidopsis thaliana L. grown at ambient and elevated [CO2] (800 MUmol mol(-1)).
      The 44 ecotypes were selected such that they were derived from various altitudes
      and latitudes. Relative growth rate (RGR; growth rate per unit plant mass) and
      its response to [CO2] varied by 1.5- and 1.7-fold among ecotypes, respectively.
      The variation in RGR at both [CO2]s was mainly explained by the variation in leaf
      N productivity (LNP; growth rate per leaf N),which was strongly related to
      photosynthetic N use efficiency (PNUE). The variation in the response of RGR to
      [CO2] was also explained by the variation in the response of LNP to [CO2].
      Genomic analyses indicated that there was no phylogenetic constraint on inter
      ecotype variation in the CO2 response of RGR or LNP. We conclude that the
      significant variation in plant growth and its response to [CO2] among ecotypes
      reflects the variation in N use for photosynthesis among ecotypes, and that the
      response of PNUE to CO2 is an important target for predicting and/or breeding
      plants that have high growth rates at elevated [CO2]. 

PMID- 26494564
TI  - The Rate of Inducible MLSB Resistance in the Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococci
      Isolated From Clinical Samples.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Staphylococci are one of the most common pathogens in nasocomial and
      community-acquired infections. Methicillin-resistant staphylococci are known to
      be resistant against all beta-lactam antibiotics. Therefore, non-beta-lactam
      antibiotics such as macrolide and lincosamides can be used. Resistance to those
      antibiotics may lead to therapeutic failure. The purpose of the present study was
      to determine the prevalence of macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLSB )
      resistance by using D-test in staphylococcal isolates from various clinical
      samples. METHODS: Seventy-one methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus isolates (six
      S. aureus, 65 coagulase negative staphylococci) were included in this study.
      Staphylococci were identified with conventional methods. According to Clinical
      Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) criteria, susceptibility testing was
      performed by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. RESULTS: One of six (16.6%)
      methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates and 19 of 65 (29.2%) methicillin
      resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MR-CNS) were detected as D-test
      positive. Twenty of 71 (28.1%) staphylococcal isolates detected as D-test
      positive. Inducible clindamycin resistance was found at a higher rate in MR-CNS.
      CONCLUSION: Since the resistant community and hospital acquired staphylococcal
      infections have become a therapeutic problem, it is very important to detect MLSB
      resistance routinely in microbiology laboratories. D-test is a cheap and reliable
      diagnostic method that can be performed in every laboratory.

PMID- 26494565
TI  - Phosphonium alkyl PEG sulfate ionic liquids as coating materials for activation
      of Burkholderia cepacia lipase.
AB  - Lipases are among the most widely used enzymes applicable for various substrates;
      however, the slow reactions or poor enantioselective reactions are sometimes
      obtained. To develop ionic liquid type activating agents for lipase, four types
      of phosphonium cetyl(PEG)10 sulfate ionic liquids have been synthesized and used
      as coating materials of Burkholderia cepacia lipase (Lipase PS) through the
      lyophilization process. Tributyl ([2-methoxy]ethoxymethyl)phosphonium
      cetyl(PEG)10 sulfate ([P444MEM ][C16 (PEG)10 SO4 ]) (PL1) worked best among them,
      and PL1-coated lipase PS displayed high reactivity in transesterification of
      broad types of secondary alcohols using vinyl acetate as an acylating reagent
      with perfect enantioselectivity (E > 200). The substrate preference of PL1-PS
      differs from that of commercial lipase PS or [bdmim] [C16 (PEG)10 SO4 ]-coated
      lipase (IL1-PS); PL1-PS displayed excellent enantioselectivity in the reaction of
      2-chloro-1-phenylethanol with E > 200, though insufficient E values were recorded
      for lipase PS (E = 12) and IL1-PS (E = 123) for this alcohol. PL1-PS also showed
      perfect enantioselectivity (E > 200) for the reaction of 1-(pyridin-2-yl)ethanol,
      while IL1-PS showed E = 130 for this compound. We further succeeded in
      demonstrating the recyclable use of PL1-PS five times in tributyl(3
      methoxypropyl)phosphonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ([P444PM ][Tf2 N]) as
      a solvent. Since PL1-PS is easily applicable to 10-20 gram-scaled reactions, it
      is expected that the IL-coated enzyme might be useful for practical preparation
      of a wide variety of chiral secondary alcohols. 

PMID- 26494566
TI  - Association study of copy number variants in FCGR3A and FCGR3B gene with risk of
      ankylosing spondylitis in a Chinese population.
AB  - Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a common inherited autoimmune disease. Copy number
      variation (CNV) of DNA segments has been found to be an important part of genetic
      variation, and the FCGR3A and FCGR3B gene CNVs have been associated with various
      autoimmune disorders. The aim of the study was to determine whether CNVs of
      FCGR3A and FCGR3B were also associated with the susceptibility of AS. A total of
      801 individuals including 402 AS patients and 399 healthy controls were enrolled
      in this study. The copy numbers of FCGR3 gene (two fragments, included FCGR3A and
      FCGR3B) were measured by AccuCopyTM methods. Chi-square test and logistic
      regression model were used to evaluate association between FCGR3 gene CNVs and AS
      susceptibility. P values, odds ratio, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were
      used to estimate the effects of risk. Significantly, difference in the
      frequencies of FCGR3A and FCGR3B gene CNVs was founded between the patients with
      AS and controls. For the FCGR3A gene, a low (<=3) copy number was significantly
      associated with AS [for <=3 copies versus 4 copies, (OR 2.17, 95% CI (1.41,
      3.34), P < 0.001, adjusted OR 2.22, 95% CI (1.44, 3.43), P < 0.001)]. A low
      FCGR3B copy number was also significantly associated with increasing risk of AS
      [for <=3 copies versus 4 copies, (OR 1.87, 95% CI (1.25, 2.79), P = 0.002,
      adjusted OR 1.94, 95% CI (1.29, 2.91), P = 0.001)]; however, both the high FCGR3A
      and FCGR3B copy numbers (>=5) were not significantly associated with the risk of
      AS (>=5 copies versus 4 copies). The lower copy numbers (<=3) of FCGR3A and
      FCGR3B genes confer a risk factor for AS susceptibility.

PMID- 26494567
TI  - Real-world cost-effectiveness of infliximab, etanercept and adalimumab in
      rheumatoid arthritis patients: results of the CREATE registry.
AB  - Biological drugs have proven efficacy and effectiveness in treatment of
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA), although none has been shown to be superior. Few
      studies have evaluated the cost-effectiveness of biological drugs in real-life
      clinical conditions. The objective of this study was to compare the cost
      effectiveness of infliximab, etanercept and adalimumab in achieving clinical
      remission (DAS28 < 2.6) when used as initial biological therapy. Patients were
      diagnosed with RA who began treatment with infliximab, etanercept or adalimumab
      in the Reina Sofia Hospital (Cordoba, Spain) between January 1, 2007, and
      December 31, 2012. Effectiveness was measured as the percentage of patients who
      achieved clinical remission after 2 years. The cost analysis considered the use
      of direct health resources (perspective of the healthcare system). Cost
      effectiveness was calculated by dividing the total mean cost of each treatment by
      the percentage of patients who achieved remission. One hundred and thirty
      patients were included: 55 with infliximab, 44 with adalimumab and 31 with
      etanercept. After 2 years, 45.2 % of patients with adalimumab achieved clinical
      remission, versus 29.1 % with infliximab (p = 0.133) and 22.7 % with etanercept
      (p = 0.040), with no differences between etanercept and infliximab (p = 0.475).
      The average total cost at 2 years was ?29,858, ?25,329 and ?23,309 for
      adalimumab, infliximab and etanercept, respectively, while the mean cost (95 %CI)
      to achieve remission was ?66,057 (48,038-84,076), ?87,040 (78,496-95,584) and
      ?102,683 (94,559-110,807), respectively. Adalimumab was more efficient than
      etanercept (p < 0.001) and infliximab (p = 0.026), with no differences between
      etanercept and infliximab (p = 0.086). Adalimumab was the most cost-effective
      treatment in achieving clinical remission in real-life clinical conditions in RA
      patients during the study period.

PMID- 26494568
TI  - The relative importance of cancer-related and general health worries and distress
      among older adult, long-term cancer survivors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This research examines the relative importance that cancer-related and
      non-cancer illness factors play in generating general health worries and/or
      cancer-related worries. The analysis also examines how these in turn impact
      anxiety and depression among older adult, long-term cancer survivors. METHODS:
      Data from a longitudinal study of 245 older-adult (age 60+ years), long-term
      survivors (5 or more years after diagnosis) of breast, prostate, and colorectal
      cancer are examined to identify the measurement properties and structure of
      general health and cancer-related health worries. Based on that measurement
      analysis, structural equation models (SEM) are used to estimate the relative
      importance of cancer-related and other illness predictors on cancer-related worry
      and general health worry and how these two forms of worry affect both anxiety
      (POMS) and depression (CES-D). RESULTS: The results from the exploratory and
      confirmatory factor analysis of health worries identify two relatively
      independent measures of health worry, one of general health worry and a second of
      cancer-related worries that includes fears of recurrence, new cancers, and follow
      up testing. SEM analyses identified the importance of current cancer-related
      symptoms and comorbidities on cancer-related worry. It also documents the primacy
      of non-cancer symptoms and general health worry as predictors of anxiety and
      depression among older survivors. CONCLUSIONS: The fact that cancer-related
      symptoms continue to be associated with cancer-related worries years after
      diagnosis speaks to the significance of these continuing sequelae. While the
      findings suggest the relative independence of cancer-related worries and general
      health worries, both are correlated with anxiety and depression. This may be
      particularly problematic as survivors age and symptoms related to new health
      problems increase, while cancer-related symptoms persist. Copyright (c) 2015 John
      Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26494569
TI  - Lucid dreams, an atypical sleep disturbance in anterior and mediodorsal thalamic
      strokes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive, affective, and behavioural disturbances are commonly
      reported following thalamic strokes. Conversely, sleep disorders are rarely
      reported in this context. OBSERVATIONS: Herein, we report the cases of two young
      patients admitted for an ischemic stroke located in the territories of the left
      pre-mammillary and paramedian arteries. Together with aphasia, memory complaint,
      impaired attention and executive functions, they reported lucid dreams with
      catastrophic content or conflicting situations. CONCLUSION: Lucid dreams are an
      atypical presentation in thalamic strokes. These cases enlarge the clinical
      spectrum of sleep-wake disturbances potentially observed after an acute
      cerebrovascular event.

PMID- 26494570
TI  - Cognitive screening in Parkinson's disease: Comparison of the Parkinson
      Neuropsychometric Dementia Assessment (PANDA) with 3 other short scales.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive screening is crucial in Parkinson's disease (PD). However,
      there is still a lack of short tools in French. In this study, we aimed to
      compare the Parkinson Neuropsychometric Dementia Assessment (PANDA) with the Mini
      Mental Parkinson (MMP), the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Clock
      Test in French-speaking patients. We also aimed to propose cut-off scores for
      cognitive impairment and dementia for the French language version of the PANDA.
      METHOD: Fifty-one patients with PD took the PANDA, the MMSE, the MMP, and the
      Clock Test. They also underwent extensive neuropsychological testing by a
      neuropsychologist who was blinded to the above-mentioned screening test results.
      Patients were classified as either having normal cognition (n=15), mild cognitive
      impairment (n=20) or dementia (n=16). RESULTS: When compared with the three other
      screening tools, the PANDA exhibited the highest area under the curve (AUC) for
      both cognitive disorders and dementia. Using the cut-off scores proposed for the
      German version, the PANDA had 94% specificity and 100% sensitivity for dementia
      and 100% and 72%, respectively for cognitive disorders. CONCLUSIONS: In our
      study, the PANDA exhibited a higher discriminative power than the three other
      tests in detecting cognitive disorders and dementia. In PD patients, the PANDA
      should thus be considered for the detection of cognitive impairment in routine
      clinical practice.

PMID- 26494571
TI  - [Anticoagulation in acute phase of tandem vertebral dissection after thrombectomy
      of basilar artery occlusion: MRI contribution].

PMID- 26494572
TI  - Massive subcutaneous emphysema and septic shock revealed by a stroke-mimic
      episode.

PMID- 26494573
TI  - [Fortuitous discovery of Fahr's syndrome after seizures].

PMID- 26494574
TI  - Influence of the C5a-C5a receptor system on breast cancer progression and patient
      prognosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence has shown activation of the complement system in
      cancer tissues and anaphylatoxin C5a release from C5 by cancer cells, suggesting
      C5a as a component in the cancer microenvironment. We revealed aberrant
      expression of C5a receptor (C5aR) in various human cancers and C5a-elicited
      enhancement of C5aR-expressing cancer cell invasion. METHODS: To explore an
      influence of the C5a-C5aR system in breast cancer (BC), we investigated BC C5aR
      expression in relation to clinicopathological parameters of the patients and an
      effect of C5a on BC cell proliferation. RESULTS: BC cell C5aR expression was
      observed immunohistochemically in 22 of 171 patients (13 %) and related to larger
      tumor size, higher nuclear grade and Ki-67 labeling index, presence of lymph node
      metastasis and advanced clinical stages. Interestingly, BC cells were C5aR
      negative in all patients with BC in situ and C5aR-positive rate was high (38 %)
      in patients with hormone receptor-negative, namely triple-negative BC. For BC
      cells in metastasized lymph nodes, 12 of 22 patients (55 %) were C5aR-positive
      and included 7 patients with C5aR-negative BC in the primary site. Survival rate
      of patients with C5aR-positive BC was lower than that of patients with C5aR
      negative BC. C5a enhanced proliferation of C5aR-expressing triple-negative BC
      cells in a C5aR-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: Relation of BC C5aR expression to
      tumor development and poor prognosis of the patients and proliferation enhancing
      effect of C5a on C5aR-expressing BC cells suggest that the C5a-C5aR system is
      closely associated with BC progression. This system may be a new target to treat
      BC patients, particularly with triple-negative BC.

PMID- 26494575
TI  - Immunohistochemical analyses of CD44 variant isoforms in invasive micropapillary
      carcinoma of the breast: comparison with a concurrent conventional invasive
      carcinoma of no special type component.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC) is a distinct
      histopathological variant of breast carcinoma and frequently develops lymph node
      metastases. CD44 is a family of transmembrane glycoprotein receptors with
      multiple variant isoforms (CD44v), which have tissue-specific expression.
      Previous studies have demonstrated a loss or gain of CD44v and CD44 standard form
      (CD44s) expression in breast carcinomas. In this study, we analyzed the
      immunoprofiles of CD44s, CD44v6, and CD44v9 in IMPC and compared them with those
      in a concurrent invasive carcinoma of no special type (ICNST) component, thus
      clarifying the significance of CD44 expression in IMPC. METHODS: Twenty-one
      consecutive cases of mixed IMPC were included in this study. The expression
      statuses of CD44s, CD44v6, and CD44v9 in both the IMPC and ICNST components were
      analyzed semiquantitatively by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The
      immunohistochemical scores of CD44s, CD44v6, and CD44v9 were significantly
      decreased in the IMPC component compared to the ICNST component (p = 0.00335 for
      CD44s, p = 0.000982 for CD44v6, and p = 0.00271 for CD44v9). Moreover, the
      immunohistochemical scores of CD44v6 in the IMPC component and CD44v9 in the
      ICNST component of lymph node metastasis cases were significantly lower compared
      to cases without lymph node metastasis (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Decreased CD44
      expression may play an important role in promoting lymph node metastasis in IMPC
      through an inability or decreased capacity to bind with the surrounding stroma.
      Moreover, high CD44s+ expression levels in the concurrent ICNST component may be
      related to the development of IMPC.

PMID- 26494576
TI  - Parents as a Team: Mother, Father, a Child with Autism  Spectrum Disorder, and a
      Spinning Toy.
AB  - This paper is a single case study involving a visit to a diagnostic clinic for
      autism spectrum disorder. A young boy finds a toy that he can hold with one hand
      and spin with another. In order to retrieve the toy and leave it in the clinic,
      the parents engage in a team effort. We describe this achievement in terms of two
      styles of practice or interactional routines with differing participation
      frameworks.We examine not only how the parents work as a team using these styles,
      but also how they improvise to extract the spinning toy from their son's grasp
      with minimal protest on his part.

PMID- 26494577
TI  - Respite Care for Single Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
AB  - Single mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders are rarely studied, yet
      they may experience unique stressors. Researchers asked 122 single mothers to
      complete questionnaires concerning respite care, daily hassles/uplifts,
      depression, and caregiver burden. More than half (59.8%) accessed respite care,
      which was provided for 1 h per day, often by multiple sources (41%), such as
      grandparents and community agencies; most were satisfied with this care. Most
      mothers (77%) were at risk for clinical depression. While uplifts were negatively
      correlated with depression, hassles and caregiver burden were positively
      correlated with depression. Respite care was positively related to daily uplifts,
      and uplifts mediated the relationship between respite care and depression.
      Recommendations for researchers, policymakers, and school personnel are offered.

PMID- 26494578
TI  - "Zeroing" in on mathematics in the monkey brain.
AB  - A new study documented that monkeys showed selective neuronal responding to the
      concept of zero during a numerical task, and that there were two distinct classes
      of neurons that coded the absence of stimuli either through a discrete activation
      pattern (zero or not zero) or a continuous one for which zero was integrated with
      other numerosities in the relative rate of activity. These data indicate that
      monkeys, like humans, have a concept of zero that is part of their analog number
      line but that also may have unique properties compared to other numerosities. 

PMID- 26494579
TI  - The role of patient education in the prevention and management of type 2
      diabetes: an overview.
AB  - The management of type 2 diabetes mellitus includes ability and empowerment of
      the patient to change lifestyle, maintain an adequate diet and physical activity,
      manage the disease, and follow a specific program of periodic medical checks and
      education sessions. In addition, the patient should be able to correctly identify
      and adequately solve problems related to the disease and actively collaborate
      with the healthcare system. To obtain these goals, therapeutic patient education
      (TPE) is now considered a crucial element not only in the treatment but also in
      the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Several trials showed that TPE is able to
      improve clinical, lifestyle, and psycho-social outcomes. Nevertheless, studies
      have not clarified the ideal characteristics of a comprehensive patient education
      program in clinical practice. Other work is needed to answer open questions
      regarding the type of PTE (individual or group education), themes, frequency and
      number of education sessions, contact time between educator and patient,
      background of educators, use of new technologies, and barriers to self
      management. The present review discusses these points on the basis of the most
      recent data of the literature. 

PMID- 26494580
TI  - Identification of sensory hair-cell transcripts by thiouracil-tagging in
      zebrafish.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sensory hair cells are exquisitely sensitive to mechanical stimuli
      and as such, are prone to damage and apoptosis during dissections or in vitro
      manipulations. Thiouracil (TU)-tagging is a noninvasive method to label cell type
      specific transcripts in an intact organism, thereby meeting the challenge of how
      to analyze gene expression in hair cells without the need to sort cells. We
      adapted TU-tagging to zebrafish to identify novel transcripts expressed in the
      sensory hair cells of the developing acoustico-lateralis organs. METHODS: We
      created a transgenic line of zebrafish expressing the T.gondii uracil phospho
      ribosyltransferase (UPRT) enzyme specifically in the hair cells of the inner ear
      and lateral line organ. RNA was labeled by exposing 3 days post-fertilization
      (dpf) UPRT transgenic larvae to 2.5 mM 4-thiouracil (4TU) for 15 hours. Following
      total RNA isolation, poly(A) mRNA enrichment, and purification of TU-tagged RNA,
      deep sequencing was performed on the input and TU-tagged RNA samples. RESULTS:
      Analysis of the RNA sequencing data revealed the expression of 28 transcripts
      that were significantly enriched (adjusted p-value < 0.05) in the UPRT TU-tagged
      RNA relative to the input sample. Of the 25 TU-tagged transcripts with mammalian
      homologs, the expression of 18 had not been previously demonstrated in zebrafish
      hair cells. The hair cell-restricted expression for 17 of these transcripts was
      confirmed by whole mount mRNA in situ hybridization in 3 dpf larvae. CONCLUSIONS:
      The hair cell-restricted pattern of expression of these genes offers insight into
      the biology of this receptor cell type and may serve as useful markers to study
      the development and function of sensory hair cells. In addition, our study
      demonstrates the utility of TU-tagging to study nascent transcripts in specific
      cell types that are relatively rare in the context of the whole zebrafish larvae.

PMID- 26494581
TI  - Teaser: Individualized benchmarking and optimization of read mapping results for
      NGS data.
AB  - Mapping reads to a genome remains challenging, especially for non-model organisms
      with lower quality assemblies, or for organisms with higher mutation rates. While
      most research has focused on speeding up the mapping process, little attention
      has been paid to optimize the choice of mapper and parameters for a user's
      dataset. Here, we present Teaser, a software that assists in these choices
      through rapid automated benchmarking of different mappers and parameter settings
      for individualized data. Within minutes, Teaser completes a quantitative
      evaluation of an ensemble of mapping algorithms and parameters. We use Teaser to
      demonstrate how Bowtie2 can be optimized for different data. 

PMID- 26494582
TI  - Androstane derivatives induce apoptotic death in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
AB  - Biological investigation was conducted to study in vitro antiproliferative and
      pro-apoptotic potential of selected 17alpha-picolyl and 17(E)-picolinylidene
      androstane derivatives. The antiproliferative impact was examined on six human
      tumor cell lines, including two types of breast (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231), prostate
      (PC3), cervical (HeLa), colon (HT 29) and lung cancer (A549), as well as one
      normal fetal lung fibroblasts cell line (MRC-5). All derivatives selectively
      decreased proliferation of estrogen receptor negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer
      cells after 48 h and 72 h treatment and compounds showed time-dependent activity.
      We used this cell line to investigate cell cycle modulation and apoptotic cell
      death induction by flow cytometry, expression of apoptotic proteins by Western
      blot and apoptotic morphology by visual observation. Tested androstane
      derivatives affected the cell cycle distribution and induced apoptosis and
      necrosis. Compounds had different and specific mode of action, depending on
      derivative type and exposure time. Some compounds induced significant apoptosis
      measured by Annexin V test compared to reference compound formestane. Higher
      expression of pro-apoptotic BAX, downregulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and
      cleavage of PARP protein were confirmed in almost all treated samples, but the
      lack of caspase-3 activation suggested the induction of apoptosis in caspase
      independent manner. More cells with apoptotic morphology were observed in samples
      after prolonged treatment. Structure-activity relationship analysis was performed
      to find correlations between the structure variations of investigated derivatives
      and observed biological effects. Results of this study showed that some of the
      investigated androstane derivatives have good biomedical potential and could be
      candidates for anticancer drug development.

PMID- 26494583
TI  - Design and synthesis of a novel 2-oxindole scaffold as a highly potent and brain
      penetrant phosphodiesterase 10A inhibitor.
AB  - Highly potent and brain-penetrant phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) inhibitors based
      on the 2-oxindole scaffold were designed and synthesized. (2-Oxo-1,3-oxazolidin-3
      yl)phenyl derivative 1 showed the high P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux (efflux ratio
      (ER)=6.2) despite the potent PDE10A inhibitory activity (IC50=0.94 nM). We
      performed an optimization study to improve both the P-gp efflux ratio and PDE10A
      inhibitory activity by utilizing structure-based drug design (SBDD) techniques
      based on the X-ray crystal structure with PDE10A. Finally, 1-(cyclopropylmethyl)
      4-fluoro-5-[5-methoxy-4-oxo-3-(1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)pyridazin-1(4H)-yl]-3,3
      dimethyl-1,3-dihydro-2H-indol-2-one (19e) was identified with improved P-gp
      efflux (ER=1.4) and an excellent PDE10A inhibitory activity (IC50=0.080 nM).
      Compound 19e also exhibited satisfactory brain penetration, and suppressed PCP
      induced hyperlocomotion with a minimum effective dose of 0.3mg/kg by oral
      administration in mice.

PMID- 26494584
TI  - Comment to: Retrospective observational study on the incidence of incisional
      hernias after reversal of a temporary diverting ileostomy following rectal
      carcinoma resection with follow-up CT scans. De Keersmaecker G, Beckers R,
      Heindryckx E, Kyle-Leinhase I, Pletinckx P, Claeys D, Vanderstraeten E, Monsaert
      E, Muysoms F. Hernia 2015 (Epub ahead of print).

PMID- 26494585
TI  - Increasing incidence of infantile hemangiomas (IH) over the past 35 years:
      Correlation with decreasing gestational age at birth and birth weight.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infantile hemangiomas (IH) are the most common soft-tissue tumors of
      infancy, but little is known regarding their true incidence. OBJECTIVES: We
      sought to determine the current incidence of IH and examine trends in incidence,
      demographics, and lesion characteristics over 3 decades. METHODS: The Rochester
      Epidemiology Project was used to identify infants residing in Olmsted County,
      Minnesota, who were given a diagnosis of IH between January 1, 1976, and December
      31, 2010. RESULTS: In all, 999 infants were given a diagnosis of IH. Incidence
      increased over the 3-decade study period from 0.97 to 1.97 per 100 person-years
      (P < .001). Average gestational age at birth and birth weight for infants with IH
      decreased over the study period (39.2-38.3 weeks, P < .001 and 3383-3185 g, P =
      .003, respectively). The overall age- and sex-adjusted incidence of IH was 1.64
      per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 1.54-1.75). LIMITATIONS: The
      population of Olmsted County, Minnesota, is predominantly non-Hispanic white,
      limiting our ability to report racial differences in incidence. This was a
      retrospective study. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a longitudinal, population
      based incidence of IH. Incidence has increased steadily over the past 3 decades,
      correlating significantly with decreasing gestational age at birth and birth
      weight in affected infants.

PMID- 26494586
TI  - Primary cutaneous nodular amyloidosis in association with Sjogren's syndrome.

PMID- 26494587
TI  - Rituximab as induction therapy in relapsing eosinophilic granulomatosis with
      polyangiitis: A report of 6 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recently few reports have suggested a potential benefit of rituximab
      in patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). However,
      the current evidence is limited. We describe the efficacy and safety of rituximab
      in six patients with relapsing EGPA. METHODS: Candidates for rituximab therapy
      were selected from a cohort of 118 patients with EGPA. The main indication for B
      cells depletion was moderately severe or severe relapsing disease that was
      refractory to conventional immunosuppression. A primary end-point was a complete
      or partial remission within 3 to 6 months after rituximab administration.
      RESULTS: All six patients (four ANCA-positive and two ANCA-negative) had active
      EGPA manifesting by severe lung disease and/or deteriorating peripheral
      neuropathy. The median duration of follow-up after the first rituximab dose
      administration was 10 months. All patients rapidly responded to rituximab
      treatment, e.g. disappearance of lung infiltrates, improvement of asthmatic
      symptoms, at least partial recovery of motor and sensory function. Within 3 to 6
      months, complete (4/6) or partial (2/6) remission was achieved in all patients.
      After switching to rituximab all patients except one discontinued
      cyclophosphamide or other immunomodulators. Four patients continued maintenance
      treatment with rituximab. One patient developed severe bronchospasm during
      infusion and two patients presented with moderately severe purulent bronchitis
      that was successfully treated with intravenous antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Our
      retrospective case series suggest that rituximab may be effective for induction
      of remission in selected EGPA patients. These data warrant further studies to
      evaluate safety and efficacy of rituximab in EGPA.

PMID- 26494588
TI  - Severe apoptotic enteropathy caused by methotrexate treatment for rheumatoid
      arthritis.
AB  - The folic acid antagonist methotrexate is a cornerstone treatment of rheumatoid
      arthritis. Its use is limited chiefly by gastrointestinal toxicity, which is
      among the main reasons for methotrexate discontinuation. Here, we report the case
      of a 40-year-old man on chronic methotrexate therapy in whom life-threatening
      apoptotic enteropathy with watery diarrhea and hypovolemic shock developed after
      he was switched from the oral to the intramuscular route, with no change in
      dosage. Colonic biopsies suggested drug-induced colitis, showing a nonspecific,
      mildly inflammatory infiltrate of lymphocytes and plasma cells, dilated damaged
      crypts, and a marked increase in basal crypt apoptosis (>20 apoptotic bodies/100
      crypts). Clinicians should be aware that methotrexate can cause life-threatening
      apoptotic enteropathy. Increased basal crypt apoptosis in colonic biopsies with
      more than 5 apoptotic bodies/100 crypts should routinely suggest drug-induced
      enteropathy. 

PMID- 26494589
TI  - Systemic lupus erythematosus flare triggered by a spider bite.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease with a relapsing and
      remitting course characterized by disease flares. Flares are a major cause of
      hospitalization, morbidity and mortality in patients with systemic lupus
      erythematosus. Some triggers for these exacerbations have been identified,
      including infections, vaccines, pregnancy, environmental factors such as weather,
      stress and drugs. We report a patient who presented with a lupus flare with
      predominantly mucocutaneous, serosal and cardiac involvement after being bitten
      by a spider and we present the possible mechanisms by which the venom elicited
      such a reaction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such case
      reported in the literature. 

PMID- 26494590
TI  - Sacroiliac joint edema by MRI: Far more often mechanical than inflammatory?

PMID- 26494591
TI  - Sodium thiosulfate is effective in calcific uremic arteriolopathy complicating
      chronic hemodialysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Calcific uremic arteriolopathy (CUA) or calciphylaxis is a severe
      complication of advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) and dialysis. Few effective
      treatments are available and the mortality rate is high. We report 4 cases in
      which sodium thiosulfate therapy was rapidly effective. CASES: Sodium thiosulfate
      therapy was given to 4 Caucasian patients (3 females and 1 male aged 49 to 91
      years) with CUA. The causes of end-stage CKD were nephroangiosclerosis (n=2) and
      diabetic nephropathy (n=2). The lesions developed 1 to 6.5 years after the
      initiation of hemodialysis and involved the lower limbs in 2 patients, the
      fingers in 1 patient, and a breast in the remaining patient. They were
      responsible for pain and skin necrosis in all 4 patients. Local superinfection
      occurred in 3 patients. Intravenous sodium thiosulfate was given in a dosage of
      12.5 to 25g after each hemodialysis session, for 12 to 24 weeks. The pain and
      trophic disorders resolved fully in all 4 patients. The side effects consisted of
      nausea and vomiting (n=2) and a moderate blood pressure decrease (n=1). No
      recurrences were noted during the follow-up of 5 to 17 months after treatment
      discontinuation. CONCLUSION: The findings from this small case-series suggest
      that sodium thiosulfate may hold promise for the treatment of CUA.

PMID- 26494592
TI  - Rheumatoid neutrophilic dermatitis.

PMID- 26494593
TI  - Presence of HLA-B27 is associated with changes of serum levels of mediators of
      the Wnt and hedgehog pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HLA-B27 is present in 5% of the Caucasian population and is strongly
      associated with the development of spondyloarthritis (SpA), a disease
      characterized by inflammation and substantial bone changes. We hypothesized that
      the presence of HLA-B27 in itself is associated with alterations of key
      regulatory of bone homeostasis. METHODS: Sera of 241 individuals were assessed
      for the serum levels of Wnt pathway regulators, sclerostin and dickkopf (Dkk)-1
      as well as Indian hedgehog (IHH) and collagen type I cleavage products (CTX1). Of
      the 151 HLA-B27+ subjects, 31 had SpA, 30 had anterior uveitis, 30 were healthy
      individuals and 60 healthy siblings of patients with SpA. RESULTS: Sclerostin
      levels were significantly (P<0.001) lower in HLA-B27+ subjects (314+/-21pg/mL)
      compared to HLA-B27 negative controls (mean+/-SEM: 492+/-30pg/mL), no matter if
      subjects were either healthy, or affected by SpA or uveitis. Similar results were
      found for Dkk-1. No differences between the groups with respect to the bone
      resorption marker CTX1 were found. In contrast, IHH levels were significantly
      (P<0.001) higher in the carriers of HLA-B27 than in the negative controls.
      CONCLUSIONS: Changes in key regulators of the Wnt pathway as well as IHH, a
      molecule regulating endochondral ossification, are found in HLA-B27 carriers,
      independent if they were healthy or affected by uveitis or SpA.

PMID- 26494594
TI  - The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in Split-Dalmatia County in southern
      Croatia is 0.24.

PMID- 26494595
TI  - Prevention of iatrogenic infections in interventional rheumatology: Optimal
      measures but adapted to each risk.

PMID- 26494596
TI  - Sterno-clavicular involvement in polymyalgia rheumatica.

PMID- 26494597
TI  - Interventions to improve adherence to cardiovascular disease guidelines: a
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Successful management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is impaired by
      poor adherence to clinical practice guidelines. The objective of our review was
      to synthesize evidence about the effectiveness of interventions that target
      healthcare providers to improve adherence to CVD guidelines and patient outcomes.
      METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Web of Science
      and CINAHL databases from inception to June 2014, using search terms related to
      adherence and clinical practice guidelines. Studies were limited to randomized
      controlled trials testing an intervention to improve adherence to guidelines that
      measured both a patient and adherence outcome. Descriptive summary tables were
      created from data extractions. Meta-analyses were conducted on clinically
      homogeneous comparisons, and sensitivity analyses and subgroup analyses were
      carried out where possible. GRADE summary of findings tables were created for
      each comparison and outcome. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We included 38 RCTs in our
      review. Interventions included guideline dissemination, education, audit and
      feedback, and academic detailing. Meta-analyses were conducted for several
      outcomes by intervention type. Many comparisons favoured the intervention, though
      only the adherence outcome for the education intervention showed statistically
      significant improvement compared to usual care (standardized mean difference =
      0.58 [95 % confidence interval 0.35 to 0.8]). CONCLUSIONS: Many interventions
      show promise to improve practitioner adherence to CVD guidelines. The quality of
      evidence and number of trials limited our ability to draw conclusions.

PMID- 26494599
TI  - Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs): Looking to the future with a
      critical eye.

PMID- 26494598
TI  - On Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks.
AB  - Although older adults rarely outperform young adults on learning tasks, in the
      study reported here they surpassed their younger counterparts not only by
      answering more semantic-memory general-information questions correctly, but also
      by better correcting their mistakes. While both young and older adults exhibited
      a hypercorrection effect, correcting their high-confidence errors more than their
      low-confidence errors, the effect was larger for young adults. Whereas older
      adults corrected high-confidence errors to the same extent as did young adults,
      they outdid the young in also correcting their low-confidence errors. Their event
      related potentials point to an attentional explanation: Both groups showed a
      strong attention-related P3a in conjunction with high-confidence-error feedback,
      but the older adults also showed strong P3as to low-confidence-error feedback.
      Indeed, the older adults were able to rally their attentional resources to learn
      the true answers regardless of their original confidence in the errors and
      regardless of their familiarity with the answers. 

PMID- 26494600
TI  - Donor's age and replicative senescence favour the in-vitro mineralization
      potential of human fibroblasts.
AB  - Aberrant mineralization of soft connective tissues (ectopic calcification) may
      occur as a frequent age-related complication. Still, it remains unclear the role
      of mesenchymal cell donor's age and of replicative senescence on ectopic
      calcification. Therefore, the ability of cells to deposit in-vitro hydroxyapatite
      crystals and the expression of progressive ankylosis protein homolog (ANKH),
      ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1), tissue non specific
      alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) and osteopontin (OPN) have been evaluated in human
      dermal fibroblasts derived from neonatal (nHDF) and adult (aHDF) donors (ex-vivo
      ageing model) or at low and high cumulative population doublings (CPD) up to
      replicative senescence (in-vitro ageing model). This study demonstrates that: 1)
      replicative senescence favours hydroxyapatite formation in cultured fibroblasts;
      2) donor's age acts as a major modulator of the mineralizing potential of HDF,
      since nHDF are less prone than aHDF to induce calcification; 3) donor's age and
      replicative senescence play in concert synergistically increasing the
      calcification process; 4) the ANKH+ENPP1/TNAP ratio, being crucial for
      pyrophosphate/inorganic phosphate balance, is greatly influenced by donor's age,
      as well as by replicative senescence, and regulates mineral deposition; 5) OPN is
      only modulated by replicative senescence. 

PMID- 26494601
TI  - A method to avoid errors associated with the analysis of hypermutated viral
      sequences by alignment-based methods.
AB  - The human genome encodes for a family of editing enzymes known as APOBEC3
      (apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like3). They induce
      context dependent G-to-A changes, referred to as "hypermutation", in the genome
      of viruses such as HIV, SIV, HBV and endogenous retroviruses. Hypermutation is
      characterized by aligning affected sequences to a reference sequence. We show
      that indels (insertions/deletions) in the sequences lead to an incorrect
      assignment of APOBEC3 targeted and non-target sites. This can result in an
      incorrect identification of hypermutated sequences and erroneous biological
      inferences made based on hypermutation analysis.

PMID- 26494602
TI  - Application of preparative disk gel electrophoresis for antigen purification from
      inclusion bodies.
AB  - Specific antibodies are a reliable tool to examine protein expression patterns
      and to determine the protein localizations within cells. Generally, recombinant
      proteins are used as antigens for specific antibody production. However,
      recombinant proteins from mammals and plants are often overexpressed as insoluble
      inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli. Solubilization of these inclusion bodies is
      desirable because soluble antigens are more suitable for injection into animals
      to be immunized. Furthermore, highly purified proteins are also required for
      specific antibody production. Plastidic acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase: EC
      6.4.1.2) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which catalyzes the formation of malonyl-CoA
      from acetyl-CoA in chloroplasts, formed inclusion bodies when the recombinant
      protein was overexpressed in E. coli. To obtain the purified protein to use as an
      antigen, we applied preparative disk gel electrophoresis for protein purification
      from inclusion bodies. This method is suitable for antigen preparation from
      inclusion bodies because the purified protein is recovered as a soluble fraction
      in electrode running buffer containing 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate that can be
      directly injected into immune animals, and it can be used for large-scale antigen
      preparation (several tens of milligrams). 

PMID- 26494603
TI  - Expression and purification of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli tagged
      with a small metal-binding protein from Nitrosomonas europaea.
AB  - Escherichia coli is still the preferred organism for large-scale production of
      recombinant proteins. The use of fusion proteins has helped considerably in
      enhancing the solubility of heterologous proteins and their purification with
      affinity chromatography. Here, the use of a small metal-binding protein (SmbP)
      from Nitrosomonas europaea is described as a new fusion protein for protein
      expression and purification in E. coli. Fluorescent proteins tagged at the N
      terminal with SmbP showed high levels of solubility, compared with those of
      maltose-binding protein and glutathione S-transferase, and low formation of
      inclusion bodies. Using commercially available IMAC resins charged with Ni(II),
      highly pure recombinant proteins were obtained after just one chromatography
      step. Proteins may be purified from the periplasm of E. coli if SmbP contains the
      signal sequence at the N-terminal. After removal of the SmbP tag from the protein
      of interest, high-yields are obtained since SmbP is a protein of just 9.9 kDa.
      The results here obtained suggest that SmbP is a good alternative as a fusion
      protein/affinity tag for the production of soluble recombinant proteins in E.
      coli. 

PMID- 26494604
TI  - Muslim and gay: seeking identity coherence in New Zealand.
AB  - The process of accepting oneself as gay and of 'coming out' to family and friends
      is well documented. For Muslim men, this is complicated by the tension between
      their emerging sexual identity and their religious and cultural birth identity,
      which labels homosexuality as sinful. This paper explores this process in a
      sample of five gay Muslim men living in New Zealand, a liberal secular society
      where homosexuality is widely accepted and gay rights are endorsed in
      legislation. Identity Process Theory drives the analysis, which identifies five
      themes encapsulating the process of striving for psychological coherence:
      resistance, acceptance, tension, renegotiation and pretence. Initial phases of
      denial and anger at their emerging sexuality are strongly linked to the conflict
      with their religious identity. Later, acceptance of their sexuality as natural
      and even God-given protects them from blame for their 'sins'. In contrast to
      earlier work in the UK, for most men, renegotiation of their Muslim identity is
      adopted as the key strategy for achieving intrapsychic coherence. However, at an
      interpersonal level, families remain a source of conflict, temporarily resolved
      through pretence. Renegotiating religious identity leaves men having to pretend
      not just to be straight, but also to be strongly religious. 

PMID- 26494605
TI  - Adherent basal plate myometrial fibers in the delivered placenta as a risk factor
      for development of subsequent placenta accreta.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Placenta accreta is implantation of chorionic tissue directly upon
      the myometrium without normal intervening decidua. The clinical significance of
      myometrial fibers attached to the basal plate (BPMYO) has yet to be fully
      elucidated. OBJECTIVE: To determine the importance of depth and quantity of BPMYO
      in predicting subsequent accreta in the next pregnancy. METHOD: Women with
      placentas from two successive pregnancies submitted for pathologic evaluation
      were included. 50 cases had clinical and/or pathologic diagnosis of accreta in an
      index pregnancy. 100 controls had no evidence of accreta in an index pregnancy.
      H&E slides were re-reviewed and stage of accreta/BPMYO was determined. The stages
      were defined as: Stage 0-no BPMYO; Stage 1-BPMYO with intervening decidua; Stage
      2 < 2 decidual cells separating myometrium from chorionic tissue; Stage 3
      accreta; Stage 4-increta; Stage 5-percreta. The amount of BPMYO for each placenta
      was quantified. RESULTS: Prior placentas of cases were twice as likely to have
      BPMYO compared to controls (84%vs42%, P < 0.001). The frequency of stage 1 BPMYO
      was not significantly different between the two groups (46%v40%, P = 0.489), but
      cases were more likely to have higher stages of BPMYO (stage 2-3) in a prior
      placenta (38%vs2%, P < 0.001). A significantly higher number of BPMYO foci and a
      larger proportion of BPMYO on the basal plate (6.2%vs0.7%, P < 0.001) in cases
      compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: Small amounts and low stage BPMYO (stage 1)
      may be common; however, higher stages of BPMYO (stage 2-3) and greater quantities
      of BPMYO in a delivered placenta are significantly associated with the subsequent
      development of accreta.

PMID- 26494606
TI  - Does 2D-Histologic identification of villous types of human placentas at birth
      enable sensitive and reliable interpretation of 3D structure?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The villous tree of human placentas is a complex three-dimensional
      (3D) structure which enables fetomaternal exchange. Current concepts of
      microscopic analyses are based on the analysis of two-dimensional (2D) histologic
      sections. For this approach, the assessment of the stromal core of sectioned
      villi is of key importance. The classification of stromal properties of sectioned
      villi allows allocation of villous sections to villous types which are named by
      their expected position in villous trees (terminal, intermediate, and stem
      villi). METHOD: The present study takes these current concepts of placental
      histology as hypothesis and validates them against predetermined 3D positions of
      branches of villous trees. The 3D positions were determined prior to histologic
      sectioning using a recently introduced 3D-microscopic approach. Individual
      histologic sections of villi were classified by their stromal structures and
      inter rater variability of these histologic assessments were determined.
      RESULTS/DISSCUSSION: Inter rater variability was high and indicates substantial
      observer influence on the outcome of histologic assessments. Cross-match of
      villous types with the predetermined positions of villous branches of villous
      trees revealed substantial mismatch between the outcome of stromal classification
      and 3D-position of the sectioned villi in the placental villous trees.

PMID- 26494607
TI  - Prognostic factors in second-line targeted therapy for metastatic clear-cell
      renal cell carcinoma after progression on an anti-vascular endothelial growth
      factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
AB  - BACKGROUND: About 40% of metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (m-ccRCC)
      patients receive a second-line targeted therapy after failure of anti-vascular
      endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (anti-VEGFR-TKI).
      Efficacy of second-line therapy is usually limited and prognostic and predictive
      factors at the start of second-line therapy are lacking. To identify the subgroup
      of patients that will benefit from such treatment remains a challenge. METHODS:
      We performed a multi-institutional, retrospective study of patients who received
      a second-line therapy after progression on an anti-VEGFR-TKI. Univariate and
      multivariate analyses were performed in order to identify prognostic factors for
      progressive disease (PD) as best response, progression-free survival (PFS) and
      overall survival (OS) on second-line therapy. RESULTS: For the whole cohort of
      108 patients, mOS from the start of second-line therapy was 8.9 months while mPFS
      on second-line therapy was 2.8 months. A total of 49/105 (47%) patients had PD,
      50/105 (48%) stable disease (SD) and 6/105 (6%) a partial response (PR). On
      multivariate analysis, the following markers were associated with improved
      outcome on second-line therapy: a PFS on first-line therapy >=12 months (HR for
      PFS: 1.961; p = 0.008) (HR for OS: 1.724; p = 0.037) and Fuhrman grade 1-2 tumors
      (HR for OS: 2.198; p = 0.007). Markers associated with poorer outcome on second
      line therapy were: elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels (HR for PFS:
      0.511; p = 0.04) (HR for OS: 0.392; p = 0.017), low albumin (HR for OS: 0.392; p
      = 0.01) and elevated corrected calcium levels (HR for OS: 0.416; p = 0.01). The
      impact on OS of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre (MSKCC) and
      International Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) prognostic scores
      as calculated at start of second-line therapy was validated in our patient
      series. CONCLUSIONS: Duration of first-line PFS, Fuhrman grade, serum LDH levels,
      albumin levels, corrected calcium levels and the MSKCC and IMDC scores calculated
      at start of second-line therapy are prognostic factors for m-ccRCC patients
      treated with second-line targeted therapy.

PMID- 26494608
TI  - Self-assessed health, perceived stress and non-participation in breast cancer
      screening: A Danish cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Population-based cancer screening is offered in many countries to
      detect early stages of cancer and reduce mortality. Screening efficiency and
      equality is susceptible due to a group of non-participants. We investigated
      associations between self-assessed health, perceived stress and subsequent non
      participation in breast cancer screening. METHODS: This population-based cohort
      study included 4512 women who had participated in a Health Survey in 2006 and who
      were also the target group (aged 50-69 years) for the first organised breast
      cancer screening programme -3 years later in the Central Denmark Region in 2008
      2009. RESULTS: A U-shaped association was observed for physical health assessment
      as women with the highest (PR=1.28, 95% CI: 1.06-1.55), and the lowest (PR=1.41,
      95% CI: 1.18-1.68) physical health scores were less likely to participate in the
      programme than women with physical health scores in the middle range. Women with
      low mental health assessment were more likely not to participate than women with
      mental health scores in the middle range (PR=1.44, 95% CI: 1.22-1.69). Higher non
      participation propensity was also observed for women with the highest perceived
      stress scores (PR=1.27, 95% CI: 1.07-1.51) compared with women scoring in the
      middle range. CONCLUSIONS: Women with highest and lowest self-assessed physical
      health, with lowest mental health or highest perceived stress were significantly
      more likely not to participate in breast cancer screening 2-3 years later than
      women who reported average health. Interventions targeting these groups may
      promote equal participation in future breast cancer screening programmes.

PMID- 26494609
TI  - Prospective effects of pedometer use and class competitions on physical activity
      in youth: A cluster-randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the immediate effects of a school-based multi-component
      program to foster a physically active lifestyle in adolescence.
      DESIGN/PARTICIPANTS: In a cluster-randomized controlled trial with pre- and post
      assessment in 2014, 29 schools with 1162 8th grade students (48% girls) from
      Germany were included. Age ranged from 12 to 17 years (M=13.74; SD=0.67).
      INTERVENTION: While the control group attended education as usual, students in
      the intervention group received pedometers and took part in a class competition
      over a time period of 12 weeks. Classes with the most steps and best creative
      ideas to promote physical activity in everyday life were awarded. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Primary outcomes included out-of-school sports activities (h/week),
      moderate to vigorous physical activity (days/week with a minimum of 60 min),
      active commuting (min/day), doing chores (min/day), and sedentary behavior
      (h/day) assessed through self-administered questionnaires as well as
      cardiorespiratory fitness measured using the 20-m shuttle-run test (completed
      laps). RESULTS: Significant interaction terms between group and wave of
      assessment were found on out-of-school sports activities (b=-1.09 [-1.89; -0.29],
      p=0.008), moderate to vigorous physical activity (b=-0.29 [-0.47; -0.10],
      p=0.002), and active commuting (b=-20.41 [-32.32; -8.49], p=0.001): students in
      the intervention group showed a higher increase of physical activity levels than
      students in the control group. The intervention effect on cardiorespiratory
      fitness missed significance marginally (b=-1.52 [-3.14; 0.98], p=0.065), There
      was no effect on students' sedentary behavior (b=0.06 [-0.72; 0.84], p=0.881).
      CONCLUSIONS: An easy to administer school-based physical activity program (12
      weeks) may enhance students' leisure-time physical activity. TRIAL REGISTRATION
      NUMBER: ISRCTN49482118.

PMID- 26494610
TI  - Dual congenital transmission of Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona in a
      late-term aborted pup from a chronically infected southern sea otter (Enhydra
      lutris nereis).
AB  - Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona are protozoan parasites with
      terrestrial definitive hosts, and both pathogens can cause fatal disease in a
      wide range of marine animals. Close monitoring of threatened southern sea otters
      (Enhydra lutris nereis) in California allowed for the diagnosis of dual
      transplacental transmission of T. gondii and S. neurona in a wild female otter
      that was chronically infected with both parasites. Congenital infection resulted
      in late-term abortion due to disseminated toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasma gondii and S.
      neurona DNA was amplified from placental tissue culture, as well as from fetal
      lung tissue. Molecular characterization of T. gondii revealed a Type X genotype
      in isolates derived from placenta and fetal brain, as well as in all tested fetal
      organs (brain, lung, spleen, liver and thymus). This report provides the first
      evidence for transplacental transmission of T. gondii in a chronically infected
      wild sea otter, and the first molecular and immunohistochemical confirmation of
      concurrent transplacental transmission of T. gondii and S. neurona in any
      species. Repeated fetal and/or neonatal losses in the sea otter dam also
      suggested that T. gondii has the potential to reduce fecundity in chronically
      infected marine mammals through parasite recrudescence and repeated fetal
      infection. 

PMID- 26494611
TI  - Translational challenges for the development of a novel nucleus pulposus
      substitute: Experimental results from biomechanical and in vivo studies.
AB  - Nucleus pulposus replacement therapy could offer a less invasive alternative to
      restore the function of moderately degenerated intervertebral discs than current
      potentially destructive surgical procedures. Numerous nucleus pulposus
      substitutes have already been investigated, to assess their applicability for
      intradiscal use. Still, the current choice of testing methods often does not lead
      to efficient translation into clinical application. In this paper, we present the
      evaluation of a novel nucleus pulposus substitute, consisting of a hydromed core
      and an electrospun envelope. We performed three mechanical evaluations and an in
      vivo pilot experiment. Initially, the swelling pressure of the implant was
      assessed in confined compression. Next, we incorporated the implant into
      mechanically damaged caprine lumbar intervertebral discs to determine
      biomechanical segment behaviour in bending and torsion. Subsequently, segments
      were serially tested in native, damaged and repaired conditions under dynamic
      axial compressive loading regimes in a loaded disc culture system. Finally,
      nucleus pulposus substitutes were implanted in a live goat spine using a
      transpedicular approach. In confined compression, nucleus pulposus samples as
      well as implants showed some load-bearing capacity, but the implant exhibited a
      much lower absolute pressure. In bending and torsion, we found that the nucleus
      pulposus substitute could partly restore the mechanical response of the disc.
      During dynamic axial compression in the loaded disc culture system, on the other
      hand, the implant was not able to recover axial compressive behaviour towards the
      healthy situation. Moreover, the nucleus pulposus substitutes did not remain in
      place in the in vivo situation but migrated out of the disc area. From these
      results, we conclude that implants may mimic native disc behaviour in simple
      mechanical tests, yet fail in other, more realistic set-ups. Therefore, we
      recommend that biomaterials for nucleus pulposus replacement be tested in testing
      modalities of increasing complexity and in their relevant anatomical
      surroundings, for a more reliable prediction of clinical potential. 

PMID- 26494612
TI  - Physical preparation of alginate/chitosan polyelectrolyte complexes for
      biomedical applications.
AB  - Polyelectrolyte complexes represent a special class of polymeric compounds
      consisting of stoichiometric equivalents of oppositely charged polyions
      interacting together spontaneously to yield a complex in different forms. The
      present study aimed at preparing coacervates of alginate and chitosan polymers
      ready for casting as wound dressing films. This was based on controlling the pH
      of solutions and the reactions speed through controlling the rate of mixing of
      the polymers solutions together without using any water-miscible solvents.
      Alginate was modified with radiation and oxidation, and the interactions of the
      resulting chains and chitosan chains were tested with FTIR spectroscopy and
      scanning of the resulting films with SEM. This work showed the ability to prepare
      a complex of highly connected polymeric chains for further biomedical
      applications. This complex in the form of hydrogel could enhance the
      proliferation of cells in vitro and the healing efficiency with accelerating the
      wound closure rate as evidenced through the histological observations. 

PMID- 26494613
TI  - Regarding "Segmentation of heterogeneous or small FDG PET positive tissue based
      on a 3D-locally adaptive random walk algorithm" By DP. Onoma et al.

PMID- 26494614
TI  - Molecular cloning, expression analysis and cellular localization of an LFRFamide
      gene in the cuttlefish Sepiella japonica.
AB  - Neuropeptides are important regulators of physiological processes in metazoans,
      such as feeding, reproduction, and heart activities. In this study, an LFRFamide
      gene was identified from the cuttlefish Sepiella japonica (designated as
      SjLFRFamide). The full-length sequence of SjLFRFamide cDNA has 841bp, and the
      open reading frame contains 567bp encoding 188 amino acids, which shared high
      similarity with precursor SOFaRP2 from Sepia officinalis. The deduced SjLFRFamdie
      precursor protein contains a signal peptide and four different FLPs (FMRFamide
      like peptides): one pentapeptide (TIFRFamide), two hexapeptides (NSLFRFamide and
      GNLFRFamide) and one heptapeptide (PHTPFRFamide). Multiple sequence alignment
      showed that SjLFRFamide contains rather conserved mature peptides, which all
      ended in FRF. The phylogenetic analysis suggests that SjLFRFamide belongs to the
      LFRFamide subfamily. The tissue distribution analysis through quantitative real
      time PCR method showed that SjLFRFamide mRNA is significantly expressed in the
      brain, and slight trace are detected in female nidamental gland and accessory
      nidamental gland. In situ hybridization assay of the brain indicated that
      SjLFRFamide is transcribed in several different functional lobes, suggesting
      SjLFRFamide might associate with multiple physiological regulations, such as
      feeding, chromatophore regulation and reproduction. This is the first study
      describing LFRFamide in S. japonica, which might have great importance for
      cuttlefish artificial breeding.

PMID- 26494615
TI  - Response to the letter by O. Barbier, D. Mainard.

PMID- 26494616
TI  - Comments on: "Is rotator cuff repair appropriate in patients older than 60 years
      of age? Prospective, randomized trial in 103 patients with a mean four-year
      follow up" by A. Jacquot, C. Dezaly, T. Goetzmann, O. Roche, F. Sirveaux, D. Mole
      and the French Society of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery in Orthop Surg Res
      2014;100(6 Suppl.):S333-8.

PMID- 26494617
TI  - Initial disc structural preservation in type A1 and A3 thoracolumbar fractures.
AB  - PURPOSE: Despite a sizable amount of literature, the optimal management of
      thoracolumbar fractures remains controversial and many authors assume the
      existence of disc lesions in Magerl type A fractures. The purpose of the study
      was to assess the intervertebral discs in these fractures at the time of trauma.
      The hypothesis was that there was no change in shape and signal intensity of the
      discs initially. METHODS: Fifty-one patients diagnosed with 87 types A1 and A3
      thoracolumbar fractures were enrolled in a prospective study. MRI analysis
      involved evaluation of disc signal, height and morphological modifications
      according to Oner's classification. RESULTS: No signal intensity modification was
      identified on MRI. Disc morphology was either normal or altered with creeping of
      discal tissue in the vertebral endplate depression. Overall, 98% of the discs
      were either type 1 or type 3. Mean disc height on MRI was 1.03 +/- 0.36
      initially. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, MRI showed that no loss of height occurred
      in discs adjacent to fractured vertebra and that there was no major alteration of
      the disc in terms of signal intensity and morphology. Therefore, the
      intervertebral disc should not be removed in Magerl type A fractures. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic case series.

PMID- 26494618
TI  - Do outcomes of outpatient ACL reconstruction vary with graft type?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies establishing the feasibility of anterior cruciate ligament
      (ACL) reconstruction as an outpatient procedure in France were usually conducted
      with hamstring tendon grafts. The objective of this study was to evaluate the
      outcomes of outpatient ACL reconstruction according to whether the graft was
      harvested from the hamstring tendons or patellar tendon. HYPOTHESIS: Outpatient
      ACL reconstruction can be performed using any type of graft. METHODS: A single
      centre retrospective study was conducted in consecutive patients older than 16
      years who had primary ACL reconstruction using patellar tendon or hamstring
      tendons, with or without lateral tenodesis. Patients who underwent other
      procedures on bones or peripheral ligaments and those with a previous history of
      ACL reconstruction were excluded. The primary evaluation criterion was the
      occurrence of complications within 45 days after surgery. Secondary evaluation
      criteria were the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain during the first 3
      postoperative days, patient satisfaction on day 3, and the IKDC and Lysholm
      clinical scores on day 45. RESULTS: The analysis included 104 knees (one knee per
      patient). Hamstring tendons were used in 77 (74%) knees and patellar tendon in 27
      (26%) knees. In the hamstring group, 2 (2.6%) patients spent the first
      postoperative night in the hospital and 2 others were re-admitted. No
      hospitalisations were recorded in the patellar-tendon group. None of the patients
      required revision surgery within 45 days of the reconstruction procedure. None of
      the postoperative criteria studied showed statistically significant differences
      between the two groups. DISCUSSION: ACL reconstruction can be performed on an
      outpatient basis using any type of graft. The main determinants of successful
      outpatient ACL reconstruction are a standardised clinical management strategy and
      an appropriate anaesthesia protocol. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, retrospective
      study.

PMID- 26494619
TI  - Conservative versus surgical treatment for type II odontoid fractures in the
      elderly: Grading the evidence through a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Odontoid fractures are common C-spine fractures in the elderly.
      However, the optimal treatment of odontoid fractures in the elderly is, still
      subject to controversy. HYPOTHESIS: Surgical treatment has several advantages on
      conservative treatment, such as reduced mortality and lower incidence of non
      union. This meta-analysis was performed to identify the efficacy of conservative
      treatment compared with surgical treatment and provides recommendations for using
      these procedures to treat type II odontoid fractures in the elderly. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A systematic search of all studies published was conducted using the
      PubMed, EMBASE, OVID, ScienceDirect and Cochrane CENTRAL databases. The
      randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized controlled trials (non
      RCTs) that compared conservative treatment with surgical treatment and provided
      data on clinical effects were identified. The included trials were screened out
      strictly based on the criterion of inclusion and exclusion. The quality of
      included trials was evaluated. RevMan 5.1 was used for data analysis. RESULTS:
      Twelve studies involving 730 patients met the inclusion criteria. There were 441
      patients with conservative treatment and 289 with surgical treatment. The results
      of meta-analysis indicated that no difference with regard to the mortality was
      noted (P > 0.05) between the two procedures. However, there was statistically
      significant difference with respect to the non-union numbers (P < 0.05) between
      the two procedures. DISCUSSION: Conservative treatment and surgical treatment are
      both effective procedures for treating type II odontoid fractures in the elderly.
      Compared with surgical treatment, there is no significant difference in
      mortality; With respect to non-union numbers, conservative treatment numbers are
      higher than surgical treatment. Due to the poor quality of the evidence currently
      available, high quality RCTs are required. Level of evidence Level II: low
      powered prospective randomized trial meta-analysis.

PMID- 26494620
TI  - Enhancing Autophagy with Drugs or Lung-directed Gene Therapy Reverses the
      Pathological Effects of Respiratory Epithelial Cell Proteinopathy.
AB  - Recent studies have shown that autophagy mitigates the pathological effects of
      proteinopathies in the liver, heart, and skeletal muscle but this has not been
      investigated for proteinopathies that affect the lung. This may be due at least
      in part to the lack of an animal model robust enough for spontaneous pathological
      effects from proteinopathies even though several rare proteinopathies, surfactant
      protein A and C deficiencies, cause severe pulmonary fibrosis. In this report we
      show that the PiZ mouse, transgenic for the common misfolded variant alpha1
      antitrypsin Z, is a model of respiratory epithelial cell proteinopathy with
      spontaneous pulmonary fibrosis. Intracellular accumulation of misfolded alpha1
      antitrypsin Z in respiratory epithelial cells of the PiZ model resulted in
      activation of autophagy, leukocyte infiltration, and spontaneous pulmonary
      fibrosis severe enough to elicit functional restrictive deficits. Treatment with
      autophagy enhancer drugs or lung-directed gene transfer of TFEB, a master
      transcriptional activator of the autophagolysosomal system, reversed these
      proteotoxic consequences. We conclude that this mouse is an excellent model of
      respiratory epithelial proteinopathy with spontaneous pulmonary fibrosis and that
      autophagy is an important endogenous proteostasis mechanism and an attractive
      target for therapy. 

PMID- 26494621
TI  - The Protein Interaction of RNA Helicase B (RhlB) and Polynucleotide Phosphorylase
      (PNPase) Contributes to the Homeostatic Control of Cysteine in Escherichia coli.
AB  - PNPase, one of the major enzymes with 3' to 5' single-stranded RNA degradation
      and processing activities, can interact with the RNA helicase RhlB independently
      of RNA degradosome formation in Escherichia coli. Here, we report that loss of
      interaction between RhlB and PNPase impacts cysteine homeostasis in E. coli. By
      random mutagenesis, we identified a mutant RhlB(P238L) that loses 75% of its
      ability to interact with PNPase but retains normal interaction with RNase E and
      RNA, in addition to exhibiting normal helicase activity. Applying microarray
      analyses to an E. coli strain with impaired RNA degradosome formation, we
      investigated the biological consequences of a weakened interaction between RhlB
      and PNPase. We found significant increases in 11 of 14 genes involved in cysteine
      biosynthesis. Subsequent Northern blot analyses showed that the up-regulated
      transcripts were the result of stabilization of the cysB transcript encoding a
      transcriptional activator for the cys operons. Furthermore, Northern blots of
      PNPase or RhlB mutants showed that RhlB-PNPase plays both a catalytic and
      structural role in regulating cysB degradation. Cells expressing the RhlB(P238L)
      mutant exhibited an increase in intracellular cysteine and an enhanced anti
      oxidative response. Collectively, this study suggests a mechanism by which
      bacteria use the PNPase-RhlB exosome-like complex to combat oxidative stress by
      modulating cysB mRNA degradation. 

PMID- 26494622
TI  - Store-operated Ca2+ Entry Mediated by Orai1 and TRPC1 Participates to Insulin
      Secretion in Rat beta-Cells.
AB  - Store-operated Ca(2+) channels (SOCs) are voltage-independent Ca(2+) channels
      activated upon depletion of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) stores. Early
      studies suggest the contribution of such channels to Ca(2+) homeostasis in
      insulin-secreting pancreatic beta-cells. However, their composition and
      contribution to glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) remains unclear. In
      this study, endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) depletion triggered by acetylcholine
      (ACh) or thapsigargin stimulated the formation of a ternary complex composed of
      Orai1, TRPC1, and STIM1, the key proteins involved in the formation of SOCs.
      Ca(2+) imaging further revealed that Orai1 and TRPC1 are required to form
      functional SOCs and that these channels are activated by STIM1 in response to
      thapsigargin or ACh. Pharmacological SOCs inhibition or dominant negative
      blockade of Orai1 or TRPC1 using the specific pore mutants Orai1-E106D and TRPC1
      F562A impaired GSIS in rat beta-cells and fully blocked the potentiating effect
      of ACh on secretion. In contrast, pharmacological or dominant negative blockade
      of TRPC3 had no effect on extracellular Ca(2+) entry and GSIS. Finally, we
      observed that prolonged exposure to supraphysiological glucose concentration
      impaired SOCs function without altering the expression levels of STIM1, Orai1,
      and TRPC1. We conclude that Orai1 and TRPC1, which form SOCs regulated by STIM1,
      play a key role in the effect of ACh on GSIS, a process that may be impaired in
      type 2 diabetes. 

PMID- 26494623
TI  - Lecithin:Cholesterol Acyltransferase (LCAT) Deficiency Promotes Differentiation
      of Satellite Cells to Brown Adipocytes in a Cholesterol-dependent Manner.
AB  - Our laboratory previously reported that lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase
      (LCAT) and LDL receptor double knock-out mice (Ldlr(-/-)xLcat(-/-) or DKO)
      spontaneously develop functioning ectopic brown adipose tissue (BAT) in skeletal
      muscle, putatively contributing to protection from the diet-induced obesity
      phenotype. Here we further investigated their developmental origin and the
      mechanistic role of LCAT deficiency. Gene profiling of skeletal muscle in DKO
      newborns and adults revealed a classical lineage. Primary quiescent satellite
      cells (SC) from chow-fed DKO mice, not in Ldlr(-/-)xLcat(+/+) single-knock-out
      (SKO) or C57BL/6 wild type, were found to (i) express exclusively classical BAT
      selective genes, (ii) be primed to express key functional BAT genes, and (iii)
      exhibit markedly increased ex vivo adipogenic differentiation into brown
      adipocytes. This gene priming effect was abrogated upon feeding the mice a 2%
      high cholesterol diet in association with accumulation of excess intracellular
      cholesterol. Ex vivo cholesterol loading of chow-fed DKO SC recapitulated the
      effect, indicating that cellular cholesterol is a key regulator of SC-to-BAT
      differentiation. Comparing adipogenicity of Ldlr(+/+)xLcat(-/-) (LCAT-KO) SC with
      DKO SC identified a role for LCAT deficiency in priming SC to express BAT genes.
      Additionally, we found that reduced cellular cholesterol is important for
      adipogenic differentiation, evidenced by increased induction of adipogenesis in
      cholesterol-depleted SC from both LCAT-KO and SKO mice. Taken together, we
      conclude that ectopic BAT in DKO mice is classical in origin, and its development
      begins in utero. We further showed complementary roles of LCAT deficiency and
      cellular cholesterol reduction in the SC-to-BAT adipogenesis. 

PMID- 26494624
TI  - The beta5-Loop and Lid Domain Contribute to the Substrate Specificity of
      Pancreatic Lipase-related Protein 2 (PNLIPRP2).
AB  - Pancreatic triglyceride lipase (PNLIP) is essential for dietary fat digestion in
      children and adults, whereas a homolog, pancreatic lipase-related protein 2
      (PNLIPRP2), is critical in newborns. The two lipases are structurally similar,
      yet they have different substrate specificities. PNLIP only cleaves neutral fats.
      PNLIPRP2 cleaves neutral and polar fats. To test the hypothesis that the
      differences in activity between PNLIP and PNLIPRP2 are governed by surface loops
      around the active site, we created multiple chimeras of both lipases by
      exchanging the surface loops singly or in combination. The chimeras were
      expressed, purified, and tested for activity against various substrates. The
      structural determinants of PNLIPRP2 galactolipase activity were contained in the
      N-terminal domain. Of the surface loops tested, the lid domain and the beta5-loop
      influenced activity against triglycerides and galactolipids. Any chimera on PNLIP
      with the PNLIPRP2 lid domain or beta5-loop had decreased triglyceride lipase
      activity similar to that of PNLIPRP2. The corresponding chimeras of PNLIPRP2 did
      not increase activity against neutral lipids. Galactolipase activity was
      abolished by the PNLIP beta5-loop and decreased by the PNLIP lid domain. The
      source of the beta9-loop had minimal effect on activity. We conclude that the lid
      domain and beta5-loop contribute to substrate specificity but do not completely
      account for the differing activities of PNLIP and PNLIPRP2. Other regions in the
      N-terminal domain must contribute to the galactolipase activity of PNLIPRP2
      through direct interactions with the substrate or by altering the conformation of
      the residues surrounding the hydrophilic cavity in PNLIPRP2. 

PMID- 26494625
TI  - Structural and Functional Highlights of Vacuolar Soluble Protein 1 from Pathogen
      Trypanosoma brucei brucei.
AB  - Trypanosoma brucei (T. brucei) is responsible for the fatal human disease called
      African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness. The causative parasite,
      Trypanosoma, encodes soluble versions of inorganic pyrophosphatases (PPase), also
      called vacuolar soluble proteins (VSPs), which are localized to its
      acidocalcisomes. The latter are acidic membrane-enclosed organelles rich in
      polyphosphate chains and divalent cations whose significance in these parasites
      remains unclear. We here report the crystal structure of T. brucei brucei
      acidocalcisomal PPases in a ternary complex with Mg(2+) and imidodiphosphate. The
      crystal structure reveals a novel structural architecture distinct from known
      class I PPases in its tetrameric oligomeric state in which a fused EF hand domain
      arranges around the catalytic PPase domain. This unprecedented assembly evident
      from TbbVSP1 crystal structure is further confirmed by SAXS and TEM data. SAXS
      data suggest structural flexibility in EF hand domains indicative of
      conformational plasticity within TbbVSP1. 

PMID- 26494626
TI  - Peptide-specific T helper cells identified by MHC class II tetramers
      differentiate into several subtypes upon immunization with CAF01 adjuvanted H56
      tuberculosis vaccine formulation.
AB  - CD4(+) T-cell priming is an essential step in vaccination due to the key role of
      T helper cells in driving both effector and memory immune responses. Here we have
      characterized in C57BL/6 mice the T helper subtype differentiation among tetramer
      specific CD4(+) T cells primed by subcutaneous immunization with the tuberculosis
      vaccine antigen H56 plus the adjuvant CAF01. Peptide-specific population
      identified by the MHC class II tetramers differentiated into several T helper
      subtypes upon antigen encounter, and the frequency of subpopulations differed
      according to their localization. Th1 (CXCR3(+)T-bet(+)), Tfh (CXCR5(+)PD-1(+)Bcl
      6(+)) and RORgammat(+) cells were induced in the lymph nodes draining the
      immunization site (dLN), while Th1 cells were the predominant subtype in the
      spleen. In addition, CD4(+) T cells co-expressing multiple T-cell lineage
      specifying transcription factors were also detected. In the lungs, most of the
      tetramer-binding T cells were RORgammat(+), while Tfh and Th1 cells were absent.
      After boosting, a higher frequency of tetramer-binding cells co-expressing the
      markers CD44 and CD127 was detected compared to primed cells, and cells showed a
      prevalent Th1 phenotype in both dLN and spleens, while Tfh cells were
      significantly reduced. In conclusion, these data demonstrate that parenteral
      immunization with H56 and CAF01 elicits a distribution of antigen-specific CD4(+)
      T cells in both lymphoid tissues and lungs, and gives rise to multiple T helper
      subtypes, that differ depending on localization and following reactivation. 

PMID- 26494627
TI  - Risk factors for severe outcomes among members of the United States military
      hospitalized with pneumonia and influenza, 2000-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The progression from hospitalization for a respiratory infection to
      requiring substantial supportive therapy is a key stage of the influenza severity
      pyramid. Respiratory infections are responsible for 300,000-400,000 medical
      encounters each year among US military personnel, some of which progress to
      severe acute respiratory infections. METHODS: We obtained data on 11,086
      hospitalizations for pneumonia and influenza (P&I) among non-recruit US military
      service members during the period of 1 January 2000 through 31 December 2012.
      From these, we identified 512 P&I hospitalizations that progressed to severe
      episodes using standard case definitions. We evaluated the effect of demographic
      and occupational characteristics, co-morbid conditions, and history of influenza
      vaccination on the risk of a hospitalized P&I case becoming a severe case. We
      also evaluated the risk of a severe outcome and the length of time since
      influenza vaccination (within 180, 60, and 30 days). RESULTS: The median age of
      subjects at the time of the P&I episode was 32 years (range, 28-40) and subjects
      were predominantly male (89.5%). In a univariate analysis, demographic risk
      factors for a severe episode included service in the US Air Force (RR=1.6
      relative to US Army, 95%CI 1.3-2.1), US Coast Guard (RR=2.1, 1.2-3.7) or US Navy
      (RR=1.4, 1.1-1.8). Being born in the US and recent influenza vaccination (within
      180 days of episode) were protective against developing severe disease. Among co
      morbid conditions, univariate risk factors for severe disease included chronic
      renal or liver disease (RR=4.98, 95%CI 4.1-6.1), diseases of the circulatory
      system (RR=3.1, 95%CI 2.6-3.7), diabetes mellitus (RR=2.3, 95%CI 1.5-3.6),
      obesity (RR=1.6, 95%CI 1.2-2.1), cancer (RR=1.6, 95%CI 1.3-2.0), and chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (RR=1.4, 95%CI 1.1-1.7). Although many of the risk
      factors found to be significant in univariate analysis were no longer significant
      under a multivariate analysis, receipt of any influenza vaccine within 180 days
      of episode remained protective (RR=0.81, 95%CI 0.67-0.99), while serving in the
      US Coast Guard (RR=1.9, 95%CI 1.1-3.4) or US Air Force (RR=1. 5, 95%CI 1.2-2.0),
      presence of renal or liver disease (RR=3.6, 95%CI 2.9-4.6), and diseases of the
      circulatory system (RR=2.2, 95%CI 1.8-2.8), remained significantly associated
      with a higher risk of developing severe disease. CONCLUSIONS: In a large cohort,
      after adjusting for many possible risk factors, influenza vaccination was
      protective against severe episodes among P&I hospitalizations. The service
      specific (US Coast Guard or US Air Force) increased risk may represent some
      differences in data (e.g., coding or reporting practices) as opposed to genuine
      differences in physiological outcome. Our findings suggest that renal and liver
      disease as well as diseases of the circulatory system may contribute to influenza
      severity in this population independently of age and other potential
      comorbidities. These findings provide additional evidence for the prioritization
      of specific risk groups within the US military for influenza vaccination.

PMID- 26494628
TI  - Identifying the role of cytochrome c in post-resuscitation pathophysiology.
AB  - Cytochrome c, an electron carrier that normally resides in the mitochondrial
      intermembrane space, may translocate to the cytosol under ischemic and hypoxic
      conditions and contribute to mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening.
      In addition, reperfusion of brain tissue following ischemia initiates a cell
      death cascade that includes cytochrome c-mediated induction of apoptosis. Further
      studies are needed to determine the contribution of cytochrome c in the
      regulation of cell death, as well as its value as an in vivo prognostic marker
      after cardiac arrest and resuscitation. 

PMID- 26494629
TI  - Simulated endotracheal intubation of a patient with cervical spine immobilization
      during resuscitation: a randomized comparison of the Pentax AWS, the Airtraq, and
      the McCoy Laryngoscopes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tracheal intubation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a high
      risk procedure. The aim of this study was to compare efficacy of intubation with
      the Pentax AWS, Airtraq, and McCoy laryngoscopes in patients with cervical spine
      immobilization during resuscitation in a randomized, controlled simulation trial.
      METHODS: We compared times to intubation, success rate, Cormack and Lehane
      grading, and ease of intubation when using Pentax AWS, Airtraq, and McCoy in
      randomized order. RESULTS: Sixty-seven paramedics were trained in the use of the
      Pentax AWS, Airtraq, and McCoy laryngoscopes with a METIman Prehospital manikin.
      Participants performed tracheal intubation in patients with cervical spine
      immobilization during resuscitation scenario. We measured success rates, times
      for tracheal intubation, the glottic view, and ease of intubation. RESULTS: The
      primary study end point, overall success rate, was highest when using Pentax AWS
      (94.0%) and was lower in Airtraq (86.6%; P = .017) and in McCoy (85.1%; P =
      .019). Time to first effective ventilation was achieved significantly shorter
      when using Pentax AWS (25.4 +/- 6.7 seconds) than Airtraq (35.6 +/- 5.1 seconds;
      P < .001) or McCoy (38.5 +/- 10.3 seconds; P < .001). The quality of glottic view
      and ease of use were best with Pentax AWS. CONCLUSIONS: The Pentax AWS
      videolaryngoscope provided a better view of the vocal cords, less insertion time,
      and higher success rate of the endotracheal intubation compared with the Airtraq
      or McCoy laryngoscopes in adults with simulated cervical spine immobilization
      during resuscitation.

PMID- 26494630
TI  - Zebrafish models of cardiovascular diseases and their applications in herbal
      medicine research.
AB  - The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has recently become a powerful animal model for
      cardiovascular research and drug discovery due to its ease of maintenance,
      genetic manipulability and ability for high-throughput screening. Recent advances
      in imaging techniques and generation of transgenic zebrafish have greatly
      facilitated in vivo analysis of cellular events of cardiovascular development and
      pathogenesis. More importantly, recent studies have demonstrated the functional
      similarity of drug metabolism systems between zebrafish and humans, highlighting
      the clinical relevance of employing zebrafish in identifying lead compounds in
      Chinese herbal medicine with potential beneficial cardiovascular effects. This
      paper seeks to summarise the scope of zebrafish models employed in cardiovascular
      studies and the application of these research models in Chinese herbal medicine
      to date. 

PMID- 26494631
TI  - Secoisolariciresinol diglycoside, a flaxseed lignan, exerts analgesic effects in
      a mouse model of type 1 diabetes: Engagement of antioxidant mechanism.
AB  - Peripheral painful neuropathy is one of the most common complications in diabetes
      and necessitates improved treatment. Secoisolariciresinol diglycoside (SDG), a
      predominant lignan in flaxseed, has been shown in our previous studies to exert
      antidepressant-like effect. As antidepressant drugs are clinically used to treat
      chronic neuropathic pain, this work aimed to investigate the potential analgesic
      efficacy of SDG against diabetic neuropathic pain in a mouse model of type 1
      diabetes. We subjected mice to diabetes by a single intraperitoneal (i.p.)
      injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 200 mg/kg), and Hargreaves test or von Frey
      test was used to assess thermal hyperalgesia or mechanical allodynia,
      respectively. Chronic instead of acute SDG treatment (3, 10 or 30 mg/kg, p.o.,
      twice per day for three weeks) ameliorated thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical
      allodynia in diabetic mice, and these analgesic actions persisted about three
      days when SDG treatment was terminated. Although chronic treatment of SDG to
      diabetic mice did not impact on the symptom of hyperglycemia, it greatly
      attenuated excessive oxidative stress in sciatic nerve and spinal cord tissues,
      and partially counteracted the condition of weight decrease. Furthermore, the
      analgesic actions of SDG were abolished by co-treatment with the reactive oxygen
      species donor tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BOOH), but potentiated by the reactive
      oxygen species scavenger phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN). These findings
      indicate that chronic SDG treatment can correct neuropathic hyperalgesia and
      allodynia in mice with type 1 diabetes. Mechanistically, the analgesic actions of
      SDG in diabetic mice may be associated with its antioxidant activity.

PMID- 26494634
TI  - Seven in 10 junior doctors will leave NHS if new contract is imposed, survey
      finds.

PMID- 26494632
TI  - Assessment of the relationship between selected cardiovascular risk factors and
      the indices of intima-media thickness and coronary artery calcium score in
      various stages of chronic kidney disease.
AB  - Renal diseases pose a growing epidemiological and health problem worldwide.
      Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of deaths among patients with
      chronic kidney disease. Increased risk of atherosclerosis in these patients
      results from the occurrence of traditional and non-traditional risk factors. The
      aim of this study was to assess the relationship between selected risk factors
      for cardiovascular diseases (age, sex, dyslipidemia, hypertension, etc.), intima
      media thickness and coronary artery calcium score in patients with chronic kidney
      disease stages 2, 3 and 4. This study included 60 patients with chronic kidney
      disease divided into 3 groups on the basis of disease stage and control group
      consisting of 20 individuals without diagnosed chronic kidney disease and
      cardiovascular diseases. Blood analysis and blood pressure measurements were
      taken. All patients underwent carotid artery ultrasound with the assessment of
      the intima-media thickness, and heart CT scan in order to assess the index of
      coronary artery calcification. Logistic regression analysis revealed
      statistically significant correlation between blood vessels calcification and age
      -the increase in age by 1 year was associated with the increase in the risk of
      coronary artery calcification by 6.7 %. The increase in IMT by about 0.1 mm
      raises the risk of calcification by about 2 %. Second logistic regression model
      revealed that one-year increase in age was associated with an increase in the
      risk of intima-media thickening by 6.5 %. Occurrence of hypertension was
      associated with a ninefold increase in intima-media thickening risk in comparison
      with patients with normal blood pressure. To sum up, age and hypertension were
      associated with the growth of IMT in CKD patients, while age and exposure to
      tobacco smoke were associated with the increase in coronary artery calcium score.
      The relationship between thickening of IMT and the increase in calcification
      index in patients was also observed in study group.

PMID- 26494633
TI  - Low magnesium levels an important new prognostic parameter can be overlooked in
      patients with Fournier's gangrene: a multicentric study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We evaluated low magnesium levels and three different scoring
      systems including the Fournier's Gangrene Severity Index (FGSI), the Uludag
      Fournier's Gangrene Severity Index (UFGSI), and the Charlson Comorbidity Index
      (CCI) for predicting mortality in a multicentric, large patient population with
      FG. METHODS: The medical records of 99 FG patients who were treated and followed
      up in different clinics were reviewed. The biochemical, hematological, and
      bacteriological results from the admission evaluation were recorded. The CCI,
      FGSI, and UFGSI were evaluated and stratified by survival. RESULTS: The results
      were evaluated for the following patients: the survivors (n = 82) and the
      nonsurvivors (n = 17). The magnesium level for the survivors and nonsurvivors was
      2.09 +/- 0.28 and 1.68 +/- 0.23, respectively (p 0.004). The admission FGSI,
      UFGSI, and CCI scores were significantly higher in nonsurvivors (p 0.001, p
      0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). The receiver operating characteristics analysis
      revealed that the UFGSI was more powerful than the FGSI. The hypomagnesemia, low
      hemoglobin and hematocrit, low albumin and HCO3 levels; high alkaline
      phosphatase; and the high heart and respiratory rates, an FGSI >9, rectal
      involvement, and a high CCI were associated with a worse prognosis. CONCLUSION:
      Low magnesium levels might be an important parameter for a worse FG prognosis.
      Monitoring the serum magnesium levels might have prognostic and therapeutic
      implications in patients with FG. High CCI, FGSI, and UFGSI scores might be
      associated with a worse prognosis in patients with FG. The UFGSI might be more
      powerful scoring system than the FGSI.

PMID- 26494635
TI  - Nationwide survey of radiation exposure during pediatric computed tomography
      examinations and proposal of age-based diagnostic reference levels for Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) have not been established in
      Japan. OBJECTIVE: To propose DRLs for CT of the head, chest and abdomen for three
      pediatric age groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We sent a nationwide questionnaire
      by post to 339 facilities. Questions focused on pediatric CT technology, exposure
      parameters, CT protocols, and radiation doses for age groups <1 year, 1-5 years,
      and 6-10 years. RESULTS: For the three age groups in the 196 facilities that
      responded, the 75th percentile values of volume CT dose index based on a 16-cm
      phantom (CTDIvol 16 [mGy]) for head, chest and abdominal CT were for infants
      39.1, 11.1 and 12.0, respectively; for 1-to 5-year-olds 46.9, 14.3 and 16.7,
      respectively; and for 6-to 10-year-olds 67.7, 15.0 and 17.0, respectively. The
      corresponding dose-length products (DLP 16 [mGy?cm]) for head, chest and
      abdominal CT were for infants 526.1, 209.1 and 261.5, respectively; for 1-to 5
      year-olds 665.5, 296.0 and 430.8, respectively; and for 6-to 10-year-olds 847.9,
      413.0 and 532.2, respectively. CONCLUSION: The majority of CTDIvol 16 and DLP 16
      values for the head were higher than DRLs reported from other countries. For risk
      reduction, it is necessary to establish DRLs for pediatric CT in Japan.

PMID- 26494636
TI  - Pathogenic aspects and therapeutic avenues of intestinal fibrosis in Crohn's
      disease.
AB  - In Crohn's disease, one of the two major forms of inflammatory bowel diseases in
      human beings, persistent and chronic inflammation promotes fibrotic processes
      thereby facilitating formation of strictures, the most common indication for
      surgical intervention in this disorder. The pathogenesis of Crohn's disease
      associated fibrosis is not fully understood, but variants of genes involved in
      the recognition of microbial components/products [e.g. CARD15 (caspase-activating
      recruitment domain 15) and ATG16L1 (autophagy-related 16-like 1)] are associated
      with this phenotype, and experimental evidence suggests that intestinal fibrosis
      results from an altered balance between deposition of ECM (extracellular matrix)
      and degradation of ECM by proteases. Studies have also contributed to identify
      the main phenotypic and functional alterations of cells involved in the
      fibrogenic process, as well as molecules that stimulate such cells to produce
      elevated amounts of collagen and other ECM-related proteins. In the present
      review, we assess the current knowledge about cellular and molecular mediators of
      intestinal fibrosis and describe results of recent studies aimed at testing the
      preventive/therapeutic effect of compounds in experimental models of intestinal
      fibrosis. 

PMID- 26494637
TI  - Handcrafted multilayer PDMS microchannel scaffolds for peripheral nerve
      regeneration.
AB  - Injuries that result in the loss of limb functionality may be caused by the
      severing of the peripheral nerves within the affected limb. Several bioengineered
      peripheral nerve scaffolds have been developed in order to provide the physical
      support and topographical guidance necessary for the naturally disorganized axon
      outgrowth to reattach to distal nerve stumps as an alternative to other
      procedures, like nerve grafting. PDMS has been chosen for the base material of
      the scaffolds due to its biocompatibility, flexibility, transparency, and well
      developed fabrication techniques. The process of observing the axon outgrowth
      across the nerve gaps with PDMS scaffolds has been challenging due to the limited
      number and fineness of longitudinal sections that can be extracted from harvested
      nerve tissue samples after implantation. To address this, multilayer microchannel
      scaffolds were developed with the object of providing more refined longitudinal
      observation of axon outgrowth by longitudinally 'sectioning' the device during
      fabrication, removing the need for much of the sample preparation process. This
      device was then implanted into the sciatic nerves of Lewis rats, and then
      harvested after two and four weeks to analyze the difference in nerve
      regeneration between two different time periods. The present layer by layer
      structure, which is separable after nerve regeneration and is treated as an
      individual layer during the histology process, provides the details of biological
      events during axonal regeneration. Confocal microscopic imaging showed the
      details of peripheral nerve regeneration including nerve branches and growth
      cones observable from within the microchannels of the multilayer PDMS
      microchannel scaffolds. 

PMID- 26494638
TI  - Implicit learning of non-linguistic and linguistic regularities in children with
      dyslexia.
AB  - One of the hallmarks of dyslexia is the failure to automatise written patterns
      despite repeated exposure to print. Although many explanations have been proposed
      to explain this problem, researchers have recently begun to explore the
      possibility that an underlying implicit learning deficit may play a role in
      dyslexia. This hypothesis has been investigated through non-linguistic tasks
      exploring implicit learning in a general domain. In this study, we examined the
      abilities of children with dyslexia to implicitly acquire positional regularities
      embedded in both non-linguistic and linguistic stimuli. In experiment 1, 42
      children (21 with dyslexia and 21 typically developing) were exposed to rule
      governed shape sequences; whereas in experiment 2, a new group of 42 children
      were exposed to rule-governed letter strings. Implicit learning was assessed in
      both experiments via a forced-choice task. Experiments 1 and 2 showed a similar
      pattern of results. ANOVA analyses revealed no significant differences between
      the dyslexic and the typically developing group, indicating that children with
      dyslexia are not impaired in the acquisition of simple positional regularities,
      regardless of the nature of the stimuli. However, within group t-tests suggested
      that children from the dyslexic group could not transfer the underlying
      positional rules to novel instances as efficiently as typically developing
      children.

PMID- 26494639
TI  - Bioinspired enzymatic synthesis of silica nanocrystals provided by recombinant
      silicatein from the marine sponge Latrunculia oparinae.
AB  - The process of silica formation in marine sponges is thought to be mediated by a
      family of catalytically active structure-directing enzymes called silicateins. It
      has been demonstrated in biomimicking syntheses that silicateins facilitated the
      formation of amorphous SiO2. Here, we present evidence that the silicatein
      LoSiLA1 from the marine sponge Latrunculia oparinae catalyzes the in vitro
      synthesis of hexa-tetrahedral SiO2 crystals of 200-300 nm. This was possible in
      the presence of the silica precursor tetrakis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-orthosilicate that
      is completely soluble in water and biocompatible, experiences hydrolysis
      condensation at neutral pH and ambient conditions.

PMID- 26494640
TI  - Second-Opinion Interpretations of Gynecologic Oncologic MRI Examinations by Sub
      Specialized Radiologists Influence Patient Care.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine if second-opinion review of gynaecologic oncologic (GynOnc)
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by sub-specialized radiologists impacts patient
      care. METHODS: 469 second-opinion MRI interpretations rendered by GynOnc
      radiologists were retrospectively compared to the initial outside reports. Two
      gynaecologic surgeons, blinded to the reports' origins, reviewed all cases with
      discrepancies between initial and second-opinion MRI reports and recorded whether
      these discrepancies would have led to a change in patient management defined as a
      change in treatment approach, counselling, or referral. Histopathology or minimum
      6-month imaging follow-up were used to establish the diagnosis. RESULTS: Second
      opinion review of GynOnc MRIs would theoretically have affected management in
      94/469 (20 %) and 101/469 (21.5 %) patients for surgeons 1 and 2, respectively.
      Specifically, second-opinion review would have theoretically altered treatment
      approach in 71/469 (15.1 %) and 60/469 (12.8 %) patients for surgeons 1 and 2,
      respectively. According to surgeons 1 and 2, these treatment changes would have
      prevented unnecessary surgery in 35 (7.5 %) and 31 (6.6 %) patients,
      respectively, and changed surgical procedure type/extent in 19 (4.1 %) and 12
      (2.5 %) patients, respectively. Second-opinion interpretations were correct in
      103 (83 %) of 124 cases with clinically relevant discrepancies between initial
      and second-opinion reports. CONCLUSIONS: Expert second-opinion review of GynOnc
      MRI influences patient care. KEY POINTS: * Outside gynaecologic oncologic MRI
      examinations are often submitted for a second-opinion review. * One-fifth of MRIs
      had important discrepancies between initial and second-opinion interpretations. *
      Second-opinion review of gynaecologic oncologic MRI is a valuable clinical
      service.

PMID- 26494641
TI  - Changes and variability of proton density and T1 relaxation times in early
      multiple sclerosis: MRI markers of neuronal damage in the cerebral cortex.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Proton density (PD) and T1 relaxation time are promising quantitative
      MRI (qMRI) markers of neuronal damage in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, it is
      unknown whether cortical differences of these parameters between patients and
      controls exist in the early stages of disease. This study investigates cortical
      T1 and PD in early MS stages, hypothesizing that these are altered and display a
      high spatial variability. METHODS: Quantitative T1 and PD mapping was performed
      on 11 patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS)/early MS in remission and
      11 healthy controls. The normal appearing cortical gray matter was extracted,
      lobar regions were identified, and mean values and standard deviations of both
      parameters were calculated within each region. RESULTS: Increased PD was detected
      in MS/CIS patients in the cerebral cortex as a whole and all subregions,
      indicating an increase of water content. Increase of PD variability reached
      significance in the whole cortex and in the frontal and parietal regions. Longer
      T1 relaxation times and increased variability were found in the cerebral cortex
      in all regions studied, indicating a change of microstructural tissue composition
      that is spatially heterogeneous. CONCLUSIONS: The data show spatially
      heterogeneous cortical involvement in early MS is reflected in T1 and PD qMRI.
      KEY POINTS: * Cortical involvement in early MS is reflected in T1/PD quantitative
      MRI. * The changes are spatially heterogeneous. * Cortical damage goes beyond
      increased water content.

PMID- 26494642
TI  - Potential of MR histogram analyses for prediction of response to chemotherapy in
      patients with colorectal hepatic metastases.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine if magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) histogram analyses can
      help predict response to chemotherapy in patients with colorectal hepatic
      metastases by using response evaluation criteria in solid tumours (RECIST1.1) as
      the reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Standard MRI including diffusion
      weighted imaging (b=0, 500 s/mm(2)) was performed before chemotherapy in 53
      patients with colorectal hepatic metastases. Histograms were performed for
      apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, arterial, and portal venous phase
      images; thereafter, mean, percentiles (1st, 10th, 50th, 90th, 99th), skewness,
      kurtosis, and variance were generated. Quantitative histogram parameters were
      compared between responders (partial and complete response, n=15) and non
      responders (progressive and stable disease, n=38). Receiver operator
      characteristics (ROC) analyses were further analyzed for the significant
      parameters. RESULTS: The mean, 1st percentile, 10th percentile, 50th percentile,
      90th percentile, 99th percentile of the ADC maps were significantly lower in
      responding group than that in non-responding group (p=0.000-0.002) with area
      under the ROC curve (AUCs) of 0.76-0.82. The histogram parameters of arterial and
      portal venous phase showed no significant difference (p>0.05) between the two
      groups. CONCLUSION: Histogram-derived parameters for ADC maps seem to be a
      promising tool for predicting response to chemotherapy in patients with
      colorectal hepatic metastases. KEY POINTS: * ADC histogram analyses can
      potentially predict chemotherapy response in colorectal liver metastases. * Lower
      histogram-derived parameters (mean, percentiles) for ADC tend to have good
      response. * MR enhancement histogram analyses are not reliable to predict
      response.

PMID- 26494643
TI  - Penetrating aerodigestive injuries in the neck: a proposed CT-aided modified
      selective management algorithm.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the specific CT findings of penetrating neck wound
      profile predicting aerodigestive injuries, diagnostic performance of CTA and to
      propose a modified selective management algorithm to reduce nontherapeutic
      invasive procedures. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated CTAs of 102 patients
      to determine the presence of various CT signs. "Trajectory"-based signs included
      trajectory of the wound extending into the aerodigestive tract and trajectory
      violating the deep neck spaces. "Conventional" signs included transcervical
      injury; wall defect; air or blood in the deep neck spaces; irregular or thickened
      aerodigestive tract; and active mucosal bleeding. RESULTS: Trajectory of the
      wound extending into the aerodigestive tract (sensitivity 76 %, specificity 97 %)
      and trajectory of the wound violating the suprahyoid deep neck spaces or the
      infrahyoid visceral space (sensitivity 97 %, specificity 55 %) were the best
      predictors of injury on regression analysis. The most specific "conventional" CT
      signs were "wall defect" and "active mucosal bleed", but had very low
      sensitivity. The sensitivity of CTA for detecting an injury ranged from 89.5 % to
      92 %, specificity ranged from 62.5 % to 89 %. CONCLUSION: CTA can be a useful
      technique in detecting aerodigestive injury. Our proposed management algorithm
      can exclude an injury with high degree of confidence (sensitivity 97 %). KEY
      POINTS: * Trajectory-based CT signs predict aerodigestive injury after
      penetrating neck trauma. * Surgery should be considered when trajectory extends
      into the infra-arytenoid aerodigestive tract. * Endoscopy or exploration should
      be considered when trajectory violates deep neck spaces. * This modified approach
      can decrease negative explorations and invasive diagnostic procedures.

PMID- 26494644
TI  - Dual adrenal venous phase contrast-enhanced MDCT for visualization of right
      adrenal veins in patients with primary aldosteronism.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the frequency of visualization of the right adrenal vein
      (RAV) on dual adrenal venous phase multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) in
      patients with primary aldosteronism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Images of contrast
      enhanced dual adrenal venous phase MDCT (45- and 55-second delays) in 90 patients
      with primary aldosteronism who underwent adrenal venous sampling were
      retrospectively evaluated. The degree of RAV visualization on each phase image
      was evaluated by two radiologists using a five-point scale and RAV visualization
      rates were estimated. RESULTS: The RAV visualization rates on the first- and
      second-phase images were 89 % and 91 % by radiologist A, and 93 % and 90 % by
      radiologist B, respectively. No significant differences in the score of RAV
      visualization were observed between the first- and second-phase images by the two
      readers (P = 0.164 and P = 0.06). The kappa values for inter-observer agreement
      of RAV visualization on the first- and second-phase images were 0.57 and 0.46,
      respectively. The consensual RAV visualization rates on the first- and second
      phase images were 91 % and 92 %, respectively. The overall RAV visualization rate
      by using both phase images was 98 %. CONCLUSION: Dual adrenal venous phase MDCT
      can visualize the RAV in almost all patients with primary aldosteronism. KEY
      POINTS: * Dual adrenal venous phase MDCT images can visualize the right adrenal
      veins. * The adrenal venous phase lies between the arterial and portal phases. *
      Anatomical information will contribute to the technical success of adrenal venous
      sampling.

PMID- 26494645
TI  - Conduction abnormalities during dipyridamole stress testing.
AB  - Pharmacological stress tests using dipyridamole are considered to be safe.
      However, cases of atrioventricular (AV) block have been reported. We
      retrospectively analyzed ECG at baseline and during dipyridamole stress tests of
      2010 consecutive patients (patients with second or third degree AV block were
      excluded). At baseline, 350 (17.4%) patients had conduction abnormalities.
      Following dipyridamole infusion 16 patients (0.8%) developed a transient change
      in AV conduction (15 patients) and or sinus arrest (1 patient). Compared to
      patients without baseline conduction abnormalities, patients with any conduction
      abnormalities at baseline were at a higher risk for the development of AV block
      after dipyridamole infusion [0.3% vs 3.14%, respectively; P < .0001].

PMID- 26494646
TI  - A helping hand for regadenoson tests.

PMID- 26494647
TI  - Vasodilator stress and left ventricular asynchrony.

PMID- 26494648
TI  - Quantifying FDG uptake to diagnose cardiac device infections: When and how should
      we do it?

PMID- 26494650
TI  - Subjective age-of-acquisition norms for 4,640 verbs in Spanish.
AB  - Many studies have shown that how words are processed in a variety of language
      related tasks is affected by their age of acquisition (AoA). Most AoA norms have
      been collected for nouns, a fact that limits the extent to which verb stimuli can
      be adequately manipulated and controlled in empirical studies. With the aim of
      increasing the number of verbs with AoA values in Spanish, 900 college students
      were recruited to provide subjective estimates for a total of 4,640 infinitive
      and reflexive forms. An AoA score for each verb was obtained by averaging the
      responses of the participants, and these norms were included, together with
      additional quantitative information (standard deviations, ranges, and z scores),
      in a database that can be downloaded with this article as supplemental materials.

PMID- 26494651
TI  - Adapting cultural mixture modeling for continuous measures of knowledge and
      memory fluency.
AB  - Previous research (e.g., cultural consensus theory (Romney, Weller, & Batchelder,
      American Anthropologist, 88, 313-338, 1986); cultural mixture modeling (Mueller &
      Veinott, 2008)) has used overt response patterns (i.e., responses to
      questionnaires and surveys) to identify whether a group shares a single coherent
      attitude or belief set. Yet many domains in social science have focused on
      implicit attitudes that are not apparent in overt responses but still may be
      detected via response time patterns. We propose a method for modeling response
      times as a mixture of Gaussians, adapting the strong-consensus model of cultural
      mixture modeling to model this implicit measure of knowledge strength. We report
      the results of two behavioral experiments and one simulation experiment that
      establish the usefulness of the approach, as well as some of the boundary
      conditions under which distinct groups of shared agreement might be recovered,
      even when the group identity is not known. The results reveal that the ability to
      recover and identify shared-belief groups depends on (1) the level of noise in
      the measurement, (2) the differential signals for strong versus weak attitudes,
      and (3) the similarity between group attitudes. Consequently, the method shows
      promise for identifying latent groups among a population whose overt attitudes do
      not differ, but whose implicit or covert attitudes or knowledge may differ.

PMID- 26494649
TI  - Proton detection for signal enhancement in solid-state NMR experiments on mobile
      species in membrane proteins.
AB  - Direct proton detection is becoming an increasingly popular method for enhancing
      sensitivity in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Generally,
      these experiments require extensive deuteration of the protein, fast magic angle
      spinning (MAS), or a combination of both. Here, we implement direct proton
      detection to selectively observe the mobile entities in fully-protonated membrane
      proteins at moderate MAS frequencies. We demonstrate this method on two proteins
      that exhibit different motional regimes. Myelin basic protein is an intrinsically
      disordered, peripherally membrane-associated protein that is highly flexible,
      whereas Anabaena sensory rhodopsin is composed of seven rigid transmembrane alpha
      helices connected by mobile loop regions. In both cases, we observe narrow proton
      linewidths and, on average, a 10* increase in sensitivity in 2D insensitive
      nuclear enhancement of polarization transfer-based HSQC experiments when proton
      detection is compared to carbon detection. We further show that our proton
      detected experiments can be easily extended to three dimensions and used to build
      complete amino acid systems, including sidechain protons, and obtain inter
      residue correlations. Additionally, we detect signals which do not correspond to
      amino acids, but rather to lipids and/or carbohydrates which interact strongly
      with membrane proteins. 

PMID- 26494652
TI  - Schistosomiasis in the mummified viscera of Saint-Louis (1270 AD).

PMID- 26494653
TI  - Effects of nanoparticles on the mechanical functioning of the lung.
AB  - Nanotechnology is a rapidly expanding field that has very promising applications
      that will improve industry, medicine, and consumer products. However, despite the
      growing widespread use of engineered nanoparticles in these areas, very little
      has been done to assess the potential health risks they may pose to high-risk
      areas of the body, particularly the lungs. In this review we first briefly
      discuss the structure of the lungs and establish that the pulmonary surfactant
      (PS), given its vulnerability and huge contribution to healthy lung function, is
      a mechanism of great concern when evaluating potential nanoparticle interactions
      within the lung. To warrant that these interactions can occur, studies on the
      transport of nanoaerols are reviewed to highlight that a plethora of factors
      contribute to a nanoparticle's ability to travel to the deep regions of the lung
      where PS resides. The focus of this review is to determine the extent that
      physicochemical characteristics of nanoparticles such as size, hydrophobicity,
      and surface charge effect PS function. Numerous nanoparticle types are taken into
      consideration in order to effectively evaluate observed consistencies across
      numerous nanoparticle types and develop general trends that exist among the
      physicochemical characteristics of interest. Biological responses from other
      mechanisms/components of the lung are briefly discussed to provide further
      insights on how the toxicology of different nanoparticles is determined. We
      conclude by discussing general trends that summarize consistencies observed among
      the studies in regard to physicochemical properties and their effects on
      monolayer function, addressing current gaps in our understanding, and discussing
      the future outlook of this field of research. 

PMID- 26494656
TI  - Scottish NHS needs fundamental change, report warns.

PMID- 26494654
TI  - Enhanced brain release of erythropoietin, cytokines and NO during carotid
      clamping.
AB  - Although effective and safe, carotid endarterectomy (CEA) implies a reduced blood
      flow to the brain and likely an ischemia/reperfusion event. The high rate of
      uneventful outcomes associated with CEA suggests the activation of brain
      endogenous protection mechanisms aimed at limiting the possible
      ischemia/reperfusion damage. This study aims at assessing whether CEA triggers
      protective mechanisms such as brain release of erythropoietin and nitric oxide.
      CEA was performed in 12 patients; blood samples were withdrawn simultaneously
      from the surgically exposed ipsilateral jugular and leg veins before, during (2
      and 40 min) and after clamp removal (2 min). Plasma antioxidant capacity,
      carbonylated proteins, erythropoietin, nitrates and nitrites (NOx) were
      determined. No changes in intraoperative EEG, peripheral and transcranial blood
      oxygen saturation were detectable, and no patients showed any neurologic sign
      after the intervention. Antioxidant capacity and protein carbonylation in plasma
      were unaffected. Differently, erythropoietin, VEGF, TNF-alpha and NOx increased
      during clamping in the jugular blood (2 and 40 min), while no changes were
      observed in the peripheral circulation. These results show that blood
      erythropoietin, VEGF, TNF-alpha, and NOx increased in the brain during
      uncomplicated CEA. This may represent an endogenous self-activated
      neuroprotective mechanism aimed at the prevention of ischemia/reperfusion damage.

PMID- 26494655
TI  - Purified Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells Promote Osteogenic Regeneration.
AB  - Human dental pulp stem/progenitor cells (hDPSCs) are attractive candidates for
      regenerative therapy because they can be easily expanded to generate colony
      forming unit-fibroblasts (CFU-Fs) on plastic and the large cell numbers required
      for transplantation. However, isolation based on adherence to plastic inevitably
      changes the surface marker expression and biological properties of the cells.
      Consequently, little is currently known about the original phenotypes of tissue
      precursor cells that give rise to plastic-adherent CFU-Fs. To better understand
      the in vivo functions and translational therapeutic potential of hDPSCs and other
      stem cells, selective cell markers must be identified in the progenitor cells.
      Here, we identified a dental pulp tissue-specific cell population based on the
      expression profiles of 2 cell-surface markers LNGFR (CD271) and THY-1 (CD90).
      Prospectively isolated, dental pulp-derived LNGFR(Low+)THY-1(High+) cells
      represent a highly enriched population of clonogenic cells--notably, the isolated
      cells exhibited long-term proliferation and multilineage differentiation
      potential in vitro. The cells also expressed known mesenchymal cell markers and
      promoted new bone formation to heal critical-size calvarial defects in vivo.
      These findings suggest that LNGFR(Low+)THY-1(High+) dental pulp-derived cells
      provide an excellent source of material for bone regenerative strategies.

PMID- 26494657
TI  - Genome Sequence of Paenibacillus sp. Strain FJAT-28004 for the Genome Sequencing
      Project for Genomic Taxonomy and Phylogenomics of Bacillus-Like Bacteria.
AB  - Paenibacillus sp. strain FJAT-28004 is a spore forming and strictly aerobic
      bacterium. Here, we report the draft 7,479,858-bp genome sequence of
      Paenibacillus sp. FJAT-28004, which will provide useful information for genomic
      taxonomy and phylogenomics of the genus Paenibacillus, as well as for the
      functional gene mining and application of Paenibacillus sp. FJAT-28004. 

PMID- 26494658
TI  - Genome Sequences of Five Additional Brevibacillus laterosporus Bacteriophages.
AB  - Brevibacillus laterosporus has been isolated from many different environments,
      including beehives, and produces compounds that are toxic to many organisms. Five
      B. laterosporus phages have been isolated previously. Here, we announce five
      additional phages that infect this bacterium, including the first B. laterosporus
      siphoviruses to be discovered. 

PMID- 26494659
TI  - Genome Sequence of "Candidatus Thioglobus singularis" Strain PS1, a Mixotroph
      from the SUP05 Clade of Marine Gammaproteobacteria.
AB  - Mixotrophic marine bacteria from the SUP05 clade are ubiquitous in the ocean.
      Here, we announce the complete genome sequence of "Candidatus Thioglobus
      singularis" strain PS1, the first cultured mixotrophic representative from the
      SUP05 clade. 

PMID- 26494660
TI  - Genome Sequence of "Candidatus Thioglobus autotrophica" Strain EF1, a
      Chemoautotroph from the SUP05 Clade of Marine Gammaproteobacteria.
AB  - Chemoautotrophic marine bacteria from the SUP05 clade of marine
      gammaproteobacteria often dominate low-oxygen waters in upwelling regions,
      fjords, and hydrothermal systems. Here, we announce the complete genome sequence
      of "Candidatus Thioglobus autotrophica" strain EF1, the first cultured
      chemoautotrophic representative from the SUP05 clade. 

PMID- 26494661
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Thiostrepton-Producing Streptomyces azureus ATCC 14921.
AB  - Streptomyces azureus ATCC 14921 belongs to the Streptomyces cyaneus cluster and
      is known to be a thiostrepton producer. Here, we report a draft genome sequence
      for this strain, consisting of 350 contigs containing a total of 8,790,525 bp,
      8,164 predicted coding sequences, and a G+C content of 70.9%. 

PMID- 26494662
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Streptococcus agalactiae Serotype III, Multilocus
      Sequence Type 283 Strain SG-M1.
AB  - Streptococcus agalactiae (group B Streptococcus) is a common commensal strain in
      the human gastrointestinal tract that can also cause invasive disease in humans
      and other animals. We report here the complete genome sequence of S. agalactiae
      SG-M1, a serotype III, multilocus sequence type 283 strain, isolated from a
      Singaporean patient suffering from meningitis. 

PMID- 26494663
TI  - Whole-Genome Sequence of Staphylococcus aureus S54F9 Isolated from a Chronic
      Disseminated Porcine Lung Abscess and Used in Human Infection Models.
AB  - We obtained a draft genome sequence of Staphylococcus aureus strain S54F9, which
      was isolated from a chronic disseminated porcine lung abscess and used in porcine
      infection models. Genes coding for a number of toxins, including enterotoxins and
      superantigen, were demonstrated in this strain. 

PMID- 26494664
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of the Polychlorinated Biphenyl-Degrading Bacterium
      Pseudomonas stutzeri KF716 (NBRC 110668).
AB  - Pseudomonas stutzeri KF716 (NBRC 110668) utilizes biphenyl as a sole source of
      carbon and energy and degrades polychlorinated biphenyls. Here, we report the
      first draft genome sequence of a biphenyl-degrading strain of the species P.
      stutzeri. 

PMID- 26494665
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Spiroplasma kunkelii Strain CR2-3x, Causal Agent of
      Corn Stunt Disease in Zea mays L.
AB  - Spiroplasma kunkelii causes corn stunt disease of Zea mays L. in the Americas.
      Here, we report the nucleotide sequence of the 1,463,926-bp circular chromosome
      and four plasmids of strain CR2-3x. This information will facilitate studies of
      Spiroplasma pathogenicity and evolutionary adaptations to transkingdom parasitism
      in plants and insect vectors. 

PMID- 26494666
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Bradyrhizobium japonicum Is-1, Which Is Incompatible
      with Rj2 Genotype Soybeans.
AB  - We report the draft genome sequence of Bradyrhizobium japonicum Is-1, which is
      incompatible with Rj2 genotype soybeans. The estimated genome size of this strain
      is 8.9 Mb. Genome sequence information of this strain will help to identify a
      causal gene for this incompatibility. 

PMID- 26494667
TI  - First Draft Genome Sequence of Salmonella enterica Serovar Gallinarum Strain
      VTCCBAA614, Isolated from Chicken in India.
AB  - Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Gallinarum biovar Gallinarum causes
      fowl typhoid (FT), which results in huge economic losses to poultry farmers in
      India. We report the draft genome sequence of Salmonella biovar Gallinarum strain
      VTCCBAA614, isolated from a chicken in an FT affected broiler flock. 

PMID- 26494668
TI  - Genome Sequence of Flavobacterium akiainvivens IK-1T, Isolated from Decaying
      Wikstroemia oahuensis, an Endemic Hawaiian Shrub.
AB  - Flavobacterium spp. have been cultivated from diverse aquatic and terrestrial
      habitats. F. akiainvivens IK-1(T) was cultivated from decaying wood of
      Wikstroemia oahuensis, an endemic Hawaiian shrub. The strain's genome sequence
      may provide insights into niche adaptation and evolution of the genus in a mid
      ocean archipelago. 

PMID- 26494669
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of the Enteropathogenic Bacterium Campylobacter jejuni
      Strain cj255.
AB  - The enteropathogen Campylobacter jejuni is a global health disaster, being one of
      the leading causes of bacterial gastroenteritis. Here, we present the draft
      genome sequence of C. jejuni strain cj255, isolated from a chicken source in
      Islamabad, Pakistan. The draft genome sequence will aid in epidemiological
      studies and quarantine of this broad-host-range pathogen. 

PMID- 26494670
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Yellow Pigmented Jeotgalibacillus alimentarius JY-13T,
      the First Halophile Strain of the Genus Jeotgalibacillus.
AB  - Jeotgalibacillus alimentarius JY-13(T) (=KCCM 80002(T) = JCM 10872(T)) is a
      moderate halophile. In 2001, this was the first strain of the newly proposed
      Jeotgalibacillus genus. The draft genome of J. alimentarius was found to consist
      of 32 contigs (N50, 315,125 bp) with a total size of 3,364,745 bp. This genome
      information will be helpful for studies on pigmentation as well as applications
      for this bacterium. 

PMID- 26494671
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Southern tomato virus Identified in China Using Next
      Generation Sequencing.
AB  - The complete genome sequence of Southern tomato virus (STV), a double-stranded
      RNA virus that affects tomato in China, was determined using small RNA deep
      sequencing. This Chinese isolate shares 99% sequence identity to other isolates
      from Mexico, France, Spain, and the United States. This is the first report of
      STV infecting tomatoes in Asia. 

PMID- 26494672
TI  - Genome Sequences of Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Paratyphi B
      (dT+) and Heidelberg Strains from the Colombian Poultry Chain.
AB  - Salmonella enterica is a pathogen of significant public health importance that is
      frequently associated with foodborne illness. We report the whole-genome
      sequences of four multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi B and
      Heidelberg strains, isolated from the Colombian poultry chain. The isolates
      contain a variety of antimicrobial resistance genes for aminoglycosides, beta
      lactams, fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, tetracycline, and trimethoprim. 

PMID- 26494673
TI  - Erratum for Chen et al., Complete Genome Sequence of Bifidobacterium
      actinocoloniiforme Type Strain DSM 22766T, Isolated from Bumblebee Digestive
      Tracts.

PMID- 26494674
TI  - High-Quality Draft Genome Sequence of Aneurinibacillus migulanus ATCC 9999T (DSM
      2895), a Gramicidin S-Producing Bacterium Isolated from Garden Soil.
AB  - Aneurinibacillus migulanus ATCC 9999(T) (DSM 2895) is a Gram-positive, round
      spore-forming, and gramicidin S-producing bacterium. Here, we report the 6.35-Mb
      high-quality draft genome sequence of A. migulanus ATCC 9999(T), which will
      provide useful information for the genomic taxonomy and phylogenomics of Bacillus
      like bacteria. 

PMID- 26494675
TI  - Genome Sequence of Bacillus butanolivorans K9T (DSM 18926), an n-Butanol
      Consuming Bacterium Isolated from Soil.
AB  - Bacillus butanolivorans K9(T) (DSM 18926) is a Gram-positive, spore-forming,
      strictly aerobic, and n-butanol-consuming bacterium. Here, we report the 5.68-Mb
      genome sequence of B. butanolivorans K9(T), which is the first genomic
      information of this species that will provide useful information for the genomic
      taxonomy and phylogenomics of Bacillus-like bacteria. 

PMID- 26494676
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus murimartini LMG 21005T, an Alkalitolerant
      Bacterium Isolated from a Church Wall Mural in Germany.
AB  - Bacillus murimartini LMG 21005(T) is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, and
      alkalitolerant bacterium isolated from a church wall mural. Here, we report the
      4.17-Mb genome sequence of B. murimartini LMG 21005(T), which will accelerate the
      application of this alkalitolerant bacterium and provide useful information for
      genomic taxonomy and phylogenomics of Bacillus-like bacteria. 

PMID- 26494677
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Sporosarcina globispora W 25T (DSM 4), a Psychrophilic
      Bacterium Isolated from Soil and River Water.
AB  - Sporosarcina globispora W 25(T) (DSM 4) is a Gram-positive, round-spore-forming,
      and psychrophilic bacterium. Here, we report the 5.66-Mb genome sequence of S.
      globispora W 25(T), which will accelerate the application of this psychrophile
      and provide useful information for genomic taxonomy and phylogenomics of Bacillus
      like bacteria. 

PMID- 26494678
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Komagataeibacter europaeus CECT 8546, a Cellulose
      Producing Strain of Vinegar Elaborated by the Traditional Method.
AB  - The present article reports the draft genome sequence of the strain
      Komagataeibacter europaeus CECT 8546, an acetic acid bacterium characterized by
      its ability to overproduce cellulose. This species is highly resistant to acetic
      acid and commonly found during vinegar elaboration. 

PMID- 26494679
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Cellulolytic and Xylanolytic Paenibacillus sp. A59,
      Isolated from Decaying Forest Soil from Patagonia, Argentina.
AB  - Paenibacillus sp. A59 was isolated from decaying forest soil in Argentina and
      characterized as a xylanolytic strain. We report the draft genome sequence of
      this isolate, with an estimated genome size of 7 Mb which harbor 6,424 coding
      sequences. Genes coding for hydrolytic enzymes involved in lignocellulose
      deconstruction were predicted. 

PMID- 26494680
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Burkholderia cordobensis Type Strain LMG 27620, Isolated
      from Agricultural Soils in Argentina.
AB  - Bacteria of the genus Burkholderia are commonly found in diverse ecological
      niches in nature. We report here the draft genome sequence of Burkholderia
      cordobensis type strain LMG 27620, isolated from agricultural soil in Cordoba,
      Argentina. This strain harbors several genes involved in chitin utilization and
      phenol degradation, which make it an interesting candidate for biocontrol
      purposes and xenobiotic degradation in polluted environments. 

PMID- 26494681
TI  - Draft Whole-Genome Sequence of Xenorhabdus sp. Strain GDc328, Isolated from the
      Indigenous South African Nematode Host Steinernema khoisanae.
AB  - Here, we describe the draft genome sequence of Xenorhabdus sp. GDc328, an
      endosymbiont of the native South African entomopathogenic nematode host,
      Steinernema khoisanae. The total genome size of the bacteria is 4.09 Mb. The
      genome comprises a total of 3,608 genes with a molecular G+C content of 44.64%. 

PMID- 26494682
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Aeromonas caviae Strain 429865 INP, Isolated from a
      Mexican Patient.
AB  - Aeromonas caviae is an emerging human pathogen. Here, we report the draft genome
      sequence of Aeromonas caviae strain 429865 INP which shows the presence of
      various putative virulence-related genes. 

PMID- 26494683
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Chlamydia trachomatis Strain 54, Isolated from the
      Urogenital Tract of a Male in Japan.
AB  - We report the draft genome sequence of Chlamydia trachomatis strain 54, isolated
      from the urogenital tract of a male in Japan, with unique polymorphic membrane
      proteins. Detailed genomic analysis will aid our understanding of the selective
      pressures that lead to sexual differentiation in chlamydial adaptive evolution. 

PMID- 26494684
TI  - Genome Sequence of Type Strain Bacillus decisifrondis E5HC-32T (DSM 11725T),
      Isolated from Soil Underlying the Decaying Leaf Litter of a Slash Pine Forest.
AB  - Bacillus decisifrondis E5HC-32(T) (DSM 11725(T)) is a Gram-positive, subterminal
      spherical spore-forming, strictly aerobic bacterium. Here, we report the
      5,613,728-bp genome sequence of B. decisifrondis E5HC-32(T), which is the first
      genome information of this species and will provide useful information for
      genomic taxonomy and phylogenomics of Bacillus-like bacteria. 

PMID- 26494685
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Streptomyces fradiae olg1-1, a Strain Resistant to
      Nitrone-Oligomycin.
AB  - We report a draft genome sequence of Streptomyces fradiae olg1-1, a mutant strain
      derived from the model object S. fradiae ATCC 19609, which is resistant to
      nitrone-oligomycin and has a mutation in the DNA-binding domain of a
      transcriptional regulator PadR. 

PMID- 26494686
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Spiroplasma cantharicola CC-1T (DSM 21588), a
      Bacterium Isolated from Soldier Beetle (Cantharis carolinus).
AB  - Spiroplasma cantharicola CC-1(T) (DSM 21588) was isolated from the gut of a
      soldier beetle (Cantharis carolinus) collected in Maryland, USA. Here, we report
      the complete genome sequence of this bacterium to facilitate the investigation of
      its biology. 

PMID- 26494687
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Pasteurella multocida Isolate P1062, Isolated from
      Bovine Respiratory Disease.
AB  - Here, we report the draft genome of Pasteurella multocida isolate P1062 recovered
      from pneumonic bovine lung in the United States in 1959. 

PMID- 26494688
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Achromobacter sp. Strain DMS1, Capable of Degrading
      Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons Isolated from the Industrially Perturbed Environment of
      Amlakhadi Canal, India.
AB  - Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Achromobacter sp. strain DMS1, which
      is 4.9 Mbp and has 3,727 coding sequences (CDSs), and is capable of degrading
      xenobiotic compounds and harboring genes for aromatic hydrocarbon metabolism. Its
      genome will unravel the basic mechanism involved in bioremediation of
      anthropogens. 

PMID- 26494689
TI  - Crystal structure of thermophilic dextranase from Thermoanaerobacter
      pseudethanolicus.
AB  - The crystal structures of the wild type and catalytic mutant Asp-312->Gly in
      complex with isomaltohexaose of endo-1,6-dextranase from the thermophilic
      bacterium Thermoanaerobacter pseudethanolicus (TpDex), belonging to the glycoside
      hydrolase family 66, were determined. TpDex consists of three structural domains,
      a catalytic domain comprising an (beta/alpha)8-barrel and two beta-domains
      located at both N- and C-terminal ends. The isomaltohexaose-complex structure
      demonstrated that the isomaltohexaose molecule was bound across the catalytic
      site, showing that TpDex had six subsites (-4 to +2) in the catalytic cleft.
      Marked movement of the Trp-376 side-chain along with loop 6, which was the side
      wall component of the cleft at subsite +1, was observed to occupy subsite +1,
      indicating that it might expel the cleaved aglycone subsite after the hydrolysis
      reaction. Structural comparison with other mesophilic enzymes indicated that
      several structural features of TpDex, loop deletion, salt bridge and surface
      exposed charged residue, may contribute to thermostability.

PMID- 26494690
TI  - Osseous Pseudoprogression in Vertebral Bodies Treated with Stereotactic
      Radiosurgery: A Secondary Analysis of Prospective Phase I/II Clinical Trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Osseous pseudoprogression on MR imaging can mimic true
      progression in lesions treated with spine stereotactic radiosurgery. Our aim was
      to describe the prevalence and time course of osseous pseudoprogression to assist
      radiologists in the assessment of patients after spine stereotactic radiosurgery.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A secondary analysis of 2 prospective trials was
      performed. MRIs before and after spine stereotactic radiosurgery were assessed
      for response. "Osseous pseudoprogression" was defined as transient growth in
      signal abnormality centered at the lesion with a sustained decline on follow-up
      MR imaging that was not attributable to chemotherapy. RESULTS: From the initial
      set of 223 patients, 37 lesions in 36 patients met the inclusion criteria and
      were selected for secondary analysis. Five of the 37 lesions (14%) demonstrated
      osseous pseudoprogression, and 9 demonstrated progressive disease. There was a
      significant association between single-fraction therapy and the development of
      osseous pseudoprogression (P = .01), and there was a significant difference in
      osseous pseudoprogression-free survival between single- and multifraction
      regimens (P = .005). In lesions demonstrating osseous pseudoprogression, time-to
      peak size occurred between 9.7 and 24.4 weeks after spine stereotactic
      radiosurgery (mean, 13.9 weeks; 95% CI, 8.6-19.1 weeks). The peak lesion size was
      between 4 and 10 mm larger than baseline. Most lesions returned to baseline size
      between 23 and 52.4 weeks following spine stereotactic radiosurgery. CONCLUSIONS:
      Progression on MR imaging performed between 3 and 6 months following spine
      stereotactic radiosurgery should be treated with caution because osseous
      pseudoprogression may be seen in more than one-third of these lesions. Single
      fraction spine stereotactic radiosurgery may be associated with osseous
      pseudoprogression. The possibility of osseous pseudoprogression should be
      incorporated into the prospective criteria for assessment of local control
      following spine stereotactic radiosurgery.

PMID- 26494691
TI  - Improved Brain Tumor Classification by Sodium MR Imaging: Prediction of IDH
      Mutation Status and Tumor Progression.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: MR imaging in neuro-oncology is challenging due to
      inherent ambiguities in proton signal behavior. Sodium-MR imaging may
      substantially contribute to the characterization of tumors because it reflects
      the functional status of the sodium-potassium pump and sodium channels. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Sodium-MR imaging data of patients with treatment-naive glioma WHO
      grades I-IV (n = 34; mean age, 51.29 +/- 17.77 years) were acquired by using a 7T
      MR system. For acquisition of sodium-MR images, we applied density-adapted 3D
      radial projection reconstruction pulse sequences. Proton-MR imaging data were
      acquired by using a 3T whole-body system. RESULTS: We demonstrated that the
      initial sodium signal of a treatment-naive brain tumor is a significant predictor
      of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation status (P < .001). Moreover,
      independent of this correlation, the Cox proportional hazards model confirmed the
      sodium signal of treatment-naive brain tumors as a predictor of progression (P =
      .003). Compared with the molecular signature of IDH mutation status, information
      criteria of model comparison revealed that the sodium signal is even superior to
      IDH in progression prediction. In addition, sodium-MR imaging provides a new
      approach to noninvasive tumor classification. The sodium signal of contrast
      enhancing tumor portions facilitates differentiation among most glioma types (P <
      .001). CONCLUSIONS: The information of sodium-MR imaging may help to classify
      neoplasias at an early stage, to reduce invasive tissue characterization such as
      stereotactic biopsy specimens, and overall to promote improved and individualized
      patient management in neuro-oncology by novel imaging signatures of brain tumors.

PMID- 26494692
TI  - Low-Dose Volume-of-Interest C-Arm CT Imaging of Intracranial Stents and Flow
      Diverters.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Volume-of-interest C-arm CT is a novel technique for
      imaging of intracranial high-contrast objects. We performed this study to
      evaluate the potential diagnostic value and radiation dose reduction of this
      technique for imaging of intracranial stents and flow diverters. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Twenty-seven patients were imaged with a VOI C-arm CT scan following
      treatment with a flow diverter or stent-assisted coiling. The radiation dose-area
      product was recorded for VOI scans. For comparison, the dose-area product from 30
      previously acquired consecutive full-view DynaCTs was used. Thermoluminescence
      dosimetry by using 35 evenly distributed thermoluminescence dosimeters in an
      anthropomorphic head phantom was also performed by using both conventional full
      field and VOI acquisitions. Three observers were presented with VOI images for
      assessment of the potential diagnostic value. RESULTS: The dose-area product
      measurements showed an exposure reduction of 85% compared with the full field
      acquisitions used for comparison. The thermoluminescence dosimetry evaluations
      also showed a considerable dose reduction of 79.8% throughout the volume. For
      most of the evaluated cases, the observers thought that diagnostically useful
      information was provided by the VOI images (alpha = .810). Visualization of
      device details, such as the extent of opening, positioning, wall apposition, and
      aneurysm coverage, was judged of good diagnostic quality for most cases (88.9%
      92.6%). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, VOI C-arm CT provided high-quality diagnostic
      images of intracranial stents and flow diverters at a dramatic reduction of
      radiation exposure. Image content was thought to add useful information. It is a
      promising method to assess device status during procedures and at follow-up.

PMID- 26494693
TI  - Evolution of T1 Relaxation, ADC, and Fractional Anisotropy during Early Brain
      Maturation: A Serial Imaging Study on Preterm Infants.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The alteration of brain maturation in preterm infants
      contributes to neurodevelopmental disabilities during childhood. Serial imaging
      allows understanding of the mechanisms leading to dysmaturation in the preterm
      brain. The purpose of the present study was to provide reference quantitative MR
      imaging measures across time in preterm infants, by using ADC, fractional
      anisotropy, and T1 maps obtained by using the magnetization-prepared dual rapid
      acquisition of gradient echo technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included
      preterm neonates born at <30 weeks of gestational age without major brain lesions
      on early cranial sonography and performed 3 MRIs (3T) from birth to term
      equivalent age. Multiple measurements (ADC, fractional anisotropy, and T1
      relaxation) were performed on each examination in 12 defined white and gray
      matter ROIs. RESULTS: We acquired 107 MRIs (35 early, 33 intermediary, and 39 at
      term-equivalent age) in 39 cerebral low-risk preterm infants. Measures of T1
      relaxation time showed a gradual and significant decrease with time in a region-
      and hemispheric-specific manner. ADC values showed a similar decline with time,
      but with more variability than T1 relaxation. An increase of fractional
      anisotropy values was observed in WM regions and inversely a decrease in the
      cortex. CONCLUSIONS: The gradual change with time reflects the progressive
      maturation of the cerebral microstructure in white and gray matter. Our study
      provides reference trajectories from 25 to 40 weeks of gestation of T1
      relaxation, ADC, and fractional anisotropy values in low-risk preterm infants. We
      speculate that deviation thereof might reflect disturbed cerebral maturation; the
      correlation of this disturbed maturation with neurodevelopmental outcome remains
      to be addressed.

PMID- 26494694
TI  - A Potential Biomarker in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Can Assessment of Brain
      Iron Deposition with SWI and Corticospinal Tract Degeneration with DTI Help?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Iron-mediated oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in
      the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This study aimed to assess
      iron deposition qualitatively and quantitatively by using SWI and microstructural
      changes in the corticospinal tract by using DTI in patients with amyotrophic
      lateral sclerosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen patients with amyotrophic
      lateral sclerosis and 15 age- and sex-matched controls underwent brain MR imaging
      with SWI and DTI. SWI was analyzed for both signal-intensity scoring and
      quantitative estimation of iron deposition in the anterior and posterior banks of
      the motor and sensory cortices and deep gray nuclei. The diffusion measurements
      along the corticospinal tract at the level of pons and medulla were obtained by
      ROI analysis. RESULTS: Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis showed reduced
      signal-intensity grades in the posterior bank of the motor cortex bilaterally.
      Quantitative analysis confirmed significantly higher iron content in the
      posterior bank of the motor cortex in patients with amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis. In contrast, no significant differences were noted for the anterior
      bank of the motor cortex, anterior and posterior banks of the sensory cortex, and
      deep nuclei. Receiver operating characteristic comparison showed a cutoff of
      35MUg Fe/g of tissue with an area under the curve of 0.78 (P = .008) for the
      posterior bank of the motor cortex in discriminating patients with amyotrophic
      lateral sclerosis from controls. Fractional anisotropy was lower in the pyramidal
      tracts of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at the pons and medulla on
      either side, along with higher directionally averaged mean diffusivity values.
      The combination of SWI and DTI revealed an area under the curve of 0.784 for
      differentiating patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis from controls.
      CONCLUSIONS: Measurements of motor cortex iron deposition and diffusion tensor
      parameters of the corticospinal tract may be useful biomarkers for the diagnosis
      of clinically suspected amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PMID- 26494695
TI  - Preclinical Testing of a Novel Thin Film Nitinol Flow-Diversion Stent in a Rabbit
      Elastase Aneurysm Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Thin film nitinol can be processed to produce a thin
      microporous sheet with a low percentage of metal coverage (<20%) and high pore
      attenuation (~70 pores/mm(2)) for flow diversion. We present in vivo results from
      the treatment of experimental rabbit aneurysms by using a thin film nitinol-based
      flow-diversion device. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nineteen aneurysms in the rabbit
      elastase aneurysm model were treated with a single thin film nitinol flow
      diverter. Devices were also placed over 17 lumbar arteries to model
      perianeurysmal branch arteries of the intracranial circulation. Angiography was
      performed at 2 weeks (n = 7), 1 month (n = 8), and 3 months (n = 4) immediately
      before sacrifice. Aneurysm occlusion was graded on a 3-point scale (grade I,
      complete occlusion; grade II, near-complete occlusion; grade III, incomplete
      occlusion). Toluidine blue staining was used for histologic evaluation. En face
      CD31 immunofluorescent staining was performed to quantify neck
      endothelialization. RESULTS: Markedly reduced intra-aneurysmal flow was observed
      on angiography immediately after device placement in all aneurysms. Grade I or II
      occlusion was noted in 4 (57%) aneurysms at 2-week, in 6 (75%) aneurysms at 4
      week, and in 3 (75%) aneurysms at 12-week follow-up. All 17 lumbar arteries were
      patent. CD31 staining showed that 75% +/- 16% of the aneurysm neck region was
      endothelialized. Histopathology demonstrated incorporation of the thin film
      nitinol flow diverter into the vessel wall and no evidence of excessive
      neointimal hyperplasia. CONCLUSIONS: In this rabbit model, the thin film nitinol
      flow diverter achieved high rates of aneurysm occlusion and promoted tissue in
      growth and aneurysm neck healing, even early after implantation.

PMID- 26494696
TI  - REPLY.

PMID- 26494697
TI  - Recent Advances in Understanding Gadolinium Retention in the Brain.

PMID- 26494698
TI  - The Effect of Body Mass Index on Pelvic Floor Support 1 Year Postpartum.
AB  - Elevated body mass index (BMI) is associated with the incidence, prevalence, and
      progression of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). This study investigated the effect of
      peripartum BMI on pelvic floor support 1 year postpartum (PP1y). One hundred
      eight nulliparous women had their BMI recorded and underwent POP assessments
      using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification System at baseline, third
      trimester (36th to 38th week of pregnancy [G36-38w]), and PP1y. Pelvic organ
      prolapse was defined as >=stage II. Women gained on average 1.9 kg between
      baseline and PP1y. After adjustment, increasing BMI PP1y was associated with
      increasing anterior wall descent (P < .0001) and higher odds of having POP PP1y
      (odds ratio: 1.41, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.97, P = .045). Trial of labor
      compared to unlabored cesarean delivery, POP G36-38w, and decreased fetal weight
      were independently associated with anterior vaginal wall laxity PP1y. Our finding
      suggests that postpartum BMI influences pelvic floor laxity 1 year after
      delivery. Postpartum weight reduction may serve as a strategy for POP prevention
      in some women. 

PMID- 26494699
TI  - Cysteine Prevents Menopausal Syndromes in Ovariectomized Mouse.
AB  - Cysteine (Cys) is well known to be involved in oxidation-reduction reactions,
      serving as a source of sulfides in the body. Amino acids are known to improve
      menopausal symptoms and significantly reduce morbidity. This study aims to find
      an unrevealed effect of Cys with estrogenic and osteogenic actions.
      Ovariectomized (OVX) mice were treated with Cys daily for 8 weeks. Estrogen
      related and osteoporosis-related factors were analyzed in the vagina, serum, and
      tibia. Cys was treated in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive human osteoblast-like
      MG-63 cells and ER-positive human breast cancer Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF
      7) cells. Cysteine administration ameliorated overweightness of the body and
      vaginal atrophy in the OVX mice. Cysteine increased the levels of alkaline
      phosphatase (ALP) and 17beta-estradiol in the serum of the OVX mice and improved
      the bone mineral density in the OVX mice. In MG-63 cells, Cys increased the
      proliferation, ERbeta messenger RNA (mRNA) expression, and estrogen response
      element (ERE) activity. Cysteine increased the ALP activity and the
      phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase. In MCF-7 cells, Cys
      also increased the proliferation, ERbeta mRNA expression, and ERE activity. Taken
      together, these results demonstrated that Cys has estrogenic and osteogenic
      activities in OVX mice, MG-63 cells, and MCF-7 cells. The novel insights gained
      here strongly imply the potential use of Cys as a new agent for postmenopausal
      women. 

PMID- 26494700
TI  - Swine Granulosa Cells Show Typical Endothelial Cell Characteristics.
AB  - Granulosa cells, which belong to the somatic compartment of the ovarian follicle,
      are actively involved as endocrine cells in follicle growth. Recently, it has
      been proposed that these cells are not terminally differentiated and possess
      multipotency. Therefore, we cultured swine granulosa cells in specific
      endothelial cell culture medium (EBM-2), and phenotypic and functional
      characteristics of endothelial cells were assessed. The collected data suggest
      that these endocrine cells can also behave as endothelial cells, therefore
      potentially contributing to follicular angiogenesis, a crucial process in
      follicle growth and selection. 

PMID- 26494701
TI  - The Impact of Multiparity on Uterine Gene Expression and Decidualization in Mice.
AB  - It has been well established that a previous pregnancy exhibits a beneficial
      effect on the subsequent pregnancy. However, the underlying mechanisms have not
      been defined. We hypothesized that multiparity may affect decidualization process
      during early pregnancy. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed global gene changes
      associated with multiparity in the mouse uterus using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq).
      We identified a total of 131 differentially expressed genes (fold change > 2 and
      false discovery rate < 0.05), of which 58 were downregulated and 73 genes were
      upregulated in the second pregnancy (SP) compared to the first pregnancy.
      Functional clustering analysis showed that genes involved in stress response were
      significantly enriched. Most importantly, a significant portion of differentially
      expressed genes, 14 genes or 10.7%, overlapped with the gene list associated with
      decidualization. Quantitative reverse transcription (RT) polymerase chain
      reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis confirmed a decreased expression of 4 genes (Klk1,
      kallikrein 1; H2-Eb1, histocompatibility 2 class II antigen E beta; Mmp7, matrix
      metallopeptidase 7; Pdpn, podoplanin) and an increase in expression of 2 genes
      (Thy1, thymus cell antigen 1; Ptgs2, prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2) in
      SP. Beyond protein-coding genes, we also identified a differentially expressed
      long noncoding RNA AI506816. Our data provide new insights into the molecular
      mechanisms underlying the beneficial effect of multiparity. 

PMID- 26494703
TI  - Endoscopic Treatment for Persistent Hematospermia: A Novel Technique Using a
      Holmium Laser.
AB  - PURPOSE: We present our endoscopic technique for treating ejaculatory duct and
      seminal vesicle diseases with a holmium laser. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen
      patients with persistent hematospermia were enrolled in this study from June 2007
      to April 2014. All patients had failed medical treatments. All patients were
      evaluated with transrectal ultrasound and pelvic computed tomography or magnetic
      resonance imaging. We performed endoscopic treatment with a semi-rigid
      ureteroscope after dilation using a guidewire and ureteral serial dilator. A
      holmium laser was used to incise the obstructed ejaculatory duct, coagulate
      hemorrhagic mucosa, and fragment stones in the ejaculatory duct or seminal
      vesicles. Stones were removed using a basket and forceps. RESULTS: The mean
      duration of hematospermia was 30.6 months. Mean patient age was 45.3 years. The
      mean serum levels of prostate-specific antigen and testosterone were 1.36 and
      4.95 ng/mL, respectively. No operative complications were encountered. Mean
      operative time was 35.4 min. Seven patients had ejaculatory duct or seminal
      vesicle stones, which were subsequently determined to be carbonate apatite,
      mucin, struvite, and calcium oxalate dehydrate stones. Mean duration of follow-up
      was 32.1 months. Although two patients showed recurrent hematospermia 11 and 12
      months after the operation, hematospermia resolved in 13 patients (86.7%). The
      infertile patient showed an improved semen finding and had a successful
      pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic treatment using a holmium laser is minimally
      invasive and was effective for treating ejaculatory duct and seminal vesicle
      diseases, which are the main cause of hematospermia.

PMID- 26494702
TI  - Evolutionary and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Hepaciviruses and Pegiviruses.
AB  - The known genetic diversity of the hepaciviruses and pegiviruses has increased
      greatly in recent years through the discovery of viruses related to hepatitis C
      virus and human pegivirus in bats, bovines, equines, primates, and rodents.
      Analysis of these new species is important for research into animal models of
      hepatitis C virus infection and into the zoonotic origins of human viruses. Here,
      we provide the first systematic phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis of these
      two genera at the whole-genome level. Phylogenies confirmed that hepatitis C
      virus is most closely related to viruses from horses whereas human pegiviruses
      clustered with viruses from African primates. Within each genus, several well
      supported lineages were identified and viral diversity was structured by both
      host species and location of sampling. Recombination analyses provided evidence
      of interspecific recombination in hepaciviruses, but none in the pegiviruses.
      Putative mosaic genome structures were identified in NS5B gene region and were
      supported by multiple tests. The identification of interspecific recombination in
      the hepaciviruses represents an important evolutionary event that could be
      clarified by future sampling of novel viruses. We also identified parallel amino
      acid changes shared by distantly related lineages that infect similar types of
      host. Notable parallel changes were clustered in the NS3 and NS4B genes and
      provide a useful starting point for experimental studies of the evolution of
      Hepacivirus host-virus interactions. 

PMID- 26494704
TI  - Modelling and estimation of HIV prevalence and number of people living with HIV
      in India, 2010-2011.
AB  - This paper provides HIV estimation methodology used in India and key HIV
      estimates for 2010-2011. We used a modified version of the Spectrum tool that
      included an Estimation and Projection Package as part of its AIDS Impact Module.
      Inputs related to population size, age-specific pattern of fertility, gender
      ratio at birth, age and gender-specific pattern of mortality, and volume and age
      gender distribution of net migration were derived from census records, the Sample
      Registration System and large-scale demographic health surveys. Epidemiological
      and programmatic data were derived from HIV sentinel surveillance, large-scale
      epidemiological surveys and the programme management information system.
      Estimated adult HIV prevalence retained a declining trend in India, following its
      peak in 2002 at a level of 0.41% (within bounds 0.35-0.47%). By 2010 and 2011, it
      levelled at estimates of 0.28% (0.24-0.34%) and 0.27% (0.22-0.33%), respectively.
      The estimated number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) reduced by 8% between 2007
      and 2011. While children accounted for approximately 6.3% of total HIV infections
      in 2007, this proportion increased to about 7% in 2011. With changing priorities
      and epidemic patterns, the programme has to customise its strategies to
      effectively address the emerging vulnerabilities and adapt them to suit the
      requirements of different geographical regions.

PMID- 26494705
TI  - Intestinal spirochaetosis causing chronic diarrhoea in a patient with HIV
      infection.
AB  - A 36-year-old Caucasian homosexual man was found to have HIV infection on routine
      screening. He had an eight-year history of chronic diarrhoea, which pre-dated the
      HIV diagnosis and did not improve after the introduction of combination
      antiretroviral therapy. After referral to the Gastroenterology department, he
      underwent fibreoptic colonoscopy. Colonic biopsies revealed the presence of
      intestinal spirochaetosis. He received a two-week course of metronidazole, which
      led to complete resolution of his diarrhoea. Intestinal spirochaetosis should be
      considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with HIV infection and
      chronic diarrhoea without other apparent cause.

PMID- 26494706
TI  - Laboratory Evaluations of Durability of Southern Pine Pressure Treated With
      Extractives From Durable Wood Species.
AB  - Extracts from sawdust of four naturally durable wood species [Alaskan yellow
      cedar, AYC, Cupressus nootkanansis D. Don 1824; eastern red cedar, ERC, Juniperus
      virginiana L.; honey mesquite, HM, Prosopis glandulosa Torr.; and black locust,
      BL, Robinia pseudoacacia L.] were used to treat southern pine, Pt, Pinus taeda L.
      sapwood blocks. Extractive treated blocks were evaluated for decay resistance in
      standard soil bottle fungal assays challenged with brown and white rot decay
      fungi. Results showed that extractives did impart some improvement to decay
      resistance of Pt blocks. BL- and HM-treated Pt blocks were also used in choice
      and no-choice assays to determine feeding preference and damage by eastern
      subterranean termites (Reticulitermes flavipes) Kollar. Minimal feeding on
      treated blocks was seen in both choice and no-choice assays. In choice assays,
      there was similar mortality between HM and BL arenas; however, in no-choice
      assays, complete mortality was recorded for HM-treated Pt and high mortality was
      seen with BL-treated Pt. Subsequent dose mortality termite assays showed HM to be
      effective in killing R. flavipes at low concentrations. Both HM and BL show
      promise as deterrents or termiticidal protectants and will be further evaluated
      in field studies. 

PMID- 26494707
TI  - Heat Tolerance of the Brown Recluse Spider (Araneae: Sicariidae): Potential for
      Pest Control.
AB  - The brown recluse spider, Loxosceles reclusa Gertsch & Mulaik, is a well-known
      venomous spider common in the south-central United States where infestations can
      reach thousands of individuals in a single structure. Bites from this spider pose
      a risk of dermonecrotic lesions (loxoscelism) or, rarely, more serious systemic
      effects. The heat tolerance of this spider is understudied but may offer an
      alternative pest control solution to pesticides or fumigation, both of which have
      their disadvantages. We subjected brown recluse spiders to increasing
      temperatures to establish the upper lethal temperature (LT). Using probit
      analysis to generate probability of mortality at increasing temperatures, we then
      exposed adult spiders to the observed LT50 to simulate whole-room heat treatment.
      Laboratory results predict exposure to 48 degrees C for 130 min will achieve 100%
      mortality of adult spiders. Field tests need to be conducted to determine the
      efficacy of heat treatment in a variety of real-world situations. 

PMID- 26494708
TI  - Effect of Aggregation and Cage Setting on Some Life-History Parameters of
      Aleurodicus Rugioperculatus (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae).
AB  - Fecundity is defined as the number of progeny produced by an organism. In our
      study, we used three different experimental settings to measure the fecundity of
      rugose spiraling whitefly (Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin), a recent invasive
      insect in Florida, on Strelitzia nicolai host plants. The adult longevity was
      significantly different among treatments, with females surviving significantly
      longer in groups in whole-plant cages and individual females in clip cages
      compared with individual females in whole-plant cages. Females laid 34.5 +/- 8.4,
      156.4 +/- 18.3, and 225.2 +/- 18 eggs, on average, when kept individually in
      whole-plant cages, in a group in whole-plant cages, and individually in clip
      cages, respectively. In all treatments, there was a significant correlation
      between the longevity and fecundity of females. Males emerged earlier than
      females in all treatments. Virgin females produced only males in the F1, while
      mated females produced both males and females, which suggests an arrhenotokous
      parthenogenesis. The egg-to-adult survival of the whitefly was 29 +/- 4%, and the
      highest mortality occurred at the crawler stage when reared on S. nicolai. The
      results showed a significant effect of aggregation and cage setting on longevity
      and fecundity of this whitefly. To conclude, the experimental setting of the
      group fecundity treatment is more similar to what occurs in the landscape. Such a
      significant effect of cage setting and aggregation on the life-history parameters
      should be always taken into account when designing experiments or interpreting
      results.

PMID- 26494709
TI  - Posttreatment Feeding Affects Mortality of Bed Bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)
      Exposed to Insecticides.
AB  - Insecticide sprays and dusts are used for controlling bed bugs, Cimex lectularius
      L. In natural environments, bed bugs have daily access to hosts after they are
      exposed to insecticides. The established laboratory insecticide bioassay
      protocols do not provide feeding after insecticide treatments, which can result
      in inflated mortality compared with what would be encountered in the field. We
      evaluated the effect of posttreatment feeding on mortality of bed bugs treated
      with different insecticides. None of the insecticides tested had a significant
      effect on the amount of blood consumed and percent feeding. The effect of
      posttreatment feeding on bed bug mortality varied among different insecticides.
      Feeding significantly reduced mortality in bed bugs exposed to deltamethrin
      spray, an essential oil mixture (Bed Bug Fix) spray, and diatomaceous earth dust.
      Feeding increased the mean survival time for bed bugs treated with chlorfenapyr
      spray and a spray containing an essential oil mixture (Ecoraider), but did not
      affect the final mortality. First instars hatched from eggs treated with
      chlorfenapyr liquid spray had reduced feeding compared with nymphs hatched from
      nontreated eggs. Those nymphs hatched from eggs treated with chlorfenapyr liquid
      spray and successfully fed had reduced mortality and a higher mean survival time
      than those without feeding. We conclude that the availability of a bloodmeal
      after insecticide exposure has a significant effect on bed bug mortality.
      Protocols for insecticide efficacy testing should consider offering a bloodmeal
      to the treated bed bugs within 1 to 3 d after treatment. 

PMID- 26494710
TI  - Case report: facial nerve palsy, necrotising otitis externa and leishmaniasis.

PMID- 26494711
TI  - Silencio/CG9754 connects the Piwi-piRNA complex to the cellular heterochromatin
      machinery.
AB  - The repression of transposable elements in eukaryotes often involves their
      transcriptional silencing via targeted chromatin modifications. In animal gonads,
      nuclear Argonaute proteins of the PIWI clade complexed with small guide RNAs
      (piRNAs) serve as sequence specificity determinants in this process. How binding
      of nuclear PIWI-piRNA complexes to nascent transcripts orchestrates
      heterochromatin formation and transcriptional silencing is unknown. Here, we
      characterize CG9754/Silencio as an essential piRNA pathway factor that is
      required for Piwi-mediated transcriptional silencing in Drosophila. Ectopic
      targeting of Silencio to RNA or DNA is sufficient to elicit silencing
      independently of Piwi and known piRNA pathway factors. Instead, Silencio requires
      the H3K9 methyltransferase Eggless/SetDB1 for its silencing ability. In agreement
      with this, SetDB1, but not Su(var)3-9, is required for Piwi-mediated
      transcriptional silencing genome-wide. Due to its interaction with the target
      engaged Piwi-piRNA complex, we suggest that Silencio acts as linker between the
      sequence specificity factor Piwi and the cellular heterochromatin machinery. 

PMID- 26494713
TI  - Recurrent episodes of unexplained hypoelectrolytaemia of a rare cause in a young
      Saudi girl.
AB  - We report a case of a 36-month-old Saudi girl who presented with recurrent
      episodes of unexplained hypoelectrolytaemia. Her cystic fibrosis CFTR (Cystic
      Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator) full gene sequence confirmed that
      she was homozygous for D579G mutation. 

PMID- 26494712
TI  - A chromatin-independent role of Polycomb-like 1 to stabilize p53 and promote
      cellular quiescence.
AB  - Polycomb-like proteins 1-3 (PCL1-3) are substoichiometric components of the
      Polycomb-repressive complex 2 (PRC2) that are essential for association of the
      complex with chromatin. However, it remains unclear why three proteins with such
      apparent functional redundancy exist in mammals. Here we characterize their
      divergent roles in both positively and negatively regulating cellular
      proliferation. We show that while PCL2 and PCL3 are E2F-regulated genes expressed
      in proliferating cells, PCL1 is a p53 target gene predominantly expressed in
      quiescent cells. Ectopic expression of any PCL protein recruits PRC2 to repress
      the INK4A gene; however, only PCL2 and PCL3 confer an INK4A-dependent
      proliferative advantage. Remarkably, PCL1 has evolved a PRC2- and chromatin
      independent function to negatively regulate proliferation. We show that PCL1
      binds to and stabilizes p53 to induce cellular quiescence. Moreover, depletion of
      PCL1 phenocopies the defects in maintaining cellular quiescence associated with
      p53 loss. This newly evolved function is achieved by the binding of the PCL1 N
      terminal PHD domain to the C-terminal domain of p53 through two unique serine
      residues, which were acquired during recent vertebrate evolution. This study
      illustrates the functional bifurcation of PCL proteins, which act in both a
      chromatin-dependent and a chromatin-independent manner to regulate the INK4A and
      p53 pathways. 

PMID- 26494714
TI  - Disseminated cryptococcosis in an apparently immunocompetent patient presenting
      with primary intraventricular haemorrhage.
AB  - Disseminated cryptococcosis is uncommon and almost always occurs in HIV-infected
      patients. However, cryptococcosis can also be found in patients of organ
      transplantation, in those on disease modifying agents for rheumatological
      conditions and in patients with underlying immunodeficiency. Cryptococcal
      infection may occur in an immunocompetent patient, but the pathogenic strain is
      usually Cryptococcus gattii, and not C. neoformans. However, disseminated
      disease, especially cerebral involvement in the form of primary intraventricular
      haemorrhage, is exceedingly rare. We report a case of disseminated cryptococcosis
      with cutaneous, cerebral and bone marrow involvement in an HIV-negative,
      apparently immunocompetent patient. Although the patient did not have the usual
      immunocompromising diseases, there were clinical signs possibly indicating a
      weakened immune system. This report highlights the need for awareness of
      disseminated cryptococcosis among patients with no apparent immunocompromising
      conditions. 

PMID- 26494715
TI  - Central and peripheral nervous system involvement in neuromelioidosis.
AB  - We report a case of a 33-year-old Sri Lankan man who presented with flaccid
      quadriparesis with brainstem signs and acute motor axonal polyneuropathy. MRI of
      the brain showed multiple abscesses with ring enhancement seen predominantly in
      the brainstem and upper cervical cord. The patient was initially treated with
      intravenous immunoglobulin, considering this to be a form of Guillain-Barre
      syndrome. Cerebrospinal fluid, however, showed lymphocytic pleocytosis with
      raised protein. Tests for Brucella, tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, syphilis and HIV
      were negative. Chest X-ray revealed a cavity in the left lung, which, on
      bronchoscopy, showed a collection of purulent secretions. Culture of these
      secretions grew Burkholderia pseudomallei. The patient was treated with two
      courses of intravenous antibiotics, with resultant radiological improvement;
      however, with significant morbidity. 

PMID- 26494716
TI  - Group C streptococcal septic arthritis of a prosthetic hip joint following dental
      treatment.
AB  - We report a case of a prosthetic joint infection occurring secondary to group C
      Streptococcus following dental treatment in a 66-year-old woman. This patient
      presented 11 years following a right hip resurfacing procedure with increasing
      pain and difficulty mobilising the right hip. An ultrasound and MRI scan
      identified a collection in the right hip joint, which was subsequently aspirated.
      Cultures revealed a group C Streptococcus. Extensive washout and surgical
      debridement of the hip joint was undertaken and the patient was treated with a
      protracted course of antibiotics. At 1 year follow-up, the patient demonstrated
      no evidence of recurrent infection. We discuss the evidence underlying
      prophylactic antibiotic usage regarding dental procedures in the prevention of
      septic arthritis in patients with prosthetic joints. We also review the spectrum
      of diseases caused by this organism.

PMID- 26494718
TI  - A shattered kidney: a pitfall in imaging of renal trauma.

PMID- 26494719
TI  - Prolapse of inverted ileal loops through a patent vitellointestinal duct.
AB  - We report a case of a prolapsed patent vitellointestinal duct (PVID) in a 2-month
      old girl child who presented with sudden increase in size of a polypoidal lesion
      into a large, 'Y'-shaped reddish, prolapsing lesion, discharging gaseous and
      faecal matter at her umbilicus. The lesion was diagnosed as a prolapse of
      inverted ileal loops through the PVID. The child had no associated congenital
      anomalies. A transumbilical exploration was performed, followed by wedge
      resection and anastomosis. The child tolerated the procedure well and the
      postoperative course was uneventful. If the omphalomesenteric duct fails to
      obliterate a range of congenital defects related to the umbilicus, it can become
      clinically apparent. Meckel's diverticulum is the commonest of these defects but
      is most often asymptomatic. PVID is the most common symptomatic anomaly of the
      patent omphalomesenteric duct and requires prompt surgical correction to avoid
      complications. 

PMID- 26494717
TI  - A STAT1-gain-of-function mutation causing Th17 deficiency with chronic
      mucocutaneous candidiasis, psoriasiform hyperkeratosis and dermatophytosis.
AB  - During recent years, inborn errors of human IL-17 immunity have been demonstrated
      to underlie primary immunodeficiencies with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis
      (CMC). Various defects in receptors responsible for sensing of Candida albicans
      or downstream signalling to IL-17 may lead to susceptibility to Candida
      infection. While CMC is common in patients with profound T cell
      immunodeficiencies, CMC is also recognised as part of other immunodeficiencies in
      syndromic CMC, or as relatively isolated CMC disease. We describe a 40-year-old
      woman with a clinical picture involving cutaneous bacterial abscesses, chronic
      oral candidiasis and extensive dermatophytic infection of the feet. By whole
      exome sequencing, we identified a STAT1-gain-of-function mutation. Moreover, the
      patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells displayed severely impaired Th17
      responses. The patient was treated with antifungals and prophylactic antibiotics,
      which led to resolution of the infection. We discuss the current knowledge within
      the field of Th17 deficiency and the pathogenesis and treatment of CMC. 

PMID- 26494720
TI  - Pseudomyxoma peritonei diagnosed 19 years after appendicectomy.
AB  - Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is an uncommon clinical finding describing the
      intraperitoneal accumulation of abundant mucinous, jelly-like material. This
      entity may represent a spectrum of diseases ranging from mucinous ascites,
      commonly associated with ruptured epithelial tumours of the appendix, to frank
      mucinous carcinomatosis. In cases of appendiceal origin, the patient may present
      with signs and symptoms of acute appendicitis, and thus careful diagnosis must be
      made in order to correctly and appropriately guide management. This may include a
      combination of surgical debulking with or without intraperitoneal or systemic
      chemotherapy. We present a 52-year-old woman with a 4-month history of abdominal
      pain and distension with a previous appendicectomy 19 years earlier. Radiological
      and pathological investigations diagnosed a probable PMP secondary to ruptured
      appendicitis many years ago. We describe her unique case, with emphasis on length
      of time to diagnosis and clinical management by surgical cytoreduction alone.

PMID- 26494721
TI  - HbM methaemoglobinaemia as a rare case of early neonatal benign cyanosis.
AB  - Early neonatal central cyanosis that is unrelated to cardiopulmonary causes,
      alerts clinicians to possibility of methaemoglobinaemia. Congenital
      methaemoglobinaemia due to haemoglobin M is an autosomal dominant disorder
      characterised by lifelong cyanosis. We report a case presentation and review of
      diagnostic pitfalls of a newborn who presented with central cyanosis;
      investigations revealed a low methaemoglobin reductase (2.2 IU/g Hb), with normal
      maternal levels (9.1 IU/g Hb). Therefore, haemoglobinopathy investigations were
      completed on the mother and her baby, which showed an alpha-globin variant in
      both. The maternal alpha2 globin gene sequencing showed heterozygosity for
      haemoglobin M Boston (alpha58 His -> Tyr).

PMID- 26494722
TI  - Freeman-Sheldon syndrome in a 29-year-old woman presenting with rare and
      previously undescribed features.
AB  - Described are previously unreported features presenting in a case of Freeman
      Sheldon syndrome (FSS); these apparently unreported features may substantively
      inform current therapy and further research. While considered to be primarily a
      craniofacial syndrome, FSS is officially described as a myopathic distal
      arthrogryposis. Clinical diagnosis requires microstomia, whistling-face
      appearance (pursed lips), H-shaped chin dimpling, nasolabial folds, and two or
      more contractures of hands and feet. Spinal deformities, metabolic and
      gastroenterological problems, other dysmorphic craniofacial characteristics, and
      visual and auditory impairments are frequent findings. Differential diagnoses
      include: distal arthrogryposis type 1, 2B (Sheldon-Hall syndrome) and 3;
      arthrogryposis multiplex congenita and isolated non-syndromic deformities.
      Expression is frequently from new allelic variation. Important implications exist
      for geneticists, neonatologists, paediatricians, plastic surgeons and others to
      facilitate patients' legitimate opportunity to meaningfully overcome functional
      limitations and become well. Despite complexities and complications, early
      craniofacial surgery and aggressive physiotherapy for limb contractures can
      achieve excellent outcomes for patients. 

PMID- 26494723
TI  - Intraosseous cavernous haemangioma of the inferior turbinate.
AB  - Intraosseous cavernous haemangiomas usually occur in the vertebral and calvarial
      bones, and account for <1% of primary bone tumours. Nasal cavity intraosseous
      cavernous haemangiomas are extremely rare. We present a case of a 47-year-old
      woman with an incidental left inferior turbinate mass noted on CT scan for an
      unrelated pathology. She had no rhinological symptoms other than a 2-year history
      of left-sided nasal obstruction. Preoperative imaging failed to determine the
      aetiology of the mass. The lesion, contiguous with the left inferior turbinate,
      was successfully resected via an endoscopic approach. Histopathological
      examination of the resected specimen demonstrated a left inferior turbinate
      intraosseous cavernous haemangioma. 

PMID- 26494724
TI  - Pemphigus vulgaris: a rare cause of dysphagia.
AB  - Pemphigus vulgaris is a rare autoimmune blistering disease of the skin and mucous
      membranes. The case reported presented unusually with dyspepsia that was not
      responsive to protein pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy. This progressed to severe
      dysphagia and odynophagia. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed extensive
      ulceration of the esophagus, and direct immunofluorescence of an esophageal
      biopsy showed bright intercellular staining with C3 and IgG, confirming the
      diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris. Immunological remission was achieved after a
      number of courses of pulsed intravenous methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide.
      The patient has remained in remission for 5 years, but has required regular
      dilation of esophageal strictures for symptom relief. During this period, a
      chronic lymphocytosis was incidentally noted on routine blood tests, and chronic
      lymphocytic leukaemia was diagnosed. It is essential to investigate PPI-resistant
      symptoms, dysphagia and odynophagia, as they may indicate a serious underlying
      cause.

PMID- 26494725
TI  - Severe post-influenza (H1N1) encephalitis involving pulvinar nuclei in an adult
      patient.
AB  - Neurological complications of H1N1 infections are mostly found in children, but
      rare cases of acute encephalopathy and post-infectious encephalitis such as acute
      disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) have been described in adults. We report a
      case of an adult presenting with a progressive and severe encephalopathy that
      developed after H1N1 respiratory infection resolution. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
      analysis was normal, including negative PCR for herpes simplex virus, H1N1,
      influenza B and JC virus, and absent oligoclonal IgG bands in CSF and serum.
      Initial CT scan was normal, but later MRI showed posterior multifocal
      leucoencephalopathy with pulvinar sign. The delayed neurological findings
      together with the ancillary investigation, namely the MRI pattern with both grey
      and white matter involvement, raised the possibility of a post-infectious
      process, rather than an acute encephalitis. Despite aggressive immunotherapy, the
      patient experienced severe neurological sequelae. Early recognition of ADEM
      manifestations by those dealing with H1N1 infection is important as early
      immunotherapy may improve the prognosis. 

PMID- 26494726
TI  - Genomic characterisation of two cancers of unknown primary cases supports a
      kidney cancer origin.
AB  - Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) comprises of 3-5% of new cancer diagnoses in the
      USA. Diagnostic work up typically includes CT of the chest, abdomen and pelvis,
      and histopathological review of tissue specimens. These measures are neither
      sensitive nor specific in determining tissue of origin (ToO) of primary tumours
      and, therefore, are unable to guide therapy. We present two cases of CUP for
      which we utilised ultra-deep genomic sequencing to identify the candidate ToO and
      to propose treatment. Patient 1 presented with metastases involving the lung,
      lymph nodes and bone. Patient 2 presented with an acute pathological fracture of
      the T7 vertebral body and metastases involving the bone, lymph nodes and soft
      tissue. No primary renal mass was found. Sequencing revealed SETD2 and NF2
      mutations, and heterozygous loss of the short arm of chromosome 3 (3p). Mutations
      in conjunction with clinicopathological features strongly support a diagnosis of
      renal cell carcinoma. Both patients initially responded to mTORC1 inhibition
      therapy. 

PMID- 26494727
TI  - Active Tuberculosis in HIV-Exposed Tanzanian Children up to 2 years of Age: Early
      Life Nutrition, Multivitamin Supplementation and Other Potential Risk Factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Over half a million children worldwide develop active tuberculosis
      (TB) each year. Early-life nutritional exposures have rarely been examined in
      relation to pediatric TB among HIV-exposed children. We therefore investigated
      independent associations of early-life nutritional exposures with active TB among
      HIV-exposed children up to 2 years of age. METHODS: Participants were children
      from a randomized controlled multivitamin supplementation trial conducted in Dar
      es Salaam, Tanzania, from August 2004 to May 2008, who received daily
      multivitamin supplements or placebo for 24 months. RESULTS: Lower mean
      corpuscular volumes [relative risks (RR): 0.48, 95% confidence interval (CI):
      0.27, 0.87] and higher birth weights (RR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.99) were
      protective against active TB, whereas multivitamin supplementation was not
      associated with TB risk (RR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.65, 1.16). CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of
      nutrition-related risk and protective factors for TB in HIV-exposed children
      could enhance preventive and case-finding activities in this population,
      contributing to efforts to reduce the global TB burden.

PMID- 26494728
TI  - The Role of 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing in Confirmation of Suspected Neonatal
      Sepsis.
AB  - Different molecular assays for the detection of bacterial DNA in the peripheral
      blood represented a diagnostic tool for neonatal sepsis. We targeted to evaluate
      the role of 16S rRNA gene sequencing to screen for bacteremia to confirm
      suspected neonatal sepsis (NS) and compare with risk factors and septic screen
      testing. Sixty-two neonates with suspected NS were enrolled. White blood cells
      count, I/T ratio, C-reactive protein, blood culture and 16S rRNA sequencing were
      performed. Blood culture was positive in 26% of cases, and PCR was positive in
      26% of cases. Evaluation of PCR for the diagnosis of NS showed sensitivity 62.5%,
      specificity 86.9%, PPV 62.5%, NPV 86.9% and accuracy of 79.7%. 16S rRNA PCR
      increased the sensitivity of detecting bacterial DNA in newborns with signs of
      sepsis from 26 to 35.4%, and its use can be limited to cases with the most
      significant risk factors and positive septic screen. 

PMID- 26494729
TI  - A tillering inhibition gene influences root-shoot carbon partitioning and pattern
      of water use to improve wheat productivity in rainfed environments.
AB  - Genetic modification of shoot and root morphology has potential to improve water
      and nutrient uptake of wheat crops in rainfed environments. Near-isogenic lines
      (NILs) varying for a tillering inhibition (tin) gene and representing multiple
      genetic backgrounds were phenotyped in contrasting, controlled environments for
      shoot and root growth. Leaf area, shoot and root biomass were similar until
      tillering, whereupon reduced tillering in tin-containing NILs produced reductions
      of up to 60% in total leaf area and biomass, and increases in total root length
      of up to 120% and root biomass to 145%. Together, the root-to-shoot ratio
      increased two-fold with the tin gene. The influence of tin on shoot and root
      growth was greatest in the cv. Banks genetic background, particularly in the
      biculm-selected NIL, and was typically strongest in cooler environments. A
      separate de-tillering study confirmed greater root-to-shoot ratios with regular
      tiller removal in non-tin-containing genotypes. In validating these observations
      in a rainfed field study, the tin allele had a negligible effect on seedling
      growth but was associated with significantly (P<0.05) reduced tiller number (
      37%), leaf area index (-26%), and spike number (-35%) to reduce plant biomass (
      19%) at anthesis. Root biomass, root-to-shoot ratio at early stem elongation, and
      root depth at maturity were all increased in tin-containing NILs. Soil water use
      was slowed in tin-containing NILs, resulting in greater water availability,
      greater stomatal conductance, cooler canopy temperatures, and maintenance of
      green leaf area during grain-filling. Together these effects contributed to
      increases in harvest index and grain yield. In both the controlled and field
      environments, the tin gene was commonly associated with increased root length and
      biomass, but the significant influence of genetic background and environment
      suggests careful assessment of tin-containing progeny in selection for genotypic
      increases in root growth. 

PMID- 26494732
TI  - AtFH1 formin mutation affects actin filament and microtubule dynamics in
      Arabidopsis thaliana.

PMID- 26494730
TI  - Overexpression of mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) induces a hypoxic
      response in Nicotiana tabacum leaves.
AB  - Mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) decreases reactive oxygen species
      production under stress conditions by uncoupling the electrochemical gradient
      from ATP synthesis. This study combined transcriptome profiling with
      experimentally induced hypoxia to mechanistically dissect the impact of
      Arabidopsis thaliana UCP1 (AtUCP1) overexpression in tobacco. Transcriptomic
      analysis of AtUCP1-overexpressing (P07) and wild-type (WT) plants was carried out
      using RNA sequencing. Metabolite and carbohydrate profiling of hypoxia-treated
      plants was performed using (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high
      performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. The
      transcriptome of P07 plants revealed a broad induction of stress-responsive genes
      that were not strictly related to the mitochondrial antioxidant machinery,
      suggesting that overexpression of AtUCP1 imposes a strong stress response within
      the cell. In addition, transcripts that mapped into carbon fixation and energy
      expenditure pathways were broadly altered. It was found that metabolite markers
      of hypoxic adaptation, such as alanine and tricarboxylic acid intermediates,
      accumulated in P07 plants under control conditions at similar rates to WT plants
      under hypoxia. These findings indicate that constitutive overexpression of AtUCP1
      induces a hypoxic response. The metabolites that accumulated in P07 plants are
      believed to be important in signalling for an improvement in carbon assimilation
      and induction of a hypoxic response. Under these conditions, mitochondrial ATP
      production is less necessary and fermentative glycolysis becomes critical to meet
      cell energy demands. In this scenario, the more flexible energy metabolism along
      with an intrinsically activated hypoxic response make these plants better adapted
      to face several biotic and abiotic stresses. 

PMID- 26494733
TI  - Smart villages.

PMID- 26494731
TI  - Stability of small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) proteases OVERLY TOLERANT TO
      SALT1 and -2 modulates salicylic acid signalling and SUMO1/2 conjugation in
      Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Small ubiquitin-like modifier proteases 1 and 2 (SUMO1/2) have been linked to the
      regulation of salicylic acid (SA)-mediated defence signalling in Arabidopsis
      thaliana. In order to define the role of the SUMO proteases OVERLY TOLERANT TO
      SALT1 and -2 (OTS1/2) in defence and to provide insight into SUMO1/2-mediated
      regulation of SA signalling, we examined the status of SA-mediated defences in
      ots1/2 mutants. The ots1 ots2 double mutant displayed enhanced resistance to
      virulent Pseudomonas syringae and higher levels of SA compared with wild-type
      (WT) plants. Furthermore, ots1 ots2 mutants exhibited upregulated expression of
      the SA biosynthesis gene ICS1 in addition to enhanced SA-responsive ICS1
      expression beyond that of WT. SA stimulated OTS1/2 degradation and promoted
      accumulation of SUMO1/2 conjugates. These results indicate that OTS1 and -2 act
      in a feedback loop in SA signalling and that de novo OTS1/2 synthesis works
      antagonistically to SA-promoted degradation, adjusting the abundance of OTS1/2 to
      moderate SA signalling. Accumulation of SUMO1/2 conjugates coincides with SA
      promoted OTS degradation and may play a positive role in SA-mediated signalling
      in addition to its repressive roles reported elsewhere. 

PMID- 26494735
TI  - NUCLEAR PHYSICS. U.S. targets matter-antimatter frontier.

PMID- 26494736
TI  - Q&A. Shining a light on sexual harassment in astronomy.

PMID- 26494737
TI  - NEUROSCIENCE. Second bid for brain observatory.

PMID- 26494738
TI  - CELL BIOLOGY. Protein 'drops' may seed brain disease.

PMID- 26494739
TI  - REGULATORY SCIENCE. Europe's food watchdog embraces transparency.

PMID- 26494740
TI  - Twisted logic.

PMID- 26494741
TI  - Out of the darkness.

PMID- 26494742
TI  - STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY. Assembling the wheel of death.

PMID- 26494743
TI  - PHYSICS. Chiral anomaly without relativity.

PMID- 26494744
TI  - NEUROSCIENCE. The unknowns of cognitive enhancement.

PMID- 26494745
TI  - STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY. Snapshots of a protein quake.

PMID- 26494746
TI  - MICROBIOLOGY. Beyond known methanogens.

PMID- 26494747
TI  - DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY. Toward a rapid and reversible male pill.

PMID- 26494748
TI  - SYSTEMS BIOLOGY. Systems biology (un)certainties.

PMID- 26494749
TI  - NANOSAFETY. How safe are nanomaterials?

PMID- 26494750
TI  - Iran's environment under siege.

PMID- 26494751
TI  - Iran's education and research potential.

PMID- 26494752
TI  - With moralizing gods, exclusion reigns.

PMID- 26494753
TI  - Electron paramagnetic resonance of individual atoms on a surface.
AB  - We combined the high-energy resolution of conventional spin resonance (here ~10
      nano-electron volts) with scanning tunneling microscopy to measure electron
      paramagnetic resonance of individual iron (Fe) atoms placed on a magnesium oxide
      film. We drove the spin resonance with an oscillating electric field (20 to 30
      gigahertz) between tip and sample. The readout of the Fe atom's quantum state was
      performed by spin-polarized detection of the atomic-scale tunneling
      magnetoresistance. We determine an energy relaxation time of T1 ~ 100
      microseconds and a phase-coherence time of T2 ~ 210 nanoseconds. The spin
      resonance signals of different Fe atoms differ by much more than their resonance
      linewidth; in a traditional ensemble measurement, this difference would appear as
      inhomogeneous broadening. 

PMID- 26494754
TI  - Asteroseismology can reveal strong internal magnetic fields in red giant stars.
AB  - Internal stellar magnetic fields are inaccessible to direct observations, and
      little is known about their amplitude, geometry, and evolution. We demonstrate
      that strong magnetic fields in the cores of red giant stars can be identified
      with asteroseismology. The fields can manifest themselves via depressed dipole
      stellar oscillation modes, arising from a magnetic greenhouse effect that
      scatters and traps oscillation-mode energy within the core of the star. The
      Kepler satellite has observed a few dozen red giants with depressed dipole modes,
      which we interpret as stars with strongly magnetized cores. We find that field
      strengths larger than ~10(5) gauss may produce the observed depression, and in
      one case we infer a minimum core field strength of ~10(7) gauss. 

PMID- 26494755
TI  - Transcriptional control of tissue formation throughout root development.
AB  - Tissue patterns are dynamically maintained. Continuous formation of plant tissues
      during postembryonic growth requires asymmetric divisions and the specification
      of cell lineages. We show that the BIRDs and SCARECROW regulate lineage identity,
      positional signals, patterning, and formative divisions throughout Arabidopsis
      root growth. These transcription factors are postembryonic determinants of the
      ground tissue stem cells and their lineage. Upon further activation by the
      positional signal SHORT-ROOT (a mobile transcription factor), they direct
      asymmetric cell divisions and patterning of cell types. The BIRDs and SCARECROW
      with SHORT-ROOT organize tissue patterns at all formative steps during growth,
      ensuring developmental plasticity. 

PMID- 26494756
TI  - Reduced grid-cell-like representations in adults at genetic risk for Alzheimer's
      disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) manifests with memory loss and spatial disorientation.
      AD pathology starts in the entorhinal cortex, making it likely that local neural
      correlates of spatial navigation, particularly grid cells, are impaired. Grid
      cell-like representations in humans can be measured using functional magnetic
      resonance imaging. We found that young adults at genetic risk for AD (APOE
      epsilon4 carriers) exhibit reduced grid-cell-like representations and altered
      navigational behavior in a virtual arena. Both changes were associated with
      impaired spatial memory performance. Reduced grid-cell-like representations were
      also related to increased hippocampal activity, potentially reflecting
      compensatory mechanisms that prevent overt spatial memory impairment in APOE
      epsilon4 carriers. Our results provide evidence of behaviorally relevant
      entorhinal dysfunction in humans at genetic risk for AD, decades before potential
      disease onset. 

PMID- 26494757
TI  - Methane metabolism in the archaeal phylum Bathyarchaeota revealed by genome
      centric metagenomics.
AB  - Methanogenic and methanotrophic archaea play important roles in the global flux
      of methane. Culture-independent approaches are providing deeper insight into the
      diversity and evolution of methane-metabolizing microorganisms, but, until now,
      no compelling evidence has existed for methane metabolism in archaea outside the
      phylum Euryarchaeota. We performed metagenomic sequencing of a deep aquifer,
      recovering two near-complete genomes belonging to the archaeal phylum
      Bathyarchaeota (formerly known as the Miscellaneous Crenarchaeotal Group). These
      genomes contain divergent homologs of the genes necessary for methane metabolism,
      including those that encode the methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) complex.
      Additional non-euryarchaeotal MCR-encoding genes identified in a range of
      environments suggest that unrecognized archaeal lineages may also contribute to
      global methane cycling. These findings indicate that methane metabolism arose
      before the last common ancestor of the Euryarchaeota and Bathyarchaeota. 

PMID- 26494758
TI  - Mechanosensitive channel MSL8 regulates osmotic forces during pollen hydration
      and germination.
AB  - Pollen grains undergo dramatic changes in cellular water potential as they
      deliver the male germ line to female gametes, and it has been proposed that
      mechanosensitive ion channels may sense the resulting mechanical stress. Here, we
      identify and characterize MscS-like 8 (MSL8), a pollen-specific, membrane tension
      gated ion channel required for pollen to survive the hypoosmotic shock of
      rehydration and for full male fertility. MSL8 negatively regulates pollen
      germination but is required for cellular integrity during germination and tube
      growth. MSL8 thus senses and responds to changes in membrane tension associated
      with pollen hydration and germination. These data further suggest that homologs
      of bacterial MscS have been repurposed in eukaryotes to function as
      mechanosensors in multiple developmental and environmental contexts. 

PMID- 26494760
TI  - The power of mentoring.

PMID- 26494759
TI  - Ubiquitin facilitates a quality-control pathway that removes damaged
      chloroplasts.
AB  - Energy production by chloroplasts and mitochondria causes constant oxidative
      damage. A functioning photosynthetic cell requires quality-control mechanisms to
      turn over and degrade chloroplasts damaged by reactive oxygen species (ROS).
      Here, we generated a conditionally lethal Arabidopsis mutant that accumulated
      excess protoporphyrin IX in the chloroplast and produced singlet oxygen. Damaged
      chloroplasts were subsequently ubiquitinated and selectively degraded. A genetic
      screen identified the plant U-box 4 (PUB4) E3 ubiquitin ligase as being necessary
      for this process. pub4-6 mutants had defects in stress adaptation and longevity.
      Thus, we have identified a signal that leads to the targeted removal of ROS
      overproducing chloroplasts. 

PMID- 26494762
TI  - Erratum for the Research Article "The protein LEM promotes CD8+ T cell immunity
      through effects on mitochondrial respiration" by I. Okoye, L. Wang, K. Pallmer,
      K. Richter, T. Ichimura, R. Haas, J. Crouse, O. Choi, D. Heathcote, E. Lovo, C.
      Mauro, R. Abdi, A. Oxenius, S. Rutschmann, P. G. Ashton-Rickardt.

PMID- 26494761
TI  - HIV-1 Nef hijacks clathrin coats by stabilizing AP-1:Arf1 polygons.
AB  - The lentiviruses HIV and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) subvert
      intracellular membrane traffic as part of their replication cycle. The lentiviral
      Nef protein helps viruses evade innate and adaptive immune defenses by hijacking
      the adaptor protein 1 (AP-1) and AP-2 clathrin adaptors. We found that HIV-1 Nef
      and the guanosine triphosphatase Arf1 induced trimerization and activation of AP
      1. Here we report the cryo-electron microscopy structures of the Nef- and Arf1
      bound AP-1 trimer in the active and inactive states. A central nucleus of three
      Arf1 molecules organizes the trimers. We combined the open trimer with a known
      dimer structure and thus predicted a hexagonal assembly with inner and outer
      faces that bind the membranes and clathrin, respectively. Hexagons were directly
      visualized and the model validated by reconstituting clathrin cage assembly. Arf1
      and Nef thus play interconnected roles in allosteric activation, cargo
      recruitment, and coat assembly, revealing an unexpectedly intricate organization
      of the inner AP-1 layer of the clathrin coat. 

PMID- 26494763
TI  - Obesity and the Incidence of Upper Gastrointestinal Cancers: An Ecological
      Approach to Examine Differences across Age and Sex.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Esophageal and gastric cancers differ in their epidemiology but have
      several risk factors in common. The aim of this study was to assess age and sex
      differences in the burden of esophageal and gastric cancers in the context of the
      global obesity epidemic. METHODS: Data from 50 countries were obtained from
      Cancer Incidence in Five Continents Volume X and GLOBOCAN 2012. Age-specific and
      age-standardized incidence rates of esophageal adenocarcinoma and squamous cell
      carcinoma (ESCC), as well as cardia (CGC) and noncardia (NCGC) gastric cancer,
      were estimated. Countries were grouped and analyzed according to their obesity
      prevalence. RESULTS: A gradient across quartiles of obesity prevalence was found
      for esophageal adenocarcinoma, with the highest incidence rates in high
      prevalence countries (ASR 3.0 vs. 0.8 per 100,000 in highest vs. lowest obesity
      quartiles, males). In contrast, for ESCC as well as for CGC and NCGC the reverse
      was true, with the highest rates observed in countries with the lowest obesity
      prevalence (ESCC, 2.2 vs. 11.5; CGC, 2.8 vs. 7.8; NCGC, 3.9 vs. 17.4 in highest
      vs. lowest obesity quartiles, males). Although for esophageal adenocarcinoma, sex
      and age differences in incidence were most pronounced in countries with a high
      prevalence of obesity, these differences were much smaller for the other cancer
      sites assessed. CONCLUSIONS: Variation in obesity prevalence may partly explain
      age and sex differences in the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinomas. IMPACT:
      Ecologic studies can help assess relationships between risk factors and cancer,
      and generate new hypotheses that may be pursued through more directed research.

PMID- 26494766
TI  - Alan Magill, ASTMH Immediate Past President, 1953-2015.

PMID- 26494764
TI  - Quality of physician communication about human papillomavirus vaccine: findings
      from a national survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Improving the quality of physicians' recommendations for human
      papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is critical to addressing low coverage. Thus, we
      sought to describe HPV vaccine communication practices among primary care
      physicians. METHODS: Pediatricians and family physicians (n = 776) completed our
      national online survey in 2014. We assessed the quality of their HPV vaccine
      recommendations on strength of endorsement (i.e., saying the vaccine is
      important), timeliness (recommending it by ages 11-12), consistency (recommending
      it routinely vs. using a risk-based approach), and urgency (recommending same-day
      vaccination). RESULTS: A sizeable minority of physicians reported that they do
      not strongly endorse HPV vaccine (27%) or deliver timely recommendations for
      girls (26%) or boys (39%). Many physicians (59%) used a risk-based approach to
      recommending HPV vaccine, and only half (51%) usually recommended same-day
      vaccination. Overall recommendation quality was lower among physicians who were
      uncomfortable talking about HPV vaccine or who believed parents did not value it.
      Quality was higher among physicians who began discussions by saying the child was
      due for HPV vaccine versus giving information or eliciting questions. CONCLUSION:
      Many physicians in our national sample reported recommending HPV vaccine
      inconsistently, behind schedule, or without urgency. These practices likely
      contribute to under-immunization among adolescents, and may convey ambivalence to
      parents. IMPACT: As one of the first studies to assess multiple aspects of
      recommendation quality, these findings can inform the many state and national
      initiatives that aim to improve communication about HPV vaccine so as to address
      the persistent underuse of a powerful tool for cancer prevention.

PMID- 26494767
TI  - Remembering Alan Magill.

PMID- 26494765
TI  - "A day late and a dollar short": physicians and HPV vaccination.

PMID- 26494768
TI  - Identifying Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain Who Respond Best to Mechanical
      Diagnosis and Therapy: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: "Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy" (MDT) (also known as the McKenzie
      method), like other interventions for low back pain (LBP), has been found to have
      small effects for people with LBP. It is possible that a group of patients
      respond best to MDT and have larger effects. Identification of patients who
      respond best to MDT compared with other interventions would be an important
      finding. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to investigate whether baseline
      characteristics of patients with chronic LBP, already classified as derangement
      syndrome, can identify those who respond better to MDT compared with Back School.
      METHODS: This study was a secondary analysis of data from a previous trial
      comparing MDT with Back School in 148 patients with chronic LBP. Only patients
      classified at baseline assessment as being in the directional preference group
      (n=140) were included. The effect modifiers tested were: clear centralization
      versus directional preference only, baseline pain location, baseline pain
      intensity, and age. The primary outcome measures for this study were pain
      intensity and disability at the end of treatment (1 month). Treatment effect
      modification was evaluated by assessing the group versus predictor interaction
      terms from linear regression models. Interactions >=1.0 for pain and >=3 for
      disability were considered clinically important. RESULTS: Being older met our
      criteria for being a potentially important effect modifier; however, the effect
      occurred in the opposite direction to our hypothesis. Older people had 1.27
      points more benefit in pain reduction from MDT (compared with Back School) than
      younger participants after 1 month of treatment. LIMITATIONS: The sample (n=140)
      was powered to detect the main effects of treatment but not to detect the
      interactions of the potential treatment effect modifiers. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results of the study suggest older age may be an important factor that can be
      considered as a treatment effect modifier for patients with chronic LBP receiving
      MDT. As the main trial was not powered for the investigation of subgroups, the
      results of this secondary analysis have to be interpreted cautiously, and
      replication is needed.

PMID- 26494769
TI  - 10-m Shuttle Ride Test in Youth With Osteogenesis Imperfecta Who Use Wheelchairs:
      Feasibility, Reproducibility, and Physiological Responses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physical fitness levels in youth with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI)
      who use wheelchairs are unknown. The 10-m Shuttle Ride Test (SRiT) has recently
      been introduced as a field test to determine cardiorespiratory fitness in
      children with cerebral palsy who self-propel a wheelchair. OBJECTIVE: The purpose
      of this study was to investigate the feasibility and reproducibility of the SRiT,
      as well as the physiological responses to the SRiT, in youth with moderate-to
      severe OI between 8 and 25 years of age who self-propel a wheelchair at least for
      long distances. DESIGN: A test-retest design was used. METHODS: Thirteen patients
      with OI (8 boys, 5 girls; mean+/-SD values for age=15.5+/-6.4 years) using a
      manual wheelchair performed 2 SRiTs within 2 weeks. Adverse events, reached
      stage, peak heart rate (HRpeak), peak respiratory exchange ratio (RERpeak), peak
      oxygen uptake (Vo2peak), and peak minute ventilation (Vepeak) were the main
      outcome parameters. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: All participants performed a maximal
      effort at both SRiTs (mean+/-SD values for HRpeak of 195+/-9 beats per minute
      [bpm], RERpeak of 1.32+/-0.16, Vo2peak of 25.4+/-5.6 mL.kg(-1).min(-1), and
      Vepeak of 47.9+/-18.6 L.min(-1)), without adverse events. The intraclass
      correlation coefficient of the reached stage showed excellent reliability (.95).
      Limits of agreement (LoA) analysis revealed acceptable LoA for reached stage
      (mean bias=-0.58, range=-2.50 to +1.35). There was a low correlation between
      reached stage and Vo2peak (r=.61 and r=.45 for the first and second SRiTs,
      respectively). LIMITATIONS: The influence of wheelchair properties and
      individually adjusted wheelchair designs was not examined. CONCLUSIONS: The SRiT
      appears to be a feasible, safe, and reproducible maximal field test in youth with
      OI using wheelchairs at least for long distances. This field test might be useful
      to provide an indication of physical fitness and to assess the efficacy of
      interventions on physical fitness in these patients.

PMID- 26494770
TI  - Farming on the edge: farmer attitudes to bovine tuberculosis in newly endemic
      areas.
AB  - Defra's recent strategy to eradicate bovine tuberculosis (bTB) establishes three
      spatial zones: high-risk areas (HRAs) and low-risk areas, and an area referred to
      as 'the edge', which marks the areas where infection is spreading outwards from
      the HRA. Little is known about farmers in the edge area, their attitudes towards
      bTB and their farming practices. This paper examines farmers' practices and
      attitudes towards bTB in standardised epidemiologically defined areas. A survey
      was developed to collect data on farmer attitudes, behaviours, practices and
      environmental conditions as part of an interdisciplinary analysis of bTB risk
      factors. Survey items were developed from a literature review and focus groups
      with vets and farmers in different locations within the edge area. A case-control
      sampling framework was adopted with farms sampled from areas identified as
      recently endemic for bTB. 347 farmers participated in the survey including 117
      with bTB, representing a 70per cent response rate. Results show that farmers
      believe they are unable to do anything about bTB but are keen for the government
      intervention to help control the spread of bTB. 

PMID- 26494771
TI  - Errors in veterinary practice: preliminary lessons for building better veterinary
      teams.
AB  - Case studies in two typical UK veterinary practices were undertaken to explore
      teamwork, including interprofessional working. Each study involved one week of
      whole team observation based on practice locations (reception, operating
      theatre), one week of shadowing six focus individuals (veterinary surgeons,
      veterinary nurses and administrators) and a final week consisting of
      semistructured interviews regarding teamwork. Errors emerged as a finding of the
      study. The definition of errors was inclusive, pertaining to inputs or omitted
      actions with potential adverse outcomes for patients, clients or the practice.
      The 40 identified instances could be grouped into clinical errors (dosing/drugs,
      surgical preparation, lack of follow-up), lost item errors, and most frequently,
      communication errors (records, procedures, missing face-to-face communication,
      mistakes within face-to-face communication). The qualitative nature of the study
      allowed the underlying cause of the errors to be explored. In addition to some
      individual mistakes, system faults were identified as a major cause of errors.
      Observed examples and interviews demonstrated several challenges to
      interprofessional teamworking which may cause errors, including: lack of time,
      part-time staff leading to frequent handovers, branch differences and individual
      veterinary surgeon work preferences. Lessons are drawn for building better
      veterinary teams and implications for Disciplinary Proceedings considered. 

PMID- 26494772
TI  - Elevated Levels of Microbial Translocation Markers and CCL2 Among Older HIV-1
      Infected Men.
AB  - The aging of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected population
      obligates a focus on the interaction between aging, comorbid conditions, and HIV
      1. We recruited a cohort of HIV-1-infected men aged <= 35 years or >= 50 years
      who were receiving fully suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART). We analyzed
      plasma markers of inflammation; T-cell activation, exhaustion, proliferation; and
      innate cellular subsets and functional capacity. Levels of lipopolysaccharide and
      the plasma marker of chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 were significantly elevated
      in older HIV-infected men despite comparable cellular phenotypes. Compared with
      similarly age-stratified uninfected subjects, older HIV-1-infected adults were
      also more frequently in the upper quartile of soluble CD14 expression.

PMID- 26494773
TI  - Pulmonary but Not Subcutaneous Delivery of BCG Vaccine Confers Protection to
      Tuberculosis-Susceptible Mice by an Interleukin 17-Dependent Mechanism.
AB  - Some of the most promising novel tuberculosis vaccine strategies currently under
      development are based on respiratory vaccination, mimicking the natural route of
      infection. In this work, we have compared pulmonary and subcutaneous delivery of
      BCG vaccine in the tuberculosis-susceptible DBA/2 mouse strain, a model in which
      parenterally administered BCG vaccine does not protect against tuberculosis. Our
      data show that intranasally but not subcutaneously administered BCG confers
      robust protection against pulmonary tuberculosis challenge. In addition, our
      results indicate that pulmonary vaccination triggers a Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      specific mucosal immune response orchestrated by interleukin 17A (IL-17A). Thus,
      IL-17A neutralization in vivo reduces protection and abrogates M. tuberculosis
      specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) secretion to respiratory airways and lung
      expression of polymeric immunoglobulin receptor induced following intranasal
      vaccination. Together, our results demonstrate that pulmonary delivery of BCG can
      overcome the lack of protection observed when BCG is given parenterally,
      suggesting that respiratory tuberculosis vaccines could have an advantage in
      tuberculosis-endemic countries, where intradermally administered BCG has
      inefficient effectiveness against pulmonary tuberculosis. 

PMID- 26494774
TI  - HlyF Produced by Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli Is a Virulence
      Factor That Regulates Outer Membrane Vesicle Biogenesis.
AB  - Escherichia coli can cause extraintestinal infections in humans and animals. The
      hlyF gene is epidemiologically associated with virulent strains of avian
      pathogenic E. coli and human neonatal meningitis-associated E. coli. We
      demonstrated that culture supernatants of E. coli expressing HlyF induced
      autophagy in eukaryotic cells. This phenotype coincided with an enhanced
      production of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) by bacteria expressing HlyF. The
      HlyF protein displays a predicted catalytic domain of the short-chain
      dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily. This conserved domain was involved the
      ability of HlyF to promote the production of OMVs. The increased production of
      OMVs was associated with the release of toxins. hlyF was shown to be expressed
      during extraintestinal infection and to play a role in the virulence of
      extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli in a chicken model of colibacillosis. This is
      the first evidence that pathogenic bacteria produce a virulence factor directly
      involved in the production of OMVs. 

PMID- 26494775
TI  - Sequestration and Red Cell Deformability as Determinants of Hyperlactatemia in
      Falciparum Malaria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyperlactatemia is a strong predictor of mortality in severe
      falciparum malaria. Sequestered parasitized erythrocytes and reduced uninfected
      red blood cell deformability (RCD) compromise microcirculatory flow, leading to
      anaerobic glycolysis. METHODS: In a cohort of patients with falciparum malaria
      hospitalized in Chittagong, Bangladesh, bulk RCD was measured using a laser
      diffraction technique, and parasite biomass was estimated from plasma
      concentrations of Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2). A
      multiple linear regression model was constructed to examine their associations
      with plasma lactate concentrations. RESULTS: A total of 286 patients with
      falciparum malaria were studied, of whom 224 had severe malaria, and 70 died.
      Hyperlactatemia (lactate level, >= 4 mmol/L) was present in 111 cases. RCD at
      shear stresses of 1.7 Pa and 30 Pa was reduced significantly in patients who
      died, compared with survivors, individuals with uncomplicated malaria, or healthy
      individuals (P < .05, for all comparisons). Multiple linear regression analysis
      showed that the plasma PfHRP2 level, parasitemia level, total bilirubin level,
      and RCD at a shear stress of 1.7 Pa were each independently correlated with
      plasma lactate concentrations (n = 278; R(2) = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS: Sequestration
      of parasitized red blood cells and reduced RCD both contribute to decreased
      microcirculatory flow in severe disease.

PMID- 26494776
TI  - The development of adultoid reproductives and brachypterous neotenic
      reproductives from the last instar nymphs in Reticulitermes labralis (Isoptera:
      Rhinotermitidae): a comparative study.
AB  - Secondary reproductives develop primarily from nymphs. However, they have been
      rarely studied; in particular, the development of adultoid reproductives (AR)
      with floppy wings is still unclear. In this study, the change in juvenile hormone
      (JH) levels, vitellogenin gene expression, and oogenesis during the development
      of AR and brachypterous neotenic reproductives (BN) from the last instar nymphs
      of Reticulitermes labralis are investigated and compared. The results showed that
      the AR derived from the last instar nymphs by molting, and they were more similar
      to neotenic reproductives in morphology. In addition, the paired AR were not able
      to survive in the absence of workers. In R. labralis, the process of the last
      instar nymphs developing into AR and BN took an increase in JH level as a
      starting point. The JH level of the last instar nymphs molting into BN was
      approximately 1.5-fold higher than that of the AR. Additionally, The JHIII level
      of BN peaked on day 5, and that of AR peaked on day 10, which induced the onset
      of vitellogenesis in BN and AR, respectively. After molting, the vitellogenin
      gene expression levels of both BN and AR initially increased and then declined,
      and the expression levels in the BN were significantly higher than those in the
      AR. In addition, the oocytes of BN matured earlier than those of the AR, and the
      number of eggs laid by the BN was higher than the number laid by the AR. Our
      results demonstrate that, in R. labralis, the last instar nymphs can develop into
      AR, which are significantly different from BN in their development. 

PMID- 26494777
TI  - Projecting distribution of the overwintering population of Sogatella furcifera
      (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), in Yunnan, China with analysis on key influencing
      climatic factors.
AB  - Sogatella furcifera (Horvath) is the most threatening migratory rice pest in
      Yunnan, China. S. furcifera overwinters in low- altitude basins and valleys in
      southern Yunnan and migrates northward in spring and summer of the following
      year, causing serious damage during migration. The overwintering distribution,
      areas, and spatial pattern of S. furcifera are relevant to the migration and
      outbreak of this pest. Based on a 4-yr field survey (2010-2013), this study
      projected areas suitable for S. furcifera to overwinter using a species
      distribution model, and analyzed the key influencing climatic factors using
      principal component analysis (PCA) and ecological niche factor analysis (ENFA).
      Our field survey showed that the northern latitudinal- and upper elevation limits
      of overwintering S. furcifera was 25.4 degrees  N and 1,608 m in western Yunnan
      and 24.2 degrees  N and 1,563 m in eastern Yunnan. The species distribution model
      produced a fragmented distribution pattern, with most of which in western Yunnan
      and only a few in eastern Yunnan. The PCA and ENFA analyses showed that the mean
      temperature of the driest quarter and the precipitation of the coldest quarter
      significantly influenced the distribution of S. furcifera in winter. The results
      suggested that the complex topography, spatial differences in winter
      temperatures, and host availability altogether determined the distribution of
      overwintering S. furcifera. Compared with previous surveys, the northern
      latitudinal- and upper elevation limits of overwintering S. furcifera were
      higher, while the population became rarer in some suitable areas due to change of
      farmland utilization in winter and possibly climate change. 

PMID- 26494778
TI  - Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Induces Donor-Dependent Osteogenic and Adipogenic
      Differentiation in Human Adipose Stem Cells.
AB  - Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) is a growth factor used to stimulate bone
      regeneration in clinical applications. However, there are contradicting reports
      on the functionality of BMP-2 in human adipose stem cells (hASCs), which are
      frequently used in tissue engineering. In this study, we analyzed the effects of
      BMP-2 on SMAD1/5 signaling, proliferation, and differentiation in hASCs. Our
      results indicated that BMP-2 induced dose-dependent (25-100 ng/ml) activation of
      SMAD signaling. Furthermore, the cell proliferation analysis revealed that BMP-2
      (100 ng/ml) consistently decreased the proliferation in all the cell lines
      studied. However, the analysis of the differentiation potential revealed that BMP
      2 (100 ng/ml) exhibited a donor-dependent dual role, inducing both osteogenic and
      adipogenic differentiation in hASCs. The quantitative alkaline phosphatase (qALP)
      activity and mineralization levels were clearly enhanced in particular donor cell
      lines by BMP-2 stimulus. On the contrary, in other cell lines, qALP and
      mineralization levels were diminished and the lipid formation was enhanced. The
      current study also suggests that hASCs have accelerated biochemical
      responsiveness to BMP-2 stimulus in human serum-supplemented culture medium
      compared with fetal bovine serum. The production origin of the BMP-2 growth
      factor is also important for its response: BMP-2 produced in mammalian cells
      enhanced signaling and differentiation responses compared with BMP-2 produced in
      Escherichia coli. These results explain the existing contradiction in the
      reported BMP-2 studies and indicate the variability in the functional end
      mechanism of BMP-2-stimulated hASCs. SIGNIFICANCE: This study examined how bone
      morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) modulates the SMAD signaling mechanism and the
      proliferation and differentiation outcome of human adipose stem cells (hASCs)
      derived from several donors. The results indicate that BMP-2 triggers molecular
      SMAD signaling mechanisms in hASCs and regulates differentiation processes in
      human serum-culture conditions. Importantly, BMP-2 has dual activity, inducing
      osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation, subject to hASC donor line studied.
      These findings explain contradictory previous results and highlight the
      importance of further studies to understand how signaling pathways guide
      mesenchymal stem cell functions at the molecular level.

PMID- 26494779
TI  - Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Animal Bleomycin Pulmonary Fibrosis Models: A
      Systematic Review.
AB  - Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is an inexorably progressive lung disease with few
      available treatments. New therapeutic options are needed. Stem cells have
      generated much enthusiasm for the treatment of several conditions, including lung
      diseases. Human trials of mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapy for pulmonary
      fibrosis are under way. To shed light on the potential usefulness of MSCs for
      human disease, we aimed to systematically review the preclinical literature to
      determine if MSCs are beneficial in animal bleomycin pulmonary fibrosis models.
      The MEDLINE and Embase databases were searched for original studies of stem cell
      therapy in animal bleomycin models of pulmonary fibrosis. Studies using embryonic
      stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells were excluded. Seventeen studies
      were selected, all of which used MSCs in rodents. MSC therapy led to an
      improvement in bleomycin-induced lung collagen deposition in animal lungs and in
      the pulmonary fibrosis Ashcroft score in most studies. MSC therapy improved
      histopathology in almost all studies in which it was evaluated qualitatively.
      Furthermore, MSC therapy was found to improve 14-day survival in animals with
      bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Bronchoalveolar lavage total and neutrophil
      counts, as well as transforming growth factor-beta levels, were also reduced by
      MSCs. MSCs are beneficial in rodent bleomycin pulmonary fibrosis models. Since
      most studies examined the initial inflammatory phase rather than the chronic
      fibrotic phase, preclinical data offer better support for human trials of MSCs in
      acute exacerbations of pulmonary fibrosis rather than the chronic phase of the
      disease. SIGNIFICANCE: There has been increased interest in mesenchymal stromal
      cell therapy for lung diseases. A few small clinical trials are under way in
      idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Preclinical evidence was assessed in a systematic
      review, as is often done for clinical studies. The existing studies offer better
      support for efficacy in the initial inflammatory phase rather than the fibrotic
      phase that human trials are targeting.

PMID- 26494780
TI  - Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells From Hypertensive Patient-Derived Induced
      Pluripotent Stem Cells to Advance Hypertension Pharmacogenomics.
AB  - Studies in hypertension (HTN) pharmacogenomics seek to identify genetic sources
      of variable antihypertensive drug response. Genetic association studies have
      detected single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that link to drug responses;
      however, to understand mechanisms underlying how genetic traits alter drug
      responses, a biological interface is needed. Patient-derived induced pluripotent
      stem cells (iPSCs) provide a potential source for studying otherwise inaccessible
      tissues that may be important to antihypertensive drug response. The present
      study established multiple iPSC lines from an HTN pharmacogenomics cohort. We
      demonstrated that established HTN iPSCs can robustly and reproducibly
      differentiate into functional vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), a cell type
      most relevant to vasculature tone control. Moreover, a sensitive traction force
      microscopy assay demonstrated that iPSC-derived VSMCs show a quantitative
      contractile response on physiological stimulus of endothelin-1. Furthermore, the
      inflammatory chemokine tumor necrosis factor alpha induced a typical VSMC
      response in iPSC-derived VSMCs. These studies pave the way for a large research
      initiative to decode biological significance of identified SNPs in hypertension
      pharmacogenomics. SIGNIFICANCE: Treatment of hypertension remains suboptimal, and
      a pharmacogenomics approach seeks to identify genetic biomarkers that could be
      used to guide treatment decisions; however, it is important to understand the
      biological underpinnings of genetic associations. Mouse models do not accurately
      recapitulate individual patient responses based on their genetics, and
      hypertension-relevant cells are difficult to obtain from patients. Induced
      pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology provides a great interface to bring
      patient cells with their genomic data into the laboratory and to study
      hypertensive responses. As an initial step, the present study established an iPSC
      bank from patients with primary hypertension and demonstrated an effective and
      reproducible method of generating functional vascular smooth muscle cells.

PMID- 26494781
TI  - Therapeutic Potential of Human Adipose-Derived Stem/Stromal Cell Microspheroids
      Prepared by Three-Dimensional Culture in Non-Cross-Linked Hyaluronic Acid Gel.
AB  - Three-dimensional culture of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells for spheroid
      formation is known to enhance their therapeutic potential for regenerative
      medicine. Spheroids were prepared by culturing human adipose-derived stem/stromal
      cells (hASCs) in a non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid (HA) gel and compared with
      dissociated hASCs and hASC spheroids prepared using a nonadherent dish.
      Preliminary experiments indicated that a 4% HA gel was the most appropriate for
      forming hASC spheroids with a relatively consistent size (20-50 um) within 48
      hours. Prepared spheroids were positive for pluripotency markers (NANOG, OCT3/4,
      and SOX-2), and 40% of the cells were SSEA-3-positive, a marker of the
      multilineage differentiating stress enduring or Muse cell. In contrast with
      dissociated ASCs, increased secretion of cytokines such as hepatocyte growth
      factor was detected in ASC spheroids cultured under hypoxia. On microarray ASC
      spheroids showed upregulation of some pluripotency markers and downregulation of
      genes related to the mitotic cell cycle. After ischemia-reperfusion injury to the
      fat pad in SCID mice, local injection of hASC spheroids promoted tissue repair
      and reduced the final atrophy (1.6%) compared with that of dissociated hASCs
      (14.3%) or phosphate-buffered saline (20.3%). Part of the administered hASCs
      differentiated into vascular endothelial cells. ASC spheroids prepared in a HA
      gel contain undifferentiated cells with therapeutic potential to promote
      angiogenesis and tissue regeneration after damage. SIGNIFICANCE: This study shows
      the therapeutic value of human adipose-derived stem cell spheroids prepared in
      hyarulonic acid gel. The spheroids have various benefits as an injectable
      cellular product and show therapeutic potential to the stem cell-depleted
      conditions such as diabetic chronic skin ulcer.

PMID- 26494782
TI  - Concise Review: Understanding the Renal Progenitor Cell Niche In Vivo to
      Recapitulate Nephrogenesis In Vitro.
AB  - Chronic kidney disease (CKD), defined as progressive kidney damage and a
      reduction of the glomerular filtration rate, can progress to end-stage renal
      failure (CKD5), in which kidney function is completely lost. CKD5 requires
      dialysis or kidney transplantation, which is limited by the shortage of donor
      organs. The incidence of CKD5 is increasing annually in the Western world,
      stimulating an urgent need for new therapies to repair injured kidneys. Many
      efforts are directed toward regenerative medicine, in particular using stem cells
      to replace nephrons lost during progression to CKD5. In the present review, we
      provide an overview of the native nephrogenic niche, describing the complex
      signals that allow survival and maintenance of undifferentiated renal
      stem/progenitor cells and the stimuli that promote differentiation.
      Recapitulating in vitro what normally happens in vivo will be beneficial to guide
      amplification and direct differentiation of stem cells toward functional renal
      cells for nephron regeneration. SIGNIFICANCE: Kidneys perform a plethora of
      functions essential for life. When their main effector, the nephron, is
      irreversibly compromised, the only therapeutic choices available are artificial
      replacement (dialysis) or renal transplantation. Research focusing on alternative
      treatments includes the use of stem cells. These are immature cells with the
      potential to mature into renal cells, which could be used to regenerate the
      kidney. To achieve this aim, many problems must be overcome, such as where to
      take these cells from, how to obtain enough cells to deliver to patients, and,
      finally, how to mature stem cells into the cell types normally present in the
      kidney. In the present report, these questions are discussed. By knowing the
      factors directing the proliferation and differentiation of renal stem cells
      normally present in developing kidney, this knowledge can applied to other types
      of stem cells in the laboratory and use them in the clinic as therapy for the
      kidney.

PMID- 26494784
TI  - Concise Review: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Regenerative Medicine.
AB  - Regenerative medicine (RM) is a popular term for a field of scientific and
      medical research. There is not one universally accepted definition of RM, but it
      is generally taken to mean the translation of multidisciplinary biology and
      engineering science into therapeutic approaches to regenerate, replace, or repair
      tissues and organs. RM products have the potential to provide treatments for a
      number of unmet needs but have substantial scientific and regulatory challenges
      that need to be addressed for this potential to be fully realized. FDA has
      established formal regulatory definitions for biologics, medical devices, and
      combination products, as well as human cells and tissues. Regenerative medicine
      products regulated by FDA are classified on the basis of these definitions, and
      the classification forms the basis for determining the regulatory requirements to
      each specific product. FDA regulations are generally written to allow the agency
      flexibility to accommodate new scientific questions raised by novel and evolving
      technologies. FDA efforts to facilitate product development in this novel and
      promising area include working with individual sponsors, interacting with the
      scientific and industry communities, participating in standards development, and
      developing policy and guidance. SIGNIFICANCE: Regenerative medicine is generally
      taken to mean the translation of multidisciplinary biology and engineering
      science into therapeutic approaches to regenerate, replace, or repair tissues and
      organs. This article provides an overview of the efforts of the U.S. Food and
      Drug Administration (FDA) to facilitate product development in the field commonly
      known was regenerative medicine. It provides an introduction to the processes by
      which FDA works with individual sponsors, interacts with the scientific and
      industry communities, participates in standards development, and develops formal
      FDA policy and guidance.

PMID- 26494783
TI  - Solution-Phase Crosstalk and Regulatory Interactions Between Multipotent Adult
      Progenitor Cells and Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells.
AB  - Multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs) are adult adherent stromal stem cells
      currently being assessed in clinical trials for acute graft versus host disease
      with demonstrated immunomodulatory capabilities and the potential to ameliorate
      detrimental autoimmune and inflammation-related processes. Anti-CD3/anti-CD28
      (3/28) activation of T cells within the peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)
      compartment was performed in the presence or absence of MAPCs. Liquid
      chromatography-coupled tandem mass spectrometry was used to characterize the
      differential secretion of proteins, and transcriptional profiling was used to
      monitor mRNA expression changes in both cell populations. Overall, 239 secreted
      and/or ectodomain-shed proteins were detected in the secretomes of PBMCs and
      MAPCs. In addition, 3/28 activation of PBMCs induced differential expression of
      2,925 genes, and 22% of these transcripts were differentially expressed on
      exposure to MAPCs in Transwell. MAPCs exposed to 3/28-activated PBMCs showed
      differential expression of 1,247 MAPC genes. Crosstalk was demonstrated by
      reciprocal transcriptional regulation. Secretome proteins and transcriptional
      signatures were used to predict molecular activities by which MAPCs could dampen
      local and systemic inflammatory responses. These data support the hypothesis that
      MAPCs block PBMC proliferation via cell cycle arrest coupled to metabolic stress
      in the form of tryptophan depletion, resulting in GCN2 kinase activation,
      downstream signaling, and inhibition of cyclin D1 translation. These data also
      provide a plausible explanation for the immune privilege reported with
      administration of donor MAPCs. Although most components of the major
      histocompatibility complex class II antigen presentation pathway were markedly
      transcriptionally upregulated, cell surface expression of human leukocyte antigen
      DR is minimal on MAPCs exposed to 3/28-activated PBMCs. SIGNIFICANCE: This study
      documents experiments quantifying solution-phase crosstalk between multipotent
      adult progenitor cells (MAPCs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The
      secretome and transcriptional changes quantified suggest mechanisms by which
      MAPCs are hypothesized to provide both local and systemic immunoregulation of
      inflammation. The potential impact of these studies includes development of a
      robust experimental framework to be used for preclinical evaluation of the
      specific mechanisms by which beneficial effects are obtained after treatment of
      patients with MAPCs.

PMID- 26494785
TI  - FoxP1 orchestration of ASD-relevant signaling pathways in the striatum.
AB  - Mutations in the transcription factor Forkhead box p1 (FOXP1) are causative for
      neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. However, the function of FOXP1
      within the brain remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we identify the gene
      expression program regulated by FoxP1 in both human neural cells and patient
      relevant heterozygous Foxp1 mouse brains. We demonstrate a role for FoxP1 in the
      transcriptional regulation of autism-related pathways as well as genes involved
      in neuronal activity. We show that Foxp1 regulates the excitability of striatal
      medium spiny neurons and that reduction of Foxp1 correlates with defects in
      ultrasonic vocalizations. Finally, we demonstrate that FoxP1 has an
      evolutionarily conserved role in regulating pathways involved in striatal neuron
      identity through gene expression studies in human neural progenitors with altered
      FOXP1 levels. These data support an integral role for FoxP1 in regulating
      signaling pathways vulnerable in autism and the specific regulation of striatal
      pathways important for vocal communication. 

PMID- 26494786
TI  - A cellular, molecular, and pharmacological basis for appendage regeneration in
      mice.
AB  - Regenerative medicine aims to restore normal tissue architecture and function.
      However, the basis of tissue regeneration in mammalian solid organs remains
      undefined. Remarkably, mice lacking p21 fully regenerate injured ears without
      discernable scarring. Here we show that, in wild-type mice following tissue
      injury, stromal-derived factor-1 (Sdf1) is up-regulated in the wound epidermis
      and recruits Cxcr4-expressing leukocytes to the injury site. In p21-deficient
      mice, Sdf1 up-regulation and the subsequent recruitment of Cxcr4-expressing
      leukocytes are significantly diminished, thereby permitting scarless appendage
      regeneration. Lineage tracing demonstrates that this regeneration derives from
      fate-restricted progenitor cells. Pharmacological or genetic disruption of Sdf1
      Cxcr4 signaling enhances tissue repair, including full reconstitution of tissue
      architecture and all cell types. Our findings identify signaling and cellular
      mechanisms underlying appendage regeneration in mice and suggest new therapeutic
      approaches for regenerative medicine. 

PMID- 26494787
TI  - Lhx1 functions together with Otx2, Foxa2, and Ldb1 to govern anterior
      mesendoderm, node, and midline development.
AB  - Gene regulatory networks controlling functional activities of spatially and
      temporally distinct endodermal cell populations in the early mouse embryo remain
      ill defined. The T-box transcription factor Eomes, acting downstream from
      Nodal/Smad signals, directly activates the LIM domain homeobox transcription
      factor Lhx1 in the visceral endoderm. Here we demonstrate Smad4/Eomes-dependent
      Lhx1 expression in the epiblast marks the entire definitive endoderm lineage, the
      anterior mesendoderm, and midline progenitors. Conditional inactivation of Lhx1
      disrupts anterior definitive endoderm development and impedes node and midline
      morphogenesis in part due to severe disturbances in visceral endoderm
      displacement. Transcriptional profiling and ChIP-seq (chromatin
      immunoprecipitation [ChIP] followed by high-throughput sequencing) experiments
      identified Lhx1 target genes, including numerous anterior definitive endoderm
      markers and components of the Wnt signaling pathway. Interestingly, Lhx1-binding
      sites were enriched at enhancers, including the Nodal-proximal epiblast enhancer
      element and enhancer regions controlling Otx2 and Foxa2 expression. Moreover, in
      proteomic experiments, we characterized a complex comprised of Lhx1, Otx2, and
      Foxa2 as well as the chromatin-looping protein Ldb1. These partnerships
      cooperatively regulate development of the anterior mesendoderm, node, and midline
      cell populations responsible for establishment of the left-right body axis and
      head formation. 

PMID- 26494789
TI  - Constitutive BAK activation as a determinant of drug sensitivity in malignant
      lymphohematopoietic cells.
AB  - Mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP), a key step in the intrinsic
      apoptotic pathway, is incompletely understood. Current models emphasize the role
      of BH3-only BCL2 family members in BAX and BAK activation. Here we demonstrate
      concentration-dependent BAK autoactivation under cell-free conditions and provide
      evidence that this autoactivation plays a key role in regulating the intrinsic
      apoptotic pathway in intact cells. In particular, we show that up to 80% of BAK
      (but not BAX) in lymphohematopoietic cell lines is oligomerized and bound to anti
      apoptotic BCL2 family members in the absence of exogenous death stimuli. The
      extent of this constitutive BAK oligomerization is diminished by BAK knockdown
      and unaffected by BIM or PUMA down-regulation. Further analysis indicates that
      sensitivity of cells to BH3 mimetics reflects the identity of the anti-apoptotic
      proteins to which BAK is constitutively bound, with extensive BCLXL*BAK complexes
      predicting navitoclax sensitivity, and extensive MCL1*BAK complexes predicting
      A1210477 sensitivity. Moreover, high BAK expression correlates with sensitivity
      of clinical acute myelogenous leukemia to chemotherapy, whereas low BAK levels
      correlate with resistance and relapse. Collectively, these results inform current
      understanding of MOMP and provide new insight into the ability of BH3 mimetics to
      induce apoptosis without directly activating BAX or BAK. 

PMID- 26494788
TI  - JMJD1C is required for the survival of acute myeloid leukemia by functioning as a
      coactivator for key transcription factors.
AB  - RUNX1-RUNX1T1 (formerly AML1-ETO), a transcription factor generated by the
      t(8;21) translocation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), dictates a leukemic
      program by increasing self-renewal and inhibiting differentiation. Here we
      demonstrate that the histone demethylase JMJD1C functions as a coactivator for
      RUNX1-RUNX1T1 and is required for its transcriptional program. JMJD1C is directly
      recruited by RUNX1-RUNX1T1 to its target genes and regulates their expression by
      maintaining low H3K9 dimethyl (H3K9me2) levels. Analyses in JMJD1C knockout mice
      also establish a JMJD1C requirement for RUNX1-RUNX1T1's ability to increase
      proliferation. We also show a critical role for JMJD1C in the survival of
      multiple human AML cell lines, suggesting that it is required for leukemic
      programs in different AML cell types through its association with key
      transcription factors. 

PMID- 26494793
TI  - Corrigendum: Dynamic enhancer-gene body contacts during transcription elongation.

PMID- 26494794
TI  - Craniofacial Stem Cells in Health and Disease.

PMID- 26494797
TI  - The Effects of the X Chromosome on Intrinsic Functional Connectivity in the Human
      Brain: Evidence from Turner Syndrome Patients.
AB  - Turner syndrome (TS), a disorder caused by the congenital absence of one of the 2
      X chromosomes in female humans, provides a valuable human "knockout model" for
      studying the functions of the X chromosome. At present, it remains unknown
      whether and how the loss of the X chromosome influences intrinsic functional
      connectivity (FC), a fundamental phenotype of the human brain. To address this,
      we performed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and specific
      cognitive assessments on 22 TS patients and 17 age-matched control girls. A novel
      data-driven approach was applied to identify the disrupted patterns of intrinsic
      FC in TS. The TS girls exhibited significantly reduced whole-brain FC strength
      within the bilateral postcentral gyrus/intraparietal sulcus, angular gyrus, and
      cuneus and the right cerebellum. Furthermore, a specific functional subnetwork
      was identified in which the intrinsic FC between nodes was mostly reduced in TS
      patients. Particularly, this subnetwork is composed of 3 functional modules, and
      the disruption of intrinsic FC within one of these modules was associated with
      the deficits of TS patients in math-related cognition. Taken together, these
      findings provide novel insight into how the X chromosome affects the human brain
      and cognition, and emphasize an important role of X-linked genes in intrinsic
      neural coupling.

PMID- 26494799
TI  - Dopaminergic Modulation of the Functional Ventrodorsal Architecture of the Human
      Striatum.
AB  - Interactions between motivational, cognitive, and motor regions of the striatum
      are crucial for implementing behavioral control. Work with experimental animals
      indicates that such interactions are sensitive to modulation by dopamine. Using
      systematic pharmacological manipulation of dopamine D2-receptors and resting
      state functional imaging, we defined the functional architecture of the human
      striatum and quantified the effects of dopaminergic drugs on intrinsic effective
      connectivity between striatal subregions. We found that dopamine modulates
      interactions between motivational and cognitive regions, as well cognitive and
      motor regions of the striatum. Stimulation and blockade of the dopamine D2
      receptor had opposite (increasing and decreasing) effects on the efficacy of
      those interactions. Furthermore, trait impulsivity was specifically associated
      with dopaminergic modulation of ventral-to-dorsal striatal connectivity.
      Individuals with high trait impulsivity exhibited greater drug-induced increases
      (after stimulation) and decreases (after blockade) of ventral-to-dorsal striatal
      connectivity than those with low trait impulsivity. These observations establish
      a key link between dopamine, intrinsic effective connectivity between striatal
      subregions, and trait impulsivity.

PMID- 26494800
TI  - Selective Modulation of Axonal Sodium Channel Subtypes by 5-HT1A Receptor in
      Cortical Pyramidal Neuron.
AB  - Serotonergic innervation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) modulates neuronal
      activity and PFC functions. However, the cellular mechanism for serotonergic
      modulation of neuronal excitability remains unclear. We performed patch-clamp
      recording at the axon of layer-5 pyramidal neurons in rodent PFC slices. We found
      surprisingly that the activation of 5-HT1A receptors selectively inhibits Na+
      currents obtained at the axon initial segment (AIS) but not those at the axon
      trunk. In addition, Na+ channel subtype NaV1.2 but not NaV1.6 at the AIS is
      selectively modulated by 5-HT1A receptors. Further experiments revealed that the
      inhibitory effect is attributable to a depolarizing shift of the activation curve
      and a facilitation of slow inactivation of AIS Na+ currents. Consistently, dual
      somatic and axonal recording and simulation results demonstrate that the
      activation of 5-HT1A receptors could decrease the success rate of action
      potential (AP) backpropagation toward the somatodendritic compartments, enhancing
      the segregation of axonal and dendritic activities. Together, our results reveal
      a selective modulation of NaV1.2 distributed at the proximal AIS region and AP
      backpropagation by 5-HT1A receptors, suggesting a potential mechanism for
      serotonergic regulation of functional polarization in the dendro-axonal axis,
      synaptic plasticity and PFC functions.

PMID- 26494801
TI  - Mechanisms of Nicotinic Modulation of Glutamatergic Neuroplasticity in Humans.
AB  - The impact of nicotine (NIC) on plasticity is thought to be primarily determined
      via calcium channel properties of nicotinic receptor subtypes, and glutamatergic
      plasticity is likewise calcium-dependent. Therefore glutamatergic plasticity is
      likely modulated by the impact of nicotinic receptor-dependent neuronal calcium
      influx. We tested this hypothesis for transcranial direct current stimulation
      (tDCS)-induced long-term potentiation-like plasticity, which is abolished by NIC
      in nonsmokers. To reduce calcium influx under NIC, we blocked N-methyl-d
      aspartate (NMDA) receptors. We applied anodal tDCS combined with 15 mg NIC
      patches and the NMDA-receptor antagonist dextromethorphan (DMO) in 3 different
      doses (50, 100, and 150 mg) or placebo medication. Corticospinal excitability was
      monitored by single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced motor-evoked
      potential amplitudes after plasticity induction. NIC abolished anodal tDCS
      induced motor cortex excitability enhancement, which was restituted under medium
      dosage of DMO. Low-dosage DMO did not affect the impact of NIC on tDCS-induced
      plasticity and high-dosage DMO abolished plasticity. For DMO alone, the low
      dosage had no effect, but medium and high dosages abolished tDCS-induced
      plasticity. These results enhance our knowledge about the proposed calcium
      dependent impact of NIC on plasticity in humans and might be relevant for the
      development of novel nicotinic treatments for cognitive dysfunction.

PMID- 26494791
TI  - DNA methylation epigenetically silences crossover hot spots and controls
      chromosomal domains of meiotic recombination in Arabidopsis.
AB  - During meiosis, homologous chromosomes undergo crossover recombination, which is
      typically concentrated in narrow hot spots that are controlled by genetic and
      epigenetic information. Arabidopsis chromosomes are highly DNA methylated in the
      repetitive centromeres, which are also crossover-suppressed. Here we demonstrate
      that RNA-directed DNA methylation is sufficient to locally silence Arabidopsis
      euchromatic crossover hot spots and is associated with increased nucleosome
      density and H3K9me2. However, loss of CG DNA methylation maintenance in met1
      triggers epigenetic crossover remodeling at the chromosome scale, with
      pericentromeric decreases and euchromatic increases in recombination. We used
      recombination mutants that alter interfering and noninterfering crossover repair
      pathways (fancm and zip4) to demonstrate that remodeling primarily involves
      redistribution of interfering crossovers. Using whole-genome bisulfite
      sequencing, we show that crossover remodeling is driven by loss of CG methylation
      within the centromeric regions. Using cytogenetics, we profiled meiotic DNA
      double-strand break (DSB) foci in met1 and found them unchanged relative to wild
      type. We propose that met1 chromosome structure is altered, causing centromere
      proximal DSBs to be inhibited from maturation into interfering crossovers. These
      data demonstrate that DNA methylation is sufficient to silence crossover hot
      spots and plays a key role in establishing domains of meiotic recombination along
      chromosomes. 

PMID- 26494790
TI  - Ctr9, a key subunit of PAFc, affects global estrogen signaling and drives ERalpha
      positive breast tumorigenesis.
AB  - The human RNA polymerase II (RNAPII)-associated factor complex (hPAFc) and its
      individual subunits have been implicated in human diseases, including cancer.
      However, its involvement in breast cancer awaits investigation. Using data mining
      and human breast cancer tissue microarrays, we found that Ctr9, the key scaffold
      subunit in hPAFc, is highly expressed in estrogen receptor alpha-positive
      (ERalpha(+)) luminal breast cancer, and the high expression of Ctr9 correlates
      with poor prognosis. Knockdown of Ctr9 in ERalpha(+) breast cancer cells almost
      completely erased estrogen-regulated transcriptional response. At the molecular
      level, Ctr9 enhances ERalpha protein stability, promotes recruitment of ERalpha
      and RNAPII, and stimulates transcription elongation and transcription-coupled
      histone modifications. Knockdown of Ctr9, but not other hPAFc subunits, alters
      the morphology, proliferative capacity, and tamoxifen sensitivity of ERalpha(+)
      breast cancer cells. Together, our study reveals that Ctr9, a key subunit of
      hPAFc, is a central regulator of estrogen signaling that drives ERalpha(+) breast
      tumorigenesis, rendering it a potential target for the treatment of ERalpha(+)
      breast cancer. 

PMID- 26494792
TI  - Feedback control of growth, differentiation, and morphogenesis of pancreatic
      endocrine progenitors in an epithelial plexus niche.
AB  - In the mammalian pancreas, endocrine cells undergo lineage allocation upon
      emergence from a bipotent duct/endocrine progenitor pool, which resides in the
      "trunk epithelium." Major questions remain regarding how niche environments are
      organized within this epithelium to coordinate endocrine differentiation with
      programs of epithelial growth, maturation, and morphogenesis. We used EdU pulse
      chase and tissue-reconstruction approaches to analyze how endocrine progenitors
      and their differentiating progeny are assembled within the trunk as it undergoes
      remodeling from an irregular plexus of tubules to form the eventual mature,
      branched ductal arbor. The bulk of endocrine progenitors is maintained in an
      epithelial "plexus state," which is a transient intermediate during epithelial
      maturation within which endocrine cell differentiation is continually robust and
      surprisingly long-lived. Within the plexus, local feedback effects derived from
      the differentiating and delaminating endocrine cells nonautonomously regulate the
      flux of endocrine cell birth as well as proliferative growth of the bipotent cell
      population using Notch-dependent and Notch-independent influences, respectively.
      These feedback effects in turn maintain the plexus state to ensure prolonged
      allocation of endocrine cells late into gestation. These findings begin to define
      a niche-like environment guiding the genesis of the endocrine pancreas and
      advance current models for how differentiation is coordinated with the growth and
      morphogenesis of the developing pancreatic epithelium. 

PMID- 26494798
TI  - Human Subthalamic Nucleus Theta and Beta Oscillations Entrain Neuronal Firing
      During Sensorimotor Conflict.
AB  - Recent evidence has suggested that prefrontal cortical structures may inhibit
      impulsive actions during conflict through activation of the subthalamic nucleus
      (STN). Consistent with this hypothesis, deep brain stimulation to the STN has
      been associated with altered prefrontal cortical activity and impaired response
      inhibition. The interactions between oscillatory activity in the STN and its
      presumably antikinetic neuronal spiking, however, remain poorly understood. Here,
      we simultaneously recorded intraoperative local field potential and spiking
      activity from the human STN as participants performed a sensorimotor action
      selection task involving conflict. We identified several STN neuronal response
      types that exhibited different temporal dynamics during the task. Some neurons
      showed early, cue-related firing rate increases that remained elevated longer
      during high conflict trials, whereas other neurons showed late, movement-related
      firing rate increases. Notably, the high conflict trials were associated with an
      entrainment of individual neurons by theta- and beta-band oscillations, both of
      which have been observed in cortical structures involved in response inhibition.
      Our data suggest that frequency-specific activity in the beta and theta bands
      influence STN firing to inhibit impulsivity during conflict.

PMID- 26494796
TI  - Alterations in Anatomical Covariance in the Prematurely Born.
AB  - Preterm (PT) birth results in long-term alterations in functional and structural
      connectivity, but the related changes in anatomical covariance are just beginning
      to be explored. To test the hypothesis that PT birth alters patterns of
      anatomical covariance, we investigated brain volumes of 25 PTs and 22 terms at
      young adulthood using magnetic resonance imaging. Using regional volumetrics,
      seed-based analyses, and whole brain graphs, we show that PT birth is associated
      with reduced volume in bilateral temporal and inferior frontal lobes, left
      caudate, left fusiform, and posterior cingulate for prematurely born subjects at
      young adulthood. Seed-based analyses demonstrate altered patterns of anatomical
      covariance for PTs compared with terms. PTs exhibit reduced covariance with R
      Brodmann area (BA) 47, Broca's area, and L BA 21, Wernicke's area, and white
      matter volume in the left prefrontal lobe, but increased covariance with R BA 47
      and left cerebellum. Graph theory analyses demonstrate that measures of network
      complexity are significantly less robust in PTs compared with term controls.
      Volumes in regions showing group differences are significantly correlated with
      phonological awareness, the fundamental basis for reading acquisition, for the
      PTs. These data suggest both long-lasting and clinically significant alterations
      in the covariance in the PTs at young adulthood.

PMID- 26494802
TI  - Multimodal Encoding of Goal-Directed Actions in Monkey Ventral Premotor Grasping
      Neurons.
AB  - Visuo-motor neurons of the ventral premotor area F5 encode "pragmatic"
      representations of object in terms of the potential motor acts (e.g., precision
      grip) afforded by it. Likewise, objects with identical pragmatic features (e.g.,
      small spheres) but different behavioral value (e.g., edible or inedible) convey
      different "semantic" information and thus afford different goal-directed
      behaviors (e.g., grasp-to-eat or grasp-to-place). However, whether F5 neurons can
      extract distinct behavioral affordances from objects with similar pragmatic
      features is unknown. We recorded 134 F5 visuo-motor neurons in 2 macaques during
      a contextually cued go/no-go task in which the monkey grasped, or refrained from
      grasping, a previously presented edible or inedible target to eat it or placing
      it, respectively. Sixty-nine visuo-motor neurons showed motor selectivity for the
      target (35 food and 34 object), and about half of them (N = 35) exhibited
      congruent visual preference. Interestingly, when the monkey grasped in complete
      darkness and could identify the target only based on haptic feedback, visuo-motor
      neurons lost their precontact selectivity, but most of them (80%) showed it again
      60 ms after hand-target contact. These findings suggest that F5 neurons possess a
      multimodal access to semantic information on objects, which are transformed into
      motor representations of the potential goal-directed actions afforded by them.

PMID- 26494803
TI  - Knee MRI patterns of bone marrow reconversion and relationship to anemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bone marrow changes are commonly encountered on knee magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI). The clinical relevance of these changes, especially as
      they relate to anemia, has not been studied in a large patient series. PURPOSE:
      To determine if the extent of bone marrow reconversion (BMR) can assist the
      radiologist in making recommendations for further evaluation for underlying
      anemia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study included 457 patients who had knee MRI
      over a 2-year period. Bone marrow patterns in the distal femur, proximal tibia,
      and fibula were graded as follows: 1, homogeneous fatty marrow; 2, patchy red
      marrow in the distal femur; 3, patchy red marrow in the distal femur and tibia
      and/or fibula; and 4, complete BMR in the femoral, tibial, and/or fibular
      metaphyses. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001)
      between the hemoglobin concentration and BMR grades. In women, anemia (Hb <=12.0
      g/dL) was found in 31 of 127 (24%) patients with grade 1, 31 of 83 (37%) with
      grade 2, 24 of 64 (37%) with grade 3, and 12 of 24 (50%) with grade 4. In men,
      anemia (Hb <=13.0 g/dL) was found in 33 of 125 (26%) patients with grade 1, 12 of
      19 (63%) with grade 2, five of 14 (36%) with grade 3, but not in the one patient
      with grade 4. CONCLUSION: Women demonstrating marrow changes of a grade 4 BMR
      pattern should get a laboratory assessment for anemia.

PMID- 26494806
TI  - Diabetes and Obesity--Time Bombs to Be Defused.

PMID- 26494804
TI  - Characterization of a family 43 beta-xylosidase from the xylooligosaccharide
      utilizing putative probiotic Weissella sp. strain 92.
AB  - In this work, we present the first XOS degrading glycoside hydrolase from
      Weissella, WXyn43, a two-domain enzyme from GH43. The gene was amplified from
      genomic DNA of the XOS utilizing Weissella strain 92, classified under the
      species-pair Weissella cibaria/W.confusa, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The
      enzyme is lacking a putative signal peptide and is, from a homology model, shown
      to be composed of an N-terminal 5-fold beta-propeller catalytic domain and a C
      terminal beta-sandwich domain of unknown function. WXyn43 hydrolyzed short (1-4)
      beta-D-xylooligosaccharides, with similar kcat/KM for xylobiose (X2) and
      xylotriose (X3) and clearly lower efficiency in xylotetraose (X4) conversion.
      WXyn43 displays the highest reported kcat for conversion of X3 (900 s(-1) at 37 
      degrees C) and X4 (770 s(-1)), and kcat for hydrolysis of X2 (907 s(-1)) is
      comparable with or greater than the highest previously reported. The purified
      enzyme adopted a homotetrameric state in solution, while a truncated form with
      isolated N-terminal catalytic domain adopted a mixture of oligomeric states and
      lacked detectable activity. The homology model shows that residues from both
      domains are involved in monomer-monomer hydrogen bonds, while the bonds creating
      dimer-dimer interactions only involved residues from the N-terminal domain.
      Docking of X2 and X3 in the active site shows interactions corresponding to
      subsites -1 and +1, while presence of a third subsite is unclear, but
      interactions between a loop and the reducing-end xylose of X3 may be present.

PMID- 26494807
TI  - Socioeconomic Disparities in Weight and Behavioral Outcomes Among American Indian
      and Alaska Native Participants of a Translational Lifestyle Intervention Project.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate possible socioeconomic disparities in weight and
      behavioral outcomes among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) participants
      in a translational diabetes prevention project. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We
      analyzed data from the Special Diabetes Program for Indians Diabetes Prevention
      (SDPI-DP) Program, an evidence-based lifestyle intervention to prevent diabetes
      in 36 AI/AN grantee sites. A total of 2,553 participants started the 16-session
      Lifestyle Balance Curriculum between 1 January 2006 and 31 July 2008. Linear
      mixed models were used to evaluate the relationships of participant and staff
      socioeconomic characteristics with weight and behavioral outcomes at the end of
      the curriculum. RESULTS: A strong, graded association existed between lower
      household income and less BMI reduction, which remained significant after
      adjusting for other socioeconomic characteristics. Compared with others,
      participants with annual income <$15,000 also had less improvement in physical
      activity and unhealthy food consumption in bivariate models, but the
      relationships were only marginally significant in multivariate regressions.
      Furthermore, grantee sites with fewer professionally prepared staff were less
      successful at improving participant BMI and healthy food consumption than the
      other sites. The strong association between income and BMI reduction was reduced
      by 20-30% in the models with changes in diet variables but was unrelated to
      changes in physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: Significant socioeconomic disparities
      exist in weight outcomes of lifestyle intervention at both participant and site
      staff levels. Helping low-income participants choose more affordable healthy
      foods and increasing the proportion of professionally trained staff might be
      practical ways to maximize the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions
      implemented in "real-world" settings.

PMID- 26494808
TI  - Mechanisms Linking Glucose Homeostasis and Iron Metabolism Toward the Onset and
      Progression of Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The bidirectional relationship between iron metabolism and glucose
      homeostasis is increasingly recognized. Several pathways of iron metabolism are
      modified according to systemic glucose levels, whereas insulin action and
      secretion are influenced by changes in relative iron excess. We aimed to update
      the possible influence of iron on insulin action and secretion and vice versa.
      RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The mechanisms that link iron metabolism and glucose
      homeostasis in the main insulin-sensitive tissues and insulin-producing beta
      cells were revised according to their possible influence on the development of
      type 2 diabetes (T2D). RESULTS: The mechanisms leading to dysmetabolic
      hyperferritinemia and hepatic overload syndrome were diverse, including diet
      induced alterations in iron absorption, modulation of gluconeogenesis, heme
      mediated disruption of circadian glucose rhythm, impaired hepcidin secretion and
      action, and reduced copper availability. Glucose metabolism in adipose tissue
      seems to be affected by both iron deficiency and excess through interaction with
      adipocyte differentiation, tissue hyperplasia and hypertrophy, release of
      adipokines, lipid synthesis, and lipolysis. Reduced heme synthesis and
      dysregulated iron uptake or export could also be contributing factors affecting
      glucose metabolism in the senescent muscle, whereas exercise is known to affect
      iron and glucose status. Finally, iron also seems to modulate beta-cells and
      insulin secretion, although this has been scarcely studied. CONCLUSIONS: Iron is
      increasingly recognized to influence glucose metabolism at multiple levels. Body
      iron stores should be considered as a potential target for therapy in subjects
      with T2D or those at risk for developing T2D. Further research is warranted.

PMID- 26494810
TI  - Erratum. Glycemic Variability Is Associated With Reduced Cardiac Autonomic
      Modulation in Women With Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 2015;38:682-688.

PMID- 26494809
TI  - Definitions of Metabolic Health and Risk of Future Type 2 Diabetes in BMI
      Categories: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Various definitions of metabolic health have been proposed to explain
      differences in the risk of type 2 diabetes within BMI categories. The goal of
      this study was to assess their predictive relevance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS:
      We performed systematic searches of MEDLINE records for prospective cohort
      studies of type 2 diabetes risk in categories of BMI and metabolic health. In a
      two-stage meta-analysis, relative risks (RRs) specific to each BMI category were
      derived by network meta-analysis and the resulting RRs of each study were pooled
      using random-effects models. Hierarchical summary receiver operating
      characteristic curves were used to assess predictive performance. RESULTS: In a
      meta-analysis of 140,845 participants and 5,963 incident cases of type 2 diabetes
      from 14 cohort studies, classification as metabolically unhealthy was associated
      with higher RR of diabetes in all BMI categories (lean RR compared with healthy
      individuals 4.0 [95% CI 3.0-5.1], overweight 3.4 [2.8-4.3], and obese 2.5 [2.1
      3.0]). Metabolically healthy obese individuals had a high absolute risk of type 2
      diabetes (10-year cumulative incidence 3.1% [95% CI 2.6-3.5]). Current binary
      definitions of metabolic health had high specificity (pooled estimate 0.88 [95%
      CI 0.84-0.91]) but low sensitivity (0.40 [0.31-0.49]) in lean individuals and
      satisfactory sensitivity (0.81 [0.76-0.86]) but low specificity (0.42 [0.35
      0.49]) in obese individuals. However, positive (<3.3 in all BMI categories) and
      negative (>0.4) likelihood ratios were consistent with insignificant to small
      improvements in prediction. CONCLUSIONS: Although individuals classified as
      metabolically unhealthy have a higher RR of type 2 diabetes compared with
      individuals classified as healthy in all BMI categories, current binary
      definitions of metabolic health have limited relevance to the prediction of
      future type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 26494812
TI  - Comment on Castellaneta et al. High Rate of Spontaneous Normalization of Celiac
      Serology in a Cohort of 446 Children With Type 1 Diabetes: A Prospective Study.
      Diabetes Care 2015;38:760-766.

PMID- 26494813
TI  - Response to Comment on Castellaneta et al. High Rate of Spontaneous Normalization
      of Celiac Serology in a Cohort of 446 Children With Type 1 Diabetes: A
      Prospective Study. Diabetes Care 2015;38:760-766.

PMID- 26494814
TI  - Comment on Krul-Poel et al. Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Glycemic
      Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes (SUNNY Trial): A Randomized Placebo
      Controlled Trial. Diabetes Care 2015;38:1420-1426.

PMID- 26494815
TI  - Response to Comment on Krul-Poel et al. Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on
      Glycemic Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes (SUNNY Trial): A Randomized
      Placebo-Controlled Trial. Diabetes Care 2015;38:1420-1426.

PMID- 26494816
TI  - Comment on Juraschek et al. Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Incident Diabetes: The
      FIT (Henry Ford ExercIse Testing) Project. Diabetes Care 2015;38:1075-1081.

PMID- 26494817
TI  - Response to Comment on Juraschek et al. Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Incident
      Diabetes: The FIT (Henry Ford ExercIse Testing) Project. Diabetes Care
      2015;38:1075-1081.

PMID- 26494818
TI  - Comment on Shukla et al. Food Order Has a Significant Impact on Postprandial
      Glucose and Insulin Levels. Diabetes Care 2015;38:e98-e99.

PMID- 26494819
TI  - Response to Comment on Shukla et al. Food Order Has a Significant Impact on
      Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Levels. Diabetes Care 2015;38:e98-e99.

PMID- 26494820
TI  - Comment on Erondu et al. Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Related Events in the
      Canagliflozin Type 2 Diabetes Clinical Program. Diabetes Care 2015;38:1680-1686.

PMID- 26494821
TI  - Vector-Borne Diseases in Stray Dogs in Peninsular Malaysia and Molecular
      Detection of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia spp. from Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari:
      Ixodidae) Ticks.
AB  - Little data are available on the prevalence and transmission of vector-borne
      diseases in stray dogs in Peninsular Malaysia. This study was designed to
      determine the occurrence of vector-borne pathogens in Malaysian stray dogs using
      serological and molecular approaches. In total, 48 dog blood samples were
      subjected to serological analysis using SNAP 4Dx kit (IDEXX Laboratories,
      Westbrook, ME). The presence of Ehrlichia and Anaplasma DNA in the dog blood
      samples and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) ticks was detected using nested
      polymerase chain reaction assays. Positive serological findings against Ehrlichia
      canis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum were obtained in 17 (39.5%) and four (9.3%)
      of 43 dog samples, respectively. None of the dog blood samples were positive for
      Borrelia burgdorferi and Dirofilaria immitis. DNA of E. canis and A.
      phagocytophilum was detected in 12 (25.5%) and two (4.3%) of 47 dog blood
      samples, and 17 (51.5%) and one (3.0%) of 33 R. sanguineus ticks, respectively.
      Additionally, DNA of Ehrlichia spp. closely related to Ehrlichia chaffeensis was
      detected in two (6.1%) R. sanguineus ticks. This study highlights the prevalence
      of anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis in dogs in Malaysia. Due to the zoonotic
      potential of Ehrlichia and Anaplasma spp., appropriate measures should be
      instituted for prevention and control of vector-borne diseases in dogs. 

PMID- 26494822
TI  - Effect of Rickettsia rickettsii (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) Infection on the
      Biological Parameters and Survival of Its Tick Vector-Dermacentor variabilis
      (Acari: Ixodidae).
AB  - Rocky Mountain spotted fever, caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, is a potentially
      fatal tick-borne disease spread from North America to Argentina. The major
      vectors of R. rickettsii in the United States are Dermacentor andersoni Stiles
      and Dermacentor variabilis (Say). It is generally believed that vector ticks
      serve as major reservoirs of R. rickettsii in nature; however, the ability of
      ticks to support the indefinite perpetuation of R. rickettsii has been challenged
      by reports of deleterious effects of rickettsial infection on D. andersoni. To
      better elucidate the relationship of the pathogen with D. variabilis, we assessed
      the effects of R. rickettsii on the survival, fertility, and fecundity of D.
      variabilis. We used an isolate of R. rickettsii (Di-6), originally acquired from
      an opossum caught in Virginia, and ticks from a laboratory colony established
      from adult D. variabilis also collected in Virginia. Overall, infection with R.
      rickettsii protracted the feeding periods of all life stages of ticks. Infected
      nymphal and adult ticks experienced a slight decrease in feeding success compared
      with the uninfected colony, but neither larval nor nymphal molting success was
      affected. Infected females reached smaller engorgement weights, were less
      efficient in conversion of bloodmeal into eggs, and produced smaller egg clutches
      with a lower proportion of eggs hatching. However, no sudden die-off was observed
      among infected ticks, and longevity was not decreased due to R. rickettsii
      infection in any stage. Although infection with the studied isolate of R.
      rickettsii caused slight decrease in fecundity in sympatric vector ticks, no
      obvious deleterious effects were observed. 

PMID- 26494824
TI  - Reply to Deguchi et al.

PMID- 26494823
TI  - Neural Stem Cells (NSCs) and Proteomics.
AB  - Neural stem cells (NSCs) can self-renew and give rise to the major cell types of
      the CNS. Studies of NSCs include the investigation of primary, CNS-derived cells
      as well as animal and human embryonic stem cell (ESC)-derived and induced
      pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived sources. NSCs provide a means with which to
      study normal neural development, neurodegeneration, and neurological disease and
      are clinically relevant sources for cellular repair to the damaged and diseased
      CNS. Proteomics studies of NSCs have the potential to delineate molecules and
      pathways critical for NSC biology and the means by which NSCs can participate in
      neural repair. In this review, we provide a background to NSC biology, including
      the means to obtain them and the caveats to these processes. We then focus on
      advances in the proteomic interrogation of NSCs. This includes the analysis of
      posttranslational modifications (PTMs); approaches to analyzing different
      proteomic compartments, such the secretome; as well as approaches to analyzing
      temporal differences in the proteome to elucidate mechanisms of differentiation.
      We also discuss some of the methods that will undoubtedly be useful in the
      investigation of NSCs but which have not yet been applied to the field. While
      many proteomics studies of NSCs have largely catalogued the proteome or
      posttranslational modifications of specific cellular states, without delving into
      specific functions, some have led to understandings of functional processes or
      identified markers that could not have been identified via other means. Many
      challenges remain in the field, including the precise identification and
      standardization of NSCs used for proteomic analyses, as well as how to translate
      fundamental proteomics studies to functional biology. The next level of
      investigation will require interdisciplinary approaches, combining the skills of
      those interested in the biochemistry of proteomics with those interested in
      modulating NSC function. 

PMID- 26494825
TI  - Multidrug-Resistant Mycoplasma genitalium Is Increasing.

PMID- 26494826
TI  - Applying social theory to understand health-related behaviours.
AB  - Health-related behaviours are a concern for contemporary health policy and
      practice given their association with a range of illness outcomes. Many of the
      policies and interventions aimed at changing health-related behaviours assume
      that people are more or less free to choose their behaviour and how they
      experience health. Within sociology and anthropology, these behaviours are viewed
      not as acts of choice but as actions and practices situated within a larger
      sociocultural context. In this paper, we outline three theoretical perspectives
      useful in understanding behaviours that may influence one's health in this wider
      context: theories of social practice, social networks and interactionism. We
      argue that by better understanding how health-related behaviours are performed in
      people's everyday lives, more suitable interventions and clinical management can
      be developed. 

PMID- 26494827
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26494828
TI  - In My Best Interest.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advance directives (ADs) have traditionally been viewed as clear
      instructions for implementing patient wishes at times of compromised decision
      making capacity (DMC). However, whether individuals prefer ADs to be strictly
      followed or to serve as general guidelines has not been studied. The Veterans
      Administration's Advance Directive Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care and
      Living Will (VA AD) provides patients the opportunity to indicate specific
      treatment preferences and to indicate how strictly the directive is to be
      followed. OBJECTIVE: To describe preferences for life-sustaining treatments
      (LSTs) in various illness conditions as well as instructions for the use of VA
      ADs. DESIGN/SETTING: A descriptive study was performed collecting data from all
      ADs entered into the medical record at 1 VA Medical Center between January and
      June 2014. MEASUREMENTS: Responses to VA AD with emphasis on health care agents
      (HCAs) and LW responses. RESULTS: Veterans were more likely to reject LST when
      death was imminent (74.6%), when in a coma (71.1%), if they had brain damage
      (70.6%), or were ventilator dependent (70.4%). A majority (67.4%) of veterans
      preferred the document to be followed generally rather than strictly. Veterans
      were more likely to want VA ADs to serve as a general guide when a spouse was
      named HCA. CONCLUSION: Most of the sampled veterans rejected LST except under
      conditions of permanent disability. A majority intend VA ADs to serve as general
      guidelines rather than strict, binding instructions. These findings have
      significant implications for surrogate decision making and the use of ADs more
      generally.

PMID- 26494829
TI  - Barriers to the Collaboration Between Hematologists and Palliative Care Teams on
      Relapse or Refractory Leukemia and Malignant Lymphoma Patients' Care: A
      Qualitative Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Palliative care service (PCS) has been shown to be utilized less in
      patients with leukemia and malignant lymphoma than in those with solid tumors.
      Previous studies have suggested hematologists' limited awareness of PCS as one of
      the reason for low PCS referral in hematology. However, little is known about
      such an awareness and potential barriers to collaboration between hematologists
      and PCS. AIM: The present study aimed to assess ematologists and palliative care
      specialists' perception about the roles of the hospital-based palliative care
      team (HPCT) and the barriers to collaboration between hematologists and
      palliative care teams on relapse or refractory leukemia and malignant lymphoma
      patients' care MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted using
      semistructured interviews with hematologists and palliative care specialists
      recruited from a hospital that provides hematology and palliative care by the
      HPCT. Data were evaluated via content analysis. RESULTS: The study included 11
      hematologists and 10 palliative care specialists. Our results revealed that they
      shared many common perceptions about the roles and expectations of the HPCT.
      Additionally, 7 categories of barriers to collaboration were identified,
      including not feeling the need to refer, the difficulty in referral timing, the
      lack of aggressive approach, the negative image of the HPCT, the need for
      hematologic malignancy-oriented management, the lack of communication, and
      others. CONCLUSION: We have identified hematologists' and palliative care
      specialists' perceptions of the HPCT's roles and the barriers to their
      collaboration. A better understanding of such barriers may lead to effective
      collaboration between hematologists and the HPCT.

PMID- 26494830
TI  - Advance Directives and Care Received by Older Nursing Home Residents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research shows variable success as to whether care provided aligns
      with individual patient preferences as reflected in their advance directives
      (AD). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to study AD status and subsequent care received in
      older nursing home (NH) residents deemed at risk for infections and care
      transitions: those with a urinary catheter (UC), feeding tube (FT), or both.
      Design/participants/measurements: A subgroup analysis of a prospective cohort of
      90 residents with a UC and/or FT from 15 NHs in southeast Michigan. Outcomes
      assessed at enrollment and at 30-day intervals were hospitalizations and
      antibiotic use. The ADs were divided as follows: (1) comfort oriented: comfort
      measures only, no hospital transfer; (2) palliative oriented: comfort focused,
      allowing hospital transfer (except intensive care unit), antibiotic use, but no
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation; (3) usual care: full code, no limitations to care.
      We calculated incidences for these outcomes. RESULTS: Seventy-eight (87%)
      residents had ADs: 18 (23%) comfort oriented, 32 (41%) palliative oriented, and
      28 (36%) usual care. The groups did not differ regarding demographics,
      comorbidity, function, device presence, or time in study. Using the usual care
      group as comparison, the comfort-oriented group was hospitalized at a similar
      rate (Incidence rate [IR] = 15.6/1000 follow-up days vs IR = 8.8/1000 follow-up
      days, Incident rate ratio [IRR] 0.6 [95% confidence interval, CI, 0.3 -1.1], P
      value .09) but received fewer antibiotics (IR = 18.9/1000 follow-up days vs IR =
      7.5/1000 follow-up days, IRR 0.4 [95% CI, 0.2-0.8], P value .005). CONCLUSION:
      Nursing home residents with comfort-oriented ADs were hospitalized at a rate
      similar to those with usual-care ADs but received fewer antibiotics, although the
      small sample size of this analysis suggests these findings deserve further study.

PMID- 26494831
TI  - Four-Week Studies of Oral Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-Prolyl Hydroxylase Inhibitor
      GSK1278863 for Treatment of Anemia.
AB  - Hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors stabilize levels of
      hypoxia-inducible factor that upregulate transcription of multiple genes
      associated with the response to hypoxia, including production of erythropoietin.
      We conducted two phase 2a studies to explore the relationship between the dose of
      the hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor GSK1278863 and
      hemoglobin response in patients with anemia of CKD (baseline hemoglobin 8.5-11.0
      g/dl) not undergoing dialysis and not receiving recombinant human erythropoietin
      (nondialysis study) and in patients with anemia of CKD (baseline hemoglobin 9.5
      12.0 g/dl) on hemodialysis and being treated with stable doses of recombinant
      human erythropoietin (hemodialysis study). Participants were randomized 1:1:1:1
      to a once-daily oral dose of GSK1278863 (0.5 mg, 2 mg, or 5 mg) or control
      (placebo for the nondialysis study; continuing on recombinant human
      erythropoietin for the hemodialysis study) for 4 weeks, with a 2-week follow-up.
      In the nondialysis study, GSK1278863 produced dose-dependent effects on
      hemoglobin, with the highest dose resulting in a mean increase of 1 g/dl at week
      4. In the hemodialysis study, treatment with GSK1278863 in the 5-mg arm
      maintained mean hemoglobin concentrations after the switch from recombinant human
      erythropoietin, whereas mean hemoglobin decreased in the lower-dose arms. In both
      studies, the effects on hemoglobin occurred with elevations in endogenous
      erythropoietin within the range usually observed in the respective populations
      and markedly lower than those in the recombinant human erythropoietin control arm
      in the hemodialysis study, and without clinically significant elevations in
      plasma vascular endothelial growth factor concentrations. GSK1278863 was
      generally safe and well tolerated at the doses and duration studied. GSK1278863
      may prove an effective alternative for managing anemia of CKD. 

PMID- 26494832
TI  - The Dawning of a New Day in CKD Anemia Care?

PMID- 26494834
TI  - AnABlast: a new in silico strategy for the genome-wide search of novel genes and
      fossil regions.
AB  - Genome annotation, assisted by computer programs, is one of the great advances in
      modern biology. Nevertheless, the in silico identification of small and complex
      coding sequences is still challenging. We observed that amino acid sequences
      inferred from coding-but rarely from non-coding-DNA sequences accumulated
      alignments in low-stringency BLAST searches, suggesting that this alignments
      accumulation could be used to highlight coding regions in sequenced DNA. To
      investigate this possibility, we developed a computer program (AnABlast) that
      generates profiles of accumulated alignments in query amino acid sequences using
      a low-stringency BLAST strategy. To validate this approach, all six-frame
      translations of DNA sequences between every two annotated exons of the fission
      yeast genome were analysed with AnABlast. AnABlast-generated profiles identified
      three new copies of known genes, and four new genes supported by experimental
      evidence. New pseudogenes, ancestral carboxyl- and amino-terminal subtractions,
      complex gene rearrangements, and ancient fragments of mitDNA and of bacterial
      origin, were also inferred. Thus, this novel in silico approach provides a
      powerful tool to uncover new genes, as well as fossil-coding sequences, thus
      providing insight into the evolutionary history of annotated genomes. 

PMID- 26494833
TI  - Roxadustat (FG-4592): Correction of Anemia in Incident Dialysis Patients.
AB  - Safety concerns with erythropoietin analogues and intravenous (IV) iron for
      treatment of anemia in CKD necessitate development of safer therapies. Roxadustat
      (FG-4592) is an orally bioavailable hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) prolyl
      hydroxylase inhibitor that promotes coordinated erythropoiesis through HIF
      mediated transcription. We performed an open-label, randomized hemoglobin (Hb)
      correction study in anemic (Hb<=10.0 g/dl) patients incident to hemodialysis (HD)
      or peritoneal dialysis (PD). Sixty patients received no iron, oral iron, or IV
      iron while treated with roxadustat for 12 weeks. Mean+/-SD baseline Hb was 8.3+/
      1.0 g/dl in enrolled patients. Roxadustat at titrated doses increased mean Hb by
      >=2.0 g/dl within 7 weeks regardless of baseline iron repletion status, C
      reactive protein level, iron regimen, or dialysis modality. Mean+/-SEM maximal
      change in Hb from baseline (DeltaHb(max)), the primary endpoint, was 3.1+/-0.2
      g/dl over 12 weeks in efficacy-evaluable patients (n=55). In groups receiving
      oral or IV iron, DeltaHb(max) was similar and larger than in the no-iron group.
      Hb response (increase in Hb of >=1.0 g/dl from baseline) was achieved in 96% of
      efficacy-evaluable patients. Mean serum hepcidin decreased significantly 4 weeks
      into study: by 80% in HD patients receiving no iron (n=22), 52% in HD and PD
      patients receiving oral iron (n=21), and 41% in HD patients receiving IV iron
      (n=9). In summary, roxadustat was well tolerated and corrected anemia in incident
      HD and PD patients, regardless of baseline iron repletion status or C-reactive
      protein level and with oral or IV iron supplementation; it also reduced serum
      hepcidin levels.

PMID- 26494836
TI  - ICRP Publication 130: Occupational Intakes of Radionuclides: Part 1.
AB  - Abstract -: This report is the first in a series of reports replacing
      Publications 30 and 68 to provide revised dose coefficients for occupational
      intakes of radionuclides by inhalation and ingestion. The revised dose
      coefficients have been calculated using the Human Alimentary Tract Model
      (Publication 100) and a revision of the Human Respiratory Tract Model
      (Publication 66) that takes account of more recent data. In addition, information
      is provided on absorption into blood following inhalation and ingestion of
      different chemical forms of elements and their radioisotopes. In selected cases,
      it is judged that the data are sufficient to make material-specific
      recommendations. Revisions have been made to many of the models that describe the
      systemic biokinetics of radionuclides absorbed into blood, making them more
      physiologically realistic representations of uptake and retention in organs and
      tissues, and excretion.The reports in this series provide data for the
      interpretation of bioassay measurements as well as dose coefficients, replacing
      Publications 54 and 78. In assessing bioassay data such as measurements of whole
      body or organ content, or urinary excretion, assumptions have to be made about
      the exposure scenario, including the pattern and mode of radionuclide intake,
      physical and chemical characteristics of the material involved, and the elapsed
      time between the exposure(s) and measurement. This report provides some guidance
      on monitoring programmes and data interpretation.

PMID- 26494835
TI  - Comparison of the terrestrial cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya sp. NIES-2104 and the
      freshwater Leptolyngbya boryana PCC 6306 genomes.
AB  - The cyanobacterial genus Leptolyngbya is widely distributed throughout
      terrestrial environments and freshwater. Because environmental factors, such as
      oxygen level, available water content, and light intensity, vary between soil
      surface and water bodies, terrestrial Leptolyngbya should have genomic
      differences with freshwater species to adapt to a land habitat. To study the
      genomic features of Leptolyngbya species, we determined the complete genome
      sequence of the terrestrial strain Leptolyngbya sp. NIES-2104 and compared it
      with that of the near-complete sequence of the freshwater Leptolyngbya boryana
      PCC 6306. The greatest differences between these two strains were the presence or
      absence of a nitrogen fixation gene cluster for anaerobic nitrogen fixation and
      several genes for tetrapyrrole synthesis, which can operate under micro-oxic
      conditions. These differences might reflect differences in oxygen levels where
      these strains live. Both strains have the genes for trehalose biosynthesis, but
      only Leptolyngbya sp. NIES-2104 has genetic capacity to produce a mycosporine
      like amino acid, mycosporine-glycine. Mycosporine-glycine has an antioxidant
      action, which may contribute to adaptation to terrestrial conditions. These
      features of the genomes yielded additional insights into the classification and
      physiological characteristics of these strains. 

PMID- 26494837
TI  - PAX5-ESRRB is a recurrent fusion gene in B-cell precursor pediatric acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia.

PMID- 26494838
TI  - Relapsed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the Nordic countries:
      prognostic factors, treatment and outcome.
AB  - Relapse is the main reason for treatment failure in childhood acute lymphoblastic
      leukemia. Despite improvements in the up-front therapy, survival after relapse is
      still relatively poor, especially for high-risk relapses. The aims of this study
      were to assess outcomes following acute lymphoblastic leukemia relapse after
      common initial Nordic Society of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology protocol
      treatment; to validate currently used risk stratifications, and identify
      additional prognostic factors for overall survival. Altogether, 516 of 2735
      patients (18.9%) relapsed between 1992 and 2011 and were included in the study.
      There were no statistically significant differences in outcome between the up
      front protocols or between the relapse protocols used, but an improvement over
      time was observed. The 5-year overall survival for patients relapsing in the
      period 2002-2011 was 57.5+/-3.4%, but 44.7+/-3.2% (P<0.001) if relapse occurred
      in the period 1992-2001. Factors independently predicting mortality after relapse
      included short duration of first remission, bone marrow involvement, age ten
      years or over, unfavorable cytogenetics, and Down syndrome. T-cell
      immunophenotype was not an independent prognostic factor unless in combination
      with hyperleukocytosis at diagnosis. The outcome for early combined pre-B
      relapses was unexpectedly poor (5-year overall survival 38.0+/-10.6%), which
      supports the notion that these patients need further risk adjustment. Although
      survival outcomes have improved over time, the development of novel approaches is
      urgently needed to increase survival in relapsed childhood acute lymphoblastic
      leukemia. 

PMID- 26494840
TI  - Relevant role of von Willebrand factor in neutrophil recruitment in a mouse
      sepsis model involving cecal ligation and puncture.

PMID- 26494839
TI  - Clinical, instrumental, serological and histological findings suggest that
      hemophilia B may be less severe than hemophilia A.
AB  - Recent evidence suggests that patients with severe hemophilia B may have a less
      severe disease compared to severe hemophilia A. To investigate clinical,
      radiological, laboratory and histological differences in the arthropathy of
      severe hemophilia A and hemophilia B, 70 patients with hemophilia A and 35 with
      hemophilia B with at least one joint bleeding were consecutively enrolled. Joint
      bleedings (<10, 10-50, >50), regimen of treatment (prophylaxis/on demand), World
      Federation of Hemophilia, Pettersson and ultrasound scores, serum soluble RANK
      ligand and osteoprotegerin were assessed in all patients. RANK, RANK ligand and
      osteoprotegerin expression was evaluated in synovial tissue from 18 hemophilia A
      and 4 hemophilia B patients. The percentage of patients with either 10-50 or more
      than 50 hemarthrosis was greater in hemophilia A than in hemophilia B (P<0.001
      and P=0.03, respectively), while that with less than 10 hemarthrosis was higher
      in hemophilia B (P<0.0001). World Federation of Hemophilia (36.6 vs. 20.2;
      P<0.0001) and ultrasound (10.9 vs. 4.3; P<0.0001) score mean values were
      significantly higher in hemophilia A patients. Serum osteoprotegerin and soluble
      RANK ligand were decreased in hemophilia A versus hemophilia B (P<0.0001 and
      P=0.006, respectively). Osteoprotegerin expression was markedly reduced in
      synovial tissue from hemophilia A patients. In conclusion, the reduced number of
      hemarthrosis, the lower World Federation of Hemophilia and ultrasound scores, and
      higher osteoprotegerin expression in serum and synovial tissue in hemophilia B
      suggest that hemophilia B is a less severe disease than hemophilia A.
      Osteoprotegerin reduction seems to play a pivotal role in the progression of
      arthropathy in hemophilia A. 

PMID- 26494841
TI  - Presensitization to HY antigens in female donors prior to transplant is not
      associated with male recipient post-transplant HY antibody development nor with
      clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26494842
TI  - Strong Constraint on Human Genes Escaping X-Inactivation Is Modulated by their
      Expression Level and Breadth in Both Sexes.
AB  - In eutherian mammals, X-linked gene expression is normalized between XX females
      and XY males through the process of X chromosome inactivation (XCI). XCI results
      in silencing of transcription from one ChrX homolog per female cell. However,
      approximately 25% of human ChrX genes escape XCI to some extent and exhibit
      biallelic expression in females. The evolutionary basis of this phenomenon is not
      entirely clear, but high sequence conservation of XCI escapers suggests that
      purifying selection may directly or indirectly drive XCI escape at these loci.
      One hypothesis is that this signal results from contributions to developmental
      and physiological sex differences, but presently there is limited evidence
      supporting this model in humans. Another potential driver of this signal is
      selection for high and/or broad gene expression in both sexes, which are strong
      predictors of reduced nucleotide substitution rates in mammalian genes. Here, we
      compared purifying selection and gene expression patterns of human XCI escapers
      with those of X-inactivated genes in both sexes. When we accounted for the
      functional status of each ChrX gene's Y-linked homolog (or "gametolog"), we
      observed that XCI escapers exhibit greater degrees of purifying selection in the
      human lineage than X-inactivated genes, as well as higher and broader gene
      expression than X-inactivated genes across tissues in both sexes. These results
      highlight a significant role for gene expression in both sexes in driving
      purifying selection on XCI escapers, and emphasize these genes' potential
      importance in human disease. 

PMID- 26494844
TI  - Ancient Male Recombination Shaped Genetic Diversity of Neo-Y Chromosome in
      Drosophila albomicans.
AB  - Researchers studying Y chromosome evolution have drawn attention to neo-Y
      chromosomes in Drosophila species due to their resembling the initial stage of Y
      chromosome evolution. In the studies of neo-Y chromosome of Drosophila miranda,
      the extremely low genetic diversity observed suggested various modes of natural
      selection acting on the nonrecombining genome. However, alternative possibility
      may come from its peculiar origin from a single chromosomal fusion event with
      male achiasmy, which potentially caused and maintained the low genetic diversity
      of the neo-Y chromosome. Here, we report a real case where a neo-Y chromosome is
      in transition from an autosome to a typical Y chromosome. The neo-Y chromosome of
      Drosophila albomicans harbored a rich genetic diversity comparable to its
      gametologous neo-X chromosome and an autosome in the same genome. Analyzing
      sequence variations in 53 genes and measuring recombination rates between pairs
      of loci by cross experiments, we elucidated the evolutionary scenario of the neo
      Y chromosome of D. albomicans having high genetic diversity without assuming
      selective force, i.e., it originated from a single chromosomal fusion event,
      experienced meiotic recombination during the initial stage of evolution and
      diverged from neo-X chromosome by the suppression of recombination tens or a few
      hundreds of thousand years ago. Consequently, the observed high genetic diversity
      on the neo-Y chromosome suggested a strong effect of meiotic recombination to
      introduce genetic variations into the newly arisen sex chromosome. 

PMID- 26494843
TI  - Adaptive Evolution Is Substantially Impeded by Hill-Robertson Interference in
      Drosophila.
AB  - Hill-Robertson interference (HRi) is expected to reduce the efficiency of natural
      selection when two or more linked selected sites do not segregate freely, but no
      attempt has been done so far to quantify the overall impact of HRi on the rate of
      adaptive evolution for any given genome. In this work, we estimate how much HRi
      impedes the rate of adaptive evolution in the coding genome of Drosophila
      melanogaster. We compiled a data set of 6,141 autosomal protein-coding genes from
      Drosophila, from which polymorphism levels in D. melanogaster and divergence out
      to D. yakuba were estimated. The rate of adaptive evolution was calculated using
      a derivative of the McDonald-Kreitman test that controls for slightly deleterious
      mutations. We find that the rate of adaptive amino acid substitution at a given
      position of the genome is positively correlated to both the rate of recombination
      and the mutation rate, and negatively correlated to the gene density of the
      region. These correlations are robust to controlling for each other, for
      synonymous codon bias and for gene functions related to immune response and
      testes. We show that HRi diminishes the rate of adaptive evolution by
      approximately 27%. Interestingly, genes with low mutation rates embedded in gene
      poor regions lose approximately 17% of their adaptive substitutions whereas genes
      with high mutation rates embedded in gene rich regions lose approximately 60%. We
      conclude that HRi hampers the rate of adaptive evolution in Drosophila and that
      the variation in recombination, mutation, and gene density along the genome
      affects the HRi effect. 

PMID- 26494845
TI  - Structured diet and physical activity programmes provide strong evidence of
      effectiveness for type 2 diabetes prevention and improvement of cardiometabolic
      health.

PMID- 26494846
TI  - No differences between operative and non-operative treatments of proximal humerus
      fractures.

PMID- 26494847
TI  - Universal Health Coverage's evolving location in the post-2015 development
      agenda: Key informant perspectives within multilateral and related agencies
      during the first phase of post-2015 negotiations.
AB  - In 2001, technocrats from four multilateral organizations selected the Millennium
      Development Goals mainly from the previous decade of United Nations (UN) summits
      and conferences. Few accounts are available of that significant yet cloistered
      synthesis process: none contemporaneous. In contrast, this study examines
      health's evolving location in the first-phase of the next iteration of global
      development goal negotiation for the post-2015 era, through the synchronous
      perspectives of representatives of key multilateral and related organizations. As
      part of the Go4Health Project, in-depth interviews were conducted in mid-2013
      with 57 professionals working on health and the post-2015 agenda within
      multilaterals and related agencies. Using discourse analysis, this article
      reports the results and analysis of a Universal Health Coverage (UHC) theme:
      contextualizing UHC's positioning within the post-2015 agenda-setting process
      immediately after the Global Thematic Consultation on Health and High-Level Panel
      of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (High-Level Panel)
      released their post-2015 health and development goal aspirations in April and May
      2013, respectively. After the findings from the interview data analysis are
      presented, the Results will be discussed drawing on Shiffman and Smith
      (Generation of political priority for global health initiatives: a framework and
      case study of maternal mortality.The Lancet2007; 370: : 1370-79) agenda-setting
      analytical framework (examining ideas, issues, actors and political context),
      modified by Benzianet al.(2011). Although more participants support the High
      Level Panel's May 2013 report's proposal-'Ensure Healthy Lives'-as the next
      umbrella health goal, they nevertheless still emphasize the need for UHC to
      achieve this and thus be incorporated as part of its trajectory. Despite UHC's
      conceptual ambiguity and cursory mention in the High-Level Panel report, its
      proponents suggest its re-emergence will occur in forthcoming State led post-2015
      negotiations. However, the final post-2015 SDG framework for UN General Assembly
      endorsement in September 2015 confirms UHC's continued distillation in
      negotiations, as UHC ultimately became one of a litany of targets within the
      proposed global health goal. 

PMID- 26494848
TI  - Recovery is about a focus on resilience and wellness, not a fixation with risk
      and illness.

PMID- 26494849
TI  - You say you want a revolution: Recovery, biomedicine and muddling through.

PMID- 26494850
TI  - Cognitive neuropsychological functioning in New Zealand Maori diagnosed with
      schizophrenia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous research suggests that New Zealand Maori may have an elevated
      rate of schizophrenia. However, there is limited evidence on important clinical
      features of the illness in this population. This study examined cognitive
      neuropsychological functioning in 54 adult Maori diagnosed with schizophrenia and
      56 Maori controls. This study also examined associations between cognition,
      medication and symptoms of psychosis in the schizophrenia group. METHOD: The
      groups were matched on socio-demographic variables, handedness and premorbid
      cognitive ability. Participants were assessed on neuropsychological tests of
      attention, executive ability, motor, premorbid ability, verbal/non-verbal memory
      and verbal fluency (English/Maori versions). The Positive and Negative Syndrome
      Scale was used to assess psychotic symptoms. Information on cultural identity,
      duration of illness, duration of untreated psychosis, medication and substance
      abuse was collected. RESULTS: The performance of the schizophrenia group was
      significantly lower than the control group on all the neuropsychological tests,
      except the test of attention. The effect sizes were moderate to large: 0.78 for
      motor function; 1.3 for executive ability, verbal fluency and visual memory; 1.6
      for verbal learning and 1.8 for verbal memory. These differences remained after
      adjustment for multiple comparisons and covariates. A higher dose of
      antipsychotic medication and a higher anticholinergic load were associated with
      greater verbal memory impairment (r = -0.38 and r = -0.38, respectively). A
      longer duration of illness was associated with greater impairment of verbal
      memory (rho = -0.48), verbal learning (rho = -0.41) and visual memory (rho = 
      0.44). CONCLUSION: The findings for the schizophrenia group show a profile of
      generalised cognitive impairment with greater impairment of verbal memory. The
      cognitive impairment in this group was independent of psychotic symptoms, but was
      associated with a higher antipsychotic dose, higher anticholinergic load and
      longer duration of illness. These findings have implications for clinical
      prescribing practices and rehabilitation for New Zealand Maori diagnosed with
      schizophrenia.

PMID- 26494851
TI  - Simulation versus lecture? Measuring educational impact: considerations for best
      practice.

PMID- 26494852
TI  - Familiarity and understanding of patients' religiosity and faith influence the
      level of comfort nurses and care workers feel when providing care.

PMID- 26494853
TI  - Lower Muscle Strength and Increased Visceral Fat Associated With No-reflow and
      High Gensini Score in STEMI.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact of fat distribution, muscle mass, and muscle strength on
      no-reflow and severity of coronary artery disease in patients with ST-segment
      elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To
      investigate association between muscle strength and fat and muscle mass and
      severity of coronary atherosclerosis. METHODS: We included 218 patients with
      STEMI who had undergone primary percutaneous coronary intervention. We evaluated
      the no-reflow phenomenon in infarct-related artery and calculated Gensini scores
      from initial angiograms as indicative of coronary atherosclerosis severity. The
      patients were divided into 2 groups as patients with no-reflow and with
      thrombolysis in myocardial infarction grade 3 flow and patients with low (<55)
      Gensini and with high (>=55) Gensini. Patients' total fat, muscle mass, visceral
      fat mass, and muscle strength were measured via body composition analyzer and
      handgrip dynamometer. RESULTS: High Gensini patients had a greater body mass
      index (BMI) and lower handgrip strength and more visceral fat ( P = .05, P =
      .017, and P < .001, respectively). The patients with no-reflow had significantly
      lower handgrip strength and more visceral fat (both, P < .001). In multivariate
      regression analysis, visceral fat and handgrip strength were associated with high
      no-reflow rate and high Gensini scores in patients with STEMI ( P = .001, P =
      .014, P = .022, and P = .010; respectively). CONCLUSION: Increased visceral fat
      and lower handgrip strength may be related to increased no-reflow rate and
      coronary plaque burden in STEMI. Visceral fat and muscle strength may be better
      prognostic markers than weight, BMI, total fat, and muscle mass in coronary
      artery disease.

PMID- 26494854
TI  - Seed Predators, not Herbivores, Exert Natural Selection on Solidago spp. in an
      Urban Archipelago.
AB  - The effects of urbanization on biodiversity are well established, as a growing
      city will reduce the size and diversity of patches of native plants.
      Recolonization of old patches and discovery of new ones by arthropod herbivores
      should occur as predicted by island biogeography theory. Although colonization
      represents an increase in biodiversity, such arrivals may exert new forms of
      natural selection on plants through herbivory and seed predation. Using a single
      species of old-field aster (Solidago altissima L.), we found that the level of
      natural selection by seed predators and herbivores follows patterns of island
      biogeography, with lower amounts of damage on smaller islands, where there are
      fewer species, and hypothetically smaller populations of arthropods. We also
      found that in an urban system, levels of herbivory are far below the tolerance
      levels of Solidago, and that seed predators are likely to be the only arthropod
      to cause reduced fitness. The pattern seen also implies that as a patch of
      Solidago grows through clonal expansion, it will come under higher selective
      pressure. 

PMID- 26494855
TI  - Dissociating the neural mechanisms of pain consistency and pain intensity in the
      trigemino-nociceptive system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individual differences in pain perception to a standardized
      nociceptive input are a well-known phenomenon within pain research. Brain
      structures known to play a crucial role in pain modulatory processes are the
      rostral/subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sACC) as well as the periaqueductal
      gray (PAG), which belong to the endogenous antinociceptive system. However, the
      exact mechanisms possibly leading to this high level of variance in pain
      perception are still a matter of debate. METHODS: Pain perception within the
      trigemino-vascular system was investigated in 37 healthy volunteers using
      functional magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Behavioral results show high
      levels of variance being inversely correlated to mean pain ratings as well as to
      an increase in BOLD signal intensity within the sACC. In addition, higher sACC
      activation was coupled with activation in the PAG the lower the level of intra
      individual variance. CONCLUSION: This study gives first indications that coupled
      BOLD response within brain structures of the antinociceptive system seems to
      rather not code pain intensity within the trigemino-nociceptive system but the
      stability of volunteers' pain ratings. Intrinsic mechanisms may modulate the pain
      perception in the trigemino-vascular system, which is highly involved in headache
      disorders.

PMID- 26494856
TI  - High-Dose FOLFIRI plus Bevacizumab in the Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal
      Cancer Patients with Two Different UGT1A1 Genotypes: FFCD 0504 Study.
AB  - High-dose FOLFIRI has an acceptable safety profile and promising efficacy. UDP
      glucuronosyltransferase: (UGT1A1) polymorphism may be predictive of toxicity and
      efficacy of irinotecan. This phase II study aimed to evaluate the combination of
      high-dose FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab in patients with previously untreated
      metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC) based on their UGT1A1 genotype. Patients with
      the UGT1A1 *1/*1 (group 1) or *1/*28 (group 2) genotype received bevacizumab plus
      high-dose FOLFIRI every 2 weeks. Using the Bryant and Day design with objective
      response rate and toxicity as the primary endpoints, 54 patients in each group
      were required with a planned interim analysis after inclusion of 17 patients per
      group. We planned to stop the trial at the interim analysis if <= 7 patients
      exhibited an objective response (OR) and/or >= 3 patients exhibited severe
      toxicity. At the interim analysis, ORs were higher than the number expected:
      52.9% (group 1) and 58.8% (group 2). More than three toxic events occurred in
      both groups and, according to the interim analysis rule, the trial was closed due
      to unacceptable toxicity. Recruitment was stopped when 86 patients were included
      and an analysis on overall population was done for overall survival (OS) and
      progression-free survival (PFS). The median PFS was 10.7 months (group 1) and
      10.4 months (group 2). The median OS was 25.5 months (group 1) and 23.9 months
      (group 2). This trial does not support the use of the intensive treatment with HD
      FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab combination for MCRC in patients with the
      UGTA1*1/UGT1A1*1 or UGT1A1*1/UGT1A1*28 genotype.

PMID- 26494857
TI  - Bevacizumab-Induced Inhibition of Angiogenesis Promotes a More Homogeneous
      Intratumoral Distribution of Paclitaxel, Improving the Antitumor Response.
AB  - The antitumor activity of angiogenesis inhibitors is reinforced in combination
      with chemotherapy. It is debated whether this potentiation is related to a better
      drug delivery to the tumor due to the antiangiogenic effects on tumor vessel
      phenotype and functionality. We addressed this question by combining bevacizumab
      with paclitaxel on A2780-1A9 ovarian carcinoma and HT-29 colon carcinoma
      transplanted ectopically in the subcutis of nude mice and on A2780-1A9 and IGROV1
      ovarian carcinoma transplanted orthotopically in the bursa of the mouse ovary.
      Paclitaxel concentrations together with its distribution by MALDI mass
      spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) were measured to determine the drug in different
      areas of the tumor, which was immunostained to depict vessel morphology and tumor
      proliferation. Bevacizumab modified the vessel bed, assessed by CD31 staining and
      dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), and potentiated the antitumor activity
      of paclitaxel in all the models. Although tumor paclitaxel concentrations were
      lower after bevacizumab, the drug distributed more homogeneously, particularly in
      vascularized, non-necrotic areas, and was cleared more slowly than controls. This
      happened specifically in tumor tissue, as there was no change in paclitaxel
      pharmacokinetics or drug distribution in normal tissues. In addition, the drug
      concentration and distribution were not influenced by the site of tumor growth,
      as A2780-1A9 and IGROV1 growing in the ovary gave results similar to the tumor
      growing subcutaneously. We suggest that the changes in the tumor microenvironment
      architecture induced by bevacizumab, together with the better distribution of
      paclitaxel, may explain the significant antitumor potentiation by the
      combination.

PMID- 26494858
TI  - The Sphingosine Kinase 2 Inhibitor ABC294640 Reduces the Growth of Prostate
      Cancer Cells and Results in Accumulation of Dihydroceramides In Vitro and In
      Vivo.
AB  - Despite recent advances in the development of novel therapies against castration
      resistant prostate cancer, the advanced form of the disease remains a major
      treatment challenge. Aberrant sphingolipid signaling through sphingosine kinases
      and their product, sphingosine-1-phosphate, can promote proliferation, drug
      resistance, angiogenesis, and inflammation. The sphingosine kinase 2 inhibitor
      ABC294640 is undergoing clinical testing in cancer patients, and in this study we
      investigated the effects this first-in-class inhibitor in castration-resistant
      prostate cancer. In vitro, ABC294640 decreased prostate cancer cell viability as
      well as the expression of c-Myc and the androgen receptor, while lysosomal
      acidification increased. ABC294640 also induced a greater than 3-fold increase in
      dihydroceramides that inversely correlated with inhibition of dihydroceramide
      desaturase (DEGS) activity. Expression of sphingosine kinase 2 was dispensable
      for the ABC294640-mediated increase in dihydroceramides. In vivo, ABC294640
      diminished the growth rate of TRAMP-C2 xenografts in syngeneic hosts and elevated
      dihydroceramides within tumors as visualized by MALDI imaging mass spectroscopy.
      The plasma of ABC294640-treated mice contained significantly higher levels of C16
      and C24:1-ceramides (but not dihydro-C16-ceramide) compared with vehicle-treated
      mice. In summary, our results suggest that ABC294640 may reduce the proliferative
      capacity of castration-resistant prostate cancer cells through inhibition of both
      sphingosine kinase 2 and dihydroceramide desaturase, thereby providing a
      foundation for future exploration of this small-molecule inhibitor for the
      treatment of advanced disease.

PMID- 26494860
TI  - Lifestyle Methods for Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease From the Perspective of
      Traditional Persian Medicine.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease is considered as a major problem for society health since it
      affects interpersonal and social relationships. With regard to the global
      attention toward complementary medicine, search for preventive, diagnostic, and
      treatment strategies in complementary medicine schools such as the old dynamic
      doctrine of traditional Persian medicine seems to be necessary. In this type of
      medicine, description and analysis of the disease and preventive and treatment
      methods have great importance. The present study provides a useful classification
      of recommendations for prevention and control of Alzheimer's disease. Prevention
      is prior to the treatment and is easier and less costly. Recommendations
      mentioned in traditional Persian medicine texts for prevention of Alzheimer's
      disease provide fields of clinical and complementary studies for researches. 

PMID- 26494861
TI  - Bitopic Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptor 3 (S1P3) Antagonist Rescue from Complete
      Heart Block: Pharmacological and Genetic Evidence for Direct S1P3 Regulation of
      Mouse Cardiac Conduction.
AB  - The molecular pharmacology of the G protein-coupled receptors for sphingosine 1
      phosphate (S1P) provides important insight into established and new therapeutic
      targets. A new, potent bitopic S1P3 antagonist, SPM-354, with in vivo activity,
      has been used, together with S1P3-knockin and S1P3-knockout mice to define the
      spatial and functional properties of S1P3 in regulating cardiac conduction. We
      show that S1P3 is a key direct regulator of cardiac rhythm both in vivo and in
      isolated perfused hearts. 2-Amino-2-[2-(4-octylphenyl)ethyl]propane-1,3-diol in
      vivo and S1P in isolated hearts induced a spectrum of cardiac effects, ranging
      from sinus bradycardia to complete heart block, as measured by a surface
      electrocardiogram in anesthetized mice and in volume-conducted Langendorff
      preparations. The agonist effects on complete heart block are absent in S1P3
      knockout mice and are reversed in wild-type mice with SPM-354, as characterized
      and described here. Homologous knockin of S1P3-mCherry is fully functional
      pharmacologically and is strongly expressed by immunohistochemistry confocal
      microscopy in Hyperpolarization Activated Cyclic Nucleotide Gated Potassium
      Channel 4 (HCN4)-positive atrioventricular node and His-Purkinje fibers, with
      relative less expression in the HCN4-positive sinoatrial node. In Langendorff
      studies, at constant pressure, SPM-354 restored sinus rhythm in S1P-induced
      complete heart block and fully reversed S1P-mediated bradycardia. S1P3
      distribution and function in the mouse ventricular cardiac conduction system
      suggest a direct mechanism for heart block risk that should be further studied in
      humans. A richer understanding of receptor and ligand usage in the pacemaker
      cells of the cardiac system is likely to be useful in understanding ventricular
      conduction in health, disease, and pharmacology.

PMID- 26494862
TI  - Genomically Incorporated 5-Fluorouracil that Escapes UNG-Initiated Base Excision
      Repair Blocks DNA Replication and Activates Homologous Recombination.
AB  - 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and its metabolite 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (FdUrd,
      floxuridine) are chemotherapy agents that are converted to 5-fluorodeoxyuridine
      monophosphate (FdUMP) and 5-fluorodeoxyuridine triphosphate (FdUTP). FdUMP
      inhibits thymidylate synthase and causes the accumulation of uracil in the
      genome, whereas FdUTP is incorporated by DNA polymerases as 5-FU in the genome;
      however, it remains unclear how either genomically incorporated U or 5-FU
      contributes to killing. We show that depletion of the uracil DNA glycosylase
      (UNG) sensitizes tumor cells to FdUrd. Furthermore, we show that UNG depletion
      does not sensitize cells to the thymidylate synthase inhibitor (raltitrexed),
      which induces uracil but not 5-FU accumulation, thus indicating that genomically
      incorporated 5-FU plays a major role in the antineoplastic effects of FdUrd. We
      also show that 5-FU metabolites do not block the first round of DNA synthesis but
      instead arrest cells at the G1/S border when cells again attempt replication and
      activate homologous recombination (HR). This arrest is not due to 5-FU lesions
      blocking DNA polymerase delta but instead depends, in part, on the thymine DNA
      glycosylase. Consistent with the activation of HR repair, disruption of HR
      sensitized cells to FdUrd, especially when UNG was disabled. These results show
      that 5-FU lesions that escape UNG repair activate HR, which promotes cell
      survival.

PMID- 26494859
TI  - Potentiation of Carboplatin-Mediated DNA Damage by the Mdm2 Modulator Nutlin-3a
      in a Humanized Orthotopic Breast-to-Lung Metastatic Model.
AB  - Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) are typically resistant to treatment, and
      strategies that build upon frontline therapy are needed. Targeting the murine
      double minute 2 (Mdm2) protein is an attractive approach, as Mdm2 levels are
      elevated in many therapy-refractive breast cancers. The Mdm2 protein-protein
      interaction inhibitor Nutlin-3a blocks the binding of Mdm2 to key signaling
      molecules such as p53 and p73alpha and can result in activation of cell death
      signaling pathways. In the present study, the therapeutic potential of
      carboplatin and Nutlin-3a to treat TNBC was investigated, as carboplatin is under
      evaluation in clinical trials for TNBC. In mutant p53 TMD231 TNBC cells,
      carboplatin and Nutlin-3a led to increased Mdm2 and was strongly synergistic in
      promoting cell death in vitro. Furthermore, sensitivity of TNBC cells to
      combination treatment was dependent on p73alpha. Following combination treatment,
      gammaH2AX increased and Mdm2 localized to a larger degree to chromatin compared
      with single-agent treatment, consistent with previous observations that Mdm2
      binds to the Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1 complex associated with DNA and inhibits the DNA
      damage response. In vivo efficacy studies were conducted in the TMD231 orthotopic
      mammary fat pad model in NOD.Cg-Prkdc(scid)Il2rg(tm1Wjl)/SzJ (NSG) mice. Using an
      intermittent dosing schedule of combined carboplatin and Nutlin-3a, there was a
      significant reduction in primary tumor growth and lung metastases compared with
      vehicle and single-agent treatments. In addition, there was minimal toxicity to
      the bone marrow and normal tissues. These studies demonstrate that Mdm2 holds
      promise as a therapeutic target in combination with conventional therapy and may
      lead to new clinical therapies for TNBC.

PMID- 26494863
TI  - An unusual complication of coronary angiography via the radial approach.

PMID- 26494864
TI  - An unusual cause of left ventricular hypertrophy.

PMID- 26494865
TI  - Ischaemic perforation of the free left ventricular wall covered by pericardial
      adhesion as an incidental finding in a patient presenting with acute cerebral
      ischaemia.

PMID- 26494866
TI  - Recent advances in natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery?.
AB  - Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) has emerged as one of the
      most exciting areas in the field of minimally invasive surgery during the last
      decade. NOTES comprises a wide spectrum of procedures from various natural
      accesses such as transgastric or transvaginal routes, and different direct-target
      or distant-target organs. Since polypectomy was first performed in 1955, major
      advances in technology and refinement of endoscopic technique have allowed
      endoscopic surgeons to perform complex endoscopic interventions such as
      endoscopic submucosal dissection. Recognizing the safety and feasibility of
      submucosal tunnelling and mucosal closure, endoscopic resection beyond the level
      of mucosa has been increasingly reported. One of these procedures, peroral
      endoscopic myotomy for achalasia, has gained much popularity and excellent
      results have been published comparable with that of traditional Heller's
      cardiomyotomy. Submucosal tunnelling endoscopic resection has also been reported
      for tumours situated in the muscular layer of the gastrointestinal tract. To
      overcome the difficulty of intestinal closure after NOTES, researchers have
      collaborated with the industry in developing different endoscopic suturing
      devices such as the Eagle Claw (Olympus Medical Systems, Tokyo, Japan) and
      OverstitchTM (Apollo Endosurgery, Austin TX, USA). These devices allow precise
      and secure suture application with the ordinary flexible endoscope, achieving
      tissue approximation similar to open surgical suturing. To further expand the
      potential of NOTES, investigators had also developed multitasking platforms
      enabling the performance of surgical procedures of even higher complexity.
      Recently, a novel endoscopic robotic system 'Master and Slave Transluminal
      Endoscopic Robot' (MASTER) has been developed. Early results of endoscopic
      resection utilizing this system have been encouraging, allowing both experts and
      novices in endoscopy to perform difficult endoscopic resection with a high degree
      of flexibility. 

PMID- 26494867
TI  - Decellularization of aortic valves: only time will tell.

PMID- 26494868
TI  - Acute intermittent porphyria: comorbidity and shared familial risks with
      schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in Sweden.
AB  - Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) has been associated with schizophrenia in some
      studies, but prior research is limited by the absence of comparison populations.
      Here, we linked Swedish registers to examine the risk of schizophrenia and
      bipolar disorder in 717 individuals diagnosed with AIP and their first-degree
      relatives, compared with matched individuals without AIP and their first-degree
      relatives. Individuals with AIP had a fourfold increased risk of schizophrenia or
      bipolar disorder. Similarly, relatives of individuals with AIP had double the
      risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, suggesting that these associations may
      be as a result of common genetic influences. 

PMID- 26494869
TI  - Differential effects of ethnic density on the risk of postnatal depression and
      personality dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between ethnic density and psychiatric disorder in
      postnatal women in the UK is unclear. AIMS: To examine the effect of own and
      overall ethnic density on postnatal depression (PND) and personality dysfunction.
      METHOD: Multilevel analysis of ethnically mixed community-level data gathered
      from a sample of 2262 mothers screened at 6 weeks postpartum for PND and
      personality dysfunction. RESULTS: Living in areas of higher own ethnic density
      was protective against screening positive for PND in White women (z = -3.18, P =
      0.001), even after adjusting for area level deprivation, maternal age,
      relationship status, screening positive for personality dysfunction, parity and
      geographical clustering (odds ratio (OR) 0.98 (95% CI 0.96-0.99); P = 0.002),
      whereas the effect on personality dysfunction (z = -2.42, P = 0.016) was no
      longer present once the effect of PND was taken into account (OR = 0.99 (95% CI
      0.90-1.0); P = 0.13). No overall ethnic density effect was found for women
      screening positive for PND or personality dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: In White
      women, living in areas of higher own ethnic density was protective against
      developing PND.

PMID- 26494870
TI  - Aetiological overlap between obsessive-compulsive related and anxiety disorder
      symptoms: multivariate twin study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aetiological boundary between obsessive-compulsive related
      disorders (OCRDs) including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety
      disorders is unclear and continues to generate debate. AIMS: To determine the
      genetic overlap and the pattern of causal relationships among OCRDs and anxiety
      disorders. METHOD: Multivariate twin modelling methods and a new regression
      analysis to infer causation were used, involving 2495 male and female twins.
      RESULTS: The amount of common genetic liability observed for OCD symptoms was
      higher when considering anxiety disorders and OCRDs in the model v. modelling
      OCRD symptoms alone. OCD symptoms emerged as risk factors for the presence of
      generalised anxiety, panic and hoarding symptoms, whereas social phobia appeared
      as a risk factor for OCD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: OCD represents a complex
      phenotype that includes important shared features with anxiety disorders and
      OCRDs. The novel patterns of risk identified between OCD and anxiety disorder may
      help to explain their frequent co-occurrence.

PMID- 26494871
TI  - Postnatal paternal depressive symptoms associated with fathers' subsequent
      parenting: findings from the Millennium Cohort Study.
AB  - Impaired parenting may lie on the causal pathway between paternal depression and
      children's outcomes. We use the first four surveys of the Millennium Cohort Study
      to investigate the association between paternal depressive symptoms and fathers'
      parenting (negative, positive and involvement). Findings suggest that postnatal
      paternal depressive symptoms are associated with fathers' negative parenting.
      This has implications for the design of intervention programmes for parents with
      depression and young children. 

PMID- 26494872
TI  - Amygdala response to self-critical stimuli and symptom improvement in
      psychotherapy for depression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive-behavioural therapy is efficacious in the treatment of
      major depressive disorder but response rates are still far from satisfactory.
      AIMS: To better understand brain responses to individualised emotional stimuli
      and their association with outcome, to enhance treatment. METHOD: Functional
      magnetic resonance imaging data were collected prior to individual psychotherapy.
      Differences in brain activity during passive viewing of individualised self
      critical material in 23 unmedicated out-patients with depression and 28 healthy
      controls were assessed. The associations between brain activity, cognitive and
      emotional change, and outcome were analysed in 21 patients. RESULTS: Patients
      showed enhanced activity in the amygdala and ventral striatum compared with the
      control group. Non-response to therapy was associated with enhanced activity in
      the right amygdala compared with those who responded, and activity in this region
      was negatively associated with outcome. Emotional but not cognitive changes
      mediated this association. CONCLUSIONS: Amygdala hyperactivity may lessen symptom
      improvement in psychotherapy for depression through attenuating emotional skill
      acquisition.

PMID- 26494873
TI  - Effects of the MAOA gene and levels of exposure to violence on antisocial
      outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene has been shown to moderate the
      impact of maltreatment on antisocial behaviour. Replication efforts have,
      however, yielded inconsistent results. AIMS: To investigate whether the
      interaction between the MAOA gene and violence is present across the full
      distribution of violence or emerges at higher levels of exposure. METHOD:
      Participants were 327 male members of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of
      Kindergarten Children. Exposure to violence comprised retrospective reports of
      mother's and father's maltreatment, sexual and physical abuse. Conduct disorder
      and antisocial personality symptoms were assessed in semi-structured interviews
      and partner violence, property-violent crimes and arrest were self-reported.
      RESULTS: Non-linear interactions between the MAOA gene and violence were
      detected, suggesting that the genetic moderation may come about once a certain
      level of violence is experienced. CONCLUSIONS: Future studies should investigate
      the mechanisms translating substantial violence exposure, which could,
      subsequently, trigger the expression of genetically based differences in
      antisocial behaviour.

PMID- 26494874
TI  - Suicides during pregnancy and 1 year postpartum in Sweden, 1980-2007.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the incidence of suicide among women who have given birth
      during the past 12 months is lower than that of women who have not given birth,
      suicide remains one of the most common causes of death during the year following
      delivery in high-income countries, such as Sweden. AIMS: To characterise women
      who died by suicide during pregnancy and postpartum from a maternal care
      perspective. METHOD: We traced deaths (n = 103) through linkage of the Swedish
      Cause of Death Register with the Medical Birth and National Patient Registers. We
      analysed register data and obstetric medical records. RESULTS: The maternal
      suicide ratio was 3.7 per 100 000 live births for the period 1980-2007, with
      small magnitude variation over time. The suicide ratio was higher in women born
      in low-income countries (odds ratio 3.1 (95% CI 1.3-7.7)). Violent suicide
      methods were common, especially during the first 6 months postpartum. In all, 77
      women had received psychiatric care at some point, but 26 women had no documented
      psychiatric care. Antenatal documentation of psychiatric history was
      inconsistent. At postpartum discharge, only 20 women had a plan for psychiatric
      follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Suicide prevention calls for increased clinical awareness
      and cross-disciplinary maternal care approaches to identify and support women at
      risk.

PMID- 26494875
TI  - The Healthy Activity Program lay counsellor delivered treatment for severe
      depression in India: systematic development and randomised evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reducing the global treatment gap for mental disorders requires
      treatments that are economical, effective and culturally appropriate. AIMS: To
      describe a systematic approach to the development of a brief psychological
      treatment for patients with severe depression delivered by lay counsellors in
      primary healthcare. METHOD: The treatment was developed in three stages using a
      variety of methods: (a) identifying potential strategies; (b) developing a
      theoretical framework; and (c) evaluating the acceptability, feasibility and
      effectiveness of the psychological treatment. RESULTS: The Healthy Activity
      Program (HAP) is delivered over 6-8 sessions and consists of behavioral
      activation as the core psychological framework with added emphasis on strategies
      such as problem-solving and activation of social networks. Key elements to
      improve acceptability and feasibility are also included. In an intention-to-treat
      analysis of a pilot randomised controlled trial (55 participants), the prevalence
      of depression (Beck Depression Inventory II ?19) after 2 months was lower in the
      HAP than the control arm (adjusted risk ratio = 0.55, 95% CI 0.32-0.94,P= 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our systematic approach to the development of psychological
      treatments could be extended to other mental disorders. HAP is an acceptable and
      effective brief psychological treatment for severe depression delivered by lay
      counsellors in primary care.

PMID- 26494876
TI  - Effect of a pre-exercise hydrocortisone dose on short-term physical performance
      in female patients with primary adrenal failure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Many patients with primary adrenal insufficiency (Addison's disease)
      take extra doses of glucocorticoids during stressful events, but a benefit has
      not been demonstrated in controlled trials. Here, we investigated the effects of
      a pre-exercise hydrocortisone dose on cardiorespiratory, hormonal and metabolic
      parameters in response to short-term strenuous physical activity. DESIGN: This
      was a randomized placebo-controlled, two-week cross-over clinical trial.
      PARTICIPANTS: Ten women with Addison's disease and 10 age-matched healthy females
      participated in the study. MEASUREMENTS: All women in the study underwent maximal
      incremental exercise testing. A stress dose of 10 mg hydrocortisone or placebo
      was given 1 h prior to exercise on two occasions. Blood samples were drawn
      before, and 0, 15 and 30 min post exercise. Oxygen uptake, maximal aerobic
      capacity, endocrine and metabolic responses to physical activity, as well as
      health status by questionnaires were evaluated. RESULTS: Maximal aerobic capacity
      and duration of exercise were significantly lower in patients than in healthy
      subjects and did not improve with the treatment. After an extra hydrocortisone
      dose serum cortisol was significantly higher than in the healthy subjects
      (P<0.001). Post-exercise glucose and adrenaline levels were significantly lower
      and free fatty acids insignificantly higher in patients irrespective of stress
      dose. Stress dosing did not alter other metabolic or hormonal parameters or
      quality of life after the exercise. CONCLUSIONS: The patients did not benefit
      from an extra dose of hydrocortisone in short strenuous exercise. Stress dosing
      may not be justified in this setting. Whether stress dosing is beneficial in
      other types of physical activity will have to be examined further.

PMID- 26494878
TI  - 'Encouraging trends' in use of antibiotics.

PMID- 26494877
TI  - Multi-centre validation of an automatic algorithm for fast 4D myocardial
      segmentation in cine CMR datasets.
AB  - AIMS: Quantitative analysis of cine cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) images for
      the assessment of global left ventricular morphology and function remains a
      routine task in clinical cardiology practice. To date, this process requires user
      interaction and therefore prolongs the examination (i.e. cost) and introduces
      observer variability. In this study, we sought to validate the feasibility,
      accuracy, and time efficiency of a novel framework for automatic quantification
      of left ventricular global function in a clinical setting. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Analyses of 318 CMR studies, acquired at the enrolment of patients in a multi
      centre imaging trial (DOPPLER-CIP), were performed automatically, as well as
      manually. For comparative purposes, intra- and inter-observer variability was
      also assessed in a subset of patients. The extracted morphological and functional
      parameters were compared between both analyses, and time efficiency was
      evaluated. The automatic analysis was feasible in 95% of the cases (302/318) and
      showed a good agreement with manually derived reference measurements, with small
      biases and narrow limits of agreement particularly for end-diastolic volume (
      4.08 +/- 8.98 mL), end-systolic volume (1.18 +/- 9.74 mL), and ejection fraction
      (-1.53 +/- 4.93%). These results were comparable with the agreement between two
      independent observers. A complete automatic analysis took 5.61 +/- 1.22 s, which
      is nearly 150 times faster than manual contouring (14 +/- 2 min, P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: The proposed automatic framework provides a fast, robust, and
      accurate quantification of relevant left ventricular clinical indices in 'real
      world' cine CMR images.

PMID- 26494879
TI  - US government to build an AI vaccine stockpile.

PMID- 26494880
TI  - Wildfowl implicated in Lancashire AI outbreak.

PMID- 26494881
TI  - Defra revises notifiable avian disease strategy.

PMID- 26494882
TI  - Royal opening for Surrey veterinary school.

PMID- 26494883
TI  - Case studies show how UK research contributes to global development.

PMID- 26494884
TI  - 150 years of the state veterinary service.

PMID- 26494885
TI  - 'Great year' for zoo masters course.

PMID- 26494886
TI  - Corporate group invests in veterinary specialist services.

PMID- 26494887
TI  - Blue plaque commemorates pioneering veterinary scientist.

PMID- 26494888
TI  - Jack Russell terrier to join pedigree list.

PMID- 26494889
TI  - Dog friendly business award.

PMID- 26494890
TI  - AVTRW conference aims to please early career researchers.

PMID- 26494891
TI  - Promoting evidence-based veterinary medicine.

PMID- 26494892
TI  - Sheep scab remains a problem.

PMID- 26494893
TI  - Determining the impact of badger culling on the incidence of TB in cattle.

PMID- 26494895
TI  - Shortage of experienced vets.

PMID- 26494894
TI  - Tail biting in calves.

PMID- 26494896
TI  - Claw trimming of dairy cattle.

PMID- 26494897
TI  - Licence variations regarding tiludronate disodium.

PMID- 26494898
TI  - Methods of rabbit identification.

PMID- 26494899
TI  - Dairy vet with global experience.

PMID- 26494900
TI  - Excess mortality for operated geriatric hip fracture in Hong Kong.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Geriatric hip fracture places an increasing burden to health care
      systems around the world. We studied the latest epidemiology trend of geriatric
      hip fracture in Hong Kong, as well as the excess mortality for patients who had
      undergone surgery for hip fracture. METHODS: This descriptive epidemiology study
      was conducted in the public hospitals in Hong Kong. All patients who underwent
      surgery for geriatric hip fracture in public hospitals from January 2000 to
      December 2011 were studied. They were retrieved from the Clinical Management
      System of the Hospital Authority of Hong Kong. Relevant data were collected using
      the Clinical Data Analysis and Reporting System of the Hospital Authority. The
      actual and projected population size, and the age- and sex-specific mortality
      rates were obtained from the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong. The
      30-day, 1-year and 5-year mortality, and excess mortality following surgery for
      geriatric hip fracture were calculated. RESULTS: There was a steady increase in
      the incidence of geriatric hip fracture in Hong Kong. The annual risk of
      geriatric hip fracture was decreasing in both sexes. Female patients aged 65 to
      69 years had the lowest 1-year and 5-year mortality of 6.91% and 23.80%,
      respectively. Advancing age and male sex were associated with an increase in
      mortality and a higher excess mortality rate following surgery. CONCLUSION: The
      incidence of geriatric hip fracture is expected to increase in the future. The
      exact reason for a higher excess mortality rate in male patients remains unclear
      and should be the direction for future studies.

PMID- 26494901
TI  - Genome-wide genetic homogeneity between sexes and populations for human height
      and body mass index.
AB  - Sex-specific genetic effects have been proposed to be an important source of
      variation for human complex traits. Here we use two distinct genome-wide methods
      to estimate the autosomal genetic correlation (rg) between men and women for
      human height and body mass index (BMI), using individual-level (n = ~44 000) and
      summary-level (n = ~133 000) data from genome-wide association studies. Results
      are consistent and show that the between-sex genetic correlation is not
      significantly different from unity for both traits. In contrast, we find evidence
      of genetic heterogeneity between sexes for waist-hip ratio (rg = ~0.7) and
      between populations for BMI (rg = ~0.9 between Europe and the USA) but not for
      height. The lack of evidence for substantial genetic heterogeneity for body size
      is consistent with empirical findings across traits and species. 

PMID- 26494903
TI  - Differential effects on beta-cell mass by disruption of Bardet-Biedl syndrome or
      Alstrom syndrome genes.
AB  - Rare genetic syndromes characterized by early-onset type 2 diabetes have revealed
      the importance of pancreatic beta-cells in genetic susceptibility to diabetes.
      However, the role of genetic regulation of beta-cells in disorders that are also
      characterized by highly penetrant obesity, a major additional risk factor, is
      unclear. In this study, we investigated the contribution of genes associated with
      two obesity ciliopathies, Bardet-Biedl Syndrome and Alstrom Syndrome, to the
      production and maintenance of pancreatic beta-cells. Using zebrafish models of
      these syndromes, we identified opposing effects on production of beta-cells. Loss
      of the Alstrom gene, alms1, resulted in a significant decrease in beta-cell
      production whereas loss of BBS genes, bbs1 or bbs4, resulted in a significant
      increase. Examination of the regulatory program underlying beta-cell production
      suggested that these effects were specific to beta-cells. In addition to the
      initial production of beta-cells, we observed significant differences in their
      continued maintenance. Under prolonged exposure to high glucose conditions, alms1
      deficient beta-cells were unable to continually expand as a result of decreased
      proliferation and increased cell death. Although bbs1-deficient beta-cells were
      similarly susceptible to apoptosis, the overall maintenance of beta-cell number
      in those animals was sustained likely due to increased proliferation. Taken
      together, these findings implicate discrepant production and maintenance of beta
      cells in the differential susceptibility to diabetes found between these two
      genetic syndromes. 

PMID- 26494904
TI  - Multikinase activity of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitors
      SU5402, PD173074, AZD1480, AZD4547 and BGJ398 compromises the use of small
      chemicals targeting FGFR catalytic activity for therapy of short-stature
      syndromes.
AB  - Activating mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) cause the
      most common genetic form of human dwarfism, achondroplasia (ACH). Small chemical
      inhibitors of FGFR tyrosine kinase activity are considered to be viable option
      for treating ACH, but little experimental evidence supports this claim. We
      evaluated five FGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (SU5402, PD173074, AZD1480,
      AZD4547 and BGJ398) for their activity against FGFR signaling in chondrocytes.
      All five TKIs strongly inhibited FGFR activation in cultured chondrocytes and
      limb rudiment cultures, completely relieving FGFR-mediated inhibition of
      chondrocyte proliferation and maturation. In contrast, TKI treatment of newborn
      mice did not improve skeletal growth and had lethal toxic effects on the liver,
      lungs and kidneys. In cell-free kinase assays as well as in vitro and in vivo
      cell assays, none of the tested TKIs demonstrated selectivity for FGFR3 over
      three other FGFR tyrosine kinases. In addition, the TKIs exhibited significant
      off-target activity when screened against a panel of 14 unrelated tyrosine
      kinases. This was most extensive in SU5402 and AZD1480, which inhibited DDR2,
      IGF1R, FLT3, TRKA, FLT4, ABL and JAK3 with efficiencies similar to or greater
      than those for FGFR. Low target specificity and toxicity of FGFR TKIs thus
      compromise their use for treatment of ACH. Conceptually, different avenues of
      therapeutic FGFR3 targeting should be investigated. 

PMID- 26494902
TI  - Combinatorial therapeutic activation with heparin and AICAR stimulates additive
      effects on utrophin A expression in dystrophic muscles.
AB  - Upregulation of utrophin A is an attractive therapeutic strategy for treating
      Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Over the years, several studies revealed that
      utrophin A is regulated by multiple transcriptional and post-transcriptional
      mechanisms, and that pharmacological modulation of these pathways stimulates
      utrophin A expression in dystrophic muscle. In particular, we recently showed
      that activation of p38 signaling causes an increase in the levels of utrophin A
      mRNAs and protein by decreasing the functional availability of the destabilizing
      RNA-binding protein called K-homology splicing regulatory protein, thereby
      resulting in increases in the stability of existing mRNAs. Here, we treated 6
      week-old mdx mice for 4 weeks with the clinically used anticoagulant drug heparin
      known to activate p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and determined the impact
      of this pharmacological intervention on the dystrophic phenotype. Our results
      show that heparin treatment of mdx mice caused a significant ~1.5- to 3-fold
      increase in utrophin A expression in diaphragm, extensor digitorum longus and
      tibialis anterior (TA) muscles. In agreement with these findings, heparin-treated
      diaphragm and TA muscle fibers showed an accumulation of utrophin A and beta
      dystroglycan along their sarcolemma and displayed improved morphology and
      structural integrity. Moreover, combinatorial drug treatment using both heparin
      and 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside (AICAR), the latter targeting 5'
      adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase and the transcriptional
      activation of utrophin A, caused an additive effect on utrophin A expression in
      dystrophic muscle. These findings establish that heparin is a relevant
      therapeutic agent for treating DMD, and illustrate that combinatorial treatment
      of heparin with AICAR may serve as an effective strategy to further increase
      utrophin A expression in dystrophic muscle via activation of distinct signaling
      pathways. 

PMID- 26494906
TI  - Specialist support for hand surgery research.

PMID- 26494905
TI  - Hypomorphic mutations in TRNT1 cause retinitis pigmentosa with erythrocytic
      microcytosis.
AB  - Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a highly heterogeneous group of disorders
      characterized by degeneration of the retinal photoreceptor cells and progressive
      loss of vision. While hundreds of mutations in more than 100 genes have been
      reported to cause RP, discovering the causative mutations in many patients
      remains a significant challenge. Exome sequencing in an individual affected with
      non-syndromic RP revealed two plausibly disease-causing variants in TRNT1, a gene
      encoding a nucleotidyltransferase critical for tRNA processing. A total of 727
      additional unrelated individuals with molecularly uncharacterized RP were
      completely screened for TRNT1 coding sequence variants, and a second family was
      identified with two members who exhibited a phenotype that was remarkably similar
      to the index patient. Inactivating mutations in TRNT1 have been previously shown
      to cause a severe congenital syndrome of sideroblastic anemia, B-cell
      immunodeficiency, recurrent fevers and developmental delay (SIFD). Complete blood
      counts of all three of our patients revealed red blood cell microcytosis and
      anisocytosis with only mild anemia. Characterization of TRNT1 in patient-derived
      cell lines revealed reduced but detectable TRNT1 protein, consistent with partial
      function. Suppression of trnt1 expression in zebrafish recapitulated several
      features of the human SIFD syndrome, including anemia and sensory organ defects.
      When levels of trnt1 were titrated, visual dysfunction was found in the absence
      of other phenotypes. The visual defects in the trnt1-knockdown zebrafish were
      ameliorated by the addition of exogenous human TRNT1 RNA. Our findings indicate
      that hypomorphic TRNT1 mutations can cause a recessive disease that is almost
      entirely limited to the retina. 

PMID- 26494907
TI  - Commentary on Minimal important changes and differences in elective hand surgery.
      J. N. Rodrigues, N. T. Mabvuure, D. Nikkhah, Z. Shariff and T. R. C. Davis. J
      Hand Surg Eur. 2015, 40: 900-12.

PMID- 26494908
TI  - Commentary on The health technology assessment of the compulsory accident
      insurance scheme of hand transplantation in Switzerland. Brugger et al. J Hand
      Surg Eur. 2015, 40: 914-23.

PMID- 26494909
TI  - Commentary on Scaffolds for hand tissue engineering: the importance of surface
      topography. E. Kloczko, D. Nikkhah and L. Yildirimer. J Hand Surg Eur. 2015, 40:
      973-85.

PMID- 26494910
TI  - Re: Goutos I, Cogswell LK, Giele H. Extravasation injuries: a review. J Hand Surg
      Eur. 2014, 39: 808-18.

PMID- 26494913
TI  - PHOTO QUIZ. An Infant With Purpuric Rash and Edema.

PMID- 26494915
TI  - So you know how to treat iron deficiency anemia.
AB  - In this issue of Blood, Moretti et al provide data that challenge the entrenched
      oral treatment of iron deficiency anemia. The paper shows how the newer
      understanding of hepcidin and iron metabolism in general can lead to very
      practical improvements in the management of iron deficiency anemia, a disorder
      that may affect as many as 1 billion people.

PMID- 26494916
TI  - Hypoxia-recruited angiogenic neutrophils.
AB  - In this issue of Blood, Massena et al identify a novel CD49d+CXCR4highVEGFR1high
      population of neutrophils that specifically migrate to sites of hypoxia and
      enhance angiogenesis.

PMID- 26494917
TI  - Paris-Trousseau: evidence keeps pointing to FLI1.
AB  - In this issue of Blood, Stevenson et al describe a family with a homozygous
      missense mutation in FLI1 that is associated with a platelet phenotype identical
      to the one observed in Paris-Trousseau syndrome, supporting existing evidence
      that FLI1 is directly involved in the mechanism of thrombocytopenia observed in
      this disease.

PMID- 26494918
TI  - Erythroferrone: the missing link in beta-thalassemia?
AB  - In this issue of Blood, Kautz et al show that the ablation of the erythroid
      derived factor erythroferrone (ERFE), which has been shown to be highly expressed
      in beta-thalassemic mice, restores hepcidin levels and corrects iron overload.
      However, correction of hepcidin levels in those mice does not improve anemia of
      beta-thalassemia.

PMID- 26494919
TI  - rVWF: treatment finally reaches the modern age.
AB  - In this issue of Blood, Gill et al describe the results of the first phase 3
      clinical trial evaluating recombinant von Willebrand factor (rVWF) for the
      treatment of hemorrhagic events in all patients with von Willebrand disease
      (VWD).

PMID- 26494920
TI  - Not fibrin(ogen), but fibrinogen or fibrin.
AB  - In this issue of Blood, Prasad et al describe a mouse model with a mutation in
      the Aalpha chain of fibrinogen such that no fibrin polymer is formed in vivo,
      allowing for the first time the differentiation of the role of fibrinogen vs
      fibrin oligomer or polymer in antimicrobial host defense and in
      hemostasis/thrombosis.

PMID- 26494921
TI  - No CLL transmission through blood transfusion.
AB  - In this issue of Blood, Hjalgrim et al used the Scandinavian Donations and
      Transfusions (SCANDAT2) database, which includes comprehensive information on
      donors and recipients of >20 million blood products handled by the Danish and
      Swedish blood banks between 1968 and 2010, to address the clinically relevant
      question of whether chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is transmitted through
      blood transfusions.

PMID- 26494922
TI  - SNOs Differ: Methodological and Biological Implications.

PMID- 26494923
TI  - The Good and the Bad: Immune Cells and Hypertension.

PMID- 26494925
TI  - Corrigendum to Serum milk fat globule epidermal growth factor 8 elevation may
      subdivide systemic lupus erythematosus into two pathophysiologically distinct
      subsets.
AB  - This article was published in Lupus 2014; 23: 386-394, DOI:
      10.1177/0961203314523870, by N Yamamoto et al. 

PMID- 26494924
TI  - Hippo and Cardiac Hypertrophy: A Complex Interaction.

PMID- 26494926
TI  - Estimation of Dynamic Discrete Choice Models by Maximum Likelihood and the
      Simulated Method of Moments.
AB  - We compare the performance of maximum likelihood (ML) and simulated method of
      moments (SMM) estimation for dynamic discrete choice models. We construct and
      estimate a simplified dynamic structural model of education that captures some
      basic features of educational choices in the United States in the 1980s and early
      1990s. We use estimates from our model to simulate a synthetic dataset and assess
      the ability of ML and SMM to recover the model parameters on this sample. We
      investigate the performance of alternative tuning parameters for SMM.

PMID- 26494927
TI  - Applying mathematical concepts with hands-on, food-based science curriculum.
AB  - This article addresses the current state of the mathematics education system in
      the United States and provides a possible solution to the contributing issues. As
      a result of lower performance in primary mathematics, American students are not
      acquiring the necessary quantitative literacy skills to become successful adults.
      This study analyzed the impact of the FoodMASTER Intermediate curriculum on
      fourth-grade student's mathematics knowledge. The curriculum is a part of the
      FoodMASTER Initiative, which is a compilation of programs utilizing food, a
      familiar and necessary part of everyday life, as a tool to teach mathematics and
      science. Students exposed to the curriculum completed a 20-item researcher
      developed mathematics knowledge exam (Intervention n=288; Control n=194).
      Overall, the results showed a significant increase in mathematics knowledge from
      pre- to post-test. These findings suggest that students engaged in food-based
      science activities provided them with the context in which to apply mathematical
      concepts to an everyday experience. Therefore, the FoodMASTER approach was
      successful at improving students' mathematics knowledge while building a
      foundation for becoming quantitatively literate adults.

PMID- 26494928
TI  - Structures, semisyntheses, and absolute configurations of the antiplasmodial
      alpha-substituted beta-lactam monamphilectines B and C from the sponge Svenzea
      flava.
AB  - Bioassay-guided fractionation of the Caribbean sponge Svenzea flava collected
      near Mona Island, off the west coast of Puerto Rico, led to the isolation of two
      isocyanide amphilectane-type diterpenes named monamphilectines B and C (2 and 3).
      Attached to the backbone of each of these compounds is the first alpha
      substituted monocyclic beta-lactam ring to be isolated from a marine organism.
      The molecular structures of 2 and 3 were established by spectroscopic methods and
      then confirmed unequivocally by chemical correlation and comparison of physical
      and chemical data with the natural products. The new beta-lactams were
      successfully synthesized in one step, starting from the known diisocyanide 4, via
      parallel Ugi four-center three-component reactions (U-4C-3CR) that also
      established their absolute stereostructures. Interestingly, compounds 2 and 3
      exhibited activities in the low nanomolar range against the human malaria
      parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

PMID- 26494929
TI  - H-D exchange in deuterated trifluoroacetic acid via ligand-directed NHC-palladium
      catalysis: a powerful method for deuteration of aromatic ketones, amides, and
      amino acids.
AB  - A method has been developed for one-step ortho-selective ligand-directed H-D
      exchange, accompanied in some cases by concurrent acid-catalyzed electrophilic
      deuteration. This method is effective for deuteration of aromatic substrates
      ranging from ketones to amides and amino acids, including compounds of biological
      and pharmaceutical interest such as acetaminophen and edaravone. Use of a
      palladium catalyst featuring an NHC ligand is critical for the observed
      reactivity. Experimental evidence strongly suggests that palladium facilitates C
      H activation of the aromatic substrates, a mechanism seldom observed under
      strongly acidic conditions. 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PMID- 26494930
TI  - Investigations Into the Interactions of a MALDI Matrix with Organic Thin Films
      Using C60+ SIMS Depth Profiling.
AB  - Molecular depth profiling of multilayer organic films is now an established
      protocol for cluster secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). This unique
      capability is exploited here to study the ionization mechanism associated with
      matrix-enhanced SIMS and possibly matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization
      (MALDI). Successful depth profiling experiments were performed on model bi-layer
      systems using 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) as the matrix with
      dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) or phenylalanine (PHE). The interaction
      between the matrix and organic analyte is monitored at the interface of the
      films. Tri-layer films with D2O as a thin-film sandwiched between the matrix and
      organic layers are also investigated to determine what role, if any, water plays
      during ionization. The results show successful depth profiles when taken at 90K.
      Mixing is observed at the interfaces of the films due to primary ion bombardment,
      but this mixing does not recreate the conditions necessary for ionization
      enhancement.

PMID- 26494931
TI  - Mapping eastern equine encephalitis virus risk for white-tailed deer in Michigan.
AB  - Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is a mosquito-borne viral disease that is often
      fatal to humans and horses. Some species including white-tailed deer and
      passerine birds can survive infection with the EEE virus (EEEV) and develop
      antibodies that can be detected using laboratory techniques. In this way,
      collected serum samples from free ranging white-tailed deer can be used to
      monitor the presence of the virus in ecosystems. This study developed and tested
      a risk index model designed to predict EEEV activity in white-tailed deer in a
      three-county area of Michigan. The model evaluates EEEV risk on a continuous
      scale from 0.0 (no measurable risk) to 1.0 (highest possible risk). High risk
      habitats are identified as those preferred by white-tailed deer that are also
      located in close proximity to an abundance of wetlands and lowland forests, which
      support disease vectors and hosts. The model was developed based on relevant
      literature and was tested with known locations of infected deer that showed
      neurological symptoms. The risk index model accurately predicted the known
      locations, with the mean value for those sites equal to the 94th percentile of
      values in the study area. The risk map produced by the model could be used refine
      future EEEV monitoring efforts that use serum samples from free-ranging white
      tailed deer to monitor viral activity. Alternatively, it could be used focus
      educational efforts targeted toward deer hunters that may have elevated risks of
      infection.

PMID- 26494932
TI  - Effects of an emotional literacy intervention for students identified with
      bullying behaviour.
AB  - The effectiveness of a 12-week, small group emotional literacy (EL) intervention
      in reducing bullying behaviour in school was evaluated. Participants were 50
      primary school pupils identified through peer nomination as engaging in bullying
      behaviours. The intervention was implemented in schools already engaged with a
      universal social and emotional learning initiative, including an anti-bullying
      component. Within schools, participants were randomly assigned to an intervention
      or a wait-list comparison group. Response to the intervention was found to be
      dependent on baseline levels of EL. Only children whose baseline level was low
      showed a significant reduction in peer-rated bullying behaviour. No effect of the
      intervention was detected on victimisation or adjustment scores, although
      positive changes in adjustment were associated with increased EL.

PMID- 26494933
TI  - Taking working memory training from the laboratory into schools.
AB  - Working memory skills have been shown to be enhanced by adaptive training in
      several randomised controlled trials. Here, two field trials were conducted in
      which teachers administered working memory training to their own pupils in
      school. Twenty-two children aged 8-9 years participated in Trial 1. In Trial 2,
      50 children aged 9-11 years with the lowest academic performance completed
      training. They were matched with a group of 50 children who were not trained.
      Following training, children in Trial 1 improved significantly in both trained
      and untrained working memory tasks, with effect sizes comparable to those
      reported in research studies. Improvements on the trained tasks in Trial 2 were
      comparable, and training was associated with significantly greater progress at
      school across the academic year in maths and English. These findings indicate
      that teacher-administered training leads to generalised and robust gains in
      working memory and educationally significant gains in academic performance.

PMID- 26494934
TI  - Association of social isolation and health across different racial and ethnic
      groups of older Americans.
AB  - Social isolation is a social and public health problem that affects people of all
      ages, especially elders. Previous studies have found that social isolation across
      numerous industrialised countries is associated with negative health outcomes.
      However, it is unknown whether and how this association differs by race/ethnicity
      and age. To begin to address this gap, this study examines the association of
      social isolation and physical and mental health among Black, White and Hispanic
      elders in the United States of America. Building on Cornwell and Waite's
      perceived isolation and social disconnectedness dimension model of social
      isolation, the author used multi-stage survey data from a nationally
      representative sample of 3,005 community-residing adults aged 57-85 from the
      National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. Tests for association were
      conducted on health by age, gender, marital status, education and race/ethnicity
      separately. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to test the association
      of social isolation and health exclusively and separately among these three
      groups. Results showed that social isolation is strongly associated with physical
      and mental health. Both perceived isolation and social disconnectedness had a
      significant negative association with physical and mental health among White
      elders. For Blacks, social disconnectedness is negatively associated with their
      physical health while perceived isolation had a negative association with mental
      health. Among Hispanic elders, there seemed to be no association between social
      isolation and physical health, but a significant negative association was found
      with their mental health. Despite various associated patterns, however, social
      isolation overall was associated with health outcomes that were similar across
      three elder groups. By identifying factors influencing social isolation and
      health among minority older Americans, this study has relevance to the
      development of culturally sensitive health-care practice and services, which may
      be applicable to minority elders in different countries.

PMID- 26494935
TI  - Combining Parallel and Exploratory Factor Analysis in Identifying Relationship
      Scales in Secondary Data.
AB  - Common methods used in the literature to identify factors within exploratory
      factor analysis has been shown to be potentially problematic. This brief report
      illustrates a state of the art approach in identifying factor structure by adding
      parallel analysis prior to exploratory factor analysis. Parallel analysis enables
      researchers to have a high degree of confidence of the number of factors to
      extract prior to exploratory factor analysis. The procedure is illustrated by
      using items from the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) that were
      used to identify relationship scales.

PMID- 26494936
TI  - Helicobacter pylori Antibody Titer and Gastric Cancer Screening.
AB  - The "ABC method" is a serum gastric cancer screening method, and the subjects
      were divided based on H. pylori serology and atrophic gastritis as detected by
      serum pepsinogen (PG): Group A [H. pylori (-) PG (-)], Group B [H. pylori (+) PG
      (-)], Group C [H. pylori (+) PG (+)], and Group D [H. pylori (-) PG (+)]. The
      risk of gastric cancer is highest in Group D, followed by Groups C, B, and A.
      Groups B, C, and D are advised to undergo endoscopy, and the recommended
      surveillance is every three years, every two years, and annually, respectively.
      In this report, the reported results with respect to further risk stratification
      by anti-H. pylori antibody titer in each subgroup are reviewed: (1) high-negative
      antibody titer subjects in Group A, representing posteradicated individuals with
      high risk for intestinal-type cancer; (2) high-positive antibody titer subjects
      in Group B, representing active inflammation with high risk for diffuse-type
      cancer; and (3) low-positive antibody titer subjects in Group C, representing
      advanced atrophy with increased risk for intestinal-type cancer. In these
      subjects, careful follow-up with intervals of surveillance of every three years
      in (1), every two years in (2), and annually in (3) should be considered. 

PMID- 26494937
TI  - HER2 Status in Premalignant, Early, and Advanced Neoplastic Lesions of the
      Stomach.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: HER2 expression in gastric cancer (GC) has received attention as a
      potential target for therapy with Trastuzumab. We reviewed the current knowledge
      on HER2 status in premalignant gastric lesions and in early (EGC) and advanced
      (AGC) GC to discuss the possible pathogenetic and prognostic roles of HER2
      overexpression in GC. RESULTS: HER2 overexpression was documented in gastric low
      grade (LG) and high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HG-IEN), with higher
      frequency in gastric type dysplasia. HER2 overexpression was significantly
      associated with disease recurrence and poor prognosis in EGC representing an
      independent risk factor for lymph node metastases. HER2 overexpression was more
      frequent in AGC characterized by high grade, advanced stage, and high Ki-67
      labeling index. The discordance in HER2 status was evidenced between primitive GC
      and synchronous or metachronous metastases. CONCLUSIONS: HER2 overexpression in
      premalignant gastric lesions suggests its potential involvement in the early
      steps of gastric carcinogenesis. The assessment of HER2 status in EGC may be
      helpful for the identification of patients who are at low risk for developing
      nodal metastases. Finally, the possible discordance in HER2 status between
      primary GC and its synchronous metastases support routine assessment of HER2 both
      in the primary GC and in its metastatic lesions.

PMID- 26494938
TI  - Oxidative Stress Parameters in Saliva and Its Association with Periodontal
      Disease and Types of Bacteria.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between oxidative stress parameters with
      periodontal disease, bleeding, and the presence of different periodontal
      bacteria. METHODS: A cross-sectional study in a sample of eighty-six patients,
      divided into three groups depending on their periodontal status. Thirty-three
      with chronic periodontitis, sixteen with gingivitis, and thirty-seven with
      periodontal healthy as control. Oxidative stress biomarkers (8-OHdG and MDA),
      total antioxidant capacity (TAOC), and the activity of two antioxidant enzymes
      (GPx and SOD) were determined in saliva. Subgingival plaque samples were obtained
      from the deepest periodontal pocket and PCR was used to determine the presence of
      the 6 fimA genotypes of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter
      actinomycetemcomitans, Tannerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola. RESULTS:
      Periodontal disease was found to be associated with increased oxidative stress
      parameter levels. These levels rose according to the number and type of different
      periodontal bacteria found in the periodontal pockets. The presence of different
      types of periodontal bacteria is predictive independent variables in linear
      regresion models of oxidative stress parameters as dependent variable, above all
      8-OHdG. CONCLUSIONS: Oxidative stress parameter levels are correlated with the
      presence of different types of bacteria. Determination of these levels and
      periodontal bacteria could be a potent tool for controlling periodontal disease
      development.

PMID- 26494940
TI  - The development of counselling psychology in Ireland.
AB  - This paper discusses the distinctive nature of the specialism of counselling
      psychology and outlines the development of the discipline in Ireland in the
      context of international developments and its recognition as a professional
      branch of applied psychology. Today, counselling psychologists are employed in
      varied clinical and non-clinical settings including health and mental health
      services (statutory, private and voluntary sector) along with education,
      forensic, justice, industry and private practices. Counselling psychologist is
      the primary professional identity of many practising psychologists in Ireland and
      the Psychological Society of Ireland's Division of Counselling Psychology is the
      main affiliation of at least 179 members. With its focus on facilitating personal
      and interpersonal functioning across the life span and its emphasis on the
      therapeutic process, the specialism continues to bridge the disciplines of
      psychology, counselling and psychotherapy. In this article, some of the
      challenges still faced by counselling psychology are explored as it navigates its
      way through the changing landscape of further development and evolution.

PMID- 26494939
TI  - Bone Marrow Stromal Antigen 2 Is a Novel Plasma Biomarker and Prognosticator for
      Colorectal Carcinoma: A Secretome-Based Verification Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The cancer cell secretome has been recognized as a valuable reservoir
      for identifying novel serum/plasma biomarkers for different cancers, including
      colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed to verify four CRC cell-secreted
      proteins (tumor-associated calcium signal transducer 2/trophoblast cell surface
      antigen 2 (TACSTD2/TROP2), tetraspanin-6 (TSPAN6), bone marrow stromal antigen 2
      (BST2), and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 16 (NGFR)) as
      potential plasma CRC biomarkers. METHODS: The study population comprises 152 CRC
      patients and 152 controls. Target protein levels in plasma and tissue samples
      were assessed by ELISA and immunohistochemistry, respectively. RESULTS: Among the
      four candidate proteins examined by ELISA in a small sample set, only BST2 showed
      significantly elevated plasma levels in CRC patients versus controls.
      Immunohistochemical analysis revealed the overexpression of BST2 in CRC tissues,
      and higher BST2 expression levels correlated with poorer 5-year survival (46.47%
      versus 65.57%; p = 0.044). Further verification confirmed the elevated plasma
      BST2 levels in CRC patients (2.35 +/- 0.13 ng/mL) versus controls (1.04 +/- 0.03
      ng/mL) (p < 0.01), with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) being 0.858 comparable
      to that of CEA (0.867). CONCLUSION: BST2, a membrane protein selectively detected
      in CRC cell secretome, may be a novel plasma biomarker and prognosticator for
      CRC.

PMID- 26494941
TI  - Joint Raman spectroscopic and quantum chemical analysis of the vibrational
      features of Cs2RuO4.
AB  - The Raman spectroscopic characterization of the orthorhombic phase of Cs2RuO4 was
      carried out by means of group theory and quantum chemical analysis. Multiple
      models based on ruthenate (VI+) tetrahedra were tested, and characterization of
      all the active Raman modes was achieved. A comparison of Raman spectra of
      Cs2RuO4, Cs2MoO4, and Cs2WO4 was also performed. Raman laser heating induced a
      phase transition from an ordered to a disordered structure. The temperature-phase
      transition was calculated from the anti-Stokes/Stokes ratio and compared with the
      ones measured at macroscopic scale. The phase transition is connected with
      tilting and/or rotations of RuO4 tetrahedra, which lead to a disorder at the RuO4
      sites. (c) 2015 The Authors. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy published by John
      Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PMID- 26494942
TI  - The Impact of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) on Parenting by Mothers Within an
      Ethnically Diverse Population in the Netherlands.
AB  - Intimate partner violence (IPV) profoundly affects multiple life domains for the
      people involved. We report on the experiences of Dutch mothers of various ethnic
      backgrounds regarding their parenting during and after IPV, their perceptions of
      the influence of IPV on their parenting, as well as their need for and
      experiences with support services. We conducted qualitative interviews with 100
      mothers in the Netherlands who had experienced IPV. Most reported negative
      experiences with parenting (both during and after the IPV), a strong effect of
      the IPV on their parenting, as well as circumstances that aggravated this effect.
      The mothers had used multiple sources of formal and informal support. Although
      most evaluated the support that they had received positively, some also mentioned
      mixed or negative experiences. Many were still in need of support. Relationships
      with ethnic background and the severity of IPV are discussed.

PMID- 26494943
TI  - A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study of the Brain of University Students Majoring in
      Music and Nonmusic Disciplines.
AB  - The brain changes flexibly due to various experiences during the developmental
      stages of life. Previous voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies have shown
      volumetric differences between musicians and nonmusicians in several brain
      regions including the superior temporal gyrus, sensorimotor areas, and superior
      parietal cortex. However, the reported brain regions depend on the study and are
      not necessarily consistent. By VBM, we investigated the effect of musical
      training on the brain structure by comparing university students majoring in
      music with those majoring in nonmusic disciplines. All participants were right
      handed healthy Japanese females. We divided the nonmusic students into two groups
      and therefore examined three groups: music expert (ME), music hobby (MH), and
      nonmusic (NM) group. VBM showed that the ME group had the largest gray matter
      volumes in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG; BA 44), left middle occipital
      gyrus (BA 18), and bilateral lingual gyrus. These differences are considered to
      be caused by neuroplasticity during long and continuous musical training periods
      because the MH group showed intermediate volumes in these regions.

PMID- 26494944
TI  - Melodic Contour Training and Its Effect on Speech in Noise, Consonant
      Discrimination, and Prosody Perception for Cochlear Implant Recipients.
AB  - Cochlear implant (CI) recipients generally have good perception of speech in
      quiet environments but difficulty perceiving speech in noisy conditions, reduced
      sensitivity to speech prosody, and difficulty appreciating music. Auditory
      training has been proposed as a method of improving speech perception for CI
      recipients, and recent efforts have focussed on the potential benefits of music
      based training. This study evaluated two melodic contour training programs and
      their relative efficacy as measured on a number of speech perception tasks. These
      melodic contours were simple 5-note sequences formed into 9 contour patterns,
      such as "rising" or "rising-falling." One training program controlled difficulty
      by manipulating interval sizes, the other by note durations. Sixteen adult CI
      recipients (aged 26-86 years) and twelve normal hearing (NH) adult listeners
      (aged 21-42 years) were tested on a speech perception battery at baseline and
      then after 6 weeks of melodic contour training. Results indicated that there were
      some benefits for speech perception tasks for CI recipients after melodic contour
      training. Specifically, consonant perception in quiet and question/statement
      prosody was improved. In comparison, NH listeners performed at ceiling for these
      tasks. There was no significant difference between the posttraining results for
      either training program, suggesting that both conferred benefits for training CI
      recipients to better perceive speech.

PMID- 26494945
TI  - Exploring Vocational Evaluation Practices following Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) face many challenges
      when attempting to return to work (RTW). Vocational evaluation (VE) is a
      systematic process that involves assessment and appraisal of an individual's
      current work-related characteristics and abilities. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this
      study are to (1) examine demographic and employment characteristics of vocational
      rehabilitation providers (VRPs), (2) identify the specific evaluation methods
      that are used in the VE of individuals with TBI, and (3) examine the differences
      in assessment method practices based upon evaluator assessment preferences.
      METHODS: This exploratory case study used a forty-six-item online survey which
      was distributed to VRPs. RESULTS: One hundred and nine VRPs accessed the survey.
      Of these, 74 completed the survey. A majority of respondents were female (79.7%),
      Caucasian (71.6%), and holding a master's degree (74.3%), and more than half
      (56.8%) were employed as state vocational rehabilitation counselors (VRCs). In
      addition, over two-thirds (67.6%) were certified rehabilitation counselors
      (CRCs). Respondents reported using several specific tools and assessments during
      the VE process. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings reveal differences in use of and
      rationales for specific assessments amongst VRPs. Understanding VRP assessment
      practices and use of an evidence-based framework for VE following TBI may inform
      and improve VE practice.

PMID- 26494946
TI  - Virological Mechanisms in the Coinfection between HIV and HCV.
AB  - Due to shared transmission routes, coinfection with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is
      common in patients infected by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The immune
      pathogenesis of liver disease in HIV/HCV coinfected patients is a multifactorial
      process. Several studies demonstrated that HIV worsens the course of HCV
      infection, increasing the risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Also,
      HCV might increase immunological defects due to HIV and risk of comorbidities. A
      specific cross-talk among HIV and HCV proteins in coinfected patients modulates
      the natural history, the immune responses, and the life cycle of both viruses.
      These effects are mediated by immune mechanisms and by a cross-talk between the
      two viruses which could interfere with host defense mechanisms. In this review,
      we focus on some virological/immunological mechanisms of the pathogenetic
      interactions between HIV and HCV in the human host. 

PMID- 26494947
TI  - CXCR6 Expression Is Important for Retention and Circulation of ILC Precursors.
AB  - Innate lymphoid cells are present at mucosal sites and represent the first immune
      barrier against infections, but what contributes to their circulation and homing
      is still unclear. Using Rag2(-/-) Cxcr6(Gfp/+) reporter mice, we assessed the
      expression and role of CXCR6 in the circulation of ILC precursors and their
      progeny. We identify CXCR6 expressing ILC precursors in the bone marrow and
      characterize their significant increase in CXCR6-deficient mice at steady state,
      indicating their partial retention in the bone marrow after CXCR6 ablation.
      Circulation was also impaired during embryonic life as fetal liver from CXCR6
      deficient embryos displayed decreased numbers of ILC3 precursors. When injected,
      fetal CXCR6-deficient ILC3 precursors also fail to home and reconstitute ILC
      compartments in vivo. We show that adult intestinal ILC subsets have
      heterogeneous expression pattern of CXCR6, integrin alpha 4 beta 7, CD62L, CD69,
      and CD44, with ILC1 and ILC3 being more likely tissue resident lymphocytes.
      Intestinal ILC subsets were unchanged in percentages and numbers in both mice. We
      demonstrate that the ILC frequency is maintained due to a significant increase of
      ILC peripheral proliferation, as well as an increased proliferation of the in
      situ ILC precursors to compensate their retention in the bone marrow.

PMID- 26494948
TI  - Semiannual Imaging Surveillance Is Associated with Better Survival in Patients
      with Non-B, Non-C Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - Since it remains elusive whether and how the imaging surveillance affects the
      survival in patients with non-B, non-C hepatocellular carcinoma (NBNC-HCC), we
      conducted this retrospective study which investigated the association between the
      semiannual surveillance prior to HCC diagnosis and the survival in patients with
      the initial diagnosis of HCC induced by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or hepatitis
      C virus (HCV) infections (N = 141) and non-B, non-C etiology (N = 30). It was
      demonstrated that surveillance was less frequently performed in the NBNC-HCC
      patients compared to that in HCC patients with HBV and/or HCV infections (B/C-HCC
      patients), and the survival was unfavorable in NBNC-HCC patients. On the other
      hand, the survival of NBNC-HCC patients with semiannual surveillance was
      significantly favorable than those patients without semiannual surveillance, and
      the survival was similar between B/C-HCCs and NBNC-HCCs with semiannual
      surveillance. In conclusion, though NBNC-HCC patients compared to B/C-HCC
      patients had poorer prognosis overall, these NBNC-HCC patients with semiannual
      surveillance had a better survival almost equivalent to the survival of B/C-HCC
      patients with semiannual surveillance, demonstrating the clinical utility of the
      semiannual imaging surveillance program for NBNC-HCCs. 

PMID- 26494950
TI  - New Light on the Mind's Eye: The Pupillary Light Response as Active Vision.
AB  - The eye's pupils constrict (shrink) in brightness and dilate (expand) in
      darkness. The pupillary light response was historically considered a low-level
      reflex without any cognitive component. Here, we review recent studies that have
      dramatically changed this view: The light response depends not only on a
      stimulus's brightness but also on whether you are aware of the stimulus, whether
      you are paying attention to it, and even whether you are thinking about it. We
      highlight the link between the pupillary light response and eye-movement
      preparation: When you intend to look at a bright stimulus, a pupillary
      constriction is prepared along with the eye movement before the eyes set in
      motion. This preparation allows the pupil to rapidly change its size as your eyes
      move from bright to dark objects and back again. We discuss the implications of
      these recent advances for our understanding of the subtle yet important role that
      pupillary responses play in vision.

PMID- 26494949
TI  - Liver Cirrhosis: Evaluation, Nutritional Status, and Prognosis.
AB  - The liver is the major organ for the metabolism of three major nutrients:
      protein, fat, and carbohydrate. Chronic hepatitis C virus infection is the major
      cause of chronic liver disease. Liver cirrhosis (LC) results from different
      mechanisms of liver injury that lead to necroinflammation and fibrosis. LC has
      been seen to be not a single disease entity but one that can be graded into
      distinct clinical stages related to clinical outcome. Several noninvasive methods
      have been developed for assessing liver fibrosis and these methods have been used
      for predicting prognosis in patients with LC. On the other hand, subjects with LC
      often have protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) and poor physical activity. These
      conditions often result in sarcopenia, which is the loss of skeletal muscle
      volume and increased muscle weakness. Recent studies have demonstrated that PEM
      and sarcopenia are predictive factors for poorer survival in patients with LC.
      Based on these backgrounds, several methods for evaluating nutritional status in
      patients with chronic liver disease have been developed and they have been
      preferably used in the clinical field practice. In this review, we will summarize
      the current knowledge in the field of LC from the viewpoints of diagnostic
      method, nutritional status, and clinical outcomes. 

PMID- 26494951
TI  - Anticancer effect of adenosine on gastric cancer via diverse signaling pathways.
AB  - Extracellular adenosine induces apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells via
      intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. In the former pathway, adenosine uptake into
      cells triggers apoptosis, and in the latter pathway, adenosine receptors mediate
      apoptosis. Extracellular adenosine also induces apoptosis of gastric cancer
      cells. Extracellular adenosine is transported into cells through an adenosine
      transporter and converted to AMP by adenosine kinase. In turn, AMP activates AMP
      activated protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK is the factor responsible for caspase
      independent apoptosis of GT3-TKB gastric cancer cells. Extracellular adenosine,
      on the other hand, induces caspase-dependent apoptosis of MKN28 and MKN45 gastric
      cancer cells by two mechanisms. Firstly, AMP, converted from intracellularly
      transported adenosine, initiates apoptosis, regardless of AMPK. Secondly, the A3
      adenosine receptor, linked to Gi/Gq proteins, mediates apoptosis by activating
      the Gq protein effector, phospholipase Cgamma, to produce inositol 1,4,5
      trisphosphate and diacylglycerol, which activate protein kinase C. Consequently,
      the mechanisms underlying adenosine-induced apoptosis vary, depending upon
      gastric cancer cell types. Understand the contribution of each downstream target
      molecule of adenosine to apoptosis induction may aid the establishment of tailor
      made chemotherapy for gastric cancer.

PMID- 26494952
TI  - Evaluation and treatment of malignant ascites secondary to gastric cancer.
AB  - Malignant ascites affects approximately 10% of patients with gastric cancer (GC),
      and poses significant difficulties for both patients and clinicians. In addition
      to the dismal general condition of affected patients and the diversity of
      associated complications such as jaundice and ileus, problems in assessing
      scattered tumors have hampered the expansion of clinical trials for this
      condition. However, the accumulation of reported studies is starting to indicate
      that the weak response to treatment in GC patients with malignant ascites is more
      relevant to their poor prognosis rather than to the ascites volume at diagnosis.
      Therefore, precise assessment of initial state of ascites, repetitive evaluation
      of treatment efficacy, selection of suitable treatment, and swift transition to
      other treatment options as needed are paramount to maximizing patient benefit.
      Accurately determining ascites volume is the crucial first step in clinically
      treating a patient with malignant ascites. Ultrasonography is commonly used to
      identify the existence of ascites, and several methods have been proposed to
      estimate ascites volume. Reportedly, the sum of the depth of ascites at five
      points (named "five-point method") on three panels of computed tomography images
      is well correlated to the actual ascites volume and/or abdominal girth. This
      method is already suited to repetitive assessment due to its convenience compared
      to the conventional volume rendering method. Meanwhile, a new concept, "Clinical
      Benefit Response in GC (CBR-GC)", was recently introduced to measure the efficacy
      of chemotherapy for malignant ascites of GC. CBR-GC is a simple and reliable
      patient-oriented evaluation system based on changes in performance status and
      ascites, and is expected to become an important clinical endpoint in future
      clinical trials. The principal of treatment for GC patients with ascites is
      palliation and prevention of ascites-related symptoms. The treatment options are
      various, including a standard treatment based on the available guidelines,
      cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC),
      laparoscopic HIPEC alone, intravenous chemotherapy, intraperitoneal chemotherapy,
      and molecular targeting therapy. Although each treatment option is valid, further
      research is imperative to establish the optimal choice for each patient. 

PMID- 26494953
TI  - Companion diagnostics for the targeted therapy of gastric cancer.
AB  - Gastric cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer and represents a major
      cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. With recent biomedical advances in our
      understanding of the molecular characteristics of gastric cancer, many genetic
      alterations have been identified as potential targets for its treatment. Multiple
      novel agents are currently under development as the demand for active agents that
      improve the survival of gastric cancer patients constantly increases. Based on
      lessons from previous trials of targeted agents, it is now widely accepted that
      the establishment of an optimal diagnostic test to select molecularly defined
      patients is of equal importance to the development of active agents against
      targetable genetic alterations. Herein, we highlight the current status and
      future perspectives of companion diagnostics in the treatment of gastric cancer. 

PMID- 26494955
TI  - Sarcopenia and liver transplant: The relevance of too little muscle mass.
AB  - Loss of muscle mass and function is a common occurrence in both patients with
      decompensated cirrhosis and those undergoing liver transplantation. Sarcopenia is
      associated with morbidity and mortality before and after liver transplantation.
      The ability of skeletal muscle mass to recover after transplant is questionable,
      and long term adverse events associated with persistent sarcopenia have not been
      well studied. Limited data is available examining mechanisms by which decreased
      muscle mass might develop. It is not clear which interventions might reduce the
      prevalence of sarcopenia and associated health burdens. However, measures to
      either decrease portal hypertension or improve nutrition appear to have benefit.
      Research on sarcopenia in the liver transplant setting is hampered by differing
      methodology to quantify muscle mass and varied thresholds determining the
      presence of sarcopenia. One area highlighted in this review is the heterogeneity
      used when defining sarcopenia. The health consequences, clinical course and
      potential pathophysiologic mechanisms of sarcopenia in the setting of cirrhosis
      and liver transplantation are further discussed. 

PMID- 26494956
TI  - Liver transplantation for alcoholic liver disease: Lessons learned and unresolved
      issues.
AB  - The use of liver transplantation (LT) as a treatment for alcoholic liver disease
      (ALD) has been highly controversial since the beginning. The ever increasing
      shortage of organs has accentuated the low priority given to patients suffering
      from ALD, which is considered a "self-inflicted" condition. However, by improving
      the long-term survival rates, making them similar to those from other
      indications, and recognizing that alcoholism is a primary disease, ALD has become
      one of the most common indications for LT in Europe and North America, a
      situation thought unfathomable thirty years ago. Unfortunately, there are still
      many issues with the use of this procedure for ALD. There are significant relapse
      rates, and the consequences of excessive drinking after LT range from
      asymptomatic biochemical and histological abnormalities to graft failure and
      death. A minimum three-month period of sobriety is required for an improvement in
      liver function, thus making LT unnecessary, and to demonstrate the patient's
      commitment to the project, even though a longer abstinence period does not
      guarantee lower relapse rates after LT. Recent data have shown that LT is also
      effective for severe alcoholic hepatitis when the patient is unresponsive to
      corticosteroids therapy, with low relapse rates in highly selected patients,
      although these results must be confirmed before LT becomes a standard procedure
      in this setting. Finally, LT for ALD is accompanied by an increased risk of de
      novo solid organ cancer, skin cancer, and lymphoproliferative disorders, which
      has a large impact on the survival rates. 

PMID- 26494957
TI  - Current status and perspectives in split liver transplantation.
AB  - Growing experience with the liver splitting technique and favorable results
      equivalent to those of whole liver transplant have led to wider application of
      split liver transplantation (SLT) for adult and pediatric recipients in the last
      decade. Conversely, SLT for two adult recipients remains a challenging surgical
      procedure and outcomes have yet to improve. Differences in organ shortages
      together with religious and ethical issues related to cadaveric organ donation
      have had an impact on the worldwide distribution of SLT. Despite technical
      refinements and a better understanding of the complex liver anatomy, SLT remains
      a technically and logistically demanding surgical procedure. This article reviews
      the surgical and clinical advances in this field of liver transplantation
      focusing on the role of SLT and the issues that may lead a further expansion of
      this complex surgical procedure. 

PMID- 26494954
TI  - Dysregulation of non-coding RNAs in gastric cancer.
AB  - Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancers in the world and a
      significant threat to the health of patients, especially those from China and
      Japan. The prognosis for patients with late stage GC receiving the standard of
      care treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, remains poor.
      Developing novel treatment strategies, identifying new molecules for targeted
      therapy, and devising screening techniques to detect this cancer in its early
      stages are needed for GC patients. The discovery of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs),
      primarily microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), helped to
      elucidate the mechanisms of tumorigenesis, diagnosis and treatment of GC.
      Recently, significant research has been conducted on non-coding RNAs and how the
      regulatory dysfunction of these RNAs impacts the tumorigenesis of GC. In this
      study, we review papers published in the last five years concerning the
      dysregulation of non-coding RNAs, especially miRNAs and lncRNAs, in GC. We
      summarize instances of aberrant expression of the ncRNAs in GC and their effect
      on survival-related events, including cell cycle regulation, AKT signaling,
      apoptosis and drug resistance. Additionally, we evaluate how ncRNA dysregulation
      affects the metastatic process, including the epithelial-mesenchymal transition,
      stem cells, transcription factor activity, and oncogene and tumor suppressor
      expression. Lastly, we determine how ncRNAs affect angiogenesis in the
      microenvironment of GC. We further discuss the use of ncRNAs as potential
      biomarkers for use in clinical screening, early diagnosis and prognosis of GC. At
      present, no ideal ncRNAs have been identified as targets for the treatment of GC.

PMID- 26494958
TI  - Clinical significance of donor-specific human leukocyte antigen antibodies in
      liver transplantation.
AB  - Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) caused by donor-specific anti-human leukocyte
      antigen antibodies (DSA) is widely accepted to be a risk factor for decreased
      graft survival after kidney transplantation. This entity also plays a pathogenic
      role in other solid organ transplants as it appears to be an increasingly common
      cause of heart graft dysfunction and an emerging issue in lung transplantation.
      In contrast, the liver appears relatively resistant to DSA-mediated injury. This
      "immune-tolerance" liver property has been sustained by a low rate of liver graft
      loss in patients with preformed DSA and by the intrinsic liver characteristics
      that favor the absorption and elimination of DSA; however, alloantibody-mediated
      adverse consequences are increasingly being recognized, and several cases of
      acute AMR after ABO-compatible liver transplant (LT) have been reported.
      Furthermore, the availability of new solid-phase assays, allowing the detection
      of low titers of DSA and the refinement of objective diagnostic criteria for AMR
      in solid organ transplants and particularly in LT, have improved the recognition
      and management of this entity. A cost-effective strategy of DSA monitoring,
      avoidance of class II human leukocyte antigen mismatching, judicious
      immunosuppression attached to a higher level of clinical suspicion of AMR,
      particularly in cases unresponsive to conventional anti-rejection therapy, can
      allow a rational approach to this threat. 

PMID- 26494959
TI  - Candidates for liver transplantation with alcoholic liver disease: Psychosocial
      aspects.
AB  - In Europe, 30% to 50% of liver transplantations are currently due to alcoholic
      liver disease (ALD). In the United States, this percentage is 17.2%. Post
      transplant survival and other predictors of clinical course do not differ
      significantly from those in other types of transplanted patients, as long as
      there is no relapse of drinking. However, 20%-25% of these patients lapse or
      relapse to heavy drinking post-operatively, which has been associated with an
      increased risk of liver damage and mortality. It is therefore crucial to design
      specific selection and follow-up strategies aimed at this particular type of
      patient. Several good and poor prognosis factors that could help to predict a
      relapse have been suggested, among them the duration of abstinence, social
      support, a family history of alcoholism, abuse diagnosis versus alcohol
      dependence, non-acceptance of diagnosis related to alcohol use, presence of
      severe mental illness, non-adherence in a broad sense, number of years of
      alcoholism, and daily quantity of alcohol consumption. In this article, we
      discuss these and other, more controversial factors in selecting ALD patients for
      liver transplantation. Abstinence should be the main goal after transplantation
      in an ALD patient. In this article, we review the several definitions of post
      transplant relapse, its monitoring and the psychopharmacological and
      psychotherapeutic treatment. 

PMID- 26494960
TI  - Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders following liver transplantation:
      Where are we now?
AB  - Liver transplantation has emerged as a life-saving treatment for several patients
      with acute liver failure, end stage liver disease and primary hepatic
      malignancies. However, long term immunosuppressive therapy aiming to reduce the
      risk of transplant rejection increases the incidence of several complications
      including malignancies. This is illustrated by the observation of a high ratio
      between observed and expected cases of lymphoproliferative disorders following
      liver transplantation. Despite a huge heterogeneity in morphological appearance
      of these disorders ranging from reactive-like lesions to real lymphomas, they are
      collectively termed posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders. In this review
      we will provide an overview of this rare but challenging disorder as a
      complication of liver transplantation. 

PMID- 26494961
TI  - Non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with alcoholic liver
      disease.
AB  - Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) consists of a broad spectrum of disorders, ranging
      from simple steatosis to alcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. Fatty liver
      develops in more than 90% of heavy drinkers, however only 30%-35% of them develop
      more advanced forms of ALD. Therefore, even if the current "gold standard" for
      the assessment of the stage of alcohol-related liver injury is histology, liver
      biopsy is not reasonable in all patients who present with ALD. Currently,
      although several non-invasive fibrosis markers have been suggested as
      alternatives to liver biopsy in patients with ALD, none has been sufficiently
      validated. As described in other liver disease, the diagnostic accuracy of such
      tests in ALD is acceptable for the diagnosis of significant fibrosis or cirrhosis
      but not for lesser fibrosis stages. Existing data suggest that the use of non
      invasive tests could be tailored to first tier screening of patients at risk, in
      order to diagnose early patients with progressive liver disease and offer
      targeted interventions for the prevention of decompensation. We review these
      tests and critically appraise the existing evidence. 

PMID- 26494963
TI  - Liver fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease - diagnostic challenge with
      prognostic significance.
AB  - Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in the
      Western world, with a prevalence of 20%. In a subgroup of patients, inflammation,
      ballooning degeneration of hepatocytes and a varying degree of fibrosis may
      develop, a condition named non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Advanced liver fibrosis
      (stage F3) and cirrhosis (stage F4) are histologic features that most accurately
      predict increased mortality in both liver-related and cardiovascular diseases.
      Patients with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis are at risk for complications such
      as hepatocellular carcinoma and esophageal varices and should therefore be
      included in surveillance programs. However, liver disease and fibrosis are often
      unrecognized in patients with NAFLD, possibly leading to a delayed diagnosis of
      complications. The early diagnosis of advanced fibrosis in NAFLD is therefore
      crucial, and it can be accomplished using serum biomarkers (e.g., the NAFLD
      Fibrosis Score, Fib-4 Index or BARD) or non-invasive imaging techniques
      (transient elastography or acoustic radiation force impulse imaging). The
      screening of risk groups, such as patients with obesity and/or type 2 diabetes
      mellitus, for NAFLD development with these non-invasive methods may detect
      advanced fibrosis at an early stage. Additionally, patients with a low risk for
      advanced fibrosis can be identified, and the need for liver biopsies can be
      minimized. This review focuses on the diagnostic challenge and prognostic impact
      of advanced liver fibrosis in NAFLD. 

PMID- 26494965
TI  - Active vaccination to prevent de novo hepatitis B virus infection in liver
      transplantation.
AB  - The shortage of organ donors mandates the use of liver allograft from anti-HBc(+)
      donors, especially in areas highly endemic for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.
      The incidence of de novo hepatitis B infection (DNH) is over 30%-70% among
      recipients of hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) (+) grafts without any
      prophylaxis after liver transplantation (LT). Systematic reviews showed that
      prophylactic therapy [lamivudine and/or hepatitits B immunoglobulin (HBIG)]
      dramatically reduces the probability of DNH. However, there are limited studies
      regarding the effects of active immunization to prevent DNH, and the role of
      active vaccination is not well-defined. This review focuses on the feasibility
      and efficacy of pre- and post-LT HBV vaccination to prevent DNH in HBsAg(-)
      recipient using HBcAb(+) grafts. The presence of HBsAb in combination with
      lamivudine or HBIG results in lower incidence of DNH and may reduce the
      requirement of HBIG. There was a trend towards decreasing incidence of DNH with
      higher titers of HBsAb. High titers of HBsAb (> 1000 IU/L) achieved after
      repeated vaccination could eliminate the necessity for additional antiviral
      prophylaxis in pediatric recipients. In summary, active vaccination with adequate
      HBsAb titer is a feasible, cost-effective strategy to prevent DNH in recipients
      of HBcAb(+) grafts. HBV vaccination is advised for candidates on waiting list and
      for recipients after withdrawal of steroids and onset of low dose
      immunosuppression after transplantation. 

PMID- 26494966
TI  - Hepatic differentiation of rat induced pluripotent stem cells in vitro.
AB  - AIM: To show the efficient generation of hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs)
      differentiated from the induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of rats. METHODS:
      Hepatic differentiation was achieved using a three-step protocol with several
      growth factors. First, rat iPSCs were differentiated into definitive endoderm
      cells using Activin A and Wnt3a treatment. Then fibroblast growth factor 4 and
      bone morphogenetic protein 2 were added to the culture medium and used to induce
      hepatic differentiation. Finally, hepatocyte growth factor, Oncostatin M and
      dexamethasone were used for hepatic maturation. The liver-related markers and
      functions of HLCs were assessed at the gene and protein levels. RESULTS: After
      endodermal induction, the differentiated cells expressed endodermal markers
      forkhead box protein A2 and SRY-box containing gene 17 at the mRNA and protein
      levels. After 20 d of culture, the iPSCs were differentiated into HLCs. These
      differentiated cells expressed hepatic markers including alpha-fetoprotein,
      albumin CK8, CK18, CK19, and transcription factor HNF-4alpha. In addition, the
      cells expressed functional proteins such as alpha1-antitrypsin, cytochrome P450
      1A2 and CYP 3A4. They acted like healthy hepatic cells, storing glycogen and
      taking up indocyanine green and low-density lipoproteins. Also, the rates of urea
      synthesis (20 d 1.202 +/- 0.080 mg/dL vs 0 d 0.317 +/- 0.021 mg/dL, P < 0.01) and
      albumin secretion (20 d 1.601 +/- 0.102 mg/dL vs 0 d 0.313 +/- 0.015 mg/dL, P <
      0.01) increased significantly as differentiation progressed. CONCLUSION: Rat
      iPSCs can differentiate into HLCs rapidly and efficiently. These differentiated
      cells may be an attractive resource for treatment of end-stage liver disease.

PMID- 26494964
TI  - Genetic background in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A comprehensive review.
AB  - In the Western world, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered as
      one of the most significant liver diseases of the twenty-first century. Its
      development is certainly driven by environmental factors, but it is also
      regulated by genetic background. The role of heritability has been widely
      demonstrated by several epidemiological, familial, and twin studies and case
      series, and likely reflects the wide inter-individual and inter-ethnic genetic
      variability in systemic metabolism and wound healing response processes.
      Consistent with this idea, genome-wide association studies have clearly
      identified Patatin-like phosholipase domain-containing 3 gene variant I148M as a
      major player in the development and progression of NAFLD. More recently, the
      transmembrane 6 superfamily member 2 E167K variant emerged as a relevant
      contributor in both NAFLD pathogenesis and cardiovascular outcomes. Furthermore,
      numerous case-control studies have been performed to elucidate the potential role
      of candidate genes in the pathogenesis and progression of fatty liver, although
      findings are sometimes contradictory. Accordingly, we performed a comprehensive
      literature search and review on the role of genetics in NAFLD. We emphasize the
      strengths and weaknesses of the available literature and outline the putative
      role of each genetic variant in influencing susceptibility and/or progression of
      the disease. 

PMID- 26494967
TI  - Effect of fibulin-5 on adhesion, migration and invasion of hepatocellular
      carcinoma cells via an integrin-dependent mechanism.
AB  - AIM: To elucidate the role of fibulin-5 (FBLN-5) as a suppressor of
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell metastasis via integrin. METHODS: The
      expression of FBLN-5 was determined by immunohistochemistry in 140 HCC samples
      and matched normal tissues, and was further confirmed by RT-PCR and Western blot
      analyses in various cell lines. Recombinant FBLN-5 was expressed in Escherichia
      coli BL21(DE3), purified and used in cell attachment assays. Expression of a
      specific plasmid or a specific siRNA in HCC cells resulted in the overexpression
      or knockdown of FBLN-5, respectively. Further, the migration and invasion of HCC
      cells were investigated using the Boyden chamber and transwell assays. The
      concentration of secreted matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP-7) was determined using
      ELISA. RESULTS: FBLN-5 expression was found to be downregulated in HCC. Its
      expression was significantly correlated with advanced tumor metastasis; this was
      indicative of poor 5-year overall survival. Recombinant full-length human FBLN-5
      promoted the attachment of HCC cells via integrins: it inhibited HCC cell
      adhesion and migration to fibronectin in a concentration-dependent manner. It
      also inhibited HCC cell migration and invasion through an integrin-binding
      arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) motif by downregulating MMP-7. CONCLUSION:
      These results suggest that lower FBLN-5 expression is an important indicator of
      poor survival and that FBLN-5 inhibits HCC motility via an integrin-dependent
      mechanism. RGD-dependent suppression of MMP-7 by FBLN-5 might contribute to the
      development of new therapeutic strategies for HCC.

PMID- 26494962
TI  - Endocrine causes of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
AB  - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic
      liver disease in the industrialized world. The prevalence of NAFLD is increasing,
      becoming a substantial public health burden. NAFLD includes a broad spectrum of
      disorders, from simple conditions such as steatosis to severe manifestations such
      as fibrosis and cirrhosis. The relationship of NAFLD with metabolic alterations
      such as type 2 diabetes is well described and related to insulin resistance, with
      NAFLD being recognized as the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome.
      However, NAFLD may also coincide with endocrine diseases such as polycystic ovary
      syndrome, hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiency or hypercortisolism. It is
      therefore essential to remember, when discovering altered liver enzymes or
      hepatic steatosis on radiological exams, that endocrine diseases can cause NAFLD.
      Indeed, the overall prognosis of NAFLD may be modified by treatment of the
      underlying endocrine pathology. In this review, we will discuss endocrine
      diseases that can cause NALFD. Underlying pathophysiological mechanisms will be
      presented and specific treatments will be reviewed. 

PMID- 26494968
TI  - Low-density lipoprotein receptor genetic polymorphism in chronic hepatitis C
      virus Egyptian patients affects treatment response.
AB  - AIM: To correlate a genetic polymorphism of the low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
      receptor with antiviral responses in Egyptian chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)
      patients. METHODS: Our study included 657 HCV-infected patients with genotype 4
      who received interferon-based combination therapy. Patients were divided into two
      groups based on their response to therapy: 356 were responders, and 301 were non
      responders. Patients were compared to 160 healthy controls. All patients and
      controls underwent a thorough physical examination, measurement of body mass
      index (BMI) and the following laboratory tests: serum alanine aminotransferase,
      aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, albumin, total bilirubin,
      direct bilirubin, prothrombin time, prothrombin concentration, INR, complete
      blood count, serum creatinine, fasting blood sugar, HCV antibody, and hepatitis B
      surface antigen. All HCV patients were further subjected to the following
      laboratory tests: HCV-RNA using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR),
      antinuclear antibodies, thyroid-stimulating hormone, an LDL receptor (LDLR)
      genotype study of LDLR exon8c.1171G>A and exon10c.1413G>A using real-time PCR
      based assays, abdominal ultrasonography, ultrasonographic-guided liver biopsy,
      and histopathological examination of liver biopsies. Correlations of LDL receptor
      polymorphisms with HAI, METAVIR score, presence of steatosis, and BMI were
      performed in all cases. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant
      differences in response rates between the different types of interferon used or
      LDLR exon10c.1413G>A. However, there was a significant difference in the
      frequency of the LDL receptor exon8c.1171G>A genotype between cases (AA: 25.9%,
      GA: 22.2%, GG: 51.9%) and controls (AA: 3.8%, GA: 53.1% and GG: 43.1%) (P <
      0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in the frequency of the
      LDLR exon 8C:1171 G>A polymorphism between responders (AA: 3.6%, GA: 15.2%, GG:
      81.2%) and non-responders (AA: 52.2%, GA: 30.6%, GG: 17.2%) (P < 0.001). The G
      allele of LDL receptor exon8c.1171G>A predominated in cases and controls over the
      A allele, and a statistically significant association with response to interferon
      was observed. The frequency of the LDLR exon8c.1171G>A allele in non-responders
      was: A: 67.4% and G: 32.6 vs A: 11.2% and G: 88.8% in responders (P < 0.001).
      Therefore, carriers of the A allele exhibited a 16.4 times greater risk for non
      response. There was a significant association between LDL receptors exon8
      c.1171G>A and HAI (P < 0.011). There was a significant association between LDL
      receptors exon8c.1171G>A and BMI. The mean BMI level was highest in patients
      carrying the AA genotype (28.7 +/- 4.7 kg/m(2)) followed by the GA genotype (28.1
      +/- 4.8 kg/m(2)). The lowest BMI was the GG genotype (26.6 +/- 4.3 kg/m(2)) (P <
      0.001). The only significant associations were found between LDL receptors exon8
      c.1171G>A and METAVIR score or steatosis (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: LDL receptor
      gene polymorphisms play a role in the treatment response of HCV and the
      modulation of disease progression in Egyptians infected with chronic HCV.

PMID- 26494969
TI  - Serum vitamin D3 does not correlate with liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the relationship between serum vitamin D3 levels and liver
      fibrosis or inflammation in treatment-naive Chinese patients with chronic
      hepatitis C (CHC). METHODS: From July 2010 to June 2011, we enrolled 122 CHC
      patients and 11 healthy controls from Dingxi city, Gansu Province, China. The
      patients were infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) during blood cell re
      transfusion following plasma donation in 1992-1995, and had never received
      antiviral treatment. At present, all the patients except two underwent liver
      biopsy with ultrasound guidance. The Scheuer Scoring System was used to evaluate
      hepatic inflammation and the Metavir Scoring System was used to evaluate hepatic
      fibrosis. Twelve-hour overnight fasting blood samples were collected in the
      morning of the day of biopsy. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate
      aminotransferase, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, cholinesterase, prothrombin
      activity, albumin, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, hemoglobin, calcium and
      phosphorus were determined. Serum HCV RNA levels were measured by real-time PCR.
      Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3
      [24,25(OH)2D3] were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography tandem
      mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Serum levels of 25(OH)D3 but not 24,25(OH)2D3 were
      significantly lower in CHC patients than in control subjects. Serum 25(OH)D3
      levels did not correlate with liver fibrosis, inflammation, patient age, or
      levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin,
      direct bilirubin, prothrombin activity, cholinesterase or HCV RNA. However, serum
      25(OH)D3 levels did correlate with serum 24,25(OH)2D3 levels. Serum 25(OH)D3 and
      24,25(OH)2D3 levels, and the 25(OH)D3/24,25(OH)2D3 ratio, have no difference
      among the fibrosis stages or inflammation grades. CONCLUSION: We found that serum
      levels of 25(OH)D3 and its degradation metabolite 24,25(OH)2D3 did not correlate
      with liver fibrosis in treatment-naive Chinese patient with CHC.

PMID- 26494970
TI  - Prediction of the indication criteria for endoscopic resection of early gastric
      cancer.
AB  - AIM: To find risk factors of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in early gastric cancer
      (EGC) and to find proper endoscopic therapy indication in EGC. METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed the 2270 patients who underwent curative operation for
      EGC from January 2001 to December 2008. EGC was defined as malignant lesions that
      do not invade beyond the submucosal layer of the stomach wall irrespective of
      presence of lymph node metastasis. RESULTS: Among 2270 enrolled patients, LNM was
      observed in 217 (9%) patients. LNM in intramucosal (M) cancer and submucosal (SM)
      cancer was detected in 38 (2.8%, 38/1340) patients and 179 (19%, 179/930)
      patients, respectively. In univariate analysis, the risk factors for LNM in EGC
      were size of tumor, Lauren classification, ulcer, lymphatic invasion, vascular
      invasion, and depth of invasion. However, in multivariate analysis, size of
      tumor, lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, and depth of invasion were risk
      factors for LNM in EGC. Size of tumor, lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, and
      depth of invasion were risk factors for LNM in cases of intramucosal cancer and
      submucosal cancer. In particular, there was no lymph node metastasis in cases of
      well differentiated early gastric cancer below 1 cm in size without ulcer
      regardless of lymphovascular invasion. CONCLUSION: Tumor size, perilymphatic
      vascular invasion, and depth of invasion were risk factors for LNM in EGC. There
      was no LNM in EGC below 1 cm regardless risk factors.

PMID- 26494971
TI  - Prognostic significance of plasma interleukin-6/-8 in pancreatic cancer patients
      receiving chemoimmunotherapy.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the association of plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and -8
      with Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1)-specific immune responses and clinical outcomes in
      patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) treated with dendritic cells
      (DCs) pulsed with three types of major histocompatibility complex class I and II
      restricted WT1 peptides combined with chemotherapy. METHODS: During the entire
      treatment period, plasma levels of IL-6 and -8 were analyzed by ELISA. The
      induction of WT1-specific immune responses was assessed using the WT1 peptide
      specific delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) test. RESULTS: Three of 7 patients
      displayed strong WT1-DTH reactions throughout long-term vaccination with
      significantly decreased levels of IL-6/-8 after vaccinations compared with the
      levels prior to treatment. Moreover, overall survival (OS) was significantly
      longer in PDA patients with low plasma IL-6 levels (< 2 pg/mL) after 5
      vaccinations than in patients with high plasma IL-6 levels (>= 2 pg/mL) (P =
      0.025). After disease progression, WT1-DTH reactions decreased severely and were
      ultimately negative at the terminal stage of cancer. The decreased levels of IL
      6/-8 observed throughout long-term vaccination were associated with WT1-specific
      DTH reactions and long-term OS. CONCLUSION: Prolonged low levels of plasma IL-6/
      8 in PDA patients may be a prognostic marker for the clinical outcomes of
      chemoimmunotherapy.

PMID- 26494972
TI  - Effects of daily telephone-based re-education before taking medicine on
      Helicobacter pylori eradication: A prospective single-center study from China.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the effects of daily telephone-based re-education (TRE)
      before taking medicine for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) on
      the compliance and the eradication rate in a Chinese patient population. METHODS:
      A prospective, physician-blinded, randomized, controlled clinical study was
      conducted. The patients were randomly assigned to receive TRE every day before
      taking medicine (TRE group) or no TRE (control group). The patients in the TRE
      group received regular instructions before taking medicine for the eradication of
      H. pylori during the entire course of treatment through telephone calls. The
      patients in the control group received detailed instructions at the time of
      seeing a doctor for the guidance. The primary outcome was the H. pylori
      eradication rate after treatment. The secondary outcomes included the clinical
      remissions after treatment, adverse events, compliance, and patients'
      satisfaction. RESULTS: A total of 140 patients were randomized, 70 to the TRE
      group and 70 to the control group. As the primary outcome, the H. pylori
      eradication rates in the TRE and control groups were 62.7% and 71.2% in per
      protocol analysis (P = 0.230), and 52.9% and 52.9% in intention-to-treat analysis
      (P = 0.567), respectively. As the secondary outcomes, there were no significant
      differences in the patients' satisfaction between the two groups (good, 79.7% vs
      76.9%; fair, 13.6% vs 19.2%; poor, 6.7% vs 3.9%, for the TRE group and control
      group, respectively; P > 0.05 for all); the rates of adverse effects were 15.2%
      and 63.5% in the TRE and control groups, respectively (P < 0.001); the compliance
      rates in the TRE and control groups were 85.7% and 74.3%, respectively (P =
      0.069). CONCLUSION: Daily TRE before taking medicine had no significant impact on
      the patients' compliance, satisfaction, or H. pylori eradication, but reduced the
      rate of adverse events.

PMID- 26494974
TI  - Case report of primary splenic angiosarcoma with hepatic metastases.
AB  - Primary splenic angiosarcoma (PSA) is the most unusual type of malignancy with
      early multifocal metastasis through hematogenous spread. PSA is generally
      believed to originate from splenic sinusoidal vascular endothelium with a high
      rate of metastasis and to have a poor prognosis. Its etiology and pathogenetic
      mechanisms have not yet been clearly described. Thus far, only approximately 200
      cases have been reported. PSA has variable symptomatology with the potential to
      present with life-threatening complications. The diagnosis of PSA is challenging;
      and often late. PSA should be considered in the differential diagnosis of
      patients with splenomegaly and anemia of unknown etiology. Surgical treatment
      with splenectomy is considered the only curative intervention for potential long
      term disease-free survival. Early diagnosis and treatment are very important. It
      is important that clinical doctors improve the understanding of PSA. Herein, we
      report one rare case of PSA with hepatic metastases, along with a review of the
      current literature. 

PMID- 26494973
TI  - Managements of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation: A
      systematic review.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the efficacy (survival) and safety of treatments for
      recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in liver transplantation (LT) patients.
      METHODS: Literature search was performed on available online databases without a
      time limit until January 2015. Clinical studies describing survival after HCC
      recurrence in LT patients were retrieved for a full-text evaluation. A total of
      61 studies were selected: 13 case reports, 41 retrospective case series, and 7
      retrospective comparative studies. RESULTS: Based on all included studies, the
      mean HCC recurrence rate was 16% of all LTs for HCC. A total of 1021 LT patients
      experienced HCC recurrence. The median time from LT to HCC recurrence was 13 mo
      (range 2-132 mo). The majority of patients (67%) presented with HCC extra-hepatic
      recurrences, involving lung, bone, adrenal gland, peritoneal lymph nodes, and
      rarely the brain. Overall survival after HCC recurrence was 12.97 mo. Surgical
      resection of localized HCC recurrence and Sorafenib for controlling systemic
      spread of HCC recurrence were associated with the higher survival rates (42 and
      18 mo, respectively). However, Sorafenib, especially when combined with mTOR, was
      frequently associated with severe side effects that required dose reduction or
      discontinuation CONCLUSION: Management of recurrent HCC in LT patients is
      challenging and associated with poor prognosis independently of the type of
      treatment.

PMID- 26494975
TI  - A Retrospective Audit of Clinically Significant Maternal Bacteraemia in a
      Specialist Maternity Hospital from 2001 to 2014.
AB  - Maternal sepsis is a significant problem in obstetrics, with almost one in four
      maternal deaths related to severe sepsis. We carried out a retrospective review
      of clinically significant bacteraemia in obstetric patients attending Rotunda
      Hospital over 14 years. From 2001 to 2014, there were 252 clinically significant
      positive blood culture episodes in obstetric patients. There were 112,361 live
      births>500 g during the study period giving an overall rate of 2.24 clinically
      significant positive maternal blood culture episodes per 1000 live births>500 g.
      The median rate over the 14 years was 2.12 episodes per 1000 live births>500 g,
      with an interquartile range of 1.74-2.43 per 1000 live births>500 g. There was no
      discernable increasing or decreasing trend over the 14 years. E. coli was the
      most commonly isolated organism (n=92/252, 37%), followed by group B
      Streptococcus (n=64/252, 25%), Staphylococcus aureus (n=28/252, 11%), and
      anaerobes (n=11/252, 4%). These top four organisms represented three-quarters of
      all positive blood culture episodes (n=195/252, 77.3%). Of note, there were only
      five cases of listeriosis, representing a rate of 4.4 cases per 100,000 live
      births>500 g. The rate of invasive group A streptococcal infection was also very
      low at 5.3 cases per 100,000 live births>500 g.

PMID- 26494976
TI  - FXYD5 is a Marker for Poor Prognosis and a Potential Driver for Metastasis in
      Ovarian Carcinomas.
AB  - Ovarian cancer (OC) is a leading cause of cancer mortality, but aside from a few
      well-studied mutations, very little is known about its underlying causes. As
      such, we performed survival analysis on ovarian copy number amplifications and
      gene expression datasets presented by The Cancer Genome Atlas in order to
      identify potential drivers and markers of aggressive OC. Additionally, two
      independent datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus web platform were used to
      validate the identified markers. Based on our analysis, we identified FXYD5, a
      glycoprotein known to reduce cell adhesion, as a potential driver of metastasis
      and a significant predictor of mortality in OC. As a marker of poor outcome, the
      protein has effective antibodies against it for use in tissue arrays. FXYD5
      bridges together a wide variety of cancers, including ovarian, breast cancer
      stage II, thyroid, colorectal, pancreatic, and head and neck cancers for
      metastasis studies. 

PMID- 26494977
TI  - Corrigenda: A revision of infrageneric classification in Astelia Banks & Sol. ex
      R.Br. (Asteliaceae).
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.52.4768.]. 

PMID- 26494978
TI  - Towards a common framework for assessing the activity and associations of groups
      who sexually abuse children.
AB  - Extensive social psychological research emphasises the importance of groups in
      shaping individuals' thoughts and actions. Within the child sexual abuse (CSA)
      literature criminal organisation has been largely overlooked, with some key
      exceptions. This research was a novel collaboration between academia and the UK's
      Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). Starting from the premise
      that the group is, in itself, a form of social situation affecting abuse, it
      offers the first systematic situational analysis of CSA groups. In-depth
      behavioural data from a small sample of convicted CSA group-offenders (n = 3)
      were analysed qualitatively to identify factors and processes underpinning CSA
      groups' activities and associations: group formation, evolution, identity and
      resources. The results emphasise CSA groups' variability, fluidity and dynamism.
      The foundations of a general framework are proposed for researching and assessing
      CSA groups and designing effective interventions. It is hoped that this work will
      stimulate discussion and development in this long-neglected area of CSA, helping
      to build a coherent knowledge-base.

PMID- 26494979
TI  - Coenzyme A-free activity, crystal structure, and rational engineering of a
      promiscuous beta-ketoacyl thiolase from Ralstonia eutropha.
AB  - Thiolases catalyze the formation of carbon-carbon bonds in diverse biosynthetic
      pathways. The promiscuous beta-ketoacyl thiolase B of Ralstonia eutropha (ReBktB)
      has been utilized in the in vivo conversion of Coenzyme A (CoA)-linked precursors
      such as acetyl-CoA and glycolyl-CoA into beta-hydroxy acids, including the
      pharmaceutically-important 3,4-dihydroxybutyric acid. Such thiolases could serve
      as powerful carbon-carbon bond-forming biocatalysts in vitro if handles less
      costly than CoA were employable. Here, thiolase activity is demonstrated toward
      substrates linked to the readily-available CoA mimic, N-acetylcysteamine (NAC).
      ReBktB was observed to catalyze the retro-Claisen condensation of several beta
      ketoacyl-S-NAC substrates, with a preference for 3-oxopentanoyl-S-NAC over 3
      oxobutanoyl-, 3-oxohexanoyl-, and 3-oxoheptanoyl-S-NAC. A 2.0 A-resolution
      crystal structure, in which the asymmetric unit consists of four ReBktB
      tetramers, provides insight into acyl group specificity and how it may be
      engineered. By replacing an active site methionine with an alanine, a mutant
      possessing significant activity towards alpha-methyl substituted, NAC-linked
      substrates was engineered. The ability of ReBktB and its engineered mutants to
      utilize NAC-linked substrates will facilitate the in vitro biocatalytic synthesis
      of diketide chiral building blocks from feedstock molecules such as acetate and
      propionate.

PMID- 26494980
TI  - An automated shotgun lipidomics platform for high throughput, comprehensive, and
      quantitative analysis of blood plasma intact lipids.
AB  - Blood plasma has gained protagonism in lipidomics studies due to its
      availability, uncomplicated collection and preparation, and informative readout
      of physiological status. At the same time, it is also technically challenging to
      analyze due to its complex lipid composition affected by many factors, which can
      hamper the throughput and/or lipidomics coverage. To tackle these issues, we
      developed a comprehensive, high throughput, and quantitative mass spectrometry
      based shotgun lipidomics platform for blood plasma lipid analyses. The main
      hallmarks of this technology are (i) it is comprehensive, covering 22
      quantifiable different lipid classes encompassing more than 200 lipid species;
      (ii) it is amenable to high-throughput, with less than 5 min acquisition time
      allowing the complete analysis of 200 plasma samples per day; (iii) it achieves
      absolute quantification, by inclusion of internal standards for every lipid class
      measured; (iv) it is highly reproducible, achieving an average coefficient of
      variation of <10% (intra-day), approx. 10% (inter-day), and approx. 15% (inter
      site) for most lipid species; (v) it is easily transferable allowing the direct
      comparison of data acquired in different sites. Moreover, we thoroughly assessed
      the influence of blood stabilization with different anticoagulants and freeze
      thaw cycles to exclude artifacts generated by sample preparation. Practical
      applications: This shotgun lipidomics platform can be implemented in different
      laboratories without compromising reproducibility, allowing multi-site studies
      and inter-laboratory comparisons. This possibility combined with the high
      throughput, broad lipidomic coverage and absolute quantification are important
      aspects for clinical applications and biomarker research.

PMID- 26494981
TI  - Archaeal Enzymes and Applications in Industrial Biocatalysts.
AB  - Archaeal enzymes are playing an important role in industrial biotechnology. Many
      representatives of organisms living in "extreme" conditions, the so-called
      Extremophiles, belong to the archaeal kingdom of life. This paper will review
      studies carried by the Exeter group and others regarding archaeal enzymes that
      have important applications in commercial biocatalysis. Some of these
      biocatalysts are already being used in large scale industrial processes for the
      production of optically pure drug intermediates and amino acids and their
      analogues. Other enzymes have been characterised at laboratory scale regarding
      their substrate specificity and properties for potential industrial application.
      The increasing availability of DNA sequences from new archaeal species and
      metagenomes will provide a continuing resource to identify new enzymes of
      commercial interest using both bioinformatics and screening approaches. 

PMID- 26494982
TI  - Archaeal Nucleic Acid Ligases and Their Potential in Biotechnology.
AB  - With their ability to catalyse the formation of phosphodiester linkages, DNA
      ligases and RNA ligases are essential tools for many protocols in molecular
      biology and biotechnology. Currently, the nucleic acid ligases from bacteriophage
      T4 are used extensively in these protocols. In this review, we argue that the
      nucleic acid ligases from Archaea represent a largely untapped pool of enzymes
      with diverse and potentially favourable properties for new and emerging
      biotechnological applications. We summarise the current state of knowledge on
      archaeal DNA and RNA ligases, which makes apparent the relative scarcity of
      information on in vitro activities that are of most relevance to biotechnologists
      (such as the ability to join blunt- or cohesive-ended, double-stranded DNA
      fragments). We highlight the existing biotechnological applications of archaeal
      DNA ligases and RNA ligases. Finally, we draw attention to recent experiments in
      which protein engineering was used to modify the activities of the DNA ligase
      from Pyrococcus furiosus and the RNA ligase from Methanothermobacter
      thermautotrophicus, thus demonstrating the potential for further work in this
      area. 

PMID- 26494983
TI  - Phase Transformation in Radially Merged Wurtzite GaAs Nanowires.
AB  - III-V Nanowires (NWs) grown with metal-organic chemical vapor deposition commonly
      show a polytypic crystal structure, allowing growth of structures not found in
      the bulk counterpart. In this paper we studied the radial overgrowth of pure
      wurtzite (WZ) GaAs nanowires and characterized the samples with high resolution X
      ray diffraction (XRD) to reveal the crystal structure of the grown material. In
      particular, we investigated what happens when adjacent WZ NWs radially merge with
      each other by analyzing the evolution of XRD peaks for different amounts of
      radial overgrowth and merging. By preparing cross-sectional lamella samples we
      also analyzed the local crystal structure of partly merged NWs by transmission
      electron microscopy. Once individual NWs start to merge, the crystal structure of
      the merged segments is transformed progressively from initial pure WZ to a mixed
      WZ/ZB structure. The merging process is then modeled using a simple combinatorial
      approach, which predicts that merging of two or more WZ NWs will result in a
      mixed crystal structure containing WZ, ZB, and 4H. The existence large and
      relaxed segments of 4H structure within the merged NWs was confirmed by XRD,
      allowing us to accurately determine the lattice parameters of GaAs 4H. We compare
      the measured WZ and 4H unit cells with an ideal tetrahedron and find that both
      the polytypes are elongated in the c-axis and compressed in the a-axis compared
      to the geometrically converted cubic ZB unit cell.

PMID- 26494984
TI  - Role of upstream stimulatory factor 2 in diabetic nephropathy.
AB  - Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease
      (ESRD). About 20%-30% of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes develop DN. DN is
      characterized by both glomerulosclerosis with thickening of the glomerular
      basement membrane and mesangial matrix expansion, and tubulointerstitial
      fibrosis. Hyperglycemia and the activation of the intra-renal renin-angiotensin
      system (RAS) in diabetes have been suggested to play a critical role in the
      pathogenesis of DN. However, the mechanisms are not well known. Studies from our
      laboratory demonstrated that the transcription factor-upstream stimulatory factor
      2 (USF2) is an important regulator of DN. Moreover, the renin gene is a
      downstream target of USF2. Importantly, USF2 transgenic (Tg) mice demonstrate a
      specific increase in renal renin expression and angiotensin II (AngII) levels in
      kidney and exhibit increased urinary albumin excretion and extracellular matrix
      deposition in glomeruli, supporting a role for USF2 in the development of
      diabetic nephropathy. In this review, we summarize our findings of the mechanisms
      by which diabetes regulates USF2 in kidney cells and its role in regulation of
      renal renin-angiotensin system and the development of diabetic nephropathy.

PMID- 26494985
TI  - Thyroid dysfunction and pregnancy outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pregnancy has a huge impact on the thyroid function in both healthy
      women and those that have thyroid dysfunction. The prevalence of thyroid
      dysfunction in pregnant women is relatively high. OBJECTIVE: The objective of
      this review was to increase awareness and to provide a review on adverse effect
      of thyroid dysfunction including hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism and thyroid
      autoimmune positivity on pregnancy outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this
      review, Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched with appropriate
      keywords for relevant English manuscript. We used a variety of studies, including
      randomized clinical trials, cohort (prospective and retrospective), case-control
      and case reports. Those studies on thyroid disorders among non-pregnant women and
      articles without adequate quality were excluded. RESULTS: Overt hyperthyroidism
      and hypothyroidism has several adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes. Overt
      hyperthyroidism was associated with miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm delivery,
      intrauterine growth retardation, low birth weight, preeclampsia and fetal thyroid
      dysfunction. Overt hypothyroidism was associated with abortion, anemia, pregnancy
      induced hypertension, preeclampsia, placental abruption, postpartum hemorrhage,
      premature birth, low birth weight, intrauterine fetal death, increased neonatal
      respiratory distress and infant neuro developmental dysfunction. However the
      adverse effect of subclinical hypothyroidism, and thyroid antibody positivity on
      pregnancy outcomes was not clear. While some studies demonstrated higher chance
      of placental abruption, preterm birth, miscarriage, gestational hypertension,
      fetal distress, severe preeclampsia and neonatal distress and diabetes in
      pregnant women with subclinical hypothyroidism or thyroid autoimmunity; the other
      ones have not reported these adverse effects. CONCLUSION: While the impacts of
      overt thyroid dysfunction on feto-maternal morbidities have been clearly
      identified and its long term impact on childhood development is well known, data
      on the early and late complications of subclinical thyroid dysfunction during
      pregnancy or thyroid autoimmunity are controversial. Further studies on maternal
      and neonatal outcomes of subclinical thyroid dysfunction maternal are needed.

PMID- 26494986
TI  - Relationship between progesterone level on the day of human chorionic
      gonadotropin administration with outcomes of intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection in
      infertile couples.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists or antagonists are used in
      assisted reproductive technique cycles as premature luteinizing hormone secretion
      inhibition. Studies have been reported different and contradictory results on the
      serum progesterone effect on intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection. OBJECTIVE: The
      purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of serum progesterone level on
      the day of Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) administration on the intra
      cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcome in infertile women. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: 249 infertile couples candidated for ICSI were enrolled in the study.
      Their serum progesterone level on the day of HCG administration was measured and
      according to serum level, patients were divided into four groups of less than
      0.9, 0.9-1.4, 1.5-1.9, and >=2 ng/mL. The four groups were compared with each
      other regarding fertility outcomes. RESULTS: Pregnancy rate was not significantly
      different among the four groups (p>0.05). Also, there was no significant
      difference among the groups regarding frequency of abortion and ectopic
      pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Serum progesterone level on the day of HCG administration
      does not have any significant effect on pregnancy outcomes, including abortion,
      ectopic pregnancy, and pregnancy rate in patients undergoing ICSI treatment.

PMID- 26494987
TI  - The existing therapeutic interventions for orgasmic disorders: recommendations
      for culturally competent services, narrative review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent years, a growing number of interventions for treatment of
      female orgasmic problems (FODs) have emerged. Whereas orgasm is a extra
      biologically and learnable experience, there is a need for practitioners that to
      be able to select which therapy is the most appropriate to their context.
      OBJECTIVE: In this critical literature review, we aimed to assess areas of
      controversy in the existing therapeutic interventions in FOD with taking into
      accounted the Iranian cultural models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the present
      study, we conducted an extensive search of electronic databases using a
      comprehensive search strategy from 1970 till 2014. This strategy was using Google
      Scholar search, "pearl-growing" techniques and by hand-searching key guidelines,
      to identify distinct interventions to women's orgasmic problem therapy. We
      utilized various key combinations of words such as:" orgasm" OR "orgasmic ","
      female orgasmic dysfunction" OR Female anorgasmia OR Female Orgasmic Disorder ",
      orgasmic dysfunction AND treatment, "orgasm AND intervention". Selection criteria
      in order to be included in this review, studies were required to: 1 employ
      clinical-based interventions, 2 focus on FOD. RESULTS: The majority of
      interventions (90%) related to non-pharmacological and other were about
      pharmacological interventions. Self-direct masturbation is suggested as the most
      privilege treatment in FOD. Reviewing all therapies indicates couple therapy,
      sexual skill training and sex therapy seem to be more appropriate to be applied
      in Iranian clinical settings. CONCLUSION: Since many therapeutic interventions
      are introduced to inform sexually-related practices, it is important to select an
      intervention that will be culturally appropriate and sensitive to norms and
      values. Professionals working in the fields of health and sexuality need to be
      sensitive and apply culturally appropriate therapies for Iranian population. We
      further suggest community well defined protocols to screen, assessment and
      management of women' sexual problems such as FOD in the Iranian settings.

PMID- 26494988
TI  - Characterization of apoptosis and autophagy through Bcl-2 and Beclin-1
      immunoexpression in gestational trophoblastic disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD) is not
      clearly known. OBJECTIVE: In this study, immunoexpression of proteins Bcl-2 and
      Beclin-1 in trophoblastic lesions and normal trophoblastic tissue was conducted
      to study the mechanism of apoptotic and autophagic cell death that is expected to
      complete the study of GTD pathogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bcl-2 and Beclin-1
      immunoexpression were studied on complete hydatidiform mole, partial hydatidiform
      mole, invasive mole, choriocarcinoma and normal placenta slides. RESULTS: The
      average total scores of Bcl-2 immunoexpression had a decreasing value, starting
      from partial hydatidiform mole (3.09), complete hydatidiform mole (2.36),
      invasive mole (1.18) to choriocarcinoma (0) when compared to normal placenta (6).
      The results showed no significant difference in Beclin-1 immunoexpression total
      score between complete hydatidiform mole, partial hydatidiform mole and invasive
      mole, namely that the value of the average total score of Beclin-1 was low (2.27,
      2.45 and 2.36), but on the contrary choriocarcinoma showed an increasing strong
      Beclin-1 expression with the average total score of 4.57. CONCLUSION: Bcl-2
      expression decreases in line with the excessive proliferation of trophoblast
      cells in hydatidiform mole and leads to malignancy in invasive mole and
      choriocarcinoma. The decreased expression of Beclin-1 that leads to autophagy
      defects in complete hydatidiform mole, partial hydatidiform mole and invasive
      mole shows the role of autophagy as tumor suppressor, whereas strong Beclin-1
      expression shows the survival role of autophagy in choriocarcinoma. The change of
      Bcl-2 activity as antiapoptosis and Beclin-1 as proautophagy plays a role in
      pathogenesis of GTD.

PMID- 26494989
TI  - Increased serum oxidized low-density lipoprotein levels in pregnancies
      complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Elevated serum levels of oxidized Low-density Lipoprotein (oxLDL)
      have been found in type 2 and in poorly controlled diabetic patients. Gestational
      diabetes mellitus (GDM) has common features with type 2 diabetes. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim of our study was to evaluate the serum levels of oxLDL in women with GDM
      compared to normal pregnant women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional
      study, ninety-two subjects were randomly allocated to either GDM (n=46) or
      control (n=46) groups matched for age, body mass index and parity from March 2013
      to March 2014. GDM was diagnosed according to the American Diabetes Association
      criteria at 24-26 weeks of gestation. OxLDL was measured using enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. T-test and Pearson correlation coefficients were applied for
      analyzing the data by using SPSS version 17. RESULTS: Compared to the controls,
      significantly higher oxLDL levels were found in the GDM group (17.16 +/- 3.71 U/L
      vs. 8.77 +/- 1.84 U/L, respectively, p < 0.001). No significant correlations were
      found between oxLDL and age and BMI of the patients in the groups. CONCLUSION:
      Our study found significant increase of oxLDL in GDM emphasizing the role of
      short-term hyperglycemia in the formation of oxLDL during GDM. The importance of
      aptly diagnosis of GDM in maternal health may also be concluded.

PMID- 26494990
TI  - Large nuclear vacuoles in spermatozoa negatively affect pregnancy rate in IVF
      cycles.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently, motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME)
      criteria as a new real time tool for evaluation of spermatozoa in
      intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles has been considered. OBJECTIVE:
      The aim was to investigate the predictive value of MSOME in in vitro
      fertilization (IVF) in comparison to ICSI cycles and evaluation of the
      association between MSOME parameters and traditional sperm parameters in both
      groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cross sectional prospective analysis of
      MSOME parameters in IVF (n=31) and ICSI cycles (n=35). MSOME parameters were also
      evaluated as the presence of vacuole (none, small, medium, large or mix); head
      size (normal, small or large); cytoplasmic droplet; head shape and acrosome
      normality. In sub-analysis, MSOME parameters were compared between two groups
      with successful or failed clinical pregnancy in each group. RESULTS: In IVF
      group, the rate of large nuclear vacuole showed significant increase in failed as
      compared to successful pregnancies (13.81+/-9.7vs7.38+/-4.4, respectively,
      p=0.045) while MSOME parameters were the same between successful and failed
      pregnancies in ICSI group. Moreover, a negative correlation was noticed between
      LNV and sperm shape normalcy. In ICSI group, a negative correlation was
      established between cytoplasmic droplet and sperm shape normalcy. In addition,
      there was a positive correlation between sperm shape normalcy and non-vacuolated
      spermatozoa. CONCLUSION: The high rate of large nuclear vacuoles in sperm used in
      IVF cycles with failed pregnancies confirms that MSOME, is a helpful tool for
      fine sperm morphology assessment, and its application may enhance the assisted
      reproduction technology success rates.

PMID- 26494991
TI  - Comparison of oral dydrogesterone with vaginal progesteronefor luteal support in
      IUI cycles: a randomized clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study, we have compared the advantages of oral
      dydrogestrone with vaginal progesterone (cyclogest) for luteal support in
      intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles. Progesterone supplementation is the first
      line treatment when luteal phase deficiency (LPD) can reasonably be assumed.
      OBJECTIVE: This study was conduct to compare the effect of oral dydrogestrone
      with vaginal Cyclogest on luteal phase support in the IUI cycles. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This prospective, randomized, double blind study was performed in a
      local infertility center from May 2013 to May 2014. It consisted of 150 infertile
      women younger than35years old undergoing ovarian stimulation for IUI cycles. They
      underwent ovarian stimulation with oral dydrogesterone (20 mg) as group A and
      vaginal cyclogest (400 mg) as group B in preparation for the IUI cycles. Clinical
      pregnancy and abortion rates, mid luteal progesterone (7daysafter IUI) and
      patient satisfaction were compared between two groups. RESULTS: The mean serum
      progesterone levels was significantly higher in group A in comparison with group
      B (p=0.001). Pregnancy rates in group A was not statistically different in
      comparison with group B (p =0.58). Abortion rate in two groups was not
      statistically different (p =0.056) although rate of abortion was higher in group
      B in comparison with A group. Satisfaction rates were significantly higher in
      group A compared to group B (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: We concluded that oral
      dydrogestrone is effective as vaginal progesterone for luteal-phase support in
      woman undergoing IUI cycles. Moreover, the mean serum progesterone levels and
      satisfaction rates in dydrogestrone group were higher than cyclogest group.

PMID- 26494992
TI  - Evaluation of the melatonin and oxidative stress markers level in serum of
      fertile and infertile women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infertility is defined as the inability to achieve the pregnancy
      within a year of unprotected intercourse. Infertility is a complex issue and
      different factors such as stress oxidative can be involved in this problem. So,
      any attempt to neutralize oxidative stress would be helpful in the treatment of
      infertility. Melatonin is a known scavenger of free radicals. OBJECTIVE: The aim
      of our study was to evaluate the level of melatonin and its correlation with
      oxidative biomarkers in fertile and infertile women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      participants including fertile and infertile women were divided into two groups
      of 30 people. Blood sampling was performed and sera were collected. The level of
      Malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and melatonin were
      detected. Data were analyzed using T-test and their correlation was assessed
      using Spearman test. RESULTS: Serum melatonin from fertile women was higher than
      infertile women but the difference was not significant (p= 0.46). MDA level in
      fertile women was significantly lower than infertile women (p<0.001) and the
      level of TAC in fertile women was significantly higher than infertile women
      (p<0.001). Spearman test revealed a significant and direct correlation between
      melatonin and TAC in fertile and infertile women and a significant but reverse
      correlation between melatonin and MDA in infertile and fertile women. CONCLUSION:
      Differences in the level of oxidative stress biomarkers in fertile and infertile
      individuals have been reported. This study revealed a significant correlation
      between melatonin and oxidative stress biomarkers, concluding that melatonin
      level could be involved in infertility.

PMID- 26494993
TI  - Successful local and systemic medical treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy and a
      subsequent term pregnancy after treatment: a case series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) is controversial. The
      objective of this study was to report our successful experience in the medical
      treatment of CSP with potassium chloride (KCl) and methotrexate. CASE: This is a
      case series of six patients between 6-12 gestational weeks with the diagnosis of
      CSP. In five cases the fetus was alive and in one case, despite being at a
      gestational age of 12 weeks based on CRL, there was no fetal heart activity. In
      four of these cases, an ultrasound- guided KCl injection in the heart was
      performed on four living fetuses and then systemic methotrexate was administered.
      In two other cases, methotrexate was injected into the gestational sac and
      subsequently the systemic methotrexate was administered. During follow-up, the
      patients were stable and no complications occurred. Additionally, serum beta
      human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) was negative between five to 11 weeks
      later. One of the patients became pregnant one year later. Her pregnancy
      continued without any complication and she was delivered by cesarean section at
      the gestational age of 38 weeks. During caesarean section, it was noticed that
      the appearance of previous cesarean scar was normal and there was no scar.
      CONCLUSION: Based on our experience, the combination of systemic Methotrexate
      with local Methotrexate or KCl is feasible and can be performed as an outpatient
      procedure and is successful in the treatment of CSP.

PMID- 26494994
TI  - Treatment of Urethral Strictures from Irradiation and Other Nonsurgical Forms of
      Pelvic Cancer Treatment.
AB  - Radiation therapy (RT), external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), brachytherapy
      (BT), photon beam therapy (PBT), high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), and
      cryotherapy are noninvasive treatment options for pelvic malignancies and
      prostate cancer. Though effective in treating cancer, urethral stricture disease
      is an underrecognized and poorly reported sequela of these treatment modalities.
      Studies estimate the incidence of stricture from BT to be 1.8%, EBRT 1.7%,
      combined EBRT and BT 5.2%, and cryotherapy 2.5%. Radiation effects on the
      genitourinary system can manifest early or months to years after treatment with
      the onus being on the clinician to investigate and rule-out stricture disease as
      an underlying etiology for lower urinary tract symptoms. Obliterative
      endarteritis resulting in ischemia and fibrosis of the irradiated tissue
      complicates treatment strategies, which include urethral dilation, direct-vision
      internal urethrotomy (DVIU), urethral stents, and urethroplasty. Failure rates
      for dilation and DVIU are exceedingly high with several studies indicating that
      urethroplasty is the most definitive and durable treatment modality for patients
      with radiation-induced stricture disease. However, a detailed discussion should
      be offered regarding development or worsening of incontinence after treatment
      with urethroplasty. Further studies are required to assess the nature and
      treatment of cryotherapy and HIFU-induced strictures. 

PMID- 26494995
TI  - Visual Internal Urethrotomy for Adult Male Urethral Stricture Has Poor Long-Term
      Results.
AB  - Objective. To determine the long-term stricture-free rate after visual internal
      urethrotomy following initial and follow-up urethrotomies. Methods. The records
      of all male patients who underwent direct visual internal urethrotomy for
      urethral stricture disease in our hospital between July 2004 and May 2012 were
      reviewed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze stricture-free probability
      after the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth urethrotomies. Results. A total
      of 301 patients were included. The overall stricture-free rate at the 36-month
      follow-up was 8.3% with a median time to recurrence of 10 months (95% CI of 9.5
      to 10.5, range: 2-36). The stricture-free rate after one urethrotomy was 12.1%
      with a median time to recurrence of eight months (95% CI of 7.1-8.9). After the
      second urethrotomy, the stricture-free rate was 7.9% with a median time to
      recurrence of 10 months (95% CI of 9.3 to 10.6). After the third to fifth
      procedures, the stricture-free rate was 0%. There was no significant difference
      in the stricture-free rate between single and multiple procedures. Conclusion.
      The long-term stricture-free rate of visual internal urethrotomy is modest even
      after a single procedure. 

PMID- 26494996
TI  - Impact of Short-Stay Urethroplasty on Health-Related Quality of Life and
      Patient's Perception of Timing of Discharge.
AB  - Objective. To evaluate health-related quality of life in patients after a short
      stay or outpatient urethroplasty. Methods. Over a 2-year period a validated
      health-related quality-of-life questionnaire, EuroQol (EQ-5D), was administered
      to all patients after urethroplasty. Postoperatively patients were offered to be
      sent home immediately or to stay overnight. Within 24 hours after discharge they
      were assessed for mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain or discomfort, and
      anxiety and depression. An additional question assessing timing of discharge was
      added to the survey. Clinical and operative characteristics were examined.
      Results. Forty-eight patients after anterior urethroplasty completed the survey.
      Mean age and mean stricture length were 51.6 years (21-78) and 60 mm (5-200 mm),
      respectively. Most etiologies were idiopathic (50% n = 24), trauma (19%, n = 9),
      and iatrogenic (19%, n = 9). Forty-one patients (85%) stayed overnight, while 7
      patients (15%) chose to be discharged the same day. Overall, ninety-six percent
      were discharged within 23 hours of surgery. In the short-stay and the outpatient
      cohorts, 90% and 86%, respectively, felt they were discharged on time. No patient
      reported a severe problem with postoperative pain or mobility. Conclusions. The
      majority of patients discharged soon after their procedure felt that discharge
      timing was appropriate and their health-related quality of life was only
      minimally affected. 

PMID- 26494997
TI  - Anastomotic Repair versus Free Graft Urethroplasty for Bulbar Strictures: A Focus
      on the Impact on Sexual Function.
AB  - Objectives. To evaluate alterations in sexual function and genital sensitivity
      after anastomotic repair (AR) and free graft urethroplasty (FGU) for bulbar
      urethral strictures. Methods. Patients treated with AR (n = 31) or FGU (n = 16)
      were prospectively evaluated before, 6 weeks and 6 months after urethroplasty.
      Evaluation included International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), 5-Item
      International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5), Ejaculation/Orgasm Score
      (EOS), and 3 questions on genital sensitivity. Results. At 6 weeks, there was a
      significant decline of IIEF-5 for AR (-4.8; p = 0.005), whereas there was no
      significant change for FGU (+0.9; p = 0.115). After 6 months, differences with
      baseline were not significant overall and among subgroups. At 6 weeks, there was
      a significant decline in EOS for AR (-1.4; p = 0.022). In the FGU group there was
      no significant change (+0.6; p = 0.12). Overall and among subgroups, EOS
      normalized at 6 months. After 6 weeks and 6 months, respectively, 62.2 and 52% of
      patients reported alterations in penile sensitivity with no significant
      differences among subgroups. Conclusions. AR is associated with a transient
      decline in erectile and ejaculatory function. This was not observed with FGU.
      Bulbar AR and FGU are likely to alter genital sensitivity. 

PMID- 26494998
TI  - Glycemic Control in Kenyan Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes
      Mellitus.
AB  - Background. Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is the most common endocrine disorder
      in children and adolescents worldwide. While data about prevalence, treatment,
      and complications are recorded in many countries, few data exist for Sub-Saharan
      Africa. The aim of this study was to determine the degree of control in patients
      with T1DM aged 1-19 years over a 6-month period in 3 outpatient Kenyan clinics.
      It also sought to determine how control was influenced by parameters of patient
      and treatment. Methods. Eighty-two children and adolescents with T1DM were
      included in the study. Clinical history regarding duration of illness, type and
      dose of insulin, and recent symptoms of hypoglycemia/hyperglycemia were recorded.
      Glycaemia, HbA1c, and ketonuria were tested. HbA1c of 8.0% and below was defined
      as the cut-off for acceptable control. Results. The median HbA1c for the study
      population was 11.1% (range: 6.3-18.8). Overall, only 28% of patients had
      reasonable glycemic control as defined in this study. 72% therefore had poor
      control. It was also found that age above 12 years was significantly associated
      with poor control. Conclusions. African children and with T1DM are poorly
      controlled particularly in adolescents. Our data strongly support the necessity
      of Kenya children to receive more aggressive management and follow-up. 

PMID- 26494999
TI  - Reported Diabetes Mellitus Prevalence Rates in the Colombia Healthcare System
      from 2009 to 2012: Analysis by Regions Using Data of the Official Information
      Sources.
AB  - The objective of this study was to describe the reported diabetes mellitus (DM)
      prevalence rates of the 20-79-year-old population in Colombia from 2009 to 2012
      reported by the healthcare system. Information on number of patients treated for
      DM was obtained by the Integral Information System of Social Protection (SISPRO),
      the registry of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, and the High Cost
      Account (CAC), an organization to trace high expenditure diseases. From both
      sources age-standardized reported DM prevalence rates per 100.000 inhabitants
      from 2009 to 2012 were calculated. Whereas the reported DM prevalence rates of
      SISPRO revealed an increase from 964/100.000 inhabitants (2009) to 1398/100.000
      inhabitants in 2012 (mean annual increase 141/100.000; p value: 0.001), the
      respective rates in the CAC register were 1082/100.000 (2009) and 1593/100.000 in
      2012 (mean annual increase 165/100.000; p value: 0.026). The number of provinces
      reporting not less than 19% of the highest national reported DM prevalence rates
      (1593/100.000) increased from two in 2009 to ten in 2012. Apparently, the
      registries and the information retrieving system have been improved during 2009
      and 2012, resulting in a greater capacity to identify and report DM cases by the
      healthcare system. 

PMID- 26495000
TI  - Nanomodified Peek Dental Implants: Bioactive Composites and Surface Modification
      A Review.
AB  - Purpose. The aim of this review is to summarize and evaluate the relevant
      literature regarding the different ways how polyetheretherketone (PEEK) can be
      modified to overcome its limited bioactivity, and thereby making it suitable as a
      dental implant material. Study Selection. An electronic literature search was
      conducted via the PubMed and Google Scholar databases using the keywords "PEEK
      dental implants," "nano," "osseointegration," "surface treatment," and
      "modification." A total of 16 in vivo and in vitro studies were found suitable to
      be included in this review. Results. There are many viable methods to increase
      the bioactivity of PEEK. Most methods focus on increasing the surface roughness,
      increasing the hydrophilicity and coating osseoconductive materials. Conclusion.
      There are many ways in which PEEK can be modified at a nanometer level to
      overcome its limited bioactivity. Melt-blending with bioactive nanoparticles can
      be used to produce bioactive nanocomposites, while spin-coating, gas plasma
      etching, electron beam, and plasma-ion immersion implantation can be used to
      modify the surface of PEEK implants in order to make them more bioactive.
      However, more animal studies are needed before these implants can be deemed
      suitable to be used as dental implants. 

PMID- 26495001
TI  - Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates That Colonize Medical Students
      in a Hospital of the City of Cali, Colombia.
AB  - Introduction. Nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
      (MRSA) represents a risk for the spread of bacteria. This study characterized the
      S. aureus isolated from medical students, who were in their clinical rotation at
      a hospital in the city of Cali. Materials and Methods. 216 students participated
      in the study and 63 isolates of S. aureus were evaluated for susceptibility and
      PCR amplification of agr and mecA genes. The origin of MRSA isolates was
      established by analyzing agr polymorphisms. Results. A total of 29.2% of students
      were colonized by S. aureus and nasal carriage rate was 23.6% and 14.3% MRSA.
      Three agr groups (agr II, and agr III) were identified; the agr I group was the
      most common, with a 35% prevalence; this group is from community origin.
      Conclusion. The present study demonstrates that medical students carry S. aureus
      strains, with the threat of spreading them both to community and hospital
      environments. 

PMID- 26495002
TI  - Efficacy of Epley's Maneuver in Treating BPPV Patients: A Prospective
      Observational Study.
AB  - Vertigo and balance disorders are among the most common symptoms encountered in
      patients who visit ENT outpatient department. This is associated with risk of
      falling and is compounded in elderly persons with other neurologic deficits and
      chronic medical problems. BPPV is the most common cause of peripheral vertigo.
      BPPV is a common vestibular disorder leading to significant morbidity,
      psychosocial impact, and medical costs. The objective of Epley's maneuver, which
      is noninvasive, inexpensive, and easily administered, is to move the canaliths
      out of the canal to the utricle where they no longer affect the canal dynamics.
      Our study aims to analyze the response to Epley's maneuver in a series of
      patients with posterior canal BPPV and compares the results with those treated
      exclusively by medical management alone. Even though many studies have been
      conducted to prove the efficacy of this maneuver, this study reinforces the
      validity of Epley's maneuver by comparison with the medical management. 

PMID- 26495003
TI  - Unusual Paraneoplastic Presentation of Cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - Introduction. Cutaneous paraneoplastic syndromes are a heterogeneous group of
      skin manifestations that occur in relation to many known malignancies.
      Paraneoplastic occurrence of SCLE has been noted but is not commonly reported.
      SCLE association with cholangiocarcinoma is rare. Case Presentation. A 72-year
      old man with a history of extrahepatic stage IV cholangiocarcinoma presented with
      a pruritic rash. Cholangiocarcinoma had been diagnosed three years earlier and
      was treated. Five months after interruption of his chemotherapy due to a
      semiurgent surgery, he presented with explosive onset of a new pruritic rash,
      arthralgias, and lower extremity edema. Physical exam revealed a scaly
      erythematous rash on his arms, hands, face, neck, legs, and trunk. It was thick
      and scaly on sun exposed areas. Skin biopsy revealed vacuolar interface
      dermatitis. Immunofluorescence revealed IgM positive cytoid bodies scattered
      along the epidermal basement membrane zone. PET-CT scanning revealed
      metabolically active recurrent disease in peripancreatic and periportal region
      with hypermetabolic lymph nodes. Oral steroids and new regimen of chemotherapy
      were started. Rash improved and steroids were tapered off. Discussion.
      Paraneoplastic syndromes demonstrate the complex interaction between the immune
      system and cancer. Treatment resistant SCLE should raise a suspicion for
      paraneoplastic etiology. 

PMID- 26495004
TI  - A Retrospective Analysis of Patients' Conditions Using Acupuncture in a
      Traditional Korean Medicine Hospital.
AB  - Objective. The aim of this study was to identify the patient demographics, health
      issues, and type of acupuncture treatments who visited a traditional Korean
      medical hospital for acupuncture treatment. Methods. We retrospectively analysed
      the data using the electronic medical records (EMRs) of patients treated with at
      least one treatment of acupuncture from 1 January 2010 to December 2012 in the
      Chung-Ju Korean hospital at Semyung University. Results. The total number of
      identified patients was 1189 inpatients and 10138 outpatients. The 50-59 age
      group received acupuncture treatment in the hospital the most, followed by the 40
      49 age group. Among the patients undergoing acupuncture treatment because of a
      diagnosis of pain, 82.74% were outpatients and 72.85% were inpatients.
      Additionally, all patients with a spine condition received acupuncture treatment.
      The most common musculoskeletal conditions of patients at the traditional Korean
      medicine (TKM) hospital were associated with spine conditions, such as low back
      pain and neck pain. Various treatments have been performed at the hospital in
      conjunction with acupuncture. The study results show a high prevalence of
      acupuncture treatment for diagnosed diseases. Conclusion. Our study suggests the
      need to investigate additional TKM hospitals to analyse characteristics of
      patients who received specific treatments. Analysis of the characteristics of
      patients treated with Korean acupuncture at the TKM hospital in this study will
      help future researchers who want to implement strong clinical evidence. However,
      we cannot completely discount all symptoms because of the retrospective nature of
      this study, and only one hospital was used, which limits the generalisation of
      our findings. 

PMID- 26495005
TI  - Extra Virgin Olive Oil Polyphenols Promote Cholesterol Efflux and Improve HDL
      Functionality.
AB  - Results of the present work give evidence from the beneficial role of extra
      virgin olive of oil (EVOO) consumption towards oxidative stress and
      cardiovascular diseases. Polyphenols contained in EVOO are responsible for
      inhibiting lipoproteins oxidative damages and promoting reverse cholesterol
      transport process via ABCA1 pathway. 

PMID- 26495006
TI  - Active Compounds of Rhubarb Root and Rhizome in Animal Model Experiments of Focal
      Cerebral Ischemia.
AB  - Rhubarb root and rhizome (RRR) has been clinically used for stroke at least 2000
      years and is still used in modern times in both China and elsewhere worldwide.
      The objective of present study was to evaluate the efficacy of active compounds
      of RRR (ACRRR) for experimental ischemic stroke. Studies of ACRRR in animal
      models of ischemic stroke were identified from 5 databases until April 2014.
      Study quality for each included article was evaluated according to the CAMARADES
      10-item checklist. Outcome measures were neurological deficit score and infarct
      size. All the data were analyzed using RevMan 5.1 software. As a result, 20
      studies were identified describing procedures involving 577 animals. The quality
      score of studies ranges from 2 to 6, and the median was 3.4. Six studies showed
      significant effects of ACRRR for improving infarct size compared with model group
      (P < 0.01). Six studies indicated significant effects of ACRRR for improving the
      neurological deficit scores according to Zea longa criterion or eight-point
      criterion (P < 0.01). In conclusion, these findings demonstrated a possible
      efficacy of ACRRR that have potential neuroprotective effect for experimental
      ischemic stroke. However, these apparently positive findings should be
      interpreted with caution because of the methodological flaws. 

PMID- 26495007
TI  - Sibjotang Increases Atrial Natriuretic Peptide Secretion in Beating Rabbit Atria.
AB  - Sibjotang (Shizaotang), traditional herbal medicine formula, which was first
      documented in the Shanghanlun, has long been prescribed for the treatment of
      impairment of the body fluid homeostasis. The purpose of the present study was to
      identify the effects of Sibjotang on the secretion of a cardiac hormone, atrial
      natriuretic peptide (ANP), one of the main hormones involved in the regulation of
      the body fluid and blood pressure homeostasis. Water extract of Sibjotang
      increased ANP secretion concomitantly with an increase in atrial dynamics in a
      concentration-dependent manner. Sibjotang-induced increase in ANP secretion and
      positive inotropic effect were attenuated by GO6976 and LY333531, selective
      inhibitors of conventional protein kinase C, but not Rottlerin, an inhibitor of
      novel PKC delta . Similarly to the effect of Sibjotang, extracts of components of
      Sibjotang, Euphorbia kansui, and Daphne genkwa, but not Euphorbia pekinensis and
      Ziziphus jujuba, increased ANP secretion and atrial dynamics. Ingredients of
      Sibjotang, apigenin, rosmarinic acid, and salvianolic acid B decreased ANP
      secretion and atrial dynamics. These findings suggest that Sibjotang increases
      ANP secretion and atrial dynamics via activation of conventional protein kinase C
      signaling. This finding provides experimental evidence for the rationale in the
      use of Sibjotang in the treatment of impairment of the regulation of body fluid
      and blood pressure homeostasis. 

PMID- 26495008
TI  - The Effects of Chinese Medicine on Activation of Wnt/beta-Catenin Signal Pathway
      under High Glucose Condition.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease characterized by chronic
      hyperglycemia and a series of complications. The Wnt/beta-catenin signaling
      pathway is a complex protein interaction network, which is also a key regulator
      of cell proliferation and differentiation. Many scholars have found that high
      glucose can activate the Wnt signaling pathway. However, the effects of
      activation of this pathway in the presence of high glucose levels during the
      progression of diabetes still remained unclear. Here, we provide a review of the
      study on the effects of high glucose state on the Wnt/beta-catenin signal pathway
      and the influence of Chinese medicine on it. 

PMID- 26495009
TI  - Prophylactic Treatment with Adlay Bran Extract Reduces the Risk of Severe Acute
      Radiation Dermatitis: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind Study.
AB  - Acute radiation dermatitis is a frequent adverse effect in patients with breast
      cancer undergoing radiotherapy, but there are only a small number of studies
      providing evidence-based interventions for this clinical condition. Adlay is a
      cereal crop that has been previously shown to have anti-inflammatory and
      antioxidant properties. In this study, we seek to evaluate the effectiveness of
      oral prophylactic treatment with adlay bran extract in reducing the risk of
      severe acute radiation dermatitis. A total of 110 patients with breast cancer
      undergoing radiotherapy were analyzed. Using a prospective, randomized, double
      blind design, 73 patients received oral treatment with adlay bran extract and 37
      patients received olive oil (placebo). Treatment was started at the beginning of
      radiation therapy and continued until the termination of radiation treatment. Our
      results showed that the occurrence of severe acute radiation dermatitis (RTOG
      grade 2 or higher) was significantly lower in patients treated with oral adlay
      bran extract compared to placebo (45.2% versus 75.7%, adjusted odds ratio 0.24).
      No serious adverse effects from adlay bran treatment were noted. In conclusion,
      prophylactic oral treatment with adlay bran extract reduces the risk of severe
      acute radiation dermatitis and may have potential use in patients with breast
      cancer undergoing radiotherapy. 

PMID- 26495011
TI  - Pain-Induced Pulsograph Changes in Patients with Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Pilot
      Study.
AB  - Objectives. To investigate changes in pulsograph caused by pain in primary
      dysmenorrhea (PD) patients. Methods. Pulsograph and pain level of PD patients
      were detected using electropulsograph and Visual-Analogue Scale (VAS),
      respectively, at four time points, 7-10 days before menstruation (T0), maximal
      pain during menstruation (T1), immediately after acupuncture analgesia (T2), and
      30 mins after acupuncture analgesia (T3). Parameters (t, h, w) and normalized
      time parameters (t') of pulsograph were analyzed. Results. VAS pain scores
      decreased from 6.40 +/- 1.13 at T1 to 0.70 +/- 0.75 at T2 to 0.11 +/- 0.32 at T3
      (P < 0.001 and 0.001). At T1, compared with those at T0, w1, h3, and h4
      significantly increased (P < 0.01), and t2, t2', t3', and h(d) significantly
      decreased (P < 0.01, 0.001, 0.05, and 0.001). At T2, compared with those at T1,
      t1, w1, w2, h2, h3, t1', and t4' significantly decreased (P < 0.05, 0.01, 0.01,
      0.001, 0.01, 0.001, and 0.05), and h(d) significantly increased (P < 0.001).
      There was no difference between T2 and T3. Conclusions. There are almost opposite
      changing trends in pulsographic parameters when pain occurs and when it is
      relieved in PD patients. 

PMID- 26495010
TI  - Luteolin Ameliorates Hypertensive Vascular Remodeling through Inhibiting the
      Proliferation and Migration of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells.
AB  - Objectives. Preliminary researches showed that luteolin was used to treat
      hypertension. However, it is still unclear whether luteolin has effect on the
      hypertensive complication such as vascular remodeling. The present study was
      designed to investigate the effect of luteolin on the hypertensive vascular
      remodeling and its molecular mechanism. Method and Results. We evaluated the
      effect of luteolin on aorta thickening of hypertension in spontaneous
      hypertensive rats (SHRs) and found that luteolin could significantly decrease the
      blood pressure and media thickness of aorta in vivo. Luteolin could inhibit
      angiotensin II- (Ang II-) induced proliferation and migration of vascular smooth
      muscle cells (VSMCs). Dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) staining result
      showed that luteolin reduced Ang II-stimulated ROS production in VSMCs.
      Furthermore, western blot and gelatin zymography results showed that luteolin
      treatment leaded to a decrease in ERK1/2, p-ERK1/2, p-p38, MMP2, and
      proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) protein level. Conclusion. These data
      support that luteolin can ameliorate hypertensive vascular remodeling by
      inhibiting the proliferation and migration of Ang II-induced VSMCs. Its mechanism
      is mediated by the regulation of MAPK signaling pathway and the production of
      ROS. 

PMID- 26495012
TI  - Role of Auriculotherapy in the Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders with
      Anxiety in University Students.
AB  - Introduction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of auriculotherapy
      with mustard seeds in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs),
      anxiety, and electromyographic (EMG) activity in university students.
      Methodology. The State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Research Diagnostic
      Criteria (RDC) for TMDs (RDC/TMDs), and electromyography were used in this study
      of 44 college students with high levels of anxiety and TMDs. The subjects were
      divided into two groups: an auriculotherapy (AA) group (n = 31) and an AA sham
      group (n = 13). The mustard seeds were applied to the shenmen, rim, sympathetic,
      brain stem, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) points in the AA group and to sham
      points in the external ear and wrist in the AA sham group. The treatment protocol
      was 10 sessions (two treatments per week). Results. Anxiety (p < 0.01) was
      significantly reduced in the AA group. This group also showed a decrease in
      tender points in the mandibular posterior region (p = 0.04) and in the right side
      of the submandibular region (p = 0.02). Complaints of bilateral pain were reduced
      in the temporal tendon (p <= 0.01) and in the left side of the ATM (p < 0.01). In
      addition, electromyographic (EMG) activity was reduced during temporal muscle
      contraction (p = 0.03).  Conclusion. Auriculotherapy was effective in the
      treatment of students with anxiety and TMDs. 

PMID- 26495013
TI  - Suppression of Propionibacterium acnes-Induced Dermatitis by a Traditional
      Japanese Medicine, Jumihaidokuto, Modifying Macrophage Functions.
AB  - Purpose. Macrophages serve as sweepers of microbes and inflammation-derived
      wastes and regulators of inflammation. Some traditional Japanese medicines are
      reported to have adjuvant effects by modifying macrophages. Our aim was to
      characterize the actions of jumihaidokuto (JHT) for treatment of skin
      inflammations including acne vulgaris, in which Propionibacterium acnes has
      pathogenic roles. Methods. Dermatitis was induced in rat ears by intradermal
      injection of P. acnes. JHT or prednisolone (PDN) was given orally, and ear
      thickness and histology were evaluated. The effects of constituents and
      metabolites of JHT on monocytes were tested by cell-based assays using the human
      monocytic THP-1 cell. Results. JHT and PDN suppressed the ear thickness induced
      by P. acnes injection. Histological examinations revealed that JHT, but not PDN,
      promoted macrophage accumulation at 24 h after the injection. PDN suppressed the
      macrophage chemokine MCP-1 in the inflamed ears, while JHT did not affect it. The
      JHT constituents liquiritigenin and isoliquiritin increased expression of CD86
      (type-1 macrophage marker) and CD192 (MCP-1 receptor) and enhanced phagocytosis
      by THP-1. Conclusions. JHT suppressed dermatitis, probably by enhancing type-1
      macrophage functions, with an action different from PDN. JHT may be a beneficial
      drug in treatment of skin inflammation induced by P. acnes. 

PMID- 26495014
TI  - "Ninjinto" (Ginseng Decoction), a Traditional Japanese Herbal Medicine, Improves
      Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Immune Competence in Patients with Chronic
      Intestinal Failure.
AB  - Background. Treating functional gastrointestinal disorders is extremely
      difficult. We herein report the effect of the oral administration of Ninjinto
      (NJT, ginseng decoction), a traditional Japanese Kampo medicine, on chronic
      intestinal failure. Patients and Methods. Seven patients with chronic intestinal
      failure treated with NJT were evaluated in this study. The primary diseases
      included chronic intestinal pseudoobstruction (CIPO: n = 4), short bowel syndrome
      (SBS: n = 2), and intestinal atresia (n = 1). All patients orally received NJT
      extract granules at a dose of 0.3 g/kg BW per day. The treatment outcomes were
      then assessed according to the patients' symptoms and consecutive abdominal X-ray
      findings. Results. The targeted symptoms were abdominal distension in four
      patients, diarrhea in three patients, and frequent hospitalization due to
      infections in two patients. An improvement in the symptoms was observed in six of
      the seven patients, whereas one patient with SBS did not show any improvement. An
      improvement in an abdominal roentgenogram was observed in the four patients with
      remarkably dilated bowel loops due to CIPO. Conclusions. NJT may be effective in
      controlling functional gastrointestinal disorders associated with chronic
      intestinal failure. The use of Kampo medicine in the field of pediatric surgery
      may help to improve the quality of life in children suffering from such
      conditions. 

PMID- 26495015
TI  - Antitumor Activity of Tenacissoside H on Esophageal Cancer through Arresting Cell
      Cycle and Regulating PI3K/Akt-NF-kappaB Transduction Cascade.
AB  - Objective. The purpose of the study was to elucidate the molecular mechanism of
      tenacissoside H (TDH) inhibiting esophageal carcinoma infiltration and
      proliferation. Methods. In vitro, EC9706 cells were treated with TDH. Cells
      proliferation and cell cycle were assayed. PI3K and NF-kappaB mRNAs expression
      were determined by real time PCR. In vivo, model of nude mice with tumor was
      established. Mice were treated with TDH. Inhibition ratio of tumor volume was
      calculated. PCNA expression was examined. Protein expression in PI3K/Akt-NF
      kappaB signaling pathway was determined. Results. In vitro, TDH significantly
      inhibited cells proliferation in a time-and-dose-dependent manner. TDH arrested
      the cell cycle in S phase and significantly inhibited PI3K and NF-kappaB mRNA
      expression, compared with blank controlled group (P < 0.05). In vivo, TDH
      strongly inhibits tumor growth and volume. PCNA expression was significantly
      decreased after treatment of TDH. TDH downregulated proteins expression in
      PI3K/Akt-NF-kappaB transduction cascade (P < 0.05). Conclusion. TDH inhibited
      esophageal carcinoma infiltration and proliferation both in vitro and in vivo.
      The anticancer activity has relation to arresting the cell cycle at the S phase,
      inhibited the PCNA expression of transplanted tumors in nude mice, and regulated
      the protein expression in the PI3K/Akt-NF-kappaB transduction cascade. 

PMID- 26495016
TI  - The Effect of Xuefuzhuyu Oral Liquid on Aspirin Resistance and Its Association
      with rs5911, rs5787, and rs3842788 Gene Polymorphisms.
AB  - Aspirin should be continued indefinitely in patients after interventional
      therapy, but 10% to 40% of patients experience recurrent vascular events despite
      adequate aspirin therapy, a condition known as aspirin resistance (AR).
      Xuefuzhuyu oral liquid, derived from the classic recipe Xuefuzhuyu decoction, has
      been well documented to inhibit platelet aggregation and to improve hemorheology.
      The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of Xuefuzhuyu oral liquid
      on AR in patients with chronic stable angina after percutaneous coronary
      intervention (PCI) and the possible genetic markers related to the drug response.
      43 patients diagnosed as having aspirin resistance or semi-resistance were
      randomly divided into control and treatment groups after screening 207 stable CHD
      patients. Platelet aggregation rate was determined using turbidimetry. Three
      single nucleotide polymorphisms in COX-1 (rs5787, rs3842788) and GP IIb (rs5911)
      were genotyped in whole blood samples using ABI PRISM 7900 HT Fast Real-Time
      instrument and ABI PRISM 3730 DNA Sequencer. The results showed that Xuefuzhuyu
      oral liquid could effectively improve blood stasis syndrome and AR by inhibiting
      ADP-induced platelet aggregation and that patients with the rs5911 genetic
      variant exhibited better drug response upon treatment with Xuefuzhuyu oral
      liquid, which suggests Xuefuzhuyu oral liquid as a new possible drug for the
      prevention of AR. 

PMID- 26495017
TI  - Effect of Auricular Acupressure on Uremic Pruritus in Patients Receiving
      Hemodialysis Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - Background. Uremic pruritus (UP) is a common symptom in patients undergoing
      maintenance hemodialysis for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Objective. To
      determine the clinical efficacy of auricular acupressure therapy on pruritus in
      hemodialysis patients and to explore possible underlying mechanisms. Methods.
      Patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis at a referral medical center were
      recruited and assigned to intervention (n = 32) and control (n = 30) groups. The
      intervention group underwent auricular acupressure treatment three times a week
      for six weeks. Auricular acupressure was not applied to patients in the control
      group. However, tape without Vaccaria seeds was applied to the same six auricular
      acupoints as the intervention group. Pruritus scores were assessed using VAS
      scores, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were used to measure
      levels of other possible contributory biochemical factors. Results. There was a
      significant difference in mean VAS scores between the postintervention and
      control groups during follow-up (3.844 +/- 1.687 versus 5.567 +/- 2.285, F =
      22.32, P < 0.0001). Compared to the control group, serum histamine levels in the
      postintervention group at the six-week follow-up had decreased significantly (F =
      5.01, P = 0.0290). Conclusion. Our findings suggest that auricular acupressure
      may be a useful treatment in the multidisciplinary management of UP in ESRD
      patients. 

PMID- 26495018
TI  - Shenqi Fuzheng Injection Combined with Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer: A Meta
      Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - Purpose. To evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness and safety of shenqi fuzheng
      injection (SFI) in the associated chemotherapy of breast cancer. Methods. 1247
      subjects were included in this study for meta-analysis with RevMan 5.3. Results.
      The clinical curative effective rate (OR = 2.03, 95% Cl [1.44, 2.86], P <
      0.0001), grades of KPS (OR = 4.11, 95% Cl [2.74, 6.16], P < 0.00001), CD3(+)
      cells (MD = 7.05, 95% Cl [0.45, 13.64], P = 0.04) and CD4(+) cells (MD = 8.60,
      95% Cl [2.67, 14.54], P = 0.004) and CD4/CD8(+) cells (MD = 0.35, 95% Cl [0.14,
      0.56], P = 0.001), WBC (OR = 0.30, 95% Cl [0.20, 0.46], P <= 0.0001), PLT (OR =
      0.36, 95% Cl [0.20, 0.67], P = 0.001), gastrointestinal reaction (OR = 0.21, 95%
      Cl [0.14, 0.32], P < 0.00001), and ECG (OR = 0.26, 95% Cl [0.13, 0.51], P <
      0.0001) in the experimental group were superior to the control group. While there
      were no differences between two groups in CD8(+) (MD = 0.21, 95% Cl [-2.81,
      3.23], P = 0.89), NK(+) (MD = 1.06, 95% Cl [-9.40, 11.53], P = 0.84), RBC (OR =
      0.49, 95% Cl [0.14, 1.74], P = 0.27), liver function (OR = 0.59, 95% Cl [0.28,
      1.24], P = 0.16), renal function (OR = 0.56, 95% Cl [0.13, 2.45], P = 0.44), and
      bone marrow suppression (OR = 0.50, 95% Cl [0.25, 1.01], P = 0.05). Conclusion.
      SFI combined with chemotherapy, to some extent, can improve the effectiveness and
      the security in the treatment of breast cancer; the mechanism may be related to
      the elevated immunity. 

PMID- 26495019
TI  - Chinese Herbal Medicines Might Improve the Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in
      Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention:
      Results of a Decision-Analytic Markov Model.
AB  - Aims. The priority of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) plus conventional treatment
      over conventional treatment alone for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after
      percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was documented in the 5C trial
      (chictr.org number: ChiCTR-TRC-07000021). The study was designed to evaluate the
      10-year effectiveness of CHMs plus conventional treatment versus conventional
      treatment alone with decision-analytic model for ACS after PCI. Methods and
      Results. We constructed a decision-analytic Markov model to compare additional
      CHMs for 6 months plus conventional treatment versus conventional treatment alone
      for ACS patients after PCI. Sources of data came from 5C trial and published
      reports. Outcomes were expressed in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs).
      Sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the model. The
      model predicted that over the 10-year horizon the survival probability was 77.49%
      in patients with CHMs plus conventional treatment versus 77.29% in patients with
      conventional treatment alone. In combination with conventional treatment, 6-month
      CHMs might be associated with a gained 0.20% survival probability and 0.111
      accumulated QALYs, respectively. Conclusions. The model suggested that treatment
      with CHMs, as an adjunctive therapy, in combination with conventional treatment
      for 6 months might improve the long-term clinical outcome in ACS patients after
      PCI. 

PMID- 26495020
TI  - Ethnomedicinal Plants Used by Traditional Healers to Treat Oral Health Problems
      in Cameroon.
AB  - Objectives. The objective of the study was to determine the therapeutic methods
      used by traditional healers to treat oral diseases in Cameroon. Methods. A total
      of 200 traditional healers with a mean age of 50.4 +/- 14.2 years from all the
      provinces of Cameroon were studied using questionnaires. Information elicited was
      the local names of the medicinal plants used for the management of oral problems,
      their routes of administration, and methods of usage. Identification of live or
      dried plants or photographs of sample of the plants was done by a taxonomist.
      Results. The majority of the participants were males urban dwellers aged 41-50
      years, 112 (56.0%) practice as herbalists and 56 (28.0%) were trained on
      medications preservation, 77(56.6%) treat diseases inside or outside the mouth,
      and 9.0% reported being specialist in oral diseases treatment. Of the 52 plants
      identified, 48 are used in the management of toothache, sore throat, mouth sores,
      abscess, broken tooth and jaw, tooth sensitivity, mouth thrush, dental caries,
      gingivitis, sinusitis, tonsillitis, xerostomia, oral syphilis, oral cancer, TMJ
      pain, halitosis, and tooth bleaching and 4 plants are used for dental extraction.
      Roots, leaves, and bark were the parts of plants used and some minerals as
      adjuncts. Conclusion. The study provides comprehensive information on therapeutic
      methods employed by traditional healers for the treatment of oral diseases. 

PMID- 26495021
TI  - Ferulic Acid Induces Th1 Responses by Modulating the Function of Dendritic Cells
      and Ameliorates Th2-Mediated Allergic Airway Inflammation in Mice.
AB  - This study investigated the immunomodulatory effects of ferulic acid (FA) on
      antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro and its antiallergic effects
      against ovalbumin- (OVA-) induced Th2-mediated allergic asthma in mice. The
      activation of FA-treated bone marrow-derived DCs by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
      stimulation induced a high level of interleukin- (IL-) 12 but reduced the
      expression levels of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1beta, IL-6, and tumor
      necrosis factor- (TNF-) alpha. Compared to control-treated DCs, FA significantly
      enhanced the expressions of Notch ligand Delta-like 4 (Dll4), MHC class II, and
      CD40 molecules by these DCs. Furthermore, these FA-treated DCs enhanced T-cell
      proliferation and Th1 cell polarization. In animal experiments, oral
      administration of FA reduced the levels of OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE)
      and IgG1 and enhanced IgG2a antibody production in serum. It also ameliorated
      airway hyperresponsiveness and attenuated eosinophilic pulmonary infiltration in
      dose-dependent manners. In addition, FA treatment inhibited the production of
      eotaxin, Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13), and proinflammatory cytokines but
      promoted the Th1 cytokine interferon- (IFN-) gamma production in bronchoalveolar
      lavage fluid (BALF) and the culture supernatant of spleen cells. These findings
      suggest that FA exhibits an antiallergic effect via restoring Th1/Th2 imbalance
      by modulating DCs function in an asthmatic mouse model. 

PMID- 26495022
TI  - Influence of Biomedical Factors on the Five Viscera Score (FVS) on Middle-Aged
      and Elderly Individuals: Application of Structural Equation Modeling.
AB  - The five viscera score (FVS) is a diagnostic scale for traditional Chinese
      medicine (TCM). The purposes of current study are to elucidate the
      characteristics of FVS obtained from middle-aged to elderly individuals and to
      investigate the validity of FVS using biological medical data of middle-aged and
      elderly individuals. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to conduct
      assessments between FVS and medical data. Eighty men and 99 women participated in
      this study, whose mean ages (SD) were 58 +/- 7 years in both genders showing no
      significant difference. FVS of women was significantly higher than that of men in
      the spleen of the 50s (P = 0.019) and liver of the 60s age group (P = 0.030). By
      SEM, the following biomedical factors were found to influence viscera: gender,
      diastolic blood pressure, and HDL-C for the liver; GLU, GOT, and gamma-GTP for
      the spleen; age, BMI, and HCRP for the lungs; and HbA1c and creatinine clearance
      for the kidneys. These results provide objective evidence that FVS can be used
      for TCM diagnosis in middle-aged and elderly individuals. 

PMID- 26495023
TI  - Warm Needling Therapy and Acupuncture at Meridian-Sinew Sites Based on the
      Meridian-Sinew Theory: Hemiplegic Shoulder Pain.
AB  - This study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of warm
      needling acupuncture at meridian-sinew sites based on the meridian-sinew theory
      in the treatment of hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP) after stroke. In total, 124
      subjects were randomized into a treatment group and control group. In the
      treatment group, warm needling therapy and acupuncture at meridian-sinew sites
      based on the meridian-sinew theory were performed. In the control group, usual
      care therapy was applied. The visual analog scale (VAS) score, range of motion
      (ROM), and Barthel index (BI) were used to evaluate treatment effectiveness. At 2
      weeks of treatment, the VAS score, ROM, and BI had obviously changed from
      baseline in the two groups (P < 0.01). The changes in the VAS score and ROM in
      the treatment group were significantly greater than those in the control group (P
      < 0.01). At the 3-month follow-up after treatment, the changes in the treatment
      group were significantly greater than those in the control group (P < 0.01). This
      study indicates that warm needling therapy with acupuncture at meridian-sinew
      sites based on the meridian-sinew theory is effective for HSP. 

PMID- 26495024
TI  - Effects of Kamishoyosan, a Traditional Japanese Kampo Medicine, on Pain
      Conditions in Patients with Intractable Persistent Dentoalveolar Pain Disorder.
AB  - There are patients who suffer from persistent dentoalveolar pain disorder (PDAP)
      which is a pain of the teeth, either dentoalveolar pain or nonodontogenic
      toothache, and its cause has not yet been identified. An effective intervention
      for PDAP has not yet been established. Interventions for patients with PDAP are
      generally pharmacological treatments such as antidepressants, anticonvulsants,
      and pregabalin. However, these medicines are not always effective for patients.
      The pain disorder in the orofacial region including temporomandibular disorder
      (TMD) and PDAP was effectively treated with our original exercise therapy.
      However, we did observe some intractable cases of PDAP even when our original
      exercise therapy was used. This paper presents our findings in which Kamishoyosan
      improved the pain intensity in 14 out of 15 PDAP patients refractory to our
      original exercise therapy. 

PMID- 26495025
TI  - Effect of Japanese Herbal Kampo Medicine Goreisan on Reoperation Rates after Burr
      Hole Surgery for Chronic Subdural Hematoma: Analysis of a National Inpatient
      Database.
AB  - Goreisan is a herbal Kampo medicine used for treating chronic subdural hematoma
      (CSDH) in Japan. Experimental studies have suggested that Goreisan exerts a
      hydrogogue effect, but clinical evidence for the effectiveness of Goreisan in
      CSDH is currently lacking. Using a national Japanese inpatient database, we
      examined the association between Goreisan use and reoperation rates after burr
      hole surgery for CSDH. We identified 36,020 patients, including 3,889 Goreisan
      users and 32,131 nonusers. Propensity scores of receiving Goreisan were
      calculated based on hospital characteristics and patient backgrounds (age, sex,
      body mass index, activities of daily living, consciousness level, comorbidities,
      antithrombotic agent use, mannitol infusion, and corticosteroid infusion). One-to
      one propensity-score matching created 3,879 pairs of Goreisan users and nonusers.
      Propensity-matched analysis revealed that Goreisan use was significantly
      associated with a lower reoperation rate (4.8%) compared with nonuse (6.2%) (risk
      difference, -1.4%; 95% confidence interval (CI), -2.4% to -0.38%). The number
      needed to prevent one reoperation was 72 (95% CI, 41-265). Instrumental-variable
      analysis showed similar results to the propensity-matched analysis. These results
      suggest that Goreisan use reduced the need for reoperation after burr-hole
      surgery for CSDH. 

PMID- 26495026
TI  - Hepatic S1P deficiency lowers plasma cholesterol levels in apoB-containing
      lipoproteins when LDLR function is compromised.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Site-1 protease (S1P) is the key enzyme required for activation of
      the sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) that govern lipid
      synthesis. While S1P has been speculated to influence plasma apoB-containing
      lipoprotein (Blp) metabolism, there has been little investigative work. LDL
      receptor (LDLR) is the major receptor for clearing plasma LDL cholesterol (LDL
      c). Proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9) modulates LDL-c through
      post-translational degradation of the LDLR. METHODS: A hepatic-specific knockdown
      (KD) of S1P was achieved using floxed S1P mouse models (S1P(f/f) and LDLR(-/
      )S1P(f/f)) and hepatic expression of Cre recombinase. Lipids were measured in
      total plasma and size fractionated plasma using colorimetric assays. Realtime
      polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and ELISA were used to determine
      hepatic expression of key genes/protein. Plasmid mediated overexpression and
      siRNA mediated knockdown of genes were performed in mouse primary hepatocytes to
      determine the mechanistic basis of PCSK9 gene regulation. RESULTS: A hepatic
      specific KD of S1P resulted in a 45 % and 38 % reduction in plasma total
      cholesterol and triglyceride levels, respectively. Hepatic S1P KD had a minimal
      effect on plasma Blp cholesterol (Blp-c) in S1P(f/f) mice, despite significantly
      reducing VLDL secretion. Notably, hepatic S1P KD decreased the LDL receptor
      (LDLR) mRNA expression by 50 %. However, the reduction in LDLR protein levels was
      less than that of mRNA expression, especially under fed conditions. Further
      assessment of hepatic S1P deficiency revealed that it increased LDLR protein
      stability in vivo. Mechanistically, hepatic S1P KD was shown to decrease the
      liver and plasma levels of the protein proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin
      type 9 (PCSK9), which degrades LDLR protein. This effect was more prominent in
      the fed condition and sufficient to account for the discordance in LDLR mRNA and
      protein levels. Furthermore, hepatic S1P was shown to regulate PCSK9 expression
      through activation of the SREBPs. In the LDLR(-/-) background, hepatic S1P KD
      significantly reduced Blp-c levels. CONCLUSION: Hepatic S1P is a physiological
      modulator of plasma Blp metabolism through its regulation of LDLR and PCSK9.
      Hepatic S1P is a valid target for lowering plasma Blp-c levels in the situation
      where LDLR function is compromised.

PMID- 26495027
TI  - Nonsynonymous Single-Nucleotide Variations on Some Posttranslational
      Modifications of Human Proteins and the Association with Diseases.
AB  - Protein posttranslational modifications (PTMs) play key roles in a variety of
      protein activities and cellular processes. Different PTMs show distinct impacts
      on protein functions, and normal protein activities are consequences of all kinds
      of PTMs working together. With the development of high throughput technologies
      such as tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and next generation sequencing, more and
      more nonsynonymous single-nucleotide variations (nsSNVs) that cause variation of
      amino acids have been identified, some of which result in the damage of PTMs. The
      damaged PTMs could be the reason of the development of some human diseases. In
      this study, we elucidated the proteome wide relationship of eight damaged PTMs to
      human inherited diseases and cancers. Some human inherited diseases or cancers
      may be the consequences of the interactions of damaged PTMs, rather than the
      result of single damaged PTM site. 

PMID- 26495028
TI  - KIR Genes and Patterns Given by the A Priori Algorithm: Immunity for
      Haematological Malignancies.
AB  - Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are membrane proteins expressed
      by cells of innate and adaptive immunity. The KIR system consists of 17 genes and
      614 alleles arranged into different haplotypes. KIR genes modulate susceptibility
      to haematological malignancies, viral infections, and autoimmune diseases.
      Molecular epidemiology studies rely on traditional statistical methods to
      identify associations between KIR genes and disease. We have previously described
      our results by applying support vector machines to identify associations between
      KIR genes and disease. However, rules specifying which haplotypes are associated
      with greater susceptibility to malignancies are lacking. Here we present the
      results of our investigation into the rules governing haematological malignancy
      susceptibility. We have studied the different haplotypic combinations of 17 KIR
      genes in 300 healthy individuals and 43 patients with haematological malignancies
      (25 with leukaemia and 18 with lymphomas). We compare two machine learning
      algorithms against traditional statistical analysis and show that the "a priori"
      algorithm is capable of discovering patterns unrevealed by previous algorithms
      and statistical approaches. 

PMID- 26495029
TI  - Brain Injury Differences in Frontal Impact Crash Using Different Simulation
      Strategies.
AB  - In the real world crashes, brain injury is one of the leading causes of deaths.
      Using isolated human head finite element (FE) model to study the brain injury
      patterns and metrics has been a simplified methodology widely adopted, since it
      costs significantly lower computation resources than a whole human body model
      does. However, the degree of precision of this simplification remains
      questionable. This study compared these two kinds of methods: (1) using a whole
      human body model carried on the sled model and (2) using an isolated head model
      with prescribed head motions, to study the brain injury. The distribution of the
      von Mises stress (VMS), maximum principal strain (MPS), and cumulative strain
      damage measure (CSDM) was used to compare the two methods. The results showed
      that the VMS of brain mainly concentrated at the lower cerebrum and
      occipitotemporal region close to the cerebellum. The isolated head modelling
      strategy predicted higher levels of MPS and CSDM 5%, while the difference is
      small in CSDM 10% comparison. It suggests that isolated head model may not
      equivalently reflect the strain levels below the 10% compared to the whole human
      body model. 

PMID- 26495030
TI  - Biomechanical Analysis of the Fixation System for T-Shaped Acetabular Fracture.
AB  - This study aims to evaluate the biomechanical mechanism of fixation systems in
      the most frequent T-shaped acetabular fracture using finite element method. The
      treatment of acetabular fractures was based on extensive clinical experience.
      Three commonly accepted rigid fixation methods (double column reconstruction
      plates (P * 2), anterior column plate combined with posterior column screws (P +
      PS), and anterior column plate combined with quadrilateral area screws (P + QS))
      were chosen for evaluation. On the basis of the finite element model, the
      biomechanics of these fixation systems were assessed through effective stiffness
      levels, stress distributions, force transfers, and displacements along the
      fracture lines. All three fixation systems can be used to obtain effective
      functional outcomes. The third fixation system (P + QS) was the optimal method
      for T-shaped acetabular fracture. This fixation system may reduce many of the
      risks and limitations associated with other fixation systems. 

PMID- 26495031
TI  - Effects of the Variation in Brain Tissue Mechanical Properties on the
      Intracranial Response of a 6-Year-Old Child.
AB  - Brain tissue mechanical properties are of importance to investigate child head
      injury using finite element (FE) method. However, these properties used in child
      head FE model normally vary in a large range in published literatures because of
      the insufficient child cadaver experiments. In this work, a head FE model with
      detailed anatomical structures is developed from the computed tomography (CT)
      data of a 6-year-old healthy child head. The effects of brain tissue mechanical
      properties on traumatic brain response are also analyzed by reconstruction of a
      head impact on engine hood according to Euro-NCAP testing regulation using FE
      method. The result showed that the variations of brain tissue mechanical
      parameters in linear viscoelastic constitutive model had different influences on
      the intracranial response. Furthermore, the opposite trend was obtained in the
      predicted shear stress and shear strain of brain tissues caused by the variations
      of mentioned parameters. 

PMID- 26495032
TI  - Tibia Fracture Healing Prediction Using First-Order Mathematical Model.
AB  - The prediction of healing period of a tibia fracture in humans across limb using
      first-order mathematical model is demonstrated. At present, fracture healing is
      diagnosed using X-rays. Recent studies have demonstrated electric stimulation as
      a diagnostic tool in fracture healing. A DC electric voltage of 0.7 V was applied
      across the fracture and stabilized with Teflon coated carbon rings and the data
      was recorded at different time intervals until the fracture heals. The
      experimental data fitted a first-order plus dead time zero model (FOPDTZ) that
      coincided with the mathematical model of electrical simulated tibia fracture
      limb. Fracture healing diagnosis was proposed using model parameter process gain.
      Current stabilization in terms of process gain parameter becoming constant
      indicates that the healing of fracture is a new finding in the work. An error
      analysis was performed and it was observed that the measured data correlated to
      the FOPDTZ model with an error of less than 2 percent. Prediction of fracture
      healing period was done by one of the identified model parameters, namely,
      process gain. Moreover, mathematically, it is justified that once the fracture is
      completely united there is no capacitance present across the fracture site, which
      is a novelty of the work.

PMID- 26495033
TI  - The Influence of Pelvic Ramus Fracture on the Stability of Fixed Pelvic Complex
      Fracture.
AB  - This study aims to evaluate the biomechanical mechanism of pelvic ring injury for
      the stability of pelvis using the finite element (FE) method. Complex pelvic
      fracture (i.e., anterior column with posterior hemitransverse lesion) combined
      with pelvic ramus fracture was used to evaluate the biomechanics stability of the
      pelvis. Three FE fracture models (i.e., Dynamic Anterior Plate-Screw System for
      Quadrilateral Area (DAPSQ) for complex pelvic fracture with intact pubic ramus,
      DAPSQ for complex pelvic fracture with pubic ramus fracture, and DAPSQ for
      complex pelvic fracture with fixed pubic ramus fracture) were established to
      explore the biomechanics stability of the pelvis. The pubic ramus fracture leads
      to an unsymmetrical situation and an unstable situation of the pelvis. The fixed
      pubic ramus fracture did well in reducing the stress levels of the pelvic bone
      and fixation system, as well as displacement difference in the pubic symphysis,
      and it could change the unstable situation back to a certain extent. The pelvic
      ring integrity was the prerequisite of the pelvic stability and should be in a
      stable condition when the complex fracture is treated. 

PMID- 26495034
TI  - A Finite Element Study of the Dynamic Response of Brain Based on Two Parasagittal
      Slice Models.
AB  - The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of gyri and sulci on
      the response of human head under transient loading. To this end, two detailed
      parasagittal slice models with and without gyri and sulci have been developed.
      The models comprised not only cerebrum and skull but also cerebellum, brain stem,
      CSF, and corpus callosum. In addition, white and gray matters were separated. The
      material properties were adopted from the literature and assigned to different
      parts of the models. Nahum's and Trosseille's experiments reported in relevant
      literature were simulated and the simulation results were compared with the test
      data. The results show that there is no evident difference in terms of
      intracranial pressure between the models with and without gyri and sulci under
      simulated conditions. The equivalent stress below gyri and sulci in the model
      with gyri and sulci is slightly higher than that in the counterpart model without
      gyri and sulci. The maximum principle strain in brain tissue is lower in the
      model with gyri and sulci. The stress and strain distributions are changed due to
      the existence of gyri and sulci. These findings highlight the necessity to
      include gyri and sulci in the finite element head modeling. 

PMID- 26495035
TI  - Dynamic Response of the Skull with Sinuses under Blunt Frontal Impact: A Three
      Dimensional Computational Study.
AB  - The objective of this study is to analyze the biomechanical effects of sinuses in
      the skull on the facial impact response. Two models were built, where one had
      sinuses and the other had none. The models were verified using cadaver test data,
      including impacts to frontal bone, zygomatic bone, and maxillae. In the maxilla
      and zygoma impact, sinuses were found to have no significant effect on the global
      distribution of stress or stiffness of facial bones, and the influence was
      limited in local area. In forehead impact, the sinuses significantly affected the
      distribution of stress and strain in the skull due to its location in facial
      bones. The result shows that if the sinus is far away from the location of
      impact, its effect on the overall response of skull could be ignored. In
      addition, the distance between the region of interest and sinuses is another
      important parameter when studying the local effect of sinuses. 

PMID- 26495036
TI  - Relevance of Blood Vessel Networks in Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - Cerebral vasculature is a complex network that circulates blood through the
      brain. However, the role of this networking effect in brain dynamics has seldom
      been inspected. This work is to study the effects of blood vessel networks on
      dynamic responses of the brain under blast loading. Voronoi tessellations were
      implemented to represent the network of blood vessels in the brain. The brain
      dynamics in terms of maximum principal strain (MPS), shear strain (SS), and
      intracranial pressure (ICP) were monitored and compared. Results show that blood
      vessel networks significantly affected brain responses. The increased MPS and SS
      were observed within the brain embedded with vessel networks, which did not exist
      in the case without blood vessel networks. It is interesting to observe that the
      alternation of the ICP response was minimal. Moreover, the vessel diameter and
      density also affected brain dynamics in both MPS and SS measures. This work sheds
      light on the role of cerebral vasculature in blast-induced traumatic brain
      injury. 

PMID- 26495037
TI  - Winter Season Mortality: Will Climate Warming Bring Benefits?
AB  - Extreme heat events are associated with spikes in mortality, yet death rates are
      on average highest during the coldest months of the year. Under the assumption
      that most winter excess mortality is due to cold temperature, many previous
      studies have concluded that winter mortality will substantially decline in a
      warming climate. We analyzed whether and to what extent cold temperatures are
      associated with excess winter mortality across multiple cities and over multiple
      years within individual cities, using daily temperature and mortality data from
      36 US cities (1985-2006) and 3 French cities (1971-2007). Comparing across
      cities, we found that excess winter mortality did not depend on seasonal
      temperature range, and was no lower in warmer vs. colder cities, suggesting that
      temperature is not a key driver of winter excess mortality. Using regression
      models within monthly strata, we found that variability in daily mortality within
      cities was not strongly influenced by winter temperature. Finally we found that
      inadequate control for seasonality in analyses of the effects of cold
      temperatures led to spuriously large assumed cold effects, and erroneous
      attribution of winter mortality to cold temperatures. Our findings suggest that
      reductions in cold-related mortality under warming climate may be much smaller
      than some have assumed. This should be of interest to researchers and policy
      makers concerned with projecting future health effects of climate change and
      developing relevant adaptation strategies.

PMID- 26495038
TI  - Fitness trade-offs in pest management and intercropping with colour: an
      evolutionary framework and potential application.
AB  - An important modern goal of plant science research is to develop tools for
      agriculturalists effective at curbing yield losses to insect herbivores, but
      resistance evolution continuously threatens the efficacy of pest management
      strategies. The high-dose/refuge strategy has been employed with some success to
      curb pest adaptation, and has been shown to be most effective when fitness costs
      (fitness trade-offs) of resistance are high. Here, I use eco-evolutionary
      reasoning to demonstrate the general importance of fitness trade-offs for pest
      control, showing that strong fitness trade-offs mitigate the threat of pest
      adaptation, even if adaptation were to occur. I argue that novel pest management
      strategies evoking strong fitness trade-offs are the most likely to persist in
      the face of unbridled pest adaptation, and offer the manipulation of crop colours
      as a worked example of one potentially effective strategy against insect
      herbivores. 

PMID- 26495039
TI  - Do stressful conditions make adaptation difficult? Guppies in the oil-polluted
      environments of southern Trinidad.
AB  - The ability of populations to rapidly adapt to new environments will determine
      their future in an increasingly human-modified world. Although meta-analyses do
      frequently uncover signatures of local adaptation, they also reveal many
      exceptions. We suggest that particular constraints on local adaptation might
      arise when organisms are exposed to novel stressors, such as anthropogenic
      pollution. To inform this possibility, we studied the extent to which guppies
      (Poecilia reticulata) show local adaptation to oil pollution in southern
      Trinidad. Neutral genetic markers revealed that paired populations in oil
      polluted versus not-polluted habitats diverged independently in two different
      watersheds. Morphometrics revealed some divergence (particularly in head shape)
      between these environments, some of which was parallel between rivers. Reciprocal
      transplant experiments in nature, however, found little evidence of local
      adaptation based on survival and growth. Moreover, subsequent laboratory
      experiments showed that the two populations from oil-polluted sites showed only
      weak local adaptation even when compared to guppies from oil-free northern
      Trinidad. We conclude that guppies show little local adaptation to oil pollution,
      which might result from the challenges associated with adaptation to particularly
      stressful environments. It might also reflect genetic drift owing to small
      population sizes and/or high gene flow between environments. 

PMID- 26495040
TI  - The Trojan Female Technique for pest control: a candidate mitochondrial mutation
      confers low male fertility across diverse nuclear backgrounds in Drosophila
      melanogaster.
AB  - Pest species represent a major ongoing threat to global biodiversity. Effective
      management approaches are required that regulate pest numbers, while minimizing
      collateral damage to nontarget species. The Trojan Female Technique (TFT) was
      recently proposed as a prospective approach to biological pest control. The TFT
      draws on the evolutionary hypothesis that maternally inherited mitochondrial
      genomes are prone to the accumulation of male, but not female, harming mutations.
      These mutations could be harnessed to provide trans-generational fertility-based
      control of pest species. A candidate TFT mutation was recently described in the
      fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, which confers male-only sterility in the
      specific isogenic nuclear background in which it is maintained. However,
      applicability of the TFT relies on mitochondrial mutations whose male-sterilizing
      effects are general across nuclear genomic contexts. We test this assumption,
      expressing the candidate TFT-mutation bearing haplotype alongside a range of
      nuclear backgrounds and comparing its fertility in males, relative to that of
      control haplotypes. We document consistently lower fertility for males harbouring
      the TFT mutation, in both competitive and noncompetitive mating contexts, across
      all nuclear backgrounds screened. This indicates that TFT mutations conferring
      reduced male fertility can segregate within populations and could be harnessed to
      facilitate this novel form of pest control. 

PMID- 26495041
TI  - The signature of fine scale local adaptation in Atlantic salmon revealed from
      common garden experiments in nature.
AB  - Understanding the extent, scale and genetic basis of local adaptation (LA) is
      important for conservation and management. Its relevance in salmonids at
      microgeographic scales, where dispersal (and hence potential gene flow) can be
      substantial, has however been questioned. Here, we compare the fitness of
      communally reared offspring of local and foreign Atlantic salmon Salmo salar from
      adjacent Irish rivers and reciprocal F1 hybrid crosses between them, in the wild
      'home' environment of the local population. Experimental groups did not differ in
      wild smolt output but a catastrophic flood event may have limited our ability to
      detect freshwater performance differences, which were evident in a previous
      study. Foreign parr exhibited higher, and hybrids intermediate, emigration rates
      from the natal stream relative to local parr, consistent with genetically based
      behavioural differences. Adult return rates were lower for the foreign compared
      to the local group. Overall lifetime success of foreigners and hybrids relative
      to locals was estimated at 31% and 40% (mean of both hybrid groups),
      respectively. The results imply a genetic basis to fitness differences among
      populations separated by only 50 km, driven largely by variation in smolt to
      adult return rates. Hence even if supplementary stocking programs obtain
      broodstock from neighbouring rivers, the risk of extrinsic outbreeding depression
      may be high. 

PMID- 26495043
TI  - Smooth Muscle Stiffness Sensitivity is Driven by Soluble and Insoluble ECM
      Chemistry.
AB  - Smooth muscle cell (SMC) invasion into plaques and subsequent proliferation is a
      major factor in the progression of atherosclerosis. During disease progression,
      SMCs experience major changes in their microenvironment, such as what integrin
      binding sites are exposed, the portfolio of soluble factors available, and the
      elasticity and modulus of the surrounding vessel wall. We have developed a
      hydrogel biomaterial platform to examine the combined effect of these changes on
      SMC phenotype. We were particularly interested in how the chemical
      microenvironment affected the ability of SMCs to sense and respond to modulus. To
      our surprise, we observed that integrin binding and soluble factors are major
      drivers of several critical SMC behaviors, such as motility, proliferation,
      invasion, and differentiation marker expression, and these factors modulated the
      effect of stiffness on proliferation and migration. Overall, modulus only
      modestly affected behaviors other than proliferation, relative to integrin
      binding and soluble factors. Surprisingly, pathological behaviors (proliferation,
      motility) are not inversely related to SMC marker expression, in direct conflict
      with previous studies on substrates coupled with single extracellular matrix
      (ECM) proteins. A high-throughput bead-based ELISA approach and inhibitor studies
      revealed that differentiation marker expression is mediated chiefly via focal
      adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling, and we propose that integrin binding and FAK
      drive the transition from a migratory to a proliferative phenotype. We emphasize
      the importance of increasing the complexity of in vitro testing platforms to
      capture these subtleties in cell phenotypes and signaling, in order to better
      recapitulate important features of in vivo disease and elucidate potential
      context-dependent therapeutic targets.

PMID- 26495042
TI  - Contrasting genetic structure between mitochondrial and nuclear markers in the
      dengue fever mosquito from Rio de Janeiro: implications for vector control.
AB  - Dengue is the most prevalent global arboviral disease that affects over 300
      million people every year. Brazil has the highest number of dengue cases in the
      world, with the most severe epidemics in the city of Rio de Janeiro (Rio). The
      effective control of dengue is critically dependent on the knowledge of
      population genetic structuring in the primary dengue vector, the mosquito Aedes
      aegypti. We analyzed mitochondrial and nuclear genomewide single nucleotide
      polymorphism markers generated via Restriction-site Associated DNA sequencing, as
      well as traditional microsatellite markers in Ae. aegypti from Rio. We found four
      divergent mitochondrial lineages and a strong spatial structuring of
      mitochondrial variation, in contrast to the overall nuclear homogeneity across
      Rio. Despite a low overall differentiation in the nuclear genome, we detected
      strong spatial structure for variation in over 20 genes that have a significantly
      altered expression in response to insecticides, xenobiotics, and pathogens,
      including the novel biocontrol agent Wolbachia. Our results indicate that high
      genetic diversity, spatially unconstrained admixing likely mediated by male
      dispersal, along with locally heterogeneous genetic variation that could affect
      insecticide resistance and mosquito vectorial capacity, set limits to the
      effectiveness of measures to control dengue fever in Rio. 

PMID- 26495044
TI  - Self-assembled glycopeptide nanofibers as modulators of galectin-1 bioactivity.
AB  - Galectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins that act as extracellular signaling
      molecules in various normal and pathological processes. Galectin bioactivity is
      mediated by specific non-covalent interactions with cell-surface and
      extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoproteins, which can enhance or inhibit signaling
      events that influence various cellular behaviors, including adhesion,
      proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Here, we developed a materials
      approach to modulate galectin bioactivity by mimicking natural galectin
      glycoprotein interactions. Specifically, we created a variant of a peptide that
      self-assembles into beta-sheet nanofibers under aqueous conditions, QQKFQFQFEQQ
      (Q11), which has an asparagine residue modified with the monosaccharide N
      acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) at its N-terminus (GlcNAc-Q11). GlcNAc-Q11 self
      assembled into beta-sheet nanofibers under similar conditions as Q11.
      Nanofibrillar GlcNAc moieties were efficiently converted to the galectin-binding
      disaccharide N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAc) via the enzyme beta-1,4
      galactosyltransferase and the sugar donor UDP-galactose, while retaining beta
      sheet structure and nanofiber morphology. LacNAc-Q11 nanofibers bound galectin-1
      and -3 in a LacNAc concentration-dependent manner, although nanofibers bound
      galectin-1 with higher affinity than galectin-3. In contrast, galectin-1 bound
      weakly to GlcNAc-Q11 nanofibers, while no galectin-3 binding to these nanofibers
      was observed. Galectin-1 binding to LacNAc-Q11 nanofibers was specific because it
      could be inhibited by excess soluble beta-lactose, a galectin-binding
      carbohydrate. LacNAc-Q11 nanofibers inhibited galectin-1-mediated apoptosis of
      Jurkat T cells in a LacNAc concentration-dependent manner, but were unable to
      inhibit galectin-3 activity, consistent with galectin-binding affinity of the
      nanofibers. We envision that glycopeptide nanofibers capable of modulating
      galectin-1 bioactivity will be broadly useful as biomaterials for various medical
      applications, including cancer therapeutics, immunotherapy, tissue regeneration,
      and viral prophylaxis.

PMID- 26495046
TI  - Fall Issue, 2015.

PMID- 26495045
TI  - Investigating Dynamic Interdomain Allostery in Pin1.
AB  - Signaling proteins often sequester complementary functional sites in separate
      domains. How do the different domains communicate with one another? An attractive
      system to address this question is the mitotic regulator, human Pin1 (Lu et al.
      1996). Pin-1 consists of two tethered domains: a WW domain for substrate binding,
      and a catalytic domain for peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) activity. Pin1
      accelerates the cis-trans isomerization of phospho-Ser/Thr-Pro (pS/T-P) motifs
      within proteins regulating the cell cycle and neuronal development. The early x
      ray (Ranganathan et al. 1997; Verdecia et al. 2000) and solution NMR studies
      (Bayer et al. 2003; Jacobs et al. 2003) of Pin1 indicated inter- and intradomain
      motion. We became interested in exploring how such motions might affect
      interdomain communication, using NMR. Our accumulated results indicate substrate
      binding to Pin1 WW domain changes the intra/inter domain mobility, thereby
      altering substrate activity in the distal PPIase domain catalytic site. Thus,
      Pin1 shows evidence of dynamic allostery, in the sense of Cooper and Dryden
      (Cooper and Dryden 1984). We highlight our results supporting this conclusion,
      and summarize them via a simple speculative model of conformational selection.

PMID- 26495047
TI  - Improving Oral Hygiene in Institutionalised Elderly by Educating Their Caretakers
      in Bangalore City, India: a Randomised Control Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The population of older people, as well as the number of dependent
      older people, is steadily increasing; those unable to live independently at home
      are being cared for in a range of settings. Practical training for nurses and
      auxiliary care staff has frequently been recommended as a way of improving oral
      health care for functionally dependent elderly. The aim was improve oral hygiene
      in institutionalized elderly in Bangalore city by educating their caregivers.
      METHODS: The study is a cluster randomized intervention trial with an elderly
      home as unit of randomization in which 7 out of 65 elderly homes were selected.
      Oral health knowledge of caregivers was assessed using a pre-tested pro forma and
      later oral-health education was provided to the caregivers of the study group.
      Oral hygiene status of elderly residents was assessed by levels of debris, plaque
      of dentate and denture plaque, and denture stomatitis of denture wearing
      residents, respectively. Oral-health education to the caregivers of control group
      was given at the end of six months. RESULTS: There was significant improvement in
      oral-health knowledge of caregivers from the baseline and also a significant
      reduction of plaque score from baseline score of 3.17 +/- 0.40 to 1.57 +/- 0.35
      post-intervention (p < .001), debris score 2.87 +/- 0.22 to 1.49 +/- 0.34 (p <
      .001), denture plaque score 3.15 +/- 0.47 to 1.21 +/- 0.27 (p < .001), and
      denture stomatitis score 1.43 +/- 0.68 to 0.29 +/- 0.53 (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS:
      The result of the present study showed that there was a significant improvement
      in the oral-health knowledge among the caregivers and oral-hygiene status of the
      elderly residents.

PMID- 26495048
TI  - Cognitive Test Performance in Relation to Health and Function in 12 European
      Countries: The SHARE Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Even subtle impairments on cognitive test scores can be associated
      with future cognitive decline and dementia. We assayed the relationships between
      test score impairment and adverse outcomes. METHODS: Secondary analyses were
      performed on data from non-institutionalized participants, 50+ years of age (N =
      30,038), from 12 countries taking part in the Survey of Health, Ageing and
      Retirement in Europe (SHARE) longitudinal study on aging. At baseline,
      participants' cognition was tested using verbal fluency, immediate recall, and
      delayed recall tasks. RESULTS: Greater levels of cognitive impairment at baseline
      were strongly associated with future poor health outcomes and functional
      impairment. Controlling for age, sex and education, those with 1 (OR = 1.58, 95%
      CI = 1.34-1.87) or >= 2 (OR = 2.59, 95% CI = 2.17-3.09) impaired tests at
      baseline were more likely to die after an average of 40 months compared to
      individuals with no impairments. After selecting for participants who reported
      the absence of dementia initially, those with >= 2 cognitive impairments at
      baseline (OR = 3.34, 95% CI = 2.27-4.92) were more likely to report dementia at
      follow-up compared to those with no impairment. CONCLUSIONS: People with impaired
      cognitive test scores at baseline are at greater risk to die or develop dementia
      within four years than their less impaired or unimpaired counterparts.

PMID- 26495049
TI  - Implications of Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease in Canada's Indigenous
      Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Indigenous peoples in Canada have higher prevalence of modifiable
      risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The relative importance of these risk
      factors on AD risk management is poorly understood. METHODS: Relative risks from
      literature and prevalence of risk factors from Statistics Canada or the First
      Nations Regional Health Survey were used to determine projected population
      attributable risk (PAR) associated with modifiable risk factors for AD (low
      education and vascular risk factors) among on- and off-reserve Indigenous and non
      Indigenous people in Canada using the Levin formula. RESULTS: Physical inactivity
      had the highest PAR for AD among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada
      (32.5% [10.1%-51.1%] and 30.5% [9.2%-48.8%] respectively). The PAR for most
      modifiable risk factors was higher among Indigenous peoples in Canada,
      particularly among on-reserve groups. The greatest differences in PAR were for
      low educational attainment and smoking, which were approximately 10% higher among
      Indigenous peoples in Canada. The combined PAR for AD for all six modifiable risk
      factors was 79.6% among on-reserve Indigenous, 74.9% among off-reserve
      Indigenous, and 67.1% among non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. (All differences
      significant to p < .001.). CONCLUSIONS: Modifiable risk factors are responsible
      for the most AD cases among Indigenous peoples in Canada. Further research is
      necessary to determine the prevalence of AD and the impact of risk factor
      modification among Indigenous peoples in Canada.

PMID- 26495050
TI  - Mobility and Cognition in Seniors. Report from the 2008 Institute of Aging (CIHR)
      Mobility and Cognition Workshop.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The annual Scientific Meeting of the Canadian Association on
      Gerontology was held on October 24 and 25, 2008 in London, Ontario. Prior to the
      annual meeting, mobility and cognition experts met on October 23, 2008 to engage
      in a pre-conference workshop. METHODS: Discussions during the workshop addressed
      novel areas of research and knowledge and research gaps pertaining to the
      interaction between mobility and cognition in seniors. RESULTS: Workshop
      presenters moved from the neuromuscular, biomechanics, and neurology of gait
      impairments, and falls through the role of cognition and mood on mobility
      regulation to the whole person in the environment. Research gaps were identified.
      CONCLUSIONS: Despite a consensus that mobility and cognition are increasingly
      correlated as people age, several gaps in our understanding of mechanisms and how
      to assess the interaction were recognized. The gaps originally identified in 2008
      are still pertinent today. Common and standardized assessments for "mobility and
      cognition" are still not in place in current practice. Interventions that target
      mobility and cognitive decline as a single entity are still lacking.

PMID- 26495051
TI  - Escape from omnishambles in statistics: back to the basics.

PMID- 26495052
TI  - Neonatal anesthesia: how we manage our most vulnerable patients.
AB  - Neonates undergoing surgery are at higher risk than older children for anesthesia
      related adverse events. During the perioperative period, the maintenance of
      optimal hemodynamics in these patients is challenging and requires a thorough
      understanding of neonatal physiology and pharmacology. Data from animals and
      human cohort studies have shown relation of the currently used anesthetics may
      associate with neurotoxic brain injury that lead to later neurodevelopmental
      impairment in the developing brain. In this review, the unique neonatal
      physiologic and pharmacologic features and anesthesia-related neurotoxicity will
      be discussed. 

PMID- 26495053
TI  - The effect of dexmedetomidine sedation on patient and surgeon satisfaction during
      retinal surgery under sub-tenon's anesthesia: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of
      intraoperative dexmedetomidine sedation on patient's and surgeon's satisfaction
      during retinal surgery under sub-tenon's anesthesia. METHODS: Forty-four patients
      scheduled for elective retinal surgery under sub-tenon's anesthesia were enrolled
      in this randomized controlled trial. The patients were divided into
      Dexmedetomidine (n = 22) and Control (n = 22) groups. Intravenous dexmedetomidine
      or 0.9% saline via infusion pump were administered continuously to the
      dexmedetomidine or control group, respectively. Ramsay sedation scale with a
      target level of 3-4 was used to assess adequacy of sedation. Perioperative pain,
      hemodynamic and respiratory data were collected, while satisfaction from patients
      and surgeon were assessed post-surgery using a 5-point satisfaction scale.
      RESULTS: Patient and surgeon satisfaction was higher in the dexmedetomidine group
      (P < 0.001, P = 0.002, respectively). The pain associated with sub-tenon's
      anesthesia and peripheral vitrectomy was lesser in the dexmedetomidine group than
      in the control group (P = 0.020). There was significant reduction of heart rate
      in the dexmedetomidine group (P = 0.001), but only one patient needed treatment
      with atropine. There was no respiratory effect on both groups. CONCLUSIONS:
      Dexmedetomidine sedation during retinal surgery improved satisfaction from both
      patient and surgeon without respiratory complication. It is a safe and preferable
      choice of sedation for retinal surgery.

PMID- 26495054
TI  - Efficacy of intraoperative dexmedetomidine infusion on visualization of the
      surgical field in endoscopic sinus surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In endoscopic sinus surgery, visualization of the surgical field is a
      major concern, as surgical bleeding is the cause of many complications. The
      purpose of this study was to compare the effects of dexmedetomidine and
      remifentanil on the visualization of the surgical field in endoscopic sinus
      surgery. METHODS: Forty-three patients were prospectively enrolled and randomly
      allocated to the dexmedetomidine or remifentanil group and general anesthesia was
      induced and maintained using a propofol target-controlled infusion. In the
      dexmedetomidine group, dexmedetomidine was loaded for 5 min and a continuous
      infusion was administered. In the remifentanil group, a remifentanil target
      controlled infusion was used. After completion of the operation, the satisfaction
      with the visualization of the surgical field was assessed on a numeric rating
      scale, from 0 (= worst) to 10 (= best). The mean blood pressure, heart rate,
      recovery profiles, and postoperative pain score were recorded. RESULTS:
      Satisfaction score for visualization by numeric rating scale was not
      significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.95). There were no
      differences in the mean blood pressure and heart rate. The extubation time was
      significantly shorter in the dexmedetomidine group (8.4 +/- 1.8 min) than in the
      remifentanil group (11.9 +/- 5.4 min) (P = 0.04). Except for the extubation time,
      the recovery profiles of the two groups were comparable. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous
      infusions of dexmedetomidine provide a similar visualization of the surgical
      field and hemodynamic stability as remifentanil target-controlled infusions in
      patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery.

PMID- 26495055
TI  - Comparison of i-gel(r) and LMA Supreme(r) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In laparoscopic surgical procedures, many clinicians recommend
      supraglottic airway devices as good alternatives to intubation. We compared the i
      gel(r) (i-gel) and LMA Supreme(r) (Supreme Laryngeal Mask Airway, SLMA) airway
      devices during laparoscopic cholecystectomy regarding sealing pressure and
      respiratory parameters before, during, and after pneumoperitoneum. METHODS:
      Following Institutional Review Board approval and written informed consent, 93
      patients were randomly allocated into the i-gel (n = 47) or SLMA group (n = 46).
      Insertion time, number of insertion attempts, and fiberoptic view of glottis were
      recorded. Oropharyngeal leak pressure (OLP), the use of airway manipulation, peak
      inspiratory pressure, lung compliance, and hemodynamic parameters were measured
      before, during, and after pneumoperitoneum. RESULTS: There were no significant
      differences between the two groups regarding demographic data, insertion time,
      fiberoptic view of glottis, and the use of airway manipulation. The gastric tube
      insertion time was longer in the i-gel group (20.4 +/- 3.9 s) than in the SLMA
      group (16.7 +/- 1.6 s) (P < 0.001). All devices were inserted on the first
      attempt, excluding one case in each group. Peak inspiratory pressure, lung
      compliance, and OLP changed following carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum in each
      group, but there were no significant differences between the groups. CONCLUSIONS:
      Both the i-gel and SLMA airway devices can be comparably used in patients who
      undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and they offer similar performance
      including OLP.

PMID- 26495056
TI  - Clinical evaluation of a newly designed fluid warming kit on fluid warming and
      hypothermia during spinal surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Mega Acer Kit(r) (MAK) is a newly designed heated and humidified
      breathing circuit that warms fluid passing through the circuit lumen. In this
      study, we investigated the system's efficacy for the perioperative prevention of
      hypothermia and fluid warming. METHODS: Ninety patients undergoing spinal surgery
      were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to 3 groups based on the fluid
      warming device used: no fluid warming system (Group C, n = 30), via a Standard
      Ranger (Group R, n = 30), or via the MAK (Group M, n = 30). Distal esophageal
      temperatures (Teso) and infusion fluid temperature (TF) were recorded at 15 min
      intervals for duration of 180 min during surgery. If Teso was < 35.0C, a forced
      air convective warming device was used. RESULTS: Final Teso values were 34.8 +/-
      0.3C, 35.1 +/- 0.1C, and 35.8 +/- 0.3C in groups C, R, and M, respectively (P <
      0.01). Teso was significantly higher in group M when compared with that in groups
      C and R throughout the study period (P < 0.05). The number of patients requiring
      a forced-air convective warming device was significantly lower in group M (n = 0)
      when compared with that in groups R (n = 17) and C (n = 30) (P < 0.05). The final
      infusion fluid temperature was higher in group M when compared with that in
      groups C and R throughout the study period (35.4 +/- 1.0 vs. 23.0 +/- 0.3 and
      32.8 +/- 0.6C; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The MAK is more effective for preventing
      hypothermia and for warming fluid than the Standard Ranger.

PMID- 26495057
TI  - Spinal versus general anesthesia for Cesarean section in patients with sickle
      cell anemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sickle cell anemia (SCA) increases the rate of maternal and fetal
      complications. This pilot study was designed to compare the maternal and fetal
      outcomes of spinal versus general anesthesia (GA) for parturients with SCA
      undergoing cesarean delivery. METHODS: Forty parturients with known SCA scheduled
      for elective Cesarean delivery were randomized into spinal anesthesia (n = 20)
      and GA groups (n = 20). Perioperative hemodynamic parameters were recorded.
      Postpartum complications were followed up. Opioid consumption was calculated.
      Blood loss during surgery and the number of patients who received intraoperative
      or postpartum blood transfusion were recorded. Patient satisfaction with the type
      of anesthesia was assessed. The Apgar score at 1 and 5 min, neonatal admission to
      the intensive care unit, and mortality were also recorded. RESULTS: Blood loss
      was significantly higher in the GA than spinal group (P = 0.01). However, the
      number of patients who received an intraoperative or postpartum blood transfusion
      was statistically insignificant. Significantly more patients developed
      intraoperative hypotension and bradycardia in the spinal than GA group. Opioid
      use during the first 24 h was significantly higher in the GA than spinal group (P
      < 0.0001). More patients had vaso-occlusive crisis in the GA than spinal group
      without statistical significance (P = 0.4). There was one case of acute chest
      syndrome in the GA group. No significant differences were observed in
      postoperative nausea and/or vomiting, patient satisfaction, or hospital length of
      stay. Neonatal Apgar scores were significantly better in the spinal than GA group
      at 1 and 5 min (P = 0.006 and P = 0.009, respectively). Neonatal intensive care
      admission was not significantly different between the two groups, and there was
      no neonatal mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Spinal anesthesia may have advantages over GA
      in parturients with SCA undergoing Cesarean delivery.

PMID- 26495058
TI  - Effect of intraoperative infusion of ketamine on remifentanil-induced
      hyperalgesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Opioid induced hyperalgesia (OIH) is related with high opioid dosage,
      a long duration of opioid administration, and abrupt discontinuation of infused
      opioids in anesthetic settings. Ketamine is known to attenuate OIH efficiently,
      but methods of administration and methods to quantify and assess a decrease in
      OIH vary. We demonstrated the existence of remifentanil-induced hyperalgesia and
      investigated the ability of ketamine to attenuate OIH. METHODS: Seventy-five
      patients undergoing laparoscopic gynecologic surgery under remifentanil-based
      anesthesia were assigned to one of the following groups: (1) group RL
      (remifentanil 0.05 ug/kg/min), (2) group RH (remifentanil 0.3 ug/kg/min), or (3)
      group KRH (remifentanil 0.3 ug/kg/min + ketamine 0.5 mg/kg bolus with 5 ug/kg/min
      infusion intraoperatively). Desflurane was administered for maintenance of
      anesthesia to target bispectral index scores (40-60) and hemodynamic parameters
      (heart rate and blood pressure < +/- 20% of baseline values). All parameters
      related to OIH and its attenuation induced by ketamine were investigated.
      RESULTS: There was no significant difference among the three groups related to
      demographic and anesthetic parameters except the end-tidal concentration of
      desflurane. Additional analgesic consumption, numerical rating scale scores at 6
      and 24 h, and cumulative fentanyl dose were significantly higher in group RH than
      in the other two groups. The value difference of the Touch-Test sensory
      evaluation was significantly higher negative in group RH than in the other two
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: Remifentanil-induced hyperalgesia is significantly
      attenuated by intraoperative bolus and infusion of ketamine. Ketamine also
      decreased tactile sensitization, as measured by Touch-Test sensory evaluation.

PMID- 26495059
TI  - Does spinal stenosis correlate with MRI findings and pain, psychologic factor and
      quality of life?
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate and analyze MRI findings in relation to visual
      analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), psychological-factor,
      sleep-quality, and Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores among patients with
      central lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) for the purpose of elucidating a
      correlation. METHODS: From July 2013 to May 2014, 117 consecutive patients with
      central LSS were included in this study. All of the MRIs were evaluated by one of
      the authors, and the evaluated items were the dural sac cross-sectional area
      (DSCSA), the number of stenotic levels, and the presence and levels of
      spondylolisthesis. The ODI, VAS, 36-item SF-36, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI),
      Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
      questionnaires were used to evaluate the participants. RESULTS: There are no
      correlations between the ODI, VAS, BDI, BAI, PSQI, and SF-36 scores and the
      minimum DSCSA; however, a significant correlation was found between the ODI
      scores and multilevel LSS. The BDI, BAI, and PSQI scores are higher for
      multilevel LSS compared with single-level LSS, but the difference of this mean
      value is not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: A significant correlation
      was shown between those patients with multilevel LSS and the ODI scores; however,
      significant correlations were not found between the MRI findings and the
      psychological factors pertaining to sleep and life qualities.

PMID- 26495061
TI  - Anaphylaxis following atropine administration during general anesthesia: a case
      report.
AB  - Anaphylaxis is an acute, potentially lethal, multisystem syndrome resulting from
      the sudden release of mast-cell- and basophile-derived mediators into the
      circulation. Common manifestations of anaphylactic reactions include urticaria,
      angioedema, nausea, vomiting, hypotension and cardiovascular collapse.
      Cardiovascular collapse is the first detected manifestation in up to 50% of cases
      in perioperative anaphylaxis, because patients are anesthetized and unable to
      report symptoms. A 25-year-old male presented with severe hypotension and
      erythema after intravenous atropine administration during general anesthesia.
      Postoperative laboratory findings demonstrated elevated serum tryptase and total
      immunoglobulin E. An intradermal test showed atropine sensitivity. Although
      atropine is used widely as a perioperative anticholinergic agent, it is a
      potential risk factor for a severe anaphylactic reaction. Therefore, prompt
      recognition and adequate therapeutic measures are necessary to avoid fatal
      consequences. 

PMID- 26495060
TI  - Propofol attenuates hydrogenperoxide-induced apoptosis in human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells via multiple signaling pathways.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Propofol has been reported to protect vascular endothelial cells
      against oxidative stress. In this study we investigated its effect on hydrogen
      peroxide (H2O2)-induced apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells
      (HUVECs) and examined the possible signaling pathways. METHODS: HUVECs were
      pretreated with propofol (1, 5, 25, and 50 uM) for 30 min and then co-incubated
      with 0.4 mM H2O2 for 4 h. Cell viability was assessed using a Cell Counting Kit
      8. Cell apoptosis was analyzed using flow cytometry with annexin V/propidium
      iodide staining, and evaluated by quantifying caspase-3, Bax, and Bcl-2
      expression levels. The expression levels of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase
      (MAPK), phosphorylated (p)-p38 MAPK, cJun-N-terminal kinases (JNK),
      phosphorylated (p)-JNK, Akt and phosphorylated Akt [(p)-Akt] (Ser473) were
      measured by western blotting. RESULTS: H2O2 treatment induced the activation of
      caspase-3, downregulated Bcl-2 expression, and up-regulated Bax expression, all
      of which were dose-dependently attenuated by propofol pretreatment. Furthermore,
      propofol significantly ameliorated H2O2-induced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, JNK,
      and Akt in HUVECs. CONCLUSIONS: Propofol can protect HUVECs against H2O2-induced
      apoptosis via a mechanism that may involve p38 MAPK, JNK, and Akt signaling
      pathways.

PMID- 26495062
TI  - Endotracheal intubation using i-gel(r) and lightwand in a patient with difficult
      airway: a case report.
AB  - This case report involves tracheal intubation using i-gel(r) in combination with
      a lightwand in a patient with a difficult airway, classified as Cormack-Lehane
      grade 3. I-gel(r) was used during anesthesia induction to properly maintain
      ventilation. The authors have previously reported successful tracheal intubation
      on a patient with a difficult airway through the use of i-gel(r) and a fiberoptic
      bronchoscope. However, if the use of a fiberoptic bronchoscope is not immediately
      available in a patient with a difficult airway, tracheal intubation may be
      performed by using i-gel(r) and a lightwand in a patient with difficult airway,
      allowing the safe induction of anesthesia. 

PMID- 26495063
TI  - Intraoperative three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography for evaluating
      an unusual structure in the left ventricular outflow tract: a case report.
AB  - Intraoperative three-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)
      facilitates an understanding of the complex cardiac pathology that is not fully
      delineated in a two-dimensional (2D) echocardiographic evaluation, and it
      suggests earlier and more precise surgical planning and intraoperative decision
      making. In the present case, the intraoperative 2D-TEE midesophageal long-axis
      view indicated a significant narrowing of the left ventricular outflow tract
      (LVOT) area by a band-like structure that vertically traversed the middle of the
      LVOT and connected to the anterior mitral leaflet base and the interventricular
      septum. However, additional 3D-TEE images of the LVOT and their cropped and
      rendered 2D images showed that web-like tissue, which presumably had grown around
      the patch closure from a previous atrioventricular septal defect, was obstructing
      the LVOT partially. 

PMID- 26495064
TI  - Postdural puncture subdural hematoma or postdural puncture headache?: two cases
      report.
AB  - Spinal anesthesia is widely used for many obstetric, gynecological, orthopedic,
      and urological operations. Subdural hematomas may occur after trauma and are
      associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Postdural puncture headache
      (PDPH) is a benign condition and the most frequent complication of spinal
      anesthesia. The high rate of headache after spinal anesthesia may mask or delay
      the diagnosis of subdural hematoma. The true incidence of postdural puncture
      subdural hematoma (PDPSH) is unknown because most affected patients are probably
      managed without investigation. Therefore, the true incidence of PDPSH may be
      greater than suggested by previous reports. The differentiation of headache
      associated with subdural hematoma from PDPH is crucial. We herein report two
      cases of bilateral subdural hematoma after epidural anesthesia and emphasize the
      importance of suspicion for PDPSH and careful evaluation of patients with
      headache after spinal anesthesia. 

PMID- 26495065
TI  - Ultrasound-guided femoral and popliteal sciatic nerve blocks for below knee
      surgery in patients with severe cardiac disease.

PMID- 26495066
TI  - Future directions in overactive bladder treatment: Personalized medicine can be
      applied?

PMID- 26495067
TI  - Drug therapy of overactive bladder--what is coming next?
AB  - After the approval and introduction of mirabegron, tadalafil, and botulinum toxin
      A for treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms/overactive bladder, focus of
      interest has been on their place in therapy versus the previous gold standard,
      antimuscarinics. However, since these agents also have limitations there has been
      increasing interest in what is coming next - what is in the pipeline? Despite
      progress in our knowledge of different factors involved in both peripheral and
      central modulation of lower urinary tract dysfunction, there are few innovations
      in the pipe-line. Most developments concern modifications of existing principles
      (antimuscarinics, beta3-receptor agonists, botulinum toxin A). However, there are
      several new and old targets/drugs of potential interest for further development,
      such as the purinergic and cannabinoid systems and the different members of the
      transient receptor potential channel family. However, even if there seems to be
      good rationale for further development of these principles, further exploration
      of their involvement in lower urinary tract function/dysfunction is necessary. 

PMID- 26495068
TI  - Current status of flexible ureteroscopy in urology.
AB  - Retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) is being performed for the surgical
      management of upper urinary tract pathology. With the development of surgical
      instruments with improved deflection mechanisms, visuality, and durability, the
      role of RIRS has expanded to the treatment of urinary calculi located in the
      upper urinary tract, which compensates for the shortcomings of shock wave
      lithotripsy and percutaneous nephrolithotomy. RIRS can be considered a
      conservative treatment of upper urinary tract urothelial cancer (UTUC) or for
      postoperative surveillance after radical treatment of UTUC under an intensive
      surveillance program. RIRS has a steep learning curve and various surgical
      techniques can be used. The choice of instruments during RIRS should be based on
      increased surgical efficiency, decreased complications, and improved cost-benefit
      ratio. 

PMID- 26495069
TI  - The effect of continuous androgen deprivation treatment on prostate cancer
      patients as compared with intermittent androgen deprivation treatment.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy of androgen deprivation treatment (ADT)
      between continuous and intermittent ADT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January
      2006 and May 2015, 603 patients were selected and divided into continuous ADT
      (CADT) (n=175) and intermittent ADT (IADT) (n=428) groups. The median follow-up
      in this study was 48.19 (1.0-114.0) months. The primary end point was time to
      castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The types of ADT were monotherapy
      and maximal androgen blockade (i.e., luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone
      agonist and antiandrogen). RESULTS: The characteristics of patients showed no
      significant differences between the CADT and IADT groups, except for the Gleason
      score (p<0.001). The median time to CRPC of all enrolled patients with ADT was
      20.60+/-1.60 months. The median time to CRPC was 11.20+/-1.31 months in the CADT
      group as compared with 22.60+/-2.08 months in the IADT group. In multivariate
      analysis, percentage of positive core (p=0.047; hazard ratio [HR], 0.976; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 0.953-1.000), Gleason score (p=0.007; HR, 1.977; 95%
      CI, 1.206-3.240), lymph node metastasis (p=0.030; HR, 0.498; 95% CI, 0.265
      0.936), bone metastasis (p=0.028; HR, 1.921; 95% CI, 1.072-3.445), and CADT vs.
      IADT (p=0.003; HR, 0.254; 95% CI. 0.102-0.633) were correlated with the duration
      of progression to CRPC. The IADT group presented a significantly longer median
      time to CRPC compared with the CADT group. Additionally, patients in the IADT
      group showed a longer duration in median time to CRPC in subgroup analysis
      according to the Gleason score. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that IADT produces
      a longer duration in median time to CRPC than does CADT.

PMID- 26495070
TI  - Comparison of computed tomography findings between renal oncocytomas and
      chromophobe renal cell carcinomas.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate and distinguish the computed tomography (CT)
      characteristics of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC) and renal oncocytoma.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-one patients with renal oncocytoma and 120 patients
      with chRCC, diagnosed by surgery between November 2005 and June 2015, were
      studied retrospectively. Two observers, who were urologists and unaware of the
      pathological results, reviewed the preoperative CT images. The tumors were
      evaluated for size, laterality, tumor type (ball or bean pattern), central
      stellate scar, segmental enhancement inversion, and angular interface pattern and
      tumor complexity. To accurately analyze the mass-enhancing pattern of renal mass,
      we measured Hounsfield units (HUs) in each phase and analyzed the mean, maximum,
      and minimum HU values and standard deviations. RESULTS: There were 51 renal
      oncocytomas and 120 chRCCs in the study cohort. No differences in clinical and
      demographic characteristics were observed between the two groups. A central
      stellate scar and segmental enhancement inversion were more likely in
      oncocytomas. However, there were no differences in ball-/bean-type
      categorization, enhancement pattern, and the shape of the interface between the
      groups. Higher HU values tended to be present in the corticomedullary and
      nephrogenic phases in oncocytomas than in chRCC. Receiver-operating
      characteristic curve analysis showed that the presence of a central stellate scar
      and higher mean HU values in the nephrogenic phase were highly predictive of
      renal oncocytoma (area under the curve=0.817, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The
      appearance of a central stellate scar and higher mean HU values in the
      nephrogenic phase could be useful to distinguish renal oncocytomas from chRCCs.

PMID- 26495071
TI  - Comparison of biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer patients treated with
      radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluated the biochemical recurrence (BCR) of prostate cancer
      patients treated by radical prostatectomy (RP) or radiotherapy (RT). MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Patients who underwent RP or RT as primary definitive treatment from
      2007 were enrolled for this study. They were divided into two groups; the low
      intermediate risk group and the high risk group according to the National
      Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. We compared differences such as age,
      prostate specific antigen, Gleason score, follow-up duration, clinical T staging,
      and BCR. Their BCR-free survival rates were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 165
      patients were enrolled. There were 115 patients in the low-intermediate risk.
      Among them, 88 received RP and 27 underwent RT. BCR occurred in 9 of the RP
      patients (10.2%) and 3 of the RT patients (11.1%). For the high risk group, 50
      patients were included. RP was performed in 25 patients and RT in 25 patients.
      BCR was observed in 4 of the RP patients (16%) and 12 of the RT patients (48%).
      There were no differences in BCR-free survival for the low-intermediate group
      (p=0.765). For the high risk group, the RP group had a higher BCR free survival
      rate (p=0.032). CONCLUSIONS: No difference of BCR and BCR-free survival was seen
      in the low-intermediate risk group but lower BCR and better BCR-free survival
      were observed for patients that received RP in the high risk group. RP should be
      a more strongly considered option when deciding the treatment method for selected
      high risk patients.

PMID- 26495072
TI  - Discordance between location of positive cores in biopsy and location of positive
      surgical margin following radical prostatectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: We compared location of positive cores in biopsy and location of
      positive surgical margin (PSM) following radical prostatectomy. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This retrospective analysis included patients who were diagnosed as
      prostate cancer by standard 12-core transrectal ultrasonography guided prostate
      biopsy, and who have PSM after radical prostatectomy. After exclusion of number
      of biopsy cores <12, and lack of biopsy location data, 46 patients with PSM were
      identified. Locations of PSM in pathologic specimen were reported as 6 difference
      sites (apex, base and lateral in both sides). Discordance of biopsy result and
      PSM was defined when no positive cores in biopsy was identified at the location
      of PSM. RESULTS: Most common location of PSM were right apex (n=21) and left apex
      (n=15). Multiple PSM was reported in 21 specimens (45.7%). In 32 specimens
      (69.6%) with PSM, one or more concordant positive biopsy cores were identified,
      but 14 specimens (28%) had no concordant biopsy cores at PSM location. When
      discordant rate was separated by locations of PSM, right apex PSM had highest
      rate of discordant (38%). The discordant group had significantly lower prostate
      volume and lower number of positive cores in biopsy than concordant group.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that one fourth of PSM occurred at location where
      tumor was not detected at biopsy and that apex PSM had highest rate of
      discordant. Careful dissection to avoid PSM should be performed in every
      location, including where tumor was not identified in biopsy.

PMID- 26495073
TI  - Distribution of ureteral stones and factors affecting their location and
      expulsion in patients with renal colic.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the distribution of ureteral stones and to determine their
      characteristics and expulsion rate based on their location. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed computed tomography (CT) findings of 246
      patients who visited our Emergency Department (ED) for renal colic caused by
      unilateral ureteral stones between January 2013 and April 2014. Histograms were
      constructed to plot the distribution of stones based on initial CT findings. Data
      from 144 of the 246 patients who underwent medical expulsive therapy (MET) for 2
      weeks were analyzed to evaluate the factors responsible for the stone
      distribution and expulsion. RESULTS: The upper ureter and ureterovesical junction
      (UVJ) were 2 peak locations at which stones initially lodged. Stones lodged at
      the upper ureter and ureteropelvic junction (group A) had a larger longitudinal
      diameter (4.21 mm vs. 3.56 mm, p=0.004) compared to those lodged at the lower
      ureter and UVJ (group B). The expulsion rate was 75.6% and 94.9% in groups A and
      B, respectively. There was no significant difference in the time interval from
      initiation of renal colic to arrival at the ED between groups A and B (p=0.422).
      Stone diameter was a significant predictor of MET failure (odds ratio [OR],
      1.795; p=0.005) but the initial stone location was not (OR, 0.299; p=0.082).
      CONCLUSIONS: The upper ureter and UVJ are 2 peak sites at which stones lodge. For
      stone size 10 mm or less, initial stone lodge site is not a significant predictor
      of MET failure in patients who have no previous history of active stone treatment
      in the ureter.

PMID- 26495074
TI  - The role of noninvasive penile cuff test in patients with bladder outlet
      obstruction.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the penile cuff test (PCT) and
      standard pressure-flow study (PFS) in patients with bladder outlet obstruction.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 58 male patients with moderate to severe lower
      urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) were selected. Seven patients were excluded; thus,
      51 patients were finally enrolled. Each of the patients underwent a PCT and a
      subsequent PFS. The sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), positive predictive value
      (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and likelihood ratio were calculated. Chi
      square and Fisher exact test were used to evaluate relationships between PCT
      results and maximal urine flow (Qmax); a p<0.05 was considered statistically
      significant. RESULTS: The mean (+/-standard deviation) age of the study group was
      65.5+/-10.4 years. Overall, by use of the PCT, 24 patients were diagnosed as
      being obstructed and 27 patients as unobstructed. At the subsequent PFS, 16 of
      the 24 patients diagnosed as obstructed by the PCT were confirmed to be
      obstructed, 4 were diagnosed as unobstructed, and the remaining 4 patients
      appeared equivocal. Of the 27 patients shown to be unobstructed by the PCT, 25
      were confirmed to not be obstructed by PFS, with 13 equivocal and 12
      unobstructed. Two patients were diagnosed as being obstructed. For detecting
      obstruction, the PCT showed an SE of 88.9% and an SP of 75.7%. The PPV was 66.7%
      and the NPV was 93%. CONCLUSIONS: The PCT is a beneficial test for evaluating
      patients with LUTS. In particular, this instrument has an acceptable ability to
      reject obstruction caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia.

PMID- 26495075
TI  - Robot-assisted heminephrectomy for chromophobe renal cell carcinoma in L-shaped
      fused crossed ectopia: Surgical challenge.
AB  - Renal cell carcinoma associated with fused ectopic kidneys has rarely been
      reported in the literature. Here we report the first case of robot-assisted
      heminephrectomy for chromophobe renal cell carcinoma in an L-shaped fused ectopic
      kidney. The present case report highlights the importance of three-dimensional
      vision and enhanced maneuverability with the EndoWrist technology of the robotic
      surgical system for precise dissection. This report also highlights the
      importance of preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography with three
      dimensional arterial reconstruction for surgical planning. 

PMID- 26495076
TI  - Autophagy: Can It be a New Experimental Research Method of Neuropathic Pain?

PMID- 26495077
TI  - Spinal Gap Junction Channels in Neuropathic Pain.
AB  - Damage to peripheral nerves or the spinal cord is often accompanied by
      neuropathic pain, which is a complex, chronic pain state. Increasing evidence
      indicates that alterations in the expression and activity of gap junction
      channels in the spinal cord are involved in the development of neuropathic pain.
      Thus, this review briefly summarizes evidence that regulation of the expression,
      coupling, and activity of spinal gap junction channels modulates pain signals in
      neuropathic pain states induced by peripheral nerve or spinal cord injury. We
      particularly focus on connexin 43 and pannexin 1 because their regulation vastly
      attenuates symptoms of neuropathic pain. We hope that the study of gap junction
      channels eventually leads to the development of a suitable treatment tool for
      patients with neuropathic pain. 

PMID- 26495078
TI  - A New Rat Model of Cisplatin-induced Neuropathic Pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a major side effect of
      anti-cancer drugs, and our knowledge of its mechanisms is lacking. Several models
      for chemotherapy-induced neuropathy have been introduced. However, the outcomes
      of these models differ significantly among laboratories. Our object was to create
      a model of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy in rats with cancer. METHODS: Female
      Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Mammary rat metastasis tumor (MRMT-1) cells were
      implanted subcutaneously in rats. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy was
      induced by injection of cisplatin once a day for four days. The responses to
      mechanical and thermal stimuli were examined using von Frey filaments, acetone,
      and radiant heat. RESULTS: Cisplatin (2 mg/kg/day) produced mechanical allodynia,
      while it did not induce cold allodynia or thermal hyperalgesia. This dose of
      cisplatin could work successfully against cancer. Body weight loss was not
      observed in cisplatin-treated rats, nor were other abnormal behaviors noted in
      the same rats. CONCLUSIONS: Repeated injection of intraperitoneal cisplatin
      induced peripheral neuropathic pain in rats. Thus, this type of rat model has
      broad applicability in studies related to searching for the mechanism of
      cisplatin-induced mechanical allodynia and agents for the treatment of
      neuropathic pain.

PMID- 26495079
TI  - Predictive Factors of Postoperative Pain and Postoperative Anxiety in Children
      Undergoing Elective Circumcision: A Prospective Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although circumcision for phimosis in children is a minor surgical
      procedure, it is followed by pain and carries the risk of increased postoperative
      anxiety. This study examined predictive factors of postoperative pain and anxiety
      in children undergoing circumcision. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort
      study of children scheduled for elective circumcision. Circumcision was performed
      applying one of the following surgical techniques: sutureless prepuceplasty (SP),
      preputial plasty technique (PP), and conventional circumcision (CC). Demographics
      and base-line clinical characteristics were collected, and assessment of the
      level of preoperative anxiety was performed. Subsequently, a statistical model
      was designed in order to examine predictive factors of postoperative pain and
      postoperative anxiety. Assessment of postoperative pain was performed using the
      Faces Pain Scale (FPS). The Post Hospitalization Behavior Questionnaire study was
      used to assess negative behavioral manifestations. RESULTS: A total of 301
      children with a mean age of 7.56 +/- 2.61 years were included in the study.
      Predictive factors of postoperative pain measured with the FPS included a) the
      type of surgical technique, b) the absence of siblings, and c) the presence of
      postoperative complications. Predictive factors of postoperative anxiety included
      a) the type of surgical technique, b) the level of education of mothers, c) the
      presence of preoperative anxiety, and d) a history of previous surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although our study was not without its limitations, it expands
      current knowledge by adding new predictive factors of postoperative pain and
      postoperative anxiety. Clearly, further randomized controlled studies are needed
      to confirm its results.

PMID- 26495080
TI  - Review of Medical Dispute Cases in the Pain Management in Korea: A Medical
      Malpractice Liability Insurance Database Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pain medicine often requires medico-legal involvement, even though
      diagnosis and treatments have improved considerably. Multiple guidelines for pain
      physicians contain many recommendations regarding interventional treatment.
      Unfortunately, no definite treatment guidelines exist because there is no
      complete consensus among individual guidelines. Pain intervention procedures are
      widely practiced and highly associated with adverse events and complications.
      However, a comprehensive, systemic review of medical-dispute cases (MDCs) in
      Korea has not yet been reported. The purpose of this article is to analyze the
      frequency and type of medical dispute activity undertaken by pain specialists in
      Korea. METHODS: Data on medical disputes cases were collected through the Korea
      Medical Association mutual aid and through a private medical malpractice
      liability insurance company. Data regarding the frequency and type of MDCs, along
      with brief case descriptions, were obtained. RESULTS: Pain in the lumbar region
      made up a major proportion of MDCs and compensation costs. Infection, nerve
      injury, and diagnosis related cases were the most major contents of MDCs. Only a
      small proportion of cases involved patient death or unconsciousness, but
      compensation costs were the highest. CONCLUSIONS: More systemic guidelines and
      recommendations on interventional pain management are needed, especially those
      focused on medico-legal cases. Complications arising from pain management
      procedures and treatments may be avoided by physicians who have the required
      knowledge and expertise regarding anatomy and pain intervention procedures and
      know how to recognize procedural aberrations as soon as they occur.

PMID- 26495081
TI  - The Impact of Educational Status on the Postoperative Perception of Pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative (PO) pain interferes with the recovery and mobilization
      of the surgical patients. The impact of the educational status has not been
      studied adequately up to now. METHODS: This prospective study involved 400
      consecutive general surgery patients. Various factors known to be associated with
      the perception of pain including the educational status were recorded as was the
      preoperative and postoperative pain and the analgesia requirements for the 1(st)
      PO week. Based on the educational status, we classified the patients in 3 groups
      and we compared these groups for the main outcomes: i.e. PO pain and PO
      analgesia. RESULTS: There were 145 patients of lower education (junior school),
      150 patients of high education (high school) and 101 of higher education
      (university). Patients of lower education were found to experience more pain than
      patients of higher education in all postoperative days (from the 2(nd) to the
      6(th)). No difference was identified in the type and quantity of the analgesia
      used. The subgroup analysis showed that patients with depression and young
      patients (< 40 years) had the maximum effect. CONCLUSIONS: The educational status
      may be a significant predictor of postoperative pain due to various reasons,
      including the poor understanding of the preoperative information, the level of
      anxiety and depression caused by that and the suboptimal request and use of
      analgesia. Younger patients (< 40), and patients with subclinical depression are
      mostly affected while there is no impact on patients over 60 years old.

PMID- 26495082
TI  - Epiduroscopic Removal of a Lumbar Facet Joint Cyst.
AB  - Facet joint synovial cysts are usually associated with osteoarthritis of the
      adjacent facet joint and/or spondylolisthesis. In between the conservative and
      operative ends of the treatment spectrum lie minimally invasive techniques such
      as cyst rupture using epiduroscopy. In this report, we describe an 82-year-old
      male patient presenting with low back pain radiating to his lower left extremity
      and associated paresthesia. Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine
      revealed a synovial cyst at left L4/5 facet joint. Using epiduroscopy, the cyst
      was mechanically ruptured by popping it with the tip of the scope. The patient
      remained symptom-free at his successive visits until 12 months after the
      procedure, and was opened for desired follow up. 

PMID- 26495083
TI  - Anaphylactic Shock Following Nonionic Contrast Medium during Caudal Epidural
      Injection.
AB  - Caudal epidural injection is a common intervention in patients with low back pain
      and sciatica. Even though the complications of fluoroscopically directed epidural
      injections are less frequent than in blind epidural injections, complications due
      to contrast media can occur. We report a case of anaphylactic shock immediately
      after injection of an intravenous nonionic contrast medium (iohexol) during the
      caudal epidural injection for low back pain and sciatica in a patient without a
      previous allergic history to ionic contrast media (ioxitalamate). Five minutes
      after the dye was injected, the patient began to experience dizziness, and the
      systolic blood pressure dropped to 60 mmHg. Subsequently, the patient exhibited a
      mild drowsy mental state. About 30 minutes after the subcutaneous injection of
      0.2 mg epinephrine, the systolic blood pressure increased to 90 mmHg. The patient
      recovered without any sequela. Life-threatening complications after injection of
      intravenous contrast medium require immediate treatment. 

PMID- 26495084
TI  - Ultrasound Guided Transversus Abdominis Plane Block for Anterior Cutaneous Nerve
      Entrapment Syndrome.
AB  - Anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome (ACNES) is one the most common cause
      of chronic abdominal wall pain. The syndrome is mostly misdiagnosed, treated
      wrongly and inadequately. If diagnosed correctly by history, examination and a
      positive carnett test, the suffering of the patient can be relieved by addressing
      the cause i.e. local anaesthetic with steroid injection at the entrapment site.
      Conventionally, the injection is done by landmark technique. In this report, we
      have described 2 patients who were diagnosed with ACNES who were offered
      ultrasound guided transverses abdominis plane (TAP) injection who got significant
      pain relief for a long duration of time. 

PMID- 26495085
TI  - Ultrasound-guided Continuous Axillary Brachial Plexus Block Using a Nerve
      Stimulating Catheter: EpiStim(r) Catheter.
AB  - Brachial plexus block (BPB) under ultrasound guidance has come to be widely used.
      However, nerve injury has been reported following ultrasound-guided BPB. We
      hypothesized that BPB under ultrasound guidance in conjunction with real-time
      electrical nerve stimulation would help us prevent nerve injury and do more
      successful procedure. Here, we report the successful induction and maintenance of
      ultrasound-guided BPB and the achievement of good peri- and postoperative pain
      control using a conductive catheter, the EpiStim(r). 

PMID- 26495086
TI  - Ultrasound Guided Technique for the Caudal Epidural Injection.

PMID- 26495087
TI  - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in a Patient With Congenital Mirror
      Movement Disorder and Colpocephaly.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Congenital mirror movement disorder designates involuntary
      movements on one side of the body that occur as mirror of the intentional
      movements on the contralateral side. Colpocephaly is described as persistence of
      fetal configuration of lateral ventricles. CASE PRESENTATION: A two-month old
      male infant was brought to the hospital due to bilateral identical movements of
      the hands. Except for bilateral involuntary synkinetic imitative movements in
      hands, neurological and physical examination was normal. Cranial MRI showed
      corpus callosum dysgenesis, hypogenesis and dilation of bilateral lateral
      ventricular posterior horns (colpocephaly). At the age of 7 years, he was started
      to use metylphenydate to mitigate attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.
      The mirror movements were decreasing in amplitude by years and were not so
      serious to affect normal life activities. CONCLUSIONS: Mirror movements,
      diagnosed usually during childhood, may be congenital or secondary to
      neurological diseases. Although they generally do not affect normal life
      activities, in some cases severity of mirror movements causes a real debilitating
      disease. In our case the patient was diagnosed at the age of 2 months and on
      follow-up no debilitating problems were observed. This is the first case to
      describe the association of colpocephaly and mirror movements. The exact
      mechanism of this association is not known. Although it is known that mirror
      movements may be in relation with some pychiatric pathologies, this is the first
      report of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder in conjunction with mirror
      movements and/or colpocephaly. Managing comorbidities, either physical or
      psyhchological, will help the patient to live in good health without trying to
      cope with other pathological diseases.

PMID- 26495088
TI  - Our Study is Just an Introduction, Reply to: Noncompaction in Healthy Subjects,
      Dilated and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, and Neuromuscular Disorders Is the Same
      Entity.

PMID- 26495089
TI  - The Early Intestinal Microbiota of Healthy Korean Newborns.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The microflora hypothesis may be the underlying explanation for the
      growth of inflammatory disease. In addition to many known affecting factors,
      knowing the gut microbiota of healthy newborns can help to understand the gut
      immunity and modulate it. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the microbiota of
      healthy newborns from urban regions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We enrolled 128 full
      term newborns, born at Seoul St. Mary and St. Paul hospital from January 2009 to
      February 2010. All 143 samples of feces were cultivated in six culture plates to
      determine the amounts of total bacteria, anaerobes, gram-positive bacteria,
      coliforms, lactobacilli, and bifidobacteria. The samples were evaluated with a
      bivariate correlation between coliforms and lactobacilli. Terminal restriction
      fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis with HhaI and MspI and a
      clustering analysis were performed for determination of diversity. RESULTS:
      Bacteria were cultured in 61.5% of feces in the following order: anaerobes, gram
      positive bacteria, lactobacilli, coliform, and bifidobacteria. The growth of
      total bacteria and lactobacilli increased in feces defecated after 24 hours of
      birth (P < 0.001, P = 0.008) and anaerobes decreased (P = 0.003). A negative
      correlation between the growth of lactobacilli and coliforms was found (r = -463,
      P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that bacterial colonization of
      healthy newborns born in cities is non-sterile, but has early diversification and
      inter-individuality.

PMID- 26495090
TI  - Persistent Truncus Arteriosus With Intact Ventricular Septum: Clinical,
      Hemodynamic and Short-term Surgical Outcome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Truncus arteriosus with intact ventricular septum is a rare and
      unique variant of persistent truncus arteriosus (PTA) which usually presents with
      central cyanosis and congestive heart failure in neonate and early infancy.
      Associated cardiac and non-cardiac anomalies may affect morbidity and mortality
      of these patients. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe clinical presentation,
      echocardiography and angiographic features of a 7-month old boy with PTA and
      intact ventricular septum who underwent surgical repair of the anomaly at our
      institution. Operative findings, surgical procedure and short-term outcome are
      reported. CONCLUSIONS: While our patient had systemic pulmonary arterial pressure
      at the time of complete surgical repair, it was improved after surgery.

PMID- 26495091
TI  - Evaluation of Educational Environment for Medical Students of a Tertiary
      Pediatric Hospital in Tehran, Using DREEM Questionnaire.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tertiary pediatric hospitals usually provide excellent clinical
      services, but such centers have a lot to do for educational perfection.
      OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to address under-graduate educational
      deficits and find feasible solutions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional
      study was done in a target population of 77 sixth year undergraduate medical
      students (response rate = 78%) who spent their 3-month pediatric rotation in the
      Children's Medical Center, the Pediatrics Center of Excellence in Tehran, Iran.
      The Dundee ready educational environment measure (DREEM) instrument was used for
      assessing educational environment of this subspecialized pediatric hospital.
      RESULTS: Among 60 students who answered the questionnaires, 24 were male (40%).
      Participants' age ranged from 23 to 24 years. The mean total score was 95.8
      (48%). Comparison of scores based on students' knowledge showed no significant
      difference. Problematic areas were learning, academic self-perception, and social
      self-perception. CONCLUSIONS: Having an accurate schedule to train general
      practitioner, using new teaching methods, and providing a non-stressful
      atmosphere were suggested solutions.

PMID- 26495092
TI  - Introduction of Sharp Objects in to Brain With Infanticidal Intention.

PMID- 26495093
TI  - Atopic Manifestations: Dermatitis, Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma in Patients With
      Hypogammaglobulinemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most of the hypogammaglobulinemic patients have a clinical history in
      favor of allergic respiratory disease. Nevertheless, in these patients the
      importance and prevalence of atopic disorders have not been completely explained.
      OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to evaluate atopic manifestations (dermatitis,
      allergic rhinitis and asthma) and pulmonary function in patients with
      hypogammaglobulinemia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We used the international study of
      asthma and allergies in childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire in forty-five patients
      diagnosed with hypogammaglobulinemia and spirometry was done in 41 patients older
      than 5 years. RESULTS: Spirometry results were normal in 21 (51%), and showed
      obstructive in 15 (37%) and restrictive pattern in 5 (12%) of the 41 patients who
      were evaluated. By the end of the study, asthma was diagnosed in nine (20%)
      patients and other atopies (rhinitis and dermatitis) identified in 10 (22%), and
      four (9%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Atopic conditions should be investigated in
      the hypogammaglobulinemic patients and the prevalence in these patients may be
      higher than in normal population. Also, it is recommended to perform a pulmonary
      function test as a routine procedure in patients with hypogammaglobulinemia and
      atopy should be assessed in these patients.

PMID- 26495094
TI  - Outcome of Multi-Cystic Dysplastic Kidneys in Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Renal cystic diseases are important causes of chronic kidney disease
      (CKD). OBJECTIVES: We report the pattern of renal cystic disease in children and
      evaluate the outcome of children with multicystic dysplastic kidney (MCDK).
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of all children with cystic kidney
      diseases at King Abdulaziz University hospital from 2006 to 2014. RESULTS: Total
      of 55 children (30 males); 25 MCDK, 22 polycystic kidney diseases (PKD), 4
      nephronophthises and 4 renal cysts. Consanguinity was positive in 96.2%. MCDK and
      simple renal cyst patients had good renal function while PKD and nephronophthisis
      developed renal impairment. Most MCKD were diagnosed ante-natally, 16 of them
      were followed up for 3.4 (1.97) year. Their last creatinine was 33.9 (13.5)
      umol/L. MCDK was spontaneously involuted at mean age of 2.6 (1.3) years in 56%.
      CONCLUSIONS: MCDK is the commonest cystic renal disease and diagnosed ante
      natally in the majority of cases. It has a good prognosis.

PMID- 26495095
TI  - Evaluation of the Effect of Passive Smoking on Lactoferrin and AST on 12 - 15
      Years Old Children and Adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Passive smokers are involuntarily exposed to cigarette or tobacco
      smoke and as known, inhalation of environmental tobacco smoke is a serious
      threat. There is little information about the effect of passive smoking on
      salivary markers and periodontal indices. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the
      effect of passive smoking on lactoferrin and AST in 12 - 15 years old children
      and adolescents. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This case-control analytic correlation
      type study with no-convenience random sampling method was performed on 160
      children aged 12 - 15 who had smokers in their families. The eligible children
      were divided into two equal groups; 80 cot(+) children as case group and 80 cot(
      ) children as control group, matched according to age, sex and plaque index.
      Plaque index was obtained from all subjects. 2 cc unstimulated salivary samples
      were collected by spitting method. The collected specimens were tested by
      lactoferrin and AST kits in biochemistry were measured on the day of sampling
      laboratory. Gingival index Loe and Silness (GI) and Probing Pocket Depth (PPD).
      RESULTS: Mean and Standard Deviation of PPD and GI was 2.01 +/- 0.077 and 1.53 +/
      0.055 in experimental group and 1.93 +/- 0.073 and 1.49 +/- 0.046 in control
      group respectively (P < 0.001). The Mean and Standard Deviation parameters of
      lactoferrin and AST, in the experimental group was 38.66 +/- 25.15 and 13.45 +/-
      6.33 and in the control group 10.18 +/- 6.82 and 6.53 +/- 2.65 group,
      respectively (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Passive smoking can be effective on
      inflammatory process of periodontal and salivary biomarkers related to
      inflammation. Lactoferrin was 11 - 104 in case group and 0.5 - 38 in control
      group. Aspartat aminotransferase in case group was 2.64 - 30.43 and in control
      group it was 2.16 - 12.02.

PMID- 26495096
TI  - Analysis of Outcome of Intraplueral Streptokinase in Pediatric Empyema Thoracis
      even in Advanced Stages: A Prospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Empyema thoracis in children causes significant morbidity. Standard
      treatment of Empyema thoracis includes tube drainage and antibiotics. But the
      tube drainage often fails. Intrapleural Streptokinase has been used in empyema
      thoracis with good success rate. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the efficacy of intra
      pleural Streptokinase in management of empyema thoracis even in advanced stages.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 28 patients with empyema thoracis requiring
      intercostal tube drainage aged zero to twelve years were included in the study
      who were admitted in Pediatric intensive care unit. 15,000 units/kg of
      Streptokinase was instilled into the pleural cavity. Response was assessed by
      clinical outcome, after unclamping and subsequent chest radiography and serial
      chest ultrasounds. RESULTS: Streptokinase enhanced drainage in all patients with
      complete resolution of empyema thoracis in 26 patients. Two patients were
      referred for surgery. Only 7.2% required surgery. Streptokinase was equally
      effective if started before or after seven days. CONCLUSIONS: Intrapleural
      Streptokinase is the preferred treatment for treating pediatric empyema thoracis
      even in advanced stages and can avoid surgery.

PMID- 26495097
TI  - Association of Celiac Disease With Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemosiderosis; Lane
      Hamilton Syndrome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemosiderosis (IPH) is a rare cause of
      alveolar hemorrhage, which is seen primarily in childhood. Celiac disease is
      defined as a chronic, immune-mediated enteropathy of the small intestine, caused
      by exposure to dietary gluten in genetically pre-disposed individuals.
      Association of IPH and celiac disease is known as Lane Hamilton syndrome. There
      are limited number of case reports of this syndrome in literature. CASE
      PRESENTATION: Although there were no growth and developmental delay and
      gastrointestinal symptoms like chronic diarrhea, chronic constipation, vomiting,
      abdominal bloating and pain in the two patients with IPH, they were diagnosed
      with Lane Hamilton Syndrome. After initiation of gluten-free diet, their IPH
      symptoms disappeared and hemoglobin levels were observed to return to normal.
      CONCLUSIONS: Even if there were no gastrointestinal symptoms in a patient with
      IPH, celiac disease should be investigated. These patients may benefit from
      gluten free diet and IPH symptoms may disappear.

PMID- 26495098
TI  - Side Effects of Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists in Asthmatic Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) are drugs which have been
      widely used more than ten years. As the use of LTRAs increases, our knowledge
      with respect to their side effects increases as well. OBJECTIVES: The objective
      of our study was to evaluat the observed side effects of LTRAs used in patients
      with astma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 1024 patients treated only with LTRAs owing to
      asthma or early wheezing were included in the study for a five-year period. The
      observed side effects of LTRAs in these patients were retrospectively
      investigated. The side effects were divided into two parts as psychiatric and non
      psychiatric. RESULTS: Among the 1024 cases included in the study, 67.5% of the
      patients out of 41 with side effects were male, 32.5% were female and the average
      age was 6.5 years. The rate of patients with asthma was 63.41% and 36.58% of the
      patients had early wheezing. It was determined that sex, age and diagnosis (early
      wheezing or asthma) of the patients were ineffective in the emergence of side
      effects. The average period for the emergence of side effects was the first
      month. It was observed that hyperactivity was the most frequently observed
      psychiatric side effect and that abdominal pain was the non-psychiatric side
      effect. CONCLUSIONS: The side effects of LTRAs were common in children.
      Therefore, patients must be informed at the beginning of the treatment and they
      must be evaluated at certain intervals.

PMID- 26495099
TI  - Experience of a Single Center in NTBC Use in Management of Hereditary Tyrosinemia
      Type I in Libya.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hereditary Tyrosinemia type I (HTI) is a metabolic disease caused by
      deficiency of fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase enzyme. OBJECTIVES: This study
      reports beside its clinical and biochemical presentation, the outcome of NTBC [2-
      (2-nitro-4-trifloro-methylbenzoyl)-1, 3-cyclohexanedion] treatment of the disease
      and evaluates its biochemical markers in 16 pediatric Libyan patients. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: The diagnosis was based on presence of high tyrosine levels in blood
      and succinylacetone in urine. RESULTS: The consanguinity rate was 81.2%, the
      median age at onset, at diagnosis and at starting treatment were 4.5, 8, and 9.5
      months respectively. At presentation hepatomegaly, jaundice, rickets and high
      gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) were observed in 87.5% of patients. All patients
      had extremely high alpha fetoprotein (AFP) and high alkaline phosphatase (ALP)
      levels. Fifteen patients were treated with NTBC, normalization of PT
      (Prothrombine time) was achieved in average in 14 days. The other biochemical
      parameters of liver function (transaminases, GGT, ALP, bilirubin and albumin)
      took longer to improve and several months to be normalized. Survival rate with
      NTBC was 86.6%. Patients who started treatment in a median of 3 months post onset
      observed a fast drop of AFP in 90.6% of patients (P = 0.003). Abnormal liver
      function and rickets were the common presentations, GGT was an early cholestatic
      sensitive test. ALP was constantly high even in asymptomatic patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: In HT1 a faster dropping of AFP is a marker of good prognosis.

PMID- 26495100
TI  - Hospital Care for Newborn Babies: Quality Assessment, A Systematic Review.
AB  - CONTEXT: Neonatal mortality rate is declining globally. The aim of the present
      study is to identify relevant indicators for assessing newborn care in hospitals
      by a systematic review. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A search on electronic data base
      and manual searches of personal files for studies on quality indicators of
      newborn care were carried out. Searching 9 bibliographic databases, we found 85
      articles of which 22 exactly related ones were selected and studied. Hand search
      yielded 1 record were also searched and 2 records were included. RESULTS: A list
      of 87 structure, process and outcome indicators was formulated from the articles.
      Also 26 excess measures were identified in gray literature. After removing
      duplicates, and categorizing in 3 domains, 18 measures were input, 41 process and
      34 outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS: These 93 indicators provide a framework for
      assessing how well the hospitals are providing neonatal care. These measures
      should be discussed in each context expert panels to address nationally
      applicable indices of neonatal care and may be adapted for local health settings.

PMID- 26495101
TI  - Expression and Role of CD166 in the Chronic Kidney Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: CD166, an adhesion molecule of the immunoglobulin superfamily, is one
      of the crucial effectors that traffic lymphocytes into tissues. Till now, the
      expression and role of CD166 in the chronic kidney disease remains unknown.
      OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we are to examine the expression of CD166 in
      the chronic kidney disease, and to explore its function with CD4+ T cells.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: CD166 expression was tested by Flow Cytometry (FACS) in
      the primary macrophages stimulated with LPS. In vivo, the expression of CD166 and
      CD4 were examined in the kidney tissues of adriamycin-induced nephropathy (AN)
      mice by immnohistochemistry. Macrophages and lymphocytes were co-cultured, the
      interaction between CD166 and CD4 was tested by immunofluorescent staining.
      Furthermore, the effects of CD166 on the activation and proliferation of T cells
      were explored. RESULTS: In this study, CD166 expression was found to be
      upregulated on activated macrophages and glomerular endothelia in the adriamycin
      induced nephropathy (AN) mice and CD4+ T cells were increased with CD166
      expression in the AN mice. The interaction between macrophages and CD4+ T cells
      indicated that CD166 played a key role in the recruitment of lymphocytes in the
      chronic kidney disease, and neither proliferation nor activation of T cells was
      affected by CD166. CONCLUSIONS: CD166 expressed on macrophages and endothelia in
      AN kidney, and the function was related to the recruitment of CD4+ T cells into
      inflamed kidney, indicating that CD166 may be a potential target for reducing the
      inflammatory infiltrates in the chronic kidney disease.

PMID- 26495102
TI  - Cord Blood Alkaline Phosphatase as an Indicator of Neonatal Jaundice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Management of hyperbilirubinemia remains a challenge for neonatal
      medicine because of the risk of neurological complications related to the
      toxicity of severe hyperbilirubinemia. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was
      to examine the validity of cord blood alkaline phosphatase level for predicting
      neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between October and December
      2013 a total of 102 healthy term infants born to healthy mothers were studied.
      Cord blood samples were collected for measurement of alkaline Phosphatase levels
      immediately after birth. Neonates were followed-up for the emergence of jaundice.
      Newborns with clinical jaundice were recalled and serum bilirubin levels
      measured. Appropriate treatment based on serum bilirubin level was performed.
      Alkaline phosphatase levels between the non-jaundiced and jaundiced treated
      neonates were compared. RESULTS: The incidence of severe jaundice that required
      treatment among followed-up neonates was 9.8%. The mean alkaline phosphatase
      level was 309.09 +/- 82.51 IU/L in the non-jaundiced group and 367.80 +/- 73.82
      IU/L in the severely jaundiced group (P = 0.040). The cutoff value of 314 IU/L
      was associated with sensitivity 80% and specificity 63% for predicting neonatal
      hyperbilirubinemia requiring treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The cord blood alkaline
      phosphatase level can be used as a predictor of severe neonatal jaundice.

PMID- 26495103
TI  - Biodegradation of Para Amino Acetanilide by Halomonas sp. TBZ3.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aromatic compounds are known as a group of highly persistent
      environmental pollutants. Halomonas sp. TBZ3 was isolated from the highly salty
      Urmia Lake of Iran. In this study, characterization of a new Halomonas isolate
      called Halomonas sp. TBZ3 and its employment for biodegradation of para-amino
      acetanilide (PAA), as an aromatic environmental pollutant, is described.
      OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to characterize the TBZ3 isolate and to elucidate
      its ability as a biodegradative agent that decomposes PAA. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Primarily, DNA-DNA hybridization between TBZ3, Halomonas denitrificans DSM18045T
      and Halomonas saccharevitans LMG 23976T was carried out. Para-amino acetanilide
      biodegradation was assessed using spectrophotometry and confirmed by gas
      chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Parameters effective on biodegradation
      of PAA were optimized by the Response Surface Methodology (RSM). RESULTS: The DNA
      DNA hybridization experiments between isolate TBZ3, H. denitrificans and H.
      saccharevitans revealed relatedness levels of 57% and 65%, respectively.
      According to GC-MS results, TBZ3 degrades PAA to benzene, hexyl butanoate, 3
      methyl-1-heptanol and hexyl hexanoate. Temperature 32.92 degrees C, pH 6.76, and
      salinity 14% are the optimum conditions for biodegradation with a confidence
      level of 95% (at level alpha = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: According to our results,
      Halomonas sp. TBZ3 could be considered as a biological agent for bioremediation
      of PAA and possibly other similar aromatic compounds.

PMID- 26495104
TI  - In Silico Investigation for Evaluation of the Potential of the SclA Protein in
      Streptococcus pyogenes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Streptococcus pyogenes is an important pathogen that is associated
      with a range of infections in humans, and causes common and severe invasive
      diseases. Currently, antimicrobial therapy is the first choice for the treatment
      of S. pyogenes; however, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and side
      effects of antibacterial drugs is increasing. Consequently, there is an increased
      demand for novel drug targets and vaccine design. OBJECTIVES: To develop an
      effective vaccine against Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus) , we
      described a novel collagen-like surface protein of S. pyogenes which is important
      virulence factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we focused on the SclA
      protein of S. pyogenes and characterized it using bioinformatic tools to
      introduce it as a candidate novel drug as a candidate for use in vaccine design.
      The secondary structure was determined and the 3D structure was modeled using
      SWISS-MODEL workspace. The immune epitope database analysis (IEDB) resource was
      used to predict regions of SclA that are likely to be recognized as epitopes.
      RESULTS: The SclA protein is present on the cell surface of the cell and has
      interact with a common ligand by its hypervariable NH2-terminal regions. The IEDB
      showed that the maximum peptide length that is likely to be predicted as an
      epitope is of 6 amino acids, from amino acid 26 to 31, with a score of 4.791.
      This epitope can be considered for use in Antibody and drug design. CONCLUSIONS:
      Data from this study about SclA were not sufficient and further studies are
      needed; however, the information here suggests that SclA could be a candidate for
      further research on the design of drugs and vaccines against S. pyogenes
      infections.

PMID- 26495105
TI  - Rapid Detection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates by
      Turanose Fermentation Method.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major
      pathogen in the hospital and community settings. Rapid methods to diagnose S.
      aureus infections are sought by many researchers worldwide. The current study
      aimed to utilize a phenotypic method of turanose fermentation to identify
      methicillin-susceptible and resistant S. aureus. OBJECTIVES: The current study
      aimed to assay the turanose metabolism at different dilutions as a rapid
      phenotypic method to identify MRSA isolates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of
      150 Staphylococcus isolates were collected from Tehran health centers.
      Staphylococcus aureus isolates were identified based on cultural characteristics,
      biochemical reactions and positive tube coagulase test. Methicillin resistance
      was determined by the disk diffusion method. The Polymerase Chain Reaction
      amplification was used to detect the mecA gene in MRSA isolates. All the
      methicillin-resistant and susceptible isolates were evaluated for turanose
      metabolism with 1%, 0.7% and 0.5% dilutions using the microplate method. RESULTS:
      Out of the 150 staphylococcal isolates, 80 were identified as S. aureus. Among
      which 40 (50%) of the isolates were MRSA. The mecA gene was present in all S.
      aureus isolates resistant to methicillin. A considerable difference was also
      observed between susceptible and resistant isolates of S. aureus at a 0.7%
      dilution of turanose. CONCLUSIONS: Since it is highly important to rapidly detect
      MRSA isolates, especially in nosocomial infections, phenotypic methods may
      certainly be useful for this purpose. Resistance to methicillin in S. aureus
      shows a substantially increased ability in turanose metabolism. It is concluded
      that fermentation of turanose at 0.7% dilution could be a rapid detection method
      for primary screening of MRSA isolates.

PMID- 26495106
TI  - Structural Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of a Biosurfactant
      Obtained From Bacillus pumilus DSVP18 Grown on Potato Peels.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biosurfactants constitute a structurally diverse group of surface
      active compounds derived from microorganisms. They are widely used industrially
      in various industrial applications such as pharmaceutical and environmental
      sectors. Major limiting factor in biosurfactant production is their production
      cost. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate biosurfactant
      production under laboratory conditions with potato peels as the sole source of
      carbon source. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A biosurfactant-producing bacterial strain
      (Bacillus pumilus DSVP18, NCBI GenBank accession no. GQ865643) was isolated from
      motor oil contaminated soil samples. Biochemical characteristics of the purified
      biosurfactant were determined and its chemical structure was analyzed. Stability
      studies were performed and biological activity of the biosurfactant was also
      evaluated. RESULTS: The strain, when grown on modified minimal salt media
      supplemented with 2% potato peels as the sole carbon source, showed the ability
      to reduce Surface Tension (ST) value of the medium from 72 to 28.7 mN/m. The
      isolated biosurfactant (3.2 +/- 0.32 g/L) was stable over a wide range of
      temperatures (20 - 120 oC), pH (2-12) and salt concentrations (2 - 12%). When
      characterized using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Fourier
      transform infrared spectroscopy, it was found to be a lipopeptide in nature,
      which was further confirmed by Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time
      of-flight mass spectrometry (mass peak 1044.60) and nuclear magnetic resonance
      (NMR) studies. Data showed that the isolated biosurfactant at the concentration
      range of 30 - 35 ug/ml had strong antimicrobial activity when tested against
      standard strains of Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis,
      Staphylococcus aureus and Paenibacillus larvae. CONCLUSIONS: Potato peels were
      proved to be potentially useful substrates for biosurfactant production by B.
      pumilus DSVP18. The strain possessed a unique property to reduce surface tension
      of the media from 72 to 28.7 mN/m. In addition, it showed a stable surface
      activity over a wide range of temperatures, pH, and saline conditions and had
      strong antimicrobial activity. This potential of the identified biosurfactant can
      be exploited by pharmaceutical industries for its commercial usage.

PMID- 26495107
TI  - Fluconazole Resistance Candida albicans in Females With Recurrent Vaginitis and
      Pir1 Overexpression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some genes may be associated with Candida albicans resistance to
      azoles. Pir1 gene is described as responsible to induce resistance in C.
      albicans. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to find the relationship between
      fluconazole resistance and Pir1 protein (Pir1p) overexpression in the females
      with recurrent C. albicans vaginitis requiring longer fluconazole therapy.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 52l vaginal samples were obtained from the
      females with C. albicans vaginitis. The azole susceptibility phenotype was
      determined according to the Clinical Laboratory for Standards Institute (CLSI)
      protocol for disk diffusion method and inhibition zone for fluconazole.
      Expression of pir1 gene and fluconazole -resistance were evaluated using
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in C. albicans. RESULTS: In the 52 isolates, 49
      (94%) were resistant to fluconazole. Overexpression of Pir1 gene was detected in
      47 (96%) fluconazole-resistant C. albicans isolates. CONCLUSIONS: The findings
      show fluconazole -resistance in C. albicans isolates with overexpression of
      Pir1p.

PMID- 26495108
TI  - Etiologic Agents of Otomycosis in the North-Western Area of Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Otomycosis is a superficial fungal infection often involves the pinna
      and external auditory canal. It is a pathologic condition, with Candida and
      Aspergillus, the most common fungal species. It is common worldwide but more
      prevalent in tropical and subtropical countries. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this
      study was to determine the etiologic agents and local epidemiologic pattern of
      otomycosis in northwest Iran. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A series of 140 patients with
      clinically symptomatic otomycosis were studied in 21 cities, towns, and villages
      throughout northwest Iran between 2009 and 2011. Clinical samples were collected
      by swabs and then assessed by mycological investigation. RESULTS: Otomycosis was
      diagnosed in 129 cases (92%, 76 male, 53 female) with the highest prevalence of
      cases occurring in males between 21 - 40 years of age. From an etiological point
      of view, 116 patients (90%, 21 - 40 years old) were infected by saprophytic mold
      and 9 patients (7%) were infected by yeast. Three cases (2%) involved
      dermatophytes, and in one case (1%) the subject was infected with Eurotium (the
      perfect stage of Aspergillus fumigatus). Aspergillus niger was the most common
      mold that was isolated, followed by A. flavus, A. fumigatus, Penicillium spp.,
      Fusarium spp., and Rhizopus spp. A total of 2 yeasts belonging to genus Candida,
      C. albicans and C. tropicalis, were isolated. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed a
      high prevalence of otomycosis in the northwestern area of Iran. As such, proper
      diagnosis and treatment by aseptic techniques for this disease is urgently
      needed.

PMID- 26495109
TI  - RPB5-Mediating Protein Suppresses Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Transcription and
      Replication by Counteracting the Transcriptional Activation of Hepatitis B virus
      X Protein in HBV Replication Mouse Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: RPB5-Mediating protein (RMP) is associated with the RNA polymerase II
      subunit RPB5. This protein functionally counteracts the transcriptional
      activation of Hepatitis B Virus X protein (HBx) by competitively binding to the
      RPB5; however, the effects of RMP on Hepatitis B virus (HBV) transcription and
      replication remain unknown. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to
      investigate the effect of RMP on viral transcription and replication in vivo by
      using the hydrodynamic-based HBV replication mouse model. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Male balb/c mice were transfected with wild type (1.2 wt) or the HBx minus HBV
      plasmids (1.2x (-)) with or without HBx and RMP, to establish an HBV replication
      mouse model by hydrodynamic injection through the tail vein. The HBV RNA and HBV
      DNA replication intermediates (RI) were analyzed in the liver. RESULTS: RPB5
      Mediating protein could inhibit HBV transcription and replication in groups
      transfected with the 1.2 wt and HBx. The inhibitory effect disappeared in the
      1.2x (-) groups, yet it reappeared in the groups co-transfected with 1.2x (-) and
      HBx. An inhibitory effect was indicated at a low dose of RMP (0.3 ug, 0.5 ug and
      0.7 ug) compared to the control group and groups that had received high doses of
      RMP. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that a low dose of RMP could inhibit HBV
      transcription and replication, which is dependent on the appearance of HBx in
      vivo.

PMID- 26495110
TI  - Detection and Genetic Characterization of Metallo-beta-Lactamase IMP-1 and VIM-2
      in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains From Different Hospitals in Kermanshah, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas aeruginosais a frequent nosocomial pathogen that causes
      severe diseases in many settings. Carbapenems, including meropenem and imipenem,
      are effective antibiotics against this organism. However, the use of carbapenems
      has been hampered by the emergence of strains resistant to carbapenemsvia
      different mechanisms such as the production of metallo-beta-lactamases (MBLs),
      which hydrolyze all carbapenems. Several kinds of MBLs have been reported, among
      them VIM and IMP types being the most clinically significant carbapenemases.
      OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the distribution of bla VIM-2 and bla IMP-1
      transferable genes encoding MBLs in P. aeruginosa isolated from three academic
      hospitals in Kermanshah. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 22nd June to 22nd September
      2012, 225 isolates of P. aeruginosa were collected. These isolates were tested
      for antibiotic susceptibility with the Kirby-Bauer disk-diffusion method, and the
      MBLs were assessed using the imipenem-EDTA double-disk synergy test. The isolates
      were investigated for bla VIM - 2 and bla IMP-1 genes using polymerase chain
      reaction. RESULTS: Among the 225 isolates, 33.7% (76/225) and 18.1% (41/225) were
      resistant to imipenem and meropenem, respectively. Of the 76 imipenem-resistant
      P. aeruginosa strains, 45 (59.2%) were positive for MBLs, 34 (75%) strains
      carried the bla IMP-1 gene, and 1 (2.2%) strain carried the bla VIM - 2 gene.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that there was a high frequency of IMP-1 positive
      P. aeruginosa in the different wards of the hospitals.

PMID- 26495111
TI  - Antifungal Activity of Selenium Nanoparticles Synthesized by Bacillus species Msh
      1 Against Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fungal infections affect various parts of the body and can be
      difficult to treat. Aspergillus infection causes a spectrum of diverse diseases
      particularly in lung according to host immunity. The two major entities are
      invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and chronic pulmonary aspergillosis. Candida
      infections can be superficial or invasive. Superficial infections often affect
      the skin or mucous membranes. However, invasive fungal infections are often life
      threatening. Advances in nanotechnology have opened new horizons in nanomedicine,
      allowing the synthesis of nanoparticles that can be assembled into complex
      architectures. Novel studies and technologies are devoted to understanding the
      mechanisms of disease for the design of new drugs. OBJECTIVES: In the present
      study, the antifungal activity of biogenic selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs)
      against Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans was investigated. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Se-reducing bacteria previously identified as Bacillus sp. MSh-1
      were used for the intracellular biosynthesis of elemental Se NPs. The shape,
      size, and purity of the extracted NPs were determined with various instrumental
      techniques. The nanoparticles antifungal characterization mainly derives from the
      following pathways: (i) to generate sustained flux of nano-ions from the
      compounds that deposited on special substrates or imbedded in colloidal or
      semisolid matrices. (ii) To transport active those ions to sensitive targets on
      plasma membrane of fungi. RESULTS: The results of energy-dispersive X-ray
      demonstrated that the purified NPs consisted of only Se. In addition,
      transmission electron micrographs showed that 120- to 140-nm spherical Se NPs
      were the most common. An antifungal assay was performed with a standard Clinical
      and Laboratory Standards Institute broth microdilution method. Minimum inhibitory
      concentration (MIC) measurements of the antifungal activity of the Se NPs against
      C. albicans (70 MUg/mL) and A. fumigatus (100 MUg/mL) showed that yeast cells
      were more sensitive than mold cells. CONCLUSIONS: The MICs against A. fumigatus
      (100 MUg/mL) and C. albicans (70 MUg/mL) showed that biogenic Se NPs are useful
      antifungal agents.

PMID- 26495112
TI  - Correlation of Oxacillinase Gene Carriage With the Genetic Fingerprints of
      Imipenem-Resistant Clinical Isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Emergence of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii has resulted
      in the treatment failure of related infections and an increase in patient
      mortality. The presence of class D beta-lactamases (oxacillinases) in this
      organism is an important mechanism underlying resistance to beta-lactam
      antibiotics. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this work was to investigate the correlation
      between oxacillinase gene carriage and genetic fingerprints in imipenem-resistant
      burn and non-burn isolates of A. baumannii. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight A.
      baumannii isolates were collected from October 2011 to April 2012, which included
      28 burn isolates from Shahid Motahari Hospital and 30 non-burn isolates from Imam
      Hossein Hospital. The minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentrations
      (MIC and MBC) of imipenem were measured by the broth microdilution method. The
      presence of oxacillinase genes (OXA-23-, OXA-24-, OXA-51-, and OXA-58-like genes)
      was shown using type-specific primers and PCR. Genetic profiles were generated by
      RAPD-PCR fingerprinting. RESULTS: OXA-23 was observed in 81% of the isolates and
      its distribution was similar within the two groups. The presence of OXA-51 was
      shown in 58.6% of the isolates, of which most were burn isolates (67.6%). OXA-24
      was present in 20.7% of the isolates, all belonging to the burn group; OXA-58 was
      not observed in any of the isolates. RAPD-PCR fingerprints revealed two clusters
      at a similarity level of 70% (A, B). At a similarity level of 85%, nine different
      groups were observed for burn and non-bun isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      showed that bla OXA-23 was the most prevalent gene, followed by bla OXA-51 ,
      among the burn and non-burn clinical isolates of A. baumannii. Bla OXA-24 -like
      genes were detected at a lower level and were only found among the burn isolates,
      which also showed higher heterogeneity compared to the non-burn group.

PMID- 26495113
TI  - Detection of Staphylococcus Enterotoxin B (SEB) Using an Immunochromatographic
      Test Strip.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important microorganisms
      that causes various human diseases by secreting virulence factors known as
      staphylococcal super antigens (SAgs). Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB) is a
      bacterial antigen that is responsible for food poisoning in humans. Among SEB
      detection methods, a lateral flow device (LFD) is ideal for rapid
      immunochromatographic tests because it is easy to use, requires minimal time to
      produce results, and does not require personnel training. OBJECTIVES: In our
      laboratory, the production of an immunochromatographic test strip, for the
      detection of SEB using a sandwich assay and a competitive method, was described;
      the test can detect SEB with high sensitivity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The strip
      assays were compared with PCR, a valid method for detection. For PCR, a specific
      sequence for SEB production was detected using primers designed according to
      GenBank sequences. RESULTS: In total, 80 food samples suspected of SEB
      contamination were assessed using the two methods. Fifty-four samples were
      contaminated based on the PCR technique and twenty-six of those were confirmed
      using the strip assay. CONCLUSIONS: The sensitivity of the sandwich method was
      approximately 10 ng/mL and that of the competitive method was approximately 250
      ng/mL. In the LFD, a highly specific monoclonal antibody used for both the
      sandwich and competitive methods resulted in an increased sensitivity and
      accuracy for the detection of a minimal SEB concentration.

PMID- 26495114
TI  - Analysis of Bacillus thuringiensis Population Dynamics and Its Interaction With
      Pseudomonas fluorescens in Soil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bacillus thuringiensis is the most successful biological control
      agent, however, studies so far have shown that B. thuringiensis is very sensitive
      to environmental factors such as soil moisture and pH. Ultraviolet light from the
      sun had been considered as the main limiting factor for its persistence in soil
      and it has recently been shown that the antagonism exerted by other native soil
      organisms, such as Pseudomonas fluorescens, is a determining factor in the
      persistence of this bacterium under in vitro culture conditions. OBJECTIVES: The
      aim of the present investigation was to analyze the population dynamics of B.
      thuringiensis and its interaction with P. fluorescens using microbiological and
      molecular methods in soil, under different conditions, and to determinate the
      effect of nutrients and moisture on its interaction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      monitoring was performed by microbiological methods, such as viable count of
      bacteria, and molecular methods such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and
      hybridization, using the direct extraction of DNA from populations of inoculated
      soil. RESULTS: The analysis of the interaction between B. thuringiensis and P.
      fluorescens in soil indicated that the disappearance of B. thuringiensis IPS82 is
      not dependent on the moisture but the composition of nutrients that may be
      affecting the secretion of toxic compounds in the environment of P. fluorescens.
      The results showed that the recovered cells were mostly spores and not vegetative
      cells in all proved treatments. The molecular methods were effective for
      monitoring bacterial population inoculated in soil. CONCLUSIONS: Bacillus
      thuringiensis is very sensitive to the interaction of P. fluorescens, however is
      capable to survive in soil due to its capacity of sporulate. Some of the cells in
      the form of spores germinated and folded slightly and remained in a constant
      cycle of sporulation and germination. This confirms that B. thuringiensis IPS82
      can germinate, grow and sporulate in soil.

PMID- 26495115
TI  - In Vitro Susceptibilities of Candida albicans Isolates to Antifungal Agents in
      Tokat, Turkey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Candida albicans is the pathogenic species most commonly isolated
      from fungal infections. Management of these infections depends on the immune
      status of the host, severity of disease, and the choice of antifungal drug. In
      spite of the development of new antifungal drugs, epidemiological studies have
      shown that resistance to antifungal drugs in C. albicans strains is becoming a
      serious problem. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro
      susceptibility of C. albicans isolates to ketoconazole, fluconazole,
      itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, amphotericin B, caspofungin, and
      anidulafungin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 201 C. albicans isolates were
      collected from clinical specimens. Antifungal susceptibility tests were performed
      using the Etest. RESULTS: All the tested C. albicans isolates were found to be
      susceptible to amphotericin B and anidulafungin. Although none of the isolates
      showed resistance to caspofungin, 15% of the isolates were classified as showing
      intermediate resistance. The resistance rates of C. albicans isolates to
      ketoconazole, fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole and posaconazole were 32%,
      34%, 21%, 14% and 14%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that
      resistance of C. albicans strains to azoles is more common in Tokat, Turkey.
      Therefore, a strategy to control the inappropriate and widespread use of
      antifungal drugs is urgently needed. Fungal culturing and antifungal
      susceptibility testing will be useful in patient management as well as resistance
      surveillance.

PMID- 26495116
TI  - Metabolism, health and fillet nutritional quality in Atlantic salmon (Salmo
      salar) fed diets containing n-3-rich microalgae.
AB  - Microalgae, as primary producers of EPA and DHA, are among the most prominent
      alternative sources to fish oil for n-3 long-chain PUFA in animal and human
      nutrition. The present study aimed to assess technical, nutritional and fish
      health aspects of producing n-3-rich Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fish fillets
      by dietary supplementation of increasing levels of a DHA-producing Schizochytrium
      sp. and reduced or without use of supplemental fish oil. Atlantic salmon smolt
      were fed diets with graded levels of microalgae for 12 weeks, during which all
      fish showed high feed intake rates with postprandial plasma leptin levels
      inversely correlating with final mean fish body weights. Fish performance was
      optimal in all experimental treatments (thermal growth coefficient about 4.0 and
      feed conversion ratio 0.8-0.9), protein digestibility was equal in all diets,
      whereas dietary lipid digestibility inversely correlated with the dietary levels
      of the SFA 16 : 0. Fillet quality was good and similar to the control in all
      treatments in terms of n-3 long-chain PUFA content, gaping, texture and liquid
      losses during thawing. Histological fluorescence staining and immunofluorescence
      analysis of salmon intestines (midgut: base of intestine and villi) revealed
      significant effects on slime, goblet cell production and inducible nitric oxide
      synthase (iNOS) activity with increasing levels of dietary Schizochytrium sp.
      supplementation. Microarray analysis did not reveal any signs of toxicity,
      stress, inflammation or any other negative effects from Schizochytrium sp.
      supplementation in diets for Atlantic salmon. 

PMID- 26495117
TI  - Relative validation of the dietary intake of fatty acids among adults in the
      Swedish National Dietary Survey using plasma phospholipid fatty acid composition.
AB  - The aims of a national dietary study are several-fold. One purpose is to monitor
      the intake of foods and nutrients in the population and to compare intakes with
      dietary recommendations. It is, however, difficult to measure dietary fat intake
      and plasma biomarker fatty acid (FA) composition may be used as an objective
      measure of dietary fat intake. Thus, the relative ability of a diet record to
      capture habitual fat intake was validated against biomarker FA. Dietary fat
      intake was measured in a novel self-assisted web-based 4-d food record - the
      'Riksmaten' method. Spearman rank correlations between dietary FA, certain food
      groups (fish-shellfish, dairy products, meat and sausages, and spreads) and the
      fat content of these food groups and biomarker FA were explored. Participants
      were 150 women and 129 men, aged 18-80 years, who took part in the Swedish
      National Dietary Survey, Riksmaten adults 2010-11. Blood samples were collected
      on average 20 d after the diet record and FA composition was measured in plasma
      phospholipids by GLC. Total n-3 FA (r 0.31), EPA (r 0.34) and DHA (r 0.42) were
      correlated between plasma and diet (all P <= 0.001). Adjustment for covariates
      attenuated the relationships. Linoleic acid was only marginally correlated (r
      0.15; P = 0.06) in women. Plasma pentadecaenoic acid and heptadecaenoic acid were
      correlated with dairy product intake as previously reported. In conclusion, the
      Riksmaten method appears valid for the purpose of collecting data on dietary fat
      composition, at least in a healthy adult population. 

PMID- 26495118
TI  - Effects of school meals with weekly fish servings on vitamin D status in Danish
      children: secondary outcomes from the OPUS (Optimal well-being, development and
      health for Danish children through a healthy New Nordic Diet) School Meal Study.
AB  - Children's vitamin D intake and status can be optimised to meet recommendations.
      We investigated if nutritionally balanced school meals with weekly fish servings
      affected serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and markers related to bone in 8- to
      11-year-old Danish children. We conducted an explorative secondary outcome
      analysis on data from 784 children from the OPUS School Meal Study, a cluster
      randomised cross-over trial where children received school meals for 3 months and
      habitual lunch for 3 months. At baseline, and at the end of each dietary period,
      25(OH)D, parathyroid hormone (PTH), osteocalcin (OC), insulin-like growth factor
      1 (IGF-1), bone mineral content (BMC), bone area (BA), bone mineral density
      (BMD), dietary intake and physical activity were assessed. School meals increased
      vitamin D intake by 0.9 (95 % CI 0.7, 1.1) MUg/d. No consistent effects were
      found on 25(OH)D, BMC, BA, BMD, IGF-1 or OC. However, season-modified effects
      were observed with 25(OH)D, i.e. children completing the school meal period in
      January/February had higher 25(OH)D status (5.5 (95 % CI 1.8, 9.2) nmol/l; P =
      0.004) than children completing the control period in these months. A similar
      tendency was indicated in November/December (4.1 (95 % CI -0.12, 8.3) nmol/l; P =
      0.057). However, the effect was opposite in March/April (-4.0 (95 % CI -7.0, 
      0.9) nmol/l; P = 0.010), and no difference was found in May/June (P = 0.214).
      Unexpectedly, the school meals slightly increased PTH (0.18 (95 % CI 0.07, 0.29)
      pmol/l) compared with habitual lunch. Small increases in dietary vitamin D might
      hold potential to mitigate the winter nadir in Danish children's 25(OH)D status
      while higher increases appear necessary to affect status throughout the year.
      More trials on effects of vitamin D intake from natural foods are needed. 

PMID- 26495119
TI  - Maternal supplementation of seaweed-derived polysaccharides improves intestinal
      health and immune status of suckling piglets.
AB  - The experiment investigated the effect of maternal dietary supplementation of
      seaweed-derived polysaccharides (SDP) (-SDP v. +SDP, n   20) from day 83 of
      gestation until weaning (day 28) on selected sow faeces and piglet digesta
      microbiota populations, piglet small-intestinal morphology, and intestinal
      nutrient transporter and inflammatory cytokine gene expression at birth, 48 h
      after birth and weaning. The effect of maternal dietary treatment on the piglet
      gene expression profile of inflammatory cytokines in the colon following a
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge was also investigated. Dietary SDP reduced sow
      faecal Enterobacteriaceae gene numbers at parturition. Small-intestinal
      morphology, nutrient transporter and cytokine gene expression in newborn piglets
      did not differ between maternal dietary treatments (P > 0.10). At 48 h after
      birth, sodium-glucose-linked transporter 1 gene expression was down-regulated in
      the ileum of piglets suckling the SDP-supplemented sows compared with those
      suckling the basal sows (P = 0.050). There was a SDP * LPS challenge interaction
      on IL-1 and IL-6 gene expression in the colon of piglets (P < 0.05). The gene
      expression of IL-1 and IL-6 was down-regulated in the LPS-challenged colon of
      piglets suckling the SDP sows compared with those suckling the basal sows (P <
      0.05). However, there was no difference in IL-1 and IL-6 gene expression in the
      unchallenged colon between treatment groups. At weaning, piglets suckling the SDP
      supplemented sows had increased villus height in the jejunum and ileum compared
      with those suckling the basal-fed sows (P < 0.05). In conclusion, maternal
      dietary SDP supplementation enhanced the immune response of suckling piglets and
      improved gut morphology, making them more immune competent to deal with post
      weaning adversities. 

PMID- 26495121
TI  - What do Danish children eat, and does the diet meet the recommendations? Baseline
      data from the OPUS School Meal Study.
AB  - A child's diet is an important determinant for later health, growth and
      development. In Denmark, most children in primary school bring their own packed
      lunch from home and attend an after-school care institution. The aim of the
      present study was to evaluate the food, energy and nutrient intake of Danish
      school children in relation to dietary guidelines and nutrient recommendations,
      and to assess the food intake during and outside school hours. In total, 834
      children from nine public schools located in the eastern part of Denmark were
      included in this cross-sectional study and 798 children (95.7 %) completed the
      dietary assessment sufficiently (August-November 2011). The whole diet was
      recorded during seven consecutive days using the Web-based Dietary Assessment
      Software for Children (WebDASC). Compared with the food-based dietary guidelines
      and nutrient recommendations, 85 % of the children consumed excess amounts of red
      meat, 89 % consumed too much saturated fat, and 56 % consumed too much added
      sugar. Additionally 35 or 91 % of the children (depending on age group) consumed
      insufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables, 85 % consumed insufficient amounts
      of fish, 86 % consumed insufficient amounts of dietary fibre, 60 or 84 % had an
      insufficient Fe intake (depending on age group), and 96 % had an insufficient
      vitamin D intake. The study also showed that there is a higher intake of fruits
      and bread during school hours than outside school hours; this is not the case
      with, for example, fish and vegetables, and future studies should investigate
      strategies to increase fish and vegetable intake during school hours. 

PMID- 26495120
TI  - A comparison of the nutrient intake of a community-dwelling first-episode
      psychosis cohort, aged 19-64 years, with data from the UK population.
AB  - Psychosis increases the risk of CVD, obesity and type 2 diabetes and reduces life
      expectancy. There are limited data comparing the dietary habits of community
      dwelling first-episode psychosis sufferers - with autonomy over diet - and the
      general population. The data represent the retrospective evaluation of
      nutritional data collected between 2007 and 2013 from 143 individuals from the UK
      population receiving treatment for first-episode psychosis. Differences in mean
      nutrient intakes between the study cohort and the national sample were tested for
      statistical significance using independent t tests, incorporating Satterthwaite's
      correction where required. Mean total energy intake was lower for males (P =
      0.049) and higher for females (P = 0.016) in the cohort than in the corresponding
      subgroups of the national sample. Females in the study cohort consumed 12.9 (95 %
      CI 4.3, 21.5) g more total fat per d, whilst males consumed 7.7 (95 % CI 0.5,
      14.9) g less protein per d than the national sample. Males in the study also
      showed significantly lower mean intakes than nationally of folate, Fe, Se,
      vitamin D and Zn, but not vitamin C. The proportion of individuals not meeting
      the lower reference nutrient intakes, particularly for Se (males 54.0 % and
      females 57.1 %) and for Fe amongst females (29.6 %), is cause for concern
      regarding potentially severe deficiencies. Further exploration of dietary habits
      within first-episode psychosis is warranted to assess whether individuals make
      beneficial dietary changes for their physical and mental health and wellbeing
      following dietary change intervention. It would also be pertinent to assess any
      correlation between diet and mental health symptomology. 

PMID- 26495122
TI  - Oral supplementations of betaine, choline, creatine and vitamin B6 and their
      influence on the development of homocysteinaemia in neonatal piglets.
AB  - Homocysteine (Hcy) is an intermediary sulphur amino acid recognised for pro
      oxidative properties in several species which may weaken immune competence in
      piglets. In this species, there is an acute 10-fold increase of concentrations of
      plasma Hcy (pHcy) during the first 2 weeks of life. The present experiment aimed
      to determine if pHcy in piglets can be regulated by oral supplementations of
      betaine as a methyl group supplier, creatine for reducing the demand for methyl
      groups, choline with both previous functions and vitamin B6 as enzymic co-factor
      for Hcy catabolism. A total of seventeen sows (second parity) were fed gestation
      and lactation diets supplemented with folic acid (10 mg/kg) and vitamin B12 (150
      ug/kg). Eight piglets in each litter received daily one of the eight following
      oral treatments (mg/kg body weight): (1) control (saline); (2) betaine (50); (3)
      choline (70); (4) creatine (300); (5) pyridoxine (0.2); (6) treatments 2 and 5;
      (7) treatments 3 and 4; and (8) treatments 2, 3, 4 and 5. According to age, pHcy
      increased sharply from 2.48 um at birth to 17.96 um at 21 d of age (P < 0.01).
      Concentrations of pHcy tended to be lower (P = 0.09) in treated than in control
      piglets but the highest and sole pairwise significant decrease (23 %) was
      observed between treatments 1 and 8 (P = 0.03). Growth from birth to 21 d of age
      was not influenced by treatments (P > 0.70). Therefore, it appears possible to
      reduce pHcy concentrations in suckling piglets but a combination of all chosen
      nutrients is required. 

PMID- 26495123
TI  - The oral [(13)C]bicarbonate technique for measurement of short-term energy
      expenditure of sled dogs and their physiological response to diets with different
      fat:carbohydrate ratios.
AB  - The oral [(13)C]bicarbonate technique (o(13)CBT) was assessed for the
      determination of short-term energy expenditure (EE) under field conditions. A
      total of eight Alaskan huskies were fed two experimental diets in a cross-over
      experiment including two periods of 3 weeks. Effects of diets on EE, apparent
      total tract digestibility (ATTD) and on plasma hormones, blood lactate and
      glucose were furthermore investigated. The percentages of metabolisable energy
      derived from protein (P), fat (F) and carbohydrates (C) were 26:58:16 in the PFC
      diet and 24:75:1 in the PF diet. Measurements of EE were performed in the post
      absorptive state during rest. Blood samples were collected during rest and
      exercise and ATTD was determined after days with rest and with exercise. EE was
      higher (P < 0.01) in period 2 than in period 1 (68 v. 48 kJ/kg body weight(0.75)
      per h). The ATTD of organic matter, crude protein and crude fat was higher (P <
      0.01) in the PF diet compared with the PFC diet, and lower (P < 0.01) for total
      carbohydrates. Exercise did not affect ATTD. Higher (P < 0.01) insulin-like
      growth factor 1 and leptin concentrations were measured when fed the PF diet
      compared with the PFC diet. Concentrations of insulin decreased (P < 0.01),
      whereas cortisol and ghrelin increased (P < 0.05), after exercise. There was no
      effect of diet on blood lactate and glucose, but higher (P < 0.001) lactate
      concentrations were measured in period 1 than in period 2. The results suggest
      that the o(13)CBT can be used in the field to estimate short-term EE in dogs
      during resting conditions. Higher ATTD and energy density of the PF diet may be
      beneficial when energy requirements are high. 

PMID- 26495124
TI  - The effect of enteral nutrition on adipokines in patients with acute
      pancreatitis.
AB  - The mechanism behind the beneficial effects of enteral nutrition (EN) for
      patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) is largely unknown. Adipokines, as
      mediators of metabolism and inflammation, may be a possible mechanism. The study
      aimed to investigate the effect of EN on adipokines early in the course of AP.
      Patients with AP were randomised to EN or nil-by-mouth (NBM). Blood samples were
      taken on the first 4 d of admission and adipokine concentrations for adiponectin,
      leptin, omentin, resistin and visfatin were determined by ELISA assays. A linear
      mixed model analysis was run to determine differences in adipokine concentrations
      between the two study groups. A total of thirty-two patients were included in the
      study. Omentin concentrations were significantly higher in patients who received
      EN compared with NBM across the first 4 d of admission (mean difference: 11.6 (95
      % CI 1.0, 22.3) ng/ml; P = 0.033). Leptin concentrations were significantly
      higher in patients who received EN compared with NBM after adjusting for age, sex
      and BMI (mean difference: 2.3 (95 % CI 0.1, 4.5) ng/ml; P = 0.037). No
      significant difference in adiponectin, resistin or visfatin concentrations were
      observed between the two study groups. EN significantly increases omentin and
      leptin concentrations in AP. Future research should be directed towards
      understanding whether these adipokines are responsible for the therapeutic
      benefits of EN. 

PMID- 26495125
TI  - Postprandial glycaemic and insulinaemic responses in adults after consumption of
      dairy desserts and pound cakes containing short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides
      used to replace sugars.
AB  - The present studies aimed to evaluate the glycaemic and insulinaemic responses,
      in healthy adults, to short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) from sucrose
      used to replace sugars in foods. Two study populations aged 18-50 years were
      recruited and they consumed dairy desserts or pound cakes containing either
      standard sugar content or scFOS to replace 30 % of the sugar content. For each
      study, the two products were tested once under a double-blind and cross-over
      design with at least 7 d between the two tests. Glucose and insulin were measured
      using standard methods in blood samples collected with a venous catheter for 120
      min during a kinetic test. For the dairy desserts, replacing 30 % of the sugars
      with scFOS significantly reduced postprandial glycaemic (AUC0-120 min; P = 0.020)
      and insulinaemic (AUC0-120 min; P = 0.003) responses. For the pound cakes, the
      glycaemic response was not altered (AUC0-120 min; P =  0.322) while the
      insulinaemic response tended to be lower (AUC0-120 min; P = 0.067). This study
      showed that scFOS can be used to replace sugars with the benefit of lowering the
      postprandial glycaemic response without increasing the insulinaemic response. The
      effect might be modulated by other parameters (e.g. fat content) of the food
      matrices. 

PMID- 26495126
TI  - Yogurt drink fortified with menaquinone-7 improves vitamin K status in a healthy
      population.
AB  - Population-based studies have shown an inverse association between dietary
      menaquinones (MK-n, vitamin K2) intake, coronary calcification and CHD risk,
      suggesting a potential role of vitamin K in vascular health. To date, the effects
      of increased menaquinone intake on (markers of) vascular health have been
      investigated using predominantly food supplements. Dairy products contain many
      essential nutrients and can serve as a good matrix for food fortification in
      order to support health. We were therefore interested to study the effects of a
      menaquinone-fortified yogurt drink (menaquinone as menaquinone-7 (MK-7); 28 ug MK
      7/yogurt drink) on vitamin K status and markers of vascular health. The yogurt
      drink was also fortified with n-3 PUFA, vitamin D, vitamin C, Ca and Mg to
      support vascular and/or general health. Healthy men (n 32) and postmenopausal
      women (n 28) with a mean age of 56 (sd 5) years received either basic or
      fortified yogurt drink twice per d for 12 weeks. MK-7 was efficiently absorbed
      from the fortified yogurt drink. Levels of circulating MK-7 were significantly
      increased from 0.28 to 1.94 ng/ml. In accordance, intake of the fortified yogurt
      drink improved vitamin K status, as measured by significant decreases in
      uncarboxylated osteocalcin and desphospho-uncarboxylated matrix Gla-protein. No
      effects were, however, seen on markers of inflammation, endothelial dysfunction
      and lipid metabolism. In summary, consumption of a yogurt drink fortified with
      low doses of among others MK-7 for 3 months significantly improved vitamin K
      status in a healthy population. 

PMID- 26495127
TI  - MLVA typing of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae bacterins and field strains.
AB  - Because of the lack of information about both the genetic characteristics of
      Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae commercial vaccines and their relationship with field
      strains, the authors attempted to identify genetic subtypes of some M
      hyopneumoniae bacterins, and to compare them with M. hyopneumoniae field strains.
      Six commercial M hyopneumoniae bacterins and 28 bronchoalveolar lavages from pigs
      at slaughter from three herds were analysed by Multiple-Locus Variable number
      tandem repeat Analysis (MLVA) on p146R1, p146R3, H4, H5 and p95 loci. The results
      obtained showed the presence of more than one M hyopneumoniae genotype in some
      pigs and also in one of the bacterins analysed. It is also worth noting that MLVA
      typing allowed the distinction among circulating field strains and also when
      comparing them with vaccine strains, which, knowing the relatedness among them,
      could be useful in the research of the efficacy of the vaccines. 

PMID- 26495128
TI  - Milk Modulates Campylobacter Invasion into Caco-2 Intestinal Epithelial Cells.
AB  - Raw milk is a recognized source of Campylobacter outbreaks, but pasteurization is
      an effective way to eliminate the causative agent of Campylobacteriosis. Whereas
      breastfeeding is protective against infectious diseases, consumption of formula
      milk is thought to be not. However, in relation to Campylobacter, such data is
      currently unavailable. Although both pasteurized and formula milk are pathogen
      free and prepared in a quality controlled manner, the effect they have on the
      virulence of Campylobacter species is unknown. Here, we studied the effect of
      cow, goat, horse, and formula milk on Campylobacter invasion into intestinal
      epithelial Caco-2 cells, a pathogenic feature of this bacterial species, using a
      gentamicin exclusion invasion assay. We found that all milk products modulated
      the invasion of Campylobacter species into the Caco-2 cells in a dose-dependent
      manner. Control experiments showed that the milks were not toxic for the Caco-2
      cells and that the effect on invasion is caused by heat labile (e.g., milk
      proteins) or heat stable (e.g., sugar/lipids) components depending on the
      Campylobacter species studied. This in vitro study shows for the first time that
      pasteurized and formula milk affect the invasion of Campylobacter. We recommend a
      prospective study to examine whether pasteurized and formula milk affect
      Campylobacteriosis. 

PMID- 26495129
TI  - Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 Mediates Intestinal Immunopathogenesis in
      Campylobacter Jejuni-Infected Infant Mice.
AB  - Increased levels of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-2 and -9 (also referred
      to gelatinase-A and -B, respectively) can be detected in the inflamed gut. We
      have recently shown that synthetic gelatinase blockage reduces colonic apoptosis
      and pro-inflammatory immune responses following murine Campylobacter (C.) jejuni
      infection. In order to dissect whether MMP-2 and/or MMP-9 is involved in
      mediating C. jejuni-induced immune responses, infant MMP-2(-/-), MMP-9(-/-), and
      wildtype (WT) mice were perorally infected with the C. jejuni strain B2
      immediately after weaning. Whereas, at day 2 postinfection (p.i.), fecal C.
      jejuni B2 loads were comparable in mice of either genotype, mice expelled the
      pathogen from the intestinal tract until day 4 p.i. Six days p.i., colonic MMP-2
      but not MMP-9 mRNA was upregulated in WT mice. Remarkably, infected MMP-2(-/-)
      mice exhibited less frequent abundance of blood in feces, less distinct colonic
      histopathology and apoptosis, lower numbers of effector as well as innate and
      adaptive immune cells within the colonic mucosa, and higher colonic IL-22 mRNA
      levels as compared to infected WT mice. In conclusion, these results point
      towards an important role of MMP-2 in mediating C. jejuni-induced intestinal
      immunopathogenesis. 

PMID- 26495130
TI  - Evaluation of Bloodstream Infections During Chemotherapy-Induced Febrile
      Neutropenia in Patients with Malignant Hematological Diseases: Single Center
      Experience.
AB  - From year to year, it is important to get an overview of the occurrence of
      causative agents in febrile neutropenic patients to determine the empiric
      treatment. Thus our aims were to evaluate a four-year period regarding the
      prevalence of bloodstream infections and the most important causative agents.
      During this period, 1,361 patients were treated in our hematology ward because of
      various hematological disorders. 812 febrile episodes were recorded in 469
      patients. At that time, 3,714 blood culture (BC) bottles were sent for
      microbiological investigations, 759 of them gave positive signal. From the
      majority of positive blood culture bottles (67.1%), Gram-positive bacteria,
      mainly coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), were grown. Gram-negative bacteria
      were isolated from 32.9% of the positive blood culture bottles, in these cases
      the leading pathogen was Escherichia coli. The high prevalence of CNS was
      attributed to mainly contamination, while lower positivity rate for Gram-negative
      bacteria was associated with the use of broad-spectrum empiric antibiotic
      treatment. 

PMID- 26495131
TI  - ABO/Rh Blood Groups and Risk of HIV Infection and Hepatitis B Among Blood Donors
      of Abidjan, Cote D'ivoire.
AB  - Hepatitis B and HIV infection are two viral infections that represent real global
      public health problems. In order to improve their management, some hypotheses
      suggest that genetic predispositions like ABO and Rh blood groups would influence
      the occurrence of these diseases. The aim of the present study was to examine the
      association between ABO and Rhesus blood groups and the susceptibility to HIV
      infection and hepatitis B. We conducted a cross-sectional and analytical study in
      a population of voluntary blood donors in the Blood Transfusion Center of
      Abidjan. All blood donors who donated blood between January and June 2014 were
      tested for HBs antigen and anti-HIV antibodies (ELISA tests) and were ABO typed.
      The total number of examined blood donors during this period was 45,538, of which
      0.32% and 8.07% were respectively infected with HIV and hepatitis B virus. O
      group donors were more infected than non-O donors. Our study is an outline
      concerning the search for a link between ABO and Rh blood groups and hepatitis B
      and HIV infection. Further studies should be conducted to confirm the interaction
      between these two infections and contribute to the search for new therapeutic
      approaches. 

PMID- 26495132
TI  - Anti-Inflammatory Properties of NAP in Acute Toxoplasma Gondii-Induced Ileitis in
      Mice.
AB  - The octapeptide NAP has been shown to exert neuroprotective properties. Here, we
      investigated potential anti-inflammatory effects of NAP in an acute ileitis
      model. To address this, C57BL/6j mice were perorally infected with Toxoplasma
      gondii (day 0). Within 1 week postinfection (p.i.), placebo (PLC)-treated mice
      developed acute ileitis due to Th1-type immune responses. Mice that were
      subjected to intraperitoneal NAP treatment from day 1 until day 6 p.i., however,
      developed less distinct macroscopic and microscopic disease as indicated by less
      body weight loss, less distinct histopathological ileal changes, and lower ileal
      apoptotic, but higher proliferating cell numbers, less abundance of neutrophils,
      macrophages, monocytes, and T lymphocytes, but higher numbers of regulatory T
      cells in the ileal mucosa and lamina propria, and lower concentrations of pro
      inflammatory mediators in the ilea as compared to PLC controls at day 7 p.i.
      Remarkably, NAP-mediated anti-inflammatory effects could also be observed in
      extra-intestinal compartments including liver and spleen. Strikingly, lower MCP
      1, TNF, and IL-12p70 serum concentrations in NAP as compared to PLC-treated mice
      at day 7 p.i. indicate a pronounced systemic anti-inflammatory effect of NAP in
      acute ileitis. These findings provide first evidence for NAP as a potential novel
      treatment option in intestinal inflammation. 

PMID- 26495134
TI  - Safety and Efficacy of Adding Fixed-Combination Brinzolamide/Timolol Maleate to
      Prostaglandin Therapy for Treatment of Ocular Hypertension or Glaucoma.
AB  - Purpose. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of adding brinzolamide 1%/timolol
      maleate 0.5% fixed combination (BTFC) to a prostaglandin analog (PGA). Methods.
      This was a 12-week, open-label, single-arm study of patients with open-angle
      glaucoma or ocular hypertension with intraocular pressure (IOP) not sufficiently
      controlled after >=4 weeks of PGA monotherapy. The primary outcome was mean IOP
      change from baseline at week 12. Other outcomes included IOP change from baseline
      at week 4, percentage of patients achieving IOP <=18 mmHg at week 12, and patient
      experience survey responses at week 12. Results. Forty-seven patients were
      enrolled and received treatment. The most commonly used PGAs were latanoprost
      (47%) and travoprost (32%). Mean +/- SD IOP was decreased at week 12 (17.2 +/-
      4.1 mmHg) compared with baseline (23.1 +/- 3.0 mmHg; P < 0.001, paired t-test);
      IOP at week 4 was 17.2 +/- 3.3 mmHg. At week 12, 70% of patients achieved IOP
      <=18 mmHg. Patient-reported symptoms (e.g., pain and redness) were mostly
      unchanged from baseline. Twenty-eight adverse events (AEs) were reported; the
      most frequently reported AE was headache (3 events in 2 patients). Conclusion.
      Adjunctive BTFC + PGA therapy was effective and well tolerated. IOP decreased by
      6 mmHg at weeks 4 and 12. 

PMID- 26495133
TI  - TFF Peptides Play a Role in the Immune Response Following Oral Infection of Mice
      with Toxoplasma Gondii.
AB  - The peptide trefoil factor family 3 (TFF3) is a major constituent of the
      intestinal mucus, playing an important role in the repair of epithelial surfaces.
      To further understand the role of TFF3 in the protection of intestinal
      epithelium, we tested the influence of TFF3 in a murine Toxoplasma gondii-induced
      ileitis model. Surprisingly, TFF3(KO) mice showed a reduced immune response in
      the ileum when compared to wild-type animals. Interleukin-12 and interferon-gamma
      expression levels as well as the number of CD4(+) lymphocytes were reduced in the
      infected TFF3(KO) mice. These effects were in line with the trend of elevated
      parasite levels in the ileum. Moreover, TFF1 expression was upregulated in the
      spleen of infected mice. These initial results indicate that TFF3 is involved in
      the immune pathology of T. gondii infection-induced intestinal inflammation. Thus
      far, the mechanisms of how TFF3 influences the immune response are not fully
      understood. Further studies should identify if TFF3 affects mucus sensing of
      dendritic cells and how TFF3 is involved in regulating the immune response as an
      intrinsic secretory peptide of immune cells. 

PMID- 26495135
TI  - Canaloplasty: A Minimally Invasive and Maximally Effective Glaucoma Treatment.
AB  - Canaloplasty is a highly effective, minimally invasive, surgical technique
      indicated for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma that works by restoring the
      function of the eye's natural outflow system. The procedure's excellent safety
      profile and long-term efficacy make it a viable option for the majority of
      glaucoma patient types. It can be used in conjunction with existing drug based
      glaucoma treatments, after laser or other types of incisional surgery, and does
      not preclude or affect the outcome of future surgery. Numerous scientific studies
      have shown Canaloplasty to be safe and effective in lowering IOP whilst reducing
      medication dependence. A recent refinement of Canaloplasty, known as ab-interno
      Canaloplasty (ABiC), maintains the IOP-lowering and safety benefits of
      traditional (ab-externo) Canaloplasty using a more efficient, simplified surgical
      approach. This paper presents a review of Canaloplasty indications, clinical
      data, and complications, as well as comparisons with traditional incisional
      glaucoma techniques. It also addresses the early clinical evidence for ABiC. 

PMID- 26495136
TI  - Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Variability to Detect Vascular Dysregulation in
      Glaucoma.
AB  - Purpose. To investigate blood pressure and heart rate variability in patients
      with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) to detect disturbed blood pressure
      regulation. Methods. Thirty-one patients with POAG (mean age 68 +/- 10 years) and
      48 control subjects (mean age 66 +/- 10 years) were included in a prospective
      study. Continuous blood pressure and heart rate were simultaneously and
      noninvasively recorded over 30 min (Glaucoscreen, aviant GmbH, Jena, Germany).
      Data were analyzed calculating univariate linear (time domain and frequency
      domain), nonlinear (Symbolic Dynamics, SD) and bivariate (Joint Symbolic
      Dynamics, JSD) indices. Results. Using nonlinear methods, glaucoma patients were
      separated with more parameters compared to linear methods. In POAG, nonlinear
      univariate indices (pW113 and pW120_Sys) were increased while the indices
      pTH10_Sys and pTH11_Sys reflect a reduction of dominant patterns. Bivariate
      indices (JSDdia29, JSDdia50, and JSDdia52; coupling between heart rate and
      diastolic blood pressure) were increased in POAG. The optimum set consisting of
      six parameters (JSDdia29, JSDdia58, pTH9_Sys, pW231, pW110_Sys and pW120_Sys)
      revealed a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 80.6%. Conclusions. Nonlinear
      uni- and bivariate indices of continuous recordings of blood pressure and heart
      rate are altered in glaucoma. Abnormal blood pressure variability suggests
      disturbed autonomic regulation in patients with glaucoma. 

PMID- 26495137
TI  - Outcomes of Late-Onset Bleb-Related Endophthalmitis Treated with Pars Plana
      Vitrectomy.
AB  - Purpose. To investigate clinical results on bleb-related endophthalmitis (BRE)
      after trabeculectomy treated with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and to evaluate
      influence factors for visual prognosis. Methods. Investigating medical records
      retrospectively, BRE was defined as an endophthalmitis induced by bleb infection.
      A total of 2018 eyes of 1225 patients who had trabeculectomy between December
      2000 and July 2013 were included in this study. Eleven eyes of 11 patients with
      BRE were performed with PPV. Results. The mean age was 56.6 years. The mean
      period between trabeculectomy and BRE onset was 7.4 years. The mean period from
      starting symptom to initiation of treatment for endophthalmitis (PSITE) was 2.3
      days. Bleb leakages were observed in 7 eyes (64%). On culture examinations,
      highly pathogenic bacteria (HPB) were identified in 6 cases (55%). HPB infection
      was influence factors on visual disturbance (P = .0337). Number of HPB infections
      is significantly higher in poor visual outcome than without poor visual outcome
      (P = .0310). Conclusion. Visual prognosis of BRE treated by PPV is significantly
      better when the pathogenic bacteria are not HPB. Severe visual loss occurred with
      HPB infection even though patients had appropriate treatments. Physicians need to
      have careful consideration to prevent bleb infection after trabeculectomy with
      MMC. 

PMID- 26495138
TI  - Micro and Macro Element Composition of Kalanchoe integra Leaves: An Adjuvant
      Treatment for Hypertension in Ghana.
AB  - Two samples, water extract and blended whole leaves, of fresh Kalanchoe integra
      leaves (Crassulaceae), a traditional antihypertensive medicine used in Ghana,
      were analyzed with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy (EDXRF).
      Analysis revealed 12 macro and 26 micro elements in both extracts. Further
      quantitative assessment of the results for amounts of elements that are
      pharmacologically significant revealed that the amounts of calcium, potassium,
      and magnesium present in the extracts could be correlated to its traditional
      usage in managing hypertension and arrhythmias. However, heavy metals (lead and
      inorganic arsenic) detected in the extracts may pose a threat at doses normally
      used traditionally for the treatment of hypertension. 

PMID- 26495139
TI  - Sleep Deficiency and Deprivation Leading to Cardiovascular Disease.
AB  - Sleep plays a vital role in an individual's mental, emotional, and physiological
      well-being. Not only does sleep deficiency lead to neurological and psychological
      disorders, but also the literature has explored the adverse effects of sleep
      deficiency on the cardiovascular system. Decreased quantity and quality of sleep
      have been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, such as
      hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. We explore the literature
      correlating primary sleep deficiency and deprivation as a cause for
      cardiovascular disease and cite endothelial dysfunction as a common underlying
      mechanism. 

PMID- 26495140
TI  - Associations of Short Sleep and Shift Work Status with Hypertension among Black
      and White Americans.
AB  - Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether short sleepers
      (<6 hrs) who worked the non-day-shift were at greater likelihood of reporting
      hypertension and if these associations varied by individuals' ethnicity. Methods.
      Analysis was based on the 2010 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). A total
      of 59,199 American adults provided valid data for the present analyses (mean age
      = 46.2 +/- 17.7 years; 51.5% were female). Respondents provided work schedule and
      estimated habitual sleep durations as well as self-report of chronic conditions.
      Results. Of the sample, 30.8% reported a diagnosis of hypertension, 79.1%
      reported daytime shift work, 11.0% reported rotating shift work, and 4.0%
      reported night shift work. Logistic regression analysis showed that shift work
      was significantly associated with hypertension among Blacks [OR = 1.35, CI: 1.06
      1.72. P < 0.05], but not among Whites [OR = 1.01, CI: 0.85-1.20, NS]. Black shift
      workers sleeping less than 6 hours had significantly increased odds of reporting
      hypertension [OR = 1.81, CI: 1.29-2.54, P < 0.01], while their White counterparts
      did not [OR = 1.17, CI: 0.90-1.52, NS]. Conclusions. Findings suggest that Black
      Americans working the non-day-shift especially with short sleep duration have
      increased odds of reporting hypertension. 

PMID- 26495141
TI  - Genetic Variants of C-5312T REN Increased Renin Levels and Diastolic Blood
      Pressure Response to Angiotensin Receptor Blockers.
AB  - Renin catalyzes the cleavage of angiotensinogen into angiotensin I. Genetic
      variant C-5312T of renin enhancer has been reported to increase in vitro renin
      gene transcription. However, no obvious in vivo study was performed to see the
      renin level in C-5312T when treated with angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB).
      Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the serum renin level and blood
      pressure response in ARB treated hypertensive patients. Single nucleotide
      polymorphism (SNP) of C-5312T was identified in 55 hypertensive patients by using
      multiplex PCR and renin serum level was assayed by ELISA. The data showed that
      the increase of serum renin levels after 5 months of ARB treatment was
      significantly higher in patients with CT/TT genotype (10 pg/mL) than those with
      CC genotype (4.08 pg/mL) (P = 0.025). Hypertensive patients with CT/TT genotypes
      also showed less diastolic pressure reduction than CC genotypes in hypertensive
      patients with valsartan treatment (P = 0.04) or telmisartan treatment (P = 0.03).
      Finally, these findings suggested that SNP of C-5312T REN enhancer might
      contribute to higher increased renin serum levels and less diastolic blood
      pressure response to ARB treatment. 

PMID- 26495142
TI  - Epidemiology of Hypertension Stages in Two Countries in Sub-Sahara Africa:
      Factors Associated with Hypertension Stages.
AB  - Studies using the revised hypertension classification are needed to better
      understand epidemiology of hypertension across full distribution. The
      sociodemographic, biological, and health behavior characteristics associated with
      different stages of hypertension in Ghana and South Africa (SA) were studied
      using global ageing and adult health (SAGE), WAVE 1 dataset. Blood pressure was
      assessed for a total of 7545 respondents, 2980 from SA and 4565 from Ghana.
      Hypertension was defined using JNC7 blood pressure classification considering
      previous diagnosis and treatment. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression
      analysis using Stata version 12 statistical software was done to identify
      independent predictors. The weighted prevalence of prehypertension and
      hypertension in Ghana was 30.7% and 42.4%, respectively, and that of SA was 29.4%
      and 46%, respectively, showing high burden. After adjusting for the independent
      variables, only age (OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.14-1.53), income (OR = 1.9, 95% CI:
      1.04-3.47), and BMI (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.1-1.22) remained independent predictors
      for stage 1 hypertension in Ghana, while, for SA, age (OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.53
      3.36), sex (OR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.08-1), and BMI (OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.07-1.25)
      were found to be independent predictors of stage 1 hypertension. Healthy
      lifestyle changes and policy measures are needed to promptly address these
      predictors. 

PMID- 26495143
TI  - GPs' Perceptions of Cardiovascular Risk and Views on Patient Compliance: A
      Qualitative Interview Study.
AB  - Objective. General practitioners' (GPs') perception of risk is a cornerstone of
      preventive care. The aims of this interview study were to explore GPs'
      professional and personal attitudes and experiences regarding treatment with
      lipid-lowering drugs and their views on patient compliance. Methods. The material
      was drawn from semistructured qualitative interviews. We sampled GPs purposively
      from ten selected practices, ensuring diversity of demographic, professional, and
      personal characteristics. The GPs were encouraged to describe examples from their
      own practices and reflect on them and were informed that the focus was their
      personal attitudes and experiences. Systematic text condensation was applied for
      analysis in order to uncover the concepts and themes. Results. The analysis
      revealed the following 3 main themes: (1) use of cardiovascular guidelines and
      risk assessment tools, (2) strategies for managing patient compliance, and (3)
      GPs' own risk management. There were substantial differences in the attitudes
      concerning all three themes. Conclusions. The substantial differences in the GPs'
      personal and professional risk perceptions may be a key to understanding why GPs
      do not always follow cardiovascular guidelines. The impact on daily clinical
      practice, personal consultation style, and patient behaviour with regard to
      prevention is worth studying further. 

PMID- 26495144
TI  - Effect of Nitrite and Nitrate Concentrations on the Performance of AFB-MFC
      Enriched with High-Strength Synthetic Wastewater.
AB  - In order to study the effect of nitrite and nitrate on the performance of
      microbial fuel cell, a system combining an anaerobic fluidized bed (AFB) and a
      microbial fuel cell (MFC) was employed for high-strength nitrogen-containing
      synthetic wastewater treatment. Before this study, the AFB-MFC had been used to
      treat high-strength organic wastewater for about one year in a continuous flow
      mode. The results showed that when the concentrations of nitrite nitrogen and
      nitrate nitrogen were increased from 1700 mg/L to 4045 mg/L and 545 mg/L to 1427
      mg/L, respectively, the nitrite nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen removal
      efficiencies were both above 99%; the COD removal efficiency went up from 60.00%
      to 88.95%; the voltage was about 375 +/- 15 mV while the power density was at 70
      +/- 5 mW/m(2). However, when the concentrations of nitrite nitrogen and nitrate
      nitrogen were above 4045 mg/L and 1427 mg/L, respectively, the removal of nitrite
      nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, COD, voltage, and power density were decreased to be
      86%, 88%, 77%, 180 mV, and 17 mW/m(2) when nitrite nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen
      were increased to 4265 mg/L and 1661 mg/L. In addition, the composition of biogas
      generated in the anode chamber was analyzed by a gas chromatograph. Nitrogen gas,
      methane, and carbon dioxide were obtained. The results indicated that
      denitrification happened in anode chamber. 

PMID- 26495145
TI  - Acute Hemoperitoneum after Administration of Prostaglandin E2 for Induction of
      Labour.
AB  - Prostaglandin E2 is widely used in obstetrics and is thought to be relatively
      safe for cervical ripening and induction of labour. Here we present a case in
      which acute hemoperitoneum was observed after administration of prostaglandin E2
      in a pregnant woman. The patient had a history of endometriosis, and a severe
      pelvic adhesion (ASRM stage IV) was found during her last laparoscopic surgery 3
      years previously. In cases with endometriosis, use of prostaglandin E2 for
      induction of labour in pregnant women must be done cautiously. 

PMID- 26495146
TI  - Retained Placenta Accreta Mimicking Choriocarcinoma.
AB  - This case demonstrates a rare event of retained invasive placenta masquerading as
      choriocarcinoma. The patient presented with heavy vaginal bleeding following
      vaginal delivery complicated by retained products of conception. Ultrasound and
      computed tomography demonstrated a vascular endometrial mass, invading the
      uterine wall and raising suspicion for choriocarcinoma. Hysterectomy revealed
      retained invasive placenta. 

PMID- 26495147
TI  - Anal Papilloma: An Exceptional Presentation of Fibrocystic Disease in Anogenital
      Mammary-Like Glands.
AB  - Previously ectopic breast tissue was thought to be derived from the caudal
      remnants of the primitive embryonic milk ridges; anogenital mammary-like glands
      are presently considered as normal constituents of the anogenital region. We
      report a case of young female, who presented with an anal papilloma.
      Histopathological examination revealed extensive fibrocystic changes in
      anogenital mammary-like glands. To date, a lot of benign changes and a wide range
      of benign and malignant neoplasms have been reported in these glands. However,
      extensive fibrocystic change of these glands in anal region is very rare. In
      addition, fibrocystic disease of anal mammary glands, masquerading clinically as
      an anal papilloma, has not been reported in literature. Hence, it is essential
      for clinicians and the pathologists to be aware of such a rare presentation. The
      features of fibrocystic disease in perianal region are also discussed. 

PMID- 26495148
TI  - Catatonia in Older Adult Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.
AB  - Catatonia has been described in children with intellectual disabilities (IDs).
      These are the first three published cases of catatonia in adults older than 50
      years of age with IDs. They were followed using the KANNER scale and, in one
      case, creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) monitoring. Case 1 is a 67-year-old
      Caucasian who probably had been having intermittent episodes of undiagnosed
      catatonia withdrawal for many years. His episodes of agitation and withdrawal
      behavior responded to lorazepam up to 8 mg/day. Case 2 is a 63-year-old Caucasian
      male who had probably had undiagnosed catatonic episodes since age 25. An
      agitation episode that rated 88 on Part 2 of the KANNER scale ended within
      minutes after he received 1 mg of intramuscular lorazepam. He had no symptom
      relapses for 4 years after getting stable oral lorazepam doses (3-8.5 mg/day).
      Case 3 is a 55-year-old African-American male with severe ID and bradycardia
      (with a pacemaker). He had been "institutionalized" since age 22 and his
      undiagnosed catatonic episodes appeared to have been intermittently present for
      at least the last ten years. As he became tolerant and experienced symptom
      relapse, oral lorazepam was slowly increased (1.5-18 mg/day). Electroconvulsive
      therapy was ruled out due to his pacemaker. 

PMID- 26495149
TI  - Anti-AMPA-Receptor Encephalitis Presenting as a Rapid-Cycling Bipolar Disorder in
      a Young Woman with Turner Syndrome.
AB  - Background. Autoimmune encephalitis is a disorder characterised by the subacute
      onset of seizures, short-term memory loss, and psychiatric and behavioural
      symptoms. Initially, it was recognised as a paraneoplastic disorder, but recently
      a subgroup of patients without systemic cancer was identified. Case Description.
      We describe a 20-year-old woman with Turner syndrome presenting with a treatment
      resistant rapid cycling bipolar disorder with cognitive impairment. She was
      diagnosed with anti-AMPA-receptor encephalitis. She showed marked improvement
      after starting memantine and valproic acid. Conclusion. This case description
      emphasises the importance of timely recognition of autoimmune limbic encephalitis
      in patients with psychiatric manifestations and a possible predisposition to
      autoimmune conditions, in order to rule out malignancy and to quickly initiate
      treatment. 

PMID- 26495150
TI  - Action Observation and Motor Imagery: Innovative Cognitive Tools in the
      Rehabilitation of Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by a progressive impairment of motor
      skills with deterioration of autonomy in daily living activities. Physiotherapy
      is regarded as an adjuvant to pharmacological and neurosurgical treatment and may
      provide small and short-lasting clinical benefits in PD patients. However, the
      development of innovative rehabilitation approaches with greater long-term
      efficacy is a major unmet need. Motor imagery (MI) and action observation (AO)
      have been recently proposed as a promising rehabilitation tool. MI is the ability
      to imagine a movement without actual performance (or muscle activation). The same
      cortical-subcortical network active during motor execution is engaged in MI. The
      physiological basis of AO is represented by the activation of the "mirror neuron
      system." Both MI and AO are involved in motor learning and can induce
      improvements of motor performance, possibly mediated by the development of
      plastic changes in the motor cortex. The review of available evidences indicated
      that MI ability and AO feasibility are substantially preserved in PD subjects. A
      few preliminary studies suggested the possibility of using MI and AO as parts of
      rehabilitation protocols for PD patients. 

PMID- 26495151
TI  - Living with Parkinson's and the Emerging Role of Occupational Therapy.
AB  - Parkinson's disease is a chronic and increasingly complex condition, demanding
      multidisciplinary management. Over the last twenty years or so, alongside the
      growth of specialist services and healthcare teams specifically developed for
      people with Parkinson's, occupational therapy has grown in recognition as a
      treatment option, especially since evidence of its efficacy is now slowly
      emerging. The purpose of this work is to outline the role of occupational therapy
      clinical practice in the management of people living with Parkinson's disease and
      its emergent evidence base, combined with details of current occupational therapy
      philosophy and process, as applicable to occupational therapy practice for people
      with Parkinson's. The Canadian Practice Process Framework is used to structure
      this overview and was selected because it is a well-recognized, evidence-based
      tool used by occupational therapists and encompasses the core concepts of human
      occupation and person-centred practice. The framework employed allows the
      flexibility to reflect the pragmatic occupational therapy intervention process
      and so enables the illustration of the individually tailored approach required to
      accommodate to the complex pathology and personal, domestic, and social impacts,
      affecting the functioning of Parkinson's disease patients on a daily basis. 

PMID- 26495152
TI  - The Parkinsonian Gait Spatiotemporal Parameters Quantified by a Single Inertial
      Sensor before and after Automated Mechanical Peripheral Stimulation Treatment.
AB  - This study aims to evaluate the change in gait spatiotemporal parameters in
      subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) before and after Automated Mechanical
      Peripheral Stimulation (AMPS) treatment. Thirty-five subjects with PD and 35
      healthy age-matched subjects took part in this study. A dedicated medical device
      (Gondola) was used to administer the AMPS. All patients with PD were treated in
      off levodopa phase and their gait performances were evaluated by an inertial
      measurement system before and after the intervention. The one-way ANOVA for
      repeated measures was performed to assess the differences between pre- and post
      AMPS and the one-way ANOVA to assess the differences between PD patients and the
      control group. Spearman's correlations assessed the associations between patients
      with PD clinical status (H&Y) and the percentage of improvement of the gait
      variables after AMPS (alpha < 0.05 for all tests). The PD group had an
      improvement of 14.85% in the stride length; 14.77% in the gait velocity; and
      29.91% in the gait propulsion. The correlation results showed that the higher the
      H&Y classification, the higher the stride length percentage of improvement. The
      treatment based on AMPS intervention seems to induce a better performance in the
      gait pattern of PD patients, mainly in intermediate and advanced stages of the
      condition. 

PMID- 26495153
TI  - Determination of Polyphenols, Capsaicinoids, and Vitamin C in New Hybrids of
      Chili Peppers.
AB  - Six hybrids were subjected to chromatographic analyses by HPLC for the
      determination of phytochemicals such as capsaicinoid, polyphenol, and vitamin C.
      The dynamics of ripening of 4 of the hybrids were also characterised. Seven
      capsaicinoids could be separated and determined; the major compounds were
      nordihydrocapsaicin, capsaicin, and dihydrocapsaicin, while homocapsaicin and
      homodihydrocapsaicin derivatives were detected as minor constituents. Capsaicin
      content ranged between 95.5 +/- 4.15 and 1610.2 +/- 91.46 MUg/g FW, and the
      highest value was found in Bandai (C. frutescens) at the green ripening stage.
      The major capsaicinoids had a decreasing tendency in Bandai and Chili 3735
      hybrids, while no change was observed in Beibeihong and Lolo during ripening.
      Nine polyphenol compounds were detected including 8 flavonoids and a nonflavonoid
      compound in the pods of all hybrids. The major components were naringenin
      diglucoside, catechin, and vanillic acid-derivative and luteolin-glucoside.
      Naringenin-diglucoside ranged from 93.5 +/- 4.26 to 368.8 +/- 30.77 MUg/g FW.
      Except vanillic acid-derivative, dominant polyphenols increased or remained
      unchanged during ripening. As for vitamin C, its content tended to increase with
      the advance in ripening in all hybrids included in this study. The highest value
      of 3689.4 +/- 39.50 MUg/g FW was recorded in Fire Flame hybrid. 

PMID- 26495154
TI  - (1)H HR-MAS NMR Spectroscopy and the Metabolite Determination of Typical Foods in
      Mediterranean Diet.
AB  - NMR spectroscopy has become an experimental technique widely used in food
      science. The experimental procedures that allow precise and quantitative analysis
      on different foods are relatively simple. For a better sensitivity and
      resolution, NMR spectroscopy is usually applied to liquid sample by means of
      extraction procedures that can be addressed to the observation of particular
      compounds. For the study of semisolid systems such as intact tissues, High
      Resolution Magic Angle Spinning (HR-MAS) has received great attention within the
      biomedical area and beyond. Metabolic profiling and metabolism changes can be
      investigated both in animal organs and in foods. In this work we present a proton
      HR-MAS NMR study on the typical vegetable foods of Mediterranean diet such as the
      Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) cherry tomato of Pachino, the PGI
      Interdonato lemon of Messina, several Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) extra
      virgin olive oils from Sicily, and the Traditional Italian Food Product (PAT) red
      garlic of Nubia. We were able to identify and quantify the main metabolites
      within the studied systems that can be used for their characterization and
      authentication. 

PMID- 26495155
TI  - Chemical Analysis of Suspected Unrecorded Alcoholic Beverages from the States of
      Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais, Brazil.
AB  - Our study analyzed 152 samples of alcoholic beverages collected from the states
      of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais, Brazil, using gas chromatography with flame
      ionization detection (GC-FID) and mass spectrometry (GC-MS), Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission
      spectrometry (ICP-AES). The methanol content varied from 20 to 180 ppm in 28
      samples, and the limit of the accepted level of 200 ppm was exceeded in only one
      sample. High content of cyanide derivatives and ethyl carbamate, above the
      accepted level of 150 ppb, was observed in 109 samples. Carbonyl compounds were
      also observed in 111 samples, showing hydroxy 2-propanone, 4-methyl-4-hepten-3
      one, furfural, and 2-hydroxyethylcarbamate as main constituents. Copper was found
      at concentrations above 5 ppm in 26 samples; the maximum value observed was 28
      ppm. This work evaluated the human health risk associated with the poor quality
      of suspected unrecorded alcohols beverages. 

PMID- 26495158
TI  - Use of Biphasic Continuous Positive Airway Pressure in Premature Infant with
      Cleft Lip-Cleft Palate.
AB  - Preterm infants (PIs) often require respiratory support due to surfactant
      deficiency. Early weaning from mechanical ventilation to noninvasive respiratory
      support decreases ventilation-associated irreversible lung damage. This wean is
      particularly challenging in PIs with cleft lip and cleft palate due to anatomical
      difficulties encountered in maintaining an adequate seal for positive pressure
      ventilation. PI with a cleft lip and palate often fail noninvasive respiratory
      support and require continued intubation and mechanical ventilation. We are
      presenting the first case report of a PI with cleft lip and palate who was
      managed by biphasic nasal continuous positive airway pressure. 

PMID- 26495156
TI  - Sesquiterpene Lactones from Artemisia Genus: Biological Activities and Methods of
      Analysis.
AB  - Sesquiterpene lactones are a large group of natural compounds, found primarily in
      plants of Asteraceae family, with over 5000 structures reported to date. Within
      this family, genus Artemisia is very well represented, having approximately 500
      species characterized by the presence of eudesmanolides and guaianolides,
      especially highly oxygenated ones, and rarely of germacranolides. Sesquiterpene
      lactones exhibit a wide range of biological activities, such as antitumor, anti
      inflammatory, analgesic, antiulcer, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral,
      antiparasitic, and insect deterrent. Many of the biological activities are
      attributed to the alpha-methylene-gamma-lactone group in their molecule which
      reacts through a Michael-addition with free sulfhydryl or amino groups in
      proteins and alkylates them. Due to the fact that most sesquiterpene lactones are
      thermolabile, less volatile compounds, they present no specific chromophores in
      the molecule and are sensitive to acidic and basic mediums, and their
      identification and quantification represent a difficult task for the analyst.
      Another problematic aspect is represented by the complexity of vegetal samples,
      which may contain compounds that can interfere with the analysis. Therefore, this
      paper proposes an overview of the methods used for the identification and
      quantification of sesquiterpene lactones found in Artemisia genus, as well as the
      optimal conditions for their extraction and separation. 

PMID- 26495157
TI  - Molecular mechanisms controlling asymmetric and symmetric self-renewal of cancer
      stem cells.
AB  - Cancer stem cells (CSCs), or alternatively called tumor initiating cells (TICs),
      are a subpopulation of tumor cells, which possesses the ability to self-renew and
      differentiate into bulk tumor mass. An accumulating body of evidence suggests
      that CSCs contribute to the growth and recurrence of tumors and the resistance to
      chemo- and radiotherapy. CSCs achieve self-renewal through asymmetric division,
      in which one daughter cell retains the self-renewal ability, and the other is
      destined to differentiation. Recent studies revealed the mechanisms of asymmetric
      division in normal stem cells (NSCs) and, to a limited degree, CSCs as well.
      Asymmetric division initiates when a set of polarity-determining proteins mark
      the apical side of mother stem cells, which arranges the unequal alignment of
      mitotic spindle and centrosomes along the apical-basal polarity axis. This
      subsequently guides the recruitment of fate-determining proteins to the basal
      side of mother cells. Following cytokinesis, two daughter cells unequally inherit
      centrosomes, differentiation-promoting fate determinants, and other proteins
      involved in the maintenance of stemness. Modulation of asymmetric and symmetric
      division of CSCs may provide new strategies for dual targeting of CSCs and the
      bulk tumor mass. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of the
      mechanisms by which NSCs and CSCs achieve asymmetric division, including the
      functions of polarity- and fate-determining factors.

PMID- 26495159
TI  - Intrauterine Growth Restriction Associated with Hematologic Abnormalities:
      Probable Manifestations of Placental Mesenchymal Dysplasia.
AB  - Introduction Placental mesenchymal dysplasia is a rare vascular disease
      associated with intrauterine growth restriction, fetal demise as well as Beckwith
      Wiedemann syndrome. Some neonates present hematologic abnormalities possibly
      related to consumptive coagulopathy and hemolytic anemia in the placental
      circulation. Case report We present a case of placental mesenchymal dysplasia in
      a fetus with intrauterine growth restriction and cerebellar hemorrhagic injury
      diagnosed in the 20th week of pregnancy. During 26th week, our patient had an
      intrauterine fetal demise in the context of gestational hypertension. We have
      detailed the ultrasound findings that made us suspect the presence of hematologic
      disorders during 20th week. Discussion We believe that the cerebellar hematoma
      could be the consequence of thrombocytopenia accompanied by anemia. If
      hemorrhagic damage during fetal life is found, above all associates with an
      anomalous placental appearance and with intrauterine growth restriction, PMD
      should be suspected along other etiologies. 

PMID- 26495160
TI  - Successful Treatment of Corticosteroid with Antiviral Therapy for a Neonatal
      Liver Failure with Disseminated Herpes Simplex Virus Infection.
AB  - Background Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection carries one of the poorest
      outcomes of neonatal liver failure (NLF). Neonates with disseminated HSV
      infection can develop hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), and occasionally
      need orthotopic liver transplantation. Early interventions may be critical for
      the cure of NLF. Case Report We describe herewith a 6-day-old neonate with
      fulminant hepatic failure due to disseminated HSV-1 infection, who successfully
      responded to high-dose corticosteroid therapy 72 hours after the onset of
      disease. Preceding acyclovir, gamma globulin, and exchange blood transfusion
      therapies failed to control the disease. Methylprednisolone pulse therapy led to
      a drastic improvement of liver function and cytokine storms, and prevented the
      disease progression to HLH. Sustained levels of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid
      HSV DNA declined after prolonged acyclovir therapy. Bilateral lesions of the
      periventricular white matter areas, assessed by magnetic resonance imaging,
      disappeared at 3 months of age. The infant showed normal growth and development
      at 4 years of age. Conclusion Early anti-hypercytokinemia therapy using
      corticosteroid, and prolonged antiviral therapy might only provide the
      transplantation-free cure of NLF with HSV dissemination. 

PMID- 26495161
TI  - Acute Myocardial Infarction Due to Coronary Artery Dissection in the Postpartum
      Period.
AB  - Background Though rare, myocardial infarction secondary to coronary artery
      dissection is a life-threatening event. In reproductive age women, it commonly
      occurs during pregnancy or the postpartum period. Case We present a case of
      pregnancy-related acute myocardial infarction due to spontaneous coronary artery
      dissection in a 37-year-old woman who presented to the emergency room with
      shortness of breath and sudden onset of retrosternal chest pain 8 days after
      delivery of premature twins. Coronary artery catheterization showed 75 to 90%
      stenosis in the left main coronary artery (LMCA), extending into the proximal and
      mid left anterior descending (LAD) branch. The LMCA appearance in the heart
      catheterization was consistent with vasospasm, but it was not responsive to
      medical management. Subsequently, she underwent a second coronary artery
      catheterization and was found to have dissection requiring emergent coronary
      artery bypass graft * 3 in the LMCA, circumflex, and LAD that was followed by an
      uneventful recovery. Conclusion Early diagnosis and management of myocardial
      infarction due to coronary artery dissection in the peripartum period is crucial.
      This condition should be suspected in young reproductive age women, even in the
      setting of minimal risk factors. Angiography is required for diagnosis.
      Management should be individualized as it may include both invasive and
      noninvasive measures. 

PMID- 26495162
TI  - Anatomical Closure of Left-to-Right Shunts in Premature Infants with
      Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia and Pulmonary Hypertension: A Cautionary Tale.
AB  - Closure of a systemic to pulmonary shunt in premature infants with
      bronchopulmonary dysplasia may be beneficial, but in the presence of pulmonary
      hypertension is controversial. Here, we discuss two premature infants with
      pulmonary hypertension who developed acute pulmonary hypertensive crisis after
      closure of these shunts and hence advise caution. 

PMID- 26495165
TI  - Semilobar Holoprosencephaly with Congenital Oropharyngeal Stenosis in a Term
      Neonate.
AB  - Background Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is often accompanied by a deficit in midline
      facial development; however, congenital oropharyngeal stenosis in neonates with
      HPE has not been reported before. We describe a case of a neonate with prenatally
      diagnosed semilobar HPE accompanied by congenital oropharyngeal stenosis. Case
      Report The patient was born at 39 weeks of gestation and developed dyspnea
      shortly after. Laryngoscopic test revealed oropharyngeal stenosis. Nasal
      continuous positive airway pressure, high-flow nasal cannula, and nasopharyngeal
      airway did not resolve her dyspnea; tracheostomy was required. Conclusion
      Neonates with HPE might be at higher risk of pharyngeal stenosis because of the
      functional and/or anatomical abnormalities. In the case of dyspnea in neonates
      with HPE, laryngoscopic evaluation should be considered. 

PMID- 26495163
TI  - Association of Fetal Abdominal-Head Circumference Size Difference With Shoulder
      Dystocia: A Multicenter Study.
AB  - Objective This study aims to determine if shoulder dystocia is associated with a
      difference in the fetal abdominal (AC) to head circumference (HC) of 50 mm or
      more noted on antenatal ultrasound. Study Design A multicenter matched case
      control study was performed comparing women who had shoulder dystocia to controls
      who did not. Women with vaginal births of live born nonanomalous singletons >= 36
      weeks of gestation with an antenatal ultrasound within 4 weeks of delivery were
      included. Controls were matched for gestational age, route of delivery, and
      diabetes status. Results We identified 181 matched pairs. Only 5% of the fetuses
      had an AC to HC of >= 50 mm. The proportion of AC to HC difference of >= 50 mm
      was significantly higher in shoulder dystocia cases (8%) than controls (1%, p =
      0.002). With multivariate regression, the three significant factors associated
      with shoulder dystocia were AC to HC >= 50 mm (odds ratio [OR], 7.3; confidence
      interval [CI], 1.6-33.3; p = 0.010), femur length (OR, 1.1; CI, 1.0-1.2; p =
      0.002), and induced labor (OR, 1.8; CI, 1.1-3.1; p = 0.027). Conclusion A
      prenatal ultrasound finding of a difference in AC to HC of >= 50 mm while
      uncommon is associated with shoulder dystocia. 

PMID- 26495164
TI  - First Pregnancy, Somatic and Psychological Status of a 4-Year-Old Child Born
      following Annexin V TESA Sperm Separation.
AB  - Introduction Sperm DNA integrity is a crucial paternal factor affecting
      fertilization and pregnancy rates, as well as embryo development. Case The
      present case report describes the successful pregnancy after testicular sperm
      aspiration (TESA) combined with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) (TESA
      ICSI) in a couple where the male presented high sperm DNA fragmentation. In order
      to sort damaged sperm presenting DNA fragmentation, magnetic activated cell
      sorting (MACS) with annexin V microbeads (MACS Miltenyi Biotec, Teterow, Germany)
      was used. Conclusion The authors present the first description of a successful
      medical case using TESA-ICSI annexin V sperm sorting. Additionally, a follow-up
      of the child at the age of 4 years old was done. 

PMID- 26495166
TI  - Frontofacionasal Dysplasia in a Newborn with a De Novo Duplication of 7p15.2
      p15.1.
AB  - We report a new case of frontofacionasal dysplasia or dysostosis (FFND) with a
      1.5 Mb duplication in the region of 7p15.2-p15.1, and provide a review of the
      literature to understand the underlying pathogenesis better. 

PMID- 26495167
TI  - Prenatal Diagnosis of Walker-Warburg Syndrome Using Single Nucleotide
      Polymorphism Array: A Clinical Experience from Three Related Palestinian Families
      with Congenital Hydrocephalus.
AB  - Background Congenital hydrocephalus is a common and often disabling disorder.
      Various syndromic forms of hydrocephalus have been reported in the Palestinian
      population including Walker-Warburg syndrome (WWS), Carpenter syndrome, and
      Meckel syndrome. Aim In this report we discuss the antenatal diagnosis of
      congenital hydrocephalus in three related Palestinian families. Method Single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array was performed prenatally for the third
      affected fetus. Results A diagnosis of WWS was found and molecular testing
      revealed a known pathogenic mutation in the POMT2 gene. An affected fetus from
      the other family was diagnosed and tested postnatally in light of this finding.
      Testing of another affected stillborn offspring was performed and revealed the
      same mutation. Conclusions Here, we show that the use of prenatal SNP array
      testing can be helpful in elucidating the etiology of congenital hydrocephalus
      and in guiding appropriate perinatal care. Also, testing for this specific POMT2
      mutation should be considered in cases of prenatally detected hydrocephalus in
      Palestinian families. 

PMID- 26495168
TI  - Sustained Neuromuscular Blockade after Vecuronium Use in a Premature Infant.
AB  - Background Prolonged use of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) is very common
      in critically ill children both in pediatric and neonatal intensive care units.
      There are no guidelines available for use of NMBAs in children or neonates in the
      US, and the data for their safety in this age group is limited. Case Description
      Our case describes prolonged neuromuscular blockade following concurrent use of a
      NMBA along with aminoglycosides and steroids in the setting of renal failure in a
      premature infant. Conclusion Prolonged use of NMBAs in preterm infants should be
      avoided if possible or should be restricted to the shortest possible duration and
      the smallest possible physiologically effective dose. Concurrent use of NMBAs
      with aminoglycoside and steroids should be avoided, especially in the setting of
      renal failure. 

PMID- 26495169
TI  - Minimally Conjoined Omphalopagus Twins with a Body Stalk Anomaly.
AB  - Introduction This report will discuss a case of minimally conjoined omphalopagus
      twins (MCOTs) with a body stalk anomaly (BSA). Case Report We experienced
      monochorionic diamniotic (MD) twins born at 31 weeks. One infant was suspicious
      of BSA before birth, and another infant was normal. But normal infant had anal
      atresia with small intestine which was inserted behind the umbilicus. Twins had
      very short common umbilicus and infant with BSA had intestinal conjunction, two
      appendixes at the site of the colon, and a blind-ending colon. We diagnosed
      MCOTs. Discussion On the basis of the Spencer hypothesis, the etiology of MCOTs
      was that MD twins shared a yolk sac. However, this could not explain the presence
      of a BSA. It is necessary to consider the possible reasons for a singleton BSA.
      In addition, intestinal fusion occurred unequally in this case, although two
      appendixes were found in the same place, which might have occurred because of the
      balanced fusion. 

PMID- 26495170
TI  - Peripartum Primary Prophylaxis Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement in a Patient
      with Stage IV B-Cell Lymphoma Presenting with a Pathologic Femur Fracture.
AB  - Background Pulmonary embolus (PE) remains a leading etiology of maternal
      mortality in the developed world. Increasing utilization of retrievable inferior
      vena cava (IVC) filter placement currently includes pregnant patients. Case A 22
      year-old woman at 27 weeks' gestation was diagnosed with Stage IV high-grade
      malignant B cell lymphoma following pathologic femur fracture. Significant risk
      factors for PE led to placement of primary prophylaxis IVC filter before cesarean
      delivery, open reduction and internal fixation of the fractured femur, and
      chemotherapy. Conclusion This case supports that primary prophylaxis placement of
      IVC filters in highly selected pregnant patients may assist in decreasing PE
      associated maternal mortality. 

PMID- 26495171
TI  - Amniotic Sac Herniation Through a Prior Cornual Scar in The Third Trimester.
AB  - Introduction Uterine rupture occurs in less than 0.1% of pregnancies. This
      complication can be detrimental to mother and fetus if not detected and managed
      in a timely manner. We report an unusual presentation of uterine scar rupture
      that was diagnosed on ultrasound in a completely stable patient with reassuring
      fetal status. Case Report A 24-year-old Gravida 5, Para 3 with history of cornual
      resection for ectopic pregnancy and two previous uterine ruptures presented at 30
      weeks' gestation with worsening abdominal pain. Ultrasound identified herniation
      of the amniotic sac with fetal parts. The patient underwent cesarean delivery and
      cornual defect repair. Conclusion Close observation and early delivery remain
      vital to the patient's management. 

PMID- 26495172
TI  - Irreversible Respiratory Failure in a Full-Term Infant with Features of Pulmonary
      Interstitial Glycogenosis as Well as Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.
AB  - Pulmonary interstitial glycogenosis (PIG) is a rare interstitial lung disease in
      the newborns. We report on the clinical presentation and pathological findings of
      a full-term male infant with pulmonary hypertension requiring extracorporeal
      membrane oxygenation (ECMO). An open lung biopsy demonstrated interstitial
      changes resembling pulmonary interstitial glycogenosis as well as
      bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), without convincing evidence of maturational
      arrest, infection, alveolar proteinosis, or alveolar capillary dysplasia. The boy
      was treated with glucocorticoids and, after a few days, was weaned from ECMO. A
      few hours later, the patient died due to acute severe pulmonary hypertension with
      acute right ventricular failure. The etiology and underlying pathogenic
      mechanisms of PIG are unknown. The clinical outcomes are quite varied. Deaths
      have been reported when PIG exists with abnormal lung development and pulmonary
      vascular growth and congenital heart disease. No mortality has been reported in
      PIG together with BPD in full-term infants. In this article, we reported on a
      full-term infant with interstitial changes resembling PIG and BPD who expired
      despite no convincing evidence of an anatomical maturational arrest or congenital
      heart disease. 

PMID- 26495174
TI  - Eosinophilic Endomyocarditis: A Rare Case of Neonatal Mortality.
AB  - Background Eosinophilic endomyocarditis (EEM) is a rare diagnosis that is
      extremely uncommon in newborns. This case report aimed to present a case of
      neonatal mortality from acute cardiac failure due to EEM. Case Our report
      presents a term male neonate with minor complications in the immediate postnatal
      course, who was discharged at 48 hours of life, but who developed unexpected
      respiratory distress, followed by cardiac arrest and death at 3 days of life. One
      day after discharge, the infant developed respiratory distress and cool skin, and
      then developed cardiac arrest at the pediatrician's office, undergoing
      resuscitation with intravenous fluid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, epinephrine,
      atropine, and failed intubation. Autopsy revealed EEM, an inflammatory
      infiltrative process involving the endomyocardium. Pathology Pathogenesis
      involves three stages: (1) myocarditis with an acute eosinophilic inflammatory
      infiltrate followed by (2) myocyte necrosis and eventually (3) fibrosis in the
      final stage of the disease. Discussion The cause of death was acute cardiac
      failure due to intense eosinophilic infiltration and degranulation with early
      subendocardial myocyte necrosis but before development of extensive myocyte
      necrosis. This case appears to be the youngest patient reported with EEM. 

PMID- 26495173
TI  - Predictive Factors for Delivery within 7 Days after Successful 48-Hour Treatment
      of Threatened Preterm Labor.
AB  - Objective The aim of this study was to assess which characteristics and results
      of vaginal examination are predictive for delivery within 7 days, in women with
      threatened preterm labor after initial treatment. Study Design A secondary
      analysis of a randomized controlled trial on maintenance nifedipine includes
      women who remained undelivered after threatened preterm labor for 48 hours. We
      developed one model for women with premature prelabor rupture of membranes
      (PPROM) and one without PPROM. The predictors were identified by backward
      selection. We assessed calibration and discrimination and used bootstrapping
      techniques to correct for potential overfitting. Results For women with PPROM
      (model 1), nulliparity, history of preterm birth, and vaginal bleeding were
      included in the multivariable analysis. For women without PPROM (model 2),
      maternal age, vaginal bleeding, cervical length, and fetal fibronectin (fFN)
      status were in the multivariable analysis. Discriminative capability was moderate
      to good (c-statistic 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.60-0.77 for model 1 and
      0.89; 95% CI, 0.84-0.93 for model 2). Conclusion PPROM and vaginal bleeding in
      the current pregnancy are relevant predictive factors in all women, as are
      maternal age, cervical length, and fFN in women without PPROM and nulliparity,
      history of preterm birth in women with PPROM. 

PMID- 26495175
TI  - Fetofetal Transfusion Syndrome in Monochorionic-Triamniotic Triplets Treated with
      Fetoscopic Laser Ablation: Report of Two Cases and A Systematic Review.
AB  - Objective This study aims to determine the clinical outcomes of monochorionic
      triamniotic (MT) pregnancies complicated by severe fetofetal transfusion
      undergoing laser photocoagulation. Study Design We report two cases of MT
      triplets complicated by fetofetal transfusion syndrome (FFTS) and a systematic
      review classifying cases into different subtypes: MT with two donors and one
      recipient, MT with one donor and two recipients, MT with one donor, one
      recipient, and one unaffected triplet. The number of neonatal survivors was
      analyzed based on this classification as well as Quintero staging. Results A
      total of 26 cases of MT triples complicated by FFTS were analyzed. In 56% of the
      cases, the FFTS involved all three triplets, 50% of whom had an additional donor
      and 50% an additional recipient. Among the 24 cases that survived beyond 1 week
      after the procedure, the average gestational age of delivery was 29.6 weeks, and
      the average interval from procedure to delivery was 10.1 weeks. The overall
      neonatal survival rate was 71.7%, with demises occurring equally between donor
      and recipient triplets. Overall neonatal survival including survival of at least
      two fetuses occurred with equal frequency between the different groups.
      Conclusion Significant neonatal survival can be achieved in most cases of MT
      triplets with FFTS. 

PMID- 26495176
TI  - Multimodality Renal Failure in a Patient with OEIS Complex.
AB  - Omphalocele-exstrophy of the bladder-imperforate anus-spinal defect (OEIS)
      complex is a rare constellation of clinical abnormalities with wide phenotypic
      presentation. We describe a case of a preterm neonate with OEIS complex with
      acute renal failure, and the challenges in diagnosis and management of this
      patient as renal failure can be a multifactorial process when encountered with
      this rare complex. 

PMID- 26495177
TI  - Pregnancy in Desmin-Related Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - The course of desmin-related restrictive cardiomyopathy (DRCM) during pregnancy
      has not been described previously because of the rarity of the condition.
      Following an episode of heart failure antecedent to conception, a 28-year-old
      primigravida with DRCM presented to establish prenatal care during the first
      trimester. Prenatal management consisted of beta-blocker and diuretic therapy,
      with serial echocardiography to monitor cardiac function. Spontaneous labor
      ensued at 39 weeks' gestation, and vacuum-assisted delivery was performed for
      fetal indication. Postpartum blood transfusion was required for symptomatic
      anemia because of uterine atony, and subsequent maternal and neonatal courses
      were uncomplicated. Cardiac evaluation postpartum demonstrated stable maternal
      status. Pregnancy in women with controlled DRCM is not contraindicated, however,
      it requires careful planning and monitoring during the antenatal, intrapartum,
      and postpartum periods. On the basis of this report, pregnancy does not appear to
      exert a permanent deleterious effect on cardiac function in women with DRCM. 

PMID- 26495178
TI  - Bile Acid Determination after Standardized Glucose Load in Pregnant Women.
AB  - Objective Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a rare liver disorder,
      usually manifesting in the third trimester and associated with increased
      perinatal morbidity and mortality. The hallmark laboratory abnormality in ICP is
      elevated fasting serum bile acids; however, there are limited data on whether a
      nonfasting state affects a pregnant woman's total bile acids. This study assesses
      fasting and nonfasting bile acid levels in 10 healthy pregnant women after a
      standardized glucose load to provide insight into the effects of a glucose load
      on bile acid profiles. Study Design Pilot prospective cohort analysis of serum
      bile acids in pregnant women. A total of 10 healthy pregnant women from 28 to 32
      weeks' gestation were recruited for the study before undergoing a glucose
      tolerance test. Total serum bile acids were collected for each subject in the
      overnight fasting state, and 1 and 3 hours after the 100-g glucose load. Results
      There was a statistically significant difference between fasting versus 3-hour
      values. There was no statistically significant difference between fasting versus
      1-hour and 1-hour versus 3-hour values. Conclusion There is a difference between
      fasting and nonfasting total serum bile acids after a 100-g glucose load in
      healthy pregnant women. 

PMID- 26495179
TI  - Healthy Baby Born to a Robertsonian Translocation Carrier following Next
      Generation Sequencing-Based Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: A Case Report.
AB  - Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is well established method for treatment
      of genetic problems associated with infertility. Moreover, PGD with next
      generation sequencing (NGS) provide new possibilities for diagnosis and new
      parameters for evaluation in, for example, aneuploidy screening. The aim of the
      study was to report the successful pregnancy outcome following PGD with NGS as
      the method for 24 chromosome aneuploidy screening in the case of Robertsonian
      translocation. Day 3 embryos screening for chromosomal aneuploidy was performed
      in two consecutive in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles, first with fluorescent in
      situ hybridization (FISH), and then with NGS-based protocol. In each IVF attempt,
      three embryos were biopsied. Short duration of procedures enabled fresh embryo
      transfer without the need for vitrification. First IVF cycle with the embryo
      selected using PGD analysis with the FISH method ended with pregnancy loss in
      week 8. The second attempt with NGS-based aneuploidy screening led to exclusion
      of the following two embryos: one embryo with 22 monosomy and one with multiple
      aneuploidies. The transfer of the only euploid blastocyst resulted in the
      successful pregnancy outcome. The identification of the euploid embryo based on
      the NGS application was the first successful clinical application of NGS-based
      PGD in the case of the Robertsonian translocation carrier couple. 

PMID- 26495180
TI  - Assessment of Cardiac Rate and Rhythm in Fetuses with Arrhythmia via Maternal
      Abdominal Fetal Electrocardiography.
AB  - Objective This study aims to report our experience using the Monica AN24 (Monica
      Healthcare Ltd., Nottingham, United Kingdom), a maternal transabdominal fetal
      electrocardiographic monitor, in a case series of fetuses with arrhythmias. Study
      Design We recorded fetal electrocardiograms (fECGs) on subjects with fetal
      arrhythmias diagnosed by fetal echocardiogram. Fetal heart rate and rhythm were
      determined via manual fECG analysis. Results Overall, 20 fECGs were recorded from
      a pool of 13 subjects. Fetal heart rate acquisition was determined to be high,
      medium, and poor quality in 10, 3, and 7 tracings, respectively. High-quality
      tracings were obtained in 9 of 11 subjects with gestational age < 26 or > 34
      weeks. P waves were detectable in five tracings. Conclusion In subjects < 26 or >
      34 weeks' gestational age, there was reasonable success in fetal heart rate
      acquisition. Further study is warranted to determine the potential role of this
      device in the monitoring of subjects with fetal arrhythmias. 

PMID- 26495181
TI  - Exstrophy-Epispadias Complex in a Newborn: Case Report and Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - Aim The aim of this report is to present a brief review of the current literature
      on the management of EEC. Case Report A term male neonate presented at birth with
      classic bladder exstrophy, a variant of the exstrophy-epispadias complex (EEC).
      The defect was covered with sterile silicon gauzes and waterproof dressing; at 72
      hours of life, primary closure without osteotomy of bladder, pelvis, and
      abdominal wall was successfully performed. Discussion EEC incidence is
      approximately 2.15 per 1,00,000 live births; several urological,
      musculocutaneous, spinal, orthopedic, gastrointestinal, and gynecological
      anomalies may be associated to EEC. Initial medical management includes use of
      occlusive dressings to prevent air contact and dehydration of the open bladder
      template. Umbilical catheters should not be positioned. Surgical repair stages
      include initial closure of the bladder and abdominal wall with or without
      osteotomy, followed by epispadias repair at 6 to 12 months, and bladder neck
      repair around 5 years of life. Those who fail to attain continence eventually
      undergo bladder augmentation and placement of a catheterizable conduit.
      Conclusion Modern-staged repair of EEC guarantees socially acceptable urinary
      continence in up to 80% of cases; sexual function can be an issue in the long
      term, but overall quality of life can be good. 

PMID- 26495182
TI  - Case Report of Haemophilus parainfluenzae Sepsis in a Newborn Infant Following
      Water Birth and a Review of Literature.
AB  - Water birth has grown in popularity over the recent years. Although beneficial
      for mothers, there are concerns for the infants. There are previous reports of
      infection following water birth. The information regarding infection with
      Haemophilus parainfluenzae is limited. We report a case of a neonate with H.
      parainfluenzae bacteremia following water birth. The child was successfully
      treated with both antibiotic and supportive care. Previous reports of neonatal H.
      parainfluenzae infection are reviewed. 

PMID- 26495183
TI  - Early Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding in a Neonate Associated with Maternal Acute
      Fatty Liver of Pregnancy.
AB  - Introduction Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) is a rare but potentially
      fatal condition occurring in the third trimester or early postpartum period. It
      is characterized by microvesicular fatty infiltration of the liver. Clinically,
      the three most prominent derangements in women with AFLP are hepatic dysfunction,
      renal insufficiency, and impaired coagulation. AFLP is associated with an
      increased incidence of morbidity and mortality in neonates, though the exact
      cause for this remains unclear. Deficiency of vitamin K in patients with liver
      disease has been widely reported. Case Description We present a unique case of
      severe intracranial bleeding because of the early vitamin K deficiency in a
      neonate whose mother had AFLP along with accompanying renal insufficiency.
      Conclusion We suggest that monitoring infants born to mothers with AFLP, for
      vitamin K deficiency bleeding will help reduce morbidity and mortality in these
      infants. 

PMID- 26495184
TI  - Prenatal Therapy of Large Placental Chorioangiomas: Case Report and Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - Objective To review techniques and outcomes of different prenatal treatments for
      large placental chorioangiomas. Study Design Presentation of a case of
      laparoscopic-assisted laser coagulation and a systematic review of the literature
      for articles related to intervention for placental chorioangioma. Results A total
      of 37 cases of definitive (n = 23) and supportive therapy (n = 14) were
      evaluated, including one case treated in our center. Approximately 35% of the
      patients had a spontaneous preterm delivery in definitive treatment group versus
      36% in the supportive group. The infant survival rates were 65 and 71% in the two
      groups, respectively. We further compared the two types of laser ablation
      (fetoscopic [n = 10] and interstitial [n = 4]). Approximately 30% of the patients
      in the fetoscopic and 25% in interstitial group, had a spontaneous preterm
      delivery. Survival rates were 60 and 100% in fetoscopic and interstitial groups,
      respectively. Conclusion Laser ablation and embolization of chorioangiomas via
      minimally invasive approach may prevent or reverse fetal hydrops due to high
      cardiac states. However, further studies are needed to refine the appropriate
      selection criteria that will justify the risk of this invasive in utero therapy
      for chorioangiomas. 

PMID- 26495185
TI  - Spontaneous Subcapsular Hematoma of the Fetal Liver: A Case Report and Review of
      Literature.
AB  - We report a case of a cystic abdominal mass on ultrasound which presented a
      diagnostic dilemma at 32 weeks gestation. A presumptive antenatal diagnosis of a
      subcapsular liver hematoma (SCH) was made based on the location and ultrasound
      appearance similar to SCH seen in pediatric and adult patients. Sequential
      evaluation of the mass showed an evolving ultrasound appearance which reinforced
      our initial impression of a subcapsular hematoma of the fetal liver. Postnatal
      ultrasound confirmed the resolving SCH as well as a previously undetected echo
      bright lesion characteristic of an infantile focal hemangioma directly adjacent
      to the resolving SCH. A review of the literature is provided. 

PMID- 26495186
TI  - Neonatal Presentation of an Air-Filled Neck Mass that Enlarges with Valsalva: A
      Case Report.
AB  - Branchial cleft cysts are common causes of congenital neck masses in the
      pediatric population. However, neonatal presentation of branchial cleft cysts is
      uncommon, but recognizable secondary to acute respiratory distress from airway
      compression or complications secondary to infection. We report a 1-day-old infant
      presenting with an air-filled neck mass that enlarged with Valsalva and was not
      associated with respiratory distress. The infant was found to have a third
      branchial cleft cyst with an internal opening into the pyriform sinus. The cyst
      was conservatively managed with endoscopic surgical decompression and
      cauterization of the tract and opening. We review the embryology of branchial
      cleft cysts and current management. 

PMID- 26495187
TI  - First Trimester Hemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes, Low Platelets Syndrome in a
      Surrogate Pregnancy.
AB  - Background The occurrence of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets
      (HELLP) syndrome before 20 weeks of gestation is rare. HELLP is a possible but
      rare syndrome in gestational surrogate pregnancies for surrogates with risk
      factors for development of preeclampsia. Case A 32-year-old patient with chronic
      hypertension and positive antinuclear antibody presented for prenatal care at 13
      weeks and 1 day. She was a surrogate for the embryo of a 43-year-old couple. By
      15 weeks she developed uncontrolled hypertension requiring hospitalization. She
      was expectantly managed until her condition deteriorated. At 16 weeks and 1 day
      she developed hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, thrombocytopenia, and fetal
      demise. Conclusions HELLP syndrome is rare and carries a significant morbidity
      and mortality for the mother and fetus. Clinicians should encourage the surrogate
      to share her medical history with the embryo donor for appropriate counseling on
      pregnancy risks. 

PMID- 26495188
TI  - Piezosurgical Suturectomy and Sutural Distraction Osteogenesis for the Treatment
      of Unilateral Coronal Synostosis.
AB  - Different surgical procedures are used for the treatment of synostosis. Among
      them, suturectomy and sutural distraction osteogenesis (SDO) are suitable for
      young infant patients. In this report, we present the case of a young infant
      patient with a clear synostosis of the left coronal suture, which was treated by
      piezoelectric suturectomy combined with SDO and 2 internal distractors. One-year
      follow-up showed good results. Thirty-six months after surgery, normal skull
      growth and shape were observed by 3D computed tomographic examination. No
      infection, bleeding, fistula, and other complications were observed. The results
      suggested that the treatment of unilateral coronal synostosis in young infant
      patient by piezosurgical suturectomy and SDO is to be preferred because of its
      simplicity and relatively minimal invasiveness. 

PMID- 26495189
TI  - Technique for Minimizing Donor-site Morbidity after Pedicled TRAM-Flap Breast
      Reconstruction: Outcomes by a Single Surgeon's Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast reconstruction with pedicled transverse rectus abdominis
      myocutaneous (TRAM) flap can result in significant abdominal wall donor-site
      morbidity. We present our technique of transversely dividing the anterior fascia
      and rectus abdominis combined with reinforcement above the arcuate line for
      closure of the anterior abdominal wall defect to prevent contour deformities
      performed by a single senior surgeon and compare these results with those of our
      prior series. METHODS: We described our new technique of closure of the abdominal
      wall defect and retrospectively performed the comparison between the results of
      pedicled TRAM flaps using the new closure technique and those of 420 pedicled
      TRAM flaps from our 2003 publication in terms of abdominal bulging and hernia.
      RESULTS: Sixty-seven pedicled TRAM flaps in 65 patients were compared with 420
      pedicled TRAM flaps of the 2003 series. The new technique was associated with 5
      partial TRAM flap necroses (8%). There was no total flap loss with the new
      technique. The median follow-up period was 13 months (range, 4-36 months). There
      were no instances of abdominal hernia and bulge during follow-up in the new
      series. Compared with the previous 2003 series, the new technique was superior in
      terms of occurrence of abdominal wall hernia or bulging. CONCLUSIONS: We are
      still performing pedicled TRAM flap for autologous breast reconstruction. Using
      the technique of transversely dividing the anterior fascia and rectus abdominis
      combined with reinforcement above the arcuate line can reduce the occurrence of
      abdominal bulging and hernia.

PMID- 26495190
TI  - Full-thickness Scalp Injury Due to Hair Braiding and Weave.
AB  - Full-thickness scalp necrosis secondary to hair weave placement is a rare but
      serious complication of a common hairstyle. The defects can be large and may
      necessitate complex reconstruction with hair-bearing tissue. We report on the
      case of a young woman with extensive scalp loss following tight spiral braiding.
      The case description illustrates this relatively unknown complication, its
      treatment, and possible preventative measures. 

PMID- 26495191
TI  - An Unusual Case of Swan Neck Deformity in a Child.
AB  - Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. 

PMID- 26495192
TI  - Haptics-assisted Virtual Planning of Bone, Soft Tissue, and Vessels in Fibula
      Osteocutaneous Free Flaps.
AB  - Virtual surgery planning has proven useful for reconstructing head and neck
      defects by fibula osteocutaneous free flaps (FOFF). Benefits include improved
      healing, function, and aesthetics, as well as cost savings. But available virtual
      surgery planning systems incorporating fibula in craniomaxillofacial
      reconstruction simulate only bone reconstruction without considering vessels and
      soft tissue. METHODS: The Haptics-Assisted Surgery Planning (HASP) system
      incorporates bone, vessels, and soft tissue of the FOFF in craniomaxillofacial
      defect reconstruction. Two surgeons tested HASP on 4 cases they had previously
      operated on: 3 with composite mandibular defects and 1 with a composite cervical
      spine defect. With the HASP stereographics and haptic feedback, using patient
      specific computed tomography angiogram data, the surgeons planned the 4 cases,
      including bone resection, fibula design, recipient vessels selection, pedicle and
      perforator location selection, and skin paddle configuration. RESULTS: Some
      problems encountered during the actual surgery could have been avoided as they
      became evident with HASP. In one case, the fibula reconstruction was incomplete
      because the fibula had to be reversed and thus did not reach the temporal fossa.
      In another case, the fibula had to be rotated 180 degrees to correct the plate
      and screw placement in relation to the perforator. In the spinal case, difficulty
      in finding the optimal fibula shape and position required extra ischemia time.
      CONCLUSIONS: The surgeons found HASP to be an efficient planning tool for FOFF
      reconstructions. The testing of alternative reconstructions to arrive at an
      optimal FOFF solution preoperatively potentially improves patient function and
      aesthetics and reduces operating room time.

PMID- 26495193
TI  - Distal Row Carpectomy-A Possible Salvage Procedure of Severe Carpal Trauma.
AB  - Complex fracture dislocations of the wrist often result in posttraumatic
      arthrosis. In trying to avoid total arthrodesis, alternative treatment strategies
      have been investigated. For this purpose, we present the case of a 56-year-old
      male patient who sustained a direct trauma during a circular saw accident,
      resulting in the destruction of the distal carpal row among other things.
      However, the proximal carpal row was found completely intact. We indicated an
      emergency distal row carpectomy. Eighteen months postoperatively, the patient
      showed very good range of movement with no pain, and radiologically, the proximal
      carpal row was still intact, with no signs of an incipient radiocarpal arthrosis.
      This case demonstrates the successful removal of the distal carpal row in terms
      of a distal row carpectomy. 

PMID- 26495194
TI  - Lateral Abdominal Wall Defects: The Importance of Anatomy and Technique for a
      Successful Repair.
AB  - Flank and lateral abdominal wall defects can be an extremely challenging
      phenomenon for surgeons to undertake. Their rarity and specific idiosyncrasies in
      regard to embryologic and anatomical characteristics must be taken into
      consideration when formulating an operative plan. We will discuss these cardinal
      points including technical recommendations by notable experts in the field to
      gain a better understanding in the diagnosis and treatment of this infrequent but
      morbid occurrence. 

PMID- 26495196
TI  - The Cranial Base Fracture after the Caldwell-Luc Operation.
AB  - Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. 

PMID- 26495195
TI  - Satisfaction following Unilateral Breast Reconstruction: A Comparison of Pedicled
      TRAM and Free Abdominal Flaps.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare patient satisfaction
      following unilateral pedicled transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) and
      free abdominal flap reconstruction. METHODS: Patients who underwent unilateral
      breast reconstruction using pedicled TRAM or free abdominal flaps (muscle-sparing
      TRAM or deep inferior epigastric perforator flap) and completed the BREAST-Q were
      identified from 2 prospectively maintained databases. BREAST-Q scores were
      assessed and compared for Satisfaction with Breasts, Outcome, and Physical Well
      being Chest/Abdomen. RESULTS: Of the 138 patients who completed the BREAST-Q, 84
      underwent pedicled TRAM flap reconstruction and 54 underwent free abdominal flap
      reconstruction. Overall, pedicled TRAM flap patients scored higher than free
      abdominal flap patients on all 4 BREAST-Q scales. This difference reached
      statistical significance in Satisfaction with Breasts (+7.74; P = 0.02). Similar
      results were found among patients who completed the BREAST-Q at <3 years
      postoperation. However, among patients at >=3 years postoperation, there were no
      statistically significant differences between the 2 groups, with the pedicled
      flap cohort scoring higher in Satisfaction with Breasts and Physical Well-being
      Chest and the free abdominal flap cohort scoring higher in Satisfaction with
      Outcome and Physical Well-being Abdomen scores. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who
      underwent unilateral pedicled TRAM flap reconstruction experienced greater
      initial breast satisfaction than patients who underwent unilateral free abdominal
      flap reconstruction, but satisfaction equalized between the two over time,
      suggesting that long-term satisfaction may be equivalent between the 2 methods of
      reconstruction.

PMID- 26495197
TI  - Evaluation of Face Lift Skin Perfusion and Epinephrine Effect Using Laser
      Fluorescence Imaging.
AB  - Face lift dissections are believed to compromise skin flap circulation, possibly
      leading to wound healing complications. To reduce blood loss, plastic surgeons
      commonly inject a solution of local anesthetic that contains epinephrine.
      However, the effect of surgery on skin perfusion and the degree of
      vasoconstriction caused by the epinephrine have not been quantitated. Little
      information is available to guide the selection of epinephrine concentration.
      METHODS: Nine consecutive patients undergoing a deep-plane face lift were asked
      to participate in this prospective study. All patients consented (inclusion rate,
      100%). The SPY Elite Intraoperative Perfusion System was used to quantitate
      perfusion. Measurements were made at 5 sites on both sides of the face and the
      neck. A nondissected temple site served as a reference. Three patients received
      no epinephrine in their local anesthetic solution, 3 patients received 1:800,000
      epinephrine, and 3 patients were injected with 1:300,000 epinephrine. RESULTS:
      All 9 patients were female nonsmokers. There was no reduction in skin perfusion
      measurements after surgery. In patients treated with 1:800,000 and 1:300,000
      epinephrine, 4 sites showed significantly (P < 0.05) decreased perfusion compared
      with the no-epinephrine group. Combined perfusion data were almost 50% reduced,
      but the difference was nonsignificant, likely because of the small sample sizes.
      One patient developed a hematoma. Two of the 3 patients who received no
      epinephrine developed extensive bruising. CONCLUSIONS: A deep-plane face lift
      dissection does not impair skin flap perfusion. Both 1:300,000 epinephrine and
      1:800,000 epinephrine concentrations are effective in producing intraoperative
      vasoconstriction.

PMID- 26495198
TI  - Posterior Pharyngeal Airway in Clockwise Rotation of Maxillomandibular Complex
      Using Surgery-first Orthognathic Approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Because obstructive sleep apnea is known to be an important
      preexisting factor causing chronic disease, many investigations have been done
      recently. There have been few reports regarding the posterior pharyngeal airway
      after clockwise rotation of maxillomandibular complex. Because the 2-jaw surgery
      in class III patients could cause obstructive sleep apnea or snoring, we
      investigated the posterior pharyngeal airway change of the clockwise
      maxillomandibular complex in the surgery-first orthognathic approach for the
      correction of class III dentofacial deformities. METHODS: A cephalometric
      evaluation of 35 patients with skeletal class III deformity was performed
      preoperatively and postoperatively. Three measurements of the posterior
      pharyngeal airway space (nasopharynx, oropharynx, and hypopharynx) and hyoid bone
      positions (the distance from palatal plane to hyoid bone and the distance from
      mandibular plane to the hyoid bone) were evaluated and correlated with the
      skeletal movement of the jaws using imaging software (V-Ceph, Osstem, Seoul,
      Korea). RESULTS: The preoperative airway space turned out to be enlarged in class
      III dentofacial deformities compared with those of normal persons. The
      preoperative P1, P2, and P3 in our cohort were increased and posterior nasal
      spine to hyoid bone and mandibular plane to hyoid bone were decreased compared
      with those of normal person's data because the cohort consists of prognathic
      patients where the mandible is located in forward position. After 6 months, most
      values were nearly normal. CONCLUSION: Orthognathic surgery based on clockwise
      rotation of maxillomandibular complex did not cause severe posterior airway space
      changes at 6 months postoperation.

PMID- 26495199
TI  - Treatment of Folliculitis on the Expanded Postauricular Skin Flap by Topical
      Iodine Tincture.

PMID- 26495200
TI  - Profunda Femoris Artery Perforator Propeller Flap: A Valid Method to Cover
      Complicated Ischiatic Pressure Sores.
AB  - We report the case of a 50-year-old paraplegic man with a complicated grade
      III/IV ischiatic pressure sore treated with a propeller flap based on the first
      perforator of the profunda femoris artery. Our aim was to surgically reconstruct
      an ischiatic pressure sore in a patient with ankylosis using a fasciocutaneous
      perforator propeller flap obtained from the posterior region of the thigh. Our
      decision to perform a profunda femoris artery perforator propeller flap
      reconstruction was mainly due to the anatomical contiguity of the flap with the
      site of the lesion and the good quality of the skin harvested from the posterior
      region of the thigh. The use of the perforator fasciocutaneous flap represents a
      muscle-sparing technique, providing a better long-term result in surgical
      reconstruction. The choice of the 180-degree propeller flap was due to its
      ability to provide a good repair of the pressure ulcer and to pass over the
      ischiatic prominence in the patient in the forced decubitus position. The
      operatory course did not present any kind of complication. Using this
      reconstructive treatment, we have obtained complete coverage of the ischiatic
      pressure sore. 

PMID- 26495201
TI  - Digital Reconstruction with a Nonfrozen Osteotendinous Allograft, Nerve
      Allografts, and Autogenous Radial Free Flap.
AB  - A 21-year-old man underwent amputation of his second to fifth fingers at the
      proximal phalanx level on the right hand. The third and fourth fingers were
      reconstructed with 2 toe-to-hand free transfers. The fifth digit was
      reconstructed with a nonfrozen osteotendinous allograft, nerve allografts, and
      autogenous radial free flap without immunosuppression. The patient was lost to
      follow-up for 19 years. He received no rehabilitation. He reported that he had
      experienced no adverse reactions to the materials or the graft, or infection, or
      fractures. No additional surgical procedures were performed. Today, the digit is
      functional and has acceptable aesthetic appearance. This outcome is similar to
      those obtained in digits reconstructed with frozen osteotendinous allografts and
      autologous cutaneous covers and opens the possibility for future research. 

PMID- 26495202
TI  - Natrelle Silicone Breast Implant Follow-up Study: Demographics, Lifestyle, and
      Surgical Characteristics of More Than 5000 Reconstruction Subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A large, multicenter, 10-year observational study is comparing the
      long-term safety and effectiveness of Natrelle silicone breast implants versus
      saline implants or national norms. METHODS: Women who underwent primary
      augmentation, revision-augmentation, primary reconstruction, or revision
      reconstruction were invited to participate. Enrolled subjects had completed
      surgery and received one implant or matching implants. Baseline demographics,
      health, lifestyle, and surgical characteristics are presented here for adult
      subjects who underwent primary reconstruction or revision-reconstruction.
      RESULTS: Of 5637 subjects who underwent reconstruction surgery (86.7% primary
      reconstruction; 13.3% revision-reconstruction), 5407 received silicone implants
      and 230 received saline implants; 72.9% received bilateral implants. Silicone
      implants were used in 96.2% who underwent primary reconstruction and in 94.1% who
      underwent revision-reconstruction. Median age was about 3 years lower in those
      who underwent primary reconstruction versus revision-reconstruction. Most
      subjects were white nonsmokers and had attended college. Hispanic subjects were
      more likely to receive saline implants for primary reconstruction. Across groups,
      the most common characteristics by implant type or procedure included smooth
      surface implants (90.8%), mastectomy scar site (69.7%), and partial (59.2%) or
      complete (33.9%) submuscular placement. Implant size was larger for revision
      reconstruction versus primary reconstruction, and incision size was larger for
      silicone versus saline implants in subjects undergoing primary reconstruction.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an unprecedented look at a large subject sample.
      The data offer surgeons an opportunity to make informed decisions regarding the
      most appropriate implant attributes and surgical approaches for women who desire
      breast implants for primary or revisionary breast reconstruction.

PMID- 26495203
TI  - Temporary Areolar Demarcation for Nipple-areola Complex Reconstruction.
AB  - We have described a surgical method that enhances the visual aesthetic outcome of
      the areola periphery in nipple-areola complex reconstruction. This technique is
      performed immediately following closure of the nipple flap. The created areolar
      outline can aid the tattoo artist and may result in a more natural-appearing
      areola periphery than tattooing methods alone. 

PMID- 26495204
TI  - Bioceramic Implant Induces Bone Healing of Cranial Defects.
AB  - Autologous bone or inert alloplastic materials used in cranial reconstructions
      are techniques that are associated with resorption, infection, and implant
      exposure. As an alternative, a calcium phosphate-based implant was developed and
      previously shown to potentially stimulate bone growth. We here uncover evidence
      of induced bone formation in 2 patients. Histological examination 9 months
      postoperatively showed multinuclear cells in the central defect zone and bone
      ingrowth in the bone-implant border zone. An increased expression of bone
      associated markers was detected. The other patient was investigated 50 months
      postoperatively. Histological examination revealed ceramic materials covered by
      vascularized compact bone. The bone regenerative effect induced by the implant
      may potentially improve long-term clinical outcome compared with conventional
      techniques, which needs to be verified in a clinical study. 

PMID- 26495205
TI  - The Vascularized Medial Femoral Corticoperiosteal Flap for Thumb Reconstruction.
AB  - We present an interesting method of shaping a vascularized medial femoral condyle
      (MFC) flap into a "neophalanx" for phalangeal reconstruction. Our patient
      presented with limited strength and function secondary to fracture nonunion of
      the proximal phalanx of the dominant thumb. Following excision of the
      pseudarthrosis, an MFC corticoperiosteal flap was harvested, sculpted into a
      prism shape and inset. The superomedial genicular pedicle was anastomosed to the
      princeps pollicis artery and a cephalic tributary. On follow-up, new bone growth
      was seen on radiographs and the patient had substantially improved function, with
      full metacarpophalangeal extension, a Kapandji score of 9, and a markedly reduced
      Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score of 2.68. The MFC flap is useful
      for reconstruction of bony defects, with minimal donor morbidity. This versatile
      vascularized flap can be crafted to requisite shapes and is useful for small
      defects in the hand, including phalangeal reconstruction. 

PMID- 26495206
TI  - Bipedicled "Superthin" Free Perforator Flaps for Facial Burn Scar Reconstruction:
      Expanded Scope of Superthin Flaps: A Case Series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: "Superthin flap" is a distinctively thin flap that is thinned
      primarily to the point that the subdermal vascular network can be seen through a
      minimal fat layer. Reconstruction of severely disfigured neck and face can be
      performed using the occipito-cervico-dorsal superthin flap that is harvested from
      the dorsal region and supercharged by the circumflex scapular vessels. We used
      bipedicled superthin free perforator flaps to reconstruct scar contractures on
      half of the face, whole face, or the whole chin-neck area in 17 postburn
      patients. METHODS: This case series report includes all 17 cases. Flaps in the
      dorsal area were designed. In all cases, one pedicle consisted of the circumflex
      scapular vessels. In 11, 5, and 1 flaps, the second pedicle consisted of
      contralateral posterior intercostal perforators (type 1), ipsilateral posterior
      intercostal perforators (type 2), and ipsilateral circumflex scapular vessels
      (type 3), respectively. Four patients underwent whole-face reconstruction after
      acid burn with type 1 or type 3 perforator. The recipient vessels were the
      superficial temporal vessels and contralateral or ipsilateral facial vessels.
      Intraoperatively, all adipose tissue in the flap, including between the 2
      pedicles, was thinned by scissors before the pedicles were detached from the
      donor sites. Maximum flap size was 35 * 15 cm. Donor sites were covered by a
      split full-thickness skin graft. Flap survival and functional and cosmetic
      results were assessed retrospectively. RESULTS: Fifteen of the 17 flaps survived
      completely. Two developed partial necrosis due to perforator thrombosis. Some
      patients developed hypertrophic scars around the flap, but these improved
      naturally over time. All patients were satisfied with both the cosmetic and
      functional outcomes of the reconstruction. CONCLUSION: Bipedicled superthin free
      perforator flaps may be an excellent choice for reconstruction of severe neck
      scar contracture. This report expands the scope of previously used "superthin
      flaps."

PMID- 26495207
TI  - AdVEGF-All6A+ Preconditioning of Murine Ischemic Skin Flaps Is Comparable to
      Surgical Delay.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical flap delay is commonly used in preconditioning
      reconstructive flaps to prevent necrosis. However, staged procedures are not
      ideal. Pharmacologic up-regulation of angiogenic and arteriogenic factors before
      flap elevation poses a nonsurgical approach to improve flap survival. METHODS:
      Male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into control (n = 16), surgical delay
      (Delay), AdNull, AdEgr-1, and AdVEGF (n >= 9/group) groups. Delay rats had a 9 cm
      * 3 cm cranial based pedicle skin flap incised 10 days prior to elevation.
      Adenoviral groups received 28 intradermal injections (10(9) pu/animal total)
      throughout the distal two thirds of the flap 1 week prior to elevation. At
      postoperative day (POD) 0 flaps were elevated and silicone sheeting was placed
      between flap and wound bed. Perfusion analysis in arbitrary perfusion units of
      the ischemic middle third of the flap using laser Doppler imaging was conducted
      preoperatively and on POD 0, 3, and 7. Clinical and histopathologic assessments
      of the skin flaps were performed on POD 7. RESULTS: AdVEGF (50.8 +/- 10.9 APU)
      and AdEgr-1 (39.3 +/- 10.6 APU) perfusion levels were significantly higher than
      controls (16.5 +/- 4.2 APU) on POD 7. Delay models were equivalent to controls
      (25.9 +/- 6.8 APU). AdVEGF and Delay animals showed significantly more viable
      surface area on POD 7 (14.4 +/- 1.3 cm(2), P < 0.01 and 12.4 +/- 1.2 cm(2), P <
      0.05, respectively) compared with Controls (8.7 +/- 0.7 cm(2)). CONCLUSIONS:
      AdVEGF preconditioning resulted in flap survival comparable to surgical delay.
      Adenoviral preconditioning maintained perfusion levels postoperatively while
      surgical delay did not.

PMID- 26495208
TI  - Evaluation of AirXpanders for Breast Reconstruction: Early Experience from
      Sydney.
AB  - AIM: Two-staged prosthetic breast reconstruction has become a popular option
      involving a series of saline injections to expanders to create a pocket large
      enough for a permanent implant. This, however, requires frequent visits to the
      surgeon and numerous needle pricks with potential infection risk. A new form of
      tissue expander, the AirXpanders, has recently been trialed in Perth and the
      United States. It uses a remote-controlled release of compressed CO2 where needle
      punctures are avoided. METHODOLOGY: Prospective data were collected on the first
      10 patients to have the AirXpanders implant inserted for breast reconstruction at
      Western Sydney. The implants were inserted subpectorally as the saline expanders,
      and patients were instructed how to use the remote 4 weeks postoperation.
      RESULTS: Ten patients (4 immediate and 6 delayed) aged between 30 and 65 (mean,
      48.3 years) underwent 14 AirXpanders insertions. One patient passed away due to
      metastatic malignancy. With the remaining patients, the average period of active
      expansion was 15.8 days (r, 6-21). The average size of final implant used was 451
      g (r, 195-685). The only complications were 2 seromas. CONCLUSION: Our early
      results are consistent with the Perth trial. The new AirXpanders is safe to use
      and able to achieve satisfactory tissue expansion faster than saline expander. It
      also has the advantage of patient self-controlled without the need for multiple
      medical reviews and needle punctures.

PMID- 26495209
TI  - Effect of Washes and Centrifugation on the Efficacy of Lipofilling With or
      Without Local Anesthetic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Among the different parameters that influence fat graft survival and
      lipofilling success, the use of local anesthetic and the way to process the fat
      before injection have often been pointed out. Likewise, we evaluated different
      techniques for processing adipose tissue before its injection and analyzed the
      quality of the grafts. METHODS: Adipose tissue from the same patient was gently
      harvested from one side of the abdomen after infiltration of a tumescent solution
      without lidocaine and from the other side of the abdomen using a tumescent
      solution containing lidocaine 2%. Harvested tissue was prepared with different
      protocols, from simple decantation to advanced protocols including single or
      multiple washes and centrifugations. Each type of processed adipose tissue was
      then injected subcutaneously into immunodeficient mice. Adipose grafts were
      collected after 1 month and analyzed by histology with a detailed scoring method.
      RESULTS: After lidocaine use, decantation protocol led to adipose grafts of poor
      quality with high resorption rate and oil vacuole formation. Larger grafts were
      obtained after centrifugation, but centrifugation alone resulted in increased
      fibrosis and necrosis, with or without the use of lidocaine. Finally, multiple
      washes and centrifugations greatly improved the quality of the lipografts.
      CONCLUSIONS: Centrifugation alone is not sufficient and must be associated with
      multiple washes to improve graft quality. This article aims to provide further
      evidence of lidocaine and washing/centrifugation effects in fat grafting to
      provide easy tips aimed at ensuring graft efficiency with a long-term clinical
      outcome.

PMID- 26495210
TI  - Prelamination of the Anterolateral Thigh Flap With a Fibula Graft to Successfully
      Reconstruct a Mandibular Defect.
AB  - Flap prelamination is the process whereby a complex 3- dimensional construct is
      fashioned in a staged manner. We present a case whereby the tissues of the
      anterolateral thigh, nourished by perforators of the descending branch of the
      lateral circumflex femoral artery, were prelaminated with a fibula in the setting
      of salvage head and neck reconstruction. With a paucity of recipient vessels in
      the neck and a previous failed free fibula transfer secondary to
      osteoradionecrosis, a fibula was implanted into a suprafascial pocket created in
      the anterolateral thigh. This was allowed to pick up a blood supply from this
      rich vascular bed and mature over a period of 3 weeks before being transferred
      with the anterolateral thigh tissues as a prelaminated osteocutaneous composite
      free flap. A bone scan performed both before and after transfer confirmed uptake
      of radionucleotide by the fibula suggesting neovascularization. The composite
      mandibular defect was successfully reconstructed using this technique, and we
      believe this could represent a new strategy in the setting of salvage head and
      neck surgery. 

PMID- 26495211
TI  - Start Your Engines.

PMID- 26495212
TI  - A Pentagram Suture Technique for Closing Tumor Resection Sites in the Face.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Resection of facial skin tumors aims to remove the tumors completely
      and make the surgical scar unnoticeable as much as possible. By improving the
      purse string suture method, we developed a new pentagram suture technique that
      enables simple and safe suturing of small to large defects with early
      satisfactory esthetic outcomes. The surgical outcomes of a case series were
      examined in this report. METHODS: As in drawing a unicursal star, 5 suture sites
      were marked at specific intervals around the defect area. A needle with 5-0
      polydioxanone suture was passed from the subcutaneous tissue to the superficial
      dermal layer at one site and then from the superficial dermal layer to the
      subcutaneous layer at the next site, and the process was repeated until the
      pentagram was complete. When apposition was not tight enough, a couple of
      external stitches were added using 6-0 nylon suture. RESULTS: In 13 patients (16
      benign or malignant tumors; mean age, 51.1 years) with a mean tumor size of 10.1
      +/- 5.2 mm and postoperative skin defect diameter of 12.1 +/- 8.2 mm, closure did
      not result in high tension on the suture, and there was reduced mechanical stress
      at the wound margin. Surgical outcomes were good esthetically at 6 months after
      surgery without keloid formation or scar contracture. None of the patients had
      postoperative pain, infection, or tumor recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: This simple
      alternative method for the closure of facial skin defects after skin tumor
      excision could be performed easily and provided satisfactory surgical outcomes.

PMID- 26495213
TI  - Fat Grafting to the Forehead/Glabella/Radix Complex and Pyriform Aperture:
      Aesthetic and Anti-Aging Implications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Optimal aesthetic outcomes from rhinoplasty are heavily influenced by
      structures adjacent to the nose. Although the importance of the chin has been
      emphasized since the inception of rhinoplasty, little attention has been given to
      the forehead. The forehead/glabella/radix complex represents a vital triad in
      rhinoplasty, from which the nasofrontal angle is derived. In the present study,
      the authors sought to determine whether fat grafting to the
      forehead/glabella/radix complex and pyriform aperture can favorably impact the
      nasofrontal and nasolabial angles, respectively. METHODS: The authors reviewed
      pre- and postoperative images (obtained by an independent professional
      photographer) of patients who underwent autologous fat grafting to the
      forehead/glabella/radix region and the pyriform aperture, with or without
      concurrent rhinoplasty. Nasofrontal and nasolabial angles were measured on
      lateral images. Mean pre- and postoperative values were calculated and compared.
      A Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-six
      patients underwent fat grafting alone (FG group; mean follow-up, 3.3 years), and
      19 had fat grafting plus rhinoplasty (FG + R group; mean follow-up, 5.2 years).
      The mean nasofrontal angle in the FG group decreased by 2.0 degrees  (P = 0.005),
      and the mean nasolabial angle increased by 2.3 degrees  (P = 0.006). The mean
      nasofrontal angle in the FG + R group decreased by 2.0 degrees  (P = 0.011), and
      the mean nasolabial angle increased by 6.0 degrees  (P = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS:
      Autologous fat grafting to the forehead/glabella/radix complex and pyriform
      aperture is a reliable method to favorably influence the nasofrontal and
      nasolabial angles, respectively. Such treatment optimizes the interplay between
      the nose and the adjacent facial features, enhancing overall aesthetics.

PMID- 26495214
TI  - Pseudoangiomatous Stromal Hyperplasia: A Rare Cause of Idiopathic Gigantomastia.
AB  - Gigantomastia remains a rare clinical diagnosis with significant physical and
      psychological impacts on patients. We present the case of a 40-year-old woman
      with idiopathic breast enlargement. Further histological analysis of the breast
      tissue revealed pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia. This is the first reported
      case of diffuse breast enlargement resulting from pseudoangiomatous stromal
      hyperplasia. 

PMID- 26495215
TI  - St. Macrina, the Patron Saint of Modern Oncoplastic Surgery?

PMID- 26495216
TI  - Extended Component Separation for Repair of High Ventral Hernia in Pediatric
      Omphalocele.
AB  - Abdominal wall reconstruction ideally involves maintenance of domain by
      restoration of competent fascia and innervated muscle. Component separation
      allows closure of ventral hernias, but the technique is limited for high
      abdominal defects in the epigastric region. We describe an extended component
      separation that facilitated mobilization of the rectus abdominis muscle along its
      costal insertion to close an upper midline defect in a child with giant
      omphalocele, who had already undergone previous traditional component separation.

PMID- 26495217
TI  - Preventable Sternocleidomastoid Muscular Atrophy after Neck Dissection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Modified radical neck dissection (mRND) [preserving the
      sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) and the spinal accessory nerve] and
      supraomohyoid neck dissection have become common surgical procedures for treating
      head and neck cancer. Postoperative severe asymmetry of the neck and severe
      atrophy of the SCM, however, have been demonstrated. METHODS: Using computed
      tomographic images, cross-sectional areas of the SCMs were measured in 99
      patients with carcinoma of the oral cavity who underwent unilateral mRND or
      supraomohyoid neck dissection. An asymmetry index was used. RESULTS: Innervation
      to the SCM was preserved in 91 patients. The spinal accessory nerve and the
      innervation were sacrificed in 3 patients; the innervation was repaired in 5
      patients. Sacrifice of innervation to the SCM resulted in extremely severe
      asymmetry. Repair of the innervation prevented severe asymmetry in 40%.
      Preservation of the innervation prevented severe asymmetry in 75% at the middle
      portion of the neck and in 56% at the lower portion after mRND. CONCLUSION:
      Preserving innervation to the SCM and gentle handling of the nerve during neck
      dissection could prevent severe asymmetry after neck dissection.

PMID- 26495218
TI  - Breast Reconstruction Using Contour Fenestrated AlloDerm: Does Improvement in
      Design Translate to Improved Outcomes?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acellular dermal matrices are used in implant-based breast
      reconstruction. The introduction of contour fenestrated AlloDerm (Life-Cell,
      Branchburg, N.J.) offers sterile processing, a crescent shape, and prefabricated
      fenestrations. However, any evidence comparing reconstructive outcomes between
      this newer generation acellular dermal matrices and earlier versions is lacking.
      METHODS: Patients undergoing implant-based breast reconstruction from 2010 to
      2014 were identified. Reconstructive outcomes were stratified by 4 types of
      implant coverage: aseptic AlloDerm, sterile "ready-to-use" AlloDerm, contour
      fenestrated AlloDerm, or total submuscular coverage. Outcomes were compared with
      significance set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 620 patients (1019
      reconstructions) underwent immediate, implant-based breast reconstruction;
      patients with contour fenestrated AlloDerm were more likely to have nipple
      sparing mastectomy (P = 0.0001, 0.0004, and 0.0001) and immediate permanent
      implant reconstructions (P = 0.0001). Those with contour fenestrated AlloDerm
      coverage had lower infection rates requiring oral (P = 0.0016) and intravenous
      antibiotics (P = 0.0012) compared with aseptic AlloDerm coverage. Compared with
      sterile "ready-to-use" AlloDerm coverage, those with contour fenestrated AlloDerm
      had similar infection outcomes but significantly more minor mastectomy flap
      necrosis (P = 0.0023). Compared with total submuscular coverage, those with
      contour fenestrated AlloDerm coverage had similar infection outcomes but
      significantly more explantations (P = 0.0001), major (P = 0.0130) and minor
      mastectomy flap necrosis (P = 0.0001). Significant independent risk factors for
      increased infection were also identified. CONCLUSIONS: Contour fenestrated
      AlloDerm reduces infections compared with aseptic AlloDerm, but infection rates
      are similar to those of sterile, ready-to-use AlloDerm and total submuscular
      coverage.

PMID- 26495219
TI  - Gigantic LCFA-SCIP Mosaic Flap for Upper Extremity Reconstruction.

PMID- 26495220
TI  - Trends in Immediate Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction in the United Kingdom.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The study aimed to evaluate local and national trends in immediate
      breast reconstruction (IBR) using the national English administrative records,
      Hospital Episode Statistics. Our prediction was an increase in implant-only and
      free flap procedures and a decline in latissimus flap reconstructions. METHODS:
      Data from an oncoplastic center were interrogated to derive numbers of implant
      only, autologous latissimus dorsi (LD), LD-assisted, and autologous pedicled or
      free flap IBR procedures performed between 2004 and 2013. Similarly, Hospital
      Episode Statistics data were used to quantify national trends in these procedures
      from 1996 to 2012 using a curve fitting analysis. RESULTS: National data suggest
      an increase in LD procedures between 1996 (n = 250) and 2002 (n = 958), a gradual
      rise until 2008 (n = 1398) followed by a decline until 2012 (n = 1090). As a
      percentage of total IBR, trends in LD flap reconstruction better fit a quadratic
      (R(2) = 0.97) than a linear function (R(2) = 0.63), confirming a proportional
      recent decline in LD flap procedures. Conversely, autologous (non-LD) flap
      reconstructions have increased (1996 = 0.44%; 2012 = 2.76%), whereas implant-only
      reconstructions have declined (1996 = 95.42%; 2012 = 84.92%). Locally, 70 implant
      assisted LD procedures were performed in 2003 -2004, but only 2 were performed in
      2012 to 2013. CONCLUSIONS: Implants are the most common IBR technique; autologous
      free flap procedures have increased, and pedicled LD flap procedures are in
      decline.

PMID- 26495221
TI  - Recurrent Myoepithelioma Treated by Palatal and Piriform Apertural Approaches.
AB  - Myoepithelioma is a rare, benign salivary neoplasm, most frequently located in
      the salivary gland; extrasalivary cases most commonly occur in the palate. This
      tumor is prone to recurrence. We present a case of recurrent myoepithelioma in
      the nasal cavity with a palatal fistula treated both by a palatal approach and a
      piriform apertural approach. The combination of these approaches widens the
      surgical space, allowing removal of the mass. It is important not only to excise
      the mass but also to allow for reconstruction. 

PMID- 26495222
TI  - Forequarter Replantation and the Lessons Learnt.
AB  - The literature on major upper limb replantation, especially those proximal to the
      elbow, is inadequate. An 18-year-old man presented to us with a left forequarter
      amputation. A replantation was attempted with a view to salvaging function and
      avoiding prosthesis. The procedure was technically challenging with a number of
      issues not highlighted in previous reports, particularly bony stabilization. The
      procedure was initially successful, with good perfusion. However, with time, the
      limb showed sepsis and had to be abandoned. We report this case to add to the
      literature on replantation at the shoulder level in the hope that this procedure
      may be reported successfully in the future. 

PMID- 26495223
TI  - Development of Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plans (SCAMPs) in
      Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With rising cost of healthcare, there is an urgent need for
      developing effective and economical streamlined care. In clinical situations with
      limited data or conflicting evidence-based data, there is significant
      institutional and individual practice variation. Quality improvement with the use
      of Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plans (SCAMPs) might be
      beneficial in such scenarios. The SCAMPs method has never before been reported to
      be utilized in plastic surgery. METHODS: The topic of immediate breast
      reconstruction was identified as a possible SCAMPs project. The initial stages of
      SCAMPs development, including planning and implementation, were entered. The
      SCAMP Champion, along with the SCAMPs support team, developed targeted data
      statements. The SCAMP was then written and a decision-tree algorithm was built.
      Buy-in was obtained from the Division of Plastic Surgery and a SCAMPs data form
      was generated to collect data. RESULTS: Decisions pertaining to "immediate
      implant-based breast reconstruction" were approved as an acceptable topic for
      SCAMPs development. Nine targeted data statements were made based on the clinical
      decision points within the SCAMP. The SCAMP algorithm, and the SDF, required
      multiple revisions. Ultimately, the SCAMP was effectively implemented with
      multiple iterations in data collection. CONCLUSIONS: Full execution of the SCAMP
      may allow better-defined selection criteria for this complex patient population.
      Deviations from the SCAMP may allow for improvement of the SCAMP and facilitate
      consensus within the Division. Iterative and adaptive quality improvement
      utilizing SCAMPs creates an opportunity to reduce cost by improving knowledge
      about best practice.

PMID- 26495224
TI  - Saved by De-epithelialization: DIEP Flap Dermal Skin Regeneration Salvage after
      Mastectomy Skin Flap Loss.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wound re-epithelialization has been traditionally described to occur
      from the dermal appendages of the wound edges. As such, the role of the dermal
      wound bed in re-epithelialization has been questioned. In a patient undergoing
      breast reconstruction with free tissue transfer, the buried portions of the free
      flap skin paddle could be either de-epithelialized or deskinned. In case of
      mastectomy skin flap loss, the role of de-epithelialized skin in wound healing
      has not been described before. METHODS: We report a patient with bilateral
      mastectomies and bilateral deep inferior epigastric perforator flaps whose
      postoperative course was complicated by bilateral full-thickness mastectomy skin
      flap loss. Multiple debridements of nonviable skin resulted in exposure of
      previously buried de-epithelialized skin paddle of the deep inferior epigastric
      perforator flap. RESULTS: Our study demonstrates self re-epithelialization of the
      dermal wound bed from the dermal appendages. We noticed multiple noncontiguous
      neoepidermal islands in the dermal wound bed, which did not communicate with the
      wound edges. CONCLUSIONS: In case of full-thickness mastectomy skin flap loss,
      deep vascular plexus present in the dermal bed of the underlying de
      epithelialized skin paddle of the free flap converts an otherwise full-thickness
      wound to a partial-thickness wound. Our study demonstrates the self
      epithelialization potential of the de-epithelialized dermal wound bed from the
      dermal appendages when exposed to air and in the presence of wound healing
      elements.

PMID- 26495225
TI  - Metastatic Invasive Sweat Gland Adenocarcinoma of the Hand with Upper Limb
      Amputation/Shoulder Reconstruction.
AB  - A rare case of metastatic invasive sweat gland adenocarcinoma of hand in a 78
      year-old woman is presented. From this analysis of the available literature, it
      seems that these rare primary tumors of the hand are aggressive tumors with
      little known about their biological behavior. Fluoropyrimidines, taxanes, and
      cisplatin have been reported to be active agents for metastatic sweat gland
      carcinomas. Further, these tumors have historically been considered
      radioresistant, but responses to radiation have been documented in the setting of
      recurrent disease, and the use of adjuvant radiotherapy has been advocated for
      tumors at high risk of local recurrence. We advocate an aggressive approach of
      high amputation and axillary lymph node dissection with adjuvant treatment using
      chemotherapy as the mainstay with close follow-up for metastases. 

PMID- 26495226
TI  - Simultaneous Bilateral Submental Lymph Node Flaps for Lower Limb Lymphedema Post
      Leg Charles Procedure.
AB  - We summarize the case of a 59-year-old woman with left lower limb lymphedema for
      4 years post hysterectomy, pelvic lymph node dissection, radiation therapy, and
      chemotherapy for endometrial cancer. She underwent the Charles procedure on her
      left leg 2 years before being referred to our hospital and developed several
      cellulitis episodes and progressive lymphedema affecting her left toes and thigh.
      Bilateral vascularized submental lymph node flaps were transferred to her left
      ankle and thigh, respectively. After a 5-month follow-up, the leg became softer
      and lighter without relapsing cellulites, and the circumferential reduction rates
      at 15 cm above knee, 15 cm below knee, and 10 cm above ankle were 23.3%, 50%, and
      22.2%, respectively. The patient was satisfied with the functional recovery and
      discontinued use of compression garment postoperatively. 

PMID- 26495227
TI  - Salvage of Exposed Groin Vascular Grafts with Early Intervention Using Local
      Muscle Flaps.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peripheral vascular surgery may be complicated by wound infection and
      potential graft exposure in the groin area. Muscle flap coverage of the graft has
      been promoted to address these wound complications. The authors present their
      findings regarding graft salvage rates and patient outcomes using local muscle
      flaps to address vascular graft complications of the groin. METHODS: Data were
      obtained by retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent a local muscle
      flap procedure by a single surgeon following vascular graft complication in the
      groin. RESULTS: Seventeen patients undergoing local muscle flap coverage of a
      vascular graft were reviewed. Six men and 9 women, 51-80 years old, were included
      in the study. Wound complications in the groin occurred anywhere from 3 days to
      3.5 years following graft placement. Graft exposure was the most common
      presenting complication (14 of 17 patients). Muscle flap coverage occurred within
      15 days of complication presentation in all patients (average, 6.4 days). Seven
      of the 15 patients experienced postoperative complications within 6 months of the
      procedure, most commonly wound dehiscence. However, analysis demonstrated that
      vascular grafts were successfully salvaged in 10 of the 17 patients (59%) over
      the course of follow-up (range, 104-1748 days). Average time to muscle flap
      coverage was 4.2 days in patients who retained the graft and 9.6 days in patients
      who ultimately lost their vascular graft. CONCLUSION: The authors demonstrate
      improved vascular graft salvage rate when local muscle flap procedure is
      performed early after initial wound complication presentation.

PMID- 26495228
TI  - Applying a Dermal Regenerative Template in Management of Congenital Melanocytic
      Nevi of the Hand.
AB  - Congenital melanocytic nevus of the hand in the pediatric population is an
      uncommon diagnosis. These lesions have malignant potential and can cause
      psychosocial effects from cosmetic deformity. Early surgical intervention is
      recommended in these cases. The literature suggests that full-thickness skin
      grafting is to be performed in the hand to maintain functionality and avoid
      contracture and scarring. This creates a large donor-site defect and increased
      risk of graft loss due to slow revascularization from graft thickness. In
      addition, for large defects, the full-thickness skin graft donor site would
      require a split-thickness graft. However, split-thickness skin grafting is
      avoided in the hand due to increased scarring and contracture and decreased range
      of motion despite decreased donor-site morbidity and better revascularization. We
      describe a novel reconstructive technique that uses a dermal regenerative
      template (Integra) with split-thickness grafting. Having performed in 2 pediatric
      patients, we demonstrate that aesthetic and functional outcomes are equivalent to
      full-thickness grafting while creating a superficial donor site and allowing for
      improved revascularization from decreased graft thickness. 

PMID- 26495229
TI  - Multidetector-row Computed Tomographic Angiography in the Planning of the Local
      Perforator Flaps.
AB  - The perforator vessels are highly variable in number, localization types,
      hemodynamic specifications, and the anatomical interactions with other
      structures. For these reasons, the identification of the best perforator before
      the operation is very important for the choice of the main feed vessel and the
      design of the perforator flap. METHODS: The authors retrospectively analyzed all
      cases in which multiple detector computed tomography (MDCT) with 3-dimensional
      (3D) image reconstruction was used in the preoperative planning in preparation
      for the reconstruction with local perforator flaps, which took place between July
      2012 and December 2014 in the hospital. RESULTS: A total of 24 people were
      examined and underwent operations with 26 reconstructions using local perforator
      flaps. All perforators, which were identified during the MDCT with 3D
      reconstruction examination, were located intraoperationally without any errors.
      CONCLUSIONS: The preoperative MDCT with 3D reconstruction investigations of the
      topographic anatomical specifics of the perforator vessel on which the formation
      of the flap feed pedicle is planned allow for the fast and precise identification
      of the perforation at the preoperative stage while minimizing the amount of
      injury caused to the perforator during the operation and decrease the operation
      time.

PMID- 26495230
TI  - Lateral Calcaneal Artery Flaps in Atherosclerosis: Cadaveric Study, Vascular
      Assessment and Clinical Applications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Soft tissue defects of the lateral malleolus (LM) and Achilles tendon
      pose difficult reconstructive problems due to the bony prominence and limited
      local tissue available. The objectives were to study the anatomical landmarks of
      the lateral calcaneal artery (LCA) and patency of LCA in atherosclerotic
      patients. METHODS: Part I: Thirty-four cadaveric feet were dissected to identify
      the LCA. The distance between the LCA and the most prominent point of the LM was
      measured horizontally (LCAa-LM), obliquely (LCAb-LM), and vertically (LCAc-LM).
      Part II: Thirty-two patients were divided in 2 groups as nonatherosclerotic and
      atherosclerotic groups. The LCA was assessed by both Doppler ultrasonography and
      computed tomographic angiography (CTA). Part III: Clinical applications were
      demonstrated. RESULTS: Part I: Mean distances of LCAa-LM, LCAb-LM, and LCAc-LM
      were 24.76, 33.68, and 35.03 mm, respectively. The LCA originated 94.12% from the
      peroneal artery. Part II: Doppler ultrasonography detected the LCA at 90.62% and
      87.50% in nonatherosclerotic and atherosclerotic groups, respectively, whereas
      100.00% and 93.75%, respectively, were detected by CTA. No statistically
      significant difference was found in the patency of the LCA between
      nonatherosclerotic and atherosclerotic patients. Part III: Clinical applications
      were performed in atherosclerotic patients. CONCLUSIONS: The LM is a reliable
      point to identify the LCA, and the LCA flap can be raised safely in
      atherosclerotic patients. Preoperative CTA should be performed in severely
      atherosclerotic patients or cases of major lower extremity vascular injuries.

PMID- 26495231
TI  - Ultrasound Shear-Wave Elastography for Follow-Up Fat Induration after Breast
      Reconstruction with an Autologous Flap.
AB  - Fat induration is associated with necrosis and remains a common complication in
      breast reconstructions with autologous flaps after mastectomy. Fat induration can
      cause deep tissue infection, pain, distress, and anxiety. However, the diagnosis
      for this problem has not been objectively defined. In the current article, We
      will share our experience of using ultrasound shear-wave elastography with 14
      patients who had clinical fat induration after breast reconstruction with a deep
      inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap. The experience suggested that shear
      wave elastography may be a noninvasive tool to assess alterations of tissue
      stiffness in a reproducible fashion after breast reconstruction with DIEP flaps.
      Complications, such as fat necrosis and fatty induration, may occur as a result
      of unstable blood flow to the flap. Thereby, objective assessments of stiffness
      might make a major contribution to the understanding of hemodynamics of the DIEP
      flap after transplantation. 

PMID- 26495232
TI  - The Reverse Superficial Sural Artery Flap Revisited for Complex Lower Extremity
      and Foot Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Soft-tissue defects of the distal lower extremity and foot present
      significant challenges to the reconstructive surgeon. The reverse superficial
      sural artery flap (RSSAF) is a popular option for many of these difficult wounds.
      Our initial experience with this flap at multiple institutions resulted in a 50%
      failure rate, mostly because of critical venous congestion. To overcome this, we
      have modified our operative technique, which has produced a more reliable flap.
      METHODS: All patients reconstructed with an RSSAF between May 2002 and September
      2013 were retrospectively reviewed. In response to a high rate of venous
      congestion in an early group of patients, we adopted a uniform change in
      operative technique for a late group of patients. A key modification was an
      increase in pedicle width to at least 4 cm. Outcomes of interest included
      postoperative complications and limb salvage rate. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients
      were reconstructed with an RSSAF (n = 12 for early group, n = 15 for late group).
      Salvage rate in the early group was 50% compared with 93% in the late group (P =
      0.02). Postoperative complications (75% vs. 67%, P = 0.70) were similar between
      groups. Venous congestion that required leech therapy was 42% in the early group
      (n = 5) and 0% in the late group (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Venous congestion
      greatly impairs the survival of the RSSAF. A pedicle width of at least 4 cm is
      recommended to maintain venous drainage and preserve flap viability.

PMID- 26495233
TI  - Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 Suppresses Collagen Synthesis in Cultured
      Keloid Fibroblasts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Keloids are defined as a kind of dermal fibroproliferative disorder
      resulting from the accumulation of collagen. In the remodeling of extracellular
      matrix, the balance between matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and the tissue
      inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) is as critical as the proper production
      of extracellular matrix. We investigate the role of TIMPs and MMPs in the
      pathogenesis of keloids and examine the therapeutic potential of TIMP-2. METHODS:
      The expression of TIMPs and MMPs in most inflamed parts of cultured keloid
      fibroblasts (KFs) and peripheral normal skin fibroblasts (PNFs) in the same
      individuals and the reactivity of KFs to cyclic mechanical stretch were analyzed
      by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (n = 7). To evaluate the effect of treating KFs with TIMP-2,
      collagen synthesis was investigated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain
      reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and microscopic analysis was used
      to examine the treatment effects of TIMP-2 on ex vivo cultures of keloid tissue
      (n = 6). RESULTS: TIMP-2 was downregulated in cultured KFs compared with PNFs in
      the same individuals, and the reduction in TIMP-2 was exacerbated by cyclic
      mechanical stretch. Administration of TIMP-2 (200 or 300 ng/mL) significantly
      suppressed expression of Col1A2 and Col3A1 mRNA and collagen type I protein in
      KFs. TIMP-2 also significantly reduced the skin dermal and collagen bundle
      thickness in ex vivo cultures of keloid tissue. CONCLUSION: These results
      indicated that downregulation of TIMP-2 in KFs is a crucial event in the
      pathogenesis of keloids, and the TIMP-2 would be a promising candidate for the
      treatment of keloids.

PMID- 26495234
TI  - Combination of Mandibular Constriction and Intraoral Vertical Ramus Osteotomies
      for a Transverse Jaw Discrepancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the treatment of
      patients developing a transverse jaw width discrepancy who exhibited class III
      malocclusion and/or facial asymmetry by a combination of mandibular constriction
      (MC) and intraoral vertical ramus osteotomies (IVROs). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In a
      retrospective study, functional results, postoperative complications, and
      skeletal stability were analyzed for all the patients who had undergone MC and
      IVRO, with more than 2 years of follow-up. A mandibular midline osteotomy for
      constriction with lag screw technique and IVROs was used for MC and setback.
      RESULTS: Sixteen patients were included in the present study. The average degree
      of MC was 6.34 mm. Both the occlusal relationship and facial appearance in all
      patients were significantly improved by the surgical orthodontic treatment, with
      no harmful clinical symptoms. In addition, our original MC using lag screw
      technique provided the most reliable results in terms of skeletal stability.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that MC using lag screw technique gives a very
      stable mandibular width constriction, and the combination of MC and IVROs offers
      a promising treatment alternative for patients with mandibular prognathism
      developing a transverse jaw width discrepancy.

PMID- 26495235
TI  - High Aggressive Herpetiform Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - We describe a highly aggressive squamous cell carcinoma that presents in a
      dermatome pattern shortly following shingles and review the literature on
      herpetiform lesions. 

PMID- 26495236
TI  - A Novel Treatment of Denuded Areas in Newborns: A Report of 2 Successful Cases.
AB  - Covering denuded areas in the extremes of life is challenging for the plastic
      surgeon. In newborns, this becomes a greater challenge because of the immaturity
      of all of their systems, making any injury a potential risk for death. We present
      in this case report a successful treatment of 2 cases covered with cultured
      autologous keratinocytes. In this procedure, a small skin biopsy is taken from
      the retroauricular area and the keratinocytes are cultured. After 5 days, a
      membrane with the cells cultured is applied covering the denuded area. We find
      the autologous keratinocyte method a suitable option for the treatment of denuded
      areas in newborns, without causing any additional morbidity and in a very short
      period of time. 

PMID- 26495237
TI  - Ganglion and Synovial Cyst of the Temporomandibular Joint: A Case Report and
      Literature Review.
AB  - Ganglion and synovial cysts of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are rare.
      Although histopathological findings differ, clinical presentation is comparable.
      This study adds a case report of a ganglion of the TMJ to existing literature and
      a review of all available case reports on ganglion and synovial cysts of the TMJ.
      Including our own case report, we reviewed 49 cases of ganglion and synovial
      cysts of the TMJ. They occurred in a female:male ratio of 3:1, at an median age
      of 46 years (range, 11-64 years). Patients mainly presented with preauricular
      swelling and pain. After imaging, the ganglion or synovial cyst was most commonly
      excised under general anesthesia. No recurrences were described. 

PMID- 26495238
TI  - Usefulness of Simple-Designed Bilobed Flap for Reconstruction of Ischial
      Decubitus Ulcer.
AB  - The pressure ulcer of the ischial region is often accompanied by complete
      paraplegia in patients with spinal cord injury and is attributable to the
      compression and breakdown of tissue arising from constant sitting.
      Characteristically, a pressure ulcer of this region is circular and deep. We
      recently reconstructed ischial decubitus ulcer of 8 patients using simple
      designed bilobed flap. In all cases, the flap survived completely without any
      complication. Moreover, none of the patients in this group experienced any
      pressure ulcer relapse during the postoperative follow-up from 1 year 1 month to
      9 years. In the vicinity of the ischial region, the buttock contains the most
      abundant amount of fatty tissue. Therefore, for our technique, we create the
      first flap in the buttock neighboring the defect and the second flap on the
      posterior thigh. Using this approach, it is possible to cover the skin or soft
      tissue defect of the ischial region with the flap from the buttock having a
      thickness large enough to bear the patient's weight during sitting. The first
      flap is arranged parallel to the gluteal sulcus, and the second flap from the
      thigh is moved to the first-flap donation site. This technique allows closure of
      the wound without producing tension along the suture line. The bilobed flap,
      which does not require the artery to be included in the flap, is applicable for
      patients with relapsing pressure ulcer having a history of surgery. Our flap
      operative procedure is particularly useful in the reconstruction of ischial
      decubitus ulcer. 

PMID- 26495239
TI  - Refined Method of Lipofilling following DIEP Breast Reconstruction: 3D Analysis
      of Graft Survival.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap technique gives
      good clinical results, but aesthetic surgical adjustments are often necessary.
      Lipofilling represents a good complementary method, but fat resorption within the
      few months after surgery limits its use. Recently, a new protocol was introduced
      and successfully evaluated on murine models. This study aims to evaluate this
      protocol following a DIEP procedure by three-dimensional analysis. METHODS:
      Within a period of 4 months, every patient having undergone breast reconstruction
      with DIEP and who required a lipofilling adjustment was invited to take part in
      this study. All surgeries were performed using the Adip'sculpt disposable medical
      device MACROFILL (Laboratoires SEBBIN, Boissy-l'Aillerie, France). Fat resorption
      was analyzed using a three-dimensional photography system. RESULTS: Twenty-three
      patients were included, with a total of 25 breasts operated on. Injections were
      carried out on irradiated breasts in 73% of cases, and average injection volume
      was 124 mL (SD = 39 mL), whereas average operating time was 68 minutes (44-96
      minutes). At an average follow-up of 5 months (4-8 months), 70.9% of projection
      gain afforded by the lipofilling was still present. CONCLUSIONS: It is now clear
      that particular rules should be respected for an efficient lipofilling,
      particularly regarding aspiration cannula characteristics, vacuum used, and the
      necessity of washes and soft centrifugations. We demonstrate here that by
      following a specific protocol that addresses these precautions, while using
      material that is specifically adapted, a 70.9% fat survival rate can be achieved,
      even in the very unfavorable case of postirradiation DIEP breast reconstruction.

PMID- 26495240
TI  - Obesity-Related Genetic Variants and their Associations with Physical Activity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identified obesity
      related genetic variants. Due to the pleiotropic effects of related phenotypes,
      we tested six of these obesity-related genetic variants for their association
      with physical activity: fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO)(rs9939609)T>A,
      potassium channel tetramerization domain containing (KCTD15) (rs11084753)G>A,
      melanocortin receptor4 (MC4R)(rs17782313)T>C, neuronal growth regulator 1
      (NEGR1)(rs2815752)A>G, SH2B adapter protein 1 (SH2B1)(rs7498665)A>G, and
      transmembrane protein18 (TMEM18)(rs6548238)C>T. METHOD: European-American women
      (n = 263) and men (n = 229) (23.5 +/- 0.3 years, 24.6 +/- 0.2 kg/m2) were
      genotyped and completed the Paffenbarger physical activity Questionnaire.
      Physical activity volume in metabolic energy equivalents [MET]-hour/week was
      derived from the summed time spent (hour/week) times the given MET value for
      vigorous, moderate, and light intensity physical activity, and sitting and
      sleeping, respectively. Multivariable adjusted [(age, sex, and body mass index
      (BMI)] linear regression tested associations among genotype (dominant/recessive
      model) and the log of physical activity volume. RESULT: MC4R (rs17782313)T>C
      explained 1.1 % (p = 0.02), TMEM18(rs6548238)C>T 1.2 % (p = 0.01), and SH2B1
      (rs7498665)A>G 0.6 % (p = 0.08) of the variability in physical activity volume.
      Subjects with the MC4R C allele spent 3.5 % less MET-hour/week than those with
      the TT genotype (p = 0.02). Subjects with the TMEM18 T allele spent 4.1 % less
      MET-hour/week than those with the CC genotype (p = 0.01). Finally, subjects with
      the SH2B1 GG genotype spent 3.6 % less MET-hour/week than A allele carriers (p =
      0.08). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest a shared genetic influence among some
      obesity-related gene loci and physical activity phenotypes that should be
      explored further. Physical activity volume differences by genotype have public
      health importance equating to 11-13 lb weight difference annually.

PMID- 26495241
TI  - MECHANICAL VENTILATION FOR THE LUNG TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT.
AB  - Mechanical ventilation (MV) is an important aspect in the intraoperative and
      early postoperative management of lung transplant (LTx)-recipients. There are no
      randomized-controlled trials of LTx-recipient MV strategies; however there are
      LTx center experiences and international survey studies reported. The main early
      complication of LTx is primary graft dysfunction (PGD), which is similar to the
      adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We aim to summarize information
      pertinent to LTx-MV, as well as PGD, ARDS, and intraoperative MV and to
      synthesize these available data into recommendations. Based on the available
      evidence, we recommend lung-protective MV with low-tidal-volumes (<=6 mL/kg
      predicted body weight [PBW]) and positive end-expiratory pressure for the LTx
      recipient. In our opinion, the MV strategy should be based on donor
      characteristics (donor PBW as a parameter of actual allograft size), rather than
      based on recipient characteristics; however this donor-characteristics-based
      protective MV is based on indirect evidence and requires validation in
      prospective clinical studies.

PMID- 26495242
TI  - Recent advances and future directions in the management of knee osteoarthritis:
      Can biological joint reconstruction replace joint arthroplasty and when?
AB  - In this article, a concise description of the recent advances in the field of
      osteoarthritis management is presented. The main focus is to highlight the most
      promising techniques that emerge in both biological joint replacement and
      artificial joint arthroplasty. A critical view of high quality evidence regarding
      outcome and safety profile of these techniques is presented. The potential role
      of kinematically aligned total knee replacement, navigation, and robotic-assisted
      surgery is outlined. A critical description of both primary and stem cell-based
      therapies, the cell homing theory, the use of biologic factors and recent
      advancements in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is provided. Based
      on the current evidence, some thoughts on a realistic approach towards answering
      these questions are attempted. 

PMID- 26495243
TI  - Superior labral anterior posterior lesions of the shoulder: Current diagnostic
      and therapeutic standards.
AB  - Surgical treatment of superior labral anterior posterior (SLAP) lesion becomes
      more and more frequent which is the consequence of evolving progress in both,
      imaging and surgical technique as well as implants. The first classification of
      SLAP lesions was described in 1990, a subdivision in four types existed. The
      rising comprehension of pathology and pathophysiology in SLAP lesions contributed
      to increase the types in SLAP classification to ten. Concerning the causative
      mechanism of SLAP lesions, acute trauma has to be differed from chronic
      degeneration. Overhead athletes tend to develop a glenohumeral internal rotation
      deficit which forms the basis for two controversial discussed potential
      mechanisms of pathophysiology in SLAP lesions: Internal impingement and peel-back
      mechanism. Clinical examination often remains unspecific whereas soft tissue
      imaging such as direct or indirect magnetic resonance arthrography has
      technically improved and is regarded to be indispensable in detection of SLAP
      lesions. Concomitant pathologies as Bankart lesions, rotator cuff tears or
      perilabral cysts should be taken into consideration when planning a personalized
      therapeutic strategy. In addition, normal variants such as sublabral recess,
      sublabral hole, Buford complex and other less common variants have to be
      distinguished. The most frequent SLAP type II needs a sophisticated approach when
      surgical teatment comes into consideration. While SLAP repair is considered to be
      the standard operative option, overhead athletes benefit from a biceps tenodesis
      because improved patient-reported satisfaction and higher rate of return to pre
      injury level of sports has been reported. 

PMID- 26495244
TI  - Osteitis pubis in elite athletes: Diagnostic and therapeutic approach.
AB  - Osteitis pubis (OP) is a debilitating overuse syndrome characterizing by pelvic
      pain and local tenderness over the pubic symphysis commonly encountered in
      athletes often involved in kicking, twisting and cutting activities in sports
      such as soccer and rugby and to a lesser degree distance running. It is a common
      source of groin pain in elite athletes attributable to pubis sympysis instability
      as the result of microtrauma caused by repetitive muscle strains on pubic bones.
      Diagnosis is based mainly on detailed sports history and a meticulous clinical
      examination, although occasionally is difficult to distinguish this nosological
      entity from other pathologies affecting the involved area which may occur
      concomitantly in the same patient. Radiologic examinations such as plain
      radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging and 3 phase bone isotope scanning may be
      helpful to differentiate from other clinical entities with similar clinical
      presentation. Most cases respond well to conservative treatment which includes
      several physical modalities and especially a progressive rehabilitation
      programmed individualized to each one of patients diagnosed with OP. Local
      injection therapies have been also been proposed as a non-operative therapeutic
      option for the efficient management of these patients. In refractory cases,
      surgical therapeutic strategies are warranted. These include several open or
      minimally invasive surgical interventions such as arthroscopic or open symphysis
      curettage, wedge or total resection of pubic sympysis, polypropylene mesh
      placement and pubic fusion. In this review a critical analysis of OP in elite
      athletes is performed with special focus on current concepts of diagnosis and
      management of this source of athletic groin pain. 

PMID- 26495245
TI  - Vertebral fracture assessment: Current research status and application in
      patients with kyphoplasty.
AB  - Imaging of the spine is of paramount importance for the recognition of
      osteoporotic vertebral fractures (VFs), and standard radiography (SR) of the
      spine is the suggested diagnostic method but is not routinely used because of the
      cost and radiation exposure considerations. VF assessment (VFA) is an efficient,
      low radiation method for identifying VFs at the time of bone mineral density
      (BMD) measurement. Prediction models used to indicate the need for VFA may have
      little predictive power in subspecialty referral populations such as
      rheumatologic patients or patients who underwent kyphoplasty. Rheumatologic
      patients are frequently at increased risk for VFs, and VFA should be performed on
      an individual basis, also taking in account the guidelines for the general
      population. Kyphoplasty is a new minimal invasive procedure for the treatment of
      VFs and is being performed with increasing frequency. Following kyphoplasty,
      there may be a risk of new VFs in adjacent vertebrae. The assessment and follow
      up of patients who underwent kyphoplasty requires repetitive X-ray imaging with
      the known limitations of SR. Thus, VFA may facilitate the evaluation of VFs in
      these patients because most of the kyphoplasty patients would fulfill the
      criteria. In a pilot study, we measured the BMD and performed VFA in 28 patients
      treated with kyphoplasty. Ratios of anterior to posterior (A/P) and middle to
      posterior (M/P) height were measured, and Genant's method was used to classify
      vertebrae accordingly. Intraobserver and interobserver reliability for A/P, M/P
      and the Genant's method were determined. Only 1 patient did not meet the criteria
      for VFA. Of the 364 available vertebrae, 295 could be analyzed. Most missing data
      (concerning 69 vertebrae) occurred in the upper thoracic region. Three of the 69
      non-eligible vertebrae were lumbar vertebrae with cement leakage from the
      kyphoplasty procedure. In our hands, VFA was highly reproducible, demonstrating
      very good agreement in terms of intraobserver and interobserver reliability.
      Agreement was very good on the vertebral level, "vertebrae with kyphoplasty"
      level and "2 above and 1 below the kyphoplasty vertebrae" level. The application
      of Genant's method to these patients also resulted in perfect agreement. We
      believe that the potential value of VFA in patients treated with kyphoplasty
      requires further evaluation, particularly comparing VFA with SR and performing a
      longitudinal follow-up. More research will help to adopt care processes that
      determine which patients require VFA and how often VFA should be performed, while
      also considering the impact of this technique on the cost of healthcare
      organizations. 

PMID- 26495247
TI  - Comminuted olecranon fracture fixation with pre-contoured plate: Comparison of
      composite and cadaver bones.
AB  - AIM: To determine whether use of a precontoured olecranon plate provides adequate
      fixation to withstand supraphysiologic force in a comminuted olecranon fracture
      model. METHODS: Five samples of fourth generation composite bones and five
      samples of fresh frozen human cadaveric left ulnae were utilized for this study.
      The cadaveric specimens underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)
      scanning to quantify the bone quality. The composite and cadaveric bones were
      prepared by creating a comminuted olecranon fracture and fixed with a pre
      contoured olecranon plate with locking screws. Construct stiffness and failure
      load were measured by subjecting specimens to cantilever bending moments until
      failure. Fracture site motion was measured with differential variable resistance
      transducer spanning the fracture. Statistical analysis was performed with two
      tailed Mann-Whitney-U test with Monte Carlo Exact test. RESULTS: There was a
      significant difference in fixation stiffness and strength between the composite
      bones and human cadaver bones. Failure modes differed in cadaveric and composite
      specimens. The load to failure for the composite bones (n = 5) and human cadaver
      bones (n = 5) specimens were 10.67 nm (range 9.40-11.91 nm) and 13.05 nm (range
      12.59-15.38 nm) respectively. This difference was statistically significant (P ?
      0.007, 97% power). Median stiffness for composite bones and human cadaver bones
      specimens were 5.69 nm/mm (range 4.69-6.80 nm/mm) and 7.55 nm/mm (range 6.31-7.72
      nm/mm). There was a significant difference for stiffness (P ? 0.033, 79% power)
      between composite bones and cadaveric bones. No correlation was found between the
      DEXA results and stiffness. All cadaveric specimens withstood the physiologic
      load anticipated postoperatively. Catastrophic failure occurred in all composite
      specimens. All failures resulted from composite bone failure at the distal screw
      site and not hardware failure. There were no catastrophic fracture failures in
      the cadaveric specimens. Failure of 4/5 cadaveric specimens was defined when a
      fracture gap of 2 mm was observed, but 1/5 cadaveric specimens failed due to a
      failure of the triceps mechanism. All failures occurred at forces greater than
      that expected in postoperative period prior to healing. CONCLUSION: The pre
      contoured olecranon plate provides adequate fixation to withstand physiologic
      force in a composite bone and cadaveric comminuted olecranon fracture model.

PMID- 26495248
TI  - Is two-stage reimplantation effective for virulent pathogenic infection in a
      periprosthetic hip? A retrospective analysis.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the effectiveness of two-stage reimplantation using
      antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC) and the risk factors associated with failure
      to control periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). METHODS: We retrospectively
      reviewed 38 consecutive hips managed using two-stage reimplantation with ALBC.
      The mean follow-up period was 5.4 years (range: 2.5-9 years). RESULTS: The
      causative pathogens were isolated from 29 patients (76%), 26 of whom were
      infected with highly virulent organisms. Sixteen patients (42%) underwent at
      least two first-stage debridements. An increased debridement frequency correlated
      significantly with high comorbidity (P < 0.001), a lower preoperative Harris hip
      score (HHS; P < 0.001), antimicrobial resistance, and gram-negative and
      polymicrobial infection (P = 0.002). Of the 35 patients who underwent two-stage
      reimplantation, 34 showed no signs of recurrence of infection. The mean HHS
      improved from 46 +/- 12.64 to 78 +/- 10.55 points, with 7 (20%), 12 (34%), 11
      (32%) and 5 (14%) patients receiving excellent, good, fair and poor ratings,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrated that two-stage
      reimplantation could successfully treat PJI after hip arthroplasty. However, the
      ability of ALBC to eradicate infection was limited because frequent debridement
      was required in high-risk patients (i.e., patients who are either in poor general
      health due to associated comorbidities or harbor infections due to highly
      virulent, difficult-to-treat organisms). LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

PMID- 26495249
TI  - Acute effects of static stretching on peak and end-range hamstring-to-quadriceps
      functional ratios.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate if static stretching influences peak and end-range functional
      hamstring-to-quadriceps (H/Q) strength ratios in elite women athletes. METHODS:
      Eleven healthy female athletes in an elite competitive level participated to the
      study. All the participants fulfilled the static stretching or non-stretching
      (control) intervention protocol in a randomized design on different days. Two
      static unassisted stretching exercises, one in standing and one in sitting
      position, were used to stretch both the hamstring and quadriceps muscles during
      these protocols. The total time for the static stretching was 6 +/- 1 min. The
      isokinetic peak torque measurements for the hamstring and quadriceps muscles in
      eccentric and concentric modes and the calculations for the functional H/Q
      strength ratios at angular velocities of 60 degrees /s and 180 degrees /s were
      made before (pre) and after (post) the control or stretching intervention. The
      strength measurements and functional strength ratio calculations were based
      during the entire- and end-range of knee extension. RESULTS: The pre-test scores
      for quadriceps and hamstring peak torque and end range values were not
      significantly different between the groups (P > 0.05). Subsequently, although the
      control group did not exhibit significant changes in quadriceps and hamstring
      muscle strength (P > 0.05), static stretching decreased eccentric and concentric
      quadriceps muscle strength at both the 60 degrees /s and 180 degrees /s test
      speeds (P < 0.01). Similarly, static stretching also decreased eccentric and
      concentric hamstring muscle strength at both the 60 degrees /s and 180 degrees /s
      test speeds (P < 0.01). On the other hand, when the functional H/Q strength
      ratios were taken into consideration, the pre-intervention values were not
      significant different between the groups both during the entire and end range of
      knee extension (P > 0.05). Furthermore, the functional H/Q strength ratios
      exhibited no significant alterations during the entire and end ranges of knee
      extension both in the static stretching or the control intervention (P > 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: According to our results, static stretching routine does not
      influence functional H/Q ratio. Athletes can confidently perform static
      stretching during their warm-up routines.

PMID- 26495250
TI  - Volume and fat infiltration of spino-pelvic musculature in adults with spinal
      deformity.
AB  - AIM: To investigate fat infiltration and volume of spino-pelvic muscles in adults
      spinal deformity (ASD) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 3D
      reconstructions. METHODS: Nineteen female ASD patients (mean age 60 +/- 13) were
      included prospectively and consecutively and had T1-weighted Turbo Spin Echo
      sequence MRIs with Dixon method from the proximal tibia up to T12 vertebra. The
      Dixon method permitted to evaluate the proportion of fat inside each muscle (fat
      water ratio). In order to investigate the accuracy of the Dixon method for
      estimating fat vs water, the same MRI acquisition was performed on phantoms of
      four vials composed of different proportion of fat vs water. With Muscl'X
      software, 3D reconstructions of 17 muscles or group of muscles were obtained
      identifying the muscle's contour on a limited number of axial images [Deformation
      of parametric specific objects (DPSO) Method]. Musclar volume (Vmuscle),
      infiltrated fat volume (Vfat) and percentage of fat infiltration [Pfat,
      calculated as follow: Pfat = 100 * (Vfat/Vmuscle)] were characterized by extensor
      or flexor function respectively for the spine, hip and knee and theirs
      relationship with demographic data were investigated. RESULTS: Phantom
      acquisition demonstrated a non linear relation between Dixon fat-water ratio and
      the real fat-water ratio. In order to correct the Dixon fat-water ratio, the non
      linear relation was approximated with a polynomial function of degree three using
      the phantom acquisition. On average, Pfat was 13.3% +/- 5.3%. Muscles from the
      spinal extensor group had a Pfat significantly greater than the other muscles
      groups, and the largest variability (Pfat = 31.9% +/- 13.8%, P < 0.001). Muscles
      from the hip extensor group ranked 2(nd) in terms of Pfat (14% +/- 8%), and were
      significantly greater than those of the knee extensor (P = 0.030). Muscles from
      the knee extensor group demonstrated the least Pfat (12% +/- 8%). They were also
      the only group with a significant correlation between Vmuscle and Pfat (r = 
      0.741, P < 0.001), however this correlation was lacking in the other groups. No
      correlation was found between the Vmuscle total and age or body mass index.
      Except for the spine flexors, Pfat was correlated with age. Vmuscle and Vfat
      distributions demonstrated that muscular degeneration impacted the spinal
      extensors most. CONCLUSION: Mechanisms of fat infiltration are not similar among
      the muscle groups. Degeneration impacted the spinal and hip extensors most, key
      muscles of the sagittal alignment.

PMID- 26495251
TI  - Subtrochanteric fractures after retrograde femoral nailing.
AB  - Secondary fractures around femoral nails placed for the management of hip
      fractures are well known. We report, two cases of a fracture of the femur at the
      interlocking screw site in the subtrochanteric area after retrograde femoral
      nailing of a femoral shaft fracture. Only a few reports in the existing
      literature have described these fractures. Two young men after sustaining a fall
      presented to us with pain, swelling and deformity in the upper thigh region. On
      enquiring, examining and radiographing them, peri-implant fractures of
      subtrochanteric nature through the distal interlocking screws were revealed in
      both patients who also had histories of previous falls for which retrograde
      intramedullary nailing was performed for their respective femora. Both patients
      were managed with similar surgical routines including removal of the existing
      hardware, open reduction and ace cephallomedullary antegrade nailing. The second
      case did show evidence of delayed healing and was additionally stabilized with
      cerclage wires. Both patients had uneventful postoperative outcomes and union was
      evident at the end of 6 mo postoperatively with a good range of motion at the hip
      and knee. Our report suggests that though seldom reported, peri-implant fractures
      around the subtrochanteric region can occur and pose a challenge to the treating
      orthopaedic surgeon. We suggest these be managed, after initial stabilization and
      resuscitation, by implant removal, open reduction and interlocking intramedullary
      antegrade nailing. Good results and progression to union can be expected in these
      patients by adhering to basic principles of osteosynthesis. 

PMID- 26495246
TI  - Cystic lesion around the hip joint.
AB  - This article presents a narrative review of cystic lesions around the hip and
      primarily consists of 5 sections: Radiological examination, prevalence,
      pathogenesis, symptoms, and treatment. Cystic lesions around the hip are usually
      asymptomatic but may be observed incidentally on imaging examinations, such as
      computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Some cysts may enlarge
      because of various pathological factors, such as trauma, osteoarthritis,
      rheumatoid arthritis, or total hip arthroplasty (THA), and may become symptomatic
      because of compression of surrounding structures, including the femoral,
      obturator, or sciatic nerves, external iliac or common femoral artery, femoral or
      external iliac vein, sigmoid colon, cecum, small bowel, ureters, and bladder.
      Treatment for symptomatic cystic lesions around the hip joint includes rest,
      nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug administration, needle aspiration, and
      surgical excision. Furthermore, when these cysts are associated with
      osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and THA, primary or revision THA surgery
      will be necessary concurrent with cyst excision. Knowledge of the characteristic
      clinical appearance of cystic masses around the hip will be useful for
      determining specific diagnoses and treatments. 

PMID- 26495252
TI  - Ewings sarcoma of patella: A rare entity treated with a novel technique of
      extensor mechanism reconstruction using tendoachilles auto graft.
AB  - We report a case of Ewings sarcoma (ES) involving the patella in a young female.
      ES of patella is a rare entity. The patient was presented with anterior knee pain
      and swelling arising from the patella. She was treated with neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy followed by wide excision of the patella and reconstruction of the
      extensor mechanism using split tendoachilles auto graft. The patella is an
      uncommon site for primary or metastatic tumors of the bone. ES, though rare,
      should be included in the differential diagnosis of swellings arising from the
      patella. Auto graft from the tendoachilles is a good alternative for
      reconstructing the extensor mechanism of the knee. 

PMID- 26495253
TI  - Psychometric Properties of the Persian Language Version of Yang Internet
      Addiction Questionnaire: An Explanatory Factor Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reliability and validity are the key concepts in measurement
      processes. Young internet addiction test (YIAT) is regarded as a valid and
      reliable questionnaire in English speaking countries for diagnosis of Internet
      related behavior disorders. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at validating the
      Persian version of YIAT in the Iranian society. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A pilot and
      a cross-sectional study were conducted on 28 and 254 students of Qom University
      of Medical Sciences, respectively, in order to validate the Persian version of
      YIAT. Forward and backward translations were conducted to develop a Persian
      version of the scale. Reliability was measured by test-retest, Cronbach's alpha
      and interclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Face, content and construct
      validity were approved by the importance score index, content validity ratio
      (CVR), content validity index (CVI), correlation matrix and factor analysis. The
      SPSS software was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The Cronbach's alpha was 0.917
      (CI 95%; 0.901 - 0.931). The average of scale-level CVI was calculated to be
      0.74; the CVI index for each item was higher than 0.83 and the average of CVI
      index was equal to 0.89. Factor analysis extracted three factors including
      personal activities disorder (PAD), emotional and mood disorder (EMD) and social
      activities disorder (SAD), with more than 55.8% of total variances. The ICC for
      different factors of Persian version of Young Questionnaire including PAD, EMD
      and for SAD was r = 0.884; CI 95%; 0.861 - 0.904, r = 0.766; CI 95%; 0.718 -
      0.808 and r = 0.745; CI 95%; 0.686 - 0.795, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      showed that the Persian version of YIAT is good and usable on Iranian people. The
      reliability of the instrument was very good. Moreover, the validity of the
      Persian translated version of the scale was sufficient. In addition, the
      reliability and validity of the three extracted factors of YIAT were evaluated
      and were acceptable.

PMID- 26495254
TI  - Multiple Prescription Drug Abuse and Salt Craving in a Psychotic Patient: A Case
      Report From a Teaching Hospital in Jordan.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diuretics and laxative abuse as a means of purging is common in
      patients with bulimia nervosa and there may be an underestimation of the true
      prevalence of diuretic abuse, as some are also available without prescription.
      CASE PRESENTATION: A 28-year-old woman presented with tetany due to hypocalcemia,
      hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia. She had a history of laxative and diuretic abuse,
      and salt craving. Psychiatric evaluation revealed a disturbed social history with
      masked depression that necessitated treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple prescription
      drug abuse and salt/salty food addiction usually reflects a personality of
      addiction, which leads to harmful use and dependence.

PMID- 26495255
TI  - The Mortality Rate of Myocardial Infraction Patients With and Without Opium
      Dependen.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a heart condition caused by the
      suspension of blood circulation in a part of the myocardium. There are different
      risk factors contributing to a heart attack. Some believe that endorphins and
      endogenous opioids play an important role in causing MIs. OBJECTIVES: This study
      intended to determine the relationship between opium dependency and mortality
      rate among patients with MI. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study
      investigated patients who had MI for the first time and were hospitalized in the
      coronary care unit (CCU) of Khatamolanbia hospital in Zahedan, Iran, from 2007 to
      2010. These patients were either opium dependent or not. Four hundred patients
      were selected. The patients' possibilities of death and re-hospitalization after
      the first MI were confirmed over the phone. Data was analyzed through t-test and
      chi-squared test. RESULTS: Of all the patients, 19.5% were opium-dependent. The
      mortality rate in the non-opium-dependent group was 5.9%, while in the dependent
      group this rate was 11.5% (P = 0.072). The number of re-hospitalizations due to
      heart problems was higher in the opium-dependent patients (P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: There was no meaningful relationship between the mortality rate of
      patients with MI who were either opium-dependent or non-opium-dependent. The
      number of re-hospitalizations due to heart problems was meaningfully higher in
      the opium-dependent patients; hence, educating people and training them on the
      destructive effects of opium, specifically in patients with heart conditions is
      highly recommended.

PMID- 26495256
TI  - Survival Analysis of Drug Abuse Relapse in Addiction Treatment Centers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Drug abuse is a chronic and enduring phenomenon, which is among the
      important challenging public health problems. One of the main aspects in drug
      abuse is the relapse. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to estimate the
      time to relapse (survival rate) and to evaluate some of its associated variables
      by survival analysis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This research was conducted in four
      addiction treatment centers on 140 self-referred addicts in Ilam city, Iran, in
      2012. Cluster sampling method was used for selecting the samples and data were
      collected by interview and referring to the subjects' records. The gathered data
      were analyzed through the life table, Kaplan-Meier analysis, log rank test, and
      Cox regression. RESULTS: The relapse rate was 30.42%, mean and median of the time
      to relapse (survival time) were 27.40 +/- 1.63 months (CI 95%: 24.19 - 30.60) and
      25 +/- 2.25 months (CI 95%: 22.5 - 27.5), respectively. In the first six months,
      the cumulative survival rate was 83%, while in the 24th month it was 46% and the
      following time was consistent. Job status (OR = 2.64), marital status (OR =
      1.55), family size (OR = 1.20) and age (OR = 0.23) were statistically significant
      in Cox regression model. CONCLUSIONS: In the initial treatment, it seems
      necessary to supervise and monitor the treatment process through staff in
      addiction treatment centers together with the company of the addicts' families to
      reduce relapse rate.

PMID- 26495257
TI  - Cigarette Smoking and Skin Prick Test in Patients With Allergic Rhinitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Allergic Rhinitis (AR) is the most common allergic disease, affecting
      30% of population around the world. The disease is predominantly associated with
      exposure to some aeroallergens like cigarette smoking. Skin Prick Test (SPT) is a
      method of detecting immediate allergic reactions and is applied for controlling
      disease and therapeutic modality. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to
      investigate the effect of cigarette smoking on SPT results among male and female
      individuals with AR disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 478 patients with
      AR admitted to the 2 main hospitals of Zahedan City from 2005 to 2012, were
      recruited in this analytic-descriptive study. Categories of smokers and never
      smokers were used based on patient's statements and their history of smoking. SPT
      was performed with panel of some allergens and results were recorded and analyzed
      statistically. Odds ratio and confidence interval method were calculated using
      univariate logistic regression. RESULTS: The results of this study indicated that
      41.4% of patients with allergic rhinitis was smoker with ages ranged from 15 to
      70 years. The result of this study also showed that smoking has no effect on SPT
      results of pollen and weeds aeroallergens conducted on male and female AR
      patients. However, male were significantly more sensitive than female in terms of
      sensitivity to the aspergillus, cladosporium, house dust mite, grasses, wheat,
      cockroach, and feather allergens. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings did not support the
      effect of cigarette smoking on SPT reactivity to pollen and weeds aeroallergens.
      However, male were significantly more sensitive than female in terms of
      sensitivity to some allergens.

PMID- 26495258
TI  - Effect of Abstinence on Depression, Anxiety, and Quality of Life in Chronic
      Methamphetamine Users in a Therapeutic Community.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During withdrawal, patients experience different symptoms. These
      symptoms are associated with relapse. Understanding different outcomes of
      methamphetamine abstinence is useful for finding better treatments for
      dependence. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to show the effects of abstinence on
      depression, anxiety, and quality of life in methamphetamine users. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: A prospective quasi-experimental (before and after study) method was
      used to show the effect of 3 weeks abstinence on depression, anxiety, and quality
      of life. A convenient sample of addicted people entered into the study and 34
      people completed the study. Beck Depression Scale, Cattell Anxiety Inventory and
      Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) (for assessing quality of life), were used for
      outcome assessments. RESULTS: The mean depression score after abstinence
      decreased significantly (P < 0.001). Both hidden and obvious anxiety and total
      anxiety had a high level at admission and after 3 weeks of abstinence, the mean
      level of anxiety did not change significantly (P < 0.096). However, the quality
      of life increased after 3 weeks of abstinence (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Depression and anxiety are prevalent in methamphetamine users. Short-term
      abstinence improves depression and quality of life but does not improve anxiety
      in methamphetamine abusers. During follow up of these patients, addressing
      depression and anxiety is important to achieve better results.

PMID- 26495259
TI  - Chronic Administration of High Doses of Nandrolone Decanoate on the Pituitary
      Gonadal Axis in Male Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are abused by athletes.
      OBJECTIVES: The present study was designed to evaluate chronic administration of
      high doses of nandrolone decanoate (ND) on the pituitary-gonadal axis and
      hematological parameters in normal male rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty
      Wistar-Albino male rats were divided assigned to control (C), placebo (P) and
      test (T) groups (n = 10). Group T received 15 mg/kg intramuscular (IM) ND for
      eight weeks. Group P received the same volume of peanut oil, but group C did not
      receive any agent during the trial period. At the end, animals were anesthetized,
      killed and blood samples collected from cervical vessels. Serum follicle
      stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were determined by
      sensitive rat gonadotropins kit, using ELISA methods. Serum testosterone and
      hematological parameters were measured by ordinary laboratory methods. Obtained
      data was analyzed using SPSS 17 by ANOVA and Tukey statistical tests. Results
      were expressed as Mean +/- SD. Statistical difference considered significantly by
      P < 0.05. RESULTS: Serum testosterone, LH, FSH, weight gain, food and water
      intake in group T were significantly decreased compared to other groups (P <
      0.05). In addition erythrocyte, leucocytes, hemoglobin and hematocrit in group T
      were significantly increased compared to those of other groups (P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Chronic administration of high doses of ND can alter serum FSH, LH
      and testosterone and hematological parameters in male rats.

PMID- 26495260
TI  - Metacognitive and Meta-Emotional Styles in Patients With Alcohol and the Other
      Substance Dependence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both alcohol and other substances are utilized for emotional and
      cognitive regulation. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to compare
      metacognitive styles and distress intolerance in patients with alcohol and other
      substance dependence. PATIENTS AND METHODS: According to DSM-IV TR criteria, 45
      patients with alcohol dependence (AD), 44 patients with substance dependence
      (SD), and 43 volunteers without AD or SD (control group) were enrolled. Socio
      demographic information form, Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS), and metacognitive
      questionaire-30 (MCQ-30) were used to evaluate the participants. RESULTS:
      Patients with AD had significantly lower "tolerance" subscale and total DTS
      scores than those with SD and control group (P = 0.008 for SD sample and P =
      0.004 for control group). Patients with SD had significantly higher scores in
      "appraisal" subscale DTS than control group (P = 0.005). Patients of both AD and
      SD groups had significantly higher scores in "positive beliefs" subscale of MCQ
      30 than control group (P = 0.012 for AD group and P = 0. 001 for SD group). There
      was no significant difference between AD and SD groups in any MCQ-30 subscale and
      total scores (P = 0.440). CONCLUSIONS: Metacognitive regulation strategies are
      more considerable prediction than emotional regulation strategies in SD group
      than in AD group. Individuals with AD use alcohol as a means of both cognitive
      and emotional regulation strategy.

PMID- 26495261
TI  - An Extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) Used to Predict Smoking Behavior
      Among a Sample of Iranian Medical Students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Smoking among the youth is an important public health concern.
      Although several studies have investigated the correlates of smoking behavior, no
      theory-based study has particularly assessed this problem among medical students.
      OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the extended theory of
      planned behavior (TPB) to predict smoking behavior among a sample of Iranian
      medical students. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study carried
      out in Ahvaz, Iran, 2014. The data were collected through a self-administered
      questionnaire, which included items on demographics, smoking behavior, and
      components of the TPB model (attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavior
      control, and intention), and an added construct on smoking refusal skill. Data
      were analyzed using descriptive correlation, and linear regression statistics by
      SPSS, version 16. RESULTS: One hundred and seventy medical students with a mean
      age of 21.25 (SD = 2.9) years were enrolled in the study. Of them, 24 (13.5%)
      students were smokers. All components of the TPB model and smoking refusal skill
      were statistically significant as to intention to smoke (P < 0.001). The TPB
      constructs with and without smoking refusal skill accounted for 77% (adjusted R2)
      and 78% of the variance observed for intention to smoke, respectively. The
      results also revealed the highest weight for perceived behavior control (beta= 
      0.40). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study indicated that all TPB variables
      are useful tools for prediction of the smoking behaviors among students.
      Particularly, students' perceived behavioral control and attitudes towards
      smoking were found to be important determinants of smoking intentions. Thus, the
      findings could be used for planning effective tobacco control programs targeting
      University students.

PMID- 26495263
TI  - Heart, Lung and Vessels... but brain and hands too! The case for a novel journal
      in the cardiovascular scholarly arena.

PMID- 26495262
TI  - Metacognition and Body Image in Predicting Alexithymia in Substance Abusers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Substance dependency is one of the biggest problems and worries of
      the world. It stunts the growth of society and causes various problems such as
      reduction in public health, increase in mortality, rise in social and domestic
      traumas, loss of educational and occupational opportunities, involvement with the
      judicial system, and development of the substance-abuse cycle. OBJECTIVES: The
      aim of this study was to determine the role of metacognition and body image in
      predicting alexithymia in substance abusers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The research
      sample included addicts (males and females aged 10 to 70 years) who referred to
      the addiction treatment and counseling centers of three Iranian cities of
      Zahedan, Sari, and Neyriz. Participants were selected by random sampling. The
      metacognitive strategy questionnaire (MCQ-30), physical self-description
      questionnaire (PSDQ), and Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20) were used for data
      collection. The hypotheses were tested using the Pearson's correlation method and
      regression analysis. RESULTS: According to the results of the current study, the
      highest correlation was between alexithymia and the cognitive awareness subscale
      (r = 0.305; P < 0.01).There was no significant correlation between alexithymia
      and body image. Based on the multiple regression analysis, the three predictors
      explained 11% of the variance (R(2) = 0. 11, F = 3.981; P < 0.01). Cognitive
      awareness significantly predicted 9% of the variance (beta = 0.305; P < 0.01),
      and the other subscales predicted about 2%. CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      demonstrated that metacognition had an important role in predicting alexithymia
      in the substance abusers, which underscores the necessity of precautionary
      measures.

PMID- 26495264
TI  - Oral direct thrombin inhibition: a double-edged sword?
AB  - New oral anticoagulants have been shown to be not inferior to vitamin K
      antagonists in reducing thrombo-embolic events in patients with non-valvular
      atrial fibrillation and venous thrombo-embolism. However, those among them
      whichdirectly inhibit thrombin have been associated with greater risk of
      myocardial infarction. In this article we review the pleiotropic physiological
      effects of thrombin and their potential link with the observed greater incidence
      of myocardial infarction during therapy with oral direct thrombin inhibitors. On
      this basis, we believe that further studies are necessary to clear out doubts on
      the use of these drugs in the general population and, more specifically, in
      patients with coronary artery disease. For these reasons, in our opinion at
      present it may be prudent to especially caution high risk patients initiating
      therapy with a direct thrombin inhibitor (or those who are already taking it)
      about this possible risk. For patients with established coronary artery disease
      an alternative oral anticoagulant may be at present a better choice. 

PMID- 26495265
TI  - Novel therapeutic and diagnostic management of heart transplant patients.
AB  - Heart transplantation was performed for the first time 40 years ago and it is now
      universally considered the "gold standard" treatment for individuals suffering
      from end-stage heart failure. The increased understanding of the molecular
      mechanisms and of the role of the immune system in allograft rejection led to an
      overall improvement of graft survival, which is now around 10 years. The
      introduction of novel immunosuppressive drugs reduced the rate of acute allograft
      rejection but did not improve significantly the long-term graft survival. In
      addition, adverse effects (e.g. infections, cancer and renal failure) associated
      with immunosuppressive drugs are increasing over time and may affect post
      transplantation outcomes. An immunosuppression-free protocol based on tolerance
      induction is the Holy Grail for heart transplant recipients, but it is still far
      beyond our reach. In this review, we discuss the landscape of immunological
      challenges that heart transplanted individuals face and we critically review the
      novel immunological approaches available to overcome these remaining issues. Some
      of the novel approaches, successfully tested in preclinical and clinical models,
      may lead to a prolongation of patient's and heart allograft survival. 

PMID- 26495266
TI  - Clinical utility of semi-automated estimation of ejection fraction at the point
      of-care.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To compare estimation of ejection fraction at the bedside by AutoEF
      compared with conventional methods and to assess feasibility and time
      consumption. METHODS: A total of 102 relatively hemodynanically stable mixed
      medical and surgical patients were included. All patients underwent
      ultrasonography of the heart at the bedside performed by a novice examiner. Three
      assessments of ejection fraction were made: 1) Expert eyeballing by a single
      specialist in cardiology and expert in echocardiography; 2) Manual planimetry by
      an experienced examiner; 3) AutoEF by a novice examiner with limited experience
      in echocardiography. RESULTS: Expert eyeballing of ejection fraction was
      performed in 100% of cases. Manual planimetry was possible in 89% of cases and
      AutoEF was possible in 83% of cases. The correlation between expert eyeballing
      and AutoEF was r=0.82, p < 0.001, for manual planimetry and for AutoEF it was
      r=0.82, p < 0.001; for expert eyeballing and manual planimetry it was r=0.80, p <
      0.001. The mean time consumption for manual planimetry was 98 ( 90-106 ) seconds;
      correspondingly the mean time spent for AutoEF was 41 ( 36-46 ) seconds, which
      was significantly less (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: AutoEF seems to be a valid
      supplement to the clinical assessment of ejection fraction in the hands of less
      experienced examiners, yielding result similar to manual planimetry with less
      time consumption and less intra-observer variability. However, manual editing may
      be required and training is thus recommended before AutoEF is applicable for use
      by novices.

PMID- 26495267
TI  - Paravertebral analgesia in transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement is an option for
      patients who are not candidates for traditional aortic valve surgery but have
      severe aortic stenosis and unfavorable ileo-femoral anatomy. Epidural analgesia
      in these cases has been associated with improved morbidity and mortality. The
      following manuscript presents the findings of an initial clinical experience
      employing paravertebral analgesia for patients undergoing transapical
      transcatheter aortic valve replacement. METHODS: A retrospective review was
      performed of 61 transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement cases over a
      two-year period from November 2012 through July 2014. Paravertebral analgesia was
      provided as left sided single injections covering 1-3 dermatome levels using 0.2%
      ropivicaine with supplemental clonidine to 48 patients. The following outcome
      metrics were collected: 1) peri-operative opiate administration, 2) rate of
      extubation in the operating room, 3) new atrial fibrillation, 4) duration of
      intensive care stay, 5) 30-day mortality. RESULTS: The mean opiate administration
      was less in patients with paravertebral analgesia (128.65mcg vs. 163.46mcg
      fentanyl, p value 0.05) and these patients were more frequently extubated in the
      operating room (83.3% vs. 46.2%, p-value 0.0107). Incidence of atrial
      fibrillation was less in patients who received paravertebral analgesia (18.8% vs.
      75.0%, p-value 0.0048). There was a non-significant trend towards decreased
      intensive care stay in patients who received paravertebral analgesia (58.3 hrs vs
      75.8 hrs, p value 0.35). There was no difference in 30-day mortality. No
      complications resulted from paravertebral analgesia. CONCLUSIONS: This is the
      first reported case series of paravertebral blockade in transapical transcatheter
      aortic valve replacement  patients. The findings suggest that paravertebral
      single shot blocks are both safe and practical for use in this patient
      population. A formal prospective investigation of paravertebral analgesia in
      these patients is warranted.

PMID- 26495268
TI  - Nursing procedures during continuous renal replacement therapies: a national
      survey.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The current role of nurses in the management of critically ill
      patients needing continuous renal replacement therapies is clearly fundamental.
      The care of these complex patients is typically shared by critical care and
      dialysis nurses: their precise duties may vary from country to country. METHODS:
      To clarify this issue we conducted a national-level survey at a recent Italian
      course on nursing practices during continuous renal replacement therapies.
      RESULTS: A total of 119 questionnaires were analysed. The participants, who were
      equally divided between critical care and dialysis nurses, came from 44 different
      hospitals and 35 Italian cities. Overall, 23% of participants answered that "the
      dialysis staff" were responsible for continuous renal replacement therapies in
      the Intensive Care Unit, while 39% answered "the critical care nurse", and 38% "a
      shared organization". Interestingly, less than the half of participants claimed
      specific continuous renal replacement therapies training was provided to
      employees before handling an acute dialysis machine. Finally, about 60% of
      participants had experience of extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation machines used
      in conjunction with continuous renal replacement therapies. CONCLUSIONS: Workload
      coordination and management of critically ill patients undergoing continuous
      renal replacement therapies in Italy is not standardized. At present, the duties
      of critical care and dialysis nurses vary significantly across the country. They
      frequently overlap or leave gaps in the assistance received by patients. The role
      of nurses involved in the care of continuous renal replacement therapies patients
      in Italy currently requires better organization, possibly starting with intensive
      standardized training and educational programs.

PMID- 26495269
TI  - Effects of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on mesenteric perfusion in experimental induced
      intestinal ischemia in a porcine model.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Insufficient mesenteric perfusion is a dramatic complication in
      critically ill patients. Hydrogen sulfide, a newly recognized endogenous gaseous
      mediator, acts as an intestinal vasoactive agent and seems to protect against
      mesenteric ischemic damage. We investigated whether sodium hydrogen sulfide, a
      hydrogen sulfide donor, can improve mesenteric perfusion in an experimental model
      of pigs, both in physiological and ischemic conditions. METHODS: The study was
      conducted at Careggi University Hospital (Florence, IT). Fourteen male domestic
      pigs (~10 Kg) were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated. Animals were
      randomized in control and ischemia groups. Mesenteric ischemia was induced with a
      positive end-expiratory pressure of 15 cmH2O. After mini-laparotomy, each animal
      received incremental doses of sodium hydrogen sulfide every 20 minutes. Perfusion
      of both the jejunal mucosa and sternal skin were measured by laser Doppler
      flowmeter, and systemic hemodynamic parameters were monitored. RESULTS: In the
      control group, sodium hydrogen sulfide was able to significantly improve the
      mesenteric perfusion, showing a 50% increase from the baseline blood flow. In the
      ischemia group, NaHS-induced a two-fold increase of the mesenteric post-ischemic
      perfusion with a recovery up to 70% of pre- positive end-expiratory pressure
      mesenteric blood flow. Sodium hydrogen sulfide did not directly or indirectly (by
      blood flow redistribution) affect the sternal skin microcirculation, heart rates,
      or mean arterial pressure, suggesting a tissue-specific micro-vascular action.
      CONCLUSIONS: In a porcine model, we observed a mesenteric perfusion recovery
      mediated by administration of hydrogen sulfide donor without affecting general
      hemodynamic.

PMID- 26495270
TI  - Impact of different dosage of protamine on heparin reversal during off-pump
      coronary artery bypass: a clinical study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Currently, a dose of protamine equal to 1 mg for each 100 units of
      heparin given is used to reverse the residual heparin activity following off-pump
      coronary artery bypass. We hypothesized that a 1:1 ratio (ratio of protamine to
      heparin) could be higher than necessary inducing post-operative disturbance of
      hemostasis. METHODS: Between January and March 2014 in 9 patients undergoing off
      pump coronary artery bypass, we evaluated the effect of a dose of protamine equal
      to 1 mg per 100 units of heparin (Total Calculated Dose) on hemostasis as
      evaluated by means of thromboelastomery. Two data analyses were performed: the
      first after the administration of 2/3 of the Total Calculated Dose of protamine
      and the second after the administration of the Total Calculated Dose of
      protamine. RESULTS: We found that the administration of 2/3 of Total Calculated
      Dose of protamine was always able to reverse the anticoagulant effect of heparin
      and that a significant clotting time elongation was induced by the infusion of
      the second part of the Total Calculated Dose of protamine. No modification in
      clot firmness was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The present study seems to suggest that
      the commonly applied ratio equal to 1:1 (ratio of protamine to heparin) could be
      higher than needed with potential and hazardous impacts on the efficacy of the
      coagulation system.

PMID- 26495271
TI  - Innovative cold storage of donor organs using the Paragonix Sherpa Pak TM
      devices.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Currently, the gold standard for donor organ preservation in
      clinical organ transplantation consists of 3 plastic bags and an ice box. The
      first plastic bag includes the organ itself immersed in preservation solution
      (e.g. Celsior). This bag is put in a second bag filled with saline, and then
      these two are put in a third bag filled with saline which is then put in the ice
      box.  The disadvantage of this method is that the organ usually gets too cold. It
      has been shown that the theoretical perfect temperature for organ preservation is
      4 degrees C - 8 degrees C. While higher temperatures lead to hypoxic injury of
      the organ because the metabolism is not decreased efficiently, lower temperatures
      than 4 degrees C increase the risk of cold injury with protein denaturation. In
      the current study, we investigated a device that keeps the organ temperature
      consistently in the desired range of 4 degrees C - 8 degrees C and can
      potentially decrease cold injury to donor organs. METHODS: Three different ex
      vivo studies were performed with the Paragonix Sherpa PakTM devices: 1) the
      temperature of the fluid-filled device was measured for up to 30 hours at an
      outside temperature set at 22 degrees C, 2) the temperature of the fluid-filled
      device was measured for up to 30 hours at extreme outside temperatures set at -8
      degrees C and 31 degrees C, 3) the temperature of a pig heart attached to the
      device was measured up to 12 hours. RESULTS: All studies showed that the
      Paragonix Sherpa PakTM can keep the temperature of the heart consistently between
      4 degrees  and 8 degrees C. CONCLUSIONS: The Paragonix Sherpa PakTM device may
      decrease cold injury of donor organs by maintaining the temperature consistently
      between 4 degrees C and 8 degrees C and therefore may decrease primary graft
      failure after organ transplantation.

PMID- 26495272
TI  - Subcutaneous immunoglobulin replacement therapy in a heart transplant recipient
      with severe recurrent infections.
AB  - Intravenous immunoglobulin has been shown to decrease the risk of post-transplant
      infections in heart recipients with IgG hypogammaglobulinemia, however the use of
      subcutaneous immunoglobulin has not been reported. We report on immune
      reconstitution, clinical efficacy and tolerability of subcutaneous immunoglobulin
      replacement therapy in a heart transplant recipient with secondary antibody
      deficiency. Maintenance of IgG levels, specific antibodies and control of
      infections were observed after change from intravenous immunoglobulin to
      subcutaneous immunoglobulin due to poor intravenous access. Recurrences of severe
      infections were observed when subcutaneous immunoglobulin infusions were stopped.
      Our observations suggest that subcutaneous immunoglobulin replacement therapy
      might be effective and well tolerated in selected heart recipients. 

PMID- 26495273
TI  - Aortic to right atrial fistula secondary to chronic ruptured sinus of Valsalva
      aneurysm.

PMID- 26495274
TI  - Life-threatening shock due to inferior vena cava filter thrombosis.

PMID- 26495275
TI  - Intraoperative aortic dissection in a Turner syndrome patient.

PMID- 26495276
TI  - Risk assessment for a high-altitude alpinist with coronary artery disease.

PMID- 26495277
TI  - Water Properties Influencing the Abundance and Diversity of Denitrifiers on
      Eichhornia crassipes Roots: A Comparative Study from Different Effluents around
      Dianchi Lake, China.
AB  - To evaluate effects of environmental conditions on the abundance and communities
      of three denitrifying genes coding for nitrite (nirK, nirS) reductase and nitrous
      oxide (nosZ) reductase on the roots of Eichhornia crassipes from 11 rivers
      flowing into the northern part of Dianchi Lake. The results showed that the
      abundance and community composition of denitrifying genes on E. crassipes root
      varied with different rivers. The nirK gene copies abundance was always greater
      than that of nirS gene on the roots of E. crassipes, suggesting that the surface
      of E. crassipes roots growth in Dianchi Lake was more suitable for the growth of
      nirK-type denitrifying bacteria. The DGGE results showed significant differences
      in diversity of denitrifying genes on the roots of E. crassipes among the 11
      rivers. Using redundancy analysis (RDA), the correlations of denitrifying
      microbial community compositions with environmental factors revealed that water
      temperature (T), dissolved oxygen (DO), and pH were relatively important
      environmental factors to modifying the community structure of the denitrifying
      genes attached to the root of E. crassipes. The results indicated that the
      specific environmental conditions related to different source of rivers would
      have a stronger impact on the development of denitrifier communities on E.
      crassipes roots. 

PMID- 26495278
TI  - Changes in the Physiological Parameters of SbPIP1-Transformed Wheat Plants under
      Salt Stress.
AB  - The SbPIP1 gene is a new member of the plasma membrane major intrinsic gene
      family cloned from the euhalophyte Salicornia bigelovii Torr. In order to
      understand the physiological responses in plants that are mediated by the SbPIP1
      gene, SbPIP1-overexpressing wheat lines and WT plants of the wheat cv. Ningmai 13
      were treated with salt stress. Several physiological parameters, such as the
      proline content, the malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and the content of soluble
      sugars and proteins, were compared between SbPIP1-transformed lines and WT plants
      under normal growth or salt stress conditions. The results indicate that
      overexpression of the SbPIP1 gene can increase the accumulation of the osmolyte
      proline, decrease the MDA content, and enhance the soluble sugar biosynthesis in
      the early period but has no influence on the regulation of soluble protein
      biosynthesis in wheat. The results suggest that SbPIP1 contributes to salt
      tolerance by facilitating the accumulation of the osmolyte proline, increasing
      the antioxidant response, and increasing the biosynthesis of soluble sugar in the
      early period. These results indicate SbPIP1 plays an important role in the salt
      stress response. Overexpression of SbPIP1 might be used to improve the salt
      tolerance of important crop plants. 

PMID- 26495279
TI  - The Calcium Sensor CBL-CIPK Is Involved in Plant's Response to Abiotic Stresses.
AB  - Abiotic stress halts the physiological and developmental process of plant. During
      stress condition, CBL-CIPK complex is identified as a primary element of calcium
      sensor to perceive environmental signals. Recent studies established that this
      complex regulates downstream targets like ion channels and transporters in
      adverse stages conditions. Crosstalks between the CBL-CIPK complex and different
      abiotic stresses can extend our research area, which can improve and increase the
      production of genetically modified crops in response to abiotic stresses. How
      this complex links with environmental signals and creates adjustable
      circumstances under unfavorable conditions is now one of the burning issues.
      Diverse studies are already underway to delineate this signalling mechanism
      underlying different interactions. Therefore, up to date experimental results
      should be concisely published, thus paving the way for further research. The
      present review will concisely recapitulate the recent and ongoing research
      progress of positive ions (Mg(2+), Na(+), and K(+)), negative ions (NO3 (-), PO4
      (-)), and hormonal signalling, which are evolving from accumulating results of
      analyses of CBL and CIPK loss- or gain-of-function experiments in different
      species along with some progress and perspectives of our works. In a word, this
      review will give one step forward direction for more functional studies in this
      area. 

PMID- 26495280
TI  - New developments in peritoneal fibroblast biology: implications for inflammation
      and fibrosis in peritoneal dialysis.
AB  - Uraemia and long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD) can lead to fibrotic thickening of
      the peritoneal membrane, which may limit its dialytic function. Peritoneal
      fibrosis is associated with the appearance of myofibroblasts and expansion of
      extracellular matrix. The extent of contribution of resident peritoneal
      fibroblasts to these changes is a matter of debate. Recent studies point to a
      significant heterogeneity and complexity of the peritoneal fibroblast population.
      Here, we review recent developments in peritoneal fibroblast biology and
      summarize the current knowledge on the involvement of peritoneal fibroblasts in
      peritoneal inflammation and fibrosis. 

PMID- 26495281
TI  - Development and mining of a volatile organic compound database.
AB  - Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are small molecules that exhibit high vapor
      pressure under ambient conditions and have low boiling points. Although VOCs
      contribute only a small proportion of the total metabolites produced by living
      organisms, they play an important role in chemical ecology specifically in the
      biological interactions between organisms and ecosystems. VOCs are also important
      in the health care field as they are presently used as a biomarker to detect
      various human diseases. Information on VOCs is scattered in the literature until
      now; however, there is still no available database describing VOCs and their
      biological activities. To attain this purpose, we have developed KNApSAcK
      Metabolite Ecology Database, which contains the information on the relationships
      between VOCs and their emitting organisms. The KNApSAcK Metabolite Ecology is
      also linked with the KNApSAcK Core and KNApSAcK Metabolite Activity Database to
      provide further information on the metabolites and their biological activities.
      The VOC database can be accessed online. 

PMID- 26495282
TI  - Discovering distinct functional modules of specific cancer types using protein
      protein interaction networks.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The molecular profiles exhibited in different cancer types are very
      different; hence, discovering distinct functional modules associated with
      specific cancer types is very important to understand the distinct functions
      associated with them. Protein-protein interaction networks carry vital
      information about molecular interactions in cellular systems, and identification
      of functional modules (subgraphs) in these networks is one of the most important
      applications of biological network analysis. RESULTS: In this study, we developed
      a new graph theory based method to identify distinct functional modules from nine
      different cancer protein-protein interaction networks. The method is composed of
      three major steps: (i) extracting modules from protein-protein interaction
      networks using network clustering algorithms; (ii) identifying distinct subgraphs
      from the derived modules; and (iii) identifying distinct subgraph patterns from
      distinct subgraphs. The subgraph patterns were evaluated using experimentally
      determined cancer-specific protein-protein interaction data from the Ingenuity
      knowledgebase, to identify distinct functional modules that are specific to each
      cancer type. CONCLUSION: We identified cancer-type specific subgraph patterns
      that may represent the functional modules involved in the molecular pathogenesis
      of different cancer types. Our method can serve as an effective tool to discover
      cancer-type specific functional modules from large protein-protein interaction
      networks.

PMID- 26495283
TI  - Structure and antioxidant activity of soy protein isolate-dextran conjugates
      obtained by TiO2 photocatalysis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the structural characteristics and
      antioxidant activities of soy protein isolate- (SPI-) dextran conjugates obtained
      by TiO2 photocatalysis treatment. Results revealed that the UV-vis absorption and
      the fluorescence intensity increased as the photocatalytic power increased (P <
      0.05). Higher photocatalytic power could promote the extent of glycation and the
      formation of high molecular weight SPI-dextran conjugates, which were evidenced
      by free amino group content and sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel
      electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis. The Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR)
      spectra suggested that the amide I, II, and III bands of SPI were altered by the
      glycation induced by TiO2 photocatalysis. Moreover, significant changes of
      secondary structure occurred in SPI-dextran conjugates. The alpha-helix, beta
      sheet, beta-turns, and random coil were changed from approximately 10.6%, 37.9%,
      12.9%, and 38.6% to 3.8%, 10.4%, 17.7%, and 68.8%, respectively, after treatment
      at photocatalytic power of 1000 W. In addition, SPI-dextran conjugates obtained
      by TiO2 photocatalysis treatment exhibited high hydroxyl radical scavenging
      activity and possessed increased reducing power. All data indicated that TiO2
      photocatalysis was an efficient method for promoting protein-polysaccharide
      copolymerisation. 

PMID- 26495284
TI  - The potential of GMP-compliant platelet lysate to induce a permissive state for
      cardiovascular transdifferentiation in human mediastinal adipose tissue-derived
      mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) are considered
      eligible candidates for cardiovascular stem cell therapy applications due to
      their cardiac transdifferentiation potential and immunotolerance. Over the years,
      the in vitro culture of ADMSCs by platelet lysate (PL), a hemoderivate containing
      numerous growth factors and cytokines derived from platelet pools, has allowed
      achieving a safe and reproducible methodology to obtain high cell yield prior to
      clinical administration. Nevertheless, the biological properties of PL are still
      to be fully elucidated. In this brief report we show the potential ability of PL
      to induce a permissive state of cardiac-like transdifferentiation and to cause
      epigenetic modifications. RTPCR results indicate an upregulation of Cx43, SMA, c
      kit, and Thy-1 confirmed by immunofluorescence staining, compared to standard
      cultures with foetal bovine serum. Moreover, PL-cultured ADMSCs exhibit a
      remarkable increase of both acetylated histones 3 and 4, with a patient-dependent
      time trend, and methylation at lysine 9 on histone 3 preceding the acetylation.
      Expression levels of p300 and SIRT-1, two major regulators of histone 3, are also
      upregulated after treatment with PL. In conclusion, PL could unravel novel
      biological properties beyond its routine employment in noncardiac applications,
      providing new insights into the plasticity of human ADMSCs. 

PMID- 26495285
TI  - Does defensive medicine change the behaviors of vascular surgeons? A qualitative
      review.
AB  - Although in literature few successful claims have been shown in comparison with
      other medical specialties such as gynaecology and orthopaedics, vascular surgery
      is included among high-risk specialties. The high-risk of receiving medical
      claims may lead vascular surgeons to practice defensive medicine, as is normal in
      several other areas of clinical practice. No studies are available to our
      knowledge of the incidence of defensive medicine in the field of vascular
      surgery. Taking into consideration the scarce amount of information, the authors
      provide a critical discussion regarding the application of defensive medicine
      behaviour among vascular surgeons. 

PMID- 26495286
TI  - Hemodynamic and biologic determinates of arteriovenous fistula outcomes in renal
      failure patients.
AB  - The outcome of patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis depends on a
      functioning vascular access. Although a variety of access options are available,
      the arteriovenous fistula remains the best vascular access. Unfortunately the
      success rate of mature fistula use remains poor. The creation of an arteriovenous
      fistula is followed by altered hemodynamic and biological changes that may result
      in neointimal hyperplasia and eventual venous stenosis. This review provides an
      overview of these changes and the needed research to provide a long lasting
      vascular access and hence improve outcomes for patients with end-stage renal
      disease. 

PMID- 26495288
TI  - Using multicriteria decision analysis to support research priority setting in
      biomedical translational research projects.
AB  - Translational research is conducted to achieve a predefined set of economic or
      societal goals. As a result, investment decisions on where available resources
      have the highest potential in achieving these goals have to be made. In this
      paper, we first describe how multicriteria decision analysis can assist in
      defining the decision context and in ensuring that all relevant aspects of the
      decision problem are incorporated in the decision making process. We then present
      the results of a case study to support priority setting in a translational
      research consortium aimed at reducing the burden of disease of type 2 diabetes.
      During problem structuring, we identified four research alternatives (primary,
      secondary, tertiary microvascular, and tertiary macrovascular prevention) and a
      set of six decision criteria. Scoring of these alternatives against the criteria
      was done using a combination of expert judgement and previously published data.
      Lastly, decision analysis was performed using stochastic multicriteria
      acceptability analysis, which allows for the combined use of numerical and
      ordinal data. We found that the development of novel techniques applied in
      secondary prevention would be a poor investment of research funds. The ranking of
      the remaining alternatives was however strongly dependent on the decision maker's
      preferences for certain criteria. 

PMID- 26495287
TI  - Dissemination of health-related research among scientists in three countries:
      access to resources and current practices.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In public health and clinical settings insufficient dissemination of
      evidence-based practices limits the reach of new discoveries to broad
      populations. This study aimed to describe characteristics of the dissemination
      process by researchers across three countries (Brazil, United Kingdom, and United
      States), explore how designing for dissemination practices has been used, and
      analyze factors associated with dissemination. METHODS: A similar online survey
      was used to query researchers across the three countries; data were pooled to
      draw cross-country conclusions. FINDINGS: This study identified similarities and
      differences between countries. Importance of dissemination to nonresearcher
      audiences was widely recognized as important; however, traditional academic
      venues were the main dissemination method. Several factors were associated with
      self-rated dissemination effort in the pooled sample, but these predictive
      factors (e.g., support and resources for dissemination) had low prevalence. Less
      than one-third of researchers rated their level of effort for dissemination as
      excellent. Respondents reported limited support and resources to make it easier
      for researchers who might want to disseminate their findings. CONCLUSION: Though
      intentions show the importance of dissemination, researchers across countries
      lack supports to increase dissemination efforts. Additional resources and
      training in designing for dissemination along with improved partnerships could
      help bridge the research-practice gap.

PMID- 26495289
TI  - Comparison of five 2nd-generation supraglottic airway devices for airway
      management performed by novice military operators.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Five different second-generation supraglottic airway devices, ProSeal
      LMA, Supreme LMA, i-gel, SLIPA, and Laryngeal Tube Suction-D, were studied.
      Operators were inexperienced users with a military background, combat lifesavers,
      nurses, and physicians. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, single
      blinded study. Devices were inserted in the operating room in low light
      conditions after induction of general anesthesia. Primary outcome was successful
      insertion on the first attempt while secondary aims were insertion time, number
      of attempts, oropharyngeal seal pressure, ease of insertion, fibre optic position
      of device, efficacy of ventilation, and intraoperative trauma or regurgitation of
      gastric contents. RESULTS: In total, 505 patients were studied. First-attempt
      insertion success rate was higher in the Supreme LMA (96%), i-gel (87.9%), and
      ProSeal LMA (85.9%) groups than in the Laryngeal Tube Suction-D (80.6%) and SLIPA
      (69.4%) groups. Insertion time was shortest in the Supreme LMA (70.4 +/- 32.5 s)
      and i-gel (74.4 +/- 41.1 s) groups (p < 0.001). Oropharyngeal seal pressures were
      higher in the Laryngeal Tube Suction-D and ProSeal LMA groups than in other three
      devices. CONCLUSIONS: Most study parameters for the Supreme LMA and i-gel were
      found to be superior to the other three tested supraglottic airway devices when
      inserted by novice military operators.

PMID- 26495290
TI  - Vulnerability assessment and application of bacterial technology on urban rivers
      for pollution eradication.
AB  - To protect against the environmental pollution, the present research was
      undertaken to enumerate the Bacterial Technologies (BTs) on the restoration of
      polluted urban rivers, that is, Fenghu-Song Yang River (FSR) and Xuxi River
      (XXR). Experimental research accounted for the physiochemical parameters (pH;
      temperature; dissolved oxygen (DO); chemical oxygen demand (COD); total
      phosphorus (TP); total nitrogen (TN); and ammonia nitrogen (NH3N)) before and
      after the BT operation. The results declared that the BT is efficient to restore
      the polluted rivers up to reliable condition. These results were analyzed by
      using multivariate statistical techniques (principal component analysis (PCA) and
      cluster analysis (CA)). These techniques interpreted the complex data sets and
      expressed the point source information about the water quality of these rivers at
      SA5, SA6, and SB3 under highly polluted regions. For better understanding, water
      quality index (WQI) was applied to compute the single numeric value. WQI results
      are evidence of the above results which prove the water quality of both rivers
      faced under outrageous condition (below 50 WQI scores) before the BT treatment,
      but, after the treatment, the rivers were restored from fair to good level (above
      50 WQI scores) and overall output of these scores was quite similar to detect the
      point source of pollution. These results described an abrupt recovery of the
      urban rivers up to reliable condition for aquatic organism and clear effluents
      from the rivers. 

PMID- 26495291
TI  - METSP: a maximum-entropy classifier based text mining tool for transporter
      substrate identification with semistructured text.
AB  - The substrates of a transporter are not only useful for inferring function of the
      transporter, but also important to discover compound-compound interaction and to
      reconstruct metabolic pathway. Though plenty of data has been accumulated with
      the developing of new technologies such as in vitro transporter assays, the
      search for substrates of transporters is far from complete. In this article, we
      introduce METSP, a maximum-entropy classifier devoted to retrieve transporter
      substrate pairs (TSPs) from semistructured text. Based on the high quality
      annotation from UniProt, METSP achieves high precision and recall in cross
      validation experiments. When METSP is applied to 182,829 human transporter
      annotation sentences in UniProt, it identifies 3942 sentences with transporter
      and compound information. Finally, 1547 confidential human TSPs are identified
      for further manual curation, among which 58.37% pairs with novel substrates not
      annotated in public transporter databases. METSP is the first efficient tool to
      extract TSPs from semistructured annotation text in UniProt. This tool can help
      to determine the precise substrates and drugs of transporters, thus facilitating
      drug-target prediction, metabolic network reconstruction, and literature
      classification. 

PMID- 26495292
TI  - Cellular metabolic network analysis: discovering important reactions in Treponema
      pallidum.
AB  - T. pallidum, the syphilis-causing pathogen, performs very differently in
      metabolism compared with other bacterial pathogens. The desire for safe and
      effective vaccine of syphilis requests identification of important steps in T.
      pallidum's metabolism. Here, we apply Flux Balance Analysis to represent the
      reactions quantitatively. Thus, it is possible to cluster all reactions in T.
      pallidum. By calculating minimal cut sets and analyzing topological structure for
      the metabolic network of T. pallidum, critical reactions are identified. As a
      comparison, we also apply the analytical approaches to the metabolic network of
      H. pylori to find coregulated drug targets and unique drug targets for different
      microorganisms. Based on the clustering results, all reactions are further
      classified into various roles. Therefore, the general picture of their metabolic
      network is obtained and two types of reactions, both of which are involved in
      nucleic acid metabolism, are found to be essential for T. pallidum. It is also
      discovered that both hubs of reactions and the isolated reactions in purine and
      pyrimidine metabolisms play important roles in T. pallidum. These reactions could
      be potential drug targets for treating syphilis. 

PMID- 26495293
TI  - Heart rate variability in shift workers: responses to orthostatism and
      relationships with anthropometry, body composition, and blood pressure.
AB  - In order to investigate the response of heart rate variability (HRV) components
      to postural change and their association with cardiovascular risk factors in
      shift workers, a cross-sectional study with 438 Brazilian males rotating shift
      workers was done. Anthropometric, body composition, and clinical measures were
      collected. Electrocardiogram was recorded for 3 minutes, in the supine and
      orthostatic position, and HRV components were extracted. Descriptive analyses
      showed that mean values of body mass index, waist circumference (WC), waist-to
      height ratio, visceral fat area (VFA), and blood pressure (BP) were higher than
      the reference values. In the regression model, age, WC, VFA, and systolic BP
      showed negative association with HRV components. These findings suggest the need
      for determining effective strategies for the evaluation and promotion of health
      among shift workers focused on the altered variables. 

PMID- 26495294
TI  - Breast cancer by age at diagnosis in the Gharbiah, Egypt, population-based
      registry compared to the United States Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End
      Results Program, 2004-2008.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although breast cancers (BCs) in young women often display more
      aggressive features, younger women are generally not screened for early
      detection. It is important to understand the characteristics of young onset
      breast cancer to increase awareness in this population. This analysis includes
      all ages, with emphasis placed on younger onset BC in Egypt as compared to the
      United States. METHODS: BC cases in the Gharbiah cancer registry (GCR), Egypt,
      were compared to those in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)
      database. This analysis included 3,819 cases from the GCR and 273,019 from SEER
      diagnosed 2004-2008. RESULTS: GCR cases were diagnosed at later stages, with <5%
      diagnosed at Stage I and 12% diagnosed at Stage IV. 48% of all SEER cases were
      diagnosed at Stage I, dropping to 30% among those <=40. Significant differences
      in age, tumor grade, hormone receptor status, histology, and stage exist between
      GCR and SEER BCs. After adjustment, GCR cases were nearly 45 times more likely to
      be diagnosed at stage III and 16 times more likely to be diagnosed at stage IV
      than SEER cases. CONCLUSIONS: Future research should examine ways to increase
      literacy about early detection and prompt therapy in young cases.

PMID- 26495295
TI  - Guided tissue regeneration in heart valve replacement: from preclinical research
      to first-in-human trials.
AB  - Heart valve tissue-guided regeneration aims to offer a functional and viable
      alternative to current prosthetic replacements. Not requiring previous cell
      seeding and conditioning in bioreactors, such exceptional tissue engineering
      approach is a very fascinating translational regenerative strategy. After in vivo
      implantation, decellularized heart valve scaffolds drive their same repopulation
      by recipient's cells for a prospective autologous-like tissue reconstruction,
      remodeling, and adaptation to the somatic growth of the patient. With such a
      viability, tissue-guided regenerated conduits can be delivered as off-the-shelf
      biodevices and possess all the potentialities for a long-lasting resolution of
      the dramatic inconvenience of heart valve diseases, both in children and in the
      elderly. A review on preclinical and clinical investigations of this therapeutic
      concept is provided with evaluation of the issues still to be well deliberated
      for an effective and safe in-human application. 

PMID- 26495296
TI  - Full GMP-compliant validation of bone marrow-derived human CD133(+) cells as
      advanced therapy medicinal product for refractory ischemic cardiomyopathy.
AB  - According to the European Medicine Agency (EMA) regulatory frameworks, Advanced
      Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) represent a new category of drugs in which the
      active ingredient consists of cells, genes, or tissues. ATMP-CD133 has been
      widely investigated in controlled clinical trials for cardiovascular diseases,
      making CD133(+) cells one of the most well characterized cell-derived drugs in
      this field. To ensure high quality and safety standards for clinical use, the
      manufacturing process must be accomplished in certified facilities following
      standard operative procedures (SOPs). In the present work, we report the fully
      compliant GMP-grade production of ATMP-CD133 which aims to address the treatment
      of chronic refractory ischemic heart failure. Starting from bone marrow (BM),
      ATMP-CD133 manufacturing output yielded a median of 6.66 * 10(6) of CD133(+)
      cells (range 2.85 * 10(6)-30.84 * 10(6)), with a viability ranged between 96,03%
      and 99,97% (median 99,87%) and a median purity of CD133(+) cells of 90,60% (range
      81,40%-96,20%). Based on these results we defined our final release criteria for
      ATMP-CD133: purity >= 70%, viability >= 80%, cellularity between 1 and 12 * 10(6)
      cells, sterile, and endotoxin-free. The abovementioned criteria are currently
      applied in our Phase I clinical trial (RECARDIO Trial). 

PMID- 26495297
TI  - Development of self-compressing BLSOM for comprehensive analysis of big sequence
      data.
AB  - With the remarkable increase in genomic sequence data from various organisms,
      novel tools are needed for comprehensive analyses of available big sequence data.
      We previously developed a Batch-Learning Self-Organizing Map (BLSOM), which can
      cluster genomic fragment sequences according to phylotype solely dependent on
      oligonucleotide composition and applied to genome and metagenomic studies. BLSOM
      is suitable for high-performance parallel-computing and can analyze big data
      simultaneously, but a large-scale BLSOM needs a large computational resource. We
      have developed Self-Compressing BLSOM (SC-BLSOM) for reduction of computation
      time, which allows us to carry out comprehensive analysis of big sequence data
      without the use of high-performance supercomputers. The strategy of SC-BLSOM is
      to hierarchically construct BLSOMs according to data class, such as phylotype.
      The first-layer BLSOM was constructed with each of the divided input data pieces
      that represents the data subclass, such as phylotype division, resulting in
      compression of the number of data pieces. The second BLSOM was constructed with a
      total of weight vectors obtained in the first-layer BLSOMs. We compared SC-BLSOM
      with the conventional BLSOM by analyzing bacterial genome sequences. SC-BLSOM
      could be constructed faster than BLSOM and cluster the sequences according to
      phylotype with high accuracy, showing the method's suitability for efficient
      knowledge discovery from big sequence data. 

PMID- 26495298
TI  - Pain following craniotomy: reassessment of the available options.
AB  - Pain following craniotomy has frequently been neglected because of the notion
      that postcraniotomy patients do not experience severe pain. However a gradual
      change in this outlook is observed because of increased sensitivity of
      neuroanaesthesiologists and neurosurgeons toward acute postcraniotomy pain.
      Multiple modalities exist for treating this variety of pain each with its own
      share of advantages and disadvantages. However, individually none of these
      modalities has been proclaimed as the best and applicable universally. A
      considerable amount of dispute remains to ascertain the appropriate therapeutic
      regimen for treating postcraniotomy pain in spite of numerous trials using
      different drugs and their combinations. This review aims to highlight the
      genesis, characteristics, and different strategies that are undertaken for
      management of acute postcraniotomy pain. Chronic postcraniotomy pain which can be
      debilitating sequelae is also discussed concisely. 

PMID- 26495299
TI  - Comparison between procalcitonin, brain natriuretic peptide, and uric acid in
      children with cardiomyopathy and controls.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to determine the level of procalcitonin,
      Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP), and uric acid in children with cardiomyopathy in
      comparison with controls and the association with echocardiographic findings.
      METHODS: The levels of BNP, procalcitonin, and serum uric acid were measured and
      the amounts of biomarkers compared with echocardiographic findings. RESULTS: In
      this study mean age of participants was the same (p=0.321). The majority of
      echocardiographic indices in left and right heart have different means in case
      and controls (p<0.05). Means of BNP, procalcitonin, and uric acid were 213.814 +/
      309.601, 9.326 +/- 3.881, and 6.846 +/- 1.814 for case group and 2.76 +/- 1.013,
      1.851 +/- 1.466, and 3.317 +/- 0.924 for control (p<0.001), respectively. In the
      patients group there was relationship of Ross classification with BNP (chi (2) =
      15.845, p<0.05) and with age (chi (2) = 8.946, p<0.05). For uric acid and
      procalcitonin no significant relationships were observed. CONCLUSIONS:
      Procalcitonin, uric acid, and BNP had significant relationship with many
      echocardiographic findings in participants. For patients, procalcitonin did not
      show correlation. The severity of illness based on the Ross classification showed
      significant correlation with BNP level and age in patients.

PMID- 26495300
TI  - EMRlog method for computer security for electronic medical records with logic and
      data mining.
AB  - The proper functioning of a hospital computer system is an arduous work for
      managers and staff. However, inconsistent policies are frequent and can produce
      enormous problems, such as stolen information, frequent failures, and loss of the
      entire or part of the hospital data. This paper presents a new method named
      EMRlog for computer security systems in hospitals. EMRlog is focused on two kinds
      of security policies: directive and implemented policies. Security policies are
      applied to computer systems that handle huge amounts of information such as
      databases, applications, and medical records. Firstly, a syntactic verification
      step is applied by using predicate logic. Then data mining techniques are used to
      detect which security policies have really been implemented by the computer
      systems staff. Subsequently, consistency is verified in both kinds of policies;
      in addition these subsets are contrasted and validated. This is performed by an
      automatic theorem prover. Thus, many kinds of vulnerabilities can be removed for
      achieving a safer computer system. 

PMID- 26495301
TI  - Glutamine: an obligatory parenteral nutrition substrate in critical care therapy.
AB  - Critical illness is characterized by glutamine depletion owing to increased
      metabolic demand. Glutamine is essential to maintain intestinal integrity and
      function, sustain immunologic response, and maintain antioxidative balance.
      Insufficient endogenous availability of glutamine may impair outcome in
      critically ill patients. Consequently, glutamine has been considered to be a
      conditionally essential amino acid and a necessary component to complete any
      parenteral nutrition regimen. Recently, this scientifically sound recommendation
      has been questioned, primarily based on controversial findings from a large
      multicentre study published in 2013 that evoked considerable uncertainty among
      clinicians. The present review was conceived to clarify the most important
      questions surrounding glutamine supplementation in critical care. This was
      achieved by addressing the role of glutamine in the pathophysiology of critical
      illness, summarizing recent clinical studies in patients receiving parenteral
      nutrition with intravenous glutamine, and describing practical concepts for
      providing parenteral glutamine in critical care. 

PMID- 26495302
TI  - The potential role of NFAT5 and osmolarity in peritoneal injury.
AB  - A rise in osmotic concentration (osmolarity) activates the transcription factor
      Nuclear Factor of Activated T Cells 5 (NFAT5, also known as Tonicity-responsive
      Enhancer Binding Protein, TonEBP). This is part of a regulatory mechanism of
      cells adjusting to environments of high osmolarity. Under physiological
      conditions these are particularly important in the kidney. Activation of NFAT5
      results in the modulation of various genes including some which promote
      inflammation. The osmolarity increases in patients with renal failure.
      Additionally, in peritoneal dialysis the cells of the peritoneal cavity are
      repeatedly exposed to a rise and fall in osmotic concentrations. Here we review
      the current information about NFAT5 activation in uremic patients and patients on
      peritoneal dialysis. We suggest that high osmolarity promotes injury in the
      "uremic" milieu, which results in inflammation locally in the peritoneal
      membrane, but most likely also in the systemic circulation. 

PMID- 26495303
TI  - True unipolar ECG machine for Wilson Central Terminal measurements.
AB  - Since its invention (more than 80 years ago), modern electrocardiography has
      employed a supposedly stable voltage reference (with little variation during the
      cardiac cycle) for half of the signals. This reference, known by the name of
      "Wilson Central Terminal" in honor of its inventor, is obtained by averaging the
      three active limb electrode voltages measured with respect to the return ground
      electrode. However, concerns have been raised by researchers about problems
      (biasing and misdiagnosis) associated with the ambiguous value and behavior of
      this reference voltage, which requires perfect and balanced contact of at least
      four electrodes to work properly. The Wilson Central Terminal has received scant
      research attention in the last few decades even though consideration of recent
      widespread medical practice (limb electrodes are repositioned closer to the torso
      for resting electrocardiography) has also sparkled concerns about the validity
      and diagnostic fitness of leads not referred to the Wilson Central Terminal.
      Using a true unipolar electrocardiography device capable of precisely measuring
      the Wilson Central Terminal, we show its unpredictable variability during the
      cardiac cycle and confirm that the integrity of cardinal leads is compromised as
      well as the Wilson Central Terminal when limb electrodes are placed close to the
      torso. 

PMID- 26495305
TI  - An update on renal artery denervation and its clinical impact on hypertensive
      disease.
AB  - Hypertension is a globally prevalent condition, with a heavy clinical and
      economic burden. It is the predominant risk factor for premature cardiovascular
      and cerebrovascular disease, and is associated with a variety of clinical
      disorders including stroke, congestive cardiac failure, ischaemic heart disease,
      chronic renal failure, and peripheral arterial disease. A significant subset of
      hypertensive patients have resistant hypertensive disease. In this group of
      patients, catheter-based renal artery denervation has emerged as a potential
      therapy, with favourable clinical efficacy and safety in early trials. Additional
      benefits of this therapy are also being identified and include effects on left
      ventricular remodeling, cardiac performance, and symptom status in congestive
      cardiac failure. Utility of renal denervation for the management of resistant
      hypertension, however, has become controversial since the release of the
      Symplicity HTN-3 trial, the first large-scale blinded randomised study
      investigating the efficacy and safety of renal artery denervation. The aim of
      this paper is to evaluate the history, utility, and clinical efficacy of renal
      artery denervation technology, including an in-depth appraisal of the current
      literature and principal trials. 

PMID- 26495304
TI  - Vitamin D can ameliorate chlorhexidine gluconate-induced peritoneal fibrosis and
      functional deterioration through the inhibition of epithelial-to-mesenchymal
      transition of mesothelial cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) can induce fibrosis and functional
      alterations in PD patients' peritoneal membranes, due to long-term
      unphysiological dialysate exposure, partially occurring via triggering of
      epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in peritoneal mesothelial cells (MCs).
      Vitamin D can ameliorate these negative effects; however, the mechanism remains
      unexplored. Therefore, we investigated its possible links to MCs EMT inhibition.
      METHODS: Peritoneal fibrosis was established in Sprague-Dawley rats by
      chlorhexidine gluconate (CG) intraperitoneal injection for 21 days, with and
      without 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 treatment. Morphological and functional evaluation and
      western blot analysis of EMT marker were performed upon peritoneum tissue. In
      vitro study was also performed in a primary human peritoneal MC culture system;
      MCs were incubated with transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) in the
      absence or presence of 1alpha,25(OH)2D3. EMT marker expression, migration
      activities, and cytoskeleton redistribution of MCs were determined. RESULTS:
      1alpha,25(OH)2D3 ameliorated CG-induced morphological and functional
      deterioration in animal model, along with CG-induced upregulation of alpha-SMA
      and downregulation of E-cadherin expression. Meanwhile, 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 also
      ameliorated TGF-beta1-induced decrease in E-cadherin expression, increase in
      Snai1 and alpha-SMA expression, intracellular F-actin redistribution, and
      migration activity in vitro. CONCLUSION: 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 can ameliorate CG
      induced peritoneal fibrosis and attenuate functional deterioration through
      inhibiting MC EMT.

PMID- 26495306
TI  - Utility of a gum-elastic bougie for difficult airway management in infants: a
      simulation-based crossover analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Direct laryngoscopy with the Miller laryngoscope (Mil) for infant
      tracheal intubation is often difficult to use even for skilled professionals. We
      performed a simulation trial evaluating the utility of a tracheal tube introducer
      (gum-elastic bougie (GEB)) in a simulated, difficult infant airway model.
      METHODS: Fifteen anesthesiologists performed tracheal intubation on an infant
      manikin at three different degrees of difficulty (normal [Cormack-Lehane grades
      (Cormack) 1-2], cervical stabilization [Cormack 2-3], and anteflexion [Cormack 3
      4]) with or without a GEB, intubation success rate, and intubation time. RESULTS:
      In the normal and cervical stabilization trials, all intubation attempts were
      successful regardless of whether or not the GEB was used. In contrast, only one
      participant succeeded in tracheal intubation without the GEB in the anteflexion
      trial; the success rate significantly improved with the GEB (P = 0.005).
      Intubation time did not significantly change under the normal trial with or
      without the GEB (without, 12.7 +/- 3.8 seconds; with, 13.4 +/- 3.6 seconds) but
      was significantly shorter in the cervical stabilization and anteflexion trials
      with the GEB. CONCLUSION: GEB use shortened the intubation time and improved the
      success rate of difficult infant tracheal intubation by anesthesiologists in
      simulations.

PMID- 26495307
TI  - Cross-omics comparison of stress responses in mesothelial cells exposed to heat-
      versus filter-sterilized peritoneal dialysis fluids.
AB  - Recent research suggests that cytoprotective responses, such as expression of
      heat-shock proteins, might be inadequately induced in mesothelial cells by heat
      sterilized peritoneal dialysis (PD) fluids. This study compares transcriptome
      data and multiple protein expression profiles for providing new insight into
      regulatory mechanisms. Two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE)
      based proteomics and topic defined gene expression microarray-based
      transcriptomics techniques were used to evaluate stress responses in human
      omental peritoneal mesothelial cells in response to heat- or filter-sterilized PD
      fluids. Data from selected heat-shock proteins were validated by 2D western-blot
      analysis. Comparison of proteomics and transcriptomics data discriminated
      differentially regulated protein abundance into groups depending on correlating
      or noncorrelating transcripts. Inadequate abundance of several heat-shock
      proteins following exposure to heat-sterilized PD fluids is not reflected on the
      mRNA level indicating interference beyond transcriptional regulation. For the
      first time, this study describes evidence for posttranscriptional inadequacy of
      heat-shock protein expression by heat-sterilized PD fluids as a novel cytotoxic
      property. Cross-omics technologies introduce a novel way of understanding PDF
      bioincompatibility and searching for new interventions to reestablish adequate
      cytoprotective responses. 

PMID- 26495308
TI  - Respiratory strategies and airway management in patients with pulmonary alveolar
      proteinosis: a review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is a rare disorder characterized by a
      large accumulation of lipoproteinaceous material within the alveoli. This causes
      respiratory failure due to a restriction of gas exchange and changes in the
      ventilation/perfusion ratio. Treatment methods include noninvasive
      pharmacological approaches and invasive procedures, such as whole-lung lavage
      under general anesthesia. METHODS: Based on the literature search using free-term
      key words, we have analyzed published articles concerning the perioperative
      management of adult and pediatric patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.
      RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In total, 184 publications were analyzed. Only a few
      manuscripts were related to anesthetic, respiratory, and airway management in
      patients suffering from pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Airway should be strictly
      separated using a double-lumen tube. Respiratory strategies involve the use of
      manual clapping, continuous positive airway pressure, high-frequency jet
      ventilation of the affected lung, and employment of venovenous extracorporeal
      membrane oxygenation in the most serious of cases. CONCLUSION: The goal of this
      review is to summarize the current published information about an anesthetic
      management strategy with a focus on airway management, ventilation, and
      oxygenation techniques in PAP patients.

PMID- 26495309
TI  - Can acute pain treatment reduce postsurgical comorbidity after breast cancer
      surgery? A literature review.
AB  - Regional analgesia, opioids, and several oral analgesics are commonly used for
      the treatment of acute pain after breast cancer surgery. While all of these
      treatments can suppress the acute postsurgical pain, there is growing evidence
      that suggests that the postsurgical comorbidity will differ in accordance with
      the type of analgesic used during the surgery. Our current study reviewed the
      effect of analgesics used for acute pain treatments on the major comorbidities
      that occur after breast cancer surgery. A considerable number of clinical studies
      have been performed to investigate the relationship between the acute analgesic
      regimen and common comorbidities, including inadequate quality of recovery after
      the surgery, persistent postsurgical pain, and cancer recurrence. Previous
      studies have shown that the choice of the analgesic modality does affect the
      postsurgical comorbidity. In general, the use of regional analgesics has a
      beneficial effect on the occurrence of comorbidity. In order to determine the
      best analgesic choice after breast cancer surgery, prospective studies that are
      based on a clear definition of the comorbidity state will need to be undertaken
      in the future. 

PMID- 26495310
TI  - Systematic analysis of the associations between adverse drug reactions and
      pathways.
AB  - Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are responsible for drug candidate failure during
      clinical trials. It is crucial to investigate biological pathways contributing to
      ADRs. Here, we applied a large-scale analysis to identify overrepresented ADR
      pathway combinations through merging clinical phenotypic data, biological pathway
      data, and drug-target relations. Evaluation was performed by scientific
      literature review and defining a pathway-based ADR-ADR similarity measure. The
      results showed that our method is efficient for finding the associations between
      ADRs and pathways. To more systematically understand the mechanisms of ADRs, we
      constructed an ADR-pathway network and an ADR-ADR network. Through network
      analysis on biology and pharmacology, it was found that frequent ADRs were
      associated with more pathways than infrequent and rare ADRs. Moreover,
      environmental information processing pathways contributed most to the observed
      ADRs. Integrating the system organ class of ADRs, we found that most classes
      tended to interact with other classes instead of themselves. ADR classes were
      distributed promiscuously in all the ADR cliques. These results reflected that
      drug perturbation to a certain pathway can cause changes in multiple organs,
      rather than in one specific organ. Our work not only provides a global view of
      the associations between ADRs and pathways, but also is helpful to understand the
      mechanisms of ADRs. 

PMID- 26495311
TI  - Analysis of chemical properties of edible and medicinal ginger by metabolomics
      approach.
AB  - In traditional herbal medicine, comprehensive understanding of bioactive
      constituent is important in order to analyze its true medicinal function. We
      investigated the chemical properties of medicinal and edible ginger cultivars
      using a liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) approach. Our PCA results
      indicate the importance of acetylated derivatives of gingerol, not gingerol or
      shogaol, as the medicinal indicator. A newly developed ginger cultivar, Z.
      officinale cv. Ogawa Umare or "Ogawa Umare" (OG), contains more active
      ingredients, showing properties as a new resource for the production of herbal
      medicines derived from ginger in terms of its chemical constituents and rhizome
      yield. 

PMID- 26495312
TI  - Role of ketamine in acute postoperative pain management: a narrative review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this narrative review was to examine the usage of
      ketamine as a postoperative analgesic agent across a wide variety of surgeries.
      DESIGN: A literature search was performed using the phrases "ketamine" and
      "postoperative pain." The authors analyzed the studies that involved testing
      ketamine's effectiveness at controlling postoperative pain. Effectiveness was
      assessed through various outcomes such as the amount of opiate consumption,
      visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, and persistent postoperative pain at long
      term follow-up. RESULTS: While many different administration protocols were
      evaluated, delivering ketamine both as a pre- or perioperative bolus and
      postoperative infusion for up to 48 hours appeared to be the most effective.
      These effects are dose-dependent. However, a number of studies analyzed showed no
      benefit in using ketamine versus placebo for controlling postoperative pain.
      While ketamine is a safe and well-tolerated drug, it does have adverse effects,
      and there are concerns for possible neurotoxicity and effects on memory.
      CONCLUSIONS: In a number of limited situations, ketamine has shown some efficacy
      in controlling postoperative pain and decreasing opioid consumption. More
      randomized controlled trials are necessary to determine the surgical procedures
      and administrations (i.e., intravenous, epidural) that ketamine is best suited
      for.

PMID- 26495313
TI  - Evaluation of natural materials as exogenous carbon sources for biological
      treatment of low carbon-to-nitrogen wastewater.
AB  - In the bacterial processes involved in the mitigation of nitrogen pollution, an
      adequately high carbon-to-nitrogen (C : N) ratio is key to sustain
      denitrification. We evaluated three natural materials (woodchips, barley grains,
      and peanut shells) as carbon sources for low C : N wastewater. The amount of
      organic matter released from these materials to aqueous media was evaluated, as
      well as their pollution swapping potential by measuring the release of total
      Kjeldahl nitrogen, N-NH4 (+), NO2 (-), and NO3 (-), and total phosphorous. Barley
      grains yielded the highest amount of organic matter, which also showed to be the
      most easily biodegradable. Woodchips and peanut shells released carbon rather
      steadily and so they would not require frequent replenishment from biological
      reactors. These materials produced eluates with lower concentrations of nutrients
      than the leachates from barley grains. However, as woodchips yielded lower
      amounts of suspended solids, they constitute an adequate exogenous source for the
      biological treatment of carbon-deficient effluents. 

PMID- 26495314
TI  - The regulation by phenolic compounds of soil organic matter dynamics under a
      changing environment.
AB  - Phenolics are the most abundant plant metabolites and are believed to decompose
      slowly in soils compared to other soil organic matter (SOM). Thus, they have
      often been considered as a slow carbon (C) pool in soil dynamics models. Here,
      however, we review changes in our concept about the turnover rate of phenolics
      and quantification of different types of phenolics in soils. Also, we synthesize
      current research on the degradation of phenolics and their regulatory effects on
      decomposition. Environmental changes, such as elevated CO2, warming, nitrogen (N)
      deposition, and drought, could influence the production and form of phenolics,
      leading to a change in SOM dynamics, and thus we also review the fate of
      phenolics under environmental disturbances. Finally, we propose the use of
      phenolics as a tool to control rates of SOM decomposition to stabilize organic
      carbon in ecosystems. Further studies to clarify the role of phenolics in SOM
      dynamics should include improving quantification methods, elucidating the
      relationship between phenolics and soil microorganisms, and determining the
      interactive effects of combinations of environmental changes on the phenolics
      production and degradation and subsequent impact on SOM processing. 

PMID- 26495315
TI  - Effect of chitosan coating with cinnamon oil on the quality and physiological
      attributes of China jujube fruits.
AB  - Effects of chitosan coating with cinnamon oil on the physiological attributes and
      preservation quality of China jujube fruits during storage at 4 degrees C for 60
      days were investigated. Results indicated that weight loss and decay of jujube
      fruits were significantly reduced by chitosan-oil coating during the period of 60
      day storage, which also exhibited a quite beneficial effect on maintaining the
      sensory quality for jujube fruits. Meanwhile, the contents of vitamin C and
      titratable acid decreased to 3.08 mg.g(-1) and 0.342% for the fruits treated by
      chitosan-oil coating (1.0% + 0.10%), respectively. Polyphenol oxidase, superoxide
      dismutase, and peroxidase activities were 13.40 U.g(-1), 14.53 U.g(-1), and 63.6
      U.g(-1) at the end of storage, respectively. The contents of total soluble
      phenolics and MDA were 34.51 mg.g(-1) and 19.43 MUmol.g(-1) for the combined
      coating treated samples and control fruits, respectively. These results suggested
      that the chitosan-oil coating might be recognized as one efficiency technology on
      the preservation quality of jujube fruits during the storage time. 

PMID- 26495316
TI  - microRNA regulation of peritoneal cavity homeostasis in peritoneal dialysis.
AB  - Preservation of peritoneal cavity homeostasis and peritoneal membrane function is
      critical for long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD) treatment. Several microRNAs
      (miRNAs) have been implicated in the regulation of key molecular pathways driving
      peritoneal membrane alterations leading to PD failure. miRNAs regulate the
      expression of the majority of protein coding genes in the human genome, thereby
      affecting most biochemical pathways implicated in cellular homeostasis. In this
      review, we report published findings on miRNAs and PD therapy, with emphasis on
      evidence for changes in peritoneal miRNA expression during long-term PD
      treatment. Recent work indicates that PD effluent- (PDE-) derived cells change
      their miRNA expression throughout the course of PD therapy, contributing to the
      loss of peritoneal cavity homeostasis and peritoneal membrane function. Changes
      in miRNA expression profiles will alter regulation of key molecular pathways,
      with the potential to cause profound effects on peritoneal cavity homeostasis
      during PD treatment. However, research to date has mainly adopted a literature
      based miRNA-candidate methodology drawing conclusions from modest numbers of
      patient-derived samples. Therefore, the study of miRNA expression during PD
      therapy remains a promising field of research to understand the mechanisms
      involved in basic peritoneal cell homeostasis and PD failure. 

PMID- 26495317
TI  - Near-infrared spectroscopy for the evaluation of anesthetic depth.
AB  - The standard-of-care guidelines published by the American Society of
      Anesthesiologists (ASA) recommend monitoring of pulse oximetry, blood pressure,
      heart rate, and end tidal CO2 during the use of anesthesia and sedation. This
      information can help to identify adverse events that may occur during procedures.
      However, these parameters are not specific to the effects of anesthetics or
      sedatives, and therefore they offer little, to no, real time information
      regarding the effects of those agents and do not give the clinician the lead-time
      necessary to prevent patient "awareness." Since no "gold-standard" method is
      available to continuously, reliably, and effectively monitor the effects of
      sedatives and anesthetics, such a method is greatly needed. Investigation of the
      use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a method for anesthesia
      or sedation monitoring and for the assessment of the effects of various
      anesthetic drugs on cerebral oxygenation has started to be conducted. The
      objective of this paper is to provide a thorough review of the currently
      available published scientific studies regarding the use of fNIRS in the fields
      of anesthesia and sedation monitoring, comment on their findings, and discuss the
      future work required for the translation of this technology to the clinical
      setting. 

PMID- 26495318
TI  - A novel reference plasmid for the qualitative detection of genetically modified
      rice in food and feed.
AB  - Rice is one of the most important food crops in the world. Genetically modified
      (GM) technology has been used in rice to confer herbicide tolerance and pathogen
      or insect resistance. China invests heavily in research on GM rice. By the end of
      2014, at least 250 transgenic rice lines had been developed in China. To monitor
      the presence of GM rice in food and feed, we collected information on foreign
      elements from 250 transgenic rice lines and found 5 elements, including the
      Agrobacterium tumefaciens nopaline synthase terminator (T-NOS), the cauliflower
      mosaic virus 35S promoter (CaMV35S), the ubiquitin gene (Ubi), the bar gene, and
      the hygromycin phosphotransferase gene (Hpt), that are commonly present in GM
      rice. Therefore, we constructed a novel plasmid (pBJGMM001) that contains
      fragments of these elements and two endogenous reference genes (the sucrose
      phosphate synthase gene, SPS, and the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase gene,
      PEPC). pBJGMM001 can serve as a standard for detecting 96% of GM rice lines in
      China. The primers, amplicons, reaction mixture, and PCR program were developed
      based on Chinese National Standards. The protocol was validated and determined to
      be suitable for practical use in monitoring and identifying GM rice. 

PMID- 26495319
TI  - Propofol requirement for induction of unconsciousness is reduced in patients with
      Parkinson's disease: a case control study.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease,
      but whether the neurodegenerative process influences the pharmacodynamics of
      propofol remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effect of PD on
      pharmacodynamics of propofol. A total of 31 PD patients undergoing surgical
      treatment (PD group) and 31 pair-controlled non-PD patients undergoing
      intracranial surgery (NPD group) were recruited to investigate the propofol
      requirement for unconsciousness induction. Unconsciousness was induced in all
      patients with target-controlled infusion of propofol. The propofol concentration
      at which unconsciousness was induced was compared between the two groups. EC50
      and EC95 were calculated as well. Demographic data, bispectral index, and
      hemodynamic values were comparable between PD and NPD groups. The mean target
      concentration of propofol when unconsciousness was achieved was 2.32 +/- 0.38
      MUg/mL in PD group, which was significantly lower than that in NPD group (2.90 +/
      0.35 MUg/mL). The EC50 was 2.05 MUg/mL (95% CI: 1.85-2.19 MUg/mL) in PD group,
      much lower than the 2.72 MUg/mL (95% CI: 2.53-2.88 MUg/mL) in NPD group. In
      conclusion, the effective propofol concentration needed for induction of
      unconsciousness in 50% of patients is reduced in PD patients. (This trial is
      registered with NCT01998204.). 

PMID- 26495320
TI  - Shaped 3D singular spectrum analysis for quantifying gene expression, with
      application to the early zebrafish embryo.
AB  - Recent progress in microscopy technologies, biological markers, and automated
      processing methods is making possible the development of gene expression atlases
      at cellular-level resolution over whole embryos. Raw data on gene expression is
      usually very noisy. This noise comes from both experimental
      (technical/methodological) and true biological sources (from stochastic
      biochemical processes). In addition, the cells or nuclei being imaged are
      irregularly arranged in 3D space. This makes the processing, extraction, and
      study of expression signals and intrinsic biological noise a serious challenge
      for 3D data, requiring new computational approaches. Here, we present a new
      approach for studying gene expression in nuclei located in a thick layer around a
      spherical surface. The method includes depth equalization on the sphere,
      flattening, interpolation to a regular grid, pattern extraction by Shaped 3D
      singular spectrum analysis (SSA), and interpolation back to original nuclear
      positions. The approach is demonstrated on several examples of gene expression in
      the zebrafish egg (a model system in vertebrate development). The method is
      tested on several different data geometries (e.g., nuclear positions) and
      different forms of gene expression patterns. Fully 3D datasets for developmental
      gene expression are becoming increasingly available; we discuss the prospects of
      applying 3D-SSA to data processing and analysis in this growing field. 

PMID- 26495321
TI  - Potential Use of Interleukin-10 Blockade as a Therapeutic Strategy in Human
      Cutaneous Leishmaniasis.
AB  - Interleukin-10 overproduction has been associated with worse prognosis in human
      cutaneous leishmaniasis, while IFN-gamma-dependent responses are associated with
      parasite killing and host protection. Innovative strategies are needed to
      overcome therapeutic failure observed in endemic areas. The use of monoclonal
      antibody-based immunotherapy targeting IL-10 cytokine was evaluated here. Partial
      IL-10 blockade in Leishmania braziliensis whole soluble antigen-stimulated cells
      from endemic area CL patients with active or healed lesions and asymptomatic
      controls was evaluated. Overall decrease in IL-10, IL-4, and TNF-alpha production
      was observed in all groups of subjects. Only patients with active lesions still
      produced some levels of TNF-alpha after anti-IL-10 stimulation in association
      with Leishmania antigens. Moreover, this strategy showed limited modulatory
      effects on IFN-gamma-dependent chemokine CXCL10 production. Results suggest the
      potential immunotherapeutic use of partial IL-10 blockade in localized cutaneous
      leishmaniasis. 

PMID- 26495322
TI  - Comparative Immune Response in Children and Adults with H. pylori Infection.
AB  - Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is generally acquired during early
      childhood; therefore, the immune response which usually takes place at this age
      may influence or even determine susceptibility to the infection contributing to
      the clinical outcomes in adulthood. Several cytokines including IL-6, IL-10, and
      TGF-beta1 as well as Foxp3(+) cell numbers have been shown to be higher; however,
      some other cytokines consisting of IL-1beta, IL-17A, and IL-23 are lower in
      infected children than in infected adults. Immune response to H. pylori infection
      in children is predominant Treg instead of Th17 cell response. These results
      indicate that immune system responses probably play a role in persistent H.
      pylori infection. Childhood H. pylori infection is also associated with
      significantly lower levels of inflammation and ulceration compared with adults.
      This review, therefore, aimed to provide critical findings of the available
      literature about comparative immune system in children and adults with H. pylori
      infection. 

PMID- 26495324
TI  - Recurrent Aeromonas Bacteremia Due to Contaminated Well Water.
AB  - Although they are ubiquitous to aquatic environments, Aeromonas species have
      traditionally been considered nonvirulent; however, in the past 30 years, they
      have emerged as important human pathogens that can cause a wide spectrum of
      disease. In this study, we describe a case of recurrent Aeromonas bacteremia in
      an immunocompetent patient, and this exposure was linked to the patient's home
      well water supply. 

PMID- 26495326
TI  - Teach It, Don't Preach It: The Differential Effects of Directly-communicated and
      Self-generated Utility Value Information.
AB  - Social-psychological interventions in education have used a variety of "self
      persuasion" or "saying-is-believing" techniques to encourage students to
      articulate key intervention messages. These techniques are used in combination
      with more overt strategies, such as the direct communication of messages in order
      to promote attitude change. However, these different strategies have rarely been
      systematically compared, particularly in controlled laboratory settings. We focus
      on one intervention based in expectancy-value theory designed to promote
      perceptions of utility value in the classroom and test different intervention
      techniques to promote interest and performance. Across three laboratory studies,
      we used a mental math learning paradigm in which we varied whether students wrote
      about utility value for themselves or received different forms of directly
      communicated information about the utility value of a novel mental math
      technique. In Study 1, we examined the difference between directly-communicated
      and self-generated utility-value information and found that directly-communicated
      utility-value information undermined performance and interest for individuals who
      lacked confidence, but that self-generated utility had positive effects. However,
      Study 2 suggests that these negative effects of directly-communicated utility
      value can be ameliorated when participants are also given the chance to generate
      their own examples of utility value, revealing a synergistic effect of directly
      communicated and self-generated utility value. In Study 3, we found that
      individuals who lacked confidence benefited more when everyday examples of
      utility value were communicated, rather than career and school examples.

PMID- 26495325
TI  - Knowledge of Federal Regulations for Mental Health Research Involving Prisoners.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given their vulnerability to coercion and exploitation, prisoners who
      participate in research are protected by Office for Human Research Protections
      (OHRP) regulations designed to ensure their safety and wellbeing. Knowledge of
      these regulations is essential for researchers who conduct and institutional
      review boards (IRBs) that oversee mental health research in correctional
      settings. METHODS: We explored depth of knowledge of OHRP regulations by
      surveying a nationwide sample of: (1) mental health researchers who have
      conducted research in correctional settings; (2) mental health researchers who
      have conducted research in non-correctional settings; (3) IRB members who have
      overseen mental health research in correctional settings; (4) IRB members who
      have overseen mental health research in in non-correctional settings; and (5) IRB
      prisoner representatives. Participants responded to a 10-item knowledge
      questionnaire based on OHRP regulations. RESULTS: 1,256 participants provided
      usable data (44.9% response rate). Results revealed limited knowledge of OHRP
      regulations, with a mean across groups of 44.1% correct answers. IRB Prisoner
      representatives, IRB members, and researchers with correctional experience
      demonstrated the highest levels of knowledge; however, even these participants
      were able to correctly answer only approximately 50% of the items. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although awareness that prisoners are a protected population and that different
      regulatory procedures apply to research with them is likely to be universal among
      researchers and IRB members, our findings reveal limited mastery of the specific
      OHRP regulations that are essential knowledge for researchers who conduct and IRB
      members who oversee mental health research in correctional settings. Given well
      documented health and healthcare disparities, prisoners could potentially benefit
      greatly from mental health research; increasing knowledge of the OHRP regulations
      among researchers and IRB members is a crucial step toward meeting this important
      public health goal.

PMID- 26495327
TI  - Utilization of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) Method in Increasing the
      Revenue of Emergency Department; a Prospective Cohort Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The balance between revenue and cost of an organization/system is
      essential to maintain its survival and quality of services. Emergency departments
      (ED) are one of the most important parts of health care delivery system.
      Financial discipline of EDs, by increasing the efficiency and profitability, can
      directly affect the quality of care and subsequently patient satisfaction.
      Accordingly, the present study attempts to investigate failure mode and effects
      analysis (FMEA) method in identifying the problems leading to the loss of ED
      revenue and offer solutions to help fix these problems. METHODS: This prospective
      cohort study investigated the financial records of ED patients and evaluated the
      effective errors in reducing the revenue in ED of Imam Hossein hospital, Tehran,
      Iran, from October 2007 to November 2009. The whole department was divided into
      one main system and six subsystems, based on FMEA. The study was divided into two
      phases. In the first phase, the problems leading to the loss of revenue in each
      subsystem were identified and weighted into four groups using risk priority
      number (RPN), and the solutions for fixing them were planned. Then, in the second
      phase, discovered defects in the first phase were fixed according to their
      priority. Finally, the impact of each solution was compared before and after
      intervention using the repeated measure ANOVA test. RESULTS: 100 financial
      records of ED patients were evaluated during the first phase of the study. The
      average of ED revenue in the six months of the first phase was 73.1+/-3.65
      thousand US dollars/month. 12 types of errors were detected in the predefined
      subsystems. ED revenue rose from 73.1 to 153.1, 207.06, 240, and 320 thousand US
      dollars/month after solving first, second, third, and fourth priority problems,
      respectively (337.75% increase in two years) (p<0.001). 111.0% increase in the ED
      revenue after solving of first priority problems revealed that they were
      extremely indispensable in decreasing the revenue (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: The
      findings of the present study revealed that FMEA could be considered as an
      efficient model for increasing the revenue of emergency department. According to
      this model, not recording the services by the nursing unit, and lack of specific
      identifying code for the patients moving from ED to any other department, were
      the two first priority problems in decreasing our ED revenue.

PMID- 26495328
TI  - Accuracy of Ultrasonography in Confirmation of Adequate Reduction of Distal
      Radius Fractures.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Restoration of normal anatomic alignment is a key component of the
      treatment of distal radius fractures (DRF). This study aimed to evaluate the
      accuracy of ultrasonography (US) in determining the adequacy of closed reduction
      in these fractures. METHODS: DRF patients admitted to the emergency department of
      Al-Zahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran from September 2011 to 2012, were enrolled.
      After closed reduction, the adequacy was investigated through both US and control
      plain radiography. Then, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative
      predicative values of US in confirmation of closed reduction was evaluated. In
      addition, inter-rater agreement between the two diagnostic tools was analyzed by
      calculating Cohen's kappa coefficient. RESULTS: Finally, 154 patients were
      evaluated (females: 53.9%) with mean age of 40.03+/-14.7 (range: 22-73). US had
      sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of 99.3% (95%CI:
      96.2-99.9), 100.0% (95%CI: 62.9-100.0), 100.0% (95%CI: 97.5-100.0), and 88.9%
      (95%CI: 51.7-98.1) in confirmation of the adequate reduction, respectively. In
      addition, inter-rater reliability was 0.94 (95%CI: 0.89-0.99; p<0.0001).
      CONCLUSION: It seems that US could be considered as a highly sensitive, accurate,
      easy to use, noninvasive and safe tool for guidance and confirmation of closed
      reduction in DRF.

PMID- 26495323
TI  - Complexity and Controversies over the Cytokine Profiles of T Helper Cell
      Subpopulations in Tuberculosis.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious infectious disease caused by the TB-causing
      bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is considered a public health problem
      with enormous social impact. Disease progression is determined mainly by the
      balance between the microorganism and the host defense systems. Although the
      immune system controls the infection, this control does not necessarily lead to
      sterilization. Over recent decades, the patterns of CD4+ T cell responses have
      been studied with a goal of complete understanding of the immunological
      mechanisms involved in the maintenance of latent or active tuberculosis infection
      and of the clinical cure after treatment. Conflicting results have been suggested
      over the years, particularly in studies comparing experimental models and human
      disease. In recent years, in addition to Th1, Th2, and Th17 profiles, new
      standards of cellular immune responses, such as Th9, Th22, and IFN-gamma-IL-10
      double-producing Th cells, discussed here, have also been described.
      Additionally, many new roles and cellular sources have been described for IL-10,
      demonstrating a critical role for this cytokine as regulatory, rather than merely
      pathogenic cytokine, involved in the establishment of chronic latent infection,
      in the clinical cure after treatment and in keeping antibacillary effector
      mechanisms active to prevent immune-mediated damage. 

PMID- 26495329
TI  - Nerve Stimulator Guided Axillary Block in Painless Reduction of Distal Radius
      Fractures; a Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Given the high prevalence of upper extremity fractures and
      increasing need to perform painless reduction in the emergency departments, the
      use of analgesic methods with fewer complications and more satisfaction appears
      to be essential. The aim of this study is comparison the nerve stimulator guided
      axillary block (NSAB) with intravenous sedation in induction of analgesia for
      painless reduction of distal radius fractures. METHODS: In the present randomized
      clinical trial, 60 patients (18-70 years of age) suffered from distal radius
      fractures, were divided into two equal groups. One group received axillary nerve
      block by nerve stimulator guidance and the other procedural sedation and
      analgesia (PSA) using midazolam/fentanyl. Onset of analgesia, duration of
      analgesic effect, total procedure time and pain scores were recorded using visual
      analogue scale (VAS) and the outcomes were compared. Chi-squared and student t
      test were performed to evaluate differences between two groups. RESULTS: Sixty
      patients were randomly divided into two groups (83.3% male). The mean age of
      patients was 31 +/-0.7 years. While the onset of analgesia was significantly
      longer in the NSAB group, the mean total time of procedure was shorter than PSA
      (p<0.001). The NSAB group needed a shorter post-operative observation time
      (P<0.001). Both groups experienced equal pain relief before, during and after
      procedure (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: It seems that shorter post-operative monitoring
      time and consequently lesser total time of procedure, make nerve stimulator
      guided axillary block as an appropriate alternative for procedural sedation and
      analgesia in painless reduction of distal radius fractures in emergency
      department.

PMID- 26495330
TI  - Sonographic Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter as a Screening Tool for Detection of
      Elevated Intracranial Pressure.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Timely diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic elevated
      intracranial pressure (EICP) could be reduced morbidity and mortality, and
      improved patients' outcome. This study is trying to evaluate the diagnostic
      accuracy of sonographic optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) in detection of EICP.
      METHODS: Sonographic ONSD of patients with head trauma or cerebrovascular
      accident suspicious for EICP were evaluated by a trained chief resident of
      emergency medicine, who was blind to the clinical and brain computed tomography
      scan (BCT) findings of patients. Immediately after ultrasonography, BCT was
      performed and reported by an expert radiologist without awareness from other
      results of the patients. Finally, ultrasonographic and BCT findings regarding
      EICP were compared. To evaluate the ability of sonographic ONSD in predicting the
      BCT findings and obtain best cut-off level, receiver operating characteristic
      (ROC) curve were used. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV),
      negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), and negative
      likelihood ratio (NLR) of sonographic ONSD in determining of EICP was calculated.
      P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: There were 222
      patients (65.3% male), with mean age of 42.2+/-19.5 years (range: 16-90 years).
      BCT showed signs of EICP, in 28 cases (12.6%). The means of the ONSD in the
      patients with EICP and normal ICP were 5.5 +/- 0.56 and 3.93 +/- 0.53 mm,
      respectively (P<0.0001). ROC curve demonstrated that the best cut off was 4.85
      mm. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, PLR, and NLR of ONSD for prediction of
      EICP were 96.4%, 95.3%, 72.2%, 98.9%, 20.6, and 0.04, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      Sonographic diameter of optic nerve sheath could be considered as an available,
      accurate, and noninvasive screening tool in determining the elevated intracranial
      pressure in cases with head trauma or cerebrovascular accident.

PMID- 26495331
TI  - Emergency Department Performance Indexes Before and After Establishment of
      Emergency Medicine.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Emergency department performance index (EPI) greatly influences the
      function of other hospital's units and patient satisfaction. Recently, the
      Iranian Ministry of Health has defined specific national EPI containing five
      indexes. In the present study the performance indexes of emergency department
      (ED) in one educational hospital has been assessed before and after establishment
      of emergency medicine. METHODS: In the present cross-sectional study the ED of
      Shohadaye Tajrish Hospital, Tehran, Iran was assessed during one-year period from
      March 2012 to February 2013. The study was divided into two six-month periods of
      before and after establishment of emergency medicine. Five performance indexes
      including: the percentage of patients were disposed during 6-hour, leaved the ED
      in a 12-hour, had unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitations (CPR), discharged
      against medical advice, and the mean time of triage were calculated using data of
      department of medical records on daily patients' files. Then, Mann-Whitney U test
      was used to make comparisons at P<0.05. RESULTS: The average triage time
      decreased from 6.04 minutes in the first six months to 1.5 minutes in the second
      six months (P=0.06). The percentage of patients leaving the ED in a 12-hour
      decreased from 97.3% to 90.4% (P=0.004). However, the percentage of disposed
      patients during 6-hour (P=0.2), unsuccessful CPR (P=0.34) and discharged against
      medical advice (P=0.42) did not differ between the two periods. CONCLUSION: It
      seems that establishment of emergency medicine could be able to improve ED
      performances indexes such as time to triage and leave in a 12-hour period.

PMID- 26495332
TI  - Report of 267 Cases of Scorpion Bite Referring to an Emergency Department during
      One Year.
AB  - Scorpion bite is a common health problem in many parts of the world, including
      the Iran's tropics. There are thousands of cases and a number of deaths due to
      scorpion bite every year in the country. The present study aims to provide
      further data regarding the details, complications and outcomes of scorpion bite
      cases referring to Razi Hospital, Ahwaz, from March 2011 to April 2012. 267
      patients (56.3% females) with a mean age of 35.2+/-15.8 years were included in
      the study. The most common genus of scorpion involved was Hemiscorpius (69.3%)
      and the most frequent body part involved was the lower limb (38.9%). The
      frequency of hemolysis-induced renal insufficiency and death after scorpion bite
      were 1.9% and 1.1%, respectively. Of all the factors evaluated in this series
      only the old age was associated with higher possibility of renal insufficiency
      (P<0.001). 

PMID- 26495333
TI  - A 33-year-old woman with severe postpartum headache.

PMID- 26495334
TI  - The Risk of Venous Thromboembolism with Different Generation of Oral
      Contraceptives; a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oral contraceptives (OCs) are considered as one of the most common
      risk factor of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in childbearing age. Some of the
      recent researches indicate that the odds of VTE may be even higher with newer
      generations of OCs. The present meta-analysis was designed to evaluate the effect
      of different generation of OCs on the occurrence of VTE. METHODS: Two researchers
      independently ran a thorough search in Pubmed, ISI Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL
      and Scopus databases regarding study keywords including thromboembolic event,
      thromboembolism, embolism, thromboembolic, thrombotic and thrombosis, combined
      with oral contraceptive. The outcomes were the incidence of diagnosed
      thromboembolism, such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and cerebral
      venous thrombosis. Based on the heterogeneity of the studies, random effect model
      was used and pooled odds ratio was reported. RESULTS: Three cohort and 17 case
      control studies with 13,265,228 subjects were entered into meta-analysis.
      Analysis showed that the odds of VTE in women taking OCs are more than three-fold
      (OR=3.13; 95% CI: 2.61-3.65). The risk of VTE in women taking first-, second- and
      third-generation OCs are 3.5 fold (OR=3.48; 95% CI: 2.01-4.94), 3 fold (OR=3.08;
      95% CI: 2.43-3.74) and 4.3 fold (OR=4.35; CI: 3.69-5.01), respectively.
      CONCLUSION: It seems that the risk of VTE is not same between different
      generations of OCs, so that third-generation has highest risk. Taking second and
      third-generation OCs increases the risk of VTE up to 3 and 4.3 fold,
      respectively. The researchers of the present study suggest that more trials be
      designed in relation to the effect of newer generations of OCs in different
      communities.

PMID- 26495335
TI  - A cause of Sudden Cardiac Deaths on Autopsy Findings; a Four-Year Report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) has been steadily
      increasing all over the world. While knowing the cause of SCD is one of the
      favorites of the physicians involved with these cases, it is very difficult and
      challenging task for the forensic physician. The present report is a prospective
      study regarding cause of SCDs on autopsy examination in four-year period,
      Bangalore, India. METHODS: The present prospective study is based on autopsy
      observations, carried out for four-year period from 2008 to 2011, and analyzed
      for cause of SCDs. The cases were chosen as per the definition of sudden death
      and autopsied. The material was divided into natural and unnatural groups.
      Finally, on histopathology, gross examination, hospital details, circumstantial,
      and police reports the cause of death was inferred. RESULTS: A total of 2449
      autopsy was conducted of which 204 cases were due to SCD. The highest SCDs were
      reported in 50-60 years age group (62.24%; n-127), followed closely by the age
      group 60-69 (28.43%; n-58). Male to female ratio was around 10:1. The maximum
      number of deaths (n=78) was within few hours (6 hours) after the onset of signs
      and symptoms. In 24 (11.8%) cases major narrowing was noted in both the main
      coronaries, in 87 (42.6%) cases in the left anterior descending coronary artery
      (LAD), and in 18 (51.5%) cases in the right coronary artery (RCA). The major
      cardiac pathology resulting in sudden death was coronary artery disease (n-116;
      56.86%) and myocardial infarction (n-104; 50.9%). most of the SCDs occurred in
      the place of residence (n-80; 39.2%) followed closely by death in hospital (n-49;
      24.01%). CONCLUSION: Coronary occlusion was the major contributory cause of
      sudden death with cardiac origin and the highest number of deaths were reported
      in the age 50-59 years with male to female ratio of 10:1.

PMID- 26495336
TI  - Short-Term Outcome of Discharged Low-Risk Chest Pain without Provoke Ischemia
      Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chest pain is a common problem in patients referring to emergency
      units. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the short-term outcome of
      patients presenting with a low risk chest pain and discharging without provoke
      ischemia study during emergency department admission. METHODS: In the present
      prospective cohort study, patients with low-risk chest pain, referring to the
      emergency department of Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, during the first half of
      2012, were evaluated. All the patients underwent electrocardiogram (ECG) and
      cardiac enzyme tests, including cardiac isoenzymes creatine kinase MB and
      troponin I. One week after referring to the emergency department, the patients
      underwent an exercise test and were followed for a month. Data were analyzed with
      chi-squared test at a significant level of P<0.05. RESULTS: A total of 252
      patients were included. The mean and standard deviation of patient ages was 56+/
      7.7 years (47.5% male). The results of exercise tests for 47 (26.3%) subjects
      were positive [32 (28.8%) patients in the 41-60 year age group and 15 (22.7%)
      over 60 years of age].The angiography examination results of 5 patients (2.8%)
      were abnormal. There were no significant relationships between the age and gender
      and the results of exercise test and angiography (P>0.05). During the one-month
      follow-up no cases of mortality, cardiac problems, or referring again to the
      hospital were recorded. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of the present study,
      prevalence of cardiac etiology in patients with low risk chest pain was 2.8% and
      one-month follow-up did not reveal any complications or serious problems in such
      cases.

PMID- 26495337
TI  - QT Interval in Pregnant and Non-pregnant Women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Prolongation of QT interval might result in dangerous cardiac
      arrhythmias, including Torsades de Pointes (TdP), consequently leading to syncope
      or death. A limited number of studies carried out in this respect to date have
      shown that QT interval might increase during pregnancy. On the other hand, it has
      been shown that each pregnancy might result in an increase in the risk of cardiac
      accidents in patients with long QT interval. Therefore, the present study was
      undertaken to compare QT intervals in pregnant and non-pregnant women. METHODS:
      Pregnant women group consisted of 40 women in the second and third trimesters of
      pregnancy and the non-pregnant control group consisted of healthy women 18-35
      years of age. All the patients underwent standard 12-lead electrocardiogram
      (ECG). The QT interval was measured for each patient at lead II. The mean
      corrected QT interval (QTc) and QT dispersions (QTd) were compared between the
      two groups. RESULTS: Mean heart rates in the pregnant and non-pregnant groups
      were 98.55+/-14.09 and 72.53+/-13.17 beats/minutes (P<0.001). QTd and QTc means
      were in the normal range in both groups; however, these variables were 49.50+/
      12.80 and 43.03+/-18.47 milliseconds in the pregnant group and 39.5+/-9.59 and
      40.38+/-17.20 milliseconds in the control group, respectively (P<0.001).
      CONCLUSION: The QT interval was longer in pregnant women compared to non-pregnant
      women; however, it was in the normal range in both groups. Therefore, it is
      important to monitor and manage risk factors involved in prolongation of QT
      interval and prevent concurrence of these factors with pregnancy.

PMID- 26495338
TI  - Synergistic Effects of Citalopram and Morphine in the Renal Colic Pain Relief; a
      Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although the synergistic effects of opioids and other analgesic
      drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been
      established in relieving acute pain due to renal calculi, no studies today have
      evaluated the concomitant administration of opiates and other drugs with
      analgesic effects, such as serotonin re-uptake inhibitors. Considering the high
      prevalence of renal colic, the present study was carried out to compare the
      effect of concomitant prescription of morphine and a placebo with that of
      morphine and citalopram on the management of acute pain due to renal calculi.
      METHODS: The present double-blind randomized clinical trial was carried out from
      October 2012 to March 2013 in the Al-Zahra educational Hospital in Isfahan, Iran.
      90 patients with acute renal colic pain were randomly divided into two groups of
      45 subjects. The subjects in one group received morphine/ placebo and another one
      morphine/citalopram. The patients' pain severity was determined by visual
      analogue scale (VAS) before and 20 minutes after administration of medications.
      In case of persistent pain, the second or even third dose was administered and
      the pain severity was once again determined. Data were analyzed with STATA 11.0
      using chi-squared, two-way ANOVA, Bonferroni post hoc test, and log rank test.
      RESULTS: The decrease in pain severity in the morphine/citalopram group was
      significantly compared to the morphine/placebo group and the time before
      administration of the medications (p<0.001). In contrast, administration of
      morphine/placebo did not have a significant effect on pain severity at this
      interval (p=0.32). Kaplan-Meier curve showed that the first injection was
      successful in relieving pain in 15 (33.3%) and 26 (57.8%) subjects in the
      morphine/placebo and morphine/citalopram groups, respectively. The second
      injection of these medications resulted in therapeutic success in 35 (87.8%) and
      42 (95.6%) subjects in the above groups, respectively. Log rank test showed a
      significant difference in the treatment success between the two groups (p=0.001).
      CONCLUSION: It seems that the combination of citalopram and morphine sulfate
      causes increased efficacy and higher success rate in pain control of patients
      presented to the emergency department with a complaint of renal colic.

PMID- 26495339
TI  - Cause of Emergency Department Mortality; a Case-control Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Based on previous studies, cardiovascular diseases, traffic
      accidents, traumas and cancers are the most important etiology of mortalities in
      emergency departments (ED). However, contradictory findings have been reported in
      relation to mortality in emergency departments. Therefore, the present study was
      undertaken to evaluate the role of clinical factors in mortality among patients
      referring to an emergency department in a third-level hospital in Tehran, Iran.
      METHODS: In the present case-control study, all the patients over 18 years of age
      were evaluated, referring to the ED of Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from
      the beginning of 2009 to the end of 2010. The patients died in the ED were placed
      in the case group and those discharged or hospitalized in other hospital wards in
      the control group. Demographic data, background diseases, and the final diagnoses
      were recorded. Chi-squared test, multivariate logistic regression, and Pearson's
      correlation coefficient were used to evaluate the relationship between the
      variables mentioned above and patient mortality. RESULTS: 2907 patients (969
      (59.9% male) in the case and 1938 (62.2% male) in the control groups) were
      evaluated. Cardiovascular diseases (39.2%), severe traumas (18.5%), and
      cerebrovascular accidents (17.7%) were the most frequent etiology of patient
      mortality in ED. Multivariate regression analysis showed that presentation with
      cardiovascular complaints (OR=7.3; 95% CI: 3.5-16.1; p<0.001), a history of
      hypertension (OR=5.4; 95% CI: 1.2-12.3; p<0.001), severe trauma (OR=4.6; 95% CI:
      2.0-13.2; p<0.001), age over 60 (OR=3.8; 95% CI: 1.8-7.8; p<0.01) and a final
      diagnosis of renal disease (OR=3.4; 95% CI: 2.1-6.4; p<0.001) were factors that
      increased the odds of mortality in patients referring to the ED. Multivariate
      regression analysis in patients over 60 years showed that sepsis was an
      independent factor increasing the risk of death (OR=2.9; 95% CI: 1.3-5.9;
      p=0.009). A patient's risk of death increases with an increase in the number of
      risk factors in that patient (r(2)=0.96; p=0.02). CONCLUSION: It appears the odds
      of mortality in patients referring to ED with cardiovascular complaints, a
      history of hypertensive, severe trauma, age over 60 and a final diagnosis of
      renal disease are higher versus other patients. In addition, the patients' odds
      of death increase with an increase in the number of risk factors. Such an
      increase is more noticeable at age over 60.

PMID- 26495340
TI  - The Effect of Intravenous Ketamine in Suicidal Ideation of Emergency Department
      Patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Suicidal ideation is an emergent problem in the Emergency
      Department (ED) that often complicates patient disposition and discharge. It has
      been shown that ketamine possesses fast acting antidepressant and anti-suicidal
      effects. This study was conducted to examine the effects of a single intravenous
      bolus of ketamine on patients with suicidal ideations in ED. METHODS: Forty-nine
      subjects with suicidal ideations with or without an unsuccessful suicide attempt,
      received 0.2 mg/kg of ketamine. Scale for suicidal ideation (SSI) and Montgomery
      Abserg depression-rating scale (MADRS) were evaluated before and 40, 80 and 120
      minutes after drug intervention. The results were compared using the paired t
      test and patients were followed up 10 days after ED admission for remnant suicide
      ideation. RESULTS: SSI (df: 3, 46; F=80.7; p<0.001) and MADRS (df: 3, 46; F=87.2;
      p<0.001) scores significantly dropped after ketamine injection; the SSI score
      before and after 20, 40, and 80 minutes of ketamine injection were 23.0+/-6.7,
      16.2+/-5.2, 14.3+/-4.3, and 13.6+/-4.0 respectively. The MADRS scores were 38.2+/
      9.3, 25.6+/-7.1, 22.7+/-6.3, and 22.1+/-5.95 at the same time intervals. 25.5% of
      patients were hospitalized, 63.3% received medications and 12.2% discharged. 6.2%
      of patients had suicidal ideations ten days after ED disposition. CONCLUSION: It
      seems that Ketamine could not be a good choice for fast reduction of suicidal
      ideations in ED patients. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal
      dose of ketamine for different patients.

PMID- 26495341
TI  - Treatment Costs of Traffic Accident Casualties in a Third-level Hospital in Iran;
      a Preliminary Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The costs of traffic accidents in low- and middle-income countries
      are estimated to add up to $65 billion annually, which is a little higher than
      the amount they receive as a final aid for development. The present retrospective
      study aims to evaluate the treatment costs of the hospitalized injured
      individuals in traffic accidents. METHODS: The present study was carried out in
      Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The study population consisted of all the
      individuals injured in traffic accidents, admitted to the hospital wards. Data
      were collected by a trained emergency physician. Demographic data, injury
      mechanism, the type of vehicle, the admission ward of the patient, and treatment
      costs were collected. RESULTS: 200 patient files were evaluated (males: 89%). The
      results showed that 54% of the patients were in the 18-40-year age group and
      collisions between cars and motorcycles were the most frequent accidents (47%).
      The mean hospitalization cost for each patient was estimated to be $1622.1.
      Statistical analyses showed that treatment costs in the neurosurgery ward was
      significantly higher than orthopedic and general surgery (df: 3; F=9.5, P=0.008).
      CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed that the mean cost of each
      traffic accident victim in Tehran is approximately $1622.1 and these patients
      sustain significantly higher costs in neurosurgery ward.

PMID- 26495342
TI  - A Young Man with Myocardial Infarction due to Trenbolone Acetate; a Case Report.
AB  - Over the four decades, a significant decrease has been observed in age-related
      mortality caused by cardiovascular disease. People in developing countries suffer
      from CAD at a relatively younger age and about half of MI occurs under the age of
      fifty years. Abuse of anabolic steroids is one of the less common causes of
      atherosclerosis. In this report, a 23-year-old body builder male referred to
      emergency department (ED) with myocardial infarction (MI) following chronic
      Trenbolone acetate consumption. It seems that a comprehensive history of steroid
      consumption in young patients referred to ED with the chief complaint of chest
      pain or its equivalents is necessary in adjunct to other cardiac risk factors. 

PMID- 26495343
TI  - Atypical Presentation of Massive Pulmonary Embolism, a Case Report.
AB  - The lack of pathognomonic signs and symptoms makes the diagnosis of pulmonary
      embolism (PE) difficult. Here, we report a case of a 42-year-old man presented to
      the emergency department with worsening epigastric pain, hypotension, frank
      bradycardia, and final diagnosis of PE. Although previous studies have indicated
      that abdominal pain was observed in 6.7% of patients with PE, the exact reason
      for abdominal pain in PE still remains unknown. Tension on the sensory nerve
      endings, hepatic congestion, and distention of Gilson's capsule are some of the
      possible mechanisms of abdominal pain in PE. We conclude that emergency
      physicians should pay more attention to PE, which is an important differential
      diagnosis of shock state. In this context, rapid ultrasound in shock (RUSH)
      should be considered as a vital sign that needs to be evaluated when recording
      the history of patients presented to the emergency department with signs and
      symptoms of shock. 

PMID- 26495344
TI  - Epidural Hematoma Following Hemodialysis in a Methanol Poisoned Patient; a Case
      Report.
AB  - Brain injury associated with methanol toxicity can be ischemic, necrotic or
      hemorrhagic in nature. It most commonly affects the putamen area bilaterally;
      however, it can be seen in other locations. This report describes a 22-year-old
      intoxicated patient who developed an epidural hematoma following hemodialysis.
      Heparinization during hemodialysis may contribute to cerebral hemorrhagic
      complications in methanol poisoning. In addition, a history of head trauma may
      raise the incidence of post-hemodialysis hemorrhagic brain insults. Heparin-free
      dialysis or peritoneal dialysis can be a good option in these cases. 

PMID- 26495345
TI  - A 16-Year-Old Girl with Acute Onset Respiratory Distress.

PMID- 26495346
TI  - The Risk of Venous Thromboembolism Associated with Oral Contraceptive; the Search
      Is Still On.

PMID- 26495347
TI  - Poisonous Spiders: Bites, Symptoms, and Treatment; an Educational Review.
AB  - More than 40,000 species of spiders have been identified in the world. Spider
      bites is a common problem among people, however few of them are harmful but delay
      in treatment can cause death. Since the spider bites are risk full to human, they
      should be taken seriously, especially in endemic areas. Our objective in this
      review was to study about poisonous spiders and find out treatments of them.
      Therefore, we collected related articles from PubMed database and Google Scholar.
      Three important syndromes caused by spider bites are loxoscelism, latrodectism
      and funnel web spider syndrome. Many treatments are used but much more studies
      should have done to decrease the mortality. In this review, we describes
      different venomous spiders according to their appearance, symptoms after their
      bites and available treatments. 

PMID- 26495348
TI  - Development of an Easy-to-Use Tool for the Assessment of Emergency Department
      Physical Design.
AB  - Physical design of the emergency department (ED) has an important effect on its
      role and function. To date, no guidelines have been introduced to set the
      standards for the construction of EDs in Iran. In this study, we aim to devise an
      easy-to-use tool based on the available literature and expert opinion for the
      quick and effective assessment of EDs in regards to their physical design. For
      this purpose, based on current literature on emergency design, a comprehensive
      checklist was developed. Then, this checklist was analyzed by a panel consisting
      of heads of three major EDs and contradicting items were decided. 178 crude items
      were derived from available literature. The Items were categorized in to three
      major domains of Physical space, Equipment, and Accessibility. The final
      checklist approved by the panel consisted of 163 items categorized into six
      domains. Each item was phrased as a "Yes or No" question for ease of analysis,
      meaning that the criterion is either met or not. 

PMID- 26495349
TI  - Report of 121 Cases of Bell's Palsy Referred to the Emergency Department.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: According to the high incidence of Bell's palsy (IFP) and lack of
      clinical data regarding different aspects of disease, the present study
      investigated 121 Iranian patients with peripheral facial paralysis referred to
      the emergency department. METHODS: In this retrospective study, all patients with
      peripheral facial paralysis, referred to the emergency department of Poursina
      hospital, Rasht, Iran, from August 2012 to August 2013, were enrolled. For all
      patients with diagnosis of Bell's palsy variables such as age, sex, occupation,
      clinical symptoms, comorbid disease, grade of paralysis, and the severity of the
      facial palsy were reviewed and analyzed using STATA version 11.0. RESULTS: 121
      patients with peripheral facial paralysis were assessed with a mean age of
      47.14+/-18.45 years (52.9% male). The majority of patients were observed in the
      summer (37.2%) and autumn (33.1%) and the recurrence rate was 22.3%. The most
      common grades of nerve damage were IV and V based on House-Brackman grading scale
      (47.1%). Also, the most frequent signs and symptoms were ear pain (43.8%), taste
      disturbance (38.8%), hyperacusis (15.7%) and increased tearing (11.6%). There
      were not significant correlations between the severity of palsy with age (p=
      0.08), recurrence rate (p=0.18), season (p=0.9), and comorbid disease including
      hypertension (p=0.18), diabetes (p=0.29), and hyperlipidemia (p=0.94). The
      patients with any of following symptoms such as ear pain (p<0.001), taste
      disturbance (p<0.001), increased tearing (p=0.03), and Hyperacusis (p<0.001) have
      more severe palsy. CONCLUSION: There was equal gender and occupational
      distribution, higher incidence in fourth decade of life, higher incidence in
      summer and autumn, higher grade of nerve damage (grade V and VI), and higher
      incidence of ear pain and taste disturbance in patients suffered from IFP. In
      addition, there was significant association between severity of nerve damage and
      presence of any simultaneous symptoms.

PMID- 26495350
TI  - Knowledge of Emergency Medicine Residents in Relation to Prevention of Tetanus.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Knowledge of emergency medicine residents about the management of
      patients suspected of having tetanus-favoring wounds is very important due to
      their responsibility for the treatment of such patients. The aim of the present
      study was to evaluate this knowledge and making sure of the adequacy of
      instructions they have received in relation to prevention of tetanus. METHODS: A
      reliable and reproducible questionnaire was used to evaluate knowledge of all the
      emergency medicine residents in Imam Hussein Hospital in Tehran, Iran, about
      conditions favoring tetanus (9 questions) and proper interventions in such
      conditions (12 questions). The questionnaires were completed and scored as poor
      and good. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze data. Statistical
      significance was set at P<0.05. RESULTS: In the present study, 73 emergency
      medicine residents were evaluated (45.2% male). Knowledge of 31 (42.5%) residents
      in relation to conditions favoring tetanus and 41 (56.2%) residents in correct
      therapeutic interventions was in good level. The most frequent incorrect answer
      was related to diabetic ulcers and wounds in patients with sepsis. There was an
      increase in scores of conditions favoring tetanus (P<0.001) and correct
      therapeutic interventions (P=0.001) with an increase in educational years.
      However, age (P=0.64), gender (P=0.31), job experience (P=0.38) and participation
      in educational courses (P=0.67) had no effect on the knowledge level of emergency
      medicine residents. CONCLUSION: According to the findings of the present study,
      the knowledge of emergency medicine residents about correct management of
      patients suspected of tetanus was low, which emphasizes the necessity of
      providing further instructions on prevention of tetanus in wound management.

PMID- 26495351
TI  - Comparison of Intravenous Ketamine with Morphine in Pain Relief of Long Bones
      Fractures: a Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The selective medication for pain control in many clinical
      situations is morphine but its complications prevent its widespread use. Ketamine
      has been introduced as an alternative for morphine in some studies. However, the
      efficacy of its solitary use has not yet been evaluated. Therefore, the present
      study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of ketamine alone in relieving pain
      in trauma patients referring to an emergency unit. METHODS: In this double-blind
      clinical trial, patients with long bone fractures were randomly divided into two
      groups of treatment with intravenous (IV) morphine at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg and
      treatment with IV ketamine at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg. Pain severity of the patients
      was recorded before and 10 minutes after injection based on numeric rating scale.
      The means in the two groups were compared using independent t-test. Then the
      Kaplan-Meier curve and log rank analysis were used to evaluate the success of
      treatment. RESULTS: 126 patients were included in this study. The mean ages of
      the patients in the morphine and ketamine groups were 33.6+/-14.3 and 35.1+/-13.5
      years, respectively (P=0.54). After therapeutic intervention, the pain severity
      significantly decreased in ketamine (2.7+/-1.8; P<0.0001) and morphine (2.4+/
      1.5; P<0.0001) groups, with a similar effect of both medications on alleviating
      pain (P=0.28). The success rate of the treatment at 10-minute interval in groups
      receiving ketamine and morphine were 59 (93.65%) and 61 (96.8%) patients,
      respectively (P=0.62). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed that
      administration of ketamine at a low dose (0.5 mg/kg) results in a significant
      decrease in the severity of acute pain in patients with fractures of long bones.
      This palliative effect is very similar to that of morphine.

PMID- 26495352
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography in the Initial Evaluation of Patients with
      Penetrating Chest Trauma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Traumatic chest injuries (TCI) are one of the most common causes of
      referring to the emergency departments, with high mortality and disability. This
      study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography versus
      chest X ray (CXR) in detection of hemo-pneumothorax for patients suffering
      penetrating TCI. METHODS: The present cross-sectional study was performed to
      evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in penetrating TCI victims
      referred to the emergency department of Shahid Kashani and Alzahra Hospitals of
      Isfahan, Iran, from July 2012 to June 2013. Bedside ultrasonography and plain CXR
      was done on arrival and three hours after admission. The results of
      ultrasonography and radiography were separately evaluated by an emergency
      medicine specialist and a radiologist, who were blind to the aims of the study.
      Then, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative
      predictive value (NPV), and kappa coefficient was considered to evaluate the
      accuracy of ultrasonography. RESULTS: In this research, 64 patients with
      penetrating chest trauma were assessed (98.4% male). The mean age of them was
      25.6+/-8.5 years (rang: 13-65). The plain radiography revealed the eight (12.5%)
      cases of pneumothorax and one (1.6%) hemothorax. The findings of primary
      ultrasonography also showed the same number of hemo-pneumothorax. Sensitivity and
      specificity of primary ultrasound in diagnosis of pneumothorax were 100% (95% Cl:
      60.7- 100) and 100.0% (95% Cl, 92.0% to 100.0%) and in detection of hemothorax
      were 100% (95% Cl: 50.5-100) and 100% (95% Cl: 92.8-100), respectively.
      Sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound in the third hour were 100% (95% Cl:
      31.3-100) and 100% (95% Cl: 91.4-100), respectively. CONCLUSION: Findings of the
      present study have shown that ultrasonography has an acceptable diagnostic
      accuracy in the initial assessment of patients with penetrating chest trauma.
      However, because of its dependency on operator proficiency and other limitations
      more studies are needed in this area.

PMID- 26495353
TI  - Oral Chloral Hydrate Compare with Rectal Thiopental in Pediatric Procedural
      Sedation and Analgesia; a Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The increasing use of diagnostic imaging in pediatric medicine has
      resulted in growing need for procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) to minimize
      motion artifacts during procedures. The drug of choice in pediatric PSA was not
      introduced until now. The aim of the present study was comparison of oral chloral
      hydrate (OCH) and rectal sodium thiopental (RST) in pediatric PSA. METHODS: In
      the present randomized clinical trial, 2-6 years old pediatrics who referred for
      performing brain computed tomography scan was enrolled and were randomly divided
      in to two groups. OCH (50mg/kg) and RST (25mg/kg) were prescribed and a trained
      nurse recorded the time from drug prescription to receiving the conscious
      sedation (onset of action), the total period which the patient has the Ramsay
      score>=4 (duration of action), and adverse effect of agents. Mann-Whitney U test
      and chi-squared test, and Non-parametric analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were
      used for comparisons. RESULTS: One hundred and forty children were entered to two
      groups of OCH and RST, randomly. The patients of two groups had similar age, sex,
      weight, and baseline vital signs except for diastolic blood pressure (p<0.001).
      The onset of action in OCH and RST groups were 24.5+/-6.1and 28.7+/-5.2 minutes,
      respectively (p<0.001). Duration of action in OCH and RST groups were 12.9+/-2.8
      minutes and 13.7+/-2.6 minutes, respectively (p=0.085). Non-parametric ANCOVA
      revealed that only diastolic blood pressure was affected by drug prescription
      (p=0.001). In 11(15.7%) patients in RST group, diarrhea was observed during 24
      hours (p=0.001). Oxygen desaturation was observed only in two patients, both in
      OCH group. CONCLUSION: Each of the sedative has advantages and disadvantages that
      should be considered when selecting one for inducing short-term sedation. It
      seems that rectal sodium thiopental and oral chloral hydrate are equally
      effective in pediatric PSA and based on patient's condition we can administrate
      one of these agents.

PMID- 26495354
TI  - Effects of Intravenous Fluid Therapy on Clinical and Biochemical Parameters of
      Trauma Patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The administration of crystalloid fluids is considered as the first
      line treatment in management of trauma patients. Infusion of intravenous fluids
      leads to various changes in hemodynamic, metabolic and coagulation profiles of
      these patients. The present study attempted to survey some of these changes in
      patients with mild severity trauma following normal saline infusion. METHODS:
      This study comprised 84 trauma patients with injury of mild severity in Shahid
      Rajaei Hospital, Shiraz, Iran, during 2010-2011. The coagulation and metabolic
      values of each patient were measured before and one and six hours after infusion
      of one liter normal saline. Then, the values of mentioned parameters on one and
      six hours after infusion were compared with baseline measures using repeated
      measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: Eighty four patients included in the
      present study (76% male). Hemoglobin (Hb) (df: 2; F=32.7; p<0.001), hematocrit
      (Hct) (df: 2; F=30.7; p<0.001), white blood cells (WBC) (df: 2; F=10.6; p<0.001),
      and platelet count (df: 2; F=4.5; p=0.01) showed the decreasing pattern following
      infusion of one liter of normal saline. Coagulation markers were not affected
      during the time of study (p>0.05). The values of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) showed
      statistically significant decreasing pattern (df: 2; F=5.6; p=0.007). Pressure of
      carbon dioxide (PCO2) (df: 2; F=6.4; p=0.002), bicarbonate (HCO3) (df: 2; F=7.0;
      p=0.001), and base excess (BE) (df: 2; F=3.3; p=0.04) values showed a significant
      deteriorating changes following hydration therapy. CONCLUSION: It seems that, the
      infusion of one liter normal saline during one hour will cause a statistically
      significant decrease in Hb, Hct, WBC, platelet, BUN, BE, HCO3, and PCO2 in trauma
      patients with mild severity of injury and stable condition. The changes in,
      coagulation profiles, pH, PvO2, and electrolytes were not statistically
      remarkable.

PMID- 26495355
TI  - A 55-Year Old Man with Acute Painful Flank Mass, a Case Report.
AB  - Lumbar hernias (LH) accounts for less than 1.5% of total hernia incidence. It can
      occur in two separate triangular areas of the flank. About 300 cases have been
      reported in the literature. Here, we report a 55-year old man with acute painful
      left side flank mass and final diagnosis of LH. The mass was appeared about three
      hours before admission and his pain was slight at first but became more severe
      gradually. He had stable vital sign and the only positive finding on his physical
      examination was the sphere shape, firm, mobile, and mild tender mass at his left
      flank. 

PMID- 26495356
TI  - Thoracic Pneumorrhachis in Patient with Lumbar Fractures; a Case Report.
AB  - Pneumorrhachis as a relatively rare condition may be an indication of substantial
      intra-spinal column injury. Here we report a 39-year-old man was admitted because
      of low back pain and dyspenea after locating between motor vehicle and wall three
      days before admission. On arrival, physical exams and vital signs were normal.
      Computed tomography (CT) scan showed bilateral pleural effusion, fracture of ribs
      number 8, 9 and 10 in lower left side of thorax, fracture of vertebra in L2-L4,
      and air bubbles in upper thoracic spinal canal. 

PMID- 26495357
TI  - Transient Unexplained Shock in 30-year-old Trauma Patient.
AB  - Shock as an inadequate tissue perfusion is one of the frequent causes of death in
      trauma patients. In this context, there are various reasons for hemodynamic
      instability and shock including hypovolemic (hemorrhagic), obstructive (cardiac
      tamponade, tension pneumothorax), cardiogenic, neurogenic, and rarely septic. In
      the present report, a 30-year-old trauma patient with full clinical signs and
      symptoms of shock referred while had unknown origin; it was finally recognized as
      anaphylactic shock. 

PMID- 26495358
TI  - Confusing Hypoxia in a 21-Year-Old Intubated Multiple Trauma Patient.

PMID- 26495359
TI  - Peritoneal Dialysis as an Alternative Choice for Renal Replacement Therapy in
      Emergency Department.

PMID- 26495360
TI  - The Effects of Air Pollution on Cardiovascular and Respiratory Causes of
      Emergency Admission.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Today, air pollution is one of the critical problems in
      metropolitans and necessary preparations are needed for confronting this crisis.
      The present study was based on the goal of determining the relationship of air
      pollutant levels with the rate of emergency admissions for respiratory and
      cardiovascular patients. METHODS: In the present retrospective cross-sectional
      study, all respiratory and cardiovascular patients, referred to emergency
      department during 2012, were assessed. The meteorological and air pollution data
      were collected. Information regarding the numbers and dates (month, day) of
      admission for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases was achieved from the
      hospital's electronic registration system. The relation of air pollution and
      respiratory and cardiovascular admissions were analyzed by generalize additive
      model (GAM). RESULTS: 5922 patients were assessed which included 4048 (68.36%)
      cardiovascular and 1874 (31.64%) respiratory. Carbon monoxide (CO) level was an
      independent risk factor of cardiovascular disease on the same day (RR=1.49; 95%
      CI: 1.25- 1.77; P<0.001), the day before (RR=1.22; 95% CI: 1.02- 1.45; P=0.03),
      and the last two days (RR=1.3; 95% CI: 1.09- 1.54; P<0.001). The same process was
      repeated for ozone (O3). In addition, the O3 level on the same day (RR=1.49; 95%
      CI: 1.25- 1.77; P<0.001), the day before (RR=1.22; 95% CI: 1.02- 1.45; P=0.03),
      the last two days (RR=1.3; 95% CI: 1.09- 1.54; P<0.001), and the last week
      (RR=1.004; 95% CI: 1.0007-1.008; P=0.02) were independent risk factors of
      respiratory admissions. The increased level of particulate matter less than 2.5
      micrometers in diameter (PM2.5) like O3 led to growth in the admissions to
      emergency department. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study suggested
      that rising levels of CO and O3 during two days leads to a significant increase
      in cardiovascular admission on the third day. Furthermore, increase in O3, PM2.5,
      nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and CO levels causes a rise in respiratory admissions to
      emergency department.

PMID- 26495361
TI  - A Retrospective Analysis of the Burn Injury Patients Records in the Emergency
      Department, an Epidemiologic Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Burns can be very destructive, and severely endanger the health and
      lives of humans. It maybe cause disability and even psychological trauma in
      individuals. . Such an event can also lead to economic burden on victim's
      families and society. The aim of our study is to evaluate epidemiology and
      outcome of burn patients referring to emergency department. METHODS: This is a
      cross-sectional study was conducted by evaluation of patients' files and forensic
      reports of burned patients' referred to the emergency department (ED) of Akdeniz
      hospital, Turkey, 2008. Demographic data, the season, place, reason, anatomical
      sites, total body surface area, degrees, proceeding treatment, and admission time
      were recorded. Multinomial logistic regression was used to compare frequencies'
      differences among single categorized variables. Stepwise logistic regression was
      applied to develop a predictive model for hospitalization. P<0.05 was defined as
      a significant level. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty patients were enrolled (53.9%
      female). The mean of patients' ages was 25.3 +/- 22.3 years. The most prevalence
      of burn were in the 0-6 age group and most of which was hot liquid scalding
      (71.3%). The most affected parts of the body were the left and right upper
      extremities. With increasing the severity of triage level (OR=2.2; 95% CI: 1.02
      4.66; p=0.046), intentional burn (OR=4.7; 95% CI: 1.03-21.8; p=0.047), referring
      from other hospitals or clinics (OR=3.4; 95% CI: 1.7-6.6; p=0.001), and
      percentage of burn (OR=18.1; 95% CI: 5.42-62.6; p<0.001) were independent
      predictive factor for hospitalization. In addition, odds of hospitalization was
      lower in patients older than 15 years (OR=0.7; 95% CI: 0.5-0.91; p=0.035).
      CONCLUSION: This study revealed the most frequent burns are encountered in the
      age group of 0-6 years, percentage of <10%, second degree, upper extremities,
      indoor, and scalding from hot liquids. Increasing ESI severity, intentional burn,
      referring from other hospitals or clinics, and the percentage of burn were
      independent predictive factors for hospitalization.

PMID- 26495362
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasound in Detection of Traumatic Lens Dislocation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Traumatic eye injuries (TEI) involved about 3% of cases referred to
      the emergency departments of developing countries. Lens dislocation is one of the
      critical cases of ophthalmic emergencies. The present study was aimed to evaluate
      the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in detection of traumatic lens
      dislocation. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study the findings of
      ultrasonography and orbital computed tomography (OCT) of head and face trauma
      patients, referred to Imam Reza hospital, Tabriz, Iran, from July 2013 to June
      2014, have been compared. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative
      likelihood ratio, positive and negative predictive value, and accuracy of
      ultrasonography were calculated. Cohen's kappa coefficient was presented to
      assess the agreement of ultrasonography with OCT findings. RESULTS: One hundred
      thirty patients with the mean age of 35.4+/-18.0 were evaluated (75.4% male).
      Sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography were 84.6% (95% Cl: 53.7-97.3) and
      98.3% (95% Cl: 93.3- 99.7), respectively. In addition, positive and negative
      likelihood ratio were calculated 49.5 (95% Cl: 12.3-199.4) and 0.15 (95% Cl: 0.04
      0.56), respectively. Cohen's kappa coefficient of 0.83 (95% Cl: 0.66-1.0;
      p<0.0001) was representative of excellent agreement of these two tests.
      CONCLUSION: The finding of this project was representative of 84.6% sensitivity,
      98.3% specificity, and 96.9% accuracy of ultrasonography in detection of
      traumatic lens dislocation. It seems that in cases, which OCT is not possible,
      ultrasonography, could be an acceptable option to assess traumatic eye injuries.

PMID- 26495363
TI  - Outcome of Patients Underwent Emergency Department Thoracotomy and Its Predictive
      Factors.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Emergency department thoracotomy (EDT) may serve as the last
      survival chance for patients who arrive at hospital in extremis. It is considered
      as an effective tool for improvement of traumatic patients' outcome. The present
      study was done with the goal of assessing the outcome of patients who underwent
      EDT and its predictive factors. METHODS: In the present study, medical charts of
      50 retrospective and 8 prospective cases underwent emergency department
      thoracotomy (EDT) were reviewed during November 2011 to June 2013. Comparisons
      between survived and died patients were performed by Mann-Whitney U test and the
      predictive factors of EDT outcome were measured using multivariate logistic
      regression analysis. P < 0.05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS:
      Fifty-eight cases of EDT were enrolled (86.2% male). The mean age of patients was
      43.27+/-19.85 years with the range of 18-85. The mean time duration of CPR was
      recorded as 37.12+/-12.49 minutes. Eleven cases (19%) were alive to be
      transported to OR (defined as ED survived). The mean time of survival in ED
      survived patients was 223.5+/-450.8 hours. More than 24 hours survival rate (late
      survived) was 6.9% (4 cases). Only one case (1.7%) survived to discharge from
      hospital (mortality rate=98.3%). There were only a significant relation between
      ED survival and SBP, GCS, CPR duration, and chest trauma (p=0.04). The results
      demonstrated that initial SBP lower than 80 mmHg (OR=1.03, 95% CI: 1.001-1.05,
      p=0.04) and presence of chest trauma (OR=2.6, 95% CI: 1.75-3.16, p=0.02) were
      independent predictive factors of EDT mortality. CONCLUSION: The findings of the
      present study showed that the survival rate of trauma patients underwent EDT was
      1.7%. In addition, it was defined that falling systolic blood pressure below 80
      mmHg and blunt trauma of chest are independent factors that along with poor
      outcome.

PMID- 26495364
TI  - An Audit of Emergency Department Accreditation Based on Joint Commission
      International Standards (JCI).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Despite thousands of years from creation of medical knowledge, it
      not much passes from founding the health care systems. Accreditation is an
      effective mechanism for performance evaluation, quality enhancement, and the
      safety of health care systems. This study was conducted to assess the results of
      emergency department (ED) accreditation in Shohadaye Tajrish Hospital, Tehran,
      Iran, 2013 in terms of domesticated standards of joint commission international
      (JCI) standards. METHODS: This cohort study with a four-month follow up was
      conducted in the ED of Shohadaye Tajrish Hospital in 2013. The standard
      evaluation checklist of Iran hospitals (based on JCI standards) included 24
      heading and 337 subheading was used for this purpose. The effective possible
      causes of weak spots were found and their solutions considered. After correction,
      assessment of accreditation were repeated again. Finally, the achieved results of
      two periods were analyzed using SPSS version 20. RESULTS: Quality improvement,
      admission in department and patient assessment, competency and capability test
      for staffs, collection and analysis of data, training of patients, and facilities
      had the score of below 50%. The mean of total score for accreditation in ED in
      the first period was 60.4+/-30.15 percent and in the second period 68.9+/-22.9
      (p=0.005). Strategic plans, head of department, head nurse, resident physician,
      responsible nurse for the shift, and personnel file achieved the score of 100%.
      Of total headings below 50% in the first period just in two cases, collection and
      analysis of data with growth of 40% as well as competency and capability test for
      staffs with growth of 17%, were reached to more than 50%. CONCLUSION: Based on
      findings of the present study, the ED of Shohadaye Tajrish hospital reached the
      score of below 50% in six heading of quality improvement, admission in department
      and patient assessment, competency and capability test for staffs, collection and
      analysis of data, training of patients, and facilities. While, the given score in
      strategic plans, head of department, head nurse, resident physician, responsible
      nurse for the shifts, and personnel file was 100%.

PMID- 26495365
TI  - Quality of Life in Emergency Medicine Specialists of Teaching Hospitals.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Quality of life (QOL) of emergency medicine specialists can be
      effective in providing services to patients. The aim of the present study was
      evaluating the lifestyle of emergency medicine practitioners, understanding their
      problems, and addressing the solutions to enhance and improve their lifestyles,
      in teaching hospitals in Iran. METHOD: This descriptive cross-sectional study was
      conducted on emergency medicine physicians in 10 teaching hospitals of Iran in
      2011. Emergency physicians with at least three years of experience, who
      interested in the study, were enrolled in the project. All participants filled
      out the consent form and QOL questionnaires, and then underwent physical
      examinations and some medical laboratory tests. Categorical variables were
      reported as percentages, while continuous variables expressed as means and
      standard deviations. p <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS:
      Totally, 100 subjects participated in the study, of whom 48 were male. The mean
      and standard deviation of the physicians' age were 38.7+/-5.1 years. 43% of
      physicians had an average QOL, while 37% good. 96% of studied physicians had a
      good condition regarding habitual history, while 93% of them had a poor condition
      in performing screening tests. Exercise program and personal health in
      individuals with normal BMI were correlated with higher levels of QOL. BMI was
      higher in 40-50 years old subjects than youth. Hypertension was present in five
      cases (5%), hypercholesterolemia in six (6%), hypertriglyceridemia in six (6%),
      increased LDL in four (4%), low HDL in four (4%), and impaired FBS in 4 (4%).
      CONCLUSION: The findings showed that 63% of studied emergency physicians had an
      average level of QOL and other ones good. The majority of physicians had
      undesirable situation regarding the performance of screening tests.

PMID- 26495366
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of Ascites Fluid Gross Appearance in Detection of Spontaneous
      Bacterial Peritonitis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) as a monomicrobial
      infection of ascites fluid is one of the most important causes of morbidity and
      mortality in cirrhotic patients. This study was aimed to determine the diagnostic
      accuracy of ascites fluid color in detection of SBP in cirrhotic cases referred
      to the emergency department. METHODS: Cirrhotic patients referred to the ED for
      the paracentesis of ascites fluid were enrolled. For all studied patients, the
      results of laboratory analysis and gross appearance of ascites fluid registered
      and reviewed by two emergency medicine specialists. The sensitivity, specificity,
      positive and negative predictive value, and positive and negative likelihood
      ration of the ascites fluid gross appearance in detection of SBP were measured
      with 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: The present project was performed in 80
      cirrhotic patients with ascites (52.5 female). The mean of the subjects' age was
      56.25+/-12.21 years (35-81). Laboratory findings revealed SBP in 23 (29%) cases.
      Fifty nine (73%) cases had transparent ascites fluid appearance of whom 17 (29%)
      ones suffered from SBP. From 21 (26%) cases with opaque ascites appearance, 15
      (71%) had SBP. The sensitivity and specificity of the ascites fluid appearance in
      detection of SBP were 46.88% (Cl: 30.87-63.55) and 87.50% (95% Cl: 75.3-94.14),
      respectively. CONCLUSION: It seems that the gross appearance of ascites fluid had
      poor diagnostic accuracy in detection of SBP and considering its low sensitivity,
      it could not be used as a good screening tool for this propose.

PMID- 26495367
TI  - Gastric Perforation and Phlegmon Formation by Foreign BodyIngestion.
AB  - This is a case report of foreign body ingestion in a suicide attempt resulting in
      gastric perforation and phlegmon formation during a subsequent 6 month period
      that eventually required surgical intervention. The patient had a prolonged
      course because she did not report a history of foreign body ingestion and the
      initial evaluating physicians had no suspicion about possible foreign body
      ingestion and may have missed important findings on physical examination. Gastric
      perforation by a foreign object may have a slow course rather than presenting
      acute abdomen. The realization of a proper physical examination in the emergency
      department is key to an accurate diagnosis. 

PMID- 26495368
TI  - Hashimoto Encephalopathy in Case of Progressive Cognitive Impairment; a Case
      Report.
AB  - Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE) is a rare condition characterized by atypical
      psychiatric and heterogeneous neurological manifestations such as acute cerebral
      ischemia, seizure, tremors, myoclonus, psychosis, depression, cognitive
      disorders, and fluctuating loss of consciousness. Here, a case of 28 year-old man
      was reported who referred to the emergency department (ED) with different acute
      neurologic disorders and final diagnose of HE. 

PMID- 26495369
TI  - Worsened Dysrhythmia after Chemical Cardioversion with Digoxin; a Case of
      Malpractice.

PMID- 26495370
TI  - Door to Electrocardiography (ECG) and Needle Times in Patients with Myocardial
      Infarction.

PMID- 26495371
TI  - The Effect of Intrathecal Administration of Muscimol on Modulation of Neuropathic
      Pain Symptoms Resulting from Spinal Cord Injury; an Experimental Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Neuropathic pain can be very difficult to treat and it is one of
      the important medical challenging about pain treatments. Muscimol as a new
      agonist of gamma-Aminobutyric acid receptor type A (GABAA) have been introduced
      for pain management. Thus, the present study was performed to evaluate the pain
      alleviating effect of intrathecal injection of different doses of muscimol as
      GABAA receptor agonist in spinal cord injury (SCI) model of neuropathic pain.
      METHODS: In the present experimental study, male Wistar rats were treated by
      muscimol 0.01, 0.1 or 1 ug/10ul, intrathecally (i.t.) three weeks after induction
      of spinal cord injury using compression injury model. Neuropathic pain symptoms
      were assessed at before treatment, 15 minutes, one hour and three hours after
      muscimol administration. The time of peak effect and optimum dosage was assessed
      by repeated measures analysis of variance and analysis of covariance,
      respectively. RESULTS: Muscimol with the dose of 0.01 ug in 15 minutes caused to
      improve the thermal hyperalgesia (df: 24, 5; F= 6.6; p<0.001), mechanical
      hyperalgesia (df: 24, 5; F= 7.8; p<0.001), cold allodynia (df: 24, 5; F= 6.96;
      p<0.001), and mechanical allodynia (df: 24, 5; F= 15.7; p<0.001). The effect of
      doses of 0.1 ug and 1 ug were also significant. In addition, the efficacy of
      different doses of muscimol did not have difference on thermal hyperalgesia (df:
      24, 5; F= 1.52; p= 0.24), mechanical hyperalgesia (df: 24, 5; F= 0.3; p= -0.75),
      cold allodynia (df: 24, 5; F= 0.8; p= -0.56), and mechanical allodynia (df: 24,
      5; F= 1.75; p= 0.86). CONCLUSION: The finding of the present study revealed that
      using muscimol with doses of 0.01ug, 0.1ug, and 1 ug reduces the symptoms of
      neuropathic pain. In addition, the effect of GABAA agonist is short term and its
      effectiveness gradually decreases by time.

PMID- 26495372
TI  - Inter-Rater Agreement of Emergency Nurses and Physicians in Emergency Severity
      Index (ESI) Triage.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Triage is one of the most important systems in patients
      prioritizing at the time of arrival to hospital. Based on the severity of the
      injury and the need for treatment, this system manages patients in the least
      time, which could lead to rotation of patients with high reliability and safety.
      Currently, the most accepted method for triage is emergency severity index (ESI)
      system, considered as five-level triage method, too. This method were implemented
      in Al Zahra Hospital of Isfahan by trained nurses since March to May 2010. This
      study was aimed to evaluate the accuracy of emergency nursing triage using ESI.
      METHODS: This prospective cross sectional study was carried out on 601 patients
      referred to Al-Zahra hospital of Isfahan through May 2010. The patients' triage
      level were determined by physicians and nurses separately and the results
      compared. To define the level of agreement between two groups (inter-rater
      agreement), the kappa index was evaluated. To specify the association between the
      time interval of initial triage and patient final status, Chi-Square test was
      applied using SPSS 18 statistical software. RESULTS: There was no significant
      difference between results of nurses and physicians triage (P<0/0001). The
      agreement level (kappa index) between two groups was 94% (95% CI: 0.931-0.957).
      Of 601 patients, 44.1% ones were hospitalized at the emergency department, 52.6%
      discharged and 3.3% died. The average of time interval between nursing triage and
      physician visit was 9.55 minutes at the level one triage, 21.64 minutes at level
      two, 26.03 minutes at level three, 26.93 minutes at level four, and 11.70 minutes
      at level five. CONCLUSION: It seems that there is an acceptable inter-rater
      agreement between emergency nurses and physicians regarding patients' triage in
      terms of ESI system.

PMID- 26495373
TI  - A Survey of Patients' Satisfaction in Emergency Department of Rasht Poursina
      Hospital.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patients' satisfaction (PS) is one of the important indicators of
      emergency care quality and outcomes of health care services. Some researchers
      believe that improve the work processes and hospital quality are not possible
      without caring to comments, requirements, expectations, and satisfaction of
      patients. The percent study was aimed to assess the emergency department (ED) PS
      of Poursina hospital, Rasht, Iran. METHODS: In this descriptive cross sectional
      study, the samples was selected from 378 patients admitted to ED of Poursina
      Hospital, Rasht, Iran, 2013. For each patient a check list and a questionnaire,
      including 37 questions about PS, were filled that had categories like physical
      comfort and residential aspects, physicians care, nurse care, behavioral aspect,
      and waiting time for service presentation. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16.
      RESULTS: Entirely, 378 patients were entered to the study with mean age of
      38.44+/-17.8 (60.8% male). The mean score of total satisfaction of ED patients
      was 106.94+/-13.62 (range: 72-144). The mean score of physical comfort was
      33.25+/-4.76 out of the highest obtainable score of 55, nurse care 25.33+/-5.13
      out of 40, physician care 24.34+/-3.38 out of 40, waiting time for services
      13.42+/-5.48 out of 30, and behavioral aspects 10.58+/-2.66 out of 20. There were
      significant relation among PS, sex (P=0.0001), and the shift of admission
      (P=0.023). CONCLUSION: The findings of percent study showed that giving services
      to emergency clients in various fields such as physical comfort and residential
      aspects, physicians care, nurse care, and the total ED satisfaction is relatively
      agreeable. The periodic and continuous assessment as well as comparison of
      satisfaction and dissatisfaction parameters during the time, before and after
      performing the changes, could be effectual.

PMID- 26495374
TI  - Predictive Factors of Suicide Attempt and Non-Suicidal Self-Harm in Emergency
      Department.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Suicide is the third cause of mortality in America, second leading
      cause of death in developed countries, and one of the major health problems. Self
      harm is self-inflicted damage to one's self with or without suicidal intent. In
      the present study, the predictive factors of suicide attempt and non-suicidal
      self-harm were evaluated in patients referred to emergency department (ED) with
      these problem. METHODS: The total number of 45 patients with suicide attempt or
      self-harm admitted to ED were included. Clinical symptoms, thoughts and behaviors
      of suicidal, and non-suicidal self-harm in these patients were evaluated at
      baseline. Suicidality, suicidal intent and ideation, non-suicidal self-injury,
      social withdrawal, disruptive behavior, and poor family functions were evaluated
      at admission time. Brief clinical visits were scheduled for the twelfth weeks. In
      the twelfth week, patients returned for their final visit to determine their
      maintenance treatment. Finally, data were analyzed using chi-squared and multiple
      logistic regression. RESULTS: Forty-five patients were included in the study
      (56.1% female). The mean age of patients was 23.3+/-10.2 years (range: 15-75;
      33.3% married). Significant association of suicide and self-injury was presented
      at the baseline and in the month before attempting (p=0.001). The most important
      predictive factors of suicide and self-harm based on univariate analysis were
      depression (suicidal and non-suicidal items of Hamilton depression rating scale),
      anxiety, hopelessness, younger age, history of non-suicidal self-harm and female
      gender (p<0.05). The participants' quality of life analysis showed a significant
      higher quality in physical component summary (p=0.002), mental component summary
      (p=0.001), and general health (p=0.001) at follow up period. CONCLUSION: At the
      time of admission in ED, suicide attempt and non-suicidal self-harm are
      subsequent clinical markers for the patient attempting suicide again. The most
      independent predictive factors of suicide attempt and self-harm were poor family
      function, hopelessness, non-suicidality items of Hamilton depression rating
      scale, history of non-suicidal self-harm, and anxiety disorders.

PMID- 26495375
TI  - Potential Risk Factors of Death in Multiple Trauma Patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: rauma has been recognized as one of the leading causes of death in
      many countries for decades. Reduction in mortality and morbidity rate of trauma
      cases is one of the most important attitudes in this field. Evaluation of
      different risk factors have been considered as the main goal of some studies. The
      purpose of this study was determining potential risk factors of death in trauma
      patients. METHOD: In a retrograde study, data of 740 patients admitted during
      three years (2009-2011) were studied. Demographic data (sex and age), clinical
      factors (blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate, Glasgow coma scale (GCS)),
      trauma characteristics (location, type of injury, etc.), as well as outcome of
      patients were evaluated. Data analyses was done using SPSS 18.0. Stepwise
      multivariate regression analysis was used for recognition of independent
      predictive factors of death in multiple trauma patients. RESULTS: Of those
      admitted, majority of patients were male (81.4%), 68% between 18 to 60 years, and
      11.2% of them died during the course of treatment. Age; type of trauma; abnormal
      respiration rate, pulse rate, blood pressure; total GCS <=8; abnormal pupil size;
      and head and neck; vertebral, and extremities fractures were obtained as
      significant predictive factor of death. GCS<=8, head and neck fracture, and
      abnormal pulse rate were independent death predictors. CONCLUSION: We identified
      GCS<=8, head and neck fracture, and abnormal pulse rate as predictive factors of
      mortality after trauma, which remained independent in the presence of all other
      factors and potentially treatable.

PMID- 26495376
TI  - Clinical Presentation and Microbial Analyses of Contact Lens Keratitis; an
      Epidemiologic Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Microbial keratitis is an infective process of the cornea with a
      potentially and serious visual impairments. Contact lenses are a major cause of
      microbial keratitis in the developed countries especially among young people.
      Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the frequency and
      microbiological characteristic of CLK in patients referred to the emergency
      department (ED) of teaching hospitals, Babol, Iran. METHODS: This is a cross
      sectional study of all patients with contact lens induced corneal ulcers admitted
      to the teaching hospitals of Babol, Iran, from 2011- 2013. An ophthalmologist
      examined patients with the slit-lamp and clinical features of them were noted
      (including pain, redness, foreign body sensation, chemosis, epiphora, blurred
      vision, discomfort, photophobia, discharge, ocular redness and swelling). All
      suspected infectious corneal ulcers were scraped for microbial culture and two
      slides were prepared. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 18.0.
      RESULTS: A total of 14 patients (17 eyes) were recruited into the study (100%
      female). The patients' age ranged from 16-37 years old (mean age 21.58+/-7.23
      years). The most prevalent observed clinical signs were pain and redness. Three
      samples reported as sterile. The most common isolated causative organism was
      pseudomonas aeroginosa (78.6%), Staphylococcus aureus 14.3%, and enterobacter
      7.1%, respectively. Treatment outcome was excellent in 23.5%, good in 47.1%, and
      poor in 29.4% of cases. CONCLUSION: Improper lens wear and care as well as the
      lack of awareness about the importance of aftercare visits have been identified
      as potential risk factors for the corneal ulcer among contact lens wearers.
      Training and increasing the awareness of adequate lens care and disinfection
      practices, consulting with an ophthalmologist, and frequent replacement of
      contact lens storage cases would greatly help reducing the risk of microbial
      keratitis.

PMID- 26495377
TI  - Essential Thrombocytosis Following Multiple Psychic Traumas.
AB  - The associations between exposure to traumatic events and psychiatric disorders
      such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety have been
      established. It is important that clinicians notice to this phenomenon and avoid
      from inappropriate interpretations and additional laboratory tests. Here, a case
      of 45-year-old man with Essential thrombocytosis developed after multiple psychic
      traumas was introduced. 

PMID- 26495378
TI  - Pneumatic Rupture of Rectosigmoid; a Case Report.
AB  - Pneumatic rectosigmoid rapture is usually occurred following the inappropriate
      fun by direct entering a high volume of the air through the pneumatic device to
      the anus. Such an event was reported for the first time in 1904 by Stone.
      Diagnosis and treatment of such injuries are often delayed because of some social
      limitations and preventing the patient form explaining the event. Colon sigmoid
      rupture and pneumoperitoneum is one of the most dangerous and life treating
      complications of entering a high volume of the air to the rectum in a short time.
      There are only a few reports regarding the similar cases. Here, a case of
      pneumatic rectosigmoid rapture was reported in a 53 year-old male following an
      inappropriate fun. 

PMID- 26495379
TI  - Spontaneous Spinal Epidural Hematoma; a Case Report.
AB  - Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSHE) is a rare entity can have several
      reasons. Its prevalence in population is 0.1 per 100,000 with the male to female
      ratio of 1/4:1. For the first time Jackson in 1869 reported a case of SSHE and
      after that, it was declared as several hundred cases in literatures. Here, a case
      of SSHE was reported in a 52-year-old male referred to emergency department
      following severe low back pain. 

PMID- 26495380
TI  - Part 1: Simple Definition and Calculation of Accuracy, Sensitivity and
      Specificity.

PMID- 26495381
TI  - Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Measurement Using as a Rapid Alternative to the
      Westergren Method.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) remains as one of the most
      reliable tests in clinical practices. Yet its use is time consuming and requires
      a large blood sample. The aim of this study was assessing a faster and reliable
      method of ESR estimation. METHODS: An ESR estimation method was described and
      performed on 108 patients using capillary tube (micro ESR) and capillary
      peripheral blood. Micro ESR results at different intervals were measured and
      compared with Westergren ESR (conventional ESR) estimation by Pearson and
      Spearman's coefficients. A regression equation was derived to predict
      conventional ESR values based on micro ESR results. The agreement of two
      measurements was demonstrated using the Bland-Altman plot. RESULTS: Micro ESR
      results at 20 minutes showed the earliest close correlation with conventional ESR
      results at one hour (r = 0.987). The presented regression equation was able to
      closely predict ESR values (r(2) = 0.974) and the Bland-Altman plot showed an
      acceptable agreement between converted and conventional ESR measurements.
      CONCLUSION: Using capillary tube and capillary blood sample (micro ESR) appears
      to be a faster, cheaper, more reliable, and precise tool for ESR measurement in
      the ED. The results have acceptable correlation with conventional ESR, especially
      at 20 minutes of measurement.

PMID- 26495382
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of Optic Nerve Ultrasonography and Ophthalmoscopy in
      Prediction of Elevated Intracranial Pressure.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) is a major and potentially
      lethal disorder in patients admitted to the emergency department (ED). Several
      methods are being used to investigate for elevated ICP. Here we assessed and
      compared the diagnostic accuracy of two existing tools of ophthalmoscopy and
      optic nerve ultrasonography in detection of elevated ICP. METHODS: 131
      participants with probable elevation of ICP referred to the emergency department
      of Al-Zahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran, from 2012 to 2014, were enrolled. Brain
      computed tomography (CT) scan, ultrasonography of optic nerve sheath, and
      ophthalmoscopy were performed for them. The optic nerves sheath with diameter
      more than 5 millimeters was considered as elevated ICP. Widening of optic nerve,
      ocular venous engorgement, blurring, hemorrhage over optic disk, elevation of
      optic disk, and retinal venous tortuosity were recorded as evidences of ICP
      rising in ophthalmoscopy. Diagnostic accuracy of the two tools in prediction of
      ICP rising were compared with the results of brain CT scan as a gold standard.
      RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 46.29 +/- 10 years (77% male). The
      number of diagnosed elevated ICPs with ophthalmoscopy and ultrasound were 98
      (74.8%) and 102 (77.9%) cases, respectively. The calculated sensitivity and
      specificity of ophthalmoscopy and ultrasonography in detection of ICP rising were
      100.0% (95% CI: 88.6-100.0) and 35.4% (95% CI: 26.0-46.2), 100.0% (95% CI: 84.0
      100.0) and 31.9% (95% CI: 23.0-41.7), respectively. CONCLUSION: The present study
      revealed that bedside ultrasonography of optic nerve sheath and ophthalmoscopy
      have enough accuracy for the screening of patients with probable elevation of
      ICP. Of course, it should be considered that despite the high sensitivity of both
      tools, their specificity is low.

PMID- 26495383
TI  - A Randomized Clinical Trial of Intravenous and Intramuscular Ketamine for
      Pediatric Procedural Sedation and Analgesia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ketamine is an agent broadly used for pediatric procedural sedation
      and analgesia in emergency departments. It has been found to be safe and with a
      low risk of complications. Choosing between intravenous (IV) and intramuscular
      (IM) injections is a matter of concern, so we did a comparison between the two
      methods in terms of their efficacy and rate of complications. METHODS: This
      single-blind clinical trial recruited 240 children (age: three months to 15
      years, weight > 5 kg), who underwent short and painful procedures at the
      emergency departments. They were randomly allocated to two groups of 120 patients
      to receive either IV or IM ketamine with of 1.5 and 4 mg/kg doses, respectively.
      Indications for use, dose, side effects, and efficacy of the medications as well
      as duration of the procedure and time to recovery were compared between the two
      groups. RESULTS: The mean age of the IV and IM groups were 6.5 +/- 3.6 and 3.05
      +/- 2.6 years, respectively (p < 0.001). The onset of action of ketamine was 1.7
      +/- 1.1 minutes in the IV group and 8.6 +/- 3.1 in the IM ones (p < 0.001).
      Patients of the IV and IM groups remained in optimal sedation for 20.6+/-12.0 and
      37.2+/-11.8 minutes, respectively (P < 0.001). Time until emergency department
      discharge was 65.3 +/- 36.9 minutes in the IV group and 72.2 +/- 14.5 in the IM
      group (P = 0.40). Ketamine had excellent and moderate efficacy in 66.7% and 32.5%
      of the IV group and 70.0% and 25.0% in the IM group, respectively (p = 0.02).
      Totally, 60.0% of IV group patients and 40.0% of IM group experienced drug side
      effects (p = 0.21). Need for rescue dose was significantly higher in IV group
      (26.7% vs. 10.0%; p < 0.001). Finally, recovery was tranquil and comfortable in
      88 patients (73.3%) of the IV group and 108 patients (90.0%) of the IM group (p =
      0.06). CONCLUSION: We found that although the sedative and analgesic effects of
      IM and IV ketamine are not significantly different, duration of effect and onset
      of action are more desirable in the IV group for suturing, fracture reduction,
      and foreign body removal. Meanwhile, the IM method can lead to lesser need of
      rescue doses.

PMID- 26495384
TI  - Oral Midazolam-Ketamine versus Midazolam alone for Procedural Sedation of
      Children Undergoing Computed Tomography; a Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Motion artifacts are a common problem in pediatric radiographic
      studies and are a common indication for pediatric procedural sedation. This study
      aimed to compare the combination of oral midazolam and ketamine (OMK) with oral
      midazolam alone (OM) as procedural sedatives among children undergoing computed
      tomography (CT) imaging. METHODS: The study population was comprised of six-month
      to six-year old patients with medium-risk minor head trauma, who were scheduled
      to undergo brain CT imaging. Patients were randomly allocated to two groups: one
      group received 0.5 mg/kg midazolam (OM group; n = 33) orally and the other one
      received 0.2 mg/kg midazolam and 5 mg/kg ketamine orally (OMK group; n=33). The
      vital signs were monitored and recorded at regular intervals. The primary outcome
      measure was the success rate of each drug in achieving adequate sedation.
      Secondary outcome measures were the time to achieve adequate sedation, time to
      discharge from radiology department, and the incidence of adverse events.
      RESULTS: Adequate sedation was achieved in five patients (15.2%) in OM group and
      15 patients (45.5%) in OMK group, which showed a statistically significant
      difference between the groups (p = 0.015). No significant difference was noted
      between OM and OMK groups with respect to the time of achieving adequate sedation
      (33.80 +/- 7.56 and 32.87 +/- 10.18 minutes, respectively; p = 0.854) and the
      time of discharging from radiology department (89.60 +/- 30.22 and 105.27 +/-
      21.98 minutes, respectively; p=0.223). The complications were minor and similar
      among patients of both groups. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that in
      comparison with OM, OMK was more effective in producing a satisfactory level of
      sedation in children undergoing CT examinations without additional complications;
      however, none of these two regimens fulfilled clinical needs for procedural
      sedation.

PMID- 26495385
TI  - Comparison of Intravenous Metoclopramide and Acetaminophen in Primary Headaches:
      a Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Headache is the most common neurologic symptom among referees to
      the emergency department (ED), while the best treatment has not yet been found.
      Therefore, in the present study pain relief effects of metoclopramide and
      acetaminophen were compared in patients suffered acute primary headache. METHODS:
      This study was a double-blind randomized clinical trial performed in Imam
      Khomeini Hospital, Urmia, Iran, through July to October 2014. All adult patients,
      with acute primary (migraine, tension type and cluster) headache referred to the
      ED were included in this study. Pain severity was measured with 10 centimeters
      numeric rating scales. The patients were randomized into two groups of
      intravenous (IV) metoclopramide (10 milligrams) and acetaminophen (1 gram). Pain
      score, success rate, and drug complications were compared between the 2 groups at
      0, 15, 30, 60, and 120 minutes after injection. RESULTS: 100 patients were
      equally categorized into two groups (mean age of 32 +/- 13.2 years; 51.2% male).
      Initial pain score in metoclopramide and acetaminophen groups were 9.1 and 9.4,
      respectively (p = 0.46). IV metoclopramide did not have any analgesic effect at
      15 minutes, but had good effect at 30 minutes. While, the analgesic effect of
      acetaminophen initiated after 15 minutes. After 2 hours, both drugs had good
      therapeutic effect on primary headaches (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The present
      study demonstrated that efficacy of metoclopramide for pain relief in primary
      headaches is lower than acetaminophen. In this regard, success rate of
      acetaminophen was 42.0% versus 0% for metoclopramide within 15 minutes. The
      efficacy of acetaminophen continued until 60 minutes.

PMID- 26495386
TI  - Brachial Artery Aneurysm as a Limb Threatening Condition: a Case Report.
AB  - Brachial artery aneurysms are rare but potentially limb threatening condition.
      The presented case here is a 52-year old male referred to the emergency
      department complaining a sudden onset and progressive pain with coldness of his
      right upper extremity during brushing. The right upper extremity was pulseless
      and three-dimensional computed tomography showed an aneurysm of the proximal
      right brachial artery associated with arterial occlusion in its distal branch.
      Embolectomy was done, the aneurysm resected, and the artery successfully re
      vascularised by interposing a saphenous vein graft. 

PMID- 26495387
TI  - Periampullary Diverticulum Perforation Following Endoscopic Retrograde
      Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP); a Case Report.
AB  - Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is widely used for the
      diagnosis and treatment of biliary and pancreatic tract disease. Perforation is a
      rare complication of it, but it is associated with high rate of mortality, an
      overall mortality rate of 1.0-1.5%. Here, a case of massive subcutaneous
      emphysema following ERCP was reported without an obvious retroperitoneal or
      peritoneal perforation. 

PMID- 26495388
TI  - Battered Child Syndrome; a Case Study.
AB  - One of the important and usual missed causes of pediatric traumas is child abuse.
      This ominous phenomenon, which can be presented physically, psychologically,
      sexually, and emotionally has grown significantly in recent years. Many children
      are not diagnosed in the early stages of evaluation. Battered Child Syndrome is
      used to describe the clinical condition of the child serious physical abuse by
      parents or caregivers. Medical staff should always keep the syndrome in their
      mind for those brought to the emergency department with trauma. In this report,
      we described a patient complained of dysphagia following a falling from a height
      and multiple epidural hematomas and final diagnosis of battered child syndrome. 

PMID- 26495389
TI  - Medical Journalism and Emergency Medicine.

PMID- 26495390
TI  - Evidence Based Emergency Medicine Part 2: Positive and negative predictive values
      of diagnostic tests.

PMID- 26495391
TI  - The Value of Serum NR2 Antibody in Prediction of Post-Cardiopulmonary
      Resuscitation Survival.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunits antibody (NR2-ab) is a
      sensitive marker of ischemic brain damage in clinical circumstances, such as
      cerebrovascular accidents. We aimed to assess the value of serum NR2-ab in
      predicting the post-cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) survival. METHODS: In
      this cohort study, we examined serum NR2-ab levels 1 hour after the return of
      spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in 49 successfully resuscitated patients. Patients
      with traumatic or asphyxic arrests, prior neurological insults, or major medical
      illnesses were excluded. Participants were followed until death or hospital
      discharge. Demographic data, coronary artery disease risk factors, time before
      initiation of CPR, and CPR duration were documented. In addition, Glasgow coma
      scale (GCS), blood pressure, and survival status of patients were recorded at 1,
      6, 24, and 72 hour(s) after ROSC. Descriptive analyses were performed, and the
      Cox proportional hazard model was applied to assess if NR2-ab level is an
      independent predictive factor of survival. RESULTS: 49 successfully resuscitated
      patients were evaluated; 27 (55%) survived to hospital discharge, 4 (8.1%) were
      in vegetative state, 10 (20.4%) were physically disabled, and 13 (26.5%) were
      physically functional. Within 72 hours of ROSC all of the 12 NR2-ab positive
      patients died. In contrast, 31 (84%) of the NR2-ab negative patients survived.
      Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios of NR2-ab in
      prediction of survival were 54.5% (95%CI=32.7%-74.9%), 100% (95%CI=84.5%-100%),
      infinite, and 45.5% (95%CI=28.8%-71.8%), respectively. Subsequent analysis showed
      that both NR2-ab status and GCS were independent risk factors of death.
      CONCLUSIONS: A positive NR2-ab serum test 1 hour after ROSC correlated with lower
      72-hour survival. Further studies are required to validate this finding and
      demonstrate the value of a quantitative NR2-ab assay and its optimal time of
      measurement.

PMID- 26495392
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of Cincinnati Pre-Hospital Stroke Scale.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Stroke is recognized as the third cause of mortality after
      cardiovascular and cancer diseases, so that lead to death of about 5 million
      people, annually. There are several scales to early prediction of at risk
      patients and decreasing the rate of mortality by transferring them to the stroke
      center. In the present study, the accuracy of Cincinnati pre-hospital stroke
      scale was assessed. METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study done
      to assess accuracy of Cincinnati scale in prediction of stroke probability in
      patients referred to the emergency department of Poursina Hospital, Rasht, Iran,
      2013 with neurologic symptoms. Three criteria of Cincinnati scale including
      facial droop, dysarthria, and upper extremity weakness as well as the final
      diagnosis of patients were gathered. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values,
      and likelihood ratios of Cincinnati scale were calculated using SPSS version 20.
      RESULTS: 448 patients were assessed. The agreement rate of Cincinnati scale and
      final diagnosis was 0.483 +/- 0.055 (p<0.0001). The sensitivity of 93.19% (95%
      Cl: 90.11-95.54), specificity of 51.85% (95% Cl: 40.47-63.10), positive
      predictive value of 89.76% (95% Cl: 86.27-92.62), negative predictive value of
      62.69% (95% Cl: 55.52-72.45), positive likelihood ratio of 1.94% (95% Cl: 1.54
      2.43), and negative likelihood ratio of 0.13% (95% Cl: 0.09-0.20) were
      calculated. CONCLUSION: It seems that pre-hospital Cincinnati scale can be an
      appropriate screening tool in prediction of stroke in patients with acute
      neurologic syndromes.

PMID- 26495393
TI  - Comparison of the Analgesic Effect of Intravenous Acetaminophen and Morphine
      Sulfate in Rib Fracture; a Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rib fracture is one of the common causes of trauma disabilities in
      many events and the outcome of these patients are very extensive from temporary
      pain management to long-term significant disability. Control and management of
      the pain in such patients is one of the most important challenges in emergency
      departments. Thus, the aim of the present study was assessing the efficacy of IV
      acetaminophen in pain control of patients with rib fracture. METHODS: In this
      double-blind clinical trial, 54 patients over 18 years of age, referred to two
      educational hospitals with rib fracture, were entered. Patients were randomly
      categorized in two groups of morphine sulfate (0.1 milligram per kilogram of body
      weight) and IV acetaminophen (1gram), as single-dose infused in 100 cc normal
      saline. The pain severity was measured by numeric rating scale (NRS) on arrival
      and 30 minutes after drug administration. At least three scores reduction was
      reported as therapeutic success. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of
      patients' age was 41.2 +/- 14.1 years. There is no difference in gender (p=0.24)
      and age frequency (p=0.77) between groups. 30 minutes after drug administration
      the mean of pain severity were 5.5 +/- 2.3 and 4.9 +/- 1.7 in morphine and
      acetaminophen groups, respectively (p=0.23). Success rate in morphine and
      acetaminophen groups were 58.6% (95% Cl: 39.6-77.7) and 80% (95% Cl: 63.2-96.7),
      respectively, (p=0.09). Only 3 (5.6%) patients had dizziness (p=0.44) and other
      effects were not seen in any of patients. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present
      study shows that intravenous acetaminophen and morphine have the same therapeutic
      value in relieving the pain of rib fracture. The success rate after 30 minutes
      drug administration were 80% and 58.6% in acetaminophen and morphine groups,
      respectively. Presentation of side effects was similar in both groups.

PMID- 26495394
TI  - Brief Emergency Department Patient Satisfaction Scale (BEPSS); Development of a
      New Practical Instrument.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Methodologically correct assessment of patient satisfaction (PS)
      plays a crucial role for quality-improvement purposes. Evaluation of Iranian
      literature on emergency department's PS resulted in an emerging need for
      developing a new instrument with satisfactory psychometric properties. The
      present study, aimed to develop and initially validate a scale to measure PS in
      emergency departments. METHODS: A sample of 301 patients was selected in 2014
      from two hospitals in Tehran. A pool of 24 items was prepared for administering.
      An item analysis was conducted to evaluate the quality of each item. Validity and
      reliability of the scale were evaluated. The data were analyzed using SPSS.
      RESULTS: Item analysis and exploratory factor analysis yielded in a 20-item scale
      in five domains named emergency department staff, emergency department
      environment, physician care satisfaction, general patient satisfaction, and
      patient's family's satisfaction. Validity and factor structure of the scale were
      reported satisfactory. Reliability coefficients of the domains ranged between
      0.75 and 0.88. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study provided evidence
      for psychometric properties of a newly developed scale for PS assessment in
      emergency departments. Five underlying components of PS were found in the item
      pool. In sum, this scale may be used in research and emergency departments to
      measure PS.

PMID- 26495395
TI  - Comparison of Oral Midazolam and Promethazine with Oral Midazolam alone for
      Sedating Children during Computed Tomography.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Both midazolam and promethazine are recommended to be used as
      sedatives in many studies but each have some side effects that limits their use.
      Combination therapy as an alternative method, may decreases these limitations.
      Therefore, this study aimed to compare midazolam with midazolam-promethazine
      regarding induction, maintenance, and recovery characteristics following
      pediatric procedural sedation and analgesia. METHODS: Children under 7 years old
      who needed sedation for being CT scanned were included in this double-blind
      randomized clinical trial. The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: one
      only received midazolam (0.5 mg/kg), while the other group received a combination
      of midazolam (0.5 mg/kg) and promethazine (1.25 mg/kg). University of Michigan
      Sedation Scale (UMSS) was used to assess sedation induction. In addition to
      demographic data, the child's vital signs were evaluated before prescribing the
      drugs and after inducing sedation (reaching UMSS level 2). The primary outcomes
      in the present study were onset of action after administration and duration of
      the drugs' effect. RESULTS: 107 patients were included in the study. Mean onset
      of action was 55.4+/-20.3 minutes for midazolam and 32.5+/-11.1 minutes for
      midazolam-promethazine combination (p<0.001). But duration of effect was not
      different between the 2 groups (p=0.36). 8 (7.5%) patients were unresponsive to
      the medication, all 8 of which were in the midazolam treated group (p=0.006).
      Also in 18 (16.8%) cases a rescue dose was prescribed, 14 (25.9%) were in the
      midazolam group and 4 (7.5%) were in the midazolam-promethazine group (p=0.02).
      Comparing systolic (p=0.20) and diastolic (p=0.34) blood pressure, heart rate
      (p=0.16), respiratory rate (p=0.17) and arterial oxygen saturation level (p=0.91)
      showed no significant difference between the 2 groups after intervention.
      CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of this study, it seems that using a
      combination of midazolam and promethazine not only speeds up the sedation
      induction, but also decreases unresponsiveness to the treatment and the need for
      a rescue dose.

PMID- 26495396
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of Chest x-Ray and Ultrasonography in Detection of Community
      Acquired Pneumonia; a Brief Report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chest x-ray (CXR) is the simplest diagnostic tool of Community
      Acquired Pneumonia (CAP), but it has some limitation. Therefore, the aim of this
      study is comparing the diagnostic accuracy of CXR and chest ultrasonography (CUS)
      in detection of CAP. METHODS: In the present study, a consecutive sample of
      suspected patients with CAP was underwent CUS, CXR, and chest computed tomography
      (CT) scan. Diagnostic accuracy of CUS and CXR was assessed by calculating the
      sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and likelihood ratios using SPSS 20
      statistical software. RESULTS: 30 patients with CAP were enrolled (93.3% male
      with mean age of 63.8 +/- 18.3 years). Sensitivity of CUS and CXR in detection of
      CAP were 100.0% (95% Cl: 85.4-100.0) and 93.1% (95% Cl: 75.8-98.8), respectively.
      Specificity of CXR was 0.0 (95% Cl: 0.0-94.5), while the CUS specificity was not
      calculable. CONCLUSION: Findings of the present study demonstrated on the higher
      diagnostic accuracy of CUS versus CXR in detection of pneumonia.

PMID- 26495397
TI  - Pharyngeal Aspiration of Complete Upper Denture in 90-Year-Old Man; a Case
      Report.
AB  - Foreign body aspiration is unusual in adults, except those who are debilitated or
      have neuropsychiatric disorders. It can be a life-threatening situation and it
      often requires a high index of suspicion, because the diagnosis can be obscure.
      Prompt diagnosis and intervention through foreign body retrieval are critical to
      prevent significant morbidity and mortality. We present a case of denture
      aspiration by a debilitated 90 years old man. He had aspirated his complete upper
      denture to pharynx causing incomplete obstruction with pleasure whistling
      respiratory sound, dyspnea, dysphagia and dysphonia. He underwent successful
      retrieval of the dental plate manually by fingers with complete resolution of
      symptoms. 

PMID- 26495398
TI  - Periumbilical Pain with Radiation to Both Legs Following Tarantula Bite; a Case
      Report.
AB  - Tarantulas have recently become as pets in most parts of the world that increased
      the probability of encountering emergency physicians with patients hurt with
      these spiders. Their attacks usually do not cause general manifestation, however
      there are some case reports in this regard. Here, a 40-year-old man was reported
      who was referred to the emergency department with severe periumbilical pain that
      radiated to both legs and diagnosed as a victim of tarantula bite. Such symptoms
      usually are belonging to other spiders like Black Widow spider, but it seems that
      tarantula can mimic them in some cases, too. 

PMID- 26495399
TI  - Odontogenic Pain as the Principal Presentation of Vertebral Artery
      Pseudoaneurysm; a Case Report.
AB  - Dissection of the vertebral artery is an important but rare cause of
      cerebrovascular accidents. Here we report a 48-year-old man with toothache since
      4 days before who presented to the emergency department with neck pain and final
      diagnosis of dissecting right vertebral artery pseudoaneurysm. To our knowledge,
      this maybe the first report of odontogenic pain as the first manifestation of
      vertebral artery pseudoaneurysm in the literatures. 

PMID- 26495400
TI  - An 88-Year-Old Man with Sudden Onset Abdominal Pain.

PMID- 26495401
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography and Radiography in Detection of Pulmonary
      Contusion; a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ultrasonography is currently being used as one of the diagnostic
      modalities in various medical emergencies for screening of trauma patients. The
      diagnostic value of this modality in detection of traumatic chest injuries has
      been evaluated by several studies but its diagnostic accuracy in diagnosis of
      pulmonary contusion is a matter of discussion. Therefore, the present study aimed
      to determine the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography and radiography in
      detection of pulmonary contusion through a systematic review and meta-analysis.
      METHODS: An extended systematic search was performed by two reviewers in
      databases of Medline, EMBASE, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and
      ProQuest. They extracted the data and assessed the quality of the studies. After
      summarization of data into true positive, false positive, true negative, and
      false negative meta-analysis was carried out via a mixed-effects binary
      regression model. Further subgroup analysis was performed due to a significant
      heterogeneity between the studies. RESULTS: 12 studies were included in this meta
      analysis (1681 chest trauma patients, 76% male). Pooled sensitivity of
      ultrasonography in detection of pulmonary contusion was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.81-0.96;
      I2= 95.81, p<0.001) and its pooled specificity was calculated to be 0.89 (95% CI:
      0.85-0.93; I2 = 67.29, p<0.001) while these figures for chest radiography were
      0.44 (95% CI: 0.32-0.58; I2= 87.52, p<0.001) and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.88-1.0; I2=
      95.22, p<0.001), respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that the sources of
      heterogeneity between the studies were sampling method, operator, frequency of
      the transducer, and sample size. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography was found to be a
      better screening tool in detection of pulmonary contusion. Moreover, an
      ultrasonography performed by a radiologist / intensivist with 1-5MHz probe has a
      higher diagnostic value in identifying pulmonary contusions.

PMID- 26495402
TI  - Comparing the Antiemetic Effects of Ondansetron and Metoclopramide in Patients
      with Minor Head Trauma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nausea and vomiting are the most common complications after minor
      head trauma that increases the risk of intracranial pressure rising. Therefore,
      the present study was aimed to compare the antiemetic effects of metoclopramide
      and ondansetron in the treatment of post-traumatic nausea and vomiting. METHODS:
      The study was a controlled, randomized, double blind clinical trial, which was
      conducted in the first 6 months of 2014 in emergency department Al-Zahra and
      Kashani Hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. The patients with minor head trauma
      associated with nausea and vomiting were randomly divided into 2 groups:
      treatment with metoclopramide (10mg/2ml, slow injection) and treatment with
      ondansetron (4mg/2ml, slow injection). The comparison between the 2 groups was
      done regarding antiemetic efficacy and side effects using SPSS 21 statistical
      software. RESULTS: 120 patients with minor head trauma were distributed and
      studied into two groups of 60 patients (mean age 35.6+/-14.1 years; 50.0% male).
      Administration of both ondansetron and metoclopramide significantly reduced the
      severity of nausea (P<0.001). Changes in the severity of nausea in both groups
      before and after the treatment revealed that nausea had been decreased
      significantly in both groups (P < 0.001). The incidence of fatigue (p=0.44),
      headache (p=0.58) and dystonia (p=0.06) had no significant difference in the two
      groups but the incidence of drowsiness and anxiety in the metoclopramide group
      was significantly higher (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The present study indicated
      that the treatment effectiveness of ondansetron and metoclopramide are similar.
      However, incidence of drowsiness and anxiety in the metoclopramide was
      considerably higher. Since these complications can have adverse effects on the
      treatment of patients with brain injury, it is suggested that it may be better to
      use ondansetron in these patients.

PMID- 26495403
TI  - An Epidemiologic Study of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Emergency Department.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are one of the most important causes
      of death in patients under the age of 25 years and is responsible for one third
      of total deaths caused by trauma. Therefore, knowing its epidemiologic pattern in
      different populations seems vital. Therefore, this study aims to examine the
      epidemiologic pattern of TBI in emergency department. METHODS: In this cross
      sectional study, the profiles of 1000 patients affected by TBI were selected
      using simple random sampling. The examined variables in this study included
      demographic, season, mechanism of injury, accompanying injuries, level of
      consciousness, hospitalization duration, computed tomography (CT) scan results,
      needing surgery, admission to intensive care unit, and outcome of the patient. In
      the end, independent risk factors for the death of patients were determined.
      RESULTS: 1000 patients suffering from were studied (81.8% male; mean age 38.5+/
      21.7 years). The frequency of their referral to hospital in spring (31.4%) was
      more (p<0.01). 45.9% of the patients had a level of consciousness less than 9
      based on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). Subdural (45.9%) and epidural bleeding
      (23.7%) were the most common findings in CT scans in this study (p<0.001).
      Finally, 233 (23.3%) of the patients were dead. Over 60 years of age, falling and
      motorcycle accidents, intracranial hemorrhage accompanied by brain contusion,
      subdural bleeding, a GCS of less than 9, and the need to be admitted to intensive
      care unit were independent risk factors of death in TBI. CONCLUSION: Age Over 60
      years, falling and motorcycle accidents, intracranial hemorrhage accompanied by
      brain contusion, subdural bleeding, a GCS of less than 9, and need to be admitted
      to intensive care unit were independent risk factors for the death in TBI
      patients.

PMID- 26495404
TI  - The Effect of Emergency Department Overcrowding on Efficiency of Emergency
      Medicine Residents' Education.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Creating a calm and stress-free environment affects education
      significantly. The effects of the emergency department overcrowding (EDO) on the
      training of emergency medicine residents (EMR) is a highly debated subject.
      Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of EDO on efficiency of EMR's
      education. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the effects of overcrowding on
      EMR's education in the resuscitation room and acute care unit. Data collection
      was done using a questionnaire, which was filled out by the second year EMRs. The
      crowding level was calculated based on the national emergency department
      overcrowding scale (NEDOCS). The relationship between the two studied variables
      was evaluated using independent sample t-test and SPSS 21 statistical software.
      RESULTS: 130 questionnaires were filled out during 61 shifts. 47 (77.05%) shifts
      were overcrowded. The attend's ability to teach was not affected by overcrowding
      in the resuscitation room (p=0.008). The similar results were seen regarding the
      attend's training ability in the acute care unit. CONCLUSION: It seems that the
      emergency department overcrowding has no effect on the quality of education to
      the EMRs.

PMID- 26495405
TI  - The Effect of Blood Loss in the Presence and Absence of Severe Soft Tissue Injury
      on Hemodynamic and Metabolic Parameters; an Experimental study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The effect of severe soft tissue injury on the severity of
      hemorrhagic shock is still unknown. Therefore, the present study was aimed to
      determine hemodynamic and metabolic changes in traumatic/hemorrhagic shock in an
      animal model. METHODS: Forty male rats were randomly divided into 4 equal groups
      including sham, hemorrhagic shock, soft tissue injury, and hemorrhagic shock +
      soft tissue injury groups. The changes in blood pressure, central venous pressure
      (CVP) level, acidity (pH), and base excess were dynamically monitored and
      comparedsented. RESULTS: Mean arterial blood pressure decreased significantly in
      hemorrhagic shock (df: 12; F=10.9; p<0.001) and severe soft tissue injury +
      hemorrhagic shock (df: 12; F=11.7; p<0.001) groups 15 minutes and 5 minutes after
      injury, respectively. A similar trend was observed in CVP in severe soft tissue
      injury + hemorrhagic shock group (df: 12; F=8.9; p<0.001). After 40 minutes, pH
      was significantly lower in hemorrhagic shock (df: 12; F=6.8; p=0.009) and severe
      soft tissue injury + hemorrhagic shock (df: 12; F=7.9; p=0.003) groups. Base
      excess changes during follow ups have a similar trend. (df: 12; F=11.3; p<0.001).
      CONCLUSION: The results of this study have shown that the effect of hemorrhage on
      the decrease of mean arterial blood pressure, CVP, pH, and base excess is the
      same in the presence or absence of soft tissue injury.

PMID- 26495406
TI  - Non-Judicial Hanging in Guilan Province, Iran between 2011 and 2013.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hanging is one of the most commonly used way to commit suicide in
      many countries. This method used in suicide is considered a problem in Iran too,
      but no clear data exists regarding hanging in different regions or the country as
      a whole. Because of the epidemiologic differences in non-judicial hanging in
      different regions, this study aimed to assess it in Gilan province, Iran between
      2011 and 2013. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, profiles of hanging cases
      registered in Poorsina hospital in Gilan, Iran between 2011 and 2013 were
      evaluated. Age, sex, marital status, place of residency, level of education,
      occupation, history of suicide, history of clinical illness, season of suicide
      and hanging outcome were evaluated. RESULTS: 59 cases of hanging (mean age 31.4
      +/- 13.1 years and 83.0% male) were evaluated. 12 (20.34%) suffered from
      psychological disorders, and 9 (15.2%) confessed to substance abuse. 7 (11.9%)
      had a history of suicide attempts by hanging. Hanging was significantly higher in
      men (p<0.001), people with an education level of less than high school diploma
      (p=0.02) and the unemployed (p<0.05) patients. In the end, 20 (33.9%) of these
      attempts resulted in death. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that in
      2 years, 59 cases committed suicide by hanging themselves, 33.9% of which finally
      died. Committing suicide by hanging was significantly more prevalent in men,
      people with an education level of less than high school diploma and the
      unemployed.

PMID- 26495407
TI  - Prevalence of Tramadol Consumption in First Seizure Patients; a One-Year Cross
      sectional Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have shown that there is a probability of seizure
      even with therapeutic doses of tramadol. Yet, no accurate data exist regarding
      this problem in Iran. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the
      prevalence of tramadol consumption in patients with first seizure referred to the
      emergency department (ED). METHODS: In the present retrospective one-year cross
      sectional study, all patients who were referred to the ED of Poursina Hospital,
      Rasht, Iran, with the complaint of first seizure were evaluated. Demographic data
      and data regarding history of tramadol consumption, duration, total dose, last
      dose, and time passed from the last dose of consumption were recorded and
      analyzed regarding the study questions using SPSS 20. RESULTS: 383 (68.9%) out of
      the 556 patients referred to the ED, were experiencing their first seizure (mean
      age 26.43 +/- 6.48 years; 70.5% male). 84 (21.9%) patients had recently used
      tramadol. History of seizure in the family of tramadol consumers was
      significantly lower (3.6% compared to 11%; p = 0.036). Mean total tramadol
      consumption dose in the last 24 hours was 140.17 +/- 73.53 mg (range: 50-300 mg).
      Duration of tramadol consumption was less than 10 days in 84.5% (df: 2; chi(2) =
      96.1; p < 0.001). In addition, 62 (73.8%) patients had seizure within 6 hours of
      consumption (df: 3; chi(2) = 29.5; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Results of the present
      study showed that 21.9% of the patients with first seizure had a history of
      tramadol consumption. Seizure following tramadol consumption is more prevalent in
      the initial 10 days and within 6 hours of consumption. In addition, it seems that
      lower doses of tramadol may also induce seizure.

PMID- 26495408
TI  - Third Ventricle Colloid Cyst as a Cause of Sudden Drop Attacks of a 13-Year-Old
      Boy.
AB  - Colloid cysts are mucous-filled masses with an outer fibrous layer. These cysts
      are rare developmental malformation and not a true neoplasm. They usually found
      incidentally and are asymptomatic; but in some cases may associate with rapid
      neurologic deterioration, herniation, and sudden death. Recognition of this rare
      but important diagnosis may result in decreasing mortality. In this report, we
      presented a 13-year-old boy with complaint of two times drop attack and final
      diagnosis of colloid cyst in the third brain ventricle. 

PMID- 26495409
TI  - An Immediate Death by Seat Belt Compression; a Forensic Medicine Report.
AB  - Although death is a gradual process, sometimes sudden death occurs in a fraction
      of a minute or seconds. Here we report a 49-year-old man without any underlying
      disease, which has instantly died in an accident scene due to compression of neck
      critical elements by a three-point seat belt. The examination of the body and the
      results of the autopsy, toxicology and pathology tests are described from the
      viewpoint of forensic medicine. 

PMID- 26495410
TI  - A 78-Year-Old Woman with Fecaloid Vaginal Discharge.

PMID- 26495411
TI  - Evidence Based Emergency Medicine Part 3: Positive and Negative Likelihood Ratios
      of Diagnostic Tests.

PMID- 26495413
TI  - Scalable Clustering of High-Dimensional Data Technique Using SPCM with Ant Colony
      Optimization Intelligence.
AB  - Clusters of high-dimensional data techniques are emerging, according to data
      noisy and poor quality challenges. This paper has been developed to cluster data
      using high-dimensional similarity based PCM (SPCM), with ant colony optimization
      intelligence which is effective in clustering nonspatial data without getting
      knowledge about cluster number from the user. The PCM becomes similarity based by
      using mountain method with it. Though this is efficient clustering, it is checked
      for optimization using ant colony algorithm with swarm intelligence. Thus the
      scalable clustering technique is obtained and the evaluation results are checked
      with synthetic datasets. 

PMID- 26495412
TI  - Diminished expression of CRHR2 in human colon cancer promotes tumor growth and
      EMT via persistent IL-6/Stat3 signaling.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Chronic inflammation promotes development and progression of
      colorectal cancer (CRC). We explored the distribution of Corticotropin-Releasing
      Hormone (CRH)-family of receptors and ligands in CRC and their contribution in
      tumor growth and oncogenic EMT. METHODS: mRNA expression of CRH-family members
      was analyzed in CRC (N=56) and control (N=46) samples, 7 CRC cell lines and
      normal NCM460 cells. Immunohistochemical detection of CRHR2 was performed in 20
      CRC and 5 normal tissues. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were
      compared between Urocortin-2 (Ucn2)-stimulated parental and CRHR2-overexpressing
      (CRHR2+) cells in absence or presence of IL-6. CRHR2/Ucn2-targeted effects on
      tumor growth and EMT were validated in SW620-xenograft mouse models. RESULTS: CRC
      tissues and cell lines showed decreased mRNA and protein CRHR2 expression
      compared to controls and NCM460, respectively. The opposite trend was shown for
      Ucn2. CRHR2/Ucn2 signaling inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion and
      colony formation in CRC-CRHR2+ cells. In vivo, SW620-CRHR2+ xenografts showed
      decreased growth, reduced expression of EMT-inducers and elevated levels of EMT
      suppressors. IL-1b, IL-6 and IL-6R mRNAs where diminished in CRC-CRHR2+ cells,
      while CRHR2/Ucn2 signaling inhibited IL-6-mediated Stat3 activation, invasion,
      migration and expression of downstream targets acting as cell cycle- and EMT
      inducers. Expression of cell cycle- and EMT-suppressors was augmented in IL
      6/Ucn2-stimulated CRHR2+ cells. In patients, CRHR2 mRNA expression was inversely
      correlated with IL-6R and vimentin levels and metastasis occurrence, while
      positively associated with E-cadherin expression and overall survival.
      CONCLUSIONS: CRHR2 downregulation in CRC supports tumor expansion and spread
      through maintaining persistent inflammation and constitutive Stat3 activation.
      CRHR2low CRC phenotypes are associated with higher risk for distant metastases
      and poor clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26495414
TI  - Syndrome Differentiation Analysis on Mars500 Data of Traditional Chinese
      Medicine.
AB  - Mars500 study was a psychological and physiological isolation experiment
      conducted by Russia, the European Space Agency, and China, in preparation for an
      unspecified future manned spaceflight to the planet Mars. Its intention was to
      yield valuable psychological and medical data on the effects of the planned long
      term deep space mission. In this paper, we present data mining methods to mine
      medical data collected from the crew consisting of six spaceman volunteers. The
      synthesis of the four diagnostic methods of TCM, inspection, listening, inquiry,
      and palpation, is used in our syndrome differentiation. We adopt statistics
      method to describe the syndrome factor regular pattern of spaceman volunteers.
      Hybrid optimization based multilabel (HOML) is used as feature selection method
      and multilabel k-nearest neighbors (ML-KNN) is applied. According to the syndrome
      factor statistical result, we find that qi deficiency is a base syndrome pattern
      throughout the entire experiment process and, at the same time, there are
      different associated syndromes such as liver depression, spleen deficiency,
      dampness stagnancy, and yin deficiency, due to differences of individual
      situation. With feature selection, we screen out ten key factors which are
      essential to syndrome differentiation in TCM. The average precision of multilabel
      classification model reaches 80%. 

PMID- 26495415
TI  - Patterns Exploration on Patterns of Empirical Herbal Formula of Chinese Medicine
      by Association Rules.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this study, we use association rules to explore the latent rules
      and patterns of prescribing and adjusting the ingredients of herbal decoctions
      based on empirical herbal formula of Chinese Medicine (CM). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The consideration and development of CM prescriptions based on the
      knowledge of CM doctors are analyzed. The study contained three stages. The first
      stage is to identify the chief symptoms to a specific empirical herbal formula,
      which can serve as the key indication for herb addition and cancellation. The
      second stage is to conduct a case study on the empirical CM herbal formula for
      insomnia. Doctors will add extra ingredients or cancel some of them by CM
      syndrome diagnosis. The last stage of the study is to divide the observed cases
      into the effective group and ineffective group based on the assessed clinical
      effect by doctors. The patterns during the diagnosis and treatment are selected
      by the applied algorithm and the relations between clinical symptoms or
      indications and herb choosing principles will be selected by the association
      rules algorithm. RESULTS: Totally 40 patients were observed in this study: 28
      patients were considered effective after treatment and the remaining 12 were
      ineffective. 206 patterns related to clinical indications of Chinese Medicine
      were checked and screened with each observed case. In the analysis of the
      effective group, we used the algorithm of association rules to select
      combinations between 28 herbal adjustment strategies of the empirical herbal
      formula and the 190 patterns of individual clinical manifestations. During this
      stage, 11 common patterns were eliminated and 5 major symptoms for insomnia
      remained. 12 association rules were identified which included 5 herbal adjustment
      strategies. CONCLUSION: The association rules method is an effective algorithm to
      explore the latent relations between clinical indications and herbal adjustment
      strategies for the study on empirical herbal formulas.

PMID- 26495417
TI  - Energy Efficient Cluster Based Scheduling Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks.
AB  - The energy utilization of sensor nodes in large scale wireless sensor network
      points out the crucial need for scalable and energy efficient clustering
      protocols. Since sensor nodes usually operate on batteries, the maximum utility
      of network is greatly dependent on ideal usage of energy leftover in these sensor
      nodes. In this paper, we propose an Energy Efficient Cluster Based Scheduling
      Scheme for wireless sensor networks that balances the sensor network lifetime and
      energy efficiency. In the first phase of our proposed scheme, cluster topology is
      discovered and cluster head is chosen based on remaining energy level. The
      cluster head monitors the network energy threshold value to identify the energy
      drain rate of all its cluster members. In the second phase, scheduling algorithm
      is presented to allocate time slots to cluster member data packets. Here
      congestion occurrence is totally avoided. In the third phase, energy consumption
      model is proposed to maintain maximum residual energy level across the network.
      Moreover, we also propose a new packet format which is given to all cluster
      member nodes. The simulation results prove that the proposed scheme greatly
      contributes to maximum network lifetime, high energy, reduced overhead, and
      maximum delivery ratio. 

PMID- 26495416
TI  - Acupuncture for Vascular Dementia: A Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - In this trial, patients who agreed to random assignment were allocated to a
      randomized acupuncture group (R-acupuncture group) or control group. Those who
      declined randomization were assigned to a nonrandomized acupuncture group (NR
      acupuncture group). Patients in the R-acupuncture group and NR-acupuncture group
      received up to 21 acupuncture sessions during a period of 6 weeks plus routine
      care, while the control group received routine care alone. Cognitive function,
      activities of daily living, and quality of life were assessed by mini-mental
      state examination (MMSE), Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADL), and dementia
      quality of life questionnaire (DEMQOL), respectively. All the data were collected
      at baseline, after 6-week treatment, and after 4-week follow-up. No significant
      differences of MMSE scores were observed among the three groups but pooled
      acupuncture group had significant higher score than control group. Compared to
      control group, ADL score significantly decreased in NR-acupuncture group and
      pooled-acupuncture group. For DEMQOL scores, no significant differences were
      observed among the three groups, as well as between pooled-acupuncture group and
      control group. Additional acupuncture to routine care may have beneficial effects
      on the improvements of cognitive status and activities of daily living but have
      limited efficacy on health-related quality of life in VaD patients. 

PMID- 26495418
TI  - Researches on Mathematical Relationship of Five Elements of Containing Notes and
      Fibonacci Sequence Modulo 5.
AB  - Considering the five periods and six qi's theory in TCM almost shares a common
      basis of stem-branch system with the five elements of containing notes, studying
      the principle or mathematical structure behind the five elements of containing
      notes can surely bring a novel view for the five periods and six qi's researches.
      By analyzing typical mathematical rules included in He tu, Luo shu, and stem
      branch theory in TCM as well as the Fibonacci sequence especially widely existent
      in the biological world, novel researches are performed on mathematical
      relationship between the five elements of containing notes and the Fibonacci
      sequence modulo 5. Enlightened by elementary Yin or Yang number grouping
      principle of He tu, Luo shu, the 12534 and 31542 key number series of Fibonacci
      sequence modulo 5 are obtained. And three new arrangements about the five
      elements of containing notes are then introduced, which have shown close
      relationship with the two obtained key subsequences of the Fibonacci sequence
      modulo 5. The novel discovery is quite helpful to recover the scientific secret
      of the five periods and six qi's theory in TCM as well as that of whole
      traditional Chinese culture system, but more data is needed to elucidate the TCM
      theory further. 

PMID- 26495419
TI  - An Improved Differential Evolution Solution for Software Project Scheduling
      Problem.
AB  - This paper proposes a differential evolution (DE) method for the software project
      scheduling problem (SPSP). The interest on finding a more efficient solution
      technique for SPSP is always a topic of interest due to the fact of ever growing
      challenges faced by the software industry. The curse of dimensionality is
      introduced in the scheduling problem by ever increasing software assignments and
      the number of staff who handles it. Thus the SPSP is a class of NP-hard problem,
      which requires a rigorous solution procedure which guarantees a reasonably better
      solution. Differential evolution is a direct search stochastic optimization
      technique that is fairly fast and reasonably robust. It is also capable of
      handling nondifferentiable, nonlinear, and multimodal objective functions like
      SPSP. This paper proposes a refined DE where a new mutation mechanism is
      introduced. The superiority of the proposed method is experimented and
      demonstrated by solving the SPSP on 50 random instances and the results are
      compared with some of the techniques in the literature. 

PMID- 26495420
TI  - Improved TV-CS Approaches for Inverse Scattering Problem.
AB  - Total Variation and Compressive Sensing (TV-CS) techniques represent a very
      attractive approach to inverse scattering problems. In fact, if the unknown is
      piecewise constant and so has a sparse gradient, TV-CS approaches allow us to
      achieve optimal reconstructions, reducing considerably the number of measurements
      and enforcing the sparsity on the gradient of the sought unknowns. In this paper,
      we introduce two different techniques based on TV-CS that exploit in a different
      manner the concept of gradient in order to improve the solution of the inverse
      scattering problems obtained by TV-CS approach. Numerical examples are addressed
      to show the effectiveness of the method. 

PMID- 26495421
TI  - Using Bioinformatics Approach to Explore the Pharmacological Mechanisms of
      Multiple Ingredients in Shuang-Huang-Lian.
AB  - Due to the proved clinical efficacy, Shuang-Huang-Lian (SHL) has developed a
      variety of dosage forms. However, the in-depth research on targets and
      pharmacological mechanisms of SHL preparations was scarce. In the presented
      study, the bioinformatics approaches were adopted to integrate relevant data and
      biological information. As a result, a PPI network was built and the common
      topological parameters were characterized. The results suggested that the PPI
      network of SHL exhibited a scale-free property and modular architecture. The drug
      target network of SHL was structured with 21 functional modules. According to
      certain modules and pharmacological effects distribution, an antitumor effect and
      potential drug targets were predicted. A biological network which contained 26
      subnetworks was constructed to elucidate the antipneumonia mechanism of SHL. We
      also extracted the subnetwork to explicitly display the pathway where one
      effective component acts on the pneumonia related targets. In conclusions, a
      bioinformatics approach was established for exploring the drug targets,
      pharmacological activity distribution, effective components of SHL, and its
      mechanism of antipneumonia. Above all, we identified the effective components and
      disclosed the mechanism of SHL from the view of system. 

PMID- 26495422
TI  - Subspace Compressive GLRT Detector for MIMO Radar in the Presence of Clutter.
AB  - The problem of optimising the target detection performance of MIMO radar in the
      presence of clutter is considered. The increased false alarm rate which is a
      consequence of the presence of clutter returns is known to seriously degrade the
      target detection performance of the radar target detector, especially under low
      SNR conditions. In this paper, a mathematical model is proposed to optimise the
      target detection performance of a MIMO radar detector in the presence of clutter.
      The number of samples that are required to be processed by a radar target
      detector regulates the amount of processing burden while achieving a given
      detection reliability. While Subspace Compressive GLRT (SSC-GLRT) detector is
      known to give optimised radar target detection performance with reduced
      computational complexity, it however suffers a significant deterioration in
      target detection performance in the presence of clutter. In this paper we provide
      evidence that the proposed mathematical model for SSC-GLRT detector outperforms
      the existing detectors in the presence of clutter. The performance analysis of
      the existing detectors and the proposed SSC-GLRT detector for MIMO radar in the
      presence of clutter are provided in this paper. 

PMID- 26495423
TI  - Tomato Seed Coat Permeability to Selected Carbon Nanomaterials and Enhancement of
      Germination and Seedling Growth.
AB  - Seed coat permeability was examined using a model that tested the effects of
      soaking tomato (Solanum lycopersicon) seeds in combination with carbon-based
      nanomaterials (CBNMs) and ultrasonic irradiation (US). Penetration of seed coats
      to the embryo by CBNMs, as well as CBNMs effects on seed germination and seedling
      growth, was examined. Two CBNMs, C60(OH)20 (fullerol) and multiwalled nanotubes
      (MWNTs), were applied at 50 mg/L, and treatment exposure ranged from 0 to 60
      minutes. Bright field, fluorescence, and electron microscopy and micro-Raman
      spectroscopy provided corroborating evidence that neither CBNM was able to
      penetrate the seed coat. The restriction of nanomaterial (NM) uptake was
      attributed to the semipermeable layer located at the innermost layer of the seed
      coat adjacent to the endosperm. Seed treatments using US at 30 or 60 minutes in
      the presence of MWNTs physically disrupted the seed coat; however, the integrity
      of the semipermeable layer was not impaired. The germination percentage and
      seedling length and weight were enhanced in the presence of MWNTs but were not
      altered by C60(OH)20. The combined exposure of seeds to NMs and US provided
      insight into the nanoparticle-seed interaction and may serve as a delivery system
      for enhancing seed germination and early seedling growth.

PMID- 26495424
TI  - Distilling Big Data: Refining Quality Information in the Era of Yottabytes.
AB  - Big Data is the buzzword of the modern century. With the invasion of pervasive
      computing, we live in a data centric environment, where we always leave a track
      of data related to our day to day activities. Be it a visit to a shopping mall or
      hospital or surfing Internet, we create voluminous data related to credit card
      transactions, user details, location information, and so on. These trails of data
      simply define an individual and form the backbone for user-profiling. With the
      mobile phones and their easy access to online social networks on the go, sensor
      data such as geo-taggings and events and sentiments around them contribute to the
      already overwhelming data containers. With reductions in the cost of storage and
      computational devices and with increasing proliferation of Cloud, we never felt
      any constraints in storing or processing such data. Eventually we end up having
      several exabytes of data and analysing them for their usefulness has introduced
      new frontiers of research. Effective distillation of these data is the need of
      the hour to improve the veracity of the Big Data. This research targets the
      utilization of the Fuzzy Bayesian process model to improve the quality of
      information in Big Data. 

PMID- 26495425
TI  - ISMAC: An Intelligent System for Customized Clinical Case Management and
      Analysis.
AB  - Clinical cases are primary and vital evidence for Traditional Chinese Medicine
      (TCM) clinical research. A great deal of medical knowledge is hidden in the
      clinical cases of the highly experienced TCM practitioner. With a deep Chinese
      culture background and years of clinical experience, an experienced TCM
      specialist usually has his or her unique clinical pattern and diagnosis idea.
      Preserving huge clinical cases of experienced TCM practitioners as well as
      exploring the inherent knowledge is then an important but arduous task. The novel
      system ISMAC (Intelligent System for Management and Analysis of Clinical Cases in
      TCM) is designed and implemented for customized management and intelligent
      analysis of TCM clinical data. Customized templates with standard and expert
      standard symptoms, diseases, syndromes, and Chinese Medince Formula (CMF) are
      constructed in ISMAC, according to the clinical diagnosis and treatment
      characteristic of each TCM specialist. With these templates, clinical cases are
      archived in order to maintain their original characteristics. Varying data
      analysis and mining methods, grouped as Basic Analysis, Association Rule, Feature
      Reduction, Cluster, Pattern Classification, and Pattern Prediction, are
      implemented in the system. With a flexible dataset retrieval mechanism, ISMAC is
      a powerful and convenient system for clinical case analysis and clinical
      knowledge discovery. 

PMID- 26495426
TI  - Modeling and Simulation of a Novel Relay Node Based Secure Routing Protocol Using
      Multiple Mobile Sink for Wireless Sensor Networks.
AB  - Data gathering and optimal path selection for wireless sensor networks (WSN)
      using existing protocols result in collision. Increase in collision further
      increases the possibility of packet drop. Thus there is a necessity to eliminate
      collision during data aggregation. Increasing the efficiency is the need of the
      hour with maximum security. This paper is an effort to come up with a reliable
      and energy efficient WSN routing and secure protocol with minimum delay. This
      technique is named as relay node based secure routing protocol for multiple
      mobile sink (RSRPMS). This protocol finds the rendezvous point for optimal
      transmission of data using a "splitting tree" technique in tree-shaped network
      topology and then to determine all the subsequent positions of a sink the "Biased
      Random Walk" model is used. In case of an event, the sink gathers the data from
      all sources, when they are in the sensing range of rendezvous point. Otherwise
      relay node is selected from its neighbor to transfer packets from rendezvous
      point to sink. A symmetric key cryptography is used for secure transmission. The
      proposed relay node based secure routing protocol for multiple mobile sink
      (RSRPMS) is experimented and simulation results are compared with Intelligent
      Agent-Based Routing (IAR) protocol to prove that there is increase in the network
      lifetime compared with other routing protocols. 

PMID- 26495427
TI  - Predicting Defects Using Information Intelligence Process Models in the Software
      Technology Project.
AB  - A key differentiator in a competitive market place is customer satisfaction. As
      per Gartner 2012 report, only 75%-80% of IT projects are successful. Customer
      satisfaction should be considered as a part of business strategy. The associated
      project parameters should be proactively managed and the project outcome needs to
      be predicted by a technical manager. There is lot of focus on the end state and
      on minimizing defect leakage as much as possible. Focus should be on proactively
      managing and shifting left in the software life cycle engineering model. Identify
      the problem upfront in the project cycle and do not wait for lessons to be learnt
      and take reactive steps. This paper gives the practical applicability of using
      predictive models and illustrates use of these models in a project to predict
      system testing defects thus helping to reduce residual defects. 

PMID- 26495429
TI  - Quality of Service Routing in Manet Using a Hybrid Intelligent Algorithm Inspired
      by Cuckoo Search.
AB  - A hybrid computational intelligent algorithm is proposed by integrating the
      salient features of two different heuristic techniques to solve a
      multiconstrained Quality of Service Routing (QoSR) problem in Mobile Ad Hoc
      Networks (MANETs) is presented. The QoSR is always a tricky problem to determine
      an optimum route that satisfies variety of necessary constraints in a MANET. The
      problem is also declared as NP-hard due to the nature of constant topology
      variation of the MANETs. Thus a solution technique that embarks upon the
      challenges of the QoSR problem is needed to be underpinned. This paper proposes a
      hybrid algorithm by modifying the Cuckoo Search Algorithm (CSA) with the new
      position updating mechanism. This updating mechanism is derived from the
      differential evolution (DE) algorithm, where the candidates learn from
      diversified search regions. Thus the CSA will act as the main search procedure
      guided by the updating mechanism derived from DE, called tuned CSA (TCSA).
      Numerical simulations on MANETs are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of
      the proposed TCSA method by determining an optimum route that satisfies various
      Quality of Service (QoS) constraints. The results are compared with some of the
      existing techniques in the literature; therefore the superiority of the proposed
      method is established. 

PMID- 26495428
TI  - Florivory Modulates the Seed Number-Seed Weight Relationship in Halenia elliptica
      (Gentianaceae).
AB  - Generally, plant reproductive success might be affected negatively by florivory,
      and the effects may vary depending on the timing and intensity of florivory. To
      clarify the impacts of florivory by the sawfly larvae (Tenthredinidae) on seed
      production of Halenia elliptica D. Don, we simulated florivory by removing
      different proportion of flowers at three reproductive stages in this alpine herb
      and then examined the seed number per fruit, the seed weight, and the seed mass
      per fruit of the remaining flowers. Seed number per fruit reduced significantly
      when flowers were removed at flowering and fruiting stages or when 15% and 60% of
      flowers were removed. However, seed weight increased significantly after flowers
      were removed, independent of treatments of reproductive stage and proportion.
      There was a similar seed mass per fruit between the plants subjected to
      simulation of florivory and control. The results indicated that florivory
      modulated the seed number-seed weight relationship in this alpine species. Our
      study suggested that selective seed abortion and resource reallocation within
      fruits may ensure fewer but larger seeds, which were expected to be adaptive in
      the harsh environments. 

PMID- 26495430
TI  - Proactive Alleviation Procedure to Handle Black Hole Attack and Its Version.
AB  - The world is moving towards a new realm of computing such as Internet of Things.
      The Internet of Things, however, envisions connecting almost all objects within
      the world to the Internet by recognizing them as smart objects. In doing so, the
      existing networks which include wired, wireless, and ad hoc networks should be
      utilized. Moreover, apart from other networks, the ad hoc network is full of
      security challenges. For instance, the MANET (mobile ad hoc network) is
      susceptible to various attacks in which the black hole attacks and its versions
      do serious damage to the entire MANET infrastructure. The severity of this attack
      increases, when the compromised MANET nodes work in cooperation with each other
      to make a cooperative black hole attack. Therefore this paper proposes an
      alleviation procedure which consists of timely mandate procedure, hole detection
      algorithm, and sensitive guard procedure to detect the maliciously behaving
      nodes. It has been observed that the proposed procedure is cost-effective and
      ensures QoS guarantee by assuring resource availability thus making the MANET
      appropriate for Internet of Things. 

PMID- 26495431
TI  - Synchronous Firefly Algorithm for Cluster Head Selection in WSN.
AB  - Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) consists of small low-cost, low-power
      multifunctional nodes interconnected to efficiently aggregate and transmit data
      to sink. Cluster-based approaches use some nodes as Cluster Heads (CHs) and
      organize WSNs efficiently for aggregation of data and energy saving. A CH conveys
      information gathered by cluster nodes and aggregates/compresses data before
      transmitting it to a sink. However, this additional responsibility of the node
      results in a higher energy drain leading to uneven network degradation. Low
      Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) offsets this by probabilistically
      rotating cluster heads role among nodes with energy above a set threshold. CH
      selection in WSN is NP-Hard as optimal data aggregation with efficient energy
      savings cannot be solved in polynomial time. In this work, a modified firefly
      heuristic, synchronous firefly algorithm, is proposed to improve the network
      performance. Extensive simulation shows the proposed technique to perform well
      compared to LEACH and energy-efficient hierarchical clustering. Simulations show
      the effectiveness of the proposed method in decreasing the packet loss ratio by
      an average of 9.63% and improving the energy efficiency of the network when
      compared to LEACH and EEHC. 

PMID- 26495432
TI  - Standardization of Syndrome Differentiation Defined by Traditional Chinese
      Medicine in Operative Breast Cancer: A Modified Delphi Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to establish the standardization of syndrome
      differentiation of operative breast cancer treated with Traditional Chinese
      Medicine (TCM) by the modified Delphi method. METHOD: A literature search for
      standardization of syndrome differentiation of operative breast cancer was
      conducted and eligible articles were identified in indexed databases from 1982 to
      2013. We carried out two rounds of investigation between March and October 2013
      and organized 20 experts who focused on TCM or integrative medicine in breast
      cancer research. Experts' judgments were collected via posted questionnaires or e
      mail. A final evaluation was carried out after the end of both rounds. RESULT:
      The response ratio of the 1st round investigation reached 100%, and two experts
      were excluded due to the uncompleted questionnaire. The 2nd round investigation
      was completed by 18 experts in the 1st round panel board. In both rounds, the
      experts agreed that the stage of breast cancer defined by TCM could be divided
      into the perioperation period, the perichemotherapy period, the periradiotherapy
      period, and the consolidation period. CONCLUSION: We identified the feasibility
      and reasonability to establish the standardization of syndrome differentiation of
      operative breast cancer. According to the suggestions from experts in our Delphi
      study, we preliminarily established the TCM standard of syndrome differentiation
      based on different treatment stages of operative breast cancer.

PMID- 26495433
TI  - Detecting Disease in Radiographs with Intuitive Confidence.
AB  - This paper argues in favor of a specific type of confidence for use in computer
      aided diagnosis and disease classification, namely, sine/cosine values of angles
      represented by points on the unit circle. The paper shows how this confidence is
      motivated by Chinese medicine and how sine/cosine values are directly related
      with the two forces Yin and Yang. The angle for which sine and cosine are equal
      (45 degrees ) represents the state of equilibrium between Yin and Yang, which is
      a state of nonduality that indicates neither normality nor abnormality in terms
      of disease classification. The paper claims that the proposed confidence is
      intuitive and can be readily understood by physicians. The paper underpins this
      thesis with theoretical results in neural signal processing, stating that a
      sine/cosine relationship between the actual input signal and the perceived
      (learned) input is key to neural learning processes. As a practical example, the
      paper shows how to use the proposed confidence values to highlight manifestations
      of tuberculosis in frontal chest X-rays. 

PMID- 26495434
TI  - Support Detection for SAR Tomographic Reconstructions from Compressive
      Measurements.
AB  - The problem of detecting and locating multiple scatterers in multibaseline
      Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) tomography, starting from compressive measurements
      and applying support detection techniques, is addressed. Different approaches
      based on the detection of the support set of the unknown sparse vector, that is,
      of the position of the nonzero elements in the unknown sparse vector, are
      analyzed. Support detection techniques have already proved to allow a reduction
      in the number of measurements required for obtaining a reliable solution. In this
      paper, a support detection method, based on a Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test
      (Sup-GLRT), is proposed and compared with the SequOMP method, in terms of
      probability of detection achievable with a given probability of false alarm and
      for different numbers of measurements. 

PMID- 26495435
TI  - Framing a Knowledge Base for a Legal Expert System Dealing with Indeterminate
      Concepts.
AB  - Despite decades of development of formal tools for modelling legal knowledge and
      reasoning, the creation of a fully fledged legal decision support system remains
      challenging. Among those challenges, such system requires an enormous amount of
      commonsense knowledge to derive legal expertise. This paper describes the
      development of a negotiation decision support system (the Parenting Plan Support
      System or PPSS) to support parents in drafting an agreement (the parenting plan)
      for the exercise of parental custody of minor children after a divorce is
      granted. The main objective here is to discuss problems of framing an intuitively
      appealing and computationally efficient knowledge base that can adequately
      represent the indeterminate legal concept of the well-being of the child in the
      context of continental legal culture and of Polish law in particular. In addition
      to commonsense reasoning, interpretation of such a concept demands both legal
      expertise and significant professional knowledge from other domains. 

PMID- 26495436
TI  - Competitive inhibition can linearize dose-response and generate a linear
      rectifier.
AB  - Many biological responses require a dynamic range that is larger than standard bi
      molecular interactions allow, yet the also ability to remain off at low input.
      Here we mathematically show that an enzyme reaction system involving a
      combination of competitive inhibition, conservation of the total level of
      substrate and inhibitor, and positive feedback can behave like a linear rectifier
      that is, a network motif with an input-output relationship that is linearly
      sensitive to substrate above a threshold but unresponsive below the threshold. We
      propose that the evolutionarily conserved yeast SAGA histone acetylation complex
      may possess the proper physiological response characteristics and molecular
      interactions needed to perform as a linear rectifier, and we suggest potential
      experiments to test this hypothesis. One implication of this work is that linear
      responses and linear rectifiers might be easier to evolve or synthetically
      construct than is currently appreciated.

PMID- 26495437
TI  - The Role of Macrophage in the Pathogenesis of Brain Arteriovenous Malformation.
AB  - Brain arteriovenous malformation (BAVM) is an important risk factor for
      intracranial hemorrhage, especially in children and young adults. Inflammation
      has been implicated in BAVM lesion progression. Among various inflammatory
      components, macrophage is one of the major inflammatory cells present in human
      ruptured and unruptured BAVM and in the BAVM lesions of animal models. The role
      of macrophage in BAVM pathogenesis is not fully understood. In this review, we
      summarize recent studies on macrophages and introduce a non-invasive imaging
      protocol as a potential tool for detecting macrophage in BAVM and predicting the
      risk of BAVM rupture.

PMID- 26495438
TI  - Protein thermal stabilization in aqueous solutions of osmolytes.
AB  - Proteins' thermal stabilization is a significant problem in various biomedical,
      biotechnological, and technological applications. We investigated thermal
      stability of hen egg white lysozyme in aqueous solutions of the following
      stabilizing osmolytes: Glycine (GLY), N-methylglycine (NMG), N,N-dimethylglycine
      (DMG), N,N,N-trimethylglycine (TMG), and trimethyl-N-oxide (TMAO). Results of CD
      UV spectroscopic investigation were compared with FTIR hydration studies'
      results. Selected osmolytes increased lysozyme's thermal stability in the
      following order: Gly>NMG>TMAO~DMG>TMG. Theoretical calculations (DFT) showed
      clearly that osmolytes' amino group protons and water molecules interacting with
      them played a distinctive role in protein thermal stabilization. The results
      brought us a step closer to the exact mechanism of protein stabilization by
      osmolytes.

PMID- 26495439
TI  - The roles of purinergic signaling in psychiatric disorders.
AB  - Ecto-purines and ecto-pyrimidines are present in the extracellular space of the
      central nervous system (CNS). Together with P1 and P2 receptors and nucleotides
      metabolizing ecto-enzymes, they make signaling system involved in
      neurotransmission, the modulation of sensory signals, including pain stimuli
      conduction, and the induction of apoptosis and necrosis of the cells. Purines and
      pyrimidines have a dual effect: positive (neuroprotective) of nucleosides, and
      negative (pro-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic) of nucleotides. Adenosine-5'
      triphosphate (ATP) in the CNS triggers the pro-inflammatory reactions,
      predominantly by activation of the P2X7 receptor, which results in production and
      release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In contrast to ATP, adenosine acts
      generally as an anti-inflammatory agent and plays an important role in
      neuroprotection. Currently, it is believed that the initiation of CNS diseases,
      including mental disorders, is caused by any imbalance between the concentration
      of ATP and adenosine in the extracellular space. Genetic tests provide also the
      evidence for the participation of purinergic signaling in psychiatric disorders.
      It is believed that any action leading to the effective increase of adenosine
      concentration: activation of nucleotide metabolizing ecto-enzymes (mainly
      NTPDases - nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases), inhibition of adenosine
      deaminase and/or adenosine kinase activity as well as therapies using P1 receptor
      agonists (adenosine or its analogues) might be beneficial in therapy of
      psychiatric disorders.

PMID- 26495441
TI  - Characterization of a novel laccase purified from the fungus Hohenbuehelia
      serotina and its decolourisation of dyes.
AB  - A novel laccase was purified from the white rot fungus, Hohenbuehelia serotina,
      to investigate the applications of this laccase in the decoloration of various
      dyes. SDS-PAGE revealed a single band of this laccase corresponding to a
      molecular weight of approximately 57.8 kDa. The enzyme showed activity towards
      several substrates, the most sensitive of which was 2,2'-Azinobis-(3
      ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS). The highest enzymatic activity using
      ABTS as a substrate was observed at pH 6.8 and 30 degrees C. The enzyme activity
      was found to be significantly enhanced in the presence of Zn(2+) ions and
      inhibited by Fe(2+) ions. Moreover, SDS and beta-mercaptoethanol were inhibitory,
      and inhibition by L-cysteine was observed while EDTA and DMSO had almost no
      inhibitory effect. The laccase could effectively decolorize seven different dyes
      within 30 minutes at 40 degrees C. 

PMID- 26495440
TI  - Intra-strains diversity of expression of polymorphic PKS4 gene in comparison in
      zearalenone production by Fusarium graminearum during in vitro cultivation.
AB  - Filamentous fungi belonging to the Fusarium genus are responsible for large
      economic losses due to their high pathogenicity and toxigenicity. Fusarium sp.
      may produce variety of mycotoxins, one of them is zearalenone (ZEA). The presence
      of the PKS4 gene shows the possibility of zearalenone biosynthesis by Fusarium
      sp. In this study, in four Fusarium graminearum and one Fusarium poae strains the
      presence of PKS4 genes and ZEA concentrations were determined. The presence of
      the PKS4 gene was confirmed by classical polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in three
      of four strains of F. graminearum. One strain with no PKS4 gene detected was
      found while still producing ZEA. In the present study, a real-time PCR assay has
      been successfully performed for the relative expression of Fusarium strains based
      on new designed primers targeting the PKS4 gene involved in ZEA biosynthesis.
      Result shows that P56/4 strain of F. graminearum has the highest mRNA level, in
      the range of 12, what correlates to the high production of this mycotoxin. In
      this study, a real-time PCR assay has been successfully developed for the
      prediction of the production of ZEA by F. graminearum strains by PCR real-time
      techniques based on primers targeting the gene, PKS4, involved in ZEA
      biosynthesis. The special significance was pointed to occurring genes
      polymorphism.

PMID- 26495442
TI  - Fluorescence of N-acylated dansylamide with a long hydrophobic tail: sensitive
      response to premicellar aggregation of sodium deoxycholate.
AB  - The present work describes the synthesis and photophysical studies of two
      fluorescent dansylamide derivatives, in which the amine group is acylated by a
      long hydrophobic chain (a part of a biologically relevant palmitic acid) and by a
      short hydrophobic tail (a part of acetic acid). The long chain tethered dansyl
      analogue is successfully utilized in estimating critical micellar concentration
      (CMC) of bile salts (NaDC, NaC) as well as anionic and cationic surfactants (SDS,
      CTAB) with the help of enhanced fluorescence intensity facilitated by better
      solubilization of the molecule in microheterogeneous media. The long chain
      tethered dansylamide derivative shows significant fluorescence solvatochromism
      with a red shift (ca. 4000 cm(-1)) from hexane to water. In contrast, the
      solvatochromism exhibited by the parent/short acyl chain analogue is much less
      (ca. 2230 cm(-1) from hexane to water) and the fluorescence is not sensitive to
      micellization. Interestingly, the long chain tethered fluorescent probe shows
      high sensitivity towards premicellar aggregation of sodium deoxycholate (NaDC)
      bile salt, through a clear blue shift of emission maxima and concomitant
      enhancement of fluorescent intensity. Such an observation of fluorescence sensing
      of premicellar aggregation is unusual. 

PMID- 26495443
TI  - Solid oxide electrolysis--a key enabling technology for sustainable energy
      scenarios.
AB  - Production of fuels and chemicals from steam and/or CO2 with solid oxide
      electrolysis cells (SOEC) and electricity have attracted considerable interest
      recently. This paper is an extended version of the introductory lecture presented
      at the first Faraday Discussions meeting on the subject. The focus is on the
      state of the art of cells, stacks and systems. Thermodynamics, performance and
      degradation are addressed. Remaining challenges and potential application of the
      technology are discussed from an industrial perspective. 

PMID- 26495444
TI  - Towards ultra-high peak capacities and peak-production rates using spatial three
      dimensional liquid chromatography.
AB  - In order to successfully tackle the truly complex separation problems arising
      from areas such as proteomics research, the development of ultra-efficient and
      fast separation technology is required. In spatial three-dimensional
      chromatography, components are separated in the space domain with each peak being
      characterized by its coordinates in a three-dimensional separation body. Spatial
      three-dimensional (3D-)LC has the potential to offer unprecedented resolving
      power when orthogonal retention mechanisms are applied, since the total peak
      capacity is the product of the three individual peak capacities. Due to parallel
      developments during the second- and third-dimension separations, the analysis
      time is greatly reduced compared to a coupled-column multi-dimensional LC
      approach. This communication discusses the different design aspects to create a
      microfluidic chip for spatial 3D-LC. The use of physical barriers to confine the
      flow between the individual developments, and flow control by the use of (2)D and
      (3)D flow distributors is discussed. Furthermore, the in situ synthesis of
      monolithic stationary phases is demonstrated. Finally, the potential performance
      of a spatial 3D-LC systems is compared with the performance obtained with state
      of-the-art 1D-LC and (coupled-column) 2D-LC approaches via a Pareto-optimization
      approach. The proposed microfluidic device for 3D-LC featuring 16 (2)D channels
      and 256 (3)D channels can potentially yield a peak capacity of 8000 in a total
      analysis time of 10 minutes. 

PMID- 26495445
TI  - The SPL7013 dendrimer destabilizes the HIV-1 gp120-CD4 complex.
AB  - The poly (l-lysine)-based SPL7013 dendrimer with naphthalene disulphonate surface
      groups blocks the entry of HIV-1 into target cells and is in clinical trials for
      development as a topical microbicide. Its mechanism of action against R5 HIV-1,
      the HIV-1 variant implicated in transmission across individuals, remains poorly
      understood. Using docking and fully atomistic MD simulations, we find that
      SPL7013 binds tightly to R5 gp120 in the gp120-CD4 complex but weakly to gp120
      alone. Further, the binding, although to multiple regions of gp120, does not
      occlude the CD4 binding site on gp120, suggesting that SPL7013 does not prevent
      the binding of R5 gp120 to CD4. Using MD simulations to compute binding energies
      of several docked structures, we find that SPL7013 binding to gp120 significantly
      weakens the gp120-CD4 complex. Finally, we use steered molecular dynamics (SMD)
      to study the kinetics of the dissociation of the gp120-CD4 complex in the absence
      of the dendrimer and with the dendrimer bound in each of the several stable
      configurations to gp120. We find that SPL7013 significantly lowers the force
      required to rupture the gp120-CD4 complex and accelerates its dissociation. Taken
      together, our findings suggest that SPL7013 compromises the stability of the R5
      gp120-CD4 complex, potentially preventing the accrual of the requisite number of
      gp120-CD4 complexes across the virus-cell interface, thereby blocking virus
      entry.

PMID- 26495447
TI  - [Management of more frequent complications of laparoscopic surgery. Minimally
      invasive or always open surgery?].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Two decades after the far-reaching establishment of elective
      laparoscopic surgery, the questions arise whether and when the benefits of this
      technology can be sufficiently and safely implemented even in cases of
      complications. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The currently available literature was
      analyzed in the context of recommendations for the management of complications in
      laparoscopic surgery. RESULTS: Intraoperative and postoperative complications of
      minimally invasive surgery necessitating treatment are extremely rare and can be
      expected in only 0.1-5 % of interventions, depending on the complexity of the
      intervention. In addition to adhesion-related and anatomical limitations, they
      are responsible for the necessity to convert to open surgery in approximately 40
      60 % of the cases. DISCUSSION: Due to the relative rarity and great variety of
      potential complications, there is no scientific evidence at the study level that
      can give reliable recommendations for a management strategy in every situation.
      It still has to be decided on an individual basis and depending on the particular
      clinical situation if a successful laparoscopic management can be sufficiently
      and safely carried out. It has been found that a number of complications can be
      well controlled by minimally invasive procedures; however, in addition to a high
      level of personal experience in laparoscopy, optimal technical, institutional and
      instrumental conditions must be available. If these factors are not present in
      total, a conventional open approach should still be given preference.

PMID- 26495448
TI  - [Management of complications after bariatric surgery].
AB  - The frequency of bariatric surgical interventions is increasing throughout
      Europe. Minimally invasive techniques have led to decreased morbidity and
      mortality as well as shorter hospitalization; therefore, non-bariatric surgeons
      are more likely to be confronted with bariatric emergency situations. Knowledge
      of the specific clinical behavior of morbidly obese patients is important. This
      article describes the most frequent early and late complications following the
      most popular bariatric operations in German speaking parts of Europe (e.g.
      gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and gastric banding).

PMID- 26495449
TI  - [Enanthema and painful ulceration of the tongue in a young woman].

PMID- 26495450
TI  - [Rhinosinusitis in cystic fibrosis].
AB  - In cystic fibrosis (CF) mucociliary clearance of the entire respiratory system is
      impaired. This allows pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa to persist and
      proliferate, which by progressive pulmonary destruction causes 90 % of premature
      deaths due to this inherited disease. The dramatic improvement in life
      expectation of patients due to intensive therapy has resulted in the inevitable
      but variably expressed sinonasal involvement coming into the clinical and
      scientific focus. Thereby, almost all CF patients reveal sinonasal pathology and
      many suffer from chronic rhinosinusitis. Recently, the sinonasal niche has been
      recognized as a site of initial and persistent colonization by pathogens. This
      article presents the pathophysiological background of this multiorgan disease as
      well as general diagnostic and therapeutic standards. The focus of this article
      is on sinonasal involvement and conservative and surgical options for treatment.
      Prevention of pathogen acquisition is an essential issue in the
      otorhinolaryngological treatment of CF patients.

PMID- 26495451
TI  - [History of the German Spine Society].
AB  - The objective of this article is to summarize the history of the German Spine
      Society (DWG). This society resulted in the year 2006 after several attempts from
      the fusion of two established German societies, which were dealing with topics
      around the spine, der "German Society for Spine Research" founded in the year
      1958 and the "German Society for Spine Surgery" founded in the year 1987. This
      fusion was the beginning of a success story, as from this time on the annual
      membership increased so much that the DWG became the largest spine society in
      Europe and one of all spine societies worldwide. 

PMID- 26495446
TI  - Adhesion receptors involved in HSC and early-B cell interactions with bone marrow
      microenvironment.
AB  - Hematopoiesis takes place in the bone marrow of adult mammals and is the process
      by which blood cells are replenished every day throughout life. Differentiation
      of hematopoietic cells occurs in a stepwise manner through intermediates of
      differentiation that could be phenotypically identified. This has allowed
      establishing hematopoietic cell classification with hematopoietic stem cells
      (HSCs) at the top of the hierarchy. HSCs are mostly quiescent and serve as a
      reservoir for maintenance of lifelong hematopoiesis. Over recent years, it has
      become increasingly clear that HSC quiescence is not only due to intrinsic
      properties, but is also mediated by cognate interactions between HSCs and
      surrounding cells within micro-anatomical sites called "niches". This
      hematopoietic/stromal crosstalk model also applies to more mature progenitors
      such as B cell progenitors, which are thought to reside in distinct "niches".
      This prompted many research teams to search for specific molecular mechanisms
      supporting leuko-stromal crosstalk in the bone marrow and acting at specific
      stage of differentiation to regulate hematopoietic homeostasis. Here, we review
      recent data on adhesion mechanisms involved in HSCs and B cell progenitors
      interactions with surrounding bone marrow stromal cells.

PMID- 26495452
TI  - [Seasonal distribution of clinical case codes (DOC study)].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The German diagnosis-related groups remuneration system (G-DRG) was
      implemented in 2004 and patient-related diagnoses and procedures lead to
      allocation to specific DRGs. This system includes several codes, such as case mix
      (CM), case mix index (CMI) and number of cases. Seasonal distribution of these
      codes as well as distribution of diagnoses and DRGs may lead to logistical
      consequences for clinical management. METHODS: From 2004 to 2013 all the main
      diagnoses and DRGs for inpatients were recorded. Monthly and seasonal
      distributions were analyzed using ANOVA. RESULTS: The average monthly number of
      cases was 265 +/- 25 cases, the average CM was 388.50 +/- 51.75 and the average
      CMI was 1.46 +/- 0.15 with no significant seasonal differences (p > 0.1).
      Concussion was the most frequently occurring main diagnosis (3739 cases) followed
      by fractures of the humeral head (699). Significant distribution differences
      could be shown for humeral head fractures in monthly (p = 0.018) and seasonal
      comparisons (p = 0.006) with a maximum in winter. Radius (p = 0.01) and ankle
      fractures (p <= 0.001) also occurred most frequently in winter. Non-bony lesions
      of the shoulder were significantly less in spring (p = 0.04). The DRGs showed no
      evidence of a monthly or seasonal clustering (p > 0.1). CONCLUSION: The
      significant clustering of injuries in specific months and seasons should lead to
      logistic consequences (e.g. operating room slots, availability of nursing and
      anesthesia staff). For a needs assessment the analysis of main diagnoses is more
      appropriate than DRGs.

PMID- 26495453
TI  - Reply to Function and Structure of the RWD Domain.

PMID- 26495454
TI  - Whips in racing: is it time to take a stronger stand?

PMID- 26495455
TI  - Graduate survey: Uncertain futures.

PMID- 26495456
TI  - Guido Tarone, Ph.D. (1951-2015).

PMID- 26495457
TI  - [Examination fanaticism].

PMID- 26495458
TI  - [Straightforward and clear premises].

PMID- 26495459
TI  - [HPV vaccination for girls is effective and safe].

PMID- 26495460
TI  - [Unethical to continue to promote the HPV vaccine].

PMID- 26495461
TI  - [Physicians' role in prioritization should be limited].

PMID- 26495463
TI  - [Caught in the registry jungle].

PMID- 26495464
TI  - [KRIS and RADS enhances the quality of medication use].

PMID- 26495465
TI  - [Adverse events and side effects--can it also be patient injuries?].

PMID- 26495466
TI  - [Like a developing country when it comes to medicine and prioritization].

PMID- 26495467
TI  - [OECD views on general practice in Denmark].

PMID- 26495468
TI  - [Half of the new cancer treatments are better than the old treatments!].

PMID- 26495469
TI  - [Reply: Rosthoj misunderstands averages].

PMID- 26495470
TI  - [Lack of clarity about asthma and allergies in children].

PMID- 26495471
TI  - [Reply: Allergy is not always the cause of asthma].

PMID- 26495472
TI  - [It is over with the general practice we know and love].

PMID- 26495473
TI  - [Troubling increase in consumption of the sleeping drug melatonin for children].

PMID- 26495474
TI  - [I am confused and frustrated].

PMID- 26495475
TI  - [Outpatient induction of Labour--not who or how, but where].

PMID- 26495476
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26495478
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26495477
TI  - [Reply: Guidelines are not based on individual cases].

PMID- 26495480
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26495479
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26495481
TI  - [Who knows the number of side effects?].

PMID- 26495483
TI  - [Reply: We have balanced benefits against disadvantages].

PMID- 26495482
TI  - [Not solid evidence for induction of labour with misoprostol].

PMID- 26495484
TI  - [Reply: All side effects must be reported].

PMID- 26495485
TI  - [Region uses medication reviews despite weak evidence].

PMID- 26495486
TI  - [Better technique for lumbar puncture].

PMID- 26495487
TI  - [Implementation of LEAN Healthcare in an emergency department].

PMID- 26495488
TI  - [Too positive and uncritical dissemination of Glycopyrronium].

PMID- 26495489
TI  - [The simple, the difficult and the obvious--about the opportunities and pitfalls
      of the diagnostic warranty].

PMID- 26495490
TI  - [Reply: Good with options].

PMID- 26495491
TI  - [Conscientious hesitation].

PMID- 26495493
TI  - [Why is it so difficult to diagnose schizophrenia?].

PMID- 26495494
TI  - [The world's psychiatry plan--and Denmark's].

PMID- 26495495
TI  - [Open letter to the authors of the chronicle "Faith in the future of general
      practice?"].

PMID- 26495496
TI  - [Human rights, the new religion?].

PMID- 26495497
TI  - [It can be dangerous to operate--but it can also be dangerous to leave it be...].

PMID- 26495498
TI  - [Our research on the pharmaceutical industry is well documented].

PMID- 26495499
TI  - [Thrombosis in the brain].

PMID- 26495500
TI  - [Municipalities actions for people with back issues is risky].

PMID- 26495501
TI  - [Medical school and the real World].

PMID- 26495502
TI  - [Choosing function measurements].

PMID- 26495503
TI  - [The debate on The Danish Committees on Scientific Dishonesty and Gotzsche, the
      persecuted innocence or...].

PMID- 26495504
TI  - [Real physicians do not cry?].

PMID- 26495506
TI  - [Good prognosis for heart transplant patients in Denmark].

PMID- 26495505
TI  - [Anniversary--Bispebjerg hospital 19. September 1913-2013].

PMID- 26495507
TI  - [We're sorry that the message has not come through clearly enough].

PMID- 26495508
TI  - [The future of psychiatry].

PMID- 26495509
TI  - Diabetics at increased risk of advanced breast cancer.

PMID- 26495510
TI  - [Should we reduce the number of hospital beds now?].

PMID- 26495512
TI  - A Tribute to RHM Founding Editor, Marge Berer.

PMID- 26495511
TI  - [Treatment of cerebral ischemia using mesenchymal stem cell-clinical trial phase
      III].

PMID- 26495514
TI  - Extension of the Expiration Date for State Disability Examiner   Authority To
      Make Fully Favorable Quick Disability Determinations and Compassionate Allowance
      Determinations. Final rule.
AB  - We are extending the expiration date of our rule that authorizes State agency
      disability examiners to make fully favorable determinations without the approval
      of a State agency medical or psychological consultant in claims that we consider
      under our quick disability determination (QDD) and compassionate allowance (CAL)
      processes. The current rule will expire on November 13, 2015. In this final rule,
      we are changing the November 13, 2015 expiration or ''sunset'' date to November
      11, 2016, extending the authority for 1 year. We are making no other substantive
      changes.

PMID- 26495513
TI  - Medical Bill Sticker Shock. Five years after the Affordable Care Act become law,
      more of us than ever now have health insurance--but we're also paying more out of
      pocket. Just in time for open enrollment, we identify 7 costly traps to avoid.

PMID- 26495515
TI  - Medical Devices; Cardiovascular Devices; Classification of the   Coronary
      Vascular Physiologic Simulation Software Device. Final order.
AB  - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is classifying the coronary vascular
      physiologic simulation software device into class II (special controls). The
      special controls that will apply to the device are identified in this order and
      will be part of the codified language for the coronary vascular physiologic
      simulation software device's classification. The Agency is classifying the device
      into class II (special controls) in order to provide a reasonable assurance of
      safety and effectiveness of the device.

PMID- 26495516
TI  - Progress toward eliminating onchocerciasis in the WHO Region of the Americas:
      verification of elimination of transmission in Mexico.

PMID- 26495517
TI  - Progress towards poliomyelitis eradication: Afghanistan, January 2014-August
      2015.

PMID- 26495518
TI  - Pain and punishment for persons with mental disabilities behind bars in the USA.

PMID- 26495519
TI  - Asserting control: a cautionary tale.

PMID- 26495520
TI  - [NODULAR POLYARTERITIS ASSOCIATED WITH HEPATITIS B VIRUS (A CASE STUDY)].
AB  - This study is focused on a case of nodular polyarteritis associated with
      hepatitis B virus successfully treated by immunosuppressive and antiviral agents.

PMID- 26495521
TI  - [MAJOR MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR MANIFESTATIONS OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS].
AB  - The authors consider machanisms and peculiarities of development of
      atherosclerosis at the tissue level and the main characteristics of
      atherogenesis, viz. lipoidosis, fibrosis, enhanced intimacyte proliferation,
      local intima-media thickening. Results of counting subendothelial cells,
      assessment of their proliferative and synthetic activities in affected and intact
      arterial segments are presented Variants of lipid metabolism disorders are
      described.

PMID- 26495522
TI  - [CURRENT VIEWS OF DIAGNOSTICS AND STRATEGY OF THE TREATMENT OF STABLE ISCHEMIC
      HEART DISEASE].
AB  - Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide and stable
      IHD is one of its most important clinical forms. Recent decades brought new data
      on algorithms of diagnostics, pharmacotherapy and myocardium revascularization in
      patients with stable IHD. They were summarised in American (2012) and European
      (2013) recommendations on the management of this condition. The present paper is
      designed to discuss these algorithms with reference to the currently available
      evidence, results of the last studies and international guidelines.

PMID- 26495523
TI  - [INTRAHEPATIC CHOLESTASIS OF PREGNANCY: STATE-OF-THE-ART].
AB  - Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a relatively benign cholestatic
      pathology of the liver developing in II or III trimester of pregnancy and
      characterized by itchy skin and enhanced serum bile acid levels. The cause of ICP
      is unknown; it may have a multifactor nature involving genetic (ABCB4, EXR, ABCC2
      genes), hormonal (estrogens, progesterone), and environmental factors. As a rule,
      ICP first manifests itself on weeks 28-30 of pregnancy in the form of pruritus
      especially pronounced at night time. Almost half of the patients develop
      jaundice, usually within 1-4 weeks after appearance of pruritus. The enhanced
      serum bile acid level is sometimes the first or the sole laboratory sign of the
      disease. Ursodeoxycholic acid is currently the drug of choice for the treatment
      of ICP due to its confirmed effectiveness and safety.

PMID- 26495524
TI  - [PIECETIME BURNS. SOURCES OF DANGER].
AB  - We analysed 54 foreign publications concerning sources of danger of thermal
      injuries inflicted in pieacetime. The negative effect of alcohol consumption is
      emphasised. Special attention is given to the necessity of safety measures when
      makingfire by people engaging in leisure activities and to the cases of chemical
      burns resulting from aggressive attacks of third persons. Certain authors report
      marked cicatrical deformities developing after skin restoration. A variety of
      sources of danger necessitates the development and introduction of effective of
      socio-legislative normatives designed to reduce the occurrence of thermal
      injuries.

PMID- 26495525
TI  - [LEFT VENTRICULAR MYOCARDIAL REMODELING IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION
      ASSOCIATED WITH ACID-DEPENDENT DISEASES].
AB  - Comorbid pathologies remain a serious challenge for researchers and
      practitioners. According to different authors, from 11.6 to 50% therapeutic
      patients suffer arterial hypertension (AH) concomitant with acid-dependent
      diseases (ADD). Peculiarities of such combination are poorly known. The aim of
      this work was to evaluate the structural and functional status of left
      ventricular (LV) myocardium in patients with AH and ADD. It included 127 patients
      of mean age 42.44:2.78 years. Control group consisted of 25 age-matched patients
      with isolated AH. The ultrasound study of structural and functional parameters of
      LV myocardium was followed by the analysis of various types of its remodeling. It
      was shown that patients with isolated AH are characterized by significantly
      higher structural and functional parameters of LV myocardium remodeling compared
      with the patients having AH and concomitant ADD. It suggests a specific type of
      remodeling in the former group that can be used as a predictor of higher
      cardiovascular risk in these patients.

PMID- 26495526
TI  - [CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AS A RISK FACTOR OF CHRONIC GLOMERULONEPHRITIS
      PROGRESS].
AB  - The study was aimed at studying progression of chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN)
      associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      clinical course of CGN with and without concomitant CVD was followed up in 75 men
      and 44 women aged 17-66 (mean 37.6 +/- 12.9) years. Duration of the disease
      varied from 1 to 17 years. The appearance of persistent proteinuria and/or
      hematuria was regarded as the onset of the disease. The following laboratory
      parameters were recorded: hemoglobin level, packed cell volume, erythrocyte
      number daily proteinuria, glomerular filtration rate. CVD were diagnosed using
      electro- and echocardiography, veloergometry, and 24 hr Holter monitoring.
      RESULTS: Patients with CGN and CVD showed a significantly increased serum
      creatinine level] 110 (180-181) vs 87 (64-134) mcmol/l, p = 0.01], reduced
      glomerular filtration rate [79.1 (41.1-104.5) vs 103.1 (67.2-146.8) ml/min, p =
      0.0I] compared to the patients with CGN without CVD. Combination of CGN and CVD
      significantly decreased the 5 and 7 year survival rate. CONCLUSION: Combination
      of CGN and SVD at the pre-dialysis stage deteriorates nitrogen excretion by the
      liver and reduces the liver survival rate.

PMID- 26495527
TI  - [BRONCHIAL ASTHMA AND METABOLIC SYNDROME].
AB  - Bronchial asthma (BA) and metabolic syndrome (MS) are important socio-medical
      problems with complicated pathogenetic relations between them that account for
      the development of mutually aggravating conditions making it dificult to control
      BA and deteriorating quality of life. AIM: To study the clinical picture of BA in
      patients with MS and analyse the influence of MS components on BA control.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 95 patients with partly controlled BA
      divided into 2 groups. Group 1 comprised 35 patients with BA without MS, group 2
      consisted of 60 patients with BA and MS. Their comprehensive clinical and
      instrumental examination included evaluation of clinical symptoms and BA control,
      quality of life, anthropometric and spirometric data, arterial pressure,
      carbohydrate metabolism, blood lipid spectrum. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Patients
      with BA and MS suffered more pronounced changes of bronchial patency (forced
      expiratory volume during the first second) and the spread of daily peak
      exhalation rates than patients without MC. Also, they showed a tendency toward a
      decrease of vital lung capacity and Tiffeneau index. The assessment of the
      quality of life based on the Short Form-36 questionnaire revealed marked negative
      effect of BA +MS combination. Results of the first stage of the study were
      confirmed by correlation analysis of MS components, BA picture and control,
      spirometric data and quality of life characteristics. Among MS components,
      abdominal obesity and BMI showed the best correlation with the parameters
      characterizing the clinical picture of BA, such as apnea, BA control, results of
      spirometry (forced expiratory volume during the first second), and the spread of
      daily peak exhalation rates. CONCLUSION: The presence of MS components (obesity,
      arterial hypertension, disordered lipid and carbohydrate metabolism) increases
      severity of BA and accounts for the deterioration of the patients' quality of
      life.

PMID- 26495528
TI  - [PROGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ENDOTHELIN-I LEVEL IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL
      HYPERTENSION DIFFERING IN VITAMIN D LEVEL].
AB  - The aim of the study was to measure blood vitamin D (25(OH)D) and endothelin-1
      levels by enzyme immunoassay and estimate their relation to results of 24-hr
      arterial pressure monitoring (APM) in patients with arterial hypertension
      differing in vitamin D level. The study included 144 patients with grade II AH
      (114 women of mean aged 50.8 +/- 6 yr and 30 men of mean age 46 +/- 6 yr). They
      were divided into 3 groups depending on the total 25(OH)D level. Group I was
      comprised of patients with 25(OH)D deficiency (below 20 ng/ml), group 2 included
      patients with 25(OH) D insufficiency (20-30 ng/ml), group 3 consisted of patients
      with optimal 25(OH)D level (over 39 ng/ml). Mean total 25(OH)D and endothelin-1
      levels were 24.87 [17.03;34.07] ng/ml and 0.54 [0.38;0.63]pg/ml respectively The
      patients of groups 1 and 2, but not group 3 showed positive correlations between
      the following APM characteristics: mean systolic/diastolic arterial pressure
      (SAP/DAP) and SAP/DAP time index during 24 hours, day- and night-time; SAP/DAP
      variability at night-time and endothelin-1 level. The endothelin-1 level 10.51
      pg/ml or higher measured with a sensitivity of 8% allows to predict, regardless
      of the 25(OH)D level, the superthreshold values of the following APM parameters:
      mean daily SAP/DAP during 24 hours, day- and night-time, SAP/DAP time index
      during 24 hours and daytime, enhanced SAP/DAP variability at night-time, DAP at
      daytime.

PMID- 26495529
TI  - [SEVERE HCV-ASSOCIATED CRYOGLOBULINEMIC VASCULITIS].
AB  - A case of severe recurrent cryoglobulinemic vasculitis with hepatic lesions and
      diffuse skin necrosis is described. The relevant literature data and approaches
      to the treatment of different forms of the disease are discussed.

PMID- 26495530
TI  - [THE USE OF PROTON MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY IN THE PATIENTS WITH FATTY
      INFILTRATION OF THE LIVER].
AB  - The number of patients with metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and
      obesity increases all over the world; the prevalence of these conditions in
      developed countries amounts to 20-30 per 1,000 adult population. Most studies
      demonstrate their direct relation to non-alcoholic fatty infiltration of the
      liver. MRI is the only non-invasive method allowing to quantitatively determine
      the degree of fatty infiltration of the liver with high sensitivity and
      specificity comparable with those attainable by morphological studies. Proton
      magnetic resonance spectroscopy is an effective non-invasive diagnostic method
      for dynamic and quantitative evaluation of fat content in the liver undergoing
      non-alcoholic fatty infiltration. Specifically, its application to estimate the
      efficacy of a lipid-reducing diet and therapy revealed normalization of lipid
      metabolism in 57% of the patients within 6 months after the onset of the
      treatment (the lipid level decreased two-fold in 28% of the patients).

PMID- 26495531
TI  - [THE PHARMACOTHERAPEUTIC EFFICIENCY OF CYTOFLAVIN IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETIC FOOT
      SYNDROME: IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM RESULTS].
AB  - Immediate and long-term results of parenteral and oral administration of
      cytoflavin to patients with diabetic foot complicated by grade I and II trophic
      ulcers (Wagner classification) are considered with special reference to the
      assessment of reparative processes, normalization of the serum pro oxidant
      antioxidant system, and improvement of clinical and instrumental bloodflow
      characteristics.

PMID- 26495532
TI  - [CAUSES OF DEATH IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFECTION IN NON-SPECIALIZED
      SETTINGS].
AB  - The aim of the study was to analyse the causes of death in patients with acute
      myocardial infection (AMI) treated in non-specialized settings of the city of
      Tomsk based on the WHO registry of AIM. A total of 156 deaths from AIM that
      occurred in 2013 were studied. The diagnoses were verified using results of
      autopsies. The study group included 42.3% of men and 57.7% of women. 91.7% of the
      deceased patients aged above 50 years including 30.4% of those above 80 years.
      All patients were referred to the clinics by the emergency aid services. Most of
      them presented with the atypical onset and clinical picture of AIM, had an
      aggravated medical history, and died soon after hospitalization. Results of
      primary medical examination suggested AIM only in 58.3% of the cases. The
      remaining patients showed ECG signs of possible AIM. Positive results of serum
      enzyme tests (creatine phosphokinase, its MB fraction, troponin) were obtained in
      72.4% of the cases. It is concluded that the above death cases were very
      complicated diagnostically, clinically, and prognostically. To prevent lethal
      outcomes, all patients with unstable angina should be hospitalized only in
      specialized clinics providing regular ECG monitoring and control of biochemical
      markers of myocardial necrosis for diagnostics of suspected AIM.

PMID- 26495533
TI  - [HISTORY OF THE NAVAL MEDICAL ACADEMY].
AB  - The article presents information on the history of the Naval Medical Academy
      (NMA), the preconditions of its creation, the composition of the faculty of Naval
      Department of the 1st Leningrad Medical Institute, of the 3rd Leningrad medical
      Institute andfirst teachers of NMA.

PMID- 26495534
TI  - [The myopia epidemic].

PMID- 26495535
TI  - [Vaccine preventative interventions of clinic infections - dream or reality in
      progressive antibiotic resistance].

PMID- 26495536
TI  - [BeKD 2015 Annual Congress: health and pediatric nurses in the school].

PMID- 26495537
TI  - [Compartment syndrome and Volkmann contracture].

PMID- 26495539
TI  - [Family health as research focus].

PMID- 26495538
TI  - [New nursing career regulation: only with GKiKP prioritization].

PMID- 26495540
TI  - [The first 1000 days: survey of pregnant women and mothers. Proper nutrition for
      a healthy future].

PMID- 26495541
TI  - [Rheinland-Pfalzer beware: the countdown is in progress!].

PMID- 26495542
TI  - In today's complex and changing healthcare environment, engaged and effective
      board governance is critical.

PMID- 26495543
TI  - Board Governance: Transformational Approaches Under Healthcare Reform.
AB  - Previous successes of healthcare organizations and effective governance practices
      in the pre-reform environment are not predictive of future success. Healthcare
      has been through numerous phases of growth and development using tried-and-true
      strategies. The challenge is that our toolbox does not contain what is needed to
      build the future healthcare delivery systems required in the post-reform world.
      Healthcare has had a parochial focus at the local level, with some broadening of
      horizons at the state and national levels. But healthcare delivery is now a
      global issue that requires a totally different perspective, and many countries
      are confronting similar issues. US healthcare reform initiatives have far
      reaching implications. Compounding the reform dynamics are the simultaneously
      occurring, gamechanging accelerants such as enabling information technologies and
      mobile health, new providers of healthcare, increased consumer demands, and
      limited healthcare dollars, to name a few. Operating in this turbulent
      environment requires transformational board, executive, and physician leadership
      because traditional ways of planning for incremental change and attempting to
      time those adjustments can prove disastrous. Creating the legacy healthcare
      system for tomorrow requires governing boards and executive leadership to act
      today as they would in the desired future system. Boards need to create a culture
      that fosters.innovation with a tolerance for risk and some failure. To provide
      effective governance, boards must essentially develop new skills, expertise, and
      ways of thinking. The rapid rate of change requires board members to possess
      certain capabilities, including the ability to deal with ambiguity and
      uncertainty while demonstrating flexibility and adaptability, all with a driving
      commitment to metrics and results. This requires development plans for both
      individual members and the overall board. In short, the board needs to function
      differently, particularly regarding the types of discussions at and the focus of
      board meetings.

PMID- 26495544
TI  - Governance Resilience: The Presbyterian Journey.
AB  - Presbyterian Healthcare Services, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the
      state's only private, not-for-profit integrated healthcare system. It was founded
      in 1908 as a sanitorium for tuberculosis patients who came to the arid Southwest
      in search of a cure. Today, Presbyterian is thriving as a twenty-first-century
      integrated healthcare system, serving one in three New Mexicans in its statewide
      hospital system; it also includes a 440,000-member health plan and a 700-plus
      provider medical group. Presbyterian remains dedicated to its singular purpose of
      improving the health of the patients, members, and communities it serves. Just as
      Presbyterian has progressed and grown during its 106-year history, its governance
      system has evolved over time. Presbyterian has always believed that the New
      Mexico communities it serves deserve not just good governance but great
      governance and relies on strong structure and processes to lead it to superior
      outcomes. The ebb and flow of change, our ability to learn from trial and error,
      and our commitment to success in spite of obstacles make up the story of
      Presbyterian's strong governance system.

PMID- 26495545
TI  - Rafting the Rapids of Reform with the Governing Directors on Board.

PMID- 26495546
TI  - Building a Better Board.

PMID- 26495547
TI  - Board Governance: Reform-Driven Transformation and Reexamination of Fundamentals.

PMID- 26495548
TI  - Response from a Feature Author.

PMID- 26495549
TI  - HEALTHCARE HAS FAILED.

PMID- 26495550
TI  - Retail and Real Estate: The Changing Landscape of Care Delivery.
AB  - By its nature, retail medicine is founded in real estate. That retail medicine
      has expanded so dramatically in a relatively short period of time has taken
      people by surprise. This rapid growth of integrating healthcare services into
      retail real estate begs the question of whether real estate will eventually take
      on the importance in healthcare delivery that it has in retail. This article
      advances the view that it will. In the end, what retail and healthcare have in
      common is that they both reflect the attributes of demanding consumers as part of
      an experience-based economy, where products and services are sought based on how
      they fit with their lifestyles and how they make them feel (Pine and Gilmore
      1998). Changing the selection process for healthcare services to be more like
      retail is already expanding how and where healthcare services are delivered.

PMID- 26495551
TI  - Geisinger's Retail Innovation Journey.
AB  - In 2003, Geisinger Health System formed a new group, Geisinger Ventures (GV), to
      accelerate the growth of new lines of business that were extensions of the core
      mission of the organization. Careworks, the convenient care clinic line of
      business, began in early 2006 as one of the early components of the GV portfolio.
      Over the past nine years, Geisinger has tested several retail and walk-in models,
      including in-store clinics, separate retail sites, and models colocated with
      primary care practices and emergency departments. Each site and model presents
      different benefits and challenges with respect to patient care, marketing,
      staffing, and clinical integration. With the implementation of healthcare reform
      and a decision to participate in Medicaid'managed care, Geisinger's strategic
      need for convenient care options has intensified, and new models, including e
      visits and telemedicine specialty consultations, are being actively explored.
      Geisinger's view is that healthcare is rapidly changing, being affected by
      demographic shifts, diagnostic and treatment options, payment changes, and
      communication technologies. Healthcare delivery must flex to adjust to these and
      other trends, and retail clinics are part of that response. Careful examination
      of the critical elements necessary for optimal care (including wellness,
      prevention, and management of chronic disease and severe multimorbid disease) and
      then matching those elements to the optimal mode and site of care will lead to a
      streamlined healthcare system. The historical--and still most prevalent-
      methodology of traditional office, emergency department, and inpatient care
      options are not ideal for all patients' care needs in the twenty-first century. A
      thoughtful, deliberate extension of those options will be necessary. Rather than
      simply adding a static retail or virtual offering, medical professionals should
      develop a process to continually assess patients, technology, payment, and
      disease changes so that they are constantly adding exciting new options to the
      clinical delivery model. The ability to assess and respond to the changes that
      these varied inputs drive will be the most important element of success for the
      future.

PMID- 26495552
TI  - Virtua and CVS Health: Partnering Within a Population Health Delivery Model.

PMID- 26495553
TI  - Retail Clinics: The Bellin Experience.

PMID- 26495554
TI  - The Challenge and Promise of Retail Medicine.

PMID- 26495555
TI  - Hospital design Innovation on show at Queensland facility.
AB  - In a follow-up to an article on the hospital that first appeared in the autumn
      2010 issue of The Australian Hospital Engineer, and was then republished with the
      help of the magazine. The Institute of Hospital Engineering Australia, and the
      IFHE in the November 2011 edition of HEJ, principals at architectural firm,
      Hassell, Kieren Morgan and Megan Reading, explain how the new Gold Coast
      University Hospital (GCUH) in Southport, Queensland, 'demonstrates how good
      design can improve delivery of care, as well as staff retention and attraction'.

PMID- 26495556
TI  - Serious impact of poor planning shown.
AB  - This article analyses the design, project management, and construction work
      entailed in of the renovation of the emergency department and surgical suite of
      an old, highly complex healthcare facility in Caracas which has a School of
      Medicine, and encounters high patient throughput due to its location in the
      centre of the metropolitan area of Caracas. The project, involving an area of
      3,000 m, had to overcome obstacles including security, the site's location, and
      its immediate environs. The article describes the remodeling project, and some of
      the lessons learned, in some detail.

PMID- 26495557
TI  - Considerable challenges in ensuring patient safety.
AB  - John Prendergast, a decontamination engineer working within the specialist team
      at NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership / Specialist Estates Services dedicated
      to decontamination and reprocessing of medical devices, considers 'the array of
      standards that are in place to provide rules, guidance, or characteristics, for
      various decontamination activities'. He also sets out some of the key steps to
      take to ensure that instrument decontamination is undertaken to the high
      standards needed to ensure patient safety.

PMID- 26495559
TI  - Addressing disconnects, broadening training.

PMID- 26495558
TI  - HBN guidance sets out key principles.
AB  - With an ageing population in many countries, health and social care providers are
      under growing pressure to improve the quality and safety of care environments for
      older people, and ensure they are fit-for-purpose for caring for those with age
      related conditions, including dementia. Health Building Note 08-02: Dementia
      friendly health and social care environments, recently published, is the first
      HBN to offer specific guidance on the subject. Here Loughborough University
      research associates, Efthimia Pantzartzis and Federica Pascale, and Andrew Price,
      who is Professor of Project Management at the University, explain the background
      to the new HBN, and offer insights into its structure and content. June's HEJ
      reported on 115 Department of Health-funded pilot projects undertaken throughout
      England in 2013-2014 aimed at creating more 'dementia-friendly' environments in
      health and social care settings implemented under the DH Capital Programme,
      Improving the environment of care for people with dementia. The results and
      findings helped shape the new HBN guidance.

PMID- 26495560
TI  - Distance learning course proving its worth.

PMID- 26495561
TI  - Better informed for a better choice.

PMID- 26495562
TI  - Healthcare facilities looking to 'future-proof'.

PMID- 26495563
TI  - Back to School.

PMID- 26495564
TI  - Using Technology to Map Out a Population Health Strategy.

PMID- 26495565
TI  - 4 Case Studes: Leading IT Innovation in Care.

PMID- 26495566
TI  - IT'S TIME TO TAKE A NEW LOOK AT INCLUSION IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS.

PMID- 26495567
TI  - The Urgent Need for Fatigue Management Policies.

PMID- 26495568
TI  - A Model for Change.

PMID- 26495569
TI  - Improving the Health of Patient-Care Staff.

PMID- 26495570
TI  - What's Next for Healthcare Reform?

PMID- 26495571
TI  - Coaching Emerging Healthcare Leaders.

PMID- 26495572
TI  - Governance Principles for Physician Organizations.

PMID- 26495573
TI  - Assessing Community Health Needs.

PMID- 26495574
TI  - Physician Employment Alternatives.

PMID- 26495575
TI  - 350 YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC PERIODICALS.

PMID- 26495576
TI  - FIT FOR PRINT: DEVELOPING AN INSTITUTIONAL MODEL OF SCIENTIFIC PERIODICAL
      PUBLISHING IN ENGLAND, 1665-CA. 1714.
AB  - This paper explores the contested afterlife of Philosophical Transactions
      following the death of its founder, Henry Oldenburg. It investigates the complex
      interrelation between the institution and the periodical at a time when the
      latter was supposedly independent, and outlines the competing proposals for
      institutional publishing in science contemplated in the Royal Society, linking
      some publications that were actually attempted to those proposals and to the
      Society's attempts to revitalize its experimental programme between 1677 and
      1687. It argues that the Society was concerned to produce experimental natural
      knowledge over which it could claim ownership, and intended this work for
      publication in other venues than Transactions, whereas the periodical was seen as
      a more suitable site for work reported to the Society than for research that the
      institution had primarily produced. It was only from the early 1690s, after the
      collapse of the Society's experimental programme, that Transactions gradually
      became a more straightforward reflection of the mainstream of Royal Society
      activity, paving the way for its formal reinvention as the official publication
      of the Society in 1752.

PMID- 26495577
TI  - THE PROFITS AND PERILS OF PUBLICITY: ALLGEMEINE LITERATUR- ZEITUNG, THE THURN UND
      TAXIS POST, AND THE PERIODICAL TRADE AT THE END OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
AB  - Recent historiography on the growth of periodical publishing has emphasized
      newspapers and journals as constituents of an emergent communications system in
      early modern Europe. This system comprised the newspapers, journals and other
      publications that contributed its content, and also the postal systems that were
      the principal method of distributing that content. This article describes how the
      growth of this system in central Europe was supported in large measure by
      financial incentives that it offered to both constituents. First, in contrast
      with postal systems in France and the UK, the Thurn und Taxis Reichspost inserted
      itself as a middleman in the sale of periodicals, which gave the Reichspost an
      incentive to promote the trade. Second, the financial conditions for periodical
      publication made their costs depend more heavily on costs that were scalable to
      circulation than is true today, which resulted in the viability of publications
      with a lower circulation. The same cost structure also made it possible for
      certain prominent periodicals of the era to earn considerable profits for their
      publishers, as illustrated in this article by Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung, which
      was published in Jena from 1785.

PMID- 26495578
TI  - JOURNALS, LEARNED SOCIETIES AND MONEY: PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS, CA. 1750-1900.
AB  - This paper investigates the finances of the Royal Society and its Philosophical
      Transactions, showing that in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
      journal publishing was a drain on funds rather than a source of income. Even
      without any expectation of profit, the costs of producing Transactions
      nevertheless had to be covered, and the way in which this was done reflected the
      changing financial situation of the Society. An examination of the Society's
      financial accounts and minute books reveals the tensions between the Society's
      desire to promote the widespread communication of natural knowledge, and the ever
      increasing cost of doing so, particularly by the late nineteenth century.

PMID- 26495579
TI  - PUBLISHING SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOLARSHIP IN THE GLOBAL ACADEMIC COMMUNITY.
AB  - South Africa's academic publishing history has been profoundly influenced by its
      colonial heritage. This is reflected in the publication of Transactions of the
      South African Philosophical Society (later, the Royal Society of South Africa)
      from 1878. Although the Society and journal sought to promote original research
      about South Africa, it was modelled after the Royal Society in London and formed
      part of an imperial scientific community. As the local higher education
      institutions grew more independent and research-focused, local scholarly
      publishing developed as well, with university presses playing an increasingly
      important role. The University of South Africa (Unisa) Press started publishing
      departmental journals in the 1950s, with a focus on journals that 'speak to the
      student', and it is today the only South African university press with an active
      journals publishing programme. As external funding declined and the country
      became intellectually isolated in the high apartheid period, the Press managed to
      attract journals that could no longer be subsidized by learned societies and
      other universities. More recently, new co-publishing arrangements have brought
      South African journals back into an international intellectual community.
      Although some argue that this constitutes a re-colonization of South African
      knowledge production, it is also an innovative strategy for positioning local
      research in a global context.

PMID- 26495580
TI  - CONSERVATIVE ATTITUDES TO OLD-ESTABLISHED ORGANS: OLIVER LODGE AND PHILOSOPHICAL
      MAGAZINE.
AB  - In 1921 Oliver Lodge defended Philosophical Magazine against charges of
      mismanagement from the National Union of Scientific Workers. They alleged that
      its editors performed little editorial work, the bulk being done by the
      publishers, Taylor & Francis. Lodge reassured Nature's readers that the journal
      did consult its editors, and suggested 'a conservative attitude towards old
      established organs is wise; and that it is possible to over-organise things into
      lifelessness.' The paper explores Lodge's response by considering the editorial
      arrangements at Philosophical Magazine. Founded in 1798, it remained remarkably
      unchanged and so appeared old-fashioned when compared with its closest rivals,
      Proceedings of the Royal Society and Proceedings of the Physical Society. We
      argue that for Lodge the management of Philosophical Magazine gave it the
      flexibility and independence required to sustain the kind of physics, also open
      to accusations of obsolescence, in which he believed.

PMID- 26495581
TI  - CREDIBILITY, PEER REVIEW, AND NATURE, 1945-1990.
AB  - This paper examines the refereeing procedures at the scientific weekly Nature
      during and after World War II. In 1939 former editorial assistants L. J. F.
      Brimble and A. J. V. Gale assumed a joint editorship of Nature. The Brimble-Gale
      era is now most famous for the editors' unsystematic approach to external
      refereeing. Although Brimble and Gale did sometimes consult external referees,
      papers submitted or recommended by scientists whom the pair trusted were often
      not sent out for further review. Their successor, John Maddox, would also print
      papers he admired without external refereeing. It was not until 1973 that editor
      David Davies made external peer review a requirement for publication in Nature.
      Nature's example shows that as late as the 1960s a journal could be considered
      scientifically respectable even if its editors were known to eschew systematic
      external peer review.

PMID- 26495582
TI  - Iconography on Scientific Instruments. Introduction.

PMID- 26495583
TI  - "Perhaps Irrelevant". The Iconography of Tycho Brahe's Small Gilt Brass Quadrant.
AB  - When Tycho Brahe published a description of his astronomical instruments in 1598
      as part of a strategy to procure royal patronage, it was not with one of his
      grander, precision measurement tools that he opened his account, but rather a
      small brass quadrant with limited observational utility. The defining feature of
      this instrument was seemingly a small emblematic image inscribed within the arc
      of the quadrant. Through this symbolic motif Tycho conveyed a moralising message
      about the relative worth of astronomy. Considering a range of visual productions
      that may have influenced his iconography, the present paper situates the quadrant
      within the broader context of Renaissance visual culture and examines the
      significance of the quadrant in Tycho's wider instrument collection.

PMID- 26495584
TI  - Perfect in Every Sense. Scientific Iconography on an Equation Clock by Jost Burgi
      and the Self-Understanding of the Astronomers at the Kassel Court in the Late
      1580s.
AB  - At the center of this article is an iconographic analysis of the eight silver
      reliefs on the sides of a table clock made in 1591 by Jost Burgi, the court
      clockmaker of Landgrave Wilhelm iv of Hessen-Kassel. The reliefs present an
      astronomical ancestral picture gallery, running from the Patriarchs of the Old
      Testament to Copernicus. The author argues that the "storyboard" for this
      sequence of images must have been conceived down to its smallest details by the
      Kassel court astronomer Christoph Rothmann; indeed, many of the scenes shown,
      along with many particular details depicted within them, are literally described
      in Rothmann's never-published manuscript Observationes stellarum fixarum of 1589.
      The final section of the essay compares these reliefs to the images created for
      Tycho Brahe at his Uraniborg and Stjerneborg observatories. The author concludes
      that the sequence of the reliefs in Kassel, culminating in the representation of
      Copernicus and his world view, is a reflection of the acrimonious debate
      extending over many years between the heliocentrist Rothmann and the geo
      heliocentrist Brahe regarding the veracity of the heliocentric world view.

PMID- 26495585
TI  - Heavenly Networks. Celestial Maps and Globes in Circulation between Artisans,
      Mathematicians, and Noblemen in Renaissance Europe.
AB  - The aim of this paper is to examine the iconography on a set of star charts by
      Albrecht Durer (1515), and celestial globes by Caspar Vopel (1536) and Christoph
      Schissler (1575). The iconography on these instruments is conditioned by strong
      traditions which include not only the imagery on globes and planispheres (star
      charts), but also ancient literature about the constellations. Where this
      iconography departs from those traditions, the change had to do with humanism in
      the sixteenth century. This "humanistic" dimension is interwoven with other
      concerns that involve both "social" and "technical" motivations. The interplay of
      these three dimensions illustrates how the iconography on celestial charts and
      globes expresses some features of the shared knowledge and shared culture between
      artisans, mathematicians, and nobles in Renaissance Europe.

PMID- 26495586
TI  - Moving Shadows, Moving Sun. Early Modem Sundials Restaging Miracles.
AB  - Irrespective of geo- or heliocentric presuppositions, the functioning of sundials
      is based on the observation of moving shadows or light spots. Even though the
      cast shadow was often simply used to indicate the time, it could also remind the
      users of the ephemerality of earthly things or function as an index of planetary
      movements. This article examines the various ways in which early modem sundials
      visually interpret the moving shadow or light spot. The instruments address the
      shadow in inscriptions, integrate it into their design (e.g., in cruciform dials)
      or even manipulate its course (as in the so-called Horologium Ahaz). Both the
      crucifix and the Ahaz dials not only refer to astronomical miracles but actually
      restage them. Even though by means of the horologium it was not possible to
      explain the Old Testament miracle of the shadow moving backward, adepts were able
      to recreate it on a terrestrial scale.

PMID- 26495587
TI  - Metrics of Justice. A Sundial's Nomological Figuration.
AB  - This paper examines a polyhedral dial from the British Museum made by the
      instrument maker Ulrich Schniep, and discusses the status of multifunctional
      scientific instruments. It discerns a multifaceted iconic meaning considering
      different dimensions such as scientific functionality (astronomy), the complex
      allegorical figure of Justice (iconography), and the representation of the
      sovereign (politics), the court and the Kunstkammer of Albrecht v of Bavaria. As
      a numen mixtum the figure of "Justicia" touches different fields that go far
      beyond pure astronomical measurement and represents the power of the ruler as
      well as the rules of economic justice.

PMID- 26495588
TI  - Les Observatoires astronomiques en Italie. An 1863 Report by Otto Wilhelm Struve.
AB  - In the autumn of 1863 Otto Wilhelm Struve, director of the Pulkovo Astronomical
      Observatory in Russia, visited most of the observatories in Italy. The report
      that he wrote on this occasion provides an overview on the conditions of
      astronomical research in Italyjust after the unification of the country. Later
      Struve sent a French translation of his report to the Italian astronomer Giovan
      Battista Donati, who used it to promote the construction of the Arcetri
      Observatory in Florence, which was inaugurated in 1872. We present here a
      transcription of the French translation of Struve's report and the transcription
      of a letter written by him in support of Donati's project

PMID- 26495589
TI  - The Palermo Merz Equatorial Telescope. An Instrument, a Manuscript, Some
      Drawings.
AB  - A manuscript by Georg and Sigmund Merz dated 1862 and containing instructions for
      assembling the equatorial telescope acquired by the Palermo Observatory is
      conserved in the archives of the Museo Astronomico e Copernicano in Rome. It is a
      rare document that reveals "tricks of the trade" and technical knowledge not
      usually included in textbooks or treatises. It was sent to the Palermo
      Observatory as an aid to the installation of the telescope, which made a signal
      contribution to the development of solar physics in Italy in the 19th century.
      Based on the study of unpublished sources (consisting of texts and drawings), the
      history of the instrument has been retraced. This paper presents a detailed
      description of the Merz manuscript (including a complete transcript) and some
      technical drawings recently discovered in the archives of the Palermo
      Observatory.

PMID- 26495590
TI  - Automated blood culture testing: A retrospective study indicates that a three-day
      incubation period is sufficient.

PMID- 26495591
TI  - FDA regulation of LDTs--an update.

PMID- 26495592
TI  - Clinical application of thromboelastometry in cardiovascular and thoracic
      surgery.
AB  - VET with ROTEM and TEG have become more integrated into the practice guidelines
      of multiple medical associations with increasing levels of evidence and
      recommendation for their use to manage perioperative bleeding. VET, in
      conjunction with SLT, provides a clearer picture of why a patient bleeds and how
      to best resolve it. In the clinical setting of CVTS, ROTEM has been shown to
      reduce transfusion rates and reduce costs associated with transfusion products
      and transfusion-related adverse events while improving patient outcomes.
      Incorporating VET into a hospital-wide transfusion restrictive strategy has been
      proven to be cost-effective and clinically beneficial but requires a multi-level
      commitment for planning, education and implementation.

PMID- 26495593
TI  - The changing landscape of point-of-care diagnostics for influenza virus
      infections.

PMID- 26495594
TI  - The TB elimination challenge gets a global call: the expanding role of clinical
      labs.

PMID- 26495595
TI  - The evolving influenza test: new options for the management of RIDT.

PMID- 26495596
TI  - Image is everything! Quality issues remain as digital pathology enters the
      clinical lab.

PMID- 26495597
TI  - Whole slide imaging: it's time to take another look.

PMID- 26495598
TI  - Freeze-thaw cycles and nucleic acid stability: what's safe for your samples?

PMID- 26495599
TI  - Laboratory-developed tests are not the practice of medicine.

PMID- 26495602
TI  - A NEW HOME. Parkland Hospital's successful move.

PMID- 26495601
TI  - MEANINGFUL USE? Taking analytics to the next level.

PMID- 26495603
TI  - NOTHING'S OFF LIMITS. Using'culture councils' to transform the patient
      experience.

PMID- 26495604
TI  - MOST WIRED. Health IT proves useful in reducing unnecessary utilization.

PMID- 26495605
TI  - BED TO BED. Using technology to improve ED performance.

PMID- 26495606
TI  - STROKE CARE. Three questions with: Iman Andrabi, M.D.

PMID- 26495607
TI  - HIP FACTOR. Health system wetlness effort goes to waist.

PMID- 26495608
TI  - Pedaling hard for cancer research.

PMID- 26495609
TI  - DISRUPT YOUR BUSINESS. CONTROL YOUR FUTURE.

PMID- 26495610
TI  - Lessons from the Barrio and Beyond.

PMID- 26495611
TI  - THE 2016 ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN.
AB  - Every year, the American Hospital Association compiles the Environmental Scan to
      provide hospital leaders with insight and information about market forces that
      are likely to affect the health care field. One common theme this year is the
      pace of change.

PMID- 26495612
TI  - What the EVOLUTION of one medical home can teach us all.

PMID- 26495613
TI  - POPULATION HEALTH AND THE RISE OF CONSUMERISM.
AB  - Earlier this summer, we convened a panel of health care executives and industry
      experts to consider how hospitals can balance the demands of high-value, more
      efficient care with the emergence of the savvy health care consumer. Their
      insights and words of advice are eye-opening.

PMID- 26495615
TI  - Absorbing the Lessons of WHO's Ebola Response.

PMID- 26495614
TI  - Reaping the Benefits of Supplier Diversity.

PMID- 26495616
TI  - The Trouble with Tablets.
AB  - The biggest recommendation is to get your tablet screen up. This can be done by
      using a case or a tablet stand. Avoid using the tablet on your lap because
      posture follows vision. If you must use it on your lap, try placing it on a
      pillow to raise its height and reduce dangerous neck flexion. Whenever possible,
      set the tablet on a table rather than holding it with your hands because hands
      and forearms fatigue quickly. Consider finding an external keyboard that can be
      separated from the tablet screen. This way, you can set the tablet on a higher
      surface to elevate the screen and have a lower keyboard to eliminate some of the
      wrist extension when keying.

PMID- 26495617
TI  - Preventing Manual Handling Injuries.

PMID- 26495618
TI  - DOT and OSHA Training.

PMID- 26495619
TI  - Keeping Communities and Workers Safe From Benzene.

PMID- 26495620
TI  - First-Class Protection.

PMID- 26495621
TI  - Optimizing Worker Safety: It's in the Lights.

PMID- 26495622
TI  - Innovative Approach to Duct Sealing Turns IAQ Problems Inside Out.

PMID- 26495623
TI  - The Wellness Imperative.

PMID- 26495624
TI  - Wellness and Safety Programs Expand to Embrace Employee Well-being.

PMID- 26495625
TI  - Why Incentives Are a Key to Surviving Tight Safety Budget Challenges.

PMID- 26495626
TI  - Emphasize Calling 911 When an Emergency Occurs.

PMID- 26495627
TI  - IOM Looks to Improve Cardiac Arrest Survival.

PMID- 26495628
TI  - The Prescription Drug Misuse Epidemic: Are We Making Progress?

PMID- 26495629
TI  - What to Look for in a C/TPA or Program Manager.

PMID- 26495630
TI  - Safety, Without Compromising Comfort.

PMID- 26495631
TI  - Odors, Smells & Other Strange 'Stuff'.

PMID- 26495632
TI  - Arc Flash Hearing Protection.

PMID- 26495633
TI  - Hearing Protectors On the Job Site.

PMID- 26495634
TI  - Combat Workplace Noise Pollution to Help Prevent Hearing Loss.

PMID- 26495635
TI  - What It Takes to Make Behavior-Based Safety Work.

PMID- 26495636
TI  - Blueprints for Successful Cultural Leadership.

PMID- 26495637
TI  - [Effects of Lime on Seedling Growth,Yield and Volatile Constituents of
      Atractylodes lancea].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of different amounts of lime on yield and
      quality of Atractylodes lancea, and to provide reference for the herb growing
      site soil improvement and self-poisoning ease. METHODS: Add different gradients
      of lime, and then measure their growth targets, yield and four kinds of volatile
      constituents content(hinesol, atractylone, beta-eudesmol and atractylodin).
      Volatile constituents yield per plant was calculated. RESULTS: Adding 160 g/m2
      lime had a significant role in promoting the growth and yield of herb; Adding 80
      g/m2 lime was conducive to the volatile constituents production, and adding lime
      decreased the atractylone and atractylodin content, while increased the hinesol
      and beta-eudesmol content; Adding 160 g/m2 lime promoted the volatile
      constituents yield per plant. CONCLUSION: Adding lime plays a role of neutralize
      soil pH, antibacteria and prevention incognita, and has a certain degree of ease
      autotoxicity and obstacle,and then promotes the yield and volatile constituents
      production of Atractylodes lancea.

PMID- 26495638
TI  - [Effects of Different Shading Treatment and Planting Patterns on Several Main
      Characters and Yield of Elephantopus scaber].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the growth and yield of Elephantopus scaber under different
      light conditions. METHODS: Several main characters and yield performances were
      studied under six shading treatment as well as two planting patterns. RESULTS:
      The plant height, leaf number, root length and root-shoot ratio were increased
      under moderate shading. With the increase of shading ratio, the process of
      Elephantopus scaber vegetative growth to reproductive growth were shortened, seed
      yield, dry biomass and root yield decreased as well. Among different shading
      treatments, dry seed-yield showed 8. 46 ~31. 10 kg/667 m2 dry biomass showed 327.
      28 ~ 800. 95 kg/ 667 m2 and dry root yield showed 30. 65 ~ 70. 72 kg/667 m2.
      CONCLUSION: Elephantopus scaber is a light-demanding but shade-tolerant plant.
      The patterns of hole seeding were suggested in planting, and not more than 60%
      shade density may be good under plantations.

PMID- 26495639
TI  - [Influences of Base Fertilizer Dosage and Root Size on Quality and Yield of
      Gentiana crassicaulis Root].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In order to optimize the base fertilizer dosage and root size of
      Gentiana crassicaulis in Ludian,Yulong, Yunnan,the differences in yield and
      quality of Gentiana crassicaulis caused by different base fertilizer dosage and
      root size were investigated. METHODS: The variation in fresh weight, dry weight,
      drying rate, length, diameter, branches as well as the contents of
      gentiopicroside, loganin acid, alcohol-soluble extract and total ash were
      determined. The ideal distance grey relational degree comprehensive evaluation
      method was applied to make a comprehensive evaluation on the quality and yield of
      Gentiana crassicaulis. RESULTS: There were big differences in yield and quality
      of Gentiana crassicaulis among different base fertilizer dosage and root size. 2
      000 kg/667 m2 of manure, 20 kg/667 m2 of superphosphate, 100 kg/667 m2 of plant
      ash and mix size of transplanting roots showed the best comprehensive quality and
      the highest yield. CONCLUSION: 2 000 kg/667 m2 of manure, 20 kg/667 m2 of
      superphosphate,100 kg/667 m2 of plant ash, high quality transplanting roots and
      stagger certain depth to transplant are highly recommended to produce high
      quality and high yield of Gentiana crassicaulis in Ludian, Yulong, Yunnan.

PMID- 26495640
TI  - [Identification of Pathogens Causing Root Rot Disease on Ligusticum chuanxiong in
      Sichuan].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify the pathogens causing root rot disease on Ligusticum
      chuanxiong from the main producing areas in Sichuan, and to provide gist of
      management of this disease in the future. METHODS: The diseased rhizomes of
      Ligusticurn chuanxiong with root rot symptom were sampled in two main producing
      areas in Sichuan. According to Koch's postulate, the pathogenicity on Ligusticum
      chuanxiong rhizomes of the isolates was confirmed. The representative isolates
      were identified based on their morphological characteristics and ribosomal DNA
      internal transcribed spacer(rDNA-ITS) sequences. RESULTS: The isolates(f2-16, 3
      2, f4-19 and f5-7)which caused root rot disease held high homology reached 99%,
      99%, 100% and 100% respectively, when compared with GenBank sequences GQ229075,
      JQ796755, JN232136 and FJ481024. CONCLUSION: The causing agents of root rot
      disease on Ligusticum chuanxiong belong to Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum,
      Plectosphaerella cucumerina and Phoma glomerata. Pathogens from different regions
      are varied.

PMID- 26495641
TI  - [Population Status of Centropus sinensis in Guangxi Province].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: T0 understand the population distribution, species abundance and
      habitats requirement of a medicinal animal, Centropus sinensis, in Guangxi
      Province. METHODS: Line transect methods were used to census population number
      and habitat types in 18 counties or cities of Guangxi. RESULTS: Centropus
      sinensis distributed in all study area, with a higher population density in the
      south than in the north. Among seven habitat types, the species preferred living
      in forest-farmland ecotone, while seldom in broad-leaves forest or plantations.
      CONCLUSION: The results of habitat preference show an advantage to the population
      recovering for forest-farmland ecotone commonly existing in Guangxi Province. But
      the speed of population recovering is slowly under illegal hunting pressure. More
      attention should be paid to protect this species.

PMID- 26495642
TI  - [Spatial Distribution and Global Potential Suitability Regions of Artemisia
      annua].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the spatial distribution and potential climatic suitability
      regions of Artemisia annua around the world. METHODS: The spatial distribution
      and climatic characteristics were researched by factor analysis based on Global
      Biodiversity Information Facility Database and World Climate Database. The global
      potential suitability regions of Artemisia annua were analyzed by ArcGIS.
      RESULTS: Artemisia annua distributed in three longitude zones, including 90. 55 
      degrees W - 77. 14  degrees W, 2. 03  degrees E - 11. 75  degrees E and 98. 27 
      degrees E - 111. 05  degrees E,which were respectively in North America, Europe
      and Asia. The latitude range was mainly 29. 15  degrees N - 51. 36  degrees  N.
      80% of Artemisia annua were in the regions which elevation range was 22. 00 -
      491. 00 m, annual precipitation was 492. 30 ~ 1 366. 70 mm, annual average
      temperature was from 8. 10 to 17. 27  degrees C. The potential suitability
      regions of Artemisia annua with 95% ~ 100% climate similarity were mainly in 30 
      degrees S and 30  degrees N regions, centered around the equator axis.
      Conclusion: Latitude is closely related to the distribution of Artemisia annua,
      the key affecting climatic factors are annual precipitation, the wettest season
      precipitation, the warmest season precipitation and the highest temperature in
      the warmest month, the average temperature of the warmest season, as well as the
      average temperature of the wettest season. The potential suitability regions of
      Artemnisia annua are in eastern North America, western Europe and eastern Asia.

PMID- 26495643
TI  - [Suitable Habitats Prediction of Original Plants of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma Under
      Climate Change].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To predict the distribution patterns of the original plants of Rhei
      Radix et Rhizoma current and in future in China under climate change. METHODS: A
      maximum entropy modeling and variety of climate change scenarios were employed to
      predict its current and future distribution ranges in China. RESULTS: The
      resultant models exhibited excellent predictive power. The current suitable
      habitats for original plants of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma totaled 84. 20 x 10(4) km2
      accounting for 8. 77% of the total area of China; 57. 05% of its current suitable
      habitats(i. e. low impact areas) would be relatively lowly impacted by the
      climate change. Compared with its current distribution pattern,its distribution
      ranges during 2020s, 2030s, 2040s, 2050, 2060s, 2070s and 2080s would be shrunk
      to some extent. However, the moderately suitable area would be expanded to a
      certain degree. CONCLUSION: Climate change has a negative impact on the total
      area and the habitat suitability for the original plants of Rhei Radix et
      Rhizoma.

PMID- 26495644
TI  - [Simultaneous Determination of Five Active Components in Puerariae Lobatae Radix
      from Different Habitats by UHPLC].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop a UHPLC method for determination of 3'-hydroxy
      puerarin,puerarin, 3'-methoxy puerarin, daid- zin, and daidzein in Puerariae
      Lobatae Radix from different habitats. METHODS: The analysis was carried out on
      an Agela Venusil MP C18 (100 mm x 2. 1 mm, 3 um) column. The mobile phase was
      composed of 0. 1% formic acid and methanol with gradient elution. The de- tection
      wavelength was set at 250 nm. RESULTS: The standard curves of five components
      showed a good linearity in 12. 41 ~ 248. 24 ng(r =0. 9999), 58. 82 ~ 1 176. 47
      ng(r =0. 9997), 12. 65 ~252. 94 ng(r=0. 9999), 12.14 ~ 242.82 ng(r=0. 9998), and
      1. 82 ~ 36.30 ng(r =0. 9997), respectively. The average recoveries were 99. 03% ~
      100. 32%, and RSD values were 0. 26% ~ 1. 37%. CONCLUSION: This method is simple,
      quick,reproducible and can be used to control the quality of Puerariae Lobatae
      Radix.

PMID- 26495645
TI  - [Diversity of Endogeny Eumycetes in Gynostemma pentaphyllum and Its Correlation
      with Gypenoside XLIX].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between active components and endogeny
      eumycetes in Gynostemma pentaphyllum of different types from different habitats.
      METHODS: Endogeny eumycetes from different parts of Gynostemma pentaphyllum were
      isolated by general isolation methods. Insert method and point planting method
      were used for identification. The content of gypenoside XLIX were determined by
      HPLC. RESULTS: 125 endogeny eumycetes inhabiting in Gynostemma pentaphyllum were
      isolated from roots, rhizomes and leaves. By colony morphology and microscopic
      characteristics, 22 genera from 10 families, 7 orders, 2 classes were identified.
      Fusarium was the most abundant endogeny eumycetes in Gynostemma pentaphyllum with
      the account of 22. 4%. Penicillium and Leptosphaeria was 12. 8% and 9. 6%
      respectively. The correlation between Gypenoside XLIX and endogeny eumycetes in
      Gynostemma pentaphyllum was revealed. CONCLUSION: Endogeny eumycetes are diverse
      in species and quantity. The endogeny eumycetes species is related to the quality
      of Gynostemma pentaphyllum.

PMID- 26495646
TI  - [Determination of Flavonoids in Cycas revoluta Leaves by Chemiluminescence-Flow
      Injection Analysis Method].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To detect flavonoids from Cycas revoluta leaves by means of
      Chemiluminescence-Flow Injection Analysis (CL-FIA). METHODS: Under alkaline
      condition, a CL-FIA method was established to determine flavonoids from leaves of
      Cycas revoluta on the basis of inhibiting effect of flavonoids to the Luminol
      H2O2-Cu2+ chemiluminescence system and the reversed flow injection technique.
      RESULTS: In the range of 2. 0 x 10(-6) ~ 1. 0 x 10(-3) mg/mL, the decrease of CL
      intensity was correlated with flavonoids concentration while the detection limit
      was 0. 0265 ug/mL. Under the optimized conditions, the flavonoids of Cycas
      revoluta leaves were detected with its average rate reaching 1. 61% and RSD 1.
      32%. CONCLUSION: Through the interference test and compared with the data of CL
      FIA and UV, it is concluded that CL-FIA can be used in the analysis and detection
      of flavonoids from Cycas revoluta leaves.

PMID- 26495647
TI  - [Isolation and Identification of Bacteria and Mycete from Preservation of Morinda
      officinalis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In order to select antistaling agent which had obvious antibacterial
      effect on Morinda officinalis, the colony counts of microorganism from the
      surface of Morinda officinalis and the species of bacteria and mycete were
      analyzed. METHODS: Bacteria and moulds classification identification method were
      carried out. RESULTS: After using 10 g burdock oligosaccharide, 20 g chitosan and
      0. 5 g potassium sorbate treated for 60 d, the total bacteria on the surface of
      Morinda officinalis was 3. 0 x 10(4) cfu/g, mycete total of 1. 5 x 10(4) cfu/g,
      preservation effect was better than the other treatments. CONCLUSION: The common
      advantage microorganisms group of Morinda officinalis on the surface are from
      Leuconostoc ,Aerococcus and Penicillium genera.

PMID- 26495648
TI  - [HPLC Fingerprint and Analysis of Component Difference of Crude and Wine
      Processed Products for Dipsacus asper Root].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the HPLC fingerprint of Dipsacus asper root before and after
      wine processed, and to compare the changes of fingerprint and chemical
      composition. METHODS: The HPLC analysis was performed on an Agilent C18 (250 mm x
      4. 6 mm, 5 jim) column with gradient elution of acetonitrile-0. 05% phosphoric
      acid at a flow rate of 1. 0 mL/min, and the column temperature was set at 25 
      degrees C. RESULTS: The content of chemical composition changed in different
      degree after processed, the asperosaponin VI content increased significantly, and
      two new chromatographic peaks were found in the fingerprint. CONCLUSION: This
      method can be used to reflect the difference of chemical composition of Dipsacus
      asper root and its wine processed products. It would he an efficient way for
      qualitative control of Dipsacus asper root.

PMID- 26495649
TI  - [HPLC Characteristic Fingerprint of "Boju" Chrysanthemum morifolium].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide a scientific basis for quality control of "Boju"
      Chrysanthemum morifolium by establishing a HPLC characteristic fingerprint.
      METHODS: The HPLC analysis was performed on a Spursil C18 chromatographic column
      (250 mm x 4. 6 mm, 5 um), and the mobile phase was acetonitrile-0. 1% phosphoric
      acid in a gradient mode with the flow rate of 1. 0 mL/min. The detection
      wavelength was 325 nm and the temperature of column was 30  degrees C. RESULTS:
      The common pattern of HPLC characteristic chromatographic profile was
      established. There were 16 common peaks, five of which were identified in the
      pattern. The similarities of 10 batches of "Boju" Chrysanthemum monrfolium were
      evaluated, and all of them were greater than 0. 900. CONCLUSION: This analysis
      method of HPLC characteristic chromatographic fingerprint is simple and
      reproducible, and it can provide a scientific basis for identification and
      quality evaluation of "Boju" Chrysanthemum monfolium.

PMID- 26495650
TI  - [Chemical Constituents from Melissa officinalis Leaves].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the chemical constituents of Melissa officinalis
      leaves. METHODS: The chemical constituents were separated by silica gel column
      chromatography and their structures were determined by spectroscopic experiments.
      RESULTS: 13 compounds were isolated and identified as protocatechuyl aldehyde(1),
      serratagenic acid(2), vanillin(3), 2alpha,3beta-dihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic
      acid(4), ursolic acid(5), oleanolic acid(6), daucosterol(7),2alpha,3beta,23,29
      tetrahydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid-29-O-beta-D-gluco- pyranoside(8), luteolin(9)
      rosmarinic acid(10), luteolin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside (11), beta-stitosterol(12) and
      palmitic acid(13). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1 ~ 8 are separated from this plant for
      the first time and compounds 1-4 and 8 are isolated from this genus for the first
      time.

PMID- 26495651
TI  - [Chemical Constituents of Euphorbia lunulata].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the chemical constituents in the ethanol extract from
      the whole plant of Euphorbia lunulata. METHODS: The whole plant of Euphorbia
      lunulata was extracted by 95% ethanol, then partitioned by system solvents with
      different polarity. The ethyl acetate and n-butyl alcohol extracts were separated
      on silica gel, Sephadex LH-20,and MCI columns. The isolated compounds were
      determined by detailed analysis of their spectral data. RESULTS: Twelve compounds
      were isolated and identified from the ethyl acetate and n-butyl alcohol extracts
      of Euphorbia lunulata and the structures were identified as 7beta-methoxy
      stigmast-5-ene-3beta-ol (1), 7beta-methoxy-stigmast-5-ene-3beta,22beta-diol(2),
      asperglaucide(3), moscatin (4), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (5),3-methoxy-4-hydroxy
      benzoic acid(6), erigeside C(7),5,7,4'-trihydroxy flavanone(8), kaempferol(9),
      quercetin(10), corosolic acid(11) and acacetin (12). CONCLUSION: All compounds
      except for 9 and 10 are reported from this plant for the first time.

PMID- 26495652
TI  - [Chemical Constituents of Petroleum Ether Fraction of Lonicera macranthoides
      Roots].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study chemical constituents of petroleum ether fraction of the
      roots of Lonicera macranthoides. METHODS: The chemical constituents were isolated
      and purified by several separation and purification techniques and their
      structures were elucidated by physicochemical properties and spectroscopic
      methods. RESULTS: Six compounds were isolated from petroleum ether fraction of
      the roots of Lonicera macranthoides as 3alpha, 16beta-dihydroxyaphidicolane (1),
      (22E,24R)-ergosta-6,9,22-trien-3beta,5alpha,8alpha-triol (2), (22E)-5alpha,8alpha
      epidioxyergosta-6,22-dien-3beta-ol (3), (24S)-stigmast-4-en-3-one (4), beta
      amyrin (5) and beta-amyrin acetate (6). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1 ~ 3 and 6 are
      isolated from this genus for the first time. All the compounds are isolated from
      this plant for the first time. Compound 1 is a new natural product.

PMID- 26495653
TI  - [n-Butyl Alcohol-soluble Chemical Constituents of Psidium guajava Leaves].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of the leaves of Psidium guajava.
      METHODS: The chemical constituents were isolated by column chromatography on
      silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and MPLC. Their chemical structures were elucidated on
      the basis of special analysis. RESULTS: Seven compounds were isolated from n
      butyl alcohol fraction, whose structures were elucidated as morin-3-O-alpha-L
      arabopyranoside (1), morin-3-O-alpha-L-iyxopyranoside (2), 2,6-dihydroxy-4-O-beta
      D-glucopyranosyl-benzophenone (3), casuarictin (4),2,6-dihydroxy-3,5-dimethyl-4-O
      (6"-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-benzophenone(5), globulusin A(6), and
      kaempferol-3-O-beta-D-(6"-galloyl) galactopyranoside (7). CONCLUSION: Compounds 3
      and 5 ~ 7 are isolated from this plant for the first time.

PMID- 26495654
TI  - [Chemical Constituents of Paulownia tomentosa Fruits].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the chemical constituents from the fruits of Paulownia
      tomentosa. METHODS: The compounds were isolated and purified by column
      chromatography and their structures were identified on the basis of
      physicochemical properties and spectral analyses. RESULTS: Seven compounds were
      isolated and their structures were identified as ursolic acid (1),
      sesamin(2),2alpha,3alpha, 19a-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid(3), luteolin(4),
      tricin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside(5),3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxy-6-[7-hydroxy-3,7-dimethyl
      2(E)-octenyl] flavanone(6) and stigmasterol(7). CONCLUSION: Compounds 3, 5 and 7
      are isolated from Paulownia genus for the first time. Compound 2 is isolated from
      Paulownia tomentosa for the first time.

PMID- 26495655
TI  - [Chemical Constituents from Leaves of Acanthus ilicifolius and Their Anti
      influenza Virus Activities].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents from the leaves of Acanthus
      ilicifolius. METHODS: The compounds were isolated by silica and gel column
      chromatographic methods and identified by spectoscopic analysis. The anti
      influenza virus activities of these compounds were obtained by measuring the
      neuraminidase activity of influenza virus. RESULTS: Five compounds were isolated
      and their structures were identified as blepharin(1), acteoside(2),
      isoverbascoside(3), daucosterol(4), and 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl
      stigmasterol(5). CONCLUSION: All the compounds are isolated from the leaves of
      Acanthus ilicifolius for the first time, and compounds 1 ~ 3 exhibit the anti
      influenza virus activities.

PMID- 26495656
TI  - [Determination of Six Ingredients in Gardenia jaminoides Fruits with Quantitative
      Analysis of Muti-components by Single Marker].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish a method of quantitative analysis of multi-components, by
      single marker(QAMS)for simultaneously determining six ingredients in Gardenia
      jasminoides fruits. METHODS: A multi-wavelength segmentation detection method was
      used. A methodological mode was found to analysis six ingredients in Gardenia
      jasminoides fruits by quantitative analysis of QAMS. Taken geniposide as
      reference to create RCF with gardenia acid, chlorogenic acid, crocin I, crocin II
      and crocin III. RESULTS: The good reproducibility and acceptable durability of
      method was validated between two HPLC systems and three columns. 20 batches of
      Gardenia jaminoides fruits was analysis, and the results showed good linear
      correlation compared to external standard method (r > 0. 999). CONCLUSION: QAMS
      can be used as quality evaluation method of multi-component Gardenia jaminoides
      fruits.

PMID- 26495657
TI  - [Fingerprint and Simultaneous Determination of Multi-components in Water-soluble
      Components of Salvia miltiorrhiza in Miao Autonomous County of Songtao, Guizhou].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish the HPLC fingerprint of water-soluble components of
      Salvia miltiorrhiza in Songtao, Guizhou, and to perform simultaneous
      determination of six components in it, so as to provide analytical method for its
      quality control. METHODS: The analyses were performed on a Phenomenex Luna C18
      (2) (250 mm x 4. 6 mm, 5um) column eluted with 0. 4% formic acid(A) -
      acetonitrile(B) in a gradient mode. The flow rate was 1. 0 mL/min, column
      temperature was set at 30  degrees C. RESULTS: Eleven common peaks were
      identified form the HPLC fingerprint of Salvia miltiorrhiza from 10 batches, the
      HPLC fingerprint similarities of 10 batches were not less than 0. 999. The linear
      ranges of danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid,
      lithospermic acid and salvianolic acid B were 0. 0680 ~ 1. 3583 mg/mL, 0. 0008 ~
      0. 3967 mg/mL, 0. 0005 ~ 0. 2660 mg/mL, 0. 0020 ~ 0. 3992 mg/mL, 0. 0063 ~ 0.
      6311 mg/mL and 0. 0097 ~ 1. 9306 mg/mL with r >= 0. 9999, respectively. The
      recovery rates were 100. 84%,102. 44%, 100. 53% ,100. 63%, 100. 83% and 100. 35%
      with RSD <2. 3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The established method is simple,
      accurate and can provide reference for quality control of Salvia miltiorrhiza.

PMID- 26495658
TI  - [Therapeutic Effect of Paconol on Alcoholic Fatty Liver in Rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To make clear the therapeutic effect of paconol on alcoholic fatty
      liver disease (AFLD). METHODS: Model rats of AFLD were established with alcohol
      intragastric administration. Paconol was applied to treat the model rats for four
      weeks(75, 150 and 300 mg/kg), with silybin as control administration. The content
      of TC and TG in serum and liver were determined with 4-Aminoantipyrine (4-AAP)
      method, ALT and AST levels were determined with Reitman-Frankel method, serum HDL
      content with direct method, serum LDL content with precipitation method, serum
      TNF-alpha content with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay sandwich technique, FFA
      content in serum and liver with enzymic colorimetric method, MDA content with
      thiobarbituric acid reactive substance assay method, liver CYP2E1 expression with
      SABC method, and the pathological changes of liver were observed directly or with
      optical microscope. RESULTS: Paconol lowered TC, TG, HDL, LDL, ALT, AST, TNF
      alpha, FFA and MDA levels in serum, as well as TC, TG and FFA levels in liver,
      inhibited the expression of protein CYP2E1, and improved the pathological changes
      of model rats. CONCLUSION: There is a certain therapeutic effect of paconol on
      AFLD in rats.

PMID- 26495659
TI  - [Intestinal Absorption Characteristics and Mechanism of Polygala tenuifolia
      Hydrolysate in Rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the absorption feature and mechanism of tenuifolin(TF) and
      polygalaxanthone III (PT) in different intestinal parts of rats and the impact of
      MRP2 and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) on it. METHODS: In situ unidirectional perfusion
      was used to detect the concentration of TF and PT through HPLC-DAD with
      gravimetric method. Furthermore, impact of different parts, cosolvents and
      inhibitors to TF and PT was also explored with data of Ka and Papp. RESULTS:
      Tween as cosolvent, Ka and Papp of TF was significantly higher in colon than in
      other intestinal parts(P <0. 05 or P <0. 01). Whereas, Ka of PT was in sequence
      of colon, duodenum, jejunum, ileum,but with no significant difference among
      them(P >0. 05). SDS as cosolvent, Papp of TF was higher in colon than in
      duodenum(P <0. 05). K. of TF was significantly higher compared with control when
      added with VH, an inhibitor of P-gp(P <0. 05). In addition, Papp of PT in
      different concentration of VH increased(P <0. 05, P <0. 01). Papp of TF
      significantly increased with IT at the concentration of 0. 02 and 0. 04 mmol/L,
      an inhibitor of MRP2(P <0. 05, P <0. 01). Meanwhile, Ka of PT,with IT at the
      concentration of 0. 04 and 0. 08 mmol/L, was significantly higher(P <0. 05, P <0.
      01). CONCLUSION: TF is mainly absorbed in colon, whereas PT is in duodenum. P-gp
      but not MRP2 influences the intestinal absorption of TF, indicating TF as
      substrate of P-gp. However, both of P-gp and MRP2 impact the absorption of PT,
      illustrating PT as substrate of P-gp and MRP2. It also indicates that inhibitors
      of P-gp and/or MRP2 in combined application may improve the absorption of PT and
      TF.

PMID- 26495660
TI  - [Intervention of Qi-activating and Spleen-strengthening Herbs on Ca2+/CaMK II
      Signaling Pathways Key Factors in Skeletal Muscle Tissue of Rats with Spleen-qi
      Deficiency].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe changes of [Ca2+]i concentration and CaM, CaMK II and p
      CaMK II of Ca2+/CaMK II signaling pathways in skeletal muscle tissue of rats with
      spleen-qi deficiency and intervention of Sijunzi decoction and extract of
      Hedysarum polybotrys. METHODS: Rats were randomized into four groups: normal
      control group, spleen-qi deficient model group, extract from Hedysarum polybotrys
      group and Sijunzi decoction group, ten rats in each group. After the spleen-qi
      deficient models were built by comprehensive application of rhubarb, exhaustive
      and hungry methods, and treatment groups were treated with extract from Hedysarum
      polybotrys at 6 g/(kg . d) or Sijunzi decoction at 20 g/(kg . d) for 21 d. Then,
      general existence,gastrointestinal hormones GAS and MOT levels, and activities of
      Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase of skeletal muscle were evaluated. Also,
      confocal laser technology was used to test cellular[Ca2+]i concentrations in
      skeletal muscle and Western blotting technique was used to test CaM, CaMK II and
      p-CaMK 11 expression in intestinal tissue of spleen-qi deficient model rats.
      RESULTS: Compared with normal group, general condition was poor, levels of GAS
      and MOT decreased (P <0. 01), activities of Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase,
      [Ca2+]i concentration as well as expression of CaM, CaMK II and p-CaMK II in
      skeletal muscle decreased significantly (P < 0. 01) in spleen-qi deficienct model
      rats. Compared with model group, general condition improved significantly, as
      well as level of MOT in intestinal increased (P <0. 05) in the rats of extract
      from Hedysarum polybotrys group and Sijunzi decoction group,while level of GAS
      increased in intestinal(P <0. 05) in the rats of Sijunzi decoction group;
      Moreover, activities of Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase as well as [Ca2+]i
      concentration and expression of CaM and CaMK II in skeletal muscle tissue
      increased (P < 0. 05) in the rats of extract from Hedysarum polybotrys group and
      Sijunzi decoction group, while p-CaMK II in skeletal muscle tissue increased in
      the rats of Sijunzi decoction group (P < 0. 05). CONCLUSION: Sijunzi decoction
      and extract of Hedysarum polybotrys can be applied to treat spleen-qi deficiency
      syndrome through the mechanism of regulating GAS and MOT secretion and raising
      expression of Ca2+ /CaM signaling pathways key factors in skeletal muscle tissue.
      Sijunzi decoction has the better effect

PMID- 26495661
TI  - [Pharmacodynamics Study on Gualou Xiebai Dropping Pills and Its Medicinal
      Ingredients in Prescription].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the pharmacodynamics of Gualou Xiebai Dropping Pills and its
      medicinal ingredients in prescription on anti-myocardial ischemia. METHODS: SPF
      Rats were divided randomly into eleven groups with ten rats in each group and
      half male and half female, the rats were respectively given the physiological
      saline(blank group and model group), Gualou, Xiebai, Gualou Xiebai Baijiutang
      (all equivalent to the crude herb of 22. 5 g/kg), Gualou Xiebai. Dropping Pills
      in the doses of 3. 75,11. 25,22. 5,33. 75 and 45 g/kg and Compound Danshen Drop
      Pills of 0. 085 g/kg by gavage one time a day for seven days. Except blank group,
      other rats were given by intraperitoneal injection of isoproterenol to establish
      myocardial ischemia models, changes of ST segments in ECG were observed in all
      groups, and the levels of SOD, NO, HDL-C, MDA, CAT, LDH and CK in blood plasma
      were detected, and the pathological changes of myocardial tissues were observed
      under light microscope by HE staining. RESULTS: Compared with model group, ST
      segments in ECG dropped markedly at different time point which included 10,11 and
      12 (P <0. 05) in Gualou Xiebai Drop Pills groups of 22. 5, 33. 75 and 45 g/kg,
      time points were more than those of other groups. Gualou Xiebai Dropping Pills
      groups of 22. 5 and 33. 75 g/kg improved the levels of SOD, MDA, CAT, NO, HDL-C,
      LDH and CK in blood plasma in model rats significantly (P <0. 01 or P <0. 05).
      Gualou Xeibai Dropping Pills improved the pathological changes of myocardial
      tissues at all dosages. CONCLUSION: Gualou Xiebai Drop Pills can effectively
      restrain the acute myocardial ischemia induced by isoproterenol in rats, compared
      with Gualou, Xiebai or Gualou Xiebai Baijiutang, Gualou Xiebai Drop Pills obtains
      a favourable effect.

PMID- 26495662
TI  - [Pharmacokinetics Study on Curcumin Hydroxypropyl-beta-Cyclodextrin Phospholipid
      Complex in Rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the in vivo pharmacokinetics of curcumin hydroxypropyl-beta
      cyclodextrin phospholipid complex, curcumin hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin and
      curcumin phospholipid complex, and to discuss the advantage of hydroxypropyl-beta
      cyclodextrin phospholipid complex as carrier. METHODS: Drawing blood after SD
      rats were oral administered with the above preparations and free drug at 50
      mg/kg( corresponding to curcumin) , and the blood concentration were determined
      by HPLC. RESULTS: The AUC0-infinity of curcumin hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin
      phospholipid complex was(1 126. 20 +/- 323. 24) g/(L . h), which was 5. 89, 1. 49
      and 1. 17 times as curcumin (191. 08 +/- 43. 27) ug/( L . h), curcumin
      phospholipid complex(754. 93 +/- 55. 33) ug/(L . h), curcumin hydroxypropyl-beta-
      cyclodextrin(961. 21 +/- 253. 65) ug/(L . h). CONCLUSION: The curcumin
      hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin phospholipid complex has a better absorption
      property than curcumin phospholipid complex and curcumin hydroxypropyl-beta
      cyclodextrin, which is more beneficial to improve the bioavailability.

PMID- 26495663
TI  - [Study on HPLC Fingerprint of Kanggongyan Series].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish analysis methods for fingerprint of Kanggongyan series by
      HPLC. METHODS: A Shiseido CAP-CELL PAK C18(250 mm x 4. 6 mm, 3 um) column was
      used with acetonitrile-0. 5% phosphoric acid as the mobile phase by gradient
      elution. The flow rate was 0. 8 mL/min, the column temperature was 30  degrees C,
      and the detection wavelength was set at 280 nm during 0 ~ 44 min and at 332 nm
      during 44 ~ 115 min. RESULTS: Ten common peaks were selected as characteristic
      peaks in the chromatogram of Kanggongyan particles, eleven common peaks were
      selected as characteristic peaks in the chromatogram of Kanggongyan tablets and
      capsules ,the similarities were greater than 0. 9 among all batches. CONCLUSION:
      The method is simple, steady and repeatable. It provides a basis for the quality
      control of Kanggongyan series.

PMID- 26495664
TI  - [Study on Ultrasonic-Surfactant Extraction of Total Flavonoids from Albizia
      julibrissin Flower by Response Surface Methodology].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To optimize the extraction technology of total flavonoids from Albizia
      julibrissin flower by combining surfactant with ultrasonic technology. METHODS:
      Using Box-Behnken central composition design and response surface methodology,
      the effects of surfactant concentration, liquid-solid ratio and ultrasound time
      on the yield of total flavonoids were studied based on the extraction rate to
      determine the optimum extraction conditions of total flavonoids. RESULTS: Optimum
      conditions for extraction of Albizia julibrissin flower were as follows: mass
      percentage of 2. 5% SDS,15 times of 60% ethanol,ultrasonic time of 31 min. Under
      these conditions,the extraction rate of total flavonoids from Albizia julibrissin
      flower was 0. 853%. Using this technology, the extraction yield increased by 93.
      0% as compared with that using ultrasonic technology alone. CONCLUSION: The
      optimum extraction technology can be used for extraction of total flavonoids from
      Albizia julibrissin flower for its simplicity and responsibility.

PMID- 26495665
TI  - [Optimization of SFE-CO2 Extraction for Ursolic Acid from Punica granatum Peel by
      Plackett-Burman and Central Composite Design].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The optimum extraction of ursolic acid from Punica granatum peel by
      SFE-CO2 was investigated. METHODS: Based on the design of Plackett-Burman(PB),
      significant factors influencing the yield of ursolic acid in the operation
      process were filtered, with the extraction rate of ursolic acid as the index. The
      results obtained by steepest ascent method approximated the maximum area of
      ursolic acid yield. Then the Central Composite Design(CCD) design was used to
      carry on the response surface optimization of significant factors, getting a two
      order mathematical model affecting the ursolic acid yield, as well as the optimum
      process conditions. RESULTS: The best technological conditions of the extraction
      of ursolic acid from Punica granatum peel by SFE-CO2 were that the extraction
      temperature was 46. 29  degrees C, extraction time was 91. 6 min and the
      extraction pressure was 34. 49 MPa. Under the optimal conditions, verification
      test of ursolic acid yield was 12. 508 mg/g, approximating to the predicted value
      of 12. 645 mg/g. CONCLUSION: The PB test and CCD test design are combined to
      optimize the extraction process of ursolic acid from Punica granatum peel by SFE
      CO2. The screening results are statistically significant and the process
      operation is feasible.

PMID- 26495666
TI  - [Simultaneous Determination of Index Components in Wuwei Shaji Oral Liquid by
      HPLC].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish an HPLC method of detecting geniposide, mono-ammonium
      glycyrrhizinate, liquiritin, costunolide and dehydrocostus lactone in the Wuwei
      Shaji oral liquid simutaneously. METHODS: Diamonsil C18 (2) column(250 mm x 4. 6
      mm, 5 um) was used to analyze above components with mobile phase of
      acetonitrile(A)-0. 2 phosphoric acid(B) in gradient elution mode at the flow rate
      of 1. 0 mL/min under wavelength of 220 nm. RESULTS: There was a good linear
      relationship of the five components, the RSD of the accuracy, repeatability,
      stability were all bellow 3% and the average recovery were 99. 95%, 95. 00%,100.
      26%, 99. 82%, 101. 33%. CONCLUSION: This method is convenience, accuracy and
      specific,which can be a further supplement for the quality control of Wuwei Shaji
      oral liquid.

PMID- 26495667
TI  - President's Message.

PMID- 26495668
TI  - Patient Records.

PMID- 26495669
TI  - What if a Practitioner Passes Away?

PMID- 26495670
TI  - Medicaid Dental Care at 50.

PMID- 26495671
TI  - Oral Pathology Quiz #88. Case number 1. Granular cell tumor.

PMID- 26495672
TI  - Oral Pathology Quiz #88. Case Number 2. Epithelial dysplasia.

PMID- 26495673
TI  - Oral Pathology Quiz #88. Case Number 3. Melanotic macule.

PMID- 26495675
TI  - Colleague Connection.

PMID- 26495674
TI  - Oral pathology quiz #88. Case Number 4. Peripheral ossifying fibroma.

PMID- 26495676
TI  - Root Supported Overdentures - Case Report.

PMID- 26495677
TI  - Five Things to Consider When Performing Maxillary Sinus Augmentation for Dental
      Implant Placement.

PMID- 26495678
TI  - Case Report: Mandibular Gingival Lesions as a First Sign of Multiple Myeloma.

PMID- 26495679
TI  - Our New Strategic Plan.

PMID- 26495680
TI  - ACHIEVING PHYSICIAN-LED CLINICAL INTEGRATION.

PMID- 26495681
TI  - Physician Executive Competencies: Collaboration, Teaming Serve as the Foundation
      for Success.

PMID- 26495682
TI  - The Journey to Value-Based Care for Population Health.

PMID- 26495683
TI  - Humility and Leadership.

PMID- 26495684
TI  - Palliative Medicine and Patient Satisfaction.

PMID- 26495685
TI  - Engaging Residents.

PMID- 26495686
TI  - Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

PMID- 26495687
TI  - Enhance Candidacy Odds by Analyzing Job Requirements.

PMID- 26495688
TI  - Physicians Key in Value-Driven Environment.

PMID- 26495689
TI  - Patient-Reported Measures.

PMID- 26495690
TI  - Changing of the Guard.

PMID- 26495691
TI  - Relationship between of short-course preoperative radiotherapy and serum albumin
      level and postoperative complications in rectal cancer surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: The identification of risk factors could play a role in improving
      early postoperative outcome for rectal cancer surgery patients. The air of this
      s5udy was to determine the relationship between short-course preoperative
      radiotherapy (RT), serum albumin level and the development of postoperative
      complications in patients after anterior rectal resection due to rectal cancer
      without creation of diverting stoma. METHODS: This retrospective study included
      patients with histopathologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the rectum with the
      clinical stage of T2-T4 operated on between 2007 and 2012. All the patients
      underwent open anterior rectal resection without diverting stoma creation.
      Preoperative serum albumin was measured in each patient. Tumor location was noted
      intraoperatively as the distance between the inferior tumor margin and anal
      verge. Tumor size was measured and noted by the pathologist who assessed
      specimens. Some of the patients received short-course preoperative RT, and some
      did not. The patients were divided into two groups (group 1 with short-course
      preoperative RT, group 2 without short-course preoperative RT). Postoperative
      complications included clinically apparent anastomotic leakage, wound infection,
      diffuse peritonitis and pneumonia. They were compared between the groups, in
      relation to preoperative serum albumin level, patient age, tumor size and
      location. RESULTS: The study included 107 patients (51 in the group 1 and 56 in
      the group 2). There were no significant difference in age (p = 0.95), gender (p =
      0.12) and tumor distance from anal verge (p = 0.53). The size of rectal carcinoma
      was significantly higher in the group 1 than in the group 2 (51.37 +/- 12.04 mm
      vs. 45.57 +/- 9.81 mm, respectively; p = 0.007). The preoperative serum albumin
      level was significantly lower in the group 1 than in the group 2 (34.80 +/- 2.85
      g/L vs. 37.55 +/- 2.74 g/L, respectively; p < 0.001). A significant correlation
      between the tumor size and the serum albumin level was found (p = 0.042).
      Overall, postoperative complications were observed in 13 (25.5%) patients in the
      group 1 and in 10 (17.8%) patients in the group 2 without significant difference
      between the groups (p = 0.18). A significantly lower level of serum albumin was
      found in patients with postoperative complications and in those who died. A
      significant difference in anastomotic leakage occurrence between groups was found
      (p = 0.039). Male gender and the lower level of serum albumin were significant
      predictors for anastomotic leakage occurrence (p = 0.05 and p = 0.002,
      respectively), but preoperative RT had no significant impact on it. CONCLUSIONS:
      A lower serum albumin level, but not short-course of preoperative RT, was
      significantly associated with postoperative complications development after
      rectal resection with' out diverting stoma.

PMID- 26495692
TI  - A novel microscopic method for analyzing Gram-stained vaginal smears in the
      diagnosis of disorders of vaginal microflora.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: The Nugent's score is still the gold standard in the great
      majority of studies dealing with the assessment of vaginal flora and the
      diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV). The aim of this study was to show that the
      analysis of Gram-stained vaginal samples under microscope at the magnification of
      x200 (a novel microscopic method--NMM), as a fast and simple tool, easily
      applicable in everyday practice, better reflects complexity of vaginal microflora
      than the Nugent's methodology (x1000). METHODS: Gram-stained vaginal smears from
      394 asymptomatic pregnant women (24-28 week of pregnancy) were classified
      according to the Nugent's microscopic criteria (immersion, magnification x1000).
      The smears were then reexamined under immersion but at magnification x200. All
      samples were classified into 6 groups according to semiquanititative assessment
      of numbers (cellularity) and the ratio of rod (length < 1.5 microm) and small
      bacterial (< 1.5 microm) forms: hypercellular (normal full--NF), moderately
      cellular (normal mid-NM), hypocellular (normal empty--NE), bacterial vaginosis
      full (BVF), bacterial vaginosis mid (BVM), and bacterial vaginosis empty (BVE).
      Also yeasts, coccae, bifido and lepto bacterial forms as well polymorphonuclear
      (PMN) leukocytes were identified. RESULTS: According to the Nugent's scoring, BV
      was found in 78, intermediate findings in 63, and yeasts in 48 patients. By our
      criteria BV was confirmed in 88 patients (37 BVF, 24 BVM, and 27 BVN). Generally,
      both tools proved to be highly concordant for the diagnosis of BV (Lin's
      concordance correlation coefficient = 0.9852). In 40% of the women mixed flora
      was found: yeasts in 126 (32%), coccae in 145 (37%), bifido forms in 32 (8%) and
      lepto forms in 20 (5%). Almost a half of BV patients had also yeasts (39/88).
      Elevated PMN numbers were found in 102 (33%) patients with normal and in 36 (41%)
      women with BV. CONCLUSION: The newly described methodology is simpler to apply
      and much better reflects diversity of vaginal microflora. In this way it may be
      more valuable to molecular biologists and their attempts based on quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to define formulas for molecular diagnosis of
      bacterial vaginosis.

PMID- 26495693
TI  - Changing body structure components and motor skills in Military High School
      students within one year.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM. Proper growth and development ofadolescents in the morphological,
      functional and psychosocial aspects is the imperative of the educational process.
      The aim of this study was to determine the status and changes in the indicators
      of morphological characteristics, motor skills and lifestyle habits among the
      students of the Military High School in Belgrade. METHODS: The study included 217
      students aged 15 to 18 years (from the first to the fourth grade). The two
      measurements performed at the intervals of one year were used to determine: the
      body structure by means of 10 variables and motor skills by 4 variables, while
      life habits were determined by 25 variables. RESULTS: The differences in the
      indicators of morphological characteristics were recorded in all the groups,
      being the highest in the first year of schooling. During the period of growing
      up, a reduction of fatty component in percentage values was found, as well as an
      increase of muscle mass. The progressive growth of motor skills in the first,
      second and the third grade was recorded in the manifestation of power, and
      endurance improved only in the first year. In terms of dietary habits, there was
      no difference among the groups. CONCLUSION: The obtained results indicate proper
      morphological and motor development and the formation of lifestyle habits. The
      data obtained will serve as a basis for health and functional prevention and
      upgrading in terms of improvement of the process of military education.

PMID- 26495694
TI  - Efficacy of nanocrystalline bone substitute biphasic calcium phosphate/poly-DL
      lactide-co-glycolide for periodontal intrabony defects filling.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Different bone substitutes have been used for filling and
      reparation of intrabony defects. The aim of this study was to compare
      nanocrystalline material, biphasic calcium phosphate poly-DL-lactide-co-glycolide
      (BCP/PLGA) with deproteinised bovine bone (DPBB) and beta-tricalcium phosphate (P
      TCP) in the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects. METHODS: The study
      included 24 patients with bilateral, intrabony defects in the region of the upper
      first and second premolar, and the upper first molar. On one side of the mouth,
      DPBB (BioOss) was used to fill defects in upper premolars while P-TCP (RTR) was
      used for the upper first molar. BCP/PLGA was applied into periodontal defects of
      the upper premolars and upper first molar of the opposite side. RESULTS: The
      comparison of the BCP/PLGA and the P-TCP group, 6 months following filling of
      defects, showed a statistically significant reduction of periodontal pocket depth
      (PPD) and the position of the cement-enamel junction (CEJ) in the group with
      BCP/PLGA, when compared to the beta-TCP group. The reduction of PPD and CEJ was
      similar in the groups treated with BCP/PLGA and DPBB. CONCLUSION: Significant
      reductions of PPD and CEJ were registered in the group with BCP/PLGA when
      compared to the beta-TCP group.

PMID- 26495695
TI  - Outdoor and indoor ozone level--A potential impact on human health.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Air pollution outside and inside is still one of the most
      sensitive issues. The aim of this study was to assess the ozone level in ambient
      air and working premises in terms of its possible influence on human health.
      METHODS: The study was based on the results obtained in Lithuanian conditions.
      Continuous ozone measurement data from the rural monitoring station in Preila
      over the period 1995-2011 were analyzed. More than 180,000 hourly values were
      examined according to the requirements in the Directive 2008/50/EC. The World
      Health Organization (WHO) and European Union indicators the Sum of Ozone Means
      Over 35 ppb (SOMO 35), the maximum daily 8-hour mean concentration of ozone
      higher than 100 and 120 microg/m3 were estimated. Indoor ozone concentrations in
      copying and welding rooms were evaluated. The ozone concentration was measured
      with the ozone analyzer 0341M. RESULTS: The frequency distribution of ozone
      hourly concentrations at the Preila station showed that less than 1% of the data
      were higher than 120 microg/m3 and 6% of them higher than 100 microg/m3, that
      could have the adverse effect on human health, during 1995-2011. The
      investigations made in working premises showed that near a copying machine the
      ozone concentration can reach 330 +/- microg/m3, however in the room, i.e., 0.5 m
      from the machine, the average ozone concentration during automatic copying was
      165 microg/m3 and during manual copying it was 50 microg/m3. Measurements in a
      welding room showed that the ozone concentration was in the range of 380-1850
      microg/m3 at the distance of 25 cm from the electrode and at the distance of 1 m
      from the source the ozone concentration decreased 2.5 times. Conclusion. The
      danger of the ambient ozone level to human health practically was not observed in
      Lithuanian conditions. However, almost 6% of the data exceed the new WHO
      guideline of 100 microg/m3 during the measurement time. Indoor ozone during
      welding reached a higher level than during, copying that can cause human health
      problems.

PMID- 26495696
TI  - Impact of the combined presence of left ventricular systolic and renal
      dysfunction on the 5-year outcome after ST-elevation myocardial infarction.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: The coincidence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD)
      and renal dysfunction (RD) is a strong independent predictor of adverse events in
      the short-term and mid-term follow-ups of patients with ST-elevation myocardial
      infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention
      (pPCI). The aim of this study was primarily to assess the prognostic impact of
      the LVSD-RD combination on the 5-year all-cause mortality in patients with STEMI
      treated with pPCI, as well as to assess the prognostic impact of the LVSD-RD
      combination on the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs:
      cardiovascular death, reinfarction, stroke and target vessel revas- cularization)
      in these patients. METHODS: We analyzed 951 patients divided into 4 groups
      according to the presence of LVSD (ejection fraction < 40%) and/or baseline RD
      (creatinine clearance < 60 mL/min): group I (no LVSD, no RD); group II (LVSD, no
      RD); group III (RD, no LVSD); group IV (LVSD+RD). RESULTS: The 5-year mortality
      rates were 2.3%, 17.6%, 11.7% and 38.3%, while the 5-year MACE rates were 8.8%,
      28.4%, 18.3% and 44.4% in the groups I, II, III and IV, respectively (p < 0.001).
      The highest percentage of lethal outcomes and MACE was registered in the first
      year of follow-up in all the groups. The 1-year landmark analysis confirmed that
      the patients with LVSD-RD combination had the highest percentage of lethal
      outcomes in the period of 1 to 5 years (p = 0.028). There was a strong trend
      toward the significance in the occurrence of MACE among the analyzed groups in
      the period of 1 to 5 years (p = 0.085). In the Cox regression model the LVSD-RD
      combination was a strong independent predictor of 5-year mortality and the
      occurrence of MACE: mortality hazard ratio (HR) 4.5 (95%CI 1.9-10.8); MACE HR 2.5
      (95% CI 1.4-4.5). CONCLUSION: The strong negative independent prognostic impact
      of the LVSD-RD combination persisted in the long-term follow-up of the patients
      with STEMI treated with pPCI.

PMID- 26495697
TI  - Migraine with aura and TCD bubble-test: The significance of positive result.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: The association between the right-to-left shunt (RLS) and
      migraine with aura (MA) has been proven so far. The aim of this study was to
      determine if the presence of RLS detected as a result of transcranial doppler
      (TCD) bubble-test, makes any difference in clinical presentation, aura and
      headache in patients with MA. METHODS: A single-group descriptive study was
      conducted on 153 patients diagnosed with MA. TCD bubble-test was performed on 135
      of them. The recorded demographic and clinical features of patients were analyzed
      and compared with the results of the TCD bubble test. RESULTS: In the group of
      135 patients, 88 (65.2%) had positive TCD bubble-test. The difference in the
      investigated clinical features of patients of the patients and aura between the
      patients with and without RLS, was not found. CONCLUSION: The results of our
      study confirm a high prevalence of right-to-left shunt in patients with MA, but
      the clinical relevance of this association was not shown.

PMID- 26495698
TI  - Motivation and job satisfaction of health workers in a specialized health
      institution in Serbia.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Health care system is specific for each country, and therefore
      involves different motivation and job satisfaction factors. The aim of this study
      was to confirm the validity and applicability of the General Nordic Questionnaire
      translated into Serbian for analyzing motivation and job satisfaction, as well as
      to analyze the motivation factors and job satisfaction of health workers at the
      Institute for Treatment and Rehabilitation "Niska Banja". METHODS: The General
      Nordic Questionnaire was translated into Serbian. It included 73 questions (5
      answers by the Likert scale), which formed 24 scales. In May, 2012, 196 (82.3%)
      health workers filled in the questionnaire. RESULTS: A correlation of Ceronbach's
      alpha values between the Scandinavian study results and the results of Serbian
      study was statistically significant (r = 0.424; p < 0.05). The lowest Cronbach'
      alfa coefficient was for the scale "learning demand in job demands" (alpha 0.28).
      The other scale with no satisfactory reliability was "control of work pacing"
      (alpha 0.46). Intrinsic motivation positively correlated with all the scales of
      organizational module, apart from inequality. Within this module, the degree of
      extrinsic motivation correlated with the support from the superior and coworkers,
      with fair leadership and human resources primacy. A negative correlation appeared
      with inequality. CONCLUSION: The general Nordic Questionnaire can be applied to a
      great extent to the conditions in our country. Our study shows a low consistency
      of the scales learning job demands, control of decision, control of work pacing,
      so the questions in them should be adjusted to the conditions in our country.
      Extrinsic motivation resulted in higher values than the values of intrinsic
      motivation in our workers, which is opposite to the results of the original
      questionnaire.

PMID- 26495699
TI  - Treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis by laser therapy: A systematic review
      of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is defined as multifactor
      immunologic inflammatory lesions in the oral cavity, characterized by painful,
      recurrent single/multiple, shallow, round or ovoid ulcerations of mucosal
      tissues. To date, a considerable number of RAS treatment protocols have been
      suggested, but since the etiology of RAS is idiopathic, these treatment options
      have symptomatic rather than curative or preventive effect. Recently, it has been
      suggested that laser therapy could be successfully used as an efficient treatment
      approach in therapy of RAS. Therefore, the aim of this review was to estimate the
      effects of laser therapy in treatment of RAS analyzing results of clinical
      studies published in peer reviewed journals. METHODS: The studies published until
      31 December 2013 were obtained from the Medline/PubMed, Science Direct and
      Cochrane Library of the Cochrane Collaboration (CENTRAL) online databases, using
      following search terms and key words: "laser" AND "recurrent aphthous
      stomatitis", "laser" AND "aphthous", and "laser" AND "aphthae". In total 4
      original research articles met the all required inclusion/exclusion criteria, and
      were used for this review. The main outcome measures assessed were: a reduction
      of pain associated with RAS and a reduction in episode duration (faster RAS
      healing). RESULTS: The assessed literature demonstrates the benefits of laser
      therapy mainly due to immediate analgesia and ability to speed up a RAS healing
      process. CONCLUSION: Even thoughthe assessed literature suggests beneficial
      outcomes of laser therapy in treatment of RAS, these results should be
      interpreted with caution. The issues related to the study designs and different
      sets of laser irradiation parameters of a limited number of available studies
      with the same treatment outcomes prevent us from making definite conclusions.

PMID- 26495700
TI  - [Medical expertise in criminal and civil proceedings].

PMID- 26495701
TI  - Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome--A case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is
      characterized by the following symptoms: seizures, impaired consciousness and/or
      vision, vomiting, nausea, and focal neurological signs. Diagnostic imaging
      includes examination by magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT),
      where brain edema is visualized bilaterally and symmetrically, predominantly
      posteriorly, parietally, and occipitally. CASE REPORT: We presented a 73-year-old
      patient with the years-long medical history of hypertension and renal
      insufficiency, who developed PRES with the symptomatology of the rear cranium. CT
      and MR verified changes in the white matter involving all lobes on both sides of
      the brain. After a two-week treatment (antihypertensive, hypolipemic and
      rehydration therapy) clinical improvement with no complications occurred, with
      complete resolution of changes in the white matter observed on CT and MR.
      CONCLUSION: PRES is a reversible syndrome in which the symptoms withdraw after
      several days to several weeks if early diagnosis is made and appropriate
      treatment started without delay.

PMID- 26495702
TI  - Lymphoproliferative neoplasms and renal cell carcinoma of clear cell type--Where
      is the link?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The etiology of higher than expected occurrence of
      lymphoproliferative neoplasms (LPN) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the same
      patient has not yet been clarified. Several explanations for this co-occurrence
      have been postulated: prior cytotoxic treatment, viral infections,
      immunomodulatory effects of tumor itself and shared genetic and/or environmental
      factors. CASE REPORT: Medical records of 680 consecutive patients with LPN and
      570 consecutive patients with RCC diagnosed between January 1997 and December
      2011 in two centers were retrospectively analyzed. Co-occurrence of both diseases
      was registered in five of the patients (3 males, 2 females) and their
      demographic, clinical and pathological characteristics were presented.
      CONCLUSION: Synchronous occurrence of LPN neoplasms and RCC or a short latent
      period between the diagnoses of these two malignancies in the same patient, as
      well as the lack of cytotoxic treatment for firstly occurring neoplasm implies a
      possible common pathobiology of both diseases.

PMID- 26495703
TI  - Severe form of streptococcal necrotizing fasciitis of the upper limb--diagnostic
      and therapeutic challenge: A case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Since delay in recognition and effective treatment of necrotizing
      fasciitis (NF) caused by invasive group A streptococcus increases the mortality
      and disability, the early diagnosis and management of this disease are essential
      for a better outcome. We presented a patient with a severe form of streptococcal
      NF of the left upper limb in whom amputation was performed as a life saving
      procedure. CASE REPORT: A 65-year-old man, previously healthy, suffered an injury
      to his left hand by sting on a fish bone. Two days after that the patient got
      fever, redness, swelling and pain in his left hand. Clinical examination of the
      patient after admission indicated NF that spread quickly to the entire left upper
      limb, left armpit, and the left side of the chest and abdomen. Despite the use of
      aggressive antibiotic and surgical therapy severe destruction of the skin and
      subcutaneous tissues developed with the development of gangrene of the left upper
      limb. In this situation, the team of specialists decided that the patient must be
      operated on submitted to amputation of the left arm, at the shoulder. After
      amputation and aggressive debridement of soft tissue on the left side of the
      trunk, the patient completely recovered. beta-hemolytic streptococcus group A was
      isolated from the skin and tissue obtained during the surgery. CONCLUSION: In the
      most severe forms of streptococcal NF of the extremities, adequate
      multidisciplinary treatment, including limb amputation, can save the life of a
      patient.

PMID- 26495704
TI  - Diagnostic approach to localised organising pneumonia--A case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Localised organising pneumonia, radiologically presented with oval
      or round shadows mimicing lung cancer or metastases, is a major issue in
      differential diagnosis. CASE REPORT: A female patient was hospitalized to
      clarified the etiology of multiple nodular lung lesions. The chest X-ray and the
      chest computed tomography (CT) revealed bilateral patchy and nodular shadows, and
      round lung lesions, respectively. Neither sputum analyses, nor histology of
      bronchoscopy samples clarified the etiology of these lung lesions. As secondary
      deposits in the lungs were suspected, video-assisted thoracoscopy and
      anterolateral right minithoracotomy with atypical upper and lower lobe resection
      were performed. The frozen-section analysis suggested the benign nature of the
      lesion, and the definite histopathological finding of localised organising
      pneumonia was established. Due to bilateral lung lesions, corticosteroids were
      applied. Seven weeks later, the chest CT finding revealed a total regression of
      the lesions. CONCLUSION: A surgical resection was necessary to diagnose the
      localised organising pneumonia which mimiced secondary malignant lesions, thus
      establishing the definite etiology of lung lesions. Bronchoscopic cryobiopsy,
      recently introduced in order to obtain peripheral lung biopsy samples, has
      provided new possibilities in the diagnosis and treatment of neoplastic and non
      neoplastic lung diseases.

PMID- 26495705
TI  - [THE MODEL OF NUCLEOSOME STRUCTURE BASED ON THE LOCAL ROTATION OF THE
      NUCLEOHISTONE CHAIN, WHICH INDUCES ITS FOLDING].
AB  - An alternative model to the "double turn of DNA on the histone core" approach is
      forwarded based on the biochemical, cytological, and crystallographic data on the
      structural organization of the chromatin units--nucleosomes. The model assumes
      that the initial structure is a linear nucleohistone cord with a repeating
      symmetrical histone sequence. The compact (core) particle (a minimal nucleosome)
      is forming upon a stepwise rotation of DNA (kinks) at the centre and at two
      symmetrical sites into each repeating fragment stemming from the electrostatic
      binding of the lysine epsilon-NH2-groups with the followed one by one phosphates
      of the sugar-phosphate chain. As a result, we have a rhomboid structure composed
      of two counter-symmetrical DNA folds stabilized by histone-histone interactions.
      Based on disposable data, the histone sequence along nucleosome DNA is deduced.
      The following characteristics of the sequence are considered: continuity, non
      overlapping, versatility, and dyadic symmetry in dispose of two every kind
      histone molecules and the sequence on the whole. The model is in agreement with a
      topology of nucleosome DNA, as well as the pattern of DNA-histone and histone
      histone interactions in chromatin.

PMID- 26495706
TI  - [NEW ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE STUDY OF THE MECHANISMS AND TARGETS OF ACTION OF
      PROINSULIN C-PEPTIDE].
AB  - The C-peptide, product of proinsulin proteolysis, is a chaperone for insulin
      during its storage in the transport vesicles of pancreatic beta-cells and further
      after its secretion into the bloodstream. Along with this, C-peptide functions as
      endogenous regulator of a number of the intracellular effector proteins,
      including phospholipase Cbeta, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, mitogen-activated
      protein kinases, non-receptor tyrosine kinases, and controls cAMP- and cGMP
      dependent cascades. Recently, the specific receptor GPR146 for C-peptide, which
      belongs to the superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors, has been identified.
      The decrease in the C-peptide level and the activity of its signaling cascades in
      diabetes mellitus lead to a wide range of complications of this disease including
      diabetic nephropathy, cardiomyopathy, angiopathy, and neuropathy. The changes in
      C-peptide functions has been found in non-diabetic patients with cardiovascular
      system disorders and renal failure. This review is devoted to the most
      significant events in the exploration of structural and functional organization
      of the C-peptide molecule, the identification of its receptor, the study of the
      molecular mechanisms of its action on cells that have taken place over the last
      few years. This review focuses on the most significant events recent years in the
      study of structural-functional organization of C-peptide and the molecular
      mechanisms of its action on the cell.

PMID- 26495707
TI  - [AGGLUTINATION OF MESOPHYLL PLASTIDS AND OBLITERATION OF PHLOEM SIEVE TUBES ARE
      THE TOTAL RESULT OF SEASONAL PAUSES IN PHOTOSYNTHATE EXPORT].
AB  - Chloroplast agglutination and sieve tube obliteration are related to the
      different plant tissues: the agglutination--to the leaf mesophyll, and the
      obliteration--to the axis phloem. Being equally produced by photosynthate export
      dynamics, both phenomena are synchronous and can be used for diagnostics of
      seasonal flashes and pauses of photosynthetic activity with equal success. The
      nature of the mobility of chloroplast and their shuttle displacements from the
      nuclear envelope to the cell periphery connected with export dynamics have been
      established. It is assumed that nuclear envelope is the base structure of the
      endoplasmic reticulum (ER) inside which the chloroplasts are localized.
      Activation of photosynthesis and sugar accumulation inside the ER induces its
      expansion followed by centrifugal diffusion of chloroplasts. Come back effect--ER
      collapse, its return to the source--can be induced by the blockade of
      photosynthesis. Centripetal collapse is accompanied by plastid concentration
      around the nuclear envelope. Displacements of ER and the chloroplasts dislocating
      inside it are reversible. It depends on seasonal fluctuations of photosynthesis
      and export intensities. Changes in the volume of sieve tubes, which are due to
      the same reason, are irreversible. Each seasonal wave of photosynthesis and sugar
      export forms new series of sieve tubes, replacing obliterated ones.

PMID- 26495708
TI  - [INCREASE IN CELL RADIOSENSITIVITY AFTER INHIBITION OF CELL ABILITY TO RECOVER
      FROM POTENTIALLY LETHAL RADIATION DAMAGE].
AB  - The paper presents new experimental results demonstrating the recovery of
      irradiated cells on a nutrient medium, which usually occurs at a delay of cell
      division. Using the previously proposed method, the contribution of such a
      recovery in radiation sensitivity of diploid yeast cells of different strains
      after exposure to ionizing and ultraviolet radiation has been estimated. It is
      shown that the actual increase in cell radiosensitivity significantly exceeds the
      expected one in the case of inhibition of the recovery from potentially lethal
      damage. These data indicate that inhibition of cell ability to recover from
      potentially lethal radiation damage by exposing the irradiated cells in non
      nutritive medium in many cases serve as an indicator of suppression of the
      overall ability of cells to repair. Experimental data indicating that it is not a
      universal rule are presented.

PMID- 26495709
TI  - [EFFECT OF STROMAL CELLS AND OXYGEN CONCENTRATION ON THE MAINTENANCE OF CORD
      BLOOD HEMATOPOIETIC PRECURSORS].
AB  - The paper analyses the morphological and functional features of cord blood cells
      (CBCs) in the co-culture with multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MMSCs) from
      human adipose tissue under tissue-related oxygen. We have established that MMSCs
      effectively maintained viability of CBCs at different oxygen concentrations (1, 5
      and 20%). According to the data obtained, the oxygen concentration affected the
      number of colony-forming units (CFUs) formed by CBCs in selective medium. In
      particular, not co-cultured CBCs the 1 and 5% O2 than at 20% O2. After co-culture
      with MMSCs, the CFUs numbers were similar at 1 and 20% O2 and increased by 30 at
      5% O2. Tissue related O2 concentrations had an impact on the proportion of
      lineage-resctricted CFCs among CBCs: the number of more committed progenitors-
      CFU-G and CFU-M, increased, and multi and bipotent--CFU-GEMM and CFU-GM,
      decreased at low oxygen concentrations. This effect was more pronounced after co
      culture compared to that of initial CBCs. Thus, the presence of stromal cells and
      tissue-related oxygen jointly and severally influenced CBCs in vitro.

PMID- 26495710
TI  - [DYNAMICS OF NITROGEN OXIDE METABOLITES IN THE PLASMA AND ASCITES DURING ZAJDEL
      HEPATOMA GROWTH IN VIVO].
AB  - The dynamics of extracellular nitrogen oxide metabolites localized in the plasma
      and ascites during Zajdel ascites hepatoma growth in the abdominal cavity has
      been investigated. An increase in peroxynitrite concentration was found by the
      levels of nitrotyrosine (up to 10-11 nM) in blood plasma at the initial stage of
      tumor cell development. In the course of further tumor development, an oxidative
      stress developed, which might cause oxidation of protein components including
      tyrosine. All these processes may cause a decrease in the accessible amount of
      tyrosine for nitration and lead to a fall in nitrotyrosine level (to 3-6 nM) at
      the final stages of tumor growth. Nitrotyrosine dynamics in the region of tumor
      growth is essentially analogous to that in the plasma because proteins during
      tumor growth cames from the blood plasma of tumor bearer. In studying the
      dynamics of nitrosylation of sulfur-bearing protein groups, an increase in the
      concentration of S-nitrosothyols was found to occur in the blood plasma for up to
      6 days of the experiment, subsequently their concentration decreased. In the
      ascites, where protein R-SNO arrives, the mean concentration of nitrosothyols
      upon tumor growth is lower compared to that of the plasma. In studying the
      dynamics of final stable nitrogen oxide decay products--nitrites/nitrates, it has
      been found that during tumor development the concentration of these metabolites
      in the plasma varies only moderately within some range and sharply increases at
      the final stage of the experiment. In the area of tumor growth, an analogous
      trend in the behavior of nitrites/nitriaes has been registered (noted, marked),
      but with a higher background level, which might be due to both the functioning of
      immunocompetent cells, microphages in particular, and a decreased rate of
      utilization of substances from the ascites. Based on the aforesaid, it has been
      concluded that the nitrosylating stress in the organism of the bearer of a tumor
      is being developed along with the oxidative stress.

PMID- 26495711
TI  - [PECULIAR PROPERTIES OF SOME COMPONENTS OF MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE IN A PLANT
      CELL VACUOLE REVEALED BY CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY].
AB  - Results of investigations of peculiar properties related to the structure of
      plant cell vacuolar membranes are discussed. The study was carried out using
      confocal microscopy, which allowed us in the process of scanning to identify
      membrane tubes and vesicules in the preparations of isolated vacuoles. Such
      membrane tubes were found both inside and outside the vacuoles, and, in the case
      of scanning intermittently at equal time intervals, transition of vesicles with
      the membrane tube was observed. Furthermore, scanning of isolated vacuoles was
      conducted at various distances from the glass substrate. Each time, in the upper
      area of the isolated vacuole lying on the substrate, we observed a large segment
      of vacuolar membrane and registered the effect of highly intensive fluorescing of
      some of membrane segments. The distributions of laurdan fluorescence generalized
      polarization (GP) values for the vacuolar membrane on the whole and for the
      intensively fluorescing membrane segments have been obtained. We have found that
      the microviscosity of the intensively fluorescing membrane segments essentially
      differs from that of the rest part of the membrane.

PMID- 26495712
TI  - [THE EFFECT OF PLANT EXTRACTS ON THE CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE INDUCTION OF MICRONUCLEUS
      IN RED BLOOD CELLS OF OUTBRED WHITE MICE].
AB  - Antimutagenic properties flavonoids extracts of the three plants Gratiola
      officinalis L., Helichrysum arenarium L., anthocyanin forms Zea mays L. were
      investigated. Analysis was performed by counting the micronucleus in peripheral
      blood erythrocytes outbred white mice; the mutagen was cyclophosphamide. Selected
      extracts reduce the number of micronucleus. Gratiola officinalis L. extract
      reduces the mutagenic action of cyclo- phosphamide at a dose of 200 mg/kg,
      Helichrysum arenarium L. extract--at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg (maximum
      protective effect was observed at a dose of 200 mg/kg), anthocyanin forms Zea
      mays L. extract at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg (a dose of 50 mg/kg--maximum
      antimutagenic effect).

PMID- 26495713
TI  - [CYTOGENETIC RESPONSE OF SCOTS PINE (PINUS SYLVESTRIS L.) TO CADMIUM AND NICKEL].
AB  - We studied cytogenetic polymorphism of the seeds of Pinus sylvestris L. in
      response to heavy metals exposure in laboratory settings over 2 years' time. We
      compared results obtained from the seedlings of different years: 2012 and 2013.
      With an increase in Ni2+ and Cd2+ concentration we observed a decrease in mitotic
      activity with concurrent rise in the percentage of cells in the prophase. This
      fact demonstrates the heavy metals act similar to both fixatives and substances
      that block cleavage spindle formation. In terms of pathological mitosis and the
      frequency of micronuclei cells, Cd2+ shows higher mutagenity compared to Ni2+. In
      addition, in the experimental samples, we have distinguished abnormalities such
      as fragmentations and agglutinations of chromosomes and especially C mitosis
      occurrence, which are not observed in the control.

PMID- 26495714
TI  - [Efficacy of Statin Therapy in the Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation in Early
      Postoperative Period after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of the postoperative atrialfibrillation (POAF) after
      open heart surgery is up to 65%. Statin therapy has shown conflicting data in the
      prevention of the POAF. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was eo evaluate the role of statin
      therapy in the primary prevention of AF after CABG. METHODS: Group 1 (n = 82)
      included those patients who received no statin therapy and the Group 2 (n = 124)
      included those patients who did receive statin therapy for at least three days
      prior to the operation and for all days in the postoperative period. WBC count in
      different periods after surgery and rate of AF were evaluated. The risk of
      occurrence of postoperative AF was evaluated using the Cox-regression model and
      odds ratio. RESULTS: A retrospective analysis of 206 medical records of the
      patients without pre-existing AF after CABG was performed. The rate of AF was 26%
      in Group 1 and 6.5 % in Group 2 (p = 0.0001). On Day 4 after surgery, WBC count
      was 11 (9;13) in the first group and 9 (7.6;10.2) x 10(9) e/L in the second group
      (p = 0.000001). "Statin use" and "number of grafts" and were found to be
      statistically meaningful: p = 0.002 and p = 0.0125 respectively (chi2 = 28.3; p <
      0.001). In accordance with the Cox model of regression, the risk of AF was 0.201
      for "statin use"; and 2.099 for "number of grafts". Odds ratio was 0.2 (95% CI
      0.08-0.5). CONCLUSION: Statin therapy prior to and after GABG wasfound to be an
      effective method of primary prevention of AF in the early postoperative period.

PMID- 26495715
TI  - [One-Stage Application of Mitral Valve Correction, Surgical Radiofrequency
      Ablation and Left Atrial Atrioplasty].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate sinus rhythm restoration and its failure
      predictors after one-stage application of surgical radiofrequency ablation, left
      atrial reduction and mitral valve correction. METHODS: This is a prospective
      longitudinal cohort study with historical controls. Patients were divided into 2
      groups according to the performed type of operation--the main group included
      patients undergone one-stage mitral valve correction, surgical radiofrequency
      ablation and left atrial atrioplasty (n = 47); and the control group consisted of
      patients undergone only mitral valve correction (n = 76). Surgical radiofrequency
      ablation was performed under the scheme Maze-IV. Left atrial atrioplasty
      procedure was performed according to echocardiography data: if in women LA antero
      posterior dimensions were more than 4.7 cm and in men more than 5.2 cm. RESULTS:
      The study included 123 patients. In the main group (age of the patients 61.0 +/-
      9.1 years, 55% male) sinus rhythm restoration was observed in 32 (68%) patients
      during the early postoperative period, but at the time of discharge it reduced to
      19 (40%), but in 6 months it increased up to 37 (78%), and in 36 months sinus
      rhythm already was detected in 40 (85%) patients. At the same time, during the
      early postoperative period in the control group (patients aged 59.0 +/- 11.0
      years, 61% male) only 31 (40%) of patients had sinus rhythm, in 6 months it was
      detected in 11 (14%) cases, and in 36 months sinus rhythm--only in 28 (37%)
      patients. Predictors of atrial fibrillation recurrence were revealed: valve
      disease continuance < 4 years (p = 0.017) and atrial fibrillation history < 3
      years (p =0.029). CONCLUSION: One-stage peforming of mitral valve correction,
      surgical radiofrequency ablation and left atrial atrioplasty restores and
      maintains more regular sinus rhythm, even in presence of atrial fibrillation
      recurrence predictors.

PMID- 26495716
TI  - [Cardiovascular Diseases in the Context of Russia's Long-Term Socio-Economic
      Development Priorities].
AB  - The paper presents results of a comprehensive analysis of the cardiovascular
      diseases (CVD) situation, both in the global and Russian contexts. It introduces
      original data illustrating the declining mortality rate from CVD, and the
      diminishing contribution of these diseases to overall mortality rate--globally
      and, to a larger extent, in developed countries. The paper also analyses the
      reasons for continuing CVD epidemic in Russia. Based on factual evidence, it
      argues that those include insufficient expenditures on treating CVD patients, and
      critically inadequate funding of prevention programmes. Unsatisfactory use of
      these funds to subsidise Russian regions (without taking into account their
      actual needs determined by the CVD mortality rate) only makes the problem worse.
      Through modelling, "average" efficiency of the Russian health care system in
      reducing CVD mortality was revealed. The paper describes various scenarios for
      future development of the Russian CVD situation. In the context of innovation
      based scenario, the advantages of technologicalforesight are analysed;
      specifically, the authors summarise major S & T development trends in the health
      sector (using data of the Russian S & T Foresight 2030), which could
      significantly contribute to stopping the CVD epidemic in Russia.

PMID- 26495717
TI  - [Results of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Elderly Diabetic Patients].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to compare results of the percutaneous coronary
      intervention (PCI) with drug elutingstent (DES) and bare metal stent (BMS) in
      older patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) type
      2. METHODS: Patients (> 65 years) with DM type 2 were divided into two groups:
      the 1st group--58 patients after PCI with DES, the 2nd group--62 patients after
      PCI with BMS. The average follow-up period was 32.6 +/- 8.0 months. The end
      points of the study were death, non-fatal myocardial infarction and restenosis of
      the target stenosis. RESULTS: Endovascular treatment of patients older than 65
      years with DM is highly effective and safe despite the complexity of coronary
      lesions. There are no significant differences in the rate of early (hospital)
      complications in two groups. Also, we did notfind differences in three-year
      mortality between the groups. But the incidence of myocardial infarction in the
      groups with DES and BMS was 9% and 18% respectively (p = 0.039). Major adverse
      cardiovascular events (death, myocardial infarction and restenosis of the target
      stenosis) frequency was also lower in the group with DES compared to BMS (36% and
      61% respectively, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Endovascular treatment of patients
      older than 65 years with DM type 2 is a highly effective and safe method despite
      the complexity of coronary lesions. PCI with DES compared to BMS in older
      patients with DM is associated with improvement of medium-term results and
      decreases the number of cardiovascular events.

PMID- 26495718
TI  - [Medical and Social Problems of Assisted Reproductive Technologies from the
      Perspective of Pediatrics].
AB  - The article presents a literature review over the last few years devoted to the
      health status and development peculiarities of children born using assisted
      reproductive technologies (ART) procedures. The statistics shows an explosive
      increase in the frequency of ART application as a fertility treatment method. The
      presented data analysis reflects the perinatal outcomes after ART in children,
      the frequency of congenital malformations and genetic diseases in this
      population, possible long-term malconditions and pathologies in children born
      using ART. The overwhelming majority of investigators consider the adverse effect
      of ART on a child's body to be the result of prematurity and multiple pregnancy
      (transfer multiple embryos followed by partial reduction). It is stated that the
      widespread introduction of ART may contribute to the vertical transmission of
      parental infertility factors in the population. The application of ARTprocedures
      in some cases is associated with controversial ethical and legal issues
      (surrogacy, oocyte donation). Further improvements in ART procedures
      (preimplantation training, medical and genetic diagnosis, reducing the frequency
      of multiple pregnancy) cannot be stated as an alternative to the general medical
      and social prevention of reproductive disorders in adolescents and youth.

PMID- 26495719
TI  - [Child and Adolescent Interepydemic Immunity to Influenza Viruses].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate the child and adolescent population immunity
      to influenza A viruses (IAV) and influenza B virus (IBV). METHODS: The
      concentration and specificity of antiviral antibodies was evaluated by
      hemagglutination inhibition assay (HAI) that was performed using commercial HAI
      diagnostic kits. RESULTS: The serum samples of 254 clinically healthy children
      and adolescents were examined in this study. 245 participants had the antibodies
      to IAV, 199--to IAV and IBV and only 4 children aged between 1 and 4 years and a
      12-year-old boy had no immunity to IAVor IBV. The number of children with
      specific immunity increased in elder groups by 43% (from 81 to 116) for N0N1, and
      H3N2 subtypes and by 110% (from 38 to 80) for H1N1 subtype of IAV. In children
      younger than 4 years the titer of specific antibodies against the H1N1pdm09 was
      1:210 and against the H3N2--1:270, whereas in adolescents of 10-14 years these
      figures were by 1.6 and 2.4 times lower (1:130 and 1:120) respectively.
      Antibodies to the subtypes H2N2 and H5N1 were not detected. CONCLUSION: The
      results indicate that 98.4% of child and adolescent population in interepidemic
      influenza season are immune to the various IAV (H3N2, H1N1, H0N1) as well as to
      the IBV. More than half of children and adolescents (57.4%) are immune to
      H1N1pdm09 subtype of IAV. The strength of immune response to the recent pathogens
      (H3N2 u H1N1pdm09) is higher in infants than in teenagers.

PMID- 26495720
TI  - [Parathyreoidectomy in Rats Using Microsurgery and Medical Adhesive
      Sulfacrylate].
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the main difficulties in assessing the effectiveness of
      etiologic treatment of hypoparathyroidism is absence of its standardized model.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to develop a method of hypoparathyroidism
      modeling. METHODS: Controlled nonrandomized study was performed on female Wistar
      rats aged 10 month. Group 1 (n =14) was performed with destruction of parathyroid
      glands with electrocoagulation; group 2 (n =12)--parathyroidectomy by the
      developed method. In 3 and 14 days after the surgery the levels of ionized
      calcium, parathyroid hormone, number of white blood cells, blood leukocyte
      formula, indicators of immunological tests, histological examination of organs in
      the area of operations were performed. Statistical analysis was performed using
      the nonparametric Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test. RESULTS: Selection of animals by
      sex and age criteria, angular skin incision, use of the operating microscope,
      microsurgical techniques, extirpation of parathyroid glands via resection of
      thyroid gland with the closure of the wound defect glue appeared to be the
      distinctive features of the developed method. In 14 days the group 2 showed
      decrease in ionized calcium (p = 0.016), PTH (p = 0.094), leucocytes (p = 0.004),
      PI (p = 0.003), spontaneous NBT test (p = 0.004), induced NBT test (p = 0.003)
      compared with group 1. Histological examination in the group 2 revealed no
      changes in thyroid gland, thin connective tissue capsule, cavity with a small
      amount of glue, however, there were determined foci of necrosis with perifocal
      inflammation in the group 1. CONCLUSION: Combination of several techniques
      allowed to simulate metabolic disorders with persistent hypocalcemia as well as
      lack of mortality in early postoperative period.

PMID- 26495721
TI  - [Interaction of the Humoral Agonist During the Platelets Activation in Patients
      with Chronic Cerebral Ischemia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of the standard drug
      therapy of 95 patients with chronic cerebral ischemia (CCI) on the functional
      status of platelets as possible participants of microcirculation of the brain.
      METHODS: Platelets were isolated from peripheral blood by centrifugation and
      examined at 24 hours after initiation of standard medical therapy including
      aspirin (100 mg). The cells were stimulated in vitro using adenosine diphosphate
      (ADP), epinephrine, platelet activating factor (PAF) and serotonin in an
      effective concentration (EC50) inducing in healthy individuals platelet
      aggregation in the range of 50 +/- 5%. A study of platelet aggregation was
      carried out on aggregometer Chrono-Log (USA). RESULTS: Research included 95
      patients with CCI 1-2 Stage--82 patients taking antiplatelet and antihypertensive
      drugs before hospitalization (main group), 13--did not receive these drugs during
      7 days prior to hospitalization (comparison group). After start conservative
      treatment, only ADP induced platelet aggregation, which was similar (p > 0.05)
      with values in healthy individuals. The pharmacological inhibition of the
      functional activity of platelets other investigated agonists reproduced
      hyporesponsiveness of platelets. Against this background, in 34 (41.5%) patients
      at 24 hours after initiation of therapy occurred potentiation effects of PAF and
      epinephrine in the test in vitro; whereas the summation of the effects of
      serotonin and epinephrine on platelets was detected in 12 (14.6%) patients. The
      basis of this phenomenon may be strengthening effect of ADP secreted from dense
      granules, additional stimulation by Gi-protein signaling system by epinephrine
      and Gq-protein by the action of PAF and serotonin. CONCLUSION: Response to the
      combined action of platelet agonists may be predictor of the risk of
      thrombogenesis at CCI.

PMID- 26495722
TI  - [Reparative Osteogenesis and Angiogenesis in Low Intensity Electromagnetic
      Radiation of Ultra-High Frequency].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-drug correction of reparative bone tissue regeneration in
      different pathological states - one of the most actual problems of modern
      medicine. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to conduct morphological analysis of the
      influence of electromagnetic radiation of ultra-high frequency and low intensity
      on reparative osteogenesis and angiogenesis in fracture treatment under
      transosseous osteosynthesis. METHODS: A controlled nonrandomized study was
      carried out. In the experiment conducted on rats we modeled tibial fracture with
      reposition and fixation of the bone fragments both in control and experimental
      groups. In the animals of the experimental group the fracture zone was exposed to
      low intensity electromagnetic radiation of ultra-high frequency. Exposure
      simulation was performed in the control group. The operated bones were examined
      using radiography, light and electronic microscopy, X-ray electronic probe
      microanalysis. RESULTS: It has been established that electromagnetic radiation of
      ultra-high frequency sessions in fracture treatment stimulate secretory activity
      and degranulation of mast cells, produce microcirculatory bed vascular
      permeability increase, endotheliocyte migration phenotype expression, provide
      endovascular endothelial outgrowth formation, activate reparative osteogenesis
      and angiogenesis while fracture reparation becomes the one of the primary type.
      The full periosteal, intermediary and intraosteal bone union was defined in 28
      days. CONCLUSION: Among the therapeutic benefits of electromagnetic radiation of
      ultra-high frequency in fracture treatment we can detect mast cell secretorv
      activity stimulation and endovascular anziozenesis activation.

PMID- 26495723
TI  - [Diagnostics of Regional Healthcare Management System in Russia Basing on
      Modeling and Forecasting of Health and Demographic Indicators].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Justification of the study direction of public health improving is
      quite general. But the identification of the most effective indicators of the
      healthcare system improvement remains unexplored. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to
      determine the interaction between the basic demographic indicators of the region
      (Smolensk region) and efficacy endpoints of the Healthcare management identified
      in the study. METHODS: The study reviewed the demographic changes of the Smolensk
      region at present and the forecast for 2015, 2016, 2017. The forecast of
      demographic and health indicators was based on exponential smoothing models and
      autoregressive model. RESULTS: The study identified the most appropriate medical
      and demographic indicators. 1) The ratio of physicians (per 10,000 people in
      population, the rate maximum was 62 in 2004, in 2015 this figure has fallen to
      52, and it is supposed to decrease to 49 by 2017). 2) The overall mortality rate
      (per 1000 people in population). Reduction of the resident population of the
      Smolensk region is 8.2 thousand people in annual average. This fact shows a
      stable depopulation of the region. 3) The average load on the ambulance. It has
      been found that the increase and decrease of these parameters directly affect the
      population rate. CONCLUSION: The study revealed a stable downtrend of average
      resident population number which confirms the long regional depopulation. It is
      associated in particular with the lack of stimulation of the health and
      demographic indicators' increase including but not limited to inefficient
      healthcare management arrangements.

PMID- 26495724
TI  - [Demographic Ageing in Russia at the Present Stage].
AB  - In the article data ofthe article describes thefindings of modern demographic
      indicators in Russia andforeign countriesfor the period 2010-2013. As a result of
      monitoring was defined Russia's status by demographics such as: proportion of
      population aged 60 years and older; total (men and women) life expectancy at
      birth; the rate of natural increase of population; mortality; fertility rate; the
      coefficient of migration growth and the dependency ratio. This article was
      presented analogy age-sex structure disclosed negative and positive aspects of
      the ageing of the population in Russia and foreign countries.

PMID- 26495725
TI  - [Peculiarities of Platelet Activation Changes in Patients with Chronic
      Schizophrenia, Depending on the Severity of Positive and Negative Symptoms during
      the Remission Formation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to compare the changes in the severity of
      positive, negative and psychopathological PANSS symptoms which occur at an
      outcome of an attack in schizophrenic patients along with remission formation and
      the degree of platelet activation in these patients. METHODS: Psychometric scale
      of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PA NSS) and the method of estimation
      of platelet activation based on the calculation of cells number after elution
      from the column with sepharose CL-2B were used. RESULTS: The changes in the
      severity of the disease were estimated using the PANSS scale of chronic
      schizophrenic patients in remission formation. An increase in platelet activation
      was determined on the basis of the above described quantitative parameter.
      Comparison of changes in platelet activation parameter with changes in the
      disease severity rating detected similar statistically indistinguishable (p >
      0.05) changes in the severity of positive symptoms and quantitative variable of
      platelet activation between the 1st and the 3rd visits in the period of remission
      formation. Platelet number after elution from the column during the 3rd visit was
      approximately two times less than during the 1st visit (p < 0.002). PANSS
      positive subscale shows a decrease of the severity of the syndrome by 1.6 times
      (p < 0.0002). In addition the difference between the platelet activation
      parameter and severity of the negative syndrome was fixed during the 3rd visit (p
      < 0.034). CONCLUSION: Similar changes in the severity of positive syndrome and
      platelet activation parameter were presented from 1st to 3rd visit in the
      remission formation. A distinction between the platelet activation parameter and
      severity of the negative syndrome was fixed during the 3rd visit.

PMID- 26495726
TI  - [New Radiopharmaceuticals Based on Prostate-Specific Inhibitors of Membrane
      Antigen for Diagnostics and Therapy of Metastatic Prostate Cancer].
AB  - About 10.7% cases of prostate cancer were registered in Russia in 2011 (40,000
      patients). More than half of cancer cases were revealed in advanced (III-IV)
      stages when metastases inevitably developed quickly. Clinical problem of early
      diagnostics and treatment of metastatic prostate cancer is still not solved.
      Anatomical imaging techniques have low sensitivity and specificity for the
      detection of this disease. Metabolic visualization methods which use prostate
      specific antigen (PSA) as a marker are also ineffective. This article describes
      prostate-specific membrane antigens (PSMA) that are proposed as a marker for
      diagnostics and therapy of prostate cancer. The most promising PSMA-based
      radiopharmaceutical agent for diagnostics has been developed and clinically
      tested in the European countries. These pharmaceuticals are based on small
      peptide molecules modified with urea, and have the highest affinity to PSMA.
      Favorable phannacokinetics, rapid accumulation in the tumor and rapid excretion
      from the body are beneficial features of these pharmaceuticals.

PMID- 26495727
TI  - [Biodistribution of Rifabutin Polymeric Transport Form].
AB  - BACKGROUND: One way to increase drug efficacy is to provide a drug delivery
      transport system to the target organ. A widely used method is to incorporate the
      drug in a biodegradable polymer composition with forming nanosized drug's
      transport forms. Objective: Our aim was to investigate the tissue biodistribution
      of antibiotic rifabutin transport system based on lactic and glycolic acids
      copolymer, and to compare it with the pure substance of rifabutin. METHODS: These
      substances were administered to two groups of rats intragastrically in the doses
      of 10 mg/kg. After a certain period of time, the animals were sacrificed by
      cervical dislocation. Samples preparation for analysis was carried out of the
      liquid-liquid extraction. Active substance's concentrations were measured by high
      performance liquid chromatography method. RESULTS: The study included 8-week-aged
      Wistar rats of both sexes weighing 0.22 +/- 0.02 kg. Animals were divided into 2
      groups. The study group received polymer form of antibiotic, and the comparison
      group received substance of rifabutin. In intervals of 10 min, 30 min, 1 h, 2 h,
      4 h, 7h, 15 h, 24 h after drug administration liver, lung, spleen, kidney,
      intestines, stomach, heart and brain were resected respectively. Organs were
      measured by their weight. The drug was not detected in the brain. Rifabutin was
      determined in other examined tissues within 10 minutes and the maximum drug
      concentration in organs was fixed in 1.5-3.5 hours after administration. The
      rifabutin concentrations defined in the lungs were significantly higher in
      polymerform (p < 0.05). The polymer form's distribution coefficient was higher in
      the liver and lungs (15.83 and 10.14 ug/g respectively) in comparison with the
      substance one. The minimum amount of the active ingredient was observed in the
      heart (0.02 ug/g). CONCLUSION: It is shown that the inclusion of the drug in a
      polymeric form substantially alters its localization in organs and tissues.
      Extensive biodistribution nanorifabutin in lung tissue, liver and spleen is
      established.

PMID- 26495728
TI  - [Transpalpebral Tetrapolar Reoophtalmography in the Assessment of Parameters of
      the Eye Blood Circulatory System].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quantitative assessment of hemodynamic parameters is an important
      element of ophthalmic diagnostics especially in early detection of myopia,
      glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy. The assessment of hemodynamic changes is
      essential in evaluating of the efficiency of treatment. Objective: Our aim was to
      determine the adequate of eye hemodynamics assessment using reoophtalmography in
      patients with various clinical refractions. METHODS: A controlled study was
      carried out. All tests were performed using transpalpebral tetrapolar method.
      Signal registration lasted for 20 seconds in the supine position, and then the
      diagnostic parameters were calculated. RESULTS: We present the results of
      examination of 76 patients aged 5 to 22 years (average age 13.0 +/- 1.1). 32
      patients had low myopia (62 reoophtalmography records), 23 patients had moderate
      myopia (42 records) and 5 patients had high myopia (12 records). The control
      group was composed of 16 patients. The main differences were found in the
      rheographic index, which is equal to 58.1 +/- 4.1 mOhm in the control group. It
      is significantly reducing with refraction increase, from 47.8 +/- 3.2 mOhm in low
      myopia to 34.0 +/- 2.5 mOhm in high myopia (p = 0.050). This is an evidence of
      blood supply deficiency in the myopic eyes. CONCLUSION: Rheographic index was
      shown to differ in different breathing phases, which agrees with the known
      physiological regularities. The proposed method is highly informative and
      sufficiently accurate what allows assessing the eye blood supply state
      objectively. It is easy to apply and requires no contact with the eye surface,
      which is especially important in pediatric practice.

PMID- 26495729
TI  - [Clinical and Laboratory Predictors for Forecasting the Outcomes of Ixodes Tick
      Borne Borreliosis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to identify the most informative clinical and laboratory
      predictors of chronicity of Ixodes tick-borne borreliosis in the acute phase of
      the disease based on the "optimal cut-off values" (COV) and the predicted
      probability of the outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective cohort controlled study was
      carried out. We used the technique of ROC-analysis to estimate the information
      content of the clinical and laboratory indicators in patients with Ixodes tick
      borne borreliosis in the acute phase of the disease with erythemal (n =16), non
      erythemal (n = 77) forms of Ixodes tick-borne borreliosis and co-infection with
      the tick-borne encephalitis (n = 68) for the prediction of the outcomes: recovery
      or chronization. RESULTS: A retrospective analysis of clinical and laboratory
      parameters recorded in the acute phase of the disease in 161 patients with
      chronic Ixodes tick-borne borreliosis. The calculations were performed for the
      informative clinical and laboratory prognostic predictors of the outcomes for the
      intervals above and below the COVvalues are defined probabilities of recovery or
      chronization of Ixodes tick-borne borreliosis. A general predictor of outcomes
      for all clinicalforms of the disease--the interleukin 8--was established: the
      probability of chronization after erythemal form is 100.0% at the level of its
      production over 107.89 pg/ml (AUC = 1.0), after non-erythemal form is 54.63 +/-
      0.23% at serum concentrations above 94.64 pg/ml (AUC = 0.770), after co-infection
      with the tick-borne encephalitis is 52.69 +/- 0.27% at the level of interleukin 8
      above 84.96 pg/ml (AUC = 0.780). CONCLUSION: The results of the study suggest the
      possibility of predicting the outcomes of infection in the acute phase, which
      allows to optimize the etiopathogenic therapy of the disease in a timely manner.

PMID- 26495730
TI  - [NOS UNCOUPLING IS ACCOMPANIED WITH INDUCTION OF THE OXIDATIVE STRESS AND THE
      CARDIOHEMODYNAMICS DISTURBANCES IN HYPERTENSION].
AB  - We compared the performance of cardiaohemodynamics and indicators of oxidative
      and nitrosative stress in the heart and aorta in normotensive Wistar rats (WKR)
      and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). On the basis of experimentally
      determined parameters to calculate cNOS uncoupling index and biochemical index of
      function (BIF) in these organs of the cardiovascular system. In the heart, and
      especially in the aorta of SHR develop a combined oxidative and nitrosative
      stress that leads to cNOS uncoupling, BIF lowering that correlate with lowering
      of systolic and diastolic functions, inhibition of the efficiency Frank-Starling
      mechanism, oxygen consumption of the heart and increasing arterial stiffness. We
      made the assumption of the existence of the vicious circle of enhancing oxidative
      stress in organs of the cardiovascular system due to additional superoxide
      generation by uncoupling cNOS.

PMID- 26495731
TI  - [ENDOTHELIAL MONOCYTEACTIVATING FACTOR II CANCELS OXIDATIVE STRESS, CONSTITUTIVE
      NOS UNCOUPLING AND INDUCED VIOLATIONS OF CARDIAC HEMODYNAMICS IN HYPERTENSION
      (PART II)].
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of EMAP II on free
      radical state of the heart and blood vessels, to restore cNOS coupling and
      cardiac hemodynamics in spontaneously hypertensive rats. It was found that, due
      to the combined inhibition of oxidative and nitrosative stress, EMAP I quickly
      restores impaired in hypertension constitutive de novo synthesis of NO by
      restoring cNOS coupling. Restoration by EMAP II of constitutive de novo synthesis
      NO abolished cardiac and endothelial dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive
      rats. In hypertension, the introduction of EMAP II helped to improve the
      performance of the pumping function of the heart (stroke volume increased by 18.2
      %, cardiac output -22 %), an arterial stiffness decreased by 23.2 %, process of
      relaxation of the left ventricle improved, due to decreased in 4,7 times
      myocardial end-diastolic stiffness.

PMID- 26495732
TI  - [USING THE SERIAL RAMP RECORDINGS FOR RAPID TESTING OF THE GENERATING ABILITY OF
      IMPULSE ACTIVITY OF ISOLATED HIPPOCAMPAL NEURONS].
AB  - In this study we investigated changes of impulse activity of hippocampal neurons
      of the hippocampus by using ramp recordings. We have described the usage of
      serial ramp recordings of neuronal electrical activity for rapid testing of the
      generating ability of isolated hippocampal neurons. An analysis of the data has
      shown that the proposed protocol of serial ramp recordings allows to define
      additional characteristics of the neuronal impulse activity: (i) the thresholds
      for initiation of generation and suppression of the generation, (ii) the shape
      and amplitude of relationship between the interpulse intervals and neuronal
      depolarizations. The suggested stimulation protocols and related analysis are
      tools that can be effectively used to justify influence of chemicals or other
      experimental factors on the impulse activity of neurons.

PMID- 26495733
TI  - [THE ROLE OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE IN REGULATION OF CIRCULATION BLOOD LIVER].
AB  - It was shown in acute experiments on laboratory rats that intraportalinjectionof
      hydrogen sulfide's precursor L-cysteine (15 mg/kg)caused dilatation of the
      intrahepatic vessels. As a result, systemic blood pressure (SBP) and blood
      pressure in the portal vein (PVP) significantly decreased on 17,6 and 24,5%,
      respectively, and the rate of local blood flow in the liver (LF) and its blood
      filling (BF) increased on 28,2 and 24,4% respectively. Application of hydrogen
      sulfide donor NaHS (7 mg/kg) resulted in similarly directed changes: SBP and PVP
      decreased on 20,8% i 26,2% respectively,LF and BF increased on 16,4% and 30,9%
      respectively. Application of L-cysteine in the conditions of tsystationin-gamma
      lyase blockade by LD-proparhilhlitsyn led to an increase in SBP on 20,4 % and PVP
      on 26,6% and a decrease of BF on 21,5% and LF in the liver on 11,7% comparing
      with baseline values of these parameters. So, blockade of tsystationin-gamma
      lyase not only completely removed the effects of L-cysteine, but also inhibited
      synthesis of H2S from its endogenous predecessors,which led to vasoconstriction
      of liver's blood vessels and, consequently, to an increase of blood pressure and
      a decrease of liver blood flow rat's and volume of blood deposited in liver.

PMID- 26495734
TI  - [THE INFLUENCE OF THE NORMOBARIC HYPOXIA FOR THE BREATHIHG INDEXES OF THE
      CHILDREN LIVED IN RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATED TERRITORIES].
AB  - There was conducted a research of the influence the sanogenic level of
      intermittent normobaric hypoxia (INH) for children lived in radioactively
      contaminated territories. The research involved 106 children in the age from 6 to
      17 with symptoms ofbronchospasm: 55 persons of the main group and 51 persons of
      the screening group. It was confirmed that after the course of sessions INH (12 %
      oxygen in nitrogen) the respiratory system has changed. It is known statistically
      that in the main group the indexes of ventilation lung capacity have increased :
      vital capacity of the lungs, bronchial obstruction proximal bronchi of large and
      medium diameter, and distal bronchi small diameter. The bronchospasm has removed
      completely or partially. It was confirmed significantly that the breath-holding
      time becomes longer (test Stange) and heart rat reduced in companson with the
      screening group.

PMID- 26495735
TI  - [THE INFLUENCE OF NANODISPERSE CERIUM DIOXIDE ON ONTOGENETIC CHANGES OF
      ANTIOXIDANT SYSTEM IN THE MUCOSA OF THE STOMACH AND COLON IN RATS].
AB  - It was established that with age the content of lipid peroxidation products
      increased in the mucosa of the stomach: Diene conjugates by 30%, products which
      react to thiobarbituric acid by 285% and Schif bases by 181%. Nanodisperse cerium
      dioxide (NCD) reduced the content of lipid peroxidation in the gastric mucosa in
      old rats: Diene conjugates by 43 %, products which react to thiobarbituric acid
      by 51% and Schif bases by 44% relative to the control group of rats given age.
      Similarly, it was established that the content of Diene conjugates increased by
      40%, products which react to thiobarbituric acid by 114% and Schif bases by 132%
      in the mucosa of the colon of old rats. NDC significant reduced the content of
      products which react to thiobarbituric acid by 69% and Schyf basics by 132%. In
      the stomach superoxide dismutase (by 43%) and catalase activity (by 24%)
      decreases with age, while in the colon superoxide dismutase activity increases
      (by 43%). In the colon NCD significant decreased superoxide dismutase (by 34%)
      and catalase activity (by 21%) relative to controls. Thus, the NDC restores lipid
      peroxidation in the gastric mucosa and colon, in which develops oxidative stress
      with age.

PMID- 26495736
TI  - [FEATURES OF EATING BEHAVIOR IN PERSONS WITH NORMAL AND INCREASED BODY WEIGHT].
AB  - Using the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) and Three-factor Eating
      Questionnaire-R18 (TFEQ-RI8), we defined the peculiarities of eating behavior and
      their impact on quality of life in young people aged 18-25 years. All
      participants were divided into two groups according to body mass index (BMI). The
      control group included 41 persons with normal body weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2).
      The group of young adults with increased body weight (BMI over 25 kg/M2)
      consisted of 27 persons. We found eating behavior disorders in 85,19 % of
      overweight people and in 41,46 % of persons with normal weight. The restrictive
      eating behaviors as well as a significant percentage of violations by external
      type had predominated in overweight individuals by the structure of disorders.
      The external and restrictive types of eating behavior disorders were predominated
      in persons with normal weight. Investigation of quality of life using the SF-36
      questionnaire showed a significantly decline in the physical role functioning and
      pain. Index of general physical health component, being not high enough in both
      groups, was significantly lower in overweight people with 52.70 points against
      56.11. We concluded that the eating behavior disorders in persons with normal
      weight and in overweight people required an individual approach to forming
      healthy lifestyle and fixing broken food stereotype. It will counteract the
      further increase of body weight and contribute to improving the quality of life.

PMID- 26495737
TI  - [THE CONTENT OF LIPIDS AND PRODUCTS OF THEIR PEROXIDATION OF RAT THYMOCYTES IN
      EXPERIMENTAL ULCEROGENESIS].
AB  - The work is dedicated to the research of the content of lipids and products of
      their peroxidation in rats thymocytes in experimental ulceration. It was found
      significant increase of the content of lipid peroxidation products diene
      conjugates (DC), malondialdehyde (MDA), schiff base (SB) in experimental models
      of gastric ulcers (ethanol and stress). It was established that under ethanol
      gastric the contents of DC increases by 1.8 times, MDA by 2.1 and SB by 1.3 times
      relative to control values. Under stress model it was observed an increase in the
      number of DC by 2 times, MDA by 1.9 and SB by 1.3 times relative to control. When
      ethanol and stress ulcers cholesterol increased by 1.7 and 1.5 times,
      triacylglycerol by 2 and 2.3 times and fatty acids by 2.2 and 1.9 times,
      respectively, relative to controls. Phosphatidylethanolamine content decreases by
      1.5 and 1.3 times compared to control. Also, the stress model, it was observed
      reduction of phosphatidylinositol by 1.3 times and increased lizofosfatydylholinu
      by 1.7 times compared to control. Therefore, our studies indicate quantitative
      changes of lipid content (neutral- and phospholipids) in rats' thymocytes under
      experimental (ethanol and stress) ulceration. The reason of this changes may be
      activation of lipid peroxidation, as shown by the increase of lipid peroxidation
      products' (DK, MDA, SB) content.

PMID- 26495738
TI  - [THE EFFECT OF EXOGENOUS MELATONIN ON BONE REMODELING].
AB  - It was investigated in spring 28-day experiment the administration of
      pharmacological doses (5 mg/kg) of melatonin to 3-month male rats with high and
      low levels of energy metabolismat remodeling of bone tissue. It was shown the
      decrease in activity of osteoblast and increase of osteoclast activity regardless
      of energy metabolism intensity, increase in concentration of glycosaminoglycans
      and free amino acids. This indicates the inhibition of physiological bone
      remodeling and helps to maintain the integrity of the organic matrix and the
      inorganic component of the fixation of the connective tissue - hydroxyapatite
      crystals.

PMID- 26495739
TI  - [ROLE OF THROMBOXANE AND LEUKOTRIENES IN MECHANISMS OF CONTRACTILE REACTIONS OF
      PORTAL VEIN, INDUCED BY ACETYLCHLINE AND PHENYLEPHRINE].
AB  - Effects of picotamide and zileuton on tonic contractile activity of the rat
      portal vein preparations, induced by acetylcholine (2.10(-5) mol/1) and
      phenylephrine (5.10(-7) mol/1) were investigated. Conversion of arachidonic acid
      products (prostaglandins, leukotrienes) synthesized by endothelial cells, plays
      an important role in the local regulation of vascular tone. The compounds formed
      in a cascade of enzymatic transformations can modulate the effect of other
      vasoactive factors. Picotamide (6,5.10(-5) mol/1) - thromboxane receptor and
      thromboxane -synthase blocker - depress acetylcholine-induction tonic contraction
      of isolated segments of portal vein with intact endothelium by 29% and
      norepinephrine-induction reduction of 45% relative to the control values. The
      obtained results indicate a participation of thromboxane and/or endoperoxide H2
      in this reaction. Partial inhibition of the contractions by 5-lipoxygenase
      blocker zileuton(4,2.10(-5) mol/1) at 23% relative to control values suggests,
      that products of lipoxigenase pathways of arachidonic acid conversion are
      involved in mechanisms of specified reactions. These data indicate complex
      mechanisms of regulation of vascular tone of the portal vein, which play an
      important role eicosanoids. Further study of these mechanisms is necessary for
      the formation of basic knowledge, as well as to elucidate the mechanisms of
      occurrence and development of pathological conditions of vessels and the
      development of methods of their correction.

PMID- 26495740
TI  - [COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MECHANICAL STRESS EFFECT ON HUMAN AND ANIMAL ERYTHROCYTES].
AB  - Sensitivity of human and animal (bovine, rat, rabbit, equine) erythrocytes to the
      effect of mechanical stress has been studied. Mechanical stress effect was
      demonstrated to result in a time-dependent (5-60 min) release of potassium
      cations out of mammalian erythrocytes and a partial hemolytic cell damage.
      Herewith the release levels of potassium ions and hemolysis did not coincide for
      erythrocytes of all the mammals except rabbit ones. The most sensitive to
      mechanical stress (60 min) by the parameters of hemolytic damage and potassium
      ion release were rat (32%) and bovine (66%) erythrocytes respectively, the lowest
      sensitive by both parameters were rabbit ones (about 20%). Implemented
      correlation analysis has demonstrated a statistically significant negative
      relation between the values of mechanical hemolysis of mammalian erythrocytes and
      surface-volumetric ratio of cells (rs = -0.900, P = 0.037). A feasible
      relationship between the content of phosphatidylethanolamine in mammalian
      erythrocyte membranes and the level of potassium cation loss under mechanical
      stress effect is under discussion.

PMID- 26495741
TI  - [CHANGING OF ISCHEMIC M. SOLEUS TETANIC CONTRACTION PARAMETERS IN RATS WITH
      CHRONIC ALCOHOL INTOXICATION].
AB  - This article deals with the changes of isolated ischemic m. soleus tetanus
      parameters in rats with chronic alcohol intoxication. The experiments were
      carried out on 15 male Wistar rats that were divided into three groups for 5
      animals in each: group I (control) and two groups in which was induced hind limbs
      acute muscles ischemia: group II - rats without alcoholic intoxication, group III
      - rats with chronic alcoholic intoxication. Strain measurement muscle mechanical
      activity were conducted in isometric mode under conditions of direct electrical
      muscular preparation stimulation. It is proved that ischemic m. soleus tetanic
      force in rats with chronic alcoholic intoxication in comparison with rats without
      alcoholic intoxication does not significant changes. But signifycantly increases
      the reaching tetanus peak time. It is shown that in rats without alcoholic
      intoxication and with chronic alcoholic intoxication in comparison with intact
      animals, significantly decreases the duration of ischemic m. soleus stabile force
      level. It is shoved significant changes of individual muscles contraction time
      course of ischemic m. soleus tetanus in this rats group in comparison to intact
      animal. It is shown that these changes influence on successive muscular
      contraction efficiency of frequency summation in ischemic m. soleus tetanus and
      their speed-power characteristics.

PMID- 26495742
TI  - [NONLINEAR ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC CORRELATES OF AUDITORY-MOTOR INTEGRATION IN
      BOYS WITH OBTAINED VISUAL DYSFUNCTION].
AB  - This research aims to study the nonlinear dynamics of the brain electrical
      activity in the performance of complex auditory-motor choice reaction. The boys
      with obtained visual dysfunction (n = 27, vis. OS 0,70 +/- 0,04, vis. OD 0,56 +/-
      0,05 with correction) and normal sighted (n = 27) boys aged from 8 to 12 years
      were examined. Nonlinear parameters such as embedding dimension, correlation
      dimension, Lyapunov maximum exponent and Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy were
      determined. The auditory-motor integration are induced the activation of the
      right occipital area and the deactivation of the left occipital area in boys with
      obtained visual dysfunction. This is not typical for the sighted boys. The
      results are discussed in the context of cross-modal plasticity and supramodal
      brain organization.

PMID- 26495743
TI  - Remote ischemic preconditioning versus intermittent hypoxia training: a
      comparative analysis for cardioprotection.
AB  - Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is an adaptive phenomenon that occurs after one or
      more short periods of ischemia/reperfusion, and consists in increasing the
      tolerance of an organ or tissue to the damaging effect of a long period of
      ischemia/reperfusion. Although IPC was shown to have a protective effect in
      animal models or during operative interventions, the obvious difficulties
      involved in subjecting the heart to direct IPC restrict its potential clinical
      applications. In this perspective, the phenomenon of remote ischemic
      preconditioning (RIPC: ischemia/reperfusion cycles in the arm or leg) appears
      extremely encouraging. Intermittent hypoxic training (IHI, periodic exposure of
      an organism to hypoxic gas mixtures, or stay in the chamber or altitudes) also
      has powerful adaptogenic effect increasing the resistance to subsequent episodes
      of severe hypoxia/ischemia. This review discusses main mechanisms and clinical
      applications of RIPC in cardiology versus IHT technologies. Benefits and
      disadvantages of both methods are under consideration. Positive and negative
      effects of hypercapnia during the RIPC technology are also examined. We wish to
      stimulate a comprehensive understanding of such a complex physiological
      phenomenon as intermittent hypoxia and ischemic preconditioning in order to
      prevent or reduce their harmful consequences, while maximize their potential
      utility as an effective therapeutic tools.

PMID- 26495744
TI  - "A More Rounded Full Care Model": Interprofessional Team Members' Perceptions of
      Home-Based Primary Care in Ontario, Canada.
AB  - This study explores interprofessional team members' perspectives and experiences
      providing home-based primary care (HBPC) in Ontario, Canada. Employing an
      inductive qualitative methodology using procedures informed by grounded theory,
      themes emerged in the data in relation to the benefits of the HBPC model, and the
      barriers associated with its provision, as well as the key components that enable
      or hinder interprofessional collaboration in the HBPC environment. This research
      deepens our understanding of the key features and processes of interprofessional
      teams providing high-quality care in the home. 

PMID- 26495746
TI  - Advances in small-molecule drug discovery for triple-negative breast cancer.
AB  - Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of poor prognosis, highly
      invasive and difficult-to-treat breast cancers accounting for approximately 15%
      of clinical cases. Given the poor outlook and lack of sustained response to
      conventional therapies, TNBC has been the subject of intense studies on new
      therapeutic approaches in recent years. The development of targeted cancer
      therapies, often in combination with established chemotherapy, has been applied
      to a number of new clinical studies in this setting in recent years. This review
      will highlight recent therapeutic advances in TNBC, focusing on small-molecule
      drugs and their associated biological mechanisms of action, and offering the
      possibility of improved prospects for this patient group in the near future. 

PMID- 26495745
TI  - Association of intimate partner violence and health-care provider-identified
      obesity.
AB  - The association of physical and nonphysical intimate partner violence (IPV) with
      obesity was examined. Women (N = 1,179) were surveyed regarding demographics,
      obesity, and IPV exposure using humiliate-afraid-rape-kick (HARK), an IPV
      screening tool. A three-level lifetime IPV exposure variable measured physical,
      nonphysical or no IPV. Health-care provider-identified obesity was defined if
      participants were told by a medical provider within the past 5 years that they
      were obese. Bivariate analyses examined obesity by IPV and demographics.
      Multivariable logistic regression assessed odds of obesity by IPV type, adjusting
      for age, race/ethnicity, education, and marital status. Among participants, 44%
      reported lifetime IPV (25% physical, 19% nonphysical), and 24% reported health
      care provider-identified obesity. In unadjusted analyses, obesity was more
      prevalent among women exposed to physical IPV (30%) and nonphysical IPV (27%),
      compared to women without IPV (20%, p = .002). In multivariable models, women
      reporting physical IPV had 1.67 times greater odds of obesity (95% confidence
      interval [CI] 1.20, 2.33), and women reporting nonphysical IPV had 1.46 times
      greater odds of obesity (95% CI 1.01, 2.10), compared to women reporting no
      exposure. This study extends prior data by showing, not only an association
      between physical IPV and obesity, but also an association between obesity and
      nonphysical IPV.

PMID- 26495747
TI  - Development of Biochar-Based Functional Materials: Toward a Sustainable Platform
      Carbon Material.

PMID- 26495748
TI  - Quantitative Detection Method of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles Based on Eu(3+)
      Fluorescent Labeling in Vitro and in Vivo.
AB  - One major challenge for application of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nHAP) in
      nanomedicine is the quantitative detection method. Herein, we exploited one
      quantitative detection method for nHAP based on the Eu(3+) fluorescent labeling
      via a simple chemical coprecipitation method. The trace amount of nHAP in cells
      and tissues can be quantitatively detected on the basis of the fluorescent
      quantitative determination of Eu(3+) ions in nHAP crystal lattice. The lowest
      concentration of Eu(3+) ions that can be quantitatively detected is 0.5 nM using
      DELFIA enhancement solution. This methodology can be broadly applicable for
      studying the tissue distribution and metabolization of nHAP in vivo. 

PMID- 26495749
TI  - Antioxidant impregnated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene wear debris
      particles display increased bone remodeling and a superior osteogenic:osteolytic
      profile vs. conventional UHMWPE particles in a murine calvaria model.
AB  - Periprosthetic osteolysis remains a major limitation of long-term successful
      total hip replacements with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)
      bearings. As intra and extracellular reactive oxygen species are know to
      contribute to wear debris-induced osteoclastic bone resorption and decreased
      osteoblastic bone formation, antioxidant doped UHMWPE has emerged as an approach
      to reduce the osteolytic potential of wear debris and maintain coupled bone
      remodeling. To test this hypothesis in vivo, we evaluated the effects of
      crosslinked UHMWPE wear debris particles (AltrX(TM) ), versus similar wear
      particles made from COVERNOX(TM) containing UHMWPE (AOX(TM) ), in an established
      murine calvaria model. Eight-week-old female C57B/6 mice (n = 10/Group) received
      a pre-op micro-CT scan prior to surgical implantation of the UHMWPE particles
      (2mg), or surgery without particles (sham). Dynamic labeling was performed by
      intraperitoneal injection of calcein on day 7 and alizarin on day 9, and the
      calvaria were harvested for micro-CT and histology on day 10. Surprisingly, we
      found that AOX particles induced significantly more bone resorption (1.72-fold)
      and osteoclast numbers (1.99-fold) vs. AltrX (p < 0.001). However, AOX also
      significantly induced 1.64-fold more new bone formation vs. AltrX (p < 0.01).
      Moreover, while the osteolytic:osteogenic ratio of both particles was very close
      to 1.0, which is indicative of coupled remodeling, AOX was more osteogenic (Slope
      = 1.13 +/- 0.10 vs. 0.97 +/- 0.10). Histomorphometry of the metabolically labeled
      undecalcified calvaria revealed a consistent trend of greater MAR in AOX vs.
      AltrX. Collectively, these results demonstrate that anti-oxidant impregnated
      UHMWPE particles have decreased osteolytic potential due to their increased
      osteogenic properties that support coupled bone remodeling. (c) 2015 Orthopaedic
      Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:845-851,
      2016.

PMID- 26495750
TI  - Interactions Between Diet and Exposure to Secondhand Smoke on Metabolic Syndrome
      Among Children: NHANES 2007-2010.
AB  - CONTEXT: Metabolic syndrome is likely influenced by a complex interaction between
      exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) and diet, but no studies have evaluated this
      relationship. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the interaction between
      diet and exposure to SHS on metabolic syndrome among 12-19 year olds. DESIGN AND
      PARTICIPANTS: We used weighted logistic regression, adjusting for potential
      confounders, to examine interaction of these risk factors on the prevalence of
      metabolic syndrome among 12-19 year olds participating in the National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2010). Interaction was assessed by introducing
      product terms between SHS (4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol,
      cotinine, and self-report) and the individual nutrients (dietary fiber,
      eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, vitamin C, and vitamin E) and
      nutrient patterns in separate models; the relative excess risk due to interaction
      was used to evaluate interaction on the additive scale. RESULTS: The joint effect
      between high exposure to SHS and low levels of certain nutrients (vitamin E and
      omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) on metabolic syndrome risk was greater than
      would be expected from the effects of the individual exposures alone (for
      example, relative excess risk due to interaction for SHS and vitamin E = 7.5; 95%
      confidence interval, 2.5-17.8). CONCLUSIONS: Prevention strategies for metabolic
      syndrome aimed at reducing SHS exposures and improving diet quality may exceed
      the expected benefits based on targeting these risk factors separately.

PMID- 26495752
TI  - Treatment With Diet and Exercise for Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
      Diagnosed Using IADPSG Criteria.
AB  - CONTEXT: Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and obesity continue
      to increase. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to ascertain whether diet and exercise
      is a successful intervention for women with GDM and whether a subset of these
      women have comparable outcomes to those with normal glucose tolerance (NGT).
      DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a retrospective cohort study of five
      antenatal centers along the Irish Atlantic seaboard of 567 women diagnosed with
      GDM and 2499 women with NGT during pregnancy. INTERVENTION: Diet and exercise
      therapy on diagnosis of GDM were prescribed and multiple maternal and neonatal
      outcomes were examined. RESULTS: Infants of women with GDM were more likely to be
      hypoglycemic (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 7.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.94
      17.9) at birth. They were more likely to be admitted to the neonatal intensive
      care unit (aOR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.60-2.91). Macrosomia and large-for-gestational
      age rates were lower in the GDM group (aOR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.37-0.64 and aOR,
      0.61; 95% CI, 0.46-0.82, respectively). There was no increase in small for
      gestational age among offspring of women with GDM (aOR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.49-1.34).
      Women with diet-treated GDM and body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m(2) had similar
      outcomes to those with NGT of the same BMI group. Obesity increased risk for poor
      pregnancy outcomes regardless of diabetes status. CONCLUSION: Medical nutritional
      therapy and exercise for women with GDM may be successful in lowering rates of
      large for gestational age and macrosomia without increasing small-for-gestational
      age rates. Women with GDM and a BMI less than 25 kg/m(2) had outcomes similar to
      those with NGT suggesting that these women could potentially be treated in a less
      resource intensive setting.

PMID- 26495753
TI  - Internal migration, international migration, and physical growth of left-behind
      children: A study of two settings.
AB  - Parental out-migration has become a common experience of childhood worldwide and
      tends to have important ramifications for child development. There has been much
      debate on whether overall children benefit or suffer from parental out-migration.
      The present study examines how the relationship between parental out-migration
      and children's growth differs by the type of migration (internal vs.
      international). This comparison is conducted in two diverse settings, Mexico and
      Indonesia. Data are from two national longitudinal surveys: the Mexican Family
      Life Survey and the Indonesian Family Life Survey. Results from fixed-effect
      regressions show that international migration tends to have a less beneficial,
      sometimes even more detrimental, impact on the growth of children left behind
      than internal migration. Results also reveal contextual differences in the role
      of parental out-migration. Possible explanations are discussed. 

PMID- 26495751
TI  - Subclinical Thyroid Dysfunction and Frailty Among Older Men.
AB  - CONTEXT: Both subclinical thyroid dysfunction and frailty are common among older
      individuals, but data on the relationship between these 2 conditions are
      conflicting. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the cross
      sectional and prospective associations between subclinical thyroid dysfunction
      and frailty and the 5 frailty subdomains (sarcopenia, weakness, slowness,
      exhaustion, and low activity). SETTING AND DESIGN: The Osteoporotic Fractures in
      Men Study is a prospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Men older than 65 years (n
      = 1455) were classified into 3 groups of thyroid status: subclinical
      hyperthyroidism (n = 26, 1.8%), subclinical hypothyroidism (n = 102, 7.0%), and
      euthyroidism (n = 1327, 91.2%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Frailty was defined using
      a slightly modified Cardiovascular Health Study Index: men with 3 or more
      criteria were considered frail, men with 1 to 2 criteria were considered
      intermediately frail, and men with no criteria were considered robust. We
      assessed the cross-sectional relationship between baseline thyroid function and
      the 3 categories of frailty status (robust/intermediate/frail) as well as the
      prospective association between baseline thyroid function and subsequent frailty
      status and mortality after a 5-year follow-up. RESULTS: At baseline, compared
      with euthyroid participants, men with subclinical hyperthyroidism had an
      increased likelihood of greater frailty status (adjusted odds ratio, 2.48; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.15-5.34), particularly among men aged <74 years at
      baseline (odds ratio for frailty, 3.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-10.88).
      After 5 years of follow-up, baseline subclinical hypothyroidism and
      hyperthyroidism were not consistently associated with overall frailty status or
      frailty components. CONCLUSION: Among community-dwelling older men, subclinical
      hyperthyroidism, but not subclinical hypothyroidism, is associated with increased
      odds of prevalent but not incident frailty.

PMID- 26495754
TI  - Exploring cultural differences in women's body weight perception: The impact of
      self-construal on perceived overweight and engagement in health activities.
AB  - We examined the cultural influence on perceived body weight and the level of
      health practices at a national and individual level. At a national level, we
      found that Japanese women (n = 80) overestimate body weight more than Korean (n =
      82) and American (n = 63) women. At an individual level, individuals with
      interdependent self-construal were more prone to overestimate weight than those
      with independent self-construal (N = 182; American women). Based on the data, we
      identify that the relationship is mediated by self-criticism, and, importantly,
      it is self-criticism rather than perceived overweight that predicts the level of
      health activities. Health practitioners and campaign designers across cultures
      are recommended to concentrate on promoting positive body esteem instead of
      encouraging engagement in corrective health behaviors for weight loss.

PMID- 26495756
TI  - Letter From the Editor.

PMID- 26495755
TI  - Restoring Light Sensitivity in Blind Retinae Using a Photochromic AMPA Receptor
      Agonist.
AB  - Retinal degenerative diseases can have many possible causes and are currently
      difficult to treat. As an alternative to therapies that require genetic
      manipulation or the implantation of electronic devices, photopharmacology has
      emerged as a viable approach to restore visual responses. Here, we present a new
      photopharmacological strategy that relies on a photoswitchable excitatory amino
      acid, ATA. This freely diffusible molecule selectively activates AMPA receptors
      in a light-dependent fashion. It primarily acts on amacrine and retinal ganglion
      cells, although a minor effect on bipolar cells has been observed. As such, it
      complements previous pharmacological approaches based on photochromic channel
      blockers and increases the potential of photopharmacology in vision restoration. 

PMID- 26495757
TI  - Delivery of Constitutively Active Mutant MKK6(E) With TAT-OSBP Induces Apoptosis
      in Human Ovarian Carcinoma HO8910 Cells.
AB  - Biologically active peptides and proteins are novel agents that show promise in
      the development of anticancer drugs. Their relatively low cell permeability and
      poor tumor selectivity, however, impede their widespread applicability. In this
      study, we evaluated the tumor selectivity, cellular internalization, and
      biological activity of a cell-permeable ovarian cancer cell-specific therapeutic
      protein consisting of TAT-OSBP and constitutively active MKK6(E), an upstream
      kinase of the p38 signaling pathway that mediates cellular apoptosis. OSBP, a 7
      amino-acid peptide with high affinity for human ovarian cancer HO8910 cells, was
      conjugated to the cell-penetrating peptide (TAT) to form a tumor-selective
      peptide (TAT-OSBP), which was further conjugated with EGFP or MKK6(E). Flow
      cytometry and fluorescent microscopy were performed to evaluate the tumor
      targeted penetration of TAT-OSBP-EGFP. The inhibitory effects of TAT-OSBP-MKK6(E)
      were determined by cell proliferation and apoptosis assays. The internalization
      efficiency of TAT-OSBP-EGFP was significantly higher than that of TAT-EGFP. TAT
      OSBP-EGFP selectively penetrated HO8910 cells. TAT-OSBP-MKK6(E) fusion protein
      inhibited cancer cell growth to varying degrees, with the highest level of
      inhibition in HO8910 cells. Moreover, TAT-OSBP-MKK6(E) significantly induced
      apoptosis of HO8910 cells. However, there was no significant difference in
      apoptosis in the normal ovarian epithelial cells treated with either TAT-OSBP
      MKK6(E) or TAT-MKK6(E). Our results demonstrate that TAT-OSBP-MKK6(E) is a novel
      artificially designed molecule, which induces apoptosis and selectively targets
      human ovarian carcinoma HO8910 cells. Our study provides novel insights that may
      aid in the development of a new generation of anticancer drugs. 

PMID- 26495759
TI  - Long-Term Outcome of Aromatase Inhibitor Therapy With Letrozole in Patients With
      Advanced Low-Grade Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There has been no consensus on the indications for the treatment of
      advanced low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LGESS), and the possible effects
      of hormonal treatment including progestins and aromatase inhibitors have been
      reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of aromatase
      inhibitor therapy with letrozole for patients with residual or recurrent LGESS.
      METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical response of patients with
      advanced LGESS who had been treated with letrozole. We also analyzed the adverse
      effects after the administration of letrozole. The expression levels of estrogen
      receptor and aromatase in the tumors were immunohistochemically examined.
      RESULTS: In 5 patients who had been treated for unresectable LGESS lesions after
      initial or repeat surgical procedures, residual lesions in 3 patients and
      recurrence lesions in 2 patients were the indications for hormonal therapy with
      letrozole. The median duration of letrozole exposure at retrospective analysis
      was 53 (10-96) months. The clinical outcomes were classified as complete response
      in 2 patients, partial response in 1 patient, and stable disease in 2 patients.
      Myalgias, hot flashes, and arthralgias were not observed during the follow-up
      period in any patients. The median serum levels of estradiol were <5.0 (cutoff
      value, <0.5-11.8) pg/mL. The median age-matched bone mineral densities were 92%
      (79%-123%). The LGESS tissues in all 5 patients were positive for estrogen
      receptor and aromatase expression. CONCLUSIONS: Letrozole as well as progestins
      could be the first choice of treatment for patients with recurrent or residual
      LGESS, which is difficult to resect surgically because of its efficacy and
      minimal adverse effects.

PMID- 26495758
TI  - Cytokeratin 5-Positive Cells Represent a Therapy Resistant subpopulation in
      Epithelial Ovarian Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cytokeratin 5 (CK5) is an epithelial cell marker implicated in stem
      and progenitor cell activity in glandular reproductive tissues and endocrine and
      chemotherapy resistance in estrogen receptor (ER)(+) breast cancer. The goal of
      this study was to determine the prevalence of CK5 expression in ovarian cancer
      and the response of CK5(+) cell populations to cisplatin therapy. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Cytokeratin 5 expression was evaluated in 2 ovarian tissue microarrays,
      representing 137 neoplasms, and 6 ovarian cancer cell lines. Cell lines were
      treated with IC(50) (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) cisplatin, and the
      prevalence of CK5(+) cells pretreatment and posttreatment was determined.
      Proliferation of CK5(+) versus CK5(-) cell populations was determined using 5
      bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation. Chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in CK5(+)
      versus CK5(-) cells was measured using immunohistochemical staining for cleaved
      caspase-3. RESULTS: Cytokeratin 5 was expressed in 39.3% (42 of 107) of
      epithelial ovarian cancers with a range of 1% to 80% positive cells. Serous and
      endometrioid histologic subtypes had the highest percentage of CK5(+) specimens.
      Cytokeratin 5 expression correlated with ER positivity (38 of 42 CK5(+) tumors
      were also ER(+)). Cytokeratin 5 was expressed in 5 of 6 overall and 4 of 4 ER(+)
      epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines ranging from 2.4% to 52.7% positive cells.
      Cytokeratin 5(+) compared with CK5(-) cells were slower proliferating. The
      prevalence of CK5(+) cells increased after 48-hour cisplatin treatment in 4 of 5
      cell lines tested. Cytokeratin 5(+) ovarian cancer cells compared with CK5(-)
      ovarian cancer cells were more resistant to cisplatin-induced apoptosis.
      CONCLUSIONS: Cytokeratin 5 is expressed in a significant proportion of epithelial
      ovarian cancers and represents a slower proliferating chemoresistant
      subpopulation that may warrant cotargeting in combination therapy.

PMID- 26495760
TI  - Clinicopathologic Factors of Cervical Adenocarcinoma Stages IB to IIB.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to clarify the clinicopathologic factors of
      stages IB to IIB cervical adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Several clinicopathologic
      factors were compared between 35 patients who underwent radical hysterectomy and
      pelvic lymphadenectomy due to cervical adenocarcinoma stages IB to IIB and 77
      patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). RESULTS: In patients with
      adenocarcinoma, univariate analysis demonstrated that International Federation of
      Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, tumor size, and lymphovascular space invasion
      were significantly associated with progression-free survival (PFS), whereas FIGO
      stage, lymphovascular space invasion, and lymph node metastasis were
      significantly associated with overall survival (OS). However, multivariate
      analysis revealed that FIGO stage was the only significant factor for PFS in
      patients with adenocarcinoma. In patients with SCC, univariate analysis
      demonstrated that FIGO stage and lymph node metastasis were significantly
      associated with PFS, whereas FIGO stage, lymphovascular space invasion, and lymph
      node metastasis were significantly associated with OS. Multivariate analysis
      revealed that lymph node metastasis was the only significant factor for PFS and
      OS in patients with SCC. In 26 patients who were positive for high-risk human
      papillomavirus (HPV), including both adenocarcinoma and SCC patients, univariate
      and multivariate analyses revealed that HPV18 was significantly associated with
      poorer PFS compared with non-HPV18. There was a significant difference in
      distribution of HPV genotype between adenocarcinoma and SCC. CONCLUSIONS: Careful
      treatment may be necessary for the patients with lymphovascular space invasion in
      early-stage cervical adenocarcinoma. The presence of HPV18 may have an influence
      on the prognosis of early-stage cervical carcinoma.

PMID- 26495761
TI  - Changing Trends in Vulvar Cancer Incidence and Mortality Rates in Australia Since
      1982.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to assess trends in vulvar cancer
      incidence and mortality in Australia. METHODS: Case numbers for invasive
      carcinoma of the vulva (1982-2009) and vulvar cancer deaths (1982-2011) were
      obtained from the National Cancer Statistics database. Standardized rate ratios
      (SRRs) were used to assess changes in age-standardized incidence and mortality
      rates, for all ages and for younger than 60 years and 60+ years. RESULTS: Age
      standardized incidence rates in women across all ages did not significantly
      change from 1982-1984 to 2007-2009 (from 2.1 to 2.5 per 100,000 women; SRR from
      the later to the earlier period, 1.13 [95% CI, 1.00-1.27]). However, there was a
      significant 84% increase in incidence in women younger than 60 years (SRR, 1.84
      [95% CI, 1.49-2.26]), with no change for women 60+ years (SRR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.79
      1.04]). Age-standardized mortality in women across all ages significantly
      decreased by 22% from 1982-1986 to 2007-2011 (from 0.7 to 0.5 per 100,000 women;
      SRR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.66-0.93]). However, this was driven by declines in older
      women, with stable rates in women younger than 60 years (SRR, 1.05 [95% CI, 0.62
      1.79]); rates in 60+ years decreased by 24% (SRR, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.63-0.91]).
      CONCLUSION: Since the early 1980s, vulvar cancer incidence has increased by more
      than 80% in women younger than 60 years in Australia, but there has been no
      increased incidence in older women. These findings are consistent with the
      possibility of increased exposure to the human papillomavirus in cohorts born
      after 1950. By contrast, age-standardized vulvar cancer mortality rates have been
      stable in younger women, but have declined in older women.

PMID- 26495762
TI  - Robot-Assisted Radical Hysterectomy in Cervical Carcinoma: The Belgian
      Experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to report the experience and oncological
      outcome of robot-assisted radical hysterectomies (RRHs) for cervical cancer
      performed in Belgium. METHODS: Patients undergoing RRH for cervical cancer (n =
      109) were prospectively collected between July 2007 and April 2014 in the 5
      Belgian centers performing RRH for cervical cancer. RESULTS: The median age of
      the patients was 46 years (range, 31-80 years). Histological types included
      squamous cell carcinoma in 61 patients, adenocarcinoma in 22 patients,
      adenosquamous in 8 patients, endometrioid carcinoma in 2 patients, and other
      types (n = 16). The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage
      distribution was IA (n = 9), stage IB1 (n = 71), stage IB2 (n = 4), stage II (n =
      24), and unknown (n = 1). Twenty-four patients received adjuvant therapy, 17
      patients underwent radiochemotherapy, and 7 underwent adjuvant radiation.
      Eighteen patients relapsed, and 5 died of disease. The median follow-up was 27.5
      months (range, 3-82 months). The 2- and 5-year overall survivals were 96% and
      89%, respectively. The 2- and 5-year disease-free survivals (DFSs) were 88% and
      72%, respectively. The 2-year DFS per stage was 100% for IA, 88% for IB1, 100%
      for IB2, and 83% for II. The 5-year DFS per stage was 100% for stage IA and 75%
      for IB1. The complications were as expected for radical hysterectomy.
      CONCLUSIONS: This series confirms the feasibility and safety of RRH not only in
      cervical cancer stage IA to IB1, but also after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in stage
      IB2 to IIB.

PMID- 26495763
TI  - Interaction of organic carbon, reduced sulphur and nitrate in anaerobic baffled
      reactor for fresh leachate treatment.
AB  - Interaction of organic carbon, reduced sulphur and nitrate was examined using
      anaerobic baffled reactor for fresh leachate treatment by supplementing nitrate
      and/or sulphide to compartment 3. Nitrate was removed completely throughout the
      study mostly via denitrification (>80%) without nitrite accumulation. Besides
      carbon source, various reduced sulphur (e.g. sulphide, elemental sulphur and
      organic sulphur) could be involved in the nitrate reduction process via sulphur
      based autotrophic denitrification when dissolved organic carbon/nitrate ratio
      decreased below 1.6. High sulphide concentration not only stimulated autotrophic
      denitrification, but it also inhibited heterotrophic denitrification, resulting
      in a shift (11-20%) from heterotrophic denitrification to dissimilatory nitrate
      reduction to ammonia. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis further
      confirmed that sulphur-oxidizing nitrate-reducing bacteria were stimulated with
      increase in the proportion of bacterial population from 18.6% to 27.2% by high
      sulphide concentration, meanwhile, heterotrophic nitrate-reducing bacteria and
      fermentative bacteria were inhibited with 25.5% and 66.6% decrease in the
      bacterial population. 

PMID- 26495764
TI  - Highly Stable Bimetallic AuIr/TiO2 Catalyst: Physical Origins of the Intrinsic
      High Stability against Sintering.
AB  - It has been a long-lived research topic in the field of heterogeneous catalysts
      to find a way of stabilizing supported gold catalyst against sintering. Herein,
      we report highly stable AuIr bimetallic nanoparticles on TiO2 synthesized by
      sequential deposition-precipitation. To reveal the physical origin of the high
      stability of AuIr/TiO2, we used aberration-corrected scanning transmission
      electron microscopy (STEM), STEM-tomography, and density functional theory (DFT)
      calculations. Three-dimensional structures of AuIr/TiO2 obtained by STEM
      tomography indicate that AuIr nanoparticles on TiO2 have intrinsically lower free
      energy and less driving force for sintering than Au nanoparticles. DFT
      calculations on segregation behavior of AuIr slabs on TiO2 showed that the
      presence of Ir near the TiO2 surface increases the adhesion energy of the
      bimetallic slabs to the TiO2 and the attractive interactions between Ir and TiO2
      lead to higher stability of AuIr nanoparticles as compared to Au nanoparticles. 

PMID- 26495765
TI  - Genes, Genetics, and Environment in Type 2 Diabetes: Implication in Personalized
      Medicine.
AB  - Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a multifactorial anomaly involving 57 genes located on
      16 different chromosomes and 136 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Ten
      genes are located on chromosome 1, followed by seven genes on chromosome 11 and
      six genes on chromosomes 3. Remaining chromosomes harbor two to five genes.
      Significantly, chromosomes 13, 14, 16, 18, 21, 22, X, and Y do not have any
      associated diabetogenic gene. Genetic components have their own pathways
      encompassing insulin secretion, resistance, signaling, and beta-cell dysfunction.
      Environmental factors include epigenetic changes, nutrition, intrauterine
      surroundings, and obesity. In addition, ethnicity plays a role in conferring
      susceptibility to T2D. This scenario poses a challenge toward the development of
      biomarker for quick disease diagnosis or for generating a consensus to delineate
      different categories of T2D patients. We believe, before prescribing a generic
      drug, detailed genotypic information with the background of ethnicity and
      environmental factors may be taken into consideration. This nonconventional
      approach is envisaged to be more robust in the context of personalized medicine
      and perhaps would cause lot less burden on the patient ensuring better management
      of T2D. 

PMID- 26495766
TI  - The role of auxin signaling in early embryo pattern formation.
AB  - Pattern formation of the early Arabidopsis embryo generates precursors to all
      major cell types, and is profoundly controlled by the signaling molecule auxin.
      Here we discuss recent milestones in our understanding of auxin-dependent embryo
      patterning. Auxin biosynthesis, transport and response mechanisms interact to
      generate local auxin accumulation in the early embryo. New auxin-dependent
      reporters help identifying these sites, while atomic structures of
      transcriptional response mediators help explain the diverse outputs of auxin
      signaling. Key auxin outputs are control of cell identity and cell division
      orientation, and progress has been made towards understanding the cellular basis
      of each. Importantly, a number of studies have combined computational modeling
      and experiments to analyze the developmental role, genetic circuitry and
      molecular mechanisms of auxin-dependent cell division control. 

PMID- 26495767
TI  - Clonal Deletion Established via Invariant NKT Cell Activation and Costimulatory
      Blockade Requires In Vivo Expansion of Regulatory T Cells.
AB  - Recently, the immune-regulating potential of invariant natural killer T (iNKT)
      cells has attracted considerable attention. We previously reported that a
      combination treatment with a liposomal ligand for iNKT cells and an anti-CD154
      antibody in a sublethally irradiated murine bone marrow transplant (BMT) model
      resulted in the establishment of mixed hematopoietic chimerism through in vivo
      expansion of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Herein, we show the lack of
      alloreactivity of CD8(+) T cells in chimeras and an early expansion of donor
      derived dendritic cells (DCs) in the recipient thymi accompanied by a sequential
      reduction in the donor-reactive Vbeta-T cell receptor repertoire, suggesting a
      contribution of clonal deletion in this model. Since thymic expansion of donor
      DCs and the reduction in the donor-reactive T cell repertoire were precluded with
      Treg depletion, we presumed that Tregs should preform before the establishment of
      clonal deletion. In contrast, the mice thymectomized before BMT failed to
      increase the number of Tregs and to establish CD8(+) T cell tolerance, suggesting
      the presence of mutual dependence between the thymic donor-DCs and Tregs. These
      results provide new insights into the regulatory mechanisms that actively promote
      clonal deletion. 

PMID- 26495768
TI  - Quantum Chemical Study on .Cl-Initiated Atmospheric Degradation of
      Monoethanolamine.
AB  - Recent findings on the formation of .Cl in continental urban areas necessitate
      the consideration of .Cl initiated degradation when assessing the fate of
      volatile organic pollutants. Monoethanolamine (MEA) is considered as a potential
      atmospheric pollutant since it is a benchmark and widely utilized solvent in a
      leading CO2 capture technology. Especially, .Cl may have specific interactions
      with the N atom of MEA, which could make the MEA + .Cl reaction have different
      pathways and products from those of the MEA + .OH reaction. Hence, .Cl initiated
      reactions with MEA were investigated by a quantum chemical method [CCSD(T)/aug-cc
      pVTZ//MP2/6-31+G(3df,2p)] and kinetics modeling. Results show that the overall
      rate constant for .Cl initiated H-abstraction of MEA is 5 times faster than that
      initiated by .OH, and the tropospheric lifetimes of MEA will be overestimated by
      6-46% when assuming that [.Cl]/[.OH] = 1-10% if the role of .Cl is ignored. The
      MEA + .Cl reaction exclusively produces MEA-N that finally transforms into
      several products including mutagenic nitramine and carcinogenic nitrosamine via
      further reactions with O2/NOx, and the contribution of .Cl to their formation is
      about 25-250% of that of .OH. Thus, it is necessary to consider .Cl initiated
      tropospheric degradation of MEA for its risk assessment. 

PMID- 26495769
TI  - Mechanically activated, catalyst-free polyhydroxyurethane vitrimers.
AB  - Vitrimers are polymer networks whose cross-links undergo associative exchange
      processes at elevated temperature, usually in the presence of an embedded
      catalyst. This design feature enables the reshaping of materials with mechanical
      properties similar to thermoset resins. Here we report a new class of vitrimers
      consisting of polyhydroxyurethanes (PHUs) derived from six-membered cyclic
      carbonates and amines. PHU networks relax stress and may be reprocessed at
      elevated temperature and pressure in the absence of an external catalyst. The as
      synthesized networks exhibit tensile properties comparable to those of leading
      thermosets and recover ca. 75% of their as-synthesized values following
      reprocessing. Stress relaxation occurs through an associative process involving
      nucleophilic addition of free hydroxyl groups to the carbamate linkages and
      exhibits an Arrhenius activation energy of 111 +/- 10 kJ/mol, which is lower than
      that observed for molecular model compounds (148 +/- 7 kJ/mol). These findings
      suggest that transcarbamoylation is activated by mechanical stress, which we
      attribute, on the basis of DFT calculations, to the twisting of N lone pairs out
      of conjugation with the carbonyl pi orbitals. PHU vitrimers are a promising new
      class of repairable networks because of their outstanding mechanical properties,
      avoidance of toxic isocyanate monomers, and catalyst-free repair processes. 

PMID- 26495771
TI  - Quality improvement in diabetes--successful in achieving better care with hopes
      for prevention.
AB  - Diabetes affects 29 million Americans and is associated with billions of dollars
      in health expenditures and lost productivity. Robust evidence has shown that
      lifestyle interventions in people at high risk for diabetes and comprehensive
      management of cardiometabolic risk factors like glucose, blood pressure, and
      lipids can delay the onset of diabetes and its complications, respectively.
      However, realizing the "triple aim" of better health, better care, and lower cost
      in diabetes has been hampered by low adoption of lifestyle interventions to
      prevent diabetes and poor achievement of care goals for those with diabetes. To
      achieve better care, a number of quality improvement (QI) strategies targeting
      the health system, healthcare providers, and/or patients have been evaluated in
      both controlled trials and real-world programs, and have shown some successes,
      though barriers still impede wider adoption, effectiveness, real-world
      feasibility, and scalability. Here, we summarize the effectiveness and cost
      effectiveness data regarding QI strategies in diabetes care and discuss the
      potential role of quality monitoring and QI in trying to implement primary
      prevention of diabetes more widely and effectively. Over time, achieving better
      care and better health will likely help bend the ever-growing cost curve. 

PMID- 26495770
TI  - Side-effects of SSRIs disrupt multimodal treatment for pediatric OCD in a
      randomized-controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Activation Syndrome (AS) is a side-effect of antidepressants
      consisting of irritability, mania, self-harm, akathisia, and disinhibition. The
      current study was conducted to analyze how AS may hinder treatment outcome for
      multimodal treatment for children and adolescents with Obsessive-Compulsive
      Disorder. METHODS: Fifty-six children or adolescents were recruited at two
      treatment sites in a double-blind randomized-controlled trial where participants
      received Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and were randomized to slow titration of
      sertraline, regular titration of sertraline or placebo. RESULTS: Using a recently
      developed measure of AS, results suggested that higher average levels of
      irritability, akathisia, and disinhibition significantly interfered with
      treatment response and explained 18% of the variance in obsessive-compulsive
      symptoms during treatment. Interestingly, only session-to-session increases in
      irritability resulted in a session-to-session increase in obsessive-compulsive
      symptoms. The observed results were unchanged with the addition of SSRI dosage as
      a covariate. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide empirical support for the proposed
      hypothesis that AS may hinder multimodal treatment outcome for pediatric OCD.
      These findings suggest that dosage changes due to AS do not explain why those
      with higher AS had worse multimodal outcome. Other possible mechanisms explaining
      this observed disruption are proposed, including how AS may interfere with
      Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.

PMID- 26495772
TI  - Loss of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 is associated with
      prostate cancer recurrence.
AB  - STAT1 loss has previously been implicated in cell line studies to modify prostate
      cancer cell growth and survival, however the clinical significance of this has
      not previously been established. This study investigated if STAT1 loss was
      associated with patient outcome measures and the phenotypic consequence of STAT1
      silencing. STAT1 expression was assessed in two patient cohorts with localised (n
      = 78) and advanced prostate cancer at initial diagnosis (n = 39) by
      immunohistochemistry (IHC). Impact of STAT1 silencing on prostate cancer cells
      lines was assessed using Cell Death detection ELISA, TLDA gene signature
      apoptosis arrays, WST-1 assay, xCELLigence system, clonogenic assay, and wound
      healing assay. In the localised patient cohort, low expression of STAT1 was
      associated with shorter time to disease recurrence (3.8 vs 7.3 years, P = 0.02)
      and disease specific survival (6.6 vs 9.3 years, P = 0.05). In the advanced
      patient cohort, low expression was associated with shorter time to disease
      recurrence (2.0 vs 3.9 years, P = 0.001). When STAT1 was silenced in PC3 cells
      (AR negative) and LNCaP cells (AR positive) silencing did not influence levels of
      apoptosis in either cell line and had little effect on cell viability in the
      LNCaP cells. In contrast, STAT1 silencing in the PC3 cells resulted in a
      pronounced increase in cell viability (WST-1 assay: mock silenced vs STAT1
      silenced, P < 0.001), clonagenicity (clonogenic assay: mock silenced vs STAT1
      silenced, P < 0.001), and migration (wound healing: mock silenced vs STAT1
      silenced, P < 0.001). In conclusion, loss of STAT1 may promote prostate cancer
      recurrence in AR negative patients via increasing cell viability. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26495774
TI  - Low Probability of Lymphatic Drainage to Cloquet's Node Is of Limited Value as
      Indicator for Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection in Patients with Lower Limb Melanoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: For patients with melanoma, the choice between an
      inguinal lymph node dissection (ILND) alone and both an ILND and a pelvic lymph
      node dissection (PLND) is controversial. Although Cloquet's node (CN) is
      considered the sentinel pelvic node, evaluation of this factor to predict pelvic
      node status has produced varied results. We investigated inguinal and pelvic
      lymphatic drainage patterns and focused on CN to clarify whether CN status could
      be an indicator of PLND. METHODS: Patients with primary cutaneous lower limb
      melanoma who underwent lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB)
      using dynamic lymphoscintigraphy and SPECT/CT were retrospectively reviewed.
      RESULTS: Thirty-two patients underwent lymphatic mapping and SLNB. Each patient's
      CN was identified by SPECT/CT. A radioactive CN was detected in only 37.5%
      (12/32) of patients, and no lymphatic drainage to CN occurred in 62.5% (20/32).
      In 37.5% (12/32) of patients, the lymph drained directly from the inguinal to the
      pelvic nodes bypassing CN. CONCLUSION: In melanoma patients, lymphatic drainage
      from the lower extremity does not always pass from the inguinal node to the
      pelvic nodes via CN. Tumor-negative status of CN alone is of limited value as an
      indicator for avoiding PLND.

PMID- 26495775
TI  - Evaluation of Modified Glasgow Prognostic Score for Pancreatic Cancer: A
      Retrospective Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) is known to be useful in
      determining the prognosis of cancers. However, the utility of mGPS for pancreatic
      cancer (PC) has been examined based primarily on a surgical series of early-stage
      cancers. The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of mGPS for PC of
      all stages using a retrospective cohort design. METHODS: We conducted a
      retrospective cohort study using data from a computerized database. A total of
      807 patients with pathologically confirmed PC were analyzed (mGPS-0, n = 620;
      mGPS-1, n = 153; mGPS-2, n = 34). RESULTS: Median overall survival (OS) was
      significantly worse for the mGPS-1 group than for the mGPS-0 group (5.8 vs 15.8
      months, respectively) but was comparable between the mGPS-2 and mGPS-1 groups
      (4.8 vs 5.8 months, respectively). After adjustment, both mGPS-1 and mGPS-2 were
      independent predictive factors of OS (mGPS-1: hazard ratio, 1.772; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.417-2.215; mGPS-2: hazard ratio, 2.033; 95% confidence interval,
      1.284-3.219). Subgroup analysis showed that OS was significantly worse in the
      mGPS-1 and mGPS-2 groups than in the mGPS-0 group for all except the following 2
      subgroups: localized disease and curative resection. CONCLUSIONS: The present
      results show that the mGPS is an independent prognostic factor in patients with
      PC, especially for advanced-stage disease.

PMID- 26495776
TI  - Clinical Characteristics and Risk Factors for the Development of Postoperative
      Hepatic Steatosis After Total Pancreatectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The occurrence of hepatic steatosis after pancreatectomy is known to
      be associated with the remnant pancreatic function. However, other risk factors
      for hepatic steatosis after pancreatectomy remain unknown. The aims of this study
      were to identify other risk factors in addition to the remnant pancreatic
      function and elucidate the relationship between postoperative hepatic steatosis
      and pancreatic exocrine insufficiency in totally pancreatomized patients.
      METHODS: Forty-three patients who underwent total pancreatectomy were analyzed.
      Hepatic steatosis was defined as the attenuation of unenhanced computed
      tomography values. Clinical findings and laboratory data were compared between
      patients with and without hepatic steatosis. RESULTS: Sixteen (37.2%) patients
      developed hepatic steatosis after total pancreatectomy, with marked declines in
      the Controlling Nutritional Status score and body mass index. Multiple linear
      regression analysis revealed that the attenuation of computed tomography values
      was correlated with female sex (P = 0.002), early postoperative serum albumin
      levels (P = 0.003), and pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy with high-dose
      pancrelipase (P = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative hepatic steatosis after
      pancreatectomy is associated with sex, malnutrition, and pancreatic exocrine
      insufficiency. High-dose pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy may have
      preventive effects on hepatic steatosis occurring after pancreatectomy.

PMID- 26495777
TI  - Pancreatic Exocrine Insufficiency in Patients With Pancreatic or Periampullary
      Cancer: A Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of pancreatic
      exocrine insufficiency in patients with pancreatic or periampullary cancer, both
      before and after resection. METHODS: Systematic review according to the Preferred
      Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA guidelines). We
      included studies reporting on pancreatic exocrine insufficiency in patients with
      pancreatic or periampullary cancer. Data on patient demographics, type of
      pancreatic resection, diagnostic test, and occurrence of pancreatic exocrine
      insufficiency were extracted. Prevalence of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency was
      calculated before and after pancreatic resections and in patients with locally
      advanced pancreatic cancer. RESULTS: Nine observational cohort studies with 693
      patients were included. Median preoperative prevalence of pancreatic exocrine
      insufficiency was 44% (range, 42%-47%) before pancreatoduodenectomy, 20% (range,
      16%-67%) before distal pancreatectomy, 63% before total pancreatectomy, and 25%
      to 50% in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. The median prevalence
      of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency at least 6 months after
      pancreatoduodenectomy was 74% (range, 36%-100%) and 67% to 80% after distal
      pancreatectomy. CONCLUSION: Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency is diagnosed in
      approximately half of all patients scheduled to undergo resection for pancreatic
      or periampullary cancer. The prevalence increases markedly after resection. These
      data highlight the need of pancreatic enzyme suppletion in these patients.

PMID- 26495778
TI  - Relationships Between Fasting Serum Amylase and Ghrelin or Peptide YY3-36 Levels
      in Healthy Men.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Appetite and carbohydrate metabolism are important contributors to
      the development of obesity. Recently, low serum amylase was shown to be
      associated with obesity and metabolic disorder. We investigated the relationship
      between amylase and ghrelin or peptide YY (PYY) levels in healthy men. METHODS:
      Twenty-one men were enrolled in this cross-sectional study; all subjects were
      asymptomatic with no medical history. Fasting serum amylase, ghrelin, PYY3-36,
      anthropometry, and nutritional intake were measured. Linear regression analyses
      were performed to examine associations between amylase and ghrelin or PYY3-36.
      RESULTS: The mean (SD) age and waist circumference of the subjects were 51.5
      (10.9) years and 87.0 (4.4) cm, respectively. Amylase was found to be correlated
      with waist circumference (r = -0.438, P = 0.054), ghrelin (r = 0.533, P = 0.015),
      and PYY3-36 (r = -0.511, P = 0.021). Multivariate linear regression analysis
      revealed a negative association between amylase and PYY3-36 (beta = -0.428, P =
      0.045) but a nonsignificantly positive association between amylase and ghrelin
      (beta = 0.260, P = 0.146). CONCLUSIONS: Amylase levels were found to be
      associated with ghrelin and PYY3-36 in healthy men. Amylase, ghrelin, and PYY3-36
      may play a role in obesity; further research is required to identify the
      underlying mechanism.

PMID- 26495781
TI  - Low Stromal Area and High Stromal Microvessel Density Predict Poor Prognosis in
      Pancreatic Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Excessive stroma is a unique property of cancer tissue of the
      pancreas. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship of cancer stromal
      area (SA) and tumor microvessel density (MVD) with prognostic and
      clinicopathological findings. METHODS: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma tissues obtained
      from 104 patients were subjected to cytokeratin 19 and CD31 double immunostaining
      to identify cancer cells and endothelial cells simultaneously. Stromal area and
      MVD were assessed in the same sections. Patients were divided into 2 groups for
      each analysis by the median value of the respective measure. RESULTS: Stromal
      area negatively correlated with MVD. The low SA group harbored more poorly
      differentiated carcinoma than the high SA group. Patients of the low SA group
      showed a higher incidence of hematogenous recurrence. As a consequence, patients
      in the low SA and the high MVD groups had poorer prognosis in terms of both
      disease-free survival and overall survival than their respective groups.
      Multivariate analysis showed that a low SA was an independent prognostic factor
      for disease-free and overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that the
      stroma of pancreatic cancer may play an auxiliary role as a barrier to cancer
      cell invasion. The depletion of tumor stroma alone does not suppress pancreatic
      cancer progression.

PMID- 26495779
TI  - Robust Early Inflammation of the Peripancreatic Visceral Adipose Tissue During
      Diet-Induced Obesity in the KrasG12D Model of Pancreatic Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Obesity increases the incidence of multiple types of cancer. Our
      previous work has shown that a high-fat, high-calorie diet (HFCD) leads to
      visceral obesity, pancreatic inflammation, and accelerated pancreatic neoplasia
      in KrasG12D (KC) mice. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of an
      HFCD on visceral adipose inflammation with emphasis on potential differences
      between distinct visceral adipose depots. METHODS: We examined the weight and
      visceral obesity in both wild-type and KC mice on either control diet (CD) or
      HFCD. After 3 months, mice were killed for histological examination. Multiplex
      assays were also performed to obtain cytokine profiles between different adipose
      depots. RESULTS: Both wild-type and KC mice on an HFCD exhibited significantly
      increased inflammation in the visceral adipose tissue, particularly in the
      peripancreatic fat (PPF), compared with animals on a CD. This was associated with
      significantly increased inflammation in the pancreas. Cytokine profiles were
      different between visceral adipose depots and between mice on the HFCD and CD.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results clearly demonstrate that an HFCD leads to obesity and
      inflammation in the visceral adipose tissue, particularly the PPF. These data
      suggest that obesity-associated inflammation in PPF may accelerate pancreatic
      neoplasia in KC mice.

PMID- 26495780
TI  - Nab-Paclitaxel Plus S-1 Shows Increased Antitumor Activity in Patient-Derived
      Pancreatic Cancer Xenograft Mouse Models.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the antitumor activity of nanoparticle albumin-bound
      paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) plus S-1 in patient-derived pancreatic cancer
      xenograft mouse models and to explore biomarkers that could predict drug
      efficacy. METHODS: Ten patient-derived xenograft models were established. The
      third-generation tumor-bearing mice were randomized into 4 treatment groups: (1)
      control; (2) S-1; (3) nab-paclitaxel; (4) S-1 plus nab-paclitaxel. Resected
      tumors were tested by immunohistochemistry for the expression of thymidylate
      synthase, orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT), dihydropyrimidine
      dehydrogenase (DPD), secreted protein that is acidic and rich in cysteine, human
      epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), collagen-1, and CD31. RESULTS: Tumor
      growth inhibition of the S-1 group, nab-paclitaxel group, and combination group
      was 69.52%, 86.63%, 103.56%, respectively (P < 0.05). The efficacy of S-1 is
      better in thymidylate synthase-negative, OPRT-positive, and DPD-negative tumors.
      The efficacy of nab-paclitaxel is better in HER2-positive tumors. Collagen-1 was
      decreased and CD31 was increased in tumors treated with nab-paclitaxel and S-1
      plus nab-paclitaxel compared with control or S-1. CONCLUSIONS: This preclinical
      study showed that S-1 plus nab-paclitaxel exerted significantly better antitumor
      activity than S-1 or nab-paclitaxel alone. Thymidylate synthase, OPRT, and DPD
      were possibly biomarkers of S-1 and HER2 of nab-paclitaxel.

PMID- 26495782
TI  - Progression of Incidental Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms of the
      Pancreas in Liver Transplant Recipients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) are premalignant
      pancreatic cysts commonly found incidentally. Immunosuppression accelerates
      carcinogenesis.Thus, we aimed to compare IPMN progression in liver transplant
      (LT) recipients on chronic immunosuppression to progression among an
      immunocompetent population. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed adult LT
      recipients between 2008 and 2014 for imaging evidence of IPMN. Diagnosis of IPMN
      was based on history, imaging, and cyst fluid analysis. The immunocompetent
      control group consisted of nontransplant patients from our pancreatic cyst
      surveillance program with IPMN under surveillance for greater than 12 months
      between 1997 and 2013. Four hundred fifty-four patients underwent LT in the study
      period and had cross-sectional imaging. RESULTS: The prevalence of suspected IPMN
      was 6.6% (30 of 454). Compared with 131 controls, the transplant cohort was
      younger, with increased prevalence of diabetes and smoking. The prevalence of
      other risk factors for IPMN progression (history of pancreatitis, family history
      of pancreatic cancer) was similar. After an average follow-up of 31 months, most
      cysts increased in diameter, with a similar increase of dominant cyst (0.4 cm vs
      0.5 cm; P = 0.6). Type of immunosuppression was not associated with the increased
      rate of cyst growth. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that LT recipients with
      incidental IPMN can be managed under similar guidelines as immunocompetent
      patients.

PMID- 26495783
TI  - Combination of Telmisartan and Linagliptin Preserves Pancreatic Islet Cell
      Function and Morphology in db/db Mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to investigate the synergistic action of
      telmisartan and linagliptin in ameliorating pancreatic islet functions and
      morphology in type 2 diabetes mellitus and to delineate the molecular signaling
      pathway involved. METHODS: db/db mice were given telmisartan (3 mg/kg) or
      linagliptin (3 mg/kg) alone or in combination, daily for 8 weeks, and were
      studied in vivo by fasting and random blood glucose tests, oral glucose tolerance
      tests, and intraperitoneal insulin tolerance tests, as well as ex vivo by glucose
      stimulated insulin secretion and morphology of pancreatic islets. The underlying
      signaling pathways were examined by Western blot, real-time quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction, and dihydroethidium staining analyses using mouse
      pancreatic islets and rat beta-insulinoma cells. RESULTS: Telmisartan/linagliptin
      combination induced significantly better glucose homeostasis than the
      monotherapies. Posttreatment reactive oxygen species level was suppressed most
      significantly after the telmisartan/linagliptin combined therapy, whereas no
      significant change in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma
      expressions was observed after treatments. CONCLUSIONS: The
      telmisartan/linagliptin combination preserved pancreatic islet cell functions and
      morphology via reduction of oxidative stress but independent of the peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor gamma pathway. Our data shed light on the
      therapeutic potential of using the telmisartan/linagliptin combination in the
      treatment of human type 2 diabetes mellitus and its related complications.

PMID- 26495784
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Pancrelipase/Pancreatin in Patients With Exocrine
      Pancreatic Insufficiency and a Medical History of Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to perform exploratory analyses of the
      efficacy and safety of pancrelipase delayed-release capsules (Creon) in patients
      with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) with (n = 36) and without (n = 18)
      concurrent diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: This was a retrospective, post hoc,
      subgroup (+/-DM) analysis of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial
      of pancrelipase in patients with EPI due to chronic pancreatitis or
      pancreatectomy (total or partial). After a 5-day placebo run-in period
      (baseline), patients were randomized to pancrelipase (72,000 lipase units/meal,
      36,000/snack) or placebo for 7 days. Outcomes included changes in coefficients of
      fat absorption (CFA) and nitrogen absorption (CNA) from baseline to the end of
      the double-blind period. RESULTS: Mean changes in nutrient absorption were
      greater with pancrelipase versus placebo in patients with DM (CFA, 36.0% vs 7.5%,
      P < 0.0001; CNA, 33.4% vs 3.7%, P = 0.0002) and without DM (CFA, 25.2% vs 12.3%,
      P = 0.0326; CNA, 39.1% vs 17.6%, P = 0.1187). Diabetes mellitus was not
      significantly associated with outcomes for CFA (P = 0.0802) and CNA (P = 0.2934).
      Incidences of adverse events, including hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, were
      similar in the pancrelipase and placebo arms. CONCLUSIONS: Pancrelipase improved
      fat and protein absorption in patients with EPI due to chronic pancreatitis or
      pancreatectomy, with or without DM, and matched the safety profile previously
      reported.

PMID- 26495785
TI  - IL-8-Positive Tumor-Infiltrating Inflammatory Cells Are a Novel Prognostic Marker
      in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Tumor-infiltrating inflammatory cells (TIICs) in pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are reported to initiate and exacerbate invasion and
      metastasis. Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a proinflammatory cytokine, is expressed in
      both neoplastic cells and TIICs in PDAC tissues and increased in patient serum.
      The aim of this study is to evaluate the values of IL-8 expression profiles in
      tumor tissues and predict the source of serum IL-8 in PDAC patients. METHODS: We
      used 2 independent groups of PDAC patient samples that included 240 cases. Tissue
      expression profiles of cytokines were evaluated with immunohistochemistry and
      serum levels with human IL-8 assay. The prognostic values of the variables were
      assessed by Kaplan-Meier or Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Higher levels of IL
      8-positive TIICs but not tumor cells in PDAC patients correlated with worse
      prognosis (P = 0.009) and higher blood serum IL-8 levels (P = 0.002). Controlling
      other independent factors, the relative hazard ratio for PDAC with higher IL-8
      positive TIIC levels compared with those with lower TIIC levels was 1.588 (95%
      confidence interval, 1.04-2.42). CONCLUSIONS: Higher IL-8-positive TIIC levels in
      PDAC tumors indicate poorer prognosis and positively correlate with serum IL-8
      concentrations and vice versa. These data suggested that IL-8 might have a
      potential target for PDAC therapies.

PMID- 26495786
TI  - Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Expression in Normal and Neoplastic Human
      Pancreatic Tissues.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Studies have proposed pro-oncogenic effects of glucagon-like peptide
      1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists in the pancreas by promoting GLP-1R overactivation
      in pancreatic cells. However, the expression of GLP-1R in normal and neoplastic
      pancreatic cells remains poorly defined, and reliable methods for detecting GLP
      1R in tissue specimens are needed. METHODS: We used RNA in situ hybridization to
      quantify glp-1r RNA in surgically resected human pancreatic specimens, including
      pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), preinvasive intraepithelial lesions
      (pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia), and non-neoplastic ductal, acinar, and
      endocrine cells. A mixed-effect linear regression model was used to investigate
      the relationship between glp-1r signals and all cells, ordered by increasing
      grade of dysplasia. RESULTS: All cell types had evidence of glp-1r transcripts,
      with the highest expression in endocrine cells and lowest in ductal cells. The
      slope of the fitted line was not significantly different from zero (0.07; 95%
      confidence interval, -0.0094 to 0.244; P = 0.39), suggesting that progression
      from normal cells to PDAC is not associated with a parallel increase in glp-1r
      RNA. A series of pairwise comparisons between all cell types with respect to
      their glp-1r expression showed no significant difference in glp-1r in cancer,
      pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia, and acinar and ductal cells. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our study supports the lack of evidence for GLP-1R overexpression in PDAC.

PMID- 26495787
TI  - Microscopic Residual Tumor After Pancreaticoduodenectomy: Is Standardization of
      Pathological Examination Worthwhile?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: R1 resection rate after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for cancer is
      highly variable. The aim of this study was to verify if a standardized
      histopathological work-up of the specimen affects the rate of R1 resection after
      PD for cancer. METHODS: Two groups of specimens were managed with (standardized
      method [SM] group) or without (non-standardized method [NSM] group) a SM of
      histopathological work-up. Each group included 50 cases of PD for periampullary
      cancer. Differences in terms of R1 resection rate between the 2 groups were
      evaluated. Correlation between R1 status and local recurrence was also evaluated.
      RESULTS: The cohort of 100 patients consisted of 66 pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma, 15 cholangiocarcinoma, and 19 ampullary cancer. The R1 resection
      rate resulted statistically higher in the SM group (66% vs 10%). Local recurrence
      was more frequently related to R1 resection in the SM group (34.3% of cases) than
      in NSM group (20% of cases). CONCLUSIONS: The use of the SM of pathological
      evaluation of the specimen after PD for cancer determines a significant increase
      of R1 resection. This remarkable difference seems to be due to the different
      definition of minimum clearance. The SM seems to better discriminate patients in
      terms of risk of local recurrence.

PMID- 26495788
TI  - FAM111B Mutation Is Associated With Inherited Exocrine Pancreatic Dysfunction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Few genetic causes of exocrine pancreatic dysfunction have been
      described to date. We identified a family with multiple affected members
      manifesting exocrine pancreatic dysfunction. Additional associated features
      included facial rash, sparse hair, hypohidrosis, and swelling of the extremities.
      The transmission pattern of these clinical features was consistent with an
      autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. The 2 proband siblings also had transient
      elevated liver transaminases with hepatic steatosis early in life. This study
      identifies the genetic cause of exocrine pancreatic dysfunction in this family.
      METHODS: Whole exome sequencing was performed to identify the genetic cause of
      exocrine pancreatic dysfunction. RESULTS: A heterozygous germline in-frame
      deletion in the gene FAM111B (c.1261_1263delAAG, p.Lys421del) cosegregated with
      the phenotype: the variant was present in all affected relatives genotyped and
      absent in all unaffected relatives genotyped. The variant is also absent from
      public control sequence databases. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings implicate FAM111B in
      autosomal dominantly inheritable exocrine pancreatic dysfunction.

PMID- 26495789
TI  - Variability in Pancreatitis Care in Pediatrics: A Single Institution's Survey
      Report.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The incidence of acute pancreatitis (AP) in childhood has increased in
      the last 2 decades, yet management has been largely extrapolated from adult
      studies. We sought to determine whether there is a consensus for treatment of AP
      among different pediatric subspecialists. METHODS: Providers from subspecialties
      seeing most patients admitted for AP were surveyed on their practice patterns in
      managing a first attack of uncomplicated AP. RESULTS: From November 2009 to
      August 2013, there were 284 admissions for patients with AP to our center.
      Patients were primarily admitted to the gastroenterology or hospitalist service
      (39% and 26%, respectively). Survey results found practice patterns for
      diagnostic evaluation, fluid resuscitation, pain management, and introduction of
      nutrition were variable between practitioners belonging to different
      subspecialties as well as within the same subspecialty group. CONCLUSIONS: There
      is a lack of consensus on management of acute uncomplicated pancreatitis among
      pediatric providers, which may be improved through development of evidence-based
      pediatric guidelines.

PMID- 26495790
TI  - Interplay Between Gemcitabine and Erlotinib Over Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma remains as a chemoresistant disease
      with the poorest prognosis. Gemcitabine has been the standard treatment during
      the last decade. Erlotinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in combination with
      gemcitabine produces a small increase in survival. However, these results remain
      insufficient. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular interplay in
      vitro between them regarding their effects over cytotoxicity, proliferation,
      apoptosis, and invasion. METHODS: Using the human pancreatic cancer cell lines
      Panc-1 and BxPC-3 in vitro, the effects of gemcitabine and erlotinib therapy on
      growth, proliferation, and invasion were tested by cytotoxicity, cell cycle, and
      Annexin V-Fluorescein Isothiocyanate analysis, reverse transcription polymerase
      chain reaction, protein expression, and Chip assays. RESULTS: Therapy decreased
      cell proliferation causing G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest with induction of
      apoptosis in the Panc-1 cell line. This blockade was associated with increased
      p27 expression. Besides, treatments enhanced the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF
      kappaB) pathway and the binding of NF-kappaB to the promoters of genes related to
      the proliferation and the evasion of apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest
      that, although gemcitabine and erlotinib exert antiproliferative effects over
      pancreatic cancer cell lines, the gemcitabine-induced activation of NF-kappaB
      expression and its DNA-binding activities are important drawbacks of this
      treatment against pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 26495791
TI  - Apoptotic Mechanisms of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-gamma
      Activation in Acinar Cells During Acute Pancreatitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the mechanism by which
      activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma promotes apoptosis
      of acinar cells in pancreatitis. METHODS: AR42j cells pretreated with the
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonist pioglitazone were
      activated by cerulein as an in vitro model of acute pancreatitis. Inflammatory
      cytokines and amylase were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cell
      viability was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium
      bromide assay. Cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry and terminal
      deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling staining. Activity
      of caspases was determined. Bax and Bcl-2 levels were assayed by Western blot.
      RESULTS: Cytokines, amylase, and cellular proliferation decreased in pioglitazone
      pretreated cells. Pioglitazone increased the activity of caspases 3, 8, and 9 in
      cerulein-activated AR42j cells as well as in the pancreas of rats 3 hours after
      induction of severe acute pancreatitis. Acinar cell apoptosis was induced by
      reducing the mitochondrial membrane potential in the pioglitazone group.
      Pioglitazone increased expression of proapoptotic Bax proteins and decreased
      antiapoptotic Bcl-2 in cerulein-induced AR42j cells and decreased Bcl-2 levels in
      pancreatic tissue of severe acute pancreatitis rats 1 and 3 hours after
      induction. CONCLUSION: Pioglitazone may promote apoptosis of acinar cells through
      both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways in acute pancreatitis.

PMID- 26495792
TI  - Progranulin Stimulates Proliferation of Mouse Pancreatic Islet Cells and Is
      Overexpressed in the Endocrine Pancreatic Tissue of an MEN1 Mouse Model.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Progranulin (PGRN) promotes cell growth and cell cycle progression in
      several cell types and contributes to tumorigenesis in diverse cancers. We have
      recently reported PGRN expression in islets and tumors developed in an MEN1
      transgenic mouse. Here we sought to investigate PGRN expression and regulation
      after exposure to hypoxia as well as its effects on pancreatic islet cells and
      neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) in MEN1(+/-) mice. METHODS: Gene and protein
      expression were analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction,
      immunohistochemistry, and Western blot. We also investigated PGRN expression in
      samples from patients carrying pancreatic NETs associated or not with the
      multiple endocrine neoplasia 1 syndrome, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      and immunohistochemistry analysis. RESULTS: Progranulin is upregulated in tumors
      and islets of the MEN1 mouse as well as in the serum of patients with pancreatic
      NETs associated with glucagonoma syndrome. In normal mice islets and pancreatic
      tumors, PGRN expression was strongly potentiated by hypoxia. Progranulin promotes
      cell proliferation in islet cells and betaTC-6 cells, a process paralleled by
      activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascade.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings identify PGRN as an effective inducer of pancreatic
      islet cell proliferation and a possible important factor for pancreatic endocrine
      tumor development.

PMID- 26495793
TI  - Synthetic Triterpenoid RTA dh404 (CDDO-dhTFEA) Ameliorates Acute Pancreatitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor (Nrf2) is a ubiquitous
      transcriptional factor that regulates expression of cellular antioxidant and
      detoxifying molecules. This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that
      administration of the Nrf2 activator (dh404) may attenuate acute pancreatitis.
      METHODS: Rats were treated with dh404 (1 mg/kg) 24 hours before induction of
      pancreatitis and for 3 days thereafter. Pancreatitis was induced with L-arginine
      (600 mg/100 g) or cerulein (40 MUg/kg). Pancreases were processed for histology
      and malondialdehyde, whereas serum was analyzed for amylase. Islet extracted
      human pancreatic tissue from organ donors were used for in vitro studies. The
      tissues were incubated with dh404 at 0, 250, and 500 nM for 30 minutes, 60
      minutes, 12 hours, and 24 hours. Nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor
      nuclear translocation and expression of Nrf2's target genes and inflammatory
      mediators were determined. RESULTS: The dh404-treated rat pancreases demonstrated
      significantly less infiltration of inflammatory cells, destruction of acinar
      architecture, perilobar edema, and necrosis. Serum amylase and pancreatic
      malondialdehyde in the dh404-treated rats were significantly lower. dh404-treated
      human pancreatic tissue showed a significantly higher expression of antioxidant
      enzymes, lower expression of inflammatory mediators, and greater viability
      against oxidative stress. CONCLUSION: Administration of dh404 attenuates acute
      pancreatitis by lowering oxidative stress and reducing proinflammatory mediators.

PMID- 26495795
TI  - Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer in Primary Care: A Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to quantify the risk of pancreatic cancer
      in patients presenting in primary care with symptoms that may indicate pancreatic
      cancer. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library,
      Web of Science, and ISI Proceedings (1980 to August 2014) and PsychINFO (1980 to
      May 2013) for diagnostic studies of symptomatic adult patients in primary care.
      Study quality was assessed using QUADAS-II, and data were extracted to calculate
      the positive predictive values (PPVs) of symptoms, singly or in combination, for
      pancreatic cancer. RESULTS: Eight studies with 3,438,363 patients were included.
      The PPV of jaundice was more than 4.1% in patients 40 years or older and
      increased with age, although only 30% of patients reported jaundice. The PPVs of
      other single symptoms were low, with the highest PPV being 1% for repeated
      attendance with abdominal pain in patients 60 years or older. Excluding jaundice,
      symptom combinations with high PPVs were those including weight loss, ranging
      from 1.5% to 2.7% in patients 60 years or older, apart from when weight loss was
      combined with malaise (PPV, 0.9%). CONCLUSION: The only high-risk feature of
      pancreatic cancer in primary care was jaundice, and this clearly warrants
      investigation. Weight loss accompanied by a second symptom may warrant
      investigation, although this would probably require abdominal computed
      tomography.

PMID- 26495794
TI  - Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein Interacts With the Transforming Growth Factor
      beta/Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2/Gremlin Signaling Pathway to Regulate
      Proinflammatory and Profibrotic Mediators in Pancreatic Acinar and Stellate
      Cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) regulates immune and
      fibrotic responses of chronic pancreatitis. The bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP
      2) antagonist gremlin is regulated by TGF-beta. Parathyroid hormone-related
      protein (PTHrP) levels are elevated in chronic pancreatitis. Here, we
      investigated the cross-talk between TGF-beta/BMP-2/gremlin and PTHrP signaling.
      METHODS: Reverse transcription/real-time polymerase chain reaction, chromatin
      immunoprecipitation, Western blotting, and transient transfection were used to
      investigate PTHrP regulation by TGF-beta and BMP-2 and gremlin regulation by
      PTHrP. The PTHrP antagonist PTHrP (7-34) and acinar cells with conditional Pthrp
      gene deletion (PTHrP) were used to assess PTHrP's role in the proinflammatory and
      profibrotic effects of TGF-beta and gremlin. RESULTS: Transforming growth factor
      beta increased PTHrP levels in acinar cells and pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs)
      through a Smad3-dependent pathway. Transforming growth factor beta's effects on
      levels of IL-6 and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) (acinar cells) and
      procollagen I and fibronectin (PSCs) were inhibited by PTHrP (7-34). PTHrP
      suppressed TGF-beta's effects on IL-6 and ICAM-1. Parathyroid hormone-related
      hormone increased gremlin in acinar cells, and inhibiting gremlin action
      suppressed TGF-beta's and PTHrP's effects on IL-6 and ICAM-1. Transforming growth
      factor beta-mediated gremlin up-regulation was suppressed in PTHrP cells. Bone
      morphogenetic protein 2 suppressed PTHrP levels in PSCs. CONCLUSIONS: Parathyroid
      hormone-related hormone functions as a novel mediator of the proinflammatory and
      profibrotic effects of TGF-beta. Transforming growth factor beta and BMP-2
      regulate PTHrP expression, and PTHrP regulates gremlin levels.

PMID- 26495796
TI  - Optical Imaging of Drug-Induced Metabolism Changes in Murine and Human Pancreatic
      Cancer Organoids Reveals Heterogeneous Drug Response.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Three-dimensional organoids derived from primary pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinomas are an attractive platform for testing potential anticancer drugs
      on patient-specific tissue. Optical metabolic imaging (OMI) is a novel tool used
      to assess drug-induced changes in cellular metabolism, and its quantitative end
      point, the OMI index, is evaluated as a biomarker of drug response in pancreatic
      cancer organoids. METHODS: Optical metabolic imaging is used to assess both
      malignant cell and fibroblast drug response within primary murine and human
      pancreatic cancer organoids. RESULTS: Anticancer drugs induce significant
      reductions in the OMI index of murine and human pancreatic cancer organoids.
      Subpopulation analysis of OMI data revealed heterogeneous drug response and
      elucidated responding and nonresponding cell populations for a 7-day time course.
      Optical metabolic imaging index significantly correlates with immunofluorescence
      detection of cell proliferation and cell death. CONCLUSIONS: Optical metabolic
      imaging of primary pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma organoids is highly sensitive
      to drug-induced metabolic changes, provides a nondestructive method for
      monitoring dynamic drug response, and presents a novel platform for patient
      specific drug testing and drug development.

PMID- 26495797
TI  - The 10 Pillars of Lung Cancer Screening: Rationale and Logistics of a Lung Cancer
      Screening Program.
AB  - On the basis of the National Lung Screening Trial data released in 2011, the U.S.
      Preventive Services Task Force made lung cancer screening (LCS) with low-dose
      computed tomography (CT) a public health recommendation in 2013. The Centers for
      Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) currently reimburse LCS for asymptomatic
      individuals aged 55-77 years who have a tobacco smoking history of at least 30
      pack-years and who are either currently smoking or had quit less than 15 years
      earlier. Commercial insurers reimburse the cost of LCS for individuals aged 55-80
      years with the same smoking history. Effective care for the millions of Americans
      who qualify for LCS requires an organized step-wise approach. The 10-pillar model
      reflects the elements required to support a successful LCS program: eligibility,
      education, examination ordering, image acquisition, image review, communication,
      referral network, quality improvement, reimbursement, and research frontiers.
      Examination ordering can be coupled with decision support to ensure that only
      eligible individuals undergo LCS. Communication of results revolves around the
      Lung Imaging Reporting and Data System (Lung-RADS) from the American College of
      Radiology. Lung-RADS is a structured decision-oriented reporting system designed
      to minimize the rate of false-positive screening examination results. With nodule
      size and morphology as discriminators, Lung-RADS links nodule management pathways
      to the variety of nodules present on LCS CT studies. Tracking of patient outcomes
      is facilitated by a CMS-approved national registry maintained by the American
      College of Radiology. Online supplemental material is available for this article.

PMID- 26495798
TI  - Imaging Acute Airway Obstruction in Infants and Children.
AB  - Acute airway obstruction is much more common in infants and children than in
      adults because of their unique anatomic and physiologic features. Even in young
      patients with partial airway occlusion, symptoms can be severe and potentially
      life-threatening. Factors that predispose children to airway compromise include
      the orientation of their larynx, the narrow caliber of their trachea, and their
      weak intercostal muscles. Because the clinical manifestations of acute airway
      obstruction are often nonspecific, clinicians often rely on the findings at
      imaging to establish a diagnosis. Several key anatomic features of the pediatric
      airway make it particularly susceptible to respiratory distress, and the imaging
      recommendations for children suspected of having acute airway obstruction are
      presented. Although cross-sectional imaging may be helpful, the diagnosis can
      often be established by using radiographs alone. Radiographs of the chest and
      upper airway should be routinely acquired; however, for the child who is in
      severe distress, a single lateral radiographic view may be all that is necessary.
      The purpose of this article is to provide an imaging approach to acquired causes
      of acute airway obstruction in children, including (a) abnormalities affecting
      the upper portion of the airway, such as croup, acute epiglottitis,
      retropharyngeal infection, and foreign bodies, and (b) abnormalities affecting
      the lower portion of the airway, such as asthma, bronchiolitis, and foreign
      bodies. It is essential that the radiologist recognize key imaging findings and
      understand the pathophysiologic features of acute airway obstruction because in
      most cases, when the cause is identified, the condition responds well to prompt
      management.

PMID- 26495799
TI  - Meta-Analysis of Efficacy and Safety of Apixaban in Patients Undergoing Catheter
      Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of apixaban in patients undergoing catheter
      ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) are little investigated. METHODS: The
      Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, and EMBASE
      were searched up to September 2015. Four literatures comparing apixaban with
      vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) were included. Data were pooled in Review Manager
      Software, using Mantel-Haenszel methods with a fixed-effects model. The funnel
      plots and Egger's test were used to examine publication bias. Heterogeneity was
      assessed using the I(2) test. Risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI)
      of each study were calculated and pooled. RESULTS: No significant differences
      were observed in rates of total bleeding (RR = 0.91, 95% CI [0.57, 1.46], I(2) =
      0.0%), thromboembolic complications (RR = 0.75, 95% CI [0.03, 18.22], I(2) =
      0.0%), or total events (RR = 0.90, 95% CI [0.56, 1.44], I(2) = 0.0%) between
      apixaban and VKAs group. The frequency of major bleeding was similar between
      apixaban and VKAs group (RR = 1.34, 95% CI [0.34, 5.30], I(2) = 0.0%).
      CONCLUSION: Apixaban was as effective and safe as VKAs in the periprocedural
      period of CA.

PMID- 26495800
TI  - Prevalence, awareness, and burden of major depressive disorder in urban China.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence and burden of
      major depressive disorder (MDD) among adults in urban China. METHODS: Data were
      included from the 2012 China National Health and Wellness Survey. Respondents
      self-reporting physician diagnosis of depression and screening positive for MDD
      (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), plus those screening positive for MDD, but
      undiagnosed and not experiencing depression, were compared with non-depressed
      controls. Outcomes included health-related quality of life (HRQoL), productivity
      loss, and resource utilization. Multivariable models assessed outcomes as a
      function of MDD, controlling for covariates. RESULTS: MDD prevalence was 6.0%;
      only 8.3% of these respondents were diagnosed, among whom 51.5% currently used
      prescription medication for depression. Adults with MDD (diagnosed or
      undiagnosed) reported significantly poorer HRQoL and greater productivity loss
      and resource utilization than controls. CONCLUSIONS: MDD in urban China may be
      under-diagnosed and undertreated. Awareness and better access to treatments may
      help alleviate the burden of MDD.

PMID- 26495801
TI  - Perspectives on cytokine-directed therapies in multiple sclerosis.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common inflammatory demyelinating disorder of
      the central nervous system (CNS). Over the past 10 years there has been a heated
      debate as to whether MS pathogenesis commences in the CNS or whether it is
      actually primarily a disease of the immune system. The combined clinical data,
      therapy responses, pathology, animal models and genetic studies now provide
      overwhelming support for the concept that MS is a disease of the immune system
      and that the CNS is only the unfortunate target of a misguided immune attack.
      Immune cells communicate through the use of cytokines and these proteins can
      orchestrate the most complex behaviour in immune cells. We propose that MS is a
      disease where immune communication is derailed, which makes MS very amenable to
      immunotherapy and in particular makes cytokines an attractive target to repair
      this miscommunication disorder. 

PMID- 26495802
TI  - Statin protects endothelial cell against ischemia reperfusion injury through
      HMGB1/TLR4 pathway.

PMID- 26495803
TI  - A confluence of circumstances: A case of IVF, extreme exercise and spontaneous
      coronary artery dissection.

PMID- 26495805
TI  - Synergistic Amination of Graphene: Molecular Dynamics and Thermodynamics.
AB  - Functionalization of graphene using organic moieties constitutes an affordable
      way to modulate its physical and chemical properties. Finding an exact structural
      formula of functionalized graphene using experimental approaches is challenging.
      We studied in detail the thermal stability and thermodynamics of amino- and
      ethylamino-graphene and found a surprising synergistic effect: more amino groups
      stabilize functionalized graphene favoring further amination, whereas a small
      concentration of amino groups is unstable in many cases. The functional groups
      can be attached either on the same side or simultaneously on different sides of
      the graphene sheet. Deformation of functionalized graphene is proportional to the
      number of amino groups. Complete amination leading to formation of the ultimate
      product, Cx(NH2)x, is hindered sterically. Our study assists in the determination
      of the structure of chemically modified graphene and makes specific predictions
      that can be tested and validated experimentally. 

PMID- 26495804
TI  - Coronary CT angiography in calcified coronary plaques: Comparison of diagnostic
      accuracy between bifurcation angle measurement and coronary lumen assessment for
      diagnosing significant coronary stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate the diagnostic value of coronary CT angiography (CCTA)
      by bifurcation angle measurement in the assessment of calcified plaques compared
      to conventional coronary lumen analysis. METHODS: Fifty-three patients with
      calcified plaques identified on CCTA in the left coronary artery were included in
      the study. Minimal lumen diameter (MLD) and bifurcation angle between the left
      anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex (LCx) arteries were measured and
      compared between CCTA and invasive coronary angiography (ICA), while the areas
      under the curves (AUCs) by receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis (ROC)
      were compared between CCTA and ICA with regard to the diagnostic value of using
      bifurcation angle as a criterion. RESULTS: On a per-vessel assessment, the
      sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive
      value (NPV) and 95% confidence interval (CI) with the use of bifurcation angle
      for determining coronary stenosis were 100% (86%, 100%), 79% (59%, 92%), 81%
      (62%, 92%), and 100% (85%, 100%) for CCTA, and 100% (86%, 100%), 82% (63%, 94%),
      83% (65%, 94%), and 100% (85%, 100%) for ICA, respectively. While the sensitivity
      and NPV remained unchanged, the specificity and PPV of CCTA by MLD were 33% (21%,
      47%) and 43% (31%, 56%). The AUCs by ROC curve analysis for CCTA and ICA
      bifurcation angle measurements demonstrated no significant difference (p>0.05,
      0.79 vs 0.86, and 0.70 vs 0.68 at the LAD and LCx assessment, respectively).
      CONCLUSION: Coronary CT angiography by bifurcation angle measurement shows
      significant improvement in the diagnosis of calcified plaques with diagnostic
      value comparable to invasive coronary angiography.

PMID- 26495806
TI  - Monitoring and evaluating the quality of cancer care in Japan using
      administrative claims data.
AB  - The importance of measuring the quality of cancer care has been well recognized
      in many developed countries, but has never been successfully implemented on a
      national level in Japan. We sought to establish a wide-scale quality monitoring
      and evaluation program for cancer by measuring 13 process-of-care quality
      indicators (QI) using a registry-linked claims database. We measured two QI on
      pre-treatment testing, nine on adherence to clinical guidelines on therapeutic
      treatments, and two on supportive care, for breast, prostate, colorectal,
      stomach, lung, liver and cervical cancer patients who were diagnosed in 2011 from
      178 hospitals. We further assessed the reasons for non-adherence for patients who
      did not receive the indicated care in 26 hospitals. QI for pretreatment testing
      were high in most hospitals (above 80%), but scores on adjuvant radiation and
      chemoradiation therapies were low (20-37%), except for breast cancer (74%). QI
      for adjuvant chemotherapy and supportive care were more widely distributed across
      hospitals (45-68%). Further analysis in 26 hospitals showed that most of the
      patients who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy had clinically valid reasons
      for not receiving the specified care (above 70%), but the majority of the
      patients did not have sufficient reasons for not receiving adjuvant radiotherapy
      (52-69%) and supportive care (above 80%). We present here the first wide-scale
      quality measurement initiative of cancer patients in Japan. Patients without
      clinically valid reasons for non-adherence should be examined further in future
      to improve care. 

PMID- 26495807
TI  - Quantitative profiling of tissue drug distribution by MS imaging.
AB  - This article highlights recent advancements in the quantitative measurement of
      drug distribution by MS imaging (MSI). Quantitation by MSI was recently
      considering the primary disadvantage of MSI approaches particularly when compared
      with widely used autoradiography techniques. These approaches show significant
      progress in the area of quantitative MSI and have been used in numerous drug and
      metabolite distribution measurements. As quantitative limitations are overcome,
      the use of MSI in drug development should increase significantly providing key
      insights into both tissue-target validation as well as identifying off tissue
      target issues with drug delivery. 

PMID- 26495808
TI  - Development of an ellipse fitting method with which to analyse selected area
      electron diffraction patterns.
AB  - A software method has been developed which uses ellipse fitting to analyse
      electron diffraction patterns from polycrystalline materials. The method, which
      requires minimal user input, can determine the pattern centre and the diameter of
      diffraction rings with sub-pixel precision. This enables accurate
      crystallographic information to be obtained in a rapid and consistent manner.
      Since the method fits ellipses, it can detect, quantify and correct any
      elliptical distortion introduced by the imaging system. Distortion information
      derived from polycrystalline patterns as a function of camera length can be
      subsequently recalled and applied to single crystal patterns, resulting in
      improved precision and accuracy. The method has been implemented as a plugin for
      the DigitalMicrograph software by Gatan, and is a freely available via the
      internet. 

PMID- 26495809
TI  - Determination of Apparent Amylose Content in Rice by Using Paper-Based
      Microfluidic Chips.
AB  - Determination of apparent amylose content in rice is a key function for rice
      research and the rice industry. In this paper, a novel approach with paper-based
      microfluidic chip is reported to determine apparent amylose content in rice. The
      conventional color reaction between amylose and iodine was employed. Blue color
      of amylose-iodine complex generated on-chip was converted to gray and measured
      with Photoshop after the colored chip was scanned. The method for preparation of
      the paper chip is described. In situ generation of iodine for on-chip color
      reaction was designed, and factors influencing color reaction were investigated
      in detail. Elimination of yellow color interference of excess iodine by
      exploiting color removal function of Photoshop was presented. Under the optimized
      conditions, apparent amylose content in rice ranging from 1.5 to 26.4% can be
      determined, and precision was 6.3%. The analytical results obtained with the
      developed approach were in good agreement with those with the continuous flow
      analyzer method. 

PMID- 26495810
TI  - Transverse Myelitis and Syrinx Formation Caused by Varicella-Zoster Infection.

PMID- 26495811
TI  - Re: "Kinesio Taping Improves Pain, Range of Motion, and Proprioception in Older
      Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial".

PMID- 26495813
TI  - Recovery of an Injured Cingulum via the Lateral Cholinergic Pathway in a Patient
      with Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - We report on a patient with traumatic brain injury who showed recovery of an
      injured cingulum via the lateral cholinergic pathway, using diffusion tensor
      tractography (DTT). A 63-year-old man underwent craniotomy for subarachnoid
      hemorrhage and subdural hemorrhage in both frontotemporal lobes, which occurred
      by hitting his head against a floor after falling from approximately 2 m. The
      Wechsler Intelligence Scale and the Seoul neuropsychological screening battery
      were used for evaluation of cognitive function. At 4 weeks after onset, the
      patient exhibited mild cognitive impairment (total IQ, 85; verbal immediate
      recall, 26.76 percentile; visual immediate recall, 29.81 percentile; verbal
      delayed recall, 24.51 percentile; visual delayed recall, 11.70 percentile). By
      contrast, at the 9-month evaluation, the cognitive impairment had improved as
      much as total IQ, 96; verbal immediate recall, 56.75 percentile; visual immediate
      recall, 89.49 percentile; verbal delayed recall, 78.23 percentile; and visual
      delayed recall, 89.07 percentile. On 4-week DTT, discontinuations were observed
      superior to the genu of the corpus callosum in both cingula. However, on 9-month
      DTT, the discontinued anterior part of the right cingulum was elongated
      inferoposteriorly through an unusual neural tract, which ran through the external
      capsule and the white matter of the temporo-occipital lobes. The results of this
      study seem to suggest a mechanism for recovery of an injured cingulum after brain
      injury. 

PMID- 26495812
TI  - Intervertebral Disc Cells Produce Interleukins Found in Patients with Back Pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the link between cytokines in intervertebral disc (IVD)
      tissues and axial back pain. DESIGN: In vitro study with human IVD cells cultured
      from cadaveric donors and annulus fibrosus (AF) tissues from patients. RESULTS:
      Cultured nucleus pulposus (NP) and AF cells were stimulated with interleukin (IL)
      1beta. IL-8 and IL-7 gene expression was analyzed using real-time polymerase
      chain reaction. IL-8 protein was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
      After IL-1beta stimulation, IL-8 gene expression increased 26,541 fold in NP
      cells and 22,429 fold in AF cells, whereas protein released by the NP and AF
      cells increased 2,389- and 1,784-fold, respectively. IL-7 gene expression
      increased 3.3-fold in NP cells (P < 0.05).Cytokine profiles in AF tissues
      collected from patients undergoing surgery for back pain (painful group) or
      scoliosis (controls) were compared by cytokine array. IL-8 protein in the AF
      tissues from patients with back pain was 1.81-fold of that in controls. IL-7 and
      IL-10 in AF tissues from the painful group were 6.87 and 4.63 times greater than
      the corresponding values in controls, respectively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION:
      Inflammatory mediators found in AF tissues from patients with discogenic back
      pain are likely produced by IVD cells and may play a key role in back pain.

PMID- 26495814
TI  - Pelvic and Spinal Motion During Walking in Persons With Transfemoral Amputation
      With and Without Low Back Pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Low back pain (LBP) is prevalent in people with transfemoral
      amputation (TFA), imposing significant disability. Yet, limited data exist
      describing spine kinematics in people with and without LBP despite the suggestion
      that gait adaptations required to walk with a prosthesis may be associated or
      causative of LBP. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine if there were
      any differences in pelvic and spinal kinematics in persons with TFA with and
      without LBP. DESIGN: With the use of a lower body model combined with a regional
      spine model, pelvic, lumbar, and thoracic kinematics were recorded while walking
      and compared for participants with TFA with (n = 12) and without (n = 11) self
      reported LBP. RESULTS: Opposite patterns of motion were observed between groups
      in sagittal and transverse lumbar kinematics but inferential analysis using the
      chi test was unable to confirm that these differing patterns were independently
      related to LBP. CONCLUSIONS: For community ambulators with TFA who report low
      levels of LBP, differences in lumbar and thoracic motion do not seem to be
      independently related to LBP. Results may not generalize to those with higher
      levels of LBP and associated disability.

PMID- 26495815
TI  - What Should Be the Role of Physiatrists in Early Acute Care Rehabilitation?:
      Current Literature, Models of Care, and Thoughts for the Future.

PMID- 26495816
TI  - Effects of Yoga on Symptoms, Physical Function, and Psychosocial Outcomes in
      Adults with Osteoarthritis: A Focused Review.
AB  - Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent and disabling chronic condition.
      Because physical activity is a key component in OA management, effective exercise
      interventions are needed. Yoga is an increasingly popular multimodal mind-body
      exercise that aims to promote flexibility, strength, endurance, and balance. Its
      gentle approach is potentially a safe and effective exercise option for managing
      OA. The purpose of this focused review is to examine the effects of yoga on OA
      symptoms and physical and psychosocial outcomes. A comprehensive search was
      conducted using seven electronic databases. Twelve reports met inclusion criteria
      involving a total of 589 participants with OA-related symptoms. A variety of
      types, frequencies, and durations of yoga interventions were reported; Hatha and
      Iyengar yoga were the most commonly used types. Frequency of intervention ranged
      from once a week to 6 days a week. Duration of the interventions ranged from 45
      to 90 mins per session for 6 to 12 wks. Yoga intervention resulted in reductions
      in pain, stiffness, and swelling, but results on physical function and
      psychosocial well-being were inconclusive because of a variety of outcome
      measures being used. 

PMID- 26495817
TI  - Progressive Paraplegia from Spinal Cord Stimulator Lead Fibrotic Encapsulation: A
      Case Report.
AB  - Ten years after placement of a spinal cord stimulator (SCS) and resolution of
      pain, this patient presented with progressive paraplegia, worsening thoracic
      radicular pain at the same dermatome level of the electrodes, and bowel and
      bladder incontinence. Computed tomographic myelogram confirmed thoracic spinal
      cord central canal stenosis at the level of electrodes. After removal of the
      fibrotic tissue and electrodes, the patient had resolution of his thoracic
      radicular pain and a return of his pre-SCS pain and minimal neurologic and
      functional return. To the authors' knowledge, no studies have been identified
      with thoracic SCS lead fibrosis in the United States causing permanent
      paraplegia. Only one other case has been reported in Madrid, Spain. Patients with
      SCS presenting with loss of pain relief, new-onset radicular or neuropathic pain
      in same dermatome(s) as SCS electrodes, worsening neuromuscular examination, or
      new bladder or bowel incontinence need to be evaluated for complications
      regarding SCS implantation causing spinal stenosis and subsequent cord
      compression to avoid permanent neurologic deficits. 

PMID- 26495818
TI  - Ultrasound-Guided Injection of Carpal Tunnel: Do You Mind the Retinaculum?

PMID- 26495819
TI  - Spinothalamic Tract Injury Due to Primary Brainstem Injury: A Case Report.

PMID- 26495821
TI  - Observational prospective study comparing mucoactive and antibiotic treament in
      the management of acute cough from upper respiratory tract infections.
AB  - AIM: Since the efficacy of antibiotics in the management of cough from upper
      respiratory tract infections (URTI) is unclear, we conducted an observational
      study to evaluate the efficacy of antibiotic compared to symptomatic treatment in
      adults with productive cough from URTI in a real life setting. METHODS: One
      hundred and 50 subjects presenting to five general practice ambulatories with
      productive cough due to URTI were included in the study. According to the
      physician judgment, patients were treated with either oral antibiotics (group A,
      50 patients), a mucoactive syrup (sobrerol: group S, 50 patients) as symptomatic
      treatment, or both sobrerol and oral antibiotics (group SA, 50 patients). Cough
      severity was assessed daily with a diary, by means of a validated verbal category
      descriptive (VCD) Scale. RESULTS: In every treatment group cough severity
      decreased over time (P<0.001); however, during the first week of treatment
      patients in groups S and SA experienced significantly lower VCD score values in
      comparison to Group A (P=0.045 and P=0.010, respectively). On the other hand, the
      VCD score was never significantly different between the two groups that received
      symptomatic treatment at any of the 4 weeks of the study, suggesting that the
      effect observed was due to the action of the mucoactive syrup. CONCLUSION: Our
      data confirm the lack of efficacy of antibiotics in the management of productive
      cough in URTI and suggest that symptomatic treatment should be preferred to
      antibiotics in acute cough from URTI.

PMID- 26495822
TI  - An update on atrial fibrillation: focus on stroke risk reduction strategies.
AB  - Atrial fibrillation (AF) currently affects approximately 2% of the general adult
      population, and the number of patients suffering from AF constantly increases.
      Although the occurrence of AF rarely poses an immediate threat to patient's
      survival, the arrhythmia is associated with significant cardiovascular morbidity
      and mortality mostly resulting from ischemic stroke or systemic thromboembolism,
      or heart failure. Overall, patients with AF have a 5-fold greater risk of stroke
      compared to individuals in sinus rhythm, but individual stroke risk depends on
      the presence of various stroke risk factors, and optimal stroke prevention is
      essential for AF patients. Several major advances in AF-related stroke prevention
      have been achieved recently, including the refinements in stroke and bleeding
      risk assessment with an essential shift in the recognition of AF patients who
      should be offered oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy, the advent of non-vitamin K
      antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) which are increasingly used in the "real
      world" setting, as well as the development of non-pharmacological means of
      thromboprophylaxis in AF patients (e.g., left atrial appendage [LAA] occluding
      devices). In this review article, we summarize these recent developments in
      stroke risk reduction strategies and discuss the main principles of decision
      making regarding OAC therapy in AF patients.

PMID- 26495820
TI  - Effects of Developmental Activation of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor by 2,3,7,8
      Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on Long-term Self-renewal of Murine Hematopoietic
      Stem Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human epidemiological and animal studies suggest that developmental
      exposure to contaminants that activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) lead
      to suppression of immune system function throughout life. The persistence of
      immune deficiency throughout life suggests that the cellular target of AHR
      activation is a fetal hematopoietic progenitor or stem cell. OBJECTIVES: The aim
      of this study was to identify the effects of transplacental exposure to an AHR
      agonist on long-term self-renewal of fetal hematopoietic stem cells. METHODS:
      Pregnant C57BL/6 or AHR+/- mice were exposed to the AHR agonist, 2,3,7,8-tetra
      chlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). On day 14 of gestation, hematopoietic progenitors
      from wild-type or AHR-deficient fetuses were placed into in vitro T-lymphocyte
      differentiation cultures to identify the effects of transplacental TCDD on AHR
      activation in the fetus. We next analyzed the fetal hematopoietic progenitor
      cells for changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS). Finally, hematopoietic
      progenitors from fetuses exposed transplacentally to TCDD were mixed 1:1 with
      cells from congenic controls and used to reconstitute lethally irradiated
      recipients for analysis of long-term self-renewal potential. RESULTS: Our
      findings suggested that the effects of TCDD on the developing hematopoietic
      system were mediated by direct AHR activation in the fetus. Furthermore,
      developmental AHR activation by TCDD increased ROS in the fetal hematopoietic
      stem cells, and the elevated ROS was associated with a reduced capacity of the
      TCDD-exposed fetal cells to compete with control cells in a mixed competitive
      irradiation/reconstitution assay. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that AHR
      activation by TCDD in the fetus during pregnancy leads to impairment of long-term
      self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells. CITATION: Laiosa MD, Tate ER,
      Ahrenhoerster LS, Chen Y, Wang D. 2016. Effects of developmental activation of
      the aryl hydrocarbon receptor by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on long-term
      self-renewal of murine hematopoietic stem cells. Environ Health Perspect 124:957
      965; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1509820.

PMID- 26495823
TI  - New roles of factors from perivascular tissue in regulation of vascular tone.

PMID- 26495824
TI  - Effect of Product Dimensions and Surface Browning Method on Salmonella
      Contamination in Frozen, Surface-Browned, Breaded Chicken Products Treated with
      Antimicrobials.
AB  - Not-ready-to-eat breaded chicken products formulated with antimicrobial
      ingredients were tested for the effect of sample dimensions, surface browning
      method and final internal sample temperature on inoculated Salmonella
      populations. Fresh chicken breast meat portions (5 * 5 * 5 cm), inoculated with
      Salmonella (7-strain mixture; 5 log CFU/g), were mixed with (5% v/w total
      moisture enhancement) (i) distilled water (control), (ii) caprylic acid (CAA;
      0.0625%) and carvacrol (CAR; 0.075%), (iii) CAA (0.25%) and epsilon-polylysine
      (POL; 0.5%), (iv) CAR (0.15%) and POL (0.5%), or (v) CAA (0.0625%), CAR (0.075%)
      and POL (0.5%). Sodium chloride (1.2%) and sodium tripolyphosphate (0.3%) were
      added to all treatments. The mixtures were then ground and formed into 9 * 5 * 3
      cm (150 g) or 9 * 2.5 * 2 cm (50 g) portions. The products were breaded, browned
      in (i) an oven (208  degrees C, 15 min) or (ii) deep fryer (190  degrees C, 15
      s), packaged, and stored at -20  degrees C (8 d). Overall, maximum internal
      temperatures of 62.4 +/- 4.0  degrees C (9 * 2.5 * 2 cm) and 46.0 +/- 3.0 
      degrees C (9 * 5 * 3 cm) were reached in oven-browned samples, and 35.0 +/- 1.1 
      degrees C (9 * 2.5 * 2 cm) and 31.7 +/- 2.6  degrees C (9 * 5 * 3 cm) in fryer
      browned samples. Irrespective of formulation treatment, total (after frozen
      storage) reductions of Salmonella were greater (P < 0.05) for 9 * 2.5 * 2 cm oven
      browned samples (3.8 to at least 4.6 log CFU/g) than for 9 * 5 * 3 cm oven
      browned samples (0.7 to 2.5 log CFU/g). Product dimensions did not (P >= 0.05)
      affect Salmonella reductions (0.6 to 2.8 log CFU/g) in fryer-browned samples. All
      antimicrobial treatments reduced Salmonella to undetectable levels (<0.3 log
      CFU/g) in oven-browned 9 * 2.5 * 2 cm samples. Overall, the data may be useful
      for the selection of antimicrobials, product dimensions, and surface browning
      methods for reducing Salmonella contamination.

PMID- 26495825
TI  - Dioxins and cytogenetic status of villagers after 40 years of agent Orange
      application in Vietnam.
AB  - We have examined cytogenetic status of the rural population living on dioxin
      contaminated territories (DCT, TCDD in soil 2.6 ng/kg) compared to the villagers
      of the control area (TCDD in soil 0.18 ng kg(-1)). The examination took place
      almost 40 years after the war. The consequences of some confounding factors
      (years of residence in the region, farming, and aging) has been examined.
      Karyological analysis of buccal and nasal epitheliocytes among healthy adult
      males living on DCT and control area (26 and 35 persons) was conducted. A wide
      range of cytogenetic (micronuclei, nuclear protrusions), proliferative
      (binucleated cells and cells with doubled nucleus) and endpoints of cell death
      (cells with perinuclear vacuoles, with damaged nucleus membrane, condensed
      chromatin, pyknosis, karyorrhexis, karyolysis) had been analyzed. The frequent
      amount of cells with nuclear protrusions in both epithelia was slightly decreased
      in the DST group. Biomarkers of early and late stages of nuclear destruction in
      buccal epithelium (cells with damaged nuclear membrane, karyolysis) were elevated
      significantly in DCT. Higher level of the same parameters was also identified in
      nasal epithelium. The cytogenetic status of healthy adult males on DCT had got
      "normalization" by present moment in comparison with our early data.
      Nevertheless, in exposed group some alteration of the cytogenetic status was
      being registered (mostly biomarkers of apoptosis). Years of residence (and
      exposure to dioxins) affected the cytogenetic status of DCT inhabitants, whereas
      no influence of farming factors (pesticides, fertilizers, etc.) had been
      discovered. Some biomarkers of proliferation and cell death were affected by
      aging.

PMID- 26495826
TI  - Bioaccessibility of barium from barite contaminated soils based on gastric phase
      in vitro data and plant uptake.
AB  - Barite contamination of soil commonly occurs from either barite mining or
      explorative drilling operations. This work reported in vitro data for barite
      contaminated soils using the physiologically based extraction test (PBET)
      methodology. The existence of barite in plant tissue and the possibility of
      'biomineralised' zones was also investigated using Scanning Electron Microscopy.
      Soils with low barium (Ba) concentrations showed a higher proportion of Ba
      extractability than barite rich samples. Barium uptake to spinach from soil was
      different between short term spiking studies and field weathered soils.
      Furthermore, Ba crystals were not evident in spinach tissue or acid digest
      solutions grown in barium nitrate spiked soils despite high accumulation. Barite
      was found in the plant digest solutions from barite contaminated soils only.
      Results indicate that under the conservative assumptions made, a child would need
      to consume extreme quantities of soil over an extended period to cause chronic
      health problems.

PMID- 26495827
TI  - Bioavailability assessments following biochar and activated carbon amendment in
      DDT-contaminated soil.
AB  - The effects of 2.8% w/w granulated activated carbon (GAC) and two types of
      biochar (Burt's and BlueLeaf) on DDT bioavailability in soil (39 MUg/g) were
      investigated using invertebrates (Eisenia fetida), plants (Cucurbita pepo spp.
      pepo) and a polyoxymethylene (POM) passive sampler method. Biochar significantly
      reduced DDT accumulation in E. fetida (49%) and showed no detrimental effects to
      invertebrate health. In contrast, addition of GAC caused significant toxic
      effects (invertebrate avoidance and decreased weight) and did not significantly
      reduce the accumulation of DDT into invertebrate tissue. None of the carbon
      amendments reduced plant uptake of DDT. Bioaccumulation of 4,4'DDT and 4,4'-DDE
      in plants (C. pepo spp. pepo) and invertebrates (E. fetida) was assessed using
      bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) and compared to predicted bioavailability using
      the freely-dissolved porewater obtained from a polyoxymethylene (POM) equilibrium
      biomimetic method. The bioavailable fraction predicted by the POM samplers
      correlated well with measured invertebrate uptake (<50% variability), but was
      different from plant root uptake by 134%. A literature review of C. pepo BAFs
      across DDT soil contamination levels and the inclusion of field data from a 2.5
      MUg/g DDT-contaminated site found that these plants exhibit a concentration
      threshold effect at [DDT](soil) > 10 MUg/g. The results of these studies
      illustrate the importance of including plants in bioavailability studies as the
      use of carbon materials for in situ contaminant sorption moves from predominantly
      sediment to soil remediation technologies.

PMID- 26495828
TI  - Causes of endocrine disrupting potencies in surface water in East China.
AB  - Surface water is essential for human health and ecological diversity, but some
      endocrine disrupting chemicals are detectable. Both thyroid receptor (TR) and
      androgen receptor (AR) agonistic/antagonistic potencies in grade II surface water
      in East China were investigated using reporter gene assays. While none of the
      water exhibited agonistic potency, significant AR and TR antagonistic potencies
      were detectable. TR antagonistic equivalents (TR-AntEQ) and AR antagonistic
      equivalents (AR-AntEQ) ranged from 3.6 to 76.1 MUg dibutyl phthalate/L and from
      2.3 to 242.6 MUg flutamide/L, respectively. The TR and AR antagonistic potencies
      in the Yangtze River watershed were highlighted, with equivalents greater than
      the lowest observable effect concentration (LOEC) of dibutyl phthalate and
      flutamide, respectively. Phthalate esters (PAEs) being the most abundant
      explained most of the TR antagonistic potency, contributing more than 65% of the
      TR-AntEQ and diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP) was the major contributor. In most
      surface waters studied, PAEs contributed little of the AR-AntEQ, but the
      frequently detected octylphenol, nonylphenol and benzo[a]pyrene might be
      responsible.

PMID- 26495829
TI  - Identification and application of Phyto-Fenton reactions.
AB  - The formation of hydroxyl radicals (*OHs) by aquatic plants was investigated
      using electron-spin-resonance (ESR) spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy. ESR
      observations, using 5- (diethoxyphosphoryl)-5-methyl-pyrroline N-oxide as a
      trapping agent, indicated that the signals produced by aquatic plants ground with
      ferrous iron ions are almost identical to those produced by Fenton's reagent. In
      addition, fluorescence was observed in the oxidized form of aminophenyl
      fluorescein in the presence of ferrous ions as well as any particles of colloidal
      ferrihydrite, magnetite, and ferric-ion-exchanged zeolite, while no fluorescence
      appeared in the absence of these iron compounds. Moreover, fluorescence
      microscopy observations demonstrated that fluorescence mainly occurs on the
      surface of aquatic plants at neutral pH in the presence of the latter three solid
      iron compounds, implying the occurrence of heterogeneous phyto-Fenton reactions
      utilizing endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the aquatic plants. Furthermore,
      batch treatments of the pollutant 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2), using colloidal
      ferrihydrite iron, indicated the feasible removal of EE2 with enhanced
      performance, lower-or apparently no-consumption of endogenous H2O2, and no
      significant stress to the aquatic plants. We concluded that the treatment of
      environmental pollutants through *OH formations via heterogeneous phyto-Fenton
      reactions should be a feasible alternative to conventional wastewater and water
      treatment processes. 

PMID- 26495830
TI  - A practical approach to estimate emission rates of indoor air pollutants due to
      the use of personal combustible products based on small-chamber studies.
AB  - As emission rates of airborne pollutants are commonly measured from combusting
      substances placed inside small chambers, those values need to be re-evaluated for
      the possible significance under practical conditions. Here, a simple numerical
      procedure is investigated to extrapolate the chamber-based emission rates of
      formaldehyde that can be released from various combustible sources including e
      cigarettes, conventional cigarettes, or scented candles to their concentration
      levels in a small room with relatively poor ventilation. This simple procedure
      relies on a mass balance approach by considering the masses of pollutants emitted
      from source and lost through ventilation under the assumption that mixing occurs
      instantaneously in the room without chemical reactions or surface sorption. The
      results of our study provide valuable insights into re-evaluation procedure of
      chamber data to allow comparison between extrapolated and recommended values to
      judge the safe use of various combustible products in confined spaces. If two
      scented candles with a formaldehyde emission rate of 310 ug h(-1) each were lit
      for 4 h in a small 20 m(3) room with an air change rate of 0.5 h(-1), then the 4
      h (candle lit) and 8-h (up to 8 h after candle lighting) TWA [FA] were determined
      to be 28.5 and 23.5 ppb, respectively. This is clearly above the 8-h NIOSH
      recommended exposure limit (REL) time weighted average of 16 ppb.

PMID- 26495831
TI  - Massive airborne Endosulfan inputs related to intensive agriculture in
      Argentina's Pampa.
AB  - In order to evaluate the impact of intensive agriculture on air quality in the
      most productive and populated Argentina's Pampas, a comprehensive assessment of
      airborne Endosulfan (?Endo) was performed using polyurethane passive samplers
      deployed from 2010 to 2013 covering the critical period of Endosulfan
      restrictions at twenty nine sites in the Rural Pampa and Great Buenos Aires
      Metropolitan Area (GBA: Horticultural and Urban subareas). ?Endo concentrations
      were very high and variable (0.01-63 ng m(-3)), exceeding worldwide reported
      maxima at Horticultural GBA and Rural Pampa with lowest values at Urban GBA
      (geometric means: 3.1, 1.1 and 0.53 ng m(-3), respectively). The composition was
      relatively fresh with strong predominance of Endo I (72 +/- 18%) over Endo II (23
      +/- 15%) and Endo SO4 (5 +/- 10%). Airborne ?Endo was significantly correlated to
      annual soybean crop in Rural Pampa. ?Endo concentrations showed a temporal
      pattern defined by consistent peaks enriched in Endo I during summer application
      periods, cold temperature minima with higher proportions of Endo SO4 and a
      general exponentially declining trend over time related to incipient control
      policies.

PMID- 26495832
TI  - Biochemical responses in freshwater fish after exposure to water-soluble fraction
      of gasoline.
AB  - The water-soluble fraction of gasoline (WSFG) is a complex mixture of mono
      polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of WSFG
      diluted 1.5% on freshwater fish. Astyanax altiparanae were exposed to the WSFG
      for 96 h, under a semi-static system, with renewal of 25% of the gasoline test
      solution every 24 h. In addition, a decay of the contamination (DC) was carried
      out. During DC, the fish was exposed to the WSFG for 8 d, followed by another 7 d
      with renewal of 25% of volume aquaria with clean water every 24 h. For
      depuration, fish were transferred to aquaria with clean water, and in addition,
      25% of the water was replaced every 24 h. The liver and kidney biotransformation,
      antioxidant defenses and lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels were evaluated. In the
      liver, the WSFG 1.5% caused reduction of glutathione S-transferase (GST) after 96
      h and DC. In the kidney, only in depuration an increased GST activity was
      observed, and after DC a higher LPO levels. An increase of the superoxide
      dismutase (SOD) activity occurred at 96 h in both tissues; however, in the liver
      was also observed during the depuration. In WSFG 96 h, the glutathione peroxidase
      (GPx) activity in the kidney increased. As biomarkers of neurotoxicity, the brain
      and muscle acetylcholinesterase activities were measured, but the WSFG 1.5% did
      not change them. Therefore, this study brought forth more data about WSFG effects
      on freshwater fish after lower concentrations exposure and a DC, simulating an
      environmental contamination.

PMID- 26495833
TI  - Hydroxylated and methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers in long-tailed ducks
      (Clangula hyemalis) and their main food, Baltic blue mussels (Mytilus trossulus *
      Mytilus edulis).
AB  - Long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis) that breed in northern Europe and western
      Siberia and commonly winter in the Baltic Sea, are threatened by a significant
      population decrease. The ducks are, by primarily feeding on Baltic blue mussels
      (Mytilus trossulus * Mytilus edulis) while wintering in the Baltic Sea,
      potentially subjected to high levels of toxic hydroxylated polybrominated
      diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs). To assess long-tailed ducks exposure to
      polybrominated phenols (PBPs), polybrominated anisoles (PBAs), hydroxylated
      polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs), their methylated counterparts (MeO
      PBDEs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), livers of ten long-tailed
      ducks wintering in the Baltic Sea were analysed. Pattern and levels of analytes
      in long-tailed ducks (liver) and blue mussels sampled in March and May at nine
      sites in the Baltic Sea were compared. The geometric mean concentration (ng/g
      l.w.) in livers of long-tailed ducks and Baltic blue mussels were: Sigma(2)PBPs:
      0.57 and 48; Sigma(2)PBAs: 0.83 and 11; Sigma(7)OH-PBDEs: 6.1 and 45; Sigma(7)MeO
      PBDEs: 3.8 and 69; Sigma(7)PBDEs: 8.0 and 7.2, respectively. Based on an
      estimated daily intake of 450 g fresh blue mussel meat, long-tailed ducks daily
      dietary intake of brominated substances while foraging in the Baltic Sea in March
      May was estimated to; 390 ng Sigma(2)PBPs, 90 ng Sigma(2)PBAs, 370 ng Sigma(7)OH
      PBDEs, 590 ng Sigma(7)MeO-PBDEs and 59 ng Sigma(7)PBDEs. The low levels of PBPs,
      PBAs, OH-PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs in the long-tailed duck livers compared to blue
      mussel, despite a continuous daily intake, suggest that these compounds are
      poorly retained in long-tailed ducks.

PMID- 26495834
TI  - Concise Synthesis of Annulated Pyrido[3,4-b]indoles via Rh(I)-Catalyzed
      Cyclization.
AB  - The synthesis of pyridines bearing multiple ring fusions poses a considerable
      challenge for organic chemists. To address this problem, we describe the
      synthesis of a small library of pyrido[3,4-b]indoles via an efficient, five-step
      sequence. The key transformation is a Rh(I)-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] cyclization
      that forms three rings in one reaction flask. Our method is high yielding,
      accommodates a variety of functional groups, and suffers no entropic costs as
      ring size increases. 

PMID- 26495835
TI  - Skin tight: macrophage-specific COX-2 induction links salt handling in kidney and
      skin.
AB  - The relationship between dietary salt intake and the associated risk of
      hypertension and cardiovascular disease is an important public health concern. In
      this issue of the JCI, a study by Zhang and associates shows that consumption of
      a high-sodium diet induces expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in macrophages,
      resulting in enhanced levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), autocrine activation of
      the macrophage E-prostanoid 4 (EP4) receptor, and subsequent triggering of
      parallel pathways in the kidney and in skin that help dispose of excess sodium.
      The authors found that blockade or genetic elimination of the COX-2/PGE2/EP4
      receptor pathway in hematopoietic cells causes salt-sensitive hypertension in
      mice. These studies illuminate an unexpected central role for the macrophage in
      coordinating homeostatic responses to dietary salt intake and suggest a complex
      pathophysiology for hypertension associated with NSAID use. 

PMID- 26495836
TI  - Inhibition of HIV-1 Viral Infection by an Engineered CRISPR Csy4 RNA
      Endoribonuclease.
AB  - The bacterial defense system CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short
      palindromic repeats) has been explored as a powerful tool to edit genomic
      elements. In this study, we test the potential of CRISPR Csy4 RNA
      endoribonuclease for targeting HIV-1. We fused human codon-optimized Csy4
      endoribonuclease with VPR, a HIV-1 viral preintegration complex protein. An HIV-1
      cell model was modified to allow quantitative detection of active virus
      production. We found that the trans-expressing VPR-Csy4 almost completely blocked
      viral infection in two target cell lines (SupT1, Ghost). In the MAGI cell assay,
      where the HIV-1 LTR beta-galactosidase is expressed under the control of the tat
      gene from an integrated provirus, VPR-Csy4 significantly blocked the activity of
      the provirus-activated HIV-1 reporter. This proof-of-concept study demonstrates
      that Csy4 endoribonuclease is a promising tool that could be tailored further to
      target HIV-1. 

PMID- 26495837
TI  - Steroid Receptor Isoform Expression in Drosophila Nociceptor Neurons Is Required
      for Normal Dendritic Arbor and Sensitivity.
AB  - Steroid hormones organize many aspects of development, including that of the
      nervous system. Steroids also play neuromodulatory and other activational roles,
      including regulation of sensitivity to painful stimuli in mammals. In Drosophila,
      ecdysteroids are the only steroid hormones, and therefore the fly represents a
      simplified model system in which to explore mechanisms of steroid neuromodulation
      of nociception. In this report, we present evidence that ecdysteroids, acting
      through two isoforms of their nuclear ecdysone receptor (EcR), modulate
      sensitivity to noxious thermal and mechanical stimuli in the fly larva. We show
      that EcRA and EcRB1 are expressed by third instar larvae in the primary
      nociceptor neurons, known as the class IV multidendritic neurons. Suppression of
      EcRA by RNA interference in these cells leads to hyposensitivity to noxious
      stimulation. Suppression of EcRB1 leads to reduction of dendritic branching and
      length of nociceptor neurons. We show that specific isoforms of the ecdysone
      receptor play critical cell autonomous roles in modulating the sensitivity of
      nociceptor neurons and may indicate human orthologs that represent targets for
      novel analgesic drugs. 

PMID- 26495838
TI  - An Exploration of the Universe of Polyglutamine Structures.
AB  - Deposits of misfolded proteins in the human brain are associated with the
      development of many neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies show that these
      proteins have common traits even at the monomer level. Among them, a
      polyglutamine region that is present in huntingtin is known to exhibit a
      correlation between the length of the chain and the severity as well as the
      earliness of the onset of Huntington disease. Here, we apply bias exchange
      molecular dynamics to generate structures of polyglutamine expansions of several
      lengths and characterize the resulting independent conformations. We compare the
      properties of these conformations to those of the standard proteins, as well as
      to other homopolymeric tracts. We find that, similar to the previously studied
      polyvaline chains, the set of possible transient folds is much broader than the
      set of known-to-date folds, although the conformations have different structures.
      We show that the mechanical stability is not related to any simple geometrical
      characteristics of the structures. We demonstrate that long polyglutamine
      expansions result in higher mechanical stability than the shorter ones. They also
      have a longer life span and are substantially more prone to form knotted
      structures. The knotted region has an average length of 35 residues, similar to
      the typical threshold for most polyglutamine-related diseases. Similarly, changes
      in shape and mechanical stability appear once the total length of the peptide
      exceeds this threshold of 35 glutamine residues. We suggest that knotted
      conformers may also harm the cellular machinery and thus lead to disease. 

PMID- 26495839
TI  - A Convex Formulation for Magnetic Particle Imaging X-Space Reconstruction.
AB  - Magnetic Particle Imaging (mpi) is an emerging imaging modality with exceptional
      promise for clinical applications in rapid angiography, cell therapy tracking,
      cancer imaging, and inflammation imaging. Recent publications have demonstrated
      quantitative mpi across rat sized fields of view with x-space reconstruction
      methods. Critical to any medical imaging technology is the reliability and
      accuracy of image reconstruction. Because the average value of the mpi signal is
      lost during direct-feedthrough signal filtering, mpi reconstruction algorithms
      must recover this zero-frequency value. Prior x-space mpi recovery techniques
      were limited to 1d approaches which could introduce artifacts when reconstructing
      a 3d image. In this paper, we formulate x-space reconstruction as a 3d convex
      optimization problem and apply robust a priori knowledge of image smoothness and
      non-negativity to reduce non-physical banding and haze artifacts. We conclude
      with a discussion of the powerful extensibility of the presented formulation for
      future applications. 

PMID- 26495840
TI  - Apolipoprotein E e4 and Cognitive Function: A Modifiable Association Results from
      Two Independent Cohort Studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4 genetic polymorphism is a major risk
      factor for Alzheimer' s disease, hence the possible prevention of its detrimental
      effects on cognition is of high relevance. METHODS: We used linear regression
      models to assess associations of APOE e4 with cognitive performance in a
      population-based cohort study (n = 1,434) and in a cohort of patients with
      coronary heart disease (n = 366), and restricted cubic splines to explore dose
      response relationships between serum cholesterol levels and cognition depending
      on APOE polymorphism. RESULTS: The association of APOE e4 with cognitive function
      was strongly amplified in the presence of hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular
      disease in both independent cohorts; hypercholesterolemia was associated with
      cognitive function only among APOE e4 carriers in the presence of cardiovascular
      disease. The interaction effect between APOE genotype and hypercholesterolemia
      was statistically significant in both cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: The detrimental
      effects of APOE e4 polymorphism on cognition may strongly depend on modifiable
      risk factors.

PMID- 26495841
TI  - Physical Constraint Finite Element Model for Medical Image Registration.
AB  - Due to being derived from linear assumption, most elastic body based non-rigid
      image registration algorithms are facing challenges for soft tissues with complex
      nonlinear behavior and with large deformations. To take into account the
      geometric nonlinearity of soft tissues, we propose a registration algorithm on
      the basis of Newtonian differential equation. The material behavior of soft
      tissues is modeled as St. Venant-Kirchhoff elasticity, and the nonlinearity of
      the continuum represents the quadratic term of the deformation gradient under the
      Green- St.Venant strain. In our algorithm, the elastic force is formulated as the
      derivative of the deformation energy with respect to the nodal displacement
      vectors of the finite element; the external force is determined by the
      registration similarity gradient flow which drives the floating image deforming
      to the equilibrium condition. We compared our approach to three other models: 1)
      the conventional linear elastic finite element model (FEM); 2) the dynamic
      elastic FEM; 3) the robust block matching (RBM) method. The registration accuracy
      was measured using three similarities: MSD (Mean Square Difference), NC
      (Normalized Correlation) and NMI (Normalized Mutual Information), and was also
      measured using the mean and max distance between the ground seeds and
      corresponding ones after registration. We validated our method on 60 image pairs
      including 30 medical image pairs with artificial deformation and 30 clinical
      image pairs for both the chest chemotherapy treatment in different periods and
      brain MRI normalization. Our method achieved a distance error of 0.320+/-0.138 mm
      in x direction and 0.326+/-0.111 mm in y direction, MSD of 41.96+/-13.74, NC of
      0.9958+/-0.0019, NMI of 1.2962+/-0.0114 for images with large artificial
      deformations; and average NC of 0.9622+/-0.008 and NMI of 1.2764+/-0.0089 for the
      real clinical cases. Student's t-test demonstrated that our model statistically
      outperformed the other methods in comparison (p-values <0.05). 

PMID- 26495842
TI  - Worse Health Status and Higher Incidence of Health Disorders in Rhesus Negative
      Subjects.
AB  - Rhesus-positive and Rhesus-negative persons differ in the presence-absence of
      highly immunogenic RhD protein on the erythrocyte membrane. The biological
      function of the RhD molecule is unknown. Its structure suggests that the
      molecular complex with RhD protein transports NH3 or CO2 molecules across the
      erythrocyte cell membrane. Some data indicate that RhD positive and RhD negative
      subjects differ in their tolerance to certain biological factors, including,
      Toxoplasma infection, aging and fatique. Present cross sectional study performed
      on 3,130 subjects) showed that Rhesus negative subjects differed in many indices
      of their health status, including incidences of many disorders. Rhesus negative
      subjects reported to have more frequent allergic, digestive, heart,
      hematological, immunity, mental health, and neurological problems. On the
      population level, a Rhesus-negativity-associated burden could be compensated for,
      for example, by the heterozygote advantage, but for Rhesus negative subjects this
      burden represents a serious problem. 

PMID- 26495843
TI  - Understanding Heroin Overdose: A Study of the Acute Respiratory Depressant
      Effects of Injected Pharmaceutical Heroin.
AB  - Opioids are respiratory depressants and heroin/opioid overdose is a major
      contributor to the excess mortality of heroin addicts. The individual and
      situational variability of respiratory depression caused by intravenous heroin is
      poorly understood. This study used advanced respiratory monitoring to follow the
      time course and severity of acute opioid-induced respiratory depression. 10
      patients (9/10 with chronic airflow obstruction) undergoing supervised injectable
      opioid treatment for heroin addiction received their usual prescribed dose of
      injectable opioid (diamorphine or methadone) (IOT), and their usual prescribed
      dose of oral opioid (methadone or sustained release oral morphine) after 30
      minutes. The main outcome measures were pulse oximetry (SpO2%), end-tidal CO2%
      (ETCO2%) and neural respiratory drive (NRD) (quantified using parasternal
      intercostal muscle electromyography). Significant respiratory depression was
      defined as absence of inspiratory airflow >10s, SpO2% < 90% for >10s and ETCO2%
      per breath >6.5%. Increases in ETCO2% indicated significant respiratory
      depression following IOT in 8/10 patients at 30 minutes. In contrast, SpO2%
      indicated significant respiratory depression in only 4/10 patients, with small
      absolute changes in SpO2% at 30 minutes. A decline in NRD from baseline to 30
      minutes post IOT was also observed, but was not statistically significant.
      Baseline NRD and opioid-induced drop in SpO2% were inversely related. We conclude
      that significant acute respiratory depression is commonly induced by opioid drugs
      prescribed to treat opioid addiction. Hypoventilation is reliably detected by
      capnography, but not by SpO2% alone. Chronic suppression of NRD in the presence
      of underlying lung disease may be a risk factor for acute opioid-induced
      respiratory depression. 

PMID- 26495844
TI  - Membrane Cholesterol Modulates LOX-1 Shedding in Endothelial Cells.
AB  - The lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) is a
      scavenger receptor responsible for ox-LDL recognition, binding and
      internalization, which is up-regulated during atherogenesis. Its activation
      triggers endothelium dysfunction and induces inflammation. A soluble form of LOX
      1 has been identified in the human blood and its presence considered a biomarker
      of cardiovascular diseases. We recently showed that cholesterol-lowering drugs
      inhibit ox-LDL binding and internalization, rescuing the ox-LDL induced apoptotic
      phenotype in primary endothelial cells. Here we have investigated the molecular
      bases of human LOX-1 shedding by metalloproteinases and the role of cell membrane
      cholesterol on the regulation of this event by modulating its level with MbetaCD
      and statins. We report that membrane cholesterol affects the release of different
      forms of LOX-1 in cells transiently and stably expressing human LOX-1 and in a
      human endothelial cell line (EA.hy926). In particular, our data show that i)
      cholesterol depletion triggers the release of LOX-1 in exosomes as a full-length
      transmembrane isoform and as a truncated ectodomain soluble fragment (sLOX-1);
      ii) endothelial cells secrete a soluble metalloproteinase which induces LOX-1
      ectodomain shedding and iii) long term statins treatment enhances sLOX-1
      proteolytic shedding. 

PMID- 26495845
TI  - Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Mutation Leads to Myopia Development in Mice.
AB  - Myopia incidence in China is rapidly becoming a very serious sight compromising
      problem in a large segment of the general population. Therefore, delineating the
      underlying mechanisms leading to myopia will markedly lessen the likelihood of
      other sight compromising complications. In this regard, there is some evidence
      that patients afflicted with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), havean
      adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) mutation and a higher incidence of myopia. To
      clarify this possible association, we determined whether the changes in pertinent
      biometric and biochemical parameters underlying postnatal refractive error
      development in APCMin mice are relevant for gaining insight into the pathogenesis
      of this disease in humans. The refraction and biometrics in APCMin mice and age
      matched wild-type (WT) littermates between postnatal days P28 and P84 were
      examined with eccentric infrared photorefraction (EIR) and customized optical
      coherence tomography (OCT). Compared with WT littermates, the APCMin mutated mice
      developed myopia (average -4.64 D) on P84 which was associated with increased
      vitreous chamber depth (VCD). Furthermore, retinal and scleral changes appear in
      these mice along with: 1) axial length shortening; 2) increased retinal cell
      proliferation; 3) and decreased tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression, the rate
      limiting enzyme of DA synthesis. Scleral collagen fibril diameters became
      heterogeneous and irregularly organized in the APCMin mice. Western blot analysis
      showed that scleral alpha-1 type I collagen (col1alpha1) expression also
      decreased whereas MMP2 and MMP9 mRNA expression was invariant. These results
      indicate that defective APC gene function promotes refractive error development.
      By characterizing in APCMin mice ocular developmental changes, this approach
      provides novel insight into underlying pathophysiological mechanisms contributing
      to human myopia development. 

PMID- 26495846
TI  - Corneal Sensitivity and Dry Eye Symptoms in Patients with Keratoconus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate corneal sensitivity to selective mechanical, chemical,
      and thermal stimulation and to evaluate their relation to dry eye symptoms in
      patients with keratoconus. METHODS: Corneal sensitivity to mechanical, chemical,
      and thermal thresholds were determined using a gas esthesiometer in 19 patients
      with keratoconus (KC group) and in 20 age-matched healthy subjects (control
      group). Tear film dynamics was assessed by Schirmer I test and by the non
      invasive tear film breakup time (NI-BUT). All eyes were examined with a rotating
      Scheimpflug camera to assess keratoconus severity. RESULTS: KC patients had
      significatly decreased tear secretion and significantly higher ocular surface
      disease index (OSDI) scores compared to controls (5.3+/-2.2 vs. 13.2+/-2.0 mm and
      26.8+/-15.8 vs. 8.1+/-2.3; p<0.001). There was no significant difference in NI
      BUT between the two groups (KC: 9.8+/-4.8 vs. control: 10.7+/-3.8; p>0.05). The
      mean threshold for selective mechanical (KC: 139.2+/-25.8 vs. control: 109.1+/
      24.0 ml/min), chemical (KC: 39.4+/-3.9 vs. control: 35.2+/-1.9%CO2), heat (KC:
      0.91+/-0.32 vs. control: 0.54+/-0.26 Delta degrees C) and cold (KC: 1.28+/-0.27
      vs. control: 0.98+/-0.25 Delta degrees C) stimulation in the KC patients were
      significantly higher than in the control subjects (p<0.001, for all parameters).
      No correlation was found between age and mechanical, chemical, heat or cold
      thresholds in the patients with KC (p>0.05), whereas in the control subjects both
      mechanical (r = 0.52, p = 0.02), chemical (r = 0.47, p = 0.04), heat (r = 0.26, p
      = 0.04) and cold threshold (r = 0.40, p = 0.03) increased with age. In the KC
      group, neither corneal thickness nor tear flow, NI-BUT or OSDI correlated
      significantly with mechanical, chemical, heat or cold thresholds (p>0.05 for all
      variables). CONCLUSIONS: Corneal sensitivity to different types of stimuli is
      decreased in patients with keratoconus independently of age and disease severity.
      The reduction of the sensory input from corneal nerves may contribute to the
      onset of unpleasant sensations in these patients and might lead to the impaired
      tear film dynamics.

PMID- 26495847
TI  - Does the Wage Gap between Private and Public Sectors Encourage Political
      Corruption?
AB  - We present a dynamic network model of corrupt and noncorrupt employees
      representing two states in the public and private sector. Corrupt employees are
      more connected to one another and are less willing to change their attitudes
      regarding corruption than noncorrupt employees. This behavior enables them to
      prevail and become the majority in the workforce through a first-order phase
      transition even though they initially represented a minority. In the model,
      democracy-understood as the principle of majority rule-does not create
      corruption, but it serves as a mechanism that preserves corruption in the long
      run. The motivation for our network model is a paradox that exists on the labor
      market. Although economic theory indicates that higher risk investments should
      lead to larger rewards, in many developed and developing countries workers in
      lower-risk public sector jobs are paid more than workers in higher-risk private
      sector jobs. To determine the long-run sustainability of this economic paradox,
      we study data from 28 EU countries and find that the public sector wage premium
      increases with the level of corruption. 

PMID- 26495848
TI  - Virus Satellites Drive Viral Evolution and Ecology.
AB  - Virus satellites are widespread subcellular entities, present both in eukaryotic
      and in prokaryotic cells. Their modus vivendi involves parasitism of the life
      cycle of their inducing helper viruses, which assures their transmission to a new
      host. However, the evolutionary and ecological implications of satellites on
      helper viruses remain unclear. Here, using staphylococcal pathogenicity islands
      (SaPIs) as a model of virus satellites, we experimentally show that helper
      viruses rapidly evolve resistance to their virus satellites, preventing SaPI
      proliferation, and SaPIs in turn can readily evolve to overcome phage resistance.
      Genomic analyses of both these experimentally evolved strains as well as
      naturally occurring bacteriophages suggest that the SaPIs drive the coexistence
      of multiple alleles of the phage-coded SaPI inducing genes, as well as sometimes
      selecting for the absence of the SaPI depressing genes. We report similar
      (accidental) evolution of resistance to SaPIs in laboratory phages used for
      Staphylococcus aureus typing and also obtain the same qualitative results in both
      experimental evolution and phylogenetic studies of Enterococcus faecalis phages
      and their satellites viruses. In summary, our results suggest that helper and
      satellite viruses undergo rapid coevolution, which is likely to play a key role
      in the evolution and ecology of the viruses as well as their prokaryotic hosts. 

PMID- 26495850
TI  - Correction: Impacts of the Glucuronidase Genotypes UGT1A4, UGT2B7, UGT2B15 and
      UGT2B17 on Tamoxifen Metabolism in Breast Cancer Patients.

PMID- 26495849
TI  - Culture at a Higher Temperature Mildly Inhibits Cancer Cell Growth but Enhances
      Chemotherapeutic Effects by Inhibiting Cell-Cell Collaboration.
AB  - Acute febrile infections have historically been used to treat cancer. To explore
      the underlying mechanism, we studied chronic effects of fever on cancer cell
      growth and chemotherapeutic efficacy in cell culture. We found that culturing
      cancer cells at 39 degrees C mildly inhibited cell growth by arresting the cells
      at the G1 phase of the cell cycle. When cells were seeded in culture dishes at a
      lower density, e.g. about 1000-2000 cells per 35-mm dish, the growth inhibition
      was much greater, manifested as many fewer cell colonies in the 39 degrees C
      dishes, compared with the results at a higher density seeding, e.g. 20,000 cells
      per dish, suggesting that cell-cell collaboration as the Allee effect in cell
      culture is inhibited at 39 degrees C. Withdrawal of cells from serum enhanced the
      G1 arrest at 39 degrees C and, for some cell lines such as A549 lung cancer
      cells, serum replenishment failed to quickly drive the cells from the G1 into the
      S and G2-M phases. Therapeutic effects of several chemotherapeutic agents,
      including clove bud extracts, on several cancer cell lines were more potent at 39
      degrees C than at 37 degrees C, especially when the cells were seeded at a low
      density. For some cell lines and some agents, this enhancement is long-lasting,
      i.e. continuing after the cessation of the treatment. Collectively these results
      suggest that hyperthermia may inhibit cancer cell growth by G1 arrest and by
      inhibition of cell-cell collaboration, and may enhance the efficacy of several
      chemotherapeutic agents, an effect which may persist beyond the termination of
      chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26495851
TI  - Insulin Like Growth Factor 2 Expression in the Rat Brain Both in Basal Condition
      and following Learning Predominantly Derives from the Maternal Allele.
AB  - Insulin like growth factor 2 (Igf2) is known as a maternally imprinted gene
      involved in growth and development. Recently, Igf2 was found to also be regulated
      and required in the adult rat hippocampus for long-term memory formation, raising
      the question of its allelic regulation in adult brain regions following
      experience and in cognitive processes. We show that, in adult rats, Igf2 is
      abundantly expressed in brain regions involved in cognitive functions, like
      hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, compared to the peripheral tissues. In
      contrast to its maternal imprinting in peripheral tissues, Igf2 is mainly
      expressed from the maternal allele in these brain regions. The training-dependent
      increase in Igf2 expression derives proportionally from both parental alleles,
      and, hence, is mostly maternal. Thus, Igf2 parental expression in the adult rat
      brain does not follow the imprinting rules found in peripheral tissues,
      suggesting differential expression regulation and functions of imprinted genes in
      the brain. 

PMID- 26495852
TI  - T-Cell Responses Are Associated with Survival in Acute Melioidosis Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Melioidosis is an increasingly recognised cause of sepsis and death
      across South East Asia and Northern Australia, caused by the bacterium
      Burkholderia pseudomallei. Risk factors include diabetes, alcoholism and renal
      disease, and a vaccine targeting at-risk populations is urgently required. A
      better understanding of the protective immune response in naturally infected
      patients is essential for vaccine design. METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal
      clinical and immunological study of 200 patients with melioidosis on admission,
      12 weeks (n = 113) and 52 weeks (n = 65) later. Responses to whole killed B.
      pseudomallei were measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by
      interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) ELIspot assay and flow cytometry and compared to
      those of control subjects in the region with diabetes (n = 45) and without
      diabetes (n = 43). RESULTS: We demonstrated strong CD4+ and CD8+ responses to B.
      pseudomallei during acute disease, 12 weeks and 52 weeks later. 28-day mortality
      was 26% for melioidosis patients, and B. pseudomallei-specific cellular responses
      in fatal cases (mean 98 IFN-gamma cells per million PBMC) were significantly
      lower than those in the survivors (mean 142 IFN-gamma cells per million PBMC) in
      a multivariable logistic regression model (P = 0.01). A J-shaped curve
      association between circulating neutrophil count and mortality was seen with an
      optimal count of 4000 to 8000 neutrophils/MUl. Melioidosis patients with known
      diabetes had poor diabetic control (median glycated haemoglobin HbA1c 10.2%,
      interquartile range 9.2-13.1) and showed a stunted B. pseudomallei-specific
      cellular response during acute illness compared to those without diabetes.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate the role of both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells in
      protection against melioidosis, and an interaction between diabetes and cellular
      responses. This supports development of vaccine strategies that induce strong T
      cell responses for the control of intracellular pathogens such as B.
      pseudomallei.

PMID- 26495853
TI  - Intervention Associated Acute Kidney Injury and Long-Term Cardiovascular
      Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been associated with all-cause short-
      and long-term mortality. However, its association with cardiovascular (CV) events
      remains unclear. We sought to investigate this in patients undergoing open (OAR)
      or endovascular (EVAR) abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, as they are likely to
      develop both AKI and CV morbidity. A meta-analysis was subsequently performed to
      confirm this in other CV-interventions. METHODS: AKI-incidence was assessed in a
      multicentre-cohort of 1,068 patients undergoing EVAR (947 individuals) or OAR
      electively using the 'Acute Kidney Injury Network' criteria. A composite-endpoint
      was used, consisting of non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, vascular
      event, hospitalisation due to heart failure and CV death. A systematic literature
      review identified studies reporting AKI-incidence and CV events. Risk ratios
      (RRs) at 1 and 5 years were combined using meta-analysis. RESULTS: During a
      median follow-up of 62 months (range 11-121), AKI was associated with CV events
      on adjusted (for CV risk-factors) analyses (Incidence 36% of EVAR, 32% of OAR
      patients; hazard ratio 1.73, 95% CI 1.06-3.39, p=0.03) for the overall
      population. In the meta-analysis, 7 studies reported incidence of MI on 23,936
      patients 1-year after coronary intervention (PCI) with a pooled RR of 1.76 (95%
      CI 1.45-2.83, p<0.001); at 2 years, 3 studies reported MI incidence on 17,773
      patients after PCI with a pooled RR of 1.34 (95% CI 1.10-1.63, p=0.003). MI
      incidence was reported 5 years after cardiac surgery by 3 studies (33,701
      patients) with a pooled RR of 1.60 (95% CI 1.43-1.81). CONCLUSION: AKI is
      associated with long-term CV events after surgery or endovascular intervention.

PMID- 26495856
TI  - Beat-to-Beat Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Variability and Hypertensive Disease
      in Pregnancy (Podcast).

PMID- 26495854
TI  - Yersinia pestis Requires Host Rab1b for Survival in Macrophages.
AB  - Yersinia pestis is a facultative intracellular pathogen that causes the disease
      known as plague. During infection of macrophages Y. pestis actively evades the
      normal phagosomal maturation pathway to establish a replicative niche within the
      cell. However, the mechanisms used by Y. pestis to subvert killing by the
      macrophage are unknown. Host Rab GTPases are central mediators of vesicular
      trafficking and are commonly targeted by bacterial pathogens to alter phagosome
      maturation and killing by macrophages. Here we demonstrate for the first time
      that host Rab1b is required for Y. pestis to effectively evade killing by
      macrophages. We also show that Rab1b is specifically recruited to the Yersinia
      containing vacuole (YCV) and that Y. pestis is unable to subvert YCV
      acidification when Rab1b expression is knocked down in macrophages. Furthermore,
      Rab1b knockdown also altered the frequency of association between the YCV with
      the lysosomal marker Lamp1, suggesting that Rab1b recruitment to the YCV directly
      inhibits phagosome maturation. Finally, we show that Rab1b knockdown also impacts
      the pH of the Legionella pneumophila containing vacuole, another pathogen that
      recruits Rab1b to its vacuole. Together these data identify a novel role for
      Rab1b in the subversion of phagosome maturation by intracellular pathogens and
      suggest that recruitment of Rab1b to the pathogen containing vacuole may be a
      conserved mechanism to control vacuole pH. 

PMID- 26495855
TI  - Distributed flow sensing for closed-loop speed control of a flexible fish robot.
AB  - Flexibility plays an important role in fish behavior by enabling high
      maneuverability for predator avoidance and swimming in turbulent flow. This paper
      presents a novel flexible fish robot equipped with distributed pressure sensors
      for flow sensing. The body of the robot is molded from soft, hyperelastic
      material, which provides flexibility. Its Joukowski-foil shape is conducive to
      modeling the fluid analytically. A quasi-steady potential-flow model is adopted
      for real-time flow estimation, whereas a discrete-time vortex-shedding flow model
      is used for higher-fidelity simulation. The dynamics for the flexible fish robot
      yield a reduced model for one-dimensional swimming. A recursive Bayesian filter
      assimilates pressure measurements to estimate flow speed, angle of attack, and
      foil camber. The closed-loop speed-control strategy combines an inverse-mapping
      feedforward controller based on an average model derived for periodic actuation
      of angle-of-attack and a proportional-integral feedback controller utilizing the
      estimated flow information. Simulation and experimental results are presented to
      show the effectiveness of the estimation and control strategy. The paper provides
      a systematic approach to distributed flow sensing for closed-loop speed control
      of a flexible fish robot by regulating the flapping amplitude. 

PMID- 26495857
TI  - Perfluoroalkyl Acids in Maternal Serum and Indices of Fetal Growth: The Aarhus
      Birth Cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies indicated an association between intrauterine
      exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) or perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and
      lower birth weight. However, these perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) have to some
      extent been substituted by other compounds on which little is known. OBJECTIVES:
      We investigated the association between specific PFAAs and birth weight, birth
      length, and head circumference at birth. METHODS: We studied 1,507 mothers and
      their children from the Aarhus Birth Cohort (2008-2013). Nulliparous women were
      included during pregnancy, and serum levels of 16 PFAAs were measured between 9
      and 20 completed gestational weeks (96% within 13 weeks). For compounds with
      quantifiable values in > 50% of samples (7 compounds), we report the associations
      with birth weight, birth length, and head circumference at birth determined by
      multivariable linear regression. RESULTS: Estimated mean birth weights were lower
      among women with serum perfluorohexane sulfonate, perfluoroheptane sulfonate, and
      PFOS concentrations above the lowest exposure quartile, but we found no
      consistent monotonic dose-response patterns. These associations were stronger
      when the population was restricted to term births (n = 1,426). For PFOS, the
      birth weight estimates for the highest versus lowest quartile were -50 g (95% CI:
      -123, 23 g) in all births and -62 g (95% CI: -126, 3 g) in term births. For the
      other PFAAs, the direction of the associations was inconsistent, and no overall
      association with birth weight was apparent. No PFAAs were associated with birth
      length or head circumference at birth. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we did not find
      strong or consistent associations between PFAAs and birth weight or other indices
      of fetal growth, though estimated mean birth weights were lower among those with
      exposures above the lowest quartile for some compounds. CITATION: Bach CC, Bech
      BH, Nohr EA, Olsen J, Matthiesen NB, Bonefeld-Jorgensen EC, Bossi R, Henriksen
      TB. 2016. Perfluoroalkyl acids in maternal serum and indices of fetal growth: the
      Aarhus Birth Cohort. Environ Health Perspect 124:848-854;
      http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1510046.

PMID- 26495858
TI  - Identifying Challenges Associated With the Care Transition Workflow From Hospital
      to Skilled Home Health Care: Perspectives of Home Health Care Agency Providers.
AB  - Older adults discharged from the hospital to skilled home health care (SHHC) are
      at high risk for experiencing suboptimal transitions. Using the human factors
      approach of shadowing and contextual inquiry, we studied the workflow for
      transitioning older adults from the hospital to SHHC. We created a representative
      diagram of the hospital to SHHC transition workflow, we examined potential
      workflow variations, we categorized workflow challenges, and we identified
      artifacts developed to manage variations and challenges. We identified three
      overarching challenges to optimal care transitions-information access,
      coordination, and communication/teamwork. Future investigations could test
      whether redesigning the transition from hospital to SHHC, based on our findings,
      improves workflow and care quality. 

PMID- 26495859
TI  - Prolonged lymphocytopenia after bendamustine therapy in patients with relapsed or
      refractory indolent B-cell and mantle cell lymphoma.

PMID- 26495860
TI  - Characteristics of exceptional responders to lenalidomide-based therapy in
      multiple myeloma.
AB  - We studied all patients at our institution with a diagnosis of multiple myeloma
      (MM), from 1 January 2004 to 1 July 2009, who received lenalidomide-dexamethasone
      (Rd) as initial therapy and had a time to progression of 72 months or longer. Of
      240 patients, we identified 33 exceptional responders. Twenty-five patients
      received primary therapy with Rd and eight patients received Rd induction
      followed by early stem cell transplantation (SCT). Seven of the eight patients
      who received SCT did not receive maintenance therapy; one patient received 9
      months of lenalidomide post transplant. Fifteen (45%) patients had known clonal
      plasma cell disorder before the diagnosis of MM. The dominant mode of clinical
      presentation was with lytic lesions in 28 patients. Of those with informative
      cytogenetics (n=24), trisomies were present in 19 (79%), including one patient
      with concurrent trisomies and t(11;14). Overall, 21 of 24 patients (88%) had
      either trisomies or t(11;14). None of these exceptional responders had high-risk
      cytogenetic features at baseline. Twenty-five patients (76%) had a complete
      response (CR), whereas eight patients (24%) achieved the exceptional response
      state without ever achieving a CR. We identify a cohort of exceptional responders
      to Rd-based therapy, representing ~10-15% newly diagnosed MM patients with normal
      renal function. 

PMID- 26495861
TI  - Positron emission tomography-computed tomography in the diagnostic evaluation of
      smoldering multiple myeloma: identification of patients needing therapy.
AB  - We studied 188 patients with a suspected smoldering multiple myeloma (MM) who had
      undergone a positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scan as
      part of their clinical evaluation. PET-CT was positive (clinical radiologist
      interpretation of increased bone uptake and/or evidence of lytic bone
      destruction) in 74 patients and negative in 114 patients. Of these, 25 patients
      with a positive PET-CT and 97 patients with a negative PET-CT were observed
      without therapy and formed the study cohort (n=122). The probability of
      progression to MM within 2 years was 75% in patients with a positive PET-CT
      observed without therapy compared with 30% in patients with a negative PET-CT;
      median time to progression was 21 months versus 60 months, respectively,
      P=0.0008. Of 25 patients with a positive PET-CT, the probability of progression
      was 87% at 2 years in those with evidence of underlying osteolysis (n=16) and 61%
      in patients with abnormal PET-CT uptake but no evidence of osteolysis (n=9).
      Patients with positive PET-CT and evidence of underlying osteolysis have a high
      risk of progression to MM within 2 years when observed without therapy. These
      observations support recent changes to imaging requirements in the International
      Myeloma Working Group updated diagnostic criteria for MM. 

PMID- 26495862
TI  - Peripubertal Caffeine Exposure Impairs Longitudinal Bone Growth in Immature Male
      Rats in a Dose- and Time-Dependent Manner.
AB  - This study investigated the dose- and time-dependent effects of caffeine
      consumption throughout puberty in peripubertal rats. A total of 85 male SD rats
      were randomly divided into four groups: control and caffeine-fed groups with 20,
      60, or 120 mg/kg/day through oral gavage for 10, 20, 30, or 40 days. Caffeine
      decreased body weight gain and food consumption in a dose- and time-dependent
      manner, accompanied by a reduction in muscle and body fat. In addition, it caused
      a shortening and lightening of leg bones and spinal column. The total height of
      the growth plate decreased sharply at 40 days in the controls, but not in the
      caffeine-fed groups, and the height of hypertrophic zone in the caffeine-fed
      groups was lower than in the control. Caffeine increased the height of the
      secondary spongiosa, whereas parameters related to bone formation, such as bone
      area ratio, thickness and number of trabeculae, and bone perimeter, were
      significantly reduced. Furthermore, serum levels of IGF-1, estradiol, and
      testosterone were also reduced by the dose of caffeine exposure. Our results
      demonstrate that caffeine consumption can dose- and time-dependently inhibit
      longitudinal bone growth in immature male rats, possibly by blocking the
      physiologic changes in body composition and hormones relevant to bone growth. 

PMID- 26495863
TI  - Clonal Clustering Using 10-Gene Multilocus Sequence Typing Reveals an Association
      Between Genotype and Listeria monocytogenes Maximum Growth Rate in Defined
      Medium.
AB  - We used a 10-gene (10G) multilocus sequence typing scheme to investigate the
      diversity and phylogenetic distribution of 124 Listeria monocytogenes strains
      across major lineages, major serotypes, and seven epidemic clones that have been
      previously associated with outbreaks. The 124 isolates proved to be diverse, with
      a total of 81 sequence types (10G-STs) belonging to 13 clonal complexes (CCs),
      where all STs of the same CC differ from one another in up to 3 of the 10 alleles
      (named as 10G-triple-locus-variant-clonal-complexes [10G-TLV-CCs]). Phenotypic
      characterization for 105 of the 124 strains showed that L. monocytogenes had
      variable maximum growth rate (MU(max)) in a defined medium at 16 degrees C, and
      classification by lineage or serotype was not able to reflect the genetic basis
      for the difference of this phenotype. Among the six major 10G-TLV-CCs, 10G-TLV
      CC4 that included lineage I strains had significantly lower MU(max) (Tukey
      honestly significant difference adjusted [adj.] p < 0.05) compared to 10G-TLV-CC1
      and 10G-TLV-CC3 that both comprised lineage II strains, indicating a distinct
      difference in growth of these L. monocytogenes isolates under nutrient-limited
      conditions among some of the CCs. However, the other three (10G-TLV-CC2, 6, and
      10) of the six major 10G-TLV-CCs containing either lineage I or lineage II
      strains did not show significantly different MU(max) compared to the others (adj.
      p < 0.05). Our findings highlighted the importance of using molecular typing
      methods that can be used in evolutionary analyses as a framework for further
      understanding the phenotypic characteristics of subgroups of L. monocytogenes.

PMID- 26495865
TI  - The spatial distribution of smoking violations on a no-smoking campus:
      Implications for prevention.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study extends research on campus smoking bans by examining
      where smokers are violating the policy at a large university in the southeastern
      region of the United States. PARTICIPANTS: The data collection was conducted by
      one graduate student from the university in August of 2014. METHODS: A global
      positioning system device was used to collect the geo-coordinates of littered
      cigarette butts as a proxy measure for smoking violations. RESULTS: A hot spot
      analysis found a number of spatial concentrations on campus, largely around
      classroom and administrative buildings along with parking lots and garages.
      CONCLUSIONS: The implications of such findings can direct enforcement to target
      these areas in order to reduce offenses and fulfill the initial goals of policy
      makers and university administrators who support smoke-free campuses.

PMID- 26495864
TI  - Parental intention regarding the administration of the HPV vaccine for adolescent
      daughters in Taiwan.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate parental intention regarding the human papilloma
      virus (HPV) vaccination for adolescent daughters. Parents or guardians of
      adolescent girls, aged 12-14 years, from junior high schools in Taiwan
      participated and completed a HPV vaccination intention survey based on the Theory
      of Planned Behavior. The survey was conducted from October to November, 2009.
      Most, 78%, of the respondents reported a high intention to vaccinate daughters
      against HPV. A high intention of vaccination was associated with a family history
      of gynecological tumors (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 2.22, 95% confidence interval
      [CI]: 1.10-4.51) and HPV awareness (adjusted OR: 2.33, 95% CI: 1.45-3.76). Higher
      parental intention was reported by respondents with a positive attitude toward
      the HPV vaccine (adjusted OR: 6.83, 95% CI: 4.16-11.22), perceived greater
      influence of subjective norms (adjusted OR: 121.23, 95% CI: 42.69-344.21),
      greater perceived behavioral control (adjusted OR: 67.69, 95% CI: 16.40-279.41),
      and perceived that the vaccine had limited influence on adolescent sexual
      behavior (adjusted OR: 2.24, 95% CI: 1.41-3.78). Health-care professionals must
      be knowledgeable about the HPV and actively promote vaccination among adolescent
      girls. Improvements in vaccination can be achieved through recommendations by
      physicians and nurses. 

PMID- 26495867
TI  - Gypsum blocks produced from TiO2 production by-products.
AB  - Calcined titanium gypsum was investigated by the ways of XRD (powder X-ray
      diffraction), XRF (X-ray fluorescence) and TG-DTA (thermogravimetric-differential
      thermal analyses). It was employed as raw material for making lightweight
      materials. The influence of cement, amount of water/solid (W/S) ratio, water
      reducing agent, citric acid content and the hydration age on the gypsum blocks
      was investigated. The results showed that the optimum W/S ratio, cement content
      and water-reducing agent are 0.9, 10% and 2 wt% for the calcined gypsum from
      titanium gypsum, respectively. The 5.96 MPa was attained after 7 days of ageing.
      It was also found that the citric acid is inappropriate to be used in the
      production of gypsum blocks from TiO2 production by-products. 

PMID- 26495868
TI  - SSBP3 Interacts With Islet-1 and Ldb1 to Impact Pancreatic beta-Cell Target
      Genes.
AB  - Islet-1 (Isl1) is a Lin11, Isl1, Mec3 (LIM)-homeodomain transcription factor
      important for pancreatic islet cell development, maturation, and function, which
      largely requires interaction with the LIM domain-binding protein 1 (Ldb1)
      coregulator. In other tissues, Ldb1 and Isl1 interact with additional factors to
      mediate target gene transcription, yet few protein partners are known in beta
      cells. Therefore, we hypothesize that Ldb1 and Isl1 participate in larger
      regulatory complexes to impact beta-cell gene expression. To test this, we used
      cross-linked immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry to identify interacting
      proteins from mouse beta-cells. Proteomic datasets revealed numerous interacting
      candidates, including a member of the single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSBP)
      coregulator family, SSBP3. SSBPs potentiate LIM transcription factor complex
      activity and stability in other tissues. However, nothing was known of SSBP3
      interaction, expression, or activity in beta-cells. Our analyses confirmed that
      SSBP3 interacts with Ldb1 and Isl1 in beta-cell lines and in mouse and human
      islets and demonstrated SSBP3 coexpression with Ldb1 and Isl1 pancreas tissue.
      Furthermore, beta-cell line SSBP3 knockdown imparted mRNA deficiencies similar to
      those observed upon Ldb1 reduction in vitro or in vivo. This appears to be (at
      least) due to SSBP3 occupancy of known Ldb1-Isl1 target promoters, including MafA
      and Glp1r. This study collectively demonstrates that SSBP3 is a critical
      component of Ldb1-Isl1 regulatory complexes, required for expression of critical
      beta-cell target genes. 

PMID- 26495869
TI  - Absence of TGF-beta Receptor Activation by Highly Purified hCG Preparations.
AB  - Recently, several LH/human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) receptor-independent
      activities for hCG have been described, including activation of the TGF-beta
      receptor (TGFbetaR) by hyperglycosylated hCG and stimulation of trophoblast
      invasion. Because the hCG concentrations used in these studies have been rather
      high, reflecting physiological hCG levels in pregnancy, even a minor
      contamination with growth factors, which act at very low concentrations, may be
      significant. Several commercial hCG preparations have been found to contain
      significant amounts of epidermal growth factor (EGF), which we also confirmed
      here. Furthermore, we found that some hCG preparations also contain significant
      amounts of TGF-beta1. These hCG preparations were able to activate ERK1/2 in JEG
      3 choriocarcinoma cells or TGFbetaR in mink lung epithelial cells transfected
      with a reporter gene for TGFbetaR activation. No such activation was found with
      highly purified hCG or its free beta-subunit (hCGbeta), irrespective of whether
      they were hyperglycosylated or not. Taken together, our results suggest that the
      growth factor contaminations in the hCG preparations can cause activation of
      TGFbetaR and, at least in JEG-3 cells, MAPK signaling. This highlights the
      importance to carefully control for potential contaminations and that highly
      purified hCG preparations have to be used for biological studies. 

PMID- 26495871
TI  - Low-Dose Gamma Radiation Does Not Induce an Adaptive Response for Micronucleus
      Induction in Mouse Splenocytes.
AB  - Low-dose ionizing radiation is known to induce radioadaptive responses in cells
      in vitro as well as in mice in vivo. Low-dose radiation decreases the incidence
      and increases latency for spontaneous and radiation-induced tumors in mice,
      potentially as a result of enhanced cellular DNA repair efficiency or a reduction
      in genomic instability. In this study, the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN)
      assay was used to examine dose response and potential radioadaptive response for
      cytogenetic damage and cell survival in C57BL/6 and BALB/c spleen cells exposed
      in vitro or in vivo to low-dose 60Co gamma radiation. The effects of genetic
      background, radiation dose and dose rate, sampling time and cell cycle were
      investigated with respect to dose response and radioadaptive response. In C57BL/6
      mice, a linear-quadratic dose-response relationship for the induction of
      micronuclei (MN) was observed for doses between 100 mGy and 2 Gy. BALB/c mice
      exhibited increased radiosensitivity for MN induction compared to C57BL/6 mice. A
      20 mGy dose had no effect on MN frequencies in splenocytes of either mouse
      strain, however, increased spleen weight and a reduced number of dead cells were
      noted in the C57BL/6 strain only. Multiple experimental parameters were
      investigated in radioadaptive response studies, including dose and dose rate of
      the priming dose (20 mGy at 0.5 mGy/min and 100 mGy at 10 mGy/min), time interval
      (4 and 24 h) between priming and challenge doses, cell cycle stage (resting or
      proliferating) at exposure and kinetics after the challenge dose. Radioadaptive
      responses were not observed for MN induction for either mouse strain under any of
      the experimental conditions investigated. In contrast, a synergistic response for
      radiation-induced micronuclei in C57BL/6 spleen was detected after in vivo 20 mGy
      irradiation. This increase in the percentage of cells with cytogenetic damage was
      associated with a reduction in the number of nonviable spleen cells, suggesting
      that low-dose irradiation led to a reduction in the turnover of damaged cells
      within the spleen of C57BL/6 mice. Overall, these results indicate that long-term
      protective effects against tumor latency and other beneficial health outcomes
      observed after low-dose irradiation are not mediated by a reduction of the
      proportion of cells harboring radiation-induced cytogenetic damage.

PMID- 26495870
TI  - Total Body Irradiation in the "Hematopoietic" Dose Range Induces Substantial
      Intestinal Injury in Non-Human Primates.
AB  - The non-human primate has been a useful model for studies of human acute
      radiation syndrome (ARS). However, to date structural changes in various parts of
      the intestine after total body irradiation (TBI) have not been systematically
      studied in this model. Here we report on our current study of TBI-induced
      intestinal structural injury in the non-human primate after doses typically
      associated with hematopoietic ARS. Twenty-four non-human primates were divided
      into three groups: sham-irradiated control group; and total body cobalt-60 (60Co)
      6.7 Gy gamma-irradiated group; and total body 60Co 7.4 Gy gamma-irradiated group.
      After animals were euthanized at day 4, 7 and 12 postirradiation, sections of
      small intestine (duodenum, proximal jejunum, distal jejunum and ileum) were
      collected and fixed in 10% formalin. The intestinal mucosal surface length,
      villus height and crypt depths were assessed by computer-assisted image analysis.
      Plasma citrulline levels were determined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Total bone marrow cells were counted and hematopoietic
      stem/progenitor cells in bone marrow were analyzed by flow cytometer.
      Histopathologically, all segments exhibited conspicuous disappearance of plicae
      circulares and prominent atrophy of crypts and villi. Intestinal mucosal surface
      length was significantly decreased in all intestinal segments on day 4, 7 and 12
      after irradiation (P < 0.02-P < 0.001). Villus height was significantly reduced
      in all segments on day 4 and 7 (P = 0.02-0.005), whereas it had recovered by day
      12 (P > 0.05). Crypt depth was also significantly reduced in all segments on day
      4, 7 and 12 after irradiation (P < 0.04-P < 0.001). Plasma citrulline levels were
      dramatically reduced after irradiation, consistent with intestinal mucosal
      injury. Both 6.7 and 7.4 Gy TBI reduced total number of bone marrow cells. And
      further analysis showed that the number and function of CD45(+)CD34(+)
      hematopoietic stem/progenitors in bone marrow decreased significantly. In
      summary, TBI in the hematopoietic ARS dose range induces substantial intestinal
      injury in all segments of the small bowel. These findings underscore the
      importance of maintaining the mucosal barrier that separates the gut microbiome
      from the body's interior after TBI.

PMID- 26495872
TI  - Design and pharmacokinetical aspects for the use of inorganic nanoparticles in
      radiomedicine.
AB  - The potential use of nanoparticles (NPs) in medicine is determined by the
      pharmacokinetical and biodistribution aspects that govern NP behaviour. In this
      context, diagnosis (low irradiation dose) and therapy (high irradiation dose) is
      about the same for the NP, as much as to deliver toxic doses of radiation or
      toxic doses of a chemotherapeutic agent. The NP effects also have to be
      correlated with how they interact, evolve and are transformed during their
      exposure to the human body, during their administration, distribution,
      metabolization and expulsion. Indeed, owing to interactions between NPs and
      components from the biological medium, NPs are known to suffer different types of
      alterations, such as loss of colloidal stability (aggregation and sedimentation),
      protein adsorption (and consequent exposure to or escape from the immune system)
      and chemical transformation (oxidation, corrosion and dissolution). Their
      original performance and these alterations have a major impact on NP behaviour
      and have to be taken into account for any intended use of them in medicine, also
      including their use for enhanced radiodiagnosis, radiotherapy and
      radiochemotherapy. 

PMID- 26495873
TI  - The effect of chemotherapy on the mammographic appearance of breast cancer and
      correlation with histopathology.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To document the mammographic changes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy
      with histopathological correlation, to calculate the accuracy of mammography (MG)
      in predicting residual tumour size and to measure the interobserver agreement in
      reading mammograms. METHODS: In 446 consecutive cases, the pre- and post
      chemotherapy mammograms were retrospectively evaluated by two blinded observers,
      and consensus findings were compared with reference standard of surgical
      specimen. The accuracy of MG in predicting residual tumour size was calculated.
      Kappa statistics were calculated for measuring the interobserver agreement for
      reading mammograms. The sensitivity, specificity, positive-predictive value and
      negative-predictive value for the prediction of residual disease were calculated.
      RESULTS: The most common primary abnormalities were mass lesions without and with
      microcalcifications. After chemotherapy, there was decrease in size of most
      (95.1%) of the measurable masses, with decrease in the mean tumour size from 4.1
      to 2.5 cm. The density of the tumour decreased in 66.6% (241/362) cases with
      residual disease. There was almost perfect interobserver agreement for describing
      the primary abnormality in the pre- as well as post-chemotherapy mammograms (k =
      0.87 and 0.81, respectively) with substantial agreement for measurement of the
      mass lesions before and after chemotherapy (k = 0.69 and 0.68, respectively). MG
      showed accuracy of 60.0%, sensitivity of 94.4%, specificity of 50.0%, positive
      predictive value of 91.3% and negative-predictive value of 61.8%. CONCLUSION: MG
      remains a highly sensitive and reproducible investigation for the assessment of
      residual disease after chemotherapy. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: There is substantial
      interobserver agreement in characterizing and measuring breast tumours on
      mammograms.

PMID- 26495874
TI  - Prevalence, awareness, characteristics, and health outcomes associated with COPD
      at-risk status among adults in Japan.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We examined the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      (COPD) diagnosed and at-risk status, and public awareness of COPD among adults in
      Japan, as well as respondent characteristics and health outcomes compared with
      controls. METHODS: Regression models used 2012 National Health and Wellness
      Survey in Japan data to compare COPD-diagnosed, at-risk, and healthy adults (aged
      >=18) on demographics, health behaviors, health-related quality of life (HRQoL),
      productivity and healthcare resource use. RESULTS: Among n = 29,978 respondents,
      diagnosed COPD prevalence was 0.9%; 26.9% were at-risk. Relative to controls,
      those at-risk and diagnosed with COPD had significantly greater healthcare
      resource use, with lower productivity and HRQoL. Fewer than 20% of respondents
      were aware of COPD. CONCLUSIONS: Over 25% of adult Japanese respondents were at
      risk for COPD and had health outcomes impairments relative to controls. Efforts
      to increase awareness among the general public are needed.

PMID- 26495875
TI  - Heat Dissipation Interfaces Based on Vertically Aligned Diamond/Graphite
      Nanoplatelets.
AB  - Crystalline carbon-based materials are intrinsically chemically inert and good
      heat conductors, allowing their applications in a great variety of devices. A
      technological step forward in heat dissipators production can be given by
      tailoring the carbon phase microstructure, tuning the CVD synthesis conditions.
      In this work, a rapid bottom-up synthesis of vertically aligned hybrid material
      comprising diamond thin platelets covered by a crystalline graphite layer was
      developed. A single run was designed in order to produce a high aspect ratio
      nanostructured carbon material favoring the thermal dissipation under convection
      governed conditions. The produced material was characterized by multiwavelength
      Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy (scanning and transmission), and the
      macroscopic heat flux was evaluated. The results obtained confirm the enhancement
      of heat dissipation rate in the developed hybrid structures, when compared to
      smooth nanocrystalline diamond films. 

PMID- 26495877
TI  - Absorption Spectroscopy of Single Optically Trapped Gold Nanorods.
AB  - Extinction spectra of single gold nanorods optically trapped in water were
      measured by spatial modulation spectroscopy. Comparison of the extinction cross
      sections and resonance frequencies to finite element calculations allows us to
      determine the dimensions of the nanorod and estimate the contribution of
      radiation damping to the LSPR line width. Subtracting the radiation damping and
      bulk contributions from the measured line widths yields the electron-surface
      scattering contribution. The results show that the surfactant coating for the
      nanorods causes large electron-surface scattering effects with significant
      particle-to-particle variations. These effects are more pronounced than those
      seen for substrate-supported particles in previous single particle studies.
      Indeed, the measured line widths are only slightly narrower than that of the
      ensemble spectrum. These results show the importance of removing surfactant for
      sensing applications of these materials. 

PMID- 26495876
TI  - Natural Diels-Alderases: Elusive and Irresistable.
AB  - Eight examples of biosynthetic pathways wherein a natural enzyme has been
      identified and claimed to function as a catalyst for the [4 + 2] cycloaddition
      reaction, namely, Diels-Alderases, are briefly reviewed. These are discussed in
      the context of the mechanistic challenges associated with the technical
      difficulty of proving that the net formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition under study
      indeed proceeds through a synchronous mechanism and that the putative
      biosynthetic enzyme deploys the pericyclic transition state required for a Diels
      Alder cycloaddition reaction. 

PMID- 26495878
TI  - Mechanism of the Ti(III)-Catalyzed Acyloin-Type Umpolung: A Catalyst-Controlled
      Radical Reaction.
AB  - The titanium(III)-catalyzed cross-coupling between ketones and nitriles provides
      an efficient stereoselective synthesis of alpha-hydroxyketones. A detailed
      mechanistic investigation of this reaction is presented, which involves a
      combination of several methods such as EPR, ESI-MS, X-ray, in situ IR kinetics,
      and DFT calculations. Our findings reveal that C-C bond formation is turnover
      limiting and occurs by a catalyst-controlled radical combination involving two
      titanium(III) species. The resting state is identified as a cationic titanocene
      nitrile complex and the beneficial effect of added Et3N.HCl on yield and
      enantioselectivity is elucidated: chloride coordination initiates the radical
      coupling. The results are fundamental for the understanding of titanium(III)
      catalysis and of relevance for other metal-catalyzed radical reactions. Our
      conclusions might apply to a number of reductive coupling reactions for which
      conventional mechanisms were proposed before. 

PMID- 26495879
TI  - Effects of Fuel Aromatic Content on Nonvolatile Particulate Emissions of an In
      Production Aircraft Gas Turbine.
AB  - Aircraft engines emit particulate matter (PM) that affects the air quality in the
      vicinity of airports and contributes to climate change. Nonvolatile PM (nvPM)
      emissions from aircraft turbine engines depend on fuel aromatic content, which
      varies globally by several percent. It is uncertain how this variability will
      affect future nvPM emission regulations and emission inventories. Here, we
      present black carbon (BC) mass and nvPM number emission indices (EIs) as a
      function of fuel aromatic content and thrust for an in-production aircraft gas
      turbine engine. The aromatics content was varied from 17.8% (v/v) in the neat
      fuel (Jet A-1) to up to 23.6% (v/v) by injecting two aromatic solvents into the
      engine fuel supply line. Fuel normalized BC mass and nvPM number EIs increased by
      up to 60% with increasing fuel aromatics content and decreasing engine thrust.
      The EIs also increased when fuel naphthalenes were changed from 0.78% (v/v) to
      1.18% (v/v) while keeping the total aromatics constant. The EIs correlated best
      with fuel hydrogen mass content, leading to a simple model that could be used for
      correcting fuel effects in emission inventories and in future aircraft engine
      nvPM emission standards. 

PMID- 26495880
TI  - Exploiting Dispersion-Driven Aggregators as a Route to New One-Dimensional
      Organic Nanowires.
AB  - The efficiency of charge carrier mobility in organic semiconductors is heavily
      dependent upon the long-range organization (i.e., morphology) and the local
      relative arrangement of the transporting molecules. Here, we exploit London
      dispersion forces as a design principle to construct compact one-dimensional (1
      D) assemblies of quaterthiophene cores. We demonstrate that the substitution of
      quaterthiophene with dispersion-driven aggregators (e.g., [7]ladderanes,
      hydrogenated pyrenes, etc.) leads to the formation of highly stable and tightly
      packed 1-D supramolecular assemblies with electronic compactness superior to that
      of quaterthiophene crystals. Tunability and even tighter stacking arrangements
      can be achieved by inserting molecular linkers between the quaterthiophene
      fragments and the dispersion-driven components. The proposed 1-D nanowires
      represent an original route toward the rational design of efficient organic
      semiconductors. 

PMID- 26495881
TI  - A Non-Inferiority Study: Modified Dual Therapy Consisting Higher Doses of
      Rabeprazole Is as Successful as Standard Quadruple Therapy in Eradication of
      Helicobacter pylori.
AB  - The aim is to compare high-dose rabeprazole and amoxicillin containing modified
      dual therapy (MDT) with bismuth subcitrate containing standard quadruple therapy
      (SQT) as the first-line Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment in terms of
      efficacy, safety, and adherence to treatment. A total of 200 consecutive patients
      diagnosed endoscopically with nonulcer dyspepsia with H. pylori infection were
      randomly assigned into 2 groups, 1 treated with amoxicillin 750 mg thrice daily
      plus rabeprazole 20 mg thrice daily (MDT group) or rabeprazole 20 mg b.i.d.,
      bismuth subcitrate 120 mg q.i.d., tetracycline 500 mg q.i.d., metronidazole 500
      mg t.i.d. (SQT group). Overall, 196 patients (98 in the MDT group and 98 in the
      SQT group) completed the study. H. pylori eradication was achieved in 84.7% of
      patients in the MDT group by intention to treat analysis and 84.9% by per
      protocol analysis, which were comparable with SQT group (87.8% and 88.8%,
      respectively). Adverse events including nausea (P = 0.03), dysgeusia (P < 0.001),
      diarrhea (P = 0.001), black colored stool (P < 0.001), headache (P = 0.01), and
      abdominal pain (P = 0.05) were significantly higher in SQT group. The MDT is an
      efficient and safe treatment choice that could be recommended in the first-line
      eradication treatment of H. pylori.

PMID- 26495882
TI  - Clinical Outcomes of a Pharmacy-Led Blood Factor Stewardship Program.
AB  - To report the results of a pharmacist-directed blood factor stewardship program
      targeting off-label utilization designed to limit use to established
      organizational guidelines in high-risk populations. Prospective evaluation of
      recombinant factor VIIa and prothrombin complex concentrate orders beginning June
      2013 through May 2014 and a matched retrospective cohort from June 2012 to May
      2013. Matched cohorts were evaluated for 28-day mortality, change in
      international normalized ratio (INR), adverse events, concurrent blood product
      use, and cost savings. Forty-two orders for blood factor were ordered between
      June 2013 and May 2014, 70 orders in the year before (N = 112). Twenty eight-day
      mortality was not different between the cohorts: 53.9% versus 50% (P = 0.77).
      Blood factor use with underlying liver failure and active bleeding was strongly
      associated with 28-day mortality: odds ratio (95% confidence interval), 2.9 (1.5
      7.14) and 2.91 (0.01-2.91), respectively. Blood products dispensed increased over
      the year with plasma products the most significant (1 vs. 4 P = 0.004). All other
      clinical outcomes were nonsignificant. An annual cost savings of $375,539 was
      achieved, primarily through a significant reduction in recombinant factor VIIa
      and avoidance in high-risk patients. Use of off-label blood factors can be
      controlled through a pharmacist-led stewardship program. Twenty eight-day
      mortality was not different between the 2 cohorts; however, identification of
      risk factors for death associated with blood factor use allows for restriction in
      high-risk populations, creates a discussion of futile care, and yields cost
      savings.

PMID- 26495883
TI  - HIV-Infected Ugandan Women on Antiretroviral Therapy Maintain HIV-1 RNA
      Suppression Across Periconception, Pregnancy, and Postpartum Periods.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HIV-infected women risk sexual and perinatal HIV transmission during
      conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. We compared HIV-1 RNA
      suppression and medication adherence across periconception, pregnancy, and
      postpartum periods, among women on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Uganda.
      METHODS: We analyzed data from women in a prospective cohort study, aged 18-49
      years, enrolled at ART initiation and with >=1 pregnancy between 2005 and 2011.
      Participants were seen quarterly. The primary exposure of interest was pregnancy
      period, including periconception (3 quarters before pregnancy), pregnancy,
      postpartum (6 months after pregnancy outcome), or nonpregnancy related.
      Regression models using generalized estimating equations compared the likelihood
      of HIV-1 RNA <=400 copies per milliliter, <80% average adherence based on
      electronic pill caps (medication event monitoring system), and likelihood of 72
      hour medication gaps across each period. RESULTS: One hundred eleven women
      contributed 486 person-years of follow-up. Viral suppression was present at 89%
      of nonpregnancy, 97% of periconception, 93% of pregnancy, and 89% of postpartum
      visits, and was more likely during periconception (adjusted odds ratio, 2.15)
      compared with nonpregnant periods. Average ART adherence was 90% [interquartile
      range (IQR), 70%-98%], 93% (IQR, 82%-98%), 92% (IQR, 72%-98%), and 88% (IQR, 63%
      97%) during nonpregnant, periconception, pregnant, and postpartum periods,
      respectively. Average adherence <80% was less likely during periconception
      (adjusted odds ratio, 0.68), and 72-hour gaps per 90 days were less frequent
      during periconception (adjusted relative risk, 0.72) and more frequent during
      postpartum (adjusted relative risk, 1.40). CONCLUSIONS: Women with pregnancy were
      virologically suppressed at most visits, with an increased likelihood of
      suppression and high adherence during periconception follow-up. Increased
      frequency of 72-hour gaps suggests a need for increased adherence support during
      postpartum periods.

PMID- 26495884
TI  - An Evaluation of Various Ventilator-Associated Infection Criteria in a PICU.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe characteristics and overlap associated with various
      ventilator-associated infection criteria in the PICU. DESIGN: Retrospective
      observational study. SETTING: A quaternary care children's hospital PICU.
      PATIENTS: Children ventilated more than 48 hours, excluding patients with
      tracheostomy. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Ventilator
      associated infection, including pneumonia, infection-related ventilator
      associated condition, tracheobronchitis, and lower respiratory tract infection
      were defined according to criteria from the Centers for Disease Control and
      Prevention or medical literature. Clinical data were abstracted to assign
      diagnoses of each ventilator-associated infection. In 300 episodes of mechanical
      ventilation, there were 30 individual episodes of ventilator-associated
      infection. Nine episodes met more than one definition. Rates per 1,000 ventilator
      days were 2.60 for ventilator-associated pneumonia, 2.16 for infection-related
      ventilator-associated condition, 5.19 for ventilator-associated
      tracheobronchitis, and 6.92 for lower respiratory tract infection. The rate of
      any ventilator-associated infection was 12.98 per 1,000 ventilator days.
      Individual criteria had similar risk factors and outcomes. Risk factors for
      development of any ventilator-associated infection included older age (p = 0.003)
      and trauma (p = 0.007), while less cardiac surgery patients developed ventilator
      associated infection (p = 0.015). On multivariate analysis, trauma was the only
      independent risk factor (adjusted odds ratio, 3.10; 95% CI, 1.15-8.38).
      Developing any ventilator-associated infection was associated with longer
      duration of mechanical ventilation (p < 0.001) and longer PICU length of stay (p
      < 0.001) but not PICU mortality (p = 0.523). CONCLUSIONS: There is little overlap
      in diagnosis of various ventilator-associated infection. However, the risk
      factors and outcomes associated with individual criteria are similar, indicating
      that they may have validity in identifying true pathology. Ventilator-associated
      infection in general is likely a larger problem than indicated by low hospital
      reported rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia. There is clinical confusion
      due to the presence of several diagnostic criteria for ventilator-associated
      infection. Developing a more inclusive and clinically relevant criterion for
      diagnosing ventilator-associated infection is warranted to accurately assess
      their impact and improve guidance for clinicians in evaluating and treating
      ventilator-associated infection.

PMID- 26495885
TI  - Association between ADAMTS-4 gene polymorphism and lumbar disc degeneration in
      Chinese Han population.
AB  - Low back pain (LBP) is a common health problem and many LBP are caused by lumbar
      disc degeneration (LDD). ADAMTS-4 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease with
      thrombospondin motifs-4), also known as aggrecanse-1, plays a core role in
      degeneration of extracellular matrix in LDD. To investigate the association
      between ADAMTS-4 genetic polymorphism and LDD, we genotyped SNPs in and around
      ADAMTS-4. We recruited 482 sporadic cases of LDD and 496 healthy controls from
      Chinese Han population. Five SNPs were selected and phenotyped by the Sequenom
      MassARRAY system. Allelic, genotypic, and haplotypic association was performed.
      Rs4233367 (c.1877 C>T), which located in exon of ADAMTS-4 showed significant
      association with LDD. The T allele conferred a lower risk of LDD with an OR of
      0.69 and TT genotype is at nearly one-fifth of the risk compared to CC genotype.
      Other tested SNPs didn't show significant difference between the case and control
      groups. The SNP rs4233367 in the exon of ADAMTS-4 gene may be associated with
      lumbar disc degeneration. (c) 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:860-864, 2016.

PMID- 26495886
TI  - Application of mercapto-silica polymerized high internal phase emulsions for the
      solid-phase extraction and preconcentration of trace lead(II).
AB  - A new class of solid-phase extraction column prepared with grafted mercapto
      silica polymerized high internal phase emulsion particles was used for the
      preconcentration of trace lead. First, mercapto-silica polymerized high internal
      phase emulsion particles were synthesized by using high internal phase emulsion
      polymerization and carefully assembled in a polyethylene syringe column. The
      influences of various parameters including adsorption pH value, adsorption and
      desorption solvents, flow rate of the adsorption and desorption procedure were
      optimized, respectively, and the suitable uploading sample volumes, adsorption
      capacity, and reusability of solid phase extraction column were also
      investigated. Under the optimum conditions, Pb(2+) could be preconcentrated
      quantitatively over a wide pH range (2.0-5.0). In the presence of foreign ions,
      such as Na(+) , K(+) , Ca(2+) , Zn(2+) , Mg(2+) , Cu(2+) , Fe(2+) , Cd(2+) , Cl(
      ) and NO3 (-) , Pb(2+) could be recovered successfully. The prepared solid-phase
      extraction column performed with high stability and desirable durability, which
      allowed more than 100 replicate extractions without measurable changes of
      performance. The feasibility of the developed method was further validated by the
      extraction of Pb(2+) in rice samples. At three spiked levels of 40.0, 200 and 800
      MUg/kg, the average recoveries for Pb(2+) in rice samples ranged from 87.3 to
      105.2%. 

PMID- 26495888
TI  - How cockroaches exploit tactile boundaries to find new shelters.
AB  - Animals such as cockroaches depend on exploration of unknown environments, and
      their strategies may inspire robotic approaches. We have previously shown that
      cockroach behavior, with respect to shelters and the walls of an otherwise empty
      arena, can be captured with a stochastic state-based algorithm. We call this
      algorithm RAMBLER, randomized algorithm mimicking biased lone exploration in
      roaches. In this work, we verified and extended this model by adding a barrier in
      the previously used arena and conducted more cockroach experiments. In two arena
      configurations, our simulated model's path length distribution was similar to the
      experimental distribution (mean experimental path length 3.4 and 3.2 m, mean
      simulated path length 3.9 and 3.3 m). By analyzing cockroach behavior before,
      along, and at the end of the barrier, we have generalized RAMBLER to address
      arbitrarily complex 2D mazes. For biology, this is an abstract behavioral model
      of a decision-making process in the cockroach brain. For robotics, this is a
      strategy that may improve exploration for goals, especially in unpredictable
      environments with non-convex obstacles. Generally, cockroach behavior seems to
      recommend variability in the absence of planning, and following paths defined by
      walls. 

PMID- 26495889
TI  - An overview of the use of SNaPshot for predicting blood group antigens.
AB  - The use of SNaPshot (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) for predicting blood
      group antigens has emerged as an alternative to hemagglutination testing and also
      to the current low- and highthroughput blood group genotyping methods. Several
      groups have developed multiplex-polymerase chain reaction SNaPshot assays to
      determine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in blood group genes with the
      purpose of identifying clinically relevant antigens and rare alleles. The
      selection of SNPs is based on the population or laboratory reality and the
      purpose of the genatyping. Unlike high-throughput genotyping strategies that are
      provided as commercial platforms, the SNPs can be chosen to best meet the needs
      of the user, and the interpretation of the results do not depend on the
      manufacturer.

PMID- 26495890
TI  - Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) assay for blood group
      genotyping, copy number quantification, and analysis of RH variants.
AB  - The blood group multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) is a
      comprehensive assay, developed for genotyping the majority of clinically relevant
      blood group antigens in both patients and donors. The MLPA is an easy method to
      apply and only requires a thermal cycler and capillary electrophoresis equipment.
      Because the molecular basis of blood group antigens can be a single nucleotide
      polymorphism, an insertion/deletion polymorphism, or genetic recombination, a
      single assay such as the MLPA to facilitate these different types of genetic
      variation is a prerequisite in blood group typing. An MLPA assay allows the
      simultaneous detection of up to 50 polymorphisms in a single tube. The blood
      group MLPA currently consists of three separate probe pools targeting 104
      different blood group alleles of 18 blood group systems. The assay is performed
      in a 96-well plate; therefore, a maximum of 32 genomic DNA samples can be
      processed simultaneously. Results are available within 24 hours,and software for
      analysis of the MLPA results is available free of charge. In addition to the
      analysis of genetic variation in blood group genes, a major advantage of the test
      is the ability to detect aberrations in gene copy numbers, which is especially
      useful for the determination of homo- or hemizygous status of RHD or other blood
      group genes and for detection of blood chimerism. A relatively large number of RH
      wild-type and mutation-specific probes are included in the assay, allowing an
      extensive analysis of RHD variants. In our reference lab in the Netherlands, the
      MLPA was validated to detect RH variants in patients, donors, and pregnant women.
      Furthermore, we have used the MLPA to provide comprehensive typing after blood
      transfusion of 52 blood group antigens simultaneously, in patients with red cell
      autoantibodies or patients with rare phenotypes.

PMID- 26495887
TI  - Mechanisms of drug resistance: daptomycin resistance.
AB  - Daptomycin (DAP) is a cyclic lipopeptide with in vitro activity against a variety
      of Gram-positive pathogens, including multidrug-resistant organisms. Since its
      introduction into clinical practice in 2003, DAP has become an important key
      frontline antibiotic for severe or deep-seated infections caused by Gram-positive
      organisms. Unfortunately, DAP resistance (DAP-R) has been extensively documented
      in clinically important organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus
      spp., and Streptococcus spp. Studies on the mechanisms of DAP-R in Bacillus
      subtilis and other Gram-positive bacteria indicate that the genetic pathways of
      DAP-R are diverse and complex. However, a common phenomenon emerging from these
      mechanistic studies is that DAP-R is associated with important adaptive changes
      in cell wall and cell membrane homeostasis with critical changes in cell
      physiology. Findings related to these adaptive changes have provided novel
      insights into the genetics and molecular mechanisms of bacterial cell envelope
      stress response and the manner in which Gram-positive bacteria cope with the
      antimicrobial peptide attack and protect vital structures of the cell envelope,
      such as the cell membrane. In this review, we will examine the most recent
      findings related to the molecular mechanisms of resistance to DAP in relevant
      Gram-positive pathogens and discuss the clinical implications for therapy against
      these important bacteria. 

PMID- 26495891
TI  - An overview of the Progenika ID CORE XT: an automated genotyping platform based
      on a fluidic microarray system.
AB  - Automated testing platforms facilitate the introduction of red cell genotyping of
      patients and blood donors. Fluidic microarray systems, such as Luminex XMAP
      (Austin, TX), are used in many clinical applications, including HLA and HPA
      typing. The Progenika ID CORE XT (Progenika Biopharma-Grifols, Bizkaia, Spain)
      uses this platform to analyze 29 polymorphisms determining 37 antigens in 10
      blood group systems. Once DNA has been extracted, processing time is
      approximately 4 hours. The system is highly automated and includes integrated
      analysis software that produces a file and a report with genotype and predicted
      phenotype results.

PMID- 26495892
TI  - Mass-scale donor red cell genotyping using real-time array technology.
AB  - Blood centers are in the unique position to evaluate large numbers of blood
      donations for antigen-negative blood types. The limitations with the use of
      hemagglutination, however, can be circumvented with red cell genotyping. The
      reagents used for genotyping are synthesized and can be designed for any of the
      known blood group antigen single nucleotide polymorphisms that are associated
      with blood group antigen expression. There is interest in the application of mass
      scale red cell genotyping of blood donors to find rare phenotypes and rare
      combinations of antigens. When performed on donors who are predicted to donate
      again after testing, integrating the genotype information with existing donor
      data and demographics provides the blood center with real-time information to
      identify the common clinically relevant blood group antigens demanded by hospital
      transfusion services. This review outlines a red cell genotype methodology using
      TaqMan chemistry and existing algorithms and data handling to gain the full value
      of mass-scale red cell genotyping of blood donors.

PMID- 26495893
TI  - Blood group genotyping: the power and limitations of the Hemo ID Panel and
      MassARRAY platform.
AB  - Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, time-of-flight mass spectrometry
      (MALDI-TOF MS), is a sensitive analytical method capable of resolving DNA
      fragments varying in mass by a single nucleotide. MALDI-TOF MS is applicable to
      blood group genotyping, as the majority of blood group antigens are encoded by
      single nucleotide polymorphisms. Blood group genotyping by MALDI-TOF MS can be
      performed using a panel (Hemo ID Blood Group Genotyping Panel, Agena Bioscience
      Inc., San Diego, CA) that is a set of genotyping assays that predict the
      phenotype for 101 antigens from 16 blood group systems. These assays involve
      three fundamental stages: multiplex target-specific polymerase chain reaction
      amplification, allele-specific single base primer extension, and MALDI-TOFMS
      analysis using the MassARRAY system. MALDI-TOF MS-based genotyping has many
      advantages over alternative methods including high throughput, high multiplex
      capability, flexibility and adaptability, and the high level of accuracy based on
      the direct detection method. Currently available platforms for MALDI-TOF MS-based
      genotyping are not without limitations, including high upfront instrumentation
      costs and the number of non-automated steps. The Hemo ID Blood Group Genotyping
      Panel, developed and optimized in a collaboration between the vendor and the
      Blood Transfusion Service of the Swiss Red Cross in Zurich, Switzerland, is not
      yet widely utilized, although several laboratories are currently evaluating the
      MassARRAY system for blood group genotyping. Based on the accuracy and other
      advantages offered by MALDITOF MS analysis, in the future, this method is likely
      to become widely adopted for blood group genotyping, in particular, for
      population screening.

PMID- 26495894
TI  - HEA BeadChipTM technology in immunohematology.
AB  - Classic methods to determine human red blood cell (RBC) antigens are based on
      serologic testing. Thanks to increased knowledge of the molecular basis
      associated with many blood group antigens, it is currently possible to predict
      their presence or absence on the red cell membrane. Several molecular techniques
      have been developed to detect the most important allelic variations attributable
      to single nucleotide polymorphisms. The human erythrocyte antigen (HEA)
      BeadChipTM system manufactured by BioArray Solutions (Immucor, Warren, NJ) is one
      of the commercial DNA array platforms currently available to predict HEAs by DNA
      analysis. This technology provides a useful tool to increase the inventory of
      antigen-negative RBC units and prevent immunization of patients who require
      chronic transfusion by providing compatible RBC units based on matching by DNA
      testing.

PMID- 26495896
TI  - sTREM-1 in patients with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis.
AB  - The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) is a member of the
      immunoglobulin superfamily. TREM-1 has been implicated as an amplifier of
      inflammation. Soluble TREM-1 (sTREM-1) was investigated in different clinical
      conditions, but not in hemodialysis (HD) patients. We aimed to investigate sTREM
      1 as a marker of inflammation in HD patients. We investigated 40 CKD patients
      undergoing chronic HD treatment and 15 controls. Routine laboratory
      investigations in addition to CRP measured by immunoturbidimetry, TNF- alpha, and
      sTREM-1 measured by ELISA were assayed in post-hemodialysis patients' blood
      samples and in controls' blood samples. CRP, TNF-alpha, and sTREM-1 levels were
      significantly higher in HD patients than in controls (p < 0.001 for all). sTREM-1
      was positively correlated with CRP and TNF-alpha (r = +0.50, p < 0.001 and r =
      +0.53, p < 0.001 respectively). It was negatively correlated with hemoglobin
      concentration (r = -0.69, p < 0.001). Hemoglobin concentration was the
      significant predictor of sTREM-1 level (p < 0.001). In conclusion, sTREM-1 level
      is significantly increased in HD patients as are other pro-inflammatory markers.

PMID- 26495895
TI  - Crataegus azarolus Leaves Induce Antiproliferative Activity, Cell Cycle Arrest,
      and Apoptosis in Human HT-29 and HCT-116 Colorectal Cancer Cells.
AB  - Limited success has been achieved in extending the survival of patients with
      metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). There is a strong need for novel agents in
      the treatment and prevention of CRC. Therefore, in the present study we evaluated
      the antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic potential of Crataegus azarolus ethyl
      acetate extract in HCT-116 and HT-29 human colorectal cancer cell lines.
      Moreover, we attempted to investigate the signaling pathways that should be
      involved in its cytotoxic effect. The Crataegus azarolus ethyl acetate extract
      induced growth inhibitory effect was associated with DNA fragmentation, sub-G1
      peak, loss of mitochondrial potential, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)
      cleavage. In addition, ethyl acetate extract of Crataegus azarolus induced the
      cleavage of caspase-8. It has no effect on steady-state levels of total Bcl-2
      protein. Whereas Bax levels decreased significantly in a dose-dependent manner in
      both tested cell lines. Taken together, these findings confirm the involvement of
      the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis. The apoptotic cell death induced by ethyl
      acetate extract of Crataegus azarolus was accompanied by an enhancement of the
      p21 expression but not through p53 activation in human colorectal cancer cells.
      The above-mentioned data provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of
      Crataegus azarolus ethyl acetate extract-induced apoptosis in CRC. Therefore,
      this compound should be a potential anticancer agent for the treatment of CRC.

PMID- 26495897
TI  - Systemic Epstein-Barr virus-negative mature natural killer-cell lymphoma with
      cutaneous and visceral involvement.

PMID- 26495898
TI  - Absence of osmotic nephrosis in renal tissue removed during laparoscopic
      nephrectomy after infusion of 6% Hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4.

PMID- 26495899
TI  - Selective digestive decontamination and Enterococcus faecalis overgrowth and
      infection: a robust relation is yet unproven.

PMID- 26495900
TI  - Pretreatment With Inactivated Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Increases CD4+CD25+
      Regulatory T Cell Function and Decreases Functional and Structural Effects of
      Asthma Induction in a Rat Asthma Model.
AB  - Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) has been shown to have therapeutic effects on
      asthma through CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). We sought to assess
      pretreatment with inactivated BCG on CD4+CD25+ Tregs and its functional and
      structural effects in rat asthma model. The rat asthma model was established
      using ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization and challenge. Ten rats were pretreated with
      BCG prior to OVA and received continued BCG injections during OVA challenge
      (BCG+OVA group), 10 rats were treated with OVA alone (OVA group), and 10 rats
      were treated with saline (control group). After 9 weeks, histamine
      dihydrochloride effect on airway resistance was measured. Number of CD4+CD25+
      Tregs was measured by flow cytometry, expression of Foxp3 and CTLA-4 mRNA was
      measured, and serum TGF-beta levels were determined. Differential cell count in
      bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was determined, and lung tissue was processed
      and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome, and alcine blue and
      periodic acid Schiff's reaction to evaluate inflammatory cell infiltration,
      collagen deposition, and presence of goblet cells, respectively. BCG treatment
      led to an increase in CD4+CD25+ Tregs, as well as an increase in Foxp3 and CTLA-4
      expression and serum TGF-beta levels. In addition, we observed a decrease in
      histamine dihydrochloride-induced airway resistance, a decrease in inflammatory
      leukocytes in BALF, and a decrease in airway remodeling indicators in BCG+OVA
      treated rats compared with OVA-treated rats. Intradermally injected inactivated
      BCG has the potential to improve airway inflammation, airway resistance, and
      airway remodeling through a mechanism that may involve CD4+CD25+ Tregs. 

PMID- 26495901
TI  - Bauhinia purprea agglutinin-modified liposomes for human prostate cancer
      treatment.
AB  - Bauhinia purprea agglutinin (BPA) is a well-known lectin that recognizes
      galactosyl glycoproteins and glycolipids. In the present study, we firstly found
      that BPA bound to human prostate cancer specimens but not to normal prostate
      ones. Therefore, we sought to develop BPA-PEG-modified liposomes (BPA-PEG-LP)
      encapsulating anticancer drugs for the treatment of prostate cancer. We examined
      the tumor targetability of BPA-PEG-LP with human prostate cancer DU145 cells, and
      observed that fluorescently labeled BPA-PEG-LP dominantly associated with the
      cells via the interaction between liposome-surface BPA and cell-surface
      galactosyl molecules. We also observed that BPA-PEG-LP accumulated in the
      prostate cancer tissue after the i.v. injection to DU145 solid cancer-bearing
      mice, and strongly bound to the cancer cells. In a therapeutic study, DU145 solid
      cancer-bearing mice were i.v. injected thrice with BPA-PEG-LP encapsulating
      doxorubicin (BPA-PEG-LPDOX, 2 mg/kg/day as the DOX dosage) or PEG-modified
      liposomes encapsulating DOX (PEG-LPDOX). As a result, BPA-PEG-LPDOX significantly
      suppressed the growth of the DU145 cancer cells, whereas PEG-LPDOX at the same
      dosage as DOX showed little anti-cancer effect. The present study suggested that
      BPA-PEG-LP could be a useful drug carrier for the treatment of human prostate
      cancers. 

PMID- 26495903
TI  - High-resolution analysis of the murine MHC class II immunopeptidome.
AB  - The reliable identification of peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex
      (MHC) class II is fundamental for the study of the host immune response against
      pathogens and the pathogenesis of autoimmune conditions. Here, we describe an
      improved methodology combining immuno-affinity enrichment of MHC class II
      complexes, optimized elution conditions and quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry
      based characterization of the immunopeptidome. The methodology allowed the
      identification of over 1000 peptides with 1% false discovery rate from 10(8)
      murine A20 lymphoma cells. The study revealed the I-A(d) -specific motif in high
      resolution after multisequence alignment. The methodology was generally applied
      to the purification of MHC class II from cell lines and murine spleens. We
      identified 2963 peptides from BALB/c and 2712 from C57BL/6 mouse spleens. The
      identification of peptides bound to MHC class II in vitro and in vivo will
      facilitate the characterization of T-cell specificities, as well as the
      development of biotherapeutics and vaccines. 

PMID- 26495902
TI  - Deficiency or inhibition of lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 protects against
      hyperoxia-induced lung injury in neonatal rats.
AB  - AIM: Blocking of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor (LPAR) 1 may be a novel
      therapeutic option for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) by preventing the LPAR1
      mediated adverse effects of its ligand (LPA), consisting of lung inflammation,
      pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and fibrosis. METHODS: In Wistar rats with
      experimental BPD, induced by continuous exposure to 100% oxygen for 10 days, we
      determined the beneficial effects of LPAR1 deficiency in neonatal rats with a
      missense mutation in cytoplasmic helix 8 of LPAR1 and of LPAR1 and -3 blocking
      with Ki16425. Parameters investigated included survival, lung and heart
      histopathology, fibrin and collagen deposition, vascular leakage and differential
      mRNA expression in the lungs of key genes involved in LPA signalling and BPD
      pathogenesis. RESULTS: LPAR1-mutant rats were protected against experimental BPD
      and mortality with reduced alveolar septal thickness, lung inflammation (reduced
      influx of macrophages and neutrophils, and CINC1 expression) and collagen III
      deposition. However, LPAR1-mutant rats were not protected against alveolar
      enlargement, increased medial wall thickness of small arterioles, fibrin
      deposition and vascular alveolar leakage. Treatment of experimental BPD with
      Ki16425 confirmed the data observed in LPAR1-mutant rats, but did not reduce the
      pulmonary influx of neutrophils, CINC1 expression and mortality in rats with
      experimental BPD. In addition, Ki16425 treatment protected against PAH and right
      ventricular hypertrophy. CONCLUSION: LPAR1 deficiency attenuates pulmonary injury
      by reducing pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis, thereby reducing mortality, but
      does not affect alveolar and vascular development and, unlike Ki16425 treatment,
      does not prevent PAH in neonatal rats with experimental BPD.

PMID- 26495904
TI  - Chromohalobacter is a Causing Agent for the Production of Organic Acids and
      Putrescine during Fermentation of Ganjang, a Korean Traditional Soy Sauce.
AB  - Ganjang, a Korean traditional fermented soy sauce, is prepared by soaking
      doenjang-meju (fermented soybeans) in approximately 20% (w/v) solar salt
      solution. The metabolites and bacterial communities during ganjang fermentation
      were simultaneously investigated to gain a better understanding of the roles of
      the microbial population. The bacterial community analysis based on denaturing
      gradient gel electrophoresis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that initially,
      the genus Cobetia was predominant (0 to 10 d), followed by Bacillus (5 to 74 d),
      and eventually, Chromohalobacter became predominant until the end of the
      fermentation process (74 to 374 d). Metabolite analysis using (1)H-NMR showed
      that carbon compounds, such as fructose, galactose, glucose, and glycerol,
      probably released from doenjang-meju, increased rapidly during the early
      fermentation period (0 to 42 d). After removal of doenjang-meju from the ganjang
      solution (42 d), the initial carbon compounds remained nearly constant without
      the increase of fermentation products. At this point, Bacillus species, which
      probably originated from doenjang-meju, were predominant, suggesting that
      Bacillus is not mainly responsible for ganjang fermentation. Fermentation
      products including acetate, lactate, alpha-aminobutyrate, gamma-aminobutyrate,
      and putrescine increased quickly with the rapid decrease of the initial carbon
      compounds, while Chromohalobacter, probably derived from the solar salts, was
      predominant. Multivariate redundancy analysis indicated that the Chromohalobacter
      population was closely correlated with the production of the organic acids and
      putrescine during the ganjang fermentation. These results may suggest that
      Chromohalobacter is a causing agent responsible for the production of organic
      acids and putrescine during ganjang fermentation and that the solar salts, not
      doenjang-meju, is an important microbial source for ganjang fermentation.

PMID- 26495905
TI  - Identification of mineral compositions in some renal calculi by FT Raman and IR
      spectral analysis.
AB  - We present in this paper accurate and reliable Raman and IR spectral
      identification of mineral constituents in nine samples of renal calculi (kidney
      stones) removed from patients suffering from nephrolithiasis. The identified
      mineral components include Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate (COM, whewellite), Calcium
      Oxalate Dihydrate (COD, weddellite), Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate Hexahydrate
      (MAPH, struvite), Calcium Hydrogen Phosphate Dihydrate (CHPD, brushite),
      Pentacalcium Hydroxy Triphosphate (PCHT, hydroxyapatite) and Uric Acid (UA). The
      identification is based on a satisfactory assignment of all the observed IR and
      Raman bands (3500-400c m(-1)) to chemical functional groups of mineral components
      in the samples, aided by spectral analysis of pure materials of COM, MAPH, CHPD
      and UA. It is found that the eight samples are composed of COM as the common
      component, the other mineral species as common components are: MAPH in five
      samples, PCHT in three samples, COD in three samples, UA in three samples and
      CHPD in two samples. One sample is wholly composed of UA as a single component;
      this inference is supported by the good agreement between ab initio density
      functional theoretical spectra and experimental spectral measurements of both
      sample and pure material. A combined application of Raman and IR techniques has
      shown that, where the IR is ambiguous, the Raman analysis can differentiate COD
      from COM and PCHT from MAPH.

PMID- 26495906
TI  - Direct and indirect effects of alcohol expectancies through drinking motives on
      alcohol outcomes among students in Vietnam.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the links between alcohol expectancies (tension
      reduction; global positive change; improved cognitive and motor abilities; and
      change in social behavior) and alcohol outcomes (drinking volume, 6+ drinks,
      alcohol problems, and symptoms of alcohol dependence) are mediated by drinking
      motives (social, enhancement, conformity, and coping). METHOD: A multi-stage
      sampling strategy was used in four Vietnamese provinces, resulting in a final
      sample of 4756 students (43.2% females) with mean age 20.6 (SD 1.8) years.
      Structural equation models, including indirect effects, were estimated for women
      and men separately. RESULTS: Overall, there were many cases of full mediation
      (indirect effects range from -0.006 to 0.083 and p-values from <0.05 to <0.001)
      and little indication of partial mediation (indirect effects range from -0.009 to
      0.025 and p-values from <0.05 to <0.001). In both men and women, coping motives
      most frequently mediated the influence of expectancies on alcohol outcomes. Among
      men, enhancement motives and, to a lesser extent, social motives also played a
      role in mediating the effects of expectancies on alcohol outcomes. Among women,
      full mediation was found far less often and less consistently. CONCLUSION: By
      confirming that, in Vietnam, motives mediate the link between expectancies and
      drinking behavior, this study supports the cultural robustness of a key
      assumption of the motivational model (i.e. that drinking motives are more closely
      associated with alcohol use than expectancies). Enhancement, coping and social
      motives are most frequently found as mediators among male students whereas coping
      motive only is most frequently found as a mediator among female students. As most
      of the effects of expectancies were mediated by motives, drinking motives appear
      to be a promising factor for interventions.

PMID- 26495907
TI  - Fish consumption and depressive symptoms in undergraduate students: A cross
      sectional analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that fish consumption may have beneficial
      effects on mood disorders. However, no study has been reported on this issue in
      young adults to date. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship
      between fish consumption and depressive symptoms in Japanese undergraduate
      students. METHODS: The 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
      was used to measure depressive symptoms with a cut-off score of 16. A total of
      4190 completed questionnaires (from 2124 men and 2066 women) were received for
      analysis. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic analysis showed that fish intake was
      inversely associated with risk of depressive symptoms in undergraduate students.
      After adjustment for possible confounders, the odds-ratios (95% confidence
      intervals) for fish intake 1-2 times/month, 1-2 times/week, 3-4 times/week, and
      almost every day (compared with "almost never") were 0.78 (0.62-0.99), 0.70 (0.56
      0.87), 0.67 (0.53-0.85) and 0.65 (0.46-0.92), respectively. This association
      tended to be stronger in women than in men. CONCLUSIONS: Frequent fish
      consumption in undergraduate students seems to moderate depressive symptoms.
      Further research is warranted to clarify the causality.

PMID- 26495908
TI  - APL: An angle probability list to improve knowledge-based metaheuristics for the
      three-dimensional protein structure prediction.
AB  - Tertiary protein structure prediction is one of the most challenging problems in
      structural bioinformatics. Despite the advances in algorithm development and
      computational strategies, predicting the folded structure of a protein only from
      its amino acid sequence remains as an unsolved problem. We present a new
      computational approach to predict the native-like three-dimensional structure of
      proteins. Conformational preferences of amino acid residues and secondary
      structure information were obtained from protein templates stored in the Protein
      Data Bank and represented as an Angle Probability List. Two knowledge-based
      prediction methods based on Genetic Algorithms and Particle Swarm Optimization
      were developed using this information. The proposed method has been tested with
      twenty-six case studies selected to validate our approach with different classes
      of proteins and folding patterns. Stereochemical and structural analysis were
      performed for each predicted three-dimensional structure. Results achieved
      suggest that the Angle Probability List can improve the effectiveness of
      metaheuristics used to predicted the three-dimensional structure of protein
      molecules by reducing its conformational search space. 

PMID- 26495910
TI  - Radiofrequency denervation for chronic low back pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency (RF) denervation, an invasive treatment for chronic
      low back pain (CLBP), is used most often for pain suspected to arise from facet
      joints, sacroiliac (SI) joints or discs. Many (uncontrolled) studies have shown
      substantial variation in its use between countries and continued uncertainty
      regarding its effectiveness. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review is to
      assess the effectiveness of RF denervation procedures for the treatment of
      patients with CLBP. The current review is an update of the review conducted in
      2003. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled
      Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, three other databases, two clinical trials
      registries and the reference lists of included studies from inception to May 2014
      for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) fulfilling the inclusion criteria. We
      updated this search in June 2015, but we have not yet incorporated these results.
      SELECTION CRITERIA: We included RCTs of RF denervation for patients with CLBP who
      had a positive response to a diagnostic block or discography. We applied no
      language or date restrictions. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Pairs of review
      authors independently selected RCTs, extracted data and assessed risk of bias
      (RoB) and clinical relevance using standardised forms. We performed meta-analyses
      with clinically homogeneous studies and assessed the quality of evidence for each
      outcome using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and
      Evaluation (GRADE) approach. MAIN RESULTS: In total, we included 23 RCTs (N =
      1309), 13 of which (56%) had low RoB. We included both men and women with a mean
      age of 50.6 years. We assessed the overall quality of the evidence as very low to
      moderate. Twelve studies examined suspected facet joint pain, five studies disc
      pain, two studies SI joint pain, two studies radicular CLBP, one study suspected
      radiating low back pain and one study CLBP with or without suspected radiation.
      Overall, moderate evidence suggests that facet joint RF denervation has a greater
      effect on pain compared with placebo over the short term (mean difference (MD) 
      1.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) -2.28 to -0.67). Low-quality evidence
      indicates that facet joint RF denervation is more effective than placebo for
      function over the short term (MD -5.53, 95% CI -8.66 to -2.40) and over the long
      term (MD -3.70, 95% CI -6.94 to -0.47). Evidence of very low to low quality shows
      that facet joint RF denervation is more effective for pain than steroid
      injections over the short (MD -2.23, 95% CI -2.38 to -2.08), intermediate (MD 
      2.13, 95% CI -3.45 to -0.81), and long term (MD -2.65, 95% CI -3.43 to -1.88). RF
      denervation used for disc pain produces conflicting results, with no effects for
      RF denervation compared with placebo over the short and intermediate term, and
      small effects for RF denervation over the long term for pain relief (MD -1.63,
      95% CI -2.58 to -0.68) and improved function (MD -6.75, 95% CI -13.42 to -0.09).
      Lack of evidence of short-term effectiveness undermines the clinical plausibility
      of intermediate-term or long-term effectiveness. When RF denervation is used for
      SI joint pain, low-quality evidence reveals no differences from placebo in
      effects on pain (MD -2.12, 95% CI -5.45 to 1.21) and function (MD -14.06, 95% CI 
      30.42 to 2.30) over the short term, and one study shows a small effect on both
      pain and function over the intermediate term. RF denervation is an invasive
      procedure that can cause a variety of complications. The quality and size of
      original studies were inadequate to permit assessment of how often complications
      occur. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The review authors found no high-quality evidence
      suggesting that RF denervation provides pain relief for patients with CLBP.
      Similarly, we identified no convincing evidence to show that this treatment
      improves function. Overall, the current evidence for RF denervation for CLBP is
      very low to moderate in quality; high-quality evidence is lacking. High-quality
      RCTs with larger patient samples are needed, as are data on long-term effects.

PMID- 26495909
TI  - Patterns of psychological distress in mothers of preterm infants.
AB  - Mothers of preterm infants experience significant psychological distress, with
      elevated levels of inter-correlated depressive, stress, anxiety and post
      traumatic stress symptoms. In a sample of racially and ethnically diverse mothers
      of preterm infants, we identified differing patterns of psychological distress
      during infant hospitalization and examined the effect of these psychological
      distress patterns on longitudinal trajectories of each psychological distress
      measure and on maternal perceptions of the child over the first year of the
      infant's life. Mothers of preterm infants (N=232) completed five questionnaires
      assessing depressive symptoms, anxiety, post-traumatic stress symptoms, stress
      due to infant appearance, and stress due to parental role alteration during
      enrollment during the neonatal hospitalization, discharge, and at 2, 6, and 12
      months of age adjusted for prematurity. Latent class analysis on the enrollment
      psychological distress variables allowed us to identify five sub-groups of
      mothers exhibiting similar patterns of psychological distress, differing
      primarily in degree and type: low distress, moderate distress, high NICU-related
      distress, high depressive and anxiety symptoms, and extreme distress. These
      classes continued to show different longitudinal trajectories for the
      psychological distress measures through 12 months corrected age. Mothers in the
      extreme distress class and, to a lesser degree, mothers in the high depressive
      and anxiety symptom class remained at risk of significant psychological distress
      one year after discharge and had less positive perceptions of their child
      (greater worry and higher perceptions of child vulnerability). In conclusion,
      distinctive sub-groups of mothers during hospitalization had different patterns
      of psychological distress throughout the 12-month period and may require
      different interventions in the NICU. 

PMID- 26495911
TI  - Temperature-Dependent Abnormal and Tunable p-n Response of Tungsten Oxide--Tin
      Oxide Based Gas Sensors.
AB  - We observed the sensing response of temperature-dependent abnormal p-n
      transitions in WO3-SnO2 hybrid hollow sphere based gas sensors for the first
      time. The sensors presented a normal n-type response to ethanol at elevated
      temperatures but abnormal p-type responses in a wide range of operation
      temperatures (room temperature to about 95  degrees C). By measuring various
      reducing gases and applying complex impedance plotting techniques, we
      demonstrated the abnormal p-type sensing behavior to be a pseudo-response
      resulting from the reaction between target gas and adsorbed water on the material
      surface. The temperature-controlled n-p switch is ascribed to the competition of
      intrinsic and extrinsic sensing behaviors, which resulted from the reaction of
      target gas with adsorbed oxygen ions and protons from adsorbed water,
      respectively. The former can modulate the intrinsic conductivity of the sensor by
      changing the electron concentration of the sensing materials, while the latter
      can regulate the conduction of the water layer, which contributes to the total
      conductivity as an external part. The hollow and hybrid nanostructures
      facilitated the observation of extrinsic sensing behaviors due to its large-area
      active sites and abundant oxygen vacancies, which could enhance the adsorption of
      water. This work might give new insight into gas sensing mechanisms and opens up
      a promising way to develop practical temperature and humidity controllable gas
      sensors with little power consumption based on the extrinsic properties.

PMID- 26495912
TI  - Combination Therapy Of Tadalafil And Pentoxifylline In Severe Erectile
      Dysfunction; A Prospective Randomized Trial.
AB  - The aim of the study was to assess efficacy of Tadalafil alone versus Tadalafil
      plus Pentoxifylline in the treatment of erectile dysfunction by using self
      administered IIEF-5 questionnaire. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two hundred and thirty
      seven patients presenting with ED at andrology OPD were evaluated for ED by a
      self administered IIEF (International Index of Erectile Function) questionnaire.
      Patients were systematically randomized by computer generated random table into
      two groups groups namely, group A: Tadalafil only group, group B: combination of
      Tadalafil + Pentoxifyl-line. All the patients were re-assessed by IIEF-5
      questionnaire after 8 weeks of medical therapy. Statistical analysis was
      performed using student's unpaired t-test, paired t-test, chi square test. p
      value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Two hundred and
      thirty seven patients were included in the present study, in group A: 92 patients
      (78.6%) showed improvement in their IIEF score after 8 weeks of tadalafil
      treatment. While in group B, overall 104 patients(86.6%) showed improvement after
      combination of Tadalafil and Pentoxifylline. There was a statistically
      significant difference of percentage change in IIEF score was seen in group B
      (group A 90.7+/-15.2%, group B 95.6+/-13.4%; p value - 0.014). We found this
      difference even more statistically significant in patients with severe ED (group
      A 72.7+/-47.2%, group B 132.3+/-54.3%; p value - 0.000). There was no significant
      difference in between the two groups with regards to occur-rence of side effects.
      CONCLUSIONS: Both tadalafil and combination of Tadalafil + Pentoxifylline improve
      erectile function in patients of ED. Patients with severe ED showed much
      significant improvement in erectile function with combination therapy.

PMID- 26495913
TI  - The Use Of Anterolateral Thigh Flap (ALTF) For Functional Tongue Reconstruction
      With Postoperative Quality Of Live Evaluation.
AB  - The use of microsurgery for oral reconstruction of cancer patients, has become
      standard treatment in restoring oral function. The free anterolateral thigh flap
      is one of the most preferred options in reconstruction after total, subtotal or
      hemiresection of the tonque due to squamous cell cancer. The aim of the study was
      to present the reconstructive method using anterolateral thigh free flap with
      evaluation of quality of live. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinical material includes
      46 consecutive patients with tongue cancer, who underwent complex surgical
      treatment between 2009 and 2011. There were 36 males and 10 females and the M: F
      ratio was 3.6: 1. All of them were reconstructed using the anterolateral thigh
      free flap. The quality of life was evaluated 6 months after completing the
      treatment, based on postoperative functional and aesthetic status. RESULTS: The
      overall flap survival rate was 96%. Surgical complications were observed in 8
      patients (17%). Donor site was closed primarly in 42 cases and in remaining 4
      skin graft was required. In all 46 cases understandable speech and return to
      unrestricted diet mastication and swallowing were achieved. The mean follow-up
      period after treatment was 32 months. Analysis of aesthetic effects evaluated in
      23 cases and shows generally very good results. According to average transformed
      scores the QOL can be characterized as excellent for >90, very good for 76-90,
      good for 51-75, moderate for 25-50 and bad for <25 points. CONCLUSIONS:
      Anterolateral thigh flap, with its versatility in design, long pedicle with a
      suitable vessel diameter, low donor site morbidity, and very good aesthetic
      effects, could be the ideal flap for functional tongue reconstruction.

PMID- 26495914
TI  - Rare Facial Clefts.
AB  - In 1976 Dr. Paul Tessier described numeric classification for rare craniofacial
      clefts. He first emphasized that a fissure of the soft tissue corresponds, as a
      general rule, to a cleft of the bony structure. The classification, easy to
      understand, became widely accepted because the recording of the malformations was
      simple and facilitated communication between observers. The aim of this study was
      to present our own experience with treatment of patients with rare facial clefts.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Our Department has 11 patients with rare craniofacial
      clefts under its care. This group includes 8 boys and 3 girls. The patients aged
      from 2 months to 18 years at the time of the first consultation. RESULTS: In two
      patients the cleft was median, in seven patients it was one-sided and in two-
      bilateral. The most common type of cleft was number 6, and the rarest were 2, 3,
      and 7. All patients underwent surgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Atypical facial
      clefts are rare congenital anomalies, however because of functional and aesthetic
      disturbances they constitute a serious medical and therapeutic problem. Facial
      clefts are characterized by variable clinical presentation and require
      individualized treatment plan.

PMID- 26495915
TI  - How Do Patients Assess Outcomes Of Treatment Of Prognathism?
AB  - The aim of the study was to analyze the results of patients' subjective self
      assessment of surgical treatment of prognathism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study
      included 35 patients who underwent extraoral vertical ramus osteotomy. Each
      patient responded to 12 questions contained in the questionnaire created by the
      authors. RESULTS: All respondents positively assessed their appearance after
      surgery. In most cases they pointed out the positive impact of treatment on their
      self-confidence (82.9% of responses). The vast majority of respondents felt
      improvement in biting off food (91.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients positively evaluate
      the outcome of surgical treatment with extraoral vertical ramus osteotomy. The
      subjective improvement of the facial appearance, as well as chewing and
      articulation functions took place after the treatment.

PMID- 26495916
TI  - Randomized Clinical Trial To Compare The Effects Of Preoperative Oral
      Carbohydrate Loading Versus Placebo On Insulin Resistance And Cortisol Level
      After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.
AB  - Postoperative insulin resistance, used as a marker of stress response, is clearly
      an adverse event. It may induce postoperative hyperglycemia, which according to
      some authors can increase the risk of postoperative complications. One of the
      elements of modern perioperative care is preoperative administration of oral
      carbohydrate loading (CHO-loading), which shortens preoperative fasting and
      reduces insulin resistance. The aim of the study is to establish the influence of
      CHO-loading on the level of insulin resistance and cortisol in patients
      undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients
      were randomly allocated to one of 2 groups. The intervention group included 20
      patients who received CHO-loading (400 ml Nutricia pre-op(r)) 2 hours prior
      surgery. The control group received a placebo (clear water). In every patient
      blood samples were taken 2 hours prior to surgery, immediately after surgery, and
      on the 1st postoperative day. Levels and changes in glucose, cortisol and insulin
      resistance were analyzed in both groups. RESULTS: Although there were differences
      in the levels of cortisol, insulin, and insulin resistance, no statistically
      significant differences were observed between groups in every measurement. The
      length of stay and postoperative complications were comparable in both groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: We believe that CHO-loading is not clinically justified in case of
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy. No effect on the levels of glucose, insulin
      resistance and cortisol was observed. Even though such procedure is safe, in our
      opinion there is no clinical benefit from CHO-loading prior to laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy.

PMID- 26495917
TI  - Description Of Minimally Invasive Methods Of Treatment Of Walled-Off Pancreatic
      Necrosis (WOPN)--The Use Of "Step-Up Approach" In Patient With Pancreatic
      Necrosis.
AB  - The study presents description of treatment of patients with walled-off
      pancreatic necrosis (WOPN). The strategy of treatment was to extend access to
      necrotic areas ("step-up approach"). Applied endoscopic transmural access
      (transgastric) and percutaneous access (transperitoneal). The endoscopic
      necrosectomy under fluoroscopic guidance was repeated four times during active
      transluminal drainage. Endoscopic treatment with percutaneous drainage gave very
      beneficial clinical effects. 

PMID- 26495918
TI  - Parietal Strangulation Of Small Intestine In Femoral Hernia Site With Symptoms Of
      Intestinal Obstruction In Patient With Incidentally Found Small Intestine Tumor-
      A Case Report.
AB  - Richter's hernia (partial enterocele) is the strangulation/entrapment of only
      part of the circumference of the intestinal wall. It is relatively rare, and
      presents without mechanical obstruction - giving vague, non-specific symptoms and
      signs, and a threat of intestinal necrosis, gangrene, followed by perforation. A
      report of a case of entrapment of the jejunum in the femoral ring, which did not
      cause the gangrene, but symptoms of mechanical obstruction, is presented. Further
      inspection of the small bowel in this case revealed an extra-luminal tumour,
      which appeared to be a GIST. The entrapped part of the jejunum has been released
      and the tumour has been resected. 

PMID- 26495919
TI  - Colorectal Cancer In The Elderly Patient.
AB  - Colorectal neoplasms present a serious diagnostic and therapeutic problem.
      Continuously increasing morbidity affects the elderly people in particular and
      considering the aging of the society and enhanced impact of the factors with a
      proved role in carcinogenesis, this tendency is predicted to remain unchanged in
      the near future. Therefore, it seems justified to thoroughly analyze the
      specificity of this patient group accordingly adjust the diagnostic and
      therapeutic procedures. The elderly patients require an interdisciplinary care
      both in the preparation and postoperative period. A multispecialty senior staff
      case meeting seems thus essential to determine the most beneficial treatment
      approach. Development of additional algorithms for the elderly patient with
      colorectal cancer is warranted.

PMID- 26495920
TI  - Porcine Model In The Laparoscopic Liver Surgery Training.
AB  - The aim of the study was to evaluate the possibility to use live anesthetized
      pigs as a model for laparoscopic liver resection. During two days laparoscopy
      course two trainees were operating on two live animals performing exposure of the
      liver, Pringle manoeuver, division of liver ligaments, dissecting of the
      structures inside the hepatoduodenal ligament, dissection of the hepatic veins
      and left lateral liver sectionectomy. Exposure of the liver and Pringle manoeuver
      were performed correctly within 50 and 35 minutes. Left lateral sectionectomy has
      been performed correctly within 2 hours. The full dissection of the
      hepatoduodenal ligament and exposure of the hepatic veins were judged as
      insufficient by experienced laparoscopic tutors. There was one injury to the
      suprahepatic vena cava that was managed laparoscopically. The porcine model can
      be used as an advanced training for laparoscopic liver surgery. 

PMID- 26495921
TI  - A guide on how to build a novel home-made part task training simulator for
      cervical cerclage training.
AB  - Cervical cerclage is a experience demanding procedure and which is difficult for
      most of the residents and maternal fetal medicine fellows to have the first
      experience on real patients. In this study we presented an in-expensive and easy
      to build model for cervical cerclage training. 

PMID- 26495922
TI  - Reference values for the single deepest vertical pocket to assess the amniotic
      fluid volume in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.
AB  - AIM: To establish reference values for the single deepest vertical pocket to
      assess the amniotic fluid volume in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.
      METHODS: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study with 3554 consecutive
      singleton low-risk pregnant women between 14 and 41 weeks of gestation. To
      perform the largest deepest vertical pocket measurement, the transabdominal
      convex probe was positioned vertical to the uterine contour of abdomen and
      parallel to the maternal sagittal plane. In order to obtain reference values for
      the largest deepest vertical pocket measurement and gestational age (GA), we have
      used a polynomial regression model. RESULTS: The mean+/-standard deviation for
      the largest deepest vertical pocket measurement (cm) ranged from 3.1+/-1.1 (1.5
      4.9) at 14-14+6 to 3.7+/-1.6 (0-6.7) at 41-41+6 weeks, respectively. A best-fit
      was a second-degree polynomial regression: largest deepest pocket=-1.478+0.197*GA
      0.0030*GA2 (R2=0.014). CONCLUSION: Reference values for the single deepest
      vertical pocket to assess the amniotic fluid volume in the second and third
      trimesters of pregnancy in a large heterogeneous population were established.

PMID- 26495923
TI  - Rare and curable renin-mediated hypertension: a series of six cases and a
      literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reninoma is an extremely rare renal tumor characterized by excessive
      renin secretion causing secondary hypertension and hypokalemia. Reninoma is a
      benign and highly manageable lesion if it is discovered early and removed
      surgically. METHODS: We report six cases of reninoma and provide a literature
      review on this rare disease, highlighting the diagnostic evaluation and follow-up
      of each patient. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Reninoma should be considered in young
      adults with elevated renin activity and refractory hypertension. Imaging studies
      and selective venous catheterization are often helpful in identifying the lesion.
      In most cases of reninoma presenting with renin-mediated hypertension,
      conservative surgical treatment should be considered to remove the small,
      superficial lesion.

PMID- 26495924
TI  - Analysis of the PAX8 gene in 32 children with thyroid dysgenesis and functional
      characterization of a promoter variant.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The molecular basis underlying the development of thyroid dysgenesis
      remains largely unknown. The objective of this study was to analyze the PAX8 gene
      in 32 children with congenital hypothyroidism due to thyroid dysgenesis for
      mutations, and to characterize the functional consequences of the mutations.
      METHODS: The 5'-untranslated region and the entire coding region of the PAX8 gene
      were analyzed in 32 children. Functional analyses with a reporter gene assay were
      performed in transfected PCCL3 and TSA cells. RESULTS: Thirty children did not
      have any sequence alterations. Two individuals had a previously identified
      monoallelic cytosine to thymine transition at position -983 in the promoter (
      983C>T; mutant P. A of the ATG of the initiator codon is designated as +1), and a
      novel guanine to cytosine transversion in the non-coding exon 1 (-465G>C; mutant
      E). Functional analysis revealed that the basal transcriptional activity of the
      mutants is decreased compared to the wild type. Gel mobility shift assays
      indicated that mutant P does not interact with a transacting factor whose nature
      remains to be elucidated. The DNA binding property of mutant E were similar
      compared to the wild type. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that mutations in
      PAX8 are most likely a very rare cause of thyroid dysgenesis. The observed
      sequence alterations result in diminished transcriptional activity and, in
      conjunction with other genetic and non-genetic modifiers, they may contribute to
      the pathogenesis of thyroid hypoplasia and hypothyroidism.

PMID- 26495925
TI  - Schoolchildren born VLBW or VLGA show height-related changes in body composition
      and muscle function but no evidence of metabolic syndrome risk factors. Results
      from the NEOLONG study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children born small for gestational age (SGA) are at risk for the
      metabolic syndrome (MetS) as adults. We examined whether indicators of MetS could
      be identified in pre-pubertal children born very preterm. METHODS: Parameters
      associated with MetS were studied in 141 pre-pubertal schoolchildren with either
      very low birth weight (VLBW) or GA <32 weeks (SGA: n=43). RESULTS: At 8.3+/-0.8
      years, 36 children (SGA: n=15) were classified short. There were no differences
      between the SGA and appropriate for age (AGA) groups; nor were dissimilarities
      observed between short children and those with normal height for parameters such
      as body mass index (BMI), serum levels of hormones, HDL cholesterol,
      triglycerides, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, body composition, resting energy
      expenditure, grip strength and jump force. CONCLUSIONS: Neither SGA at birth nor
      short stature at follow-up (irrespective of size at birth), could be associated
      with parameters that indicate an increased risk for the MetS during childhood.

PMID- 26495926
TI  - A cross-sectional study of biomarkers of exposure and effect in smokers and moist
      snuff consumers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for several chronic
      diseases. Epidemiological data indicate the use of smokeless tobacco (ST) is
      associated with significantly lower risk for smoking-related diseases compared to
      cigarettes. Several biomarkers of exposure (BioExp) and effect (BioEff)
      associated with smoking and use of moist snuff (ST) were evaluated. METHODS: A
      single site, cross-sectional clinical study enrolled three groups of generally
      healthy male smokers (SMK), moist snuff consumers (MSC), and non-tobacco
      consumers (NTC), and several BioExp and BioEff were evaluated. RESULTS: Blood and
      urinary BioExp, including total nicotine equivalents and tobacco-specific
      nitrosamines, were higher in MSC compared to SMK. Biomarkers of combustion
      related toxicants and cadmium were elevated in SMK. Elevated levels of some
      BioEff associated with oxidative stress (urinary isoprostanes and leukotriene
      E4), inflammation (white blood cell count), platelet activation (thromboxane
      metabolites), and lipid metabolism (apolipoprotein B100 and oxidized low-density
      lipoprotein) were observed in SMK relative to NTC and MSC (all p<0.05). The non
      smoking groups (MSC and NTC) showed similar levels of combustion-related BioExp
      and BioEff. CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of exposure to nicotine and some N'
      nitrosamines may be observed in MSC, and SMK are exposed to higher levels of
      combustion-related toxicants. Changes in BioEff consistent with some aspects of
      inflammation, oxidative stress, and altered lipid metabolism were detected in SMK
      compared to the non-smoking groups. The biomarker data further improve our
      understanding of pathophysiological changes and the risk continuum associated
      with various tobacco products, and could be useful components of future
      assessments of tobacco products.

PMID- 26495927
TI  - Hemoglobin A2-Leuven (alpha2delta2 143(H21) His>Asp): a novel delta-chain variant
      potentially interfering in hemoglobin A1c measurement using cation exchange HPLC.

PMID- 26495928
TI  - Assessing the commutability of reference material formats for the harmonization
      of amyloid-beta measurements.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid-beta (Abeta42) peptide is an
      important biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Variability in measured Abeta42
      concentrations at different laboratories may be overcome by standardization and
      establishing traceability to a reference system. Candidate certified reference
      materials (CRMs) are validated herein for this purpose. METHODS: Commutability of
      16 candidate CRM formats was assessed across five CSF Abeta42 immunoassays and
      one mass spectrometry (MS) method in a set of 48 individual clinical CSF samples.
      Promising candidate CRM formats (neat CSF and CSF spiked with Abeta42) were
      identified and subjected to validation across eight (Elecsys, EUROIMMUN, IBL,
      INNO-BIA AlzBio3, INNOTEST, MSD, Simoa, and Saladax) immunoassays and the MS
      method in 32 individual CSF samples. Commutability was evaluated by Passing
      Bablok regression and the candidate CRM termed commutable when found within the
      prediction interval (PI). The relative distance to the regression line was
      assessed. RESULTS: The neat CSF candidate CRM format was commutable for almost
      all method comparisons, except for the Simoa/MSD, Simoa/MS and MS/IBL where it
      was found just outside the 95% PI. However, the neat CSF was found within 5%
      relative distance to the regression line for MS/IBL, between 5% and 10% for
      Simoa/MS and between 10% and 15% for Simoa/MSD comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: The neat
      CSF candidate CRM format was commutable for 33 of 36 method comparisons, only one
      comparison more than expected given the 95% PI acceptance limit. We conclude that
      the neat CSF candidate CRM can be used for value assignment of the kit
      calibrators for the different Abeta42 methods.

PMID- 26495929
TI  - Underestimation of hepcidin concentration by time of flight mass spectrometry and
      competitive ELISA in hepcidin p.Gly71Asp heterozygotes.

PMID- 26495930
TI  - Biological variation of high sensitivity cardiac troponin-T in stable dialysis
      patients: implications for clinical practice.

PMID- 26495931
TI  - Steroid hormone secretion in inflammatory breast cancer cell lines.
AB  - Inflammatory breast carcinoma (IBC) is a special type of breast cancer with a
      poor survival rate. Though several IBC cell lines have been established, recently
      a first IMC cell line was established. The aims of this study were: (1) to
      validate a highly sensitive, reliable, accurate and direct amplified enzyme
      immunoassay (EIA) to measure several cell-secreted steroid hormones: progesterone
      (P4), androstenedione (A4), testosterone (T), 17beta-estradiol (E2) and estrone
      sulfate (SO4E1) in the culture medium. (2) To assess whether hormone production
      profile by IPC-366 cells validates the IMC model for human IBC. We validated a
      non-competitive amplified EIA for inflammatory breast cancer cell lines based on
      the results of accuracy, precision, sensitivity and parallelism. The low
      detection limits of the technique were: P4=13.2 pg/well, A4=2.3 pg/well, T=11.4
      pg/well, E2=1.9 pg/well and SO4E1=4.5 pg/well. Intra- and inter-assay coefficient
      of variation percentages were <10%. The mean recovery rate of hormone added to
      the culture medium was >90%. In all hormones studied SUM149 have higher levels
      (1.4 times, but not significant) than IPC-366, and the correlation index between
      SUM149 and IPC-366 concentrations were >97%. We can coclude that cells of both
      cell lines, IPC-366 and SUM149, are capable to produce steroid hormone in culture
      media. The presented EIA methodology is very valuable for the detection of
      steroid production in culture media and could be used in hormone regulation
      studies and therapeutic agents in cell lines of inflammatory and non-inflammatory
      mammary carcinoma or other cancer cell lines in preclinical studies. 

PMID- 26495932
TI  - Effects of environmental factors on microalgal biomass production in wastewater
      using cyanobacteria Aphanothece clathrata and Microcystis wesenbergii.
AB  - Effects of temperature, light, coexistent microbes, and dissolved matter on the
      growth of cyanobacteria Aphanothece clathrata and Microcystis wesenbergii were
      discussed using a batch incubation system in this research for microbial biomass
      production in wastewater. As a result, water temperature in the effluents from
      the municipal wastewater treatment plants in Tokyo was suitable for the growth of
      these cyanobacteria, though preheating of wastewater may be required for M.
      wesenbergii in winter. The dissolved matter in the treated wastewater did not
      affect the growth of A. clathrata and enhanced the growth of M. wesenbergii.
      However, the microbes in the treated wastewater attacked the cyanobacteria and
      inhibited their growth. Therefore, pretreatment of microbes might be required for
      biomass production in the treated wastewater. The maximum methane production
      potentials of A. clathrata and M. wesenbergii in the treated wastewater were
      estimated to be 13.5 and 2.12 L-CH4*m-2*day-1, respectively, when the depth of
      the bioreactor was set at 4.8 m for A. clathrata and 0.7 m for M. wesenbergii.
      The potential of A. clathrata was higher than that of grasses. Consequently,
      cyanobacteria, especially A. clathrata, may become a good biomass for bioenergy
      production.

PMID- 26495933
TI  - Correlated 3D Nanoscale Mapping and Simulation of Coupled Plasmonic
      Nanoparticles.
AB  - Electron tomography in combination with electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS)
      experiments and simulations was used to unravel the interplay between structure
      and plasmonic properties of a silver nanocuboid dimer. The precise 3D geometry of
      the particles fabricated by means of electron beam lithography was reconstructed
      through electron tomography, and the full three-dimensional information was used
      as an input for simulations of energy-loss spectra and plasmon resonance maps.
      Excellent agreement between experiment and theory was found throughout, bringing
      the comparison between EELS imaging and simulations to a quantitative and
      correlative level. In addition, interface mode patterns, normally masked by the
      projection nature of a transmission microscopy investigation, could be
      unambiguously identified through tomographic reconstruction. This work overcomes
      the need for geometrical assumptions or symmetry restrictions of the sample in
      simulations and paves the way for detailed investigations of realistic and
      complex plasmonic nanostructures. 

PMID- 26495934
TI  - The influence of celebrity exemplars on college students' smoking.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effect of celebrity smoking exemplars in
      health news on college students' perceptions of smoking-related health risks and
      smoking intentions. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The data were collected using a Web
      based survey of 219 undergraduate students at a large midwestern university in
      March 2011. Separate analyses of covariance were conducted. RESULTS: The
      influence of negative exemplars of celebrity smoking on perceptions of smoking
      related health risks and smoking intentions varied according to smoking status.
      Ever-smokers who read smoking news with negative exemplars of celebrity smoking
      were more likely than ever-smokers who read the same news absent any exemplar to
      report higher levels of perceptions of smoking-related health risks and lower
      levels of smoking intentions. However, these patterns were not found in never
      smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Exemplification theory enhanced by the celebrity element
      may be effectively applied as a strategy to change health behavior in college
      students.

PMID- 26495935
TI  - Effects of organic matter on crystallization of struvite in biologically treated
      swine wastewater.
AB  - A sustainable way to recover phosphorus (P) in swine wastewater involves a
      preliminary step of P dissolution followed by the separation of particulate
      organic matter (OM). The next two steps are firstly the precipitation of struvite
      crystals done by adding a crystallization reagent (magnesia) and secondly the
      filtration of the crystals. To develop the process successfully at an industrial
      scale, the control of the mechanisms of precipitation is the key point in order
      to obtain high value-added products, that is, big struvite crystals easy to
      harvest and handle. Experiments with process parameters optimized previously in a
      synthetic swine wastewater were performed on real swine wastewater to assess the
      role of the OM on struvite crystallization. After 24 h, with a pH increase to 6.8
      only, 90% of the initial P was precipitated and 60% was precipitated as struvite.
      80% of the solid recovered was in the fraction > 100 um. The other forms
      recovered were brushite, amorphous calcium phosphate, NaCl, KCl and OM. The
      influence of OM on struvite precipitation in acidified swine wastewater was
      negative on the reaction kinetics but positive on the size of the struvite
      crystals. The presence of colloidal particles increased the size of the struvite
      crystals but slowed down the kinetics due to the viscosity induced by the
      repulsive force of the colloids. The maximum size of single struvite crystals
      (200 um) was observed with the presence of particulate OM. 

PMID- 26495936
TI  - There is a need once again for a multifactorial assessment and intervention for
      fall prevention among the elderly.

PMID- 26495937
TI  - Bidirectional Direct Sequencing of Noncanonical RNA by Two-Dimensional Analysis
      of Mass Chromatograms.
AB  - Mass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful technique for characterizing noncanonical
      nucleobases and other chemical modifications in small RNAs, yielding rich
      chemical information that is complementary to high-throughput indirect
      sequencing. However, mass spectra are often prohibitively complex when fragment
      ions are analyzed following either solution phase hydrolysis or gas phase
      fragmentation. For all but the simplest cases, ions arising from multiple
      fragmentation events, alternative fragmentation pathways, and diverse salt
      adducts frequently obscure desired single-cut fragment ions. Here we show that it
      is possible to take advantage of predictable regularities in liquid
      chromatographic (LC) separation of optimized RNA digests to greatly simplify the
      interpretation of complex MS data. A two-dimensional analysis of extracted
      compound chromatograms permits straightforward and robust de novo sequencing,
      using a novel Monte Carlo algorithm that automatically generates bidirectional
      paired-end reads, pinpointing the position of modified nucleotides in a sequence.
      We demonstrate that these advances permit routine LC-MS sequencing of RNAs
      containing noncanonical nucleotides, and we furthermore examine the applicability
      of this approach to the study of oligonucleotides containing artificial
      modifications as well as those commonly observed in post-transcriptionally
      modified RNAs. 

PMID- 26495938
TI  - "My hair or my health:" Overcoming barriers to physical activity in African
      American women with a focus on hairstyle-related factors.
AB  - Physical activity disparities among African American (AA) women may be related to
      sociocultural barriers, including difficulties with restyling hair after
      exercise. We sought to identify physical activity barriers and facilitators in AA
      women with a focus on sociocultural factors related to hairstyle maintenance.
      Participants (n = 51) were AA women aged 19-73 years who completed valid surveys
      and participated in structured focus groups, stratified by age and physical
      activity levels, from November 2012 to February 2013. The Constant Comparison
      method was used to develop qualitative themes for barriers and facilitators. The
      most frequently reported general physical activity barrier among exercisers was
      "lack of money" (27%) and among non-exercisers was "lack of self-discipline"
      (57%). A hairstyle-related barrier of "sweating out my hairstyle" was reported by
      7% of exercisers and 29% of non-exercisers. This hairstyle-related barrier
      included the need for extra time and money to restyle hair due to perspiration.
      Hairstyle-related facilitators included: prioritizing health over hairstyle and
      high self-efficacy to restyle hair after perspiration. Participants were
      interested in resources to simplify hairstyle maintenance. AA women whose
      hairstyle is affected by perspiration may avoid physical activity due to time and
      financial burdens. Increasing self-efficacy to restyle hair after perspiration
      may help to overcome this barrier. 

PMID- 26495939
TI  - Intraparenchymal ultrasound application and improved distribution of infusate
      with convection-enhanced delivery in rodent and nonhuman primate brain.
AB  - OBJECT Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) is an effective drug delivery method
      that delivers high concentrations of drugs directly into the targeted lesion
      beyond the blood-brain barrier. However, the drug distribution attained using CED
      has not satisfactorily covered the entire targeted lesion in tumors such as
      glioma. Recently, the efficacy of ultrasound assistance was reported for various
      drug delivery applications. The authors developed a new ultrasound-facilitated
      drug delivery (UFD) system that enables the application of ultrasound at the
      infusion site. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of the
      UFD system and to examine effective ultrasound profiles. METHODS The authors
      fabricated a steel bar-based device that generates ultrasound and enables
      infusion of the aqueous drug from one end of the bar. The volume of distribution
      (Vd) after infusion of 10 ml of 2% Evans blue dye (EBD) into rodent brain was
      tested with different frequencies and applied voltages: 252 kHz/30 V; 252 kHz/60
      V; 524 kHz/13 V; 524 kHz/30 V; and 524 kHz/60 V. In addition, infusion of 5 mM
      gadopentetate dimeglumine (Gd-DTPA) was tested with 260 kHz/60 V, the
      distribution of which was evaluated using a 7-T MRI unit. In a nonhuman primate
      (Macaca fascicularis) study, 300 MUl of 1 mM Gd-DTPA/EBD was infused. The final
      distribution was evaluated using MRI. Two-sample comparisons were made by Student
      t-test, and 1-way ANOVA was used for multiple comparisons. Significance was set
      at p < 0.05. RESULTS After infusion of 10 MUl of EBD into the rat brain using the
      UFD system, the Vds of EBD in the UFD groups were significantly larger than those
      of the control group. When a frequency of 252 kHz was applied, the Vd of the
      group in which 60 V was applied was significantly larger than that of the group
      in which 30 V was used. When a frequency of 524 kHz was applied, the Vd tended to
      increase with application of a higher voltage; however, the differences were not
      significant (1-way ANOVA). The Vd of Gd-DTPA was also significantly larger in the
      UFD group than in the control group (p < 0.05, Student t-test). The volume of Gd
      DTPA in the nonhuman primate used in this study was 1209.8 +/- 193.6 mm(3). This
      volume was much larger than that achieved by conventional CED (568.6 +/- 141.0
      mm(3)). CONCLUSIONS The UFD system facilitated the distribution of EBD and Gd
      DTPA more effectively than conventional CED. Lower frequency and higher applied
      voltage using resonance frequencies might be more effective to enlarge the Vd.
      The UFD system may provide a new treatment approach for CNS disorders. 

PMID- 26495940
TI  - Obituary: John Anthony Jane Sr., MD, PhD, 1931-2015.

PMID- 26495941
TI  - The influence of maximum safe resection of glioblastoma on survival in 1229
      patients: Can we do better than gross-total resection?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and deadliest primary
      brain tumor. The value of extent of resection (EOR) in improving survival in
      patients with GBM has been repeatedly confirmed, with more extensive resections
      providing added advantages. The authors reviewed the survival of patients with
      significant EORs and assessed the relative benefit/risk of resecting 100% of the
      MRI region showing contrast-enhancement with or without additional resection of
      the surrounding FLAIR abnormality region, and they assessed the relative
      benefit/risk of performing this additional resection. METHODS: The study cohort
      included 1229 patients with histologically verified GBM in whom >= 78% resection
      was achieved at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center between June
      1993 and December 2012. Patients with > 1 tumor and those 80 years old or older
      were excluded. The survival of patients having 100% removal of the contrast
      enhancing tumor, with or without additional resection of the surrounding FLAIR
      abnormality region, was compared with that of patients undergoing 78% to < 100%
      EOR of the enhancing mass. Within the first subgroup, the survival durations of
      patients with and without resection of the surrounding FLAIR abnormality were
      subsequently compared. The data on patients and their tumor characteristics were
      collected prospectively. The incidence of 30-day postoperative complications
      (overall and neurological) was noted. RESULTS: Complete resection of the T1
      contrast-enhancing tumor volume was achieved in 876 patients (71%). The median
      survival time for these patients (15.2 months) was significantly longer than that
      for patients undergoing less than complete resection (9.8 months; p < 0.001).
      This survival advantage was achieved without an increase in the risk of overall
      or neurological postoperative deficits and after correcting for established
      prognostic factors including age, Karnofsky Performance Scale score, preoperative
      contrast-enhancing tumor volume, presence of cyst, and prior treatment status (HR
      1.53, 95% CI 1.33-1.77, p < 0.001). The effect remained essentially unchanged
      when data from previously treated and previously untreated groups of patients
      were analyzed separately. Additional analyses showed that the resection of >=
      53.21% of the surrounding FLAIR abnormality beyond the 100% contrast-enhancing
      resection was associated with a significant prolongation of survival compared
      with that following less extensive resections (median survival times 20.7 and
      15.5 months, respectively; p < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, the
      previously treated group with < 53.21% resection had significantly shorter
      survival than the 3 other groups (that is, previously treated patients who
      underwent FLAIR resection >= 53.21%, previously untreated patients who underwent
      FLAIR resection < 53.21%, and previously untreated patients who underwent FLAIR
      resection >= 53.21%); the previously untreated group with >= 53.21% resection had
      the longest survival. CONCLUSIONS: What is believed to be the largest single
      center series of GBM patients with extensive tumor resections, this study
      supports the established association between EOR and survival and presents
      additional data that pushing the boundary of a conventional 100% resection by the
      additional removal of a significant portion of the FLAIR abnormality region, when
      safely feasible, may result in the prolongation of survival without significant
      increases in overall or neurological postoperative morbidity. Additional
      supportive evidence is warranted.

PMID- 26495942
TI  - Vasospasm on transcranial Doppler is predictive of delayed cerebral ischemia in
      aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECT The impact of transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography evidence of
      vasospasm on patient-centered clinical outcomes following aneurysmal subarachnoid
      hemorrhage (aSAH) is unknown. Vasospasm is known to lead to delayed cerebral
      ischemia (DCI) and poor outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis
      evaluates the predictive value of vasospasm on DCI, as diagnosed on TCD. METHODS
      MEDLINE, Scopus, the Cochrane trial register, and clinicaltrials.gov were
      searched through September 2014 using key words and the terms "subarachnoid
      hemorrhage," "aneurysm," "aneurysmal," "cerebral vasospasm," "vasospasm,"
      "transcranial Doppler," and "TCD." Sensitivities, specificities, and positive and
      negative predictive values were pooled by a DerSimonian and Laird random-effects
      model. RESULTS Seventeen studies (n = 2870 patients) met inclusion criteria. The
      amount of variance attributable to heterogeneity was significant (I(2) > 50%) for
      all syntheses. No studies reported the impact of TCD evidence of vasospasm on
      functional outcome or mortality. TCD evidence of vasospasm was found to be highly
      predictive of DCI. Pooled estimates for TCD diagnosis of vasospasm (for DCI) were
      sensitivity 90% (95% confidence interval [CI] 77%-96%), specificity 71% (95% CI
      51%-84%), positive predictive value 57% (95% CI 38%-71%), and negative predictive
      value 92% (95% CI 83%-96%). CONCLUSIONS TCD evidence of vasospasm is predictive
      of DCI with high accuracy. Although high sensitivity and negative predictive
      value make TCD an ideal monitoring device, it is not a mandated standard of care
      in aSAH due to the paucity of evidence on clinically relevant outcomes, despite
      recommendation by national guidelines. High-quality randomized trials evaluating
      the impact of TCD monitoring on patient-centered and physician-relevant outcomes
      are needed. 

PMID- 26495943
TI  - Editorial: Excellence, mentorship, and the final transition.

PMID- 26495944
TI  - Hemispheric surgery for refractory epilepsy: a systematic review and meta
      analysis with emphasis on seizure predictors and outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Conflicting conclusions have been reported regarding several factors
      that may predict seizure outcomes after hemispheric surgery for refractory
      epilepsy. The goal of this study was to identify the possible predictors of
      seizure outcome by pooling the rates of postoperative seizure freedom found in
      the published literature. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search of PubMed,
      Embase, and the Cochrane Library identified English-language articles published
      since 1970 that describe seizure outcomes in patients who underwent hemispheric
      surgery for refractory epilepsy. Two reviewers independently assessed article
      eligibility and extracted the data. The authors pooled rates of seizure freedom
      from papers included in the study. Eight potential prognostic variables were
      identified and dichotomized for analyses. The authors also compared continuous
      variables within seizure-free and seizure-recurrent groups. Random- or fixed
      effects models were used in the analyses depending on the presence or absence of
      heterogeneity. RESULTS: The pooled seizure-free rate among the 1528 patients
      (from 56 studies) who underwent hemispheric surgery was 73%. Patients with an
      epilepsy etiology of developmental disorders, generalized seizures,
      nonlateralization on electroencephalography, and contralateral MRI abnormalities
      had reduced odds of being seizure-free after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Hemispheric
      surgery is an effective therapeutic modality for medically intractable epilepsy.
      This meta-analysis provides useful evidence-based information for the selection
      of candidates for hemispheric surgery, presurgical counseling, and explanation of
      seizure outcomes.

PMID- 26495945
TI  - Initial experience with dual-lumen balloon catheter injection for preoperative
      Onyx embolization of skull base paragangliomas.
AB  - OBJECT Paragangliomas are highly vascular head and neck tumors for which
      preoperative embolization is often considered to facilitate resection. The
      authors evaluated their initial experience using a dual-lumen balloon to
      facilitate preoperative embolization in 5 consecutive patients who underwent
      preoperative transarterial Onyx embolization assisted by the Scepter dual-lumen
      balloon catheter between 2012 and 2014. OBJECT The authors reviewed the
      demographic and clinical records of 5 patients who underwent Scepter-assisted
      Onyx embolization of a paraganglioma followed by resection between 2012 and 2014.
      Descriptive statistics of clinical outcomes were assessed. RESULTS Five patients
      (4 with a jugular and 1 with a vagal paraganglioma) were identified. Three
      paragangliomas were embolized in a single session, and each of the other 2 were
      completed in 3 staged sessions. The mean volume of Onyx used was 14.3 ml (range 6
      30 ml). Twenty-seven vessels were selectively catheterized for embolization. All
      patients required selective embolization via multiple vessels. Two patients
      required sacrifice of parent vessels (1 petrocavernous internal carotid artery
      and 1 vertebral artery) after successful balloon test occlusion. One patient
      underwent embolization with Onyx-18 alone, 2 with Onyx-34 alone, and 1 with Onyx
      18 and -34. In each case, migration of Onyx was achieved within the tumor
      parenchyma. The mean time between embolization and resection was 3.8 days (range
      1-8 days). Gross-total resection was achieved in 3 (60%) patients, and the other
      2 patients had minimal residual tumor. The mean estimated blood loss during the
      resections was 556 ml (range 200-850 ml). The mean postoperative hematocrit level
      change was -17.3%. Two patients required blood transfusions. One patient, who
      underwent extensive tumor penetration with Onyx, developed a temporary partial
      cranial nerve VII palsy that resolved to House-Brackmann Grade I (out of VI) at
      the 6-month follow-up. One patient experienced improvement in existing facial
      nerve weakness after embolization. CONCLUSIONS Scepter catheter-based Onyx
      embolization seems to be safe and effective. It was associated with excellent
      distal tumor vasculature penetration and holds promise as an adjunct to
      conventional transarterial Onyx embolization of paragangliomas. However, the ease
      of tumor penetration should encourage caution in practitioners who may be able to
      effect comparable improvement in blood loss with more conservative proximal Onyx
      penetration. 

PMID- 26495946
TI  - Letter to the Editor: Cranioplasty complications and the timing of surgery.

PMID- 26495948
TI  - Letter to the Editor: Utility of dual-energy CT in differentiating contrast
      extravasation from intracranial hematoma.

PMID- 26495947
TI  - Clinical outcomes using ClearPoint interventional MRI for deep brain stimulation
      lead placement in Parkinson's disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The ClearPoint real-time interventional MRI-guided methodology for
      deep brain stimulation (DBS) lead placement may offer advantages to frame-based
      approaches and allow accurate implantation under general anesthesia. In this
      study, the authors assessed the safety and efficacy of DBS in Parkinson's disease
      (PD) using this surgical method. METHODS: This was a prospective single-center
      study of bilateral DBS therapy in patients with advanced PD and motor
      fluctuations. Symptom severity was evaluated at baseline and 12 months
      postimplantation using the change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale
      (UPDRS) Part III "off" medication score as the primary outcome variable. RESULTS:
      Twenty-six PD patients (15 men and 11 women) were enrolled from 2010 to 2013.
      Twenty patients were followed for 12 months (16 with a subthalamic nucleus target
      and 4 with an internal globus pallidus target). The mean UPDRS Part III "off"
      medication score improved from 40.75 +/- 10.9 to 24.35 +/- 8.8 (p = 0.001). "On"
      medication time without troublesome dyskinesia increased 5.2 +/- 2.6 hours per
      day (p = 0.0002). UPDRS Parts II and IV, total UPDRS score, and dyskinesia rating
      scale "on" medication scores also significantly improved (p < 0.01). The mean
      levodopa equivalent daily dose decreased from 1072.5 +/- 392 mg to 828.25 +/- 492
      mg (p = 0.046). No significant cognitive or mood declines were observed. A single
      brain penetration was used for placement of all leads, and the mean targeting
      error was 0.6 +/- 0.3 mm. There were 3 serious adverse events (1 DBS hardware
      related infection, 1 lead fracture, and 1 unrelated death). CONCLUSIONS: DBS
      leads placed using the ClearPoint interventional real-time MRI-guided method
      resulted in highly accurate lead placement and outcomes comparable to those seen
      with frame-based approaches.

PMID- 26495950
TI  - Alcohol and mortality after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury: a meta
      analysis of observational studies.
AB  - OBJECT Experimental studies have shown numerous neuroprotective properties of
      alcohol ("ethanol") after TBI, but clinical studies have provided conflicting
      results. The authors aimed to assess the relationship between positive blood
      alcohol concentration (BAC) on hospital admission and mortality after moderate to
      severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHODS The authors searched 8 databases for
      observational studies reported between January 1, 1990, and October 7, 2013, and
      investigated the effect of BAC on mortality after moderate to severe TBI. Reviews
      of each study were conducted, and data were extracted according to the MOOSE and
      PRISMA guidelines. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale.
      The Mantel-Haenszel fixed effect methodology was used to generate pooled
      estimates. Heterogeneity was dealt with by multiple sensitivity analyses. RESULTS
      Eleven studies with a total of 95,941 patients (42% BAC positive and 58% BAC
      negative) were identified for the primary analysis (overall mortality 12%).
      Primary analysis showed a significantly lower risk of death for BAC-positive
      patients compared with BAC-negative patients (crude mortality 11.0% vs 12.3%,
      pooled OR 0.84 [95% CI 0.81-0.88]), although flawed by heterogeneity (I(2) =
      68%). Multiple sensitivity analyses, including 55,949 and 51,772 patients,
      yielded similar results to the primary analysis (crude mortality 12.2% vs 14.0%,
      pooled OR 0.87 [95% CI 0.83-0.92] and crude mortality 8.7% vs 10.7%, pooled OR
      0.78 [95% CI 0.74-0.83]) but with good study homogeneity (I(2) = 36% and 14%).
      CONCLUSIONS Positive BAC was significantly associated with lower mortality rates
      in moderate to severe TBI. Whether this observation is due to selection bias or
      neuroprotective effects of alcohol remains unknown. Future prospective studies
      adjusting for TBI heterogeneity is advocated to establish the potential favorable
      effects of alcohol on outcome after TBI. 

PMID- 26495949
TI  - Sequential changes in Rotterdam CT scores related to outcomes for patients with
      traumatic brain injury who undergo decompressive craniectomy.
AB  - OBJECT Rotterdam CT scoring is a CT classification system for grouping patients
      with traumatic brain injury (TBI) based on multiple CT characteristics. This
      retrospective study aimed to determine the relationship between initial or
      preoperative Rotterdam CT scores and TBI prognosis after decompressive
      craniectomy (DC). METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed the medical
      records of all consecutive patients who underwent DC for nonpenetrating TBI in 2
      hospitals from January 2006 through December 2013. Univariate and multivariate
      logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses
      were used to determine the relationship between initial or preoperative Rotterdam
      CT scores and mortality at 30 days or Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) scores at least
      3 months after the time of injury. Unfavorable outcomes were GOS Scores 1-3 and
      favorable outcomes were GOS Scores 4 and 5. RESULTS A total of 48 cases involving
      patients who underwent DC for TBI were included in this study. Univariate
      analyses showed that initial Rotterdam CT scores were significantly associated
      with mortality and both initial and preoperative Rotterdam CT scores were
      significantly associated with unfavorable outcomes. Multivariable logistic
      regression analysis adjusted for established predictors of TBI outcomes showed
      that initial Rotterdam CT scores were significantly associated with mortality (OR
      4.98, 95% CI 1.40-17.78, p = 0.01) and unfavorable outcomes (OR 3.66, 95% CI 1.29
      10.39, p = 0.02) and preoperative Rotterdam CT scores were significantly
      associated with unfavorable outcomes (OR 15.29, 95% CI 2.50-93.53, p = 0.003).
      ROC curve analyses showed cutoff values for the initial Rotterdam CT score of 5.5
      (area under the curve [AUC] 0.74, 95% CI 0.59-0.90, p = 0.009, sensitivity 50.0%,
      and specificity 88.2%) for mortality and 4.5 (AUC 0.71, 95% CI 0.56-0.86, p =
      0.02, sensitivity 62.5%, and specificity 75.0%) for an unfavorable outcome and a
      cutoff value for the preoperative Rotterdam CT score of 4.5 (AUC 0.81, 95% CI
      0.69-0.94, p < 0.001, sensitivity 90.6%, and specificity 56.2%) for an
      unfavorable outcome. CONCLUSIONS Assessment of changes in Rotterdam CT scores
      over time may serve as a prognostic indicator in TBI and can help determine which
      patients require DC. 

PMID- 26495951
TI  - Real-time magnetic resonance imaging-guided frameless stereotactic brain biopsy:
      technical note.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The object of this study was to assess the feasibility, accuracy, and
      safety of real-time MRI-compatible frameless stereotactic brain biopsy. METHODS:
      Clinical, imaging, and histological data in consecutive patients who underwent
      stereotactic brain biopsy using a frameless real-time MRI system were analyzed.
      RESULTS: Five consecutive patients (4 males, 1 female) were included in this
      study. The mean age at biopsy was 45.8 years (range 29-60 years). Real-time MRI
      permitted concurrent display of the biopsy cannula trajectory and tip during
      placement at the target. The mean target depth of biopsied lesions was 71.3 mm
      (range 60.4-80.4 mm). Targeting accuracy analysis revealed a mean radial error of
      1.3 +/- 1.1 mm (mean +/- standard deviation), mean depth error of 0.7 +/- 0.3 mm,
      and a mean absolute tip error of 1.5 +/- 1.1 mm. There was no correlation between
      target depth and absolute tip error (Pearson product-moment correlation
      coefficient, r = 0.22). All biopsy cannulae were placed at the target with a
      single penetration and resulted in a diagnostic specimen in all cases.
      Histopathological evaluation of biopsy samples revealed dysembryoplastic
      neuroepithelial tumor (1 case), breast carcinoma (1 case), and glioblastoma
      multiforme (3 cases). CONCLUSIONS: The ability to place a biopsy cannula under
      real-time imaging guidance permits on-the-fly alterations in the cannula
      trajectory and/or tip placement. Real-time imaging during MRI-guided brain biopsy
      provides precise safe targeting of brain lesions.

PMID- 26495952
TI  - Neuroimaging characteristics of ruptured aneurysm as predictors of outcome after
      aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: pooled analyses of the SAHIT cohort.
AB  - OBJECT Neuroimaging characteristics of ruptured aneurysms are important to guide
      treatment selection, and they have been studied for their value as outcome
      predictors following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Despite multiple
      studies, the prognostic value of aneurysm diameter, location, and extravasated
      SAH clot on computed tomography scan remains debatable. The authors aimed to more
      precisely ascertain the relation of these factors to outcome. METHODS The data
      sets of studies included in the Subarachnoid Hemorrhage International Trialists
      (SAHIT) repository were analyzed including data on ruptured aneurysm location and
      diameter (7 studies, n = 9125) and on subarachnoid clot graded on the Fisher
      scale (8 studies; n = 9452) for the relation to outcome on the Glasgow Outcome
      Scale (GOS) at 3 months. Prognostic strength was quantified by fitting
      proportional odds logistic regression models. Univariable odds ratios (ORs) were
      pooled across studies using random effects models. Multivariable analyses were
      adjusted for fixed effect of study, age, neurological status on admission, other
      neuroimaging factors, and treatment modality. The neuroimaging predictors were
      assessed for their added incremental predictive value measured as partial R(2).
      RESULTS Spline plots indicated outcomes were worse at extremes of aneurysm size,
      i.e., less than 4 or greater than 9 mm. In between, aneurysm size had no effect
      on outcome (OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.98-1.09 for 9 mm vs 4 mm, i.e., 75th vs 25th
      percentile), except in those who were treated conservatively (OR 1.17, 95% CI
      1.02-1.35). Compared with anterior cerebral artery aneurysms, posterior
      circulation aneurysms tended to result in slightly poorer outcome in patients who
      underwent endovascular coil embolization (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.82-1.57) or surgical
      clipping (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.10-1.57); the relation was statistically significant
      only in the latter. Fisher CT subarachnoid clot burden was related to outcome in
      a gradient manner. Each of the studied predictors accounted for less than 1% of
      the explained variance in outcome. CONCLUSIONS This study, which is based on the
      largest cohort of patients so far analyzed, has more precisely determined the
      prognostic value of the studied neuroimaging factors. Treatment choice has strong
      influence on the prognostic effect of aneurysm size and location. These findings
      should guide the development of reliable prognostic models and inform the design
      and analysis of future prospective studies, including clinical trials. 

PMID- 26495953
TI  - Arteriovenous malformation of the filum terminale: an exceptional case.
AB  - Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the spine display a variety of different
      locations, angioarchitectures, and clinical presentations. The authors describe
      an exceptional case of a filum terminale AVM that is not described in any
      classification and discuss the origin and management of this malformation. A 59
      year-old woman was admitted in June 2012 for cauda equina syndrome. Magnetic
      resonance imaging and spinal angiography revealed an AVM of the filum terminale,
      located below the conus medullaris, fed by the anterior spinal artery. After an
      unsuccessful attempt to reach the nidus with a microcatheter, the AVM was
      resected. At 20 months after surgery, the patient was fully independent and
      radiological images confirmed the exclusion of the malformation. AVMs that
      originate from the filum terminale are exceptional. According to updated
      classifications, AVMs of the filum terminale should be categorized as a separate
      entity. 

PMID- 26495954
TI  - Quantitative evaluation of headache severity before and after endoscopic
      transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenoma.
AB  - OBJECT The relationship between headaches, pituitary adenomas, and surgical
      treatment of pituitary adenomas remains unclear. The authors assessed the
      severity and predictors of self-reported headaches in patients referred for
      surgery of pituitary adenomas and evaluated the impact of endoscopic
      transsphenoidal surgery on headache severity and quality of life (QOL). METHODS
      In this prospective study, 79 patients with pituitary adenomas underwent
      endoscopic transsphenoidal resection and completed the Headache Impact Test (HIT
      6) and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) QOL questionnaire
      preoperatively and at 6 weeks and 6 months postoperatively. RESULTS
      Preoperatively, 49.4% of patients had mild headache severity, 13.9% had moderate
      severity, 13.9% had substantial severity, and 22.8% had intense severity. Younger
      age and hormone-producing tumors predisposed greater headache severity, while
      tumor volume, suprasellar extension, chiasmal compression, and cavernous sinus
      invasion of the pituitary tumors did not. Preoperative headache severity was
      found to be significantly associated with reduced scores across all SF-36 QOL
      dimensions and most significantly associated with mental health. By 6 months
      postoperatively, headache severity was reduced in a significant proportion of
      patients. Of the 40 patients with headaches causing an impact on daily living
      (moderate, substantial, or intense headache), 70% had improvement of at least 1
      category on HIT-6 by 6 months postoperatively, while headache worsened in 7.6% of
      patients. The best predictors of headache response to surgery included younger
      age, poor preoperative SF-36 mental health score, and hormone-producing
      microadenoma. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study confirm that surgery can
      significantly improve headaches in patients with pituitary adenomas by 6 months
      postoperatively, particularly in younger patients whose preoperative QOL is
      impacted. A larger multicenter study is underway to evaluate the long-term effect
      of surgery on headaches in this patient group. 

PMID- 26495955
TI  - Gold-Catalyzed Ammonium Acetate Assisted Cascade Cyclization of 2
      Alkynylarylketones.
AB  - An ammonium acetate assisted gold-catalyzed cascade cyclization reaction of 2
      alkynylarylketones is described. Under the reported conditions, a gold-catalyzed
      intramolecular cyclization of 2-alkynylarylketones takes place through two
      competing reaction mechanisms-a 5-exo-dig or a 6-endo-dig cyclization-leading to
      two regioisomeric intermediates: isobenzofuranium or isobenzopyrylium. In the
      presence of ammonium acetate, the two intermediate compounds undergo further
      rearrangement to 2,3-disubstituted indenones and 1,3-disubstituted isoquinolines,
      respectively. While both reaction pathways proceed via a cyclization
      rearrangement cascade, the gold-mediated 5-exo-dig process is especially notable,
      as it provides a novel cyclization protocol of 2-alkynylarylketones. 

PMID- 26495956
TI  - Intussusceptive-like angiogenesis in human fetal lung xenografts: Link with
      bronchopulmonary dysplasia-associated microvascular dysangiogenesis?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human fetal lung xenografts display an unusual pattern of non
      sprouting, plexus-forming angiogenesis that is reminiscent of the dysmorphic
      angioarchitecture described in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The aim of this
      study was to determine the clinicopathological correlates, growth characteristics
      and molecular regulation of this aberrant form of graft angiogenesis. METHODS:
      Fetal lung xenografts, derived from 12 previable fetuses (15 to 22 weeks'
      gestation) and engrafted in the renal subcapsular space of SCID-beige mice, were
      analyzed 4 weeks posttransplantation for morphology, vascularization,
      proliferative activity and gene expression. RESULTS: Focal plexus-forming
      angiogenesis (PFA) was observed in 60/230 (26%) of xenografts. PFA was
      characterized by a complex network of tortuous nonsprouting vascular structures
      with low endothelial proliferative activity, suggestive of intussusceptive-type
      angiogenesis. There was no correlation between the occurrence of PFA and
      gestational age or time interval between delivery and engraftment. PFA was
      preferentially localized in the relatively hypoxic central subcapsular area.
      Microarray analysis suggested altered expression of 15 genes in graft regions
      with PFA, of which 7 are known angiogenic/lymphangiogenic regulators and 5 are
      known hypoxia-inducible genes. qRT-PCR analysis confirmed significant
      upregulation of SULF2, IGF2, and HMOX1 in graft regions with PFA. CONCLUSION:
      These observations in human fetal lungs ex vivo suggest that postcanalicular
      lungs can switch from sprouting angiogenesis to an aberrant intussusceptive-type
      of angiogenesis that is highly reminiscent of BPD-associated dysangiogenesis.
      While circumstantial evidence suggests hypoxia may be implicated, the exact
      triggering mechanisms, molecular regulation and clinical implications of this
      angiogenic switch in preterm lungs in vivo remain to be determined.

PMID- 26495957
TI  - Intraindividual comparison of image quality using retrospective and prospective
      respiratory gating for the acquisition of thin sliced four dimensional
      multidetector CT of the thorax in a porcine model.
AB  - PURPOSE: To intraindividually compare image quality and anatomical depiction of
      the lung and mediastinum using retrospective and prospective respiratory gating
      techniques for the acquisition of 4D-multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) of
      the chest in a porcine model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve trachealy intubated
      domestic pigs underwent 64-row MDCT of the thorax. For retrospective and
      prospective gating the automated respiratory frequency was adjusted to 10, 14,
      18, and 22 respiratory cycles per minute. Further, free breathing MDCT scans of
      the lung were performed at the same respiratory settings. A breathhold scan was
      acquired which served as the reference standard. Three reviewers independently
      analyzed the MDCT data applying a 4-point-grading scale regarding the degree of
      artifacts observed and anatomical depiction (1, excellent, no artifacts; 4,
      nondiagnostic due to severe artifacts). For statistical analysis the Wilcoxon
      matched pairs and Chi-square test were used. RESULTS: Breathhold imaging allowed
      for the highest image quality (mean value: trachea, 1.00; bronchi, 1.10; lung
      parenchyma, 1.08; diaphragm, 1.00; pericardium, 1.80). Retrospective gating
      proved to be of superior image quality compared to prospective gating for all
      respiratory frequencies. With the respiratory frequency set to 14/min
      retrospective gating even enabled an identical image quality score as at
      breathhold. Performing image acquisition during continuous breathing lead to a
      severe decrease in image quality. CONCLUSIONS: High image quality can be acquired
      using respiratory gating techniques for 4D-MDCT of the thorax. Retrospective is
      superior to prospective gating and can be of an equivalent image quality as
      standard breathhold imaging, but at the cost of a significantly higher radiation
      dose.

PMID- 26495959
TI  - Absinthin attenuates LPS-induced ALI through MIP-1alpha-mediated inflammatory
      cell infiltration.
AB  - Acute lung injury (ALI) is characterized by severe lung inflammation, and anti
      inflammatory treatment is proposed to be a pertinent therapeutic strategy for the
      disease. Absinthin is a triterpene, extracted from a Chinese herb, with anti
      inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether absinthin
      can attenuate ALI in a mouse model of lung injury. Mice were treated with various
      concentrations (20 mg/kg, 40 mg/kg, and 80mg/kg) of absinthin, and
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce ALI. We found that the administration of
      absinthin relieved LPS-induced acute lung injury, as suggested by reduced
      histological scores, wet-to-dry ratio, myeloperoxidase activity, and accumulation
      of inflammatory cells in lung bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Moreover, we
      demonstrated that absinthin significantly enhanced the expression of matrix
      metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8); this effect could inhibit the accumulation of
      inflammatory cells in lung tissues through a mechanism dependent on MMP-8
      mediated inactivation of macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha. Therefore, we
      propose that absinthin is a promising novel therapeutic candidate for the
      treatment of ALI. 

PMID- 26495958
TI  - Heparin and LPS-induced COX-2 expression in airway cells: a link between its anti
      inflammatory effects and GAG sulfation.
AB  - PURPOSE/AIM: Previous studies have indicated that the sulfated polysaccharide
      heparin has anti-inflammatory effects. However, the mechanistic basis for these
      effects has not been fully elucidated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: NCI-H292
      (mucoepidermoid) and HBE-1 (normal) human bronchial epithelial cells were treated
      with LPS alone or in the presence of high-molecular-weight (HMW) fully sulfated
      heparin or desulfated HMW heparin. Cells were harvested to examine the
      phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2, p38, and NF-kB p65 and COX-2 protein expression
      by Western blot and gene expression of both COX-2 and CXCL-8 by TaqMan qRT-PCR.
      RESULTS: Heparin is known to exert an influence on receptor-mediated signaling
      through its ability to both potentiate and inhibit the receptor-ligand
      interaction, depending upon its concentration. In H292 cells, fully-sulfated HMW
      heparin significantly reduced LPS-induced gene expression of both COX-2 and CXCL
      8 for up to 48 hours, while desulfated heparin had little to no significant
      suppressive effect on signaling or on COX-2 gene or protein expression.
      Desulfated heparin, initially ineffective at preventing LPS-induced CXCL8 up
      regulation, reduced CXCL8 transcription at 24 hours. In contrast, in normal HBE-1
      cells, fully sulfated heparin significantly suppressed only ERK signaling, COX-2
      gene expression at 12 hours, and CXCL-8 gene expression at 6 and 12 hours, while
      desulfated heparin had no significant effects on LPS-stimulated signaling or on
      gene or protein expression. Sulfation determines heparin's influence and may
      reflect the moderating role of GAG sulfation in lung injury and health.
      CONCLUSIONS: Heparin's anti-inflammatory effects result from its nonspecific
      suppression of signaling and gene expression and are determined by its sulfation.

PMID- 26495960
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding the Article by Natsch et al., 2015.

PMID- 26495961
TI  - Trial-based cost-effectiveness of abatacept for rheumatoid arthritis patients in
      Italy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory disorder
      leading to disability and reduced quality of life. Effective treatment is a
      significant economic burden on the Italian healthcare system. Economic models in
      RA are commonly based on indirect treatment comparisons. METHODS: This study
      assessed the cost-effectiveness of abatacept relative to adalimumab for RA in
      Italy based on a head-to-head trial by means of a cost-consequence analysis.
      RESULTS: Health benefits based on the most stringent efficacy criteria were in
      favor of abatacept compared to adalimumab. Rates for more costly adverse events
      were higher for adalimumab compared to abatacept, which was reflected in the
      lower costs for abatacept (-?237,246 or -?237per patient). CONCLUSION: The health
      economic value of abatacept compared with adalimumab from the perspective of the
      Italian NHS depends on the choice of health outcome. Health gains with abatacept
      were generally based on more stringent criteria and lower total costs.

PMID- 26495962
TI  - Tungsten Sulfide Quantum Dots as Multifunctional Nanotheranostics for In Vivo
      Dual-Modal Image-Guided Photothermal/Radiotherapy Synergistic Therapy.
AB  - Designing a multifunctional nanomedicine for integration of precise diagnosis and
      effective treatment of tumors is desirable but remains a great challenge. Here,
      we report a multifunctional nanomedicine based on WS2 quantum dots (QDs), which
      was prepared by a facile and "green" method through physical grinding and
      ultrasonication. The as-obtained WS2 QDs with small size (3 nm) possess not only
      significant X-ray computed tomography (CT)/photoaccoustic (PA) imaging signal
      enhancement but also remarkable photothermal therapy (PTT)/radiotherapy (RT)
      synergistic effect for tumor treatment. With CT/PA imaging and the synergistic
      effect between PTT and RT, the tumor could be accurately positioned and
      thoroughly eradicated in vivo after intravenous injection of WS2 QDs. Moreover,
      hematoxylin and eosin staining, blood hematology, and biochemistry analysis
      revealed no noticeable toxicity of WS2 QDs in vitro and in vivo, which confirmed
      that WS2 QDs possess good biocompatibility. This multifunctional nanoparticle
      could play an important role in facilitating simultaneously multimodal imaging
      and synergistic therapy between PTT and RT to achieve better therapeutic
      efficacy. 

PMID- 26495963
TI  - Declining Acidic Deposition Begins Reversal of Forest-Soil Acidification in the
      Northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada.
AB  - Decreasing trends in acidic deposition levels over the past several decades have
      led to partial chemical recovery of surface waters. However, depletion of soil Ca
      from acidic deposition has slowed surface water recovery and led to the
      impairment of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Nevertheless,
      documentation of acidic deposition effects on soils has been limited, and little
      is known regarding soil responses to ongoing acidic deposition decreases. In this
      study, resampling of soils in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. was done
      at 27 sites exposed to reductions in wet SO4(2-) deposition of 5.7-76%, over
      intervals of 8-24 y. Decreases of exchangeable Al in the O horizon and increases
      in pH in the O and B horizons were seen at most sites. Among all sites,
      reductions in SO4(2-) deposition were positively correlated with ratios (final
      sampling/initial sampling) of base saturation (P < 0.01) and negatively
      correlated with exchangeable Al ratios (P < 0.05) in the O horizon. However, base
      saturation in the B horizon decreased at one-third of the sites, with no
      increases. These results are unique in showing that the effects of acidic
      deposition on North American soils have begun to reverse. 

PMID- 26495964
TI  - Time-Dependent Wave Packet Study of the H2 + CH3 -> H + CH4 Reaction.
AB  - The initial state selected time-dependent wave packet method has been developed
      to study the H2 + CH3 -> H + CH4 reaction, by employing the seven- and eight
      dimensional models proposed by Palma and Clary in which the nonreacting CH3
      moiety is restricted in C3v symmetry. Total reaction probabilities and integral
      cross sections were calculated for the ground and a number of vibrationally
      excited initial states to investigate the effects of vibrational excitations of
      both reagents on the reaction. The eight-dimensional calculations showed that the
      CH stretching excitation does not have any important effect on the reaction and
      the seven-dimensional model with the CH bond length fixed works very well for the
      reaction. The excitation of H2 vibrations could enhance the reaction but is less
      effective than the translation in the low energy region. In contrast, the first
      umbrella excitation is very effective on reducing the reaction threshold. The
      calculated rate constants are found to be in good agreement with available
      experimental measurements and other theoretical results. 

PMID- 26495965
TI  - Distribution Pattern and Climate Preferences of the Representatives of the
      Cosmopolitan Genus Sirthenea Spinola, 1840 (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Peiratinae).
AB  - The main goal of this study was to predict, through the use of GIS tool as
      ecological niche modelling, potentially suitable ecological niche and defining
      the conditions of such niche for the representatives of the cosmopolitan genus
      Sirthenea. Among all known genera of the subfamily Peiratinae, only Sirthenea
      occurs on almost all continents and zoogeographical regions. Our research was
      based on 521 unique occurrence localities and a set of environmental variables
      covering the whole world. Based on occurrence localities, as well as climatic
      variables, digital elevation model, terrestrial ecoregions and biomes,
      information about the ecological preferences is given. Potentially useful
      ecological niches were modelled using Maxent software, which allowed for the
      creation of a map of the potential distribution and for determining climatic
      preferences. An analysis of climatic preferences suggested that the
      representatives of the genus were linked mainly to the tropical and temperate
      climates. An analysis of ecoregions also showed that they preferred areas with
      tree vegetation like tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biomes as
      well as temperate broadleaf and mixed forest biomes. Therefore, on the basis of
      the museum data on the species occurrence and ecological niche modelling method,
      we provided new and valuable information on the potentially suitable habitat and
      the possible range of distribution of the genus Sirthenea along with its climatic
      preferences. 

PMID- 26495966
TI  - Comparison of Two Different Ultrasound Systems for the Evaluation of Tissue
      Doppler Velocities in Fetuses.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recent studies have reported variations of up to 30% between
      different ultrasound machines for tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), a problem that
      can significantly impact clinical diagnosis, patient management and research
      studies. The objective of this study was to assess repeatability and agreement
      between fetal myocardial peak velocities evaluated by TDI with two different
      ultrasound systems. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Systolic (S'), early (E') and late
      (A') diastolic myocardial peak velocities at mitral and tricuspid annuli as well
      as at the basal septum were evaluated by spectral TDI in 150 fetuses using two
      different ultrasound systems: Siemens Antares (Siemens Medical Systems, Malvern,
      Pa., USA) and Vivid Q (General Electric Healthcare, Horten, Norway). A method
      comparison study was performed, calculating intraclass correlation coefficients
      (ICC), and agreement was assessed by Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: Annular peak
      velocities showed lower values when measured by Vivid Q compared to values
      measured by Siemens Antares. ICC ranged from 0.07 (septal S') to 0.33 (right A'),
      showing very poor repeatability for clinical application. Agreement between the
      two systems was also poor, with high coefficients of variation for all
      measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Fetal annular peak velocities obtained with different
      ultrasound systems are not directly comparable. This is consistent with previous
      data in adults and warrants the need of system-specific reference values,
      suggesting that the same ultrasound machine should be used for longitudinal
      follow-up.

PMID- 26495967
TI  - Can Sibling Sex Ratios Be Used as a Valid Test for the Prenatal Androgen
      Hypothesis of Autism Spectrum Disorders?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sibling sex ratios have been applied as an indirect test of a
      hypothesized association between prenatal testosterone levels and risk for
      autism, a developmental disorder disproportionately affecting males. Differences
      in sibling sex ratios between those with and without autism would provide
      evidence of a shared risk factor for autism and offspring sex. Conclusions
      related to prenatal testosterone, however, require additional assumptions. Here,
      we used directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to clarify the elements required for a
      valid test of the hypothesis that sibling sex ratios differ between children with
      and without autism. We then conducted such a test using a large, population-based
      sample of children. METHODS: Over 1.1 million subjects, born in California from
      1992-2007, and identified through birth records, were included. The association
      between autism diagnosis, determined using the administrative database of the
      California Department of Developmental Services, and the sex of the subsequent
      sibling was examined using generalized estimating equations. Sources of potential
      bias identified using DAGs were addressed. RESULTS: Among male children with
      autism, 52.2% of next-born siblings were brothers, versus 51.0% for unaffected
      males. For females with autism, 50.2% of following siblings were brothers versus
      51.2% among control females. The relative risk of a subsequent male sibling
      associated with autism diagnosis was 1.02 (95% confidence interval: 0.99, 1.04).
      CONCLUSIONS: In a large, population-based sample we failed to find evidence
      suggesting an excess of brothers among children with autism while controlling for
      several threats to validity. This test cannot rule out a role of any given
      exposure, including prenatal testosterone, in either risk of autism or offspring
      sex ratio, but suggests against a common cause of both.

PMID- 26495968
TI  - The Role of Linkers in the Excited-State Dynamic Planarization Processes of
      Macrocyclic Oligothiophene 12-Mers.
AB  - Linkers adjoining chromophores play an important role in modulating the structure
      of conjugated systems, which is bound up with their photophysical properties.
      However, to date, the focus of works dealing with linker effects was limited only
      to linear pi-conjugated materials, and there have been no detailed studies on
      cyclic counterparts. Herein we report the linker effects on the dynamic
      planarization processes of pi-conjugated macrocyclic oligothiophene 12-mers,
      where the different ratio between ethynylene and vinylene linkers was chosen to
      control the backbone rigidity. By analyzing transient fluorescence spectra, we
      demonstrate that the connecting linkers play a crucial role in the excited-state
      dynamics of cyclic conjugated systems. Faster dynamic planarization, longer
      exciton delocalization length, and higher degree of planarity were observed in
      vinylene inserted cyclic oligothiophenes. Molecular dynamics simulations and
      density functional theory calculations also stress the importance of the role of
      linkers in modulating the structure of cyclic oligothiophenes. 

PMID- 26495969
TI  - Correction: Human Cardiac Progenitor Spheroids Exhibit Enhanced Engraftment
      Potential.

PMID- 26495970
TI  - Renal Effects and Underlying Molecular Mechanisms of Long-Term Salt Content Diets
      in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.
AB  - Several evidences have shown that salt excess is an important determinant of
      cardiovascular and renal derangement in hypertension. The present study aimed to
      investigate the renal effects of chronic high or low salt intake in the context
      of hypertension and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying such
      effects. To this end, newly weaned male SHR were fed with diets only differing in
      NaCl content: normal salt (NS: 0.3%), low salt (LS: 0.03%), and high salt diet
      (HS: 3%) until 7 months of age. Analysis of renal function, morphology, and
      evaluation of the expression of the main molecular components involved in the
      renal handling of albumin, including podocyte slit-diaphragm proteins and
      proximal tubule endocytic receptors were performed. The relationship between
      diets and the balance of the renal angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and ACE2
      enzymes was also examined. HS produced glomerular hypertrophy and decreased ACE2
      and nephrin expressions, loss of morphological integrity of the podocyte
      processes, and increased proteinuria, characterized by loss of albumin and high
      molecular weight proteins. Conversely, severe hypertension was attenuated and
      renal dysfunction was prevented by LS since proteinuria was much lower than in
      the NS SHRs. This was associated with a decrease in kidney ACE/ACE2 protein and
      activity ratio and increased cubilin renal expression. Taken together, these
      results suggest that LS attenuates hypertension progression in SHRs and preserves
      renal function. The mechanisms partially explaining these findings include
      modulation of the intrarenal ACE/ACE2 balance and the increased cubilin
      expression. Importantly, HS worsens hypertensive kidney injury and decreases the
      expression nephrin, a key component of the slit diaphragm. 

PMID- 26495971
TI  - Residual Upper Arm Motor Function Primes Innervation of Paretic Forearm Muscles
      in Chronic Stroke after Brain-Machine Interface (BMI) Training.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Abnormal upper arm-forearm muscle synergies after stroke are poorly
      understood. We investigated whether upper arm function primes paralyzed forearm
      muscles in chronic stroke patients after Brain-Machine Interface (BMI)-based
      rehabilitation. Shaping upper arm-forearm muscle synergies may support
      individualized motor rehabilitation strategies. METHODS: Thirty-two chronic
      stroke patients with no active finger extensions were randomly assigned to
      experimental or sham groups and underwent daily BMI training followed by
      physiotherapy during four weeks. BMI sessions included desynchronization of
      ipsilesional brain activity and a robotic orthosis to move the paretic limb
      (experimental group, n = 16). In the sham group (n = 16) orthosis movements were
      random. Motor function was evaluated with electromyography (EMG) of forearm
      extensors, and upper arm and hand Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) scores. Patients
      performed distinct upper arm (e.g., shoulder flexion) and hand movements (finger
      extensions). Forearm EMG activity significantly higher during upper arm movements
      as compared to finger extensions was considered facilitation of forearm EMG
      activity. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to test inter-session
      reliability of facilitation of forearm EMG activity. RESULTS: Facilitation of
      forearm EMG activity ICC ranges from 0.52 to 0.83, indicating fair to high
      reliability before intervention in both limbs. Facilitation of forearm muscles is
      higher in the paretic as compared to the healthy limb (p<0.001). Upper arm FMA
      scores predict facilitation of forearm muscles after intervention in both groups
      (significant correlations ranged from R = 0.752, p = 0.002 to R = 0.779, p =
      0.001), but only in the experimental group upper arm FMA scores predict changes
      in facilitation of forearm muscles after intervention (R = 0.709, p = 0.002; R =
      0.827, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Residual upper arm motor function primes
      recruitment of paralyzed forearm muscles in chronic stroke patients and predicts
      changes in their recruitment after BMI training. This study suggests that changes
      in upper arm-forearm synergies contribute to stroke motor recovery, and provides
      candidacy guidelines for similar BMI-based clinical practice.

PMID- 26495972
TI  - Immunologic Control of Mus musculus Papillomavirus Type 1.
AB  - Persistent papillomas developed in ~10% of out-bred immune-competent SKH-1 mice
      following MusPV1 challenge of their tail, and in a similar fraction the
      papillomas were transient, suggesting potential as a model. However, papillomas
      only occurred in BALB/c or C57BL/6 mice depleted of T cells with anti-CD3
      antibody, and they completely regressed within 8 weeks after depletion was
      stopped. Neither CD4+ nor CD8+ T cell depletion alone in BALB/c or C57BL/6 mice
      was sufficient to permit visible papilloma formation. However, low levels of
      MusPV1 were sporadically detected by either genomic DNA-specific PCR analysis of
      local skin swabs or in situ hybridization of the challenge site with an E6/E7
      probe. After switching to CD3+ T cell depletion, papillomas appeared upon 14/15
      of mice that had been CD4+ T cell depleted throughout the challenge phase, 1/15
      of CD8+ T cell depleted mice, and none in mice without any prior T cell
      depletion. Both control animals and those depleted with CD8-specific antibody
      generated MusPV1 L1 capsid-specific antibodies, but not those depleted with CD4
      specific antibody prior to T cell depletion with CD3 antibody. Thus, normal
      BALB/c or C57BL/6 mice eliminate the challenge dose, whereas infection is
      suppressed but not completely cleared if their CD4 or CD8 T cells are depleted,
      and recrudescence of MusPV1 is much greater in the former following treatment
      with CD3 antibody, possibly reflecting their failure to generate capsid antibody.
      Systemic vaccination of C57BL/6 mice with DNA vectors expressing MusPV1 E6 or E7
      fused to calreticulin elicits potent CD8 T cell responses and these
      immunodominant CD8 T cell epitopes were mapped. Adoptive transfer of a MusPV1 E6
      specific CD8+ T cell line controlled established MusPV1 infection and papilloma
      in RAG1-knockout mice. These findings suggest the potential of immunotherapy for
      HPV-related disease and the importance of host immunogenetics in the outcome of
      infection. 

PMID- 26495973
TI  - Abdominal Adipose Tissue was Associated with Glomerular Hyperfiltration among Non
      Diabetic and Normotensive Adults with a Normal Body Mass Index.
AB  - Glomerular hyperfiltration is recognized as an early marker of progressive kidney
      dysfunction in the obese population. This study aimed to identify the
      relationship between glomerular hyperfiltration and body fat distribution
      measured by computed tomography (CT) in healthy Korean adults. The study
      population included individuals aged 20-64 years who went a routine health check
      up including an abdominal CT scan. We selected 4,378 individuals without diabetes
      and hypertension. Glomerular filtration rate was estimated using the CKD-EPI
      equation, and glomerular hyperfiltration was defined as the highest quintile of
      glomerular filtration rate. Abdominal adipose tissue areas were measured at the
      level of the umbilicus using a 16-detector CT scanner, and the cross-sectional
      area was calculated using Rapidia 2.8 CT software. The prevalence of glomerular
      hyperfiltration increased significantly according to the subcutaneous adipose
      tissue area in men (OR = 1.74 (1.16-2.61), P for trend 0.016, for the comparisons
      of lowest vs. highest quartile) and visceral adipose tissue area in women (OR =
      2.34 (1.46-3.75), P for trend < 0.001) in multivariate analysis. After
      stratification by body mass index (normal < 23 kg/m2, overweight >= 23 kg/m2),
      male subjects with greater subcutaneous adipose tissue, even those in the normal
      BMI group, had a higher prevalence of glomerular hyperfiltration (OR = 2.11 (1.17
      3.80), P for trend = 0.009). Among women, the significance of visceral adipose
      tissue area on glomerular hyperfiltration resulted from the normal BMI group (OR
      = 2.14 (1.31-3.49), P for trend = 0.002). After menopause, the odds ratio of the
      association of glomerular hyperfiltration with subcutaneous abdominal adipose
      tissue increased (OR = 2.96 (1.21-7.25), P for trend = 0.013). Subcutaneous
      adipose tissue areas and visceral adipose tissue areas are positively associated
      with glomerular hyperfiltration in healthy Korean adult men and women,
      respectively. In post-menopausal women, visceral adipose tissue area shows
      significant positive association with glomerular hyperfiltration as in men. 

PMID- 26495975
TI  - An Efficient Augmented Lagrangian Method for Statistical X-Ray CT Image
      Reconstruction.
AB  - Statistical iterative reconstruction (SIR) for X-ray computed tomography (CT)
      under the penalized weighted least-squares criteria can yield significant gains
      over conventional analytical reconstruction from the noisy measurement. However,
      due to the nonlinear expression of the objective function, most exiting
      algorithms related to the SIR unavoidably suffer from heavy computation load and
      slow convergence rate, especially when an edge-preserving or sparsity-based
      penalty or regularization is incorporated. In this work, to address
      abovementioned issues of the general algorithms related to the SIR, we propose an
      adaptive nonmonotone alternating direction algorithm in the framework of
      augmented Lagrangian multiplier method, which is termed as "ALM-ANAD". The
      algorithm effectively combines an alternating direction technique with an
      adaptive nonmonotone line search to minimize the augmented Lagrangian function at
      each iteration. To evaluate the present ALM-ANAD algorithm, both qualitative and
      quantitative studies were conducted by using digital and physical phantoms.
      Experimental results show that the present ALM-ANAD algorithm can achieve
      noticeable gains over the classical nonlinear conjugate gradient algorithm and
      state-of-the-art split Bregman algorithm in terms of noise reduction, contrast-to
      noise ratio, convergence rate, and universal quality index metrics. 

PMID- 26495974
TI  - Identification of O-Linked Glycoproteins Binding to the Lectin Helix pomatia
      Agglutinin as Markers of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Protein glycosylation is an important post-translational modification
      shown to be altered in all tumour types studied to date. Mucin glycoproteins have
      been established as important carriers of O-linked glycans but other
      glycoproteins exhibiting altered glycosylation repertoires have yet to be
      identified but offer potential as biomarkers for metastatic cancer. METHODOLOGY:
      In this study a glycoproteomic approach was used to identify glycoproteins
      exhibiting alterations in glycosylation in colorectal cancer and to evaluate the
      changes in O-linked glycosylation in the context of the p53 and KRAS (codon
      12/13) mutation status. Affinity purification with the carbohydrate binding
      protein from Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA) was coupled to 2-dimensional gel
      electrophoresis with mass spectrometry to enable the identification of low
      abundance O-linked glycoproteins from human colorectal cancer specimens. RESULTS:
      Aberrant O-linked glycosylation was observed to be an early event that occurred
      irrespective of the p53 and KRAS status and correlating with metastatic
      colorectal cancer. Affinity purification using the lectin HPA followed by
      proteomic analysis revealed annexin 4, annexin 5 and CLCA1 to be increased in the
      metastatic colorectal cancer specimens. The results were validated using a
      further independent set of specimens and this showed a significant association
      between the staining score for annexin 4 and HPA and the time to metastasis;
      independently (annexin A4: Chi square 11.45, P = 0.0007; HPA: Chi square 9.065, P
      = 0.0026) and in combination (annexin 4 and HPA combined: Chi square 13.47; P =
      0.0002). CONCLUSION: Glycoproteins showing changes in O-linked glycosylation in
      metastatic colorectal cancer have been identified. The glycosylation changes were
      independent of p53 and KRAS status. These proteins offer potential for further
      exploration as biomarkers and potential targets for metastatic colorectal cancer.

PMID- 26495976
TI  - Relationship between Humoral Immune Responses against HPV16, HPV18, HPV31 and
      HPV45 in 12-15 Year Old Girls Receiving Cervarix(r) or Gardasil(r) Vaccine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines confer protection against the
      oncogenic genotypes HPV16 and HPV18 through the generation of type-specific
      neutralizing antibodies raised against virus-like particles (VLP) representing
      these genotypes. The vaccines also confer a degree of cross-protection against
      HPV31 and HPV45, which are genetically-related to the vaccine types HPV16 and
      HPV18, respectively, although the mechanism is less certain. There are a number
      of humoral immune measures that have been examined in relation to the HPV
      vaccines, including VLP binding, pseudovirus neutralization and the enumeration
      of memory B cells. While the specificity of responses generated against the
      vaccine genotypes are fairly well studied, the relationship between these
      measures in relation to non-vaccine genotypes is less certain. METHODS: We
      carried out a comparative study of these immune measures against vaccine and non
      vaccine genotypes using samples collected from 12-15 year old girls following
      immunization with three doses of either Cervarix(r) or Gardasil(r) HPV vaccine.
      RESULTS: The relationship between neutralizing and binding antibody titers and
      HPV-specific memory B cell levels for the vaccine genotypes, HPV16 and HPV18,
      were very good. The proportion of responders approached 100% for both vaccines
      while the magnitude of these responses induced by Cervarix(r) were generally
      higher than those following Gardasil(r) immunization. A similar pattern was found
      for the non-vaccine genotype HPV31, albeit at a lower magnitude compared to its
      genetically-related vaccine genotype, HPV16. However, both the enumeration of
      memory B cells and VLP binding responses against HPV45 were poorly related to its
      neutralizing antibody responses. Purified IgG derived from memory B cells
      demonstrated specificities similar to those found in the serum, including the
      capacity to neutralize HPV pseudoviruses. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that
      pseudovirus neutralization should be used as the preferred humoral immune measure
      for studying HPV vaccine responses, particularly for non-vaccine genotypes.

PMID- 26495977
TI  - Multifrequency Oscillatory Ventilation in the Premature Lung: Effects on Gas
      Exchange, Mechanics, and Ventilation Distribution.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the theoretical benefits of high-frequency oscillatory
      ventilation (HFOV) in preterm infants, systematic reviews of randomized clinical
      trials do not confirm improved outcomes. The authors hypothesized that
      oscillating a premature lung with multiple frequencies simultaneously would
      improve gas exchange compared with traditional single-frequency oscillatory
      ventilation (SFOV). The goal of this study was to develop a novel method for
      HFOV, termed "multifrequency oscillatory ventilation" (MFOV), which relies on a
      broadband flow waveform more suitable for the heterogeneous mechanics of the
      immature lung. METHODS: Thirteen intubated preterm lambs were randomly assigned
      to either SFOV or MFOV for 1 h, followed by crossover to the alternative regimen
      for 1 h. The SFOV waveform consisted of a pure sinusoidal flow at 5 Hz, whereas
      the customized MFOV waveform consisted of a 5-Hz fundamental with additional
      energy at 10 and 15 Hz. Per standardized protocol, mean pressure at airway
      opening ((Equation is included in full-text article.)) and inspired oxygen
      fraction were adjusted as needed, and root mean square of the delivered
      oscillatory volume waveform (Vrms) was adjusted at 15-min intervals. A
      ventilatory cost function for SFOV and MFOV was defined as (Equation is included
      in full-text article.), where Wt denotes body weight. RESULTS: Averaged over all
      time points, MFOV resulted in significantly lower VC (246.9 +/- 6.0 vs. 363.5 +/-
      15.9 ml mmHg kg) and (Equation is included in full-text article.)(12.8 +/- 0.3
      vs. 14.1 +/- 0.5 cm H2O) compared with SFOV, suggesting more efficient gas
      exchange and enhanced lung recruitment at lower mean airway pressures.
      CONCLUSION: Oscillation with simultaneous multiple frequencies may be a more
      efficient ventilator modality in premature lungs compared with traditional single
      frequency HFOV.

PMID- 26495978
TI  - Repeated Time-to-event Analysis of Consecutive Analgesic Events in Postoperative
      Pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reduction in consumption of opioid rescue medication is often used as
      an endpoint when investigating analgesic efficacy of drugs by adjunct treatment,
      but appropriate methods are needed to analyze analgesic consumption in time.
      Repeated time-to-event (RTTE) modeling is proposed as a way to describe analgesic
      consumption by analyzing the timing of consecutive analgesic events. METHODS:
      Retrospective data were obtained from 63 patients receiving standard analgesic
      treatment including morphine on request after surgery following hip fracture.
      Times of analgesic events up to 96 h after surgery were extracted from hospital
      medical records. Parametric RTTE analysis was performed with exponential,
      Weibull, or Gompertz distribution of analgesic events using NONMEM, version 7.2
      (ICON Development Solutions, USA). The potential influences of night versus day,
      sex, and age were investigated on the probability. RESULTS: A Gompertz
      distribution RTTE model described the data well. The probability of having one or
      more analgesic events within 24 h was 80% for the first event, 55% for the second
      event, 31% for the third event, and 18% for fourth or more events for a typical
      woman of age 80 yr. The probability of analgesic events decreased in time, was
      reduced to 50% after 3.3 days after surgery, and was significantly lower (32%)
      during night compared with day. CONCLUSIONS: RTTE modeling described analgesic
      consumption data well and could account for time-dependent changes in probability
      of analgesic events. Thus, RTTE modeling of analgesic events is proposed as a
      valuable tool when investigating new approaches to pain management such as opioid
      sparing analgesia.

PMID- 26495979
TI  - An Innovative Analysis of Analgesic Consumption in the Postoperative Period.

PMID- 26495980
TI  - A Conceptual Framework for Appropriateness in Surgical Care: Reviewing Past
      Approaches and Looking Ahead to Patient-centered Shared Decision Making.

PMID- 26495982
TI  - T-Cell Surface Antigens and sCD30 as Biomarkers of the Risk of Rejection in Solid
      Organ Transplantation.
AB  - T-cell activation is a characteristic of organ rejection. T cells, located in the
      draining lymph nodes of the transplant recipient, are faced with non-self
      molecules presented by antigen presenting cells and become activated. Activated T
      cells are characterized by up-regulated surface antigens, such as costimulatory
      molecules, adhesion molecules, chemokine receptors, and major histocompatibility
      complex class II molecules. Surface antigen expression can be followed by flow
      cytometry using monoclonal antibodies in either cell function assays using donor
      specific or nonspecific stimulation of isolated cells or whole blood and without
      stimulation on circulating lymphocytes. Molecules such as CD30 can be
      proteolytically cleaved off the surface of activated cells in vivo, and the
      determination of the soluble protein (sCD30) in serum or plasma is performed by
      immunoassays. As promising biomarkers for rejection and long-term transplant
      outcome, CD28 (costimulatory receptor for CD80 and CD86), CD154 (CD40 ligand),
      and sCD30 (tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, member 8) have been
      identified. Whereas cell function assays are time-consuming laboratory-developed
      tests which are difficult to standardize, commercial assays are frequently
      available for soluble proteins. Therefore, more data from clinical trials have
      been published for sCD30 compared with the surface antigens on activated T cells.
      This short review summarizes the association between selected surface antigens
      and immunosuppression, and rejection in solid organ transplantation. 

PMID- 26495981
TI  - Secondary Structure across the Bacterial Transcriptome Reveals Versatile Roles in
      mRNA Regulation and Function.
AB  - Messenger RNA acts as an informational molecule between DNA and translating
      ribosomes. Emerging evidence places mRNA in central cellular processes beyond its
      major function as informational entity. Although individual examples show that
      specific structural features of mRNA regulate translation and transcript
      stability, their role and function throughout the bacterial transcriptome remains
      unknown. Combining three sequencing approaches to provide a high resolution view
      of global mRNA secondary structure, translation efficiency and mRNA abundance, we
      unraveled structural features in E. coli mRNA with implications in translation
      and mRNA degradation. A poorly structured site upstream of the coding sequence
      serves as an additional unspecific binding site of the ribosomes and the degree
      of its secondary structure propensity negatively correlates with gene expression.
      Secondary structures within coding sequences are highly dynamic and influence
      translation only within a very small subset of positions. A secondary structure
      upstream of the stop codon is enriched in genes terminated by UAA codon with
      likely implications in translation termination. The global analysis further
      substantiates a common recognition signature of RNase E to initiate
      endonucleolytic cleavage. This work determines for the first time the E. coli RNA
      structurome, highlighting the contribution of mRNA secondary structure as a
      direct effector of a variety of processes, including translation and mRNA
      degradation. 

PMID- 26495983
TI  - Evaluation of an Inexpensive Growth Medium for Direct Detection of Escherichia
      coli in Temperate and Sub-Tropical Waters.
AB  - The cost and complexity of traditional methods for the detection of faecal
      indicator bacteria, including E. coli, hinder widespread monitoring of drinking
      water quality, especially in low-income countries and outside controlled
      laboratory settings. In these settings the problem is exacerbated by the lack of
      inexpensive media for the detection of E. coli in drinking water. We developed a
      new low-cost growth medium, aquatest (AT), and validated its use for the direct
      detection of E. coli in temperate and sub-tropical drinking waters using IDEXX
      Quanti-Tray(r). AT was compared with IDEXX Colilert-18(r) and either EC-MUG or
      MLSB for detecting low levels of E. coli from water samples from temperate (n =
      140; Bristol, UK) and subtropical regions (n = 50, Pretoria/Tshwane, South
      Africa). Confirmatory testing (n = 418 and 588, respectively) and the comparison
      of quantitative results were used to assess performance. Sensitivity of AT was
      higher than Colilert-18(r) for water samples in the UK [98.0% vs. 86.9%;
      p<0.0001] and South Africa [99.5% vs. 93.2%; p = 0.0030]. There was no
      significant difference in specificity, which was high for both media (>95% in
      both settings). Quantitative results were comparable and within expected limits.
      AT is reliable and accurate for the detection of E. coli in temperate and
      subtropical drinking water. The composition of the new medium is reported herein
      and can be used freely. 

PMID- 26495984
TI  - Modeling the Evolution of Beliefs Using an Attentional Focus Mechanism.
AB  - For making decisions in everyday life we often have first to infer the set of
      environmental features that are relevant for the current task. Here we
      investigated the computational mechanisms underlying the evolution of beliefs
      about the relevance of environmental features in a dynamical and noisy
      environment. For this purpose we designed a probabilistic Wisconsin card sorting
      task (WCST) with belief solicitation, in which subjects were presented with
      stimuli composed of multiple visual features. At each moment in time a particular
      feature was relevant for obtaining reward, and participants had to infer which
      feature was relevant and report their beliefs accordingly. To test the hypothesis
      that attentional focus modulates the belief update process, we derived and fitted
      several probabilistic and non-probabilistic behavioral models, which either
      incorporate a dynamical model of attentional focus, in the form of a hierarchical
      winner-take-all neuronal network, or a diffusive model, without attention-like
      features. We used Bayesian model selection to identify the most likely generative
      model of subjects' behavior and found that attention-like features in the
      behavioral model are essential for explaining subjects' responses. Furthermore,
      we demonstrate a method for integrating both connectionist and Bayesian models of
      decision making within a single framework that allowed us to infer hidden belief
      processes of human subjects. 

PMID- 26495985
TI  - Impact of Water Chemistry, Pipe Material and Stagnation on the Building Plumbing
      Microbiome.
AB  - A unique microbiome establishes in the portion of the potable water distribution
      system within homes and other buildings (i.e., building plumbing). To examine its
      composition and the factors that shape it, standardized cold water plumbing rigs
      were deployed at the treatment plant and in the distribution system of five water
      utilities across the U.S. Three pipe materials (copper with lead solder, CPVC
      with brass fittings or copper/lead combined pipe) were compared, with 8 hour
      flush cycles of 10 minutes to simulate typical daily use patterns. High
      throughput Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons was employed to profile
      and compare the resident bulk water bacteria and archaea. The utility, location
      of the pipe rig, pipe material and stagnation all had a significant influence on
      the plumbing microbiome composition, but the utility source water and treatment
      practices were dominant factors. Examination of 21 water chemistry parameters
      suggested that the total chlorine concentration, pH, P, SO42- and Mg were
      associated with the most of the variation in bulk water microbiome composition.
      Disinfectant type exerted a notably low-magnitude impact on microbiome
      composition. At two utilities using the same source water, slight differences in
      treatment approaches were associated with differences in rare taxa in samples.
      For genera containing opportunistic pathogens, Utility C samples (highest pH of 9
      10) had the highest frequency of detection for Legionella spp. and lowest
      relative abundance of Mycobacterium spp. Data were examined across utilities to
      identify a true universal core, special core, and peripheral organisms to deepen
      insight into the physical and chemical factors that shape the building plumbing
      microbiome. 

PMID- 26495986
TI  - Differences in Expression Level of Helios and Neuropilin-1 Do Not Distinguish
      Thymus-Derived from Extrathymically-Induced CD4+Foxp3+ Regulatory T Cells.
AB  - Helios transcription factor and semaphorin receptor Nrp-1 were originally
      described as constitutively expressed at high levels on CD4+Foxp3+ T regulatory
      cells of intrathymic origin (tTregs). On the other hand, CD4+Foxp3+ Tregs
      generated in the periphery (pTregs) or induced ex vivo (iTregs) were reported to
      express low levels of Helios and Nrp-1. Soon afterwards the reliability of Nrp-1
      and Helios as markers discriminating between tTregs and pTregs was questioned and
      until now no consensus has been reached. Here, we used several genetically
      modified mouse strains that favor pTregs or tTregs formation and analyzed the TCR
      repertoire of these cells. We found that Tregs with variable levels of Nrp-1 and
      Helios were abundant in mice with compromised ability to support natural
      differentiation of tTregs or pTregs. We also report that TCR repertoires of Treg
      clones expressing high or low levels of Nrp-1 or Helios are similar and more
      alike repertoire of CD4+Foxp3+ than repertoire of CD4+Foxp3- thymocytes. These
      results show that high vs. low expression of Nrp-1 or Helios does not
      unequivocally identify Treg clones of thymic or peripheral origin. 

PMID- 26495987
TI  - A Trial of Lifestyle Modification on Cardiopulmonary, Inflammatory, and Metabolic
      Effects among Obese with Chronic Kidney Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The feasibility and benefits of lifestyle intervention in chronic
      kidney disease (CKD) patients who are obese has not been well studied. We
      examined the early effects of an exercise plus weight loss intervention on body
      composition, exercise capacity, metabolic parameters and kidney function in obese
      subjects with CKD. METHODS: Nine subjects (median age 57 years, body mass index
      (BMI) 43.9) underwent a lifestyle intervention program that included supervised
      aerobic exercise (i.e. ~85% maximum heart rate) and dietary counseling (500 kcal
      reduction in daily caloric intake). Body composition (iDXA), exercise capacity
      (maximal oxygen consumption), quality of life, insulin resistance (Matsuda
      index), inflammation (high sensitivity C-reactive protein), adipokines (leptin
      and total adiponectin) and kidney function (iothalamate glomerular filtration
      rate) were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks of the intervention. Changes
      in parameters were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS: After
      12 weeks of intervention, there was a significant decrease in BMI and fat mass
      (median -4.9 kg (25th-75th percentile -5.9 to -3.0)). There was a significant
      increase in exercise capacity (3.7 ml/kg/min (3.0-4.7)), along with improvements
      in insulin sensitivity (0.55 (0.43-1.2)), total adiponectin (780.9 MUg/ml (262.1
      1,497.1)) and leptin (-5.1 ng/ml (-14.5 to -3.3)). There were improvements in
      biomarkers of kidney disease very quality of life measures, but kidney function
      remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: Lifestyle modification is feasible in obese
      patients with CKD and produces weight loss that is related to improvements in
      exercise capacity, insulin resistance and adipokines. Whether lifestyle-induced
      weight loss and fitness can be sustained and whether it will mediate improvements
      in kidney function over time merits further investigation.

PMID- 26495990
TI  - Multidimensional preparative liquid chromatography to isolate flavonoids from
      bergamot juice and evaluation of their anti-inflammatory potential.
AB  - Important objectives of a high-performance liquid chromatography preparative
      process are: purity of products isolated, yield, and throughput. The
      multidimensional preparative liquid chromatography method used in this work was
      developed mainly to increase the throughput; moreover purity and yield are
      increased thanks to the automated collection of the molecules based on the
      intensity of a signal generated from the mass spectrometer detector, in this way
      only a specific product can be targeted. This preparative system allowed, in few
      analyses both in the first and second dimensions, the isolation of eight pure
      compounds present at very different concentration in the original sample with
      high purity (>95%) and yield, which showed how the system is efficient and
      versatile. Pure molecules were used to validate the analytical method and to test
      the anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative potential of flavonoids. The
      contemporary presence, in bergamot juice, of all the flavonoids together
      increases the anti-inflammatory effect with respect to the single compound alone.

PMID- 26495988
TI  - The Effect of Cooled Perches on Immunological Parameters of Caged White Leghorn
      Hens during the Hot Summer Months.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine if thermally cooled perches improve
      hen immunity during hot summer. White Leghorn pullets at 16 week of age were
      randomly assigned to 18 cages of 3 banks at 9 hens per cage. Each bank was
      assigned to 1 of the 3 treatments up to 32 week of age: 1) thermally cooled
      perches, 2) perches with ambient air, and 3) cages without perches. Hens were
      exposed to natural ambient temperatures from June through September 2013 in
      Indiana with a 4 h acute heat episode at 27.6 week of age. The packed cell
      volume, heterophil to lymphocyte (H/L) ratio, plasma concentrations of total IgG,
      and cytokines of interleukin-1beta and interleukin-6, plus lipopolysaccharide
      induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha factor were measured at both 27.6 and 32 week
      of age. The mRNA expressions of these cytokines, toll-like receptor-4, and
      inducible nitric oxide synthase were also examined in the spleen of 32 week-old
      hens. Except for H/L ratio, thermally cooled perches did not significantly
      improve currently measured immunological indicators. These results indicated that
      the ambient temperature of 2013 summer in Indiana (24 degrees C, 17.1 to 33.1
      degrees C) was not high enough and the 4 h heat episode at 33.3 degrees C (32 to
      34.6 degrees C) was insufficient in length to evoke severe heat stress in hens.
      However, cooled perch hens had a lower H/L ratio than both air perch hens and
      control hens at 27.6 week of age and it was still lower compared to control hens
      (P < 0.05, respectively) at 32 week of age. The lowered H/L ratio of cooled perch
      hens may suggest that they were able to cope with acute heat stress more
      effectively than control hens. Further studies are needed to evaluate the
      effectiveness of thermally cooled perches on hen health under higher ambient
      temperatures. 

PMID- 26495992
TI  - Identifying and modeling motion primitives for the hydromedusae Sarsia tubulosa
      and Aequorea victoria.
AB  - The movements of organisms can be thought of as aggregations of motion
      primitives: motion segments containing one or more significant actions. Here, we
      present a means to identify and characterize motion primitives from recorded
      movement data. We address these problems by assuming that the motion sequences
      can be characterized as a series of dynamical-system-based pattern generators. By
      adopting a nonparametric, Bayesian formalism for learning and simplifying these
      pattern generators, we arrive at a purely data-driven model to automatically
      identify breakpoints in the movement sequences. We apply this model to swimming
      sequences from two hydromedusa. The first hydromedusa is the prolate Sarsia
      tubulosa, for which we obtain five motion primitives that correspond to bell
      cavity pressurization, jet formation, jetting, cavity fluid refill, and coasting.
      The second hydromedusa is the oblate Aequorea victoria, for which we obtain five
      motion primitives that correspond to bell compression, vortex separation, cavity
      fluid refill, vortex formation, and coasting. Our experimental results indicate
      that the breakpoints between primitives are correlated with transitions in the
      bell geometry, vortex formation and shedding, and changes in derived dynamical
      quantities. These dynamics quantities include terms like pressure, power, drag,
      and thrust. Such findings suggest that dynamics information is inherently present
      in the observed motions. 

PMID- 26495991
TI  - Formalin Inactivation of Japanese Encephalitis Virus Vaccine Alters the
      Antigenicity and Immunogenicity of a Neutralization Epitope in Envelope Protein
      Domain III.
AB  - Formalin-inactivated Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vaccines are widely
      available, but the effects of formalin inactivation on the antigenic structure of
      JEV and the profile of antibodies elicited after vaccination are not well
      understood. We used a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to map the antigenic
      structure of live JEV virus, untreated control virus (UCV), formalin-inactivated
      commercial vaccine (FICV), and formalin-inactivated virus (FIV). The binding
      activity of T16 MAb against Nakayama-derived FICV and several strains of FIV was
      significantly lower compared to live virus and UCV. T16 MAb, a weakly
      neutralizing JEV serocomplex antibody, was found to inhibit JEV infection at the
      post-attachment step. The T16 epitope was mapped to amino acids 329, 331, and 389
      within domain III (EDIII) of the envelope (E) glycoprotein. When we explored the
      effect of formalin inactivation on the immunogenicity of JEV, we found that
      Nakayama-derived FICV, FIV, and UCV all exhibited similar immunogenicity in a
      mouse model, inducing anti-JEV and anti-EDII 101/106/107 epitope-specific
      antibodies. However, the EDIII 329/331/389 epitope-specific IgG antibody and
      neutralizing antibody titers were significantly lower for FICV-immunized and FIV
      immunized mouse serum than for UCV-immunized. Formalin inactivation seems to
      alter the antigenic structure of the E protein, which may reduce the potency of
      commercially available JEV vaccines. Virus inactivation by H2O2, but not by UV or
      by short-duration and higher temperature formalin treatment, is able to maintain
      the antigenic structure of the JEV E protein. Thus, an alternative inactivation
      method, such as H2O2, which is able to maintain the integrity of the E protein
      may be essential to improving the potency of inactivated JEV vaccines. 

PMID- 26495993
TI  - Effects of low temperature on tropical and temperate isolates of marine
      Synechococcus.
AB  - Temperature is an important factor influencing the distribution of marine
      picocyanobacteria. However, molecular responses contributing to temperature
      preferences are poorly understood in these important primary producers. We
      compared the temperature acclimation of a tropical Synechococcus strain WH8102
      with temperate strain BL107 at 18  degrees C relative to 22  degrees C and
      examined their global protein expression, growth patterns, photosynthetic
      efficiency and lipid composition. Global protein expression profiles demonstrate
      the partitioning of the proteome into major categories: photosynthesis (>40%),
      translation (10-15%) and membrane transport (2-8%) with distinct differences
      between and within strains grown at different temperatures. At low temperature,
      growth and photosynthesis of strain WH8102 was significantly decreased, while
      BL107 was largely unaffected. There was an increased abundance of proteins
      involved in protein biosynthesis at 18  degrees C for BL107. Each strain showed
      distinct differences in lipid composition with higher unsaturation in strain
      BL107. We hypothesize that differences in membrane fluidity, abundance of protein
      biosynthesis machinery and the maintenance of photosynthesis efficiency
      contribute to the acclimation of strain BL107 to low temperature. Additional
      proteins unique to BL107 may also contribute to this strain's improved fitness at
      low temperature. Such adaptive capacities are likely important factors favoring
      growth of temperate strains over tropical strains in high latitude niches. 

PMID- 26495994
TI  - Cyanobacterial reuse of extracellular organic carbon in microbial mats.
AB  - Cyanobacterial organic matter excretion is crucial to carbon cycling in many
      microbial communities, but the nature and bioavailability of this C depend on
      unknown physiological functions. Cyanobacteria-dominated hypersaline laminated
      mats are a useful model ecosystem for the study of C flow in complex communities,
      as they use photosynthesis to sustain a more or less closed system. Although such
      mats have a large C reservoir in the extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs),
      the production and degradation of organic carbon is not well defined. To identify
      extracellular processes in cyanobacterial mats, we examined mats collected from
      Elkhorn Slough (ES) at Monterey Bay, California, for glycosyl and protein
      composition of the EPS. We found a prevalence of simple glucose polysaccharides
      containing either alpha or beta (1,4) linkages, indicating distinct sources of
      glucose with differing enzymatic accessibility. Using proteomics, we identified
      cyanobacterial extracellular enzymes, and also detected activities that indicate
      a capacity for EPS degradation. In a less complex system, we characterized the
      EPS of a cyanobacterial isolate from ES, ESFC-1, and found the extracellular
      composition of biofilms produced by this unicyanobacterial culture were similar
      to that of natural mats. By tracing isotopically labeled EPS into single cells of
      ESFC-1, we demonstrated rapid incorporation of extracellular-derived carbon.
      Taken together, these results indicate cyanobacteria reuse excess organic carbon,
      constituting a dynamic pool of extracellular resources in these mats. 

PMID- 26495995
TI  - Microbiome shifts and the inhibition of quorum sensing by Black Band Disease
      cyanobacteria.
AB  - Disruption of the microbiome often correlates with the appearance of disease
      symptoms in metaorganisms such as corals. In Black Band Disease (BBD), a
      polymicrobial disease consortium dominated by the filamentous cyanobacterium
      Roseofilum reptotaenium displaces members of the epibiotic microbiome. We
      examined both normal surface microbiomes and BBD consortia on Caribbean corals
      and found that the microbiomes of healthy corals were dominated by
      Gammaproteobacteria, in particular Halomonas spp., and were remarkably stable
      across spatial and temporal scales. In contrast, the microbial community
      structure in black band consortia was more variable and more diverse.
      Nevertheless, deep sequencing revealed that members of the disease consortium
      were present in every sampled surface microbiome of Montastraea, Orbicella and
      Pseudodiploria corals, regardless of the health status. Within the BBD
      consortium, we identified lyngbic acid, a cyanobacterial secondary metabolite. It
      strongly inhibited quorum sensing (QS) in the Vibrio harveyi QS reporters. The
      effects of lyngbic acid on the QS reporters depended on the presence of the CAI-1
      receptor CqsS. Lyngbic acid inhibited luminescence in native coral Vibrio spp.
      that also possess the CAI-1-mediated QS. The effects of this naturally occurring
      QS inhibitor on bacterial regulatory networks potentially contribute to the
      structuring of the interactions within BBD consortia. 

PMID- 26495997
TI  - Acupuncture Treatment for Dyspnea due to Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and
      Emphysema: A Case Report.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Combined idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with pulmonary emphysema (CPFE)
      is a syndrome with a characteristic presentation of upper lobe emphysema and
      lower lobe fibrosis. Dyspnea on exertion (DOE) is a major symptom of CPFE. We
      report a patient with DOE due to CPFE who was successfully treated with
      acupuncture. DESIGN: Case report. CASE PRESENTATION: A 72-year-old Japanese man
      with a 4-year history of DOE was diagnosed with CPFE 2 years previously in
      another hospital. He received standard Western medicine treatment, which included
      bronchodilators. However, his DOE did not improve. Consequently, he visited our
      hospital for acupuncture treatment and received acupuncture treatment once a week
      for 1 year. RESULTS: After 10 weeks of acupuncture treatment, the results of the
      6-minute walk test (6-minute walking distance, 379 m; lowest oxygen saturation,
      86%; modified Borg dyspnea scale score: 2 units) were better than those at
      baseline (352 m, 84%, 4 units, respectively). These values were sustained at both
      30 weeks (470 m, 88%, 1 unit) and 60 weeks (473 m, 85%, 2 units). Serum
      interstitial biomarkers, Krebs von den Lungen and surfactant protein-D, decreased
      after commencement of acupuncture therapy. CONCLUSION: A patient with CPFE showed
      improvements in dyspnea scores, exercise tolerance, and serum biomarkers during a
      1-year course of acupuncture treatment. Use of acupuncture might be an effective
      adjunct therapy in relieving DOE due to CPFE. A large, well-designed cohort study
      that includes patients with CPFE treated with acupuncture should be conducted.

PMID- 26495996
TI  - Non-pathogenic Rhizobium radiobacter F4 deploys plant beneficial activity
      independent of its host Piriformospora indica.
AB  - The Alphaproteobacterium Rhizobium radiobacter F4 (RrF4) was originally
      characterized as an endofungal bacterium in the beneficial endophytic
      Sebacinalean fungus Piriformospora indica. Although attempts to cure P. indica
      from RrF4 repeatedly failed, the bacterium can easily be grown in pure culture.
      Here, we report on RrF4's genome and the beneficial impact the free-living
      bacterium has on plants. In contrast to other endofungal bacteria, the genome
      size of RrF4 is not reduced. Instead, it shows a high degree of similarity to the
      plant pathogenic R. radiobacter (formerly: Agrobacterium tumefaciens) C58, except
      vibrant differences in both the tumor-inducing (pTi) and the accessor (pAt)
      plasmids, which can explain the loss of RrF4's pathogenicity. Similar to its
      fungal host, RrF4 colonizes plant roots without host preference and forms
      aggregates of attached cells and dense biofilms at the root surface of maturation
      zones. RrF4-colonized plants show increased biomass and enhanced resistance
      against bacterial leaf pathogens. Mutational analysis showed that, similar to P.
      indica, resistance mediated by RrF4 was dependent on the plant's jasmonate-based
      induced systemic resistance (ISR) pathway. Consistent with this, RrF4- and P.
      indica-induced pattern of defense gene expression were similar. In clear contrast
      to P. indica, but similar to plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, RrF4 colonized
      not only the root outer cortex but also spread beyond the endodermis into the
      stele. On the basis of our findings, RrF4 is an efficient plant growth-promoting
      bacterium. 

PMID- 26495998
TI  - Pomolic Acid Inhibits Invasion of Breast Cancer Cells Through the Suppression of
      CXC Chemokine Receptor Type 4 Expression.
AB  - High mortality of cancer-mediated deaths is due to metastasis. CXC chemokine
      receptor type 4 (CXCR4) signaling has been demonstrated to be involved in
      migration of breast cancer. Thus, identification of CXCR4 inhibitor has been
      challenged constantly as an anticancer drug. This study is aimed to investigate
      the CXCR4 inhibitor that could inhibit tumor metastasis from natural products. We
      demonstrated that pomolic acid (PA), a component of Euscaphis japonica, could
      downregulate CXCR4 expression in breast cancer cells. Treatment with proteasomal
      and lysosomal inhibitors did not show significant effects on PA's ability. When
      we further explored the molecular mechanism, suppression of CXCR4 occurred at
      transcriptional level and was correlated with inhibition of nuclear factor-kappaB
      (NF-kappaB) activation. Downregulation of CXCR4 by PA was accompanied by the
      inhibition of CXC motif chemokine 12 (CXCL12)-induced invasion of breast cancer
      cells. Overall, our results indicate that PA, as a novel inhibitor of CXCR4, can
      be a promising therapeutic agent for treatment of cancer metastasis.

PMID- 26495999
TI  - Pediatric investigation plans for specific immunotherapy: Questionable
      contributions to childhood health.
AB  - Allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) is the only disease-modifying treatment for
      children, adolescents, and adults with allergic diseases. The EU has a combined
      system of national and EU-wide marketing authorization for all medicines. Germany
      introduced a new therapy allergen ordinance in 2008. Allergen products
      manufacturers had to apply for marketing authorization application for the major
      allergen groups (grass group, birch group, mites group, bee/wasp venom). Due to
      the EU pediatric regulation, in force since 2007, manufacturers had also to
      submit a pediatric investigation plan (PIP) for each allergen product. We
      investigated the allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC) standard PIP, developed
      jointly by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the German Paul Ehrlich
      Institut (PEI). We analyzed the 118 EMA PIP decisions, looked for SIT trials in
      children in www.clinicaltrials.gov, and further analyzed EMA/EU justifications.
      The PIPs request a 1-year dose-finding study in adults, a 5-year placebo
      controlled (PC) efficacy & safety (E&S) study in adults, and a 5-year PC E&S
      study in children. Fifty-eight PIP development programs will have to be performed
      until 2031. But children benefit even more from SIT for ARC than adults. There is
      no convincing medical/scientific justification for PC E&S studies in children in
      the relevant EMA documents. The PIP requirement to withhold effective treatment
      to thousands of children in the placebo group over a 5-year period raises
      profound concerns. The EMA justifications are formalistic and lack scientific
      foundation. A critical academic review of the ARC PIPs and the entire PIP system
      is urgently needed. 

PMID- 26496001
TI  - Tetralogy of Fallot Cardiac Function Evaluation and Intelligent Diagnosis Based
      on Dual-Source Computed Tomography Cardiac Images.
AB  - Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is the most common complex congenital heart disease
      (CHD) of the cyanotic type. Studies on ventricular functions have received an
      increasing amount of attention as the development of diagnosis and treatment
      technology for CHD continues to advance. Reasonable options for imaging
      examination and accurate assessment of preoperative and postoperative left
      ventricular functions of TOF patients are important in improving the cure rate of
      TOF radical operation, therapeutic evaluation, and judgment prognosis. Therefore,
      with the aid of dual-source computed tomography (DSCT), cardiac images with high
      temporal resolution and high definition, we measured the left ventricular time
      volume curve using image data and calculating the left ventricular function
      parameters to conduct the preliminary evaluation on TOF patients. To
      comprehensively evaluate the cardiac function, the segmental ventricular wall
      function parameters were measured, and the measurement results were mapped to a
      bull's eye diagram to realize the standardization of segmental ventricular wall
      function evaluation. Finally, we introduced a new clustering method based on auto
      regression model parameters and combined this method with Euclidean distance
      measurements to establish an intelligent diagnosis of TOF. The results of this
      experiment show that the TOF evaluation and the intelligent diagnostic methods
      proposed in this article are feasible. 

PMID- 26496000
TI  - Endocrine Dysfunction in Diamond-Blackfan Anemia (DBA): A Report from the DBA
      Registry (DBAR).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) is a rare inherited bone marrow failure
      syndrome. The mainstays of treatment involve chronic red cell transfusions, long
      term glucocorticoid therapy, and stem cell transplantation. Systematic data
      concerning endocrine function in DBA are limited. We studied patients in the DBA
      Registry (DBAR) of North America to assess the prevalence of various
      endocrinopathies. PROCEDURE: In a pilot study, retrospective data were collected
      for 12 patients with DBA. Subsequently, patients with DBA aged 1-39 years were
      recruited prospectively. Combined, 57 patients were studied; 38 chronically
      transfused, 12 glucocorticoid-dependent, and seven in remission. Data were
      collected on anthropometric measurements, systematic screening of pituitary,
      thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, pancreatic, and gonadal function, and ferritin
      levels. Descriptive statistics were tabulated and group differences were
      assessed. RESULTS: Fifty-three percent of patients had >= 1 endocrine disorder,
      including adrenal insufficiency (32%), hypogonadism (29%), hypothyroidism (14%),
      growth hormone dysfunction (7%), diabetes mellitus (2%), and/or diabetes
      insipidus (2%). Ten of the 33 patients with available heights had height standard
      deviation less than -2. Low 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels were present in
      50%. A small proportion also had osteopenia, osteoporosis, or hypercalciuria.
      Most with adrenal insufficiency were glucocorticoid dependent; other
      endocrinopathies were more common in chronically transfused patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: Endocrine dysfunction is common in DBA, as early as the teenage
      years. Although prevalence is highest in transfused patients, patients taking
      glucocorticoids or in remission also have endocrine dysfunction. Longitudinal
      studies are needed to better understand the etiology and true prevalence of these
      disorders.

PMID- 26496002
TI  - Knowledge and attitudes survey in bleeding disorders providers regarding pain.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The National Pain Study identified respondents (39%) were not
      satisfied with their pain management yet over 50% seek out their Haemophilia
      Treatment Centre (HTC) providers for pain management. This study's purpose was to
      assess the knowledge and attitudes of HTC providers regarding pain assessment and
      treatment. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-two HTC providers responded to a Survey
      MonkeyTM Questionnaire. RESULTS: Knowledge deficits noted in pharmacology
      included (i) potentiators of opioids, (ii) time to peak effect of oral morphine,
      (iii) benzodiazepines usage as effective pain relievers and (iv) dose
      escalation/respiratory depression in an opioid tolerant patient. Areas of deficit
      in the substance abuse category involved (i) likelihood of a previous
      alcohol/drug abuse problem and (ii) signs and symptoms of discontinuation
      syndrome. Despite 100% confirmation from all providers that the patient is the
      best source of pain reporting, when presented with two identical case scenarios
      except for the patient's visual pain presentation; pain ratings were reported
      differently for patients who rated their pain similarly (8/10), yet displayed
      their pain symptoms differently resulting in different pain medication regimens.
      Responses were consistent between the provider groups but varied between case
      studies suggesting disparity between personal attitudes of providers when
      prescribing pain medication in the haemophilia population. CONCLUSIONS: Continued
      research in the area of haemophilia pain as well as treatment is needed. In
      addition, continuing pain education is recommended for HTC provider's at the
      local, regional and national levels so providers could remain up to date in the
      changes and progress of pain management theory.

PMID- 26496003
TI  - Evolution of Drosophila resistance against different pathogens and infection
      routes entails no detectable maintenance costs.
AB  - Pathogens exert a strong selective pressure on hosts, entailing host adaptation
      to infection. This adaptation often affects negatively other fitness-related
      traits. Such trade-offs may underlie the maintenance of genetic diversity for
      pathogen resistance. Trade-offs can be tested with experimental evolution of host
      populations adapting to parasites, using two approaches: (1) measuring changes in
      immunocompetence in relaxed-selection lines and (2) comparing life-history traits
      of evolved and control lines in pathogen-free environments. Here, we used both
      approaches to examine trade-offs in Drosophila melanogaster populations evolving
      for over 30 generations under infection with Drosophila C Virus or the bacterium
      Pseudomonas entomophila, the latter through different routes. We find that
      resistance is maintained after up to 30 generations of relaxed selection.
      Moreover, no differences in several classical life-history traits between control
      and evolved populations were found in pathogen-free environments, even under
      stresses such as desiccation, nutrient limitation, and high densities. Hence, we
      did not detect any maintenance costs associated with resistance to pathogens. We
      hypothesize that extremely high selection pressures commonly used lead to the
      disproportionate expression of costs relative to their actual occurrence in
      natural systems. Still, the maintenance of genetic variation for pathogen
      resistance calls for an explanation.

PMID- 26496005
TI  - The association of perceived stress, contextualized stress, and emotional eating
      with body mass index in college-aged Black women.
AB  - A growing body of literature supports the association between adverse stress
      experiences and health inequities, including obesity, among African
      American/Black women. Adverse stress experiences can contribute to poor appetite
      regulation, increased food intake, emotional eating, binge eating, and sedentary
      behavior, all of which can contribute to weight gain and obesity. Most research
      studies concerning the effect of psychological stress on eating behaviors have
      not examined the unique stress experience, body composition, and eating behaviors
      of African American/Black women. Even fewer studies have examined these
      constructs among Black female college students, who have an increased prevalence
      of overweight and obesity compared to their counterparts. Therefore, the aim of
      the current study is to examine the associations among emotional eating,
      perceived stress, contextualized stress, and BMI in African American female
      college students. All participants identified as African American or Black
      (N=99). The mean age of the sample was 19.4 years (SD=1.80). A statistically
      significant eating behavior patterns*perceived stress interaction was evident for
      body mass index (BMI) (beta=0.036, S.E.=.0118, p<.01). In addition, a
      statistically significant eating behavior patterns*contextualized stress
      interaction was observed for BMI (beta=0.007, S.E.=.0027, p=.015). Findings from
      this study demonstrate that the stress experience interacts with emotional eating
      to influence BMI. Based on these findings, culturally relevant interventions that
      target the unique stress experience and eating behavior patterns of young African
      American women are warranted.

PMID- 26496006
TI  - GhNAC12, a neutral candidate gene, leads to early aging in cotton (Gossypium
      hirsutum L).
AB  - NAC (NAM, ATAF, and CUC) is one of the largest transcription factor families in
      plants, and its members play various roles in plant growth, development, and the
      response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Currently, 77 NAC genes have been
      reported in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). And GhNAC12 showed up-regulation
      during leaf senescence, but its role in this process is poorly understood. In the
      present study, a preliminary function analysis of GhNAC12 was performed during
      leaf senescence. qRT-PCR analysis indicated that GhNAC12 expression increased
      during the early-aging process and the aging of cotyledons. Additionally, we
      observed that overexpression of GhNAC12 in Arabidopsis led to early senescence
      (early aging). Our findings suggest that GhNAC12 is a candidate gene for early
      aging in upland cotton cultivars. Neutrality tests suggested that there was no
      selection pressure imposed on GhNAC12 during the domestication of upland cotton.

PMID- 26496004
TI  - The fetal brain sparing response to hypoxia: physiological mechanisms.
AB  - How the fetus withstands an environment of reduced oxygenation during life in the
      womb has been a vibrant area of research since this field was introduced by
      Joseph Barcroft, a century ago. Studies spanning five decades have since used the
      chronically instrumented fetal sheep preparation to investigate the fetal
      compensatory responses to hypoxia. This defence is contingent on the fetal
      cardiovascular system, which in late gestation adopts strategies to decrease
      oxygen consumption and redistribute the cardiac output away from peripheral
      vascular beds and towards essential circulations, such as those perfusing the
      brain. The introduction of simultaneous measurement of blood flow in the fetal
      carotid and femoral circulations by ultrasonic transducers has permitted
      investigation of the dynamics of the fetal brain sparing response for the first
      time. Now we know that major components of fetal brain sparing during acute
      hypoxia are triggered exclusively by a carotid chemoreflex and that they are
      modified by endocrine agents and the recently discovered vascular oxidant tone.
      The latter is determined by the interaction between nitric oxide and reactive
      oxygen species. The fetal brain sparing response matures as the fetus approaches
      term, in association with the prepartum increase in fetal plasma cortisol, and
      treatment of the preterm fetus with clinically relevant doses of synthetic
      steroids mimics this maturation. Despite intense interest into how the fetal
      brain sparing response may be affected by adverse intrauterine conditions, this
      area of research has been comparatively scant, but it is likely to take centre
      stage in the near future. 

PMID- 26496007
TI  - Transcriptome characterization and expression profiles of the related defense
      genes in postharvest mango fruit against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides.
AB  - Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, is a major disease of the
      postharvest mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruit. However, a lack of transcriptomic
      and genomic information hinders our understanding of the molecular mechanisms
      underlying the mango fruit defense response. Here, we studied the host responses
      of the mango fruit against C. gloeosporioides using Illumina paired-end
      sequencing technology, and expression profiles of 35 defense-related genes were
      further analyzed by qRT-PCR. The results indicated that 5.9Gigabase pair clean
      reads were assembled into a total of 131,750 unigenes, of which 89,050 unigenes
      found to be homologous to genes in the NCBI GenBank database and 61,694 unigenes
      annonated in the Swiss-Prot database. Orthologous analyses showed that 47,770
      unigenes were assigned with one or more Gene Ontology terms and 44,145 unigenes
      were classified into 256 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways.
      Moreover, qRT-PCR of 35 defense-related unigenes, including 17 ethylene response
      factors (ERFs), 6 nucleotide binding site-leucine-rich repeats (NBS-LRRs), 6
      nonexpressor of pathogenesis-related genes (NPRs) and 6 pathogenesis-related
      protein (PRs), revealed that most of these defense-related genes were up
      regulated after C. gloeosporioides infection. Taken together, our study provides
      a platform to discover new candidate genes in mango fruit in relation to pathogen
      resistance.

PMID- 26496008
TI  - Diabetes in people with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review of the
      literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To present an analysis of the evidence related to the prevalence of
      diabetes in people with intellectual disabilities (ID), their experiences of
      their condition and treatment and those of their carers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      systematic literature review was conducted. A total of 22 studies exploring
      diabetes prevalence and 5 exploring views and experiences of diabetes in people
      with ID were identified and included. A narrative synthesis approach was utilised
      to amalgamate data extracted from the included studies regarding some 49,046
      participants with ID and diabetes and 31 care professionals and family members
      across Europe, North America, New Zealand, Australia, China and Hong Kong.
      RESULTS: Prevalence rates of diabetes in people with ID were highly varied,
      ranging from 0.4% to 25%. 7 studies reported significantly higher rates of
      diabetes in people with ID than the general population. People with ID reported a
      basic understanding of diabetes and wanted to know more. Carers reported that
      they lack diabetes knowledge and do not routinely encourage diabetes self
      management skills. Several studies neglected to report vital demographic
      information such as participants' level of ID (13 studies) and diabetes type (16
      studies) and the quality of included prevalence studies was variable.
      CONCLUSIONS: Further research in this field is required, notably prevalence
      studies which control for participant demographics and personal situations to
      obtain more accurate diabetes prevalence rates in this population group. People
      with ID and diabetes should be encouraged to participate in future research and
      we recommend exploring the feasibility of adapting current mainstream diabetes
      management programmes for these individuals.

PMID- 26496009
TI  - Editorial overview: Molecular and genetic bases of disease: Enter the post-GWAS
      era.

PMID- 26496010
TI  - Ian Curtis: Punk rock, epilepsy, and suicide.
AB  - Ian Curtis was the front man of the post-punk band Joy Division. He suffered from
      epilepsy and actively incorporated his experiences of the disease in his lyrics.
      Curtis had frequent epileptic seizures, both on and off stage. After dying from
      suicide in 1980, he became a legend in the post-punk milieu. The impact which the
      epilepsy, the epilepsy treatment, and comorbid depression had on his artistic
      life and premature death is not well known. 

PMID- 26496011
TI  - Chronic methamphetamine treatment reduces the expression of synaptic plasticity
      genes and changes their DNA methylation status in the mouse brain.
AB  - Methamphetamine (METH) is a highly addictive psychostimulant that may cause long
      lasting synaptic dysfunction and abnormal gene expression. We aimed to explore
      the differential expression of synaptic plasticity genes in chronic METH-treated
      mouse brain. We used the RT(2) Profiler PCR Array and the real-time quantitative
      PCR to characterize differentially expressed synaptic plasticity genes in the
      frontal cortex and the hippocampus of chronic METH-treated mice compared with
      normal saline-treated mice. We further used pyrosequencing to assess DNA
      methylation changes in the CpG region of the five immediate early genes (IEGs) in
      chronic METH-treated mouse brain. We detected six downregulated genes in the
      frontal cortex and the hippocampus of chronic METH-treated mice, including five
      IEGs (Arc, Egr2, Fos, Klf10, and Nr4a1) and one neuronal receptor gene (Grm1),
      compared with normal saline-treated group, but only four genes (Arc, Egr2, Fos,
      and Nr4a1) were confirmed to be different. Furthermore, we found several CpG
      sites of the Arc and the Fos that had significant changes in DNA methylation
      status in the frontal cortex of chronic METH-treated mice, while the klf10 and
      the Nr4a1 that had significant changes in the hippocampus. Our results show that
      chronic administration of METH may lead to significant downregulation of the IEGs
      expression in both the frontal cortex and the hippocampus, which may partly
      account for the molecular mechanism of the action of METH. Furthermore, the
      changes in DNA methylation status of the IEGs in the brain indicate that an
      epigenetic mechanism-dependent transcriptional regulation may contribute to METH
      addiction, which warrants additional study. 

PMID- 26496012
TI  - Physiological adaptations following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and the
      identification of targets for bariatric mimetic pharmacotherapy.
AB  - The present opinion article provides an overview of the key improvements in
      metabolic and cardiovascular health following Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB).
      Some clinically important long-term complications of RYGB are also briefly
      described to contextualise the potential value of finding selective non-surgical
      means of replicating only the beneficial aspects of RYGB. Three biological
      responses linked to changes in gastrointestinal tract structure and function post
      RYGB, that are implicated in the clinical efficacy of RYGB and that have actual
      or potential applications as non-surgical mimetic based approaches are addressed.
      These are (1) exaggerated post-prandial gut hormone responses; (2) local
      increases in undiluted bile in the gut lumen and augmented circulating bile acid
      and FGF19 concentrations and (3) compositional changes in the gut microbiota. 

PMID- 26496013
TI  - The synthesis of indolo[2,3-b]quinoline derivatives with a guanidine group:
      highly selective cytotoxic agents.
AB  - The synthesis of indolo[2,3-b]quinoline derivatives containing guanidine, amino
      acid or guanylamino acid substituents as well as their in vitro evaluation for
      the cytotoxic and antifungal activity are reported. The influence of the
      guanidine group on the selective cytotoxic and hemolytic properties of indolo[2,3
      b]quinoline was investigated. Most of the compounds displayed a high cytotoxic
      activity in vitro and two of the most promising compounds (3 and 12) exhibited a
      high selectivity between normal and cancer cell-lines. The cytotoxic activity of
      compound 3 was about 600-fold lower against normal fibroblasts than against A549
      and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. Novel entities acted as the DNA-intercalators when
      tested using a DNA-methyl green assay but demonstrated zero or low hemolytic
      activity in comparison to their unsubstituted analogs. The mechanism of action
      was studied for guanidine derivatives 3 and 12 and both compounds were found to
      be very effective inducers of apoptosis. 

PMID- 26496014
TI  - The association between serum ferritin levels and post-stroke depression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is a common neuropsychiatric affective
      disorder occurring after stroke. Elevated serum ferritin levels have been
      reported to contribute to depression. Our aim was to determine whether there is a
      relationship between serum ferritin levels and PSD. METHODS: 196 ischemic stroke
      patients were consecutively recruited within the first 24h of stroke onset and
      were followed up for 2 months. Serum ferritin levels were assayed by
      electrochemiluminescence immunoassay at hospital admission. Clinical depression
      was diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria and a HAMD -17 score of >= 7.
      Meanwhile, 100 normal control subjects were also recruited. RESULTS: We found
      that 56 stroke patients (28.6%) were diagnosed with PSD at two months. There was
      a significant intergroup difference in serum ferritin levels within 24h after
      admission (F=25.044, P<0.001). Serum ferritin levels were significantly higher at
      admission in PSD patients than in non-PSD patients and normal controls. There was
      a positive correlation between serum ferritin levels and hs-CRP at admission in
      PSD patients (r=0.129, P=0.042). In multivariate analyses, serum levels of
      ferritin >= 130.15 ug/L were independently associated with PSD at two months
      [odds ratio OR=5.388, 95%CI:1.725-16.829; P=0.004] after adjusting for all
      possible variables. LIMITATIONS: We excluded patients with severe aphasia and
      with serious conditions.In addition, the information for dietary intake was not
      recorded, which may influence body iron stores. CONCLUSION: Our findings show
      that elevated serum ferritin levels at admission are associated with PSD and may
      predict its development at 2 months post-stroke.

PMID- 26496015
TI  - Asenapine: Efficacy and safety of 5 and 10mg bid in a 3-week, randomized, double
      blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults with a manic or mixed episode
      associated with bipolar I disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asenapine is an atypical antipsychotic for acute treatment of manic
      or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder in adults. The recommended
      asenapine starting dose is 10mg bid with the option to reduce the dose to 5mg bid
      if needed due to adverse effects/tolerability. METHODS: Phase IIIb,
      international, double-blind, fixed-dose, parallel-group, 3-week placebo
      controlled trial of asenapine 5 and 10mg bid in adults with an acute bipolar I
      disorder manic or mixed episode. Primary outcome was difference in asenapine
      versus placebo in mean change from baseline to day 21 in the Young-Mania Rating
      Scale (YMRS) total score. Others included difference in asenapine versus placebo
      in the Clinical Global Impression Scale for Bipolar Severity (CGI-BP-S) and rate
      of YMRS responders. RESULTS: Both asenapine doses were statistically superior to
      placebo in mean change from baseline to day 21 in YMRS total score (-10.9, -14.4,
      and -14.9 for placebo, asenapine 5mg bid, 10mg bid, respectively). Both asenapine
      doses had statistically superior improvement in mean change in CGI-BP-S score at
      day 21. Neither asenapine dose had significantly more YMRS responders at day 21
      than placebo. LIMITATIONS: Results may not be generalizable to the entire
      population with bipolar I disorder owing to strict inclusion criteria.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study evaluated, by a fixed-dose design, the efficacy and
      safety of asenapine versus placebo in patients with bipolar I disorder. Both
      asenapine 5 and 10mg bid were efficacious in treating mania associated with
      bipolar I disorder and were generally well tolerated.

PMID- 26496017
TI  - World survey of mental illness stigma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To obtain rapid and reproducible opinions that address mental illness
      stigma around the world. METHOD: Random global Web users were exposed to brief
      questions, asking whether they interacted daily with someone with mental illness,
      whether they believed that mental illness was associated with violence, whether
      it was similar to physical illness, and whether it could be overcome. RESULTS:
      Over a period of 1.7 years, 596,712 respondents from 229 countries completed the
      online survey. The response rate was 54.3%. China had the highest proportion of
      respondents in daily contact with a person with mental illness. In developed
      countries, 7% to 8% of respondents endorsed the statement that individuals with
      mental illness were more violent than others, in contrast to 15% or 16% in
      developing countries. While 45% to 51% of respondents from developed countries
      believed that mental illness was similar to physical illness, only 7% believed
      that mental illness could be overcome. To test for reproducibility, 21 repeats of
      the same questions were asked monthly in India for 21 months. Each time, 10.1 +/-
      0.11% s.e., of respondents endorsed the statement that persons who suffer from
      mental illness are more violent than others, indicating strong reproducibility of
      response. CONCLUSION: This study shows that surveys of constructs such as stigma
      towards mental illness can be carried out rapidly and repeatedly across the
      globe, so that the impact of policy interventions can be readily measured.
      LIMITATIONS: The method engages English speakers only, mainly young, educated
      males.

PMID- 26496016
TI  - Establishing the cut-off score for remission and severity-ranges on the Psychotic
      Depression Assessment Scale (PDAS).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Psychotic Depression Assessment Scale (PDAS) is a rating scale
      dedicated to the measurement of severity in psychotic depression (PD). The aim of
      this study was to establish the PDAS cut-off for remission of PD as well as PDAS
      score-ranges for mild, moderate, and severe PD. The secondary aim was to test how
      remission, as defined by the PDAS, would perform as outcome measure when applied
      to the data from a large randomized controlled trial (RCT) in PD. METHODS: The
      study was based on data from the Study of Pharmacotherapy in Psychotic Depression
      (STOP-PD). The cut-off for remission on the PDAS and the severity-ranges for
      mild, moderate, and severe PD were defined using the Clinical Global Impression -
      Severity scale (CGI-S) as reference by means of pair-wise receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) analyses. Subsequently, it was tested whether remission on
      the PDAS could separate the effects of Olanzapine+Sertraline vs.
      Olanzapine+Placebo through an intention-to-treat, mixed-effects logistic
      regression of the data from STOP-PD. RESULTS: According to the ROC analyses, the
      ideal cut-off for remission of PD was a PDAS total score <8, while the severity
      ranges for mild, moderate and severe PD were 8-15, 16-23, and >23 respectively.
      When applying the PDAS total score <8 (remission) as outcome on the STOP-PD data,
      treatment with Olanzapine+Sertraline performed significantly better than
      Olanzapine+Placebo (p<0.001). LIMITATIONS: The STOP-PD was not designed
      specifically to answer the research questions of the present study. CONCLUSIONS:
      According to this study, a total score <8 on the PDAS corresponds to remission of
      PD.

PMID- 26496018
TI  - Decision-making in unipolar or bipolar suicide attempters.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Disadvantageous decision-making (mainly measured by the Iowa Gambling
      Task) has been demonstrated in patients with suicidal behavior compared to
      controls. We, therefore, aimed at clarifying the qualitative and quantitative
      relationship between decision-making and the risk of suicidal behavior in
      unipolar and bipolar disorders respectively, as well as establishing the strength
      of this relationship. METHODS: (1) We conducted a cross-sectional study comparing
      IGT performances between 141 unipolar suicide attempters and 57 bipolar suicide
      attempters. (2) We conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis of studies
      comparing IGT performances in patients with vs. without a history of suicidal
      acts in bipolar and unipolar disorder, together and separately. RESULTS: (1)
      Among suicide attempters, bipolar and unipolar groups performed similarly
      (t(195)=-0.7; p=0.48). Unipolar non-attempters performed better IGT than unipolar
      suicide attempters (t(221)=3.1; p=0.002), only in female gender, whereas
      performances were similar in bipolar patients whatever the history of suicide
      attempt (t(77)=-0.3; p=0.7). (2) A meta-analysis of 10 studies confirmed
      significantly impaired decision-making with a moderate effect-size (-0.38 (95%
      CI[-0.61--0.16]; z=-3.3; p=0.001) in unipolar disorder and (g=-0.4 (95% CI[-0.75
      to -0.05]; z=-2.2; p<0.026) in bipolar disorder suicide attempters compared to
      unipolar and bipolar non-attempters, respectively. LIMITATIONS: It was not
      possible to analyse according to the level of lethality attempt. CONCLUSION:
      Overall, a strong significant association was found between decision-making and
      the risk of suicidal behavior in unipolar disorder and bipolar disorder. However,
      further neuropsychological studies need to analyse separately unipolar and
      bipolar disorder and to study gender differences.

PMID- 26496019
TI  - Inactivation of Escherichia coli in a baffled pond with attached growth: treating
      anaerobic effluent under the Sahelian climate.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate and understand the zero-level detection of
      Escherichia coli (E. coli) at the outlet of an improved waste stabilization pond.
      Wastewaters were collected from the International Institute for Water and
      Environmental Engineering (2iE) campus and were subjected to biological
      treatment. The system included two-stage Anaerobic Reactors followed by a Baffled
      Pond (AR-BP) with recycled plastic media as a medium for attached growth and a
      control pond (CP). Three vertical baffles were installed, giving four
      compartments in the baffled pond (BP). The research was conducted on the pilot
      scale from March to July 2014, by monitoring E. coli, pH, temperature, dissolved
      oxygen (DO) and chlorophyll-a in each compartment and at different depths. The
      results show that E. coli concentrations were lower in top layers of all
      compartments with an undetectable level in the last compartment up to 0.60 m
      deep. E. coli mean removal efficiencies and decay rates were achieved by
      significant difference in BP (4.5 log-units, 9.1 day(-1)) and CP (1.1 log-units,
      1.1 day(-1)). Higher values of pH (>=9), temperature (>=32 degrees C), DO (>= 8
      mg/L) and chlorophyll-a (>= 1000 ug/L) were observed at the surface of BP,
      whereas lower values were shown at the bottom. Sedimentation combined with the
      synergetic effects of the physicochemical parameters and environmental factors
      would be responsible for the inactivation of E. coli in BP. It was concluded that
      the AR-BP could be applied as an alternative low-cost wastewater treatment
      technology for developing countries and recommended for reuse of their effluent
      for restricted peri-urban irrigation. 

PMID- 26496020
TI  - Cross-Linkable Fluorene-Diphenylamine Derivatives for Electrochromic
      Applications.
AB  - Multicolor electrochromic systems based on heat cross-linkable arylamine
      substituted fluorene derivatives, FD and FDOMe, are reported. These derivatives
      with pendant vinyl groups have been synthesized by the Buchwald-Hartwig amination
      reaction and were well-characterized using various analytical and spectroscopic
      techniques such as NMR, ESI-MS, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. FD
      and FDOMe exhibited thermally activated cross-linking above their melting
      temperatures, which was confirmed through absorption, differential scanning
      calorimetry (DSC), FT-IR, and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) techniques.
      Cross-linked FD films (FD-X) on ITO showed two reversible redox peaks at 0.74 and
      0.91 V (versus Ag/AgCl) that correspond to the formation of radical cations and
      dications, respectively. The corresponding redox peaks were observed at 0.6 and
      0.8 V for cross-linked FDOMe films (FDOMe-X). Spectroelectrochemical studies of
      the electrochromic films on ITO revealed multicolor electrochromism of FD-X
      (colorless-yellow-dark cyan) and FDOMe-X (colorless-brick red-blue) with a color
      contrast of ~44% at 485 nm for FD-X and ~63% at 500 nm for FDOMe-X and good
      switching stability between the neutral and oxidized states (>300 cycles) with
      low switching voltages (<0.9 V for the first oxidation and <1.3 V for the second
      oxidation). Furthermore, fabrication of electrochromic devices using FD-X and
      FDOMe-X on FTO substrate with PMMA-based solid electrolyte was demonstrated,
      where the devices exhibited reasonably low switching time between the redox
      states (<30 s) with good optical contrast. 

PMID- 26496022
TI  - Neuroestradiol in the Stalk Median Eminence of Female Rhesus Macaques Decreases
      in Association With Puberty Onset.
AB  - In primates, despite the fact that GnRH neurons are mature at birth, a gonadal
      steroid independent central inhibition restrains the initiation of puberty. The
      neural substrates responsible for this central inhibition, however, are unclear.
      In this study, we tested the hypothesis that neuroestradiol release in the
      hypothalamus decreases prior to the pubertal increase in GnRH release. We found
      that in female monkeys at the prepubertal stage, when GnRH release was low,
      estradiol (E2) levels in the stalk-median eminence of the hypothalamus were
      higher than those in older, early pubertal females in which nocturnal GnRH
      release begins to increase. Furthermore, estrone (E1) levels were higher in the
      stalk-median eminence of prepubertal and early pubertal monkeys compared with
      midpubertal monkeys, which have the highest GnRH release. The elevated E2 and E1
      levels at the prepubertal stage are likely hypothalamic in origin because
      circulating E2 and E1 levels in prepubertal and early pubertal monkeys were much
      lower than those in midpubertal monkeys. Heightened synthesis and release of
      neuroestradiol during the prepubertal period and subsequent reduction at puberty
      onset indicate possible roles for neuroestradiol in central inhibition of GnRH
      release. The mechanism governing the reduction in neuroestradiol synthesis at
      puberty onset remains to be determined. 

PMID- 26496023
TI  - Enantioselective Synthesis of alpha-exo-Methylene gamma-Butyrolactones via
      Chromium Catalysis.
AB  - Enantioenriched alpha-exo-methylene gamma-butyrolactones have been obtained via a
      two-step sequence consisting of a highly enantioselective chromium-catalyzed
      carbonyl 2-(alkoxycarbonyl)allylation and lactonization. A variety of functional
      groups are compatible under the mild reaction conditions. The synthetic utility
      of this methodology was demonstrated by two short derivatization transformations
      and the enantioselective synthesis of (+)-methylenolactocin. 

PMID- 26496021
TI  - Bisphenol A Disrupts HNF4alpha-Regulated Gene Networks Linking to Prostate
      Preneoplasia and Immune Disruption in Noble Rats.
AB  - Exposure of humans to bisphenol A (BPA) is widespread and continuous. The effects
      of protracted exposure to BPA on the adult prostate have not been studied. We
      subjected Noble rats to 32 weeks of BPA (low or high dose) or 17beta-estradiol
      (E2) in conjunction with T replenishment. T treatment alone or untreated groups
      were used as controls. Circulating T levels were maintained within the
      physiological range in all treatment groups, whereas the levels of free BPA were
      elevated in the groups treated with T+low BPA (1.06 +/- 0.05 ng/mL, P < .05) and
      T+high BPA (10.37 +/- 0.43 ng/mL, P < .01) when compared with those in both
      controls (0.1 +/- 0.05 ng/mL). Prostatic hyperplasia, low-grade prostatic
      intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN), and marked infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells
      into the PIN epithelium (P < .05) were observed in the lateral prostates (LPs) of
      T+low/high BPA-treated rats. In contrast, only hyperplasia and high-grade PIN,
      but no aberrant immune responses, were found in the T+E2-treated LPs. Genome-wide
      transcriptome analysis in LPs identified differential changes between T+BPA vs
      T+E2 treatment. Expression of multiple genes in the regulatory network controlled
      by hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha was perturbed by the T+BPA but not by the
      T+E2 exposure. Collectively these findings suggest that the adult rat prostate,
      under a physiologically relevant T environment, is susceptible to BPA-induced
      transcriptomic reprogramming, immune disruption, and aberrant growth
      dysregulation in a manner distinct from those caused by E2. They are more
      relevant to our recent report of higher urinary levels BPA found in patients with
      prostate cancer than those with benign disease. 

PMID- 26496024
TI  - Disentangling the microRNA regulatory milieu in multiple myeloma: integrative
      genomics analysis outlines mixed miRNA-TF circuits and pathway-derived networks
      modulated in t(4;14) patients.
AB  - The identification of overexpressed miRNAs in multiple myeloma (MM) has
      progressively added a further level of complexity to MM biology. miRNA and gene
      expression profiles of two large representative MM datasets, available from
      retrospective and prospective series and encompassing a total of 249 patients at
      diagnosis, were analyzed by means of in silico integrative genomics methods,
      based on MAGIA2 and Micrographite computational procedures. We first identified
      relevant miRNA/transcription factors/target gene regulation circuits in the
      disease and linked them to biological processes. Members of the miR-99b/let
      7e/miR-125a cluster, or of its paralog, upregulated in t(4;14), were connected
      with the specific transcription factors PBX1 and CEBPA and several target genes.
      These results were validated in two additional independent plasma cell tumor
      datasets. Then, we reconstructed a non-redundant miRNA-gene regulatory network in
      MM, linking miRNAs, such as let-7g, miR-19a, mirR-20a, mir-21, miR-29 family, miR
      34 family, miR-125b, miR-155, miR-221 to pathways associated with MM subtypes, in
      particular the ErbB, the Hippo, and the Acute myeloid leukemia associated
      pathways. 

PMID- 26496025
TI  - Transient receptor potential melastatin 4 channel contributes to migration of
      androgen-insensitive prostate cancer cells.
AB  - Impaired Ca2+ signaling in prostate cancer contributes to several cancer
      hallmarks, such as enhanced proliferation and migration and a decreased ability
      to induce apoptosis. Na+ influx via transient receptor potential melastatin 4
      channel (TRPM4) can reduce store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) by decreasing the
      driving force for Ca2+. In patients with prostate cancer, gene expression of
      TRPM4 is elevated. Recently, TRPM4 was identified as a cancer driver gene in
      androgen-insensitive prostate cancer.We investigated TRPM4 protein expression in
      cancer tissue samples from 20 patients with prostate cancer. We found elevated
      TRPM4 protein levels in prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and prostate
      cancer tissue compared to healthy tissue. In primary human prostate epithelial
      cells (hPEC) from healthy tissue and in the androgen-insensitive prostate cancer
      cell lines DU145 and PC3, TRPM4 mediated large Na+ currents. We demonstrated
      significantly increased SOCE after siRNA targeting of TRPM4 in hPEC and DU145
      cells. In addition, knockdown of TRPM4 reduced migration but not proliferation of
      DU145 and PC3 cells. Taken together, our data identify TRPM4 as a regulator of
      SOCE in hPEC and DU145 cells, demonstrate a role for TRPM4 in cancer cell
      migration and suggest that TRPM4 is a promising potential therapeutic target. 

PMID- 26496026
TI  - VE1 immunohistochemistry predicts BRAF V600E mutation status and clinical outcome
      in colorectal cancer.
AB  - AIM: VE1 is a monoclonal antibody detecting mutant BRAFV(600E) protein by
      immunohistochemistry. Here we aim to determine the inter-observer agreement and
      concordance of VE1 with mutational status, investigate heterogeneity in
      colorectal cancers and metastases and determine the prognostic effect of VE1 in
      colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: Concordance of VE1 with mutational status
      and inter-observer agreement were tested on a pilot cohort of colorectal cancers
      (n = 34), melanomas (n = 23) and thyroid cancers (n = 8). Two prognostic cohorts
      were evaluated (n = 259, Cohort 1 and n = 226, Cohort 2) by multiple-punch tissue
      microarrays. VE1 staining on preoperative biopsies (n = 118 patients) was
      compared to expression in resections. Primary tumors and metastases from 13
      patients were tested for VE1 heterogeneity using a tissue microarray generated
      from all available blocks (n = 100 blocks). RESULTS: Inter-observer agreement was
      100% (kappa = 1.0). Concordance between VE1 and V600E mutation was 98.5%. Cohort
      1: VE1 positivity (seen in 13.5%) was associated with older age (p = 0.0175) and
      MLH1 deficiency (p < 0.0001). Cohort 2: VE1 positivity (seen in 12.8%) was
      associated with female gender (p = 0.0016), right-sided tumor location (p <
      0.0001), higher tumor grade (p < 0.0001) and mismatch repair (MMR)-deficiency (p
      < 0.0001). In survival analysis, MMR status and postoperative therapy were
      identified as possible confounding factors. Adjusting for these features, VE1 was
      an unfavorable prognostic factor. Preoperative biopsy staining matched resections
      in all cases except one. No heterogeneity was found across any primary/metastatic
      tumor blocks. CONCLUSION: VE1 is highly concordant for V600E and homogeneously
      expressed suggesting staining can be analysed on resection specimens,
      preoperative biopsies, metastatic lesions and tissue microarrays.

PMID- 26496027
TI  - Regenerating islet-derived protein 1 inhibits the activation of islet stellate
      cells isolated from diabetic mice.
AB  - Emerging evidence indicates that the islet fibrosis is attributable to activation
      of islet stellate cells (ISCs). In the present study, we compared the differences
      in biological activity of ISCs isolated from diabetic db/db and non-diabetic db/m
      mice, and the effects of the regenerating islet-derived protein 1 (Reg1) on ISC
      function. We showed that ISCs isolated from db/db mice were activated more
      rapidly than those from db/m mice during culture. Both Reg1 and its putative
      receptor exostosin-like glycosyltransferase 3 (EXTL3) were highly expressed by
      diabetic ISCs. Treatment with Reg1 inhibited migration, viability, and synthesis
      and secretion of Type I Collagen(Col-I), Type III Collagen(Col-III) and
      Fibronectin(FN) by diabetic ISCs, and this was associated with deactivation of
      the PI3K/Akt, MAPK/Erk1/2 signaling pathway in an EXTL3-dependent manner. In
      conclusion, our observations (i) confirmed the presence of fibrogenic stellate
      cells within pancreatic islets, which are prone to be activated in Type 2
      diabetes, and (ii) revealed a potential role for Reg1 in preventing ISC
      activation. 

PMID- 26496028
TI  - Moderate exercise training attenuates aging-induced cardiac inflammation,
      hypertrophy and fibrosis injuries of rat hearts.
AB  - Aging is the most important risk factor in cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is
      the leading causes of death worldwide and the second major cause of death in
      Taiwan. The major factor in heart failure during aging is heart remodeling,
      including long-term stress-induced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. Exercise is
      good for aging heart health, but the impact of exercise training on aging is not
      defined. This study used 3-, 12- and 18-month-old rats and randomly divided each
      age group into no exercise training control groups (C3, A12 and A18) and moderate
      gentle swimming exercise training groups (E3, AE12 and AE18). The protocol of
      exercise training was swimming five times weekly with gradual increases from the
      first week from 20 to 60 min for 12 weeks. Analyses of protein from rat heart
      tissues and sections revealed cardiac inflammation, hypertrophy and fibrosis
      pathway increases in aged rat groups (A12 and A18), which were improved in
      exercise training groups (AE12 and AE18). There were no heart injuries in young
      rat hearts in exercise group E3. These data suggest that moderate swimming
      exercise training attenuated aging-induced cardiac inflammation, hypertrophy and
      fibrosis injuries of rat hearts. 

PMID- 26496030
TI  - Elucidating the cancer-specific genetic alteration spectrum of glioblastoma
      derived cell lines from whole exome and RNA sequencing.
AB  - Cell lines derived from tumor tissues have been used as a valuable system to
      study gene regulation and cancer development. Comprehensive characterization of
      the genetic background of cell lines could provide clues on novel genes
      responsible for carcinogenesis and help in choosing cell lines for particular
      studies. Here, we have carried out whole exome and RNA sequencing of commonly
      used glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines (U87, T98G, LN229, U343, U373 and LN18) to
      unearth single nucleotide variations (SNVs), indels, differential gene
      expression, gene fusions and RNA editing events. We obtained an average of 41,071
      SNVs out of which 1,594 (3.88%) were potentially cancer-specific. The cell lines
      showed frequent SNVs and indels in some of the genes that are known to be altered
      in GBM- EGFR, TP53, PTEN, SPTA1 and NF1. Chromatin modifying genes- ATRX, MLL3,
      MLL4, SETD2 and SRCAP also showed alterations. While no cell line carried IDH1
      mutations, five cell lines showed hTERT promoter activating mutations with a
      concomitant increase in hTERT transcript levels. Five significant gene fusions
      were found of which NUP93-CYB5B was validated. An average of 18,949 RNA editing
      events was also obtained. Thus we have generated a comprehensive catalogue of
      genetic alterations for six GBM cell lines. 

PMID- 26496031
TI  - Inhibition of iNOS activity enhances the anti-tumor effects of alpha
      galactosylceramide in established murine cancer model.
AB  - Alpha-garactosylceramide (GalCer) has been shown to have anti-tumor effect in the
      basic research and clinical studies. However, anti-tumor effect of GalCer is
      limited. The administration of GalCer increases the production of IFN-gamma which
      is involved in the suppression of tumor growth. On the other hand, the
      enhancement of IFN-gamma production increases immunosuppressive factors such as
      nitric oxide. This suppressive action might impair the anti-tumor effect of
      GalCer. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-tumor effect of GalCer in the
      absence of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). In lung metastatic model, the
      number of tumor nodules in the lung of iNOS-KO mice treated with GalCer was
      significantly reduced compared with that of WT mice treated with GalCer.
      Moreover, L-NAME, which is the inhibitor for iNOS, enhanced the anti-tumor effect
      of GalCer in lung metastatic model. The frequency of CD8+ cells in
      bronchoalveolar lavage fluid increased in iNOS-KO mice treated with GalCer. The
      administration of GalCer increased the frequency of myeloid-derived suppressor
      cells (MDSCs) in the lung from tumor-bearing WT mice, but the increase of MDSCs
      in the lung was not induced in iNOS-KO mice. The subcutaneous tumor experiments
      revealed that the administration of GalCer in the absence of iNOS expression
      significantly enhanced the induction of tumor antigen-specific response. Finally,
      our results indicated that the inhibition of iNOS expression could enhance the
      therapeutic efficacy of GalCer via the increase of tumor antigen-specific immune
      response and the suppression of MDSCs. 

PMID- 26496032
TI  - Association between serum uric acid and bone health in general population: a
      large and multicentre study.
AB  - Previous studies proposed that serum uric acid (UA), an endogenous antioxidant,
      could be a protective factor against bone loss. However, recently, a study with a
      population of US adults did not note the protective effects of serum UA.
      Therefore, the exact association between serum UA and bone health remains
      unclear. We performed a retrospective consecutive cohort study in a Chinese
      population to examine the association between serum UA and bone health. This
      cross-sectional study included 17,735 individuals who underwent lumbar spine bone
      mineral density (BMD) measurements as part of a health examination. In covariance
      analyses (multivariable-adjusted), a high serum UA level was associated with a
      high BMD, T-score, and Z-score. In binary logistic regression analyses
      (multivariable-adjusted), a high serum UA level was associated with low odds
      ratios (ORs) for at least osteopenia and osteoporosis in male (age >=50 years)
      (OR = 0.72-0.60 and OR = 0.49-0.39, respectively) and postmenopausal female
      participants (OR = 0.61-0.51 and OR = 0.66-0.49, respectively). In conclusion,
      serum UA is associated with BMD, the T-score, and the Z-score, and has a strong
      protective effect against at least osteopenia and osteoporosis. 

PMID- 26496029
TI  - Multifactorial resistance to aminopeptidase inhibitor prodrug CHR2863 in myeloid
      leukemia cells: down-regulation of carboxylesterase 1, drug sequestration in
      lipid droplets and pro-survival activation ERK/Akt/mTOR.
AB  - Aminopeptidase inhibitors are receiving attention as combination chemotherapeutic
      agents for the treatment of refractory acute myeloid leukemia. However, the
      factors determining therapeutic efficacy remain elusive. Here we identified the
      molecular basis of acquired resistance to CHR2863, an orally available
      hydrophobic aminopeptidase inhibitor prodrug with an esterase-sensitive motif, in
      myeloid leukemia cells. CHR2863 enters cells by diffusion and is retained therein
      upon esterase activity-mediated conversion to its hydrophilic active metabolite
      drug CHR6768, thereby exerting amino acid depletion. Carboxylesterases (CES)
      serve as candidate prodrug activating enzymes given CES1 expression in acute
      myeloid leukemia specimens. We established two novel myeloid leukemia sublines
      U937/CHR2863(200) and U937/CHR2863(5uM), with low (14-fold) and high level (270
      fold) CHR2863 resistance. The latter drug resistant cells displayed: (i) complete
      loss of CES1-mediated drug activation associated with down-regulation of CES1
      mRNA and protein, (ii) marked retention/sequestration of the prodrug, (iii) a
      substantial increase in intracellular lipid droplets, and (iv) a dominant
      activation of the pro-survival Akt/mTOR pathway. Remarkably, the latter feature
      coincided with a gain of sensitivity to the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin. These
      finding delineate the molecular basis of CHR2863 resistance and offer a novel
      modality to overcome this drug resistance in myeloid leukemia cells. 

PMID- 26496033
TI  - The demographic features, clinicopathologic characteristics, treatment outcome
      and disease-specific prognostic factors of solitary fibrous tumor: a population
      based analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Solitary fibrous tumor's (SFT) demographic features,
      clinicopathologic characteristics, treatment outcome and disease-specific
      prognostic factors were unexplored comprehensively. METHODS: SEER program was
      used to identify patients diagnosed with SFT from 1973 to 2012. Overall collected
      data were analyzed by using the SPSS 18.0. RESULTS: In total, 804 cases were
      found including 613 cases with SFT-specific mortality and 801 patients were
      analyzed for overall survival (OS). The 3-year disease specific survival (DSS), 5
      year DSS and 10-year DSS were 73.3%, 65.7% and 53.3%. The 3-year OS, 5-year OS
      and 10-year OS were 71.9%, 63.3% and 47.3%. In the multivariate survival
      analysis, the age > 51 years (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.851 for DSS, P = 0.024 and HR
      = 1.652 for OS, P = 0.033; Reference [Ref] <= 51 years for DSS and <= 53 years
      for OS), SEER stage metastasized tumor (HR = 4.269 for DSS, P = 0.000 and HR =
      2.905 for OS, P = 0.028, Ref - localized + regional tumor), pathologic grade III
      + IV (HR = 2.734 for DSS, P = 0.001 and HR = 2.585 for OS, P = 0.000, Ref - grade
      I + II) were adversely associated with DSS and OS. In addition, surgery was
      favorably associated with DSS (HR = 0.217, P = 0.045, Ref - surgery +
      radiotherapy). CONCLUSIONS: The surgery was an independent prognostic factor for
      DSS. The patient's age, SEER stage and pathologic grade were SFT-specific
      independent prognostic indicators for DSS and OS.

PMID- 26496034
TI  - Therapeutic potential of CAR-T cell-derived exosomes: a cell-free modality for
      targeted cancer therapy.
AB  - Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-based T-cell adoptive immunotherapy is a
      distinctively promising therapy for cancer. The engineering of CARs into T cells
      provides T cells with tumor-targeting capabilities and intensifies their
      cytotoxic activity through stimulated cell expansion and enhanced cytokine
      production. As a novel and potent therapeutic modality, there exists some
      uncontrollable processes which are the potential sources of adverse events. As an
      extension of this impactful modality, CAR-T cell-derived exosomes may substitute
      CAR-T cells to act as ultimate attackers, thereby overcoming some limitations.
      Exosomes retain most characteristics of parent cells and play an essential role
      in intercellular communications via transmitting their cargo to recipient cells.
      The application of CAR-T cell-derived exosomes will make this cell-based therapy
      more clinically controllable as it also provides a cell-free platform to
      diversify anticancer mediators, which responds effectively to the complexity and
      volatility of cancer. It is believed that the appropriate application of both
      cellular and exosomal platforms will make this effective treatment more
      practicable. 

PMID- 26496036
TI  - c-Maf regulates pluripotency genes, proliferation/self-renewal, and lineage
      commitment in ROS-mediated senescence of human mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are therapeutically relevant multilineage and
      immunomodulatory progenitors. Ex vivo expansion of these rare cells is necessary
      for clinical application and can result in detrimental senescent effects, with
      mechanisms still largely unknown. We found that vigorous ex vivo expansion of
      human adipose tissue-derived MSCs (hAMSCs) results in proliferative decline, cell
      cycle arrest, and altered differentiation capacity. This senescent phenotype was
      associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and with increased
      expression of G1 cell -cycle inhibitors- p15INK4b and p16INK4a - but decreased
      expression of pluripotency genes-Oct-4, Sox-2, Nanog, and c-Myc-as well as c-Maf
      a co-factor of MSC lineage-specific transcription factor and sensitive to
      oxidative stress. These global changes in the transcriptional and functional
      programs of proliferation, differentiation, and self-renewal were all mediated by
      ROS-induced suppression of c-Maf, as evidenced by binding of c-Maf to promoter
      regions of multiple relevant genes in hAMSCs which could be reduced by exogenous
      ROS. Our findings implicate the strong effects of ROS on multiple stem cell
      functions with a central role for c-Maf in stem cell senescence.

PMID- 26496035
TI  - Cancer stem cell targeted therapy: progress amid controversies.
AB  - Although cancer stem cells have been well characterized in numerous malignancies,
      the fundamental characteristics of this group of cells, however, have been
      challenged by some recent observations: cancer stem cells may not necessary to be
      rare within tumors; cancer stem cells and non-cancer stem cells may undergo
      reversible phenotypic changes; and the cancer stem cells phenotype can vary
      substantially between patients. Here the current status and progresses of cancer
      stem cells theory is illustrated and via providing a panoramic view of cancer
      therapy, we addressed the recent controversies regarding the feasibility of
      cancer stem cells targeted anti-cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26496037
TI  - Mismatch repair gene defects in sporadic colorectal cancer enhance immune
      surveillance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is evidence that colorectal cancers (CRC) with DNA mismatch
      repair deficiency (MMR-D) are associated with a better prognosis than the
      generality of large bowel malignancies. Since an active immune surveillance
      process has been demonstrated to influence CRC outcome, we investigated whether
      MMR-D can enhance the immune response in CRC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A group of
      113 consecutive patients operated for CRC (42 stage I or II and 71 with stage III
      or IV) was retrospectively analyzed. The expression of MMR genes (MSH2, MLH1,
      MSH6 and PSM2) and co-stimulatory molecule CD80 was assessed by tissue microarray
      immunohistochemistry. In addition, tumor infiltrating mononuclear cells (TIMC)
      and T cell subpopulations (CD4, CD8, T-bet and FoxP-3) were quantified. The
      effect of specific siRNA (siMSH2, siMLH1, siMSH6 and siPSM2) transfection in HT29
      on CD80 expression was quantified by flow cytometry. Non parametric statistics
      and survival analysis were used. RESULTS: Patients with MMR-D showed a higher T
      bet/CD4 ratio (p = 0.02), a higher rate of CD80 expression and CD8 lymphocyte
      infiltration compared to those with no MMR-D. Moreover, in the MMR-D group, the
      Treg marker FoxP-3 was not expressed (p = 0.05). MMR-D patients with stage I or
      II and T-bet expression had a significant better survival (p = 0.009). Silencing
      of MSH2, MLH1 and MSH6, but not PSM2, significantly increased the rate of CD80+
      HT29 cells (p = 0.007, p = 0.023 and p = 0.015, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: CRC
      with MMR-D showed a higher CD80 expression, and CD8+ and Th1 T-cell infiltration.
      In vitro silencing of MSH2, MLH1 and MSH6 significantly increased CD80+ cell
      rate. These results suggest an enhanced immune surveillance mechanism in presence
      of MMR-D.

PMID- 26496039
TI  - Learning Spatiotemporally Encoded Pattern Transformations in Structured Spiking
      Neural Networks.
AB  - Information encoding in the nervous system is supported through the precise spike
      timings of neurons; however, an understanding of the underlying processes by
      which such representations are formed in the first place remains an open
      question. Here we examine how multilayered networks of spiking neurons can learn
      to encode for input patterns using a fully temporal coding scheme. To this end,
      we introduce a new supervised learning rule, MultilayerSpiker, that can train
      spiking networks containing hidden layer neurons to perform transformations
      between spatiotemporal input and output spike patterns. The performance of the
      proposed learning rule is demonstrated in terms of the number of pattern mappings
      it can learn, the complexity of network structures it can be used on, and its
      classification accuracy when using multispike-based encodings. In particular, the
      learning rule displays robustness against input noise and can generalize well on
      an example data set. Our approach contributes to both a systematic understanding
      of how computations might take place in the nervous system and a learning rule
      that displays strong technical capability. 

PMID- 26496040
TI  - Positive Neural Networks in Discrete Time Implement Monotone-Regular Behaviors.
AB  - We study the expressive power of positive neural networks. The model uses
      positive connection weights and multiple input neurons. Different behaviors can
      be expressed by varying the connection weights. We show that in discrete time and
      in the absence of noise, the class of positive neural networks captures the so
      called monotone-regular behaviors, which are based on regular languages. A finer
      picture emerges if one takes into account the delay by which a monotone-regular
      behavior is implemented. Each monotone-regular behavior can be implemented by a
      positive neural network with a delay of one time unit. Some monotone-regular
      behaviors can be implemented with zero delay. And, interestingly, some simple
      monotone-regular behaviors cannot be implemented with zero delay. 

PMID- 26496038
TI  - Anti-leukemic effects of the V-ATPase inhibitor Archazolid A.
AB  - Prognosis for patients suffering from T-ALL is still very poor and new strategies
      for T-ALL treatment are urgently needed. Our study shows potent anti-leukemic
      effects of the myxobacterial V-ATPase inhibitor Archazolid A. Archazolid A
      reduced growth and potently induced death of leukemic cell lines and human
      leukemic samples. By inhibiting lysosomal acidification, Archazolid A blocked
      activation of the Notch pathway, however, this was not the mechanism of V-ATPase
      inhibition relevant for cell death induction. In fact, V-ATPase inhibition by
      Archazolid A decreased the anti-apoptotic protein survivin. As underlying mode of
      action, this work is in line with recent studies from our group demonstrating
      that Archazolid A induced S-phase cell cycle arrest by interfering with the iron
      metabolism in leukemic cells. Our study provides evidence for V-ATPase inhibition
      as a potential new therapeutic option for T-ALL. 

PMID- 26496041
TI  - Symbolic Computation Using Cellular Automata-Based Hyperdimensional Computing.
AB  - This letter introduces a novel framework of reservoir computing that is capable
      of both connectionist machine intelligence and symbolic computation. A cellular
      automaton is used as the reservoir of dynamical systems. Input is randomly
      projected onto the initial conditions of automaton cells, and nonlinear
      computation is performed on the input via application of a rule in the automaton
      for a period of time. The evolution of the automaton creates a space-time volume
      of the automaton state space, and it is used as the reservoir. The proposed
      framework is shown to be capable of long-term memory, and it requires orders of
      magnitude less computation compared to echo state networks. As the focus of the
      letter, we suggest that binary reservoir feature vectors can be combined using
      Boolean operations as in hyperdimensional computing, paving a direct way for
      concept building and symbolic processing. To demonstrate the capability of the
      proposed system, we make analogies directly on image data by asking, What is the
      automobile of air? 

PMID- 26496042
TI  - Rhythmic Inhibition Allows Neural Networks to Search for Maximally Consistent
      States.
AB  - Gamma-band rhythmic inhibition is a ubiquitous phenomenon in neural circuits, yet
      its computational role remains elusive. We show that a model of gamma-band
      rhythmic inhibition allows networks of coupled cortical circuit motifs to search
      for network configurations that best reconcile external inputs with an internal
      consistency model encoded in the network connectivity. We show that Hebbian
      plasticity allows the networks to learn the consistency model by example. The
      search dynamics driven by rhythmic inhibition enable the described networks to
      solve difficult constraint satisfaction problems without making assumptions about
      the form of stochastic fluctuations in the network. We show that the search
      dynamics are well approximated by a stochastic sampling process. We use the
      described networks to reproduce perceptual multistability phenomena with
      switching times that are a good match to experimental data and show that they
      provide a general neural framework that can be used to model other perceptual
      inference phenomena. 

PMID- 26496043
TI  - A Sparse Reformulation of the Green's Function Formalism Allows Efficient
      Simulations of Morphological Neuron Models.
AB  - We prove that when a class of partial differential equations, generalized from
      the cable equation, is defined on tree graphs and the inputs are restricted to a
      spatially discrete, well chosen set of points, the Green's function (GF)
      formalism can be rewritten to scale as O(n) with the number n of inputs
      locations, contrary to the previously reported O(n(2)) scaling. We show that the
      linear scaling can be combined with an expansion of the remaining kernels as sums
      of exponentials to allow efficient simulations of equations from the
      aforementioned class. We furthermore validate this simulation paradigm on models
      of nerve cells and explore its relation with more traditional finite difference
      approaches. Situations in which a gain in computational performance is expected
      are discussed.

PMID- 26496044
TI  - Periodic Forcing of Inhibition-Stabilized Networks: Nonlinear Resonances and
      Phase-Amplitude Coupling.
AB  - Inhibition-stabilized networks (ISNs) are neural architectures with strong
      positive feedback among pyramidal neurons balanced by strong negative feedback
      from inhibitory interneurons, a circuit element found in the hippocampus and the
      primary visual cortex. In their working regime, ISNs produce damped oscillations
      in the [Formula: see text]-range in response to inputs to the inhibitory
      population. In order to understand the properties of interconnected ISNs, we
      investigated periodic forcing of ISNs. We show that ISNs can be excited over a
      range of frequencies and derive properties of the resonance peaks. In particular,
      we studied the phase-locked solutions, the torus solutions, and the resonance
      peaks. Periodically forced ISNs respond with (possibly multistable) phase-locked
      activity, whereas networks with sustained intrinsic oscillations respond more
      dynamically to periodic inputs with tori. Hence, the dynamics are surprisingly
      rich, and phase effects alone do not adequately describe the network response.
      This strengthens the importance of phase-amplitude coupling as opposed to phase
      phase coupling in providing multiple frequencies for multiplexing and routing
      information. 

PMID- 26496045
TI  - Surface electromyography as a measure of trunk muscle activity in patients with
      spinal cord injury: a meta-analytic review.
AB  - CONTEXT: Surface electromyography (SEMG) may be a sensitive marker for
      distinguishing the activity of trunk muscles, which are critical to functional
      mobility recovery in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). OBJECTIVES: This
      manuscript presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published
      literature on the effect of SEMG as a measure of trunk muscle activity in
      patients with SCI. METHODS: A comprehensive search of the research literature
      included Pubmed, Medline, CNKI, WANFANG DATA, Web of Science, Elsevier, Wiley
      Blackwell, Karger, OVID, and a review of reference lists within found articles.
      Case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional studies were included in the review.
      RESULTS: Eleven studies were included in this meta-analysis. Trunk muscle
      activities for the sitting condition were greater in patients with SCI than
      normal subjects. SEMG activity of trunk muscles for the sitting condition and
      posterior transfer was greater in patients with high level (HL)-SCI compared to
      those with low level (LL)-SCI. In addition, across studies, the level of trunk
      muscle activity for various difficulty settings was different for a given SCI
      group. CONCLUSION: This systematic review evaluated the value of trunk muscles
      for patients with SCI. We recommend use of SEMG as an assessment tool for
      improving the comparability and interpretability of trunk muscle activity of SCI
      therapeutic strategies.

PMID- 26496046
TI  - Chloroxyanion Residues in Cantaloupe and Tomatoes after Chlorine Dioxide Gas
      Sanitation.
AB  - Chlorine dioxide gas is effective at cleansing fruits and vegetables of bacterial
      pathogens and(or) rot organisms, but little data are available on chemical
      residues remaining subsequent to chlorine gas treatment. Therefore, studies were
      conducted to quantify chlorate and perchlorate residues after tomato and
      cantaloupe treatment with chlorine dioxide gas. Treatments delivered 50 mg of
      chlorine dioxide gas per kg of tomato (2-h treatment) and 100 mg of gas per kg of
      cantaloupe (6-h treatment) in sealed, darkened containers. Chlorate residues in
      tomato and cantaloupe edible flesh homogenates were less than the LC-MS/MS limit
      of quantitation (60 and 30 ng/g respectively), but were 1319 +/- 247 ng/g in rind
      + edible flesh of cantaloupe. Perchlorate residues in all fractions of chlorine
      dioxide-treated tomatoes and cantaloupe were not different (P > 0.05) than
      perchlorate residues in similar fractions of untreated tomatoes and cantaloupe.
      Data from this study suggest that chlorine dioxide sanitation of edible
      vegetables and melons can be conducted without the formation of unwanted residues
      in edible fractions. 

PMID- 26496047
TI  - Psychometric properties of the Greek version of the Social Constraints Scale in a
      sample of women with breast cancer.
AB  - This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Greek version of the
      Social Constraints Scale, developed in English by Lepore and Ituarte (1999). The
      scale was culturally adapted in Greek and was then administered, along with
      measures of psychological distress and intrusions, to a sample of 202 women with
      breast cancer, recruited from July 2012 to October 2013. Although the scale has
      usually been treated as a unidimensional measure, exploratory factor analysis
      revealed three underlying factors in the Greek Social Constraints Scale:
      unsupportive behaviors, avoidant behaviors, and suggestions for pretense and
      distraction. The three-factor solution explained 55% of the total variance.
      Subscale reliability was satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from
      0.77 to 0.88). All subscales were significantly related to intrusions and
      psychological distress. Thus, the Greek Social Constraints Scale is a reliable
      and valid multidimensional instrument. The results of the present study show
      that, among all kinds of social constraints, unsupportive behaviors are the most
      highly correlated with distress, while distraction/pretense is most correlated
      with intrusiveness. Findings suggested that health professionals should aim to
      educate both the patient to claim her right to express feelings and thoughts and
      her social network to adopt disclosure-facilitating behaviors to compensate for
      intrusiveness and distress. 

PMID- 26496049
TI  - Cross-Conjugated Systems Based On An (E)-Hexa-3-en-1,5-diyne-3,4-diyl Skeleton:
      Spectroscopic and Spectroelectrochemical Investigations.
AB  - A series of cross-conjugated compounds based on an (E)-4,4'-(hexa-3-en-1,5-diyne
      3,4-diyl)bis(N,N-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)aniline) skeleton (1-6) have been
      synthesized. The linear optical absorption properties can be tuned by
      modification of the substituents at the 1 and 5 positions of the hexa-3-en-1,5
      diynyl backbone (1: Si(CH(CH3)2)3, 2: C6H4C=CSi(CH3)3, 3: C6H4COOCH3, 4: C6H4CF3,
      5: C6H4C=N, 6: C6H4C=CC5H4N), although attempts to introduce electron-donating
      (C6H4CH3, C6H4OCH3, C6H4Si(CH3)3) substituents at these positions were hampered
      by the ensuing decreased stability of the compounds. Spectroelectrochemical
      investigations of selected examples, supported by DFT-based computational
      studies, have shown that one- and two-electron oxidation of the 1,2
      bis(triarylamine)ethene fragment also results in electronic changes to the
      perpendicular pi-system in the hexa-3-en-1,5-diynyl branch of the molecule. These
      properties suggest that (E)-hexa-3-en-1,5-diynyl-based compounds could have
      applications in molecular sensing and molecular electronics. 

PMID- 26496050
TI  - Deciding whether to refer a colleague to a physician health program.

PMID- 26496048
TI  - Four Principles to Consider Before Advising Women on Screening Mammography.
AB  - This article reviews four important screening principles applicable to screening
      mammography in order to facilitate informed choice. The first principle is that
      screening may help, hurt, or have no effect. In order to reduce mortality and
      mastectomy rates, screening must reduce the rate of advanced disease, which
      likely has not happened. Through overdiagnosis, screening produces substantial
      harm by increasing both lumpectomy and mastectomy rates, which offsets the often
      promised benefit of less invasive therapy. Next, all-cause mortality is the most
      reliable way to measure the efficacy of a screening intervention. Disease
      specific mortality is biased due to difficulties in attribution of cause of death
      and to increased mortality due to overdiagnosis and the resulting overtreatment
      with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. To enhance participation, the benefit from
      screening is often presented in relative instead of absolute terms. Third, some
      screening statistics must be interpreted with caution. Increased survival time
      and the percentage of early-stage tumors at detection sound plausible, but are
      affected by lead-time and length biases. In addition, analyses that only include
      women who attend screening cannot reliably correct for selection bias. The final
      principle is that accounting for tumor biology is important for accurate
      estimates of lead time, and the potential benefit from screening. Since "early
      detection" is actually late in a tumor's lifetime, the time window when screen
      detection might extend a woman's life is narrow, as many tumors that can form
      metastases will already have done so. Instead of encouraging screening
      mammography, physicians should help women make an informed decision as with any
      medical intervention. 

PMID- 26496051
TI  - Conscientious refusal or discrimination against gay parents?

PMID- 26496052
TI  - Force-feeding prisoners is wrong.

PMID- 26496053
TI  - Should an undocumented immigrant receive a heart transplant?

PMID- 26496054
TI  - Medical education on human trafficking.

PMID- 26496055
TI  - Professionalism and conflicting interests: the American Psychological
      Association's involvement in torture.

PMID- 26496056
TI  - Humanitarian uses of drones and satellite imagery analysis: the promises and
      perils.

PMID- 26496057
TI  - King v. Burwell: US Supreme Court extends tax credits for health insurance
      coverage to all 50 states.

PMID- 26496058
TI  - Medical associations and accountability for physician participation in torture.

PMID- 26496059
TI  - Forced sterilizations of HIV-positive women: a global ethics and policy failure.

PMID- 26496060
TI  - Promoting health as a human right in the post-ACA United States.

PMID- 26496061
TI  - Dual loyalties, human rights violations, and physician complicity in apartheid
      South Africa.

PMID- 26496062
TI  - Uncompromised professional responsibility in apartheid South Africa.

PMID- 26496063
TI  - #BlackLivesMatter: physicians must stand for racial justice.

PMID- 26496064
TI  - Additional commentary on deception in statin research.
AB  - Response to: Ferenci T. Absolute risk reduction may depend on the duration of the
      follow-up. Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol. 2017;10(12):1409-1410.

PMID- 26496065
TI  - Response to the Letter to the Editor Regarding Our Article (Natsch et al., 2015).

PMID- 26496067
TI  - Real-Time Monitoring Surface Chemistry-Dependent In Vivo Behaviors of Protein
      Nanocages via Encapsulating an NIR-II Ag2S Quantum Dot.
AB  - Protein nanocages (PNCs) have been recognized as a promising platform for
      nanomedicine innovation. Real-time in vivo tracking of PNCs can provide
      critically important information for the development of PNC-based diagnostics and
      therapeutics. Here we demonstrate a general strategy for monitoring the behaviors
      of PNCs in vivo by encapsulating a Ag2S quantum dot (QD) with fluorescence in the
      second near-infrared window (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) inside the PNC, using simian
      virus 40 (SV40) PNC (PNCSV40) as a model. Benefiting from the high spatiotemporal
      resolution and deep tissue penetration of NIR-II fluorescence imaging, the
      dynamic distribution of the PNCSV40 in living mice was tracked in real time with
      high fidelity, and adopting the PEGylation strategy, surface chemistry-dependent
      in vivo behaviors of PNCSV40 were clearly revealed. This study represents the
      first evidence of real-time tracking of the intrinsic behaviors of PNCs in vivo
      without interference in PNC-host interactions by encapsulating nanoprobes inside.
      The as-described imaging strategy will facilitate the study of interactions
      between exogenously introduced PNCs and host body and prompt the development of
      future protein-based drugs, sensors, and high-efficacy targeted delivery systems.

PMID- 26496066
TI  - The potential clinical impact of the release of two drafts of the human proteome.
AB  - The authors have carried out an investigation of the two "draft maps of the human
      proteome" published in 2014 in Nature. The findings include an abundance of poor
      spectra, low-scoring peptide-spectrum matches and incorrectly identified proteins
      in both these studies, highlighting clear issues with the application of false
      discovery rates. This noise means that the claims made by the two papers - the
      identification of high numbers of protein coding genes, the detection of novel
      coding regions and the draft tissue maps themselves - should be treated with
      considerable caution. The authors recommend that clinicians and researchers do
      not use the unfiltered data from these studies. Despite this these studies will
      inspire further investigation into tissue-based proteomics. As long as this
      future work has proper quality controls, it could help produce a consensus map of
      the human proteome and improve our understanding of the processes that underlie
      health and disease.

PMID- 26496068
TI  - Synthesis, Photochemical, and Redox Properties of Gold(I) and Gold(III) Pincer
      Complexes Incorporating a 2,2':6',2"-Terpyridine Ligand Framework.
AB  - Reaction of [Au(C6F5)(tht)] (tht = tetrahydrothiophene) with 2,2':6',2"
      terpyridine (terpy) leads to complex [Au(C6F5)(eta(1)-terpy)] (1). The chemical
      oxidation of complex (1) with 2 equiv of [N(C6H4Br-4)3](PF6) or using
      electrosynthetic techniques affords the Au(III) complex [Au(C6F5)(eta(3)
      terpy)](PF6)2 (2). The X-ray diffraction study of complex 2 reveals that the
      terpyridine acts as tridentate chelate ligand, which leads to a slightly
      distorted square-planar geometry. Complex 1 displays fluorescence in the solid
      state at 77 K due to a metal (gold) to ligand (terpy) charge transfer transition,
      whereas complex 2 displays fluorescence in acetonitrile due to excimer or
      exciplex formation. Time-dependent density functional theory calculations match
      the experimental absorption spectra of the synthesized complexes. In order to
      further probe the frontier orbitals of both complexes and study their redox
      behavior, each compound was separately characterized using cyclic voltammetry.
      The bulk electrolysis of a solution of complex 1 was analyzed by spectroscopic
      methods confirming the electrochemical synthesis of complex 2.

PMID- 26496069
TI  - Effect of Initial Vibrational-State Excitation on Subfemtosecond Photodynamics of
      Water.
AB  - We discuss the effect of initial vibrational-state excitation on the
      subfemtosecond photodynamics of water. Photoelectron spectra of Franck-Condon
      ionization to the (2)B1 state of the H2O(+) (D2O(+)) from the ground and several
      vibrationally excited states of the neutral are reported. Also calculated are
      ratios of the high-order harmonic generation (HHG) signals as a function of time
      for each initial vibrational state of the neutral molecule as predicted from the
      ratios of the square of the autocorrelation functions for D2O(+) and H2O(+). They
      reveal maxima as a function of time for each vibrational state of the neutral
      molecule. In turn, the HHG signals are found to be enhanced with vibrational
      excitation, with the calculated expectation values of the bond lengths and bond
      angle revealing quasiperiodic oscillations in time for all initial vibrational
      states of the neutral species. Although the bond lengths show only a marginal
      increase, the bond angle is found to be enhanced markedly by vibrational
      excitation, this being therefore responsible for the observed rise in the HHG
      signal. 

PMID- 26496071
TI  - Interfacial Water at Polyurethane-Sapphire Interface.
AB  - Infrared-visible sum frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG) was used to directly
      probe water between polyurethane (PU) and sapphire substrates after exposing
      samples to liquid water and water vapor. For liquid water, the observation of SFG
      peaks associated with H2O bands (3000-3400 cm(-1)) and D2O bands (2300-2600 cm(
      1)) indicated water molecules diffused to the buried interface and existed in the
      form of a hydrogen-bonded water network. The water layer disrupted interactions
      between polyurethane and sapphire. When PU films were exposed to water vapor, the
      SFG peak intensities of PU hydrocarbon and sapphire hydroxyl groups changed
      significantly, which suggested water molecules had reached the interface.
      However, no hydrogen-bonded water bands were present; instead, the H2O peak at
      3550 cm(-1) and D2O peaks (2600-2700 cm(-1)) were observed. We assigned these
      peaks to low-coordination water molecules or hydroxyl groups hydrogen bonded with
      carboxyl groups of PU at the interface. The water molecules did not form a
      uniform layer at the interface and as a consequence did not completely disrupt
      the PU/sapphire interactions. These results provide important implications for
      understanding interfacial adhesion, coatings, and corrosion. 

PMID- 26496070
TI  - Discovery of a Novel, Potent Spirocyclic Series of gamma-Secretase Inhibitors.
AB  - In the present paper, we described the design, synthesis, SAR, and biological
      profile of a novel spirocyclic sulfone series of gamma-secretase inhibitors
      (GSIs) related to MRK-560. We utilized an additional spirocyclic ring system to
      stabilize the active chair conformation of the parent gamma-secretase inhibitors.
      The resulting series is devoid of the CYP2C9 inhibition liability of MRK-560. A
      few representative analogs were assessed in a nontransgenic animal model of
      Alzheimer's disease (AD), demonstrating reduction of amyloid-beta (Abeta) in the
      CNS after acute oral dosing. A spirocyclic phosphonate was identified as the
      optimal ring system for both potency and pharmacokinetics. Compared to GSIs
      studied in the clinic, representative spirocyclic phosphonate 18a(-) features
      improved selectivity for the inhibition of the PS-1 isoform of gamma-secretase
      (33-fold vs PS-2), which may alleviate the adverse effect profile of the clinical
      GSIs. 

PMID- 26496072
TI  - Protective Effect of Platelet Rich Plasma on Experimental Ischemia/Reperfusion
      Injury in Rat Ovary.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Ovarian torsion is a common cause of local ischemic damage,
      reduced follicular activity and infertility. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contains
      growth factors with demonstrated cytoprotective properties; so we evaluated PRP
      efficacy in a rat ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) model. METHODS: Sixty adult female
      Sprague-Dawley albino rats were randomly assigned to 6 groups of 8 animals each:
      Sham, Ischemia, I/R, Sham + PRP, I + PRP and I/R + PRP; and the remaining 12 used
      to prepare PRP. Ischemia groups were subjected to bilateral adnexal torsion for 3
      h, while I/R and I/R + PRP groups received subsequent detorsion for 3 h.
      Intraperitoneal PRP was administered 30 min prior to ischemia (Ischemia + PRP) or
      reperfusion (I/R + PRP). RESULTS: Total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress
      index (OSI) and total ovarian histopathological scores were higher in Ischemia
      and I/R groups than in the Sham group (p < 0.05). PRP decreased mean TOS, OSI and
      histopathological scores in I + PRP and I/R + PRP groups compared to the
      corresponding Ischemia and I/R groups (p < 0.001). There was a strong correlation
      between total histopathological score and OSI (r = 0.877, p < 0.001). Peritoneal
      vascular endothelial growth factor was significantly higher in PRP-treated groups
      than corresponding untreated groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: PRP is effective for
      the prevention of ischemia and reperfusion damage in rat ovary.

PMID- 26496073
TI  - HIV Prevalence Correlates with High-Risk Sexual Behavior in Ethiopia's Regions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HIV prevalence varies between 0.9 and 6.5% in Ethiopia's eleven
      regions. Little has been published examining the reasons for this variation.
      METHODS: We evaluated the relationship between HIV prevalence by region and a
      range of risk factors in the 2005 and 2011 Ethiopian Demographic Health Surveys.
      Pearson's correlation was used to assess the relationship between HIV prevalence
      and each variable. RESULTS: There was a strong association between HIV prevalence
      and three markers of sexual risk: mean lifetime number of partners (men: r =
      0.87; P < 0.001; women: r = 0.60; P = 0.05); reporting sex with a non-married,
      non-cohabiting partner (men: r = 0.92; P < 0.001, women r = 0.93; P < 0.001); and
      premarital sex. Condom usage and HIV testing were positively associated with HIV
      prevalence, while the prevalence of circumcision, polygamy, age at sexual debut
      and male migration were not associated with HIV prevalence. CONCLUSION: Variation
      in sexual behavior may contribute to the large variations in HIV prevalence by
      region in Ethiopia. Population-level interventions to reduce risky sexual
      behavior in high HIV incidence regions should be considered.

PMID- 26496074
TI  - Quantification of Conventional and Nonconventional Charge-Assisted Hydrogen Bonds
      in the Condensed and Gas Phases.
AB  - Charge-assisted hydrogen bonds (CAHBs) play critical roles in many systems from
      biology through to materials. In none of these areas has the role and function of
      CAHBs been explored satisfactorily because of the lack of data on the energy of
      CAHBs in the condensed phases. We have, for the first time, quantified three
      types of CAHBs in both the condensed and gas phases for 1-(2'-hydroxylethyl)-3
      methylimidazolium acetate ([C2OHmim][OAc]). The energy of conventional
      OH...[OAc](-) CAHBs is ~10 kcal.mol(-1), whereas nonconventional C(sp2)H...[OAc](
      ) and C(sp3)H...[OAc](-) CAHBs are weaker by ~5-7 kcal.mol(-1). In the gas phase,
      the strength of the nonconventional CAHBs is doubled, whereas the conventional
      CAHBs are strengthened by <20%. The influence of cooperativity effects on the
      ability of the [OAc](-) anion to deprotonate the imidazolium cation is evaluated.
      The ability to quantify CAHBs in the condensed phase on the basis of easier
      accessible gas-phase estimates is highlighted. 

PMID- 26496076
TI  - Correction: Trap Configuration and Spacing Influences Parameter Estimates in
      Spatial Capture-Recapture Models.

PMID- 26496075
TI  - Genome-Wide Association Mapping of Yield and Grain Quality Traits in Winter Wheat
      Genotypes.
AB  - The main goal of this study was to investigate the genetic basis of yield and
      grain quality traits in winter wheat genotypes using association mapping
      approach, and identify linked molecular markers for marker assisted selection. A
      total of 120 elite facultative/winter wheat genotypes were evaluated for yield,
      quality and other agronomic traits under rain-fed and irrigated conditions for
      two years (2011-2012) at the Tel Hadya station of ICARDA, Syria. The same
      genotypes were genotyped using 3,051 Diversity Array Technologies (DArT) markers,
      of which 1,586 were of known chromosome positions. The grain yield performance of
      the genotypes was highly significant both in rain-fed and irrigated sites.
      Average yield of the genotypes ranged from 2295 to 4038 kg/ha and 4268 to 7102
      kg/ha under rain-fed and irrigated conditions, respectively. Protein content and
      alveograph strength (W) ranged from 13.6-16.1% and 217.6-375 Jx10-4,
      respectively. DArT markers wPt731910 (3B), wPt4680 (4A), wPt3509 (5A), wPt8183
      (6B), and wPt0298 (2D) were significantly associated with yield under rain-fed
      conditions. Under irrigated condition, tPt4125 on chromosome 2B was significantly
      associated with yield explaining about 13% of the variation. Markers wPt2607 and
      wPt1482 on 5B were highly associated with protein content and alveograph strength
      explaining 16 and 14% of the variations, respectively. The elite genotypes have
      been distributed to many countries using ICARDA's International system for
      potential direct release and/or use as parents after local adaptation trials by
      the NARSs of respective countries. The QTLs identified in this study are
      recommended to be used for marker assisted selection after through validation
      using bi-parental populations. 

PMID- 26496077
TI  - Evidence of Extensive Alternative Splicing in Post Mortem Human Brain HTT
      Transcription by mRNA Sequencing.
AB  - Despite 20 years since its discovery, the gene responsible for Huntington's
      Disease, HTT, has still not had its function or transcriptional profile
      completely characterized. In response to a recent report by Ruzo et al. of
      several novel splice forms of HTT in human embryonic stem cell lines, we have
      analyzed a set of mRNA sequencing datasets from post mortem human brain from
      Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, and neurologically normal control
      subjects to evaluate support for previously observed and to identify novel splice
      patterns. A custom analysis pipeline produced supporting evidence for some of the
      results reported by two previous studies of alternative isoforms as well as
      identifying previously unreported splice patterns. All of the alternative splice
      patterns were of relatively low abundance compared to the canonical splice form. 

PMID- 26496078
TI  - Proteomic and Metabolomic Analyses Reveal Contrasting Anti-Inflammatory Effects
      of an Extract of Mucor Racemosus Secondary Metabolites Compared to Dexamethasone.
AB  - Classical drug assays are often confined to single molecules and targeting single
      pathways. However, it is also desirable to investigate the effects of complex
      mixtures on complex systems such as living cells including the natural multitude
      of signalling pathways. Evidence based on herbal medicine has motivated us to
      investigate potential beneficial health effects of Mucor racemosus (M rac)
      extracts. Secondary metabolites of M rac were collected using a good
      manufacturing process (GMP) approved production line and a validated
      manufacturing process, in order to obtain a stable product termed SyCircue
      (National Drug Code USA: 10424-102). Toxicological studies confirmed that this
      product does not contain mycotoxins and is non-genotoxic. Potential effects on
      inflammatory processes were investigated by treating stimulated cells with M rac
      extracts and the effects were compared to the standard anti-inflammatory drug
      dexamethasone on the levels of the proteome and metabolome. Using 2D-PAGE, slight
      anti-inflammatory effects were observed in primary white blood mononuclear cells,
      which were more pronounced in primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells
      (HUVECs). Proteome profiling based on nLC-MS/MS analysis of tryptic digests
      revealed inhibitory effects of M rac extracts on pro-inflammatory cytoplasmic
      mediators and secreted cytokines and chemokines in these endothelial cells. This
      finding was confirmed using targeted proteomics, here treatment of stimulated
      cells with M rac extracts down-regulated the secretion of IL-6, IL-8, CXCL5 and
      GROA significantly. Finally, the modulating effects of M rac on HUVECs were also
      confirmed on the level of the metabolome. Several metabolites displayed
      significant concentration changes upon treatment of inflammatory activated HUVECs
      with the M rac extract, including spermine and lysophosphatidylcholine acyl C18:0
      and sphingomyelin C26:1, while the bulk of measured metabolites remained
      unaffected. Interestingly, the effects of M rac treatment on lipids were
      orthogonal to the effect of dexamethasone underlining differences in the overall
      mode of action. 

PMID- 26496079
TI  - Correction: The cabABC Operon Essential for Biofilm and Rugose Colony Development
      in Vibrio vulnificus.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005192.]. 

PMID- 26496080
TI  - Exogenous HGF Bypasses the Effects of ErbB Inhibition on Tumor Cell Viability in
      Medulloblastoma Cell Lines.
AB  - Recent clinical trials investigating receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitors
      showed a limited clinical response in medulloblastoma. The present study
      investigated the role of micro-environmental growth factors expressed in the
      brain, such as HGF and EGF, in relation to the effects of hepatocyte growth
      factor receptor (MET) and epidermal growth factor receptor family (ErbB1-4)
      inhibition in medulloblastoma cell lines. Medulloblastoma cell lines were treated
      with tyrosine kinase inhibitors crizotinib or canertinib, targeting MET and ErbB1
      4, respectively. Upon treatment, cells were stimulated with VEGF-A, PDGF-AB, HGF,
      FGF-2 or EGF. Subsequently, we measured cell viability and expression levels of
      growth factors and downstream signaling proteins. Addition of HGF or EGF
      phosphorylated MET or EGFR, respectively, and demonstrated phosphorylation of Akt
      and ERK1/2 as well as increased tumor cell viability. Crizotinib and canertinib
      both inhibited cell viability and phosphorylation of Akt and ERK1/2. Specifically
      targeting MET using shRNA's resulted in decreased cell viability. Interestingly,
      addition of HGF to canertinib significantly enhanced cell viability as well as
      phosphorylation of Akt and ERK1/2. The HGF-induced bypass of canertinib was
      reversed by addition of crizotinib. HGF protein was hardly released by
      medulloblastoma cells itself. Addition of canertinib did not affect RTK cell
      surface or growth factor expression levels. This manuscript points to the
      bypassing capacity of exogenous HGF in medulloblastoma cell lines. It might be of
      great interest to anticipate on these results in developing novel clinical trials
      with a combination of MET and EGFR inhibitors in medulloblastoma. 

PMID- 26496081
TI  - Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy in Children Younger Than 14 Years: Refuting the
      Concerns.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) on
      growth in children younger than 14 years in a matched control study. BACKGROUND:
      Debatable concerns result in denying young children access to bariatric surgery.
      METHODS: Our multidisciplinary program database was used to extract data of young
      nonsyndromic children (age <=14 years) who underwent LSG. Patients were age, sex,
      and height z-score matched with those on nonsurgical weight management, and their
      results were compared with those of older adolescents (age > 14 years) who
      underwent LSG. Generalized estimating equation analysis was done to assess
      growth. RESULTS: One hundred sixteen children younger than 14 years (mean +/- SD,
      11.2 +/- 2.5 years) underwent LSG. Compared with the 1:1 matched group of
      nonsurgical weight management, these children experienced significantly higher
      growth, gaining 0.9 mm more per month on average. Compared with 158 adolescents
      (age, 17.3 +/- 2.0 years) who underwent LSG in our institution, children younger
      than 14 years had a significantly lower prevalence of comorbidities (P < 0.001)
      but similar resolution rates (P = 0.72-0.99). There was no significant difference
      in the rate of complications (P = 0.77), and no mortality or significant
      morbidity was observed in any of the groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study challenges
      existing concerns regarding the safety and efficacy of bariatric surgery in
      prepubertal children. LSG is evidently safe and effective in this age group,
      resulting in significant weight loss, improved growth, and resolution of
      comorbidities without mortality or significant morbidity.

PMID- 26496082
TI  - Differential Effects of Intraoperative Positive End-expiratory Pressure (PEEP) on
      Respiratory Outcome in Major Abdominal Surgery Versus Craniotomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In this study, we examined whether (1) positive end-expiratory
      pressure (PEEP) has a protective effect on the risk of major postoperative
      respiratory complications in a cohort of patients undergoing major abdominal
      surgeries and craniotomies, and (2) the effect of PEEP is differed by surgery
      type. BACKGROUND: Protective mechanical ventilation with lower tidal volumes and
      PEEP reduces compounded postoperative complications after abdominal surgery.
      However, data regarding the use of intraoperative PEEP is conflicting. METHODS:
      In this observational study, we included 5915 major abdominal surgery patients
      and 5063 craniotomy patients. Analysis was performed using multivariable logistic
      regression. The primary outcome was a composite of major postoperative
      respiratory complications (respiratory failure, reintubation, pulmonary edema,
      and pneumonia) within 3 days of surgery. RESULTS: Within the entire study
      population (major abdominal surgeries and craniotomies), we found an association
      between application of PEEP >=5 cmH2O and a decreased risk of postoperative
      respiratory complications compared with PEEP <5 cmH2O. Application of PEEP >5
      cmH2O was associated with a significant lower odds of respiratory complications
      in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery (odds ratio 0.53, 95% confidence
      interval 0.39 - 0.72), effects that translated to deceased hospital length of
      stay [median hospital length of stay : 6 days (4-9 days), incidence rate ratios
      for each additional day: 0.91 (0.84 - 0.98)], whereas PEEP >5 cmH2O was not
      significantly associated with reduced odds of respiratory complications or
      hospital length of stay in patients undergoing craniotomy. CONCLUSIONS: The
      protective effects of PEEP are procedure specific with meaningful effects
      observed in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. Our data suggest that
      default mechanical ventilator settings should include PEEP of 5-10 cmH2O during
      major abdominal surgery.

PMID- 26496083
TI  - Bioelectricity Generation and Bioremediation of an Azo-Dye in a Microbial Fuel
      Cell Coupled Activated Sludge Process.
AB  - Simultaneous bioelectricity generation and dye degradation was achieved in the
      present study by using a combined anaerobic-aerobic process. The anaerobic system
      was a typical single chambered microbial fuel cell (SMFC) which utilizes acid
      navy blue r (ANB) dye along with glucose as growth substrate to generate
      electricity. Four different concentrations of ANB (50, 100, 200 and 400 ppm) were
      tested in the SMFC and the degradation products were further treated in an
      activated sludge post treatment process. The dye decolorization followed pseudo
      first order kinetics while the negative values of the thermodynamic parameter ?G
      (change in Gibbs free energy) shows that the reaction proceeds with a net
      decrease in the free energy of the system. The coulombic efficiency (CE) and
      power density (PD) attained peak values at 10.36% and 2,236 mW/m2 respectively
      for 200 ppm of ANB. A further increase in ANB concentrations results in lowering
      of cell potential (and PD) values owing to microbial inhibition at higher
      concentrations of toxic substrates. Cyclic voltammetry studies revealed a perfect
      redox reaction was taking place in the SMFC. The pH, temperature and conductivity
      remain 7.5-8.0, 27(+/-2 degrees C and 10.6-18.2 mS/cm throughout the operation.
      The biodegradation pathway was studied by the gas chromatography coupled with
      mass spectroscopy technique, suggested the preferential cleavage of the azo bond
      as the initial step resulting in to aromatic amines. Thus, a combined anaerobic
      aerobic process using SMFC coupled with activated sludge process can be a viable
      option for effective degradation of complex dye substrates along with energy
      (bioelectricity) recovery. 

PMID- 26496084
TI  - Identification of Promising Mutants Associated with Egg Production Traits
      Revealed by Genome-Wide Association Study.
AB  - Egg number (EN), egg laying rate (LR) and age at first egg (AFE) are important
      production traits related to egg production in poultry industry. To better
      understand the knowledge of genetic architecture of dynamic EN during the whole
      laying cycle and provide the precise positions of associated variants for EN, LR
      and AFE, laying records from 21 to 72 weeks of age were collected individually
      for 1,534 F2 hens produced by reciprocal crosses between White Leghorn and
      Dongxiang Blue-shelled chicken, and their genotypes were assayed by chicken 600 K
      Affymetrix high density genotyping arrays. Subsequently, pedigree and SNP-based
      genetic parameters were estimated and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was
      conducted on EN, LR and AFE. The heritability estimates were similar between
      pedigree and SNP-based estimates varying from 0.17 to 0.36. In the GWA analysis,
      we identified nine genome-wide significant loci associated with EN of the laying
      periods from 21 to 26 weeks, 27 to 36 weeks and 37 to 72 weeks. Analysis of
      GTF2A1 and CLSPN suggested that they influenced the function of ovary and uterus,
      and may be considered as relevant candidates. The identified SNP rs314448799 for
      accumulative EN from 21 to 40 weeks on chromosome 5 created phenotypic
      differences of 6.86 eggs between two homozygous genotypes, which could be
      potentially applied to the molecular breeding for EN selection. Moreover, our
      finding showed that LR was a moderate polygenic trait. The suggestive significant
      region on chromosome 16 for AFE suggested the relationship between sex maturity
      and immune in the current population. The present study comprehensively evaluates
      the role of genetic variants in the development of egg laying. The findings will
      be helpful to investigation of causative genes function and future marker
      assisted selection and genomic selection in chickens. 

PMID- 26496086
TI  - Bronchoscopic Multimodal Management of Tracheal Neurofibroma.
AB  - Neurofibromas involving airways are rare and their management is usually
      surgical. Herein, we report the case of an endotracheal polypoid neurofibroma
      successfully treated by multimodal interventional bronchoscopy and cryotherapy.

PMID- 26496087
TI  - Hemothorax After Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Transbronchial Needle
      Aspiration.
AB  - Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration is a minimally
      invasive method for diagnosing paratracheal and peribronchial lesions, with a low
      rate of complications. However, as the procedure has gained widespread
      acceptance, major complications have occasionally been reported. In this report,
      we describe a case of hemothorax after endobronchial ultrasound-guided
      transbronchial needle aspiration in a patient with a right upper lobe mass.

PMID- 26496085
TI  - A Metabolic Probe-Enabled Strategy Reveals Uptake and Protein Targets of
      Polyunsaturated Aldehydes in the Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum.
AB  - Diatoms are unicellular algae of crucial importance as they belong to the main
      primary producers in aquatic ecosystems. Several diatom species produce
      polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) that have been made responsible for chemically
      mediated interactions in the plankton. PUA-effects include chemical defense by
      reducing the reproductive success of grazing copepods, allelochemical activity by
      interfering with the growth of competing phytoplankton and cell to cell
      signaling. We applied a PUA-derived molecular probe, based on the biologically
      highly active 2,4-decadienal, with the aim to reveal protein targets of PUAs and
      affected metabolic pathways. By using fluorescence microscopy, we observed a
      substantial uptake of the PUA probe into cells of the diatom Phaeodactylum
      tricornutum in comparison to the uptake of a structurally closely related control
      probe based on a saturated aldehyde. The specific uptake motivated a
      chemoproteomic approach to generate a qualitative inventory of proteins
      covalently targeted by the alpha,beta,gamma,delta-unsaturated aldehyde structure
      element. Activity-based protein profiling revealed selective covalent
      modification of target proteins by the PUA probe. Analysis of the labeled
      proteins gave insights into putative affected molecular functions and biological
      processes such as photosynthesis including ATP generation and catalytic activity
      in the Calvin cycle or the pentose phosphate pathway. The mechanism of action of
      PUAs involves covalent reactions with proteins that may result in protein
      dysfunction and interference of involved pathways. 

PMID- 26496088
TI  - Follicular Lymphoma Diagnosed With Medical Thoracoscopy.
AB  - Non-Hodgkin lymphomas may present with a recurrent pleural effusion, usually with
      involvement of other thoracic or extrathoracic sites. Lymphomas typically
      presenting with pleural disease include primary effusion lymphoma and pyothorax
      associated lymphoma. We describe an unusual case of recurrent pleural effusion
      secondary to follicular lymphoma with no other known extrathoracic involvement at
      the time of diagnosis. 

PMID- 26496089
TI  - Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy-directed Pleural Tattoo to Aid Surgical
      Resection of Peripheral Pulmonary Lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Limited (wedge) resection of pulmonary lesions is frequently
      performed as a diagnostic/therapeutic procedure. Some lesions may be difficult to
      locate thoracoscopically with conversion to open thoracotomy or incomplete
      resection being potential limitations to this approach. Multiple methods have
      been described to aid video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical (VATS) wedge
      resection of pulmonary nodules, including hookwire localization, percutaneous
      tattoo, or intraoperative ultrasound. We report on our experience using
      electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopic dye marking of small subpleural lesions
      to aid VATS wedge resection. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of consecutive
      patients undergoing VATS wedge resection of peripheral lesions. Preoperative
      bronchoscopy with electromagnetic navigation was utilized to guide a 25 G needle
      to within/adjacent to the target lesion with injection of 1 mL of methylene blue
      or indigo carmine under fluoroscopic vision. RESULTS: Six patients underwent
      bronchoscopic marking of peripheral pulmonary lesions, navigation deemed
      successful in all patients, with no procedural complications. Surgery was
      performed within 24 hours of bronchoscopic marking. Pleural staining by dye was
      visible thoracoscopically in all 6 lesions either adjacent to or overlying the
      lesion. All lesions were fully excised with wedge resection. Pathologic
      examination confirmed accuracy of dye staining. CONCLUSIONS: Electromagnetic
      navigation bronchoscopic dye marking of peripheral lesions is feasible, without
      complications commonly associated with percutaneous marking procedures. Further
      experience is required but early findings suggest that this method may have
      utility in aiding minimally invasive resection of small subpleural lesions.

PMID- 26496090
TI  - Unilateral Emphysema in Infancy, a Rare Presentation of Aberrant Bronchial
      Artery: Case Report and Review of Literature.
AB  - Aberrant bronchial arteries are rarely seen and may originate from various
      vascular structures. Hemoptysis is the most common clinical presentation of cases
      with anomalous bronchial artery. We report a case of a 1-month-old infant
      presented with respiratory distress and left lung emphysema. Radiologic
      investigations and bronchoscopy revealed that the cause is an aberrant left
      bronchial artery compressing the left main bronchus. Surgical division of the
      aberrant vessel was performed with gradual improvement of the emphysema and
      respiratory distress. Unilateral emphysema due to vascular compression was
      previously reported. However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first
      reported case of aberrant bronchial artery presenting with external compression
      of a main bronchus and unilateral emphysema. Also, this is the youngest reported
      case with an aberrant bronchial artery.

PMID- 26496091
TI  - Temporary Endobronchial Stent as a Bridge to Corrective Surgery For Severe
      Kyphoscoliosis-associated Central-Airway Extrinsic Compression.
AB  - Kyphoscoliosis is known to compromise lung function, with the primary mechanism
      being reduced chest wall compliance with a resultant restrictive pulmonary
      physiology. Severe scoliosis can also cause extrinsic compression of the central
      airways, leading to recurrent respiratory infections, lobar atelectasis, and
      potentially acute respiratory failure. Definitive therapy is corrective surgery
      of the spine. However, patients with severe scoliosis are at a potentially high
      risk of perioperative pulmonary complications. To our knowledge, we report the
      first successful use of retrievable endobronchial stents as a bridge to
      corrective surgery for kyphoscoliosis-associated complete central-airway
      extrinsic compression in a patient who was considered as too high risk for
      surgical correction due to her respiratory status. After surgery, the stents were
      removed and our patient experienced sustained improvement in pulmonary function
      and the clinical respiratory status.

PMID- 26496092
TI  - Mediastinitis: A Serious Complication of Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided
      Transbronchial Needle Aspiration.
AB  - Mediastinitis is a rare but a serious complication of endobronchial ultrasound
      guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) and endoscopic ultrasound
      guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). We present 3 cases of mediastinitis
      following these diagnostic procedures. In 2 of the patients oropharyngeal
      bacteria were found in the cultures from the mediastinal abscess. All 3 cases
      were treated successfully with thoracotomy and drainage of the abscess together
      with intravenous antibiotics. On the basis of these cases and an updated review
      of the literature we discuss the most likely etiology for mediastinitis in
      association with EBUS-TBNA and EUS-FNA procedures and propose how to reduce the
      risk for this serious complication. The possibility of mediastinitis should
      always be kept in mind when a patient complains of fever over a long period of
      time as well as chest pain and malaise after an EBUS-TBNA or EUS-FNA procedure.

PMID- 26496093
TI  - Pulmonary Parenchymal Lymphoma Diagnosed by Bronchoscopic Cryoprobe Lung Biopsy.
AB  - A 51-year-old man presented with progressively worsening lung infiltrates and
      respiratory failure. Extensive investigations including bronchoscopy with
      bronchoalveolar lavage and conventional transbronchial forceps biopsies failed to
      establish the diagnosis. After transfer to our institution, he underwent repeat
      bronchoscopy with transbronchial cryobiopsy, which provided large, high-quality
      biopsy specimens establishing the diagnosis of parenchymal diffuse large B-cell
      lymphoma.

PMID- 26496094
TI  - Diagnosing Hodgkin Lymphoma From an Endobronchial Ultrasound Core Needle Biopsy.
AB  - Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) commonly presents as isolated mediastinal adenopathy.
      Although there is evidence to support minimally invasive techniques such as
      endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) fine-needle aspiration as the initial diagnostic
      test for suspected lymphoma involving the mediastinum, it consistently performs
      the poorest at definitively diagnosing HL for a variety of reasons, and therefore
      histology specimens are usually required. We present a case of HL presenting as
      isolated mediastinal adenopathy that was definitively diagnosed on EBUS using a
      22 G coring needle in which cellular and histologic specimens were obtained,
      allowing the core biopsy to be fixed in formalin and treated as a surgical
      specimen. The patient started treatment soon after the procedure without
      requiring any further invasive tests. Although it seems intuitive that a coring
      EBUS needle would be advantageous in diseases such as HL, further studies are
      needed before definitive recommendations can be made.

PMID- 26496095
TI  - Risks go beyond the violence: Association between intimate partner violence,
      mental illness, and substance abuse among females admitted to a rural Level I
      trauma center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant cause of intentional
      injury among women but remains underrecognized, and its relationship to other
      risk factors for all-cause injury remains poorly defined. This study aimed to
      assess IPV and its association with alcohol abuse, illicit substance use,
      selected mental illnesses, and other risk factors for injury. METHODS: This is a
      cross-sectional study of prospectively collected data among adult females
      admitted to a rural, Level I trauma center. Well-validated instruments assessed
      IPV, substance abuse, and mental illness. Bivariate relationships were assessed
      with chi, odds ratios, and t test analyses. RESULTS: Eighty-one women were
      enrolled; 51% reported lifetime IPV, and 31% reported past-year IPV. Both groups
      were significantly more likely to have a mental illness than those without a
      history of IPV. Those reporting lifetime IPV exposure were significantly more
      likely to report illicit substance use, and past-year IPV was associated with
      alcohol abuse (28% vs. 7.1%, p = 0.01). Participants reporting past-year IPV were
      significantly more likely to have a partner possessing a firearm (40% vs. 12.5%,
      p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: The experience of lifetime and past-year IPV among women
      at a Level I, rural trauma center was high, and it was significantly associated
      with mental illness, substance abuse, and high-risk scenarios for intentional
      injury including firearm ownership by a significant other. These findings inform
      the potential value of IPV screening and intervention and suggest that IPV,
      mental illness, and substance abuse should be considered associated entities in
      prevention and recidivism reduction efforts in the female trauma population.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic study, level II; therapeutic study, level III.

PMID- 26496096
TI  - Trauma patient readmissions: Why do they come back for more?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hospital readmissions are a frequent challenge. Speculation exists
      that rates of readmission following traumatic injury will be publicly disclosed.
      The primary aim of this study was to characterize and model 1-year readmission
      patterns to multiple institutions among patients originally admitted to a single,
      urban Level I trauma center. Additional analyses within the superutilizers
      subgroup identified predictors of 30-day readmissions as well as patient loyalty
      for readmission to their index hospital. We hypothesized that hospital
      readmission among trauma patients would be associated with socioeconomic,
      demographic, and clinical features and superutilizers would be identifiable
      during initial hospitalization. METHODS: Data were retrospectively gathered for
      2,411 unique trauma patients admitted to a Level I American College of Surgeons
      certified trauma center over 1 year, with readmissions identified 1 year after
      index admission. A regional hospital database was queried for readmissions.
      Outcomes of all readmission encounters were analyzed using a binary logistic
      regression model including demographic, diagnoses, Injury Severity Score (ISS),
      procedures, Elixhauser comorbidities, insurance, and disposition data. Subset
      analysis of superutilizers was also performed to examine patterns among
      superutilizers. RESULTS: A total of 434 patients (21%) were readmitted during the
      study period, accounting for 720 readmission encounters. Sixty-three patients
      accounting for 269 encounters were identified as superutilizers (3+
      readmissions). A total of 136 patients (6%) were readmitted within 30 days of
      initial discharge. Fifty-seven percent of readmissions returned to the
      originating hospital. CONCLUSION: Complications including comorbid disease
      (diabetes and congestive heart failure), septicemia, weight loss, and trauma
      recidivism distinguish the superutilizer trauma patient. Having Medicaid funding
      increased the odds of readmission by 274%. It is imperative that interventions be
      developed and targeted toward those at high risk of superutilization of health
      care resources to curb spending. These results strongly support continuation of
      longitudinal readmission research in trauma patients conducted in multicenter
      settings. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic study, level III.

PMID- 26496097
TI  - Thrombin generation and procoagulant microparticle profiles after acute trauma: A
      prospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The two sides of trauma-induced coagulopathy, the hypocoagulable and
      the hypercoagulable states, are poorly understood. To identify potential
      mechanisms for venous thromboembolism and bleeding after acute trauma, we
      estimated changes in circulating procoagulant microparticles (MPs) and thrombin
      activity during hospitalization for trauma. METHODS: Whole blood was collected by
      venipuncture into 3.2% trisodium citrate at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 72 hours after
      injury and discharge. Platelet-poor plasma was harvested and stored at -80
      degrees C until analysis. Thrombin generation was determined using the calibrated
      automated thrombogram (CAT), reported as lag time (minutes), peak height (nM
      thrombin), and time to reach peak height (ttPeak, minutes). The concentration of
      total procoagulant MPs (number/MUL) was measured by flow cytometry. Data are
      presented as median (interquartile range [IQR]). RESULTS: Among 443 trauma
      patients (1,734 samples; Injury Severity Score [ISS], 13.0 [IQR, 6.0-22.0];
      hospital length of stay, 4.0 days [IQR, 2.0-10.0]; age, 48 years [IQR, 28-65];
      70.7% male; 95% with blunt mechanism; mortality, 3.2%), no discernable patterns
      in thrombin generation or MP concentration were observed over time. The peak
      height and MPs were significantly different from healthy volunteers and were 337
      nM (IQR, 285-395) and 400/MUL plasma (IQR, 211-772), respectively. Extreme
      (defined as highest or lowest 5%) values reflecting a possible "hypercoagulable
      state" (lag time <= 1.98, peak height >= 486.2, ttPeak <= 3.61, and total
      procoagulant MP >= 2,278) were reached within 12 hours after acute trauma, while
      extreme values representing a possible "hypocoagulable state" (lag time >= 18.6,
      peak height <= 17.8, and ttPeak >= 29.45) were not reached until 1 day to 3 days.
      CONCLUSION: Although there was no predictable pattern of coagulopathy observed in
      each patient after trauma, those who reached extreme values did so relatively
      early after injury. These findings should be taken into account when designing
      risk model tools involving coagulation laboratory parameters. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Epidemiologic study, level III.

PMID- 26496098
TI  - Impact of common crystalloid solutions on resuscitation markers following Class I
      hemorrhage: A randomized control trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Resuscitation after hemorrhage with crystalloid solutions can lead to
      marked acidosis and iatrogenically worsen the lethal triad. The effect of
      differing solutions on base deficit and lactate has been sparsely prospectively
      studied in humans. We sought to quantify the effect of normal saline (NS) and
      lactated Ringer's (LR) resuscitation in voluntary blood donors as a model for
      Class I hemorrhage. METHODS: A prospective randomized control trial was conducted
      in conjunction with blood drives. Donors were randomized to receive no
      intravenous fluid (noIVF), 2-L NS, or 2-L LR after blood donation of 500 mL.
      Lactate and base deficit were measured before and after fluid administration
      using an iSTAT. The mean laboratory values were compared between groups first
      using a global test followed by pairwise testing between groups using the
      Wilcoxon rank-sum and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The Bonferroni correction was used
      and a statistical significance of p < 0.0167 was set. RESULTS: A total of 157
      patients completed the study. The mean (SD) age was 39.2 (12.7), and 65.0% were
      female. Patients in each group lost equivalent amounts of total blood volume, and
      a similar amount was replaced in the crystalloid group (p > 0.0167). Donors had
      comparable increases in lactate and base deficit after donation regardless of the
      group (p > 0.0167). After resuscitation with 2-L crystalloid, the lactate level
      increased higher in the LR group than in the noIVF or the NS group (1.36 mmol/L
      vs. 1.00 mmol/L vs. 1.54 mmol/L, p < 0.0001). In addition, the resuscitation base
      deficit increased in the NS group more than in the noIVF or LR group (-0.65 vs. 
      3.06 vs. -0.34, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: This study is one of the first human
      studies to prospectively demonstrate quantifiable differences in base deficit and
      lactate by type of crystalloid resuscitation. LR resuscitation elevated lactate
      levels, and NS negatively affected the base deficit. These findings are critical
      to the interpretation of trauma patient resuscitation with crystalloid solutions.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, level II.

PMID- 26496099
TI  - An evidence-based method for targeting an abusive head trauma prevention media
      campaign and its evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A triple-dose abusive head trauma (AHT) prevention program (Period of
      PURPLE Crying) was implemented. The third dose consisted of an education media
      campaign. The study objectives were to describe the qualitative and spatial
      methods developed to target AHT prevention and to evaluate this campaign.
      METHODS: A questionnaire on the level of importance of factors, rated on a 7
      point Likert scale, was distributed to a panel of experts to determine the best
      advertising locations. Ranked factors were used to create weights for statistical
      modeling and mapping within a Geographic Information Systems to determine optimal
      ad locations. The media campaign was evaluated via a telephone survey of randomly
      selected households. RESULTS: The survey found locations of new families, high
      population density, and high percentage of lone parents to be the most important
      factors for selecting billboard sites. Spatial analysis revealed six areas that
      ranked highest in our factors. Five billboards, four media posters, and six
      transit shelters were selected for our advertisements. A population-based
      telephone survey revealed that 23% of respondents knew the campaign. Nearly half
      (42%) heard the radio public service announcements, and 9% saw billboards.
      CONCLUSION: Extending primary prevention efforts to the public helps to create a
      cultural change in the way inconsolable crying, the trigger for AHT, is viewed.
      With the use of ranked factors and Geographic Information Systems, geographic
      locations with high visibility and specific risk factors for AHT were identified
      for targeting the campaign, facilitating the likelihood that our message was
      reaching the population in greatest need.

PMID- 26496100
TI  - Epigenetic regulatory pathways involving microRNAs may modulate the host immune
      response following major trauma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic nosocomial pneumonia is a common complication resulting
      in significant morbidity. Trauma-induced immunocompromise is associated with an
      enhanced susceptibility to pneumonia. In this study, we explore the hypothesis
      that posttranscriptional epigenetic regulation of gene expression may be an
      important factor in determining this immune phenotype. We describe the pattern of
      production of microRNAss (miRs) and their association with nosocomial pneumonia
      following severe trauma. METHODS: A convenience sample of 30 ventilated
      polytrauma patients ( UKCRN ID: 5637) and 16 healthy controls were recruited.
      Messenger RNA and protein levels of key cytokines were quantified within 2 hours
      of the injury and at 24 hours. Three miRs per cytokine were then selected based
      on miRBase target prediction scores and quantified using polymerase chain
      reaction. Nosocomial pneumonia was defined using the Centers for Disease Control
      and Prevention definitions. RESULTS: Median Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 29,
      and 47% of the patients developed nosocomial pneumonia. miR-125a and miR-202
      decreased by 34% and 77%, respectively, immediately following injury, whereas
      their target, IL-10, increased messenger RNA levels 3-fold and protein levels 180
      fold. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-12 gene expression decreased
      by 68% and 43%, respectively, following injury, and this was mirrored by a 10
      fold increase in miR-181, an miR predicted to target TNF-alpha transcripts. Lower
      levels of miR-125a and miR-374b were associated with the later acquisition of
      hospital-acquired pneumonia. CONCLUSION: Alteration in the expression of miRs
      with highly predicted complementarity to IL-10 and TNF-alpha may be an important
      mechanism regulating the posttraumatic immunosuppressive phenotype in intensive
      care unit patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Retrospective observational study, level
      III.

PMID- 26496101
TI  - An FcgammaRIIa polymorphism with decreased C-reactive protein binding is
      associated with sepsis and decreased monocyte HLA-DR expression in trauma
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A dysregulated immune response leading to sepsis is the most frequent
      cause of late posttraumatic deaths. We have found a novel anti-inflammatory
      pathway that is initiated by the acute phase protein, C-reactive protein (CRP),
      interacting with Fcgamma receptor (FcgammaR) on monocytes. This pathway is
      protective in animal models of endotoxin shock. We hypothesized that genetic
      polymorphisms in the FcgammaR might contribute to monocyte responses and
      susceptibility to infectious complications after severe trauma. METHODS: We
      conducted an observational study on a prospectively identified cohort of adult
      patients with convenience enrollment admitted after severe trauma. We enrolled 66
      patients and collected blood samples at enrollment and again at 48 hours and 72
      hours. Patients were followed through their hospital stay, and any septic events
      before 14 days were recorded. Cytokine and CRP levels were determined in the
      plasma from all three blood draws. In addition, DNA was extracted from blood and
      analyzed for the 131 H/R FcgammaRIIa polymorphism that strongly affects the
      binding of IgG and CRP to this receptor. RESULTS: Elevated levels of interleukin
      8 (IL-8), IL-6, IL-10, monocyte chemotactic protein 1, and CRP were associated
      with reduced time to posttraumatic sepsis in Cox regression analysis. Expression
      of monocyte human leukocyte antigen DR less than 45% on patient monocytes was
      also associated with sepsis (hazard ratio, 3.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.45
      6.93). Genetic analysis found that individuals with the polymorphism of the
      FcgammaRIIa receptor that binds CRP poorly were also more likely to have
      decreased monocyte human leukocyte antigen DR and posttraumatic sepsis. In vitro
      studies showed that CRP could attenuate monocyte deactivation in volunteers with
      the polymorphism of the FcgammaRIIa receptor that binds CRP. CONCLUSION: Our
      findings suggest that a common genetic variation in the FcgammaRIIa receptor may
      contribute to infectious susceptibility in trauma patients. In vitro experiments
      suggest that this association is related to the inability of CRP to bind to this
      FcgammaRIIa receptor variant. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic study, level III.

PMID- 26496102
TI  - Novel role of group VIB Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2gamma in leukocyte
      endothelial cell interactions: An intravital microscopic study in rat mesentery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is associated with a variety of inflammatory
      processes related to polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN)-endothelial cell
      interactions. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the
      interactions and the causative isoform(s) of PLA2 remain elusive. In addition, we
      recently showed that calcium-independent PLA2gamma (iPLA2gamma), but not
      cytosolic PLA2 (cPLA2), is responsible for the cytotoxic functions of human PMN
      including respiratory bursts, degranulation, and chemotaxis. We therefore
      hypothesized that iPLA2gamma is a prerequisite for the PMN recruitment cascade
      into the site of inflammation. The aim of this study was to elucidate the roles
      of the three major phospholipases A2, iPLA2, cPLA2 and secretory PLA2, in
      leukocyte rolling and adherence and in the surface expression of beta2-integrins
      in vivo and in vitro in response to well-defined stimuli. METHODS: Male Wistar
      rats were pretreated with PLA2 inhibitors selective for iPLA2beta, iPLA2gamma,
      cPLA2, or secretory PLA2. Leukocyte rolling/adherence in the mesenteric venules
      superfused with platelet-activating factor (PAF) were quantified by intravital
      microscopy. Furthermore, isolated human PMNs or whole blood were incubated with
      each PLA2 inhibitor and then activated with formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine
      (fMLP) or PAF. PMN adherence was assessed by counting cells bound to purified
      fibrinogen, and the surface expression of lymphocyte function-associated antigen
      1 and macrophage antigen 1 (Mac-1) was measured by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The
      iPLA2gamma-specific inhibitor almost completely inhibited the fMLP/PAF-induced
      leukocyte adherence in vivo and in vitro and also decreased the fMLP/PAF
      stimulated surface expression of Mac-1 by 60% and 95%, respectively. In contrast,
      the other inhibitors did not affect these cellular functions. CONCLUSION:
      iPLA2gamma seems to be involved in leukocyte/PMN adherence in vivo and in vitro
      as well as in the up-regulation of Mac-1 in vitro in response to PAF/fMLP. This
      enzyme is therefore likely to be a major regulator in the PMN recruitment
      cascade.

PMID- 26496103
TI  - The safety of early fresh, whole blood transfusion among severely battle injured
      at US Marine Corps forward surgical care facilities in Afghanistan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Afghanistan, care of the acutely injured trauma patient commonly
      occurred in facilities with limited blood banking capabilities. Apheresis
      platelets were often not available. Component therapy consisted of 1:1 packed red
      blood cells and fresh frozen plasma. Fresh, whole blood transfusion often
      augmented therapy in the severely injured patient. This study analyzed the safety
      of fresh, whole blood use in a resource-limited setting. METHODS: A retrospective
      analysis was performed on a prospectively collected data set of US battle
      injuries presenting to three US Marine Corps (USMC) expeditionary surgical care
      facilities in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, between January 2010 and July 2012.
      Included in the review were patients with Injury Severity Scores (ISSs) of 15 or
      higher receiving blood transfusions. Univariate analyses were performed, followed
      by multivariable logistic regression to describe the relationship between the
      treatment group and posttreatment complications such as trauma-induced
      coagulopathy, infection, mortality, venous thromboembolism, and transfusion
      reaction. Propensity scores were calculated and included in multivariable models
      to adjust for potential bias in treatment selection. RESULTS: A total of 61
      patients were identified; all were male marines with a mean (SD) age of 23.5
      (3.6) years. The group receiving fresh, whole blood was noted to have higher ISSs
      and lower blood pressure, pH, and base deficits on arrival. Traumatic
      coagulopathy was significantly less common in the group receiving fresh, whole
      blood (odds ratio, 0.01; 95% confidence interval, 0.00-0.18). Multivariable
      models found no other significant differences between the treatment groups.
      CONCLUSION: The early use of fresh, whole blood in a resource-limited setting
      seems to confer a benefit in reducing traumatic coagulopathy. This study's small
      sample size precludes further statement on the overall safety of fresh, whole
      blood use. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapy study, level IV.

PMID- 26496104
TI  - Platelet function in reconstituted whole blood variants: An observational study
      over 5 days of storage time.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Platelet concentrates (PCs) are usually stored at room temperature
      under constant gentle agitation. Risk of bacterial contamination limits maximum
      storage time to 5 days. The objective of the study was to investigate platelet
      function with regard to storage time in different reconstituted whole blood (RWB)
      variants. METHODS: Donated apheresis PCs were stored at 22 degrees C over 5 days.
      To obtain RWB, apheresis PCs were mixed with plasma-free packed red blood cells
      (RBCs) and either prethawed fresh frozen plasma (PT) or solvent-detergent plasma
      (SD) [1:1:1 ratio], or with leukocyte- and platelet-depleted whole blood (LD-WB)
      as control. Platelet function in RWB variants was assessed by impedance
      aggregometry (Multiplate) on Days 0, 1, 3, and 5 following platelet donation.
      RESULTS: Platelet aggregometry did not reach the lower limits determined from
      healthy volunteers in any of the RWB variants. Platelet aggregability measured by
      ASPI test, ADP test, and COL test declined over storage time in all RWB variants.
      No differences were observed in the TRAP test. At most measurement time points,
      LD-RWB provided significantly higher platelet aggregability compared with SD-RWB
      and PT-RWB (p < 0.01). SD-RWB demonstrated higher platelet aggregability on Day 0
      in the ASPI test, ADP test, and TRAP test compared with PT-RWB. CONCLUSION:
      Apheresis PCs stored for 5 days at 22 degrees C demonstrated reduced platelet
      aggregability, as measured by multiple electrode aggregometry when mixed with
      RBCs and plasma. As platelet aggregation in LD-RWB was superior compared with SD
      RWB and PT-RWB variants, it might be possible that additives in RBCs or plasma
      are responsible for the observed depressed platelet function. Critical evaluation
      of current massive transfusion recommendations proposing early platelet
      transfusion is indicated.

PMID- 26496105
TI  - Deep organ space infection after emergency bowel resection and anastomosis: The
      anatomic site does not matter.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deep organ space infection (DOSI) is a serious complication after
      emergency bowel resection and anastomosis. The aim of this study was to identify
      the incidence and risk factors for the development of DOSI. METHODS: National
      Surgical Quality Improvement Program database study including patients who
      underwent large bowel or small bowel resection and primary anastomosis. The
      incidence, outcomes, and risk factors for DOSI were evaluated using univariate
      and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: A total of 87,562 patients underwent small
      bowel, large bowel, or rectal resection and anastomosis. Of these, 14,942 (17.1%)
      underwent emergency operations and formed the study population. The overall
      mortality rate in emergency operations was 12.5%, and the rate of DOSI was 5.6%.
      A total of 18.0% required ventilatory support in more than 48 hours, and 16.0%
      required reoperation. Predictors of DOSI included age, steroid use, sepsis or
      septic shock on admission, severe wound contamination, and advanced American
      Society of Anesthesiologists classification. The anatomic location of resection
      and anastomosis was not significantly associated with DOSI. CONCLUSION: Patients
      undergoing emergency bowel resection and anastomosis have a high mortality, risk
      of DOSI, and systemic complications. Independent predictors of DOSI include wound
      and American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, sepsis or septic shock
      on admission, and steroid use. The anatomic location of resection and anastomosis
      was not significantly associated with DOSI. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Epidemiologic/prognostic study, level III.

PMID- 26496106
TI  - Gangrenous cholecystitis: Deceiving ultrasounds, significant delay in surgical
      consult, and increased postoperative morbidity!
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gangrenous cholecystitis (GC) is difficult to diagnose preoperatively
      in the patient with suspected acute cholecystitis. We sought to characterize
      preoperative risk factors and post-operative complications. METHODS: Pathology
      reports of all patients undergoing cholecystectomy for suspected acute
      cholecystitis from June 2010 to January 2014 and admitted through the emergency
      department were examined. Patients with GC were compared with those with
      acute/chronic cholecystitis (AC/CC). Data collected included demographics,
      preoperative signs and symptoms, radiologic studies, operative details, and
      clinical outcomes. RESULTS: Thirty-eight cases of GC were identified and compared
      with 171 cases of AC/CC. Compared with AC/CC, GC patients were more likely to be
      older (57 years vs. 41 years, p < 0.001), of male sex (63% vs. 31%, p < 0.001),
      hypertensive (47% vs. 22%, p = 0.002), hyperlipidemic (29% vs. 14%, p = 0.026),
      and diabetic (24% vs. 8%, p = 0.006). GC patients were more likely to have a
      fever (29% vs. 12%, p = 0.007) and less likely to have nausea/vomiting (61% vs.
      80%, p = 0.019) or an impacted gallstone on ultrasound (US) (8% vs. 26%, p =
      0.017). Otherwise, there was no significant difference in clinical or US
      findings. Among GC patients, US findings were absent (8%, n = 3) or minimal (42%,
      n = 16). Median time from emergency department registration to US (3.3 hours vs.
      2.8 hours, p = 0.28) was similar, but US to operation was longer (41.2 hours vs.
      18.4 hours, p < 0.001), conversion to open cholecystectomy was more common (37%
      vs. 10%, p < 0.001), and hospital stay was longer (median, 4 days vs. 2 days, p <
      0.0001). Delay in surgical consultation occurred in 16% of GC patients compared
      with 1% of AC patients (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Demographic features may be
      predictive of GC. Absent or minimal US signs occur in 50%, and delay in surgical
      consultation is common. Postoperative morbidity is greater for patients with GC
      compared with those with AC/CC. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic study, level
      III; therapeutic study, level IV.

PMID- 26496107
TI  - Intravascular ultrasound enhanced aortic sizing for endovascular treatment of
      blunt aortic injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blunt aortic injury (BAI) in young patients with a compliant aorta
      and evolving hyperdynamic physiology may result in significant variation in
      aortic diameter during the cardiac cycle. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) may be
      useful to detect real-time variations in aortic diameters for more reliable
      sizing in patients undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) of BAI.
      METHODS: This is a single-institution retrospective study of patients who
      underwent TEVAR for BAI in a Level 1 trauma center from January 2004 to January
      2014. Patients underwent either trauma survey computed tomography (CT) alone (CT
      group) or IVUS and CT (IVUS group). We compared predeployment aortic
      measurements, implanted device size, landing zones, and repair outcomes between
      the groups. RESULTS: Forty-one patients underwent TEVAR for BAI: 28 were in the
      CT group and 13 in the IVUS group. Left subclavian artery (LSCA) coverage was
      performed in 50% (CT group) and 38% (IVUS group) of patients. CT-based median
      aortic diameter was similar in both groups (20.5 mm in the CT group vs. 19.0 mm
      in the IVUS group, p = 0.374). The median proximal diameter of the proximal
      device implanted was 26 mm in the CT group and 24 mm in the IVUS group (p =
      0.329), which resulted in oversizing of 25.7% and 13.7% (p < 0.001),
      respectively. The implanted device was changed in 6 of 13 patients and in 4 of 5
      patients in which the LSCA was covered because of IVUS measured-diameters. Graft
      extension proximal to the LSCA resulted in greater differences between the CT and
      IVUS measurements of the proximal aorta than if the graft was isolated to the
      descending aorta (18.8% vs. 5.57%, p = 0.005). Technical success of repair for
      both groups was 100%; no secondary interventions were required in either group.
      CONCLUSION: In combination with CT, IVUS provides important separate sizing
      information at the point of implantation for more accurate device selection,
      eliminating need for a repeat CT. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, level IV.

PMID- 26496108
TI  - Outcomes of pediatric patients with persistent midline cervical spine tenderness
      and negative imaging result after trauma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is little evidence to guide management of pediatric patients
      with persistent cervical spine tenderness after trauma but with negative initial
      imaging study findings. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of
      clinically significant cervical spine injury among pediatric blunt trauma
      patients discharged from the emergency department with negative imaging study
      findings but persistent midline cervical spine tenderness. METHODS: We performed
      a single-center, retrospective study of subjects 1 year to 15 years of age
      discharged in a rigid cervical spine collar after blunt trauma over a 5-year
      period. We included patients with negative imaging results who were maintained in
      a collar because of persistent midline cervical spine tenderness. Primary outcome
      was clinically significant cervical spine injury. Secondary outcome was continued
      use of the collar after follow-up. Outcomes were ascertained from the medical
      record or self-report via telephone call. RESULTS: A total of 307 subjects met
      inclusion criteria, of whom 289 (94.1%) had follow-up information available
      (89.6% in chart, 10.4% via telephone call). Of those with follow-up information,
      189 (65.4%) had subspecialty follow-up in the spine clinic. Of those with spine
      clinic follow-up, 84.6% had the hard collar discontinued at the first visit
      (median time to visit, 10 days). Of subjects with spine clinic follow-up, 10.1%
      were left in the collar for persistent tenderness without findings on imaging and
      2.1% had imaging findings related to their injury; none required surgical
      intervention. CONCLUSION: A very small percentage of subjects with persistent
      midline cervical spine tenderness and normal radiographic study findings have a
      clinically significant cervical spine injury identified at follow-up. Referral
      for subspecialty evaluation may only be necessary in a small number of patients
      with persistent tenderness or concerning signs/symptoms. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Therapeutic study, level IV.

PMID- 26496109
TI  - Which pediatric blunt trauma patients do not require pelvic imaging?
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to develop a tool in identifying traumatized
      children at low risk of pelvic fracture and to determine the sensitivity of this
      low-risk model for pelvic fractures. We hypothesized that the proportion of
      children without predictors with pelvic fracture is less than 1%. METHODS: This
      is a retrospective trauma registry analysis of previously healthy children 1 year
      to 17 years old presenting to the pediatric emergency department with blunt
      trauma. Postulated predictors of pelvic fracture on radiograph or computed
      tomography included pain/abnormal examination result of the pelvis/hip, femur
      deformity, hematuria, abdominal pain/tenderness, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score
      of 13 or lower, and hemodynamic instability. We used multivariable logistic
      regression to identify independent predictors of fracture. RESULTS: Of 1,121
      eligible patients (mean [SD] age, 8.5 [4.6] years), 87 (7.8%) had pelvic
      fracture. Independent predictors included pain/abnormal examination result of the
      pelvis/hip (odds ratio [OR], 16.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9.6-29.1),
      hematuria (OR, 6.6; 95% CI, 3.0-14.6), femoral deformity (OR, 5.9; 95% CI, 3.1
      11.3), GCS score of 13 or lower (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.3-4.3), and hemodynamic
      instability (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.7-6.9). One of 590 children (0.2%; 95% CI, 0
      0.5%) without predictors had pelvic fractures versus 86 (16.2%) of 531 in those
      with one or more predictors (OR, 119; 95% CI, 16.6-833). One of 87 children with
      pelvic fractures had no predictors (1.1%; 95% CI, 0-3%). When assuming a 100%
      radiography rate, this tool saves 53% pelvic radiographs. CONCLUSION: Children
      with multiple blunt trauma without pain/abnormal examination result of the
      pelvis/hip, femur deformity, hematuria, abdominal pain/tenderness, GCS score of
      13 or lower, or hemodynamic instability constitute a low-risk population for
      pelvic fracture, with less than 0.5% risk rate. This population does not require
      routine pelvic imaging. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, level IV.

PMID- 26496110
TI  - Contact isolation is a risk factor for venous thromboembolism in trauma patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Contact isolation (CI) is a series of precautions used to prevent the
      transmission of medically significant infectious pathogens in the health care
      setting. Our institution's implementation of CI includes limiting patient
      movement to the assigned room. Our objective was to define the association
      between CI and venous thromboembolism (VTE) at our Level I trauma center.
      METHODS: Our institution's prospective trauma database was retrospectively
      queried for all patients admitted to the trauma service between January 1, 2011,
      and December 31, 2012. Data including demographics, Injury Severity Score (ISS),
      preexisting medical conditions, injury type, and VTE development were collected.
      CI status data were obtained from our institution's infection control database.
      chi2 was used to examine the unadjusted relationship between CI status and VTE.
      As the groups were not equivalent, logistic regression was then used to examine
      the relationship between CI and VTE while adjusting for relevant covariates
      including sex, age, ISS, and comorbidities. RESULTS: Of the 4,423 trauma patients
      admitted during the study period, 4,318 (97.6%) had complete records and were
      included in subsequent analyses. A total of 249 (5.8%) of the patients were on
      CI. VTE occurred in 44 patients (17.7%) on CI versus 141 patients (3.5%) who were
      not isolated (p < 0.0001; odds ratio, 6.0; 95% confidence interval, 4.1-8.6).
      With the use of lasso [least absolute shrinkage and selection operator]
      regression to adjust for patient risk factors, this relationship remained highly
      significant (p < 0.0001; odds ratio, 2.61; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-4.0).
      CONCLUSION: CI, ISS, hospital length of stay, and cardiac comorbidity were
      associated with VTE. After adjustment for other risk factors, CI remained most
      strongly associated with VTE. Although any medical intervention may come with
      unintended consequences, the risks and benefits of CI in this population need to
      be reevaluated. Further study is planned to identify opportunities to mitigate
      this increased VTE risk. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic/epidemiologic study, level
      III; therapeutic study, level IV.

PMID- 26496111
TI  - Association of transfusion red blood cell storage age and blood oxygenation, long
      term neurologic outcome, and mortality in traumatic brain injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effect of red blood cell (RBC) storage on oxygenation in
      critically ill patients is still unknown. The objective of this study was to
      determine the association of RBC storage with oxygenation, long-term neurologic
      recovery, and death after traumatic brain injury. METHODS: We used data from a 2
      * 2 factorial randomized controlled trial of administration of erythropoietin or
      placebo and of assignment to transfusion threshold of less than 7g/dL or less
      than 10 g/dL in neurosurgical intensive care units in two US Level 1 trauma
      centers. Patients had severe traumatic brain injury with closed head injury, were
      unable to follow commands, and were enrolled within 6 hours of injury. Blood
      oxygenation 1 hour after the transfusion as measured by jugular venous oxygen
      saturation (n = 59) was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were brain tissue
      oxygenation (n = 77), 6-month Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score (n = 122)
      collected using a structured interview and dichotomized into favorable (good
      recovery or moderate disability) or unfavorable outcome (severe disability,
      vegetative state, or dead), and mortality (n = 125). RBC age was defined as the
      maximum age of RBCs over all units in one transfusion per patient. For long-term
      outcomes, RBC age was defined as the mean age over all units given. RESULTS: We
      failed to detect an association of RBC age with jugular venous oxygen saturation
      (linear regression beta = 1.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], -2.99 to 6.18; p =
      0.49), brain tissue oxygenation (linear regression beta = 0.20; 95% CI, -0.23 to
      0.63; p = 0.36), GOS score (odds ratio, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.53-3.57; p = 0.52), and
      mortality (hazard ratio, 1.35; 95% CI, 0.61-2.98; p = 0.46). CONCLUSION:
      Limitations of this study include the fact that the RBC ages were not randomized,
      although this was a prospective study. We conclude that older blood does not seem
      to have adverse effects in severe traumatic brain injury. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Prognostic study, level III.

PMID- 26496112
TI  - Redefining "dead on arrival": Identifying the unsalvageable patient for the
      purpose of performance improvement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Significant variation exists across registries in the criteria used
      to identify patients with no chance of survival, with potential for profound
      impact on trauma center mortality. The purpose of this study was to identify the
      optimal case definition for the unsalvageable patient, for the purpose of
      exclusion from performance improvement (PI) endeavors. METHODS: Data were derived
      from the American College of Surgeons' Trauma Quality Improvement Program for
      2012 to 2013. We proposed three potential case definitions for the unsalvageable
      patient: (1) no signs of life as determined by local providers (NSOL), (2)
      prehospital cardiac arrest (PHCA), and (3) a proxy definition (PROXY) based on
      presenting vital signs, defined as emergency department (ED) heart rate = 0, ED
      systolic blood pressure = 0, and Glasgow Coma Scale score motor component = 1.
      Case definitions were compared using standard predictive tests to determine
      specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) for in-hospital mortality. After
      the optimal definition was identified, hierarchical logistic regression was used
      to assess the impact of including unsalvageable patients on trauma center risk
      adjusted mortality. The impact on trauma center performance was determined as
      change in outlier status and performance decile after exclusion of patients who
      met the optimal case definition. RESULTS: During the study period, 223,643
      patients met inclusion criteria across 192 trauma centers. Overall in-hospital
      mortality was 7.2%. The PROXY definition had excellent PPV for death, with less
      than 1% of patients meeting the PROXY criterion surviving. By contrast, NSOL and
      PHCA had PPVs low enough such that many of these patients went on to live (33%
      and 10%, respectively). After exclusion of patients who met the PROXY definition,
      7% of trauma centers changed performance decile. This change was greatest for
      patients with penetrating injury and shock, with change in performance decile at
      23% and 33% of centers, respectively. CONCLUSION: The PROXY case definition has
      excellent predictive utility to identify patients who, based on presenting vital
      signs, will go on to die. PROXY should be used to exclude unsalvageable patients
      from PI endeavors.

PMID- 26496113
TI  - Inadequately marketing our brand: Medical student awareness of acute care
      surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite focused national efforts to promote acute care surgery (ACS),
      little is known about medical student awareness of ACS as a career choice. The
      impending shortage of general surgeons emphasizes the need to increase interest
      in this comprehensive surgical specialty. The goal of this study was to determine
      whether students would be more likely to consider choosing ACS if they were aware
      of the specialty and its benefits. METHODS: A survey was distributed
      electronically to medical students at our institution, a Level I trauma center
      with an active ACS service. The survey asked questions regarding specialty choice
      and factors that were used in making that decision. Also included were questions
      regarding their familiarity and affinity for ACS. RESULTS: The survey was
      returned by 518 students. Each medical school year was proportionately
      represented. Twenty-one percent of the students reported surgery as their career
      choice; however, women were half as likely to choose surgery as men. When asked
      to define ACS, 23% of all students gave the correct response. Only 8.9% of the
      students in the preclinical years correctly defined ACS. Even in the clinical
      years, 54% were unaware of ACS as a specialty. Students reported that the top
      factors that influenced their choice were controllable lifestyle, predictable
      schedule, and a positive medical school role model. When asked to identify what
      would make ACS appealing, a 50-hour work week was deemed most influential. When
      given the definition of ACS with approximate pay and on-call hours, 41.5% of the
      students and 75% of those interested in surgery would be likely to choose ACS as
      a career. CONCLUSION: This study highlights that awareness of ACS as a specialty
      is lacking. This may reflect inadequate marketing of our "brand" both locally and
      nationally. Focused efforts at familiarizing students with ACS and increased role
      modeling may increase interest in ACS.

PMID- 26496114
TI  - Damage-control neurosurgery: Packing to halt relentless intracranial bleeding.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to review the efficacy of
      intracranial packing as a means of tamponade for life-threatening intraoperative
      hemorrhage that was refractory to more common techniques for achieving
      hemostasis. METHODS: Neuroimaging and hospital records were reviewed for the
      seven adult patients who had experienced life-threateningly severe hemorrhage
      during intracranial surgery and in whom packing was used to control the bleeding.
      All packing was left in place at the time of closure and was removed when the
      patient's condition was considered safe for a second operation. RESULTS:
      Hemorrhage was successfully halted in all seven patients, and all survived their
      operations. Six were discharged from the hospital, but one patient with severe
      parenchymal injury from trauma and multiple medical comorbidities died on
      postoperative Day 2 after supportive care was withdrawn. Four had an improved
      Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score at the time of last follow-up, and two of these
      improved from dependent to independent living. There were no postoperative
      intracranial or wound infections. CONCLUSION: Intracranial packing to tamponade
      severe intracranial hemorrhage can be a lifesaving neurosurgical maneuver. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, level V.

PMID- 26496116
TI  - A medical history of Governor John B. Connally and his gunshot wounds.
AB  - : On November 22, 1963, the Governor of Texas, John Connally, was injured during
      the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Multiple authors have documented
      President Kennedy's injuries, the attempted resuscitation, and the controversies
      surrounding these events. However, the injuries sustained by Governor Connally
      have been overlooked by historians predominantly because of the extraordinary
      importance of the presidential assassination and its impact on the national
      consciousness. This review discusses the governor's political life, the mechanism
      of injury, his medical care, and the role the injuries had on his subsequent
      public life. 

PMID- 26496115
TI  - Risk factors for the development of heterotopic ossification in seriously burned
      adults: A National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation
      Research burn model system database analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a debilitating complication of burn
      injury; however, incidence and risk factors are poorly understood. In this study,
      we use a multicenter database of adults with burn injuries to identify and
      analyze clinical factors that predict HO formation. METHODS: Data from six high
      volume burn centers, in the Burn Injury Model System Database, were analyzed.
      Univariate logistic regression models were used for model selection. Cluster
      adjusted multivariate logistic regression was then used to evaluate the
      relationship between clinical and demographic data and the development of HO.
      RESULTS: Of 2,979 patients in the database with information on HO that addressed
      risk factors for development of HO, 98 (3.5%) developed HO. Of these 98 patients,
      97 had arm burns, and 96 had arm grafts. When controlling for age and sex in a
      multivariate model, patients with greater than 30% total body surface area burn
      had 11.5 times higher odds of developing HO (p < 0.001), and those with arm burns
      that required skin grafting had 96.4 times higher odds of developing HO (p =
      0.04). For each additional time a patient went to the operating room, odds of HO
      increased by 30% (odds ratio, 1.32; p < 0.001), and each additional ventilator
      day increased odds by 3.5% (odds ratio, 1.035; p < 0.001). Joint contracture,
      inhalation injury, and bone exposure did not significantly increase odds of HO.
      CONCLUSION: Risk factors for HO development include greater than 30% total body
      surface area burn, arm burns, arm grafts, ventilator days, and number of trips to
      the operating room. Future studies can use these results to identify highest-risk
      patients to guide deployment of prophylactic and experimental treatments. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic study, level III.

PMID- 26496117
TI  - Casualty distribution in emergencies: Some critiques of load index model.

PMID- 26496118
TI  - Re: Casualties distribution in emergencies: Some critiques of load index model.

PMID- 26496121
TI  - Association of the Long Non-coding RNA Steroid Receptor RNA Activator (SRA) with
      TrxG and PRC2 Complexes.
AB  - Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been recognized as key players in
      transcriptional regulation. We show that the lncRNA steroid receptor RNA
      activator (SRA) participates in regulation through complex formation with
      trithorax group (TrxG) and polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) complexes.
      Binding of the SRA-associated RNA helicase p68 preferentially stabilizes complex
      formation between SRA and a TrxG complex but not PRC2. In human pluripotent stem
      cells NTERA2, SRA binding sites that are also occupied by p68 are significantly
      enriched for H3K4 trimethylation. Consistent with its ability to interact with
      TrxG and PRC2 complexes, some SRA binding sites in human pluripotent stem cells
      overlap with bivalent domains. CTCF sites associated with SRA appear also to be
      enriched for bivalent modifications. We identify NANOG as a transcription factor
      directly interacting with SRA and co-localizing with it genome-wide in NTERA2.
      Further, we show that SRA is important for maintaining the stem cell state and
      for reprogramming of human fibroblasts to achieve the pluripotent state. Our
      results suggest a mechanism whereby the lncRNA SRA interacts with either TrxG or
      PRC2. These complexes may then be recruited by various DNA binding factors to
      deliver either activating or silencing signals, or both, to establish bivalent
      domains. 

PMID- 26496122
TI  - Signaling and Adaptation Modulate the Dynamics of the Photosensoric Complex of
      Natronomonas pharaonis.
AB  - Motile bacteria and archaea respond to chemical and physical stimuli seeking
      optimal conditions for survival. To this end transmembrane chemo- and
      photoreceptors organized in large arrays initiate signaling cascades and
      ultimately regulate the rotation of flagellar motors. To unravel the molecular
      mechanism of signaling in an archaeal phototaxis complex we performed coarse
      grained molecular dynamics simulations of a trimer of receptor/transducer dimers,
      namely NpSRII/NpHtrII from Natronomonas pharaonis. Signaling is regulated by a
      reversible methylation mechanism called adaptation, which also influences the
      level of basal receptor activation. Mimicking two extreme methylation states in
      our simulations we found conformational changes for the transmembrane region of
      NpSRII/NpHtrII which resemble experimentally observed light-induced changes.
      Further downstream in the cytoplasmic domain of the transducer the signal
      propagates via distinct changes in the dynamics of HAMP1, HAMP2, the adaptation
      domain and the binding region for the kinase CheA, where conformational
      rearrangements were found to be subtle. Overall these observations suggest a
      signaling mechanism based on dynamic allostery resembling models previously
      proposed for E. coli chemoreceptors, indicating similar properties of signal
      transduction for archaeal photoreceptors and bacterial chemoreceptors. 

PMID- 26496123
TI  - Evaluating the Diagnostic Accuracy of Xpert MTB/RIF Assay in Pulmonary
      Tuberculosis.
AB  - Pulmonary tuberculosis still remains a major communicable disease worldwide. In
      2013, 9 million people developed TB and 1.5 million people died from the disease.
      India constitutes 24% of the total TB burden. Early detection of TB cases is the
      key to successful treatment and reduction of disease transmission. Xpert MTB/RIF,
      an automated cartridge-based molecular technique detects Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance within two hours has been endorsed by WHO
      for rapid diagnosis of TB. Our study is the first study from India with a large
      sample size to evaluate the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF assay in PTB samples.
      The test showed an overall sensitivity and specificity of 95.7% (430/449) and
      99.3% (984/990) respectively. In smear negative-culture positive cases, the test
      had a sensitivity of 77.7%. The sensitivity and specificity for detecting
      rifampicin resistance was 94.5% and 97.7% respectively with respect to culture as
      reference standard. However, after resolving the discrepant samples with gene
      sequencing, the sensitivity and specificity rose to 99.0% and 99.3% respectively.
      Hence, while solid culture still forms the foundation of TB diagnosis, Xpert
      MTB/RIF proposes to be a strong first line diagnostic tool for pulmonary TB
      cases. 

PMID- 26496125
TI  - Physiological Responses of a Model Marine Diatom to Fast pH Changes: Special
      Implications of Coastal Water Acidification.
AB  - Diatoms and other phytoplankton in coastal waters experience rapid pH changes in
      milieu due to high biological activities and/or upwelled CO2-rich waters. While
      CO2 concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) are employed by all diatoms tested to counter
      low CO2 availability in seawater, little is known how this mechanism responds to
      fast pH changes. In the present study, the model diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana
      was acclimated for 20 generations to low pH (7.81) at an elevated CO2 of 1000
      MUatm (HC) or to high pH (8.18) at ambient CO2 levels of 390 MUatm (LC), then its
      physiological characteristics were investigated as cells were shifted from HC to
      LC or vice versa. The maximal electron transport rate (ETRmax) in the HC
      acclimated cells was immediately reduced by decreased CO2 availability, showing
      much lower values compared to that of the LC-acclimated cells. However, the cells
      showed a high capacity to regain their photochemical performance regardless of
      the growth CO2 levels, with their ETRmax values recovering to initial levels in
      about 100 min. This result indicates that this diatom might modulate its CCMs
      quickly to maintain a steady state supply of CO2, which is required for
      sustaining photosynthesis. In addition, active uptake of CO2 could play a
      fundamental role during the induction of CCMs under CO2 limitation, since the
      cells maintained high ETR even when both intracellular and periplasmic carbonic
      anhydrases were inhibited. It is concluded that efficient regulation of the CCM
      is one of the key strategies for diatoms to survive in fast changing pH
      environment, e.g. for the tested species, which is a dominant species in coastal
      waters where highly fluctuating pH is observed. 

PMID- 26496124
TI  - Community Participation in Health Systems Research: A Systematic Review Assessing
      the State of Research, the Nature of Interventions Involved and the Features of
      Engagement with Communities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Community participation is a major principle of people centered
      health systems, with considerable research highlighting its intrinsic value and
      strategic importance. Existing reviews largely focus on the effectiveness of
      community participation with less attention to how community participation is
      supported in health systems intervention research. OBJECTIVE: To explore the
      extent, nature and quality of community participation in health systems
      intervention research in low- and middle-income countries. METHODOLOGY: We
      searched for peer-reviewed, English language literature published between January
      2000 and May 2012 through four electronic databases. Search terms combined the
      concepts of community, capability/participation, health systems research and low-
      and middle-income countries. The initial search yielded 3,092 articles, of which
      260 articles with more than nominal community participation were identified and
      included. We further excluded 104 articles due to lower levels of community
      participation across the research cycle and poor description of the process of
      community participation. Out of the remaining 160 articles with rich community
      participation, we further examined 64 articles focused on service delivery and
      governance within health systems research. RESULTS: Most articles were led by
      authors in high income countries and many did not consistently list critical
      aspects of study quality. Articles were most likely to describe community
      participation in health promotion interventions (78%, 202/260), even though they
      were less participatory than other health systems areas. Community involvement in
      governance and supply chain management was less common (12%, 30/260 and 9%,
      24/260 respectively), but more participatory. Articles cut across all health
      conditions and varied by scale and duration, with those that were implemented at
      national scale or over more than five years being mainstreamed by government.
      Most articles detailed improvements in service availability, accessibility and
      acceptability, with fewer efforts focused on quality, and few designs able to
      measure impact on health outcomes. With regards to participation, most articles
      supported community's in implementing interventions (95%, n = 247/260), in
      contrast to involving communities in identifying and defining problems (18%, n =
      46/260). Many articles did not discuss who in communities participated, with just
      over a half of the articles disaggregating any information by sex. Articles were
      largely under theorized, and only five mentioned power or control. Majority of
      the articles (57/64) described community participation processes as being
      collaborative with fewer describing either community mobilization or community
      empowerment. Intrinsic individual motivations, community-level trust, strong
      external linkages, and supportive institutional processes facilitated community
      participation, while lack of training, interest and information, along with weak
      financial sustainability were challenges. Supportive contextual factors included
      decentralization reforms and engagement with social movements. CONCLUSION:
      Despite positive examples, community participation in health systems
      interventions was variable, with few being truly community directed. Future
      research should more thoroughly engage with community participation theory,
      recognize the power relations inherent in community participation, and be more
      realistic as to how much communities can participate and cognizant of who decides
      that.

PMID- 26496126
TI  - Association Analysis of the Reticulon 1 Gene in End-Stage Kidney Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reticulon 1 gene (RTN1) encodes reticulons, endoplasmic reticulum
      stress proteins recently implicated in kidney disease progression. METHODS: RTN1
      single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were tested for association with type 2
      diabetes (T2D)-associated end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in African Americans
      (AAs) and European Americans (EAs), and AAs with non-diabetic ESKD. RTN1 SNPs
      that were associated with T2D-ESKD in AA cases compared to non-nephropathy
      controls were identified from a discovery genome-wide association study
      (n=1,797), then tested for replication in 1,847 additional AA T2D-ESKD cases and
      controls. RESULTS: Three intronic RTN1 variants were nominally associated with
      T2D-ESKD in both discovery and replication analyses: rs1952034, rs12431381 and
      rs12434215 (additive models); combined T2D-ESKD (discovery+replication) p values
      were 0.015-3.0*10(-4) (ORs 0.67-0.77; minor alleles protective). In addition,
      rs12434215 was weakly associated with T2D-ESKD in 557 EA T2D-ESKD cases
      contrasted with 753 EA non-nephropathy controls (p=0.019; OR 0.69, dominant
      model). Nominal association extended to non-diabetic causes of ESKD in 1,459
      additional AA cases (rs12431381 and rs12434215 p values 0.014-0.015; OR 0.77). An
      all-cause ESKD association analysis contrasted the 3,594 AA ESKD cases with 1,489
      AA non-nephropathy controls and detected association with rs12434215 (p=6.7*10(
      4), OR 0.73) and rs12431381 (p=7.5*10(-4), OR 0.75) in dominant models. Of the 3
      SNPs, only rs12434215 was weakly associated with T2D per se when contrasting T2D
      non-nephropathy cases with non-diabetic controls (additive model p=0.032 AAs;
      p=0.048 EAs). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest evidence of genetic association
      between common variants in RTN1 and ESKD in AAs and EAs.

PMID- 26496127
TI  - Climate Change and Crop Exposure to Adverse Weather: Changes to Frost Risk and
      Grapevine Flowering Conditions.
AB  - The cultivation of grapevines in the UK and many other cool climate regions is
      expected to benefit from the higher growing season temperatures predicted under
      future climate scenarios. Yet the effects of climate change on the risk of
      adverse weather conditions or events at key stages of crop development are not
      always captured by aggregated measures of seasonal or yearly climates, or by
      downscaling techniques that assume climate variability will remain unchanged
      under future scenarios. Using fine resolution projections of future climate
      scenarios for south-west England and grapevine phenology models we explore how
      risks to cool-climate vineyard harvests vary under future climate conditions.
      Results indicate that the risk of adverse conditions during flowering declines
      under all future climate scenarios. In contrast, the risk of late spring frosts
      increases under many future climate projections due to advancement in the timing
      of budbreak. Estimates of frost risk, however, were highly sensitive to the
      choice of phenology model, and future frost exposure declined when budbreak was
      calculated using models that included a winter chill requirement for dormancy
      break. The lack of robust phenological models is a major source of uncertainty
      concerning the impacts of future climate change on the development of cool
      climate viticulture in historically marginal climatic regions. 

PMID- 26496128
TI  - Hierarchical macroscopic fibrillar adhesives: in situ study of buckling and
      adhesion mechanisms on wavy substrates.
AB  - Nature uses hierarchical fibrillar structures to mediate temporary adhesion to
      arbitrary substrates. Such structures provide high compliance such that the flat
      fibril tips can be better positioned with respect to asperities of a wavy rough
      substrate. We investigated the buckling and adhesion of hierarchically structured
      adhesives in contact with flat smooth, flat rough and wavy rough substrates. A
      macroscopic model for the structural adhesive was fabricated by molding
      polydimethylsiloxane into pillars of diameter in the range of 0.3-4.8 mm, with up
      to three different hierarchy levels. Both flat-ended and mushroom-shaped
      hierarchical samples buckled at preloads one quarter that of the single level
      structures. We explain this behavior by a change in the buckling mode; buckling
      leads to a loss of contact and diminishes adhesion. Our results indicate that
      hierarchical structures can have a strong influence on the degree of adhesion on
      both flat and wavy substrates. Strategies are discussed that achieve highly
      compliant substrates which adhere to rough substrates. 

PMID- 26496130
TI  - Review of in situ derivatization techniques for enhanced bioanalysis using liquid
      chromatography with mass spectrometry.
AB  - Accurate and specific analysis of target molecules in complex biological matrices
      remains a significant challenge, especially when ultra-trace detection limits are
      required. Liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry is often the method of
      choice for bioanalysis. Conventional sample preparation and clean-up methods
      prior to the analysis of biological fluids such as liquid-liquid extraction,
      solid-phase extraction, or protein precipitation are time-consuming, tedious, and
      can negatively affect target recovery and detection sensitivity. An alternative
      or complementary strategy is the use of an off-line or on-line in situ
      derivatization technique. In situ derivatization can be incorporated to directly
      derivatize target analytes in their native biological matrices, without any prior
      sample clean-up methods, to substitute or even enhance the extraction and
      preconcentration efficiency of these traditional sample preparation methods.
      Designed appropriately, it can reduce the number of sample preparation steps
      necessary prior to analysis. Moreover, in situ derivatization can be used to
      enhance the performance of the developed liquid chromatography with mass
      spectrometry-based bioanalysis methods regarding stability, chromatographic
      separation, selectivity, and ionization efficiency. This review presents an
      overview of the commonly used in situ derivatization techniques coupled to liquid
      chromatography with mass spectrometry-based bioanalysis to guide and to stimulate
      future research. 

PMID- 26496129
TI  - The Effect of Hygiene-Based Lymphedema Management in Lymphatic Filariasis-Endemic
      Areas: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lymphedema of the leg and its advanced form, known as elephantiasis,
      are significant causes of disability and morbidity in areas endemic for lymphatic
      filariasis (LF), with an estimated 14 million persons affected worldwide. The
      twin goals of the World Health Organization's Global Program to Eliminate
      Lymphatic Filariasis include interrupting transmission of the parasitic worms
      that cause LF and providing care to persons who suffer from its clinical
      manifestations, including lymphedema-so-called morbidity management and
      disability prevention (MMDP). Scaling up of MMDP has been slow, in part because
      of a lack of consensus about the effectiveness of recommended hygiene-based
      interventions for clinical lymphedema. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a
      systemic review and meta-analyses to estimate the effectiveness of hygiene-based
      interventions on LF-related lymphedema. We systematically searched PubMed,
      Embase, ISI Web of Knowledge, MedCarib, Lilacs, REPIDISCA, DESASTRES, and African
      Index Medicus databases through March 23, 2015 with no restriction on year of
      publication. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they (1) were conducted in an
      area endemic for LF, (2) involved hygiene-based interventions to manage
      lymphedema, and (3) assessed lymphedema-related morbidity. For clinical outcomes
      for which three or more studies assessed comparable interventions for lymphedema,
      we conducted random-effects meta-analyses. Twenty-two studies met the inclusion
      criteria and two meta-analyses were possible. To evaluate study quality, we
      developed a set of criteria derived from the GRADE methodology. Publication bias
      was assessed using funnel plots. Participation in hygiene-based lymphedema
      management was associated with a lower incidence of acute
      dermatolymphagioadenitis (ADLA), (Odds Ratio 0.32, 95% CI 0.25-0.40), as well as
      with a decreased percentage of patients reporting at least one episode of ADLA
      during follow-up (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.12-0.47). Limitations included high
      heterogeneity across studies and variation in components of lymphedema
      management. CONCLUSIONS: Available evidence strongly supports the effectiveness
      of hygiene-based lymphedema management in LF-endemic areas. Despite the
      aforementioned limitations, these findings highlight the potential to
      significantly reduce LF-associated morbidity and disability as well as the need
      to develop standardized approaches to MMDP in LF-endemic areas.

PMID- 26496132
TI  - In response: challenges for statistical evaluation of ecotoxicological
      experiments--an industry perspective.

PMID- 26496131
TI  - Fish consumption as a driver of risk-management decisions and human health-based
      water quality criteria.
AB  - The use and interpretation of fish consumption surveys and interviews, the
      application of fish consumption rates for sediment evaluation and cleanup, and
      the development of human health water quality criteria (HH WQC) are complex and
      interrelated issues. The present article focuses on these issues using examples
      from the United States, although the issues may be relevant for other countries.
      Some key considerations include the fact that there are many types of fish
      consumption surveys (e.g., 24-h recall surveys, food frequency questionnaires,
      creel surveys), and these surveys have different advantages and limitations.
      Identification of target populations for protection, identification of the
      species and quantities of fish consumed, and determination of bioaccumulation
      assumptions are important factors when developing water quality and sediment
      screening levels and standards. Accounting for the cultural importance of fish
      consumption for some populations is an even more complex element. Discussions
      about HH WQC often focus only on the fish consumption rate and may not have broad
      public input. Some states are trying to change this through extensive public
      participation efforts and use of probabilistic approaches to derive HH WQC.
      Finally, there are limits to what WQC can achieve. Solutions beyond the
      establishment of WQC that target toxics reduction from other sources may provide
      the greatest improvements to water quality and reductions in human health risks
      in the future.

PMID- 26496133
TI  - The challenge: statistical challenges in ecotoxicology.

PMID- 26496134
TI  - In response: regression or significance tests: what other choice is there?--an
      academic perspective.

PMID- 26496135
TI  - In response: biological arguments for selecting effect sizes in ecotoxicological
      testing--a governmental perspective.

PMID- 26496136
TI  - In response: some species sensitivity distribution statistics revisited--a
      governmental perspective.

PMID- 26496137
TI  - In response: challenges when weighing evidence about environmental risks--an
      industry perspective.

PMID- 26496138
TI  - In response: benefits of the ARRIVE guidelines for improving scientific reporting
      in ecotoxicology--an academic perspective.

PMID- 26496140
TI  - Center-Based Quality Initiative Targets Youth Preparedness for Medical
      Independence: HEMO-Milestones Tool in a Comprehensive Hemophilia Clinic Setting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient transition readiness self-assessment tools and investigation
      into patient and parent perceptions of the transition process from pediatric to
      adult care models have informed recognition of gaps in care, particularly for
      those with chronic disease. Implementation of a longitudinal transition process
      with patient tracking provides the opportunity for individualized education and
      skill building and fosters a patient-centered model. PROCEDURE: Quality
      improvement intervention was used to assess and improve our transition process at
      annual comprehensive clinic visits for patients with bleeding disorders at our
      tertiary care pediatric center. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients with rare bleeding
      disorders received an introduction to the transition process using the HEMO
      milestones tool in our hemophilia comprehensive clinic from September to December
      2014. The percentage of patients with documented, age-specific hemophilia
      knowledge/skill assessment increased from 21% to 97%. The percentage of patients
      with documented skill building or adult care transfer plan increased from 55% to
      93%. Designated postclinic team debriefings facilitated the creation of
      collaborative documentation summarizing each patient's transition readiness and
      plan for continued skill building. CONCLUSIONS: The HEMO-milestones tool promotes
      a standardized approach to evaluation of self-management competency. When
      combined with a collaborative multidisciplinary effort, it increases plans for
      skill building in patients with hemophilia. This tool is easily modifiable for
      alternate subspecialty use and does not require extensive training for
      implementation.

PMID- 26496141
TI  - Effects of Laughter Therapy on Immune Responses in Postpartum Women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of laughter therapy on secretory IgA (sIgA) in
      postpartum women. METHODS: The study used a nonequivalent control group with
      nonsynchronized design. The participants were 76 postpartum women who agreed to
      participate in this study and were selected by convenience sampling (experimental
      group, n = 38; control group, n = 38). The data were collected from December 15,
      2009, to April 8, 2010. The experimental group participated in a postpartum
      laughter program from a laughter therapy expert for 60 minutes per session, twice
      a week for 2 weeks, for a total of four sessions. To evaluate the effects of the
      postpartum laughter program, sIgA levels in breast milk were measured. The data
      were analyzed using SPSS WIN 20.0 software. RESULTS: Immune response (sIgA)
      significantly differed between the experimental and control groups. CONCLUSION: A
      postpartum laughter program can be applied as a complementary and alternative
      intervention to postpartum women in a transitional mother-infant care center.

PMID- 26496142
TI  - Free p-Cresol Alters Neutrophil Function in Dogs.
AB  - To achieve a clearer understanding of the mechanisms responsible for neutrophil
      dysfunction recently described in dogs with chronic renal failure (CRF), the
      plasma concentrations of free p-cresol in healthy dogs (n = 20) and those with
      CRF (n = 20) were compared. The degree of correlation was determined between
      plasma levels of p-cresol and markers of oxidative stress and function of
      neutrophils in these dogs. The effect of this compound on oxidative metabolism
      and apoptosis was assessed in neutrophils isolated from 16 healthy dogs incubated
      in RPMI 1640 supplemented with p-cresol (0.405 mg/L) and compared with medium
      supplemented with uremic plasma (50%). To achieve this, the plasma concentration
      of p-cresol was quantified by liquid phase high-performance liquid
      chromatography. The neutrophil oxidative metabolism was determined using the
      probes hydroethidine and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate and apoptosis was
      measured using Annexin V-PE by capillary flow cytometry. Compared with the
      healthy dogs, uremic dogs presented higher concentrations of free p-cresol,
      greater oxidative stress, and neutrophils primed for accelerated apoptosis. The
      free p-cresol induced in neutrophils from healthy dogs increased apoptosis and
      decreased reactive oxygen species production. We conclude that the health status
      presented during uremia concomitant with the increase in plasma free p-cresol can
      contribute to the presence of immunosuppression in dogs with CRF. 

PMID- 26496143
TI  - The association of nurse practitioners' mortality risk assessments and advance
      care planning discussions on nursing home patients' clinical outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the impact nurse practitioners' (NPs) documented
      mortality risk assessments (MRAs) and advance care planning (ACP) discussions
      have on clinical outcomes for newly enrolled Medicare Advantage nursing home
      patients. METHODS: Data collection in this mixed-method study consisted of
      quantitative data from a convenience sample of NPs' MRAs and medical record
      reviews 6 months later, and qualitative data from two NP focus groups.
      Quantitative analyses include descriptive statistics, bivariate ANOVA, and
      logistic regression. The qualitative content analysis included an iterative
      process of rereading transcribed notes, identifying codes, themes and significant
      statements. CONCLUSIONS: MRAs prioritize ACP discussions with patients/families
      (p = .0258). Positive clinical outcomes following ACP discussions include more
      patients with a comfort goal of care (86% increase), fewer patients with a full
      code status (26% reduction), and a reduction in hospitalizations (p = .025). NPs
      agreed that ACP discussions have a positive impact on patient outcomes including
      a "good death." IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: MRAs and ACP discussions are
      beneficial to achieving better outcomes and fewer hospitalizations. Opportunity
      exists to further develop policy changes focused on enhancing the NPs' role in
      MRAs and ACP discussions with nursing home patients and families.

PMID- 26496145
TI  - To Replay, Perchance to Consolidate.
AB  - After a memory is formed, it continues to be processed by the brain. These "off
      line" processes consolidate the memory, leading to its enhancement and to changes
      in memory circuits. Potentially, these memory changes are driven by off-line
      replay of the pattern of neuronal activity present when the memory was being
      formed. A new study by Dhaksin Ramanathan and colleagues, published in PLOS
      Biology, demonstrates that replay occurs predominately after the acquisition of a
      new motor skill and that it is related to changes in memory performance and to
      the subsequent changes in memory circuits. Together, these observations reveal
      the importance of neuronal replay in the consolidation of novel motor skills. 

PMID- 26496144
TI  - Controlling the cytokine storm in severe bacterial diarrhoea with an oral Toll
      like receptor 4 antagonist.
AB  - Shigella dysenteriae causes the most severe of all infectious diarrhoeas and
      colitis. We infected rhesus macaques orally and also treated them orally with a
      small and non-absorbable polypropyletherimine dendrimer glucosamine that is a
      Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) antagonist. Antibiotics were not given for this life
      threatening infection. Six days later, the clinical score for diarrhoea, mucus
      and blood was 54% lower, colon interleukin-8 and interleukin-6 were both 77%
      lower, and colon neutrophil infiltration was 75% less. Strikingly, vasculitis did
      not occur and tissue fibrin thrombi were reduced by 67%. There was no clinical
      toxicity or adverse effect of dendrimer glucosamine on systemic immunity. This is
      the first report in non-human primates of the therapeutic efficacy of a small and
      orally bioavailable TLR antagonist in severe infection. Our results show that an
      oral TLR4 antagonist can enable controlled resolution of the infection-related
      inflammatory response and can also prevent neutrophil-mediated gut wall necrosis
      in severe infectious diarrhoeas. 

PMID- 26496146
TI  - Left ventricular atrioventricular plane displacement is preserved with lifelong
      endurance training and is the main determinant of maximal cardiac output.
AB  - Age-related decline in cardiac function can be prevented or postponed by lifelong
      endurance training. However, effects of normal ageing as well as of lifelong
      endurance exercise on longitudinal and radial contribution to stroke volume are
      unknown. The aim of this study was to determine resting longitudinal and radial
      pumping in elderly athletes, sedentary elderly and young sedentary subjects.
      Furthermore, we aimed to investigate determinants of maximal cardiac output in
      elderly. Eight elderly athletes (63 +/- 4 years), seven elderly sedentary (66 +/-
      4 years) and ten young sedentary subjects (29 +/- 4 years) underwent cardiac
      magnetic resonance imaging. All subjects underwent maximal exercise testing and
      for elderly subjects maximal cardiac output during cycling was determined using a
      dye dilution technique. Longitudinal and radial contribution to stroke volume did
      not differ between groups (longitudinal left ventricle (LV) 52-65%, P = 0.12,
      right ventricle (RV) 77-87%, P = 0.16, radial 7.9-8.6%, P = 1.0). Left
      ventricular atrioventricular plane displacement (LVAVPD) was higher in elderly
      athletes and young sedentary compared with elderly sedentary subjects (14 +/- 3,
      15 +/- 2 and 11 +/- 1 mm, respectively, P < 0.05). There was no difference
      between groups for RVAVPD (P = 0.2). LVAVPD was an independent predictor of
      maximal cardiac output (R(2) = 0.61, P < 0.01, beta = 0.78). Longitudinal and
      radial contributions to stroke volume did not differ between groups. However, how
      longitudinal pumping was achieved differed; elderly athletes and young sedentary
      subjects showed similar AVPD whereas this was significantly lower in elderly
      sedentary subjects. Elderly sedentary subjects achieved longitudinal pumping
      through increased short-axis area of the ventricle. Large AVPD was a determinant
      of maximal cardiac output and exercise capacity.

PMID- 26496147
TI  - Chemokine receptor expression on monocytes from healthy individuals.
AB  - Chronic immune mediated inflammation is characterized by continuous chemokine
      mediated recruitment and activation of pro-inflammatory cells, monocytes in
      particular. We believe that an evaluation of the recruitment profile of monocytes
      during healthy condition is essential for the understanding of cellular response
      in disease. For this, we have established normal reference values and 95%
      confidence intervals for receptor expression of 20 chemokine receptors on
      monocyte subsets; classical (CD14+ CD16-), non-classical (CD14+ CD16+) and HLA
      DRhi monocytes from 20 healthy controls using flow cytometry. We demonstrate
      significant differences in the chemokine receptor expression profiles and high
      correlation between fraction of cells and level of expression. This is the first
      global approach to provide a platform for comparable evaluation of cell
      recruitment during normal and under inflammatory conditions. This will be useful
      when exploring chemokine-chemokine receptor interactions, inhibition of chemokine
      signaling and selective removal of migrating cells, which are new treatment
      strategies in immune mediated diseases.

PMID- 26496149
TI  - "Unique choline-containing phosphoglycolipids in Mycoplasma fermentans".

PMID- 26496148
TI  - Olfactory learning skews mushroom body output pathways to steer behavioral choice
      in Drosophila.
AB  - Learning permits animals to attach meaning and context to sensory stimuli. How
      this information is coded in neural networks in the brain, and appropriately
      retrieved and utilized to guide behavior, is poorly understood. In the fruit fly
      olfactory memories of particular value are represented within sparse populations
      of odor-activated Kenyon cells (KCs) in the mushroom body ensemble. During
      learning reinforcing dopaminergic neurons skew the mushroom body network by
      driving zonally restricted plasticity at synaptic junctions between the KCs and
      subsets of the overall small collection of mushroom body output neurons.
      Reactivation of this skewed KC-output neuron network retrieves memory of odor
      valence and guides appropriate approach or avoidance behavior. 

PMID- 26496150
TI  - Reprint of: "Synthetic lipids and their role in defining macromolecular
      assemblies".
AB  - Lipids have a variety of physiological roles, ranging from structural and
      biophysical contributions to membrane functions to signaling contributions in
      normal and abnormal physiology. This review highlights some of the contributions
      made by Robert Bittman to our understanding of lipid assemblies through the
      production of synthetic lipid analogs in the sterol, sphingolipid, and glycolipid
      classes. His contributions have included the development of a fluorescent
      cholesterol analog that shows strong functional analogies to cholesterol that has
      allowed live imaging of cholesterol distribution in living systems, to
      stereospecific synthetic approaches to both sphingolipid and glycolipid analogs
      crucial in defining the structure-activity relationships of lipid biological
      targets. 

PMID- 26496151
TI  - "Pulmonary Endothelial Cell Barrier Enhancement by Novel FTY720 Analogs: Methoxy
      FTY720, Fluoro-FTY720, and beta-Glucuronide-FTY720".
AB  - Effective therapeutic agents are lacking for the prevention and reversal of
      vascular leak, a frequent pathophysiologic result of inflammatory processes such
      as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis. We previously
      demonstrated the potent barrier-enhancing effects of related compounds
      sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), the pharmaceutical agent FTY720, and its analog
      (S)-FTY720 phosphonate (Tys) in models of inflammatory lung injury. In this
      study, we characterize additional novel FTY720 analogs for their potential to
      reduce vascular leak as well as utilize them as tools to better understand the
      mechanisms by which this class of agents modulates permeability. Transendothelial
      resistance (TER) and labeled dextran studies demonstrate that (R)-methoxy-FTY720
      ((R)-OMe-FTY), (R)/(S)-fluoro-FTY720 (FTY-F), and beta-glucuronide-FTY720 (FTY-G)
      compounds display in vitro barrier-enhancing properties comparable or superior to
      FTY720 and S1P. In contrast, the (S)-methoxy-FTY720 ((S)-OMe-FTY) analog disrupts
      lung endothelial cell (EC) barrier integrity in TER studies in association with
      actin stress fiber formation and robust intracellular calcium release, but
      independent of myosin light chain or ERK phosphorylation. Additional mechanistic
      studies with (R)-OMe-FTY, FTY-F, and FTY-G suggest that lung EC barrier
      enhancement is mediated through lipid raft signaling, Gi-linked receptor coupling
      to downstream tyrosine phosphorylation events, and S1PR1-dependent receptor
      ligation. These results provide important mechanistic insights into modulation of
      pulmonary vascular barrier function by FTY720-related compounds and highlight
      common signaling events that may assist the development of novel therapeutic
      tools in the prevention or reversal of the pulmonary vascular leak that
      characterizes ARDS. 

PMID- 26496152
TI  - "Endocytic pH regulates cell surface localization of glycolipid antigen loaded
      CD1d complexes".
AB  - Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells recognize glycolipid antigens presented
      by CD1d, an antigen presenting protein structurally similar to MHC class I.
      Stimulation of iNKT cells by glycolipid antigens can induce strong immune
      responses in vivo, with rapid production of a wide variety of cytokines including
      those classically associated with either T helper type 1 (Th1) or type 2 (Th2)
      responses. Alterations in the lipid tails or other portions of CD1d-presented
      glycolipid ligands can bias the iNKT response towards production of predominantly
      Th1 or Th2 associated cytokines. However, the mechanism accounting for this
      structure-activity relationship remains controversial. The Th1-biasing
      glycolipids have been found to consistently form complexes with CD1d that
      preferentially localize to plasma membrane cholesterol rich microdomains (lipid
      rafts), whereas CD1d complexes formed with Th2-biasing ligands are excluded from
      these microdomains. Here we show that neutralization of endosomal pH enhanced
      localization of CD1d complexes containing Th2-biasing glycolipids to plasma
      membrane lipid rafts of antigen presenting cells (APC). Transfer of APCs
      presenting these "stabilized" CD1d/alphaGC complexes into mice resulted in immune
      responses with a more prominent Th1-like bias, characterized by increased NK cell
      transactivation and interferon-gamma production. These findings support a model
      in which low endosomal pH controls stability and lipid raft localization of CD1d
      glycolipid complexes to regulate the outcome of iNKT cell mediated responses. 

PMID- 26496153
TI  - Outdoor air pollution exposures and micronuclei frequencies in lymphocytes from
      pregnant women and newborns in Crete, Greece (Rhea cohort).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Micronuclei (MN) are biomarkers of early genetic effects that have
      been used to investigate the association between environmental exposures and
      cancer. However, few studies have examined the association between environmental
      exposures during pregnancy and MN in mothers and newborns. OBJECTIVES: We
      examined MN frequency in maternal blood and in cord blood, in relation to
      maternal air pollution exposure, and the potential interaction with maternal
      vitamin C intake and maternal smoking. METHODS: We used the cytokinesis-block
      micronucleus assay to assess MN frequency per 1000 bi-nucleated T-lymphocytes
      from 181 mothers and 183 newborns born in 2007-2008 in Heraklion (Crete, Greece).
      The ESCAPE land-use regression methods were used to estimate annual mean exposure
      to outdoor air pollution [particulate matter (PM), black carbon, nitrogen dioxide
      (NO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)] at maternal home addresses. Food frequency
      questionnaires were used to estimate maternal dietary vitamin C intake during
      pregnancy. Smoking habits were self-reported using questionnaires which were
      checked by measuring maternal urinary cotinine levels. RESULTS: Exposure to PM2.5
      was associated with increased MN frequencies in pregnant women [rate ratio [RR
      (95%CI)] per 5 ug/m(3)=1.53 (1.02, 2.29)]. This increase was considerably higher
      among women who did not fulfill the recommended vitamin C dietary allowances
      [RR=9.35 (2.77, 31.61); n=20]. Exposure to PM2.5-10, PM10, NO2 and NOx were also
      associated with a higher incidence of MN frequencies in smoker women (n=56). No
      associations were found for newborns. CONCLUSIONS: We found an association
      between air pollution, particularly PM2.5, and MN frequency in mothers but not in
      newborns. This association was more pronounced among women with a lower dietary
      intake of vitamin C during pregnancy and among women who smoked during pregnancy.
      While results are clear in mothers, the association between maternal carcinogenic
      exposures during pregnancy and biomarkers of early biologic effect in the newborn
      remains poorly understood.

PMID- 26496154
TI  - Effect of electrical stimulation and hot boning on the eating quality of Gannan
      yak longissimus lumborum.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of electrical stimulation
      (ES) versus non-electrical stimulation (NES) and type of boning (hot versus cold)
      on the eating quality of Gannan yak longissimus lumborum. Eighteen Gannan yak
      bulls were randomly divided into two groups: ES and NES. Hot boning (HB) and cold
      boning (CB) were applied to the left and right side of the carcasses,
      respectively. All of the four treatments missed the "ideal" pH/temperature
      window. HB reduced the rate of pH decline, decreased meat tenderness and water
      holding capacity. ES increased the rate of pH decline and improved yak meat
      tenderness (P<0.05); however, ES explained only 1% of the variation in WBSF. HB
      and ES had no significant effects on cooking loss, L* or b* values of yak meat.
      Postmortem aging increased yak meat tenderness and improved meat color
      parameters. HB had negative effects on yak meat quality, while ES could not
      reverse these deleterious effects. 

PMID- 26496155
TI  - The possible role of virus-specific CD8(+) memory T cells in decidual tissue.
AB  - The most abundant lymphocyte present in decidual tissue is the CD8(+) T cell. It
      has been shown that most decidual CD8(+) T cells have an effector-memory
      phenotype, but expressed reduced levels of perforin and granzyme B compared with
      the peripheral CD8(+) effector-memory T cells. The specificity of these CD8(+)
      memory T cells has yet to be determined. One hypothesis is that the decidual
      memory T cells are virus-specific T cells that should protect the fetus against
      incoming pathogens. As virus-specific CD8(+) memory T cells can cross-react with
      human leukocyte alloantigens, an alternative, but not mutually exclusive,
      hypothesis is that these CD8(+) T cells are fetus-specific. Using virus-specific
      tetramers, we found increased percentages of virus-specific CD8(+) T cells in
      decidual tissue compared with peripheral blood after uncomplicated pregnancy. So
      far, no evidence has been obtained for a cross-reactive response of these virus
      specific T cells to fetal human leukocyte antigens. These results suggest that
      the virus-specific memory T cells accumulate in the placenta to protect the fetus
      from a harmful infection. 

PMID- 26496156
TI  - What is the antiviral potential of pyrrole-imidazole polyamides?

PMID- 26496157
TI  - Design Rules for Fluorocarbon-Free Omniphobic Solvent Barriers in Paper-Based
      Devices.
AB  - The utility of hydrophobic wax barriers in paper-based lateral flow and multiwell
      devices for containment of aqueous solvents was extended to organic solvents and
      challenging aqueous surfactant solutions by preparation of a three layer barrier,
      consisting of internal pullulan impregnated paper barriers surrounded by external
      wax barriers. When paper impregnated with pullulan solution dries, the polymer
      forms solvent blocking lenses in the paper structure. Lens formation was
      illustrated by forming pullulan lenses in glass capillaries. The lens shapes were
      less curved compared to the predictions of a model based upon minimizing surface
      area. For barriers on Whatman # 1 filter paper, the pullulan molecular weight
      must be greater than ~70 kDa, the mass fraction of pullulan in the barrier zone
      must be at least 32%, and there are restrictions on the minimum width of the
      pullulan impregnated zone. 

PMID- 26496158
TI  - Intramolecular Friedel-Crafts Acylation Reaction Promoted by 1,1,1,3,3,3
      Hexafluoro-2-propanol.
AB  - Simple dissolution of an arylalkyl acid chloride in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2
      propanol promotes an intramolecular Friedel-Crafts acylation without additional
      catalysts or reagents. This reaction is operationally trivial in both execution
      and product isolation (only requiring concentration followed by purification) and
      accommodates a broad range of substrates. Preliminary studies that bear upon
      potential reaction mechanisms are reported. 

PMID- 26496159
TI  - Malachite green and chloramphenicol in aquatic products from regions around
      Dongting Lake in Hunan, China.
AB  - Aquatic products are important sources of animal proteins in human diet,
      especially in developing countries. As such, the safety of aquatic products is of
      primary concern. In this study, a standard method is used to detect malachite
      green (MG) and chloramphenicol (CAP) and to analyse the contents of these banned
      chemicals in turtle, mandarin fish and grass carp sampled from the region
      surrounding Dongting Lake area in Hunan, China. Results showed that 10.6% of the
      samples were MG-positive, most of them turtles. CAP was found in 8.3% of the
      samples, mostly in mandarin fish. These data indicated that these banned
      substances are still used in the surveyed area. Hence, adequate strategies must
      be implemented by the local government to control these banned substances. 

PMID- 26496161
TI  - Editorial: Treatment of metastatic spine disease with selective intraarterial
      chemotherapy.

PMID- 26496160
TI  - Effects of a cognitive stimulation program on psychological well-being in a
      sample of elderly long-term care hospital inpatients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this work is to report the observed changes
      in psychological well-being in a sample of long-term medically hospitalized
      patients, after attending a cognitive stimulation program. The secondary aim is
      to determine if the observed changes were related to previous cognitive level.
      METHODS: Inclusion criteria for study participation were to be a long-term care
      hospital inpatient, to be 65 years old or older, and to be cognitively preserved
      or with mild cognitive impairment. A total of 176 participants were included and
      distributed in two groups: Cognitive Stimulation Group (N = 123) and Non
      Cognitive Stimulation Group (N = 53). Measures were applied just before the
      beginning of the program and just when it finished, two months later.
      Participants of the Non-Cognitive Stimulation Group were re-assessed again after
      two months. RESULTS: No differences were found between the two groups in the
      measures assessed at baseline. After treatment, participants of the Cognitive
      Stimulation Group improved significantly more in psychological well-being (p <
      .001) than the ones of the Non-Cognitive Stimulation Group. When unimpaired and
      mild cognitively impaired participants of the Cognitive Stimulation Group were
      studied separately, both groups improved their psychological well-being, but the
      unimpaired experienced a greater effect. CONCLUSION: Cognitive stimulation plays
      a role in the improvement of psychological well-being of elderly medically
      hospitalized patients unimpaired or with mild cognitive impairment. The
      improvements in psychological well-being were related to the previous cognitive
      status and to the number of sessions that had been attended.

PMID- 26496162
TI  - Spinal intraarterial chemotherapy: interim results of a Phase I clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECT Despite advances in therapies using radiation oncology and spinal
      oncological surgery, there is a subgroup of patients with spinal metastases who
      suffer from progressive or recurrent epidural disease and remain at risk for
      neurological compromise. In this paper the authors describe their initial
      experience with a novel therapeutic approach that consists of intraarterial (IA)
      infusion of chemotherapy to treat progressive spinal metastatic disease. METHODS
      The main inclusion criterion was the presence of progressive, metastatic epidural
      disease to the spine causing spinal canal compromise in patients who were not
      candidates for the standard treatments of radiation therapy and/or surgery. All
      tumor histological types were eligible for this trial. Using the transfemoral
      arterial approach and standard neurointerventional techniques, all patients were
      treated with IA infusion of melphalan in the arteries supplying the epidural
      tumor. The protocol allowed for up to 3 procedures repeated at 3- to 6-week
      intervals. Outcome measures included physiological measures: 1) periprocedural
      complications according to the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology
      Criteria for Adverse Events; and 2) MRI to assess for tumor response. RESULTS
      Nine patients with progressive spinal metastatic disease and cord compression
      were enrolled in a Phase I clinical trial of selective IA chemotherapy. All
      patients had metastatic disease from solid organs and were not candidates for
      further radiation therapy or surgery. A total of 19 spinal intraarterial
      chemotherapy (SIAC) procedures were performed, and the follow-up period ranged
      from 1 to 7 months (median 3 months). There was 1 serious adverse event (febrile
      neutropenia). Local tumor control was seen in 8 of 9 patients, whereas tumor
      progression at the treated level was seen in 1 patient. CONCLUSIONS These
      preliminary results support the hypothesis that SIAC is feasible and safe.

PMID- 26496163
TI  - Demographically corrected normative data for the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test
      Revised and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised in an elderly sample.
AB  - Demographic variables, such as age, education, and gender, routinely affect
      performance on neuropsychological tests. Whereas normative data are available to
      correct for these variables on many tests, data are lacking on the Hopkins Verbal
      Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT
      R), especially in the elderly. The current study examined the influence of age,
      education, and gender on HVLT-R and BVMT-R scores in 290 cognitively intact older
      adults. Age negatively correlated with nearly every score on the HVLT-R and BVMT
      R, and education positively correlated with most scores on these same 2 memory
      tests. There were fewer gender differences on these tests. Using stepwise
      multiple regression, HVLT-R and BVMT-R scores were predicted from age, education,
      and/or gender. When observed scores are compared to these demographically
      adjusted predicted scores, clinicians can make assumptions about how an
      individual compared to his/her age-, education-, and gender-matched peers. The
      current conorming of these 2 memory tests also allows for direct comparison
      between verbal and visual memory in older patients. 

PMID- 26496164
TI  - Identifying States along the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Differentiation Hierarchy
      with Single Cell Specificity via Raman Spectroscopy.
AB  - A major challenge for expanding specific types of hematopoietic cells ex vivo for
      the treatment of blood cell pathologies is identifying the combinations of
      cellular and matrix cues that direct hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) to self-renew
      or differentiate into cell populations ex vivo. Microscale screening platforms
      enable minimizing the number of rare HSCs required to screen the effects of
      numerous cues on HSC fate decisions. These platforms create a strong demand for
      label-free methods that accurately identify the fate decisions of individual
      hematopoietic cells at specific locations on the platform. We demonstrate the
      capacity to identify discrete cells along the HSC differentiation hierarchy via
      multivariate analysis of Raman spectra. Notably, cell state identification is
      accurate for individual cells and independent of the biophysical properties of
      the functionalized polyacrylamide gels upon which these cells are cultured. We
      report partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models of single cell
      Raman spectra enable identifying four dissimilar hematopoietic cell populations
      across the HSC lineage specification. Successful discrimination was obtained for
      a population enriched for long-term repopulating HSCs (LT-HSCs) versus their more
      differentiated progeny, including closely related short-term repopulating HSCs
      (ST-HSCs) and fully differentiated lymphoid (B cells) and myeloid (granulocytes)
      cells. The lineage-specific differentiation states of cells from these four
      subpopulations were accurately identified independent of the stiffness of the
      underlying biomaterial substrate, indicating subtle spectral variations that
      discriminated these populations were not masked by features from the culture
      substrate. This approach enables identifying the lineage-specific differentiation
      stages of hematopoietic cells on biomaterial substrates of differing composition
      and may facilitate correlating hematopoietic cell fate decisions with the
      extrinsic cues that elicited them. 

PMID- 26496165
TI  - Mitotic 4E-BP1 hyperphosphorylation and cap-dependent translation.

PMID- 26496166
TI  - Mystery of Trbp, tale of a RBP in the miRNA pathway.

PMID- 26496167
TI  - Cyclin B3: an anaphase onset controller in meiosis.

PMID- 26496169
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26496168
TI  - Extracellular acidity strengthens mesenchymal stem cells to promote melanoma
      progression.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) participate to tumor stroma development and several
      evidence suggests that they play a role in facilitating cancer progression.
      Because melanoma often shows extracellular pH low enough to influence host cell
      as tumor cell behavior, the aim of this study is to elucidate whether acidity
      affects cross talk between MSC and melanoma cells to disclose new liaisons
      promoting melanoma progression, and to offer new therapeutic opportunities. We
      found that MSC grown in a low pH medium (LpH-MSC) stimulate melanoma xenografts
      more than MSC grown in a standard pH medium. LpH-MSC express a higher level of
      TGFbeta that is instrumental of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like
      phenotype induction in melanoma cells. LpH-MSC profile also shows a switching to
      an oxidative phosphorylation metabolism that was accompanied by a forced
      glycolytic pathway of melanoma cells grown in LpH-MSC-conditioned medium.
      Metformin, an inhibitor of mitochondrial respiratory chain was able to reconvert
      oxidative metabolism and abrogate TGFbeta expression in LpH-MSC. In addition,
      esomeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor activated in acidosis, blocked TGFbeta
      expression in LpH-MSC through the downregulation of IkB. Both agents, metformin
      and esomeprazole, inhibited EMT profile in melanoma cells grown in LpH-MSC
      medium, and reduced glycolytic markers. Thus, acidosis of tumor microenvironment
      potentiates the pro-tumoral activity of MSC and orchestrates for a new potential
      symbiosis, which could be target to limit melanoma progression. 

PMID- 26496170
TI  - Physical activity levels of economically disadvantaged women living in the
      Olympic city of Rio de Janeiro.
AB  - The objective of this study was to analyze the physical activity patterns of
      women living in a low-income community located in close proximity to the 2016 Rio
      de Janeiro Olympic Park. Data (N = 140) were collected in June and July 2012
      using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Findings indicated that
      the majority (54.8%) of participants reported high levels of physical activity.
      The domains that contributed the most to this pattern were occupational and
      household physical activity. Significantly, 88.1% of participants reported low
      physical activity levels during their leisure-time. In the transport-related
      domain, participants were relatively more active, but more than half of them
      (57%) spent less than 600 MET-minutes/week in this domain. The results
      highlighted the discrepancies between different physical activity domains. In
      addition, the findings also suggested that low-income women in our study engaged
      little in physical activity during their leisure time. Therefore, the proposed
      commitments found in the Rio de Janeiro Candidature File to host the 2016 Olympic
      Games to increase sport/physical activity participation within low-income
      communities in Rio de Janeiro need to be implemented effectively if this physical
      activity behavior during self-directed time is to be changed.

PMID- 26496171
TI  - Photocyclization and Photoaddition Reactions of Arylphenols via Intermediate
      Quinone Methides.
AB  - A series of five benzannelated derivatives of 2-phenylphenol were prepared, and
      their photochemistry was investigated. Two of these (3-phenyl-2-naphthol, 10, and
      1-phenyl-2-naphthol, 11) were photoinert. For 2-(1-naphthyl)phenol (12) and 1-(1
      naphthyl)-2-naphthol (13), ESPT took place to either the 2'-position or the 7'
      position of the naphthalene ring to give quinone methides (QMs) that underwent
      either reverse proton transfer (RPT) or electrocyclic ring closure to give
      dihydrobenzoxanthenes. The intermediate QMs for 12 and 13 were detected and
      characterized by laser flash photolysis. For 2-(9-phenanthryl)phenol (14), ESPT
      took place either to the 5'-position to give a QM that underwent quantitative
      electrocyclic ring closure to give the corresponding benzoxanthene or to the 10'
      position to give a QM that underwent RPT. If the solution contained methanol, the
      QM produced on ESPT to the 10'-position in 14 could be trapped as the
      photoaddition product. The compounds studied in this work demonstrate three
      possible reactions of QMs produced following ESPT to aromatic carbon atoms: (1)
      reverse proton transfer (RPT) to regenerate starting material; (2) addition of
      hydroxylic solvents to give the photoaddition product; and (3) electrocyclic ring
      closure to give benzoxanthene derivatives. 

PMID- 26496172
TI  - Managing patients with side effects and adverse events to immunoglobulin therapy.
AB  - Immunoglobulin therapy has not only served as a lifesaving approach for the
      prevention and treatment of infections in primary and secondary immunodeficiency
      diseases, but has also been used as an immunomodulatory agent for autoimmune and
      inflammatory disorders and to provide passive immunity for some infectious
      diseases. Most of the adverse effects associated with immunoglobulin therapy are
      mild, transient and self-limiting. However, serious side effects also occur.
      Therefore, to minimize the adverse events of immunoglobulin therapy, specialist
      review of patient clinical status and immunoglobulin products, in addition to
      selection of appropriate treatment strategy for the management of patients with
      associated side effects and adverse events, are crucial. 

PMID- 26496173
TI  - Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy of Eugenol, Isoeugenol, and Methyl Eugenol:
      Conformational Analysis and Vibrational Assignments from Density Functional
      Theory Calculations of the Anharmonic Fundamentals.
AB  - IR and Raman spectra of eugenol, isoeugenol and methyl eugenol have been obtained
      in the liquid phase. Vibrational spectroscopic results are discussed in relation
      to computed structures and spectra of the low energy conformations of these
      molecules obtained from DFT calculations at the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level. Although
      computed differences in vibrational spectra for the different conformers were
      generally small, close examination, in conjunction with the experimental spectra,
      enabled conformational analysis of all three molecules. Anharmonic contributions
      to computed vibrational spectra were obtained from calculations of cubic and
      quartic force constants at the B3LYP/DZ level. This permitted the determination
      of the anharmonic fundamentals for comparison with the experimental IR and Raman
      band positions, leading to an excellent fit between calculated and experimental
      spectra. Band assignments were obtained in terms of potential energy
      distributions (ped's). 

PMID- 26496174
TI  - Principles of K-Ras effector organization and the role of oncogenic K-Ras in
      cancer initiation through G1 cell cycle deregulation.
AB  - Illustrated here is the critical role of oncogenic KRAS in the initiation of
      cancer through deregulation of the G1 cell cycle, and elements and scenarios
      taking place under physiological conditions and in KRAS-driven cancer. Raf, PI3K
      and RalGDS are major K-Ras effectors. They bind at the same Ras site. What
      decides the cell selection among them? This temporal and spatial decision is
      critical since in some cellular context the outcome of their signaling pathways
      may oppose each other. Key among them is the concentration of calcium/calmodulin,
      negative feedback loops, where a downstream member of the pathway inhibits its
      upstream activator and cross-inhibition, where inhibition entails blocking
      another pathway. These three elements, in addition to spatial restrictions by K
      Ras-membrane interactions, are not independent; they integrate to provide
      blueprints for cell decisions. Importantly, elucidation of signaling requires not
      only K-Ras binary interactions; but the structures and dynamics of its
      multiprotein complexes. 

PMID- 26496176
TI  - The expert patient and chronic respiratory diseases.

PMID- 26496175
TI  - Identification of beta-Lapachone Analogs as Novel MALT1 Inhibitors To Treat an
      Aggressive Subtype of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.
AB  - The treatment of activated B cell-like DLBCL (ABC-DLBCL) is one of the urgent
      unmet medical needs because it is the most resistant DLBCL subtype to current
      therapies eagerly awaiting effective therapeutic strategies. Recently, the
      paracaspase MALT1 has emerged as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment
      of ABC-DLBCL. Herein, we report a new class of MALT1 inhibitors developed by high
      throughput screening and structure-based drug design. The original hit, 4-amino
      1,2-naphthoquinone series inhibited MALT1 activity but suffered from poor
      cellular activity. The extensive pharmacophore search led to the discovery of
      structurally similar beta-lapachone that is a direct inhibitor of MALT1 and
      possesses favorable physicochemical properties. Molecular simulation studies
      suggested the possibility of the formation of a covalent bond between MALT1 and
      beta-lapachone, which was corroborated by experimental wash-out studies. Inspired
      by this, we explored the structure-activity relationships by incorporating
      electron-withdrawing substituents at C8 position of beta-lapachone. These MALT1
      inhibitors exhibited potent antiproliferative activity to OCI-LY3 cell line and
      inhibited the cleavage of CYLD mediated MALT1. 

PMID- 26496177
TI  - Deposition of Quantum Dots in a Capillary Tube.
AB  - The ability to assemble nanomaterials, such as quantum dots, enables the creation
      of functional devices that present unique optical and electronic properties. For
      instance, light-emitting diodes with exceptional color purity can be printed via
      the evaporative-driven assembly of quantum dots. Nevertheless, current studies of
      the colloidal deposition of quantum dots have been limited to the surfaces of a
      planar substrate. Here, we investigate the evaporation-driven assembly of quantum
      dots inside a confined cylindrical geometry. Specifically, we observe distinct
      deposition patterns, such as banding structures along the length of a capillary
      tube. Such coating behavior can be influenced by the evaporation speed as well as
      the concentration of quantum dots. Understanding the factors governing the
      coating process can provide a means to control the assembly of quantum dots
      inside a capillary tube, ultimately enabling the creation of novel photonic
      devices. 

PMID- 26496178
TI  - Assessment of Food Waste Prevention and Recycling Strategies Using a Multilayer
      Systems Approach.
AB  - Food waste (FW) generates large upstream and downstream emissions to the
      environment and unnecessarily consumes natural resources, potentially affecting
      future food security. The ecological impacts of FW can be addressed by the
      upstream strategies of FW prevention or by downstream strategies of FW recycling,
      including energy and nutrient recovery. While FW recycling is often prioritized
      in practice, the ecological implications of the two strategies remain poorly
      understood from a quantitative systems perspective. Here, we develop a multilayer
      systems framework and scenarios to quantify the implications of food waste
      strategies on national biomass, energy, and phosphorus (P) cycles, using Norway
      as a case study. We found that (i) avoidable food waste in Norway accounts for
      17% of sold food; (ii) 10% of the avoidable food waste occurs at the consumption
      stage, while industry and retailers account for only 7%; (iii) the theoretical
      potential for systems-wide net process energy savings is 16% for FW prevention
      and 8% for FW recycling; (iv) the theoretical potential for systems-wide P
      savings is 21% for FW prevention and 9% for FW recycling; (v) while FW recycling
      results in exclusively domestic nutrient and energy savings, FW prevention leads
      to domestic and international savings due to large food imports; (vi) most
      effective is a combination of prevention and recycling, however, FW prevention
      reduces the potential for FW recycling and therefore needs to be prioritized to
      avoid potential overcapacities for FW recycling. 

PMID- 26496179
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding the Article by Natsch et al., 2015.

PMID- 26496181
TI  - Synthesis of Ultrathin Copper Nanowires Using Tris(trimethylsilyl)silane for High
      Performance and Low-Haze Transparent Conductors.
AB  - Colloidal metal nanowire based transparent conductors are excellent candidates to
      replace indium-tin-oxide (ITO) owing to their outstanding balance between
      transparency and conductivity, flexibility, and solution-processability. Copper
      stands out as a promising material candidate due to its high intrinsic
      conductivity and earth abundance. Here, we report a new synthetic approach, using
      tris(trimethylsilyl)silane as a mild reducing reagent, for synthesizing high
      quality, ultrathin, and monodispersed copper nanowires, with an average diameter
      of 17.5 nm and a mean length of 17 MUm. A study of the growth mechanism using
      high-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that the copper
      nanowires adopt a five-fold twinned structure and evolve from decahedral
      nanoseeds. Fabricated transparent conducting films exhibit excellent transparency
      and conductivity. An additional advantage of our nanowire transparent conductors
      is highlighted through reduced optical haze factors (forward light scattering)
      due to the small nanowire diameter. 

PMID- 26496182
TI  - Changes in Vascular Tone Occur Early During Hemodialysis Treatments Independently
      of Volume Reduction.
AB  - Hypotension commonly occurs during hemodialysis (HD). Hypotension can result from
      an absolute reduction in plasma volume following excessive ultrafiltration or
      from a reduction in vascular tone. We hypothesized that changes in vascular tone
      could occur during dialysis. Aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) was measured in
      197 HD patients, mean age 63.3 +/- 16.6 years, 62% male, 49% diabetic, during a
      single HD session. aPWV did not change (9.6 +/- 2.2 vs. 9.6 +/- 2.2 m/s) with HD.
      Systolic blood pressure (SBP) declined from 151 +/- 31 to 147 +/- 32 after 20 min
      and to 140 +/- 36 mm Hg on completion of HD (P < 0.05), with an ultrafiltration
      volume of 2.2 +/- 0.9 L over a 3.9 +/- 0.4 h HD session. Aortic SBP declined from
      154 +/- 32 to 146 +/- 29 after 20 min and 143 +/- 35 at the end of HD, P < 0.001.
      Aortic augmentation index (Aortic Aix) decreased from 65% (52-79%) to 36.7% (23.3
      52.9%) by 20 min and to 34.3 (15.1-49.1%) on completion of HD (P < 0.05), and
      brachial augmentation index (brachial Aix) from 5.7% (-25.2 to 27.5%) to -1.9% (
      2.2 to 30.1%) and -6.6% (-44 to 22.7%), respectively, P < 0.05. Diastolic
      reflection area (DRA) increased from 36.7 (27.9-46.3) to 40.4 (32.2-51) after 20
      min and 47.1 (34.2-60.5) on completion of HD, P < 0.05. We report changes in
      arterial tone within 20 min of starting HD, when minimal ultrafiltration has
      occurred, suggesting that volume changes may not be the only predisposing cause
      of intradialytic hypotension. The combination of a fall in SBP and a rise in DRA
      would suggest a reduction in coronary blood flow in keeping with reports of
      "myocardial stunning" during HD. 

PMID- 26496183
TI  - Roles of the Excitation in Harvesting Energy from Vibrations.
AB  - The study investigated the role of excitation in energy harvesting applications.
      While the energy ultimately comes from the excitation, it was shown that the
      excitation may not always behave as a source. When the device characteristics do
      not perfectly match the excitation, the excitation alternately behaves as a
      source and a sink. The extent to which the excitation behaves as a sink
      determines the energy harvesting efficiency. Such contradictory roles were shown
      to be dictated by a generalized phase defined as the instantaneous phase angle
      between the velocity of the device and the excitation. An inductive prototype
      device with a diamagnetically levitated seismic mass was proposed to take
      advantage of the well established phase changing mechanism of vibro-impact to
      achieve a broader device bandwidth. Results suggest that the vibro-impact can
      generate an instantaneous, significant phase shift in response velocity that
      switches the role of the excitation. If introduced properly outside the resonance
      zone it could dramatically increase the energy harvesting efficiency. 

PMID- 26496184
TI  - Dispersion-Corrected Relativistic Density Functional Theory (DFT) Calculations of
      Structure and (119)Sn Mossbauer Parameters for M=SnR Bonding in Filippou's
      Stannylidyne Complexes of Molybdenum and Tungsten.
AB  - (119)Sn Mossbauer isomer shift (IS) and quadrupole splitting (DeltaEQ) for M=SnR
      bonding in metal-stannylidyne complexes trans-[Cl(PMe3)4Mo=Sn-R] (1), trans
      [Cl(PMe3)4W=Sn-R] (2), trans-[Cl(dppe)2Mo=Sn-R] (3), trans-[Cl(dppe)2W=Sn-R] (4),
      [(dppe)2Mo=Sn-R](+) (5), [(dppe)2W=Sn-R](+) (6) (R = C6H3-2,6-Mes2) have been
      investigated for the first time. Calculations of optimized structures and (119)Sn
      Mossbauer parameters were carried out at the DFT/TPSS-D3(BJ)/TZVPP/ZORA level of
      theory. The calculated geometry parameters of stannylidyne complexes of
      molybdenum and tungsten (1-6) are in good agreement with experimental values of W
      Sn and Sn-C bond distances. The calculated values of the isomer shift for the
      complexes (1-6) are almost same to the experimental values (within +/-0.1 mm/s).
      Experimental values (ISexptl, 2.38-2.50 mm/s) and calculated values (IScalcd,
      2.37-2.49 mm/s) of isomer shifts indicate that the oxidation state of tin in the
      studied complexes with M=Sn-R bonding is Sn(II). The variations of ISexptl, as a
      function of Sn s electrons (Ns(Sn)), also exhibit a linear trend. (IS =
      0.477Ns(Sn) - 1.888, R(2) = 0.9973). Calculated values of isomer shift (IScalcd)
      using the linear regression with the Ns(Sn) electron density are in excellent
      concord with the ISexptl.The calculated values of nuclear quadrupole splitting
      parameters (DeltaEQ(calcd)) of (119)Sn using the relation DeltaEQ(calcd) = (0.540
      + 0.28) V are in agreement with the experimental values. 

PMID- 26496185
TI  - Correction: Sandbox University: Estimating Influence of Institutional Action.

PMID- 26496186
TI  - Comparison of three human papillomavirus DNA detection methods: Next generation
      sequencing, multiplex-PCR and nested-PCR followed by Sanger based sequencing.
AB  - To compare the diagnostic performance for HPV infection using three laboratorial
      techniques. Ninty-five cervicovaginal samples were randomly selected; each was
      tested for HPV DNA and genotypes using 3 methods in parallel: Multiplex-PCR, the
      Nested PCR followed by Sanger sequencing, and the Next_Gen Sequencing (NGS) with
      two assays (NGS-A1, NGS-A2). The study was approved by the Brazilian National IRB
      (CONEP protocol 16,800). The prevalence of HPV by the NGS assays was higher than
      that using the Multiplex-PCR (64.2% vs. 45.2%, respectively; P = 0.001) and the
      Nested-PCR (64.2% vs. 49.5%, respectively; P = 0.003). NGS also showed better
      performance in detecting high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) and HPV16. There was a weak
      interobservers agreement between the results of Multiplex-PCR and Nested-PCR in
      relation to NGS for the diagnosis of HPV infection, and a moderate correlation
      for HR-HPV detection. Both NGS assays showed a strong correlation for detection
      of HPVs (k = 0.86), HR-HPVs (k = 0.91), HPV16 (k = 0.92) and HPV18 (k = 0.91).
      NGS is more sensitive than the traditional Sanger sequencing and the Multiplex
      PCR to genotype HPVs, with promising ability to detect multiple infections, and
      may have the potential to establish an alternative method for the diagnosis and
      genotyping of HPV.

PMID- 26496180
TI  - Character, Incidence, and Predictors of Knee Pain and Activity After
      Infrapatellar Intramedullary Nailing of an Isolated Tibia Fracture.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the activity and incidence of knee pain after sustaining an
      isolated tibia fracture treated with an infrapatellar intramedullary nail at 1
      year. DESIGN: Retrospective review of prospective cohort. SETTING: Multicenter
      Academic and Community hospitals. PATIENTS: Four hundred thirty-seven patients
      with an isolated tibia fracture completed a 12-month assessment on pain and self
      reported activity. INTERVENTION: Infrapatellar intramedullary nail. OUTCOMES:
      Demographic information, comorbid conditions, injury characteristics, and
      surgical technique were recorded. Knee pain was defined on a 1-7 scale with 1
      being "no pain" and 7 being a "very great deal of pain." Knee pain >4 was
      considered clinically significant. Patients reported if they were "able," "able
      with difficulty," or "unable" to perform the following activities: kneel, run,
      climb stairs, and walk prolonged. Variables were tested in multilevel
      multivariable regression analyses. RESULTS: In knee pain, 11% of patients
      reported a "good deal" to a "very great deal" of pain (>4), and 52% of patients
      reported "no" or "very little" pain at 12 months. In activity at 12 months, 26%
      and 29% of patients were unable to kneel or run, respectively, and 31% and 35% of
      patients, respectively, stated they were able with difficulty or unable to use
      stairs or walk. CONCLUSIONS: Clinically significant knee pain (>4/7) was present
      in 11% of patients 1 year after a tibia fracture. Of note, 31%-71% of patients
      had difficulty performing or were unable to perform routine daily activities of
      kneeling, running, and stair climbing, or walking prolonged distances. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete
      description of levels of evidence.

PMID- 26496187
TI  - Surgical and Non-Surgical Procedures Associated with Recurrence of Periodontitis
      in Periodontal Maintenance Therapy: 5-Year Prospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Prospective studies that investigated the influence of
      surgical and nonsurgical procedures in the recurrence of periodontitis and tooth
      loss in periodontal maintenance therapy (PMT) programs have not been previously
      reported. The objective of this study was to evaluate longitudinally the
      recurrence of periodontitis in regular compliers (RC) and irregular compliers
      (IC) individuals undergoing surgical and non-surgical procedures over 5 years in
      a program of PMT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 212 individuals participated
      in this study. Full-mouth periodontal examination including bleeding on probing,
      probing depth, and clinical attachment level were determined at all PMT visits
      over 5 years. The recurrence of periodontitis was evaluated in RC and IC
      individuals undergoing surgical and non-surgical procedures in PMT. The
      influences of risk variables of interest were tested through univariate analysis
      and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Recurrence of periodontitis was
      significantly lower among RC when compared to IC. Individuals with recurrence of
      periodontitis and undergoing surgical procedures showed higher probing depth and
      clinical attachment loss than those who received non-surgical procedures.
      Recurrence of periodontitis was higher in individual undergoing surgical
      procedures and irregular compliance during PMT. CONCLUSIONS: Irregular compliance
      and surgical procedures in individuals undergoing PMT presented higher rates of
      recurrence of periodontitis when compared to regular compliant patients
      undergoing non-surgical procedures.

PMID- 26496188
TI  - Extraction and preconcentration of hemin from human blood serum and breast cancer
      supernatant.
AB  - A green, facile, fast, and sensitive liquid-phase microextraction method is
      presented for the extraction and preconcentration of hemin in the presence of
      free iron ions prior to flame atomic absorption spectroscopic determination. In
      this technique, an anion-functionalized task-specific ionic liquid is used as the
      extracting solvent. The interface between the extracting solvent and the bulk
      aqueous phase containing hemin is enormously enlarged by dispersing the ionic
      liquid to the aqueous phase with the help of ultrasound radiation. Hemin is
      selectively extracted into the ionic liquid after interaction with the functional
      group of the ionic liquid. Then, the concentration of the extracted hemin is
      determined through the absorbance of the iron ions contained in the hemin
      structure using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. Different experimental
      parameters affecting the extraction efficiency have been optimized. Under the
      optimized conditions, the proposed method has a hemin concentration linear range
      of 0.020-0.80 mg/L with a detection limit of 0.0080 mg/L. This method has been
      successfully applied to the extraction and determination of hemin in human serum
      and supernatant samples. 

PMID- 26496189
TI  - Spatial Distribution Patterns in the Very Rare and Species-Rich Picea chihuahuana
      Tree Community (Mexico).
AB  - The very rare Mexican Picea chihuahuana tree community covers an area of no more
      than 300 ha in the Sierra Madre Occidental. This special tree community has been
      the subject of several studies aimed at learning more about the genetic structure
      and ecology of the species and the potential effects of climate change. The
      spatial distribution of trees is a result of many ecological processes and can
      affect the degree of competition between neighbouring trees, tree density,
      variability in size and distribution, regeneration, survival, growth, mortality,
      crown formation and the biological diversity within forest communities. Numerous
      scale-dependent measures have been established in order to describe spatial
      forest structure. The overall aim of most of these studies has been to obtain
      data to help design preservation and conservation strategies. In this study, we
      examined the spatial distribution pattern of trees in the P. chihuahuana tree
      community in 12 localities, in relation to i) tree stand density, ii) diameter
      distribution (vertical structure), iii) tree species diversity, iv) geographical
      latitude and v) tree dominance at a fine scale (in 0.25 ha plots), with the aim
      of obtaining a better understanding of the complex ecosystem processes and
      biological diversity. Because of the strongly mixed nature of this tree
      community, which often produces low population densities of each tree species and
      random tree fall gaps caused by tree death, we expect aggregated patterns in
      individual Picea chihuahuana trees and in the P. chihuahuana tree community,
      repulsive Picea patterns to other tree species and repulsive patterns of young to
      adult trees. Each location was represented by one plot of 50 x 50 m (0.25 ha)
      established in the centre of the tree community. The findings demonstrate that
      the hypothesis of aggregated tree pattern is not applicable to the mean pattern
      measured by Clark-Evans index, Uniform Angle index and Mean Directional index of
      the uneven-aged P. chihuahuana trees and P. chihuahuana tree community and but to
      specific spatial scales measured by the univariate L-function. The spatial
      distribution pattern of P. chihuahuana trees was found to be independent of
      patches of other tree species measured by the bivariate L-function. The spatial
      distribution was not significantly related to tree density, diameter distribution
      or tree species diversity. The index of Clark and Evans decreased significantly
      from the southern to northern plots containing all tree species. Self-thinning
      due to intra and inter-specific competition-induced mortality is probably the
      main cause of the decrease in aggregation intensity during the course of
      population development in this tree community. We recommend the use of larger
      sampling plots (> 0.25 ha) in uneven-aged and species-rich forest ecosystems to
      detect less obvious, but important, relationships between spatial tree pattern
      and functioning and diversity in these forests. 

PMID- 26496190
TI  - Use of Chronic Kidney Disease to Enhance Prediction of Cardiovascular Risk in
      Those at Medium Risk.
AB  - Based on global cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment for example using the
      Framingham risk score, it is recommended that those with high risk should be
      treated and those with low risk should not be treated. The recommendation for
      those of medium risk is less clear and uncertain. We aimed to determine whether
      factoring in chronic kidney disease (CKD) will improve CV risk prediction in
      those with medium risk. This is a 10-year retrospective cohort study of 905
      subjects in a primary care clinic setting. Baseline CV risk profile and serum
      creatinine in 1998 were captured from patients record. Framingham general
      cardiovascular disease risk score (FRS) for each patient was computed. All
      cardiovascular disease (CVD) events from 1998-2007 were captured. Overall,
      patients with CKD had higher FRS risk score (25.9% vs 20%, p = 0.001) and more
      CVD events (22.3% vs 11.9%, p = 0.002) over a 10-year period compared to patients
      without CKD. In patients with medium CV risk, there was no significant difference
      in the FRS score among those with and without CKD (14.4% vs 14.6%, p = 0.84)
      However, in this same medium risk group, patients with CKD had more CV events
      compared to those without CKD (26.7% vs 6.6%, p = 0.005). This is in contrast to
      patients in the low and high risk group where there was no difference in CVD
      events whether these patients had or did not have CKD. There were more CV events
      in the Framingham medium risk group when they also had CKD compared those in the
      same risk group without CKD. Hence factoring in CKD for those with medium risk
      helps to further stratify and identify those who are actually at greater risk,
      when treatment may be more likely to be indicated. 

PMID- 26496191
TI  - ARK: Aggregation of Reads by K-Means for Estimation of Bacterial Community
      Composition.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Estimation of bacterial community composition from high-throughput
      sequenced 16S rRNA gene amplicons is a key task in microbial ecology. Since the
      sequence data from each sample typically consist of a large number of reads and
      are adversely impacted by different levels of biological and technical noise,
      accurate analysis of such large datasets is challenging. RESULTS: There has been
      a recent surge of interest in using compressed sensing inspired and convex
      optimization based methods to solve the estimation problem for bacterial
      community composition. These methods typically rely on summarizing the sequence
      data by frequencies of low-order k-mers and matching this information
      statistically with a taxonomically structured database. Here we show that the
      accuracy of the resulting community composition estimates can be substantially
      improved by aggregating the reads from a sample with an unsupervised machine
      learning approach prior to the estimation phase. The aggregation of reads is a
      pre-processing approach where we use a standard K-means clustering algorithm that
      partitions a large set of reads into subsets with reasonable computational cost
      to provide several vectors of first order statistics instead of only single
      statistical summarization in terms of k-mer frequencies. The output of the
      clustering is then processed further to obtain the final estimate for each
      sample. The resulting method is called Aggregation of Reads by K-means (ARK), and
      it is based on a statistical argument via mixture density formulation. ARK is
      found to improve the fidelity and robustness of several recently introduced
      methods, with only a modest increase in computational complexity. AVAILABILITY:
      An open source, platform-independent implementation of the method in the Julia
      programming language is freely available at https://github.com/dkoslicki/ARK. A
      Matlab implementation is available at http://www.ee.kth.se/ctsoftware.

PMID- 26496192
TI  - Modular Coils with Low Hydrogen Content Especially for MRI of Dry Solids.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recent advances have enabled fast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      of solid materials. This development has opened up new applications for MRI, but,
      at the same time, uncovered new challenges. Previously, MRI-invisible materials
      like the housing of MRI detection coils are now readily depicted and either cause
      artifacts or lead to a decreased image resolution. In this contribution, we
      present versatile, multi-nuclear single and dual-tune MRI coils that stand out by
      (1) a low hydrogen content for high-resolution MRI of dry solids without
      artifacts; (2) a modular approach with exchangeable inductors of variable volumes
      to optimally enclose the given object; (3) low cost and low manufacturing effort
      that is associated with the modular approach; (4) accurate sample placement in
      the coil outside of the bore, and (5) a wide, single- or dual-tune frequency
      range that covers several nuclei and enables multinuclear MRI without moving the
      sample. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The inductors of the coils were constructed from
      self-supporting copper sheets to avoid all plastic materials within or around the
      resonator. The components that were mounted at a distance from the inductor,
      including the circuit board, coaxial cable and holder were manufactured from
      polytetrafluoroethylene. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Residual hydrogen signal was
      sufficiently well suppressed to allow 1H-MRI of dry solids with a minimum field
      of view that was smaller than the sensitive volume of the coil. The SNR was found
      to be comparable but somewhat lower with respect to commercial, proton-rich
      quadrature coils, and higher with respect to a linearly-polarized commercial
      coil. The potential of the setup presented was exemplified by 1H/23Na high
      resolution zero echo time (ZTE) MRI of a model solution and a dried human molar
      at 9.4 T. A full 3D image dataset of the tooth was obtained, rich in contrast and
      similar to the resolution of standard cone-beam computed tomography.

PMID- 26496193
TI  - Esculentoside A Attenuates Allergic Airway Inflammation via Activation of the Nrf
      2 Pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of airway inflammation and inflammation-induced oxidative
      stress in the pathogenesis and progression of chronic inflammatory airway
      diseases has received increasing attention in recent years. We investigated the
      potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of esculentoside A (EsA), a
      saponin isolated from the Chinese herb Phytolacca esculenta, in comparison to
      dexamethasone, a potent corticosteroid, in a murine model of allergic asthma.
      METHODS: EsA was added to cultures of A549 cells at different concentrations or
      for different lengths of time, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2
      (Nrf-2) translocation and heme oxygenase 1 expression were monitored. Mice
      treated with or without EsA and Nrf-2 siRNA were sensitized and challenged with
      ovalbumin (OVA) and developed airway inflammation and oxidative lung damage. The
      Th2-type cytokine levels and inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid
      (BALF) and the serum immunoglobulin production and adhesion molecule expression
      in the lung tissues were measured. The activities of related antioxidases and
      glutathione were measured using assay kits. RESULTS: EsA enhanced nuclear Nrf-2
      translocation in both A549 cells and the lungs of OVA-challenged mice. Airway
      inflammation induced by OVA was reduced. Additionally, EsA increased mRNA
      expression of antioxidant enzymes regulated by Nrf-2, leading to a reduction in
      Th2 cytokines and the expression of adhesion molecule mRNA in the BALF and lung
      tissues. Inhibition of Nrf-2 by siRNA abrogated the regulatory effects of EsA on
      inflammation and oxidant stress. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to
      illustrate that EsA acts as a novel Nrf-2 activator, which modulates the
      oxidative stress pathway to improve lung injury and ameliorate the development of
      airway inflammation.

PMID- 26496194
TI  - DCA1 Acts as a Transcriptional Co-activator of DST and Contributes to Drought and
      Salt Tolerance in Rice.
AB  - Natural disasters, including drought and salt stress, seriously threaten food
      security. In previous work we cloned a key zinc finger transcription factor gene,
      Drought and Salt Tolerance (DST), a negative regulator of drought and salt
      tolerance that controls stomatal aperture in rice. However, the exact mechanism
      by which DST regulates the expression of target genes remains unknown. In the
      present study, we demonstrated that DST Co-activator 1 (DCA1), a previously
      unknown CHY zinc finger protein, acts as an interacting co-activator of DST. DST
      was found to physically interact with itself and to form a heterologous tetramer
      with DCA1. This transcriptional complex appears to regulate the expression of
      peroxidase 24 precursor (Prx 24), a gene encoding an H2O2 scavenger that is more
      highly expressed in guard cells. Downregulation of DCA1 significantly enhanced
      drought and salt tolerance in rice, and overexpression of DCA1 increased
      sensitivity to stress treatment. These phenotypes were mainly influenced by DCA1
      and negatively regulated stomatal closure through the direct modulation of genes
      associated with H2O2 homeostasis. Our findings establish a framework for plant
      drought and salt stress tolerance through the DCA1-DST-Prx24 pathway. Moreover,
      due to the evolutionary and functional conservation of DCA1 and DST in plants,
      engineering of this pathway has the potential to improve tolerance to abiotic
      stress in other important crop species. 

PMID- 26496196
TI  - Enhanced Recyclable Magnetized Palm Shell Waste-Based Powdered Activated Carbon
      for the Removal of Ibuprofen: Insights for Kinetics and Mechanisms.
AB  - A novel preparation method of magnetized palm shell waste-based powdered
      activated carbon (MPPAC, avg. size 112 MUm) was developed. The prepared MPPAC was
      assessed by several physicochemical analyses, and batch tests were performed for
      ibuprofen (IBP) removal. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and
      N2 gas isotherms revealed that magnetite and maghemite were homogeneous and
      deposited mostly on the surface of PPAC without a significant clogging effect on
      the micropores. Isotherm results showed that 3.8% Fe (w/w) impregnated PPAC
      [MPPAC-Fe(3.8%)] had about 2.2-fold higher maximum sorption capacity (157.3 mg g
      1) and a 2.5-fold higher sorption density (0.23 mg m-2) than pristine PPAC. Both
      Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and isotherm data indicated that
      the high sorption capacity and density of IBP by MPPAC was primarily attributable
      to donor-acceptor complexes with the C = O group and dispersive pi-pi
      interactions with the carbon surface. Based on kinetic and repeated adsorption
      tests, pore diffusion was the rate-limiting step, and MPPAC-Fe(3.8%) had about
      1.9~2.8- and 9.1~15.8-fold higher rate constants than MPPAC-Fe(8.6%) and palm
      shell-waste granular activated carbon (PGAC, avg. size 621 MUm), respectively.
      MPPAC showed almost eight fold greater re-adsorption capacity than PPAC due to a
      thermal catalytic effect of magnetite/maghemite. 

PMID- 26496195
TI  - Protein O-Glucosyltransferase 1 (POGLUT1) Promotes Mouse Gastrulation through
      Modification of the Apical Polarity Protein CRUMBS2.
AB  - Crumbs family proteins are apical transmembrane proteins with ancient roles in
      cell polarity. Mouse Crumbs2 mutants arrest at midgestation with abnormal neural
      plate morphology and a deficit of mesoderm caused by defects in gastrulation. We
      identified an ENU-induced mutation, wsnp, that phenocopies the Crumbs2 null
      phenotype. We show that wsnp is a null allele of Protein O-glucosyltransferase 1
      (Poglut1), which encodes an enzyme previously shown to add O-glucose to EGF
      repeats in the extracellular domain of Drosophila and mammalian Notch, but the
      role of POGLUT1 in mammalian gastrulation has not been investigated. As
      predicted, we find that POGLUT1 is essential for Notch signaling in the early
      mouse embryo. However, the loss of mouse POGLUT1 causes an earlier and more
      dramatic phenotype than does the loss of activity of the Notch pathway,
      indicating that POGLUT1 has additional biologically relevant substrates. Using
      mass spectrometry, we show that POGLUT1 modifies EGF repeats in the extracellular
      domain of full-length mouse CRUMBS2. CRUMBS2 that lacks the O-glucose
      modification fails to be enriched on the apical plasma membrane and instead
      accumulates in the endoplasmic reticulum. The data demonstrate that CRUMBS2 is
      the target of POGLUT1 for the gastrulation epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions
      (EMT) and that all activity of CRUMBS2 depends on modification by POGLUT1.
      Mutations in human POGLUT1 cause Dowling-Degos Disease, POGLUT1 is overexpressed
      in a variety of tumor cells, and mutations in the EGF repeats of human CRUMBS
      proteins are associated with human congenital nephrosis, retinitis pigmentosa and
      retinal degeneration, suggesting that O-glucosylation of CRUMBS proteins has
      broad roles in human health. 

PMID- 26496197
TI  - Mantle Branch-Specific RNA Sequences of Moon Scallop Amusium pleuronectes to
      Identify Shell Color-Associated Genes.
AB  - Amusium pleuronectes (Linnaeus) that secretes red- and white-colored valves in
      two branches of mantle tissues is an excellent model for shell color research.
      High-throughput transcriptome sequencing and profiling were applied in this
      project to reveal the detailed molecular mechanism of this phenotype
      differentiation. In this study, 50,796,780 and 54,361,178 clean reads were
      generated from the left branch (secreting red valve, RS) and right branch
      (secreting white valve, WS) using the Illumina Hiseq 2000 platform. De novo
      assembly generated 149,375 and 176,652 unigenes with an average length of 764 bp
      and 698 bp in RS and WS, respectively. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes
      (KEGG) metabolic pathway analysis indicated that the differentially expressed
      genes were involved in 228 signaling pathways, and 43 genes were significantly
      enriched (P<0.01). Nineteen of 20 differentially expressed vitellogenin genes
      showed significantly high expression in RS, which suggested that they probably
      played a crucial role in organic pigment assembly and transportation of the
      shell. Moreover, 687 crystal formation-related (or biomineralization-related)
      genes were detected in A. pleuronectes, among which 144 genes exhibited
      significant difference between the two branches. Those genes could be classified
      into shell matrix framework participants, crystal nucleation and growth-related
      elements, upstream regulation factors, Ca level regulators, and other
      classifications. We also identified putative SNP and SSR markers from these
      samples which provided the markers for genetic diversity analysis, genetic
      linkage, QTL analysis. These results provide insight into the complexity of shell
      color differentiation in A. pleuronectes so as valuable resources for further
      research. 

PMID- 26496198
TI  - Virtual Pharmacist: A Platform for Pharmacogenomics.
AB  - We present Virtual Pharmacist, a web-based platform that takes common types of
      high-throughput data, namely microarray SNP genotyping data, FASTQ and Variant
      Call Format (VCF) files as inputs, and reports potential drug responses in terms
      of efficacy, dosage and toxicity at one glance. Batch submission facilitates
      multivariate analysis or data mining of targeted groups. Individual analysis
      consists of a report that is readily comprehensible to patients and practioners
      who have basic knowledge in pharmacology, a table that summarizes variants and
      potential affected drug response according to the US Food and Drug Administration
      pharmacogenomic biomarker labeled drug list and PharmGKB, and visualization of a
      gene-drug-target network. Group analysis provides the distribution of the
      variants and potential affected drug response of a target group, a sample-gene
      variant count table, and a sample-drug count table. Our analysis of genomes from
      the 1000 Genome Project underlines the potentially differential drug responses
      among different human populations. Even within the same population, the findings
      from Watson's genome highlight the importance of personalized medicine. Virtual
      Pharmacist can be accessed freely at http://www.sustc-genome.org.cn/vp or
      installed as a local web server. The codes and documentation are available at the
      GitHub repository (https://github.com/VirtualPharmacist/vp). Administrators can
      download the source codes to customize access settings for further development. 

PMID- 26496199
TI  - Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of ROS-Mediated Oridonin-Induced
      Oesophageal Cancer KYSE-150 Cell Apoptosis by Atomic Force Microscopy.
AB  - High levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells is recognized
      as one of the major causes of cancer cell apoptosis and has been developed into a
      promising therapeutic strategy for cancer therapy. However, whether apoptosis
      associated biophysical properties of cancer cells are related to intracellular
      ROS functions is still unclear. Here, for the first time, we determined the
      changes of biophysical properties associated with the ROS-mediated oesophageal
      cancer KYSE-150 cell apoptosis using high resolution atomic force microscopy
      (AFM). Oridonin was proved to induce ROS-mediated KYSE-150 cell apoptosis in a
      dose dependent manner, which could be reversed by N-acetylcysteine (NAC)
      pretreatment. Based on AFM imaging, the morphological damage and ultrastructural
      changes of KYSE-150 cells were found to be closely associated with ROS-mediated
      oridonin-induced KYSE-150 cell apoptosis. The changes of cell stiffness
      determined by AFM force measurement also demonstrated ROS-dependent changes in
      oridonin induced KYSE-150 cell apoptosis. Our findings not only provided new
      insights into the anticancer effects of oridonin, but also highlighted the use of
      AFM as a qualitative and quantitative nanotool to detect ROS-mediated cancer cell
      apoptosis based on cell biophysical properties, providing novel information of
      the roles of ROS in cancer cell apoptosis at nanoscale. 

PMID- 26496200
TI  - Attenuation of AMPK signaling by ROQUIN promotes T follicular helper cell
      formation.
AB  - T follicular helper cells (Tfh) are critical for the longevity and quality of
      antibody-mediated protection against infection. Yet few signaling pathways have
      been identified to be unique solely to Tfh development. ROQUIN is a post
      transcriptional repressor of T cells, acting through its ROQ domain to
      destabilize mRNA targets important for Th1, Th17, and Tfh biology. Here, we
      report that ROQUIN has a paradoxical function on Tfh differentiation mediated by
      its RING domain: mice with a T cell-specific deletion of the ROQUIN RING domain
      have unchanged Th1, Th2, Th17, and Tregs during a T-dependent response but show a
      profoundly defective antigen-specific Tfh compartment. ROQUIN RING signaling
      directly antagonized the catalytic alpha1 subunit of adenosine monophosphate
      activated protein kinase (AMPK), a central stress-responsive regulator of
      cellular metabolism and mTOR signaling, which is known to facilitate T-dependent
      humoral immunity. We therefore unexpectedly uncover a ROQUIN-AMPK metabolic
      signaling nexus essential for selectively promoting Tfh responses. 

PMID- 26496201
TI  - Polyanhydride Nanoparticle Delivery Platform Dramatically Enhances Killing of
      Filarial Worms.
AB  - Filarial diseases represent a significant social and economic burden to over 120
      million people worldwide and are caused by endoparasites that require the
      presence of symbiotic bacteria of the genus Wolbachia for fertility and viability
      of the host parasite. Targeting Wolbachia for elimination is a therapeutic
      approach that shows promise in the treatment of onchocerciasis and lymphatic
      filariasis. Here we demonstrate the use of a biodegradable polyanhydride
      nanoparticle-based platform for the co-delivery of the antibiotic doxycycline
      with the antiparasitic drug, ivermectin, to reduce microfilarial burden and
      rapidly kill adult worms. When doxycycline and ivermectin were co-delivered
      within polyanhydride nanoparticles, effective killing of adult female Brugia
      malayi filarial worms was achieved with approximately 4,000-fold reduction in the
      amount of drug used. Additionally the time to death of the macrofilaria was also
      significantly reduced (five-fold) when the anti-filarial drug cocktail was
      delivered within polyanhydride nanoparticles. We hypothesize that the mechanism
      behind this dramatically enhanced killing of the macrofilaria is the ability of
      the polyanhydride nanoparticles to behave as a Trojan horse and penetrate the
      cuticle, bypassing excretory pumps of B. malayi, and effectively deliver drug
      directly to both the worm and Wolbachia at high enough microenvironmental
      concentrations to cause death. These provocative findings may have significant
      consequences for the reduction in the amount of drug and the length of treatment
      required for filarial infections in terms of patient compliance and reduced cost
      of treatment. 

PMID- 26496202
TI  - Deciphering the Developmental Dynamics of the Mouse Liver Transcriptome.
AB  - During development, liver undergoes a rapid transition from a hematopoietic organ
      to a major organ for drug metabolism and nutrient homeostasis. However, little is
      known on a transcriptome level of the genes and RNA-splicing variants that are
      differentially regulated with age, and which up-stream regulators orchestrate age
      specific biological functions in liver. We used RNA-Seq to interrogate the
      developmental dynamics of the liver transcriptome in mice at 12 ages from late
      embryonic stage (2-days before birth) to maturity (60-days after birth). Among
      21,889 unique NCBI RefSeq-annotated genes, 9,641 were significantly expressed in
      at least one age, 7,289 were differently regulated with age, and 859 had multiple
      (> = 2) RNA splicing-variants. Factor analysis showed that the dynamics of
      hepatic genes fall into six distinct groups based on their temporal expression.
      The average expression of cytokines, ion channels, kinases, phosphatases,
      transcription regulators and translation regulators decreased with age, whereas
      the average expression of peptidases, enzymes and transmembrane receptors
      increased with age. The average expression of growth factors peak between Day-3
      and Day-10, and decrease thereafter. We identified critical biological functions,
      upstream regulators, and putative transcription modules that seem to govern age
      specific gene expression. We also observed differential ontogenic expression of
      known splicing variants of certain genes, and 1,455 novel splicing isoform
      candidates. In conclusion, the hepatic ontogeny of the transcriptome ontogeny has
      unveiled critical networks and up-stream regulators that orchestrate age-specific
      biological functions in liver, and suggest that age contributes to the complexity
      of the alternative splicing landscape of the hepatic transcriptome. 

PMID- 26496204
TI  - Different interaction modes for the default mode network revealed by resting
      state functional magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - The default mode network (DMN), which, in the resting state, is in charge of both
      the brain's intrinsic mentation and its reflexive responses to external stimuli,
      is recognized as an essential network in the human brain. These two roles of
      mentation and reflexive response recruit the DMN nodes and other task networks
      differently. Existing research has revealed that the interactions inside the DMN
      (between nodes within the DMN) and outside the DMN (between nodes in the DMN and
      nodes in task networks) have different modes, in terms of both strength and
      timing. These findings raise interesting questions. For example, are the internal
      and external interactions of the DMN equally linear or nonlinear? This study
      examined these interaction patterns using datasets from the Human Connectome
      Project. A maximal information-based nonparametric exploration statistics
      strategy was utilized to characterize the full correlations, and the Pearson
      correlation was used to capture the linear component of the full correlations. We
      then contrasted the level of linearity/nonlinearity with respect to the internal
      and external interactions of the DMN. After a brain-wide exploration, we found
      that the interactions between the DMN and the sensorimotor-related networks
      (including the sensorimotor, sensory association, and integration areas) showed
      more nonlinearity, whereas those between the intra-DMN nodes were similarly less
      nonlinear. These findings may provide a clue for understanding the underlying
      neuronal principles of the internal and external roles of the DMN. 

PMID- 26496203
TI  - A Novel Strategy for Detection and Enumeration of Circulating Rare Cell
      Populations in Metastatic Cancer Patients Using Automated Microfluidic Filtration
      and Multiplex Immunoassay.
AB  - Size selection via filtration offers an antigen-independent approach for the
      enrichment of rare cell populations in blood of cancer patients. We evaluated the
      performance of a novel approach for multiplex rare cell detection in blood
      samples from metastatic breast (n = 19) and lung cancer patients (n = 21), and
      healthy controls (n = 30) using an automated microfluidic filtration and
      multiplex immunoassay strategy. Captured cells were enumerated after sequential
      staining for specific markers to identify circulating tumor cells (CTCs),
      circulating mesenchymal cells (CMCs), putative circulating stem cells (CSCs), and
      circulating endothelial cells (CECs). Preclinical validation experiments using
      cancer cells spiked into healthy blood demonstrated high recovery rate (mean =
      85%) and reproducibility of the assay. In clinical studies, CTCs and CMCs were
      detected in 35% and 58% of cancer patients, respectively, and were largely absent
      from healthy controls (3%, p = 0.001). Mean levels of CTCs were significantly
      higher in breast than in lung cancer patients (p = 0.03). Fifty-three percent
      (53%) of cancer patients harbored putative CSCs, while none were detectable in
      healthy controls (p<0.0001). In contrast, CECs were observed in both cancer and
      control groups. Direct comparison of CellSearch(r) vs. our microfluidic filter
      method revealed moderate correlation (R2 = 0.46, kappa = 0.47). Serial blood
      analysis in breast cancer patients demonstrated the feasibility of monitoring
      circulating rare cell populations over time. Simultaneous assessment of CTCs,
      CMCs, CSCs and CECs may provide new tools to study mechanisms of disease
      progression and treatment response/resistance. 

PMID- 26496205
TI  - Single-Blinded, Randomized Preliminary Study Evaluating the Effect of
      Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Postoperative Pain in Patients
      with Colles' Fracture.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been widely
      used for pain relief; however, the effect remains controversial. The authors
      hypothesized that TENS can relieve acute pain. Therefore, a single-blinded,
      randomized, controlled preliminary study was designed on postoperative pain in
      patients with Colles' fracture. METHODS: In total, 36 patients were assigned to a
      real TENS or sham TENS group (18 patients in each group). TENS (50 Hz, 15
      min/day) was applied near the Quchi (LI11) and Waiguan (TE5) surfaces of the
      operative side continuously for 5 days after surgical treatment. RESULTS: The
      visual analog scale (VAS) scores did not differ significantly between the real
      and sham TENS groups before the TENS period, from the first to fifth day after
      surgical treatment (all p > 0.05), whereas the VAS scores were lower for the real
      TENS group than for the sham TENS group in the post-TENS period, on the first,
      third, fourth, and fifth days after surgical treatment (all p <= 0.01).
      CONCLUSION: TENS might be valuable as a treatment of postoperative pain, but
      clinicians and researchers should know that it is no different than a treatment
      with placebo. Especially, since this form of treatment and sham treatment has a
      great chance of working under the mechanism of the placebo effect due to its
      single-blindedness.

PMID- 26496206
TI  - Simultaneous measurement of aerodynamic forces and kinematics in flapping wings
      of tethered locust.
AB  - Aerodynamic and inertial forces and corresponding kinematics of flapping wings of
      locusts, Schistocerca americana, were investigated in a low-speed wind tunnel.
      The experimental setup included live locusts mounted on microbalance synchronized
      with a high-speed video system. Simultaneous measurements of wing kinematics and
      forces were carried out on three locusts at 7 degrees  angle of attack and
      velocities of 0 m s(-1) and 4 m s(-1). Time variations of flapping and pitching
      angles exhibit similar patterns in fore- and hindwings and among the animals.
      Significant tip to root variations in pitching angle are found in both wings. The
      locusts have much larger flapping and pitching amplitudes in still air causing
      larger oscillations in inertial forces. Inertial forces are added to the lift and
      thrust on one part of the stroke, resulting in higher reaction forces and
      subtracted on the other part. Plots of the lift demonstrate similar trends with
      and without the wind. The global maxima and peak-to-peak amplitudes in lift are
      about the same in both tests. However, local minima are significantly lower in
      still air, resulting in much smaller stroke-averaged lift. Amplitudes of thrust
      force oscillations are much higher in still air; consequently, the stroke
      averaged thrust is higher compared to the non-zero freestream velocity case. 

PMID- 26496208
TI  - Potential role of 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase 1 as a STAT1 coactivator in
      endotoxin-induced inflammatory response.
AB  - Human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase 1 (OGG1) is the major DNA repair enzyme that
      plays a key role in excision of oxidative damaged DNA bases such as 8-oxoguainine
      (8-oxoG). Recent studies suggest another function of OGG1, namely that it may be
      involved in the endotoxin- or oxidative stress-induced inflammatory response. In
      this study, we investigated the role of OGG1 in the inflammatory response. OGG1
      expression is increased in the organs of endotoxin-induced or myelin
      oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-immunized mice and immune cells, resulting in
      induction of the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators at the transcriptional
      levels. Biochemical studies showed that signal transducer and activator of
      transcription 1 (STAT1) plays a key role in endotoxin-induced OGG1 expression and
      inflammatory response. STAT1 regulates the transcriptional activity of OGG1
      through recruiting and binding to the gamma-interferon activation site (GAS)
      motif of the OGG1 promoter region, and chromatin remodeling by acetylation and
      dimethylation of lysine-14 and -4 residues of histone H3. In addition, OGG1 acts
      as a STAT1 coactivator and has transcriptional activity in the presence of
      endotoxin. The data presented here identifies a novel mechanism, and may provide
      new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of endotoxin-mediated inflammatory
      diseases. 

PMID- 26496207
TI  - Anticancer therapeutic potential of Mn porphyrin/ascorbate system.
AB  - Ascorbate (Asc) as a single agent suppressed growth of several tumor cell lines
      in a mouse model. It has been tested in a Phase I Clinical Trial on pancreatic
      cancer patients where it exhibited no toxicity to normal tissue yet was of only
      marginal efficacy. The mechanism of its anticancer effect was attributed to the
      production of tumoricidal hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) during ascorbate oxidation
      catalyzed by endogenous metalloproteins. The amount of H2O2 could be maximized
      with exogenous catalyst that has optimized properties for such function and is
      localized within tumor. Herein we studied 14 Mn porphyrins (MnPs) which differ
      vastly with regards to their redox properties, charge, size/bulkiness and
      lipophilicity. Such properties affect the in vitro and in vivo ability of MnPs
      (i) to catalyze ascorbate oxidation resulting in the production of H2O2; (ii) to
      subsequently employ H2O2 in the catalysis of signaling proteins oxidations
      affecting cellular survival pathways; and (iii) to accumulate at site(s) of
      interest. The metal-centered reduction potential of MnPs studied, E1/2 of
      Mn(III)P/Mn(II)P redox couple, ranged from -200 to +350 mV vs NHE. Anionic and
      cationic, hydrophilic and lipophilic as well as short- and long-chained and bulky
      compounds were explored. Their ability to catalyze ascorbate oxidation, and in
      turn cytotoxic H2O2 production, was explored via spectrophotometric and
      electrochemical means. Bell-shape structure-activity relationship (SAR) was found
      between the initial rate for the catalysis of ascorbate oxidation, vo(Asc)ox and
      E1/2, identifying cationic Mn(III) N-substituted pyridylporphyrins with E1/2>0 mV
      vs NHE as efficient catalysts for ascorbate oxidation. The anticancer potential
      of MnPs/Asc system was subsequently tested in cellular (human MCF-7, MDA-MB-231
      and mouse 4T1) and animal models of breast cancer. At the concentrations where
      ascorbate (1mM) and MnPs (1 or 5 uM) alone did not trigger any alteration in cell
      viability, combined treatment suppressed cell viability up to 95%. No toxicity
      was observed with normal human breast epithelial HBL-100 cells. Bell-shape
      relationship, essentially identical to vo(Asc)oxvs E1/2, was also demonstrated
      between MnP/Asc-controlled cytotoxicity and E1/2-controlled vo(Asc)ox. Magnetic
      resonance imaging studies were conducted to explore the impact of ascorbate on T1
      relaxivity. The impact of MnP/Asc on intracellular thiols and on GSH/GSSG and
      Cys/CySS ratios in 4T1 cells was assessed and cellular reduction potentials were
      calculated. The data indicate a significant increase in cellular oxidative stress
      induced by MnP/Asc. Based on vo(Asc)oxvs E1/2 relationships and cellular
      toxicity, MnTE-2-PyP(5+) was identified as the best catalyst among MnPs studied.
      Asc and MnTE-2-PyP(5+) were thus tested in a 4T1 mammary mouse flank tumor model.
      The combination of ascorbate (4 g/kg) and MnTE-2-PyP(5+) (0.2mg/kg) showed
      significant suppression of tumor growth relative to either MnTE-2-PyP(5+) or
      ascorbate alone. About 7-fold higher accumulation of MnTE-2-PyP(5+) in tumor vs
      normal tissue was found to contribute largely to the anticancer effect.

PMID- 26496210
TI  - Paricalcitol, Microvascular and Endothelial Function in Non-Diabetic Chronic
      Kidney Disease: A Randomized Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency, sympathetic activation and endothelial
      dysfunction are associated with increased cardiovascular risk in patients with
      chronic kidney disease (CKD). Studies have so far failed to establish the role of
      vitamin D and vitamin D receptor activator (VDRA) treatment in moderate CKD. This
      trial was designed to assess whether VDRA treatment can ameliorate sympathetic
      activation and macro- and microvascular dysfunction in non-diabetic patients with
      moderate CKD. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled double-blind trial
      using placebo, 1 or 2 MUg of paricalcitol, a VDRA, for 3 months. We assessed
      muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) by microneurography, pulse wave velocity
      (PWV) by tonometry, flow mediated vasodilatation (FMD) by brachial ultrasound,
      skin microcirculation assessed by iontophoresis and capillary blood velocity
      (CBV) by videophotometric capillaroscopy. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients with a
      mean age of 65 years and mean estimated glomerular filtration rate of 40
      ml/min/1.73 m2 were included. We found a significant decline in endothelial
      function after 3 months, except in the group receiving 2 MUg of paricalcitol. The
      higher dose (2 MUg) seemed to attenuate the decline in microvascular endothelial
      function, assessed by iontophoresis of acetylcholine (p=0.06 for all groups,
      p=0.65 for the 2 MUg group) and for FMD (p=0.006 for all groups, p=0.54 for the 2
      MUg group). We found a borderline significance (p=0.05) for improved CBV in the
      treated groups. We found no significant changes between treatments in MSNA, PWV
      or albuminuria. CONCLUSIONS: Endothelial function declined significantly over 3
      months in patients with moderate CKD, and this decline could be ameliorated by
      VDRA treatment (NCT01204528).

PMID- 26496209
TI  - The Cannabinoid Receptor CB1 Interacts with the WAVE1 Complex and Plays a Role in
      Actin Dynamics and Structural Plasticity in Neurons.
AB  - The molecular composition of the cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor complex beyond
      the classical G-protein signaling components is not known. Using proteomics on
      mouse cortex in vivo, we pulled down proteins interacting with CB1 in neurons and
      show that the CB1 receptor assembles with multiple members of the WAVE1 complex
      and the RhoGTPase Rac1 and modulates their activity. Activation levels of CB1
      receptor directly impacted on actin polymerization and stability via WAVE1 in
      growth cones of developing neurons, leading to their collapse, as well as in
      synaptic spines of mature neurons, leading to their retraction. In adult mice,
      CB1 receptor agonists attenuated activity-dependent remodeling of dendritic
      spines in spinal cord neurons in vivo and suppressed inflammatory pain by
      regulating the WAVE1 complex. This study reports novel signaling mechanisms for
      cannabinoidergic modulation of the nervous system and demonstrates a previously
      unreported role for the WAVE1 complex in therapeutic applications of
      cannabinoids. 

PMID- 26496211
TI  - A multi-institutional analysis of 429 patients undergoing major hepatectomy for
      colorectal cancer liver metastases: The impact of concomitant bile duct resection
      on survival.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data are lacking on long-term outcomes of patients undergoing major
      hepatectomy requiring bile duct resection (BDR) for the treatment of colorectal
      cancer liver metastases. METHODS: Patients who underwent major hepatectomy (>=3
      segments) for metastatic colorectal cancer from 2000-2010 at three US academic
      institutions were included. The primary outcome was disease-specific survival
      (DSS). RESULTS: Of 429 patients, nine (2.1%) underwent BDR, which was associated
      with pre-operative portal vein embolization (25.0% vs. 4.3%; P = 0.049). There
      were no significant differences in age, ASA class, margin status, number of
      lesions, tumor size, cirrhosis, perineural invasion, or lymphovascular invasion.
      BDR was independently associated with increased postoperative major complications
      (OR: 6.22; 95%CI:1.44-26.97; P = 0.015). There were no differences in length of
      stay, reoperation, readmission, or 30-day mortality. Patients who underwent BDR
      had markedly decreased DSS (9.3 vs. 39.9 mo; P = 0.002). When accounting for
      differences between the two groups, the need for BDR was independently associated
      with reduced DSS (HR: 3.06; 95%CI:1.12-8.34; P = 0.029). CONCLUSION: Major
      hepatectomy with concomitant bile duct resection is seldom performed in patients
      undergoing resection of colorectal cancer liver metastases and is associated with
      higher major morbidity and reduced disease-specific survival compared to major
      hepatectomy alone. Stringent selection criteria should be applied when patients
      may need bile duct resection during hepatectomy for colorectal cancer liver
      metastases.

PMID- 26496212
TI  - Multidisciplinary approach of lumbo-sacral chordoma: From oncological treatment
      to reconstructive surgery.
AB  - Lumbo-sacral chordoma is a rare, slow-growing tumor, arising from embryonic
      nothocordal remnants. Wide en bloc excision with clear margins remains mandatory
      to achieve satisfactory recurrence rates and disease-free survival. No
      chemotherapy has been demonstrated to be effective and radiotherapy is only
      marginally effective. Tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitors have showed encouraging
      results in locally advanced and metastatic chordoma. Reconstructive surgery may
      become very complex. Multidisciplinary approach in tertiary hospitals is always
      necessary.

PMID- 26496213
TI  - Performance, carotenoids yield and microbial population dynamics in a
      photobioreactor system treating acidic wastewater: Effect of hydraulic retention
      time (HRT) and organic loading rate (OLR).
AB  - Effects of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and influent organic loading rate (OLR)
      were investigated in a photobioreactor containing PNSB (Rhodopseudomonas
      palustris)-chemoheterotrophic bacteria to treat volatile fatty acid wastewater.
      Pollutants removal, biomass production and carotenoids yield in different phases
      were investigated in together with functional microbial population dynamics. The
      results indicated that properly decreasing HRT and increasing OLR improved the
      nutrient removal performance as well as the biomass and carotenoids productions.
      85.7% COD, 89.9% TN and 91.8% TP removals were achieved under the optimal HRT of
      48h and OLR of 2.51g/L/d. Meanwhile, the highest biomass production and
      carotenoids yield were 2719.3mg/L and 3.91mg/g-biomass respectively. In addition,
      HRT and OLR have obvious impacts on PNSB and total bacteria dynamics. Statistical
      analyses indicated that the COD removal exhibited a positive relationship with
      OLR, biomass and carotenoids production. PNSB/total bacteria ratio had a positive
      correlation with the carotenoids yield. 

PMID- 26496214
TI  - Optimization and microbial community analysis of anaerobic co-digestion of food
      waste and sewage sludge based on microwave pretreatment.
AB  - The effects of microwave pretreatment (MW) on co-digestion of food waste (FW) and
      sewage sludge (SS) have never been investigated. In this study, a series of
      mesophilic biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests were conducted to determine
      the optimized ratio of FW and SS based on MW, and the evolution of bacterial and
      archaeal community was investigated through high-throughput sequencing method.
      Results showed that the optimized ratio was 3:2 for co-digestion of FW and SS
      based on MW, and the methane production was 316.24 and 338.44mLCH4/gVSadded for
      MW-FW and MW-SS, respectively. The MW-SS was superior for methane production
      compared to MW-FW, in which accumulation of propionic acid led to the inhibition
      of methanogenesis. Proteiniborus and Parabacteroides were responsible for
      proteins and polysaccharides degradation for all, respectively, while Bacteroides
      only dominated in co-digestion. Methanosphaera dominated in MW-FW at the active
      methane production phase, while it was Methanosarcina in MW-SS and mono-SS. 

PMID- 26496215
TI  - Effect of frequency and reaction time in focused ultrasonic pretreatment of
      energy cane bagasse for bioethanol production.
AB  - Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is a critical steps in bioethanol
      production. Ultrasonic pretreatment significantly improves cellulose hydrolysis
      increasing sugar yields, but current system designs have limitations related to
      efficiency and scalability. This study evaluates the ultrasonic pretreatment of
      energy cane bagasse in a novel scalable configuration and by maximizing coupling
      of ultrasound energy to the material via active modulation of frequency.
      Pretreatment was conducted in 28% ammonia water mixture at a sample:ammonia:water
      ratio of 1:0.5:8. Process performance was investigated as a function of frequency
      (20, 20.5, 21kHz), reaction time (30, 45, 60min), temperature, and power levels
      for multiple combinations of ammonia, water and sample mixture. Results indicated
      an increased enzymatic digestibility, with maximum glucose yield of 24.29g/100g
      dry biomass. Theoretical ethanol yields obtained ranged from 6.47 to a maximum of
      24.29g/100g dry biomass. Maximum energy attainable was 886.34kJ/100g dry biomass.

PMID- 26496216
TI  - Effect of alkali lignins with different molecular weights from alkali pretreated
      rice straw hydrolyzate on enzymatic hydrolysis.
AB  - This study investigated the effect of alkali lignins with different molecular
      weights on enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose. Different alkali lignins
      fractions, which were obtained from cascade ultrafiltration, were added into the
      dilute acid pretreated (DAP) and alkali pretreated (AP) rice straws respectively
      during enzymatic hydrolysis. The results showed that the addition of alkali
      lignins enhanced the hydrolysis and the enhancement for hydrolysis increased with
      increasing molecular weights of alkali lignins, with maximum enhancement being
      28.69% for DAP and 20.05% for AP, respectively. The enhancement was partly
      attributed to the improved cellulase activity, and filter paper activity
      increased by 18.03% when adding lignin with highest molecular weight. It was
      found that the enhancement of enzymatic hydrolysis was correlated with the
      adsorption affinity of cellulase on alkali lignins, and the difference in surface
      charge and hydrophobicity of alkali lignins were responsible for the difference
      in affinity between cellulase and lignins. 

PMID- 26496217
TI  - Biotechnological potential of Synechocystis salina co-cultures with selected
      microalgae and cyanobacteria: Nutrients removal, biomass and lipid production.
AB  - Cultivation of microalgae and cyanobacteria has been the focus of several
      research studies worldwide, due to the huge biotechnological potential of these
      photosynthetic microorganisms. However, production of these microorganisms is
      still not economically viable. One possible alternative to improve the economic
      feasibility of the process is the use of consortia between microalgae and/or
      cyanobacteria. In this study, Chlorella vulgaris, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata
      and Microcystis aeruginosa were co-cultivated with Synechocystis salina to
      evaluate how dual-species cultures can influence biomass and lipid production and
      nutrients removal. Results have shown that the three studied consortia achieved
      higher biomass productivities than the individual cultures. Additionally,
      nitrogen and phosphorus consumption rates by the consortia provided final
      concentrations below the values established by European Union legislation for
      these nutrients. In the case of lipid productivities, higher values were
      determined when S. salina was co-cultivated with P. subcapitata and M.
      aeruginosa. 

PMID- 26496218
TI  - Effect of pretreatment severity in continuous steam explosion on enzymatic
      conversion of wheat straw: Evidence from kinetic analysis of hydrolysis time
      courses.
AB  - Focusing on continuous steam explosion, the influence of pretreatment severity
      due to varied acid loading on hydrolysis of wheat straw by Trichoderma reesei
      cellulases was investigated based on kinetic evaluation of the saccharification
      of each pretreated substrate. Using semi-empirical descriptors of the hydrolysis
      time course, key characteristics of saccharification efficiency were captured in
      a quantifiable fashion. Not only hydrolysis rates per se, but also the transition
      point of their bi-phasic decline was crucial for high saccharification degree.
      After 48h the highest saccharification was achieved for substrate pretreated at
      relatively low severity (1.2% acid). Higher severity increased enzyme binding to
      wheat straw, but reduced the specific hydrolysis rates. Higher affinity of the
      lignocellulosic material for cellulases does not necessarily result in increased
      saccharification, probably because of lignin modifications occurring at high
      pretreatment severities. At comparable severity, continuous pretreatment produced
      a substrate more susceptible to enzymatic hydrolysis than the batch process. 

PMID- 26496219
TI  - Radially oriented nanostrand electrodes to boost glucose sensing in mammalian
      blood.
AB  - Architecture of nanoscale electrochemical sensors for ultra-trace detection of
      glucose in blood is important in real-life sampling and analysis. To broaden the
      application of electrochemical sensing of glucose, we fabricated, for the first
      time, a glucose sensor electrode based on radially oriented NiO nanostrands
      (NSTs) onto 3D porous Ni foam substrate for monitoring, as well as selective and
      sensitive sensing of glucose in mammalian blood. The simple, scalable one-pot
      fabrication of this NST-Ni sensor design enabled control of the pattern of
      radially oriented NSTs onto 3D porous Ni foam substrate. The radial orientation
      of NST-Ni electrode onto the interior of the 3D porous substrate with controlled
      crystal structure size and atomic arrangement along the axis of the strands,
      intrinsic surface defects, and superior surface properties, such as
      hydrophilicity, high surface energy, and high density led to highly exposed
      catalytic active sites. The hierarchical NST-Ni electrode was used to develop a
      sensitive and selective sensor over a wide range of glucose concentrations among
      actively competitive ions, chemical species and molecular agents, and multi
      cyclic sensing assays. The NST-Ni electrode shows significant glucose sensing
      performance in terms of unimpeded diffusion pathways, a wide range of
      concentration detection, and lower limit of detection (0.186 uM) than NiO
      nanosheet (NS)-Ni foam electrode pattern, indicating the effectiveness of the
      shape-dependent structural architecture of NST-Ni electrode. In this study, the
      NST-Ni electrode is fabricated to develop a simple, selective method for
      detecting glucose in physiological fluids (e.g., mammalian blood).

PMID- 26496220
TI  - Switchable fluorescence of gold nanoclusters for probing the activity of alkaline
      phosphatase and its application in immunoassay.
AB  - In this work, a novel strategy for modulating the fluorescence of gold
      nanoclusters (Au NCs) is developed. The fluorescence of bovine serum albumin
      (BSA) protected Au NCs is firstly quenched by KMnO4 and then restored by ascorbic
      acid (AA) due to the deterioration/restoration of the surface structure. Based on
      which, a novel "switch-on" fluorescent assay for probing the activity of alkaline
      phosphatase (ALP) is developed with a detection limit as low as 0.002 U/L. In
      addition, this testing protocol is also expanded to the detection of the
      inhibitor of ALP and mouse IgG (as a model), the detection limits are 15 ng/mL
      for the inhibitor of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-DA) and 1.5 pg/mL for
      mouse IgG. The present method paves a new way to develop convenient, sensitive,
      and selective metal NCs-based fluorescent "turn-on" probes with promising
      applications in versatile biosensing.

PMID- 26496221
TI  - SERS assay of telomerase activity at single-cell level and colon cancer tissues
      via quadratic signal amplification.
AB  - As an important biomarker and therapeutic target, telomerase has attracted
      extensive attention concerning its detection and monitoring. Recently, enzyme
      assisted amplification approaches have provided useful platforms for the
      telomerase activity detection, however, further improvement in sensitivity is
      still hindered by the single-step signal amplification. Herein, we develop a
      quadratic signal amplification strategy for ultrasensitive surface-enhanced Raman
      scattering (SERS) detection of telomerase activity. The central idea of our
      design is using telomerase-induced silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) assembly and
      silver ions (Ag(+))-mediated cascade amplification. In our approach, each
      telomerase-aided DNA sequence extension could trigger the formation of a long
      double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), making numerous AgNPs assembling along with this
      long strand through specific Ag-S bond, to form a primary amplification element.
      For secondary amplification, each conjugated AgNP was dissolved into Ag(+), which
      can effectively induce the 4-aminobenzenethiol (4-ABT) modified gold
      nanoparticles (AuNPs@4-ABT) to undergo aggregation to form numerous "hot-spots".
      Through quadratic amplifications, a limit of detection down to single HeLa cell
      was achieved. More importantly, this method demonstrated good performance when
      applied to tissues from colon cancer patients, which exhibits great potential in
      the practical application of telomerase-based cancer diagnosis in early stages.
      To demonstrate the potential in screening the telomerase inhibitors and
      telomerase-targeted drugs, the proposed design is successfully employed to
      measure the inhibition of telomerase activity by 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine. 

PMID- 26496222
TI  - Invertase-labeling gold-dendrimer for in situ amplified detection mercury(II)
      with glucometer readout and thymine-Hg(2+)-thymine coordination chemistry.
AB  - A simple, low-cost transducer with glucometer readout was designed for sensitive
      detection of mercury(II) (Hg(2+)), coupling with thymine-Hg(2+)-thymine (T-Hg(2+)
      T) coordination chemistry and invertase-functionalized gold-dendrimer nanospheres
      for the signal amplification. Initially, nanogold-encapsulated poly(amidoamine)
      dendrimers (Au DENs) were synthesized by in-situ reduction of gold(III).
      Thereafter, the as-prepared Au DENs were utilized for the labeling of invertase
      and T-rich signal DNA probe. In the presence of target Hg(2+), the functionalized
      Au DENs were conjugated to capture DNA probe-modified electrode via T-Hg(2+)-T
      coordination chemistry. Accompanying the Au DENs, the labeled invertase could
      hydrolyze sucrose into glucose, which could be quantitatively monitored by an
      external personal glucometer (PGM). The PGM signal increased with the increasing
      target Hg(2+) in the sample. Under the optimal conditions, our designed sensing
      platform exhibited good PGM responses toward target Hg(2+), and allowed the
      detection of Hg(2+) at a concentration as low as 4.2 pM. This sensing system also
      displayed remarkable specificity relative to target Hg(2+) against other
      competing ions, and could be applied for reliable monitoring of spiked Hg(2+)
      into the environmental water samples with satisfactory results. With the
      advantages of cost-effectiveness, simplicity, portability, and convenience, our
      strategy provides a tremendous potential to be a promising candidate for point-of
      use monitoring of non-glucose targets by the public.

PMID- 26496223
TI  - Sensitive detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 using Pt-Au bimetal nanoparticles
      with peroxidase-like amplification.
AB  - Escherichia coli O157:H7 is one of the most notorious foodborne pathogens causing
      serious disease at low infectious dose. To protect consumers from deadly
      foodborne E. coli O157:H7 infection, it is vital to develop a simple, reliable,
      sensitive and rapid method which can detect low level E. coli O157:H7 in foods at
      real-time. We have successfully developed a novel immunochromatographic assay
      (ICA) with enhanced sensitivity for the visual and quantitative detection of E.
      coli O157:H7. Sandwich-type immunoreactions were performed on the ICA, and Pt-Au
      bimetal nanoparticles (NPs) were accumulated on the test zone. The signal
      amplification is based on Pt-Au bimetal NPs possessing high peroxidase activity
      toward 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine, which can produce characteristic colored
      bands and thus, enable visual detection of E. coli O157:H7 without
      instrumentation. The innovative aspect of this approach lies in the visualization
      and quantification of target pathogen through the detection of color intensity.
      Due to the excellent peroxidase activity of Pt-Au NPs, they emit strong visible
      color intensity in less than 1 min for visual observation even in low
      concentration range of E. coli O157:H7. Quantification was performed using a
      commercial assay meter. The sensitivity was improved more than 1000-folds
      compared to the conventional test strip based on colored gold-colloids. Although
      the feasibility was demonstrated using E. coli O157:H7 as a model analyte, this
      approach could be easily developed to be a universal signal amplification
      technique and applied to detection of a wide variety of foodborne pathogens and
      protein biomarkers.

PMID- 26496224
TI  - Silicon nanowire biosensors for detection of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) with high
      sensitivity.
AB  - We have demonstrated highly sensitive and label-free detection of cardiac
      troponin I (cTnI), a biomarker for diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction,
      using silicon nanowire field-effect transistors. A honeycomb-like structure is
      utilized for nanowire configuration to offer improved electrical performance and
      increased sensing area. The fabricated devices show n-type behavior with a
      relatively high ON-OFF current ratio, small sub-threshold swing and low gate
      leakage current. Monoclonal antibodies for cTnI were covalently immobilized on
      the nanowire surface and the attachment of antibodies is clearly visualized by
      atomic force microscope. The sensitivity with various concentrations of buffer
      solution was also investigated in order to determine the optimal buffer
      condition. The devices exhibit highest sensitivity under buffer solutions with
      low ion concentration. In addition, the detection limit of the sensor is as low
      as ~5 pg/mL, the lowest reported in the literature to date and nearly an order of
      magnitude smaller than the suggested threshold limit. The fabricated devices
      demonstrate a good selectivity for detecting cTnI.

PMID- 26496225
TI  - Examining challenging behaviors of clients with borderline personality disorder.
AB  - Few studies have examined effects of challenging behaviors of clients with
      borderline personality disorder (BPD) on psychotherapy outcomes. Dialectical
      behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment designed to treat chronic
      suicidality, self-directed violence (SDV), and emotion dysregulation, while
      targeting challenging behaviors. DBT has been shown to be effective with clients
      with BPD. We evaluated whether therapist reported challenging behaviors, such as
      high volume phone contacts or violating the therapist's limits, during DBT would
      be associated with dropping out of DBT, severity and frequency of SDV, emotion
      regulation deficits, psychological symptom severity and client's and therapist's
      satisfaction of treatment. The current study examined challenging behaviors
      reported by therapists in a sample of 63 psychiatrically disabled outpatient DBT
      clients diagnosed with BPD (73% women, average age 37 years). More frequent phone
      contacts were associated with a decrease in dropout and psychological symptoms,
      and an increase in client and therapist satisfaction. More
      avoidance/disengagement behavior was associated with more than twice the risk of
      SDV and a decrease in therapist satisfaction. Findings suggest that the phone
      coaching might serve to maximize client satisfaction and reduce the likelihood of
      dropout. 

PMID- 26496226
TI  - Immediate-early response 5 (IER5) interacts with protein phosphatase 2A and
      regulates the phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 kinase and heat shock
      factor 1.
AB  - Immediate-early response 5 (IER5) is a growth factor-inducible protein with
      homology to the N-terminus of IER2. Deletion analysis shows that a large region
      of IER5, including the N-terminal region, is involved in cell growth and stress
      resistance. The N-terminal region mediates IER5 oligomerization and binding to
      the B55 regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). IER5 physically
      interacts with the PP2A target proteins ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K) and
      heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), and the interactions are essential for the reduced
      phosphorylation of S6K and HSF1. Our data indicate that oligomeric IER5 regulates
      PP2A activity and cell growth. 

PMID- 26496227
TI  - An anatomy of old-age disability: Time use, affect and experienced utility.
AB  - Complementing the commonly used concepts of evaluative wellbeing and decision
      utility, emotional wellbeing and experienced utility are important welfare
      criteria to assess individuals' subjective wellbeing, especially for valuing
      health and disability. Yet, almost all empirical evidences on the link between
      disability and experienced wellbeing come from developed countries. This paper
      studies the relationship between old-age disability and experienced utility in
      five low- and middle-income countries. Using data on individual time use and
      activity-specific affective experiences from an abbreviated version of the Day
      Reconstruction Method, we document a strong negative association between
      disability and experienced utility. These differences in experienced utility by
      disability status are exclusively due to worse activity-specific affective
      experiences among persons with disabilities. By contrast, disability-related
      differences in time use provide small compensating effects. Interventions or
      technologies that facilitate daily life hold most promise to improve experienced
      utility among persons with disabilities in the developing world. 

PMID- 26496228
TI  - A unified set-based test with adaptive filtering for gene-environment interaction
      analyses.
AB  - In genome-wide gene-environment interaction (GxE) studies, a common strategy to
      improve power is to first conduct a filtering test and retain only the SNPs that
      pass the filtering in the subsequent GxE analyses. Inspired by two-stage tests
      and gene-based tests in GxE analysis, we consider the general problem of jointly
      testing a set of parameters when only a few are truly from the alternative
      hypothesis and when filtering information is available. We propose a unified set
      based test that simultaneously considers filtering on individual parameters and
      testing on the set. We derive the exact distribution and approximate the power
      function of the proposed unified statistic in simplified settings, and use them
      to adaptively calculate the optimal filtering threshold for each set. In the
      context of gene-based GxE analysis, we show that although the empirical power
      function may be affected by many factors, the optimal filtering threshold
      corresponding to the peak of the power curve primarily depends on the size of the
      gene. We further propose a resampling algorithm to calculate P-values for each
      gene given the estimated optimal filtering threshold. The performance of the
      method is evaluated in simulation studies and illustrated via a genome-wide gene
      gender interaction analysis using pancreatic cancer genome-wide association data.

PMID- 26496229
TI  - Modulators of the human ABCC2: hope from natural sources?
AB  - Human ABCC2 is an ATP-binding cassette transporter involved in the export of
      endobiotics and xenobiotics. It is involved in cisplatin resistance in cancer
      cells, particularly in ovarian cancer. The few known ABCC2 modulators are poorly
      efficient, so it is necessary to explore new ways to select and optimize
      efficient compounds ABCC2. Natural products offer an original scaffold for such a
      strategy and brings hope for this aim. This review covers basic knowledge about
      ABCC2, from distribution and topology aspects to physiological and pathological
      functions. It summarizes the effect of natural products as ABCC2 modulators.
      Certain plant metabolites act on different ABCC2 regulation levels and therefore
      are promising candidates to block the multidrug resistance mediated by ABCC2 in
      cancer cells. 

PMID- 26496230
TI  - Regioselective Ring Opening of Di-isopropylsilylenes Derived from 1,3-Diols with
      Alkyl Lithium Reagents.
AB  - The selective alkyl lithium-induced ring opening of 1,3-di-isopropylsilylenes is
      described. The reaction affords a differentially substituted 1,3-diol bearing a
      silane that resides at the oxygen in the more sterically demanding position. The
      reaction can be highly selective with a regiochemical preference up to >50:1 and
      likely proceeds via an alkoxy-silane intermediate. This intermediate can by
      trapped by methyl iodide to provide the corresponding silyl methyl ether, wherein
      the silane again resides at the oxygen in the more sterically demanding position.

PMID- 26496231
TI  - Reduced Graphene Oxide/Tin-Antimony Nanocomposites as Anode Materials for
      Advanced Sodium-Ion Batteries.
AB  - Reduced graphene oxides loaded with tin-antimony alloy (RGO-SnSb) nanocomposites
      were synthesized through a hydrothermal reaction and the subsequent thermal
      reduction treatments. Transmission electron microscope images confirm that SnSb
      nanoparticles with an average size of about 20-30 nm are uniformly dispersed on
      the RGO surfaces. When they were used as anodes for rechargeable sodium (Na)-ion
      batteries, these as-synthesized RGO-SnSb nanocomposite anodes delivered a high
      initial reversible capacity of 407 mAh g(-1), stable cyclic retention for more
      than 80 cycles and excellent cycle stability at ultra high charge/discharge rates
      up to 30C. The significantly improved performance of the synthesized RGO-SnSb
      nanocomposites as Na-ion battery anodes can be attributed to the synergetic
      effects of RGO-based flexible framework and the nanoscale dimension of the SnSb
      alloy particles (<30 nm). Nanosized intermetallic SnSb compounds can exhibit
      improved structural stability and conductivity during charge and discharge
      reactions compared to the corresponding individuals (Sn and Sb particles). In the
      meantime, RGO sheets can tightly anchor SnSb alloy particles on the surfaces,
      which can not only effectively suppress the agglomeration of SnSb particles but
      also maintain excellent electronic conduction. Furthermore, the mechanical
      flexibility of the RGO phase can accommodate the volume expansion and contraction
      of SnSb particles during the prolonged cycling, therefore, improve the electrode
      integrity mechanically and electronically. All of these contribute to the
      electrochemical performance improvements of the RGO-SnSb nanocomposite-based
      electrodes in rechargeable Na-ion batteries. 

PMID- 26496232
TI  - Agism and burnout among nurses in long-term care facilities in Israel.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The extent to which agism and professional qualifications are
      associated with nurses' burnout in long-term care facilities for older adults has
      been barely examined. This study is aimed to examine the extent to which agism,
      professional education, and geriatric training explain work burnout. METHOD: The
      study included a convenience sample of 154 nurses working in 17 long-term care
      facilities in the Tel Aviv area in Israel. To examine agism, Kogan's Attitudes
      toward Old People Scale was used, and to probe burnout, the Maslach Burnout
      Inventory was used. RESULTS: Overall burnout was significantly explained by
      agism, nurses' professional education, length of working as a nurse, and type of
      facility ownership. When examining each dimension of burnout, agism was a
      significant predictor of depersonalization and personal achievement. CONCLUSION:
      Agism plays a role in overall burnout. Therefore, training programs that can
      combat agism can reduce burnout of nurses in long-term care facilities.

PMID- 26496233
TI  - Permanence of a predator-prey discrete system with Holling-IV functional response
      and distributed delays.
AB  - A predator-prey discrete-time model with Holling-IV functional response and
      distributed delays is investigated in this paper. By using the comparison theorem
      of the difference equation and some analysis technique, some sufficient
      conditions are obtained for the permanence of the discrete predator-prey system.
      Two examples are given to illustrate the feasibility of the obtained result. 

PMID- 26496235
TI  - Smart and Fast Blood Counting of Trace Volumes of Body Fluids from Various
      Mammalian Species Using a Compact, Custom-Built Microscope Cytometer.
AB  - We report an accurate method to count red blood cells, platelets, and white blood
      cells, as well as to determine hemoglobin in the blood of humans, horses, dogs,
      cats, and cows. Red and white blood cell counts can also be performed on human
      body fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, and peritoneal fluid.
      The approach consists of using a compact, custom-built microscope to record large
      field-of-view, bright-field, and fluorescence images of samples that are stained
      with a single dye and using automatic algorithms to count blood cells and detect
      hemoglobin. The total process takes about 15 min, including 5 min for sample
      preparation, and 10 min for data collection and analysis. The minimum volume of
      blood needed for the test is 0.5 MUL, which allows for minimally invasive sample
      collection such as using a finger prick rather than a venous draw. Blood counts
      were compared to gold-standard automated clinical instruments, with excellent
      agreement between the two methods as determined by a Bland-Altman analysis.
      Accuracy of counts on body fluids was consistent with hand counting by a trained
      clinical lab scientist, where our instrument demonstrated an approximately 100
      fold lower limit of detection compared to current automated methods. The
      combination of a compact, custom-built instrument, simple sample collection and
      preparation, and automated analysis demonstrates that this approach could benefit
      global health through use in low-resource settings where central hematology
      laboratories are not accessible. 

PMID- 26496236
TI  - Dementia worry and its relationship to dementia exposure, psychological factors,
      and subjective memory concerns.
AB  - With increased societal awareness of dementia, older adults show increased
      concern about developing dementia, leading to misidentification of aging-related
      cognitive glitches as signs of dementia. While some researchers have suggested
      self-reported cognitive concerns accurately identify older adults with early
      signs of dementia, there is evidence that subjective cognitive decline is not
      associated with objective cognitive performance and instead reflects
      psychological factors consistent with models of health anxiety, including
      dementia worry. We examined the construct of dementia worry and its relationship
      to subjective memory concerns in 100 older adults (Mage = 69 years) without signs
      of dementia, using a recently developed measure of dementia worry. Consistent
      with hypotheses, dementia worry was related to exposure to dementia, having a
      high number of depressive or general worry symptoms, and having more memory
      concerns. Exposure to dementia moderated the relationship of dementia worry to
      depression and general worry. Furthermore, dementia worry moderated the
      relationship of objective memory impairment to subjective memory ratings. The
      results provide further evidence of the role of psychological factors such as
      dementia worry in subjective memory report and emphasize the need for objective
      cognitive testing before making determinations about dementia in older adults
      expressing memory concerns. 

PMID- 26496238
TI  - Radical Cyclization Followed by the Fragmentation of Carbonyl Compounds: Effect
      of an alpha-Benzoyl Group.
AB  - To study a recently developed radical cyclization reaction followed by a
      fragmentation process in more detail, a series of alpha-benzoyl carbonyl
      compounds were prepared, including precursors with aldehyde and ketone moieties.
      Initiated by tributyltin hydride and AIBN, radical cyclization followed by
      fragmentation proceeded to give the desired carbonyl translocation products in 4
      benzoyl-5-pentanal, 4-benzoyl-5-pentanone, 5-benzoyl-6-hexanal, and 5-benzoyl-6
      hexanone radical systems. In comparison with early reports on radical cyclization
      reactions of alpha-oxy carbonyl compounds, neither a geminal dialkyl effect nor a
      conformationally rigid system was required to give the desired carbonyl
      translocation products. This effect clearly proves that a benzoyl group serves as
      a protecting group in these radical processes, which not only enhances
      cyclization efficiency but also increases the rate of the fragmentation step,
      eventually producing the desired carbonyl translocation products. These
      observations provide an alternative point of view in the field of radical
      cyclization reactions. Since the fragmentation step could be enhanced by
      appropriately positioning an alpha-benzoyl group, these four radical processes
      could be used to convert the naturally occurring d-sugars, such as d-pentoses and
      d-hexoses, into rare deoxy-l-sugars. Furthermore, a cascade radical process
      involving radical cyclization and fragmentation followed by addition to the
      allyltin reagent was developed and is reported herein. 

PMID- 26496237
TI  - Calcium-dependent antigen binding as a novel modality for antibody recycling by
      endosomal antigen dissociation.
AB  - The pH-dependent antigen binding antibody, termed a recycling antibody, has
      recently been reported as an attractive type of second-generation engineered
      therapeutic antibody. A recycling antibody can dissociate antigen in the acidic
      endosome, and thus bind to its antigen multiple times. As a consequence, a
      recycling antibody can neutralize large amounts of antigen in plasma. Because
      this approach relies on histidine residues to achieve pH-dependent antigen
      binding, which could limit the epitopes that can be targeted and affect the rate
      of antigen dissociation in the endosome, we explored an alternative approach for
      generating recycling antibodies. Since calcium ion concentration is known to be
      lower in endosome than in plasma, we hypothesized that an antibody with antigen
      binding properties that are calcium-dependent could be used as recycling
      antibody. Here, we report a novel anti-interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) antibody,
      identified from a phage library that binds to IL-6R only in the presence of a
      calcium ion. Thermal dynamics and a crystal structure study revealed that the
      calcium ion binds to the heavy chain CDR3 region (HCDR3), which changes and
      possibly stabilizes the structure of HCDR3 to make it bind to antigen calcium
      dependently (PDB 5AZE). In vitro and in vivo studies confirmed that this calcium
      dependent antigen-binding antibody can dissociate its antigen in the endosome and
      accelerate antigen clearance from plasma, making it a novel approach for
      generating recycling antibody. 

PMID- 26496239
TI  - Novel strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac amyloidosis.
AB  - Systemic amyloidoses are rare, complex diseases caused by misfolding of
      autologous protein. The presence of heart involvement is the most important
      prognostic determinant. The diagnosis of amyloid cardiac involvement relies on
      echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging, while scintigraphy with bone
      tracers is helpful in differentiating light chain amyloidosis from other types of
      amyloidosis involving the heart. Although these diseases are fatal, effective
      treatments exist that can alter their natural history, provided that they are
      started before irreversible cardiac damage has occurred. Refined diagnostic
      techniques, accurate patients' stratification based on biomarkers of cardiac
      dysfunction, the availability of novel, more powerful drugs, and ultimately, the
      unveiling of the cellular mechanisms of cardiac damage created a favorable
      environment for a dramatic improvement in the treatment of this disease that we
      expect in the next few years. 

PMID- 26496240
TI  - Plasma hepcidin in early-stage breast cancer patients: no relationship with
      interleukin-6, erythropoietin and erythroferrone.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hepcidin-25 production is stimulated by systemic inflammation, and it
      interferes with iron utilization, leading to anemia. This study aimed to
      investigate the relationships between the plasma levels of hepcidin, interleukin
      6 (IL-6), erythropoietin (EPO) and erythroferrone (ERFE) in patients with benign
      breast disease or cancer. METHODS: Plasma samples from a cohort of 131 patients
      (47 with benign breast disease and 84 with breast cancer) were subjected to the
      evaluation of hepcidin, IL-6, EPO and ERFE using SELDI-TOF-MS or immunoassays.
      RESULTS: An elevated hepcidin was observed in malignant breast tumors compared to
      benign ones. No correlation was observed between hepcidin and IL-6, EPO or ERFE.
      CONCLUSION: Since the study included a cohort of patients (87%) with breast
      cancers smaller than 2 cm, these results may support our previous evidence about
      the potential role of hepcidin in breast cancer disease.

PMID- 26496241
TI  - Prevalence and Characteristics of Duodenal Villous Atrophy in Renal Transplant
      Patients Presenting With Persistent Diarrhea in a Developing Country.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Persistent diarrhea is a common complication after solid-organ
      transplant, including kidney transplant. Data on duodenal villous atrophy as a
      cause of persistent diarrhea in renal transplant recipients are scarce. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective analysis of 207 patients who received
      renal transplants from 2009 to 2012 with persistent diarrhea and who underwent
      upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and duodenal biopsies. Duodenal biopsies were
      examined for duodenal villous atrophy. Age, sex, transplant duration, and drugs
      were compared between patients with and without duodenal villous atrophy. After
      exclusion of known causes of duodenal villous atrophy, a 3-month course of
      antibiotics was given and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Of 207 renal
      transplant recipients, 104 patients (49.8%) displayed duodenal villous atrophy.
      Of these, 92 (88.5%) were male patients. The mean age of patients with duodenal
      villous atrophy was 34.9 +/- 10.3 years. The mean onset of persistent diarrhea in
      DVA-positive patients posttransplant was 2.16 +/- 0.8 years. Celiac disease
      serology was positive in 18 (17.3) patients. Giardiasis was demonstrated in 11
      patients (10.7%), whereas immunoproliferative small intestinal disease was shown
      in 7 patients (6.8%). The remaining 68 patients (65.38%) received antibiotics,
      with 50 recipients (74.6%) showing complete response, although 13 of these
      patients (26%) relapsed. Among the remaining 18 patients (26.47%), 9 (50%) had
      other causes and 9 (50%) had no cause found. Isoniazid prophylaxis showed
      statistically significant negative association with duodenal villous atrophy.
      CONCLUSIONS: Duodenal villous atrophy is highly prevalent in renal transplant
      recipients irrespective of age, sex, and posttransplant duration. We found
      tropical sprue, giardiasis, immunoproliferative small intestinal disease, and
      celiac disease to be important causes of duodenal villous atrophy. Therefore,
      duodenal biopsy is recommended in renal transplant recipients with persistent
      diarrhea.

PMID- 26496242
TI  - Evaluation of Improved Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3alpha Inhibitors in Models of
      Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
AB  - The challenge for glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) inhibitor design lies in
      achieving high selectivity for one isoform over the other. The therapy of certain
      diseases, such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML), may require alpha-isoform
      specific targeting. The scorpion shaped GSK-3 inhibitors developed by our group
      achieved the highest GSK-3alpha selectivity reported so far but suffered from
      insufficient aqueous solubility. This work presents the solubility-driven
      optimization of our isoform-selective inhibitors using a scorpion shaped lead.
      Among 15 novel compounds, compound 27 showed high activity against GSK
      3alpha/beta with the highest GSK-3alpha selectivity reported to date. Compound 27
      was profiled for bioavailability and toxicity in a zebrafish embryo phenotype
      assay. Selective GSK-3alpha targeting in AML cell lines was achieved with
      compound 27, resulting in a strong differentiation phenotype and colony formation
      impairment, confirming the potential of GSK-3alpha inhibition in AML therapy. 

PMID- 26496243
TI  - Coupling of Ag Nanoparticle with Inverse Opal Photonic Crystals as a Novel
      Strategy for Upconversion Emission Enhancement of NaYF4: Yb(3+), Er(3+)
      Nanoparticles.
AB  - Rare-earth-ion-doped upconversion (UC) nanoparticles have generated considerable
      interest because of their potential application in solar cells, biological
      labeling, therapeutics, and imaging. However, the applications of UC
      nanoparticles were still limited because of their low emission efficiency.
      Photonic crystals and noble metal nanoparticles are applied extensively to
      enhance the UC emission of rare earth ions. In the present work, a novel
      substrate consisting of inverse opal photonic crystals and Ag nanoparticles was
      prepared by the template-assisted method, which was used to enhance the UC
      emission of NaYF4: Yb(3+), Er(3+) nanoparticles. The red or green UC emissions of
      NaYF4: Yb(3+), Er(3+) nanoparticles were selectively enhanced on the inverse opal
      substrates because of the Bragg reflection of the photonic band gap.
      Additionally, the UC emission enhancement of NaYF4: Yb(3+), Er(3+) nanoparticles
      induced by the coupling of metal nanoparticle plasmons and photonic crystal
      effects was realized on the Ag nanoparticles included in the inverse opal
      substrate. The present results demonstrated that coupling of Ag nanoparticle with
      inverse opal photonic crystals provides a useful strategy to enhance UC emission
      of rare-earth-ion-doped nanoparticles. 

PMID- 26496244
TI  - Intrinsically Microporous Polymer Retains Porosity in Vacuum Thermolysis to
      Electroactive Heterocarbon.
AB  - Vacuum carbonization of organic precursors usually causes considerable structural
      damage and collapse of morphological features. However, for a polymer with
      intrinsic microporosity (PIM-EA-TB with a Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface
      area of 1027 m(2)g(-1)), it is shown here that the rigidity of the molecular
      backbone is retained even during 500  degrees C vacuum carbonization, yielding a
      novel type of microporous heterocarbon (either as powder or as thin film
      membrane) with properties between those of a conducting polymer and those of a
      carbon. After carbonization, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) morphology
      and the small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) Guinier radius remain largely
      unchanged as does the cumulative pore volume. However, the BET surface area is
      decreased to 242 m(2)g(-1), but microporosity is considerably increased. The new
      material is shown to exhibit noticeable electrochemical features including two pH
      dependent capacitance domains switching from ca. 33 Fg(-1) (when oxidized) to ca.
      147 Fg(-1) (when reduced), a low electron transfer reactivity toward oxygen and
      hydrogen peroxide, and a four-point-probe resistivity (dry) of approximately 40
      MOmega/square for a 1-2 MUm thick film. 

PMID- 26496245
TI  - Development of A Multidimensional Scale to Assess Attitudinal Determinants of
      Sanitation Uptake and Use.
AB  - Over 1 billion people still practice open defecation. Low uptake and use of new
      sanitation technologies in a number of settings has underscored our current
      limited understanding of the complex attitudinal factors that influence a
      household's decision to adopt and use new sanitation technologies. Mokken scaling
      techniques were applied to series of population-based surveys in Odisha, India
      between September 2011 and October 2013 (sample sizes 120, 500, 2200). Surveys
      contained simple, agree/disagree statements about attitudes toward sanitation use
      and sanitation technologies. Analysis produced two scales-a 10-question General
      Scale, reflecting attitudes toward defecation and norms regarding latrine use for
      all respondents, and a 6-question Experiential Scale, reflecting personal
      experiences with and perceived convenience of sanitation technologies targeted at
      respondents with a latrine. Among all respondents, a one-point change in the
      General Scale was associated with a 5-percentage point change in the marginal
      probability of having access to a functioning latrine. Among respondents with a
      functional latrine at home, a one-point increase in the General and Experiential
      Scales were associated with a 4- and 8-percentage point decrease in the
      probability of engaging in any open defecation in the last 7 days, respectively. 

PMID- 26496246
TI  - Effects of Sample Size and Dimensionality on the Performance of Four Algorithms
      for Inference of Association Networks in Metabonomics.
AB  - We investigated the effect of sample size and dimensionality on the performance
      of four algorithms (ARACNE, CLR, CORR, and PCLRC) when they are used for the
      inference of metabolite association networks. We report that as many as 100-400
      samples may be necessary to obtain stable network estimations, depending on the
      algorithm and the number of measured metabolites. The CLR and PCLRC methods
      produce similar results, whereas network inference based on correlations provides
      sparse networks; we found ARACNE to be unsuitable for this application, being
      unable to recover the underlying metabolite association network. We recommend the
      PCLRC algorithm for the inference on metabolite association networks. 

PMID- 26496247
TI  - Pediatric Patients with Vitiligo in Eastern China: Abnormalities in 145 Cases
      Based on Thyroid Function Tests and Immunological Findings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate abnormalities in thyroid
      function according to tests and the humoral immune systems of patients from
      Eastern China with pediatric vitiligo. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 145
      pediatric patients with vitiligo were investigated in this study, along with 59
      children without autoimmune diseases as controls. Laboratory tests of thyroid
      function were conducted, and these tests examined free triiodothyronine (FT3),
      free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroglobulin antibody
      (TG-Ab), thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO-Ab), antinuclear antibodies (ANAs),
      immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, and IgG), and complements (C3 and C4). RESULTS: A
      total of 63 patients (43.4%), including 39 boys (44.3%) and 24 girls (42.1%),
      displayed abnormalities in thyroid function according to the tests. This finding
      indicated that patients with vitiligo differed significantly from those in the
      control group (P<0.001), particularly in terms of FT3 and TSH abnormalities
      (P<0.05). However, these groups did not deviate significantly with respect to
      FT4, Tg-Ab, and TPO-Ab abnormalities (P>0.05). Thirteen patients (8.9%) and 1
      (1.7%) control were positive for ANA. All 12 specific antibodies were detected in
      8 patients. Anti-SSA/Ro-60 and anti-SSA/Ro-52 were the most prevalent antibodies,
      followed by anti-dsDNA and then by anti-SmD1 and CENB-P. The serum levels of IgA
      and IgG decreased more significantly in the vitiligo group than in the control
      group (P<0.001). However, no significant difference was observed in terms of IgM
      levels (P>0.05). C4 serum levels also decreased more significantly in the
      vitiligo group than in the control group (P=0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest
      that the incidence of abnormalities in the thyroid functions of children and
      adolescents is significantly higher in those with vitiligo than that in those in
      the control group. In addition, immunological dysfunction is common in the
      vitiligo group.

PMID- 26496248
TI  - Matrix Effect of Human Reconstructed Epidermis on the Chemoselectivity of a Skin
      Sensitizing alpha-Methylene-gamma-Butyrolactone: Consequences for the Development
      of in Chemico Alternative Methods.
AB  - Adoption of new legislations and social pressure are pushing toward the
      development of alternative methods to the use of animals for the assessment of
      most toxicological end-points including skin sensitization. To that respect, much
      efforts have been put in the first step of the adverse outcome pathway focusing
      on chemical interactions taking place between sensitizing chemicals or haptens
      and epidermal proteins. However, these in chemico approaches have been so far
      only based on the use of model nucleophiles, amino acids, peptides, or proteins
      in water/buffer solution and focused mainly on thiol reactivity. These studies
      even if bringing a valuable set of information are very far from reflecting
      chemical interactions that may happen between a xenobiotic and nucleophiles
      present in a complex heterogeneous tissue such as the epidermis. Recently, we
      have shown that using a high-resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) nuclear
      magnetic resonance (NMR) technique it was possible to characterize chemical
      interactions taking place between a skin sensitizer and nucleophilic amino acids
      present in a 3-D reconstructed human epidermis (RHE). We have now compared the
      chemical reactivity and chemoselectivity of a sensitizing alpha-methylene-gamma
      butyrolactone toward human serum albumin used as a model protein and RHE. Using
      this technique, we showed that amino acid modifications by this hapten was
      different according to the model used and that in RHE histidine residues seem to
      have an important role in the formation of adducts. Obviously, the role of
      histidine in the induction of skin sensitization has been so far neglected and
      should probably be taken into account for the refinement of in chemico approaches
      for the detection and potency classification of skin sensitizers. 

PMID- 26496249
TI  - Deletion of Rac in Mature Osteoclasts Causes Osteopetrosis, an Age-Dependent
      Change in Osteoclast Number, and a Reduced Number of Osteoblasts In Vivo.
AB  - Rac1 and Rac2 are thought to have important roles in osteoclasts. Therefore, mice
      with deletion of both Rac1 and Rac2 in mature osteoclasts (DKO) were generated by
      crossing Rac1(flox/flox) mice with mice expressing Cre in the cathepsin K locus
      and then mating these animals with Rac2(-/-) mice. DKO mice had markedly impaired
      tooth eruption. Bone mineral density (BMD) was increased 21% to 33% in 4- to 6
      week-old DKO mice at all sites when measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
      (DXA) and serum cross-linked C-telopeptide (CTx) was reduced by 52%. The amount
      of metaphyseal trabecular bone was markedly increased in DKO mice, but the
      cortices were very thin. Spinal trabecular bone mass was increased.
      Histomorphometry revealed significant reductions in both osteoclast and
      osteoblast number and function in 4- to 6-week-old DKO animals. In 14- to 16-week
      old animals, osteoclast number was increased, although bone density was further
      increased. DKO osteoclasts had severely impaired actin ring formation, an
      impaired ability to generate acid, and reduced resorptive activity in vitro. In
      addition, their life span ex vivo was reduced. DKO osteoblasts expressed normal
      differentiation markers except for the expression of osterix, which was reduced.
      The DKO osteoblasts mineralized normally in vitro, indicating that the in vivo
      defect in osteoblast function was not cell autonomous. Confocal imaging
      demonstrated focal disruption of the osteocytic dendritic network in DKO cortical
      bone. Despite these changes, DKO animals had a normal response to treatment with
      once-daily parathyroid hormone (PTH). We conclude that Rac1 and Rac2 have
      critical roles in skeletal metabolism.

PMID- 26496251
TI  - Correction: Induction of TLR-2 and TLR-5 Expression by Helicobacter pylori
      Switches cagPAI-Dependent Signalling Leading to the Secretion of IL-8 and TNF
      alpha.

PMID- 26496250
TI  - Decreased Phototoxic Effects of TiO2 Nanoparticles in Consortium of Bacterial
      Isolates from Domestic Waste Water.
AB  - This study is aimed to explore the toxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles at low
      concentrations (0.25, 0.50 & 1.00 MUg/ml); on five bacterial isolates and their
      consortium in waste water medium both in dark and UVA conditions. To critically
      examine the toxic effects of nanoparticles and the response mechanism(s) offered
      by microbes, several aspects were monitored viz. cell viability, ROS generation,
      SOD activity, membrane permeability, EPS release and biofilm formation. A dose
      and time dependent loss in viability was observed for treated isolates and the
      consortium. At the highest dose, after 24h, oxidative stress was examined which
      conclusively showed more ROS generation & cell permeability and less SOD activity
      in single isolates as compared to the consortium. As a defense mechanism, EPS
      release was enhanced in case of the consortium against the single isolates, and
      was observed to be dose dependent. Similar results were noticed for biofilm
      formation, which substantially increased at highest dose of nanoparticle
      exposure. Concluding, the consortium showed more resistance against the toxic
      effects of the TiO2 nanoparticles compared to the individual isolates. 

PMID- 26496252
TI  - Neoadjuvant Therapy of DOF Regimen Plus Bevacizumab Can Increase Surgical
      Resection Ratein Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Randomized, Controlled Study.
AB  - Locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) is best treated with surgical resection.
      Bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy has shown promising results in
      treating advanced gastric cancer. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy using the docetaxel/oxaliplatin/5-FU (DOF) regimen and
      bevacizumab in LAGC patients.Eighty LAGC patients were randomized to receive DOF
      alone (n = 40) or DOF plus bevacizumab (n = 40) as neoadjuvant therapy before
      surgery. The lesions were evaluated at baseline and during treatment. Circulating
      tumor cells (CTCs) were counted using the FISH test. Patients were followed up
      for 3 years to analyze the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival
      (OS).The total response rate was significantly higher in the DOF plus bevacizumab
      group than the DOF group (65% vs 42.5%, P = 0.0436). The addition of bevacizumab
      significantly increased the surgical resection rate and the R0 resection rate (P
      < 0.05). The DOF plus bevacizumab group showed significantly greater reduction in
      CTC counts after neoadjuvant therapy in comparison with the DOF group (P =
      0.0335). Although the DOF plus bevacizumab group had significantly improved DFS
      than the DOF group (15.2 months vs 12.3 months, P = 0.013), the 2 groups did not
      differ significantly in OS (17.6 +/- 1.8 months vs 16.4 +/- 1.9 months, P =
      0.776. Cox proportional model analysis showed that number of metastatic lymph
      nodes, CTC reduction, R0 resection, and neoadjuvant therapy are independent
      prognostic factors for patients with LAGC.Neoadjuvant of DOF regimen plus
      bevacizumab can improve the R0 resection rate and DFS in LAGC. These beneficial
      effects might be associated with the reduction in CTC counts.

PMID- 26496253
TI  - Increased Causal Connectivity Related to Anatomical Alterations as Potential
      Endophenotypes for Schizophrenia.
AB  - Anatomical and functional abnormalities in the cortico-cerebellar-thalamo
      cortical circuit have been observed in schizophrenia patients and their
      unaffected siblings. However, it remains unclear to the relationship between
      anatomical and functional abnormalities within this circuit in schizophrenia
      patients and their unaffected siblings, which may serve as potential
      endophenotypes for schizophrenia.Anatomical and resting-state functional magnetic
      resonance imaging data were acquired from 49 first-episode, drug-naive
      schizophrenia patients, 46 unaffected siblings, and 46 healthy controls. Data
      were analyzed by using voxel-based morphometry and Granger causality analysis.The
      patients and the siblings shared anatomical deficits in the left middle temporal
      gyrus (MTG) and increased left MTG-left angular gyrus (AG) connectivity.
      Moreover, the left MTG-left AG connectivity negatively correlates to the duration
      of untreated psychosis in the patients.The findings indicate that anatomical
      deficits in the left MTG and its increased causal connectivity with the left AG
      may serve as potential endophenotypes for schizophrenia with clinical
      implications. 

PMID- 26496254
TI  - Anthropometric Measures of 9- to 10-Year-Old Native Tibetan Children Living at
      3700 and 4300 m Above Sea Level and Han Chinese Living at 3700 m.
AB  - A high residential altitude impacts on the growth of children, and it has been
      suggested that linear growth (height) is more affected than body mass. The aim of
      the present study was to estimate the prevalence of obesity, overweight,
      underweight, and stunting in groups of native Tibetan children living at
      different residential altitudes (3700 vs 4300 m above sea level) and across
      ancestry (native Tibetan vs Han Chinese children living at the same altitude of
      3700 m), as well as to examine the total effect of residential altitude and
      ancestry with stunting.Two cross-sectional studies of 1207 school children aged 9
      to 10 years were conducted in Lhasa in 2005 and Tingri in 2007. Conventional age-
      and sex-specific cutoff values were used for defining underweight, normal weight,
      overweight, or obesity, whereas stunting was defined from sex-specific height-for
      age z-scores (<=-2.0).The prevalence of underweight was high at 36.7% among
      Tingri Tibetan girls and 31.1% in Tingri Tibetan boys. The prevalence was
      statistically significant lower in Lhasa Tibetan girls (20.2%) than in both
      Tingri Tibetan girls and Han Chinese girls (33.7%), with a similar trend seen
      among boys. Severe and moderate stunting were found in 14.6% and 35.7%,
      respectively, of Tingri children, and near null among Han Chinese and native
      Tibetans in Lhasa. In logistic regression analyses, socioeconomic status and diet
      did not substantially change the observed crude association (total effect) (odds
      ratio [OR] = 3.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-10.3) between ancestry and
      stunting. Similarly, adjustment for diet did not alter the crude association
      (direct effect) (OR = 101.3; 95% CI 37.1-276.4) between residential altitude and
      stunting.The prevalence estimates of stunting and underweight were high, and
      clearly higher among native Tibetan children living at a higher residential
      altitude (Tingri) than the lower residential altitude (Lhasa), in addition to
      being higher among Han Chinese children than Tibetan children living at the same
      residential altitude (Lhasa). Thus, physical growth according to age, in terms of
      both height and weight, affected children living at an altitude of 4300 m above
      sea level.

PMID- 26496255
TI  - Proinflammatory Cytokines and Antiskin Autoantibodies in Patients With Inherited
      Epidermolysis Bullosa.
AB  - Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare disorder characterized by inherited skin
      adhesion defects with abnormal disruption of the epidermal-dermal junction in
      response to mechanical trauma. Our aim was to investigate a set of cytokine
      levels in serum samples from patients suffering from epidermolysis bullosa
      simplex (EBS), dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB), and healthy controls
      (HCs), exploring their potential correlations with antiskin autoantibody titers
      and disease activity. Forty patients afferent to the Dermatological Ward of Bari
      City Hospital and 9 HCs were enrolled and subdivided according to the dystrophic
      (DEB) and simplex forms (EBS). We found a significant increase in interleukin
      (IL)-1beta plasmatic levels of DEB (P = 0.0224) and EBS (P = 0.0465) patients
      compared to HCs; IL-6 levels were significantly higher in DEB than in EBS
      patients (P = 0.0004) or HCs (P = 0.0474); IL-2 levels were significantly
      increased in DEB compared with EBS (P = 0.0428). Plasmatic tumor necrosis factor
      beta and interferon-gamma were higher in DEB patients than in HCs (P = 0.0448 and
      0.0229). Conversely, tumor necrosis factor-alpha was significantly decreased in
      DEB (P = 0.0034). IL-5 correlated with anti-BP180 (r = -0.5018, P = 0.0338), anti
      BP230 (r = -0.6097, P = 0.0122), and anticollagen VII (r = -0.5166, P = 0.0405)
      autoantibodies; interferon-gamma correlated with anti-BP180 (r = 0.9633, P <
      0.0001), anti-BP230 (r = 0.9071, P < 0.0001), and anticollagen VII (r = 0.8619, P
      = 0.0045) autoantibodies. Score of disease severity was significantly correlated
      with IL-6 (r = 0.6941, P = 0.029) and IL-12 (r = 0.5503, P = 0.0272). The present
      study supports that EB might be considered a systemic inflammatory disease rather
      than a skin-limited disorder; clinical disease activity scores could be also
      integrated by laboratory data such as IL-6 and IL-12 dosage; biotherapies
      targeting specific cytokine networks probably represent a way to go in the
      future.

PMID- 26496256
TI  - Association Study between an SNP in CD147 and Its Expression With Acute Coronary
      Syndrome in a Jiangsu Chinese Population.
AB  - CD147 is an important molecule in the inflammation and proteolysis process. This
      molecule crucially contributes to the initial and progression of atherosclerotic
      lesions. A single nucleotide polymorphism in CD147 gene, the rs8259 T/A in the 3'
      untranslated region, is responsible for its expression in various cells. This
      study assessed whether the genetic variation rs8259 is associated with acute
      coronary syndrome (ACS) and CD147. A total of 943 ACS subjects and 439 stable
      angina subjects, and 851 controls were genotyped for rs8259 polymorphism by
      polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA
      sequencing method. Plasma soluble CD147 (sCD147) level was measured by enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay. CD147 mRNA and protein expression in peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells were tested by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction
      and western blot, respectively. We found that TT genotype and T-allele frequency
      of CD147 rs8259 in ACS patients were much lower than the other patient groups.
      Significant difference was not observed between stable angina and controls. CD147
      T allele was negatively related to ACS. ACS patients exhibited the highest CD147
      expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma sCD147 level. The
      plasma sCD147 levels in the culprit vessel were higher than those in the radial
      artery. In ACS patients, AA gene carriers had the highest CD147 levels, whereas
      TT gene carriers had the lowest CD147 levels. Linear regression analysis showed
      that genotypes and disease conditions contributed 49% to the change of the plasma
      CD147 level. These results suggested that the single nucleotide polymorphism of
      CD147 gene rs8259 T/A was associated with ACS susceptibility. Allele T gene may
      decrease the relative risk of suffering from ACS through downregulation of CD147
      expression. 

PMID- 26496257
TI  - Shear Wave Elastography: Is It a Valuable Additive Method to Conventional
      Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Small (<=2 cm) Breast Cancer?
AB  - The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic value of shear wave
      elastography (SWE) added to conventional ultrasound (US) in the diagnosis of
      small (<=2 cm) breast cancer.Among 410 patients who underwent SWE before US
      guided biopsy from June 2012 to June 2013, 171 patients (mean age: 45.17 +/- 9.37
      years) with 177 small (<=2 cm) breast lesions were enrolled in this study.
      Diagnostic performances of each quantitative SWE parameters were calculated by
      receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Performances of conventional US
      and US combined to SWE was also compared. Histologic diagnosis was used as a
      reference standard.Of the 177 lesions, 22 lesions (12.4%) were malignant and 155
      (87.6%) were benign. With respect to conventional US, when a cutoff point between
      category 3 and 4a was used, the Az value was 0.915 (100% sensitivity, 36.8%
      specificity, 18.3% positive predictive value (PPV), and 100% negative predictive
      value (NPV)). All average quantitative elastography values were significantly
      higher in malignant lesions compared to benign lesions (P = 0.001).The Emax value
      with a cutoff of 87.5 kPa had the highest Az value of 0.796 (68.2% sensitivity
      and 87.1% specificity, 42.9% PPV, and 95.1% NPV). Az value of combined data
      (0.861, 95% CI: 0.801, 0.909) was significantly lower than that of conventional
      US alone (P = 0.02). By using an Emax value for downgrading Breast Imaging
      Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category 4a lesions to category 3, 76/94
      category 4a lesions (80.9%) were downgraded. After downgrading, 5 cancers were
      missed and the malignancy rate of category 3 lesions increased from 0% (0/55) to
      3.8% (5/133) (P = 0.01).In conclusion, combined use of SWE and conventional US
      increased the specificity by reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies in
      differential diagnosis of small breast lesions. However, we propose that the
      application of conservative strategy for downgrading of soft category 4a lesions
      would be appropriate to minimize false-negative cases.

PMID- 26496258
TI  - Severe Hypoglycemia Caused by Recurrent Sarcomatoid Carcinoma in the Pelvic
      Cavity: A Case Report.
AB  - Nonislet cell tumor hypoglycemia (NICTH) is a paraneoplastic syndrome
      characterized by persistent, severe hypoglycemia in different tumor types of
      mesochymal or epithelial origin; however, NICTH is infrequently induced by
      sarcomatoid carcinoma (SC). Despite some sarcomatoid and epithelioid
      characteristics in few cases of malignancies from epithelium, NICTH induced by
      recurrent SC in pelvic cavity in this report is extremely rare.We report a case
      in which NICTH caused by recurrence and pulmonary metastases from SC in the
      pelvic cavity, and the computed tomography scan revealed multiple pelvic masses
      and multiple large masses in the pulmonary fields. During the treatment of
      intestinal obstruction, the patient presented paroxysmal loss of consciousness
      and sweating. Her glucose even reached 1.22 mmol/L while the serum glycosylated
      hemoglobin was normal and previous history of diabetes or use of oral
      hypoglycemic agents and insulin denied.The laboratory examination showed that the
      low level of insulin, C-peptide, and growth hormone levels in the course of
      hypoglycemic episodes suggesting to the diagnosis of hypoglycemia induced by
      nonislet cell tumor, and the decreased levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)
      I and IGFBP3 and the high expression of big IGF-II in the serum further confirmed
      the diagnosis of NICTH. Because of the widely pelvic recurrence and pulmonary
      metastases were unresected, the patient was discharged from the hospital after 2
      weeks treatment with dexamethasone and glucose and unfortunately died 1 week
      later.NICTH caused by SC in the pelvic cavity is extremely rare case in clinical.
      The aim of this report was to present the importance to examine big IGF-II
      expression in patient's serum in order to reach the diagnosis of NICTH in cases
      of intractable cancer-associated hypoglycemia.

PMID- 26496259
TI  - Hearing Aid Use and Associated Factors in South Korea.
AB  - Despite the high prevalence of hearing impairment in the elderly, the rate of
      hearing aid use is still low. The objectives of this study were to report the
      nation-wide prevalence of hearing aid use in the Korean population and to
      determine the associated factors with hearing aid use utilizing a nationally
      representative data set.We obtained data from the 2010 to 2012 Korea National
      Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, which were cross-sectional surveys of
      the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the Republic of Korea at age
      >=40 years (N = 12,709). A field survey team performed interviews as well as
      physical examinations. Hearing aid use was assessed using an interviewer
      administered questionnaire and pure-tone audiometry was administered for all
      participants in a sound-attenuating booth. Prevalence of hearing aid acquisition
      and regular use were calculated in participants who reported perceived hearing
      loss and who have bilateral hearing thresholds exceeding the 40 dB hearing level.
      Multivariable analyses were used to examine the associated factors with hearing
      aid use.The prevalence of hearing aid acquisition and regular use was 17.4% and
      12.6%, respectively, in South Korea. Increased hearing threshold (OR 1.05, 95% CI
      1.03-1.07), severe perceived hearing loss (OR 10.73, 95% CI 4.52-25.46), annoying
      tinnitus (OR 3.30, 95% CI 1.61-6.74), balance problems (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.18
      0.86), and myopia (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.12-0.76) were associated factors of regular
      use of hearing aids.The prevalence of hearing aid use in Korea is relatively low.
      Finding relevant factors of hearing aid use could provide further insight in
      setting up hearing-rehabilitation strategy for the elderly with significant
      hearing loss.

PMID- 26496260
TI  - Pyogenic Sacroiliitis in a 13-Month-Old Child: A Case Report and Literature
      Review.
AB  - Pyogenic sacroiliitis is exceptional in very young children. Diagnosis is
      difficult because clinical examination is misleading. FABER test is rarely
      helpful in very young children. Inflammatory syndrome is frequent. Bone
      scintigraphy and MRI are very sensitive for the diagnosis. Joint fluid aspiration
      and blood cultures are useful to identify the pathogen. Appropriate antibiotic
      therapy provides rapid regression of symptoms and healing. We report the case of
      pyogenic sacroiliitis in a 13-month-old child.Clinical, biological, and imaging
      data of this case were reviewed and reported retrospectively.A 13-month-old girl
      consulted for decreased weight bearing without fever or trauma. Clinical
      examination was not helpful. There was an inflammatory syndrome. Bone
      scintigraphy found a sacroiliitis, confirmed on MRI. Aspiration of the sacroiliac
      joint was performed. Empiric intravenous biantibiotic therapy was started.
      Patient rapidly recovered full weight bearing. On the 5th day, clinical
      examination and biological analysis returned to normal. Intravenous antibiotic
      therapy was switched for oral. One month later, clinical examination and
      biological analysis were normal and antibiotic therapy was stopped.Hematogenous
      osteoarticular infections are common in children but pyogenic sacroiliitis is
      rare and mainly affects older children. Diagnosis can be difficult because
      clinical examination is poor. Moreover, limping and decreased weight bearing are
      very common reasons for consultation. This may delay the diagnosis or refer
      misdiagnosis. Bone scintigraphy is useful to locate a bone or joint disease
      responsible for limping. In this observation, bone scintigraphy located the
      infection at the sacroiliac joint. Given the young age, MRI was performed to
      confirm the diagnosis. Despite the very young age of the patient, symptoms
      rapidly disappeared with appropriate antibiotic therapy.We report the case of
      pyogenic sacroiliitis in a 13-month-old child. It reminds the risk of
      misdiagnosing pyogenic sacroiliitis in children because it is exceptional and
      clinical examination is rarely helpful. It also highlights the usefulness of bone
      scintigraphy and MRI in osteoarticular infections in children. 

PMID- 26496261
TI  - BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism on Functional MRI During n-Back Working Memory Tasks.
AB  - Val66Met polymorphism on the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene is
      associated with hippocampal pathology and impaired episodic memory. However, the
      influence of this polymorphism on working memory (WM) performance and patterns of
      brain activation is controversial. This study investigated the effects of BDNF
      Val66Met polymorphism on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during n
      back WM tasks in healthy middle-aged adults.A total of 110 participants without
      subjective or objective cognitive impairment underwent BDNF genotyping. Eleven
      Met allele carriers and 9 noncarriers underwent fMRI during WM tasks.The WM
      performance was similar between the 2 groups. Increased brain activation in
      response to increases in WM loads was observed in both groups. The Met allele
      carrier group showed consistently lower brain activation in the right superior
      frontal gyrus (SFG) and the middle occipital gyrus than that of the noncarrier
      group (P < 0.001). No brain region showed increased activation during WM tasks in
      the Met allele group.BDNF Val66Met polymorphism may affect the WM network. Met
      allele carriers have lower brain activation in the right SFG and middle occipital
      gyrus than do noncarriers during WM tasks. Defective development of the WM
      network during brain maturation or differentiation is a possible mechanism.
      Additional studies with a larger sample and longer follow-up period are
      warranted.

PMID- 26496262
TI  - Case Report: Human Bocavirus Associated Pneumonia as Cause of Acute Injury,
      Cologne, Germany.
AB  - Although the human bocavirus (HBoV) is known since a decade, limited information
      about its pathogenesis is available due to the lack of an animal model. Thus,
      clinical cases and studies are the major source of novel information about the
      course of infection and the related pathophysiology.In this context, a clinical
      case of an adult patient suffering from severe HBoV-pneumonia is described that
      was associated with loss of consciousness followed by acute rib fracture and
      subsequent neurological disorder.Following initial global respiratory dysfunction
      the clinical respiratory symptoms recovered but the neurological symptoms
      maintained after weaning and intensive care in the stroke unit. During the
      initial phase, an acute active HBoV infection was confirmed by positive
      polymerase chain reactions from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum.The case
      further demonstrates that HBoV can cause severe pneumonia, induce secondary
      disease also in adults, and may be associated with neurological symptoms as
      previously assumed. 

PMID- 26496263
TI  - Risk Factors for Autoimmune Diseases Development After Thrombotic
      Thrombocytopenic Purpura.
AB  - Autoimmune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) can be associated with other
      autoimmune disorders, but their prevalence following autoimmune TTP remains
      unknown. To assess the prevalence of autoimmune disorders associated with TTP and
      to determine risk factors for and the time course of the development of an
      autoimmune disorder after a TTP episode, we performed a cross sectional study.
      Two-hundred sixty-one cases of autoimmune TTP were included in the French
      Reference Center registry between October, 2000 and May, 2009. Clinical and
      laboratory data available at time of TTP diagnosis were recovered. Each center
      was contacted to collect the more recent data and diagnosis criteria for
      autoimmunity. Fifty-six patients presented an autoimmune disorder in association
      with TTP, 9 years before TTP (median; min: 2 yr, max: 32 yr) (26 cases), at the
      time of TTP diagnosis (17 cases) or during follow-up (17 cases), up to 12 years
      after TTP diagnosis (mean, 22 mo). The most frequent autoimmune disorder reported
      was systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (26 cases) and Sjogren syndrome (8 cases).
      The presence of additional autoimmune disorders had no impact on outcomes of an
      acute TTP or the occurrence of relapse. Two factors evaluated at TTP diagnosis
      were significantly associated with the development of an autoimmune disorder
      during follow-up: the presence of antidouble stranded (ds)DNA antibodies (hazard
      ratio (HR): 4.98; 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.64-15.14]) and anti-SSA
      antibodies (HR: 9.98; 95% CI [3.59-27.76]). A follow-up across many years is
      necessary after an acute TTP, especially when anti-SSA or anti-dsDNA antibodies
      are present on TTP diagnosis, to detect autoimmune disorders early before
      immunologic events spread to prevent disabling complications. 

PMID- 26496264
TI  - Association Between Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables and Risk of Colorectal
      Adenoma: A PRISMA-Compliant Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.
AB  - There have been contradictory results about the association of fruits and
      vegetables intake with colorectal adenoma (CRA) risk, the precursor lesion of
      colorectal cancer. Herein, we have conducted a meta-analysis of the published
      observational studies to have a clear understanding about this
      association.Eligible studies up to November 30, 2014, were identified and
      retrieved by searching MEDLINE and EMBASE databases along with the manual review
      of the reference list of the retrieved studies. The quality of the included
      studies was evaluated using Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale, and random
      effects model was used to calculate summary relative risk (SRR) and corresponding
      95% confidence interval (CI).A total of 22 studies involving 11,696 CRA subjects
      were part of this meta-analysis. The SRR for the highest versus the lowest intake
      of vegetables alone was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.80-1.02, Pheterogeneity = 0.025), whereas
      for vegetables and fruits combined, it was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.75-0.91,
      Pheterogeneity = 0.369), and for fruits alone, it was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.71-0.88,
      Pheterogeneity = 0.111). In addition, linear dose-response analysis also showed
      similar results, for example, for per 100 g/d increment of fruits, the SRR was
      0.94 (95% CI: 0.92-0.97) and for vegetables it was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.96-1.01).
      Nonlinear association was only observed for vegetables (Pnonlinearity = 0.024),
      but not for fruits (Pnonlinearity = 0.583).Thus, this meta-analysis suggested
      that fruits consumption have a significant protective effect on CRA risk, but not
      vegetables. Moreover, we recommend additional studies with prospective designs
      that use validated questionnaires and control for important confounders to
      further validate the overall results.

PMID- 26496265
TI  - Double-Blind Randomized Trial of Pirfenidone in Chinese Idiopathic Pulmonary
      Fibrosis Patients.
AB  - Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) lacks effective treatment. Pirfenidone has
      been used to treat IPF patients. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) exerts antioxidant and
      antifibrotic effects on IPF cases.This study is a double-blind, modified placebo
      controlled, randomized phase II trial of pirfenidone in Chinese IPF patients. We
      randomly assigned the enrolled Chinese IPF patients with mild to moderate
      impairment of pulmonary function to receive either oral pirfenidone (1800 mg per
      day) and NAC (1800 mg per day) or placebo and NAC (1800 mg per day) for 48 weeks.
      The primary endpoints were the changes in forced vital capacity (FVC) and walking
      distance and the lowest SPO2 during the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) at week 48. The
      key secondary endpoint was the progression-free survival time. This study is
      registered in ClinicalTrials.gov as number NCT01504334.Eighty-six patients were
      screened, and 76 cases were enrolled (pirfenidone + NAC: 38; placebo + NAC: 38).
      The effect of pirfenidone treatment was significant at the 24th week, but this
      effect did not persist to the 48th week. At the 24th week, the mean decline in
      both FVC and DeltaSPO2 (%) during the 6MWT in the pirfenidone group was lower
      than that in the control group (-0.08 +/- 0.20 L vs -0.22 +/- 0.29 L, P = 0.02
      and -3.44% +/- 4.51% vs -6.29% +/- 6.06%, P = 0.03, respectively). However, there
      was no significant difference between these 2 groups at the 48th week (-0.15 +/-
      0.25 L vs -0.25 +/- 0.28 L, P = 0.11 and -4.25% +/- 7.27% vs -5.31% +/- 5.49%, P
      = 0.51, respectively). The pirfenidone treatment group did not achieve the
      maximal distance difference on the 6MWT at either the 24th or the 48th week. But
      pirfenidone treatment prolonged the progression-free survival time in the IPF
      patients (hazard ratio = 1.88, 95% confidence interval: 1.092-3.242, P = 0.02).
      In the pirfenidone group, the adverse event (AE) rate (52.63%) was higher than
      that in the control group (26.3%, P = 0.03). Rash was more common in the
      pirfenidone group (39.5% vs 13.2%, P = 0.02).Compared with placebo combined with
      high-dose NAC, pirfenidone combined with high-dose NAC prolonged the progression
      free survival of Chinese IPF patients with mild to moderate impairment of
      pulmonary function. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01504334).

PMID- 26496266
TI  - Association Between the Body Mass Index and Prostate Cancer at Biopsy is Modified
      by Genetic Risk: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in China.
AB  - Herein, we aimed to examine whether the association of body mass index (BMI) with
      prostate cancer (PCa) at biopsy differs according to genetic susceptibility.In a
      multicenter prospective cohort including 1120 men undergoing diagnostic prostate
      biopsy in China, we evaluated the interaction between BMI and genetic risk score
      (GRS) comprising 24 PCa-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), as
      well as a GRS consisting of 7 SNPs derived from an East-Asian population. The
      genetic risk was defined as low, intermediate, or high when GRS fell in the
      first, second, and third tertiles, respectively.We observed a significant
      interaction between BMI and PCa GRS (Pinteraction = 0.047), suggesting that the
      predictive value of BMI on PCa was strongly modified by genetic susceptibility.
      In men with high genetic risk, BMI was an independent predictor of PCa (odds
      ratio [OR] = 1.167, P = 0.008) after adjusting for conventional risk factors. The
      relationship between BMI and PCa risk diminished (P = 0.990) in men with low
      genetic risk. The interaction was more pronounced with the East-Asian GRS
      (Pinteraction = 0.032), suggesting that the overall GRS interaction most likely
      occurs through genetic susceptibility in the East-Asian population.Our results
      suggest that the predictive effect of BMI on the PCa risk is strongly modified by
      individual genetic susceptibility. The association is more positive among men
      with high genetic risk for PCa.

PMID- 26496267
TI  - Relationship Between Myo-Inositol Supplementary and Gestational Diabetes
      Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - To determine whether myo-inositol supplement will increase the action of
      endogenous insulin, which is mainly measured by markers of insulin resistance
      such as homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance.PubMed, Cochrane
      Library, Embase, and web of science were comprehensively searched using
      "gestational diabetes mellitus" and "myo-inositol" to identify relevant studies.
      Both subject headings and free texts were adopted. The methodological quality of
      the included studies were assessed and pooled analyzed by the methods recommended
      by the Cochrane collaboration.A total of 5 trials containing 513 participants
      were included. There was a significant reduction in aspects of gestational
      diabetes incidence (risk ratio [RR], 0.29; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.19
      0.44), birth weight (mean difference [MD], -116.98; 95% CI, -208.87 to -25.09),
      fasting glucose oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) (MD, -0.36; 95% CI, -0.51 to 
      0.21), 1-h glucose OGTT (MD, -0.63; 95% CI, -1.01 to -0.26), 2-h glucose OGTT
      (MD, -0.45; 95% CI, -0.75 to -0.16), and related complications (odds ratio [OR],
      0.28; 95% CI 0.14-0.58).On the basis of current evidence, myo-inositol
      supplementation reduces the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM),
      although this conclusion requires further evaluation in large-scale, multicenter,
      blinded randomized controlled trials. 

PMID- 26496268
TI  - Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Ocular Infection in Taiwan: Clinical
      Features, Genotying, and Antibiotic Susceptibility.
AB  - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is an important
      public health issue. This observational study aimed to characterize clinical
      features, antibiotic susceptibility, and genotypes of ocular infections caused by
      MRSA based on the clinical and molecular definitions of community-associated (CA)
      and healthcare-associated (HA) strains.Fifty-nine patients with culture-proven S
      aureus ocular infection were enrolled from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2011
      at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan. Antibiotic susceptibility was verified
      using disk diffusion/E test. For characterization, staphylococcal cassette
      chromosome mec (SCCmec), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus
      sequence type (MLST), and Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene, were performed.
      MRSA isolates from the patients with HA factors were classified as clinically
      defined HA-MRSA, and those carrying SCCmec type I to III as molecularly defined
      HA-MRSA.Thirty-four patients with MRSA ocular infection were identified. The most
      common clone of CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA isolates was ST59/PFGE type D/SCCmec
      IV,VT/PVL (+) (n = 12) and CC 239/PFGE type A/SCCmec III, IIIA/PVL(-) (n = 10),
      respectively. All the 11 patients with molecularly defined HA-MRSA infections and
      50% of the 22 patients with molecularly defined CA-MRSA infections were found to
      have HA factors (P = .005). CA-MRSA tended to cause lid infections, whereas HA
      MRSA tended to cause corneal infections. Contrary to HA-MRSA isolates, nearly all
      the CA-MRSA isolates were susceptible to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and
      fluoroquinolones under either clinical or molecular classifications.In Taiwan, CA
      MRSA isolates exhibited considerably higher susceptibility to fluoroquinolones
      when compared with HA-MRSA isolates. A strong correlation was observed between
      the HA factors and molecularly defined HA-MRSA isolates.

PMID- 26496269
TI  - Dry Eye in Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study.
AB  - The purpose of this comparative cross-sectional study was to investigate the use
      of standardized clinical tests for dry eye in pediatric patients with active and
      quiet vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) and to compare them with healthy
      children.We recruited 35 active VKC, 35 inactive VKC, and 70 age-matched control
      healthy subjects. Each child underwent a complete eye examination, including
      visual analog scale symptoms assessment, biomicroscopy, fluorescein break-up time
      (BUT), corneal fluorescein and conjunctival lissamine green staining, corneal
      esthesiometry, Schirmer test with anesthetic, and meibomian glands inspection and
      expression.Active VKC patients showed significantly increased symptoms and signs
      of ocular surface disease, compared with the other 2 groups. Inactive VKC
      patients, compared with control subjects, showed increased photophobia (P < 0.05;
      Mann-Whitney U test), conjunctival lissamine green staining and Schirmer test
      values, and reduced BUT and corneal sensitivity [P < 0.05 by analysis of variance
      (ANOVA) least significant difference posthoc test for BUT and Schirmer; P < 0.001
      by Mann-Whitney U test for lissamine green staining and corneal sensitivity].Our
      results confirm the association between VKC and short-BUT dry eye. This syndrome
      seems to affect the ocular surface in quiescent phases too, determining
      abnormalities in tear film stability, epithelial cells integrity, and corneal
      nerves function. The very long-term consequences of this perennial mechanism of
      ocular surface damage have not been fully understood yet.

PMID- 26496270
TI  - Characteristics of Small Intestinal Diseases on Single-Balloon Enteroscopy: A
      Single-Center Study Conducted Over 6 Years in China.
AB  - The small intestine has been considered inaccessible for a long term. The
      development of single-balloon endoscopy has greatly improved the diagnosis and
      treatment possibilities for small intestinal diseases.In this study, we aimed to
      explore the demographic characteristics and small intestinal diseases of patients
      who underwent single-balloon enteroscopy between 2009 and 2014 at our endoscopy
      center. We determined the enteroscopic findings for each small intestinal disease
      and the most susceptible age groups.In total, 186 patients were included in the
      study. Their mean age was 45.87 +/- 15.77 years. Patients who underwent single
      balloon enteroscopy were found to have neoplasms (most common age group: 14-45
      years, most common lesion location: jejunum), lymphoma (46-59 and 60-74 years,
      ileum), protuberant lesions (45-59 years, jejunum), inflammation (14-45 and 46-59
      years, ileum), benign ulcers (14-45 years, jejunum), diverticulum (14-45 years,
      ileum), vascular malformations (60-74 years, jejunum), polyps (14-45 years,
      jejunum), Crohn's disease (14-45 years, jejunum), hookworm infection (14-45
      years, jejunum), lipid pigmentation (14-45 and 46-59 years, jejunum),
      undetermined bleeding (46-59 years, ileum), or undetermined stenosis (31 years,
      duodenum). Each small intestinal disease had distinct enteroscopic findings.

PMID- 26496271
TI  - Diagnostic Potential of Zymogen Granule Glycoprotein 2 Antibodies as Serologic
      Biomarkers in Chinese Patients With Crohn Disease.
AB  - The need for reliable biomarkers for distinguishing Crohn disease (CD) from
      ulcerative colitis (UC) is increasing. This study aimed at evaluating the
      diagnostic potential of anti-GP2 antibodies as a biomarker in Chinese patients
      with CD. In addition, a variety of autoantibodies, including anti-saccharomyces
      cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA), perinuclear anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies
      (PANCA), anti-intestinal goblet cell autoantibodies (GAB), and anti-pancreatic
      autoantibodies (PAB), were evaluated.A total of 91 subjects were prospectively
      enrolled in this study, including 35 patients with CD, 35 patients with UC, 13
      patients with non-IBD gastrointestinal diseases as disease controls (non-IBD DC),
      and 8 healthy controls (HC). The diagnosis of IBD was determined based on the
      Lennard-Jones criteria, and the clinical phenotypes of the IBD patients were
      determined based on the Montreal Classification.Anti-GP2 IgG antibodies were
      significantly elevated in patients with CD, compared with patients with UC (P =
      0.0038), HC (P = 0.0055), and non-IBD DC (P = 0.0063). The prevalence of anti-GP2
      IgG, anti-GP2 IgA and anti-GP2 IgA, or IgG antibodies in patients with CD was
      40.0%, 37.1%, and 54.3%, respectively, which were higher than those in non-IBD DC
      (anti-GP2 IgG, 15.4%; anti-GP2 IgA, 7.7%; and anti-GP2 IgA or IgG, 23.1%) and
      those in patients with UC (anti-GP2 IgG, 11.4%; anti-GP2 IgA, 2.9%; and anti-GP2
      IgA or IgG, 14.3%). For distinguishing CD from UC, the sensitivity, specificity,
      positive predictive value (PPV) and positive likelihood ratios (LR+) were 40%,
      88.6%, 77.8%, and 3.51 for anti-GP2 IgG, 37.1%, 97.1%, 92.9%, and 13.0 for anti
      GP2 IgA, and 54.3%, 85.3%, 79.2%, and 3.69 for anti-GP2 IgA or IgG. For CD
      diagnosis, the combination of anti-GP2 antibodies with ASCA IgA increased the
      sensitivity to 68.6% with moderate loss of specificity to 74.3%. Spearman's rank
      of order revealed a significantly positive correlation of anti-GP2 IgG with
      ileocolonic location of disease (L3) (P = 0.043) and a negative correlation of
      anti-GP2 IgA with biologic therapy (P = 0.012).Our findings suggest that anti-GP2
      antibodies could serve as a biomarker for distinguishing patients with CD from
      patients with UC, and the combination of anti-GP2 antibodies with ASCA IgA may
      improve the predictive power.

PMID- 26496272
TI  - Localized Autoimmune Pancreatitis: Report of a Case Clinically Mimicking
      Pancreatic Cancer and a Literature Review.
AB  - Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a rare disease with clinical presentations that
      greatly mimic pancreatic cancer (PC). It is critical for clinicians to
      distinguish AIP from PC because their treatments and prognoses are entirely
      different. Typical images show characteristic features such as diffuse pancreatic
      swelling and strictures of the main pancreatic duct (MPD). However, AIP may
      present as a localized pancreatic mass, in which case it is very difficult to
      differentiate from PC. Here, we report a case of a 40-year-old man with computed
      tomography (CT) imaging studies confirming an area of low-density neoplasm in the
      uncinate process of the pancreas with dilation in the common biliary duct (CBD)
      and MPD. Increased uptake in the uncinate mass was observed by positron emission
      tomography (PET)/CT scan, which strongly suggested PC. Further laboratory
      analyses showed a marked elevation of serum IgG4. Because there was not enough
      evidence to rule out a diagnosis of malignancy, a histopathological biopsy became
      the criterion standard. An endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided needle biopsy
      failed. As an alternative, a pancreaticoduodenectomy was conducted for the
      biopsy, and pathological analysis confirmed IgG4-related sclerotic chronic
      pancreatitis with moderate lymphoplasmacellular infiltration.We suggest that an
      accurate preoperative diagnosis for localized AIP with MPD and CBD obstructions
      mimicking PC is of great importance. Radiological imaging findings, particularly
      observations of diffused enlargement of the pancreas and delayed enhancement
      during the venous and portal phases, are essential for diagnosing AIP. Careful
      consideration should be given if serum IgG4 was taken as a special indicator for
      a differential diagnosis between AIP and PC. A history of IgG4-related diseases
      involving the biliary, lacrimal, salivary, retroperitoneal, renal, or pulmonary
      systems should also be highlighted. Thus, the pathology of extrapancreatic organs
      can be utilized as diagnostic evidence when the pathology for a pancreatic mass
      is not available, as in the case presented here. Furthermore, cautious use of
      hormone therapy is indicated for patients who cannot be ruled out as having PC.
      The results of future studies on localized AIP are eagerly awaited. 

PMID- 26496273
TI  - Emergency Transcatheter Arterial Embolization for Acute Renal Hemorrhage.
AB  - The aims of this study were to identify arteriographic manifestations of acute
      renal hemorrhage and to evaluate the efficacy of emergency embolization.
      Emergency renal artery angiography was performed on 83 patients with acute renal
      hemorrhage. As soon as bleeding arteries were identified, emergency embolization
      was performed using gelatin sponge, polyvinyl alcohol particles, and coils. The
      arteriographic presentation and the effect of the treatment for acute renal
      hemorrhage were analyzed retrospectively. Contrast extravasation was observed in
      41 patients. Renal arteriovenous fistulas were found in 12 of the 41 patients. In
      all, 8 other patients had a renal pseudoaneurysm, 5 had pseudoaneurysm rupture
      complicated by a renal arteriovenous fistula, and 1 had pseudoaneurysm rupture
      complicated by a renal artery-calyceal fistula. Another 16 patients had tumor
      vasculature seen on arteriography. Before the procedure, 35 patients underwent
      renal artery computed tomography angiography (CTA). Following emergency
      embolization, complete hemostasis was achieved in 80 patients, although
      persistent hematuria was present in 3 renal trauma patients and 1 patient who had
      undergone percutaneous nephrolithotomy (justifying surgical removal of the
      ipsilateral kidney in this patient). Two-year follow-up revealed an overall
      effective rate of 95.18 % (79/83) for emergency embolization. There were no
      serious complications. Emergency embolization is a safe, effective, minimally
      invasive treatment for renal hemorrhage. Because of the diversified
      arteriographic presentation of acute renal hemorrhage, proper selection of the
      embolic agent is a key to successful hemostasis. Preoperative renal CTA plays an
      important role in diagnosing and localizing the bleeding artery. 

PMID- 26496274
TI  - Nocardia Arthritis: 3 Cases and Literature Review.
AB  - Nocardia are Gram-positive filamentous bacteria responsible for infections
      ranging from opportunistic life-threatening disseminated diseases to chronic skin
      and soft-tissue infections.Even if virtually all organs can be infected,
      articular involvement is rare. Therefore, we report 3 recent cases and performed
      a literature review of cases of Nocardia arthritis in order to describe clinical
      features, therapeutic challenges, and outcome of these patients.Among 34 patients
      (31 in the literature plus our 3 cases), 21 (62%) were due to hematogenous
      dissemination, 9 (26%) were due to direct bacterial inoculation through the skin,
      and in 4 cases, the mechanism of infection was unknown. Four out of these 34
      cases occurred on prosthetic joints.Whereas hematogenous infections mostly
      occurred in immunocompromised hosts (17 of 21, 81%), direct inoculation was
      mostly seen in immunocompetent patients.Eighty-two percent of patients (28 out of
      34) received trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole-containing regimens and median
      antibiotic treatment duration was 24 weeks (range, 12-120) for hematogenous
      infections and 12 weeks (range, 6-24) for direct inoculations. Outcome was
      favorable in 27 cases despite unsystematic surgical management (17 cases) without
      sequelae in 70% of the cases.Nocardia arthritis is rare but its management is
      complex and should rely on a combined approach with rheumatologist, infectious
      diseases expert, and surgeon. 

PMID- 26496275
TI  - Characteristic CT Findings After Percutaneous Cryoablation Treatment of Malignant
      Lung Nodules.
AB  - Assess computed tomography (CT) imaging characteristics after percutaneous
      cryotherapy for lung cancer.A retrospective IRB-approved analysis of 40 patients
      who underwent nonsurgical treatment for primary stage 1 lung cancer performed
      from January 2007 to March 2011 was included in this study. All procedures were
      performed using general anesthesia and CT guidance. Follow-up imaging with CT of
      the chest was obtained at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months
      postprocedure to evaluate the ablated lung nodule. Nodule surface area, density
      (in Hounsfield units), and presence or absence of cavitations were recorded. In
      addition, the degree of nodule enhancement was also recorded. Patients who were
      unable to obtain the aforementioned follow-up were excluded from the study.Thirty
      six patients underwent percutaneous cryoablation with men to women ratio of 75%
      with mean age for men 74.6 and mean age for women 74.3 years of age. The average
      nodule surface area preablation and postcryoablation at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month
      follow-ups were 2.99, 7.86, 3.89, 3.18 and 3.07[REPLACEMENT CHARACTER]cm,
      respectively. The average precontrast nodule density before cryoablation was 8.9
      and average precontrast nodule density postprocedure at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months
      follow-ups were 8.5, -5.9, -9.4, and -3.8 HU, respectively. There is increased
      attenuation of lung nodules over time with an average postcontrast enhancement of
      11.4, 18.5, 16.1, and 25.7 HU at the aforementioned time intervals. Cavitations
      occurred in the cryoablation zone in 53% (19/36) of patients. 80.6% (29/36) of
      the cavitations in the cryoablation zone resolved within 12 months. Four patients
      (11%) had recurrence of tumor at the site of cryoablation and none of the
      patients had satellite or distant metastasis.Our study shows that patients who
      underwent cryotherapy for lung nodules treatment had characteristic changes on
      follow-up CT including. The surface area of the nodule increases at the 1-month
      follow-up with subsequent gradual decrease in the surface area. Decreased nodule
      density (Hounsfield units) at each interval follow-up is associated with complete
      ablation of the lung cancer whereas increasing nodule density was suggestive of
      recurrence. Cavity formation within the region of the ablated nodule, most of
      which typically resolved within the first 3 to 6 months. Nodule enhancement is
      difficult to assess because of the limited data sets that are available. 

PMID- 26496276
TI  - Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor-2 Gene Polymorphisms Associate With Coronary
      Atherosclerosis in Chinese Population.
AB  - Tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 (TFPI-2) may play critical roles in the
      pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the
      association between TFPI-2 gene polymorphisms and coronary atherosclerosis.Four
      hundred and seven patients with coronary atherosclerosis and 306 individuals with
      normal coronary artery were enrolled in the present study. Nine single-nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs3763473, rs59805398, rs60215632, rs59999573, rs59740167,
      rs34489123, rs4517, rs4264, and rs4271) were detected with polymerase chain
      reaction-direct sequencing method. Severity of coronary atherosclerosis was
      assessed by Gensini score. After the baseline investigation, patients with
      coronary atherosclerosis were followed up for incidence of cardiovascular events
      (CVEs).Eight SNPs were in accordance with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and 8
      haplotypes were constructed based on rs59999573, rs59740167, and rs34489123 after
      linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analysis. Two SNPs (rs59805398 and
      rs34489123) and 5 haplotypes correlated with coronary atherosclerosis even after
      adjustment by Gensini score. At follow-up (median 53 months, range 1-60 months),
      85 patients experienced CVE. However, there was no strong association between the
      gene polymorphisms and the occurrence of CVE.Tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2
      gene polymorphisms were associated with coronary atherosclerosis in the Chinese
      population, suggesting that the information about TFPI-2 gene polymorphisms was
      useful for assessing the risk of developing coronary atherosclerosis, but there
      was not enough evidence showing it could predict occurrence of CVE. 

PMID- 26496278
TI  - Improving Emergency Department Door to Doctor Time and Process Reliability: A
      Successful Implementation of Lean Methodology.
AB  - The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of using lean management
      methods on improving emergency department door to doctor times at a tertiary care
      hospital.We performed a before and after study at an academic urban emergency
      department with 49,000 annual visits after implementing a series of lean driven
      interventions over a 20 month period. The primary outcome was mean door to doctor
      time and the secondary outcome was length of stay of both admitted and discharged
      patients. A convenience sample from the preintervention phase (February 2012) was
      compared to another from the postintervention phase (mid-October to mid-November
      2013). Individual control charts were used to assess process
      stability.Postintervention there was a statistically significant decrease in the
      mean door to doctor time measure (40.0 minutes +/- 53.44 vs 25.3 minutes +/-
      15.93 P < 0.001). The postintervention process was more statistically in control
      with a drop in the upper control limits from 148.8 to 72.9 minutes. Length of
      stay of both admitted and discharged patients dropped from 2.6 to 2.0 hours and
      9.0 to 5.5 hours, respectively. All other variables including emergency
      department visit daily volumes, hospital occupancy, and left without being seen
      rates were comparable.Using lean change management techniques can be effective in
      reducing door to doctor time in the Emergency Department and improving process
      reliability.

PMID- 26496277
TI  - Meta-Analysis of Studies Comparing Single and Multi-Tablet Fixed Dose Combination
      HIV Treatment Regimens.
AB  - Availability of a single source review of once-daily fixed-dose single tablet
      regimen (STR) and multiple tablet fixed-dose regimen (MTR) would optimally inform
      healthcare providers and policy makers involved in the management of population
      with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).We conducted a meta-analysis of published
      literature to compare patient adherence, clinical, and cost outcomes of STR to
      MTR.Published literature in English between 2005 and 2014 was searched using
      Embase, PubMed (Medline in-process), and ClinicalTrials.Gov databases. Two-level
      screening was undertaken by 2 independent researchers to finalize articles for
      evidence synthesis. Adherence, efficacy, safety, tolerability, healthcare
      resource use (HRU), and costs were assessed comparing STR to MTR. A random
      effects meta-analysis was performed and heterogeneity examined using meta
      regression.Thirty-five articles were identified for qualitative evidence
      synthesis, of which 9 had quantifiable data for meta-analysis (4 randomized
      controlled trials and 5 observational studies). Patients on STR were
      significantly more adherent when compared to patients on MTR of any frequency
      (odds ratio [OR]: 2.37 [95% CI: 1.68, 3.35], P < 0.001; 4 studies), twice-daily
      MTR (OR: 2.53 [95% CI: 1.13, 5.66], P = 0.02; 2 studies), and once-daily MTR (OR:
      1.81 [95% CI: 1.15, 2.84], P = 0.01; 2 studies). The relative risk (RR) for viral
      load suppression at 48 weeks was higher (RR: 1.09 [95% CI: 1.04, 1.15], P =
      .0003; 3 studies) while RR of grade 3 to 4 laboratory abnormalities was lower
      among patients on STR (RR: 0.68 [95% CI: 0.49, 0.94], P = 0.02; 2 studies).
      Changes in CD4 count at 48 weeks, any severe adverse events (SAEs), grade 3 to 4
      AEs, mortality, and tolerability were found comparable between STR and MTR.
      Several studies reported significant reduction in HRU and costs among STR group
      versus MTR.Study depicted comparable tolerability, safety (All-SAE and Grade 3-4
      AE), and mortality and fewer Grade 3 to 4 lab abnormalities and better viral load
      suppression and adherence among patients on FDC-containing STR versus MTR;
      literature depicted favorable HRU and costs for STRs.These findings may help
      decision makers especially in resource-poor settings to plan for optimal HIV
      disease management when the choice of both STRs and MTRs are available.

PMID- 26496279
TI  - BRCA2 N372H Polymorphism and Risk of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: An Updated Meta
      Analysis With 2344 Cases and 9672 Controls.
AB  - The BRCA2 N372H is the only common polymorphism that leads to the amino acid
      change based on the reports up to date. Previous studies explored the
      relationship between the single nucleotide polymorphism and ovarian cancer risk,
      but the results were inconsistent or inconclusive.To investigate the association
      between N372H in BRCA2 gene and ovarian cancer susceptibility, a systematic
      literature search was performed for related publications in the databases of
      PubMed, Gene, and Google Scholar.Total 2344 cases and 9672 controls in eligible
      studies were included in this meta-analysis. chi -based Q test and an I index
      were used to identify the heterogeneous records. Potential publication biases
      were assessed by Begg and Egger tests.In the overall analysis, the results showed
      a significant association between BRCA2 codon 372 polymorphism and increased risk
      of ovarian cancer (HH versus NN: odds ratio (OR) = 1.22, 95% confidence interval
      (CI) 1.01-1.48, P = 0.037). In the Australia subgroup analysis, significant
      association was also detected (HH versus NN: OR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.04-1.87, P =
      0.026). The subgroup analysis for serous cancer subgroup showed that the
      significant association could be detected under recessive model (OR = 1.38, 95%
      CI, 1.01-1.89, P = 0.04) and under homozygote comparison (OR = 1.46, 95% CI, 1.06
      2.01, P = 0.022).Our meta-analysis suggests that the N372H polymorphism is
      associated with susceptibility of ovarian cancer. The allele H might increase the
      risk of ovarian cancer, especially, for ovarian cancers of the serous subtype.

PMID- 26496280
TI  - Analysis of the Fibrinogen and Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio in Esophageal Squamous
      Cell Carcinoma: A Promising Blood Marker of Tumor Progression and Prognosis.
AB  - Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most aggressive
      malignancies in gastrointestinal tract cancers and even patients with early ESCC
      have a high metastatic potential. Difficulties are associated with clinically
      predicting tumor progression and prognosis based on conventional tumor markers
      determined from preoperative blood examinations. The aim of the present study was
      to measure plasma fibrinogen levels and the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in
      blood and compare the clinical impacts of their combined values (fibrinogen and
      neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio score-F-NLR score) and the modified Glasgow
      Prognostic Score (mGPS) in patients with ESCC.We classified 238 patients with
      ESCC based on cut-off values for hyperfibrinogenemia (>400 mg/dL) and high NLR
      (>3.0) as F-NLR scores of 2 (both of these hematological abnormalities), 1 (one
      of these abnormalities), or 0 (neither abnormality). We also categorized patients
      based on cut-off values for high C-reactive protein (CRP) (>0.5 mg/dL) and
      hypoalbuminemia (<3.8 g/dL) as mGPS of 2 (elevated CRP and hypoalbuminemia), 1
      (either elevated CRP or hypoalbuminemia), or 0 (neither elevated CRP nor
      hypoalbuminemia).The F-NLR score correlated with the depth of tumor invasion,
      lymph node metastasis, lymphovascular invasion, tumor size, and stage (all P <
      0.05). Prognoses among the groups based on the F-NLR score and mGPS significantly
      differed (all P < 0.001). A multivariate analysis identified the depth of tumor
      invasion, lymph node metastasis, and F-NLR score as independent prognostic
      factors (P = 0.002, P = 0.007, and P = 0.037, respectively).The results of the
      present study showed that the F-NLR score is a promising blood predictor for
      tumor progression and outcomes in patients with ESCC.

PMID- 26496281
TI  - Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor of Genitourinary Tract Beyond Collecting
      System: A Rare Case Report With Literature Review.
AB  - Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) rarely arises in genitourinary tract
      especially beyond collecting system, which determines the unspecific clinic
      symptoms and sometimes can mimic malignancy. Therefore, IMT's diagnosis may
      usually be a pitfall. This case report characterizes a 35-year-old woman with a
      history of lower quadrant lasting pain followed by fever. Furthermore, radiologic
      examinations revealed that there were 2 lesions located in left adrenal area and
      left renalis. Owing to the anatomic complexity, the surgical resection was not
      complete. The pathologic diagnosis of the lesions was IMT. Adjuvant nonsteroids
      anti-inflammatory drugs were administrated after the operation. The symptoms were
      controlled finally and no further growing lesion was observed during a 1-year
      follow-up.Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor is rare in genitourinary tract
      beyond the collecting system. Diagnosis should be based on histopathology.
      Presently, the authors report this rare case with the aim to share the experience
      regarding differential diagnosis and therapy. 

PMID- 26496282
TI  - Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors Influencing Public Attitudes Toward a
      Presumed Consent System for Organ Donation Without and With a Priority Allocation
      Scheme.
AB  - The influence of demographic and socioeconomic factors on the public's attitude
      towards a presumed consent system (PCS) of organ donation was estimated in 2
      scenarios: without and with a priority allocation scheme (PAS). Self-administered
      questionnaires were completed by 775 respondents. Using multiple logistic
      regressions, respondents' objections to donating organs in both scenarios were
      estimated. In total, 63.9% of respondents would object to donating under a PCS,
      whereas 54.6% would object under a PCS with a PAS. Respondents with pretertiary
      education were more likely to object than were respondents with tertiary
      education, in both the first (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.615) and second (AOR
      = 1.728) scenarios. Young respondents were less likely to object than were middle
      aged respondents, in both the first (AOR = 0.648) and second (AOR = 0.572)
      scenarios. Respondents with mid-ranged personal monthly income were more likely
      to object than were respondents with low income, in both the first (AOR = 1.994)
      and second (AOR = 1.519) scenarios. It does not seem that Malaysia is ready to
      implement a PCS. The educational level, age, and income of the broader public
      should be considered if a PCS, without or with a PAS, is planned for
      implementation in Malaysia.

PMID- 26496283
TI  - Heterotopic Gastric Mucosa in the Distal Part of Esophagus in a Teenager: Case
      Report.
AB  - Heterotopic gastric mucosa (HGM) of the esophagus is a congenital anomaly
      consisting of ectopic gastric mucosa. It may be connected with disorders of the
      upper gastrointestinal tract, exacerbated by Helicobacter pylori. The diagnosis
      of HGM is confirmed via endoscopy with biopsy. Histopathology provides the
      definitive diagnosis by demonstrating gastric mucosa adjacent to normal
      esophageal mucosa. HGM located in the distal esophagus needs differentiation from
      Barrett's esophagus. Barrett's esophagus is a well-known premalignant injury for
      adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. Malignant progression of HGM occurs in a
      stepwise pattern, following the metaplasia-dysplasia-adenocarcinoma sequence.We
      present a rare case of a teenage girl with HGM located in the distal esophagus,
      associated with chronic gastritis and biliary duodenogastric reflux. Endoscopy
      combined with biopsies is a mandatory method in clinical evaluation of
      metaplastic and nonmetaplastic changes within HGM of the esophagus. 

PMID- 26496284
TI  - Inhaled Corticosteroids Increase the Risk of Pneumonia in Patients With Chronic
      Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Nationwide Cohort Study.
AB  - The association of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and pneumonia in patients with
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is still controversial.From the
      National Health Insurance Database of Taiwan, COPD cases with history of acute
      exacerbation (AE) were identified (COPD cohort). Time-dependent Cox regression
      analysis was applied to investigate the risk factors for pneumonia with COPD
      severity controlled by surrogate variables. Among the COPD cohort, those who
      continuously used ICS for more than 360 days without interruption were selected
      (ICS cohort). The incidence rate of pneumonia during ICS use was compared with
      those before ICS use and after ICS discontinuation by using pair t test.A total
      of 6034 and 842 cases were identified as the COPD and ICS cohorts, respectively.
      In the COPD cohort, recent ICS use was independently associated with pneumonia
      (hazard ratio: 1.06 [1.02-1.11] for per 80 mg of budesonide). Other independent
      risk factors included age, male, diabetes mellitus, malignancy, low income,
      baseline pneumonia event, and recent use of oral corticosteroids and
      aminophylline. In the ICS cohort, while AE rate gradually decreased, the
      incidence rate of pneumonia significantly increased after ICS use (from 0.10 to
      0.21 event/person-year, P = 0.001).This study demonstrates the association
      between ICS use and pneumonia in patients with COPD and history of AE. ICS should
      be judiciously used in indicated COPD patients.

PMID- 26496285
TI  - Periodontal Treatment Elevates Carotid Wall Shear Stress in the Medium Term.
AB  - Periodontal disease is associated with endothelial dysfunction of the brachial
      artery and hemodynamic alterations of the common carotid artery. Periodontal
      therapy improves endothelial function. It is not known if it is able also to
      improve the hemodynamics of the carotid artery. The aim of the current study was
      to evaluate the efficacy of 2 different periodontal treatments on carotid
      hemodynamics: scaling and root planing (SRP) alone or together with low-level
      laser therapy (LLLT). Forty patients were recruited and randomly treated with SRP
      (n = 20) or SRP + LLLT (n = 20). Periodontal indices (plaque, gingival, and
      probing depth indices) were measured before and 5 months after treatment. Blood
      viscosity, common carotid wall shear stress, circumferential wall tension, and
      Peterson elastic modulus were evaluated before, soon after and 5 months after
      treatment. It was found that the periodontal indices improved in both groups, but
      significantly more so for SRP + LLLT than for SRP (decrease in gingival index
      69.3% versus 45.4%, respectively, P = 0.04). In the SRP + LLLT group, after a
      transient reduction by 5% immediately after therapy, shear stress increased by
      11% after 5 months. In SRP only group, however, shear stress variations were less
      marked. No significant changes were found for the other hemodynamic parameters in
      either of the groups. Periodontal disease treatment by SRP + LLLT can therefore
      be said to improve common carotid wall shear stress. This suggests a possible
      mechanism by which the treatment of periodontal disease has beneficial effects on
      the cardiovascular system.

PMID- 26496286
TI  - Association between Dioxin and Diabetes Mellitus in an Endemic Area of Exposure
      in Taiwan: A Population-Based Study.
AB  - Dioxin has been recognized as an environmental endocrine disruptor, but
      epidemiology studies of its effects on type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) found
      inconsistent results, especially in men. Therefore, we conducted a study in
      Taiwan to evaluate the association between exposure to dioxin and DM.We recruited
      participants in an area where the residents were exposed to dioxin released from
      a factory. Using 20 and 64 pg WHO98-TEQDF/g lipid as the cut-offs, we categorized
      participants into 3 groups according to the level of polychlorinated dibenzo-p
      dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in the serum. We defined DM as a fasting
      plasma glucose level more than 126 mg/dl or an existing diagnosis.Of the 2898
      participants, 425 patients of DM were identified, and we observed positive
      associations between dioxin and DM. After adjusting for age and body mass index
      (BMI), we found that a high serum dioxin level was an independent risk factor for
      DM (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] associated with 20-63 pg WHO98-TEQDF/g lipid = 2.1,
      95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.5-2.9; AOR for >=64 pg WHO98-TEQDF/g lipid =
      3.2, 95% CI 2.1-4.8). The findings are compatible with those in previous studies
      of PCDD/Fs. When we stratified the participants by sex, the serum dioxin level
      remained an independent risk factor for DM in both men and women.Exposure to
      dioxin is a risk factor for DM, independent of age and BMI in both men and women.
      Therefore, screening and intervention programs should be considered in endemic
      areas of exposure to dioxin.

PMID- 26496287
TI  - Brachium Pontis Gliosarcoma With Well-Differentiated Cartilaginous Tissue: A Case
      Report.
AB  - Gliosarcoma (GS) belongs to World Health Organization grade IV neoplasm and
      displaying glial and mesenchymal differentiation. Only rare cases of GS have been
      reported in the brachium pontis and 4th ventricle region. Here, we report a rare
      case of GS located on brachium pontis region and extending into the 4th ventricle
      with well-differentiated cartilaginous metaplasia. A 28-year-old male patient
      experienced intermittent headache, vomiting, and gait disorders for 3 months.
      Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a heterogeneous ring-enhancement lesion
      with weak central enhancement in left brachium pontis and 4th ventricle region.
      Histology revealed the GS was constituted with glial and sarcomatous elements.
      After immunohistochemical analysis, a diagnosis of GS with cartilaginous
      differentiation was then made.Symptoms of GS, including headache, aphasia,
      hemiparesis, cognitive decline, and seizures, mainly determined by the location.
      The clinical manifestation and radiologic characteristic is not significantly
      different from that of glioblastoma. The grade of resection is the significant
      factor related to prognosis of GS, and the clinical effect of adjuvant
      radiotherapy and chemotherapy need further study. Reporting additional cases
      would be of great help in better understanding of this location and pathologic
      type of GS. 

PMID- 26496288
TI  - Implementation of Pharmaceutical Practice Guidelines by a Project Model Based:
      Clinical and Economic Impact.
AB  - All around the world a few studies have been found on the effect of guideline
      implementation on direct medications' expenditure. The goal of this study was to
      evaluate cost savings of guideline implementation among patients who had to
      receive 3 costly medications including albumin, enoxaparin, and pantoprazole in a
      tertiary hospital in Shiraz, Iran.An 8-month prospective study was performed in 2
      groups; group 1 as an observational group (control group) in 4 months from June
      to September 2014 and group 2 as an interventional group from October 2014 to
      January 2015.For group 1 the pattern of costly medications usage was determined
      without any intervention. For group 2, after guideline implementation, the
      economic impact was evaluated by making comparisons between the data achieved
      from the 2 groups.A total of 12,680 patients were evaluated during this study
      (6470 in group 1; 6210 in group 2). The reduction in the total value of costly
      administered drugs was 56% after guideline implementation. Such reduction in
      inappropriate prescribing accounts for the saving of 85,625 United States dollars
      (USD) monthly and estimated 1,027,500 USD annually.Guideline implementation could
      improve the adherence of evidence-based drug utilization and resulted in
      significant cost savings in a major teaching medical center via a decrease in
      inappropriate prescribing of costly medications. 

PMID- 26496289
TI  - Clinical Outcomes of Revascularization Strategies for Patients With MVD/LMCA
      Disease: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR), a new minimally invasive procedure for
      patients requiring revascularization for multivessel coronary lesions, combines
      coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for left anterior descending (LAD) lesions
      and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for non-LAD coronary lesions.
      However, available data related to outcomes comparing the 3 revascularization
      therapies is limited to small studies.We conducted a search in MEDLINE, EMBASE,
      and the Cochrane Library of Controlled Trials up to December 31, 2014, without
      language restriction. A total of 16 randomized trials (n=4858 patients) comparing
      HCR versus PCI or off-pump CABG (OPCAB) were included in this meta-analysis. The
      primary outcomes were major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE),
      all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), cerebrovascular events (CVE), and
      target vessel revascularization (TVR). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CI) were calculated using random-effect and fixed-effect models.
      Ranking probabilities were used to calculate a summary numerical value: the
      surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) curve.No significant differences
      were seen between the HCR and PCI in short term (in hospital and 30 days) with
      regard to MACCE (odds ratio [OR] = 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00-2.35),
      all-cause death (OR = 2.09, 95% CI 0.34-7.66), MI (OR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.19-2.95),
      CVE (OR = 4.45, 95% CI 0.39-19.16), and TVR (OR = 6.99, 95% CI 0.17-39.39).
      However, OPCAB had lower MACCE than HCR (OR = 0.19, 95% CI 0.00-0.95). In midterm
      (1 year and 3 year), in comparison with HCR, PCI had higher all-cause death (OR =
      5.66, 95% CI 0.00-13.88) and CVE (OR = 4.40, 95% CI 0.01-5.68), and lower MI (OR
      = 0.51, 95% CI 0.00-2.86), TVR (OR = 0.53, 95% CI 0.05-2.26), and thus the MACCE
      (OR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.00-2.35). Off-pump CABG presented a better outcome than HCR
      with significant lower MACCE (OR = 0.17, 95% CI 0.01-0.68). Surface under the
      cumulative ranking probabilities showed that HCR may be the superior strategy for
      MVD and LMCA disease when regarded to MACCE (SUCRA = 0.84), MI (SUCRA = 0.76) in
      short term, and regarded to MACCE (SUCRA = 0.99), MI (SUCRA = 0.94), and CVE
      (SUCRA = 0.92) in midterm.Hybrid coronary revascularization seemed to be a
      feasible and acceptable option for treatment of LMCA disease and MVD. More
      powerful evidences are required to precisely evaluate risks and benefits of the 3
      therapies for patients who have different clinical characteristics.

PMID- 26496290
TI  - Early Markers of Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis in Children With Idiopathic
      Nephrotic Syndrome: Preliminary Report.
AB  - Tubulointerstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy play a crucial role in the
      pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). They are also major determinants in
      chronic kidney disease development and progression in patients with primary renal
      diseases characterized by persistent or recurrent proteinuria. The purpose of the
      study was to assess urinary excretion of alpha-glutathione S-transferase (alpha
      GST), pi-glutathione S-transferase (pi-GST), neutrophil gelatinase-associated
      lipocalin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), and serum NGAL level in
      children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: the
      study group comprised of 39 children with INS and the control group consisted of
      20 healthy children. A total of 23 patients were affected with steroid-dependent
      nephrotic syndrome (SDNS) and 16 with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome
      (SRNS). In the majority of patients, a histopathologic examination revealed
      minimal change disease (MCD)-25 (64%). Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS),
      mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis (MesPGN), membranoproliferative
      glomerulonephritis (MPGN), and membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) were diagnosed
      in 4 (10.3 %), 6 (15.5%), 2 (5.1%), and 2 (5.1%) children, respectively. Urinary
      alpha-GST, urinary pi-GST, urinary KIM-1, and urinary and serum NGAL
      concentrations were measured using specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
      The urinary results were expressed in nanograms per milligram of creatinine
      (ng/mg). RESULTS: The authors observed significantly higher levels of urinary
      alpha-GST/creatinine ratio (P = 0.03), urinary KIM-1/creatinine ratio (P < 0.02),
      serum NGAL level (P < 0.01), and urinary NGAL/creatinine ratio (P = 0.02) in
      children with INS compared with controls. The median values of urinary pi
      GST/creatinine ratio in children with INS and controls did not differ
      significantly. In children with SRNS, the median values of urinary
      NGAL/creatinine ratio (P = 0.02) and urinary KIM-1/creatinine ratio (P = 0.02)
      were significantly higher compared with children with SDNS. The authors noted
      significant positive correlation between KIM-1/creatinine ratio and proteinuria
      (r = 0.56, P < 0.05). The analysis of alpha-GST/creatinine ratio, pi
      GST/creatinine ratio, sNGAL, and uNGAL/creatinine ratio concerning the
      histopathologic examination, the duration of the disease, and number of relapses
      did not show any significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Both children with SDNS
      and those with SRNS were characterized by increased tubular injury marker levels.
      2. Patients with SRNS and higher proteinuria are more susceptible to early kidney
      damage.

PMID- 26496291
TI  - The Risk Factors That Predict Chronic Hypertension After Delivery in Women With a
      History of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy.
AB  - Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) is one of the most important lethal
      complications in pregnant mothers. It is also associated with the subsequent
      development of chronic hypertension. The objective of this study was to identify
      the clinical risk factors of postpartum chronic hypertension in women diagnosed
      with HDP.Six hundred patients as HDP, who diagnosed and followed-up at least 6
      month after delivery, were included in the study. We divided the included
      subjects in 2 groups based on the development of postpartum chronic hypertension:
      presenting with the chronic hypertension, "case group" (n = 41) and without
      chronic hypertension, "control group" (n = 559).Clinical and demographic factors
      were evaluated. By multiple regression analysis, early onset hypertension with
      end-organ dysfunction, smoking, higher prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), and
      comorbidities, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or antiphospholipid syndrome
      (APLS), were associated with progression to chronic hypertension in the
      postpartum period. The value of area under the curves (AUC) for the 5 models,
      that generated to combine the significant factors, increased from 0.645 to 0.831,
      which indicated improved prediction of progression to the chronic hypertension.
      Additional multivariate analysis revealed significant specific risk factors.This
      retrospective single hospital-based study demonstrated that the clinical risk
      factors, that is early onset hypertension with end-organ dysfunction, smoking,
      and higher prepregnancy BMI, were significant independent predictors of chronic
      hypertension in women after delivery. Identification of risk factors allowed us
      to narrow the subject field for monitoring and managing high blood pressure in
      the postpartum period.

PMID- 26496292
TI  - Extent of Serosal Changes Predicts Peritoneal Recurrence and Poor Prognosis After
      Curative Surgery for Gastric Cancer.
AB  - To investigate whether the width of gastric serosal lesions in advanced gastric
      cancer patients have a predictive value for peritoneal recurrence and the 5-year
      survival rate.A total of 1109 patients with advanced noncardia primary gastric
      adenocarcinoma, who underwent curative gastrectomy between January 1997 and
      December 2007, were included. Data about tumor size, longitudinal tumor location,
      resection type, serum albumin concentration, lymphatic/venous invasion, lymph
      node metastasis status, lesion size, histological and Borrmann type of tumor, as
      well as the recurrence rate and width of the gastric serosal lesions were
      collected and analyzed.The peritoneal recurrence rate in patients with gastric
      serosal lesions <=3 cm was lower than in patients with gastric serosal lesions >3
      cm. Multivariate analyses of the 5-year survival rate variables for all patients
      revealed significant correlations with serum albumin concentrations (HR 1.382, P
      = 0.002, 95% CI 1.123-1.701), width of serosa changes (HR 1.377, P = 0.020, 95%
      CI 1.053-1.802), depth of invasion (HR 1.529, P < 0.001, 95% CI 1.288-1.814), and
      lymph node metastasis (HR 1.551, P < 0.001, 95% CI 1.420-1.694), whereas for
      recurrent patients only serum albumin concentrations (HR 2.000, P < 0.001, 95% CI
      1.425-2.805), width of serosa changes (HR 1.867, P = 0.002, 95% CI 1.248-2.793),
      and lymph node metastasis (HR 1.521, P < 0.001, 95% CI 1.249-1.852) correlated
      with the 5-year survival rate.Gastric serosal lesions >3 cm may indicate a high
      risk for peritoneal recurrence and serve as additional indicators for preventive
      postoperative adjuvant chemotherapies in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

PMID- 26496293
TI  - Markers of Bone Metabolism in Patients With Chronic Pancreatitis and Pancreatic
      Ductal Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - There are no studies comparing some of the most important markers, such as
      vitamin D, parathormone, osteocalcin, bone alkaline phosphatase, and calcium, in
      patients with chronic benign and malignant pancreatic diseases. Our objective was
      to comparatively evaluate serum markers of bone metabolism in patients with
      chronic pancreatitis and in those with ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Sixty
      three consecutive subjects were studied: 30 patients with a firm diagnosis of
      chronic pancreatitis and 33 having histologically confirmed pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, bone alkaline phosphatase,
      osteocalcin, parathormone, and calcium were determined using commercially
      available kits. Taking into consideration the clinical variables of all 63
      patients studied, 25-hydroxyvitamin D was inversely correlated with only the body
      mass index (P = 0.007), whereas it was not correlated with age (P = 0.583) or
      fecal elastase-1 concentrations (P = 0.556). Regarding the other substances
      studied, parathormone was positively correlated with only the age of the patients
      (P = 0.015). Of the 5 substances studied, only bone alkaline phosphates were
      significantly different (P < 0.001) between patients with chronic pancreatitis
      and those with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Within the 2 groups of patients,
      the 23 patients with chronic pancreatitis without diabetes mellitus had serum
      concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D significantly lower (P = 0.045) than those
      with chronic pancreatitis having diabetes mellitus, whereas smokers with
      pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma had serum concentrations of calcium
      significantly higher (P < 0.001) as compared to nonsmokers. Altered bone
      metabolism seems to be associated with chronic diseases of the pancreas; however,
      the mechanism should be better elucidated.

PMID- 26496294
TI  - Effect of Blood Cadmium Level on Mortality in Patients Undergoing Maintenance
      Hemodialysis.
AB  - Previous studies of general populations indicated environmental exposure to low
      level cadmium increases mortality. However, the effect of cadmium exposure on
      maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients is unclear.A total of 937 MHD patients
      from 3 centers in Taiwan were enrolled in this 36-month observational study.
      Patients were stratified by baseline blood cadmium level (BCL) into 3 groups:
      high BCL (>0.521 MUg/L; n = 312), intermediate BCL (0.286-0.521 MUg/L; n = 313),
      and low BCL (<0.286 MUg/L; n = 312). The mortality rates and causes of death were
      analyzed.The analytic results demonstrated patients in the high BCL group had a
      significantly higher prevalence of malnutrition and inflammation than patients in
      the low and intermediate BCL groups. After 3 years of follow-up, 164 (17.5%)
      patients died and the major cause of death was cardiovascular disease. A Cox
      multivariate analysis indicated the high BCL group had increased hazard ratios
      (HRs) for all-cause mortality (HR = 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14
      2.63; P = 0.018), cardiovascular-related mortality (HR = 1.85; 95% CI: 1.09-3.23;
      P = 0.032), and infection-related mortality (HR = 2.27; 95% CI: 1.12-4.55; P =
      0.035). A Cox multivariate analysis of MHD patients who never smoked (n = 767)
      indicated the high BCL group had increased HRs for all-cause mortality (HR =
      1.67; 95% CI: 1.04-2.63; P = 0.048) and cardiovascular-related mortality (HR =
      2.08; 95% CI: 1.08-4.00; P = 0.044).In conclusion, BCL is an important
      determinant of mortality in MHD patients. Therefore, MHD patients should avoid
      cadmium exposure as much as possible, such as tobacco smoking and eating cadmium
      containing foods.

PMID- 26496295
TI  - Liver Metastasis of a Triple-Negative Breast Cancer and Complete Remission for 5
      Years After Treatment With Combined Bevacizumab/Paclitaxel/Carboplatin: Case
      Report and Review of the Literature.
AB  - Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is aggressive, with high risk of visceral
      metastasis and death. A substantial proportion of patients with TNBC is
      associated with BRCA mutations, implying that these tumors are sensitive to DNA
      damaging agents. We report successful treatment of a metastatic TNBC in a woman
      with a BRCA2 germline mutation using combined bevacizumab/paclitaxel/carboplatin
      (BPC) therapy. The patient was pregnant and had liver metastases, and a complete
      clinical response was sustained for approximately 5 years. Mastectomy was
      performed during the 29th week of pregnancy, and the baby was later delivered by
      caesarean section. Subsequently, multiple metastases in both liver lobes were
      detected using computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging and the patient
      was treated with a BPC regimen, which led to complete disappearance of metastatic
      lesions in the liver. No additional treatment was provided, and after 5 years the
      patient consented to direct sequencing of BRCA2 and a 6781delG mutation was
      identified. At the most recent (5-year) follow-up, the patient was alive with
      good quality of life and no evidence of metastases.This finding suggests that BPC
      therapy might be considered a good therapeutic option for the treatment of
      metastatic TNBC in a woman with a BRCA2 germline mutation. 

PMID- 26496296
TI  - Branchial Cleft-Like Cysts Involving 3 Different Organs: Thyroid Gland, Thymus,
      and Parotid Gland.
AB  - Branchial cleft cysts (BCCs) are also named lateral cervical cysts and widely
      acknowledged as being derived from embryonic remnants. Lymphoepithelial cysts
      (LECs) generally show microscopic features that are identical to those of BCCs,
      and rarely occur at unusual sites or organs.A case of multiple cysts arising in
      both lobes of the thyroid gland, thymus, and right parotid gland in a 41-year-old
      man is reported. Clinically, the patient presented with Hashimoto's thyroiditis
      for about 20 years and had past histories of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
      and severe respiratory infection.This case is unusual in that multiple cysts
      arose synchronously and/or heterochronously and grew, increasing their sizes in
      these different organs. Microscopic examinations revealed that all of the cysts
      were composed of squamous epithelium, dense lymphoid tissue with germinal
      centers, and a fibrous capsule. These findings corresponded to those of BCCs or
      LECs. It is notable that the histopathological features were nearly the same in
      the individual organs. A review of the literature disclosed no previous such
      reported cases.The etiology is unknown. However, based upon the similar
      histopathological features of all the excised specimens, common immune and/or
      hematopoietic disorders may have contributed to their occurrence and development
      in association with putative genetic abnormalities. 

PMID- 26496297
TI  - Diagnostic Value of Fetal Echocardiography for Congenital Heart Disease: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Prenatal diagnosis of fetal congenital heart disease (CHD) has been shown to have
      a significant effect on prenatal and postnatal management and outcomes. However,
      the factors influencing the diagnostic accuracy and which pregnant trimester is
      the most adaptive for fetal heart disease remain uncertain despite of extensive
      researches. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of
      echocardiography for detecting CHD and potential influence factors.We searched
      Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM), Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge, the Cochrane
      Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) to identify relevant
      studies from January 1, 1990 to August 13, 2015.Overall, the pooled sensitivity,
      specificity, diagnostic odds ratio, positive likelihood ratio, and negative
      likelihood ratio were 68.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 66.8%-70.2%), 99.8%
      (95% CI, 99.7%-99.8%), 3026.9 (95% CI, 1417.9-6461.8), 659.41 (95% CI, 346.38
      1255.3), and 0.246 (95% CI, 0.187-0.324) respectively (AUC = 0.9924). The pooled
      sensitivity of basic cardiac echocardiographic examination (BCEE), extended
      cardiac echocardiographic examination (ECEE), BCEE plus outflow tract view (BCEE
      + OTV), BCEE + OTV + 3VTV (BCEE plus outflow tract view plus three vessel and
      trachea view) for the prenatal diagnosis of CHD were 49.0%, 75.5%, 66.1%, and
      83.7% respectively. The pooled sensitivity of the prenatal echocardiographic
      diagnosis of CHD during the first trimester, second trimester, the second to
      third trimester were 60.3%, 60.9%, and 77.4%, respectively. The pooled
      sensitivity of BCEE and ECEE for the prenatal diagnosis of CHD during the second
      to third trimester was significantly higher than that during the second
      trimester. The pooled sensitivity of the prenatal echocardiographic diagnosis of
      CHD for pregnancies with low risk, high risk, low and high risk, and unselected
      risk were 45.4%, 85.1%, 89.1%, and 66.2%, respectively. The sensitivity analysis
      was robust and risk level was significant source of heterogeneity. Deek test
      indicated no potential significant publication bias.Prenatal ultrasound is a
      powerful tool for the diagnosis of CHD; however, echocardiography has individual
      sensitivity for different gestation period, different levels of risk, and
      different echo-views.

PMID- 26496298
TI  - Treatment of Aseptic Necrosis of the Lunate Bone (Kienbock Disease) Using a
      Nickel-Titanium Memory Alloy Arthrodesis Concentrator: A Series of 24 Cases.
AB  - Avascular necrosis of the lunate bone (Kienbock disease) is caused by loss of
      blood supply of the bone. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of
      a novel nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) memory alloy arthrodesis concentrator in the
      treatment of this disease.A consecutive 24 patients with stage IIIb aseptic
      lunate necrosis were treated with scapho-trapezio-trapezoeid (STT) arthrodesis
      using a Ni-Ti arthrodesis concentrator from August 2008 to December 2012. Wrist
      pain, grip strength, carpal height, and scapholunate angle were measured and
      compared before and after the surgery. The wrist functions were evaluated using
      the Mayo scale.Patients were followed up for a mean of 12 months (range, 6-24
      months). Grip strength of the affected side was significantly improved after the
      surgery (18 +/- 4.74 kg vs. 30.21 +/- 7.14 kg, P < 0.0001). Wrist pain score was
      significantly decreased from 5.88 +/- 0.9 to 0.5 +/- 0.51 (P < 0.0001). Carpal
      height and Mayo score were also significantly increased after the surgery (P <
      0.0001). Scapholunate angle was significantly decreased after the surgery (68.38
      +/- 7.28 degrees  vs. 49.91 +/- 4.28 degrees , P < 0.0001). No implant breakage,
      loose implant, wound infection, or nonunion occurred.STT arthrodesis is effective
      for the treatment of stage IIIb lunate necrosis. The Ni-Ti memory alloy
      arthrodesis concentrator is a convenient tool for STT arthrodesis with excellent
      and reliable results.

PMID- 26496299
TI  - Impact of Admission White Blood Cell Count on Short- and Long-term Mortality in
      Patients With Type A Acute Aortic Dissection: An Observational Study.
AB  - Studies have shown inflammation is involved in the development of acute aortic
      dissection (AAD). The hypothesis that white blood cell count (WBCc) on admission
      may have an impact on the short- and long-term outcomes of type A AAD was tested
      in a large-scale, prospective observational cohort study.From 2008 to 2010, a
      total of 570 consecutive patients with type A AAD in Fuwai hospital were enrolled
      and were followed up. Baseline characteristics and WBCc on admission were
      collected. The primary outcomes were 30-day and long-term all-cause
      mortality.During a median of 1.89 years of follow-up, the 30-day and long-term
      all-cause mortality were 10.7% and 6.5%, respectively. Univariate Cox regression
      analysis identified admission WBCc as an independent predictor of 30-day
      mortality when considered as a continuous variable or as a categorical variable
      using the cutoff of 11.0 * 10 cells/L (all P < 0.05). After adjustment for age,
      sex, C-reactive protein, D-dimer, and surgical intervention, elevated admission
      WBCc (>11.0 * 10 cells/L) remained an independent predictor of 30-day mortality
      of AAD (hazard ratio = 3.31, 95% confidence interval 1.38-7.93, P = 0.007). No
      impact of admission WBCc was observed on the long-term all-cause mortality.In
      conclusion, elevated admission WBCc may be valuable as a predictor of 30-day
      mortality, and may be useful in the risk stratification of type A AAD during
      hospitalization.

PMID- 26496300
TI  - Costs of Physician-Hospital Integration.
AB  - Given that the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of
      2010 is expected to generate forces toward physician-hospital integration, this
      study examined an understudied, albeit important, area of costs incurred in
      physician-hospital integration. Such costs were analyzed through 24 semi
      structured interviews with physicians and hospital administrators in a multiple
      case, inductive study. Two extreme types of physician-hospital arrangements were
      examined: an employed model (ie, integrated salary model, a group of physicians
      integrated by a hospital system) and a private practice (ie, a physician or group
      of physicians who are independent of economic or policy control). Interviews
      noted that integration leads to 3 evident costs, namely, monitoring,
      coordination, and cooperation costs. Improving our understanding of the kinds of
      costs that are incurred after physician-hospital integration will help hospitals
      and physicians to avoid common failures after integration. 

PMID- 26496301
TI  - Tracheomegaly Secondary to Tracheotomy Tube Cuff in Amyotrophic Lateral
      Sclerosis: A Case Report.
AB  - Tracheomegaly has not been reported in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
      Herein, the authors report a case of tracheomegaly secondary to tracheotomy tube
      cuff in a patient with ALS. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an ALS
      patient with tracheomegaly and of tracheomegaly being associated with tracheotomy
      tube cuff and home tracheotomy mechanical ventilator.The clinician should
      consider the possibility of tracheomegaly in the differential diagnosis, if a
      patient with ALS develops repeat air leakage around the tracheotomy tube or
      rupture of tracheotomy tube cuff. 

PMID- 26496302
TI  - Laparoscopic Colorectal Resection in Octogenarian Patients: Is it Safe? A
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - The population older than 80 years has been increasing. A significant proportion
      of colorectal diseases that require colorectal resection occur in very elderly
      patients. However, the benefits of laparoscopy remain controversial in
      octogenarians. A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational study was
      performed to compare clinical outcomes between laparoscopic versus open
      colorectal resection in octogenarians.The PubMed, EMBASE, Ovid, Web of Science,
      and Cochrane databases from the years 1990 to 2015 were searched for studies that
      compare surgical outcomes between laparoscopic and open colorectal resection in
      octogenarians (>=80 years old).Seven eligible studies including 528 laparoscopic
      and 484 open colorectal resections were identified. Laparoscopic approach was
      associated with lower rate of mortality (odds ratio [OR] 0.48, P = 0.03), overall
      complications (OR 0.54, P < 0.001), and prolonged ileus (OR 0.56, P = 0.009),
      quicker bowel function return (standardized mean difference [SMD] -0.50, P<
      0.001), and shorter length of hospital stay (SMD -0.47, P = 0.007). No
      differences were found in anastomotic leak (OR 1.16, P = 0.72), respiratory
      complication (OR 0.60, P = 0.07), and reoperation (OR 0.85, P =
      0.69).Laparoscopic colorectal resection is as safe as open approach, and the
      short-term outcomes appear to be more favorable in octogenarians.

PMID- 26496304
TI  - The Impact of Body Mass Index on the Surgical Outcomes of Patients With Gastric
      Cancer: A 10-Year, Single-Institution Cohort Study.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on the short
      term and long-term results of a large cohort of gastric cancer (GC) patients
      undergoing gastrectomy.Recently, the "obesity paradox" has been proposed,
      referring to the paradoxically "better" outcomes of overweight and obese patients
      compared with nonoverweight patients. The associations between BMI and surgical
      outcomes among patients with GC remain controversial.A single-institution cohort
      of 1249 GC patients undergoing gastrectomy between 2000 and 2010 were categorized
      to low-BMI (<18.49 kg/m), normal-BMI (18.50-24.99 kg/m), and high-BMI (>=25.00
      kg/m) groups. The postoperative complications were classified according to the
      Clavien-Dindo system, and their severity was assessed by using the Comprehensive
      Complication Index (CCI). The impact of BMI on the postoperative complications
      and overall survival was analyzed.There were 908, 158, and 182 patients in the
      normal-BMI, low-BMI, and high-BMI groups, respectively. The overall morbidity in
      the high-BMI group (24.7%) was higher than that in either the low-BMI or the
      normal-BMI group (20.9% and 15.5%, respectively; P = 0.006), but the mean CCI in
      the low-BMI group was significantly higher (8.32 +/- 19.97) than the mean CCI in
      the normal-BMI and high-BMI groups (3.76 +/- 11.98 and 5.58 +/- 13.07,
      respectively; P < 0.001). The Kaplan-Meier curve and the log-rank test
      demonstrated that the low-BMI group exhibited the worst survival outcomes
      compared with the normal-BMI group, whereas the high-BMI group exhibited the best
      survival outcomes (P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, BMI was identified as an
      independent prognostic factor. In the stage-specific subgroup analysis, a low BMI
      was associated with poorer survival in the cases of stage III-IV diseases.Low BMI
      was associated with more severe postoperative complications and poorer prognosis.
      Despite a higher risk of mild postoperative complications, the high-BMI patients
      exhibited paradoxically "superior" survival outcomes compared with the normal-BMI
      patients. These findings confirm the "obesity paradox" in GC patients undergoing
      gastrectomy.

PMID- 26496303
TI  - Gray Matter Loss and Related Functional Connectivity Alterations in A Chinese
      Family With Benign Adult Familial Myoclonic Epilepsy.
AB  - Benign adult familial myoclonic epilepsy (BAFME) is a non-progressive monogenic
      epilepsy syndrome. So far, the structural and functional brain reorganizations in
      BAFME remain uncharacterized. This study aims to investigate gray matter atrophy
      and related functional connectivity alterations in patients with BAFME using
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Eleven BAFME patients from a Chinese pedigree
      and 15 matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Optimized voxel-based
      morphometric and resting-state functional MRI approaches were performed to
      measure gray matter atrophy and related functional connectivity, respectively.
      The Trail-Making Test-part A and part B, Digit Symbol Test (DST), and Verbal
      Fluency Test (VFT) were carried out to evaluate attention and executive
      functions.The BAFME patients exhibited significant gray matter loss in the right
      hippocampus, right temporal pole, left orbitofrontal cortex, and left
      dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. With these regions selected as seeds, the voxel
      wise functional connectivity analysis revealed that the right hippocampus showed
      significantly enhanced connectivity with the right inferior parietal lobule,
      bilateral middle cingulate cortex, left precuneus, and left precentral gyrus.
      Moreover, the BAFME patients showed significant lower scores in DST and VFT tests
      compared with the healthy controls. The gray matter densities of the right
      hippocampus, right temporal pole, and left orbitofrontal cortex were
      significantly positively correlated with the DST scores. In addition, the gray
      matter density of the right temporal pole was significantly positively correlated
      with the VFT scores, and the gray matter density of the right hippocampus was
      significantly negatively correlated with the duration of illness in the
      patients.The current study demonstrates gray matter loss and related functional
      connectivity alterations in the BAFME patients, perhaps underlying deficits in
      attention and executive functions in the BAFME. 

PMID- 26496305
TI  - Serological Screening for Celiac Disease in Adult Chinese Patients With Diarrhea
      Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
AB  - Celiac disease (CD) is common in Caucasians, but thought to be rare in Asians.
      Our aim was to determine the prevalence of CD in Chinese patients with chronic
      diarrhea predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D).From July 2010 to August
      2012, 395 adult patients with IBS-D and 363 age and sex-matched healthy controls
      were recruited in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University and Xiaogan Central
      Hospital in Hubei province, central China. Patients with IBS-D were diagnosed
      according to the Rome III criteria. Serum Immunoglobulin (IgA/IgG) anti-human
      tissue transglutaminase (anti-htTG)-deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP) antibodies
      were measured in a single ELISA (QUANTA Lite h-tTG/DGP Screen). Upper endoscopy
      with duodenal biopsies and HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1 genotyping were performed in
      seropositive subjects and a gluten-free diet was prescribed.Seven IBS-D patients
      (7/395, 1.77%) and 2 healthy controls (2/363, 0.55%), were positive for anti
      htTG/DGP antibodies. Of these 9 cases, 1 was lost to follow-up, 3 were suspected
      to have CD and 5 were eventually diagnosed as CD with intestinal histological
      lesions classified as Marsh Type II in 2 and Type III in 3. Of these 5 diagnosed
      CD patients, 4 (4/395, 1.01%) were from the IBS-D group and 1 (1/363, 0.28%) from
      the healthy control had asymptomatic CD. Two Type III CD patients with relatively
      high titers in the serologic assay were homozygous and heterozygous for haplotype
      HLA-DQA1*03-DQB1*03:03 (HLA-DQ9.3), respectively.In the present study, CD was
      present in 1.01% of patients with IBS-D and in 0.28% of the control group. We
      like to suggest that the haplotype HLA-DQA1*03-DQB1*03:03 (HLA-DQ9.3), which is
      common in Chinese, is a new susceptibility factor for CD in China. Larger
      screening and genetic studies are needed in the Chinese population of different
      regions. 

PMID- 26496306
TI  - Early Liver Dysfunction in Patients With Intra-Abdominal Infections.
AB  - Liver dysfunction is commonly seen in patients with severe sepsis; however, few
      studies were reported in intra-abdominal infections (IAIs). This study was
      performed to assess the risk factors for early liver dysfunction (ELD) in
      patients with IAIs and to determine the effects of ELD on outcomes of these
      patients.From January 2011 to November 2014, a retrospective study that screened
      421 patients with IAIs was performed. ELD was defined as an increase in serum
      total bilirubin (TB) >2 mg/dL or aminotransferases levels greater than twice the
      normal value within 48 hours after IAIs' onset. Patients with pre-existing liver
      disease or major hepatobiliary injury were excluded. Risk factors for ELD and
      outcomes were compared by univariate and multivariate analyses. Subgroup analysis
      was performed for ELD patients within 24 to 48 hours.Of 353 enrolled patients
      admitted with IAIs, 147 (41.6%) developed ELD. Significant independent risk
      factors for ELD were trauma (odds ratio [OR] 1.770, 95% confidential interval
      [CI] 1.126-2.783, P = 0.01) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) (OR 3.199,
      95% CI 1.184-8.640, P = 0.02). Successful source control <24 hours was shown to
      exert protection against ELD after 24 hours during IAIs (OR 0.193, 95% CI 0.091
      0.409, P < 0.001). ELD was associated with significantly worse outcomes,
      including longer ICU length of stay and higher in-hospital mortality.
      Multivariate analysis also showed that development of ELD was a predisposing
      factor of mortality in IAIs patients (P < 0.001).ELD was a common complication in
      patients with IAIs associated with worse outcomes. Trauma and ACS were relevant
      risk factors. Early successful source control appeared to be an important method
      to prevent and/or reduce ELD in patients with IAIs.

PMID- 26496308
TI  - Correlations Between the EGFR Mutation Status and Clinicopathological Features of
      Clinical Stage I Lung Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Advanced lung cancers with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19
      deletions (Ex19s) and EGFR exon 21 L858R point mutations (Ex21s) exhibit
      different clinical behavior. However, these differences are unclear in resectable
      primary lung tumors.The clinicopathological features of 88 (20.9%) Ex19, 124
      (29.4%) Ex21, and 198 (46.9%) EGFR wild-type (Wt) clinical stage I primary
      adenocarcinomas resected between January 1, 2012 and October 31, 2014 were
      compared by using Chi-square tests, residual error analysis, analysis of
      variance, and Tukey tests.Ex21 lesions occurred more frequently in women and
      never-smokers and had a higher tumor disappearance rate (TDR: 59.6% vs 43.9%; P <
      0.001) and lower maximum standardized uptake value (maxSUV: 2.0 vs 3.5; P < 0.01)
      than Wt lesions; Ex19 lesions had intermediate values (52.8% and 2.6). There was
      a low frequency of vascular invasion in Ex21 lesions (12.1%; P < 0.05) and a high
      frequency in Wt lesions (22.7%; P < 0.05). Most Ex19 lesions were intermediate
      grade adenocarcinoma (lepidic, acinar, and papillary predominant: 73.9%; P <
      0.05). Wt and Ex21 lesions were predominately high-grade (micropapillary or solid
      predominant, mucinous variant) and low-grade (adenocarcinoma in situ and
      minimally invasive adenocarcinoma) adenocarcinoma, respectively. Wt lesions had
      smaller lepidic components (42.1% vs 56.3%; P < 0.001) and larger papillary and
      solid components (papillary: 15.5% vs 9.0%; P < 0.05; solid: 13.2% vs 3.2%; P <
      0.001) than Ex21 lesions. Most Ex19 lesions had intermediate component rates.Most
      Ex21 lesions were low-grade adenocarcinoma with lepidic growth patterns. Wt high
      grade adenocarcinomas included solid and papillary components with vascular
      invasion. Ex19 lesions were intermediate grade between Ex21 and Wt.

PMID- 26496307
TI  - Cardiovascular Risk Factors Increase the Risks of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
      in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The Taiwan Diabetes Study.
AB  - This study aimed to examine whether poor glycemic control, measured by glycated
      hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) and other cardiovascular risk factors, can predict
      diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
      (DM).Patients aged >=30 years with type 2 DM, enrolled in the National Diabetes
      Care Management Program, and free of DPN (n = 37,375) in the period 2002 to 2004
      were included and followed up until 2011. The related factors were analyzed using
      Cox proportional hazards regression models.For an average follow-up of 7.00
      years, 8379 cases of DPN were identified, with a crude incidence rate of
      32.04/1000 person-years. After multivariate adjustment, patients with HbA1c
      levels 7 to 8%, 8 to 9%, 9 to 10%, and >=10% exhibited higher risk of DPN
      (adjusted HR: 1.11 [1.04-1.20], 1.30 [1.21-1.40], 1.32 [1.22-1.43], and 1.62
      [1.51-1.74], respectively) compared with patients with HbA1c level 6 to 7%. There
      was a significant linear trend in DPN incidence with increasing HbA1c (P < 0.001)
      and significant HRs of DPN for patients with HbA1c level >=7%, blood pressure
      >=130/85 mm Hg, triglycerides (TG) >=150 mg/dL, high density of lipoprotein
      cholesterol (HDL-C) <40 mg/dL in males and <50 mg/dL in females, low density of
      lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) >=100 mg/dL, and estimated glomerular filtration
      rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m.Patients with type 2 DM and HbA1c >=7.0% exhibit
      increased risk of DPN, demonstrating a linear relationship. The incidence of DPN
      is also associated with poor glucose control and cardiovascular risk factors like
      hypertension, hyper-triglyceridemia, low HDL-C, high LDL-C, and decreased eGFR.

PMID- 26496309
TI  - Inflammatory Response After Laparoscopic Versus Open Resection of Colorectal
      Liver Metastases: Data From the Oslo-CoMet Trial.
AB  - Laparoscopic and open liver resection have not been compared in randomized
      trials. The aim of the current study was to compare the inflammatory response
      after laparoscopic and open resection of colorectal liver metastases (CLM) in a
      randomized controlled trial.This was a predefined exploratory substudy within the
      Oslo CoMet-study. Forty-five patients with CLM were randomized to laparoscopic (n
      = 23) or open (n = 22) resection. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-plasma samples
      were collected preoperatively and at defined time points during and after surgery
      and snap frozen at -80 C. A total of 25 markers were examined using luminex and
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay techniques: high-mobility box group 1(HMGB-1),
      cell-free DNA (cfDNA), cytokines, and terminal C5b-9 complement complex
      complement activation.Eight inflammatory markers increased significantly from
      baseline: HMGB-1, cfDNA, interleukin (IL)-6, C-reactive protein, macrophage
      inflammatory protein -1beta, monocyte chemotactic protein -1, IL-10, and terminal
      C5b-9 complement complex. Peak levels were reached at the end of or shortly after
      surgery. Five markers, HMGB-1, cfDNA, IL-6, C-reactive protein, and macrophage
      inflammatory protein -1beta, showed significantly higher levels in the open
      surgery group compared with the laparoscopic surgery group.Laparoscopic resection
      of CLM reduced the inflammatory response compared with open resection. The lower
      level of HMGB-1 is interesting because of the known association with oncogenesis.

PMID- 26496310
TI  - Respiratory Syncytial Virus Coinfections With Rhinovirus and Human Bocavirus in
      Hospitalized Children.
AB  - It is not clearly established if coinfections are more severe than single viral
      respiratory infections.The aim of the study was to study and to compare simple
      infections and viral coinfections of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in
      hospitalized children.From September 2005 to August 2013, a prospective study was
      conducted on children younger than 14 years of age, admitted with respiratory
      infection to the Pediatric Department of the Severo Ochoa Hospital, in Spain.
      Specimens of nasopharyngeal aspirate were taken for virological study by using
      polymerase chain reaction, and clinical data were recorded. Simple RSV infections
      were selected and compared with double infections of RSV with rhinovirus (RV) or
      with human bocavirus (HBoV).In this study, 2993 episodes corresponding to 2525
      children were analyzed. At least 1 virus was detected in 77% (2312) of the
      episodes. Single infections (599 RSV, 513 RV, and 81 HBoV) were compared with 120
      RSV-RV and 60 RSV-HBoV double infections. The RSV-RV coinfections had fever (63%
      vs 43%; P < 0.001) and hypoxia (70% vs 43%; P < 0.001) more often than RV
      infections. Hypoxia was similar between single or dual infections (71%).
      Bronchiolitis was more frequent in the RSV simple group (P < 0.001). Pediatric
      intensive care unit admission was more common in RSV simple or RSV-RV groups than
      in the RV monoinfection (P = 0.042).Hospitalization was longer for both RSV
      simple group and RSV-HBoV coinfection, lasting about 1 day (4.7 vs 3.8 days; P <
      0.001) longer than in simple HBoV infections. There were no differences in PICU
      admission. RSV single group was of a younger age than the other
      groups.Coinfections between RSV-RV and RSV-HBoV are frequent. Overall viral
      coinfections do not present greater severity, but have mixed clinical features.

PMID- 26496311
TI  - The Outcome of Patients With 2 Different Protocols of Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders:
      An Observational Cohort Study.
AB  - Lack of clarity about the exact clinical implications of do-not-resuscitate (DNR)
      has caused confusion that has been addressed repeatedly in the literature. To
      provide improved understanding about the portability of DNR and the medical care
      provided to DNR patients, the state of Ohio passed a Do-Not-Resuscitate Law in
      1998, which clearly pointed out 2 different protocols of do-not-resuscitate: DNR
      comfort care (DNRCC) and DNR comfort care arrest (DNRCC-Arrest). The objective of
      this study was to examine the outcome of patients with the 2 different protocols
      of DNR orders.This is a retrospective observational study conducted in a medical
      intensive care unit (MICU) in a hospital located in Northeast Ohio. The medical
      records of the initial admissions to the MICU during data collection period were
      concurrently and retrospectively reviewed. The association between 2 variables
      was examined using Chi-squared test or Student's t-test. The outcome of DNRCC,
      DNRCC-Arrest, and No-DNR patients were compared using multivariate logistic
      regression analysis.The total of 188 DNRCC-Arrest, 88 DNRCC, and 2051 No-DNR
      patients were included in this study. Compared with the No-DNR patients, the
      DNRCC (odds ratio = 20.77, P < 0.01) and DNRCC-Arrest (odds ratio = 3.69, P <
      0.01) patients were more likely to die in the MICU. Furthermore, the odds of
      dying during MICU stay for DNRCC patients were 7.85 times significantly higher
      than that for DNRCC-Arrest patients (odds ratio = 7.85, P < 0.01).Given Do-Not
      Resuscitate Law in Ohio, we examined the outcome of the 2 different protocols of
      DNR orders, and to compare with the conventional DNR orders. Similar to
      conventional DNR, DNDCC and DNRCC-Arrest were both associated with the increased
      risk of death. Patients with DNRCC were more likely to be associated with
      increased risk of death than those with DNRCC-Arrest.

PMID- 26496312
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of APRI, AAR, FIB-4, FI, King, Lok, Forns, and FibroIndex
      Scores in Predicting the Presence of Esophageal Varices in Liver Cirrhosis: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio (APRI), aspartate aminotransferase
      to-alanine aminotransferase ratio (AAR), FIB-4, FI, King, Lok, Forns, and
      FibroIndex scores may be simple and convenient noninvasive diagnostic tests,
      because they are based on the regular laboratory tests and demographic data. This
      study aimed to systematically evaluate their diagnostic accuracy for the
      prediction of varices in liver cirrhosis.All relevant papers were searched via
      PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, and Wanfang databases. The area under the summary receiver
      operating characteristic curve (AUSROC), sensitivity, specificity, positive and
      negative likelihood ratio (PLR and NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were
      calculated.Overall, 12, 4, 5, 0, 0, 4, 3, and 1 paper was identified to explore
      the diagnostic accuracy of APRI, AAR, FIB-4, FI, King, Lok, Forns, and FibroIndex
      scores, respectively. The AUSROCs of APRI, AAR, FIB-4, Lok, and Forns scores for
      the prediction of varices were 0.6774, 0.7275, 0.7755, 0.7885, and 0.7517,
      respectively; and those for the prediction of large varices were 0.7278, 0.7448,
      0.7095, 0.7264, and 0.6530, respectively. The diagnostic threshold effects of FIB
      4 and Forns scores for the prediction of varices were statistically significant.
      The sensitivities/specificities/PLRs/NLRs/DORs of APRI, AAR, and Lok scores for
      the prediction of varices were 0.60/0.67/1.77/0.58/3.13,
      0.64/0.63/1.97/0.54/4.18, and 0.74/0.68/2.34/0.40/5.76, respectively. The
      sensitivities/specificities/PLRs/NLRs/DORs of APRI, AAR, FIB-4, Lok, and Forns
      scores for the prediction of large varices were 0.65/0.66/2.15/0.47/4.97,
      0.68/0.58/2.07/0.54/3.93, 0.62/0.64/2.02/0.56/3.57, 0.78/0.63/2.09/0.37/5.55, and
      0.65/0.61/1.62/0.59/2.75, respectively.APRI, AAR, FIB-4, Lok, and Forns scores
      had low to moderate diagnostic accuracy in predicting the presence of varices in
      liver cirrhosis. 

PMID- 26496313
TI  - Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Across ABO-Incompatibility.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the results of adult ABO-incompatible
      living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).ABO-incompatible LDLT is an aggressive
      treatment that crosses the blood-typing barrier for saving lives from liver
      diseases. Although graft and patient survival have been improved recently by
      various treatments, the results of adult ABO-incompatible LDLT require further
      evaluation.Two regimens were designed based on isoagglutinin IgG and IgM titers
      and the time course of immunological reactions at this institute. When
      isoagglutinin IgG and IgM titers were <=64, liver transplantation was directly
      performed and rituximab (375 mg/m) was administrated on postoperative day 1
      (regimen I). When isoagglutinin titers were >64, rituximab (375 mg/m) was
      administered preoperatively with or without plasmapheresis and boosted on
      postoperative day 1 (regimen II). Immunosuppression was achieved by
      administration of mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus, and steroids.Forty-six adult
      ABO-incompatible and 340 ABO-compatible LDLTs were performed from 2006 to 2013.
      The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores for ABO-incompatible recipients
      ranged from 7 to 40, with a median of 14. The graft-to-recipient weight ratio
      ranged from 0.61% to 1.61% with a median of 0.91%. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year
      survival rates were 81.7%, 75.7%, and 71.0%, respectively, for ABO-incompatible
      LDLT recipients, compared to 81.0%, 75.2%, and 71.5% for ABO-C recipients (P =
      0.912). The biliary complication rate was higher in ABO-incompatible LDLT
      recipients than in the ABO-compatible recipients (50.0% vs 29.7%, P = 0.009).In
      the rituximab era, the blood type barrier can be crossed to achieve adult ABO
      incompatible LDLT with survival rates comparable to those of ABO-compatible LDLT,
      but with more biliary complications.

PMID- 26496314
TI  - Statin-Based Palliative Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - Most hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients worldwide do not receive curative
      treatments. Alternative treatments for most HCC patients include palliative
      treatments, such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), chemotherapy, and
      radiotherapy. Although statins may be a chemopreventive treatment option for
      reducing hepatitis B virus (HBV)- and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related HCC risks,
      their therapeutic effects are unknown. This study evaluated the effects of statin
      on HCC patients receiving palliative treatment.Data from the National Health
      Insurance claims database and cancer registry databases of The Collaboration
      Center of Health Information Application, Taiwan, were analyzed. We included HCC
      patients who were treated between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2010, and
      followed them from the index date to December 31, 2012. The inclusion criteria
      were presence of HBV carrier-related HCC, age >20 years, and having received
      TACE, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy as palliative treatment. The exclusion
      criteria were cancer diagnosis before HCC was confirmed, surgery, liver
      transplantation, radiofrequency ablation, or percutaneous ethanol injection as
      curative treatment, missing sex-related information, HCC diagnosis before HBV,
      and age <20 years. We enrolled 20,200 HCC patients.The median follow-up duration
      was 1.66 years (interquartile range, 0.81). In total, 1988 and 18,212 patients
      received palliative treatment with and without statin use, respectively. HCC
      patients who received palliative treatment with statin use had lower HCC-specific
      deaths in all stages than those who received palliative treatment without statin
      use (P = 0.0001, 0.0002, 0.0012, and 0.0002, and relative risk (RR) = 0.763,
      0.775, 0.839, and 0.718, for stages I-IV, respectively). In all-cause and HCC
      specific deaths, decreasing trends (P for trend <0.0001) of adjusted hazard
      ratios (aHRs) were observed in all stages with no treatment, statin use only,
      palliative treatment only, and palliative treatment plus statin use. The aHRs of
      all-cause and HCC-specific deaths increased with the progress in cancer stage and
      reduced with the use of advanced therapeutic modalities (P for trend <0.0001).
      Differences in HBV- and non-HBV-related HCC were solely due to statin use. Statin
      use alone reduced HCC-specific deaths by 36% in non-HBV-related HCC in stage I
      and 50% in HBV-related HCC in stages II and III. With a relatively substantial
      reduction in mortality, the therapeutic effects of statin use were stronger in
      HBV-related HCC than in non-HBV-related HCC.Palliative treatments are critical
      for HCC patients. Multiple therapeutic methods with statin use reduced the
      mortality risk. Statins prolong the survival of patients with advanced HCC
      receiving palliative treatment, thus demonstrating its therapeutic value as an
      adjuvant treatment. Furthermore, statin-based palliative treatment in early stage
      HCC remarkably reduced the number of deaths. For patients who cannot tolerate
      palliative treatments, statin use only might possibly reduce mortality,
      particularly in HBV-related early stage HCC patients (>50% reduction in HCC
      deaths).

PMID- 26496315
TI  - Urinary Cyclophilin A as a New Marker for Diabetic Nephropathy: A Cross-Sectional
      Analysis of Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common single cause of end-stage renal
      disease. Albuminuria is the most commonly used marker to predict onset of
      diabetic nephropathy (DN) without enough sensitivity and specificity to detect
      early DN. This is the first study to identify urinary cyclophilin A (CypA) as a
      new biomarker for early DN.We recruited DM outpatients and healthy control
      subjects from January 2014 to December 2014. In this cross-sectional study,
      patients' urine samples were collected to determine the expression of urinary
      CypA. We also treated mesangial (MES-13) and tubular (HK-2) cells with glucose or
      free radicals to observe the expression of secreted CypA in Western blot
      analysis.A total of 100 DN patients and 20 healthy control subjects were
      enrolled. All variables were matched. In univariate analysis, the concentration
      of urinary CypA correlated well with the progression of renal function. A
      significant increase in urinary CypA was noted in stage 2 DN and persisted in
      later stages. We could diagnose stage 2 DN using urinary CypA with a sensitivity
      of 90.0% and specificity of 72.7%. The area under curve was up to 0.85,
      indicating a good discriminatory power. In cellular models, MES-13 and HK-2 cells
      can both release CypA.Urinary CypA is a good biomarker for early DN detection in
      humans and it can be released from either mesangial or tubular cells. The
      underlying molecular mechanisms still need further clarification in cellular and
      animal studies. 

PMID- 26496316
TI  - New Insights in Histogenetic Pathways of Gastric Cancer.
AB  - The aim of this paper was to describe 3 possible histogenetic pathways for poorly
      cohesive (diffuse) carcinomas and 2 for intestinal-type gastric carcinomas (GCs),
      which might influence the behavior of GC. In the present observational study, 102
      patients with early (n = 50) and advanced GCs (n = 52) were evaluated, and the
      histogenetic background was analyzed. All of the cases were sporadic GCs. For
      particular aspects, Maspin, E-cadherin, and SLUG immunostains were performed. For
      our final conclusions, the results were correlated with literature data. In early
      stages, poorly cohesive carcinomas can display 3 histogenetic pathways, with
      particular molecular behaviors: "carcinoma with intraepithelial pagetoid onset"
      (with or without a switch from E-cadherin to SLUG positivity), "carcinoma with
      early lymphatic invasion" (carcinoma limited to mucosa but with carcinomatosis of
      the lymph vessels from subjacent layers), and "microglandular-type poorly
      cohesive carcinoma" (the onset is similar with adenocarcinoma but abrupt
      dedifferentiation can be seen in the submucosa, with persistence of a dual
      component in the deep layers). The intestinal type carcinoma can be developed on
      the background of superficially located dysplasia ("classic adenocarcinoma") or
      in the submucosal heterotopic mucosa ("adenocarcinoma arising from the mucosal
      infolding in the submucosa"). Based on personal observations correlated with
      literature data, 5 histopathogenetic pathways are proposed with specific
      denominations. Each of them can partially explain the aberrant behavior of early
      gastric cancer.

PMID- 26496317
TI  - Effect of Hypovitaminosis D on Postoperative Pain Outcomes and Short-Term Health
      Related Quality of Life After Knee Arthroplasty: A Cohort Study.
AB  - Vitamin D may have an important role in pain perception. Inadequate vitamin D
      levels are associated with suboptimal recovery after surgery. However, the
      effects of hypovitaminosis D on postoperative pain-related outcomes and its
      impact on health-related quality of life after surgery are not well understood.
      The objective of this study was to determine the effects of hypovitaminosis D on
      postoperative pain-related outcomes and health-related quality of life at 3
      months after knee arthroplasty.This was a longitudinal cohort study of 191
      consecutive Hong Kong Chinese patients who were given patient-controlled morphine
      analgesia for up to 72 hours after 214 knee arthroplasties. Serum total 25
      hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) concentration was assessed by liquid chromatography
      tandem mass spectrometry. The primary outcomes were postoperative pain intensity
      at rest scores (0-72 h), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC)
      osteoarthritis index (pain, stiffness and function), and moderate-to-severe
      persistent pain (transformed WOMAC pain score of 0-75 at 3 months after knee
      arthroplasty; 0, extreme pain; 100, no pain). Group differences were analyzed
      using generalized estimating equation models and a logistic regression model.The
      prevalence of preoperative hypovitaminosis D (25-OHD <50 nmol/L) was 44% (95%
      confidence interval [CI]: 37%-51%). There were transient higher pain intensity
      scores in the moderate-to-severe hypovitaminosis D (25-OHD <30 nmol/L) group
      compared with the sufficient vitamin D group. Vitamin D status had no effect on
      total WOMAC index (P = 0.22). The incidence of moderate-to-severe persistent pain
      was 9% (95% CI: 6%-14%). Hypovitaminosis D increased the risk of moderate-to
      severe persistent pain (adjusted odds ratio 2.64, 95% CI: 1.03-6.77).Preoperative
      hypovitaminosis D had subtle effects on pain intensity scores in the early
      postoperative period and is a risk factor for moderate-to-severe persistent pain
      after knee arthroplasty. Hypovitaminosis D was not associated with worse health
      related quality of life at 3 months after knee arthroplasty.

PMID- 26496318
TI  - Case Report: Brown Fat Accumulation of Tc-99m Macroaggregated Albumin in a Lung
      Perfusion Study in a Patient With Multiple Lung Arteriovenous Malformations and
      Right-to-Left Shunting.
AB  - An 18-year-old man was preoperatively assessed for a varicocele and found to be
      hypoxemic. A Tc-99m macroaggregated albumin lung perfusion scan showed right-to
      left shunting, evidenced by increased radiotracer uptake in the brain, kidneys,
      thyroid gland, and bilateral supraclavicular areas, a typical location for brown
      adipose tissue. Chest computerized tomography angiogram study showed
      supraclavicular fat density areas and multiple pulmonary arteriovenous
      malformations.The authors report a rare case of brown fat visualization on a lung
      perfusion scan in a patient with right-to-left shunting, likely because of
      increased perfusion to activated brown adipose tissue. 

PMID- 26496319
TI  - The Hemoptysis and the Subclavian Artery Pseudoaneurysm due to a Fishbone Injury:
      A Case Report.
AB  - Ingestion of a foreign body is a common cause of esophageal injury, but
      hemoptysis is a rare manifestation of the esophageal penetration by a swallowed
      foreign body. The swallowing of a fishbone is hard to diagnose and the definite
      diagnosis is usually made during surgery. We describe the case of a 50-year-old
      man with direct injury to the lung parenchyma, the azygos vein, and the
      subclavian artery pseudoaneurysm due to a fishbone penetration from the upper
      esophagus into the lung. To our knowledge, this is the first case report that we
      know of in which a swallowed foreign body that penetrated from the upper
      esophagus into the lung caused vascular injuries and lung damage and it was
      solved by minimally invasive surgery and an endovascular stent.We successfully
      diagnosed and treated a case with the migration of the fishbone from the upper
      esophagus into the lung. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan is
      recommended to clarify the fact of vascular injury before surgery. Thoracoscopic
      operation (VATS) combined with endovascular treatment could be a safer and a more
      feasible treatment option in this rare condition. 

PMID- 26496320
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Zoledronic Acid and Pamidronate Disodium in the Treatment
      of Malignant Skeletal Metastasis: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Solid tumors frequently metastasize to bone. Two bisphosphonates have been
      investigated for bone metastases including pamidronate disodium and zoledronic
      acid.By searching the PubMed, Embase, Wanfang, and China National Knowledge
      Infrastructure (CNKI) databases, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine the
      efficacy and safety of zoledronic acid compared with pamidronate disodium in
      reducing pain in patients with bone metastases.Studies were pooled, and the
      relative risk (RR) and its corresponding 95 % confidence interval (CI) were
      calculated. Version 12.0 STATA software was used for statistical analysis. Twenty
      relevant articles were included for this meta-analysis study.The complete
      response rate in cancer patients treatment with zoledronic acid was significantly
      higher than that with pamidronate disodium (relative risk [RR] = 1.32 [95%
      confidence interval (CI), 1.00-1.75]; P = 0.987, I = 0%). However, there was no
      significant difference in the rate of partial response rate (RR = 1.04, 95% CI:
      0.90-1.20; P = 0.942, I = 0%) and in the total effective rate (RR = 1.06, 95% CI:
      1.00-1.12; P = 0.998, I = 0%). For adverse events (AE), the incidence of headache
      in cancer patients with zoledronic acid was significantly lower than that with
      pamidronate disodium (RR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.70-0.96; P = 0.793, I = 0%). There was
      no significant difference in nausea or vomiting (RR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.92-1.09; P
      = 0.494, I = 0%), fever (RR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.85-1.14; P =0.633, I = 0%), fatigue
      (RR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.91-1.11; P = 0.914, I = 0%) and anorexia (RR = 1.31, 95%
      CI: 0.91-1.87; P = 0.024, I = 64.4%).In conclusion, this meta-analysis indicates
      that treatment with zoledronic acid was more effective than pamidronate disodium
      in the complete response assessments and the incidence of headache, an AE, was
      significantly lower in cancer patients with zoledronic acid.

PMID- 26496321
TI  - Abnormal Pap Smear and Diagnosis of High-Grade Vaginal Intraepithelial Neoplasia:
      A Retrospective Cohort Study.
AB  - The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between the first diagnosis
      of high-grade Vaginal Intraepithelial Neoplasia (HG-VaIN: VaIN 2-VaIN 3) and the
      cytological abnormalities on the referral pap smear.All the women with
      histological diagnosis of HG-VaIN consecutively referred to the Gynecological
      Oncology Unit of the Aviano National Cancer Institute (Aviano, Italy) from
      January 1991 to April 2014 and with a pap smear performed in the 3 months before
      the diagnosis were considered, and an observational cohort study was performed.A
      total of 87 women with diagnosis of HG-VaIN were identified. Major cytological
      abnormalities (HSIL and ASC-H) on the referral pap smear were significantly more
      frequent than lesser abnormalities (ASC-US and LSIL) in postmenopausal women
      (64.9% vs 36.7%, P = 0.02) and in women with a previous diagnosis of HPV-related
      cervical preinvasive or invasive lesions (70.5% vs 39.5%, P = 0.01). Diagnosis of
      VaIN 3 was preceded by major cytological abnormalities in most of the cases
      (72.7% vs 27.3%, P < 0.001).The diagnosis of HG-VaIN can be preceded by different
      abnormalities on referral pap smear. Major abnormalities are usually reported in
      postmenopausal women and in women with previous cervical HPV-related disease.
      However, ASC-US or LSIL do not exclude HG-VaIN, especially VaIN2. An accurate
      examination of the whole vaginal walls (or vaginal vault) must be performed in
      all the women who underwent colposcopy for an abnormal pap smear, and a biopsy of
      all suspicious areas is mandatory.

PMID- 26496322
TI  - Development and Validation of the Standard Chinese Version of the CARE Item Set
      (CARE-C) for Stroke Patients.
AB  - The Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) item set is a
      standardized, integrative scale for evaluation of functional status across acute
      and postacute care (PAC) providers. The aim of this study was to develop a
      Chinese version of the CARE (CARE-C) item set and to examine its reliability and
      validity for assessment of functional outcomes among stroke patients.The CARE-C
      was administered in two samples. Sample 1 included 30 stroke patients in the
      outpatient clinic setting for the purpose of examining interrater and test-retest
      reliabilities and internal consistency. Sample 2 included 138 stroke patients
      admitted to rehabilitation units for the purpose of investigating criterion
      related validity with the Barthel index, Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily
      Living (IADL) scale, EuroQOL five dimensions questionnaire (EQ-5D), and Mini
      Mental State Examination (MMSE).The CARE-C was categorized into 11 subscales, 52
      items of which were analyzed. At the subscale level, the interrater reliability
      and test-retest reliability expressed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)
      ranged from 0.72 to 0.99 and 0.60 to 1.00, respectively. Six of the 11 subscales
      met acceptable levels of internal consistency (Cronbach alpha > 0.7). The
      criterion-related validity of the CARE-C showed moderate to high correlations of
      its subscales of cognition and basic and instrumental activities of daily living
      with the Barthel index, IADL scale, and MMSE.The CARE-C is a useful instrument
      for evaluating functional quality metrics in the Chinese stroke population. The
      development of the CARE-C also facilitates the assessment of the PAC program in
      Taiwan and future research is warranted for validating the capability of CARE-C
      to identify patients' functional change over time and its generalizability for
      nonstroke populations.

PMID- 26496323
TI  - Assessment of Breast Specimens With or Without Calcifications in Diagnosing
      Malignant and Atypia for Mammographic Breast Microcalcifications Without Mass: A
      STARD-Compliant Diagnostic Accuracy Article.
AB  - Presence of microcalcifications within the specimens frequently signifies a
      successful attempt of stereotactic vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB) in
      obtaining a pathologic diagnosis of the breast microcalcifications. In this
      study, the authors aimed to assess and compare the accuracy and consistency of
      calcified or noncalcified specimens obtained from same sites of sampling on
      isolated microcalcifications without mass in diagnosing high-risk and malignant
      lesions. To the best of our knowledge, an individual case-based prospective
      comparison has not been reported.With the approval from institutional review
      board of our hospital (Chang Gung Memorial Hospital), the authors retrospectively
      reviewed all clinical cases of stereotactic VABBs on isolated breast
      microcalcifications without mass from our database. The authors included those
      having either surgery performed or had clinical follow-up of at least 3 years for
      analysis. All the obtained specimens with or without calcification were
      identified using specimen radiographs and separately submitted for pathologic
      evaluation. The concordance of diagnosis was assessed for both atypia and
      malignant lesions.A total of 390 stereotactic VABB procedures (1206 calcified and
      1456 noncalcified specimens) were collected and reviewed. The consistent rates
      between calcified and noncalcified specimens were low for atypia and malignant
      microcalcifications (44.44% in flat epithelial atypia, 46.51% in atypical ductal
      hyperplasia, 55.73% in ductal carcinoma in situ, and 71.42% in invasive ductal
      carcinoma). The discordance in VABB diagnoses indicated that 41.33% of malignant
      lesions would be misdiagnosed by noncalcified specimens. Furthermore, calcified
      specimens showed higher diagnostic accuracy of breast cancer as compared with the
      noncalcified specimens (91.54 % versus 69.49%, respectively). The evaluation of
      both noncalcified specimens and calcified specimens did not show improvement of
      diagnostic accuracy as compared with evaluating calcified specimens alone (91.54%
      versus 91.54%, respectively).The high prevalence of diagnostic discordance
      between the calcified and noncalcified specimens indicated the higher value of
      calcified specimens in diagnosing atypia and malignant microcalcifications.
      Noncalcified specimens did not provide additional diagnostic benefit from this
      study. The separation of calcified and noncalcified specimens may facilitate more
      focused interpretation from pathologists among the large number of specimens. 

PMID- 26496324
TI  - Clinical Impact of Sagittal Spinopelvic Parameters on Disc Degeneration in Young
      Adults.
AB  - The sagittal balance plays an important role in the determination of shear and
      compressive forces applied on the anterior (vertebral bodies and intervertebral
      discs) and posterior (facet joints) elements of the lumbar vertebral column. Many
      studies have also examined the effect of structural changes in the disc on the
      biomechanical characteristics of the spinal segment. Nevertheless, the
      relationship between sagittal balance and the degree of disc degeneration has not
      been extensively explored. Thus, here we investigated the relationships between
      various sagittal spinopelvic parameters and the degree of disc degeneration in
      young adults.A total of 278 young adult male patients were included in this study
      (age range: 18-24 years old). Multiple sagittal spinopelvic parameters, including
      pelvic incidence (PI), sacral slope (SS), pelvic tilt (PT), lumbar lordosis (LL),
      sacral inclination (SI), lumbosacral angle (LSA), and sacral table angle (STA),
      were measured from standing lateral lumbosacral radiographs. The degree of
      intervertebral disc degeneration was classified using a modified Pfirrmann scale.
      To assess the pain intensity of each patient, the visual analogue scale (VAS)
      score for low back pain (LBP) was obtained from all the patients. Finally, the
      relationships between these spinopelvic parameters and the degree of disc
      degeneration in young adults were analyzed. Also, we performed multiple logistic
      regression study.Out of all the spinopelvic parameters measured in this study, a
      low STA and a low SI were the only significant risk factors that were associated
      with disc degeneration in young adults. It means that patients with disc
      degeneration tend to have more severe sacral kyphosis and vertical sacrum.We
      found that patients with disc degeneration showed a lower SI and lower STA
      compared with patients without disc degeneration in young adults. Therefore, we
      suggest that the patients with disc degeneration tend to have more vertical
      sacrum, more sacral kyphosis, and more severe LBP, and that SI and STA
      measurements should be carefully considered to predict or prevent further disc
      degeneration and LBP. 

PMID- 26496325
TI  - Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Elastography: A Useful Tool for Differential
      Diagnosis of Thyroid Nodules and Recommending Fine-Needle Aspiration: A
      Diagnostic Accuracy Study.
AB  - To investigate the diagnostic performance of combined use of conventional
      ultrasound (US) and elastography, including conventional strain elastography such
      as elasticity imaging (EI) and acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI)
      elastography, and to evaluate their usefulness in recommending fine-needle
      aspiration (FNA).A total of 556 pathologically proven thyroid nodules were
      evaluated by US, EI, and ARFI examinations in this study. Three blinded readers
      scored the likelihood of malignancy for 4 datasets (ie, US alone, US and EI, US
      and virtual touch tissue imaging [VTI], and US and virtual touch tissue
      quantification [VTQ]). The diagnostic performances of 4 datasets in
      differentiating malignant from benign thyroid nodules were evaluated. The
      decision-making changes for FNA recommendation in the indeterminate nodules or
      the probably benign nodules on conventional US were evaluated after review of
      elastography.The diagnostic performance in terms of area under the ROC curve did
      not show any change after adding EI, VTI, or VTQ for analysis; and no differences
      were found among different readers; however, the specificity and positive
      predictive value (PPV) improved significantly after adding VTI or VTQ for
      analysis in the senior reader. For the indeterminate nodules on US that were
      pathologically benign, VTQ made correct decision-making changes from FNA biopsy
      to follow-up in a mean of 82.6% nodules, which was significantly higher than
      those achieved by EI (46.8%) and VTI (54.4%) (both P < 0.05). With regard to the
      probably benign nodules on US that were pathologically malignant, EI made the
      highest correct decision-making change from follow-up to FNA biopsy in a mean of
      62.6% nodules (compared with 41.5% on VTQ, P < 0.05).The results indicated that
      ARFI increases the specificity and PPV in diagnosing thyroid nodules. US combined
      VTQ might be helpful in reducing unnecessary FNA for indeterminate nodules on US
      whereas US combined EI is useful to detect the false negative nodules that are
      probably benign on conventional US.

PMID- 26496326
TI  - Elevation of Interleukin-18 Correlates With Cardiovascular, Cerebrovascular, and
      Peripheral Vascular Events: A Cohort Study of Hemodialysis Patients.
AB  - Cardiocerebral vascular events are the major cause of mortality among patients
      with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Subclinical inflammation and atherosclerosis
      have been implicated in the pathophysiology of ESRD. Evidence has shown the
      crucial role of interleukin-18 (IL-18) in inflammation. Interleukin-18 has been
      markedly upregulated in ESRD patients. Nevertheless, the ability of the IL-18
      level to predict cardiocerebral vascular events and the correlation between IL-18
      levels and cardiocerebral vascular events have not been established in
      hemodialysis patients.To determine whether the serum IL-18 level predicts
      cardiocerebral vascular events, the authors studied 171 ESRD patients. Samples
      were collected and patients were followed for 24 months. Demographic data, the
      duration of hemodialysis, nutrition status, inflammatory parameters, dialysis
      adequacy, and lipid profiles were analyzed to predict the outcome by using
      multivariate logistic regression. Cutoff points were calculated by acquiring the
      highest Youden index. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to scrutinize the
      cumulative proportion of events.The multivariate logistic regression model
      revealed that serum creatinine, C-reactive protein, and IL-18 levels were
      independent predictors for cardiocerebral vascular events. The odds ratio of
      events for each increase in IL-18 (pg/mL) was 1.008 for cardiocerebral vascular
      events. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of IL-18 was
      0.779 +/- 0.039, the overall correctness was 73%, and the Youden index was
      highest at a cutoff of 463 pg/mL. In the Kaplan-Meier model, patients with an IL
      18 level higher than 463 pg/mL exhibited the highest probability of experiencing
      an adverse event during the entire follow-up period.Increased serum IL-18 could
      be considered as a predictor of cardiocerebral vascular events in dialysis
      patients. It is noteworthy that various comorbidities might interfere the
      expression of IL-18; therefore, further validation study is required to
      incorporate IL-18 in clinical use.

PMID- 26496327
TI  - Personalized Therapy of Chronic Hepatitis C and B Dually Infected Patients With
      Pegylated Interferon Plus Ribavirin: A Randomized Study.
AB  - We aimed to investigate whether response-guided therapy (RGT) with peginterferon
      alpha plus ribavirin by using hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype, pretreatment HCV
      RNA levels, and rapid virological response (RVR, undetectable HCV RNA at
      treatment week 4) could be applied for active HCV/hepatitis B virus (HBV) dually
      infected patients, without compromised the treatment efficacy.A total of 203
      patients, seropositive of HCV antibody, HCV RNA and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg),
      and seronegative for HBV e antigen for >6 months, were randomized to receive
      peginterferon-alpha/ribavirin by either genotype-guided therapy (GGT, n = 102:
      HCV genotype 1 [HCV-1], 48 weeks; HCV-2/3, 24 weeks) or RGT (n = 101: HCV-1, 48
      or 24 weeks if patients with baseline VL <400,000 IU/mL and RVR; HCV-2/3, 24 or
      16 weeks if patients with RVR). The primary endpoint was HCV-sustained
      virological response (SVR).The HCV SVR rate was comparable between the GGT
      (77.5%, 79/102) and RGT groups (70.3%, 71/101, P = 0.267), either among HCV-1/HBV
      (69.4% [43/62] vs 63.5% [40/63], P = 0.571) or among HCV-2/3/HBV (90.0% [36/40]
      vs 81.6% [31/38], P = 0.342) dually infected patients based on intention-to-treat
      analysis. In HCV-1/HBV dually infected patients, RVR (odds ratio [OR]: 6.05; 95%
      confidence intervals [CI]: 2.148-17.025, P = 0.001) and lower pretreatment blood
      glucose levels (OR: 0.97; CI: 0.944-0.989, P = 0.003) were independent predictors
      of HCV SVR. Although RVR (OR: 10.68; CI: 1.948-58.514, P = 0.006) was the only
      significant factor associated with HCV SVR in HCV-2/3/HBV dually infected
      patients. HBsAg loss at 1 year posttreatment was observed in 17 of 185 (9.2%)
      patients. The rates of discontinuation and adverse events were similar between
      the 2 groups.RGT with peginterferon-alpha/RBV may be considered for HBeAg
      negative HBV/HCV dually infected patients.

PMID- 26496328
TI  - The Ascending Reticular Activating System in a Patient With Severe Injury of the
      Cerebral Cortex: A Case Report.
AB  - We reported on the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) finding of a
      patient in whom severe injury of the cerebral cortex was detected following a
      hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI).A 67-year-old female patient who suffered
      from HIBI induced by cardiac arrest after surgery for lumbar disc herniation
      underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation approximately 20 to 30 minutes after
      cardiac arrest. The patient exhibited impaired alertness, with a Glasgow Coma
      Scale (GCS) score of 4 (eye opening: 2, best verbal response: 1, and best motor
      response: 1). Approximately 3 years after onset, she began to whimper sometimes
      and showed improved consciousness, with a GCS score of 10 (eye opening: 4, best
      verbal response: 2, and best motor response: 4) and Coma Recovery Scale-Revised
      score of 9 (auditory function: 1, visual function: 1, motor function: 2, verbal
      function: 2, communication: 1, and arousal: 2).Results of diffusion tensor
      tractography for the upper connectivity of the ARAS showed decreased neural
      connectivity to each cerebral cortex in both hemispheres. The right lower ARAS
      between the pontine reticular formation and the thalamic intralaminar nuclei
      (ILN) was thinner compared with the left side.Severe injury of the upper portion
      of the ARAS between the thalamic ILN and cerebral cortex was demonstrated in a
      patient with some level of consciousness. 

PMID- 26496329
TI  - Association of Periodontitis With Urinary Albumin Excretion in Korean Adults With
      Diabetes: The 2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
AB  - Albuminuria and periodontitis are both commonly associated with systemic
      inflammation. However, the association between urinary albumin excretion (UAE)
      and periodontitis in patients with type 2 diabetes has not been fully
      investigated. This study aimed to investigate the association between UAE and
      periodontitis in Korean adults with type 2 diabetes.This study performed a cross
      sectional analysis and used hierarchical multivariable logistic regression
      analysis models. Data from the 2012 Korean National Health and Nutrition
      Examination Survey were analyzed. A total of 547 patients, with type 2 diabetes
      without renal impairment, were included in this study. UAE was assessed using the
      urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR). A community periodontal index greater
      than or equal to code 3 was used to define periodontitis.The risk of
      periodontitis tended to increase as UACR increased even after adjustment for
      potential confounders (P for trend in the odds ratios = 0.05 in model 1; 0.02 in
      model 2; and 0.01 in model 3). In a subgroup analysis, the prevalence of
      periodontitis was significantly higher in the patients with albuminuria (UACR >30
      mg/g) than in those without albuminuria among patients younger than 65 years (P =
      0.03), those with newly diagnosed diabetes (P = 0.04), or those without obesity
      (P = .04).UAE was positively associated with the risk of periodontitis in Korean
      adults with type 2 diabetes. In the patients who were younger, were newly
      diagnosed with diabetes, or had normal body mass index, individuals with
      albuminuria were more likely to have a higher prevalence of periodontitis. Early
      identification of periodontitis may be helpful in Korean diabetic adults with
      increased UAE.

PMID- 26496330
TI  - A Congenital Peribronchial Myofibroblastic Tumor Detected in a Premature Infant
      at 28 Weeks but That Resolved in the Late Stage of Pregnancy: A Case Report.
AB  - A congenital peribronchial myofibroblastic tumor (CPMT) is a rare benign tumor
      arising from the lungs. Although CPMT is a benign tumor, it is characterized by
      rapid growth, and is easily misdiagnosed during the prenatal period when the
      symptoms are nonspecific. The authors present a rare case of CPMT in a premature
      infant, which was detected at 28 weeks on ultrasonography (US) but resolved at a
      later stage of pregnancy. The knowledge concerning the diagnosis and management
      of CPMT is reviewed. Herein, the authors report of a 30-minute-old premature
      newborn infant in whom a pulmonary mass was discovered 1 month before delivery.
      Maternal prenatal US demonstrated a 0.8 * 1 cm well-defined oval-shaped mass in
      the left hemithorax in the 28th week of gestational age. The pulmonary mass,
      however, was not apparent on repeat US examination at 32 weeks. The child was
      delivered by cesarean section at 34 weeks estimated gestational age. Chest
      radiography and computed tomography revealed a mass-like lesion in the left lower
      pulmonary lobe. The chest computed tomography characteristics of the tumor
      included large size (4 cm), an irregular margin, and surrounding ground-glass
      opacity, which led to misdiagnosis as a malignant tumor. The patient underwent a
      left inferior lung lobectomy and was pathologically diagnosed with CPMT. He is
      currently alive 12-month postresection with no evidence of disease recurrence.The
      authors report this rare case of CPMT, which was detected at 28 weeks and
      resolved at a later stage of pregnancy. Congenital peribronchial myofibroblastic
      tumor is an uncommon benign tumor. Lobectomy or pneumonectomy is often required.
      The prognosis after surgery is good.

PMID- 26496331
TI  - Oscillating Positive Expiratory Pressure on Respiratory Resistance in Chronic
      Obstructive Pulmonary Disease With a Small Amount of Secretion: A Randomized
      Clinical Trial.
AB  - This study aims to evaluate the acute effects of an oscillating positive
      expiratory pressure device (flutter) on airways resistance in patients with
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Randomized crossover study: 15 COPD
      outpatients from Asthma Lab-Royal Brompton Hospital underwent spirometry, impulse
      oscillometry (IOS) for respiratory resistance (R) and reactance (X), and fraction
      exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measures.Thirty minutes of flutter exercises: a
      "flutter-sham" procedure was used as a control, and airway responses after a
      short-acting bronchodilator were also assessed.Respiratory system resistance (R):
      in COPD patients an increase in X5insp (-0.21 to -0.33 kPa/L/s) and Fres (24.95
      to 26.16 Hz) occurred immediately after flutter exercises without bronchodilator.
      Following 20 min of rest, a decrease in the R5, DeltaR5, R20, X5, and Ax was
      observed, with R5, R20, and X5 values lower than baseline, with a moderate effect
      size; there were no changes in FeNO levels or spirometry.The use of flutter can
      decrease the respiratory system resistance and reactance and expiratory flow
      limitation in stable COPD patients with small amounts of secretions.

PMID- 26496332
TI  - Significant Shrinkage of Multifocal Liver Metastases and Long-Term Survival in a
      Patient With Rectal Cancer, After Trans-Arterial Chemoembolization (TACE): A Case
      Report.
AB  - In this paper, we present the successful therapeutic approach of unresectable
      liver metastases in a patient with rectal cancer.A 63-year-old male underwent
      endoscopic polypectomy followed by rectosigmoid resection for an adenocarcinoma
      of the rectum diagnosed in pT2N0 stage. The angio-computed tomography (CT)
      revealed four metastatic hepatic nodules ranging from 12 to 130 mm in diameter.
      After one cure of trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with lipiodol and 5
      fluorouracil, combined with FOLFOX4 + capecitabine systemic chemotherapy, the
      diameter of all hepatic nodules decreased to half size, at 6 months after TACE.
      Further curative surgical hepatic metastasectomy was done and complete pathologic
      response was obtained. The patient is free of recurrences and metastases after 26
      months of follow-up.This representative case shows that an efficient trans
      disciplinary approach could lead to successful therapeutic management even in
      patients with advanced-staged colorectal carcinomas.

PMID- 26496334
TI  - Adrenal Pheochromocytoma Incidentally Discovered in a Patient With Parkinsonism.
AB  - To evaluate the diagnostic route of pheochromocytoma (PHEO) in a patient under
      dopaminergic treatment.A 70-year-old man with Parkinsonism and under treatment
      with levodopa and carbidopa came to our observation for evaluation of arterial
      hypertension and right adrenal mass discovered incidentally.To evaluate adrenal
      hormone levels we performed a dexamethasone suppression test, plasma aldosterone
      levels and 24-hr urinary metanephrine, which revealed elevated levels of
      catecholamines metabolities. 123-I-metaiodobenzylguanidine SPECT scintiscan
      revealed raised activity within the right adrenal gland concordant with the mass.
      The diagnosis of PHEO was posed and an elective laparoscopic adrenalectomy was
      performed; histopathological examination confirmed the PHEO diagnosis.Recently
      the coexistence of PHEO and Parkinsonism is a very rare association of diseases,
      with only 3 cases reported in literature. In this article, another case is
      reported and diagnostic procedures are discussed. 

PMID- 26496333
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of a Traditional Chinese Herbal Formula Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction
      for Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - The cardioprotective role of xuefu zhuyu decoction (XZD), a well-known classical
      herbal formula, has been documented for hypertension treatment recently. This
      study aims to summarize the efficacy and safety of XZD in treating
      hypertension.Seven databases were searched to identify randomized controlled
      trials evaluating the efficacy of XZD in hypertensive patients. Fifteen studies
      involving 1364 hypertensive patients were included. All studies compared XZD and
      antihypertensive drugs with antihypertensive drugs used alone.In all, 15 studies
      reported significant effects of XZD for lowering blood pressure compared with the
      control group (P < 0.05), and 7 studies reported significant effects of XZD for
      improving symptoms compared with the control group (P < 0.00001). Meanwhile,
      studies reported XZD was more efficacious than antihypertensive drugs in
      improving total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,
      homocysteine, hemorheology, carotid intima-media thickness, and left ventricular
      mass index (P < 0.05). No severe adverse event was reported.This meta-analysis
      provides evidence that XZD is beneficial for hypertension. Although concerns
      regarding selective bias and methodologic flaws were raised, our findings
      suggests XZD as a new candidate cardioprotective drug for hypertension, which
      should be given priority for future preclinical and clinical studies.

PMID- 26496335
TI  - Cytogenetic and Clinical Features in Children Suspected With Congenital
      Abnormalities in 1 Medical Center of Zhejiang Province From 2011 to 2014.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate the detection rate of chromosome abnormalities in
      children suspected with congenital disorders in 1 single center, identify any
      differences according to different classification criteria, and try to enlighten
      the medical professionals what clinical features should be transferred for
      cytogenetic analysis.From January 1, 2011 to March 31, 2014, children who were
      suspected with chromosomal disorders were included. All the cytogenetic analyses
      were performed in the Medical Biology and Genetic Department Laboratory in
      Zhejiang DIAN Diagnostics. We evaluated the variants of clinical indications, and
      incidence and types of chromosomal abnormalities among groups.During the study
      period, 4129 samples were collected and analyzed. Among them, 769 children were
      detected with chromosome abnormalities, accounting for 18.62% of all referral
      cases. The ratio of sex-linked chromosomal abnormalities to autosomal ones was
      1:3.2. The detection rates were 19.66% (365/1857) for boys and 17.78% (404/2272)
      for girls. Most of trisomy 21 were found before the age of 1 year old, while most
      of children with Turner syndrome were found after 6 years old. The group
      presenting with specific clinical stigmata had highest detection rate of 59.1%.We
      demonstrated the detection rates of chromosome abnormalities in children who were
      suspected with chromosomal disorders. Combined with previous report, we
      established a database of common chromosomal anomalies and the clinical features
      that could be useful for genetic counseling and remind the medical professionals
      what kind of patients should be transferred to genetic analysis. 

PMID- 26496337
TI  - Prognostic Value of the Metastatic Lymph Node Ratio in Patients With Resectable
      Carcinoma of Ampulla of Vater.
AB  - Patients with carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater (CAV) have better outcomes among
      periampullary malignancies. However, little is known about the metastatic lymph
      node ratio (LNR) as a prognostic factor for resectable CAV. We retrospectively
      reviewed our CAV patients undergoing curative surgery and analyzed their
      prognostic factors.A total of 212 CAV patients who received radical surgery at
      Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, between 2000 and 2010 were admitted in this
      study. The lymph node ratio was defined as the number of metastatic lymph nodes
      (LNs) divided by the total number of LNs removed. The patients' demographic data,
      comorbidities, operation type, and tumor features were analyzed retrospectively
      for survival prediction of patients.The median age of the patients was 62 years,
      and 57% of the patients were men. The surgical procedure was standard
      pancreaticoduodenectomy and pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy in 53% and
      47% of the patients, respectively. The median follow-up duration was 32.6 months,
      and 50% of the patients had died by the end of the study. The median overall
      survival time (OS) and disease-free survival time (DFS) were 65.8 and 33.7
      months, respectively. In multivariate analysis, patients with a metastatic LNR
      >0.056 had a significantly poor prognosis in both OS and DFS.A metastatic LNR
      >0.056 predicted a poor DFS and OS in CAV patients after radical surgery. Greater
      awareness on the impact of metastatic LNR may help clinicians provide appropriate
      adjuvant treatment for high-risk CAV patients. 

PMID- 26496336
TI  - Putative Role of Serum Amyloid-A and Proinflammatory Cytokines as Biomarkers for
      Behcet's Disease.
AB  - Behcet's disease (BD) is a multisystemic disorder of unknown etiology
      characterized by relapsing oral-genital ulcers, uveitis, and involvement of
      vascular, gastrointestinal, neurological, and musculoskeletal system. Although
      disease pathogenesis is still unclear, both innate and adaptive immunity have
      shown to play a pivotal role, and multiple proinflammatory cytokines seem to be
      involved in different pathogenic pathways that eventually lead to tissue
      damage.The aims of our study were to evaluate serum cytokines levels of IL-8, IL
      18, IFN-alpha2a, IL-6, IFN-gamma, CXCL10, CXCL11, CXCL9, and SAA levels in
      patients with BD, in comparison to healthy controls (HC), and to correlate their
      levels to disease activity.We included 78 serum samples obtained from 58 BD
      patients and analyzed a set of proinflammatory cytokines including IL-8, IL-18,
      IFN-alpha2a, IL-6, IFN-gamma, CXCL10, CXCL11, and CXCL9 by multiplex bead
      analysis as well as SAA by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Compared to HC, BD
      patients showed elevated cytokine levels of IL-8, IL-18, IFN-alpha2a, and IL-6,
      and low levels of CXCL11. BD patients with SAA serum levels >20 mg/L showed
      higher levels of proinflammatory markers than HC or group with SAA <=20 mg/L. IL
      18, IFN-alpha2a, and IL-6 were higher in BD group with SAA >20 mg/L than HC,
      while IL-8 and CXCL9 levels were higher than in patients with SAA <=20 mg/L and
      HC.Active BD patients with SAA >20 mg/L exhibited elevated levels of inflammatory
      mediators, suggesting that may exist a relationship between SAA and
      proinflammatory cytokines in the intricate scenario of BD pathogenesis.

PMID- 26496338
TI  - Genetic Polymorphisms of Functional Candidate Genes and Recurrent Acute Otitis
      Media With or Without Tympanic Membrane Perforation.
AB  - Evaluation of the genetic contribution to the development of recurrent acute
      otitis media (rAOM) remains challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the
      potential association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in selected
      genes and rAOM and to analyze whether genetic variations might predispose to the
      development of complicated recurrent cases, such as those with tympanic membrane
      perforation (TMP).A total of 33 candidate genes and 47 SNPs were genotyped in 200
      children with rAOM (116 with a history of TMP) and in 200 healthy
      controls.INFgamma rs 12369470CT was significantly less common in the children
      with rAOM than in healthy controls (odds ratio [OR] 0.5, 95% confidence interval
      [CI] 0.25-1, P = 0.04). Although not significant, interleukin (IL)-1beta rs
      1143627G and toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 rs2737191AG were less frequently detected
      in the children with rAOM than in controls. The opposite was true for IL-8
      rs2227306CT, which was found more frequently in the children with rAOM than in
      healthy controls. The IL-10 rs1800896TC SNP and the IL-1alpha rs6746923A and AG
      SNPs were significantly more and less common, respectively, among children
      without a history of TMP than among those who suffered from this complication (OR
      2.17, 95% CI 1.09-4.41, P = 0.02, and OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.21-0.84, P = 0.01).This
      study is the first report suggesting an association between variants in genes
      encoding for factors of innate or adaptive immunity and the occurrence of rAOM
      with or without TMP, which confirms the role of genetics in conditioning
      susceptibility to AOM.

PMID- 26496340
TI  - Broad-spectrum Antibiotic Plus Metronidazole May Not Prevent the Deterioration of
      Necrotizing Enterocolitis From Stage II to III in Full-term and Near-term
      Infants: A Propensity Score-matched Cohort Study.
AB  - Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common and frequently dangerous
      neonatal gastrointestinal disease. Studies have shown broad-spectrum antibiotics
      plus anaerobic antimicrobial therapy did not prevent the deterioration of NEC
      among very low birth preterm infants. However, few studies about this therapy
      which focused on full-term and near-term infant with NEC has been reported. The
      aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of broad-spectrum antibiotic plus
      metronidazole in preventing the deterioration of NEC from stage II to III in full
      term and near-term infants.A retrospective cohort study based on the propensity
      score (PS) 1:1 matching was performed among the full-term and near-term infants
      with NEC (Bell stage >=II). All infants who received broad-spectrum antibiotics
      were divided into 2 groups: group with metronidazole treatment (metronidazole was
      used >=4 days continuously, 15 mg/kg/day) and group without metronidazole
      treatment. The depraved rates of stage II NEC between the 2 groups were compared.
      Meanwhile, the risk factors associated with the deterioration of stage II NEC
      were analyzed by case-control study in the PS-matched cases.A total of 229
      infants met the inclusion criteria. Before PS-matching, we found the
      deterioration of NEC rate in the group with metronidazole treatment was higher
      than that in the group without metronidazole treatment (18.1% [28/155] vs 8.1%
      [6/74]; P = 0.048). After PS-matching, 73 pairs were matched, and the depraved
      rate of NEC in the group with metronidazole treatment was not lower than that in
      the group without metronidazole treatment (15.1% vs 8.2%; P = 0.2). Binary
      logistic regression analysis showed that sepsis after NEC (odds ratio [OR] 3.748,
      95% confidence interval [CI] 1.171-11.998, P = 0.03), the need to use transfusion
      of blood products after diagnosis of NEC (OR 8.003, 95% CI 2.365-27.087, P =
      0.00), and the need of longer time for nasogastric suction were risk factors for
      stage II NEC progressing to stage III (OR 1.102, 95% CI 1.004-1.21, P =
      0.04).Broad-spectrum antibiotic plus metronidazole may not prevent the
      deterioration of NEC in full-term and near-term infants. Those infants who had
      sepsis required transfusion of blood products, and needed longer time for
      nasogastric suction after stage II NEC was more likely to progress to stage III.

PMID- 26496339
TI  - Modified Glasgow Prognostic Score is Associated With Risk of Recurrence in
      Bladder Cancer Patients After Radical Cystectomy: A Multicenter Experience.
AB  - Recently, many studies explored the role of inflammation parameters in the
      prognosis of urinary cancers, but the results were not consistent. The modified
      Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS), a systemic inflammation marker, is a prognostic
      marker in various types of cancers. The aim of the present study was to
      investigate the usefulness of the preoperative mGPS as predictor of recurrence
      free (RFS), overall (OS), and cancer-specific (CSS) survivals in a large cohort
      of urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) patients.A total of 1037 patients with UBC
      were included in this study with a median follow-up of 22 months (range 3-60
      months). An mGPS = 0 was observed in 646 patients (62.3%), mGPS = 1 in 297
      patients (28.6 %), and mGPS = 2 in 94 patients (9.1%).In our study cohort,
      subjects with an mGPS equal to 2 had a significantly shorter median RFS compared
      with subjects with mGPS equal to 1 (16 vs 19 months, hazard ratio [HR] 1.54, 95%
      CI 1.31-1.81, P < 0.001) or with subjects with mGPS equal to 0 (16 vs 29 months,
      HR 2.38, 95% CI 1.86-3.05, P < 0.001). The association between mGPS and RFS was
      confirmed by weighted multivariate Cox model. Although in univariate analysis
      higher mGPS was associated with lower OS and CSS, this association disappeared in
      multivariate analysis where only the presence of lymph node-positive bladder
      cancer and T4 stage were predictors of worse prognosis for OS and CSS.In
      conclusion, the mGPS is an easily measured and inexpensive prognostic marker that
      was significantly associated with RFS in UBC patients.

PMID- 26496341
TI  - Radiochemotherapy Versus Surgery in Nonmetastatic Anorectal Neuroendocrine
      Carcinoma: A Multicenter Study by the Association des Gastro-Enterologues
      Oncologues.
AB  - Neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC) of the anus or the rectum are a rare disease,
      accounting for less than 1% of all digestive malignancies. Most are metastatic at
      diagnosis and treated with a platinum-based chemotherapy. No guidelines for
      localized tumors exist. The purpose of this study was to describe the
      characteristics of anorectal localized NEC, their management and their
      outcomes.We retrospectively reviewed patients from 11 French centers with
      anorectal localized NEC. We compared 2 therapeutic managements: surgery (group A)
      versus chemotherapy with or without radiation (group B). Progression-free
      survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier
      method.A total of 24 patients were identified with a median follow-up of 25
      months (3-60 months). Median age was 63 years old and 17 had a rectal tumor
      (71%). Mean Ki-67 was 72% (range: 20-100), and 75% of the tumors had a high
      proliferative index (Ki-67 > 50%). Global PFS and OS were 13.1 and 44.1 months,
      respectively. Thirty-seven percent of patients were in group A and 63% in group
      B. There was no difference between group A and group B, whether in terms of PFS
      (13.0 months vs. 13.2 months, P = 0.75) or OS (49.1 months vs. 39.2 months, P =
      0.42).In patients with anorectal localized NEC, chemotherapy with or without
      radiation obtained a similar outcome as surgery and this conservative approach
      could be deemed a reasonable option.

PMID- 26496342
TI  - A Generalized Entropy Measure of Within-Host Viral Diversity for Identifying
      Recent HIV-1 Infections.
AB  - There is a need for incidence assays that accurately estimate HIV incidence based
      on cross-sectional specimens. Viral diversity-based assays have shown promises
      but are not particularly accurate. We hypothesize that certain viral genetic
      regions are more predictive of recent infection than others and aim to improve
      assay accuracy by using classification algorithms that focus on highly
      informative regions (HIRs).We analyzed HIV gag sequences from a cohort in
      Botswana. Forty-two subjects newly infected by HIV-1 Subtype C were followed
      through 500 days post-seroconversion. Using sliding window analysis, we screened
      for genetic regions within gag that best differentiate recent versus chronic
      infections. We used both nonparametric and parametric approaches to evaluate the
      discriminatory abilities of sequence regions. Segmented Shannon Entropy measures
      of HIRs were aggregated to develop generalized entropy measures to improve
      prediction of recency. Using logistic regression as the basis for our
      classification algorithm, we evaluated the predictive power of these novel
      biomarkers and compared them with recently reported viral diversity measures
      using area under the curve (AUC) analysis.Change of diversity over time varied
      across different sequence regions within gag. We identified the top 50% of the
      most informative regions by both nonparametric and parametric approaches. In both
      cases, HIRs were in more variable regions of gag and less likely in the p24
      coding region. Entropy measures based on HIRs outperformed previously reported
      viral-diversity-based biomarkers. These methods are better suited for population
      level estimation of HIV recency.The patterns of diversification of certain
      regions within the gag gene are more predictive of recency of infection than
      others. We expect this result to apply in other HIV genetic regions as well.
      Focusing on these informative regions, our generalized entropy measure of viral
      diversity demonstrates the potential for improving accuracy when identifying
      recent HIV-1 infections. 

PMID- 26496343
TI  - Invasive Cervical Cancer and Antidepressants: A Nationwide Population-Based
      Study.
AB  - To our knowledge, no prior population-based study has been published wherein the
      primary aim was to evaluate whether an association between psychotropic drug
      prescription and cervical cancer exists. Herein we have conducted the first study
      that primarily aimed to determine the association between antidepressants use and
      risk of invasive cervical cancer in the general population.This is a population
      based study utilizing Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. We
      identified 26,262 cases with invasive cervical cancer and 129,490 controls. We
      adopted the conditional logistic regression model as the statistical method and
      adjusted for potential confounding factors.The prescription of selective
      serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (adjusted OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.84-1.04),
      tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), serotonin
      norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), mirtazapine and bupropion, adjusting
      for cumulative dose, was not associated with an increased, or decreased, risk for
      invasive cervical cancer. An association between trazodone prescription and
      invasive cervical cancer was observed (adjusted OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.03-1.43).An
      association between the major classes of antidepressants and invasive cervical
      cancer was not observed herein. Our preliminary finding regarding a possible
      association between trazodone and cervical cancer requires replication.

PMID- 26496344
TI  - Single-Site Robotic Cholecystectomy: Reverse-Port Technique.
AB  - This study aims to introduce an alternative technique for effective single-site
      robotic cholecystectomy (SSRC) using a reverse port.Proper exposure of Calot's
      triangle is critical for safe laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Current robotic
      surgical systems are useful for single-site cholecystectomy. However, in exposing
      Calot's triangle, the gallbladder is usually retracted in a medial and upward
      direction, resulting in a narrow triangle. This intraoperative view is a major
      obstacle to safe laparoscopic cholecystectomy.From October 2013 to October 2014,
      55 consecutive patients underwent SSRC by a single surgeon at Yonsei University
      Severance Hospital. Initially, 5 patients underwent the original robotic single
      site cholecystectomy technique, and the remaining 50 patients underwent robotic
      single site cholecystectomy using our reverse port technique.There were no
      differences between the SSRC-O (original port) group and the SSRC-R (reverse
      port) group in terms of patient age (P = 0.244), body mass index (P = 0.503), and
      pathologic conditions of the gallbladder (P = 0.841). Total operation time (132.6
      vs 99.12 min; P = 0.009), actual dissection time (51.6 vs 30.28 min; P = 0.001),
      and console time (84.4 vs 50.46 min; P = 0.001) were all significantly shorter in
      the SSRC-R group. Mean intraoperative blood loss was minimal in both groups (20
      vs 12.4 mL, P = 0.467), and bile spillage occurred in 2 patients of the SSRC-R
      group. There was one case of laparoscopic conversion in the SSRC-R group.The
      reverse port technique described in this study successfully widened Calot's
      triangle and improved the safety of the current robotic surgical system for
      single-site robotic cholecystectomy.

PMID- 26496345
TI  - Clinical Characteristics and Treatment of Extremity Chronic Osteomyelitis in
      Southern China: A Retrospective Analysis of 394 Consecutive Patients.
AB  - Although extremity chronic osteomyelitis is common in China, updated data were
      still limited regarding its characterizations. The present study aimed to review
      clinical features of extremity chronic osteomyelitis in Southern China.A
      retrospective analysis was conducted in the patients who had sought medical
      attention from January 2010 to April 2015 for extremity chronic osteomyelitis in
      Nanfang Hospital in Southern China. Clinical data were collected and analyzed.A
      total of 394 patients (307 males and 87 females) were included, giving a gender
      ratio of 3.53. The median age at first diagnosis was 42 years for all. The most
      frequent type was traumatic osteomyelitis (262 cases, 66.50%), which was mainly
      caused by open injury (166 cases, 63.36%) and during a road accident (91 cases,
      34.73%). Single-site infection accounted for 81.98% (323 cases), with tibia (126
      cases), femur (79 cases), calcaneus (37 cases), and toes (37 cases) as the top
      sites. The positive rate of intraoperative culture was 70.63% (214/303), 78.97%
      (169/214) of which was monomicrobial infection. Staphylococcus aureus (59 cases)
      was the most frequent bacteria for monomicrobial infection, followed by
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa (29 cases) and Escherichia coli (11 cases). The positive
      ratios of preoperative serum white blood cell (WBC), erythrocyte sedimentation
      rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin-6 (IL-6),
      and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were 21.63%, 64.92%, 53.27%, 42.25%,
      72.82%, and 66.67%, respectively. The most frequently used intravenous antibiotic
      was cephalosporins. The overall cure rate was 77.74%, with a total amputation
      rate of 16.75%.In this representative Chinese cohort, extremity chronic
      osteomyelitis was mostly caused by open injury and during a road accident,
      predominated in males and favored the tibia. S. aureus was the most frequent
      pathogenic organism. Preoperative elevated levels of serum IL-6, TNF-alpha, and
      ESR may be helpful diagnostic indicators of the disease. Most patients achieved a
      favorable clinical efficacy after appropriate treatment. 

PMID- 26496346
TI  - Impact of Asthma on the Development of Coronary Vasospastic Angina: A Population
      Based Cohort Study.
AB  - Although asthma increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, little is known
      about the relation of asthma and its severity to coronary vasospastic angina
      (CVsA). We hypothesized that asthma contributed to the development of
      CVsA.Patients in this population-based cohort study were retrospectively
      collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance database. Using propensity
      score matching, subjects were stratified at a 1 : 4 ratio into a study group
      comprising 3087 patients with a diagnosis of CVsA, and a control group consisting
      of 12,348 patients who underwent coronary intervention for obstructive coronary
      artery disease (CAD) during the period 2000 to 2011.Asthma significantly
      increased the risk of new-onset CVsA independent of other comorbidities [adjusted
      odds ratio (OR) = 1.85, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.47-2.32, P < 0.001].
      In addition, the risk of new-onset CVsA was significantly higher in previous
      users of oral or inhaled corticosteroids (oral corticosteroids: OR = 1.22, 95% CI
      = 1.01-1.49, P = 0.04; inhaled corticosteroids: OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.28-2.79, P
      = 0.001). In addition, the prevalence of asthma was highest among patients with
      CVsA alone, followed by patients with CAD and CVsA and patients who underwent
      coronary intervention for CAD alone (P trend < 0.001).Our study suggests that
      asthma is independently associated with CVsA and prior steroid use increases the
      risk of CVsA development.

PMID- 26496347
TI  - Dynamic Changes of QRS Morphology of Premature Ventricular Contractions During
      Ablation in the Right Ventricular Outflow Tract: A Case Report.
AB  - Electrocardiographic characteristics can be useful in differentiating between
      right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) and aortic sinus cusp (ASC) ventricular
      arrhythmias. Ventricular arrhythmias originating from ASC, however, show
      preferential conduction to RVOT that may render the algorithms of
      electrocardiographic characteristics less reliable. Even though there are few
      reports describing ventricular arrhythmias with ASC origins and endocardial
      breakout sites of RVOT, progressive dynamic changes in QRS morphology of the
      ventricular arrhythmias during ablation obtained were rare.This case report
      describes a patient with symptomatic premature ventricular contractions of left
      ASC origin presenting an electrocardiogram (ECG) characteristic of right
      ventricular outflow tract before ablation. Pacing at right ventricular outflow
      tract reproduced an excellent pace map. When radiofrequency catheter ablation was
      applied to the right ventricular outflow tract, the QRS morphology of premature
      ventricular contractions progressively changed from ECG characteristics of right
      ventricular outflow tract origin to ECG characteristics of left ASC
      origin.Successful radiofrequency catheter ablation was achieved at the site of
      the earliest ventricular activation in the left ASC. The distance between the
      successful ablation site of the left ASC and the site with an excellent pace map
      of the RVOT was 20 mm.The ndings could be strong evidence for a preferential
      conduction via the myocardial bers from the ASC origin to the breakout site in
      the right ventricular outflow tract. This case demonstrates that ventricular
      arrhythmias with a single origin and exit shift may exhibit QRS morphology
      changes.

PMID- 26496348
TI  - Arthroscopic Resection of a Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor in the Wrist: A Case
      Report.
AB  - The treatment for giant cell tumors of the tendon sheath is surgical therapy, but
      surgical recurrence rates were reported to be as high as 50% in some cases.
      Therefore, complete radical excision of the lesion is the treatment of choice. If
      the tumor originates from the joint, it is important to perform capsulotomy.
      Here, the authors report the first case of successful treatment of a localized
      intra-articular giant cell tumor in the wrist by arthroscopic resection.A 28-year
      old right-handed woman visited the clinic because of left wrist ulnar-side pain,
      which had been aggravated during the previous 15 days. Vague ulnar-side wrist
      pain had begun 2 years ago. When the authors examined the patient, the wrist
      showed mild swelling on the volo-ulnar aspect and the distal radioulnar joint, as
      well as volar joint line tenderness. She showed a positive result on the
      ulnocarpal stress test and displayed limited range of motion. Magnetic resonance
      imaging revealed an intra-articular mass with synovitis in the ulnocarpal joint.
      Wrist arthroscopy was performed using standard portals under regional anesthesia.
      The arthroscopic findings revealed a large, well-encapsulated, yellow lobulated
      soft-tissue mass that was attached to the volar side of the ulnocarpal ligament
      and connected to the extra-articular side. The mass was completely excised piece
      by piece with a grasping forceps. Histopathologic examination revealed that the
      lesion was an intra-articular localized form of a tenosynovial giant cell
      tumor.At 24-month follow-up, the patient was completely asymptomatic and had full
      range of motion in her left wrist, and no recurrence was found in magnetic
      resonance imaging follow-up evaluations.The authors suggest that the arthroscopic
      excision of intra-articular giant cell tumors, as in this case, may be an
      alternative method to open excisions, with many advantages. 

PMID- 26496349
TI  - Integrating Ecosystem Engineering and Food Web Ecology: Testing the Effect of
      Biogenic Reefs on the Food Web of a Soft-Bottom Intertidal Area.
AB  - The potential of ecosystem engineers to modify the structure and dynamics of food
      webs has recently been hypothesised from a conceptual point of view. Empirical
      data on the integration of ecosystem engineers and food webs is however largely
      lacking. This paper investigates the hypothesised link based on a field sampling
      approach of intertidal biogenic aggregations created by the ecosystem engineer
      Lanice conchilega (Polychaeta, Terebellidae). The aggregations are known to have
      a considerable impact on the physical and biogeochemical characteristics of their
      environment and subsequently on the abundance and biomass of primary food sources
      and the macrofaunal (i.e. the macro-, hyper- and epibenthos) community.
      Therefore, we hypothesise that L. conchilega aggregations affect the structure,
      stability and isotopic niche of the consumer assemblage of a soft-bottom
      intertidal food web. Primary food sources and the bentho-pelagic consumer
      assemblage of a L. conchilega aggregation and a control area were sampled on two
      soft-bottom intertidal areas along the French coast and analysed for their stable
      isotopes. Despite the structural impacts of the ecosystem engineer on the
      associated macrofaunal community, the presence of L. conchilega aggregations only
      has a minor effect on the food web structure of soft-bottom intertidal areas. The
      isotopic niche width of the consumer communities of the L. conchilega
      aggregations and control areas are highly similar, implying that consumer taxa do
      not shift their diet when feeding in a L. conchilega aggregation. Besides,
      species packing and hence trophic redundancy were not affected, pointing to an
      unaltered stability of the food web in the presence of L. conchilega. 

PMID- 26496350
TI  - Accuracy of Electronic Health Record Data for Identifying Stroke Cases in Large
      Scale Epidemiological Studies: A Systematic Review from the UK Biobank Stroke
      Outcomes Group.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Long-term follow-up of population-based prospective studies is often
      achieved through linkages to coded regional or national health care data. Our
      knowledge of the accuracy of such data is incomplete. To inform methods for
      identifying stroke cases in UK Biobank (a prospective study of 503,000 UK adults
      recruited in middle-age), we systematically evaluated the accuracy of these data
      for stroke and its main pathological types (ischaemic stroke, intracerebral
      haemorrhage, subarachnoid haemorrhage), determining the optimum codes for case
      identification. METHODS: We sought studies published from 1990-November 2013,
      which compared coded data from death certificates, hospital admissions or primary
      care with a reference standard for stroke or its pathological types. We extracted
      information on a range of study characteristics and assessed study quality with
      the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Studies tool (QUADAS-2). To assess accuracy,
      we extracted data on positive predictive values (PPV) and-where available-on
      sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive values (NPV). RESULTS: 37 of 39
      eligible studies assessed accuracy of International Classification of Diseases
      (ICD)-coded hospital or death certificate data. They varied widely in their
      settings, methods, reporting, quality, and in the choice and accuracy of codes.
      Although PPVs for stroke and its pathological types ranged from 6-97%,
      appropriately selected, stroke-specific codes (rather than broad cerebrovascular
      codes) consistently produced PPVs >70%, and in several studies >90%. The few
      studies with data on sensitivity, specificity and NPV showed higher sensitivity
      of hospital versus death certificate data for stroke, with specificity and NPV
      consistently >96%. Few studies assessed either primary care data or combinations
      of data sources. CONCLUSIONS: Particular stroke-specific codes can yield high
      PPVs (>90%) for stroke/stroke types. Inclusion of primary care data and combining
      data sources should improve accuracy in large epidemiological studies, but there
      is limited published information about these strategies.

PMID- 26496351
TI  - Quantifying the Role of Homophily in Human Cooperation Using Multiplex
      Evolutionary Game Theory.
AB  - Nature shows as human beings live and grow inside social structures. This
      assumption allows us to explain and explore how it may shape most of our
      behaviours and choices, and why we are not just blindly driven by instincts: our
      decisions are based on more complex cognitive reasons, based on our connectedness
      on different spaces. Thus, human cooperation emerges from this complex nature of
      social network. Our paper, focusing on the evolutionary dynamics, is intended to
      explore how and why it happens, and what kind of impact is caused by homophily
      among people. We investigate the evolution of human cooperation using
      evolutionary game theory on multiplex. Multiplexity, as an extra dimension of
      analysis, allows us to unveil the hidden dynamics and observe non-trivial
      patterns within a population across network layers. More importantly, we find a
      striking role of homophily, as the higher the homophily between individuals, the
      quicker is the convergence towards cooperation in the social dilemma. The
      simulation results, conducted both macroscopically and microscopically across the
      network layers in the multiplex, show quantitatively the role of homophily in
      human cooperation. 

PMID- 26496353
TI  - Crystal Structures and Magnetic Properties of Nickel Chain Compounds
      PbM2Ni6Te3O18 (M = Mn, Cd).
AB  - The synthesis, crystal structures, and magnetic properties of the pentanary
      oxides PbM2Ni6Te3O18 (M = Mn and Cd) were investigated. These compounds
      crystallize in a hexagonal structure with space group P63/m, in which the Ni(2+)
      ions form a zigzag chain along the c axis. From the magnetic susceptibility and
      specific heat measurements, we found that the PbCd2Ni6Te3O18 behaves as a low
      dimensional magnet due to the intrachain antiferromagnetic interaction between
      Ni(2+) ions. Both compounds show a long-range antiferromagnetic ordering at 25.7
      K (M = Cd) and 86.0 K (Mn). The magnetic structure of PbMn2Ni6Te3O18 determined
      by neutron diffraction measurements is a collinear antiferromagnetic arrangement
      of Mn(2+) ions in the Mn2O9 dimeric unit and Ni(2+) ions in the zigzag chain. 

PMID- 26496352
TI  - A New Method for Noninvasive Genetic Sampling of Saliva in Ecological Research.
AB  - Noninvasive samples for genetic analyses have become essential to address
      ecological questions. Popular noninvasive samples such as faeces contain degraded
      DNA which may compromise genotyping success. Saliva is an excellent alternative
      DNA source but scarcity of suitable collection methods makes its use anecdotal in
      field ecological studies. We develop a noninvasive method of collection that
      combines baits and porous materials able to capture saliva. We report its
      potential in optimal conditions, using confined dogs and collecting saliva early
      after deposition. DNA concentration in saliva extracts was generally high (mean
      14 ng MUl(-1)). We correctly identified individuals in 78% of samples
      conservatively using ten microsatellite loci, and 90% of samples using only eight
      loci. Consensus genotypes closely matched reference genotypes obtained from hair
      DNA (99% of identification successes and 91% of failures). Mean genotyping effort
      needed for identification using ten loci was 2.2 replicates. Genotyping errors
      occurred at a very low frequency (allelic dropout: 2.3%; false alleles: 1.5%).
      Individual identification success increased with duration of substrate handling
      inside dog's mouth and the volume of saliva collected. Low identification success
      was associated with baits rich in DNA-oxidant polyphenols and DNA concentrations
      <1 ng MUl(-1). The procedure performed at least as well as other noninvasive
      methods, and could advantageously allow detection of socially low-ranked
      individuals underrepresented in sources of DNA that are involved in marking
      behaviour (faeces or urine). Once adapted and refined, there is promise for this
      technique to allow potentially high rates of individual identification in
      ecological field studies requiring noninvasive sampling of wild vertebrates.

PMID- 26496354
TI  - Effects of SOX2 on Proliferation, Migration and Adhesion of Human Dental Pulp
      Stem Cells.
AB  - As a key factor for cell pluripotent and self-renewing phenotypes, SOX2 has
      attracted scientists' attention gradually in recent years. However, its exact
      effects in dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are still unclear. In this study, we
      mainly investigated whether SOX2 could affect some biological functions of DPSCs.
      DPSCs were isolated from the dental pulp of human impacted third molar. SOX2
      overexpressing DPSCs (DPSCs-SOX2) were established through retroviral infection.
      The effect of SOX2 on cell proliferation, migration and adhesion ability was
      evaluated with CCK-8, trans-well system and fibronectin-induced cell attachment
      experiment respectively. Whole genome expression of DPSCs-SOX2 was analyzed with
      RNA microarray. Furthermore, a rescue experiment was performed with SOX2-siRNA in
      DPSC-SOX2 to confirm the effect of SOX2 overexpression in DPSCs. We found that
      SOX2 overexpression could result in the enhancement of cell proliferation,
      migration, and adhesion in DPSCs obviously. RNA microarray analysis indicated
      that some key genes in the signal pathways associated with cell cycle, migration
      and adhesion were upregulated in different degree, and the results were further
      confirmed with qPCR and western-blot. Finally, DPSC-SOX2 transfected with SOX2
      siRNA showed a decrease of cell proliferation, migration and adhesion ability,
      which further confirmed the biological effect of SOX2 in human DPSCs. This study
      indicated that SOX2 could improve the cell proliferation, migration and adhesion
      ability of DPSCs through regulating gene expression about cell cycle, migration
      and adhesion, and provided a novel strategy to develop seed cells with strong
      proliferation, migration and adhesion ability for tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26496355
TI  - Dengue Virus Serotype-2 Interferes with the Formation of Neutrophil Extracellular
      Traps.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Neutrophils play an important role in the control of pathogens
      through several mechanisms, including phagocytosis and the formation of
      neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). The latter consists of DNA as a backbone
      with embedded antimicrobial peptides, histones, and proteases, providing a matrix
      to entrap and in some cases to kill microbes. Some metabolic requirements for NET
      formation have recently been described. The virus-induced formation of NETs and
      the role of these traps in viral infections remain scarcely reported. Here, we
      analyzed whether dengue virus serotype-2 (DENV-2) induces NET formation and the
      DENV-2 effect on phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-induced NETs. METHODS:
      Peripheral blood-derived neutrophils were exposed in vitro to DENV-2 or exposed
      to DENV-2 and then stimulated with PMA. NET formation was assessed by
      fluorescence microscopy. Cell membrane Glut-1, glucose uptake, and reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) production were assessed. RESULTS: DENV-2 does not induce
      the formation of NETs. Moreover, DENV-2 inhibits PMA-induced formation of NETs by
      about 80%. This effect is not related to the production of ROS. The mechanism
      seemingly accountable for this inhibitory effect is the DENV-2-mediated
      inhibition of PMA-induced glucose uptake by neutrophils. CONCLUSION: Our results
      suggest that DENV-2 inhibits glucose uptake as a metabolism-based way to avoid
      the formation of NETs.

PMID- 26496358
TI  - On Extrapolating Past the Range of Observed Data When Making Statistical
      Predictions in Ecology.
AB  - Ecologists are increasingly using statistical models to predict animal abundance
      and occurrence in unsampled locations. The reliability of such predictions
      depends on a number of factors, including sample size, how far prediction
      locations are from the observed data, and similarity of predictive covariates in
      locations where data are gathered to locations where predictions are desired. In
      this paper, we propose extending Cook's notion of an independent variable hull
      (IVH), developed originally for application with linear regression models, to
      generalized regression models as a way to help assess the potential reliability
      of predictions in unsampled areas. Predictions occurring inside the generalized
      independent variable hull (gIVH) can be regarded as interpolations, while
      predictions occurring outside the gIVH can be regarded as extrapolations worthy
      of additional investigation or skepticism. We conduct a simulation study to
      demonstrate the usefulness of this metric for limiting the scope of spatial
      inference when conducting model-based abundance estimation from survey counts. In
      this case, limiting inference to the gIVH substantially reduces bias, especially
      when survey designs are spatially imbalanced. We also demonstrate the utility of
      the gIVH in diagnosing problematic extrapolations when estimating the relative
      abundance of ribbon seals in the Bering Sea as a function of predictive
      covariates. We suggest that ecologists routinely use diagnostics such as the gIVH
      to help gauge the reliability of predictions from statistical models (such as
      generalized linear, generalized additive, and spatio-temporal regression models).

PMID- 26496356
TI  - HENMT1 and piRNA Stability Are Required for Adult Male Germ Cell Transposon
      Repression and to Define the Spermatogenic Program in the Mouse.
AB  - piRNAs are critical for transposable element (TE) repression and germ cell
      survival during the early phases of spermatogenesis, however, their role in adult
      germ cells and the relative importance of piRNA methylation is poorly defined in
      mammals. Using a mouse model of HEN methyltransferase 1 (HENMT1) loss-of
      function, RNA-Seq and a range of RNA assays we show that HENMT1 is required for
      the 2' O-methylation of mammalian piRNAs. HENMT1 loss leads to piRNA instability,
      reduced piRNA bulk and length, and ultimately male sterility characterized by a
      germ cell arrest at the elongating germ cell phase of spermatogenesis. HENMT1
      loss-of-function, and the concomitant loss of piRNAs, resulted in TE de
      repression in adult meiotic and haploid germ cells, and the precocious, and
      selective, expression of many haploid-transcripts in meiotic cells. Precocious
      expression was associated with a more active chromatin state in meiotic cells,
      elevated levels of DNA damage and a catastrophic deregulation of the haploid germ
      cell gene expression. Collectively these results define a critical role for
      HENMT1 and piRNAs in the maintenance of TE repression in adult germ cells and
      setting the spermatogenic program. 

PMID- 26496357
TI  - LINE-1 Mediated Insertion into Poc1a (Protein of Centriole 1 A) Causes Growth
      Insufficiency and Male Infertility in Mice.
AB  - Skeletal dysplasias are a common, genetically heterogeneous cause of short
      stature that can result from disruptions in many cellular processes. We report
      the identification of the lesion responsible for skeletal dysplasia and male
      infertility in the spontaneous, recessive mouse mutant chagun. We determined that
      Poc1a, encoding protein of the centriole 1a, is disrupted by the insertion of a
      processed Cenpw cDNA, which is flanked by target site duplications, suggestive of
      a LINE-1 retrotransposon-mediated event. Mutant fibroblasts have impaired cilia
      formation and multipolar spindles. Male infertility is caused by defective
      spermatogenesis early in meiosis and progressive germ cell loss. Spermatogonial
      stem cell transplantation studies revealed that Poc1a is essential for normal
      function of both Sertoli cells and germ cells. The proliferative zone of the
      growth plate is small and disorganized because chondrocytes fail to re-align
      after cell division and undergo increased apoptosis. Poc1a and several other
      genes associated with centrosome function can affect the skeleton and lead to
      skeletal dysplasias and primordial dwarfisms. This mouse mutant reveals how
      centrosome dysfunction contributes to defects in skeletal growth and male
      infertility. 

PMID- 26496359
TI  - A Design Pattern for Decentralised Decision Making.
AB  - The engineering of large-scale decentralised systems requires sound methodologies
      to guarantee the attainment of the desired macroscopic system-level behaviour
      given the microscopic individual-level implementation. While a general-purpose
      methodology is currently out of reach, specific solutions can be given to broad
      classes of problems by means of well-conceived design patterns. We propose a
      design pattern for collective decision making grounded on
      experimental/theoretical studies of the nest-site selection behaviour observed in
      honeybee swarms (Apis mellifera). The way in which honeybee swarms arrive at
      consensus is fairly well-understood at the macroscopic level. We provide formal
      guidelines for the microscopic implementation of collective decisions to
      quantitatively match the macroscopic predictions. We discuss implementation
      strategies based on both homogeneous and heterogeneous multiagent systems, and we
      provide means to deal with spatial and topological factors that have a bearing on
      the micro-macro link. Finally, we exploit the design pattern in two case studies
      that showcase the viability of the approach. Besides engineering, such a design
      pattern can prove useful for a deeper understanding of decision making in natural
      systems thanks to the inclusion of individual heterogeneities and spatial
      factors, which are often disregarded in theoretical modelling. 

PMID- 26496362
TI  - Evidence of autochthonous hepatitis E in a Portuguese pediatric cohort, 1992
      1995.
AB  - Despite the growing importance of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in industrialized
      countries, minimal attention has been given to autochthonous HEV infection in
      children. The present study screened archived sera (N = 71) from a Portuguese
      pediatric cohort collected in 1992-1995 for the presence of antibodies against
      HEV, using enzyme immunoassays and immunodot. Anti-HEV IgG was detected in two
      children and anti-HEV IgM in one, suggesting an acute HEV infection. This shows
      that HEV was circulating in the paediatric population of Portugal in the early
      1990s.

PMID- 26496361
TI  - A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Use of Oral Glucose with or without Gentle
      Facilitated Tucking of Infants during Neonatal Echocardiography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of oral glucose given with or without
      facilitated tucking (FT), versus placebo (water) to facilitate image acquisition
      during a targeted neonatal echocardiography (TNE). DESIGN: Factorial, double
      blind, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Tertiary neonatal intensive care
      unit (NICU). PATIENTS: Infants born between 26 and 42 weeks of gestation (GA).
      INTERVENTIONS: One of four treatment groups: oral water (placebo), oral glucose
      (25%), facilitated tucking with oral water or facilitated tucking with oral
      glucose, during a single, structured TNE. All infants received a soother. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURE: Change in Behavioral Indicators of Infant Pain (BIIP) scores.
      RESULTS: 104 preterm infants were randomized (mean +/- SD GA: 33.4 +/- 3.5
      weeks). BIIP scores remained low during the echocardiography scan (median, [IQ
      range]: 0, [0 to 1]). There were no differences in the level of agitation of
      infants amongst the treatment groups, with estimated reductions in mean BIIP
      relative to control of 0.27 (95%CI -0.40 to 0.94) with use of oral glucose and
      .04 (-0.63 to 0.70) with facilitated tucking. There were also no differences
      between treatment groups in the quality and duration of the echocardiography
      scans. CONCLUSIONS: In stable infants in the NICU, a TNE can be performed with
      minimal disruption in a majority of cases, simply by providing a soother. The use
      of 25% glucose water in this context did not provide further benefit in reducing
      agitation and improving image acquisition. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical
      Trials.gov: NCT01253889.

PMID- 26496360
TI  - Downregulation of Choline Kinase-Alpha Enhances Autophagy in Tamoxifen-Resistant
      Breast Cancer Cells.
AB  - Choline kinase-alpha (Chk-alpha) and autophagy have gained much attention, as
      they relate to the drug-resistance of breast cancer. Here, we explored the
      potential connection between Chk-alpha and autophagy in the mechanisms driving to
      tamoxifen (TAM) resistance, in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer
      cells (BCCs). Human BCC lines (MCF-7 and TAM-resistant MCF-7 (MCF-7/TAM) cells)
      were used. Chk-alpha expression and activity was suppressed by the transduction
      of shRNA (shChk-alpha) with lentivirus and treatment with CK37, a Chk-alpha
      inhibitor. MCF-7/TAM cells had higher Chk-alpha expression and phosphocholine
      levels than MCF-7 cells. A specific downregulation of Chk-alpha by the
      transduction of shChk-alpha exhibited a significant decrease in phosphocholine
      levels in MCF-7 and MCF-7/TAM cells. The autophagy-related protein, cleaved
      microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) and autophagosome-like
      structures were significantly increased in shChk-alpha-transduced or CK37-treated
      MCF-7 and MCF-7/TAM cells. The downregulation of Chk-alpha attenuated the
      phosphorylation of AKT, ERK1/2, and mTOR in both MCF-7 and MCF-7/TAM cells. In
      MCF-7 cells, the downregulation of Chk-alpha resulted in an induction of
      autophagy, a decreased proliferation ability and an activation of caspase-3. In
      MCF-7/TAM cells, despite a significant decrease in proliferation ability and an
      increase in the percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle, the
      downregulation of Chk-alpha did not induced caspase-dependent cell death and
      further enhanced autophagy and G0/G1 phase arrest. An autophagy inhibitor,
      methyladenine (3-MA) induced death and attenuated the level of elevated LC3 in
      MCF-7/TAM cells. Elucidating the interplay between choline metabolism and
      autophagy will provide unique opportunities to identify new therapeutic targets
      and develop novel treatment strategies that preferentially target TAM-resistance.

PMID- 26496363
TI  - Quick and selective extraction of Z-ligustilide from Angelica sinensis using
      magnetic multiwalled carbon nanotubes.
AB  - A facile and highly efficient magnetic solid-phase extraction method has been
      developed for Z-ligustilide, the major therapeutic agent in Angelica sinensis.
      The solid-phase adsorbent material used was prepared by conjugating carbon
      nanotubes with magnetic Fe3 O4 nanoparticles via a hydrothermal reaction. The
      magnetic material showed a high affinity toward Z-ligustilide due to the pi-pi
      stacking interaction between the carbon nanotubes and Z-ligustilide, allowing a
      quick and selective exaction of Z-ligustilide from complex sample matrices.
      Factors influencing the magnetic solid-phase extraction such as the amount of the
      added adsorbent, adsorption and desorption time, and desorption solvent, were
      investigated. Due to its high extraction efficiency, this method was proved
      highly useful for sample cleanup/enrichment in quantitative high-performance
      liquid chromatography analysis. The proposed method had a linear calibration
      curve (R(2) = 0.9983) over the concentration between 4 ng/mL and 200 MUg/mL Z
      ligustilide. The accuracy of the method was determined by the recovery, which was
      from 92.07 to 104.02%, with the relative standard deviations >4.51%. 

PMID- 26496364
TI  - Understanding How Grammatical Aspect Influences Legal Judgment.
AB  - Recent evidence suggests that grammatical aspect can bias how individuals
      perceive criminal intentionality during discourse comprehension. Given that
      criminal intentionality is a common criterion for legal definitions (e.g., first
      degree murder), the present study explored whether grammatical aspect may also
      impact legal judgments. In a series of four experiments participants were
      provided with a legal definition and a description of a crime in which the
      grammatical aspect of provocation and murder events were manipulated.
      Participants were asked to make a decision (first- vs. second-degree murder) and
      then indicate factors that impacted their decision. Findings suggest that legal
      judgments can be affected by grammatical aspect but the most robust effects were
      limited to temporal dynamics (i.e., imperfective aspect results in more murder
      actions than perfective aspect), which may in turn influence other
      representational systems (i.e., number of murder actions positively predicts
      perceived intentionality). In addition, findings demonstrate that the influence
      of grammatical aspect on situation model construction and evaluation is dependent
      upon the larger linguistic and semantic context. Together, the results suggest
      grammatical aspect has indirect influences on legal judgments to the extent that
      variability in aspect changes the features of the situation model that align with
      criteria for making legal judgments. 

PMID- 26496365
TI  - Cytokine Release Assays as Tests for Exposure to Leishmania, and for Confirming
      Cure from Leishmaniasis, in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients.
AB  - Spain has one of the world's largest pools of organ donors and is a global leader
      in terms of the number of transplants it performs. The current outbreak of
      leishmaniasis in Fuenlabrada (in the southwest of the region of Madrid, Spain)
      has involved 600 clinical cases since late 2009 (prevalence 0.2%). It may
      therefore be wise to monitor the town's transplanted population for Leishmania
      infantum; its members are immunosuppressed and at greater risk of infection and
      relapse following treatment. The present work examines the use of cytokine
      release assays to determine the prevalence of Leishmania infection in this
      population, and to confirm recovery following treatment for visceral
      leishmaniasis (VL). The humoral and cellular immune responses to L. infantum were
      characterized in 63 solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients from Fuenlabrada, 57
      of whom reported no previous episode of VL (NVL subjects), and six of whom had
      been cured of VL (CVL subjects). Seventeen subjects (12 NVL and 5 CVL) showed a
      patent lymphoproliferative response to soluble Leishmania antigen (SLA).
      Stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures and of whole blood with
      SLA led to the production of different combinations of cytokines that might serve
      to confirm Leishmania infection or recovery from VL and help prevent cured
      patients from relapsing into this serious condition. 

PMID- 26496366
TI  - The Analgesic Efficacy of Dexmedetomidine as an Adjunct to Local Anesthetics in
      Supraclavicular Brachial Plexus Block: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was designed to assess the effects of dexmedetomidine on
      the onset and duration of block and postoperative analgesia during
      supraclavicular brachial plexus block in patients undergoing upper limb
      surgeries. METHODS: Sixty adult patients undergoing upper limb and hand surgeries
      were randomly allocated into 2 groups. The control group received equal volumes
      of 0.75% ropivacaine and 2% lidocaine with adrenaline, whereas the
      dexmedetomidine (dexmed) group received 1 MUg/kg dexmedetomidine along with equal
      volumes of 0.75% ropivacaine and 2% lidocaine with adrenaline. A total volume of
      0.5 mL/kg was administered in ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus
      block in both groups. Patients were observed for hemodynamic stability, onset and
      duration of sensory and motor blockade, duration of analgesia, postoperative
      pain, and adverse effects. RESULTS: The onset time of motor blockade was
      shortened and the duration of sensory, as well as motor, block was significantly
      prolonged in the dexmed group (P < 0.0001). The duration of postoperative
      analgesia was also longer in the dexmed group compared with the control group
      (median [interquartile range], 12 [10.5-13.5] hours and 17 [10.5-19.5] hours in
      control and dexmed group, respectively [95% confidence interval, -5 {-5, -4}, P <
      0.0001]). The requirement for rescue analgesic during the 24-hour postoperative
      period was less in the dexmed group (P < 0.0001). Postoperative pain scores were
      comparable among groups except at 8 and 10 hours, when pain scores were lower in
      the dexmed group. Patients receiving dexmedetomidine were more sedated for 2
      hours than the control group patients (P < 0.0001). No episode of bradycardia,
      hypotension, respiratory depression, or dizziness was reported. CONCLUSIONS: We
      conclude that the addition of dexmedetomidine to ropivacaine-lidocaine prolonged
      the duration of supraclavicular brachial plexus block and improved postoperative
      analgesia without significant adverse effects in patients undergoing upper limb
      surgeries.

PMID- 26496367
TI  - The Accuracy of the CNAP(r) Device Compared with Invasive Radial Artery
      Measurements for Providing Continuous Noninvasive Arterial Blood Pressure
      Readings at a Medical Intensive Care Unit: A Method-Comparison Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In cases of intensive care unit (ICU) patients without an arterial
      line, noninvasive continuous blood pressure monitoring could be very beneficial.
      The CNAP(r) monitor (CNSystems Medizintechnik AG) provides noninvasive, beat-to
      beat blood pressure (BP) estimates using the volume clamp method to measure
      finger arterial pressure calibrated to brachial pressure values. The aim of this
      study was to compare noninvasive BP estimates of the CNAP monitor with invasive
      blood pressure (IBP) measurements obtained via a radial arterial catheter in
      unselected medical ICU patients under routine clinical conditions. METHODS: In 40
      adult patients, IBP and noninvasive CNAP blood pressure (CBP) were measured
      simultaneously for 30 minutes. Bland-Altman analysis accounting for repeated
      measurements revealed accuracy and precision of CBP toward IBP. Percentage errors
      were calculated using the summary measures method and tested for
      interchangeability. Trending analysis was assessed using 4-quadrant plots and
      polar plots, whereby each reported statistical calculation used the sample size
      of n = 40 patients. RESULTS: A total of 7200 measurement pairs of CBP and IBP
      were analyzed. For mean arterial pressure, accuracy +/- precision resulted in 4.6
      +/- 6.7 mm Hg (limits of agreement -8.7 to 17.8 mm Hg) with a percentage error of
      6.77% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.57%-6.97%). Trending analysis of 3-minute
      intervals showed a concordance rate of 94.6% (95% CI, 94.0%-95.2%; exclusion zone
      10%) and a polar concordance rate of 99.50% (95% CI, 99.48%-99.52%) for changes
      lying within 10% limits. CONCLUSIONS: The CNAP device provided feasible estimates
      of BP in unselected medical ICU patients under routine clinical conditions. Mean
      arterial pressure met interchangeability criteria for accuracy toward radial
      arterial pressure, as well as for percentage error, and showed good trending
      capabilities according to the Critchley predefined criteria.

PMID- 26496368
TI  - The Effects of Single-Dose Etomidate Versus Propofol on Cortisol Levels in
      Pediatric Patients Undergoing Urologic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effects of general anesthetics on the hypothalamus-pituitary
      adrenal axis and cortisol release in children are poorly characterized. Normal,
      daily fluctuation of cortisol levels complicates assessment of these effects.
      This study aimed to characterize the effects of etomidate compared with propofol
      on the normal cortisol secretory pattern in children undergoing urologic surgery
      by using a salivary cortisol assay. METHODS: In this prospective, randomized,
      double-blind, controlled study, we recruited 80 children aged 3 to 12 years
      assigned ASA physical status I who were scheduled for urologic surgery and 11
      healthy child volunteers. Before surgery, cortisol levels of the 11 volunteers
      and 15 study patients were tested from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM every hour for 1 day.
      The study patients were then randomly allocated into an etomidate group and a
      propofol group, receiving etomidate 0.3 mg/kg (n = 38) or propofol 2 mg/kg (n =
      39) and midazolam 0.1 mg/kg, fentanyl 2 MUg/kg, and rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg for
      induction, respectively. The cortisol levels of the patients were assessed
      continuously for 2 days postoperatively. RESULTS: The cortisol levels of the
      etomidate group were continuously and significantly lower than those of the
      propofol group from the time of discharge from the postanesthesia care unit
      (approximately 2:00 PM) until 8:00 AM the next morning (all P < 0.0001) and were
      significantly lower than before surgery at the same time points (all P < 0.0001).
      Except at 11:00 AM just before the operation, no significant differences in
      cortisol levels were detected before and after the operation in the propofol
      group (P max = 0.476, P min = 0.002). Also, no significant differences in
      clinical outcomes were detected between the 2 groups undergoing surgery (all P >
      0.070). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with propofol, a single induction dose of etomidate
      suppressed postoperative cortisol levels in healthy children undergoing urologic
      surgery. This suppression lasted approximately 24 hours and was not associated
      with any changes in clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26496369
TI  - The Effect of General Anesthesia on Aminotransferase Levels in Patients with
      Elevated Aminotransferase Levels: A Single-Center 5-Year Retrospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effect of commonly used anesthetics on postoperative
      aminotransferase levels in patients with preoperatively elevated values is
      unclear. METHODS: The medical records of 25,567 adult patients undergoing
      elective general anesthesia were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were
      classified into normal (<= 40 IU/L), mild (41-119 IU/L), moderate (120-199 IU/L),
      and marked elevation (200+ IU/L) groups according to their preoperative alanine
      aminotransferase levels. Changes in these levels before and after general
      anesthesia were compared according to the anesthetics used. RESULTS: Among the
      patients with preoperative mild or moderate elevation, 97.8% (2589/2647) did not
      show a higher alanine aminotransferase level after surgery. Compared with total
      IV anesthesia (TIVA), sevoflurane showed adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence
      interval) of 1.27 (1.10-1.46) for mild, 1.33 (0.86-2.05) for moderate, and 3.35
      (1.58-7.04) for marked postoperatively elevated levels of alanine
      aminotransferase versus normal levels. Similarly, compared with TIVA, desflurane
      showed adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of 1.21 (0.96-1.53) for
      mild, 1.44 (0.70-2.94) for moderate, and 3.18 (1.14-8.89) for marked
      postoperatively elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase versus normal levels
      (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In most cases, postoperative alanine aminotransferase
      levels did not worsen even in patients with preoperatively elevated levels.
      Sevoflurane was associated with increased odds for postoperative elevation of
      these levels after general surgery compared with TIVA.

PMID- 26496370
TI  - Spatiotemporal Context Awareness for Urban Traffic Modeling and Prediction:
      Sparse Representation Based Variable Selection.
AB  - Spatial-temporal correlations among the data play an important role in traffic
      flow prediction. Correspondingly, traffic modeling and prediction based on big
      data analytics emerges due to the city-scale interactions among traffic flows. A
      new methodology based on sparse representation is proposed to reveal the spatial
      temporal dependencies among traffic flows so as to simplify the correlations
      among traffic data for the prediction task at a given sensor. Three important
      findings are observed in the experiments: (1) Only traffic flows immediately
      prior to the present time affect the formation of current traffic flows, which
      implies the possibility to reduce the traditional high-order predictors into an 1
      order model. (2) The spatial context relevant to a given prediction task is more
      complex than what is assumed to exist locally and can spread out to the whole
      city. (3) The spatial context varies with the target sensor undergoing prediction
      and enlarges with the increment of time lag for prediction. Because the scope of
      human mobility is subject to travel time, identifying the varying spatial context
      against time lag is crucial for prediction. Since sparse representation can
      capture the varying spatial context to adapt to the prediction task, it
      outperforms the traditional methods the inputs of which are confined as the data
      from a fixed number of nearby sensors. As the spatial-temporal context for any
      prediction task is fully detected from the traffic data in an automated manner,
      where no additional information regarding network topology is needed, it has good
      scalability to be applicable to large-scale networks. 

PMID- 26496371
TI  - Automatic Prediction of Protein 3D Structures by Probabilistic Multi-template
      Homology Modeling.
AB  - Homology modeling predicts the 3D structure of a query protein based on the
      sequence alignment with one or more template proteins of known structure. Its
      great importance for biological research is owed to its speed, simplicity,
      reliability and wide applicability, covering more than half of the residues in
      protein sequence space. Although multiple templates have been shown to generally
      increase model quality over single templates, the information from multiple
      templates has so far been combined using empirically motivated, heuristic
      approaches. We present here a rigorous statistical framework for multi-template
      homology modeling. First, we find that the query proteins' atomic distance
      restraints can be accurately described by two-component Gaussian mixtures. This
      insight allowed us to apply the standard laws of probability theory to combine
      restraints from multiple templates. Second, we derive theoretically optimal
      weights to correct for the redundancy among related templates. Third, a heuristic
      template selection strategy is proposed. We improve the average GDT-ha model
      quality score by 11% over single template modeling and by 6.5% over a
      conventional multi-template approach on a set of 1000 query proteins. Robustness
      with respect to wrong constraints is likewise improved. We have integrated our
      multi-template modeling approach with the popular MODELLER homology modeling
      software in our free HHpred server http://toolkit.tuebingen.mpg.de/hhpred and
      also offer open source software for running MODELLER with the new restraints at
      https://bitbucket.org/soedinglab/hh-suite. 

PMID- 26496372
TI  - Intestinal Microbiota Profiles of Healthy Pre-School and School-Age Children and
      Effects of Probiotic Supplementation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to establish the baseline profile of intestinal
      microbiota in pre-school and school-age Japanese children and to investigate the
      effects of a probiotic on the microbiota. METHODS: We analyzed the intestinal
      microbiota and investigated the effects (before, during and after the ingestion
      period) on intestinal microbiota and the environment of 6 months of daily
      ingestion of a probiotic (Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS)-fermented
      milk). RESULTS: We performed an open trial in 23 children (14 boys, 9 girls; age
      7.7 +/- 2.4 years (mean +/- SD); BMI 19.6 +/- 4.6). The composition of intestinal
      microbiota of healthy pre-school and school-age children resembled that of
      adults. During probiotic supplementation, the population levels of
      Bifidobacterium and total Lactobacillus increased significantly, while those of
      Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus and Clostridium perfringens decreased
      significantly. A significant increase in fecal concentrations of organic acids
      and also a decrease in fecal pH were observed during the ingestion period.
      However, the patterns of fecal microbiota and intestinal environment were found
      to revert to the baseline levels (i.e. before ingestion) within 6 months
      following the cessation of probiotic intake. CONCLUSION: Regular intake of an LcS
      containing probiotic product may modify the gut microbiota composition and
      intestinal environment in pre-school and school-age children while maintaining
      the homeostasis of the microbiota.

PMID- 26496373
TI  - Chloroplast lipid transfer processes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii involving a
      TRIGALACTOSYLDIACYLGLYCEROL 2 (TGD2) orthologue.
AB  - In plants, lipids of the photosynthetic membrane are synthesized by parallel
      pathways associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the chloroplast
      envelope membranes. Lipids derived from the two pathways are distinguished by
      their acyl-constituents. Following this plant paradigm, the prevalent acyl
      composition of chloroplast lipids suggests that Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
      (Chlamydomonas) does not use the ER pathway; however, the Chlamydomonas genome
      encodes presumed plant orthologues of a chloroplast lipid transporter consisting
      of TGD (TRIGALACTOSYLDIACYLGLYCEROL) proteins that are required for ER-to
      chloroplast lipid trafficking in plants. To resolve this conundrum, we identified
      a mutant of Chlamydomonas deleted in the TGD2 gene and characterized the
      respective protein, CrTGD2. Notably, the viability of the mutant was reduced,
      showing the importance of CrTGD2. Galactoglycerolipid metabolism was altered in
      the tgd2 mutant with monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) synthase activity being
      strongly stimulated. We hypothesize this to be a result of phosphatidic acid
      accumulation in the chloroplast outer envelope membrane, the location of MGDG
      synthase in Chlamydomonas. Concomitantly, increased conversion of MGDG into
      triacylglycerol (TAG) was observed. This TAG accumulated in lipid droplets in the
      tgd2 mutant under normal growth conditions. Labeling kinetics indicate that
      Chlamydomonas can import lipid precursors from the ER, a process that is impaired
      in the tgd2 mutant. 

PMID- 26496374
TI  - "A Concept Analysis of Patient-Centered Care" Response From Authors.

PMID- 26496375
TI  - In Response to the Article: "A Concept Analysis of Patient-Centered Care (Lusk &
      Fater, 2013)".

PMID- 26496377
TI  - Ultrafast fiber lasers based on self-similar pulse evolution: a review of current
      progress.
AB  - Self-similar fiber oscillators are a relatively new class of mode-locked lasers.
      In these lasers, the self-similar evolution of a chirped parabolic pulse in
      normally-dispersive passive, active, or dispersion-decreasing fiber (DDF) is
      critical. In active (gain) fiber and DDF, the novel role of local nonlinear
      attraction makes the oscillators fundamentally different from any mode-locked
      lasers considered previously. In order to reconcile the spectral and temporal
      expansion of a pulse in the self-similar segment with the self-consistency
      required by a laser cavity's periodic boundary condition, several techniques have
      been applied. The result is a diverse range of fiber oscillators which
      demonstrate the exciting new design possibilities based on the self-similar
      model. Here, we review recent progress on self-similar oscillators both in
      passive and active fiber, and extensions of self-similar evolution for surpassing
      the limits of rare-earth gain media. We discuss some key remaining research
      questions and important future directions. Self-similar oscillators are capable
      of exceptional performance among ultrashort pulsed fiber lasers, and may be of
      key interest in the development of future ultrashort pulsed fiber lasers for
      medical imaging applications, as well as for low-noise fiber-based frequency
      combs. Their uniqueness among mode-locked lasers motivates study into their
      properties and behaviors and raises questions about how to understand mode-locked
      lasers more generally. 

PMID- 26496378
TI  - Rupture of a Subcapsular Hematoma After Kidney Transplant: Case Report.
AB  - Subcapsular hematoma after kidney transplant may result in kidney ischemia and
      graft loss. In this report, we present a patient who had a subcapsular hematoma
      that had no intraoperative enlargement but ruptured after surgery. A man who had
      chronic kidney disease secondary to hypertension had a preemptive living-donor
      kidney transplant from his wife. After declamping, appropriate renal perfusion
      and urinary output were observed. At perfusion, a subcapsular hematoma (diameter,
      3 cm) was observed at the upper pole of the kidney. The hematoma did not enlarge
      during the surgery. Capsulotomy was not performed due to possible risks, and
      transplant surgery was completed with the plan for close postoperative
      ultrasonography and hemodynamic follow-up. Decreased urinary output was observed
      early after surgery. Renal Doppler ultrasonography showed decreased diastolic
      flow and a hematoma (width, 9 mm) that completely surrounded the transplanted
      kidney. The patient had emergency reoperation due to active hemorrhage from his
      surgical drain at 40 hours after surgery. Rupture of the capsule and hemorrhage
      from the surface of the kidney were observed. Extended capsulotomy and hemostasis
      of the kidney were performed. After surgery, urinary flow increased and renal
      Doppler ultrasonography findings improved. In summary, intervention for a
      subcapsular hematoma after kidney transplant is controversial. Capsulotomy should
      be considered for treatment of increased pressure to the graft, risk of permanent
      damage, and risk of graft loss.

PMID- 26496379
TI  - Re: Awada HK, Fletter PC, Zaszczurynski PJ, Cooper MA, Damaser MS. Conversion of
      urodynamic pressures measured simultaneously by air-charged and water-filled
      catheter systems. Neurourol Urodyn. 2015; 34: 507-512.

PMID- 26496380
TI  - Microdose flare protocol with interrupted follicle stimulating hormone and added
      androgen for poor responders--an observational pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether temporarily withholding FSH and adding androgen
      could improve follicular response during a microdose flare protocol in women with
      slow follicular growth or asynchronous follicular development. DESIGN:
      Observational pilot study. SETTING: University-affiliated private fertility
      center. PATIENT(S): Twenty-six women aged 34-47 years with poor response to
      stimulation or a previous cancelled IVF cycle and with slow or asynchronous
      follicular growth during a microdose flare cycle. INTERVENTION(S): For 13 women,
      after initiation of ovarian stimulation using the microdose flare protocol,
      gonadotropin administration was interrupted and transdermal testosterone gel was
      added for several days (4.4 +/- 1.2 d) starting after cycle day 7 (mean cycle day
      10 +/- 2.6). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): FSH, E2, follicular growth, and total
      number of mature oocytes retrieved were determined for all of the patients. Cycle
      cancellation rate as well as pregnancy rate following embryo transfer were also
      documented when applicable. RESULT(S): FSH levels declined (25.2 +/- 6.5 to 6.8
      +/- 3.2 IU/L), E2 levels increased (896 +/- 687 to 2,163 +/- 1,667 pmol/L), and
      follicular growth improved significantly during gonadotropin interruption and
      were tracked for 2 days during this time frame. The average number of oocytes
      retrieved was 5.3 +/- 2.6, and the ratio of mature to total oocytes was 4:5. Four
      of the 13 women in the interruption group conceived following frozen embryo
      transfer, whereas none in the control group did. CONCLUSION(S): The androgen
      interrupted FSH protocol may improve follicular response to gonadotropins in
      cycles that might otherwise be cancelled.

PMID- 26496376
TI  - Developments in the management of Chagas cardiomyopathy.
AB  - Over 100 years have elapsed since the discovery of Chagas disease and there is
      still much to learn regarding pathogenesis and treatment. Although there are
      antiparasitic drugs available, such as benznidazole and nifurtimox, they are not
      totally reliable and often toxic. A recently released negative clinical trial
      with benznidazole in patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy further
      reinforces the concerns regarding its effectiveness. New drugs and new delivery
      systems, including those based on nanotechnology, are being sought. Although
      vaccine development is still in its infancy, the reality of a therapeutic vaccine
      remains a challenge. New ECG methods may help to recognize patients prone to
      developing malignant ventricular arrhythmias. The management of heart failure,
      stroke and arrhythmias also remains a challenge. Although animal experiments have
      suggested that stem cell based therapy may be therapeutic in the management of
      heart failure in Chagas cardiomyopathy, clinical trials have not been promising.

PMID- 26496381
TI  - Getting it right: 3D cell cultures for the assessment of photosensitizers for
      photodynamic therapy.

PMID- 26496382
TI  - Sequential release of nanoparticle payloads from ultrasonically burstable
      capsules.
AB  - In many biomedical contexts ranging from chemotherapy to tissue engineering, it
      is beneficial to sequentially present bioactive payloads. Explicit control over
      the timing and dose of these presentations is highly desirable. Here, we present
      a capsule-based delivery system capable of rapidly releasing multiple payloads in
      response to ultrasonic signals. In vitro, these alginate capsules exhibited
      excellent payload retention for up to 1 week when unstimulated and delivered
      their entire payloads when ultrasonically stimulated for 10-100 s. Shorter
      exposures (10 s) were required to trigger delivery from capsules embedded in
      hydrogels placed in a tissue model and did not result in tissue heating or death
      of encapsulated cells. Different types of capsules were tuned to rupture in
      response to different ultrasonic stimuli, thus permitting the sequential, on
      demand delivery of nanoparticle payloads. As a proof of concept, gold
      nanoparticles were decorated with bone morphogenetic protein-2 to demonstrate the
      potential bioactivity of nanoparticle payloads. These nanoparticles were not
      cytotoxic and induced an osteogenic response in mouse mesenchymal stem cells.
      This system may enable researchers and physicians to remotely regulate the
      timing, dose, and sequence of drug delivery on-demand, with a wide range of
      clinical applications ranging from tissue engineering to cancer treatment.

PMID- 26496383
TI  - Efficient bridging of 20 mm rat sciatic nerve lesions with a longitudinally micro
      structured collagen scaffold.
AB  - An increasing number of biomaterial nerve guides has been developed that await
      direct comparative testing with the 'gold-standard' autologous nerve graft in
      functional repair of peripheral nerve defects. In the present study, 20 mm rat
      sciatic nerve defects were bridged with either a collagen-based micro-structured
      nerve guide (Perimaix) or an autologous nerve graft. Axons regenerated well into
      the Perimaix scaffold and, the majority of these axons grew across the 20 mm
      defect into the distal nerve segment. In fact, both the total axon number and the
      number of retrogradely traced somatosensory and motor neurons extending their
      axons across the implant was similar between Perimaix and autologous nerve graft
      groups. Implantation of Schwann cell-seeded Perimaix scaffolds provided only a
      beneficial effect on myelination within the scaffold. Functional recovery
      supported by the implanted, non-seeded Perimaix scaffold was as good as that
      observed after the autologous nerve graft, despite the presence of thinner myelin
      sheaths in the Perimaix implanted nerves. These findings support the potential of
      the Perimaix collagen scaffold as a future off-the-shelf device for clinical
      applications in selected cases of traumatic peripheral nerve injury.

PMID- 26496385
TI  - Amyloid Fibril Solubility.
AB  - It is well established that amyloid fibril solubility is protein specific, but
      how solubility depends on the interactions between the fibril building blocks is
      not clear. Here we use a simple protein model and perform Monte Carlo simulations
      to directly measure the solubility of amyloid fibrils as a function of the
      interaction between the fibril building blocks. Our simulations confirms that the
      fibril solubility depends on the fibril thickness and that the relationship
      between the interactions and the solubility can be described by a simple
      analytical formula. The results presented in this study reveal general rules how
      side-chain-side-chain interactions, backbone hydrogen bonding, and temperature
      affect amyloid fibril solubility, which might prove to be a powerful tool to
      design protein fibrils with desired solubility and aggregation properties in
      general. 

PMID- 26496386
TI  - Correction: Beyond Two-Stage Models for Lung Carcinogenesis in the Mayak Workers:
      Implications for Plutonium Risk.

PMID- 26496384
TI  - 3D brown adipogenesis to create "Brown-Fat-in-Microstrands".
AB  - The ability of brown adipocytes (fat cells) to dissipate energy as heat shows
      great promise for the treatment of obesity and other metabolic disorders.
      Employing pluripotent stem cells, with an emphasis on directed differentiation,
      may overcome many issues currently associated with primary fat cell cultures. In
      addition, three-dimensional (3D) cell culture systems are needed to better
      understand the role of brown adipocytes in energy balance and treating obesity.
      To address this need, we created 3D "Brown-Fat-in-Microstrands" by microfluidic
      synthesis of alginate hydrogel microstrands that encapsulated cells and directly
      induced cell differentiation into brown adipocytes, using mouse embryonic stem
      cells (ESCs) as a model of pluripotent stem cells, and brown preadipocytes as a
      positive control. Brown adipocyte differentiation within microstrands was
      confirmed by immunocytochemistry and qPCR analysis of the expression of the brown
      adipocyte-defining marker uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), as well as other general
      adipocyte markers. Cells within microstrands were responsive to a beta-adrenergic
      agonist with an increase in gene expression of thermogenic UCP1, indicating that
      these "Brown-Fat-in-Microstrands" are functional. The ability to create "Brown
      Fat-in-Microstrands" from pluripotent stem cells opens up a new arena to
      understanding brown adipogenesis and its implications in obesity and metabolic
      disorders. 

PMID- 26496387
TI  - Accuracy of a New Platelet Count System (PLT-F) Depends on the Staining Property
      of Its Reagents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Platelet count is essential for the diagnosis and management of
      hemostasis abnormalities. Although existing platelet count methods installed in
      common hematology analyzers can correctly count platelets in normal blood
      samples, they tend to miscount platelets in some abnormal samples. The newly
      developed PLT-F channel in the XN-Series hematology analyzer (Sysmex) has been
      reported to be a reliable platelet count system, even in abnormal samples.
      However, how the PLT-F platelet counting system achieves such accuracy has not
      been described in scientific articles. METHODS: Isolated platelets, erythrocytes,
      and fragmented erythrocytes were examined using an automated hematology analyzer.
      The samples were labeled by combining PLT-F reagents and anti-CD62p, CD63, Grp75,
      Calreticulin, CD41, or CD61 antibody, and analyzed using confocal laser scanning
      microscopy or flow cytometry. RESULTS: The PLT-F system correctly discriminated
      platelets in erythrocytes. Its reagents strongly stained some intraplatelet
      organelles labeled with anti-Grp75, but only faintly stained the plasma membrane
      of both platelets and erythrocytes. Microscopic observation and flow cytometric
      examination revealed that all of these strongly stained cells were also labeled
      with platelet-specific anti-CD41 and anti-CD61 antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study revealed that the staining property of the PLT-F reagents, by which
      platelets and fragmented erythrocytes are clearly distinguished, contributes to
      the platelet-counting accuracy of the PLT-F system.

PMID- 26496388
TI  - How to Triage PAINS-Full Research.
AB  - Nonspecific bioactivity and assay artifacts have gained increasing attention in
      recent years. This focus has arisen primarily from the publication of a set of
      chemical substructures, termed pan assay interference compounds (PAINS), which
      are associated with promiscuous bioactivity and assay interference in real and
      virtual high-throughput screening (HTS) campaigns. Despite an increasing
      awareness in the HTS and medicinal chemistry communities about the liabilities of
      these compounds, articles featuring PAINS and PAINS-like compounds are still
      being published. In this perspective, we describe some of the factors we believe
      are driving this resource-sapping trend. We also provide what we hope are helpful
      insights that may lead to the earlier recognition of these generally
      nontranslatable compounds, thus preventing the propagation of PAINS-full costly
      research. 

PMID- 26496390
TI  - Capitalizing on opportunistic data for monitoring relative abundances of species.
AB  - With the internet, a massive amount of information on species abundance can be
      collected by citizen science programs. However, these data are often difficult to
      use directly in statistical inference, as their collection is generally
      opportunistic, and the distribution of the sampling effort is often not known. In
      this article, we develop a general statistical framework to combine such
      "opportunistic data" with data collected using schemes characterized by a known
      sampling effort. Under some structural assumptions regarding the sampling effort
      and detectability, our approach makes it possible to estimate the relative
      abundance of several species in different sites. It can be implemented through a
      simple generalized linear model. We illustrate the framework with typical bird
      datasets from the Aquitaine region in south-western France. We show that, under
      some assumptions, our approach provides estimates that are more precise than the
      ones obtained from the dataset with a known sampling effort alone. When the
      opportunistic data are abundant, the gain in precision may be considerable,
      especially for rare species. We also show that estimates can be obtained even for
      species recorded only in the opportunistic scheme. Opportunistic data combined
      with a relatively small amount of data collected with a known effort may thus
      provide access to accurate and precise estimates of quantitative changes in
      relative abundance over space and/or time.

PMID- 26496389
TI  - Timescales and Frequencies of Reversible and Irreversible Adhesion Events of
      Single Bacterial Cells.
AB  - In the environment, most bacteria form surface-attached cell communities called
      biofilms. The attachment of single cells to surfaces involves an initial
      reversible stage typically mediated by surface structures such as flagella and
      pili, followed by a permanent adhesion stage usually mediated by polysaccharide
      adhesives. Here, we determine the absolute and relative timescales and
      frequencies of reversible and irreversible adhesion of single cells of the
      bacterium Caulobacter crescentus to a glass surface in a microfluidic device. We
      used fluorescence microscopy of C. crescentus expressing green fluorescent
      protein to track the swimming behavior of individual cells prior to adhesion,
      monitor the cell at the surface, and determine whether the cell reversibly or
      irreversibly adhered to the surface. A fluorescently labeled lectin that binds
      specifically to polar polysaccharides, termed holdfast, discriminated
      irreversible adhesion events from reversible adhesion events where no holdfast
      formed. In wild-type cells, the holdfast production time for irreversible
      adhesion events initiated by surface contact (23 s) was 30-times faster than the
      holdfast production time that occurs through developmental regulation (13 min).
      Irreversible adhesion events in wild-type cells (3.3 events/min) are 15-times
      more frequent than in pilus-minus mutant cells (0.2 events/min), indicating the
      pili are critical structures in the transition from reversible to irreversible
      surface-stimulated adhesion. In reversible adhesion events, the dwell time of
      cells at the surface before departing was the same for wild-type cells (12 s) and
      pilus-minus mutant cells (13 s), suggesting the pili do not play a significant
      role in reversible adhesion. Moreover, reversible adhesion events in wild-type
      cells (6.8 events/min) occur twice as frequently as irreversible adhesion events
      (3.3 events/min), demonstrating that most cells contact the surface multiple
      times before transitioning from reversible to irreversible adhesion. 

PMID- 26496391
TI  - Feasibility and Safety of Video Endoscopic Inguinal Lymphadenectomy in Vulvar
      Cancer: A Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To systematically review previous studies and to evaluate the
      feasibility and safety of video endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy (VEIL) in
      vulvar cancer. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive review of studies published
      through September 2014 to retrieve all relevant articles. The PubMed, EMBASE, Web
      of Science, Cochrane Library, Wan Fang Data and Chinese National Knowledge
      Infrastructure databases were systematically searched for all relevant studies
      published in English or Chinese through September 2014. Data were abstracted
      independently by two reviewers, and any differences were resolved by consensus.
      RESULTS: A total of 9 studies containing 249 VEIL procedures involving 138
      patients were reviewed. Of the 249 VEIL procedures, only 1 (0.4%) was converted
      to an open procedure for suturing because of injury to the femoral vein. The
      range of operative time was 62 to 110 minutes, and the range of estimated blood
      loss was 5.5 to 22 ml. The range of the number of harvested lymph nodes was 7.3
      to 16. The length of hospital stay varied from 7 to 13.6 days across reports. The
      incidence of lymph node metastasis was 19.7% (27/138), and the recurrence rate
      was 4.3% (3/70) within 3 to 41 months of follow-up. One or more short-term
      complications were documented in 18 of 138 (13.0%) patients. Complications after
      VEIL were observed in 14 (10.13%) patients and in 15 (6.0%) of the VEIL cases,
      including major lymphocyst formation in 9 (3.6%), lymphorrhea in 2 (0.8%),
      inguinal wound infection without wound breakdown in 3 (1.2%) and lymphedema in 1
      (0.4%). CONCLUSIONS: VEIL appears to be a feasible procedure in the management of
      vulvar cancer. There may be potential benefits that result in lower morbidity
      compared to traditional methods, but this has yet to be objectively proven.

PMID- 26496392
TI  - Development of PCR-Based Markers to Determine the Sex of Kelps.
AB  - Sex discriminating genetic markers are commonly used to facilitate breeding
      programs in economically and ecologically important animal and plant species.
      However, despite their considerable economic and ecological value, the
      development of sex markers for kelp species has been very limited. In this study,
      we used the recently described sequence of the sex determining region (SDR) of
      the brown algal model Ectocarpus to develop novel DNA-based sex-markers for three
      commercially relevant kelps: Laminaria digitata, Undaria pinnatifida and
      Macrocystis pyrifera. Markers were designed within nine protein coding genes of
      Ectocarpus male and female (U/V) sex chromosomes and tested on gametophytes of
      the three kelp species. Seven primer pairs corresponding to three loci in the
      Ectocarpus SDR amplified sex-specific bands in the three kelp species, yielding
      at least one male and one female marker for each species. Our work has generated
      the first male sex-specific markers for L. digitata and U. pinnatifida, as well
      as the first sex markers developed for the genus Macrocystis. The markers and
      methodology presented here will not only facilitate seaweed breeding programs but
      also represent useful tools for population and demography studies and provide a
      means to investigate the evolution of sex determination across this largely
      understudied eukaryotic group. 

PMID- 26496393
TI  - Dependable and Efficient Clinical Molecular Diagnosis of Chinese RP Patient with
      Targeted Exon Sequencing.
AB  - Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the most common inherited retinal disease. It is a
      clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder, which is why it is
      particularly challenging to diagnose. The aim of this study was to establish a
      targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach for the comprehensive, rapid,
      and cost-effective clinical molecular diagnosis of RP. A specific hereditary eye
      disease enrichment panel (HEDEP) based on exome capture technology was used to
      collect the protein coding regions of 371 targeted hereditary eye disease genes,
      followed by high-throughput sequencing on the Illumina HiSeq2000 platform. From a
      cohort of 34 Chinese RP families, 13 families were successfully diagnosed; thus,
      the method achieves a diagnostic rate of approximately 40%. Of 16 pathogenic
      mutations identified, 11 were novel. Our study demonstrates that targeted capture
      sequencing offers a rapid and effective method for the molecular diagnosis of RP,
      which helps to provide a more accurate clinical diagnosis and paves the way for
      genetic counseling, family planning, and future gene-targeted treatment. 

PMID- 26496394
TI  - Targeted Evolution of Embedded Librarian Services: Providing Mobile Reference and
      Instruction Services Using iPads.
AB  - The University at Buffalo Health Sciences Library provides reference and
      instructional services to support research, curricular, and clinical programs of
      the University at Buffalo. With funding from an NN/LM MAR Technology Improvement
      Award, the University at Buffalo Health Sciences Library (UBHSL) purchased iPads
      to develop embedded reference and educational services. Usage statistics were
      collected over a ten-month period to measure the frequency of iPad use for mobile
      services. While this experiment demonstrates that the iPad can be used to meet
      the library user's needs outside of the physical library space, this article will
      also offer advice for others who are considering implementing their own program. 

PMID- 26496395
TI  - Creating Interactive Online Instruction: The McGoogan Library Experience.
AB  - Online instruction is a hot topic at academic medical centers. Seizing the
      opportunity to join the online movement at the University of Nebraska Medical
      Center (UNMC), the McGoogan Library created an open access course made up of six
      learning modules. The modules addressed three issues: 1) supplementing one-shot
      library instruction, 2) offering opportunity for instruction when a librarian is
      not embedded in a course, and 3) showcasing the library as an online instruction
      supporter. This article discusses the planning process, technology used, how the
      modules were received, and how this initial project increased McGoogan Library's
      involvement in the UNMC online movement. 

PMID- 26496396
TI  - Asking a Great Question: A Librarian Teaches Questioning Skills to First-Year
      Medical Students.
AB  - In a single one-hour session, first-year medical students were taught a framework
      for differentiating between lower-order questions that lead to knowledge of facts
      and higher-order questions that lead to integration of concepts and deeper
      learning, thereby preparing them for problem-based learning (PBL). Students
      generated lists of questions in response to an assertion prompt and categorized
      them according to Bloom's Taxonomy. These data were analyzed in addition to data
      from the course exam, which asked them to formulate a higher-level question in
      response to a prompt. Categorizing questions according to Bloom's Taxonomy was a
      more difficult task for students than was formulating higher-order questions.
      Students reported that the skills that they learned were used in subsequent PBL
      sessions to formulate higher-order learning objectives that integrated new and
      previously-learned concepts. 

PMID- 26496397
TI  - Librarians in Evidence-Based Medicine Curricula: A Qualitative Study of Librarian
      Roles, Training, and Desires for Future Development.
AB  - This study aims to describe librarians' roles in evidence-based medicine (EBM)
      from the librarian perspective, identify how librarians are trained to teach, and
      highlight preferences for professional development. A multiinstitution
      qualitative study was conducted. Nine medical librarians identified by their
      faculty as integrated into EBM training were interviewed. Participants'
      descriptions indicated that they were active in curriculum development,
      deployment (including teaching activities), and assessment to support EBM.
      Participants identified direct experience and workshop participation as primary
      methods of learning to teach. Participants desired continuing development as
      teachers and requested opportunities for in-person workshops, shadowing
      physicians, and online training. 

PMID- 26496398
TI  - Repurposing With Purpose: Creating a Collaborative Learning Space to Support
      Institutional Interprofessional Initiatives.
AB  - When the University of Mississippi Medical Center embraced a didactic shift to
      patient-centered, interprofessional education of its medical, dental, nursing,
      pharmacy, and allied health students, the Rowland Medical Library repurposed
      space to support the cause and created a collaborative learning space designated
      for campus-wide utility. 

PMID- 26496399
TI  - Partnership for Diversity: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Nurturing Cultural
      Competence at an Emerging Medical School.
AB  - Fostering cultural competence in higher education institutions is essential,
      particularly in training future health care workers to care for diverse
      populations. The opportunity to explore techniques to address diversity and
      cultural competence at a new medical school was undertaken by a multidisciplinary
      team of librarians, faculty, staff, and medical students. From 2011 to 2015, the
      team sponsored a voluntary programming series to promote cultural competence and
      raise awareness of health care disparities for the medical school. Thirteen
      events were hosted with 562 participants across all. This approach to diversity
      proved effective and could be adapted in any higher education setting. 

PMID- 26496400
TI  - Natural Medicines: A Complementary and Alternative Medicines Tool Combining
      Natural Standard and the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database.
AB  - Natural Medicines is a subscription-based database of complementary and
      alternative medicine information, building on the information previously
      available within Natural Standard and the Natural Medicines Comprehensive
      Database. Natural Medicines offers several special features including an
      Interaction Checker and Effectiveness Checker, as well as tools focused on
      Nutrient Depletion, Pregnancy & Lactation, and Adverse Effects. This column
      features a sample search of Natural Medicines, along with descriptions of the
      special features and how they might be used in practice by health care providers
      and health sciences information professionals. 

PMID- 26496401
TI  - An Introduction to Gamification: Adding Game Elements for Engagement.
AB  - Gamification is defined as the use of game design elements in a nongame context.
      While gamification is not a new concept, new dynamics are unfolding that may
      cause more businesses, educators, and librarians to consider the use of game-like
      elements into future endeavors. In addition to more generation Y or millennials
      entering higher education and the workplace, there has been a significant
      acceptance of routinely using smartphones and playing games. This column will
      explain what gamification is, provide an overview of the benefits and concerns
      surrounding gamification, and describe how and where it is currently being used. 

PMID- 26496402
TI  - Developing a Marketing Orientation in Hospital Library Services: A Case Report.
AB  - When the four Providence Health & Services libraries in Oregon regionalized
      services and resources, the transition, which was originally met with
      apprehension from some library users, turned out to be a resounding success.
      Despite a loss of two-thirds of the professional staff and a decreased budget,
      the new regionalized library experienced an increase in business and recognition.
      While many factors contributed to the success, a creative marketing and outreach
      campaign was a key component. This column describes the steps taken to promote
      regionalized library reference services and online resources. 

PMID- 26496403
TI  - The Process of Becoming an Embedded Curriculum Librarian in Multiple Health
      Sciences Programs.
AB  - Higher education is moving to offer more fully online programs, and the health
      science fields are no different. These programs are either hybrid or completely
      online. It is up to the health sciences librarian to adapt services offered by
      the academic library to these types of courses. This column discusses the
      multiple ways a librarian can be an embedded librarian in a course using a
      learning management system (LMS). The process of creating a customized embedded
      librarian program, results, and lessons learned from the different embedded
      librarian roles are also discussed. 

PMID- 26496408
TI  - Development of hydroxylated naphthylchalcones as polyphenol oxidase inhibitors:
      Synthesis, biochemistry and molecular docking studies.
AB  - Polyphenol oxidase (Tyrosinase) has received great attention, since it is the key
      enzyme in melanin biosynthesis. In this study, novel hydroxy naphthylchalcone
      compounds were synthesized, and their inhibitory effects on mushroom tyrosinase
      activity were evaluated. The structures of the compounds synthesized were
      confirmed by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, FTIR and HRMS. Two of the compounds synthesized
      inhibited the diphenolase activity of tyrosinase in a dose dependent manner and
      exhibited much higher tyrosinase inhibitory activities (IC50 values of 10.4MUM
      and 14.4MUM, respectively) than the positive control, kojic acid (IC50: 27.5MUM).
      Kinetic analysis showed that their inhibition was reversible. Both the novel
      compounds displayed competitive inhibition with their Ki values of 3.8MUM and
      4.5MUM, respectively. Docking results confirmed that the active inhibitors
      strongly interacted with the mushroom tyrosinase residues. This study suggests
      hydroxy naphthylchalcone compounds to serve as promising candidates for use as
      depigmentation agents.

PMID- 26496409
TI  - One-Pot Catalysis Using a Chiral Iridium Complex/Bronsted Base: Catalytic
      Asymmetric Synthesis of Catalponol.
AB  - Tandem asymmetric hydrogen transfer oxidation/aldol condensation under relay
      catalysis of a chiral iridium complex/achiral Bronsted base binary system is
      described for the synthesis of alpha-benzylidene-gamma-hydroxytetralones with
      high ee's. A two-step synthesis of catalponol was achieved using this sequential
      methodology together with regio- and stereoselective hydroboration. 

PMID- 26496410
TI  - Magnetic field on fouling control of ultrafiltration membranes applied in
      treatment of a synthetic textile effluent.
AB  - Membrane performance is decreased by fouling, reducing permeate flux and membrane
      lifespan. This paper assesses ultrafiltration of a model textile effluent
      assisted by permanent magnetic field as an alternative to improve the water
      permeability recovery. Ultrafiltration was performed in a tangential module and
      model solutions, composed of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and sodium sulphate
      (Na2SO4). The feed was permeated through 30 kDa polysulphone membrane with and
      without the presence of a permanent magnetic field of 0.41 T, perpendicular to
      the membrane surface. Magnetic induction (MI) of feed solution was also
      investigated by recirculation of the feed stream through the magnetic field for 3
      h. The increase in feed concentration did not affect permeate flux, while the
      presence of salt resulted in a severe flux decline. Effective water permeability
      recovery was obtained when the magnetic field was applied in the ultrafiltration
      process, although the MI of the CMC and Na2SO4 solutions also caused some
      enhancement in permeability recovery. Scanning electron microscopy images showed
      differences between the assays done with and without the presence of magnetic
      field. The magnetic field application in ultrafiltration of CMC and Na2SO4
      solutions has proved to be an attractive alternative for improving the
      permeability recovery.

PMID- 26496411
TI  - Reconstructive Phase Transition in Ultrashort Peptide Nanostructures and Induced
      Visible Photoluminescence.
AB  - A reconstructive phase transition has been found and studied in ultrashort di-
      and tripeptide nanostructures, self-assembled from biomolecules of different
      compositions and origin such as aromatic, aliphatic, linear, and cyclic (linear
      FF-diphenylalanine, linear LL-dileucine, FFF-triphenylalanine, and cyclic FF
      diphenylalanine). The native linear aromatic FF, FFF and aliphatic LL peptide
      nanoensembles of various shapes (nanotubes and nanospheres) have asymmetric
      elementary structure and demonstrate nonlinear optical and piezoelectric effects.
      At elevated temperature, 140-180  degrees C, these native supramolecular
      structures (except for native Cyc-FF nanofibers) undergo an irreversible
      thermally induced transformation via reassembling into a completely new
      thermodynamically stable phase having nanowire morphology similar to those of
      amyloid fibrils. This reconstruction process is followed by deep and similar
      modification at all levels: macroscopic (morphology), molecular, peptide
      secondary, and electronic structures. However, original Cyc-FF nanofibers
      preserve their native physical properties. The self-fabricated supramolecular
      fibrillar ensembles exhibit the FTIR and CD signatures of new antiparallel beta
      sheet secondary folding with intermolecular hydrogen bonds and centrosymmetric
      structure. In this phase, the beta-sheet nanofibers, irrespective of their native
      biomolecular origin, do not reveal nonlinear optical and piezoelectric effects,
      but do exhibit similar profound modification of optoelectronic properties
      followed by the appearance of visible (blue and green) photoluminescence (PL),
      which is not observed in the original peptides and their native nanostructures.
      The observed visible PL effect, ascribed to hydrogen bonds of thermally induced
      beta-sheet secondary structures, has the same physical origin as that of the
      fluorescence found recently in amyloid fibrils and can be considered to be an
      optical signature of beta-sheet structures in both biological and bioinspired
      materials. Such PL centers represent a new class of self-assembled dyes and can
      be used as intrinsic optical labels in biomedical microscopy as well as for a new
      generation of novel optoelectronic nanomaterials for emerging nanophotonic
      applications, such as biolasers, biocompatible markers, and integrated optics. 

PMID- 26496412
TI  - Enhanced antimicrobial effect of organic acid washing against foodborne pathogens
      on broccoli by vacuum impregnation.
AB  - This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of vacuum impregnation applied
      to the washing process for removal of Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria
      monocytogenes from broccoli surfaces. Broccoli was inoculated with the two
      foodborne pathogens and treated with simple dipping washing or with vacuum
      impregnation in 2% malic acid for 5, 10, 20, or 30 min. There were two methods of
      vacuum impregnation: continuous and intermittent. After 30 min of 101.3 kPa
      (=14.7 psi, simple dipping), 61.3 kPa (=8.9 psi), and 21.3 kPa (=3.1 psi) of
      continuous vacuum impregnation treatment, there were 1.6, 2.0, and 2.4 log 10
      CFU/g reductions of S. Typhimurium and 1.5, 1.7, and 2.3 log 10 CFU/g reductions
      of L. monocytogenes, respectively. After 30 min of 101.3, 61.3, and 21.3 kPa of
      intermittent vacuum impregnation treatment, there were 1.5, 2.3, and 3.7 log 10
      CFU/g reductions of S. Typhimurium and 1.6, 2.1, and 3.2 log 10 CFU/g reductions
      of L. monocytogenes, respectively. Scanning electron photomicrographs showed that
      bacteria tend to attach to or become entrapped in protective sites after simple
      wash processing (dipping). However, most bacteria were washed out of protective
      sites after intermittent treatment. Direct treatment of cell suspensions with
      vacuum impregnation showed that it had no inactivation capacity in itself since
      there were no significant differences (P >= 0.05) between the reduction rates of
      non- and vacuum impregnation treatment. These results demonstrate that the
      increased antimicrobial effect of vacuum impregnation can be attributed to
      increased accessibility of sanitizer and an enhanced washing effect in protected
      sites on produce. Color, texture and titratable acidity values of broccoli
      treated with intermittent vacuum impregnation in 2% malic acid for 30 min were
      not significantly (P >= 0.05) different from those of untreated samples even
      though a storage interval was needed for titratable acidity values to be reduced
      to levels comparable to those of untreated controls.

PMID- 26496413
TI  - Mammary analog secretory carcinoma of the parotid gland: A case report and
      literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mammary analog secretory carcinoma (MASC) was first described in 2010
      by Skalova et al. This entity shares morphologic and immunohistochemical features
      with the secretory carcinoma (SC) of the breast. MASC usually presents as an
      asymptomatic mass in the parotid gland and predominantly affects men. This tumor
      is considered a low-grade carcinoma but has the potential for high-grade
      transformation. We report one MASC case and a review of world literature. CASE
      REPORT: A 66-year-old male patient presented because he noticed a mass of
      approximately 3*3cm on the right pre-auricular region. Physical examination
      demonstrated a 3*3.5cm, firm, fixed, non-tender mass in the right pre-auricular
      region. An MRI of the head and neck showed an ovoid heterogeneous lesion,
      dependent of the right parotid gland of 27*28mm. We performed a superficial
      parotidectomy with identification and preservation of the facial nerve. The
      immunophenotype was positive for epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), CK8/18,
      vimentin, S-100 protein, and mammoglobin. No further surgical interventions or
      adjuvant therapies were needed. The patient will have a close follow up.
      CONCLUSION: The presence of t(12;15) (p13;q25) translocation which results in the
      ETV6-NTRK3 gene fusion or positive immunochemical studies for STAT5, mammoglobin
      and S100 protein, are necessary to confirm the diagnosis of MASC. MASC treatment
      should mimic the management of other low-grade malignant salivary gland
      neoplasms. The inhibition of ETV6-NTRK3 gene fusion could be used as treatment in
      the future.

PMID- 26496415
TI  - Nanoparticle-Drug Bioconjugate as Dual Functional Affinity Ligand for Rapid Point
      of-Care Detection of Endotoxin in Water and Serum.
AB  - Endotoxin or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a major constituent of the Gram-negative
      bacterial cell wall that causes a life-threatening disorder called septicemia
      resulting from the unregulated activation of the innate immune system. We
      demonstrate a simple and robust drug-assisted dot blot bioassay for endotoxin
      detection that can be used right by the critically ill patients' bedside. Target
      LPS molecules are trapped from serum or water on glass substrates via long-chain
      alkyls and tagged with reporter gold nanoparticles (NPs) preconjugated to an
      antibiotic drug called polymyxin B sulfate (PMB). A post-silver-enhancement step
      enables signal visibility to the bare eye over a wide and clinically relevant
      concentration range of 50 fg/mL-50 ng/mL, allowing effortless diagnosis of sepsis
      at various stages, from early sepsis to septic shock. 

PMID- 26496414
TI  - The inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA evokes long-lasting Ca(2+) oscillations in
      cortical astrocytes.
AB  - Studies over the last decade provided evidence that in a dynamic interaction with
      neurons glial cell astrocytes contribut to fundamental phenomena in the brain.
      Most of the knowledge on this derives, however, from studies monitoring the
      astrocyte Ca(2+) response to glutamate. Whether astrocytes can similarly respond
      to other neurotransmitters, including the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, is
      relatively unexplored. By using confocal and two photon laser-scanning microscopy
      the astrocyte response to GABA in the mouse somatosensory and temporal cortex was
      studied. In slices from developing (P15-20) and adult (P30-60) mice, it was found
      that in a subpopulation of astrocytes GABA evoked somatic Ca(2+) oscillations.
      This response was mediated by GABAB receptors and involved both Gi/o protein and
      inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3 ) signalling pathways. In vivo experiments from
      young adult mice, revealed that also cortical astrocytes in the living brain
      exibit GABAB receptor-mediated Ca(2+) elevations. At all astrocytic processes
      tested, local GABA or Baclofen brief applications induced long-lasting Ca(2+)
      oscillations, suggesting that all astrocytes have the potential to respond to
      GABA. Finally, in patch-clamp recordings it was found that Ca(2+) oscillations
      induced by Baclofen evoked astrocytic glutamate release and slow inward currents
      (SICs) in pyramidal cells from wild type but not IP3 R2(-/-) mice, in which
      astrocytic GABAB receptor-mediated Ca(2+) elevations are impaired. These data
      suggest that cortical astrocytes in the mouse brain can sense the activity of
      GABAergic interneurons and through their specific recruitment contribut to the
      distinct role played on the cortical network by the different subsets of
      GABAergic interneurons.

PMID- 26496416
TI  - Dysnatremia as a poor prognostic indicator in patients with acute subarachnoid
      hemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dysnatremias are common and carry a risk of poor prognosis in acute
      subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients. The aim of this study was to determine
      the frequency and outcome of dysnatremias in 344 SAH patients treated by a
      targeted sodium management regimen. METHODS: We performed a 10-year observational
      dysnatremia study. Hyponatremia was defined as serum sodium (SNa) below 135
      mmol/L, hypernatremia SNa above 150 mmol/L. RESULTS: Dysnatremia occurred in
      35.8% patients; this was more frequently hyponatremia (19.8%) with a mean SNa
      132.23+/-2.09 mmol/L, (16.0% mild, 3.2% moderate, 0.6% severe). Hypernatremia
      occurred less commonly in 11.9%, P<0.001 with a mean SNa 154.21+/-3.72 mmol/L,
      (6.1% mild, 2.9% moderate, 2.9% severe). In 4.8% of patients there were episodes
      of both dysnatremias. The incidence of hypo-osmolar hyponatremia was 6.4%,
      Cerebral salt wasting (CSW) 3.5%, syndrome of inappropriate secretion of
      antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) 0.3% and Central diabetes insipidus 1.7%. The
      hypernatremic patients had a higher inpatient mortality rate (P=0.001) and a
      worse overall outcome (P<0.001) than those hyponatremic or normotremic patients.
      Multivariate logistic regression showed that hypernatremia was an independent
      risk factor for increased inpatient mortality and poor outcome in patients with
      SAH. CONCLUSIONS: Our 10-year targeted sodium management regimen in acute SAH
      patients showed that dysnatremias were frequent, predominantly hyponatremia of
      which the more usual causes were CSW and not SIADH. Hypernatremia was shown to be
      an independent risk factor for inpatient mortality and poor outcome.

PMID- 26496417
TI  - Antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria isolated from neonatal foal samples
      submitted to a New Zealand veterinary pathology laboratory (2004 to 2013).
AB  - AIMS: To describe antimicrobial susceptibility, and identify antimicrobial
      resistance (AMR), in bacteria isolated from New Zealand foals. METHODS: A
      database search was performed of submissions to a veterinary pathology laboratory
      between April 2004 and December 2013 for bacterial culture of samples from foals
      <3 weeks of age. Culture and susceptibility results were compiled with
      demographic information. Susceptibility results were as defined for the Kirby
      Bauer disk diffusion susceptibility test based on Clinical Laboratory Standards
      Institute guidelines. Multi-drug resistance (MDR) was defined as non
      susceptibility to >=3 of a panel of antimicrobials (ceftiofur, enrofloxaxin,
      gentamicin, penicillin, tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulfonamide); penicillin
      susceptibility was not included for Gram-negative isolates. RESULTS: Submissions
      from 102 foals were examined, and 127 bacterial isolates were cultured from 64
      (63%) foals. Of the 127 isolates, 32 (25%) were Streptococcus spp., 30 (24%) were
      Staphylococcus spp., 12 (10%) were Enterococcus spp. and 26 (21%) were
      Escherichia coli. Of 83 Gram-positive isolates, 57 (69%) were susceptible to
      penicillin. Over all isolates, 92/126 (73%) were susceptible to gentamicin and
      117/126 (93%) to enrofloxacin; 62/82 (76%) of Gram-positive, and 22/42 (52%) of
      Gram-negative bacteria were susceptible to ceftiofur; 53/81 (65%) of Gram
      positive, and 23/44 (52%) of Gram-negative bacteria were susceptible to
      tetracycline; 59/82 (72%) of Gram-positive, and 23/44 (43%) of Gram-negative
      bacteria were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfonamide. Of 126 isolates, 33 (26%)
      had MDR; >1 isolate with MDR was cultured from 24/64 (38%) foals, and >=2
      isolates with MDR were recovered from 8/64 (13%) foals. CONCLUSIONS: Multi-drug
      resistance, including resistance to commonly used antimicrobials, was found in
      bacterial isolates from foals in New Zealand. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The results of
      this study are of concern from a treatment perspective as they indicate a
      potential for antimicrobial treatment failure. For future surveillance of AMR and
      the creation of national guidelines, it is important to record more data on
      samples submitted for bacterial culture.

PMID- 26496418
TI  - Tear Fluid SIgA as a Noninvasive Biomarker of Mucosal Immunity and Common Cold
      Risk.
AB  - PURPOSE: Research has not convincingly demonstrated the utility of saliva
      secretory immunoglobulin-A (SIgA) as a biomarker of upper respiratory tract
      infection (URTI) risk, and disagreement exists about the influence of heavy
      exercise ("open-window theory") and dehydration on saliva SIgA. Prompted by the
      search for viable alternatives, we compared the utility of tear and saliva SIgA
      to predict URTI prospectively (study 1) and assessed the influence of exercise
      (study 2) and dehydration (study 3) using a repeated-measures crossover design.
      METHODS: In study 1, 40 subjects were recruited during the common-cold season.
      Subjects provided tear and saliva samples weekly and recorded upper respiratory
      symptoms (URS) daily for 3 wk. Real-time PCR confirmed common-cold pathogens in 9
      of 11 subjects reporting URS (82%). Predictive utility of tear and saliva SIgA
      was explored by comparing healthy samples with those collected during the week
      before URS. In study 2, 13 subjects performed a 2-h run at 65% VO2peak. In study
      3, 13 subjects performed exercise heat stress to 3% body mass loss followed by
      overnight fluid restriction. RESULTS: Tear SIgA concentration and secretion rate
      were 48% and 51% lower, respectively, during URTI and 34% and 46% lower the week
      before URS (P < 0.05), but saliva SIgA remained unchanged. The risk of URS the
      following week increased ninefold (95% confidence interval, 1.7-48) when the tear
      SIgA secretion rate was <5.5 MUg.min(-1) and sixfold (95% confidence interval,
      1.2-29) when the tear SIgA secretion rate decreased >30%. Tear SIgA secretion
      rate >5.5 MUg.min(-1) or no decrease of >30% predicted subjects free of URS in
      >80% of cases. Tear SIgA concentration decreased after exercise (-57%, P < 0.05)
      in line with the "open-window theory" but was unaffected by dehydration. Saliva
      flow rate decreased and saliva SIgA concentration increased after exercise and
      during dehydration (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Tear SIgA has utility as a
      noninvasive biomarker of mucosal immunity and common-cold risk.

PMID- 26496419
TI  - Using Sit-to-Stand Workstations in Offices: Is There a Compensation Effect?
AB  - PURPOSE: Sit-to-stand workstations are becoming common in modern offices and are
      increasingly being implemented in sedentary behavior interventions. The purpose
      of this study was to examine whether the introduction of such a workstation among
      office workers leads to reductions in sitting during working hours, and whether
      office workers compensate for any reduction in sitting at work by increasing
      sedentary time and decreasing physical activity (PA) outside work. METHODS:
      Office workers (n = 40; 55% female) were given a WorkFit-S, sit-to-stand
      workstation for 3 months. Participants completed assessments at baseline (before
      workstation installation), 1 wk and 6 wk after the introduction of the
      workstation, and again at 3 months (postintervention). Posture and PA were
      assessed using the activPAL inclinometer and ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer, which
      participants wore for 7 d during each measurement phase. RESULTS: Compared with
      baseline, the proportion of time spent sitting significantly decreased (75% +/-
      13% vs 52% +/- 16% to 56% +/- 13%), and time spent standing and in light activity
      significantly increased (standing: 19% +/- 12% vs 32% +/- 12% to 37% +/- 15%,
      light PA: 14% +/- 4% vs 16% +/- 5%) during working hours at all follow-up
      assessments. However, compared with baseline, the proportion of time spent
      sitting significantly increased (60% +/- 11% vs 66% +/- 12% to 68% +/- 12%) and
      light activity significantly decreased (21% +/- 5% vs 19% +/- 5%) during
      nonworking hours across the follow-up measurements. No differences were seen in
      moderate-to-vigorous activity during nonworking hours throughout the study.
      CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that introducing a sit-to-stand workstation can
      significantly reduce sedentary time and increase light activity levels during
      working hours. However, these changes were compensated for by reducing activity
      and increasing sitting outside of working hours. An intervention of a sit-to
      stand workstation should be accompanied by an intervention outside of working
      hours to limit behavior compensation.

PMID- 26496420
TI  - Peripheral and Central Fatigue Development during All-Out Repeated Cycling
      Sprints.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated the development and recovery of peripheral and central
      fatigue during repeated cycling sprints and its influence on power output.
      METHODS: On six separate days, 12 healthy males performed the following tests: 1,
      4, 6, 8, and 10 * 10 s sprints with 30 s of passive recovery between sprints, as
      well as 8 * 10 s sprints with 10 s of passive recovery. Peripheral and central
      fatigue levels were quantified via changes in preexercise- to postexercise
      potentiated quadriceps twitch force, as evoked by supramaximal electrical
      stimulation of the femoral nerve (30 s through 6 min recovery), and quadriceps
      voluntary activation (VA), respectively. Root mean square of the vastus lateralis
      and the vastus medialis electromyogram during sprints were normalized by maximal
      M wave amplitude (RMS.Mmax). RESULTS: From the first to the sixth sprint, we
      found significant and gradual reductions in power output (-25% +/- 7%), RMS.Mmax
      (-7% +/- 4%), twitch force (-47% +/- 11%) and VA (-11% +/- 6%). During the
      subsequent sprints, no additional reduction in power output, RMS.Mmax, twitch
      force or VA, was found. Reduction in between-sprints recovery duration led to a
      significant reduction in power output and RMS.Mmax but no change in peripheral
      and central fatigue. CONCLUSION: These findings are consistent with the
      hypothesis that central motor command and power output during all-out repeated
      sprints are limited in order to prevent excessive locomotor muscle fatigue. They
      also demonstrate that both the peripheral and central fatigue contribute
      significantly to the decline in power output elicited via repeated sprints.

PMID- 26496421
TI  - Reduction of the Pentavalent Arsenical Dimethylarsinic Acid and the GSTO1
      Substrate S-(4-Nitrophenacyl)glutathione by Rat Liver Cytosol: Analyzing the Role
      of GSTO1 in Arsenic Reduction.
AB  - Dimethylarsinic acid (DMAs(V)) is the major urinary metabolite of inorganic
      arsenic. The relatively atoxic DMAs(V) is reduced in the body to the much more
      toxic and thiol-reactive dimethylarsinous acid (DMAs(III)). Glutathione S
      transferase omega 1 (GSTO1) can catalyze this toxification step; however, its
      role in the reduction of DMAs(V) in vivo or by tissue extracts is unclear.
      Therefore, we assessed the role of GSTO1 in the reduction of DMAs(V) to DMAs(III)
      by rat liver cytosol. The experiments revealed that glutathione (GSH) supported
      the cytosolic DMAs(V) reduction specifically and that GSH analogues and GSH
      conjugates, such as S-alkylglutathiones and S-(4-nitrophenacyl)glutathione (4
      NPG; a GSTO1 specific substrate), inhibited the formation of DMAs(III).
      Observations in line with the view that GSTO1 catalyzes the cytosolic reduction
      of DMAs(V) include (i) findings pointing to the presence of a GSH-binding site on
      the DMAs(V)-reducing cytosolic enzyme, (ii) identical responsiveness of the
      DMAs(V)- and 4-NPG-reducing activities in rat liver cytosol to the GSTO1 specific
      inhibitors KT53 and chloromethylfluorescein diacetate, and (iii) perfect
      coelution of the two activities during affinity and anion exchange chromatography
      of cytosolic proteins. Other observations appear ambiguous as to the role of
      GSTO1 in the cytosolic reduction of DMAs(V). These include the different
      sensitivities of the DMAs(V)-reducing and GSTO1 activities to aurothioglucose,
      trivalent antimony, and zinc ions, as well as the preserved GSTO1 activity in
      cytosols whose DMAs(V)-reducing activity was lost due to spontaneous thiol
      oxidation. These disparate findings may be reconciled by assuming that GSTO1
      catalyzes the reduction of both DMAs(V) and 4-NPG in rat liver cytosol; however,
      the enzyme employs different sites and/or mechanisms when reducing these
      substrates. 

PMID- 26496422
TI  - Printed Multicolor High-Contrast Electrochromic Devices.
AB  - In this study, electrochemical responses of inkjet-printed multicolored
      electrochromic devices (ECD) were studied to evaluate the feasibility of
      presenting multiple colors in one ECD. Metallo-supramolecular polymers (MEPE)
      solutions with two primary colors were inkjet-printed on flexible electrodes. By
      digitally controlling print dosages of each species, the colors of the printed EC
      thin film patterns can be adjusted directly without premixing or synthesizing new
      materials. The printed EC thin films were then laminated with a solid transparent
      thin film electrolyte and a transparent conductive thin film to form an ECD.
      After applying a dc voltage, the printed ECDs exhibited great contrast with a
      transmittance change (DeltaT) of 40.1% and a high coloration efficiency of 445
      cm(2) C(-1) within a short darkening time of 2 s. The flexible ECDs also showed
      the same darkening time of 2 s and still had a high DeltaT of 30.1% under bending
      condition. This study demonstrated the feasibility to fabricate display devices
      with different color setups by an all-solution process and can be further
      extended to other types of displays. 

PMID- 26496423
TI  - Graphene-Catalyzed Direct Friedel-Crafts Alkylation Reactions: Mechanism,
      Selectivity, and Synthetic Utility.
AB  - Transition-metal-catalyzed alkylation reactions of arenes have become a central
      transformation in organic synthesis. Herein, we report the first general strategy
      for alkylation of arenes with styrenes and alcohols catalyzed by carbon-based
      materials, exploiting the unique property of graphenes to produce valuable
      diarylalkane products in high yields and excellent regioselectivity. The protocol
      is characterized by a wide substrate scope and excellent functional group
      tolerance. Notably, this process constitutes the first general application of
      graphenes to promote direct C-C bond formation utilizing polar functional groups
      anchored on the GO surface, thus opening the door for an array of functional
      group alkylations using benign and readily available graphene materials.
      Mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction proceeds via a tandem catalysis
      mechanism in which both of the coupling partners are activated by interaction
      with the GO surface. 

PMID- 26496424
TI  - Permissive beliefs and attitudes about older adult suicide: a suicide enabling
      script?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In the United States, suicide rates are highest among European
      American older adults. This phenomenon calls attention to cultural factors,
      specifically, the suicide beliefs and attitudes of European Americans. Beliefs
      and attitudes matter in the vulnerability to suicide. As predicted by cultural
      scripts of suicide theory, suicide is most likely among individuals and in
      communities where it is expected and is most acceptable. This study examined
      beliefs about the precipitants of, and protectors against older adult suicide, as
      well as suicide attitudes, in a predominantly European American community. DESIGN
      AND METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-five older adults (86% European American) and
      281 younger adults (81% European American) indicated what they thought were the
      most likely older adult suicide precipitants and protectors, and their opinion
      about older adult suicide, depending on precipitant. RESULTS: Health problems
      were the most endorsed older adult suicide precipitants. Suicide precipitated by
      health problems was also rated most positively (e.g., rational, courageous).
      Older adults, persons with more education, and persons who did not identify with
      a religion expressed the most favorable attitudes about older adult suicide,
      across suicide precipitants. Men viewed older adult suicide as more admissible,
      and women, with more sympathy. Perceived suicide protectors included religiosity
      among older adults, and supportive relationships among younger adults.
      CONCLUSIONS: The belief, in this study's predominantly European American
      community, that older adult suicide is triggered by health problems, together
      with favorable attitudes about older adult suicide, suggest an enabling older
      adult suicide script, with implications for suicide risk and prevention.

PMID- 26496425
TI  - A Layered Manganese(IV)-Containing Heteropolyvanadate with a 1:14 Stoichiometry.
AB  - A novel manganese(IV)-containing symmetrical heteropolyvanadate was prepared by
      the transformation of K7[MnV13O38].18H2O (K7MnV13) to K4Li2[MnV14O40].21H2O (1)
      at pH 4. The heteropolyanion [MnV14O40](6-) (MnV14) is composed of a MnO6
      octahedron surrounded by 14 edge-sharing VO6 octahedra. The simplified
      representation of MnV14 has a new topology termed jba1 with a total point symbol
      of {3(10)}2{3(14).4(7)}4{3(18).4(10)}8{3(44).4(46).5}. In the crystal lattice of
      1, MnV14 packs with potassium ions, forming a 2D layered K2[MnV14O40](4-) network
      (ABABAB...). Four K(+) ions cap the four square O4 faces of MnV14, apparently
      stabilizing the heteropolyanion. Compound 1 catalyzes the t-BuOOH-based oxidation
      of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (a mustard gas simulant). The magnetic and
      catalytic properties of 1 are discussed. 

PMID- 26496426
TI  - Molecular Analysis of the HOXA2-Dependent Degradation of RCHY1.
AB  - The homeodomain transcription factor Hoxa2 interacts with the RING-finger type E3
      ubiquitin ligase RCHY1 and induces its proteasomal degradation. In this work, we
      dissected this non-transcriptional activity of Hoxa2 at the molecular level. The
      Hoxa2-mediated decay of RCHY1 involves both the 19S and 20S proteasome complexes.
      It relies on both the Hoxa2 homeodomain and C-terminal moiety although no single
      deletion in the Hoxa2 sequence could disrupt the RCHY1 interaction. That the
      Hoxa2 homeodomain alone could mediate RCHY1 binding is consistent with the shared
      ability all the Hox proteins we tested to interact with RCHY1. Nonetheless, the
      ability to induce RCHY1 degradation although critically relying on the
      homeodomain is not common to all Hox proteins. This identifies the homeodomain as
      necessary but not sufficient for what appears to be an almost generic Hox protein
      activity. Finally we provide evidence that the Hoxa2-induced degradation of RCHY1
      is evolutionarily conserved among vertebrates. These data therefore support the
      hypothesis that the molecular and functional interaction between Hox proteins and
      RCHY1 is an ancestral Hox property. 

PMID- 26496427
TI  - Curare Alkaloids: Constituents of a Matis Dart Poison.
AB  - A phytochemical study of dart and arrow poison from the Matis tribe led to the
      identification of D-(-)-quinic acid, L-malic acid, ethyldimethylamine,
      magnoflorine, and five new bisbenzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids (BBIQAs), 1
      5. D-Tubocurarine could not be identified among these products. BBIQA (3)
      contains a unique linkage at C-8 and C-11'. All structures were characterized by
      a combination of NMR and HRESIMS data. The effects of Matis poison and individual
      BBIQAs (1-3) on rat muscle nAChR expressed in Xenopus oocytes have been
      investigated using the two-electrode voltage clamp technique.

PMID- 26496428
TI  - Night-Time Light Data: A Good Proxy Measure for Economic Activity?
AB  - Much research has suggested that night-time light (NTL) can be used as a proxy
      for a number of variables, including urbanization, density, and economic growth.
      As governments around the world either collect census data infrequently or are
      scaling back the amount of detail collected, alternate sources of population and
      economic information like NTL are being considered. But, just how close is the
      statistical relationship between NTL and economic activity at a fine-grained
      geographical level? This paper uses a combination of correlation analysis and
      geographically weighted regressions in order to examine if light can function as
      a proxy for economic activities at a finer level. We use a fine-grained geo-coded
      residential and industrial full sample micro-data set for Sweden, and match it
      with both radiance and saturated light emissions. We find that the correlation
      between NTL and economic activity is strong enough to make it a relatively good
      proxy for population and establishment density, but the correlation is weaker in
      relation to wages. In general, we find a stronger relation between light and
      density values, than with light and total values. We also find a closer
      connection between radiance light and economic activity, than with saturated
      light. Further, we find the link between light and economic activity, especially
      estimated by wages, to be slightly overestimated in large urban areas and
      underestimated in rural areas. 

PMID- 26496429
TI  - Influence of molecular size on tissue distribution of antibody fragments.
AB  - Biodistribution coefficients (BC) allow estimation of the tissue concentrations
      of proteins based on the plasma pharmacokinetics. We have previously established
      the BC values for monoclonal antibodies. Here, this concept is extended by
      development of a relationship between protein size and BC values. The
      relationship was built by deriving the BC values for various antibody fragments
      of known molecular weight from published biodistribution studies. We found that
      there exists a simple exponential relationship between molecular weight and BC
      values that allows the prediction of tissue distribution of proteins based on
      molecular weight alone. The relationship was validated by a priori predicting BC
      values of 4 antibody fragments that were not used in building the relationship.
      The relationship was also used to derive BC50 values for all the tissues, which
      is the molecular weight increase that would result in 50% reduction in tissue
      uptake of a protein. The BC50 values for most tissues were found to be ~35 kDa.
      An ability to estimate tissue distribution of antibody fragments based on the BC
      vs. molecular size relationship established here may allow better understanding
      of the biologics concentrations in tissues responsible for efficacy or toxicity.
      This relationship can also be applied for rational development of new
      biotherapeutic modalities with optimal biodistribution properties to target (or
      avoid) specific tissues.

PMID- 26496430
TI  - Global Spread of Human Chromoblastomycosis Is Driven by Recombinant
      Cladophialophora carrionii and Predominantly Clonal Fonsecaea Species.
AB  - Global distribution patterns of Cladophialophora carrionii, agent of human
      chromoblastomycosis in arid climates of Africa, Asia, Australia, Central-and
      South-America, were compared with similar data of the vicarious Fonsecaea spp.,
      agents of the disease in tropical rain forests. Population diversities among 73
      C. carrionii strains and 60 strains of three Fonsecaea species were analyzed for
      rDNA ITS, partial beta-tubulin, and amplified fragment-length polymorphism (AFLP)
      fingerprints. Populations differed significantly between continents. Lowest
      haplotype diversity was found in South American populations, while African
      strains were the most diverse. Gene flow was noted between the African population
      and all other continents. The general pattern of Fonsecaea agents of
      chromoblastomycosis differed significantly from that of C. carrionii and revealed
      deeper divergence among three differentiated species with smaller numbers of
      haplotypes, indicating a longer evolutionary history. 

PMID- 26496432
TI  - Coping With Client Death: How Prepared Are Home Health Aides and What
      Characterizes Preparedness?
AB  - This study explored the experiences of 80 home health aides (HHAs) whose client
      died within the last 2 months. Data collection involved comprehensive semi
      structured in-person interviews to try to better understand characteristics of
      HHAs and their clients associated with preparedness for death. Among those,
      personal end-of-life (EOL) care preferences of HHAs and having knowledge of
      preferences and decisions regarding client's EOL care showed significant links to
      preparedness. Findings suggest that HHAs' preparedness for client death could be
      enhanced both by addressing their personal views on EOL care and by providing
      more information about the client's EOL care plans. 

PMID- 26496433
TI  - Use of probiotics in pediatric infectious diseases.
AB  - We summarize current evidence and recommendations for the use of probiotics in
      childhood infectious diseases. Probiotics may be of benefit in treating acute
      infectious diarrhea and reducing antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Potential
      benefits of probiotic on prevention of traveler's diarrhea,Clostridium difficile
      associated diarrhea, side effects of triple therapy in Helicobacter pylori
      eradication, necrotizing enterocolitis, acute diarrhea, acute respiratory
      infections and recurrent urinary tract infections remain unclear. More studies
      are needed to investigate optimal strain, dosage, bioavailability of drops and
      tablets, duration of treatment and safety. Probiotics and recombinant probiotic
      strain represent a promising source of molecules for the development of novel
      anti-infectious therapy. 

PMID- 26496431
TI  - A Role for the Chaperone Complex BAG3-HSPB8 in Actin Dynamics, Spindle
      Orientation and Proper Chromosome Segregation during Mitosis.
AB  - The co-chaperone BAG3, in complex with the heat shock protein HSPB8, plays a role
      in protein quality control during mechanical strain. It is part of a
      multichaperone complex that senses damaged cytoskeletal proteins and orchestrates
      their seclusion and/or degradation by selective autophagy. Here we describe a
      novel role for the BAG3-HSPB8 complex in mitosis, a process involving profound
      changes in cell tension homeostasis. BAG3 is hyperphosphorylated at mitotic entry
      and localizes to centrosomal regions. BAG3 regulates, in an HSPB8-dependent
      manner, the timely congression of chromosomes to the metaphase plate by
      influencing the three-dimensional positioning of the mitotic spindle. Depletion
      of BAG3 caused defects in cell rounding at metaphase and dramatic blebbing of the
      cortex associated with abnormal spindle rotations. Similar defects were observed
      upon silencing of the autophagic receptor p62/SQSTM1 that contributes to BAG3
      mediated selective autophagy pathway. Mitotic cells depleted of BAG3, HSPB8 or
      p62/SQSTM1 exhibited disorganized actin-rich retraction fibres, which are
      proposed to guide spindle orientation. Proper spindle positioning was rescued in
      BAG3-depleted cells upon addition of the lectin concanavalin A, which restores
      cortex rigidity. Together, our findings suggest the existence of a so-far
      unrecognized quality control mechanism involving BAG3, HSPB8 and p62/SQSTM1 for
      accurate remodelling of actin-based mitotic structures that guide spindle
      orientation. 

PMID- 26496434
TI  - Controlled Burning of Forest Detritus Altering Spectroscopic Characteristics and
      Chlorine Reactivity of Dissolved Organic Matter: Effects of Temperature and
      Oxygen Availability.
AB  - Forest fires occur with increasing frequency and severity in the western United
      States, potentially altering the chemistry and quantity of dissolved organic
      matter (DOM) and disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursors exported from forested
      watersheds. However, little is known concerning effects of the fire triangle
      (heat, oxygen, and fuel) on DOM alteration. Using detritus from Pinus ponderosa
      and Abies concolor (dominant species in forests in the western United States), we
      prepared DOM from unburned and burned detritus under hypoxic (pyrolysis) and oxic
      conditions (thermal oxidation) at 250 and 400  degrees C. DOM characteristics and
      chlorine reactivity were evaluated by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy
      and chlorination-based DBP formation potential tests. Spectroscopic results
      suggest that burned-detritus extracts had lower molecular weight (reflected by
      increased E2:E3 and fluorescence index) and divergent aromaticity (reflected by
      SUVA254) depending on oxygen availability. Temperature and oxygen availability
      interacted to alter the chlorine reactivity of fire-affected DOM. Increasing
      temperature from 50 to 400  degrees C resulted in decreased reactivities for
      trihalomethane and chloral hydrate formation and divergent reactivities for
      haloacetonitrile formation (unchanged for pyrolysis and increased for oxidation)
      and haloketone formation (increased for pyrolysis and decreased for oxidation).
      We demonstrate that DBP precursors in fire-affected forest detritus are highly
      dependent on temperature and oxygen availability. 

PMID- 26496435
TI  - Getting Bigger, Quicker? Gendered Socioeconomic Trajectories in Body Mass Index
      across the Adult Lifecourse: A Longitudinal Study of 21,403 Australians.
AB  - Do socioeconomic inequities in body mass index (BMI) widen across the adult
      lifecourse? BMI data for 29,104 male and 32,454 female person-years aged 15 years
      and older (21,403 persons in total) were extracted from the Household, Income and
      Labour Dynamics in Australia between 2006 and 2012. Multilevel linear regression
      was used to examine age and gender specific trajectories in BMI by quintiles of
      neighborhood socioeconomic circumstance. Models were adjusted for probable
      sources of confounding, including couple status, number of children resident, if
      somebody in the household had been pregnant in the last 12 months, the highest
      level of education achieved, the average household gross income, and the
      percentage of time in the last year spent unemployed. Approximately 9.6% of BMI
      variation was observed between neighborhoods. High neighborhood disadvantage was
      associated with 2.09 kg/m2 heavier BMI (95%CI 1.82, 2.36). At age 15-24y,
      socioeconomic inequity in BMI was already evident among men and women especially
      (22.6 kg/m2 among women in the most affluent areas compared with 25.4 kg/m2 among
      the most disadvantaged). Among women only, the socioeconomic gap widened from 2.8
      kg/m2 at age 15-24y to 3.2 kg/m2 by age 35-44y. Geographical factors may
      contribute to more rapid weight gain among women living in disadvantaged
      neighborhoods. 

PMID- 26496437
TI  - A case of misdiagnosis of mild cognitive impairment: The utility of symptom
      validity testing in an outpatient memory clinic.
AB  - Noncredible symptom reports hinder the diagnostic process. This fact is
      especially the case for medical conditions that rely on subjective report of
      symptoms instead of objective measures. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) primarily
      relies on subjective report, which makes it potentially susceptible to erroneous
      diagnosis. In this case report, we describe a 59-year-old female patient
      diagnosed with MCI 10 years previously. The patient was referred to the neurology
      department for reexamination by her general practitioner because of cognitive
      complaints and persistent fatigue. This case study used information from the
      medical file, a new magnetic resonance imaging brain scan, and neuropsychological
      assessment. Current neuropsychological assessment, including symptom validity
      tests, clearly indicated noncredible test performance, thereby invalidating the
      obtained neuropsychological test data. We conclude that a blind spot for
      noncredible symptom reports existed in the previous diagnostic assessments. This
      case highlights the usefulness of formal symptom validity testing in the
      diagnostic assessment of MCI. 

PMID- 26496436
TI  - Effects of the Interactions between Dust Exposure and Genetic Polymorphisms in
      Nalp3, Caspase-1, and IL-1beta on the Risk of Silicosis: A Case-Control Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of the interactions between polymorphisms in
      Nalp3, caspase-1, and interleukin(IL)-1beta genes and occupational dust exposure
      on the risk of silicosis. METHODS: We conducted a population-based case-control
      study in a large iron mine in China. Between January 2006 and December 2009, we
      identified 179 patients with silicosis to evaluate as cases and 201 individuals
      without silicosis to evaluate as controls. We estimated cumulative dust exposure
      (CDE) for all subjects and we genotyped polymorphisms in Nalp3, caspase-1, and IL
      1beta genes. We estimated odds ratios(ORs), 95% confidence intervals(95%CIs), and
      p-values using logistic regression models adjusted for selected confounders.
      RESULTS: After adjusting for age, smoking status, and CDE, subjects with the CT
      genotype of Ex4-849C>T in Nalp3 and the GA genotype of Ex2+37G>A in caspase-1 had
      increased risks of silicosis (adjusted ORs[95%CIs] = 2.40 [1.12-5.12] and 3.62
      [1.63-8.02], respectively). Among subjects younger than 70 years old, those with
      the CC genotype of IVS8-7652A>C in Nalp3 had a lower risk of silicosis than those
      with other genotypes (adjusted OR[95%CI] = 0.24[0.06-0.88]). Among subjects aged
      70 years and older, those with the CT genotype of Ex4-849C>T in Nalp3 and those
      with the GA genotype of Ex2+37G>A in caspase-1 had a higher risk of silicosis
      than those with other genotypes (adjusted ORs [95%CI] = 2.52[1.04-6.12] and
      5.19[1.88-14.35], respectively). Among subjects with CDE greater than 120
      mg/m3*year and among smokers, those with the GA genotype of Ex2+37G>A in caspase
      1 had a higher risk of silicosis than those with other genotypes (adjusted
      ORs[95%CIs] = 26.37[3.35-207.39] and 3.47[1.40-8.64], respectively). CONCLUSIONS:
      Genetic polymorphisms in Nalp3 and caspase-1 may be associated with individual
      susceptibility to silicosis, especially when the polymorphisms interact with age,
      CDE, or smoking status.

PMID- 26496438
TI  - Potential Distribution Predicted for Rhynchophorus ferrugineus in China under
      Different Climate Warming Scenarios.
AB  - As the primary pest of palm trees, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier)
      (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has caused serious harm to palms since it first
      invaded China. The present study used CLIMEX 1.1 to predict the potential
      distribution of R. ferrugineus in China according to both current climate data
      (1981-2010) and future climate warming estimates based on simulated climate data
      for the 2020s (2011-2040) provided by the Tyndall Center for Climate Change
      Research (TYN SC 2.0). Additionally, the Ecoclimatic Index (EI) values calculated
      for different climatic conditions (current and future, as simulated by the B2
      scenario) were compared. Areas with a suitable climate for R. ferrugineus
      distribution were located primarily in central China according to the current
      climate data, with the northern boundary of the distribution reaching to 40.1
      degrees N and including Tibet, north Sichuan, central Shaanxi, south Shanxi, and
      east Hebei. There was little difference in the potential distribution predicted
      by the four emission scenarios according to future climate warming estimates. The
      primary prediction under future climate warming models was that, compared with
      the current climate model, the number of highly favorable habitats would increase
      significantly and expand into northern China, whereas the number of both
      favorable and marginally favorable habitats would decrease. Contrast analysis of
      EI values suggested that climate change and the density of site distribution were
      the main effectors of the changes in EI values. These results will help to
      improve control measures, prevent the spread of this pest, and revise the
      targeted quarantine areas. 

PMID- 26496439
TI  - Human bocavirus in children with acute gastroenteritis in Albania.
AB  - Human Bocavirus (HBoV) has been recently identified in association with acute
      viral gastroenteritis (AGE). The objective of this work was to investigate the
      prevalence of HBoV in children with AGE in Albania. Stool specimens collected
      from 142 children were analyzed by amplification of partial NP1 and Vp1/Vp2
      genes. HBoV was detected in 13 samples (9.1%), 12 HBoV-1 and one HBoV-2. All HBoV
      positive patients were co-infected with rotavirus and/or adenovirus, a finding
      which might indicate that there is no clear causal association of this agent with
      diarrhea. Further investigation is needed to assess the pathogenic role of HBoV
      in childhood diarrhea.

PMID- 26496440
TI  - Experience in Prehospital Endotracheal Intubation Significantly Influences
      Mortality of Patients with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and
      Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at high risk
      for airway obstruction and hypoxia at the accident scene, and routine prehospital
      endotracheal intubation has been widely advocated. However, the effects on
      outcome are unclear. We therefore aim to determine effects of prehospital
      intubation on mortality and hypothesize that such effects may depend on the
      emergency medical service providers' skill and experience in performing this
      intervention. METHODS AND FINDINGS: PubMed, Embase and Web of Science were
      searched without restrictions up to July 2015. Studies comparing effects of
      prehospital intubation versus non-invasive airway management on mortality in non
      paediatric patients with severe TBI were selected for the systematic review.
      Results were pooled across a subset of studies that met predefined quality
      criteria. Random effects meta-analysis, stratified by experience, was used to
      obtain pooled estimates of the effect of prehospital intubation on mortality.
      Meta-regression was used to formally assess differences between experience
      groups. Mortality was the main outcome measure, and odds ratios refer to the odds
      of mortality in patients undergoing prehospital intubation versus odds of
      mortality in patients who are not intubated in the field. The study was
      registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews
      (PROSPERO) with number CRD42014015506. The search provided 733 studies, of which
      6 studies including data from 4772 patients met inclusion and quality criteria
      for the meta-analysis. Prehospital intubation by providers with limited
      experience was associated with an approximately twofold increase in the odds of
      mortality (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.61 to 3.38, p<0.001). In contrast, there was no
      evidence for higher mortality in patients who were intubated by providers with
      extended level of training (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.52 to 1.08, p = 0.126). Meta
      regression confirmed that experience is a significant predictor of mortality (p =
      0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Effects of prehospital endotracheal intubation depend on the
      experience of prehospital healthcare providers. Intubation by paramedics who are
      not well skilled to do so markedly increases mortality, suggesting that routine
      prehospital intubation of TBI patients should be abandoned in emergency medical
      services in which providers do not have ample training, skill and experience in
      performing this intervention.

PMID- 26496441
TI  - Heterogeneity in the Infection Biology of Campylobacter jejuni Isolates in Three
      Infection Models Reveals an Invasive and Virulent Phenotype in a ST21 Isolate
      from Poultry.
AB  - Although Campylobacter is the leading cause of bacterial foodborne
      gastroenteritis in the world and the importance of poultry as a source of
      infection is well understood we know relatively little about its infection
      biology in the broiler chicken. Much of what we know about the biology of
      Campylobacter jejuni is based on infection of inbred or SPF laboratory lines of
      chickens with a small number of isolates used in most laboratory studies.
      Recently we have shown that both the host response and microbial ecology of C.
      jejuni in the broiler chicken varies with both the host-type and significantly
      between C. jejuni isolates. Here we describe heterogeneity in infection within a
      panel of C. jejuni isolates in two broiler chicken breeds, human intestinal
      epithelial cells and the Galleria insect model of virulence. All C. jejuni
      isolates colonised the chicken caeca, though colonisation of other parts of the
      gastrointestinal tract varied between isolates. Extra-intestinal spread to the
      liver varied between isolates and bird breed but a poultry isolate 13126
      (sequence type 21) showed the greatest levels of extra-intestinal spread to the
      liver in both broiler breeds with over 70% of birds of the fast growing breed and
      50% of the slower growing breed having C. jejuni in their livers. Crucially 13126
      is significantly more invasive than other isolates in human intestinal epithelial
      cells and gave the highest mortality in the Galleria infection model. Taken
      together our findings suggest that not only is there considerable heterogeneity
      in the infection biology of C. jejuni in avian, mammalian and alternative models,
      but that some isolates have an invasive and virulent phenotype. Isolates with an
      invasive phenotype would pose a significant risk and increased difficulty in
      control in chicken production and coupled with the virulent phenotype seen in
      13126 could be an increased risk to public health. 

PMID- 26496442
TI  - Monitoring of the Parasite Load in the Digestive Tract of Rhodnius prolixus by
      Combined qPCR Analysis and Imaging Techniques Provides New Insights into the
      Trypanosome Life Cycle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Here we report the monitoring of the digestive tract colonization of
      Rhodnius prolixus by Trypanosoma cruzi using an accurate determination of the
      parasite load by qPCR coupled with fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging
      (BLI). These complementary methods revealed critical steps necessary for the
      parasite population to colonize the insect gut and establish vector infection.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: qPCR analysis of the parasite load in the insect
      gut showed several limitations due mainly to the presence of digestive-derived
      products that are thought to degrade DNA and inhibit further the PCR reaction. We
      developed a real-time PCR strategy targeting the T. cruzi repetitive satellite
      DNA sequence using as internal standard for normalization, an exogenous
      heterologous DNA spiked into insect samples extract, to precisely quantify the
      parasite load in each segment of the insect gut (anterior midgut, AM, posterior
      midgut, PM, and hindgut, H). Using combined fluorescence microscopy and BLI
      imaging as well as qPCR analysis, we showed that during their journey through the
      insect digestive tract, most of the parasites are lysed in the AM during the
      first 24 hours independently of the gut microbiota. During this short period,
      live parasites move through the PM to establish the onset of infection. At days 3
      4 post-infection (p.i.), the parasite population begins to colonize the H to
      reach a climax at day 7 p.i., which is maintained during the next two weeks.
      Remarkably, the fluctuation of the parasite number in H remains relatively stable
      over the two weeks after refeeding, while the populations residing in the AM and
      PM increases slightly and probably constitutes the reservoirs of dividing
      epimastigotes. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These data show that a tuned dynamic
      control of the population operates in the insect gut to maintain an equilibrium
      between non-dividing infective trypomastigote forms and dividing epimastigote
      forms of the parasite, which is crucial for vector competence.

PMID- 26496443
TI  - A catalogue of novel bovine long noncoding RNA across 18 tissues.
AB  - Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) have been implicated in diverse biological roles
      including gene regulation and genomic imprinting. Identifying lncRNA in bovine
      across many differing tissue would contribute to the current repertoire of bovine
      lncRNA, and help further improve our understanding of the evolutionary importance
      and constraints of these transcripts. Additionally, it could aid in identifying
      sites in the genome outside of protein coding genes where mutations could
      contribute to variation in complex traits. This is particularly important in
      bovine as genomic predictions are increasingly used in genetic improvement for
      milk and meat production. Our aim was to identify and annotate novel long non
      coding RNA transcripts in the bovine genome captured from RNA Sequencing (RNA
      Seq) data across 18 tissues, sampled in triplicate from a single cow. To address
      the main challenge in identifying lncRNA, namely distinguishing lncRNA
      transcripts from unannotated genes and protein coding genes, a lncRNA
      identification pipeline with a number of filtering steps was developed. A total
      of 9,778 transcripts passed the filtering pipeline. The bovine lncRNA catalogue
      includes MALAT1 and HOTAIR, both of which have been well described in human and
      mouse genomes. We attempted to validate the lncRNA in libraries from three
      additional cows. 726 (87.47%) liver and 1,668 (55.27%) blood class 3 lncRNA were
      validated with stranded liver and blood libraries respectively. Additionally,
      this study identified a large number of novel unknown transcripts in the bovine
      genome with high protein coding potential, illustrating a clear need for better
      annotations of protein coding genes. 

PMID- 26496444
TI  - Using Incentives to Improve Resource Utilization: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation
      of an ICU Quality Improvement Program.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Healthcare systems strive to provide quality care at lower cost.
      Arterial blood gas testing, chest radiographs, and RBC transfusions provide an
      important example of opportunities to reduce excess resource utilization within
      the ICU. We describe the effect of a multifaceted quality improvement program
      designed to decrease the avoidable arterial blood gases, chest radiographs, and
      RBC utilization on utilization of these resources and patient outcomes. DESIGN:
      Prospective pre-post cohort study. SETTING: Seven ICUs in an academic healthcare
      system. PATIENTS: All adult ICU patients admitted to study ICUs during
      consecutive baseline (n = 7,357), intervention (n = 7,553), and follow-up (n =
      7,657) years between September 2010 and August 2013. INTERVENTIONS: A
      multifaceted quality improvement program including provider education, audit and
      feedback, and unit-based provider financial incentives targeting arterial blood
      gas, chest radiograph, and RBC utilization. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The
      primary outcome was the number of orders for arterial blood gases, chest
      radiographs, and RBCs per patient. Compared with the baseline period, unadjusted
      arterial blood gas, chest radiograph, and RBC utilization in the intervention
      period was reduced by 42%, 26%, and 17%, respectively (p < 0.01). After adjusting
      for potentially relevant patient factors, the intervention was associated with
      128 fewer arterial blood gases, 73 fewer chest radiographs, and 16 fewer RBCs per
      100 patients (p < 0.01). This effect was durable during the follow-up year. This
      reduction yielded an approximate net savings of $1.5 M in direct costs over the
      intervention and follow-up years after accounting for the direct costs of the
      program. Unadjusted hospital mortality decreased from 7% in the baseline period
      to 5.2% in the intervention period (p < 0.01). This reduction remained
      significant after adjusting for patient factors (odds ratio = 0.43; p < 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a multifaceted quality improvement program
      including financial incentives was associated with significant improvements in
      resource utilization. Our findings provide evidence supporting the safety,
      effectiveness, and sustainability of incentive-based quality improvement
      interventions.

PMID- 26496445
TI  - Systemic PaO2 Oscillations Cause Mild Brain Injury in a Pig Model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Systemic PaO2 oscillations occur during cyclic recruitment and
      derecruitment of atelectasis in acute respiratory failure and might harm brain
      tissue integrity. DESIGN: Controlled animal study. SETTING: University research
      laboratory. SUBJECTS: Adult anesthetized pigs. INTERVENTIONS: Pigs were
      randomized to a control group (anesthesia and extracorporeal circulation for 20
      hr with constant PaO2, n = 10) or an oscillation group (anesthesia and
      extracorporeal circulation for 20 hr with artificial PaO2 oscillations [3 cycles
      min-1], n = 10). Five additional animals served as native group (n = 5).
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Outcome following exposure to artificial PaO2
      oscillations compared with constant PaO2 levels was measured using 1)
      immunohistochemistry, 2) real-time polymerase chain reaction for inflammatory
      markers, 3) receptor autoradiography, and 4) transcriptome analysis in the
      hippocampus. Our study shows that PaO2 oscillations are transmitted to brain
      tissue as detected by novel ultrarapid oxygen sensing technology. PaO2
      oscillations cause significant decrease in NISSL-stained neurons (p < 0.05) and
      induce inflammation (p < 0.05) in the hippocampus and a shift of the balance of
      hippocampal neurotransmitter receptor densities toward inhibition (p < 0.05). A
      pathway analysis suggests that cerebral immune and acute-phase response may play
      a role in mediating PaO2 oscillation-induced brain injury. CONCLUSIONS:
      Artificial PaO2 oscillations cause mild brain injury mediated by inflammatory
      pathways. Although artificial PaO2 oscillations and endogenous PaO2 oscillations
      in lung-diseased patients have different origins, it is likely that they share
      the same noxious effect on the brain. Therefore, PaO2 oscillations might
      represent a newly detected pathway potentially contributing to the crosstalk
      between acute lung and remote brain injury.

PMID- 26496446
TI  - Intestine-Derived Matrix Metalloproteinase-8 Is a Critical Mediator of
      Polymicrobial Peritonitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-8 improves survival following
      cecal ligation and puncture in mice, making it a potential therapeutic target. In
      the current study, we expand our understanding of the role of matrix
      metalloproteinase-8 in sepsis by using an adoptive transfer approach and
      alternative sepsis models. DESIGN: We used three different sepsis models: cecal
      ligation and puncture, cecal slurry, and intestinal implantation. In our first
      model, adoptive transfer experiments were followed by cecal ligation and puncture
      to test the hypothesis that matrix metalloproteinase-8-containing myeloid cells
      are a critical factor in sepsis following cecal ligation and puncture. Our second
      model, cecal slurry, used intraperitoneal injections of cecal contents to induce
      polymicrobial peritonitis without tissue compromise in the recipient. Our third
      model, intestinal implantation, involved ligating and puncturing a cecum from a
      donor, and then removing the cecum and placing it into the recipient's peritoneal
      cavity. Clinically, blood samples were drawn from pediatric patients within 24
      hours of meeting criteria for septic shock. SETTING: Basic science laboratory.
      SUBJECTS: Wild type and genetically modified mice. INTERVENTIONS: Experimental
      models of sepsis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In our adoptive transfer
      experiments, matrix metalloproteinase-8 null mice receiving wild-type marrow had
      a survival advantage when compared with wild-type mice receiving matrix
      metalloproteinase-8 null marrow, suggesting that matrix metalloproteinase-8
      containing myeloid cells are not a critical factor in sepsis following cecal
      ligation and puncture. In our cecal slurry model, no survival advantage was seen
      among matrix metalloproteinase-8 null mice. Our third model, intestinal
      implantation, found that mice receiving matrix metalloproteinase-8 null intestine
      had a survival advantage when compared with mice receiving wild-type intestine,
      regardless of recipient genotype. Clinically, median matrix metalloproteinase-8
      serum concentrations were higher in patients with sepsis and primary intestinal
      pathology than in septic patients without primary intestinal pathology.
      CONCLUSIONS: Intestine-derived matrix metalloproteinase-8 is a critical component
      of septic peritonitis secondary to intestinal compromise.

PMID- 26496447
TI  - Changes in Therapeutic Hypothermia and Coronary Intervention Provision and In
      Hospital Mortality of Patients With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Nationwide
      Database Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the change in provision of therapeutic hypothermia and
      coronary intervention (postresuscitation care) over time and to clarify the
      association between these provisions and in-hospital mortality in patients with
      out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. DESIGN: A nationwide retrospective cohort study
      using multiple propensity score analyses. SETTING: Japanese Diagnosis Procedure
      Combination inpatient database. PATIENTS: Adult patients with cardiogenic out-of
      hospital cardiac arrest related to ventricular fibrillation were identified from
      July to December in 2008-2012 (385 hospitals; n = 3,413). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
      RESULTS: We evaluated the proportion of patients receiving postresuscitation care
      and all-cause mortality at 30 days after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The
      proportion of postresuscitation care provision increased significantly over the
      study period (Mantel-Haenszel trend test, p < 0.001). The overall 30-day
      mortality was 52.0% (1,774/3,413), and the crude 30-day mortality decreased
      significantly during the study period (p = 0.006). Logistic regression analysis
      showed significant associations between the fiscal years 2011 and 2012 and 30-day
      mortality (2011: odds ratio, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.57-0.98 and 2012: odds ratio, 0.61;
      95% CI, 0.47-0.81). Multiple propensity score analysis incorporating
      postresuscitation care showed that 30-day mortality was significantly associated
      with postresuscitation care, and the significant associations between 30-day
      mortality and the years 2011 and 2012 were no longer observed (2011: odds ratio,
      1.05; 95% CI, 0.82-1.3 and 2012: odds ratio, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.74-1.2).
      CONCLUSIONS: The 30-day survival rate of adult patients with cardiogenic out-of
      hospital cardiac arrest related to ventricular fibrillation improved
      significantly after 2010 in Japan. This improvement may be associated with an
      increase in postresuscitation care provision.

PMID- 26496448
TI  - Duration of Antimicrobial Treatment for Bacteremia in Canadian Critically Ill
      Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The optimum duration of antimicrobial treatment for patients with
      bacteremia is unknown. Our objectives were to determine duration of antimicrobial
      treatment provided to patients who have bacteremia in ICUs, to assess
      pathogen/patient factors related to treatment duration, and to assess the
      relationship between treatment duration and survival. DESIGN: Retrospective
      cohort study. SETTINGS: Fourteen ICUs across Canada. PATIENTS: Patients with
      bacteremia and were present in the ICU at the time culture reported positive.
      INTERVENTIONS: Duration of antimicrobial treatment for patients who had
      bacteremia in ICU. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among 1,202 ICU patients with
      bacteremia, the median duration of treatment was 14 days, but with wide
      variability (interquartile range, 9-17.5). Most patient characteristics were not
      associated with treatment duration. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were the
      only pathogens associated with shorter treatment (odds ratio, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.51
      5.26). The urinary tract was the only source of infection associated with a trend
      toward lower likelihood of shorter treatment (odds ratio, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.42
      1.08); an unknown source of infection was associated with a greater likelihood of
      shorter treatment (odds ratio, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.17-3.91). The association of
      treatment duration and survival was unstable when analyzed based on timing of
      death. CONCLUSIONS: Critically ill patients who have bacteremia typically receive
      long courses of antimicrobials. Most patient/pathogen characteristics are not
      associated with treatment duration; survivor bias precludes a valid assessment of
      the association between treatment duration and survival. A definitive randomized
      controlled trial is needed to compare shorter versus longer antimicrobial
      treatment in patients who have bacteremia.

PMID- 26496449
TI  - Cerebral Effect of Intratracheal Aerosolized Surfactant Versus Bolus Therapy in
      Preterm Lambs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Aerosolization has been proposed as a useful alternative to rapid
      intratracheal instillation for the delivery of exogenous surfactant in neonatal
      respiratory distress syndrome. However, there is a lack of information regarding
      the likely safety of this new therapeutic approach for the neonatal brain. We
      aimed to compare the cerebral effects of aerosolized versus bolus surfactant
      administration in premature lambs with respiratory distress syndrome. DESIGN:
      Prospective randomized study. SETTING: BioCruces Institute Animal Research
      Facility. SUBJECTS: Fourteen intensively monitored and mechanically ventilated
      preterm lambs. INTERVENTIONS: Preterm lambs were randomly assigned to receive
      intratracheal aerosolized surfactant or bolus surfactant. Brain hemodynamics
      (cerebral and regional cerebral blood flow) and cerebral oxygen metabolism
      (cerebral oxygen delivery, cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen, and oxygen
      extraction fraction) were measured every 30 minutes for 6 hours. We also
      performed cerebral biochemical and histological analysis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
      RESULTS: In preterm lambs with respiratory distress syndrome, cerebral blood
      flow, regional cerebral blood flow, cerebral oxygen delivery, and cerebral
      metabolic rate of oxygen increased significantly in the bolus surfactant group
      during the first 5 minutes, without changes in cerebral oxygen extraction
      fraction. By 60 minutes, all parameters had decreased in both groups, cerebral
      blood flow and regional cerebral blood flow (in inner and cerebellum brainstem
      regions) remaining higher in the bolus surfactant than in the aerosolized
      surfactant group. Overall, the impact of aerosol surfactant was not significantly
      different to that of bolus surfactant in terms of cerebral necrosis, edema,
      inflammation, hemorrhage, infarct, apoptosis, or oxidative stress. CONCLUSIONS:
      In preterm lambs with severe respiratory distress syndrome, aerosol surfactant
      administration seems to be as safe as bolus administration, showing more stable
      cerebral hemodynamics and cerebral oxygen metabolism to the same dose of
      surfactant administered as a standard bolus.

PMID- 26496450
TI  - Palliative Care Utilization in Nontraumatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage in the
      United States.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Palliative care is now recognized as an essential component of
      comprehensive care in serious illness that interferes with quality of life. We
      explored utilization of palliative care in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage
      at a population level using a large national database. DESIGN: Population based
      cross-sectional study. SETTING: Inpatient hospital admissions from the Nationwide
      Inpatient Sample. PATIENTS: A total of 311,217 patients with intracerebral
      hemorrhage. INTERVENTIONS: Palliative care use. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
      Intracerebral hemorrhage patients with and without palliative care were
      identified from the 2007-2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample using International
      Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, codes. Demographics, comorbidities,
      surgical procedures, and hospital characteristics were compared between patients
      receiving and not receiving palliative care (code V66.7). Resource utilization
      measures were inflation-adjusted cost of care and length of stay. Pearson chi
      square and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests were used for categorical and continuous
      variables respectively. Logistic regression was used to construct a predictive
      model of palliative care. Of the 311,217 intracerebral hemorrhage patients,
      32,159 (10.3%) received palliative care. Utilization of palliative care increased
      from 4.3% in 2007 to 16.2% in 2011 (trend p < 0.001). Patients receiving
      palliative care had higher Charlson comorbidity scores (p < 0.001), higher all
      patient refined diagnosis-related group mortality risk (p < 0.001), and lower
      resource utilization measures compared with those without palliative care.
      Independent predictors of palliative care use were older age (odds ratio, 4.06;
      95% CI, 3.87-4.23; p < 0.001), female sex (odds ratio, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.14-1.20; p
      < 0.001), Caucasian race (p < 0.001), Medicare insurance (p < 0.001), hospitals
      in the west and mid-west (p < 0.001), hospital transfer (odds ratio, 1.23; 95%
      CI, 1.18-1.30; p < 0.001), high intracerebral hemorrhage case volume (p < 0.001),
      anticoagulant use (odds ratio, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.19-1.31; p < 0.001), higher
      Charlson comorbidity score, ventriculostomy placement (odds ratio, 1.18; 95% CI,
      1.13-1.29; p < 0.001), and mechanical ventilation (odds ratio, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.39
      1.49; p < 0.001). Cerebral angiogram, craniotomy, and gastrostomy were
      independently associated with absence of palliative care use. CONCLUSIONS: An
      apparent increasing trend of palliative care utilization in intracerebral
      hemorrhage has occurred over the last decade. After clinical severity adjustment,
      gender and racial differences and hospital characteristics appear to influence
      palliative care use among intracerebral hemorrhage patients in the United States.

PMID- 26496451
TI  - A Selective V(1A) Receptor Agonist, Selepressin, Is Superior to Arginine
      Vasopressin and to Norepinephrine in Ovine Septic Shock.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Selective vasopressin V(1A) receptor agonists may have advantages over
      arginine vasopressin in the treatment of septic shock. We compared the effects of
      selepressin, a selective V(1A) receptor agonist, arginine vasopressin, and
      norepinephrine on hemodynamics, organ function, and survival in an ovine septic
      shock model. DESIGN: Randomized animal study. SETTING: University hospital animal
      research laboratory. SUBJECTS: Forty-six adult female sheep. INTERVENTIONS: Fecal
      peritonitis was induced in the anesthetized, mechanically ventilated, fluid
      resuscitated sheep, and they were randomized in two successive phases. Three late
      intervention groups (each n = 6) received IV selepressin (1 pmol/kg/min),
      arginine vasopressin (0.25 pmol [0.1 mU]/kg/min), or norepinephrine (3 nmol [0.5
      MUg]/kg/min) when mean arterial pressure remained less than 70 mm Hg despite
      fluid challenge; study drugs were thereafter titrated to keep mean arterial
      pressure at 70-80 mm Hg. Three early-intervention groups (each n = 7) received
      selepressin, arginine vasopressin, or norepinephrine at the same initial infusion
      rates as for the late intervention, but already when mean arterial pressure had
      decreased by 10% from baseline; doses were then titrated as for the late
      intervention. A control group (n = 7) received saline. All animals were observed
      until death or for a maximum of 30 hours. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In
      addition to hemodynamic and organ function assessment, plasma interleukin-6 and
      nitrite/nitrate levels were measured. In the late-intervention groups,
      selepressin delayed the decrease in mean arterial pressure and was associated
      with lower lung wet/dry weight ratios than in the other two groups. In the early
      intervention groups, selepressin maintained mean arterial pressure and cardiac
      index better than arginine vasopressin or norepinephrine, slowed the increase in
      blood lactate levels, and was associated with less lung edema, lower cumulative
      fluid balance, and lower interleukin-6 and nitrite/nitrate levels. Selepressin
      treated animals survived longer than the other animals. CONCLUSIONS: In this
      clinically relevant model, selepressin, a selective V(1A) receptor agonist, was
      superior to arginine vasopressin and to norepinephrine in the treatment of septic
      shock, especially when administered early.

PMID- 26496452
TI  - A Severe Sepsis Mortality Prediction Model and Score for Use With Administrative
      Data.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Administrative data are used for research, quality improvement, and
      health policy in severe sepsis. However, there is not a sepsis-specific tool
      applicable to administrative data with which to adjust for illness severity. Our
      objective was to develop, internally validate, and externally validate a severe
      sepsis mortality prediction model and associated mortality prediction score.
      DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using 2012 administrative data from five U.S.
      states. Three cohorts of patients with severe sepsis were created: 1)
      International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification
      codes for severe sepsis/septic shock, 2) Martin approach, and 3) Angus approach.
      The model was developed and internally validated in International Classification
      of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification, cohort and externally validated
      in other cohorts. Integer point values for each predictor variable were generated
      to create a sepsis severity score. SETTING: Acute care, nonfederal hospitals in
      New York, Maryland, Florida, Michigan, and Washington. SUBJECTS: Patients in one
      of three severe sepsis cohorts: 1) explicitly coded (n = 108,448), 2) Martin
      cohort (n = 139,094), and 3) Angus cohort (n = 523,637) INTERVENTIONS: None.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Maximum likelihood estimation logistic regression
      to develop a predictive model for in-hospital mortality. Model calibration and
      discrimination assessed via Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit and C-statistics,
      respectively. Primary cohort subset into risk deciles and observed versus
      predicted mortality plotted. Goodness-of-fit demonstrated p value of more than
      0.05 for each cohort demonstrating sound calibration. C-statistic ranged from low
      of 0.709 (sepsis severity score) to high of 0.838 (Angus cohort), suggesting good
      to excellent model discrimination. Comparison of observed versus expected
      mortality was robust although accuracy decreased in highest risk decile.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our sepsis severity model and score is a tool that provides reliable
      risk adjustment for administrative data.

PMID- 26496453
TI  - Obesity, Acute Kidney Injury, and Mortality in Critical Illness.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Although obesity is associated with risk for chronic kidney disease
      and improved survival, less is known about the associations of obesity with risk
      of acute kidney injury and post acute kidney injury mortality. DESIGN: In a
      single-center inception cohort of almost 15,000 critically ill patients, we
      evaluated the association of obesity with acute kidney injury and acute kidney
      injury severity, as well as in-hospital and 1-year survival. Acute kidney injury
      was defined using the Kidney Disease Outcome Quality Initiative criteria.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The acute kidney injury prevalence rates for
      normal, overweight, class I, II, and III obesity were 18.6%, 20.6%, 22.5%, 24.3%,
      and 24.0%, respectively, and the adjusted odds ratios of acute kidney injury were
      1.18 (95% CI, 1.06-1.31), 1.35 (1.19-1.53), 1.47 (1.25-1.73), and 1.59 (1.31
      1.87) when compared with normal weight, respectively. Each 5-kg/m2 increase in
      body mass index was associated with a 10% risk (95% CI, 1.06-1.24; p < 0.001) of
      more severe acute kidney injury. Within-hospital and 1-year survival rates
      associated with the acute kidney injury episodes were similar across body mass
      index categories. CONCLUSION: Obesity is a risk factor for acute kidney injury,
      which is associated with increased short- and long-term mortality.

PMID- 26496455
TI  - Organ System Network Disruption in Nonsurvivors of Critically Ill Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: As interactions of each organ system have been conceptually known to
      play an important role during life-threatening conditions, we quantitatively
      evaluated the organ system interactions in critically ill patients and examined
      the difference in the organ system network structure between the survivors and
      the nonsurvivors. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTINGS: An ICU of a
      university hospital. PATIENTS: Two hundred and eighty-two patients who were
      admitted to the ICU. INTERVENTIONS: Blood samples were obtained at ICU admission.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We analyzed the associations among nine
      representative laboratory variables of each organ system using network analysis.
      We compared the network structure of the variables in the 40 nonsurvivors with
      that in the 40 survivors. Their baseline characteristics, including the degree of
      organ dysfunction, were matched using propensity score matching method. Network
      structure was quantitatively evaluated using edge (significant correlation among
      variables evaluated by the p value), weight (connective strength of edge
      evaluated by coefficient), and cluster (group with tight connection evaluated by
      edge betweenness). The number of edges among the nine variables was significantly
      fewer for the nonsurvivors than for the severity-matched survivors (3 vs 12; p =
      0.035). The mean weight of edges was significantly smaller for the nonsurvivors
      (0.055 vs 0.119; p = 0.007). The nine laboratory variables for the nonsurvivors
      were divided into a significantly larger number of clusters (7 vs 2; p = 0.001).
      Statistical conclusions were preserved with Bonferroni multiple comparison
      procedure. These findings were consistently observed in comparison of the 40
      nonsurvivors with all the survivors. CONCLUSIONS: This study, as a preliminary
      proof-of-concept, quantitatively demonstrated a more disrupted network structure
      of organ systems in the nonsurvivors compared with that in the survivors. These
      observations suggest the necessity of assessment for organ system interactions to
      evaluate critically ill patients.

PMID- 26496454
TI  - Remote Ischemic Preconditioning and Protection of the Kidney--A Novel Therapeutic
      Option.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Acute kidney injury is a common complication in critically ill
      patients and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Sepsis, major
      surgery, and nephrotoxic drugs are the most common causes of acute kidney injury.
      There is currently no effective strategy available to prevent or treat acute
      kidney injury. Therefore, novel treatment regimens are required to decrease acute
      kidney injury prevalence and to improve clinical outcomes. Remote ischemic
      preconditioning, triggered by brief episodes of ischemia and reperfusion applied
      in distant tissues or organs before the injury of the target organ, attempts to
      invoke adaptive responses that protect against acute kidney injury. We sought to
      evaluate the clinical evidence for remote ischemic preconditioning as a potential
      strategy to protect the kidney and to review the underlying mechanisms in light
      of recent studies. DATA SOURCES: We searched PubMed for studies reporting the
      effect of remote ischemic preconditioning on kidney function in surgical patients
      (search terms: "remote ischemic preconditioning," "kidney function," and
      "surgery"). We also reviewed bibliographies of relevant articles to identify
      additional citations. STUDY SELECTION: Published studies, consisting of
      randomized controlled trials, are reviewed. DATA EXTRACTION: The authors used
      consensus to summarize the evidence behind the use of remote ischemic
      preconditioning. DATA SYNTHESIS: In addition, the authors suggest patient
      populations and clinical scenarios in which remote ischemic preconditioning might
      be best applied. CONCLUSIONS: Several experimental and clinical studies have
      shown tissue-protective effects of remote ischemic preconditioning in various
      target organs, including the kidneys. Remote ischemic preconditioning may offer a
      novel, noninvasive, and inexpensive treatment strategy for decreasing acute
      kidney injury prevalence in high-risk patients. Although many new studies have
      further advanced our knowledge in this area, the appropriate intensity of remote
      ischemic preconditioning, its mechanisms of action, and the role of biomarkers
      for patient selection and monitoring are still unknown.

PMID- 26496456
TI  - Polymeric scaffolds in tissue engineering: a literature review.
AB  - The tissue engineering scaffold acts as an extracellular matrix that interacts to
      the cells prior to forming new tissues. The chemical and structural
      characteristics of scaffolds are major concerns in fabricating of ideal three
      dimensional structure for tissue engineering applications. The polymer scaffolds
      used for tissue engineering should possess proper architecture and mechanical
      properties in addition to supporting cell adhesion, proliferation, and
      differentiation. Much research has been done on the topic of polymeric scaffold
      properties such as surface topographic features (roughness and hydrophilicity)
      and scaffold microstructures (pore size, porosity, pore interconnectivity, and
      pore and fiber architectures) that influence the cell-scaffold interactions. In
      this review, efforts were given to evaluate the effect of both chemical and
      structural characteristics of scaffolds on cell behaviors such as adhesion,
      proliferation, migration, and differentiation. This review would provide the
      fundamental information which would be beneficial for scaffold design in future.
      (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B:
      431-459, 2017.

PMID- 26496458
TI  - Stress-related exhaustion disorder--clinical manifestation of burnout? A review
      of assessment methods, sleep impairments, cognitive disturbances, and neuro
      biological and physiological changes in clinical burnout.
AB  - The aim of this paper was to provide an overview of the literature on clinically
      significant burnout, focusing on its assessment, associations with sleep
      disturbances, cognitive impairments, as well as neurobiological and physiological
      correlates. Fifty-nine English language articles and six book chapters were
      included. The results indicate that exhaustion disorder (ED), as described in the
      Swedish version of the International Classification of Diseases, seems to be the
      most valid clinical equivalent of burnout. The data supports the notion that
      sleep impairments are causative and maintaining factors for this condition.
      Patients with clinical burnout/ED suffer from cognitive impairments in the areas
      of memory and executive functioning. The studies on neuro-biological mechanisms
      have reported functional uncoupling of networks relating the limbic system to the
      pre-frontal cortex, and decreased volumes of structures within the basal ganglia.
      Although there is a growing body of literature on the physiological correlates of
      clinical burnout/ED, there is to date no biomarker for this condition. More
      studies on the role of sleep disturbances, cognitive impairments, and
      neurobiological and physiological correlates in clinical burnout/ED are
      warranted. 

PMID- 26496457
TI  - The Invariance Hypothesis Implies Domain-Specific Regions in Visual Cortex.
AB  - Is visual cortex made up of general-purpose information processing machinery, or
      does it consist of a collection of specialized modules? If prior knowledge,
      acquired from learning a set of objects is only transferable to new objects that
      share properties with the old, then the recognition system's optimal organization
      must be one containing specialized modules for different object classes. Our
      analysis starts from a premise we call the invariance hypothesis: that the
      computational goal of the ventral stream is to compute an invariant-to
      transformations and discriminative signature for recognition. The key condition
      enabling approximate transfer of invariance without sacrificing discriminability
      turns out to be that the learned and novel objects transform similarly. This
      implies that the optimal recognition system must contain subsystems trained only
      with data from similarly-transforming objects and suggests a novel interpretation
      of domain-specific regions like the fusiform face area (FFA). Furthermore, we can
      define an index of transformation-compatibility, computable from videos, that can
      be combined with information about the statistics of natural vision to yield
      predictions for which object categories ought to have domain-specific regions in
      agreement with the available data. The result is a unifying account linking the
      large literature on view-based recognition with the wealth of experimental
      evidence concerning domain-specific regions. 

PMID- 26496459
TI  - Optimizing hereditary angioedema management through tailored treatment
      approaches.
AB  - Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare but serious and potentially life
      threatening autosomal dominant condition caused by low or dysfunctional C1
      esterase inhibitor (C1-INH) or uncontrolled contact pathway activation. Symptoms
      are characterized by spontaneous, recurrent attacks of subcutaneous or submucosal
      swellings typically involving the face, tongue, larynx, extremities, genitalia or
      bowel. The prevalence of HAE is estimated to be 1:50,000 without known racial
      differences. It causes psychological stress as well as significant socioeconomic
      burden. Early treatment and prevention of attacks are associated with better
      patient outcome and lower socioeconomic burden. New treatments and a better
      evidence base for management are emerging which, together with a move from
      hospital-centered to patient-centered care, will enable individualized, tailored
      treatment approaches. 

PMID- 26496460
TI  - Coordinated Dynamics of RNA Splicing Speckles in the Nucleus.
AB  - Despite being densely packed with chromatin, nuclear bodies and a nucleoskeletal
      network, the nucleus is a remarkably dynamic organelle. Chromatin loops form and
      relax, RNA transcripts and transcription factors move diffusively, and nuclear
      bodies move. We show here that RNA splicing speckled domains (splicing speckles)
      fluctuate in constrained nuclear volumes and remodel their shapes. Small speckles
      move in a directed way toward larger speckles with which they fuse. This directed
      movement is reduced upon decreasing cellular ATP levels or inhibiting RNA
      polymerase II activity. The random movement of speckles is reduced upon
      decreasing cellular ATP levels, moderately reduced after inhibition of SWI/SNF
      chromatin remodeling and modestly increased upon inhibiting RNA polymerase II
      activity. To define the paths through which speckles can translocate in the
      nucleus, we generated a pressure gradient to create flows in the nucleus. In
      response to the pressure gradient, speckles moved along curvilinear paths in the
      nucleus. Collectively, our results demonstrate a new type of ATP-dependent motion
      in the nucleus. We present a model where recycling splicing factors return as
      part of small sub-speckles from distal sites of RNA processing to larger splicing
      speckles by a directed ATP-driven mechanism through interchromatin spaces.

PMID- 26496461
TI  - Reference set for performance testing of pediatric vaccine safety signal
      detection methods and systems.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Safety signal detection in spontaneous reporting system databases and
      electronic healthcare records is key to detection of previously unknown adverse
      events following immunization. Various statistical methods for signal detection
      in these different datasources have been developed, however none are geared to
      the pediatric population and none specifically to vaccines. A reference set
      comprising pediatric vaccine-adverse event pairs is required for reliable
      performance testing of statistical methods within and across data sources.
      METHODS: The study was conducted within the context of the Global Research in
      Paediatrics (GRiP) project, as part of the seventh framework programme (FP7) of
      the European Commission. Criteria for the selection of vaccines considered in the
      reference set were routine and global use in the pediatric population. Adverse
      events were primarily selected based on importance. Outcome based systematic
      literature searches were performed for all identified vaccine-adverse event pairs
      and complemented by expert committee reports, evidence based decision support
      systems (e.g. Micromedex), and summaries of product characteristics.
      Classification into positive (PC) and negative control (NC) pairs was performed
      by two independent reviewers according to a pre-defined algorithm and discussed
      for consensus in case of disagreement. RESULTS: We selected 13 vaccines and 14
      adverse events to be included in the reference set. From a total of 182 vaccine
      adverse event pairs, we classified 18 as PC, 113 as NC and 51 as unclassifiable.
      Most classifications (91) were based on literature review, 45 were based on
      expert committee reports, and for 46 vaccine-adverse event pairs, an underlying
      pathomechanism was not plausible classifying the association as NC. CONCLUSION: A
      reference set of vaccine-adverse event pairs was developed. We propose its use
      for comparing signal detection methods and systems in the pediatric population.

PMID- 26496462
TI  - Pathogenic T helper type 17 cells contribute to type 1 diabetes independently of
      interleukin-22.
AB  - We have shown that pathogenic T helper type 17 (Th17) cells differentiated from
      naive CD4(+) T cells of BDC2.5 T cell receptor transgenic non-obese diabetic
      (NOD) mice by interleukin (IL)-23 plus IL-6 produce IL-17, IL-22 and induce type
      1 diabetes (T1D). Neutralizing interferon (IFN)-gamma during the polarization
      process leads to a significant increase in IL-22 production by these Th17 cells.
      We also isolated IL-22-producing Th17 cells from the pancreas of wild-type
      diabetic NOD mice. IL-27 also blocked IL-22 production from diabetogenic Th17
      cells. To determine the functional role of IL-22 produced by pathogenic Th17
      cells in T1D we neutralized IL-22 in vivo by using anti-IL-22 monoclonal
      antibody. We found that blocking IL-22 did not alter significantly adoptive
      transfer of disease by pathogenic Th17 cells. Therefore, IL-22 is not required
      for T1D pathogenesis. The IL-22Ralpha receptor for IL-22 however, increased in
      the pancreas of NOD mice during disease progression and based upon our and other
      studies we suggest that IL-22 may have a regenerative and protective role in the
      pancreatic islets. 

PMID- 26496463
TI  - Carboplatin and Etoposide in Heavily Pretreated Patients with Progressive High
      Grade Glioma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment of recurrent anaplastic glioma and glioblastoma remains a
      particular challenge in neurooncology. The lack of controlled trials results in
      poor evidence for all therapeutic options. Upon recurrence, many patients are
      treated with bevacizumab or one of the frequently used nitrosoureas such as
      lomustine. However, patients who still present in overall good condition after
      failure of multiple lines of therapy may ask for additional therapy. METHODS:
      Here, we report our experience with the use of carboplatin in combination with
      etoposide as fourth- or fifth-line therapy in patients with progressive high
      grade glioma. RESULTS: The median Karnofsky performance status at the beginning
      of treatment was 80%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 2.5 months.
      PFS at 6 months was 0%. Administration of carboplatin and etoposide was
      associated with grade 3 or 4 hematotoxicity in 8 of 12 patients. CONCLUSION:
      Carboplatin in combination with etoposide has an unfavorable risk-benefit profile
      in heavily pretreated glioma patients.

PMID- 26496464
TI  - Wax Lining in an Impression Tray and Accuracy in Gypsum Cast Fabrication.
AB  - PURPOSE: Controversy exists as to whether lining a metal-perforated impression
      tray with wax will yield a distorted irreversible hydrocolloid impression. Two
      current textbooks have completely different recommendations, but there is no
      evidence to support either theory. This project evaluates distortion in gypsum
      casts that have been prepared from wax-lined and unlined metal impression trays.
      The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of wax on the border and in
      the palate of metal-perforated impression trays on the dimensional stability of
      the resulting irreversible hydrocolloid impression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      dentaform was prepared with marks on the cusp tips of teeth 6 and 11 and
      distobuccal cusps of teeth 2 and 15. Using a standard maxillary rim lock
      impression tray, alginate impressions were made using a dentaform with no wax
      lining, wax lining the border of the tray, and wax lining the border and the
      palate (n = 10). Casts were randomized. Six measurements were taken using a
      stereographic measuring microscope, from tooth #6 to #11, #11 to #15, #15 to #2,
      #2 to #6, #6 to #15, and #2 to #11. An acrylic template was used to position the
      cast in a reproducible position on the microscope. RESULTS: Trays lined with wax
      on the border and the palate yielded casts with significantly different
      dimensions when compared to those poured from unlined or border-lined trays (p <
      0.05). Casts produced from unlined and border-lined trays were not significantly
      different in dimension from the dentaform (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: There is no
      difference between the metal tray with no wax, the metal tray with a wax around
      the border, and the dentaform. The clinician can make irreversible hydrocolloid
      impressions using wax on the periphery or without wax on the periphery and feel
      confident that the impression has not been compromised in its ability to
      accurately reproduce the maxillary arch when used. Caution should be exercised
      when adding wax to the palate of the impression tray.

PMID- 26496465
TI  - New melatonin-cinnamate hybrids as multi-target drugs for neurodegenerative
      diseases: Nrf2-induction, antioxidant effect and neuroprotection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neurodegenerative diseases share many pathological pathways, such as
      abnormal protein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, extensive oxidative
      stress and neuroinflammation. Cells have an intrinsic mechanism of protection,
      the Nrf2 transcriptional factor, known as the master regulator of redox
      homeostasis. RESULTS: Based on the common features of these diseases we have
      designed a multi-target hybrid structure derived from melatonin and ethyl
      cinnamate. The obtained derivatives were Nrf2 inducers and potent-free radical
      scavengers. These new compounds showed a very interesting neuroprotective profile
      in several in vitro models of oxidative stress, Alzheimer's disease and brain
      ischemia. CONCLUSION: We have designed a new hybrid structure with complementary
      activities. We have identified compound 5h as an interesting Nrf2 inducer, very
      potent antioxidant and neuroprotectant.

PMID- 26496466
TI  - Reply: To PMID 26496468.

PMID- 26496467
TI  - Validation of a Serum Biomarker for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Is an Accurate,
      Single Biomarker Test Possible?

PMID- 26496468
TI  - Getting a NOTCH-up on Macrophage Activation in Alcoholic Liver Disease.

PMID- 26496469
TI  - Time-Resolved Twisting Dynamics in a Porphyrin Dimer Characterized by Two
      Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy.
AB  - Molecular conformational changes in electronic excited states play a key role in
      numerous light-activated processes. In the case of porphyrin oligomers
      intramolecular twisting influences energy and charge transport dynamics. Here we
      address the twisting reaction in both ground and excited states in a model
      porphyrin dimer, employing two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2D ES). By
      spreading the information over excitation and detection frequencies, cross-peaks
      reveal the twisting reaction in both the ground and excited states unambiguously
      and distinctly from other dynamics. A quasi-barrierless planarization reaction is
      observed in the excited state on a tens of picoseconds time scale. This is
      accompanied by a spectral narrowing, indicative of a reduction in conformational
      disorder. The reverse reaction is suppressed in the excited state due to a steep
      activation energy barrier. However, in the ground state the barrier is within the
      thermal energy distribution, and therefore contributions from reverse and forward
      reactions could be observed on the subnanosecond time scale. Crucially 2D ES
      enables simultaneous assessment of ground and excited state reactions through
      analysis of different spectral regions on the 2D spectral maps. 

PMID- 26496470
TI  - Effect of Surface Adsorption on Temporal and Spatial Broadening in Micro Free
      Flow Electrophoresis.
AB  - Analyte adsorption onto surfaces presents a challenge for many separations, often
      becoming a significant source of peak broadening and asymmetry. We have shown
      that surface adsorption has no effect on peak position or spatial broadening in
      micro free flow electrophoresis (MUFFE) separations. Surface adsorption does
      affect the time it takes an analyte to travel through the MUFFE separation
      channel and therefore contributes to temporal broadening. These results were
      confirmed using MUFFE separations of fluorescein, rhodamine 110, and rhodamine
      123 in a low ionic strength buffer to promote surface adsorption. Peak widths and
      asymmetries were measured in both the temporal and spatial dimensions. Under
      these conditions rhodamine 123 exhibited significant interactions with the
      separation channel surface, causing increased peak broadening and asymmetry in
      the temporal dimension. Broadening or asymmetry in the spatial dimension was not
      significantly different than that of fluorescein, which did not interact with the
      capillary surface. The effect of strong surface interactions was assessed using
      MUFFE separations of Chromeo P503 labeled myoglobin and cytochrome c. Myoglobin
      and cytochrome c were well resolved and gave rise to symmetrical peaks in the
      spatial dimension even under conditions where permanent adsorption onto the
      separation channel surface occurred. 

PMID- 26496471
TI  - Subcapsular Hematoma Causing Anuria After Renal Graft Trauma.
AB  - A 67-year-old man presented to the emergency department 22 hours after a trauma
      to his kidney graft. He was asymptomatic during the first 10 hours, then he
      became anuric. His serum creatinine level was 2.73 mg/dL (baseline, 0.7 mg/dL),
      and his hemoglobin concentration was 13.1 g/dL. Computer tomography showed a 4-cm
      subcapsular hematoma without active bleeding. He underwent urgent decompression
      of the hematoma, and we did not find any active bleeding or parenchymal
      laceration. Urinary output had already recovered by the end of surgery without
      early or late complications. In conclusion, subcapsular hematoma, complicating a
      traumatic event on a kidney graft, can lead to a progressive parenchymal
      compression resulting in anuria. So, although in the absence of anemia, such
      events require urgent surgical decompression. Symptoms cannot be immediate, so
      all the graft trauma should be investigated with early ultrasound. Little is
      known in the case of major renal trauma but mildly symptomatic. Probably surgical
      exploration is better than observation to prevent possible early and late
      complications such as organ rejection or a Page kidney.

PMID- 26496472
TI  - Efficient bacteria capture and inactivation by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide
      modified magnetic nanoparticles.
AB  - Functionalized magnetic nanoparticles have shown great application potentials in
      water treatment processes especially for bacterial removal. Antibacterial agent,
      cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), was employed to modify Fe3O4 nanoparticles
      to fabricate bactericidal paramagnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4@CTAB). The as
      prepared Fe3O4@CTAB could effectively capture both Gram-negative Escherichia coli
      and Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis from water. For both cell types, more than
      99% of bacteria with initial concentration of 1.5 * 10(7)CFU/mL could be
      inactivated by Fe3O4@CTAB (0.5 g/L) within 60 min. Fe3O4@CTAB could remove more
      than 99% of cells over a wide pH (from 3 to 10) and solution ionic strength range
      (from 0 to 1000 mM). The copresence of sulfate and nitrate did not affect the
      bacterial capture efficiencies, whereas, phosphate and silicate slightly
      decreased the bacterial removal rates. However, more than 91% and 81% of cells
      could be captured at 10mM of phosphate and silicate, respectively. Over 80% of
      cells could be removed even in the presence of 10mg/L of humic acid. Moreover,
      Fe3O4@CTAB exhibited good reusability, and greater than 83% of cells could be
      captured even in the fifth regeneration cycle. Fe3O4@CTAB prepared in this study
      have great application potentials for water disinfection.

PMID- 26496473
TI  - Functionalized polyanilines disrupt Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus
      aureus biofilms.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to investigate the antimicrobial effects of
      functionalized polyanilines (fPANIs) against stationary phase cells and biofilms
      of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus using homopolymer of
      sulfanilic acid (poly-SO3H) as a model. The chemically synthesized poly-SO3H was
      characterized using Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) and Ultraviolet-Visible
      (UV-Vis) spectroscopies. The molecular weight (Mw) and elemental analysis of
      homopolymer poly-SO3H were also examined. We found that poly-SO3H was
      bactericidal against stationary phase cells of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus at a
      concentration of 20 mgml(-1). Surprisingly, we discovered that the same
      concentration (20 mgml(-1)) of poly-SO3H significantly disrupted and killed
      bacterial cells present in pre-established forty-eight hour static biofilms of
      these organisms, as shown by crystal violet and bacterial live/dead fluorescence
      staining assays. In support of these data, poly-SO3H extensively diminished the
      expression of bacterial genes related to biofilm formation in stationary phase
      cells of P. aeruginosa, and seemed to greatly reduce the amount of the quorum
      sensing molecule N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone (3OC12-HSL) able to be
      recovered from biofilms of this organism. Furthermore, we found that poly-SO3H
      was able to effectively penetrate and kill cells in biofilms formed by the P.
      aeruginosa (AESIII) isolate derived from the sputum of a cystic fibrosis patient.
      Taken together, the results of the present study emphasise the broad
      antimicrobial activities of fPANI, and suggest that they could be developed
      further and used in some novel ways to construct medical devices and/or
      industrial equipment that are refractory to colonization by biofilm-forming
      bacteria.

PMID- 26496474
TI  - Correction: Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in 3.0 Tesla Breast MRI: Diagnostic
      Performance and Tumor Characterization Using Small Subregions vs. Whole Tumor
      Regions of Interest.

PMID- 26496475
TI  - Functional Characterization of AbeD, an RND-Type Membrane Transporter in
      Antimicrobial Resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acinetobacter baumannii is becoming an increasing menace in health
      care settings especially in the intensive care units due to its ability to
      withstand adverse environmental conditions and exhibit innate resistance to
      different classes of antibiotics. Here we describe the biological contributions
      of abeD, a novel membrane transporter in bacterial stress response and
      antimicrobial resistance in A. baumannii. RESULTS: The abeD mutant displayed ~
      3.37 fold decreased survival and >5-fold reduced growth in hostile osmotic (0.25
      M; NaCl) and oxidative (2.631 MUM-6.574 MUM; H2O2) stress conditions
      respectively. The abeD inactivated cells displayed increased susceptibility to
      ceftriaxone, gentamicin, rifampicin and tobramycin (~ 4.0 fold). The mutant
      displayed increased sensitivity to the hospital-based disinfectant benzalkonium
      chloride (~3.18-fold). In Caenorhabditis elegans model, the abeD mutant exhibited
      (P<0.01) lower virulence capability. Binding of SoxR on the regulatory fragments
      of abeD provide strong evidence for the involvement of SoxR system in regulating
      the expression of abeD in A. baumannii. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the
      contributions of membrane transporter AbeD in bacterial physiology, stress
      response and antimicrobial resistance in A. baumannii for the first time.

PMID- 26496476
TI  - Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation induced slow wave activity
      modification: A possible role in disorder of consciousness differential
      diagnosis?
AB  - Slow wave activity (SWA) generation depends on cortico-thalamo-cortical loops
      that are disrupted in patients with chronic Disorders of Consciousness (DOC),
      including the Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome (UWS) and the Minimally Conscious
      State (MCS). We hypothesized that the modulation of SWA by means of a repetitive
      transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) could reveal residual patterns of
      connectivity, thus supporting the DOC clinical differential diagnosis. We
      enrolled 10 DOC individuals who underwent a 24hh polysomnography followed by a
      real or sham 5Hz-rTMS over left primary motor area, and a second polysomnographic
      recording. A preserved sleep-wake cycle, a standard temporal progression of sleep
      stages, and a SWA perturbation were found in all of the MCS patients and in none
      of the UWS individuals, only following the real-rTMS. In conclusion, our combined
      approach may improve the differential diagnosis between MCS patients, who show a
      partial preservation of cortical plasticity, and UWS individuals, who lack such
      properties. 

PMID- 26496477
TI  - Dreaming and personality: Wake-dream continuity, thought suppression, and the Big
      Five Inventory.
AB  - Studies have found relationships between dream content and personality traits,
      but there are still many traits that have been underexplored or have had
      questionable conclusions drawn about them. Experimental work has found a
      'rebound' effect in dreams when thoughts are suppressed prior to sleep, but the
      effect of trait thought suppression on dream content has not yet been researched.
      In the present study participants (N=106) reported their Most Recent Dream,
      answered questions about the content of the dream, and completed questionnaires
      measuring trait thought suppression and the 'Big Five' personality traits. Of
      these, 83 were suitably recent for analyses. A significant positive correlation
      was found between trait thought suppression and participants' ratings of dreaming
      of waking-life emotions, and high suppressors reported dreaming more of their
      waking-life emotions than low suppressors did. The results may lend support to
      the compensation theory of dreams, and/or the ironic process theory of mental
      control. 

PMID- 26496479
TI  - Anxiety and rumination moderate menstrual cycle effects on mood in daily life.
AB  - Evidence for menstrual cycle-related mood fluctuations in the general population
      of women has been mixed. While most previous research has relied on retrospective
      self-report and did not consider possible moderators, the present study aimed to
      examine cycle-related mood variations in daily life and possible moderating
      effects of anxiety and trait rumination. Fifty-nine women with natural menstrual
      cycles, aged 18-44 years, were examined between January and October, 2012. Mood
      components of calmness, positive valence, energetic-arousal, and irritability
      were assessed, using smartphones, by ambulatory assessment ten times per day on
      eight days across the cycle. The menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and late
      luteal phases were each covered by two consecutive assessment days. Moderators
      were assessed with questionnaires. Hierarchical linear models (HLMs) revealed
      higher calmness in the luteal and menstrual than in the follicular and ovulatory
      phase, while the menstrual cycle did not exhibit significant main effects on
      other mood components. Anxiety and ruminative self-reflection moderated the
      association between menstrual cycle and all mood variables. Specifically, highly
      anxious and ruminative women showed an increase in irritability, while women with
      lower anxiety and lower rumination were protected against mood deterioration
      toward the end of the cycle. Further research could examine whether reducing
      anxiety and rumination helps to prevent premenstrual syndrome-related syndromes.

PMID- 26496478
TI  - Predicting Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Target Genes by Level-2 Protein-Protein
      Interaction.
AB  - Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is frequently lethal and has no effective
      pharmaceutical treatment, posing a great threat to human health. Previous
      bioinformatics studies of the mechanisms underlying AAA relied largely on the
      detection of direct protein-protein interactions (level-1 PPI) between the
      products of reported AAA-related genes. Thus, some proteins not suspected to be
      directly linked to previously reported genes of pivotal importance to AAA might
      have been missed. In this study, we constructed an indirect protein-protein
      interaction (level-2 PPI) network based on common interacting proteins encoded by
      known AAA-related genes and successfully predicted previously unreported AAA
      related genes using this network. We used four methods to test and verify the
      performance of this level-2 PPI network: cross validation, human AAA mRNA chip
      array comparison, literature mining, and verification in a mouse CaPO4 AAA model.
      We confirmed that the new level-2 PPI network is superior to the original level-1
      PPI network and proved that the top 100 candidate genes predicted by the level-2
      PPI network shared similar GO functions and KEGG pathways compared with positive
      genes. 

PMID- 26496480
TI  - Concordance of Epileptic Networks Associated with Epileptic Spikes Measured by
      High-Density EEG and Fast fMRI.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to investigate whether a newly developed fast
      fMRI called MREG (magnetic resonance encephalography) measures metabolic changes
      related to interictal epileptic discharges (IED). For this purpose BOLD changes
      are correlated with the IED distribution and variability. METHODS: Patients with
      focal epilepsy underwent EEG-MREG using a 64 channel cap. IED voltage maps were
      generated using 32 and 64 channels and compared regarding their correspondence to
      the BOLD response. The extents of IEDs (defined as number of channels with >50%
      of maximum IED negativity) were correlated with the extents of positive and
      negative BOLD responses. Differences in inter-spike variability were investigated
      between interictal epileptic discharges (IED) sets with and without concordant
      positive or negative BOLD responses. RESULTS: 17 patients showed 32 separate IED
      types. In 50% of IED types the BOLD changes could be confirmed by another
      independent imaging method. The IED extent significantly correlated with the
      positive BOLD extent (p = 0.04). In 6 patients the 64-channel EEG voltage maps
      better reflected the positive or negative BOLD response than the 32-channel EEG;
      in all others no difference was seen. Inter-spike variability was significantly
      lower in IED sets with than without concordant positive or negative BOLD
      responses (with p = 0.04). SIGNIFICANCE: Higher density EEG and fast fMRI seem to
      improve the value of EEG-fMRI in epilepsy. The correlation of positive BOLD and
      IED extent could suggest that widespread BOLD responses reflect the IED network.
      Inter-spike variability influences the likelihood to find IED concordant positive
      or negative BOLD responses, which is why single IED analysis may be promising.

PMID- 26496482
TI  - Binding of palladium (II) 5, 10, 15, 20-tetrakis (4-sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin to
      a lectin for photosensitizer targeted delivery.

PMID- 26496481
TI  - Variable Pringle Maneuvers and Effect on Intestinal Epithelium in Rats. A Pilot
      Experimental Study in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is observed that combined liver and colon surgery especially when
      this includes major liver resection with Pringle maneuver (PM) performance does
      not have a favorable outcome. Aim of our experimental study is to investigate the
      impact of portal triad occlusion on the large bowel and intra-abdominal
      inflammation and potent protective effects of the variants of (PM) in the
      combined surgical cases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-four rats were divided into
      four groups. In group A (control group), 1cm of the left partial colon was
      resected and then an end-to-end anastomosis was performed. In group B, a
      continuous PM for 30 minutes was performed followed by resection of 1cm of the
      left colon and an end-to-end anastomosis. In group C, the left colonic resection
      and anastomosis was performed after intermittent PM (IPM), which was 10 minutes
      PM followed by 5 minutes reperfusion repeated for three circles. In group D, an
      ischemic preconditioning for 10 minutes was initially performed followed by 5
      minutes reperfusion and then continuous PM for 30 minutes. Finally the rats in
      group D underwent a 1cm left colonic resection and an end-to-end anastomosis.
      RESULTS: The percentage of colitis was higher in the B group (P = 0,19). The
      percentage of inflammation was not significantly higher even when we compared all
      "occlusion" groups (B+C+D) with the sham group. No evidence of pancreatitis was
      found in the sham group whereas amylase and lipase levels were higher in Groups
      B, C and D together (P = 0,0267). The comparison of group A to group B showed a
      significant difference (P = 0,0014) caused by continuous PM for 30 minutes, but
      there was no such result after IPM. CONCLUSIONS: Major liver resections are
      performed with PM in order to minimize intra-operative blood loss. In the
      combined cases of colon surgery and major liver resections where PM is needed our
      results showed that IPM presents with better outcome and could be preferred
      compared with the other PM variants.

PMID- 26496483
TI  - Esophageal Cancer Epigenomics and Integrome Analysis of Genome-Wide Methylation
      and Expression in High Risk Northeast Indian Population.
AB  - Esophageal cancer is a major global health burden with a strong host-environment
      interaction component and epigenomics underpinnings that remain to be elucidated
      further. Certain populations such as the Northeast Indians suffer at a
      disproportionately higher rate from this devastating disease. Promoter
      methylation is correlated with transcriptional silencing of various genes in
      esophageal cancer. Very few studies on genome-wide methylation for esophageal
      cancer exist and yet, no one has carried out an integromics analysis of
      methylation and gene expression. In the present study, genome-wide methylation
      was measured in samples collected from the Northeast Indian population by
      Infinium 450k array, and integration of the methylation data was performed. To
      prepare a network of genes displaying enriched pathways, together with the list
      of genes exhibiting promoter hypermethylation or hypomethylation with inversely
      correlated expression, we performed an integrome analysis. We identified 23
      Integrome network enriched genes with relevance to tumor progression and
      associated with the processes involved in metastasis such as cell adhesion,
      integrin signaling, cytoskeleton, and extracellular matrix organizations. These
      included four genes (PTK2, RND1, RND3, and UBL3) with promoter hypermethylation
      and downregulation, and 19 genes (SEMG2, CD97, CTNND2, CADM3, OMD, NEFM, FBN2,
      CTNNB1, DLX6, UGT2B4, CCDC80, PZP, SERPINA4, TNFSF13B, NPC1, COL1A1, TAC3, BMP8A,
      and IL22RA2) with promoter hypomethylation and upregulation. A Methylation
      Efficiency Index was further calculated for these genes; the top five gene with
      the highest index were COL1A1, TAC3, SERPINA4, TNFSF13B, and IL22RA2. In
      conclusion, we recommend that the circulatory proteins IL22RA2, TNFSF13B,
      SERPINA4, and TAC3 in serum of patients and disease-free healthy controls can be
      examined in the future as putative noninvasive biomarkers. 

PMID- 26496485
TI  - Carbenylative Amination and Alkylation of Vinyl Iodides via Palladium Alkylidene
      Intermediates.
AB  - Most palladium-catalyzed reactions involving insertion of alkylidenes with alpha
      hydrogens undergo beta-hydride elimination from alkylpalladium(II) intermediates
      to form alkenes. Vinyl iodides were shown to generate eta(3)-allylpalladium
      intermediates that resist beta-hydride elimination, preserving the sp(3) center
      adjacent to the carbene moiety. Acyclic stereocontrol (syn/anti) for
      carbenylative amination and alkylation reactions was low, suggesting a lack of
      control in the migratory insertion step. Highly hindered carbene precursors
      inexplicably led to formation of Z-alkenes with high levels of stereocontrol. 

PMID- 26496484
TI  - Motorcycle helmet type and the risk of head injury and neck injury during
      motorcycle collisions in California.
AB  - The use of novelty motorcycle helmets is often prompted by beliefs that wearing a
      standard helmet can contribute to neck injury during traffic collisions. The goal
      of this analysis was to examine the association between helmet type and neck
      injury risk and the association between helmet type and head injury. Data were
      collected during the investigation of motorcycle collisions of any injury
      severity by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and 83 local law enforcement
      agencies in California between June 2012 and July 2013. We estimated head injury
      and neck injury risk ratios from data on 7051 collision-involved motorcyclists
      using log-binomial regression. Helmet type was strongly associated with head
      injury occurrence but was not associated with the occurrence of neck injury.
      Rider age, rider alcohol use, and motorcycle speed were strong, positive
      predictors of both head and neck injury. Interventions to improve motorcycle
      helmet choice and to counteract misplaced concerns surrounding neck injury risk
      are likely to lead to reductions in head injury, brain injury, and death. 

PMID- 26496486
TI  - Synergistic Interactions of Sugars/Polyols and Monovalent Salts with
      Phospholipids Depend upon Sugar/Polyol Complexity and Anion Identity.
AB  - We found that interactions of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) lipid
      monolayers with sugars are influenced by addition of NaCl. This work is of
      general importance in understanding how sugar-lipid-salt interactions impact
      biological systems. Using Langmuir isothermal compressions, fluorescence
      microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and neutron reflectometry, we examined DPPC
      monolayers upon addition of sugars/polyols and/or monovalent salts. Sugar-lipid
      interactions in the presence of NaCl increased with increasing complexity of the
      sugar/polyol in the order glycerol ? glucose < trehalose. When the anion was
      altered in the series NaF, NaCl, and NaBr, only minor differences were observed.
      When comparing LiCl, NaCl, and KCl, sodium chloride had the greatest influence on
      glucose and trehalose interactions with DPPC. We propose that heterogeneity
      created by cation binding allows for sugars to bind the lipid headgroups. While
      cation binding increases in the order K(+) < Na(+) < Li(+), lithium ions may also
      compete with glucose for binding sites. Thus, both cooperative and competitive
      factors contribute to the overall influence of salts on sugar-lipid interactions.

PMID- 26496487
TI  - Sugar and volatile fatty acids dynamic during anaerobic treatment of olive mill
      wastewater.
AB  - Biogas production has been the main route used to exploit olive mill wastewater
      (OMW), after pretreatment and/or in combination with other effluents, but more
      recently the production of chemicals and biopolymers by biotechnological routes
      has deserved increasing attention by the scientific community. The present paper
      aims to explore the potential of fresh OMW as a source of volatile fatty acids
      (VFAs) and biogas. The time profile of VFAs production and the corresponding
      sugar consumption was followed by high-performance liquid chromatography, in
      batch anaerobic assays. The experimental results have revealed the very high
      potential of the OMW for the production of VFAs, mainly due to the high sugar
      concentration in the effluent (37.8 g/L) and its complete conversion into VFAs,
      in a time period of 2-3 days. The most abundant VFAs were acetic (48-50%), n
      butanoic (12-27%), iso-pentanoic (12-14%) and propanoic (5-13%). The ratio of VFA
      containing even and odd carbon chains increased with the reduction in the initial
      chemical oxygen demand concentration of the samples used in the experiments. The
      conversion of the VFAs to biogas was inhibited at concentrations of 3.5 g/L of
      VFAs. 

PMID- 26496489
TI  - Altered Gene Expression Associated with microRNA Binding Site Polymorphisms.
AB  - Allele-specific gene expression associated with genetic variation in regulatory
      regions can play an important role in the development of complex traits. We
      hypothesized that polymorphisms in microRNA (miRNA) response elements (MRE-SNPs)
      that either disrupt a miRNA binding site or create a new miRNA binding site can
      affect the allele-specific expression of target genes. By integrating public
      expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) data, miRNA binding site predictions,
      small RNA sequencing, and Argonaute crosslinking immunoprecipitation (AGO-CLIP)
      datasets, we identified genetic variants that can affect gene expression by
      modulating miRNA binding efficiency. We also identified MRE-SNPs located in
      regions associated with complex traits, indicating possible causative mechanisms
      associated with these loci. The results of this study expand the current
      understanding of gene expression regulation and help to interpret the mechanisms
      underlying eQTL effects. 

PMID- 26496490
TI  - A Mumps Outbreak in Vojvodina, Serbia, in 2012 Underlines the Need for Additional
      Vaccination Opportunities for Young Adults.
AB  - In 2012, mumps was introduced from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Vojvodina, causing
      an outbreak with 335 reported cases. The present manuscript analyses the
      epidemiological and laboratory characteristics of this outbreak, identifies its
      main causes and suggests potential future preventive measures. Sera of 133
      patients were tested for mumps-specific antibodies by ELISA and 15 nose/throat
      swabs were investigated for mumps virus RNA by RT-PCR. IgG antibodies were found
      in 127 patients (95.5%). Mumps infection was laboratory-confirmed in 53 patients,
      including 44 IgM and 9 PCR positive cases. All other 282 cases were classified as
      epidemiologically-confirmed. More than half of the patients (n = 181, 54%) were
      20-29 years old, followed by the 15-19 age bracket (n = 95, 28.4%). Twice as many
      males as females were affected (67% versus 33%). Disease complications were
      reported in 13 cases (3.9%), including 9 patients with orchitis and 4 with
      pancreatitis. According to medical records or anamnestic data, 190 patients
      (56.7%) were immunized with two doses and 35 (10.4%) with one dose of mumps
      containing vaccine. The Serbian sequences corresponded to a minor genotype G
      variant detected during the 2011/2012 mumps outbreak in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
      Vaccine failures, the initial one-dose immunization policy and a vaccine shortage
      between 1999 and 2002 contributed to the outbreak. Additional vaccination
      opportunities should be offered to young adults during transition periods in
      their life trajectories. 

PMID- 26496491
TI  - Is Nebivolol Really Effective in Preventing Contrast Induced Nephropathy?
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Contrast induced nephropathy (CIN) has multifactorial
      etiopatogenesis including oxidative stress and vasoconstriction. Nebivolol is an
      antioxidant and has vasodilatatory effect via NO release and may prevent CIN
      development. We have noticed that a few number of studies that have evaluated the
      effectiveness of nebivolol for the prevention of CIN used serum creatinine (sCr)
      levels for CIN detection. However, sCr is an insensitive marker for renal damage.
      Therefore in this study we used serum neutrophil-gelatinase associated lipocalin
      (NGAL), a more sensitive marker of renal damage, to evaluate preventive role of
      nebivolol in CIN. METHODS: 159 patients undergoing coronary angiography (CAG) who
      had at least one risk factor for CIN were divided into nebivolol (+) and (-)
      groups. CIN was defined as a rise in sCr of 0.5mg/dl or a 25% increase from the
      baseline value. Serum Cr, glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and NGAL levels were
      assessed before and 48 h after CAG. Mehran risk scores were calculated for both
      groups. RESULTS: Both groups were similar in terms of baseline characteristics,
      Mehran risk scores, and current medications. Clinically, CIN developed at similar
      rates in both groups. Serum Cr, eGFR and NGAL values were similar in both groups
      before and after CAG. Serum Cr and NGAL levels increased and eGFR decreased
      significantly compared to the levels before CAG. Patients who developed CIN were
      significantly older (p=0.003), and were more likely to have DM (p=0.012), a
      higher mean contrast agent volume (p<0.001), and a higher Mehran score (p
      <0.001). We did not observe any favorable effect of Nebivolol in the prevention
      of CIN in patients undergoing CAG. CONCLUSION: According to the results of our
      study Nebivolol does not seem to prevent CIN in patients undergoing CAG. However,
      further randomised controlled trials with more sensitive renal damage markers are
      obviously needed to understand the actual effect of nebivolol on CIN especially
      through oxidative pathways and in high risk patients.

PMID- 26496492
TI  - Genome-Wide Association Analysis of Adaptation Using Environmentally Predicted
      Traits.
AB  - Current methods for studying the genetic basis of adaptation evaluate genetic
      associations with ecologically relevant traits or single environmental variables,
      under the implicit assumption that natural selection imposes correlations between
      phenotypes, environments and genotypes. In practice, observed trait and
      environmental data are manifestations of unknown selective forces and are only
      indirectly associated with adaptive genetic variation. In theory, improved
      estimation of these forces could enable more powerful detection of loci under
      selection. Here we present an approach in which we approximate adaptive variation
      by modeling phenotypes as a function of the environment and using the predicted
      trait in multivariate and univariate genome-wide association analysis (GWAS).
      Based on computer simulations and published flowering time data from the model
      plant Arabidopsis thaliana, we find that environmentally predicted traits lead to
      higher recovery of functional loci in multivariate GWAS and are more strongly
      correlated to allele frequencies at adaptive loci than individual environmental
      variables. Our results provide an example of the use of environmental data to
      obtain independent and meaningful information on adaptive genetic variation. 

PMID- 26496488
TI  - Reciprocal regulation of TGF-beta and reactive oxygen species: A perverse cycle
      for fibrosis.
AB  - Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is the most potent pro-fibrogenic
      cytokine and its expression is increased in almost all of fibrotic diseases.
      Although signaling through Smad pathway is believed to play a central role in TGF
      beta's fibrogenesis, emerging evidence indicates that reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) modulate TGF-beta's signaling through different pathways including Smad
      pathway. TGF-beta1 increases ROS production and suppresses antioxidant enzymes,
      leading to a redox imbalance. ROS, in turn, induce/activate TGF-beta1 and mediate
      many of TGF-beta's fibrogenic effects, forming a vicious cycle (see graphic flow
      chart on the right). Here, we review the current knowledge on the feed-forward
      mechanisms between TGF-beta1 and ROS in the development of fibrosis. Therapeutics
      targeting TGF-beta-induced and ROS-dependent cellular signaling represents a
      novel approach in the treatment of fibrotic disorders. 

PMID- 26496493
TI  - Phylogeny of Symbiotic Genes and the Symbiotic Properties of Rhizobia Specific to
      Astragalus glycyphyllos L.
AB  - The phylogeny of symbiotic genes of Astragalus glycyphyllos L. (liquorice
      milkvetch) nodule isolates was studied by comparative sequence analysis of nodA,
      nodC, nodH and nifH loci. In all these genes phylograms, liquorice milkvetch
      rhizobia (closely related to bacteria of three species, i.e. Mesorhizobium
      amorphae, Mesorhizobium septentrionale and Mesorhizobium ciceri) formed one
      clearly separate cluster suggesting the horizontal transfer of symbiotic genes
      from a single ancestor to the bacteria being studied. The high sequence
      similarity of the symbiotic genes of A. glycyphyllos rhizobia (99-100% in the
      case of nodAC and nifH genes, and 98-99% in the case of nodH one) points to the
      relatively recent (in evolutionary scale) lateral transfer of these genes. In the
      nodACH and nifH phylograms, A. glycyphyllos nodule isolates were grouped together
      with the genus Mesorhizobium species in one monophyletic clade, close to M.
      ciceri, Mesorhizobium opportunistum and Mesorhizobium australicum symbiovar
      biserrulae bacteria, which correlates with the close relationship of these
      rhizobia host plants. Plant tests revealed the narrow host range of A.
      glycyphyllos rhizobia. They formed effective symbiotic interactions with their
      native host (A. glycyphyllos) and Amorpha fruticosa but not with 11 other
      fabacean species. The nodules induced on A. glycyphyllos roots were indeterminate
      with apical, persistent meristem, an age gradient of nodule tissues and cortical
      vascular bundles. To reflect the symbiosis-adaptive phenotype of rhizobia,
      specific for A. glycyphyllos, we propose for these bacteria the new symbiovar
      "glycyphyllae", based on nodA and nodC genes sequences. 

PMID- 26496494
TI  - Complementing ODE-Based System Analysis Using Boolean Networks Derived from an
      Euler-Like Transformation.
AB  - In this paper, we present a systematic transition scheme for a large class of
      ordinary differential equations (ODEs) into Boolean networks. Our transition
      scheme can be applied to any system of ODEs whose right hand sides can be written
      as sums and products of monotone functions. It performs an Euler-like step which
      uses the signs of the right hand sides to obtain the Boolean update functions for
      every variable of the corresponding discrete model. The discrete model can, on
      one hand, be considered as another representation of the biological system or,
      alternatively, it can be used to further the analysis of the original ODE model.
      Since the generic transformation method does not guarantee any property
      conservation, a subsequent validation step is required. Depending on the purpose
      of the model this step can be based on experimental data or ODE simulations and
      characteristics. Analysis of the resulting Boolean model, both on its own and in
      comparison with the ODE model, then allows to investigate system properties not
      accessible in a purely continuous setting. The method is exemplarily applied to a
      previously published model of the bovine estrous cycle, which leads to new
      insights regarding the regulation among the components, and also indicates
      strongly that the system is tailored to generate stable oscillations. 

PMID- 26496495
TI  - Configurational Statistics of Magnetic Bead Detection with Magnetoresistive
      Sensors.
AB  - Magnetic biosensors detect magnetic beads that, mediated by a target, have bound
      to a functionalized area. This area is often larger than the area of the sensor.
      Both the sign and magnitude of the average magnetic field experienced by the
      sensor from a magnetic bead depends on the location of the bead relative to the
      sensor. Consequently, the signal from multiple beads also depends on their
      locations. Thus, a given coverage of the functionalized area with magnetic beads
      does not result in a given detector response, except on the average, over many
      realizations of the same coverage. We present a systematic theoretical analysis
      of how this location-dependence affects the sensor response. The analysis is done
      for beads magnetized by a homogeneous in-plane magnetic field. We determine the
      expected value and standard deviation of the sensor response for a given
      coverage, as well as the accuracy and precision with which the coverage can be
      determined from a single sensor measurement. We show that statistical
      fluctuations between samples may reduce the sensitivity and dynamic range of a
      sensor significantly when the functionalized area is larger than the sensor area.
      Hence, the statistics of sampling is essential to sensor design. For
      illustration, we analyze three important published cases for which statistical
      fluctuations are dominant, significant, and insignificant, respectively. 

PMID- 26496496
TI  - Composition of Lutein Ester Regioisomers in Marigold Flower, Dietary Supplement,
      and Herbal Tea.
AB  - Characterization of lutein and its esters in a health product is necessary for
      its efficacy. In the current study lutein ester regioisomers were quantified and
      identified in several dietary supplements and herbal teas in comparison with
      marigold flower, the commercial source of lutein. The products were extracted
      with three solvents and separated on a C30 column. The separated esters were
      identified/confirmed with LC-MS in APCI+ve mode with the use of synthetic lutein
      esters. The total content of lutein esters substantially varied among marigold
      flowers (167-5752 MUg/g), supplements (88,000-110,700 MUg/g), and herbal teas
      (12.4-91.3 MUg/g). Lutein supplement had a lutein profile similar to that of
      marigold flower, whereas herbal tea showed an extremely different profile. Lutein
      dipalmitate was the dominant compound in supplements and marigold flowers
      followed by lutein 3'-O-myristate-3-O-palmitate and lutein 3'-O-palmitate-3-O
      myristate. Lutein was the major compound in marigold herbal tea with small
      amounts of lutein mono- and diesters. Differences in the concentration and
      composition of lutein compounds among marigold products could indicate distinct
      product quality and lutein bioavailability. 

PMID- 26496497
TI  - Long-Term Arthralgia after Mayaro Virus Infection Correlates with Sustained Pro
      inflammatory Cytokine Response.
AB  - Mayaro virus (MAYV), an alphavirus similar to chikungunya virus (CHIKV), causes
      an acute debilitating disease which results in the development of long-term
      arthralgia in more than 50% of infected individuals. Currently, the immune
      response and its role in the development of MAYV-induced persistent arthralgia
      remain unknown. In this study, we evaluated the immune response of individuals
      with confirmed MAYV infection in a one-year longitudinal study carried out in
      Loreto, Peru. We report that MAYV infection elicits robust immune responses that
      result in the development of a strong neutralizing antibody response and the
      secretion of pro-inflammatory immune mediators. The composition of these
      inflammatory mediators, in some cases, differed to those previously observed for
      CHIKV. Key mediators such as IL-13, IL-7 and VEGF were strongly induced following
      MAYV infection and were significantly increased in subjects that eventually
      developed persistent arthralgia. Although a strong neutralizing antibody response
      was observed in all subjects, it was not sufficient to prevent the long-term
      outcomes of MAYV infection. This study provides initial immunologic insight that
      may eventually contribute to prognostic tools and therapeutic treatments against
      this emerging pathogen. 

PMID- 26496498
TI  - The Importance of Networking in Autism Gaze Analysis.
AB  - Visual scanning of faces in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has
      been intensively studied using eye-tracking technology. However, most of studies
      have relied on the same analytic approach based on the quantification of fixation
      time, which may have failed to reveal some important features of the scanning
      strategies employed by individuals with ASD. In the present study, we examined
      the scanning of faces in a group of 20 preschoolers with ASD and their typically
      developing (TD) peers, using both classical fixation time approach and a new
      developed approach based on transition matrices and network analysis. We found
      between group differences in the eye region in terms of fixation time, with
      increased right eye fixation time for the ASD group and increased left eye
      fixation time for the TD group. Our complementary network approach revealed that
      the left eye might play the role of an anchor in the scanning strategies of TD
      children but not in that of children with ASD. In ASD, fixation time on the
      different facial parts was almost exclusively dependent on exploratory activity.
      Our study highlights the importance of developing innovative measures that bear
      the potential of revealing new properties of the scanning strategies employed by
      individuals with ASD. 

PMID- 26496499
TI  - A Common Polymorphism within the IGF2 Imprinting Control Region Is Associated
      with Parent of Origin Specific Effects in Infantile Hemangiomas.
AB  - Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most common tumor of the pediatric age group,
      affecting up to 4% of newborns ranging from inconsequential blemishes, to highly
      aggressive tumors. Following well defined growth phases (proliferative, plateau
      involutional) IH usually regress into a fibro-fatty residuum. Despite the high
      prevalence of IH, little is known regarding the pathogenesis of disease. A
      reported six fold decrease in IGF2 expression (correlating with transformation of
      proliferative to involuted lesions) prompted us to study the IGF-2 axis further.
      We demonstrate that IGF2 expression in IH is strongly related to the expression
      of a cancer testes and suspected oncogene BORIS (paralog of CTCF), placing IH in
      the unique category of being the first known benign BORIS positive tumor. IGF2
      expression was strongly and positively related to BORIS transcript expression.
      Furthermore, a stronger association was made when comparing BORIS levels against
      the expression of CTCF via either a percentage or difference between the two. A
      common C/T polymorphism at CTCF BS6 appeared to modify the correlation between
      CTCF/BORIS and IGF2 expression in a parent of origin specific manner. Moreover,
      these effects may have phenotypic consequences as tumor growth also correlates
      with the genotype at CTCF BS6. This may provide a framework for explaining the
      clinical variability seen in IH and suggests new insights regarding CTCF and
      BORIS related functionality in both normal and malignant states. 

PMID- 26496500
TI  - Pulmonary Impairment in Tuberculosis Survivors: The Korean National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Survey 2008-2012.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) can affect lung function, but studies
      regarding long-term follow-up in patients with no sequelae on chest X-ray (CXR)
      have not been performed. We evaluated lung functional impairment and persistent
      respiratory symptoms in those with prior pulmonary TB and those with prior
      pulmonary TB with no residual sequelae on CXR, and determined risk factors for
      airflow obstruction. METHODS: We used data from adults aged >= 40 years from the
      annual Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys conducted between
      2008 and 2012. P values for comparisons were adjusted for age, sex, and smoking
      status. RESULTS: In total of 14,967 adults, 822 subjects (5.5%) had diagnosed and
      treated pulmonary TB (mean 29.0 years ago). The FVC% (84.9 vs. 92.6), FEV1% (83.4
      vs. 92.4), and FEV1/FVC% (73.4 vs. 77.9) were significantly decreased in subjects
      with prior pulmonary TB compared to those without (p < 0.001, each). In 12,885
      subjects with no sequalae on CXR, those with prior pulmonary TB (296, 2.3%) had
      significantly lower FEV1% (90.9 vs. 93.4, p = 0.001) and FEV1/FVC% (76.6 vs.
      78.4, p < 0.001) than those without. Subjects with prior pulmonary TB as well as
      subjects with no sequalae on CXR were more likely to experience cough and
      physical activity limitations due to pulmonary symptoms than those without prior
      pulmonary TB (p < 0.001, each). In total subjects, prior pulmonary TB (OR, 2.314;
      95% CI, 1.922-2.785), along with age, male, asthma, and smoking mount was risk
      factor for airflow obstruction. In subjects with prior pulmonary tuberculosis,
      inactive TB lesion on chest x-ray (OR, 2.300; 95% CI, 1.606-3.294) were risk
      factors of airflow obstruction. CONCLUSION: In addition to subjects with inactive
      TB lesion on CXR, subjects with no sequelae on CXR can show impaired pulmonary
      function and respiratory symptoms. Prior TB is a risk factor for airflow
      obstruction and that the risk is more important when they have inactive lesions
      on chest X-ray. Hence, the patients with treated TB should need to have regular
      follow-up of lung function and stop smoking for early detection and prevention of
      the chronic airway disease.

PMID- 26496501
TI  - Cytological Diagnostic Approach in 3 Cases of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis
      Presenting Primarily as a Thyroid Mass.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a monoclonal disease of
      specialised histiocytes characterised by the proliferation of neoplastic
      Langerhans cells (LCs) with a varying admixture of mature lymphocytes,
      eosinophils and plasma cells. LCH commonly occurs in the paediatric population
      and young adults with the involvement of bone, skin and lymph nodes. LCH has a
      protracted clinical course with an overall mortality rate of 3%. Primary
      involvement of the thyroid gland in LCH at presentation is a rare phenomenon that
      can result in misdiagnosis with consequent mismanagement. CASE: Ultrasound-guided
      fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the thyroid was performed in 3 cases at
      a tertiary cancer centre, including 2 referral cases where the patient presented
      with the only symptom of progressive thyroid enlargement. These cases were
      reported initially or on review and the results were correlated with
      histology/ancillary techniques. A cytological diagnosis of suspicion for LCH was
      offered in 2 cases at our centre and 1 case was referred to our centre with a
      diagnosis of suspected papillary thyroid carcinoma. On review of outside smears
      at our centre, the diagnosis was changed to suspected LCH. The diagnosis was
      confirmed by immunopositivity for CD68, CD1a and S100 in 1 case and Tru-cut
      biopsy followed by immunohistochemistry for CD1a, S100, TTF-1 and LCA in the
      other 2 cases. CONCLUSION: FNAC was helpful in accurately diagnosing LCH even
      though the presentation was unusual. Thus, unnecessary surgery was obviated.

PMID- 26496503
TI  - Patients' and Family Caregivers' Goals for Care During Transitions Out of the
      Hospital.
AB  - The aims of this study were to (a) describe the nature of patients' goals upon
      discharge from hospital, family caregivers' goals for their loved ones, and
      family caregivers' goals for themselves; (b) determine the degree of concordance
      with respect to the three elicited goals; (c) ascertain goal attainment across
      the three elicited goals; and (d) examine factors predictive of goal attainment.
      Our findings support the position that eliciting patient and family caregiver
      goals and promoting goal attainment may represent an important step toward
      promoting greater patient and family caregiver engagement in their care. 

PMID- 26496504
TI  - Reversible Luminescence Modulation upon Photochromic Reactions in Rare-Earth
      Doped Ferroelectric Oxides by in Situ Photoluminescence Spectroscopy.
AB  - Reversible luminescence photoswitching upon photochromic reactions with excellent
      reproducibility is achieved in a new inorganic luminescence material:
      Na(0.5)Bi(2.5)Nb2O9: Pr(3+) (NBN:Pr) ferroelectric oxides. Upon blue light (452
      nm) or sunlight irradiation, the material exhibits a reversible photochromism
      (PC) performance between dark gray and green color by alternating visible light
      and thermal stimulus without inducing any structure changes and is accompanied by
      a red emission at 613 nm. The coloration and decoloration process can be
      quantitatively evaluated by in situ photoluminescence spectroscopy. Meanwhile,
      the luminescence emission intensity based on PC reactions is effectively tuned by
      changing irradiation time and excitation wavelength, and the degree of
      luminescence modulation has no significant degradation after several periods,
      showing very excellent reproducibility. On the basis of the luminescence
      modulation behavior, a double-exponential relaxation model is proposed, and a
      combined equation is adopted to well describe the luminescence response to light
      irradiation, being in agreement with the experimental data.

PMID- 26496502
TI  - Reinforcement Learning of Linking and Tracing Contours in Recurrent Neural
      Networks.
AB  - The processing of a visual stimulus can be subdivided into a number of stages.
      Upon stimulus presentation there is an early phase of feedforward processing
      where the visual information is propagated from lower to higher visual areas for
      the extraction of basic and complex stimulus features. This is followed by a
      later phase where horizontal connections within areas and feedback connections
      from higher areas back to lower areas come into play. In this later phase, image
      elements that are behaviorally relevant are grouped by Gestalt grouping rules and
      are labeled in the cortex with enhanced neuronal activity (object-based attention
      in psychology). Recent neurophysiological studies revealed that reward-based
      learning influences these recurrent grouping processes, but it is not well
      understood how rewards train recurrent circuits for perceptual organization. This
      paper examines the mechanisms for reward-based learning of new grouping rules. We
      derive a learning rule that can explain how rewards influence the information
      flow through feedforward, horizontal and feedback connections. We illustrate the
      efficiency with two tasks that have been used to study the neuronal correlates of
      perceptual organization in early visual cortex. The first task is called contour
      integration and demands the integration of collinear contour elements into an
      elongated curve. We show how reward-based learning causes an enhancement of the
      representation of the to-be-grouped elements at early levels of a recurrent
      neural network, just as is observed in the visual cortex of monkeys. The second
      task is curve-tracing where the aim is to determine the endpoint of an elongated
      curve composed of connected image elements. If trained with the new learning
      rule, neural networks learn to propagate enhanced activity over the curve, in
      accordance with neurophysiological data. We close the paper with a number of
      model predictions that can be tested in future neurophysiological and
      computational studies. 

PMID- 26496505
TI  - Magnetic Ligand Fishing as a Targeting Tool for HPLC-HRMS-SPE-NMR: alpha
      Glucosidase Inhibitory Ligands and Alkylresorcinol Glycosides from Eugenia
      catharinae.
AB  - A bioanalytical platform combining magnetic ligand fishing for alpha-glucosidase
      inhibition profiling and HPLC-HRMS-SPE-NMR for structural identification of alpha
      glucosidase inhibitory ligands, both directly from crude plant extracts, is
      presented. Magnetic beads with N-terminus-coupled alpha-glucosidase were
      synthesized and characterized for their inherent catalytic activity. Ligand
      fishing with the immobilized enzyme was optimized using an artificial test
      mixture consisting of caffeine, ferulic acid, and luteolin before proof-of
      concept with the crude extract of Eugenia catharinae. The combination of ligand
      fishing and HPLC-HRMS-SPE-NMR identified myricetin 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside,
      myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol as alpha-glucosidase inhibitory ligands in
      E. catharinae. Furthermore, HPLC-HRMS-SPE-NMR analysis led to identification of
      six new alkylresorcinol glycosides, i.e., 5-(2-oxopentyl)resorcinol 4-O-beta-D
      glucopyranoside, 5-propylresorcinol 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, 5
      pentylresorcinol 4-O-[alpha-D-apiofuranosyl-(1->6)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside, 5
      pentylresorcinol 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, 4-hydroxy-3-O-methyl-5
      pentylresorcinol 1-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, and 3-O-methyl-5-pentylresorcinol 1
      O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1->6)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside.

PMID- 26496506
TI  - Heavy and light chain pairing of bivalent quadroma and knobs-into-holes
      antibodies analyzed by UHR-ESI-QTOF mass spectrometry.
AB  - The quadroma antibody represents the first attempt to produce a bispecific
      heterodimeric IgG antibody by somatic fusion of 2 hybridoma cells each expressing
      monoclonal antibodies with distinctive specificities. However, because of random
      heavy and light chain pairing, the desired functional bispecific antibody
      represents only a small fraction of the protein produced. Subsequently, the knobs
      into-holes (KiH) approach was developed to enforce correct heavy chain
      heterodimerization. Assuming equimolar expression of 4 unmodified chains
      comprising 2 heavy and 2 light chains, the statistical distribution of all paired
      combinations can be calculated. With equimolar expression as the goal, we
      transfected HEK cells with 1:1:1:1 plasmid ratios and analyzed the protein A
      affinity-purified antibodies from the quadroma and KiH approaches qualitatively
      and quantitatively with regard to the estimated relative amounts of the products
      using electrospray quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Our results show
      that all expected species are formed, and that, within the methodological limits,
      the species distribution in the mixtures corresponds approximately to the
      statistical distribution. 

PMID- 26496507
TI  - Mapping Habitats and Developing Baselines in Offshore Marine Reserves with Little
      Prior Knowledge: A Critical Evaluation of a New Approach.
AB  - The recently declared Australian Commonwealth Marine Reserve (CMR) Network covers
      a total of 3.1 million km2 of continental shelf, slope, and abyssal habitat.
      Managing and conserving the biodiversity values within this network requires
      knowledge of the physical and biological assets that lie within its boundaries.
      Unfortunately very little is known about the habitats and biological assemblages
      of the continental shelf within the network, where diversity is richest and
      anthropogenic pressures are greatest. Effective management of the CMR estate into
      the future requires this knowledge gap to be filled efficiently and
      quantitatively. The challenge is particularly great for the shelf as multibeam
      echosounder (MBES) mapping, a key tool for identifying and quantifying habitat
      distribution, is time consuming in shallow depths, so full coverage mapping of
      the CMR shelf assets is unrealistic in the medium-term. Here we report on the
      results of a study undertaken in the Flinders Commonwealth Marine Reserve
      (southeast Australia) designed to test the benefits of two approaches to
      characterising shelf habitats: (i) MBES mapping of a continuous (~30 km2) area
      selected on the basis of its potential to include a range of seabed habitats that
      are potentially representative of the wider area, versus; (ii) a novel approach
      that uses targeted mapping of a greater number of smaller, but spatially
      balanced, locations using a Generalized Random Tessellation Stratified sample
      design. We present the first quantitative estimates of habitat type and sessile
      biological communities on the shelf of the Flinders reserve, the former based on
      three MBES analysis techniques. We contrast the quality of information that both
      survey approaches offer in combination with the three MBES analysis methods. The
      GRTS approach enables design based estimates of habitat types and sessile
      communities and also identifies potential biodiversity hotspots in the northwest
      corner of the reserve's IUCN zone IV, and in locations close to shelf incising
      canyon heads. Design based estimates of habitats, however, vary substantially
      depending on the MBES analysis technique, highlighting the challenging nature of
      the reserve's low profile reefs, and improvements that are needed when acquiring
      MBES data for small GRTS locations. We conclude that the two survey approaches
      are complementary and both have their place in a successful and flexible
      monitoring strategy; the emphasis on one method over the other should be
      considered on a case by case basis, taking into account the survey objectives and
      limitations imposed by the type of vessel, time available, size and location of
      the region where knowledge is required. 

PMID- 26496508
TI  - Self-Assembly of a Functional Oligo(Aniline)-Based Amphiphile into Helical
      Conductive Nanowires.
AB  - A tetra(aniline)-based cationic amphiphile, TANI-NHC(O)C5H10N(CH3)3(+)Br(-) (TANI
      PTAB) was synthesized, and its emeraldine base (EB) state was found to self
      assemble into nanowires in aqueous solution. The observed self-assembly is
      described by an isodesmic model, as shown by temperature-dependent UV-vis
      investigations. Linear dichroism (LD) studies, combined with computational
      modeling using time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT), suggests that
      TANI-PTAB molecules are ordered in an antiparallel arrangement within nanowires,
      with the long axis of TANI-PTAB arranged perpendicular to the nanowire long axis.
      Addition of either S- or R- camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) to TANI-PTAB converted
      TANI to the emeraldine salt (ES), which retained the ability to form nanowires.
      Acid doping of TANI-PTAB had a profound effect on the nanowire morphology, as the
      CSA counterions' chirality translated into helical twisting of the nanowires, as
      observed by circular dichroism (CD). Finally, the electrical conductivity of CSA
      doped helical nanowire thin films processed from aqueous solution was 2.7 mS cm(
      1). The conductivity, control over self-assembled 1D structure and water
      solubility demonstrate these materials' promise as processable and addressable
      functional materials for molecular electronics, redox-controlled materials and
      sensing. 

PMID- 26496509
TI  - Measles in Italy: Co-circulation of B3 variants during 2014.
AB  - In 2013, the majority of the WHO/EUR countries reported an annual incidence of >1
      case per one million population indicating that the elimination target is far
      from being met. Thus, there is the urgent need to uncover and analyze chains of
      measles virus (MV) transmission with the objective to identify vulnerable groups
      and avoid possible routes of introduction of MV variants in the European
      population. The analysis of molecular epidemiology of MV B3 strains identified in
      2014 has shown that four different variants co-circulated in Italy, including the
      strain that caused a cruise-line ship outbreak at the beginning of the year.

PMID- 26496510
TI  - Carotid plaque stabilization induced by the supplement association Pycnogenol(r)
      and centella asiatica (Centellicum(r)).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aim of this registry study was the evaluation of the stability of
      carotid plaques by ultrasound in asymptomatic subjects with high oxidative stress
      following supplementation with a combination of the extract from bark of Pinus
      pinaster, Pycnogenol(r), with an extract from Centella asiatica leaves,
      Centellicum(r). METHODS: 50 patients, mean age 61.5 years, with carotid plaques
      (<50% stenosis) and high oxidative stress were included in this 3 months registry
      study. 26 patients received the combination of Pycnogenol(r) and Centellicum(r)
      and standard management, a control group received standard management only. The 2
      groups were comparable. RESULTS: The combination of Pycnogenol(r) and
      Centellicum(r) reduced significantly (p<0.05) plaque height and length as well as
      the number of plaques relative to controls. The plaque stability index, based on
      the echogenicity in the ultrasound picture of the "white" components of the
      plaque, increased significantly (p<0.01) in the verum group, no changes were
      observed in the controls. Plasma free radicals were significantly (p<0.05)
      decreased by the combination product, whereas the levels of plasma free radicals
      remained unchanged in the control group. No unwanted effects or abnormal
      laboratory tests were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: This registry study revealed a
      significant increase in stability of plaques, indicated by an enhanced density of
      the plaques, following supplementation with the combination of Pycnogenol(r) and
      Centellicum(r). As size and number of plaques was simultaneously reduced, the
      combination of the two plant extracts could be a safe option for prevention of
      cardiovascular events for patients with carotid plaques.

PMID- 26496511
TI  - Addition of Cladribine to Idarubicin and Cytarabine during Induction Increases
      the Overall Efficacy Rate in Adult Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A
      Matched-Pair Retrospective Comparison.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to evaluate a novel induction regimen
      composed of idarubicin (IDA), cytarabine (Ara-C) and cladribine (IAC regimen) for
      acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, and to identify the prognostic factors
      affecting treatment outcomes. METHODS: The clinical data of 27 untreated AML
      patients who received the IAC regimen as primary induction therapy in our
      hospital between April and November 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. The
      treatment outcomes of the IAC regimen were compared with two IA (IDA + Ara-C)
      regimens (IDA 10 mg/m2 and IDA 12 mg/m2) in a pair-matched analysis. RESULTS: The
      complete remission (CR) rate in the IAC arm was higher compared to the IA(L) arm
      (p = 0.002) as was the overall efficacy rate (p = 0.017). There was no
      significant difference in outcomes between the IAC and IA(H) (Ara-C with high
      dose IDA) arms. The IAC arm contained significantly higher CR rates than the
      IA(L) (Ara-C with low-dose IDA) arm in both the intermediate group (p = 0.050)
      and the unfavorable group (p = 0.013). Toxicity did not differ between the IAC
      group and the other two arms. High WBC at diagnosis (p = 0.022) and an
      unfavorable karyotype (p = 0.026) were related to a poorer response. The IAC
      regimen (p = 0.013) had greater superiority over the IAL regimen on efficacy than
      over the IA(H) regimen (p = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: The IAC regimen achieved a more
      significant advantage over the IA(L) regimen without increasing the risk of
      adverse events. The efficacy of induction therapy is associated with WBC at
      diagnosis, karyotype and induction regimen.

PMID- 26496512
TI  - Contribution of N-Nitrosamines and Their Precursors to Domestic Sewage by
      Greywaters and Blackwaters.
AB  - N-nitrosamines and their precursors are significant concerns for water utilities
      exploiting wastewater-impacted water supplies, particularly those practicing
      potable reuse of wastewater. Previous efforts to identify specific precursors in
      municipal wastewater accounting for N-nitrosamine formation have met with limited
      success. As an alternative, we quantified the relative importance of greywater
      (i.e., shower, kitchen sink, bathroom washbasin, and laundry) and blackwater
      (i.e., urine and feces) streams in terms of their loadings of ambient specific
      and total N-nitrosamines and chloramine-reactive and ozone-reactive N-nitrosamine
      precursors to domestic sewage. Accounting for the volume fractions of individual
      greywater and blackwater streams, laundry water represented the most significant
      source of N-nitrosamines and their precursors, followed by shower water and
      urine. Laundry water was particularly important for ozone-reactive N-nitrosamine
      precursors, accounting for ~99% of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) precursors and
      ~69% of precursors for other uncharacterized N-nitrosamines. For the other
      greywater streams, consumer products contributed additional N-nitrosamines and
      precursors, but the remarkable uniformity across different products suggested the
      importance of common macroconstituents. The consumption of a standard dose of the
      antacid ranitidine substantially increased NDMA and its chloramine-reactive
      precursors in urine. Nevertheless, nearly 40% of the American population would
      need to consume ranitidine daily to match the NDMA loadings from laundry water. 

PMID- 26496513
TI  - Partially-Screened Field Effect and Selective Carrier Injection at Organic
      Semiconductor/Graphene Heterointerface.
AB  - Due to the lack of a bandgap, applications of graphene require special device
      structures and engineering strategies to enable semiconducting characteristics at
      room temperature. To this end, graphene-based vertical field-effect transistors
      (VFETs) are emerging as one of the most promising candidates. Previous work
      attributed the current modulation primarily to gate-modulated graphene
      semiconductor Schottky barrier. Here, we report the first experimental evidence
      that the partially screened field effect and selective carrier injection through
      graphene dominate the electronic transport at the organic semiconductor/graphene
      heterointerface. The new mechanistic insight allows us to rationally design
      graphene VFETs. Flexible organic/graphene VFETs with bending radius <1 mm and the
      output current per unit layout area equivalent to that of the best oxide planar
      FETs can be achieved. We suggest driving organic light emitting diodes with such
      VFETs as a promising application. 

PMID- 26496514
TI  - GLT1 overexpression reverses established neuropathic pain-related behavior and
      attenuates chronic dorsal horn neuron activation following cervical spinal cord
      injury.
AB  - Development of neuropathic pain occurs in a major portion of traumatic spinal
      cord injury (SCI) patients, resulting in debilitating and often long-term
      physical and psychological burdens. Following SCI, chronic dysregulation of
      extracellular glutamate homeostasis has been shown to play a key role in
      persistent central hyperexcitability of superficial dorsal horn neurons that
      mediate pain neurotransmission, leading to various forms of neuropathic pain.
      Astrocytes express the major CNS glutamate transporter, GLT1, which is
      responsible for the vast majority of functional glutamate uptake, particularly in
      the spinal cord. In our unilateral cervical contusion model of mouse SCI that is
      associated with ipsilateral forepaw heat hypersensitivity (a form of chronic at
      level neuropathic pain-related behavior), we previously reported significant and
      long-lasting reductions in GLT1 expression and functional GLT1-mediated glutamate
      uptake in cervical spinal cord dorsal horn. To therapeutically address GLT1
      dysfunction following cervical contusion SCI, we injected an adeno-associated
      virus type 8 (AAV8)-Gfa2 vector into the superficial dorsal horn to increase GLT1
      expression selectively in astrocytes. Compared to both contusion-only animals and
      injured mice that received AAV8-eGFP control injection, AAV8-GLT1 delivery
      increased GLT1 protein expression in astrocytes of the injured cervical spinal
      cord dorsal horn, resulting in a significant and persistent reversal of already
      established heat hypersensitivity. Furthermore, AAV8-GLT1 injection significantly
      reduced expression of the transcription factor and marker of persistently
      increased neuronal activation, DeltaFosB, in superficial dorsal horn neurons.
      These results demonstrate that focal restoration of GLT1 expression in the
      superficial dorsal horn is a promising target for treating chronic neuropathic
      pain following SCI.

PMID- 26496515
TI  - Iminothiazoline-Sulfonamide Hybrids as Jack Bean Urease Inhibitors; Synthesis,
      Kinetic Mechanism and Computational Molecular Modeling.
AB  - The present work reports the synthesis of several 2-iminothiazoline derivatives
      of sulfanilamide (3a-j) as inhibitors of jack bean ureases. The title compounds
      were synthesized by the heterocyclization of sulfanilamide thioureas with
      propragyl bromide in dry ethanol in the presence of 1,8-Diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec
      7-ene as a base. All of the compounds showed higher urease inhibitory activity
      than the standard thiourea. The compounds (3h) and (3i) exhibited excellent
      enzyme inhibitory activity with IC50 0.064 and 0.058 MUm, respectively, while
      IC50 of thiourea is 20.9 MUm. The kinetic mechanism analyzed by Dixon plot showed
      that compound (3h) is a mixed-type inhibitor while (3i) is a competitive one.
      Docking studies suggested that Asp633, Ala636, His492, Ala440, Lue523, Asp494 and
      Arg439 are the major interacting residues in the binding site of the protein and
      may have an instrumental role in the inhibition of enzyme's function. 2
      iminothiazoline analogues (3a-j) showed good docking score (-10.6466 to -8.7215
      Kcal/mol) and binding energy (London dG ranging from -14.4825 to -10.4087
      Kcal/mol) which is far better than the standard thiourea (binding score in S
      field -4.5790 Kcal/mol London dG -4.7726 Kcal/mol). Our results inferred compound
      (3i) may serve as a structural model for the design of most potent urease
      inhibitors. 

PMID- 26496516
TI  - The authors reply "Variation in printed handoff documents: Results and
      recommendations from a multicenter needs assessment".

PMID- 26496517
TI  - "The AYA Director": A Synthesizing Concept to Understand Psychosocial Experiences
      of Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adolescents and young adults with cancer face distinct psychosocial
      challenges because of the multiple developmental tasks associated with their age.
      Research on psychosocial care, directed to the unique needs and demands of this
      population, is limited. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the
      psychosocial experiences of adolescents and young adults with cancer to further
      the understanding of the meanings they attribute to their experiences.
      INTERVENTION/METHODS: This study used a qualitative design in which individual
      semistructured interviews were conducted with 23 participants aged 15 to 25
      years. RESULTS: Physical consequences of the disease and its treatment, loss of
      independence, and being alone were significant challenges. Major coping
      strategies of the participants were to avoid the possible threats to life and
      maintain a positive attitude and normal life. Participants were "directors" who
      took control in order to manage their illness, maintain a sense of control, and
      master their lives to the fullest extent possible. CONCLUSIONS: The concept of
      the "AYA (adolescent and young adult) director" provides insight for healthcare
      professionals to understand how adolescents and young adults experience cancer.
      IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Throughout the cancer experience, participants wanted
      to be treated as individuals with specific needs and preferences. They preferred
      circumstances they are accustomed to; some found it difficult to accept
      restrictions imposed by the hospital. Adolescents and young adults with cancer
      want to be involved in the way healthcare professionals communicate with them and
      the information they are provided.

PMID- 26496518
TI  - Nursing Diagnosis of "Spiritual Distress" in Women With Breast Cancer: Prevalence
      and Major Defining Characteristics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spirituality and spiritual needs of cancer patients are frequently
      mentioned in the nursing literature, but the most significant defining
      characteristics of spiritual distress in the context of clinical reasoning and
      nursing diagnosis are rarely explored. Understanding of these is important for
      effective spiritual intervention. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to
      identify the prevalence and the defining characteristics of the nursing diagnosis
      "spiritual distress," as classified according to NANDA International, among women
      with breast cancer. METHODS: This was a quantitative and cross-sectional study,
      comprising the third phase of a larger study investigating the clinical
      validation of spiritual distress in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
      Fehring's clinical diagnostic validation model was used to identify the
      prevalence and the major defining characteristics of the diagnosis. A convenience
      sample was used, and data were collected by structured interview. RESULTS: A
      total of 70 women participated; most were married (62.9%) and had a mean age of
      54 years, and 55.7% reported having at least 1 person depending on them. The
      average length of time since the cancer diagnosis was 30.9 months. Twenty-seven
      participants were experiencing spiritual distress (38.6%). Eleven defining
      characteristics were classified as major. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of
      spiritual distress and the major defining characteristics give clinical evidence
      about the nurse's role in providing spiritual care. The results are useful for
      the improved use of the NANDA International diagnoses within this domain.
      IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings highlight the importance of assessing the
      defining characteristics of the diagnosis as an objective strategy to improve
      clinical reasoning related to spirituality and to facilitate more effective
      interventions.

PMID- 26496519
TI  - Implementation of a Psychoeducational Program for Cancer Survivors and Family
      Caregivers at a Cancer Support Community Affiliate: A Pilot Effectiveness Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychoeducational interventions, tested for efficacy in randomized
      clinical trials, are seldom implemented in clinical practice where cancer
      survivors and their family caregivers can benefit from them. OBJECTIVE: This
      study examined the effectiveness of the FOCUS Program on cancer survivors' and
      their family caregivers' outcomes when implemented at a Cancer Support Community
      (CSC) affiliate by agency social workers. Study aims were to (1) test effects of
      the program on survivor and caregiver outcomes as a unit and (2) determine
      program feasibility in terms of enrollment, retention, intervention fidelity, and
      satisfaction. METHODS: A preintervention and postintervention pilot effectiveness
      study was conducted with 34 cancer survivor-caregiver dyads (ie, pairs). The
      FOCUS Program, originally delivered by nurses in dyads' homes, was modified to a
      small-group format and delivered by CSC social workers. The primary outcome was
      quality of life (QOL). Intermediary outcomes were benefits of illness/caregiving,
      communication, support, and self-efficacy. Analyses included repeated-measures
      analysis of variance. RESULTS: Dyads had significant improvements in total QOL;
      physical, emotional, and functional QOL; benefits of illness; and self-efficacy.
      Effect sizes were similar to prior randomized clinical trial findings. Although
      dyads were difficult to recruit (enrollment, 60%), both retention (92%) and
      intervention fidelity (94%) were high. CONCLUSIONS: It was possible to implement
      the FOCUS Program at a CSC affiliate by agency staff, obtain positive
      intervention effects, and maintain intervention fidelity. IMPLICATIONS FOR
      PRACTICE: Researchers and clinicians need to collaborate to implement more
      evidence-based interventions in practice settings for cancer survivors and their
      family caregivers.

PMID- 26496520
TI  - Nurses' Experiences in Safe Handling of Chemotherapeutic Agents: The Taiwan Case.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nurses are the least compliant with the guidelines for use of
      personal protective equipment (PPE) among health professionals. While the
      literature regarding nurses not following the guidelines focuses on nonuse of
      PPE, the experiences of using PPE from nurses' perspectives have not been
      examined. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the concerns of nurses
      regarding their decision to use or not to use PPE in the cultural context of
      Taiwan. METHODS: An ethnographic design was used, and ethnographic interviews of
      57 nurses working with chemotherapy for more than 2 years were conducted. The
      participating nurses were observed in 2 accredited medical centers with oncology
      care teams in Taiwan. The constant comparison method was applied for data
      analysis, and cultural themes were generated from all transcripts. RESULTS:
      Wearing PPE was identified as an obstacle to professional image and performance.
      Nurses transformed safety into efficiency and prioritized social roles over
      professional roles. Experienced nurses, as insiders, believed that they have
      gained clinical wisdom to avoid occupational exposure to chemotherapy toxicity.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study explored the characteristics of clinical wisdom regarding
      PPE use in the context of Taiwanese chemotherapy care. Perceived professional
      image, efficiency on the job, PPE cost, and hospital rules influenced the use or
      nonuse of PPE by oncology care nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Acceptable
      nurse-patient ratios and refraining from chemotherapy toxicity exposure for
      pregnant and breast-feeding women are advocated for policy making. The
      experiential expertise of nurses should be shared as credible evidence in
      developing guidelines.

PMID- 26496522
TI  - Reducing the distal profile of dual mobility liners can mitigate soft-tissue
      impingement and liner entrapment without affecting mechanical performance.
AB  - Soft-tissue impingement with dual mobility liners can cause anterior hip pain and
      intra-prosthetic dislocation. The hypothesis of this study was that reducing
      liner profile below the equator (contoured design) can mitigate soft-tissue
      impingement without compromising inner-head pull-out resistance and hip joint
      stability. The interaction of conventional and contoured liners with anterior
      soft tissues was evaluated in cadaver specimens via visual observation and
      fluoroscopic imaging. Resistance to inner-head pull-out was evaluated via finite
      element analyses, and hip joint stability was evaluated by rigid-body mechanics
      simulation of dislocation in two modes (A, B). Cadaveric experiments showed that
      distal portion of conventional liners impinge on anterior hip capsule and cause
      iliopsoas tenting at low flexion angles (<=30 degrees ). During hip extension,
      the rotation imparted to the liner from posterior engagement with femoral neck
      was impeded by anterior soft-tissue impingement. The iliopsoas tenting was
      significantly reduced with contoured liners (p <= 0.04). Additionally, the
      contoured and conventional liners had identical inner-head pull-out resistance
      (901 N vs. 909 N), jump distance (9.4 mm mode-A, 11.7 mm mode-B) and impingement
      free range of motion (47 degrees  mode-A, 29 degrees  mode-B). Thus, soft-tissue
      impingement with conventional dual mobility liners may be mitigated by reducing
      liner profile below the equator, without affecting mechanical performance. (c)
      2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop
      Res 34:889-897, 2016.

PMID- 26496521
TI  - N-Methylation as a Strategy for Enhancing the Affinity and Selectivity of RNA
      binding Peptides: Application to the HIV-1 Frameshift-Stimulating RNA.
AB  - Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) type 1 uses a -1 programmed ribosomal
      frameshift (-1 PRF) event to translate its enzymes from the same transcript used
      to encode the virus' structural proteins. The frequency of this event is highly
      regulated, and significant deviation from the normal 5-10% frequency has been
      demonstrated to decrease viral infectivity. Frameshifting is primarily regulated
      by the Frameshift Stimulatory Signal RNA (FSS-RNA), a thermodynamically stable,
      highly conserved stem loop that has been proposed as a therapeutic target. We
      describe the design, synthesis, and testing of a series of N-methyl peptides able
      to bind the HIV-1 FSS RNA stem loop with low nanomolar affinity and high
      selectivity. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) data indicates increased affinity is
      a reflection of a substantially enhanced on rate. Compounds readily penetrate
      cell membranes and inhibit HIV infectivity in a pseudotyped virus assay. Viral
      infectivity inhibition correlates with compound-dependent changes in the ratios
      of Gag and Gag-Pol in virus particles. As the first compounds with both single
      digit nanomolar affinities for the FSS RNA and an ability to inhibit HIV in
      cells, these studies support the use of N-methylation for enhancing the affinity,
      selectivity, and bioactivity of RNA-binding peptides. 

PMID- 26496523
TI  - Does adenosine deaminase activity play a role in the early diagnosis of ectopic
      pregnancy?
AB  - Early diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy (EP) is important due to life-threatening
      consequences in the first trimester of pregnancy. In this study we aimed to
      investigate the role of adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity in the prediction of
      EP. Forty-one patients with unruptured ectopic pregnancy comprised the case group
      and forty-two first trimester pregnant women with shown foetal heart beating in
      ultrasound comprised the control group. The mean ADA level in EP (10.9 +/- 3.0
      IU/L) was higher than that in control group (9.2 +/- 3.6 IU/L) (p = 0.018).
      Receiver operating characteristics or ROC curve identified ADA value of 10.95
      IU/L as optimal threshold for the prediction of EP with 56% sensitivity and 67%
      specificity. High ADA levels are valuable in the early diagnosis of EP. However
      more comprehensive studies are required. 

PMID- 26496524
TI  - Does a Heavy Fe-Isotope Composition of Akilia Quartz-Amphibole-Pyroxene Rocks
      Necessitate a BIF Origin?
AB  - The age and origin of the quartz-amphibole-pyroxene (qap) gneiss from the island
      of Akilia, southern West Greenland, have been the subject of intense debate since
      the light C-isotope composition of graphite inclusions in apatite was interpreted
      to indicate the presence of Earth's earliest biological activity. Although this
      claim for biogenic relicts has been vigorously challenged, the possibility that
      the rocks might represent some of Earth's earliest water-lain sediments and,
      hence, a suitable repository for life remains an open question. While some
      workers have suggested that the entire sequence represents an originally mafic
      ultramafic igneous precursor subsequently modified by metasomatism, quartz
      injection, high-grade metamorphism, and extreme ductile deformation, others
      maintain that at least a small part of the sequence retains geochemical
      characteristics indicative of a chemical sedimentary origin. Fractionated Fe
      isotopes with delta(56)Fe values similar to those observed in Isua BIF have been
      reported from high-SiO2 units of qap and used to support a chemical sedimentary
      protolith for the qap unit. Here, we present new Fe isotope data from all
      lithologic variants in the qap gneiss on Akilia, including layers of undisputed
      ultramafic igneous origin. Since the latter require introduction of fractionated
      Fe into at least part of the qap unit, we argue that Fe isotopes must therefore
      be treated with considerable caution when used to infer BIF for part or all of
      the qap protolith.

PMID- 26496525
TI  - Ultrastructural Heterogeneity of Carbonaceous Material in Ancient Cherts:
      Investigating Biosignature Origin and Preservation.
AB  - Opaline silica deposits on Mars may be good target sites where organic
      biosignatures could be preserved. Potential analogues on Earth are provided by
      ancient cherts containing carbonaceous material (CM) permineralized by silica. In
      this study, we investigated the ultrastructure and chemical characteristics of CM
      in the Rhynie chert (c. 410 Ma, UK), Bitter Springs Formation (c. 820 Ma,
      Australia), and Wumishan Formation (c. 1485 Ma, China). Raman spectroscopy
      indicates that the CM has experienced advanced diagenesis or low-grade
      metamorphism at peak metamorphic temperatures of 150-350 degrees C. Raman mapping
      and micro-Fourier transform infrared (micro-FTIR) spectroscopy were used to
      document subcellular-scale variation in the CM of fossilized plants, fungi,
      prokaryotes, and carbonaceous stromatolites. In the Rhynie chert, ultrastructural
      variation in the CM was found within individual fossils, while in coccoidal and
      filamentous microfossils of the Bitter Springs and formless CM of the Wumishan
      stromatolites ultrastructural variation was found between, not within, different
      microfossils. This heterogeneity cannot be explained by secondary geological
      processes but supports diverse carbonaceous precursors that experienced
      differential graphitization. Micro-FTIR analysis found that CM with lower
      structural order contains more straight carbon chains (has a lower R3/2 branching
      index) and that the structural order of eukaryotic CM is more heterogeneous than
      prokaryotic CM. This study demonstrates how Raman spectroscopy combined with
      micro-FTIR can be used to investigate the origin and preservation of silica
      permineralized organics. This approach has good capability for furthering our
      understanding of CM preserved in Precambrian cherts, and potential biosignatures
      in siliceous deposits on Mars.

PMID- 26496526
TI  - Tracing Biosignature Preservation of Geothermally Silicified Microbial Textures
      into the Geological Record.
AB  - New Zealand and Argentine (Late Jurassic-Recent) siliceous hot-spring deposits
      (sinter) reveal preservation pathways of environmentally controlled, microbe
      dominated sedimentary facies over geological time scales. Texturally distinctive,
      laminated to thinly layered, dense and vertically oriented, microtubular
      "palisade" fabric is common in low-temperature (<40 degrees C) sinter-apron
      terraces. In modern hot springs, the dark green to brown, sheathed,
      photosynthetic cyanobacterium Calothrix spp. (family Rivulariaceae) constructs
      felted palisade mats in shallow terrace(tte) pools actively accreting opaline
      silica. The resulting stacked layers of silicified coarse filaments-a
      stromatolite-are highly porous and readily modified by postdepositional
      environmental perturbations, secondary silica infill, and diagenetic silica phase
      mineral transformations (opal-A to quartz). Fossil preservation quality is
      affected by relative timing of silicification, and later environmental and
      geological events. A systematic approach was used to characterize palisade fabric
      in sinters of different ages to refine tools for recognizing biosignatures in
      extreme environments and to track their long-term preservation pathways into the
      geological record. Molecular techniques, scanning electron microscopy, Raman
      spectrometry, X-ray powder diffraction, petrography, and lipid biomarker analyses
      were applied. Results indicate that microbial communities vary at the micron
      scale and that early and rapid silicification is paramount to long-term
      preservation, especially where minimal postdepositional disturbance follows
      fossilization. Overall, it appears that the most robust biomarkers of fossil
      microbial activity in hot-spring deposits are their characteristic macro- and
      microtextures and laser micro-Raman identified carbon. Studies of Phanerozoic
      geothermal deposits with mineralized microbial components are relevant analogs
      for Precambrian geobiology because early life is commonly preserved as microbial
      microfossils and biofilms in silica, some of it hydrothermal in origin. Yet the
      diagenetic "movie" has already been run. Hence, studying younger sinters of a
      range of ages provides an opportunity to "play it again" and follow the varied
      influences on biosignatures into the deep-time geological record.

PMID- 26496527
TI  - A Test of the Biogenicity Criteria Established for Microfossils and Stromatolites
      on Quaternary Tufa and Speleothem Materials Formed in the "Twilight Zone" at
      Caerwys, UK.
AB  - The ability to distinguish the features of a chemical sedimentary rock that can
      only be attributed to biology is a challenge relevant to both geobiology and
      astrobiology. This study aimed to test criteria for recognizing petrographically
      the biogenicity of microbially influenced fabrics and fossil microbes in complex
      Quaternary stalactitic carbonate rocks from Caerwys, UK. We found that the
      presence of carbonaceous microfossils, fabrics produced by the calcification of
      microbial filaments, and the asymmetrical development of tufa fabrics due to the
      more rapid growth of microbially influenced laminations could be recognized as
      biogenic features. Petrographic evidence also indicates that the development of
      "speleothem-like" laminae was related to episodes of growth interrupted by
      intervals of nondeposition and erosion. The lack of any biogenic characteristics
      in these laminae is consistent with their development as a result of variation in
      the physicochemical parameters that drive calcite precipitation from meteoric
      waters in such environmental settings.

PMID- 26496528
TI  - A Hierarchical System for Evaluating the Biogenicity of Metavolcanic- and
      Ultramafic-Hosted Microalteration Textures in the Search for Extraterrestrial
      Life.
AB  - The low-temperature alteration of submarine volcanic glasses has been argued to
      involve the activity of microorganisms, and analogous fluid-rock-microbial
      mediated alteration has also been postulated on Mars. However, establishing the
      extent to which microbes are involved in volcanic glass alteration has proven to
      be difficult, and the reliability of resulting textural biosignatures is debated,
      particularly in the early rock record. We therefore propose a hierarchical scheme
      to evaluate the biogenicity of candidate textural biosignatures found in altered
      terrestrial and extraterrestrial basaltic glasses and serpentinized ultramafic
      rocks. The hierarchical scheme is formulated to give increasing confidence of a
      biogenic origin and involves (i) investigation of the textural context and
      syngenicity of the candidate biosignature; (ii) characterization of the
      morphology and size range of the microtextures; (iii) mapping of the geological
      and physicochemical variables controlling the occurrence and preservation of the
      microtextures; (iv) in situ investigation of chemical signatures that are
      syngenetic to the microtexture; and (v) identification of growth patterns
      suggestive of biological behavior and redox variations in the host minerals. The
      scheme results in five categories of candidate biosignature as follows: Category
      1 indicates preservation of very weak evidence for biogenicity, Categories 2
      through 4 indicate evidence for increasing confidence of a biogenic origin, and
      Category 5 indicates that biogenic origin is most likely. We apply this
      hierarchical approach to examine the evidence for a biogenic origin of several
      examples, including candidate bacterial encrustations in altered pillow lavas,
      granular and tubular microtextures in volcanic glass from the subseafloor and a
      Phanerozoic ophiolite, mineralized microtextures in Archean metavolcanic glass,
      and alteration textures in olivines of the martian meteorite Yamato 000593. The
      aim of this hierarchical approach is to provide a framework for identifying
      robust biosignatures of microbial life in the altered oceanic crust on Earth, and
      in extraterrestrial altered mafic-ultramafic rocks, particularly on Mars.

PMID- 26496529
TI  - Eye gaze performance for children with severe physical impairments using gaze
      based assistive technology-A longitudinal study.
AB  - Gaze-based assistive technology (gaze-based AT) has the potential to provide
      children affected by severe physical impairments with opportunities for
      communication and activities. This study aimed to examine changes in eye gaze
      performance over time (time on task and accuracy) in children with severe
      physical impairments, without speaking ability, using gaze-based AT. A
      longitudinal study with a before and after design was conducted on 10 children
      (aged 1-15 years) with severe physical impairments, who were beginners to gaze
      based AT at baseline. Thereafter, all children used the gaze-based AT in daily
      activities over the course of the study. Compass computer software was used to
      measure time on task and accuracy with eye selection of targets on screen, and
      tests were performed with the children at baseline, after 5 months, 9-11 months,
      and after 15-20 months. Findings showed that the children improved in time on
      task after 5 months and became more accurate in selecting targets after 15-20
      months. This study indicates that these children with severe physical
      impairments, who were unable to speak, could improve in eye gaze performance.
      However, the children needed time to practice on a long-term basis to acquire
      skills needed to develop fast and accurate eye gaze performance.

PMID- 26496530
TI  - Executive Functioning of Combat Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - This study investigates neuropsychological deficits in recently deployed veterans
      with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Veterans discharged from 2007 to 2012
      were recruited from Veterans Affairs clinics. Independent groups of participants
      with mTBI (n = 57) and those without TBI (n = 57) were administered the Beck
      Depression Inventory-II, Combat Exposure Scale, Word Memory Test, and the Self
      Awareness of Deficits Interview. Neuropsychological instruments included the Rey
      Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, Letter and Category Fluency, Trail-Making Test
      Parts A and B, Christiansen H-abbreviated, Soper Neuropsychology Screen, Wechsler
      Memory Scale subtests Logical Memory I and II, and the Street Completion Test.
      The mTBI group performed significantly worse on all of the executive and
      nonexecutive measurements with the exception of Category Fluency, after
      controlling for age, depression effort, and combat exposure. Depression and
      combat exposure were greater for the mTBI group. The mTBI group scored poorer on
      effort, but only the Multiple Choice subtest was significant. The mTBI group had
      good awareness of their deficits.

PMID- 26496531
TI  - Efficient Molecular Imprinting Strategy for Quantitative Targeted Proteomics of
      Human Transferrin Receptor in Depleted Human Serum.
AB  - Soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) in serum has been suggested as a marker for
      breast cancer diagnosis, monitoring and treatment. However, sTfR levels in some
      situations could be far below the limit of quantification (LOQ) of most assays.
      Thus, an efficient sample pretreatment strategy is required. In this study,
      molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were developed and coupled with liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based targeted proteomics for
      sTfR measurement. The key to this effort was that the same surrogate peptide of
      sTfR (VEYHFLSPYVSPK, VK13) was employed in both the enrichment by MIPs and the
      quantification by targeted proteomics. Specifically, three peptide templates with
      different lengths were evaluated for the synthesis of MIPs, and the imprinting
      conditions were optimized. The characteristics of MIPs, including the adsorption
      capacity, adsorption kinetics, and binding selectivity, were also investigated.
      As a result, a ~12-fold enhancement of sensitivity was achieved using MIPs. An
      LOQ of 200 ng.mL(-1) was obtained. The intra- and interday precision were <10.7
      and 7.8%, respectively. The accuracy was 7.5% at the lower limit of
      quantification (LLOQ) and <8.4% for the other QC levels. After validation, the
      assay was applied to determine the sTfR levels in breast cancer patients (n = 20)
      and healthy volunteers (n = 20) using the standard addition method. The
      corresponding levels of sTfR were 1.59 +/- 0.36 MUg.mL(-1) (range: 0.96-2.34
      MUg.mL(-1)) in the volunteers and 1.82 +/- 0.42 MUg.mL(-1) (range: 0.95-2.47
      MUg.mL(-1)) in the patients. This study is among the first to combine MIPs and LC
      MS/MS targeted proteomics for protein quantification at the peptide level. 

PMID- 26496532
TI  - Differential relationships between chronic hormone profiles in pregnancy and
      maternal investment in rhesus monkey mothers with hair loss in the neonatal
      period.
AB  - Hair loss is commonly used as an indicator of well being in primate facilities,
      yet it has been shown to also occur in otherwise healthy pregnant and postpartum
      females. There is significant variability in the incidence of hair loss during
      these important developmental periods, reasons for which remain unclear. We
      studied female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta, n = 47) with and without hair loss
      in pregnancy/postpartum. We hypothesized that, similar to previously published
      reports, pregnancy would result in an increased likelihood of hair loss, and that
      hair loss would be correlated with higher hair cortisol concentrations (HCCs). We
      further hypothesized that hair loss among pregnant females is related to
      differential maternal investment. We studied a subset of monkeys (n = 26) from
      mid-to-late pregnancy through peak lactation, some of which exhibited hair loss
      in the perinatal period (n = 15), and some of which did not (n = 11). We examined
      fetal measurements, infant birth weight, infant growth rate, and milk yield
      volume (MYV) in the first 30 days as indices of investment. We found that
      pregnant monkeys showed a greater incidence of hair loss across the study year
      (chi2(2)  = 6.55, P = 0.038), and that mothers with hair loss had significantly
      higher HCCs in pregnancy than those without (F(2,28)  = 3.8, P = 0.017, etap2  =
      0.21). HCCs in pregnancy were correlated with severity of hair loss in the
      neonatal period (r(37)  = 0.42, P = 0.008). Moreover, HCCs in pregnancy were
      positively correlated with infant birth weight (r(12)  = 0.56, P = 0.038), infant
      growth rate (r(12)  = 0.64, P = 0.014), and MYV (r(11)  = 0.85, P < 0.001) for
      alopecic but not non-alopecic mothers. These mothers did not differ in fetal
      measurements, infant birth weight/growth rate, or MYV. Our results suggest that
      hair loss in some monkeys, especially during the birthing season, may be a signal
      of greater physiological stress during pregnancy and differential investment by
      mothers to their offspring. Am. J. Primatol. 79:e22489, 2017. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26496533
TI  - Common and Rare Genetic Variants Associated With Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most devastating disorders. Despite the
      continuing increase of its incidence among aging populations, no effective cure
      has been developed mainly due to difficulties in early diagnosis of the disease
      before damaging of the brain, and the failure to explore its complex underlying
      molecular mechanisms. Recent technological advances in genome-wide association
      studies (GWAS) and high throughput next generation whole genome, and exome
      sequencing had deciphered many of AD-related loci, and discovered single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with altered AD molecular
      pathways. Highlighting altered molecular pathways linked to AD pathogenesis is
      crucial to identify novel diagnostic and therapeutic AD targets.

PMID- 26496534
TI  - HbA1c: A Useful Screening Test for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with adverse
      maternal and fetal outcomes, and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is the
      recommended test for its diagnosis. We evaluated the role of glycated hemoglobin
      (HbA1c) in screening and diagnosis of GDM and its correlation with adverse
      pregnancy outcomes. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In this prospective observational
      study, OGTT and HbA1c were performed in 500 antenatal women between 24 and 28
      weeks of gestation; the pregnant women were followed up thereafter. Repeat OGTT
      and HbA1c were done in women with GDM at 6 weeks postpartum. RESULTS: Among the
      500 women, 45 were diagnosed with GDM, for an incidence of 9%. The mean HbA1c
      level in women with GDM was 6.2 +/- 0.6%, whereas it was 5.4 +/- 0.5% in those
      with normoglycemia. Women with GDM had a higher incidence of pregnancy-related
      complications compared with normoglycemic women. An HbA1c cutoff of 5.3% had a
      sensitivity of 95.6% and a specificity of 51.6% for the diagnosis of GDM and
      would have avoided OGTT in approximately half of antenatal women, while missing
      5% of the women. However, those with an abnormal HbA1c will require a
      confirmatory OGTT, as 50% of normoglycemic women would be misclassified as having
      GDM by this approach. On repeat testing postpartum, two of 45 women (4.4%) had
      overt diabetes mellitus, whereas five (11.1%) had impaired glucose tolerance.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although HbA1c cannot replace OGTT in the diagnosis of GDM, it can
      be used as a screening test, avoiding OGTT in approximately 50% of women, if a
      cutoff of 5.3% is used.

PMID- 26496535
TI  - Primary cutaneous lymphoma in southern Brazil: a 12-year single-center
      experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary cutaneous lymphomas (PCL) are a group of extranodal non
      Hodgkin lymphomas presenting with no evidence of extracutaneous disease at the
      time of diagnosis. Few longitudinal studies of PCL have been conducted,
      particularly in South American populations. Our objective was to describe the
      behavior of PCL and evaluate patient survival in a cohort of patients from
      southern Brazil. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all
      patients with a histopathological diagnosis of PCL receiving care at a tertiary
      referral center in southern Brazil from 2000 to 2012. Clinical, laboratory, and
      histopathological data, treatment variables, and survival curves were analyzed.
      RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients with PCL were included, with a mean age at
      diagnosis of 58.9 years. Cutaneous T-cell and natural killer (NK) cell lymphomas
      (CTCL/NKCL) accounted for 78.4% of cases and cutaneous B-cell lymphomas (CBCL)
      for 21.6%; 57.4% of patients with CTCL/NKCL and 50% of patients with CBCL were
      male. Half of all cases were mycosis fungoides (MF). The 5-year survival rate was
      74.8% for MF, 61% for Sezary syndrome, 87.5% for primary cutaneous CD30+
      lymphoproliferative disorders, and 88.9% for primary cutaneous follicle center
      lymphoma. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of patients with PCL from southern Brazil,
      CTCL/NKCL was more prevalent than CBCL, and the MF subtype was predominant.
      Survival curves were similar to those reported in the literature, except for
      Sezary syndrome, which had a better prognosis in this sample.

PMID- 26496536
TI  - A series of ceramide analogs modified at the 1-position with potent activity
      against the intracellular growth of Chlamydia trachomatis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chlamydia trachomatis is an intracellular pathogen that requires
      different nutrients, including sphingolipids, for survival. Components for the
      transport and biosynthesis of sphingolipids thus may have a potential as
      antichlamydial targets. RESULTS: In this study, we synthesized a collection of 24
      ceramide derivatives. Three derivatives show pronounced activity with
      submicromolar IC50. The potency of these compounds was one order of magnitude
      higher than that of the antibiotic chloramphenicol. We show a detailed structure
      activity relationship study for this novel compound class exhibiting a
      significant effect on the growth of C. trachomatis L2 without penetrating the
      bacteria itself. CONCLUSION: The structure-activity relationship presented here
      defines an important step toward the molecular target of this compound class,
      which is still elusive.

PMID- 26496537
TI  - Efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy in children.
AB  - Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is currently the only available disease-modifying
      and aetiological treatment of IgE-mediated diseases. Sublingual allergen
      immunotherapy (SLIT) constitutes the preferred route of administration of AIT for
      respiratory allergies in Europe. Recently it has also been approved in the US.
      Further applications are currently under evaluation, such as IgE-mediated food
      allergy and IgE-mediated atopic dermatitis. The SLIT safety profile is overall
      favourable, although local adverse events, usually mild, are described. Most of
      the meta-analyses confirmed the efficacy of SLIT in reducing symptoms and
      medication intake in children with allergic diseases. AIT, as an immune
      modulating treatment, can modify the natural history of the allergic diseases:
      reduction of the risk of development of asthma and bronchial hyperreactivity in
      patients with allergic rhinitis, and reduction of the onset of new
      sensitizations. A great interest is now devoted to the preventive effects of AIT
      and, consequently, to the optimal time of initiation. 

PMID- 26496538
TI  - Section Editor's Notebook: Health Policy and Practice.

PMID- 26496539
TI  - Trend Toward an Increase in Authorship for Leading Radiology Journals.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine authorship trends in two
      leading radiology journals over the past 2 decades. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All
      original articles (n = 5195) published in AJR and Radiology for the periods 1991
      1993, 2001-2003, and 2011-2013 were reviewed. The following variables were
      extrapolated from each article: number of authors, radiologic subspecialty, and
      country of origin. The number of authors listed per article was correlated with
      the publication period, journal, radiologic subspecialty, and country of origin.
      RESULTS: The mean number of authors per article increased from 5.1 in 1991-1993
      to 6.2 in 2001-2003 and to 7.1 in 2011-2013 across both journals (p < 0.0001).
      Both AJR and Radiology had statistically significant increases in the number of
      authors per article over time, but the number of authors per article in Radiology
      was significantly higher than that in AJR (p < 0.0001 for all study periods). The
      number of authors per article significantly increased for all radiologic
      subspecialties. The mean numbers of authors per article by country of origin are
      as follows: Italy, 8.3; Japan, 7.6; France, 7.5; Germany, 7.4; China, 7.3;
      Austria, 7.2; and South Korea, 6.8. These were significantly higher than the mean
      number of authors from Switzerland, which was 6.3. CONCLUSION: The number of
      authors significantly and consistently increased in two leading radiology
      journals over the past 2 decades.

PMID- 26496540
TI  - How Much Do Common Imaging Studies Cost? A Nationwide Survey of Radiology
      Trainees.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to gauge the knowledge of radiology
      trainees regarding the costs of common imaging services and to assess their
      perceptions of current relevant education. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: During mid-2014,
      an online survey of 5325 U.S. residents and fellows who were members of the
      American College of Radiology was conducted. Respondents were asked to provide
      information about year of training, relevant advanced degrees (e.g., Master of
      Business Administration or Master of Public Health), number of hours of formal
      education in health care economics provided annually by their training program,
      self-perception of knowledge of health care economics, and desire to learn more
      about the costs of imaging. Respondents were asked to estimate Medicare-allowable
      fees for five commonly performed imaging examinations: two-view chest
      radiography, contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen and pelvis, unenhanced MRI of
      the lumbar spine, complete abdominal ultrasound, and unenhanced CT of the brain.
      Responses within +/- 25% of published allowable amounts in the Medicare fee
      schedule were deemed correct. RESULTS: A total of 1066 of 5325 trainees (20.0%)
      returned surveys that were sufficiently complete for analysis. Only 17.1% of all
      responses were correct; 65.3% of responses were overestimations of actual costs,
      and 17.6% were underestimations. Almost half of the trainees (45.1%) incorrectly
      estimated the cost of every examination. Overall, knowledge of costs of
      examinations did not improve with advancing years of training, hours of education
      in health care economics, or attainment of a relevant advanced degree. Only 9.3%
      of trainees considered their knowledge of imaging costs to be adequate. An
      overwhelming 89.7% of trainees desired more focused education. CONCLUSION:
      Radiology trainees have limited knowledge of the costs of commonly performed
      imaging studies. Effective training program curricula currently appear to be
      lacking. Targeted education and integration of cost information into clinical
      decision support tools are probably warranted.

PMID- 26496541
TI  - Time-Out: It's Radiology's Turn--Incidence of Wrong-Patient or Wrong-Study
      Errors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the utility of a two-person
      verification system (Rad Check) in successfully decreasing wrong-patient or wrong
      study errors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study performed at a
      tertiary-care pediatric hospital, monthly radiology incident reports from January
      2009 through December 2014 were reviewed for documentation of wrong-patient or
      wrong-study events. The date, imaging modality, nature of the event, and number
      of imaging studies for this time period by year were recorded and analyzed. These
      data were tracked before and after implementation of the two-person verification
      system in July 2012. RESULTS: Over 72 months, 45 reported wrong-patient or wrong
      study events were confirmed. The data were analyzed before and after
      implementation of a two-person verification system implemented in July 2012,
      midway through the study period. Over the first 42 months, 36 wrong-patient or
      wrong-study occurrences were identified, corresponding to an average of one error
      every 35 days, with the number of days between events ranging from 3 to 150.
      After implementation of the verification process, nine events were documented
      over 30 months, corresponding to an average of one error every 101 days, with the
      maximum number of days between events exceeding 410. CONCLUSION: Wrong-patient or
      wrong-study events can be significantly reduced by utilizing a brief two-person
      verification approach. More robust documentation of these events is warranted so
      that individual institutions can assess the incidence of these events within
      their own department and develop tailored plans to prevent these errors.

PMID- 26496542
TI  - JOURNAL CLUB: Radiologists' Perceptions of Computerized Decision Support: A Focus
      Group Study From the Medicare Imaging Demonstration Project.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to discern radiologists' perceptions
      regarding the implementation of a decision support system intervention as part of
      the Medicare Imaging Demonstration project and the effect of decision support on
      radiologists' interactions with ordering clinicians, their radiology work flow,
      and appropriateness of advanced imaging. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A focus group
      study was conducted with a diverse sample of radiologists involved in
      interpreting advanced imaging studies at Medicare Imaging Demonstration project
      sites. A semistructured moderator guide was used, and all focus group discussions
      were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative data analysis software was
      used to code thematic content and identify representative segments of text.
      Participating radiologists also completed an accompanying survey designed to
      supplement focus group discussions. RESULTS: Twenty-six radiologists participated
      in four focus group discussions. The following major themes related to the
      radiologists' perceptions after decision support implementation were identified:
      no substantial change in radiologists' interactions with referring clinicians; no
      substantial change in radiologist work flow, including protocol-writing time; and
      no perceived increase in imaging appropriateness. Radiologists provided
      suggestions for improvements in the decision support system, including increasing
      the usability of clinical data captured, and expressed a desire to have greater
      involvement in future development and implementation efforts. CONCLUSION:
      Overall, radiologists from health care systems involved in the Medicare Imaging
      Demonstration did not perceive that decision support had a substantial effect,
      either positive or negative, on their professional roles and responsibilities.
      Radiologists expressed a desire to improve efficiencies and quality of care by
      having greater involvement in future efforts.

PMID- 26496543
TI  - After-Hours Radiology: Challenges and Strategies for the Radiologist.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Because of the increase in the use of 24-hour-a-day 7-day-a-week real
      time radiologic interpretation, radiologists more frequently perform after-hours
      work. The purpose of this article was to examine the challenges arising from
      after-hours work and describe evidence-based strategies meant to limit the
      adverse physical and psychologic stresses of after-hours work. CONCLUSION:
      Working nontraditional hours affects a radiologist's health, social life,
      professional productivity, and possibly interpretive accuracy. Appropriate
      attention to these factors and targeted countermeasures can optimize the
      professional development and personal well-being of radiologists working after
      hours.

PMID- 26496544
TI  - Radiologic Characterization of Ischemic Cholangiopathy in Donation-After-Cardiac
      Death Liver Transplants and Correlation With Clinical Outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to define the cholangiographic patterns
      of ischemic cholangiopathy and clinically silent nonanastomotic biliary
      strictures in donation-after-cardiac-death (DCD) liver grafts in a large single
      institution series. We also examined the correlation of the radiologic findings
      with laboratory data and clinical outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were
      collected for all DCD liver transplants at one institution from December 1998 to
      December 2011. Posttransplant cholangiograms were obtained during postoperative
      weeks 1 and 3 and when clinically indicated. Intrahepatic biliary strictures were
      classified by anatomic distribution and chronologic development. Radiologic
      findings were correlated with laboratory data and with 1-, 3-, and 5-year graft
      and patient survival rates. RESULTS: A total of 231 patients received DCD grafts.
      Cholangiograms were available for 184 of these patients. Postoperative
      cholangiographic findings were correlated with clinical data and divided into the
      following three groups: A, normal cholangiographic findings with normal
      laboratory values; B, radiologic abnormalities and cholangiopathy according to
      laboratory values; and C, radiologic abnormalities without laboratory
      abnormalities. Group B had four distinct abnormal cholangiographic patterns that
      were predictive of graft survival. Group C had mild nonprogressive multifocal
      stenoses and decreased graft and patient survival rates, although cholangiopathy
      was not detected in these patients according to laboratory data. CONCLUSION:
      Patterns and severity of nonanastomotic biliary abnormalities in DCD liver
      transplants can be defined radiologically and correlate with clinical outcomes.
      Postoperative cholangiography can depict the mild biliary abnormalities that
      occur in a subclinical manner yet cause a marked decrease in graft and patient
      survival rates in DCD liver transplants.

PMID- 26496545
TI  - Usefulness of Ultralow-Dose (Submillisievert) Chest CT Using Iterative
      Reconstruction for Initial Evaluation of Sharp Fish Bone Esophageal Foreign Body.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article was to evaluate the usefulness of ultralow
      dose chest CT as an initial imaging study for evaluation of sharp fish bone
      esophageal foreign body (FB). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 57 subjects who
      underwent ultralow-dose chest CT were included in this retrospective study. All
      subjects had a history of ingestion and symptoms of esophageal FB. All ultralow
      dose chest CT data were reconstructed twice, once with filtered back projection
      (FBP) and once with iterative reconstruction, and three observers reviewed the
      images independently. ROC analysis was used to evaluate diagnostic performance of
      ultralow-dose chest CT. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated
      for analysis of interobserver agreement. RESULTS: Among 57 patients, 42 were
      confirmed as having esophageal FB. Significant objective noise reduction of
      mediastinum was achieved using an iterative reconstruction technique. Subjective
      image noise of iterative reconstruction was significantly better than that of
      FBP. Overall diagnostic performance of ultralow-dose chest CT for esophageal FB
      of iterative reconstruction (AUC = 0.999) was significantly better than that of
      FBP (AUC = 0.95) (p = 0.02). Interobserver agreement was greater for iterative
      reconstruction (ICC = 0.944) than for FBP (ICC = 0.778). CONCLUSION: Ultralow
      dose chest CT using iterative reconstruction provided satisfactory diagnostic
      image quality for identifying fish bone esophageal FB with reduced radiation dose
      and high observer accuracy. Therefore, ultralow-dose chest CT would be adequate
      as a first-line imaging modality for fish bone esophageal FB.

PMID- 26496546
TI  - Cystic Duct Enhancement: A Useful CT Finding in the Diagnosis of Acute
      Cholecystitis Without Visible Impacted Gallstones.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the incremental value of
      the presence of cystic duct enhancement for diagnosing acute cholecystitis
      without visible impacted gallstones. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CT scans of 63
      patients with acute cholecystitis and 63 control subjects were retrospectively
      and independently reviewed by two radiologists to determine the presence of
      cystic duct enhancement or impacted stones. Two additional radiologists were then
      asked to independently evaluate all CT images using a 5-point scoring system for
      diagnosing acute cholecystitis. They conducted the evaluations both before and
      after being informed that cystic duct enhancement could be substituted for a CT
      finding of impacted gallstones. RESULTS: The prevalence of either cystic duct
      enhancement or stone impaction was observed to be significantly more common in
      the patient group (86-91%) than in the control group (6-14%) (p < 0.001) with
      good interobserver agreement (kappa = 0.79). Diagnostic sensitivities increased
      significantly from 60.3% to 85.7% for reviewer 1 (p = 0.001) and from 71.4% to
      87.3% for reviewer 2 (p = 0.028) after the reviewers were informed of the
      presence of cystic duct enhancement. Diagnostic accuracy increased significantly
      for the less experienced radiologist, from 75.4% to 87.3% (p = 0.015).
      CONCLUSION: The accuracy and sensitivity of CT for the diagnosis of acute
      cholecystitis improved significantly when cystic duct enhancement was used as an
      alternative to impacted gallstones as a diagnostic criterion.

PMID- 26496547
TI  - Small (< 4 cm) Renal Mass: Differentiation of Oncocytoma From Renal Cell
      Carcinoma on Biphasic Contrast-Enhanced CT.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether small (< 4 cm)
      oncocytomas can be differentiated from renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) on biphasic
      contrast-enhanced CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-three patients with 53
      oncocytomas and 123 patients with 128 RCCs (24 papillary subtype and 104 clear
      cell and other subtypes) who underwent biphasic contrast-enhanced CT were
      included in the study. Patient demographics and CT tumor characteristics were
      evaluated in each case. A multinomial logistic regression model was then
      constructed for differentiating oncocytoma from clear cell and other subtype
      RCCs, oncocytoma from papillary RCCs, and clear cell and other subtype RCCs from
      papillary RCCs. The probability of each group was calculated from the model.
      Diagnostic performance among three pairwise diagnoses and between oncocytoma and
      any RCC (clear cell and other subtypes and papillary) were assessed by AUC
      values. RESULTS: Patient age, tumor CT attenuation values and skewness (i.e.,
      histogram analysis of CT values) in both the corticomedullary and nephrographic
      phases, and subjective tumor heterogeneity were statistically significant
      variables in the multinomial logistic regression analysis. The logistic
      regression model using the variables yielded AUCs of 0.82, 0.95, 0.91, and 0.84
      for differentiating oncocytomas from clear cell and other subtype RCCs,
      oncocytomas from papillary RCCs, clear cell and other subtype RCCs from papillary
      RCCs, and oncocytomas from any RCC (clear cell and other subtypes and papillary),
      respectively. CONCLUSION: A combination of imaging features on biphasic CT,
      including tumor CT attenuation values and tumor texture (heterogeneity and
      skewness), can help differentiate oncocytoma from RCC.

PMID- 26496548
TI  - Evaluation of Posttreatment Follow-Up of Patients With Prostate Cancer Relative
      to the American College of Radiology's Appropriateness Criteria.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The American College of Radiology (ACR) Appropriateness Criteria panel
      has recommended that patients with prostate cancer who have received treatment
      undergo imaging only after suspected cancer recurrence. We examined whether local
      physicians followed this recommendation and what types of imaging examinations
      were ordered in a cohort of patients with local prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The Rochester Epidemiology Project, a research consortium that collects,
      links, and stores medical record information of Olmsted County, Minnesota,
      residents, was used to capture the complete medical history of treated patients
      with prostate cancer from 2000 through 2011. Clinical information and imaging
      examinations performed were retrieved by chart review. Suspected recurrence was
      defined as treatment-specific prostate-specific antigen level elevations, bone
      pain, or abnormal digital rectal examination findings. RESULTS: Of the 670
      treated patients with prostate cancer who were included in the final analysis,
      129 (19%) underwent posttreatment imaging. After excluding imaging related to
      retreatment or another cancer, 13 patients (i.e., 2% of the entire cohort and 10%
      of imaged patients) underwent imaging in the absence of suspected recurrence. A
      total of 90 patients (70% of imaged patients) underwent imaging after suspected
      recurrence. Of these 90 patients, 62 (69%) underwent a bone scan as their first
      imaging modality either alone or in combination with other imaging modalities. Of
      the providers who ordered a bone scan first, 27% were urologists, 23% were
      radiation oncologists, and 24% were primary care physicians. CONCLUSION: Most
      patients in this study did not undergo imaging in the absence of suspected
      recurrence. Various types of imaging examinations were ordered for patients with
      suspected recurrence.

PMID- 26496549
TI  - CT Gray-Level Texture Analysis as a Quantitative Imaging Biomarker of Epidermal
      Growth Factor Receptor Mutation Status in Adenocarcinoma of the Lung.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the radiogenomic
      correlation between CT gray-level texture features and epidermal growth factor
      receptor (EGFR) mutation status in adenocarcinoma of the lung. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This retrospective study included 25 patients with exon 19 short inframe
      deletion (exon 19) and 21 patients with exon 21 L858R point (exon 21) EGFR
      mutations among 125 patients with EGFR mutant adenocarcinoma of the lung. The
      randomly formed control group consisted of 20 patients selected from 126 patients
      with EGFR mutation-negative (wild-type) adenocarcinomas. Five gray-level texture
      features (contrast, correlation, inverse difference moment, angular second
      moment, and entropy) were analyzed. RESULTS: Contrast differentiated both exon 19
      (p = 0.00027) and exon 21 (p = 0.00001) mutants from the wild type. Wild-type
      adenocarcinomas had high scores for contrast (mean, 1598.547) compared with EGFR
      mutants (mean, 679.463). Correlation differentiated both exon 19 (p = 0.017) and
      exon 21 (p = 0.0015) mutants from wild-type adenocarcinomas. Inverse difference
      moment differentiated exon 19 mutants from exon 21 mutants (p = 0.019) and both
      exon 19 (p = 0.044) and exon 21 (p = 0.00001) mutants from wild-type
      adenocarcinomas. Angular second moment and entropy were not associated with
      statistically significant differences between mutation statuses. CONCLUSION:
      Contrast, correlation, and inverse difference moment texture features correlate
      with EGFR mutation status in adenocarcinoma of the lung. Further investigation
      with larger prospective studies is needed to validate the role of CT gray-level
      texture analysis as a quantitative imaging biomarker.

PMID- 26496551
TI  - Current Concepts in Total Ankle Replacement for Radiologists: Features and
      Imaging Assessment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the current concepts of total ankle replacement
      (TAR). The features of traditional and new prosthetic designs, materials, and
      surgical techniques are discussed. Normal postoperative imaging findings are
      illustrated. CONCLUSION: TAR is becoming a mainstream treatment of end-stage
      ankle arthritis. Although the results after TAR have not reached the same level
      as those for hip arthroplasty and knee arthroplasty, the revision rates show that
      this form of therapy is rational and promising. For this reason, assessment of
      postoperative imaging is important. The foundation of the radiologic
      interpretation of TAR is knowledge of the physiologic purpose, orthopedic trends,
      imaging findings, and complications.

PMID- 26496550
TI  - Radiation Dose Reduction in Pediatric Body CT Using Iterative Reconstruction and
      a Novel Image-Based Denoising Method.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the radiation dose
      reduction potential of a novel image-based denoising technique in pediatric
      abdominopelvic and chest CT examinations and compare it with a commercial
      iterative reconstruction method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were retrospectively
      collected from 50 (25 abdominopelvic and 25 chest) clinically indicated pediatric
      CT examinations. For each examination, a validated noise-insertion tool was used
      to simulate half-dose data, which were reconstructed using filtered back
      projection (FBP) and sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) methods.
      A newly developed denoising technique, adaptive nonlocal means (aNLM), was also
      applied. For each of the 50 patients, three pediatric radiologists evaluated four
      datasets: full dose plus FBP, half dose plus FBP, half dose plus SAFIRE, and half
      dose plus aNLM. For each examination, the order of preference for the four
      datasets was ranked. The organ-specific diagnosis and diagnostic confidence for
      five primary organs were recorded. RESULTS: The mean (+/- SD) volume CT dose
      index for the full-dose scan was 5.3 +/- 2.1 mGy for abdominopelvic examinations
      and 2.4 +/- 1.1 mGy for chest examinations. For abdominopelvic examinations,
      there was no statistically significant difference between the half dose plus aNLM
      dataset and the full dose plus FBP dataset (3.6 +/- 1.0 vs 3.6 +/- 0.9,
      respectively; p = 0.52), and aNLM performed better than SAFIRE. For chest
      examinations, there was no statistically significant difference between the half
      dose plus SAFIRE and the full dose plus FBP (4.1 +/- 0.6 vs 4.2 +/- 0.6,
      respectively; p = 0.67), and SAFIRE performed better than aNLM. For all organs,
      there was more than 85% agreement in organ-specific diagnosis among the three
      half-dose configurations and the full dose plus FBP configuration. CONCLUSION:
      Although a novel image-based denoising technique performed better than a
      commercial iterative reconstruction method in pediatric abdominopelvic CT
      examinations, it performed worse in pediatric chest CT examinations. A 50% dose
      reduction can be achieved while maintaining diagnostic quality.

PMID- 26496552
TI  - Unilateral Sacroiliitis: Differential Diagnosis Between Infectious Sacroiliitis
      and Spondyloarthritis Based on MRI Findings.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify the MRI features that aid in
      the differentiation between infectious sacroiliitis and unilateral sacroiliitis
      associated with spondyloarthritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The MR images of 54
      patients who received a diagnosis unilateral sacroiliitis between August 2001 and
      August 2013 were reviewed. MR images were evaluated for bone lesions (extent and
      distribution of bone marrow edema and presence and size of bone erosions), soft
      tissue lesions (capsulitis, extracapsular fluid collections, and periarticular
      muscle edema), and joint space enhancement. The Fisher exact test was used for
      comparison of categoric data, and multivariate stepwise logistic regression
      analysis was performed. RESULTS: Thick capsulitis, extracapsular fluid
      collection, and periarticular muscle edema were all more frequently observed in
      infectious sacroiliitis (p < 0.001). Iliac-dominant bone marrow edema and joint
      space enhancement were statistically significantly more common in
      spondyloarthritis (p < 0.001 and p = 0.014, respectively). The presence of
      periarticular muscle edema was the only independently differentiating variable on
      multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis. When periarticular muscle
      edema was the sole predictor, unilateral sacroiliitis in spondyloarthritis was
      correctly identified in 77.3% of cases, and infectious sacroiliitis was correctly
      identified in 90.6% of cases. The overall accuracy was 85.2%. CONCLUSION: MRI
      features of the bone lesions, soft-tissue lesions, and joint space enhancement in
      unilateral sacroiliitis aid in the differential diagnosis between infection and
      spondyloarthritis. Among various findings, periarticular muscle edema was the
      single most important predictor of infectious sacroiliitis.

PMID- 26496553
TI  - Usefulness of Unenhanced MRI and MR Arthrography of the Shoulder in Detection of
      Unstable Labral Tears.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Shoulder surgeons commonly intervene to repair unstable labral tears
      (tears that displace with patient movement). Surgeons can detect unstable tears
      at surgery. It is difficult to be certain if a tear is unstable from a static MR
      image. This study reports the comparative benefits of using unenhanced MRI and MR
      arthrography together to detect unstable labral tears. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One
      hundred fifty consecutive unenhanced shoulder MRI and MR arthrography
      examinations performed on the same patients were reviewed retrospectively by
      consensus reading of two musculoskeletal radiologists. Both unenhanced MRI and MR
      arthrography were performed on each patient on the same day. Labral tears were
      assessed. It was also determined if there was any difference in position of the
      labral tear between unenhanced MR images and MR arthrograms. A change in position
      of 4 mm or more between unenhanced MR images and MR arthrograms was considered
      indicative of an unstable tear. All patients proceeded to arthroscopy. RESULTS:
      Of these 150 patients, 94 had superior labral anterior-to-posterior (SLAP) tears,
      53 had posterior labral tears, and 42 had anterior labral tears on MRI. All
      lesions described on MRI were described on arthroscopy. Twenty-three SLAP tears,
      16 posterior labral tears, and 17 anterior labral tears showed a change in the
      position of the labral tear when comparing unenhanced MR images versus MR
      arthrograms of 4 mm or more. All of these labral tears were considered unstable
      by the surgeon, and all of these patients had surgical tacking performed. The
      other labral tears showed motion on unenhanced MR images and MR arthrograms of
      less than 4 mm. All of these tears except for three were considered stable on
      arthroscopic examination. There were five SLAP tears, three anterior labral
      tears, and four posterior labral tears seen on arthroscopy that were not seen on
      unenhanced MRI or MR arthrography. The tears not seen on unenhanced MRI or MR
      arthrography were considered stable at arthroscopy. CONCLUSION: In this study,
      unenhanced MRI and MR arthrography of the shoulder was useful in diagnosing
      unstable labral tears in 23 patients with SLAP tears, 16 patients with posterior
      labral tears, and 17 patients with anterior labral tears. This information was
      useful in surgical planning. Of 133 tears that moved less than 4 mm on unenhanced
      MR images and MR arthrograms, 130 were considered stable on arthroscopy.

PMID- 26496554
TI  - Calcaneal Avulsion Fractures: An Often Forgotten Diagnosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The calcaneus is the primary weight bearing bone in the heel, and its
      many surface contours render it a relatively difficult bone to visualize in its
      entirety. The stabilizing ligaments that hold the calcaneus in place occupy very
      specific locations, and the Achilles tendon enthesis is in a relatively constant
      location; therefore, avulsion fractures occur in reproducible locations.
      CONCLUSION: The mechanisms of injuries include overuse and neuropathic
      conditions, although most cases are related to trauma.

PMID- 26496556
TI  - Performance of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Values and Conventional MRI
      Features in Differentiating Tumefactive Demyelinating Lesions From Primary Brain
      Neoplasms.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Tumefactive demyelinating lesions (TDLs) remain one of the most common
      brain lesions to mimic a brain tumor, particularly primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL)
      and high-grade gliomas. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the ability of
      apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and conventional MRI features to
      differentiate TDLs from PCNSLs and high-grade gliomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Seventy-five patients (24 patients with TDLs, 28 with PCNSLs, and 23 with high
      grade gliomas) with 168 brain lesions (70 TDLs, 68 PCNSLs, and 30 high-grade
      gliomas) who underwent DWI before surgery or therapy were included in the study.
      Minimum ADC (ADC(min)) and average ADC (ADC(avg)) values were calculated for each
      lesion. ANOVA and ROC analyses were performed. ROC analyses were also performed
      for the presence of incomplete rim enhancement and for the number of lesions.
      Multiple-variable logistic regression with ROC analysis was then performed to
      evaluate performance in multiple-variable models. RESULTS: ADC(min) was
      statistically significantly higher (p < 0.01) in TDLs (mean, 0.886; 95% CI, 0.802
      0.931) than in PCNSLs (0.547; 95% CI, 0.496-0.598) and high-grade gliomas (0.470;
      95% CI, 0.385-0.555). (All ADC values in this article are reported in units of *
      10(-3) mm(2)/s.) ADC(avg) was statistically significantly higher (p < 0.01) in
      TDLs (mean, 1.362; 95% CI, 1.268-1.456) than in PCNSLs (0.990; 95% CI, 0.919
      1.061) but not in high-grade gliomas (1.216; 95% CI, 1.074-1.356). Multiple
      variable models showed statistically significant individual effects and superior
      diagnostic performance on ROC analysis. CONCLUSION: TDLs can be diagnosed on
      preoperative MRI with a high degree of specificity; MRI features of incomplete
      rim enhancement, high ADC values, and a large number of lesions individually
      increase the probability and diagnostic confidence that a lesion is a TDL.

PMID- 26496557
TI  - MRI Findings After Surgery for Chiari Malformation Type I.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Surgery plays an important role in the management of Chiari I
      malformation. The purpose of this article is to review expected and unexpected
      MRI findings after the various types of surgery performed during the treatment of
      Chiari I malformation and associated abnormalities. CONCLUSION: Familiarity with
      optimal MRI techniques and findings is important when evaluating postoperative
      changes after treatment of Chiari I malformation.

PMID- 26496555
TI  - Hippocampal Malrotation Is Associated With Prolonged Febrile Seizures: Results of
      the FEBSTAT Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hippocampal malrotation is characterized by incomplete hippocampal
      inversion with a rounded shape and blurred internal architecture. There is still
      debate about whether hippocampal malrotation has pathologic significance. We
      present findings from the Consequences of Prolonged Febrile Seizures in Childhood
      (FEBSTAT) study on the frequency of and risk factors for hippocampal malrotation.
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: FEBSTAT is a prospective multicenter study investigating
      the consequences of febrile status epilepticus in childhood. MRI studies of 226
      patients with febrile status epilepticus were analyzed visually by two board
      certified neuroradiologists blinded to clinical details and were compared with
      MRI studies of 96 subjects with first simple febrile seizure. Quantitative
      analysis of hippocampal volume was performed by two independent observers.
      RESULTS: Hippocampal malrotation was present in 20 of 226 (8.8%) patients with
      febrile status epilepticus compared with two of 96 (2.1%) control subjects (odds
      ratio [OR], 4.56; 95% CI, 1.05-19.92). Hippocampal malrotation was exclusively
      left-sided in 18 of 22 (81.8%) patients and bilateral in the remaining four
      patients (18.2%). There was no case of exclusively right-sided hippocampal
      malrotation. Hippocampal malrotation was more common in boys than in girls (OR,
      6.1; 95% CI, 1.7-21.5). On quantitative volumetric MRI analysis, the left
      hippocampal volume was smaller in patients with hippocampal malrotation than in
      control subjects with simple febrile seizure (p = 0.004), and the right-to-left
      hippocampal volume ratio was higher in the hippocampal malrotation group than in
      the simple febrile seizure group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Hippocampal malrotation
      is a developmental malformation that predominantly affects the left hippocampus
      in male patients and is more frequently found in children with prolonged febrile
      status epilepticus than in control subjects. These data provide further evidence
      that hippocampal malrotation represents a pathologic error in brain development
      rather than a normal variant.

PMID- 26496558
TI  - Comparison of Standardized Uptake Values in Normal Structures Between PET/CT and
      PET/MRI in a Tertiary Pediatric Hospital: A Prospective Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare standardized uptake values
      (SUVs) of normal tissues using MR attenuation-corrected versus CT attenuation
      corrected (18)F-FDG PET in a pediatric population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty
      five patients (21 boys; mean age, 13.3 years) referred for 47 PET/CT scans were
      recruited to undergo PET/MRI. MR attenuation correction was performed using an
      automated three-segment model. ROIs were drawn over nine normal structures to
      estimate SUV(min), SUV(mean), and SUV(max). Pearson rank correlation coefficients
      were calculated to compare SUVs obtained from MR and CT attenuation correction.
      In nine patients who underwent multiple PET/MRI studies, coefficients of variance
      and intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate intrapatient
      SUV(max) variation. RESULTS: Mean (+/- SD) time to imaging after FDG injection
      was 108 +/- 17 minutes for PET/CT and 61 +/- 6 minutes for PET/MRI. PET/MRI SUVs
      in all tissues were lower than those for PET/CT (mean difference, -28.9% +/-
      31.1%; p < 0.05). Very high or high correlation between PET/MRI and PET/CT
      SUV(max) was found in brain (r = 0.72), myocardium (r = 0.95), and bone marrow (r
      = 0.85) (p < 0.001). Moderate correlation was found in liver (r = 0.54), fat (r =
      0.41), mean blood pool (r = 0.40), and psoas muscle (r = 0.38) (p < 0.01). Weak
      correlation was found in lung (r = 0.12) and iliacus muscle (r = 0.12). Compared
      with PET/CT, PET/MRI systematically undermeasured SUV. In nine patients who
      underwent multiple PET/MRI examinations, moderate or strong agreement was found
      in the SUV(max) of six of nine tissues, similar to the corresponding PET/CT
      examinations. CONCLUSION: Our study showed overall high correlation for SUV
      measurements obtained from MR attenuation correction compared with CT attenuation
      correction, although PET/MRI underestimated SUV compared with PET/CT. SUVs
      measured from PET/MRI indicated good intrapatient reliability.

PMID- 26496559
TI  - Intratherapy or Posttherapy FDG PET or FDG PET/CT for Patients With Head and Neck
      Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prognostic Studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the predictive value of
      intra-therapy or posttherapy FDG PET or FDG PET/CT with regard to overall
      survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) outcomes for patients with head and
      neck cancer (HNC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search of the MEDLINE and
      EMBASE databases was performed. Studies in which PET/CT was performed during or
      after completion of primary therapy and for which survival outcomes were reported
      were included. OS and EFS were considered as outcomes. The pooled estimates of
      hazard ratios (HRs) and Mantel-Haenszel risk ratios (RRs) were generated for
      summary effects. RESULTS: Twenty-six studies were eligible for inclusion. The
      pooled HRs for OS (nine studies, 600 patients) and EFS (eight studies, 479
      patients) were 3.55 (95% CI, 2.35-5.37) and 4.73 (95% CI, 2.61-8.56),
      respectively. Results from the RR analyses, including all 26 studies, showed that
      intratherapy or posttherapy PET/CT could significantly predict the 2-year and 3-
      to 5-year risk of death or disease progression. A positive PET result was
      associated with a more-than-sixfold increase in the risk of death within 2 years
      (2-year RR, 6.19 [95% CI, 3.04- 12.62]), which is attenuated--but remains
      significant--with longer follow-up (3- to 5-year RR, 2.42 [95% CI, 1.76-3.32]).
      The estimated pooled RRs for 2-year mortality were 8.31 (95% CI, 3.83-18.01) for
      posttherapy PET/CT versus 3.99 (95% CI, 1.43-11.10) for intratherapy PET/CT.
      CONCLUSION: Positive results of intratherapy or posttherapy PET/CT examinations
      strongly predict the risk of adverse events and death, particularly within 2
      years but also up to 5 years, for patients with HNC.

PMID- 26496560
TI  - Safety of Blood Pool Contrast Agent Administration in Children and Young Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to determine the adverse reaction rate
      associated with the administration of blood pool contrast material in children
      and young adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A review of the MRI and pharmacy
      databases identified all patients who received gadofosveset trisodium from
      October 1, 2011, to June 30, 2014. Patients were classified as having been
      anesthetized or not anesthetized for the MRI examinations. A review of the
      electronic medical records identified adverse reactions recorded within 24 hours
      of contrast administration. The adverse reactions were graded as mild, moderate,
      or severe. Risk ratios were calculated between the adverse reaction rate
      experienced by anesthetized patients and that experience by nonanesthetized
      patients. RESULTS: During the study period, 626 patients (mean age, 11.7 years)
      received 711 doses of gadofosveset trisodium; 137 adverse reactions were
      recorded, which yields a 19.3% (137/711) adverse reaction rate. There were 115
      adverse reactions experienced by 367 anesthetized patients (31.3%): 93.0%
      (107/115) were mild and 7.0% (8/115) were moderate. The remaining 22 adverse
      reactions were experienced by 344 (6.4%) nonanesthetized patients, and 90.9%
      (20/22) were mild. Three nonanesthetized patients had allergiclike reactions; of
      these allergiclike reactions, one was mild and two were severe for a severe
      allergiclike reaction rate of 0.28% (2/711). Severe allergiclike reactions were
      treated without any adverse outcomes. Anesthetized patients were 5.7 times more
      likely to experience an adverse event than nonanesthetized patients; most
      reactions in anesthetized patients were seen after the administration of
      anesthesia alone. CONCLUSION: Most reactions after gadofosveset trisodium
      administration in children and young adults are mild; however, severe
      allergiclike reactions occur, so policies must be in place to treat patients with
      adverse reactions when using this contrast agent. These data may be useful to
      centers considering administering gadofosveset trisodium to pediatric patients.

PMID- 26496561
TI  - Predictive Value of MRI Findings for the Identification of a Hernia Sac in
      Fetuses With Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify MRI features of
      diaphragmatic hernia sac, as well as to assess the accuracy of diagnosing a sac
      prenatally. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All fetal MRI examinations performed for
      intrapleural congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) from 2004 to 2013 were
      retrospectively reviewed by two pediatric radiologists blinded to the hernia sac
      status (defined intraoperatively or at autopsy). Reviewers noted whether a sac
      was present on the basis of identification of the following four MRI findings: 1,
      meniscus of lung posterior or apical to the hernia contents; 2, encapsulated
      appearance of hernia contents, exerting less than expected mass effect on the
      heart and mediastinum; 3, presence of pleural fluid outlining a sac from above;
      and 4, presence of ascites outlining a sac from below. Sensitivity, specificity,
      positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were
      calculated for each finding and for various combinations. Contingency tables, chi
      square testing, and logistic regression were applied to calculate the probability
      of a sac. RESULTS: Ninety patients were included: 21 with and 69 without a sac.
      The first three MRI findings correlated with the presence of a sac. Logistic
      regression yielded high predicted probability of a sac when one finding was
      identified (finding 1, 94.4%; finding 2, 96.2%). Adding a second and a third
      finding improved the probability to 99.7% and 99.9%, respectively. Sensitivity
      and specificity for the presence of a sac were 0.43 and 0.97, respectively. PPV
      and NPV were 83.8% and 80%, respectively. CONCLUSION: On fetal MRI, presence of a
      hernia sac in CDH can be diagnosed with high specificity when indicative findings
      are present.

PMID- 26496562
TI  - Repeat Large-Volume Paracentesis Versus Tunneled Peritoneal Catheter Placement
      for Malignant Ascites: A Cost-Minimization Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the point in time at
      which tunneled peritoneal catheter placement becomes less costly than repeat
      large-volume paracentesis (LVP) for patients with malignant ascites. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Procedure costs were based on 2013 Medicare reimbursement rates.
      Rates for specific complications were obtained from the literature and were
      assigned costs. A decision tree-based Markov chain Monte Carlo model was designed
      with 11 cycles of 10 days, to simulate 4000 subjects per trial. Patients were
      grouped according to initial treatment decision (LVP vs catheter placement), and
      the total cost at the end of each 10-day cycle was calculated. The point at which
      catheter placement became less costly than LVP was determined. Additional
      simulations were used for bivariate analyses of all cost and probability
      variables and for trivariate analysis of cycle length and volume of fluid drained
      per cycle. RESULTS: Individual input probabilities were not significantly
      different from corresponding simulation outcomes (p value range, 0.068-0.95).
      When complications were included in the model, the cost curves crossed at a mean
      (+/- SD) of 82.8 +/- 3.6 days (range, 75.8-89.6 days), corresponding to a time
      between the performance of the ninth and 10th LVP procedures. Intersection
      occurred earlier in simulations with a shorter cycle length and less fluid per
      cycle, but it was minimally affected by changing individual complication
      probabilities and costs. CONCLUSION: For patients with malignant ascites, LVP
      becomes more costly once the procedure is performed nine or 10 times or at
      approximately 83 days, if paracentesis is repeated every 10 days, with 5 L of
      fluid removed each time. Use of a tunneled peritoneal catheter improves the cost
      advantage for patients who receive LVP more frequently or patients who have less
      than 5 L of fluid drained per procedure.

PMID- 26496563
TI  - Radiologic Retrograde Gastrostomy Tube Insertions Without the Use of Barium:
      Implications for Radiation Dose in Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Historically, percutaneous radiologic retrograde gastrostomy tube
      insertions in children were performed using barium to opacify the colon. The
      purpose of this study was to examine whether performing radiologic gastrostomy
      tube insertions without barium affects patient radiation dose. CONCLUSION: The
      method of radiologic gastrostomy tube insertion without barium significantly
      reduced patient dose, fluoroscopy time, dose-area product (DAP), and weight-and
      time-adjusted DAP.

PMID- 26496564
TI  - CT-Guided Lead Placement for Selective Sacral Neuromodulation to Treat Lower
      Urinary Tract Dysfunctions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Selective sacral neuromodulation may fail after fluoroscopically
      guided lead placement because of malpositioning. We implemented a new technique
      to attain precise lead placement. CONCLUSION: CT-guided tined lead placement was
      successful in eight patients after 12-month follow-up. Especially in patients
      with an altered anatomy in the sacral region, this new technique may prevent
      treatment failure.

PMID- 26496565
TI  - Baseline Screening Mammography: Performance of Full-Field Digital Mammography
      Versus Digital Breast Tomosynthesis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Baseline mammography studies have significantly higher recall rates
      than mammography studies with available comparison examinations. Digital breast
      tomosynthesis reduces recalls when compared with digital mammographic screening
      alone, but many sites operate in a hybrid environment. To maximize the effect of
      screening digital breast tomosynthesis with limited resources, choosing which
      patient populations will benefit most is critical. This study evaluates digital
      breast tomosynthesis in the baseline screening population. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Outcomes were compared for 10,728 women who underwent digital mammography
      screening, including 1204 (11.2%) baseline studies, and 15,571 women who
      underwent digital breast tomosynthesis screening, including 1859 (11.9%) baseline
      studies. Recall rates, cancer detection rates, and positive predictive values
      were calculated. Logistic regression estimated the odds ratios of recall for
      digital mammography versus digital breast tomosynthesis for patients undergoing
      baseline screening and previously screened patients, adjusted for age, race, and
      breast density. RESULTS: In the baseline subgroup, recall rates for digital
      mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis screening were 20.5% and 16.0%,
      respectively (p = 0.002); digital breast tomosynthesis screening in the baseline
      subgroup resulted in a 22% reduction in recall compared with digital mammography,
      or 45 fewer patients recalled per 1000 patients screened. Digital breast
      tomosynthesis screening in the previously screened patients resulted in recall
      reduction of 14.3% (p < 0.001; p for interaction = 0.21). The recall rate
      reduction for baseline screening was especially pronounced in women younger than
      50 years (p = 0.005). DBT implementation resulted in an increase in cancer
      detection in the baseline subgroup of 40.5% versus an increase in the previously
      screened subgroup of 17.4%. DBT implementation resulted in an increase in PPV1 in
      the baseline subgroup of 85% versus 35.3% in the previously screened subgroup,
      although the p-interaction was not significant. CONCLUSION: If resources are
      limited, women younger than 50 years who are undergoing baseline screening or do
      not have prior available mammograms may benefit more from digital breast
      tomosynthesis than from digital mammography alone.

PMID- 26496566
TI  - "Off Label" Use of FDA-Approved Devices and Digital Breast Tomosynthesis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to clarify for radiologists the meaning
      of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval with respect to Digital
      Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT). CONCLUSION: DBT is a major improvement over 2D
      mammography in the detection of cancers (sensitivity) and the reduction in
      recalls resulting from screening (specificity). Most imaging systems that have
      been approved by the FDA are used "off label" for breast imaging. Although the
      FDA determines which claims a manufacturer can make for a device, physicians may
      use approved devices, such as DBT, off label to provide better patient care.

PMID- 26496567
TI  - Question on Nuclear Medicine Shipments.

PMID- 26496568
TI  - Project Management for Quality Improvement in Radiology.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article outlines a structured approach for applying project
      management principles to quality improvement in radiology. We highlight the
      framework we use for managing improvement projects in our department and review
      basic project management principles. CONCLUSION: Project management involves
      techniques for executing projects effectively and efficiently. We recognize the
      following phases for managing improvement projects: idea, project evaluation and
      selection, role assignment, planning, improvement, and sustaining improvement.

PMID- 26496569
TI  - MR Enterography of the Ileoanal Pouch: Descriptive Radiologic Analysis With
      Endoscopic and Pathologic Correlation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the MR enterography (MRE)
      appearance of inflammation of the ileoanal pouch after ileal pouch-anal
      anastomosis (IPAA) surgery and to correlate it with pouch endoscopic and
      histopathologic findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All MRE studies performed
      between October 1, 2007, and September 30, 2013, for patients who had previously
      undergone IPAA (n = 54) were retrieved. After review of medical records, the
      patients who underwent MRE, pouch endoscopy, and biopsy within 90 days (14 men,
      14 women; mean age, 42.2 years; range, 24-67 years) were selected for inclusion
      in the study. Two blinded MRI radiologists in consensus retrospectively evaluated
      MRE studies for multiple MRI features. Two MRI scores were then calculated: an
      active and a composite inflammation score. A gastroenterologist retrospectively
      reviewed the pouch endoscopic images, and a pathologist reviewed the slides; both
      of these investigators were blinded. Both MRI scores were correlated with the
      pouch endoscopic and histopathologic findings. RESULTS: The composite MRI score
      had strong positive correlation with the endoscopic score (r = 0.61; p = 0.0005)
      but weak positive correlation with the histopathologic score (r = 0.31; p = 0.10,
      not statistically significant). The active inflammation MRI score had moderate
      positive correlation with the endoscopic score (r = 0.57; p = 0.0017) and weak
      positive correlation with the histopathologic score (r = 0.20; p = 0.31, not
      statistically significant). An MRI score >= 4 indicated the best results, with
      sensitivity of 86%, specificity of 79%, positive predictive value of 80%,
      negative predictive value of 85%, and accuracy of 82% for pouch inflammation. A
      positive likelihood ratio of 4.00 and negative likelihood ratio of 0.18 were
      obtained. CONCLUSION: In patients who have undergone IPAA surgery, the MRE
      findings strongly correlate with the pouch endoscopic findings with high
      sensitivity and positive predictive value for pouch inflammation. Therefore, MRE
      is a useful noninvasive test performed without ionizing radiation that can be
      used to evaluate patients with clinical symptoms and possibly alleviate the need
      for endoscopy in a select patient population.

PMID- 26496570
TI  - Low-Dose (2-mSv) CT in Adolescents and Young Adults With Suspected Appendicitis:
      Advantages of Additional Review of Thin Sections Using Multiplanar Sliding-Slab
      Averaging Technique.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to assess the advantages of additional
      multiplanar sliding-slab averaging review of 2-mm-thick (thin) sections over
      stack review of 5-mm-thick (thick) sections in difficult cases of 2-mSv CT in
      adolescents and young adults with suspected appendicitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      We included 149 patients (mean age, 28.0 years; 61 male patients and 88 female
      patients) for whom the initial CT reports were inconclusive for the diagnosis of
      appendicitis. Five independent radiologists retrospectively reviewed the thick
      sections in the stack mode and then the thin sections using sliding-slab
      averaging. In each review, they rated the likelihood of appendicitis and the
      appendix visualization using 5- and 3-point Likert scales, respectively.
      Diagnostic performance and confidence were compared between the two reviews using
      ROC analysis, McNemar tests, and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. RESULTS: The pooled
      AUCs were 0.90 and 0.93 for the stack and sliding-slab averaging reviews,
      respectively (90% CI for the difference, 0.002-0.06; p = 0.087). For the
      individual readers, the sliding-slab averaging review tended to increase the AUC
      (range, 0.86-0.93 for stack vs 0.87-0.97 for sliding-slab averaging review),
      improve the confidence in diagnosing (mean score, 3.6-4.7 vs 3.9-4.7) or ruling
      out (1.6-2.1 vs 1.5-1.9) appendicitis, reduce indeterminate interpretations (0
      15% vs 0-11%), and enhance the normal appendix visualization (1.1-1.7 vs 1.1
      1.9), although the differences were not always statistically significant.
      CONCLUSION: Sliding-slab averaging review of thin sections is helpful when the
      diagnosis of appendicitis is difficult at 2-mSv CT in adolescents and young
      adults.

PMID- 26496571
TI  - Split-Bolus Portal Venous Phase Dual-Energy CT Urography: Protocol Design, Image
      Quality, and Dose Reduction.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the image quality of split
      bolus portal venous phase urography and the potential reduction of radiation dose
      by using a second-generation dual-source dual-energy CT (DECT) scanner. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: DECT urography was performed in 84 patients. Unenhanced CT was
      performed 20 minutes after drinking 800 mL of water. The split-bolus protocol
      consisted of a sequence of injections, as follows: 200 mL of normal saline (2.0
      mL/s), 50 mL of contrast medium (2.5 mL/s) at 0 second, 70 mL of contrast medium
      (2.5 mL/s) at 360 seconds, and a saline flush of 25 mL. The scan was started at
      420 seconds. Virtual unenhanced images were reconstructed from contrast-enhanced
      images. The mean CT density and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the renal
      parenchyma, vessels, upper urinary tract, normal reference tissues, and tumors
      were measured for image quantitative analysis. Image quality and opacification of
      the collecting systems were rated by two radiologists using 3- or 4-point scales.
      RESULTS: The SNR of all measured sites, except the renal pelvis, showed a
      statistically significant correlation (p < 0.001) between the true unenhanced and
      virtual unenhanced images. The overall sensitivity of stone detection was 87.5%
      (28/32) in virtual unenhanced images. Image quality of the renal parenchyma,
      arteries, and veins was excellent in 59.5%, 75.0%, and 97.6% of cases,
      respectively. Opacification of the intrarenal collecting systems, proximal,
      middle, and distal ureters, and bladder was complete in 92.9%, 83.9%, 78.6%,
      77.4%, and 26.2% of patients, respectively. Omitting the unenhanced scan can
      reduce the mean radiation dose from 15.6 to 6.7 mSv. CONCLUSION: Portal venous
      phase split-bolus DECT urography provides sufficient image quality with potential
      to reduce radiation exposure.

PMID- 26496572
TI  - Rotator Cuff Tear Arthropathy: Pathophysiology, Imaging Characteristics, and
      Treatment Options.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to review the biomechanical properties
      of the rotator cuff and glenohumeral joint and the pathophysiology, imaging
      characteristics, and treatment options of rotator cuff tear arthropathy (RCTA).
      CONCLUSION: Although multiple pathways have been proposed as causes of RCTA, the
      exact cause remains unclear. Increasing knowledge about the clinical diagnosis,
      imaging features, and indicators of severity improves recognition and treatment
      of this pathologic condition.

PMID- 26496573
TI  - Visual Defects in Patients With Pituitary Adenomas: The Myth of Bitemporal
      Hemianopsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that bitemporal
      hemianopsia (BHA) is the most common visual field (VF) defect in patients with
      pituitary macroadenoma and to assess the degree of optic pathway compression
      necessary to produce visual defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the MRI
      findings and medical records of 119 patients with pituitary macroadenoma who had
      undergone formal assessment of VFs. We then evaluated the degree of optic pathway
      displacement caused by the pituitary macroadenoma, as observed on MR images. The
      classifications of optic pathway displacement included no contact, abutment but
      no displacement, mild displacement (< 3 mm), and moderate displacement (>= 3 mm).
      Qualitative analysis classified VFs as normal or as having defects that were
      monocular, bitemporal, mixed (bitemporal with additional defects), homonymous, or
      nonspecific. RESULTS: A total of 89 of 115 patients had an abnormal VF. Only one
      patient had true BHA. The most common defects were bitemporal or mixed defects
      (in 49 of 115 patients [42.6%]), likely because more than just the chiasm is
      often compressed by the pituitary macroadenoma. Classification of optic pathway
      displacement by the pituitary macroadenoma was as follows: 23 patients had no
      contact, eight had abutment but no displacement, 27 had mild displacement, and 57
      had moderate displacement. In 78 of the 92 patients (84.8%) with pituitary
      macroadenoma that had contact with the optic pathway, contact was with the optic
      chiasm and the prechiasmal optic nerve. Of the 49 patients with bitemporal or
      mixed defects, 42 had moderate displacement of the optic pathway caused by their
      tumors. CONCLUSION: BHA is exceedingly uncommon in patients with pituitary
      macroadenoma. However, although bitemporal and mixed defects are the most common
      abnormal VF findings, they were found in only 42.6% of patients. Such defects
      rarely occur if the tumor displaces the optic pathway less than 3 mm from
      baseline.

PMID- 26496574
TI  - Characteristics and Limitations of FDG PET/CT for Imaging of Squamous Cell
      Carcinoma of the Head and Neck: A Comprehensive Review of Anatomy, Metastatic
      Pathways, and Image Findings.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This image-based article illustrates the anatomic regions of squamous
      cell carcinomas of the head and neck and describes the metastatic pathways in and
      TNM staging for each region. Both the role and limitations of FDG PET/CT in
      imaging such cancers are discussed, and cases exemplifying these issues are
      reported. Also included is a discussion of the use of FDG PET/CT to monitor the
      response of squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck to therapy, in addition
      to a brief comparison of PET/CT with such traditional imaging modalities as CT,
      MRI, and ultrasound. CONCLUSION: Understanding the characteristics of squamous
      cell carcinoma of the head and neck, as imaged by FDG PET/CT, is crucial for
      determining treatment strategy, because it helps to avoid incorrect staging and
      also provides an accurate assessment of treatment response.

PMID- 26496575
TI  - Voiding Dysfunction: What Can Radiologists Tell Patients and Pediatric
      Urologists?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Imaging children with dysfunctional voiding remains a challenge
      because 98% of these children have normal anatomy. Identifying the 1-2% of
      children who do have an anatomic basis for incontinence is important; this
      article focuses on how pediatric urologists use imaging for the evaluation of
      patients with this condition. CONCLUSION: Imaging a patient with dysfunctional
      voiding can provide findings that will allow an accurate diagnosis and lead to
      optimal management. The key for the pediatric urologist is using imaging studies
      judiciously because the diagnostic yield is low. If every patient with
      dysfunctional voiding who presents to the clinic undergoes imaging, there will be
      little gain. Understanding in which patients to try imaging sooner versus trying
      medical and behavioral management first is a function of experience.

PMID- 26496576
TI  - Meta-analysis of Air Versus Liquid Enema for Intussusception Reduction in
      Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness and safety
      of air versus liquid enema reduction in the treatment of intussusception in
      children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Literature searches of the PubMed, Embase, and
      Cochrane Library databases were conducted from January 1, 1966, through May 31,
      2013. Articles on the use of air or liquid enema in children with a confirmed
      diagnosis of intussusception and reporting either a success rate for enema
      reduction of intussusception or a perforation rate were selected. Enema reduction
      success rate, perforation rate, and recurrence rate were the main outcomes and
      were calculated by random effects modeling. RESULTS: One hundred two articles
      (101 reporting success rate, 71 reporting perforation rate) were included that
      presented results for 32,451 children (age range, 1 day-22 years; boys, 66%;
      girls, 34%). In 44 studies (16,187 children), the combined estimate for success
      rate of air enema was 82.7% (95% CI, 79.9-85.6%; inconsistency index [I(2)] =
      97%), and in 52 studies (13,081 children) of liquid enema, it was 69.6% (95% CI,
      65.0-74.1%; I(2) = 98%). In 38 studies (15,752 children), the combined estimate
      of perforation rate for air enema was 0.39% (95% CI, 0.23- 0.55%; I(2) = 40%),
      and in 30 studies (9429 children) of liquid enema, it was 0.43% (95% CI, 0.24-
      0.62%; I(2) = 9%). Among 10,494 children (26 studies) undergoing air enema
      reduction, the rate of first intussusception recurrence was 6% (95% CI, 4.5-7.5%;
      I(2) = 89%), similar to the 7.3% (95% CI, 5.8-8.8%; I(2) = 71%) found for 4004
      children (24 studies) undergoing liquid enema reduction. CONCLUSION: Air enema
      was superior to liquid enema for intussusception reduction. The success rate was
      higher without a difference in perforation rate. Limitations included
      heterogeneity and publication bias.

PMID- 26496577
TI  - Differential Diagnosis of Chronic Total Occlusive and Subtotal Occlusive Disease
      of the Lower Extremity Arteries Using Reverse Attenuation Gradient Sign on CT
      Angiography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of
      the reverse attenuation gradient sign in occlusive lower extremity arterial
      disease through CT angiography (CTA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study sample
      enrolled 45 men and eight women in the chronic total occlusion group and 30 men
      and seven women in the subtotal occlusion group. Luminal CT attenuation (in
      Hounsfield units) was measured at three points from the end of the occlusion site
      to the first collateral vessel's insertion point. We also used Hounsfield units
      to measure the CT attenuation of the opposite side artery at the same level in a
      similar manner. We compared each value using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS:
      The absolute value of the mean differences in the Hounsfield units among the
      proximal, middle, and distal portion of chronic total occlusions were higher than
      those of subtotal occlusions, and this result was statistically significant (p <
      0.001). The mean ratios of the Hounsfield units (Hounsfield units of the stenosed
      lumen divided by Hounsfield units of the opposite normal lumen) of the proximal
      portion of chronic total occlusions were statistically significantly lower than
      those of subtotal occlusions. CONCLUSION: The reverse attenuation gradient sign
      can be applied to the lower extremity arteries and can be helpful for
      differential diagnosis of chronic total occlusions from subtotal occlusions using
      CTA.

PMID- 26496578
TI  - Preoperative Pelvic MRI and Serum Cancer Antigen-125: Selecting Women With Grade
      1 Endometrial Cancer for Lymphadenectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to determine the predictive value of
      preoperative pelvic MRI and serum cancer antigen-125 (CA-125) evaluation in
      selecting women with grade 1 endometrial cancer for lymphadenectomy as part of
      the cancer staging operation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A new preoperative clinical
      protocol including MRI and CA-125 evaluation was adopted at our institution in
      patients with grade 1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma. Lymphadenectomy was considered
      as part of the surgical staging operation if there was an elevated CA-125 value
      or a positive MRI finding (>= 50% myometrial invasion, cervical invasion,
      abnormal lymph nodes, extrauterine disease, or tumor index >= 36 cm). From
      January 2012 through May 2013, a retrospective analysis was performed of 100
      women who underwent preoperative MRI and CA-125 evaluation; we refer to this
      cohort as the "preoperative study cohort." The sensitivity, specificity, positive
      predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated using
      final surgical pathology and CA-125 results as the reference standard. The rate
      of metastatic lymph nodes in the preoperative study cohort was determined. From
      May 2009 through January 2011, a retrospective analysis of a cohort who did not
      undergo preoperative MRI and CA-125 evaluation was undertaken to compare
      lymphadenectomy and lymph node metastasis rates before and after implementation
      of the new protocol; we refer to this cohort as the "historical cohort." RESULTS:
      The new clinical protocol had sensitivity of 94%, specificity of 91%, PPV of 84%,
      and NPV of 97%. When histologic grade alone was considered, positive lymph node
      rates in the preoperative study cohort was 4.0% versus 4.2% in the historical
      cohort. In the preoperative study cohort, the lymph node metastasis rate
      increased to 11.1% with a positive MRI finding or elevated CA-125 value.
      CONCLUSION: Preoperative MRI and CA-125 evaluation identified women for
      lymphadenectomy with a high NPV.

PMID- 26496579
TI  - Medicolegal--Malpractice and Ethical Issues in Radiology. What Is Reasonable
      Conduct?

PMID- 26496580
TI  - Vascular, Gastrointestinal, and Urogenital Associations of Tuberous Sclerosis:
      Classic but Less Known.

PMID- 26496581
TI  - I. INTRODUCTION.

PMID- 26496582
TI  - II. GENERAL METHODOLOGY FOR ALL PHASES OF THE LONGITUDINAL STUDY.

PMID- 26496583
TI  - III. JUSTIFICATION FOR CORTISOL RESPONSE CATEGORIES.

PMID- 26496584
TI  - IV. LONGITUDINAL ANALYSES OF CORTISOL AND MATERNAL SENSITIVITY.

PMID- 26496585
TI  - V. CORTISOL RESPONSE PATTERNS AND DETECTION OF CHANGE IN AUDITORY AND VISUAL
      STIMULI.

PMID- 26496586
TI  - VI. MATERNAL SENSITIVITY AND DETECTION OF CHANGE IN AUDITORY AND VISUAL STIMULI.

PMID- 26496587
TI  - VII. GENERAL DISCUSSION.

PMID- 26496590
TI  - GLUCOCORTICOIDS AND LEARNING DURING INFANCY.
AB  - In this monograph titled "A Longitudinal Study of Infant Cortisol Response During
      Learning Events," Laura A. Thompson, Gin Morgan, and Kellie A. Jurado describe
      the results of an important study of the associations between maternal
      sensitivity and adrenocortical activity as they influence infant learning over
      the first year of life. Although the researchers argue that the work can be
      understood from a stress framework, I disagree. However, I argue that overall
      what they have done is provide us with a set of findings that are quite
      provocative and add nicely to the archival literature on the role of maternal
      behavior and activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system in
      early learning and memory. 

PMID- 26496594
TI  - Treatment for hypoactive sexual desire.
AB  - Flibanserin acts at cortical, limbic, hypothalamic, and brainstem nuclei to
      inhibit serotonin release by binding to 5-HT1A autoreceptors and block
      postsynaptic action of serotonin at 5-HT2A receptors. This gradually disinhibits
      the turnover of other monoamines like dopamine and noradrenaline that are
      critical for sexual desire. 

PMID- 26496595
TI  - Much ado about zero.
AB  - LINE retrotransposons actively shape mammalian genomes. Denli et al. reveal a new
      open reading frame, ORF0, on the antisense strand of human LINE-1 encoding a
      small regulatory protein. This finding may represent the birth of an emerging
      retrotransposon gene that can adopt various fates, as it can be fused to adjacent
      host sequences. 

PMID- 26496596
TI  - Evolutionary reprograming of protein-protein interaction specificity.
AB  - Using mutation libraries and deep sequencing, Aakre et al. study the evolution of
      protein-protein interactions using a toxin-antitoxin model. The results indicate
      probable trajectories via "intermediate" proteins that are promiscuous, thus
      avoiding transitions via non-interactions. These results extend observations
      about other biological interactions and enzyme evolution, suggesting broadly
      general principles. 

PMID- 26496597
TI  - Bacterial backstabbing: EF-Tu, brute?
AB  - Bacterial type VI secretion is an offensive and defensive weapon that utilizes a
      molecular warhead to inject toxins into neighboring cells. In this issue of Cell,
      Whitney et al. report a new class of toxin that disrupts the core metabolism of
      recipient cells and uncover a surprising requirement for EF-Tu. 

PMID- 26496598
TI  - A futile approach to fighting obesity?
AB  - The current obesity epidemic has focused a great deal of attention on mechanisms
      controlling energy balance. While diet and nutrient absorption affect energy
      intake, on the other side of the equation, energy expenditure is determined by
      basal metabolism, physical activity, and adaptive thermogenesis. Given various
      challenges in modulating these energy balance mechanisms to combat human obesity,
      many efforts have concentrated on how it might be possible to achieve weight loss
      through increased thermogenesis. In this issue of Cell, Kazak et al. describe a
      previously unrecognized molecular pathway for thermogenesis in fat cells. 

PMID- 26496599
TI  - Imaging the neural basis of locomotion.
AB  - To investigate the fundamental question of how nervous systems encode, organize,
      and sequence behaviors, Kato et al. imaged neural activity with cellular
      resolution across the brain of the worm Caenorhabditis elegans. Locomotion
      behavior seems to be continuously represented by cyclical patterns of distributed
      neural activity that are present even in immobilized animals. 

PMID- 26496600
TI  - Ethylene prunes translation.
AB  - Ethylene regulates many aspects of plant growth and development. In the presence
      of ethylene, the C terminus of EIN2 (EIN2C) translocates into the nucleus and
      activates transcription. Li et al. and Merchante et al. show that EIN2C also
      regulates translation through an interaction with the 3' UTRs of transcripts. 

PMID- 26496601
TI  - Germinal center selection and the antibody response to influenza.
AB  - In this Minireview, we discuss basic aspects of germinal center biology in the
      context of immunity to influenza infection and speculate on how the simultaneous
      evolutionary races of virus and antibody may impact our efforts to design a
      universal influenza vaccine. 

PMID- 26496602
TI  - A relay race on the evolutionary adaptation spectrum.
AB  - Adaptation is the process in which organisms improve their fitness by changing
      their phenotype using genetic or non-genetic mechanisms. The adaptation toolbox
      consists of varied molecular and genetic means that we posit span an almost
      continuous "adaptation spectrum." Different adaptations are characterized by the
      time needed for organisms to attain them and by their duration. We suggest that
      organisms often adapt by progressing the adaptation spectrum, starting with
      rapidly attained physiological and epigenetic adaptations and culminating with
      slower long-lasting genetic ones. A tantalizing possibility is that earlier
      adaptations facilitate realization of later ones. 

PMID- 26496603
TI  - Mitochondrial ROS signaling in organismal homeostasis.
AB  - Generation, transformation, and utilization of organic molecules in support of
      cellular differentiation, growth, and maintenance are basic tenets that define
      life. In eukaryotes, mitochondrial oxygen consumption plays a central role in
      these processes. During the process of oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondria
      utilize oxygen to generate ATP from organic fuel molecules but in the process
      also produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). While ROS have long been appreciated
      for their damage-promoting, detrimental effects, there is now a greater
      understanding of their roles as signaling molecules. Here, we review
      mitochondrial ROS-mediated signaling pathways with an emphasis on how they are
      involved in various basal and adaptive physiological responses that control
      organismal homeostasis. 

PMID- 26496604
TI  - Early divergent strains of Yersinia pestis in Eurasia 5,000 years ago.
AB  - The bacteria Yersinia pestis is the etiological agent of plague and has caused
      human pandemics with millions of deaths in historic times. How and when it
      originated remains contentious. Here, we report the oldest direct evidence of
      Yersinia pestis identified by ancient DNA in human teeth from Asia and Europe
      dating from 2,800 to 5,000 years ago. By sequencing the genomes, we find that
      these ancient plague strains are basal to all known Yersinia pestis. We find the
      origins of the Yersinia pestis lineage to be at least two times older than
      previous estimates. We also identify a temporal sequence of genetic changes that
      lead to increased virulence and the emergence of the bubonic plague. Our results
      show that plague infection was endemic in the human populations of Eurasia at
      least 3,000 years before any historical recordings of pandemics. 

PMID- 26496605
TI  - Primate-specific ORF0 contributes to retrotransposon-mediated diversity.
AB  - LINE-1 retrotransposons are fast-evolving mobile genetic entities that play roles
      in gene regulation, pathological conditions, and evolution. Here, we show that
      the primate LINE-1 5'UTR contains a primate-specific open reading frame (ORF) in
      the antisense orientation that we named ORF0. The gene product of this ORF
      localizes to promyelocytic leukemia-adjacent nuclear bodies. ORF0 is present in
      more than 3,000 loci across human and chimpanzee genomes and has a promoter and a
      conserved strong Kozak sequence that supports translation. By virtue of
      containing two splice donor sites, ORF0 can also form fusion proteins with
      proximal exons. ORF0 transcripts are readily detected in induced pluripotent stem
      (iPS) cells from both primate species. Capped and polyadenylated ORF0 mRNAs are
      present in the cytoplasm, and endogenous ORF0 peptides are identified upon
      proteomic analysis. Finally, ORF0 enhances LINE-1 mobility. Taken together, these
      results suggest a role for ORF0 in retrotransposon-mediated diversity. 

PMID- 26496606
TI  - A creatine-driven substrate cycle enhances energy expenditure and thermogenesis
      in beige fat.
AB  - Thermogenic brown and beige adipose tissues dissipate chemical energy as heat,
      and their thermogenic activities can combat obesity and diabetes. Herein the
      functional adaptations to cold of brown and beige adipose depots are examined
      using quantitative mitochondrial proteomics. We identify arginine/creatine
      metabolism as a beige adipose signature and demonstrate that creatine enhances
      respiration in beige-fat mitochondria when ADP is limiting. In murine beige fat,
      cold exposure stimulates mitochondrial creatine kinase activity and induces
      coordinated expression of genes associated with creatine metabolism.
      Pharmacological reduction of creatine levels decreases whole-body energy
      expenditure after administration of a beta3-agonist and reduces beige and brown
      adipose metabolic rate. Genes of creatine metabolism are compensatorily induced
      when UCP1-dependent thermogenesis is ablated, and creatine reduction in Ucp1
      deficient mice reduces core body temperature. These findings link a futile cycle
      of creatine metabolism to adipose tissue energy expenditure and thermal
      homeostasis. PAPERCLIP. 

PMID- 26496607
TI  - EIN2-directed translational regulation of ethylene signaling in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Ethylene is a gaseous phytohormone that plays vital roles in plant growth and
      development. Previous studies uncovered EIN2 as an essential signal transducer
      linking ethylene perception on ER to transcriptional regulation in the nucleus
      through a "cleave and shuttle" model. In this study, we report another mechanism
      of EIN2-mediated ethylene signaling, whereby EIN2 imposes the translational
      repression of EBF1 and EBF2 mRNA. We find that the EBF1/2 3' UTRs mediate EIN2
      directed translational repression and identify multiple poly-uridylates (PolyU)
      motifs as functional cis elements of 3' UTRs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that
      ethylene induces EIN2 to associate with 3' UTRs and target EBF1/2 mRNA to
      cytoplasmic processing-body (P-body) through interacting with multiple P-body
      factors, including EIN5 and PABs. Our study illustrates translational regulation
      as a key step in ethylene signaling and presents mRNA 3' UTR functioning as a
      "signal transducer" to sense and relay cellular signaling in plants. VIDEO
      ABSTRACT. 

PMID- 26496608
TI  - Gene-specific translation regulation mediated by the hormone-signaling molecule
      EIN2.
AB  - The central role of translation in modulating gene activity has long been
      recognized, yet the systematic exploration of quantitative changes in translation
      at a genome-wide scale in response to a specific stimulus has only recently
      become technically feasible. Using the well-characterized signaling pathway of
      the phytohormone ethylene and plant-optimized genome-wide ribosome footprinting,
      we have uncovered a molecular mechanism linking this hormone's perception to the
      activation of a gene-specific translational control mechanism. Characterization
      of one of the targets of this translation regulatory machinery, the ethylene
      signaling component EBF2, indicates that the signaling molecule EIN2 and the
      nonsense-mediated decay proteins UPFs play a central role in this ethylene
      induced translational response. Furthermore, the 3'UTR of EBF2 is sufficient to
      confer translational regulation and required for the proper activation of
      ethylene responses. These findings represent a mechanistic paradigm of gene
      specific regulation of translation in response to a key growth regulator. 

PMID- 26496609
TI  - Learning the sequence determinants of alternative splicing from millions of
      random sequences.
AB  - Most human transcripts are alternatively spliced, and many disease-causing
      mutations affect RNA splicing. Toward better modeling the sequence determinants
      of alternative splicing, we measured the splicing patterns of over two million
      (M) synthetic mini-genes, which include degenerate subsequences totaling over 100
      M bases of variation. The massive size of these training data allowed us to
      improve upon current models of splicing, as well as to gain new mechanistic
      insights. Our results show that the vast majority of hexamer sequence motifs
      measurably influence splice site selection when positioned within alternative
      exons, with multiple motifs acting additively rather than cooperatively.
      Intriguingly, motifs that enhance (suppress) exon inclusion in alternative 5'
      splicing also enhance (suppress) exon inclusion in alternative 3' or cassette
      exon splicing, suggesting a universal mechanism for alternative exon recognition.
      Finally, our empirically trained models are highly predictive of the effects of
      naturally occurring variants on alternative splicing in vivo. 

PMID- 26496610
TI  - A human interactome in three quantitative dimensions organized by stoichiometries
      and abundances.
AB  - The organization of a cell emerges from the interactions in protein networks. The
      interactome is critically dependent on the strengths of interactions and the
      cellular abundances of the connected proteins, both of which span orders of
      magnitude. However, these aspects have not yet been analyzed globally. Here, we
      have generated a library of HeLa cell lines expressing 1,125 GFP-tagged proteins
      under near-endogenous control, which we used as input for a next-generation
      interaction survey. Using quantitative proteomics, we detect specific
      interactions, estimate interaction stoichiometries, and measure cellular
      abundances of interacting proteins. These three quantitative dimensions reveal
      that the protein network is dominated by weak, substoichiometric interactions
      that play a pivotal role in defining network topology. The minority of stable
      complexes can be identified by their unique stoichiometry signature. This study
      provides a rich interaction dataset connecting thousands of proteins and
      introduces a framework for quantitative network analysis. 

PMID- 26496611
TI  - Timing of CFTR pore opening and structure of its transition state.
AB  - In CFTR, the chloride ion channel mutated in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, pore
      opening is coupled to ATP-binding-induced dimerization of two cytosolic
      nucleotide binding domains (NBDs) and closure to dimer disruption following ATP
      hydrolysis. CFTR opening rate, unusually slow because of its high-energy
      transition state, is further slowed by CF mutation DeltaF508. Here, we exploit
      equilibrium gating of hydrolysis-deficient CFTR mutant D1370N and apply rate
      equilibrium free-energy relationship analysis to estimate relative timing of
      opening movements in distinct protein regions. We find clear directionality of
      motion along the longitudinal protein axis and identify an opening transition
      state structure with the NBD dimer formed but the pore still closed. Thus, strain
      at the NBD/pore-domain interface, the DeltaF508 mutation locus, underlies the
      energetic barrier for opening. Our findings suggest a therapeutic opportunity to
      stabilize this transition-state structure pharmacologically in DeltaF508-CFTR to
      correct its opening defect, an essential step toward restoring CFTR function. 

PMID- 26496613
TI  - SnapShot: antiviral restriction factors.
AB  - Restriction factors are cellular proteins that inhibit viruses at different steps
      of their replication cycle and represent an important first line of defense
      against viral pathogens. This SnapShot provides an overview of cell-intrinsic
      antiviral factors, describes their properties, and illustrates the striking
      variety of antiviral mechanisms as well the sophisticated viral countermeasures.
      To view this SnapShot, open or download the PDF. 

PMID- 26496612
TI  - Engineering a therapeutic lectin by uncoupling mitogenicity from antiviral
      activity.
AB  - A key effector route of the Sugar Code involves lectins that exert crucial
      regulatory controls by targeting distinct cellular glycans. We demonstrate that a
      single amino-acid substitution in a banana lectin, replacing histidine 84 with a
      threonine, significantly reduces its mitogenicity, while preserving its broad
      spectrum antiviral potency. X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and
      glycocluster assays reveal that loss of mitogenicity is strongly correlated with
      loss of pi-pi stacking between aromatic amino acids H84 and Y83, which removes a
      wall separating two carbohydrate binding sites, thus diminishing multivalent
      interactions. On the other hand, monovalent interactions and antiviral activity
      are preserved by retaining other wild-type conformational features and possibly
      through unique contacts involving the T84 side chain. Through such fine-tuning,
      target selection and downstream effects of a lectin can be modulated so as to
      knock down one activity, while preserving another, thus providing tools for
      therapeutics and for understanding the Sugar Code. 

PMID- 26496614
TI  - Synthetic biology: Novel approaches for microbiology.
AB  - In the past twenty years, molecular genetics has created powerful tools for
      genetic manipulation of living organisms. Whole genome sequencing has provided
      necessary information to assess knowledge on gene function and protein networks.
      In addition, new tools permit to modify organisms to perform desired tasks. Gene
      function analysis is speed up by novel approaches that couple both high
      throughput data generation and mining. Synthetic biology is an emerging field
      that uses tools for generating novel gene networks, whole genome synthesis and
      engineering. New applications in biotechnological, pharmaceutical and biomedical
      research are envisioned for synthetic biology. In recent years these new
      strategies have opened up the possibilities to study gene and genome editing,
      creation of novel tools for functional studies in virus, parasites and pathogenic
      bacteria. There is also the possibility to re-design organisms to generate
      vaccine subunits or produce new pharmaceuticals to combat multi-drug resistant
      pathogens. In this review we provide our opinion on the applicability of
      synthetic biology strategies for functional studies of pathogenic organisms and
      some applications such as genome editing and gene network studies to further
      comprehend virulence factors and determinants in pathogenic organisms. We also
      discuss what we consider important ethical issues for this field of molecular
      biology, especially for potential misuse of the new technologies.

PMID- 26496616
TI  - Antagonism of entomopathogenic fungi by Bacillus spp. associated with the
      integument of cicadellids and delphacids.
AB  - Entomopathogenic fungi are potential tools to biocontrol cicadellids and
      delphacids, two groups of insects that cause extensive damage to agricultural
      crops. However, bacteria living on the host cuticle may inhibit fungal growth. In
      the present work, following the molecular characterization of 10 strains of
      Bacillus isolated from the integument of cicadellids and delphacids, we selected
      isolates of the fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae that are
      resistant to the antimicrobials secreted by these bacterial strains. The
      antagonistic activity of the 10 bacterial isolates belonging to the genus
      Bacillus (i.e., B. amyloliquefaciens, B. pumilus, and B. subtilis) against 41
      isolates of Bea. bassiana and 20 isolates of M. anisopliae was investigated in
      vitro on tryptic soy agar using the central disk test. With this approach,
      isolates of Bea. bassiana and M. anisopliae resistant to antagonistic bacteria
      were identified that can be further developed as biological control agents.

PMID- 26496615
TI  - Unexpected distribution of the fluoroquinolone-resistance gene qnrB in
      Escherichia coli isolates from different human and poultry origins in Ecuador.
AB  - Fluoroquinolone resistance can be conferred through chromosomal mutations or by
      the acquisition of plasmids carrying genes such as the quinolone resistance gene
      (qnr). In this study, 3,309 strains of commensal Escherichia coli were isolated
      in Ecuador from: (i) humans and chickens in a rural northern coastal area (n =
      2368, 71.5%) and (ii) chickens from an industrial poultry operation (n = 827,
      25%). In addition, 114 fluoroquinolone-resistant strains from patients with
      urinary tract infections who were treated at three urban hospitals in Quito,
      Ecuador were analyzed. All of the isolates were subjected to antibiotic
      susceptibility screening. Fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates (FRIs) were then
      screened for the presence of qnrB genes. A significantly higher phenotypic
      resistance to fluoroquinolones was determined in E. coli strains from chickens in
      both the rural area (22%) and the industrial operation (10%) than in strains
      isolated from humans in the rural communities (3%). However, the rates of qnrB
      genes in E. coli isolates from healthy humans in the rural communities (11 of 35
      isolates, 31%) was higher than in chickens from either the industrial operations
      (3 of 81 isolates, 6%) or the rural communities (7 of 251 isolates, 2.8%). The
      occurrence of qnrB genes in human FRIs obtained from urban hospitals was low (1
      of 114 isolates, 0.9%). These results suggested that the qnrB gene is more widely
      distributed in rural settings, where antibiotic usage is low, than in urban
      hospitals and industrial poultry operations. The role of qnrB in clinical
      resistance to fluoroquinolones is thus far unknown.

PMID- 26496617
TI  - IS200 and multilocus sequence typing for the identification of Salmonella
      enterica serovar Typhi strains from Indonesia.
AB  - In this work, IS200 and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) were used to analyze
      19 strains previously serotyped as Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi and isolated
      in Indonesia (16 strains), Mexico (2 strains), and Switzerland (1 strain). Most
      of the strains showed the most common Typhi sequence types, ST1 and ST2, and a
      new Typhi genotype (ST1856) was described. However, one isolate from Mexico and
      another from Indonesia were of the ST365 and ST426 sequence types, indicating
      that they belonged to serovars Weltevreden and Aberdeen, respectively. These
      results were supported by the amplification of IS200 fragments, which rapidly
      distinguish Typhi from other serovars. Our results demonstrate the utility of
      IS200 and MLST in the classification of Salmonella strains into serovars. These
      methods provide information on the clonal relatedness of strains isolated
      worldwide.

PMID- 26496618
TI  - Aquatic bacterial assemblage structure in Pozas Azules, Cuatro Cienegas Basin,
      Mexico: Deterministic vs. stochastic processes.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the contributions of stochastic vs.
      deterministic processes in the distribution of microbial diversity in four ponds
      (Pozas Azules) within a temporally stable aquatic system in the Cuatro Cienegas
      Basin, State of Coahuila, Mexico. A sampling strategy for sites that were
      geographically delimited and had low environmental variation was applied to avoid
      obscuring distance effects. Aquatic bacterial diversity was characterized
      following a culture-independent approach (16S sequencing of clone libraries). The
      results showed a correlation between bacterial beta diversity (1-Sorensen) and
      geographic distance (distance decay of similarity), which indicated the influence
      of stochastic processes related to dispersion in the assembly of the ponds'
      bacterial communities. Our findings are the first to show the influence of
      dispersal limitation in the prokaryotic diversity distribution of Cuatro Cienegas
      Basin.

PMID- 26496619
TI  - Characterization of a S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM)-accumulating strain of
      Scheffersomyces stipitis.
AB  - S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) is an important molecule in the cellular metabolism
      of mammals. In this study, we examined several of the physiological
      characteristics of a SAM-accumulating strain of the yeast Scheffersomyces
      stipitis (M12), including SAM production, ergosterol content, and ethanol
      tolerance. S. stipitis M12 accumulated up to 52.48 mg SAM/g dry cell weight.
      Proteome analyses showed that the disruption of C-24 methylation in ergosterol
      biosynthesis, a step mediated by C-24 sterol methyltransferase (Erg6p), results
      in greater SAM accumulation by S. stipitis M12 compared to the wild-type strain.
      A comparative proteome-wide analysis identified 25 proteins that were
      differentially expressed by S. stipitis M12. These proteins are involved in
      ribosome biogenesis, translation, the stress response, ubiquitin-dependent
      catabolic processes, the cell cycle, ethanol tolerance, posttranslational
      modification, peroxisomal membrane stability, epigenetic regulation, the actin
      cytoskeleton and cell morphology, iron and copper homeostasis, cell signaling,
      and energy metabolism.

PMID- 26496620
TI  - Bioremediation of oil polluted marine sediments: A bio-engineering treatment.
AB  - The fate of hydrocarbon pollutants and the development of oil-degrading
      indigenous marine bacteria in contaminated sediments are strongly influenced by
      abiotic factors such as temperature, low oxygen levels, and nutrient
      availability. In this work, the effects of different biodegradation processes
      (bioremediation) on oil-polluted anoxic sediments were analyzed. In particular,
      as a potential bioremediation strategy for polluted sediments, we applied a
      prototype of the "Modular Slurry System" (MSS), allowing containment of the
      sediments and their physical-chemical treatment (by air insufflations,
      temperature regulation, and the use of a slow-release fertilizer). Untreated
      polluted sediments served as the blank in a non-controlled experiment. During the
      experimental period (30 days), bacterial density and biochemical oxygen demand
      were measured and functional genes were identified by screening. Quantitative
      measurements of pollutants and an eco-toxicological analysis (mortality of
      Corophium orientale) were carried out at the beginning and end of the
      experiments. The results demonstrated the high biodegradative capability achieved
      with the proposed technology and its strong reduction of pollutant concentrations
      and thus toxicity.

PMID- 26496621
TI  - Oral enclomiphene citrate raises testosterone and preserves sperm counts in obese
      hypogonadal men, unlike topical testosterone: restoration instead of replacement.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of daily oral doses of enclomiphene citrate
      compared with topical testosterone gel treatment on serum total testosterone
      (TT), luteinising hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and sperm
      counts in men with secondary hypogonadism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two parallel
      randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled, multicentre, phase
      III studies were undertaken to evaluate two doses of enclomiphene citrate vs
      testosterone gel (AndroGel((r)) 1.62%) on TT, LH, FSH, and sperm counts in
      overweight men aged 18-60 years with secondary hypogonadism. Men were screened
      and enrolled in the trials (ZA-304 and ZA-305). All enrolled men had early
      morning serum TT levels in the low or low normal range (<=300 ng/dL; <=10.4
      nmol/L) and had low or normal LH (<9.4 IU/L) levels measured on two separate
      occasions 2-10 days apart. Serum samples were obtained over the course of the
      study to determine relevant hormone levels at baseline and after 16 weeks of
      treatment. Men provided semen samples twice to enroll at the beginning and twice
      at the end of the study. RESULTS: TT levels increased between baseline and after
      16 weeks of treatment in all the treatment groups. FSH and LH levels increased in
      the enclomiphene citrate groups and decreased in the testosterone gel group at 16
      weeks. Enclomiphene citrate maintained sperm concentration in the normal range
      over the treatment period, while there was a marked reduction in spermatogenesis
      in the testosterone gel group. CONCLUSIONS: Enclomiphene citrate consistently
      increased serum TT, LH and FSH, restoring normal levels of serum TT. Enclomiphene
      citrate treatment maintained sperm concentrations in the normal range. The
      effects on TT were also seen with testosterone replacement via testosterone gel
      but sperm counts were not maintained.

PMID- 26496622
TI  - nZVI injection into variably saturated soils: Field and modeling study.
AB  - Nano-scale zero valent iron (nZVI) has been used at a number of contaminated
      sites over the last decade. At most of these sites, significant decreases in
      contaminant concentrations have resulted from the application of nZVI. However,
      limited work has been completed investigating nZVI field-scale mobility. In this
      study, a field test was combined with numerical modeling to examine nZVI
      reactivity along with transport properties in variably saturated soils. The field
      test consisted of 142L of carboxymethyle cellulose (CMC) stabilized monometallic
      nZVI synthesized onsite and injected into a variably saturated zone. Periodic
      groundwater samples were collected from the injection well, as well as, from two
      monitoring wells to analyze for chlorinated solvents and other geochemistry
      indicators. This study showed that CMC stabilized monometallic nZVI was able to
      decrease tricholorethene (TCE) concentrations in groundwater by more than 99%
      from the historical TCE concentrations. A three dimensional, three phase, finite
      difference numerical simulator, (CompSim) was used to further investigate nZVI
      and polymer transport at the variably saturated site. The model was able to
      accurately predict the field observed head data without parameter fitting. In
      addition, the numerical simulator estimated the mass of nZVI delivered to the
      saturated and unsaturated zones and distinguished the nZVI phase (i.e. aqueous or
      attached). The simulation results showed that the injected slurry migrated
      radially outward from the injection well, and therefore nZVI transport was
      governed by injection velocity and viscosity of the injected solution. A suite of
      sensitivity analyses was performed to investigate the impact of different
      injection scenarios (e.g. different volume and injection rate) on nZVI migration.
      Simulation results showed that injection of a higher nZVI volume delivered more
      iron particles at a given distance; however, the travel distance was not
      proportional to the increase in volume. Moreover, simulation results showed that
      using a 1D transport equation to simulate nZVI migration in the subsurface may
      overestimate the travel distance. This is because the 1D transport equation
      assumes a constant velocity while pore water velocity radially decreases from the
      well during injection. This study suggests that on-site synthesized nZVI
      particles are mobile in the subsurface and that a numerical simulator can be a
      valuable tool for optimal design of nZVI field applications. 

PMID- 26496623
TI  - Dental Age Estimation (DAE): Data management for tooth development stages
      including the third molar. Appropriate censoring of Stage H, the final stage of
      tooth development.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The final stage of dental development of third molars is usually
      helpful to indicate whether or not a subject is aged over 18 years. A complexity
      is that the final stage of development is unlimited in its upper border.
      Investigators usually select an inappropriate upper age limit or censor point for
      this tooth development stage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The literature was searched
      for appropriate data sets for dental age estimation and those that provided the
      count (n), the mean (x-), and the standard deviation (sd) for each of the tooth
      development stages. The Demirjian G and Demirjian H were used for this study.
      Upper and lower limits of the Stage G and Stage H data were calculated limiting
      the data to plus or minus three standard deviations from the mean. The upper
      border of Stage H was limited by appropriate censoring at the maximum value for
      Stage G. RESULTS: The maximum age at attainment from published data, for Stage H,
      ranged from 22.60 years to 34.50 years. These data were explored to demonstrate
      how censoring provides an estimate for the correct maximum age for the final
      stage of Stage H as 21.64 years for UK Caucasians. CONCLUSION: This study shows
      that confining the data array of individual tooth developments stages to +/- 3sd
      provides a reliable and logical way of censoring the data for tooth development
      stages with a Normal distribution of data. For Stage H this is inappropriate as
      it is unbounded in its upper limit. The use of a censored data array for Stage H
      using Percentile values is appropriate. This increases the reliability of using
      third molar Stage H alone to determine whether or not an individual is over 18
      years old. For Stage H, individual ancestral groups should be censored using the
      same technique.

PMID- 26496624
TI  - In Vivo Comparison of the Masticatory Efficiency of Artificial Teeth with Two
      Different Cusp Heights in Complete Dentures: A Preliminary Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The goal of complete denture rehabilitation is to restore facial
      esthetics and masticatory function to edentulous patients. Several types of
      artificial teeth with different occlusal anatomy are available. Theoretically,
      teeth with a higher cusp height provide improved masticatory efficiency. The aim
      of this study was to compare the masticatory efficiency of complete denture
      wearers using artificial teeth with two cusp heights. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Sixteen complete denture wearers were given complete dentures with Heraeus
      Premium teeth. Fifteen days after denture installation, a first masticatory
      efficiency test was performed with Optocal. A new pair of complete dentures with
      Dentsply Biotone teeth was then given to each participant to replace the first
      set. This second set was fabricated by duplicating the same models used to
      fabricate the first set of dentures. Fifteen days after installation of the
      dentures with Biotone teeth, a second masticatory efficiency test was performed
      with Optocal. On both tests, the comminuted material was treated and sieved
      through a stack of sieves under vibration. The content of each sieve was weighed,
      and the obtained data were tabulated. Statistical analysis was performed using
      the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Wilcoxon tests. RESULTS: Mean and standard deviation
      of participants' masticatory efficiency, as measured by X50 particle size (mm),
      were 8.39 and 5.59 for dentures with Premium teeth, and 8.56 and 5.84 for
      dentures with Biotone teeth. CONCLUSION: According to the results, there were no
      differences (p < 0.05) in the masticatory efficiency of the complete denture sets
      using teeth with the two cusp heights.

PMID- 26496626
TI  - Protein-protein interactions: a supra-structural phenomenon demanding trans
      disciplinary biophysical approaches.
AB  - Responsive formation of protein:protein interaction (PPI) upon diverse stimuli is
      a fundament of cellular function. As a consequence, PPIs are complex, adaptive
      entities, and exist in structurally heterogeneous interplays defined by the
      energetic states of the free and complexed protomers. The biophysical and
      structural investigations of PPIs consequently demand hybrid approaches,
      implementing orthogonal methods and strategies for global data analysis.
      Currently, impressive developments in hardware and software within several
      methodologies define a new era for the biostructural community. Data can be
      obtained at increasing resolution, at relevant time-scales and under increasingly
      relevant experimental conditions, intricate data are interpreted reliably, and
      the questions posed and answered grow in complexity. With this review, highlights
      from the study of PPIs using a multitude of biophysical methods, are reported.
      The aim is to depict how the elucidation of the interplay of structures requires
      the interplay of methods. 

PMID- 26496625
TI  - Functional coupling between writers, erasers and readers of histone and DNA
      methylation.
AB  - DNA and histone lysine methylation are dynamic chemical modifications that play a
      crucial role in the establishment of gene expression patterns during development.
      Both types of genomic methylation patterns are enzymatically regulated by the
      opposing activities of enzymes that introduce and remove these marks, known as
      methylation 'writers' and 'erasers', respectively. The appropriate localization
      and activity of these enzymes on chromatin is, in part, regulated by chromatin
      'readers', protein modules that recognize histone and DNA modifications. Such
      reading modules are either encoded within the same polypeptide as the catalytic
      domains of writers and erasers, or present in protein partners that associate
      with them. Here, we review recent structural, biochemical and biological studies
      that demonstrate that there are multiple mechanisms by which reader domains can
      regulate the writers and erasers of histone and DNA methylation. 

PMID- 26496628
TI  - Barriers and facilitators to cervical cancer screening in high incidence
      populations: A synthesis of qualitative evidence.
AB  - Despite the efficacy and availability of screening and treatment for cervical
      cancer, it remains the leading cause of death for women in many low resource
      countries. The inability or reluctance of women to use screening and treatment is
      the largest contributor to cervical cancer morbidity and mortality. The aim of
      the author in this article is to determine knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs that
      facilitate or hinder women's use of screening in high incidence countries through
      a synthesis of qualitative research. CINAHL, Medline, AnthroSource, Sociological
      Abstracts, Social Service Abstracts, GenderWatch, Ethnic News Watch, and ASSIA
      databases were queried for qualitative research published from 2008 to 2013. Ten
      studies meeting inclusion criteria were reviewed and analyzed using constant
      comparative analysis. Barriers to cervical cancer screening included fatalism,
      mistrust of non-traditional healthcare providers, masculine/feminine beliefs,
      limited knowledge, and misunderstandings of causes of cervical cancer.
      Facilitators included knowledge of sexual risk factors, recognition of signs and
      symptoms, and community/social support. Pragmatic solutions suggested by this
      synthesis, that may decrease barriers and enhance facilitators, involved cultural
      humility (a continual commitment to cultural competence), promotion of gender
      equality, collaboration among stakeholders, and the translation of evidence-based
      practices from low to high incidence populations. 

PMID- 26496627
TI  - Modeling the Effects of Vorinostat In Vivo Reveals both Transient and Delayed HIV
      Transcriptional Activation and Minimal Killing of Latently Infected Cells.
AB  - Recent efforts to cure human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) infection have
      focused on developing latency reversing agents as a first step to eradicate the
      latent reservoir. The histone deacetylase inhibitor, vorinostat, has been shown
      to activate HIV RNA transcription in CD4+ T-cells and alter host cell gene
      transcription in HIV-infected individuals on antiretroviral therapy. In order to
      understand how latently infected cells respond dynamically to vorinostat
      treatment and determine the impact of vorinostat on reservoir size in vivo, we
      have constructed viral dynamic models of latency that incorporate vorinostat
      treatment. We fitted these models to data collected from a recent clinical trial
      in which vorinostat was administered daily for 14 days to HIV-infected
      individuals on suppressive ART. The results show that HIV transcription is
      increased transiently during the first few hours or days of treatment and that
      there is a delay before a sustained increase of HIV transcription, whose duration
      varies among study participants and may depend on the long term impact of
      vorinostat on host gene expression. Parameter estimation suggests that in
      latently infected cells, HIV transcription induced by vorinostat occurs at lower
      levels than in productively infected cells. Furthermore, the estimated loss rate
      of transcriptionally induced cells remains close to baseline in most study
      participants, suggesting vorinostat treatment does not induce latently infected
      cell killing and thus reduce the latent reservoir in vivo. 

PMID- 26496631
TI  - Young adults with spina bifida transitioned to a medical home: a survey of
      medical care in Jacksonville, Florida.
AB  - OBJECT The transition of the young adult with spina bifida (YASB) from pediatric
      to adult health care is considered a priority by organized pediatrics. There is a
      paucity of transition programs and related studies. Jacksonville Health and
      Transition Services (JaxHATS) is one such transition program in Jacksonville,
      Florida. This study's purpose was to evaluate the health care access,
      utilization, and quality of life (QOL) of a group of YASBs who have transitioned
      from pediatric care. METHODS A survey tool addressing access to health care and
      quality of health and life was developed based on an established survey. Records
      of the Spinal Defects Clinic held at Wolfson Children's Hospital and JaxHATS
      Clinic were reviewed and YASBs (> 18 and < 30 years old) were identified. RESULTS
      Ten of the 12 invited YASBs in the Jacksonville area completed the surveys. The
      mean age of respondents was 25.1 years. All reported regular medical home visits,
      8 with JaxHATS and 2 with other family care groups. All reported easy access to
      medical care and routine visits to spina bifida (SB) specialists; none reported
      difficulty or delays in obtaining health care. Only 2 patients required emergent
      care in the last year for an SB-related medical problem. Seven respondents
      reported very good to excellent QOL. Family, lifestyle, and environmental factors
      were also examined. CONCLUSIONS In this small group of YASBs with a medical home,
      easy access to care for medical conditions was the norm, with few individuals
      having recent emergency visits and almost all reporting at least a good overall
      QOL. Larger studies of YASBs are needed to evaluate the positive effects of
      medical homes on health and QOL in this population.

PMID- 26496629
TI  - Comparison of Extended-Spectrum beta-Lactamase (ESBL) CTX-M Genotypes in Franklin
      Gulls from Canada and Chile.
AB  - Migratory birds have been suggested to contribute to long-distance dispersal of
      antimicrobial resistant bacteria, but tests of this hypothesis are lacking. In
      this study we determined resistance profiles and genotypes of ESBL-producing
      bacteria in randomly selected Escherichia coli from Franklin's gulls (Leucophaeus
      pipixcan) at breeding sites in Canada and compared with similar data from the
      gulls' wintering grounds in Chile. Resistant E. coli phenotypes were common, most
      notably to ampicillin (30.1%) and cefadroxil (15.1%). Furthermore, 17.0% of the
      gulls in Canada carried ESBL producing bacteria, which is higher than reported
      from human datasets from the same country. However, compared to gulls sampled in
      Chile (30.1%) the prevalence of ESBL was much lower. The dominant ESBL variants
      in Canada were blaCTX-M-14 and blaCTX-M-15 and differed in proportions to the
      data from Chile. We hypothesize that the observed differences in ESBL variants
      are more likely linked to recent exposure to bacteria from anthropogenic sources,
      suggesting high local dissemination of resistant bacteria both at breeding and
      non-breeding times rather than a significant trans-hemispheric exchange through
      migrating birds. 

PMID- 26496630
TI  - Evaluation of Residence Time on Nitrogen Oxides Removal in Non-Thermal Plasma
      Reactor.
AB  - Non-thermal plasma (NTP) has been introduced over the last few years as a
      promising after- treatment system for nitrogen oxides and particulate matter
      removal from diesel exhaust. NTP technology has not been commercialised as yet,
      due to its high rate of energy consumption. Therefore, it is important to seek
      out new methods to improve NTP performance. Residence time is a crucial parameter
      in engine exhaust emissions treatment. In this paper, different electrode shapes
      are analysed and the corresponding residence time and NOx removal efficiency are
      studied. An axisymmetric laminar model is used for obtaining residence time
      distribution numerically using FLUENT software. If the mean residence time in a
      NTP plasma reactor increases, there will be a corresponding increase in the
      reaction time and consequently the pollutant removal efficiency increases. Three
      different screw thread electrodes and a rod electrode are examined. The results
      show the advantage of screw thread electrodes in comparison with the rod
      electrode. Furthermore, between the screw thread electrodes, the electrode with
      the thread width of 1 mm has the highest NOx removal due to higher residence time
      and a greater number of micro-discharges. The results show that the residence
      time of the screw thread electrode with a thread width of 1 mm is 21% more than
      for the rod electrode. 

PMID- 26496632
TI  - Allograft versus autograft for pediatric posterior cervical and occipito-cervical
      fusion: a systematic review of factors affecting fusion rates.
AB  - OBJECT Fusion rates are high for children undergoing posterior cervical fusion
      (PCF) and occipito-cervical fusion (OCF). Autologous bone has been widely used as
      the graft material of choice, despite the risk of donor-site morbidity associated
      with harvesting the bone, possibly because very low fusion rates were reported
      with posterior allograft cervical fusions in children several decades ago. Higher
      overall fusion rates using allograft in adults, associated with improvements in
      internal fixation techniques and the availability of osteoinductive substances
      such as bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), have led to heightened enthusiasm for
      the use of bank bone during pediatric PCF. A systematic review was performed to
      study factors associated with successful bone fusion, including the type of bone
      graft used. METHODS The authors performed a comprehensive PubMed search of
      English-language articles pertaining to PCF and OCF in patients less than 18
      years old. Of the 561 abstracts selected, 148 articles were reviewed, resulting
      in 60 articles that had sufficient detail to be included in the analysis. A meta
      regression analysis was performed to determine if and how age, fusion technique,
      levels fused, fusion substrate, BMP use, postoperative bracing, and radiographic
      fusion criteria were related to the pooled prevalence estimates. A systematic
      review of the literature was performed according to the PRISMA (Preferred
      Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. RESULTS A
      total of 604 patients met the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The
      overall fusion rate was 93%, with a mean age of 9.3 years and mean follow-up of
      38.7 months. A total of 539 patients had fusion with autograft (94% fusion rate)
      and 65 patients with allograft (80% fusion rate). Multivariate meta-regression
      analysis showed that higher fusion rates were associated with OCF compared with
      fusions that excluded the occiput (p < 0.001), with the use of autograft instead
      of allograft (p < 0.001), and with the use of CT to define fusion instead of
      plain radiography alone. The type of internal fixation, the use of BMP, patient
      age, and the duration of follow-up were not found to be associated with fusion
      rates in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Fusion rates for PCF are high,
      with higher rates of fusion seen when autograft is used as the bone substrate and
      when the occiput is included in the fusion construct. Further study of the use of
      allograft as a viable alternative to autograft bone fusion is warranted because
      limited data are available regarding the use of allograft in combination with
      more rigid internal fixation techniques and osteoinductive substances, both of
      which may enhance fusion rates with allograft.

PMID- 26496633
TI  - Penetrating head injuries in children due to BB and pellet guns: a poorly
      recognized public health risk.
AB  - OBJECT Nonpowder guns, defined as spring- or gas-powered BB or pellet guns, can
      be dangerous weapons that are often marketed to children. In recent decades,
      advances in compressed-gas technology have led to a significant increase in the
      power and muzzle velocity of these weapons. The risk of intracranial injury in
      children due to nonpowder weapons is poorly documented. METHODS A retrospective
      review was conducted at 3 institutions studying children 16 years or younger who
      had intracranial injuries secondary to nonpowder guns. RESULTS The authors
      reviewed 14 cases of intracranial injury in children from 3 institutions. Eleven
      (79%) of the 14 children were injured by BB guns, while 3 (21%) were injured by
      pellet guns. In 10 (71%) children, the injury was accidental. There was 1
      recognized assault, but there were no suicide attempts; in the remaining 3
      patients, the intention was indeterminate. There were no mortalities among the
      patients in this series. Ten (71%) of the children required operative
      intervention, and 6 (43%) were left with permanent neurological injuries,
      including epilepsy, cognitive deficits, hydrocephalus, diplopia, visual field
      cut, and blindness. CONCLUSIONS Nonpowder guns are weapons with the ability to
      penetrate a child's skull and brain. Awareness should be raised among parents,
      children, and policy makers as to the risk posed by these weapons.

PMID- 26496634
TI  - Obstetrical brachial plexus injury: burden in a publicly funded, universal
      healthcare system.
AB  - OBJECT The aim of this study was to determine the volume and timing of referrals
      for obstetrical brachial plexus injury (OBPI) to multidisciplinary centers in a
      national demographic sample. Secondarily, we aimed to measure the incidence and
      risk factors for OBPI in the sample. The burden of OBPI has not been investigated
      in a publicly funded system, and the timing and volume of referrals to
      multidisciplinary centers are unknown. The incidence and risk factors for OBPI
      have not been established in Canada. METHODS This is a retrospective cohort
      study. The authors used a demographic sample of all infants born in Canada,
      capturing all children born in a publicly funded, universal healthcare system.
      OBPI diagnoses and corresponding risk factors from 2004 to 2012 were identified
      and correlated with referrals to Canada's 10 multidisciplinary OBPI centers.
      Quality indicators were approved by the Canadian OBPI Working Group's guideline
      consensus group. The primary outcome was the timing of initial assessment at a
      multidisciplinary center, "good" if assessed by the time the patient was 1 month
      of age, "satisfactory" if by 3 months of age, and "poor" if thereafter. Joinpoint
      regression analysis was used to determine the OBPI incidence over the study
      period. Odds ratios were calculated to determine the strength of association for
      risk factors. RESULTS OBPI incidence was 1.24 per 1000 live births, and was
      consistent from 2004 to 2012. Potential biases underestimate the level of injury
      identification. The factors associated with a very strong risk for OBPI were
      humerus fracture, shoulder dystocia, and clavicle fracture. The majority (55%
      60%) of OBPI patients identified at birth were not referred. Among those who were
      referred, the timing of assessment was "good" in 28%, "satisfactory" in 66%, and
      "poor" in 34%. CONCLUSIONS Shoulder dystocia was the strongest modifiable risk
      factor for OBPI. Most children with OBPI were not referred to multidisciplinary
      care. Of those who were referred, 72% were assessed later than the target quality
      indicator of 1 month that was established by the national guideline consensus
      group. A referral gap has been identified using quality indicators at clinically
      relevant time points; this gap should be addressed with the use of knowledge
      tools (e.g., a clinical practice guideline) to target variations in referral
      rates and clinical practice. Interventions should guide the referral process.

PMID- 26496635
TI  - Detecting Hotspot Information Using Multi-Attribute Based Topic Model.
AB  - Microblogging as a kind of social network has become more and more important in
      our daily lives. Enormous amounts of information are produced and shared on a
      daily basis. Detecting hot topics in the mountains of information can help people
      get to the essential information more quickly. However, due to short and sparse
      features, a large number of meaningless tweets and other characteristics of
      microblogs, traditional topic detection methods are often ineffective in
      detecting hot topics. In this paper, we propose a new topic model named multi
      attribute latent dirichlet allocation (MA-LDA), in which the time and hashtag
      attributes of microblogs are incorporated into LDA model. By introducing time
      attribute, MA-LDA model can decide whether a word should appear in hot topics or
      not. Meanwhile, compared with the traditional LDA model, applying hashtag
      attribute in MA-LDA model gives the core words an artificially high ranking in
      results meaning the expressiveness of outcomes can be improved. Empirical
      evaluations on real data sets demonstrate that our method is able to detect hot
      topics more accurately and efficiently compared with several baselines. Our
      method provides strong evidence of the importance of the temporal factor in
      extracting hot topics. 

PMID- 26496637
TI  - Directing and Boosting of Cell Migration by the Entropic Force Gradient in
      Polymer Solution.
AB  - Noncontact manipulation of nano/micromaterials presents a great challenge in
      fields ranging from biotechnology to nanotechnology. In this study we developed a
      new strategy for the manipulation of molecules and cells based on
      diffusiophoresis driven by a concentration gradient of a polymer solute. By using
      laser focusing in a microfluidic device, we created a sharp concentration
      gradient of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in a solution of this polymer. Because
      diffusiophoresis essentially depends on solute gradients alone, PEG solute
      contrast resulted in trapping of DNA and eukaryotic cells with little material
      dependence. Furthermore, quantitative analysis revealed that the motility of
      migrating cells was enhanced with the PEG concentration, consistent with a
      theoretical model of boosted cell migration. Our results support that a solute
      contrast of polymer can exert an interfacial force gradient that physically
      propels objects and may have application for the manipulation of soft materials. 

PMID- 26496636
TI  - Dynamics Govern Specificity of a Protein-Protein Interface: Substrate Recognition
      by Thrombin.
AB  - Biomolecular recognition is crucial in cellular signal transduction. Signaling is
      mediated through molecular interactions at protein-protein interfaces. Still,
      specificity and promiscuity of protein-protein interfaces cannot be explained
      using simplistic static binding models. Our study rationalizes specificity of the
      prototypic protein-protein interface between thrombin and its peptide substrates
      relying solely on binding site dynamics derived from molecular dynamics
      simulations. We find conformational selection and thus dynamic contributions to
      be a key player in biomolecular recognition. Arising entropic contributions
      complement chemical intuition primarily reflecting enthalpic interaction
      patterns. The paradigm "dynamics govern specificity" might provide direct
      guidance for the identification of specific anchor points in biomolecular
      recognition processes and structure-based drug design. 

PMID- 26496638
TI  - Antagonistic Activities of Novel Peptides from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens PT14
      against Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum.
AB  - Bacillus species have recently drawn attention due to their potential use in the
      biological control of fungal diseases. This paper reports on the antifungal
      activity of novel peptides isolated from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens PT14. Reverse
      phase high-performance liquid chromatography revealed that B. amyloliquefaciens
      PT14 produces five peptides (PT14-1, -2, -3, -4a, and -4b) that exhibit
      antifungal activity but are inactive against bacterial strains. In particular,
      PT14-3 and PT14-4a showed broad-spectrum antifungal activity against Fusarium
      solani and Fusarium oxysporum. The PT14-4a N-terminal amino acid sequence was
      identified through Edman degradation, and a BLAST homology analysis showed it not
      to be identical to any other protein or peptide. PT14-4a displayed strong
      fungicidal activity with minimal inhibitory concentrations of 3.12 mg/L (F.
      solani) and 6.25 mg/L (F. oxysporum), inducing severe morphological deformation
      in the conidia and hyphae. On the other hand, PT14-4a had no detectable hemolytic
      activity. This suggests PT14-4a has the potential to serve as an antifungal agent
      in clinical therapeutic and crop-protection applications. 

PMID- 26496639
TI  - The Influence of Data Resolution on Predicted Distribution and Estimates of
      Extent of Current Protection of Three 'Listed' Deep-Sea Habitats.
AB  - Modelling approaches have the potential to significantly contribute to the
      spatial management of the deep-sea ecosystem in a cost effective manner. However,
      we currently have little understanding of the accuracy of such models, developed
      using limited data, of varying resolution. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the performance of predictive models constructed using non-simulated
      (real world) data of different resolution. Predicted distribution maps for three
      deep-sea habitats were constructed using MaxEnt modelling methods using high
      resolution multibeam bathymetric data and associated terrain derived variables as
      predictors. Model performance was evaluated using repeated 75/25 training/test
      data partitions using AUC and threshold-dependent assessment methods. The overall
      extent and distribution of each habitat, and the percentage contained within an
      existing MPA network were quantified and compared to results from low resolution
      GEBCO models. Predicted spatial extent for scleractinian coral reef and
      Syringammina fragilissima aggregations decreased with an increase in model
      resolution, whereas Pheronema carpenteri total suitable area increased. Distinct
      differences in predicted habitat distribution were observed for all three
      habitats. Estimates of habitat extent contained within the MPA network all
      increased when modelled at fine scale. High resolution models performed better
      than low resolution models according to threshold-dependent evaluation. We
      recommend the use of high resolution multibeam bathymetry data over low
      resolution bathymetry data for use in modelling approaches. We do not recommend
      the use of predictive models to produce absolute values of habitat extent, but
      likely areas of suitable habitat. Assessments of MPA network effectiveness based
      on calculations of percentage area protection (policy driven conservation
      targets) from low resolution models are likely to be fit for purpose. 

PMID- 26496640
TI  - The Direct Actions of GABA, 2'-Methoxy-6-Methylflavone and General Anaesthetics
      at beta3gamma2L GABAA Receptors: Evidence for Receptors with Different Subunit
      Stoichiometries.
AB  - 2'-Methoxy-6-methylflavone (2'MeO6MF) is an anxiolytic flavonoid which has been
      shown to display GABAA receptor (GABAAR) beta2/3-subunit selectivity, a
      pharmacological profile similar to that of the general anaesthetic etomidate.
      Electrophysiological studies suggest that the full agonist action of 2'MeO6MF at
      alpha2beta3gamma2L GABAARs may mediate the flavonoid's in vivo effects. However,
      we found variations in the relative efficacy of 2'MeO6MF (2'MeO6MF-elicited
      current responses normalised to the maximal GABA response) at alpha2beta3gamma2L
      GABAARs due to the presence of mixed receptor populations. To understand which
      receptor subpopulation(s) underlie the variations observed, we conducted a
      systematic investigation of 2'MeO6MF activity at all receptor combinations that
      could theoretically form (alpha2, beta3, gamma2L, alpha2beta3, alpha2gamma2L,
      beta3gamma2L and alpha2beta3gamma2L) in Xenopus oocytes using the two-electrode
      voltage clamp technique. We found that 2'MeO6MF activated non-alpha-containing
      beta3gamma2L receptors. In an attempt to establish the optimal conditions to
      express a uniform population of these receptors, we found that varying the
      relative amounts of beta3:gamma2L subunit mRNAs resulted in differences in the
      level of constitutive activity, the GABA concentration-response relationships,
      and the relative efficacy of 2'MeO6MF activation. Like 2'MeO6MF, general
      anaesthetics such as etomidate and propofol also showed distinct levels of
      relative efficacy across different injection ratios. Based on these results, we
      infer that beta3gamma2L receptors may form with different subunit
      stoichiometries, resulting in the complex pharmacology observed across different
      injection ratios. Moreover, the discovery that GABA and etomidate have direct
      actions at the alpha-lacking beta3gamma2L receptors raises questions about the
      structural requirements for their respective binding sites at GABAARs. 

PMID- 26496641
TI  - Metformin-Derived Growth Inhibition in Renal Cell Carcinoma Depends on miR-21
      Mediated PTEN Expression.
AB  - PURPOSE: Metformin (MF) acts as a tumour-suppressor in renal cell carcinoma (RCC)
      by inhibiting the AKT/mTOR pathway via AMPK activation. Here, we explore the
      influence of miR-21 and its target gene PTEN on MF effects in CAKI-1 and CAKI-2
      cells. METHODS: Proliferation assays (MTS) and qRT-PCR after transient
      transfection with pre- and anti-miR-21 and MF treatment were conducted. AMPK
      dependency was assessed via transfection of siAMPK. The expression of PTEN, AKT
      and miR-21 after transient pre-miR-21 transfection and MF treatment was analysed.
      RESULTS: We demonstrate that CAKI-1 cells, which were found to be less sensitive
      towards MF, showed a significant higher miR-21 and lower PTEN expression than
      CAKI-2. This was confirmed in a primary RCC collective (n = 28): miR-21 and PTEN
      expression correlated negatively. MF treatment lowered miR-21 AMPK-dependently
      and increased PTEN expression in the cell lines. Ectopic miR-21 regulation
      modulated MF sensitivity. Western blot analysis showed that pre-miR-21
      transfection and MF treatment regulated PTEN expression with impact on pAKT
      levels in the cells. CONCLUSIONS: We show that differing MF sensitivity in RCC
      cells is associated with and mediated through the regulation of miR-21/PTEN
      expression with an impact on subsequent AKT signalling. This provides imaginable
      clinical implications regarding MF therapy of RCC patients for the future.

PMID- 26496643
TI  - Correction: Epidermal Micromorphology and Mesophyll Structure of Populus
      euphratica Heteromorphic Leaves at Different Development Stages.

PMID- 26496642
TI  - ROS-Induced JNK and p38 Signaling Is Required for Unpaired Cytokine Activation
      during Drosophila Regeneration.
AB  - Upon apoptotic stimuli, epithelial cells compensate the gaps left by dead cells
      by activating proliferation. This has led to the proposal that dying cells signal
      to surrounding living cells to maintain homeostasis. Although the nature of these
      signals is not clear, reactive oxygen species (ROS) could act as a signaling
      mechanism as they can trigger pro-inflammatory responses to protect epithelia
      from environmental insults. Whether ROS emerge from dead cells and what is the
      genetic response triggered by ROS is pivotal to understand regeneration of
      Drosophila imaginal discs. We genetically induced cell death in wing imaginal
      discs, monitored the production of ROS and analyzed the signals required for
      repair. We found that cell death generates a burst of ROS that propagate to the
      nearby surviving cells. Propagated ROS activate p38 and induce tolerable levels
      of JNK. The activation of JNK and p38 results in the expression of the cytokines
      Unpaired (Upd), which triggers the JAK/STAT signaling pathway required for
      regeneration. Our findings demonstrate that this ROS/JNK/p38/Upd stress
      responsive module restores tissue homeostasis. This module is not only activated
      after cell death induction but also after physical damage and reveals one of the
      earliest responses for imaginal disc regeneration. 

PMID- 26496644
TI  - An Automated Strategy for Unbiased Morphometric Analyses and Classifications of
      Growth Cones In Vitro.
AB  - During neural circuit development, attractive or repulsive guidance cue molecules
      direct growth cones (GCs) to their targets by eliciting cytoskeletal remodeling,
      which is reflected in their morphology. The experimental power of in vitro
      neuronal cultures to assay this process and its molecular mechanisms is well
      established, however, a method to rapidly find and quantify multiple
      morphological aspects of GCs is lacking. To this end, we have developed a free,
      easy to use, and fully automated Fiji macro, Conographer, which accurately
      identifies and measures many morphological parameters of GCs in 2D explant
      culture images. These measurements are then subjected to principle component
      analysis and k-means clustering to mathematically classify the GCs as "collapsed"
      or "extended". The morphological parameters measured for each GC are found to be
      significantly different between collapsed and extended GCs, and are sufficient to
      classify GCs as such with the same level of accuracy as human observers.
      Application of a known collapse-inducing ligand results in significant changes in
      all parameters, resulting in an increase in 'collapsed' GCs determined by k-means
      clustering, as expected. Our strategy provides a powerful tool for exploring the
      relationship between GC morphology and guidance cue signaling, which in
      particular will greatly facilitate high-throughput studies of the effects of
      drugs, gene silencing or overexpression, or any other experimental manipulation
      in the context of an in vitro axon guidance assay. 

PMID- 26496645
TI  - Learning What to Want: Context-Sensitive Preference Learning.
AB  - We have developed a method for learning relative preferences from histories of
      choices made, without requiring an intermediate utility computation. Our method
      infers preferences that are rational in a psychological sense, where agent
      choices result from Bayesian inference of what to do from observable inputs. We
      further characterize conditions on choice histories wherein it is appropriate for
      modelers to describe relative preferences using ordinal utilities, and illustrate
      the importance of the influence of choice history by explaining all major
      categories of context effects using them. Our proposal clarifies the relationship
      between economic and psychological definitions of rationality and rationalizes
      several behaviors heretofore judged irrational by behavioral economists. 

PMID- 26496646
TI  - Availability and Primary Health Care Orientation of Dementia-Related Services in
      Rural Saskatchewan, Canada.
AB  - Community-based services are important for improving outcomes for individuals
      with dementia and their caregivers. This study examined: (a) availability of
      rural dementia-related services in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, and (b)
      orientation of services toward six key attributes of primary health care (i.e.,
      information/education, accessibility, population orientation, coordinated care,
      comprehensiveness, quality of care). Data were collected from 71 rural Home Care
      Assessors via cross-sectional survey. Basic health services were available in
      most communities (e.g., pharmacists, family physicians, palliative care, adult
      day programs, home care, long-term care facilities). Dementia-specific services
      typically were unavailable (e.g., health promotion, counseling, caregiver support
      groups, transportation, week-end/night respite). Mean scores on the primary
      health care orientation scales were low (range 12.4 to 17.5/25). Specific
      services to address needs of rural individuals with dementia and their caregivers
      are limited in availability and fit with primary health care attributes. 

PMID- 26496647
TI  - Gains in Life Expectancy Associated with Higher Education in Men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many studies show large differences in life expectancy across the
      range of education, intelligence, and socio-economic status. As educational
      attainment, intelligence, and socio-economic status are highly interrelated,
      appropriate methods are required to disentangle their separate effects. The aim
      of this paper is to present a novel method to estimate gains in life expectancy
      specifically associated with increased education. Our analysis is based on a
      structural model in which education level, IQ at age 18 and mortality all depend
      on (latent) intelligence. The model allows for (selective) educational choices
      based on observed factors and on an unobserved factor capturing intelligence. Our
      estimates are based on information from health examinations of military
      conscripts born in 1944-1947 in The Netherlands and their vital status through
      age 66 (n = 39,798). RESULTS: Our empirical results show that men with higher
      education have lower mortality. Using structural models to account for education
      choice, the estimated gain in life expectancy for men moving up one educational
      level ranges from 0.3 to 2 years. The estimated gain in months alive over the
      observational period ranges from -1.2 to 5.7 months. The selection effect is
      positive and amounts to a gain of one to two months. Decomposition of the
      selection effect shows that the gain from selection on (latent) intelligence is
      larger than the gain from selection on observed factors and amounts to 1.0 to 1.7
      additional months alive. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm the strong selection
      into education based on socio-economic status and intelligence. They also show
      significant higher life expectancy among individuals with higher education after
      the selectivity of education choice has been taken into account. Based on these
      estimates, it is plausible therefore that increases in education could lead to
      increases in life expectancy.

PMID- 26496648
TI  - Effectiveness Study of Paromomycin IM Injection (PMIM) for the Treatment of
      Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) in Bangladesh.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was conducted in Bangladeshi patients in an outpatient
      setting to support registration of Paromomycin Intramuscular Injection (PMIM) as
      a low-cost treatment option in Bangladesh. METHODOLOGY: This Phase IIIb, open
      label, multi-center, single-arm trial assessed the efficacy and safety of PMIM
      administered at 11 mg/kg (paromomycin base) intramuscularly once daily for 21
      consecutive days to children and adults with VL in a rural outpatient setting in
      Bangladesh. Patients >=5 and <=55 years were eligible if they had signs and
      symptoms of VL (intermittent fever, weight loss/decreased appetite, and enlarged
      spleen), positive rK39 test, and were living in VL-endemic areas. Compliance was
      the percentage of enrolled patients who received 21 daily injections over no more
      than 22 days. Efficacy was evaluated by initial clinical response, defined as
      resolution of fever and reduction of splenomegaly at end of treatment, and final
      clinical response, defined as the absence of new clinical signs and symptoms of
      VL 6 months after end of treatment. Safety was assessed by evaluation of adverse
      events. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A total of 120 subjects (49% pediatric) were
      enrolled. Treatment compliance was 98.3%. Initial clinical response in the Intent
      to-Treat population was 98.3%, and final clinical response 6 months after end of
      treatment was 94.2%. Of the 119 subjects who received >=1 dose of PMIM, 28.6%
      reported at least one adverse event. Injection site pain was the most commonly
      reported adverse event. Reversible renal impairment and/or hearing loss were
      reported in 2 subjects. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: PMIM was an effective and safe
      treatment for VL in Bangladesh. The short treatment duration and lower cost of
      PMIM compared with other treatment options may make this drug a preferred
      treatment to be investigated as part of a combination therapy regimen. This study
      supports the registration of PMIM for use in government health facilities in
      Bangladesh. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01328457.

PMID- 26496649
TI  - Synthesis of a Novel Highly Oleophilic and Highly Hydrophobic Sponge for Rapid
      Oil Spill Cleanup.
AB  - A highly hydrophobic and highly oleophilic sponge was synthesized by simple vapor
      phase deposition followed by polymerization of polypyrrole followed by
      modification with palmitic acid. The prepared sponge shows high absorption
      capacity in the field of separation and removal of different oil spills from
      water surface and was able to emulsify oil/water mixtures. The sponge can be
      compressed repeatedly without collapsing. Therefore, absorbed oils can be readily
      collected by simple mechanical squeezing of the sponge. The prepared hydrophobic
      sponge can collect oil from water in both static and turbulent conditions. The
      proposed method is simple and low cost for the manufacture of highly oleophilic
      and highly hydrophobic sponges, which can be successfully used for effective oil
      spill cleanup and water filtration. 

PMID- 26496650
TI  - Periconceptional Heat Stress of Holstein Dams Is Associated with Differences in
      Daughter Milk Production and Composition during Multiple Lactations.
AB  - Heat stress at the time of conception affects the subsequent milk production of
      primiparous Holstein cows; however, it is unknown whether these effects are
      maintained across multiple lactations. Therefore, the objective of the current
      study was to examine the relationship between periconceptional heat stress and
      measurements of milk production and composition in cows retained within a herd
      for multiple lactations. National Dairy Herd Improvement Association data was
      obtained from Dairy Records Management Systems. Records included milk production
      data and milk composition data from over 75,000 and 44,000 Holstein cows,
      respectively, born between 2000 and 2010 in Florida, Georgia, and Texas.
      Conception dates were calculated by subtracting 276 d from the recorded birth
      date. Records for cows conceived within the months of June, July, and August were
      retained as heat stress conceived (HSC) cows; cows conceived within the months of
      December, January, and February were retained as thermoneutral conceived (TNC)
      contemporaries. Adjusted 305-d mature equivalent milk, protein percent and fat
      percent were evaluated with a mixed model ANOVA using SAS. Milk production was
      significantly affected by periconceptional heat stress. When a significant
      difference or tendency for a difference was detected between the HSC and TNC
      cows, the TNC produced more milk in all but one comparison. The advantage in milk
      production for the TNC cows over the HSC cows ranged from 82 +/- 42 to 399 +/- 61
      kg per lactation. Alterations in fat and protein percentage were variable and
      most often detected in first lactations (first > second or third). Overall, the
      most striking result of this study is the consistency of the relationship between
      HSC and milk production. The nature of this relationship suggests that heat
      stress at or around the time of conception impairs cow milk yield throughout her
      lifetime. 

PMID- 26496651
TI  - Application of retinoic acid improves form and function of tissue engineered
      corneal construct.
AB  - Retinoic acid has recently been shown to control the phenotype and extracellular
      matrix composition of corneal stromal cells cultured in vitro as monolayers. This
      study set out to investigate the effects of retinoic acid on human corneal
      keratocytes within a 3D environment. Human corneal keratocytes were encapsulated
      in collagen gels, which were subsequently compressed under load, and cultured in
      serum-free media supplemented with 10 uM retinoic acid or DMSO vehicle for 30
      days. Cell proliferation was quantified on selected days, while the expression of
      several important keratocytes markers was evaluated at day 30 using RT-PCR and
      immunoblotting. The weight and size of the collagen constructs were measured
      before and after hydration and contraction analyses. Retinoic acid enhanced
      keratocyte proliferation until day 30, whereas cells in control culture
      conditions showed reduced numbers after day 21. Both gene and protein expressions
      of keratocyte-characteristic proteoglycans (keratocan, lumican and decorin),
      corneal crystallins and collagen type I and V were significantly increased
      following retinoic acid supplementation. Retinoic acid also significantly reduced
      the expression of matrix metalloproteases 1, 3 and 9 while not increasing alpha
      smooth muscle actin and fibronectin expression. Furthermore, these effects were
      also correlated with the ability of retinoic acid to significantly inhibit the
      contractility of keratocytes while allowing the build-up of corneal stromal
      extracellular matrix within the 3D constructs. Thus, retinoic acid
      supplementation represents a promising strategy to improve the phenotype of 3D
      cultured keratocytes, and their usefulness as a model of corneal stroma for
      corneal biology and regenerative medicine applications. 

PMID- 26496652
TI  - Effect of fibroin sponge coating on in vivo performance of knitted silk small
      diameter vascular grafts.
AB  - Vascular grafts under 5 mm or less in diameter are not developed due to a problem
      caused by early thrombus formation, neointimal hyperplasia, etc. Bombyx mori silk
      fibroin (SF) which has biodegradability and tissue infiltration is focused as
      tube and coating material of vascular grafts. Coating is an important factor to
      maintain the strength of the anastomotic region of vascular grafts, and to
      prevent the blood leak from the vascular grafts after implantation. Therefore, in
      this research, we focused on the SF concentration of the coating solution, and
      tissue infiltration and remodeling were compared among each SF concentration.
      Silk poly (-ethylene) glycol diglycidyl ether (PGDE) coating with concentrations
      of 1.0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, and 7.5% SF were applied for the double-raschel knitted
      small-sized vessel with 1.5 mm diameter and 1cm in length. The grafts were
      implanted in the rat abdominal aorta and removed after 3 weeks or 3 months.
      Vascular grafts patency was monitored by ultrasound, and morphological evaluation
      was performed by histopathological examination. SF concentration had no
      significant effects on the patency rate. However, tissue infiltration was
      significantly higher in the sample of 2.5% SF in 3 weeks, and 1.0% and 2.5% SF in
      3 months. Also, in comparison of length inside of the graft, stenosis were not
      found in 3 weeks, however, found with 5.0% and 7.5% in 3 months. From these
      results, it is clear that 2.5% SF coating is the most suitable concentration,
      based on the characteristics of less stenosis, early tissue infiltration, and
      less neointimal hyperplasia.

PMID- 26496654
TI  - Acute Kidney Injury: A Modifiable Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Morbidity and
      Mortality.

PMID- 26496653
TI  - Energy Landscape of Alginate-Epimerase Interactions Assessed by Optical Tweezers
      and Atomic Force Microscopy.
AB  - Mannuronan C-5 epimerases are a family of enzymes that catalyze epimerization of
      alginates at the polymer level. This group of enzymes thus enables the tailor
      making of various alginate residue sequences to attain various functional
      properties, e.g. viscosity, gelation and ion binding. Here, the interactions
      between epimerases AlgE4 and AlgE6 and alginate substrates as well as
      epimerization products were determined. The interactions of the various epimerase
      polysaccharide pairs were determined over an extended range of force loading
      rates by the combined use of optical tweezers and atomic force microscopy. When
      studying systems that in nature are not subjected to external forces the access
      to observations obtained at low loading rates, as provided by optical tweezers,
      is a great advantage since the low loading rate region for these systems reflect
      the properties of the rate limiting energy barrier. The AlgE epimerases have a
      modular structure comprising both A and R modules, and the role of each of these
      modules in the epimerization process were examined through studies of the A-
      module of AlgE6, AlgE6A. Dynamic strength spectra obtained through combination of
      atomic force microscopy and the optical tweezers revealed the existence of two
      energy barriers in the alginate-epimerase complexes, of which one was not
      revealed in previous AFM based studies of these complexes. Furthermore, based on
      these spectra estimates of the locations of energy transition states (xbeta),
      lifetimes in the absence of external perturbation (tau0) and free energies
      (DeltaG#) were determined for the different epimerase-alginate complexes. This is
      the first determination of DeltaG# for these complexes. The values determined
      were up to 8 kBT for the outer barrier, and smaller values for the inner
      barriers. The size of the free energies determined are consistent with the
      interpretation that the enzyme and substrate are thus not tightly locked at all
      times but are able to relocate. Together with the observed different affinities
      determined for AlgE4-polymannuronic acid (poly-M) and AlgE4-polyalternating
      alginate (poly-MG) macromolecular pairs these data give important contribution to
      the growing understanding of the mechanisms underlying the processive mode of
      these enzymes. 

PMID- 26496655
TI  - Nanoparticle Superlattices as Efficient Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Water
      Splitting.
AB  - The solar-driven water splitting process is highly attractive for alternative
      energy utilization, while developing efficient, earth-abundant, bifunctional
      catalysts for both oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction has
      remained as a major challenge. Herein, we develop an ordered CoMnO@CN
      superlattice structure as an efficient bifunctional water-splitting
      electrocatalyst, in which uniform Co-Mn oxide (CoMnO) nanoparticles are coated
      with a thin, continuous nitrogen-doped carbon (CN) framework. The CoMnO
      nanoparticles enable optimized OER activity with effective electronic structure
      configuration, and the CN framework serves as an excellent HER catalyst.
      Importantly, the ordered superlattice structure is beneficial for enhanced
      reactive sites, efficient charge transfer, and structural stability. This
      bifunctional superlattice catalyst manifests optimized current densities and
      electrochemical stability in overall water splitting, outperforming most of the
      previously reported single- or bifunctional electrocatalysts. Combining with a
      silicon photovoltaic cell, this CoMnO@CN superlattice bifunctional catalyst
      enables unassisted solar water splitting continuously for ~5 days with a solar-to
      hydrogen conversion efficiency of ~8.0%. Our discovery suggests that these
      transition metal oxide-based superlattices may serve as a unique structure
      modality for efficient bifunctional water splitting electrocatalysts with scale
      up potentials. 

PMID- 26496657
TI  - Determining the Site of Accessory Pathways in Orthodromic Reciprocating
      Tachycardia by Using the Response to Right Ventricular Pacing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postpacing interval (PPI) after right ventricular (RV) pacing
      entrainment minus tachycardia cycle length (TCL) with a correction for
      atrioventricular (AV) node delay (corrected PPI-TCL) was useful to differentiate
      atrioventricular node reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) from orthodromic
      reciprocating tachycardia (ORT). However, the value of corrected PPI-TCL in
      determining the site of the accessory pathway (AP) in ORT has not been
      investigated. The purpose of this study was to assess whether the corrected PPI
      TCL is useful in differentiating ORT using a left-sided AP from a right-sided AP.
      METHODS: We studied 52 patients with ORT using a left-sided AP and 13 patients
      with a right-sided AP. The PPI was measured upon cessation of the RV pacing at a
      cycle length 10-40 ms shorter than the TCL. The corrected PPI-TCL was calculated
      from the subtraction of the increment in AV nodal conduction time of the first
      PPI from the PPI-TCL. RESULTS: The mean corrected PPI-TCL was 83 +/- 20 ms in
      patients with ORT using a left-sided AP and 27 +/- 19 ms in patients with a right
      sided AP (P <= 0.001). All patients with ORT using a left-sided AP except three
      patients with left septal AP and none of the patients with ORT using a right
      sided AP had a corrected PPI-TCL > 55 ms. CONCLUSIONS: The corrected PPI-TCL
      after the RV pacing entrainment is useful to guide differentiating ORT using a
      left-sided AP from a right-sided AP.

PMID- 26496656
TI  - Critical Roles of the Direct GABAergic Pallido-cortical Pathway in Controlling
      Absence Seizures.
AB  - The basal ganglia (BG), serving as an intermediate bridge between the cerebral
      cortex and thalamus, are believed to play crucial roles in controlling absence
      seizure activities generated by the pathological corticothalamic system. Inspired
      by recent experiments, here we systematically investigate the contribution of a
      novel identified GABAergic pallido-cortical pathway, projecting from the globus
      pallidus externa (GPe) in the BG to the cerebral cortex, to the control of
      absence seizures. By computational modelling, we find that both increasing the
      activation of GPe neurons and enhancing the coupling strength of the inhibitory
      pallido-cortical pathway can suppress the bilaterally synchronous 2-4 Hz spike
      and wave discharges (SWDs) during absence seizures. Appropriate tuning of several
      GPe-related pathways may also trigger the SWD suppression, through modulating the
      activation level of GPe neurons. Furthermore, we show that the previously
      discovered bidirectional control of absence seizures due to the competition
      between other two BG output pathways also exists in our established model.
      Importantly, such bidirectional control is shaped by the coupling strength of
      this direct GABAergic pallido-cortical pathway. Our work suggests that the novel
      identified pallido-cortical pathway has a functional role in controlling absence
      seizures and the presented results might provide testable hypotheses for future
      experimental studies. 

PMID- 26496658
TI  - A retrospective evaluation of the association of celiac disease and growth
      hormone deficiency: more than a casual association?
AB  - BACKGROUND: A transient dysfunction of the endocrine growth axis has been
      reported in celiac disease (CD). This apparent growth hormone deficiency (GHD)
      generally normalizes with the institution of a gluten-free diet (GFD). However,
      in few cases, the dysfunction of the GH axis persists despite a good adherence to
      the GFD. Aims of this study were to investigate pediatric patients with
      concurrent CD and GHD and to compare them with patients with isolated CD.
      METHODS: Data regarding CD patients with and without associated GHD were
      retrospectively collected. Inclusion criteria were availability of anthropometric
      and laboratory data at baseline and regularly at the reference center up to a 2
      year follow-up. In case of poor catch-up growth despite a good adherence to the
      GFD, endocrinological investigation was carried on. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients
      with CD were included. Four (7.5%) out of 53 CD patients had a concurrent GHD. In
      two cases, firstly diagnosed with CD, GHD was suspected because of a poor catch
      up growth despite a good adherence to the GFD. In two other cases, firstly
      diagnosed with GHD, gastrointestinal symptoms revealed the diagnosis of CD.
      Normalization of height velocity was achieved by GH treatment in all cases. No
      statistical significant difference between the two groups of patients was found
      as regard laboratory and histological features of CD. It is to note that 2 out of
      4 patients with concomitant CD and GHD had thyroiditis compared to 6% of patients
      with isolated CD (P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of CD and GHD
      association was found. CD patients with poor catch-up growth despite a good
      adherence to the GFD should be carefully investigated for endocrine disorders.

PMID- 26496660
TI  - Rotating Ring-Disk Electrode and Quantum-Chemical Study of the Electrochemical
      Reduction of Monoiodoacetic Acid and Iodoform.
AB  - This study examined the electrochemical (EC) reduction of monoiodoacetic acid
      (MIAA) and iodoform (CHI3), which are typical iodine-containing disinfection
      byproducts (I-DBPs). Experiments carried out using the method of a rotating ring
      disk electrode (RRDE) with a gold working electrode showed that the reduction of
      CHI3 and MIAA is diffusion-controlled. The MIAA diffusion coefficient was
      determined to be (1.86 +/- 0.24).10(-5) cm(2) s(-1). The yield of the iodide ion
      formed as a result of MIAA or CHI3 reduction was affected by the presence of
      dissolved organic matter (DOM) and resorcinol. Increasing concentrations of DOM
      or resorcinol did not affect the EC reduction of the examined I-DBPs, but the
      formation of iodide was suppressed. This indicated that free iodine, .I, was
      formed as a result of the first step in the EC reduction of MIAA and CHI3. This
      also indicated that the pathway of the EC reduction of MIAA and CHI3 was
      different from that typical for the reduction of Br- and Cl-containing DBPs, in
      which case Br(-) or Cl(-) tend to be formed as a result of the electron transfer.
      Quantum-chemical (QC) calculations confirmed the thermodynamic likelihood of and
      possible preference to the formation of free iodine species as a result of the EC
      reduction of MIAA, CHI3, and other I-DBPs. 

PMID- 26496661
TI  - Delayed Exciton Emission and Its Relation to Blinking in CdSe Quantum Dots.
AB  - The efficiency and stability of emission from semiconductor nanocrystal quantum
      dots (QDs) is negatively affected by "blinking" on the single-nanocrystal level,
      that is, random alternation of bright and dark periods. The time scales of these
      fluctuations can be as long as many seconds, orders of magnitude longer than
      typical lifetimes of exciton states in QDs. In this work, we investigate
      photoluminescence from QDs delayed over microseconds to milliseconds. Our results
      prove the existence of long-lived charge-separated states in QDs. We study the
      properties of delayed emission as a direct way to learn about charge carrier
      separation and recovery of the exciton state. A new microscopic model is
      developed to connect delayed emission to exciton recombination and blinking from
      which we conclude that bright periods in blinking are in fact not characterized
      by uninterrupted optical cycling as often assumed. 

PMID- 26496659
TI  - Cooperative Effects of FOXL2 with the Members of TGF-beta Superfamily on FSH
      Receptor mRNA Expression and Granulosa Cell Proliferation from Hen
      Prehierarchical Follicles.
AB  - Forkhead box L2 (FOXL2) is a member of the forkhead nuclear factor 3 gene family
      and plays an essential role in ovarian growth and maturation in mammals. However,
      its potential effects and regulative mechanism in development of chicken ovarian
      prehierarchical follicles remain unexplored. In this study, the cooperative
      effects of FOXL2 with activin A, growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF9) and
      follistatin, three members of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta)
      superfamily that were previously suggested to exert a critical role in follicle
      development was investigated. We demonstrated herein, using in-situ
      hybridization, Northern blot and immunohistochemical analyses of oocytes and
      granulosa cells in various sizes of prehierarchical follicles that both FOXL2
      transcripts and FOXL2 proteins are predominantly expressed in a highly similar
      expression pattern to that of GDF9 gene. In addition, the FOXL2 transcript was
      found at lower levels in theca cells in the absence of GDF9. Furthermore, culture
      of granulosa cells (GCs) from the prehierarchical follicles (6-8 mm) in
      conditioned medium revealed that in the pcDNA3.0-FOXL2 transfected GCs, there was
      a more dramatic increase in FSHR mRNA expression after treatment with activin A
      (10 ng/ml) or GDF9 (100 ng/ml) for 24 h which caused a stimulatory effect on the
      GC proliferation. In contrast, a significant decrease of FSHR mRNA was detected
      after treatment with follistatin (50 ng/ml) and resulted in an inhibitory effect
      on the cell proliferation. The results of this suggested that FOXL2 plays a
      bidirectional modulating role involved in the intracellular FSHR transcription
      and GC proliferation via an autocrine regulatory mechanism in a positive or
      negative manner through cooperation with activin A and/or GDF9, and follistatin
      in the hen follicle development. This cooperative action may be mediated by the
      examined Smad signals and simultaneously implicated in modulation of the StAR,
      CCND2, and CYP11A1 expression. 

PMID- 26496664
TI  - Abstracts of the UK Stroke Forum 2015 Conference, 1-3 December 2015, Liverpool,
      UK.

PMID- 26496662
TI  - Myelin-specific T cells induce interleukin-1beta expression in lesion-reactive
      microglial-like cells in zones of axonal degeneration.
AB  - Infiltration of myelin-specific T cells into the central nervous system induces
      the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in patients with multiple sclerosis
      (MS). We have previously shown that myelin-specific T cells are recruited into
      zones of axonal degeneration, where they stimulate lesion-reactive microglia. To
      gain mechanistic insight, we used RNA microarray analysis to compare the
      transcript profile in hippocampi from perforant pathway axonal-lesioned mice with
      and without adoptively transferred myelin-specific T cells 2 days postlesion,
      when microglia are clearly lesion reactive. Pathway analysis revealed that, among
      the 1,447 differently expressed transcripts, the interleukin (IL)-1 pathway
      including all IL-1 receptor ligands was upregulated in the presence of myelin
      specific T cells. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed increased mRNA
      levels of IL-1beta, IL-1alpha, and IL-1 receptor antagonist in the T-cell
      infiltrated hippocampi from axonal-lesioned mice. In situ hybridization and
      immunohistochemistry showed a T-cell-enhanced lesion-specific expression of IL
      1beta mRNA and protein, respectively, and induction of the apoptosis-associated
      speck-like protein, ASC, in CD11b(+) cells. Double in situ hybridization showed
      colocalization of IL-1beta mRNA in a subset of CD11b mRNA(+) cells, of which many
      were part of cellular doublets or clusters, characteristic of proliferating,
      lesion-reactive microglia. Double-immunofluorescence showed a T-cell-enhanced
      colocalization of IL-1beta to CD11b(+) cells, including lesion-reactive CD11b(+)
      ramified microglia. These results suggest that myelin-specific T cells stimulate
      lesion-reactive microglial-like cells to produce IL-1beta. These findings are
      relevant to understand the consequences of T-cell infiltration in white and gray
      matter lesions in patients with MS.

PMID- 26496663
TI  - Bacterial Quorum Sensing Inhibition Activity of the Traditional Chinese Herbs,
      Ficus carica L. and Perilla frutescens.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quorum sensing (QS), as the basis of bacterial cell-to-cell
      communication, is a promising approach to reduce the incidence of multidrug
      resistance. The objective of this study was to search for novel quorum sensing
      inhibitors from plants and control detrimental infections. METHODS: The crude
      extracts of Ficus carica and Perilla frutescens were examined for their anti-QS
      properties. Powdered plant samples were treated sequentially with organic
      solvents of increasing polarity. The extracts of each solvent were concentrated
      in vacuo to give crude extracts and tested against Chromobacterium violaceum
      CV026 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 especially. Anti-QS activity was measured
      by quantifying violacein production and swarming motility. RESULTS: All extracts
      of these two plants display anti-QS ability. Interestingly, the extract of F.
      carica with dichloromethane and of P. frutescens with MeOH exhibited the most
      pronounced inhibition of QS activity. CONCLUSIONS: These two plants can offer
      bioactive natural products with potential for attenuating pathogens.

PMID- 26496665
TI  - In reference to "Variation in printed handoff documents: Results and
      recommendations from a multicenter needs assessment".

PMID- 26496666
TI  - Short-Term and Working Memory Impairments in Early-Implanted, Long-Term Cochlear
      Implant Users Are Independent of Audibility and Speech Production.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether early-implanted, long-term cochlear implant (CI)
      users display delays in verbal short-term and working memory capacity when
      processes related to audibility and speech production are eliminated. DESIGN:
      Twenty-three long-term CI users and 23 normal-hearing controls each completed
      forward and backward digit span tasks under testing conditions that differed in
      presentation modality (auditory or visual) and response output (spoken recall or
      manual pointing). RESULTS: Normal-hearing controls reproduced more lists of
      digits than the CI users, even when the test items were presented visually and
      the responses were made manually via touchscreen response. CONCLUSIONS: Short
      term and working memory delays observed in CI users are not due to greater
      demands from peripheral sensory processes such as audibility or from overt speech
      motor planning and response output organization. Instead, CI users are less
      efficient at encoding and maintaining phonological representations in verbal
      short-term memory using phonological and linguistic strategies during memory
      tasks.

PMID- 26496667
TI  - Nanostructured electrolytes for stable lithium electrodeposition in secondary
      batteries.
AB  - Secondary batteries based on lithium are the most important energy storage
      technology for contemporary portable devices. The lithium ion battery (LIB) in
      widespread commercial use today is a compromise technology. It compromises high
      energy, high power, and design flexibility for long cell operating lifetimes and
      safety. Materials science, transport phenomena, and electrochemistry in the
      electrodes and electrolyte that constitute such batteries are areas of active
      study worldwide because significant improvements in storage capacity and cell
      lifetime are required to meet new demands, including the electrification of
      transportation and for powering emerging autonomous aircraft and robotics
      technologies. By replacing the carbonaceous host material used as the anode in an
      LIB with metallic lithium, rechargeable lithium metal batteries (LMBs) with
      higher storage capacity and compatibility with low-cost, high-energy, unlithiated
      cathodes such as sulfur, manganese dioxide, carbon dioxide, and oxygen become
      possible. Large-scale, commercial deployment of LMBs are today limited by safety
      concerns associated with unstable electrodeposition and lithium dendrite
      formation during cell recharge. LMBs are also limited by low cell operating
      lifetimes due to parasitic chemical reactions between the electrode and
      electrolyte. These concerns are greater in rechargeable batteries that utilize
      other, more earth abundant metals such as sodium and to some extent even
      aluminum. Inspired by early theoretical works, various strategies have been
      proposed for alleviating dendrite proliferation in LMBs. A commonly held view
      among these early studies is that a high modulus, solid-state electrolyte that
      facilitates fast ion transport, is nonflammable, and presents a strong-enough
      physical barrier to dendrite growth is a requirement for any commercial LMB.
      Unfortunately, poor room-temperature ionic conductivity, challenging processing,
      and the high cost of ceramic electrolytes that meet the modulus and stability
      requirements have to date proven to be insurmountable obstacles to progress. In
      this Account, we first review recent advances in continuum theory for dendrite
      growth and proliferation during metal electrodeposition. We show that the range
      of options for designing electrolytes and separators that stabilize
      electrodeposition is now substantially broader than one might imagine from
      previous literature accounts. In particular, separators designed at the nanoscale
      to constrain ion transport on length scales below a theory-defined cutoff, and
      structured electrolytes in which a fraction of anions are permanently immobilized
      to nanoparticles, to a polymer network or ceramic membrane are considered
      particularly promising for their ability to stabilize electrodeposition of
      lithium metal without compromising ionic conductivity or room temperature battery
      operation. We also review recent progress in designing surface passivation films
      for metallic lithium that facilitate fast deposition of lithium at the
      electrolyte/electrode interface and at the same time protect the lithium from
      parasitic side reactions with liquid electrolytes. A promising finding from both
      theory and experiment is that simple film-forming halide salt additives in a
      conventional liquid electrolyte can substantially extend the lifetime and safety
      of LMBs. 

PMID- 26496668
TI  - Cartilage degeneration and excessive subchondral bone formation in spontaneous
      osteoarthritis involves altered TGF-beta signaling.
AB  - Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) has been demonstrated as a potential
      therapeutic target in osteoarthritis. However, beneficial effects of TGF-beta
      supplement and inhibition have both been reported, suggesting characterization of
      the spatiotemporal distribution of TGF-beta during the whole time course of
      osteoarthritis is important. To investigate the activity of TGF-beta in
      osteoarthritis progression, we collected knee joints from Dunkin-Hartley (DH)
      guinea pigs at 3, 6, 9, and 12-month old (n = 8), which develop spontaneous
      osteoarthritis in a manner extraordinarily similar to humans. Via histology and
      micro-computed tomography (CT) analysis, we found that the joints exhibited
      gradual cartilage degeneration, subchondral plate sclerosis, and elevated bone
      remodeling during aging. The degenerating cartilage showed a progressive switch
      of the expression of phosphorylated Smad2/3 to Smad1/5/8, suggesting dual roles
      of TGF-beta/Smad signaling during chondrocyte terminal differentiation in
      osteoarthritis progression. In subchondral bone, we found that the locations and
      age-related changes of osterix(+) osteoprogenitors were in parallel with active
      TGF-beta, which implied the excessive osteogenesis may link to the activity of
      TGF-beta. Our study, therefore, suggests an association of cartilage degeneration
      and excessive bone remodeling with altered TGF-beta signaling in osteoarthritis
      progression of DH guinea pigs. (c) 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published
      by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:763-770, 2016.

PMID- 26496669
TI  - Otopathology of Vasculitis in Granulomatosis With Polyangitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the temporal bone histopathology of vasculitis in
      granulomatosis with polyangitis. BACKGROUND: Granulomatosis with polyangitis is
      an autoimmune disease that presents as granulomatosis and vasculitis. Otologic
      findings, including otitis media, hearing loss, vertigo, and facial paralysis are
      common in this condition. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The temporal bones of four
      subjects with manifestations of vasculitis attributed to granulomatosis with
      polyangitis were studied under light microscopy. RESULTS: The four subjects had
      manifestations of vasculitis including hemorrhage within the cochlea and
      vestibule, and inflammation and occlusion of vessels in the lateral cochlear wall
      and the vasa nervorum of the facial nerve. CONCLUSIONS: We infer that
      sensorineural hearing loss, vestibulopathy, and facial nerve paresis in
      granulomatosis with polyangitis can be the results of vasculitis.

PMID- 26496670
TI  - Speech Perception of Elderly Cochlear Implant Users Under Different Noise
      Conditions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was the comparison of younger and
      older (>75 yr) CI recipients' performance for speech perception in quiet and in
      competing continuous and fluctuating noise. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective,
      comparative clinical study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS: Fifty
      patients, 25 older and 25 younger than 75 years, with a postlingually acquired
      profound hearing loss who received a cochlear implant at least 1 year before
      study start were enrolled. INTERVENTIONS: Cochlear implantation. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: We measured speech perception using monosyllable (Freiburg
      monosyllables) and sentence materials (Gottingen sentences) in quiet. In
      addition, speech perception for sentences was measured under two different noise
      conditions: with a continuous, speech-simulating noise signal (CCITT noise) and
      the FASTL noise (fluctuating noise). RESULTS: We did not find a significant
      difference between the performance for younger and the older cohort on speech
      perception tasks in quiet for Freiburg monosyllables (63.4% +/- 20% and 61.7% +/-
      18.1%, respectively) and for the Gottingen sentences in quiet (73.5% +/- 24.3%
      and 75% +/- 25%, respectively). No significant difference was observed for
      performance between the two age groups when listening in continuous CCITT noise
      (18.9% +/- 24.0% and 29.5% +/- 25.2% perception score respectively) or in FASTL
      noise (27.8% +/- 24.2% and 34.4% +/- 27.8% perception score, respectively).
      CONCLUSION: There is no supporting evidence from our evaluations of word and
      sentence perception in quiet and noise that elderly CI users older than 75 years
      of age perform more poorly than those younger than 75 years of age.

PMID- 26496671
TI  - Outcomes in Stapedotomy Surgery: The Learning Curve Redefined.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine if the cumulative summation test
      for the learning curve (LC-CUSUM) and the cumulative summation graph (CUSUM) can
      be used to demonstrate landmark points of competence and maintenance of
      proficiency in stapes surgery over a continuous time period. STUDY DESIGN:
      Retrospective review from January 1999 until August 2014. SETTING: Tertiary
      referral hospital. PATIENTS: All adult patients with confirmed otosclerosis.
      INTERVENTION(S): Two-hundred and four primary and revision stapedotomy. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Learning curves were constructed using the CUSUM and LC
      CUSUM. Failure was defined as closure of the ABG >10 dB in less than 10% of
      patients to demonstrate the landmark point of competency and to highlight any
      fluctuations over a prolonged period. RESULTS: When the failure rate was defined
      as closure of the ABG >10 dB, it was not possible to create useful LC-CUSUM and
      CUSUM graphs, but by redefining the failure rate as > 15 dB, competency was
      reached at case 43 and maintained with natural fluctuations occurring between
      cases 137 and 149 and again at case 196. CONCLUSIONS: LC-CUSUM and CUSUM are a
      more robust analytical method of illustrating the learning curve and suggest that
      the traditional benchmark of closure of the ABG <=10 dB in more than 90% of
      patients may need reconsideration. It can also be used as standardized audit
      tools when monitoring results and used to plan future training programs as they
      clearly define a point when novice trainees become competent.

PMID- 26496672
TI  - Incidence of Retrocochlear Pathology Found on MRI in Patients With Non-Pulsatile
      Tinnitus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify the incidence of retrocochlear pathology on MRI in
      patients with non-pulsatile tinnitus. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review.
      SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Adults with MRIs performed between
      March 1, 2008 and February 1, 2014 for non-pulsatile tinnitus with or without
      hearing loss. INTERVENTION: MRI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Incidence of retrocochlear
      pathology. RESULTS: Of the 218 patients who met inclusion criteria, 198 (91.3%)
      had unremarkable MRIs. Six patients (2.7%) had MRI findings that accounted for
      their tinnitus. Of these patients, five had unilateral tinnitus with asymmetric
      hearing loss because of acoustic neuroma found on MRI. One patient presented with
      bilateral tinnitus with asymmetric hearing loss and was found to have a right
      acoustic neuroma. Twenty (9.2%) patients had bilateral or unilateral tinnitus
      without hearing loss, all with unremarkable MRIs. Fourteen patients (6.4%) had
      incidental findings including two acoustic neuromas that were identified
      contralateral to the side of presenting tinnitus. CONCLUSIONS: Imaging should be
      used judiciously in the evaluation of tinnitus. Patients with unilateral tinnitus
      and asymmetric hearing loss were most likely to have abnormal findings. The
      majority of MRIs performed for tinnitus were normal in our study. Given the low
      incidence of MRI findings in the workup of tinnitus, every effort should be made
      to optimize screening protocols. Noncontrasted fast spin-echo T2-weighted MRI
      should be used to assess patients with tinnitus when there is low suspicion for
      retrocochlear pathology. Patients with unilateral non-pulsatile tinnitus with
      symmetric hearing may be observed, but clinical judgement should determine the
      need for further imaging.

PMID- 26496673
TI  - Histopathology of the Human Inner Ear in a Patient With Sensorineural Hearing
      Loss Caused by a Variant in DFNA5.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: Describe the histopathology of the inner ear in a patient with
      hearing loss caused by a pathogenic variant of the DFNA5 gene. BACKGROUND:
      Variants in DFNA5 have been described as causing an autosomal dominant
      nonsyndromic sensorineural hearing loss. To date, there has been no description
      of the histopathology of the inner ear in humans with hearing loss because of
      pathogenic variants in DFNA5. METHODS: Temporal bone histopathology by light
      microscopy, next-generation sequencing (NGS) of DNA obtained from blood, and
      Sanger sequencing of DNA obtained from formalin fixed temporal bone sections.
      RESULTS: Both the temporal bone donor and her daughter were shown to have the
      same pathogenic variant in the DFNA5 gene. The principal histopathologic
      correlates of the hearing loss were loss of the inner and outer hair cells and
      severe degeneration of the stria vascularis and spiral ligament throughout the
      cochlea. In addition, there was severe degeneration of spiral ganglion cells,
      particularly in the basal turn, and degeneration of vestibular neuroepithelium
      and neurons. The donor had undergone unilateral cochlear implantation during
      life. Histopathology demonstrated that the cochlear implant was inserted into the
      scala vestibuli with considerable new bone formation around the track of the
      implanted electrode. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of the histopathology
      of the inner ear in a patient with hearing loss caused by a pathogenic variant in
      the DFNA5 gene.

PMID- 26496674
TI  - Natural Fibers: A Missing Link to Chemical Pollution Dispersion in Aquatic
      Environments.

PMID- 26496676
TI  - "Let's Get This Party Started!": An Analysis of Health Risk Behavior on MTV
      Reality Television Shows.
AB  - Past research has examined portrayals of risk behavior in various media,
      including television, advertising, and film. To address an underexplored area,
      this study analyzed drinking, smoking, and sexual activities in MTV reality
      programming popular among adolescent viewers from 2004 to 2011. Cast members'
      demographic attributes were also examined in relation to their risk behaviors.
      Results demonstrated that drinking and casual sexual behaviors were pervasive
      among cast members. Smoking and more intense sexual behaviors were also present,
      but to a smaller degree. Men and young adult cast members were more likely to
      engage in risk behaviors than women and teenage cast members. Also, ethnic/racial
      minority characters were shown drinking more often than were White cast members.
      Interpretations of these findings are discussed based in social cognitive theory
      and the concept of super peers. Implications for future research are provided. 

PMID- 26496677
TI  - Mesoporous Silica-Based Supports for the Controlled and Targeted Release of
      Bioactive Molecules in the Gastrointestinal Tract.
AB  - Mesoporous silica particles (MSPs) have attracted increasing interest as supports
      in the design of controlled delivery materials. Besides their excellent
      properties as loading supports (that is, large surface area and pore volume), the
      modification of their external surface with molecular/supramolecular ensembles
      allows the design of gated MSPs. Delivery systems based on gated MSPs show "zero
      delivery" until an adequate stimulus is present and triggers gate opening and the
      cargo is released. Encapsulation of bioactive molecules in gated MSPs may improve
      biological stability, facilitate component handling, mask unpleasant sensorial
      properties, and modulate the bioaccessibility of target molecules along the
      gastrointestinal tract. These properties make gated MSPs excellent candidates for
      encapsulating bioactive molecules and their subsequent utilization in the
      formulation of functional foods. This text highlights the most significant
      endogenous triggering stimuli that might be applied to design these site-specific
      delivery systems, as well as the strategies to develop them. Given the novelty of
      using MSPs in the food sector, the benefits and current potential limitations of
      employing MSPs in human food have been identified and discussed. 

PMID- 26496679
TI  - ERRATUM.

PMID- 26496678
TI  - 8th Annual Symposium on Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose (SMBG): April 16-18,
      2015, Republic of Malta.
AB  - International experts in the fields of diabetes, diabetes technology,
      endocrinology, mobile health, sport science, and regulatory issues gathered for
      the 8(th) Annual Symposium on Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose (SMBG) with a
      focus on personalized diabetes management. The aim of this meeting was to
      facilitate new collaborations and research projects to improve the lives of
      people with diabetes. The 2015 meeting comprised a comprehensive scientific
      program, parallel interactive workshops, and two keynote lectures. 

PMID- 26496680
TI  - Pain control in orthodontics using a micropulse vibration device: A randomized
      clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between a micropulse vibration device
      and pain perception during orthodontic treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      study was a parallel group, randomized clinical trial. A total of 58 patients
      meeting eligibility criteria were assigned using block allocation to one of two
      groups: an experimental group using the vibration device or a control group (n  =
      29 for each group). Patients used the device for 20 minutes daily. Patients
      rated pain intensity on a visual analog scale at appropriate intervals during the
      weeks after the separator or archwire appointment. Data were analyzed using
      repeated measures analysis of variance at alpha  =  .05. RESULTS: During the 4
      month test period, significant differences between the micropulse vibration
      device group and the control group for overall pain (P  =  .002) and biting pain
      (P  =  .003) were identified. The authors observed that perceived pain was
      highest at the beginning of the month, following archwire adjustment. CONCLUSION:
      The micropulse vibration device significantly lowered the pain scores for overall
      pain and biting pain during the 4-month study period.

PMID- 26496681
TI  - Severe case of fetal hemolytic disease caused by anti-C(w) requiring serial
      intrauterine transfusions complicated by pancytopenia and cholestasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anti-C(w) are rarely found as a source for severe fetal and neonatal
      hemolytic diseases. We report a case with serial intrauterine transfusions
      complicated by pancytopenia and cholestasis in the neonatal period. CASE REPORT:
      A 37-year-old woman revealed anti-C(w) with a titer of 512 in her fourth
      pregnancy. The fetus developed fetal anemia and a severe hydrops requiring three
      intrauterine red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. After birth at 33 + 0 weeks the
      newborn presented only transfused RBCs and suffered from anemia,
      thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and a cholestatic liver disease. Blood counts
      improved after transfusion of 2 RBC units and one platelet concentrate and
      administration of hematopoietic growth factors. The symptoms of cholestasis
      improved slowly after therapy with ursodeoxycholic acid, vitamins, and medium
      chain triglyceride-enriched formula feeding. CONCLUSION: Anti-C(w) may lead to
      severe fetal anemia and consecutive complications. Surveillance of affected
      pregnancies with high antibody titers using sonographic evaluation of the middle
      cerebral artery peak systolic velocity should be warranted, especially in
      multiparous women.

PMID- 26496682
TI  - Nuclear Pore Complex: From Structural View to Chemical Tools.
AB  - Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are the macromolecular turnstiles between the
      cytoplasm and the nucleus that control the trafficking of proteins, RNAs and
      viruses. The giant NPC structures are extremely complex. Here, I highlight
      several recent findings on NPC architectures, and briefly discuss how chemical
      biologists might use this information to design synthetic devices and improve
      strategies for nuclear drug delivery. 

PMID- 26496684
TI  - Characterization of the Biosynthetic Gene Cluster for Benzoxazole Antibiotics
      A33853 Reveals Unusual Assembly Logic.
AB  - A33853, which shows excellent bioactivity against Leishmania, is a benzoxazole
      family compound formed from two moieties of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid and one 3
      hydroxypicolinic acid. In this study, we have identified the gene cluster
      responsible for the biosynthesis of A33853 in Streptomyces sp. NRRL12068 through
      genome mining and heterologous expression. Bioinformatics analysis and functional
      characterization of the orfs contained in the gene cluster revealed that the
      biosynthesis of A33853 is directed by a group of unusual enzymes. In particular,
      BomK, annotated as a ketosynthase, was found to catalyze the amide bond formation
      between 3-hydroxypicolinic and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid during the assembly of
      A33853. BomJ, a putative ATP-dependent coenzyme A ligase, and BomN, a putative
      amidohydrolase, were further proposed to be involved in the benzoxazole formation
      in A33853 according to gene deletion experiments. Finally, we have successfully
      utilized mutasynthesis to generate two analogs of A33853, which were reported
      previously to possess excellent anti-leishmanial activity. 

PMID- 26496683
TI  - XBP1s Links the Unfolded Protein Response to the Molecular Architecture of Mature
      N-Glycans.
AB  - The molecular architecture of the mature N-glycome is dynamic, with consequences
      for both normal and pathologic processes. Elucidating cellular mechanisms that
      modulate the N-linked glycome is, therefore, crucial. The unfolded protein
      response (UPR) is classically responsible for maintaining proteostasis in the
      secretory pathway by defining levels of chaperones and quality control proteins.
      Here, we employ chemical biology methods for UPR regulation to show that stress
      independent activation of the UPR's XBP1s transcription factor also induces a
      panel of N-glycan maturation-related enzymes. The downstream consequence is a
      distinctive shift toward specific hybrid and complex N-glycans on N-glycoproteins
      produced from XBP1s-activated cells, which we characterize by mass spectrometry.
      Pulse-chase studies attribute this shift specifically to altered N-glycan
      processing, rather than to changes in degradation or secretion rates. Our
      findings implicate XBP1s in a new role for N-glycoprotein biosynthesis, unveiling
      an important link between intracellular stress responses and the molecular
      architecture of extracellular N-glycoproteins. 

PMID- 26496685
TI  - Three Redundant Synthetases Secure Redox-Active Pigment Production in the
      Basidiomycete Paxillus involutus.
AB  - The symbiotic fungus Paxillus involutus serves a critical role in maintaining
      forest ecosystems, which are carbon sinks of global importance. P. involutus
      produces involutin and other 2,5-diarylcyclopentenone pigments that presumably
      assist in the oxidative degradation of lignocellulose via Fenton chemistry. Their
      precise biosynthetic pathways, however, remain obscure. Using a combination of
      biochemical, genetic, and transcriptomic analyses, in addition to stable-isotope
      labeling with synthetic precursors, we show that atromentin is the key
      intermediate. Atromentin is made by tridomain synthetases of high similarity:
      InvA1, InvA2, and InvA5. An inactive atromentin synthetase, InvA3, gained
      activity after a domain swap that replaced its native thioesterase domain with
      that of InvA5. The found degree of multiplex biosynthetic capacity is
      unprecedented with fungi, and highlights the great importance of the metabolite
      for the producer. 

PMID- 26496686
TI  - Fluorinated Sterols Are Suicide Inhibitors of Ergosterol Biosynthesis and Growth
      in Trypanosoma brucei.
AB  - Trypanosoma brucei, the causal agent for sleeping sickness, depends on ergosterol
      for growth. Here, we describe the effects of a mechanism-based inhibitor, 26
      fluorolanosterol (26FL), which converts in vivo to a fluorinated substrate of the
      sterol C24-methyltransferase essential for sterol methylation and function of
      ergosterol, and missing from the human host. 26FL showed potent inhibition of
      ergosterol biosynthesis and growth of procyclic and bloodstream forms while
      having no effect on cholesterol biosynthesis or growth of human epithelial kidney
      cells. During exposure of cloned TbSMT to 26-fluorocholesta-5,7,24-trienol, the
      enzyme is gradually killed as a consequence of the covalent binding of the
      intermediate C25 cation to the active site (kcat/kinact = 0.26 min(-1)/0.24 min(
      1); partition ratio of 1.08), whereas 26FL is non-productively bound. These
      results demonstrate that poisoning of ergosterol biosynthesis by a 26-fluorinated
      Delta(24)-sterol is a promising strategy for developing a new treatment for
      trypanosomiasis. 

PMID- 26496687
TI  - Engineered Domain Swapping as an On/Off Switch for Protein Function.
AB  - Domain swapping occurs when identical proteins exchange segments in reciprocal
      fashion. Natural swapping mechanisms remain poorly understood, and engineered
      swapping has the potential for creating self-assembling biomaterials that encode
      for emergent functions. We demonstrate that induced swapping can be used to
      regulate the function of a target protein. Swapping is triggered by inserting a
      "lever" protein (ubiquitin) into one of four loops of the ribose binding protein
      (RBP) target. The lever splits the target, forcing RBP to refold in trans to
      generate swapped oligomers. Identical RBP-ubiquitin fusions form homo-swapped
      complexes with the ubiquitin domain acting as the hinge. Surprisingly, some pairs
      of non-identical fusions swap more efficiently with each other than they do with
      themselves. Nuclear magnetic resonance experiments reveal that the hinge of these
      hetero-swapped complexes maps to a region of RBP distant from both ubiquitins.
      This design is expected to be applicable to other proteins to convert them into
      functional switches. 

PMID- 26496689
TI  - Epigenetics of T lymphocytes in health and disease.
AB  - The risk of developing autoimmune diseases depends on both genetic and
      environmental factors, with epigenetic mechanisms of regulation potentially
      translating environmental cues into stable modifications in gene expression. Such
      stable memory of a functional state has been deciphered into a number of
      molecular mechanisms that collectively define the epigenetic status of a cell. In
      recent years, it has become increasingly clear that epigenetic modifications are
      highly dynamic and are able to adapt to the changing environment, with important
      impact on the onset and development of a number of diseases. Here, we describe
      some of the epigenetic mechanisms of regulation of cellular functional states in
      T lymphocytes, with a particular focus on DNA methylation. We will also discuss
      current knowledge on the role of epigenetics in autoimmunity and consider open
      questions in the field. 

PMID- 26496688
TI  - Mapping Proteome-Wide Targets of Environmental Chemicals Using Reactivity-Based
      Chemoproteomic Platforms.
AB  - We are exposed to a growing number of chemicals in our environment, most of which
      have not been characterized in terms of their toxicological potential or
      mechanisms. Here, we employ a chemoproteomic platform to map the cysteine
      reactivity of environmental chemicals using reactivity-based probes to mine for
      hyper-reactive hotspots across the proteome. We show that environmental
      contaminants such as monomethylarsonous acid and widely used pesticides such as
      chlorothalonil and chloropicrin possess common reactivity with a distinct set of
      proteins. Many of these proteins are involved in key metabolic processes,
      suggesting that these targets may be particularly sensitive to environmental
      electrophiles. We show that the widely used fungicide chlorothalonil specifically
      inhibits several metabolic enzymes involved in fatty acid metabolism and
      energetics, leading to dysregulated lipid metabolism in mice. Our results
      underscore the utility of using reactivity-based chemoproteomic platforms to
      uncover novel mechanistic insights into the toxicity of environmental chemicals. 

PMID- 26496690
TI  - Developmental Effects of the ToxCastTM Phase I and Phase II Chemicals in
      Caenorhabditis elegans and Corresponding Responses in Zebrafish, Rats, and
      Rabbits.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Modern toxicology is shifting from an observational to a mechanistic
      science. As part of this shift, high-throughput toxicity assays are being
      developed using alternative, nonmammalian species to prioritize chemicals and
      develop prediction models of human toxicity. METHODS: The nematode Caenorhabditis
      elegans (C. elegans) was used to screen the U.S. Environmental Protection
      Agency's (EPA's) ToxCastTM Phase I and Phase II libraries, which contain 292 and
      676 chemicals, respectively, for chemicals leading to decreased larval
      development and growth. Chemical toxicity was evaluated using three parameters: a
      biologically defined effect size threshold, half-maximal activity concentration
      (AC50), and lowest effective concentration (LEC). RESULTS: Across both the Phase
      I and Phase II libraries, 62% of the chemicals were classified as active <= 200
      MUM in the C. elegans assay. Chemical activities and potencies in C. elegans were
      compared with those from two zebrafish embryonic development toxicity studies and
      developmental toxicity data for rats and rabbits. Concordance of chemical
      activity was higher between C. elegans and one zebrafish assay across Phase I
      chemicals (79%) than with a second zebrafish assay (59%). Using C. elegans or
      zebrafish to predict rat or rabbit developmental toxicity resulted in balanced
      accuracies (the average value of the sensitivity and specificity for an assay)
      ranging from 45% to 53%, slightly lower than the concordance between rat and
      rabbit (58%). CONCLUSIONS: Here, we present an assay that quantitatively and
      reliably describes the effects of chemical toxicants on C. elegans growth and
      development. We found significant overlap in the activity of chemicals in the
      ToxCastTM libraries between C. elegans and zebrafish developmental screens.
      Incorporating C. elegans toxicological assays as part of a battery of in vitro
      and in vivo assays provides additional information for the development of models
      to predict a chemical's potential toxicity to humans. CITATION: Boyd WA, Smith
      MV, Co CA, Pirone JR, Rice JR, Shockley KR, Freedman JH. 2016. Developmental
      effects of the ToxCastTM Phase I and II chemicals in Caenorhabditis elegans and
      corresponding responses in zebrafish, rats, and rabbits. Environ Health Perspect
      124:586-593; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409645.

PMID- 26496691
TI  - Predictors of Satisfaction with Dentures in a Cohort of Individuals Wearing Old
      Dentures: Functional Quality or Patient-Reported Measures?
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the extent to which denture satisfaction can be determined by
      a measure of the denture's functional quality and by patient-reported measures.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used data obtained from 117 edentulous
      individuals with a mean age of 73.7 (SD = 5.6) years in southern Brazil. The
      edentulous individuals rated their levels of general satisfaction with their
      actual dentures, using a visual analog scale. Explanatory variables included the
      individual's information about ability to chew, ability to speak, esthetics, and
      sociodemographic factors. The dentures were evaluated using the validated 9-item
      Functional Assessment of Dentures instrument. Bivariate statistical analyses and
      Poisson regression models (prevalence ratio [PR]; 95% CI; p < 0.05) were used to
      test the association of explanatory variables with patients' general satisfaction
      with their complete dentures. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant
      association between patients' general satisfaction and stability of maxillary
      (rocking movement) (adjusted PR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.07-1.52) and mandibular
      dentures (occlusal displacement) (adjusted PR = 1.68; 95% CI: 1.16-2.43),
      masticatory ability (adjusted PR = 1.54; 95% CI: 1.08-2.19), and the age of the
      mandibular denture (adjusted PR = 1.47; 95% CI: 1.10-1.97). CONCLUSIONS: The
      results of this study indicated that measures of denture stability, masticatory
      ability, and age of dentures appeared to be determinants of patients'
      satisfaction with dentures.

PMID- 26496692
TI  - Gravitropism in Arabidopsis thaliana: Root-specific action of the EHB gene and
      violation of the resultant law.
AB  - Gravitropic bending of seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana in response to
      centrifugal accelerations was determined in a range between 0.0025 and 4*g to
      revisit and validate the so-called resultant law, which claims that
      centrifugation causes gravitropic organs to orient parallel to the resultant
      stimulus vector. We show here for seedlings of A. thaliana that this empirical
      law holds for hypocotyls but surprisingly fails for roots. While the behavior of
      hypocotyls could be modeled by an arc tangent function predicted by the resultant
      law, roots displayed a sharp maximum at 1.8*g that substantially overshoots the
      predicted value and that represents a novel phenomenon, diagravitropism elicited
      by centrifugal acceleration. The gravitropic bending critically depended on the
      orientation of the seedling relative to the centrifugal acceleration. If the
      centrifugal vector pointed toward the cotyledons, gravitropic bending of
      hypocotyls and roots was substantially enhanced. The complex behavior of
      Arabidopsis seedlings provides strong evidence that gravitropic bending entails a
      cosine component (longitudinal stimulus) to which the seedlings were more
      sensitive than to the classical sine component. The absolute gravitropic
      thresholds of hypocotyls and roots were determined in a clinostat-centrifuge and
      found to be below 0.015*g. A tropism mutant lacking the EHB1 protein, which
      interacts with ARF-GAP (ARF GTPase-activating protein) and thus indirectly with a
      small ARF-type G protein, displayed a lower gravitropic threshold for roots and
      also enhanced bending, while the responses of the hypocotyls remained nearly
      unaffected. 

PMID- 26496693
TI  - Coincidence summing corrections for point and volume 152Eu sources.
AB  - In this article, the X-ray and gamma-ray coincidence summing effect in (152)Eu is
      studied. Coincidence summing corrections and peak and total efficiencies of point
      and volume sources were determined using the direct matrices multiplication (DMM)
      method. The theoretically evaluated peak count rates were found to be in good
      agreement with the experimentally obtained values. Validation was performed by
      comparing the calculated efficiency curves and the corresponding correction
      factors with the results obtained using GESPECOR 4.2 software. 

PMID- 26496694
TI  - Identification of a Novel Lipoprotein Regulator of Clostridium difficile Spore
      Germination.
AB  - Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive spore-forming pathogen and a leading
      cause of nosocomial diarrhea. C. difficile infections are transmitted when
      ingested spores germinate in the gastrointestinal tract and transform into
      vegetative cells. Germination begins when the germinant receptor CspC detects
      bile salts in the gut. CspC is a subtilisin-like serine pseudoprotease that
      activates the related CspB serine protease through an unknown mechanism.
      Activated CspB cleaves the pro-SleC zymogen, which allows the activated SleC
      cortex hydrolase to degrade the protective cortex layer. While these regulators
      are essential for C. difficile spores to outgrow and form toxin-secreting
      vegetative cells, the mechanisms controlling their function have only been
      partially characterized. In this study, we identify the lipoprotein GerS as a
      novel regulator of C. difficile spore germination using targeted mutagenesis. A
      gerS mutant has a severe germination defect and fails to degrade cortex even
      though it processes SleC at wildtype levels. Using complementation analyses, we
      demonstrate that GerS secretion, but not lipidation, is necessary for GerS to
      activate SleC. Importantly, loss of GerS attenuates the virulence of C. difficile
      in a hamster model of infection. Since GerS appears to be conserved exclusively
      in related Peptostreptococcaeace family members, our results contribute to a
      growing body of work indicating that C. difficile has evolved distinct mechanisms
      for controlling the exit from dormancy relative to B. subtilis and other spore
      forming organisms. 

PMID- 26496695
TI  - Grafting on a Non-Transgenic Tolerant Tomato Variety Confers Resistance to the
      Infection of a Sw5-Breaking Strain of Tomato spotted wilt virus via RNA
      Silencing.
AB  - RNA silencing controls endogenous gene expression and drives defensive reactions
      against invasive nucleic acids like viruses. In plants, it has been demonstrated
      that RNA silencing can be transmitted through grafting between scions and
      silenced rootstocks to attenuate virus and viroid accumulation in the scions.
      This has been obtained mostly using transgenic plants, which may be a drawback in
      current agriculture. In the present study, we examined the dynamics of infection
      of a resistance-breaking strain of Tomato spotted wilt virus (RB-TSWV) through
      the graft between an old Apulian (southern Italy) tomato variety, denoted Sl-Ma,
      used as a rootstock and commercial tomato varieties used as scions. In tests with
      non-grafted plants, Sl-Ma showed resistance to the RB-TSWV infection as viral RNA
      accumulated at low levels and plants recovered from disease symptoms by 21 days
      post inoculation. The resistance trait was transmitted to the otherwise highly
      susceptible tomato genotypes grafted onto Sl-Ma. The results from the analysis of
      small RNAs hallmark genes involved in RNA silencing and virus-induced gene
      silencing suggest that RNA silencing is involved in the resistance showed by Sl
      Ma against RB-TSWV and in scions grafted on this rootstock. The results from self
      grafted susceptible tomato varieties suggest also that RNA silencing is enhanced
      by the graft itself. We can foresee interesting practical implications of the
      approach described in this paper. 

PMID- 26496698
TI  - Antibodies are not required to a protective immune response against dengue virus
      elicited in a mouse encephalitis model.
AB  - Generating neutralizing antibodies have been considered a prerequisite to control
      dengue virus (DENV) infection. However, T lymphocytes have also been shown to be
      important in a protective immune state. In order to investigate the contribution
      of both humoral and cellular immune responses in DENV immunity, we used an
      experimental model in which a non-lethal DENV2 strain (ACS46) is used to
      intracranially prime Balb/C mice which develop protective immunity against a
      lethal DENV2 strain (JHA1). Primed mice generated envelope-specific antibodies
      and CD8(+) T cell responses targeting mainly non-structural proteins. Immune sera
      from protected mice did not confer passive protection to naive mice challenged
      with the JHA1 strain. In contrast, depletion of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocytes
      significantly reduced survival of ACS46-primed mice challenged with the JHA1
      strain. Collectively, results presented in this study show that a cellular immune
      response targeting non-structural proteins are a promising way in vaccine
      development against dengue. 

PMID- 26496696
TI  - Measurement of Systemic Mitochondrial Function in Advanced Primary Open-Angle
      Glaucoma and Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy.
AB  - Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) is a common neurodegenerative disease
      characterized by the selective and gradual loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs).
      Aging and increased intraocular pressure (IOP) are glaucoma risk factors;
      nevertheless patients deteriorate at all levels of IOP, implying other causative
      factors. Recent evidence presents mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation
      (OXPHOS) complex-I impairments in POAG. Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON)
      patients suffer specific and rapid loss of RGCs, predominantly in young adult
      males, due to complex-I mutations in the mitochondrial genome. This study
      directly compares the degree of OXPHOS impairment in POAG and LHON patients,
      testing the hypothesis that the milder clinical disease in POAG is due to a
      milder complex-I impairment. To assess overall mitochondrial capacity, cells can
      be forced to produce ATP primarily from mitochondrial OXPHOS by switching the
      media carbon source to galactose. Under these conditions POAG lymphoblasts grew
      1.47 times slower than controls, whilst LHON lymphoblasts demonstrated a greater
      degree of growth impairment (2.35 times slower). Complex-I enzyme specific
      activity was reduced by 18% in POAG lymphoblasts and by 29% in LHON lymphoblasts.
      We also assessed complex-I ATP synthesis, which was 19% decreased in POAG
      patients and 17% decreased in LHON patients. This study demonstrates both POAG
      and LHON lymphoblasts have impaired complex-I, and in the majority of aspects the
      functional defects in POAG were milder than LHON, which could reflect the milder
      disease development of POAG. This new evidence places POAG in the spectrum of
      mitochondrial optic neuropathies and raises the possibility for new therapeutic
      targets aimed at improving mitochondrial function. 

PMID- 26496697
TI  - Biochemical analysis of the multifunctional vaccinia mRNA capping enzyme encoded
      by a temperature sensitive virus mutant.
AB  - Prior biochemical analysis of the heterodimeric vaccinia virus mRNA capping
      enzyme suggests roles not only in mRNA capping but also in early viral gene
      transcription termination and intermediate viral gene transcription initiation.
      Prior phenotypic characterization of Dts36, a temperature sensitive virus mutant
      affecting the large subunit of the capping enzyme was consistent with the
      multifunctional roles of the capping enzyme in vivo. We report a biochemical
      analysis of the capping enzyme encoded by Dts36. Of the three enzymatic
      activities required for mRNA capping, the guanylyltransferase and
      methyltransferase activities are compromised while the triphosphatase activity
      and the D12 subunit interaction are unaffected. The mutant enzyme is also
      defective in stimulating early gene transcription termination and intermediate
      gene transcription initiation in vitro. These results confirm that the vaccinia
      virus mRNA capping enzyme functions not only in mRNA capping but also early gene
      transcription termination and intermediate gene transcription initiation in vivo.

PMID- 26496699
TI  - The Frequency of Cytidine Editing of Viral DNA Is Differentially Influenced by
      Vpx and Nucleosides during HIV-1 or SIVMAC Infection of Dendritic Cells.
AB  - Two cellular factors are currently known to modulate lentiviral infection
      specifically in myeloid cells: SAMHD1 and APOBEC3A (A3A). SAMHD1 is a
      deoxynucleoside triphosphohydrolase that interferes with viral infection mostly
      by limiting the intracellular concentrations of dNTPs, while A3A is a cytidine
      deaminase that has been described to edit incoming vDNA. The restrictive
      phenotype of myeloid cells can be alleviated through the direct degradation of
      SAMHD1 by the HIV-2/SIVSM Vpx protein or else, at least in the case of HIV-1, by
      the exogenous supplementation of nucleosides that artificially overcome the
      catabolic activity of SAMHD1 on dNTPs. Here, we have used Vpx and dNs to explore
      the relationship existing between vDNA cytidine deamination and SAMHD1 during HIV
      1 or SIVMAC infection of primary dendritic cells. Our results reveal an
      interesting inverse correlation between conditions that promote efficient
      infection of DCs and the extent of vDNA editing that may reflect the different
      susceptibility of vDNA to cytoplasmic effectors during the infection of myeloid
      cells. 

PMID- 26496701
TI  - Image segmentation and registration algorithm to collect thoracic skeleton
      semilandmarks for characterization of age and sex-based thoracic morphology
      variation.
AB  - Thoracic anthropometry variations with age and sex have been reported and likely
      relate to thoracic injury risk and outcome. The objective of this study was to
      collect a large volume of homologous semilandmark data from the thoracic skeleton
      for the purpose of quantifying thoracic morphology variations for males and
      females of ages 0-100 years. A semi-automated image segmentation and registration
      algorithm was applied to collect homologous thoracic skeleton semilandmarks from
      343 normal computed tomography (CT) scans. Rigid, affine, and symmetric
      diffeomorphic transformations were used to register semilandmarks from an atlas
      to homologous locations in the subject-specific coordinate system. Homologous
      semilandmarks were successfully collected from 92% (7077) of the ribs and 100%
      (187) of the sternums included in the study. Between 2700 and 11,000
      semilandmarks were collected from each rib and sternum and over 55 million total
      semilandmarks were collected from all subjects. The extensive landmark data
      collected more fully characterizes thoracic skeleton morphology across ages and
      sexes. Characterization of thoracic morphology with age and sex may help explain
      variations in thoracic injury risk and has important implications for vulnerable
      populations such as pediatrics and the elderly. 

PMID- 26496700
TI  - Role of the YAP Oncoprotein in Priming Ras-Driven Rhabdomyosarcoma.
AB  - Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a cancer characterized by features of skeletal muscle
      histogenesis, is the most common soft tissue sarcoma of childhood and
      adolescence. Survival for high-risk groups is less than 30% at 5 years. RMS also
      occurs during adulthood, with a lower incidence but higher mortality. Recently,
      mutational profiling has revealed a correlation between activating Ras mutations
      in the embryonal (eRMS) and pleomorphic (pRMS) histologic variants of RMS, and a
      poorer outcome for those patients. Independently, the YAP transcriptional
      coactivator, an oncoprotein kept in check by the Hippo tumor suppressor pathway,
      is upregulated in eRMS. Here we show that YAP promotes cell proliferation and
      antagonizes apoptosis and myogenic differentiation of human RMS cells bearing
      oncogenic Ras mutations in cell culture studies in vitro and in murine xenografts
      in vivo. Pharmacologic inhibition of YAP by the benzoporphyrin derivative
      verteporfin decreased cell proliferation and tumor growth in vivo. To interrogate
      the temporal contribution of YAP in eRMS tumorigenesis, we used a primary human
      cell-based genetic model of Ras-driven RMS. Constitutively active YAP functioned
      as an early genetic lesion, permitting bypass of senescence and priming myoblasts
      to tolerate subsequent expression of hTERT and oncogenic Ras, which were
      necessary and sufficient to generate murine xenograft tumors mimicking RMS in
      vivo. This work provides evidence for cooperation between YAP and oncogenic Ras
      in RMS tumorigenesis, laying the foundation for preclinical co-targeting of these
      pathways. 

PMID- 26496702
TI  - Nonlinear analysis of EEGs of patients with major depression during different
      emotional states.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have
      dysfunctions in cognitive behaviors and the regulation of emotions, the
      underlying brain dynamics of the pathophysiology are unclear. Therefore,
      nonlinear techniques can be used to understand the dynamic behavior of the EEG
      signals of MDD patients. METHODS: To investigate and clarify the dynamics of MDD
      patients' brains during different emotional states, EEG recordings were analyzed
      using nonlinear techniques. The purpose of the present study was to assess
      whether there are different EEG complexities that discriminate between MDD
      patients and healthy controls during emotional processing. Therefore, nonlinear
      parameters, such as Katz fractal dimension (KFD), Higuchi fractal dimension
      (HFD), Shannon entropy (ShEn), Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZC) and Kolmogorov
      complexity (KC), were computed from the EEG signals of two groups under different
      experimental states: noise (negative emotional content) and music (positive
      emotional content) periods. RESULTS: First, higher complexity values were
      generated by MDD patients relative to controls. Significant differences were
      obtained in the frontal and parietal scalp locations using KFD (p<0.001), HFD
      (p<0.05), and LZC (p=0.05). Second, lower complexities were observed only in the
      controls when they were subjected to music compared to the resting baseline state
      in the frontal (p<0.05) and parietal (p=0.005) regions. In contrast, the LZC and
      KFD values of patients increased in the music period compared to the resting
      state in the frontal region (p<0.05). Third, the patients' brains had higher
      complexities when they were exposed to noise stimulus than did the controls'
      brains. Moreover, MDD patients' negative emotional bias was demonstrated by their
      higher brain complexities during the noise period than the music stimulus.
      Additionally, we found that the KFD, HFD and LZC values were more sensitive in
      discriminating between patients and controls than the ShEn and KC measures,
      according to the results of ANOVA and ROC calculations. CONCLUSION: It can be
      concluded that the nonlinear analysis may be a useful and discriminative tool in
      investigating the neuro-dynamic properties of the brain in patients with MDD
      during emotional stimulation.

PMID- 26496703
TI  - Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus-Related Henoch-Schonlein Purpura
      Treated Without Systemic Immunosuppressants.

PMID- 26496704
TI  - Characterization of Dnmt1 Binding and DNA Methylation on Nucleosomes and
      Nucleosomal Arrays.
AB  - The packaging of DNA into nucleosomes and the organisation into higher order
      structures of chromatin limits the access of sequence specific DNA binding
      factors to DNA. In cells, DNA methylation is preferentially occuring in the
      linker region of nucleosomes, suggesting a structural impact of chromatin on DNA
      methylation. These observations raise the question whether DNA methyltransferases
      are capable to recognize the nucleosomal substrates and to modify the packaged
      DNA. Here, we performed a detailed analysis of nucleosome binding and nucleosomal
      DNA methylation by the maintenance DNA methyltransferase Dnmt1. Our binding
      studies show that Dnmt1 has a DNA length sensing activity, binding cooperatively
      to DNA, and requiring a minimal DNA length of 20 bp. Dnmt1 needs linker DNA to
      bind to nucleosomes and most efficiently recognizes nucleosomes with symmetric
      DNA linkers. Footprinting experiments reveal that Dnmt1 binds to both DNA linkers
      exiting the nucleosome core. The binding pattern correlates with the efficient
      methylation of DNA linkers. However, the enzyme lacks the ability to methylate
      nucleosomal CpG sites on mononucleosomes and nucleosomal arrays, unless chromatin
      remodeling enzymes create a dynamic chromatin state. In addition, our results
      show that Dnmt1 functionally interacts with specific chromatin remodeling enzymes
      to enable complete methylation of hemi-methylated DNA in chromatin. 

PMID- 26496705
TI  - Optimal Allocation of Node Capacity in Cascade-Robustness Networks.
AB  - The robustness of large scale critical infrastructures, which can be modeled as
      complex networks, is of great significance. One of the most important means to
      enhance robustness is to optimize the allocation of resources. Traditional
      allocation of resources is mainly based on the topology information, which is
      neither realistic nor systematic. In this paper, we try to build a framework for
      searching for the most favorable pattern of node capacity allocation to reduce
      the vulnerability to cascading failures at a low cost. A nonlinear and multi
      objective optimization model is proposed and tackled using a particle swarm
      optimization algorithm (PSO). It is found that the network becomes more robust
      and economical when less capacity is left on the heavily loaded nodes and the
      optimized network performs better resisting noise. Our work is helpful in
      designing a robust economical network. 

PMID- 26496706
TI  - The RNAPII-CTD Maintains Genome Integrity through Inhibition of Retrotransposon
      Gene Expression and Transposition.
AB  - RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) contains a unique C-terminal domain that is composed
      of heptapeptide repeats and which plays important regulatory roles during gene
      expression. RNAPII is responsible for the transcription of most protein-coding
      genes, a subset of non-coding genes, and retrotransposons. Retrotransposon
      transcription is the first step in their multiplication cycle, given that the RNA
      intermediate is required for the synthesis of cDNA, the material that is
      ultimately incorporated into a new genomic location. Retrotransposition can have
      grave consequences to genome integrity, as integration events can change the gene
      expression landscape or lead to alteration or loss of genetic information. Given
      that RNAPII transcribes retrotransposons, we sought to investigate if the RNAPII
      CTD played a role in the regulation of retrotransposon gene expression.
      Importantly, we found that the RNAPII-CTD functioned to maintaining genome
      integrity through inhibition of retrotransposon gene expression, as reducing CTD
      length significantly increased expression and transposition rates of Ty1
      elements. Mechanistically, the increased Ty1 mRNA levels in the rpb1-CTD11 mutant
      were partly due to Cdk8-dependent alterations to the RNAPII-CTD phosphorylation
      status. In addition, Cdk8 alone contributed to Ty1 gene expression regulation by
      altering the occupancy of the gene-specific transcription factor Ste12. Loss of
      STE12 and TEC1 suppressed growth phenotypes of the RNAPII-CTD truncation mutant.
      Collectively, our results implicate Ste12 and Tec1 as general and important
      contributors to the Cdk8, RNAPII-CTD regulatory circuitry as it relates to the
      maintenance of genome integrity. 

PMID- 26496707
TI  - Single-Item Measurement of Suicidal Behaviors: Validity and Consequences of
      Misclassification.
AB  - Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide. Although research has made strides
      in better defining suicidal behaviors, there has been less focus on accurate
      measurement. Currently, the widespread use of self-report, single-item questions
      to assess suicide ideation, plans and attempts may contribute to measurement
      problems and misclassification. We examined the validity of single-item
      measurement and the potential for statistical errors. Over 1,500 participants
      completed an online survey containing single-item questions regarding a history
      of suicidal behaviors, followed by questions with more precise language, multiple
      response options and narrative responses to examine the validity of single-item
      questions. We also conducted simulations to test whether common statistical tests
      are robust against the degree of misclassification produced by the use of single
      items. We found that 11.3% of participants that endorsed a single-item suicide
      attempt measure engaged in behavior that would not meet the standard definition
      of a suicide attempt. Similarly, 8.8% of those who endorsed a single-item measure
      of suicide ideation endorsed thoughts that would not meet standard definitions of
      suicide ideation. Statistical simulations revealed that this level of
      misclassification substantially decreases statistical power and increases the
      likelihood of false conclusions from statistical tests. Providing a wider range
      of response options for each item reduced the misclassification rate by
      approximately half. Overall, the use of single-item, self-report questions to
      assess the presence of suicidal behaviors leads to misclassification, increasing
      the likelihood of statistical decision errors. Improving the measurement of
      suicidal behaviors is critical to increase understanding and prevention of
      suicide. 

PMID- 26496708
TI  - Improving the pH-stability of Versatile Peroxidase by Comparative Structural
      Analysis with a Naturally-Stable Manganese Peroxidase.
AB  - Versatile peroxidase (VP) from the white-rot fungus Pleurotus eryngii is a high
      redox potential peroxidase of biotechnological interest able to oxidize a wide
      range of recalcitrant substrates including lignin, phenolic and non-phenolic
      aromatic compounds and dyes. However, the relatively low stability towards pH of
      this and other fungal peroxidases is a drawback for their industrial application.
      A strategy based on the comparative analysis of the crystal structures of VP and
      the highly pH-stable manganese peroxidase (MnP4) from Pleurotus ostreatus was
      followed to improve the VP pH stability. Several interactions, including hydrogen
      bonds and salt bridges, and charged residues exposed to the solvent were
      identified as putatively contributing to the pH stability of MnP4. The eight
      amino acid residues responsible for these interactions and seven surface basic
      residues were introduced into VP by directed mutagenesis. Furthermore, two
      cysteines were also included to explore the effect of an extra disulfide bond
      stabilizing the distal Ca2+ region. Three of the four designed variants were
      crystallized and new interactions were confirmed, being correlated with the
      observed improvement in pH stability. The extra hydrogen bonds and salt bridges
      stabilized the heme pocket at acidic and neutral pH as revealed by UV-visible
      spectroscopy. They led to a VP variant that retained a significant percentage of
      the initial activity at both pH 3.5 (61% after 24 h) and pH 7 (55% after 120 h)
      compared with the native enzyme, which was almost completely inactivated. The
      introduction of extra solvent-exposed basic residues and an additional disulfide
      bond into the above variant further improved the stability at acidic pH (85%
      residual activity at pH 3.5 after 24 h when introduced separately, and 64% at pH
      3 when introduced together). The analysis of the results provides a rational
      explanation to the pH stability improvement achieved. 

PMID- 26496710
TI  - Effects of Forest Gaps on Soil Properties in Castanopsis kawakamii Nature Forest.
AB  - The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of forest gaps on the variations
      of soil properties in Castanopsis kawakamii natural forest. Soil physical and
      chemical properties in various sizes and development stages were studied in C.
      kawakamii natural forest gaps. The results showed that forest gaps in various
      sizes and development stages could improve soil pore space structure and water
      characteristics, which may effectively promote the water absorbing capacity for
      plant root growth and play an important role in forest regeneration. Soil pore
      space structure and water characteristics in small gaps showed more obvious
      improvements, followed by the medium and large gaps. Soil pore space structure
      and water characteristics in the later development stage of forest gaps
      demonstrated more obvious improvements, followed by the early and medium
      development stages. The contents of hydrolysable N and available K in various
      sizes and development stages of forest gaps were higher than those of non-gaps,
      whereas the contents of total N, total P, available P, organic matter, and
      organic carbon were lower. The contents of total N, hydrolysable N, available K,
      organic matter, and organic carbon in medium gaps were higher than those of large
      and small gaps. The disturbance of forest gaps could improve the soils' physical
      and chemical properties and increase the population species' richness, which
      would provide an ecological basis for the species coexistence in C. kawakamii
      natural forest. 

PMID- 26496709
TI  - A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study to Investigate the Utility of a
      Picture Imagination Task in Investigating Neural Responses in Patients with
      Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain to Daily Physical Activity Photographs.
AB  - Pain-related anxiety and fear are associated with increased difficulties in
      attention, increased awareness of pain, impaired disengagement from pain, and can
      moderate the effects of attentional coping attempts. Accurately assessing the
      direct impact of pain-related anxiety and fear on pain behavior has proved
      difficult. Studies have demonstrated no or limited influence of pain-related fear
      and anxiety on behavior but this may be due to inherent problems with the scales
      used. Neuroimaging has improved the understanding of neural processes underlying
      the factors that influence pain perception. This study aimed to establish if a
      Picture and Imagination Task (PIT), largely developed from the Photographs of
      Daily Activity (PHODA) assessment tool, could help explore how people living with
      chronic pain process information about daily activities. Blood oxygenation level
      dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to compare
      brain responses in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMSKP) (n = 15)
      and healthy controls (n = 15). Subjects were asked to imagine how they would feel
      mentally and physically if asked to perform daily activities illustrated in PIT.
      The results found that a number of regions involved in pain processing saw
      increased BOLD activation in patients compared with controls when undertaking the
      task and included the insula, anterior cingulate cortex, thalamus and inferior
      and superior parietal cortices. Similarly, increased BOLD responses in patients
      compared to controls in the frontal pole, paracingulate and the supplementary
      motor cortex may be suggestive of a memory component to the responses The
      amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, substantia nigra/ventral tegmentum, putamen,
      thalamus, pallidum, inferior parietal (supramarginal and angular gyrus) and
      cingulate cortex were also seen to have greater differences in BOLD signal
      changes in patients compared with controls and many of these regions are also
      associated with general phobic responses. Therefore, we suggest that PIT is a
      useful task to explore pain- and movement-related anxiety and fear in fMRI
      studies. Regions in the Default Mode Network remained active or were less
      deactivated during the PIT task in patients with CMSKP compared to healthy
      controls supporting the contention that the DMN is abnormal in patients with
      CMSKP. 

PMID- 26496711
TI  - M2 Polarization of Monocytes-Macrophages Is a Hallmark of Indian Post Kala-Azar
      Dermal Leishmaniasis.
AB  - The high level of functional diversity and plasticity in monocytes/macrophages
      has been defined within in vitro systems as M1 (classically activated), M2
      (alternatively activated) and deactivated macrophages, of which the latter two
      subtypes are associated with suppression of cell mediated immunity, that confers
      susceptibility to intracellular infection. Although the Leishmania parasite
      modulates macrophage functions to ensure its survival, what remains an unanswered
      yet pertinent question is whether these macrophages are deactivated or
      alternatively activated. This study aimed to characterize the functional
      plasticity and polarization of monocytes/macrophages and delineate their
      importance in the immunopathogenesis of Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis
      (PKDL), a chronic dermatosis of human leishmaniasis. Monocytes from PKDL patients
      showed a decreased expression of TLR-2/4, along with an attenuated generation of
      reactive oxidative/nitrosative species. At disease presentation, an increased
      mRNA expression of classical M2 markers CD206, ARG1 and PPARG in monocytes and
      lesional macrophages indicated M2 polarization of macrophages which was
      corroborated by increased expression of CD206 and arginase-1. Furthermore,
      altered vitamin D signaling was a key feature in PKDL, as disease presentation
      was associated with raised plasma levels of monohydroxylated vitamin D3 and
      vitamin D3- associated genes, features of M2 polarization. Taken together, in
      PKDL, monocyte/macrophage subsets appear to be alternatively activated, a
      phenotype that might sustain disease chronicity. Importantly, repolarization of
      these monocytes to M1 by antileishmanial drugs suggests that switching from M2 to
      M1 phenotype might represent a therapeutic opportunity, worthy of future
      pharmacological consideration. 

PMID- 26496712
TI  - Involvement of Peripheral Nerves in the Transgenic PLP-alpha-Syn Model of
      Multiple System Atrophy: Extending the Phenotype.
AB  - Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a fatal, rapidly progressive neurodegenerative
      disease with (oligodendro-)glial cytoplasmic alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn)
      inclusions (GCIs). Peripheral neuropathies have been reported in up to 40% of MSA
      patients, the cause remaining unclear. In a transgenic MSA mouse model featuring
      GCI-like inclusion pathology based on PLP-promoter driven overexpression of human
      alpha-syn in oligodendroglia motor and non-motor deficits are associated with MSA
      like neurodegeneration. Since alpha-syn is also expressed in Schwann cells we
      aimed to investigate whether peripheral nerves are anatomically and functionally
      affected in the PLP-alpha-syn MSA mouse model. RESULTS: To this end, heat/cold as
      well as mechanical sensitivity tests were performed. Furthermore, in vivo and ex
      vivo nerve conduction and the G-ratios of the sciatic nerve were analyzed, and
      thermosensitive ion channel mRNA expression in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) was
      assessed. The presence of human alpha-syn in Schwann cells was associated with
      subtle behavioral impairments. The G-ratio of the sciatic nerve, the conduction
      velocity of myelinated and unmyelinated primary afferents and the expression of
      thermosensitive ion channels in the sensory neurons, however, were similar to
      wildtype mice. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the PNS appears to be
      affected by Schwann cell alpha-syn deposits in the PLP-alpha-syn MSA mouse model.
      However, there was no consistent evidence for functional PNS perturbations
      resulting from such alpha-syn aggregates suggesting a more central cause of the
      observed behavioral abnormalities. Nonetheless, our results do not exclude a
      causal role of alpha-syn in the pathogenesis of MSA associated peripheral
      neuropathy.

PMID- 26496715
TI  - Common Genotypes of Long QT Syndrome in China and the Role of ECG Prediction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Genetic testing, a gold standard for long QT syndrome (LQTS)
      diagnosis, is time-consuming and costly when all the 15 candidate genes are
      screened. Since genotype-specific ECG patterns are present in most LQT1-3
      mutation carriers, we tested the utility of ECG-guided genotyping in a large
      cohort of Chinese LQTS patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: We enrolled 230 patients
      (26 +/- 17 years, 66% female) with a clinical diagnosis of LQTS. Genotypes were
      predicted as LQT1-3 based on the presence of ECG patterns typical for each
      genotype in 200 patients (85 LQT1, 110 LQT2 and 5 LQT3). Family-based genotype
      prediction was also conducted if gene-specific ECG patterns were found in other
      affected family members. Mutational screening identified 104 mutations (44%
      novel), i.e. 46 KCNQ1, 54 KCNH2 and 4 SCN5A mutations. The overall predictive
      accuracy of ECG-guided genotyping was 79% (157/200) and 79% (67/85), 78% (86/110)
      and 80% (4/5) for LQT1, LQT2 and LQT3, respectively. The predictive accuracy was
      98% (42/43) when family-based ECG assessment was performed. CONCLUSIONS: From
      this large-scale genotyping study, we found that LQT2 is the most common genotype
      among the Chinese. Family-based ECG-guided genotyping is highly accurate. ECG
      guided genotyping is time- and cost-effective. We therefore recommend it as an
      optimal approach for the genetic diagnosis of LQTS.

PMID- 26496713
TI  - Influence of Bisphenol A on Thyroid Volume and Structure Independent of Iodine in
      School Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although several studies have evaluated the relationship between
      bisphenol A (BPA) and thyroid functions, their results are not entirely
      consistent. Little is known about BPA in relation to thyroid volume and
      structure. METHODS: We examined the association of BPA with thyroid volume and
      thyroid nodules using data from 718 Chinese children living in the East Coast of
      China in 2012. First morning urine samples were collected for the determination
      of urinary BPA, creatinine, and urinary iodine concentrations (UIC). Thyroid
      volume (TV) and nodules were assessed by thyroid ultrasonography. RESULTS: The
      median of TV was 3.14ml. 459(63.9%) children took iodized salt at home and the
      median of UIC was 159MUg/l. BPA was detected in 99.9% of the urine samples and
      the medians for boys and girls were 2.64 and 2.35MUg/g creatinine, respectively.
      Of all participants 14.0% had thyroid nodules. Urinary BPA concentration was
      inversely associated with thyroid volume (beta = -0.033, 95% CI: -0.053, -0.013)
      and the risk for multiple nodules (OR = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.63, 0.97). The
      associations above were similar for children who consumed iodized salt and those
      consumed non-iodized salt. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that BPA may be one of
      the influencing factors for TV and thyroid nodules and its effects are
      independent of iodine nutrition status in children.

PMID- 26496714
TI  - One Step forward: Benthic Pelagic Coupling and Indicators for Environmental
      Status.
AB  - A large data set from the Eastern Mediterranean was analyzed to explore the
      relationship between seawater column variables and benthic community status. Our
      results showed a strong quantitative link between the seawater column variables
      (Chlorophyll a and Eutrophication Index) and various indicators describing
      benthic diversity and community composition. The percentage of benthic
      opportunistic species increased significantly in the stations with high trophic
      status of the seawater column and so did the strength of the coupling between
      values of seawater column and benthic indicators. The Eutrophication Index
      threshold level of 0.85, separating the "Bad and Poor" from "Moderate to High"
      conditions could serve as an acceptable critical value above which there is a
      readily observable change in benthic community composition. 

PMID- 26496716
TI  - Prevalence of ragweed allergy in rural Geneva - a pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of ragweed allergy is increasing worldwide. Ragweed
      distribution and abundance is spreading in Europe in a wide area ranging from the
      Rhone valley in France to Hungary and Ukraine, where the rate of the prevalence
      can peak at as high as 12%. Low-grade ragweed colonisation was seen in Geneva and
      Ticino, less than two decades ago. There were fears that allergies to ragweed
      would increase Switzerland. The intent of this study was to assess the rate of
      prevalence of sensitisation and allergy to ragweed in the population living in
      the first rural Swiss setting where ragweed had been identified in 1996, and to
      evaluate indirectly the efficacy of elimination and containment strategies.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: In 2009, 35 adults in a rural village in the Canton of
      Geneva were recruited. Data were collected by means of questionnaires and skin
      prick tests were done on each participant. The study was approved by the local
      Ethics Committee. RESULTS: Based on questionnaires, 48.6% had rhinitis (95%
      confidence interval [CI] 32.9-64.4; n = 17/35) and 17.1% asthma (95% CI 8.1-32.6;
      n = 6/35). Atopy was diagnosed in 26.4% (95% CI 12.9-44.4) of the sample (n =
      9/34). Ragweed sensitisation was found in 2.9% (95% CI 0.7-19.7; n = 1/34),
      mugwort sensitisation in 2.9% (95% CI 0.1-14.9; n = 1/35), alder sensitisation in
      17.1% (95% CI 6.6-33.6; n = 6/35), ash sensitisation in 12.5% (95% CI 3.5-29.0; n
      = 4/32) and grass sensitisation in 22.9% (95% CI 10.4-40.1; n = 8/35). Ragweed
      (95% CI 0.1-14.9; n = 1/34) and mugwort allergies (95% CI 0.1-14.9; n = 1/35)
      were both found in 2.9% of the population. CONCLUSION: This study showed a
      surprisingly low incidence of ragweed sensitisation and allergy, of 2.9% and
      2.9%, respectively, 20 years after the first ragweed detection in Geneva. The
      feared rise in ragweed allergy seems not to have happened in Switzerland,
      compared with other ragweed colonised countries. These results strongly support
      early field strategies against ragweed.

PMID- 26496717
TI  - A novel histopathologic finding in the Descemet's membrane of a patient with
      Peters Anomaly: a case-report and literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peters anomaly is a rare developmental abnormality of the anterior
      segment of the eye and is one of the main causes of congenital corneal opacities.
      Typically, histopathology of Peters anomaly shows immature or absent Descemet's
      membrane and attenuated endothelial cells in the area of the corneal opacity, in
      addition to thinning or absence of Bowman's membrane and defects in the posterior
      stroma. In this report, we present a novel histopathological finding, which has
      not been previously reported, in the Descemet's membrane of a patient who is
      clinically diagnosed with Peters anomaly. CASE PRESENTATION: A 7-years old female
      child with developmentally delayed was born of a normal pregnancy, labor, and
      delivery. Apparent bilateral corneal opacifications were present at birth. On
      ophthalmologic examination, the child had a visual acuity of FC/20 cm in the
      right eye and that of FC/10 cm in the left one. Horizontal nystagmus and
      congenital cataract were found in both eyes. Slit-lamp examination revealed
      bilateral central corneal opacities which covered the iris and pupils. High
      frequency UBM and AS-OCT both showed a shallow anterior chamber with multiple
      areas of iridocorneal adhesions and no corneal lenticular touch in each eye. A
      corneal specialist performed a penetrating keratoplasty with extra-capsular
      cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation. Histopathologic procedures
      were conducted on the host corneal button, including Hematoxylin-Eosin stain and
      Periodic Acid-Schiff stain. All the sections were examined by light microscopy.
      CONCLUSION: The "multiple-layer" structure of the Descemet's membrane described
      in our case has not been reported before as in association with abnormalities of
      the cornea tissues in Peters anomaly. Such pathological finding need to be
      reported to enhance further understanding of the special structure of Descemet's
      membrane as an abnormality during embryogenesis and neural crest cell
      differentiations.

PMID- 26496718
TI  - A disease resistance locus on potato and tomato chromosome 4 exhibits a conserved
      multipartite structure displaying different rates of evolution in different
      lineages.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In plant genomes, NB-LRR based resistance (R) genes tend to occur in
      clusters of variable size in a relatively small number of genomic regions. R-gene
      sequences mostly differentiate by accumulating point mutations and gene
      conversion events. Potato and tomato chromosome 4 harbours a syntenic R-gene
      locus (known as the R2 locus in potato) that has mainly been examined in central
      American/Mexican wild potato species on the basis of its contribution to
      resistance to late blight, caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora
      infestans. Evidence to date indicates the occurrence of a fast evolutionary mode
      characterized by gene conversion events at the locus in these genotypes. RESULTS:
      A physical map of the R2 locus was developed for three Solanum tuberosum
      genotypes and used to identify the tomato syntenic sequence. Functional
      annotation of the locus revealed the presence of numerous resistance gene
      homologs (RGHs) belonging to the R2 gene family (R2GHs) organized into a total of
      4 discrete physical clusters, three of which were conserved across S. tuberosum
      and tomato. Phylogenetic analysis showed clear orthology/paralogy relationships
      between S. tuberosum R2GHs but not in R2GHs cloned from Solanum wild species.
      This study confirmed that, in contrast to the wild species R2GHs, which have
      evolved through extensive sequence exchanges between paralogs, gene conversion
      was not a major force for differentiation in S. tuberosum R2GHs, and
      orthology/paralogy relationships have been maintained via a slow accumulation of
      point mutations in these genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: S. tuberosum and Solanum
      lycopersicum R2GHs evolved mostly through duplication and deletion events,
      followed by gradual accumulation of mutations. Conversely, widespread gene
      conversion is the major evolutionary force that has shaped the locus in Mexican
      wild potato species. We conclude that different selective forces shaped the
      evolution of the R2 locus in these lineages and that co-evolution with a pathogen
      steered selection on different evolutionary paths.

PMID- 26496719
TI  - Monitoring inflammation and airway remodeling by fluorescence molecular
      tomography in a chronic asthma model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma is a multifactorial disease for which a variety of mouse
      models have been developed. A major drawback of these models is represented by
      the transient nature of the airway pathology peaking 24-72 h after challenge and
      resolving in 1-2 weeks. We characterized the temporal evolution of pulmonary
      inflammation and tissue remodeling in a recently described mouse model of chronic
      asthma (8 week treatment with 3 allergens: Dust mite, Ragweed, and Aspergillus;
      DRA). METHODS: We studied the DRA model taking advantage of fluorescence
      molecular tomography (FMT) imaging using near-infrared probes to non-invasively
      evaluate lung inflammation and airway remodeling. At 4, 6, 8 or 11 weeks,
      cathepsin- and metalloproteinase-dependent fluorescence was evaluated in vivo. A
      subgroup of animals, after 4 weeks of DRA, was treated with Budesonide (100 ug/kg
      intranasally) daily for 4 weeks. RESULTS: Cathepsin-dependent fluorescence in DRA
      sensitized mice resulted significantly increased at 6 and 8 weeks, and was
      markedly inhibited by budesonide. This fluorescent signal well correlated with ex
      vivo analysis such as bronchoalveolar lavage eosinophils and pulmonary
      inflammatory cell infiltration. Metalloproteinase-dependent fluorescence was
      significantly increased at 8 and 11 weeks, nicely correlated with collagen
      deposition, as evaluated histologically by Masson's Trichrome staining, and
      airway epithelium hypertrophy, and was only partly inhibited by budesonide.
      CONCLUSIONS: FMT proved suitable for longitudinal studies to evaluate asthma
      progression, showing that cathepsin activity could be used to monitor
      inflammatory cell infiltration while metalloproteinase activity parallels airway
      remodeling, allowing the determination of steroid treatment efficacy in a chronic
      asthma model in mice.

PMID- 26496720
TI  - Early results of low-level laser application for masticatory muscle pain: a
      double-blind randomized clinical study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effect of Low Level Laser (LLL) application at the
      points of greatest pain in patients with chronic masticatory muscle pain.
      METHODS: A total number of 30 (21 women, 9 men, with a mean age of 39.2) were
      selected after the diagnosis of MPDS according to the Research Diagnostic
      Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorder (RDC/TMD). The patients were randomly
      divided into three groups; laser group I (n = 10); patients received the LLL at
      the point of greatest pain, laser group II (n = 10); patients received LLL at pre
      established points in the effected muscles and placebo group (n = 10). LLL and
      placebo were applied three times per week, for a total of 12 sessions. Mandibular
      mobility was examined, masticator muscles tenderness were assessed and PPT values
      were obtained. Subjective pain levels were evaluated using VAS. The measurements
      performed before the treatment and after the completion of the therapy.
      Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, and frequency) Student's t
      test, Mann-Whitney U-test and paired-sample t-tests were used for analysis.
      RESULTS: In both laser groups, there was a statically significant reduction in
      PPT values of the muscles, number of muscles without any pain on palpation
      increased significantly, mandibular movements' ranges were improved. Laser group
      I demonstrated statistically better results than the Laser group II in all of the
      measured values. Plasebo group did not show any statistically difference in any
      of the measured values. CONCLUSIONS: LLLT can be accepted as an alternative
      treatment modality in the management of masticatory muscle pain and direct
      irradiation seems to effect better. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials
      ISRCTN31085 , Date of registration 28/08/20145.

PMID- 26496721
TI  - Prognosis of nonspecific interstitial pneumonia correlates with perivascular CD4+
      T lymphocyte infiltration of the lung.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) is characterized by
      interstitial infiltration of T lymphocytes, and subpopulations of these cells may
      be associated with the progression of fibrosis. However, few studies evaluate the
      correlation of prognosis with this characteristic. Therefore, we performed
      morphological and quantitative analyses of T lymphocytes in patients with NSIP
      and evaluated the relationship between T lymphocytes and prognosis. METHODS:
      Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the presence of CD4+ and CD8+ T
      lymphocytes in 55 biopsies of patients with NSIP to determine the numbers of
      these T cell subpopulations in lymphoid follicles as well as in perivascular,
      interstitial, and peribronchial anatomical compartments. The relationship between
      CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte populations and prognosis was analyzed. RESULTS: The
      mean age of 55 patients was 48.9 +/- 10.5 years, and 36 (65 %) of patients were
      women. All patients were followed for a mean duration of 46 +/- 25 months.
      Thirteen (23.6 %) patients died during follow-up. Perivascular CD4+ lymphocyte
      infiltration (HR, 0.939; 95 % CI, 0.883-0.999; p = 0.048) was an independent risk
      factor for survival. Perivascular infiltrates of CD4+ T lymphocytes correlated
      with survival time (r = 0.270, p = 0.046). Patients with improved forced vital
      capacity survived longer and had higher numbers of CD4+ T lymphocytes that
      infiltrated perivascular tissue. The densities of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes
      infiltrating other tissues were not significantly associated with survival time.
      CONCLUSIONS: Perivascular infiltration of CD4+ T lymphocytes in patients with
      NSIP correlated with prognosis. The underlying mechanisms are unknown and require
      further studies.

PMID- 26496722
TI  - An uncommon variant of cyanotic congenital heart disease in a young adult female:
      a rare case of right pulmonary artery to left atrial fistula (PALAF).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cyanotic congenital heart disease is not a rare entity, but fistula
      between the right pulmonary artery and the left atrium is an uncommon vascular
      anomaly. Although it is a real challenge to diagnose the case, detailed clinical
      evaluation and selective investigations are keys for diagnosis, and surgical
      intervention is still considered the best treatment option. CASE PRESENTATION: A
      19 years old girl from the remote village of Nepal presented with the history of
      exercise intolerance associated with cyanosis and clubbing of the extremities. We
      diagnosed her as a case of right pulmonary artery to left atrial fistula, a rare
      variant of pulmonary arteriovenous malformation. She underwent successful
      surgical correction of the anomaly under cardiopulmonary bypass surgery.
      CONCLUSION: Direct communication between the right pulmonary artery and the left
      atrium is a rare cyanotic congenital heart disease, which is diagnosed late and
      often associated with the atrial septal defect. The best treatment available is
      surgical correction.

PMID- 26496723
TI  - Safe Infant Sleep Interventions: What is the Evidence for Successful Behavior
      Change?
AB  - Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related infant deaths, such
      as accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed and ill-defined deaths,
      account for >4000 deaths annually in the USA. Evidence-based recommendations for
      reducing the risk of sleep-related deaths have been published, but some
      caregivers resist adoption of these recommendations. Multiple interventions to
      change infant sleep-related practices of parents and professionals have been
      implemented. In this review, we will discuss illustrative examples of safe infant
      sleep interventions and evidence of their effectiveness. Facilitators of and
      barriers to change, as well as the limitations of the data currently available
      for these interventions, will be considered. 

PMID- 26496724
TI  - A potent anti-inflammatory peptide from the salivary glands of horsefly.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A diverse group of physiologically active peptides/proteins are
      present in the salivary glands of horsefly Tabanus yao (Diptera, Tabanidae) that
      facilitate acquisition of blood meal. However, their roles in the regulation of
      local inflammation remains poorly understood. METHODS: Induction expression
      profiles of immune-related molecules in the salivary glands of T. yao was
      analyzed by quantitative PCR (qPCR) after bacterial feeding. A significantly up
      regulated molecule (cecropin-TY1) was selected for anti-inflammatory assay in
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages. The
      transcription levels of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and pro-inflammatory
      cytokines were quantified by qPCR. Nitric oxide (NO) production was determined by
      Griess reagent. Pro-inflammatory cytokine production was determined by an enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The inflammatory signals were assayed by
      Western blotting analysis. The secondary structure of cecropin-TY1 was measured
      by Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Interaction of cecropin-TY1 with LPS was
      evaluated by the dissociation of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated LPS
      aggregates and neutralization of LPS determined by a quantitative Chromogenic End
      point Tachypleus amebocyte lysate (TAL) assay kit. Homology modeled structure
      analysis and mutation of key residues/structures were performed to understand its
      structure-activity relationship. RESULTS: Cecropin-TY1 was demonstrated to
      possess high anti-inflammatory activity and low cytotoxicity toward mouse
      macrophages. In LPS-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophage, addition of cecropin
      TY1 significantly inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO) and pro
      inflammatory cytokines. Further study revealed that cecropin-TY1 inhibited
      inflammatory cytokine production by blocking activation of mitogen-activated
      protein kinases (MAPKs) and transcriptional nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB)
      signals. Cecropin-TY1 even interacted with LPS and neutralized LPS. The secondary
      structure analysis revealed that cecropin-TY1 adopted unordered structures in
      hydrophobic environment but converted to alpha-helical confirmation in membrane
      mimetic environments. Homology modeled structure analysis demonstrated that
      cecropin-TY1 adopted two alpha-helices (Leu3-Thr24, Ile27-Leu38) linked by a
      hinge (Leu25-Pro26) and the structure surface was partly positively charged.
      Structure-activity relationship analysis indicated that several key
      residues/structures are crucial for its anti-inflammatory activity including
      alpha-helices, aromatic residue Trp2, positively charged residues Lys and Arg,
      hinge residue Pro26 and N-terminal amidation. CONCLUSIONS: We found a novel anti
      inflammatory function of horsefly-derived cecropin-TY1 peptide, laying groundwork
      for better understanding the ectoparasite-host interaction of horsefly with host
      and highlighting its potency in anti-inflammatory therapy for sepsis and
      endotoxin shock caused by Gram-negative bacterial infections.

PMID- 26496727
TI  - Brain metastasis: clinical characteristics, pathological findings   and molecular
      subtyping for therapeutic implications.
AB  - Metastases are the most common brain tumors especially in adults. Although they
      are generally considered a single disease entity which is universally fatal in
      patients with advanced cancer, brain metastases are remarkably heterogeneous both
      clinically and pathologically. As members of the multidisciplinary clinical team
      for the diagnosis and management of metastatic brain tumors, pathologists must be
      familiar not only with clinicopathologic features of brain metastases but also
      with any characteristic and clinically significant molecular findings. We discuss
      here the epidemiology, general gross and microscopic features of brain metastases
      with emphasis on how to differentiate them from primary brain tumors using
      immunohistochemistry (e.g., for identification of the primary site and
      differential diagnosis), and unique pathologic patterns of brain metastases
      (namely, dural metastasis, leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, miliary metastasis,
      ''intravascular carcinomatosis'', and tumor-to-tumor metastasis) with their
      clinical and radiological characteristics. We specifically address metastatic
      breast and non-small cell lung cancers which are the two most commonly
      encountered in daily practice, with emphasis on the molecular alterations related
      to therapy and their clinicopathologic significance.

PMID- 26496731
TI  - Erratum to: The acrosome of eutherian mammals.

PMID- 26496730
TI  - Up in Smoke: Neighborhood Contexts of Marijuana Use from Adolescence Through
      Young Adulthood.
AB  - The current understanding of the neighborhood contexts wherein adolescent
      substance use emerges remains limited by conflicting findings regarding
      geographic variation in, and neighborhood effects on, both the prevalence of and
      risk factors for such use. Using four waves of longitudinal data from the
      National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health [n = 18,697 (51%
      female, 54% White, 24% Black, 16 % Hispanic, 7% Asian, 2% American
      Indian/Other)], latent class analysis, and growth curve modeling, this study
      identified distinct neighborhood types--patterned by race/ethnicity,
      socioeconomic class, and geography--and explored how trajectories of adolescent
      and young adult marijuana use differed across neighborhood types. The results
      demonstrated complexity in neighborhood contexts, illustrating variation in
      trajectories of marijuana use across neighborhood types heretofore unobserved in
      neighborhoods research, and largely unexplained by key individual, family, and
      peer risk and protective factors. This approach highlights how social structural
      forces intersect and anchor trajectories of youth substance-using risk behavior

PMID- 26496732
TI  - Novel antennal lobe substructures revealed in the small hive beetle Aethina
      tumida.
AB  - The small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, is an emerging pest of social bee
      colonies. A. tumida shows a specialized life style for which olfaction seems to
      play a crucial role. To better understand the olfactory system of the beetle, we
      used immunohistochemistry and 3-D reconstruction to analyze brain structures,
      especially the paired antennal lobes (AL), which represent the first integration
      centers for odor information in the insect brain. The basic neuroarchitecture of
      the A. tumida brain compares well to the typical beetle and insect brain. In
      comparison to other insects, the AL are relatively large in relationship to other
      brain areas, suggesting that olfaction is of major importance for the beetle. The
      AL of both sexes contain about 70 olfactory glomeruli with no obvious size
      differences of the glomeruli between sexes. Similar to all other insects
      including beetles, immunostaining with an antiserum against serotonin revealed a
      large cell that projects from one AL to the contralateral AL to densely innervate
      all glomeruli. Immunostaining with an antiserum against tachykinin-related
      peptides (TKRP) revealed hitherto unknown structures in the AL. Small TKRP
      immunoreactive spherical substructures are in both sexes evenly distributed
      within all glomeruli. The source for these immunoreactive islets is very likely a
      group of about 80 local AL interneurons. We offer two hypotheses on the function
      of such structures. 

PMID- 26496726
TI  - Morphological changes of placental syncytium and their implications for the
      pathogenesis of preeclampsia.
AB  - Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disease that complicates many pregnancies,
      typically presenting with new-onset or worsening hypertension and proteinuria. It
      is well recognized that the placental syncytium plays a key role in the
      pathogenesis of preeclampsia. This review summarizes the findings pertaining to
      the structural alterations in the syncytium of preeclamptic placentas and
      analyzes their pathological implications for the development of preeclampsia.
      Changes in the trophoblastic lineage, including those in the proliferation of
      cytotrophoblasts, the formation of syncytiotrophoblast through cell fusion, cell
      apoptosis and syncytial deportation, are discussed in the context of
      preeclampsia. Extensive correlations are made between functional deficiencies and
      the alterations on the levels of gross anatomy, tissue histology, cellular
      events, ultrastructure, molecular pathways, and gene expression. Attention is
      given to the significance of dynamic changes in the syncytial turnover in
      preeclamptic placentas. Specifically, experimental evidences for the complex and
      obligatory role of syncytin-1 in cell fusion, cell-cycle regulation at the G1/S
      transition, and apoptosis through AIF-mediated pathway, are discussed in detail
      in the context of syncytium homeostasis. Finally, the recent observations on the
      aberrant fibrin deposition in the trophoblastic layer and the trophoblast
      immature phenotype in preeclamptic placentas and their potential pathogenic
      impact are also reviewed. 

PMID- 26496734
TI  - Changes in Microbial Composition of Wastewater During  Treatment in a Full-Scale
      Plant.
AB  - The monitoring of wastewater treatment plants is important for their proper
      functioning as well as for re-use of water and also to avoid possible circulation
      of human or animal pathogens in our environment. The samples in this study
      originated from a full-scale wastewater treatment plant where the structure of
      the bacterial community was monitored using 454-pyrosequencing. The composition
      differed in different parts of the plant. In the effluent, bacteria belonging to
      phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, TM7 and Bacteroidetes were most frequently
      detected. The presence of Mycobacterium sp., Mycobacterium avium, Norovirus,
      Hepatitis A and E viruses was examined using quantitative real-time PCR.
      Mycobacterium sp. was detected in the effluent in quantities of up to 10(4)
      cells/ml. Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis and subsp. hominissuis were
      detected in amounts of up to 10(3) cells/ml, and Norovirus group 1 and 2 were
      also detected. Our findings show the importance of monitoring and controlling the
      occurrence of specific pathogens in effluent, mainly because of the negative
      impact on human health when the water is reused.

PMID- 26496725
TI  - Circadian mRNA expression: insights from modeling and transcriptomics.
AB  - Circadian clocks synchronize organisms to the 24 h rhythms of the environment.
      These clocks persist under constant conditions, have their origin at the cellular
      level, and produce an output of rhythmic mRNA expression affecting thousands of
      transcripts in many mammalian cell types. Here, we review the charting of
      circadian output rhythms in mRNA expression, focusing on mammals. We emphasize
      the challenges in statistics, interpretation, and quantitative descriptions that
      such investigations have faced and continue to face, and outline remaining
      outstanding questions.

PMID- 26496735
TI  - The impact of surgical quality on prognosis in patients undergoing rectal
      carcinoma surgery after preoperative chemoradiation.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to analyse the impact of surgical quality on
      the prognosis of rectal carcinoma patients who underwent preoperative long-term
      chemoradiation and TME surgery. METHODS: In a total of 314 patients, four quality
      indicators, including plane of surgery, pathological circumferential resection
      margin (pCRM), intraoperative local tumour cell dissemination and anastomotic
      leakage, were analysed with respect to locoregional recurrence, distant
      metastasis and overall survival. RESULTS: In 260 (82.8 %) of the patients, all
      four quality indicators were fulfilled. In 30 (9.6 %) of the patients, at least
      one quality indicator was not fulfilled; in 24 (7.6 %) of the patients, the data
      were not complete. Locoregional recurrence was significantly increased in
      patients who underwent surgery in the muscularis propria plane, who had a pCRM <=
      1 mm or who experienced local tumour cell dissemination. In patients who had at
      least one quality indicator that was not fulfilled (suboptimal surgical quality),
      the 5-year rate of locoregional recurrence in those patients was 23.1 % compared
      to 4.8 % in patients who underwent optimal surgery (P = 0.001). In multivariate
      analysis, suboptimal surgery (hazard ratio (HR) 3.9; P = 0.020), abdominoperineal
      excision (HR 4.7; P = 0.003) and poor regression of primary tumours (HR 8.5; P <
      0.001) were identified as independent prognostic factors for locoregional
      recurrence. In contrast to type of surgical treatment, ypT, ypN and regression
      grade, the quality of surgery did not significantly influence distant metastasis
      or overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Even after preoperative chemoradiation, the
      surgical quality still has a strong impact on local control in patients with
      rectal carcinoma.

PMID- 26496733
TI  - Prohibitin( PHB) roles in granulosa cell physiology.
AB  - Ovarian granulosa cells (GC) play an important role in the growth and development
      of the follicle in the process known as folliculogenesis. In the present review,
      we focus on recent developments in prohibitin (PHB) research in relation to GC
      physiological functions. PHB is a member of a highly conserved eukaryotic protein
      family containing the repressor of estrogen activity
      (REA)/stomatin/PHB/flotillin/HflK/C (SPFH) domain (also known as the PHB domain)
      found in diverse species from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. PHB is ubiquitously
      expressed in a circulating free form or is present in multiple cellular
      compartments including mitochondria, nucleus and plasma membrane. In
      mitochondria, PHB is anchored to the mitochondrial inner membrane and forms
      complexes with the ATPases associated with proteases having diverse cellular
      activities. PHB continuously shuttles between the mitochondria, cytosol and
      nucleus. In the nucleus, PHB interacts with various transcription factors and
      modulates transcriptional activity directly or through interactions with
      chromatin remodeling proteins. Many functions have been attributed to the
      mitochondrial and nuclear PHB complexes such as cellular differentiation, anti
      proliferation, morphogenesis and maintenance of the functional integrity of the
      mitochondria. However, to date, the regulation of PHB expression patterns and GC
      physiological functions are not completely understood.

PMID- 26496736
TI  - Vilazodone: a review in major depressive disorder in adults.
AB  - Vilazodone (Viibryd((r))) exhibits the combined properties of a selective
      serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and a serotonin 5-HT1A receptor partial
      agonist, and is approved in the US for the treatment of major depressive disorder
      (MDD) in adults. In four randomized, double-blind, clinical trials, oral
      vilazodone 20 or 40 mg once daily for 8 or 10 weeks reduced from baseline
      (improved) the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score
      significantly more than placebo in adult patients with MDD. In these trials,
      significantly greater reductions in MADRS total score with vilazodone compared
      with placebo were seen from either week 1, week 2 (two trials) or week 6. In a
      noncomparative study, MADRS total scores continued to improve throughout therapy
      for up to 1 year. Vilazodone was generally well tolerated, with the most common
      treatment-emergent adverse events being mild or moderate diarrhoea, nausea and
      headache. Vilazodone had only limited adverse effects on sexual function or
      bodyweight. Therefore, vilazodone is an effective agent for treating MDD in
      adults. 

PMID- 26496737
TI  - RIP1K and RIP3K provoked by shikonin induce cell cycle arrest in the triple
      negative breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-468: necroptosis as a desperate
      programmed suicide pathway.
AB  - Resistance to cell death and reprogramming of metabolism are important in
      neoplastic cells. Increased resistance to apoptosis and recurrence of tumors are
      the major roadblocks to effective treatment of triple negative breast cancer. It
      has been thought that execution of necroptosis involves ROS generation and
      mitochondrial dysfunction in malignant cells. In this study, the effect of
      shikonin, an active substance from the dried root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon,
      on the induction of necroptosis or apoptosis, via RIP1K-RIP3K expressions has
      been examined in the triple negative breast cancer cell line. The expression
      levels of RIP1K and RIP3K, caspase-3 and caspase-8 activities, the levels of ROS,
      and mitochondrial membrane potential have been studied in the shikonin-treated
      MDA-MB-468 cell line. An increase in the ROS levels and a reduction in
      mitochondrial membrane potential have been observed in the shikonin-treated
      cells. Cell death has mainly occurred through necroptosis with a significant
      increase in the RIP1K and RIP3K expressions, and characteristic morphological
      changes have been observed. In the presence of Nec-1, caspase-3 mediating
      apoptosis has occurred in the shikonin-treated cells. The current findings have
      revealed that shikonin provoked mitochondrial ROS production in the triple
      negative breast cancer cell line, which works as a double-edged executioner's ax
      in the execution of necroptosis or apoptosis. The main route of cell death
      induced by shikonin is RIP1K-RIP3K-mediated necroptosis, but in the presence of
      Nec-1, apoptosis has prevailed. The present results shed a new light on the
      possible treatment of drug-resistant triple negative breast cancer. 

PMID- 26496738
TI  - Depressive Symptoms and the Experience of Pleasure in Daily Life: An Exploration
      of Associations in Early and Late Adolescence.
AB  - Although loss of pleasure (i.e., anhedonia) is one of the two core symptoms of
      depression, very little research has examined the relation between depressive
      symptoms and the experience of pleasure in daily life. This exploratory study in
      two population-based adolescent samples aimed to examine how depressive symptoms
      and anhedonia specifically were related to (1) the proportion and intensity of
      positive events, (2) mean and variability of positive affect (PA), (3) reactivity
      to positive events, and (4) reactivity to PA (i.e., whether PA elicits positive
      events). We used Experience Sampling to measure positive events and PA several
      times a day during 6 to 14 days in early (N = 284) and late (N = 74) adolescents.
      Results showed that depressive symptoms were related to a lower proportion and
      intensity of positive events, lower mean PA, and higher variability in PA
      regardless of sex and stage of adolescence. No clear evidence was found for
      differential reactivity to positive events or to PA. Anhedonia was not associated
      with most daily life experiences of pleasure. Our findings, though preliminary,
      suggest that although adolescents with many depressive symptoms experience less
      positive events and lower PA, they are able to enjoy pleasurable events to the
      same extent as individuals with fewer depressive symptoms.

PMID- 26496740
TI  - Generalized linear stability of non-inertial rimming flow in a rotating
      horizontal cylinder.
AB  - The stability of a thin film of viscous liquid inside a horizontally rotating
      cylinder is studied using modal and non-modal analysis. The equation governing
      the film thickness is derived within lubrication approximation and up to first
      order in aspect ratio (average film thickness to radius of the cylinder). Effect
      of gravity, viscous stress and capillary pressure are considered in the model.
      Steady base profiles are computed in the parameter space of interest that are
      uniform in the axial direction. A linear stability analysis is performed on these
      base profiles to study their stability to axial perturbations. The destabilizing
      behavior of aspect ratio and surface tension is demonstrated which is attributed
      to capillary instability. The transient growth that gives maximum amplification
      of any initial disturbance and the pseudospectra of the stability operator are
      computed. These computations reveal weak effect of non-normality of the operator
      and the results of eigenvalue analysis are recovered after a brief transient
      period. Results from nonlinear simulations are also presented which also confirm
      the validity of the modal analysis for the flow considered in this study. 

PMID- 26496739
TI  - Hyponatremia, a risk factor for osteoporosis and fractures in women.
AB  - SUMMARY: Hyponatremia has been linked to an increased risk of osteoporosis and
      fractures. We found an increased hazard ratio of major osteoporotic fractures
      adjusted for potential confounders, including osteoporosis and medication. A
      reduced BMD was not sufficiently explaining the association. Our data indicate
      that hyponatremia should be considered a risk factor for osteoporosis and
      fractures. INTRODUCTION: Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte disorder in
      clinical practice and could be a risk factor for both osteoporosis and fractures.
      Mild hyponatremia has traditionally been regarded as a benign and asymptomatic
      condition; however, data from large population and animal studies have led to a
      reappraisal of this view. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the
      association of hyponatremia with osteoporosis and major osteoporotic fractures
      (MOF) in women. METHODS: This is a historical cohort study with fracture follow
      up. The study consisted of 5610 patients with available serum sodium and a bone
      density measurement. Information on potential risk factor was obtained through a
      questionnaire. Additional information on medication, comorbidities, and fractures
      was obtained through national registries. RESULTS: Hyponatremia was associated
      with significant lower T-scores at total hip and a borderline significant lower T
      score at femoral neck in the multivariate analysis. No association was found
      between hyponatremia and the lumbar spine T-score. Hyponatremia was associated
      with an increased hazard ratio of sustaining a MOF in the period from 6 months
      prior to 12 months after serum sodium measurement. Finally, data showed a
      relationship with increasing serum sodium and an increasing T-score estimate and
      a decreasing hazard ratio of MOF. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that hyponatremia
      in women increases the risk of osteoporosis and MOF. The increased risk of MOF
      was independent of osteoporosis.

PMID- 26496742
TI  - Cut special offers on sugary foods, says delayed review.

PMID- 26496741
TI  - Continuing EGFR-TKI treatment in combination with super-selective arterial
      infusion chemotherapy beyond disease progression for patients with advanced EGFR
      mutant non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - Regional therapy has shown promising results in patients with an oligo-metastasis
      after the occurrence of resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine
      kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of
      continuing EGFR-TKI therapy concurrently with arterial infusion chemotherapy in 6
      patients (median age 55.9 years) with advanced EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC) who had a locally progressive, centrally located lung lesion after
      EGFR-TKI therapy. The patients received a super-selective arterial infusion of
      docetaxel (75 mg/m(2)) every 28 days concurrently with EGFR-TKI therapy until
      further progressive disease (PD) or unacceptable adverse effects (AEs) occurred.
      Treatment outcomes were assessed via progression-free survival (PFS) times (PFS
      1: time to PD after EGFR-TKI therapy; PFS-2: time to further PD after arterial
      infusion chemotherapy with EGFR-TKI therapy), the occurrence of treatment-related
      AEs, and patient responses to the QLQ-LC13 quality-of-life questionnaire. Three
      of the 6 patients achieved partial responses, and three had stable disease. The
      median PFS-1 was 10.42 months, and the median PFS-2 was 4.1 months (range, 2.1
      5.7 months). The median overall survival (OS) was 28.6 months (range, 24.1-32.9
      months). All AEs were either grade 1 or grade 2 in severity, and no unexpected
      AEs were observed. One patient died of lung cancer. The patients reported
      significant reductions from baseline in symptoms of cough, chest pain, dyspnea,
      and hemoptysis (P < 0.05 for all comparisons). Thus, continuing EGFR-TKI therapy
      in combination with super-selective arterial infusion chemotherapy beyond PD for
      patients with advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC is feasible, and this approach warrants
      further investigation.

PMID- 26496743
TI  - Transcriptional Profiling of Dibenzo[def,p]chrysene-induced Spleen Atrophy
      Provides Mechanistic Insights into its Immunotoxicity in MutaMouse.
AB  - Dibenzo[def,p]chrysene (DBC) is the most carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbon (PAH) examined to date. We investigated the immunotoxicity of DBC,
      manifested as spleen atrophy, following acute exposure of adult MutaMouse males
      by oral gavage. Mice were exposed to 0, 2.0, 6.2, or 20.0 mg DBC /kg-bw per day,
      for 3 days. Genotoxic endpoints (DBC-DNA adducts and lacZ mutant frequency in
      spleen and bone marrow, and red blood cell micronucleus frequency) and global
      gene expression changes were measured. All of the genotoxicity measures increased
      in a dose-dependent manner in spleen and bone marrow. Gene expression analysis
      showed that DBC activates p53 signaling pathways related to cellular growth and
      proliferation, which was evident even at the low dose. Strikingly, the expression
      profiles of DBC exposed mouse spleens were highly inversely correlated with the
      expression profiles of the only published toxicogenomics dataset of enlarged
      mouse spleen. This analysis suggested a central role for Bnip3l, a pro-apoptotic
      protein involved in negative regulation of erythroid maturation. RT-PCR confirmed
      expression changes in several genes related to apoptosis, iron metabolism, and
      aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling that are regulated in the opposite direction
      during spleen atrophy versus benzo[a]pyrene-mediated splenomegaly. In addition,
      benchmark dose modeling of toxicogenomics data yielded toxicity estimates that
      are very close to traditional toxicity endpoints. This work illustrates the power
      of toxicogenomics to reveal rich mechanistic information for immunotoxic
      compounds and its ability to provide information that is quantitatively similar
      to that derived from standard toxicity methods in health risk assessment. 

PMID- 26496744
TI  - The Role of MAPK Pathways in Airborne Fine Particulate Matter-Induced
      Upregulation of Endothelin Receptors in Rat Basilar Arteries.
AB  - Airborne fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) increases the risk of cerebrovascular
      diseases. However, existing experimental data do not sufficiently explain how
      PM(2.5) affects cerebral vessels. This study sought to examine whether PM(2.5)
      alters endothelin (ET) receptor expression on rat cerebral arteries and the
      potential underlying mechanisms. Isolated rat basilar arteries were cultured with
      PM(2.5) aqueous suspension in the presence of mitogen-activated protein kinase
      (MAPK) pathway inhibitors. ET receptor-mediated vasomotor functions were recorded
      by a sensitive myograph. ET(A) and ET(B) receptor mRNA and protein expressions
      were assessed using quantitative real-time PCR, Western blotting, and
      immunohistochemistry, respectively. Compared with fresh and culture alone
      arteries, PM(2.5) significantly enhanced ET(A) and ET(B) receptor-mediated
      contractions and increased receptor mRNA and protein expressions in basilar
      arteries, indicating PM(2.5) upregulates ET(A) and ET(B) receptors. Culturing
      with SB386023 (MEK/ERK1/2 inhibitor), U0126 (ERK1/2 inhibitor), SP600125 [c-Jun N
      terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor], or SB203580 (p38 inhibitor) attenuated PM(2.5)
      induced ETB receptor upregulation. PM(2.5)-induced enhancement of ET(A) receptor
      mediated contraction and receptor expression was notably inhibited by SB386023 or
      U0126. However, neither SP600125 nor SB203580 had an effect on PM(2.5)-induced
      ET(A) receptor upregulation. In conclusion, PM(2.5) upregulates ET(A) and ET(B)
      receptors in rat basilar arteries. ET(B) receptor upregulation is involved in
      MEK/ERK1/2, JNK, and p38 MAPK pathways, and ET(A) receptors upregulation is
      associated with MEK/ERK1/2 pathway.

PMID- 26496745
TI  - Association between praziquantel treatment and cholangiocarcinoma: a hospital
      based matched case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infection by the liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini, remains an
      important public health problem in Thailand and has resulted in the highest
      prevalence of infection and incidence of subsequent cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) in
      the world. Praziquantel (PZQ) is the antihelminthic drug of choice for treatment.
      Previous studies in hamsters showed that repeated infection and PZQ treatment
      could increase the risk of CCA. However, the few available epidemiology studies
      in humans have shown unclear evidence of an increased risk of CCA with frequency
      of PZQ intake. The present study investigated the relationship between the number
      of repeated PZQ treatments and CCA. METHODS: A hospital-based matched case
      control study was conducted. All cases and controls were inpatients of a tertiary
      hospital in Northeast Thailand. During 2012-2014 a total of 210 incident cases of
      pathologically diagnosed CCA and 840 control subjects were selected from a
      hospital inpatient database (four controls per case). The four recruited controls
      were individually matched with CCA cases by gender, age and date of admission.
      Data were collected in face-to-face interviews using a standardised pre-tested
      questionnaire. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used in the
      analysis of the data. RESULTS: The frequencies of PZQ usage among the 210 cases
      and 840 controls were 48.6 vs. 66.0 for never, 32.9 vs. 24.4 for once, 8.6 vs.
      4.9 for twice, and 10.0% vs. 4.8% for more than twice, respectively. There was a
      statistically significant dose-response relationship (p < 0.001). Compared with
      subjects who never used PZQ, those who used the medication once, twice, and more
      than twice were 1.49, 1.82, and 2.30 times more likely to develop CCA (95%
      confidence intervals: 1.02 - 2.20, 0.92 - 3.60, and 1.20 - 4.40). These odds
      ratios (adjusted ORs) had already been adjusted for the effects of eating raw
      fish, a family history of cancer, and highest educational attainment. Additional
      PZQ usage increased the odds of developing CCA by 23.0% (adjusted OR = 1.23; 95%
      CI: 1.07 - 1.43). CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that repeated PZQ treatments are
      associated with an increased risk of CCA. Paradoxically, this contradicts the
      common belief that repeated PZQ treatments decrease the risk of CCA. The study
      also showed a strong association between the number of repeated PZQ treatments
      and the consumption of raw freshwater fish. This suggests that repeated PZQ
      treatments may be a surrogate marker of habit of eating raw fish.

PMID- 26496746
TI  - Impact of library preparation protocols and template quantity on the metagenomic
      reconstruction of a mock microbial community.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rapid development of sequencing technologies has provided access
      to environments that were either once thought inhospitable to life altogether or
      that contain too few cells to be analyzed using genomics approaches. While 16S
      rRNA gene microbial community sequencing has revolutionized our understanding of
      community composition and diversity over time and space, it only provides a crude
      estimate of microbial functional and metabolic potential. Alternatively, shotgun
      metagenomics allows comprehensive sampling of all genetic material in an
      environment, without any underlying primer biases. Until recently, one of the
      major bottlenecks of shotgun metagenomics has been the requirement for large
      initial DNA template quantities during library preparation. RESULTS: Here, we
      investigate the effects of varying template concentrations across three low
      biomass library preparation protocols on their ability to accurately reconstruct
      a mock microbial community of known composition. We analyze the effects of input
      DNA quantity and library preparation method on library insert size, GC content,
      community composition, assembly quality and metagenomic binning. We found that
      library preparation method and the amount of starting material had significant
      impacts on the mock community metagenomes. In particular, GC content shifted
      towards more GC rich sequences at the lower input quantities regardless of
      library prep method, the number of low quality reads that could not be mapped to
      the reference genomes increased with decreasing input quantities, and the
      different library preparation methods had an impact on overall metagenomic
      community composition. CONCLUSIONS: This benchmark study provides recommendations
      for library creation of representative and minimally biased metagenome shotgun
      sequencing, enabling insights into functional attributes of low biomass ecosystem
      microbial communities.

PMID- 26496748
TI  - Research progress of genome editing and derivative technologies in plants.
AB  - Genome editing technologies using engineered nucleases have been widely used in
      many model organisms. Genome editing with sequence-specific nuclease (SSN)
      creates DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in the genomic target sites that are
      primarily repaired by the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or homologous
      recombination (HR) pathways, which can be employed to achieve targeted genome
      modifications such as gene mutations, insertions, replacements or chromosome
      rearrangements. There are three major SSNs?zinc finger nuclease (ZFN),
      transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) and clustered regularly
      interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system.
      In contrast to ZFN and TALEN, which require substantial protein engineering to
      each DNA target, the CRISPR/Cas9 system requires only a change in the guide RNA.
      For this reason, the CRISPR/Cas9 system is a simple, inexpensive and versatile
      tool for genome engineering. Furthermore, a modified version of the CRISPR/Cas9
      system has been developed to recruit heterologous domains that can regulate
      endogenous gene expression, such as activation, depression and epigenetic
      regulation. In this review, we summarize the development and applications of
      genome editing technologies for basic research and biotechnology, as well as
      highlight challenges and future directions, with particular emphasis on plants.

PMID- 26496749
TI  - The molecular mechanism of CRISPR/Cas9 system and its application in gene therapy
      of human diseases.
AB  - CRISPR/Cas system is an adaptive immune system that confers resistance to
      exogenous virus or plasmid in bacteria and archaea. In recent years, the booming
      CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology modified from type2 CRISPR/Cas adaptive
      immune system has been widely applied to various research fields of life science
      and led to revolutionary changes. In this review, we summarize the origin and
      development of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology as well as its applications
      in life science research. We focus on the latest application of this system in
      gene therapy of human diseases and the associated side/off-target effects, which
      may provide references for researchers in related areas.

PMID- 26496750
TI  - Use of genome editing tools in human stem cell-based disease modeling and
      precision medicine.
AB  - Precision medicine emerges as a new approach that takes into account individual
      variability. The successful conduct of precision medicine requires the use of
      precise disease models. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), as well as adult
      stem cells, can be differentiated into a variety of human somatic cell types that
      can be used for research and drug screening. The development of genome editing
      technology over the past few years, especially the CRISPR/Cas system, has made it
      feasible to precisely and efficiently edit the genetic background. Therefore,
      disease modeling by using a combination of human stem cells and genome editing
      technology has offered a new platform to generate " personalized " disease
      models, which allow the study of the contribution of individual genetic
      variabilities to disease progression and the development of precise treatments.
      In this review, recent advances in the use of genome editing in human stem cells
      and the generation of stem cell models for rare diseases and cancers are
      discussed.

PMID- 26496751
TI  - DNA fragment editing of genomes by CRISPR/Cas9.
AB  - The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR
      associated nuclease 9 (Cas9) system from bacteria and archaea emerged recently as
      a new powerful technology of genome editing in virtually any organism. Due to its
      simplicity and cost effectiveness, a revolutionary change of genetics has
      occurred. Here, we summarize the recent development of DNA fragment editing
      methods by CRISPR/Cas9 and describe targeted DNA fragment deletions, inversions,
      duplications, insertions, and translocations. The efficient method of DNA
      fragment editing provides a powerful tool for studying gene function, regulatory
      elements, tissue development, and disease progression. Finally, we discuss the
      prospects of CRISPR/Cas9 system and the potential applications of other types of
      CRISPR system.

PMID- 26496752
TI  - Progress of application and off-target effects of CRISPR/Cas9.
AB  - The clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeat/Cas9 (CRISPR/Cas9)
      system mediates genome editing and is revolutionizing genetic researches.
      Scientists are able to manipulate the gene of interest from any organism with
      CRISPR/Cas9. Compared with zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription
      activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) technologies, the CRISPR/Cas9
      technology provides an easy and efficient approach to manipulate the genome. In
      this system, sgRNA (Single guide RNA), a short RNA matching the targeted DNA
      fragment, guides the CRISPR/Cas9 to interrogate the genome. Because sgRNA can
      tolerate certain mismatches to the DNA targets and thereby promote undesired off
      target mutagenesis, the key limit of this technology is off-target effects. To
      eliminate the off-target effects, different strategies have been adopted. In this
      review, we summarize the application of CRISPR/Cas9 and different strategies for
      addressing off-target effects.

PMID- 26496753
TI  - CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technique and its application in site-directed genome
      modification of animals.
AB  - CRISPR/Cas system, which uses CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) to guide Cas nuclease to
      silence invading nucleic acids, is self-defense system against exogenous virus or
      plasmid in bacteria and archaea. Through molecular modification, the
      typeIICRISPR/Cas system has become a highly efficient site-directed genome
      editing technique, which is simpler than zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and
      transcription activator like effector nucleases (TALENs) and easier to be
      designed and applied. In this review, we summarize the evolutionary history of
      CRISPR/Cas9 system, the working principle and modification process of type II
      CRISPR/Cas and its application in animal genome modification. We also analyze the
      existing problems and improvement program of the CRISPR/Cas9 system as well as
      its application prospect combined with successful cases, which may provide
      innovative perspectives on improving animal traits and establishing animal models
      of human diseases.

PMID- 26496754
TI  - From gene editing to genome reconstitution: evolving techniques in yeast.
AB  - Homologous recombination is one of the main repair pathways in response to DNA
      double strand break (DSB) in eukaryotes. Based on this, a series of techniques to
      introduce DSB have been developed in order to edit the DNA sequence of genome. In
      eukaryotes, the gene editing technique was first established in S. cerevisiae by
      transformation of a foreign DNA fragment containing the sequence homologous to
      the targeted site more than thirty years ago. The core of all currently available
      editing methods lies in the introduction of DSB. Here, we try to convey a
      historic view of various editing techniques from its original version to the up
      to-dated genome synthesis and reconstitution. We believe that this review will
      help to illustrate the trend of the development of genome editing techniques,
      which will provide a valuable reference for developing similar techniques in
      mammals.

PMID- 26496755
TI  - Generation of site-specific mutant mice using the CRISPR/Cas9 system.
AB  - The CRISPR/Cas9 system is a recently developed important technology for genome
      editing in cellular and animal models. Here we established a CRISPR/Cas9-based
      system of generating site-specific mutant mice using DNA double-strand breaks
      (DSBs) induced homologous recombination (HR)-dependent or independent repair
      mechanism. Through co-microinjection of Cas9 mRNA and single-guide RNA (sgRNA)
      targeting genomic DNA sequence corresponding to enzyme activity of lysine (K)
      specific demethylase 2b (Kdm2b), both a frame-shifted Kdm2b null mutant and a
      Kdm2b enzyme activity disrupted mouse strain were obtained simultaneously.
      Moreover, sgRNA targeting flavin containing monooxygenases3 (Fmo3) gene and the
      corresponding single strand oligonucleotides (ssODN) donor template with point
      mutation were co-injected into the male pronucleus of one-cell mouse embryos
      stimulated HR-mediated repair mechanism. Genomic sequence analysis of F0 mice
      showed that frame-shifted Fmo3 knockout mouse and site-specific Fmo3 knock-in
      mouse with single base substitution were successfully generated, and these
      mutations could be stably transmitted to the next generation. Therefore, we
      successfully generated mouse strains containing site-specific mutations through
      HR-dependent and -independent DSB repair using the CRISPR/Cas9 system.

PMID- 26496756
TI  - Generating amphioxus Hedgehog knockout mutants and phenotype analysis.
AB  - The amphioxus is a promising animal model for evolutionary-developmental studies
      due to its key position on the animal phylogenetic tree. In the present study, we
      reported a genetically modified amphioxus strain on the Hedgehog (Hh) gene locus
      using the TALEN method. The result showed that our TALEN pair injection could
      bring about 34% mutations in the amphioxus Hh coding region. Further analysis on
      the F(0) gametic DNA revealed that the mutations had entered into gametes. So, we
      paired one F(0) male carrying an 8 bp deletion with a wild-type (WT) female, and
      carefully nursed the F(1) embryos up to adulthood. We then screened F(1)
      individually via analyzing their genomic DNA from a tiny tail tip, and obtained
      eight heterozygous mutants from the F(1) offspring. Moreover, our observation on
      the F(2) embryos generated by mating F(1) mutants also revealed that about 25% of
      early larvae developed aberrantly with head and tail curving ventrally, agenesis
      of the mesoblastic tissue under their anterior notochord, and no mouth opening.
      With the larva growth, deformities (such as twist of head and tail, mouth absent,
      ventrally localized endostyle and gill slits) became more severe, and eventually
      those malformed larvae died due to no food intake. Genetic analysis showed that
      all these deformed embryos were homozygous mutants and the ratio of Hh
      hetorozygotes vs WT agreed with Mondel's law. WT amphioxus larvae are asymmetric
      with the mouth on the left and gill slits on the right side. However, the
      homozygous mutant larvae became left-right symmetric with the gill slits on the
      ventral side, indicating a conserved role of Hedgehog signaling in establishing
      the left-right embryonic axis.

PMID- 26496757
TI  - Highly efficient CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted mutagenesis of multiple genes in
      Populus.
AB  - The typeIICRISPR/Cas9 system (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic
      repeats /CRISPR-associated 9) has been widely used in bacteria, yeast, animals
      and plants as a targeted genome editing technique. In previous work, we have
      successfully knocked out the endogenous phytoene dehydrogenase (PDS) gene in
      Populus tomentosa Carr. using this system. To study the effect of target design
      on the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene knockout in Populus, we analyzed
      the efficiency of mutagenesis using different single-guide RNA (sgRNA) that
      target PDS DNA sequence. We found that mismatches between the sgRNA and the
      target DNA resulted in decreased efficiency of mutagenesis and even failed
      mutagenesis. Moreover, complementarity between the 3' end nucleotide of sgRNA and
      target DNA is especially crucial for efficient mutagenesis. Further sequencing
      analysis showed that two PDS homologs in Populus, PtPDS1 and PtPDS2, could be
      knocked out simultaneously using this system with 86.4% and 50% efficiency,
      respectively. These results indicated the possibility of introducing mutations in
      two or more endogenous genes efficiently and obtaining multi-mutant strains of
      Populus using this system. We have indeed generated several knockout mutants of
      transcription factors and structural genes in Populus, which establishes a
      foundation for future studies of gene function and genetic improvement of
      Populus.

PMID- 26496758
TI  - Development and application of dual-fluorescence reporter systems for measuring
      specific nuclease activity based on SSA repair mechanism.
AB  - Reporter vector system has become an important method for measuring activity of
      specific nucleases because of its fast construction, simple modification, easy
      operation, economic effectiveness as well as its role in enriching positive cells
      with genomic modification through mediating screen of specific nucleases positive
      cells. After introducing double strand breaks (DSBs), a reporter system based on
      non-homologous end joining (NHEJ)-mediated repair can only repair maximally two
      thirds of reporter genes after optimization, while single strand annealing (SSA)
      mediated repair can repair all reporter genes theoretically which has higher
      sensitivity and facilitates the detection of specific nuclease with low activity
      and provides an effective way to detect specific nuclease activity in genome
      modification studies. In this study, we designed and constructed three sets of
      dual-fluorescence reporter systems based on SSA repair mechanism and applied the
      mRFP-eGFP system in measuring the effective activity of three pairs of ZFNs,
      which was 8.9%, 9.3% and 5.0%, respectively. Our study provides an effective way
      to detect the activity of nucleases.

PMID- 26496759
TI  - Development of a graphical user interface for sgRNAcas9 and its application.
AB  - The CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technique is a powerful tool for researchers.
      However, off-target effects of the Cas9 nuclease activity is a recurrent concern
      of the CRISPR system. Thus, designing sgRNA (single guide RNA) with minimal off
      target effects is very important. sgRNAcas9 is a software package, which can be
      used to design sgRNA and to evaluate potential off-target cleavage sites. In this
      study, a graphical user interface for sgRNAcas9 was developed using the Java
      programming language. In addition, off-target effect for sgRNAs was evaluated
      according to mismatched number and "seed sequence" specification. Moreover,
      sgRNAcas9 software was used to design 34 124 sgRNAs, which can target 4691
      microRNA (miRNA) precursors from human, mouse, rat, pig, and chicken. In
      particular, the off-target effect of a sgRNA targeting to human miR-206 precursor
      was analyzed, and the on/off-target activity of this sgRNA was validated by T7E1
      assay in vitro. Taken together, these data showed that the interface can simplify
      the usage of the sgRNAcas9 program, which can be used to design sgRNAs for the
      majority of miRNA precursors. We also found that the GC% of those sgRNAs ranged
      from 40% to 60%. In summary, the sgRNAcas9 software can be easily used to design
      sgRNA with minimal off-target effects for any species. The software can be
      downloaded from BiooTools website (http://www.biootools.com/).

PMID- 26496761
TI  - Assessing the impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on invasive pneumococcal
      disease using polymerase chain reaction-based surveillance: an experience from
      South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of molecular diagnostic techniques for the evaluation of the
      impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) has not been documented. We
      aimed to evaluate the impact of PCVs on invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) using
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based techniques and compare with results
      obtained from culture-based methods. METHODS: We implemented two independent
      surveillance programs for IPD among individuals hospitalized at one large
      surveillance site in Soweto, South Africa during 2009-2012: (i) PCR-based
      (targeting the lytA gene) syndromic pneumonia surveillance; and (ii) culture
      based laboratory surveillance. Positive samples were serotyped. The molecular
      serotyping assay included targets for 42 serotypes including all
      serotypes/serogroups included in the 7-valent (PCV-7) and 13-valent (PCV-13) PCV.
      The Quellung reaction was used for serotyping of culture-positive cases. We
      calculated the change in rates of IPD (lytA- or culture-positive) among HIV
      uninfected children aged <2 years from the year of PCV-7 introduction (2009) to
      the post-vaccine years (2011 or 2012). RESULTS: During the study period there
      were 607 lytA-positive and 1,197 culture-positive cases that were serotyped.
      Samples with lytA cycle threshold (Ct)-values >=35 (30.2 %; 123/407) were
      significantly less likely to have a serotype/serogroup detected for serotypes
      included in the molecular serotyping assay than those with Ct-values <35 (78.0 %;
      156/200) (p < 0.001). From 2009 to 2012 rates of PCV-7 serotypes/serogroups
      decreased -63.8 % (95 % CI: -79.3 % to -39.1 %) among lytA-positive cases and 
      91.7 % (95 % CI: -98.8 % to -73.6 %) among culture-positive cases. Rates of lytA
      positive non-vaccine serotypes/serogroups also significantly decreased (-71.7 %;
      95 % CI: -81.1 % to -58.5 %) over the same period. Such decline was not observed
      among the culture-positive non-vaccine serotypes (1.2 %; 95 % CI: -96.7 % to 58.4
      %). CONCLUSIONS: Significant downward trends in IPD PCV-7 serotype-associated
      rates were observed among patients tested by PCR or culture methods; however
      trends of non-vaccine serotypes/serogroups differed between the two groups.
      Misclassifications of serotypes/serogroups, affecting the use of non-vaccine
      serotypes as a control group, may have occurred due to the low performance of the
      serotyping assay among lytA-positive cases with high Ct-values. Until PCR methods
      improve further, culture methods should continue to be used to monitor the
      effects of PCV vaccination programs on IPD incidence.

PMID- 26496762
TI  - A cross-sectional survey of emergency and essential surgical care capacity among
      hospitals with high trauma burden in a Central African country.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As the overwhelming surgical burden of injury and disease steadily
      increases, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries,
      adequate surgical and trauma care systems are essential. Yet, little is known
      about the emergency and essential surgical care (EESC) capacity of facilities in
      many African countries. The objective of this study was to assess the EESC
      capacity in different types of hospitals across Cameroon. METHODS: This cross
      sectional survey used the WHO Tool for Situational Analysis to Assess EESC,
      investigating four key areas: infrastructure, human resources, interventions, and
      equipment and supplies. Twelve hospitals were surveyed between August and
      September 2009. Facilities were conveniently sampled based on proximity to road
      traffic and sociodemographic composition of population served in four regions of
      Cameroon. To complete the survey, investigators interviewed heads of facilities,
      medical advisors, and nursing officers and consulted hospital records and
      statistics at each facility. RESULTS: Seven district hospitals, two regional
      hospitals, two general hospitals, and one missionary hospital completed the
      survey. Infrastructure for EESC was generally inadequate with the largest gaps in
      availability of oxygen concentrator supply, an on-site blood bank, and pain
      relief management guidelines. Human resources were scarce with a combined total
      of six qualified surgeons, seven qualified obstetrician/gynecologists, and no
      anesthesiologists at district, regional, and missionary hospitals. Of 35 surgical
      interventions, 16 were provided by all hospitals. District hospitals reported
      referring patients for 22 interventions. Only nine of the 67 pieces of equipment
      were available at all hospitals for all patients all of the time. CONCLUSIONS:
      Severe shortages highlighted by this survey demonstrate the significant gaps in
      capacity of hospitals to deliver EESC and effectively address the increasing
      surgical burden of disease and injury in Cameroon. This data provides a
      foundation for evidence-based decision-making surrounding appropriate allocation
      and provision of resources for adequate EESC in the country.

PMID- 26496763
TI  - Laboratory Animal Allergy in the Modern Era.
AB  - Laboratory animal workers face a high risk of developing laboratory animal
      allergy as a consequence of inhaling animal proteins at work; this has serious
      consequences for their health and future employment. Exposure to animal allergen
      remains to be the greatest risk factor although the relationship is complex, with
      attenuation at high allergen exposure. Recent evidence suggests that this may be
      due to a form of natural immunotolerance. Furthermore, the pattern of exposure to
      allergen may also be important in determining whether an allergic or a tolerant
      immune response is initiated. Risk associated with specific tasks in the
      laboratory need to be determined to provide evidence to devise a code of best
      practice for working within modern laboratory animal facilities. Recent evidence
      suggests that members of lipocalin allergens, such as Mus m 1, may act as
      immunomodulatory proteins, triggering innate immune receptors through toll-like
      receptors and promoting airway laboratory animal allergy. This highlights the
      need to understand the relationship between endotoxin, animal allergen and
      development of laboratory animal allergy to provide a safe working environment
      for all laboratory animal workers. 

PMID- 26496764
TI  - Nasal Mucociliary Clearance in Adenoid Hypertrophy and Otitis Media with
      Effusion.
AB  - Mucociliary clearance (MCC), which exists in many systems, is the first defensive
      mechanism of the human body. Nasal MCC has an important role in transporting the
      secretions of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses along with the trapped
      inhaled pathogens to the nasopharynx. Physiologic or pathologic situations that
      effect nasal MCC, such as temperature, humidity, nasal obstruction, allergic
      rhinitis, chronic infections, etc., lead to impaired MCC and related local or
      circumjacent system disorders. With this perspective, when a unified airway with
      a multiple disease principle is considered, investigating the relationship
      between adenoid hypertrophy (AH), otitis media with effusion (OME) and nasal MCC
      is logical. In this review, histological and physiologic properties of nasal MCC
      and its possible role involving pathologic situations such as AH and OME is
      discussed together with recent literature findings. 

PMID- 26496765
TI  - Midline shift in relation to thickness of traumatic acute subdural hematoma
      predicts mortality.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic acute subdural hematoma has a high mortality despite
      intensive treatment. Despite the existence of several prediction models, it is
      very hard to predict an outcome. We investigated whether a specific combination
      of initial head CT-scan findings is a factor in predicting outcome, especially
      non-survival. METHODS: We retrospectively studied admission head CT scans of all
      adult patients referred for a traumatic acute subdural hematoma between April
      2009 and April 2013. Chart review was performed for every included patient.
      Midline shift and thickness of the hematoma were measured by two independent
      observers. The difference between midline shift and thickness of the hematoma was
      calculated. These differences were correlated with outcome. IRB has approved the
      study. RESULTS: A total of 59 patients were included, of whom 29 died. We found a
      strong correlation between a midline shift exceeding the thickness of the
      hematoma by 3 mm or more, and subsequent mortality. For each evaluation,
      specificity was 1.0 (95 % CI: 0.85-1 for all evaluations), positive predictive
      value 1.0 (95 % CI between 0.31-1 and 0.56-1), while sensitivity ranged from 0.1
      to 0.23 (95 % CI between 0.08-0.39 and 0.17-0.43), and negative predictive value
      varied from 0.52 to 0.56 (95 % CI between 0.38-0.65 and 0.41-0.69). CONCLUSIONS:
      In case of a traumatic acute subdural hematoma, a difference between the midline
      shift and the thickness of the hematoma >= 3 mm at the initial CT predicted
      mortality in all cases. This is the first time that such a strong correlation was
      reported. Especially for the future development of prediction models, the
      relation between midline shift and thickness of the hematoma could be included as
      a separate factor.

PMID- 26496766
TI  - A prospective study of appetite and food craving in 30 patients with Cushing's
      disease.
AB  - CONTEXT: Glucocorticoid (GC) exposure increases food intake, but the mechanisms
      in humans are not known. Investigation of appetite and food craving has not been
      done in patients with chronic GC exposure due to Cushing's disease (CD), either
      before or after treatment, and could provide insight into mechanisms of food
      intake and obesity in these patients. PURPOSE: To examine whether surgical
      remission of CD changes appetite (prospective consumption, hunger, satisfaction,
      and fullness) and food cravings (sweet, salty, fatty, and savory); and to
      identify predictors of appetite and craving in CD remission. METHODS: 30 CD
      patients, mean age 40.0 years (range 17-70), mean BMI 32.3 +/- 6.4, were
      prospectively studied before and at a mean of 17.4 mo. after remission. At each
      visit fasting and post-test meal (50% carbohydrate, 35% protein, 15% fat)
      appetite and craving scores were assessed. RESULTS: Remission decreased
      prospective consumption, sweet and savory craving (p < 0.05), but did not change
      hunger, satisfaction, fullness, or fat craving, despite decreases in BMI and fat
      mass. In CD remission, serum cortisol predicted lower satisfaction and fullness,
      and masses of abdominal fat depots predicted higher hunger and consumption (p <
      0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Chronic GC exposure in CD patients may stimulate the drive to
      eat by enhancing craving, rather than regulating the sensation of hunger.
      Continued alterations in appetite regulation due to abdominal fat mass and
      circulating cortisol could play a role in the cardiovascular and metabolic risk
      that has been reported in CD patients despite remission.

PMID- 26496767
TI  - Pegvisomant-primed glucagon stimulation test in assessing GH  reserve and GH/IGF
      kinetics in adults suspected of GH deficiency.
AB  - PURPOSE: The accuracy of the glucagon stimulation test(GST) in diagnosing adult
      GH deficiency (GHD) has recently been questioned. Because pegvisomant
      (PegV)increases endogenous GH secretion, we hypothesized that priming PegV to the
      GST (PegV-GST) 72 h beforehand would improve the diagnostic accuracy of this
      test. This pilot study aimed to prospectively compare PegV-GST to two other
      diagnostic tests for adult GHD. METHODS: Adults suspected of GHD underwent
      PegVGST,GST and insulin tolerance test (ITT) in random order.Growth hormone
      levels (measured by a PegV insensitive assay) during PegV-GST, GST and ITT were
      compared,and acute effects of PegV on GH/IGF kinetics were assessed. RESULTS: Ten
      subjects with hypothalamic-pituitary disease and 1-4 pituitary hormone
      deficiencies were studied. Basal and peak GH levels with the PegV-GST were
      comparable to those of the GST and ITT. The five subjects that failed the GST and
      ITT were the same subjects that failed the PegVGST,using the peak GH cut point
      of<3 ng/mL for this test. After PegV priming, basal GH and GH binding
      protein(GHBP) increased (both P<0.01) and total IGF-I and bioactive IGF decreased
      (both P<0.05), whereas IGF-II and IGFBPs -1, -2 and -3 were unchanged compared to
      pre-PegV priming. Serum PegV levels correlated positively with basal GH, peak GH,
      IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 levels, and negatively with D bioactive IGF and DGHBP (all
      P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Single dose PegV administration in adults suspected of GHD
      increased basal GH and GHBP, with concomitant rapid fall in IGF-I levels and
      bioactive IGF. PegV priming did not appear to improve the diagnostic accuracy of
      the GST. Further studies involving larger subject numbers are needed to verify
      the clinical utility of PegV-GST in evaluating adult GHD.

PMID- 26496768
TI  - The influence of socioeconomic status on future risk for developing Type 2
      diabetes in the Canadian population between 2011 and 2022: differential
      associations by sex.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Articulating future risk of diabetes at the population level can
      inform prevention strategies. While previous studies have characterized diabetes
      burden according to socioeconomic status (SES), none have studied future risk.
      METHODS: We quantified the influence of multiple constructs of SES on future
      diabetes risk using the Diabetes Population Risk Tool (DPoRT), a validated risk
      prediction algorithm that generates 10-year rates of new diabetes cases. We
      applied DPoRT to adults aged 30-64 in the 2011-2012 Canadian Community Health
      Survey (n = 65,372) and calculated risk for 2021-22. A multi-category outcome was
      created classifying risk as low (<=5%), moderate (greater than 5% and less than
      20%), and high (>=20%), then assessed the impact of individual-level SES
      indicators, and area-level measures of marginalization on being moderate or high
      risk using multinomial logistic regression, stratified by sex. RESULTS: We found
      nuanced profiles of social determinants by sex, where women are more sensitive to
      social context. Women living in households where highest educational attainment
      was less than secondary school were at greater risk [odds ratio (OR) of high
      compared to low diabetes risk 3.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.19-4.40, p <
      0.0001). The same relationship was less pronounced for males (OR 2.17, 95% CI
      1.42-3.32, p = 0.0004). Lower household income and being food insecure predicted
      high future diabetes risk for women (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.01-1.86, p = 0.0418
      comparing quintile 1 to quintile 5; OR 2.64, 95% CI 1.78-3.92, p < 0.0001
      comparing severely food insecure to food secure), but not men (OR 1.15, 95% CI
      0.84-1.57, p = 0.3818 and OR 1.22, 95% CI 0.71-2.10, p = 0.4815). At the area
      level, material deprivation was significantly associated with increased future
      risk comparing the most to the least deprived (OR females 2.39, 95% CI 1.77-3.23;
      OR males 1.61, 95% CI 1.22-2.14). Additionally, a strong protective effect was
      observed for women living in ethnically dense areas (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.63-0.89, p
      = 0.0011) which was not as pronounced for men (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.76-1.18, p =
      0.6351). CONCLUSIONS: This study characterized socio-contextual predictors for
      future diabetes risk, showing sex-specific effects. Diabetes prevention must
      consider factors beyond individual-level behavioral lifestyle change and actively
      take steps to mitigate the adverse impacts of socio-contextual factors.

PMID- 26496769
TI  - The effects of diet- and RYGB-induced weight loss on insulin sensitivity in obese
      patients with and without type 2 diabetes.
AB  - AIMS: The impact of diet-induced weight loss and weight loss due to RYGB in
      patients with (T2DM, N = 16) and without (OB, N = 27) type 2 diabetes was
      studied. METHODS: At inclusion (A), after diet-induced weight loss (B), 4 months
      post-surgery (C) and 18 months post-surgery (D) body composition, hepatic glucose
      production (HGP), insulin-mediated glucose uptake (GIR), respiratory exchange
      ratio, hepatic insulin sensitivity and clearance were determined. GLUT4,
      intramuscular triglycerides (IMTG) and glycogen content were measured in skeletal
      muscle. RESULTS: Weight loss was 35-40 kg, and approximately one-third of the
      total improvement in GIR in T2DM was observed after the diet-induced weight loss
      of only ~6 kg (B). Insulin clearance, visceral fat and fasting plasma insulin
      also improved significantly after the diet (P < 0.05). Throughout the study, HGP,
      GLUT4 and glycogen content did not change significantly, but IMTG decreased
      significantly consistent with significant increases in GIR. Metabolic flexibility
      and hepatic insulin sensitivity improved after RYGB. CONCLUSIONS: Metabolic
      improvements of RYGB are present already after the diet-induced weight loss prior
      to surgery. GLUT4 content in skeletal muscle cannot and IMTG content can only
      partly explain increases in GIR after RYGB.

PMID- 26496770
TI  - Hepatic insulin resistance in NAFLD: relationship with markers of atherosclerosis
      and metabolic syndrome components.
AB  - AIMS: Fat accumulation in the liver and in the muscle results in hepatic and
      muscle insulin resistance and has been associated with increased cardiovascular
      risk. It is unclear whether the individual role of hepatic and muscle insulin
      resistance in the onset of dyslipidaemia is observed in nonalcoholic fatty liver
      disease (NAFLD) patients and whether this association is mediated through
      traditional risk factors. The aim of this study was to assess hepatic and muscle
      insulin resistance in NAFLD and its relationship with carotid artery intima-media
      thickness (IMT) and the apoB/apoAI ratio as markers of atherosclerosis. METHODS:
      We studied 132 patients with a non-invasive diagnosis of NAFLD stratified into
      two groups according to the severity of steatosis at ultrasound scan. In all
      subjects, we measured hepatic insulin resistance (H-IR) and muscle insulin
      sensitivity index (MISI) by oral glucose tolerance test as proposed by DeFronzo,
      IMT, apoB/apoAI and the components of the metabolic syndrome (MS) as defined by
      ATP III. RESULTS: H-IR was significantly higher in moderate/severe steatosis than
      in the mild steatosis group (p < 0.0001). By contrast, MISI did not differ
      between the two groups. There was a significant correlation between H-IR, MISI
      and all of the components of MS. H-IR was significantly correlated with carotid
      IMT (r = 0.35; p < 0.0001) and the apoB/apoAI ratio (r = 0.43; p < 0.0001).
      Otherwise, a significant correlation was observed only between MISI and
      apoB/apoAI ratio. Multivariate analysis revealed that H-IR is related to early
      markers of atherosclerosis independent of MS components. CONCLUSIONS: In our
      study population, NAFLD was positively associated with carotid IMT, and this
      association is independent of MS components, but strictly related to H-IR that
      might contribute to the development of atherosclerosis through an impairment of
      the lipid profile in terms of the apoB/apoAI ratio. By contrast, no significant
      relation was observed between MISI and carotid IMT.

PMID- 26496771
TI  - A modified choline-deficient, ethionine-supplemented diet reduces morbidity and
      retains a liver progenitor cell response in mice.
AB  - The choline-deficient, ethionine-supplemented (CDE) dietary model induces chronic
      liver damage, and stimulates liver progenitor cell (LPC)-mediated repair. Long
      term CDE administration leads to hepatocellular carcinoma in rodents and lineage
      tracing studies show that LPCs differentiate into functional hepatocytes in this
      model. The CDE diet was first modified for mice by our laboratory by separately
      administering choline-deficient chow and ethionine in the drinking water (CD+E
      diet). Although this CD+E diet is widely used, concerns with variability in
      weight loss, morbidity, mortality and LPC response have been raised by
      researchers who have adopted this model. We propose that these inconsistencies
      are due to differential consumption of chow and ethionine in the drinking water,
      and that incorporating ethionine in the choline-deficient chow, and altering the
      strength, will achieve better outcomes. Therefore, C57Bl/6 mice, 5 and 6 weeks of
      age, were fed an all-inclusive CDE diet of various strengths (67% to 100%) for 3
      weeks. The LPC response was quantitated and cell lines were derived. We found
      that animal survival, LPC response and liver damage are correlated with CDE diet
      strength. The 67% and 75% CDE diet administered to mice older than 5 weeks and
      greater than 18 g provides a consistent and acceptable level of animal welfare
      and induces a substantial LPC response, permitting their isolation and
      establishment of cell lines. This study shows that an all-inclusive CDE diet for
      mice reproducibly induces an LPC response conducive to in vivo studies and
      isolation, whilst minimizing morbidity and mortality. 

PMID- 26496772
TI  - MAP3K1 function is essential for cytoarchitecture of the mouse organ of Corti and
      survival of auditory hair cells.
AB  - MAP3K1 is a serine/threonine kinase that is activated by a diverse set of stimuli
      and exerts its effect through various downstream effecter molecules, including
      JNK, ERK1/2 and p38. In humans, mutant alleles of MAP3K1 are associated with
      46,XY sex reversal. Until recently, the only phenotype observed in
      Map3k1(tm1Yxia) mutant mice was open eyelids at birth. Here, we report that
      homozygous Map3k1(tm1Yxia) mice have early-onset profound hearing loss
      accompanied by the progressive degeneration of cochlear outer hair cells. In the
      mouse inner ear, MAP3K1 has punctate localization at the apical surface of the
      supporting cells in close proximity to basal bodies. Although the
      cytoarchitecture, neuronal wiring and synaptic junctions in the organ of Corti
      are grossly preserved, Map3k1(tm1Yxia) mutant mice have supernumerary functional
      outer hair cells (OHCs) and Deiters' cells. Loss of MAP3K1 function resulted in
      the downregulation of Fgfr3, Fgf8, Fgf10 and Atf3 expression in the inner ear.
      Fgfr3, Fgf8 and Fgf10 have a role in induction of the otic placode or in otic
      epithelium development in mice, and their functional deficits cause defects in
      cochlear morphogenesis and hearing loss. Our studies suggest that MAP3K1 has an
      essential role in the regulation of these key cochlear morphogenesis genes.
      Collectively, our data highlight the crucial role of MAP3K1 in the development
      and function of the mouse inner ear and hearing. 

PMID- 26496774
TI  - Computational Identification of MicroRNAs and Their Targets from Finger Millet
      (Eleusine coracana).
AB  - MicroRNAs are endogenous small RNAs regulating intrinsic normal growth and
      development of plant. Discovering miRNAs, their targets and further inferring
      their functions had become routine process to comprehend the normal biological
      processes of miRNAs and their roles in plant development. In this study, we used
      homology-based analysis with available expressed sequence tag of finger millet
      (Eleusine coracana) to predict conserved miRNAs. Three potent miRNAs targeting 88
      genes were identified. The newly identified miRNAs were found to be homologous
      with miR166 and miR1310. The targets recognized were transcription factors and
      enzymes, and GO analysis showed these miRNAs played varied roles in gene
      regulation. The identification of miRNAs and their targets is anticipated to
      hasten the pace of key epigenetic regulators in plant development.

PMID- 26496773
TI  - A modern approach for epitope prediction: identification  of foot-and-mouth
      disease virus peptides binding bovine leukocyte  antigen (BoLA) class I
      molecules.
AB  - Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class Imolecules regulate adaptive immune
      responses through the presentation of antigenic peptides to CD8+ T cells.
      Polymorphisms in the peptide binding region of class I molecules determine
      peptide binding affinity and stability during antigen presentation, and different
      antigen peptide motifs are associated with specific genetic sequences of class I
      molecules. Understanding bovine leukocyte antigen (BoLA), peptide-MHC class I
      binding specificities may facilitate development of vaccines or reagents for
      quantifying the adaptive immune response to intracellular pathogens, such as foot
      and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). Six synthetic BoLA class I (BoLA-I) molecules
      were produced, and the peptide binding motif was generated for five of the six
      molecules using a combined approach of positional scanning combinatorial peptide
      libraries (PSCPLs) and neural network-based predictions (NetMHCpan). The updated
      NetMHCpan server was used to predict BoLA-I binding peptides within the P1
      structural polyprotein sequence of FMDV (strain A24 Cruzeiro) for Bo-LA-1*01901,
      BoLA-2*00801, BoLA-2*01201, and BoLA-4*02401. Peptide binding affinity and
      stability were determined for these BoLA-I molecules using the luminescent oxygen
      channeling immunoassay (LOCI) and scintillation proximity assay (SPA). The
      functional diversity of known BoLA alleles was predicted using theMHCcluster
      tool, and functional predictions for peptide motifs were compared to observed
      data from this and prior studies. The results of these analyses showed that BoLA
      alleles cluster into three distinct groups with the potential to define BBoLA
      supertypes.^ This streamlined approach identifies potential T cell epitopes from
      pathogens, such as FMDV, and provides insight into T cell immunity following
      infection or vaccination.

PMID- 26496775
TI  - CD147 is increased in HCC cells under starvation and reduces cell death through
      upregulating p-mTOR in vitro.
AB  - Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the standard of care for treatment of
      intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, key molecules involved in
      HCC cell survival and tumor metastasis post-TACE remain unclear. CD147 is a
      member of the immunoglobulin superfamily that is overexpressed on the surface of
      HCC cells and is associated with malignant potential and poor prognosis in HCC
      patients. In this study, using an Earle's Balanced Salt Solution medium culture
      model that mimics nutrient deprivation induced by TACE, we investigated the
      regulation of CD147 expression on HCC cells under starvation conditions and its
      functional effects on HCC cell death. During early stages of starvation, the
      expression of CD147 was considerably upregulated in SMMC7721, HepG2 and HCC9204
      hepatoma cell lines at the protein levels. Downregulation of CD147 by specific
      small interfering RNA (siRNA) significantly promoted starvation-induced cell
      death. In addition, CD147 siRNA-transfected SMMC7721 cells demonstrated
      significantly increased levels of both apoptosis and autophagy as compared to
      cells transfected with control siRNA under starvation conditions, whereas no
      difference was observed between the two treatment groups under normal culture
      conditions. Furthermore, silencing of CD147 resulted in a remarkable
      downregulation of phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) in
      starved SMMC7721 cells. Finally, the combined treatment of starvation and anti
      CD147 monoclonal antibody exhibited a synergistic HCC cell killing effect. Our
      study suggests that upregulation of CD147 under starvation may reduce hepatoma
      cell death by modulating both apoptosis and autophagy through mTOR signaling, and
      that CD147 may be a novel potential molecular target to improve the efficacy of
      TACE. 

PMID- 26496776
TI  - Role of CSL-dependent and independent Notch signaling pathways in cell apoptosis.
AB  - Apoptosis is a normally biological phenomenon in various organisms, involving
      complexly molecular mechanisms with a series of signaling processes. Notch
      signaling is found evolutionarily conserved in many species, playing a critical
      role in embryonic development, normal tissue homeostasis, angiogenesis and
      immunoregulation. The focus of this review is on currently novel advances about
      roles of CSL-dependent and independent Notch signaling pathways in cell
      apoptosis. The CSL can bind Notch intracellular domain (NIC) to act as a switch
      in mediating transcriptional activation or inactivation of the Notch signaling
      pathway downstream genes in the nucleus. It shows that CSL-dependent signaling
      regulates the cell apoptosis through Hes-1-PTEN-AKT-mTOR signaling, but rather
      the CSL-independent signaling mediates the cell apoptosis possibly via NIC-mTORC2
      AKT-mTOR signaling, providing a new insight into apoptotic mechanisms. 

PMID- 26496777
TI  - Adaptive Immunity in Neurodegenerative and Neuropsychological Disorders.
AB  - Neurodegenerative and neuropsychological disorders are becoming a greater
      proportion of the global disease burden; however the pathogenic mechanisms by
      which these disorders originate and contribute to disease progression are not
      well-described. Increasing evidence supports neuroinflammation as a common
      underlying component associated with the neuropathological processes that effect
      disease progression. This collection of articles explores the role of adaptive
      immunity in autoimmunity, neurodegeneration, neurotrauma, and psychological
      disorders. The section emphasizes the interactions of T cells with innate
      cellular responses within the CNS and the effects on neurological functions. One
      recurrent theme is that modified and aggregated self-proteins upregulate innate
      mediated inflammation and provide a permissive environment for polarization of T
      cells to proinflammatory effector cells. Moreover, infiltration and reactivation
      of those T effector cells exacerbate neuroinflammation and oxidative stress to
      greater neurotoxic levels. Another recurrent theme in these disorders promotes
      diminished regulatory functions that reduce control over activated T effector
      cells and microglia, and ultimately augment proinflammatory conditions.
      Augmentation of regulatory control is discussed as therapeutic strategies to
      attenuate neuroinflammation, mitigate neurodegeneration or neuronal dysfunction,
      and lessen disease progression. 

PMID- 26496778
TI  - Correlation of Bone Mineral Density Scores and Proton Pump Inhibitors Use in the
      Elderly.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify any correlation between long-term proton pump
      inhibitor use and low bone mineral density in the elderly. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This is a retrospective cohort study looking at PPI usage and bone mineral
      density scores of patients age 65 and above within a period of two years. Lumbar
      spine, right hip, and left hip bone mineral density t-scores were reviewed in PPI
      users and non-users. RESULTS: A total of 1,016 patients who had bone mineral
      density scans within that period were identified. Non-adjusted data showed no
      statistically significant association between PPI users and non-users in lumbar
      spine (p = 0.903), right hip (p = 0.775) and left hip (p = 0.407) bone mineral
      density scores. After adjusting for age and gender, PPI use was still not
      associated with low bone mineral density at the lumbar spine (p = 0.957), right
      hip (p = 0.440), or left hip (p = 0.691). The logistic regression did not show a
      statistically significant difference in low bone mineral density scores in lumbar
      spine (p = 0.162), right hip (p = 0.796), and left hip (p = 0.196) when length of
      use was considered. CONCLUSION: Among adults 65 years and older proton pump
      inhibitors users; there appears to be no correlation between PPI use and low bone
      mineral density and/or the length of PPI use.

PMID- 26496779
TI  - Clinical Pharmacology of Phenobarbital in Neonates: Effects, Metabolism and
      Pharmacokinetics.
AB  - Phenobarbital is an effective and safe anticonvulsant drug introduced in clinical
      use in 1904. Its mechanism of action is the synaptic inhibition through an action
      on GABAA. The loading dose of phenobarbital is 20 mg/kg intravenously and the
      maintenance dose is 3 to 4 mg/kg by mouth. The serum concentration of
      phenobarbital is up to 40 ug/ml. Nonresponders should receive additional doses of
      5 to 10 mg/kg until seizures stop. Infants with refractory seizures may have a
      serum concentration of phenobarbital of 100 ug/ml. Phenobarbital is metabolized
      in the liver by CYP2C9 with minor metabolism by CYP2C19 and CYP2E1. A quarter of
      the dose of phenobarbital is excreted unchanged in the urine. In adults, the half
      life of phenobarbital is 100 hours and in term and preterm infants is 103 and 141
      hours, respectively. The half-life of phenobarbital decreases 4.6 hours per day
      and it is 67 hours in infants 4 week old. 

PMID- 26496780
TI  - "Childhood Vitiligo".
AB  - Vitiligo in children is a distinct subset of vitiligo and differs from adult
      vitiligo. Characteristic features include family history of autoimmune or
      endocrine disease, higher incidence of segmental vitiligo , development of early
      or premature graying, increased incidence of autoantibodies and poor response to
      topical PUVA. The exact prevalence of vitiligo in children varies between 0.1-4%
      of the world population and seems to be higher in India than in other countries
      and it occurs more frequently in females. Around 12% to 35% of pediatric vitiligo
      patients have family members with the disease. The most common type of vitiligo
      in pediatric patients is vitiligo vulgaris, representing 78% of cases. The most
      commonly associated autoimmune disease is thyroiditis. Phototherapy and topical
      corticosteroids are the most commonly used treatments for adult vitiligo but are
      less useful in the pediatric population.

PMID- 26496781
TI  - The Role of Wrist Fusion and Wrist Arthroplasty in Rheumatoid Arthritis.
AB  - Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis with a
      predilection for the hand and wrist. The aggressive nature of the disease can
      lead to severe joint destruction causing significant disability. Surgical options
      for pan-carpal arthritis include total wrist arthroplasty and total wrist fusion
      both with varying outcomes, yet both have a role in the carefully selected
      patients. Fusion remains a popular procedure with consistent reliable results
      with few complications. We present a review of current evidence, indications and
      guidance for both fusion and arthroplasty in rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 26496782
TI  - No Zinc Deficiency But a Putative Immunosuppressive Role for Labile Zn in
      Patients with Systemic Autoimmune Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Zn (Zn) is an essential trace element with important roles in protein
      structure and function. Labile Zn is the fraction available for regulatory
      functions through it loose binding to albumin. As Zn deprivation reduces labile
      Zn levels and leads to an immune compromised state, we investigated labile Zn
      levels in the context of systemic autoimmune disease. METHODS: Cross sectional
      case control study in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE; n= 45),
      primary Sjogren's Syndrome (n= 53) and healthy controls (HC; n= 27). Serum labile
      Zn levels were measured by an in-house assay using the UV-excitable fluorophore
      zinquin ethyl ester. Associations between labile Zn levels and SLE manifestations
      were investigated by nonparametric methods. RESULTS: None of the SLE or pSS
      patients was found to be Zn deficient. Labile Zn levels were significantly higher
      in SLE (31.7 mcg/dl) than in pSS patients (22.3 mcg/dl) and HC (19.7 mcg/dl)
      (p<0.001). Labile Zn levels did not associate with demographics, disease activity
      scores, or inflammatory cytokine levels, but correlated inversely with lymphocyte
      counts (Rs -0.37, p<0.01), antidsDNA, anticardiolipin (Rs -0.29, p=0.01), anti
      rib P antibody levels (Rs -0.24, p=0.02) and with circulating NK-cell numbers in
      SLE patients (Rs .27, p= 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: There is no evidence of Zn
      deficiency in patients with pSS or SLE. Labile Zn levels are unexpectedly high in
      SLE patients, independent of cytokine levels and may play a role in immune
      modulation through increased NK numbers and autoantibody containment.

PMID- 26496783
TI  - Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Correlation Between Immunodysregulation and
      Clinical Manifestations.
AB  - Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is considered a prototype of an autoimmune disorder.
      The greatly compromise immune system reflects in a global loss of self-tolerance
      and an array of autoantibodies which are the hallmark of the disease. Diagnosis
      and clinical management are a challenge to physicians owing its complex clinical
      course. Specific correlation between immunodysregulation and the clinical
      manifestations have been studied and we intended in this paper to review recent
      studies, highlighting new discoveries in this matter. 

PMID- 26496784
TI  - Arthritis and Periodontitis: An Association Debated for Over Two Centuries.
AB  - The chronic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and periodontal disease (PD) lead
      to confined destruction of soft and hard tissues as a result of inflammatory
      processes. Their pathogenesis is dictated by a network of inflammatory cells and
      its mediators. They also share some etiological risk factors and therapeutic
      alternatives. The evolution of focal infection theory is summarized in this
      review, with special reference to PD and its relationship to RA. Foci of chronic
      infections exist in the oral cavity and may result in anatomically distant
      disease in certain individuals. Recent cumulative evidences document the
      influence of inflammatory diseases such as RA on the development of PD.
      Historical evidences and new theories on the interrelationship between the two
      diseases have the potential to identify novel mechanisms and therapy to improve
      patient outcomes. This review focuses on not only the association of focal
      infection theory and RA, but also on the reciprocal effects of RA and PD.

PMID- 26496785
TI  - Structural gamma-epsilon phase transition in Fe-Mn alloys from a CPA  +  DMFT
      approach.
AB  - We present a computational scheme for total energy calculations of disordered
      alloys with strong electronic correlations. It employs the coherent potential
      approximation combined with the dynamical mean-field theory and allows one to
      study the structural transformations. The material-specific Hamiltonians in the
      Wannier function basis are obtained by density functional theory. The proposed
      computational scheme is applied to study the gamma-epsilon structural transition
      in paramagnetic Fe-Mn alloys for Mn content from 10 to 20 at.%. The electronic
      correlations are found to play a crucial role in this transition. The calculated
      transition temperature decreases with increasing Mn content and is in good
      agreement with experiment. We demonstrate that in contrast to the alpha-gamma
      transition in pure iron, the gamma-epsilon transition in Fe-Mn alloys is driven
      by a combination of kinetic and Coulomb energies. The latter is found to be
      responsible for the decrease of the gamma-epsilon transition temperature with Mn
      content. 

PMID- 26496786
TI  - Five-year experience with intraoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in
      lung transplantation: Indications and midterm results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Since April 2010, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has
      replaced cardiopulmonary bypass for intraoperative support during lung
      transplantation at our institution. The aim of this study was to present our 5
      year experience with this technique. METHODS: Records of patients who underwent
      transplantation between April 2010 and January 2015 were retrospectively
      reviewed. Patients who underwent transplantation without ECMO formed Group A.
      Patients in whom the indication for ECMO support was set a priori before the
      beginning of the operation formed Group B. The remaining patients in whom the
      indication for ECMO support was set during transplantation formed Group C.
      RESULTS: Among 595 patients, 425 (71%) patients (Group A) did not require
      intraoperative ECMO; the remaining 170 (29%) patients did. Among these patients,
      95 (56%) patients formed Group B, and the remaining 75 (44%) patients comprised
      Group C. Pulmonary fibrosis and pre-operative dilated or hypertrophied right
      ventricle emerged as risk factors for the indication of non-a priori
      intraoperative ECMO. Patients in Groups B and C showed a higher pre-operative
      risk profile and higher prevalence of post-operative complications than patients
      in Group A. Overall survival at 1 year was 93%, 83%, and 82% and at 4 years was
      73%, 68%, and 69% in Groups A, B, and C (p = 0.11). The intraoperative use of
      ECMO did not emerge as a risk factor for in-hospital mortality or mortality after
      hospital discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative ECMO filled the gap between pre
      operative and post-operative ECMO in lung transplantation. Although complications
      and in-hospital mortality were higher in patients who received ECMO, survival was
      similar among patients who underwent transplantation with or without ECMO.

PMID- 26496787
TI  - Influence of human leukocyte antigen mismatching on bronchiolitis obliterans
      syndrome in lung transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Varying results have been reported in the investigation of human
      leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatching and bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS)
      after lung transplantation (LTx). METHODS: The UNOS database was queried for the
      period 1997 to 2013 to examine HLA mismatching and its association with BOS in
      LTx. RESULTS: Of 16,959 first-time adult LTx recipients, 16,854 were included in
      the univariate Cox analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival function evaluation, and
      14,578 were included in multivariate Cox models. Multivariate Cox analysis showed
      that the number of total HLA mismatches was significantly associated with greater
      hazard of BOS (HR = 1.060; 95% CI 1.013 to 1.108; p = 0.011), as was the presence
      of 2 HLA-A mismatches, when compared with 0 or 1 mismatch at that locus (HR =
      1.128; 95% CI 1.026 to 1.240; p = 0.012). These results were confirmed using
      competing-risks regression models that adjusted for death before BOS diagnosis.
      Multivariate Cox models identified no significant association with BOS hazard for
      HLA-B (HR = 1.014; 95% CI 0.914 to 1.126; p = 0.785) or HLA-DR (HR = 1.085; 95%
      CI 0.987 to 1.193; p = 0.090) mismatches. Higher body mass index was associated
      with increased risk for BOS, whereas older age was protective against BOS.
      Induction with alemtuzumab (HR = 0.343; 95% CI 0.252 to 0.467; p < 0.001) or
      basiliximab (HR = 0.862; 95% CI 0.758 to 0.980; p = 0.023) and longer ischemic
      time (HR = 0.909; 95% CI 0.877 to 0.942; p < 0.001) were associated with lower
      hazard of BOS. CONCLUSIONS: Total HLA mismatches are associated with increased
      risk for BOS, specifically at the A locus. Induction with alemtuzumab or
      basiliximab reduced the risk, whereas greater ischemic time appears to also be
      protective.

PMID- 26496788
TI  - An experimental investigation into the colonization of concealed cadavers by
      necrophagous blowflies.
AB  - We used seven baited boxes with different combinations of access holes and odor
      diffusion surfaces to study the arrival of necrophagous flies. During laboratory
      experiments, 30 gravid Lucilia sericata females were kept in a chamber with one
      of the boxes. The box with the largest odor diffusion surface (99 cm(2)) combined
      with the lowest accessibility (one 1 cm(2) entrance hole) was entered least (5 +/
      3.7 flies per run). In contrast, the most frequently entered box (one 9 cm(2)
      entrance hole with no additional odor diffusion surface) caught a mean of 24.6 +/
      3.4 flies per run. These results indicate that 1) L. sericata entered nearly
      inaccessible places and 2) both odor diffusion and accessibility impacted the
      number of flies caught. During field experiments, the seven boxes were placed
      together outdoors. The box with the most entrances (ten 9-cm(2) holes) caught the
      most flies (55.6-99.4% of the total). Only a few flies entered the other boxes.
      Access to the less accessible boxes (poor odor diffusion and small entrances) was
      also delayed. The major conclusions of the field experiments are that 1) boxes
      with low accessibility took longer to be accessed; 2) larger odor diffusion
      surfaces were more attractive to flies; and 3) flies accessed boxes more readily
      through larger holes than through an equivalent surface area made up of smaller
      holes. With these conclusions in mind, attempts to quantify the preappearance
      interval or to interpret the number of flies observed in indoor forensic
      entomology cases should be approached with caution. 

PMID- 26496789
TI  - Genetic variation and geographic differentiation among populations of the
      nonmigratory agricultural pest Oedaleus infernalis (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) in
      China.
AB  - The nonmigratory grasshopper Oedaleus infernalis Saussure (Orthoptera :
      Acridoidea) is an agricultural pest to crops and forage grasses over a wide
      natural geographical distribution in China. The genetic diversity and genetic
      variation among 10 geographically separated populations of O. infernalis was
      assessed using polymerase chain reaction-based molecular markers, including the
      intersimple sequence repeat and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase sequences. A
      high level of genetic diversity was detected among these populations from the
      intersimple sequence repeat (H: 0.2628, I: 0.4129, Hs: 0.2130) and cytochrome
      oxidase analyses (Hd: 0.653). There was no obvious geographical structure based
      on an unweighted pair group method analysis and median-joining network. The
      values of FST, theta(II), and Gst estimated in this study are low, and the gene
      flow is high (Nm > 4). Analysis of the molecular variance suggested that most of
      the genetic variation occurs within populations, whereas only a small variation
      takes place between populations. No significant correlation was found between the
      genetic distance and geographical distance. Overall, our results suggest that the
      geographical distance plays an unimpeded role in the gene flow among O.
      infernalis populations. 

PMID- 26496790
TI  - Calpain-like: A Ca(2+) dependent cystein protease in Entamoeba histolytica cell
      death.
AB  - Entamoeba histolytica programmed cell death (PCD) induced by G418 is
      characterized by the release of important amounts of intracellular calcium from
      reservoirs. Nevertheless, no typical caspases have been detected in the parasite,
      the PCD phenotype is inhibited by the cysteine protease inhibitor E-64. These
      results strongly suggest that Ca(2+)-dependent proteases could be involved in
      PCD. In this study, we evaluate the expression and activity of a specific
      dependent Ca(2+) protease, the calpain-like protease, by real-time quantitative
      PCR (RTq-PCR), Western blot assays and a enzymatic method during the induction of
      PCD by G418. Alternatively, using cell viability and TUNEL assays, we also
      demonstrated that the Z-Leu-Leu-Leu-al calpain inhibitor reduced the rate of cell
      death. The results demonstrated 4.9-fold overexpression of calpain-like gene 1.5
      h after G418 PCD induction, while calpain-like protein increased almost two-fold
      with respect to basal calpain-like expression after 3 h of induction, and calpain
      activity was found to be approximately three-fold higher 6 h after treatment
      compared with untreated trophozoites. Taken together, these results suggest that
      this Ca(2+)-dependent protease could be involved in the executory phase of PCD. 

PMID- 26496791
TI  - Melatonin as a possible antidote to UV radiation induced cutaneous damages and
      immune-suppression: An overview.
AB  - The sun rays brings along the ultraviolet radiations (UVRs) which prove
      deleterious for living organisms. The UVR is a known mutagen and is the prime
      cause of skin carcinomas. UVR causes acute oxidative stress and this in turn
      deteriorates other physiological functions. Inflammatory conditions and elevation
      of pro-inflammatory molecules are also associated with UVR mediated cellular
      damages. The inflammatory conditions can secondarily trigger the generation of
      free radicals and this act cumulatively in further deterioration of tissue
      homeostasis. Photoimmunologists have also related UVR to the suppression of not
      only cutaneous but also systemic immunity by different mechanisms. Some
      researchers have proposed the use of various plant products as antioxidants
      against UVR induced oxidative imbalances but Melatonin is gaining rapid interest
      as a product that can be utilized to delineate the pathological effects of UVR
      since it is an established antioxidant. Besides the antioxidative nature, the
      capacity of melatonin to attenuate apoptosis and more importantly the efficacy of
      its metabolites to further aid in the detoxification of free radicals have made
      it a key player to be utilized against UVR mediated aggravated conditions.
      However, there is need for further extensive investigation to speculate melatonin
      as an antidote to UVR. Although too early to prescribe melatonin as a clinical
      remedy, the hormone can be integrated into dermal formulations or oral
      supplements to prevent the ever increasing incidences of skin cancers due to the
      prevalence of the UVR on the surface of the earth. The present review focuses and
      substantiates the work by different photo-biologists demonstrating the protective
      effects of melatonin and its metabolites against solar UVR - Melatonin as a
      possible antidote to UV radiation induced cutaneous damages and immune
      suppression: an overview. J Photochem Photobiol B. 

PMID- 26496792
TI  - Influence of humic acid on the stability and bacterial toxicity of zinc oxide
      nanoparticles in water.
AB  - The present study investigated the stability of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO
      NPs) by the adsorption of humic acid (HA) and the mechanism of adsorption. The
      effect of humic acid on NP toxicity was determined by Escherichia coli (ATCC
      13534), E. coli (ATCC 25922), and Pseudomonas putida (MTCC 4910). The
      nanoparticles showed low zeta potential and were least stable in the absence of
      HA. However, the negative surface charge of the particles increased in the
      presence of HA (0-50mg/L) that reduced the propensity of nanoparticles to
      aggregate in water. A decrease in absorbance of ZnO NPs at 375 nm (plasmon peak)
      was noted in the presence of HA by UV-visible spectrophotometric analysis. A blue
      shift towards 370 nm was noted when the concentration of HA was above 20mg/L. The
      HA adsorbed ZnO NPs showed higher zeta potential (>-30 mV) and were highly
      stable. HA reduced the photocatalytic activity of ZnO and at the same time
      increased the photostability of ZnO.

PMID- 26496793
TI  - Effect of photodamage on the outermost cuticle layer of human hair.
AB  - The surface of the hair is the region most exposed to solar radiation and to the
      environment in general. Many of the well-known damaging effects of sun exposure
      on hair must start or even be restricted to the most external cuticle layers. As
      such, this work investigates morphological, ultrastructural and chemical changes
      in the outermost cuticle layer of dark brown hair, using atomic force microscopy
      (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and attenuated total
      reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The results
      showed that after 230 h of irradiation with a mercury lamp, small bumps with
      globular shape (heights lying in the 1-5 nm range) appeared on the cuticle
      surface and their size increased with increasing irradiation times. In addition,
      the enlargement of pre-existing holes was also observed (holes increase around
      350% in depth) and the height of the steps formed between the edges of two
      cuticle scales increased around 65%, as a result of 500 h of irradiation. The
      damages in hair strands were accurately identified by analyzing exactly the same
      surface region before and after irradiation by AFM images. Finally, the results
      were discussed in terms of the chemical differences between the non-irradiated
      and the irradiated hair, for instance, the increased level of cystine oxidation
      as a consequence of photodegradation.

PMID- 26496794
TI  - Atypical presentation of Legionella pneumonia among patients with underlying
      cancer: A fifteen-year review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Immunocompromised patients, especially those receiving treatment with
      corticosteroids and cytotoxic chemotherapy are at increased risk for developing
      Legionella pneumonia. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine clinical
      and radiographic characteristics of pulmonary infection due to Legionella in
      persons undergoing treatment for cancer and stem cell transplant (SCT)
      recipients. METHODS: Retrospective review of Legionella cases at MSKCC over a
      fifteen-year study period from January 1999 and December 2013. Cases were
      identified by review of microbiology records. RESULTS: During the study period,
      40 cases of Legionella infection were identified; nine among these were due to
      non-pneumophila species. Most cases occurred during the summer. The majority
      [8/9, (89%)] of patients with non-pneumophila infection had underlying
      hematologic malignancy, compared to 18/31 (58%) with Legionella pneumophila
      infections. Radiographic findings were varied-nodular infiltrates mimicking
      invasive fungal infection were seen only among patients with hematologic
      malignancy and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (SCT) recipients and were
      frequently associated with non-pneumophila infections (50% vs 16%; P = 0.0594).
      All cases of nodular Legionella pneumonia were found incidentally or had an
      indolent clinical course. CONCLUSIONS: Legionella should be considered in the
      differential diagnosis of nodular lung lesions in immunocompromised patients,
      especially those with hematologic malignancy and SCT recipients. Most cases of
      nodular disease due to Legionella are associated with non-pneumophila infections.

PMID- 26496795
TI  - Locus coeruleus neuronal activity determines proclivity to consume alcohol in a
      selectively-bred line of rats that readily consumes alcohol.
AB  - Sprague-Dawley rats selectively-bred for susceptibility to stress in our
      laboratory (Susceptible, or SUS rats) voluntarily consume large amounts of
      alcohol, and amounts that have, as shown here, pharmacological effects, which
      normal rats will not do. In this paper, we explore neural events in the brain
      that underlie this propensity to readily consume alcohol. Activity of locus
      coeruleus neurons (LC), the major noradrenergic cell body concentration in the
      brain, influences firing of ventral tegmentum dopaminergic cell bodies of the
      mesocorticolimbic system (VTA-DA neurons), which mediate rewarding aspects of
      alcohol. We tested the hypothesis that in SUS rats alcohol potently suppresses LC
      activity to markedly diminish LC-mediated inhibition of VTA-DA neurons, which
      permits alcohol to greatly increase VTA-DA activity and rewarding aspects of
      alcohol. Electrophysiological single-unit recording of LC and VTA-DA activity
      showed that in SUS rats alcohol decreased LC burst firing much more than in
      normal rats and as a result markedly increased VTA-DA activity in SUS rats while
      having no such effect in normal rats. Consistent with this, in a behavioral test
      for reward using conditioned place preference (CPP), SUS rats showed alcohol,
      given by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection, to be rewarding. Next, manipulation of
      LC activity by microinfusion of drugs into the LC region of SUS rats showed that
      (a) decreasing LC activity increased alcohol intake and increasing LC activity
      decreased alcohol intake in accord with the formulation described above, and (b)
      increasing LC activity blocked both the rewarding effect of alcohol in the CPP
      test and the usual alcohol-induced increase in VTA-DA single-unit activity seen
      in SUS rats. An important ancillary finding in the CPP test was that an increase
      in LC activity was rewarding by itself, while a decrease in LC activity was
      aversive; consequently, effects of LC manipulations on alcohol-related reward in
      the CPP test were perhaps even larger than evident in the test. Finally, when
      increased LC activity was associated with (i.e., conditioned to) i.p. alcohol,
      subsequent alcohol consumption by SUS rats was markedly reduced, indicating that
      SUS rats consume large amounts of alcohol because of rewarding physiological
      consequences requiring increased VTA-DA activity. The findings reported here are
      consistent with the view that the influence of alcohol on LC activity leading to
      changes in VTA-DA activity strongly affects alcohol-mediated reward, and may well
      be the basis of the proclivity of SUS rats to avidly consume alcohol. 

PMID- 26496796
TI  - Computed tomography assessment of peripubertal craniofacial morphology in a sheep
      model of binge alcohol drinking in the first trimester.
AB  - Identification of facial dysmorphology is essential for the diagnosis of fetal
      alcohol syndrome (FAS); however, most children with fetal alcohol spectrum
      disorders (FASD) do not meet the dysmorphology criterion. Additional objective
      indicators are needed to help identify the broader spectrum of children affected
      by prenatal alcohol exposure. Computed tomography (CT) was used in a sheep model
      of prenatal binge alcohol exposure to test the hypothesis that quantitative
      measures of craniofacial bone volumes and linear distances could identify alcohol
      exposed lambs. Pregnant sheep were randomly assigned to four groups: heavy binge
      alcohol, 2.5 g/kg/day (HBA); binge alcohol, 1.75 g/kg/day (BA); saline control
      (SC); and normal control (NC). Intravenous alcohol (BA; HBA) or saline (SC)
      infusions were given three consecutive days per week from gestation day 4-41, and
      a CT scan was performed on postnatal day 182. The volumes of eight skull bones,
      cranial circumference, and 19 linear measures of the face and skull were compared
      among treatment groups. Lambs from both alcohol groups showed significant
      reduction in seven of the eight skull bones and total skull bone volume, as well
      as cranial circumference. Alcohol exposure also decreased four of the 19
      craniofacial measures. Discriminant analysis showed that alcohol-exposed and
      control lambs could be classified with high accuracy based on total skull bone
      volume, frontal, parietal, or mandibular bone volumes, cranial circumference, or
      interorbital distance. Total skull volume was significantly more sensitive than
      cranial circumference in identifying the alcohol-exposed lambs when alcohol
      exposed lambs were classified using the typical FAS diagnostic cutoff of <=10th
      percentile. This first demonstration of the usefulness of CT-derived craniofacial
      measures in a sheep model of FASD following binge-like alcohol exposure during
      the first trimester suggests that volumetric measurement of cranial bones may be
      a novel biomarker for binge alcohol exposure during the first trimester to help
      identify non-dysmorphic children with FASD. 

PMID- 26496797
TI  - In-Depth N-Glycosylation Reveals Species-Specific Modifications and Functions of
      the Royal Jelly Protein from Western (Apis mellifera) and Eastern Honeybees (Apis
      cerana).
AB  - Royal jelly (RJ), secreted by honeybee workers, plays diverse roles as nutrients
      and defense agents for honeybee biology and human health. Despite being reported
      to be glycoproteins, the glycosylation characterization and functionality of RJ
      proteins in different honeybee species are largely unknown. An in-depth N
      glycoproteome analysis and functional assay of RJ produced by Apis mellifera
      lingustica (Aml) and Apis cerana cerana (Acc) were conducted. RJ produced by Aml
      yielded 80 nonredundant N-glycoproteins carrying 190 glycosites, of which 23
      novel proteins harboring 35 glycosites were identified. For Acc, all 43 proteins
      glycosylated at 138 glycosites were reported for the first time. Proteins with
      distinct N-glycoproteomic characteristics in terms of glycoprotein species,
      number of N-glycosylated sites, glycosylation motif, abundance level of
      glycoproteins, and N-glycosites were observed in this two RJ samples. The fact
      that the low inhibitory efficiency of N-glycosylated major royal jelly protein 2
      (MRJP2) against Paenibacillus larvae (P. larvae) and the absence of antibacterial
      related glycosylated apidaecin, hymenoptaecin, and peritrophic matrix in the Aml
      RJ compared to Acc reveal the mechanism for why the Aml larvae are susceptible to
      P. larvae, the causative agent of a fatal brood disease (American foulbrood,
      AFB). The observed antihypertension activity of N-glycosylated MRJP1 in two RJ
      samples and a stronger activity found in Acc than in Aml reveal that specific RJ
      protein and modification are potentially useful for the treatment of hypertensive
      disease for humans. Our data gain novel understanding that the western and
      eastern bees have evolved species-specific strategies of glycosylation to fine
      tune protein activity for optimizing molecular function as nutrients and immune
      agents for the good of honeybee and influence on the health promoting activity
      for human as well. This serves as a valuable resource for the targeted probing of
      the biological functions of RJ proteins for honeybee and medical communities. 

PMID- 26496799
TI  - Icaritin acts synergistically with epirubicin to suppress bladder cancer growth
      through inhibition of autophagy.
AB  - Bladder cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed urological malignancies.
      Acquired resistance to chemotherapy is a great barrier for achieving successful
      treatment of bladder cancer. In the present study, we investigated the effect and
      mechanisms of icaritin, a flavonol glycoside derived from genus Epimedium,
      against human bladder cancer cells. It was found that despite the low
      cytotoxicity in normal human HEK293 cells, icaritin significantly inhibited the
      proliferation and colony formation of BT5637 and T24 bladder cancer cells time-
      and dose-dependently compared to the DMSO vehicle control. Moreover, cell
      viability monitored through mitochondrial membrane potential was inhibited
      markedly after icaritin treatment. Further investigation indicated that icaritin
      may inhibit epirubicin (EPI)-induced autophagy, and acted synergistically with
      EPI to suppress the proliferation of BT5637 and T24 cells. These findings suggest
      that icaritin may prove to be a novel potent therapeutic agent for the treatment
      of bladder cancer.

PMID- 26496798
TI  - Cytoarchitecture and cortical connections of the anterior insula and adjacent
      frontal motor fields in the rhesus monkey.
AB  - The cytoarchitecture and cortical connections of the ventral motor region are
      investigated using Nissl, and NeuN staining methods and the fluorescent
      retrograde tract tracing technique in the rhesus monkey. On the basis of gradual
      laminar differentiation, it is shown that the ventral motor region stems from the
      ventral proisocortical area (anterior insula and dorsal Sylvian opercular
      region). The cytoarchitecture of the ventral motor region is shown to progress in
      three lines, as we have recently shown for the dorsal motor region. Namely, root
      (anterior insular and dorsal Sylvian opercular area ProM), belt (ventral premotor
      cortex) and core (precentral motor cortex) lines. This stepwise architectonic
      organization is supported by the overall patterns of corticocortical connections.
      Areas in each line are sequentially interconnected (intralineal connections) and
      all lines are interconnected (interlinear connections). Moreover, root areas, as
      well as some of the belt areas of the ventral and dorsal trend are
      interconnected. The ventral motor region is also connected with the ventral
      somatosensory areas in a topographic manner. The root and belt areas of ventral
      motor region are connected with paralimbic, multimodal and prefrontal (outer
      belt) areas. In contrast, the core area has a comparatively more restricted
      pattern of corticocortical connections. This architectonic and connectional
      organization is consistent in part, with the functional organization of the
      ventral motor region as reported in behavioral and neuroimaging studies which
      include the mediation of facial expression and emotion, communication, phonic
      articulation, and language in human. 

PMID- 26496800
TI  - Epigenetic Modifications of Histones in Periodontal Disease.
AB  - Periodontitis is a chronic infectious disease driven by dysbiosis, an imbalance
      between commensal bacteria and the host organism. Periodontitis is a leading
      cause of tooth loss in adults and occurs in about 50% of the US population. In
      addition to the clinical challenges associated with treating periodontitis, the
      progression and chronic nature of this disease seriously affect human health.
      Emerging evidence suggests that periodontitis is associated with mechanisms
      beyond bacteria-induced protein and tissue degradation. Here, we hypothesize that
      bacteria are able to induce epigenetic modifications in oral epithelial cells
      mediated by histone modifications. In this study, we found that dysbiosis in vivo
      led to epigenetic modifications, including acetylation of histones and
      downregulation of DNA methyltransferase 1. In addition, in vitro exposure of oral
      epithelial cells to lipopolysaccharides resulted in histone modifications,
      activation of transcriptional coactivators, such as p300/CBP, and accumulation of
      nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). Given that oral epithelial cells are the first
      line of defense for the periodontium against bacteria, we also evaluated whether
      activation of pathogen recognition receptors induced histone modifications. We
      found that activation of the Toll-like receptors 1, 2, and 4 and the nucleotide
      binding oligomerization domain protein 1 induced histone acetylation in oral
      epithelial cells. Our findings corroborate the emerging concept that epigenetic
      modifications play a role in the development of periodontitis. 

PMID- 26496801
TI  - Biochemical Characterization of Branched Chain Amino Acids Uptake in Trypanosoma
      cruzi.
AB  - Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiological agent of Chagas disease. During its life
      cycle, it alternates among vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Metabolic
      flexibility is a main biochemical characteristic of this parasite, which is able
      to obtain energy by oxidizing a variety of nutrients that can be transported from
      the extracellular medium. Moreover, several of these metabolites, more
      specifically amino acids, have a variety of functions beyond being sources of
      energy. Branched chain amino acids (BCAA), beyond their role in ATP production,
      are involved in sterol biosynthesis; for example, leucine is involved as a
      negative regulator of the parasite differentiation process occurring in the
      insect midgut. BCAA are essential metabolites in most nonphotosynthetic
      eukaryotes, including trypanosomes. In view of this, the metabolism of BCAA in T.
      cruzi depends mainly on their transport into the cell. In this work, we
      kinetically characterized the BCAA transport in T. cruzi epimastigotes. Our data
      point to BCAA as being transported by a single saturable transport system able to
      recognize leucine, isoleucine and valine. In view of this, we used leucine to
      further characterize this system. The transport increased linearly with
      temperature from 10 to 45  degrees C, allowing the calculation of an activation
      energy of 51.30 kJ/mol. Leucine uptake was an active process depending on ATP
      production and a H(+) gradient, but not on a Na(+) or K(+) gradient at the
      cytoplasmic membrane level.

PMID- 26496803
TI  - 3D documentation and visualization of external injury findings by integration of
      simple photography in CT/MRI data sets (IprojeCT).
AB  - This study evaluated the feasibility of documenting patterned injury using three
      dimensions and true colour photography without complex 3D surface documentation
      methods. This method is based on a generated 3D surface model using radiologic
      slice images (CT) while the colour information is derived from photographs taken
      with commercially available cameras. The external patterned injuries were
      documented in 16 cases using digital photography as well as highly precise
      photogrammetry-supported 3D structured light scanning. The internal findings of
      these deceased were recorded using CT and MRI. For registration of the internal
      with the external data, two different types of radiographic markers were used and
      compared. The 3D surface model generated from CT slice images was linked with the
      photographs, and thereby digital true-colour 3D models of the patterned injuries
      could be created (Image projection onto CT/IprojeCT). In addition, these external
      models were merged with the models of the somatic interior. We demonstrated that
      3D documentation and visualization of external injury findings by integration of
      digital photography in CT/MRI data sets is suitable for the 3D documentation of
      individual patterned injuries to a body. Nevertheless, this documentation method
      is not a substitution for photogrammetry and surface scanning, especially when
      the entire bodily surface is to be recorded in three dimensions including all
      external findings, and when precise data is required for comparing highly
      detailed injury features with the injury-inflicting tool. 

PMID- 26496802
TI  - Inhibition of DYRK1A and GSK3B induces human beta-cell proliferation.
AB  - Insufficient pancreatic beta-cell mass or function results in diabetes mellitus.
      While significant progress has been made in regulating insulin secretion from
      beta-cells in diabetic patients, no pharmacological agents have been described
      that increase beta-cell replication in humans. Here we report aminopyrazine
      compounds that stimulate robust beta-cell proliferation in adult primary islets,
      most likely as a result of combined inhibition of DYRK1A and GSK3B. Aminopyrazine
      treated human islets retain functionality in vitro and after transplantation into
      diabetic mice. Oral dosing of these compounds in diabetic mice induces beta-cell
      proliferation, increases beta-cell mass and insulin content, and improves
      glycaemic control. Biochemical, genetic and cell biology data point to Dyrk1a as
      the key molecular target. This study supports the feasibility of treating
      diabetes with an oral therapy to restore beta-cell mass, and highlights a
      tractable pathway for future drug discovery efforts. 

PMID- 26496804
TI  - A patterned abrasion caused by the impact of a cartridge case may simulate an
      atypical muzzle imprint mark.
AB  - In contact shots, the muzzle imprint is an informative finding associated with
      the entrance wound. It typically mirrors the constructional components being in
      line with the muzzle or just behind. Under special conditions, other patterned
      skin marks located near a gunshot entrance wound may give the impression to be
      part of the muzzle imprint. A potential mechanism causing a patterned pressure
      abrasion in close proximity to the bullet entrance site is demonstrated on the
      basis of a suicidal shot to the temple. The skin lesion in question appeared as a
      ring-shaped excoriation with a diameter corresponding to that of the cartridge
      case. Two hypotheses concerning the causative mechanism were investigated by test
      shots: - After being ejected, the cartridge case ricocheted inside a confined
      space (car cabin in the particular case) and secondarily hit the skin near the
      gunshot entrance wound. - The ejection of the cartridge case failed so that the
      case became stuck in the ejection port and its mouth contacted the skin when the
      body collapsed after being hit. 

PMID- 26496805
TI  - Medical Nutrition Therapy for Chronic Kidney Disease in Pregnancy: A Case Report.

PMID- 26496806
TI  - Ultrasound-Guided Aspiration With and Without Ethanol Sclerotherapy in the
      Management of Simple Adnexal Cysts: A Single-Center Experience.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy of ultrasound-guided aspiration versus
      aspiration with ethanol sclerotherapy in the management of simple adnexal cysts
      measuring 3 to 10 cm, and to explore the risk factors for recurrence associated
      with each approach. DESIGN: A prospective follow-up of patients after cyst
      aspiration with and without ethanol sclerotherapy in simple adnexal cysts in a
      single-center trial (Canadian Task Force classification II-1). SETTING: Bellvitge
      Teaching Hospital, Barcelona, Spain. PATIENTS: Cyst aspiration and ethanol
      sclerotherapy were performed in 66 and 75 patients, respectively, between 2002
      and 2014. Women enrolled before March 2009 underwent simple aspiration (group 1),
      and those enrolled after March 2009 underwent ethanol sclerotherapy (group 2).
      INTERVENTIONS: Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration with and without ethanol
      sclerotherapy. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Potential risk factors for
      recurrence-age, menopausal status, symptoms, cyst diameter, laterality, aspirated
      volume, simple US-guided aspiration or alcohol sclerotherapy, and complications
      were analyzed by logistic regression. The recurrence rates were analyzed by the
      Kaplan-Meier and Mantel-Haenszel methods. The overall recurrence rates were 72.7%
      (48 of 66) in group 1 and 22.7% (17 of 75) in group 2 (p < .0001). Risk factors
      significantly associated with recurrence were simple aspiration without ethanol
      sclerotherapy (odds ratio [OR], 19.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.756
      57.714), postmenopausal status (OR, 9.3; 95% CI, 1.720-50.956), and cyst size
      (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.005-1.093). CONCLUSION: Based on the lower recurrence rate,
      ethanol sclerotherapy was more efficacious than simple aspiration in the
      management of simple adnexal cysts measuring <10 cm.

PMID- 26496807
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 26496808
TI  - Early and late outcomes of repaired acute DeBakey type I aortic dissection after
      graft replacement.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to determine the impact of the extent of graft
      replacement on early and late outcomes in acute DeBakey type I aortic dissection.
      METHODS: Between October 1999 and July 2014, 197 consecutive patients were
      surgically treated for acute DeBakey type I aortic dissection. The extent of
      graft replacement (hemiarch, partial, or total arch replacement) was mainly
      determined by the location of the primary entry. Early and late results were
      compared in patients after total arch replacement (n = 88) and combined hemiarch
      and partial arch replacement: non-total arch replacement (n = 109). RESULTS: The
      in-hospital mortality rates of the total arch replacement and non-total arch
      replacement groups were 10.2% and 14.7%, respectively (P = .47). Multivariate
      analysis revealed preoperative cardiopulmonary resuscitation and visceral organ
      malperfusion as significant risk factors for in-hospital mortality, but not total
      arch replacement. During a mean follow-up period of 60 +/- 48 months, the 5-year
      survivals in the total arch replacement and non-total arch replacement groups
      were 88.6% +/- 4.2% and 83.8% +/- 4.4%, respectively (P = .54). Rates of distal
      aortic events (defined as freedom from surgery for distal aorta dilation or
      distal arch diameter expanding to 50 mm) at 5 years were significantly better in
      the total arch replacement group than in the non-total arch replacement group
      (94.9% +/- 3.5% vs 83.6% +/- 4.9%, P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: The operative mortality
      of patients with acute DeBakey type I aortic dissection treated by total arch
      replacement was acceptable with good long-term survival after both total arch
      replacement and non-total arch replacement. The frequency of distal aortic events
      might be reduced in patients after total arch replacement compared with non-total
      arch replacement.

PMID- 26496809
TI  - Long-term behavior of aortic intramural hematomas and penetrating ulcers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: For intramural hematoma and penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer, long
      term behavior and treatment are controversial. This study evaluates the long-term
      behavior of intramural hematoma and penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer, including
      radiologic follow-up and survival analysis. METHODS: Between 1995 and 2014, 108
      patients (mean age, 70.8 +/- 10 years; 56% female) presented with intramural
      hematoma or penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer to Yale-New Haven Hospital (New
      Haven, Conn). We reviewed the medical records, radiology, and online mortality
      databases. RESULTS: Ten of 55 patients (18%) with intramural hematoma and 17 of
      53 patients (32%) with penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer had rupture state
      symptoms on admission, both greater than type A (8%) or type B dissection (4%) (P
      < .001). No branch vascular occlusion occurred. For patients with intramural
      hematoma with follow-up imaging, 8 of 14 (57%) worsened (mean follow-up, 9.4
      months) and 6 (43%) underwent late surgery. For patients with penetrating
      atherosclerotic ulcer with follow-up imaging, 6 of 20 (30%) worsened and
      underwent late surgery, and 11 (55%) showed no change (mean follow-up, 34.3
      months). Overall survivals were 77%, 70%, 58%, and 33% at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years,
      respectively. No operative deaths occurred for patients with nonrupture state.
      Patients with penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer with initial surgical treatment
      had better long-term survival than patients treated medically (P = .037). In the
      intramural hematoma group, no such difference was observed (P = .10).
      CONCLUSIONS: At presentation, the incidence of early rupture of intramural
      hematoma and penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer was higher than for typical
      dissection. For branch vessels, intramural hematoma never occludes branch
      arteries. On imaging follow-up, patients with intramural hematoma and penetrating
      atherosclerotic ulcer rarely improved, with late surgery commonly needed. Better
      survival was observed for the initial surgical management of patients with
      penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer compared with initial medical management.

PMID- 26496810
TI  - Pseudoaneurysm at the origin of the left subclavian artery following type A
      interrupted aortic arch repair in adulthood, London, United Kingdom.

PMID- 26496811
TI  - Childhood obesity: a (re) programming disease?
AB  - The aim of our article was to review the current literature on the effects of
      metabolic (re) programming on childhood obesity. PubMed/MEDLINE was the data
      source used to track the studies. Descriptors applied: children obesity,
      epigenetic, metabolic programming, exercise and nutrition. The focus was to
      analyze and discuss the international findings on the theme. The gathering of the
      papers was performed between June and August 2014. The search of articles with
      the descriptors used found 33.054 studies. In all, 5.709 studies were selected by
      crossing chosen keywords. Among these, after careful reading of the titles, 712
      papers were considered potential as references. After applying
      inclusion/exclusion criteria, 50 studies were selected from 132 eligible
      abstracts. Most studies linked the development and treatment of obesity from
      epigenetically stimulated metabolic programming during the early stages of
      pregnancy and life. This review provides theoretical basis to the understanding
      that the programmed development of childhood obesity may be linked to early
      exposure to environmental factors, such as (nutrition and regular practice of
      exercise) and stimulus can epigenetically alter the modulation of the obesogenic
      metabolic behavior during pregnancy and the developmental stages of children
      and/or postpone the pathophysiologic disease stage to adulthood.

PMID- 26496813
TI  - Total synthesis and preliminary SAR study of (+/-)-merochlorins A and B.
AB  - A modular synthesis of merochlorins A and B, two naturally occurring antibiotics,
      has been achieved concisely from readily available building blocks in 4-6 steps.
      The key steps include the bio-inspired tandem phenol oxidative dearomatization/[5
      + 2] and [3 + 2] cycloadditions to construct the tricyclic cores of the targets,
      and the intermolecular Diels-Alder reaction followed by dehydrogenative
      aromatization to assemble the remaining aromatic units. The antibacterial
      activities of merochlorins A, B and some advanced synthetic intermediates were
      also evaluated, which provided valuable information on the structure-activity
      relationship (SAR) of this class of new antibiotics. 

PMID- 26496814
TI  - Palladium-catalyzed Heck-type reaction of oximes with allylic alcohols: synthesis
      of pyridines and azafluorenones.
AB  - We describe herein a palladium-catalyzed Heck-type reaction of O-acetyl ketoximes
      and allylic alcohols to synthesise pyridines. This protocol allows the robust
      synthesis of pyridines and azafluorenones in good to excellent yields with
      tolerance of various functional groups under mild conditions. The reaction is
      supposed to go through an oxidative addition of oximes to palladium(0) complexes,
      generating an alkylideneamino-palladium(II) species, which is utilized as a key
      intermediate to capture the nonbiased alkenes for carbon-carbon bond formation.

PMID- 26496815
TI  - Genetically-defined ovarian cancer mouse models.
AB  - Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), the deadliest of gynaecological cancers, is a
      disease that remains difficult to detect early and treat efficiently. A
      significant challenge for researchers in the field is that the aetiology of EOC
      and the molecular pathways important for its development are poorly understood.
      Moreover, precursor lesions have not been readily identifiable, making the
      mechanisms of EOC progression difficult to delineate. In order to address these
      issues, several genetically-defined ovarian mouse models have been generated in
      the past 15 years. However, because of the recent suggestion that most EOCs may
      not originate from the ovarian surface 'epithelium', but from other tissues of
      the female genital tract, some models may need to be re-evaluated within this new
      paradigm. In this review, we examine several genetically-defined EOC models and
      discuss how the new paradigm may explain some of the features of these models. A
      better understanding of the strengths and limitations of the current EOC mouse
      models will undoubtedly allow us to utilize these tools to better understand the
      biology of the disease and develop new approaches for EOC prevention, detection,
      and treatment.

PMID- 26496816
TI  - Effects of Wenyangbushen formula on the expression of VEGF, OPG, RANK and RANKL
      in rabbits with steroid-induced femoral head avascular necrosis.
AB  - The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Wenyangbushen formula on
      the mRNA and protein expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor
      (VEGF), osteoprotegerin (OPG), receptor activator of nuclear factor (NF)
      kappabeta ligand (RANK), and RANK ligand (RANKL) in a rabbit model of steroid
      induced avascular necrosis of the femoral head (SANFH). The present study also
      aimed to examine the potential mechanism underlying the effect of this formula on
      the treatment of SANFH. A total of 136 New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided
      into five groups: Normal group, model group, and three groups treated with the
      traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Wenyangbushen decoction, at a low, moderate
      and high dose, respectively. The normal group and positive control group were
      intragastrically administered with saline. The TCM groups were treated with
      Wenyangbushen decoction at the indicated dosage. Following treatment for 8 weeks,
      the mRNA and protein expression levels of VEGF, OPG, RANK and RANKL in the
      femoral head tissues were determined using reverse transcription-quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses, respectively. The data
      revealed that Wenyangbushen decoction effectively promoted the growth of bone
      cells, osteoblasts and chondrocytes, and prevented cell apoptosis in the SANFH.
      The mRNA and protein expression levels of OPG and VEGF were increased, while the
      levels of RANK and RANKL were reduced in the necrotic tissue of the model group,
      compared with those in the normal rabbits. Wenyangbushen treatment prevented
      these changes, manifested by an upregulation in the expression levels of VEGF and
      OPG, and downregulation in the expression levels of RANK and RANKL in a dose
      dependent manner. It was concluded that treatment with Wenyangbushen formula
      alleviated necrosis of the femoral head induced by steroids. It was observed to
      promote bone cell, osteoblast and chondrocyte growth, as well as prevent cell
      apoptosis. In addition, it upregulated the expression levels of OPG and VEGF, and
      inhibited the expression levels of RANK and RANKL. These results suggest the
      potential use of Wenyangbushen formula as a possible approach for the effective
      treatment of SANFH. 

PMID- 26496818
TI  - Retraction: Ultrastructural analysis between fetal and adult wound healing
      process of marsupial opossum skin.

PMID- 26496817
TI  - BAG2 expression dictates a functional intracellular switch between the p38
      dependent effects of nicotine on tau phosphorylation levels via the alpha7
      nicotinic receptor.
AB  - The histopathological hallmarks present in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain are
      plaques of Abeta peptide, neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau
      protein, and a reduction in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) levels. The
      role of nAChRs in AD is particularly controversial. Tau protein function is
      regulated by phosphorylation, and its hyperphosphorylated forms are significantly
      more abundant in AD brain. Little is known about the relationship between nAChR
      and phospho-tau degradation machinery. Activation of nAChRs has been reported to
      increase and decrease tau phosphorylation levels, and the mechanisms responsible
      for this discrepancy are not presently understood. The co-chaperone BAG2 is
      capable of regulating phospho-tau levels via protein degradation. In SH-SY5Y cell
      line and rat primary hippocampal cell culture low endogenous BAG2 levels
      constitute an intracellular environment conducive to nicotine-induced
      accumulation of phosphorylated tau protein. Further, nicotine treatment inhibited
      endogenous expression of BAG2, resulting in increased levels of phosphorylated
      tau indistinguishable from those induced by BAG2 knockdown. Conversely,
      overexpression of BAG2 is conducive to a nicotine-induced reduction in cellular
      levels of phosphorylated tau protein. In both cases the effect of nicotine was
      p38MAPK-dependent, while the alpha7 antagonist MLA was synthetic to nicotine
      treatment, either increasing levels of phospho-Tau in the absence of BAG2, or
      further decreasing the levels of phospho-Tau in the presence of BAG2. Taken
      together, these findings reconcile the apparently contradictory effects of
      nicotine on tau phosphorylation by suggesting a role for BAG2 as an important
      regulator of p38-dependent tau kinase activity and phospho-tau degradation in
      response to nicotinic receptor stimulation. Thus, we report that BAG2 expression
      dictates a functional intracellular switch between the p38-dependent functions of
      nicotine on tau phosphorylation levels via the alpha7 nicotinic receptor. 

PMID- 26496819
TI  - Safety evaluation of traces of nickel and chrome in cosmetics: The case of Dead
      Sea mud.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metal impurities such as nickel and chrome are present in natural
      ingredients-containing cosmetic products. These traces are unavoidable due to the
      ubiquitous nature of these elements. Dead Sea mud is a popular natural ingredient
      of cosmetic products in which nickel and chrome residues are likely to occur.
      OBJECTIVE: To analyze the potential systemic and local toxicity of Dead Sea mud
      taking into consideration Dead Sea muds' natural content of nickel and chrome.
      METHODS: The following endpoints were evaluated: (Regulation No. 1223/20,
      21/12/2009) systemic and (SCCS's Notes of Guidance) local toxicity of topical
      application of Dead Sea mud; health reports during the last five years of
      commercial marketing of Dead Sea mud. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Following exposure
      to Dead Sea mud, MoS (margin of safety) calculations for nickel and chrome
      indicate no toxicological concern for systemic toxicity. Skin sensitization is
      also not to be expected by exposure of normal healthy skin to Dead Sea mud.
      Topical application, however, is not recommended for already nickel-or chrome
      sensitized persons. As risk assessment of impurities present in cosmetics may be
      a difficult exercise, the case of Dead Sea mud is taken here as an example of a
      natural material that may contain traces of unavoidable metals.

PMID- 26496821
TI  - Recreational nitrous oxide use: Prevalence and risks.
AB  - Nitrous oxide (N2O; laughing gas) is clinically used as a safe anesthetic
      (dentistry, ambulance, childbirth) and appreciated for its anti-anxiety effect.
      Since five years, recreational use of N2O is rapidly increasing especially in the
      dance and festival scene. In the UK, N2O is the second most popular recreational
      drug after cannabis. In most countries, nitrous oxide is a legal drug that is
      widely available and cheap. Last month prevalence of use among clubbers and
      ravers ranges between 40 and almost 80 percent. Following one inhalation, mostly
      from a balloon, a euphoric, pleasant, joyful, empathogenic and sometimes
      hallucinogenic effect is rapidly induced (within 10 s) and disappears within some
      minutes. Recreational N2O use is generally moderate with most users taking less
      than 10 balloons of N2O per episode and about 80% of the users having less than
      10 episodes per year. Side effects of N2O include transient dizziness,
      dissociation, disorientation, loss of balance, impaired memory and cognition, and
      weakness in the legs. When intoxicated accidents like tripping and falling may
      occur. Some fatal accidents have been reported due to due to asphyxia (hypoxia).
      Heavy or sustained use of N2O inactivates vitamin B12, resulting in a functional
      vitamin B12 deficiency and initially causing numbness in fingers, which may
      further progress to peripheral neuropathy and megaloblastic anemia. N2O use does
      not seem to result in dependence. Considering the generally modest use of N2O and
      its relative safety, it is not necessary to take legal measures. However,
      (potential) users should be informed about the risk of vitamin B12-deficiency
      related neurological and hematological effects associated with heavy use.

PMID- 26496820
TI  - Drinking water toxicity study of the environmental contaminant--Bromate.
AB  - Bromate is a byproduct of water disinfection that is produced when waters contain
      bromide treated with ozone. To investigate the level of the toxicity of bromate
      and find the most sensitive indicators in a short time, a series of toxicological
      assessments were conducted including the acute toxicity, cumulative toxicity,
      genetic toxicity and subacute toxicity of bromate (using Potassium Bromate to
      represent bromate). The LD50 of orally administered Potassium Bromate was 215
      mg/kg in Wistar rats and 464 mg/kg in ICR mice. The cumulative toxicity of
      Potassium Bromate was not obvious. The Ames test, mouse bone marrow cell
      micronucleus test and mouse sperm abnormality test did not indicate mutagenicity.
      The results of the subacute study did not exhibit significant differences in most
      of the parameters, except the white blood cell count, which was significantly
      decreased in male rats. In addition, Potassium Bromate influenced the albumin,
      creatinine, total cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels in male rats to
      various extents. A thorough analysis of the above tests clearly demonstrates that
      bromate has toxicity, not obvious cumulative toxicity and the white blood cell
      count can be used as an indicator to reflect the toxicity of bromate and
      investigate bromate's toxic mechanism.

PMID- 26496822
TI  - Ti implants with nanostructured and HA-coated surfaces for improved
      osseointegration.
AB  - This study was aimed at comparing the osseointegration of titanium (Ti)-based
      Kuntscher nails (K-nails) and plates with modified nanostructured and
      hydroxyapatite-coated surfaces in a rat femur model. Material surfaces were first
      modified via a simple anodization protocol in which the materials were treated in
      hydrogen fluoride (1% w/w) at 20 V. This modification resulted in tubular
      titanium oxide nanostructures of 40-65 nm in diameter. Then, hydroxyapatite
      deposited layers, formed of particles (1-5) MUm, were produced via incubation in
      a simulated body fluid, followed by annealing at 500 degrees C. Both surface
      modifications significantly improved cell proliferation and alkaline phosphatase
      (ALP) activity as compared to the control (non-modified Ti implants). The
      controls and modified nails and plates were implanted in the femur of 21 male
      Sprague-Dawley rats. The implants, with surrounding tissues, were removed after
      10 weeks, and then mechanical tests (torque and pull-out) were performed, which
      showed that the modified K-nails exhibited significantly better osseointegration
      than the controls. Histologic examinations of the explants containing plates
      showed similar results, and the modified plates exhibited significantly better
      osseointegration than the controls. Surface nanostructuring of commercially
      available titanium-based implants by a very simple method - anodization - seems
      to be a viable method for increasing osseointegration without the use of
      bioactive surface coatings such as hydroxyapatite. 

PMID- 26496823
TI  - Gas Evolution in Operating Lithium-Ion Batteries Studied In Situ by Neutron
      Imaging.
AB  - Gas generation as a result of electrolyte decomposition is one of the major
      issues of high-performance rechargeable batteries. Here, we report the direct
      observation of gassing in operating lithium-ion batteries using neutron imaging.
      This technique can be used to obtain qualitative as well as quantitative
      information by applying a new analysis approach. Special emphasis is placed on
      high voltage LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4/graphite pouch cells. Continuous gassing due to
      oxidation and reduction of electrolyte solvents is observed. To separate gas
      evolution reactions occurring on the anode from those associated with the cathode
      interface and to gain more insight into the gassing behavior of
      LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4/graphite cells, neutron experiments were also conducted
      systematically on other cathode/anode combinations, including LiFePO4/graphite,
      LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4/Li4Ti5O12 and LiFePO4/Li4Ti5O12. In addition, the data were
      supported by gas pressure measurements. The results suggest that metal
      dissolution in the electrolyte and decomposition products resulting from the high
      potentials adversely affect the gas generation, particularly in the first charge
      cycle (i.e., during graphite solid-electrolyte interface layer formation). 

PMID- 26496824
TI  - Enantioselective NHC-Catalyzed Redox [2+2] Cycloadditions with Perfluoroketones:
      A Route to Fluorinated Oxetanes.
AB  - The N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed redox formal [2+2] cycloaddition
      between alpha-aroyloxyaldehydes and perfluoroketones, followed by ring-opening in
      situ delivers a variety of perfluorinated beta-hydroxycarbonyl compounds in good
      yield, and excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity. Through a reductive work
      up and subsequent cyclization, this protocol offers access to highly substituted
      fluorinated oxetanes in two steps and in high ee. 

PMID- 26496825
TI  - Nacre extract restores the mineralization capacity of subchondral osteoarthritis
      osteoblasts.
AB  - Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of joint chronic pain and involves
      the entire joints. Subchondral osteoarthritic osteoblasts present a
      mineralization defect and, to date, only a few molecules (Vitamin D3 and Bone
      Morphogenetic Protein2) could improve the mineralization potential of this cell
      type. In this context, we have tested for the first time the effect of nacre
      extract on the mineralization capacity of osteoblasts from OA patients. Nacre
      extract is known to contain osteogenic molecules which have demonstrated their
      activities notably on the MC3T3 pre-osteoblastic cell line. For this goal,
      molecules were extracted from nacre (ESM, Ethanol Soluble Matrix) and tested on
      osteoblasts of the subchondral bone from OA patients undergoing total knee
      replacement and on MC3T3 cells for comparison. We chose to investigate the
      mineralization with Alizarin Red staining and with the study of extracellular
      matrix (ECM) structure and composition. In a complementary way the structure of
      the ECM secreted during the mineralization phase was investigated using second
      harmonic generation (SHG). Nacre extract was able to induce the early presence
      (after 7 days) of precipitated calcium in cells. Raman spectroscopy and electron
      microscopy showed the presence of nanograins of an early crystalline form of
      calcium phosphate in OA osteoblasts ECM and hydroxyapatite in MC3T3 ECM. SHG
      collagen fibers signal was present in both cell types but lower for OA
      osteoblasts. In conclusion, nacre extract was able to rapidly restore the
      mineralization capacity of osteoarthritis osteoblasts, therefore confirming the
      potential of nacre as a source of osteogenic compounds.

PMID- 26496826
TI  - A comprehensive analysis of membrane and morphology of erythrocytes from patients
      with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency.
AB  - Acute hemolytic anemia could be triggered by oxidative stress in the patients
      with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. However, the underlying
      hemolytic mechanism is unknown. To make clear the hemolytic mechanisms, a
      systematic study on membrane ultrastructure had been undertaken. A comprehensive
      method was used including atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy,
      flow cytometer and fluorescence microscopy to analyze the membrane
      ultrastructure, externalized phosphatidylserine (PS), intracellular Ca(2+)
      concentration, morphology and the distributions of band 3 protein in G6PD
      deficient red blood cells (RBCs) after tert-butyl-hydroperoxide (t-BHP)
      oxidation. The results showed that erythrocyte shrinkage, annexin-V binding to
      externalized PS on the membrane of early-stage apoptotic cells, the increased
      membrane roughness and intracellular Ca(2+) concentration, as well as the change
      of distributions of band 3 protein in RBCs. Compared with the control RBCs, as
      the concentration of t-BHP up to 0.1mM, the membrane roughness of G6PD deficient
      RBCs showed significant difference (p<0.05) and as the concentration of t-BHP up
      to 0.3mM, externalized PS showed significant difference (p<0.05). Furthermore,
      the population types of RBCs showed dramatic difference between control groups
      and G6PD deficient groups. Oxidative stress induced more serious erythrocyte
      apoptosis and resulted in increased roughness of erythrocyte membrane and
      abnormal distributed band 3 protein in G6PD deficient RBCs. Echinocytes are the
      predominant abnormal erythrocyte shape occurring in the peripheral blood from
      patients with G6PD deficiency, which may shorten the RBCs lifespan. The results
      in the present study will give an increased understanding for the hemolytic
      mechanism of G6PD deficiency.

PMID- 26496828
TI  - Diabetes prevention and continuing health-care reform in China.

PMID- 26496827
TI  - Treatment with harmine ameliorates functional impairment and neuronal death
      following traumatic brain injury.
AB  - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of mortality in young
      individuals, and results in motor and cognitive deficiency. Excitotoxicity is an
      important process during neuronal cell death, which is caused by excessive
      release of glutamate following TBI. Astrocytic glutamate transporters have a
      predominant role in maintaining extracellular glutamate concentrations below
      excitotoxic levels, and glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) may account for >90% of
      glutamate uptake in the brain. The beta-carboline alkaloid harmine has been
      demonstrated to exert neuroprotective actions in vivo, and the beneficial effects
      were specifically due to elevation of GLT-1. However, whether harmine provides
      neuroprotection following TBI remains to be elucidated. The present study
      performed intraperitoneal harmine injections in rats (30 mg/kg per day for up to
      5 days), in order to investigate whether harmine treatment attenuates brain edema
      and improves functional recovery in a rat model of TBI. The neuronal survival
      ratio and the protein expression of apoptosis-associated caspase 3 were also
      assessed in the hippocampus of the rat brain. Furthermore, the expression levels
      of GLT-1 and inflammatory cytokines were detected, in order to determine the
      underlying mechanisms. The results of the present study demonstrated that
      administration of harmine significantly attenuated cerebral edema, and improved
      learning and memory ability. In addition, harmine significantly increased the
      protein expression of GLT-1, and markedly attenuated the expression levels of
      interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, thereby attenuating apoptotic
      neuronal death in the hippocampus. These results provided in vivo evidence that
      harmine may exert neuroprotective effects by synergistically reducing
      excitotoxicity and inflammation following TBI. 

PMID- 26496829
TI  - Blood-Brain Barrier Opening in Behaving Non-Human Primates via Focused Ultrasound
      with Systemically Administered Microbubbles.
AB  - Over the past fifteen years, focused ultrasound coupled with intravenously
      administered microbubbles (FUS) has been proven an effective, non-invasive
      technique to open the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vivo. Here we show that FUS
      can safely and effectively open the BBB at the basal ganglia and thalamus in
      alert non-human primates (NHP) while they perform a behavioral task. The BBB was
      successfully opened in 89% of cases at the targeted brain regions of alert NHP
      with an average volume of opening 28% larger than prior anesthetized FUS
      procedures. Safety (lack of edema or microhemorrhage) of FUS was also improved
      during alert compared to anesthetized procedures. No physiological effects
      (change in heart rate, motor evoked potentials) were observed during any of the
      procedures. Furthermore, the application of FUS did not disrupt reaching
      behavior, but in fact improved performance by decreasing reaction times by 23 ms,
      and significantly decreasing touch error by 0.76 mm on average.

PMID- 26496830
TI  - What is the best design for early childhood interventions?

PMID- 26496831
TI  - The role of EVI-1 in normal hematopoiesis and myeloid malignancies (Review).
AB  - Ecotropic virus integration site-1 (EVI-1) gene, locus on chromosome 3 (3q26.2)
      in the human genome, was first found in the AKXD strain of mice, in a model of
      retrovirus-induced acute myeloid leukemia (AML) established twenty years ago.
      Since then, EVI-1 was regarded as one of the most invasive proto-oncogenes in
      human leukemia. EVI-1 can encode a unique zinc-finger protein of 145 kDa that can
      bind with DNA, and its overexpression was closely related to human hemopoietic
      diseases. Furthermore, accumulating research indicates that EVI-1 is involved in
      the differentiation, apoptosis and proliferation of leukemia cells. The present
      review focuses on the biochemical properties of EVI-1 which plays a role in
      myeloid malignancies.

PMID- 26496832
TI  - Trends and outcomes in the utilization of laparoscopic appendectomies in a low
      income population in Taiwan from 2003 to 2011.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerous epidemiological studies have compared outcomes between
      laparoscopic appendectomies (LA) and open appendectomies (OA); however, few
      studies have assessed the efficacy of LA specifically in a low-income population
      (LIP). METHODS: We analyzed the trends in the utilization and outcomes of LA
      versus OA in an LIP in Taiwan using data from the National Health Insurance (NHI)
      Research Database. RESULTS: Steady temporal growth trends were observed for the
      patients who underwent LA in both the LIP and general population (GP); however,
      in each study year, the proportion of LIP patients who underwent LA was lower
      than the proportion of GP patients who underwent the procedure. The LIP patients
      were more susceptible to payment policies than the GP patients; thus, more
      attention should be paid to vulnerable patient populations when formulating and
      revising NHI payment policies. Compared with OAs, LAs were associated with a
      slightly higher rate of routine patient discharges and a lower rate of in
      hospital complications (1.48% vs. 3.76%, p < 0.05). The rate of readmission for
      complications was lower in patients after LA than in patients after OA (1.64% vs.
      3.89%, p < 0.05). The overall case-fatality rate of LIP patients who underwent LA
      was lower than that of those who underwent OA. LA was correlated with a
      significantly shorter length of hospital stay (LOS) compared with OA (3.80 +/-
      0.08 vs. 5.51 +/- 0.11, p < 0.05). The average hospital cost for LA was slightly
      less than that for OA (1178 +/- 13 vs. 1191 +/- 19 USD, p < 0.05). A higher
      percentage of patients who underwent OA required an LOS longer than 14 days
      compared to patients who underwent LA (7.73% vs. 1.97%, p < 0.05). Regarding
      hospital costs and LOS, LA showed significant advantages over OA in the
      subpopulations of male patients, patients 45 years old and older, patients with
      Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) scores of two or more, and patients with
      complicated cases of appendicitis. CONCLUSION: The LIP patients benefited more
      from the LA approach than the OA approach in the treatment of appendicitis,
      especially regarding LOS, in-hospital complications, in-hospital mortality, and
      routine discharge rates.

PMID- 26496833
TI  - Inhibition of autophagy exerts anti-colon cancer effects via apoptosis induced by
      p53 activation and ER stress.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although some molecularly targeted drugs for colorectal cancer are
      used clinically and contribute to a better prognosis, the current median survival
      of advanced colorectal cancer patients is not sufficient. Autophagy, a basic cell
      survival mechanism mediated by recycling of cellular amino acids, plays an
      important role in cancer. Recently, autophagy has been highlighted as a promising
      new molecular target. The unfolded protein response (UPR) reportedly act in
      complementary fashion with autophagy in intestinal homeostasis. However, the
      roles of UPR in colon cancer under autophagic inhibition remain to be elucidated.
      We aim to clarify the inhibitory effect of autophagy on colon cancer. METHODS: We
      crossed K19 (CreERT) and Atg5 (flox/flox) mice to generate Atg5 (flox/flox)/K19
      (CreERT) mice. Atg5 (flox/flox)/K19 (CreERT) mice were first treated with
      azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate and then injected with tamoxifen to inhibit
      autophagy in CK19-positive epithelial cells. To examine the anti-cancer
      mechanisms of autophagic inhibition, we used colon cancer cell lines harboring
      different p53 gene statuses, as well as small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting
      Atg5 and immunoglobulin heavy-chain binding protein (BiP), a chaperone to aid
      folding of unfolded proteins. RESULTS: Colon tumors in Atg5 (flox/flox)/K19
      (CreERT) mice showed loss of autophagic activity and decreased tumor size (the
      total tumor diameter was 28.1 mm in the control and 20.7 mm in Atg5
      (flox/flox)/K19 (CreERT) mice, p = 0.036). We found that p53 and UPR/endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) stress-related proteins, such as cleaved caspase 3, and
      CAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein, are up-regulated in colon
      tumors of Atg5 (flox/flox)/K19 (CreERT) mice. Although Atg5 and BiP silencing,
      respectively, increased apoptosis in p53 wild type cells, Atg5 silencing alone
      did not show the same effect on apoptosis in p53 mutant cells. However, co
      transfection of Atg5 and BiP siRNAs led to increased apoptosis in p53 mutant
      cells. CONCLUSIONS: Blocking autophagy has potential in the treatment of colon
      cancer by inducing apoptosis via p53 and ER stress, and suppressing the UPR
      pathway is a valid strategy to overcome resistance to autophagic inhibition.

PMID- 26496835
TI  - Solving the Controversy on the Wetting Transparency of Graphene.
AB  - Since its discovery, the wetting transparency of graphene, the transmission of
      the substrate wetting property over graphene coating, has gained significant
      attention due to its versatility for potential applications. Yet, there have been
      debates on the interpretation and validity of the wetting transparency. Here, we
      present a theory taking two previously disregarded factors into account and
      elucidate the origin of the partial wetting transparency. We show that the liquid
      bulk modulus is crucial to accurately calculate the van der Waals interactions
      between the liquid and the surface, and that various wetting states on rough
      surfaces must be considered to understand a wide range of contact angle
      measurements that cannot be fitted with a theory considering the flat surface. In
      addition, we reveal that the wetting characteristic of the substrate almost
      vanishes when covered by any coating as thick as graphene double layers. Our
      findings reveal a more complete picture of the wetting transparency of graphene
      as well as other atomically thin coatings, and can be applied to study various
      surface engineering problems requiring wettability-tuning. 

PMID- 26496834
TI  - Nitrogen fluxes at the root-soil interface show a mismatch of nitrogen fertilizer
      supply and sugarcane root uptake capacity.
AB  - Globally only ~50% of applied nitrogen (N) fertilizer is captured by crops, and
      the remainder can cause pollution via runoff and gaseous emissions. Synchronizing
      soil N supply and crop demand will address this problem, however current soil
      analysis methods provide little insight into delivery and acquisition of N forms
      by roots. We used microdialysis, a novel technique for in situ quantification of
      soil nutrient fluxes, to measure N fluxes in sugarcane cropping soils receiving
      different fertilizer regimes, and compare these with N uptake capacities of
      sugarcane roots. We show that in fertilized sugarcane soils, fluxes of inorganic
      N exceed the uptake capacities of sugarcane roots by several orders of magnitude.
      Contrary, fluxes of organic N closely matched roots' uptake capacity. These
      results indicate root uptake capacity constrains plant acquisition of inorganic
      N. This mismatch between soil N supply and root N uptake capacity is a likely key
      driver for low N efficiency in the studied crop system. Our results also suggest
      that (i) the relative contribution of inorganic N for plant nutrition may be
      overestimated when relying on soil extracts as indicators for root-available N,
      and (ii) organic N may contribute more to crop N supply than is currently
      assumed. 

PMID- 26496836
TI  - Erratum to: Ethosuximide ameliorates neurodegenerative disease phenotypes by
      modulating DAF-16/FOXO target gene expression.
AB  - The original version of this article [1] unfortunately contained a mistake. The
      author list contained a spelling error for the author Hannah V. McCue. The
      original article has been corrected for this error. The corrected author list is
      given below:Xi Chen, Hannah V. McCue, Shi Quan Wong, Sudhanva S. Kashyap, Brian
      C. Kraemer, Jeff W. Barclay, Robert D. Burgoyne and Alan Morgan

PMID- 26496837
TI  - Time-dependent effectiveness of the intracanal medicaments used for pulp
      revascularization on the dislocation resistance of MTA.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the time-dependent
      effectiveness of the intracanal medicaments used in pulp revascularization on the
      dislocation resistance of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). METHODS: One hundred
      ninety-two extracted human maxillary incisor teeth were sectioned apically 12 mm
      below and coronally 2 mm above the cemento-enamel junction. Roots were enlarged
      to size 40 (Protaper F4). Next, Peeso reamers from #1 to #5 were used
      sequentially. Sodium hypochlorite (2.5 %), EDTA (17 %), and distilled water were
      used in final irrigation. The specimens were randomly divided into four groups (n
      = 48): Group 1, in which triple antibiotic paste (TAP) (ciprofloxacin +
      metronidazole + minocycline) was prepared and delivered into the canals using a
      lentulo spiral; Group 2, in which double antibiotic paste (DAP) (ciprofloxacin +
      metronidazole) was placed into the canals; Group 3, in which calcium hydroxide
      paste (CH) (calcium hydroxide + distilled water) was introduced into the roots;
      and Group 4 (control), in which no medicament was applied into the root canals.
      Then, the samples were kept in saline solution for 2, 4, and 12 weeks, after
      which time 16 roots were selected randomly from each group, representing the
      samples of each time point. After removal of the medicaments, MTA was placed into
      the coronal third of the roots, and the samples were incubated for 7 days. A push
      out test was used to measure the dislocation resistance (DR) of MTA. The data
      were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's pairwise comparisons (p =
      0.05). RESULTS: The time factor displayed a significant effect on the DR of MTA
      (p < 0.05). All medicaments resulted in significantly smaller DR values after 12
      weeks compared to after 1 week (p < 0.05). A significant unfavorable effect of
      TAP and DAP was observed as early as 2 weeks after the application, while 2 and 4
      weeks after the application of CH there was no effect on the DR of MTA. No
      significant differences were found between the time points in the control group
      (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The type and the intracanal duration of medicaments used
      for pulp revascularization should be chosen carefully to provide maximum
      antimicrobial effect while creating a favorable environment both for stem cell
      attachment and MTA adhesion.

PMID- 26496838
TI  - Evaluation of hydrocyclone and post-treatment technologies for remediation of
      contaminated dredged sediments.
AB  - There are many disposal and treatment methods for contaminated dredged sediments,
      depending on their properties. In this study, treatment methods for the
      remediation of dredged sediments as well as the reduction of pore water generated
      from dredged sediments were optimized. The efficiency of separation using
      hydrocyclone as the pre-treatment increased with greater inflow velocity of
      hydrocyclone, deeper insertion of the vortex finder, and smaller hydrocyclone
      diameter. In the post-treatment of hydrocyclone overflow, the chemical
      coagulation and membrane filtration methods had high efficiency with regard to
      the removal of solid and organic compounds, but the former was less feasible, due
      to its excessive operation and sludge disposal costs. The membrane filtration was
      easily applicable in the field, based on its convenience of installation and
      lower cost of operation despite low removal efficiency of trace organic
      contaminants. 

PMID- 26496839
TI  - Effects of elemental sulphur on heavy metal uptake by plants growing on municipal
      sewage sludge.
AB  - In this study experiment was carried out to determine the phytoextraction
      potential of six plant species (Conium maculatum, Brassica oleraceae var.
      oleraceae, Brassica juncea, Datura stramonium, Pelargonium hortorum and Conyza
      canadensis) grown in a sewage sludge medium amended with metal uptake promoters.
      The solubility of Cu, Cd and Pb was significantly increased with the application
      of elemental S due to decrease of pH. Faecal coliform number was markedly
      decreased by addition of elemental sulphur. The extraction of Cu, Cr and Pb from
      sewage sludge by using B. juncea plant was observed as 65%, 65% and 54%
      respectively that is statistically similar to EDTA as sulphur. The
      bioaccumulation factors were found higher (>1) in the plants tested for Cu and Pb
      like B. juncea. Translocation index (TI) calculated values for Cd and Pb were
      greater than one (>1) in both C. maculatum and B. oleraceae var. oleraceae. The
      results cleared that the amendment of sludge with elemental sulphur showed
      potential to solubilize heavy metals in phytoremediation as much as EDTA. 

PMID- 26496840
TI  - Application of TOPSIS and VIKOR improved versions in a multi criteria decision
      analysis to develop an optimized municipal solid waste management model.
AB  - Selecting a suitable Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method is a crucial
      stage to establish a Solid Waste Management (SWM) system. Main objective of the
      current study is to demonstrate and evaluate a proposed method using Multiple
      Criteria Decision Making methods (MCDM). An improved version of Technique for
      Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) applied to obtain
      the best municipal solid waste management method by comparing and ranking the
      scenarios. Applying this method in order to rank treatment methods is introduced
      as one contribution of the study. Besides, Viekriterijumsko Kompromisno
      Rangiranje (VIKOR) compromise solution method applied for sensitivity analyses.
      The proposed method can assist urban decision makers in prioritizing and
      selecting an optimized Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) treatment system. Besides, a
      logical and systematic scientific method was proposed to guide an appropriate
      decision-making. A modified TOPSIS methodology as a superior to existing methods
      for first time was applied for MSW problems. Applying this method in order to
      rank treatment methods is introduced as one contribution of the study. Next, 11
      scenarios of MSW treatment methods are defined and compared environmentally and
      economically based on the waste management conditions. Results show that
      integrating a sanitary landfill (18.1%), RDF (3.1%), composting (2%), anaerobic
      digestion (40.4%), and recycling (36.4%) was an optimized model of integrated
      waste management. An applied decision-making structure provides the opportunity
      for optimum decision-making. Therefore, the mix of recycling and anaerobic
      digestion and a sanitary landfill with Electricity Production (EP) are the
      preferred options for MSW management. 

PMID- 26496841
TI  - Optimum BET surface areas for activated carbon produced from textile sewage
      sludges and its application as dye removal.
AB  - The purpose of this experimental study is to determine optimum preparation
      conditions for activated carbons obtained from textile sewage sludge (TSS) for
      removal of dyes from aqueous solutions. The textile sewage sludge activated
      carbon (TSSAC) was prepared by chemical activation with potassium hydroxide using
      Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The most influential factor on each
      experimental design responses was identified via ANNOVA analysis. Based on the
      central composite design (CCD), quadratic model was developed to correlate the
      preparation variables for one response which is the Brunauer-Emmelt-Teller (BET)
      surface area. RSM based on a three-variable CCD was used to determine the effect
      of pyrolyzed temperature (400-700  degrees C), carbonization time (45-180 min)
      and KOH: weight of TSS (wt%) impregnation ratio (0.5:1-1.5:1) on BET surface
      area. According to the results, pyrolyzed temperature and impregnation ratio were
      found as the significant factors for maximizing the BET surface area. The major
      effect which influences the BET surface area was found as pyrolyzed temperature.
      Both carbonization time and impregnation ratio of KOH had no significant effect.
      The optimum conditions for preparing TSSAC, based on response surface and contour
      plots, were found as follows: pyrolyzed temperature 700  degrees C, carbonization
      time of 45 min and chemical impregnation ratio of 0.5. The maximum and optimum
      BET surface area of TSSAC were found as 336 m(2)/g and 310.62 m(2)/g,
      respectively. Synozol Blue reactive (RSB) and Setapers Yellow-Brown (P2RFL)
      industrial textile dyes adsorption capacities were investigated. As expected the
      TSSAC which has the biggest BET surface area (336 m(2)/g) adsorbed dye best. The
      maximum (RSB) and (P2RFL) uptake capacities were found as 8.5383 mg/g and 5.4
      mg/g, respectively. The results of this study indicated the applicability of
      TSSAC for removing industrial dyes from aqueous solution. 

PMID- 26496842
TI  - Co-treatment of landfill leachate and municipal wastewater using the
      ZELIAC/zeolite constructed wetland system.
AB  - Constructed wetland (CW) is a low-cost alternative technology to treat
      wastewater. This study was conducted to co-treat landfill leachate and municipal
      wastewater by using a CW system. Typha domingensis was transplanted to CW, which
      contains two substrate layers of adsorbents, namely, ZELIAC and zeolite. Response
      surface methodology and central composite design have been utilized to analyze
      experimental data. Contact time (h) and leachate-to-wastewater mixing ratio (%;
      v/v) were considered as independent variables. Colour, COD, ammonia, nickel, and
      cadmium contents were used as dependent variables. At optimum contact time (50.2
      h) and leachate-to-wastewater mixing ratio (20.0%), removal efficiencies of
      colour, COD, ammonia, nickel, and cadmium contents were 90.3%, 86.7%, 99.2%,
      86.0%, and 87.1%, respectively. The accumulation of Ni and Cd in the roots and
      shoots of T. domingensis was also monitored. Translocation factor (TF) was >1 in
      several runs; thus, Typha is classified as a hyper-accumulator plant. 

PMID- 26496843
TI  - Impact of soybean stover- and pine needle-derived biochars on Pb and As mobility,
      microbial community, and carbon stability in a contaminated agricultural soil.
AB  - Biochar is gaining attention as a potential soil amendment to remediate and
      revitalize the contaminated soils. Simultaneous effects of biochar on metals
      mobility, microbial abundance, bacterial diversity and carbon storage in soil are
      scarcely addressed. This study assessed the effect of biochars on metal mobility,
      microbial abundance, bacterial community, and carbon storage in an agricultural
      soil contaminated with heavy metals. Biochars derived from soybean stover at 300
      and 700  degrees C (S-BC300 and S-BC700, respectively) and pine needles at the
      same temperatures (P-BC300 and P-BC700, respectively) were used. A maximum
      reduction of Pb mobility by 95% was observed from a soil treated with S-BC700,
      associated with precipitation of chloropyromorphite and hydroxylpyromorphite. In
      contrast, As was desorbed from soil particles because of P competition. The
      abundance of Gram-positive and negative bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, and
      arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increased in the soils treated with biochar produced
      at 300  degrees C, possibly due to the high dissolved organic and active organic
      carbons. Microbial abundance in the soils treated with S-BC700 and P-BC700 was
      constant due to the existence of fixed or non-labile carbon. Changes to bacterial
      communities in the biochar-treated soils depended on feedstock type and pyrolysis
      temperature. Actinobacteria substantially increased whereas Acidobacteria and
      Chloroflexi decreased in the biochar-treated soils. The non-labile carbon
      fraction was ~25 fold higher in the biochar-treated soil than the control soil,
      indicating long-term carbon storage. 

PMID- 26496844
TI  - Soluble phosphate fertilizer production using acid effluent from metallurgical
      industry.
AB  - Preventive and effective waste management requires cleaner production strategies
      and technologies for recycling and reuse. Metallurgical industries produce a
      great amount of acid effluent that must be discarded in a responsible manner,
      protecting the environment. The focus of this study was to examine the use of
      this effluent to increase reactivity of some phosphate rocks, thus enabling
      soluble phosphate fertilizer production. The effluent was diluted in deionized
      water with the following concentrations 0; 12.5; 25; 50; 75% (v v(-1)), which
      were added to four natural phosphate rocks: Araxa, Patos, Bayovar and Catalao and
      then left to react for 1 h and 24 h. There was an increase in water (PW), neutral
      ammonium citrate (PNAC) and citric acid (PCA) soluble phosphorus fractions. Such
      increases were dependent of rock type while the reaction time had no significant
      effect (p < 0.05) on the chemical and mineralogical phosphate characteristics.
      Phosphate fertilizers with low toxic metal concentrations and a high level of
      micronutrients were produced compared to the original natural rocks. The minimum
      amount of total P2O5, PNAC and PW, required for national legislation for
      phosphate partially acidulated fertilizer, were met when using Catalao and the
      effluent at the concentration of 55% (v v(-1)). Fertilizer similar to partially
      acidulated phosphate was obtained when Bayovar with effluent at 37.5% (v v(-1))
      was used. Even though fertilizers obtained from Araxa and Patos did not contain
      the minimum levels of total P2O5 required by legislation, they can be used as a
      nutrient source and for acid effluent recycling and reuse. 

PMID- 26496845
TI  - Efficiencies of metal separation and recovery in ash-melting of municipal solid
      waste under non-oxidative atmospheres with different reducing abilities.
AB  - Ash-melting of municipal solid waste produces molten metal that contains Fe and
      Cu, and melting furnace fly ash (MFA) that contains Pb and Zn. To recover the
      metal from the fly ash, Pb and Zn are extracted from the ash by water or enriched
      in the ash by washing out salts; this separation depends on their leachability.
      In this study, we investigated the effects of the reducing ability of the
      atmosphere on the efficiencies of metal separation during melting and metal
      recovery in water treatment. Different feedstocks (incineration residues) were
      melted under N2 or CO + N2 atmospheres. In some of the feedstock materials,
      volatilization of metallic Cu into MFA was promoted under the atmosphere with
      greater reducing ability (CO + N2). This increased volatilization inhibited the
      metal separation in the ash-melting process. Moreover, the higher reducing
      ability inhibited the formation of water-soluble lead chlorides and decreased the
      efficiency of metal recovery from the MFA because of the water leaching of the
      lead compounds. The reducing ability of the atmosphere is difficult to control
      uniformly in actual ash-melting plants, and we investigated appropriate melting
      conditions under which the effect of the reducing ability was minimized to
      promote metal separation and recovery. This minimization was achieved by melting
      incineration fly ash without additives with Cl gas treatment at 1400  degrees C. 

PMID- 26496846
TI  - Effects of extreme natural events on the provision of ecosystem services in a
      mountain environment: The importance of trail design in delivering system
      resilience and ecosystem service co-benefits.
AB  - A continued supply of ecosystem services (ES) from a system depends on the
      resilience of that system to withstand shocks and perturbations. In many parts of
      the world, climate change is leading to an increased frequency of extreme weather
      events, potentially influencing ES provision. Our study of the effects of an
      intense rainfall event in Gorce National Park, Poland, shows: (1) the intense
      rainfall event impacted heavily on the supply of ES by limiting potential
      recreation opportunities and reducing erosion prevention; (2) these negative
      impacts were not only restricted to the period of the extreme event but persisted
      for up to several years, depending on the pre-event trail conditions and post
      event management activities; (3) to restore the pre-event supply of ES, economic
      investments were required in the form of active repairs to trails, which, in
      Gorce National Park, were an order of magnitude higher than the costs of normal
      trail maintenance; and (4) when recreational trails were left to natural
      restoration, loss of biodiversity was observed, and recovery rates of ES
      (recreation opportunities and soil erosion prevention) were reduced in comparison
      to their pre-event state. We conclude that proper trail design and construction
      provides a good solution to avoid some of the negative impacts of extreme events
      on recreation, as well as offering co-benefits in terms of protecting
      biodiversity and enhancing the supply of regulating services such as erosion
      prevention. 

PMID- 26496847
TI  - Chestnut green waste composting for sustainable forest management: Microbiota
      dynamics and impact on plant disease control.
AB  - Making compost from chestnut lignocellulosic waste is a possible sustainable
      management strategy for forests that employs a high-quality renewable organic
      resource. Characterization of the microbiota involved in composting is essential
      to better understand the entire process as well as the properties of the final
      product. Therefore, this study investigated the microbial communities involved in
      the composting of chestnut residues obtained from tree cleaning and pruning. The
      culture-independent approach taken highlighted the fact that the microbiota
      varied only slightly during the process, with the exception of those of the
      starting substrate and mature compost. The statistical analysis indicated that
      most of the bacterial and fungal species in the chestnut compost persisted during
      composting. The dominant microbial population detected during the process
      belonged to genera known to degrade recalcitrant lignocellulosic materials.
      Specifically, we identified fungal genera, such as Penicillium, Fusarium,
      Cladosporium, Aspergillus and Mucor, and prokaryotic species affiliated with
      Bacilli, Actinobacteria, Flavobacteria and gamma-Proteobacteria. The suppressive
      properties of compost supplements for the biocontrol of Sclerotinia minor and
      Rhizoctonia solani were also investigated. Compared to pure substrate, the
      addition of compost to the peat-based growth substrates resulted in a significant
      reduction of disease in tomato plants of up to 70 % or 51 % in the presence of
      Sclerotinia minor or Rhizoctonia solani, respectively. The obtained results were
      related to the presence of putative bio-control agents and plant growth-promoting
      rhizobacteria belonging to the genera Azotobacter, Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas,
      Bacillus, Flavobacterium, Streptomyces and Actinomyces in the chestnut compost.
      The composting of chestnut waste may represent a sustainable agricultural
      practice for disposing of lignocellulosic waste by transforming it into green
      waste compost that can be used to improve the fitness of agricultural plants. 

PMID- 26496848
TI  - Timbre Brownfield Prioritization Tool to support effective brownfield
      regeneration.
AB  - In the last decade, the regeneration of derelict or underused sites, fully or
      partly located in urban areas (or so called "brownfields"), has become more
      common, since free developable land (or so called "greenfields") has more and
      more become a scare and, hence, more expensive resource, especially in densely
      populated areas. Although the regeneration of brownfield sites can offer
      development potentials, the complexity of these sites requires considerable
      efforts to successfully complete their revitalization projects and the proper
      selection of promising sites is a pre-requisite to efficiently allocate the
      limited financial resources. The identification and analysis of success factors
      for brownfield sites regeneration can support investors and decision makers in
      selecting those sites which are the most advantageous for successful
      regeneration. The objective of this paper is to present the Timbre Brownfield
      Prioritization Tool (TBPT), developed as a web-based solution to assist
      stakeholders responsible for wider territories or clusters of brownfield sites
      (portfolios) to identify which brownfield sites should be preferably considered
      for redevelopment or further investigation. The prioritization approach is based
      on a set of success factors properly identified through a systematic stakeholder
      engagement procedure. Within the TBPT these success factors are integrated by
      means of a Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodology, which includes
      stakeholders' requalification objectives and perspectives related to the
      brownfield regeneration process and takes into account the three pillars of
      sustainability (economic, social and environmental dimensions). The tool has been
      applied to the South Moravia case study (Czech Republic), considering two
      different requalification objectives identified by local stakeholders, namely the
      selection of suitable locations for the development of a shopping centre and a
      solar power plant, respectively. The application of the TBPT to the case study
      showed that it is flexible and easy to adapt to different local contexts,
      allowing the assessors to introduce locally relevant parameters identified
      according to their expertise and considering the availability of local data. 

PMID- 26496849
TI  - Nursing management, religion and spirituality: a bibliometric review, a research
      agenda and implications for practice.
AB  - AIMS: This article aims to contribute to the growing field of spirituality and
      nursing management by analysing bibliographic data on peer-reviewed research in
      the field. BACKGROUND: Articles on spirituality and nursing management often
      claim that these fields have grown over the past two decades. This article
      gathers empirical evidence to test these claims. EVALUATION: Bibliometric data on
      peer-reviewed research articles on nursing, nursing management, spirituality and
      religion in the Social Sciences Citation Index were analysed to ascertain general
      trends in publication and citation. KEY ISSUES: The data support claims that
      research activity and interest in both spirituality and religion in the field of
      nursing have grown steeply over recent years, and continue to accelerate.
      CONCLUSIONS: The research identified spirituality as a beneficial variable in
      management, training and/or care scenarios. Critical studies of nursing
      management spiritual initiatives could add considerably to the growing body of
      research and theory in this field. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: It is
      essential that nurse managers be equipped to foster not only a broader
      understanding of the variety of faith traditions found in a multi-cultural
      society, but also to develop an understanding of the ways in which individuals
      engage in spiritual practice outside traditional religious settings.

PMID- 26496851
TI  - Climate change and environmental concentrations of POPs: A review.
AB  - In recent years, the climate change impact on the concentrations of persistent
      organic pollutants (POPs) has become a topic of notable concern. Changes in
      environmental conditions such as the increase of the average temperature, or the
      UV-B radiation, are likely to influence the fate and behavior of POPs, ultimately
      affecting human exposure. The state of the art of the impact of climate change on
      environmental concentrations of POPs, as well as on human health risks, is here
      reviewed. Research gaps are also identified, while future studies are suggested.
      Climate change and POPs are a hot issue, for which wide attention should be paid
      not only by scientists, but also and mainly by policy makers. Most studies
      reported in the scientific literature are focused on legacy POPs, mainly
      polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated
      biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides. However, the number of investigations aimed at
      estimating the impact of climate change on the environmental levels of polycyclic
      aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is scarce, despite of the fact that exposure to PAHs
      and photodegradation byproducts may result in adverse health effects.
      Furthermore, no data on emerging POPs are currently available in the scientific
      literature. In consequence, an intensification of studies to identify and
      mitigate the indirect effects of the climate change on POP fate is needed to
      minimize the human health impact. Furthermore, being this a global problem,
      interactions between climate change and POPs must be addressed from an
      international perspective. 

PMID- 26496850
TI  - Socio-economic inequalities in curative health-seeking for children in Egypt:
      analysis of the 2008 Demographic and Health Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The existence and magnitude of socio-economic inequalities in health
      seeking behaviours for child curative care in Egypt and mechanisms underlying
      these associations have not been comprehensively assessed. This study examined
      whether socio-economic position (SEP) was associated with health-seeking
      behaviours for diarrhoea and acute respiratory infection (ARI) in children and
      explored potential mechanisms underlying these associations using mediation
      analysis. METHODS: Children aged under-five years living with their mothers
      sampled by the 2008 Egypt Demographic and Health Survey were used to estimate the
      prevalence of diarrhoea and ARI in the two-week period preceding the survey. If
      either illness was reported, three dimensions of health-seeking were examined in
      adjusted mediation models, separately by illness: whether medical care was
      sought, whether such care was timely (within one day of symptom onset), and
      whether it was sought from private providers. Latent variables of parental socio
      cultural capital and household-level economic capital were the main exposures of
      interest. RESULTS: In the sample of 10,006 children, 8.4% had diarrhoea and 7.6%
      had ARI. Care was sought for 62.0% of children with diarrhoea and 78.5% with ARI;
      two-thirds of care-seeking for both illnesses was timely. More than 7 in 10
      children who sought care were taken to private providers. Socio-cultural capital
      or economic capital were not independently associated with seeking care for
      either illness. Socio-cultural capital was positively associated with timely care
      seeking, and economic capital was positively associated with private provider use
      in adjusted analyses for both illnesses. CONCLUSIONS: SEP was not a strong
      determinant of care-seeking for diarrhoea or ARI, but there was a modest positive
      effect of SEP on timely receipt of care and private provider use. Further
      research is needed to explore perceptions of illness severity and the
      availability and quality of care from public and private providers.

PMID- 26496852
TI  - Comparison of the effects of extreme temperatures on daily mortality in Madrid
      (Spain), by age group: The need for a cold wave prevention plan.
AB  - A number of studies have shown that there is a time trend towards a reduction in
      the effects of heat on mortality. In the case of cold, however, there is
      practically no research of this type and so there is no clearly defined time
      trend of the impact of cold on mortality. Furthermore, no other specific studies
      have yet analysed the time trend of the impact of both thermal extremes by age
      group. We analysed data on daily mortality due to natural causes (ICD-10: A00
      R99) in the city of Madrid across the period 2001-2009 and calculated the impact
      of extreme temperatures on mortality using Poisson regression models for specific
      age groups. The groups of age selected coinciding with the pre-existing age
      groups analyzed in previous papers. For heat waves the groups of age used were:
      <10 years, 10-17 years, 18-44 years, 45-64 years, 65-74 years and over-75 years.
      For cold waves the groups of age used were: <1 year; 1-5 years, 6-17 years, 18-44
      years, 45-64 years, 65-74 years and over-75 years. <1, 1-17, 18-44, 45-66, 65-74
      and over-75 years. We controlled for confounding variables, such as air
      pollution, noise, influenza, pollen, pressure and relative humidity, trend of the
      series, as well as seasonalities and autoregressive components of the series. The
      results of these models were compared to those obtained for the same city during
      the period 1986-1997 and published in different studies. Our results show a
      lightly reduction in the effects of heat, especially in the over-45-year age
      group. In the case of cold, the behaviour pattern was the opposite, with an
      increase in its effect. Heat adaptation and socio-economic and public-health
      prevention and action measures may be behind this amelioration in the effects of
      heat, whereas the absence of such actions in respect of low temperatures may
      account for the increase in the effects of cold on mortality. From a public
      health point of view, the implementation of cold wave prevention plans covering
      all age groups is thus called for.

PMID- 26496853
TI  - Traditional serrated adenoma with BRAF mutation is associated with
      synchronous/metachronous BRAF-mutated serrated lesions.
AB  - AIMS: To determine whether traditional serrated adenoma (TSA) results in an
      increased risk of developing subsequent serrated polyps or colorectal cancer
      (CRC). METHODS AND RESULTS: We recruited 111 patients with an index TSA, and
      analysed the pathological and molecular features of their
      synchronous/metachronous serrated lesions. Fifty hyperplastic polyps, 14 sessile
      serrated adenomas, an additional 27 TSAs and 17 CRCs were identified from 46
      patients. Twenty-seven percent of TSAs showed a precursor serrated polyp in the
      periphery and were strongly correlated with BRAF mutation (P < 0.001). Serrated
      polyps occurred more commonly in patients with BRAF-mutated index TSAs than in
      patients with KRAS-mutated index TSAs. BRAF-mutated index TSAs were strongly
      associated with a right-sided location and BRAF mutation of
      synchronous/metachronous serrated polyps (P = 0.013 and P = 0.005, respectively).
      The 17 CRCs occurred more frequently in women, and were characterized by a high
      BRAF mutation rate (59%), a positive CpG island methylator phenotype (59%), and
      stable or low levels of microsatellite instability (77%). CONCLUSIONS: BRAF
      mutated TSA is distinct from KRAS-mutated TSA in predisposing to the acquisition
      of subsequent serrated neoplasia. This indicates the presence of an intestinal
      field defect in the tumour microenvironment that results in tumour initiation and
      malignant progression.

PMID- 26496854
TI  - Lung function in very preterm infants with patent ductus arteriosus under
      conservative management: an observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Persistent patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) during hospitalization is
      thought to be associated with adverse pulmonary outcomes in very preterm infants.
      This observational study aimed to compare the lung function in very preterm
      infants with and without PDA at discharge. METHODS: Very preterm infants,
      admitted to our neonatal intensive unit, who required respiratory support soon
      after birth and had undergone a lung function test at discharge, were enrolled.
      Infants with a need for positive-pressure support (either an invasive ventilator,
      or nasal continuous positive airway pressure without oxygen) or supplemental
      oxygen at a postmenstrual age of 36 weeks were defined as having bronchopulmonary
      dysplasia (BPD). Echocardiography was performed weekly for each of the very
      preterm infants with PDA to confirm closure of the PDA. The data were collected
      retrospectively. RESULTS: Fifty-two very preterm infants received lung function
      tests before discharge during the study period, 28 of whom had PDA and received
      conservative management, and 20 who did not. The other 4 infants who were given
      active treatment for PDA were excluded. Gestational age was significantly smaller
      in the PDA group than in the no-PDA group (27.1 +/- 2.0 vs. 28.6 +/- 1.6 weeks, p
      = 0.009). Birth weight did not differ significantly in those with and those
      without PDA (0.98 +/- 0.26 vs. 1.12 +/- 0.26 kg, p = 0.074). Significantly more
      infants with PDA had BPD (p = 0.002) and required respiratory support for a
      longer period (p = 0.001) than those without PDA. However, functional residual
      capacity (ml/kg) at discharge was comparable between the two groups after
      adjusting for gestational age and postmenstrual age at testing (21.6 +/- 8.4 vs.
      21.5 +/- 6.7 ml/kg, p = 0.894). Other lung function test parameters were also
      comparable. CONCLUSION: Under a definition of BPD (including infants needing CPAP
      but without oxygen) other than the conventional definition, the very preterm
      infants in our study who received conservative management for PDA had a higher
      percentage of BPD than the infants without PDA. The parameters of the lung
      function test and lung clearance index were comparable between these two groups
      at discharge.

PMID- 26496855
TI  - Rifampin resistance and diabetes mellitus in a cross-sectional study of adult
      patients in rural South India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite increasing reports of the linkage between diabetes and
      tuberculosis (TB), there is limited information regarding diabetes and TB drug
      resistance. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, sputum and blood samples were
      collected from 304 adult patients in rural Andhra Pradesh. Rifampin resistance
      was assessed by Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert), and diabetes status was based on self
      report. Additionally, samples were assayed by acid-fast bacilli sputum smear
      microscopy (AFB) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-G), in order to compare
      relative diagnostic performances. RESULTS: Among patients with confirmed TB (n =
      194), diabetes was associated with 3.0-fold higher risk of rifampin resistance
      (95 % CI 1.3-6.7). Considering Xpert MTB/RIF the gold standard, AFB had lower
      sensitivity (72.2 vs. 82.5 %) and higher specificity (96.4 vs. 37.0 %) compared
      to QFT-G for diagnosing TB. CONCLUSIONS: The increased risk of rifampin
      resistance in patients with diabetes highlights the need for integrated diabetes
      surveillance in TB programs, particularly in settings undergoing the
      epidemiological transition.

PMID- 26496856
TI  - Effects of chlorpyrifos on life cycle parameters, cytochrome P450S expression,
      and antioxidant systems in the monogonont rotifer Brachionus koreanus.
AB  - Chlorpyrifos is a widely used organophosphorus insecticide for controlling
      diverse insect pests of crops. In the monogonont rotifer Brachionus koreanus,
      population growth retardation with the inhibition of lifespan, fecundity, and
      individual body size of ovigerous females was shown over 10 d in response to
      chlorpyrifos exposure. At the molecular and biochemical levels, the rotifer B.
      koreanus defensome, composed of cytochrome P450 complements, heat shock protein
      70, and antioxidant enzymatic systems (i.e., glutathione, glutathione peroxidase,
      glutathione reductase, and glutathione S-transferase), was significantly induced
      in response to different concentrations of chlorpyrifos. Thus, chlorpyrifos
      strongly induced a defensome system to mitigate the deleterious effects of
      chlorpyrifos at in vivo and in vitro levels as a trade-off in fitness costs.
      Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1449-1457. (c) 2015 SETAC.

PMID- 26496857
TI  - Amplification by (-)-epigallocatechin gallate and chlorogenic acid of TNF-alpha
      stimulated interleukin-6 synthesis in osteoblasts.
AB  - Polyphenolic compounds in foods and beverages have beneficial effects on human
      health. (-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and chlorogenic acid (CGA), a major
      flavonoid in green tea and a major phenolic acid in coffee, respectively, have
      potent properties, including antioxidative effects. Our previous study
      demonstrated that p70 S6 kinase acts as a negative regulator in tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-stimulated interleukin-6 synthesis in osteoblast-like
      MC3T3-E1 cells. In the present study, the effects of EGCG and CGA on the TNF
      alpha-stimulated interleukin-6 synthesis were investigated in MC3T3-E1 cells.
      EGCG and CGA significantly enhanced TNF-alpha-stimulated interleukin-6 release.
      In addition, the interleukin-6 mRNA expression levels induced by TNF-alpha were
      supported by EGCG, as well as CGA. EGCG markedly attenuated the TNF-alpha-induced
      phosphorylation of p70 S6 kinase whereas CGA failed to affect the
      phosphorylation. These results strongly suggest that EGCG and CGA enhance the TNF
      alpha-stimulated interleukin-6 synthesis in osteoblasts, and that the amplifying
      effect of EGCG, but not CGA, is exerted via inhibiting p70 S6 kinase.

PMID- 26496858
TI  - Hydrogen capture by porphyrins at the TiO2(110) surface.
AB  - Metal-free porphyrin molecules adsorb on the rutile TiO2(110) surface with their
      pyrrolic nitrogen atoms atop the O-bridge rows, whereas the iminic nitrogen atoms
      capture two additional hydrogen atoms. Hydrogenation occurs spontaneously at room
      temperature, irrespective of the distance of the polypyrrolic macrocycle from the
      surface, as varied by changing the porphyrin functionalization. 

PMID- 26496859
TI  - Knockout of a transgene by transcription activator-like effector nucleases
      (TALENs) in the sawfly, Athalia rosae (Hymenoptera) and the ladybird beetle,
      Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera).
AB  - Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) are efficient tools for
      targeted genome editing and have been utilized in a number of insects. Here, we
      demonstrate the gene disruption (knockout) caused by TALENs targeting a
      transgene, 3xP3-driven enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP), that is
      integrated in the genome of two species, the sawfly Athalia rosae (Hymenoptera)
      and the ladybird beetle Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera). Messenger RNAs of TALENs
      targeting the sequences adjacent to the chromophore region were microinjected
      into the eggs/embryos of each species. In At. rosae, when microinjection was
      performed at the posterior end of eggs, 15% of G(0) individuals showed a somatic
      mosaic phenotype for eye EGFP fluorescence. Three-quarters of the somatic mosaics
      produced EGFP-negative G(1) progeny. When eggs were injected at the anterior end,
      63% of the G(0) individuals showed somatic mosaicism, and 17% of them produced
      EGFP-negative G(1) progeny. In H. axyridis, 25% of posterior-injected and 8% of
      anterior-injected G(0) individuals produced EGFP-negative G(1) progeny. In both
      species, the EGFP-negative progeny retained the EGFP gene, and various deletions
      were detected in the target sequences, indicating that gene disruption was
      successfully induced. Finally, for both species, 18-21% of G(0) founders produced
      gene knockout progeny sufficient for establishing knockout strains.

PMID- 26496860
TI  - Editorial Comment from Dr Saito and Dr Shimizu to Propiverine increases urethral
      wall catecholamine levels and bladder leak point pressure in rats.

PMID- 26496861
TI  - In Situ Photo Sonosynthesis of Organic/Inorganic Nanocomposites on Wool Fabric
      Introducing Multifunctional Properties.
AB  - Here, a novel and efficient process is introduced for producing wool fabric with
      multifunctional features through facile in situ photosonochemical synthesis of
      organic/inorganic nanocomposites. The fabric was treated with titanium
      isopropoxide, silver nitrate and ammonia in a sonobath for 1 h at 75-80 degrees
      C. The crystal phase of the sono-treated samples was characterized by X-ray
      diffraction. The uniform distribution of the nanocomposite on the fiber surface
      was proved by field emission scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X
      ray and mapping patterns. Further, the composition of the nanocomposites was
      investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The sono-treated wool fabrics
      illustrated excellent photocatalytic activities toward discoloration of Methylene
      Blue under sunlight and UV-A irradiation. Also the fabrics indicated reasonable
      antibacterial/antifungal activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia
      coli and Candida albicans. The tensile properties of the sono-treated fabrics
      enhanced comparing to the untreated and even conventional stirrer-treated
      fabrics. Moreover, a central composite design based on response surface
      methodology was used to study the influence of titanium isopropoxide and silver
      molar ratio on the prepared nanocomposites sonobath. Finally, the optimum molar
      ratio was reported for the best responses. 

PMID- 26496862
TI  - Effects of diazoxide on Abeta1-42-induced expression of the NR2B subunit in
      cultured cholinergic neurons.
AB  - The accumulation of amyloid-beta protein (Abeta) is significant in the
      pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Several previous studies indicate that the
      NR2B-containing N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors are critically involved in the
      Abeta mediated disruption of neuronal function. Diazoxide (DZ), a highly
      selective drug capable of opening mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channels,
      has neuroprotective effects against neuronal cell death. However, the mechanism
      by which DZ protects cholinergic neurons against Abeta-induced cytotoxicity
      remains to be elucidated. The present study was designed to investigate the
      effects of DZ pretreatment against Abeta1-42-induced expression of NR2B in order
      to gain novel insights into the neuroprotective mechanisms. Following exposure to
      Abeta1-42 for 24 h, the expression of the NR2B subunit remained unchanged
      compared with the control group. However, a significant increase in the
      expression of the NR2B subunit was observed following treatment with Abeta1-42
      for 72 h (P<0.05); and the upregulation of the expression of the NR2B subunit was
      reversed by pretreatment with DZ (P<0.05). These results suggested that DZ may
      counteract Abeta1-42-mediated cytotoxicity by alleviating the expression of NR2B.

PMID- 26496863
TI  - Lack of tissue accumulation of grape seed flavanols after daily long-term
      administration in healthy and cafeteria-diet obese rats.
AB  - After ingestion flavanols are metabolized by phase-II enzymes and the microbiota
      and are distributed throughout the body depending on several factors. Herein we
      aim to evaluate whether flavanols are tissue-accumulated after the long-term
      administration of a grape seed polyphenol extract (GSPE) in rats and to study if
      compounds present in tissues differ in a cafeteria-diet obesity state. For that,
      plasma, liver, mesenteric white adipose tissue (MWAT), brain, and aorta flavanol
      metabolites from standard chow-diet-fed (ST) and cafeteria-diet-fed (CAF) rats
      were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization
      tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) 21 h after the last 12-week-daily GSPE
      (100 mg/kg) dosage. Results showed that long-term GSPE intake did not trigger a
      flavanol tissue accumulation, indicating a clearance of products at each daily
      dosage. Therefore, results suggest that polyphenol benefits in a disease state
      would be due to a daily pulsatile effect. Moreover, obesity induced by diet also
      influences the metabolism and bioavailability of flavanols in rats. 

PMID- 26496864
TI  - Impact of early intervention on comprehensive language and academic achievement
      in Japanese hearing-impaired children with cochlear implants.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) is critical for
      achievement of age-appropriate speech perception and language development in
      hearing-impaired children. It has been 15 years since newborn hearing screening
      (NHS) was introduced in Japan, and its effectiveness for language development in
      hearing-impaired children has been extensively studied. Moreover, after over 20
      years of cochlear implantation in Japan, many of the prelingual cochlear implant
      (CI) users have reached school age, and the effect of CI on language development
      have also been assessed. To identify prognostic factors for language development,
      audiological/language test scores and demographic factors were compared among
      prelingual severe-to-profound hearing-impaired children with CI divided into
      subgroups according to age at first hearing aid (HA) use and whether they
      received NHS. METHODS: Prelingual severe-to-profound deafened children from the
      Research on Sensory and Communicative Disorders (RSCD) project who met the
      inclusion criteria were divided into groups according to the age (in months) of
      HA commencement (before 6 months: group A, after 7 months: group B), and the
      presence or absence of NHS (groups C and D). Language development and socio
      economic data were obtained from audiological/language tests and a questionnaire
      completed by caregivers, respectively. RESULTS: In total, 210 children from the
      RSCD project participated in this study. Group A (n=49) showed significantly
      higher scores on comprehensive vocabulary and academic achievement (p<0.05) than
      group B (n=161), with no difference in demographics except for significantly
      older age in group B. No differences in language scores were observed between
      group C (n=71) and group D (n=129), although participants of group D was
      significantly older and had used CIs longer (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Early use of
      HAs until the CI operation may result in better language perception and academic
      achievement among CI users with prelingual deafness. A long-term follow-up is
      required to assess the usefulness of NHS for language development.

PMID- 26496865
TI  - Analysis of genetic differentiation and genomic variation to reveal potential
      regions of importance during maize improvement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exploring genetic differentiation and genomic variation is important
      for both the utilization of heterosis and the dissection of the genetic bases of
      complex traits. METHODS: We integrated 1857 diverse maize accessions from
      America, Africa, Europe and Asia to investigatetheir genetic differentiation,
      genomic variation using 43,252 high-quality single-nucleotide
      polymorphisms(SNPs),combing GWAS and linkage analysis strategy to exploring the
      function of relevant genetic segments. RESULTS: We uncovered many more
      subpopulations that recently or historically formed during the breeding process.
      These patterns are represented by the following lines: Mo17, GB, E28, Ye8112,
      HZS, Shen137, PHG39, B73, 207, A634, Oh43, Reid Yellow Dent, and the
      Tropical/subtropical (TS) germplasm. A total of 85 highly differentiated regions
      with a DEST of more than 0.2 were identified between the TS and temperate
      subpopulations. These regions comprised 79% of the genetic variation, and most
      were significantly associated with adaptive traits. For example, the region
      containing the SNP tag PZE.108075114 was highly differentiated, and this region
      was significantly associated with flowering time (FT)-related traits, as
      supported by a genome-wide association study (GWAS) within the interval of FT
      related quantitative trait loci (QTL). This region was also closely linked to
      zcn8 and vgt1, which were shown to be involved in maize adaptation. Most
      importantly, 197 highly differentiated regions between different subpopulation
      pairs were located within an FT- or plant architecture-related QTL. CONCLUSIONS:
      Here we reported that 700-1000 SNPs were necessary needed to robustly estimate
      the genetic differentiation of a naturally diverse panel. In addition, 13
      subpopulations were observed in maize germplasm, 85 genetic regions with higher
      differentiation between TS and temperate maize germplasm, 197 highly
      differentiated regions between different subpopulation pairs, which contained
      some FT- related QTNs/QTLs/genes supported by GWAS and linkage analysis, and
      these regions were expected to play important roles in maize adaptation.

PMID- 26496866
TI  - Separation and simultaneous quantification of nine furanocoumarins from Radix
      Angelicae dahuricae using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry for
      bioavailability determination in rats.
AB  - Radix Angelicae dahuricae is a well-known medicinal herb in a number of herb
      preparations for medical uses. In this study, a rapid and selective method using
      liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the
      separation and simultaneous quantitation of nine furanocoumarins from Radix A.
      dahuricae, namely imperatorin, isoimperatorin, oxypeucedanin hydrate, bergapten,
      oxypeucedanin, xanthotoxol, xanthotoxin, isopimpinellin, and psoralen.
      Chromatographic separation was achieved on a CAPCELL PAK MG II C18 analytical
      column. Detection was performed using positive electrospray ion source in the
      multiple reaction monitoring mode. The method was fully validated for analyzing
      these principles in rat plasma with a lower limit of quantification from 0.5 to 5
      ng/mL. The intra- and interbatch precisions were less than 10%, and the
      accuracies ranged from -7.5 to 8.0%. The extraction recovery of the analytes was
      above 70% without a significant matrix effect. The method was used to determine
      the oral and intravenous pharmacokinetic profiles of these furanocoumarins after
      dosing with Radix A. dahurica extract. The bioavailability of these
      furanocoumarins ranged from 10.1 to 82.8%. These data provide critical
      information for a better understanding of the pharmacological mechanisms and herb
      drug interaction potential of Radix A. dahurica. 

PMID- 26496867
TI  - ISSR-based analysis of genetic diversity among sorghum landraces growing in some
      parts of Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
AB  - Inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) analysis was used to determine the genetic
      diversity among 15 genotypes of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] growing in
      some parts of Saudi Arabia and Yemen. A total of 92 alleles were amplified, with
      an average of 13 ISSR alleles per primer. Cluster analysis divided the 15
      genotypes into two main groups. Group A consisted of five genotypes with white
      grains from Jazan and Abha with a similarity coefficient range of 0.527 to 0.818.
      Group B was comprised of 10 genotypes; two genotypes from Al-Qassim were clearly
      delimited from the remaining eight samples with a coefficient range from 0.709 to
      0.490. The eight genotypes were divided into two clusters; one was comprised of
      landraces with dark grains from Abha in Saudi Arabia and Ab in Yemen, with a
      similarity coefficient range between 0.563 and 0.781, and the other cluster was
      differentiated into three white-colored-grain genotypes and one colored-grain
      genotype; all samples from North Yemen had a similarity coefficient range from
      0.454 to 0.800. The current results encourage further collection and
      authentication of sorghum landraces in the gene banks of Saudi Arabia. 

PMID- 26496869
TI  - Reducing bloodstream infection with a chlorhexidine gel IV dressing.
AB  - The use of vascular access devices (VAD) is common in healthcare provision but
      there is a significant risk of acquiring an infection. Central venous catheters
      (CVC) are associated with the highest risk of intravenous catheter-related
      bloodstream infection (CRBSI). 3MTM TegadermTM CHG IV dressing is a semi
      permeable transparent adhesive dressing with an integrated gel pad containing
      chlorhexidine gluconate 2%. This product was reviewed by the National Institute
      for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in 2015, recommending that Tegaderm CHG
      could be used for CVC and arterial line dressings in high-dependency and
      intensive-care settings. This article discusses issues around CRBSI,
      interventions to reduce the risk of CRBSI, and the use of Tegaderm CHG dressing. 

PMID- 26496870
TI  - Complex vascular access requires making the best use of technology.

PMID- 26496871
TI  - Totally implanted ports: the trapezius approach in practice.
AB  - Implanted ports (IPs) are an essential device for many patients who require long
      term vascular access. IPs offer some advantages over other central venous access
      devices, such as lifestyle, body image benefits and lower infection rates. A
      typical implantation site for a port is the anterior chest wall. For some
      patients with breast cancer who have metastatic chest wall disease this site may
      lead to problems with the function of the device if disease spreads to the port
      site. One option for this patient group is to place the implanted port over the
      trapezius muscle. This article discusses six patients, all of whom had metastatic
      breast cancer with some degree of subcutaneous disease on the anterior chest
      wall. Three patients had received trapezius port placements and three had
      anterior chest wall placements. A retrospective review of the patients' medical
      records was undertaken from the time of insertion until removal or until the
      patient died. The anterior chest wall group of patients had their devices in for
      an average of 368 days vs 214 in the trapezius group. The total complications
      were higher in the anterior chest wall group (7 vs 2 in the trapezius group).
      Disease spread to two of the devices in the anterior chest wall group meaning the
      devices could no longer be used. The trapezius approach appears to be a safe and
      a reliable form of vascular access and may offer fewer complications than the
      traditional method of anterior chest wall placement when standard anterior chest
      wall approach is not suitable. 

PMID- 26496868
TI  - Analysis of heat shock protein 70 gene polymorphisms Mexican patients with
      idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal lung disease of
      unknown etiology. Genetic variation within different major histocompatibility
      complex (MHC) loci contributes to the susceptibility to IPF. The effect of 70 kDa
      heat shock proteins (HSP70) gene polymorphisms in the susceptibility to IPF is
      unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the association between HSP70
      polymorphisms and IPF susceptibility in the Mexican population. METHODS: Four
      HSP70 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were evaluated using real time PCR
      assays in 168 IPF patients and 205 controls: +2763 C>T of HSPA1L (rs2075800),
      +2437 of HSP HSPA1L A>G (rs2227956), +190 of HSPA1A G>C (rs1043618) and +1267 of
      HSPA1B G>A (rs1061581). RESULTS: The analysis of the recessive model revealed a
      significant decrease in the frequency of the genotype HSPA1B AA (rs1061581) in
      IPF patients (OR = 0.27, 95 % CI = 0.13-0.57, Pc = 0.0003) when compared to
      controls. Using a multivariate logistic regression analysis in a codominant model
      the HSPA1B (rs1061581) GA and AA genotypes were associated with a lower risk of
      IPF compared with GG (OR = 0.22, 95 % CI = 0.07-0.65; p = 0.006 and OR = 0.17, 95
      % CI = 0.07-0.41; p = <0.001). Similarly, HSPA1L (rs2227956) AG genotype (OR =
      0.34, 95 % CI = 0.12-0.99; p = 0.04) and the dominant model AG + GG genotypes
      were also associated with a lower risk of IPF (OR = 0.24, 95 % CI = 0.08-0.67; p
      = 0.007). In contrast, the HSPA1L (rs2075800) TT genotype was associated with
      susceptibility to IPF (OR = 2.52, 95 % CI = 1.32-4.81; p = 0.005). CONCLUSION:
      Our findings indicate that HSPA1B (rs1061581), HSPA1L (rs2227956) and HSPA1
      (rs1043618) polymorphisms are associated with a decreased risk of IPF.

PMID- 26496872
TI  - Challenges of vascular access in red cell exchange in sickle cell patients.

PMID- 26496873
TI  - Providing an outpatient antimicrobial therapy service.

PMID- 26496874
TI  - Bringing intravenous antibiotics home.

PMID- 26496875
TI  - Infusion pump development and implications for nurses.
AB  - Infusion pumps are commonplace in today's healthcare settings and their design
      and development has kept pace with technology over the decades. In the 1970s and
      1980s infusion pumps began to emerge in the UK market and were basic, mechanical
      devices with limited functions. Today, infusion pumps have a plethora of
      functions and features and a range of alarms to help alert the user and the
      patient that infusions are nearing completion, have ended or their range of
      sensors has detected that the infusion pump, or patient, requires attention. The
      role of the nurse in safely managing this ever-changing technology should not be
      underestimated. This paper reviews the progress made over the past 40 years in
      the UK healthcare setting and how the nurses have had to keep up to speed with
      the technology as it develops. It highlights the importance of fully integrating
      infusion pumps into intravenous (IV) therapy training and assessment. The
      important role the nurse plays is highlighted as well as exploring how he or she
      can help organisations better understand infusion pumps in the day-to-day
      management of patients undergoing intravenous therapy. 

PMID- 26496876
TI  - Clinically indicated replacement of peripheral cannulas.
AB  - Insertion of peripheral venous cannulas is one of the most frequently performed
      procedures in hospitals. In the UK, one in three patients will have at least one
      cannula inserted while in hospital. Cannula insertion is uncomfortable and causes
      anxiety and distress to patients. The risks associated with this include
      infection, phlebitis and infiltration. In the UK, it is widely accepted that
      cannulas should be routinely changed every 72--96 hours in line with national
      guidelines ( Department of Health (DH) 2007). The updated epic3 guidelines
      recommend to change cannulas when clinically indicated, rather than routinely.
      The objective in a local NHS trust, was to look at the evidence for this, with an
      aim to change local policy and practice to reflect the new recommendation. The
      primary outcomes of the first 6 months from implementation suggest that patients
      have not been adversely affected. The change to practice has provided a
      significant reduction in financial costs to the trust, enabling a stock reduction
      of 25%. It is estimated that a total of 11 750 clinical hours have been saved for
      busy clinical staff. The most important outcome has been for patients, who have
      been spared the unnecessary pain and potential risks associated with repeated
      insertion of cannulas when there has been no clinical indication to do this.

PMID- 26496877
TI  - Ultrafast immunoassays by coupling dielectrophoretic biomarker enrichment in
      nanoslit channel with electrochemical detection on graphene.
AB  - Heterogeneous immunoassays usually require long incubation times to promote
      specific target binding and several wash steps to eliminate non-specific binding.
      Hence, signal saturation is rarely achieved at detection limit levels of analyte,
      leading to significant errors in analyte quantification due to extreme
      sensitivity of the signals to incubation time and methodology. The poor binding
      kinetics of immunoassays at detection limit levels can be alleviated through
      creating an enriched analyte plug in the vicinity of immobilized capture probes
      to enable signal saturation at higher levels and at earlier times, due to higher
      analyte association and its faster replenishment at the binding surface. Herein,
      we achieve this by coupling frequency-selective dielectrophoretic molecular dam
      enrichment of the target biomarker in physiological media to capture probes
      immobilized on graphene-modified surfaces in a nanoslit to enable ultrafast
      immunoassays with near-instantaneous (<2 minutes) signal saturation at dilute
      biomarker levels (picomolar) within ultra-low sample volumes (picoliters). This
      methodology is applied to the detection of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)
      diluted in serum samples, followed by validation against a standard two-step
      immunoassay using three de-identified patient samples. Based on the ability of
      dielectrophoretic molecular dam analyte enrichment methods to enable the
      detection of PSA at 1-5 pg mL(-1) levels within a minute, and the relative
      insensitivity of the signals to incubation time after the first two minutes, we
      envision its application for improving the sensitivity of immunoassays and their
      accuracy at detection limit levels. 

PMID- 26496878
TI  - Festination in Chinese patients with Parkinson's disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the occurrence and clinical associations of festination
      in Chinese patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: A total of 480 PD
      patients were recruited in this cross-sectional study. Assessments scales
      included the Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) part III, PD Questionnaire-39 (PDQ
      39), Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE),
      frontal assessment battery (FAB), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Hamilton
      Depression Scale (HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA). RESULTS: One hundred
      and forty PD patients (29.2%) reported festination. Festination occurred more
      frequently in patients with lower limbs as the site of onset and patients with
      longer disease duration or higher Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stage (P<0.05). The mean
      age, levodopa and entacapone use, incidences of motor complications, falls and
      freezing of gait, and the scores for the UPDRS part III, NMSS, HAMD and HAMA were
      higher in patients with festination than those without festination (P<0.05).
      There were no differences in the scores for the PDQ-39, MMSE, FAB and MoCA
      between the patients with and without festination. The binary logistic regression
      model indicated that UPDRS part III, lower limbs as the site of onset, freezing
      of gait and falls were associated with festination. CONCLUSIONS: Festination is a
      relatively common disabling symptom in Chinese PD patients. Patients with lower
      limbs as the site of onset and more severe disability were more likely to
      experience festination. Festination in PD is not related to non-motor symptoms
      and cognitive dysfunction.

PMID- 26496880
TI  - Transaortic Repair as Bailout Procedure for Left Atrial Tear in Redo Mitral Valve
      Surgery via Superior Transseptal Approach.
AB  - We encountered a tear of the left atrium with severe calcification during redo
      mitral surgery, and report a technique for its repair. An 82-year-old woman
      underwent redo mitral valve replacement. The mitral valve was performed via a
      superior transseptal approach. The atriotomy was closed directly. The roof of the
      left atrium was found to be torn after aortic de-clamping. There was no remaining
      intact left atrial tissue on the aortic side. Patch closure was performed using
      transaortic stitches passing through the subaortic curtain to fix the patch. The
      left atrial roof and atrial septum were closed with the same patch. 

PMID- 26496879
TI  - DCIS in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: prevalence, phenotype, and expression
      of oncodrivers C-MET and HER3.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies report conflicting evidence regarding the existence of a DCIS
      associated premalignant pathway in BRCA mutation carriers. We aimed to examine
      the prevalence, phenotype, and expression of oncodrivers in pure DCIS (pDCIS) and
      invasive breast cancer with concurrent DCIS (IBC + DCIS) in mutation carriers.
      METHODS: A cohort of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers >18 years old who
      underwent surgery for breast cancer at an academic hospital (1992-2011) and had
      pathology available for review were included for study. Invasive breast cancer
      (IBC) and DCIS were stained for ER, PR, HER1, HER2, and HER3, and C-MET. DCIS
      prevalence was evaluated. Correlation of IBC and DCIS phenotypes was evaluated in
      patients with IBC + DCIS. DCIS and IBC expression of tumor markers were examined
      by BRCA mutation. RESULTS: We identified 114 breast tumors. Of all BRCA1
      associated tumors, 21.1 % were pDCIS and 63.4 % were IBC + DCIS. Of all BRCA2
      associated tumors, 23.3 % were pDCIS and 60.5 % were IBC + DCIS. In BRCA1 and
      BRCA2 mutation carriers with IBC + DCIS, there was a significant correlation in
      ER, PR, and HER3 expression between the DCIS and IBC components. Most BRCA1
      associated DCIS did not express ER, PR or HER2, while most BRCA2-associated DCIS
      did express ER and PR. BRCA1- as well as BRCA2-associated DCIS had expression of
      HER3 and C-MET. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of BRCA-associated tumors had DCIS
      present. Concordance of DCIS and IBC phenotypes was high, arguing for the
      existence of a DCIS-associated premalignant pathway. Oncodrivers HER3 and C-MET
      were expressed in the DCIS of mutation carriers, suggesting an opportunity for
      prevention strategies.

PMID- 26496881
TI  - Unfolded protein response is required for Aspergillus oryzae growth under
      conditions inducing secretory hydrolytic enzyme production.
AB  - Unfolded protein response (UPR) is an intracellular signaling pathway for
      adaptation to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. In yeast UPR, Ire1 cleaves the
      unconventional intron of HAC1 mRNA, and the functional Hac1 protein translated
      from the spliced HAC1 mRNA induces the expression of ER chaperone genes and ER
      associated degradation genes for the refolding or degradation of unfolded
      proteins. In this study, we constructed an ireA (IRE1 ortholog) conditionally
      expressing strain of Aspergillus oryzae, a filamentous fungus producing a large
      amount of amylolytic enzymes, and examined the contribution of UPR to ER stress
      adaptation under physiological conditions. Repression of ireA completely blocked
      A. oryzae growth under conditions inducing the production of hydrolytic enzymes,
      such as amylases and proteases. This growth defect was restored by the
      introduction of unconventional intronless hacA (hacA-i). Furthermore, UPR was
      observed to be induced by amylolytic gene expression, and the disruption of the
      transcriptional activator for amylolytic genes resulted in partial growth
      restoration of the ireA-repressing strain. In addition, a homokaryotic ireA
      disruption mutant was successfully generated using the strain harboring hacA-i as
      a parental host. These results indicated that UPR is required for A. oryzae
      growth to alleviate ER stress induced by excessive production of hydrolytic
      enzymes. 

PMID- 26496882
TI  - Development of a decision model for the techno-economic assessment of municipal
      solid waste utilization pathways.
AB  - Economic competitiveness is one of the key factors in making decisions towards
      the development of waste conversion facilities and devising a sustainable waste
      management strategy. The goal of this study is to develop a framework, as well as
      to develop and demonstrate a comprehensive techno-economic model to help county
      and municipal decision makers in establishing waste conversion facilities. The
      user-friendly data-intensive model, called the FUNdamental ENgineering PrinciplEs
      based ModeL for Estimation of Cost of Energy and Fuels from MSW (FUNNEL-Cost
      MSW), compares nine different waste management scenarios, including landfilling
      and composting, in terms of economic parameters such as gate fees and return on
      investment. In addition, a geographic information system (GIS) model was
      developed to determine suitable locations for waste conversion facilities and
      landfill sites based on integration of environmental, social, and economic
      factors. Finally, a case study on Parkland County and its surrounding counties in
      the province of Alberta, Canada, was conducted and a sensitivity analysis was
      performed to assess the influence of the key technical and economic parameters on
      the calculated results. 

PMID- 26496884
TI  - Personalized and Regenerative Medicine for Liver Diseases.
AB  - Regeneration of diseased organ is a ubiquitous clinical need. The clinical
      utilities of adult stem cells and microRNA have become a promising strategy for
      treatment of a number disease. This review aims to highlight the current clinical
      evidence of personalized and regenerative therapy for diseases like liver which
      could revolutionize patient care in the near future at a global scale. Herein, we
      explain the importance of personalized and regenerative medicine for bedside
      (intraoperative) in situ and In vivo regeneration of damaged organ/ tissues that
      is now being transferred to a larger field of clinical applications in a novel
      translational approach.

PMID- 26496885
TI  - Umbilical Cord is a Rich Source of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells for Cell Therapy.
AB  - Recently, umbilical cord (UC) and UC-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (UC-MSCs)
      have attracted much attention for many reasons, including (1) abundant sources
      and ease of collection, storage, and transport; (2) little ethical controversy;
      (3) multipotency to differentiate into various cell types; and (4) low
      immunogenicity with significant immunosuppressive ability. In this review, we
      provide a brief introduction to UC and UC-MSCs in terms of characteristics,
      isolation, and cryopreservation, as well as emphasizing their potential clinical
      application in regenerative medicine and immunotherapy.

PMID- 26496883
TI  - Emerging Role of Stem Cells - Derived Exosomes as Valuable Tools for
      Cardiovascular Therapy.
AB  - In modern society, myocardial infarction is a major cause of mortality, morbidity
      and deterioration of quality of life. Although various therapeutic approaches are
      available, none of them lead to the regeneration of infarcted tissue. The use of
      mesenchymal stem cells in cell therapy for myocardial infarction showed a
      beneficial effect consisting in reduced infarcted area and improved cardiac
      function, which can be explained by paracrine mechanism. It has been shown that
      stem cells are able to release a very complex range of factors including growth
      factors, cytokines and chemokines, along with an abundant mixture of membrane
      vesicles. These secreted elements contribute to the beneficial effect of stem
      cells therapy observed both in vitro and in vivo. Recent studies have shown that
      exosomes, which are small membrane vesicles originating in the endocytic pathway
      of the cells and carry a complex cargo consisting in mRNA, microRNA and various
      other anti-apoptotic and pro-angiogenic factors, are the main mediators of stem
      cells paracrine effect. In this review, we discuss the capacity of mesenchymal
      stem cells to protect the ischemic myocardium, the role of exosomes as protective
      factors secreted by stem cells and the possibility to use these vesicles in
      developing a novel approach in cardiovascular therapy, involving a non-cellular
      use of mesenchymal stem cells paracrine activity.

PMID- 26496886
TI  - Phenotypic and Genetic Evaluation of the Influence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      Culture Fractions on the Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Viability, Apoptotic
      Pathways and Cytokine Profile.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of P. aeruginosa PAO1
      cellular and soluble culture fractions on human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)
      death signaling pathways and cytokine profile. The bone marrow isolated MSCs,
      incubated for different periods of time with one of the three P. aeruginosa PAO1
      culture fractions, i.e. low density whole cultures, heat inactivated bacterial
      cultures sediments and sterile supernatants, were submitted to the following
      assays: i) fluorescence microscopy evaluation of cellular morphology and
      viability; ii) bax, caspase 9, relA and bcl-2 genes expression analysis by qRT
      PCR; and iii) quantification of the level of IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10
      cytokines released in the MSCs supernatants determined by ELISA. Results were
      statistically analyzed using the GraphPad In Stat software. The PAO1 whole
      cultures exhibited the most relevant influences, impacting on MSCs morphology and
      viability, interfering with apoptotic pathways and significantly stimulating the
      production of IL-1beta and IL-10, while decreasing the production of IL-6 and IL
      8. The culture supernatants increased the production of IL-1beta and reduced the
      secretion of all other tested cytokines, while heat-inactivated bacterial cells
      significantly stimulated both IL-1beta and IL-10 production. These data could
      suggest that in vivo, the fate of P. aeruginosa infection depends on the
      proportion between different bacterial culture fractions (i.e. the number of
      viable bacterial cells, the number of dead cells and the amount of bacterial
      soluble products accumulated locally) that could be influenced by the initial
      infective dose, by the host defense mechanisms, and also by the administered
      antimicrobial treatment that may thus interfere with the evolution and magnitude
      of the induced lesions.

PMID- 26496887
TI  - Extracellular Signals for Guiding Mesenchymal Stem Cells Osteogenic Fate.
AB  - Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of stem cell fate regulation is
      important for both fundamental biology and for directing the generation of a
      specific phenotype during the fabrication of tissue engineering materials. Recent
      findings revealed aspects of extracellular signals transduction by mesenchymal
      stem cells that are further integrated to modulate their lineage specification.
      This review focuses on recent developments in the field of nanobiomaterials
      design and fabrication for use in research and therapy of bone tissue. Also, new
      methods of assessment of stem cell multipotency or differentiated phenotype
      developed for clinical quality control applications are described. Materials
      engineered for understanding fundamental mechanisms of stem cell interaction with
      substrates are highlighted as key studies to drive advances in bone implants
      design. The use of polymers with defined biomechanical and topographical features
      to mimic the extracellular matrix biochemistry or biophysical cues is discussed.
      Bioengineered scaffolds able to induce osteogenic fate of bone marrow-derived
      mesenchymal stem cells in the absence of differentiation factors are successful
      models for potential development of implant biomaterials with enhanced
      osseointegration capacity and decreased soft tissue encapsulation.

PMID- 26496888
TI  - Hematopoietic Stem Cells Therapies.
AB  - Stem cell-based therapies are recognized as a new way to treat various diseases
      and injuries, with a wide range of health benefits. The goal is to heal or
      replace diseased or destroyed organs or body parts with healthy new cells
      provided by stem cell transplantation. The current practical form of stem cell
      therapy is the hematopoietic stem cells transplant applied for the treatment of
      hematological disorders. There are over 2100 clinical studies in progress
      concerning hematopoietic stem cell therapies. All of them are using hematopoietic
      stem cells to treat various diseases like: cancers, leukemia, lymphoma, cardiac
      failure, neural disorders, auto-immune diseases, immunodeficiency, metabolic or
      genetic disorders. Several challenges are to be addressed prior to developing and
      applying large scale cell therapies: 1) to explain and control the mechanisms of
      differentiation and development toward a specific cell type needed to treat the
      disease, 2) to obtain a sufficient number of desired cell type for
      transplantation, 3) to overcome the immune rejection and 4) to show that
      transplanted cells fulfill their normal functions in vivo after transplants.

PMID- 26496889
TI  - Application of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Targeted Gene Therapy for Gastric
      Cancer.
AB  - The incidence of gastric cancer is third most prevalent among all malignant
      tumors in China. The conventional therapies for advanced gastric cancer are
      futile. Targeted gene therapy has become a promising alternative approach.
      Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be used as potential cellular vehicles for
      cancer therapy in vivo. This review will summarize the published data about the
      application of MSC-based targeted therapy for gastric cancer, and discuss some of
      the challenges associated with this method. 

PMID- 26496890
TI  - Fermentative profile and bacterial diversity of corn silages inoculated with new
      tropical lactic acid bacteria.
AB  - AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of inoculation of strains of
      lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from sugarcane grown in a Brazil on the
      quality of corn silage. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three strains of Lactobacillus
      buchneri (UFLA SLM11, UFLA SLM103 and UFLA SLM108), five strains of Lactobacillus
      plantarum (UFLA SLM08, UFLA SLM41, UFLA SLM45, UFLA SLM46 and UFLA SLM105), and
      one strain of Leuconostoc mesenteroides (UFLA SLM06) were evaluated at 0, 10, 30,
      60 and 90 day after inoculating corn forage. The inoculation of the LAB strains
      did not influence the chemical composition of the silage, but pH, acetic acid and
      1,2-propanediol were affected by treatment. The silages inoculated with UFLA
      SLM11 and SLM108 contained the lowest yeast and filamentous fungi counts during
      fermentation. Bacteria belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family, Clostridium
      genus were detected in the silages inoculated with Lact. buchneri UFLA SLM 11,
      103 and 108, as shown by DGGE analysis. Silages inoculated with Lact. buchneri
      UFLA SLM 11 showed higher aerobic stability. CONCLUSIONS: The Lact. buchneri UFLA
      SLM11 strain was considered promising as a starter culture or inoculant for corn
      silages. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The selection of microbial
      inoculants for each crop promotes improvement of silage quality. Studies on the
      chemical and microbiological characteristics of silage provide useful information
      for improving ensiling techniques.

PMID- 26496891
TI  - Whole genome sequencing reveals genomic heterogeneity and antibiotic purification
      in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Whole genome sequencing has revolutionised the interrogation of
      mycobacterial genomes. Recent studies have reported conflicting findings on the
      genomic stability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis during the evolution of drug
      resistance. In an age where whole genome sequencing is increasingly relied upon
      for defining the structure of bacterial genomes, it is important to investigate
      the reliability of next generation sequencing to identify clonal variants present
      in a minor percentage of the population. This study aimed to define a reliable
      cut-off for identification of low frequency sequence variants and to subsequently
      investigate genetic heterogeneity and the evolution of drug resistance in M.
      tuberculosis. METHODS: Genomic DNA was isolated from single colonies from 14
      rifampicin mono-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates, as well as the primary
      cultures and follow up MDR cultures from two of these patients. The whole genomes
      of the M. tuberculosis isolates were sequenced using either the Illumina MiSeq or
      Illumina HiSeq platforms. Sequences were analysed with an in-house pipeline.
      RESULTS: Using next-generation sequencing in combination with Sanger sequencing
      and statistical analysis we defined a read frequency cut-off of 30% to identify
      low frequency M. tuberculosis variants with high confidence. Using this cut-off
      we demonstrated a high rate of genetic diversity between single colonies isolated
      from one population, showing that by using the current sequencing technology,
      single colonies are not a true reflection of the genetic diversity within a whole
      population and vice versa. We further showed that numerous heterogeneous variants
      emerge and then disappear during the evolution of isoniazid resistance within
      individual patients. Our findings allowed us to formulate a model for the
      selective bottleneck which occurs during the course of infection, acting as a
      genomic purification event. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated true levels of
      genetic diversity within an M. tuberculosis population and showed that genetic
      diversity may be re-defined when a selective pressure, such as drug exposure, is
      imposed on M. tuberculosis populations during the course of infection. This
      suggests that the genome of M. tuberculosis is more dynamic than previously
      thought, suggesting preparedness to respond to a changing environment.

PMID- 26496892
TI  - Dielectric Barrier Discharge Ionization of Perfluorinated Compounds.
AB  - The soft ionization ability based on plasma-jet protonation of molecules
      initiated by a dielectric barrier discharge ionization source (DBDI) is certainly
      an interesting application for analytical chemistry. Since the change of an
      applied sinusoidal voltage may lead to different discharge modes the applied
      discharge was powered by a square wave generator in order to get a homogeneous
      plasma. It is known that besides the protonation [M+H](+) of unpolar as well as
      some polar molecules the homogeneous DBDI can be used to ionize molecules
      directly [M](+). Here we prove that the DBDI can be applied to exchange fluorine
      by oxygen of perfluorinated compounds (PFC). PFC are organofluorine compounds
      with carbon-fluorine and carbon-carbon bonds only but no carbon-hydrogen bonds.
      While the position of the introduction into the plasma-jet is essential, PFC can
      be measured in the negative mass spectrometer (MS) mode. 

PMID- 26496894
TI  - Agreement between transperineal ultrasound measurements and digital examinations
      of cervical dilatation during labor.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To compare 2D transperineal ultrasound assessment of cervical
      dilatation with vaginal examination and to investigate intra-observer variability
      of the ultrasound method. METHODS: A prospective observational study was
      performed at Skane University Hospital, Lund, Sweden between October 2013 and
      June 2014. Women with one fetus in cephalic presentation at term had the cervical
      dilatation assessed with ultrasound and digital vaginal examinations during
      labor. Inter-method agreement between ultrasound and digital examinations and
      intra-observer repeatability of ultrasound examinations were tested. RESULTS:
      Cervical dilatation was successfully assessed with ultrasound in 61/86 (71 %)
      women. The mean difference between cervical dilatation and ultrasound measurement
      was 0.9 cm (95 % CI 0.47-1.34). Interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.83
      (95 % CI 0.72-0.90). Intra-observer repeatability was analysed in 26 women. The
      intra-observer ICC was 0.99 (95 % CI 0.97-0.99). The repeatability coefficient
      was +/- 0.68 (95 % CI 0.45-0.91). CONCLUSION: The mean ultrasound measurement of
      cervical dilatation was approximately 1 cm less than clinical assessment. The
      intra-observer repeatability of ultrasound measurements was high.

PMID- 26496893
TI  - Effect of gastro-intestinal nematode infection on sheep performance: a systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections are common in domestic
      sheep and impact directly and indirectly on the health of infected animals as
      well as on the associated economic production. In this study, we aim at
      summarizing the current knowledge on the influence of GIN infections on sheep
      production by conducting a systematic review. A subsequent meta-analysis of
      relevant studies was performed to provide an estimate of the effect of GIN
      infections on weight gain, wool production and milk yield. METHODS: A literature
      search was performed on the CAB, Pubmed and Web of Science database for the
      period 1960-2012. Inclusion criteria were: 1) Measurement of at least one
      production parameter. 2) Comparison between groups of sheep with different
      nematode burdens. 3) Same conditions regarding all aspects except parasite burden
      between groups. 4) Quantitative measurements of one or more production traits.
      RESULTS: Altogether, 88 studies describing 218 trials were included in this
      review. The majority of studies (86%) reported that GIN infections had a negative
      effect on production but this was reported to be statistically significant in
      only 43% of the studies. Meta-analysis indicated that performances of sheep
      infected with nematodes was 85, 90 and 78% of the performance in uninfected
      individuals for weight gain, wool production and milk yield respectively. Our
      results suggest a possible reporting bias or small study effect for the
      estimation of the impact of GIN infections on weight gain. Finally, a general
      linear model provided an estimate for the decrease in weight gain in relation to
      the increase in faecal egg count of nematodes. CONCLUSION: This study underlines
      the importance of GIN infections for sheep production and highlights the need to
      improve parasite management in sheep, in particular in face of challenges such as
      anthelmintic resistance.

PMID- 26496895
TI  - The reflection anisotropy spectroscopy of the Au(1 1 0) surface structures in
      liquid environments.
AB  - The reflection anisotropy (RAS) profiles of the Au(1 1 0)-(1  *  1), (1  *  2)
      and (1  *  3) surface structures in electrochemical environments are shown to
      arise mainly from surface dipole transitions directed along the principal axes of
      the Au(1 1 0) surface. There are weak contributions to the RAS profiles of the
      Au(1 1 0)-(1  *  1) and (1  *  3) surfaces in the region of 4.0 eV which probably
      arise from (1 1 1) facets that are either intrinsic to the surface structures or
      are associated with steps. A transition involving a surface state just above the
      Fermi level, E F, contributes to the RAS profiles of the (1  *  2) and (1  *  3)
      surfaces but not to the RAS profile of the (1  *  1) surface. A strong feature at
      2.5 eV in the RAS profiles of the Au(1 1 0)-(1  *  1) and (1  *  2) surfaces is
      attributed to a transition in the vicinity of the L point of the Brillouin zone
      between the 5d band and the [Formula: see text] band at E F. It is argued that
      the applied potential of  -0.6 V, which creates the Au(1 1 0)-(1  *  3) surface,
      lifts E F above the [Formula: see text] band causing it to become occupied and
      quenching this contribution to the RAS profile. 

PMID- 26496897
TI  - Lauric acid can improve the sensitization of Cetuximab in KRAS/BRAF mutated
      colorectal cancer cells by retrievable microRNA-378 expression.
AB  - EGFR-inhibitor (Cetuximab) is one of the main targeted drugs used for metastatic
      colorectal carcinoma (CRC). The benefit from Cetuximab appears to be limited to a
      subtype of patients, not for the patients with tumors harboring mutated BRAF or
      KRAS genes; unfortunately, it accounts for ~40-50% of CRC cases. Previous studies
      have connected higher expression levels of miR-378 to be commonly presented in
      patients without BRAF or KRAS mutants than in mutated CRCs. The microRNA-378 (miR
      378) is coexpressed with PGC-1beta and can be easily induced by fatty acid, for
      example lauric acid. Therefore, we hypothesized that elevation of miR-378
      expression in mutated CRCs may stimulate the cell response to Cetuximab. Herein,
      seven CRC cell lines with confirmed mutation status were involved in two parallel
      experiments; directly in vitro transfected miR-378 mimics, and using lauric acid
      to indirectly induce the level of miR-378 in cells. After the increase of miR-378
      in cells by either direct or indirect approaches, sensitivity to Cetuximab was
      restored in all BRAF mutants (p-value <0.0001-0.0003), and half of KRAS mutants
      CRC (p-value 0.039-0.007). Further evidence was gained by decreasing expression
      of MEK and ERK2 proteins after transfection with miR-378; it was similar to the
      indirect induction by lauric acid approach. In conclusion, the present study
      demonstrated that lauric acid may efficiently induce miR-378 expression in CRC
      mutants, and both BRAF and a subtype of KRAS mutants presented significantly
      improved sensitivity to Cetuximab. Notably, BRAF mutants could even be inhibited
      in cell proliferation after elevated concentration of miR-378 in cells without
      combining with targeted therapy. This new approach may shed new light on BRAF or
      KRAS mutation in CRC patients for clinical trial, since lauric acid may easily be
      obtain from natural food, and it is supposed to be harmless to the cardiovascular
      system.

PMID- 26496896
TI  - Brucella infection of the thoracic vertebral arch presenting with an epidural
      abscess: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although Brucella spondylitis and Brucella discitis have been
      frequently reported, Brucella infection of the vertebral arch is rare and has not
      been previously described. We present the first case of Brucella infection of the
      thoracic vertebral arch with epidural abscess formation and discuss the clinical
      key points. CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old man of Han nationality with a
      history of contact with an isolated sheep stomach 2 months previously was
      admitted with an undulant fever, night sweats, back pain, and weakness. Thoracic
      magnetic resonance imaging showed laminar destruction of T9 and an epidural
      abscess at the T9 to 10 level with significant cord compression. Diagnosis of
      Brucella infection of his vertebral arch was confirmed by a positive blood
      culture with growth of Brucella melitensis. Total laminectomy, abscess cleansing,
      and percutaneous pedicular screw fixation was performed initially, followed by
      antibiotic treatment with a combination of doxycycline and rifampin for 4 months.
      Recovery was confirmed by clinical, magnetic resonance imaging, and blood culture
      findings. CONCLUSIONS: This is an unusual case of Brucella infection of the
      vertebral arch with epidural abscess formation. Effective antibiotic therapy of a
      sufficient duration and timely performance of surgical treatment are the key
      points in management of such cases.

PMID- 26496898
TI  - HER3/ErbB3, an emerging cancer therapeutic target.
AB  - HER3 is a member of the HER (EGFR/ErbB) receptor family consisting of four
      closely related type 1 transmembrane receptors (EGFR, HER2, HER3, and HER4). HER
      receptors are part of a complex signaling network intertwined with the
      Ras/Raf/MAPK, PI3K/AKT, JAK/STAT, and PKC signaling pathways. Aberrant activation
      of the HER receptors and downstream signaling molecules tips the balance on
      cellular events, leading to various types of cancers. Monoclonal antibodies
      (mAbs) and small molecule inhibitors targeting EGFR and HER2 tyrosine kinase
      activities exhibit clinical benefits in the treatment of several types of
      cancers, but their clinical efficacy is limited by the occurrence of drug
      resistance. HER3 is the preferred dimerization partner of HER2 and it is well
      established that HER3 plays an important role in drug resistance to EGFR- and
      HER2-targeting therapies. Since HER3 has limited kinase activity, mAbs are being
      explored to target HER3 for cancer therapy. Currently, approximately a dozen of
      anti-HER3 mAbs are at different stages of clinical development. However, the lack
      of established biomarkers has made it more challenging to stratify cancer
      patients to whom HER3-targeting therapies can be more effective. In this review,
      we focus on the validation of HER3 as a cancer drug target, the recent
      development in biomarker discovery for anti-HER3 therapies, and the progress made
      in the clinical development of HER3-targeting mAbs.

PMID- 26496899
TI  - Leptin signaling plays a critical role in the geniposide-induced decrease of tau
      phosphorylation.
AB  - We have previously demonstrated that geniposide attenuates the production of
      Abeta1-42 both in vitro and in vivo via enhancing leptin receptor signaling. But
      the role played by geniposide in the phosphorylation of tau and its underlying
      molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of
      geniposide on the phosphorylation of tau and the role of leptin signaling in this
      process. Our data suggested that, accompanied by the up-regulation of leptin
      receptor expression, geniposide significantly decreased the phosphorylation of
      tau in rat primary cultured cortical neurons and in APP/PS1 transgenic mice, and
      this geniposide-induced decrease of tau phosphorylation could be prevented by
      leptin antagonist (LA). Furthermore, LA also prevented the phosphorylation of Akt
      at Ser-473 site and GSK-3beta at Ser-9 site induced by geniposide. All these
      results indicate that geniposide may regulate tau phosphorylation through leptin
      signaling, and geniposide may be a promising therapeutic compound for the
      treatment of Alzheimer's disease in the future. 

PMID- 26496900
TI  - CXC195 induces apoptosis and endoplastic reticulum stress in human hepatocellular
      carcinoma cells by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.
AB  - CXC195 exhibits strong protective effects against neuronal apoptosis by exerting
      antioxidant activity. However, the pharmacological function of CXC195 in cancer
      remains to be elucidated. The present study demonstrated that CXC195 exhibited
      significant cytotoxic effects, and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in
      HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines. Following treatment of
      HepG2 cells with 150 uMU CXC195 for 24 , cell viability and the apoptotic rate
      were assessed using an MTT assay and Annexin V/propidium iodide staining followed
      by flow cytometric analysis. Molecular markers of the cell cycle, apoptosis,
      mitochondrial function and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress were analyzed by
      western blot or polymerase chain reaction analysis. Caspase activation,
      cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor release, and analysis of the B cell
      lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein/Bcl-2 ratio demonstrated that the
      anticancer effects of CXC195 in HepG2 cells were mediated by caspase and
      mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. CXC195 also induced the expression of ER stress
      associated proteins, including CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein,
      and glucose-regulated proteins 94 and 78, and led to the activation of multiple
      branches of ER stress transducers, including inositol-requiring enzyme 1alpha
      apoptosis signal-regulating kinase-p38/c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and protein
      kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase-eukaryotic translation initiation
      factor 2alpha-activating transcription factor (ATF)4 and ATF6, in the HepG2
      cells. In addition, CXC195 inhibited the phosphorylation of phosphoinositide 3
      kinase (PI3K), Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in the HepG2 cells.
      These effects were enhanced following treatment with selected inhibitors of PI3K
      (LY294002), Akt (SH-6) and mTOR (rapamycin). Furthermore, these inhibitors
      enhanced the pro-apoptotic effects of CXC195 in the HepG2 cells. In conclusion,
      the results of the present study indicated that CXC195 induced apoptosis and ER
      stress in HepG2 cells through the inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling
      pathway. 

PMID- 26496902
TI  - Molecular and genomic sciences in health: apply the established rules of
      evidence.

PMID- 26496903
TI  - Overweight and obese midlife women in Israel: cultural differences in perceived
      weight status.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine cultural differences in Weight status misperception (WSMP)
      and identify associations between weight perception and weight control efforts
      among overweight/obese midlife women in Israel. METHODS: Data from the nationally
      representative Women's-Health-in-Midlife-National-Study were used. Participants
      included overweight (25 <= BMI < 30) and obese (BMI >= 30) midlife women (45-64
      years) from three cultural groups: Long-Term Jewish Residents (LTJR), Immigrants
      from the former USSR, and Arabs. Interviews included measures of BMI, weight
      perception, lifestyle, and socio-demographics. RESULTS: Most overweight/obese
      women (88 %) perceived their weight status correctly. No significant differences
      were found in overall WSMP rates across cultural groups. Overweight women of Arab
      origin were significantly more likely (p < 0.001) to perceive their weight as
      "about right" relative to LTJR and Immigrants. WSMP was associated with several
      unhealthy eating patterns [eating red meat (OR = 2.1, 95 % CI = 1.13-3.97), white
      bread (OR = 2.4, 95 % CI = 1.26-4.58)] and with more perceived barriers to
      exercising (OR = 1.8, 95 % CI = 1.00-3.42). CONCLUSIONS: Health care providers
      are encouraged to pay attention to overweight/obese women who misperceive their
      weight status. These women are more likely to consume unhealthy foods and to be
      at higher risks of suffering from medical complications associated with obesity.

PMID- 26496904
TI  - Graduate public health training in healthcare of refugee asylum seekers and
      clinical human rights: evaluation of an innovative curriculum.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: An innovative curriculum was developed to equip public health
      students with appropriate attitude and skills to address healthcare of asylum
      seekers. METHODS: Implemented in 2005 the curriculum included: (1) didactic
      sessions covering epidemiology and health sequelae of torture, asylum laws, and
      approaches to identify survivors' healthcare needs; (2) panel discussions with
      survivors and advocates; and (3) participating in medico-legal process of asylum
      seeking. Complementary mixed methods evaluations included pre- and post
      curriculum questionnaires, formal curriculum evaluations, final papers and oral
      presentations. RESULTS: 125 students participated. Students showed improved
      knowledge regrading sequelae of abuse and survivors' healthcare needs (P < 0.01),
      improved attitudes towards working with survivors (P < 0.05) and self-efficacy in
      identifying at-risk populations and addressing healthcare of survivors (P <
      0.05). Students reported increased desire to pursue global health and human
      rights careers. CONCLUSIONS: As an advocacy and cultural competency training in
      public health practice addressing healthcare of refugees domestically, this
      curriculum was well received and effective, and will also help students better
      serve other similar populations. Population case-based domestic opportunities to
      teach global health and health and human rights should be effectively utilized to
      develop a well-equipped global health corps.

PMID- 26496905
TI  - Developmental Associations Between Conduct Problems and Expressive Language in
      Early Childhood: A Population-Based Study.
AB  - Conduct problems have been associated with poor language development, however the
      direction of this association in early childhood remains unclear. This study
      examined the longitudinal directional associations between conduct problems and
      expressive language ability. Children enrolled in the UK Millennium Cohort Study
      (N = 14, 004; 50.3 % boys) were assessed at 3 and 5 years of age. Parent reports
      of conduct problems and standardised assessments of expressive language were
      analyzed using cross-lagged modeling. Conduct problems at 3 years was associated
      with poorer expressive language at 5 years and poorer expressive language at 3
      years was associated with increased conduct problems by 5 years. The results
      support reciprocal associations, rather than a specific unidirectional path,
      which is commonly found with samples of older children. The emergence of problems
      in either domain can thus negatively impact upon the other over time, albeit the
      effects were modest. Studies examining the effects of intervention targeting
      conduct problems and language acquisition prior to school entry may be warranted
      in testing the efficacy of prevention programmes related to conduct problems and
      poor language ability early in childhood.

PMID- 26496906
TI  - Warm Parenting and Effortful Control in Toddlerhood: Independent and Interactive
      Predictors of School-Age Externalizing Behavior.
AB  - Externalizing symptoms, such as aggression, impulsivity, and inattention,
      represent the most common forms of childhood maladjustment (Campbell et al.
      Development and Psychopathology, 12, 467-488, 2000). Several dimensions of
      parenting behavior, including overreactive and warm parenting, have been linked
      to children's conduct problems. However, the majority of these studies involve
      biologically-related family members, thereby limiting understanding of the role
      of genetic and/or environmental underpinnings of parenting on child
      psychopathology. This study extends previous research by exploring associations
      between overreactive and warm parenting during toddlerhood and school-age
      externalizing problems, as well as the potential moderating effects of child
      effortful control (EC) on such associations using a longitudinal adoption design.
      The sample consisted of 225 adoption-linked families (adoptive parents, adopted
      child [124 male and 101 female] and birth parent[s]), thereby allowing for a more
      precise estimate of environmental influences on the association between parenting
      and child externalizing problems. Adoptive mothers' warm parenting at 27 months
      predicted lower levels of child externalizing problems at ages 6 and 7. Child EC
      moderated this association in relation to teacher reports of school-age
      externalizing problems. Findings corroborate prior research with biological
      families that was not designed to unpack genetic and environmental influences on
      associations between parenting and child externalizing problems during childhood,
      highlighting the important role of parental warmth as an environmental influence.

PMID- 26496909
TI  - A distinctive pediatric case of low-grade glioma with extensive   expression of
      CD34.

PMID- 26496907
TI  - Therapeutic Approach to the Management of Pediatric  Demyelinating Disease:
      Multiple Sclerosis and Acute  Disseminated Encephalomyelitis.
AB  - Acquired pediatric demyelinating diseases manifest acutely with optic neuritis,
      transverse myelitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, or with various other
      acute deficits in focal or polyfocal areas of the central nervous system.
      Patients may experience a monophasic illness (as in the case of acute
      disseminated encephalomyelitis) or one that may manifest as a chronic, relapsing
      disease [e.g., multiple sclerosis (MS)]. The diagnosis of pediatric MS and other
      demyelinating disorders of childhood has been facilitated by consensus statements
      regarding diagnostic definitions. Treatment of pediatric MS has been modeled
      after data obtained from clinical trials in adult-onset MS. There are now an
      increasing number of new therapeutic agents for MS, and many will be formally
      studied for use in pediatric patients. There are important efficacy and safety
      concerns regarding the use of these therapies in children and young adults. This
      review will discuss acute management as well as chronic immunotherapies in
      acquired pediatric demyelination.

PMID- 26496911
TI  - Erratum to: Validity of a New Patient Engagement Measure: The Altarum Consumer
      Engagement (ACE) Measure.

PMID- 26496912
TI  - [Old and offline? : Findings on the use of the Internet by people aged 65 years
      and older in Switzerland].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The supply of information and communication is becoming continuously
      more focused on the Internet. While the age groups up to 64 years have shown a
      vast increase in the use of the Internet since 1997, intensive use of the
      Internet by age groups above 64 years lags behind and this is not only the case
      in Switzerland. Against this background and an interest in finding out more about
      Internet (non)use of older people, two representative surveys were conducted in
      Switzerland, one in 2009 and another one in 2014. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The data
      used were acquired throughout Switzerland via a standardized telephone survey.
      The random sample (2014) consisted of 1037 people aged between 65 and 100 years
      old. RESULTS: Although the digital divide between the age groups has lessened
      over the past years, only 55.7 % of the elderly people interviewed were using the
      Internet in the autumn of 2014. Internet usage differs greatly between age
      groups. Resources such as education, income and health positively impact actual
      use of the Internet. Additionally, recommendations from a person's social
      environment, as well as an affinity for technology and a personal benefit
      assessment have a positive impact on Internet usage. In particular, security
      concerns and difficulties of use were mentioned as predominant reasons for the
      non-use of the Internet. Some of the people questioned felt excluded from society
      because they did not use the Internet. CONCLUSION: Internet usage among elderly
      people depends on individual and social resources, as well as on general attitude
      towards technology and personal benefit expectations. The exclusion of today's
      elderly "offliners" should be avoided, even if the digital divide will decrease
      in the future.

PMID- 26496910
TI  - Ectopic expression of UGT75D1, a glycosyltransferase preferring indole-3-butyric
      acid, modulates cotyledon development and stress tolerance in seed germination of
      Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - The formation of auxin glucose conjugate is proposed to be one of the molecular
      modifications controlling auxin homeostasis. However, the involved mechanisms and
      relevant physiological significances are largely unknown or poorly understood. In
      this study, Arabidopsis UGT75D1 was at the first time identified to be an indole
      3-butyric acid (IBA) preferring glycosyltransferase. Assessment of enzyme
      activity and IBA conjugates in transgenic plants ectopically expressing UGT75D1
      indicated that the UGT75D1 catalytic specificity was maintained in planta. It was
      found that the expression pattern of UGT75D1 was specific in germinating seeds.
      Consistently, we found that transgenic seedlings with over-produced UGT75D1
      exhibited smaller cotyledons and cotyledon epidermal cells than the wild type. In
      addition, UGT75D1 was found to be up-regulated under mannitol, salt and ABA
      treatments and the over-expression lines were tolerant to osmotic and salt
      stresses during germination, resulting in an increased germination rate.
      Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that the mRNA levels of ABA INSENSITIVE 3
      (ABI3) and ABI5 gene in ABA signaling were substantially down-regulated in the
      transgenic lines under stress treatments. Interestingly, AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 16
      (ARF16) gene of transgenic lines was also dramatically down-regulated under the
      same stress conditions. Since ARF16 functions as an activator of ABI3
      transcription, we supposed that UGT75D1 might play a role in stress tolerance
      during germination through modulating ARF16-ABI3 signaling. Taken together, our
      work indicated that, serving as the IBA preferring glycosyltransferase but
      distinct from other auxin glycosyltransferases identified so far, UGT75D1 might
      be a very important player mediating a crosstalk between cotyledon development
      and stress tolerance of germination at the early stage of plant growth. 

PMID- 26496913
TI  - [Principles of social gerontology].
AB  - Social gerontology is seen as a science-based but application-oriented
      subdiscipline of gerontology. It focuses particularly on social relationships in
      old age, social participation of elderly and old people and the protection of
      their individual needs. Self-determination and autonomy are important value
      orientations. Central issues are the quality of life and life satisfaction from
      the perspective of personal resources and biographical influences and the
      conditions of individual aging in the sense of differential gerontology. Against
      this background, in the first part of this article Kirsten Aner discusses the
      social construction of aging and in part two Ines Himmelsbach describes the
      typical life events and developmental tasks in the process of aging. The article
      concludes with a theoretical basis in which Cornelia Kricheldorff outlines social
      aging theories and derives a brief description of approaches and interventions. 

PMID- 26496914
TI  - A Latent Class Analysis of Heterosexual Young Men's Masculinities.
AB  - Parallel bodies of research have described the diverse and complex ways that men
      understand and construct their masculine identities (often termed
      "masculinities") and, separately, how adherence to traditional notions of
      masculinity places men at risk for negative sexual and health outcomes. The goal
      of this analysis was to bring together these two streams of inquiry. Using data
      from a national, online sample of 555 heterosexually active young men, we
      employed latent class analysis (LCA) to detect patterns of masculine identities
      based on men's endorsement of behavioral and attitudinal indicators of "dominant"
      masculinity, including sexual attitudes and behaviors. LCA identified four
      conceptually distinct masculine identity profiles. Two groups, termed the
      Normative and Normative/Male Activities groups, respectively, constituted 88 % of
      the sample and were characterized by low levels of adherence to attitudes, sexual
      scripts, and behaviors consistent with "dominant" masculinity, but differed in
      their levels of engagement in male-oriented activities (e.g., sports teams). Only
      eight percent of the sample comprised a masculinity profile consistent with
      "traditional" ideas about masculinity; this group was labeled Misogynistic
      because of high levels of sexual assault and violence toward female partners. The
      remaining four percent constituted a Sex-Focused group, characterized by high
      numbers of sexual partners, but relatively low endorsement of other indicators of
      traditional masculinity. Follow-up analyses showed a small number of differences
      across groups on sexual and substance use health indicators. Findings have
      implications for sexual and behavioral health interventions and suggest that very
      few young men embody or endorse rigidly traditional forms of masculinity.

PMID- 26496915
TI  - A case of a quadricuspid pulmonary valve in a Japanese female.
AB  - A supernumerary cusp of the pulmonary valve was incidentally found in an 88-year
      old Japanese female during a gross anatomy course. The valve was composed of
      three equal-sized leaflets and one smaller leaflet. The supernumerary leaflet was
      located between the anterior and right semilunar leaflets. This pulmonary valve
      consisted of four pulmonary aortic bulbs. The donated body was a female who had a
      past history of myocardial infarction and was diagnosed as having ischemic heart
      disease at the last admission. Tricuspid valve regurgitation and pulmonary
      hypertension were diagnosed on echocardiography. These findings were considered
      to have been caused by left heart failure and not by the quadricuspid pulmonary
      valve. This asymptomatic anatomical variation might have developed from a
      protrusion between the anterior and right swelling of the outflow tract during
      semilunar valve development. 

PMID- 26496916
TI  - Surviving the acid barrier: responses of pathogenic Vibrio cholerae to simulated
      gastric fluid.
AB  - When bacteria are subjected to low acidic pHs of the gastric environment, they
      may enter the viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state of survival. In this state,
      bacteria cannot be cultured on solid media, still exhibit signs of metabolic
      activity (viability). In this study, the response of pathogenic Vibrio cholerae
      O1 and O139 to low pH-simulated environments of the human stomach was evaluated
      for their survival by culturability (plate count) and viability (flow cytometry
      FC) assays. Bacteria were acid challenged with simulated gastric fluid (SGF) at
      pH 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5 over a period of 180 min. Exposure to SGF up to 120 min
      increased acid tolerance of the Vibrios up to pH 3.5 with acid challenge
      occurring at pH 4.5. Bacteria were culturable from pH 2.5 to 4.5 up to 60 min SGF
      exposure. The stationary-phase cultures of Vibrio were able to survive SGF at all
      pHs in an 'injured' state with FC. This could possibly mean that the bacteria
      have entered the VBNC stage of survival. This is a worrying public health concern
      due to the fact that once favourable conditions arise (intestines), these Vibrios
      can change back to an infectious state and cause disease.

PMID- 26496917
TI  - Microbial community dynamics in Baolige oilfield during MEOR treatment, revealed
      by Illumina MiSeq sequencing.
AB  - This study was carried out to understand microbial diversity and function in the
      microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) process and to assess the impact of MEOR
      treatment on the microbial community in an oil reservoir. The Illumina MiSeq
      based method was used to investigate the structure and dynamics of the microbial
      community in a MEOR-treated block of the Baolige oilfield, China. The results
      showed that microbial diversity was high and that 23 phyla occurred in the
      analyzed samples. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Thermotogae, and
      Euryarchaeota were present in relatively high abundance in all analyzed samples.
      Injection of bacteria and nutrients resulted in interesting changes in the
      composition of the microbial community. During MEOR treatment, the community was
      dominated by the known hydrocarbon-utilizing genera Pseudomonas and
      Acinetobacter. After the treatment, the two genera decreased in abundance over
      time while Methanobacteriaceae, as well as known syntrophic genera such as
      Syntrophomonas, Pelotomaculum, Desulfotomaculum, and Thermacetogenium gradually
      increased. The change in dominant microbial populations indicated the presence of
      a succession of microbial communities over time, and the hydrocarbon degradation
      and syntrophic oxidation of acetate and propionate to methane in the MEOR-treated
      oilfield. This work contributes to a better understanding of microbial processes
      in oil reservoirs and helps to optimize MEOR technology.

PMID- 26496918
TI  - A specific RAGE-binding peptide biopanning from phage display random peptide
      library that ameliorates symptoms in amyloid beta peptide-mediated neuronal
      disorder.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder in which
      amyloid beta (Abeta) peptide accumulates in the brain. The receptor for advanced
      glycation end product (RAGE) is a cellular binding site for Abeta peptide and
      mediates amyloid beta-induced perturbations in cerebral vessels, neurons, and
      microglia in AD. Here, we identified a specific high-affinity RAGE inhibitor
      (APDTKTQ named RP-1) from a phage display library. RP-1 bound to RAGE and
      inhibited Abeta peptide-induced cellular stress in human neuroblastoma SH-SYSY
      cells in vitro. Three amino acids in RP-1 are identical to those in the Abeta
      peptide. RP-1 shows high homology to the 16-23 (KLVFFAED) regions in Abeta
      peptide and high-affinity RAGE. Functional analyses indicated that RP-1
      significantly reduced the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ROS products
      and that it enhanced catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity.
      Furthermore, it inactivated caspase3 and caspase9 and inhibited the upregulation
      of RAGE, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), and beta-site amyloid precursor
      protein-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) protein expression. In addition, RP-1 activated
      the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, inhibiting the interaction between Bax and Bcl-2.
      Our data suggest that RP-1 is a potent RAGE blocker that effectively controls the
      progression of Abeta peptide-mediated brain disorders and that it may have
      potential as a disease-modifying agent for AD.

PMID- 26496919
TI  - Spatiotemporal variation of bacterial and archaeal communities in a pilot-scale
      constructed wetland for surface water treatment.
AB  - Microorganisms play important roles in the reduction of organic and inorganic
      pollutants in constructed wetlands used for the treatment of polluted surface
      water. However, the diversity and structure of microbial community in surface
      water constructed wetland system remain poorly known. The present study was made
      to characterize bacterial and archaeal communities in a surface water constructed
      wetland using Illumina high-throughput sequencing. The diversity and structure of
      both bacterial and archaeal communities illustrated a remarkable spatiotemporal
      variation. Archaeal communities showed lower richness and diversity than
      bacterial communities. Bacterial diversity decreased with increasing wetland
      layer depth. A variety of bacterial phyla or candidate divisions were found in
      wetland bacterial communities, including Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes,
      Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Nitrospirae, Actinobacteria, Spirochaetae,
      Planctomycetes, Chlorobi, Deferribacteres, Cyanobacteria, OP8, WS3, TA06, and
      OP11, while Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Firmicutes were the major bacterial
      groups. Euryarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota dominated wetland archaeal communities.

PMID- 26496920
TI  - Regulons of global transcription factors in Corynebacterium glutamicum.
AB  - Corynebacterium glutamicum, a high GC content gram-positive soil bacterium in
      Actinobacteria, has been used for the industrial production of amino acids and
      engineered to produce various compounds, including polymer building blocks and
      biofuels. Since its genome sequence was first published, its versatile metabolic
      pathways and their genetic components and regulatory mechanisms have been
      extensively studied. Previous studies on transcriptional factors, including two
      component systems and sigma factors, in the bacterium have revealed
      transcriptional regulatory links among the metabolic pathways and those among the
      stress response systems, forming a complex transcriptional regulatory network.
      The regulatory links are based on knowledge of the transcription factors, such as
      their target genes (regulons), DNA sequence motifs for recognition, and effector
      molecules controlling their activities, all of which are fundamental for
      understanding their physiological functions. Recent advances in chromatin
      immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-based genome-wide analyses provide an opportunity to
      comprehensively identify the transcription factor regulon, composed of its direct
      target genes, and its precise consensus binding motif. A common feature among the
      regulon constituents may provide clues to identify an effector molecule targeting
      the factor. In this mini-review, we summarize the current knowledge of the
      regulons of the C. glutamicum transcription factors that have been analyzed via
      ChIP-based technologies. The regulons consisting of direct target genes revealed
      new physiological roles of the transcription factors and new regulatory
      interactions, contributing to refinement and expansion of the transcriptional
      regulatory network and the development of guidelines and genetic tools for
      metabolic engineering of C. glutamicum.

PMID- 26496921
TI  - A novel interaction between ATOH8 and PPP3CB.
AB  - ATOH8 is a bHLH transcription factor playing roles in a variety of developmental
      processes such as neurogenesis, differentiation of pancreatic precursor cells,
      development of kidney and muscle, and differentiation of endothelial cells.
      PPP3CB belongs to the catalytic subunit of the serine/threonine phosphatase,
      calcineurin, which can dephosphorylate its substrate proteins to regulate their
      physiological activities. In our study, we demonstrated that ATOH8 interacts with
      PPP3CB in vitro with different approaches. We show that the conserved catalytic
      domain of PPP3CB interacts with both the N-terminus and the bHLH domain of ATOH8.
      Although the interaction domain of PPP3CB is conserved among all isoforms of
      calcineurin A, ATOH8 selectively interacts with PPP3CB instead of PPP3CA,
      probably due to the unique proline-rich region present in the N-terminus of
      PPP3CB, which controls the specificity of its interaction partners. Furthermore,
      we show that inhibition of the interaction with calcineurin inhibitor,
      cyclosporin A (CsA), leads to the retention of ATOH8 to the cytoplasm, suggesting
      that the interaction renders nuclear localization of ATOH8 which may be critical
      to control its activity as transcription factor. 

PMID- 26496922
TI  - Galanin regulates blood glucose level in the zebrafish: a morphological and
      functional study.
AB  - The present study has demonstrated the galaninergic innervation of the endocrine
      pancreas including sources of the galaninergic nerve fibers, and the influence of
      galanin receptor agonists on blood glucose level in the zebrafish. For the first
      time, a very abundant galaninergic innervation of the endocrine pancreas during
      development is shown, from the second day post-fertilization to adulthood. The
      fibers originated from ganglia consisting of galanin-IR, non-adrenergic (non
      sensory) neurons located rostrally to the pancreatic tissue. The ganglia were
      found on the dorsal side of the initial part of the anterior intestinal segment,
      close to the intestinal branch of the vagus nerve. The galanin-IR neurons did not
      show immunoreactivity for applied antibodies against tyrosine hydroxylase,
      choline acetyltransferase, and vesicular acetylcholine transporter.
      Intraperitoneal injections of galanin analog NAX 5055 resulted in a statistically
      significant increase in the blood glucose level. Injections of another galanin
      receptor agonist, galnon, also caused a rise in blood glucose level; however, it
      was not statistically significant. The present findings suggest that, like in
      mammals, in the zebrafish galanin is involved in the regulation of blood glucose
      level. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the exact mechanism of
      the galanin action. 

PMID- 26496923
TI  - Immunohistochemical study of the membrane skeletal protein, membrane protein
      palmitoylated 6 (MPP6), in the mouse small intestine.
AB  - The membrane protein palmitoylated (MPP) family belongs to the membrane
      associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) family. MPP1 interacts with the protein 4.1
      family member, 4.1R, as a membrane skeletal protein complex in erythrocytes. We
      previously described the interaction of another MPP family, MPP6, with 4.1G in
      the mouse peripheral nervous system. In the present study, the immunolocalization
      of MPP6 in the mouse small intestine was examined and compared with that of E
      cadherin, zonula occludens (ZO)-1, and 4.1B, which we previously investigated in
      intestinal epithelial cells. The immunolocalization of MPP6 was also assessed in
      the small intestines of 4.1B-deficient (-/-) mice. In the small intestine,
      Western blotting revealed that the molecular weight of MPP6 was approximately 55
      kDa, and MPP6 was immunostained under the cell membranes in the basolateral
      portions of almost all epithelial cells from the crypts to the villi. The
      immunostaining pattern of MPP6 in epithelial cells was similar to that of E
      cadherin, but differed from that of ZO-1. In intestinal epithelial cells, the
      immunostained area of MPP6 was slightly different from that of 4.1B, which was
      restricted to the intestinal villi. The immunolocalization of MPP6 in small
      intestinal epithelial cells was similar between 4.1B(-/-) mice and 4.1B(+/+)
      mice. In the immunoprecipitation study, another MAGUK family protein,
      calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase (CASK), was shown to
      molecularly interact with MPP6. Thus, we herein showed the immunolocalization and
      interaction proteins of MPP6 in the mouse small intestine, and also that 4.1B in
      epithelial cells was not essential for the sorting of MPP6. 

PMID- 26496924
TI  - Aquaporin 2-labeled cells differentiate to intercalated cells in response to
      potassium depletion.
AB  - The mammalian renal collecting duct consists of principal cells (PCs) and
      intercalated cells (ICs). Both PCs and ICs are involved in potassium (K(+))
      homeostasis, PCs through their role in K(+) secretion and ICs through their
      ability to facilitate K(+) resorption. We previously hypothesized that PCs may
      differentiate into ICs upon K(+) depletion. However, no direct evidence has yet
      been obtained to conclusively demonstrate that PCs differentiate into ICs in
      response to K(+) depletion. Here, we present direct evidence for the
      differentiation of PCs into ICs by cell lineage tracing using aquaporin 2 (AQP2)
      Cre mice and R26R-EYFP transgenic mice. In control mice, AQP2-EYFP(+) cells
      exhibited mainly a PC phenotype (AQP2-positive/H(+)-ATPase-negative).
      Interestingly, some AQP2-EYFP(+) cells exhibited an IC phenotype (H(+)-ATPase
      positive/AQP2-negative); these cells accounted for 1.7 %. After K(+) depletion,
      the proportion of AQP2-EYFP(+) cells with an IC phenotype was increased to 4.1 %.
      Furthermore, some AQP2-EYFP(+) cells exhibited a "null cell" phenotype (AQP2
      negative/H(+)-ATPase-negative) after K(+) depletion. Collectively, our data
      demonstrate that AQP2-labeled cells can differentiate into ICs, as well as null
      cells, in response to K(+) depletion. This finding indicates that some of AQP2
      labeled cells possess properties of progenitor cells and that they can
      differentiate into ICs in the adult mouse kidney. 

PMID- 26496925
TI  - Safety, efficacy, and cost of surgery for patients with unruptured aneurysms
      deemed unsuitable for endovascular therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Open surgery is a frequent option given to patients with unruptured
      intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) unsuitable for endovascular repair. Since the risk
      of rupture of UIAs is generally low, we determined whether the risks and costs of
      surgery in this patient subset are warranted. METHODS: The safety, efficacy, and
      costs of minimally invasive surgery by minicraniotomy were evaluated in 102
      consecutive patients with anterior circulation UIAs deemed unsuitable for
      endovascular repair by an interdisciplinary conference of surgeons and
      neurointerventionalists. Data from 107 UIA patients treated by endovascular means
      in the same period were used as the standard. RESULTS: Surgical patients
      comprised a different subset of aneurysms, with more MCA and fewer paraophthalmic
      aneurysms (54 vs. 6, p < 0.0001 and 4 vs. 60, p < 0.0001, for minicraniotomy and
      endovascular, respectively). However, surgery incurred shorter anesthesia time
      (197.7 vs. 149.3 min, p < 0.0001), higher rates of complete aneurysm obliteration
      (94.57 vs. 66.67 %, p < 0.0001), and lower overall hospital costs ($8,287 CAD vs.
      $17,732 CAD, p < 0.0001) than the endovascular cohort. There were no treatment
      related surgical deaths, but one patient had an mRS of 3 after 6 months due to
      temporal lobe epilepsy and memory problems. This compared favorably with the
      endovascular cohort in which two patients died due to treatment (mRS = 6) and one
      suffered a severe stroke (mRS = 5 at 6 months). CONCLUSIONS: For patients
      counseled to undergo treatment but have UIAs unsuitable for endovascular repair,
      surgery is safe, effective, and cost-efficient.

PMID- 26496926
TI  - Upregulation of fractalkine contributes to the proliferative response of prostate
      cancer cells to hypoxia via promoting the G1/S phase transition.
AB  - Hypoxia is a common phenomenon in prostate cancer, which leads to cell
      proliferation and tumor growth. Fractalkine (FKN) is a membrane-bound chemokine,
      which is implicated in the progression of human prostate cancer and skeletal
      metastasis. However, the association between FKN and hypoxia-induced prostate
      cancer cell proliferation remains to be elucidated. The present study
      demonstrated that hypoxia induced the expression and secretion of FKN in the
      DU145 prostate cancer cell line. Furthermore, inhibiting the activity of FKN with
      the anti-FKN FKN-specific antibody markedly inhibited hypoxia-induced DU145 cell
      proliferation. Under normoxic conditions, DU145 cell proliferation markedly
      increased following exogenous administration of human recombinant FKN protein,
      and the increase was significantly alleviated by anti-FKN, indicating the
      importance of FKN in DU145 cell proliferation. In addition, subsequent
      determination of cell cycle distribution and expression levels of two core cell
      cycle regulators, cyclin E and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)2, suggested that FKN
      promoted the G1/S phase transition by upregulating the expression levels of
      cyclin E and CDK2. The results of the present study demonstrated that hypoxia led
      to the upregulation of the secretion and expression of FKN, which enhanced cell
      proliferation by promoting cell cycle progression in the prostate cancer cells.
      These findings provide evidence of a novel function for FKN, and suggest that FKN
      may serve as a potential target for treating androgen-independent prostate
      cancer. 

PMID- 26496927
TI  - Establishment of an immortalized cell line derived from the prairie vole via
      lentivirus-mediated transduction of mutant cyclin-dependent kinase 4, cyclin D,
      and telomerase reverse transcriptase.
AB  - The prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) shows social behaviors such as monogamy
      and parenting of infants with pair bonding. These social behaviors are specific
      to the prairie vole and have not been observed in other types of voles, such as
      mountain voles. Although the prairie vole has several unique characteristics, an
      in vitro cell culture system has not been established for this species.
      Furthermore, establishment of cultured cells derived from the prairie vole may be
      beneficial based on the three Rs (i.e., Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement)
      concept. Therefore, in this study, we attempted to establish an immortalized cell
      line derived from the prairie vole. Our previous research has shown that
      transduction with mutant forms of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4), cyclin D, and
      telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) could efficiently immortalize cells from
      multiple species, including humans, cattle, pigs, and monkeys. Here, we
      introduced these three genes into prairie vole-derived muscle fibroblasts. The
      expression of mutant CDK4 and cyclin D proteins was confirmed by western
      blotting, and telomerase activity was detected in immortalized vole muscle
      derived fibroblasts (VMF-K4DT cells or VMFs) by stretch PCR. Population doubling
      analysis showed that the introduction of mutant CDK4, cyclin D, and TERT extended
      the lifespan of VMFs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report
      describing the establishment of an immortalized cell line derived from the
      prairie vole through the expression of mutant CDK4, cyclin D, and human TERT. 

PMID- 26496928
TI  - Adjacent segment infection after surgical treatment of spondylodiscitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This is the first case series to describe adjacent segment infection
      (ASI) after surgical treatment of spondylodiscitis (SD). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Patients with SD, spondylitis who were surgically treated between 1994 and 2012
      were included. Out of 1187 cases, 23 (1.94 %) returned to our institution
      (Zentralklinik Bad Berka) with ASI: 10 males, 13 females, with a mean age of 65.1
      years and a mean follow-up of 69 months. RESULTS: ASI most commonly involved L3-4
      (seven patients), T12-L1 (five) and L2-3 (four). The mean interval between
      operations of primary infection and ASI was 36.9 months. All cases needed
      surgical intervention, debridement, reconstruction and fusion with longer
      instrumentation, with culture and sensitivity-based postoperative antimicrobial
      therapy. At last follow-up, six patients (26.1 %) were mobilized in a wheelchair
      with a varying degree of paraplegia (three had pre-existing paralysis). Three
      patients died within 2 months after the ASI operation (13 %). Excellent outcomes
      were achieved in five patients, and good in eight. CONCLUSIONS: Adjacent segment
      infection after surgical treatment of spondylodiscitis is a rare complication
      (1.94 %). It is associated with multimorbidity and shows a high mortality rate
      and a high neurological affection rate. Possible explanations are: haematomas of
      repeated micro-fractures around screw loosening, haematogenous spread, direct
      inoculation or a combination of these factors. ASI may also lead to proximal
      junctional kyphosis, as found in this series. We suggest early surgical
      intervention with anterior debridement, reconstruction and fusion with posterior
      instrumentation, followed by antimicrobial therapy for 12 weeks. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Level IV retrospective uncontrolled case series.

PMID- 26496929
TI  - Long-term clinical results and MRI changes after autologous chondrocyte
      implantation in the knee of young and active middle aged patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) represents a valid surgical
      option for symptomatic full-thickness chondral lesions of the knee. Here we
      report long-term clinical and MRI results of first-generation ACI. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Fifteen patients (mean age 21.3 years) underwent first-generation ACI
      for symptomatic chondral defects of the knee between 1997 and 2001. The mean size
      of the lesions was 5.08 cm(2) (range 2-9 cm(2)). Patients were evaluated using
      the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Knee Examination Form, the
      Tegner Activity Scale, and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score
      (KOOS). High-resolution MRI was used to analyze the repair tissue with nine
      variables (the MOCART scoring system). RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 148
      months (range 125-177 months). ACI resulted in substantial improvements in all
      clinical outcome parameters, even as much as 12 years after implantation. A
      significant decrease in the MOCART score was recorded at final measurement.
      Reoperation was required in 2 patients; failure was caused by partial detachment
      of the graft in both cases. CONCLUSION: Autologous chondrocyte implantation is an
      effective and durable solution for the treatment of large, full-thickness
      cartilage and osteochondral lesions, even in young and active middle-aged
      patients. High-resolution MRI is a useful and noninvasive method for evaluating
      the repaired tissue. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 26496930
TI  - Effects of the fungicide pyrimethanil on biofilm and organic matter processing in
      outdoor lentic mesocosms.
AB  - The effect of the fungicide pyrimethanil (0.7 mg L(-1)) on biofilm development
      and alder leaf litter decomposition in aquatic ecosystems was assessed in outdoor
      lentic mesocosms immediately and 274 days after pyrimethanil application.
      Pyrimethanil decreased ergosterol concentrations (an indicator of fungal biomass)
      and the abundance and richness of the macroinvertebrate community associated with
      decomposing leaves. However, because neither fungi nor macroinvertebrates were
      main factors contributing to decomposition in this particular system, organic
      matter processing rates were not affected. After 274 days, pyrimethanil
      concentration in the water column was <=0.004 mg L(-1) but richness, biomass and
      composition of the invertebrate community associated with decomposing leaf-litter
      still showed the effect. The comparison of ergosterol (a molecule existing on
      both algae and fungal cell membranes), with chlorophyll (an indicator of algal
      biomass) associated with biofilm suggests that pyrimethanil may decrease fungal
      biomass and alter the relative abundance of algae and fungi on biofilm developing
      in control- and treated-mesocosms.

PMID- 26496931
TI  - All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Associated with Bariatric Surgery: A
      Review.
AB  - The question of whether or not nonsurgical intentional or voluntary weight loss
      results in reduced mortality has been equivocal, with long-term mortality
      following weight loss being reported as increased, decreased, and not changed. In
      part, inconsistent results have been attributed to the uncertainty of whether the
      intentionality of weight loss is accurately reported in large population studies
      and also that achieving significant and sustained voluntary weight loss in large
      intervention trials is extremely difficult. Bariatric surgery has generally been
      free of these conflicts. Patients voluntarily undergo surgery and the resulting
      weight is typically significant and sustained. These elements, combined with
      possible non-weight loss-related mechanisms, have resulted in improved
      comorbidities, which likely contribute to a reduction in long-term mortality.
      This paper reviews the association between bariatric surgery and long-term
      mortality. From these studies, the general consensus is that bariatric surgical
      patients have: 1) significantly reduced long-term all-cause mortality when
      compared to severely obese non-bariatric surgical control groups; 2) greater
      mortality when compared to the general population, with the exception of one
      study; 3) reduced cardiovascular-, stroke-, and cancer-caused mortality when
      compared to severely obese non-operated controls; and 4) increased risk for
      externally caused death such as suicide. 

PMID- 26496933
TI  - The Proceedings of Medical Quality 2015.

PMID- 26496932
TI  - Immune adjuvant effect of Juzentaihoto, a Japanese traditional herbal medicine,
      on tumor vaccine therapy in a mouse model.
AB  - Japanese traditional herbal medicine (Kampo) have been used to improve the
      general physical condition after surgery and to mitigate the side effects of
      radiation and chemotherapy in tumor patients. Juzentaihoto (JTT) consists of ten
      medical herbs, and is also called Shi-Quan-Da-Bu-Tang in Chinese herbal medicine.
      Among Kampo medicines, JTT has especially gained attention as a biological
      response modifier. Currently, clinical trials of various tumor vaccine therapies
      are being performed world-wide. However, tumor antigens that are inoculated as
      vaccines do not have high immunogenicity; thus, it is difficult to obtain an
      effective therapeutic effect. Thus, it is necessary to develop a tumor vaccine
      adjuvant that is more potent and very safe. In the present study, we examined the
      efficacy of JTT as an oral adjuvant when given together with tumor vaccines. As a
      result, JTT enhanced the phagocytic ability of OVA antigen and the presentation
      ability of OVA antigen in dendritic cells in vitro. Furthermore, tumor growth was
      markedly decreased, and the survival period was significantly prolonged in mice
      inoculated with mouse lymphoma, which is expressed with tumor model antigen. In
      conclusion, these findings suggest that JTT can be used with tumor vaccines as an
      immune adjuvant. 

PMID- 26496934
TI  - Why the drug development pipeline is not delivering better medicines.

PMID- 26496935
TI  - Clinical results of definitive intensity-modulated radiation therapy for
      oropharyngeal cancer: retrospective analysis of treatment efficacy and safety.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of intensity-modulated radiotherapy
      for patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma. METHODS: Ninety-three oropharyngeal
      carcinoma patients histopathologically diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma and
      treated with definitive intensity-modulated radiotherapy using helical
      tomotherapy between January 2006 and December 2013 were analyzed. Planning target
      volume primary and involved nodes was delivered 66-70 Gy at 2 Gy per fraction,
      while planning target volume prophylactic was delivered 54 Gy using the
      simultaneous integrated boost technique. RESULTS: The median follow-up period
      among the surviving patients was 40 months (range, 13-96). There were 76 males
      and 17 females with a median age of 60 years (range, 34-80). The disease was
      Stage II in 13%, Stage III in 10% and Stage IV in 77% of patients. Ninety-two
      patients received chemotherapy (99%); 68 patients received induction chemotherapy
      (73%), while 21 received concurrent chemotherapy (23%). The 3-year overall
      survival, progression-free survival and locoregional control rates were 80, 68
      and 79%, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified an advanced T-category
      (T3-4), having double cancer, and smoking habit as significantly unfavorable
      factors for overall survival, progression-free survival and both progression-free
      survival and locoregional control, respectively. Only two patients who achieved
      disease control required percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes in the last
      follow-up. The rate of Grade 2 xerostomia at 2 years was 23%. CONCLUSIONS:
      Intensity-modulated radiotherapy using helical tomotherapy for patients with
      oropharyngeal carcinoma provided not only sufficient efficacy, but also preserved
      parotid function.

PMID- 26496936
TI  - Determinants of willingness to pay for the retreatment of insecticide treated
      mosquito nets in rural area of eastern Ethiopia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Is to determine willingness to pay(WTP)/demand for the retreatment of
      Insecticide treated mosquito nets for malaria control in Ethiopia. METHODS: A
      community based cross-sectional study was conducted in Gursum district in Eastern
      Ethiopia. A total of 335 households were surveyed using a pre-tested structured
      questionnaire. Multivariable regression analyses using the Tobit model were used
      to test the theoretical validity of elicited WTP. RESULTS: About 159(76.4%) of
      them have received a treated insecticide when they obtained. One hundred twenty
      five (60.4%) know that the net should be retreated. Around 110(50.7%), 80(36.9%)
      and 27(12.4%) of the participants feel that the current price of ITNs as
      negotiable/ not as such expensive, expensive and cheap. About 306(96.5%) of them
      reported that they support that ITNs be given freely and 257(82.9%) were
      mentioned that the retreatment service should be provided without charge. The WTP
      amounts ranged from 0 to 10.4 USD. The mean with SD of the respondents from open
      ended elicitation method for willingness to pay was 1 USD and 1.53 USD. The
      reduced tobit regression models showed that average income more than 10.4 USD per
      month and those household who live within a distance in 30 min to the health
      facility were the determinant for willingness to pay. CONCLUSION: The mean with
      SD of the respondents for willingness to pay was 1 USD and 1.53 USD. Average
      monthly income and those household who live within a distance in 30 min to the
      health facility were determinant for willingness to pay. Government and other
      development partners should seek a mechanism to make a subsidy or free of charge
      for the retreatment services. Differential treatment from the public to address
      the poor and vulnerable households and those who are living far distance from the
      local health facility is warranted.

PMID- 26496937
TI  - A randomized controlled trial comparing a prepackaged low-residue diet with a
      restricted diet for colonoscopy preparation: the impact on the results of
      colonoscopy in adenoma detection.
AB  - AIM: This study aimed to investigate the clinical utility of a prepackaged low
      residue diet (PLD) compared with a restricted diet (RD) for colonoscopic bowel
      preparation. METHOD: A prospective randomized controlled trial was carried out
      with patients undergoing colonoscopy. One hundred patients were randomly assigned
      to PLD and RD groups. In the RD group, the patients received an information sheet
      containing acceptable low-residue options and instructions from the medical
      staff. All patients received 10 ml sodium picosulphate the day before colonoscopy
      and 1 l of polyethylene glycol with ascorbic acid (PEG-A) on the day of the
      colonoscopy. If the bowel preparation was not adequate, an additional PEG-A
      solution was given. The primary outcome was the efficacy of colonic cleansing as
      rated by the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS). The additional amount of PEG
      A solution, adenoma detection rate and patient tolerance were assessed as
      secondary outcomes. RESULTS: The BBPS score in the PLD group was 7.3 +/- 1.7
      compared with 6.5 +/- 1.7 in the RD group. The quality of bowel preparation was
      significantly better in the PLD group (P < 0.05). The mean amount of additional
      PEG-A solution in the PLD group was smaller than in the RD group (293.8 +/- 474.8
      vs 444.1 +/- 625.0 ml), but there was no statistical difference between the two
      groups. Adenoma detection rates and patient tolerance were similar in the two
      groups. CONCLUSION: Prepackaged low-residue diets PLD is superior to RD for bowel
      preparation for colonoscopy.

PMID- 26496939
TI  - The motivation for special interests in individuals with autism and controls:
      Development and validation of the special interest motivation scale.
AB  - Clinical observations and first person accounts of living with autism suggest
      that individuals with autism are highly motivated to engage in special interests,
      and that these interests remain important throughout life. Previous research
      assessing special interests has mainly focused on parental reports of children
      with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). To better understand the significance of
      and motivations for engaging in special interests it is essential to use self
      report ratings. This paper aims to systematically explore the motivations for
      engagement in special interests, and whether these differ in adults with ASC,
      first-degree relatives and general population controls. The Special Interest
      Motivation Scale (SIMS) was developed to assess motivation to engage in special
      interests. The internal structure of this scale was evaluated using factor
      analysis, and mean scores on the SIMS factors were subsequently compared across
      individuals with autism, parents and general population controls. Factor analysis
      indicated a 20-item SIMS containing five factors assessing Personal life values
      and goals; Intrinsic interest and knowledge; Prestige; Engagement and "flow" and
      Achievement. Individuals with autism were more motivated by Intrinsic interest
      and knowledge and by Engagement and flow than controls. The 20-item SIMS is a
      quick to administer measure that provides a reliable description of motivation to
      engage in special interests. This study indicates that individuals with ASC are
      highly motivated to engage in their special interest, and are more motivated than
      controls by intrinsic motivational factors, some of which are associated with
      positive affect. This has implications for research and clinical practice. Autism
      Res 2016, 9: 677-688. (c) 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26496938
TI  - TrkA is amplified in malignant melanoma patients and induces an anti
      proliferative response in cell lines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor tyrosine-kinase TrkA is a well
      known determinant of the melanocytic lineage, through modulation of the MAPK and
      AKT cascades. While TrkA gene is frequently rearranged in cancers, its
      involvement in malignant melanoma (MM) development is still unclear. METHODS: We
      analyzed a dataset of primary cutaneous MM (n = 31) by array comparative genomic
      hybridization (aCGH), to identify genomic amplifications associated with tumor
      progression. The analysis was validated by genomic quantitative PCR (qPCR) on an
      extended set of cases (n = 64) and the results were correlated with the clinical
      outcome. To investigate TrkA molecular pathways and cellular function, we
      generated inducible activation of the NGF-TrkA signaling in human MM cell lines.
      RESULTS: We identified amplification of 1q23.1, where the TrkA locus resides, as
      a candidate hotspot implicated in the progression of MM. Across 40 amplicons
      detected, segmental amplification of 1q23.1 showed the strongest association with
      tumor thickness. By validation of the analysis, TrkA gene amplification emerged
      as a frequent event in primary melanomas (50 % of patients), and correlated with
      worse clinical outcome. However, experiments in cell lines revealed that
      induction of the NGF-TrkA signaling produced a phenotype of dramatic suppression
      of cell proliferation through inhibition of cell division and pronounced
      intracellular vacuolization, in a way straightly dependent on NGF activation of
      TrkA. These events were triggered via MAPK activity but not via AKT, and involved
      p21(cip1) protein increase, compatibly with a mechanism of oncogene-induced
      growth arrest. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings point to TrkA as a
      candidate oncogene in MM and support a model in which the NGF-TrkA-MAPK pathway
      may mediate a trade-off between neoplastic transformation and adaptive anti
      proliferative response.

PMID- 26496940
TI  - Targeting type-2 metabotropic glutamate receptors to protect vulnerable
      hippocampal neurons against ischemic damage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To examine whether metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors have any
      role in mechanisms that shape neuronal vulnerability to ischemic damage, we used
      the 4-vessel occlusion (4-VO) model of transient global ischemia in rats. 4-VO in
      rats causes a selective death of pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region,
      leaving neurons of the CA3 region relatively spared. We wondered whether changes
      in the expression of individual mGlu receptor subtypes selectively occur in the
      vulnerable CA1 region during the development of ischemic damage, and whether post
      ischemic treatment with drugs targeting the selected receptor(s) affords
      neuroprotection. RESULTS: We found that 4-VO caused significantly reduction in
      the transcript of mGlu2 receptors in the CA1 region at times that preceded the
      anatomical evidence of neuronal death. Down-regulation of mGlu2 receptors was
      associated with reduced H3 histone acetylation at the Grm2 promoter. The
      transcripts of other mGlu receptor subtypes were unchanged in the CA1 region of 4
      VO rats. Ischemia did not cause changes in mGlu2 receptor mRNA levels in the
      resistant CA3 region, which, interestingly, were lower than in the CA1 region.
      Targeting the mGlu2 receptors with selective pharmacologic ligands had profound
      effects on ishemic neuronal damage. Post-ischemic oral treatment with the
      selective mGlu2 receptor NAM (negative allosteric modulator), ADX92639 (30
      mg/kg), was highly protective against ischemic neuronal death. In contrast, s.c.
      administration of the mGlu2 receptor enhancer, LY487379 (30 mg/kg), amplified
      neuronal damage in the CA1 region and extended the damage to the CA3 region.
      CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the mGlu2 receptor is an important player
      in mechanisms regulating neuronal vulnerability to ischemic damage, and that
      mGlu2 receptor NAMs are potential candidates in the experimental treatments of
      disorders characterized by brain hypoperfusion, such as hypovolemic shock and
      cardiac arrest.

PMID- 26496941
TI  - beta-catenin signaling induces the osteoblastogenic differentiation of human pre
      osteoblastic and bone marrow stromal cells mainly through the upregulation of
      osterix expression.
AB  - Both beta-catenin (beta-cat) and osterix (OSX) are known to be essential for
      embryonic and postnatal osteoblast differentiation and bone growth. In the
      present study, we explored the crosstalk between beta-cat signaling and OSX, and
      assessed its effect on the osteoblastogenic differentiation of human pre
      osteoblastic cells (MG-63) and bone marrow stromal cells (HS-27A). In the HS-27A
      and MG-63 cells, the selective beta-cat signaling inhibitor, CCT031374, and the
      stable overexpression of a constitutively active beta-cat mutant respectively
      decreased and increased the cytoplasmic/soluble beta-cat levels, and respectively
      decreased and increased TOPflash reporter activity, the mRNA levels of beta-cat
      signaling target genes c-Myc and c-Jun, as well as the mRNA and protein
      expression levels of OSX. Mutational analyses and electrophoretic mobility shift
      assays revealed that the increased binding activity of c-Jun at a putative c-Jun
      binding site (-858/-852 relative to the translation start codon, which was
      designated as +1) in the human OSX gene promoter was required for teh beta-cat
      signaling-induced expression of OSX in the HS-27A and MG-63 cells. During
      osteoblastogenic culture, stimulating beta-cat signaling activity by the stable
      overexpression of the active beta-cat mutant markedly increased alkaline
      phosphatase (ALP) activity and calcium deposition in the HS-27A and MG-63 cells,
      which was abolished by knocking down OSX using shRNA. On the other hand, the
      inhibition of beta-cat signaling activity with CCT031374 decreased the ALP
      activity and calcium deposition, which was completely reversed by the
      overexpression of OSX. On the whole, the findings of our study suggest that beta
      cat signaling upregulates the expression of OSX in human pre-osteoblastic and
      bone marrow stromal cells by trans-activating the OSX gene promoter mainly
      through increased c-Jun binding at a putative c-Jun binding site; OSX largely
      mediates beta-cat signaling-induced osteoblastogenic differentiation. The present
      study provides new insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying osteoblast
      differentiation.

PMID- 26496942
TI  - Perspectives on cervical cancer screening among educated Muslim women in Dubai
      (the UAE): a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer (CC) is the seventh leading cause of death among
      women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with most deaths attributed to late
      detection of this cancer. The UAE lacks a national CC screening programme. Thus,
      cervical screening is only performed opportunistically during women's visits to
      health facilities. CC screening rates in the UAE are as low as 16.9 %, and little
      is known about the perspectives of the nation's educated Muslim women regarding
      screening. Consequently, the aim of this study is to explore Muslim women's
      perspectives towards cervical screening in Dubai to promote strategies for
      increasing its uptake, thereby leading to a decrease in morbidity and mortality
      associated with CC. METHODS: Interpretivist and social constructivist
      epistemological approaches were applied for this qualitative study. Data were
      obtained through 13 in-depth interviews. Purposive and snowballing methods were
      used to recruit six South Asian women and seven Emirati women living in Dubai.
      Thematic content analysis was concurrently applied with comparative analysis to
      the data. RESULTS: Four themes regarding women's perceptions of CC emerged from
      the data. First, CC was considered a 'silent disease' that could be detected with
      early screening. However, it was also associated with extramarital sexual
      relations, which negatively influenced screening uptake. Second, women's fear,
      pain and embarrassment, along with cultural influences, deterred them from
      undergoing screening. Third, a growing mistrust of allopathic medicine and
      impersonal healthcare promoted a negative view of screening. Last, women became
      aware of screening mainly when they were pregnant or receiving fertility
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlighted a number of important factors
      relating to cultural, religious and sexual behaviour that shaped educated Muslim
      women's perspectives on CC screening. Evidently, the current opportunistic
      approach to screening is flawed. A national awareness programme on CC screening
      should be developed, tailored to the sociocultural norms of the Muslim community,
      to promote knowledge regarding the causes of CC and the importance of screening.

PMID- 26496943
TI  - Multiple comparisons.
AB  - Oat plants grown at an agricultural research facility produce higher yields in
      Field 1 than in Field 2, under well fertilised conditions and with similar
      weather exposure; all oat plants in both fields are healthy and show no sign of
      disease. In this study, the authors hypothesised that the soil microbial
      community might be different in each field, and these differences might explain
      the difference in oat plant growth. They carried out a metagenomic analysis of
      the 16 s ribosomal 'signature' sequences from bacteria in 50 randomly located
      soil samples in each field to determine the composition of the bacterial
      community. The study identified >1000 species, most of which were present in both
      fields. The authors identified two plant growth-promoting species that were
      significantly reduced in soil from Field 2 (Student's t-test P < 0.05), and
      concluded that these species might have contributed to reduced yield.

PMID- 26496944
TI  - Autoregulation of topoisomerase I expression by supercoiling sensitive
      transcription.
AB  - The opposing catalytic activities of topoisomerase I (TopoI/relaxase) and DNA
      gyrase (supercoiling enzyme) ensure homeostatic maintenance of bacterial
      chromosome supercoiling. Earlier studies in Escherichia coli suggested that the
      alteration in DNA supercoiling affects the DNA gyrase and TopoI expression.
      Although, the role of DNA elements around the promoters were proposed in
      regulation of gyrase, the molecular mechanism of supercoiling mediated control of
      TopoI expression is not yet understood. Here, we describe the regulation of TopoI
      expression from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis by a
      mechanism termed Supercoiling Sensitive Transcription (SST). In both the
      organisms, topoI promoter(s) exhibited reduced activity in response to chromosome
      relaxation suggesting that SST is intrinsic to topoI promoter(s). We elucidate
      the role of promoter architecture and high transcriptional activity of upstream
      genes in topoI regulation. Analysis of the promoter(s) revealed the presence of
      sub-optimal spacing between the -35 and -10 elements, rendering them supercoiling
      sensitive. Accordingly, upon chromosome relaxation, RNA polymerase occupancy was
      decreased on the topoI promoter region implicating the role of DNA topology in
      SST of topoI. We propose that negative supercoiling induced DNA twisting/writhing
      align the -35 and -10 elements to facilitate the optimal transcription of topoI. 

PMID- 26496946
TI  - Colorectal cancer atlas: An integrative resource for genomic and proteomic
      annotations from colorectal cancer cell lines and tissues.
AB  - In order to advance our understanding of colorectal cancer (CRC) development and
      progression, biomedical researchers have generated large amounts of OMICS data
      from CRC patient samples and representative cell lines. However, these data are
      deposited in various repositories or in supplementary tables. A database which
      integrates data from heterogeneous resources and enables analysis of the
      multidimensional data sets, specifically pertaining to CRC is currently lacking.
      Here, we have developed Colorectal Cancer Atlas (http://www.colonatlas.org), an
      integrated web-based resource that catalogues the genomic and proteomic
      annotations identified in CRC tissues and cell lines. The data catalogued to-date
      include sequence variations as well as quantitative and non-quantitative protein
      expression data. The database enables the analysis of these data in the context
      of signaling pathways, protein-protein interactions, Gene Ontology terms, protein
      domains and post-translational modifications. Currently, Colorectal Cancer Atlas
      contains data for >13 711 CRC tissues, >165 CRC cell lines, 62 251 protein
      identifications, >8.3 million MS/MS spectra, >18 410 genes with sequence
      variations (404 278 entries) and 351 pathways with sequence variants. Overall,
      Colorectal Cancer Atlas has been designed to serve as a central resource to
      facilitate research in CRC. 

PMID- 26496945
TI  - CstF-64 and 3'-UTR cis-element determine Star-PAP specificity for target mRNA
      selection by excluding PAPalpha.
AB  - Almost all eukaryotic mRNAs have a poly (A) tail at the 3'-end. Canonical PAPs
      (PAPalpha/gamma) polyadenylate nuclear pre-mRNAs. The recent identification of
      the non-canonical Star-PAP revealed specificity of nuclear PAPs for pre-mRNAs,
      yet the mechanism how Star-PAP selects mRNA targets is still elusive. Moreover,
      how Star-PAP target mRNAs having canonical AAUAAA signal are not regulated by
      PAPalpha is unclear. We investigate specificity mechanisms of Star-PAP that
      selects pre-mRNA targets for polyadenylation. Star-PAP assembles distinct 3'-end
      processing complex and controls pre-mRNAs independent of PAPalpha. We identified
      a Star-PAP recognition nucleotide motif and showed that suboptimal DSE on Star
      PAP target pre-mRNA 3'-UTRs inhibit CstF-64 binding, thus preventing PAPalpha
      recruitment onto it. Altering 3'-UTR cis-elements on a Star-PAP target pre-mRNA
      can switch the regulatory PAP from Star-PAP to PAPalpha. Our results suggest a
      mechanism of poly (A) site selection that has potential implication on the
      regulation of alternative polyadenylation. 

PMID- 26496947
TI  - Transient overexpression of DNA adenine methylase enables efficient and mobile
      genome engineering with reduced off-target effects.
AB  - Homologous recombination of single-stranded oligonucleotides is a highly
      efficient process for introducing precise mutations into the genome of E. coli
      and other organisms when mismatch repair (MMR) is disabled. This can result in
      the rapid accumulation of off-target mutations that can mask desired phenotypes,
      especially when selections need to be employed following the generation of
      combinatorial libraries. While the use of inducible mutator phenotypes or other
      MMR evasion tactics have proven useful, reported methods either require non
      mobile genetic modifications or costly oligonucleotides that also result in
      reduced efficiencies of replacement. Therefore a new system was developed,
      Transient Mutator Multiplex Automated Genome Engineering (TM-MAGE), that solves
      problems encountered in other methods for oligonucleotide-mediated recombination.
      TM-MAGE enables nearly equivalent efficiencies of allelic replacement to the use
      of strains with fully disabled MMR and with an approximately 12- to 33-fold lower
      off-target mutation rate. Furthermore, growth temperatures are not restricted and
      a version of the plasmid can be readily removed by sucrose counterselection. TM
      MAGE was used to combinatorially reconstruct mutations found in evolved salt
      tolerant strains, enabling the identification of causative mutations and
      isolation of strains with up to 75% increases in growth rate and greatly reduced
      lag times in 0.6 M NaCl. 

PMID- 26496948
TI  - Backtracking behavior in viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase provides the basis
      for a second initiation site.
AB  - Transcription in RNA viruses is highly dynamic, with a variety of pauses
      interrupting nucleotide addition by RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). For
      example, rare but lengthy pauses (>20 s) have been linked to backtracking for
      viral single-subunit RdRps. However, while such backtracking has been well
      characterized for multi-subunit RNA polymerases (RNAPs) from bacteria and yeast,
      little is known about the details of viral RdRp backtracking and its biological
      roles. Using high-throughput magnetic tweezers, we quantify the backtracking by
      RdRp from the double-stranded (ds) RNA bacteriophage Phi6, a model system for
      RdRps. We characterize the probability of entering long backtracks as a function
      of force and propose a model in which the bias toward backtracking is determined
      by the base paring at the dsRNA fork. We further discover that extensive
      backtracking provides access to a new 3'-end that allows for the de novo
      initiation of a second RdRp. This previously unidentified behavior provides a new
      mechanism for rapid RNA synthesis using coupled RdRps and hints at a possible
      regulatory pathway for gene expression during viral RNA transcription. 

PMID- 26496949
TI  - KLIFS: a structural kinase-ligand interaction database.
AB  - Protein kinases play a crucial role in cell signaling and are important drug
      targets in several therapeutic areas. The KLIFS database contains detailed
      structural kinase-ligand interaction information derived from all (>2900)
      structures of catalytic domains of human and mouse protein kinases deposited in
      the Protein Data Bank in order to provide insights into the structural
      determinants of kinase-ligand binding and selectivity. The kinase structures have
      been processed in a consistent manner by systematically analyzing the structural
      features and molecular interaction fingerprints (IFPs) of a predefined set of 85
      binding site residues with bound ligands. KLIFS has been completely rebuilt and
      extended (>65% more structures) since its first release as a data set, including:
      novel automated annotation methods for (i) the assessment of ligand-targeted
      subpockets and the analysis of (ii) DFG and (iii) alphaC-helix conformations;
      improved and automated protocols for (iv) the generation of sequence/structure
      alignments, (v) the curation of ligand atom and bond typing for accurate IFP
      analysis and (vi) weekly database updates. KLIFS is now accessible via a website
      (http://klifs.vu-compmedchem.nl) that provides a comprehensive visual
      presentation of different types of chemical, biological and structural
      chemogenomics data, and allows the user to easily access, compare, search and
      download the data. 

PMID- 26496950
TI  - OpenTein: a database of digital whole-slide images of stem cell-derived
      teratomas.
AB  - Human stem cells are promising sources for regenerative therapy. To ensure safety
      of future therapeutic applications, the differentiation potency of stem cells has
      to be tested and be widely opened to the public. The potency is generally
      assessed by teratoma formation comprising differentiated cells from all three
      germ layers, and the teratomas can be inspected through high-quality digital
      images. The teratoma assay, however, lacks consistency in transplantation
      protocols and even in interpretation, which needs community-based efforts for
      improving the assay quality. Here, we have developed a novel database OpenTein
      (Open Teratoma Investigation, http://opentein.hgc.jp/) to archive and freely
      distribute high-resolution whole-slide images and relevant records. OpenTein has
      been designed as a searchable, zoomable and annotatable web-based repository
      system. We have deposited 468 images of teratomas derived by our transplantation
      of human stem cells, and users can freely access and process such digital
      teratoma images. Approximately, the current version of OpenTein responds within
      11.2 min for processing 2.03 gigapixel teratoma images. Our system offers
      valuable tools and resources in the new era of stem cell biology. 

PMID- 26496951
TI  - Competitive and Predacious Interactions Among Three Phytoseiid Species Under
      Experimental Conditions (Acari: Phytoseiidae).
AB  - The effect of competition on species that coexist with similar ecological niches
      is an important theme in ecology. Furthermore, species displacement by introduced
      or invaded species is also an important environmental problem for biological
      control and conservation ecology. We tested whether two species of phytoseiids
      could coexist in closed cages with ample quantities of the extraguild prey
      species Carpoglyphus lactis (L.). Three species of phytoseiid mites-Amblyseius
      eharai Amitai & Swirski (a species native to China), Amblyseius swirskii (Athias
      Henriot) and Neoseiulus cucumeris (Oudemans) (both species were introduced from
      outside of China)-were tested under experimental conditions (25 +/- 1 degrees C,
      90 +/- 5% relative humidity, and a photoperiod of 14:10 [L:D] h). With extraguild
      prey, we found that the numbers of a single population of each phytoseiid species
      (initial density of 10 females per cage) reached a plateau between 18 and 25 d
      after introduction into the experimental cages, suggesting that density-dependent
      factors were operating. In closed environments, one of these density-dependent
      factors might be cannibalism by these species. With regression analyses, Lotka
      Volterra equations estimated the rate of population increase (r) and the carrying
      capacity (K) of each species with the data from observations on population
      dynamics. We next observed the interactions of two phytoseiid species with
      abundant extraguild prey. In all species combinations, one species went extinct
      and the other increased in population size, despite the availability of
      sufficient extraguild prey, suggesting some type of competition must have caused
      the extinctions. We suggested that intraguild predation is the most plausible
      hypothesis to explain the results. 

PMID- 26496952
TI  - Structure of Phoretic Mite Assemblages Across Subcortical Beetle Species at a
      Regional Scale.
AB  - Mites associated with subcortical beetles feed and reproduce within habitats
      transformed by tree-killing herbivores. Mites lack the ability to independently
      disperse among these habitats, and thus have evolved characteristics that
      facilitate using insects as transport between resources. Studies on associations
      between mites and beetles have historically been beetle-centric, where an
      assemblage of mite species is characterized on a single beetle species. However,
      available evidence suggests there may be substantial overlap among mite species
      on various species of beetles utilizing similar host trees. We assessed the mite
      communities of multiple beetle species attracted to baited funnel traps in Pinus
      stands in southern Wisconsin, northern Arizona, and northern Georgia to better
      characterize mite dispersal and the formation of mite-beetle phoretic
      associations at multiple scales. We identified approximately 21 mite species
      totaling 10,575 individuals on 36 beetle species totaling 983 beetles. Of the
      mites collected, 97% were represented by eight species. Many species of mites
      were common across beetle species, likely owing to these beetles' common
      association with trees in the genus Pinus. Most mite species were found on at
      least three beetle species. Histiostoma spp., Iponemus confusus Lindquist,
      Histiogaster arborsignis Woodring and Trichouropoda australis Hirschmann were
      each found on at least seven species of beetles. While beetles had largely
      similar mite membership, the abundances of individual mite species were highly
      variable among beetle species within each sampling region. Phoretic mite
      communities also varied within beetle species between regions, notably for Ips
      pini (Say) and Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff). 

PMID- 26496953
TI  - Differences upon admission and in hospital course of children hospitalized with
      community-acquired pneumonia with or without radiologically-confirmed pneumonia:
      a retrospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of chest radiograph (CXR) for the diagnosis of childhood
      community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is controversial. We assessed if children with
      CAP diagnosed on clinical grounds, with or without radiologically-confirmed
      pneumonia on admission, evolved differently. METHODS: Children aged >= 2 months,
      hospitalized with CAP diagnosed on clinical grounds, treated with 200,000
      IU/Kg/day of aqueous penicillin G for >= 48 h and with CXR taken upon admission,
      without pleural effusion, were included in this retrospective cohort. One
      researcher, blinded to the radiological diagnosis, collected data on
      demographics, clinical history and physical examination on admission, daily
      hospital course during the first 2 days of treatment, and outcome, all from
      medical charts. Radiological confirmation of pneumonia was based on presence of
      pulmonary infiltrate detected by a paediatric radiologist who was also blinded to
      clinical data. Variables were initially compared by bivariate analysis. Multi
      variable logistic regression analysis assessed independent association between
      radiologically-confirmed pneumonia and factors which significantly differed
      during hospital course in the bivariate analysis. The multi-variable analysis was
      performed in a model adjusted for age and for the same factor present upon
      admission. RESULTS: 109 (38.5%) children had radiologically-confirmed pneumonia,
      143 (50.5%) had normal CXR and 31 (11.0%) had atelectasis or peribronchial
      thickening. Children without radiologically-confirmed pneumonia were younger than
      those with radiologically-confirmed pneumonia (median [IQR]: 14 [7-28 months
      versus 21 [12-44] months; P = 0.001). None died. The subgroup with radiologically
      confirmed pneumonia presented fever on D1 (33.7 vs. 19.1; P = 0.015) and on D2
      (31.6% vs. 16.2%; P = 0.004) more frequently. The subgroup without radiologically
      confirmed pneumonia had chest indrawing on D1 (22.4% vs. 11.9%; P = 0.027) more
      often detected. By multi-variable analysis, Fever on D2 (OR [95% CI]: 2.16 [1.15
      4.06]) was directly and independently associated with radiologically-confirmed
      pneumonia upon admission. CONCLUSION: The compared subgroups evolved differently.

PMID- 26496954
TI  - Factors associated with the frequency of monitoring of liver enzymes, renal
      function and lipid laboratory markers among individuals initiating combination
      antiretroviral therapy: a cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As the average age of the HIV-positive population increases, there is
      increasing need to monitor patients for the development of comorbidities as well
      as for drug toxicities. METHODS: We examined factors associated with the
      frequency of measurement of liver enzymes, renal function tests, and lipid levels
      among participants of the Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC) collaboration
      which follows people who initiated HIV antiretroviral therapy in 2000 or later.
      We used zero-inflated negative binomial regression models to examine the
      associations of demographic and clinical characteristics with the rates of
      measurement during follow-up. Generalized estimating equations with a logit link
      were used to examine factors associated with gaps of 12 months or more between
      measurements. RESULTS: Electronic laboratory data were available for 3940 of 7718
      CANOC participants. The median duration of electronic follow-up was 3.5 years.
      The median (interquartile) rates of tests per year were 2.76 (1.60, 3.73), 2.55
      (1.44, 3.38) and 1.42 (0.50, 2.52) for liver, renal and lipid parameters,
      respectively. In multivariable zero-inflated negative binomial regression models,
      individuals infected through injection drug use (IDU) were significantly less
      likely to have any measurements. Among participants with at least one
      measurement, rates of measurement of liver, renal and lipid tests were
      significantly lower for younger individuals and Aboriginal Peoples. Hepatitis C
      co-infected individuals with a history of IDU had lower rates of measurement and
      were at greater risk of having 12 month gaps between measurements. CONCLUSIONS:
      Hepatitis C co-infected participants infected through IDU were at increased risk
      of gaps in testing, despite publicly funded health care and increased risk of
      comorbid conditions. This should be taken into consideration in analyses
      examining factors associated with outcomes based on laboratory parameters.

PMID- 26496955
TI  - Prediction of Rupture Sites in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms After Finite Element
      Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To associate regions of highest local rupture risk from finite element
      analysis (FEA) to subsequent rupture sites in abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).
      METHODS: This retrospective multicenter study analyzed computed tomography
      angiography (CTA) data from 13 asymptomatic AAA patients (mean age 76 years; 8
      men) experiencing rupture at a later point in time between 2005 and 2011. All
      patients had CTA scans before and during the rupture event. FEA was performed to
      calculate peak wall stress (PWS), peak wall rupture risk (PWRR), rupture risk
      equivalent diameters (RRED), and the intraluminal thrombus volume (ILTV). PWS and
      PWRR locations in the prerupture state were compared with subsequent CTA rupture
      findings. Visible contrast extravasation was considered a definite (n=5) rupture
      sign, while a periaortic hematoma was an indefinite (n=8) sign. A statistical
      comparison was performed between the 13-patient asymptomatic AAA group before and
      during rupture and a 23-patient diameter-matched asymptomatic AAA control group
      that underwent elective surgery. RESULTS: The asymptomatic AAAs before rupture
      showed significantly higher PWRR and RRED values compared to the matched
      asymptomatic AAA control group (median values 0.74 vs 0.52 and 77 vs 59 mm,
      respectively; p<0.0001 for both). No statistical differences could be found for
      PWS and ILTV. Ruptured AAAs showed the highest maximum diameters, PWRR, and RRED
      values. In 7 of the ruptured AAAs (2 definite and 5 indefinite rupture signs),
      CTA rupture sites correlated with prerupture PWRR locations. CONCLUSION: The
      location of the PWRR in unruptured AAAs predicted future rupture sites in several
      cases. Asymptomatic AAA patients with high PWRR and RRED values have an increased
      rupture risk.

PMID- 26496956
TI  - An In Vitro Phantom Study on the Role of the Bird-Beak Configuration in Endograft
      Infolding in the Aortic Arch.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess endograft infolding for excessive bird-beak configurations in
      the aortic arch in relation to hemodynamic variables by quantifying device
      displacement and rotation of oversized stent-grafts deployed in a phantom model.
      METHODS: A patient-specific, compliant, phantom pulsatile flow model was
      reconstructed from a patient who presented with collapse of a Gore TAG thoracic
      endoprosthesis. Device infolding was measured under different flow and pressure
      conditions for 3 protrusion extensions (13, 19, and 24 mm) of the bird-beak
      configuration resulting from 2 TAG endografts with oversizing of 11% and 45%,
      respectively. RESULTS: The bird-beak configuration with the greatest protrusion
      extension exhibited the maximum TAG device displacement (1.66 mm), while the
      lowest protrusion extension configuration led to the minimum amount of both
      displacement and rotation parameters (0.25 mm and 0.6 degrees , respectively). A
      positive relationship was found between the infolding parameters and the flow
      circulating in the aorta and left subclavian artery. Similarly, TAG device
      displacement was positively and significantly (p<0.05) correlated with the pulse
      pressure for all bird-beak configurations and device sizes. However, no collapse
      was observed under chronic perfusion testing maintained for 30 days and pulse
      pressure of 100 mm Hg. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that endograft
      infolding depends primarily on the amount of aortic pulsatility and flow rate and
      that physiological flows do not necessarily engender hemodynamic loads on the
      proximal bird-beak segment sufficient to cause TAG collapse. Hemodynamic
      variables may allow for identification of patients at high risk of endograft
      infolding and help guide preventive intervention to avert its occurrence.

PMID- 26496957
TI  - Systematic Review of Off-the-Shelf or Physician-Modified Fenestrated and Branched
      Endografts.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the safety and efficacy of off-the-shelf
      fenestrated/branched grafts (OSFGs) and physician-modified stent-grafts (PMSGs)
      for the treatment of complex abdominal aortic aneurysms. METHODS: A systematic
      search of the MEDLINE database via PubMed from January 2001 through March 2015
      retrieved 23 relevant articles evaluating the clinical outcomes following the
      management of patients with pararenal or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. The
      15 articles on PMSGs and 8 on OSFGs contained data on 308 patients (mean age
      72.93+/-2.89 years; 213 men). The safety endpoint was major adverse events; the
      efficacy outcome measure was clinical treatment success (aneurysm exclusion
      without type I/III endoleak, permanent paralysis, long-term dialysis, or
      unresolved major complications). Extracted outcome data were pooled and compared
      between groups; data are given as the pooled proportions and 95% confidence
      interval (CI). Clinical data are presented as the weighted mean. RESULTS: Of the
      308 patients analyzed, almost one third were operated on an emergency basis. The
      mean aneurysm diameters were 75.9+/-17.3 mm (range 56-115) for the PMSGs and
      68.1+/-13.7 mm (range 60-100) for the OSFGs. A total of 936 renal and visceral
      vessels were targeted. Major adverse events (safety) occurred in 24 (12.8%) PMSG
      patients (95% CI 8.6% to 18.7%) and in 9 (7.4%) OSFG patients (95% CI 3.7% to
      14%). Clinical treatment success (efficacy) was observed in 171/187 (91.4%) PMSG
      patients (95% CI 86.2% to 94.9%) and in 115/121 (95%) OSFG patients (95% CI 89.1%
      to 98.0%). Corresponding cumulative 30-day target vessel and branch stent
      perfusion rates were 97.2% (95% CI 95.1% to 98.4%) and 97.6% (95% CI 95.5% to
      98.8%) for the PMSG group and 99.6% (95% CI 98.3% to 99.9%) and 98.4% (95% CI
      96.5% to 99.4%) for the OSFG group. Six (3.2%) deaths occurred in the PMSG group
      only; 2 (1.1%) were aneurysm related. Overall branch patency was recorded in
      443/458 (96.7%) and in 468/478 (97.9%) of target vessels in the PMSG and OSFG
      groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: Off-the-shelf and physician-modified technology
      seems effective and safe, in both the elective and acute settings, for the
      treatment of complex aortic aneurysms. Future research within a randomized trial
      should investigate the true limitations of these devices.

PMID- 26496959
TI  - Responses to mild water deficit and rewatering differ among secondary metabolites
      but are similar among provenances within Eucalyptus species.
AB  - Water deficit associated with drought can severely affect plants and influence
      ecological interactions involving plant secondary metabolites. We tested the
      effect of mild water deficit and rewatering on physiological, morphological and
      chemical traits of juvenile Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and Eucalyptus viminalis
      Labill. We also tested if responses of juvenile eucalypts to water deficit and
      rewatering varied within species using provenances across a rainfall gradient.
      Both species and all provenances were similarly affected by mild water deficit
      and rewatering, as only foliar abscisic acid levels differed among provenances
      during water deficit. Across species and provenances, water deficit decreased
      leaf water potential, above-ground biomass and formylated phloroglucinol compound
      concentrations, and increased condensed tannin concentrations. Rewatering reduced
      leaf carbon : nitrogen, and total phenolic and chlorogenic acid concentrations.
      Water deficit and rewatering had no effect on total oil or individual terpene
      concentrations. Levels of trait plasticity due to water deficit and rewatering
      were less than levels of constitutive trait variation among provenances. The
      overall uniformity of responses to the treatments regardless of native provenance
      indicates limited diversification of plastic responses when compared with the
      larger quantitative variation of constitutive traits within these species. These
      responses to mild water deficit may differ from responses to more extreme water
      deficit or to responses of juvenile/mature eucalypts growing at each locality. 

PMID- 26496958
TI  - Leaf morphological and physiological adaptations of a deciduous oak (Quercus
      faginea Lam.) to the Mediterranean climate: a comparison with a closely related
      temperate species (Quercus robur L.).
AB  - 'White oaks'--one of the main groups of the genus Quercus L.--are represented in
      western Eurasia by the 'roburoid oaks', a deciduous and closely related genetic
      group that should have an Arcto-Tertiary origin under temperate-nemoral climates.
      Nowadays, roburoid oak species such as Quercus robur L. are still present in
      these temperate climates in Europe, but others are also present in southern
      Europe under Mediterranean-type climates, such as Quercus faginea Lam. We
      hypothesize the existence of a coordinated functional response at the whole-shoot
      scale in Q. faginea under Mediterranean conditions to adapt to more xeric
      habitats. The results reveal a clear morphological and physiological segregation
      between Q. robur and Q. faginea, which constitute two very contrasting functional
      types in response to climate dryness. The most outstanding divergence between the
      two species is the reduction in transpiring area in Q. faginea, which is the main
      trait imposed by the water deficit in Mediterranean-type climates. The reduction
      in leaf area ratio in Q. faginea should have a negative effect on carbon gain
      that is partially counteracted by a higher inherent photosynthetic ability of Q.
      faginea when compared with Q. robur, as a consequence of higher mesophyll
      conductance, higher maximum velocity of carboxylation and much higher stomatal
      conductance (gs). The extremely high gs of Q. faginea counteracts the expected
      reduction in gs imposed by the stomatal sensitivity to vapor pressure deficit,
      allowing this species to diminish water losses maintaining high net CO2
      assimilation values along the vegetative period under nonlimiting soil water
      potential values. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that Q. faginea
      can be regarded as an example of adaptation of a deciduous oak to Mediterranean
      type climates.

PMID- 26496960
TI  - Photosynthetic enhancement by elevated CO2 depends on seasonal temperatures for
      warmed and non-warmed Eucalyptus globulus trees.
AB  - Arguments based on the biochemistry of photosynthesis predict a positive
      interaction between elevated atmospheric [CO2] and temperature on photosynthesis
      as well as growth. In contrast, few long-term studies on trees find greater
      stimulation of photosynthesis in response to elevated [CO2] at warmer compared
      with cooler temperatures. To test for CO2 * temperature interactions on leaf
      photosynthesis and whole-plant growth, we planted Eucalyptus globulus Labill. in
      climate-controlled chambers in the field at the Hawkesbury Forest Experiment
      research site, and investigated how photosynthetic enhancement changed across a
      range of seasonal temperatures. Trees were grown in a complete two-way factorial
      design with two CO2 concentrations (ambient and ambient + 240 ppm) and two
      temperatures (ambient and ambient + 3  degrees C) for 15 months until they
      reached ~10 m height, after which they were harvested for biomass. There was
      significant enhancement of photosynthesis and growth with elevated [CO2], with
      the photosynthetic stimulation varying with season, but there was no significant
      effect of warming. Photosynthetic enhancement was higher in summer (+46% at 28 
      degrees C) than in winter (+14% at 20  degrees C). Photosynthetic enhancement as
      a function of leaf temperature was consistent with theoretical expectations, but
      was strongly mediated by the intercellular [CO2]/ambient [CO2] (Ci/Ca) ratio
      across seasons. Total tree biomass after 15 months was 66% larger in elevated CO2
      (P = 0.017) with no significant warming effect detected. The fraction of biomass
      in coarse roots was reduced in warmed trees compared with ambient temperature
      controls, but there was no evidence of changed biomass allocation patterns in
      elevated CO2. We conclude that there are strong and consistent elevated CO2
      effects on photosynthesis and biomass of E. globulus. It is crucial to consider
      stomatal conductance under a range of conditions to appraise the interactive
      effect of [CO2] and temperature on photosynthetic enhancement and subsequent
      implications for tree growth and forest productivity in future climates.

PMID- 26496961
TI  - Maternal gestational diabetes mellitus and overweight and obesity in offspring: a
      study in Chinese children.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal gestational
      diabetes mellitus (GDM) and breast feeding on childhood overweight and obesity in
      a mainland Chinese population. The incidence of and factors associated with
      overweight and obesity were compared between children of mothers with (n=1068)
      and without (n=1756) GDM. The independent roles of the associated factors were
      examined by multiple logistic regression analysis. The incidence of overweight
      was higher (16.6 v. 12.6%, P=0.002) in the GDM group, but that of obesity was not
      different (10.7 v. 12.0%, P=0.315). At age 1-2 and 2-5 years, no difference in
      overweight (11.0 v. 12.0%, P=0.917, and 15.7 v. 14.6%, P=0.693, respectively) was
      found, while obesity (8.0 v. 13.6%, P=0.019, and 8.4 v. 13.4%, P=0.014,
      respectively) was less frequent in the GDM offspring. At age 5-10 years,
      increased overweight (22.2 v. 12.1%, P<0.001) and obesity (15.9 v. 9.0%, P=0.001)
      were found in the GDM group, which was associated with maternal obesity, being
      born large-for-gestational age, male gender and formula feeding. After adjusting
      for confounding factors, GDM remained an independent determinant of offspring
      overweight and obesity (aOR 2.28, 95% CI 1.61-3.22), suggesting that the effects
      of GDM were independent of breast feeding, as well as of maternal obesity and
      birth size. 

PMID- 26496962
TI  - Maternal hyperglycemia at different stages of gestation and its effects on male
      reproductive functions in rats.
AB  - The critical period during which maternal hyperglycemia predisposes offspring to
      develop reproductive disorders in adult life is not known. The relationship
      between maternal hyperglycemia at different stages and reproductive functions of
      male offspring was investigated. A single intraperitoneal injection of alloxan
      (90 mg/kg body weight) was administered at gestation days (GD) 1, 8 and 15.
      Animals were subsequently given 10% glucose solution daily as drinking water
      until parturition. All male pups were sacrificed on the 63rd day of postnatal
      life. Birth weight, anogenital distance index (AGDi), testes descent day,
      preputial separation day, sperm profile, serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone
      and follicle-stimulating hormone levels and the histology of the testis were
      assessed. Data significance test was based on 95% confidence interval. GD1 pups
      showed a significant increase in mean birth weight, whereas GD8 pups and GD15
      pups had significantly reduced birth weight as compared with control. AGDi was
      significantly increased in GD8 and GD15 pups. Testes descent and preputial
      separation in all the experimental groups were significantly earlier. There was a
      significant reduction in sperm count and viability in GD8 offspring. Sperm
      motility was reduced in all test groups. Testosterone level was reduced in all
      test groups. Histology of the testis showed varying degrees of pathologies. It
      was deduced from this study that maternal hyperglycemia caused alterations in
      reproductive functions in male offspring of Wistar rats irrespective of the
      period of gestation involved, although GD8 pups were most severely affected. 

PMID- 26496963
TI  - Body composition in male rats subjected to early weaning and treated with diet
      containing flour or flaxseed oil after 21 days until 60 days.
AB  - The aim of this study was analyzed if the flour or flaxseed oil treatment
      contributes to body composition in male rats subjected to early weaning. Pups
      were weaned for separation from mother at 14 (early weaning, EW) and 21 days
      (control, C). At 21 days, part of the pups was evaluated (C21 v. EW21). After 21
      days, control (C60) was fed with control diet. EW was divided in control (EWC60);
      flaxseed flour (EWFF60); flaxseed oil (EWFO60) diets until 60 days. Body mass,
      length and body composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were determined.
      EW21 (v. C21) and EWC60 (v. C60 and EWFF60) showed lower (P<0.05) mass, length
      and body composition. EWFO60 (v. C60 and EWFF60) showed lower (P<0.05) body mass
      and length, body and trunk lean mass, bone mineral density and content and bone
      area. Flaxseed flour, in comparison with flaxseed oil, contributes to recovery of
      body composition after early weaning. 

PMID- 26496964
TI  - Dexamethasone protects normal human liver cells from apoptosis induced by tumor
      necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand by upregulating the expression
      of P-glycoproteins.
AB  - Glucocorticoids are effective for the treatment of acute-on-chronic pre-liver
      failure, severe chronic hepatitis B and acute liver failure; however, the
      mechanism underlying the effects of treatment by glucocorticoids remains to be
      fully elucidated. The role and detailed mechanism of how glucocorticoids prevent
      liver disease progression can be elucidated by investigating the apoptosis of
      hepatocytes following glucocorticoid treatment. P-glycoproteins (P-gps) also
      confer resistance to apoptosis induced by a diverse range of stimuli.
      Glucocorticoids, particularly dexamethasone (DEX), upregulate the expression of P
      gp in several tissues. In the present study, the normal human L-02 liver cell
      line was used, and techniques, including immunocytochemistry, western blot
      analysis, flow cytometry and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction analysis were used for determining the expression levels of P-gps, and
      for evaluating the effect of DEX pretreatment on the expression of P-gps. DEX (1
      10 uM) was added to the cell culture media and incubated for 24-72 h. The results
      revealed that DEX upregulated the mRNA and protein levels of P-gp in a dose- and
      time-dependent manner. Subsequently, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis
      inducing ligand (TRAIL) was used for the induction of apoptosis in the cells,
      followed by a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay
      to assess the apoptotic stages. The results demonstrated that apoptosis in the
      group of cells, which were pre-treated with DEX was significantly lower than that
      in the control group. Treatment with tariquidar, a P-gp inhibitor, reduced the
      anti-apoptotic effects of DEX. These results established that DEX protects normal
      human liver cells from TRAIL-induced apoptosis by upregulating the expression of
      P-gp. These observations may be useful for elucidating the mechanism of DEX for
      preventing the progression of liver disease. 

PMID- 26496965
TI  - PAMAM G4.5-chlorin e6 dendrimeric nanoparticles for enhanced photodynamic
      effects.
AB  - There is currently great interest in the development of efficient and specific
      carrier delivery platforms for systemic photodynamic therapy. Therefore, we aimed
      to develop covalent conjugates between the photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) and
      PAMAM G4.5 dendrimers. Singlet oxygen generation (SOG) efficiency and
      fluorescence emission were moderately affected by the covalent binding of the Ce6
      to the dendrimer. Compared to free Ce6, PAMAM anchored Ce6 displays a much higher
      photodynamic effect, which is ascribable to better internalization in a tumor
      cell model. Intracellular fate and internalization pathway of our different
      compounds were investigated using specific inhibition conditions and confocal
      fluorescence microscopy. Free Ce6 was shown to enter the cells by a simple
      diffusion mechanism, while G4.5-Ce6-PEG internalization was dependent on the
      caveolae pathway, whereas G4.5-Ce6 was subjected to the clathrin-mediated
      endocytosis pathway. Subcellular localization of PAMAM anchored Ce6, PEGylated or
      not, was very similar suggesting that the nanoparticles behave similarly in the
      cells. As a conclusion, we have demonstrated that PEGylated G4.5 PAMAM-Ce6
      dendrimers may offer effective biocompatible nanoparticles for improved
      photodynamic treatment in a preclinical tumor model. 

PMID- 26496966
TI  - Core-Shell Ferromagnetic Nanorod Based on Amine Polymer Composite (Fe3O4@DAPF)
      for Fast Removal of Pb(II) from Aqueous Solutions.
AB  - Heavy metal ion removal from wastewater constitutes an important issue in the
      water treatment industry. Although a variety of nanomaterials have been developed
      for heavy metal removal via adsorption, the adsorption capacity, removal
      efficiency, and material recyclability still remain a challenge. Here, we present
      novel Fe3O4@DAPF core-shell ferromagnetic nanorods (CSFMNRs) for the removal of
      Pb(II) from aqueous solutions; they were prepared by the facile surface
      modification of twin-like ferromagnetic Fe3O4 nanorods using a 2,3-diaminophenol
      and formaldehyde (DAPF)-based polymer. The crystallinity and structure of the
      Fe3O4 nanorods were confirmed via X-ray diffraction (XRD). Transmission electron
      microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed the core
      shell morphology and composition of the materials. Pb(II) removal using the
      prepared Fe3O4@DAPF CSFMNRs was assessed, and comparable adsorption capacities
      (83.3 mg g(-1)) to the largest value were demonstrated. A thermodynamic study of
      the adsorption clearly indicated that the adsorption was exothermic and
      spontaneous. Due to the ferromagnetic properties with a high saturation
      magnetization value (56.1 emu g(-1)) of the nanorods, the nanorods exhibited
      excellent reusability with one of the fastest recovery times (25 s) among
      reported materials. Therefore, the Fe3O4@DAPF CSFMNRs can serve as recyclable
      adsorbent materials and as an alternative to commonly used sorbent materials for
      the rapid removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions. 

PMID- 26496967
TI  - Using confined bacteria as building blocks to generate fluid flow.
AB  - In many technological applications, materials are transported by fluid flow at
      micro/nanometer scales. Conventionally, macroscopic apparatuses, such as syringe
      pumps, are used to drive the flow. This work explores the possibility of
      utilizing motile bacteria as microscopic pumps. We used micro-fabricated
      structures to confine smooth-swimming bacteria in a prescribed configuration. The
      flagella of confined bacteria rotate to collectively generate flow that can
      transport materials along designed trajectories. Different structures are
      combined to realize complex functions, such as collection or dispersion of
      particles. Experimental findings are reproduced in numerical simulations. Our
      method opens new ways to generate transport flow at the micrometer scale and to
      drive bio-hybrid devices. 

PMID- 26496968
TI  - Successful resumption of tocilizumab for rheumatoid arthritis after resection of
      a pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex lesion: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biological agents inhibiting TNF-alpha and other molecules involved
      in inflammatory cascade have been increasingly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis
      (RA). However, it remains controversial whether biological agents can be used
      safely in a patient with an underlying chronic infectious disease. CASE
      PRESENTATION: A 63-year-old woman who had been treated with tocilizumab (TCZ),
      anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody, for RA presented to our outpatient clinic
      due to hemoptysis. She was diagnosed with pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex
      (MAC) infection, and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) showed a single
      cavitary lesion in the right upper lobe. After diagnosis of pulmonary MAC
      disease, TCZ was discontinued and combination chemotherapy with clarithromycin,
      rifampicin, ethambutol and amikacin was started for MAC pulmonary disease. Since
      the lesion was limited in the right upper lobe as a single cavity formation, she
      underwent right upper lobectomy. As her RA symptoms were deteriorated around the
      operation, TCZ was resumed. After resumption of TCZ, her RA symptoms improved and
      a recurrence of pulmonary MAC infection has not been observed for more than 1
      year. CONCLUSION: This case suggested that TCZ could be safely reintroduced after
      the resection of a pulmonary MAC lesion. Although the use of biological agents is
      generally contraindicated in patients with pulmonary MAC disease, especially in
      those with a fibrocavitary lesion, a multimodality intervention for MAC including
      both medical and surgical approaches may enable introduction or resumption of
      biological agents.

PMID- 26496969
TI  - New horizons for GAG therapy in the management of urothelial damage.
AB  - Urothelial defects may manifest as various types of signs of symptoms such as
      frequency and urgency, haematuria and pain. Both prevention and treatment of
      urothelial damage is fundamental. Many currently adopted treatments lack robust
      clinical data and are associated with variability in management strategies.
      Glycosoaminoglycan (GAG) therapy is one of the most promising therapies in
      treatment of chemotherapy and radiotherapy-induced urothelium defects, and has
      been investigated in both animal models and clinical studies. 

PMID- 26496970
TI  - Stable n-type doping of graphene via high-molecular-weight ethylene amines.
AB  - We demonstrate a stable and strong n-type doping method to tune the electrical
      properties of graphene via vapor phase chemical doping with various high
      molecular-weight ethylene amines. The resulting carrier concentration after
      doping with pentaethylenehexamine (PEHA) is as high as -1.01 * 10(13) cm(-2),
      which reduces the sheet resistance of graphene by up to ~400% compared to
      pristine graphene. Our study suggests that the branched structure of the dopant
      molecules is another important factor that determines the actual doping degree of
      graphene. 

PMID- 26496971
TI  - Thermoelectric transport properties of pristine and Na-doped SnSe(1-x)Te(x)
      polycrystals.
AB  - SnSe, a "simple" and "old" binary compound composed of earth-abundant elements,
      has been reported to exhibit a high thermoelectric performance in single
      crystals, which stimulated recent interest in its polycrystalline counterparts.
      This work investigated the electrical and thermal transport properties of
      pristine and Na-doped SnSe1-xTex polycrystals prepared by mechanical alloying and
      spark plasma sintering. It is revealed that SnSe1-xTex solid solutions are formed
      when x ranges from 0 to 0.2. An energy barrier scattering mechanism is suitable
      for understanding the electrical conducting behaviour observed in the present
      SnSe polycrystalline materials, which may be associated with abundant defects at
      grain boundaries. The thermal conductivity was greatly reduced upon Te
      substitution due to alloy scattering of phonons as well explained by the Debye
      model. Due to the increased carrier concentration by Na-doping, thermoelectric
      figure of merit (ZT) was enhanced in the whole temperature range with a maximum
      value of 0.72 obtained at a relatively low temperature (773 K) for
      Sn0.99Na0.01Se0.84Te0.16. 

PMID- 26496972
TI  - Elucidating temporal resource allocation and diurnal dynamics in phototrophic
      metabolism using conditional FBA.
AB  - The computational analysis of phototrophic growth using constraint-based
      optimization requires to go beyond current time-invariant implementations of flux
      balance analysis (FBA). Phototrophic organisms, such as cyanobacteria, rely on
      harvesting the sun's energy for the conversion of atmospheric CO2 into organic
      carbon, hence their metabolism follows a strongly diurnal lifestyle. We describe
      the growth of cyanobacteria in a periodic environment using a new method called
      conditional FBA. Our approach enables us to incorporate the temporal organization
      and conditional dependencies into a constraint-based description of phototrophic
      metabolism. Specifically, we take into account that cellular processes require
      resources that are themselves products of metabolism. Phototrophic growth can
      therefore be formulated as a time-dependent linear optimization problem, such
      that optimal growth requires a differential allocation of resources during
      different times of the day. Conditional FBA then allows us to simulate
      phototrophic growth of an average cell in an environment with varying light
      intensity, resulting in dynamic time-courses for all involved reaction fluxes, as
      well as changes in biomass composition over a diurnal cycle. Our results are in
      good agreement with several known facts about the temporal organization of
      phototrophic growth and have implications for further analysis of resource
      allocation problems in phototrophic metabolism. 

PMID- 26496973
TI  - High-performing nonlinear visualization of terahertz radiation on a silicon
      charge-coupled device.
AB  - Photoinduced electron transitions can lead to significant changes of the
      macroscopic electronic properties in semiconductors. This principle is
      responsible for the detection of light with charge-coupled devices. Their
      spectral sensitivity is limited by the semiconductor bandgap which has restricted
      their visualization capabilities to the optical, ultraviolet, and X-ray regimes.
      The absence of an imaging device in the low frequency terahertz range has
      severely hampered the advance of terahertz imaging applications in the past. Here
      we introduce a high-performing imaging concept to the terahertz range. On the
      basis of a silicon charge-coupled device we visualize 5-13 THz radiation with
      photon energy under 2% of the sensor's band-gap energy. The unprecedented small
      pitch and large number of pixels allow the visualization of complex terahertz
      radiation patterns in real time and with high spatial detail. This advance will
      have a great impact on a wide range of terahertz imaging disciplines. 

PMID- 26496974
TI  - A nitrogen-containing carbon film derived from vapor phase polymerized
      polypyrrole as a fast charging/discharging capability anode for lithium-ion
      batteries.
AB  - A nitrogen-containing carbon (N-C) film was synthesized by pyrolysis of vapor
      phase polymerized polypyrrole (PPy). This carbon film exhibits excellent rate
      capability and cyclability as a lithium-ion battery anode. The reversible
      capacities are 908.4, 825.7, 664.0, 531.6, 415.5 and 325.9 mA h g(-1) at 1C, 2C,
      5C, 10C, 20C and 40C, respectively. 

PMID- 26496975
TI  - Chelating effect in short polymers for the design of bidentate binders of
      increased affinity and selectivity.
AB  - The design of new strong and selective binders is a key step towards the
      development of new sensing devices and effective drugs. Both affinity and
      selectivity can be increased through chelation and here we theoretically explore
      the possibility of coupling two binders through a flexible linker. We prove the
      enhanced ability of double binders of keeping their target with a simple model
      where a polymer composed by hard spheres interacts with a spherical
      macromolecule, such as a protein, through two sticky spots. By Monte Carlo
      simulations and thermodynamic integration we show the chelating effect to hold
      for coupling polymers whose radius of gyration is comparable to size of the
      chelated particle. We show the binding free energy of flexible double binders to
      be higher than that of two single binders and to be maximized when the binding
      sites are at distances comparable to the mean free polymer end-to-end distance.
      The affinity of two coupled binders is therefore predicted to increase non
      linearly and in turn, by targeting two non-equivalent binding sites, this will
      lead to higher selectivity. 

PMID- 26496976
TI  - First Principles Study on the Electronic Structure and Interface Stability of
      Hybrid Silicene/Fluorosilicene Nanoribbons.
AB  - The interface stability of hybrid silicene/fluorosilicene nanoribbons (SFNRs) has
      been investigated by using density functional theory calculations, where
      fluorosilicene is the fully fluorinated silicene. It is found that the diffusion
      of F atoms at the zigzag and armchair interfaces of SFNRs is endothermic, and the
      corresponding minimum energy barriers are respectively 1.66 and 1.56 eV, which
      are remarkably higher than the minimum diffusion energy barrier of one F atom and
      two F atoms on pristine silicene 1.00 and 1.29 eV, respectively. Therefore, the
      thermal stability of SFNRs can be significantly enhanced by increasing the F
      diffusion barriers through silicene/fluorosilicene interface engineering. In
      addition, the electronic and magnetic properties of SFNRs are also investigated.
      It is found that the armchair SFNRs are nonmagnetic semiconductors, and the band
      gap of armchair SFNRs presents oscillatory behavior when the width of silicene
      part changing. For the zigzag SFNRs, the antiferromagnetic semiconducting state
      is the most stable one. This work provides fundamental insights for the
      applications of SFNRs in electronic devices. 

PMID- 26496977
TI  - Cardiovascular magnetic resonance findings in patients with PRKAG2 gene
      mutations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autosomal dominantly inherited PRKAG2 cardiac syndrome is due to a
      unique defect of the cardiac cell metabolism and has a distinctive histopathology
      with excess intracellular glycogen, and prognosis different from sarcomeric
      hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. We aimed to define the distinct characteristics of
      PRKAG2 using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). METHODS: CMR (1.5 T) and
      genetic testing were performed in two families harboring PRKAG2 mutations. On
      CMR, segmental analysis of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (LVH), function,
      native T1 mapping, and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) were performed. RESULTS:
      Six individuals (median age 23 years, range 16-48; two females) had a PRKAG2
      mutation: five with an R302Q mutation (family 1), and one with a novel H344P
      mutation (family 2). Three of six mutation carriers had LV mass above age and
      gender limits (203 g/m2, 157 g/m2 and 68 g/m2) and others (with R302Q mutation)
      normal LV masses. All mutation carriers had LVH in at least one segment, with the
      median maximal wall thickness of 13 mm (range 11-37 mm). Two R302Q mutation
      carriers with markedly increased LV mass (203 g/m2 and 157 g/m2) showed a diffuse
      pattern of hypertrophy but predominantly in the interventricular septum, while
      other mutation carriers exhibited a non-symmetric mid-infero-lateral pattern of
      hypertrophy. In family 1, the mutation negative male had a mean T1 value of 963
      ms, three males with the R302Q mutation, LVH and no LGE a mean value of 918 +/-
      11 ms, and the oldest male with the R302Q mutation, extensive hypertrophy and LGE
      a mean value of 973 ms. Of six mutations carriers, two with advanced disease had
      LGE with 11 and 22 % enhancement of total LV volume. CONCLUSIONS: PRKAG2 cardiac
      syndrome may present with eccentric distribution of LVH, involving focal mid
      infero-lateral pattern in the early disease stage, and more diffuse pattern but
      focusing on interventricular septum in advanced cases. In patients at earlier
      stages of disease, without LGE, T1 values may be reduced, while in the advanced
      disease stage T1 mapping may result in higher values caused by fibrosis. CMR is a
      valuable tool in detecting diffuse and focal myocardial abnormalities in PRKAG2
      cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26496979
TI  - Impact of KITENIN on tumor angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in colorectal
      cancer.
AB  - Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are involved in the dissemination of tumor
      cells from solid tumors to regional lymph nodes and various distant sites. KAI1
      COOH-terminal interacting tetraspanin (KITENIN) contributes to tumor progression
      and poor clinical outcomes in various cancers including colorectal cancer. The
      aim of the present study was to evaluate whether KITENIN affects tumor
      angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in colorectal cancer. A KITENIN small
      interfering RNA vector was used to silence KITENIN expression in colorectal
      cancer cell lines including DLD1 and SW480 cells. To evaluate the ability of
      KITENIN to induce angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells (HUVECs) and lymphatic endothelial cells (HLECs), we performed
      Matrigel invasion and tube formation assays. Immunohistochemistry was used to
      determine the expression of KITENIN in colorectal cancer tissues. Angiogenesis
      and lymphangiogenesis were evaluated by immunostaining with CD34 and D2-40
      antibodies. KITENIN silencing inhibited both HUVEC invasion and tube formation in
      the DLD1 and SW480 cells. KITENIN silencing led to decreased expression of the
      angiogenic inducers vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A and hypoxia
      inducible factor-1alpha and increased expression of the angiogenic inhibitor
      angiostatin. KITENIN silencing did not inhibit either HLEC invasion or tube
      formation in all tested cells, but it resulted in decreased expression of the
      lymphangiogenic inducer VEGF-C. KITENIN expression was significantly associated
      with tumor stage, depth of invasion, lymph node and distant metastases and poor
      survival. The mean microvessel density was significantly higher in the KITENIN
      positive tumors than that in the KITENIN-negative tumors. However, the mean
      lymphatic vessel density of KITENIN-positive tumors was not significantly higher
      than that of the KITENIN-negative tumors. These results suggest that KITENIN
      promotes tumor progression by enhancing angiogenesis in colorectal cancer. 

PMID- 26496978
TI  - Integrated analysis of miRNA and mRNA paired expression profiling of prenatal
      skeletal muscle development in three genotype pigs.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital role in muscle development by binding to
      messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Based on prenatal skeletal muscle at 33, 65 and 90 days
      post-coitus (dpc) from Landrace, Tongcheng and Wuzhishan pigs, we carried out
      integrated analysis of miRNA and mRNA expression profiling. We identified 33, 18
      and 67 differentially expressed miRNAs and 290, 91 and 502 mRNA targets in
      Landrace, Tongcheng and Wuzhishan pigs, respectively. Subsequently, 12 mRNAs and
      3 miRNAs differentially expressed were validated using quantitative real-time PCR
      (qPCR), and 5 predicted miRNA targets were confirmed via dual luciferase reporter
      or western blot assays. We identified a set of miRNAs and mRNA genes
      differentially expressed in muscle development. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment
      analysis suggests that the miRNA targets are primarily involved in muscle
      contraction, muscle development and negative regulation of cell proliferation.
      Our data indicated that more mRNAs are regulated by miRNAs at earlier stages than
      at later stages of muscle development. Landrace and Tongcheng pigs also had
      longer phases of myoblast proliferation than Wuzhishan pigs. This study will be
      helpful to further explore miRNA-mRNA interactions in myogenesis and aid to
      uncover the molecular mechanisms of muscle development and phenotype variance in
      pigs. 

PMID- 26496981
TI  - Molecular pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies of human osteosarcoma.
AB  - Osteosarcoma (OS) is a devastating illness with rapid rates of dissemination and
      a poor overall prognosis, despite aggressive standard-of-care surgical techniques
      and combination chemotherapy regimens. Identifying the molecular mechanisms
      involved in disease pathogenesis and progression may offer insight into new
      therapeutic targets. Defects in mesenchymal stem cell differentiation, abnormal
      expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressors, and dysregulation within various
      important signaling pathways have all been implicated in development of various
      disease phenotypes. As such, a variety of basic science and translational studies
      have shown promise in identifying novel markers and modulators of these disease
      specific aberrancies. Born out of these and similar investigations, a variety of
      emerging therapies are now undergoing various phases of OS clinical testing. They
      broadly include angiogenesis inhibitors, drugs that act on the bone
      microenvironment, receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, immune system modulators,
      and other radio- or chemo-sensitizing agents. As new forms of drug delivery are
      being developed simultaneously, the possibility of targeting tumors locallywhile
      minimizing systemic toxicityis is seemingly more achievable now than ever. In
      this review, we not only summarize our current understanding of OS disease
      processes, but also shed light on the multitude of potential therapeutic
      strategies the scientific community can use to make long-term improvements in
      patient prognosis.

PMID- 26496980
TI  - Co-treatment of THP-1 cells with naringenin and curcumin induces cell cycle
      arrest and apoptosis via numerous pathways.
AB  - Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematological malignancy with a low survival
      rate. Curcumin, which is a multi-targeted anticancer agent, has been shown to
      exert anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic
      activities. Naringenin is extracted from citrus fruits and exerts anti-mutagenic
      and anti-carcinogenic activities in various types of cancer cells. However, the
      effects of curcumin and naringenin in combination in AML cells have yet to be
      studied. The present study aimed to investigate the combination effects of
      curcumin and naringenin on the viability, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis
      rate of THP-1 cells using cell viability assays, flow cytometry, and western
      blotting. Naringenin enhanced curcumin-induced apoptosis and cell viability
      inhibition. In addition, curcumin and naringenin induced cell cycle arrest at S
      phase and G2/M phase. Numerous pathways, including p53, c-Jun N-terminal kinases
      (JNK), Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1/2 pathways were
      markedly altered following treatment of THP-1 cells with curcumin and naringenin.
      These results indicated that naringenin may enhance curcumin-induced apoptosis
      through inhibiting the Akt and ERK pathways, and promoting the JNK and p53
      pathways. 

PMID- 26496982
TI  - Control of Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease among Multinational Patient
      Population in the Arabian Gulf.
AB  - We evaluated the control of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among
      patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in the Centralized
      Pan-Middle East Survey on the undertreatment of hypercholesterolaemia (CEPHEUS)
      in the Arabian Gulf. Of the 4398 enrolled patients, overall mean age was 57 +/-
      11 years, 60% were males, 13% were smokers, 76% had diabetes, 71% had metabolic
      syndrome and 78% had very high ASCVD risk status. The proportion of subjects with
      body mass index <25 kgm2, HbA1c <7% (in diabetics), low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (LDL-C) <2.6 mmol/L (100 mg/dL) and <1.8 mmol/L (70 mg/dL) for high
      and very high ASCVD risk cohorts, respectively and controlled blood pressure
      (<140/90 mmHg) was 14, 26, 31% and 60%, respectively. Only 1.4% of the
      participants had all of their CVD risk factors controlled with significant
      differences among the countries (P < .001). CVD risk goal attainment rates were
      significantly lower in those with very high ASCVD risk compared with those with
      high ASCVD risk status (P < .001). Females were also, generally, less likely to
      attain goals when compared with males (P < .001).

PMID- 26496984
TI  - Molt-dependent transcriptomic analysis of cement proteins in the barnacle
      Amphibalanus amphitrite.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A complete understanding of barnacle adhesion remains elusive as the
      process occurs within and beneath the confines of a rigid calcified shell.
      Barnacle cement is mainly proteinaceous and several individual proteins have been
      identified in the hardened cement at the barnacle-substrate interface. Little is
      known about the molt- and tissue-specific expression of cement protein genes but
      could offer valuable insight into the complex multi-step processes of barnacle
      growth and adhesion. METHODS: The main body and sub-mantle tissue of the barnacle
      Amphibalanus amphitrite (basionym Balanus amphitrite) were collected in pre- and
      post-molt stages. RNA-seq technology was used to analyze the transcriptome for
      differential gene expression at these two stages and liquid chromatography-mass
      spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to analyze the protein content
      of barnacle secretions. RESULTS: We report on the transcriptomic analysis of
      barnacle cement gland tissue in pre- and post-molt growth stages and proteomic
      investigation of barnacle secretions. While no significant difference was found
      in the expression of cement proteins genes at pre- and post-molting stages,
      expression levels were highly elevated in the sub-mantle tissue (where the cement
      glands are located) compared to the main barnacle body. We report the discovery
      of a novel 114kD cement protein, which is identified in material secreted onto
      various surfaces by adult barnacles and with the encoding gene highly expressed
      in the sub-mantle tissue. Further differential gene expression analysis of the
      sub-mantle tissue samples reveals a limited number of genes highly expressed in
      pre-molt samples with a range of functions including cuticular development,
      biominerialization, and proteolytic activity. CONCLUSIONS: The expression of
      cement protein genes appears to remain constant through the molt cycle and is
      largely confined to the sub-mantle tissue. Our results reveal a novel and
      potentially prominent protein to the mix of cement-related components in A.
      amphitrite. Despite the lack of a complete genome, sample collection allowed for
      extended transcriptomic analysis of pre- and post-molt barnacle samples and
      identified a number of highly-expressed genes. Our results highlight the
      complexities of this sessile marine organism as it grows via molt cycles and
      increases the area over which it exhibits robust adhesion to its substrate.

PMID- 26496985
TI  - Health related quality of life two to five years after gestational diabetes
      mellitus: cross-sectional comparative study in the ATLANTIC DIP cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is no consensus on the effect of gestational diabetes mellitus
      (GDM) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for the mother in the short or
      long term. In this study we examined HRQOL in a group of women who had GDM in the
      index pregnancy 2 to 5 years previously and compared it to a group of women with
      normal glucose tolerance (NGT) in the index pregnancy during the same time
      period. METHODS: The sample included 234 women who met International Association
      of Diabetes Study Groups (IADPSG) criteria for GDM in the index pregnancy and 108
      who had NGT. The sample was drawn from the ATLATIC-DIP (Diabetes In Pregnancy)
      cohort - a network of antenatal centers along the Irish Atlantic seaboard serving
      a population of approximately 500,000 people. HRQOL was measured using the visual
      analogue component of the EQ-5D-3 L instrument in a cross-sectional survey.
      RESULTS: The difference in HRQOL between GDM and NGT groups was not significant
      when adjusted for the effects of the covariates. HRQOL was negatively affected by
      increased BMI and abnormal glucose tolerance post-partum in the NGT group.
      Moderate alcohol consumption was positively associated with HRQOL in the NGT
      group only. The negative association with smoking on HRQOL was substantially
      higher in the GDM group. CONCLUSIONS: A diagnosis of GDM does not appear to have
      an adverse effect on HRQOL, 2 to 5 years after the index pregnancy. On the
      contrary, its diagnosis might lead to the development of coping strategies,
      which, consequently attenuates the adverse effect of the subsequent acquisition
      of abnormal glucose tolerance post-partum on HRQOL. Women whose pregnancy was
      affected by GDM are more susceptible to the adverse effects on HRQOL of alcohol
      use and tobacco smoking.

PMID- 26496983
TI  - Modelling the distribution and transmission intensity of lymphatic filariasis in
      sub-Saharan Africa prior to scaling up interventions: integrated use of
      geostatistical and mathematical modelling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is one of the neglected tropical diseases
      targeted for global elimination. The ability to interrupt transmission is,
      partly, influenced by the underlying intensity of transmission and its
      geographical variation. This information can also help guide the design of
      targeted surveillance activities. The present study uses a combination of
      geostatistical and mathematical modelling to predict the prevalence and
      transmission intensity of LF prior to the implementation of large-scale control
      in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: A systematic search of the literature was
      undertaken to identify surveys on the prevalence of Wuchereria bancrofti
      microfilaraemia (mf), based on blood smears, and on the prevalence of
      antigenaemia, based on the use of an immuno-chromatographic card test (ICT).
      Using a suite of environmental and demographic data, spatiotemporal multivariate
      models were fitted separately for mf prevalence and ICT-based prevalence within a
      Bayesian framework and used to make predictions for non-sampled areas. Maps of
      the dominant vector species of LF were also developed. The maps of predicted
      prevalence and vector distribution were linked to mathematical models of the
      transmission dynamics of LF to infer the intensity of transmission, quantified by
      the basic reproductive number (R0). RESULTS: The literature search identified
      1267 surveys that provide suitable data on the prevalence of mf and 2817 surveys
      that report the prevalence of antigenaemia. Distinct spatial predictions arose
      from the models for mf prevalence and ICT-based prevalence, with a wider
      geographical distribution when using ICT-based data. The vector distribution maps
      demonstrated the spatial variation of LF vector species. Mathematical modelling
      showed that the reproduction number (R0) estimates vary from 2.7 to 30, with
      large variations between and within regions. CONCLUSIONS: LF transmission is
      highly heterogeneous, and the developed maps can help guide intervention,
      monitoring and surveillance strategies as countries progress towards LF
      elimination.

PMID- 26496986
TI  - Annually recurring erythema annulare centrifugum: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Erythema annulare centrifugum is a rare cutaneous disease
      characterized by erythematous and violaceous annular plaques that usually
      involved the thighs and the legs. The eruption may be associated with an
      underlying disease and its accompanying characteristic symptoms. For these
      reasons, a full physical examination should be conducted to exclude underlying
      disorders. Annually recurring erythema annulare centrifugum is a rare and
      peculiar variant of erythema annulare centrifugum with the same clinical and
      histopathological characteristics. The lesions of annually recurring erythema
      annulare centrifugum tend to regress spontaneously after a variable period of
      days to months with yearly recurrence for many years. CASE PRESENTATION: We
      present the case of a 46-year-old caucasian woman affected by annually recurring
      erythema annulare centrifugum, which is a peculiar form of superficial erythema
      annulare centrifugum. The lesions have the same clinical and histopathological
      characteristics of the classical superficial form of erythema annulare
      centrifugum and tend to regress spontaneously after a variable period of days to
      months. In our case, no precipitating factors were identified and no underlying
      diseases were found. Every year for the last 12 years the lesions started to
      appear in the summer months and regressed spontaneously in autumn. CONCLUSIONS:
      Cases of annually recurring erythema annulare centrifugum are rarely reported in
      the literature and generally no causative agent can be detected. The main feature
      of annually recurring erythema annulare centrifugum is the constant annual and
      seasonal recurrence of the lesions for many years.

PMID- 26496987
TI  - Cardiac monitoring always required after electrical injuries?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Controversy still exists regarding inpatient monitoring of patients
      exposed to electrical injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a monocentric
      retrospective study, we evaluated the medical records of 169 patients admitted to
      the University Hospital of Cologne from January 2000 to January 2014 because of
      electrical trauma. The electrocardiogram (ECG) data of 40 patients were missing.
      RESULTS: Patients in our collective were predominantly young men (60 %) with an
      average age of 17.5 +/- 17 years (1 year to 73 years). The electrical trauma
      occurred occupational (20 %), domestic (65 %), and during leisure time (15 %). In
      the high-voltage (>= 1000 V) group (n = 7; 71 % male; 40.0 +/- 19.4 years) one
      death was reported, related to an open intracranial injury and cardiac arrest. Of
      the six surviving patients five showed normal ECGs and one a sinus tachycardia.
      In the low-voltage (< 1000 V) group (n = 162, 56 % male; 5.0 +/- 4.3 years) the
      ECG findings were as follows: 104 normal, 5 sinus tachycardia, 3 sinus
      arrhythmia, 6 ST segment changes, 3 premature atrial contraction, 1 premature
      ventricular contraction, 1 atrio-ventricular (AV)-Block and 1 delta wave. In all,
      one patient showed a self-limiting supraventricular tachycardia. CONCLUSION:
      Asymptomatic and stable patients without any risk factors and with a normal
      initial ECG need no inpatient cardiac monitoring after an electrical injury.

PMID- 26496988
TI  - Reflections of Black Women Who Choose to Breastfeed:  Influences, Challenges and
      Supports.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Black women continue to have the lowest rates of breastfeeding. Of
      those who choose to breastfeed up to half cease nursing within the first few days
      or months postpartum. This study identified factors that influence and challenge
      Black women who choose to breastfeed, and supportive strategies that facilitate
      successful breastfeeding experiences. METHODS: Four focus groups were conducted
      in 2013 with 16 self-identified Black women aged 21-46 (M = 31.35 years), with 11
      18 (M = 14.94) years of education, and were either pregnant or had given birth to
      an infant within the prior 5 years (range of pregnancies 1-7; M = 2.44). A
      standard set of questions guided discussions. Data saturation occurred after
      three groups. All discussions were audiotaped and transcribed. Qualitative
      methods were used to identify categories and subthemes. Reviewers met
      periodically to resolve ambiguities and coding discrepancies. Member checking was
      conducted. RESULTS: Four major categories emerged: Balancing the influences:
      People, myths, and technology; Being in the know; Critical periods; and,
      Supportive Transitions. Most women experienced little help with breastfeeding
      from health providers or systems. More influential was the interplay of family
      members,myths and the internet "as my friend". Role models and personalized
      support were noted as important but lacking among Black women. Patient profiling,
      experienced by some of the women, impacted breastfeeding choices. CONCLUSIONS:
      Black women such as our participants are critical partners as we develop systems
      of care to decrease disparities and increase Black women's successes in
      breastfeeding. Findings underscore the importance of having diverse, readily
      available, user-friendly, culturally sensitive options for Black women who choose
      to breastfeed.

PMID- 26496989
TI  - Life Course Factors Associated with Initiation and Continuation  of Exclusive
      Breastfeeding.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) benefits the life course health
      development of infants, families, and society. Professional health associations
      recommend EBF for 4 months, and many now recommend EBF for 6 months. Yet only
      18.8 % of US infants born in 2011 were exclusively breastfed. Numerous studies on
      breastfeeding are published, but few describe EBF. This study describes
      characteristics of women who initiated EBF and examines the associations of those
      factors with EBF lasting >=4 months. The Life Course Health Development
      (LCHD)framework was used to structure the analysis and interpret results.
      METHODS: Data collected through the Infant Feeding Practices Study II survey
      (2005-2007) were used to identify a cohort of women (n = 1226) practicing EBF at
      the time of hospital discharge and their sociodemographic, health, work, and
      child care characteristics. Associations of these characteristics with EBF
      lasting >=4 months were studied by bivariate and logistic regression analyses.
      RESULTS: College education [odds ratio (OR) 2.14, 95 %confidence interval (CI)
      1.58-2.89] and marriage (OR2.19, 95 % CI 1.43-3.37) were associated with greater
      odds of EBF lasting >=4 months, whereas the plan to return to work after birth
      (OR 0.57, 95 % CI 0.43-0.74), living in the south (OR 0.67, 95 % CI 0.47-0.95),
      and postpartum depression risk (OR 0.43, 95 % CI 0.28-0.66)were associated with
      lower odds of EBF lasting >= 4 months. DISCUSSION: Several factors associated
      with disparities in continued EBF were identified. The application of the LCHD
      framework furthers understanding of the multiple and interacting risks associated
      with early discontinuation of EBF.

PMID- 26496990
TI  - Quantitative trait loci with sex-specific effects for internal organs weights and
      hematocrit value in a broiler-layer cross.
AB  - Rapid growth in broilers is associated with susceptibility to metabolic disorders
      such as pulmonary hypertension syndrome (ascites) and sudden death. This study
      describes a genome search for QTL associated with relative weight of cardio
      respiratory and metabolically important organs (heart, lungs, liver and gizzard),
      and hematocrit value in a Brazilian broiler-layer cross. QTL with similar or
      different effects across sexes were investigated. At 42 days of age after fasted
      for 6 h, the F2 chickens were weighed and slaughtered. Weights and percentages of
      the weight relative to BW42 of gizzard, heart, lungs, liver and hematocrit were
      used in the QTL search. Parental, F1 and F2 individuals were genotyped with 128
      genetic markers (127 microsatellites and 1 SNP) covering 22 linkage groups. QTL
      mapping analyses were carried out using mixed models. A total of 11 genome-wide
      significant QTL and five suggestive linkages were mapped. Thus, genome-wide
      significant QTL with similar effects across sexes were mapped to GGA2, 4 and 14
      for heart weight, and to GGA2, 8 and 12 for gizzard %. Additionally, five genome
      wide significant QTL with different effects across sexes were mapped to GGA 8, 19
      and 26 for heart weight; GGA26 for heart % and GGA3 for hematocrit value. Five
      QTL were detected in chromosomal regions where QTL for similar traits were
      previously mapped in other F2 chicken populations. Seven novel genome-wide
      significant QTL are reported here, and 21 positional candidate genes in QTL
      regions were identified.

PMID- 26496992
TI  - Bilateral uveal melanomas with different gene expression detected with 7 years
      interval.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report a bilateral uveal melanoma detected in a micrometastasis
      study. METHOD: Case report. RESULTS: At enucleation of a circumpapillary
      amelanotic mixed melanoma in a patient with ocular melanocytosis, a pigmented
      lesion in the other eye was detected, thought to be a naevus. BAP1 was positive
      showing nuclear staining of the tumour cells. Seven years later the naevus showed
      growth and development of a retinal detachment. FNAB disclosed monosomy 3 in the
      spindle tumour cells. CONCLUSION: A case of bilateral melanoma with long-term
      survival without metastatic diseases is reported. Different gene expressions in
      the two eyes were revealed. The case is a reminder that follow-up over years is
      essential in patients with a uveal melanoma, especially with ocular
      melanocytosis.

PMID- 26496993
TI  - Transgenerational effects of land use on offspring performance  and growth in
      Trifolium repens.
AB  - Central European grasslands vary widely in productivity and in mowing and grazing
      regimes. The resulting differences in competition and heterogeneity among
      grasslands might have direct effects on plants, but might also affect the growth
      and morphology of their offspring through maternal effects or adaptive evolution.
      To test for such transgenerational effects, we grew plants of the clonal herb
      Trifolium repens from seeds collected in 58 grassland sites differing in
      productivity and mowing and grazing intensities in different treatments: without
      competition, with homogeneous competition, and with heterogeneous competition. In
      the competition-free treatment, T. repens from more productive, less frequently
      mown, and less intensively grazed sites produced more vegetative offspring, but
      this was not the case in the other treatments. When grown among or in close
      proximity to competitors, T. repens plants did not show preferential growth
      towards open spaces (i.e., no horizontal foraging), but did show strong vertical
      foraging by petiole elongation. In the homogeneous competition treatment, petiole
      length increased with the productivity of the parental site, but this was not the
      case in the heterogeneous competition treatment. Moreover, petiole length
      increased with mowing frequency and grazing intensity of the parental site in all
      but the homogeneous competition treatment. In summary, although the expression of
      differences between plants from sites with different productivities and land-use
      intensities depended on the experimental treatment, our findings imply that there
      are transgenerational effects of land use on the morphology and performance of T.
      repens.

PMID- 26496991
TI  - Metacognitive Awareness of Facial Affect in Higher-Functioning Children and
      Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
AB  - Higher-functioning participants with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
      viewed a series of face stimuli, made decisions regarding the affect of each
      face, and indicated their confidence in each decision. Confidence significantly
      predicted accuracy across all participants, but this relation was stronger for
      participants with typical development than participants with ASD. In the
      hierarchical linear modeling analysis, there were no differences in face
      processing accuracy between participants with and without ASD, but participants
      with ASD were more confident in their decisions. These results suggest that
      individuals with ASD have metacognitive impairments and are overconfident in face
      processing. Additionally, greater metacognitive awareness was predictive of
      better face processing accuracy, suggesting that metacognition may be a pivotal
      skill to teach in interventions. 

PMID- 26496994
TI  - Cofilin phosphorylation is elevated after F-actin disassembly induced by Rac1
      depletion.
AB  - Cytoskeletal reorganization is essential to keratinocyte function. Rac1 regulates
      cytoskeletal reorganization through signaling pathways such as the cofilin
      cascade. Cofilin severs actin filaments after activation by dephosphorylation.
      Rac1 was knocked out in mouse keratinocytes and it was found that actin filaments
      disassembled. In the epidermis of mice in which Rac1 was knocked out only in
      keratinocytes, cofilin phosphorylation was aberrantly elevated, corresponding to
      repression of the phosphatase slingshot1 (SSH1). These effects were independent
      of the signaling pathways for p21-activated kinase/LIM kinase (Pak/LIMK), protein
      kinase C, or protein kinase D or generation of reactive oxygen species.
      Similarly, when actin polymerization was specifically inhibited or Rac1 was
      knocked down, cofilin phosphorylation was enhanced and SSH1 was repressed.
      Repression of SSH1 partially blocked actin depolymerization induced by Rac1
      depletion. Therefore, aberrant cofilin phosphorylation that induces actin
      polymerization might be a consequence of actin disassembly induced by the absence
      of Rac1.

PMID- 26496995
TI  - Over-expression of prothymosin-alpha antagonizes TGFbeta signalling to promote
      the development of emphysema.
AB  - Emphysema, a major consequence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
      is characterized by the permanent airflow restriction resulting from enlargement
      of alveolar airspace and loss of lung elasticity. Transforming growth factor-beta
      (TGFbeta) signalling regulates the balance of matrix metalloproteinase
      (MMP)/tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP) to control matrix
      homeostasis. Patients with COPD have dysregulated TGFbeta signalling and reduced
      histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity through epigenetic up-regulation of histone
      acetylation in the promoters of pro-inflammatory genes. However, the potential
      link between decreased HDAC activity and dysregulated TGFbeta signalling in
      emphysema pathogenesis remains to be determined. Prothymosin alpha (ProT), a
      highly conserved acidic nuclear protein, plays a role in the acetylation of
      histone and non-histone proteins. The aim of this study was to test the
      hypothesis that ProT inhibits TGFbeta-Smad signalling through Smad7, thereby
      contributing to emphysema pathogenesis. We show that ProT enhances Smad7
      acetylation by decreasing its association with HDAC and thereby down-regulates
      TGFbeta-Smad signalling. ProT caused an imbalance between MMP and TIMP through
      acetylated Smad7 in favour of MMP expression. In addition to interfering with R
      Smad activation and targeting receptors for degradation in the cytoplasm,
      acetylated Smad7 potentiated by ProT competitively antagonized binding of the
      pSmad2/3-Smad4 complex to the TIMP-3 promoter, resulting in reduced TIMP-3
      expression. These effects were detected in ProT-over-expressing cells, lungs of
      ProT transgenic mice displaying an emphysema phenotype and in emphysema patients.
      Importantly, increased Smad7 and reduced TIMP-3 were found in the lungs of
      emphysema patients and mice with cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced emphysema.
      Such effects could be abrogated by silencing endogenous ProT expression.
      Collectively, our results uncover acetylated Smad7 regulated by ProT as an
      important determinant in dysregulated TGFbeta signalling that contributes to
      emphysema pathogenesis.

PMID- 26496996
TI  - Conditioned inhibition in preweanling rats.
AB  - Inhibitory conditioning is a very well established phenomenon in associative
      learning that has been demonstrated in both humans and adult animals. But in
      spite of the fact that this topic has generated much empirical and theoretical
      work, there are no published studies assessing inhibitory learning during the
      early ontogeny of the rat. In this study we test the possibility of finding
      conditioned inhibition in infant rats (Day 10) using a conditioned taste aversion
      procedure. We tested whether the consumption of saccharin (A) was reduced when
      paired with a LiCl injection compared to the presentation of saccharin in
      compound with a lemon odor (AX) without any aversive consequence. After training,
      retardation, and summation tests were conducted in order to evaluate the
      inhibitory properties of the lemon odor (X). The results of this study showed
      that in male pups, after conditioned inhibition training, stimulus X passed both
      retardation and summation tests. These results indicate that conditioned
      inhibition can be established in the early development of the rat, suggesting
      that animals at this stage of ontogeny have the capacity to acquire and to
      express inhibitory conditioning, although this effect appears to be sex
      dependent.

PMID- 26496997
TI  - [Hepatocellular tumours in noncirrhotic liver tissue].
AB  - In recent years, the spectrum of tissue-based diagnostics of hepatocellular
      tumours has changed due to novel molecular pathological findings. Innovative
      radiographics filter out small lesions and ambiguous tumours for bioptical
      sampling. The spectrum of these tumours includes hepatocellular carcinoma,
      hepatocellular adenomas, focal nodular hyperplasia and macroregenerative nodules.
      Primarily, morphological analysis should identify the dignity of a lesion. After
      exclusion of HCC and reactive liver cell nodules, hepatocellular adenomas should
      be further subclassified based on immunohistochemical/molecular pathological
      criteria according to the WHO classification of liver tumours. This procedure
      provides significant additional information regarding the prognosis and
      therapeutic implications of hepatocellular adenomas.

PMID- 26496998
TI  - Reply to comment to Meta-analysis and systematic review of laparoscopic versus
      open mesh repair for elective incisional hernia. Jensen K, Jorgensen LN.

PMID- 26496999
TI  - Calpain-1 is associated with adverse relapse free survival in breast cancer: a
      confirmatory study.
AB  - AIMS: Calpain-1 is a ubiquitously expressed calcium-activated intracellular
      cysteine protease. Altered expression of calpain system proteins has been
      implicated in cancer progression and response to chemotherapy. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: The aim of the current study was to confirm previous data that suggested
      that calpain-1 expression is associated with relapse-free survival in trastuzumab
      treated breast cancer patients (n = 93). An expanded patient cohort from
      Nottingham (n = 194; including 72 of the previous cohort) and an independent
      patient cohort from Newcastle (n = 87) were used. All patients received
      trastuzumab following adjuvant therapy according to local guidelines with
      expression of calpain-1 investigated using standard immunohistochemistry. Results
      show that calpain-1 expression is associated with relapse-free survival in both
      the Nottingham (P = 0.01) and Newcastle (P = 0.019) cohorts, with high expression
      associated with adverse relapse-free survival. Expression was also associated
      with poor relapse-free survival when patient cohorts were combined (n = 281, P =
      0.01). Calpain-1 remained, from multivariate analysis, an independent marker for
      relapse-free survival in the Newcastle cohort [hazard ratio (HR) = 5.169; 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 1.468-18.200; P = 0.011]. CONCLUSIONS: Calpain-1
      expression is associated with poor relapse-free survival in breast cancer
      patients treated with trastuzumab. Further work is warranted to standardize and
      develop methodology with a view to potentially introducing assessment of this
      important biomarker into clinical practice.

PMID- 26497000
TI  - The Chemical Aquatic Fate and Effects database (CAFE), a tool that supports
      assessments of chemical spills in aquatic environments.
AB  - The Chemical Aquatic Fate and Effects (CAFE) database is a centralized repository
      that allows for rapid and unrestricted access to data. Information in CAFE is
      integrated into a user-friendly tool with modules containing fate and effects
      data for 32 377 and 4498 chemicals, respectively. Toxicity data are summarized in
      the form of species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) with associated 1st and 5th
      percentile hazard concentrations (HCs). An assessment of data availability
      relative to reported chemical incidents showed that CAFE had fate and toxicity
      data for 32 and 20 chemicals, respectively, of 55 chemicals reported in the US
      National Response Center database (2000-2014), and fate and toxicity data for 86
      and 103, respectively, of 205 chemicals reported by the National Oceanic and
      Atmospheric Administration (2003-2014). Modeled environmental concentrations of 2
      hypothetical spills (acrylonitrile, 625 barrels; and denatured ethanol, 857
      barrels) were used to demonstrate CAFE's practical application. Most species in
      the 24-h SSD could be potentially impacted by acrylonitrile and denatured ethanol
      during the first 35 min and 15 h post spill, respectively, with concentrations
      falling below their HC5s (17 mg/L and 2676 mg/L) at 45 min and 60 h post spill,
      respectively. Comparisons of CAFE-based versus published HC5 values for 100
      chemicals showed that nearly half of values were within a 2-fold difference, with
      a relatively small number of comparisons exceeding a 10-fold difference. The
      development of CAFE facilitates access to relevant environmental information,
      with potential uses likely expanding beyond those related to assessment of spills
      in aquatic environments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1576-1586. (c) 2015 SETAC.

PMID- 26497001
TI  - New member of the R2R3-MYB transcription factors family in grapevine suppresses
      the anthocyanin accumulation in the flowers of transgenic tobacco.
AB  - In grapevine, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins are the main flavonoids in
      berries, which are associated to organoleptic properties in red wine such as
      color and astringency. Flavonoid pathway is specifically regulated at
      transcriptional level and several R2R3-MYB proteins have shown to act as positive
      regulators. However, some members of this family have shown to repress the
      flavonoid biosynthesis. In this work, we present the characterization of VvMYB4
      like gene, which encodes a putative transcriptional factor highly expressed in
      the skin of berries at the pre veraison stage in grapevine. Its over-expression
      in tobacco resulted in the loss of pigmentation in flowers due a decrease in
      anthocyanin accumulation. Severity in anthocyanin suppression observed in petals
      could be associated with the expression level of the VvMYB4-like transgene.
      Expression analysis of flavonoid structural genes revealed the strong down
      regulation of the flavonoid-related genes anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) and
      dihydroflavonol reductase (DFR) genes and also the reduction of the anthocyanin
      related gene UDP glucose:flavonoid 3-O-glucosyl transferase (UFGT), which was
      dependent of the transgene expression. In addition, expression of VvMYB4-like in
      the model plant Arabidopsis showed similar results, with the higher down
      regulation observed in the AtDFR and AtLDOX genes. These results suggest that
      VvMYB4-like may play an important role in regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis
      in grapevine acting as a transcriptional repressor of flavonoid structural genes.

PMID- 26497002
TI  - The Irish Cost-Effectiveness Threshold: Does it Support Rational Rationing or
      Might it Lead to Unintended Harm to Ireland's Health System?
AB  - Ireland is one of the few countries worldwide to have an explicit cost
      effectiveness threshold. In 2012, an agreement between government and the
      pharmaceutical industry that provided substantial savings on existing medications
      set the threshold at ?45,000/quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). This replaced a
      previously unofficial threshold of ?20,000/QALY. According to the agreement,
      drugs within the threshold will be granted reimbursement, whereas those exceeding
      it may still be approved following further negotiation. A number of drugs far
      exceeding the threshold have been approved recently. The agreement only applies
      to pharmaceuticals. There are four reasons for concern regarding Ireland's
      threshold. The absence of an explicit threshold for non-drug interventions leaves
      it unclear if there is parity in willingness to pay across all interventions. As
      the threshold resembles a price floor rather than a ceiling, in principle it only
      offers a weak barrier to cost-ineffective interventions. It has no empirical
      basis. Finally, it is probably too high given recent estimates of a threshold for
      the UK based on the cost effectiveness of services forgone of approximately
      L13,000/QALY. An excessive threshold risks causing the Irish health system
      unintended harm. The lack of an empirically informed threshold means the policy
      recommendations of cost-effectiveness analysis cannot be considered as fully
      evidence- based rational rationing. Policy makers should consider these issues
      and recent Irish legislation that defined cost effectiveness in terms of the
      opportunity cost of services forgone when choosing what threshold to apply once
      the current industry agreement expires at the end of 2015

PMID- 26497003
TI  - Transforming Healthcare Delivery: Integrating Dynamic Simulation Modelling and
      Big Data in Health Economics and Outcomes Research.
AB  - In the era of the Information Age and personalized medicine, healthcare delivery
      systems need to be efficient and patient-centred. The health system must be
      responsive to individual patient choices and preferences about their care, while
      considering the system consequences. While dynamic simulation modelling (DSM) and
      big data share characteristics, they present distinct and complementary value in
      healthcare. Big data and DSM are synergistic-big data offer support to enhance
      the application of dynamic models, but DSM also can greatly enhance the value
      conferred by big data. Big data can inform patient-centred care with its high
      velocity, volume, and variety (the three Vs) over traditional data analytics;
      however, big data are not sufficient to extract meaningful insights to inform
      approaches to improve healthcare delivery. DSM can serve as a natural bridge
      between the wealth of evidence offered by big data and informed decision making
      as a means of faster, deeper, more consistent learning from that evidence. We
      discuss the synergies between big data and DSM, practical considerations and
      challenges, and how integrating big data and DSM can be useful to decision makers
      to address complex, systemic health economics and outcomes questions and to
      transform healthcare delivery. 

PMID- 26497004
TI  - Calculating Total Health Service Utilisation and Costs from Routinely Collected
      Electronic Health Records Using the Example of Patients with Irritable Bowel
      Syndrome Before and After Their First Gastroenterology Appointment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Health economic models are increasingly important in funding
      decisions but most are based on data, which may therefore not represent the
      general population. We sought to establish the potential of real-world data
      available within the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and linked
      Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) to determine comprehensive healthcare
      utilisation and costs as input variables for economic modelling. METHODS: A
      cohort of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who first saw a
      gastroenterologist in 2008 or 2009, and with 3 years of data before and after
      their appointment, was created in the CPRD. Primary care, outpatient, inpatient,
      prescription and colonoscopy data were extracted from the linked CPRD and HES.
      The appropriate cost to the NHS was attached to each event. Total and stratified
      annual healthcare utilisation rates and costs were calculated before and after
      the gastroenterology appointment with distribution parameters. Absolute
      differences were calculated with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Total annual
      healthcare costs over 3 years increase by L935 (95% CI L928-941) following a
      gastroenterology appointment for IBS. We derived utilisation and cost data with
      parameter distributions stratified by demographics and time. Women, older
      patients, smokers and patients with greater comorbidity utilised more healthcare
      resources, which generated higher costs. CONCLUSIONS: These linked datasets
      provide comprehensive primary and secondary care data for large numbers of
      patients, which allows stratification of outcomes. It is possible to derive input
      parameters appropriate for economic models and their distributions directly from
      the population of interest.

PMID- 26497005
TI  - Long-term outcome of patients with and without super-response to CRT-D.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare outcome between patients with and without super-response to
      cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillator (CRT-D). METHODS AND RESULTS: In
      this cohort study, 167 consecutive CRT-D candidates were included. Super-response
      to CRT-D was defined clinically [improvement of >=1 New York Heart Association
      (NYHA) class or >=50 m in six-minute walk distance (6MWD)] and
      echocardiographically [increase of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >=1
      category (LVEF <30 to 30-40 % or 30-40 to 41-51 %) or reduction of left
      ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) >=10 mm]. Clinical outcome (death,
      cardiac transplantation and appropriate shock therapy) was compared between super
      responders (n = 32) and non-super-responders (n = 135). During follow-up (616
      patient-years; median 3.3 years), all-cause mortality was significantly lower in
      super-responders compared to non-super-responders (log rank p < 0.05). At least
      one appropriate shock was noted in 22 % of super-responders and 39 % of non-super
      responders (p = 0.069). Time to appropriate shock therapy was significantly
      longer in super-responders (log rank p < 0.05). Event-free survival from death or
      cardiac transplantation was comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Super
      response to CRT-D is associated with improved survival and lower risk of
      appropriate shock therapy compared to non-super-responders. Further information
      about the mechanisms of super-response and its long-term consequences are needed
      to foresee favorable outcome after implantation of CRT-D.

PMID- 26497006
TI  - Functional organization of the local circuit in the inferior colliculus.
AB  - The inferior colliculus (IC) is the first integration center of the auditory
      system. After the transformation of sound to neural signals in the cochlea, the
      signals are analyzed by brainstem auditory nuclei that, in turn, transmit this
      information to the IC. However, the neural circuitry that underlies this
      integration is unclear. This review consists of two parts: one is about the cell
      type which is likely to integrate sound information, and the other is about a
      technique which is useful for studying local circuitry. Large GABAergic (LG)
      neurons receive dense excitatory axosomatic terminals that originate from the
      lower brainstem auditory nuclei as well as local IC neurons. Dozens of axons
      coming from both local and lower brainstem neurons converge on a single LG soma.
      Excitatory neurons in IC can innervate many nearby LG somata in the same
      fibrodendritic lamina. The combination of local and ascending inputs is well
      suited for auditory integration. LG neurons are one of the main sources of
      inhibition in the medial geniculate body (MGB). LG neurons and the tectothalamic
      inhibitory system are present in a wide variety of mammalian species. This
      suggests that the circuitry of excitatory and inhibitory tectothalamic
      projections may have evolved earlier than GABAergic interneurons in the MGB,
      which are found in fewer species. Cellular-level functional imaging provides both
      morphological and functional information about local circuitry. In the last part
      of this review, we describe an in vivo calcium imaging study that sheds light on
      the functional organization of the IC.

PMID- 26497007
TI  - Genetic diversity loss in a biodiversity hotspot: ancient DNA quantifies genetic
      decline and former connectivity in a critically endangered marsupial.
AB  - The extent of genetic diversity loss and former connectivity between fragmented
      populations are often unknown factors when studying endangered species. While
      genetic techniques are commonly applied in extant populations to assess temporal
      and spatial demographic changes, it is no substitute for directly measuring past
      diversity using ancient DNA (aDNA). We analysed both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
      and nuclear microsatellite loci from 64 historical fossil and skin samples of the
      critically endangered Western Australian woylie (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi),
      and compared them with 231 (n = 152 for mtDNA) modern samples. In modern woylie
      populations 15 mitochondrial control region (CR) haplotypes were identified.
      Interestingly, mtDNA CR data from only 29 historical samples demonstrated 15
      previously unknown haplotypes and detected an extinct divergent clade. Through
      modelling, we estimated the loss of CR mtDNA diversity to be between 46% and 91%
      and estimated this to have occurred in the past 2000-4000 years in association
      with a dramatic population decline. In addition, we obtained near-complete 11
      loci microsatellite profiles from 21 historical samples. In agreement with the
      mtDNA data, a number of 'new' microsatellite alleles was only detected in the
      historical populations despite extensive modern sampling, indicating a nuclear
      genetic diversity loss >20%. Calculations of genetic diversity (heterozygosity
      and allelic rarefaction) showed that these were significantly higher in the past
      and that there was a high degree of gene flow across the woylie's historical
      range. These findings have an immediate impact on how the extant populations are
      managed and we recommend the implementation of an assisted migration programme to
      prevent further loss of genetic diversity. Our study demonstrates the value of
      integrating aDNA data into current-day conservation strategies.

PMID- 26497008
TI  - Applying Multivariate Discrete Distributions to Genetically Informative Count
      Data.
AB  - We present a novel method of conducting biometric analysis of twin data when the
      phenotypes are integer-valued counts, which often show an L-shaped distribution.
      Monte Carlo simulation is used to compare five likelihood-based approaches to
      modeling: our multivariate discrete method, when its distributional assumptions
      are correct, when they are incorrect, and three other methods in common use. With
      data simulated from a skewed discrete distribution, recovery of twin correlations
      and proportions of additive genetic and common environment variance was generally
      poor for the Normal, Lognormal and Ordinal models, but good for the two discrete
      models. Sex-separate applications to substance-use data from twins in the
      Minnesota Twin Family Study showed superior performance of two discrete models.
      The new methods are implemented using R and OpenMx and are freely available. 

PMID- 26497009
TI  - Recent developments and applications of capillary and microchip electrophoresis
      in proteomic and peptidomic analyses.
AB  - This review presents recent developments and applications of capillary and
      microchip electromigration methods in proteomics and peptidomics. Sample
      preparation methods as well as instrumental innovations in the coupling of these
      advanced electromigration methods with mass spectrometry detection employed in
      proteomic and peptidomic analyses are presented. Interesting applications of
      various capillary electromigration methods in bottom-up as well as top-down
      proteomics, including investigation of post-translational modifications of
      proteins are described. In addition, several examples of the use of capillary
      electromigration methods combined with mass spectrometry detection in clinical
      proteomics and peptidomics are demonstrated. 

PMID- 26497011
TI  - Mechanisms of immune system activation in mammalians by small interfering RNA
      (siRNA).
AB  - RNA interference (RNAi) guided by small interfering RNAs (siRNA), because of its
      potential to target and silence the expression of specific genes is utilized as
      an effective tool in a variety of biological applications. RNAi guided by siRNAs
      is a powerful tool to attain gene silencing in mammalian cells. One of the
      features which make siRNA as an amazing biological tool is extremely specific
      knockdown of target genes by degradation of analogous mRNAs. However, various non
      specific effects limit the use of RNAi including the activation of innate
      immunity and inhibition of inadvertent target genes. One of the most common non
      specific effects is inducing the innate immune system including cytoplasmic and
      endosomal activation of innate immune system, potentially offending the single in
      mammals. This activation is mainly interceded by immune cells, regularly through
      a Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway. The siRNA sequence association of these
      pathways changes with the sort and position of the TLR involved. In contrast, non
      immune cell activation can also arise generally siRNAs which enter into cytoplasm
      interacting with cytoplasmic RNA sensors such as retinoic acid-inducible gene I.
      Here, we explain the off-target effects of siRNAs that activate innate immune
      system and methods to alleviate them, to help enable impressive application of
      this exciting technology, Also we bold the aspect of molecular strategies
      permitting the design of therapeutic siRNAs with minute off-target effects. 

PMID- 26497010
TI  - Impact of pulsed-electric field and high-voltage electrical discharges on red
      wine microbial stabilization and quality characteristics.
AB  - AIMS: In this study, pulsed-electric fields (PEF) and high-voltage electrical
      discharges (HVED) are proposed as new techniques for the microbial stabilization
      of red wines before bottling. The efficiency of the treatment was then evaluated.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: PEF and HVED-treatments have been applied to wine for the
      inactivation of Oenococcus oeni CRBO 9304, O. oeni CRBO 0608, Pediococcus
      parvulus CRBO 2.6 and Brettanomyces bruxellensis CB28. Different treatment times
      (1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 ms) were used at 20 kV cm(-1) for the PEF treatments and at
      40 kV for the HVED treatments, which correspond to applied energies from 80 to
      800 kJ l(-1) . The effects of the treatments on the microbial inactivation rate
      and on various characteristics of red wines (phenolic composition, chromatic
      characteristics and physico-chemical parameters) were measured. CONCLUSIONS: The
      application of PEF or HVED treatments on red wine allowed the inactivation of
      alteration yeasts (B. bruxellensis CB28) and bacteria (O. oeni CRBO 9304, O. oeni
      CRBO 0608 and P. parvulus CRBO 2.6). The electric discharges at 40 kV were less
      effective than the PEF even after 10 ms of treatments. Indeed, 4 ms of PEF
      treatment at 20 kV cm(-1) were sufficient to inactivate all micro-organisms
      present in the wines. Also, the use of PEF had no negative impact on the
      composition of wines compared to the HVED treatments. Contrary to PEF, the
      phenolics compounds were degraded after the HVED treatment and the physico
      chemical composition of wine were modified with HVED. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF
      THE STUDY: PEF technology seems to be an interesting alternative to stabilize
      microbiologically wines before bottling and without modifying their composition.
      This process offers many advantages for winemakers: no chemical inputs, low
      energy consumption (320 kJ l(-1) ), fast (treatment time of 4 ms) and athermal
      (DeltaT ~ 10 degrees C).

PMID- 26497012
TI  - S100A4 interacts with mutant p53 and affects gastric cancer MKN1 cell autophagy
      and differentiation.
AB  - The acquired p53 mutations are the most common genetic alterations in human
      cancers. Mutant p53 proteins tend to accumulate, augmenting their oncogenic
      potential. However, the mechanisms for mutant p53 accumulation are not known.
      Previous studies have shown that S100A4 interacts with wild-type p53. The present
      study marks the first time the effect of S100A4 on mutant p53 levels in gastric
      cancer MKN1 cells, which harbor mutant p53V143A, and the functional consequences
      have been investigated. S100A4 interacted with mutant p53V143A in the cells, and
      S100A4 inhibition decreased mutant p53V143A levels, indicating that S100A4
      promoted mutant p53 accumulation through their interaction. We also found that
      S100A4 inhibition altered the expression of the mutant p53V143A target genes [c
      Myc and inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (Id2)]. Moreover, we demonstrated that S100A4
      knockdown increased mutant p53-related autophagy and cell differentiation. In
      conclusion, our data suggest a novel mechanism for mutant p53V143A accumulation
      and add a new facet to the role of S100A4 in cancer.

PMID- 26497013
TI  - Intensity of swimming exercise influences tracheal reactivity in rats.
AB  - Studies that evaluate the mechanisms for increased airway responsiveness are very
      sparse, although there are reports of exercise-induced bronchospasm. Therefore,
      we have evaluated the tracheal reactivity and the rate of lipid peroxidation
      after different intensities of swimming exercise in rats. Thus, male Wistar rats
      (age 8 weeks; 250-300 g) underwent a forced swimming exercise for 1h whilst
      carrying attached loads of 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8% of their body weight (groups G3, G4,
      G5, G6 and G8, respectively; n=5 each). Immediately after the test, the trachea
      of each rat was removed and suspended in an organ bath to evaluate contractile
      and relaxant responses. The rate of lipid peroxidation was estimated by measuring
      malondialdehyde levels. According to a one-way ANOVA, all trained groups showed a
      significant decrease in the relaxation induced by aminophylline (10(-12)-10(-1)
      M) (pD2=3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.3 and 3.2, respectively for G3, G4, G5, G6 and G8)
      compared to the control group (pD2=4.6) and the Emax values of G5, G6, G8 groups
      were reduced by 94.2, 88.0 and 77.0%, respectively. Additionally, all trained
      groups showed a significant increase in contraction induced by carbachol (10(-9)
      10 (-3) M) (pD2=6.0, 6.5, 6.5, 7.2 and 7.3, respectively for G3, G4, G5, G6 and
      G8) compared to the control group (pD2=5.7). Lipid peroxidation levels of G3, G4
      and G5 were similar in both the trachea and lung, however G6 and G8 presented an
      increased peroxidation in the trachea. In conclusion, a single bout of swimming
      exercise acutely altered tracheal responsiveness in an intensity-related manner
      and the elevation in lipid peroxidation indicates a degree of oxidative stress
      involvement. 

PMID- 26497014
TI  - Effect of the one-carbon unit cycle on overall DNA methylation in children with
      Down's syndrome.
AB  - DNA methylation is a major epigenetic mechanism regulating gene expression. In
      order to analyze the impact of the one-carbon unit cycle on the overall level of
      DNA methylation in children with Down's syndrome (DS), the levels of indicators
      associated with the one-carbon unit cycle, including folic acid (FA), vitamin B12
      (VB12) and homocysteine (Hcy), and the overall DNA methylation level of DS and
      healthy controls (HCs) were determined in the present study. A total of 36 DS
      children and 40 age- and gender-matched HCs were included in the present study to
      determine the levels of FA, VB12, Hcy and overall DNA methylation. The effect of
      the one-carbon unit cycle on the overall level of DNA methylation within the DS
      group was analyzed. The results demonstrated that the level of VB12 was decreased
      (P=0.008), while the Hcy level was increased (P=0.000) in DS patients compared
      with the HCs. FA and VB12 levels decreased with increasing age in DS patients
      (P<0.05). DNA hypermethylation and hypomethylation were observed in DS patients
      with VB12 deficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia, respectively (P=0.031, P=0.021).
      Abnormalities in the one-carbon unit cycle tend to worsen with increasing age in
      DS children. Thus, one-carbon unit cycle-associated alterations in DNA
      methylation may be important in the neuropathological alterations observed in DS.

PMID- 26497015
TI  - Altered kynurenine pathway metabolism in autism: Implication for immune-induced
      glutamatergic activity.
AB  - Dysfunction of the serotoninergic and glutamatergic systems is implicated in the
      pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) together with various
      neuroinflammatory mediators. As the kynurenine pathway (KP) of tryptophan
      degradation is activated in neuroinflammatory states, we hypothesized that there
      may be a link between inflammation in ASD and enhanced KP activation resulting in
      reduced serotonin synthesis from tryptophan and production of KP metabolites
      capable of modulating glutamatergic activity. A cross-sectional study of 15
      different Omani families with newly diagnosed children with ASD (n = 15) and
      their age-matched healthy siblings (n = 12) was designed. Immunological profile
      and the KP metabolic signature were characterized in the study participants. Our
      data indicated that there were alterations to the KP in ASD. Specifically,
      increased production of the downstream metabolite, quinolinic acid, which is
      capable of enhancing glutamatergic neurotransmission was noted. Correlation
      studies also demonstrated that the presence of inflammation induced KP activation
      in ASD. Until now, previous studies have failed to establish a link between
      inflammation, glutamatergic activity, and the KP. Our findings also suggest that
      increased quinolinic acid may be linked to 16p11.2 mutations leading to abnormal
      glutamatergic activity associated with ASD pathogenesis and may help rationalize
      the efficacy of sulforaphane treatment in ASD. Autism Res 2016, 9: 621-631. (c)
      2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26497016
TI  - Evodiamine, a novel inhibitor of the Wnt pathway, inhibits the self-renewal of
      gastric cancer stem cells.
AB  - Gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs) have an important role in metastasis and
      recurrence of gastric cancer, and novel treatment strategies that target GCSCs
      are urgently required. Although evodiamine (Evo), a derivative of the traditional
      herbal medicine Evodia rutaecarpa, has been reported to have various biological
      effects, its effect on GCSCs remains unknown. In order to determine the effect of
      Evo on apoptosis of GCSCs, an MTS assay, flow cytometry and western blot analysis
      were performed. The effect of Evo on self-renewal in GCSCs was measured by
      alterations in the sphere formation ability, the expression of induced
      pluripotent stem cell factors, expression of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition
      (EMT) factors and oxaliplatin resistance of gastric cancer cells (GCCs). Evo
      inhibited proliferation, promoted the Bax/B-cell lymphoma 2 ratio and altered
      active caspase-3 expression of GCSCs. In addition, Evo decreased the sphere
      formation ability, the expression of Sox2, KLF4, Bmi-1 and Oct4, and oxaliplatin
      resistance in GCCs. Evo decreased the expression of Slug, Twist, Zeb1 and
      vimentin, suggesting an inhibitory effect on EMT. Furthermore, the expression of
      beta-catenin, c-Myc and cyclin D1 was decreased in Evo-treated spheroids from
      GCCs. In conclusion, Evo inhibited the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway to
      inhibit proliferation and stem cell properties of GCSCs and repressed the EMT.
      The present findings highlight the prospect of Evo as a CSCs-targeted therapy in
      gastric cancer.

PMID- 26497017
TI  - Biochemical characterization of a halotolerant feruloyl esterase  from
      Actinomyces spp.: refolding and activity following thermal  deactivation.
AB  - Ferulic acid esterases (FAE, EC. 3.1.1.73) hydrolyse the linkage between
      hemicellulose and lignin and thus have potential for use in mild enzymatic
      pretreatment of biomass as an alternative to thermochemical approaches. Here, we
      report the characterization of a novel FAE (ActOFaeI) obtained from the
      bacterium, Actinomyces sp. oral which was recombinantly expressed in Escherichia
      coli BL21 in two forms: with and without its putative signal peptide. The
      truncated form was found to have <10 % relative activity compared to the full
      length and was more prone to aggregation after purification. The enzyme with
      retained peptide demonstrated 2 to 4-fold higher activity against methyl caffeate
      and methyl p-coumarate, with specific activities of 477.6 and 174.4 U mg(-1)
      respectively, than the equivalent activities of the benchmark FAE from
      Aspergillus niger A and B. ActOFaeI retained activity over a broad pH range with
      a maximum at 9 but >90 % relative activity at pH 6.5 and an optimum reaction
      temperature of 30  degrees C. ActOFaeI increased activity by 15% in high salt
      conditions (1000 mMNaCl) and its thermal unfolding temperature improved from 41.5
      degrees C in standard buffer to 74  degrees C in the presence of 2500 mM sodium
      malonate. ActOFaeI also released ferulic acid from destarched wheat bran when
      combined with a xylanase preparation. After treatment above the thermal
      denaturation temperature followed by cooling to room temperature, ActOFaeI
      demonstrated spontaneous refolding into an active state. ActOFaeI displays many
      useful characteristics for enzymatic pretreatment of lignocellulose and
      contributes to our understanding of this important family.

PMID- 26497018
TI  - Spore behaviors reveal a category of mating-competent infertile heterokaryons in
      the offspring of the medicinal fungus Agaricus subrufescens.
AB  - Strain breeding is much less advanced in the edible and medicinal species
      Agaricus subrufescens than in Agaricus bisporus, the button mushroom. Both
      species have a unifactorial system of sexual incompatibility, a mating type locus
      tightly linked to a centromere, and basidia producing both homokaryotic (n) and
      heterokaryotic (n + n) spores. In A. bisporus, breeding is mainly based on direct
      selection among the heterokaryotic offspring and on hybridization between
      homokaryotic offspring. The parental heterozygosity is highly maintained in the
      heterokaryotic offspring due to suppression of recombination and preferential
      pairing in the spores of nuclei, each one per second meiotic divisions; such "non
      sister nuclei" heterokaryons are fertile. In A. subrufescens, recent studies
      revealed that recombination is not suppressed and that nuclei from the same
      second meiotic division can also be paired in a spore that give rise to a "sister
      nuclei" heterokaryon in which the nuclei bear the same mating type allele. The
      objective of the present work was to investigate the potential function of the
      different categories of spores in A. subrufescens and their possible use in a
      genetic breeding program. Using eight co-dominant molecular markers, we found
      that half of the offspring of the A. subrufescens strain WC837 were
      heterokaryotic, one quarter of them being sister nuclei heterokaryons. These
      heterokaryons were infertile and behaved like homokaryons, being even able to
      cross between each other. In contrast, non-sister nuclei heterokaryons could
      fruit but inconsistently due to inbreeding depression. Potential roles of these
      two categories of heterokaryons in nature and consequences for strain breeding
      are discussed.

PMID- 26497019
TI  - Secondary sex ratio in regions severely exposed to methylmercury "Minamata
      disease".
AB  - PURPOSE: Secondary sex ratio (i.e., male proportion at birth) is considered to
      function as a sentinel health indicator. Thus, examining this ratio spatially and
      temporally in regions with severe environmental exposure to compounds such as
      methylmercury may provide insight into the evolution of exposure. METHODS: We
      evaluated spatial and temporal distributions of the secondary sex ratio in
      Minamata, Japan, and neighboring areas, where severe methylmercury poisoning
      occurred in the 1950s and 1960s. We selected four areas exposed to methylmercury:
      Minamata, Ashikita, Goshonoura, and Izumi. After obtaining the number of live
      births, we conducted descriptive analyses by study area. RESULTS: We observed a
      reduction in male births in the exposed areas. In particular, a decline in the
      sex ratio of the Minamata area, where the first patient was officially identified
      in 1956, was seen around 1955. The ratio during 1955-1959 around Minamata was
      0.496 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.481-0.511]; the 95% CI did not include the
      value of 0.515 (the secondary sex ratio of the entire Japanese population during
      the study period). Declines in this ratio were also observed in other exposed
      areas around 1960, when acetaldehyde production (the origin of methylmercury)
      reached its peak. CONCLUSIONS: These analyses demonstrate that temporal and
      spatial distributions of the secondary sex ratio reflect the evolution of
      methylmercury exposure corresponding with the known history of Minamata disease.

PMID- 26497020
TI  - Fate and toxic effects of environmental stressors: environmental control.
AB  - The potential for toxicants to harm organisms in the environment is influenced by
      the physicochemistry of the substances and their environmental behaviors and
      transformation within ecosystems. This special issue is composed of 20 papers
      that report on studies which have investigated the fate and toxicity of various
      toxicants including engineered nanoparticles, pharmaceuticals and personal care
      products, antibiotics, pathogens, heavy metals, and agricultural nutrients. The
      environmental transformations of these substances and how these processes affect
      their toxicity are emphasized. This paper highlights the important findings and
      perspectives of the selected papers in this special edition, with an aim of
      providing insights into full-scale evaluation on the toxicity of various
      contaminants that exist in ecosystems. General suggestions are provided for the
      future directions of toxicological research. 

PMID- 26497021
TI  - Decreased fish diversity found near marble industry effluents in River Barandu,
      Pakistan.
AB  - In a recently published study we observed that effluents from marble industry
      affected physicochemical characteristics of River Barandu in District Buner,
      Pakistan. These changes in water quality due to marble effluents may affect fish
      community. The present study was therefore conducted to evaluate the impacts of
      marble industry effluents on fish communities in River Barandu using abundance,
      richness, diversity and evenness of fish species as end point criteria. The fish
      samples were collected by local fishermen on monthly basis from three selected
      sites (upstream, effluents/industrial, and downstream sites). During the study
      period, a total of 18 fish species were found belonging to 4 orders, 5 families
      and 11 genera. The Cyprinidae was observed to be the dominant family at all the
      three selected sites. Lower abundance and species diversity was observed at the
      industrial (22%) and downstream sites (33%) as compared to the upstream site
      (45%). Effluents of marble industry were associated with lower abundance of
      species in River Barandu. It is recommended that industries should be shifted
      away from the vicinity of river and their effluents must be treated before
      discharging to prevent further loss of fish abundance and diversity in the River.

PMID- 26497022
TI  - Profiling of methylation and demethylation pathways during brain development and
      ageing.
AB  - Numerous signal pathways are epigenetically controlled during brain development
      and ageing. Thereby, both 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and the newly described 5
      hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) are highly exhibited in the brain. As there is an
      uneven distribution of 5hmC in the brain depending on age and region, there is
      the need to investigate the underlying mechanisms being responsible for 5hmC
      generation and decline. The aim of this study was to quantify expression levels
      of genes that are associated with DNA methylation/demethylation in different
      brain regions and at different ages. Therefore, we investigated frontal cortex
      and cerebellum of 40 mice (strain C57BL/6), each eight mice sacrificed at day 0,
      7, 15, 30 and 120 after birth. We performed expression profiling of
      methylation/demethylation genes depending on age and brain region. Interestingly,
      we see significant expression differences of genes being responsible for
      methylation/demethylation with a significant reduction of expression levels
      during ageing. Validating selected expression data on protein level using
      immunohistochemistry verified the expression data. In conclusion, our findings
      demonstrate that the regulation of methylation/demethylation pathways is highly
      controlled depending on brain region and age. Thus our data will help to better
      understand the complexity and plasticity of the brain epigenome. 

PMID- 26497024
TI  - Identifying the Adamkiewicz artery using 3-T time-resolved magnetic resonance
      angiography: its role in addition to multidetector computed tomography
      angiography.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study assessed Adamkiewicz artery (AKA) detectability using
      multidetector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) and time-resolved magnetic
      resonance angiography (MRA) at 3 T. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This Institutional
      Review Board-approved retrospective study included 117 patients with
      thoracoabdominal aortic disease scheduled for aortic repair. A total of 111
      patients underwent MDCTA for AKA identification; 43 patients whose AKA
      identification was not definitive on MDCTA underwent additional MRA. The
      remaining six patients, who were not indicated for iodine-contrast MDCTA,
      underwent only MRA. Two reviewers independently evaluated both MDCTA and MRA
      data. The 4-point confidence index was used. Grades 3-4 were considered
      sufficient for AKA diagnosis. RESULTS: AKA detectability was at 80.2% (89/111)
      using MDCTA and 89.8% (44/49) with MRA. In the 43 patients who underwent both
      MDTCA and MRA, the AKA detectability and consensus grades were significantly
      elevated using MRA vs. MDCTA (detectability: 88.4 vs. 69.8%, respectively, p =
      0.043). AKA detectability was also higher in aortic aneurysm than aortic
      dissection patients on MDCTA (90.9 vs. 69.6%, respectively, p < 0.01), but not on
      MRA (92.9 vs. 88.6%, respectively, p = 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: Time-resolved MRA at 3
      T increases AKA detectability and is recommended for patients without definitive
      AKA identification on MDCTA.

PMID- 26497025
TI  - Congenital anomaly of combined atlas-odontoid process fusion and bipartite atlas.
AB  - Congenital fusion of the atlas with the odontoid process of the axis is a very
      rare condition caused by a segmental defect of the first cervical somite. Only 9
      such cases have been reported in the literature to date. The bipartite atlas,
      another well-documented rare anomaly, has been observed in only 0.1% of the
      general population. We describe the first case of a 70-year-old male with both of
      these complex congenital anomalies.

PMID- 26497026
TI  - The phrenic nerve with accompanying vessels: a silent cause of cardiovascular
      border obliteration on chest radiography.
AB  - PURPOSE: Our aim was to clarify the frequency of cardiovascular border
      obliteration on frontal chest radiography and to prove that the phrenic nerve
      with accompanying vessels can be considered as a cause of obliteration of
      cardiovascular border on an otherwise normal chest radiography. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Two radiologists reviewed chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT)
      images of 100 individuals. CT confirmed the absence of intrapulmonary or
      extrapulmonary abnormalities in all of them. We examined the frequency of
      cardiovascular border obliteration on frontal chest radiography and summarized
      the causes of obliteration as pericardial fat pad, phrenic nerve, intrafissure
      fat, pulmonary vessels, and others, comparing them with CT in each case. RESULTS:
      Cardiovascular border was obliterated on frontal chest radiography in 46 cases on
      the right and in 61 on the left. The phrenic nerve with accompanying vessels was
      found to be a cause of obliteration in 34 of 46 cases (74%) on the right and 29
      of 61 (48%) cases on the left. The phrenic nerve was the most frequent cause of
      cardiovascular border obliteration on both sides. CONCLUSION: The phrenic nerve
      with accompanying vessels, forming a prominent fold of parietal pleura, can be
      attributed as a cause of cardiovascular border obliteration on frontal chest
      radiography.

PMID- 26497023
TI  - Brainstem control of locomotion and muscle tone with special reference to the
      role of the mesopontine tegmentum and medullary reticulospinal systems.
AB  - The lateral part of the mesopontine tegmentum contains functionally important
      structures involved in the control of posture and gait. Specifically, the
      mesencephalic locomotor region, which may consist of the cuneiform nucleus and
      pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPN), occupies the interest with respect to
      the pathophysiology of posture-gait disorders. The purpose of this article is to
      review the mechanisms involved in the control of postural muscle tone and
      locomotion by the mesopontine tegmentum and the pontomedullary reticulospinal
      system. To make interpretation and discussion more robust, the above issue is
      considered largely based on our findings in the experiments using decerebrate cat
      preparations in addition to the results in animal experimentations and clinical
      investigations in other laboratories. Our investigations revealed the presence of
      functional topographical organizations with respect to the regulation of postural
      muscle tone and locomotion in both the mesopontine tegmentum and the
      pontomedullary reticulospinal system. These organizations were modified by
      neurotransmitter systems, particularly the cholinergic PPN projection to the
      pontine reticular formation. Because efferents from the forebrain structures as
      well as the cerebellum converge to the mesencephalic and pontomedullary reticular
      formation, changes in these organizations may be involved in the appropriate
      regulation of posture-gait synergy depending on the behavioral context. On the
      other hand, abnormal signals from the higher motor centers may produce
      dysfunction of the mesencephalic-reticulospinal system. Here we highlight the
      significance of elucidating the mechanisms of the mesencephalic-reticulospinal
      control of posture and locomotion so that thorough understanding of the
      pathophysiological mechanisms of posture-gait disorders can be made.

PMID- 26497027
TI  - Multiple imputation strategies for zero-inflated cost data in economic
      evaluations: which method works best?
AB  - Cost and effect data often have missing data because economic evaluations are
      frequently added onto clinical studies where cost data are rarely the primary
      outcome. The objective of this article was to investigate which multiple
      imputation strategy is most appropriate to use for missing cost-effectiveness
      data in a randomized controlled trial. Three incomplete data sets were generated
      from a complete reference data set with 17, 35 and 50 % missing data in effects
      and costs. The strategies evaluated included complete case analysis (CCA),
      multiple imputation with predictive mean matching (MI-PMM), MI-PMM on log
      transformed costs (log MI-PMM), and a two-step MI. Mean cost and effect
      estimates, standard errors and incremental net benefits were compared with the
      results of the analyses on the complete reference data set. The CCA, MI-PMM, and
      the two-step MI strategy diverged from the results for the reference data set
      when the amount of missing data increased. In contrast, the estimates of the Log
      MI-PMM strategy remained stable irrespective of the amount of missing data. MI
      provided better estimates than CCA in all scenarios. With low amounts of missing
      data the MI strategies appeared equivalent but we recommend using the log MI-PMM
      with missing data greater than 35 %.

PMID- 26497029
TI  - The Association of Amyloid-beta Protein Precursor With alpha- and beta-Secretases
      in Mouse Cerebral Cortex Synapses Is Altered in Early Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Amyloid-beta peptides (Abeta), the proposed triggers of synaptic dysfunction in
      early Alzheimer's disease (AD), derive from the endoproteolytic cleavage of
      amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) by beta-secretases (BACE1), whereas APP
      cleavage by alpha-secretases (ADAM10) abrogates Abeta formation. We now mapped
      the synaptic localization of APP, ADAM10, and BACE1 in the mouse cerebral cortex.
      All three proteins were present in cortical synapses and subsynaptic
      fractionation revealed that APP was located mainly in the pre-synaptic active
      zone (53 %) and in the post-synaptic density (37 %), whereas ADAM10 was enriched
      in the post-synaptic density (61 %) and BACE1 was concentrated in extra-synaptic
      regions (72 %). Immunocytochemistry analysis further showed that APP and BACE1
      were co-localized in about 30 % of both glutamatergic and GABAergic terminals,
      whereas few terminals were endowed with ADAM10. This distribution is modified in
      a mouse model of early AD based on Abeta1-42-intracerebroventricular injection,
      where the synaptic levels of APP and ADAM10 increased by 30 %, whereas BACE1
      levels were reduced. This suggests that, in early AD, there are compensatory
      mechanisms to avoid Abeta overload in cortical synapses favoring the non
      amyloidogenic processing of APP.

PMID- 26497028
TI  - Protein Palmitoylation Regulates Neural Stem Cell Differentiation by Modulation
      of EID1 Activity.
AB  - The functional significance of palmitoylation in the switch between self-renewal
      and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) is not well defined, and the
      underlying mechanisms of protein palmitoylation are not well understood. Here,
      mouse NSCs were used as a model system and cell behavior was monitored in the
      presence of the protein palmitoylation inhibitor 2-bromopalmitate (2BRO). Our
      data show that 2BRO impaired the differentiation of NSCs into both neurons and
      glia and impaired NSC cell cycle exit. Moreover, the results show that
      palmitoylation modified E1A-like inhibitor of differentiation one (EID1) and this
      modification regulated EID1 degradation and CREB-binding protein (CBP)/p300
      histone acetyltransferase activity at the switch between self-renewal and
      differentiation of NSCs. Our results extended the cellular role of
      palmitoylation, suggesting that it acts as a regulator in the acetylation
      dependent gene expression network, and established the epigenetic regulatory
      function of palmitoylation in the switch between maintenance of multipotency and
      differentiation in NSCs.

PMID- 26497030
TI  - The Ras/Raf/Erk Pathway Mediates the Subarachnoid Hemorrhage-Induced Apoptosis of
      Hippocampal Neurons Through Phosphorylation of p53.
AB  - Apoptosis plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of early brain injury (EBI)
      following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, the exact molecular mechanisms
      underlying neuronal apoptosis in EBI after SAH have not been fully elucidated.
      The present study showed that EBI induced significantly neuronal apoptosis
      activation of Ras/Raf/Erk signals in hippocampus after SAH. Intracisternal
      administration of PD98059, an inhibitor of Erk1/2, decreased the hippocampal
      neuronal apoptosis and alleviated the cognitive deficits induced by SAH.
      Interestingly, an increase in phosphorylation of p53 was paralleled with p-Erk,
      and PD98059 also blocked the level of p-p53. In primary cultures, oxyhemoglobin
      (OxyHb) treatment significantly increased p-Erk, p-p53, and apoptosis, which was
      used to mimic the pathological injury of SAH. Both p53 small interfering RNA
      (siRNA) and PD98059 reduced the OxyHb-induced apoptosis. Moreover, PD98059
      significantly decreased the levels of p-Erk and p-p53; however, p53 siRNA had
      little effect on the level of p-Erk. Taken together, our study implicates that
      the Ras/Raf/Erk signals contribute to neuronal death through the phosphorylation
      of p53 in hippocampus after SAH and also suggests Erk/p53 as a potential target
      for clinical drug treatment of SAH.

PMID- 26497031
TI  - Golli Myelin Basic Proteins Modulate Voltage-Operated Ca(++) Influx and
      Development in Cortical and Hippocampal Neurons.
AB  - The golli proteins, products of the myelin basic protein gene, are widely
      expressed in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and neurons during the postnatal
      development of the brain. While golli appears to be important for oligodendrocyte
      migration and differentiation, its function in neuronal development is completely
      unknown. We have found that golli proteins function as new and novel modulators
      of voltage-operated Ca(++) channels (VOCCs) in neurons. In vitro, golli knock-out
      (KO) neurons exhibit decreased Ca(++) influx after plasma membrane depolarization
      and a substantial maturational delay. Increased expression of golli proteins
      enhances L-type Ca(++) entry and processes outgrowth in cortical neurons, and
      pharmacological activation of L-type Ca(++) channels stimulates maturation and
      prevents cell death in golli-KO neurons. In situ, Ca(++) influx mediated by L
      type VOCCs was significantly decreased in cortical and hippocampal neurons of the
      golli-KO brain. These Ca(++) alterations affect cortical and hippocampal
      development and the proliferation and survival of neural progenitor cells during
      the postnatal development of the golli-KO brain. The CA1/3 sections and the
      dentate gyrus of the hippocampus were reduced in the golli-KO mice as well as the
      density of dendrites in the somatosensory cortex. Furthermore, the golli-KO mice
      display abnormal behavior including deficits in episodic memory and reduced
      anxiety. Because of the expression of the golli proteins within neurons in
      learning and memory centers of the brain, this work has profound implication in
      neurodegenerative diseases and neurological disorders.

PMID- 26497032
TI  - Peripheral Blood MicroRNA Expression Profiles in Alzheimer's Disease: Screening,
      Validation, Association with Clinical Phenotype and Implications for Molecular
      Mechanism.
AB  - A series of investigations have been performed regarding microRNA (miRNA, miR) of
      Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. However, most of these used microarray with
      neither validation by PCR nor any follow-up on the biological mechanism
      implicated by findings. Further, there were rarely any analyses linking clinical
      phenotype of de novo, drug-naive patients to cellular pathogenic mechanism(s) to
      date. Microarray screening followed by validation via quantitative PCR (Q-PCR)
      assays and the relationship between miRNAs and phenotypic indices were evaluated.
      Additionally, the cellular mechanism of miRNAs through effects of beta-site
      amyloid precursor protein (APP) cleaving enzyme (BACE1) was assessed. We
      identified 2 specific differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs (miR-339 and miR-425)
      as potential diagnostic biomarkers for AD and revealed that these DE miRNAs could
      be involved in modulating the pathogenesis of AD via BACE1 protein inhibition.
      The findings presented here reveal a detailed snapshot of the profile of
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) miRNA changes in AD patients,
      association with clinical phenotype, and potential roles in cellular
      pathogenesis.

PMID- 26497033
TI  - Inflammation and B-cell Lymphoma-2 Associated X Protein Regulate Zinc-Induced
      Apoptotic Degeneration of Rat Nigrostriatal Dopaminergic Neurons.
AB  - Clinical evidences showing zinc (Zn) accumulation in the post-mortem brain of
      Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and experimental studies on rodents chronically
      exposed to Zn suggested its role in PD. While oxidative stress is implicated in
      Zn-induced neurodegeneration, roles of inflammation and apoptosis in degeneration
      of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons have yet been elusive. The present
      study investigated the contribution of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB),
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and B-cell
      lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family proteins in Zn-induced Parkinsonism. Male Wistar rats
      were treated with/without zinc sulfate (Zn; 20 mg/kg, intraperitoneally), twice a
      week, for 2-12 weeks. In a few sets, animals were treated intraperitoneally with
      a NF-kappaB inhibitor, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC; 100 mg/kg), a TNF-alpha
      inhibitor, pentoxyfylline (PTX; 50 mg/kg), and an anti-inflammatory agent,
      dexamethasone (DEX; 5 mg/kg), prior to Zn exposure along with respective
      controls. Zn caused neurobehavioral impairments and reduction in dopamine and its
      metabolites, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons, catalase activity, and
      expression of TH, Bcl-2, and NOXA. On the contrary, Zn augmented lipid
      peroxidation, activity of superoxide dismutase, expression of TNF-alpha, IL
      1beta, Bcl-xl, and p53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA), and
      translocation of NF-kappaB and Bax from the cytosol to the nucleus and
      mitochondria, respectively, with concomitant increase in the mitochondrial
      cytochrome c release and activation of procaspase-3 and -9. Pre-treatment with
      PTX, DEX, or PDTC invariably ameliorated Zn-induced changes in behavioral and
      neurodegenerative indexes, inflammatory mediators, and apoptosis. Results
      demonstrate that inflammation regulates Bax expression that subsequently
      contributes to the nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurodegeneration.

PMID- 26497034
TI  - Brain Insulin Administration Triggers Distinct Cognitive and Neurotrophic
      Responses in Young and Aged Rats.
AB  - Aging is a major risk factor for cognitive deficits and neurodegenerative
      disorders, and impaired brain insulin receptor (IR) signaling is mechanistically
      linked to these abnormalities. The main goal of this study was to investigate
      whether brain insulin infusions improve spatial memory in aged and young rats.
      Aged (24 months) and young (4 months) male Wistar rats were
      intracerebroventricularly injected with insulin (20 mU) or vehicle for five
      consecutive days. The animals were then assessed for spatial memory using a
      Morris water maze. Insulin increased memory performance in young rats, but not in
      aged rats. Thus, we searched for cellular and molecular mechanisms that might
      account for this distinct memory response. In contrast with our expectation,
      insulin treatment increased the proliferative activity in aged rats, but not in
      young rats, implying that neurogenesis-related effects do not explain the lack of
      insulin effects on memory in aged rats. Furthermore, the expression levels of the
      IR and downstream signaling proteins such as GSK3-beta, mTOR, and presynaptic
      protein synaptophysin were increased in aged rats in response to insulin.
      Interestingly, insulin treatment increased the expression of the brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) receptors in
      the hippocampus of young rats, but not of aged rats. Our data therefore indicate
      that aged rats can have normal IR downstream protein expression but failed to
      mount a BDNF response after challenge in a spatial memory test. In contrast,
      young rats showed insulin-mediated TrkB/BDNF response, which paralleled with
      improved memory performance.

PMID- 26497035
TI  - Thrombin/Matrix Metalloproteinase-9-Dependent SK-N-SH Cell Migration is Mediated
      Through a PLC/PKC/MAPKs/NF-kappaB Cascade.
AB  - Thrombin has been known to activate inflammatory genes including matrix
      metalloproteinases (MMPs). The elevated expression of MMP-9 has been observed in
      patients with neuroinflammatory diseases and may contribute to the pathology of
      brain diseases. However, the mechanisms underlying thrombin-induced MMP-9
      expression in SK-N-SH cells remain unknown. The effects of thrombin on MMP-9
      expression were examined in SK-N-SH cells by gelatin zymography, Western blot,
      real-time PCR, promoter activity assay, and cell migration assay. The detailed
      mechanisms were analyzed by using pharmacological inhibitors and small intefering
      RNA (siRNA) transfection. Here, we demonstrated that thrombin induced the
      expression of proform MMP-9 and migration of SK-N-SH cells, which were attenuated
      by pretreatment with the inhibitor of thrombin (PPACK), Gq (GPA2A), PC-PLC
      (D609), PI-PLC (ET-18-OCH3), nonselective protien kinase C (PKC, GF109203X),
      PKCalpha/betaII (Go6983), PKCdelta (Rottlerin), p38 mitogen-activated protein
      kinases (MAPK) (SB202190), JNK1/2 (SP600125), or NF-kappaB (Bay11-7082 or
      Helenalin) and transfection with siRNA of Gq, PKCalpha, PKCbeta, PKCdelta, p38,
      JNK1/2, IKKalpha, IKKbeta, or p65. Moreover, thrombin-stimulated PKCalpha/betaII,
      PKCdelta, p38 MAPK, JNK1/2, or p65 phosphorylation was abrogated by their
      respective inhibitor of PPACK, GPA2A, D609, ET-18-OCH3, Go6983, Rottlerin,
      SB202190, SP600125, Bay11-7082, or Helenalin. Pretreatment with these inhibitors
      or transfection with MMP-9 siRNA also blocked thrombin-induced SK-N-SH cell
      migration. Our results show that thrombin stimulates a Gq/PLC/PKCs/p38 MAPK and
      JNK1/2 cascade, which in turn triggers NF-kappaB activation and ultimately
      induces MMP-9 expression and cell migration in SK-N-SH cells.

PMID- 26497036
TI  - Selenoprotein T Deficiency Leads to Neurodevelopmental Abnormalities and
      Hyperactive Behavior in Mice.
AB  - Selenoprotein T (SelT) is a newly discovered thioredoxin-like protein, which is
      abundantly but transiently expressed in the neural lineage during brain
      ontogenesis. Because its physiological function in the brain remains unknown, we
      developed a conditional knockout mouse line (Nes-Cre/SelTfl/fl) in which SelT
      gene is specifically disrupted in nerve cells. At postnatal day 7 (P7), these
      mice exhibited reduced volume of different brain structures, including
      hippocampus, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex. This phenotype, which is observed
      early during the first postnatal week, culminated at P7 and was associated with
      increased loss of immature neurons but not glial cells, through apoptotic cell
      death. This phenomenon was accompanied by elevated levels of intracellular
      reactive oxygen species, which may explain the increased neuron demise and
      reduced brain structure volumes. At the second postnatal week, an increase in
      neurogenesis was observed in the cerebellum of Nes-Cre/SelTfl/fl mice, suggesting
      the occurrence of developmental compensatory mechanisms in the brain. In fact,
      the brain volume alterations observed at P7 were attenuated in adult mice.
      Nevertheless, SelT mutant mice exhibited a hyperactive behavior, suggesting that
      despite an apparent morphological compensation, SelT deficiency leads to cerebral
      malfunction in adulthood. Altogether, these results demonstrate that SelT exerts
      a neuroprotective role which is essential during brain development, and that its
      loss impairs mice behavior.

PMID- 26497037
TI  - Contra-directional Coupling of Nur77 and Nurr1 in Neurodegeneration: A Novel
      Mechanism for Memantine-Induced Anti-inflammation and Anti-mitochondrial
      Impairment.
AB  - Recent evidence suggests that nerve growth factor IB (Nur77) and nuclear receptor
      related1 (Nurr1) are differentially involved in dopaminergic neurodegeneration.
      Since memantine has shown clinically relevant efficacy in Parkinson's disease
      (PD) and displayed a potent protective effect on dopaminergic neurons in
      experimental PD models, we asked if it exerts its neuroprotection by regulating
      Nur77 and Nurr1 signaling. We adopted a well-established in vitro PD model, 6
      hydroxydopamine (OHDA)-lesioned PC12 cells, to test our hypothesis. Different
      concentrations of memantine were incubated with 6-OHDA-lesioned PC12 cells, and
      Nur77/Nurr1 and their related signaling molecules were examined by Western blot
      and immunocytochemistry. Nur77-deficient PC12 cells were used to verify the
      influences of Nur77 on neurodegeneration and memantine-mediated neuroprotection.
      We found that memantine reversed Nur77 upregulation and restored Nurr1
      downregulation in 6-OHDA-lesioned PC12 cells. 6-OHDA incubation caused Nur77
      translocation from the nucleus to cytosol and induced co-localization of Cyt
      c/HSP60/Nur77 in the cytosol. Memantine strongly reduced the sub-cellular
      translocations of Nur77/Cyt c/HSP60 under 6-OHDA-induced oxidative condition.
      Knockdown of Nur77 enhanced the viability of PC12 cells exposed to 6-OHDA, while
      memantine-induced neuroprotection was much less in the cells with Nur77 knockdown
      than in those without it. We conclude that Nur77 plays a crucial role in
      modulating mitochondrial impairment and contributes to neurodegeneration under
      the experimental PD condition. Memantine effectively suppresses such Nur77
      mediated neurodegeneration and promotes survival signaling through post
      translational modification of Nurr1. Nur77 and Nurr1 present a contra
      directionally coupling interaction in memantine-mediated neuroprotection.

PMID- 26497038
TI  - Dehydroascorbic Acid Promotes Cell Death in Neurons Under Oxidative Stress: a
      Protective Role for Astrocytes.
AB  - Ascorbic acid (AA), the reduced form of vitamin C, is incorporated into neurons
      via the sodium ascorbate co-transporter SVCT2. However, this transporter is not
      expressed in astrocytes, which take up the oxidized form of vitamin C,
      dehydroascorbic acid (DHA), via the facilitative hexose transporter GLUT1.
      Therefore, neuron and astrocyte interactions are thought to mediate vitamin C
      recycling in the nervous system. Although astrocytes are essential for the
      antioxidant defense of neurons under oxidative stress, a condition in which a
      large amount of ROS is generated that may favor the extracellular oxidation of AA
      and the subsequent neuronal uptake of DHA via GLUT3, potentially increasing
      oxidative stress in neurons. This study analyzed the effects of oxidative stress
      and DHA uptake on neuronal cell death in vitro. Different analyses revealed the
      presence of the DHA transporters GLUT1 and GLUT3 in Neuro2a and HN33.11 cells and
      in cortical neurons. Kinetic analyses confirmed that all cells analyzed in this
      study possess functional GLUTs that take up 2-deoxyglucose and DHA. Thus, DHA
      promotes the death of stressed neuronal cells, which is reversed by incubating
      the cells with cytochalasin B, an inhibitor of DHA uptake by GLUT1 and GLUT3.
      Additionally, the presence of glial cells (U87 and astrocytes), which promote DHA
      recycling, reverses the observed cell death of stressed neurons. Taken together,
      these results indicate that DHA promotes the death of stressed neurons and that
      astrocytes are essential for the antioxidative defense of neurons. Thus, the
      astrocyte-neuron interaction may function as an essential mechanism for vitamin C
      recycling, participating in the antioxidative defense of the brain.

PMID- 26497039
TI  - Intracerebral Glycine Administration Impairs Energy and Redox Homeostasis and
      Induces Glial Reactivity in Cerebral Cortex of Newborn Rats.
AB  - Accumulation of glycine (GLY) is the biochemical hallmark of glycine
      encephalopathy (GE), an aminoacidopathy characterized by severe neurological
      dysfunction that may lead to early death. In the present study, we evaluated the
      effect of a single intracerebroventricular administration of GLY on
      bioenergetics, redox homeostasis, and histopathology in brain of neonatal rats.
      Our results demonstrated that GLY decreased the activities of the respiratory
      chain complex IV and creatine kinase, induced reactive species generation, and
      diminished glutathione (GSH) levels 1, 5, and 10 days after GLY injection in
      cerebral cortex of 1-day-old rats. GLY also increased malondialdehyde (MDA)
      levels 5 days after GLY infusion in this brain region. Furthermore, GLY
      differentially modulated the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and
      glutathione peroxidase depending on the period tested after GLY administration.
      In contrast, bioenergetics and redox parameters were not altered in brain of 5
      day-old rats. Regarding the histopathological analysis, GLY increased S100beta
      staining in cerebral cortex and striatum, and GFAP in corpus callosum of 1-day
      old rats 5 days after injection. Finally, we verified that melatonin prevented
      the decrease of complex IV and CK activities and GSH concentrations, and the
      increase of MDA levels and S100beta staining caused by GLY. Based on our
      findings, it may be presumed that impairment of redox and energy homeostasis and
      glial reactivity induced by GLY may contribute to the neurological dysfunction
      observed in GE.

PMID- 26497040
TI  - Impact of Gut Microbiota on Obesity, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk.
AB  - Gut microbiota has been recently established to have a contributory role in the
      development of cardiometabolic disorders, such as atherosclerosis, obesity, and
      type 2 diabetes. Growing interest has focused on the modulation of gut microbiota
      as a therapeutic strategy in cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders. In
      this paper, we have reviewed the impact of gut microbiota on metabolic disorders
      and cardiovascular disease risk, focusing on the newest findings in this field. 

PMID- 26497041
TI  - Polypill: Progress and Challenges to Global Use--Update on the Trials and Policy
      Implementation.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality globally. Most
      people with cardiovascular disease do not take long-term cholesterol-lowering,
      anti-platelet and blood pressure-lowering medications despite proven benefits.
      Fixed-dose combination pills ('polypills') have been shown to improve adherence
      to these recommended medications with corresponding improvements in risk factors
      such as blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Among
      patients not taking the full complement of recommended CVD preventive therapies,
      use of a polypill-based strategy (i.e. initiating treatment with single-pill
      combination medication then titrating further therapy as needed) has large
      potential benefits in reducing global morbidity and mortality. Despite this, few
      polypills are available on the market due to market failure in the funding of
      research and development for affordable non-communicable disease medicines.
      Additionally, defining a path to market has been problematic in that fixed-dose
      combinations with multiple different drug classes included are quite novel, and
      regulatory processes to review these types of applications are not well
      established. Despite these delays, progress is slowly being made.

PMID- 26497042
TI  - Nominations open for eighth annual BMJ Awards.

PMID- 26497044
TI  - Survival benefit of greater number of lymph nodes dissection for advanced node
      negative gastric cancer patients following radical gastrectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A common clinicopathological factor except for T stage that could
      significantly influence the clinical outcome of advanced node-negative gastric
      cancer patients following radical gastrectomy was unknown. This study was
      designed to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of these
      patients, and to evaluate the outcome indicators and improve the risk
      stratification. METHODS: A total of 195 patients harboring advanced gastric
      adenocarcinoma with no lymph node and distant metastases and following radical
      gastrectomy were retrospectively analyzed from the prospectively collected
      database of Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University between 2006 and 2010.
      RESULTS: The 3-year and 5-year overall survival rates of this study population
      were 85.0 and 69.6%. Factors influencing the overall survival were the degree of
      tumor differentiation, the depth of invasion and the number of lymph nodes
      resected (LN, cutoff = 18). Lymph node was recognized as an independent
      prognostic factor for overall survival of advanced node-negative gastric cancer
      patients, and the prognosis of the patients with greater number of lymph nodes
      resected (LN >= 18) was significantly better than those with lymph node < 18, and
      only the patients with T3/T4 stage could be significantly stratified by lymph
      node. Based on this condition, a new staging system named tumor-node-metastasis
      staging system for T3/T4 node-negative gastric cancer was constructed, which
      could have statistically different overall survival between subgroups.
      CONCLUSIONS: Lymph node was an independent prognostic factor of patients with
      advanced node-negative gastric cancer, and retrieval of more than 18 lymph nodes
      should be warranted. In addition, these patients with lesser number of lymph
      nodes resected might need aggressive postoperative treatment and closer follow
      up.

PMID- 26497043
TI  - Arsenic exposure is associated with pediatric pneumonia in rural Bangladesh: a
      case control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is the leading cause of death for children under 5 years of
      age globally, making research on modifiable risk factors for childhood pneumonia
      important for reducing this disease burden. Millions of children globally are
      exposed to elevated levels of arsenic in drinking water. However, there is
      limited data on the association between arsenic exposure and respiratory
      infections, particularly among pediatric populations. METHODS: This case control
      study of 153 pneumonia cases and 296 controls 28 days to 59 months of age in
      rural Bangladesh is the first to assess whether arsenic exposure is a risk factor
      for pneumonia in a pediatric population. Cases had physician diagnosed World
      Health Organization defined severe or very severe pneumonia. Urine collected
      during hospitalization (hospital admission time point) and 30 days later
      (convalescent time point) from cases and a single specimen from community
      controls was tested for urinary arsenic by graphite furnace atomic absorption.
      RESULTS: The odds for pneumonia was nearly double for children with urinary
      arsenic concentrations higher than the first quartile (>=6 MUg/L) at the hospital
      admission time point (Odd Ratio (OR):1.88 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.01,
      3.53)), after adjustment for urinary creatinine, weight for height,
      breastfeeding, paternal education, age, and number of people in the household.
      This was consistent with findings at the convalescent time point where the
      adjusted OR for children with urinary arsenic concentrations greater than the
      first quartile (>=6 MUg/L) was 2.32 (95% CI: 1.33, 4.02). CONCLUSION: We observed
      a nearly two times higher odds of pneumonia for children with creatinine adjusted
      urinary arsenic concentrations greater than the first quartile (>=6 MUg/L) at the
      hospital admission time point. This novel finding suggests that low to moderate
      arsenic exposure may be a risk factor for pneumonia in children under 5 years of
      age.

PMID- 26497045
TI  - The prognostic value of CXC-chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) in gastric cancer
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: CXC chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) has been reported to play an
      important role in the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells. The
      present study aims to investigate the impact of CXCR2 expression on the overall
      survival (OS) of gastric cancer patients after radical resection. METHODS:
      Intratumoral CXCR2 expression was evaluated with immunohistochemistry on tissue
      microarrays containing tumor samples of 357 gastric cancer patients from a single
      center. CXCR2 expression levels were correlated to clinicopathological variables
      and OS. RESULTS: CXCR2 expression was mainly located in the cytoplasm of gastric
      carcinoma cells. High CXCR2 expression was associated with poor tumor
      differentiation (p = 0.021), increased tumor depth (p < 0.001), lymph node
      metastasis (p < 0.001), advanced TNM stage (p < 0.001) and short OS (p = 0.001).
      CXCR2 expression was an independent prognostic factor for OS (p = 0.001) in
      multivariate analysis, and could be combined with TNM stage to generate a
      predictive nomogram for clinical outcome in patients with gastric cancer.
      CONCLUSION: Intratumoral CXCR2 expression is a novel independent predictor for
      survival in gastric cancer patients. CXCR2 might be a promising therapeutic
      target of postoperative adjuvant treatment.

PMID- 26497046
TI  - Identification of plasma microRNAs as a biomarker of sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral
      Sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative
      disease, which leads to the loss of upper and lower motor neurons, with a
      currently unknown etiology. Specific biomarkers could help in early detection and
      diagnosis, and could also act as indicators of disease progression and therapy
      effectiveness. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small (18-25 nucleotides), single-stranded
      non-coding RNA molecules that play important regulatory roles in animals and
      plants by targeting mRNAs for cleavage or translational repression, and are
      essential for nervous system development. Many of the genes associated with
      genetic ALS have pathological biological pathways related to RNA metabolism, and
      their pathogenesis may be affecting the maturing processes of miRNA. RESULTS: We
      compared miRNA from the plasma of sALS patients and healthy controls using two
      cohorts; a discovery cohort analyzed with microarray (16 sALS patients and ten
      healthy controls) and a validation cohort confirmed with qPCR (48 sALS patients,
      47 healthy controls and 30 disease controls). We measured the total amount of
      extracted RNA along with a spike-in control that ensured the quality of our
      quantification. A percentage of the 10-40 nt RNAs extracted from the total RNA
      showed a significant increase in ALS patients. There was a negative correlation
      between total RNA concentration and disease duration from onset to end point.
      Three of the miRNAs were up-regulated and six were down-regulated significantly
      in the discovery cohort. Since an internal control is required as a sample
      stability indicator of both the patients and controls in microarray analysis, we
      selected the miRNA showing the smallest dispersion and equivalency between the
      two groups' mean value, and decided to use hsa-miR-4516. We found hsa-miR-4649-5p
      to be up-regulated, and hsa-miR-4299 to be down-regulated, where each was not
      influenced by clinical characteristics. EPHA4, a target gene linked to the
      nervous system which has also been reported to be a disease modifier of ALS, is
      the common and most notable target gene of hsa-miR-4649-5p and hsa-miR-4299.
      CONCLUSION: We have shown the relationship circulating plasma miRNA has with both
      healthy controls and diseased patients. Hsa-miR-4649-5p and hsa-miR-4299 have the
      potential to be ALS diagnosis biomarkers.

PMID- 26497047
TI  - Impaired decision-making in symptomatic anorexia and bulimia nervosa patients: a
      meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Impaired decision-making is a potential neurocognitive phenotype of
      eating disorders. It is therefore important to disentangle the decision-making
      deficits associated with the eating disorder subtypes and determine whether this
      putative impairment is a state or trait marker of the disease or more related to
      starvation. We systematically reviewed the literature on decision-making in
      eating disorders and conducted a meta-analysis to explore its role in anorexia
      nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge-eating disorder (BED). METHOD: A
      search of the Medline and EMBASE databases and article references was performed.
      A total of 23 studies (2044 participants) met the selection criteria. When the
      Iowa gambling task (IGT) was used in at least three of the studies, a meta
      analysis was run. RESULTS: IGT performance was significantly worse in patients
      with an eating disorder diagnosis (AN, BN or BED) compared with healthy controls,
      indicating that eating disorders have a negative effect on decision-making.
      Hedges' g effect sizes were moderate to large (-0.72 in AN, -0.62 in BN, and 
      1.26 in BED). Recovered AN patients had IGT scores similar to those of healthy
      controls. Restrictive AN patients had significantly lower IGT net scores than
      purging AN patients, and both AN subtypes had worse performances than healthy
      controls. Age and body mass index did not explain results. CONCLUSIONS: Decision
      making was significantly altered in patients with eating disorders. Poor decision
      making was more pronounced during the acute phase than in the recovered state of
      AN. Nutritional status during the acute phase of the disease did not seem to
      influence decision-making skills.

PMID- 26497048
TI  - The relationship of social support concept and repeat mammography among Iranian
      women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer ranks as the first most common cancer among the Iranian
      women. The regular repeat of mammography with 1-2 year intervals leads to the
      increased efficiency of early detection of breast cancer. The present study
      examined the predictors of repeat mammography. It was hypothesized that higher
      social support is connected with mammography repeat. METHODS: A cross-sectional
      study was carried out among 400 women 50 years and older in Sanandaj, Iran. Data
      was collected by the questionnaire including information on socio demographical
      variables and measuring social support level. Data was analyzed by SPSS16
      software. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the predictive power
      of demographic variables and dimensions of social support for repeat mammography.
      RESULTS: Women aged 50-55 years had three times odds of repeat mammography
      compared to women aged 56-60 years) OR, 3.02). Married women had greater odds of
      repeat mammography compared to single women (P < 0.006). The probability of
      repeat mammography in women with higher social support was 0.93 times greater
      than the women with lower social support (OR, 0.93; 95 % CI, 0.91-0.95; P <
      0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Iranian women are less likely repeat mammography than other
      Asian women. Identifying the associations between perceived social support and
      repeat mammography may offer detailed information to allow for future study and
      guide the development of interventions not only for Iranian women but also for
      similar cultural that received pay too little attention to date in the breast
      cancer literature.

PMID- 26497049
TI  - Discovery of 1,1'-Biphenyl-4-sulfonamides as a New Class of Potent and Selective
      Carbonic Anhydrase XIV Inhibitors.
AB  - New 1,1'-biphenylsulfonamides were synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of the
      ubiquitous human carbonic anhydrase isoforms I, II, IX, XII, and XIV using
      acetazolamide (AAZ) as reference compound. The sulfonamides 1-21 inhibited all
      the isoforms, with Ki values in the nanomolar range of concentration, and were
      superior to AAZ against all of them. X-ray crystallography and molecular modeling
      studies on the adducts that compound 20, the most potent hCA XIV inhibitor of the
      series (Ki = 0.26 nM), formed with the five hCAs, provided insight into the
      molecular determinants responsible for the high affinity of this molecule toward
      the target enzymes. The results pave the way to the development of 1.1'
      biphenylsulfonamides as a new class of highy potent hCA XIV inhibitors. 

PMID- 26497051
TI  - Pressure-driven occlusive flow of a confined red blood cell.
AB  - When red blood cells (RBCs) move through narrow capillaries in the
      microcirculation, they deform as they flow. In pathophysiological processes such
      as sickle cell disease and malaria, RBC motion and flow are severely restricted.
      To understand this threshold of occlusion, we use a combination of experiment and
      theory to study the motion of a single swollen RBC through a narrow glass
      capillary of varying inner diameter. By tracking the movement of the squeezed
      cell as it is driven by a controlled pressure drop, we measure the RBC velocity
      as a function of the pressure gradient as well as the local capillary diameter,
      and find that the effective blood viscosity in this regime increases with both
      decreasing RBC velocity and tube radius by following a power-law that depends
      upon the length of the confined cell. Our observations are consistent with a
      simple elasto-hydrodynamic model and highlight the role of lateral confinement in
      the occluded pressure-driven slow flow of soft confined objects. 

PMID- 26497050
TI  - Chloride intracellular channel 1 regulates migration and invasion in gastric
      cancer by triggering the ROS-mediated p38 MAPK signaling pathway.
AB  - Chloride intracellular channel 1 (CLIC1) has been demonstrated to be
      overexpressed in gastric cancer, and elevated CLIC1 expression levels are
      markedly associated with the processes of tumor cell migration and invasion.
      However, the regulatory mechanism and signaling pathway underlying these
      processes have remained to be elucidated. The present study examined the impact
      of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), indanyloxyacetic acid (IAA)-94 and SB203580,
      inhibitors of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as CLIC1 and p38 mitogen
      activated protein kinase (MAPK) on the migration and invasion of SGC-7901 gastric
      cancer cells in a hypoxia-reoxygenation (H-R) microenvironment. The results
      demonstrated that intracellular ROS and CLIC1 levels were increased under H-R
      conditions, and that functional inhibition of CLIC1 significantly decreased the H
      R-elevated ROS generation and p-p38 MAPK levels in SGC-7901 cells, as well as
      inhibited the migration and invasion of SGC-7901 cells. In addition, the
      expression levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were inhibited by NAC, IAA-94 and SB203580.
      These results indicated that CLIC1 regulates gastric cancer-cell migration and
      invasion via the ROS-mediated p38 MAPK signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26497052
TI  - Adding anthropometric measures of regional adiposity to BMI improves prediction
      of cardiometabolic, inflammatory and adipokines profiles in youths: a cross
      sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Paediatric research analysing the relationship between the easy-to
      use anthropometric measures for adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors
      remains highly controversial in youth. Several studies suggest that only body
      mass index (BMI), a measure of relative weight, constitutes an accurate
      predictor, whereas others highlight the potential role of waist-to-hip ratio
      (WHR), waist circumference (Waist C), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). In this
      study, we examined the effectiveness of adding anthropometric measures of body
      fat distribution (Waist C Z Score, WHR Z Score and/or WHtR) to BMI Z Score to
      predict cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight and obese youth. We also
      examined the consistency of these associations with the "total fat mass +
      trunk/legs fat mass" and/or the "total fat mass + trunk fat mass" combinations,
      as assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the gold standard
      measurement of body composition. METHODS: Anthropometric and DXA measurements of
      total and regional adiposity, as well as a comprehensive assessment of
      cardiometabolic, inflammatory and adipokines profiles were performed in 203
      overweight and obese 7-17 year-old youths from the Paediatrics Clinic, Centre
      Hospitalier de Luxembourg. RESULTS: Adding only one anthropometric surrogate of
      regional fat to BMI Z Score improved the prediction of insulin resistance (WHR Z
      Score, R(2): 45.9%. Waist C Z Score, R(2): 45.5%), HDL-cholesterol (WHR Z Score,
      R(2): 9.6%. Waist C Z Score, R(2): 10.8%. WHtR, R(2): 6.5%), triglycerides (WHR Z
      Score, R(2): 11.7%. Waist C Z Score, R(2): 12.2%), adiponectin (WHR Z Score,
      R(2): 14.3%. Waist C Z Score, R(2): 17.7%), CRP (WHR Z Score, R(2): 18.2%. WHtR,
      R(2): 23.3%), systolic (WHtR, R(2): 22.4%), diastolic blood pressure (WHtR, R(2):
      20%) and fibrinogen (WHtR, R(2): 21.8%). Moreover, WHR Z Score, Waist C Z Score
      and/or WHtR showed an independent significant contribution according to these
      models. These results were in line with the DXA findings. CONCLUSIONS: Adding
      anthropometric measures of regional adiposity to BMI Z Score improves the
      prediction of cardiometabolic, inflammatory and adipokines profiles in youth.

PMID- 26497053
TI  - Hierarchical-Multiplex DNA Patterns Mediated by Polymer Brush Nanocone Arrays
      That Possess Potential Application for Specific DNA Sensing.
AB  - This paper provides a facile and cost-efficient method to prepare single-strand
      DNA (ssDNA) nanocone arrays and hierarchical DNA patterns that were mediated by
      poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) brush. The PHEMA brush nanocone arrays
      with different morphology and period were fabricated via colloidal lithography.
      The hierarchical structure was prepared through the combination of colloidal
      lithography and traditional photolithography. The DNA patterns were easily
      achieved via grafting the amino group modified ssDNA onto the side chain of
      polymer brush, and the anchored DNA maintained their reactivity. The as-prepared
      ssDNA nanocone arrays can be applied for target DNA sensing with the detection
      limit reaching 1.65 nM. Besides, with the help of introducing microfluidic
      ideology, the hierarchical-multiplex DNA patterns on the same substrate could be
      easily achieved with each kind of pattern possessing one kind of ssDNA, which are
      promising surfaces for the preparation of rapid, visible, and multiplex DNA
      sensors. 

PMID- 26497054
TI  - Change of treatment guidelines and evolution of ART initiation in rural South
      Africa: data of a large HIV care and treatment programme.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While WHO recommendations are to treat people earlier and earlier, it
      will considerably increase the number of HIV infected people eligible for
      antiretroviral therapy (ART). In South Africa, a country which carries one of the
      highest HIV burden worldwide, very few studies are available on the impact of the
      ART guidelines on time to ART initiation in both individuals with low CD4 count
      and those newly eligible for ART. We thus aimed to describe ART initiation
      percentages in a large HIV programme in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa,
      according to the temporal changes of national ART eligibility guidelines from
      2007 to 2012. METHODS: Adults who accessed the decentralized Hlabisa HIV
      treatment programme in 2007-2012 were included. Three periods following the
      temporal change of ART eligibility guidelines were defined (Period 1: until April
      2010; Period 2: April 2010 - July 2011; Period 3: from August 2011). Percentages
      of ART initiation within three months of programme entry were estimated in men,
      in women of childbearing age (<40 years old) and in older women, and stratifying
      by CD4 count. Trend tests and logistic regression models were used to study the
      effects of change of guidelines on ART initiation percentages. RESULTS: In
      individuals with CD4 count <=200 cells/MUL (N = 5709 men, N = 6743 women <40
      years old and N = 2017 older women), percentages of ART initiation did not differ
      over time (p trend = 0.25; 0.28; and 0.14, respectively). In individuals with CD4
      count = 201-350 cells/MUL (N = 2680 men, N = 6086 women <40 years old and N =
      1415 older women), percentages of ART initiation significantly increased over
      time (p trend <0.01 for the three groups): from 6 % in Period 1 to 20 % in Period
      2 to 40 % in Period 3 in women of childbearing age, and from 7 % to 8-10 % to 42
      % in men and in older women. CONCLUSIONS: As temporal changes of guidelines,
      percentages of ART initiation significantly increased in newly ART eligible
      people and did not decrease in individuals with very low CD4 counts. It will be
      crucial to continue verifying the evolution of these percentages of ART
      initiation with future recommendations reaching near-to-universal access to ART,
      to ensure that individuals most in need of ART receive it.

PMID- 26497055
TI  - Why creating standardized core outcome sets for chronic kidney disease will
      improve clinical practice.
AB  - Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common and is associated with increased
      mortality, morbidity and cost. However, insufficient high-quality trial data are
      available to answer many relevant clinical questions in this field. In addition,
      a wide range of variable outcomes are used in studies, and often they are
      incompletely reported. Furthermore, there is a lack of patient-relevant outcomes,
      such as mortality, morbidity, quality of life, pain, need for dialysis or costs.
      Common problems with outcome reporting are as follows: choosing the wrong domains
      to measure; within domains, choosing the wrong measures (invalid surrogates,
      composite, non-patient relevant); within measures, choosing the wrong/variable
      metrics; and within metrics, choosing variable presentation methods. With this
      article, we aim to underline why standardized outcome reporting is key to
      achieving evidence-based guidance and improving clinical care for patients;
      highlight the frameworks available for achieving core outcome sets; and starting
      from these frameworks, we propose steps needed to develop a core outcome set in
      the field of CKD. We hope that standardized core outcome sets for nephrology will
      lead to the most important outcome of guideline production, improving outcomes
      for our patients.

PMID- 26497056
TI  - Prophylactic systemic antifungal agents to prevent mortality and morbidity in
      very low birth weight infants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Invasive fungal infection is an important cause of mortality and
      morbidity in very preterm and very low birth weight infants. Early diagnosis is
      difficult and treatment is often delayed. Systemically absorbed antifungal agents
      (usually azoles) are increasingly used as prophylaxis against invasive fungal
      infection in this population. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of prophylactic
      systemic antifungal therapy on mortality and morbidity in very preterm or very
      low birth weight infants. SEARCH METHODS: We used the standard search strategy of
      the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. This included searches of the Cochrane
      Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2015, Issue
      8), MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL (to May 2015), conference proceedings, and
      previous reviews. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials or quasi
      randomised controlled trials that compared the effect of prophylactic systemic
      antifungal therapy versus placebo or no drug or another antifungal agent or dose
      regimen in very low birth weight infants. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We
      extracted data using the standard methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group,
      with separate evaluation of trial quality and data extraction by two review
      authors. MAIN RESULTS: We identified 15 eligible trials enrolling a total of 1690
      infants. Ten trials (1371 infants) compared systemic antifungal prophylaxis
      versus placebo or no drug. These trials were generally of good methodological
      quality. Meta-analysis found a statistically significant reduction in the
      incidence of invasive fungal infection (typical risk ratio (RR) 0.43, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.31 to 0.59; risk difference (RD) -0.09, 95% CI -0.12
      to -0.06). The average incidence of invasive fungal infection in the control
      groups of the trials (16%) was much higher than that generally reported from
      large cohort studies. Meta-analysis did not find a statistically significant
      difference in the risk of death prior to hospital discharge (typical RR 0.79, 95%
      CI 0.61 to 1.02; typical RD -0.04, 95% CI -0.07 to 0.00). Very limited data on
      long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes were available. Three trials that compared
      systemic versus oral or topical non-absorbed antifungal prophylaxis did not
      detect any statistically significant effects on invasive fungal infection or
      mortality. Two trials that compared different dose regimens of prophylactic
      intravenous fluconazole did not detect any significant differences in infection
      rates or mortality. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic systemic antifungal
      therapy reduces the incidence of invasive fungal infection in very preterm or
      very low birth weight infants. This finding should be interpreted and applied
      cautiously since the incidence of invasive fungal infection was very high in the
      control groups of many of the included trials. Meta-analysis does not demonstrate
      a statistically significant effect on mortality. There are currently only limited
      data on the long-term neurodevelopmental consequences for infants exposed to this
      intervention. In addition, there is a need for further data on the effect of the
      intervention on the emergence of organisms with antifungal resistance.

PMID- 26497058
TI  - Seroprevalence against selected pathogens involved in porcine respiratory disease
      complex in free-range fattening pigs in Spain.

PMID- 26497059
TI  - Postoperative cognitive dysfunction after inhalational anesthesia in elderly
      patients undergoing major surgery: the influence of anesthetic technique,
      cerebral injury and systemic inflammation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Elderly patients are reportedly at higher risk of postoperative
      cognitive dysfunction (POCD) after inhalational anesthesia with sevoflurane. We
      hypothesized that the incidence of POCD would be higher in elderly patients
      undergoing major surgery under inhalational rather than intravenous anesthesia.
      We also measured plasma S-100beta protein concentration as a biomarker of central
      nervous system injury, and plasma interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor
      (TNF)-alpha concentrations to judge the contribution of systemic inflammation to
      POCD. METHODS: Ninety patients aged 65-75 years scheduled for resection of an
      esophageal carcinoma were randomly assigned to one of three groups (n = 30) as
      follows: a group receiving sevoflurane anesthesia (Group S); a group receiving
      preoperative methylprednisolone before sevoflurane anesthesia (Group S + MP); and
      a control group maintained with intravenous propofol (Group C). The mini-mental
      state examination (MMSE) and Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) were used to
      measure patients' cognitive function the day before surgery, and on the first,
      third and seventh postoperative days. The plasma concentrations of TNF-alpha, IL
      6 and S-100beta protein were measured 10 min before anesthesia, and on the first,
      third and seventh postoperative days. RESULTS: There were no significant
      differences in the demographic or clinical characteristics, or perioperative
      hemodynamic status, of the three groups. The MMSE and MoCA scores were
      significantly lower in Group S than in the propofol control (Group C) and Group S
      + MP on the first, third and seventh postoperative days (P <0.05). Throughout the
      first postoperative week the plasma concentrations of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and S
      100beta protein were significantly elevated in Group S compared with Group C (P
      <0.05), but were significantly lower in Group S + MP than Group S (P <0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of POCD was higher in elderly patients undergoing
      major surgery under inhalational anesthesia with sevoflurane than those
      maintained on intravenous propofol, and lower in elderly patients pro-treating
      with methylprednisolone. Furthermore, we found elevated plasma concentrations of
      S-100beta protein, TNF-alpha and IL-6 in those receiving sevoflurane anesthesia.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR-IOR-15007007 (02-09-2015).

PMID- 26497060
TI  - Profiles of responses of immunological factors to different subtypes of Kawasaki
      disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The responses of immunological factors to different subtypes of
      Kawasaki disease (KD) remain poorly understood. METHODS: We recruited 388
      patients with KD, 160 patients with infectious febrile disease and 85 normal
      children who served as control subjects. Both the levels and percentages of T
      lymphocyte subsets, natural killer cells (NK cells) and B cells were analyzed via
      flow cytometry. The levels of serum IgG, IgM, IgA and C3, C4 were assessed via
      velocity scatter turbidimetry. RESULTS: The most significant differences noted
      between the patients with infectious febrile disease and the normal children were
      the elevated levels of B cells, C3 and the ratio of CD4/CD8, and the decreased
      levels of CD8+ T cells and NK cells, as well as the moderate increase in the
      absolute value of the CD3+ cells. The decreased T cell levels and the elevated B
      cell levels were helpful in distinguishing typical KD from atypical KD; the
      elevated T cell levels, the elevated NK cell and B cell levels and the decreased
      B cell levels were helpful in predicting the effectiveness of IVIG; low C3 and C4
      levels were linked with prodromal infections. CONCLUSIONS: Lymphocytes subsets
      and complement markers may be useful in differentiating among the different
      subtypes of KD and in helping clinicians understand the pathophysiology of KD.

PMID- 26497061
TI  - Influence of Ligand Shell Composition upon Interparticle Interactions in
      Multifunctional Nanoparticles.
AB  - The interactions of nanoparticles with biomolecules, surfaces, or other
      nanostructures are dictated by the nanoparticle's surface chemistry. Thus, far,
      shortcomings of syntheses of nanoparticles with defined ligand shell
      architectures have limited our ability to understand how changes in their surface
      composition influence reactivity and assembly. We report new synthetic approaches
      to systematically control the number (polyvalency), length, and steric
      interactions of omega-functionalized (targeting) ligands within an otherwise
      passivating (diluent) ligand shell. A mesofluidic reactor was used to prepare
      nanoparticles with the same core diameter for each of the designed ligand
      architectures. When the targeting ligands are malonamide groups, the
      nanoparticles assemble via cross-linking in the presence of trivalent
      lanthanides. We examined the influence of ligand composition on assembly by
      monitoring the differences in optical properties of the cross-linked and free
      nanoparticles. Infrared spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and solution small
      angle X-ray scattering provided additional insight into the assembly behavior.
      Lower (less than 33%) malonamide ligand densities (where the binding group
      extends beyond the periphery of diluent ethylene glycol ligands) produce the
      strongest optical responses and largest assemblies. Surprisingly, nanoparticles
      containing a higher surface number of targeting ligand did not produce an optical
      response or assemble, underscoring the importance of an informed mixed ligand
      strategy for highest nanoparticle performance. 

PMID- 26497057
TI  - Iron and zinc exploitation during bacterial pathogenesis.
AB  - Ancient bacteria originated from metal-rich environments. Billions of years of
      evolution directed these tiny single cell creatures to exploit the versatile
      properties of metals in catalyzing chemical reactions and biological responses.
      The result is an entire metallome of proteins that use metal co-factors to
      facilitate key cellular process that range from the production of energy to the
      replication of DNA. Two key metals in this regard are iron and zinc, both
      abundant on Earth but not readily accessible in a human host. Instead, pathogenic
      bacteria must employ clever ways to acquire these metals. In this review we
      describe the many elegant ways these bacteria mine, regulate, and craft the use
      of two key metals (iron and zinc) to build a virulence arsenal that challenges
      even the most sophisticated immune response. 

PMID- 26497062
TI  - Thermodynamics of protein denaturation at temperatures over 100  degrees C: CutA1
      mutant proteins substituted with hydrophobic and charged residues.
AB  - Although the thermodynamics of protein denaturation at temperatures over 100 
      degrees C is essential for the rational design of highly stable proteins, it is
      not understood well because of the associated technical difficulties. We designed
      certain hydrophobic mutant proteins of CutA1 from Escherichia coli, which have
      denaturation temperatures (Td) ranging from 101 to 113  degrees C and show a
      reversible heat denaturation. Using a hydrophobic mutant as a template, we
      successfully designed a hyperthermostable mutant protein (Td = 137  degrees C) by
      substituting six residues with charged ones. Thermodynamic analyses of these
      mutant proteins indicated that the hydrophobic mutants were stabilized by the
      accumulation of denaturation enthalpy (DeltaH) with no entropic gain from
      hydrophobic solvation around 100  degrees C, and that the stabilization due to
      salt bridges resulted from both the increase in DeltaH from ion-ion interactions
      and the entropic effect of the electrostatic solvation over 113  degrees C. This
      is the first experimental evidence that has successfully overcome the typical
      technical difficulties. 

PMID- 26497064
TI  - Inhibition mechanism of SAHA in HDAC: a revisit.
AB  - SAHA (vorinostat, Merck) is a famous clinical drug for zinc-containing histone
      deacetylase (HDAC) targets against cancer and several other human disorders,
      whose inhibition mechanism (namely the protonation mechanism) upon binding to
      HDAC has been debated for more than ten years. It is very challenging to verify
      experimentally and is still controversial theoretically. The popular "Class
      dependent" (namely "Tyr-dependent") hypothesis is that the deprotonation of SAHA
      is mostly regulated by the conserved Tyr308 in class I HDAC while it is replaced
      by the His843 in class IIa HDAC. Herein, by elaborate QM(DFT)/MM MD simulations,
      we exclude the prevalent "Class-dependent" mechanism and advance a novel "Metal
      dependent" mechanism, where the remote second metal site (K(+) in most HDAC and
      Ca(2+) in HDAC2) determines the protonation of SAHA. This proof-of-principle
      "Metal-dependent" mechanism opens up a new avenue to utilize the second metal
      site for isoform-selective inhibitor design. 

PMID- 26497063
TI  - Noninvasive imaging of radiolabeled exosome-mimetic nanovesicle using (99m)Tc
      HMPAO.
AB  - Exosomes known as nano-sized extracellular vesicles attracted recent interests
      due to their potential usefulness in drug delivery. Amid remarkable advances in
      biomedical applications of exosomes, it is crucial to understand in vivo
      distribution and behavior of exosomes. Here, we developed a simple method for
      radiolabeling of macrophage-derived exosome-mimetic nanovesicles (ENVs) with
      (99m)Tc-HMPAO under physiologic conditions and monitored in vivo distribution of
      (99m)Tc-HMPAO-ENVs using SPECT/CT in living mice. ENVs were produced from the
      mouse RAW264.7 macrophage cell line and labeled with (99m)Tc-HMPAO for 1 hr
      incubation, followed by removal of free (99m)Tc-HMPAO. SPECT/CT images were
      serially acquired after intravenous injection to BALB/c mouse. When ENVs were
      labeled with (99m)Tc-HMPAO, the radiochemical purity of (99m)Tc-HMPAO-ENVs was
      higher than 90% and the expression of exosome specific protein (CD63) did not
      change in (99m)Tc-HMPAO-ENVs. (99m)Tc-HMPAO-ENVs showed high serum stability
      (90%) which was similar to that in phosphate buffered saline until 5 hr. SPECT/CT
      images of the mice injected with (99m)Tc-HMPAO-ENVs exhibited higher uptake in
      liver and no uptake in brain, whereas mice injected with (99m)Tc-HMPAO showed
      high brain uptake until 5 hr. Our noninvasive imaging of radiolabeled-ENVs
      promises better understanding of the in vivo behavior of exosomes for upcoming
      biomedical application.

PMID- 26497065
TI  - Quantum Hall states stabilized in semi-magnetic bilayers of topological
      insulators.
AB  - By breaking the time-reversal symmetry in three-dimensional topological
      insulators with the introduction of spontaneous magnetization or application of
      magnetic field, the surface states become gapped, leading to quantum anomalous
      Hall effect or quantum Hall effect, when the chemical potential locates inside
      the gap. Further breaking of inversion symmetry is possible by employing magnetic
      topological insulator heterostructures that host non-degenerate top and bottom
      surface states. Here we demonstrate the tailored-material approach for the
      realization of robust quantum Hall states in the bilayer system, in which the
      cooperative or cancelling combination of the anomalous and ordinary Hall
      responses from the respective magnetic and non-magnetic layers is exemplified.
      The appearance of quantum Hall states at filling factor 0 and +1 can be
      understood by the relationship of energy band diagrams for the two independent
      surface states. The designable heterostructures of magnetic topological insulator
      may explore a new arena for intriguing topological transport and functionality. 

PMID- 26497066
TI  - Effect of lipopolysaccharide on angiotensin II type 1 receptor expression and
      function in human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells.
AB  - Lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) are an important initiation factor in acute
      respiratory distress syndrome. The aim of the present study was to investigate
      the effect of LPSs on the regulation of angiotensin II (Ang II) receptors in
      human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs). HPMECs were treated
      with 0, 50, 100 or 200 ng/ml LPS and incubated for 4, 8, 12 or 16 h. The
      expression of Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1R) and Ang II type 2 receptor (AT2R) was
      determined using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blot
      analysis. The affinity to Ang II was measured using a radioligand binding assay.
      No AT2R expression was detected with or without LPS administration in HPMECs, and
      LPS treatment increased the expression level of AT1R. A time-dependent increase
      of AT1R transcription was observed in the 50 ng/ml group, while in the 100 and
      200 ng/ml groups, the AT1R mRNA levels reached peak values at 4 h and remained
      unchanged. The protein level of AT1R increased significantly in a dose-dependent
      manner for each incubation time period. A time-dependent increase in the protein
      level was observed in the 50 and 100 ng/ml groups. As for the 200 ng/ml group,
      the level of AT1R reached a peak value at 8 h. Maximal binding (Bmax)
      significantly increased following LPS treatment and Bmax of the 50 ng/ml group
      exhibited a time-dependent increase. The Bmax of the 100 and 200 ng/ml groups
      reached peak values at 12 and 8 h, respectively, and decreased thereafter. The
      dissociation constant remained unchanged following LPS treatment. Thus, treatment
      with LPS increased AT1R expression and its Bmax to Ang II in HPMECs, however, did
      not alter the affinity of AT1R to Ang II. 

PMID- 26497067
TI  - Do we represent intentional action as recursively embedded? The answer must be
      empirical. A comment on Vicari and Adenzato (2014).
AB  - The relationship between linguistic syntax and action planning is of considerable
      interest in cognitive science because many researchers suggest that "motor
      syntax" shares certain key traits with language. In a recent manuscript in this
      journal, Vicari and Adenzato (henceforth VA) critiqued Hauser, Chomsky and
      Fitch's 2002 (henceforth HCF's) hypothesis that recursion is language-specific,
      and that its usage in other domains is parasitic on language resources. VA's main
      argument is that HCF's hypothesis is falsified by the fact that recursion
      typifies the structure of intentional action, and recursion in the domain of
      action is independent of language. Here, we argue that VA's argument is
      incomplete, and that their formalism can be contrasted with alternative
      frameworks that are equally consistent with existing data. Therefore their
      conclusions are premature without further empirical testing and support. In
      particular, to accept VA's argument it would be necessary to demonstrate both
      that humans in fact represent self-embedding in the structure of intentional
      action, and that language is not used to construct these representations. 

PMID- 26497068
TI  - Emotions and language about motion: Differentiating affective dominance with
      syntax from valence with semantics.
AB  - Motion as encoded in linguistic cues is used to differentiate affective valence
      and dominance. Participants were invited to rate their affective responses to
      different words along valence and dominance scales. The words were nouns
      describing static cues and verbs describing motion, connected to DOWN/UP and
      Avoidance/Approach cues. The results of three studies showed that valence and
      dominance could be differentiated through syntax and semantics of motion. On one
      hand, dominance feelings, compared to valence ones, are particularly influenced
      by motion encoded in syntactic classes (verbs vs. nouns). On the other hand,
      valence feelings, compared to dominance ones, are influenced by a semantics of
      motion through DOWN/UP and Avoidance/Approach cues, considered as polarities. A
      polarity correspondence effect is proposed to explain these results. 

PMID- 26497069
TI  - Attentional control and inferences of agency: Working memory load differentially
      modulates goal-based and prime-based agency experiences.
AB  - Previous research indicates that people can infer self-agency, the experience of
      causing outcomes as a result of one's own actions, in situations where
      information about action-outcomes is pre-activated through goal-setting or
      priming. We argue that goal-based agency inferences rely on attentional control
      that processes information about matches and mismatches between intended and
      actual outcomes. Prime-based inferences follow an automatic cognitive
      accessibility process that relies on matches between primed and actual
      information about outcomes. We tested an improved task for a better examination
      of goal-based vs. primed-based agency inferences, and examined the moderating
      effect of working memory load on both types of inferences. Findings of four
      studies showed that goal-based, but not prime-based agency inferences dwindled
      under working memory load. These findings suggest that goal-based (vs. primed
      based) agency inferences indeed rely on attentional control, thus rendering goal
      based agency inferences especially prone to conditions that modulate goal
      directed control processes. 

PMID- 26497070
TI  - Mechanistic insight into proton-coupled mixed valency.
AB  - Stabilisation of the mixed-valence state in [Mo2(TiPB)3(HDOP)]2(+) (HTiPB = 2,4,6
      triisopropylbenzoic acid, H2DOP = 3,6-dihydroxypyridazine) by electron transfer
      (ET) is related to the proton coordinate of the bridging ligands.
      Spectroelectrochemical studies suggest that ET is slower than 10(9) s(-1). The
      mechanism has been probed using DFT calculations, which show that proton transfer
      induces a larger dipole in the molecule resulting in ET. 

PMID- 26497071
TI  - d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing With a Disability or an Additional Disability: The
      Need for Theory, Research, and Practice.

PMID- 26497072
TI  - Need for Organizational Support for Faculty With Hearing Loss.

PMID- 26497073
TI  - Theory, Research, and Practice for Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing With
      Disabilities: Addressing the Challenges from Birth to Postsecondary Education.
AB  - Students who are deaf with a disability or disabilities (DWD) constitute nearly
      half of the population of K-12 learners who are deaf or hard of hearing. However,
      there is a dearth of information on theory, research, and practice related to
      these learners. The authors present an overview of (a) how the field of education
      of students who are D/deaf and hard of hearing might refer to this unique
      population in a way that represents the learner, not the disability; (b) the
      demographic data that further define these learners; (c) a theoretical framework
      within which to guide research and practice; (d) prevalence and frequency of the
      existing research; and (e) the practices and resources available to guide
      practitioners and the parents of students who are DWD. Questions are posed to the
      field on how to continue to improve the theory, research, and pedagogy used with
      these students.

PMID- 26497074
TI  - Deafness and Diversity: Early Intervention.
AB  - earlier identification has increased the number of infants identified with
      hearing loss. A significant and growing proportion of children who are D/deaf or
      hard of hearing have a disability (DWD). Literature related to infants and
      toddlers who are DWD is scarce because of the heterogeneity of the population and
      because many disabilities may go undiagnosed until a child is older. Service
      availability, professional preparation, and use of evidence-based practices must
      improve to best meet the needs of these children and their families. An
      examination of theory, research, and practice in early intervention for children
      who are DWD revealed a lack of qualified professionals and a need for targeted
      instruction in teacher preparation programs and for technological advances paired
      with treatment (e.g., telepractice). Increased transdisciplinary collaboration
      and technology utilization in teacher preparation hold promise as ways of
      improving service provision to young children who are DWD. 

PMID- 26497075
TI  - Communication and Language in Learners Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing With
      Disabilities: Theories, Research, and Practice.
AB  - Findings are presented from communication intervention research in three areas
      related to deafness with disability (DWD): D/deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) with
      (a) intellectual disability, (b) autism spectrum disorders, (c) deafblindness.
      Early identification, prevalence, theoretical perspectives, and evidence-based
      practices are discussed. Developmental theory, behavioral theory, and social
      interactionism theory undergird many assessment and intervention practices in
      communication. The tri-focus framework and the four aspects of communication are
      useful frameworks. While communication research is a relative strength in the
      deafblindness field, a dire need exists for research in the other two DWD areas.
      Across all DWD areas there is a need for interventions addressing receptive
      language. Effective communication and language intervention can only occur when
      children who are DWD are identified early, placed in individually suitable
      classrooms with appropriately prepared professionals, and provided with services
      that build on their strengths and meet their needs.

PMID- 26497076
TI  - From the Margins to the Spotlight: Diverse Deaf and Hard of Hearing Student
      Populations and Standardized Assessment Accessibility.
AB  - Designing assessments and tests is one of the more challenging aspects of
      creating an accessible learning environment for students who are deaf or hard of
      hearing (DHH), particularly for deaf students with a disability (DWD).
      Standardized assessments are a key mechanism by which the educational system in
      the United States measures student progress, teacher effectiveness, and the
      impact of school reform. The diversity of student characteristics within DHH and
      DWD populations is only now becoming visible in the research literature relating
      to standardized assessments and their use in large-scale accountability reforms.
      The purpose of this article is to explore the theoretical frameworks surrounding
      assessment policy and practice, current research related to standardized
      assessment and students who are DHH and DWD, and potential implications for
      practice within both the assessment and instruction contexts.

PMID- 26497077
TI  - Transition Services for DHH Adolescents and Young Adults With Disabilities:
      Challenges and Theoretical Frameworks.
AB  - Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) adolescents and young adults with disabilities
      (DWD) are a highly diverse group who may also demonstrate a range of functional
      limitations. These present unique challenges to professional efforts to provide
      high-quality transition services. Despite these issues, a majority of this
      population has cognitive abilities within the typical range, and therefore, their
      transition expectations should be commensurately high in comparison to those of
      their DHH peers. Research-based transition practices offer a range of
      interventions, and although none have been validated with DHH or DWD students,
      several provide important foundational learning opportunities. Yet their
      implementation will require modifications with programming and expertise beyond
      what is available in most school districts. Use of a multilevel, ecological
      framework and person-centered planning offers systematic strategies for
      increasing access to transition resources and supports to address these unique
      needs and lead to successful adulthood.

PMID- 26497078
TI  - Evaluating Teachers' Preparedness to Work With Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of
      Hearing With Disabilities.
AB  - A national survey was conducted to determine the needs of teachers and service
      providers working with students who are deaf and hard of hearing with
      disabilities (DWD). Quantitative and qualitative questions were asked regarding
      knowledge of, training with, and strategies used with students who are DWD.
      Responses from 264 professionals working with this population are reported.
      Results are reviewed and tied to previous research before and after the 2008
      revalidation of the Council on Education of the Deaf standards for teachers of
      the deaf. Final recommendations are made for (a) virtual learning opportunities,
      (b) hands-on field experiences and course work in teacher preparation programs,
      and (c) empirically based research. By understanding the needs of professionals
      who are currently working with students who are DWD, researchers can help improve
      teacher preparation programs as well as improve the educational systems currently
      in place for these learners.

PMID- 26497079
TI  - Neural and psychological underpinnings of gambling disorder: A review.
AB  - Gambling disorder affects 0.4 to 1.6% of adults worldwide, and is highly comorbid
      with other mental health disorders. This article provides a concise primer on the
      neural and psychological underpinnings of gambling disorder based on a selective
      review of the literature. Gambling disorder is associated with dysfunction across
      multiple cognitive domains which can be considered in terms of impulsivity and
      compulsivity. Neuroimaging data suggest structural and functional abnormalities
      of networks involved in reward processing and top-down control. Gambling disorder
      shows 50-60% heritability and it is likely that various neurochemical systems are
      implicated in the pathophysiology (including dopaminergic, glutamatergic,
      serotonergic, noradrenergic, and opioidergic). Elevated rates of certain
      personality traits (e.g. negative urgency, disinhibition), and personality
      disorders, are found. More research is required to evaluate whether cognitive
      dysfunction and personality aspects influence the longitudinal course and
      treatment outcome for gambling disorder. It is hoped that improved understanding
      of the biological and psychological components of gambling disorder, and their
      interactions, may lead to improved treatment approaches and raise the profile of
      this neglected condition. 

PMID- 26497080
TI  - Cell motility and spreading promoted by CEACAM6 through cyclin D1/CDK4 in human
      pancreatic carcinoma.
AB  - Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 6 (CEACAM6) belongs to
      the human carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) family. Numerous lines of studies have
      indicated that altered expression of CEACAM6 may have a role in carcinogenesis
      and development. However, few studies have defined functional roles and
      mechanisms of action. In the present study, the relationship between clinical and
      pathological parameters was also analyzed. The relative CEACAM6 protein
      expression of pancreatic carcinoma was significantly higher than that in non
      cancerous tissue. Different clinical stages and lymph node metastasis between
      groups were significantly different (P<0.05). We used siRNA and forced-expression
      in multiple cell lines to define the role of CEACAM6 in the regulation of
      proliferation of pancreatic carcinoma in vitro and in vivo. Knockdown of
      endogenous CEACAM6 decreased proliferation of BxPC-3 and SW1990 cells. These
      changes significantly reduced cyclin D1 and CDK4 protein levels. Conversely,
      overexpression of CEACAM6 in MIA PaCa-2 cells stimulated proliferation and
      increased cyclin D1 and CDK4 protein levels. Our results confirm that CEACAM6
      promoted cell proliferation, and these changes were mediated by cyclin D1/CDK4.
      These observations contribute to our understanding of the important roles of
      CEACAM6 in pancreatic carcinoma development and progression and could be a
      promising molecular target for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic
      strategies of pancreatic carcinoma.

PMID- 26497082
TI  - Comparison of the effects of continuous positive airway pressure and mandibular
      advancement devices on sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: a
      network meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Excessive daytime sleepiness is the most important symptom of
      obstructive sleep apnoea and can affect work productivity, quality of life, and
      the risk of road traffic accidents. We aimed to quantify the effects of the two
      main treatments for obstructive sleep apnoea (continuous positive airway pressure
      and mandibular advancement devices) on daytime sleepiness and to establish
      predictors of response to continuous positive airway pressure. METHODS: We
      searched MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library from inception to May 31, 2015, to
      identify randomised controlled trials comparing the effects of continuous
      positive airway pressure, mandibular advancement devices or an inactive control
      (eg, placebo or no treatment) on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS, range 0-24
      points) in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. We did a network meta-analysis
      using multivariate random-effects meta-regression to assess the effect of each
      treatment on ESS. We used meta-regression to assess the association of the
      reported effects of continuous positive airway pressure versus inactive controls
      with the characteristics of trials and their risk of bias. FINDINGS: We included
      67 studies comprising 6873 patients in the meta-analysis. Compared with an
      inactive control, continuous positive airway pressure was associated with a
      reduction in ESS score of 2.5 points (95% CI 2.0-2.9) and mandibular advancement
      devices of 1.7 points (1.1-2.3). We estimated that, on average, continuous
      positive airway pressure reduced the ESS score by a further 0.8 points compared
      with mandibular advancement devices (95% CI 0.1-1.4; p=0.015). However, there was
      a possibility of publication bias in favour of continuous positive airway
      pressure that might have resulted in this difference. We noted no evidence that
      studies reporting higher continuous positive airway pressure adherence also
      reported larger treatment effects (p=0.70). INTERPRETATION: Continuous positive
      airway pressure and mandibular advancement devices are effective treatments for
      reducing daytime sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. Continuous
      positive airway pressure seemed to be a more effective treatment than mandibular
      advancement devices, and had an increasingly larger effect in more severe or
      sleepier obstructive sleep apnoea patients when compared with inactive controls.
      However, mandibular advancement devices are an effective alternative treatment
      should continuous positive airway pressure not be tolerated. FUNDING: Swiss
      National Science Foundation and the University of Zurich Clinical Research
      Priority Program Sleep and Health.

PMID- 26497083
TI  - Transcriptional analysis of the dachsous gene uncovers novel isoforms expressed
      during development in Drosophila.
AB  - The Drosophila cadherin-related protein Dachsous (Ds) plays a prominent role in
      planar cell polarity (PCP) and growth. The regulation of these two processes is
      based on the interaction between Ds and Fat proteins, generating an intracellular
      response required for tissue polarization and modulation of Hippo pathway
      activity. Here we have performed a comprehensive molecular study of the ds gene
      during larval development that has shown an unexpected complexity in its
      transcriptional regulation and revealed the expression of hitherto unsuspected
      transcripts. Also, knockdown of several isoforms provides new evidence on the
      importance of the cytoplasmic domain in the mechanism of action of Ds during
      development. 

PMID- 26497084
TI  - Structural stability of amyloid fibrils depends on the existence of the
      peripheral sequence near the core cross-beta region.
AB  - Amyloid fibrils are fibrous protein assemblies with distinctive cross-beta
      structures. For amyloidosis, there are disease-associated mutations outside of
      the cross-beta structures. Thus, it is necessary to elucidate the role of
      peripheral sequences outside the cross-beta structure. Amyloid fibrils are
      generally 10nm in width; however, the amyloid fibrils of truncated barnase M1
      peptides missing the C-terminal sequence outside the cross-beta structure are 20
      nm in width. In this study, we performed comparative analysis of the structural
      stability of amyloids formed by the respective peptides. We found that the C
      terminal amino acids dramatically affect the conformational instability in the
      presence of a denaturing reagent.

PMID- 26497085
TI  - Profiling metabolic remodeling in PP2Acalpha deficiency and chronic pressure
      overload mouse hearts.
AB  - Our understanding of how metabolic switches occur in the failing heart is still
      limited. Here, we report the emblematic pattern of metabolic alternations in two
      different mouse models. PP2Acalpha deficient hearts exhibited a dramatic decrease
      in the levels of mRNA encoding for transporters and enzymes involved in glucose
      utilization, which compensated by higher expression levels of genes controlling
      fatty acid utilization. These features were partly reproduced in cultured
      PP2Acalpha KD cardiomyocytes. Equivalently, a decrease in the expression of most
      of the transporters and enzymes controlling both glucose and fatty acid
      metabolism were observed in TAC model. 

PMID- 26497081
TI  - Effectiveness of Simeprevir Plus Sofosbuvir, With or Without Ribavirin, in Real
      World Patients With HCV Genotype 1 Infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: The interferon-free regimen of simeprevir plus sofosbuvir was
      recommended by professional guidelines for certain patients with hepatitis C
      virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection based on the findings of a phase 2 trial. We
      aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this regimen in clinical practice
      settings in North America. METHODS: We collected demographic, clinical, and
      virologic data, as well as reports of adverse outcomes, from sequential
      participants in HCV-TARGET--a prospective observational cohort study of patients
      undergoing HCV treatment in routine clinical care settings. From January through
      October 2014, there were 836 patients with HCV genotype 1 infection who began 12
      weeks of treatment with simeprevir plus sofosbuvir (treatment duration of up to
      16 weeks); 169 of these patients received ribavirin. Most patients were male
      (61%), Caucasian (76%), or black (13%); 59% had cirrhosis. Most patients had
      failed prior treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin without (46%) or with
      telaprevir or boceprevir (12%). The primary outcome was sustained virologic
      response (SVR), defined as the level of HCV RNA below quantification at least 64
      days after the end of treatment (beginning of week 12 after treatment--a 2-week
      window). Logistic regression models with inverse probability weights were
      constructed to adjust for baseline covariates and potential selection bias.
      RESULTS: The overall SVR rate was 84% (675 of 802 patients, 95% confidence
      interval, 81%-87%). Model-adjusted estimates indicate patients with cirrhosis,
      prior decompensation, and previous protease inhibitor treatments were less likely
      to achieve an SVR. The addition of ribavirin had no detectable effects on SVR.
      The most common adverse events were fatigue, headache, nausea, rash, and
      insomnia. Serious adverse events and treatment discontinuation occurred in only
      5% and 3% of participants, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In a large prospective
      observational cohort study, a 12-week regimen of simeprevir plus sofosbuvir was
      associated with high rates of SVR and infrequent treatment discontinuation.
      ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01474811.

PMID- 26497086
TI  - A Biomechanical Comparison of Locking Versus Conventional Plate Fixation for
      Distal Fibula Fractures in Trimalleolar Ankle Injuries.
AB  - Previous biomechanical studies have advocated the use of locking plates for
      isolated distal fibula fractures in osteoporotic bone. Complex rotational ankle
      injuries involve an increased number of fractures, which can result in
      instability, potentially requiring the same fixed angle properties afforded by
      locking plates. However, the mechanical indication for locking plate technology
      has not been tested in this fracture model. The purpose of the present study was
      to compare the biomechanical properties of locking and conventional plate
      fixation for distal fibula fractures in trimalleolar ankle injuries. Fourteen (7
      matched pairs) fresh-frozen cadaver leg specimens were used. The bone mineral
      density of each was obtained using dual x-ray absorptiometry scans. The fracture
      model simulated an OTA 44-B3.3 fracture. The syndesmosis was not disrupted. Each
      fracture was fixated in the same fashion, except for the distal fibula plate
      construct: locking (n = 7) and one-third tubular (n = 7). The specimens underwent
      axial and torsional cyclic loading, followed by torsional loading to failure. No
      statistically significant differences were found between the locking and
      conventional plate constructs during both fatigue and torque to failure testing
      (p > .05). Our specimen bone mineral density averages did not represent poor bone
      quality. The clinical implication of the present study is that distal fibular
      locking plates do not provide a mechanical advantage for trimalleolar ankle
      injuries in individuals with normal bone density and in the absence of fracture
      comminution.

PMID- 26497087
TI  - Dendrimer-Based Responsive MRI Contrast Agents (G1-G4) for Biosensor Imaging of
      Redundant Deviation in Shifts (BIRDS).
AB  - Biosensor imaging of redundant deviation in shifts (BIRDS) is a molecular imaging
      platform for magnetic resonance that utilizes unique properties of low molecular
      weight paramagnetic monomers by detecting hyperfine-shifted nonexchangeable
      protons and transforming the chemical shift information to reflect its
      microenvironment (e.g., via temperature, pH, etc.). To optimize translational
      biosensing potential of BIRDS we examined if this detection scheme observed with
      monomers can be extended onto dendrimers, which are versatile and biocompatible
      macromolecules with modifiable surface for molecular imaging and drug delivery.
      Here we report on feasibility of paramagnetic dendrimers for BIRDS. The results
      show that BIRDS is resilient with paramagnetic dendrimers up to the fourth
      generation (i.e., G1-G4), where the model dendrimer and chelate were based on
      poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) and 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic
      acid (DOTA(4-)) complexed with thulium ion (Tm(3+)). Temperature sensitivities of
      two prominent signals of Gn-PAMAM-(TmDOTA(-))x (where n = 1-4, x = 6-39) were
      comparable to that of prominent signals in TmDOTA(-). Transverse relaxation times
      of the coalesced nonexchangeable protons on Gn-PAMAM-(TmDOTA(-))x were relatively
      short to provide signal-to-noise ratio that was comparable to or better than that
      of TmDOTA(-). A fluorescent dye, rhodamine, was conjugated to a G2-PAMAM
      (TmDOTA)12 to create a dual-modality nanosized contrast agent. BIRDS properties
      of the dendrimer were unaltered with rhodamine conjugation. Purposely designed
      paramagnetic dendrimers for BIRDS in conjunction with novel macromolecular
      surface modification for functional ligands/drugs could potentially be used for
      biologically compatible theranostic sensors. 

PMID- 26497089
TI  - Term rules for simple metal clusters.
AB  - Hund's term rules are only valid for isolated atoms, but have no generalization
      for molecules or clusters of several atoms. We present a benchmark calculation of
      Al2 and Al3, for which we find the high and low-spin ground states (3)Piu and ,
      respectively. We show that the relative stabilities of all the molecular terms of
      Al2 and Al3 can be described by simple rules pertaining to bonding structures and
      symmetries, which serve as guiding principles to determine ground state terms of
      arbitrary multi-atom clusters. 

PMID- 26497088
TI  - Detection and characterization of mineralo-organic nanoparticles in human
      kidneys.
AB  - Ectopic calcification is associated with various human diseases, including
      atherosclerosis, cancer, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes mellitus. Although
      mineral nanoparticles have been detected in calcified blood vessels, the nature
      and role of these particles in the human body remain unclear. Here we show for
      the first time that human kidney tissues obtained from end-stage chronic kidney
      disease or renal cancer patients contain round, multilamellar mineral particles
      of 50 to 1,500 nm, whereas no particles are observed in healthy controls. The
      mineral particles are found mainly in the extracellular matrix surrounding the
      convoluted tubules, collecting ducts and loops of Henle as well as within the
      cytoplasm of tubule-delineating cells, and consist of polycrystalline calcium
      phosphate similar to the mineral found in bones and ectopic calcifications. The
      kidney mineral nanoparticles contain several serum proteins that inhibit ectopic
      calcification in body fluids, including albumin, fetuin-A, and apolipoprotein A1.
      Since the mineralo-organic nanoparticles are found not only within calcified
      deposits but also in areas devoid of microscopic calcifications, our observations
      indicate that the nanoparticles may represent precursors of calcification and
      renal stones in humans.

PMID- 26497090
TI  - Rectal cancer with synchronous liver metastases: Do we have a clear direction?
AB  - Rectal cancer is a common entity and often presents with synchronous liver
      metastases. There are discrepancies in management guidelines throughout the world
      regarding the treatment of advanced rectal cancer, which are further compounded
      when it presents with synchronous liver metastases. The following article
      examines the evidence regarding treatment options for patients with synchronous
      rectal liver metastases and suggests potential treatment algorithms. 

PMID- 26497091
TI  - Identification and mucosal expression analysis of cathepsin B in channel catfish
      (Ictalurus punctatus) following bacterial challenge.
AB  - The mucosal surfaces of fish (skin, gill and intestine) constitute the primary
      line of defense against pathogen invasion. Although the importance of fish
      mucosal surfaces as the first barriers against pathogens cannot be overstated,
      the knowledge of teleost mucosal immunity are still limited. Cathepsin B, a
      lysosomal cysteine protease, is involved in multiple levels of physiological and
      biological processes, and playing crucial roles for host immune defense against
      pathogen infection. In this regard, we identified the cathepsin B (ctsba) of
      channel catfish and investigated the expression patterns of the ctsba in mucosal
      tissues following Edwardsiella ictaluri and Flavobacterium columnare challenge.
      Here, catfish ctsba gene was widely expressed in all examined tissues with the
      lowest expression level in muscle, and the highest expression level in trunk
      kidney, followed by spleen, gill, head kidney, intestine, liver and skin. In
      addition, the phylogenetic analysis showed the catfish ctsba had the strongest
      relationship to zebrafish. Moreover, the ctsba showed a general trend of up
      regulated in mucosal tissues following both Gram-negative bacterial challenge.
      Taken together, the increased expression of ctsba in mucosal surfaces indicated
      the protective function of ctsba against bacterial infection, and the requirement
      for effective clearance of invading bacteria. Further studies are needed, indeed,
      to expand functional characterization and examine whether ctsba may play
      additional physiological and biological roles in catfish mucosal tissues. 

PMID- 26497092
TI  - The protective immunity against grass carp reovirus in grass carp induced by a
      DNA vaccination using single-walled carbon nanotubes as delivery vehicles.
AB  - To reduce the lethal hemorrhagic disease caused by grass carp reovirus (GCRV) and
      improve the production of grass carp, efficient and economic prophylactic measure
      against GCRV is the most pressing desired for the grass carp farming industry. In
      this work, a novel SWCNTs-pEGFP-vp5 DNA vaccine linked vp5 recombinant in the
      form of plasmid pEGFP-vp5 and ammonium-functionalized SWCNTs by a chemical
      modification method was prepared to enhance the efficacy of a vp5 DNA vaccine
      against GCRV in juvenile grass carp. After intramuscular injection (1, 2.5 and 5
      MUg) and bath administration (1, 10, and 20 mg/L), the ability of the different
      immune treatments to induce transgene expression was analyzed. The results showed
      that higher levels of transcription and expression of vp5 gene could be detected
      in muscle tissues of grass carp in SWCNTs-pEGFP-vp5 treatment groups compare with
      naked pEGFP-vp5 treatment groups. Moreover, antibody levels, immune-related
      genes, and relative percentage survival were significantly enhanced in fish
      immunized with SWCNTs-pEGFP-vp5 vaccine. In addition, we found that a good immune
      protective effect was observed in bath immunization group; which at a
      concentration of 20 mg/L could reach the similar relative percentage survival
      (approximately 100%) in injection group at a dose of 5 MUg. All these results
      indicated that ammonium-functionalized SWCNTs could provide extensive application
      prospect to aquatic vaccine and might be used to vaccinate fish by intramuscular
      injection or bath administration method.

PMID- 26497093
TI  - Antimicrobial activity of a novel hypervariable immunoglobulin domain-containing
      receptor Dscam in Cherax quadricarinatus.
AB  - Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (Dscam) mediates innate immunity against
      pathogens in arthropods. Here, a novel Dscam from red claw crayfish Cherax
      quadricarinatus (CqDscam) was isolated. The CqDscam protein contains one signal
      peptide, ten immunoglobulin domains, six fibronectin type III domains, one
      transmembrane domain and cytoplasmic tail. CqDscam phylogenetically clustered
      with other invertebrate Dscams. Variable regions of CqDscam in N-terminal halves
      of Ig2 and Ig3 domains, complete Ig7 domain and TM domain can be reshuffled after
      transcription to produce a deluge of >37,620 potential alternative splice forms.
      CqDscam was detected in all tissues tested and abundantly expressed in immune
      system and nerve system. Upon lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and b-1, 3-glucans (Glu)
      challenged, the expression of CqDscam was up-regulated, while no response in
      expression occurred after injection with peptidoglycans (PG). Membrane-bound and
      secreted types of CqDscam were separated on the protein level, and were both
      extensively induced post LPS challenge. Membrane-bound CqDscam protein was not
      detected in the serum, but localized to the hemocyte surface by immuno
      localization assay. In the antimicrobial assays, the recombinant LPS-induced
      isoform of CqDscam protein displayed bacterial binding and growth inhibitory
      activities, especially with Escherichia coli. These results suggested that
      CqDscam, as one of pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs), involved in innate
      immune recognition and defense mechanisms in C. quadricarinatus, possibly through
      alternative splicing. 

PMID- 26497094
TI  - Effects of dietary linseed oil on innate immune system of Eurasian perch and
      disease resistance after exposure to Aeromonas salmonicida achromogen.
AB  - This study was designated to investigate the effects of dietary fish oil (FO
      diet) replacement by linseed oil (LO diet) on regulation of immune response and
      disease resistance in Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis). A control diet
      containing fish oil (FO = cod liver oil) and characterized by high levels of n-3
      high LC-PUFA (6% EPA, 7.5% of total fatty acids (FAs)) was compared to linseed
      oil diet (LO diet) composed of low LC-PUFA contents (1% EPA, 2.3% DHA of total
      FAs) but high C18 fatty acids levels. The experiment was conducted in
      quadruplicate groups of 80 fish each. After 10 weeks of feeding, the innate
      immune status was evaluated in various organs (liver, spleen, and head-kidney)
      (feeding condition). Two days later, a bacterial challenge was performed on fish
      from 2 rearing conditions: fish infected with Aeromonas salmonicida (bacteria
      condition) and fish injected with sterile medium but maintained in the same flow
      system that fish challenged with bacteria (sentinel condition). Three days after
      injection of bacteria, a significant decrease of lymphocyte, thrombocyte and
      basophil populations was observed while neutrophils were not affected. In
      addition, plasma lysozyme activity and reactive oxygen species production in
      kidney significantly increased in fish challenged with A. salmonicida while the
      plasma alternative complement pathway activity was not affected. Increase of
      plasma lysozyme activity as well as reactive oxygen species production in spleen
      and kidney of sentinel fish suggest that these immune defenses can also be
      activated, but at lower bacteria concentration than infected fish. No differences
      in leucocyte populations, plasma lysozyme and alternative complement pathway
      activities were observed between dietary treatments. Similarly, expression of
      genes related to eicosanoid synthesis in liver were not affected by the dietary
      oil source but were strongly stimulated in fish challenged with A. salmonicida.
      These findings demonstrated that the use of linseed oil does not deplete the
      innate immune system of Eurasian perch juveniles.

PMID- 26497095
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of the unfolded protein response in hemocytes of
      Litopenaeus vannamei.
AB  - In this study, Litopenaeus vannamei was injected with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)
      against L. vannamei immunoglobulin heavy chain binding protein (LvBip) to
      activating UPR in the hemocytes, shirmps injected dsRNA against enhanced green
      fluorescence protein (eGFP) as control group. And genes expression in hemocytes
      of then were analyzed using Illumina Hiseq 2500 (PE100). By comparing the
      analyzed results, 1418 unigenes were significantly upregulated, and 596 unigenes
      were significantly down-regulated upon UPR. Analysis of the differentially
      expressed genes against known databases indicated that the distribution of gene
      pathways between the upregulated and down-regulated genes were substantially
      different. A total of 208 genes of UPR system were obtained, and 69 of them were
      differentially expressed between the two groups. Results also showed that L.
      vannamei UPR was involved in various metabolic processes, such as
      glycometabolism, lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and nucleic acid
      metabolism. In addition, UPR was emgaged in immune-assicoated signaling pathways,
      such as NF-kappaB signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, Hippo
      signaling pathway, p38 MAPK signaling pathway and Wnt signaling pathway in L.
      vannamei. These results improved our current understanding of the L. vannamei
      UPR, and highlighted its importance in cell homeostasis upon environmental
      stress. 

PMID- 26497096
TI  - Children's exposure to community and war violence and mental health in four
      African countries.
AB  - In this article we review the mental health consequences of children's exposure
      to community and war violence (ETV) in four African countries: South Africa,
      Sierra Leone, Gambia and Rwanda. A focus on Africa is particularly pressing
      because of children's high levels of community and war ETV in countries therein.
      Regions of Africa present important macro-contexts for understanding children's
      various types of violence exposure amidst war and economic disadvantage. Findings
      of the review across 20 quantitative studies from 2004 to 2015 indicate
      consistent associations between exposure to war and community violence and
      children's symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and
      aggression. School climate and family support mitigate these ETV influences upon
      children: however, more research is needed on the buffering effects of such
      resources. The effects of war violence are mediated by perceived discrimination
      in communities post-conflict. We integrate findings across studies to synthesize
      knowledge on children's ETV in Africa around a model of its correlates,
      mediators, and moderators in relation to mental health. Emerging research points
      to avenues for prevention and future inquiry. 

PMID- 26497097
TI  - Family and community driven response to intimate partner violence in post
      conflict settings.
AB  - This study explores risk factors, individual and family consequences and
      community-driven responses to intimate partner violence (IPV) in post-conflict
      eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This qualitative study was conducted
      in 3 rural villages in South Kivu Province of DRC, an area that has experienced
      prolonged conflict. Participants included 13 female survivors and 5 male
      perpetrators of IPV as reported during baseline data collection for the parent
      study, an impact evaluation of the Congolese-led livestock microfinance program,
      Pigs for Peace. Participants described social and behavioral circumstances that
      increase risk for IPV; social, health and economic consequences on women and
      their families; and resources to protect women and their families. Social and
      behavioral factors reported by survivors and perpetrators indicate that IPV was
      linked to husband's alcohol consumption, household economic instability, male
      desire to maintain his position as head of family and perceived disrespect of
      husband by wife. In addition to well-known health consequences of IPV, women
      reported negative social consequences, such as stigma, resulting in barriers for
      the well-being of the family. Survivors and perpetrators described the impact of
      IPV on their children, specifically the lack of proper parental guidance and lack
      of safety and stability that could result in the child(ren) misbehaving and using
      violence in their relationships resulting in further stigma towards the child and
      family. Strategies employed by survivors to protect themselves and family,
      include placating male behaviors (e.g., not responding to insults, trying to meet
      household demands). Perpetrators that tried to reduce the impact of IPV reported
      a preference for social and financial control of their partner rather than
      physical violence, believing this to be less severe. Participants described
      community and family based social support systems including couple's mediation,
      responsible partner and fatherhood programs and economic activities that can
      influence behavior, maintain confidentiality, address social stigma and other
      multi-level outcomes. 

PMID- 26497098
TI  - Interactions between aggression, boldness and shoaling within a brood of convict
      cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciatus).
AB  - A behavioral syndrome is considered present when individuals consistently express
      correlated behaviors across two or more axes of behavior. These axes of behavior
      are shy-bold, exploration-avoidance, activity, aggression, and sociability. In
      this study we examined aggression, boldness and sociability (shoaling) within a
      juvenile convict cichlid brood (Amatitlania nigrofasciatus). Because young
      convict cichlids are social, we used methodologies commonly used by ethologists
      studying social fishes. We did not detect an aggression-boldness behavioral
      syndrome, but we did find that the aggression, boldness, and possibly the
      exploration behavioral axes play significant roles in shaping the observed
      variation in individual convict cichlid behavior. While juvenile convict cichlids
      did express a shoaling preference, this social preference was likely convoluted
      by aggressive interactions, despite the small size and young age of the fish.
      There is a need for the development of behavioral assays that allow for more
      reliable measurement of behavioral axes in juvenile neo-tropical cichlids. 

PMID- 26497099
TI  - PML: The Dark Side of Immunotherapy in Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a threat to patients with
      multiple sclerosis (MS) who undergo treatment with drugs that interfere with
      normal immune physiology. Here, we summarize PML incidence in MS, risk factors,
      surveillance strategies, and case definitions to inform neurologists and other
      clinicians treating patients with immune-mediated diseases. 

PMID- 26497100
TI  - 3D printing of 5-drug polypill.

PMID- 26497101
TI  - Sensory characterisation and consumer acceptability of potassium chloride and
      sunflower oil addition in small-caliber non-acid fermented sausages with a
      reduced content of sodium chloride and fat.
AB  - The effect of the simultaneous reduction of fat proportion (from 20% to 10% and
      7%) and added salt (from 2.5% to 1.5%) and the subsequent addition of 0.64% KCl
      and sunflower oil (1.5% and 3.0%) on the physicochemical, instrumental colour and
      texture, sensory properties and consumer acceptability of small caliber non-acid
      fermented sausages (fuet type) was studied. This simultaneous reduction of fat
      and salt increased weight loss, moisture, water activity (aw), redness,
      instrumental texture parameters (hardness, chewiness and cohesiveness), sensory
      attributes (darkness, hardness, elasticity) and the consumer acceptability. The
      subsequent addition of 0.64% KCl to the leanest batch decreased the aw and barely
      affected instrumental texture parameters and consumer acceptability. Subsequent
      sunflower oil addition decreased hardness, chewiness and cohesiveness and
      increased crumbliness and oil flavour which may decrease the consumer
      acceptability. The simultaneous reduction of fat and NaCl with the addition of
      0.64% KCl was the preferred option by the consumers. 

PMID- 26497102
TI  - The changes in springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) Longissimus thoracis et
      lumborum and Biceps femoris muscles during the rigour period.
AB  - This study describes the changes taking place during rigour in springbok
      (Antidorcas marsupialis) Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and Biceps
      femoris (BF) muscles. Samples from six male and six female springbok were snap
      frozen at 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 18, 24 and 30h post-mortem (PM) and the pH, calpains I,
      II and calpastatin activities and cathepsins B, BL and H activities were
      determined. The temperature was also recorded. Significant third-order
      interactions were found for the pH and temperature, with the female LTL cooling
      more rapidly and acidifying slower than the other samples. Female muscles were at
      risk of developing cold-shortening and all the samples cooled more rapidly than
      recommended for cattle or sheep. Cathepsin BL activity increased PM, likely due
      to the degradation of the lysosomes. Calpains I, II and calpastatin activity
      declined during rigour, indicating that the calpains were activated early PM.
      Gender and muscle had a significant effect on calpain and cathepsin activity. 

PMID- 26497103
TI  - Quantitative Analysis of Filament Branch Orientation in Listeria Actin Comet
      Tails.
AB  - Several bacterial and viral pathogens hijack the host actin cytoskeleton
      machinery to facilitate spread and infection. In particular, Listeria uses Arp2/3
      mediated actin filament nucleation at the bacterial surface to generate a
      branched network that will help propel the bacteria. However, the mechanism of
      force generation remains elusive due to the lack of high-resolution three
      dimensional structural data on the spatial organization of the actin mother and
      daughter (i.e., branch) filaments within this network. Here, we have explored the
      three-dimensional structure of Listeria actin tails in Xenopus laevis egg
      extracts using cryo-electron tomography. We found that the architecture of
      Listeria actin tails is shared between those formed in cells and in cell
      extracts. Both contained nanoscopic bundles along the plane of the substrate,
      where the bacterium lies, and upright filaments (also called Z filaments), both
      oriented tangentially to the bacterial cell wall. Here, we were able to identify
      actin filament intersections, which likely correspond to branches, within the
      tails. A quantitative analysis of putative Arp2/3-mediated branches in the actin
      network showed that mother filaments lie on the plane of the substrate, whereas
      daughter filaments have random deviations out of this plane. Moreover, the
      analysis revealed that branches are randomly oriented with respect to the
      bacterial surface. Therefore, the actin filament network does not push directly
      toward the surface but rather accumulates, building up stress around the Listeria
      surface. Our results favor a mechanism of force generation for Listeria movement
      where the stress is released into propulsive motion. 

PMID- 26497104
TI  - BE360, a new selective estrogen receptor modulator, produces antidepressant and
      antidementia effects through the enhancement of hippocampal cell proliferation in
      olfactory bulbectomized mice.
AB  - We have reported that the carborane compound BE360 is a novel selective estrogen
      receptor modulator and new therapy option for osteoporosis. The aim of this study
      was to explore the effects and underlying mechanisms of BE360 on depressive-like
      behavior and memory impairment in the olfactory bulbectomized (OBX) mice, an
      experimental animal model of depression and dementia. BE360 was administered
      subcutaneously to mice using a mini-osmotic pump for 2 weeks. Depressive-like
      behavior was measured as the reduced intake of a sweet solution in the sucrose
      preference test. Short-term memory was assessed using the Y-maze test. Cell
      proliferation was assessed by the analysis of cells expressing 5-bromo-2'
      deoxyuridine (BrdU) uptake. The expression of phosphorylated cyclic-AMP response
      element binding protein (pCREB) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were
      measured by immunoblot. The depressive-like behavior and memory impairment in OBX
      mice were improved by the chronic treatment with BE360. Immunohistochemical
      analysis showed that the number of BrdU-positive cells in the dentate gyrus of
      the hippocampus significantly decreased in OBX mice whereas they increased after
      the chronic treatment with BE360. Immunoblotting studies revealed that pCREB and
      BDNF were significantly increased in the hippocampus of OBX mice treated with
      BE360. The present study has shown that BE360 has antidepressant and antidementia
      effects characterized by hippocampal cell proliferation potentially activated via
      CREB/BDNF signaling pathways. These results indicate that BE360 may have valuable
      therapeutic potential against depression and neurodegenerative diseases. 

PMID- 26497106
TI  - Maternal separation facilitates extinction of social fear in adult male mice.
AB  - Early life stress, such as child abuse or neglect, is a risk factor for the
      development of psychopathologies characterized by abnormal social and emotional
      behaviors. In rodents, long-lasting changes in stress coping and emotional
      behavior can be induced by separating pups from their mother. We used maternal
      separation (MS; 3h daily on postnatal days 1-14) to test whether early life
      stress alters acquisition and extinction of social fear in adult male mice as
      studied in a specific model of social fear, i.e., in the social fear conditioning
      paradigm. We show that MS facilitated extinction of social fear without altering
      acquisition or expression of social fear. This facilitatory effect of MS on
      social fear extinction was not due to improved social learning and memory
      abilities or to increased social interest, as MS rather impaired social memory in
      the social discrimination test and did not alter social preference in the social
      preference-avoidance test. In contrast, MS did not alter acquisition and
      extinction of non-social, cued fear, or non-social memory as assessed in the
      object discrimination test and non-social anxiety as assessed in the elevated
      plus-maze. These results suggest that a social stress like MS in early life may
      improve coping with and recovery from a traumatic social experience in adulthood
      in mice. 

PMID- 26497105
TI  - Ligand-biased activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 leads to
      differences in opioid induced antinociception and tolerance.
AB  - Opioids produce antinociception by activation of G protein signaling linked to
      the mu-opioid receptor (MOPr). However, opioid binding to the MOPr also activates
      beta-arrestin signaling. Opioids such as DAMGO and fentanyl differ in their
      relative efficacy for activation of these signaling cascades, but the behavioral
      consequences of this differential signaling are not known. The purpose of this
      study was to evaluate the behavioral significance of G protein and
      internalization dependent signaling within ventrolateral periaqueductal gray
      (vlPAG). Antinociception induced by microinjecting DAMGO into the vlPAG was
      attenuated by blocking Galphai/o protein signaling with administration of
      pertussis toxin (PTX), preventing internalization with administration of dynamin
      dominant-negative inhibitory peptide (dyn-DN) or direct inhibition of ERK1/2 with
      administration of the MEK inhibitor, U0126. In contrast, the antinociceptive
      effect of microinjecting fentanyl into the vlPAG was not altered by
      administration of PTX or U0126, and was enhanced by administration of dyn-DN.
      Microinjection of DAMGO, but not fentanyl, into the vlPAG induced phosphorylation
      of ERK1/2, which was blocked by inhibiting receptor internalization with
      administration of dyn-DN, but not by inhibition of Galphai/o proteins. ERK1/2
      inhibition also prevented the development and expression of tolerance to repeated
      DAMGO microinjections, but had no effect on fentanyl tolerance. These data reveal
      that ERK1/2 activation following MOPr internalization contributes to the
      antinociceptive effect of some (e.g., DAMGO), but not all opioids (e.g.,
      fentanyl) despite the known similarities for these agonists to induce beta
      arrestin recruitment and internalization. 

PMID- 26497107
TI  - Systemic sclerosis: New evidence re-enforces the role of B cells.
AB  - Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by widespread fibrosis, microangiopathy
      (vasospasms and stenosis), and formation of autoantibodies. T cell activation has
      been shown to contribute to fibrosis and microvasculopathy in SSc. However,
      recent evidence suggests that B cells are also likely to contribute in the
      pathogenesis of the disease. B cells are hyperactivated in SSc, as indicated by
      the overexpression of the stimulatory CD19 receptor and impairment of the
      inhibitory CD22 receptor. They lead to the production of many autoantibodies,
      some of which induce collagen production and vasoconstriction. They promote
      fibroblast collagen production through cell contact. Furthermore, B cells can
      function as antigen-presenting cells to T cells and induce dendritic cell
      maturation that promotes profibrotic Th2 response. Lately, interleukin (IL)-10
      producing B regulatory cells, which induce generation of T regulatory cells and
      can ameliorate autoimmune diseases, were found to be reduced in SSc, favoring
      autoaggression of B cells in this disease. Finally, B cell depletion with
      rituximab improves or stabilizes skin fibrosis and lung function. These finding
      suggest that new therapeutic strategies targeting B cell function(s) can be
      developed for SSc. 

PMID- 26497108
TI  - A meta-analysis of serum and cerebrospinal fluid autoantibodies in
      neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) is one of the most
      devastating presentations of SLE and comprises of psychiatric, central and
      peripheral neurological signs and symptoms. Previous studies suggest the possible
      associations between various autoantibodies (Abs) and NPSLE. The magnitudes of
      such association varied between studies. We performed a meta-analysis to pool
      data on serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels and positivity of Abs in blood
      and cerebrospinal fluid in patients with NPSLE and SLE. A systematic literature
      search was conducted to identify studies that fulfilled inclusion criteria. A
      random-effects model was used to calculate overall combined odd ratio (OR) and
      mean levels with its corresponding 95% confidence interval to evaluate the
      relationship between individual Abs and NPSLE patients relative to SLE patients.
      Forty-one studies met the inclusion criteria and were used in this analysis.
      There was a significantly greater proportion of NPSLE patients who demonstrated
      positivity for serum anti-cardiolipin (aCL) Abs (OR=1.63, p=0.016), lupus
      anticoagulants (LA) Abs (OR=1.91 p=0.01), anti-phospholipid (APL) Abs (OR=2.08,
      p=0.001), anti-ribosomal P Abs (OR=2.29, p<0.001), anti-neuronal Abs (OR=9.50,
      p<0.001) as compared to SLE patients. In NPSLE patients, there was a significant
      increased prevalence of positive titres for CSF anti-neuronal Abs (OR=36.84,
      p=0.001) as compared to SLE patients. Among the 19 neuropsychiatric syndromes,
      the positivity of these serum autoantibodies were found specifically
      significantly associated with the manifestations of mood disorder, psychosis,
      cerebrovascular disease, seizure disorders, acute confusional state, cognitive
      dysfunction, headache, movement disorder, demyelinating syndrome and
      polyneuropathy, with ORs ranging from 1.84 to 4.73. Meta-regression identified
      proportion of women as significant moderator for the heterogeneity of aCL
      (p=0.004) and anti-neuronal Abs (p=0.0007); mean age for the heterogeneity of aCL
      (p=0.042) and LA (p=0.020) Abs, mean duration of illness for the heterogeneity of
      aCL Abs (p=0.035), and mean SLEDAI scores for the heterogeneity of anti-ribosomal
      P Abs (p=0.014). NPSLE patients are more likely to have elevated serum levels of
      aCL, LA, APL, anti-ribosomal P Abs and anti-neuronal Abs compared with SLE
      patients. Further research is required to evaluate the accuracy of using the
      above antibodies as an adjunct diagnostic tool in NPSLE. 

PMID- 26497109
TI  - A comparison of the efficacy of once-daily fluticasone furoate/vilanterole with
      twice-daily fluticasone propionate/salmeterol in asthma-COPD overlap syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome (ACOS)
      is important because patients with ACOS have significantly worse outcomes
      compared with those with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
      alone. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), together with a long-acting beta2 agonist
      (LABA), are recommended, but no therapeutic studies for ACOS have been conducted.
      Recently, fluticasone furoate/vilanterole (FF/VI) has been approved as the first
      once-daily ICS/LABA combination therapy for asthma and COPD. METHODS: A 12-week,
      randomized, open-label cross-over study was conducted in 16 patients with ACOS to
      compare the effectiveness of once-daily FF/VI 200/25 MUg vs. twice-daily
      fluticasone propionate/salmeterol (FP/SAL) 500/50 MUg. The study period included
      a 4-week run-in, the first 4-week treatment, and the second 4-week treatment.
      Respiratory functions, including forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and
      respiratory impedance using the forced oscillation technique (FOT), were
      measured, as was fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). A COPD assessment test
      (CAT) scores and asthma control test (ACT) scores were recorded 0, 4, and 8 weeks
      after randomization. RESULTS: The mean values for the FEV1 were 1.33 (+/-0.29) L
      in the run-in period, 1.38 (+/-0.39) L after the FP/SAL treatment period, and
      1.47 (+/-0.38) L after the FF/VI treatment period. The FEV1 value after the FF/VI
      treatment was significantly greater than the value after the run-in period (p <
      0.01). FOT parameters, FeNO levels, CAT scores, ACT scores, and other blood tests
      were not significantly different during the run-in period, the FP/SAL treatment
      period, and the FF/VI treatment period. CONCLUSIONS: FF/VI, the first once-daily
      ICS/LABA, can provide substantial improvement in lung functions, indicating that
      FF/VI should be considered for the regular treatment of ACOS.

PMID- 26497110
TI  - The Eighth 2014 International London Cough Symposium.

PMID- 26497111
TI  - The mechanism of the keyhole lesion reassessed: An experimental approach.
AB  - The initial description of the keyhole defect was detailed as a peculiar gunshot
      entrance wound in the cranial vault due to firearm discharge in a tangential
      path. This injury may be described in two parts: a rounded section with inner
      table beveling and a triangular section with outer table beveling. We report a
      case of a gunshot skull wound "keyhole" shaped, appeared to have been made
      perpendicularly to the bone. Performing an experimental study on cranial bones
      with shots made perpendicularly to the skull approved this hypothesis, and bone
      injuries were then architecturally characterised using high-resolution micro
      computed tomography. The singular link between the tangential gunshot path and
      the keyhole pattern has been refuted several times, and some authors have
      hypothesised that there is an important role for concentric fractures that occur
      far away from the initial impact point of the bullet. Micro computed tomography
      analysis of the bone showed these keyhole defect features with a particular high
      description. Then, the whole pattern has a spider-web effect, and these
      concentric fractures could explain the keyhole pattern even in a perpendicular
      gunshot path. 

PMID- 26497112
TI  - Efficient regulation of elemental sulfur recovery through optimizing working
      height of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor during denitrifying sulfide
      removal process.
AB  - In this study, two lab-scale UASB reactors were established to testify S(0)
      recovery efficiency, and one of which (M-UASB) was improved from the previous T
      UASB by shortening reactor height once S(2-) over oxidation was observed. After
      the height was shortened from 60 to 30cm, S(0) recovery rate was improved from
      7.4% to 78.8%, and while, complete removal of acetate, nitrate and S(2-) was
      simultaneously maintained. Meanwhile, bacterial community distribution was
      homogenous throughout the reactor, with denitrifying sulfide oxidization bacteria
      predominant, such as Thauera and Azoarcus spp., indicating the optimized
      condition for S(0) recovery. The effective control of working height/volume in
      reactors plays important roles for the efficient regulation of S(0) recovery
      during DSR process. 

PMID- 26497113
TI  - Two step esterification-transesterification process of wet greasy sewage sludge
      for biodiesel production.
AB  - Sewage sludge generated in municipal wastewater treatment plants was used as a
      feedstock for biodiesel production via esterification/transesterification in a
      two-step process. In the first esterification step, greasy and secondary sludge
      were tested using acid and enzymatic catalysts. The results indicate that both
      catalysts performed the esterification of free fatty acids (FFA) simultaneously
      with the transesterification of triacylglycerols (TAG). Acid catalyst
      demonstrated better performance in FFA esterification compared to TAG
      transesterification, while enzymatic catalyst showed the ability to first
      hydrolyze TAG in FFA, which were esterified to methyl esters. In addition, FAME
      concentration using greasy sludge were higher (63.9% and 58.7%), compared with
      those of secondary sludge (11% and 16%), using acid and enzymatic catalysts,
      respectively. Therefore, only greasy sludge was used in the second step of
      alkaline transesterification. The alkaline transesterification of the previously
      esterified greasy sludge reached a maximum FAME concentration of 65.4% when using
      acid catalyst. 

PMID- 26497114
TI  - Hierarchical multi-step organization during viral capsid assembly.
AB  - Formation of the HIV-1 core by the association of capsid proteins is a critical,
      not fully understood, step in the viral life cycle. Understanding the early
      stages of the mechanism may improve treatment opportunities. Here, spectroscopic
      analysis (opacity) is used to follow the kinetics of capsid protein assembly,
      which shows three stages: a lag phase, followed by a linear increase stage and
      terminated by a plateau. Adding pre-incubated capsid proteins at the start of the
      lag phase shortens it and increases the rate of assembly at the linear stage,
      demonstrating autoacceleration and cooperative assembly. Cryogenic transmission
      electron microscopy is used to probe structural evolution at these three stages.
      At the beginning of the lag phase, short tubular assemblies are found alongside
      micron long tubes. Their elongation continues all throughout the lag phase, at
      the end of which tubes start to assemble into bundles. Based on these results, we
      suggest a multi-step self-assembly process including fast nucleation and
      elongation followed by tubes packing into arrays. 

PMID- 26497115
TI  - Microspheres prepared with different co-polymers of poly(lactic-glycolic acid)
      (PLGA) or with chitosan cause distinct effects on macrophages.
AB  - Microencapsulation of bioactive molecules for modulating the immune response
      during infectious or inflammatory events is a promising approach, since
      microspheres (MS) protect these labile biomolecules against fast degradation,
      prolong the delivery over longer periods of time and, in many situations, target
      their delivery to site of action, avoiding toxic side effects. Little is known,
      however, about the influence of different polymers used to prepare MS on
      macrophages. This paper aims to address this issue by evaluating in vitro
      cytotoxicity, phagocytosis profile and cytokines release from alveolar
      macrophages (J-774.1) treated with MS prepared with chitosan, and four different
      co-polymers of PLGA [poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)]. The five MS prepared
      presented similar diameter and zeta potential each other. Chitosan-MS showed to
      be cytotoxic to J-774.1 cells, in contrast to PLGA-MS, which were all innocuous
      to this cell linage. PLGA 5000-MS was more efficiently phagocytized by
      macrophages compared to the other MS tested. PLGA 5000-MS and 5002-MS induced
      significant production of TNF-alpha, while 5000-MS, 5004-MS and 7502-MS decreased
      spontaneous IL-6 release. Nevertheless, only PLGA 5002-MS induced significant
      NFkB/SEAP activation. These findings together show that MS prepared with distinct
      PLGA co-polymers are differently recognized by macrophages, depending on
      proportion of lactic and glycolic acid in polymeric chain, and on molecular
      weight of the co-polymer used. Selection of the most adequate polymer to prepare
      a microparticulate drug delivery system to modulate immunologic system may take
      into account, therefore, which kind of immunomodulatory response is more adequate
      for the required treatment. 

PMID- 26497116
TI  - Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) Bm64 is required for BV production and
      per os infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) orf64 (Bm64, a homologue of
      ac78) is a core baculovirus gene. Recently, Li et al. reported that Ac78 was not
      essential for budded viruses (BVs) production and occlusion-derived viruses
      (ODVs) formation (Virus Res 191:70-82, 2014). Conversely, Tao et al. demonstrated
      that Ac78 was localized to the BV and ODV envelopes and was required for BV
      production and ODV formation (J Virol 87:8441-50, 2013). In this study, the
      function of Bm64 was characterized to determine the role of Bm64 in the BmNPV
      infection cycle. METHOD: The temporal expression of Bm64 was examined using total
      RNA extracted from BmNPV-infected BmN cells at different time points by reverse
      transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and 5' RACE analysis. To determine the functions of
      Bm64 in viral replication and the viral phenotype throughout the viral life
      cycle, a deletion virus (vBm(64KO)) was generated via homologous recombination in
      Escherichia coli. Viral replication and BV production were determined by real
      time PCR. Electron microscopy was used to detect virion morphogenesis. The
      subcellular localization of Bm64 was determined by microscopy, and per os
      infectivity was used to determine its role in the baculovirus oral infection
      cycle. RESULTS: Viral plaque and titer assay results showed that a few infectious
      BVs were produced by vBm(64KO), suggesting that deletion of Bm64 affected BV
      production. Viral DNA replication was detected and polyhedra were observed in
      vBm(64KO)-transfected cells. Microscopy analysis revealed that Bm64 was
      predominantly localized to the ring zone of the nuclei during the infection
      cycle. Electron microscopy showed that Bm64 was not essential for the formation
      of ODVs or the subsequent occlusion of ODV into polyhedra. The per os infectivity
      results showed that the polyhedra of vBm(64KO) were unable to infect silkworm
      larvae. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our results suggest that Bm64 plays an
      important role in BV production and per os infection, but is not required for
      viral DNA replication or ODV maturation.

PMID- 26497118
TI  - Fibroblast-derived tenascin-C promotes Schwann cell migration through beta1
      integrin dependent pathway during peripheral nerve regeneration.
AB  - Peripheral nerve regeneration requires precise coordination and dynamic
      interaction among various types of cells in the tissue. It remains unclear,
      however, whether the cellular crosstalk between fibroblasts and Schwann cells
      (SCs) is related to phenotype modulation of SCs, a critical cellular process
      after peripheral nerve injury. In this study, microarray analysis revealed that a
      total of 6,046 genes were differentially expressed in the proximal nerve segment
      after sciatic nerve transection in rats, and bioinformatics analysis further
      identified tenascin-C (TNC), an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein, as a key gene
      regulator. TNC was abundantly produced by nerve fibroblasts accumulating at the
      lesion site, rather than by SCs as usually expected. TNC significantly promoted
      SC migration without effects on SC proliferation in primary culture. In co
      culture of fibroblasts and SCs, inhibition of TNC expression either by siRNA
      transfection or antibody blockade could suppress SC migration, while TNC
      stimulated SC migration was mediated by TNC binding to beta1-integrin receptor in
      SCs through activation of Rac1 effectors. The in vivo evidence showed that
      exogenous TNC protein enhanced SC migration and axonal regrowth. Our results
      highlight that TNC-mediated cellular interaction between fibroblasts and SCs may
      regulate SC migration through beta1-integrin-dependent pathway during peripheral
      nerve regeneration.

PMID- 26497119
TI  - Individual variation in fathers' testosterone reactivity to infant distress
      predicts parenting behaviors with their 1-year-old infants.
AB  - Positive father involvement is associated with positive child outcomes. There is
      great variation in fathers' involvement and fathering behaviors, and men's
      testosterone (T) has been proposed as a potential biological contributor to
      paternal involvement. Previous studies investigating testosterone changes in
      response to father-infant interactions or exposure to infant cues were unclear as
      to whether individual variation in T is predictive of fathering behavior. We show
      that individual variation in fathers' T reactivity to their infants during a
      challenging laboratory paradigm (Strange Situation) uniquely predicted fathers'
      positive parenting behaviors during a subsequent father-infant interaction, in
      addition to other psychosocial determinants of paternal involvement, such as
      dispositional empathy and marital quality. The findings have implications for
      understanding fathering behaviors and how fathers can contribute to their
      children's socioemotional development.

PMID- 26497117
TI  - UHRF1 regulation of the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway in pancreatic cancer contributes to
      oncogenesis.
AB  - The cellular defence protein Nrf2 is a mediator of oncogenesis in pancreatic
      ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and other cancers. However, the control of Nrf2
      expression and activity in cancer is not fully understood. We previously reported
      the absence of Keap1, a pivotal regulator of Nrf2, in ~70% of PDAC cases. Here we
      describe a novel mechanism whereby the epigenetic regulator UHRF1 suppresses
      Keap1 protein levels. UHRF1 expression was observed in 20% (5 of 25) of benign
      pancreatic ducts compared to 86% (114 of 132) of pancreatic tumours, and an
      inverse relationship between UHRF1 and Keap1 levels in PDAC tumours (n = 124) was
      apparent (p = 0.002). We also provide evidence that UHRF1-mediated regulation of
      the Nrf2 pathway contributes to the aggressive behaviour of PDAC. Depletion of
      UHRF1 from PDAC cells decreased growth and enhanced apoptosis and cell cycle
      arrest. UHRF1 depletion also led to reduced levels of Nrf2-regulated downstream
      proteins and was accompanied by heightened oxidative stress, in the form of lower
      glutathione levels and increased reactive oxygen species. Concomitant depletion
      of Keap1 and UHRF1 restored Nrf2 levels and reversed cell cycle arrest and the
      increase in reactive oxygen species. Mechanistically, depletion of UHRF1 reduced
      global and tumour suppressor promoter methylation in pancreatic cancer cell
      lines, and KEAP1 gene promoter methylation was reduced in one of three cell lines
      examined. Thus, methylation of the KEAP1 gene promoter may contribute to the
      suppression of Keap1 protein levels by UHRF1, although our data suggest that
      additional mechanisms need to be explored. Finally, we demonstrate that K-Ras
      drives UHRF1 expression, establishing a novel link between this oncogene and Nrf2
      mediated cellular protection. Since UHRF1 over-expression occurs in other
      cancers, its ability to regulate the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway may be critically
      important to the malignant behaviour of these cancers.

PMID- 26497120
TI  - Increased symptom reporting persists in 1990-1991 Gulf War veterans 20 years post
      deployment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Following the 1990-1991 Gulf War, Gulf War veterans (veterans)
      reported health symptoms more commonly than non-deployed groups. This article
      examines symptom persistence, incidence and prevalence 20 years on. METHODS: In
      2000-2003 and 2011-2012, a 63-item symptom checklist was administered to 697
      veterans and 659 comparison group. Symptomatology was compared using log-binomial
      regression. RESULTS: Both veterans and comparison group reported significantly
      increased prevalence (3-52%) over time in more than half the symptoms, with a
      similar overall rate of increase. Half the symptoms had higher incidence (risk
      ratios ranged 1.43-1.50) and a quarter were more persistent (risk-ratios ranged
      1.12-1.20) in veterans than the comparison group. CONCLUSIONS: Symptomatology
      increased in both groups over time, but persisted to a similar extent and had
      higher incidence among veterans than the comparison group. The gap in symptom
      prevalence between the two groups remained unchanged. These findings suggest
      enduring health consequences of Gulf War service.

PMID- 26497121
TI  - Clonorchis sinensis excretory/secretory products promote the secretion of TNF
      alpha in the mouse intrahepatic biliary epithelial cells via Toll-like receptor
      4.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), as one of the most important pathogen
      pattern recognitions (PPRs) plays a central role in elicitation of innate
      immunity and mediation of adaptive responses against foreign antigens. However,
      little is known of the roles of TLR4 in the immune responses of biliary
      epithelial cells (BECs) induced by Clonorchis sinensis, a parasite of
      significance in human health. METHODS: In the present study, the primary mouse
      intrahepatic biliary epithelial cells (MIBECs) were pre-treated with TLR4
      inhibitor peptide or control peptide and then stimulated by excretory/secretory
      products (ESP) of C. sinensis, respectively. The expressions of TLR4 and relative
      cytokines were determined using western blot and a bead-based analytic detection
      system, respectively. RESULTS: The results showed that ESP of C. sinensis
      significantly increased the expression of TLR4 which promoted the expression of
      MyD88 and NF-kappaB in BECs; the levels of TNF-alpha but not IL-6 from MIBECs
      stimulated by ESP alone were also considerably increased, compared with the group
      of the medium stimulated. However, the concentration of TNF-alpha was
      significantly decreased when MIBECs were pre-treated with TLR4 inhibitor. In
      addition, ESP could depress the level of IL-6 in MIBECs which was elevated by
      LPS. CONCLUSIONS: Our data for the first time demonstrate that ESP of C. sinensis
      can potently induce secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines via TLR4 in MIBECs,
      which suggests that TLR4 plays an important role in host defenses against C.
      sinensis and the pathogenesis of clonorchiasis.

PMID- 26497123
TI  - Information from familiar and related conspecifics affects foraging in a solitary
      wolf spider.
AB  - As neighbours become familiar with one another, they can divert attention away
      from one another and focus on other activities. Since familiarity is a likely
      mechanism by which animals recognise relatives, both kinship and prior
      association with conspecifics should allow individuals to increase foraging. We
      attempted to determine if the interference observed among conspecific foragers
      could be mitigated by familiarity and/or kinship. Because Pardosa milvina wolf
      spiders are sensitive to chemotactile cues deposited on substrates by other
      spiders, we used cues to manipulate the information available to focal spiders.
      We first verified that animals could use these cues to differentiate relatives
      and familiar conspecifics. We then documented foraging in the presence of all
      combinations of related and familiar animal cues. Test spiders were slower
      foragers, less likely to capture prey, and consumed less of each prey item when
      on cues from unfamiliar kin, but were faster and more effective foragers on cues
      from familiar non-kin. Their reactions to familiar kin and unfamiliar non-kin
      were intermediate. High foraging intensity on familiar cues is consistent with
      the idea that animals pay less attention to neighbours after some prior
      association. Lower foraging effort in the presence of cues from relatives may be
      an attempt to reduce kin competition by shifting attention toward dispersal or to
      provide increased access to prey for hungry relatives nearby. These findings
      reveal that information from conspecifics mediates social interactions among
      individuals and affects foraging in ways that can influence their role in the
      food web.

PMID- 26497122
TI  - Infiltrating epitheliosis of the breast: characterization of histological
      features, immunophenotype and genomic profile.
AB  - AIMS: Infiltrating epitheliosis is a rare complex sclerosing lesion (CSL) of the
      breast, characterized by infiltrating ducts immersed in a scleroelastotic stroma
      and filled with cells having architectural and cytological patterns reminiscent
      of those of usual ductal hyperplasia. In this study we sought to define the
      molecular characteristics of infiltrating epitheliosis. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Eight infiltrating epitheliosis, adjacent breast lesions (one usual ductal
      hyperplasia, one papilloma, one micropapillary ductal carcinoma in situ and one
      low-grade adenosquamous carcinoma), and corresponding normal breast tissue from
      each case were microdissected and subjected to massively parallel sequencing
      analysis targeting all coding regions of 254 genes mutated recurrently in breast
      cancer and/or related to DNA repair. Mutations in components of the PI3K pathway
      were found in all infiltrating epitheliosis samples, seven of which harboured
      PIK3CA hotspot mutations, while the remaining case displayed a PIK3R1 somatic
      mutation. CONCLUSIONS: Somatic mutations affecting PI3K pathway genes were found
      to be highly prevalent in infiltrating epitheliosis, suggesting that these
      lesions may be neoplastic rather than hyperplastic. The landscape of somatic
      genetic alterations found in infiltrating epitheliosis is similar to that of
      radial scars/CSLs, suggesting that infiltrating epitheliosis may represent one
      end of this spectrum of lesions.

PMID- 26497124
TI  - Belowground fungal associations and water interact to influence  the compensatory
      response of Ipomopsis aggregata.
AB  - Although the concept that some plants benefit from being eaten is
      counterintuitive, there is now considerable evidence demonstrating enhanced
      fitness following herbivory. It has been assumed that plants growing in high
      resource conditions are the ones best able to compensate for herbivory. However,
      just the opposite has been found for dicotyledonous plants exhibiting patterns of
      overcompensation, with most occurring in resource-poor conditions. Long-term
      studies of the monocarpic biennial, scarlet gilia, Ipomopsis aggregata growing in
      resource-poor conditions have shown that ungulate herbivory by mule deer and elk
      can result in a threefold increase in plant fitness over uneaten controls. These
      observations led us to hypothesize that fungal associations would facilitate the
      compensatory response most commonly observed in this Arizona population of
      scarlet gilia; perhaps mutualistic associations with fungi, such as arbuscular
      mycorrhizal fungi, would explain the phenomenon of overcompensation altogether.
      Fungal removal experiments, using Captan(r), a commercially available fungicide,
      showed that a reduction in fungal abundance altered the compensatory response
      following ungulate herbivory, particularly in years in which water was limited,
      increasing fitness compensation from equal compensation to overcompensation. A
      multifactorial experiment revealed that the interactive effects of water and
      fungicide maximized fruit production following herbivory. Our results are counter
      to the "modification of tolerance hypothesis" in which plants associating with
      mycorrhizal fungi will have higher tolerance to herbivory. It is likely that
      arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and dark septate endophytes compete with plants for
      photosynthates following herbivory, thereby limiting the magnitude of
      compensation. Thus, fungi appear to be parasitic on scarlet gilia following
      ungulate herbivory.

PMID- 26497125
TI  - Dietary and taxonomic controls on incorporation of microbial  carbon and
      phosphorus by detritivorous caddisflies.
AB  - Heterotrophic microbes on detritus play critical roles in the nutrition of
      detritivorous animals, yet few studies have examined factors controlling the
      acquisition of microbial nutrients toward detritivore growth, which is termed
      "incorporation". Here, we assessed effects of detrital substrate identity (leaf
      type), background nutrients, and detritivore species identity on detritivore
      incorporation of microbial carbon (C) and phosphorus (P) in leaf litter diets. We
      fed oak and maple litter conditioned under two nutrient concentrations (50 or 500
      ug P L(-1)) to the detritivorous caddisfly larvae Ironoquia spp., Lepidostoma
      spp., and Pycnopsyche lepida and used the radioisotopes 14C as glucose and 33P as
      phosphate to dually trace incorporation of microbial C and P by caddisflies.
      Incorporation efficiencies of microbial C (mean +/- SE = 12.3 +/- 1.3%) were one
      order of magnitude higher than gross growth efficiencies for bulk detrital C from
      recent studies (1.05 +/- 0.08%). Litter type did not affect incorporation of
      microbial nutrients; however, caddisflies incorporated microbial P 11 % less
      efficiently when fed litter from the higher P concentration. Two lower body C:P
      species (Pycnopsyche and Ironoquia) exhibited 9.9 and 7.1% greater microbial C
      and 19.0 and 17.7% greater microbial P incorporation efficiencies, respectively,
      than the higher body C:P species (Lepidostoma). Our findings support ecological
      stoichiometry theory on post-ingestive regulation that animals fed lower C:P
      diets should reduce P incorporation efficiency due to excess diet P or
      alleviation of P-limited growth, and that lower C:P species must incorporate
      dietary C and P more efficiently to support fast growth of P-rich tissues.

PMID- 26497126
TI  - Snow cover and late fall movement influence wood frog survival during an
      unusually cold winter.
AB  - Understanding how organisms will respond to altered winter conditions is hampered
      by a paucity of information on the winter ecology for many species. Amphibians
      are sensitive to environmental temperature and moisture conditions and may be
      vulnerable to changes in winter climate. We used a combination of radio telemetry
      and field enclosures to monitor survival of the freeze-tolerant wood frog
      (Lithobates sylvaticus) during the unusually cold winter of 2013-2014. We
      experimentally manipulated snow cover to determine the effect of snow removal on
      winter survival. In addition, we placed a group of untracked frogs at locations
      used by tracked frogs prior to long-distance late fall movement to investigate
      whether late fall movement entailed survival consequences. Winter survival was
      highest (75.3 %) among frogs at post-movement locations that received natural
      snow cover. The odds of surviving the winter for frogs in the snow removal
      treatment was only 21.6 % that of frogs in the natural snow treatment. Likewise,
      paired frogs placed at pre-fall movement locations had only 35.1 % the odds of
      surviving as tracked frogs at post-fall movement locations. A comparison of a
      priori models that included microhabitat conditions measured at wood frog
      overwintering locations revealed that the minimum temperature experienced and the
      depth of the frog in the substrate explained additional variation in winter
      survival. Our results suggest that acute exposure to lethal temperature
      conditions is the most likely cause of mortality during this study, rather than
      energy exhaustion or desiccation. They also demonstrate the importance of snow
      cover to the winter survival of wood frogs.

PMID- 26497127
TI  - Chemical Composition and Inhibitory Effects of Hypericum brasiliense and H.
      connatum on Prolyl Oligopeptidase and Acetylcholinesterase Activities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The genus Hypericum (family Clusiaceae) comprises various species
      that are used in traditional medicine, such as wound healing, antidepressant, and
      anticancer agents. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      inhibitory capacity of extracts and fractions from two Hypericum species used in
      the Brazilian folk medicine (H. brasiliense and H. connatum) against the enzymes
      prolyl oligopeptidase (POP), dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV), and
      acetylcholinesterase (AChE), as well as to identify their main active
      constituents. METHODS: Dried aerial parts of H. connatum and H. brasiliense were
      subjected to extraction with 8:2 methanol-H2O. Each hydroalcoholic extract was
      fractioned resulting in ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions. The activity of POP,
      DPP-IV and AChE was determined in vitro in 96-well microplates. RESULTS: The main
      components identified in the plant extracts were chlorogenic acid (1), quercitrin
      (2), rutin (3), quercetin (4), and isoquercitrin (5). Hydroalcoholic extracts,
      ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions showed high POP inhibitory activity with IC50
      values of 2.6 to 3.7 ug/mL. AChE and DPP-IV inhibitory effects were very low for
      all extracts and substances. CONCLUSION: Chlorogenic acid (1) and quercetin (4)
      were the main constituent responsible for the activity observed against POP.
      Parallel artificial membrane permeability assay of ethyl acetate fractions of
      both species showed that the metabolite that can effectively pass through the
      lipid membrane is 4, the aglycone form of 2, 3 and 5.

PMID- 26497128
TI  - Lipidomics analysis of follicular fluid by ESI-MS reveals potential biomarkers
      for ovarian endometriosis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to analyze the lipid profile of
      follicular fluid from patients with endometriosis and endometrioma who underwent
      in vitro fertilization treatment (IVF). METHODS: The control group (n = 10) was
      composed of women with tubal factor or minimal male factor infertility who had
      positive pregnancy outcomes after IVF. The endometriosis group consisted of women
      with endometriosis diagnosed by videolaparoscopy (n = 10), and from the same
      patients, the endometriomas fluids were collected, which composed the
      endometrioma group (n = 10). From the follicular fluid and endometriomas, lipids
      were extracted by the Bligh and Dyer method, and the samples were analyzed by
      tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: We observed phosphatidylglycerol phosphate,
      phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylnositol bisphosphate in
      the control group. In the endometriosis group, sphingolipids and
      phosphatidylcholines were more abundant, while in the endometrioma group,
      sphingolipids and phosphatidylcholines with different m/z from the endometriosis
      group were found in high abundance. CONCLUSION: This analysis demonstrated that
      there is a differential representation of these lipids according to their
      respective groups. In addition, the lipids found are involved in important
      mechanisms related to endometriosis progress in the ovary. Thus, the metabolomic
      approach for the study of lipids may be helpful in potential biomarker discovery.

PMID- 26497129
TI  - Genetic import and phenotype specific alleles associated with hyper-invasion in
      Campylobacter jejuni.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Campylobacter jejuni is a major zoonotic pathogen, causing
      gastroenteritis in humans. Invasion is an important pathogenesis trait by which
      C. jejuni causes disease. Here we report the genomic analysis of 134 strains to
      identify traits unique to hyperinvasive isolates. METHODS: A total of 134 C.
      jejuni genomes were used to create a phylogenetic tree to position the
      hyperinvasive strains. Comparative genomics lead to the identification of mosaic
      capsule regions. A pan genome approach led to the discovery of unique loci, or
      loci with unique alleles, to the hyperinvasive strains. RESULTS: Phylogenetic
      analysis showed that the hyper-invasive phenotype is a generalist trait. Despite
      the fact that hyperinvasive strains are only distantly related based on the whole
      genome phylogeny, they all possess genes within the capsule region with high
      identity to capsule genes from C. jejuni subsp. doylei and C. lari. In addition
      there were genes unique to the hyper-invasive strains with identity to non-C.
      jejuni genes, as well as allelic variants of mainly pathogenesis related genes
      already known in the other C. jejuni. In particular, the sequence of flagella
      genes, flgD-E and flgL were highly conserved amongst the hyper-invasive strains
      and divergent from sequences in other C. jejuni. A novel cytolethal distending
      toxin (cdt) operon was also identified as present in all hyper-invasive strains
      in addition to the classic cdt operon present in other C. jejuni. CONCLUSIONS:
      Overall, the hyper-invasive phenotype is strongly linked to the presence of
      orthologous genes from other Campylobacter species in their genomes, notably
      within the capsule region, in addition to the observed association with unique
      allelic variants in flagellar genes and the secondary cdt operon which is
      unlikely under random sharing of accessory alleles in separate lineages.

PMID- 26497130
TI  - Differences in pregnancy outcomes and characteristics between insulin- and diet
      treated women with gestational diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our aim was to evaluate the difference in pregnancy outcomes and
      characteristics between insulin- and diet-treated women with gestational diabetes
      (GDM). METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the medical files from 2010-2013 of
      women with GDM diagnosed with the Carpenter & Coustan criteria attending two
      clinics, one in a university and another in a non-university hospital.
      Characteristics associated with insulin use were analyzed. Multivariable logistic
      regression was used to adjust for confounders. For women attending the university
      hospital, indices of insulin sensitivity such as the reciprocal of the
      homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (1/HOMA-IR) and an index of
      beta-cell function, the Insulin Secretion-Sensitivity Index-2 (ISSI-2) were
      calculated. RESULTS: Over a 4 year period, 601 women were identified with GDM of
      whom 22.9% were obese at first prenatal visit. 24.2% needed insulin. Insulin did
      not prevent adverse outcomes, as women on insulin had higher rates of large-for
      gestational age infants (LGA) (28.5% vs. 13.1 %, p < 0.0001) and more cesarean
      sections (44.1% vs. 27.0%, p = 0.001), remaining significant after adjustment for
      confounders. Compared to diet-treated women, women on insulin more often had an
      ethnic minority background (33.3 % vs. 21.6%, p = 0.004), more often had a
      history of GDM (21.5% vs. 10.4%, p = 0.002), were more often multiparous (59.3%
      vs. 47.6%, p = 0.044) and were diagnosed with GDM earlier in pregnancy (weeks
      25.3 +/- 4.9 vs. 27.1 +/- 3.7, p < 0.0001). When undergoing an oral glucose
      tolerance test, women treated with insulin had a higher fasting glycaemia (97.6
      +/- 18.8 vs.87.7 +/- 10.3, p < 0.0001), a higher 1-hour glycaemia (197.7 +/- 30.1
      vs.184.5 +/- 25.8, p < 0.0001), a higher 2-hour glycaemia (185.2 +/- 28.5 vs.
      175.0 +/- 22.8, p < 0.0001), more often 3 and 4 abnormal values (58.1% vs. 37.8%,
      p < 0.0001 and 24.8% vs. 7.7%, p < 0.0001) and higher HbA1c levels (5.5 +/- 0.6
      vs 5.2 +/- 0.5, p < 0.0001). ISSI-2 (1.3 +/- 0.5 vs. 1.7 +/- 0.5, p < 0.0001) and
      1/HOMA-IR [0.01 (0.001-0.002) vs. 0.02 (0.01-0.03), p = 0.027] were lower in
      women on insulin. Women on insulin more often received corticoids in preparation
      of preterm delivery (11.0% vs. 2.4%, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Compared to diet
      treated women with GDM, women treated with insulin have a higher risk profile,
      impaired beta-cell function and lower insulin sensitivity. Rates of LGA and
      cesarean sections were higher in insulin-treated women.

PMID- 26497131
TI  - 'It Was Easier Because I Had Help': Mothers' Reflections on the Long-Term Impact
      of Sustained Nurse Home Visiting.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This qualitative descriptive study sought women's views of the
      Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting (MECSH) program they received
      from prior to birth to child-age 2-years. MECSH is a structured nurse home
      visiting program for a broad range of women of all ages (both primiparous and
      multiparous) who experienced stressors in pregnancy that could negatively impact
      on maternal and child outcomes. Women were asked for their perceptions of how and
      why the intervention worked for them, and the impact of the intervention on their
      subsequent parenting to child-age 5-years. METHODS: Thirty-six women participated
      in a semi-structured interview when their child commenced formal schooling at age
      5-years. Recorded and transcribed data were analysed using qualitative content
      analysis. RESULTS: Women described the importance of a positive relationship with
      the nurse, and nurses' availability and responsiveness as critical to positive
      impacts. The interventions they recalled receiving were consistent with the
      comprehensive MECSH program model. The intervention impacted on women's emotional
      well-being, confidence and help-seeking behaviour, and positively impacted on
      their parenting of their MECSH program child and their older and subsequent
      children. A small number of women reported feeling stressed and disconnected from
      services following program completion, however, most women continued to apply the
      learnings from the program. CONCLUSIONS: Overall women reported positive impacts
      not just for themselves and their parenting abilities during the 2-year
      intervention program, but also described ongoing benefit to their subsequent
      parenting in the preschool period.

PMID- 26497132
TI  - [Quality assurance concepts in intensive care medicine].
AB  - Intensive care medicine (ICM) is characterized by a high degree of complexity and
      requires intense communication and collaboration on interdisciplinary and
      multiprofessional levels. In order to achieve good quality of care in this
      environment and to prevent errors, a proactive quality and error management as
      well as a structured quality assurance system are essential. Since the early
      1990s, German intensive care societies have developed concepts for quality
      management and assurance in ICM. In 2006, intensive care networks were founded in
      different states to support the implementation of evidence-based knowledge into
      clinical routine and to improve medical outcome, efficacy, and efficiency in ICM.
      Current instruments and concepts of quality assurance in German ICM include core
      intensive care data from the data registry DIVI REVERSI, quality indicators, peer
      review in intensive care, IQM peer review, and various certification processes.
      The first version of German ICM quality indicators was published in 2010 by an
      interdisciplinary and interprofessional expert commission. Key figures,
      indicators, and national benchmarks are intended to describe the quality of
      structures, processes, and outcomes in intensive care. Many of the quality
      assurance tools have proved to be useful in clinical practice, but nationwide
      implementation still can be improved.

PMID- 26497133
TI  - Use of ultra-high molecular weight polycaprolactone scaffolds for ACL
      reconstruction.
AB  - Previously, we reported on the implantation of electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL)
      grafts for use in ACL tissue engineering in a small animal model. In the present
      study, we hypothesized that grafts fabricated from ultra-high molecular weight
      polycaprolactone (UHMWPCL) would have similarly favorable biologic properties but
      superior mechanical properties as compared to grafts fabricated from PCL. Two
      forms of polycaprolactone were obtained (UHMWPCL, MW = 500 kD, and PCL, MW = 80
      kD) and electrospun into scaffolds that were used to perform ACL reconstruction
      in 7-8 week old male Lewis rats. The following groups were examined: UHMWPCL,
      PCL, flexor digitorum longus (FDL) allograft, native ACL, as well as sham surgery
      in which the ACL was transsected. At 16 weeks post-operatively, biomechanical
      testing, histology, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed. Analysis of
      cellularity indicated that there was no significant difference among the UHMWPCL,
      PCL, and FDL allograft groups. Quantification of birefringence from picrosirius
      red staining demonstrated significantly more aligned collagen fibers in the
      allograft than the PCL group, but no difference between the UHMWPCL and allograft
      groups. The peak load to failure of the UHMWPCL grafts was significantly higher
      than PCL, and not significantly different from FDL allograft. This in vivo study
      establishes the superiority of the higher molecular weight version of
      polycaprolactone over PCL as a scaffold material for ACL reconstruction. By 16
      weeks after implantation, the UHMWPCL grafts were not significantly different
      from the FDL allografts in terms of cellularity, peak load to failure, stiffness,
      and collagen fiber alignment. (c) 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:828-835, 2016.

PMID- 26497134
TI  - Optimization of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells by rapamycin in a
      murine model of acute graft-versus-host disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can protect bone marrow
      transplantation (BMT) recipients from the lethal acute graft-versus-host disease
      (aGVHD) development. However, the mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory
      properties of MSCs in aGVHD remain to be elucidated. The immunoregulatory
      properties of MSCs are mediated by their production of anti-inflammatory
      molecules, including IL-10 and TGF-beta. On the other hand, MSCs can also produce
      proinflammatory cytokines during their normal growth, such as IL-1beta and IL-6.
      These opposite actions may limit their therapeutic application in aGVHD.
      Therefore, optimization of the functional properties of MSCs can increase their
      benefits. METHODS: The expressions of mRNA and protein were analyzed by real-time
      PCR and western blotting, respectively. Expression of MSC markers was assessed by
      flow cytometry. An animal model of aGVHD was established by transplanting C57BL/6
      donor bone marrow cells and spleen cells into lethally irradiated BALB/c
      recipient mice. The recipient mice were divided into the control group and the
      therapy [adipose tissue-derived human MSCs (Ad-hMSCs) or rapamycin-treated Ad
      hMSCs] groups. The survival, body weight and clinical score of aGVHD in
      transplanted mice were monitored. RESULTS: Rapamycin pre-treatment of Ad-hMSCs
      increased mRNA synthesis of IL-10, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, and TGF-beta
      compared with untreated Ad-hMSCs. Rapamycin-treated Ad-hMSCs suppressed clonal
      expansion of interleukin-17-producing CD4(+) T (Th17) cells more effectively than
      untreated cells. mRNA expression of autophagy markers such as ATG5, LC3A and LC3B
      was significantly increased in the rapamycin-treated Ad-hMSCs compared with
      untreated Ad-hMSCs. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that Ad-hMSCs
      exposure to rapamycin resulted in the appearance of autophagic vacuoles.
      Interestingly, in vitro migration efficiency of rapamycin-treated Ad-hMSCs toward
      the CD4(+) T cells was increased significantly compared with the untreated cells.
      And, these effects were associated with autophagy induction capacity of
      rapamycin. In vivo, the inhibiting properties of MSCs on the clinical severities
      of aGVHD were greater in the mice receiving rapamycin-treated Ad-hMSCs compared
      with untreated Ad-hMSCs. The beneficial effects of rapamycin treatment in Ad
      hMSCs shown in vivo were associated with a reduction of Th17 cells and an
      increase in regulatory T cells. CONCLUSIONS: Rapamycin can optimize the
      immunomodulatory potential of Ad-hMSCs, suggesting a promising strategy of MSC
      use in aGVHD treatment.

PMID- 26497135
TI  - The devil is in the details: comparison between COP9 signalosome (CSN) and the
      LID of the 26S proteasome.
AB  - The COP9 signalosome (CSN) and the proteasomal LID are conserved macromolecular
      complexes composed of at least eight subunits with molecular weights of
      approximately 350 kDa. CSN and LID are part of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway
      and cleave isopeptide linkages of lysine side chains on target proteins. CSN
      cleaves the isopeptide bond of ubiquitin-like protein Nedd8 from cullins, whereas
      the LID cleaves ubiquitin from target proteins sentenced for degradation. CSN and
      LID are structurally and functionally similar but the order of the assembly
      pathway seems to be different. The assembly differs in at least the last subunit
      joining the pre-assembled subcomplex. This review addresses the similarities and
      differences in structure, function and assembly of CSN and LID.

PMID- 26497136
TI  - A new rapid and efficient system with dominant selection developed to inactivate
      and conditionally express genes in Candida albicans.
AB  - Candida albicans is an important human fungal pathogen but its study has been
      hampered for being a natural diploid that lacks a complete sexual cycle. Gene
      knock-out and essential gene repression are used to study gene function in C.
      albicans. To effectively study essential genes in wild-type C. albicans, we took
      advantage of the compatible effects of the antibiotics hygromycin B and
      nourseothricin, the recyclable CaSAT1-flipper and the tetracycline-repressible
      (Tet-off) system. To allow deleting two alleles simultaneously, we created a
      cassette with a C. albicans HygB resistance gene (CaHygB) flanked with the FLP
      recombinase target sites that can be operated alongside the CaSAT1-flipper.
      Additionally, to enable conditionally switching off essential genes, we created a
      CaHygB-based Tet-off cassette that consisted of the CaTDH3 promoter, which is
      used for the constitutive expression of the tetracycline-regulated transactivator
      and a tetracycline response operator. To validate the new systems, all strains
      were constructed based on the wild-type strain and selected by the two dominant
      selectable markers, CaHygB and CaSAT1. The C. albicans general transcriptional
      activator CaGCN4 and its negative regulator CaPCL5 genes were targeted for gene
      deletion, and the essential cyclin-dependent kinase CaPHO85 gene was placed under
      the Tet-off system. Cagcn4, Capcl5, the conditional Tet-off CaPHO85 mutants, and
      mutants bearing two out of the three mutations were generated. By subjecting the
      mutants to various stress conditions, the functional relationship of the genes
      was revealed. This new system can efficiently delete genes and conditionally
      switch off essential genes in wild-type C. albicans to assess functional
      interaction between genes.

PMID- 26497137
TI  - Cardiopulmonary exercise testing responses to different external portable drivers
      in a patient with a CardioWest Total Artificial Heart.
AB  - Management of patients treated with CardioWest Total Artificial Heart (CW-TAH) as
      a bridge to heart transplantation (HTx) is complicated by difficulties in
      determining the optimal timing of transplantation. We present a case of a 53-year
      old man supported as an outpatient with a CW-TAH, whose condition deteriorated
      following exchange of the portable driver. The patient was followed-up with
      serial cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) which demonstrated a fall of peak
      VO2 to below 12 ml/kg/min following driver substitution, and the patient was
      subsequently treated with urgent orthotopic HTx. This case highlights the
      potential utility of CPET as a means for monitoring and indicating timing of HTx
      in patients with CW-TAH, as well as the potential for clinical deterioration
      following portable driver substitution. 

PMID- 26497138
TI  - Seventeen years of subcutaneous infection by Aspergillus flavus; eumycetoma
      confirmed by immunohistochemistry.
AB  - Chronic subcutaneous infections caused by Aspergillus species are considered to
      be extremely rare. Because these fungi are among the most common laboratory
      contaminants, their role as eumycetoma causative agents is difficult to
      ascertain. Here, we report the first case of A. flavus eumycetoma confirmed by
      isolation, molecular identification and immunohistochemical analysis. Patient was
      a 55-year-old male from Sudan suffering from eumycetoma on his left foot for a
      period of 17 years. He developed swelling, sinuses and white grain discharge was
      observed. He has been operated nine times and was treated with several regimens
      of ketoconazole and itraconazole without improvement. Initial diagnosis based on
      histology and radiology was Scedosporium eumycetoma. However, examination of the
      biopsy revealed A. flavus, which was identified by molecular analysis and MALDI
      TOF MS. Immunohistochemistry using antibody directed against Aspergillus species
      was positive. Because of the earlier treatment failures with ketoconazole and
      itraconazole, therapy with voriconazole was initiated. However, in vitro
      susceptibility testing yielded a lower Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC)
      value for itraconazole (0.25 MUg ml(-1) ) than for voriconazole (1 MUg ml(-1) ).
      Based on the presented results, A. flavus can be considered as one of the agents
      of white-grain eumycetoma.

PMID- 26497139
TI  - Effects of ethylene on photosystem II and antioxidant enzyme activity in Bermuda
      grass under low temperature.
AB  - The phytohormone ethylene has been reported to mediate plant response to cold
      stress. However, it is still debated whether the effect of ethylene on plant
      response to cold stress is negative or positive. The objective of the present
      study was to explore the role of ethylene in the cold resistance of Bermuda grass
      (Cynodon dactylon (L).Pers.). Under control (warm) condition, there was no
      obvious effect of the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid
      (ACC) or the antagonist Ag(+) of ethylene signaling on electrolyte leakage (EL)
      and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Under cold stress conditions, ACC-treated
      plant leaves had a greater level of EL and MDA than the untreated leaves.
      However, the EL and MDA values were lower in the Ag(+) regime versus the
      untreated. In addition, after 3 days of cold treatment, ACC remarkably reduced
      the content of soluble protein and also altered antioxidant enzyme activity.
      Under control (warm) condition, there was no significant effect of ACC on the
      performance of photosystem II (PS II) as monitored by chlorophyll alpha
      fluorescence transients. However, under cold stress, ACC inhibited the
      performance of PS II. Under cold condition, ACC remarkably reduced the
      performance index for energy conservation from excitation to the reduction of
      intersystem electron acceptors (PI(ABS)), the maximum quantum yield of primary
      photochemistry (phiP0), the quantum yield of electron transport flux from Q(A) to
      Q(B) (phiE0), and the efficiency/probability of electron transport (PsiE0).
      Simultaneously, ACC increased the values of specific energy fluxes for absorption
      (ABS/RC) and dissipation (DI0/RC) after 3 days of cold treatment. Additionally,
      under cold condition, exogenous ACC altered the expressions of several related
      genes implicated in the induction of cold tolerance (LEA, SOD, POD-1 and CBF1,
      EIN3-1, and EIN3-2). The present study thus suggests that ethylene affects the
      cold tolerance of Bermuda grass by impacting the antioxidant system, photosystem
      II, as well as the CBF transcriptional regulatory cascade.

PMID- 26497140
TI  - Heterosis Increases Fertility, Fecundity, and Survival of Laboratory-Produced F1
      Hybrid Males of the Malaria Mosquito Anopheles coluzzii.
AB  - The success of vector control strategies aiming to decrease disease transmission
      via the release of sterile or genetically-modified male mosquitoes critically
      depends on mating between laboratory-reared males and wild females.
      Unfortunately, mosquito colonization, laboratory rearing, and genetic
      manipulations can all negatively affect male competitiveness. Heterosis is
      commonly used to produce domestic animals with enhanced vigor and homogenous
      genetic background and could therefore potentially improve the mating performance
      of mass-reared male mosquitoes. Here, we produced enhanced hybrid males of the
      malaria mosquito Anopheles coluzzii by crossing two strains colonized >35 and 8
      years ago. We compared the amount of sperm and mating plug proteins they
      transferred to females, as well as their insemination rate, reproductive success
      and longevity under various experimental conditions. Across experiments,
      widespread adaptations to laboratory mating were detected in the older strain. In
      large-group mating experiments, no overall hybrid advantage in insemination rates
      and the amount of sperm and accessory gland proteins transferred to females was
      detected. Despite higher sperm activity, hybrid males did not appear more fecund.
      However, individual-male mating and laboratory-swarm experiments revealed that
      hybrid males, while inseminating fewer females than older inbred males, were
      significantly more fertile, producing larger mating plugs and drastically
      increasing female fecundity. Heterotic males also showed increased longevity.
      These results validate the use of heterosis for creating hybrid males with
      improved fitness from long-established inbred laboratory strains. Therefore, this
      simple approach could facilitate disease control strategies based on male
      mosquito releases with important ultimate benefits to human health. 

PMID- 26497141
TI  - Genome-Enabled Estimates of Additive and Nonadditive Genetic Variances and
      Prediction of Apple Phenotypes Across Environments.
AB  - The nonadditive genetic effects may have an important contribution to total
      genetic variation of phenotypes, so estimates of both the additive and
      nonadditive effects are desirable for breeding and selection purposes. Our main
      objectives were to: estimate additive, dominance and epistatic variances of apple
      (Malus * domestica Borkh.) phenotypes using relationship matrices constructed
      from genome-wide dense single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers; and compare
      the accuracy of genomic predictions using genomic best linear unbiased prediction
      models with or without including nonadditive genetic effects. A set of 247
      clonally replicated individuals was assessed for six fruit quality traits at two
      sites, and also genotyped using an Illumina 8K SNP array. Across several fruit
      quality traits, the additive, dominance, and epistatic effects contributed about
      30%, 16%, and 19%, respectively, to the total phenotypic variance. Models
      ignoring nonadditive components yielded upwardly biased estimates of additive
      variance (heritability) for all traits in this study. The accuracy of genomic
      predicted genetic values (GEGV) varied from about 0.15 to 0.35 for various
      traits, and these were almost identical for models with or without including
      nonadditive effects. However, models including nonadditive genetic effects
      further reduced the bias of GEGV. Between-site genotypic correlations were high
      (>0.85) for all traits, and genotype-site interaction accounted for <10% of the
      phenotypic variability. The accuracy of prediction, when the validation set was
      present only at one site, was generally similar for both sites, and varied from
      about 0.50 to 0.85. The prediction accuracies were strongly influenced by trait
      heritability, and genetic relatedness between the training and validation
      families. 

PMID- 26497142
TI  - Extreme Diversity in the Regulation of Ndt80-Like Transcription Factors in Fungi.
AB  - The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ndt80 protein is the founding member of a class of
      p53-like transcription factors that is known as the NDT80/PhoG-like DNA-binding
      family. The number of NDT80-like genes in different fungi is highly variable and
      their roles, which have been examined in only a few species, include regulation
      of meiosis, sexual development, biofilm formation, drug resistance, virulence,
      the response to nutrient stress and programmed cell death. The protein kinase
      Ime2 regulates the single NDT80 gene present in S. cerevisiae. In this study we
      used a genetic approach to investigate whether the Aspergillus nidulans Ime2
      homolog, ImeB, and/or protein kinases MpkC, PhoA and PhoB regulate the two NDT80
      like genes (xprG and ndtA) in A. nidulans. Disruption of imeB, but not mpkC, phoA
      or phoB, led to increased extracellular protease activity and a defect in
      mycotoxin production similar to the xprG1 gain-of-function mutation. Quantitative
      RT-PCR showed that ImeB is a negative regulator of xprG expression and XprG is a
      negative regulator of xprG and ndtA expression. Thus, in contrast to Ime2, which
      is a positive regulator of NDT80 in S. cerevisiae, ImeB is a negative regulator
      as in Neurospora crassa. However, the ability of Ndt80 to autoregulate NDT80 is
      conserved in A. nidulans though the autoregulatory effect is negative rather than
      positive. Unlike N. crassa, a null mutation in imeB does not circumvent the
      requirement for XprG or NdtA. These results show that the regulatory activities
      of Ime2 and Ndt80-like proteins display an extraordinarily level of evolutionary
      flexibility. 

PMID- 26497143
TI  - SMRT Sequencing for Parallel Analysis of Multiple Targets and Accurate SNP
      Phasing.
AB  - Single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing generates much longer reads than
      other widely used next-generation (next-gen) sequencing methods, but its
      application to whole genome/exome analysis has been limited. Here, we describe
      the use of SMRT sequencing coupled with barcoding to simultaneously analyze one
      or a small number of genomic targets derived from multiple sources. In the
      budding yeast system, SMRT sequencing was used to analyze strand-exchange
      intermediates generated during mitotic recombination and to analyze genetic
      changes in a forward mutation assay. The general barcoding-SMRT approach was then
      extended to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma primary tumors and cell lines, where
      detected changes agreed with prior Illumina exome sequencing. A distinct
      advantage afforded by SMRT sequencing over other next-gen methods is that it
      immediately provides the linkage relationships between SNPs in the target segment
      sequenced. The strength of our approach for mutation/recombination studies (as
      well as linkage identification) derives from its inherent computational
      simplicity coupled with a lack of reliance on sophisticated statistical analyses.

PMID- 26497144
TI  - Cell-Specific mRNA Profiling of the Caenorhabditis elegans Somatic Gonadal
      Precursor Cells Identifies Suites of Sex-Biased and Gonad-Enriched Transcripts.
AB  - The Caenorhabditis elegans somatic gonad differs greatly between the two sexes in
      its pattern of cell divisions, migration, and differentiation. Despite decades of
      study, the genetic pathways directing early gonadal development and establishing
      sexual dimorphism in the gonad remain largely unknown. To help define the genetic
      networks that regulate gonadal development, we employed cell-specific RNA-seq. We
      identified transcripts present in the somatic gonadal precursor cells and their
      daughter cells of each sex at the onset of sexual differentiation. We identified
      several hundred gonad-enriched transcripts, including the majority of known
      regulators of early gonadal development, and transgenic reporter analysis
      confirmed the effectiveness of this approach. Before the division of the somatic
      gonad precursors, few sex-biased gonadal transcripts were detectable; less than 6
      hr later, after their division, we identified more than 250 sex-biased
      transcripts, of which about a third were enriched in the somatic gonad compared
      to the whole animal. This indicates that a robust sex-biased developmental
      program, some of it gonad-specific, initiates in the somatic gonadal precursor
      cells around the time of their first division. About 10% of male-biased
      transcripts had orthologs with male-biased expression in the early mouse gonad,
      suggesting possible conservation of gonad sex differentiation. Cell-specific
      analysis also identified approximately 70 previously unannotated mRNA isoforms
      that are enriched in the somatic gonad. Our data illustrate the power of cell
      specific transcriptome analysis and suggest that early sex differentiation in the
      gonad is controlled by a relatively small suite of differentially expressed
      genes, even after dimorphism has become apparent.

PMID- 26497145
TI  - Turnover of Sex Chromosomes in Celebensis Group Medaka Fishes.
AB  - Sex chromosomes and the sex-determining (SD) gene are variable in vertebrates. In
      particular, medaka fishes in the genus Oryzias show an extremely large diversity
      in sex chromosomes and the SD gene, providing a good model to study the
      evolutionary process by which they turnover. Here, we investigated the sex
      determination system and sex chromosomes in six celebensis group species. Our sex
      linkage analysis demonstrated that all species had an XX-XY sex determination
      system, and that the Oryzias marmoratus and O. profundicola sex chromosomes were
      homologous to O. latipes linkage group (LG) 10, while those of the other four
      species, O. celebensis, O. matanensis, O. wolasi, and O. woworae, were homologous
      to O. latipes LG 24. The phylogenetic relationship suggested a turnover of the
      sex chromosomes from O. latipes LG 24 to LG 10 within this group. Six sex-linkage
      maps showed that the former two and the latter four species shared a common SD
      locus, respectively, suggesting that the LG 24 acquired the SD function in a
      common ancestor of the celebensis group, and that the LG 10 SD function appeared
      in a common ancestor of O. marmoratus and O. profundicola after the divergence of
      O. matanensis. Additionally, fine mapping and association analysis in the former
      two species revealed that Sox3 on the Y chromosome is a prime candidate for the
      SD gene, and that the Y-specific 430-bp insertion might be involved in its SD
      function. 

PMID- 26497146
TI  - Dynamics of Wolbachia pipientis Gene Expression Across the Drosophila
      melanogaster Life Cycle.
AB  - Symbiotic interactions between microbes and their multicellular hosts have
      manifold biological consequences. To better understand how bacteria maintain
      symbiotic associations with animal hosts, we analyzed genome-wide gene expression
      for the endosymbiotic alpha-proteobacteria Wolbachia pipientis across the entire
      life cycle of Drosophila melanogaster. We found that the majority of Wolbachia
      genes are expressed stably across the D. melanogaster life cycle, but that 7.8%
      of Wolbachia genes exhibit robust stage- or sex-specific expression differences
      when studied in the whole-organism context. Differentially-expressed Wolbachia
      genes are typically up-regulated after Drosophila embryogenesis and include many
      bacterial membrane, secretion system, and ankyrin repeat-containing proteins. Sex
      biased genes are often organized as small operons of uncharacterized genes and
      are mainly up-regulated in adult Drosophila males in an age-dependent manner. We
      also systematically investigated expression levels of previously-reported
      candidate genes thought to be involved in host-microbe interaction, including
      those in the WO-A and WO-B prophages and in the Octomom region, which has been
      implicated in regulating bacterial titer and pathogenicity. Our work provides
      comprehensive insight into the developmental dynamics of gene expression for a
      widespread endosymbiont in its natural host context, and shows that public gene
      expression data harbor rich resources to probe the functional basis of the
      Wolbachia-Drosophila symbiosis and annotate the transcriptional outputs of the
      Wolbachia genome. 

PMID- 26497147
TI  - Examination of Endogenous Rotund Expression and Function in Developing Drosophila
      Olfactory System Using CRISPR-Cas9-Mediated Protein Tagging.
AB  - The zinc-finger protein Rotund (Rn) plays a critical role in controlling the
      development of the fly olfactory system. However, little is known about its
      molecular function in vivo. Here, we added protein tags to the rn locus using
      CRISPR-Cas9 technology in Drosophila to investigate its subcellular localization
      and the genes that it regulates . We previously used a reporter construct to show
      that rn is expressed in a subset of olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) precursors
      and it is required for the diversification of ORN fates. Here, we show that
      tagged endogenous Rn protein is functional based on the analysis of ORN
      phenotypes. Using this method, we also mapped the expression pattern of the
      endogenous isoform-specific tags in vivo with increased precision. Comparison of
      the Rn expression pattern from this study with previously published results using
      GAL4 reporters showed that Rn is mainly present in early steps in antennal disc
      patterning, but not in pupal stages when ORNs are born. Finally, using chromatin
      immunoprecipitation, we showed a direct binding of Rotund to a previously
      identified regulatory element upstream of the bric-a-brac gene locus in the
      developing antennal disc. 

PMID- 26497150
TI  - Chromatographic methods enabling the characterization of stationary phases and
      retention prediction in high-performance liquid chromatography and supercritical
      fluid chromatography.
AB  - In the scope of the present review, the current status of high-performance liquid
      chromatography/ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and supercritical
      fluid chromatography is briefly provided. These techniques and their retention
      mechanisms are compared. Various alternative approaches utilized for the
      determination and description of the retention processes in these two systems are
      mapped. Two frequently used concepts, linear-free energy relationships, and
      hydrophobic subtraction models, used for the characterization of the retention
      interactions, are discussed. Principles and selected applications of the both
      methods are also covered. Then the models applied for the prediction of retention
      behavior of solutes on stationary phases are outlined. The procedures utilized
      for the sorbent/column classification are also covered. Simple chromatographic
      tests frequently used for the basic characterization and mutual comparison of
      stationary phases are summarized and briefly commented on. The importance of a
      statistical evaluation of complex retention data obtained from the
      chromatographic measurements is outlined. Finally, computer simulations aiming at
      the facilitation of the quest to optimize separation conditions for a given
      mixture of analytes are touched upon. 

PMID- 26497148
TI  - Parallels with the Female Athlete Triad in Male Athletes.
AB  - Participation in sports offers many health benefits to athletes of both sexes.
      However, subsets of both female and male athletes are at increased risk of
      impaired bone health and bone stress injuries. The Female Athlete Triad (Triad)
      is defined as the interrelationship of low energy availability (with or without
      disordered eating), menstrual dysfunction, and low bone mineral density. The
      Triad may result in health consequences, including bone stress injuries. Our
      review presents evidence that an analogous process may occur in male athletes.
      Our review of the available literature indicates that a subset of male athletes
      may experience adverse health issues that parallel those associated with the
      Triad, including low energy availability (with or without disordered eating),
      hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, and low bone mineral density. Consequently, male
      athletes may be predisposed to developing bone stress injuries, and these
      injuries can be the first presenting feature of associated Triad conditions. We
      discuss the evidence for impaired nutrition, hormonal dysfunction, and low bone
      mineral density in a subset of male athletes, and how these health issues may
      parallel those of the Triad. With further research into the mechanisms and
      outcomes of these health concerns in active and athletic men, evidence-based
      guidelines can be developed that result in best practice.

PMID- 26497149
TI  - Can Doping be a Good Thing? Using Psychoactive Drugs   to Facilitate Physical
      Activity Behaviour.

PMID- 26497151
TI  - A hole in my heart: mitral abscess and fistula.

PMID- 26497152
TI  - Point-of-care echocardiography for aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism and
      acute coronary syndrome in patients with killer chest pain: EASY screening
      focused on the assessment of effusion, aorta, ventricular size and shape and
      ventricular asynergy.
AB  - Focus assessed transthoracic echocardiography and focused cardiac ultrasound are
      point-of-care echo protocols for the evaluation of cardiac disease in the
      emergency room; however, these protocols may not adequately assess aortic
      dissection, pulmonary embolism, and acute coronary syndrome in patients with
      killer chest pain. Here, I present an echocardiography protocol focused on
      screening for these critical cardiovascular diseases. This protocol (termed EASY
      screening) consists of the assessment of effusion in the pericardial space,
      aortic abnormalities, the size and shape of the ventricles and asynergy of the
      left ventricle. Aortic dissection is suggested by positive findings for effusion
      and/or abnormal aortic findings. Pulmonary embolism is suggested by a dilated
      right ventricle and a D-shaped left ventricle in the short-axis view. Acute
      coronary syndrome is suggested by asynergy of left ventricular wall motion. EASY
      screening may facilitate the assessment of aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism
      and acute coronary syndrome in patients presenting to the emergency room with
      killer chest pain.

PMID- 26497153
TI  - Resin luting materials: Tissue response in dog's teeth.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate radiographically and histologically the
      pulpal and periapical response to self-adhesive (Rely XTM Unicem) and self
      etching and self-curing (Multilink((r))) resin-based luting materials in deep
      cavities in dogs' teeth. Deep class V cavities (0.5-mm-thick dentin) were
      prepared in 60 canine premolars and the following materials were applied on
      cavity floor: Groups I/V-RelyXTM Unicem; Groups II/VI-Multilink((r)); Groups
      III/VII-zinc phosphate cement (control) and; Groups IV/VIII-gutta-percha
      (control). Cavities were restored with silver amalgam. Animals were euthanized
      after 10 days (groups I-IV) and 90 days (groups V-VIII). Tooth/bone blocks were
      radiographed and processed for histopathological evaluation of pulp and
      periapical tissue response to the materials. All materials presented similar
      histopathological features and radiographic findings at both periods. The pulp
      tissue was intact. The apical and periapical regions and periodontal ligament
      thickness were normal. No inflammatory cells, resorption of mineralized tissue
      (dentin, cementum, and alveolar bone) or bacteria were observed. The lamina dura
      was intact and no areas of periapical bone rarefaction or internal/external root
      resorption were observed radiographically. It can be concluded that Rely XTM
      Unicem and Multilink((r)) caused no adverse tissue reactions and may be indicated
      for cementation of indirect restorations in deep dentin cavities without pulp
      exposure.

PMID- 26497154
TI  - The impact of MTHFR 677 C/T genotypes on folate status markers: a meta-analysis
      of folic acid intervention studies.
AB  - PURPOSE: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a key folate pathway
      enzyme with the T variant of the MTHFR gene increasing the risk of low folate
      status, particularly coupled with low folate intake. As genetic variability of
      MTHFR influences folate status, it is important to ensure an adequate intake that
      overrides genetic effects but minimises any adverse effects. Our aim was to
      assess the influence of MTHFR genotype on folate status followed by response to
      supplementation. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of ten folate intervention
      studies to assess the degree to which MTHFR C677T genotype influenced plasma
      homocysteine and serum folate levels as measures of folate status. We then
      examined response after supplementation at intake values up to the upper
      tolerable limit. RESULTS: The MTHFR 677TT genotype was associated with higher
      plasma homocysteine (2.7 MUmol/L, TT vs. CT/CC; 2.8 MUmol/L, TT vs. CC) and lower
      serum folate (2.5 nmol/L, TT vs. CT/CC; 3.6 nmol/L, TT vs. CC). In two studies,
      the TT groups had mean plasma Hcy >15 MUmol/L. Serum folate levels were >7 nmol/L
      for all genotype groups. After supplementation of 400 up to 1670 MUg DFEs of
      folic acid or folic acid + fortified foods and/or natural food folates for a
      minimum of 4 weeks, there were no significant differences in plasma homocysteine
      levels; however, individuals with the TT genotype had a lower serum folate
      response to supplementation (7.2 nmol/L, TT vs. CT/CC; 8.7 nmol/L, TT vs. CC).
      CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis confirms observations from observational and
      intervention studies that MTHFR TT genotype is associated with increased plasma
      homocysteine and lowered serum folate and less response to short-term
      supplementation. The results can be used for modelling and guiding personalised
      intake recommendations for the nutrient folate.

PMID- 26497155
TI  - Inactivation of Bacillus cereus spores in a tsuyu sauce using continuous ohmic
      heating with five sequential elbow-type electrodes.
AB  - AIMS: The effect of ohmic heating (OH) in a pilot plant system which had a zig
      zag shaped (elbow-type) ohmic heater with five sequential voltage electrodes was
      investigated on Bacillus cereus spores in a commercial tsuyu sauce. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: The electrical field was fixed at 26.7 V cm(-1) with an alternating
      current frequency of 25 kHz. Raw tsuyu sauce (50 l) inoculated with B. cereus
      spores was submitted in a 4 * 3 factorial design to the OH system and heated at
      95, 105, 115, and 125 degrees C each for 30, 60, and 90 s. Survival of B. cereus
      spores and colour change in the commercial tsuyu sauce were both measured before
      and after treatment. As the treatment temperature and time increased, the number
      of surviving B. cereus spores decreased. The OH treatment in a bath-type process
      at 105 degrees C for more than 30 s resulted in the total inactivation of the
      inoculated B. cereus spores (average 5.4 log reductions to undetectable levels
      after treatment). The OH protocol of heating at 105 degrees C for 60 s which
      ensure complete eradication of the inoculated spores without compromising product
      quality was chosen and investigated for its suitability for commercial
      application on bulk quantities of samples (500 l). Reliable and reproducible
      reductions in B. cereus spore counts of 4.7-5.5 log CFU ml(-1) (mean +/- standard
      deviation = 5.1 +/- 0.3 CFU ml(-1) ) were achieved by the selected protocol of
      the continuous OH treatment (105 degrees C for 60 s). CONCLUSION: This study
      suggests that OH treatment with five sequential elbow-type electrodes has great
      potential as an industrial sterilizing method for liquid food contaminated with
      B. cereus spores. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This procedure will
      enhance the microbiological quality of liquid foods while minimizing quality
      deterioration.

PMID- 26497156
TI  - Neurofunctional assessment at term equivalent age can predict 3-year
      neurodevelopmental outcomes in very low birth weight infants.
AB  - AIM: Preterm infants are at high risk of developing motor delay, learning
      difficulties and behavioural problems and the availability of valid
      neurodevelopmental assessments is a major clinical issue. This study evaluated
      the relationship between preterm infants' neurofunctional assessment at term
      equivalent age and neurodevelopment outcome at three years of chronological age.
      METHODS: Neurofunctional assessment was performed in 70 very low birth weight
      infants at term equivalent age and neurodevelopmental outcome was assessed at
      three years of chronological age with the Griffiths Mental Development Scale -
      Extended Revised. RESULTS: At term equivalent age, 81% of the children had normal
      neurofunctional scores and 82.5% of those showed normal neurodevelopmental
      outcome at three years. Of the 19% who had impaired development at term
      equivalent age, 38.5% had neurodevelopmental delay at three years. Impaired
      neurofunctional status was associated with an increased risk of developmental
      delay in the global quotient (odds ratio 12.1) and locomotor sub-quotient (odds
      ratio 18.35) compared with normal neurofunctional status. Infants with sepsis or
      necrotising enterocolitis also faced a higher risk of neurodevelopmental delay.
      CONCLUSION: Neurofunctional assessment performed at term equivalent age appeared
      to provide early identification of preterm infants at risk of neurodevelopmental
      delay at three years of chronological age.

PMID- 26497157
TI  - Reviving the Louisville Twin Study: An Introduction.
AB  - Researchers who are interested in breathing new life into the long dormant
      Louisville Twin Study (LTS) presented several papers at the 2015 meeting of the
      behavior genetics association. This brief introduction provides a short history
      of the Kentucky LTS as well as synopses of expanded analyses from the
      presentations on genetic change and continuity in cognitive and behavioral
      development and those exploring aspects of the influence of gene-environment
      interaction on cognition. 

PMID- 26497158
TI  - The Scarr-Rowe Interaction in Complete Seven-Year WISC Data from the Louisville
      Twin Study: Preliminary Report.
AB  - We examine updated Wechsler IQ data in 7-year old twins from the Louisville Twin
      Study for evidence of an interaction between the heritability of IQ and
      socioeconomic status. Data records that had never been entered were recovered,
      allowing us to increase previously reported sample sizes by more than 20%. Twin
      families were assigned socioeconomic status scores using a Hollingshead index
      based on parental education and occupation. A structural equation model in which
      genetic and environmental variances were modeled as squared linear functions of
      SES provided ambiguous replication of earlier findings from the National
      Collaborative Perinatal Project: relations between SES and heritability for
      performance and full scale IQ were in the same direction as the previous report,
      but at p < 0.07. As was the case in Turkheimer et al. (Psychol Sci 14(6):623-628,
      2003), no interaction was found for VIQ. These results cannot yet be taken as a
      definitive replication of Turkheimer et al. (Psychol Sci 14(6):623-628, 2003).
      Many more measurement occasions, subtests and environmental moderators remain to
      be analyzed.

PMID- 26497159
TI  - Decline in cognitive function due to diffuse axonal injury does not necessarily
      imply a corresponding decline in ability to perform activities.
AB  - PURPOSE: The study explored the direction of change (decline vs. improvement)
      after diffuse axonal injury (DAI) in the domains of the ICF: body structure, body
      function, and activity. METHODS: Thirteen patients with DAI were assessed by
      using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to measure body structure, the Barrow
      Neurological Institute Screen for Higher Cerebral Functions (BNIS) to measure
      body function, and the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) to measure
      activity. The DTI, BNIS, and AMPS were applied at the acute phase (A1), and at 6
      and 12 months post-injury (A2 and A3). Visual and statistical analyses were
      conducted to explore time-dependent changes in the ICF domains. RESULTS:
      Improvements were observed for most patients in all ICF domains from injury until
      six months. Thereafter, the results diverged, with half of the subjects showing a
      decline in DTI and BNIS scores between A2-A3, and all but one of the patients
      exhibiting identical or better A2-A3 AMPS process skill scores. CONCLUSIONS: From
      6 to 12 months post-injury, some patients underwent an ongoing degenerative
      process, causing a decline in cognitive function. The same decline was not
      observed in the activity measure, which might be explained by the use of
      compensatory strategies. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: In rehabilitation it is
      essential to be aware that in some cases with TBI, an ongoing degenerative
      process in the white matter can be expected, causing an adverse late effect on
      cognitive function. The cognitive decline, caused by DAI, does not necessarily
      mean a concurrent decrease in activity performance, possibly explained by the use
      of compensatory strategies. This suggests that, after the post-acute phase,
      rehabilitation offering strategy training may be beneficial to enhance every-day
      functioning. Strategy use requires awareness, which imply the need to assess
      level of awareness in order to guide rehabilitation.

PMID- 26497160
TI  - Hypertrophic remodelling in cardiac regulatory myosin light chain (MYL2) founder
      mutation carriers.
AB  - AIMS: Phenotypic heterogeneity and incomplete penetrance are common in patients
      with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We aim to improve the understanding in
      genotype-phenotype correlations in HCM, particularly the contribution of an MYL2
      founder mutation and risk factors to left ventricular hypertrophic remodelling.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: We analysed 14 HCM families of whom 38 family members share
      the MYL2 c.64G > A [p.(Glu22Lys)] mutation and a common founder haplotype. In
      this unique cohort, we investigated factors influencing phenotypic outcome in
      addition to the primary mutation. The mutation alone showed benign disease
      manifestation with low penetrance. The co-presence of additional risk factors for
      hypertrophy such as hypertension, obesity, or other sarcomeric gene mutation
      increased disease penetrance substantially and caused HCM in 89% of MYL2 mutation
      carriers (P = 0.0005). The most prominent risk factor was hypertension, observed
      in 71% of mutation carriers with HCM and an additional risk factor. CONCLUSION:
      The MYL2 mutation c.64G > A on its own is incapable of triggering clinical HCM in
      most carriers. However, the presence of an additional risk factor for
      hypertrophy, particularly hypertension, adds to the development of HCM. Early
      diagnosis of risk factors is important for early treatment of MYL2 mutation
      carriers and close monitoring should be guaranteed in this case. Our findings
      also suggest that the presence of hypertension or another risk factor for
      hypertrophy should not be an exclusion criterion for genetic studies.

PMID- 26497161
TI  - The CAHP (Cardiac Arrest Hospital Prognosis) score: a tool for risk
      stratification after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
AB  - AIMS: Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains
      disappointingly low. Among patients admitted alive, early prognostication remains
      challenging. This study aims to establish a stratification score for patients
      admitted in intensive care unit (ICU) after OHCA, according to their neurological
      outcome. METHODS AND RESULTS: The CAHP (Cardiac Arrest Hospital Prognosis) score
      was developed from the Sudden Death Expertise Center registry (Paris, France).
      The primary outcome was poor neurological outcome defined as Cerebral Performance
      Category 3, 4, or 5 at hospital discharge. Independent prognostic factors were
      identified using logistic regression analysis and thresholds defined to stratify
      low-, moderate-, and high-risk groups. The CAHP score was validated in both a
      prospective and an external data set (Parisian Cardiac Arrest Registry). The
      developmental data set included 819 patients admitted from May 2011 to December
      2012. After multivariate analysis, seven variables were independently associated
      with poor neurological outcome and subsequently included in the CAHP score (age,
      non-shockable rhythm, time from collapse to basic life support, time from basic
      life support to return of spontaneous circulation, location of cardiac arrest,
      epinephrine dose, and arterial pH). Three risks groups were identified: low risk
      (score <=150, 39% of unfavourable outcome), medium risk (score 150-200, 81% of
      unfavourable outcome) and high-risk group (score >=200, 100% of unfavourable
      outcome). The AUC of the CAHP score were 0.93, and the discrimination value in
      the validation data sets was consistent (respectively, AUC 0.91 and 0.85).
      CONCLUSION: The CAHP score represents a simple tool for early stratification of
      patients admitted in ICU after OHCA. A high-risk category of patients with very
      poor prognosis can be easily identified.

PMID- 26497162
TI  - Association between pregnancy losses in women and risk of atherosclerotic disease
      in their relatives: a nationwide cohort study?.
AB  - AIMS: A common underlying mechanism with a genetic component could link pregnancy
      losses with vascular disease. We examined whether pregnancy losses (miscarriages
      and stillbirths) and atherosclerotic outcomes co-aggregated in families. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: Using Danish registers, we identified women with pregnancies in 1977
      2008, and their parents (>1 million) and brothers (>435 000). We followed parents
      for incident ischaemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial infarction (MI), and
      cerebrovascular infarction (CVI), and brothers for a broader combined
      atherosclerotic endpoint. Using Cox regression, we estimated hazard ratios (HRs)
      for each outcome by history of pregnancy loss in daughters/sisters. Overall,
      parents whose daughters had 1, 2, and >=3 miscarriages had 1.01 [95% confidence
      interval (CI) 0.99-1.04], 1.07 (95% CI 1.02-1.11), and 1.10 (95% CI 1.02-1.19)
      times the rate of MI, respectively, as parents whose daughters had no
      miscarriages. For parents with >=3 daughters, the HRs were 1.12 (95% CI 1.02
      1.24), 1.29 (95% CI 1.13-1.48), and 1.33 (95% CI 1.12-1.57). Effect magnitudes
      did not differ for fathers and mothers. We observed similar patterns for IHD and
      CVI (parents) and the atherosclerotic endpoint (brothers). Parents whose
      daughters had stillbirths had 1.14 (95% CI 1.05-1.24) and 1.07 (95% CI 0.96-1.18)
      times the rates of MI and CVI, respectively, as parents whose daughters had no
      stillbirths. CONCLUSION: Certain pregnancy losses and atherosclerotic diseases in
      both heart and brain may have a common aetiologic mechanism. Women in families
      with atherosclerotic disease may be predisposed to pregnancy loss; conversely,
      pregnancy losses in first-degree relatives may have implications for
      atherosclerotic disease risk.

PMID- 26497163
TI  - Heart failure: when form fails to follow function.
AB  - Cardiac performance is normally determined by architectural, cellular, and
      molecular structures that determine the heart's form, and by physiological and
      biochemical mechanisms that regulate the function of these structures. Impaired
      adaptation of form to function in failing hearts contributes to two syndromes
      initially called systolic heart failure (SHF) and diastolic heart failure (DHF).
      In SHF, characterized by high end-diastolic volume (EDV), the left ventricle (LV)
      cannot eject a normal stroke volume (SV); in DHF, with normal or low EDV, the LV
      cannot accept a normal venous return. These syndromes are now generally defined
      in terms of ejection fraction (EF): SHF became 'heart failure with reduced
      ejection fraction' (HFrEF) while DHF became 'heart failure with normal or
      preserved ejection fraction' (HFnEF or HFpEF). However, EF is a chimeric index
      because it is the ratio between SV--which measures function, and EDV--which
      measures form. In SHF the LV dilates when sarcomere addition in series increases
      cardiac myocyte length, whereas sarcomere addition in parallel can cause
      concentric hypertrophy in DHF by increasing myocyte thickness. Although
      dilatation in SHF allows the LV to accept a greater venous return, it increases
      the energy cost of ejection and initiates a vicious cycle that contributes to
      progressive dilatation. In contrast, concentric hypertrophy in DHF facilitates
      ejection but impairs filling and can cause heart muscle to deteriorate.
      Differences in the molecular signals that initiate dilatation and concentric
      hypertrophy can explain why many drugs that improve prognosis in SHF have little
      if any benefit in DHF.

PMID- 26497164
TI  - Role of the paraventricular nucleus in the reflex diuresis to pulmonary lymphatic
      obstruction in rabbits.
AB  - The changes in urine flow and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) due to
      pulmonary lymphatic obstruction (PLO) were examined in anesthetized, artificially
      ventilated New Zealand white rabbits. PLO was produced by pressurizing an
      isolated pouch created in the right external jugular vein at the points of entry
      of the right lymphatic ducts. During this maneuver, urine flow increased from 8.5
      +/- 0.3 mL/10 min to 12 +/- 0.5 mL/10 min (P < 0.0001) and RSNA increased from
      24.0 +/- 4 to 40.0 +/- 5 MUV.s (P < 0.0001). Bilateral lesioning of the
      paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus or cervical vagotomy abolished
      these responses. PLO increased c-fos gene expression in the PVN. The increase in
      urine flow due to PLO was attenuated by muscimol and abolished by kynurenic acid
      microinjections into the PVN. The results show that (i) neurons in the PVN are an
      important relay site in the reflex arc, which is activated by PLO; and (ii) this
      activation is regulated by glutamatergic and partly by GABAergic input to the
      PVN. 

PMID- 26497165
TI  - Feasibility study of the Fab fragment of a monoclonal antibody against tissue
      factor as a diagnostic tool.
AB  - Tissue factor (TF) is expressed strongly in various types of cancer, especially
      cancers that are often refractory to treatment, such as pancreatic cancer. In
      this study, we compared the differences in the biophysical and pharmacological
      properties of whole IgG and the Fab fragment of anti-human TF monoclonal antibody
      (1849 antibodies), in order to determine their suitability for application in the
      diagnosis and treatment of cancers. In the biophysical examination, we
      investigated the characteristics of 1849-whole IgG and 1849-Fab by SPR sensing
      and confocal fluorescence microscopy analysis using recombinant human TF antigen
      and TF-overexpressing human pancreatic cancer cell line, BxPC3, respectively.
      After conjugation with Alexa-Flour-647, in vivo imaging was conducted in mice
      bearing BxPC3 xenograft tumors. Furthermore, the distribution of the conjugates
      in tumors and major organs was evaluated by ex vivo study. The in vitro
      experiments showed that 1849 antibodies had high affinity against TF antigen. In
      addition, 1849-Fab showed a faster dissociation rate from the antigen than 1849
      whole IgG. In mice, 1849-Fab-Alexa-Flour-647 showed rapid renal clearance and
      faster tumor accumulation, achieving a high contrast signal over nearby normal
      tissues in the early phase and enhanced tumor penetration after administration.
      On the other hand, 1849-whole IgG-Alexa-Flour-647 showed slow clearance from the
      blood and sustained high tumor accumulation. These results suggest that 1849-Fab
      may be a useful tool for pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

PMID- 26497166
TI  - Lower leaf gas-exchange and higher photorespiration of treated wastewater
      irrigated Citrus trees is modulated by soil type and climate.
AB  - Water quality, soil and climate can interact to limit photosynthesis and to
      increase photooxidative damage in sensitive plants. This research compared
      diffusive and non-diffusive limitations to photosynthesis as well as
      photorespiration of leaves of grapefruit trees in heavy clay and sandy soils
      having a previous history of treated wastewater (TWW) irrigation for >10 years,
      with different water qualities [fresh water (FW) vs TWW and sodium amended
      treated wastewater (TWW + Na)] in two arid climates (summer vs winter) and in
      orchard and lysimeter experiments. TWW irrigation increased salts (Na(+) and Cl(
      ) ), membrane leakage, proline and soluble sugar content, and decreased osmotic
      potentials in leaves of all experiments. Reduced leaf growth and higher stomatal
      and non-stomatal (i.e. mesophyll) limitations were found in summer and on clay
      soil for TWW and TWW + Na treatments in comparison to winter, sandy soil and FW
      irrigation, respectively. Stomatal closure, lower chlorophyll content and altered
      Rubisco activity are probable causes of higher limitations. On the other hand,
      non-photochemical quenching, an alternative energy dissipation pathway, was only
      influenced by water quality, independent of soil type and season. Furthermore,
      light and CO2 response curves were investigated for other possible causes of
      higher non-stomatal limitation. A higher proportion of non-cyclic electrons were
      directed to the O2 dependent pathway, and a higher proportion of electrons were
      diverted to photorespiration in summer than in winter. In conclusion, both
      diffusive and non-diffusive limitations contribute to the lower photosynthetic
      performance of leaves following TWW irrigation, and the response depends on soil
      type and environmental factors. 

PMID- 26497167
TI  - Corrigendum: apixaban for the treatment of Japanese subjects with acute venous
      thromboembolism (AMPLIFY-J Study).

PMID- 26497168
TI  - Corrigendum: augmentation index does not reflect risk of coronary artery disease
      in elderly patients.

PMID- 26497171
TI  - Lysyl oxidase modulates the osteoblast differentiation of primary mouse calvaria
      cells.
AB  - Lysyl oxidase (LOX) is an extracellular amine oxidase that mediates the formation
      of collagen fibers. Thus far, five LOX family genes [LOX, lysyl oxidase-like
      (LOXL)1, LOXL2, LOXL3 and LOXL4] have been identified in humans, each encoding
      the characteristic C-terminal domains that are required for amine oxidase
      activity. During osteoblastogenesis, collagen fibers function as a three
      dimensional scaffold for organizing mineral deposition. In this study, to assess
      the functional roles of the LOX family members in osteoblastogenesis, we
      investigated the temporal expression of these genes as a function of phenotypic
      development during the osteoblast differentiation of primary cultured mouse
      calvaria cells. Of the LOX family members, only LOX was prominently expressed
      during osteoblast differentiation. LOX expression was highest on day 9 of
      differentiation, as shown by RT-PCR and western blot analysis. The expression
      pattern of collagen, type I, alpha 2 (COL1A2), which encodes the alpha2-chain of
      mouse collagen type I, was similar to that of LOX. The total amine oxidase
      activity of the differentiating calvaria cells exhibited a temporal pattern that
      paralleled LOX expression, reaching the highest level on day 9 of
      differentiation. We also noted that the inhibition of the amine oxidase activity
      of LOX significantly suppressed both mineral nodule formation and the expression
      of osteoblast marker genes during the differentiation of primary calvaria cells.
      Taken together, these findings suggest that the LOX-mediated organization of
      collagen fibers in the extracellular matrix is an important regulator of
      osteoblastogenesis.

PMID- 26497172
TI  - Bioactive poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels to recapitulate the HSC niche and
      facilitate HSC expansion in culture.
AB  - Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been used therapeutically for decades, yet
      their widespread clinical use is hampered by the inability to expand HSCs
      successfully in vitro. In culture, HSCs rapidly differentiate and lose their
      ability to self-renew. We hypothesize that by mimicking aspects of the bone
      marrow microenvironment in vitro we can better control the expansion and
      differentiation of these cells. In this work, derivatives of poly(ethylene
      glycol) diacrylate hydrogels were used as a culture substrate for hematopoietic
      stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) populations. Key HSC cytokines, stem cell factor
      (SCF) and interferon-gamma (IFNgamma), as well as the cell adhesion ligands RGDS
      and connecting segment 1 were covalently immobilized onto the surface of the
      hydrogels. With the use of SCF and IFNgamma, we observed significant expansion of
      HSPCs, ~97 and ~104 fold respectively, while maintaining c-kit(+) lin(-) and c
      kit(+) Sca1(+) lin(-) (KSL) populations and the ability to form multilineage
      colonies after 14 days. HSPCs were also encapsulated within degradable
      poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels for three-dimensional culture. After expansion in
      hydrogels, ~60% of cells were c-kit(+), demonstrating no loss in the proportion
      of these cells over the 14 day culture period, and ~50% of colonies formed were
      multilineage, indicating that the cells retained their differentiation potential.
      The ability to tailor and use this system to support HSC growth could have
      implications on the future use of HSCs and other blood cell types in a clinical
      setting.

PMID- 26497174
TI  - Exploiting the genome sequence of Streptomyces nodosus for enhanced antibiotic
      production.
AB  - The genome of the amphotericin producer Streptomyces nodosus was sequenced. A
      single scaffold of 7,714,110 bp was obtained. Biosynthetic genes were identified
      for several natural products including polyketides, peptides, siderophores and
      terpenes. The majority of these clusters specified known compounds. Most were
      silent or expressed at low levels and unlikely to compete with amphotericin
      production. Biosynthesis of a skyllamycin analogue was activated by introducing
      expression plasmids containing either a gene for a LuxR transcriptional regulator
      or genes for synthesis of the acyl moiety of the lipopeptide. In an attempt to
      boost amphotericin production, genes for acyl CoA carboxylases, a
      phosphopantetheinyl transferase and the AmphRIV transcriptional activator were
      overexpressed, and the effects on yields were investigated. This study provides
      the groundwork for metabolic engineering of S. nodosus strains to produce high
      yields of amphotericin analogues.

PMID- 26497173
TI  - Atorvastatin protects endothelial colony-forming cells against H2O2-induced
      oxidative damage by regulating the expression of annexin A2.
AB  - Endothelial dysfunction and injury are central events in the pathogenesis of
      ischemic vascular disorders. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are mobilized
      from the bone marrow into the peripheral circulation, where they locate to sites
      of injured endothelium and are involved in endothelial repair and vascular
      regeneration. During these processes, EPCs are exposed to oxidative stress, a
      crucial pathological condition, which occurs during vascular injury and limits
      the efficacy of EPCs in the repair of injured endothelium. Statins are effective
      inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, and are commonly
      used to manage and prevent ischemic vascular disease by reducing plasma
      cholesterol levels. In addition to lowering cholesterol, statins have also been
      reported to exert pleiotropic actions, including anti-inflammatory and anti
      oxidative activities. The present study aimed to investigate the ability of
      atorvastatin to protect endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs), a homogeneous
      subtype of EPCs, from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative damage, and to
      determine the mechanism underlying this protective action. MTT assay, acridine
      orange/ethidium bromide staining, reactive oxygen species assay, western blot
      analysis and tube formation assay were employed. The results demonstrated that
      H2O2 induced cell death and decreased the tube-forming ability of the ECFCs, in a
      concentration-dependent manner; however, these effects were partially attenuated
      following administration of atorvastatin. The reversion of the quantitative and
      qualitative impairment of the H2O2-treated ECFCs appeared to be mediated by the
      regulation of annexin A2, as the expression levels of annexin A2 were decreased
      following treatment with H2O2 and increased following treatment with
      atorvastatin. These results indicated that annexin A2 may be involved in the H2O2
      induced damage of ECFCs, and in the protective activities of atorvastatin in
      response to oxidative stress. 

PMID- 26497175
TI  - Complete genome sequence of a distinct calla lily chlorotic spot virus isolated
      in mainland China.
AB  - The first complete genome sequence of calla lily chlorotic spot virus (CCSV) from
      Lijiang in northwestern Yunnan Province was obtained using RT-PCR with designed
      primers. The genome of CCSV isolate LJ-1-Yunnan is tripartite. The small (S) RNA
      is 3182 nucleotides (nt) in length and encodes a nonstructural protein (NSs, 1383
      nt) and a nuclear nucleocapsid (N, 834 nt), separated by an 836-nt intergenic
      region (IGR). The medium (M) RNA is 4749 nt in length and encodes a nonstructural
      movement protein (NSm, 930 nt) and a glycoprotein (GnGc, 3,372 nt), also
      separated by a 349-nt IGR. The large (L) RNA is 8912 nt in length and encodes a
      predicted RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp, 8652 nt). The nucleotide sequences
      of the three viral RNA segments are 92-94 % identical to the published CCSV
      genome sequence, and the amino acid sequences of the encoded proteins are 96-98 %
      identical. However, the IGRs of the S and M RNAs are less similar, with 86 and 72
      % identity, respectively. Genome sequence comparisons and phylogenetic analysis
      indicate that the Lijiang CCSV isolate is a unique tospovirus isolate that
      differs from CCSV isolates in other geographic regions. 

PMID- 26497176
TI  - Complete genome sequence of the first bluetongue virus serotype 7 isolate from
      China: evidence for entry of African-lineage strains and reassortment between the
      introduced and native strains.
AB  - Bluetongue virus (BTV) mainly infects sheep but can be transmitted to other
      domestic and wild ruminants, resulting in a considerable financial burden and
      trade restriction. Our understanding of the origin, movement, and distribution of
      BTV has been hindered by the fact that this virus has a segmented genome with the
      possibility of reassortment, the existence of 27 identified serotypes, and a lack
      of complete sequences of viruses isolated from different parts of the world. BTV
      serotype 7 is one of the prevalent BTV serotypes in Asia. Nonetheless, no
      complete genomic sequence of an Asian isolate of this serotype is available. In
      an effort to understand the molecular epidemiology of BTV infection in China, for
      the first time, we report here the complete genome sequence of a BTV serotype 7
      strain, GDST008, which was isolated in 2014 in China. This sequence also
      represents the first complete genome sequence of a BTV serotype 7 from Asia and
      the third one in the world. Sequence analysis suggests that GDST008 consists of
      segments from BTV viruses of African lineage as well as those from China.
      Together, these results improve our understanding of the origin, emergence/re
      emergence, and movement of BTV and thus can be applied in the development of
      vaccines and diagnostics. 

PMID- 26497177
TI  - Productive HIV-1 infection is enriched in CD4(-)CD8(-) double negative (DN) T
      cells at pleural sites of dual infection with HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - A higher human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) viral load at pleural sites
      infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) than in peripheral blood has been
      documented. However, the cellular source of productive HIV infection in HIV-1/MTB
      coinfected pleural fluid mononuclear cells (PFMCs) remains unclear. In this
      study, we observed significant quantities of HIV-1 p24(+) lymphocytes in PFMCs,
      but not in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). HIV-1 p24(+) lymphocytes
      were mostly enriched in DN T cells. Intracellular CD4 expression was detectable
      in HIV-1 p24(+) DN T cells. HIV-1 p24(+) DN T cells showed lower surface
      expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-ABC and tetherin than did HIV-1
      p24(+) CD4 T cells. Upon in vitro infection of PFMC CD4 T cells from TB mono
      infected subjects, Nef- and/or Vpu-deleted HIV mutants showed lower generation of
      HIV-1 p24(+) DN T cells than the wild-type virus. These data indicate that
      productively HIV-1-infected DN T cells, generated through down-modulation of
      surface CD4, likely by HIV-1 Nef and Vpu, are the predominant source of HIV-1 at
      pleural sites of HIV/MTB coinfection. 

PMID- 26497178
TI  - Hepatitis C virus genotypes in Kenya.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus is a great public-health concern worldwide. Phylogenetic
      analysis of the HCV genome has identified six different genotypes that have
      generally been divided into several subtypes. There is very little information on
      HCV seroprevalence and genotypes in Kenya. To determine the genotypes of HCV
      circulating in Kenya, blood donor samples were serologically tested and confirmed
      by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Positive samples were cloned and sequenced,
      and phylogenetic analysis conducted to determine the HCV genotypes. One hundred
      Murex-seropositive samples were re-tested using a passive hemagglutination test,
      and 16 of these were identified as seropositive. Further testing of all of the
      samples by PCR identified only 10 of the 16 samples as positive. Thus, only 10 %
      (10/100) of the samples were viremic. Six were from females (60 %), and four were
      from males (40 %). The mean age of the positive donors was considerably low, at
      25 +/- 9 years. Genotypic testing indicated the presence of genotype 1a (10 %)
      and genotype 2b (90 %). This study reports on HCV genotypes in a blood donor
      population in Kenya where little had been done to provide information on HCV
      genotypes. 

PMID- 26497179
TI  - Effect of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) infection of nasal mucosa epithelial
      cells on integrin alpha 6 and on different components of the basement membrane.
AB  - The respiratory mucosa is the common port of entry of equine herpesvirus type 1
      (EHV-1) and several other alphaherpesviruses. An important prerequisite for
      successful host invasion of the virus is to cross the epithelial cell layer and
      the underlying basement membrane barrier. In the present study, an analysis was
      performed to see if an EHV-1 infection of nasal mucosa epithelial cells leads to
      damage of the underlying extracellular matrix proteins. Nasal mucosa explants
      were inoculated with EHV-1 and collected at 0, 24 and 48 hours post-inoculation
      (hpi). Then, double immunofluorescence staining was performed to detect viral
      antigen-positive cells on the one hand and integrin alpha 6, laminin, collagen IV
      and collagen VII on the other hand. The area of these extracellular matrix
      proteins was measured in regions of interest (ROIs) at a magnification of 200X by
      means of the software imaging system ImageJ. ROIs were defined beneath uninfected
      and infected regions. In uninfected regions, 22-28 % of the ROI was stained for
      integrin alpha 6, 18-37 % for laminin, 14-38 % for collagen IV and 18-26 % for
      collagen VII. In infected regions, the percentage positive for integrin alpha 6
      was significantly decreased to 0.1-9 % and 0.1-6 % after 24 and 48 hours of
      inoculation, respectively. Infection did not alter the percentages for laminin
      and collagen IV. For collagen VII, an increase in the percentage (from 18-26 % to
      28-39 %) could be observed underneath EHV-1-infected plaques at 48 hours of
      inoculation. In conclusion, the results revealed a substantial impact of EHV-1
      infection on integrin alpha 6 and collagen VII, two important components of the
      extracellular matrix, which are associated with the basement membrane and may
      facilitate virus penetration via hijacked leukocytes to underlying tissues. 

PMID- 26497180
TI  - Expression of a synthetic rust fungal virus cDNA in yeast.
AB  - Mycoviruses are viruses that infect fungi. Recently, mycovirus-like RNAs were
      sequenced from the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the causal agent of soybean
      rust. One of the RNAs appeared to represent a novel mycovirus and was designated
      Phakopsora pachyrhizi virus 2383 (PpV2383). The genome of PpV2383 resembles
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae virus L-A, a double-stranded (ds) RNA mycovirus of
      yeast. PpV2383 encodes two major, overlapping open reading frames with similarity
      to gag (capsid protein) and pol (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase), and a -1
      ribosomal frameshift is necessary for the translation of a gag-pol fusion
      protein. Phylogenetic analysis of pol relates PpV2383 to members of the family
      Totiviridae, including L-A. Because the obligate biotrophic nature of P.
      pachyrhizi makes it genetically intractable for in vivo analysis and because
      PpV2383 is similar to L-A, we synthesized a DNA clone of PpV2383 and tested its
      infectivity in yeast cells. PpV2383 RNA was successfully expressed in yeast, and
      mass spectrometry confirmed the translation of gag and gag-pol fusion proteins.
      There was, however, no production of PpV2383 dsRNA, the evidence of viral
      replication. Neither the presence of endogenous L-A nor the substitution of the
      5' and 3' untranslated regions with those from L-A was sufficient to rescue
      replication of PpV2383. Nevertheless, the proof of transcription and translation
      from the clone in vivo are steps toward confirming that PpV2383 is a mycovirus.
      Further development of a surrogate biological system for the study of rust
      mycoviruses is necessary, and such research may facilitate biological control of
      rust diseases. 

PMID- 26497181
TI  - A novel nonsegmented double-stranded RNA mycovirus identified in the
      phytopathogenic fungus Nigrospora oryzae shows similarity to partitivirus-like
      viruses.
AB  - Nigrospora oryzae is a pathogen that can infect plants of various species. Here,
      we report the isolation of a novel mycovirus from N. oryzae infecting rice, as
      well as the complete genome sequence and genomic organization of this virus,
      which we have named "Nigrospora oryzae nonsegmented RNA virus 1" (NoNRV1). The
      genome of NoNRV1 contained two non-overlapping open reading frames (ORF1 and
      ORF2) potentially encoding a protein with an unknown function in ORF1 and a
      putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) in ORF2. Homology and phylogenetic
      analysis revealed that NoNRV1 was most similar to the Ustilaginoidea virens
      nonsegmented virus 1 (UvNV-1) and distantly related to members of the virus
      family Partitiviridae. It is proposed that NoNRV1, together with UvNV-1 and other
      related viruses, might represent a novel virus taxon of mycoviruses belonging to
      a partitivirus-like lineage. 

PMID- 26497182
TI  - Impact of IL-8-251A/T gene polymorphism on severity of disease caused by
      enterovirus 71 infection.
AB  - The study was performed in EV71-infected patients, with 97 mild cases and 80
      severe cases. IL-8251A/T genotypes were determined by the polymerase chain
      reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Severe cases had a
      significantly higher frequency of the IL8-251 AT and TT genotypes than mild cases
      (52.5 % vs. 49.5 % and 42.5 % vs. 30.9 %, respectively; p = 0.024). The frequency
      of IL-8-251T alleles among the severe cases was also significantly higher than
      that of mild cases (68.7 % vs. 55.7 %, OR = 1.8, 95 % CI = 1.1-2.7, p = 0.012).
      There were significant differences in gender, age, fever days, WBC, CRP and BG
      concentration, and IL-8 levels among genotypes of IL-8251A/T in EV71-infected
      patients, but there were no significant differences in ALT, AST, CK-MB and EV71
      loads. These findings suggested that the IL-8-251T allele is associated with
      susceptibility to severe disease in Chinese patients infected with EV71. 

PMID- 26497183
TI  - Percutaneous recanalization for hepatic vein-type Budd-Chiari syndrome: long-term
      patency and survival.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the long-term patency and survival of percutaneous
      recanalization for hepatic vein (HV)-type Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS). METHODS:
      From March 2009 to November 2014, consecutive symptomatic HV-type BCS patients
      were treated by percutaneous recanalization in our centers. These patients
      underwent main HV (MHV) or accessory HV (AHV) recanalization. Data on patient
      characteristics, technical success, clinical success, long-term patency, and
      survival were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: During the enrolled periods, a
      total of 143 symptomatic HV-type BCS patients were treated by percutaneous
      recanalization in our centers. Technical success was achieved in 140 of 143
      patients. One hundred eleven patients underwent MHV recanalization, and 29
      underwent AHV recanalization. Clinical success was achieved in 136 of 140
      patients. The mean MHV/AHV pressure decreased from 33.5 +/- 4.1 mmHg before
      treatment to 12.5 +/- 3.1 mmHg after treatment (p = 0.000). The 136 patients were
      followed for 7-75 months (mean 33.9 +/- 15.3 months). Twenty-eight patients
      experienced re-obstruction of MHV (n = 24) or AHV (n = 4) at 3 to 36 months (mean
      18.0 +/- 11.5 months) after treatment. The cumulative 1-, 3-, and 6-year primary
      patency rates were 91.1, 77.4, and 74.0%, respectively. The cumulative 1-, 3-,
      and 6-year secondary patency rates were 97.0, 92.4, and 88.8%, respectively. The
      cumulative 1-, 3-, and 6-year survival rates were 97.7, 92.2, and 90.0%,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous recanalization can provide good long-term
      patency and survival in HV-type BCS patients.

PMID- 26497185
TI  - Species-specific differences in the role of L-type Ca2+ channels in the
      regulation of coronary arterial smooth muscle contraction.
AB  - The L-type calcium channel (LCC) plays a regulatory role in various physical and
      pathological processes. In the vasculature, LCCs mediate agonist-induced vascular
      smooth muscle contraction. However, whether LCC-mediated vessel responses to
      certain vasoconstrictors vary among species remains unclear. The coronary
      arteries were dissected from the hearts of rats and mice. Coronary arterial ring
      contraction was measured using the Multi Myograph system. High K+ (60 mM)-induced
      coronary artery contractions were stronger in rats than in mice, whereas CaCl2
      induced contraction curves did not differ significantly between the two groups.
      Endothelin-1, U46619 (thromboxane A2 receptor agonist), and 5-hydroxytryptamine
      (5-HT) induced concentration-dependent vasoconstriction of coronary arterial
      rings in rats and mice. The vessel rings of mice were more sensitive to ET-1 and
      U46619 and less sensitive to 5-HT than those of rats. The LCC blocker nifedipine
      significantly inhibited coronary artery contractions induced by ET-1, U46619, and
      5-HT. The inhibitory effect of 1 MUM nifedipine on ET-1- and 5-HT-induced
      coronary artery contractions was stronger in mice than in rats, whereas its
      effect on U46619-induced vessel contractions was weaker in mice than in rats. The
      5-HT2A receptor and LCC mRNA levels were higher in the coronary arteries of rats
      than in those of mice, whereas the expressions of the ETA and TXA2 receptors and
      Orai1 mRNA levels were comparable between the two groups. LCC plays an important
      role in coronary arterial contraction. Rats and mice show different responses to
      vasoconstrictors and LCC blockers, suggesting that the coronary arteries of rats
      and mice have different biological characteristics.

PMID- 26497184
TI  - Ferulic acid ethyl ester diminished Complete Freund's Adjuvant-induced
      incapacitation through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.
AB  - Ferulic acid ethyl ester (FAEE) is a derivate from ferulic acid which reportedly
      has antioxidant effect; however, its role on inflammation was unknown. In this
      study, we investigated the orally administered FAEE anti-inflammatory activity on
      experimental inflammation models and Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA)-induced
      arthritis in rats. CFA-induced arthritis has been evaluated by incapacitation
      model and radiographic knee joint records at different observation time. FAEE
      (po) reduced carrageenan-induced paw edema (p < 0.001) within the 1st to 5th
      hours at 50 and 100 mg/kg doses. FAEE 50 and 100 mg/kg, po inhibited leukocyte
      migration into air pouch model (p < 0.001), and myeloperoxidase, superoxide
      dismutase, and catalase activities (p < 0.001) increased total thiol
      concentration and decreased the TNF-alpha and IL-1beta concentrations, NO, and
      thiobarbituric acid reactive species. In the CFA-induced arthritis, FAEE 50 and
      100 mg/kg significantly reduced the edema and the elevation paw time, a joint
      disability parameter, since second hour after arthritis induction (p < 0.001).
      FAEE presented rat joint protective activity in radiographic records (p < 0.001).
      The data suggest that the FAEE exerts anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting
      leukocyte migration, oxidative stress reduction, and pro-inflammatory cytokines.

PMID- 26497186
TI  - Lack of effect of Z-butylidenephthalide on presynaptic N-type Ca2+ channels in
      isolated guinea-pig ileum.
AB  - Z-Butylidenephthalide (Bdph) was reported to more potently inhibit electrically
      induced twitch responses than acetylcholine-induced tonic contraction in isolated
      guinea-pig ileum (GPI). The aim of the present study was to investigate the
      inhibitory effects of Z-Bdph on Ca2+ and K+ channels on GPI. In Locke-Ringer's
      solution, both responses were isometrically recorded on a polygraph. Incubation
      of omega-conotoxin MVIIC, but not Z-Bdph, in the electrically stimulated GPI
      prior to adding omega-conotoxin GVIA, an irreversible blocker of N-type voltage
      dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCCs), protected the binding sites and resulted in the
      twitch responses reversible by washing, suggesting that Z-Bdph did not bind to
      the N-type VDCCs. Interestingly, we found Z-Bdph concentration dependently
      delayed the onsets of K+-induced twitch responses, suggesting that Z-Bdph may be
      a blocker of K+ channels to interfere extracellular K+ across through the pre
      junctional membrane of nerve ending in K+-free medium. Z-Bdph similar to
      nifedipine non-competitively inhibited cumulative ACh-induced phasic
      contractions, suggesting that Z-Bdph may bind to L-type of inositol-1,4,5
      trisphosphate (IP3)-sensitive Ca2+ channels on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
      membrane. In the presence of verapamil, a L-type Ca2+ channel blocker or Z-Bdph,
      the twitch inhibitions by either were effectively reversed by exogenous Ca2+,
      suggesting that they may freely pass through pre-junctional N-type, but not L
      type which was blocked at least a part by either, of VDDCs open when each
      electrical coaxial stimulation (ECS) into intracellular space of cholinergic
      nerve terminal and trigger release of transmitters. In conclusion, results
      confirm that Z-Bdph more potently inhibits ECS-induced twitch responses than ACh
      induced PCs in GPI and suggest that this effect is not mediated by interaction
      with presynaptic N-type VDCCs.

PMID- 26497188
TI  - A model for the compressible, viscoelastic behavior of human amnion addressing
      tissue variability through a single parameter.
AB  - A viscoelastic, compressible model is proposed to rationalize the recently
      reported response of human amnion in multiaxial relaxation and creep experiments.
      The theory includes two viscoelastic contributions responsible for the short- and
      long-term time-dependent response of the material. These two contributions can be
      related to physical processes: water flow through the tissue and dissipative
      characteristics of the collagen fibers, respectively. An accurate agreement of
      the model with the mean tension and kinematic response of amnion in uniaxial
      relaxation tests was achieved. By variation of a single linear factor that
      accounts for the variability among tissue samples, the model provides very sound
      predictions not only of the uniaxial relaxation but also of the uniaxial creep
      and strip-biaxial relaxation behavior of individual samples. This suggests that a
      wide range of viscoelastic behaviors due to patient-specific variations in tissue
      composition can be represented by the model without the need of recalibration and
      parameter identification.

PMID- 26497187
TI  - Possible vasculoprotective role of linagliptin against sodium arsenite-induced
      vascular endothelial dysfunction.
AB  - Vascular endothelial dysfunction (VED) interrupts the integrity and function of
      endothelial lining through enhanced markers of oxidative stress and decrease
      endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression. The main aim of the present
      study has been designed to investigate the possible vasculoprotective role of
      linagliptin against sodium arsenite-induced VED. Sodium arsenite (1.5 mg/kg,
      i.p., 2 weeks) abrogated the acetylcholine-induced, endothelium-dependent
      vasorelaxation by depicting the decrease in serum nitrite/nitrate concentration,
      reduced glutathione level, and simultaneously enhance the thiobarbituric acid
      reactive substances (TBARS) level, superoxide level, and tumor necrosis factor
      alpha. These elevated markers interrupt the integrity of endothelial lining of
      thoracic aorta which was assessed histologically. The study elicits dose
      dependent effect of linagliptin (1.5 mg/kg, i.p. and 3 mg/kg, i.p.) or
      atorvastatin (30 mg/kg, p.o.) treatment, improved the endothelium-dependent
      independent relaxation, improve the integrity of endothelium lining which was
      assessed histologically by enhancing the serum nitrite/nitrate level, reduced
      glutathione level and simultaneously decreasing the TBARS level, superoxide anion
      level and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) level. L-NAME (25 mg/kg, i.p.),
      eNOS inhibitor, abrogated the ameliorative potential of linagliptin. However, the
      ameliorative potential of linagliptin has been enhanced by l-arginine (200 mg/kg,
      i.p.) which elicits that ameliorative potential of linagliptin was through eNOS
      signaling cascade and it may be concluded that linagliptin 3 mg/kg, i.p. has more
      significantly activated the eNOS and decreased the oxidative markers than
      linagliptin 1.5 mg/kg, i.p. and prevented sodium arsenite-induced VED.

PMID- 26497189
TI  - Chinese population exposure to triclosan and triclocarban as measured via human
      urine and nails.
AB  - Triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) exposures are highly concerned due to
      their suspected endocrine-disrupting effects. The present study investigated TCS
      and TCC exposure levels in the general Chinese population by biomonitoring human
      urine and nail samples. TCS (69-80 %) and TCC (99-100 %) were frequently
      detected, which demonstrates that the general Chinese population has extensive
      exposure to these chemicals. The geometric mean (GM) urinary concentrations were
      0.40 MUg/g creatinine (creat), 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.30-0.56, for TCS
      and 0.40 MUg/g creat, 95 % CI 0.29-0.56, for TCC. On the other hand, the GM
      levels of TCS and TCC were 13.57 (5.67 MUg/kg) and 84.66 MUg/kg (41.50 MUg/kg) in
      fingernail (toenail) samples, respectively, indicating that the levels in
      fingernails were approximately twice as high as those in toenails. Pearson's
      correlation coefficients between the urine and fingernail (toenail) samples were
      0.715 (0.614) for TCS and 0.829 (0.812) for TCC. These data suggest that nail
      samples can be applied to the biomonitoring for TCS and TCC in the general
      population. We observed that the levels of both chemicals were higher in females
      than in males for urine and fingernail samples, but no significant differences
      were found between different genders for either compound in toenails. Nineteen-
      to 29-year-olds had the highest TCS levels in their nail samples, whereas TCC
      levels did not differ with regard to age. Region of residence significantly
      influenced TCS and TCC concentrations in the three biological matrices measured. 

PMID- 26497190
TI  - Modified Blumgart Suturing Technique for Remnant Closure After Distal
      Pancreatectomy: a Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.
AB  - Despite recent advances in surgical techniques including staple closure and
      ultrasonic devices, the reported incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula
      (POPF) after distal pancreatectomy (DP) remains high. Therefore, we devised a new
      strategy in which the pancreatic stump is enveloped with the elevated jejunum
      (EJ) by a modified Blumgart anastomotic technique. Eighty-one patients who
      underwent open DP with splenectomy from January 2008 to December 2014 were
      enrolled. Comparisons were made between 42 patients who underwent placement of an
      EJ patch using the modified Blumgart method after scalpel transection and 39
      patients who underwent scalpel transection alone, using unmatched and propensity
      score-matched analysis. After 25 patients from each group were selected by
      propensity score matching, the EJ patch technique was significantly associated
      with a lower incidence of clinically relevant POPF (P = 0.036). Multivariate
      analysis showed that the EJ patch was an independent predictor of a lower
      incidence of POPF (odds ratio, 0.16; 95 % confidence interval, 0.01-0.48; P =
      0.017) as was the estimated remnant pancreatic volume. Addition of the EJ patch
      improves postoperative outcomes in patients who undergo open DP with splenectomy
      by scalpel transection and hand-sewn closure of the pancreatic remnant.

PMID- 26497191
TI  - Conjoined Unification Venoplasty for Double Portal Vein Branches of Right Liver
      Graft: 1-Year Experience at a High-Volume Living Donor Liver Transplantation
      Center.
AB  - Autologous portal Y-graft (PYG) interposition has been regarded as the standard
      procedure for reconstruction of double portal vein (PV) orifices of right liver
      grafts during living donor liver transplantation, but it has the drawback of
      being vulnerable to functional PV stenosis. A refined technique of conjoined
      unification venoplasty (CUV) was developed to secure PV reconstruction. We
      reviewed the surgical experience on reconstruction of graft double PVs in 28
      cases during a 1-year period of 2014. Computational simulation and modeling
      studies led us to develop CUV, which consists of placing a unification patch
      between two graft PV orifices and overlying the coverage with a crotch-opened
      autologous PYG, the shape of which provides a wide range of tolerance for
      alignment mismatching in PV anastomosis. During the 1-year study period, the
      numbers of patients using autologous PYG interposition, circumferential PV
      fencing with greater saphenous vein, homograft vein interposition, and CUV were
      11, 3, 1, and 0, respectively, for 6 months before implementing CUV, and 5, 1, 1,
      and 6, respectively, for 6 months after implementing CUV. PV complications
      occurred in 2 of 16 patients with autologous PYG interposition, but no
      complications were observed in 12 patients operated on using other techniques
      including CUV. The drawback of conventional autologous PYG interposition can be
      overcome technically by CUV, which secures PV patency through hemodynamic
      compliant offset of anatomical discrepancy and anastomotic alignment mismatching.
      We believe that CUV could be a useful and effective technical option for
      reconstruction of right liver grafts with two graft PVs.

PMID- 26497192
TI  - The findings of Damas et al. have not influenced the previously proposed time
      course of skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

PMID- 26497193
TI  - What Is Known About the Benefits of Patient-Centered Care in Patients with Heart
      Failure.
AB  - Treatment for chronic heart failure (CHF) has improved, and symptom burden has
      been identified as an important treatment goal. Because patient-centered care may
      ease the burden, we need to know its benefits for patients with CHF, hence this
      systematic literature review. We found that one benefit of person-centered care
      is an increase in quality of life in patients with CHF. Improvements were found
      in self-care, physical and mental status, health care costs, general uncertainty
      regarding illness and recovery, patient dignity, treatment, and systems of care.
      Improvements also were observed in symptom burden, self-efficacy, and quality of
      life. These findings indicate that person-centered care is a powerful approach to
      current and future health care. However, because an appropriate tool to measure
      person-centered care does not yet exist, it will be a challenge to determine
      whether the goal has been reached from a long-term and patient perspective. 

PMID- 26497194
TI  - Clinical significance of STAT3 and MAPK phosphorylation, and the protein
      expression of cyclin D1 in skin squamous cell carcinoma tissues.
AB  - The present study aimed to investigate the significance of the phosphorylation of
      signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and mitogen-activated
      protein kinase (MAPK), and the protein expression of cyclin D1, in skin squamous
      cell carcinoma (SCC) tissues. SCC specimens from the skin were collected from 30
      patients, and normal skin tissues were collected from 10 individuals as a
      control. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess the protein expression levels of
      phosphorylated (p-)STAT3, p-MAPK and cyclin D1 in the SCC tissues. The levels of
      p-STAT3 protein were abnormally increased in SCC (P<0.05); however, no
      significant differences in the protein expression of p-MAPK were identified
      between the normal skin and the SCC specimens. The extent of the upregulation of
      the expression of p-STAT3 and cyclin D1 correlated with the depth of tumor
      invasion (P<0.05). A positive correlation existed between the expression of p
      STAT3 and cyclin D1 in SCC. However, no association between the expression
      intensity of p-MAPK and cyclin D1 was identified in SCC. It is postulated that
      the activation of STAT3 may induce the overexpression of cyclin D1, which results
      in the persistent proliferation of these tumor cells in SCC. 

PMID- 26497195
TI  - David Oliver: Is Lord Prior right about scrapping beds?

PMID- 26497196
TI  - Evaluation of risedronate as an antibiofilm agent.
AB  - Escherichia coli cra null mutants have been reported in the literature to be
      impaired in biofilm formation. To develop E. coli biofilm-inhibiting agents for
      prevention and control of adherent behaviour, analogues of a natural Cra ligand,
      fructose-1,6-bisphosphate, were identified based on two-dimensional similarity to
      the natural ligand. Of the analogues identified, those belonging to the
      bisphosphonate class of drug molecules were selected for study, as these are
      approved for clinical use in humans and their safety has been established.
      Computational and in vitro studies with purified Cra protein showed that
      risedronate sodium interacted with residues in the fructose-1,6-bisphosphate
      binding site. Using a quantitative biofilm assay, risedronate sodium, at a
      concentration of 300-400 MUM, was found to decrease E. coli and Salmonella
      pullorum biofilm formation by >60 %. Risedronate drastically reduced the
      adherence of E. coli cells to a rubber Foley urinary catheter, demonstrating its
      utility in preventing the formation of biofilm communities on medical implant
      surfaces. The use of risedronate, either alone or in combination with other
      agents, to prevent the formation of biofilms on surfaces is a novel finding that
      can easily be translated into practical applications.

PMID- 26497197
TI  - Prognostic significance of macrophage invasion in hilar cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) promote tumor progression and
      have an effect on survival in human cancer. However, little is known regarding
      their influence on tumor progression and prognosis in human hilar
      cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS: We analyzed surgically resected tumor specimens of
      hilar cholangiocarcinoma (n = 47) for distribution and localization of TAMs, as
      defined by expression of CD68. Abundance of TAMs was correlated with
      clinicopathologic characteristics, tumor recurrence and patients' survival.
      Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. RESULTS: Patients with
      high density of TAMs in tumor invasive front (TIF) showed significantly higher
      local and overall tumor recurrence (both rho < 0.05). Furthermore, high density
      of TAMs was associated with decreased overall (one-year 83.6% vs. 75.1%; three
      year 61.3% vs. 42.4%; both rho < 0.05) and recurrence-free survival (one-year
      93.9% vs. 57.4%; three-year 59.8% vs. 26.2%; both rho < 0.05). TAMs in TIF and
      tumor recurrence, were confirmed as the only independent prognostic variables in
      the multivariate survival analysis (all rho < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Overall
      survival and recurrence free survival of patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma
      significantly improved in patients with low levels of TAMs in the area of TIF,
      when compared to those with a high density of TAMs. These observations suggest
      their utilization as valuable prognostic markers in routine histopathologic
      evaluation, and might indicate future therapeutic approaches by targeting TAMs.

PMID- 26497199
TI  - Enhanced Gas-Sensing Properties of the Hierarchical TiO2 Hollow Microspheres with
      Exposed High-Energy {001} Crystal Facets.
AB  - Anatase hierarchical TiO2 with innovative designs (hollow microspheres with
      exposed high-energy {001} crystal facets, hollow microspheres without {001}
      crystal facets, and solid microspheres without {001} crystal facets) were
      synthesized via a one-pot hydrothermal method and characterized. Based on these
      materials, gas sensors were fabricated and used for gas-sensing tests. It was
      found that the sensor based on hierarchical TiO2 hollow microspheres with exposed
      high-energy {001} crystal facets exhibited enhanced acetone sensing properties
      compared to the sensors based on the other two materials due to the exposing of
      high-energy {001} crystal facets and special hierarchical hollow structure. First
      principle calculations were performed to illustrate the sensing mechanism, which
      suggested that the adsorption process of acetone molecule on TiO2 surface was
      spontaneous, and the adsorption on high-energy {001} crystal facets would be more
      stable than that on the normally exposed {101} crystal facets. Further
      characterization indicated that the {001} surface was highly reactive for the
      adsorption of active oxygen species, which was also responsible for the enhanced
      sensing performance. The present studies revealed the crystal-facets-dependent
      gas-sensing properties of TiO2 and provided a new insight into improving the gas
      sensing performance by designing hierarchical hollow structure with special
      crystal-facets exposure. 

PMID- 26497198
TI  - Model-based adaptive phase I trial design of post-transplant decitabine
      maintenance in myelodysplastic syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This report focuses on the adaptive phase I trial design aimed to
      find the clinically applicable dose for decitabine maintenance treatment after
      allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with higher-risk
      myelodysplastic syndrome and secondary acute myeloid leukemia. METHODS: The first
      cohort (three patients) was given the same initial daily dose of decitabine (5
      mg/m(2)/day, five consecutive days with 4-week intervals). In all cohorts, the
      doses for Cycles 2 to 4 were individualized using pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic
      modeling and simulations. The goal of dose individualization was to determine the
      maximum dose for each patient at which the occurrence of grade 4 (CTC-AE)
      toxicities for both platelet and neutrophil counts could be avoided. The initial
      doses for the following cohorts were also estimated with the data from the
      previous cohorts in the same manner. RESULTS: In all but one patient (14 out of
      15), neutrophil count was the dose-limiting factor throughout the cycles. In
      cycles where doses were individualized, the median neutrophil nadir observed was
      1100/mm(3) (grade 2) and grade 4 toxicity occurred in 5.1 % of all cycles (while
      it occurred in 36.8 % where doses were not individualized). The initial doses
      estimated for cohorts 2 to 5 were 4, 5, 5.5, and 5 mg/m(2)/day, respectively. The
      median maintenance dose was 7 mg/m(2)/day. CONCLUSIONS: We determined the
      acceptable starting dose and individualized the maintenance dose for each
      patient, while minimizing the toxicity using the adaptive approach. Currently, 5
      mg/m(2)/day is considered to be the most appropriate starting dose for the
      regimen studied. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01277484.

PMID- 26497200
TI  - Emotional suppression and depressive symptoms in women newly diagnosed with early
      breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with breast cancer usually present varying levels of
      depressive symptoms. Emotional suppression, as a coping style, refers to an
      individual's ability to consciously control expression of negative emotions.
      Thus, emotional suppression is an important psychological factor related to
      depressive symptoms in patients with breast cancer. It has long been considered
      that compared to European and American women, Chinese women are more likely to
      ascribe to norms of negative emotion control for smooth social interaction.
      However, there is paucity of research focusing on emotional suppression among
      Chinese women with breast cancer. Thus the aims of the current study were (1) to
      investigate the incidence of depressive symptoms in women newly diagnosed with
      early breast cancer in Mainland China, and (2) to examine the relationships
      between emotional suppression and depressive symptoms in these patients. METHODS:
      The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Beck Anxiety
      Inventory (BAI) and the Chinese version of the Courtauld Emotional Control Scale
      (CECS) were used to assess the level of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and
      emotional suppression respectively in 247 women with early breast cancer and 362
      healthy women. Analyses of variance were conducted to investigate group
      differences on depressive symptoms and emotional suppression. Bivariate
      correlations and Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to examine the
      effect of emotional suppression on depressive symptoms in participants after
      controlling the impact of group membership and anxiety level. RESULTS: (1) The
      incidence rates of clinical and severe depressive symptoms in patients were 36.4
      and 36.0 % respectively. (2) Patients scored significantly higher than healthy
      women on CECS. (3) The scores on CECS were significantly associated with the
      total CES-D scores in all participants; Anger suppression significantly predicted
      the total CES-D scores. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of women newly diagnosed with
      early breast cancer reported clinical or severe depressive symptoms. As well,
      these patients presented a controlled emotion coping style. Emotional suppression
      was associated with the level of depressive symptoms in women newly diagnosed
      with breast cancer. Anger suppression might play a unique role in the depressive
      symptoms among women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

PMID- 26497201
TI  - Dereplication, sequencing and identification of peptidic natural products: from
      genome mining to peptidogenomics to spectral networks.
AB  - Covering: 2000 to 2015. While recent breakthroughs in the discovery of peptide
      antibiotics and other Peptidic Natural Products (PNPs) raise a challenge for
      developing new algorithms for their analyses, the computational technologies for
      high-throughput PNP discovery are still lacking. We discuss the computational
      bottlenecks in analyzing PNPs and review recent advances in genome mining,
      peptidogenomics, and spectral networks that are now enabling the discovery of new
      PNPs via mass spectrometry. We further describe the connections between these
      advances and the new generation of software tools for PNP dereplication, de novo
      sequencing, and identification.

PMID- 26497202
TI  - Prophylactic oral/topical non-absorbed antifungal agents to prevent invasive
      fungal infection in very low birth weight infants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Invasive fungal infection is an important cause of mortality and
      morbidity in very preterm or very low birth weight infants. Uncertainty exists
      about the effect of prophylactic oral/topical non-absorbed antifungals to reduce
      mucocutaneous colonisation and so limit the risk of invasive fungal infection in
      this population. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of prophylactic oral/topical
      non-absorbed antifungal therapy on the incidence of invasive fungal infection,
      mortality and morbidity in very preterm or very low birth weight infants. SEARCH
      METHODS: We used the standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review
      Group. This included searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled
      Trials (CENTRAL: The Cochrane Library, 2015, Issue 7), MEDLINE, EMBASE, and
      CINAHL (to May 2015), conference proceedings, and previous reviews. SELECTION
      CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials or quasi-randomised controlled trials that
      compared the effect of prophylactic oral/topical non-absorbed antifungal therapy
      versus placebo or no drug or another antifungal agent or dose regimen in very
      preterm or very low birth weight infants. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We
      extracted data using the standard methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group
      with separate evaluation of trial quality and data extraction by two review
      authors. MAIN RESULTS: Four trials, in which a total of 1800 infants
      participated, compared oral/topical non-absorbed antifungal prophylaxis (nystatin
      or miconazole) with placebo or no drug. These trials had various methodological
      weaknesses including quasi-randomisation, lack of allocation concealment, and
      lack of blinding of intervention and outcomes assessment. The incidence of
      invasive fungal infection was very high in the control groups of three of these
      trials. Meta-analysis found a statistically significant reduction in the
      incidence of invasive fungal infection (typical risk ratio 0.20, 95% confidence
      interval 0.14 to 0.27; risk difference -0.18, -0.21 to -0.15) but substantial
      statistical heterogeneity was present. We did not find a statistically
      significant effect on mortality (typical risk ratio 0.87, 0.72 to 1.05; risk
      difference -0.03, -0.06 to 0.01). None of the trials assessed posthospital
      discharge outcomes. Three trials (N = 326) assessed the effect of oral/topical
      non-absorbed versus systemic antifungal prophylaxis. Meta-analyses did not find
      any statistically significant differences in the incidences of invasive fungal
      infection or all-cause mortality. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The finding of a
      reduction in risk of invasive fungal infection in very low birth weight infants
      treated with oral/topical non-absorbed antifungal prophylaxis should be
      interpreted cautiously because of methodological weaknesses in the included
      trials. Further large randomised controlled trials in current neonatal practice
      settings are needed to resolve this uncertainty. These trials might compare
      oral/topical non-absorbed antifungal agents with placebo, with each other, or
      with systemic antifungal agents and should include an assessment of effect on
      long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.

PMID- 26497203
TI  - Diagnosis of skin cancer by correlation and complexity analyses of damaged DNA.
AB  - Skin cancer is a common, low-grade cancerous (malignant) growth of the skin. It
      starts from cells that begin as normal skin cells and transform into those with
      the potential to reproduce in an out-of-control manner. Cancer develops when DNA,
      the molecule found in cells that encodes genetic information, becomes damaged and
      the body cannot repair the damage. A DNA walk of a genome represents how the
      frequency of each nucleotide of a pairing nucleotide couple changes locally. In
      this research in order to diagnose the skin cancer, first DNA walk plots of
      genomes of patients with skin cancer were generated. Then, the data so obtained
      was checked for complexity by computing the fractal dimension. Furthermore, the
      Hurst exponent has been employed in order to study the correlation of damaged
      DNA. By analysing different samples it has been found that the damaged DNA
      sequences are exhibiting higher degree of complexity and less correlation
      compared to normal DNA sequences. This investigation confirms that this method
      can be used for diagnosis of skin cancer. The method discussed in this research
      is useful not only for diagnosis of skin cancer but can be applied for diagnosis
      and growth analysis of different types of cancers. 

PMID- 26497204
TI  - EBV-miR-BART10-3p facilitates epithelial-mesenchymal transition and promotes
      metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma by targeting BTRC.
AB  - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is closely associated with tumorigenesis and
      development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), but the underlying molecular
      mechanisms remain poorly understood. It has been recently reported that EBV
      encodes 44 mature miRNAs, some of which were found to promote tumor development
      by targeting virus-infected host genes or self-viral genes. However, few targets
      of EBV encoded-miRNAs that are related to NPC development have been identified to
      date. In this study, we revealed that in NPC cells, EBV-miR-BART10-3p directly
      targets BTRC gene that encodes betaTrCP (beta-transducin repeat containing E3
      ubiquitin protein ligase). We found that EBV-miR-BART10-3p expression in clinical
      samples from a cohort of 106 NPC patients negatively correlated with BTRC
      expression levels. Over-expression of EBV-miR-BART10-3p and down-regulation of
      BTRC were associated with poor prognosis in NPC patients. EBV-miR-BART10-3p
      promoted the invasion and migration cabilities of NPC cells through the targeting
      of BTRC and regulation of the expression of the downstream substrates beta
      catenin and Snail. As a result, EBV-miR-BART10-3p facilitated epithelial
      mesenchymal transition of NPC. Our study presents an unreported mechanism
      underlying EBV infection in NPC carcinogenesis, and provides a potential novel
      biomarker for NPC diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. 

PMID- 26497205
TI  - Metformin attenuates gefitinib-induced exacerbation of pulmonary fibrosis by
      inhibition of TGF-beta signaling pathway.
AB  - Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a serious side-effect of epidermal growth
      factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. Therefore, it
      is necessary to study underlying mechanisms for the development of pulmonary
      fibrosis induced by EGFR-TKI and potential approaches to attenuate it. Metformin
      is a well-established and widely prescribed oral hypoglycemic drug, and has
      gained attention for its potential anticancer effects. Recent reports have also
      demonstrated its role in inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition and
      fibrosis. However, it is unknown whether metformin attenuates EGFR-TKI-induced
      pulmonary fibrosis. The effect of metformin on EGFR-TKI-induced exacerbation of
      pulmonary fibrosis was examined in vitro and in vivo using MTT, Ki67
      incorporation assay, flow cytometry, immunostaining, Western blot analysis, and a
      bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis rat model. We found that in lung HFL-1
      fibroblast cells, TGF-beta or conditioned medium from TKI-treated lung cancer PC
      9 cells or conditioned medium from TKI-resistant PC-9GR cells, induced
      significant fibrosis, as shown by increased expression of Collegen1a1 and alpha
      actin, while metformin inhibited expression of fibrosis markers. Moreover,
      metformin decreased activation of TGF-beta signaling as shown by decreased
      expression of pSMAD2 and pSMAD3. In vivo, oral administration of gefitinib
      exacerbated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats, as demonstrated by HE
      staining and Masson staining. Significantly, oral co-administration of metformin
      suppressed exacerbation of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by gefitinib. We
      have shown that metformin attenuates gefitinib-induced exacerbation of TGF-beta
      or bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. These observations indicate metformin
      may be combined with EGFR-TKI to treat NSCLC patients. 

PMID- 26497206
TI  - A prognostic classifier for patients with colorectal cancer liver metastasis,
      based on AURKA, PTGS2 and MMP9.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRCLM)
      is estimated based on clinicopathological models. Stratifying patients based on
      tumor biology may have additional value. METHODS: Tissue micro-arrays (TMAs),
      containing resected CRCLM and corresponding primary tumors from a multi
      institutional cohort of 507 patients, were immunohistochemically stained for 18
      candidate biomarkers. Cross-validated hazard rate ratios (HRRs) for overall
      survival (OS) and the proportion of HRRs with opposite effect (P(HRR < 1) or
      P(HRR > 1)) were calculated. A classifier was constructed by classification and
      regression tree (CART) analysis and its prognostic value determined by
      permutation analysis. Correlations between protein expression in primary tumor
      CRCLM pairs were calculated. RESULTS: Based on their putative prognostic value,
      EGFR (P(HRR < 1) = .02), AURKA (P(HRR < 1) = .02), VEGFA (P(HRR < 1) = .02),
      PTGS2 (P(HRR < 1) = .01), SLC2A1 (P(HRR > 1) < 01), HIF1alpha (P(HRR > 1) = .06),
      KCNQ1 (P(HRR > 1) = .09), CEA (P (HRR > 1) = .05) and MMP9 (P(HRR < 1) = .07)
      were included in the CART analysis (n = 201). The resulting classifier was based
      on AURKA, PTGS2 and MMP9 expression and was associated with OS (HRR 2.79, p <
      .001), also after multivariate analysis (HRR 3.57, p < .001). The prognostic
      value of the biomarker-based classifier was superior to the clinicopathological
      model (p = .001). Prognostic value was highest for colon cancer patients (HRR
      5.71, p < .001) and patients not treated with systemic therapy (HRR 3.48, p <
      .01). Classification based on protein expression in primary tumors could be based
      on AURKA expression only (HRR 2.59, p = .04). CONCLUSION: A classifier was
      generated for patients with CRCLM with improved prognostic value compared to the
      standard clinicopathological prognostic parameters, which may aid selection of
      patients who may benefit from adjuvant systemic therapy.

PMID- 26497207
TI  - Liposomal doxorubicin for active targeting: surface modification of the
      nanocarrier evaluated in vitro and in vivo: challenges and prospects.
AB  - Due to the inability of classical chemotherapeutic agents to exclusively target
      tumor cells, these treatments are associated with severe toxicity profiles. Thus,
      long-circulating liposomes have been developed in the past to enhance
      accumulation in tumor tissue by passive targeting. Accordingly, commercially
      available liposomal formulations of sterically stabilized liposomal doxorubicin
      (Caelyx, Doxil, Lipodox) are associated with improved off-target profiles.
      However, these preparations are still not capable to selectively bind to target
      cells. Thus, in an attempt to further optimize existing treatment schemes
      immunoliposomes have been established to enable active targeting of tumor
      tissues. Recently, we have provided evidence for therapeutic efficacy of anti
      IGF1R-targeted, surface modified doxorubicin loaded liposomes. Our approach
      involved a technique, which allows specific post-modifications of the liposomal
      surface by primed antibody-anchor conjugates thereby facilitating personalized
      approaches of commercially available liposomal drugs. In the current study, post
      modification of sterically stabilized liposomal Dox was thoroughly investigated
      including the influence of different modification techniques (PIT, SPIT, SPIT60),
      lipid composition (SPC/Chol, HSPC/Chol), and buffers (HBS, SH). As earlier in
      vivo experiments did not take into account the presence of non-integrated ab
      anchor conjugates this was included in the present study. Our experiments provide
      evidence that post-modification of commercially available liposomal preparations
      for active targeting is possible. Moreover, lyophilisation represents an
      applicable method to obtain a storable precursor of surface modifying antibody
      anchor conjugates. Thus, these findings open up new approaches in patient
      individualized targeting of chemotherapeutic therapies.

PMID- 26497208
TI  - Dysregulated expression of cell surface glycoprotein CDCP1 in prostate cancer.
AB  - CUB-domain-containing protein 1 (CDCP1) is a trans-membrane protein regulator of
      cell adhesion with a potent pro-migratory function in tumors. Given that
      proteolytic cleavage of the ectodomain correlates with outside-in oncogenic
      signaling, we characterized glycosylation in the context of cellular processing
      and expression of CDCP1 in prostate cancer. We detected 135 kDa full-length and
      proteolytic processed 70 kDa species in a panel of PCa cell models. The relative
      expression of full-length CDCP1 correlated with the metastatic potential of
      syngeneic cell models and an increase in surface membrane expression of CDCP1 was
      observed in tumor compared to adjacent normal prostate tissues. We demonstrated
      that glycosylation of CDCP1 is a prerequisite for protein stability and plasma
      membrane localization, and that the expression level and extent of N
      glycosylation of CDCP1 correlated with metastatic status. Interestingly, complex
      N-linked glycans with sialic acid chains were restricted to the N-terminal half
      of the ectodomain and absent in the truncated species. Characterization of the
      extracellular expression of CDCP1 identified novel circulating forms and revealed
      that extracellular vesicles provide additional processing pathways. Employing
      immunoaffinity mass spectrometry, we detected elevated levels of circulating
      CDCP1 in patient urine with high-risk disease. Our results establish that
      differential glycosylation, cell surface presentation and extracellular
      expression of CDCP1 are hallmarks of PCa progression. 

PMID- 26497209
TI  - Characterization of novel biomarkers in selecting for subtype specific
      medulloblastoma phenotypes.
AB  - Major research efforts have focused on defining cell surface marker profiles for
      characterization and selection of brain tumor stem/progenitor cells.
      Medulloblastoma is the most common primary malignant pediatric brain cancer and
      consists of 4 molecular subgroups: WNT, SHH, Group 3 and Group 4. Given the
      heterogeneity within and between medulloblastoma variants, surface marker
      profiles may be subtype-specific. Here, we employed a high throughput flow
      cytometry screen to identify differentially expressed cell surface markers in
      self-renewing vs. non-self-renewing SHH medulloblastoma cells. The top 25 markers
      were reduced to 4, CD271/p75NTR/NGFR, CD106/VCAM1, EGFR and CD171/NCAM-L1, by
      evaluating transcript levels in SHH tumors relative to samples representing the
      other variants. However, only CD271/p75NTR/NGFR and CD171/NCAM-L1 maintain
      differential expression between variants at the protein level. Functional
      characterization of CD271, a low affinity neurotrophin receptor, in cell lines
      and primary cultures suggested that CD271 selects for lower self-renewing
      progenitors or stem cells. Moreover, CD271 levels were negatively correlated with
      expression of SHH pathway genes. Our study reveals a novel role for CD271 in SHH
      medulloblastoma and suggests that targeting CD271 pathways could lead to the
      design of more selective therapies that lessen the broad impact of current
      treatments on developing nervous systems. 

PMID- 26497210
TI  - EZH2 in normal hematopoiesis and hematological malignancies.
AB  - Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), the catalytic subunit of the Polycomb
      repressive complex 2, inhibits gene expression through methylation on lysine 27
      of histone H3. EZH2 regulates normal hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and
      differentiation. EZH2 also controls normal B cell differentiation. EZH2
      deregulation has been described in many cancer types including hematological
      malignancies. Specific small molecules have been recently developed to exploit
      the oncogenic addiction of tumor cells to EZH2. Their therapeutic potential is
      currently under evaluation. This review summarizes the roles of EZH2 in normal
      and pathologic hematological processes and recent advances in the development of
      EZH2 inhibitors for the personalized treatment of patients with hematological
      malignancies. 

PMID- 26497212
TI  - GDF15 promotes EMT and metastasis in colorectal cancer.
AB  - Metastasis is the major cause of cancer deaths, and the epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition (EMT) has been considered to be a fundamental event in cancer
      metastasis. However, the role of growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) in
      colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis and EMT remains poorly understood. Here, we
      showed that GDF15 promoted CRC cell metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. In
      addition, the EMT process was enhanced by GDF15 through binding to TGF-beta
      receptor to activate Smad2 and Smad3 pathways. Clinical data showed GDF15 level
      in tumor tissues, and the serum was significantly increased, in which high GDF15
      level correlated with a reduced overall survival in CRC. Thus, GDF15 may promote
      colorectal cancer metastasis through activating EMT. Promisingly, GDF15 could be
      considered as a novel prognostic marker for CRC in the clinic. 

PMID- 26497211
TI  - Identification of cytochrome CYP2E1 as critical mediator of synergistic effects
      of alcohol and cellular lipid accumulation in hepatocytes in vitro.
AB  - Clinical studies propose a causative link between the consumption of alcohol and
      the development and progression of liver disease in obese individuals. However,
      it is incompletely understood how alcohol and obesity interact and whether the
      combined effects are additive or synergistic. In this study, we developed an in
      vitro model to address this question. Lipid accumulation in primary human
      hepatocytes was induced by incubation with oleic acid. Subsequently, steatotic
      and control hepatocytes were incubated with up to 50 mM alcohol. This alcohol
      concentration on its own revealed only minimal effects but significantly enhanced
      oleate-induced lipogenesis and cellular triglyceride content compared to control
      cells. Similarly, lipid peroxidation, oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory gene
      expression as well as CYP2E1 levels and activity were synergistically induced by
      alcohol and steatosis. CYP2E1 inhibition blunted these synergistic pathological
      effects. Notably, alcohol and cellular steatosis also induced autophagy in a
      synergistic manner, and also this was mediated via CYP2E1. Further induction of
      autophagy ameliorated the joint effects of alcohol and oleic acid on
      hepatocellular lipid accumulation and inflammatory gene expression while
      inhibition of autophagy further enhanced the dual pathological effects. Further
      analyses revealed that the joint synergistic effect of alcohol and steatosis on
      autophagy was mediated via activation of the JNK-pathway. In summary, our data
      indicate that alcohol induces not only pathological but also protective
      mechanisms in steatotic hepatocytes via CYP2E1. These findings may have important
      implications on the prognosis and treatment of alcoholic liver disease
      particularly in obese individuals. 

PMID- 26497213
TI  - Aurora B kinase is a potent and selective target in MYCN-driven neuroblastoma.
AB  - Despite advances in multimodal treatment, neuroblastoma (NB) is often fatal for
      children with high-risk disease and many survivors need to cope with long-term
      side effects from high-dose chemotherapy and radiation. To identify new
      therapeutic targets, we performed an siRNA screen of the druggable genome
      combined with a small molecule screen of 465 compounds targeting 39 different
      mechanisms of actions in four NB cell lines. We identified 58 genes as targets,
      including AURKB, in at least one cell line. In the drug screen, aurora kinase
      inhibitors (nine molecules) and in particular the AURKB-selective compound,
      barasertib, were the most discriminatory with regard to sensitivity for MYCN
      amplified cell lines. In an expanded panel of ten NB cell lines, those with MYCN
      amplification and wild-type TP53 were the most sensitive to low nanomolar
      concentrations of barasertib. Inhibition of the AURKB kinase activity resulted in
      decreased phosphorylation of the known target, histone H3, and upregulation of
      TP53 in MYCN-amplified, TP53 wild-type cells. However, both wild-type and TP53
      mutant MYCN-amplified cell lines arrested in G2/M phase upon AURKB inhibition.
      Additionally, barasertib induced endoreduplication and apoptosis. Treatment of
      MYCN-amplified/TP53 wild-type neuroblastoma xenografts resulted in profound
      growth inhibition and tumor regression. Therefore, aurora B kinase inhibition is
      highly effective in aggressive neuroblastoma and warrants further investigation
      in clinical trials. 

PMID- 26497214
TI  - CCN: core regulatory proteins in the microenvironment that affect the metastasis
      of hepatocellular carcinoma?
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) results from an underlying chronic liver
      inflammatory disease, such as chronic hepatitis B or C virus infections, and the
      general prognosis of patients with HCC still remains extremely dismal because of
      the high frequency of HCC metastases. Throughout the process of tumor metastasis,
      tumor cells constantly communicate with the surrounding microenvironment and
      improve their malignant phenotype. Therefore, there is a strong rationale for
      targeting the tumor microenvironment as primary treatment of HCC therapies.
      Recently, CCN family proteins have emerged as localized multitasking signal
      integrators in the inflammatory microenvironment. In this review, we summarize
      the current knowledge of CCN family proteins in inflammation and the tumor. We
      also propose that the CCN family proteins may play a central role in signaling
      the tumor microenvironment and regulating the metastasis of HCC. 

PMID- 26497215
TI  - Tumor-associated fibroblast-conditioned medium induces CDDP resistance in HNSCC
      cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: EMT (epithelial to mesenchymal transition) contributes to tumor
      progression and metastasis. We aimed to investigate the effects of EMT on CDDP
      resistance in HNSCC (head and neck squamous cell carcinoma)-cells. METHODS: EMT
      was induced using conditioned medium from a tumor cell/fibroblast co-culture.
      HNSCC cells were alternatively treated with TGF-beta1. The response to CDDP was
      evaluated with viability and clonogenic assays. RESULTS: Treatment of SCC-25/
      Detroit 562 cells with conditioned medium increased viability of the tumor cells.
      Moreover, it doubled the IC50 of CDDP of SCC-25 cells from 6.2 MUM to 13.1 MUM (p
      < 0.001). The IC50 of CDDP of Detroit 562 cells was increased following treatment
      with conditioned medium from 13.1 MUM to 26.8 MUM (p < 0.01). Colony forming
      ability after treatment with 5 or 10 MUM CDDP was significantly higher in HNSCC
      cells treated with co-culture conditioned medium than in controls (p < 0.05).
      Treatment with TGF-beta1 had no effect on the IC50 of CDDP (p > 0.1).
      CONCLUSIONS: Cell free medium from a co-culture was able to induce EMT in HNSCC
      cells. Co-culture treated HNSCC cells revealed increased viability and were less
      sensitive to CDDP treatment. TGF-beta1 also induced a mesenchymal phenotype, but
      did not alter resistance to CDDP in HNSCC cells.

PMID- 26497216
TI  - HAG regimen improves survival in adult patients with hypocellular acute myeloid
      leukemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypocellular acute myeloid leukemia (Hypo-AML) is a rare disease
      entity. Studies investigating the biological characteristics of hypo-AML have
      been largely lacking. We examined the clinical and biological characteristics, as
      well as treatment outcomes of hypo-AML in our institutes over a seven years
      period. DESIGN AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data on 631 adult AML
      patients diagnosed according to the French-American-British (FAB) classification
      and WHO classification of tumors of haematopoietic and lymphoid tissue, including
      43 patients with hypo-AML. Biological variables, treatment outcomes and follow-up
      data on hypo-AML patients were analyzed. RESULTS: Out of 631 AML patients, 47
      (7.4%) were diagnosed as hypo-AML, out of which 43 patients were evaluable.
      Compared with non-hypocellular AML, hypo-AML patients tended to be older (P =
      0.05), more likely to present with leukocytopenia (P < 0.01) and anterior
      hematological diseases (P = 0.02). The overall complete remission (CR) rate,
      disease free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) in hypo-AML patients were
      comparable to those in non-hypo AML patients. Twenty-seven (62.8%) patients with
      hypocellular AML were treated with the standard regimen of anthracyclines and
      cytarabine (XA) (associated CR rate: 51.9%; median OS: 7 months; median DFS: 6.5
      months). Sixteen (37.2%) patients were treated with a priming regimen containing
      homoharringtonine, cytarabine and G-CSF (HAG) (associated CR rate: 81.25%; median
      OS: 16 months; median DFS: 16 months). CONCLUSIONS: The overall prognosis of hypo
      AML was not inferior to that of non-hypo AML. HAG regimen might increase response
      rates and improve survival in hypo-AML patients.

PMID- 26497217
TI  - Linking estrogen receptor beta expression with inflammatory bowel disease
      activity.
AB  - Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic forms of inflammatory
      bowel disease (IBD) whose pathogenesis is only poorly understood. Estrogens have
      a complex role in inflammation and growing evidence suggests that these hormones
      may impact IBD pathogenesis. Here, we demonstrated a significant reduction (p <
      0.05) of estrogen receptor (ER)beta expression in peripheral blood T lymphocytes
      from CD/UC patients with active disease (n = 27) as compared to those in
      remission (n = 21) and healthy controls (n = 29). Accordingly, in a subgroup of
      CD/UC patients undergoing to anti-TNF-alpha therapy and responsive to treatment,
      ERbeta expression was higher (p < 0.01) than that observed in not responsive
      patients and comparable to that of control subjects. Notably, ERbeta expression
      was markedly decreased in colonic mucosa of CD/UC patients with active disease,
      reflecting the alterations observed in peripheral blood T cells. ERbeta
      expression inversely correlated with interleukin (IL)-6 serum levels and
      exogenous exposure of both T lymphocytes and intestinal epithelial cells to this
      cytokine resulted in ERbeta downregulation. These results demonstrate that the ER
      profile is altered in active IBD patients at both mucosal and systemic levels, at
      least in part due to IL-6 dysregulation, and highlight the potential exploitation
      of T cell-associated ERbeta as a biomarker of endoscopic disease activity. 

PMID- 26497219
TI  - Elucidating the band structure and free charge carrier dynamics of pure and
      impurities doped CH3NH3PbI(3-x)Cl(x) perovskite thin films.
AB  - CH3NH3PbI3-xClx perovskite material has been commonly used as the free charge
      generator and reservoir in highly efficient perovskite-based solid-state solar
      photovoltaic devices. However, many of the underlying fundamental photophysical
      mechanisms in this material such as the perovskite transition band structure as
      well as the dependent relationship between the carrier properties and lattice
      properties still lack sufficient understanding. Here, we elucidated the
      fundamental band structure of the pure CH3NH3PbI3-xClx pervoskite lattice, and
      then reported about the dependent relationship between the free charge carrier
      characteristic and the different CH3NH3PbI3-xClx pervoskite lattice thin films
      utilizing femtosecond time-resolved pump-probe technologies. The data
      demonstrated that the pure perovskite crystal band structure should only have one
      conduction and one valence band rather than dual valences, and the pure
      perovskite lattice could trigger more free charge carriers with a slower
      recombination rate under an identical pump intensity compared with the impurities
      doped perovskite crystal. We also investigated the perovskite film performance
      when exposed to moisture and water, the corresponding results gave us a dip in
      the optimization of the performance of perovskite based devices, and so as a
      priority this material should be isolated from moisture (water). This work may
      propose a deeper perspective on the comprehension for this material and it is
      useful for future optimization of applications in photovoltaic and light emission
      devices. 

PMID- 26497218
TI  - Effectiveness of a brief psychoeducational group intervention for relatives on
      the course of disease in patients after inpatient depression treatment compared
      with treatment as usual--study protocol of a multisite randomised controlled
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Relapses and rehospitalisations are common after acute inpatient
      treatment in depressive disorders. Interventions for stabilising treatment
      outcomes are urgently needed. Psychoeducational group interventions for relatives
      were shown to be suitable for improving the course of disease in schizophrenia
      and bipolar disorders. A small Japanese monocentre randomised controlled trial
      also showed promising results for depressive disorders. However, the evidence
      regarding psychoeducation for relatives of patients with depressive disorders is
      unclear. METHODS/DESIGN: The study is conducted as a two-arm multisite randomised
      controlled trial to evaluate the incremental effect of a brief psychoeducational
      group intervention for relatives as a maintenance treatment on the course of
      disease compared to treatment as usual. Primary outcome is the estimated number
      of depression-free-days in patients within one year after discharge from
      inpatient treatment. 180 patients diagnosed with unipolar depressive disorders as
      well as one key relative per patient will be included during inpatient treatment
      and randomly allocated to the conditions at discharge. In the intervention group,
      relatives will participate in a brief psychoeducational group intervention
      following the patient's discharge. The intervention consists of four group
      sessions lasting 90 to 120 min each. Every group session contains informational
      parts as well as structured training in problem-solving. In both study
      conditions, patients will receive treatment as usual. Patients as well as
      relatives will be surveyed by means of questionnaires at discharge and three,
      six, nine and twelve months after discharge. In addition to the primary outcome,
      several patient-related and relative-related secondary outcomes will be
      considered and health economics will be investigated. DISCUSSION: Our study will
      provide evidence on the incremental effect of a brief psychoeducational
      intervention for relatives as a maintenance treatment after inpatient depression
      treatment. Positive results may have a major impact on health care for
      depression. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS):
      DRKS00006819; Trial registration date: 2014 Oktober 31; Universal Trial Number
      (UTN): U1111-1163-5391.

PMID- 26497220
TI  - Analysis of zebrafish (Danio rerio) behavior in response to bacterial infection
      using a self-organizing map.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Animal behavioral responses have been recently established as a
      suitable tool for detecting contaminants in the environment for risk assessment
      in situ. In this study, we observed movement behavior of zebrafish (Danio rerio)
      before and after infection with Edwardsiella tarda CK41 for 3 days until death.
      METHODS: Infection status of zebrafish was confirmed through PCR and colonization
      assay as time progressed and lesion development in the tails of zebrafish was
      also examined. Movement behaviors in response to bacterial infection were
      patterned by self-organizing map (SOM) based on movement parameters, including
      speed (mm/s), acceleration (mm/s (2) ), stop duration (t), stop number (n),
      locomotory rate (mm/s), turning rate (rad/s), and meander (rad/mm). RESULTS:
      According to SOM result, clusters were identified firstly according to time and
      secondly according to infection. Two movement patterns were observed in the early
      period of infection: one group with minimum turning rate and meander (i.e., stiff
      movement) and the other group with maximum strop number. Late infection was
      characterized by long stop duration. CONCLUSION: SOM was suitable for extracting
      complex behavioral data and thus can serve as a referencing system for diagnosing
      disease development in order to reveal the mechanism of the infection process.

PMID- 26497221
TI  - Rh-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Cyclic alpha-Dehydroamino Ketones.
AB  - Catalyzed by a rhodium complex of P-stereogenic diphosphine trichickenfootphos,
      five-membered cyclic alpha-dehydroamino ketones bearing endocyclic acyl and
      endocyclic vinyl groups were hydrogenated to give chiral alpha-amino ketones with
      quantitative conversions and excellent enantioselectivities. 

PMID- 26497222
TI  - The molecular characterisation of Escherichia coli K1 isolated from neonatal
      nasogastric feeding tubes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The most common cause of Gram-negative bacterial neonatal meningitis
      is E. coli K1. It has a mortality rate of 10-15 %, and neurological sequelae in
      30-50 % of cases. Infections can be attributable to nosocomial sources, however
      the pre-colonisation of enteral feeding tubes has not been considered as a
      specific risk factor. METHODS: Thirty E. coli strains, which had been isolated in
      an earlier study, from the residual lumen liquid and biofilms of neonatal
      nasogastric feeding tubes were genotyped using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis,
      and 7-loci multilocus sequence typing. Potential pathogenicity and biofilm
      associated traits were determined using specific PCR probes, genome analysis, and
      in vitro tissue culture assays. RESULTS: The E. coli strains clustered into five
      pulsotypes, which were genotyped as sequence types (ST) 95, 73, 127, 394 and 2076
      (Achman scheme). The extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) phylogenetic
      group B2 ST95 serotype O1:K1:NM strains had been isolated over a 2 week period
      from 11 neonates who were on different feeding regimes. The E. coli K1 ST95
      strains encoded for various virulence traits associated with neonatal meningitis
      and extracellular matrix formation. These strains attached and invaded
      intestinal, and both human and rat brain cell lines, and persisted for 48 h in
      U937 macrophages. E. coli STs 73, 394 and 2076 also persisted in macrophages and
      invaded Caco-2 and human brain cells, but only ST394 invaded rat brain cells. E.
      coli ST127 was notable as it did not invade any cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: Routes
      by which E. coli K1 can be disseminated within a neonatal intensive care unit are
      uncertain, however the colonisation of neonatal enteral feeding tubes may be one
      reservoir source which could constitute a serious health risk to neonates
      following ingestion.

PMID- 26497223
TI  - Screening and Identifying a Novel ssDNA Aptamer against Alpha-fetoprotein Using
      CE-SELEX.
AB  - Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a liver cancer associated protein and has long been
      utilized as a serum tumor biomarker of disease progression. AFP is usually
      detected in HCC patients by an antibody based system. Recently, however, aptamers
      generated from systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX)
      were reported to have an alternative potential in targeted imaging, diagnosis and
      therapy. In this study, AFP-bound ssDNA aptamers were screened and identified
      using capillary electrophoresis (CE) SELEX technology. After cloning, sequencing
      and motif analysis, we successfully confirmed an aptamer, named AP273,
      specifically targeting AFP. The aptamer could be used as a probe in AFP
      immunofluorescence imaging in HepG2, one AFP positive cancer cell line, but not
      in A549, an AFP negative cancer cell line. More interesting, the aptamer
      efficiently inhibited the migration and invasion of HCC cells after in vivo
      transfection. Motif analysis revealed that AP273 had several stable secondary
      motifs in its structure. Our results indicate that CE-SELEX technology is an
      efficient method to screen specific protein-bound ssDNA, and AP273 could be used
      as an agent in AFP-based staining, diagnosis and therapy, although more works are
      still needed. 

PMID- 26497224
TI  - Development and External Validation of Nomograms for Predicting Survival in
      Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients after Definitive Radiotherapy.
AB  - The distant metastasis free survival (DMFS) and overall survival (OS) differ
      significantly among individuals even within the same clinical stages. The purpose
      of this retrospective study was to build nomograms incorporating plasma EBV DNA
      for predicting DMFS and OS of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients after
      definitive radiotherapy. A total of 1168 non-metastatic NPC patients from two
      institutions were included to develop the nomograms. Seven and six independent
      prognostic factors were identified to build the nomograms for OS and DMFS,
      respectively. The models were externally validated by a separate cohort of 756
      NPC patients from the third institutions. For predicting OS, the c-index of the
      nomogram was significantly better than that of the TNM staging system (Training
      cohort, P = 0.005; validation cohort, P = 0.03). The c-index of nomogram for DMFS
      in the training and validation set were both higher than that of TNM
      classification with marginal significance (P = 0.048 and P = 0.057,
      respectively). The probability of 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS and DMFS showed optimal
      agreement between nomogram prediction and actual observation. The proposed
      stratification of risk groups based on the nomograms allowed significant
      distinction between Kaplan-Meier curves for survival outcomes. The prognostic
      nomograms could better stratify patients into different risk groups.

PMID- 26497225
TI  - Natural supramolecular protein assemblies.
AB  - Supramolecular protein assemblies are an emerging area within the chemical
      sciences, which combine the topological structures of the field of supramolecular
      chemistry and the state-of-the-art chemical biology approaches to unravel the
      formation and function of protein assemblies. Recent chemical and biological
      studies on natural multimeric protein structures, including fibers, rings, tubes,
      catenanes, knots, and cages, have shown that the quaternary structures of
      proteins are a prerequisite for their highly specific biological functions. In
      this review, we illustrate that a striking structural diversity of protein
      assemblies is present in nature. Furthermore, we describe structure-function
      relationship studies for selected classes of protein architectures, and we
      highlight the techniques that enable the characterisation of supramolecular
      protein structures. 

PMID- 26497226
TI  - Management of acute coronary syndromes in a developing country; time for a
      paradigm shift? an observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are limited contemporary data on the presentation, management
      and outcomes of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in Sri Lanka. We aimed to identify
      the critical issues that limit optimal management of ACS in Sri Lanka. METHODS:
      We performed a prospectively observational study of 256 consecutive patients who
      presented with ACS between November 2011 and May 2012 at a tertiary care general
      medical unit in Sri Lanka. RESULTS: We evaluated data on presentation,
      management, in-hospital mortality, and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE)
      of participants. Smoking, alcohol abuse, and obesity were more common in patients
      with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (P < 0.05). Discharge diagnoses
      were STEMI in 32.8 % (84/256) and unstable angina (UA)/non-ST elevation
      myocardial infarction [NSTEMI] in 67.1 % (172/256) of participants. The median
      time (IQR) from onset of pain to presentation was 60 (319) minutes for STEMI and
      120 (420) for UA/NSTEMI (P = 0.058). A median delay of 240 min was noted in
      patients who had presented initially to smaller hospitals. Cardiac markers were
      assessed in only 35 % of participants. In-hospital anti-platelet use was high
      (>92 %). Only 70.2 % of STEMI patients received fibrinolytic therapy. Fewer than
      20 % of patients were received fibrinolytic therapy within 30 min of arrival.
      Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were recorded in 11.9 % of subjects with
      STEMI and 11.6 % of those with UA/NSTEMI (P = 0.5). According to logistic
      regression analysis, body mass index (P = 0.045) and duration of diabetes (P =
      0.03) were significant predictors of in-hospital MACE. On discharge, aspirin,
      thienopyridine, and statins were prescribed to more than 90 % of patients. Only
      one patient underwent coronary angiography during the index admission.
      CONCLUSIONS: Delays in presentation and in initiation of thrombolytic therapy and
      coronary interventions are key hurdles that need attention to optimize ACS care
      in Sri Lanka.

PMID- 26497228
TI  - Evidence of covalent synergy in silicon-sulfur-graphene yielding highly efficient
      and long-life lithium-ion batteries.
AB  - Silicon has the potential to revolutionize the energy storage capacities of
      lithium-ion batteries to meet the ever increasing power demands of next
      generation technologies. To avoid the operational stability problems of silicon
      based anodes, we propose synergistic physicochemical alteration of electrode
      structures during their design. This capitalizes on covalent interaction of Si
      nanoparticles with sulfur-doped graphene and with cyclized polyacrylonitrile to
      provide a robust nanoarchitecture. This hierarchical structure stabilized the
      solid electrolyte interphase leading to superior reversible capacity of over
      1,000 mAh g(-1) for 2,275 cycles at 2 A g(-1). Furthermore, the nanoarchitectured
      design lowered the contact of the electrolyte to the electrode leading to not
      only high coulombic efficiency of 99.9% but also maintaining high stability even
      with high electrode loading associated with 3.4 mAh cm(-2). The excellent
      performance combined with the simplistic, scalable and non-hazardous approach
      render the process as a very promising candidate for Li-ion battery technology. 

PMID- 26497227
TI  - Impact of storage conditions on electromechanical, histological and histochemical
      properties of osteochondral allografts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteochondral allograft transplantation has a good clinical outcome,
      however, there is still debate on optimization of allograft storage protocol.
      Storage temperature and nutrient medium composition are the most critical factors
      for sustained biological activity of grafts before implantation. In this study,
      we performed a time-dependent in vitro experiment to investigate the effect of
      various storage conditions on electromechanical, histological and histochemical
      properties of articular cartilage. METHODS: Osteochondral grafts derived from
      goat femoral condyles were frozen at -70  degrees C or stored at 4  degrees C and
      37  degrees C in the medium supplemented with or without insulin-like growth
      factor-1 (IGF-1). After 14 and 28 days the cartilage samples were quantitatively
      analysed for electromechanical properties, glycosaminoglycan distribution,
      histological structure, chondrocyte viability and apoptosis. The results were
      compared between the experimental groups and correlations among different
      evaluation methods were determined. RESULTS: Storage at -70  degrees C and 37 
      degrees C significantly deteriorated cartilage electromechanical, histological
      and histochemical properties. Storage at 4  degrees C maintained the
      electromechanical quantitative parameter (QP) and glycosaminoglycan expression
      near the normal levels for 14 days. Although hypothermic storage revealed reduced
      chondrocyte viability and increased apoptosis, these parameters were superior
      compared with the storage at -70  degrees C and 37  degrees C. IGF-1
      supplementation improved the electromechanical QP, chondrocyte viability and
      histological properties at 37  degrees C, but the effect lasted only 14 days.
      Electromechanical properties correlated with the histological grading score (r =
      0.673, p < 0.001), chondrocyte viability (r = -0.654, p < 0.001) and apoptosis (r
      = 0.416, p < 0.02). In addition, apoptosis correlated with glycosaminoglycan
      distribution (r = -0.644, p < 0.001) and the histological grading score (r =
      0.493, p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that quality of allografts
      is better preserved at currently established 4  degrees C storage temperature.
      Storage at -70  degrees C or at 37  degrees C is unable to maintain cartilage
      function and metabolic activity. IGF-1 supplementation at 37  degrees C can
      enhance chondrocyte viability and improve electromechanical and histological
      properties of the cartilage, but the impact persists only 14 days. The
      correlations between cartilage electromechanical quantitative parameter (QP) and
      metabolic activity were detected. Our findings indicate that non-destructive
      assessment of cartilage by Arthro-BST is a simple and reliable method to evaluate
      allograft quality, and could be routinely used before implantation.

PMID- 26497229
TI  - Anti-inflammatory effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in monocytes cultured in
      serum from patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy with
      uremia via Toll-like receptor 4 and nuclear factor-kappaB p65.
AB  - Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and diabetic nephropathy (DN) seriously affect
      the quality of human life. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VD3) is known to exert anti
      inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. The present study investigated the
      effects of VD3 on Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB p65
      expression in monocytes from patients with T2DM and investigated the underlying
      mechanisms. Serum from subjects of the control, T2DM and DN with uremia groups
      was isolated, and THP-1 monocytes were cultured in these sera with or without
      VD3. After treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interleukin (IL)-15,
      monocytes and culture supernatants were collected. The expression of TLR4, TLR9
      and IL-15 mRNA was detected using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction
      analysis. Furthermore, the protein expression of TLR4, NF-kappaB p65 and
      inhibitor of NF-kappaB (IkappaB) was determined using western blot analysis. The
      levels of IL-6 and monocyte chemotactic protein in culture supernatants were
      detected using ELISAs. The impact of LPS, IL-15 and VD3 on the TLR/NF-kappaB
      signaling pathway in the T2DM and DN uremia groups was also investigated. In the
      T2DM and DN uremia groups, LPS and IL-15 downregulated the expression of IkappaB
      and upregulated levels of proteins, including TLR4, NF-kappaB p65, IL-6 and
      monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, as well as TLR4 and IL-15 mRNA. There was no
      significant difference in TLR9 mRNA protein expression among the three groups.
      VD3 partially blocked the above effects; However, pre-treatment with VD3 had no
      significant effect on TLR4 mRNA expression, protein expression of NF-kappaB p65
      and IkappaB, or the levels of associated inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion,
      the present study indicated that anti-inflammatory effects of VD3 in inflammatory
      immune responses in T2DM and DN uremia are associated with the TLR4/NF-kappaB p65
      signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26497230
TI  - The effect of branching in a semiconducting polymer on the efficiency of organic
      photovoltaic cells.
AB  - The impact of branching in a diketopyrrolopyrrole polymer on the performance of
      polymer-fullerene photovoltaic cells is investigated. Compared to the linear
      polymer, the branched polymer affords a more finely dispersed fibrillar network
      in the photoactive layer and as a result a large enhancement of the photocurrent
      and power conversion efficiency. 

PMID- 26497231
TI  - The effect of toothbrush abrasion force on dentine hypersensitivity in-vitro.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the effect of tooth brushing force on changes
      in dentine tubule patency in an erosion-toothbrush abrasion model. METHODS: 60
      dentine samples prepared with an artificial smear layer and divided randomly into
      control (no toothbrush), 100 g, 200 g or 400 g toothbrush groups. They were
      immersed in 3:1 artificial saliva/NaF 1450 ppm and either brushed (p35 soft tooth
      brush; 120 strokes) or not brushed. Then samples were subjected to agitated acid
      challenge (0.3% citric acid pH2.6 for 2 min). Finally, samples were re-brushed.
      Calibrated software calculated patent dentine tubules that cause DH in confocal
      microscopy images taken of samples at each stage. RESULTS: At baseline, mean
      patent tubules in all samples were 188 (SD54) with no significant inter-group
      differences. Following first brushing, mean patent tubules decreased using 100 g
      to 150 (SD32) (p<0.01) and increased using 400 g to 215 (SD45) (p=0.02).
      Following acid challenge, patent tubules increased to 218 (SD40) in all samples
      (p<0.01) with no significant inter-group differences. Following further brushing,
      mean patent tubules decreased using 100 g to 175 (SD72) (p<0.01), but increased
      with 400 g to 232 (SD52). CONCLUSIONS: At higher brushing forces (400 g), more
      tubules were exposed. At lower brushing forces (100 g), tubule patency decreased
      even post-acidic challenge. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: It is often recommended to our
      patients with DH to brush using lighter brushing forces but our understanding of
      this force on dentine tubule patency is unknown. The management of DH requires
      lighter brushing forces to reduce the numbers of patent dentine tubules.

PMID- 26497232
TI  - Anti-biofilm activity of zinc oxide and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles as dental
      implant coating materials.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Dental implants are prone to failure as a result of bacterial biofilm
      accumulation. Such biofilms are often resistant to traditional antimicrobials and
      the use of nanoparticles as implant coatings may offer a means to control
      infection over a prolonged period. The objective of this study was to determine
      the antibiofilm activity of nanoparticulate coated titanium (Ti) discs using a
      film fermenter based system. METHODS: Metal oxide nanoparticles of zinc oxide
      (nZnO), hydroxyapatite (nHA) and a combination (nZnO+nHA) were coated using
      electrohydrodynamic deposition onto Ti discs. Using human saliva as an inoculum,
      biofilms were grown on coated discs for 96 h in a constant depth film fermenter
      under aerobic conditions with artificial saliva and peri-implant sulcular fluid.
      Viability assays and biofilm thickness measurements were used to assess
      antimicrobial activity. RESULTS: Following 96 h, reduced numbers of facultatively
      anaerobic and Streptococcus spp. on all three nano-coated surfaces were
      demonstrated. The proportion of non-viable microorganisms was shown to be higher
      on nZnO and composite (nZnO+nHA) coated surfaces at 96 h compared with nHA coated
      and uncoated titanium. Biofilm thickness comparison also demonstrated that nZnO
      and composite coatings to be the most effective. CONCLUSIONS: The findings
      support the use of coating Ti dental implant surfaces with nZnO to provide an
      antimicrobial function. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Current forms of treatment for
      implant associated infection are often inadequate and may result in chronic
      infection requiring implant removal and resective/regenerative procedures to
      restore and reshape supporting tissue. The use of metal oxide nanoparticles to
      coat implants could provide osteoconductive and antimicrobial functionalities to
      prevent failure.

PMID- 26497233
TI  - Promethean Evolution: A Comparison of the Immune and Neural Systems.
AB  - In contrast to normal Darwinian evolution involving adaptation to past
      challenges, it has been suggested that evolution has devised two unique
      biological mechanisms to permit the host to anticipate future challenges: the
      adaptive immune response and neural memory functions. Certain phenomenological
      similarities, some sharing of names, and the participation in both systems of a
      group of physiologically active molecules suggested to many that the two might be
      intimately related. This article compares the two systems in terms of the
      familiar parlance of immunology-specificity, repertoire, degeneracy, memory,
      mediators, pathways, and genetics-to show that they differ in most respects,
      except insofar as they may utilize some of the same agents, many of which
      participate in the normal functions of other tissues and systems of the body.
      Indeed, this very difference provides a further demonstration of the wonders of
      the evolutionary process. 

PMID- 26497234
TI  - The Perfect Storm: Preterm Birth, Neurodevelopmental Mechanisms, and Autism
      Causation.
AB  - A unifying model of autism causation remains elusive, and thus well-designed
      explanatory models are needed to develop appropriate therapeutic and preventive
      interventions. This essay argues that autism is not a static disorder, but rather
      an ongoing process. We discuss the link between preterm birth and autism and
      briefly review the evidence supporting the link between immune system
      characteristics and both prematurity and autism. We then propose a causation
      process model of autism etiology and pathogenesis, in which both neurodevelopment
      and ongoing/prolonged neuroinflammation are necessary pathogenetic component
      mechanisms. We suggest that an existing model of sufficient cause and component
      causes can be interpreted as a mechanistic view of etiology and pathogenesis and
      can serve as an explanatory model for autism causal pathways. 

PMID- 26497235
TI  - George Engel's Epistemology of Clinical Practice.
AB  - George Engel's (1913-1999) biopsychosocial model, one of the most significant
      proposals for the renewal of medicine in the latter half of the 20th century, has
      been understood primarily as a multi-factorial approach to the etiology of
      disease and as a call to re-humanize clinical practice. This common reading of
      Engel's model misses the central aspect of his proposal, that the biopsychosocial
      model is an epistemology for clinical work. By stating the simple fact that the
      clinician is not dealing directly with a body, but first, and inevitably, with a
      person, Engel challenged the epistemology implicit in the classical clinical
      method-a method predicated on the possibility of direct access to the body.
      Framed in epistemological terms, the issue at stake is not the need to complement
      medical science with humane virtues, but rather to acknowledge that the object of
      clinical practice is not the body but the patient. 

PMID- 26497236
TI  - Maimonides Reincarnated.
AB  - The writings of Maimonides, the 12th-century physician, Talmudic and philosophic
      scholar, are remarkably relevant for modern medicine. Whereas the specific
      medical recommendations are obviously outdated, Maimonides' perceptive insights
      into professional responsibilities and medical ethics remain as useful guides
      even in our postmodern era. 

PMID- 26497237
TI  - Binding and Hoche's "Life Unworthy of Life": A Historical and Ethical Analysis.
AB  - The 1920 essay by German attorney Karl Binding and psychiatrist Alfred Hoche,
      "Permitting the Destruction of Life Unworthy of Life," is often characterized as
      a stepping-stone toward the Nazi genocide policies. A careful review of Binding
      and Hoche's arguments does reveal elements that foreshadow Nazi thinking, but it
      also contains points that fail to parallel--or that directly contradict--Nazi
      death practices. A proper ethical and historical analysis of this work requires a
      more nuanced discussion than it often receives.

PMID- 26497238
TI  - In Praise of Richard Asher (1912-1969).
AB  - This essay aims to stimulate a reawakening of interest in the writings of the
      physician Richard Asher (1912-1969), who is now best known for coining the term
      "Munchausen's syndrome." Asher's essays are as relevant now as when first
      published. His articles were a model of clarity, wit and elegance: he argued
      consistently for precision in thought and expression, for logic in clinical
      thinking, and for evidence in treatment. 

PMID- 26497239
TI  - Catatonia in the History of Psychiatry: Construction and Deconstruction of a
      Disease Concept.
AB  - Catatonia is a psychomotor disorder that has gone through numerous descriptions
      since 1874, reflecting the many changes in psychiatric disease conceptualization
      that have occurred within that time frame. Catatonia has been variously described
      as a distinct disease entity, as a part of schizophrenia, and as a nonspecific
      manifestation of many disorders. Because of its association with schizophrenia,
      the description of catatonia was particularly affected by the
      psychopharmacological era, beginning in the 1950s, and by the development of the
      Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Changing trends in
      psychiatric research--especially the brain-based disease model, research methods
      favoured by the evidence-based medicine movement, and the codes and categories of
      the DSM--also profoundly influenced the evolving concept of catatonia. This paper
      discusses these important factors that affected recognition, treatment, and study
      of catatonia in order to reveal the biases and assumptions made when constructing
      a disease concept.

PMID- 26497240
TI  - Marino Ortolani: "Does That Baby's Hip Go Click?".
AB  - Marino Ortolani (1904-1983), a pediatrician from Ferrara, in northeastern Italy,
      was an outstanding pioneer in the early diagnosis and treatment of hip dysplasia.
      In 1935, while examining hip abduction-adduction in a six-month-old baby,
      Ortolani noted that a clearly audible and palpable "click" was sufficient to
      reveal congenital pre-dislocation of the hip, a condition he confirmed by an X
      ray of the pelvis. This discovery suggested that the sound alone could be used
      for early diagnosis and treatment of the condition. Ortolani's test is now a
      widespread diagnostic technique, described in all pediatric and orthopedic
      textbooks. To confirm his conjecture, Ortolani dissected many hip specimens in
      very young babies who had died of unrelated causes. He also collected excellent
      specimens of congenital hip pathology in fetuses at all stages of intrauterine
      development, proving that hip dysplasia may already occur in utero. After his
      death, his entire collection was donated to the Institute of Anatomy of the
      University of Padua, where it is now exhibited in a special showcase. This
      collection, very impressive for both the number and high anatomical quality of
      its specimens, is famous worldwide because it demonstrates the etiopathology of
      hip dysplasia so clearly. 

PMID- 26497241
TI  - Hope Less: How a Healthy Dose of Realism Can Help in the ICU.
AB  - The author's father died recently after a sudden heart attack. This essay
      discusses how the family's experiences in the cardiac intensive care unit
      surprised her, even though she is a member of the Ethics Committee and the Ethics
      Consult Team at her local hospital, and how this led her to reconsider the ways
      in which families and hospital physicians communicate about the process of dying.
      How should doctors balance their messages of hope and realism when the situation
      is grim? Important judgment calls needed to be made, yet the family did not fully
      understand what they needed to know to make good decisions, especially the
      importance of the timing of their decisions. A conversation early on about what
      would happen if the patient became physically stable--no matter how impaired-
      while all options remained on the table might usefully (and mercifully) transform
      hope at the end.

PMID- 26497242
TI  - Responses from Palliative Care: Hope Is Like Water.

PMID- 26497243
TI  - Response: Hope Is in the Eye of the Beholder.

PMID- 26497245
TI  - The tryptophan metabolite picolinic acid suppresses proliferation and metabolic
      activity of CD4+ T cells and inhibits c-Myc activation.
AB  - Tryptophan metabolites, including kynurenine, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, and
      picolinic acid, are key mediators of immunosuppression by cells expressing the
      tryptophan-catabolizing enzyme indoleamine2,3-dioxygenase. In this study, we
      assessed the influence of picolinic acid on cell viability and effector functions
      of CD4(+)T cells following in vitro activation with agonistic anti-CD3/anti-CD28
      antibodies. In contrast to kynurenine and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, exposure of
      T cells with picolinic acid did not affect cell viability, whereas proliferation
      and metabolic activity were suppressed in a dose-dependent manner. On the other
      hand, cytokine secretion and up-regulation of cell surface activation markers
      were not or only weakly inhibited by picolinic acid. Picolinic acid exposure
      induced a state of deep anergy that could not be overcome by the addition of
      exogenous IL-2 and inhibited Th cell polarization. On the molecular level,
      important upstream signaling molecules, such as the MAPKs ERK and p38 and the
      mammalian target of rapamycin target protein S6 ribosomal protein, were not
      affected by picolinic acid. Likewise, NFAT, NF-kappaB, and AP-1 promoter activity
      in Jurkat T cells was not influenced by exposure to picolinic acid. Whereas
      transcriptional levels of v-myc avian myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog
      were not affected by picolinic acid, phosphorylation at Ser62 was strongly
      reduced in picolinic acid-exposed T cells following activation. In conclusion,
      picolinic acid mediates a unique immunosuppressive program in T cells, mainly
      inhibiting cell cycle and metabolic activity, while leaving other effector
      functions intact. These functional features are accompanied by reduced
      phosphorylation of v-myc avian myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog. It
      remains to be determined whether this effect is mediated by direct inhibition of
      ERK activity or whether indirect mechanisms apply. 

PMID- 26497244
TI  - Recombinant HE4 protein promotes proliferation of pancreatic and endometrial
      cancer cell lines.
AB  - Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the most deadly malignancies, and endometrial
      cancer represents the most common gynecologic cancer in the USA. Better
      understanding on the pathologic mechanisms and pathways is required for effective
      treatment of these malignancies. Recently, human epididymis protein 4 (HE4 or
      WFDC2), a secretory glycoprotein, was found to be overexpressed in pancreatic and
      endometrial cancers. In addition, studies have shown that HE4 overexpression in
      endometrial cancer cell lines led to faster cancer progression in a mouse
      subcutaneous model. These findings raise a question on the role(s) of secretory,
      extracellular HE4 in cancer development. In the present study, we found that
      treatment of pancreatic and endometrial cancer cell lines with purified,
      extracellular HE4 protein led to a significant increase in cell viability and
      proliferation. Moreover, extracellular HE4 protein was able to increase DNA
      synthesis, and modulate the mRNA and protein levels of cell cycle marker PCNA and
      cell cycle inhibitor p21. These effects appeared to be robust and sustainable and
      required a relatively low concentration of HE4 protein. The findings indicated
      the secreted, extracellular HE4 may carry some physiopathological functions. Via
      paracrine/endocrine actions, circulatory HE4 produced by malignant cells may
      contribute to pancreatic and endometrial cancer progression and/or metastasis.

PMID- 26497247
TI  - Lack of support for relation between woman's masculinity preference, estradiol
      level and mating context.
AB  - It has been proposed that women's preferences for male facial sexual dimorphism
      are positively correlated with conception probability and differ between short-
      and long-term mating contexts. In this study, we tested this assumption by
      analyzing relationships between estradiol levels to the women's preferences of
      male faces that were manipulated to vary in masculinity. Estradiol was measured
      in daily saliva samples throughout the entire menstrual cycle collected by Polish
      women with regular menstrual cycles. In our analyses, we included the three most
      commonly used definitions of the fertile window in the literature. After
      computing the overall masculinity preference of each participant and measuring
      hormone levels, we found that i) the timing of ovulation varied greatly among
      women (between -11 and -17days from the onset of the next menses, counting
      backwards), ii) there was no relationship between daily, measured during the day
      of the test (N=83) or average for the cycle (N=115) estradiol levels and
      masculinity preferences, iii) there were no differences in masculinity
      preferences between women in low- and high-conception probability phases of the
      cycle, and iv) there were no differences in masculinity preferences between short
      and long-term mating contexts. Our results do not support the idea that women's
      preferences for a potential sexual partner's facial masculinity fluctuate
      throughout the cycle. 

PMID- 26497246
TI  - Asparagine deprivation mediated by Salmonella asparaginase causes suppression of
      activation-induced T cell metabolic reprogramming.
AB  - Salmonellae are pathogenic bacteria that induce immunosuppression by mechanisms
      that remain largely unknown. Previously, we showed that a putative type II l
      asparaginase produced by Salmonella Typhimurium inhibits T cell responses and
      mediates virulence in a murine model of infection. Here, we report that this
      putative L-asparaginase exhibits L-asparagine hydrolase activity required for
      Salmonella Typhimurium to inhibit T cells. We show that L-asparagine is a
      nutrient important for T cell activation and that L-asparagine deprivation, such
      as that mediated by the Salmonella Typhimurium L-asparaginase, causes suppression
      of activation-induced mammalian target of rapamycin signaling, autophagy, Myc
      expression, and L-lactate secretion. We also show that L-asparagine deprivation
      mediated by the Salmonella Typhimurium L-asparaginase causes suppression of
      cellular processes and pathways involved in protein synthesis, metabolism, and
      immune response. Our results advance knowledge of a mechanism used by Salmonella
      Typhimurium to inhibit T cell responses and mediate virulence, and provide new
      insights into the prerequisites of T cell activation. We propose a model in which
      l-asparagine deprivation inhibits T cell exit from quiescence by causing
      suppression of activation-induced metabolic reprogramming.

PMID- 26497248
TI  - The type-1 cannabinoid receptor modulates the hydroelectrolytic balance
      independently of the energy homeostasis during salt load.
AB  - Hydroelectrolytic imbalances, such as saline load (SL), trigger behavioral and
      neuroendocrine responses, such as thirst, hypophagia, vasopressin (AVP) and
      oxytocin (OT) release and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation.
      To investigate the participation of the type-1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) in
      these homeostatic mechanisms,male adult Wistar rats were subjected to SL
      (0.3MNaCl) for four days. SL induced not only increases in the water intake and
      plasma levels of AVP, OT and corticosterone, as previously described, but also
      increases in CB1R expression in the lamina terminalis, which integrates sensory
      afferents, aswell as in the hypothalamus, the main integrative and effector area
      controlling hydroelectrolytic homeostasis. A more detailed analysis revealed that
      CB1R-positive terminals are in close apposition with not only axons but also
      dendrites and secretory granules of magnocellular neurons, particularly
      vasopressinergic cells. In satiated and euhydrated animals, the
      intracerebroventricular administration of the CB1R selective agonist ACEA (0.1
      MUg/5 MUL) promoted hyperphagia, but this treatment did not reverse the
      hyperosmolality-induced hypophagia in the SL group. Furthermore, ACEA
      pretreatment potentiated water intake in the SL animals during rehydration as
      well as enhanced the corticosterone release and prevented the increase in AVP and
      OT secretion induced by SL. The same parameters were not changed by ACEA in the
      animals whose daily food intake was matched to that of the SL group (Pair-Fed).
      These data indicate that CB1Rs modulate the hydroelectrolytic balance
      independently of the food intake during sustained hyperosmolality and
      hypovolemia.

PMID- 26497249
TI  - Luteinizing hormone downregulation but not estrogen replacement improves
      ovariectomy-associated cognition and spine density loss independently of
      treatment onset timing.
AB  - Age-related changes in reproductive hormone levels are a well-known risk factor
      for the development of cognitive dysfunction and dementia in women. We and others
      have shown an important contribution of gonadotropins in this process. Lowering
      serum gonadotropin levels is able to rescue cognitive function in Alzheimer's
      disease and menopause models, but whether this is time-dependent and the exact
      mechanism through which gonadotropins regulate cognitive function is unknown. We
      show that pharmacologically lowering serum levels of luteinizing hormone lead to
      cognitive improvement immediately after ovariectomy and with a 4month interval
      after ovariectomy, when the benefits of 17beta-estradiol are known to disappear
      in rodents. Importantly, we show that these improvements are associated with
      spine density changes at both time points. These findings suggest a role of
      luteinizing hormone in learning and memory and neuroplasticity processes as well
      as provide an alternative therapeutic strategy of menopause associated cognitive
      loss. 

PMID- 26497250
TI  - Long-term continuous allopregnanolone elevation causes memory decline and
      hippocampus shrinkage, in female wild-type B6 mice.
AB  - Chronic stress in various forms increases the risk for cognitive dysfunction,
      dementia and Alzheimer's disease. While the pathogenesis behind these findings is
      unknown, growing evidence suggests that chronic increase in neurosteroid levels,
      such as allopregnanolone, is part of the mechanism. We treated wild-type C57BL/6J
      mice with allopregnanolone for 5months, using osmotic pumps. This treatment led
      to moderately increased levels of allopregnanolone, equivalent to that of mild
      chronic stress. After an interval of no treatment for 1month, female mice showed
      impaired learning and memory function in the Morris water maze (MWM) in
      combination with diminished hippocampus weight and increased cerebellum weight,
      both correlating to MWM performance. Male mice showed a minor reduction in memory
      function and no differences in brain structure. We conclude that chronic
      allopregnanolone elevation can lead to cognitive dysfunction and negative brain
      alterations. We suggest that allopregnanolone could play a key role in the
      pathogenesis of stress-induced cognitive disturbances and perhaps dementia. 

PMID- 26497251
TI  - [Aggressive fibromatosis of the neck].

PMID- 26497252
TI  - Evolution of metabolic disorder in rats fed high sucrose or high fat diet: Focus
      on redox state and mitochondrial function.
AB  - Glucotoxicity and lipotoxicity are major hallmarks of metabolic disorder. High
      consumption of fat or carbohydrate rich food is a major risk of metabolic
      disorder. However, the evolution of high fat or high carbohydrate diet-induced
      metabolic disorder is not clear. In the study, we tried to find distinguished and
      common ways involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance induced by high
      fat (HF) and high sucrose (HS) diet. We found that HS diet induced mild glucose
      intolerance (2month), followed by a "temporary non-symptom phase" (3month), and
      then induced significant metabolic abnormality (4month). HF diet induced an early
      "responsive enhancement phase" (2month), and then gradually caused severe
      metabolic dysfunction (3-4month). After a mild induction of mitochondrial ROS
      generation (2month), HS diet resulted in a "temporary non-symptom phase"
      (3month), and then induced a more significant mitochondrial ROS production
      (4month). The impairment of mitochondrial function induced by HS diet was
      progressive (2-4month). HF diet induced gradual mitochondrial ROS generation and
      hyperpolarization. HF diet induced an early "responsive enhancement" of
      mitochondrial function (2month), and then gradually resulted in severe decrease
      of mitochondrial function (3-4month). Despite the patterns of HS and HF diet
      induced insulin resistance were differential, final mitochondrial ROS generation
      combined with mitochondrial dysfunction may be the common pathway. These findings
      demonstrate a novel understanding of the mechanism of insulin resistance and
      highlight the pivotal role of mitochondrial ROS generation and mitochondrial
      dysfunction in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorder.

PMID- 26497253
TI  - Genes and associated peptides involved with aestivation in a land snail.
AB  - Some animals can undergo a remarkable transition from active normal life to a
      dormant state called aestivation; entry into this hypometabolic state ensures
      that life continues even during long periods of environmental hardship. In this
      study, we aimed to identify those central nervous system (CNS) peptides that may
      regulate metabolic suppression leading to aestivation in land snails. Mass
      spectral-based neuropeptidome analysis of the CNS comparing active and
      aestivating states, revealed 19 differentially produced peptides; 2 were
      upregulated in active animals and 17 were upregulated in aestivated animals. Of
      those, the buccalin neuropeptide was further investigated since there is existing
      evidence in molluscs that buccalin modulates physiology by muscle contraction.
      The Theba pisana CNS contains two buccalin transcripts that encode precursor
      proteins that are capable of releasing numerous buccalin peptides. Of these, Tpi
      buccalin-2 is most highly expressed within our CNS transcriptome derived from
      multiple metabolic states. No significant difference was observed at the level of
      gene expression levels for Tpi-buccalin-2 between active and aestivated animals,
      suggesting that regulation may reside at the level of post-translational control
      of peptide abundance. Spatial gene and peptide expression analysis of aestivated
      snail CNS demonstrated that buccalin-2 has widespread distribution within regions
      that control several physiological roles. In conclusion, we provide the first
      detailed molecular analysis of the peptides and associated genes that are related
      to hypometabolism in a gastropod snail known to undergo extended periods of
      aestivation.

PMID- 26497254
TI  - Multi-layer Flow-modulating Stents for Thoraco-abdominal and Peri-renal
      Aneurysms: The UK Pilot Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There remains a population of patients with aortic aneurysms that
      cannot be treated by conventional endovascular means. Multi-layer flow modulating
      stents (MFMS) are a novel approach for the treatment of aortic aneurysm; this
      study reports outcomes of a UK pilot study of first-generation MFMS in thoraco
      abdominal (TAAA) and perirenal aneurysms (PAA) in patients who were also unfit
      for open surgery. METHODS: Patients with TAAA and PAA unfit for open surgery and
      with no conventional options for endovascular repair were recruited. Follow-up
      included CTA at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, then annually. Outcome measures included
      30 day mortality, growth-free survival, branch vessel patency, complications, re
      intervention, and maximal aortic diameter. RESULTS: MFMS were implanted in 14
      patients (6 PAA, 8 TAAA) between October 2011 and March 2014 with one (7%) 30 day
      death and 11 (79%) surviving to 12 months. The median aneurysm growth was 9 mm in
      the first 12 months following implantation. On mean follow-up of 22.8 months,
      seven (50%) patients had died including one confirmed rupture. AAA diameter
      remained stable in only two of the surviving patients. Fifty of 51 covered aortic
      branches remained patent with no embolic episodes or symptoms of ischaemia in any
      patient. MFMS dislocation occurred in four patients, leading to re-intervention
      in two. A total of six re-interventions were performed in five patients (35%)
      with one post-re-intervention death. CONCLUSION: These first-generation MFMS were
      unstable and dislocated frequently. It is uncertain whether MFMS implantation
      influenced the natural history of these aneurysms as none decreased in size, but
      two remain stable after a mean of 22.8 months. Although side branch patency was
      maintained, our results do not support the continued use of these first
      generation devices. Further development is needed if this technology is to have a
      role in treatment of aortic aneurysm.

PMID- 26497255
TI  - Management of Aortic Sac Enlargement Following Successful EVAR in a Frail
      Patient.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An enlarging aneurysm after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR)
      without clear endoleak is a clinical challenge. Management of this problem is
      guided by the current evidence for adequate EVAR follow up and recommended
      thresholds for re-intervention. In a frail patient, careful risk assessment of
      aneurysm related mortality against the risks associated with examinations and
      interventions is required. METHODS: The literature was reviewed for imaging
      modalities for EVAR follow up and their advantages and disadvantages. The current
      evidence and guideline recommendations regarding follow up and re-intervention
      after EVAR were assessed in relation to the presented case. RESULTS: To detect
      sac expansion after EVAR, repeated examinations with the same imaging modality
      are needed. Verified expansion must be above the inter-observer variation of the
      method used. Although duplex ultrasound is an excellent modality for EVAR follow
      up, the finding of a significant expansion on duplex requires further
      examination, primarily with computed tomography angiography to assess sealing,
      stent graft integrity, and presence of endoleak. A frail patient should be
      assessed thoroughly before any kind of surgical intervention, the extent of which
      is related to the identified or suspected cause of expansion. CONCLUSION: Failure
      to totally exclude the aneurysm from continuing circulation, pressure and
      endoleak remains a potential shortcoming of EVAR. Significant sac expansion is an
      indication of EVAR failure. Decisions regarding further examinations or
      intervention are guided by the stability of the initial EVAR performed, the cause
      and extent of expansion, and the patient's comorbidities.

PMID- 26497256
TI  - Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) collected
      from Central Adriatic Sea.
AB  - One-hundred and thirty-four samples of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis)
      collected along Central Adriatic Sea in 2013 were examined to determine the
      levels of fifteen congeners of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The
      purified samples were analysed by gas-chromatography coupled to tandem mass
      spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) applying the isotopic dilution. Only four congeners (PBDE
      47, PBDE 99, PBDE 49 and PBDE 100) were present above the established limits of
      quantification with mean concentrations equal to 73, 30, 19 and 18 pg g(-1),
      respectively. The concentrations of PBDEs (sum) ranged from 27 to 386 pg g(-1),
      with the highest levels around the coastal area of Ancona town. The here found
      levels were comparable to those measured in mussels collected along Southern
      Adriatic Sea.

PMID- 26497257
TI  - Sampling frequency of ciliated protozoan microfauna for seasonal distribution
      research in marine ecosystems.
AB  - Sampling frequency is important to obtain sufficient information for temporal
      research of microfauna. To determine an optimal strategy for exploring the
      seasonal variation in ciliated protozoa, a dataset from the Yellow Sea, northern
      China was studied. Samples were collected with 24 (biweekly), 12 (monthly), 8
      (bimonthly per season) and 4 (seasonally) sampling events. Compared to the 24
      samplings (100%), the 12-, 8- and 4-samplings recovered 94%, 94%, and 78% of the
      total species, respectively. To reveal the seasonal distribution, the 8-sampling
      regime may result in >75% information of the seasonal variance, while the
      traditional 4-sampling may only explain <65% of the total variance. With the
      increase of the sampling frequency, the biotic data showed stronger correlations
      with seasonal variables (e.g., temperature, salinity) in combination with
      nutrients. It is suggested that the 8-sampling events per year may be an optimal
      sampling strategy for ciliated protozoan seasonal research in marine ecosystems. 

PMID- 26497258
TI  - Synergistic Combination Chemotherapy of Camptothecin and Floxuridine through Self
      Assembly of Amphiphilic Drug-Drug Conjugate.
AB  - Combination chemotherapy has been widely applied in cancer treatment; however,
      the cocktail administration of combination chemotherapy could cause the
      nonuniform biodistribution of anticancer agents, thus impairing the therapeutic
      efficacy. In the present study, to address this concern, we proposed a novel
      strategy of preparing self-assembled nanoparticles from amphiphilic drug-drug
      conjugate for synergistic combination chemotherapy. The conjugate was synthesized
      by two-step esterification of hydrophobic camptothecin (CPT) and hydrophilic
      floxuridine (FUDR) through a linker compound. Because of its amphiphilic nature,
      the CPT-FUDR conjugate self-assembled into stable nanoparticles which could
      simultaneously release fixed dosage of the two drugs in cancer cells. In vitro
      studies demonstrated synergistic anticancer efficacy of the CPT-FUDR
      nanoparticles including improved cell apoptosis, varied cell cycle arrest, as
      well as effective inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. 

PMID- 26497259
TI  - Impact of Early-Life Exposures on Immune Maturation and Susceptibility to
      Disease.
AB  - Exiting from the largely sterile environment of the womb, the neonatal immune
      system is not fully mature, and thus neonatal immune cells must simultaneously
      mount responses against environmental stimuli while maturing. This dynamic
      process of immune maturation is driven by a variety of cell-intrinsic and
      extrinsic factors. Recent studies have focused on some of these factors and have
      shed light on the mechanisms by which they drive immune maturation. We review the
      interactions and consequences of immune maturation during the pre- and perinatal
      period. We discuss environmental signals in early life that are needed for
      healthy immune homeostasis, and highlight detrimental factors that can set an
      individual on a path towards disease. This early-life period of immune maturation
      could hold the key to strategies for setting individuals on trajectories towards
      health and reduced disease susceptibility. 

PMID- 26497261
TI  - Prevalence, Patterns, and Predictors of Yoga Use: Results of a U.S. Nationally
      Representative Survey.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence,
      patterns, and predictors of yoga use in the U.S. general population. METHODS:
      Using cross-sectional data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey Family
      Core, Sample Adult Core, and Adult Complementary and Alternative Medicine
      questionnaires (N=34,525), weighted frequencies for lifetime and 12-month
      prevalence of yoga use and patterns of yoga practice were analyzed. Using
      logistic regression analyses, sociodemographic predictors of lifetime yoga use
      were analyzed. Analyses were conducted in 2015. RESULTS: Lifetime and 12-month
      prevalence of yoga use were 13.2% and 8.9%, respectively. Compared with
      nonpractitioners, lifetime yoga practitioners were more likely female, younger,
      non-Hispanic white, college educated, higher earners, living in the West, and of
      better health status. Among those who had practiced in the past 12 months, 51.2%
      attended yoga classes, 89.9% used breathing exercises, and 54.9% used meditation.
      Yoga was practiced for general wellness or disease prevention (78.4%), to improve
      energy (66.1%), or to improve immune function (49.7%). Back pain (19.7%), stress
      (6.4%), and arthritis (6.4%) were the main specific health problems for which
      people practiced yoga. CONCLUSIONS: About 31 million U.S. adults have ever used
      yoga, and about 21 million practiced yoga in the past 12 months. Disease
      prevention and back pain relief were the most important health reasons for yoga
      practice. Yoga practice is associated with age, gender, ethnicity, SES, and
      health status.

PMID- 26497260
TI  - Hirsutella sinensis mycelium attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary inflammation
      and fibrosis in vivo.
AB  - Hirsutella sinensis mycelium (HSM), the anamorph of Cordyceps sinensis, is a
      traditional Chinese medicine that has been shown to possess various
      pharmacological properties. We previously reported that this fungus suppresses
      interleukin-1beta and IL-18 secretion by inhibiting both canonical and non
      canonical inflammasomes in human macrophages. However, whether HSM may be used to
      prevent lung fibrosis and the mechanism underlying this activity remain unclear.
      Our results show that pretreatment with HSM inhibits TGF-beta1-induced expression
      of fibronectin and alpha-SMA in lung fibroblasts. HSM also restores superoxide
      dismutase expression in TGF-beta1-treated lung fibroblasts and inhibits reactive
      oxygen species production in lung epithelial cells. Furthermore, HSM pretreatment
      markedly reduces bleomycin-induced lung injury and fibrosis in mice. Accordingly,
      HSM reduces inflammatory cell accumulation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and
      proinflammatory cytokines levels in lung tissues. The HSM extract also
      significantly reduces TGF-beta1 in lung tissues, and this effect is accompanied
      by decreased collagen 3alpha1 and alpha-SMA levels. Moreover, HSM reduces
      expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome and P2X7R in lung tissues, whereas it
      enhances expression of superoxide dismutase. These findings suggest that HSM may
      be used for the treatment of pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. 

PMID- 26497262
TI  - Walmart and Other Food Retail Chains: Trends and Disparities in the Nutritional
      Profile of Packaged Food Purchases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Proliferation of food retail chains has created an environment in
      which a few food retailers account for the majority of U.S. packaged food
      purchases (PFPs). Despite the major potential for these food retail chains (FRCs)
      to impact what U.S. consumers buy and eat, little is known about the nutritional
      profile of PFPs from these retailers, particularly PFPs from Walmart, the largest
      U.S. grocer. METHODS: A data set of household PFPs from Nielsen Homescan was
      linked to data from the Nutrition Facts Panel (N=164,315), analyzed in 2014.
      Fixed effects models and inverse probability weights accounting for selectivity
      of shopping at a retailer were used to examine shifts in nutrient densities and
      key food groups purchased at Walmart and other FRCs from 2000 to 2013, and
      whether these changes differed for low-income or racial/ethnic-minority
      households. RESULTS: There were substantial declines in energy (-73 kcal/100 g);
      total sugar (-8 g/100 g); and sodium density (-33 mg/100 g) of Walmart PFPs,
      coupled with decreases in percentage volume purchased from sweets (-11%); grain
      based desserts (-2%); and savory snacks (-3%) and increases in fruits (+3%) and
      vegetables (+1%). PFPs from other FRCs had a more favorable nutritional profile
      than Walmart PFPs in 2000, but demonstrated smaller shifts over time. Disparities
      in the nutritional profile of Walmart PFPs by race/ethnicity but not by income
      level shrank over time. CONCLUSIONS: The nutritional profile of Walmart purchases
      has improved over time and in 2013 was similar to PFPs from other FRCs.

PMID- 26497263
TI  - Healthcare Stereotype Threat in Older Adults in the Health and Retirement Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Healthcare stereotype threat is the threat of being personally
      reduced to group stereotypes that commonly operate within the healthcare domain,
      including stereotypes regarding unhealthy lifestyles and inferior intelligence.
      The objective of this study was to assess the extent to which people fear being
      judged in healthcare contexts on several characteristics, including
      race/ethnicity and age, and to test predictions that experience of such threats
      would be connected with poorer health and negative perceptions of health care.
      METHODS: Data were collected as part of the 2012 Health and Retirement Study
      (HRS). A module on healthcare stereotype threat, designed by the research team,
      was administered to a random subset (n=2,048 of the total 20,555) of HRS
      participants. The final sample for the present healthcare stereotype threat
      experiment consists of 1,479 individuals. Logistic regression was used to test
      whether healthcare stereotype threat was associated with self-rated health,
      reported hypertension, and depressive symptoms, as well as with healthcare
      related outcomes, including physician distrust, dissatisfaction with health care,
      and preventative care use. RESULTS: Seventeen percent of respondents reported
      healthcare stereotype threat with respect to one or more aspects of their
      identities. As predicted, healthcare stereotype threat was associated with higher
      physician distrust and dissatisfaction with health care, poorer mental and
      physical health (i.e., self-rated health, hypertension, and depressive symptoms),
      and lower odds of receiving the influenza vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: The first of its
      kind, this study demonstrates that people can experience healthcare stereotype
      threat on the basis of various stigmatized aspects of social identity, and that
      these experiences can be linked with larger health and healthcare-related
      outcomes, thereby contributing to disparities among minority groups.

PMID- 26497265
TI  - Enhanced Dispersion of TiO2 Nanoparticles in a TiO2/PEDOT:PSS Hybrid
      Nanocomposite via Plasma-Liquid Interactions.
AB  - A facile method to synthesize a TiO2/PEDOT:PSS hybrid nanocomposite material in
      aqueous solution through direct current (DC) plasma processing at atmospheric
      pressure and room temperature has been demonstrated. The dispersion of the TiO2
      nanoparticles is enhanced and TiO2/polymer hybrid nanoparticles with a distinct
      core shell structure have been obtained. Increased electrical conductivity was
      observed for the plasma treated TiO2/PEDOT:PSS nanocomposite. The improvement in
      nanocomposite properties is due to the enhanced dispersion and stability in
      liquid polymer of microplasma treated TiO2 nanoparticles. Both plasma induced
      surface charge and nanoparticle surface termination with specific plasma chemical
      species are proposed to provide an enhanced barrier to nanoparticle agglomeration
      and promote nanoparticle-polymer binding. 

PMID- 26497264
TI  - Receipt of Preventive Services After Oregon's Randomized Medicaid Experiment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It is predicted that gaining health insurance via the Affordable
      Care Act will result in increased rates of preventive health services receipt in
      the U.S., primarily based on self-reported findings from previous health
      insurance expansion studies. This study examined the long-term (36-month) impact
      of Oregon's 2008 randomized Medicaid expansion ("Oregon Experiment") on receipt
      of 12 preventive care services in community health centers using electronic
      health record data. METHODS: Demographic data from adult (aged 19-64 years)
      Oregon Experiment participants were probabilistically matched to electronic
      health record data from 49 Oregon community health centers within the OCHIN
      community health information network (N=10,643). Intent-to-treat analyses
      compared receipt of preventive services over a 36-month (2008-2011) period among
      those randomly assigned to apply for Medicaid versus not assigned, and
      instrumental variable analyses estimated the effect of actually gaining Medicaid
      coverage on preventive services receipt (data collected in 2012-2014; analysis
      performed in 2014-2015). RESULTS: Intent-to-treat analyses revealed statistically
      significant differences between patients randomly assigned to apply for Medicaid
      (versus not assigned) for 8 of 12 assessed preventive services. In intent-to
      treat analyses, Medicaid coverage significantly increased the odds of receipt of
      most preventive services (ORs ranging from 1.04 [95% CI=1.02, 1.06] for smoking
      assessment to 1.27 [95% CI=1.02, 1.57] for mammography). CONCLUSIONS: Rates of
      preventive services receipt will likely increase as community health center
      patients gain insurance through Affordable Care Act expansions. Continued effort
      is needed to increase health insurance coverage in an effort to decrease health
      disparities in vulnerable populations.

PMID- 26497266
TI  - Preschoolers' brains rely on semantic cues prior to the mastery of syntax during
      sentence comprehension.
AB  - Sentence comprehension requires the integration of both syntactic and semantic
      information, the acquisition of which seems to have different trajectories in the
      developing brain. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined the
      neural correlates underlying syntactic and semantic processing during auditory
      sentence comprehension as well as its development in preschool children by
      manipulating case marking and animacy hierarchy cues, respectively. A functional
      segregation was observed within Broca's area in the left inferior frontal gyrus
      for adults, where the pars opercularis was involved in syntactic processing and
      the pars triangularis in semantic processing. By contrast, five-year-old children
      sensitive to animacy hierarchy cues showed diffuse activation for semantic
      processing in the left inferior frontal and posterior temporal cortices. While no
      main effect of case marking was found in the left fronto-temporal language
      network, children with better syntactic skills showed greater neural responses
      for syntactically complex sentences, most prominently in the posterior superior
      temporal cortex. The current study provides both behavioral and neural evidence
      that five-year-old children compared to adults rely more on semantic information
      than on syntactic cues during sentence comprehension, but with the development of
      syntactic abilities, their brain activation in the left fronto-temporal network
      increases for syntactic processing. 

PMID- 26497267
TI  - Optimized parallel transmit and receive radiofrequency coil for ultrahigh-field
      MRI of monkeys.
AB  - Monkeys are a valuable model for investigating the structure and function of the
      brain. To attain the requisite resolution to resolve fine anatomical detail and
      map localized brain activation requires radiofrequency (RF) coils that produce
      high signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) both spatially (image SNR) and temporally.
      Increasing the strength of the static magnetic field is an effective method to
      improve SNR, yet this comes with commensurate challenges in RF coil design.
      First, at ultrahigh field strengths, the magnetic field produced by a surface
      coil in a dielectric medium is asymmetric. In neuroimaging of rhesus macaques,
      this complex field pattern is compounded by the heterogeneous structure of the
      head. The confluence of these effects results in a non-uniform flip angle, but
      more markedly, a suboptimal circularly polarized mode with reduced transmit
      efficiency. Secondly, susceptibility-induced geometric distortions are
      exacerbated when performing echo-planar imaging (EPI), which is a standard
      technique in functional studies. This requires receive coils capable of parallel
      imaging with low noise amplification during image reconstruction. To address
      these challenges at 7T, this study presents a parallel (8-channel) transmit coil
      developed for monkey imaging, along with a highly parallel (24-channel) receive
      coil. RF shimming with the parallel-transmit coil produced significant advantages
      the transmit field was 38% more uniform than a traditional circularly polarized
      mode and 54% more power-efficient, demonstrating that parallel-transmit coils
      should be used for monkey imaging at ultrahigh field strengths. The receive coil
      had the ability to accelerate along an arbitrary axis with at least a three-fold
      reduction factor, thereby reducing geometric distortions in whole-brain EPI.

PMID- 26497269
TI  - [Harvesting technique of chimeric multiple paddles fibular flap for wide
      oromandibular defects].
AB  - Carcinological head and neck reconstruction still remains a challenge due to the
      volume and varied tissues needed. Large and wide oromandibular defects require,
      not just the bone but also soft tissues for the pelvilingual reconstruction and
      therefore, a second free flap may become necessary in addition to a fibular flap.
      The option of an unique chimeric flap based on the fibular artery and its
      branches is less known whereas it offers the advantage of a unique flap with
      bone, muscle and multiple skin paddles, independent of each other. The aim of
      this technical note is to present step by step the surgical procedure of this
      chimeric flap and share this method that avoids a second free flap. 

PMID- 26497268
TI  - Randomised prior feedback modulates neural signals of outcome monitoring.
AB  - Substantial evidence indicates that decision outcomes are typically evaluated
      relative to expectations learned from relatively long sequences of previous
      outcomes. This mechanism is thought to play a key role in general learning and
      adaptation processes but relatively little is known about the determinants of
      outcome evaluation when the capacity to learn from series of prior events is
      difficult or impossible. To investigate this issue, we examined how the feedback
      related negativity (FRN) is modulated by information briefly presented before
      outcome evaluation. The FRN is a brain potential time-locked to the delivery of
      decision feedback and it is widely thought to be sensitive to prior expectations.
      We conducted a multi-trial gambling task in which outcomes at each trial were
      fully randomised to minimise the capacity to learn from long sequences of prior
      outcomes. Event-related potentials for outcomes (Win/Loss) in the current trial
      (Outcomet) were separated according to the type of outcomes that occurred in the
      preceding two trials (Outcomet-1 and Outcomet-2). We found that FRN voltage was
      more positive during the processing of win feedback when it was preceded by wins
      at Outcomet-1 compared to win feedback preceded by losses at Outcomet-1. However,
      no influence of preceding outcomes was found on FRN activity relative to the
      processing of loss feedback. We also found no effects of Outcomet-2 on FRN
      amplitude relative to current feedback. Additional analyses indicated that this
      effect was largest for trials in which participants selected a decision different
      to the gamble chosen in the previous trial. These findings are inconsistent with
      models that solely relate the FRN to prediction error computation. Instead, our
      results suggest that if stable predictions about future events are weak or non
      existent, then outcome processing can be determined by affective systems. More
      specifically, our results indicate that the FRN is likely to reflect the activity
      of positive affective systems in these contexts. Importantly, our findings
      indicate that a multifactorial explanation of the nature of the FRN is necessary
      and such an account must incorporate affective and motivational factors in
      outcome processing.

PMID- 26497270
TI  - Isolation, expression analysis and characterization of NEFA-interacting nuclear
      protein 30 and RING finger and SPRY domain containing 1 in skeletal muscle.
AB  - Muscle atrophy results from a range of physiological conditions, including
      immobilization, spinal cord damage, inflammation and aging. In this study we
      describe two genes, NEFA-interacting nuclear protein 30 (Nip30) and RING Finger
      and SPRY domain containing 1 (Rspry1), which have not previously been
      characterized or shown to be expressed in skeletal muscle. Furthermore, Nip30 and
      Rspry1 were transcriptionally induced in response to neurogenic muscle wasting in
      mice and were also found to be expressed endogenously at the RNA and protein
      level in C2C12 mouse muscle cells. Interestingly, during analysis of Nip30 and
      Rspry1 it was observed that these genes share a 230 base pair common regulatory
      region that contains several putative transcription regulatory elements. In order
      to assess the transcriptional activity of the Nip30 and Rspry1 regulatory
      regions, a fragment of the promoter of each gene was cloned, fused to a reporter
      gene, and transfected into cells. The Nip30 and Rspry1 reporters were both found
      to have significant transcriptional activity in cultured cells. Furthermore, the
      Nip30-Rspry1 common regulatory region contains a conserved E-box enhancer, which
      is an element bound by myogenic regulatory factors that function in the
      regulation of muscle-specific gene expression. Therefore, in order to determine
      if the predicted E-box was functional, Nip30 and Rspry1 reporters were
      transfected into cells ectopically expressing the myogenic regulatory factor,
      MyoD1, resulting in significant induction of both reporter genes. In addition,
      mutation of the conserved E-box element eliminated MyoD1 activation of the Nip30
      and Rspry1 reporters. Finally, GFP-tagged Nip30 was found to localize to the
      nucleus, while GFP-tagged Rspry1 was found to localize to the cytoplasm of muscle
      cells. 

PMID- 26497271
TI  - Dynamics of bacterial community structure on intertidal sandflat inhabited by the
      ghost shrimp Nihonotrypaea harmandi (Decapoda: Axiidea: Callianassidae) in
      Tomioka Bay, Amakusa, Japan.
AB  - Callianassid (ghost) shrimp has been claimed as an ecosystem engineer, as it is
      one of the most powerful bioturbating macrobenthos in intertidal sandflats.
      However, our knowledge about the relationship between areal distribution of
      bottom-dwelling ghost shrimps and dynamics of sediment microbial community
      structure remains obscured. We used automated ribosomal intergenic spacer
      analysis (ARISA) to reveal the bacterial community dynamics in the sediment of
      intertidal sandflat of Tomioka Bay, Kyushu, Japan, which is predominantly
      inhabited by a burrow-dwelling callianassid shrimp Nihonotrypaea harmandi. We
      found that the bacterial community structures of high and middle shrimp
      population areas were significantly differentiated from those of low population
      area (ANOSIM, R=0.10-0.18, p<0.01), while the former two areas were statistically
      indistinguishable (ANOSIM, R=-0.015, p>0.1). These results illustrated the
      potential importance of shrimp population density as a key factor in shaping the
      bacterial community structure and interpreting their dynamics in the sandflat.
      Furthermore, greater similarity between burrow and non-burrow communities was
      found in samples taken in autumn through winter than in those in summer (one-way
      ANOVA, p<0.05), whereas the phylotype richness was not simply differentiated by
      seasons. These results suggest not only that environmental variables including
      water temperature and salinity of the water column overlying the sandflat could
      exert notable impacts on the sediment bacterial community dynamics, but that the
      bio-irrigation and mixing by the ghost shrimp in permeable sandflat would
      strongly homogenize sediment particles, enhance solute transport surrounding the
      burrow and ambient subsurface substrate, and therefore reduce spatial
      differentiation of the bacterial community structure between the two sites. A
      comparison between present and previous studies of axiidean (former taxonomic
      group name, thalassinidean) ghost shrimps provides us with a comprehensive
      understanding of the shrimps' impacts on bacterial community dynamics,
      highlighting the importance of sediment permeability, a characteristic determined
      by the type of sediment, as a key controlling factor to shape spatial
      heterogeneity of bacterial community structure around burrow.

PMID- 26497272
TI  - The history of brucellosis in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories and
      its re-emergence.
AB  - There are few publications on brucellosis within the Pacific Island Countries and
      Territories (PICTs). The reason is possibly because the cattle population has
      been reportedly free of the disease for many years until a re-emergence occurred
      in the Fiji Islands (Viti Levu) in 2009. This paper reports on the outbreak of
      brucellosis in Fiji and its progression between 2009 and 2013 in the context of
      an overview of brucellosis in the Pacific Island community. Review of the
      literature found only 28 articles with the oldest record of brucellosis being in
      1965 in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and from human cases in Tonga in 1980. The Fiji
      outbreak of Brucella abortus occurred in cattle in 2009 (Wainivesi basin) in the
      Tailevu province. Prior to the outbreak, Fiji declared freedom from B. abortus to
      OIE in 1996 after a successful eradication campaign. During the course of the
      outbreak investigation, serum samples were collected from between 9790 and 21,624
      cattle per annum between 2009 and 2013 from 87 farms on the main island of Fiji
      (Viti Levu). Blood samples were tested for brucellosis using the Rose Bengal Test
      (RBT) in 2009 and the indirect ELISA test in subsequent years. At the time of the
      outbreak in Fiji (2009) the apparent prevalence in cattle was 1.50% and this has
      fluctuated since the outbreak. The True Prevalence (TP) for the main island in
      Fiji for the indirect ELISA tests was 2.40% in 2010, reached a peak of 3.49% in
      2011 then reduced to 0.12% by 2013. The significant reduction in prevalence
      compared to 2010 is most likely due to the control programs being implemented in
      Fiji. The re-emergence of B. abortus in Fiji could be attributed to the lack of
      monitoring for the disease until 2009 combined with inadequate management of
      exposed animals, thus illustrating how important it is for authorities not to
      become complacent. Continued awareness and monitoring for brucellosis is
      essential if future outbreaks are to be avoided. 

PMID- 26497274
TI  - Protein stability - an underappreciated but critical need for drug delivery
      systems.

PMID- 26497273
TI  - Dog and cat management through sterilization: Implications for population
      dynamics and veterinary public policies.
AB  - The present study aimed to compare different sterilization scenarios allowing the
      adoption of the most adequate strategy to control owned dog and cat population
      sizes as the official veterinary public policy for animal control in an urban
      area of Campinas municipality, Brazil. To achieve this goal, the vital parameters
      of the owned pet population were measured in a neighborhood of Campinas called
      Jardim Vila Olimpia through questionnaires used in two census studies performed
      in February 2012 and June 2013. Different hypothetical sterilization scenarios
      were compared with the scenario of a single sterilization campaign performed in
      the study area between the census studies. Using a deterministic mathematical
      model, population dynamics were simulated for these different scenarios. We have
      observed that for both owned dogs and cats, the impact on the population size
      achieved by a single sterilization campaign would be diluted over the years,
      equating to the impact achieved by the usual sterilization rate practiced before
      the sterilization campaign yearly. Moreover, using local and global sensitivity
      analyses, we assessed the relative influence on animal population evolution of
      each vital parameter used in the mathematical models. The more influential
      parameters for both species were the carrying capacity of the environment and
      sterilization rates of males and females (for both species). We observed that
      even with sterilizing 100% of the intact animals annually, it would not be
      possible to obtain proportions greater than 86% and 88% of sterilized dogs and
      cats, respectively, after 20 years due to the high introduction of new intact
      animals. There is no public dog and cat sterilization service in place in the
      city, and sporadic and local sterilization campaigns are performed with a prior
      communication to the owners to bring their animals to be sterilized in a selected
      veterinary facility. If a sterilization campaign was performed annually in the
      study area, it would have the most favorable cost effectiveness ratio after 20
      years compared to the scenarios of 50% and 100% sterilization of intact animals
      annually. These results allowed the veterinary public policy stakeholders to make
      decisions based on scientific evidence to implement adequate control of dog and
      cat populations in urban areas, aiming to reduce zoonosis transmission to humans
      and other problems associated with uncontrolled animal populations. 

PMID- 26497275
TI  - Aqueous photofate of crystal violet under simulated and natural solar
      irradiation: Kinetics, products, and pathways.
AB  - In this work photodegradation rates and pathways of an illegal veterinary drug,
      crystal violet, were studied under simulated and solar irradiation with the goal
      of assessing the potential of photolysis as a removal mechanism in the aquatic
      environment. Factors influencing the photodegradation process under simulated
      sunlight were investigated, including pH, humic acid, Fe(2+), Ca(2+), [Formula:
      see text] , and [Formula: see text] , of which favorable conditions were
      optimized by the orthogonal array design. The degradation processes of crystal
      violet conformed to pseudo first-order kinetics, with different rate constants
      under different conditions. Reactive oxygen species such as hydroxyl radical,
      singlet oxygen, and superoxide anion participated in the indirect photolysis
      process, leading to much higher decolorization efficiencies than those of direct
      photolysis and hydrolysis. Contrasting to simulated irradiation, solar
      irradiation led to complete decolorization. Sixty-four products were identified
      by high resolution liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry, elucidating relatively complete mineralization
      through photolysis. Based on the analyses of the degradation products and
      calculations of the frontier electron density, transformation pathways were
      proposed as singlet oxygen addition, N-demethylation, hydroxyl addition,
      decomposition of conjugated structure, the removal of benzene ring and the ring
      opening reaction. As a result, small products generated as carboxylic acids,
      alcohols and amines, which were not likely to cause severe hazards to the
      environment. This study provided both a reference for photodegradation of crystal
      violet and future safety applications and predictions of decontamination of
      related triphenylmethane veterinary drug under environmental conditions. 

PMID- 26497276
TI  - [Medical and economic evaluation of oncological inpatients in 14 Belgian
      hospitals].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A prospective payment system per DRG is announced in Belgium. Is
      this kind of financing system adequate for oncology? Objectives of this study
      are: to analyze medical and economical characteristics of oncological inpatients
      and evaluate the homogeneity of costs and length of stay per DRG. METHODS: The
      study was realized in 14 Belgian hospitals, with 2010 data. Inpatients with
      primary diagnosis of neoplasms were selected in medical and administrative
      databases. Characteristics of patients as well as length of stay and cost
      (hospital perspective) were analyzed. The homogeneity of costs and length of stay
      is measured by calculating the coefficient of variation (standard deviation
      divided by the mean). RESULTS: The length of stay (standard deviation) is 9.72
      days (12.64). The variation is high per DRG. The average cost (standard
      deviation) is 7689.28? (10,418) and is also variable from one DRG to another one.
      There are 5% of high-length of stay outliers and 0.2% of low-length of stay
      outliers. There are 4.7% of high-cost outliers and 0.2% of low-cost outliers. The
      withdrawal of outliers improves the homogeneity of cost and length of stay per
      APR-DRG. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: There is a homogeneity of costs and length of
      stay per DRG and per severity of illness. A prospective payment system per DRG
      would probably be applicable for these patients. It is however necessary to plan
      an appropriate and additional financing of all elements susceptible to stimulate
      innovation in the management of oncology and to stimulate the quality of care by
      adding financial stimulants.

PMID- 26497277
TI  - Peroxisomal protein import pores.
AB  - Peroxisomal protein import is essentially different to the translocation of
      proteins into other organelles. The molecular mechanisms by which completely
      folded or even oligomerized proteins cross the peroxisomal membrane remain to be
      disclosed. The identification of a water-filled pore that is mainly constituted
      by Pex5 and Pex14 led to the assumption that proteins are translocated through a
      large, probably transient, protein-conducting channel. Here, we will review the
      work that led to the identification of this translocation pore. In addition, we
      will discuss the main biophysical features of the pore and compare it with other
      protein-translocation channels.

PMID- 26497278
TI  - Structural and biochemical characterization of two heme binding sites on alpha1
      microglobulin using site directed mutagenesis and molecular simulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: alpha1-Microglobulin (A1M) is a reductase and radical scavenger
      involved in physiological protection against oxidative damage. These functions
      were previously shown to be dependent upon cysteinyl-, C34, and lysyl side
      chains, K(92, 118,130). A1M binds heme and the crystal structure suggests that
      C34 and H123 participate in a heme binding site. We have investigated the
      involvement of these five residues in the interactions with heme. METHODS: Four
      A1M-variants were expressed: with cysteine to serine substitution in position 34,
      lysine to threonine substitutions in positions (92, 118, 130), histidine to
      serine substitution in position 123 and a wt without mutations. Heme binding was
      investigated by tryptophan fluorescence quenching, UV-Vis spectrophotometry,
      circular dichroism, SPR, electrophoretic migration shift, gel filtration,
      catalase-like activity and molecular simulation. RESULTS: All A1M-variants bound
      to heme. Mutations in C34, H123 or K(92, 118, 130) resulted in significant
      absorbance changes, CD spectral changes, and catalase-like activity, suggesting
      involvement of these side-groups in coordination of the heme-iron. Molecular
      simulation support a model with two heme-binding sites in A1M involving the
      mutated residues. Binding of the first heme induces allosteric stabilization of
      the structure predisposing for a better fit of the second heme. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results suggest that one heme-binding site is located in the lipocalin pocket and
      a second binding site between loops 1 and 4. Reactions with the hemes involve the
      side-groups of C34, K(92, 118, 130) and H123. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: The model
      provides a structural basis for the functional activities of A1M: heme binding
      activity of A1M.

PMID- 26497279
TI  - Validation of the flooding dose technique to determine fractional rates of
      protein synthesis in a model bivalve species, the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis
      L.).
AB  - For the first time, use of the flooding dose technique using (3)H-Phenylalanine
      is validated for measuring whole-animal and tissue-specific rates of protein
      synthesis in the blue mussel Mytilus edulis (61mm shell length; 4.0g fresh body
      mass). Following injection, the phenylalanine-specific radioactivities in the
      gill, mantle and whole-animal free pools were elevated within one hour and
      remained elevated and stable for up to 6h following injection of (3)H
      phenylalanine into the posterior adductor muscle. Incorporation of (3)H
      phenylalanine into body protein was linear over time following injection and the
      non-significant intercepts for the regressions suggested incorporation into body
      protein occurred rapidly after injection. These results validate the technique
      for measuring rates of protein synthesis in mussels. There were no differences in
      the calculated rates following 1-6h incubation in gill, mantle or whole-animal
      and fractional rates of protein synthesis from the combined time course data were
      9.5+/-0.8%d(-1) for the gill, 2.5+/-0.3%d(-1) for the mantle and 2.6+/-0.3%d(-1)
      for the whole-animal, respectively (mean values+/-SEM). The whole-animal absolute
      rate of protein synthesis was calculated as 18.9+/-0.6mg protein day(-1). The use
      of this technique in measuring one of the major components of maintenance
      metabolism and growth will provide a valuable and convenient tool in furthering
      our understanding of the protein metabolism and energetics of this keystone
      marine invertebrate and its ability to adjust and respond to fluctuations, such
      as that expected as a result of climate change. 

PMID- 26497280
TI  - Untangling a role for tau in synucleinopathies.

PMID- 26497281
TI  - Behavioral interventions produce robust beneficial biological alterations.

PMID- 26497282
TI  - APOEepsilon4 and depression: following a winding road.

PMID- 26497283
TI  - Macrocyclic prolinyl acyl guanidines as inhibitors of beta-secretase (BACE).
AB  - The synthesis, evaluation, and structure-activity relationships of a class of
      acyl guanidines which inhibit the BACE-1 enzyme are presented. The prolinyl acyl
      guanidine chemotype (7c), unlike compounds of the parent isothiazole chemotype
      (1), yielded compounds with good agreement between their enzymatic and cellular
      potency as well as a reduced susceptibility to P-gp efflux. Further improvements
      in potency and P-gp ratio were realized via a macrocyclization strategy. The in
      vivo profile in wild-type mice and P-gp effects for the macrocyclic analog 21c is
      presented. 

PMID- 26497284
TI  - Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding of unlocked nucleic acids.
AB  - We herein describe the synthesis of two new unlocked nucleic acid building blocks
      containing hypoxanthine and 2,6-diaminopurine as nucleobase moieties and their
      incorporation into oligonucleotides. The modified oligonucleotides were used to
      examine the thermodynamic properties of UNA against unmodified oligonucleotides
      and the resulting thermodynamic data support that the hydrogen bonding face of
      UNA is Watson-Crick like. 

PMID- 26497285
TI  - Synthesis and evaluation of antibacterial activity of (R)-2-methylheptyl
      isonicotinate, a putative naturally occurring bioactive agent.
AB  - A putative antibacterial and antifungal compound, (R)-2-methylheptyl
      isonicotinate, was synthesized via reductive lactone alkylation of (R)-4
      methyldihydrofuran-2(3H)-one. Structural characterisation data as well as
      bioassay results (with Bacillus subtilis or Escherichia coli) contradict those
      previously reported. 

PMID- 26497287
TI  - Hepatitis D virus and hepatitis B virus infection in Amerindian communities of
      the Amazonas state, Colombia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Colombia, cases of Hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection have been
      officially described since 1985 mainly in Amerindian population from Sierra
      Nevada de Santa Marta (North Caribbean Coast), Uraba (North West), and Amazon
      (South East). The last official report of a clinical case of HDV infection in
      Colombia was registered in 2005. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to
      identify cases of HDV and/or Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in asymptomatic
      Amerindians from Amazonas state, South East Colombia, and to describe the
      circulating viral genotypes in this population. STUDY DESIGN: The study
      population was recruited in 19 Amerindian communities in the Amazonas state.
      Individuals over 18 years old were screened by rapid test for Hepatitis B surface
      Antigen (HBsAg). Blood samples obtained from individuals positives for HBsAg in
      the rapid-test assay were analyzed for HBsAg, anti-HBc, anti-HDV IgM/IgG by
      ELISA. The detection of HBV DNA and HDV RNA was performed by PCR amplification.
      The viral genotype was determined by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis.
      RESULTS: A total of 23/861 individuals were positive for HBsAg detection by rapid
      test. Serological and/or molecular markers of HDV infection were demonstrated in
      43.5 % (10/23) of samples from Amerindians. The phylogenetic analysis
      demonstrated the exclusive circulation of HBV subgenotype F1b of and HDV 3 in
      this population. CONCLUSIONS: A high frequency of HBV/HDV infection was found in
      Amerindian population from Amazonas State, Colombia (43.5 %, 10/23). Nine cases
      were identified in a population of 861 asymptomatic Amerindian individuals; one
      symptomatic case (with diagnosis of end-stage hepatic disease) was also
      identified in the study. The circulation of HDV 3 and HBV subgenotype F1b
      suggests a constant flow of these viral genotypes as a result of the interaction
      of the Amerindian populations from Amazon basin. Further studies are necessary to
      confirm whether HBV subgenotype F1b is the prevalent in the population from South
      East region in Colombia.

PMID- 26497288
TI  - Characterization of Diastereo- and Enantioselectivity in Degradation of Synthetic
      Pyrethroids in Soils.
AB  - Permethrin (PM), cypermethrin (CP), and cyfluthrin (CF) are three important
      synthetic pyrethroids, which contain two, four, and four enantiomeric pairs
      (diastereomers) and thus have four, eight, and eight stereoisomers, respectively.
      In this study, the stereo- and enantioselective degradation of PM, CP, and CF in
      a Shijiazhuang alkaline yellow soil and a Wuhan acidic red soil were studied in
      detail by a combination of achiral and chiral high-performance liquid
      chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that PM, CP, and CF degraded faster in
      Shijiazhuang soil than in Wuhan soil, and the dissipation rate followed an order
      of PM > CF > CP in both soils. The three pyrethroids exhibited similar
      diastereomer selectivity, while CP and CF showed higher enantioselectivity than
      PM. Moreover, the trans-diastereomers degraded faster, and showed higher
      enantioselectivity than the corresponding cis-diastereomers. For PM, the
      enantiomer 1S-trans-PM degraded most rapidly in both soils. As for CP and CF, the
      highest enantioselectivity was observed for diastereomer trans-3, and the
      insecticidally active enantiomer 1R-trans-alphaS degraded fastest among the 8 CP
      or CF stereoisomers in both soils. In addition, the Wuhan acidic soil displayed
      higher diastereomer and enantiomer selectivity than the Shijiazhuang alkaline
      soil for the three pyrethroids. Further incubation of CF in an alkaline-treated
      Wuhan soil showed that the dissipation rate greatly increased and the diastereo-
      and enantioselectivity significantly decreased after the alkaline treatment
      process.

PMID- 26497286
TI  - Protein stability: computation, sequence statistics, and new experimental
      methods.
AB  - Calculating protein stability and predicting stabilizing mutations remain
      exceedingly difficult tasks, largely due to the inadequacy of potential
      functions, the difficulty of modeling entropy and the unfolded state, and
      challenges of sampling, particularly of backbone conformations. Yet,
      computational design has produced some remarkably stable proteins in recent
      years, apparently owing to near ideality in structure and sequence features. With
      caveats, computational prediction of stability can be used to guide mutation, and
      mutations derived from consensus sequence analysis, especially improved by recent
      co-variation filters, are very likely to stabilize without sacrificing function.
      The combination of computational and statistical approaches with library
      approaches, including new technologies such as deep sequencing and high
      throughput stability measurements, point to a very exciting near term future for
      stability engineering, even with difficult computational issues remaining. 

PMID- 26497290
TI  - Last issue of our 90th anniversary.

PMID- 26497289
TI  - Early deprivation and autonomic nervous system functioning in post
      institutionalized children.
AB  - The relations between early deprivation and the development of the neuroendocrine
      and central components of the mammalian stress response have been examined
      frequently. However, little is known about the impact of early deprivation on the
      developmental trajectories of autonomic function. Children adopted between 15-36
      months from institutional care were examined during their first 16 months post
      adoption (N = 60). Comparison groups included same-aged peers reared in their
      birth families (N = 50) and children adopted internationally from overseas foster
      care (N = 46). The present study examined trajectories of baseline autonomic
      nervous system function longitudinally following entry into adopted families.
      Post-institutionalized children had higher sympathetic tone, measured by pre
      ejection period (PEP). Individual differences in PEP soon after adoption served
      as a mediator between early deprivation and parent-reported behavioral problems 2
      years post-adoption. There were no group differences in parasympathetic function,
      indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia. All three groups showed similar
      trajectories of ANS function across the 16 month period.

PMID- 26497292
TI  - Refractive plasticity of the developing chick eye: a summary and update.
AB  - PURPOSE: To summarize the OPO 1992 Classic Paper: Refractive plasticity of the
      developing chick eye (12: 448-452) and discuss recent findings in refractive
      development. SUMMARY AND RECENT FINDINGS: The classic paper shows that when
      lightweight plastic goggles with rigid contact lens inserts are applied to the
      eyes of newly hatched chicks, the eye responds accurately to defocus between -10
      and +20 D, although hyperopia develops more rapidly. While the changes largely
      are due to change in axial length, high levels of hyperopia are associated with
      corneal flattening. Also, newly hatched chicks are better able to compensate for
      the induced defocus than chicks that are 9 days old. In addition, astigmatism of
      2-6 D can be produced by applying 9 D toric inducing lenses on the day of
      hatching, and the most myopic meridian coincides with the power meridian of the
      inducing lens. This astigmatism appears to be primarily due to corneal toricity.
      Furthermore, the greatest magnitude was produced when the plano meridian of the
      inducing lens was placed 45 degrees  from the line of the palpebral fissure.
      Since our publication in 1992, it has been shown that similar results can be
      produced in a variety of species, including; tree shrews, marmosets, monkeys and
      fish. Considerable effort has been spent in trying to determine what the eye
      uses, if not the brain, as the signal to the sign of the defocus. Accommodation,
      chromatic aberration, diurnal variation, astigmatism and higher order
      monochromatic aberrations have all been considered. Choroidal thinning and
      thickening play a role in myopia and hyperopia development, respectively, in
      chicks. High light levels (15,000 lux) increase the rate at which chicks
      compensate for positive lenses and decrease the compensation rate for negative
      lenses. However these light levels do not prevent the eye from fully compensating
      for either type of lens. It has also been shown that brief periods of normal
      vision prevent the development of form deprivation myopia. Finally, the
      importance of the peripheral retina in refractive development has been explored
      and lenses designed to reduce relative peripheral hyperopia have resulted in
      variable effects as far as myopia control is concerned. CONCLUSIONS: A growing
      body of evidence, from both animal models and human clinical trials indicates
      that the development of myopia is related both to genetics and environment /
      lifestyle. Nevertheless, we are far from understanding how this interaction takes
      place.

PMID- 26497293
TI  - Differences in the accommodation stimulus response curves of adult myopes and
      emmetropes: a summary and update.
AB  - PURPOSE: To provide a summary of the classic paper "Differences in the
      accommodation stimulus response curves of adult myopes and emmetropes" published
      in Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics in 1998 and to provide an update on the
      topic of accommodation errors in myopia. SUMMARY: The accommodation responses of
      33 participants (10 emmetropes, 11 early onset myopes and 12 late onset myopes)
      aged 18-31 years were measured using the Canon Autoref R-1 free space
      autorefractor using three methods to vary the accommodation demand: decreasing
      distance (4 m to 0.25 cm), negative lenses (0 to -4 D at 4 m) and positive lenses
      (+4 to 0 D at 0.25 m). We observed that the greatest accommodation errors
      occurred for the negative lens method whereas minimal errors were observed using
      positive lenses. Adult progressing myopes had greater lags of accommodation than
      stable myopes at higher demands induced by negative lenses. Progressing myopes
      had shallower response gradients than the emmetropes and stable myopes; however
      the reduced gradient was much less than that observed in children using similar
      methods. RECENT FINDINGS: This paper has been often cited as evidence that
      accommodation responses at near may be primarily reduced in adults with
      progressing myopia and not in stable myopes and/or that challenging accommodation
      stimuli (negative lenses with monocular viewing) are required to generate larger
      accommodation errors. As an analogy, animals reared with hyperopic errors develop
      axial elongation and myopia. Retinal defocus signals are presumably passed to the
      retinal pigment epithelium and choroid and then ultimately the sclera to modify
      eye length. A number of lens treatments that act to slow myopia progression may
      partially work through reducing accommodation errors.

PMID- 26497294
TI  - Clinical evaluation of the Shin-Nippon SRW-5000 autorefractor in adults: an
      update.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Shin-Nippon SRW-5000 is an open view autorefractor that superseded
      the Canon R-1 autorefractor in the mid-1990 s and has been used widely in
      optometry and vision science laboratories. It has been used to measure refractive
      error, accommodation responses both statically and dynamically, off-axis
      refractive error, and adapted to measure pupil size. This paper presents an
      overview of the original 2001 clinical evaluation of the SRW-5000 in adults
      (Mallen et al., Ophthal Physiol Opt 2001; 21: 101) and provides an update on the
      use and modification of the instrument since the original publication. RECENT
      FINDINGS: The SRW-5000 instrument, and the family of devices which followed, have
      shown excellent validity, repeatability, and utility in clinical and research
      settings. The instruments have also shown great potential for increased research
      functionality following a number of modifications. SUMMARY: The SRW-5000 and its
      derivatives have been, and continue to be, of significant importance in our drive
      to understand myopia progression, myopia control techniques, and oculomotor
      function in human vision.

PMID- 26497295
TI  - A commentary on 'Amplitude spectra of natural images'.
AB  - Tolhurst, Tadmor and Tang Chao (Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 1992; 12: 229-232)
      published their analyses of the Fourier spectra of 135 digitised monochrome
      photographs of everyday scenes. In 2015, this would be a trivial exercise, but in
      1992, this stretched emerging computer technology to its desktop limits. The
      short paper made an impact because it provided a handle for extending vision
      science beyond laboratory stimuli such as sinewave gratings into a real world of
      real visual scenes and real visual tasks.

PMID- 26497296
TI  - Is it time to confine Snellen charts to the annals of history?
AB  - PURPOSE: A paper published by the author in 1988 in this journal provided some
      important findings about the lack of precision of visual acuity (VA) measures
      made with commonly used Snellen charts and the advantages of using letter charts
      designed using the principles proposed by Bailey and Lovie in 1976. That 1988
      paper has been cited a number of times since, mostly supporting the findings. The
      purpose of this review is to examine the changes that have occurred in VA
      measurement in research and clinical practice since that earlier study. RECENT
      FINDINGS: While precise measures of VA using Bailey-Lovie or ETDRS charts are now
      commonly used in major, multi-centre research studies, it is disappointing to see
      that many research papers still report VA measured with Snellen charts and even
      use Snellen fractions, invalidly converted to logMAR notation, in parametric
      analyses of VA. Many studies have examined the test-retest variability (TRV) of
      VA measures in groups and individuals, but it is difficult to determine if
      clinicians or researchers determine patients' individual TRVs to more accurately
      detect real changes in VA for each individual. SUMMARY: This paper summarises the
      findings of the 1988 study: (1) Snellen charts and VA notations are not
      appropriate for accurate clinical and research measures of VA; (2) Charts
      employing the Bailey-Lovie design principles should be used to provide precise
      measures of VA. (3) Test-retest variability should be used to determine the limit
      for detecting significant change in VA. This author suggests that it is time for
      Snellen charts, Snellen fractions and decimal notation to be confined to the
      teaching of the history of VA measurement. A request is also made to stop the use
      of the redundant term 'best corrected' VA (BCVA). Recommended procedures are
      given for precise measures of VA and accurately monitoring changes in VA in
      clinical practice and research.

PMID- 26497297
TI  - Myopia revisited, 2010-2015.

PMID- 26497298
TI  - Metaphorical expressions used in Swedish news media narratives to portray the
      shortage of nurses and their working conditions.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the study is to uncover and reveal how nurses as a profession and
      their working conditions are dramatized and portrayed in Swedish media narratives
      about the shortage of nurses. BACKGROUND: The media is an arena where
      stakeholders can air their views of the healthcare sector in general and the
      situation for nurses in particular. The focus in this study is the debate in
      Sweden on the shortage of nurses. DESIGN: Qualitative discursive study. METHOD: A
      discourse analysis of media narratives about nurses and their working conditions
      published in several Swedish newspapers from 2009-2014. 1779 articles were
      included in the study. A selection (113 articles) of these articles was further
      analysed using a qualitative discursive psychological approach. FINDINGS: Nurses
      are portrayed as being good, concerned about and critical of healthcare managers
      and politicians for not taking action. The accused actors justify their actions
      by partially accepting or displacing responsibility. The shortage of nurses is
      framed as a social problem - a threat to patients' safety. Seven different types
      of metaphorical expression frame the problem as inevitable, beyond control,
      abstract, an individual and collegial problem and nurses as replaceable. In
      addition, nurses and patients are dehumanized and no-one is held responsible.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study analyses the role of the media in emphasizing the
      seriousness or obscurity of the problem and possible solutions to it. Alternative
      narratives are needed to re-frame the nursing shortage and to find sustainable
      solutions.

PMID- 26497299
TI  - Advanced glycation end-products induced VEGF production and inflammatory
      responses in human synoviocytes via RAGE-NF-kappaB pathway activation.
AB  - Aging and diabetes are known to be the major cause to affect the progression of
      osteoarthritis (OA). Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been observed to
      accumulate in various organs especially in joint tissue and do damage to the
      joint tissue during aging and diabetes. Synovial angiogenesis and inflammation
      are observed across the full range of OA severity. The signaling pathway of AGEs
      on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production and inflammatory
      responses in synoviocytes are still unclear. Here, we investigated the role of
      receptor for AGEs (RAGE) and the signaling pathway involved in AGEs-induced VEGF
      production and inflammatory responses in human synoviocytes. Human synoviocytes
      were cultured and treated with AGEs (25-100 ug/ml). AGEs significantly induced
      the protein expressions of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and VEGF and the productions
      of prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2), VEGF, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and metalloproteinase-13
      (MMP-13) in human synoviocytes in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, AGEs
      markedly activated the phosphorylations of IkappaB kinase (IKK)alpha/beta,
      IkappaBalpha, and nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB-p65 proteins in human synoviocytes
      in a time-dependent manner. Treatment with neutralizing antibody for RAGE
      statistically significantly decreased the AGEs-induced increase in COX-2, VEGF,
      PGE2, IL-6, and MMP13 and AGEs-activated NF-kappaB pathway activation. Taken
      together, these findings indicate that AGEs are capable of inducing VEGF
      production and inflammatory responses via RAGE-NF-kappaB pathway activation in
      human synoviocytes. (c) 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:791-800, 2016.

PMID- 26497300
TI  - Social-emotional instability in individuals with Rett syndrome: parents'
      experiences with second stage behaviour.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While the medical profession often terms behaviours in individuals
      with Rett syndrome (RTT) in the second stage as 'autistic-like', parents disagree
      with this description. The present study focuses on a comparison of parents'
      experiences with the social-emotional behaviour of the child with RTT in the
      second and subsequent stages. METHOD: In collaboration with the Dutch Rett
      Syndrome Organization, 51 parents of children with RTT in the Netherlands took
      part in the present study. Parents completed an online questionnaire to clarify
      their experiences of the social-emotional behaviour of their children during and
      after the second stage of RTT. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis
      techniques have been used. RESULTS: The results of the paired-samples t-test show
      that parents see significantly less social-emotional behaviour in the children
      during the second stage of RTT than in the subsequent stages. Parents reported
      that their children did not seek as much interaction. From the parents'
      descriptions, it would seem that the children are willing but unable to interact
      with their environment. CONCLUSIONS: Like previous research, our study leads to
      doubts about the appropriateness of the label 'autistic-like' for the behaviour
      of individuals in the second stage of RTT. While behaviours of individuals with
      autism and individuals with RTT may resemble each other, quality and intentions
      may differ. Still, future studies are needed for further clarification.

PMID- 26497301
TI  - From Lignin-derived Aromatic Compounds to Novel Biobased Polymers.
AB  - Nowadays, the synthesis of (semi)aromatic polymers from lignin derivatives is of
      major interest, as aromatic compounds are key intermediates in the manufacture of
      polymers and lignin is the main source of aromatic biobased substrates. Phenols
      with a variety of chemical structures can be obtained from lignin deconstruction;
      among them, vanillin and ferulic acid are the main ones. Depending on the phenol
      substrates, different chemical modifications and polymerization pathways are
      developed, leading to (semi)aromatic polymers covering a wide range of
      thermomechanical properties. This review discusses the synthesis and properties
      of thermosets (vinyl ester resins, cyanate ester, epoxy, and benzoxazine resins)
      and thermoplastic polymers (polyesters, polyanhydrides, Schiff base polymers,
      polyacetals, polyoxalates, polycarbonates, acrylate polymers) prepared from
      vanillin, ferulic acid, guaiacol, syringaldehyde, or 4-hydroxybenzoic acid.

PMID- 26497302
TI  - Identification of invasive fungal diseases in immunocompromised patients by
      combining an Aspergillus specific PCR with a multifungal DNA-microarray from
      primary clinical samples.
AB  - The increasing incidence of invasive fungal diseases (IFD), most of all invasive
      aspergillosis (IA) in immunocompromised patients emphasises the need to improve
      the diagnostic tools for detection of fungal pathogens. We investigated the
      diagnostic performance of a multifungal DNA-microarray detecting 15 different
      fungi [Aspergillus, Candida, Fusarium, Mucor, Rhizopus, Scedosporium and
      Trichosporon species (spp.)] in addition to an Aspergillus specific polymerase
      chain reaction (PCR) assay. Biopsies, bronchoalveolar lavage and peripheral blood
      samples of 133 immunocompromised patients (pts) were investigated by a
      multifungal DNA-microarray as well as a nested Aspergillus specific PCR assay.
      Patients had proven (n = 18), probable (n = 29), possible (n = 48) and no IFD (n
      = 38) and were mostly under antifungal therapy at the time of sampling. The
      results were compared to culture, histopathology, imaging and serology,
      respectively. For the non-Aspergillus IFD the microarray analysis yielded in all
      samples a sensitivity of 64% and a specificity of 80%. Best results for the
      detection of all IFD were achieved by combining DNA-microarray and Aspergillus
      specific PCR in biopsy samples (sensitivity 79%; specificity 71%). The molecular
      assays in combination identify genomic DNA of fungal pathogens and may improve
      identification of causative pathogens of IFD and help overcoming the diagnostic
      uncertainty of culture and/or histopathology findings, even during antifungal
      therapy.

PMID- 26497303
TI  - Lignocellulose degrading extremozymes produced by Pichia pastoris: current status
      and future prospects.
AB  - In this review article, extremophilic lignocellulosic enzymes with special
      interest on xylanases, beta-mannanases, laccases and finally cellulases, namely,
      endoglucanases, exoglucanases and beta-glucosidases produced by Pichia pastoris
      are reviewed for the first time. Recombinant lignocellulosic extremozymes are
      discussed from the perspectives of their potential application areas;
      characteristics of recombinant and native enzymes; the effects of P. pastoris
      expression system on recombinant extremozymes; and their expression levels and
      applied strategies to increase the enzyme expression yield. Further, effects of
      enzyme domains on activity and stability, protein engineering via molecular
      dynamics simulation and computational prediction, and site-directed mutagenesis
      and amino acid modifications done are also focused. Superior enzyme
      characteristics and improved stability due to the proper post-translational
      modifications and better protein folding performed by P. pastoris make this host
      favourable for extremozyme production. Especially, glycosylation contributes to
      the structure, function and stability of enzymes, as generally glycosylated
      enzymes produced by P. pastoris exhibit better thermostability than non
      glycosylated enzymes. However, there has been limited study on enzyme engineering
      to improve catalytic efficiency and stability of lignocellulosic enzymes. Thus,
      in the future, studies should focus on protein engineering to improve stability
      and catalytic efficiency via computational modelling, mutations, domain
      replacements and fusion enzyme technology. Also metagenomic data need to be used
      more extensively to produce novel enzymes with extreme characteristics and
      stability.

PMID- 26497304
TI  - A cecropin-like antimicrobial peptide with anti-inflammatory activity from the
      black fly salivary glands.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) belonging to the cecropin
      family have been identified from the salivary glands of different black fly
      species, however, the immunological functions for these molecules were poorly
      understood. METHODS: A novel cecropin-like antimicrobial peptide (SibaCec) was
      purified using reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC)
      from the salivary glands of the black fly Simulium bannaense. The amino acid
      sequence of SibaCec was determined by a combination method of automated Edman
      degradation and cDNA sequencing. The morphologic changes of Gram-negative
      bacteria Escherichia coli treated with SibaCec were assessed by scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM). Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was performed to analyze the mRNA
      expression of the inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and pro-inflammatory cytokines.
      Nitric oxide (NO) generation was examined using a Griess assay and the secretion
      of pro-inflammatory cytokines was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay (ELISA). The activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK),
      p38, and the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) were
      assessed by Western blotting analysis. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy was
      performed to evaluate the secondary structure of SibaCec in solvent environment.
      Interaction of SibaCec with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was studied using
      fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)- conjugated LPS aggregates. Neutralization of
      LPS by SibaCec was assayed with the chromogenic limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL)
      test. qPCR was also used to analyze the expression of SibaCec mRNA in the
      salivary glands of insects after oral infection with the bacteria E.coli.
      RESULTS: SibaCec possessed potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative
      bacteria, and showed low cytotoxicity toward mammalian cells. SEM analysis
      indicated that SibaCec killed bacteria through the disruption of cell membrane
      integrity. Furthermore, SibaCec significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
      induced production of NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon-1beta (IL-1beta) and interferon-6 (IL-6) by
      blocking the activation of MAPKs and NF-kappaB signaling pathways. It mainly
      adopted an alpha-helix conformation in membrane-mimetic environments. SibaCec
      could interact and neutralize LPS. Infection of black flies with bacteria caused
      an upregulation of the expression of SibaCec. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      demonstrated that in addition to the bactericidal capacity, SibaCec can function
      as immune regulator, inhibiting host secretion of inflammatory factors.

PMID- 26497305
TI  - AMPK activator AICAR promotes 5-FU-induced apoptosis in gastric cancer cells.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of AICAR, an AMPK
      activator, on apoptosis in gastric carcinoma cells (SGC-7901) with or without 5
      fluorouracil (5-FU). SGC-7901 cells were treated with AICAR (0.2-5 mM, for 24-48
      h) with or without 5-FU. Cell viability was determined using MTT assay, while
      apoptosis were measured through the evaluation of active caspase-3 activity and
      DNA fragmentation. Real-time PCR was employed to determine the expression of
      tumor suppressor and multi-drug resistant (mdr1) gene. Cleaved caspase-3 and
      phosphorylated AMPK (p-AMPK) were measured by Western blot. AICAR significant
      reduced cellular viability but increased apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent
      manner, which is associated with an increase in p-AMPK levels. Importantly, AICAR
      enhanced the sensitivity to 5-FU-induced reduction of cellular viability and
      increased apoptosis in SGC-7901 cells. Furthermore, AICAR increased tumor
      suppressor genes [F-box and WD repeat domain containing 7 (FBXW7), semaphorin
      III/F (SEMA3F), and p21(Cip1) (p21)] but reduced mdr1 expression. Finally, p-AMPK
      levels were reduced in 5-FU-resistant gastric cancer cells compared to human
      immortalized gastric epithelial cell line and 5-FU-sensitive gastric cancer
      cells. AICAR not only induces apoptosis alone but also enhances pro-apoptotic
      effect of 5-FU in SGC-7901 cells, which lays an experimental foundation to
      develop AICAR as a chemotherapeutic sensitizer against gastric cancer. 

PMID- 26497306
TI  - Correlation of hypothetical virulence traits of two Streptococcus uberis strains
      with the clinical manifestation of bovine mastitis.
AB  - Streptococcus uberis is a common cause of clinical and subclinical mastitis in
      dairy cattle. Several virulence mechanisms have been proposed to contribute to
      the species' ability to cause disease. Here, virulence characteristics were
      compared between S. uberis strains FSL Z1-048, which consistently caused clinical
      mastitis in a challenge model, and FSL Z1-124, which consistently failed to cause
      disease in the same model, to ascertain whether in vitro virulence
      characteristics were related to clinical outcome. Macrophages derived from bovine
      blood monocytes failed to kill FSL Z1-048 whilst reducing survival of FSL Z1-124
      by 42.5%. Conversely, blood derived polymorphonuclear cells caused more reduction
      (67.1 vs. 44.2%, respectively) in the survival of FSL Z1-048 than in survival of
      FSL Z1-124. After 3 h of coincubation with bovine mammary epithelial cell line
      BME-UV1, 1000-fold higher adherence was observed for FSL Z1-048 compared to FSL
      Z1-124, despite presence of a frame shift mutation in the sua gene of FSL Z1-048
      that resulted in predicted truncation of the S. uberis Adhesion Molecule (SUAM)
      protein. In contrast, FSL Z1-124 showed higher ability than FSL Z1-048 to invade
      BME-UV1 cells. Finally, observed biofilm formation by FSL Z1-124 was
      significantly greater than for FSL Z1-048. In summary, for several hypothetical
      virulence characteristics, virulence phenotype in vitro did not match disease
      phenotype in vivo. Evasion of macrophage killing and adhesion to mammary
      epithelial cells were the only in vitro traits associated with virulence in vivo,
      making them attractive targets for further research into pathogenesis and control
      of S. uberis mastitis. 

PMID- 26497307
TI  - Influencing factors for high quality care on postpartum haemorrhage in the
      Netherlands: patient and professional perspectives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) remains a major contributor to maternal
      morbidity even in high resource settings, despite the development and
      dissemination of evidence-based guidelines and Advance-Trauma-Life-Support (ATLS)
      based courses for optimal management of PPH. We aimed to assess current
      influencing factors (obstacles and facilitators) for the delivery of high quality
      PPH-care from both patient and professional perspective. METHODS: We
      qualitatively explored influencing factors for delivering high quality PPH-care,
      by having individual interviews with PPH-patients and focus group interviews with
      the different types of professionals working in the delivery room. For both
      perspectives, the theoretical frameworks of Grol and Cabana were used to classify
      the influencing factors for optimal PPH-care (factors of the guidelines, of
      professionals, of patients, of the social setting and of the organisation). In
      order to assess the importance of the influencing factors found among the
      professionals, we quantified these factors in a web-based questionnaire. RESULTS:
      A total of 12 patients and 41 professionals participated in the interviews, and
      315 complete surveys were analyzed. The main obstacle for high quality PPH-care
      identified by patients was the lack of information given by the professionals to
      the patient and partner before, during and after the PPH event. An informative
      patient website, a patient leaflet and a follow-up consultation were mentioned as
      facilitators. The main obstacles according to the professionals were: lack of
      clarity of the guidelines, lack of knowledge and failing team-communication. Team
      training and checklists/ flowcharts were considered facilitators. CONCLUSIONS:
      Different obstacles to the delivery of high quality PPH-care were identified by
      both patients and professionals. These data can be used to develop a focused
      strategy to improve PPH-care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT 00928863.

PMID- 26497308
TI  - [Surgical decompression of the superficial radial nerve: Wartenberg syndrome].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Open decompression of the superficial radial nerve is performed at the
      distal forearm in cases of circumscript entrapment. Broad-based entrapments can
      be treated by endoscopically assisted decompression. INDICATIONS: Entrapment of
      the nerve along its course between the brachioradialis and extensor carpi
      radialis longus muscles or tendons. Persistent neuropathic pain with Tinel's
      sign. Numbness distal to the entrapment in accordance to nerval innervation.
      Futile conservative treatment. Pathological electrophysiological findings.
      CONTRAINDICATIONS: Endogeneous neuropathy, bleeding disorders, anticoagulation
      medication. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: Longitudinal skin incision at the Tinel's sign at
      the forearm. The subcutaneous tissue is dissected until forearm fascia is
      detected. The fascia is opened cautiously under direct visualization and the
      superficial radial nerve is identified. In cases of broad-based entrapments,
      endoscopically assisted decompression can be performed. The dissector with
      attached optical device is introduced proximally and distally. Blunt mobilization
      using the dissector and preparation with the Metzenbaum scissors release the
      superficial radial nerve sufficiently. POSTOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT: Bandaging
      allowing immediate motion, removal of sutures after 14 days, avoidance of
      excessive use for 2 weeks. RESULTS: Surgical decompression of the superficial
      radial nerve yields good to excellent results regarding pain reduction and
      sensory function.

PMID- 26497309
TI  - Psychiatric Morbidity and Subjective Burden Among Carers of Outpatients of a
      Psychogeriatric Clinic in Southwestern Nigeria.
AB  - Few studies in Nigeria have investigated the burden of caring for elderly persons
      with mental illness. The aim of this study was to examine psychiatric morbidity
      and burden of care among caregivers of outpatients of a psychogeriatric clinic.
      Burden of care was evaluated with Zarit Burden Interview. A questionnaire was
      also used to elicit caregivers' sociodemographic and caregiving variables while
      psychological well-being was assessed with the General Health Questionnaire
      (GHQ). Overall, 52.3% had high care burden. High care burden was associated with
      financial difficulty (chi(2) = 9.37; df = 1; p = 0.002; OR = 3.1; 95% CI = 1.50
      6.4), restrictions on caregivers' social activity (chi(2) = 4.87; df = 1; p =
      0.027; OR = 2.4; 95% CI = 1.09-5.27), lack of support from relatives (chi(2) =
      6.85; df = 1; p = 0.009; OR = 6.3; 95% CI = 1.35-29.6), physical health problems
      (chi(2) = 10.52; df = 1; p = 0.001; OR = 4.7; 95% CI = 1.75-12.7), and
      psychiatric morbidity (chi(2) = 4.05; df = 1; p = 0.044; OR = 2.62; 95% CI = 1.00
      6.85). Psychiatric morbidity was predicted by physical health problems (OR = 3.0;
      95% CI = 1.1-8.1), financial difficulty (OR = 17.2; 95% CI = 3.8-77.5), and job
      loss (OR = 5.3; 95% CI = 2.0-13.8). Care burden is a significant problem among
      caregivers of elderly persons with mental illness attending the clinic. This may
      have important implications for the mental well-being of the patients.

PMID- 26497310
TI  - Exploration of the wound healing effect of topical administration of nicotine in
      combination with collagen scaffold in a rabbit model.
AB  - Nicotine has been reported to prolong the wound healing; however, we showed that
      the topical application of 10(-4) M nicotine promoted murine wound healing. The
      objective of this study was to explore the wound healing effects of nicotine in
      combination with collagen scaffold using skin defects in rabbit. Three full
      thickness skin defects 8 mm in diameter were made on the rabbit auricle.
      Artificial dermis was applied to the defects, and 10 MUl of nicotine solution
      (10(-5), 10(-4), and10(-3) M), bFGF solution (0.5 MUg/10 MUl), and both bFGF and
      10(-4) M nicotine solutions were injected into the artificial dermis once daily
      for 7 days. Rabbits were sacrificed on day 10, 15, or 20, and the wound healing
      process was evaluated. bFGF was superior in the formation of the dermis-like
      tissue and capillaries. In nicotine groups, the epithelial length and the dermis
      like tissue formations in the 10(-4) M group were superior, in contrast, those
      were inhibited in the 10(-3) M group. The synergistic effect of bFGF and 10(-4) M
      nicotine was not confirmed. This study suggests that the topical application of
      10(-4) M nicotine promoted wound healing in rabbit, but the effect was not
      apparent compared with murine models. 

PMID- 26497311
TI  - Genome-wide DNA methylome variation in two genetically distinct chicken lines
      using MethylC-seq.
AB  - BACKGROUND: DNA cytosine methylation is an important epigenetic modification that
      has significant effects on a variety of biological processes in animals. Avian
      species hold a crucial position in evolutionary history. In this study, we used
      whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (MethylC-seq) to generate single base
      methylation profiles of lungs in two genetically distinct and highly inbred
      chicken lines (Fayoumi and Leghorn) that differ in genetic resistance to multiple
      pathogens, and we explored the potential regulatory role of DNA methylation
      associated with immune response differences between the two chicken lines.
      METHODS: The MethylC-seq was used to generate single base DNA methylation
      profiles of Fayoumi and Leghorn birds. In addition, transcriptome profiling using
      RNA-seq from the same chickens and tissues were obtained to interrogate how DNA
      methylation regulates gene transcription on a genome-wide scale. RESULTS: The
      general DNA methylation pattern across different regions of genes was conserved
      compared to other species except for hyper-methylation of repeat elements, which
      was not observed in chicken. The methylation level of miRNA and pseudogene
      promoters was high, which indicates that silencing of these genes may be
      partially due to promoter hyper-methylation. Interestingly, the promoter regions
      of more recently evolved genes tended to be more highly methylated, whereas the
      gene body regions of evolutionarily conserved genes were more highly methylated
      than those of more recently evolved genes. Immune-related GO (Gene Ontology)
      terms were significantly enriched from genes within the differentially methylated
      regions (DMR) between Fayoumi and Leghorn, which implicates DNA methylation as
      one of the regulatory mechanisms modulating immune response differences between
      these lines. CONCLUSIONS: This study establishes a single-base resolution DNA
      methylation profile of chicken lung and suggests a regulatory role of DNA
      methylation in controlling gene expression and maintaining genome transcription
      stability. Furthermore, profiling the DNA methylomes of two genetic lines that
      differ in disease resistance provides a unique opportunity to investigate the
      potential role of DNA methylation in host disease resistance. Our study provides
      a foundation for future studies on epigenetic modulation of host immune response
      to pathogens in chickens.

PMID- 26497312
TI  - Nonlinear Ion Harmonics in the Paul Trap with Added  Octopole Field: Theoretical
      Characterization and New Insight  into Nonlinear Resonance Effect.
AB  - The nonlinear harmonics within the ion motion are the fingerprint of the
      nonlinear fields. They are exclusively introduced by these nonlinear fields and
      are responsible to some specific nonlinear effects such as nonlinear resonance
      effect. In this article, the ion motion in the quadrupole field with a weak
      superimposed octopole component, described by the nonlinear Mathieu equation
      (NME), was studied by using the analytical harmonic balance (HB) method. Good
      accuracy of the HB method, which was comparable with that of the numerical fourth
      order Runge-Kutta (4th RK), was achieved in the entire first stability region,
      except for the points at the stability boundary (i.e., beta = 1) and at the
      nonlinear resonance condition (i.e., beta = 0.5). Using the HB method, the
      nonlinear 3beta harmonic series introduced by the octopole component and the
      resultant nonlinear resonance effect were characterized. At nonlinear resonance,
      obvious resonant peaks were observed in the nonlinear 3beta series of ion motion,
      but were not found in the natural harmonics. In addition, both resonant
      excitation and absorption peaks could be observed, simultaneously. These are two
      unique features of the nonlinear resonance, distinguishing it from the normal
      resonance. Finally, an approximation equation was given to describe the
      corresponding working parameter, q nr , at nonlinear resonance. This equation can
      help avoid the sensitivity degradation due to the operation of ion traps at the
      nonlinear resonance condition.

PMID- 26497314
TI  - High-performance liquid chromatographic separations of stereoisomers of chiral
      basic agrochemicals with polysaccharide-based chiral columns and polar organic
      mobile phases.
AB  - The separation of the stereoisomers of 23 chiral basic agrochemicals was studied
      on six different polysaccharide-based chiral columns in high-performance liquid
      chromatography with various polar organic mobile phases. Along with the
      successful separation of analyte stereoisomers, emphasis was placed on the effect
      of the chiral selector and mobile phase composition on the elution order of
      stereoisomers. The interesting phenomenon of reversal of enantiomer/stereoisomer
      elution order function of the polysaccharide backbone (cellulose or amylose),
      type of derivative (carbamate or benzoate), nature, and position of the
      substituent(s) in the phenylcarbamate moiety (methyl or chloro) and the nature of
      the mobile phase was observed. For several of the analytes containing two chiral
      centers all four stereoisomers were resolved with at least one chiral
      selector/mobile phase combination. 

PMID- 26497313
TI  - Cardiac involvement in systemic sclerosis: differences between clinical subsets
      and influence on survival.
AB  - Cardiac involvement (CI) is a known complication of SSc associated with increased
      mortality. Our objective was to describe a cohort of patients with SSc and CI and
      to assess the differences between cutaneous subsets regarding their presentation
      and survival. Three hundred and ninety-three Spanish patients from a single
      center, diagnosed with SSc, were retrospectively studied for evidence of CI using
      noninvasive and invasive tests from 1976 to 2011. Clinical, epidemiological,
      immunological and therapeutic features of patients with CI were compared to those
      without it and within the different cutaneous subsets of SSc. CI was present in
      173 (44 %) patients. Mitral regurgitation (67 %), conduction alterations (45 %)
      and left ventricle diastolic dysfunction (40 %) were the most common findings.
      Pericardial involvement and heart failure were more frequent in diffuse SSc
      (dcSSc) than in limited or sine scleroderma SSc. CI accounted for 20 % of deaths,
      and it was an independent mortality risk factor (HR 2.1, P = 0.02), but once CI
      was established, classical dcSSc mortality risk factors determined mortality.
      Patients with dcSSc developed CI faster than limited (HR 1.9, P = 0.003) or sine
      SSc patients (HR 2.5, P = 0.002), specially during the first year after SSc
      onset. We found statistically significant differences between the 3 SSc subsets
      in the presentation of pericardial involvement and heart failure. CI increased
      the mortality and appeared at a higher rate, especially during the first year
      after SSc onset. Screening for heart involvement should be performed at diagnosis
      and during follow-up.

PMID- 26497315
TI  - Generative Mechanisms in Early Childhood Interventions: A Confirmatory Research
      Framework for Prevention.
AB  - This article reviews methodological and analytic approaches and impact evidence
      for understanding the mechanisms of effects of early childhood interventions,
      including delinquency and violence prevention. Illustrations from longitudinal
      studies of preschool preventive interventions are provided. We restrict our
      attention to preventive interventions for children from birth to age 5, including
      evidence from the Chicago Longitudinal Study (CLS), which investigates the impact
      of an established school-based early childhood intervention. Frameworks and
      evidence will be organized according to the Five-Hypothesis Model (5HM), which
      postulates that a variety of early childhood interventions impact later well
      being through the promotion of cognitive and scholastic advantages, motivational
      advantages, social adjustment, family support behaviors, and school supports.
      Recommendations are made for advancing confirmatory approaches for identifying
      the most effective prevention programs using identification of generative
      mechanisms as a major methodological criterion.

PMID- 26497316
TI  - A VL-linker-VH Orientation Dependent Single Chain Variable Antibody Fragment
      Against Rabies Virus G Protein with Enhanced Neutralizing Potency in vivo.
AB  - Lethal rabies can be prevented effectively by post-exposure prophylactic (PEP)
      with rabies immunoglobulin (RIG). Single-chain variable fragment (scFv), which is
      composed of a variable heavy chain (VH) and variable light chain (VL) connected
      by a peptide linker, may be developed as alternative to RIG for neutralizing
      rabies virus (RV). However, our previously constructed scFv (FV57S) with the
      (NH2) VH-linker-VL (COOH) orientation showed a lower neutralizing potency than
      its parent RIG. This orientation may inhibit FV57S from refolding into an intact
      and correct conformation. Therefore, the RFV57S protein with a VL-linker-VH
      orientation was constructed based on FV57S. A HIS tag was incorporated to aid in
      purification and detection of RFV57S and FV57S. However, abilities of RFV57S and
      FV57S to bind with the anti-HIS tag mAb were different. Therefore, a novel direct
      ELISA was established by utilizing a biotin-labeled truncated glycoprotein of RV.
      Although with similar stability and in vitro neutralizing potency as FV57S,
      RFV57S showed enhanced binding ability, affinity and in vivo protective efficacy
      against lethal dose of RV. Our studies support the feasibility of developing a
      scFv with reversed orientation and provide a novel method for evaluating the
      binding ability, stability and affinity of engineered antibodies recognizing
      linear epitope. 

PMID- 26497317
TI  - Overexpression and Characterization of The C-Terminal Domain of Human Siva1, A
      Proapoptotic Factor and Cytoskeleton Binding Protein.
AB  - Siva1 protein interacts with tumor protein p53 and with the member of the tumor
      necrosis factor receptor superfamily, stathmin, among others. These proteins are
      related to several pathways involved in cancer and are therefore strong candidate
      targets for drug design. This study aimed to characterize the biophysical
      properties of Siva 1 C- terminal domain to contribute to the discovery of new
      target directed drugs. Siva1 protein interacts with tumor protein p53 and with
      the member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, stathmin, among
      others. These proteins are related to several pathways involved in cancer and are
      therefore strong candidate targets for drug design. This study aimed to
      characterize the biophysical properties of Siva 1 C- terminal domain to
      contribute to the discovery of new target directed drugs. The C-terminus Siva1
      domain (residues 84-175) was fused to glutathione Stransferase (GST) and
      expressed in an E coli system and the recombinant GST-Siva C-terminus was
      purified by GSTTagged Protein affinity and gel filtration chromatography. We
      tested the biological activity of the purified Siva Cterminus domain in a Jurkat
      extract cell line and found that the protein interacted with natural binders.
      Biophysical and biochemical assays have demonstrated monodispersion of the
      protein in solution with a predominant unfolded and elongated shape. However, at
      high concentrations, the protein showed a tendency to form soluble aggregates.
      These results are expected to lead to further progress in the understanding of
      Siva1 properties and target-directed drug design. 

PMID- 26497318
TI  - A Comparison of Biological Activity of B Lymphocyte Stimulator (BLyS) Antagonist
      Peptibodies and the Elucidation of Possible BLyS Binding Sites.
AB  - B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) overexpression is associated with autoimmune
      diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. BLyS antagonists are new
      effective therapeutic strategies that have been studied extensively. BLyS-binding
      peptides, BC originated from computer-aided drug design (CADD), 814 selected from
      the phage display library, as well as the 3-copy of BC (3-BC), were fused with
      human IgG1 Fc to constitute peptide-Fc fusion proteins, referred as peptibodies.
      BP-Fc, a peptibody possessing the identical sequence as BC-Fc but a His tag, was
      also constructed. The biological activities of these peptibodies were assessed by
      Enzyme-Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA). Furthermore, the potential
      interacting orientations of BP and 814 with BLyS were studied. At 100 MUg/ml, BC
      Fc, BP-Fc, 814-Fc and 3-BC-Fc could distinctly inhibit 64 %, 50 %, 73 % and 56 %
      of the interaction of B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) with BLyS respectively. BP
      Fc demonstrated 15 % higher binding ratio with BLyS than BC-Fc at 100 MUg/ml.
      However, 814-Fc displayed at least 39 % higher BLyS-binding activity than BP-Fc
      at different concentrations. The binding capacity of 3-BC-Fc was slightly
      superior to BC-Fc. In addition, 814 and BP shared the identical domain on the
      surface of BLyS which involves in binding with BCMA, but owned the detached
      orientations. The discovery of possible locations of the BLyS-targeted peptides
      lays the foundation for the development of novel antagonists. Both BP-Fc and 3-BC
      Fc fusion proteins could bind to BLyS in a dose-dependent manner and inhibit BLyS
      biological activity significantly, which might act as candidate agents for
      autoimmune disease therapy. 

PMID- 26497319
TI  - Designing and structure evaluation of multi-epitope vaccine against ETEC and
      EHEC, an in silico approach.
AB  - Diarrheal diseases represent a major health problem in developing countries.
      Several viruses and bacterial agents, such as Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli
      (ETEC) and Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) are responsible for human
      enteric infections. In humans, EHEC infections result in bloody or non-bloody
      diarrhea, which may be complicated by haemorrhagic colitis and haemolytic uraemic
      syndrome (HUS). Infection by ETEC is accompanied by a non inflammatory watery
      diarrhea. E. coli follows a common strategy of infection: colonization on a
      mucosal site, evasion of host defenses, multiplication, and host damage. Intimin,
      Stx, Lt and Cfa proteins are the virulence factors expressed by these strains.
      Antibiotic treatment is generally not recommended for most cases of diarrhea,
      since antibiotic usage may lead to antibiotic resistance in ETEC and may also
      change the intestinal flora. We hypothesized that the chimeric forms of these
      effectors as vaccine candidates would reduce the colonization of bacteria. This
      study is based on an in silico analysis of chimeric protein structure and its
      stability and solubility. The secondary and tertiary structures of selected
      domains were also predicted. Moreover, T and B cell epitopes were mapped. Protein
      structure Prediction showed that each domain of antigen was separated completely
      also stable for recombinant expression. We believe that this chimeric vaccine
      candidate is effective for prevention of bacteria caused diarrheal diseases. 

PMID- 26497322
TI  - Islet Xeno/transplantation and the risk of contagion: local responses from Canada
      and Australia to an emerging global technoscience.
AB  - This paper situates the public debate over the use of living animal organs and
      tissue for human therapies within the history of experimental islet
      transplantation. Specifically, the paper compares and contrasts the Canadian and
      Australian responses on xenotransplantation to consider what lessons can be
      learnt about the regulation of a complex and controversial biotechnology. Sobbrio
      and Jorqui described public engagement on xenotransplantation in these countries
      as 'important forms of experimental democracy.' While Canada experimented with a
      novel nation-wide public consultation, Australia sought public input within the
      context of a national inquiry. In both instances, the outcome was a temporary
      moratorium on all forms of clinical xenotransplantation comparable to the
      policies adopted in some European countries. In addition, the Australian
      xenotransplantation ban coincided with a temporary global ban on experimental
      islet allotransplantation in 2007. Through historical and comparative research,
      this paper investigates how public controversies over organ and tissue
      transplantation can inform our understanding of the mediation of interspeciality
      and the regulation of a highly contested technoscience. It offers an alternative
      perspective on the xenotransplantation controversy by exploring the ways in which
      coinciding moratoriums on islet allograft and xenograft challenge, complicate and
      confound our assumptions regarding the relationships between human and animal,
      between routine surgery and clinical experimentation, between biomedical science
      and social science, and between disease risks and material contagion. 

PMID- 26497323
TI  - Relative importance of Microcystis abundance and diversity in determining
      microcystin dynamics in Lake Erie coastal wetland and downstream beach water.
AB  - AIMS: Microcystis population and microcystin (MC) dynamics were investigated in
      western Lake Erie coastal wetlands and downstream beach water. A three
      dimensional (3-D) model was developed to quantify how Microcystis population size
      and structure affect MCs. METHODS AND RESULTS: Real-time PCR, denaturing gradient
      gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) were
      used. A moderate-low level of Microcystis abundance and MCs were detected with a
      significant increase along the wetland flow and the spatiotemporal homogeneity of
      Microcystis populations. The proportion of toxigenic and nontoxgenic genotypes
      appeared to be more affected by the variation in two major Microcystis PC-IGS
      genotypes. MC dynamics was associated with the changing Microcystis population
      size and structure. The 3-D model showed that Microcystis population with greater
      Microcystis PC-IGS abundance (and simultaneously higher diversity) had more MCs.
      CONCLUSION: Microcystin variation was significantly affected by Microcystis
      population size and structure. The 3-D model also revealed the relative
      importance of Microcystis population size and structure in determining MCs in the
      Lake Erie costal wetland and downstream beach water. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF
      THE STUDY: This study enriches our understanding of Microcystis population and
      microcystin ecology in a western Lake Erie coastal wetland and downstream beach
      water. Our illustrative model brings a new perspective for understanding the
      ecological relationship between Microcystis population size and structure and
      MCs.

PMID- 26497324
TI  - Cut-off Scores and Clinical Change Indices for the Dutch Outcome Questionnaire
      (OQ-45) in a Large Sample of Normal and Several Psychotherapeutic Populations.
AB  - : The Outcome Questionnaire-45 (OQ-45; Lambert et al., ) has been designed for
      frequent assessment of a patient's functioning during the course of psychotherapy
      and has become one of the most frequently used outcome measures in the
      Netherlands. The OQ-45 was originally normed on outpatients in secondary care
      only, but is applied in a wide variety of patient populations. As such, it has
      become increasingly important to provide cut-off scores with the normal
      population, as well as between different patient populations. The present large
      scale Dutch study aims to provide cut-off scores between several populations.
      Data were collected from the normal population (n = 1810) and patients in five
      different treatment settings: outpatient primary care (n = 1581), outpatient
      secondary care (n = 9433), private practice (n = 457), day patient (n = 481) and
      inpatient therapies (n = 485), a total of more than 14.000 administrations.
      Reliable change indices and cut-off scores were calculated using the method of
      Jacobson and Truax (). The reliable change index for the patient population was
      calculated as 18 and the cut-off between the normal and patient population as 56.
      Sensitivity, specificity and area under the curves of cut-off scores between the
      normal population and the treatment settings were satisfactory and generally
      higher than 0.80. Between the patient populations, these measures were generally
      too low for strict use. The OQ-45 total score can satisfactorily discriminate
      between the normal and patient populations. For assignment to specific treatment
      types, the OQ-45 may help, but its use is somewhat limited in practice. Copyright
      (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: The Dutch OQ-45 has
      satisfactory levels of reliability, sensitivity, specificity and area under the
      curve. The new overall cut-off score for normal function for the Dutch OQ-45 is
      56 and the new reliable change index is 18. Cut-off scores for several
      therapeutic treatments are provided.

PMID- 26497325
TI  - A systematic review of mentorship programs to facilitate transition to post
      secondary education and employment for youth and young adults with disabilities.
AB  - PURPOSE: Youth with disabilities experience barriers in transitioning to Post
      Secondary Education (PSE) and employment. Mentorship programs provide a promising
      approach to supporting youth through those transitions. This paper aims to
      identify the effective components of mentorship programs and describe
      participants' experiences. METHOD: We undertook a systematic review of mentorship
      interventions for youth and young adults with disabilities. We searched seven
      electronic databases for peer-reviewed articles published in English between 1980
      and 2014. We included articles that examined mentorship interventions focused on
      PSE or employment outcomes among youth, aged thirty or younger, with physical,
      developmental, or cognitive disabilities. RESULTS: Of the 5068 articles
      identified, 22 met the inclusion criteria. For seven mentorship interventions, at
      least one significant improvement was reported in school- or work-related
      outcomes. Mentorship programs with significant outcomes were often structured,
      delivered in group-based or mixed formats, and longer in duration (>6 months).
      Mentors acted as role models, offered advice, and provided mentees with social
      and emotional support. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence suggests that mentorship programs
      may be effective for helping youth with disabilities transition to PSE or
      employment. More rigorously designed studies are needed to document the impact of
      mentorship programs on school and vocational outcomes for youth with
      disabilities. Implications for Rehabilitation Mentorship interventions have the
      potential to effectively support youth with disabilities as they transition to
      post-secondary education and employment. Youth should consider participating in
      formal mentorship interventions, and clinicians and educators should encourage
      them to do so, to enhance social, educational, and vocational outcomes. When
      developing interventions, clinicians should consider incorporating the effective
      components (i.e. duration, content, format) of mentorship interventions
      identified in this paper. Future mentorship programs should also contain a
      rigorous evaluation component. Clinicians can help to create (build content,
      consult on accessibility), connect (youth to program, program to community
      agencies), and contribute to mentorship interventions.

PMID- 26497326
TI  - Physiological and transcriptional regulation in poplar roots and leaves during
      acclimation to high temperature and drought.
AB  - To elucidate the physiological and transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that
      underlie the responses of poplars to high temperature (HT) and/or drought in
      woody plants, we exposed Populus alba * Populus tremula var. glandulosa saplings
      to ambient temperature (AT) or HT under 80 or 40% field capacities (FC), or no
      watering. HT increased the foliar total carbon (C) concentrations, and foliar
      delta(13) C and delta(18) O. HT triggered heat stress signaling via increasing
      levels of abscisic acid (ABA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in poplar roots and
      leaves. After perception of HT, poplars initiated osmotic adjustment by
      increasing foliar sucrose and root galactose levels. In agreement with the HT
      induced heat stress and the changes in the levels of ABA and carbohydrates, we
      detected increased transcript levels of HSP18 and HSP21, as well as NCED3 in the
      roots and leaves, and the sugar transporter gene STP14 in the roots. Compared
      with AT, drought induced greater enhancement of foliar delta(13) C and delta(18)
      O in poplars at HT. Similarly, drought caused greater stimulation of the ABA and
      foliar glucose levels in poplars at HT than at AT. Correspondingly, desiccation
      led to greater increases in the mRNA levels of HSP18, HSP21, NCED3, STP14 and
      INT1 in poplar roots at HT than at AT. These results suggest that HT has
      detrimental effects on physiological processes and it induces the transcriptional
      regulation of key genes involved in heat stress responses, ABA biosynthesis and
      sugar transport and HT can cause greater changes in drought-induced physiological
      and transcriptional responses in poplar roots and leaves. 

PMID- 26497327
TI  - Assessing and monitoring intratumor heterogeneity in glioblastoma: how far has
      multimodal imaging come?
AB  - Glioblastoma demonstrates imaging features of intratumor heterogeneity that
      result from underlying heterogeneous biological properties. This stems from
      variations in cellular behavior that result from genetic mutations that either
      drive, or are driven by, heterogeneous microenvironment conditions. Among all
      imaging methods available, only T1-weighted contrast-enhancing and T2-weighted
      fluid-attenuated inversion recovery are used in standard clinical glioblastoma
      assessment and monitoring. Advanced imaging modalities are still considered
      emerging techniques as appropriate end points and robust methodologies are
      missing from clinical trials. Discovering how these images specifically relate to
      the underlying tumor biology may aid in improving quality of clinical trials and
      understanding the factors involved in regional responses to treatment, including
      variable drug uptake and effect of radiotherapy. Upon validation and
      standardization of emerging MR techniques, providing information based on the
      underlying tumor biology, these images may allow for clinical decision-making
      that is tailored to an individual's response to treatment. 

PMID- 26497328
TI  - Sialylation and glycosylation modulate cell adhesion and invasion to
      extracellular matrix in human malignant lymphoma: Dependency on integrin and the
      Rho GTPase family.
AB  - To determine the biological roles of cell surface glycosylation, we modified the
      surface glycosylation of human malignant lymphoma cell lines using glycosylation
      inhibitors. The O-glycosylation inhibitor, benzyl-alpha-GalNAc (BZ) enhanced the
      fibronectin adhesion of HBL-8 cells, a human Burkitt's lymphoma cell line, and of
      H-ALCL cells, a human anaplastic large cell lymphoma cell line, both of which
      were established in our laboratory. The N-glycosylation inhibitor, tunicamycin
      (TM) inhibited the surface expression of Phaseolus vulgaris leukoagglutinating (L
      PHA) lectin- and Canavalia ensiformis (ConA) lectin-reactive oligosaccharides in
      the HBL-8 cell line. Assay of the adhesion of HBL-8 cells to fibronectin showed
      that fibronectin adhesion is mediated by the integrin very late antigen (VLA)-4
      and that not only BZ but also TM treatment enhanced HBL-8 cell adhesion to
      fibronectin. Furthermore, although BZ treatment also enhanced H-ALCL cell
      adhesion to fibronectin, this effect was not mediated by VLA-5 or the RGD
      sequence of fibronectin. We also showed that H-ALCL cell adhesion to galectin-3
      was enhanced by pre-treatment with neuraminidase, which cleaves cell surface
      sialic acid. Additionally, H-ALCL cell adhesion to galectin-3 was inhibited by
      pre-treatment with the RGD peptide suggesting that cell adhesion to galectin-3 is
      mediated by integrin (VLA-5). Furthermore, H-ALCL cell invasion of galectin-1 and
      galectin-3 was inhibited by pre-treatment with the RGD peptide. Therefore, cell
      adhesion to and invasion of galectin-1 and galectin-3 are integrin-dependent. In
      addition to these findings, cell adhesion to galectin-3 was markedly inhibited by
      treatment with beta-lactose compared to treatment with sucrose. Therefore,
      interactions between integrins and galectin-3 may be mediated through beta
      galactose that is linked to glycans of integrins. AZA1, an inhibitor of Ras
      homolog oncoprotein (Rho) GTPase family proteins, RAS-related C3 botulinus toxin
      substrate 1 (Rac 1) and Cell division control protein 42 homolog (Cdc42) markedly
      inhibited cell invasion of galectin-1 and galectin-3 suggesting that Rac 1 and
      Cdc42 may be involved in the regulation of H-ALCL cell invasion of galectins. In
      conclusion, artificial modification of cell surface glycosylation revealed the
      biological roles of glycosylation in the adhesion to and invasion of the
      extracellular matrix (ECM) by human malignant lymphoma cell lines. These findings
      will provide new insight into the glycobiology of human malignant lymphoma.

PMID- 26497329
TI  - Glucose Fluctuations Aggravate Cardiac Susceptibility to Ischemia/Reperfusion
      Injury by Modulating MicroRNAs Expression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The influence of glucose fluctuations (GF) on cardiovascular
      complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) has been attracting much attention. In
      the present study, whether GF increase susceptibility to ischemia/reperfusion in
      the heart was investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: Male rats were randomly assigned
      to either a control, DM, and DM with GF group. DM was induced by an injection of
      streptozotocin, and glucose fluctuation was induced by starvation and insulin
      injection. One sequential program comprised 2 hypoglycemic episodes during 4
      days. The isolated hearts were subjected to 20-min ischemia/30-min reperfusion.
      The infarct size was larger in hearts with GF than those with sustained
      hyperglycemia. Activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase were decreased,
      and expressions of NADPH oxidase and thioredoxin-interacting protein were
      upregulated by GF accompanied by an increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS).
      Swollen mitochondria with destroyed cristae were observed in diabetic hearts;
      they were further devastated by GF. Microarray analysis revealed that the
      expressions of microRNA (miRNA)-200c and miRNA-141 were abundant in those hearts
      with GF. Overexpression of miRNA-200c and miRNA-141 decreased mitochondrial
      superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, and increased ROS levels.
      Meanwhile, knockdown of miRNA-200c and miRNA-141 significantly decreased ROS
      levels in cardiomyocytes exposed to GF. CONCLUSIONS: GF increased ROS generation
      and enhanced ischemia/reperfusion injury in the diabetic heart. Upregulated miRNA
      200c and miRNA-141 may account for the increased ROS.

PMID- 26497330
TI  - Epicardial Adipose Tissue Accumulation Is Associated With Renal Dysfunction and
      Coronary Plaque Morphology on Multidetector Computed Tomography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is strongly associated with coronary
      artery disease (CAD), although the underlying pathophysiological mechanism
      remains unclear. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has recently been recognized as
      an important source of various pro-inflammatory cytokines causing coronary
      atherosclerosis. This study investigated the relationship between CKD and EAT
      volume in association with high-risk plaque. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study
      included 275 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) >=30
      ml/min/1.73 m(2)who underwent multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for the
      evaluation of CAD. Patients were classified, according to eGFR, into a CKD group
      (30<=eGFR<60 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) or a non-CKD group (eGFR >=60 ml/min/1.73 m(2)).
      MDCT was used to assess coronary plaque morphology and EAT volume. One hundred
      and ten patients with CKD were more likely to be older, have higher prevalence of
      hypertension, lower serum HDL-C, higher serum CRP, and larger EAT volume, than
      those without CKD (all P<0.01). On multivariate analysis age, hypertension, and
      EAT volume were significantly associated with eGFR (all P<0.01). EAT volume was
      associated with the presence of high-risk plaque, independent of traditional CAD
      risk factors (P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CKD had significantly
      increased EAT volume, which could be associated with the presence of high-risk
      plaque.

PMID- 26497331
TI  - Successful Management of Guidewire Kinking in a Patient With Subaortic Septal
      Bulging Using the Pull-Through Technique During Transapical Transcatheter Aortic
      Valve Implantation.

PMID- 26497332
TI  - Suppression of Evi1 promotes the osteogenic differentiation and inhibits the
      adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in
      vitro.
AB  - Osteoporosis (OP) is considered a complex disease with a strong genetic impact,
      mainly affecting post-menopausal women and is also a common cause of fracture.
      Elucidating the molecular mechanisms that regulate the osteogenic differentiation
      of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) is crucial to developing
      treatment strategies to combat OP. In the present study, we found that ectopic
      viral integration site-1 (Evi1) was highly expressed during the process of
      adipogenesis of rat BMSCs. Notably, Evi1 levels markedly increased on day 3 of
      adipogenic differentiation following the addition of adipogenic induction
      supplements. In addition, we interfered with the expression of the Evi1 gene in
      the adipogenesis of BMSCs by supplementing adenoviral plasmids and measured the
      expression levels of bone sialoprotein (BSP), osteocalcin (OCN), osteopontin
      (OPN), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma2 (PPARgamma2) and
      lipoprotein lipase (LPL) by RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. The mRNA and
      protein levels of osteogenic and adipogenic markers in the BMSCs were up- and
      downregulated, respectively following the silencing of siEvi1. Our experimental
      results substantiate that the suppression of Evi1 in BMSCs by RNA interference
      inhibits adipogenic differentiation, while it promotes osteogenic
      differentiation. The results from our study demonstrated that the Evi1 gene may
      be targeted as a therapeutic strategy for promoting bone formation.

PMID- 26497333
TI  - Administration of zinc complex of acetylsalicylic acid after the onset of
      myocardial injury protects the heart by upregulation of antioxidant enzymes.
AB  - We recently demonstrated that the pre-treatment of rats with zinc and
      acetylsalicylic acid complex in the form of bis(aspirinato)zinc(II) [Zn(ASA)2] is
      superior to acetylsalicylic acid in protecting the heart from acute myocardial
      ischemia. Herein, we hypothesized that Zn(ASA)2 treatment after the onset of an
      acute myocardial injury could protect the heart. The rats were treated with a
      vehicle or Zn(ASA)2 after an isoproterenol injection. Isoproterenol-induced
      cardiac damage [inflammatory infiltration into myocardial tissue, DNA-strand
      breakage evidenced by TUNEL-assay, increased 11-dehydro thromboxane (TX)B2
      levels, elevated ST-segment, widened QRS complex and prolonged QT-interval] was
      prevented by the Zn(ASA)2 treatment. In isoproterenol-treated rats, load
      independent left ventricular contractility parameters were significantly improved
      after Zn(ASA)2. Furthermore, Zn(ASA)2 significantly increased the myocardial mRNA
      expression of superoxide dismutase-1, glutathione peroxidase-4 and decreased the
      level of Na(+)/K(+)/ATPase. Postconditioning with Zn(ASA)2 protects the heart
      from acute myocardial ischemia. Its mechanisms of action might involve inhibition
      of pro-inflammatory prostanoids and upregulation of antioxidant enzymes. 

PMID- 26497334
TI  - Postnatal overnutrition in mice leads to impaired pulmonary mechanics in response
      to salbutamol.
AB  - Obesity increases the risk of respiratory disease, which is associated with
      airway hyperresponsiveness. Although the molecular underpinnings of this
      phenomenon are not well established, lung remodeling is known as an important
      factor in this process and could potentially explain compromised lung functions.
      In the present study, the obesity was induced by postnatal overnutrition in Swiss
      mice and we investigated the pulmonary mechanics after aerosolization of saline,
      methacholine, and salbutamol. The lungs were prepared for morphometric analysis.
      Obese animals showed bronchoconstriction in response to methacholine, as
      evidenced by airway and tissue resistance, tissue elastance, and hysteresivity.
      Salbutamol was effective at recovering the response only for airway resistance
      but not for tissue mechanics. We suggest that this impaired response in obese
      mice is related to collapsed alveolar, to inflammatory cells, and to elevated
      deposition collagen fibers in parenchymal tissue. 

PMID- 26497336
TI  - Rhodiola rosea extends lifespan and improves stress tolerance in silkworm, Bombyx
      mori.
AB  - The root of Rhodiola rosea is widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The
      extract from R. rosea is reported to extend the lifespan of yeast, nematode, and
      fruit fly. However, the molecular mechanism is not fully understood. Here, we
      tested whether R. rosea extends the lifespan of the silkworm. An aqueous extract
      of R. rosea significantly prolonged the lifespan of the silkworm, without
      affecting its daily food intake, body weight, or fecundity, suggesting that R.
      rosea did not exhibit obvious side effects. Rhodiola rosea extract also enhanced
      the stress resistance in the silkworm, against heat stress (37  degrees C) and
      starvation. The R. rosea extract increased the activity of the major antioxidant
      enzymes, glutathione S-transferase and catalase, and altered the content of
      glutathione and malondialdehyde. Rhodiola rosea increased the expression of
      BmFoxO, which is a downstream regulator of insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathway
      in the silkworm. Our results showed that R. rosea extends lifespan, in which IIS
      pathway might be involved, and enhances stress resistance in the silkworm. Thus,
      the silkworm might be used as a novel animal model for lifespan study and
      efficacy evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicines. 

PMID- 26497335
TI  - Deteriorated glucose metabolism with a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet in db
      mice, an animal model of type 2 diabetes, might be caused by insufficient insulin
      secretion.
AB  - PURPOSE: We previously showed the deleterious effects of increased dietary
      protein on renal manifestations and glucose metabolism in leptin receptor
      deficient (db) mice. Here, we further examined its effects on glucose metabolism,
      including urinary C-peptide. We also orally administered mixtures corresponding
      to low- or high-protein diets to diabetic mice. METHODS: In diet experiments,
      under pair-feeding (equivalent energy and fat) conditions using a metabolic cage,
      mice were fed diets with different protein content (L diet: 12 % protein, 71 %
      carbohydrate, 17 % fat; H diet: 24 % protein, 59 % carbohydrate, 17 % fat) for 15
      days. In oral administration experiments, the respective mixtures (L mixture: 12
      % proline, 71 % maltose or starch, 17 % linoleic acid; H mixture: 24 % proline,
      59 % maltose or starch, 17 % linoleic acid) were supplied to mice. Biochemical
      parameters related to glucose metabolism were measured. RESULTS: The db-H diet
      mice showed significantly higher water intake, urinary volume, and glucose levels
      than db-L diet mice but similar levels of excreted urinary C-peptide. In
      contrast, control-H diet mice showed significantly higher C-peptide excretion
      than control-L diet mice. Both types of mice fed H diet excreted high levels of
      urinary albumin. When maltose mixtures were administered, db-L mixture mice
      showed significantly higher blood glucose after 30 min than db-H mixture mice.
      However, db mice administered starch-H mixture showed significantly higher blood
      glucose 120-300 min post-administration than db-L mixture mice, although both
      groups exhibited similar insulin levels. CONCLUSIONS: High-protein, low
      carbohydrate diets deteriorated diabetic conditions and were associated with
      insufficient insulin secretion in db mice. Our findings may have implications for
      dietary management of diabetic symptoms in human patients.

PMID- 26497337
TI  - MicroRNA-1 suppresses cardiac hypertrophy by targeting nuclear factor of
      activated T cells cytoplasmic 3.
AB  - Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy is a threat to human health due to the probability of
      sudden heart failure-induced mortality. Previous studies have demonstrated that
      nuclear factor of activated T cells cytoplasmic 3 (NFATC3) is important in the
      process of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. However, the molecular mechanism underlying
      the alteration in the expression levels of NFATC3 during cardiomyocyte
      hypertrophy has remained to be fully elucidated. In order to shed light on the
      molecular mechanism, the present study employed several approaches, including the
      measurement of the cell surface area, analysis of the protein/DNA ratio, western
      blot analysis and a Luciferase reporter assay using isolated rat cardiomyocytes
      as model. The results showed that expression of microRNA-1 (miR-1) was reduced in
      patients diagnosed with cardiac hypertrophy and rat cardiomyocytes treated with
      pro-hypertrophic stimuli. The increase in the expression of miR-1 was able to
      inhibit the hypertrophic remodeling of cardiomyocytes. The suppression of miR-1
      was sufficient to induce cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, and further experiments
      confirmed that NFATC3 was a target of miR-1 in cardiomyocytes. Forced expression
      of NFATC3 inhibited the protective activity of miR-1 against hypertrophic stimuli
      in the cardiomyocytes. These findings provided clarification of the regulatory
      signaling pathway underlying cardiac hypertrophy, and provided evidence that
      targeting the miR-1/NFATC3 pathway may be a promising strategy for the prevention
      and treatment of heart hypertrophy. 

PMID- 26497338
TI  - Benign prostatic hyperplasia: epidemiology, economics and evaluation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is arguably the most common
      benign disease of mankind. As men age, the prostate inexorably grows often
      causing troubling symptoms causing them to seek out care. While traditionally
      treated by transurethral resection or open surgical removal of the hypertrophied
      adenoma, today the urologist has numerous medical, surgical and minimally
      invasive techniques available. In this supplement The Canadian Journal of Urology
      provides a review of the various techniques and medications available today.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: As an introduction to the supplement, the aim of this
      article is to review the epidemiology and economy of BPH as well as its natural
      history and diagnosis. A systematic review of available literature was looking
      for articles on BPH and its epidemiology, economics, natural history and
      management using PubMed database. RESULTS: The prevalence of this condition is
      increasing with the population aging and so does the economic burden. The exact
      etiology of this condition is unknown, but some risk factors have been
      identified. The diagnostic and treatment of this very common disease should rely
      on a strong collaboration between primary care physician and urologist.
      CONCLUSION: There are multiple options in treating BPH including medical,
      surgical and newer minimally invasive options. The challenge with having a
      variety of options is to review them with the patient and help the patient select
      the best treatment option for their condition.

PMID- 26497339
TI  - Medical therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia: a review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disease that affects
      men as they age. Historically the treatment has been primarily surgical in
      nature, but over the past 25 years significant advances in medical therapy have
      been made, sparing some men from interventional procedures. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This article highlights the current state-of-the-art with respect to
      medical therapy for lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to BPH (BPH-LUTS)
      including a review of landmark studies and recent areas of research in the field.
      RESULTS: Alpha blockers are considered first line when treating BPH-LUTS in men
      with small prostates and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) are recommended in
      men with large symptomatic prostates. While, phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5)
      inhibitors are the mainstay of erectile dysfunction therapy, they also play a
      role in treating BPH-LUTS. If men have persistent irritative storage symptoms
      after first line BPH therapy then overactive bladder (OAB) medications can be
      added or substituted. Combination therapies can be used to provide short term
      symptom relief with long term disease management. CONCLUSIONS: Medical therapy
      remains the main treatment option for men suffering from BPH-LUTS. Numerous
      medical options are available that can be tailored to meet the individual's needs
      depending on their personal and prostate characteristics. An algorithmic
      approach, as we have defined within this article, can be a helpful guide to this
      decision-making process.

PMID- 26497340
TI  - Complementary and alternative medications for benign prostatic hyperplasia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The use of complementary and alternative medications has become a
      multi-million dollar business in the United States and comprises more than half
      of all filled prescriptions for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in Europe. For
      the practicing urologist, understanding the phytotherapeutic agents available,
      their proposed mechanism of action, the research supporting their use, and their
      safety profiles has become increasingly important as more patients inquire into
      their use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted
      to identify pertinent articles pertaining to alternative and complementary
      treatment options for the management of BPH. Treatments demonstrating adequate
      clinical data, including Serona repens, Pygeum africanum, and Secale cereal, were
      selected for in depth review. RESULTS: Small clinical trials for each of the
      agents demonstrated mixed results while larger more soundly constructed studies
      found no significant benefit for the use of phytotherapy in the treatment of BPH.
      CONCLUSIONS: Based on the available literature, there is no evidence that
      phytotherapy significantly improves symptoms of BPH against placebo, despite
      being largely safe for ingestion. In patients with mild BPH symptoms who are
      reluctant to take standard pharmaceutical medications may try these agents
      provided that the patient understands their current limitations. Those with
      moderate or severe BPH should be discouraged from alternative and complementary
      treatments.

PMID- 26497341
TI  - Electrosurgical transurethral resection of the prostate and transurethral
      incision of the prostate (monopolar techniques).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We summarize the current guidelines, techniques, efficacy and
      complications associated with monopolar transurethral resection of the prostate
      (TURP) and transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP) for benign prostatic
      hyperplasia (BPH). Patients who elect to have endoscopic surgical bladder outlet
      reduction are faced with an abundance of evolving treatment options. As new
      technology comes and goes, TURP and TUIP remain the gold standard for which new
      treatments are compared. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A review of past and contemporary
      data including American and European guidelines was performed. Techniques,
      efficacy, durability, short term and long term complications of TURP and TUIP are
      summarized. RESULTS: Small prostate sizes < 30 mL without a median lobe can be
      effectively treated with TUIP with decreased perioperative complications and
      sexual side effects compared to TURP. Monopolar TURP demonstrates significant
      improvements in IPSS, peak flow rate (Qmax), and quality of life (QoL) with
      durable (8 year-22 year) outcomes. Secondary intervention increases by 1%-2%
      annually. Thirty-day mortality rate is low (0.1%) as well as incidence of TUR
      syndrome (< 1.1%). Short term and long term complications include bleeding
      requiring transfusion, clot retention, acute urinary retention (AUR), and urinary
      tract infections as well as incontinence, bladder neck contracture, urethral
      stricture, and sexual dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: Monopolar TURP and TUIP are
      effective endoscopic treatments for BPH with durable long term results. While the
      short term and long term complication rates are acceptable, new technologies aim
      to increase tolerability of bladder outlet reduction by decreasing treatment
      related morbidity.

PMID- 26497342
TI  - Bipolar energy in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a current
      systematic review of the literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: For decades, the monopolar transurethral resection of the prostate
      has been established as the minimally invasive surgical treatment for patients
      with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In recent years, new technologies and
      devices emerged to reduce the morbidity and improve outcomes for this treatment
      approach. Bipolar energy introduced the use of saline irrigation and laser
      technology increased the urological armamentarium to treat BPH. We performed a
      systematic review of the literature regarding bipolar technology for the
      treatment of BPH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A MEDLINE database search using the
      PRISMA methodology. Selected literature was restricted to articles published in
      English and published between 2005 and 2015. Articles regarding techniques using
      bipolar energy were included, while manuscripts that used a different technique,
      hybrid techniques, or techniques other than bipolar resection, bipolar
      vaporization, and bipolar enucleation were excluded. RESULTS: The use of bipolar
      energy in the endoscopic treatment of BPH presented a significant reduction in
      operative time, perioperative complications, shorter catheterization time,
      reduced number of blood products transfused, and shorter hospital stay compared
      to standard techniques. Postoperative outcomes showed that bipolar energy was
      safe and offered significant outcome improvement when compared to traditional
      monopolar transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). CONCLUSION: The use of
      bipolar energy in the surgical treatment of patients with BPH is safe and is
      associated with improvements in perioperative outcomes. Short and mid-term
      functional outcomes are comparable to standard techniques, but long term
      functional outcomes need better clinical evaluation.

PMID- 26497343
TI  - Photoselective laser ablation of the prostate: a review of the current 2015
      tissue ablation options.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is still considered
      the gold standard to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). However,
      photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) has gained widespread
      acceptance as an alternative option requiring preoperative patient selection.
      Four laser systems are currently in use: holmium, thulium, diode and GreenLight.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The goal of this article is to review the physics and the
      basics behind laser prostatectomies, as well as to present the most current
      literature concerning the results, advantages, disadvantages and international
      recommendations for each vaporization procedure. RESULTS: Holmium laser ablation
      of the prostate (HoLAP) and GreenLight photoselective vaporization of the
      prostate are an alternative to TURP for small to medium-sized prostates,
      providing equivalent efficacy and safety. GreenLight is also safe and effective
      in large-sized prostates and especially beneficial in anti-coagulated individuals
      compared to TURP. Thulium vaporization of the prostate (ThuVAP) and diode
      vaporization both require additional randomized trials and long term studies
      before conclusion is made, despite promising initial results. Diode vaporization
      provides the best hemostasis overall, but at the cost of increased complication
      and re-treatment rate, and thus is not recommended except in severely anti
      coagulated patients. CONCLUSION: Laser vaporization is a safe and effective
      alternative to TURP in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) for
      carefully selected patients. However, further research is still needed to assess
      the durability of each technology.

PMID- 26497344
TI  - Laser prostate enucleation techniques.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Laser treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) through
      enucleation techniques has become increasingly more utilized in the field of
      urology. Laser enucleation of the prostate (LEP) is a transurethral procedure
      that employs several different types of lasers to dissect the adenoma from the
      surgical capsule in a retrograde fashion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We review basic
      laser physics and current laser prostate enucleation techniques. Holmium-LEP
      (HoLEP), Thulium-LEP (ThuLEP), Greenlight-LEP (GreenLEP) and Diode-LEP (DiLEP)
      applications are discussed. We summarize the current literature with respect to
      functional outcomes and complications. RESULTS: Although each laser device used
      for prostate enucleation has the same goal of removal of the adenoma from the
      surgical capsule, each has unique characteristics (i.e. wavelength, absorption
      rates) that must be understood by the practicing surgeon. Mastery of one LEP
      technique does not necessarily translate into facile use of an alternative
      enucleation energy source and/or approach. The various LEP techniques have
      demonstrated similar, if not superior, postoperative results to transurethral
      resection of the prostate (TURP), the current gold standard in the treatment of
      BPH. CONCLUSIONS: This article outlines the current LEP techniques and should
      serve as a quick reference for the practicing urologist.

PMID- 26497345
TI  - Prostatectomy for benign prostate disease: open, laparoscopic and robotic
      techniques.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Prostatectomy for benign disease, also known as a 'simple
      prostatectomy', is neither simple in indication nor approach. In the post-Medical
      Therapy of Prostatic Symptoms (MTOPS), NCT00021814 trial era, the medical
      management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and consequent bladder outlet
      obstruction (BOO) has shifted surgical intervention to those patients who are
      medical-non responders, present with advanced signs of BOO and obstructive
      uropathy, and those with prostate gland volumes beyond the size normally
      approachable with standard transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Simple
      prostatectomy through an open surgical approach is associated with improvements
      in BOO and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) but at the expense of considerable
      surgical and perioperative morbidity. Advances in technology have made it
      possible for patients to be offered standard open surgical approaches as well as
      transurethral approaches with photon-based energy sources (i.e. laser
      prostatectomy) and laparoscopic simple prostatectomy. A review of the historical
      challenges of BPH and the standard-of-care of open prostatectomy will put into
      perspective the potential advantages and disadvantages of laparoscopic and
      robotic prostatectomy for the treatment of benign BOO due to BPH. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A careful review of the literature was performed utilizing PubMed and
      ClinicalKey searches to identify relevant articles. Search terms 'simple
      prostatectomy', 'robotic simple prostatectomy' and 'laparoscopic simple
      prostatectomy'. RESULTS: Over 14 series of open simple prostatectomies and over
      20 minimally invasive series were identified and used as a reference.
      Additionally, several review articles were identified and incorporated.
      CONCLUSIONS: Simple prostatectomy may be performed safely in appropriately
      selected patients utilizing either open or minimally invasive approaches.
      Clinical criteria should be used to determine the appropriateness of either
      retropubic versus transvesical approach.

PMID- 26497346
TI  - Prostatic urethral lift: a novel approach for managing symptomatic BPH in the
      aging man.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an obligate disorder of the
      aging male prostate with close associations to other metabolic conditions of
      aging including obesity. Clinical manifestations of this chronic disorder
      increase as men age suggesting that a growing number of older men will require
      intervention for progressive voiding symptoms or bladder dysfunction. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The Prostatic Urethral Lift (PUL) procedure represents a new
      endoscopic approach in which small permanent intraprostatic implants are
      positioned to correct bladder outlet obstruction without tissue destruction. An
      overview of the treatment modality, review of recent literature, and analysis of
      data in the context of cost considerations is presented. RESULTS: The mean
      symptom score improvement of the prospective, sham controlled, pivotal trial was
      11 points, 88% greater than sham controls. Multiple studies have confirmed
      symptom score improvement of at least 52%. Durability has been established out to
      3 years. A randomized comparison between PUL and transurethral resection of the
      prostate (TURP) established PUL as superior to TURP in terms of a composite BPH6
      endpoint which incorporated symptom relief, quality of recovery, erectile
      function preservation, ejaculatory function preservation, continence
      preservation, and safety. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
      of the United Kingdom conducted an analysis that found PUL is less costly than
      TURP. Earlier management with PUL may even reduce overall cost for those patients
      managed with medication. CONCLUSION: Current reports have demonstrated rapid
      voiding symptom improvement with a low risk of adverse events suggesting that
      this procedure represents a safe and cost effective new paradigm for the early
      therapy for BPH/ LUTS.

PMID- 26497347
TI  - The management of prostatic obstruction with urethral stents.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Elderly men with multiple comorbidities may be unfit to undergo
      surgical management of benign prostatic obstruction (BPO). Permanent and
      temporary prostatic stents have been developed as an alternative to chronic
      indwelling catheters in men unfit for surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Herein we
      review the past and present literature on the role and effectiveness of prostatic
      stents in the treatment of BPO. RESULTS: Permanent prostatic stents have largely
      been abandoned in North America due to unfavorable outcomes and improved
      technologies to allow for treatment of BPO. Currently, the temporary Spanner
      stent is the only available stent on the market, but its effectiveness has mostly
      been documented for temporary relief of tissue edema following minimal invasive
      ablative treatments for BPO. CONCLUSIONS: The advent of well-tolerated surgical
      treatments for BPO (KTP laser vaporization, bipolar TURP, urethral lift devices)
      has diminished the need for permanent prostatic stents. The temporary Spanner
      stent is an alternative to urethral catheter, but requires adequate detrusor
      function and can cause irritative symptoms.

PMID- 26497348
TI  - Evolving and investigational therapies for benign prostatic hyperplasia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are common and are often caused
      by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Traditional surgical methods of open
      enucleation and transurethral resection of prostrate (TURP) have been efficacious
      in alleviating these symptoms however, these are operator dependent and often
      come with significant side effects. In this review, we will discuss upcoming new
      surgical techniques in management of BPH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic
      search of SCOPUS, MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases were carried out using
      relevant key words. RESULTS: Intra-prostatic injections with a variety of agents
      have been explored as these can be readily performed under local anesthesia.
      Alcohol injections into the prostate have been abandoned due to potential side
      effects but there has been ongoing development of two alternative agents, NX-1207
      and PRX-302. Both have shown good safety profiles and early efficacy in phase II
      studies. Thermal treatment with the Rezum device performed as an outpatient
      procedure has shown both safety and efficacy in phase I and II studies.
      Aquablation shows promise in phase II studies with few side effects and is a
      relatively an automated procedure, albeit requiring general anesthesia. Prostate
      artery embolization has been reported in a number of studies, but clinical
      outcomes have been unpredictable. Histotripsy has had a number of complications
      in animal models and despite technical improvement has not yet progressed beyond
      feasibility studies in humans. CONCLUSIONS: Some of the new techniques and
      technologies available for BPH have been shown to be relatively safe and
      efficacious and await validation with phase III studies.

PMID- 26497349
TI  - Management of complications after surgical outlet reduction for benign prostatic
      obstruction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lower urinary tract symptoms are a common complaint. Surgery to
      debulk hyperplastic prostate tissue is indicated for men with symptoms refractory
      to medical therapy, or for those who cannot tolerate first-line medications. In
      recent decades, new endoscopic techniques have been developed to reduce the
      morbidity of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Nonetheless,
      complications are still frequently encountered in the immediate, early, and
      remote postoperative setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this review, we perform
      an in-depth examination of contemporary treatment strategies for long term
      complications of surgical outlet reduction procedures. Complications encountered
      in the remote postoperative setting such as erectile dysfunction (ED), urethral
      stricture, refractory incontinence, and bladder neck contracture were identified
      in the literature. RESULTS: Treatment strategies for ED after TURP do not differ
      from algorithms applied for ED due to other causes. Management of urethral
      stricture following TURP depends on the size and location of narrowing and can
      range from simple dilation to complex excision with grafting techniques or
      perineal urethrostomy. Refractory urinary incontinence requires a full diagnostic
      evaluation, and artificial urinary sphincter placement is efficacious for cases
      that do not respond to first-line medical therapy. Finally, numerous therapies
      for bladder neck contracture exist and vary in their invasiveness. CONCLUSION:
      Endoscopic reduction of the prostate for the male with benign prostatic
      obstruction via most contemporary modalities is a safe and effective means to
      decrease outlet resistance to urinary flow. However, late complications from
      these procedures still exist. Management of remote morbidity following TURP can
      be diagnostically and therapeutically complex, necessitating prompt referral to a
      genitourinary reconstruction specialist.

PMID- 26497350
TI  - Current status of African swine fever virus in a population of wild boar in
      eastern Poland (2014-2015).
AB  - African swine fever virus (ASFV) was detected in wild boar in eastern Poland in
      early 2014. So far, 65 cases of ASFV infection in wild boar have been recognised.
      The methods used for ASFV detection included highly specific real-time PCR with a
      universal probe library (UPL), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and an
      immunoperoxidase test (IPT) for identification of anti-ASFV antibodies. The
      positive ASF cases were located near the border with Belarus in Sokolka and
      Bialystok counties. Some of the countermeasures for disease prevention include
      early ASF diagnosis by ASFV DNA identification as well as detection of specific
      antibodies by systematic screening. The aim of this study was to assess the
      current ASF status in a Polish population of wild boar during the last two years
      (2014-2015). 

PMID- 26497351
TI  - Novel hydroxybutyl chitosan nanoparticles for siRNA delivery targeting tissue
      factor inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in human vascular smooth
      muscle cells.
AB  - Chitosan, a polysaccharide isolated from shrimp and other crustacean shells, has
      been widely investigated for DNA and siRNA delivery. Despite substantial effort
      having been made to improve chitosan as a non-viral gene delivery vector, the
      application is severely limited by its poor solubility under physiological
      conditions. Hydroxybutyl chitosan (HBC), a modified chitosan, is soluble under
      neutral conditions. Tissue factor (TF) is involved in the pathogenesis of
      cardiovascular diseases by promoting thrombus formation and inducing the
      migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. Targeting TF is an
      attractive therapeutic strategy for cardiovascular diseases. In the present
      study, the use of HBC for the transfer of TF-siRNAs into human umbilical vein
      smooth muscle cells (HUVSMCs) was investigated, and the effects of TF knockdown
      on cell proliferation and apoptosis were examined. HBC/siRNA nanoparticles were
      produced by mixing HBC and siRNA solutions with the assistance of
      tripolyphosphate buffer. The transfection efficiency with these nanoparticles was
      74+/-2.5%, which was determined using a fluorescence-labeled siRNA under
      fluorescence microscopy. The delivery of HBC/TF-siRNA resulted in reductions in
      the production of cellular and soluble TF protein in HUVMSCs, which were measured
      using western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. TF
      knockdown led to inhibited cell proliferation, as assessed using a Cell Counting
      Kit-8 assay, and increased cell apoptosis, determined using Annexin V-fluorescein
      isothiocyanate staining. These findings suggested that HBC may be a promising
      vector for siRNA delivery, and that in vivo HBC/siRNA nanoparticle delivery
      targeting TF may be a potential option for the treatment of cardiovascular
      diseases, which warrants further investigation. 

PMID- 26497352
TI  - Further evidence for preoperative chemoradiotherapy and transanal endoscopic
      surgery (TEM) in T2-3s,N0,M0 rectal cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Preoperative chemoradiotherapy and local excision via transanal
      endoscopic surgery (TEM) in T2-3s,N0,M0 rectal cancer achieve promising results
      in selected patients. We describe our long-term follow-up experience with this
      combination, and evaluate complete clinical and pathological responses, local
      recurrence and overall survival. METHODS: The prospective observational follow-up
      study carried out since 2007. Out of 476 consecutive patients treated with TEM,
      we selected those with adenocarcinoma of low or moderate grade of
      differentiation, clinical stages T2-superficial T3,N0,M0, who refused radical
      surgery. Preoperative chemoradiotherapy comprised 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine
      combined with radiotherapy at a dose of 50.4 Gy. TEM was performed after 8 weeks.
      Complications were recorded and long-term follow-up was conducted. RESULTS:
      Fifteen patients undergoing preoperative chemoradiotherapy and TEM (median age 76
      years, 95 % CI 70.3-80.4, and median follow-up 38 months, 95 % CI 20-44) were
      studied. No local recurrence was observed, and only one patient (6.7 %) presented
      systemic relapse. The overall survival was 76 %. Complete clinical response was
      achieved in seven patients (46.7 %) and complete pathological response in four
      (26.7 %). With regard to toxicity associated with neoadjuvant treatment, four
      patients (26.7 %) developed grade 3 adverse effects; no grade 4 or 5 adverse
      effects were observed. There was no postoperative mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results of our study, with a response rate of 26.7 % and without local relapse,
      support the treatment of T2-3s,N0,M0 of rectal cancer with preoperative
      chemoradiotherapy and local excision (TEM).

PMID- 26497353
TI  - Clinical significance of ECT2 expression in tissue and serum of gastric cancer
      patients.
AB  - The ECT2 (epithelial cell transforming sequence 2) oncogene acted as a guanine
      nucleotide exchange factor for RhoGTPases, and regulates cytokinesis; thus, it
      may play a role in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer. In this study, we
      investigated the expression ECT2 gene in tissues and serum of gastric cancer
      patients to explore its clinical significance. ECT2 mRNA expression levels in
      tissues and serum were examined by RT-PCR, and ECT2 protein expression in tissue
      was evaluated by Western blot, and was further validated by immunohistochemistry
      and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at serum level. ECT2 level was
      significantly increased in the GC tissues and serum compared to normal control.
      ECT2 expression was positively correlated with the histologic differentiation,
      stages of TNM, and lymph node metastasis in GC (P < 0.05). Our results suggest
      that ECT2 plays an important role during GC progression and it may become a new
      diagnostic marker and therapeutic molecular target for management of GC. 

PMID- 26497354
TI  - SEOM clinical guidelines for the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma.
AB  - Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is an uncommon B cell lymphoid malignancy representing
      approximately 10-15 % of all lymphomas. HL is composed of two distinct disease
      entities; the more commonly diagnosed classical HL and the rare nodular
      lymphocyte-predominant HL. An accurate assessment of the stage of disease and
      prognostic factors that identify patients at low or high risk for recurrence are
      used to optimize therapy. Patients with early stage disease are treated with
      combined modality strategies using abbreviated courses of combination
      chemotherapy followed by involved-field radiation therapy, while those with
      advanced stage disease receive a longer course of chemotherapy often without
      radiation therapy. High-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) followed by an autologous stem
      cell transplant (ASCT) is the standard of care for most patients who relapse
      following initial therapy. Brentuximab vedotin should be considered for patients
      who fail HDCT with ASCT.

PMID- 26497355
TI  - Pin1 promotes prostate cancer cell proliferation and migration through activation
      of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that the peptidyl-prolyl isomerase Pin1 is
      an oncoprotein that acts as a novel therapeutic target in a variety of tumors. In
      this study, we investigated the clinical significance of Pin1 and its function in
      prostate cancer (PCa) tumor progression. METHODS: Immunohistochemical and
      quantitative RT-PCR analyses were performed to detect the expression of Pin1 in
      86 PCa tissue samples. The functional role of Pin1 was evaluated by small
      interfering RNA-mediated depletion in PCa cells followed by analyses of cell
      proliferation and migration. Furthermore, the association between expression of
      Pin1 and levels of beta-catenin and cyclin D1 was also evaluated. RESULTS: Our
      results showed that the high expression of Pin1 staining was 66 of 86 (76.74 %)
      PCa samples, and in 25 of 86 (29.07 %) BPH tissues, the difference was
      statistically significant (P < 0.001). Pin1 was significantly elevated in all PCa
      cell lines when compared to the normal RWPE-1 cells. We observed that
      proliferation and migration of LNCaP cells were inhibited by Pin1 knockdown. The
      levels of beta-catenin and cyclin D1 in clinical PCa specimens were positively
      associated with Pin1 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that Pin1 plays
      an important role in tumorigenesis of PCa, suggesting that targeting Pin1 pathway
      could represent a potential modality for treating PCa.

PMID- 26497356
TI  - SEOM clinical guidelines in early-stage breast cancer 2015.
AB  - Breast cancer is a major public health problem. Despite remarkable advances in
      early diagnosis and treatment, one in three women may have metastases since
      diagnosis. Better understanding of prognostic and predictive factors allows us to
      select the most appropriate adjuvant therapy in each patient. In these
      guidelines, we summarize current evidence for the medical management of early
      stage breast cancer. 

PMID- 26497357
TI  - Use of FDG-PET to detect a chronic odontogenic infection as a possible source of
      the brain abscess.
AB  - This study describes the use of (18)F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission
      tomography (FDG-PET) to detect a chronic odontogenic infection as the possible
      origin of a brain abscess (BA). A 74-year-old man with esophageal carcinoma was
      referred to our department to determine the origin of a BA in his oral cavity. He
      had no acute odontogenic infections. The BA was drained, and bacteria of the
      Staphylococcus milleri group were detected. Whole body FDG-PET revealed that the
      only sites of definite uptake of FDG were the esophageal carcinoma and the left
      upper maxillary region (SUVmax: 4.5). These findings suggested that the BA may
      have originated from a chronic periodontal infection. Six teeth with progressive
      chronic periodontal disease were extracted to remove the possible source of BA.
      These findings excluded the possibility of direct spread of bacteria from the
      odontogenic infectious lesion to the intracranial cavity. After extraction, there
      was no relapse of BA.

PMID- 26497358
TI  - Hot-Injection Synthesis of Cu-Doped Cu2ZnSnSe4 Nanocrystals to Reach
      Thermoelectric zT of 0.70 at 450 degrees C.
AB  - As a new class of potential midrange temperature thermoelectric materials,
      quaternary chalcogenides like Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) and Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) suffer from
      low electrical conductivity due to insufficient doping. In this work, Cu-doped
      CZTSe nanocrystals consisting of polygon-like nanoparticles are synthesized with
      sufficient Cu doping contents. The hot-injection synthetic method, rather than
      the traditional one-pot method, in combination with the hot-pressing method is
      employed to produce the CZTSe nanocrystals. In Cu-doped CZTSe nanocrystals, the
      electrical conductivity is enhanced by substitution of Zn(2+) with Cu(+), which
      introduces additional holes as charge carriers. Meanwhile, the existence of
      boundaries between nanoparticles in as-synthesized CZTSe nanocrystals
      collectively results in intensive phonon-boundary scatterings, which remarkably
      reduce the lattice thermal conductivity. As a result, an average thermoelectric
      figure of merit of 0.70 is obtained at 450  degrees C, which is significantly
      larger than that of the state-of-the-art quaternary chalcogenides thermoelectric
      materials. The theoretical calculations from the Boltzmann transport equations
      and the modified effective medium approximation are in good agreement with the
      experimental data. 

PMID- 26497359
TI  - Optimal speech motor control and token-to-token variability: a Bayesian modeling
      approach.
AB  - The remarkable capacity of the speech motor system to adapt to various speech
      conditions is due to an excess of degrees of freedom, which enables producing
      similar acoustical properties with different sets of control strategies. To
      explain how the central nervous system selects one of the possible strategies, a
      common approach, in line with optimal motor control theories, is to model speech
      motor planning as the solution of an optimality problem based on cost functions.
      Despite the success of this approach, one of its drawbacks is the intrinsic
      contradiction between the concept of optimality and the observed experimental
      intra-speaker token-to-token variability. The present paper proposes an
      alternative approach by formulating feedforward optimal control in a
      probabilistic Bayesian modeling framework. This is illustrated by controlling a
      biomechanical model of the vocal tract for speech production and by comparing it
      with an existing optimal control model (GEPPETO). The essential elements of this
      optimal control model are presented first. From them the Bayesian model is
      constructed in a progressive way. Performance of the Bayesian model is evaluated
      based on computer simulations and compared to the optimal control model. This
      approach is shown to be appropriate for solving the speech planning problem while
      accounting for variability in a principled way. 

PMID- 26497360
TI  - Biosynthesis of fungal meroterpenoids.
AB  - Covering: up to September 2015. Meroterpenoids are hybrid natural products that
      partially originate from the terpenoid pathway. The meroterpenoids derived from
      fungi display quite diverse structures, with a wide range of biological
      properties. This review summarizes the molecular bases for their biosyntheses,
      which were recently elucidated with modern techniques, and also discusses the
      plausible biosynthetic pathways of other related natural products lacking genetic
      information. (Complementary to the coverage of literature by Geris and Simpson in
      Nat. Prod. Rep., 2009, 26, 1063-1094.).

PMID- 26497361
TI  - Fibrates for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fibrates are a class of drugs characterised by mainly lowering high
      triglyceride, raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and lowering
      the small dense fraction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Their
      efficacy for secondary prevention of serious vascular events is unclear, and to
      date no systematic review focusing on secondary prevention has been undertaken.
      OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy and safety of fibrates for the prevention of
      serious vascular events in people with previous cardiovascular disease (CVD),
      including coronary heart disease and stroke. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the
      Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; Issue 9, 2014) on the
      Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (OVID, 1946 to October week 1 2014), EMBASE (OVID, 1980
      to 2014 week 41), the China Biological Medicine Database (CBM) (1978 to 2014),
      the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) (1979 to 2014), Chinese
      Science and Technique Journals Database (VIP) (1989 to 2014). We also searched
      other resources, such as ongoing trials registers and databases of conference
      abstracts, to identify further published, unpublished, and ongoing studies.
      SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in which a
      fibrate (for example gemfibrozil, fenofibrate) was compared with placebo or no
      treatment. We excluded RCTs with only laboratory outcomes. We also excluded
      trials comparing two different fibrates without a placebo or no-treatment
      control. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently selected
      trials for inclusion, assessed risk of bias, and extracted the data. We contacted
      authors of trials for missing data. MAIN RESULTS: We included 13 trials involving
      a total of 16,112 participants. Eleven trials recruited participants with history
      of coronary heart disease, two trials recruited participants with history of
      stroke, and one trial recruited participants with a mix of people with CVD. We
      judged overall risk of bias to be moderate. The meta-analysis (including all
      fibrate trials) showed evidence for a protective effect of fibrates primarily
      compared to placebo for the primary composite outcome of non-fatal stroke, non
      fatal myocardial infarction (MI), and vascular death (risk ratio (RR) 0.88, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.83 to 0.94; participants = 16,064; studies = 12; I(2)
      = 45%, fixed effect). Fibrates were moderately effective for preventing MI
      occurrence (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.93; participants = 13,942; studies = 10;
      I(2) = 24%, fixed effect). Fibrates were not effective against all-cause
      mortality (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.06; participants = 13,653; studies = 10;
      I(2) = 23%), death from vascular causes (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.05;
      participants = 13,653; studies = 10; I(2) = 11%, fixed effect), and stroke events
      (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.16; participants = 11,719; studies = 6; I(2) = 11%,
      fixed effect). Excluding clofibrate trials, as the use of clofibrate was
      discontinued in 2012 due to safety concerns, the remaining class of fibrates were
      no longer effective in preventing the primary composite outcome (RR 0.90, 95% CI
      0.79 to 1.03; participants = 10,320; studies = 7; I(2) = 50%, random effects).
      However, without clofibrate data, fibrates remained effective in preventing MI
      (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.94; participants = 8304; studies = 6; I(2) = 47%,
      fixed effect). There was no increase in adverse events with fibrates compared to
      control. Subgroup analyses showed the benefit of fibrates on the primary
      composite outcome to be consistent irrespective of age, gender, and diabetes
      mellitus. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Moderate evidence showed that the fibrate class
      can be effective in the secondary prevention of composite outcome of non-fatal
      stroke, non-fatal MI, and vascular death. However, this beneficial effect relies
      on the inclusion of clofibrate data, a drug that was discontinued in 2002 due to
      its unacceptably large adverse effects. Further trials of the use of fibrates in
      populations with previous stroke and also against a background treatment with
      statins (standard of care) are required.

PMID- 26497362
TI  - Assessing the Efficacy of a Breastfeeding-Friendly Quality Improvement Project in
      a Large Federally Qualified Health Center Network.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Provider attitudes can influence breastfeeding decision making,
      initiation, and duration, although much of this research has suffered from a
      "hospital-limited view." OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a
      Breastfeeding-Friendly Initiative (BFI) on knowledge and attitudes of providers
      and staff, as well as breastfeeding rates of patients within a large Federally
      Qualified Health Center network with no lactation consultants on staff. METHODS:
      We evaluated breastfeeding rates before and throughout the BFI. In addition,
      surveys of 136 primary care providers and staff before and after they were
      exposed to a breastfeeding education module were assessed to measure changes in
      breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes. RESULTS: Breastfeeding initiation and
      duration improved over the course of the BFI, with mean breastfeeding duration
      increasing by nearly 1 month following the education module compared with
      baseline rates (P = .01). Following participation in the breastfeeding education
      module, we observed a statistically significant improvement in provider and staff
      knowledge (P < .01) and attitudes (P < .01). These improvements were consistent
      across employment type, gender, geography, and personal experience as a parent.
      CONCLUSION: Implementing a BFI in a large multispecialty primary care network was
      found to improve breastfeeding initiation and duration up to 1 year, with a
      further increase in breastfeeding duration of 1 month following a 45-minute staff
      education module. After exposure to this module, health care providers and staff
      across our network improved in breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes. Given that
      expectant and new mothers regularly come into contact with staff and providers in
      primary care, sound knowledge and positive attitudes toward breastfeeding appear
      to have had a favorable effect on mothers that correlates with improved
      breastfeeding duration.

PMID- 26497363
TI  - Geographic disparities in late stage breast cancer incidence: results from eight
      states in the United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Late stage of cancer at diagnosis is an important predictor of cancer
      mortality. In many areas worldwide, cancer registry systems, available data and
      mapping technologies can provide information about late stage cancer by
      geographical regions, offering valuable opportunities to identify areas where
      further investigation and interventions are needed. The current study examined
      geographical variation in late stage breast cancer incidence across eight states
      in the United States with the objective to identify areas that might benefit from
      targeted interventions. METHODS: Data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End
      Results Program on late stage breast cancer incidence was used as dependent
      variable in regression analysis and certain factors known to contribute to high
      rates of late stage cancer (socioeconomic characteristics, health insurance
      characteristics, and the availability and utilization of cancer screening) as
      covariates. Geographic information systems were used to map and highlight areas
      that have any combination of high late stage breast cancer incidence and
      significantly associated risk factors. RESULTS: The differences in mean rates of
      late stage breast cancer between eight states considered in this analysis are
      statistically significant. Factors that have statistically negative association
      with late stage breast cancer incidence across the eight states include: density
      of mammography facilities, percent population with Bachelor's degree and English
      literacy while percent black population has statistically significant positive
      association with late stage breast cancer incidence. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      describes geographic disparities in late stage breast cancer incidence and
      identifies areas that might benefit from targeted interventions. The results
      suggest that in the eight US states examined, higher rates of late stage breast
      cancer are more common in areas with predominantly black population, where
      English literacy, percentage of population with college degree and screening
      availability are low. The approach described in this work may be utilized both
      within and outside US, wherever cancer registry systems and technologies offer
      the same opportunity to identify places where further investigation and
      interventions for reducing cancer burden are needed.

PMID- 26497364
TI  - Metformin prevents cancer metastasis by inhibiting M2-like polarization of tumor
      associated macrophages.
AB  - Accumulated evidence suggests that M2-like polarized tumor associated macrophages
      (TAMs) plays an important role in cancer progression and metastasis, establishing
      TAMs, especially M2-like TAMs as an appealing target for therapy intervention.
      Here we found that metformin significantly suppressed IL-13 induced M2-like
      polarization of macrophages, as illustrated by reduced expression of CD206, down
      regulation of M2 marker mRNAs, and inhibition of M2-like macrophages promoted
      migration of cancer cells and endothelial cells. Metformin triggered AMPKalpha1
      activation in macrophage and silencing of AMPKalpha1 partially abrogated the
      inhibitory effect of metformin in IL-13 induced M2-like polarization.
      Administration of AICAR, another activator of AMPK, also blocked the M2-like
      polarization of macrophages. Metformin greatly reduced the number of metastases
      of Lewis lung cancer without affecting tumor growth. In tumor tissues, the
      percentage of M2-like macrophage was decreased and the area of pericyte-coated
      vessels was increased. Further, the anti-metastatic effect of metformin was
      abolished when the animals were treated with macrophages eliminating agent
      clodronate liposome. These findings suggest that metformin is able to block the
      M2-like polarization of macrophages partially through AMPKalpha1, which plays an
      important role in metformin inhibited metastasis of Lewis lung cancer.

PMID- 26497365
TI  - beta2-adrenogenic signaling regulates NNK-induced pancreatic cancer progression
      via upregulation of HIF-1alpha.
AB  - Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. It is suggested that 4
      (methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), a tobacco-specific
      nitrosamine, mediates the carcinogenic action of cigarette smoking by promoting
      cancer growth. In the present study, we show that smoking, HIF-1alpha expression
      and beta2-adrenogenic receptor (beta2-AR) expression are negatively correlated
      with the overall survival of pancreatic cancer patients. Moreover, HIF-1alpha
      expression and beta2-AR expression are positively correlated with smoking status,
      different histological differentiation and among the tumor node metastasis (TNM)
      stages in pancreatic cancer patients. NNK increases HIF-1alpha expression in
      pancreatic cancer in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, knockdown of HIF-1alpha and
      ICI118, 551 (a beta2-AR selective antagonist) abrogates NNK-induced pancreatic
      cancer proliferation and invasion in vitro and inhibits NNK-induced pancreatic
      cancer growth in vivo. However, using CoCl2 (a HIF-1alpha stabilizing agent which
      decreases HIF-1alpha degradation under normoxia conditions) reverses ICI118, 551
      induced effects under NNK exposure. Thus, our data indicate that beta2-AR
      signaling regulates NNK-induced pancreatic cancer progression via upregulation of
      HIF-1alpha. Taken together, beta2-AR signaling and HIF-1alpha may represent
      promising therapeutic targets for preventing smoking induced pancreatic cancer
      progression. 

PMID- 26497366
TI  - Identification of hallmarks of lung adenocarcinoma prognosis using whole genome
      sequencing.
AB  - In conjunction with clinical characteristics, prognostic biomarkers are essential
      for choosing optimal therapies to lower the mortality of lung adenocarcinoma.
      Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of 7 cancerous-noncancerous tissue pairs was
      performed to explore the comparative copy number variations (CNVs) associated
      with lung adenocarcinoma. The frequencies of top ranked CNVs were verified in an
      independent set of 114 patients and then the roles of target CNVs in disease
      prognosis were assessed in 313 patients. The WGS yielded 2604 CNVs. After
      frequency validation and biological function screening of top 10 CNVs, 9 mutant
      driver genes from 7 CNVs were further analyzed for an association with survival.
      Compared with the PBXIP1 amplified copy number, unamplified carriers had a 0.62
      fold (95%CI = 0.43-0.91) decreased risk of death. Compared with an amplified
      TERT, those with an unamplified TERT had a 35% reduction (95% CI = 3%-56%) in
      risk of lung adenocarcinoma progression. Cases with both unamplified PBXIP1 and
      TERT had a median 34.32-month extension of overall survival and 34.55-month delay
      in disease progression when compared with both amplified CNVs. This study
      demonstrates that CNVs of TERT and PBXIP1 have the potential to translate into
      the clinic and be used to improve outcomes for patients with this fatal disease. 

PMID- 26497367
TI  - miR-124 and miR-506 inhibit colorectal cancer progression by targeting DNMT3B and
      DNMT1.
AB  - miR-124 and miR-506 are reportedly down-regulated and associated with tumor
      progression in many cancers, but little is known about their intrinsic regulatory
      mechanisms in colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we found that the miR-124
      and miR-506 levels were significantly lower in human CRC tissues than in
      controls, as indicated by qRT-PCR and in situ hybridization histochemistry. We
      also found that the overexpression of miR-124 or miR-506 inhibited tumor cell
      progression and increased sensitivity to chemotherapy in vitro. Increased miR-124
      or miR-506 expression also inhibited tumor cell proliferation and invasion in
      vivo. Luciferase reporter assays and western blotting were used to determine the
      association between miR-124, miR-506 and their target genes, DNMTs. We further
      identified that miR-124 and miR-506 directly targeted DNMT3B and indirectly
      targeted DNMT1. The overexpression of miR-124 and miR-506 reduced global DNA
      methylation and restored the expression of E-cadherin, MGMT and P16. In
      conclusion, our data showed that miR-124 and miR-506 inhibit progression and
      increase sensitivity to chemotherapy by targeting DNMT3B and DNMT1 in CRC. These
      findings may provide novel avenues for the development of targeted therapies. 

PMID- 26497369
TI  - Near-ambient XPS characterization of interfacial copper species in ceria
      supported copper catalysts.
AB  - Catalysts based on combinations of copper and cerium oxides are interesting
      alternatives to noble metal ones for processes involved in the
      production/purification of hydrogen produced from hydrocarbons or biomass like
      the water-gas shift or the preferential oxidation of CO reactions. Active sites
      for such processes have been proposed to correspond to reduced species formed at
      the interface between both oxides. The present work provides direct evidence of
      reduced copper species located at the interface and observed during the course of
      near-ambient XPS experiments performed over samples of copper oxide supported on
      ceria nanospheres and nanocubes subjected to interaction with CO at different
      temperatures. The analysis of XPS results is based on DFT+U calculations employed
      as a complementary method for the analysis of redox properties of the catalysts
      and core-level shifts produced upon such redox changes. Differences observed in
      interfacial redox properties as a function of the ceria support morphology appear
      to be most useful to explain catalytic properties of this type of system for
      mentioned processes. 

PMID- 26497370
TI  - Psychiatric comorbidities among Iranian elderly patients on methadone maintenance
      treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Comorbidity of psychiatric disorders and substance abuse can
      intensify both conditions, and when advanced age is added to the combination, the
      patient will face a distinctive array of issues. This study evaluated the
      prevalence of psychiatric disorders in elderly substance users as well as certain
      related factors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 160
      consenting elderly substance users 60 years and over who had been on methadone
      maintenance. The subjects were selected from rehabilitation centers affiliated
      with the Welfare Organization in Tehran through convenience sampling, and were
      assessed for current or lifetime axis-I psychiatric disorders using the SCID
      questionnaire. RESULTS: In this study, 28.1% of substance abusers were diagnosed
      with at least one current psychiatric disorder. Psychiatric disorders were more
      common in subjects whose dependence had started prior to the age of 35, or those
      who had a family history of substance use. Also, 34.4% had a lifetime history of
      at least one psychiatric disorder, with a higher incidence among those
      simultaneously dependent on other substances in addition to opioids. Major
      depression was the most prevalent disorder among the study subjects. CONCLUSION:
      Based on the findings of the present study, axis-I psychiatric disorders are
      rather common among elderly substance users, and approximately a third of this
      population have a lifetime history of at least one such disorder. The type of
      abused substance can affect the incidence of psychiatric disorders, and
      simultaneous use of non-opioids and other substances can increase their
      prevalence.

PMID- 26497368
TI  - Mitochondrial translocation of EGFR regulates mitochondria dynamics and promotes
      metastasis in NSCLC.
AB  - Dysfunction of the mitochondria is well-known for being associated with cancer
      progression. In the present study, we analyzed the mitochondria proteomics of
      lung cancer cell lines with different invasion abilities and found that EGFR is
      highly expressed in the mitochondria of highly invasive non-small-cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC) cells. EGF induces the mitochondrial translocation of EGFR;
      further, it leads to mitochondrial fission and redistribution in the
      lamellipodia, upregulates cellular ATP production, and enhances motility in vitro
      and in vivo. Moreover, EGFR can regulate mitochondrial dynamics by interacting
      with Mfn1 and disturbing Mfn1 polymerization. Overexpression of Mfn1 reverses the
      phenotypes resulting from EGFR mitochondrial translocation. We show that the
      mitochondrial EGFR expressions are higher in paired samples of the metastatic
      lymph node as compared with primary lung tumor and are inversely correlated with
      the overall survival in NSCLC patients. Therefore, our results demonstrate that
      besides the canonical role of EGFR as a receptor tyrosine, the mitochondrial
      translocation of EGFR may enhance cancer invasion and metastasis through
      regulating mitochondria dynamics. 

PMID- 26497371
TI  - Risk and protective factor for suicide attempt in Iran: a matched case-control
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In order to generate local evidence, a case-control study was designed
      to explore risk factors for suicide attempts (SA) in one of the larger cities in
      the southeast of Iran-Kerman. METHODS: From one of the main referral hospitals,
      300 cases and 300 age- and sex-matched controls were recruited. On top of
      demographic variables, the following variables were compared in the two groups:
      personality traits, psychological condition, religiosity, coping skills, general
      health, and recent stressful events. RESULTS: Having adjusted for recent
      stressful events as the most important factor (OR = 1.66, P-value < 0.001), the
      main significant variables were: general health (1.04, P = 0.02), the support of
      friends (OR = 0.95, P-value = 0.04), being problem-focused mentality (OR = 0.88,
      P-value = 0.005), and intrinsic religiousness (OR = 0.86, P-value = 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Although, recent stress increased the risk of SA considerably, other
      factors such as general health, friends' support, and being problem-focused may
      predispose subjects independently. Conversely, intrinsic religious beliefs and
      close social networks may have protective effects. Therefore, a multi
      disciplinary approach is recommended to minimize the burden of SA in Iran.

PMID- 26497372
TI  - Pediatric reference values for serum creatinine and estimated glomerular
      filtration rate in Iranians: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Serum creatinine is the most widely used marker for estimating
      glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The aim of this study was to determine
      pediatric reference values for serum creatinine levels and eGFR values using data
      from a population-based study in Iran. METHODS: Serum creatinine of 1594
      subjects, aged 3 - 18 years, participating in phase 4 of the Tehran Lipid and
      Glucose Study (2008 - 2011) was measured using the conventional Jaffe method. The
      non-parametric method of Schwartz and Counahan-Barratt equations were used to
      calculate eGFR. CLSI/IFCC guidelines were used to determine reference values.
      RESULTS: In both genders, serum creatinine concentration was significantly
      increased with age and had a positive correlation with age (boys (r = 0.786, n =
      778, P < 0.001) and girls (r = 0.638, n = 724, P < 0.001)). In addition, mean
      serum creatinine concentration was significantly higher in boys, compared to
      girls (0.86 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.80 +/- 0.01 mg/dL, P < 0.001). Based on these results,
      we proposed the following formula: serum creatinine (mg/dL) = k * age (year) +
      0.5, where k was 0.03 for boys and 0.02 for girls. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      presents pediatric reference values in Iranian boys and girls for serum
      creatinine levels to be 0.6 - 1.20 mg/dL and 0.6 - 1.00 mg/dL and for eGFR values
      to be 81 - 154 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and 80 - 129 mL/min/1.73 m(2), respectively.
      These values can be used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

PMID- 26497373
TI  - Investigation of ITGB2 gene in 12 new cases of leukocyte adhesion deficiency-type
      I revealed four novel mutations from Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leukocyte adhesion deficiency type I (LAD-I) is a rare, autosomal
      recessive inherited immunodeficiency disease. LAD-I is caused by mutations in the
      ITGB2 gene and characterized by recurrent severe bacterial infections, as well as
      impaired wound healing with lack of pus formation. METHODS: In this study, we
      investigated ITGB2 gene mutations in 12 patients and their parents. Genomic DNA
      was extracted from whole blood samples. All coding regions of the ITGB2 gene were
      amplified using PCR and followed by direct sequencing. RESULTS: Genetic analysis
      revealed 12 different homozygous mutations, including six missense (c.382G>A,
      c.2146G>C, c.715G>A, c.691G>C, c.1777C and new c.1686C>A), two new nonsense
      (c.1336G>T and c.1821C>A), three-frame shift (c.1143delc, c.1907delA and new
      c.474dupC) and a splice site (c.1877+2T>C). Flow cytometry analysis of CD11/CD18
      expression on neutrophils revealed defect in CD18 in all twelve cases (1.4% to
      42%), CD11a in ten cases (0.1% to 26.7%), CD11b in nine cases (1.2% to 58.8%),
      and CD11c in all cases (0 % to 18.1%). The patients' parents were both
      heterozygous carriers. CONCLUSION: Our findings showed four new mutations in the
      ITGB2 gene. These results can be used for decisive genetic diagnosis, genetic
      counseling, as well as  prenatal diagnosis for all patients who are suspended to
      LADI.

PMID- 26497374
TI  - Study on association of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha with C
      reactive protein, and additional gene-gene interaction in Chinese Han.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim was to examine the association between 6 single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors alpha (PPAR
      alpha) poly morphisms and C-reactive protein (CRP) level, as well as  additional
      gene-gene interaction among the 6 SNPs. METHODS: A total of 1260 subjects (583
      men, 677 women), with a mean age of 41.3 +/- 14.6 years old, were selected. Six
      SNPs of PPAR alpha were selected for genotyping in the study including: rs135539,
      rs135551, rs135549, rs1800206, rs1800243 and rs4253623. Linear regression
      analysis was performed to verify the polymorphism association between SNP with
      CRP levels. Generalized MDR (GMDR) was employed to analysis the interaction among
      six SNPs. RESULTS: Linear regression results indicated a significant negative
      correlation between mutation of rs1800206 and CRP level. The carriers of the V
      allele (LV + VV) of rs1800206 were associated with a significant decreased level
      of CRP (regression coefficients was -0.533, standard error was 0.148 (P <
      0.001)). However, the other 5 SNPs in PPAR alpha were not significantly
      associated with CRP level before or after covariate adjustment. GMDR model
      indicated that there was a significant two-locus model (P = 0.0107) involving
      rs1800206 and rs135539, indicating a potential gene-gene interaction between
      rs1800206 and rs135539. Overall, the two- locus models had a cross-validation
      consistency of 10 of 10, respectively, and had the testing accuracy of 55.9%,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support an important association between
      rs1800206 minor allele (V) of PPAR alpha and lower CRP level. The interaction
      analysis showed a combined effect between rs1800206 and rs135539 on the lower CRP
      level.

PMID- 26497375
TI  - A simple and cost-effective method for isolation and expansion of human fetal
      pancreas derived mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a
      suitable source for cell replacement therapy in diabetes. MSCs have successfully
      isolated from different adult and fetal tissues, including the pancreas. In vitro
      studies have shown that human fetal pancreatic stem cells could be extensively
      expanded and differentiated into islet-like structures. Here, we introduce a
      simple and cost-effective method for the generation of MSCs from the human fetal
      pancreas (FPMSCs). METHODS: To isolate FPMSCs, pancreata from four aborted
      fetuses (second trimester) were processed with short collagenase digestion. The
      resulting tissue fragments were transferred to a basic media (DMEM+15%FBS)
      without adding any growth factor. RESULTS: After 10 to14 days, fibroblast-like
      cells were harvested and passaged six times for further evaluations. Flow
      cytometry analysis and three-lineage differentiation capacity have demonstrated
      that these cells have MSC-like properties. We also continuously passaged samples
      of FPMSCs and found no evidence for chromosomal instability and morphological
      changes until 10th subculture. Moreover, our cell culture protocol can be easily
      modified and translated into a GMP-compliant one. CONCLUSION: The results of
      current study demonstrated that our simple and inexpensive method could yield a
      pure population of FPMSCs that might be suitable for transplantation.

PMID- 26497377
TI  - Adherence to Mediterranean diet and risk of breast cancer in premenopausal and
      postmenopausal women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mediterranean diet (MD) has long been suspected to impact on health
      promotion. Epidemiologic studies reveal the protective role of adherence to this
      dietary pattern on cancer incidence. However, its association with breast cancer
      risk remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether adherence to
      Mediterranean dietary pattern influence on breast cancer risk in postmenopausal
      and premenopausal women. METHODS: We performed an electronic search of published
      studies earlier than Apr 2015 using Pubmed, Google scholar, Cochrane and Scopus
      databases. The search terms included: breast neoplasm, breast tumors, mammary
      carcinoma, mammary neoplasm, breast cancer, and Mediterranean diet. Study
      inclusion criteria were: 1) written in English; 2) with a study arm of MD
      intervention or MD style assessment; 3) reported the BC risk in premenopausal and
      postmenopausal women. RESULTS: We summarized the findings of 8 studies in this
      review, including five cohorts and three case-control studies. Although, cohort
      studies reported controversial results in this field, case-control studies
      resulted inverse relation between this Mediterranean dietary pattern and breast
      cancer risk in pre or/and postmenopausal women. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that there
      is no sufficient data to reach a conclusion about the effect of MD on breast
      cancer risk in pre and postmenopausal, but there are some evidences suggesting
      the protective association. More cohort studies in different parts of the world
      are needed to confirm these results.

PMID- 26497376
TI  - Impact of whole exome sequencing among Iranian patients with autosomal recessive
      retinitis pigmentosa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-syndromic autosomal recessive Retinitis Pigmentosa (arRP) is a
      highly heterogeneous genetic visual disorder with a large number of causative
      genes. We aimed to determine the power of Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) in the
      identification of the genes responsible for non-syndromic arRP among Iranian
      patients. METHODS: We used WES, followed by the Sanger sequencing to identify the
      underlying gene mutations causing non-syndromic arRP. RESULTS: Our study revealed
      disease-causing mutations in known arRP genes for 10 of the 13 families studied
      (76.9%). These mutations included two-frameshift insertion/deletion in CRB1 and
      ABCA4, one splicing mutation in PDE6B, four missense mutations in RP1, CRB1,
      PANK2 and IFT140, as well as three stop codon mutations in RDH12, PRCD, and
      C2orf71. Three remaining families harbored no mutation in previously known RP
      genes. Of the 10 diseases causing mutations identified among the investigated
      Iranian patients with non-syndromic arRP, eight variants had not been reported
      previously. We confirmed segregation of all 10 mutations with disease phenotypes
      in our studied population. CONCLUSION: This study supports the genetic
      heterogeneity of non-syndromic arRP in Iranian patients, and provides an
      opportunity to show the effectiveness of WES in the identification of pathogenic
      mutations among patients with non-syndromic arRP born to consanguineous parents.

PMID- 26497378
TI  - Disseminated Kaposi's sarcoma.
AB  - Kaposi's Sarcomas (KS) have been associated with many conditions and also known
      as a typical complication of immunosuppression. It should be considered as an
      important differential diagnosis in skin lesions of patients after solid organ
      transplantation. This is a report of a 61-year-old man, who presented with
      disseminated KS and a history of renal transplantation. We suggest systemic
      evaluation and visceral assessment in patients with Cutaneous KS. 

PMID- 26497379
TI  - Double incontinence as a first symptom of saddle embolism of the aorta leads to
      sudden paraplegia.
AB  - An aortic saddle embolus causing cauda equine syndrome followed by paraplegia is
      an exceedingly rare phenomenon in post-operative period in coronary artery bypass
      grafting. In non-CABG cases, reported documentation of neurological recovery from
      this event is even rarer. A 57-year-old male 8 days after uneventful OPCAP
      presented with severe lower extremity pain and sudden fecal and urinary
      incontinence, followed by the absence of pulsations in the lower limbs and
      paraplegia, during 20-minute period. He underwent immediate bilateral
      transfemoral embolectomy. The postoperative period was uneventful. The paraplegia
      recovered immediately after embolectomy and recovery from anesthesia. An
      angiography has been made to verify that a high origin of the great radicular
      artery above T12 level may be responsible for better recovery of paraplegia when
      its ostium obstructed by a saddle embolus relieved using embolectomy. Early
      surgical intervention in restoring the blood flow into the great radicular artery
      may prevent severe histological changes hitherto responsible for non-recovery
      from paraplegia in the earlier reports. Three unique characteristics of this
      article are as follows: 1) Occurrence of this complication in the post-operative
      period in off-pump CABG surgery; 2) Commencing of emboli with bizarre symptoms of
      double incontinence; 3) Combination of cauda equine syndrome and complete
      paralysis. 

PMID- 26497380
TI  - Medical oncology, history and its future in Iran.
AB  - Systemic therapy is one of the cornerstones of cancer treatment. In 1972,
      following representations by American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the
      American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) recognized medical oncology as a new
      subspecialty of internal medicine. Subspecialty of Hematology and Medical
      Oncology was emerged in Iran in 1983. In the past, modern medical treatments and
      education were started in Dar Al-fonun school and then in Tehran University; now
      six universities in Iran are training in Subspecialty of Hematology and Medical
      Oncology. There are also ten active hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
      centers, thirty-one provincial medical schools use their specialized services.
      Future goals for Hematology and Medical Oncology in Iran include expansion and
      reinforcement of multidisciplinary teams across the country, early detection and
      prevention of cancer, providing educational program and conducting cancer
      researches. To achieve these goals, it is necessary to establish Cancer Hospitals
      in each province that link together through a network. 

PMID- 26497381
TI  - Exploration of tetrahedral structures in silicate cathodes using a motif-network
      scheme.
AB  - Using a motif-network search scheme, we studied the tetrahedral structures of the
      dilithium/disodium transition metal orthosilicates A2MSiO4 with A = Li or Na and
      M = Mn, Fe or Co. In addition to finding all previously reported structures, we
      discovered many other different tetrahedral-network-based crystal structures
      which are highly degenerate in energy. These structures can be classified into
      structures with 1D, 2D and 3D M-Si-O frameworks. A clear trend of the structural
      preference in different systems was revealed and possible indicators that affect
      the structure stabilities were introduced. For the case of Na systems which have
      been much less investigated in the literature relative to the Li systems, we
      predicted their ground state structures and found evidence for the existence of
      new structural motifs. 

PMID- 26497384
TI  - Peptide utilizing carbon starvation gene yjiY is required for flagella mediated
      infection caused by Salmonella.
AB  - Peptide metabolism forms an important part of the metabolic network of Salmonella
      and to acquire these peptides the pathogen possesses a number of peptide
      transporters. While various peptide transporters known in Salmonella are well
      studied, very little is known about the carbon starvation (cst) genes, cstA and
      yjiY, which are also predicted to be involved in peptide metabolism. We
      investigated the role of these genes in the metabolism and pathogenesis of
      Salmonella and demonstrated for the first time that cst genes actually
      participate in transport of specific peptides in Salmonella. Further, we
      established that the carbon starvation gene yjiY affects the expression of
      flagella leading to poor adhesion of the bacterium to host cells. In contrast
      with the previously reported role of the gene cstA in virulence of Salmonella in
      C. elegans, we showed that yjiY is required for successful colonization of
      Salmonella in the mouse gut. Thus, cst genes not only contribute to the
      metabolism of Salmonella but also influence its virulence.

PMID- 26497385
TI  - New cases of HIV in India could fall by 38% with early ART and better retention,
      finds study.

PMID- 26497382
TI  - Tumor-induced lymph node alterations detected by MRI lymphography using
      gadolinium nanoparticles.
AB  - Contrast-enhanced MRI lymphography shows potential to identify alterations in
      lymph drainage through lymph nodes (LNs) in cancer and other diseases. MRI
      studies have typically used low molecular weight gadolinium contrast agents,
      however larger gadolinium-loaded nanoparticles possess characteristics that could
      improve the specificity and sensitivity of lymphography. The performance of three
      gadolinium contrast agents with different sizes and properties was compared by 3T
      MRI after subcutaneous injection. Mice bearing B16-F10 melanoma footpad tumors
      were imaged to assess tumor-induced alterations in lymph drainage through tumor
      draining popliteal and inguinal LNs versus contralateral uninvolved drainage.
      Gadolinium lipid nanoparticles were able to identify tumor-induced alterations in
      contrast agent drainage into the popliteal LN, while lower molecular weight or
      albumin-binding gadolinium agents were less effective. All of the contrast agents
      distributed in foci around the cortex and medulla of tumor-draining popliteal
      LNs, while they were restricted to the cortex of non-draining LNs. Surprisingly,
      second-tier tumor-draining inguinal LNs exhibited reduced uptake, indicating that
      tumors can also divert LN drainage. These characteristics of tumor-induced lymph
      drainage could be useful for diagnosis of LN pathology in cancer and other
      diseases. The preferential uptake of nanoparticle contrasts into tumor-draining
      LNs could also allow selective targeting of therapies to tumor-draining LNs. 

PMID- 26497386
TI  - Raman and infra-red microspectroscopy: towards quantitative evaluation for
      clinical research by ratiometric analysis.
AB  - Biomolecular structure elucidation is one of the major techniques for studying
      the basic processes of life. These processes get modulated, hindered or altered
      due to various causes like diseases, which is why biomolecular analysis and
      imaging play an important role in diagnosis, treatment prognosis and monitoring.
      Vibrational spectroscopy (IR and Raman), which is a molecular bond specific
      technique, can assist the researcher in chemical structure interpretation. Based
      on the combination with microscopy, vibrational microspectroscopy is currently
      emerging as an important tool for biomedical research, with a spatial resolution
      at the cellular and sub-cellular level. These techniques offer various
      advantages, enabling label-free, biomolecular fingerprinting in the native state.
      However, the complexity involved in deciphering the required information from a
      spectrum hampered their entry into the clinic. Today with the advent of automated
      algorithms, vibrational microspectroscopy excels in the field of
      spectropathology. However, researchers should be aware of how quantification
      based on absolute band intensities may be affected by instrumental parameters,
      sample thickness, water content, substrate backgrounds and other possible
      artefacts. In this review these practical issues and their effects on the
      quantification of biomolecules will be discussed in detail. In many cases
      ratiometric analysis can help to circumvent these problems and enable the
      quantitative study of biological samples, including ratiometric imaging in 1D, 2D
      and 3D. We provide an extensive overview from the recent scientific literature on
      IR and Raman band ratios used for studying biological systems and for disease
      diagnosis and treatment prognosis. 

PMID- 26497383
TI  - Cross platform analysis of methylation, miRNA and stem cell gene expression data
      in germ cell tumors highlights characteristic differences by tumor histology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alterations in methylation patterns, miRNA expression, and stem cell
      protein expression occur in germ cell tumors (GCTs). Our goal is to integrate
      molecular data across platforms to identify molecular signatures in the three
      main histologic subtypes of Type I and Type II GCTs (yolk sac tumor (YST),
      germinoma, and teratoma). METHODS: We included 39 GCTs and 7 paired adjacent
      tissue samples in the current analysis. Molecular data available for analysis
      include DNA methylation data (Illumina GoldenGate Cancer Methylation Panel I),
      miRNA expression (NanoString nCounter miRNA platform), and stem cell factor
      expression (SABiosciences Human Embryonic Stem Cell Array). We evaluated the
      cross platform correlations of the data features using the Maximum Information
      Coefficient (MIC). RESULTS: In analyses of individual datasets, differences were
      observed by tumor histology. Germinomas had higher expression of transcription
      factors maintaining stemness, while YSTs had higher expression of cytokines,
      endoderm and endothelial markers. We also observed differences in miRNA
      expression, with miR-371-5p, miR-122, miR-302a, miR-302d, and miR-373 showing
      elevated expression in one or more histologic subtypes. Using the MIC, we
      identified correlations across the data features, including six major hubs with
      higher expression in YST (LEFTY1, LEFTY2, miR302b, miR302a, miR 126, and miR 122)
      compared with other GCT. CONCLUSIONS: While prognosis for GCTs is overall
      favorable, many patients experience resistance to chemotherapy, relapse and/or
      long term adverse health effects following treatment. Targeted therapies, based
      on integrated analyses of molecular tumor data such as that presented here, may
      provide a way to secure high cure rates while reducing unintended health
      consequences.

PMID- 26497387
TI  - Desialylation is associated with apoptosis and phagocytosis of platelets in
      patients with prolonged isolated thrombocytopenia after allo-HSCT.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prolonged isolated thrombocytopenia (PT) is a frequent complication
      in patients who undergo allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo
      HSCT), and it is associated with an adverse prognosis. In this study, we
      hypothesized that desialylation on platelet surfaces was associated with PT after
      allo-HSCT. The mechanisms participating in this process may include NEU1
      translocation, platelet apoptosis, and phagocytosis by macrophages. METHODS: PT
      was defined as a peripheral platelet count less than 100 * 10(9)/L without
      sustained anemia or leukopenia for more than 3 months after allo-HSCT. 34
      patients were identified consecutively from a cohort of 255 patients who
      underwent allo-HSCT for hematologic malignancies between May and October 2014 at
      Peking University Institute of Hematology. Desialylation, enzyme expression, and
      phagocytosis were detected using flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, RT-PCR,
      Western blot, and so on. RESULTS: Platelets from the PT patients had
      significantly fewer sialic acids (P = .001) and increased beta-galactose exposure
      indicative of desialylation on the surface (P = .042), and serum from the PT
      patients showed a higher sialic acid concentration (8.400 +/- 0.2209 MUmol/L, P <
      .001). The sialidase NEU1 was over-expressed from mRNA to protein levels, and its
      catalytic activity was increased in platelets from the PT patients. Desialylation
      of GPIbalpha in the PT patients was correlated with changes in 14-3-3zeta
      distribution, which, relative to Bad activation, modulated the expression of Bcl
      2 family proteins, depolarized the inner membrane of the mitochondria, and
      initiated the intrinsic mitochondria-dependent pathway of apoptosis. Macrophages
      derived from the THP-1 cell line preferred to phagocytize desialylated platelets
      from the PT patients in vitro. We also revealed that oseltamivir (400 MUmol/L)
      could inhibit 50 % of the sialidase activity on platelets and could protect 20 %
      of platelets from phagocytosis in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Desialylation of platelets
      was associated with platelet apoptosis and phagocytosis, whereas oseltamivir
      could reduce platelet destruction in the periphery, indicating a potential novel
      treatment for PT after allo-HSCT.

PMID- 26497389
TI  - Multiradionuclide evidence for the solar origin of the cosmic-ray events of A?
      774/5 and 993/4.
AB  - The origin of two large peaks in the atmospheric radiocarbon ((14)C)
      concentration at AD 774/5 and 993/4 is still debated. There is consensus,
      however, that these features can only be explained by an increase in the
      atmospheric (14)C production rate due to an extraterrestrial event. Here we
      provide evidence that these peaks were most likely produced by extreme solar
      events, based on several new annually resolved (10)Be measurements from both
      Arctic and Antarctic ice cores. Using ice core (36)Cl data in pair with (10)Be,
      we further show that these solar events were characterized by a very hard energy
      spectrum with high fluxes of solar protons with energy above 100 MeV. These
      results imply that the larger of the two events (AD 774/5) was at least five
      times stronger than any instrumentally recorded solar event. Our findings
      highlight the importance of studying the possibility of severe solar energetic
      particle events. 

PMID- 26497388
TI  - The impact of ginsenosides on cognitive deficits in experimental animal studies
      of Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The efficacy of ginsenoside treatment on cognitive decline in
      individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has yet to be investigated. In this
      protocal, we conducted a systematic review to evaluate the effect of ginsenosides
      on cognitive deficits in experimental rodent AD models. METHODS: We identified
      eligible studies by searching seven electronic databases spanning from January
      1980 to October 2014. We assessed the study quality, evaluated the efficacy of
      ginsenoside treatment, and performed a stratified meta-analysis and meta
      regression analysis to assess the influence of the study design on ginsenoside
      efficacy. RESULTS: Twelve studies fulfilled our inclusion criteria from a total
      of 283 publications. The overall methodological quality of these studies was
      poor. The meta-analysis revealed that ginsenosides have a statistically
      significant positive effect on cognitive performance in experimental AD models.
      The stratified analysis revealed that ginsenoside Rg1 had the greatest effect on
      acquisition and retention memory in AD models. The effect size was significantly
      higher for both acquisition and retention memory in studies that used female
      animals compared with male animals. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that ginsenosides
      might reduce cognitive deficits in AD models. However, additional well-designed
      and well-reported animal studies are needed to inform further clinical
      investigations.

PMID- 26497390
TI  - Contactin-associated protein-like 2 expression in SH-SY5Y cells is upregulated by
      a FOXP2 mutant with a shortened poly-glutamine tract.
AB  - The forkhead box protein P2 (FOXP2) gene encodes an important transcription
      factor that contains a polyglutamine (poly-Q) tract and a forkhead DNA binding
      domain. It has been observed that FOXP2 is associated with speech sound disorder
      (SSD), and mutations that decrease the length of the poly-Q tract were identified
      in the FOXP2 gene of SSD patients. However, the exact role of poly-Q reduction is
      not well understood. In the present study, constructs expressing wild-type and
      poly-Q reduction mutants of FOXP2 were generated by polymerase chain reaction
      (PCR) using lentiviral vectors and transfected into the SH-SY5Y neuronal cell
      line. Quantitative reverse transcription (qRT)-PCR and western blotting indicated
      that infected cells stably expressed high levels of FOXP2. Using this cell model,
      the impact of FOXP2 on the expression of contactin-associated protein-like 2
      (CNTNAP2) were investigated, and CNTNAP2 mRNA expression levels were observed to
      be significantly higher in cells expressing poly-Q-reduced FOXP2. In addition,
      the expression level of CASPR2, a mammalian homolog of Drosophila Neurexin IV,
      was increased in cells expressing the FOXP2 mutant. Demonstration of regulation
      by FOXP2 indicates that CNTNAP2 may also be involved in SSD. 

PMID- 26497391
TI  - Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy with unaccompanied refugee minors: a
      case series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) are a group who are vulnerable to
      developing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). However, they rarely receive the
      treatment that is indicated and there are no treatment studies focusing
      exclusively on this group of adolescents. This case study evaluates the
      feasibility of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) for URMs with
      PTSS. METHOD: A health care utilization sample of N = 6 was assessed prior to and
      after treatment with TF-CBT. Therapists were asked to report differences in
      treatment application and content in comparison to TF-CBT standard protocol.
      RESULTS: We found moderate to high levels of PTSS at baseline and a clinically
      significant decrease in symptoms at posttest. Some modifications to the TF-CBT
      protocol were made with regard to affective modulation which required more
      sessions than usual whereas fewer caregiver sessions were conducted. CONCLUSION:
      TF-CBT is feasible in reducing PTSS in severely traumatized URMs. Further
      research with controlled trials is necessary. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial
      registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01516827. Registered 13 December
      2011.

PMID- 26497392
TI  - Detection and differentiation of Schmallenberg, Akabane and Aino viruses by one
      step multiplex reverse-transcriptase quantitative PCR assay.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Schmallenberg virus (SBV), Akabane virus (AKAV) and Aino virus (AINV)
      are members of the Simbu serogroup within the genus Orthobunyavirus, family
      Bunyaviridae, which can cause reproductive disorders including abortion,
      stillbirth and congenital malformation in ruminants. Because, the clinical signs
      are similar, confirmatory diagnosis requires viral detection to differentiate
      infection between these three viruses. METHODS: In this study, a one-step
      multiplex reverse-transcriptase quantitative PCR (one-step mRT-qPCR) was
      developed for the simultaneous detection and differentiation of SBV, AKAV and
      AINV. RESULTS: The detection limit of the one-step mRT-qPCR for SBV, AKAV and
      AINV were 2.4 copies (10 (0.6) TCID 50/ml), 96.2 copies (10 (1.5) TCID 50/ml) and
      52.3 copies (10 (1.2) TCID 50/ml), respectively. Various field samples such as
      bovine serum, bovine whole blood, bovine brain, goat serum and Culicoides were
      analyzed using the one-step mRT-qPCR and compared with previously published RT
      qPCRs. The test results of the field samples were identical for the one-step mRT
      qPCR and RT-qPCRs, which showed all samples to be negative for SBV, AKAV and
      AINV, except for one bovine brain sample (1/123) that was positive for AKAV.
      CONCLUSION: The one-step mRT-qPCR allows for the simultaneous detection of three
      viral pathogens (SBV, AKAV and AINV) that cause reproductive failure.

PMID- 26497393
TI  - Incidence of viral respiratory infections in a prospective cohort of outpatient
      and hospitalized children aged <=5 years and its associated cost in Buenos Aires,
      Argentina.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although information about the incidence of viral respiratory
      illnesses and their associated cost can help health officials explore the value
      of interventions, data are limited from middle-income countries. METHODS: During
      2008-2010, we conducted a prospective cohort study and followed ~1,800
      Argentinian children aged <=5 years to identify those children who were
      hospitalized or who sought care at an emergency room with any acute respiratory
      infection sign or symptom (e.g., rhinorrhea, cough, wheezing, tachypnea,
      retractions, or cyanosis). Respiratory samples were obtained for respiratory
      syncytial virus, influenza, parainfluenza, adenovirus, and metapneumovirus
      testing by immunofluorescence and for rhinovirus by real-time reverse
      transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The incidence of respiratory
      syncytial virus (24/1000 children-years), human metapneumovirus (8/1000 children
      years), and influenza (8/1000 children-years) illnesses was highest among
      hospitalized children aged <6 months and decreased among older children. In
      contrast, the incidence of rhinovirus was highest (12/1000 children-years) among
      those aged 6-23 months. In the emergency room, the incidence of rhinovirus was
      459; respiratory syncytial virus 352; influenza 185; parainfluenza 177;
      metapneumovirus 130; and adenovirus 73/1,000 children-years. The total cost of
      hospitalization was a median of US$529 (Interquartile range, US$362-789).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that respiratory viruses, in particular
      rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, metapneumovirus, and influenza may be
      associated with severe illness causing substantial economic burden.

PMID- 26497394
TI  - Factors associated with 30-day readmission of patients with heart failure from a
      Japanese administrative database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have been conducted in many countries to identify
      the factors associated with readmission of patients with heart failure (HF).
      However, there have been no such studies utilizing a large-scale administrative
      database in Japan. This study aimed to establish the factors associated with 30
      day readmission of patients with HF using a Japanese nationwide administrative
      database. METHODS: Data of the index admissions of 68,257 patients discharged
      from 1057 participating hospitals between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013 were
      analyzed. Patients were divided into the 30-day readmission group and no
      readmission group according to whether unplanned HF readmission occurred within
      30 days after discharge. Study variables included age, sex, New York Heart
      Association functional class (NYHA) at admission, Charlson Comorbidity Index
      (CCI), length of stay in hospital (LOS), body mass index (BMI) at admission,
      hospital volume reflected by the number of cases hospitalized with HF, and
      medical treatment at discharge. RESULTS: The 30-day readmission and no
      readmission groups included 4479 and 63,778 patients, respectively. The
      independent factors associated with the increase in 30-day readmission were older
      age, higher NYHA, higher CCI, and use of the following drugs at discharge: beta
      blockers, loop diuretics, thiazide, and nitrates. In contrast, the independent
      factors associated with the decrease in 30-day readmission were longer LOS,
      higher BMI, and the use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEs) or
      angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), calcium channel blockers, and
      spironolactone. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that, especially during the
      first few weeks after discharge, careful management of HF outpatients with
      advanced age, high disease severity, multiple comorbidities, or taking beta
      blockers, loop diuretics, thiazide, and nitrates at discharge may be crucial for
      reducing the 30-day readmission rate.

PMID- 26497395
TI  - Hip arthroscopy for the management of osteoid osteoma of the acetabulum: a
      systematic review of the literature and case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intra-articular osteoid osteoma (OO) causes irreversible joint
      damage. Its treatment of choice is radiofrequency ablation (RFA); however, some
      areas of the acetabulum are hard to access. Therefore, hip arthroscopy was used
      to treat this tumor. We aim to systematically review the literature with regards
      to arthroscopic management of acetabular OO, and to report a further case in
      which hip arthroscopy was used for treatment. METHODS: PubMed and EMBASE were
      searched for articles relevant to the arthroscopic management of acetabular OO on
      December 2, 2014. All articles published on and before that date were reviewed,
      and studies which met our pre-determined inclusion criteria were included.
      Articles screening and data abstraction were done by two reviewers independently.
      We also presented a 31-year-old man with acetabular OO who underwent hip
      arthroscopy for the management of his tumor after failing to respond to
      medications and computed tomography scan (CT)-guided RFA. RESULTS: The initial
      search revealed 14 studies, of which ten met our inclusion criteria. A total of
      ten patients underwent hip arthroscopy for the management of acetabular OO. Only
      two patients were females, and the patients' age ranged from 7 to 47 years. Two
      patients underwent arthroscopic guided-RFA of the lesion, while the rest
      underwent excision. The follow-up period ranged from 6 months to 2 years. Success
      rate was 100 %, and no recurrence was reported. Minor complications (transient
      impotence and perineal numbness) developed in one patient (10 %). Arthroscopic
      guided RFA failed to eliminate the tumor in our additional case. A second trial
      of CT-guided RFA was successful in treating the patient's condition. CONCLUSIONS:
      Hip arthroscopy is an effective and safe option for the management of acetabular
      OO, with success rate exceeding 90 %. Studies of higher level of evidence are
      required.

PMID- 26497396
TI  - Multiple photosynthetic reaction centres of porphyrinic polypeptide-Li(+)@C60
      supramolecular complexes.
AB  - Multiple photosynthetic reaction centres have been successfully constructed using
      strong supramolecular complexes of free base porphyrin polypeptides with lithium
      ion-encapsulated C60 (Li(+)@C60) as compared with those of C60. Efficient energy
      migration and electron transfer occur in the supramolecular complexes. 

PMID- 26497397
TI  - Popeye deformity in rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 26497398
TI  - Atypical proliferative endometrioid tumor of ovary: Report of a rare case.
AB  - Borderline ovarian tumors represent 10-20% of epithelial ovarian neoplasms that
      typically have an excellent prognosis. Both the oncological behavior of this
      group of tumors and also the diagnostic histological criteria are intermediate
      between the specific criteria of benign and malignant. They usually occur in the
      third to fourth decade of women's lives and are limited to the ovary in 80% of
      cases. Atypical proliferative or borderline ovarian tumors constitute a group of
      epithelial tumors with an excellent prognosis due to the low aggressiveness,
      microscopic examination is mandatory in order to establish an accurate
      histological diagnosis in all cases of borderline ovarian tumors and to
      differentiate from well differentiated adenocarcinoma. We report a case of a 45
      year old female who presented with irregular bleeding per vaginum and underwent
      hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Atypical proliferative
      endometrioid tumor of the left ovary was an incidental finding, which is a very
      rare occurrence. 

PMID- 26497399
TI  - Numerous linear metallic densities on radiograph: Gold threads.

PMID- 26497400
TI  - A Novel Soluble Peptide with pH-Responsive Membrane Insertion.
AB  - Several diseases, such as cancer, are characterized by acidification of the
      extracellular environment. Acidosis can be employed as a target to specifically
      direct therapies to the diseased tissue. We have used first principles to design
      an acidity-triggered rational membrane (ATRAM) peptide with high solubility in
      solution that is able to interact with lipid membranes in a pH-dependent fashion.
      Biophysical studies show that the ATRAM peptide binds to the surface of lipid
      membranes at pH 8.0. However, acidification leads to the peptide inserting into
      the lipid bilayer as a transmembrane alpha-helix. The insertion of ATRAM into
      membranes occurs at a moderately acidic pH (with a pK of 6.5), similar to the
      extracellular pH found in solid tumors. Studies with human cell lines showed a
      highly efficient pH-dependent membrane targeting, without causing toxicity. Here
      we show that it is possible to rationally design a soluble peptide that
      selectively targets cell membranes in acidic environments. 

PMID- 26497401
TI  - Defining and achieving normal thyroid function during pregnancy.

PMID- 26497402
TI  - Association of maternal thyroid function during early pregnancy with offspring IQ
      and brain morphology in childhood: a population-based prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thyroid hormone is involved in the regulation of early brain
      development. Since the fetal thyroid gland is not fully functional until week 18
      20 of pregnancy, neuronal migration and other crucial early stages of
      intrauterine brain development largely depend on the supply of maternal thyroid
      hormone. Current clinical practice mostly focuses on preventing the negative
      consequences of low thyroid hormone concentrations, but data from animal studies
      have shown that both low and high concentrations of thyroid hormone have negative
      effects on offspring brain development. We aimed to investigate the association
      of maternal thyroid function with child intelligence quotient (IQ) and brain
      morphology. METHODS: In this population-based prospective cohort study, embedded
      within the Generation R Study (Rotterdam, Netherlands), we investigated the
      association of maternal thyroid function with child IQ (assessed by non-verbal
      intelligence tests) and brain morphology (assessed on brain MRI scans). Eligible
      women were those living in the study area at their delivery date, which had to be
      between April 1, 2002, and Jan 1, 2006. For this study, women with available
      serum samples who presented in early pregnancy (<18 weeks) were included. Data
      for maternal thyroid-stimulating hormone, free thyroxine, thyroid peroxidase
      antibodies (at weeks 9-18 of pregnancy), and child IQ (assessed at a median of
      6.0 years of age [95% range 5.6-7.9 years]) or brain MRI scans (done at a median
      of 8.0 years of age [6.2-10.0]) were obtained. Analyses were adjusted for
      potential confounders including concentrations of human chorionic gonadotropin
      and child thyroid-stimulating hormone and free thyroxine. FINDINGS: Data for
      child IQ were available for 3839 mother-child pairs, and MRI scans were available
      from 646 children. Maternal free thyroxine concentrations showed an inverted U
      shaped association with child IQ (p=0.0044), child grey matter volume (p=0.0062),
      and cortex volume (p=0.0011). For both low and high maternal free thyroxine
      concentrations, this association corresponded to a 1.4-3.8 points reduction in
      mean child IQ. Maternal thyroid-stimulating hormone was not associated with child
      IQ or brain morphology. All associations remained similar after the exclusion of
      women with overt hypothyroidism and overt hyperthyroidism, and after adjustment
      for concentrations of human chorionic gonadotropin, child thyroid-stimulating
      hormone and free thyroxine or thyroid peroxidase antibodies (continuous or
      positivity). INTERPRETATION: Both low and high maternal free thyroxine
      concentrations during pregnancy were associated with lower child IQ and lower
      grey matter and cortex volume. The association between high maternal free
      thyroxine and low child IQ suggests that levothyroxine therapy during pregnancy,
      which is often initiated in women with subclinical hypothyroidism during
      pregnancy, might carry the potential risk of adverse child neurodevelopment
      outcomes when the aim of treatment is to achieve high-normal thyroid function
      test results. FUNDING: The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and
      Development (ZonMw) and the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme.

PMID- 26497404
TI  - Aldosterone stimulates the cardiac sodium/bicarbonate cotransporter via
      activation of the g protein-coupled receptor gpr30.
AB  - Some cardiac non-genomic effects of aldosterone (Ald) are reported to be mediated
      through activation of the classic mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). However, in
      the last years, it was proposed that activation of the novel G protein-coupled
      receptor GPR30 mediates certain non-genomic effects of Ald. The aim of this study
      was to elucidate if the sodium/bicarbonate cotransporter (NBC) is stimulated by
      Ald and if the activation of GPR30 mediates this effect. NBC activity was
      evaluated in rat cardiomyocytes perfused with HCO3(-)/CO2 solution in the
      continuous presence of HOE642 (sodium/hydrogen exchanger blocker) during recovery
      from acidosis using intracellular fluorescence measurements. Ald enhanced NBC
      activity (% of DeltaJHCO3(-); control: 100+/-5.82%, n=7 vs Ald: 151.88+/-11.02%,
      n=5; P<0.05), which was prevented by G15 (GPR30 blocker, 90.53+/-7.81%, n=7).
      Further evidence for the involvement of GPR30 was provided by G1 (GPR30 agonist),
      which stimulated NBC (185.13+/-18.28%, n=6; P<0.05) and this effect was abrogated
      by G15 (124.19+/-10.96%, n=5). Ald- and G1-induced NBC stimulation was abolished
      by the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger MPG and by the NADPH oxidase
      inhibitor apocynin. In addition, G15 prevented Ald- and G1-induced ROS
      production. Pre-incubation of myocytes with wortmannin (PI3K-AKT pathway blocker)
      prevented Ald- or G1-induced NBC stimulation. In summary, Ald stimulates NBC by
      GPR30 activation, ROS production and AKT stimulation. 

PMID- 26497403
TI  - Thyroid stimulating hormone directly modulates cardiac electrical activity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The electrocardiogram of hypothyroid patients shows a series of
      abnormalities of cardiac repolarization due to a reduction of some repolarizing
      K(+) currents and an increase of the L-type calcium current. Experimental and
      clinical works call into question the unique role of T3 and T4 in these
      mechanisms and correlate increased serum TSH levels with the repolarization
      abnormalities in patients with both subclinical and overt hypothyroidism. In this
      context, the aim of the present study was to investigate the direct effects of
      TSH upon cardiac electrical properties. METHODS: The action potential recording
      and the ion channel subunits mRNA expression were obtained from left ventricle of
      adult rats. Additionally, the repolarizing K(+) currents and the L-type Ca(2+)
      current (ICa-L) were recorded in isolated rat adult ventricular myocytes by the
      patch-clamp technique. RESULTS: 24h exposure to TSH lengthened the action
      potential and slightly depolarized the resting membrane potential. TSH- receptor
      activation causes a reduction of the amplitude of Ito and IK1 currents caused by
      a reduction in channels expression. However, TSH had no effect on ICa-L, IK or
      IKur. CONCLUSION: These results support the idea that some of the electrical
      disturbances seen in hypothyroid hearts, such as the Ito and IK1 current
      reduction, could be caused not by low T3 but by the elevation of circulating TSH.

PMID- 26497405
TI  - Effects of HPV-16 infection on hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and FaDu
      cells.
AB  - Hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is a common type of malignant tumor among
      head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). Heavy smoking and/or drinking is
      associated with the development of HNSCC. However, HNSCC also occurs in
      individuals that do not drink or smoke, possibly due to infection with the human
      papilloma virus (HPV). HPV-16 has been shown to be closely associated with the
      occurrence of several types of cancers. However, its role in hypopharyngeal
      squamous cell carcinoma remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated
      the effects of HPV-16 on hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and FaDu cells.
      Lentiviral vectors were used to establish FaDu cells that expressed the E6 and E7
      proteins of HPV-16. We used quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain
      reaction (qRT-PCR) assays and western blotting to detect and determine the levels
      of expression for E6-E7 mRNAs and proteins. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays,
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), Transwell assays, and flow cytometry
      were used to assess the effects of HPV-16 E6-E7 on the proliferation, invasion,
      metastasis and apoptosis of FaDu cells. Expression of microRNAs was analyzed by
      qRT-PCR. We found that the expression levels of HPV-16 E6-E7 were increased in
      FaDu cells transfected with the lentiviral vector compared with that observed in
      the control cells. In addition, the rates of apoptosis were decreased in the
      transfected cells, while proliferation was increased. The average numbers of
      cells penetrating the Matrigel were significantly higher than those for the
      controls. We detected miR-363 and miR-15a, and their expression levels were
      significantly increased in the HPV-16-positive patients and in FaDu cells
      expressing HPV-16 E6-E7. We found that HPV-16 E6-E7 appeared to inhibit
      apoptosis, and to increase cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis.
      Furthermore, miR-363 and miR-15a were overexpressed in the hypopharyngeal
      squamous cell carcinoma samples infected with HPV-16, and in FaDu cells stably
      expressing HPV-16 E6-E7. These findings may provide a new clue of the mechanisms
      involved in the pathogenesis of HPV-16-positive hypopharyngeal squamous cell
      carcinoma.

PMID- 26497406
TI  - Coq7p relevant residues for protein activity and stability.
AB  - Coenzyme Q (Q) is an isoprenylated benzoquinone electron carrier required for
      electronic transport in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, shuttling electrons
      from complexes I and II to complex III. Q synthesis requires proteins termed Coq
      (Coq1-Coq11). Coq7p is part of the multimeric complex involved in Q synthesis
      catalyzing the hydroxylation of demethoxy-Q6 (DMQ6), the last monooxygenase step
      in Q synthesis with a catalytic center containing a carboxylate-bridged di-iron
      at the active site of the enzyme. Here we indicate a group of Coq7p residues that
      modulate protein activity: D53, R57, V111 and S114. R57, V111 and S114 are very
      conserved residues; V111 and S114 are present in separated communities of amino
      acid correlation analysis. The coq7 double mutant V111G/S114A and S114E show
      respiratory deficiency at non permissive temperature, DMQ6 accumulation and lower
      content of Q6. Therefore we conclude that phosphomimetic S114E inhibit Coq7p
      activity, and propose that S114 phosphorylation is required to move a non
      structured loop of 25 amino acids between helix 2 and 3, and that affects the di
      iron coordination in Coq7p catalytic center. 

PMID- 26497408
TI  - Androgen response to social competition in a shoaling fish.
AB  - Androgens respond to social challenges and this response has been interpreted as
      a way for males to adjust androgen-dependent behavior to social context. However,
      the androgen responsiveness to social challenges varies across species and a
      conceptual framework has been developed to explain this variation according to
      differences in the mating system and parental care type, which determines the
      regimen of challenges males are exposed to, and concomitantly the scope (defined
      as the difference between the physiological maximum and the baseline levels) of
      response to a social challenge. However, this framework has been focused on
      territorial species and no clear predictions have been made to gregarious species
      (e.g. shoaling fish), which although tolerating same-sex individuals may also
      exhibit intra-sexual competition. In this paper we extend the scope of this
      conceptual framework to shoaling fish by studying the endocrine response of
      zebrafish (Danio rerio) to social challenges. Male zebrafish exposed to real
      opponent agonistic interactions exhibited an increase in androgen levels (11
      ketotestosterone both in Winners and Losers and testosterone in Losers). This
      response was absent in Mirror-fighters, that expressed similar levels of
      aggressive behavior to those of winners, suggesting that this response is not a
      mere reflex of heightened aggressive motivation. Cortisol levels were also
      measured and indicated an activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal
      axis in Winners of real opponent fighters, but not Losers or in Mirror-fighters.
      These results confirm that gregarious species also exhibit an endocrine response
      to an acute social challenge. 

PMID- 26497407
TI  - Androgen-primed castrate males are sufficient for methamphetamine-facilitated
      increases in proceptive behavior in female rats.
AB  - Methamphetamine (MA) is a psychomotor stimulant associated with increases in sex
      drive in both men and women. Women, however, are far more likely to face social
      disadvantages as a consequence of MA use, and their increased sexual motivation
      poses additional health concerns such as unplanned pregnancies. To better
      understand the mechanisms underlying MA-facilitated sexual motivation in females,
      we previously established a rodent model where a "binge"-type administration
      paradigm of MA to sexually receptive female rats significantly increases
      proceptive behavior in the presence of a sexually active, gonadally-intact male.
      Our previous work with this model has led us to consider whether the increases in
      proceptive behavior are truly indicative of increased sexual motivation, or
      instead a consequence of heightened motor responsivity. Here, we test whether MA
      induced increases in proceptive behaviors are specific to a sexually relevant
      stimulus. Females' sexual, social, exploratory behaviors, and interaction times
      were scored during the exposure to stimulus males, including castrates, and
      dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-treated castrates. MA-treated females demonstrated
      significant increases in proceptive behaviors toward DHT-treated castrate males
      but not toward castrate males. While the non-MA-treated females did display
      proceptive behavior, there was no significant difference between behaviors
      elicited by DHT-CX males compared to CX males. Our results support the hypothesis
      that MA facilitates proceptive behavior only in response to specific, androgen
      mediated sexually-relevant cues. 

PMID- 26497410
TI  - Investing in nursing and midwifery enterprise to empower women and strengthen
      health services and systems: Commentary and context.

PMID- 26497411
TI  - Aluminum plasmonic photocatalysis.
AB  - The effectiveness of photocatalytic processes is dictated largely by plasmonic
      materials with the capability to enhance light absorption as well as the energy
      conversion efficiency. Herein, we demonstrate how to improve the plasmonic
      photocatalytic properties of TiO2/Al nano-void arrays by overlapping the
      localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) modes with the TiO2 band gap. The
      plasmonic TiO2/Al arrays exhibit superior photocatalytic activity boasting an
      enhancement of 7.2 folds. The underlying mechanisms concerning the radiative
      energy transfer and interface energy transfer processes are discussed. Both
      processes occur at the TiO2/Al interface and their contributions to
      photocatalysis are evaluated. The results are important to the optimization of
      aluminum plasmonic materials in photocatalytic applications. 

PMID- 26497409
TI  - Hormonal stimulation and paternal experience influence responsiveness to infant
      distress vocalizations by adult male common marmosets, Callithrix jacchus.
AB  - Parental experience and hormones play a large role in the common marmoset
      (Callithrix jacchus) father's care of their offspring. We tested the effect of
      exogenous estradiol or testosterone on the responsiveness of common marmosets to
      respond to infant distress vocalizations and whether males who haven't become
      fathers yet (paired males) would have increased responsiveness to infant distress
      calls with either steroid or whether parental experience is the most important
      component for the onset of paternal care. Sixteen male marmosets (8 fathers, 8
      paired males) received a vehicle, low dose or high dose of estradiol and
      additional 16 males were tested with testosterone at three doses for their
      response either to a vocal control or a recording of an infant distress call for
      10min. Without steroid stimulation fathers were significantly more likely to
      respond to the infant distress stimulus than paired males. Low dose estradiol
      stimulation resulted in a significant increase in fathers' behavioral response
      towards the infant distress stimulus but not in paired males. Fathers also showed
      a significant increase in infant responsiveness from the vehicle dose to the
      estradiol low dose treatment, but not to the estradiol high dose treatment.
      Testosterone treatment did not show significant differences between infant
      responsiveness at either dose and between fathers and paired males. We suggest
      that neither steroid is involved in the onset of paternal care behaviors in the
      marmoset but that estradiol may be involved in facilitating paternal motivation
      in experienced fathers. 

PMID- 26497412
TI  - Self-aligned, full solution process polymer field-effect transistor on flexible
      substrates.
AB  - Conventional techniques to form selective surface energy regions on rigid
      inorganic substrates are not suitable for polymer interfaces due to sensitive and
      soft limitation of intrinsic polymer properties. Therefore, there is a strong
      demand for finding a novel and compatible method for polymeric surface energy
      modification. Here, by employing the confined photo-catalytic oxidation method,
      we successfully demonstrate full polymer filed-effect transistors fabricated
      through four-step spin-coating process on a flexible polymer substrate. The
      approach shows negligible etching effect on polymeric film. Even more, the
      insulating property of polymeric dielectric is not affected by the method, which
      is vital for polymer electronics. Finally, the self-aligned full polymer field
      effect transistors on the flexible polymeric substrate are fabricated, showing
      good electrical properties and mechanical flexibility under bending tests. 

PMID- 26497413
TI  - Acute respiratory distress due to post-tracheostomy tracheal rupture treated with
      venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and endotracheal prosthesis.

PMID- 26497414
TI  - Cigarette butts: The collateral effects of cigarettes on humans, animals and the
      environment.

PMID- 26497415
TI  - Tracheal stenosis and IgG4-related disease.

PMID- 26497416
TI  - Acceptance of telemedicine among healthcare professionals.

PMID- 26497417
TI  - Ulcerative pseudomembranous tracheobronchitis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus.

PMID- 26497419
TI  - The influence student placement experience can have on the employment choices of
      graduates: A paediatric nursing context.
AB  - This paper explores how the student placement experience may influence employment
      choices in the context of paediatric nursing. A qualitative research methodology
      was used. Data was collected using semi structured interviews at a tertiary
      teaching hospital. The sample group comprised of six newly qualified nurses who
      had completed their Bachelor of Nursing less than 12 months before the interview.
      They had completed at least one clinical placement at the site of data collection
      in their 2nd or 3rd year of undergraduate nursing studies. The main themes
      contributing to the student nurse experience within the context of paediatric
      nursing included the wish to work with children, a job being available, support
      during clinical placements and assistance with future career planning while on
      placement. The support experienced by student nurses during their clinical
      placement was seen to have a very positive influence on their future employment
      choices. Group de-briefing to support mutual understanding and sharing was seen
      to be a highly positive aspect of a clinical placement. Also how students were
      treated by clinical staff was a key factor that influenced future employment
      choices. 

PMID- 26497418
TI  - Predictive Model for Anxiety and Depression in Spanish Patients with Stable
      Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      (COPD) and anxiety and depression is not yet completely characterized, and
      differences between countries may exist. We used a predictive model to assess
      this association in a Spanish population. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Prospective
      transversal descriptive study of 204 patients with stable COPD. Concomitant
      anxiety or depression were diagnosed by psychiatric assessment, using the
      diagnostic criteria of the 10th revision of the International Statistical
      Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10).
      Sociodemographic, clinical and lung function parameters were analyzed. RESULTS:
      In total, 36% of stable COPD patients had psychiatric comorbidities, but 76% were
      unaware of their diagnosis. Nineteen percent had a pure anxiety disorder, 9.8%
      had isolated depression, and 7.3% had a mixed anxiety-depression disorder.
      Predictive variables in the multivariate analysis were younger age, higher
      educational level, lack of home support, higher BODE index, and greater number of
      exacerbations. The ROC curve of the model had an AUC of 0.765 (P<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: In COPD, concomitant psychiatric disorders are significantly
      associated with sociodemographic factors. Anxiety disorders are more common than
      depression. Patients with more severe COPD, according to BODE, younger patients
      and those with a higher educational level have a greater risk of being diagnosed
      with anxiety or depression in a structured psychiatric interview. In our
      population, most patients with psychiatric comorbidities remain unidentified.

PMID- 26497420
TI  - When molecules support morphology: Phylogenetic reconstruction of the family
      Onuphidae (Eunicida, Annelida) based on 16S rDNA and 18S rDNA.
AB  - Onuphid polychaetes are tubicolous marine worms commonly reported worldwide from
      intertidal areas to hadal depths. They often dominate in benthic communities and
      have economic importance in aquaculture and recreational fishing. Here we report
      the phylogeny of the family Onuphidae based on the combined analyses of nuclear
      (18S rDNA) and mitochondrial (16S rDNA) genes. Results of Bayesian and Maximum
      Likelihood analyses supported the monophyly of Onuphidae and its traditional
      subdivision into two monophyletic subfamilies: Onuphinae and Hyalinoeciinae. Ten
      of 22 recognized genera were monophyletic with strong node support; four more
      genera included in this study were either monotypic or represented by a single
      species. None of the genera appeared para- or polyphyletic and this indicates a
      strong congruence between the traditional morphology-based systematics of the
      family and the newly obtained molecular-based phylogenetic reconstructions.
      Intergeneric relationships within Hyalinoeciinae were not resolved. Two strongly
      supported monophyletic groups of genera were recovered within Onuphinae:
      ((Onuphis, Aponuphis), Diopatra, Paradiopatra) and (Hirsutonuphis, (Paxtonia,
      (Kinbergonuphis, Mooreonuphis))). A previously accepted hypothesis on the
      subdivision of Onuphinae into the Onuphis group of genera and the Diopatra group
      of genera was largely rejected. 

PMID- 26497421
TI  - Toxicogenomics-based prediction of acetaminophen-induced liver injury using human
      hepatic cell systems.
AB  - Primary human hepatocytes (hHEP), human HepaRG and HepG2 cell lines are the most
      used human liver-based in vitro models for hepatotoxicity testing, including
      screening of drug-induced liver injury (DILI)-inducing compounds. hHEP are the
      reference hepatic in vitro system, but their availability is limited and the
      cells available for toxicology studies are often of poor quality. Hepatic cell
      lines on the other hand are highly proliferative and represent an inexhaustible
      hepatic cell source. However, these hepatoma-derived cells do not represent the
      population diversity and display reduced hepatic metabolism. Alternatively, stem
      cell-derived hepatic cells, which can be produced in high numbers and can
      differentiate into multiple cell lineages, are also being evaluated as a cell
      source for in vitro hepatotoxicity studies. Human skin-derived precursors (hSKP)
      are post-natal stem cells that, after conversion towards hepatic cells (hSKP
      HPC), respond to hepatotoxic compounds in a comparable way as hHEP. In the
      current study, four different human hepatic cell systems (hSKP-HPC, hHEP, HepaRG
      and HepG2) are evaluated for their capacity to predict hepatic toxicity. Their
      hepatotoxic response to acetaminophen (APAP) exposure is compared to data
      obtained from patients suffering from APAP-induced acute liver failure (ALF). The
      results indicate that hHEP, HepaRG and hSKP-HPC identify comparable APAP-induced
      hepatotoxic functions and that HepG2 cells show the slightest hepatotoxic
      response. Pathway analyses further points out that HepaRG cells show the highest
      predicted activation of the functional genes related to 'damage of liver',
      followed by hSKP-HPC and hHEP cells that generated similar results. HepG2 did not
      show any activation of this function. 

PMID- 26497422
TI  - [Conclusion].

PMID- 26497424
TI  - Metabolism-Activated Multitargeting (MAMUT): An Innovative Multitargeting
      Approach to Drug Design and Development.
AB  - Multitargeting is a valuable concept in drug design for the development of
      effective drugs for the treatment of multifactorial diseases. This concept has
      most frequently been realized by incorporating two or more pharmacophores into a
      single hybrid molecule. Many such hybrids, due to the increased molecular size,
      exhibit unfavorable physicochemical properties leading to adverse effects and/or
      an inappropriate ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion)
      profile. To avoid this limitation and achieve additional therapeutic benefits,
      here we describe a novel multitargeting strategy based on the synergistic effects
      of a parent drug and its active metabolite(s). The concept of metabolism
      activated multitargeting (MAMUT) is illustrated using a number of examples. 

PMID- 26497425
TI  - Surface-Engineered Viral Vectors for Selective and Cell Type-Specific Gene
      Delivery.
AB  - Recent progress in gene transfer technology enables the delivery of genes
      precisely to the application-relevant cell type ex vivo on cultivated primary
      cells or in vivo on local or systemic administration. Gene vectors based on
      lentiviruses or adeno-associated viruses can be engineered such that they use a
      cell surface marker of choice for cell entry instead of their natural receptors.
      Binding to the surface marker is mediated by a targeting ligand displayed on the
      vector particle surface, which can be a peptide, single-chain antibody, or
      designed ankyrin repeat protein. Examples include vectors that deliver genes to
      specialized endothelial cells or lymphocytes, tumor cells, or particular cells of
      the nervous system with potential applications in gene function studies and
      molecular medicine. 

PMID- 26497426
TI  - Central Nervous System and its Disease Models on a Chip.
AB  - Technologies for microfluidics and biological microelectromechanical systems have
      been rapidly progressing over the past decade, enabling the development of unique
      microplatforms for in vitro human central nervous system (CNS) and related
      disease models. Most fundamental techniques include manipulation of axons,
      synapses, and neuronal networks, and different culture conditions are possible,
      such as compartmental, co-culturing, and 3D. Various CNS disease models, such as
      Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS),
      epilepsy, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis, migraine, diffuse
      axonal injury, and neuronal migration disorders, have been successfully
      established on microplatforms. In this review, we summarize fundamental
      technologies and current existing CNS disease models on microplatforms. We also
      discuss possible future directions, including application of these methods to
      pathological studies, drug screening, and personalized medicine, with 3D and
      personalized disease models that could generate more realistic CNS disease
      models. 

PMID- 26497427
TI  - Possibilities in Germ Cell Research: An Engineering Insight.
AB  - Germ cells (GCs) are responsible for fertility and disruptions in their
      development or function cause infertility. However, current knowledge about the
      diverse mechanisms involved in GC development and function is still in its
      infancy. This is mainly because there are low numbers of GCs, especially during
      embryonic development. A deeper understanding of GCs would enhance our ability to
      produce them from stem cells. In addition, such information would enable the
      production of healthy gametes for infertile couples. In this regard, pluripotent
      stem cells (PSCs) demonstrated a promising ability to produce GCs in vitro. In
      this review, we highlight recent advances in the field of tissue engineering that
      suggest novel strategies to enhance GC research. 

PMID- 26497423
TI  - [The reference site of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy
      Aging MACVIA-LR (the fight against chronic diseases for an active and healthy
      aging in Languedoc-Roussillon)].

PMID- 26497428
TI  - A new three dimensional biomimetic hydrogel to deliver factors secreted by human
      mesenchymal stem cells in spinal cord injury.
AB  - Stem cell therapy with human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) represents a
      promising strategy in spinal cord injury (SCI). However, both systemic and
      parenchymal hMSCs administrations show significant drawbacks as a limited number
      and viability of stem cells in situ. Biomaterials able to encapsulate and sustain
      hMSCs represent a viable approach to overcome these limitations potentially
      improving the stem cell therapy. In this study, we evaluate a new
      agarose/carbomer based hydrogel which combines different strategies to optimize
      hMSCs viability, density and delivery of paracrine factors. Specifically, we
      evaluate a new loading procedure on a lyophilized scaffold (soaked up effect)
      that reduces mechanical stress in encapsulating hMSCs into the hydrogel. In
      addition, we combine arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) tripeptide and 3D
      extracellular matrix deposition to increase the capacity to attach and maintain
      healthy hMSCs within the hydrogel over time. Furthermore, the fluidic diffusion
      from the hydrogel toward the injury site is improved by using a cling film that
      oriented efficaciously the delivery of paracrine factors in vivo. Finally, we
      demonstrate that an improved combination as here proposed of hMSCs and biomimetic
      hydrogel is able to immunomodulate significantly the pro-inflammatory environment
      in a SCI mouse model, increasing M2 macrophagic population and promoting a pro
      regenerative environment in situ.

PMID- 26497429
TI  - Synergistic therapeutic effects of Schiff's base cross-linked injectable
      hydrogels for local co-delivery of metformin and 5-fluorouracil in a mouse colon
      carcinoma model.
AB  - In situ formed hydrogels based on Schiff base reaction were formulated for the co
      delivery of metformin (ME) and 5-fluorouracil (5FU). The reactive aldehyde
      functionalized four-arm polyethylene glycol (PFA) was synthesized by end-capping
      of 4-arm PEG with 4-formylbenzoic acid (FA) and used as a cross-linking agent.
      The injectable hydrogels are designed through the quick gelation induced by the
      formation of covalent bonds via Schiff-base reaction of PFA with 4-arm poly
      (ethylene glycol)-b-poly (L-lysine) (PPLL). This formulation eliminated the need
      for metal catalysts and complicated processes in the preparation of in situ
      forming hydrogels. In vitro degradation and drug release studies demonstrated
      that both ME and 5FU were released through PFA/PPLL hydrogels in a controlled and
      pH-dependent manner. When incubated with mouse colon adenocarcinoma cells (C26),
      the ME/5FU-incorporated PFA/PPLL hydrogels had synergistic inhibitory effects on
      the cell cycle progression and cell proliferation in colon cancer cells. After a
      single subcutaneous injection of the hydrogel containing ME/5FU beside the tumors
      of BALB/c mice inoculated with C26 cells, the dual-drug-loaded hydrogels
      displayed superior therapeutic activity resulted from a combination of p53
      mediated G1 arrest and apoptosis in C26 cells. Hence, the Schiff's base cross
      linked hydrogels containing ME and 5FU may have potential therapeutic
      applications in the treatments of colon cancer.

PMID- 26497431
TI  - Bright Green Stool in a Toddler's Diaper. Bromethalin rodenticide ingestion.

PMID- 26497432
TI  - Young Female With Diplopia and Crossed Eye. Chiari malformation.

PMID- 26497433
TI  - Labels.

PMID- 26497430
TI  - Synaptic plasticity as a cortical coding scheme.
AB  - Processing of auditory information requires constant adjustment due to
      alterations of the environment and changing conditions in the nervous system with
      age, health, and experience. Consequently, patterns of activity in cortical
      networks have complex dynamics over a wide range of timescales, from milliseconds
      to days and longer. In the primary auditory cortex (AI), multiple forms of
      adaptation and plasticity shape synaptic input and action potential output.
      However, the variance of neuronal responses has made it difficult to characterize
      AI receptive fields and to determine the function of AI in processing auditory
      information such as vocalizations. Here we describe recent studies on the
      temporal modulation of cortical responses and consider the relation of synaptic
      plasticity to neural coding. 

PMID- 26497434
TI  - Dealing With the Difficult Patient.

PMID- 26497435
TI  - Annals of Emergency Medicine Journal Club. Blowing Smoke: Examining the Benefits
      of High-Flow Nasal Cannula in Hypoxic Respiratory Failure: November 2015 Annals
      of Emergency Medicine Journal Club.

PMID- 26497436
TI  - Young Woman With Chest Pain After Fall. Left posterior sternoclavicular
      dislocation.

PMID- 26497437
TI  - Chest Pain Bounce-Back: Posterior Sternoclavicular Dislocation.

PMID- 26497438
TI  - Ring Removal With a Surgical Tie: Further Considerations.

PMID- 26497439
TI  - Patient Selection Is Critical in Rate or Rhythm Control of Atrial Fibrillation or
      Flutter.

PMID- 26497440
TI  - In reply.

PMID- 26497441
TI  - Young Adult With Abdominal Pain. Gastric dilatation caused by anorexia nervosa.

PMID- 26497442
TI  - Does cigarette smoking relieve stress? Evidence from the event-related potential
      (ERP).
AB  - Previous studies have reported a paradox that cigarette smoking reduces stress
      psychologically; however, it increases the arousal level physiologically. To
      examine this issue, our study aimed to investigate whether cigarette smoking
      relieves stress by measuring the late positive potential (LPP), a component of
      the event-related potential (ERP). In Experiment 1, participants first watched
      emotionally neutral images; second, they received a break; and finally, they
      watched emotionally neutral images again. In the break, they smoked a cigarette
      (smoking condition) or simply rested without smoking (non-smoking condition). The
      procedure of Experiment 2 was the same as that of Experiment 1, except that the
      participants watched unpleasant images as stress stimuli before the break. In
      Experiment 1, the LPP decreased from before to after the break in the smoking
      condition, but not in the non-smoking condition, suggesting that smoking
      cigarettes in the neutral state reduces the arousal level. In Experiment 2, the
      LPP for 400-600 ms decreased from before to after the break, both in the smoking
      and non-smoking conditions; however, the LPP for 200-400 ms decreased from before
      to after the break only in the smoking condition. This suggests the possibility
      that cigarette smoking in the unpleasant state may facilitate a decrease in the
      arousal level faster than with non-smoking. In both Experiments 1 and 2, the
      subjective rating results also suggested that cigarette smoking decreased
      anxiety. Taken together, both the physiological (LPP) and the psychological
      responses from our study suggest that cigarette smoking perhaps relieves stress.

PMID- 26497444
TI  - Verteporfin photodynamic therapy for the treatment of sporadic retinal capillary
      haemangioblastoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the effectivity of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the
      treatment of retinal capillary haemangiomas METHOD: Retrospective case note
      analysis of all patients with retinal angiomas treated with PDT between 2003 and
      2010. RESULTS: Six eyes of 6 patients (3 male, 3 female) with a mean age of 50
      years (range, 23-78) were identified in our database. The follow up period was
      between 24 and 60 months (mean, 36). Tumor regression was evident in two
      patients; three tumors showed no demonstrable response to treatment on
      ophthalmoscopy or ultrasonography and one tumor progressed despite PDT and
      subsequent cryotherapy. One patient developed retinal neovascularisations
      following a period of inattendence to our clinic. Visual acuity improved in two
      patients following PDT, deteriorated in three patients and remained stable in a
      one patient. CONCLUSION: The response of retinal haemangioblastomas to PDT is
      inconsistent. Other treatment modalities ought to be utilized for peripheral
      lesions, however PDT may be tried in juxtapapillary lesions where radiotherapy or
      cryotherapy is likely to result in concurrent visual loss.

PMID- 26497443
TI  - Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy-A discovery originating from the pre
      antibiotic era in a novel periodontal therapy.
AB  - Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) involves pathogens' destruction caused
      by means of toxic Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) that are generated upon the
      interaction of a photoactivatable substance (photosensitizer), light of the
      appropriate wavelength and oxygen. Among many clinical applications, it is also
      used as a supplementary method of treatment of periodontal disease. Many in vitro
      studies confirmed, that a major periopathogenic bacterium, Porphyromonas
      gingivalis is susceptible to this method. Several animal model studies pointed,
      that even a single application of aPDT adjunctive to conventional scaling and
      root planning (SRP) promotes better tissue healing, reduces the inflammatory
      infiltrate and bone loss. The outcomes of clinical trials are, however,
      inconsistent. Although in several the superiority of combined treatment protocol
      (SRP+aPDT) over the conventional (SRP alone) was reported, it was not confirmed
      in other trials. Nonetheless, the reduction of bleeding indices favoring the
      combined therapy was observed in the majority of the studies. It indicates, that
      aPDT has an influence on the extent of inflammation and further studies are
      needed to establish an optimal protocol of treatment combining mechanical
      debridement with photochemotherapy in order to obtain good treatment outcomes in
      our patients.

PMID- 26497445
TI  - Effects of feed deprivation on the AMPK signaling pathway in skeletal muscle of
      broiler chickens.
AB  - The 5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a key role
      in rapid metabolic adaptations to maintain energy homeostasis in poultry. It
      remains unclear if AMPK is involved in muscular energy metabolism in broiler
      chickens. Hence, in the present study, seven-day-old male broilers were equally
      divided into three groups: fed ad libitum (control); feed-deprived for 24h (S24);
      feed-deprived for 24h and then refed for 24h (S24R24). Compared to the control
      group, the plasma levels of glucose, insulin, T3 and triglycerides in the S24
      group were significantly lower (P<0.05), whereas the uric acid levels were
      significantly higher (P<0.01). Except for glucose, refeeding for 24h reversed the
      fasting-induced alterations in plasma metabolite. Fasting decreased the liver
      kinase B1 (LKB1), AMPK alpha 2 subunit (AMPKalpha2), and fatty acid synthase
      (FAS) mRNA levels (P<0.05) in M. pectoralis major (PM). Feed deprivation did not
      affect the phosphorylated AKT, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and ribosomal
      protein S6 kinase (p70S6K) in PM (P>0.05), but upregulated carnitine
      palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1) gene expression and increased phosphorylated LKB1
      (0.05<P<0.1) and AMPKalpha (P<0.05) levels. AMPKalpha2, FAS, and CPT1 mRNA levels
      and the protein levels of phosphorylated AMPK and LKB1 of the PM muscle returned
      to control group levels after 24h refeeding. In M. biceps femoris (BF), the
      AMPKalpha2 and FAS mRNA levels were decreased by fasting compared to control
      (P<0.05), whereas CPT1 mRNA and phosphorylated LKB1 and AMPK protein levels were
      increased. Refeeding for 24h reversed the changes in AMPKalpha2 and CPT1 gene
      expression and phosphorylated AMPKalpha2 subunit. Fasting did not affect the AKT,
      mTOR and p70S6K in both PM and BF muscles (P>0.05). However, refeeding after 24h
      of fasting increased the phosphorylated mTOR level in BF muscle which was in
      parallel with increased plasma insulin concentration. It was likely that
      increased phospho-mTOR level in the BF muscle was due to the higher sensitivity
      of BF to insulin. Together, the results suggested that the AMPK signaling pathway
      might be involved in the energy metabolism alterations in the skeletal muscles of
      broiler chickens and was also dependent upon the muscle fiber type. Furthermore,
      the regulatory effects of AMPK on energy metabolism in muscles of broiler
      chickens might be mediated by the AMPK/FAS pathway. 

PMID- 26497446
TI  - Implicit and explicit measures of spider fear and avoidance behavior: Examination
      of the moderating role of working memory capacity.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Avoidance behavior is central to several anxiety
      disorders. The current study tested whether avoidance behavior for spiders
      depends on a dynamic interplay between implicit and explicit processes, moderated
      by the availability to exert control through working memory capacity (WMC).
      METHODS: A total of 63 participants completed an approach-avoidance task, an
      implicit association test, a spider fear questionnaire and a behavioral avoidance
      test that included an assessment of approach distance as well as approach speed.
      WMC was measured by a complex operation span task. It was hypothesized that in
      individuals with low WMC, implicit avoidance tendencies and implicit negative
      associations predict avoidance behavior for a spider better than the explicit
      measure, whereas in high WMC individuals, the explicit measure should better
      predict avoidance behavior than the implicit measures. RESULTS: Results revealed
      that WMC moderated the influence of implicit negative associations, but not
      implicit avoidance tendencies, on spider approach distance but not the speed of
      approaching. Although explicit spider fear directly influenced avoidance
      behavior, its impact was not modulated by WMC. LIMITATIONS: Participants in our
      study were from a non-clinical sample, which limits the generalizability of our
      findings. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that implicit processes might
      become more pertinent for fear behavior as the ability to control such processes
      wanes, which may be particularly relevant for anxiety disorders given their
      association with lowered executive control functioning. As such, training
      procedures that specifically target implicit processes or control abilities might
      improve treatment outcomes for anxiety disorders.

PMID- 26497447
TI  - Positive valence reduces susceptibility to return of fear and enhances approach
      behavior.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although exposure therapy is highly efficacious for
      anxiety disorders, many individuals do not respond. Drawing from the science of
      fear extinction and reinstatement, the current study evaluated whether a training
      designed to increase valence of the feared stimulus improved the longevity of
      treatment outcomes. METHODS: Participants were 61 undergraduate students with
      fear of spiders (>10 on Spider Phobia Questionnaire, M = 20.45, SD = 3.98) who
      were randomized to receive positive valence training or control training.
      Participants completed exposure over two days, with training conditions at the
      end of the first day. Tests of spontaneous recovery and reinstatement were
      conducted one week later. RESULTS: Compared to control, the Positive Valence
      Training group demonstrated significantly less subjective fear at test of
      spontaneous recovery and less behavioral avoidance after reinstatement. Change in
      valence predicted subjective fear at spontaneous recovery and after reinstatement
      but did not predict behavioral avoidance after reinstatement. LIMITATIONS: Due to
      the relatively small size and homogeneity of the sample, as well as the limited
      methods of training (i.e., film clips only) and outcome measurement (i.e., self
      report and behavioral measures), current results should be interpreted with
      caution. CONCLUSIONS: Adjunct positive valence training may enhance the longevity
      of exposure treatment.

PMID- 26497448
TI  - Interface pressure mapping pilot study to select surfaces that effectively
      redistribute pediatric occipital pressure.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this pilot study was to better inform clinical decisions to
      prevent pediatric occipital pressure ulcers with quantitative data to choose an
      appropriate reactive support surface. MATERIALS: A commercially available
      capacitive pressure mapping system (XSENSOR, X3 Medical Seat System, Calgary,
      Canada) was used to evaluate a standard pediatric mattress and four commercially
      available pressure-redistributing support surfaces. METHODS: The pressure mapping
      system was validated for use in the pediatric population through studies on
      sensitivity, accuracy, creep, and repeatability. Then, a pilot pressure mapping
      study on healthy children under 6 years old (n = 22) was performed to determine
      interface pressure and pressure distribution between the occipital region of the
      skull and each surface: standard mattress, gel, foam, air and fluidized. RESULTS:
      The sensor was adequate to measure pressure generated by pediatric occipital
      loading, with 0.5-9% error in accuracy in the 25-95 mmHg range. The air surface
      had the lowest mean interface pressure (p < .005) and lowest peak pressure index
      (PPI), defined as the peak pressure averaged over four sensels, (p < .005). Mean
      interface pressure for mattress, foam, fluidized, gel, and air materials were
      24.8 +/- 4.42, 24.1 +/- 1.89, 19.4 +/- 3.25, 17.9 +/- 3.10, and 14.2 +/- 1.41
      mmHg, respectively. The air surface also had the most homogenous pressure
      distribution, with the highest mean to PPI ratio (p < .005) and relatively high
      contact area compared to the other surfaces (p < .005). CONCLUSION: The air
      surface was the most effective pressure-redistributing material for pediatric
      occipital pressure as it had the lowest interface pressure and a homogeneous
      pressure distribution. This implies effective envelopment of the bony prominence
      of the occiput and increasing contact area to decrease peak pressure points.

PMID- 26497449
TI  - Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) modulates its proteome differentially in response
      to salinity, cadmium and their combination stress.
AB  - Cadmium (Cd) contamination and salinity are common stressors in agricultural
      soils all over the globe. Sensitivity and modulation of plant proteome lead to
      proper signal execution and adaptation to abiotic stress via molecular responses,
      which strengthen plant defence system. A comparative proteomic study, employing
      2DE-MALDI TOF/TOF MS, of Spinacia oleracea plants exposed to cadmium (50 MUg
      CdCl2 g(-1) soil), salinity (10 mg NaCl g(-1) soil) and their combination (NaCl +
      Cd) was conducted to understand the minimum common adaptation to multiple stress.
      Analysis of 2D gel maps showed significant increase and decrease in relative
      abundance of 14 and 39 proteins by Cd; 11 and 46 by salinity and 22 and 37 by
      combined stress of Cd and salinity, respectively. Peptide mass fingerprinting
      (PMF) helped in the identification of maturase K and PPD4 with increased relative
      abundance under all stresses; whereas salinity stress and combination stress
      silenced the presence of one protein (polycomb protein EZ2) and two proteins
      (cellulose synthase-like protein and ubiquitin conjugation factor E4),
      respectively. The identified proteins were functionally associated with signal
      transduction (15%), protein synthesis (16%), stress response and defence (33%),
      photosynthesis (13%), plant growth/cell division (9%), energy generation (4%),
      transport (4%), secondary metabolism (3%), and cell death (3%); clearly
      indicating the importance and necessity of keeping a higher ratio of defence and
      disease-responsive proteins. The results suggest that plant may increase the
      abundance of defence proteins and may also lower the abundance of catabolic
      proteins. Proteins with altered ratios of abundance belonged to different
      functional categories, suggesting that plants have differential mechanisms to
      respond to Cd, salinity, and their combined stress, but with unique sets of
      proteins. 

PMID- 26497450
TI  - The association of molecular typing, vancomycin MIC, and clinical outcome for
      patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: There are reports of an increase in vancomycin minimum
      inhibitory concentration (MIC) against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
      aureus (MRSA) over time, a phenomenon referred to as "MIC creep", but some
      studies have conflicting results. The aim of this study is to evaluate the
      association of molecular typing, vancomycin MIC, and clinical outcome for
      patients with MRSA infections. METHODS: Thirty-two MRSA isolates from Taichung
      Veterans General Hospital (TCVGH), Taichung, Taiwan during the period of 2003 to
      2008 were analyzed for the association of sequence typing, vancomycin MIC, and
      the correlated clinical outcome for patients with MRSA infections. The vancomycin
      MICs of 28 additional isolates from 2014 were used for the detection of MIC
      creep. RESULTS: Among the genotypes of 32 isolates, there were 17 (53.1%)
      isolates with ST239-SCCmecIII, seven (21.9%) isolates with ST5-SCCmecII, six
      (18.8%) isolates with ST59-SCCmecIV, and two (6.2%) isolates with ST59-SCCmecVT.
      Two isolates had an MIC of 2 MUg/mL and were identified as ST239-SCCmecIII. No
      statistically significant change in the distribution of MICs of all isolates was
      observed between 2003 and 2014 (p = 0.263). There was no significant difference
      in the mortality rates between two groups of patients with vancomycin MICs < 2
      MUg/mL and >= 2 MUg/mL (p = > 0.99). CONCLUSION: There was no vancomycin MIC
      creep in the period from 2003 to 2014 in this study. Appropriate prognostic
      models for assessment of the association among sequence types, vancomycin MICs,
      and clinical outcome warrant further investigation.

PMID- 26497451
TI  - Solar Disinfection of Viruses in Polyethylene Terephthalate Bottles.
AB  - Solar disinfection (SODIS) of drinking water in polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
      bottles is a simple, efficient point-of-use technique for the inactivation of
      many bacterial pathogens. In contrast, the efficiency of SODIS against viruses is
      not well known. In this work, we studied the inactivation of bacteriophages (MS2
      and phiX174) and human viruses (echovirus 11 and adenovirus type 2) by SODIS. We
      conducted experiments in PET bottles exposed to (simulated) sunlight at different
      temperatures (15, 22, 26, and 40 degrees C) and in water sources of diverse
      compositions and origins (India and Switzerland). Good inactivation of MS2 (>6
      log inactivation after exposure to a total fluence of 1.34 kJ/cm(2)) was achieved
      in Swiss tap water at 22 degrees C, while less-efficient inactivation was
      observed in Indian waters and for echovirus (1.5-log inactivation at the same
      fluence). The DNA viruses studied, phiX174 and adenovirus, were resistant to
      SODIS, and the inactivation observed was equivalent to that occurring in the
      dark. High temperatures enhanced MS2 inactivation substantially; at 40 degrees C,
      3-log inactivation was achieved in Swiss tap water after exposure to a fluence of
      only 0.18 kJ/cm(2). Overall, our findings demonstrate that SODIS may reduce the
      load of single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) viruses, such as echoviruses, particularly at
      high temperatures and in photoreactive matrices. In contrast, complementary
      measures may be needed to ensure efficient inactivation during SODIS of DNA
      viruses resistant to oxidation. 

PMID- 26497453
TI  - Spatial Distribution of Lactococcus lactis Colonies Modulates the Production of
      Major Metabolites during the Ripening of a Model Cheese.
AB  - In cheese, lactic acid bacteria are immobilized at the coagulation step and grow
      as colonies. The spatial distribution of bacterial colonies is characterized by
      the size and number of colonies for a given bacterial population within cheese.
      Our objective was to demonstrate that different spatial distributions, which lead
      to differences in the exchange surface between the colonies and the cheese
      matrix, can influence the ripening process. The strategy was to generate cheeses
      with the same growth and acidification of a Lactococcus lactis strain with two
      different spatial distributions, big and small colonies, to monitor the
      production of the major ripening metabolites, including sugars, organic acids,
      peptides, free amino acids, and volatile metabolites, over 1 month of ripening.
      The monitored metabolites were qualitatively the same for both cheeses, but many
      of them were more abundant in the small-colony cheeses than in the big-colony
      cheeses over 1 month of ripening. Therefore, the results obtained showed that two
      different spatial distributions of L. lactis modulated the ripening time course
      by generating moderate but significant differences in the rates of production or
      consumption for many of the metabolites commonly monitored throughout ripening.
      The present work further explores the immobilization of bacteria as colonies
      within cheese and highlights the consequences of this immobilization on cheese
      ripening. 

PMID- 26497452
TI  - The Microbiota of Freshwater Fish and Freshwater Niches Contain Omega-3 Fatty
      Acid-Producing Shewanella Species.
AB  - Approximately 30 years ago, it was discovered that free-living bacteria isolated
      from cold ocean depths could produce polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) such as
      eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (20:5n-3) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (22:6n-3),
      two PUFA essential for human health. Numerous laboratories have also discovered
      that EPA- and/or DHA-producing bacteria, many of them members of the Shewanella
      genus, could be isolated from the intestinal tracts of omega-3 fatty acid-rich
      marine fish. If bacteria contribute omega-3 fatty acids to the host fish in
      general or if they assist some bacterial species in adaptation to cold, then cold
      freshwater fish or habitats should also harbor these producers. Thus, we
      undertook a study to see if these niches also contained omega-3 fatty acid
      producers. We were successful in isolating and characterizing unique EPA
      producing strains of Shewanella from three strictly freshwater native fish
      species, i.e., lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), lean lake trout
      (Salvelinus namaycush), and walleye (Sander vitreus), and from two other
      freshwater nonnative fish, i.e., coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and
      seeforellen brown trout (Salmo trutta). We were also able to isolate four unique
      free-living strains of EPA-producing Shewanella from freshwater habitats.
      Phylogenetic and phenotypic analyses suggest that one producer is clearly a
      member of the Shewanella morhuae species and another is sister to members of the
      marine PUFA-producing Shewanella baltica species. However, the remaining isolates
      have more ambiguous relationships, sharing a common ancestor with non-PUFA
      producing Shewanella putrefaciens isolates rather than marine S. baltica isolates
      despite having a phenotype more consistent with S. baltica strains. 

PMID- 26497454
TI  - Maturation of Fibrinolytic Bacillopeptidase F Involves both Hetero- and
      Autocatalytic Processes.
AB  - Bacillopeptidase F (Bpr) is a fibrinolytic serine protease produced by Bacillus
      subtilis. Its precursor is composed of a signal peptide, an N-terminal
      propeptide, a catalytic domain, and a long C-terminal extension (CTE). Several
      active forms of Bpr have been previously reported, but little is known about the
      maturation of this enzyme. Here, a gene encoding a Bpr (BprL) was cloned from B.
      subtilis LZW and expressed in B. subtilis WB700, and three fibrinolytic mature
      forms with apparent molecular masses of 45, 75, and 85 kDa were identified in the
      culture supernatant. After treatment with urea, the 75-kDa mature form had the
      same molecular mass as the 85-kDa mature form, from which we infer that they
      adopt different conformations. Mutational analysis revealed that while the 85-kDa
      mature form is generated via heterocatalytic processing of a BprL proform by an
      unidentified protease of B. subtilis, the production of the 75- and 45-kDa mature
      forms involves both hetero- and autocatalytic events. From in vitro analysis of
      BprL and its sequential C-terminal truncation variants, it appears that partial
      removal of the CTE is required for the initiation of autoprocessing of the N
      terminal propeptide, which is composed of a core domain (N*) and a 15-residue
      linker peptide, thereby yielding the 45-kDa mature form. These data suggest that
      the differential processing of BprL, either heterocatalytically or
      autocatalytically, leads to the formation of multiple mature forms with different
      molecular masses or conformations. 

PMID- 26497455
TI  - A Dual Microscopy-Based Assay To Assess Listeria monocytogenes Cellular Entry and
      Vacuolar Escape.
AB  - Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive bacterium and a facultative
      intracellular pathogen that invades mammalian cells, disrupts its internalization
      vacuole, and proliferates in the host cell cytoplasm. Here, we describe a novel
      image-based microscopy assay that allows discrimination between cellular entry
      and vacuolar escape, enabling high-content screening to identify factors
      specifically involved in these two steps. We first generated L. monocytogenes and
      Listeria innocua strains expressing a beta-lactamase covalently attached to the
      bacterial cell wall. These strains were then incubated with HeLa cells containing
      the Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) probe CCF4 in their cytoplasm. The
      CCF4 probe was cleaved by the bacterial surface beta-lactamase only in cells
      inoculated with L. monocytogenes but not those inoculated with L. innocua,
      thereby demonstrating bacterial access to the host cytoplasm. Subsequently, we
      performed differential immunofluorescence staining to distinguish extracellular
      versus total bacterial populations in samples that were also analyzed by the FRET
      based assay. With this two-step analysis, bacterial entry can be distinguished
      from vacuolar rupture in a single experiment. Our novel approach represents a
      powerful tool for identifying factors that determine the intracellular niche of
      L. monocytogenes. 

PMID- 26497456
TI  - Inhibitory Role of Greatwall-Like Protein Kinase Rim15p in Alcoholic Fermentation
      via Upregulating the UDP-Glucose Synthesis Pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - The high fermentation rate of Saccharomyces cerevisiae sake yeast strains is
      attributable to a loss-of-function mutation in the RIM15 gene, which encodes a
      Greatwall-family protein kinase that is conserved among eukaryotes. In the
      present study, we performed intracellular metabolic profiling analysis and
      revealed that deletion of the RIM15 gene in a laboratory strain impaired glucose
      anabolic pathways through the synthesis of UDP-glucose (UDPG). Although Rim15p is
      required for the synthesis of trehalose and glycogen from UDPG upon entry of
      cells into the quiescent state, we found that Rim15p is also essential for the
      accumulation of cell wall beta-glucans, which are also anabolic products of UDPG.
      Furthermore, the impairment of UDPG or 1,3-beta-glucan synthesis contributed to
      an increase in the fermentation rate. Transcriptional induction of PGM2
      (phosphoglucomutase) and UGP1 (UDPG pyrophosphorylase) was impaired in Rim15p
      deficient cells in the early stage of fermentation. These findings demonstrate
      that the decreased anabolism of glucose into UDPG and 1,3-beta-glucan triggered
      by a defect in the Rim15p-mediated upregulation of PGM2 and UGP1 redirects the
      glucose flux into glycolysis. Consistent with this, sake yeast strains with
      defective Rim15p exhibited impaired expression of PGM2 and UGP1 and decreased
      levels of beta-glucans, trehalose, and glycogen during sake fermentation. We also
      identified a sake yeast-specific mutation in the glycogen synthesis-associated
      glycogenin gene GLG2, supporting the conclusion that the glucose-anabolic pathway
      is impaired in sake yeast. These findings demonstrate that downregulation of the
      UDPG synthesis pathway is a key mechanism accelerating alcoholic fermentation in
      industrially utilized S. cerevisiae sake strains. 

PMID- 26497457
TI  - Biocontrol of the Potato Blackleg and Soft Rot Diseases Caused by Dickeya
      dianthicola.
AB  - Development of protection tools targeting Dickeya species is an important issue
      in the potato production. Here, we present the identification and the
      characterization of novel biocontrol agents. Successive screenings of 10,000
      bacterial isolates led us to retain 58 strains that exhibited growth inhibition
      properties against several Dickeya sp. and/or Pectobacterium sp. pathogens. Most
      of them belonged to the Pseudomonas and Bacillus genera. In vitro assays revealed
      a fitness decrease of the tested Dickeya sp. and Pectobacterium sp. pathogens in
      the presence of the biocontrol agents. In addition, four independent greenhouse
      assays performed to evaluate the biocontrol bacteria effect on potato plants
      artificially contaminated with Dickeya dianthicola revealed that a mix of three
      biocontrol agents, namely, Pseudomonas putida PA14H7 and Pseudomonas fluorescens
      PA3G8 and PA4C2, repeatedly decreased the severity of blackleg symptoms as well
      as the transmission of D. dianthicola to the tuber progeny. This work highlights
      the use of a combination of biocontrol strains as a potential strategy to limit
      the soft rot and blackleg diseases caused by D. dianthicola on potato plants and
      tubers. 

PMID- 26497458
TI  - The Connection between Persistent, Disinfectant-Resistant Listeria monocytogenes
      Strains from Two Geographically Separate Iberian Pork Processing Plants: Evidence
      from Comparative Genome Analysis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the basis of the putative persistence of
      Listeria monocytogenes in a new industrial facility dedicated to the processing
      of ready-to-eat (RTE) Iberian pork products. Quaternary ammonium compounds, which
      included benzalkonium chloride (BAC), were repeatedly used as surface
      disinfectants in the processing plant. Clean and disinfected surfaces were
      sampled to evaluate if resistance to disinfectants was associated with
      persistence. Of the 14 isolates obtained from product contact and non-product
      contact surfaces, only five different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)
      types were identified during the 27-month study period. Two of these PFGE types
      (S1 and S10-1) were previously identified to be persistent and BAC-resistant
      (BAC(r)) strains in a geographically separate slaughterhouse belonging to the
      same company. The remaining three PFGE types, which were first identified in this
      study, were also BAC(r). Whole-genome sequencing and in silico multilocus
      sequence typing (MLST) analysis of five BAC(r) isolates of the different PFGE
      types identified in this study showed that the isolate of the S1 PFGE type
      belonged to MLST sequence type 31 (ST31), a low-virulence type characterized by
      mutations in the inlA and prfA genes. The isolates of the remaining four PFGE
      types were found to belong to MLST ST121, a persistent type that has been
      isolated in several countries. The ST121 strains contained the BAC resistance
      transposon Tn6188. The disinfection-resistant L. monocytogenes population in this
      RTE pork product plant comprised two distinct genotypes with different multidrug
      resistance phenotypes. This work offers insight into the L. monocytogenes
      subtypes associated with persistence in food processing environments. 

PMID- 26497460
TI  - Identification and Resolution of Microdiversity through Metagenomic Sequencing of
      Parallel Consortia.
AB  - To gain a predictive understanding of the interspecies interactions within
      microbial communities that govern community function, the genomic complement of
      every member population must be determined. Although metagenomic sequencing has
      enabled the de novo reconstruction of some microbial genomes from environmental
      communities, microdiversity confounds current genome reconstruction techniques.
      To overcome this issue, we performed short-read metagenomic sequencing on
      parallel consortia, defined as consortia cultivated under the same conditions
      from the same natural community with overlapping species composition. The
      differences in species abundance between the two consortia allowed reconstruction
      of near-complete (at an estimated >85% of gene complement) genome sequences for
      17 of the 20 detected member species. Two Halomonas spp. indistinguishable by
      amplicon analysis were found to be present within the community. In addition,
      comparison of metagenomic reads against the consensus scaffolds revealed within
      species variation for one of the Halomonas populations, one of the
      Rhodobacteraceae populations, and the Rhizobiales population. Genomic comparison
      of these representative instances of inter- and intraspecies microdiversity
      suggests differences in functional potential that may result in the expression of
      distinct roles in the community. In addition, isolation and complete genome
      sequence determination of six member species allowed an investigation into the
      sensitivity and specificity of genome reconstruction processes, demonstrating
      robustness across a wide range of sequence coverage (9* to 2,700*) within the
      metagenomic data set. 

PMID- 26497459
TI  - Influence of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium ssrB on Colonization of
      Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) as Revealed by a Promoter Probe Screen.
AB  - Although Salmonella has been isolated from 7.4 to 8.6% of domestic raw oysters,
      representing a significant risk for food-borne illness, little is known about the
      factors that influence their initial colonization by Salmonella. This study
      tested the hypothesis that specific regulatory changes enable a portion of the
      invading Salmonella population to colonize oysters. An in vivo promoter probe
      library screen identified 19 unique regions as regulated during colonization. The
      mutants in the nearest corresponding downstream genes were tested for
      colonization defects in oysters. Only one mutation, in ssrB, resulted in a
      significantly reduced ability to colonize oysters compared to that of wild-type
      Salmonella. Because ssrB regulates Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI-2)
      dependent infections in vertebrate macrophages, the possibility that ssrB
      mediated colonization of oyster hemocytes in a similar manner was examined.
      However, no difference in hemocyte colonization was observed. The complementary
      hypothesis that signal exchange between Salmonella and the oyster's native
      microbial community aids colonization was also tested. Signals that triggered
      responses in quorum sensing (QS) reporters were shown to be produced by oyster
      associated bacteria and present in oyster tissue. However, no evidence for signal
      exchange was observed in vivo. The sdiA reporter responded to salinity,
      suggesting that SdiA may also have a role in environmental sensing. Overall, this
      study suggests the initial colonization of live oysters by Salmonella is
      controlled by a limited number of regulators, including ssrB. 

PMID- 26497461
TI  - Abiotic Stress and Phyllosphere Bacteria Influence the Survival of Human
      Norovirus and Its Surrogates on Preharvest Leafy Greens.
AB  - Foodborne outbreaks of human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are frequently associated with
      leafy greens. Because there is no effective method to eliminate HuNoV from
      postharvest leafy greens, understanding virus survival under preharvest
      conditions is crucial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the survival
      of HuNoV and its surrogate viruses, murine norovirus (MNV), porcine sapovirus
      (SaV), and Tulane virus (TV), on preharvest lettuce and spinach that were
      subjected to abiotic stress (physical damage, heat, or flood). We also examined
      the bacteria culturable from the phyllosphere in response to abiotic stress and
      in relation to viral persistence. Mature plants were subjected to stressors 2
      days prior to inoculation of the viruses on leaves. We quantified the viral RNA,
      determined the infectivity of the surrogates, and performed bacterial counts on
      postinoculation days (PIDs) 0, 1, 7, and 14. For both plant types, time exerted
      significant effects on HuNoV, MNV, SaV, and TV RNA titers, with greater effects
      being seen for the surrogates. Infectious surrogate viruses were undetectable on
      PID 14. Only physical damage on PID 14 significantly enhanced HuNoV RNA
      persistence on lettuce, while the three stressors differentially enhanced the
      persistence of MNV and TV RNA. Bacterial counts were significantly affected by
      time and plant type but not by the stressors. However, bacterial counts
      correlated significantly with HuNoV RNA titers on spinach and with the presence
      of surrogate viruses on both plant types under various conditions. In conclusion,
      abiotic stressors and phyllosphere bacterial density may differentially influence
      the survival of HuNoV and its surrogates on lettuce and spinach, emphasizing the
      need for the use of preventive measures at the preharvest stage. 

PMID- 26497462
TI  - Changing Feeding Regimes To Demonstrate Flexible Biogas Production: Effects on
      Process Performance, Microbial Community Structure, and Methanogenesis Pathways.
AB  - Flexible biogas production that adapts biogas output to energy demand can be
      regulated by changing feeding regimes. In this study, the effect of changes in
      feeding intervals on process performance, microbial community structure, and the
      methanogenesis pathway was investigated. Three different feeding regimes (once
      daily, every second day, and every 2 h) at the same organic loading rate were
      studied in continuously stirred tank reactors treating distiller's dried grains
      with solubles. A larger amount of biogas was produced after feeding in the
      reactors fed less frequently (once per day and every second day), whereas the
      amount remained constant in the reactor fed more frequently (every 2 h),
      indicating the suitability of the former for the flexible production of biogas.
      Compared to the conventional more frequent feeding regimes, a methane yield that
      was up to 14% higher and an improved stability of the process against organic
      overloading were achieved by employing less frequent feeding regimes. The
      community structures of bacteria and methanogenic archaea were monitored by
      terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of 16S rRNA
      and mcrA genes, respectively. The results showed that the composition of the
      bacterial community varied under the different feeding regimes, and the observed
      T-RFLP patterns were best explained by the differences in the total ammonia
      nitrogen concentrations, H2 levels, and pH values. However, the methanogenic
      community remained stable under all feeding regimes, with the dominance of the
      Methanosarcina genus followed by that of the Methanobacterium genus. Stable
      isotope analysis showed that the average amount of methane produced during each
      feeding event by acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis was not
      influenced by the three different feeding regimes.

PMID- 26497464
TI  - Silver Nanoparticles Decrease the Viability of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts.
AB  - Oocysts of the waterborne protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium parvum are highly
      resistant to chlorine disinfection. We show here that both silver nanoparticles
      (AgNPs) and silver ions significantly decrease oocyst viability, in a dose
      dependent manner, between concentrations of 0.005 and 500 MUg/ml, as assessed by
      an excystation assay and the shell/sporozoite ratio. For percent excystation, the
      results are statistically significant for 500 MUg/ml of AgNPs, with reductions
      from 83% for the control to 33% with AgNPs. For Ag ions, the results were
      statistically significant at 500 and 5,000 MUg/ml, but the percent excystation
      values were reduced only to 66 and 62%, respectively, from 86% for the control.
      The sporozoite/shell ratio was affected to a greater extent following AgNP
      exposure, presumably because sporozoites are destroyed by interaction with NPs.
      We also demonstrated via hyperspectral imaging that there is a dual mode of
      interaction, with Ag ions entering the oocyst and destroying the sporozoites
      while AgNPs interact with the cell wall and, at high concentrations, are able to
      fully break the oocyst wall.

PMID- 26497463
TI  - Anodes Stimulate Anaerobic Toluene Degradation via Sulfur Cycling in Marine
      Sediments.
AB  - Hydrocarbons released during oil spills are persistent in marine sediments due to
      the absence of suitable electron acceptors below the oxic zone. Here, we
      investigated an alternative bioremediation strategy to remove toluene, a model
      monoaromatic hydrocarbon, using a bioanode. Bioelectrochemical reactors were
      inoculated with sediment collected from a hydrocarbon-contaminated marine site,
      and anodes were polarized at 0 mV and +300 mV (versus an Ag/AgCl [3 M KCl]
      reference electrode). The degradation of toluene was directly linked to current
      generation of up to 301 mA m(-2) and 431 mA m(-2) for the bioanodes polarized at
      0 mV and +300 mV, respectively. Peak currents decreased over time even after
      periodic spiking with toluene. The monitoring of sulfate concentrations during
      bioelectrochemical experiments suggested that sulfur metabolism was involved in
      toluene degradation at bioanodes. 16S rRNA gene-based Illumina sequencing of the
      bulk anolyte and anode samples revealed enrichment with electrocatalytically
      active microorganisms, toluene degraders, and sulfate-reducing microorganisms.
      Quantitative PCR targeting the alpha-subunit of the dissimilatory sulfite
      reductase (encoded by dsrA) and the alpha-subunit of the benzylsuccinate synthase
      (encoded by bssA) confirmed these findings. In particular, members of the family
      Desulfobulbaceae were enriched concomitantly with current production and toluene
      degradation. Based on these observations, we propose two mechanisms for
      bioelectrochemical toluene degradation: (i) direct electron transfer to the anode
      and/or (ii) sulfide-mediated electron transfer. 

PMID- 26497465
TI  - A Novel Bacteriophage Targeting Cronobacter sakazakii Is a Potential Biocontrol
      Agent in Foods.
AB  - Cronobacter sakazakii is an important pathogen that causes high mortality in
      infants. Due to its occasional antibiotic resistance, a bacteriophage approach
      might be an alternative effective method for the control of this pathogen. To
      develop a novel biocontrol agent using bacteriophages, the C. sakazakii-infecting
      phage CR5 was newly isolated and characterized. Interestingly, this phage
      exhibited efficient and relatively durable host lysis activity. In addition, a
      specific gene knockout study and subsequent complementation experiment revealed
      that this phage infected the host strain using the bacterial flagella. The
      complete genome sequence analysis of phage CR5 showed that its genome contains
      223,989 bp of DNA, including 231 predicted open reading frames (ORFs), and it has
      a G+C content of 50.06%. The annotated ORFs were classified into six functional
      groups (structure, packaging, host lysis, DNA manipulation, transcription, and
      additional functions); no gene was found to be related to virulence or toxin or
      lysogen formation, but >80% of the predicted ORFs are unknown. In addition, a
      phage proteomic analysis using SDS-PAGE and matrix-assisted laser desorption
      ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) revealed that seven
      phage structural proteins are indeed present, supporting the ORF predictions. To
      verify the potential of this phage as a biocontrol agent against C. sakazakii, it
      was added to infant formula milk contaminated with a C. sakazakii clinical
      isolate or food isolate, revealing complete growth inhibition of the isolates by
      the addition of phage CR5 when the multiplicity of infection (MOI) was 10(5). 

PMID- 26497466
TI  - The CreC Regulator of Escherichia coli, a New Target for Metabolic Manipulations.
AB  - The CreBC (carbon source-responsive) two-component regulation system of
      Escherichia coli affects a number of functions, including intermediary carbon
      catabolism. The impacts of different creC mutations (a DeltacreC mutant and a
      mutant carrying the constitutive creC510 allele) on bacterial physiology were
      analyzed in glucose cultures under three oxygen availability conditions.
      Differences in the amounts of extracellular metabolites produced were observed in
      the null mutant compared to the wild-type strain and the mutant carrying creC510
      and shown to be affected by oxygen availability. The DeltacreC strain secreted
      more formate, succinate, and acetate but less lactate under low aeration. These
      metabolic changes were associated with differences in AckA and LdhA activities,
      both of which were affected by CreC. Measurement of the NAD(P)H/NAD(P)(+) ratios
      showed that the creC510 strain had a more reduced intracellular redox state,
      while the opposite was observed for the DeltacreC mutant, particularly under
      intermediate oxygen availability conditions, indicating that CreC affects redox
      balance. The null mutant formed more succinate than the wild-type strain under
      both low aeration and no aeration. Overexpression of the genes encoding
      phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from E. coli and a NADH-forming formate
      dehydrogenase from Candida boidinii in the DeltacreC mutant further increased the
      yield of succinate on glucose. Interestingly, the elimination of ackA and adhE
      did not significantly improve the production of succinate. The diverse metabolic
      effects of this regulator on the central biochemical network of E. coli make it a
      good candidate for metabolic-engineering manipulations to enhance the formation
      of bioproducts, such as succinate. 

PMID- 26497467
TI  - Sporulation Temperature Reveals a Requirement for CotE in the Assembly of both
      the Coat and Exosporium Layers of Bacillus cereus Spores.
AB  - The Bacillus cereus spore surface layers consist of a coat surrounded by an
      exosporium. We investigated the interplay between the sporulation temperature and
      the CotE morphogenetic protein in the assembly of the surface layers of B. cereus
      ATCC 14579 spores and on the resulting spore properties. The cotE deletion
      affects the coat and exosporium composition of the spores formed both at the
      suboptimal temperature of 20 degrees C and at the optimal growth temperature of
      37 degrees C. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that DeltacotE spores had
      a fragmented and detached exosporium when formed at 37 degrees C. However, when
      produced at 20 degrees C, DeltacotE spores showed defects in both coat and
      exosporium attachment and were susceptible to lysozyme and mutanolysin. Thus,
      CotE has a role in the assembly of both the coat and exosporium, which is more
      important during sporulation at 20 degrees C. CotE was more represented in
      extracts from spores formed at 20 degrees C than at 37 degrees C, suggesting that
      increased synthesis of the protein is required to maintain proper assembly of
      spore surface layers at the former temperature. DeltacotE spores formed at either
      sporulation temperature were impaired in inosine-triggered germination and
      resistance to UV-C and H2O2 and were less hydrophobic than wild-type (WT) spores
      but had a higher resistance to wet heat. While underscoring the role of CotE in
      the assembly of B. cereus spore surface layers, our study also suggests a
      contribution of the protein to functional properties of additional spore
      structures. Moreover, it also suggests a complex relationship between the
      function of a spore morphogenetic protein and environmental factors such as the
      temperature during spore formation. 

PMID- 26497469
TI  - The moderating effects of coping and self-esteem on the relationship between
      defeat, entrapment and suicidality in a sample of prisoners at high risk of
      suicide.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research is sparse which examines pathways to suicide, and resilience
      to suicide, in people who are particularly vulnerable to suicide, for example,
      prison inmates. The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which
      perceptions of self-esteem and coping ability interacted with defeat and
      entrapment to both amplify suicidal thoughts and feelings, and to act as a buffer
      against suicidal thoughts and feelings. METHODS: Participants were 65 male
      prisoners at high risk of suicide. A cross-sectional questionnaire design was
      used. Questionnaire measures of depression, defeat, entrapment, self-esteem,
      coping ability and suicidal probability were administered. RESULTS: For the
      hopelessness component of the suicide probability measure, high levels of coping
      ability together with low levels of defeat resulted in the lowest levels of
      suicidality indicative of a resilience factor. In contrast, low levels of coping
      skills together with high levels of entrapment were a high risk factor for this
      hopelessness component of suicide. This pattern of results pertained when
      controlling for depression levels. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to
      examine interactions between defeat, entrapment and appraisals of self-esteem and
      coping ability. Therapeutic interventions would benefit from boosting perceptions
      and appraisals of coping ability, in particular, in people who are at high risk
      for suicide.

PMID- 26497468
TI  - Bacillus cereus NVH 0500/00 Can Adhere to Mucin but Cannot Produce Enterotoxins
      during Gastrointestinal Simulation.
AB  - Adhesion to the intestinal epithelium could constitute an essential mechanism of
      Bacillus cereus pathogenesis. However, the enterocytes are protected by mucus, a
      secretion composed mainly of mucin glycoproteins. These may serve as nutrients
      and sites of adhesion for intestinal bacteria. In this study, the food poisoning
      bacterium B. cereus NVH 0500/00 was exposed in vitro to gastrointestinal hurdles
      prior to evaluation of its attachment to mucin microcosms and its ability to
      produce nonhemolytic enterotoxin (Nhe). The persistence of mucin-adherent B.
      cereus after simulated gut emptying was determined using a mucin adhesion assay.
      The stability of Nhe toward bile and pancreatin (intestinal components) in the
      presence of mucin agar was also investigated. B. cereus could grow and
      simultaneously adhere to mucin during in vitro ileal incubation, despite the
      adverse effect of prior exposure to a low pH or intestinal components. The final
      concentration of B. cereus in the simulated lumen at 8 h of incubation was 6.62
      +/- 0.87 log CFU ml(-1). At that point, the percentage of adhesion was
      approximately 6%. No enterotoxin was detected in the ileum, due to either
      insufficient bacterial concentrations or Nhe degradation. Nevertheless, mucin
      appears to retain B. cereus and to supply it to the small intestine after
      simulated gut emptying. Additionally, mucin may play a role in the protection of
      enterotoxins from degradation by intestinal components. 

PMID- 26497471
TI  - Outcomes of kidney retransplantation in recipients with prior post-transplant
      lymphoproliferative disorder.
AB  - Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is an uncommon but serious
      complication of solid organ transplantation. Reduction in immunosuppression is
      the mainstay of PTLD treatment, but it may precipitate graft loss.
      Retransplantation remains controversial, as immunosuppression resumption may
      trigger PTLD relapse. Herein, we describe the experience of eight patients who
      underwent kidney retransplantation after successful PTLD treatment. Epstein-Barr
      virus (EBV) serology was not known before the first transplantation. PTLD was
      diagnosed 62.5 months (range 5-323 months) after transplantation and was confined
      to the renal allograft (n = 1), lymph nodes (n = 2), gastrointestinal tract (n =
      4), or central nervous system (n = 1). Immunosuppression tapering (8/8),
      chemotherapy (6/8), oral cavity lymphoma excision (1/8), and allograft
      nephrectomy (1/8) led to hematological remission in all patients.
      Retransplantation was performed at a median of 55.5 months (range 29-95 months)
      after PTLD diagnosis. After a median follow-up of 62.5 months (range 2-125
      months) allograft survival was 87.5% (seven functioning grafts, one failed graft
      from chronic rejection), with no recurrence of PTLD. In all, five patients remain
      alive; the other three died from causes other than PTLD. In conclusion, kidney
      retransplantation appears to be safe in patients with prior PTLD and without
      major risk of hematological recurrence provided that PTLD has remitted.

PMID- 26497470
TI  - Differential impacts of duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) on cognitive
      function in first-episode schizophrenia according to mode of onset.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mode of onset and the course of schizophrenia illness exhibit
      substantial individual variations. Previous studies have pointed out that the
      mode of onset affects the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and clinical
      outcomes, such as cognitive and social functioning. This study attempted to
      clarify the association between the DUP and clinical features, taking the
      different modes of onset into consideration, in a prospective longitudinal study
      examining patients with first-episode schizophrenia. METHODS: This study was
      conducted in six areas of Japan. Patients with first-episode schizophrenia were
      followed for over 18 months. Cognitive function, psychopathology, and social
      functioning were assessed at baseline and at 6, 12, and 18-month follow-up
      points. RESULTS: We identified 168 patients and sufficient information was
      available to determine the DUP and the mode of onset for 156 patients (92.9%): 79
      had an acute onset, and 77 had an insidious onset. The DUP was significantly
      associated with quality of life (QOL), social functioning, and cognitive function
      at most of the follow-up points in the insidious-onset group. The DUP and
      negative symptoms at baseline were significant predictors of cognitive function
      at the 18-month follow-up in the insidious-onset group. CONCLUSIONS: The present
      results further support the hypothesis that the DUP affects QOL, social
      functioning, and cognitive function over the course of illness, especially in
      patients with an insidious onset. Effective strategies for detecting and caring
      for individuals with insidious onset early during the course of schizophrenia
      will be essential for achieving a full patient recovery.

PMID- 26497472
TI  - Bouts of steps: The organization of infant exploration.
AB  - Adults primarily walk to reach a new location, but why do infants walk? Do
      infants, like adults, walk to travel to a distant goal? We observed 30 13-month
      old and 30 19-month-old infants during natural walking in a laboratory playroom.
      We characterized the bout structure of walking-when infants start and stop
      walking-to examine why infants start and stop walking. Locomotor activity was
      composed largely of brief spurts of walking. Half of 13-month-olds' bouts and 41%
      of 19-month-olds' bouts consisted of three or fewer steps-too few to carry
      infants to a distant goal. Most bouts ended in the middle of the floor, not at a
      recognizable goal. Survival analyses of the distribution of steps per bout
      indicated that the probability of continuing to walk was independent of the
      length of the ongoing bout; infants were just as likely to stop walking after
      five steps as after 50 steps and they showed no bias toward bouts long enough to
      carry them across the room to a goal. However, 13-month-olds showed an increased
      probability of stopping after 1-3 steps, and they did not initiate walking more
      frequently to compensate for their surfeit of short bouts. We propose that
      infants' natural walking is not intentionally directed at distant goals; rather,
      it is a stochastic process that serves exploratory functions. Relations between
      the bout structure of walking and other measures of walking suggest that
      locomotor exploration is constrained by walking skill in younger infants, but not
      in older infants.

PMID- 26497475
TI  - Vancomycin Trough Concentration as a Predictor of Clinical Outcomes in Patients
      with Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia: A Meta-analysis of Observational Studies.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the strength of evidence for better clinical
      outcomes in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia who had vancomycin
      trough levels of 15-20 mg/L. DESIGN: Meta-analysis of 14 observational cohort
      studies. PATIENTS: A total of 1677 patients, representing geriatric and
      unspecified inpatients, who received standard dosing of vancomycin for the
      treatment of S. aureus bacteremia and who had trough level goals of 15-20 mg/L.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The treatment variables examined in the analysis
      were vancomycin trough concentrations and 24-hour area under the concentration
      time curve to minimum inhibitory concentration ratio (AUC:MIC) values. The
      outcomes of interest were mortality, persistent bacteremia, and treatment
      failure. Mortality was defined as 30-day mortality, in-hospital mortality, or a
      comparable measure; persistent bacteremia was defined as bacteremia lasting at
      least 7 days after the initiation of vancomycin; treatment failure was defined as
      a composite end point that included at least persistent bacteremia and mortality,
      as previously defined. Higher vancomycin trough levels (15 mg/L or greater or
      based on MIC) were not associated with significantly reduced treatment failure,
      persistent bacteremia, or mortality. Higher AUC:MIC values were associated with
      significantly reduced treatment failure (odds ratio [OR] 0.41, 95% confidence
      interval [CI] 0.31-0.53), persistent bacteremia (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.33-0.86), and
      mortality (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.33-0.65). The weighted mean +/- SD AUC:MIC threshold
      defined by regression analyses in the included studies was 418 +/- 88 hours,
      which supports the current goal of 400 hours or more. CONCLUSION: Vancomycin
      trough concentrations do not have sufficient evidence to support their use as the
      primary guide in vancomycin dosing. Dosing should instead focus on AUC:MIC
      values, which have strong evidence of benefit.

PMID- 26497473
TI  - A novel intrinsically fluorescent probe for study of uptake and trafficking of 25
      hydroxycholesterol.
AB  - Cholesterol homeostasis is regulated not only by cholesterol, but also by
      oxygenated cholesterol species, referred to as oxysterols. Side-chain oxysterols,
      such as 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC), regulate cholesterol homeostasis through
      feedback inhibition and feed-forward activation of transcriptional pathways that
      govern cholesterol synthesis, uptake, and elimination, as well as through direct
      nongenomic actions that modulate cholesterol accessibility in membranes.
      Elucidating the cellular distribution of 25-HC is required to understand its
      biological activity at the molecular level. However, studying oxysterol
      distribution and behavior within cells has proven difficult due to the lack of
      fluorescent analogs of 25-HC that retain its chemical and physical properties. To
      address this, we synthesized a novel intrinsically fluorescent 25-HC mimetic, 25
      hydroxycholestatrienol (25-HCTL). We show that 25-HCTL modulates sterol
      homeostatic responses in a similar manner as 25-HC. 25-HCTL associates with
      lipoproteins in media and is taken up by cells through LDL-mediated endocytosis.
      In cultured cells, 25-HCTL redistributes among cellular membranes and, at steady
      state, has a similar distribution as cholesterol, being enriched in both the
      endocytic recycling compartment as well as the plasma membrane. Our findings
      indicate that 25-HCTL is a faithful fluorescent 25-HC mimetic that can be used to
      investigate the mechanisms through which 25-HC regulates sterol homeostatic
      pathways. 

PMID- 26497474
TI  - ABCA1-dependent sterol release: sterol molecule specificity and potential
      membrane domain for HDL biogenesis.
AB  - Mammalian cells synthesize various sterol molecules, including the C30 sterol,
      lanosterol, as cholesterol precursors in the endoplasmic reticulum. The build-up
      of precursor sterols, including lanosterol, displays cellular toxicity. Precursor
      sterols are found in plasma HDL. How these structurally different sterols are
      released from cells is poorly understood. Here, we show that newly synthesized
      precursor sterols arriving at the plasma membrane (PM) are removed by
      extracellular apoA-I in a manner dependent on ABCA1, a key macromolecule for HDL
      biogenesis. Analysis of sterol molecules by GC-MS and tracing the fate of
      radiolabeled acetate-derived sterols in normal and mutant Niemann-Pick type C
      cells reveal that ABCA1 prefers newly synthesized sterols, especially lanosterol,
      as the substrates before they are internalized from the PM. We also show that
      ABCA1 resides in a cholesterol-rich membrane domain resistant to the mild
      detergent, Brij 98. Blocking ACAT activity increases the cholesterol contents of
      this domain. Newly synthesized C29/C30 sterols are transiently enriched within
      this domain, but rapidly disappear from this domain with a half-life of less than
      1 h. Our work shows that substantial amounts of precursor sterols are transported
      to a certain PM domain and are removed by the ABCA1-dependent pathway. 

PMID- 26497477
TI  - The Microbiome in Mental Health: Potential Contribution of Gut Microbiota in
      Disease and Pharmacotherapy Management.
AB  - The gut microbiome is composed of ~10(13) -10(14) microbial cells and viruses
      that exist in a symbiotic bidirectional communicative relationship with the host.
      Bacterial functions in the gut have an important role in healthy host metabolic
      function, and dysbiosis can contribute to the pathology of many medical
      conditions. Alterations in the relationship between gut microbiota and host have
      gained some attention in mental health because new evidence supports the
      association of gut bacteria to cognitive and emotional processes. Of interest,
      illnesses such as major depressive disorder are disproportionately prevalent in
      patients with gastrointestinal illnesses such as inflammatory bowel disease,
      which pathologically has been strongly linked to microbiome function. Not only is
      the microbiome associated with the disease itself, but it may also influence the
      effectiveness or adverse effects associated with pharmacologic agents used to
      treat these disorders. This field of study may also provide new insights on how
      dietary agents may help manage mental illness both directly as well as though
      their influence on the therapeutic and adverse effects of psychotropic agents. 

PMID- 26497476
TI  - Risk of Acute Cerebrovascular and Cardiovascular Events Among Users of
      Acetaminophen or an Acetaminophen-Codeine Combination in a Cohort of Patients
      with Osteoarthritis: A Nested Case-Control Study.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine whether acetaminophen or an acetaminophen-codeine
      combination is associated with an increased risk of acute cerebrovascular and
      cardiovascular events (ACCEs) in patients with osteoarthritis. DESIGN: Nested
      case-control study. DATA SOURCE: Health Search IMS Health Longitudinal Patient
      Database. PATIENTS: A total of 36,754 adults with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis
      and an incident (first-time) prescription of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs
      (NSAIDs) between January 2002 and June 2012 were identified; of these patients,
      cases were defined as those who had a diagnosis of an ACCE during the follow-up
      period (index date was the date of ACCE diagnosis; 2182 cases). For each case, up
      to five controls were randomly selected who were matched based on age, sex, month
      and year of cohort entry, and duration of follow-up (10,301 controls). Matched
      controls were assigned the same index date as their respective cases.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: For each case and matched controls, all
      prescriptions of acetaminophen-containing medicines filled during follow-up were
      identified. The risk of ACCEs was investigated with respect to the recency of use
      of acetaminophen and/or an acetaminophen-codeine combination. Patients were
      classified as current (0-90 days preceding index date), recent (91-180 days), or
      past (181-365 days) acetaminophen users, or nonusers (longer than 365 days), with
      nonusers representing the reference category. Conditional logistic regression was
      estimated to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Of
      the 36,754 patients with osteoarthritis and newly prescribed NSAIDs, the
      incidence rate of ACCEs was 117.6 per 10,000 person-years. No significant
      association between exposure to acetaminophen-containing medications and ACCEs
      was observed in current (OR 1.22, 95% CI 0.96-1.55), recent (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.80
      1.55), or past users (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.86-1.48). A secondary analysis evaluating
      exposure to acetaminophen monotherapy or acetaminophen-codeine combination
      therapy showed similar results for current users. CONCLUSION: Our findings
      indicate that no association can be made between the use of acetaminophen and/or
      an acetaminophen-codeine combination and the occurrence of ACCEs. This
      information contributes to support clinicians in the choice of acetaminophen
      therapy for osteoarthritis-related pain, especially in those patients presenting
      with cerebrovascular and cardiovascular morbidities or related risk factors.

PMID- 26497478
TI  - Peripherally Restricted Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Pain.
AB  - The use of cannabinoids for the treatment of chronic diseases has increased in
      the United States, with 23 states having legalized the use of marijuana. Although
      currently available cannabinoid compounds have shown effectiveness in relieving
      symptoms associated with numerous diseases, the use of cannabis or cannabinoids
      is still controversial mostly due to their psychotropic effects (e.g., euphoria,
      laughter) or central nervous system (CNS)-related undesired effects (e.g.,
      tolerance, dependence). A potential strategy to use cannabinoids for medical
      conditions without inducing psychotropic or CNS-related undesired effects is to
      avoid their actions in the CNS. This approach could be beneficial for conditions
      with prominent peripheral pathophysiologic mechanisms (e.g., painful diabetic
      neuropathy, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy). In this article, we discuss the
      scientific evidence to target the peripheral cannabinoid system as an alternative
      to cannabis use for medical purposes, and we review the available literature to
      determine the pros and cons of potential strategies that can be used to this end.

PMID- 26497479
TI  - Liraglutide: A New Option for the Treatment of Obesity.
AB  - Obesity continues to pose a major public health risk to the United States and
      across the world, with an estimated one-third of adult Americans being defined as
      obese. Obesity treatment guidelines recommend the use of pharmacologic therapy in
      adults who have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m(2) or higher or in patients
      with a BMI of 27 kg/m(2) or higher who have at least one weight-related comorbid
      condition (e.g., hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes
      mellitus). Liraglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist that has
      been successfully used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes for several years.
      Weight loss has been well described as an additional benefit with liraglutide
      therapy, which prompted the manufacturer to evaluate and develop a higher dose
      formulation specifically for the treatment of obesity. Liraglutide 3 mg/day was
      approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for this indication in December
      2014. We performed a search of the Medline database to identify relevant
      literature focused on liraglutide's role specifically in treating obesity. Five
      clinical trials with this primary end point were identified. Data demonstrated
      that liraglutide can successfully achieve weight-loss benchmarks of 5% or more
      and 10% or more loss from baseline. The most common adverse effects were
      gastrointestinal and mild to moderate in intensity. The cost of therapy is high,
      averaging over $1000/month for out-of-pocket expenses if insurance coverage is
      not available. Liraglutide is also available for delivery only by subcutaneous
      injection, which may represent a barrier for patients. Liraglutide 3 mg/day
      represents another pharmacologic option for the treatment of obesity. 

PMID- 26497480
TI  - Dalbavancin and Oritavancin: An Innovative Approach to the Treatment of Gram
      Positive Infections.
AB  - Health care-associated infections, especially those caused by multidrug-resistant
      gram-positive organisms, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
      (MRSA), are a growing public health threat. In 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug
      Administration approved two new lipoglycopeptides, oritavancin and dalbavancin,
      for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections. The
      rationale for the development of these antimicrobials was partly to aid in the
      battle against vancomycin resistance in both Staphylococcus and Enterococcus.
      Considered a subclass of the glycopeptide antibiotics, the new lipoglycopeptides
      have similar mechanisms of action of binding to the carboxyl terminal d-alanyl-d
      alanine residue of the growing peptide chains but differ from their parent
      glycopeptides by the addition of lipophilic tails. This addition allows for these
      agents to have prolonged half-lives, giving them unique dosing profiles. In
      addition, by concentrating at the site of action, they have increased potency
      against MRSA compared with vancomycin, the current mainstay of therapy. In this
      review, we focus on comparing and contrasting these two new agents with regard to
      their pharmacology, mechanisms of action, spectrum of activity, safety profiles,
      dosage and administration, and drug and laboratory interactions, and we review
      the clinical trials evaluating their use. 

PMID- 26497481
TI  - Infections Caused by Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria: Epidemiology and
      Management.
AB  - Infections caused by resistant gram-negative bacteria are becoming increasingly
      prevalent and now constitute a serious threat to public health worldwide because
      they are difficult to treat and are associated with high morbidity and mortality
      rates. In the United States, there has been a steady increase since 2000 in rates
      of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, carbapenem
      resistant Enterobacteriaceae, and multidrug-resistant strains of Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii, particularly among hospitalized patients
      with intraabdominal infections, urinary tract infections, ventilator-associated
      pneumonia, and bacteremia. Colonization with resistant gram-negative bacteria is
      common among residents in long-term care facilities (particularly those residents
      with an indwelling device), and these facilities are considered important
      originating sources of such strains for hospitals. Antibiotic resistance is
      associated with a substantial clinical and economic burden, including increased
      mortality, greater hospital and antibiotic costs, and longer stays in hospitals
      and intensive care units. Control of resistant gram-negative infections requires
      a comprehensive approach, including strategies for risk factor identification,
      detection and identification of resistant organisms, and implementation of
      infection-control and prevention strategies. In treating resistant gram-negative
      infections, a review of surveillance data and hospital-specific antibiograms,
      including resistance patterns within local institutions, and consideration of
      patient characteristics are helpful in guiding the choice of empiric therapy.
      Although only a few agents are available with activity against resistant gram
      negative organisms, two recently released beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor
      combinations - ceftolozane/tazobactam and ceftazidime/avibactam - have promising
      activity against these organisms. In this article, we review the epidemiology,
      risk factors, and antibiotic resistance mechanisms of gram-negative organisms. In
      addition, an overview of treatment options for patients with these infections is
      provided. 

PMID- 26497482
TI  - Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: New Insights and Current Place in Cancer Therapy.
AB  - The treatment of cancer has largely relied on killing tumor cells with
      nonspecific cytotoxic therapies and radiotherapy. This approach, however, has
      limitations including severe systemic toxicities, bystander effects on normal
      cells, recurrence of drug-resistant tumor cells, and the inability to target
      micrometastases or subclinical disease. An increased understanding of the
      critical role of the immune system in cancer development and progression has led
      to new treatment strategies using various immunotherapies. It is now recognized
      that established tumors have numerous mechanisms of suppressing the antitumor
      immune response including production of inhibitory cytokines, recruitment of
      immunosuppressive immune cells, and upregulation of coinhibitory receptors known
      as immune checkpoints. This review focuses on the immune checkpoint inhibitors, a
      novel class of immunotherapy first approved in 2011. Our objective is to
      highlight similarities and differences among the three immune checkpoint
      inhibitors approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-ipilimumab,
      pembrolizumab, and nivolumab-to facilitate therapeutic decision making. We
      conducted a review of the published literature and conference proceedings and
      present a critical appraisal of the clinical evidence supporting their use in the
      treatment of metastatic melanoma and advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC). We also compare and contrast their current place in cancer therapy and
      patterns of immune-related toxicities, and discuss the role of dual immune
      checkpoint inhibition and strategies for the management of immune-related adverse
      events. The immune checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated a dramatic improvement
      in overall survival in patients with advanced melanoma and squamous NSCLC, along
      with acceptable toxicity profiles. These agents have a clear role in the first
      line treatment of advanced melanoma and in the second-line treatment of advanced
      squamous NSCLC. 

PMID- 26497483
TI  - Vedolizumab for the Treatment of Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative
      Colitis.

PMID- 26497484
TI  - Successful Treatment of Propafenone Intoxication With Intravenous Lipid Emulsion.
AB  - Severe cardiac effects, including cardiac arrest, are a rare complication of high
      dose propafenone intake. Among patients who experience cardiac arrest, the
      survival rate is low. This report presents the case of a young female patient who
      developed cardiac arrest linked to propafenone intake. While spontaneous
      circulation was restored with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, vital signs did not
      recover despite supportive treatment. However, after the administration of
      intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE), vital signs and cardiac functions resolved and
      the patient survived. This case is the second to describe the successful use of
      ILE for propafenone intoxication. However, as all of the findings of this patient
      were clearly linked to propafenone, we believe the benefits of ILE were more
      clearly defined in this case than in the other. 

PMID- 26497485
TI  - Catheter-Directed Low-Dose Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Treatment of Right
      Atrial Thrombus Caused by a Central Venous Catheter.
AB  - Catheter-related atrial thrombosis is a potentially deadly complication of
      central venous catheters. Options for treatment include surgical thrombectomy,
      systemic anticoagulation, and systemic thrombolysis, but the optimal method of
      treatment remains unknown. We describe a 48-year-old woman with a large right
      atrial thrombus who was successfully treated with localized recombinant tissue
      plasminogen activator (tPA). She was treated with an 18-hour infusion of
      localized low-dose tPA administered through her central venous catheter. The
      dimensions of the thrombus decreased from 30 * 16 * 22 mm to 10 * 8 * 5 mm after
      treatment with tPA, corresponding to an associated 96% reduction in thrombus
      volume. No major bleeding complications were observed. Catheter-directed
      thrombolysis provides the theoretical advantage of a decreased rate of major
      bleeding by reducing the exposure to and duration of high-dose systemic
      thrombolytic therapy. To our knowledge, this is the second case report describing
      the use of this novel therapy. Although no guidelines for the treatment of atrial
      thrombosis or consensus on the optimal regimen for catheter-directed thrombolysis
      (and intensity of concomitant anticoagulation) exist, we believe that this
      intervention may be a well-tolerated alternative to systemic thrombolysis and
      surgery in certain patients. 

PMID- 26497486
TI  - Relationship between synovial fluid biomarkers of articular cartilage metabolism
      and the patient's perspective of outcome depends on the severity of articular
      cartilage damage following ACL trauma.
AB  - Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) trauma often occurs in combination with injury
      to the articular cartilage of the knee, this can result in earlier radiographic
      evidence of post traumatic osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee compared to the
      contralateral, ACL intact knee; however, the biomechanical and biological
      mechanisms associated with the onset and progression of this disease are not
      understood. We sought to gain insight into the mechanisms by determining the
      relationship between articular cartilage injury associated with ACL trauma and
      the expression of synovial fluid biomarkers of articular cartilage metabolism,
      and to evaluate the relationship between these biomarkers and the patient's
      perspective of the outcomes. Synovial fluid samples were acquired from 39 ACL
      injured subjects at an average of 10 weeks after injury, and 32 control subjects
      with normal knees (documented with clinical exam and MRI assessment). Subjects in
      the ACL-injured group were classified as low-risk for future OA if they displayed
      an International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) Grade 2 articular cartilage
      lesion or less and high-risk for future OA if they had an ICRS Grade 3A articular
      cartilage lesion. The patient's perspective of the injury was evaluated with the
      Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcomes Score (KOOS). There were no significant
      differences in mean concentrations of the markers of type II collagen metabolism
      (CPII, C2C, and C1,2C) or the aggrecan breakdown Alanine-Arginine-Glycine-Serine
      (ARGS) -fragment between control subjects and the subjects in the low- and high
      risk groups (p-value range: 0.80-0.43). Associations between ARGS-aggrecan
      concentration and KOOS subscales of symptoms and pain were significantly
      different between the low- and high-risk groups (p = 0.03 and p = 0.01,
      respectively). Likewise, there was strong evidence in support of an association
      between the markers of type II collagen metabolism (C1,2C and CPII
      concentrations) and the KOOS subscale of pain between the low- and high-risk
      groups (p = 0.051 and 0.077, correspondingly). In ACL injured subjects with
      concomitant Grade 3A articular cartilage injuries, concentrations of synovial
      fluid ARGS-aggrecan were directly associated with improvements in KOOS symptoms
      and pain. These findings suggest the possible involvement of ARGS-aggrecan in a
      localized tissue repair response involving an increase in aggrecan turnover
      following severe knee trauma. (c) 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:820-827, 2016.

PMID- 26497487
TI  - Assessment of reference gene stability in Rice stripe virus and Rice black
      streaked dwarf virus infection rice by quantitative Real-time PCR.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stably expressed reference gene(s) normalization is important for the
      understanding of gene expression patterns by quantitative Real-time PCR (RT
      qPCR), particularly for Rice stripe virus (RSV) and Rice black streaked dwarf
      virus (RBSDV) that caused seriously damage on rice plants in China and Southeast
      Asia. METHODS: The expression of fourteen common used reference genes of Oryza
      sativa L. were evaluated by RT-qPCR in RSV and RBSDV infected rice plants.
      Suitable normalization reference gene(s) were identified by geNorm and NormFinder
      algorithms. RESULTS: UBQ 10 + GAPDH and UBC + Actin1 were identified as suitable
      reference genes for RT-qPCR normalization under RSV and RBSDV infection,
      respectively. When using multiple reference genes, the expression patterns of
      OsPRIb and OsWRKY, two virus resistance genes, were approximately similar with
      that reported previously. Comparatively, by using single reference gene (TIP41
      Like), a weaker inducible response was observed. CONCLUSIONS: We proposed that
      the combination of two reference genes could obtain more accurate and reliable
      normalization of RT-qPCR results in RSV- and RBSDV-infected plants. This work
      therefore sheds light on establishing a standardized RT-qPCR procedure in RSV-
      and RBSDV-infected rice plants, and might serve as an important point for
      discovering complex regulatory networks and identifying genes relevant to
      biological processes or implicated in virus.

PMID- 26497488
TI  - Synthesis and Characterization of Coumarin-Containing Cyclic Polymer and Its
      Photoinduced Coupling/Dissociation.
AB  - Cyclic polystyrene (PS) with a pendant coumarin group is prepared by the
      combination of atom transfer radical polymerization and "click" chemistry.
      Fluorescence resonance energy transfer process is observed in the fluorescence
      measurement of coumarin-containing PS, and cyclic PS exhibits stronger emission
      than that of its linear precursor. When cyclic PS is irradiated under UV light at
      lambda = 365 nm, 8-shaped PS is achieved due to the dimerization of pendant
      coumarin group. Subsequently, 8-shaped PS can be divided into single macrocycle
      under UV irradiation at lambda = 254 nm via the photocleavage of coumarin dimer.
      The photoinduced coupling and dissociation are monitored by UV/vis spectra and
      gel permeation chromatography (GPC). 

PMID- 26497489
TI  - How meaningful is meaningful use?

PMID- 26497490
TI  - SQUIRE 2.0 (Standards for QUality Improvement Reporting Excellence): revised
      publication guidelines from a detailed consensus process.
AB  - In the past several years, the science of health care improvement has advanced
      considerably. In this article, we describe the development of SQUIRE 2.0 and its
      key components. We undertook the revision between 2012 and 2015 using (1)
      interviews and focus groups to evaluate SQUIRE 1.0 plus feedback from an
      international steering group, (2) face-to-face consensus meetings to develop
      interim drafts, and (3) pilot testing with authors and a public comment period.
      SQUIRE 2.0 emphasizes 3 key components of systematic efforts to improve the
      quality, value, and safety of health care: formal and informal theory in
      planning, implementing, and evaluating improvement work; the context in which the
      work is done; and the study of the intervention(s). SQUIRE 2.0 is intended for
      reporting the range of methods used to improve health care, recognizing that they
      can be complex and multidimensional. It provides common ground to share these
      discoveries in the scholarly literature (www.squire-statement.org). 

PMID- 26497492
TI  - A lipase with broad solvent stability from Burkholderia cepacia RQ3: isolation,
      characteristics and application for chiral resolution of 1-phenylethanol.
AB  - Using both polar and low polar organic solvents (DMSO and toluene) as screening
      stress, a solvent-stable bacterium Burkholderia cepacia RQ3 was newly isolated.
      An organic solvent-stable lipase from strain RQ3 was purified in a single step
      with 50.1% recovery by hydrophobic chromatography. The purified lipase was
      homogenous on SDS-PAGE and had an apparent molecular mass of 33 kDa. The gene of
      lipase RQ3 with an open reading frame of 1095 bp encoding 364-amino acid residues
      was cloned. The optimal pH and temperature for lipase activity were 9.0 and 40 
      degrees C. The lipase was stable in a wide pH range of 6.0-10.0 and at
      temperature below 50  degrees C. Strikingly, all the tested hydrophilic and
      hydrophobic organic solvents significantly extended the half-life of lipase RQ3
      compared with that in a solvent-free system, which indicated that lipase RQ3
      showed a broad solvent tolerance to various organic solvents. The lipase
      demonstrated excellent enantioselective transesterification toward the (S)-1
      phenylethanol with a theoretical conversion yield of 50% and ee p of 99.9%, which
      made it an exploitable biocatalyst for organic synthesis and pharmaceutical
      industries.

PMID- 26497493
TI  - Dynamic tracking of functional gene modules in treated juvenile idiopathic
      arthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We have previously shown that childhood-onset rheumatic diseases show
      aberrant patterns of gene expression that reflect pathology-associated co
      expression networks. In this study, we used novel computational approaches to
      examine how disease-associated networks are altered in one of the most common
      rheumatic diseases of childhood, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). METHODS:
      Using whole blood gene expression profiles derived from children in a pediatric
      rheumatology clinical trial, we used a network approach to understanding the
      impact of therapy and the underlying biology of response/non-response to therapy.
      RESULTS: We demonstrate that therapy for JIA is associated with extensive re
      ordering of gene expression networks, even in children who respond inadequately
      to therapy. Furthermore, we observe distinct differences in the evolution of
      specific network properties when we compare children who have been treated
      successfully with those who have inadequate treatment response. CONCLUSIONS:
      Despite the inherent noisiness of whole blood gene expression data, our findings
      demonstrate how therapeutic response might be mapped and understood in
      pathologically informative cells in a broad range of human inflammatory diseases.

PMID- 26497494
TI  - The risks and benefits of patients temporarily discontinuing medications in the
      event of an intercurrent illness: a systematic review protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common and often leads to significant
      morbidity and/or death. The development of AKI, or complications associated with
      it, may be due to use of certain medications in at-risk patients experiencing an
      intercurrent illness. Implicated drugs include diuretics, angiotensin-converting
      enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers/direct renin inhibitors, non
      steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), metformin and sulfonylureas. Expert
      consensus opinion (and clinical guidelines) recommend considering discontinuation
      of diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor
      blockers/direct renin inhibitors, NSAIDs, metformin and sulfonylureas in the
      event of an intercurrent illness to prevent AKI onset or reduce severity or
      complications. However, the evidence base for these recommendations is very
      limited. This systematic review aims to address the available evidence for the
      temporary discontinuation of diuretics, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor
      blockers, direct renin inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and
      metformin and sulfonylureas for those at risk of AKI or with newly diagnosed AKI.
      METHODS/DESIGN: Randomised controlled trials; non-randomised trials; cohort
      studies; case-control studies; interrupted time series studies; and before-and
      after studies featuring adults aged 18 and over in any setting currently taking
      diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor
      blockers/direct renin inhibitors, NSAIDs and metformin; experiencing an
      intercurrent illness; or undergoing a radiological/surgical procedure (planned or
      unplanned) will be searched for. Relevant trial registers and systematic review
      databases will be searched. Systematic reviews will be assessed for
      methodological quality using the ROBIS tool, trials will be assessed using the
      Cochrane risk of bias tool, and observational studies will be assessed using the
      ACROBAT-NRS tool. If sufficient studies assessing similar populations, study
      type, settings and outcomes are found, then a formal meta-analysis will be
      performed to estimate summary measures of effect. If not, a narrative synthesis
      will be adopted. DISCUSSION: This review will synthesise evidence for the
      efficacy of discontinuing diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme
      inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers/direct renin inhibitors, NSAIDs,
      metformin or sulfonylureas to prevent or delay onset of AKI or associated
      complications. Results will provide guidance on efficacy and safety of this
      strategy and potentially help to develop an intervention to test the best
      mechanism of guiding medication discontinuation in at-risk populations.
      SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42015023210.

PMID- 26497495
TI  - Organ Preservation in Rectal Adenocarcinoma: a phase II randomized controlled
      trial evaluating 3-year disease-free survival in patients with locally advanced
      rectal cancer treated with chemoradiation plus induction or consolidation
      chemotherapy, and total mesorectal excision or nonoperative management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment of patients with non-metastatic, locally advanced rectal
      cancer (LARC) includes pre-operative chemoradiation, total mesorectal excision
      (TME) and post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy. This trimodality treatment
      provides local tumor control in most patients; but almost one-third ultimately
      die from distant metastasis. Most survivors experience significant impairment in
      quality of life (QoL), due primarily to removal of the rectum. A current
      challenge lies in identifying patients who could safely undergo rectal
      preservation without sacrificing survival benefit and QoL. METHODS/DESIGN: This
      multi-institutional, phase II study investigates the efficacy of total
      neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) and selective non-operative management (NOM) in LARC.
      Patients with MRI-staged Stage II or III rectal cancer amenable to TME will be
      randomized to receive FOLFOX/CAPEOX: a) before induction neoadjuvant chemotherapy
      (INCT); or b) after consolidation neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CNCT), with 5-FU or
      capecitabine-based chemoradiation. Patients in both arms will be re-staged after
      completing all neoadjuvant therapy. Those with residual tumor at the primary site
      will undergo TME. Patients with clinical complete response (cCR) will receive non
      operative management (NOM). NOM patients will be followed every 3 months for 2
      years, and every 6 months thereafter. TME patients will be followed according to
      NCCN guidelines. All will be followed for at least 5 years from the date of
      surgery or--in patients treated with NOM--the last day of treatment. DISCUSSION:
      The studies published thus far on the safety of NOM in LARC have compared
      survival between select groups of patients with a cCR after NOM, to patients with
      a pathologic complete response (pCR) after TME. The current study compares 3-year
      disease-free survival (DFS) in an entire population of patients with LARC,
      including those with cCR and those with pCR. We will compare the two arms of the
      study with respect to organ preservation at 3 years, treatment compliance,
      adverse events and surgical complications. We will measure QoL in both groups. We
      will analyze molecular indications that may lead to more individually tailored
      treatments in the future. This will be the first NOM trial utilizing a regression
      schema for response assessment in a prospective fashion. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      NCT02008656.

PMID- 26497496
TI  - Ryanodine-receptor-driven intracellular calcium dynamics underlying spatial
      association of synaptic plasticity.
AB  - Synaptic modifications induced at one synapse are accompanied by hetero-synaptic
      changes at neighboring sites. In addition, it is suggested that the mechanism of
      spatial association of synaptic plasticity is based on intracellular calcium
      signaling that is mainly regulated by two types of receptors of endoplasmic
      reticulum calcium store: the ryanodine receptor (RyR) and the inositol
      triphosphate receptor (IP3R). However, it is not clear how these types of
      receptors regulate intracellular calcium flux and contribute to the outcome of
      calcium-dependent synaptic change. To understand the relation between the
      synaptic association and store-regulated calcium dynamics, we focused on the
      function of RyR calcium regulation and simulated its behavior by using a
      computational neuron model. As a result, we observed that RyR-regulated calcium
      release depended on spike timings of pre- and postsynaptic neurons. From the
      induction site of calcium release, the chain activation of RyRs occurred, and
      spike-like calcium increase propagated along the dendrite. For calcium signaling,
      the propagated calcium increase did not tend to attenuate; these characteristics
      came from an all-or-none behavior of RyR-sensitive calcium store. Considering the
      role of calcium dependent synaptic plasticity, the results suggest that RyR
      regulated calcium propagation induces a similar change at the synapses. However,
      according to the dependence of RyR calcium regulation on the model parameters,
      whether the chain activation of RyRs occurred, sensitively depended on spatial
      expression of RyR and nominal fluctuation of calcium flux. Therefore, calcium
      regulation of RyR helps initiate rather than relay calcium propagation. 

PMID- 26497497
TI  - [Adjuvant radiotherapy significantly also reduces local recurrence rate for
      prognostically favorable DCIS].

PMID- 26497500
TI  - Novel Moraxella catarrhalis prophages display hyperconserved non-structural genes
      despite their genomic diversity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Moraxella catarrhalis is an important pathogen that often causes
      otitis media in children, a disease that is not currently vaccine preventable.
      Asymptomatic colonisation of the human upper respiratory tract is common and lack
      of clearance by the immune system is likely due to the emergence of seroresistant
      genetic lineages. No active bacteriophages or prophages have been described in
      this species. This study was undertaken to identify and categorise prophages in
      M. catarrhalis, their genetic diversity and the relationship of such diversity
      with the host-species phylogeny. RESULTS: This study presents a comparative
      analysis of 32 putative prophages identified in 95 phylogenetically variable,
      newly sequenced M. catarrhalis genomes. The prophages were genotypically
      classified into four diverse clades. The genetic synteny of each clade is similar
      to the group 1 phage family Siphoviridae, however, they form genotypic clusters
      that are distinct from other members of this family. No core genetic sequences
      exist across the 32 prophages despite clades 2, 3, and 4 sharing the most
      sequence identity. The analysis of non-structural prophage genes (coding the
      integrase, and terminase), and portal gene showed that the respective genes were
      identical for clades 2, 3, and 4, but unique for clade 1. Empirical analysis
      calculated that these genes are unexpectedly hyperconserved, under purifying
      selection, suggesting a tightly regulated functional role. As such, it is
      improbable that the prophages are decaying remnants but stable components of a
      fluctuating, flexible and unpredictable system ultimately maintained by
      functional constraints on non-structural and packaging genes. Additionally, the
      plate encoding genes were well conserved across all four prophage clades, and the
      tail fibre genes, commonly responsible for receptor recognition, were clustered
      into three major groups distributed across the prophage clades. A pan-genome of
      283,622 bp was identified, and the prophages were mapped onto the diverse M.
      catarrhalis multi-locus sequence type (MLST) backbone. CONCLUSION: This study has
      provided the first evidence of putatively mobile prophages in M. catarrhalis,
      identifying a diverse and fluctuating system dependent on the hyperconservation
      of a few key, non-structural genes. Some prophages harbour virulence-related
      genes, and potentially influence the physiology and virulence of M. catarrhalis.
      Importantly our data will provide supporting information on the identification of
      novel prophages in other species by adding greater weight to the identification
      of non-structural genes.

PMID- 26497502
TI  - Effects of mental resource availability on looming task performance.
AB  - Past research has shown that the looming bias-the tendency to judge one's
      distance to an approaching object as shorter than in actuality-is stronger among
      people who are physically weak or vulnerable. The current study examined whether
      the looming bias would also be stronger among people who are mentally weak or
      vulnerable. We tested that hypothesis by subjecting 46 young adults to cognitive
      load and examining their perceptions of approaching objects distance.
      Participants completed two blocks of the looming task, once under high cognitive
      load (memorizing a seven-digit number) and once under low load (memorizing a two
      digit number). Participants exhibited a stronger looming bias under high load
      than under low load. These findings support the hypothesis that the looming bias
      will be stronger when people are weak or vulnerable-either physically or mentally
      and in need of a larger margin-of-safety.

PMID- 26497501
TI  - Biologic therapy for inflammatory arthritis and latent tuberculosis: real world
      experience from a high prevalence area in the United Kingdom.
AB  - Biologic therapies have resulted in a sea change in the management of
      inflammatory arthritis; however, a higher risk of opportunistic infection,
      particularly tuberculosis (TB), is well recognised. This has led to the
      development of TB screening guidelines. The aim of this study was to investigate
      the prevalence of latent TB in patients prescribed biologic therapy in an endemic
      area (prevalence of TB 50/100,000) and to assess the risk of subsequent
      reactivation. Retrospective case note review of all patients with inflammatory
      arthritis ever prescribed biologic therapy between 1998 and 2014 at our centre.
      Two hundred ninety-nine patients (109 men, 190 women) who had ever been
      prescribed biologic therapy over a 16-year period were included. Mean age upon
      commencing the biologic therapy was 51 years. Two hundred eighteen (73 %)
      patients were Caucasian with remaining from ethnic minorities. Two hundred thirty
      nine (80 %) prescriptions were for TNF inhibitors. Median duration of biologic
      therapy was 4.2 years for those who remained on treatment prior to stopping or
      switching therapies. During 1998-2007, 112 patients underwent clinical
      assessment, chest X-ray and check for BCG scar. One patient of Asian origin
      developed extrapulmonary TB within 6 weeks of adalimumab initiation. Following a
      year of anti-TB treatment, he restarted the biologic therapy with no ill effects.
      One hundred eighty-seven participants (who started on biologic therapy between
      2008 and 2014) underwent additional interferon gamma release assays (IGRA)
      testing as part of a new TB screening protocol (T-spot test). Eighteen (10 %) had
      positive test with normal chest X-rays. Six patients were white, nine of Asian
      origin and three others. Three Caucasian patients had a borderline result. All
      had 3 months of isoniazid and rifampicin with simultaneous prescription of
      biologic agent (13 had TNF antagonist, 5 rituximab and 3 tocilizumab). No cases
      of active TB infection were observed. Overall prevalence of latent TB in patients
      with inflammatory arthritis prescribed biologic therapy in an endemic area is 10
      %. The risk warrants careful screening and monitoring in all patients. Adherence
      to strict screening protocol reduces the risk of active TB infection irrespective
      of the biologic therapy employed.

PMID- 26497503
TI  - Correlation between conductivity and prognostic factors in invasive breast cancer
      using magnetic resonance electric properties tomography (MREPT).
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the correlation between conductivity and prognostic
      factors of invasive breast cancer using magnetic resonance electric properties
      tomography (MREPT). METHODS: This retrospective study was approved by the
      Institutional Review Board, and verbal informed consent was obtained prior to
      breast MRI. This study included 65 women with surgically confirmed invasive
      breast cancers measuring 1 cm or larger on T2-weighted fast spin echo (FSE).
      Phase-based MREPT and the coil combination technique were used to reconstruct
      conductivity. Simple and multiple linear regression analysis were used to find an
      independent factor associated with conductivity. RESULTS: In total tumours,
      tumours with HER-2 overexpression showed lower conductivity than those without,
      and HER-2 overexpression was independently associated with conductivity. In 37
      tumours 2 cm or larger, tumours with high mitosis or PR positivity showed higher
      conductivity than those without, and high mitosis and PR positivity were
      independently associated with conductivity. In 28 tumours 1-2 cm in size, there
      were no differences in conductivity according to the prognostic factors.
      CONCLUSION: Conductivity values measured using MREPT are associated with the HER
      2 overexpression status, and may provide information about mitosis and the PR
      status of invasive breast cancers 2 cm or larger. KEY POINTS: * In all tumours,
      HER-2 overexpression was independently associated with conductivity. * In tumours
      >= 2 cm, high mitosis and PR positivity were associated with conductivity. *
      Conductivity is associated with the HER-2 overexpression status of invasive
      breast cancers.

PMID- 26497505
TI  - Sugar Profile of Kernels as a Marker of Origin and Ripening Time of Peach (Prunus
      persicae L.).
AB  - Large amounts of fruit seeds, especially peach, are discarded annually in juice
      or conserve producing industries which is a potential waste of valuable resource
      and serious disposal problem. Regarding the fact that peach seeds can be obtained
      as a byproduct from processing companies their exploitation should be greater
      and, consequently more information of cultivars' kernels and their composition is
      required. A total of 25 samples of kernels from various peach germplasm
      (including commercial cultivars, perspective hybrids and vineyard peach
      accessions) differing in origin and ripening time were characterized by
      evaluation of their sugar composition. Twenty characteristic carbohydrates and
      sugar alcohols were determined and quantified using high-performance anion
      exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC/PAD). Sucrose,
      glucose and fructose are the most important sugars in peach kernels similar to
      other representatives of the Rosaceae family. Also, high amounts of sugars in
      seeds of promising hybrids implies that through conventional breeding programs
      peach kernels with high sugar content can be obtained. In addition, by the means
      of several pattern recognition methods the variables that discriminate peach
      kernels arising from diverse germplasm and different stage of maturity were
      identified and successful models for further prediction were developed. Sugars
      such as ribose, trehalose, arabinose, galactitol, fructose, maltose, sorbitol,
      sucrose, iso-maltotriose were marked as most important for such discrimination. 

PMID- 26497504
TI  - Effects of the Dietary Addition of Amaranth (Amaranthus mantegazzianus) Protein
      Isolate on Antioxidant Status, Lipid Profiles and Blood Pressure of Rats.
AB  - The effects of the dietary addition of 2.5% (w/w) Amaranthus mantegazzianus
      protein isolate (AI) on blood pressure, lipid profiles and antioxidative status
      of Wistar rats were evaluated. Six diets were used to feed animals during 28
      days: (base (AIN93G), Chol (cholesterol 1%, w/w), CE (alpha-tocopherol 0.005%,
      w/w), CholE (cholesterol 1% (w/w) + alpha-tocopherol 0.005%, w/w), CAI (AI 2.5%
      w/w), CholAI (cholesterol 1% (w/w) + AI 2.5%, w/w). Lipid profiles of plasma and
      liver and faecal cholesterol content were analyzed. Antioxidant status was
      evaluated by the ferric reducing activity of plasma (FRAP), the 2-thiobarbituric
      acid (TBA) assay and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in plasma and liver.
      Blood pressure was measured in the tail artery of rats. CholA group presented a
      significant (alpha < 0.05) reduction (16%) in the plasma total cholesterol. In
      liver, the intake of cholesterol (Chol group) induced a significant increment in
      cholesterol and triglycerides (2.5 and 2.3 times, respectively), which could be
      decreased (18% and 47%, respectively) by the addition of AI (CholA group). This
      last group also showed an increased faecal cholesterol excretion (20%). Increment
      (50%) in FRAP values, diminution of TBA value in plasma and liver (70% and 38%,
      respectively) and diminution of SOD activity (20%) in plasma of CholA group
      suggest an antioxidant effect because of the intake of AI. In addition, CA and
      CholA groups presented a diminution (18%) of blood pressure after 28 days.

PMID- 26497506
TI  - In vitro Antimicrobial Study for Biological Evaluation of Clerodendrum
      infortunatum Linn.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore a scientific idea, this study was examined for evaluation
      of antimicrobial potency using root, leaf and stem of ethyl acetate and
      chloroform extracts of C. infortunatum (Verbenaceae) due to randomly use in
      traditional medicine to cure common ailments such as intestinal disorder,
      diarrhea, tuberculosis and respiratory problems etc. METHODS: The in vitro
      application was carried out by using disc diffusion, micro broth dilution and
      serial dilution techniques against clinically important life threatening
      organisms. RESULTS: All the extracts showed significant inhibitory activity over
      the bacteria and fungus comparable to the standard drug tetracycline and
      fluconazole. The maximum average diameter zone of inhibition was recorded to
      bacterial strains against B. megaterium, S. typhi, K. pneumoniae and to fungi
      against A. niger and C. albicans. The MIC values of ethyl acetate and chloroform
      root extract were determined 64 ug/ml to B. subtilis, and K. pneumoniae; to S.
      beta-haemolyticus and S. typhi for ethyl acetate extracts, 128 ug/ml to S.
      aureus, and E. coli for both ethyl acetate and chloroform root extracts but only
      S. typhi and S.-beta-haemolyticus for chloroform extract. CONCLUSION: The
      findings evidently appear promising antibacterial and antifungal properties of C.
      infortunatum against antagonistic pathogens. Leaf possess quite potent activity
      than root and stem specially root extract > leaf extract > stem extract. One of
      the more significant achievements of this study to follows and covers the most
      recent and important patents WO2009075290 (2009) which deals on yeast having
      immunopotentiating effect and food or feed. This study serves as basis for
      further research to lead compounds to be isolated so that may be as a template
      for the implications of these results for bioactivity and drug discovery
      potential of herbal products are discussed.

PMID- 26497507
TI  - Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Treatment with Cultures of Non Drug
      Resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis.
AB  - The colonization and infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
      is a major health problem in hospitals and long-term care facilities. Although
      bacteriaemias with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) can be
      treated with vancomycin and other reserve antibiotics, 20% of patients cannot be
      successfully cured. Inpatients colonized with MRSA are isolated in hospitals
      according to the guidelines of the Robert-Koch-Institute, although in long-term
      care facilities these patients are not urgently isolated. Active decolonization
      measures are taken to eradicate colonization with MRSA. In order to reduce MRSA
      colonization, it could be possible to administer cultures of Staphylococcus
      epidermidis which have no antibiotic resistance, so that physiological genes
      could be conferred from Staphylococcus epidermidis to MRSA bacteria. 

PMID- 26497509
TI  - Fc Receptors: Introduction.

PMID- 26497508
TI  - Stress inhibits PYY secretion in obese and normal weight women.
AB  - The impact of stress on circulating levels of appetite-regulating hormones
      remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of acute
      psychosocial stress on the gut hormone peptide YY (PYY) secretion in obese and
      normal weight women. Therefore, we compared pre- and post-prandial plasma PYY
      secretion of 42 obese and 43 normal weight women in a repeated measure randomized
      controlled laboratory experiment. PYY and cortisol concentrations were measured
      and ratings of stress and satiety were also recorded in response to a
      psychological stressor (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST). PYY samples were
      collected in the fasting state both before participating in the TSST and before a
      control session. Participants had a standardized meal after the TSST and control
      session, respectively. PYY was measured both 30 and 60 min after the TSST and
      control session, respectively. Stress inhibited PYY secretion as well as food
      intake in all women, but did not influence subjective satiety perception. The
      present data indicate that despite of lower PYY levels the subjects' requirement
      to overeat was not increased. From an evolutionary perspective this finding is
      adaptive. After stress the organism is prepared for fight or flight reaction,
      whereas not primarily necessary functions are inhibited. Therefore, increased
      food intake during stress would be dysfunctional. 

PMID- 26497510
TI  - Fcgamma receptors: genetic variation, function, and disease.
AB  - Fcgamma receptors (FcgammaRs) are key immune receptors responsible for the
      effective control of both humoral and innate immunity and are central to
      maintaining the balance between generating appropriate responses to infection and
      preventing autoimmunity. When this balance is lost, pathology results in
      increased susceptibility to cancer, autoimmunity, and infection. In contrast,
      optimal FcgammaR engagement facilitates effective disease resolution and response
      to monoclonal antibody immunotherapy. The underlying genetics of the FcgammaR
      gene family are a central component of this careful balance. Complex in humans
      and generated through ancestral duplication events, here we review the evolution
      of the gene family in mammals, the potential importance of copy number, and
      functionally relevant single nucleotide polymorphisms, as well as discussing
      current approaches and limitations when exploring genetic variation in this
      region. 

PMID- 26497511
TI  - Mouse and human FcR effector functions.
AB  - Mouse and human FcRs have been a major focus of attention not only of the
      scientific community, through the cloning and characterization of novel
      receptors, and of the medical community, through the identification of
      polymorphisms and linkage to disease but also of the pharmaceutical community,
      through the identification of FcRs as targets for therapy or engineering of Fc
      domains for the generation of enhanced therapeutic antibodies. The availability
      of knockout mouse lines for every single mouse FcR, of multiple or cell-specific-
      'a la carte'--FcR knockouts and the increasing generation of hFcR transgenics
      enable powerful in vivo approaches for the study of mouse and human FcR biology.
      This review will present the landscape of the current FcR family, their effector
      functions and the in vivo models at hand to study them. These in vivo models were
      recently instrumental in re-defining the properties and effector functions of
      FcRs that had been overlooked or discarded from previous analyses. A particular
      focus will be made on the (mis)concepts on the role of high-affinity IgG
      receptors in vivo and on results from antibody engineering to enhance or abrogate
      antibody effector functions mediated by FcRs.

PMID- 26497512
TI  - bIgG time for large eaters: monocytes and macrophages as effector and target
      cells of antibody-mediated immune activation and repression.
AB  - The mononuclear phagocytic system consists of a great variety of cell subsets
      localized throughout the body in immunological and non-immunological tissues.
      While one of their prime tasks is to detect, phagocytose, and kill intruding
      microorganisms, they are also involved in maintaining tissue homeostasis and
      immune tolerance toward self through removal of dying cells. Furthermore,
      monocytes and macrophages have been recognized to play a critical role for
      mediating immunoglobulin G (IgG)-dependent effector functions, including target
      cell depletion, tissue inflammation, and immunomodulation. For this, monocyte and
      macrophage populations are equipped with a complex set of Fc-receptors, enabling
      them to directly interact with pro- or anti-inflammatory IgG preparations. In
      this review, we will summarize the most recent findings, supporting a central
      role of monocytes and macrophages for pro- and anti-inflammatory IgG activity. 

PMID- 26497514
TI  - Fc receptor inside-out signaling and possible impact on antibody therapy.
AB  - Fc receptors (FcR) are expressed on immune cells and bind to the Fc tail of
      antibodies. This interaction is essential for FcR-mediated signaling and
      triggering of cellular effector functions. FcR activation is tightly regulated to
      prevent immune responses by non-antigen bound antibodies or in the absence of
      'danger signals'. FcR activity may be modulated at the plasma membrane via cross
      talk with integrins. In addition, cytokines at the site of infection/inflammation
      can increase FcR avidity, a process referred to as inside-out signaling. This
      regulatory mechanism has been described for FcgammaRI (CD64), FcgammaRIIa
      (CD32a), and FcalphaRI (CD89) and is also well-known for integrins. Key cellular
      events during inside-out signaling are (de)phosphorylation, clustering,
      cytoskeleton rearrangements, and conformational changes. The latter can be
      studied with antibodies that specifically recognize epitopes exposed by the
      active (high affinity) or inactive (low affinity) state of the FcR. These
      antibodies are important tools to investigate the role of FcR activation in
      disease settings. Research on FcR has gained momentum with the rise of monoclonal
      antibodies (mAb) entering the clinic for the treatment of cancer and other
      diseases. The clinical outcome of mAb therapy may be improved by increasing FcR
      avidity by cytokine stimulation. 

PMID- 26497515
TI  - Fcgamma receptor pathways during active and passive immunization.
AB  - IgG antibodies are actively produced in response to antigenic challenge or
      passively administered as an effective form of immunotherapy to confer immunity
      against foreign antigens. Their protective activity is mediated through their
      bifunctional nature: a variable Fab domain mediates antigen-binding specificity,
      whereas the constant Fc domain engages Fcgamma receptors (FcgammaRs) expressed on
      the surface of leukocytes to mediate effector functions. While traditionally
      considered the invariant domain of an IgG molecule, the Fc domain displays
      remarkable structural heterogeneity determined primarily by differences in the
      amino acid sequence of the various IgG subclasses and by the composition of the
      complex, Fc-associated biantennary N-linked glycan. These structural determinants
      regulate the conformational flexibility of the IgG Fc domain and affect its
      capacity to interact with distinct types of FcgammaRs (type I or type II
      FcgammaRs). FcgammaR engagement activates diverse downstream immunomodulatory
      pathways with pleiotropic functional consequences including cytotoxicity and
      phagocytosis of IgG-coated targets, differentiation and activation of antigen
      presenting cells, modulation of T-cell activation, plasma cell survival, and
      regulation of antibody responses. These functions highlight the importance of
      FcgammaR-mediated pathways in the modulation of adaptive immune responses and
      suggest a central role for IgG-FcgammaR interactions during active and passive
      immunization. 

PMID- 26497513
TI  - Of ITIMs, ITAMs, and ITAMis: revisiting immunoglobulin Fc receptor signaling.
AB  - Receptors for immunoglobulin Fc regions play multiple critical roles in the
      immune system, mediating functions as diverse as phagocytosis, triggering
      degranulation of basophils and mast cells, promoting immunoglobulin class
      switching, and preventing excessive activation. Transmembrane signaling
      associated with these functions is mediated primarily by two amino acid sequence
      motifs, ITAMs (immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs) and ITIMs
      (immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motifs) that act as the receptors'
      interface with activating and inhibitory signaling pathways, respectively. While
      ITAMs mobilize activating tyrosine kinases and their consorts, ITIMs mobilize
      opposing tyrosine and inositol-lipid phosphatases. In this review, we will
      discuss our current understanding of signaling by these receptors/motifs and
      their sometimes blurred lines of function. 

PMID- 26497516
TI  - FcgammaR requirements leading to successful immunotherapy.
AB  - Monoclonal antibody (mAb) immunotherapy is currently experiencing an
      unprecedented amount of success, delivering blockbuster sales for the
      pharmaceutical industry. Having experienced several false dawns and overcoming
      technical issues which limited progress, we are now entering a golden period
      where mAbs are becoming a mainstay of treatment regimes for diseases ranging from
      cancer to autoimmunity. In this review, we discuss how these mAbs are most likely
      working and focus in particular on the key receptors that they interact with to
      precipitate their therapeutic effects. Although their targets may vary, their
      engagement with Fcgamma receptors (FcgammaRs) on numerous immune effector cells
      is almost universal, and here we review their roles in delivering successful
      immunotherapy. 

PMID- 26497517
TI  - The era of the immunoglobulin A Fc receptor FcalphaRI; its function and potential
      as target in disease.
AB  - Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is the most prevalent antibody at mucosal sites, and has
      an important role in defense by preventing invasion of pathogens. Traditionally,
      IgA has been thought of as a non-inflammatory antibody that helps to maintain
      homeostasis in the mucosa. However, in the last decade it has become clear that
      IgA is a very potent stimulus to initiate pro-inflammatory cellular processes,
      especially after triggering the IgA Fc receptor (FcalphaRI) on neutrophils. It
      was furthermore described that FcalphaRI acts as a regulator between anti- and
      pro-inflammatory responses of IgA. Although neutrophil activation is beneficial
      in (mucosal) infections, abnormal or excessive IgA immune complexes can induce
      disproportionate neutrophil migration and in this way initiate a perpetuating
      neutrophil recruitment and activation loop, which will result in severe tissue
      damage. Increasing evidence on this process plays a detrimental role in several
      diseases, including autoimmune IgA blistering diseases, a subtype of rheumatoid
      arthritis and ulcerative colitis. Inhibiting FcalphaRI-mediated activation may
      dampen inflammation in these patients. This process also opens up the possibility
      of targeting FcalphaRI in antibody immunotherapy of cancer. Thus, interfering
      with IgA-mediated FcalphaRI activation may represent an attractive novel
      therapeutic strategy for multiple maladies. 

PMID- 26497519
TI  - The many faces of FcgammaRI: implications for therapeutic antibody function.
AB  - Fcgamma receptor I (FcgammaRI or CD64) is the sole human Fc receptor with high
      affinity for monovalent IgG. While it contains an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based
      activation motif in its cytoplasmic domain, binding of FcgammaRI can result in a
      complex array of activating and inhibitory outcomes. For instance, binding of
      monomeric IgG provides a low-intensity tonic signal through FcgammaRI that is
      necessary for full interferon gamma receptor signaling in the same cell.
      Interaction of FcgammaRI with larger high-avidity complexes can result in
      phagocytosis, the generation of reactive oxygen species, as well as the synthesis
      and release of inflammatory cytokines. However, numerous reports also document
      potent anti-inflammatory effects brought about by FcgammaRI engagement with
      immune complexes such as the inhibition of IFNgamma and TLR4 signaling, and
      secretion of interleukin-10. This has led to conflicting hypotheses regarding the
      function of FcgammaRI, especially with regard to its role in the efficacy of
      several therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. While many of these issues are still
      unclear, continued characterization of the regulation and context dependence of
      FcgammaRI function, as well as the molecular mechanisms responsible for these
      various outcomes, will improve our understanding of FcgammaRI biology as well as
      the therapeutic strategies designed to harness or constrain its actions. 

PMID- 26497520
TI  - The high-affinity receptor for IgG, FcgammaRI, of humans and non-human primates.
AB  - Non-human primate (NHP) models, especially involving macaques, are considered
      important models of human immunity and have been essential in preclinical testing
      for vaccines and therapeutics. Despite this, much less characterization of
      macaque Fc receptors has occurred compared to humans or mice. Much of the
      characterization of macaque Fc receptors so far has focused on the low-affinity
      Fc receptors, particularly FcgammaRIIIa. From these studies, it is clear that
      there are distinct differences between the human and macaque low-affinity
      receptors and their interaction with human IgG. Relatively little work has been
      performed on the high-affinity IgG receptor, FcgammaRI, especially in NHPs. This
      review will focus on what is currently known of how FcgammaRI interacts with IgG,
      from mutation studies and recent crystallographic studies of human FcgammaRI, and
      how amino acid sequence differences in the macaque FcgammaRI may affect this
      interaction. Additionally, this review will look at the functional consequences
      of differences in the amino acid sequences between humans and macaques. 

PMID- 26497521
TI  - Structural mechanism of high affinity FcgammaRI recognition of immunoglobulin G.
AB  - Antibody-based immunotherapies are becoming powerful means of modern medicine for
      treating cancers and autoimmune diseases. The increasing popularity of antibody
      based treatment demands a better understanding of antibody functions and in
      particular, their interaction with Fc receptors as effectiveness of antibodies
      often depends on their ability to activate or avoid effector cell functions
      through Fc receptors. Until recently, our understanding of antibody recognition
      by Fc receptors is based on the structures of low affinity Fc receptor in complex
      with Fc. These structural studies provided significant insights to our
      understanding of how an IgG antibody generally docks on Fcgamma receptor and the
      requirement of immune complex formation for effector cell activations. They are
      less informative, however, to the molecular forces underlying the vast different
      affinities between antibodies and their Fcgamma receptors. Recently, the
      structure of the high affinity FcgammaRI in complex with IgG-Fc has been
      determined. This review will focus on the knowledge learned from the high
      affinity complex structural work and a potential receptor-glycan interaction as
      an important contribution to the receptor affinity. 

PMID- 26497522
TI  - Structural analysis of Fc/FcgammaR complexes: a blueprint for antibody design.
AB  - The number of studies and the quality of the structural data of Fcgamma receptors
      (FcgammaRs) has rapidly increased in the last few years. Upon critical
      examination of the literature, we have extracted general conclusions that could
      explain differences in affinity and selectivity of FcgammaRs for immunoglobulin G
      (IgG) based on structural considerations. FcgammaRs employ a little conserved
      asymmetric surface of domain D2 composed of two distinct subsites to recognize
      the well-conserved lower hinge region of IgG1-Fc. The extent of the contact
      interface with the antibody in subsite 1 of the receptor (but not in subsite 2),
      the geometrical complementarity between antibody and receptor, and the number of
      polar interactions contribute decisively toward strengthening the binding
      affinity of the antibody for the receptor. In addition, the uncertain role of the
      N-linked glycan of IgG for the binding and effector responses elicited by
      FcgammaRs is discussed. The available data suggest that not only the non-covalent
      interactions between IgG and FcgammaRs but also their dynamic features are
      essential for the immune response elicited through these receptors. We believe
      that the integration of structural, thermodynamic, and kinetic data will be
      critical for the design and validation of the next generation of therapeutic
      antibodies with enhanced effector capabilities. 

PMID- 26497518
TI  - Human IgG4: a structural perspective.
AB  - IgG4, the least represented human IgG subclass in serum, is an intriguing
      antibody with unique biological properties, such as the ability to undergo Fab
      arm exchange and limit immune complex formation. The lack of effector functions,
      such as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and complement-dependent
      cytotoxicity, is desirable for therapeutic purposes. IgG4 plays a protective role
      in allergy by acting as a blocking antibody, and inhibiting mast cell
      degranulation, but a deleterious role in malignant melanoma, by impeding IgG1
      mediated anti-tumor immunity. These findings highlight the importance of
      understanding the interaction between IgG4 and Fcgamma receptors. Despite a
      wealth of structural information for the IgG1 subclass, including complexes with
      Fcgamma receptors, and structures for intact antibodies, high-resolution crystal
      structures were not reported for IgG4-Fc until recently. Here, we highlight some
      of the biological properties of human IgG4, and review the recent crystal
      structures of IgG4-Fc. We discuss the unexpected conformations adopted by
      functionally important Cgamma2 domain loops, and speculate about potential
      implications for the interaction between IgG4 and FcgammaRs. 

PMID- 26497523
TI  - Structure and dynamics of IgE-receptor interactions: FcepsilonRI and
      CD23/FcepsilonRII.
AB  - Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is well known for its role in allergic disease, the
      manifestations of which are mediated through its two Fc receptors, FcepsilonRI
      and CD23 (FcepsilonRII). IgE and its interactions with these receptors are
      therefore potential targets for therapeutic intervention, and exciting progress
      has been made in this direction. Furthermore, recent structural studies of IgE
      Fc, the two receptors, and of their complexes, have revealed a remarkable degree
      of plasticity at the IgE-CD23 interface and an even more remarkable degree of
      dynamic flexibility within the IgE molecule. Indeed, there is allosteric
      communication between the two receptor-binding sites, which we now know are
      located at some distance from each other in IgE-Fc (at opposite ends of the
      Cepsilon3 domain). The conformational changes associated with FcepsilonRI and
      CD23 binding to IgE-Fc ensure that their interactions are mutually incompatible,
      and it may be that this functional imperative has driven IgE to evolve such a
      dynamic structure. Appreciation of these new structural data has revised our view
      of IgE structure, shed light on the co-evolution of antibodies and their
      receptors, and may open up new therapeutic opportunities. 

PMID- 26497524
TI  - The biology of the classical Fcgamma receptors in non-hematopoietic cells.

PMID- 26497525
TI  - The platelet Fc receptor, FcgammaRIIa.
AB  - Human platelets express FcgammaRIIa, the low-affinity receptor for the constant
      fragment (Fc) of immunoglobulin (Ig) G that is also found on neutrophils,
      monocytes, and macrophages. Engagement of this receptor on platelets by immune
      complexes triggers intracellular signaling events that lead to platelet
      activation and aggregation. Importantly these events occur in vivo, particularly
      in response to pathological immune complexes, and engagement of this receptor on
      platelets has been causally linked to disease pathology. In this review, we will
      highlight some of the key features of this receptor in the context of the
      platelet surface, and examine the functions of platelet FcgammaRIIa in normal
      hemostasis and in response to injury and infection. This review will also
      highlight pathological consequences of engagement of this receptor in platelet
      based autoimmune disorders. Finally, we present some new data investigating
      whether levels of the extracellular ligand-binding region of platelet
      glycoprotein VI which is rapidly shed upon engagement of platelet FcgammaRIIa by
      autoantibodies, can report on the presence of pathological anti-heparin/platelet
      factor 4 immune complexes and thus identify patients with pathological
      autoantibodies who are at the greatest risk of developing life-threatening
      thrombosis in the setting of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

PMID- 26497526
TI  - The multiple facets of FcRn in immunity.
AB  - The neonatal Fc receptor, FcRn, is best known for its role in transporting IgG in
      various tissues, providing newborns with humoral immunity, and for prolonging the
      half-life of IgG. Recent findings implicate the involvement of FcRn in a far
      wider range of biological and immunological processes, as FcRn has been found to
      bind and extend the half-life of albumin; to be involved in IgG transport and
      antigen sampling at mucosal surfaces; and to be crucial for efficient IgG
      mediated phagocytosis. Herein, the function of FcRn will be reviewed, with
      emphasis on its recently documented significance for IgG polymorphisms affecting
      the half-life and biodistribution of IgG3, on its role in phagocyte biology, and
      the subsequent role for the presentation of antigens to lymphocytes. 

PMID- 26497527
TI  - Accelerating antibody discovery using transgenic animals overexpressing the
      neonatal Fc receptor as a result of augmented humoral immunity.
AB  - In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for the development of
      faster and more efficient technologies for the generation of monoclonal
      antibodies against challenging targets that are weakly immunogenic or available
      only in limited amounts. Typical classes of such targets are cell surface
      antigens such as G-protein related receptors (GPCRs) or ion channels. We have
      developed transgenic (Tg) mice and rabbits that overexpress the neonatal Fc
      receptor (FcRn), resulting in an augmented humoral immune response even if
      challenging antigens are used for immunization. The impressively enhanced FcRn
      mediated immune reactions are characterized by improved IgG protection and
      enhanced antigen presentation leading to greater number of antigen-specific T
      helper and B-cell activation in lymphoid organs. Notably, these animals do not
      show any sign of autoimmunity and can be efficiently bred. FcRn overexpression
      thus leads to a number of practical benefits for improved generation of
      monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against multiple antigens, including weakly
      immunogenic epitopes or tiny amounts of proteins. This review summarizes our
      current understanding about the mechanisms by which FcRn overexpression leads to
      such a significantly enhanced humoral immune response. 

PMID- 26497528
TI  - Immune regulation by Fcalpha/MU receptor (CD351) on marginal zone B cells and
      follicular dendritic cells.
AB  - Although both Fcalpha/MU receptor (Fcalpha/MUR) and polymeric Ig receptor (poly
      IgR) are Fc receptors for IgA and IgM and are functionally and genetically
      related, the expression profile of Fcalpha/MUR is unique. Unlike poly-IgR,
      Fcalpha/MUR is expressed on marginal zone (MZ) B cells and follicular dendritic
      cells, suggesting that Fcalpha/MUR plays an important role in humoral immune
      responses. Fcalpha/MUR mediates endocytosis of the IgM immune complex (IC).
      Recent research demonstrated that Fcalpha/MUR downregulated retention of the IgM
      IC with a T-independent (TI) antigen on MZ B cells and follicular dendritic cells
      due to endocytosis of the IgM IC, suppressing germinal center formation, affinity
      maturation, and memory B-cell generation in response to TI antigen challenge. In
      addition, Fcalpha/MUR physically associates with Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and
      augments TLR4 oligomerization and signaling in MZ B cells upon lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS) challenge, leading to increased proinflammatory cytokine production by MZ B
      cells. Thus, Fcalpha/MUR is a unique Fc receptor that is involved in humoral
      immune responses and inflammation. 

PMID- 26497530
TI  - Cross-talk between pathogen recognizing Toll-like receptors and immunoglobulin Fc
      receptors in immunity.
AB  - The individual role of pathogen-binding Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and antibody
      binding Fc receptors (FcRs) during pathogenic infections has been studied
      extensively. However, combined activation of these different receptor classes has
      received little attention, even though they are triggered simultaneously when
      immune cells bind antibody-opsonized pathogens. In the last few years, it has
      become evident that joined activation of TLRs and FcRs substantially tailors
      inflammatory immune responses, which is an efficient and controlled mechanism of
      the host to act upon invading pathogens. In this review, we discuss the
      mechanisms of cross-talk between different TLRs and FcRs and the resulting
      inflammatory immune responses. Furthermore, we propose how chronic activation via
      this cross-talk might be detrimental in inflammatory (auto) immune diseases. We
      conclude with the potential exploitation of the interplay between TLRs and FcRs
      for monoclonal antibody therapy to target tumors. Future interests in this field
      of research include establishing a more detailed and mechanistic understanding of
      the mode of action of TLR and FcR cross-talk and exploration of its physiological
      importance in health and disease. This may furthermore open up novel therapeutic
      options for intervention in inflammatory diseases or cancer. 

PMID- 26497529
TI  - The role of Fc receptors in HIV prevention and therapy.
AB  - Over the past decade, a wealth of experimental evidence has accumulated
      supporting the importance of Fc receptor (FcR) ligation in antibody-mediated
      pathology and protection in many disease states. Here we present the diverse
      evidence base that has accumulated as to the importance of antibody effector
      functions in the setting of HIV prevention and therapy, including clinical
      correlates, genetic associations, viral evasion strategies, and a rapidly growing
      number of compelling animal model experiments. Collectively, this work identifies
      antibody interactions with FcR as important to both therapeutic and prophylactic
      strategies involving both passive and active immunity. These findings mirror
      those in other fields as investigators continue to work toward identifying the
      right antibodies and the right effectors to be present at the right sites at the
      right time. 

PMID- 26497532
TI  - Fc receptors in antibody-dependent enhancement of viral infections.
AB  - Sensitization of the humoral immune response to invading viruses and production
      of antiviral antibodies forms part of the host antiviral repertoire.
      Paradoxically, for a number of viral pathogens, under certain conditions,
      antibodies provide an attractive means of enhanced virus entry and replication in
      a number of cell types. Known as antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of
      infection, the phenomenon occurs when virus-antibody immunocomplexes interact
      with cells bearing complement or Fc receptors, promoting internalization of the
      virus and increasing infection. Frequently associated with exacerbation of viral
      disease, ADE of infection presents a major obstacle to the prevention of viral
      disease by vaccination and is thought to be partly responsible for the adverse
      effects of novel antiviral therapeutics such as intravenous immunoglobulins.
      There is a growing body of work examining the intracellular signaling pathways
      and epitopes responsible for mediating ADE, with a view to aiding rational design
      of antiviral strategies. With in vitro studies also confirming ADE as a feature
      of infection for a growing number of viruses, challenges remain in understanding
      the multilayered molecular mechanisms of ADE and its effect on viral
      pathogenesis.

PMID- 26497531
TI  - TRIM21: a cytosolic Fc receptor with broad antibody isotype specificity.
AB  - Antibodies are key molecules in the fight against infections. Although previously
      thought to mediate protection solely in the extracellular environment, recent
      research has revealed that antibody-mediated protection extends to the cytosolic
      compartment of cells. This postentry viral defense mechanism requires binding of
      the antibody to a cytosolic Fc receptor named tripartite motif containing 21
      (TRIM21). In contrast to other Fc receptors, TRIM21 shows remarkably broad
      isotype specificity as it does not only bind IgG but also IgM and IgA. When viral
      pathogens coated with these antibody isotypes enter the cytosol, TRIM21 is
      rapidly recruited and efficient neutralization occurs before the virus has had
      the time to replicate. In addition, inflammatory signaling is induced. As such,
      TRIM21 acts as a cytosolic sensor that engages antibodies that have failed to
      protect against infection in the extracellular environment. Here, we summarize
      our current understanding of how TRIM21 orchestrates humoral immunity in the
      cytosolic environment. 

PMID- 26497534
TI  - Novel genetic tools to tackle c-di-GMP-dependent signalling in Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa.
AB  - AIMS: To develop new genetic tools for studying 3',5'-cyclic diguanylic acid (c
      di-GMP) signalling in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. METHODS AND RESULTS: Plasmid
      pPcdrA::lux, carrying a transcriptional fusion between the c-di-GMP responsive
      promoter PcdrA and the luxCDABE reporter genes, has been generated and validated
      in purpose-built P. aeruginosa strains in which c-di-GMP levels can be increased
      or reduced upon arabinose-dependent induction of c-di-GMP synthetizing or
      degrading enzymes. CONCLUSIONS: The reporter systems described so far were able
      to detect a decrease in the c-di-GMP levels only in engineered strains
      overproducing c-di-GMP. Conversely, pPcdrA::lux could be used for studying any
      process or chemical compound expected to cause both an increase or a decrease
      with respect to the c-di-GMP levels produced by wild type P. aeruginosa. Another
      relevant aspect of this study has been the development of novel and improved
      genetic devices for the fine arabinose-dependent control of c-di-GMP levels in P.
      aeruginosa. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The genetic tools developed and
      validated in this study could facilitate investigations tackling the c-di-GMP
      signalling process on different fields, from cellular physiology to drug
      discovery research.

PMID- 26497535
TI  - Enhancing CBT for Chronic Insomnia: A Randomised Clinical Trial of Additive
      Components of Mindfulness or Cognitive Therapy.
AB  - : Although cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for insomnia has resulted in
      significant reductions in symptoms, most patients are not classified as good
      sleepers after treatment. The present study investigated whether additional
      sessions of cognitive therapy (CT) or mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) could
      enhance CBT in 64 participants with primary insomnia. All participants were given
      four sessions of standard CBT as previous research had identified this number of
      sessions as an optimal balance between therapist guidance and patient
      independence. Participants were then allocated to further active treatment (four
      sessions of CT or MBT) or a no further treatment control. The additional
      treatments resulted in significant improvements beyond CBT on self-report and
      objective measures of sleep and were well tolerated as evidenced by no dropouts
      from either treatment. The effect sizes for each of these additional treatments
      were large and clinically significant. The mean scores on the primary outcome
      measure, the Insomnia Severity Index, were 5.74 for CT and 6.69 for MBT, which
      are within the good-sleeper range. Treatment effects were maintained at follow
      up. There were no significant differences between CT and MBT on any outcome
      measure. These results provide encouraging data on how to enhance CBT for
      treatment of insomnia. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY
      PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: CBT treatments for insomnia can be enhanced using recent
      developments in cognitive therapy. CBT treatments for insomnia can be enhanced
      using mindfulness-based treatments. Both cognitive therapy and mindfulness
      produce additional clinically significant change.

PMID- 26497536
TI  - Self-assembly of Janus nanoparticles with a hydrophobic hemisphere in nanotubes.
AB  - We performed molecular simulations to investigate the morphologies and phase
      diagrams of self-assembled diblock Janus nanoparticles (JNPs) confined in
      nanotubes. A JNP is a unique anisotropic nanoparticle, which typically has more
      than two distinct surfaces, each with different properties. We derived
      qualitative phase diagrams of axial pressure versus the ratio of the diameter of
      the nanoparticle and the nanotube. Three distinct types of nanotube walls were
      considered: hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and hydroneutral. We observed diverse
      morphologies in JNP solutions, many of which have not been observed in bulk
      solutions. We also compared the self-assembled structures of diblock and triblock
      patchy particles. Under weak confinement, significant differences were observed
      between the different JNP designs. The orientation ordering and self-assembly
      behaviours of the JNPs can be qualitatively predicted based on the chemical
      nature of the nanotube wall and the JNP design. 

PMID- 26497533
TI  - Pituitary adenomas: historical perspective, surgical management and future
      directions.
AB  - Pituitary adenomas are among the most common central nervous system tumors. They
      represent a diverse group of neoplasms that may or may not secrete hormones based
      on their cell of origin. Epidemiologic studies have documented the incidence of
      pituitary adenomas within the general population to be as high as 16.7%. A
      growing body of work has helped to elucidate the pathogenesis of these tumors.
      Each subtype has been shown to demonstrate unique cellular changes potentially
      leading to tumorigenesis. Surgical advancements over several decades have
      included microsurgery and the employment of the endoscope for surgical resection.
      These advancements increase the likelihood of gross-total resection and have
      resulted in decreased patient morbidity. 

PMID- 26497537
TI  - Associations of maternal folic acid supplementation and folate concentrations
      during pregnancy with foetal and child head growth: the Generation R Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Folic acid supplementation during pregnancy has been associated with a
      reduced risk of common neurodevelopmental delays in the offspring. However, it is
      unclear whether low folate status has effects on the developing brain. We
      evaluated the associations of maternal folic acid supplementation and folate
      concentrations during pregnancy with repeatedly measured prenatal and postnatal
      head circumference in the offspring. METHODS: Within a population-based
      prospective cohort, we measured maternal plasma folate concentrations at
      approximately 13 weeks of gestation (90 % range 10.5-17.2) and assessed folic
      acid supplementation by questionnaire (2001-2005). Up to 11 repeated measures of
      head circumference were obtained during foetal life (20 and 30 weeks of
      gestation) and childhood (between birth and age 6 years) in 5866 children (2002
      2012). RESULTS: In unadjusted models, foetal head growth was 0.006 SD (95 % CI
      0.003; 0.009, P < 0.001) faster per week per 1-SD higher maternal folate
      concentration. After adjustment for confounders, this association was attenuated
      to 0.004 SD per week (95 % CI 0.000; 0.007, P = 0.02; estimated absolute
      difference at birth of 2.7 mm). The association was independent of overall foetal
      growth. No associations were found between maternal folate concentrations and
      child postnatal head growth. Preconceptional start of folic acid supplementation
      was associated with larger prenatal head size, but not with prenatal or postnatal
      head growth. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest an independent, modest association
      between maternal folate concentrations in early pregnancy and foetal head growth.
      More research is needed to identify whether specific brain regions are affected
      and whether effects of folate on foetal head growth influence children's long
      term functioning.

PMID- 26497538
TI  - No association between blood telomere length and longitudinally assessed diet or
      adiposity in a young adult Filipino population.
AB  - PURPOSE: Telomeres, DNA-protein structures that cap and protect chromosomes, are
      thought to shorten more rapidly when exposed to chronic inflammation and
      oxidative stress. Diet and nutritional status may be a source of inflammation and
      oxidative stress. However, relationships between telomere length (TL) and diet or
      adiposity have primarily been studied cross-sectionally among older,
      overweight/obese populations and yielded inconsistent results. Little is known
      about the relationship between diet or body composition and TL among younger, low
      to normal-weight populations. It also remains unclear how cumulative exposure to
      a specific diet or body composition during the years of growth and development,
      when telomere attrition is most rapid, may be related to TL in adulthood.
      METHODS: In a sample of 1459 young adult Filipinos, we assessed the relationship
      between blood TL at ages 20.8-22.5 and measures of BMI z-score, waist
      circumference, and diet collected between the ages of 8.5 and 22.5. TL was
      measured using monochrome multiplex quantitative PCR, and diet was measured using
      multiple 24-h recalls. RESULTS: We found no associations between blood TL and any
      of the measures of adiposity or between blood TL and the seven dietary factors
      examined: processed meats, fried/grilled meats and fish, non-fried fish, coconut
      oil, fruits and vegetables, bread and bread products, and sugar-sweetened
      beverages. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the inconsistencies in the literature and our
      null results, small differences in body composition and consumption of any single
      pro- or anti-inflammatory dietary component may not by themselves have a
      meaningful impact on telomere integrity, or the impact may differ across distinct
      ecological circumstances.

PMID- 26497539
TI  - Attentional performance, impulsivity, and related neurotransmitter systems in
      apoE2, apoE3, and apoE4 female transgenic mice.
AB  - RATIONALE: The apolipoprotein E (apoE) genotype influences cognitive performance
      in humans depending on age and sex. While the detrimental role of the apoE4
      isoform on spatial learning and memory has been well-established in humans and
      rodents, less is known on its impact on the executive functions. OBJECTIVES: We
      aimed to evaluate the effect of apoE isoforms (apoE2, apoE3, apoE4) on
      visuospatial attention and inhibitory control performance in female transgenic
      mice, and to determine the neurochemical and neuropharmacological basis of this
      potential relationship. METHODS: Female mice carrying apoE2, apoE3, and apoE4
      were trained in the five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT). Upon a
      stable performance, we manipulated the inter-trial interval and the stimulus
      duration to elicit impulsive responding and engage attention respectively. We
      further performed a pharmacological challenge by administering cholinergic and
      GABAergic agents. Finally, we analyzed the levels of brain amino acids and
      monoamines by using reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
      RESULTS: ApoE4 mice showed a deficient inhibitory control as revealed by
      increased perseveration and premature responding. When attention was challenged,
      apoE4 mice also showed a higher drop in accuracy. The adverse effect of
      scopolamine on the task was attenuated in apoE4 mice compared to apoE2 and apoE3.
      Furthermore, apoE4 mice showed less dopamine in the frontal cortex than apoE2
      mice. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed that the apoE genotype influences attention and
      inhibitory control in female transgenic mice. The influence of apoE isoforms in
      the brain neuromodulatory system may explain the cognitive and behavioral
      differences attributable to the genotype.

PMID- 26497540
TI  - Biocompatibility of different nanostructured TiO2 scaffolds and their potential
      for urologic applications.
AB  - Despite great efforts in tissue engineering of the ureter, urinary bladder, and
      urethra, further research is needed in order to improve the patient's quality of
      life and minimize the economic burden of different lower urinary tract disorders.
      The nanostructured titanium dioxide (TiO2) scaffolds have a wide range of
      clinical applications and are already widely used in orthopedic or dental
      medicine. The current study was conducted to synthesize TiO2 nanotubes by the
      anodization method and TiO2 nanowires and nanospheres by the chemical vapor
      deposition method. These scaffolds were characterized with scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. In order to test the
      urologic applicability of generated TiO2 scaffolds, we seeded the normal porcine
      urothelial (NPU) cells on TiO2 nanotubes, TiO2 nanowires, TiO2 nanospheres, and
      on the standard porous membrane. The viability and growth of the cells were
      monitored everyday, and after 3 weeks of culturing, the analysis with scanning
      electron microscope (SEM) was performed. Our results showed that the NPU cells
      were attached on all scaffolds; they were viable and formed a multilayered
      epithelium, i.e., urothelium. The apical plasma membrane of the majority of
      superficial NPU cells, grown on all three different TiO2 scaffolds and on the
      porous membrane, exhibited microvilli; thus, indicating that they were at a
      similar differentiation stage. The maximal caliper diameter measurements of
      superficial NPU cells revealed significant alterations, with the largest cells
      being observed on nanowires and the smallest ones on the porous membrane. Our
      findings indicate that different nanostructured TiO2 scaffolds, especially
      nanowires, have a great potential for tissue engineering and should be further
      investigated for various urologic applications.

PMID- 26497541
TI  - Three-dimensional ultrasonography for visualization of muscular anomalies in type
      VI and VII radial polydactyly.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe a technique and its clinical applications of three
      dimensional ultrasonography to type VI and VII radial polydactyly for
      identification of potential muscular anomalies. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Ultrasonographic examinations were performed at an out-patient department without
      sedation or an operative room prior to surgery. The palm was scanned in the
      transverse direction using a 18-MHz linear transducer under speed regulation at 3
      mm/s. Sequential images acquired at 0.2 mm intervals were converted into volume
      data. After validation of the technique, patients with a radial polydactyly in
      association with triphalangism (type VII) or with polydactylies of metacarpal
      duplication (type VI) were included for the examination. RESULTS: Five hands of
      five patients, one with type VI and four with type VII, were included the study.
      All the patients were male and the ages at examination ranged from 7 months to 2
      years. Of the five patients, four examinations were performed at an out-patient
      department without sedation and one was under anesthesia just prior to surgery.
      The muscular abnormalities identified were mal-positions of the thenar muscles in
      a type VI case and a deficiency of the abductor pollicis brevis muscle in a type
      VII case with a delta phalanx in the ulnar part. CONCLUSION: Three-dimensional
      ultrasound technique could be an aid to plan strategies in radial polydactyly if
      intrinsic muscular anomalies are suspected to be involved.

PMID- 26497542
TI  - Retrospective analysis of intravertebral collateral enhancement  in patients with
      central venous obstruction.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare prevalence and patterns of intravertebral collateral
      enhancement in patients with and without central venous obstruction (CVO).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Chest CTs performed between 1/1/2000 and 12/15/2012 with
      reports containing terms indicating CVO were identified. All contrast enhanced
      CTs were examined for the presence of CVO and collateral venous pathways. If
      intravertebral collateral enhancement was present, the pattern was recorded as
      nodular, linear, or both. RESULTS: In 209 suspected cases of CVO, 53 (25 %) were
      confirmed with obstruction and 156 (75 %) were without obstruction. In patients
      with CVO, 47 % (25/53) demonstrated collateral venous flow through an
      intravertebral marrow pathway compared to 5 % (8/156) of patients without CVO (P
      < 0.0001). The most common level of enhancement was the upper thoracic spine,
      involving only the vertebral body. Nodular, linear, and combined nodular-linear
      enhancement patterns were seen with similar frequency. Nodular intravertebral
      collateral enhancement was mistaken for sclerotic metastases in 33 % (3/9) of
      cases. CONCLUSION: Intravertebral collateral enhancement was seen in almost half
      the patients with CVO and when nodular enhancement is present, it is important to
      differentiate between metastatic lesions and enhancement related to CVO.

PMID- 26497543
TI  - The prognostic value of total lesion glycolysis via 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET-CT
      in surgically treated esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In addition to staging, the identification of prognostic factors is
      important for predicting survival in patients with esophageal cancer after
      esophagectomy. The present study was performed to document the prognostic role of
      total lesion glycolysis (TLG) in postoperative patients. METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed the records of 50 patients with esophageal squamous cell
      carcinoma who underwent surgical resection and complete lymph node dissection
      after positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT). A volume of
      interest was drawn on the primary lesion and suspected metastatic lymph nodes,
      and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV),
      TLG of the primary lesion (TLGp), and whole-body TLG (TLGwb) were measured using
      an SUV cutoff of 2.5. RESULTS: The study population included 50 patients with a
      mean age of 63.14 +/- 8.18 years: 12 (24%) were reported as stage I, 13 (26%) as
      stage II, and 25 (50%) as stage III. The median follow-up period was 20.46
      months, and recurrences occurred in 17 patients. The mean SUVmax, MTV, TLGp, and
      TLGwb were 11.11 +/- 6.40, 20.47 +/- 22.88, 122.54 +/- 180.98, and 129.37 +/-
      193.66, respectively. On the multivariate analysis, TLGp was a risk factor for
      disease-free survival (DFS) [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.002, p = 0.026], and TLGwb was
      a risk factor for DFS (HR = 1.002, p = 0.021) and overall survival (OS) (HR =
      1.002, p = 0.044). The 3-year OS rates were 66.1% in patients with low TLGwb (<=
      41.45) and 33.3% in those with high TLGwb (>41.45; p = 0.004). The concordance
      index of the TLGwb was 0.752 (95% CI 0.659-0.845). CONCLUSION: TLGwb is a
      significant prognostic factor for OS and DFS in patients with surgically treated
      esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

PMID- 26497544
TI  - Transanal total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer: a single center experience
      and systematic review of the literature.
AB  - PURPOSE: The present study aimed to compare the operative and oncologic results
      of transanal total mesorectum excision (Ta-TME) ("down-to-up") vs. laparoscopic
      TME (L-TME, "up-to-down") for low rectal cancer. Additionally, a systematic
      review of the literature was performed to assess the quality of the current body
      of evidence on Ta-TME. METHODS: The study population included 32 consecutive
      patients who underwent Ta-TME between January 2011 and December 2014 that were
      compared with a matched group of patients undergoing L-TME between January 2008
      and December 2010. The literature search was performed following the PRISMA
      guidelines for a systematic review. RESULTS: Ta-TME was associated with
      significantly shorter operative time (195 vs. 225 min; p = 0.017) and hospital
      stay (7.8 vs. 9.7 days; p = 0.018) compared to L-TME. No group differences were
      observed for intra-/postoperative complications and oncologic outcomes. One
      patient in the Ta-TME and two patients in the L-TME group developed local
      recurrence. The estimated survival rate at 2 years was 95.5 % for the Ta-TME and
      96.6 % for the L-TME group (p = 0.646). The literature search identified 22
      relevant retrospective studies on 423 patients operated on Ta-TME or robotic
      assisted transanal TME for rectal cancer. The only two comparative studies found
      similar short-term oncologic outcomes between Ta-TME and L-TME. A complete
      mesorectum was observed in 85 % of Ta-TME cases. The conversion rate was
      estimated at 4.3 % and the postoperative complication rate at 30.4 %.
      CONCLUSIONS: Ta-TME appears to be safe and feasible. It may find special
      application in patients with anatomic constraints that could make L-TME highly
      challenging.

PMID- 26497546
TI  - Cardiovascular risk and white matter lesions after endocrine control of Cushing's
      syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cushing's syndrome (CS) is associated with high cardiovascular risk.
      White matter lesions (WML) are common on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      in patients with increased cardiovascular risk. AIM: To investigate the
      relationship between cardiovascular risk, WML, neuropsychological performance and
      brain volume in CS. DESIGN/METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with CS (23 in
      remission, 15 active) and 38 controls sex-, age- and education-level matched
      underwent a neuropsychological and clinical evaluation, blood and urine tests and
      3Tesla brain MRI. WML were analysed with the Scheltens scale. Ten-year
      cardiovascular risk (10CVR) and vascular age (VA) were calculated according to an
      algorithm based on the Framingham heart study. RESULTS: Patients in remission had
      a higher degree of WML than controls and active patients (P<0.001 and P=0.008
      respectively), which did not correlate with cognitive performance in any group.
      WML severity positively correlated with diastolic blood pressure (r=0.659,
      P=0.001) and duration of hypertension (r=0.478, P=0.021) in patients in
      remission. Both patient groups (active and in remission) had higher 10CVR
      (P=0.030, P=0.041) and VA than controls (P=0.013, P=0.039). Neither the 10CVR nor
      the VA correlated with WML, although both negatively correlated with cognitive
      function and brain volume in patients in remission (P<0.05). Total brain volume
      and grey matter volume in both CS patient groups were reduced compared to
      controls (total volume: active P=0.006, in remission P=0.012; grey matter: active
      P=0.001, in remission P=0.003), with no differences in white matter volume
      between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Patients in remission of Cushing's syndrome (but not
      active patients) have more severe white matter lesions than controls, positively
      correlated with diastolic pressure and duration of hypertension. Ten-year
      cardiovascular risk and vascular age appear to be negatively correlated with the
      cognitive function and brain volume in patients in remission of Cushing's
      syndrome.

PMID- 26497545
TI  - Further insight into molecular mechanism underlying thoracic spinal cord injury
      using bioinformatics methods.
AB  - The present study aimed to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the
      development of thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI). The gene expression profile of
      GSE20907, which included 12 thoracic non-injured spinal cord control samples and
      12 thoracic transected spinal cord samples at different stages of SCI, was
      obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed
      genes (DEGs) were identified using the limma package in R/Bioconductor. DEG
      associated pathways were analyzed using the Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and
      genomes database. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed and
      transcription factors (TFs) were predicted using cytoscape. Compared with the
      control samples, there were 1,942, 396, 188 and 396 DEGs identified at day 3
      (d3), week 1 (wk1), wk2 and month 1 (m1), respectively. Cluster analysis
      indicated that the DEGs at m1 were similar to those in the control group.
      Downregulated DEGs were enriched in nervous system disease pathways, such as
      Parkinson's disease. Upregulated DEGs were enriched in immune response-associated
      pathways, such as Fc gamma R-mediated phagocytosis at early stages (d3 and wk1).
      Upregulated DEGs were enriched in pathways associated with cancer and pyrimidine
      metabolism at wk2 and m1, respectively. In the PPI network, nodes including RAC2,
      CD4, STAT3 and JUN were identified. Furthermore, ATF3, JUN and EGR1 were
      identified as TFs associated with SCI. In conclusion, the results of the present
      study showed that the number of DEGs decreased in a time-dependent manner
      following SCI. OLIG1, ATF3 and JUN may represent SCI regeneration-associated
      genes. Immune-associated inflammation was shown to be important in SCI, and SCI
      exhibits causal associations with other diseases, including cardiovascular
      disease and cancers. The present study provided novel insight into the molecular
      mechanisms of SCI regeneration, which may aid in the development of strategies to
      enhance recovery following SCI. 

PMID- 26497547
TI  - Strong Photocurrent from Two-Dimensional Excitons in Solution-Processed Stacked
      Perovskite Semiconductor Sheets.
AB  - Room-temperature photocurrent measurements in two-dimensional (2D) inorganic
      organic perovskite devices reveal that excitons strongly contribute to the
      photocurrents despite possessing binding energies over 10 times larger than the
      thermal energies. The p-type (C6H9C2H4NH3)2PbI4 liberates photocarriers at
      metallic Schottky aluminum contacts, but incorporating electron- and hole
      transport layers enhances the extracted photocurrents by 100-fold. A further 10
      fold gain is found when TiO2 nanoparticles are directly integrated into the
      perovskite layers, although the 2D exciton semiconducting layers are not
      significantly disrupted. These results show that strong excitonic materials may
      be useful as photovoltaic materials despite high exciton binding energies and
      suggest mechanisms to better understand the photovoltaic properties of the
      related three-dimensional perovskites. 

PMID- 26497548
TI  - Determination of the mechanism of action of repetitive halothane exposure on rat
      brain tissues using a combined method of microarray gene expression profiling and
      bioinformatics analysis.
AB  - The present study aimed to investigate the gene expression profiles of rats brain
      tissues treated with halothane compared with untreated controls to improve
      current understanding of the mechanism of action of the inhaled anesthetic. The
      GSE357 gene expression profile was dowloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus
      database, and included six gene chips of samples repeatedly exposed to halothane
      and 12 gene chips of untreated controls. The differentially expressed genes
      (DEGs) between these two groups were identified using the Limma package in R
      language. Subsequently, the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated
      Discovery was used to annotate the function of these DEGs. In addition, the most
      significantly upregulated gene and downregulated gene were annotated, to reveal
      the functional interactions with other associated genes, in FuncBase database. A
      total of 44 DEGs were obtained between The control and halothane exposure
      samples. Following Gene Ontology functional classification, these DEGs were found
      to be involved predominantly in the circulatory system, regulation of cell
      proliferation and response to endogenous stimulus and corticosteroid stimulus
      processes. KRT31 and HMGCS2, which were identified as the most significantly
      downregulated and upregulated DEGs, respectively, were associated with the lipid
      metabolic process and T cell activation, respectively. These results provided a
      basis for the development of improved inhalational anesthetics with minimal side
      effects and are essential for optimization of inhaled anesthetic techniques for
      advanced surgical procedures. 

PMID- 26497549
TI  - CDDO-Me inhibits tumor growth and prevents recurrence of pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Methyl-2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oate (CDDO-Me) has shown potent
      antitumorigenic activity against a wide range of cancer cell lines in vitro and
      inhibited the growth of liver, lung and prostate cancer in vivo. In the present
      study, we examined the antitumor activity of CDDO-Me for pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells with and without activating K-ras mutations.
      Treatment of K-ras mutant MiaPaCa-2 and K-ras normal BxPC-3 cells with CDDO-Me
      elicited strong antiproliferative and proapoptopic responses in both cell lines
      in culture. The inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis was
      accompanied by the inhibition of antiapoptotic/prosurvival p-Akt, NF-kB and p
      mTOR signaling proteins. For testing efficacy of CDDO-Me in vivo heterotopic and
      orthotopic xenografts were generated by implanting BxPC-3 and MiaPaCa-2 cells
      subcutaneously and in the pancreatic tail, respectively. Treatment with CDDO-Me
      significantly inhibited the growth of BxPC-3 xenografts and reduced the levels of
      p-Akt and p-mTOR in tumor tissue. In mice with orthotopic MiaPaCa-2 xenografts,
      treatment with CDDO-Me prolonged the survival of mice when administered following
      the surgical resection of tumors. The latter was attributed to the eradication of
      residual PDAC remaining after resection of tumors. These preclinical data
      demonstrate the potential of CDDO-Me for treating primary PDAC tumors and for
      preventing relapse/recurrence through the destruction of residual disease.

PMID- 26497550
TI  - Blockade of telomerase reverse transcriptase enhances chemosensitivity in head
      and neck cancers through inhibition of AKT/ERK signaling pathways.
AB  - Head and Neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), characterized by the high
      frequency of local recurrence and distant metastases, is mostly related to highly
      malignant and resistant to apoptosis, resulting in significant insensitivity to
      chemotherapy. Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), as the catalytic subunit
      of telomerase, was implicated in the telomerase-mediated cellular transformation,
      proliferation, stemness and cell survival. Moreover, overexpression of human TERT
      (hTERT) is reported to be correlated with advanced invasive stage of the tumor
      progression and poor prognosis. Here, we show that hTERT potentially mediated the
      apoptotic resistance and blockade of telomerase reverse transcriptase could
      enhance chemosensitivity in head and neck cancers. Mechanistically, hTERT
      interacts with the phosphorylation of AKT and ERK to suppress the expression of
      p53, ultimately, leading to modulation of the cellular sensitivity to
      chemotherapy. Thus, these findings suggest that hTERT targeting could be an
      attractive approach in combination with conventional chemotherapies for patients
      suffering from chemoinsensitivity or refractory HNSCC.

PMID- 26497551
TI  - FN14 and GRP94 expression are prognostic/predictive biomarkers of brain
      metastasis outcome that open up new therapeutic strategies.
AB  - Brain metastasis is a devastating problem in patients with breast, lung and
      melanoma tumors. GRP94 and FN14 are predictive biomarkers over-expressed in
      primary breast carcinomas that metastasized in brain. To further validate these
      brain metastasis biomarkers, we performed a multicenter study including 318
      patients with breast carcinomas. Among these patients, there were 138 patients
      with metastasis, of whom 84 had brain metastasis. The likelihood of developing
      brain metastasis increased by 5.24-fold (95%CI 2.83-9.71) and 2.55- (95%CI 1.52
      4.3) in the presence of FN14 and GRP94, respectively. Moreover, FN14 was more
      sensitive than ErbB2 (38.27 vs. 24.68) with similar specificity (89.43 vs. 89.55)
      to predict brain metastasis and had identical prognostic value than triple
      negative patients (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, we used GRP94 and FN14 pathways and
      GUILD, a network-based disease-gene prioritization program, to pinpoint the genes
      likely to be therapeutic targets, which resulted in FN14 as the main modulator
      and thalidomide as the best scored drug. The treatment of mice with brain
      metastasis improves survival decreasing reactive astrocytes and angiogenesis, and
      down-regulate FN14 and its ligand TWEAK. In conclusion our results indicate that
      FN14 and GRP94 are prediction/prognosis markers which open up new possibilities
      for preventing/treating brain metastasis. 

PMID- 26497552
TI  - Cytoskeletal protein Flightless I inhibits apoptosis, enhances tumor cell
      invasion and promotes cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma progression.
AB  - Flightless I (Flii) is an actin remodeling protein that affects cellular
      processes including adhesion, proliferation and migration. In order to determine
      the role of Flii during carcinogenesis, squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) were
      induced in Flii heterozygous (Flii+/-), wild-type and Flii overexpressing
      (FliiTg/Tg) mice by intradermal injection of 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA). Flii
      levels were further assessed in biopsies from human SCCs and the human SCC cell
      line (MET-1) was used to determine the effect of Flii on cellular invasion. Flii
      was highly expressed in human SCC biopsies particularly by the invading cells at
      the tumor edge. FliiTg/Tg mice developed large, aggressive SCCs in response to
      MCA. In contrast Flii+/- mice had significantly smaller tumors that were less
      invasive. Intradermal injection of Flii neutralizing antibodies during SCC
      initiation and progression significantly reduced the size of the tumors and, in
      vitro, decreased cellular sphere formation and invasion. Analysis of the tumors
      from the Flii overexpressing mice showed reduced caspase I and annexin V
      expression suggesting Flii may negatively regulate apoptosis within these tumors.
      These studies therefore suggest that Flii enhances SCC tumor progression by
      decreasing apoptosis and enhancing tumor cell invasion. Targeting Flii may be a
      potential strategy for reducing the severity of SCCs.

PMID- 26497553
TI  - Quinacrine promotes autophagic cell death and chemosensitivity in ovarian cancer
      and attenuates tumor growth.
AB  - A promising new strategy for cancer therapy is to target the autophagic pathway.
      In the current study, we demonstrate that the antimalarial drug Quinacrine (QC)
      reduces cell viability and promotes chemotherapy-induced cell death in an
      autophagy-dependent manner more extensively in chemoresistant cells compared to
      their isogenic chemosensitive control cells as quantified by the Chou-Talalay
      methodology. Our preliminary data, in vitro and in vivo, indicate that QC induces
      autophagy by downregulating p62/SQSTM1 to sensitize chemoresistant cells to
      autophagic- and caspase-mediated cell death in a p53-independent manner. QC
      promotes autophagosome accumulation and enhances autophagic flux by clearance of
      p62 in chemoresistant ovarain cancer (OvCa) cell lines to a greater extent
      compared to their chemosensitive controls. Notably, p62 levels were elevated in
      chemoresistant OvCa cell lines and knockdown of p62 in these cells resulted in a
      greater response to QC treatment. Bafilomycin A, an autophagy inhibitor, restored
      p62 levels and reversed QC-mediated cell death and thus chemosensitization.
      Importantly, our in vivo data shows that QC alone and in combination with
      carboplatin suppresses tumor growth and ascites in the highly chemoresistant
      HeyA8MDR OvCa model compared to carboplatin treatment alone. Collectively, our
      preclinical data suggest that QC in combination with carboplatin can be an
      effective treatment for patients with chemoresistant OvCa.

PMID- 26497554
TI  - Upregulated in Hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma cells, miR
      331-3p promotes proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by targeting
      ING5.
AB  - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major risk factor for development and progression of
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It has been reported that viral infection can
      interfere with cellular microRNA (miRNA) expression and participate in the
      pathogenesis of oncogenicity. Our miRNAs array data indicated that miR-331-3p
      expression in HCC cell lines increased, but the relationship between miR-331-3p
      expression and HBV activity is unclear. Here, we observed elevated expression of
      miR-331-3p in different HCC cell lines expressing HBV. HBV, especially HBx,
      promotes miR-331-3p expression by enhancing its promoter activity. Using a miRNA
      target prediction database miRBase, we identified ING5 to be a novel target gene
      of miR-331-3p. miR-331-3p could inhibit ING5 expression by directly targeting its
      3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR). As predicted, HBV was confirmed to repress ING5
      at both mRNA and protein levels by promoting miR-331-3p expression. Our result
      indicated that miR-331-3p expression promotes proliferation of SMMC7721 cells by
      inhibiting ING5. ING5 overexpression promoted cell apoptosis in HCC cell lines.
      We also found ING5 expression was decreased in tumor tissue of HCC patient with
      HBV infection compared to its expression in para-carcinoma tissues. CONCLUSION:
      These results showed that miR-331-3p is upregulated by HBV and promotes
      proliferation of HCC cells though repression of ING5 expression. These data
      provide new insights for understanding the mechanisms of HBV-related HCC
      pathogenesis.

PMID- 26497555
TI  - ZNF32 protects against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis by modulating C1QBP
      transcription.
AB  - Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-driven oxidative stress has been recognized as a
      critical inducer of cancer cell death in response to therapeutic agents. Our
      previous studies have demonstrated that zinc finger protein (ZNF)32 is key to
      cell survival upon oxidant stimulation. However, the mechanisms by which ZNF32
      mediates cell death remain unclear. Here, we show that at moderate levels of ROS,
      Sp1 directly binds to two GC boxes within the ZNF32 promoter to activate ZNF32
      transcription. Alternatively, at cytotoxic ROS concentrations, ZNF32 expression
      is repressed due to decreased binding activity of Sp1. ZNF32 overexpression
      maintains mitochondrial membrane potential and enhances the antioxidant capacity
      of cells to detoxify ROS, and these effects promote cell survival upon pro
      oxidant agent treatment. Alternatively, ZNF32-deficient cells are more sensitive
      and vulnerable to oxidative stress-induced cell injury. Mechanistically, we
      demonstrate that complement 1q-binding protein (C1QBP) is a direct target gene of
      ZNF32 that inactivates the p38 MAPK pathway, thereby exerting the protective
      effects of ZNF32 on oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. Taken together, our
      findings indicate a novel mechanism by which the Sp1-ZNF32-C1QBP axis protects
      against oxidative stress and implicate a promising strategy that ZNF32 inhibition
      combined with pro-oxidant anticancer agents for hepatocellular carcinoma
      treatment. 

PMID- 26497556
TI  - MicroRNA-107: a novel promoter of tumor progression that targets the CPEB3/EGFR
      axis in human hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are dysregulated in many types of malignancies, including
      human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MiR-107 has been implicated in several
      types of cancer regulation; however, relatively little is known about miR-107 in
      human HCC. In the present study, we showed that the overexpression of miR-107
      accelerates the tumor progression of HCC in vitro and in vivo through its new
      target gene, CPEB3. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that CPEB3 is a newly
      discovered tumor suppressor that acts via the EGFR pathway. Therefore, our study
      demonstrates that the newly discovered miR-107/CPEB3/EGFR axis plays an important
      role in HCC progression and might represent a new potential therapeutic target
      for HCC treatment. 

PMID- 26497557
TI  - Imprint of 5-azacytidine on the natural killer cell repertoire during systemic
      treatment for high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome.
AB  - 5-azacytidine (5-aza) is a hypomethylating agent approved for the treatment of
      high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). It is assumed to act by demethylating
      tumor suppressor genes and via direct cytotoxic effects on malignant cells. In
      vitro treatment with hypomethylating agents has profound effects on the
      expression of killer-cell immunoglobulin-like (KIR) receptors on natural killer
      (NK) cells, as these receptors are epigenetically regulated via methylation of
      the promoters. Here we investigated the influence of 5-aza on the NK-cell
      repertoire during cytokine-induced proliferation in vitro and homeostatic
      proliferation in vivo in patients with high-risk MDS. In vitro treatment of NK
      cells from both healthy donors and MDS patients with low doses of 5-aza led to a
      significant increase in expression of multiple KIRs, but only in cells that had
      undergone several rounds of cell division. Proliferating 5-aza exposed NK cells
      exhibited increased IFN-gamma production and degranulation towards tumor target
      cells. MDS patients had lower proportions of educated KIR-expressing NK cells
      than healthy controls but after systemic treatment with 5-aza, an increased
      proportion of Ki-67+ NK cells expressed multiple KIRs suggesting uptake of 5-aza
      in cycling cells in vivo. Hence, these results suggest that systemic treatment
      with 5-aza may shape the NK cell repertoire, in particular during homeostatic
      proliferation, thereby boosting NK cell-mediated recognition of malignant cells.

PMID- 26497559
TI  - Crop evapotranspiration-based irrigation management during the growing season in
      the arid region of northwestern China.
AB  - In arid northwestern China, water shortages have triggered recent regulations
      affecting irrigation water use in desert-oasis agricultural systems. In order to
      determine the actual water demand of various crops and to develop standards for
      the rational use of water resources, we analyzed meteorological data from the
      Fukang desert ecosystem observation and experiment station (FKD), the Cele desert
      grassland ecosystem observation and research station (CLD), and the Linze Inland
      River Basin Comprehensive Research Station (LZD), which all belong to the Chinese
      Ecosystem Research Network. We researched crop evapotranspiration (ETc) using the
      water balance method, the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith method, the Priestley-Taylor
      method, and the Hargreaves method, during the growing seasons of 2005 through
      2009. Results indicate substantial differences in ETc, depending on the method
      used. At the CLD, the ETc from the soil water balance, FAO-56 Penman-Monteith,
      Priestley-Taylor, and Hargreaves methods were 1150.3+/-380.8, 783.7+/-33.6,
      1018.3+/-22.1, and 611.2+/-23.3 mm, respectively; at the FKD, the corresponding
      results were 861.0+/-67.0, 834.2+/-83.9, 1453.5+/-47.1, and 1061.0+/-38.2 mm,
      respectively; and at the LZD, 823.4+/-110.4, 726.0+/-0.4, 722.3+/-29.4, and
      1208.6+/-79.1 mm, respectively. The FAO-56 Penman-Monteith method provided a
      fairly good estimation of E Tc compared with the Priestley-Taylor and Hargreaves
      methods.

PMID- 26497558
TI  - Tumor-host signaling interaction reveals a systemic, age-dependent splenic immune
      influence on tumor development.
AB  - The concept of age-dependent host control of cancer development raises the
      natural question of how these effects manifest across the host tissue/organ types
      with which a tumor interacts, one important component of which is the aging
      immune system. To investigate this, changes in the spleen, an immune nexus in the
      mouse, was examined for its age-dependent interactive influence on the
      carcinogenesis process. The model is the C57BL/6 male mice (adolescent, young
      adult, middle-aged, and old or 68, 143, 551 and 736 days old respectively) with
      and without a syngeneic murine tumor implant. Through global transcriptome
      analysis, immune-related functions were found to be key regulators in the spleen
      associated with tumor progression as a function of age with CD2, CD3epsilon,
      CCL19, and CCL5 being the key molecules involved. Surprisingly, other than CCL5,
      all key factors and immune-related functions were not active in spleens from non
      tumor bearing old mice. Our findings of age-dependent tumor-spleen signaling
      interaction suggest the existence of a global role of the aging host in
      carcinogenesis. Suggested is a new avenue for therapeutic improvement that
      capitalizes on the pervasive role of host aging in dictating the course of this
      disease. 

PMID- 26497560
TI  - Bioaccumulation of arsenic and selenium in bycatch fishes Diapterus peruvianus,
      Pseudupeneus grandisquamis, and Trachinotus kennedyi from shrimp trawling in the
      continental shelf of Guerrero, Mexico.
AB  - With the aim of determining arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) concentrations in
      bycatch fishes from SW Mexico and comparing elemental concentrations with limits
      for human consumption set in the national and international legislation, three
      fish species (Diapterus peruvianus, Pseudupeneus grandisquamis, and Trachinotus
      kennedyi) were collected from Guerrero state during trawling operations.
      Additionally, As and Se levels in muscle tissue were compared with similar
      species from diverse areas. The order of As and Se concentrations was T.
      kennedyi>P. grandisquamis>D. peruvianus. In Mexico, there is no regulation of As
      and Se levels in fish. In comparison to the legal limit (0.1 MUg g(-1) wet
      weight) set by legislation in Venezuela, As levels in the edible portion of T.
      kennedyi (0.632 MUg g(-1) wet weight), P. grandisquamis (0.166 MUg g(-1) wet
      weight), and D. peruvianus (0.157 MUg g(-1) wet weight) were above this limit. In
      the case of Se, average concentrations in T. kennedyi (0.323 MUg g(-1) wet
      weight) were above the maximum permissible limit (0.30 MUg g(-1) wet weight) set
      in the Chilean legislation. Se concentrations in Carangoides bajad from Saudi
      Arabia were comparable to values in T. kennedyi (this study). In relation to As,
      concentrations varied in magnitude orders; the highest As concentration (range
      10.35 to 23.71 MUg g(-1) wet weight) corresponded to Mullus barbatus from the
      Iberian Mediterranean.

PMID- 26497561
TI  - The invasive macrophyte Pistia stratiotes L. as a bioindicator for water
      pollution in Lake Mariut, Egypt.
AB  - The present study was conducted to evaluate the potentiality of the aquatic
      macrophyte Pistia stratiotes to accumulate trace metals, perspective of
      phytoremediation, and the probability for using it as a bioindicator for the
      different pollution types. Plants were collected from the different Lake Mariut
      basins (main basin, south-west, north-west, and fish farm), through five quadrats
      each, for measuring some growth parameters such as plant density, rosette
      diameter and height, root length, number of living and dead leaves per
      individual, and leaf length and width. In addition, nutrients and heavy metals in
      plant organs as well as water samples were analyzed. The bioaccumulation and
      translocation factors of trace metals were calculated. Water physicochemical data
      of Lake Mariut showed significant variations of all variables, except temperature
      and pH as well as Cd metal, among the lake basins. Fish farm was characterized by
      the highest plant density, individual size, biomass, and the number of living
      leaves, while the north-west basin had the lowest, except the number of dead
      leaves. In contrast to trace metals, P. stratiotes accumulated concentrations of
      macronutrients in the leaves higher than in roots. The bioaccumulation factors of
      the investigated metals, except Cu, were greater than one, while the
      translocation factors (TFs) of all trace metals were less than unity, and this
      may render P. stratiotes suitable for rhizofiltration. In addition, the
      significant positive correlation of Ni and Cd in water with those in plant roots
      and leaves as well as the growth response of this plant to the different
      pollutants may suggest its potential use as bioindicator for these pollutants in
      water. 

PMID- 26497562
TI  - Relation between increased oxidative stress and histological abnormalities in the
      ovaries of Alburnus tarichi in Lake Van, Turkey.
AB  - Recent studies have shown reproductively arrested gonad development in female
      Alburnus tarichi (Guldenstadt, 1814) (Cyprinidae) from the eastern coastline of
      Lake Van, Turkey, due to increasing pollution. In the reproductively arrested
      females (RAF), oocytes were developmentally blocked and arrested at the
      previtellogenic stage and gonadosomatic indices (GSI) were very low, while
      reproductively non-arrested females (RNF) found at the same site displayed
      relatively normal ovarian development and higher GSI. The present study
      investigated various oxidative stress biomarkers in the ovaries of RAF and RNF
      collected from a polluted site at Lake Van at the mid-vitellogenic phase,
      compared with reference fish from a non-polluted site (Lake Ercek). Ovarian total
      protein content, biometric indices, and histology were also evaluated. The
      oxidative stress biomarkers used were levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and
      glutathione (GSH), and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione
      peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST). High levels of LPO and GSH
      and activities of SOD, GPx and GST were found in the ovaries of RAF compared with
      the reference fish. GSH content and activities of GPx and GST were also higher in
      the RNF. The total protein content and biometric indices decreased significantly
      in the RAF compared with the RNF and reference fish. The histology of the ovaries
      revealed atresia, melano-macrophage centers, encapsulated follicle cysts, and
      severe fibrosis in the RAF. The results of this study suggest that abnormalities
      in the ovaries of A. tarichi are causally related to increased oxidative stress
      as a result of pollution. 

PMID- 26497563
TI  - Direct estimation of dissolved organic carbon using synchronous fluorescence and
      independent component analysis (ICA): advantages of a multivariate calibration.
AB  - Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is frequently used as a diagnostic parameter for
      the identification of environmental contamination in aqueous systems. Since this
      organic matter is evolving and decaying over time. If samples are collected under
      environmental conditions, some sample stabilization process is needed until the
      corresponding analysis can be made. This may affect the analysis results. This
      problem can be avoided using the direct determination of DOC. We report a study
      using in situ synchronous fluorescence spectra, with independent component
      analysis to retrieve relevant major spectral contributions and their respective
      component contributions, for the direct determination of DOC. Fluorescence
      spectroscopy is a very powerful and sensitive technique to evaluate vestigial
      organic matter dissolved in water and is thus suited for the analytical task of
      direct monitoring of dissolved organic matter in water, thus avoiding the need
      for the stabilization step. We also report the development of an accurate
      calibration model for dissolved organic carbon determinations using environmental
      samples of humic and fulvic acids. The method described opens the opportunity for
      a fast, in locus, DOC estimation in environmental or other field studies using a
      portable fluorescence spectrometer. This combines the benefits of the use of
      fresh samples, without the need of stabilizers, and also allows the
      interpretation of various additional spectral contributions based on their
      respective estimated properties. We show how independent component analysis may
      be used to describe tyrosine, tryptophan, humic acid and fulvic acid spectra and,
      thus, to retrieve the respective individual component contribution to the DOC. 

PMID- 26497564
TI  - Brain dopamine-serotonin vesicular transport disease presenting as a severe
      infantile hypotonic parkinsonian disorder.
AB  - Two male siblings from a consanguineous union presented in early infancy with
      marked truncal hypotonia, a general paucity of movement, extrapyramidal signs and
      cognitive delay. By mid-childhood they had made little developmental progress and
      remained severely hypotonic and bradykinetic. They developed epilepsy and had
      problems with autonomic dysfunction and oculogyric crises. They had a number of
      orthopaedic problems secondary to their hypotonia. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
      neurotransmitters were initially normal, apart from mildly elevated 5
      hydroxyindolacetic acid, and the children did not respond favourably to a trial
      of levodopa-carbidopa. The youngest died from respiratory complications at 10
      years of age. Repeat CSF neurotransmitters in the older sibling at eight years of
      age showed slightly low homovanillic acid and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels.
      Whole-exome sequencing revealed a novel mutation homozygous in both children in
      the monoamine transporter gene SLC18A2 (p.Pro237His), resulting in brain dopamine
      serotonin vesicular transport disease. This is the second family to be described
      with a mutation in this gene. Treatment with the dopamine agonist pramipexole in
      the surviving child resulted in mild improvements in alertness, communication,
      and eye movements. This case supports the identification of the causal mutation
      in the original case, expands the clinical phenotype of brain dopamine-serotonin
      vesicular transport disease and confirms that pramipexole treatment may lead to
      symptomatic improvement in affected individuals.

PMID- 26497565
TI  - Response of 33 UK patients with infantile-onset Pompe disease to enzyme
      replacement therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for infantile-onset Pompe disease
      has been commercially available for almost 10 years. We report the experience of
      its use in a cohort treated at three specialist lysosomal treatment centres in
      the UK. METHODS: A retrospective case-note review was performed, with additional
      data being gathered from two national audits on all such patients treated with
      ERT. The impact on the outcome of various characteristics, measured just prior to
      the initiation of ERT (baseline), was evaluated using logistic regression.
      RESULTS: Thirty-three patients were identified; 13/29 (45%) were cross-reactive
      immunological material (CRIM) negative, and nine were immunomodulated. At
      baseline assessment, 79% were in heart failure, 66% had failure to thrive and 70%
      had radiological signs of focal pulmonary collapse. The overall survival rate was
      60%, ventilation-free survival was 40% and 30% of patients were ambulatory.
      Median follow-up of survivors was 4 years, 1.5 months (range 6 months to 13.5
      years). As with previous studies, the CRIM status impacted on all outcome
      measures. However, in this cohort, baseline failure to thrive was related to
      death and lack of ambulation, and left ventricular dilatation was a risk factor
      for non-ventilator-free survival. CONCLUSION: The outcome of treated patients
      remains heterogeneous despite attempts at immunomodulation. Failure to thrive at
      baseline and left ventricular dilation appear to be associated with poorer
      outcomes.

PMID- 26497566
TI  - Emotional intelligence score and performance of dental undergraduates.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between emotional
      intelligence (EI) and undergraduate dental students' ability to deal with
      different situations of communication in a clinical dentistry practical training
      course of communication skills. Fourth-year students in 2012 and in 2013 at the
      Nippon Dental University School of Life Dentistry at Niigata participated in the
      survey. The total number of participating students was 129 (88 males and 41
      females). The students were asked to complete the Japanese version of the Mayer
      Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test in communication skills. Female
      students tended to have significantly higher EI score than males. The EI score in
      the group with high-grade academic performers was higher than in the low-grade
      group. The influence of EI on academic performance appeared to be mainly due to
      the students' ability to accurately perceiving emotions and to their ability to
      understand emotional issues. The importance of EI may also lie in its ability to
      parse out personality factors from more changeable aspects of a person's
      behavior. Although further studies are required, we believe that dental educators
      need to assume the responsibility to help students develop their emotional
      competencies that they will need to prosper in their chosen careers. In our
      conclusion, dental educators should support low achievers to increase their
      levels of self-confidence instead of concentrating mainly on improving their
      technical skill and academic performance. This may lead to upgrading their skills
      for managing emotions and to changing their learning approach. 

PMID- 26497567
TI  - Pain control methods in use and perceived effectiveness by patients with Ehlers
      Danlos syndrome: a descriptive study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the pain control methods in use
      by patients who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a group of connective tissue
      disorders, and their perceived effectiveness. METHOD: This descriptive study
      involved 1179 adults diagnosed with EDS who completed an anonymous on-line
      survey. The survey consisted of demographics information, the Patient Reported
      Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain-Behavior, PROMIS Pain
      Interference, and Neuro QOL Satisfaction with Social Roles and Activities scales,
      as well as a modified version of the Pain Management Strategies Survey. RESULTS:
      Respondents reported having to seek out confirmation of their EDS diagnosis with
      multiple healthcare providers, which implies the difficulty many people with EDS
      face when trying to gain access to appropriate treatment. Patients with EDS
      experience higher levels of pain interference and lower satisfaction with social
      roles and activities compared to national norms. Among the treatment modalities
      in this study, those perceived as most helpful for acute pain control were
      opioids, surgical interventions, splints and braces, avoidance of potentially
      dangerous activities and heat therapy. Chronic pain treatments rated as most
      helpful were opioids, splints or braces and surgical interventions. For methods
      used for both acute and chronic pain, those perceived as most helpful were
      opioids, massage therapies, splints or braces, heat therapy and avoiding
      potentially dangerous activities. CONCLUSIONS: EDS is a complex, multi-systemic
      condition that can be difficult to diagnose and poses challenges for healthcare
      practitioners who engage with EDS patients in holistic care. Improved healthcare
      provider knowledge of EDS is needed, and additional research on the co-occurring
      diagnoses with EDS may assist in comprehensive pain management for EDS patients.
      IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a group of
      connective tissue disorders associated with defective production of collagen,
      which can dramatically reduce musculoskeletal functioning by symptoms of joint
      laxity and frequent dislocations eventually leading to disability. Respondents to
      an on-line survey reported having to seek out confirmation of their EDS diagnosis
      with multiple physicians, which implies the difficulty many people with EDS face
      when trying to gain access to appropriate treatment. Participants with EDS
      reported the most helpful methods for managing acute pain were opioids, surgical
      interventions, splints and braces, heat therapy, nerve blocks and physical
      therapy, while chronic pain was treated most effectively with opioids, heat
      therapy, splints or braces and surgical interventions.

PMID- 26497568
TI  - The Role and Importance of Small Fiber Neuropathy in Fibromyalgia Pain.
AB  - Serious investigators of fibromyalgia (FM) realize the profound implications of
      finding features of small fiber neuropathy (SFN) in this disorder. For the first
      time, an easily reproducible and generally agreed upon, peripheral tissue lesion
      has been reported from multiple investigative centers. Understanding how this
      discovery relates to other features of FM, and how one might utilize it to better
      comprehend, and care for, afflicted patients' painful complaints remains a
      challenge, however. In this article we review how the SFN seen in FM may be
      placed in context, and suggest how such a tissue abnormality might be used to
      better understand the pathophysiology of FM, and plan for its effective
      treatment. We also suggest how finding SFN in FM implies the need for continued
      focused research within the area of neuropathic disease in FM. 

PMID- 26497570
TI  - Developments in spontaneous and coherent Raman scattering microscopic imaging for
      biomedical applications.
AB  - First, the potential role of Raman-based techniques in biomedicine is introduced.
      Second, an overview about the instrumentation for spontaneous and coherent Raman
      scattering microscopic imaging is given with a focus of recent developments.
      Third, imaging strategies are summarized including sequential registration with
      laser scanning microscopes, line imaging and global or wide-field imaging.
      Finally, examples of biomedical applications are presented in the context of
      single cells, laser tweezers, tissue sections, biopsies and whole animals. 

PMID- 26497569
TI  - Activin and TGFbeta use diverging mitogenic signaling in advanced colon cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding cell signaling pathways that contribute to metastatic
      colon cancer is critical to risk stratification in the era of personalized
      therapeutics. Here, we dissect the unique involvement of mitogenic pathways in a
      TGFbeta or activin-induced metastatic phenotype of colon cancer. METHOD:
      Mitogenic signaling/growth factor receptor status and p21 localization were
      correlated in primary colon cancers and intestinal tumors from either AOM/DSS
      treated ACVR2A (activin receptor 2) -/- or wild type mice. Colon cancer cell
      lines (+/- SMAD4) were interrogated for ligand-induced PI3K and MEK/ERK pathway
      activation and downstream protein/phospho-isoform expression/association after
      knockdown and pharmacologic inhibition of pathway members. EMT was assessed using
      epithelial/mesenchymal markers and migration assays. RESULTS: In primary colon
      cancers, loss of nuclear p21 correlated with upstream activation of activin/PI3K
      while nuclear p21 expression was associated with TGFbeta/MEK/ERK pathway
      activation. Activin, but not TGFbeta, led to PI3K activation via interaction of
      ACVR1B and p85 independent of SMAD4, resulting in p21 downregulation. In
      contrast, TGFbeta increased p21 via MEK/ERK pathway through a SMAD4-dependent
      mechanism. While activin induced EMT via PI3K, TGFbeta induced EMT via MEK/ERK
      activation. In vivo, loss of ACVR2A resulted in loss of pAkt, consistent with
      activin-dependent PI3K signaling. CONCLUSION: Although activin and TGFbeta share
      growth suppressive SMAD signaling in colon cancer, they diverge in their SMAD4
      independent pro-migratory signaling utilizing distinct mitogenic signaling
      pathways that affect EMT. p21 localization in colon cancer may determine a
      dominant activin versus TGFbeta ligand signaling phenotype warranting further
      validation as a therapeutic biomarker prior to targeting TGFbeta family
      receptors.

PMID- 26497571
TI  - Effect of Carbenoxolone on Arrhythmogenesis in Rat Ventricular Muscle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Connexin43 (Cx43) is a major connexin that forms gap junction (GJ)
      channels in the heart and is also present in the cell membrane as unopposed/non
      junctional hemichannels and in the inner mitochondrial membrane. By using
      carbenoxolone (CBX), a blocker of Cx43, the effect of the blockade of Cx43 on
      Ca(2+)waves and triggered arrhythmias in the myocardium with non-uniform
      contraction was examined. METHODS AND RESULTS: Trabeculae were obtained from rat
      hearts. Force, [Ca(2+)]i, and the diffusion coefficient were measured. Non
      uniform contraction was produced with a 2,3-butanedione monoxime jet. Ca(2+)waves
      were induced by electrical stimulation. Inducibility of arrhythmias was estimated
      based on the minimal [Ca(2+)]oat which arrhythmias were induced. The Ca(2+)spark
      rate was measured in isolated single rat ventricular myocytes. CBX reduced the GJ
      permeability, whereas it did not change force and [Ca(2+)]itransients. CBX
      increased the Ca(2+)leak from the sarcoplasmic reticulum in trabeculae and
      increased the Ca(2+)spark rate in isolated single myocytes. CBX increased the
      velocity of Ca(2+)waves and further increased the inducibility of arrhythmias.
      Modulation of mitochondrial KATPchannels by diazoxide, cromakalim and 5
      hydroxydecanoic acid affected the inducibility of arrhythmias increased by CBX.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that in diseased hearts, Cx43 plays an
      important role in the occurrence of triggered arrhythmias, probably under the
      modulation of mitochondrial KATPchannels.

PMID- 26497572
TI  - Effect of Respiratory Therapy on the Prognosis of Chronic Heart Failure Patients
      Complicated With Sleep-Disordered Breathing - A Pilot Efficacy Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) has been reported to influence
      mortality and occurrence of ventricular tachyarrhythmia in patients with chronic
      heart failure (CHF). It remains to be elucidated, however, whether respiratory
      therapy (RT) can affect the occurrence of fatal ventricular tachyarrhythmia in
      CHF patients with SDB. METHODS AND RESULTS: We prospectively examined whether the
      severity of SDB was associated with fatal cardiac events in CHF patients and, if
      so, whether RT for SDB improved prognosis. We enrolled 95 patients with stable
      CHF, in whom SDB was examined on overnight polygraphy. The severity of SDB was
      quantified using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). All patients with AHI >=10
      (n=42) at initial evaluation were recommended to have RT, such as home oxygen
      therapy and continuous positive airway pressure, and 24 agreed to this. During
      the follow-up period of 29+/-17 months, 8 ventricular tachyarrhythmias occurred
      and 14 of the 95 patients died. On multivariate proportional hazard analysis AHI
      >=5 was a risk factor for fatal arrhythmic events (P=0.026). Although RT
      significantly reduced AHI, it did not significantly reduce the event rates, but 4
      patients with AHI <5 on RT had no fatal arrhythmic events or death. CONCLUSIONS:
      SDB is an independent prognostic factor and thus an important therapeutic target
      in CHF patients.

PMID- 26497573
TI  - Safety of topical corticosteroids in pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Topical corticosteroids are the most frequently prescribed
      dermatological treatment and are often used by pregnant women with skin
      conditions. However, little is known about their safety in pregnancy. OBJECTIVES:
      To assess the effects of topical corticosteroids on pregnancy outcomes in
      pregnant women. SEARCH METHODS: This is an update of a review previously
      published in 2009. We updated our searches of the following databases to July
      2015: the Cochrane Skin Group Specialised Register, the Cochrane Pregnancy and
      Childbirth Group Specialised Register, the Cochrane Central Register of
      Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (2015, Issue 6), MEDLINE, EMBASE, and LILACS. We also
      searched five trials registers and checked the reference lists of included
      studies, published reviews, articles that had cited the included studies, and one
      author's literature collection, for further references to relevant RCTs.
      SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials and cohort studies of topical
      corticosteroids in pregnant women, as well as case-control studies comparing
      maternal exposure to topical corticosteroids between cases and controls when
      studies reported pre-specified outcomes. The primary outcomes included mode of
      delivery, major congenital abnormality, birth weight, and preterm delivery
      (delivery before 37 completed weeks gestation); the secondary outcomes included
      foetal death, minor congenital abnormality, and low Apgar score (less than seven
      at 5 min). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used standard methodological
      procedures expected by Cochrane. Two authors independently applied selection
      criteria, extracted data, and assessed the quality of the included studies. A
      third author was available for resolving differences of opinion. A further author
      independently extracted data from included studies that were conducted by authors
      of this systematic review. MAIN RESULTS: We included 7 new observational studies
      in this update, bringing the total number to 14, including 5 cohort and 9 case
      control studies, with 1,601,515 study subjects.Most studies found no causal
      associations between maternal exposure to topical corticosteroids of any potency
      and pregnancy outcomes when compared with no exposure. These outcomes included:
      mode of delivery (risk ratio (RR) 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.95 to
      1.15, 1 cohort study, n = 9904, low quality evidence); congenital abnormalities,
      including orofacial cleft or cleft palate and hypospadias (where the urethral
      opening is on the underside of the penis) (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.34 to 1.96, 2 cohort
      studies, n = 9512, low quality evidence; and odds ratio (OR) 1.07, 95% CI 0.71 to
      1.60, 1 case-control study, n = 56,557); low birth weight (RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.86
      to 1.36; n = 59,419, 4 cohort studies; very low quality evidence); preterm
      delivery (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.08, 4 cohort studies, n = 59,419, low quality
      evidence); foetal death (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.60 to 1.73, 4 cohort studies, n =
      63,885, very low quality evidence); and low Apgar score (RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.54 to
      1.31, 1 cohort study, n = 9220, low quality evidence).We conducted stratified
      analyses of mild or moderate potency, and potent or very potent topical
      corticosteroids, but we found no causal associations between maternal exposure to
      topical corticosteroid of any potency and congenital abnormality, orofacial
      clefts, preterm delivery, or low Apgar score. For low birth weight, although the
      meta-analysis based on study-level data was not significant for either mild to
      moderate corticosteroids (pooled RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.09, 3 cohort studies,
      n > 55,713) or potent to very potent corticosteroids (pooled RR 1.58, 95% CI 0.96
      to 2.58, 4 cohort studies, n > 47,651), there were significant differences
      between the two subgroups (P = 0.04). The results from three of the individual
      studies in the meta-analysis indicated an increased risk of low birth weight in
      women who received potent to very potent topical corticosteroids. Maternal use of
      mild to moderate potency topical steroids was associated with a decreased risk of
      foetal death (pooled RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.77, 2 studies, n = 48,749; low
      quality evidence), but we did not observe this effect when potent to very potent
      topical corticosteroids were given during pregnancy (pooled RR 1.14, 95% CI 0.69
      to 1.88, 3 studies, n = 37,086, low quality evidence).We used the Grades of
      Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group
      approach to rate the overall quality of the evidence. Data from observational
      studies started at low quality. We further downgraded the evidence because of
      imprecision in low birth weight and inconsistency in foetal death. Lower quality
      evidence resulted in lower confidence in the estimate of effect for those
      outcomes. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: This update adds more evidence showing no causal
      associations between maternal exposure to topical corticosteroids of all
      potencies and pregnancy outcomes including mode of delivery, congenital
      abnormalities, preterm delivery, foetal death, and low Apgar score, which is
      consistent with the previous version of this review. This update provides
      stratified analyses based on steroid potency; we found no association between
      maternal use of topical corticosteroids of any potency and an increase in adverse
      pregnancy outcomes, including mode of delivery, congenital abnormality, preterm
      delivery, foetal death, and low Apgar score. Similar to the previous version of
      the review, this update identified a probable association between low birth
      weight and maternal use of potent to very potent topical corticosteroids,
      especially when the cumulative dosage of topical corticosteroids throughout the
      pregnancy is very large, which warrants further investigation. The finding of a
      possible protective effect of mild to moderate topical corticosteroids on foetal
      death could also be examined.

PMID- 26497574
TI  - The nasopharyngeal microbiota of feedlot cattle.
AB  - The bovine nasopharyngeal tract plays an important role in animal health and
      welfare by acting as a site for the carriage of pathogens causing bovine
      respiratory disease, a condition which results in significant morbidity and
      mortality in feedlot cattle. We characterized the bacterial nasopharyngeal
      microbiota in cattle at feedlot entry (day 0) and day 60 using 454
      pyrosequencing. We also identified the most frequently isolated aerobic bacteria
      from nasopharyngeal swabs after plating onto three types of media. The cattle
      nasopharyngeal microbiota was composed primarily of Proteobacteria (68.9%) and
      Firmicutes (19.2%). At the genus-level, there was more inter-individual
      variability and a total of 55 genera were identified. The genera Pseudomonas
      (23.7%), Shewanella (23.5%), Acinetobacter (17.5%), and Carnobacterium (12.2%)
      were most prevalent at entry, while after 60 days in the feedlot, Staphylococcus
      (20.8%), Mycoplasma (14.9%), Mannheimia (10.4%), and Moraxella (9.4%) were
      dominant. The nasopharyngeal microbiota also became more homogenous after 60 days
      in the feedlot and differed in structure at day 0 and 60. Using culture-based
      methods, the most frequently isolated bacteria from nasopharyngeal swabs were
      Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Moraxella, Pasteurella, and Mannheimia. These results
      provide insight into the nasopharyngeal microbiota of cattle and demonstrate that
      specific changes take place during feedlot production. 

PMID- 26497576
TI  - Association of activated Galphaq to the tumor suppressor Fhit is enhanced by
      phospholipase Cbeta.
AB  - BACKGROUND: G proteins are known to modulate various growth signals and are
      implicated in the regulation of tumorigenesis. The tumor suppressor Fhit is a
      newly identified interaction partner of Gq proteins that typically stimulate the
      phospholipase C pathway. Activated Galphaq subunits have been shown to interact
      directly with Fhit, up-regulate Fhit expression and enhance its suppressive
      effect on cell growth and migration. Other signaling molecules may be involved in
      modulating Galphaq/Fhit interaction. METHODS: To test the relationship of PLCbeta
      with the interaction between Galphaq and Fhit, co-immunoprecipication assay was
      performed on HEK293 cells co-transfected with different combinations of Flag
      Fhit, Galpha16, Galpha16QL, pcDNA3 vector, and PLCbeta isoforms. Possible
      associations of Fhit with other effectors of Galphaq were also demonstrated by co
      immunoprecipitation. The regions of Galphaq for Fhit interaction and PLCbeta
      stimulation were further evaluated by inositol phosphates accumulation assay
      using a series of Galpha16/z chimeras with discrete regions of Galpha16 replaced
      by those of Galphaz. RESULTS: PLCbeta1, 2 and 3 interacted with Fhit regardless
      of the expression of Galphaq. Expression of PLCbeta increased the affinities of
      Fhit for both wild-type and activated Galphaq. Swapping of the Fhit-interacting
      alpha2-beta4 region of Galphaq with Galphai eliminated the association of Galphaq
      with Fhit without affecting the ability of the mutant to stimulate PLCbeta. Other
      effectors of Galphaq including RGS2 and p63RhoGEF were unable to interact with
      Fhit. CONCLUSIONS: PLCbeta may participate in the regulation of Fhit by Gq in a
      unique way. PLCbeta interacts with Fhit and increases the interaction between
      Galphaq and Fhit. The Galphaq/PLCbeta/Fhit complex formation points to a novel
      signaling pathway that may negatively regulate tumor cell growth.

PMID- 26497577
TI  - SKLB-677, an FLT3 and Wnt/beta-catenin signaling inhibitor, displays potent
      activity in models of FLT3-driven AML.
AB  - FLT3 has been identified as a valid target for the treatment of acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML), and some FLT3 inhibitors have shown very good efficacy in
      treating AML in clinical trials. Nevertheless, recent studies indicated that
      relapse and drug resistance are still difficult to avoid, and leukemia stem cells
      (LSCs) are considered one of the most important contributors. Here, we report the
      characterization of SKLB-677, a new FLT3 inhibitor developed by us recently. SKLB
      677 exhibits low nanomolar potency in biochemical and cellular assays. It is
      efficacious in animal models at doses as low as 1mg/kg when administrated orally
      once daily. In particular, SKLB-677 but not first-generation and second
      generation FLT3 inhibitors in clinical trials has the ability to inhibit Wnt/beta
      catenin signaling; Wnt/beta-catenin signaling is required for the development of
      LSCs, but not necessary for the development of adult hematopoietic stem cells
      (HSCs). This compound indeed showed considerable suppression effects on leukemia
      stem-like cells in in vitro functional assays, but had no influence on normal
      HSCs. Collectively, SKLB-677 is an interesting lead compound for the treatment of
      AML, and deserves further investigations. 

PMID- 26497578
TI  - Determination of Islet Viability Using a Zinc-Specific Fluorescent Dye and a
      Semiautomated Assessment Method.
AB  - Islet transplantation is an effective therapy that allows the achievement of
      insulin independence in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). To ensure successful
      transplantation, islet viability and function are of great importance. Viability
      assessments most often use fluorescein diacetate (FDA)/propidium iodide (PI)
      staining. However, results using this method often do not correlate well with
      graft function. Because FDA nonspecifically penetrates all cells present in the
      islet preparation, including islets and contaminating acinar cells, its use often
      complicates viability assessments of the overall cell population. Furthermore,
      the manual method for determining viability percentages is highly subjective.
      Shortcomings of the conventional islet viability assay can be potentially
      improved by staining cells with Newport Green (NG). NG, is a zinc-specific
      fluorescent dye that specifically reacts with zinc-rich beta cells. Two kinds of
      NG dyes, NG-DCF and NG-PDX, are currently available. We examined the zinc
      specificity of these NG dyes and compared NG staining with traditional FDA
      staining to explore the potential of NG dyes to improve islet viability
      assessment. Of the two NGs tested, NG-DCF showed the higher specificity toward a
      beta-cell line as well as human islets. NG-DCF accurately identified the islet
      area, even in low-purity islets, while neither FDA nor NG-PDX did. Although NG
      DCF staining required a longer incubation time, the addition of poloxamer F127
      and incubation at 37 degrees C allowed viability assessment to take place within
      30 min. Unlike FDA/PI staining, NG-DCF/PI staining allowed for islet-specific
      assessment. We also introduced a semiautomated measurement to determine NG-DCF/PI
      staining results, which enabled us to obtain objective and reproducible results.
      NG-DCF/PI staining is easy and reliable, and this method permits highly objective
      islet-specific viability assessments.

PMID- 26497579
TI  - Myocardial tissue engineering using electrospun nanofiber composites.
AB  - Emerging trends for cardiac tissue engineering are focused on increasing the
      biocompatibility and tissue regeneration ability of artificial heart tissue by
      incorporating various cell sources and bioactive molecules. Although primary
      cardiomyocytes can be successfully implanted, clinical applications are
      restricted due to their low survival rates and poor proliferation. To develop
      successful cardiovascular tissue regeneration systems, new technologies must be
      introduced to improve myocardial regeneration. Electrospinning is a simple,
      versatile technique for fabricating nanofibers. Here, we discuss various
      biodegradable polymers (natural, synthetic, and combinatorial polymers) that can
      be used for fiber fabrication. We also describe a series of fiber modification
      methods that can increase cell survival, proliferation, and migration and provide
      supporting mechanical properties by mimicking micro-environment structures, such
      as the extracellular matrix (ECM). In addition, the applications and types of
      nanofiber-based scaffolds for myocardial regeneration are described. Finally,
      fusion research methods combined with stem cells and scaffolds to improve
      biocompatibility are discussed.

PMID- 26497580
TI  - Rapamycin-resistant and torin-sensitive mTOR signaling promotes the survival and
      proliferation of leukemic cells.
AB  - The serine/threonine kinase mTOR is essential for the phosphoinositide 3-kinases
      (PI3K) signaling pathway, and regulates the development and function of immune
      cells. Aberrant activation of mTOR signaling pathway is associated with many
      cancers including leukemia. Here, we report the contributions of mTOR signaling
      to growth of human leukemic cell lines and mouse T-cell acute leukemia (T-ALL)
      cells. Torin, an ATP-competitive mTOR inhibitor, was found to have both cytotoxic
      and cytostatic effects on U-937, THP-1, and RPMI-8226 cells, but not on Jurkat or
      K-562 cells. All cells were relatively resistant to rapamycin even with
      suppressed activity of mTOR complex 1. Growth of T-ALL cells induced by Notch1
      was profoundly affected by torin partially due to increased expression of Bcl2l11
      and Bbc3. Of note, activation of Akt or knockdown of FoxO1 mitigated the effect
      of mTOR inhibition on T-ALL cells. Our data provide insight on the effect of mTOR
      inhibitors on the survival and proliferation of leukemic cells, thus further
      improving our understanding on cell-context-dependent impacts of mTOR signaling.

PMID- 26497581
TI  - Stem cell maintenance by manipulating signaling pathways: past, current and
      future.
AB  - Pluripotent stem cells only exist in a narrow window during early embryonic
      development, whereas multipotent stem cells are abundant throughout embryonic
      development and are retained in various adult tissues and organs. While
      pluripotent stem cell lines have been established from several species, including
      mouse, rat, and human, it is still challenging to establish stable multipotent
      stem cell lines from embryonic or adult tissues. Based on current knowledge, we
      anticipate that by manipulating extrinsic and intrinsic signaling pathways, most
      if not all types of stem cells can be maintained in a long-term culture. In this
      article, we summarize current culture conditions established for the long-term
      maintenance of authentic pluripotent and multipotent stem cells and the signaling
      pathways involved. We also discuss the general principles of stem cell
      maintenance and propose several strategies on the establishment of novel stem
      cell lines through manipulation of signaling pathways.

PMID- 26497582
TI  - The expression and functional roles of microRNAs in stem cell differentiation.
AB  - microRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of cell state transition and retention
      during stem cell proliferation and differentiation by post-transcriptionally
      downregulating hundreds of conserved target genes via seed-pairing in their 3'
      untranslated region. In embryonic and adult stem cells, dozens of miRNAs that
      elaborately control stem cell processes by modulating the transcriptomic context
      therein have been identified. Some miRNAs accelerate the change of cell state
      into progenitor cell lineages-such as myoblast, myeloid or lymphoid progenitors,
      and neuro precursor stem cells-and other miRNAs decelerate the change but induce
      proliferative activity, resulting in cell state retention. This cell state choice
      can be controlled by endogenously or exogenously changing miRNA levels or by
      including or excluding target sites. This control of miRNA-mediated gene
      regulation could improve our understanding of stem cell biology and facilitate
      their development as therapeutic tools.

PMID- 26497584
TI  - Cognitive improvement of compound danshen in an Abeta25-35 peptide-induced rat
      model of Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Senile dementia mainly includes Alzheimer' s disease (AD) and
      vascular dementia (VD). AD is a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative
      disorder that is accompanied with a great deal of social burden. The aim of this
      study was to investigate the effect of Compound Danshen (CDS) on learning and
      memory of alzheimer's disease (AD) rat model, as well as to explore the possible
      connection between CDS and the associated molecules of amyloid beta (Abeta).
      METHODS: Rats were injected with Abeta25-35 peptide intracerebroventricularly and
      CDS were subsequently administered once daily for 23 days. Rats' behavior was
      monitored using Morris water maze and passive avoidance. Real time PCR and
      Western blotting were used in determining amyloid precursor protein (APP), beta
      site APP cleaved enzyme-1(BACE1), Presenilin-1 (PS1), Insulin-degrading enzyme
      (IDE) and neprilysin (NEP) in hippocampus. RESULTS: The AD model group presented
      with spatial learning and memory impairments. CDS and donepezil administration
      significantly ameliorated the Abeta25-35 peptide-induced memory impairment in
      both Morris water maze (P < 0.05) and passive avoidance task (P < 0.01) compared
      to the AD model group. Real time PCR results suggested that CDS significantly
      decreased APP mRNA, PS1 mRNA and increased IDE and NEP mRNA levels. Western
      blotting analyses showed that CDS decreased the protein expression of APP and PS1
      and increased IDE expression. CONCLUSION: CDS improved spatial learning and
      memory by down-regulating APP, PS1 levels and up-regulating IDE. In future, CDS
      may have significant therapeutic potential in the treatment of AD patients.

PMID- 26497586
TI  - School recess, social connectedness and health: a Canadian perspective.
AB  - Children need opportunities to establish positive social connections at school,
      yet many school playgrounds are challenged by social conflict that can undermine
      these connections. When children's social needs go unmet, the resultant feelings
      of loneliness, isolation and self-doubt can cumulatively lead to mental and
      physical illness. Because recess is typically the only time during the school day
      that children are free to socialize and play, we propose a more thoughtful way of
      thinking about it: from the lens of belongingness. Schools are, historically,
      designed for instruction. We argue, however, that we need to attend to children's
      social needs at school. We highlight current research from social neuroscience,
      belonging and social connectedness in order to delineate the pathways between
      daily school recess and developmental health trajectories. We then consolidate an
      array of research on play, social interaction and school change to suggest four
      areas that could benefit from consideration in research, practice and policy: (i)
      the culture of recess, (ii) the importance of healthy role models on the
      playground, (iii) the necessity of activities, options and variety during recess
      and (iv) the significance of space and spatial layout (indoor and outdoor). We
      bridge our discussion with the conception of health as described in the Ottawa
      Charter and emphasize the need to build alliances across sectors to assist
      schools in their efforts to support children's overall health needs.

PMID- 26497585
TI  - Canadian academic's call for moratorium on HPV vaccine sparks controversy.

PMID- 26497583
TI  - Small PARP inhibitor PJ-34 induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of adult T
      cell leukemia cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HTLV-I is associated with the development of an aggressive form of
      lymphocytic leukemia known as adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL). A major
      obstacle for effective treatment of ATLL resides in the genetic diversity of
      tumor cells and their ability to acquire resistance to chemotherapy regimens. As
      a result, most patients relapse and current therapeutic approaches still have
      limited long-term survival benefits. Hence, the development of novel approaches
      is greatly needed. METHODS: In this study, we found that a small molecule
      inhibitor of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), PJ-34, is very effective in
      activating S/G2M cell cycle checkpoints, resulting in permanent cell cycle arrest
      and reactivation of p53 transcription functions and caspase-3-dependent apoptosis
      of HTLV-I-transformed and patient-derived ATLL tumor cells. We also found that
      HTLV-I-transformed MT-2 cells are resistant to PJ-34 therapy associated with
      reduced cleaved caspase-3 activation and increased expression of RelA/p65.
      CONCLUSION: Since PJ-34 has been tested in clinical trials for the treatment of
      solid tumors, our results suggest that some ATLL patients may be good candidates
      to benefit from PJ-34 therapy.

PMID- 26497587
TI  - Television food advertising to children in Malta.
AB  - To undertake a cross-sectional survey of the extent and nature of food and
      beverage advertising to children on Maltese national television stations. Seven
      national free-to-air channels were recorded for seven consecutive days in March
      2014 between 07:00 and 22:00 h. Advertisements were coded according to predefined
      categories, with a focus on advertisements aired during 'peak' children's viewing
      times, defined as periods during which more than 25% of children were likely to
      be watching television on any channel. Food and beverage advertisements were
      classified as core (healthy), non-core (unhealthy) or miscellaneous foods. Malta.
      Whole population, with a focus on children. Food and drinks were the most heavily
      advertised product category (26.9% of all advertisements) across all channels.
      The proportion of non-core food/drink advertisements was significantly greater
      during peak compared with non-peak children's viewing times (52 vs 44.6%; p <=
      0.001). A majority of advertisements aimed at children are for non-core foods,
      and are typically shown during family-oriented programmes in the late evening
      rather than being restricted to children's programmes. 'Taste', 'enjoyment' and
      'peer status' were the primary persuasive appeals used in adolescent and child
      focused advertisements. This first content analysis of television advertising in
      Malta suggests that there is scope for the implementation of statutory regulation
      regarding advertising of foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) during times
      when children are likely to watch television, rather than during children's
      programmes only. Ongoing, systematic monitoring is essential for evaluation of
      the effectiveness of regulations designed to reduce children's exposure to HFSS
      food advertising on television.

PMID- 26497588
TI  - Depression symptom and professional mental health service use.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the sharp rise in antidepressant use, the underutilization of
      mental healthcare services for depression remains a concern. We investigated
      factors associated with the underutilization of mental health services for
      potential depression symptoms in the Republic of Korea, using a nationally
      representative sample. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Community Health
      Survey (2011-2012) conducted in the Republic of Korea. Participants comprised
      adults who reported potential depression symptoms during the year prior to the
      study (n = 21,644); information on professional mental healthcare use for their
      symptoms was obtained. The association of demographic, socioeconomic, and health
      related factors with consultation use was analysed via multiple logistic
      regression. Adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals were estimated.
      RESULTS: Among those reporting potential depression symptoms, only 17.4% had
      consulted a medical/mental health professional. Elderly individuals of both
      genders had significantly lower consultation rates compared to middle-aged
      individuals. Unmet healthcare needs and a history of diabetes mellitus were
      associated with lower consultation rates. After stratification by age, elderly
      individuals with the lowest education and income level were significantly less
      likely to seek professional mental health services. Married, separated, or
      divorced men had lower consultation rates compared to unmarried individuals,
      whereas married, separated, or divorced women had higher rates. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results suggest that target strategies for vulnerable groups identified in this
      study--including elderly individuals--need to be established at the community
      level, including strengthening social networks and spreading awareness to reduce
      the social stigma of depression.

PMID- 26497590
TI  - Trap-limited charge recombination in intrinsic perovskite film and meso
      superstructured perovskite solar cells and the passivation effect of the hole
      transport material on trap states.
AB  - Charge recombination dynamics in intrinsic perovskite film and in meso
      superstructured perovskite solar cells have been systematically studied, which
      are found to be mediated by the energetic distribution of intra-gap trap states
      as described by the trap-limited recombination theory. Besides, the passivation
      effect of the hole-transport material on trap states is discussed. 

PMID- 26497589
TI  - Unusual severe cases of type 1 porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome
      virus (PRRSV) infection in conventionally reared pigs in South Korea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes a
      loss of approximately US$ 70 million every year to the South Korean pork
      industry. There are two distinct genotypes: European (type 1) and North American
      (type 2). In South Korea, type 1 and type 2 PRRSV are widely distributed and have
      evolved continuously since the infection was first described. Here, we present
      two field cases of type 1 PRRSV infection with unusually severe pathogenicity.
      CASE PRESENTATION: The first case farm was a two-site production system
      comprising farrow-to-grower and grower-to-finish units and was historically free
      from PRRSV infections. The PRRSV vaccine had not been used in both units. In
      October 2014, pigs in the grower-to-finish unit experienced severe respiratory
      distress with the mortality rate reaching to 22%. Despite antibiotic treatment,
      clinical signs were still noticed in most pigs. The second case farm was also a
      two-site production system, but had two separate farrow-to-grower units (unit A
      and unit B). Historically, type 1 PRRSV was continuously present in unit A, but
      unit B was free from PRRSV. Thus, all grower pigs of unit B were vaccinated
      before being moved to the grower-to-finish unit. In November 2014, severe
      respiratory distress was seen in pigs of the grower-to-finish unit. Significant
      respiratory distress was observed in only the grower herd moved from unit B, and
      the mortality of those pigs was ~50%. However, no disease was shown in the grower
      pigs from unit A. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, the present study is the first
      observation of the cases of infection by highly pathogenic type 1 PRRSV in South
      Korea. The Korean type 1 PRRSV strains have undergone unique evolutionary
      dynamics for the last decade in this country. Although there are known to be
      three clusters of Korean type 1 PRRSV, their pathogenicity could not be
      categorized owing to their high level of genetic diversity. Therefore, further
      studies are needed to demonstrate the novel classification of Korean type 1 PRRSV
      strains according to their virulence factors.

PMID- 26497591
TI  - Bioactive peptide from Pyropia yezoensis and its anti-inflammatory activities.
AB  - Pyropia yezoensis (P. yezoensis) is an important marine algae. Its high protein
      content serves as a good source of biologically active peptides. Potent
      inhibitory effects on the production of inflammatory mediators were observed in a
      bioactive peptide derived from P. yezoensis (peptide from P. yezoensis; PPY1), as
      demonstrated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages. The present
      study showed that peptide concentrations ranging from 250 to 1,000 ng/ml had no
      significant cytotoxicity in the cell viability assay when applied to the RAW
      264.7 cells for 24 h. PPY1 completely inhibited LPS-stimulated nitric oxide (NO)
      release in a dose-dependent manner. Fluorescence intensity, corresponding to
      intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by 10 ng/ml LPS-stimulated
      cells, significantly shifted, indicating that the peptide reduced the level of
      ROS. Furthermore, PPY1 exerted potent inhibitory activity to reduce the release
      of pro-inflammatory cytokines (inducible NO synthase, cyclooxygenase-2,
      interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) in LPS-stimulated macrophages
      in a dose-dependent manner. These results also showed that the anti-inflammatory
      activity of PPY1 was associated with downregulation of extracellular signal
      regulated kinase, protein 38, and c-jun NH2-terminal kinase phosphorylation in
      the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. In conclusion, PPY1 can have a
      significant role as an anti-inflammatory agent, with a potential for use in
      marine products.

PMID- 26497592
TI  - The rs1803274 polymorphism of the BCHE gene is associated with an increased risk
      of coronary in-stent restenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We sought to identify gene polymorphisms that confer susceptibility
      to in-stent restenosis after coronary artery bare-metal stenting in a Central
      European population. METHODS: 160 controls without post-percutaneous coronary
      intervention in-stent restenosis were matched for age, sex, vessel diameter, and
      diabetes to 160 consecutive cases involving in-stent restenosis of the target
      lesion within 12 months. Using real time polymerase chain reaction and melting
      curve analysis, we detected 13 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 11 candidate
      genes - rs1803274 (BCHE gene), rs529038 (ROS1), rs1050450 (GPX1), rs1800849
      (UCP3), rs17216473 (ALOX5AP), rs7412, rs429358 (ApoE), rs2228570 (VDR), rs7041,
      rs4588 (GC), rs1799986 (LRP1) and rs2228671 (LDLR). Multivariable logistic
      regression was used to test for associations. RESULTS: The rs1803274 polymorphism
      of BCHE was significantly associated with in-stent restenosis (OR 1.934; 95 % CI:
      1.181-3.166; p = 0.009). No association was found with the other studied SNPs.
      CONCLUSIONS: The A allele of rs1803274 represents a risk factor for in-stent
      restenosis in Central European patients after percutaneous coronary intervention
      with bare-metal stent implantation.

PMID- 26497593
TI  - Presence of an intracompartmental septum detected by ultrasound is associated
      with the failure of ultrasound-guided steroid injection in de Quervain's
      syndrome.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to find clinical or ultrasound characteristics that
      might predict the failure of conservative treatment in de Quervain's syndrome. A
      total of 42 ultrasound-guided injections have been performed in 41 patients after
      clinical and ultrasound examination. Patients were immobilized for 3 weeks with a
      spica splint cast, and clinically evaluated at 3 and 6 weeks and by phone call at
      the end of the study. Ultrasound showed a septum between the tendons of the first
      comportment in 34% of the wrists. At last follow-up (mean 15.6 months after the
      injection) ten patients (24%) had undergone surgery. When comparing ultrasound
      and clinical characteristics of the operated and non-operated wrists, we found
      that patients with a high baseline visual analogue scale, with all positive
      clinical tests and with a persistent intracompartmental septum, had a
      significantly higher risk of failure following conservative treatment. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: III.

PMID- 26497594
TI  - Transverse soft tissue distraction preceding separation of complex syndactylies.
AB  - Various surgical techniques are described for separation of syndactylies leading
      to good results. However, the use of standard techniques is limited in complex
      syndactylies with extensive bony fusion and tight soft tissues. The aim of this
      study was to assess the outcomes of a two-stage procedure involving progressive
      soft tissue distraction prior to syndactyly release. Between 1996 and 2012 we
      treated 168 complex syndactylies with this technique. The main indications were
      syndactylies in Apert syndrome. The digits were distracted through an external
      fixator at 0.5 mm/day. Distraction of 15-25 mm was achieved. Soft tissue
      distraction provided additional skin, a wider nail matrix and more bone in the
      form of callus. Thus subsequent modelling of the fingertips was improved,
      especially if they were closely fused. This technique facilitates treatment of
      complex cases and improves aesthetic outcome. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic IV.

PMID- 26497595
TI  - Clinical outcomes and molecular typing of heterogenous vancomycin-intermediate
      Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in patients in intensive care units.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus is one of most common pathogens in humans.
      Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) accounts for 64 % of S. aureus bacteremia
      isolated in intensive care units (ICUs), and heteroresistant vancomycin
      intermediates S. aureus (hVISA) is a phenotype of MRSA. However, studies focusing
      on the hVISA impact on critically ill patients are scarce. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective study conducted in a tertiary medical center from January 2009 to
      December 2010. All adult patients in ICUs with MRSA bloodstream infection were
      eligible. A modified population analysis profile and area under the curve method
      was applied to all isolates to confirm hVISA phenotype. Multilocus sequence
      typing (MLST), staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) and the accessory
      gene regulator (agr) typing were performed individually. Clinical outcomes
      including in-hospital mortality, length of stay in intensive care unit and
      hospital after MRSA bacteremia of the patients were also analyzed. RESULTS: A
      total of 48 patients were enrolled and 14 patients were confirmed to have the
      hVISA phenotype. The prevalence of hVISA was 29.2 %. There was no difference in
      the age, sex, comorbidity, Charlson's comorbidity score and previous vancomycin
      therapy between the hVISA and VSSA groups. The hVISA group had a significantly
      higher in-hospital mortality than the VSSA group (13/14 versus 22/34; p = 0.046).
      All of the 14 hVISA patients had an MIC = 2 mg/L by E-test and this represented a
      significant association between high MIC and the development of hVISA (p <
      0.001). MLST analysis showed all the isolates in the hVISA group were ST239,
      while ST239 (14/34; 41.2 %) and ST5 (12/34; 35.3 %) were predominant in the VSSA
      group (p = 0.007). A comparison of the survivor and non-survivor group showed
      that the hVISA phenotype (OR 11.8; 95 % CI 1.1-126.99; p = 0.042) and sequential
      organ failure assessment (SOFA) score (OR 1.39; 95 % CI 1.07-1.81; p = 0.014)
      were independent factors significantly associated with in-hospital mortality.
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients in ICUs with MRSA bacteremia may have a higher in-hospital
      mortality if they have the hVISA phenotype. SOFA score is also predictor of
      mortality.

PMID- 26497596
TI  - Multi-level engineering facilitates the production of phenylpropanoid compounds
      in tomato.
AB  - Phenylpropanoids comprise an important class of plant secondary metabolites. A
      number of transcription factors have been used to upregulate-specific branches of
      phenylpropanoid metabolism, but by far the most effective has been the fruit
      specific expression of AtMYB12 in tomato, which resulted in as much as 10% of
      fruit dry weight accumulating as flavonols and hydroxycinnamates. We show that
      AtMYB12 not only increases the demand of flavonoid biosynthesis but also
      increases the supply of carbon from primary metabolism, energy and reducing
      power, which may fuel the shikimate and phenylalanine biosynthetic pathways to
      supply more aromatic amino acids for secondary metabolism. AtMYB12 directly binds
      promoters of genes encoding enzymes of primary metabolism. The enhanced supply of
      precursors, energy and reducing power achieved by AtMYB12 expression can be
      harnessed to engineer high levels of novel phenylpropanoids in tomato fruit,
      offering an effective production system for bioactives and other high value
      ingredients. 

PMID- 26497597
TI  - Comparison of patients in three different rehabilitation settings after knee or
      hip arthroplasty: a natural observational, prospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients after primary hip or knee replacement surgery can benefit
      from postoperative treatment in terms of improvement of independence in
      ambulation, transfers, range of motion and muscle strength. After discharge from
      hospital, patients are referred to different treatment destination and
      modalities: intensive inpatient rehabilitation (IR), cure (medically prescribed
      stay at a convalescence center), or ambulatory treatment (AT) at home. The
      purpose of this study was to 1) measure functional health (primary outcome) and
      function relevant factors in patients with hip or knee arthroplasty and to
      compare them in relation to three postoperative management strategies: AT, Cure
      and IR and 2) compare the post-operative changes in patient's health status
      (between preoperative and the 6 month follow-up) for three rehabilitation
      settings. METHODS: Natural observational, prospective two-center study with
      follow-up. Sociodemographic data and functional mobility tests, Timed Up and Go
      (TUG) and Iowa Level of Assistance Scale (ILOAS) of 201 patients were analysed
      before arthroplasty and at the end of acute hospital stay (mean duration of stay:
      9.7 days +/- 3.9). Changes in health state were measured with the Western Ontario
      and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) before and 6 months after
      arthroplasty. RESULTS: Compared to patients referred for IR and Cure, patients
      referred for AT were significantly younger and less comorbid. Patients admitted
      to IR had the highest functional disability before arthroplasty. Before
      rehabilitation, mean TUG was 40.0 s in the IR group, 33.9 s in the Cure group,
      and 27.5 s in the AT group, and corresponding mean ILOAS was 16.0, 13.0 and 12.2
      (50.0 = worst). At the 6 months follow-up, the corresponding effect sizes of the
      WOMAC global score were 1.32, 1.87, and 1.51 (>0 means improvement). CONCLUSIONS:
      Age, comorbidity and functional disability are associated with referral for
      intensive inpatient rehabilitation after hip or knee arthroplasty and partly
      affect health changes after rehabilitation.

PMID- 26497598
TI  - Regional roadmaps for reducing premature deaths from NCDs.

PMID- 26497599
TI  - Regional contributions of six preventable risk factors to achieving the 25 * 25
      non-communicable disease mortality reduction target: a modelling study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Countries have agreed to reduce premature mortality from the four
      main non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by 25% from 2010 levels by 2025 (referred
      to as the 25 * 25 target). Countries also agreed on a set of global voluntary
      targets for selected NCD risk factors. Previous analyses have shown that
      achieving the risk factor targets can contribute substantially towards meeting
      the 25 * 25 mortality target at the global level. We estimated the contribution
      of achieving six of the globally agreed risk factor targets towards meeting the
      25 * 25 mortality target by region. METHODS: We estimated the effect of achieving
      the targets for six risk factors (tobacco and alcohol use, salt intake, obesity,
      and raised blood pressure and glucose) on NCD mortality between 2010 and 2025.
      Our methods accounted for multicausality of NCDs and for the fact that, when risk
      factor exposure increases or decreases, the harmful or beneficial effects on NCDs
      accumulate gradually. We used data for risk factor and mortality trends from
      systematic analyses of available country data. Relative risks for the effects of
      individual and multiple risks, and for change in risk after decreases or
      increases in exposure, were from reanalyses and meta-analyses of epidemiological
      studies. FINDINGS: The probability of dying between the ages 30 years and 70
      years from the four main NCDs in 2010 ranged from 19% in the region of the
      Americas to 29% in southeast Asia for men, and from 13% in Europe to 21% in
      southeast Asia for women. If current trends continue, the probability of dying
      prematurely from the four main NCDs is projected to increase in the African
      region but decrease in the other five regions. If the risk factor targets are
      achieved, the 25 * 25 target will be surpassed in Europe in both men and women,
      and will be achieved in women (and almost achieved in men) in the western
      Pacific; the regions of the Americas, the eastern Mediterranean, and southeast
      Asia will approach the target; and the rising trend in Africa will be reversed.
      In most regions, a more ambitious approach to tobacco control (50% reduction
      relative to 2010 instead of the agreed 30%) will contribute the most to reducing
      premature NCD mortality among men, followed by addressing raised blood pressure
      and the agreed tobacco target. For women, the highest contributing risk factor
      towards the premature NCD mortality target will be raised blood pressure in every
      region except Europe and the Americas, where the ambitious (but not agreed)
      tobacco reduction would have the largest benefit. INTERPRETATION: No WHO region
      will meet the 25 * 25 premature mortality target if current mortality trends
      continue. Achieving the agreed targets for the six risk factors will allow some
      regions to meet the 25 * 25 target and others to approach it. Meeting the 25 * 25
      target in Africa needs other interventions, including those addressing infection
      related cancers and cardiovascular disease. FUNDING: UK Medical Research Council.

PMID- 26497600
TI  - SERPINB12 Is a Slow-Binding Inhibitor of Granzyme A and Hepsin.
AB  - The clade B/intracellular serpins protect cells from peptidase-mediated injury by
      forming covalent complexes with their targets. SERPINB12 is expressed in most
      tissues, especially at cellular interfaces with the external environment. This
      wide tissue distribution pattern is similar to that of granzyme A (GZMA). Because
      SERPINB12 inhibits trypsin-like serine peptidases, we determined whether it might
      also neutralize GZMA. SERPINB12 formed a covalent complex with GZMA and inhibited
      the enzyme with typical serpin slow-binding kinetics. SERPINB12 also inhibited
      Hepsin. SERPINB12 may function as an endogenous inhibitor of these peptidases. 

PMID- 26497601
TI  - Mitochondrial COI/tRNASer(UCN) G7444A mutation may be associated with
      aminoglycoside-induced and non-syndromic hearing impairment.
AB  - Mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been reported to have important roles
      in aminoglycoside-induced hearing impairment; however, the underlying molecular
      mechanisms have remained largely elusive. The current study presented a case of a
      Chinese patient with maternally inherited aminoglycoside-induced hearing
      impairment. A profound hearing impairment was identified by clinical evaluation;
      furthermore, analysis of the mitochondrial genome sequence of the patient
      revealed the presence of an A1555G mutation in the 12S rRNA as well as a G7444A
      mutation in the COI/tRNASer(UCN) gene. As the G7444A mutation is highly conserved
      between various species, it may be a modifying factor with regard to the
      pathological effects of the A1555G mutation. 

PMID- 26497602
TI  - Evidence, illness, and causation: an epidemiological perspective on the Russo
      Williamson Thesis.
AB  - According to the Russo-Williamson Thesis, causal claims in the health sciences
      need to be supported by both difference-making and mechanistic evidence. In this
      article, we attempt to determine whether Evidence-based Medicine (EBM) can be
      improved through the consideration of mechanistic evidence. We discuss the
      practical composition and function of each RWT evidence type and propose that
      exposure-outcome evidence (previously known as difference-making evidence)
      provides associations that can be explained through a hypothesis of causation,
      while mechanistic evidence provides finer-grained associations and knowledge of
      entities that ultimately explains a causal hypothesis. We suggest that
      mechanistic evidence holds untapped potential to add value to the assessment of
      evidence quality in EBM and propose initial recommendations for the integration
      of mechanistic and exposure-outcome evidence to improve EBM by robustly
      leveraging available evidence in support of good medical decisions. 

PMID- 26497603
TI  - The regularity theory of mechanistic constitution and a methodology for
      constitutive inference.
AB  - This paper discusses a Boolean method for establishing constitutive regularity
      statements which, according to the regularity theory of mechanistic constitution,
      form the core of any mechanistic explanation in neuroscience. After presenting
      the regularity definition for the constitution relation, the paper develops a set
      of inference rules allowing one to establish constitutive hypotheses in light of
      certain kinds of empirical evidence. The general methodology consisting of these
      rules is characterized as having formed the basis of many successful explanatory
      projects in neuroscience. 

PMID- 26497604
TI  - A specific immunoassay for proAMH, the uncleaved proprotein precursor of anti
      Mullerian hormone.
AB  - The utility of serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) assays in assessment of female
      fertility have been investigated extensively but little is known about the
      biological activity of the hormone being studied. ProAMH is the proprotein
      precursor and is incapable of binding to the AMH-specific type II receptor.
      Proteolytic cleavage generates receptor-competent AMHN,C which is a non-covalent
      complex of the N- and C-terminal cleavage fragments. Commercially available AMH
      assays do not differentiate the two forms of AMH. Techniques were developed to
      dissociate the AMHN,C complex and abolish its two-site immunoassay
      immunoreactivity. This allowed specific quantification of proAMH. The surfactant
      sodium deoxycholate (DOC) dissociated AMHN,C without disrupting binding of proAMH
      to the capture-antibody with an optimal concentration of 0.1-0.2%w/v. The
      incorporation of a DOC incubation step into the AMH Gen II ELISA detected proAMH,
      with AMHN,C cross-detection conservatively estimated at 6.0% +/- 2.5% (mean +/-
      S.D.). The intra-assay and inter-assay variability were estimated at 8.0%CV and
      13.0%CV respectively. The levels of proAMH and total AMH were assessed in 5 boys
      and 5 men and the proportion of proAMH was found to be significantly higher in
      boys (p = 0.005). This study will facilitate further investigation of the role of
      proteolytic cleavage in AMH signalling.

PMID- 26497605
TI  - Reproducibility of ambulatory blood pressure values and circadian blood pressure
      patterns in untreated subjects in a 1-11 month interval.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate in untreated subjects the reproducibility of mean values
      and four circadian patterns between two ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
      (ABPM) recordings separated by 1-11 months. METHODS: We performed a retrospective
      analysis of 481 individuals (59% women) evaluated by ABPM on two occasions, visit
      1 (V1) and 2 (V2), separated by 5.5+0.2 months. Four circadian patterns were
      defined by night/day systolic blood pressure (SBP) ratios: reverse dippers (RD),
      ratio >1.0; non-dippers (ND), ratio 0.9-1.0; dippers (D), ratio 0.8-<0.9; and
      extreme dippers (ED), ratio <0.8. Coefficients of correlation and concordance
      between the ABPM values at V1 and V2 and the reproducibility of the RD, ND, D and
      ED patterns were calculated by the percentage of the same profile from V1 to V2.
      RESULTS: Mean 24-h blood pressure (BP) at V1 and V2 was 126.8/75.9+/-0.5/0.5 vs.
      126.5/75.7+/-0.5/0.4 mmHg (NS). Nighttime SBP fall was 9.8+/-0.4 (V1) and 9.6+/
      0.3% (V2) (NS). The correlation coefficient of ABPM data at V1 vs. at V2 was 0.41
      0.69 (p<0.001) and the concordance coefficient was 0.34-0.57 (p<0.01). At V1, 38
      subjects were classified as ED (7.9%); D, n=216 (44.9%), 187 as ND (38.9%) and 40
      as RD (8.3%). At V2 only 26.3% of ED, 44.9% of D, 54.5% of ND and 40% of RD
      maintained the same profile as at V1. CONCLUSION: In untreated subjects ABPM has
      high reproducibility for mean values but only modest reproducibility for
      circadian profiles, thereby challenging the prognostic value of BP dipping
      patterns.

PMID- 26497606
TI  - Cardiogenic shock induced by Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: A new therapeutic option.
AB  - Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) is characterized by the sudden onset of reversible
      left ventricular dysfunction, with a presentation similar to that of an acute
      coronary syndrome. Although cardiogenic shock is a rare occurrence in TC, if it
      does occur it may require the use of a left ventricular assist device. We report
      the use of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) in a patient with TC and refractory
      cardiogenic shock. With ECLS it was possible to reduce inotropic support, and a
      normal left ventricular ejection fraction was documented by echocardiography on
      day 2. This is, to our knowledge, the first reported case of TC with refractory
      cardiogenic shock treated with ECLS in Portugal. 

PMID- 26497607
TI  - Do persons with asymmetric hip pain or radiographic hip OA have worse pain and
      structure outcomes in the knee opposite the more affected hip? Data from the
      Osteoarthritis Initiative.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine if asymmetry between hips in pain or radiographic
      osteoarthritis (RHOA) is associated with worse pain and joint space narrowing
      (JSN) at baseline and longitudinally in knees contralateral to more affected
      hips. METHODS: We studied 279 participants in the Osteoarthritis Initiative with
      baseline asymmetry between hips in pain and 483 with asymmetry in RHOA none of
      whom had a hip replacement for >=4 years after baseline. RHOA assessed from
      pelvis radiographs was categorized as none, possible or definite and hip pain on
      most days of a month in the past year as present/absent. Knee pain (WOMAC scale)
      and JSN (fixed flexion radiographs) were categorized as none, mild and moderate
      severe. We compared knees contralateral and ipsilateral to more affected hips on
      baseline knee pain and JSN using clustered multinomial regression and on change
      in knee pain and JSN over 4-5 years using generalized linear and logistic
      estimating equations. RESULTS: Knees contralateral to painful hips had less
      baseline pain ("moderate-severe" vs "none", relative risk ratio [RRR]: 0.39, 95%
      CI = 0.27-0.57), but greater baseline JSN ("moderate-severe" vs "none", RRR:
      1.62, 95% CI = 1.09-2.38) and greater worsening of pain during follow-up (P =
      0.001). Knees contralateral to hips with worse RHOA had nonsignificant trends for
      greater baseline JSN (P = 0.10) and JSN progression (P = 0.17). CONCLUSION: These
      findings provide limited support for the hypothesis that early asymmetry in hip
      pain and RHOA is associated with worse pain and structural outcomes in knees
      contralateral to the more affected hip.

PMID- 26497608
TI  - Detecting new microRNAs in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes identifies miR-3085
      as a human, chondrocyte-selective, microRNA.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To use deep sequencing to identify novel microRNAs (miRNAs) in human
      osteoarthritic cartilage which have a functional role in chondrocyte phenotype or
      function. DESIGN: A small RNA library was prepared from human osteoarthritic
      primary chondrocytes using in-house adaptors and analysed by Illumina sequencing.
      Novel candidate miRNAs were validated by northern blot and qRT-PCR. Expression
      was measured in cartilage models. Targets of novel candidates were identified by
      microarray and computational analysis, validated using 3'-UTR-luciferase reporter
      plasmids. Protein levels were assessed by western blot and functional analysis by
      cell adhesion. RESULTS: We identified 990 known miRNAs and 1621 potential novel
      miRNAs in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes, 60 of the latter were expressed in
      all samples assayed. MicroRNA-140-3p was the most highly expressed microRNA in
      osteoarthritic cartilage. Sixteen novel candidate miRNAs were analysed further,
      of which six remained after northern blot analysis. Three novel miRNAs were
      regulated across models of chondrogenesis, chondrocyte differentiation or
      cartilage injury. One sequence (novel #11), annotated in rodents as microRNA-3085
      3p, was preferentially expressed in cartilage, dependent on chondrocyte
      differentiation and, in man, is located in an intron of the cartilage-expressed
      gene CRTAC-1. This microRNA was shown to target the ITGA5 gene directly (which
      encodes integrin alpha5) and inhibited adhesion to fibronectin (dependent on
      alpha5beta1 integrin). CONCLUSION: Deep sequencing has uncovered many potential
      microRNA candidates expressed in human cartilage. At least three of these show
      potential functional interest in cartilage homeostasis and osteoarthritis (OA).
      Particularly, novel #11 (microRNA-3085-3p) which has been identified for the
      first time in man.

PMID- 26497609
TI  - Measures of hip morphology are related to development of worsening radiographic
      hip osteoarthritis over 6 to 13 year follow-up: the Johnston County
      Osteoarthritis Project.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We sought to describe the effect of alterations in hip morphology
      with respect to worsening hip OA in a community-based sample including African
      American (AA) and white men and women. METHODS: This nested case-control study
      defined case hips as Kellgren Lawrence grade (KLG) <3 on baseline supine pelvis
      radiographs and KLG >=3 or THR for OA at the 1st or 2nd follow-up visit (mean 6
      and 13 years, respectively); control hips had KLG <3 at both visits, with
      gender/race distribution similar to cases. Hip morphology was assessed using
      HipMorf software (Oxford, UK). Descriptive means and standard errors were
      obtained from generalized estimating equation (GEE) models. Sex-stratified GEE
      regression models (accounting for within-person correlation), adjusted for age,
      race, BMI, and side were then employed. RESULTS: A total of 120 individuals (239
      hips; 71 case/168 control) were included (25% male, 26% AA, mean age 62 years,
      BMI 30 kg/m(2)). Case hips tended to have greater baseline AP alpha angles,
      smaller minimum joint space width (mJSW) and more frequent triangular index
      signs. Adjusted results among men revealed that higher AP alpha angle, Gosvig
      ratio, and acetabular index were positively associated with case hips; coxa
      profunda was negatively associated. Among women, greater AP alpha angle, smaller
      mJSW, protrusio acetabuli, and triangular index sign were associated with case
      hips. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed an increased risk of worsening hip OA due to
      baseline features of cam deformity among men and women, as well as protrusio
      acetabuli among women, and provide the first estimates of these measures in AAs.

PMID- 26497610
TI  - Comparisons of Contraceptive Use between Rural and Urban Teens.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to determine if barriers in rural
      areas might decrease an adolescent's likelihood of obtaining effective
      contraception. Previous studies have reported mixed results in comparisons of
      rural and urban contraception use. DESIGN: Electronic survey. SETTING: Midwestern
      Public University. PARTICIPANTS: Undergraduate and graduate women. INTERVENTIONS:
      Questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants retrospectively recalled their
      contraceptive use and barriers to contraceptive use between the 9th and 12th
      grades. RESULTS: A Barriers to Contraception Use Scale was created using
      exploratory factor analysis and yielded 31 questions with 1 underlying factor:
      barriers. Participants were identified as rural or urban using the Office of
      Management and Budget (OMB) definition and the participant's self-identification.
      Overall, rural participants endorsed more barriers to accessing contraceptives
      than urban participants using the OMB definition (chi(2) (2; n = 388) = 2.04; P <
      .05), and self-identification (chi(2) (2; n = 398) = 2.37; P < .05). However, no
      differences were found in contraception use according to the OMB definition, t
      (380) = -1.90; P = .06, or self-identification, t (380) = -2.11; P > .05. The
      Barriers to Contraception Use Scale total score predicted whether an individual
      would have a prescription for contraceptives 70.5% of the time compared to the
      base rate of 54.1%. CONCLUSION: Although no rural-urban differences in actual
      contraception use were found, rural participants reported more barriers to
      accessing contraception, and those who endorsed more barriers were less likely to
      obtain contraceptives while in high school. Pregnancy prevention programs should
      thus take these barriers into account when developing future interventions.

PMID- 26497611
TI  - [Associations of the work duration, sleep duration and number of holidays with an
      exaggerated blood pressure response during an exercise stress test among
      workers].
AB  - AIM: It has been reported that an exaggerated systolic blood pressure (ESBP)
      response during exercise, even if resting blood pressure is normal, is associated
      with an increased risk of future hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
      This study was designed to investigate the relationships of work duration, sleep
      duration and number of holidays with blood pressure response during an exercise
      stress test among normotensive workers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The subjects were
      362 normotensive workers (79 males and 283 females; age, 49.1 years). A multi
      stage graded submaximal exercise stress test was performed on each subject using
      an electric bicycle ergometer. The workload was increased every 3 minutes, and
      blood pressure was measured at rest and during the last 1 minute of each stage.
      In this study, an ESBP response during exercise was defined according to the
      criteria of the Framingham Study (peak systolic blood pressure >=210 mmHg in
      males, or >=190 mmHg in females). Working environments, work duration, sleep
      duration, number of holidays, and physical activity during commuting and work,
      and leisure time exercise duration were evaluated using a questionnaire. RESULTS:
      An ESBP response during exercise was observed in 94 (26.0%) workers. The adjusted
      odds ratio for the prevalence of an ESBP response during exercise was found to be
      significantly higher with an increase in work duration, decreases in sleep
      duration and number of holidays (p<0.05, respectively). Moreover, the highest
      work duration with lowest sleep duration and number of holidays groups had
      significantly higher adjusted odds ratio for the prevalence of an ESBP response
      during exercise than the lowest work duration with highest sleep duration and
      number of holidays groups (p<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Based on our
      results, we consider that the assessment of blood pressure response during
      exercise and daily life are necessary to prevent the incidence of future
      hypertension, CVD and death due to overwork in workers with long-work duration,
      short sleep duration and small number of holidays.

PMID- 26497613
TI  - Should we treat heart failure with phosphatase inhibitors? Better to start at the
      end.

PMID- 26497612
TI  - A Highly Similar Mathematical Model for Cerebral Blood Flow Velocity in Geriatric
      Patients with Suspected Cerebrovascular Disease.
AB  - Cerebral blood flow velocity(CBFV) is an important parameter for study of
      cerebral hemodynamics. However, a simple and highly similar mathematical model
      has not yet been established for analyzing CBFV. To alleviate this issue, through
      TCD examination in 100 geriatric patients with suspected cerebrovascular disease
      (46 males and 54 females), we established a representative eighth-order Fourier
      function Vx(t) that simulates the CBFV. The measured TCD waveforms were compared
      to those derived from Vx(t), an illustrative Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was employed
      to determine the validity. The results showed that the TCD waves could been
      reconstructed for patients with different CBFVs by implementing their variable
      heart rates and the formulated maximum/minimum of Vx(t). Comparisons between
      derived and measured TCD waveforms suggest that the two waveforms are very
      similar. The results confirm that CBFV can be well-modeled through an eighth
      order Fourier function. This function Vx(t) can be used extensively for a
      prospective study of cerebral hemodynamics in geriatric patients with suspected
      cerebrovascular disease. 

PMID- 26497615
TI  - Biocompatible microemulsions of a model NSAID for skin delivery: A decisive role
      of surfactants in skin penetration/irritation profiles and pharmacokinetic
      performance.
AB  - To elaborate the decisive role of surfactants in promotion of aceclofenac' skin
      absorption, potentially avoiding irritation, we developed non-ionic
      microemulsions varying natural or synthetic surfactants: sucrose esters (laurate
      or myristate) vs. polysorbate 80. A comprehensive physicochemical
      characterization indicated no significant influence of the solubilized
      nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug on the bicontinuous structure of blank
      formulations. To evaluate skin tolerability of isopropyl alcohol, a sucrose ester
      based microemulsion containing transcutol P as a cosurfactant was also developed.
      The measured skin parameters strongly depended on the (co)surfactant type,
      showing higher compatibility of the microemulsions containing sucrose ester and
      isopropyl alcohol. In vitro release results, in vivo tape stripping and
      pharmacokinetics in rats confirmed superiority of the sucrose ester- over
      polysorbate-based microemulsions (total amounts of aceclofenac penetrated 60.81+/
      5.97 and 60.86+/-3.67 vs. 27.00+/-5.09MUg/cm(2), and its maximum plasma
      concentrations 275.57+/-109.49 and 281.31+/-76.76 vs. 150.23+/-69.74ng/ml for
      sucrose laurate- and myristate- vs. polysorbate 80-based microemulsions,
      respectively). Hence, sugar-based excipients increased delivery of aceclofenac
      through stratum corneum by increasing its fluidity, showing overall more
      satisfying safety profiles. In conclusion, sucrose ester-based microemulsions
      proved to be promising carriers for dermal/transdermal aceclofenac delivery.

PMID- 26497614
TI  - A critical role of cardiac fibroblast-derived exosomes in activating renin
      angiotensin system in cardiomyocytes.
AB  - Chronic activation of the myocardial renin angiotensin system (RAS) elevates the
      local level of angiotensin II (Ang II) thereby inducing pathological cardiac
      hypertrophy, which contributes to heart failure. However, the precise underlying
      mechanisms have not been fully delineated. Herein we report a novel paracrine
      mechanism between cardiac fibroblasts (CF)s and cardiomyocytes whereby Ang II
      induces pathological cardiac hypertrophy. In cultured CFs, Ang II treatment
      enhanced exosome release via the activation of Ang II receptor types 1 (AT1R) and
      2 (AT2R), whereas lipopolysaccharide, insulin, endothelin (ET)-1, transforming
      growth factor beta (TGFbeta)1 or hydrogen peroxide did not. The CF-derived
      exosomes upregulated the expression of renin, angiotensinogen, AT1R, and AT2R,
      downregulated angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, and enhanced Ang II production in
      cultured cardiomyocytes. In addition, the CF exosome-induced cardiomyocyte
      hypertrophy was blocked by both AT1R and AT2R antagonists. Exosome inhibitors,
      GW4869 and dimethyl amiloride (DMA), inhibited CF-induced cardiomyocyte
      hypertrophy with little effect on Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.
      Mechanistically, CF exosomes upregulated RAS in cardiomyocytes via the activation
      of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and Akt. Finally, Ang II-induced
      exosome release from cardiac fibroblasts and pathological cardiac hypertrophy
      were dramatically inhibited by GW4869 and DMA in mice. These findings demonstrate
      that Ang II stimulates CFs to release exosomes, which in turn increase Ang II
      production and its receptor expression in cardiomyocytes, thereby intensifying
      Ang II-induced pathological cardiac hypertrophy. Accordingly, specific targeting
      of Ang II-induced exosome release from CFs may serve as a novel therapeutic
      approach to treat cardiac pathological hypertrophy and heart failure. 

PMID- 26497616
TI  - Two years' experience of implementing molecular screening of hepatitis B virus,
      hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus 1, 2 in Riyadh blood donors.
AB  - Molecular screening technologies have improved blood safety by reducing the
      number of window-period transmissions relative to serological screening. In the
      two years following the introduction of molecular testing in King Khalid
      University Hospital, Saudi Arabia, 25,920 donor samples were screened in parallel
      by both serological and molecular techniques for hepatitis B virus (HBV),
      hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). No HCV or HIV NAT
      yields were detected. However, molecular screening enabled the interdiction of
      two confirmed HBV NAT yields. This is only the second report of confirmed HBV NAT
      yield in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and amongst the few reports in the wider
      Middle East and North Africa region. 

PMID- 26497617
TI  - Malingering Imposed on Another: A Diagnosis That is Missing in Action?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Descriptions of malingering imposed on another, in which an
      individual induces or exaggerates symptoms in another for secondary gain
      (including financial benefit or access to medications), are remarkably scant in
      the current literature. We summarize reported cases of malingering imposed on
      another in order to underscore its relevance to practicing physicians. OBJECTIVE:
      We sought to review the available literature describing the creation or
      exaggeration of symptoms of illness, motivated by secondary gain, in another
      vulnerable individual. METHOD: A search of the literature using PubMed was
      undertaken searching the terms "malingering," "by proxy," and "imposed on
      another." RESULTS: Malingering imposed on another may be under-reported in the
      professional literature. Maintaining awareness that caregivers may misrepresent
      or embellish the symptoms of the identified patient for their own gain is an
      important consideration to forestall unnecessary testing, hospital admission, and
      exposure to adverse effects of treatments.

PMID- 26497619
TI  - Human Movement Science adopts Registered Reports for hypothesis-driven research.

PMID- 26497620
TI  - A simple optimization approach for improving target dose homogeneity in intensity
      modulated radiotherapy for sinonasal cancer.
AB  - Homogeneous target dose distribution in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)
      for sinonasal cancer (SNC) is challenging to achieve. To solve this problem, we
      established and evaluated a basal-dose-compensation (BDC) optimization approach,
      in which the treatment plan is further optimized based on the initial plans.
      Generally acceptable initial IMRT plans for thirteen patients were created and
      further optimized individually by (1) the BDC approach and (2) a local-dose
      control (LDC) approach, in which the initial plan is further optimized by
      addressing hot and cold spots. We compared the plan qualities, total planning
      time and monitor units (MUs) among the initial, BDC, LDC IMRT plans and
      volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans. The BDC approach provided
      significantly superior dose homogeneity/conformity by 23%-48%/6%-9% compared with
      both the initial and LDC IMRT plans, as well as reduced doses to the organs at
      risk (OARs) by up to 18%, with acceptable MU numbers. Compared with VMAT, BDC
      IMRT yielded superior homogeneity, inferior conformity and comparable overall OAR
      sparing. The planning of BDC, LDC IMRT and VMAT required 30, 59 and 58 minutes on
      average, respectively. Our results indicated that the BDC optimization approach
      can achieve significantly better dose distributions with shorter planning time in
      the IMRT for SNC.

PMID- 26497618
TI  - Matrine inhibits the proliferation, invasion and migration of castration
      resistant prostate cancer cells through regulation of the NF-kappaB signaling
      pathway.
AB  - Matrine is a naturally occurring alkaloid extracted from the Chinese herb Sophora
      flavescens. It has been demonstrated to exhibit antiproliferative properties,
      promote apoptosis and inhibit cell invasion in a number of cancer cell lines. It
      has also been shown to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy when it is combined
      with other chemotherapy drugs. However, the therapeutic efficacy of matrine for
      prostate cancer remains poorly understood. In the present study, we showed that
      matrine inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of both DU145 and PC
      3 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. It also reduced the cell population
      at S phase and increased the cell population at sub-G1 phase. The increases in
      both the apoptotic cell population and cell population at S and sub-G1 phases
      consistently indicated a pro-apoptotic effect of matrine. Decreases in levels of
      P65, p-P65, IKKalpha/beta, p-IKKalpha/beta, IKBalpha and p-IKBalpha as detected
      by immunoblot analysis in the matrine-treated DU145 and PC-3 cells suggested an
      involvement of the NF-kappaB signaling pathway. Therefore, it is a novel
      promising addition to the current arsenal of chemotherapy drugs for the treatment
      of androgen-independent prostate cancer.

PMID- 26497621
TI  - Pathogen Resistance Mediated by IL-22 Signaling at the Epithelial-Microbiota
      Interface.
AB  - Intestinal colonization resistance to bacterial pathogens is generally
      associated, among other factors, with mucosal homeostasis that preserves the
      integrity of the intestinal barrier. Mucosal homeostasis depends on physical and
      molecular interactions between three components: the resident microbiota, the
      epithelial layer and the local immune system. The cytokine IL-22 helps to
      orchestrate this three-way interaction. IL-22 is produced by immune cells present
      beneath the epithelium and is induced by bacteria present in the intestine. IL-22
      stimulates the epithelial cells via the IL-22RA1-IL-10R2 receptor complex
      inducing changes in the expression of genes involved in the maintenance of
      epithelial barrier integrity, with a variety of functions in pathogen resistance
      such as mucus layer modifications and hydration, tight junction fortification and
      the production of a broad range of bactericidal compounds. These mechanisms of
      pathogen resistance, in turn, affect the microbiota composition and create an
      environment that excludes pathogens. Here we highlight the role of IL-22 as key
      mediator in the give-and-take relationship between the microbiota and the host
      that impacts pathogen resistance. 

PMID- 26497622
TI  - Nature-Inspired Multifunctional Ligands: Focusing on Amyloid-Based Molecular
      Mechanisms of Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - The amyloidogenic pathway is a prominent feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
      However, growing evidence suggests that a linear disease model based on beta
      amyloid peptide (Abeta) alone is not likely to be realistic, which therefore
      calls for further investigations on the other actors involved in the play. The
      pro-oxidant environment induced by Abeta in AD pathology is well established, and
      a correlation among Abeta, oxidative stress, and conformational changes in p53
      has been suggested. In this study, we applied a multifunctional approach to
      identify allyl thioesters of variously substituted trans-cinnamic acids for which
      the pharmacological profile was strategically tuned by hydroxy substituents on
      the aromatic moiety. Indeed, only catechol derivative 3 [(S)-allyl (E)-3-(3,4
      dihydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enethioate] inhibited Abeta fibrilization. Conversely,
      albeit to different extents, all compounds were able to decrease the formation of
      reactive oxygen species in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and to prevent alterations
      in the conformation of p53 and its activity mediated by soluble sub-lethal
      concentrations of Abeta. This may support an involvement of oxidative stress in
      Abeta function, with p53 emerging as a potential mediator of their functional
      interplay.

PMID- 26497623
TI  - Impaired hippocampal activity at the goal zone on the place preference task in a
      DISC1 mouse model.
AB  - Learning deficit is a clinical feature of many mental disorders and is
      hypothesized to result from an inability to integrate information in neural
      systems. We showed that transgenic mice expressing a dominant-negative form of
      DISC1, a risk gene for neuropsychiatric disorders, exhibited impaired performance
      in a reward-place association task when combined with a mild isolation stress.
      CA1 cells in the mutant mice showed normal place cell properties, but their
      activity at the goal zone was diminished. This abnormality in hippocampal
      activity at the goal zone during the task may underlie the learning deficit
      observed in the DISC1 mutant mice. 

PMID- 26497625
TI  - Controlled release of fibrin matrix-conjugated platelet derived growth factor
      improves ischemic tissue regeneration by functional angiogenesis.
AB  - Sustained, local, low dose growth factor stimulus of target tissues/cells is
      believed to be of imminent importance in tissue regeneration and engineering.
      Recently, a technology was developed to bind growth factors to a fibrin matrix
      using the transglutaminase (TG) activity of factor XIIIa, thus allowing prolonged
      release through enzymatic cleavage. In this study we aimed to determine whether
      TG-PDGF.AB in fibrin could improve tissue regeneration in a standard ischemic
      flap model. In vitro determination of binding and release kinetics of TG-PDGF.AB
      allowed proof of concept of the developed binding technology. A single spray
      application of TG-PDGF.AB in fibrin matrix at a concentration of 10 and 100ng/ml
      significantly reduced ischemia-induced flap tissue necrosis in vivo on day 7
      after ischemic impact compared to controls. TG-PDGF.AB at a concentration of
      100ng/ml fibrin induced distinct angiogenesis as reflected by significantly
      improved tissue perfusion assessed by laser Doppler imaging as well as enhanced
      von Willebrand factor (vWF) protein expression determined by immunohistochemical
      means. In addition, significantly more mature microvessels were observed with
      100ng/ml TG-PDGF.AB in fibrin compared to control and vehicle groups as evidenced
      by an improved smooth muscle actin (sma)/vWF protein ratio. In conclusion,
      PDGF.AB in a conjugated fibrin matrix effectively reduced ischemia-induced tissue
      necrosis, increased tissue perfusion and induced the growth of a mature and
      functional neovasculature. The sealing properties of the fibrin matrix in
      conjunction with the prolonged growth factor stimulus enabled by the TG-hook
      binding technology may present an innovative and suitable tool in tissue
      regeneration. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: In our experimental study we elucidated
      recombinant platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) as a potential candidate in
      inducing angiogenesis. To avoid preterm growth factor degradation in vivo PDGF.AB
      was covalently linked to a fibrin scaffold using a bi-domain functionalized
      peptide (FXIII substrate site and plasmin cleavage site). This allowed PDGF
      binding to fibrin during spray application to the donor site and subsequent
      prolonged release via endogenous plasmin. This resulted in a mature vascular
      network thus enhancing tissue perfusion and consequently improved clinical
      outcome. With our present work we could certainly provide researchers and
      clinicians with an innovative versatile and reproducible technology not only to
      induce functional vascularity but also to improve attempts in tissue engineering
      in general by e.g. using different growth factors. Hence, we believe that this
      approach studied in the present work may provide a valuable input in an effort to
      drive the aim forward bringing experimental work in tissue engineering to clinic
      by using a clinically well characterized and used fibrin scaffold in combination
      with a human recombinant growth factor (fibrin scaffold linked with the specific
      binding technology).

PMID- 26497624
TI  - Polymer microarray technology for stem cell engineering.
AB  - Stem cells hold remarkable promise for applications in tissue engineering and
      disease modeling. During the past decade, significant progress has been made in
      developing soluble factors (e.g., small molecules and growth factors) to direct
      stem cells into a desired phenotype. However, the current lack of suitable
      synthetic materials to regulate stem cell activity has limited the realization of
      the enormous potential of stem cells. This can be attributed to a large number of
      materials properties (e.g., chemical structures and physical properties of
      materials) that can affect stem cell fate. This makes it challenging to design
      biomaterials to direct stem cell behavior. To address this, polymer microarray
      technology has been developed to rapidly identify materials for a variety of stem
      cell applications. In this article, we summarize recent developments in polymer
      array technology and their applications in stem cell engineering. STATEMENT OF
      SIGNIFICANCE: Stem cells hold remarkable promise for applications in tissue
      engineering and disease modeling. In the last decade, significant progress has
      been made in developing chemically defined media to direct stem cells into a
      desired phenotype. However, the current lack of the suitable synthetic materials
      to regulate stem cell activities has been limiting the realization of the
      potential of stem cells. This can be attributed to the number of variables in
      material properties (e.g., chemical structures and physical properties) that can
      affect stem cells. Polymer microarray technology has shown to be a powerful tool
      to rapidly identify materials for a variety of stem cell applications. Here we
      summarize recent developments in polymer array technology and their applications
      in stem cell engineering.

PMID- 26497626
TI  - Resveratrol prevents alveolar bone loss in an experimental rat model of
      periodontitis.
AB  - Resveratrol is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory polyphenol. Periodontitis is
      induced by oral pathogens, where a systemic inflammatory response accompanied by
      oxidative stress is the major event initiating disease. We investigated how
      resveratrol modulates cellular responses and the mechanisms related to this
      modulation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human gingival fibroblasts
      (hGFs). We also explored whether resveratrol protects rats against alveolar bone
      loss in an experimental periodontitis model. Periodontitis was induced around the
      first upper molar of the rats by applying ligature infused with LPS. Stimulating
      hGFs with 5MUg/ml LPS augmented the expression of cyclooxygenase-2, matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, and Toll-like receptor-4. LPS treatment also
      stimulated the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the
      phosphorylation of several protein kinases in the cells. However, the expression
      of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and nuclear factor-E2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) was
      inhibited by the addition of LPS. Resveratrol treatment almost completely
      inhibited all of these changes in LPS-stimulated cells. Specifically, resveratrol
      alone augmented HO-1 induction via Nrf2-mediated signaling. Histological and
      micro-CT analyses revealed that administration of resveratrol (5mg/kg body
      weight) improved ligature/LPS-mediated alveolar bone loss in rats. Resveratrol
      also attenuated the production of inflammation-related proteins, the formation of
      osteoclasts, and the production of circulating ROS in periodontitis rats.
      Furthermore, resveratrol suppressed LPS-mediated decreases in HO-1 and Nrf2
      levels in the inflamed periodontal tissues. Collectively, our findings suggest
      that resveratrol protects rats from periodontitic tissue damage by inhibiting
      inflammatory responses and by stimulating antioxidant defense systems. STATEMENT
      OF SIGNIFICANCE: The aims of this study were to investigate how resveratrol
      modulates cellular responses and the mechanisms related to this modulation in
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human gingival fibroblasts (hGFs) and
      protects rats against alveolar bone disruption in an experimental periodontitis
      model. Our findings suggest that resveratrol protects rats from periodontitic
      tissue damage by inhibiting inflammatory responses and by stimulating antioxidant
      defense systems. On the basis of our experiment studies, we proposed that
      resveratrol could be used as novel bioactive materials or therapeutic drug for
      the treatment of periodontitis or other inflammatory bone diseases like
      osteoporosis, arthritis etc. Furthermore, it could be also used for the
      modification or coating of implant materials as an antiinflammatory molecules
      which will help to accelerate bone formation. There are a few of reports
      suggesting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials of resveratrol. However,
      our results highlight the cellular mechanisms by which resveratrol inhibits LPS
      mediated cellular damages using human-originated gingival fibroblasts and also
      support the potential of resveratrol to suppress periodontitis-mediated tissue
      damages. We believe that the present findings might improve a clinical approach
      of using of resveratrol on human, although further detailed experiments will be
      needed.

PMID- 26497627
TI  - Rational design of efficient modular cells.
AB  - The modular cell design principle is formulated to devise modular (chassis)
      cells. These cells can be assembled with exchangeable production modules in a
      plug-and-play fashion to build microbial cell factories for efficient
      combinatorial biosynthesis of novel molecules, requiring minimal iterative strain
      optimization steps. A modular cell is designed to be auxotrophic, containing core
      metabolic pathways that are necessary but insufficient to support cell growth and
      maintenance. To be functional, it must tightly couple with an exchangeable
      production module containing auxiliary metabolic pathways that not only
      complement cell growth but also enhance production of targeted molecules. We
      developed a MODCELL (modular cell) framework based on metabolic pathway analysis
      to implement the modular cell design principle. MODCELL identifies genetic
      modifications and requirements to construct modular cell candidates and their
      associated exchangeable production modules. By defining the degree of similarity
      and coupling metrics, MODCELL can evaluate which exchangeable production
      module(s) can be tightly coupled with a modular cell candidate. We first
      demonstrated how MODCELL works in a step-by-step manner for example metabolic
      networks, and then applied it to design modular Escherichia coli cells for
      efficient combinatorial biosynthesis of five alcohols (ethanol, propanol,
      isopropanol, butanol and isobutanol) and five butyrate esters (ethyl butyrate,
      propyl butyrate, isopropyl butyrate, butyl butyrate and isobutyl butyrate) from
      pentose sugars (arabinose and xylose) and hexose sugars (glucose, mannose, and
      galactose) under anaerobic conditions. We identified three modular cells,
      MODCELL1, MODCELL2 and MODCELL3, that can couple well with Group 1 of modules
      (ethanol, isobutanol, butanol, ethyl butyrate, isobutyl butyrate, butyl
      butyrate), Group 2 (isopropanol, isopropyl butyrate), and Group 3 (propanol,
      isopropanol), respectively. We validated the design of MODCELL1 for anaerobic
      production of ethanol, butanol, and ethyl butyrate using experimental data
      available in literature. 

PMID- 26497628
TI  - Elucidating central metabolic redox obstacles hindering ethanol production in
      Clostridium thermocellum.
AB  - Clostridium thermocellum is an anaerobic, Gram-positive, thermophilic bacterium
      that has generated great interest due to its ability to ferment lignocellulosic
      biomass to ethanol. However, ethanol production is low due to the complex and
      poorly understood branched metabolism of C. thermocellum, and in some cases
      overflow metabolism as well. In this work, we developed a predictive
      stoichiometric metabolic model for C. thermocellum which incorporates the current
      state of understanding, with particular attention to cofactor specificity in the
      atypical glycolytic enzymes and the complex energy, redox, and fermentative
      pathways with the goal of aiding metabolic engineering efforts. We validated the
      model's capability to encompass experimentally observed phenotypes for the parent
      strain and derived mutants designed for significant perturbation of redox and
      energy pathways. Metabolic flux distributions revealed significant alterations in
      key metabolic branch points (e.g., phosphoenol pyruvate, pyruvate, acetyl-CoA,
      and cofactor nodes) in engineered strains for channeling electron and carbon
      fluxes for enhanced ethanol synthesis, with the best performing strain doubling
      ethanol yield and titer compared to the parent strain. In silico predictions of a
      redox-imbalanced genotype incapable of growth were confirmed in vivo, and a
      mutant strain was used as a platform to probe redox bottlenecks in the central
      metabolism that hinder efficient ethanol production. The results highlight the
      robustness of the redox metabolism of C. thermocellum and the necessity of
      streamlined electron flux from reduced ferredoxin to NAD(P)H for high ethanol
      production. The model was further used to design a metabolic engineering strategy
      to phenotypically constrain C. thermocellum to achieve high ethanol yields while
      requiring minimal genetic manipulations. The model can be applied to design C.
      thermocellum as a platform microbe for consolidated bioprocessing to produce
      ethanol and other reduced metabolites. 

PMID- 26497629
TI  - Association between whole blood mercury and glucose intolerance among adult Inuit
      in Greenland.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The Arctic diet is partly constituted by traditional food
      characterized by top predator animals such as whales, walrus, and seals with high
      mercury content. Mercury exposure has been associated with glucose intolerance in
      Western populations. We studied the association between whole blood mercury and
      glucose intolerance in a highly exposed non-Western population METHODS: Cross
      sectional study of 2640 Inuit (18+ years) with information on ancestry, smoking,
      waist circumference, total energy intake, and physical activity. Mercury, fasting
      and 2-h plasma glucose, insulin, and c-peptide were measured in blood. Fasting
      participants without diabetes were classified into normal glucose tolerance,
      impaired glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glycemia, or type 2 diabetes. We
      calculated hepatic insulin resistance with homoeostatic model assessment -
      insulin resistance index, peripheral insulin sensitivity by ISI0,120., and
      relative beta cell function by c-peptide/insulin ratio. We conducted adjusted
      linear- and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: For an increase in whole blood
      mercury of 5 ug/L we found a positive association with fasting glucose [%
      change=0.25 (95% CI: 0.20; 0.30); p<0.001], and 2-h glucose [% change=0.23 (95%
      CI: 0.05; 0.40); p=0.01]. Mercury was weakly associated with impaired fasting
      glycemia [OR=1.03 (95% CI: 1.02; 1.05)], and type 2 diabetes [OR=1.02 (95% CI:
      1.01; 1.04)]. CONCLUSION: While the study found a weak but statistically
      significant association between whole blood mercury and both impaired fasting
      glycemia and type 2 diabetes, no associations were found with measures of
      underlying disturbances in glucose homoeostasis.

PMID- 26497630
TI  - [Lung ultrasound as a tool to guide the administration of surfactant in premature
      neonates].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to assess the usefulness of lung ultrasound
      (LUS) to estimate the endotracheal tube (ETT) depth position during the
      Intubation-Surfactant-Extubation (INSURE) procedure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The
      ETT insertion depth was estimated using the weight (insertion depth (cm)=weight
      (kg)+5.5). After intubation two independent neonatologists using bilateral
      auscultation or LUS checked the ETT depth. RESULTS: Twelve newborns with
      respiratory distress syndrome were included. In two cases LUS helped to correctly
      replace the ETT. All the patients progressed well, with normal x-ray and LUS
      before discharge. CONCLUSIONS: LUS appears to be a safe and non-invasive
      technique and is useful in clinical situations were x-ray is not routinely
      performed, as it is fast and radiation free.

PMID- 26497631
TI  - [Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract. A vision for the
      paediatrician].
AB  - The congenital abnormalities of kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) are disorders
      with a high prevalence in the general population, with urinary tract dilations
      being the most frequent. CAKUT also account for the most important cause of
      chronic kidney disease in childhood. This paper focuses on the role of the
      primary care paediatrician in the diagnosis, assessment, and follow-up of
      children with CAKUT, with special emphasis on the associated urinary tract
      infections, the progression toward chronic renal failure, and the genetic basis. 

PMID- 26497632
TI  - [Compartment syndrome in severe rhabdomyolysis].

PMID- 26497633
TI  - [Acute intermittent porphyria in a paediatric population in the region of Murcia:
      Phenotype and prevalence].

PMID- 26497635
TI  - PRC2 mediated H3K27 methylations in cellular identity and cancer.
AB  - The Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) is a multiprotein chromatin modifying
      complex that is essential for vertebrate development and differentiation. It is
      composed of a trimeric core of SUZ12, EED and EZH1/2 and is responsible for
      catalysing both di-methylation and tri-methylation of Histone H3 at lysine 27
      (H3K27me2/3). Both H3K27 methylations contribute to the role of PRC2 in
      maintaining cellular identity. In all cell types, the H3K27me3 modification is
      associated with repression of genes encoding regulators of alternative lineages.
      The less well-characterised H3K27me2 modification is ubiquitous throughout the
      genome and is thought to act like a protective blanket to maintain the repression
      of non-H3K27me3 associated genes and cell-type-specific enhancers of alternative
      lineages. Recent cancer genome sequencing studies highlighted that several genes
      encoding PRC2 components as well as Histone H3 are mutated in multiple cancer
      types. Intriguingly, these cancers have changes in the global levels of the
      H3K27me2 and H3K27me3 modifications as well as genome-wide redistributions.
      Exciting new studies suggest that these changes confer context dependent blocks
      in cellular differentiation and increased vulnerability to aberrant cancer
      signalling pathways.

PMID- 26497634
TI  - The Peptide Oxytocin Antagonist F-792, When Given Systemically, Does Not Act
      Centrally in Lactating Rats.
AB  - Oxytocin secreted by nerve terminals in the posterior pituitary has important
      actions for ensuring a successful outcome of pregnancy: it stimulates uterine
      contractions that lead to birth and it is essential in the milk-ejection reflex,
      enabling milk to be expelled from the mammary glands into the mouths of suckling
      young. Oxytocin also has important actions in the brain: released from dendrites
      of neurones that innervate the posterior pituitary, oxytocin auto-excites the
      neurones to fire action potentials in co-ordinated bursts, causing secretion of
      pulses of oxytocin. Central oxytocin actions are blocked by an oxytocin
      antagonist given into the brain and, consequently, milk transfer stops. Systemic
      peptide oxytocin antagonist (atosiban) treatment is used clinically in management
      of pre-term labour, a major obstetric problem. Hence, it is important to know
      whether an oxytocin antagonist given peripherally can enter the brain and
      interfere with central oxytocin actions. In the present study, we tested F792, a
      peptide oxytocin antagonist. In urethane-anaesthetised suckled rats, we show that
      the mammary gland responsiveness to oxytocin is blocked by i.v. injections of 7
      MUg/kg of F792, and the milk-ejection reflex is blocked when F792 is given
      directly into the brain at a dose of 0.2 MUg. To critically test whether F792
      given systemically can enter the brain, we recorded the suckling- and oxytocin
      induced burst-firing of individual antidromically identified oxytocin neurones in
      the paraventricular nucleus. Given systemically at 100 MUg/kg i.v., F792 acted
      only peripherally, blocking the milk-ejecting actions of oxytocin, but not the
      burst-firing of oxytocin neurones during suckling (n = 5 neurones in five rats).
      Hence, this peptide oxytocin antagonist does not enter the brain from the
      circulation to interfere with an essential oxytocin function in the brain.
      Furthermore, the functions of oxytocin in the brain evidently cannot be explored
      with a systemic peptide antagonist.

PMID- 26497636
TI  - Incidence, etiology, and significance of acute kidney injury in the early post
      kidney transplant period.
AB  - Little is known about the incidence, causes, and significance of acute kidney
      injury (AKI) in the early transplant period. This study used a definition as >26
      MUmol/L increase in creatinine within 48 h or >50% increase over a period >48 h.
      In 326 adult consecutive recipients of a solitary kidney transplant from 2006 to
      2014 followed at this center, 21% developed AKI within the first six months. Most
      etiologies were CNI toxicity (33%) or unknown (26%), whereas acute rejection
      accounted for 17% and urinary tract obstruction for 10%. Those with AKI had a
      significantly lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR) at one-yr post-transplant
      (adjusted beta coefficient -5.5 mL/min/1.73 m(2) , 95% CI: -10.4, -0.7, p =
      0.025) in a multivariable linear regression model. However, the AKI definition
      missed 6 of 19 episodes of acute rejection and 4 of 10 episodes of urinary tract
      obstruction. When acute rejection (including those that did not satisfy AKI
      criteria) was included in the model, other causes of AKI were not significantly
      associated with GFR at year 1. Although AKI, using current criteria, is likely to
      be a significant predictor of later outcomes, important causes are missed and the
      criteria are not sensitive for clinical decision-making. 

PMID- 26497637
TI  - Regression models for expected length of stay.
AB  - In multi-state models, the expected length of stay (ELOS) in a state is not a
      straightforward object to relate to covariates, and the traditional approach has
      instead been to construct regression models for the transition intensities and
      calculate ELOS from these. The disadvantage of this approach is that the effect
      of covariates on the intensities is not easily translated into the effect on
      ELOS, and it typically relies on the Markov assumption. We propose to use pseudo
      observations to construct regression models for ELOS, thereby allowing a direct
      interpretation of covariate effects while at the same time avoiding the Markov
      assumption. For this approach, all we need is a non-parametric consistent
      estimator for ELOS. For every subject (and for every state of interest), a pseudo
      observation is constructed, and they are then used as outcome variables in the
      regression model. We furthermore show how to construct longitudinal (pseudo-)
      data when combining the concept of pseudo-observations with landmarking. In doing
      so, covariates are allowed to be time-varying, and we can investigate potential
      time-varying effects of the covariates. The models can be fitted using
      generalized estimating equations, and dependence between observations on the same
      subject is handled by applying the sandwich estimator. The method is illustrated
      using data from the US Health and Retirement Study where the impact of socio
      economic factors on ELOS in health and disability is explored. Finally, we
      investigate the performance of our approach under different degrees of left
      truncation, non-Markovianity, and right-censoring by means of simulation.

PMID- 26497638
TI  - Improving your genetic literacy in epilepsy-A new series.
AB  - Advances in epilepsy genetics have been rapid, and it is challenging for
      clinicians on the ground to keep pace with these advances. The International
      League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Genetics Commission has thus crafted a new Genetic
      Literacy series targeted at busy clinicians. Our goal is to help provide a
      concise, accessible resource on epilepsy genetics for the busy, on-the-ground
      clinician so that he/she can apply that knowledge at point-of-care to help
      patients. This new series is grounded in educational theories and evidence to
      ensure that learning is effective and efficient. We hope that by promoting and
      encouraging continuing medical education in epilepsy genetics, this eventually
      translates to better patient management and therefore better patient health
      outcomes. 

PMID- 26497639
TI  - The Brazilian 'Cracolandia' open drug scene and the challenge of implementing a
      comprehensive and effective drug policy.

PMID- 26497640
TI  - Open tubular-capillary electrochromatography: Developments and applications from
      2013 to 2015.
AB  - Open tubular CEC (OT-CEC) separates analyte mixtures by a combination of
      electrophoretic, electro-osmotic, and/or chromatographic effects. OT-CEC research
      is an active and growing field, with studies encompassing a wide range of
      investigations related to new strategies for chemical modification of the inner
      surface of the capillary, leading to the introduction of novel stationary phase
      coatings. This review has examined the literature on OT-CEC from 2013 to August
      2015 and highlights the developments in the fabrication of highly selective
      stationary phases, based on materials that include cyclodextrin chiral selectors,
      graphene and graphene oxide, metal-organic frameworks, molecularly imprinted
      polymers, nanoparticles, nanolatex particles, nanocomposites, in situ generated
      polymers, block polymers, tentacle-type polymers, polyelectrolyte multilayers,
      polysaccharides, phospholipids, and proteins. This review, while considering the
      development of novel OT-CEC coating materials, specifically examines different
      immobilization or coating methodologies and approaches and also discusses the
      separation mechanisms that occur with these new materials. These OT-CEC coatings
      are intended mainly to separate low molecular weight molecules relevant to the
      pharmaceutical, agricultural, and food industries as well as for use in
      environmental monitoring. 

PMID- 26497641
TI  - Vascularized proximal fibula epiphyseal transfer for distal radius reconstruction
      in children: A systematic review.
AB  - PURPOSE: Reconstruction of the distal radius in children is cumbersome, requiring
      simultaneous restoration of joint function and axial growth. Vascularized
      proximal fibular epiphyseal transfers (VFET) have been popularized over non
      vascularized transfers and prosthesis. This systematic review aims to evaluate
      the effectiveness of VFET and its associated complications. METHODS: Electronic
      database of PubMed MEDLINE was searched between 1970 and 2014. Studies reporting
      VFET for distal radius reconstruction in children (<15 years old) with clear
      reporting of technique (vascular pedicle) and objective outcome measures were
      included. Outcomes of interest were rate of graft growth, bone union and
      complications. A one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test was used to compare
      growth rates between pedicle types. RESULTS: Fourteen studies met the inclusion
      criteria, representing 25 patients. Pedicles used were anterior tibial (44%),
      peroneal (16%), or bi-pedicled (40%) anastomosed in antegrade (64%) or reverse
      flow (36%) fashion. Among all pedicle types, best results were achieved using
      anterior tibial artery with reversed flow, yielding average growth rate of 0.83
      cm/year (P = 0.01). Recipient complications included four premature epiphyseal
      plate closures, a flap loss, and six wrist radial deviations. Donor complications
      included six common peroneal nerve palsies (five temporary, a permanent), and a
      talocalcaneal instability. Overall complication rates between pedicle types were
      comparable (P = 0.062). CONCLUSION: VFET may be a surgical option capable of
      restoring joint function and axial growth potential in select patients. The
      reverse flow technique based on the anterior tibial artery may result in superior
      outcomes. However, the overall complication rate is high and permanent peroneal
      nerve palsy may result. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
      Microsurgery 36:705-711, 2016.

PMID- 26497642
TI  - Narrow, Intermediate, and Wide Complex Tachycardia: What Is the Mechanism?

PMID- 26497643
TI  - Histological and Histomorphometrical Evaluation of Postextractive Sites Grafted
      with Mg-Enriched Nano-Hydroxyapatite: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing 4
      Versus 12 Months of Healing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tooth extraction generally results in an alveolar bone loss and
      structural changes in the overlying soft tissue. The amount of this relocation
      might jeopardize prosthetically driven implant placement. Thus, there is a high
      interest in techniques, materials and timing to minimizing tissue resorption,
      using postextraction ridge preservation procedures. PURPOSE: To assess by
      histological techniques, the outcomes of a socket preservation technique at 4 or
      12 months after treatment with a magnesium-enriched hydroxyapatite (Mg-e HA).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Postextraction site in 20 patients underwent ridge
      preservation procedure. Mg-e HA granules were mixed with blood and grafted into
      the socket. A bone specimen was collected from each site before implant placement
      after 4 or 12 months randomly. Each biopsy was processed for undecalcified
      histological analysis. All ground sections were observed under light and
      polarized microscope. A semi-quantitative analysis by mean of stereological
      method was performed to evaluate the average volume fractions of bone,
      biomaterial and medullary spaces, and the percentage of blood vessels for both
      timepoints. Nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test for unpaired data was used to
      detect eventual statistical differences between groups. RESULTS: Histologically,
      the biomaterial appeared surrounded by newly formed bone in both groups without
      inflammatory infiltrate. At 4 months, the remodeling process of collagen matrix
      was starting from the apical portion toward coronal direction and was more active
      around grafted particles. At 12 months, the alveolar socket was completely
      regenerated and filled with mineralized and well-organized bone tissue around the
      residual biomaterial particles. In both groups, vessels were present to supply
      tissues around the graft (at 4 months: 4.95% +/- 2.49; at 12 months: 7.45% +/-
      2.57). Tissue fractions at 4 versus 12 months were respectively: 31.85% +/- 6.99
      versus 41.32% +/- 9.37 for bone (p = .021), 40.82% +/- 6.71 versus 26.28% +/-
      11.49 for residual Mg-e HA (p = .009), and 27.33% +/- 7.72 versus 32.40% +/- 9.87
      for medullary spaces. CONCLUSION: Data from the present study show that Mg-e HA
      allows the complete healing of the tissue. Additionally, graft material
      demonstrated to undergo significant resorption during the experimental time
      frame.

PMID- 26497644
TI  - Synthesis and mass spectrometry analysis of quaternary cryptando-peptidic
      conjugates.
AB  - The bicyclic amines in the form of cryptands, the crown ether analogs, were used
      in the synthesis of cryptando-peptidic conjugates with simultaneous formation of
      quaternary ammonium nitrogen moiety. A series of model cryptando-peptidic
      conjugates at the peptide N-terminus was efficiently prepared by the standard
      Fmoc solid phase synthesis. Tandem mass spectrometric analysis of the obtained
      conjugates has shown the specific fragmentation pattern during MS/MS experiment.
      The obtained cryptandic quaternary ammonium group undergoes the Hofmann
      elimination during collision-induced dissociation fragmentation followed by the
      ethoxyl group elimination. The presented quaternization of cryptands by
      iodoacetylated peptides is relatively easy and compatible with standard solid
      phase peptide synthesis. Additionally, the applicability of such peptide
      derivatives and their isotopologues selectively deuterated at the alpha-carbon in
      the quantitative LC-MS analysis was analyzed.

PMID- 26497646
TI  - DNA Hypomethylation, Ambient Particulate Matter, and Increased Blood Pressure:
      Findings From Controlled Human Exposure Experiments.

PMID- 26497645
TI  - Co-circulation of a novel phlebovirus and Massilia virus in sandflies, Portugal.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Portugal, entomological surveys to detect phleboviruses in their
      natural vectors have not been performed so far. Thus, the aims of the present
      study were to detect, isolate and characterize phleboviruses in sandfly
      populations of Portugal. FINDINGS: From May to October 2007-2008, 896 female
      sandflies were trapped in Arrabida region, located on the southwest coast of
      Portugal. Phlebovirus RNA was detected by using a pan-phlebovirus RT-PCR in 4 out
      of 34 Phlebotomus perniciosus pools. Direct sequencing of the amplicons showed
      that 2 samples exhibited 72 % nucleotide identity with Arbia virus, and two
      showed 96 % nucleotide identity with Massilia virus. The Arbia-like virus (named
      Alcube virus) was isolated in cell culture and complete genomic sequences of one
      Alcube and two Massila viruses were determined using next-generation sequencing
      technology. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that Alcube virus clustered with
      members of the Salehabad virus species complex. Within this clade, Alcube virus
      forms a monophyletic lineage with the Arbia, Salehabad and Adana viruses sharing
      a common ancestor. Arbia virus has been identified as the most closely related
      virus with 20-28 % nucleotide and 10-27 % amino acid divergences depending on the
      analysed segment. CONCLUSIONS: We have provided genetic evidence for the
      circulation of a novel phlebovirus species named Alcube virus in Ph. perniciosus
      and co-circulation of Massilia virus, in Arrabida region, southwest of Portugal.
      Further epidemiological investigations and surveillance for sandfly-borne
      phleboviruses in Portugal are needed to elucidate their medical importance.

PMID- 26497649
TI  - Clinical Variables Associated with Hydration Status in Acute Ischemic Stroke
      Patients with Dysphagia.
AB  - Acute stroke patients with dysphagia are at increased risk for poor hydration.
      Dysphagia management practices may directly impact hydration status. This study
      examined clinical factors that might impact hydration status in acute ischemic
      stroke patients with dysphagia. A retrospective chart review was completed on 67
      ischemic stroke patients who participated in a prior study of nutrition and
      hydration status during acute care. Prior results indicated that patients with
      dysphagia demonstrated elevated BUN/Cr compared to non-dysphagia cases during
      acute care and that BUN/Cr increased selectively in dysphagic patients. This
      chart review evaluated clinical variables potentially impacting hydration status:
      diuretics, parenteral fluids, tube feeding, oral diet, and nonoral (NPO) status.
      Exposure to any variable and number of days of exposure to each variable were
      examined. Dysphagia cases demonstrated significantly more NPO days, tube fed
      days, and parenteral fluid days, but not oral fed days, or days on diuretics.
      BUN/Cr values at discharge were not associated with NPO days, parenteral fluid
      days, oral fed days, or days on diuretics. Patients on modified solid diets had
      significantly higher mean BUN/Cr values at discharge (27.12 vs. 17.23) as did
      tube fed patients (28.94 vs. 18.66). No difference was noted between these
      subgroups at baseline (regular diet vs. modified solids diets). Any modification
      of solid diets (31.11 vs. 17.23) or thickened liquids (28.50 vs. 17.81) resulted
      in significantly elevated BUN/Cr values at discharge. Liquid or diet
      modifications prescribed for acute stroke patients with dysphagia may impair
      hydration status in these patients. 

PMID- 26497650
TI  - Comparison of Two Methods for Inducing Reflex Cough in Patients With Parkinson's
      Disease, With and Without Dysphagia.
AB  - Aspiration pneumonia is a common cause of death in people with Parkinson's
      disease (PD). Dysfunctional swallowing occurs in the majority of people with PD,
      and research has shown that cough function is also impaired. Previous studies
      suggest that testing reflex cough by having participants inhale a cough-inducing
      stimulus through a nebulizer may be a reliable indicator of swallowing
      dysfunction, or dysphagia. The primary goal of this study was to determine the
      cough response to two different cough-inducing stimuli in people with and without
      PD. The second goal of this study was to compare the cough response to the two
      different stimuli in people with PD, with and without swallowing dysfunction.
      Seventy adults (49 healthy and 21 with PD) participated in the study. Aerosolized
      water (fog) and 200 MUM capsaicin were used to induce cough. Each substance was
      placed in a small, hand-held nebulizer, and presented to the participant. Each
      cough stimulus was presented three times. The total number of coughs produced to
      each stimulus trial was recorded. All participants coughed more to capsaicin
      versus fog (p < 0.001). A categorical 'responder' and 'non-responder' variable
      for the fog stimulus, defined as whether or not the participant coughed at least
      two times to two of three presentations of the stimulus, yields sensitivity of
      77.8 % and a specificity of 90.9 % for identifying PD participants with and
      without dysphagia. The data show a differential response of the PD participants
      to the capsaicin versus fog stimuli. Clinically, this finding may allow for
      earlier identification of people with PD who are in need of a swallowing
      evaluation. As well, there are implications for the neural control of cough in
      this patient population. 

PMID- 26497651
TI  - What we know: the inflammatory basis of hepatic encephalopathy.
AB  - Central Nervous System (CNS) degeneration appearing in patients with cirrhosis is
      responsible for cognitive and persistent motor impairments that lead to an
      important impact on life quality. Brain injury affects certain areas of the CNS
      that might affect two types of cells: neurons and astrocytes. The process leading
      to brain injury could be induced by portosystemic shunting accompanied by
      hyperammonemia and by the activation of peripheral inflammation, manifested as
      episodic encephalopathy. Hyperammonemia combined with a decrease on the BCA/AAA
      ratio induces alterations of energetic metabolism and the formation of free
      radicals in the CNS. This process would be stimulated by the activation of
      peripheral inflammatory mediators that could act on receptors of the blood brain
      barrier such as TLR4, activating inflammatory responses in the CNS. As a result,
      a persistent activation of microglia and an irreversible neuronal and astrocytic
      injury would be induced. A new knowledge of the mechanisms leading to brain
      injury in cirrhosis would develop protective strategies to correct changes of
      nitrogen metabolism and inflammation.

PMID- 26497652
TI  - HOTAIR and its surrogate DNA methylation signature indicate carboplatin
      resistance in ovarian cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding carboplatin resistance in ovarian cancer is critical
      for the improvement of patients' lives. Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells or an
      aggravated epithelial to mesenchymal transition phenotype of a cancer are
      integrally involved in pathways conferring chemo-resistance. Long non-coding RNA
      HOTAIR (HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA) is involved in mesenchymal stem
      cell fate and cancer biology. METHODS: We analyzed HOTAIR expression and
      associated surrogate DNA methylation (DNAme) in 134 primary ovarian cancer cases
      (63 received carboplatin, 55 received cisplatin and 16 no chemotherapy). We
      validated our findings by HOTAIR expression and DNAme analysis in a multicentre
      setting of five additional sets, encompassing 946 ovarian cancers. Chemo
      sensitivity has been assessed in cell culture experiments. RESULTS: HOTAIR
      expression was significantly associated with poor survival in carboplatin-treated
      patients with adjusted hazard ratios for death of 3.64 (95 % confidence interval
      [CI] 1.78-7.42; P < 0.001) in the discovery and 1.63 (95 % CI 1.04-2.56; P =
      0.032) in the validation set. This effect was not seen in patients who did not
      receive carboplatin (0.97 [95 % CI 0.52-1.80; P = 0.932]). HOTAIR expression or
      its surrogate DNAme signature predicted poor outcome in all additional sets of
      carboplatin-treated ovarian cancer patients while HOTAIR expressors responded
      preferentially to cisplatin (multivariate interaction P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS:
      Non-coding RNA HOTAIR or its more stable DNAme surrogate may indicate the
      presence of a subset of cells which confer resistance to carboplatin and can
      serve as (1) a marker to personalise treatment and (2) a novel target to overcome
      carboplatin resistance.

PMID- 26497653
TI  - Improved intraocular bioavailability of ganciclovir by mucoadhesive polymer based
      ocular microspheres: development and simulation process in Wistar rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The poor ocular bioavailability of the conventional eye drops is due
      to lack of corneal permeability, nasolacrimal drainage and metabolic degradation.
      To overcome this issue, drug encapsulated in mucoadhesive polymer based ocular
      microspheres have the advantages of improved drug stability, easy administration
      in liquid form, diffuse rapidly and better ocular tissue internalization.
      METHODS: The ganciclovir chitosan microspheres (GCM) were prepared by modified
      water-in-oil emulsification method. The formulation was optimized and
      characterized by investigating in vitro release study, release kinetics, XRD and
      microspheres stability. Ocular irritancy, in vivo ocular pharmacokinetic
      parameters and histopathology study was evaluated in Wistar rats. The use of
      pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic indices and simulation process was carried out to
      further ensure clinical applicability of the formulation. RESULTS: The in vitro
      release study showed initial burst (nearly 50 %) in first few minutes and
      followed Fickian (R(2) = 0.9234, n-value = 0.2329) type of diffusion release
      mechanism. The XRD and stability studies showed favorable results. The Wistar rat
      eyes treated with GCM showed significant increase in ganciclovir AUC (~4.99-fold)
      and Cmax (2.69-fold) in aqueous humor compared to ganciclovir solution and delay
      in Tmax. The Cmax/MIC90, AUC0-24/MIC90, AUC above MIC90 and T above MIC90 were
      significantly higher in GCM group. The aqueous humor concentration-time profile
      of ganciclovir in GCM and ganciclovir solution was simulated with every 28.1 and
      12.8 h, respectively. The simulated concentration-time profile shows that in
      duration of 75 h, the ganciclovir solution require six ocular instillations
      compared to three ocular instillations of the GCM formulation. The
      photomicrograph of GCM and ganciclovir solution treated rat retina showed normal
      organization and cytoarchitecture. CONCLUSIONS: Correlating with in vitro data,
      the formulation showed sustained drug release along with improved intraocular
      bioavailability of ganciclovir in Wistar rats.

PMID- 26497655
TI  - Recurrent multiple CNS hemangioblastomas with VHL disease treated with pazopanib:
      a case report and literature review.
AB  - Hemangioblastoma is a rare benign neoplasm, accounting for less than 2% of all
      primitive brain tumors. It may arise sporadically in a solitary form, or
      associated with Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease with multiple tumors. Surgery is
      the mainstay treatment, but management is challenging in case of recurrent and/or
      multiple tumors. VHL protein is defective in both forms of hemangioblastoma,
      leading to the accumulation of hypoxia-inducible factor, stimulating angiogenesis
      via VEGF and PDGF mainly. Here, we report a 37-year-old woman's case with
      recurrent and rapidly progressive VHL-associated hemangioblastomas, causing
      severe disability. She was treated 24 months with pazopanib, a multityrosine
      kinase inhibitor (TKI) targeting VEGF and PDGF-beta pathways. Despite moderate
      radiological changes, progressive improvement in her clinical condition
      persisting over 3 years was observed. Inhibiting angiogenesis is a therapeutic
      option that may improve the quality of life and the autonomy of VHL patients
      disabled with multiple hemangioblastomas. 

PMID- 26497656
TI  - [Prehospital analgesia by paramedics in Rhineland-Palatinate : Feasability,
      analgesic effectiveness and safety of intravenous paracetamol].
AB  - BACKGROUND: In contrast to the widespread practice in life-threatening
      emergencies, delegation of medical pain therapy to paramedics by the medical
      director  of Emergency Medical Services, EMS, are still the exception in Germany.
      This is due to the fact that in non-life-threatening situations, the expected
      benefit and potential side effects of drug therapy have to be carefully weighed.
      In addition, in Germany federal law generally restricts the administration of
      opiates to physicians. METHODS: In 2011 the medical directors of EMS in the
      German state of Rhineland- Palatinate (4 million inhabitants) developed and
      implemented a standard operating procedure (SOP) for paramedics related to the
      prehospital parenteral administration of paracetamol for patients with isolated
      limb trauma. After a 2 h training session and examination, paramedics were
      authorized to administer 1 g of paracetamol to patients with a pain score > 5
      points on an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS). For purposes of quality
      management, every administration of paracetamol had to be prospectively
      documented on a specific electronic mission form. RESULTS: A total of 416 mission
      forms could be analyzed. After administration of paracetamol the median NRS score
      decreased from 8 points (interquartile range: 6; 8) to 4 points (interquartile
      range: 3; 7). In 51.2 % of the patients the pain intensity was reduced by at
      least 3 NRS points and in 50.5 % of the patients the NRS was less than 5 points
      after treatment. The extent of pain reduction was positively correlated with the
      initial NRS value (r = 0.31, p < 0.0001). No serious side effects were noted. The
      percentage of patients with an initial heart rate > 100/min declined from 14.6 %
      to 5.2 % after the administration of paracetamol (p < 0.0001), 18.7 % of the
      patients received paracetamol for trauma not related to the extremities and 7 %
      of the patients for nontraumatic pain. An emergency physician was involved in 50
      % of the EMS missions and 98.6 % of the patients were transported to a hospital
      for further diagnostics and treatment. CONCLUSION: The prehospital intravenous
      administration of paracetamol by paramedics to patients with limb trauma is
      simple, safe and in 50 % of the patients effective in achieving a NRS value < 5;
      however, further improvements in prehospital pain therapy initiated by paramedics
      are desirable, especially in patients with an initial NRS value > 7.

PMID- 26497654
TI  - Capecitabine and oxaliplatin combined with bevacizumab are feasible for treating
      selected Japanese patients at least 75 years of age with metastatic colorectal
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although number of elderly patients with metastatic colorectal cancer
      (mCRC) is rapidly increasing, this population is often underrepresented in
      clinical trials. Recently, a phase II trial demonstrated that capecitabine and
      oxaliplatin (XELOX) combined with bevacizumab XELOX plus bevacizumab was
      effective and well tolerated by elderly patients with mCRC who reside in Western
      countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of XELOX
      plus bevacizumab for Japanese patients aged >= 75 years with mCRC. METHODS: This
      prospective, open-label phase II trial recruited patients aged >= 75 years with
      previously untreated mCRC between March 2010 and January 2012. Treatment
      consisted of 7.5 mg/kg of intravenous bevacizumab and 130 mg/m(2) of oxaliplatin
      on day 1 of each cycle combined with 2000 mg/m(2) of oral capecitabine per day on
      days 1-14 of each cycle. Treatment was repeated every 3 weeks until disease
      progression or termination of the study. The primary endpoint was progression
      free survival; the secondary endpoints were toxicity, overall response rate, time
      to-treatment failure, and overall survival. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients (male
      58%; median age 78 years; colon cancer 67%) met all eligibility criteria and
      received at least one course of the planned treatment. The median time-to
      treatment failure was 7.0 months. Twelve patients (33.3%) experienced adverse
      effects (AEs) >= grade 3 and frequent AEs >= grade 3, including neutropenia
      (22.2%) and neuropathy (13.9%). Hypertension was the most frequent AE >= grade 3
      associated with bevacizumab (11.1%). Low baseline creatinine clearance associated
      significantly with the incidence of AEs >= grade 3. Response and disease control
      rates were 55.6 and 91.7%, respectively. Median progression-free and overall
      survival times were 11.7 months (95% confidence interval, 8.0-13.4 months) and
      22.9 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: XELOX combined with bevacizumab was well
      tolerated by selected Japanese patients aged >= 75 years with mCRC patients, and
      controlled clinical trials are now required to determine the survival benefit.

PMID- 26497658
TI  - Brownian microhydrodynamics of active filaments.
AB  - Slender bodies capable of spontaneous motion in the absence of external actuation
      in an otherwise quiescent fluid are common in biological, physical and
      technological contexts. The interplay between the spontaneous fluid flow,
      Brownian motion, and the elasticity of the body presents a challenging fluid
      structure interaction problem. Here, we model this problem by approximating the
      slender body as an elastic filament that can impose non-equilibrium velocities or
      stresses at the fluid-structure interface. We derive equations of motion for such
      an active filament by enforcing momentum conservation in the fluid-structure
      interaction and assuming slow viscous flow in the fluid. The fluid-structure
      interaction is obtained, to any desired degree of accuracy, through the solution
      of an integral equation. A simplified form of the equations of motion, which
      allows for efficient numerical solutions, is obtained by applying the Kirkwood
      Riseman superposition approximation to the integral equation. We use this form of
      equation of motion to study dynamical steady states in free and hinged minimally
      active filaments. Our model provides the foundation to study collective phenomena
      in momentum-conserving, Brownian, active filament suspensions. 

PMID- 26497657
TI  - Multivariate classification of smokers and nonsmokers using SVM-RFE on structural
      MRI images.
AB  - Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies have revealed gray matter alterations in
      smokers, but this type of analysis has poor predictive value for individual
      cases, which limits its applicability in clinical diagnoses and treatment. A
      predictive model would essentially embody a complex biomarker that could be used
      to evaluate treatment efficacy. In this study, we applied VBM along with a
      multivariate classification method consisting of a support vector machine with
      recursive feature elimination to discriminate smokers from nonsmokers using their
      structural MRI data. Mean gray matter volumes in 1,024 cerebral cortical regions
      of interest created using a subparcellated version of the Automated Anatomical
      Labeling template were calculated from 60 smokers and 60 nonsmokers, and served
      as input features to the classification procedure. The classifier achieved the
      highest accuracy of 69.6% when taking the 139 highest ranked features via 10-fold
      cross-validation. Critically, these features were later validated on an
      independent testing set that consisted of 28 smokers and 28 nonsmokers, yielding
      a 64.04% accuracy level (binomial P = 0.01). Following classification,
      exploratory post hoc regression analyses were performed, which revealed that gray
      matter volumes in the putamen, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex,
      caudate, thalamus, pre-/postcentral gyrus, precuneus, and the parahippocampal
      gyrus, were inversely related to smoking behavioral characteristics. These
      results not only indicate that smoking related gray matter alterations can
      provide predictive power for group membership, but also suggest that machine
      learning techniques can reveal underlying smoking-related neurobiology.

PMID- 26497659
TI  - A novel intra-operative, high-resolution atrial mapping approach.
AB  - PURPOSE: A new technique is demonstrated for extensive high-resolution intra
      operative atrial mapping that will facilitate the localization of atrial
      fibrillation (AF) sources and identification of the substrate perpetuating AF.
      METHODS: Prior to the start of extra-corporal circulation, a 8 * 24-electrode
      array (2-mm inter-electrode distance) is placed subsequently on all the right and
      left epicardial atrial sites, including Bachmann's bundle, for recording of
      unipolar electrograms during sinus rhythm and (induced) AF. AF is induced by high
      frequency pacing at the right atrial free wall. A pacemaker wire stitched to the
      right atrium serves as a reference signal. The indifferent pole is connected to a
      steal wire fixed to subcutaneous tissue. Electrograms are recorded by a
      computerized mapping system and, after amplification (gain 1000), filtering
      (bandwidth 0.5-400 Hz), sampling (1 kHz) and analogue to digital conversion (16
      bits), automatically stored on hard disk. During the mapping procedure, real-time
      visualization secures electrogram quality. Analysis will be performed offline.
      RESULTS: This technique was performed in 168 patients of 18 years and older, with
      coronary and/or structural heart disease, with or without AF, electively
      scheduled for cardiac surgery and a ventricular ejection fraction above 40 %. The
      mean duration of the entire mapping procedure including preparation time was 9 +/
      2 min. Complications related to the mapping procedure during or after cardiac
      surgery were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: We introduce the first epicardial atrial
      mapping approach with a high resolution of >=1728 recording sites which can be
      performed in a procedure time of only 9+/-2 mins. This mapping technique can
      potentially identify areas responsible for initiation and persistence of AF and
      hopefully can individualize both diagnosis and therapy of AF.

PMID- 26497660
TI  - Novel association of polymorphic genetic variants with predictors  of outcome of
      catheter ablation in atrial fibrillation: new  directions from a prospective
      study (DECAF).
AB  - PURPOSE: Non-pulmonary vein (non-PV) triggers and left atrial (LA) scars
      perpetuate atrial fibrillation (AF) and limit the success rate of catheter
      ablation. In order to understand the genetic basis of these risk factors, we
      examined the association of selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with
      scar and non-PV triggers. METHODS: Four hundred AF patients (67 %male, 62+/-12
      years, LA size 45.3+/-7 mm, 64%non-paroxysmal) undergoing catheter ablation were
      prospectively enrolled. DNA extractions for16 AF-related SNPS from blood samples
      were performed of which 371 DNA samples were available for genotyping.
      Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used for assessing predictive role
      of individual SNP, and logistic kernel-machine approach was applied to test the
      cumulative effect of multiple SNPs as a group with non-PV triggers and LA scar.
      False discovery rate (FDR) was computed for all candidate SNPs to address
      multiple testing. RESULTS: SNPs rs6599230 and rs6843082 were inversely associated
      (OR 0.68, p=0.04, and 0.62, p=0.01, respectively) whereas rs1448817 (OR 1.74,
      p=0.04) and rs7193343 (OR 1.66, p=0.02) predicted higher risk of non-PV triggers.
      Genotypes for rs6599230 and rs6843082 conferred 51 % reduction in the odds for
      non-PV triggers (combined OR 0.49, p=0.019), while rs1448817 and rs7193343
      demonstrated a combined OR of 1.93, p=0.025. FDR was controlled at 16 % to adjust
      for multiple testing. For LA scar, inverse association was observed with
      rs1448817 (OR 0.29, p=0.006), rs17042171 (OR 0.27, p=0.032), rs3807989 (OR 0.54,
      p=0.017), and rs6843082 (OR 0.56, p=0.009). Two SNPs were associated with
      increased scar risk: rs17375901 (OR 3.68, p=0.03) and rs7193343 (OR 1.74,
      p=0.037). For global association of SNPs with left atrial scar FDR was controlled
      at <=10 % to adjust for multiple testing. CONCLUSIONS: This study has a strong
      clinical significance as it provides important insights into the molecular basis
      of pertinent therapeutic targets. Our findings demonstrate that the presence of
      certain genetic polymorphisms increases the risk of scar and non-PV triggers in
      AF patients. Therefore, PVAI alone will not be enough to eliminate the arrhythmia
      and the operators may need to identify and isolate the non-PV foci to maximize
      procedural success in patients carrying these risk variants. Clinical trial
      registration clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01751607).

PMID- 26497663
TI  - Letter to the Editor: "Comparison of efficacy of kinesiological taping and
      subacromial injection therapy in subacromial impingement syndrome".

PMID- 26497661
TI  - Dendritic cell immunoreceptor 1 alters neutrophil responses in the development of
      experimental colitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, is associated with
      the massive infiltration of neutrophils. Although the initial infiltration of
      neutrophils is beneficial for killing bacteria, it is presumed that persistent
      infiltration causes tissue damage by releasing antibacterial products as well as
      inflammatory cytokines. A murine C-type lectin receptor, dendritic cell
      immunoreceptor 1 (Dcir1), is expressed on CD11b(+) myeloid cells, such as
      macrophages, dendritic cells and neutrophils. It was reported that Dcir1 is
      required to maintain homeostasis of the immune system to prevent autoimmunity,
      but it is also involved in the development of infectious disease resulting in the
      enhanced severity of cerebral malaria. However, the role of Dcir1 in intestinal
      immune responses during colitis remains unclear. In this study, we investigated
      the role of Dcir1 in intestinal inflammation using an experimental colitis model
      induced with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). RESULTS: In contrast to wild type (WT)
      mice, Dcir1 (-/-) mice exhibited mild body weight loss during the course of DSS
      colitis accompanied by reduced colonic inflammation. Dcir1 deficiency caused a
      reduced accumulation of neutrophils in the inflamed colon on day 5 of DSS colitis
      compared with WT mice. Consistently, the production of a neutrophil-attracting
      chemokine, MIP-2, was also decreased in the Dcir1 (-/-) colon compared with the
      WT colon on day 5. There were fewer myeloperoxidase-positive neutrophils in the
      inflamed colon of Dcir1 (-/-) mice than in that of WT mice. Moreover, bone marrow
      neutrophils from Dcir1 (-/-) mice produced less reactive oxygen species (ROS) by
      lipopolysaccharide stimulation than those from WT mice. This suggests that Dcir1
      deficiency decreases the accumulation of tissue destructive neutrophils during
      DSS colitis. CONCLUSION: Dcir1 enhances the pathogenesis of DSS colitis by
      altering neutrophil recruitment and their functions.

PMID- 26497664
TI  - Co-morbidity index in rheumatoid arthritis: time to think.
AB  - Rheumatoid arthritis patients are clinically complex, and the interplay of their
      disease activity together with the other associated conditions may lead to
      increased morbidity and mortality. The recent advances in the disease management
      attracted the attention to its associated co-morbidities and highlighted the need
      for a tool to provide clinicians and potential payers with a clinically powerful
      measure of the disease burden and prognosis. Predicting outcome or co-morbidity
      probability has been previously implemented successfully for calculating 10-year
      fracture probability (FRAX) as well as for predicting 1-year patient mortality
      using co-morbidity data obtained (Charlson index). Developing a specific
      rheumatoid arthritis-independent tool able to predict morbidity, mortality, cost
      and hospitalization would be a step forward on the way to achieve full disease
      remission. The co-morbidity index should be used both at baseline as well as a
      continuous variable in analyses. It should be implemented regularly in the
      clinical assessment as a confounder of outcomes. This article will review the
      redefined health outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis and the concept of co-morbidity
      index for patients with inflammatory arthritis. It will also present a proposed
      co-morbidity index for rheumatoid arthritis patients. 

PMID- 26497665
TI  - Effects of motivational enhancement therapy plus cognitive behaviour therapy on
      depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life in adults with type II
      diabetes mellitus: a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This paper evaluates the effectiveness of motivational enhancement
      therapy plus cognitive behavioural therapy on depressive symptoms, glycosylated
      haemoglobin, fasting glucose, body mass index (BMI), and health-related quality
      of life in type II diabetes patients. METHODS: A controlled trial was conducted
      to compare patients who received the behavioural intervention with untreated
      controls on measures of health outcomes. A total of 31 intervention group
      participants and 30 controls were selected from patients that met the inclusion
      criteria from a hospital-based endocrinology outpatient department. The outcome
      measures including depressive symptoms, glycosylated haemoglobin, fasting
      glucose, BMI, and both physical and mental quality of life were collected before
      (T1), after (T2), and after 90 days (T3) following the intervention. RESULTS: The
      experimental group showed a significant reduction in glycosylated haemoglobin,
      fasting glucose, and depressive symptoms and a significant increase in physical
      quality of life and mental quality of life at T2 and T3, while patients in the
      control group with usual care showed no changes over time. CONCLUSION: The
      behavioural intervention facilitated a significant improvement in psychological
      adjustment and glycemic control, thus strengthening diabetes control skills and
      leading to healthy outcomes. It is feasible that nurses and psychiatrists can
      deliver the behavioural intervention for diabetes patients to decrease their
      depressive symptoms. Sharing discussion and problem-solving experiences is
      particularly helpful method for self-control, and these will be beneficially
      influential on further research.

PMID- 26497666
TI  - Incidentally detected non-palpable testicular tumours in adults at scrotal
      ultrasound: impact of radiological findings on management Radiologic review and
      recommendations of the ESUR scrotal imaging subcommittee.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The increasing detection of small testicular lesions by ultrasound
      (US) in adults can lead to unnecessary orchiectomies. This article describes
      their nature, reviews the available literature on this subject and illustrates
      some classical lesions. We also suggest recommendations to help characterization
      and management. METHODS: The ESUR scrotal imaging subcommittee searched for
      original and review articles published before May 2015 using the Pubmed and
      Medline databases. Key words used were 'testicular ultrasound', 'contrast
      enhanced sonography', 'sonoelastography', 'magnetic resonance imaging', 'testis
      sparing surgery', 'testis imaging', 'Leydig cell tumour', 'testicular cyst'.
      Consensus was obtained amongst the members of the subcommittee, urologist and
      medical oncologist. RESULTS: Simple cysts are frequent and benign, and do not
      require follow up or surgery. Incidentally discovered small solid testicular
      lesions detected are benign in up to 80 %, with Leydig cell tumours being the
      most frequent. However, the presence of microliths, macrocalcifications and
      hypoechoic areas surrounding the nodule are findings suggestive of malignant
      disease. CONCLUSION: Asymptomatic small testicular lesions found on ultrasound
      are mainly benign, but findings such as microliths or hypoechoic regions
      surrounding the nodules may indicate malignancy. Colour Doppler US remains the
      basic examination for characterization. The role of newer imaging modalities in
      characterization is evolving. KEY POINTS: * Characterization of testicular
      lesions is primarily based on US examination. * The role of MRI,
      sonoelastography, contrast-enhanced ultrasound is evolving. * Most small non
      palpable testicular lesions seen on ultrasound are benign simple cysts. * Leydig
      cell tumours are the most frequent benign lesions. * Associated findings like
      microliths or hypoechoic regions may indicate malignancy.

PMID- 26497667
TI  - Inhibition of integrin beta1 decreases the malignancy of ovarian cancer cells and
      potentiates anticancer therapy via the FAK/STAT1 signaling pathway.
AB  - Integrin beta1 (ITGB1) is frequently upregulated in ovarian cancer, and promotes
      ovarian tumorigenesis and cancer progression. However, the effects of ITGB1
      inhibition on ovarian cancer progression and anticancer therapy remain to be
      elucidated. The results of the present study indicated that ITGB1 was upregulated
      in HO-8910 and HO-8910PM ovarian cancer cell lines, and knockdown of ITGB1 using
      short hairpin RNA markedly increased tumor cell apoptosis, decreased tumor cell
      adhesion and migration, and reduced tumor cell invasion by suppressing matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 expression. Furthermore, the results of the
      present study provided evidence regarding the role of ITGB1 inhibition in
      bevacizumab anticancer therapy. The activation of signal transducer and activator
      of transcription 1 (STAT1) by focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is involved in integrin
      mediated cell migration and adhesion. In the present study, the expression levels
      of FAK were markedly upregulated in ovarian cancer. The adherence and migratory
      potentials of ovarian cancer cells were significantly reduced when the FAK/STAT1
      signaling pathway was inhibited by fludarabine. The results of the present study
      demonstrated that ITGB1 inhibition effectively reduced tumorigenesis and disease
      exacerbation, and contributed to bevacizumab anticancer therapy via the FAK/STAT1
      signaling pathway, suggesting that inhibition of ITGB1 is a potential novel
      therapeutic strategy for ovarian carcinogenesis. 

PMID- 26497668
TI  - Differences in leg muscle activity and body sway between elderly adults able and
      unable to maintain one-leg stance for 1 min: the effect of hand support.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One-leg stance (OLS) training is often used to prevent falls in the
      elderly. The burden imposed on the supporting lower limb during OLS may differ
      depending on whether hand support is used, particularly in patients with
      decreased lower-limb strength. AIMS: Here we examined the effect of hand support
      on leg muscle activity and body sway during OLS in elderly subjects able to
      maintain OLS for 1 min unaided [able group (AG), n = 13] and those who were
      unable to do so [unable group (UG), n = 11]. METHODS: All subjects performed OLS
      unaided and OLS with front support (OLS-FS) using one hand for 1 min each. We
      estimated leg muscle activity [mean and maximum % root mean square (%RMS)] and
      body sway (total, X-axis, and Y-axis path lengths) for both tests. %RMS was
      calculated according to the results of the maximum voluntary isometric
      contraction test. RESULT: The overall average mean and maximum %RMS for the
      tibialis anterior muscle was larger in UG than in AG. In AG, tibialis anterior
      muscle mean and maximum %RMS and body sway was larger during OLS than during OLS
      FS. Total and X-axis path lengths were larger during the first 20 s OLS phase in
      AG and the first 20 s OLS-FS phase in UG. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the
      need to differentiate between patients able and unable to perform OLS unaided for
      training because of differences in leg muscle activity.

PMID- 26497669
TI  - Risk factors of outcomes in elderly patients with acute ischemic stroke in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stroke results in poor outcomes among elderly patients. However, the
      factors associated with outcome over different follow-up periods in this
      population are unknown. AIMS: To evaluate the outcomes and risk factors of
      outcomes in elderly patients after stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Outcomes,
      including mortality, dependency (defined as a mRS >2), and recurrence rates, and
      associated risk factors were assessed at 3 and 12 months after stroke in patients
      aged >=80 years. RESULTS: There were 419 acute ischemic stroke patients aged >=80
      years at 3 months, and 309 patients at 12 months; outcomes and relevant risk
      factors were assessed in these patients. Hypertension was more prevalent in women
      than in men. At 3 months, the mortality, dependency, and recurrence rates were
      13.8, 54.2, and 18.1 %, respectively; the corresponding rates at 12 months were
      26.9, 58.0, and 32.6 %, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, after
      adjusting by confounding factors, TOAST classification and stroke severity were
      associated with mortality and recurrence, while stroke severity was associated
      with dependency at 3 months. The mortality and dependency rates at 12 months were
      significantly associated with moderate and severe stroke, but severe stroke was
      an independent factor associated with recurrence. CONCLUSION: Stroke subtype and
      severity were associated with stroke outcomes among elderly patients in northern
      China. These findings suggest that it is crucial to highlight the affected
      factors of stroke outcome among elderly patients for reduce the burden of stroke
      in China.

PMID- 26497670
TI  - Investigation of the Interaction between Perovskite Films with Moisture via in
      Situ Electrical Resistance Measurement.
AB  - Organometal halide perovskites have recently emerged as outstanding
      semiconductors for solid-state optoelectronic devices. Their sensitivity to
      moisture is one of the biggest barriers to commercialization. In order to
      identify the effect of moisture in the degradation process, here we combined the
      in situ electrical resistance measurement with time-resolved X-ray diffraction
      analysis to investigate the interaction of CH3NH3PbI(3-x)Cl(x) perovskite films
      with moisture. Upon short-time exposure, the resistance of the perovskite films
      decreased and it could be fully recovered, which were ascribed to a mere
      chemisorption of water molecules, followed by the reversible hydration into
      CH3NH3PbI(3-x)Cl(x).H2O. Upon long-time exposure, however, the resistance became
      irreversible due to the decomposition into PbI2. The results demonstrated the
      formation of monohydrated intermediate phase when the perovskites interacted with
      moisture. The role of moisture in accelerating the thermal degradation at 85 
      degrees C was also demonstrated. Furthermore, our study suggested that the
      perovskite films with fewer defects may be more inherently resistant to moisture.

PMID- 26497671
TI  - Streptokinase-A Drug for Thrombolytic Therapy: A Patent Review.
AB  - Accumulation of fibrin in blood vessels significantly increases thrombosis,
      leading to myocardial infraction and other cardiovascular diseases. Microbial
      enzymes are one option for curing this pathological condition. Fibrinolytic
      enzymes such as urokinase (UK), tissue type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and
      streptokinase (SK) attracted much attention for thrombolytic therapy. Among them
      SK is preferable in low-resource settings because it is cost-effective.
      Therefore, the purpose of this review is to summarize recent patents related to
      the occurrence, mechanism of action, physico-chemical properties, cloning and
      expression, production, structure, immunogenicity, chemical modification, in vivo
      application and clinical trials of SK. This patent review considers the
      properties and characteristics of SK that make it a preferred agent for
      thrombolytic therapy. 

PMID- 26497672
TI  - Substance P prevents 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium-induced cytotoxicity through
      inhibition of apoptosis via neurokinin-1 receptors in MES23.5 cells.
AB  - [Sar9, Met(O2)11] termed Substance P (SP), is an effective and selective agonist
      for the neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptors, which are synthetic peptides, similar in
      structure to SP. SP is an important neurotransmitter or neuromodulator mediated
      by neurokinin receptors, namely the SP receptor in the central nervous system.
      The excitatory effects induced by SP may be selectively inhibited by a neurokinin
      1 receptor antagonist, such as SR140333B. It has been proposed that Parkinson's
      disease (PD) is primarily caused by the loss of trophic peptidergic
      neurotransmitter, possibly SP, which may lead to the degeneration of neurons. In
      previous studies, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) has been frequently utilized
      to establish animal or cell models of PD. In the present study, to further
      investigate the effects of SP in PD, MPP+ was employed to investigate the
      promising anti-apoptotic effects of SP, and examine the underlying mechanisms of
      the pathology in the MES23.5 dopaminergic cell line. The results indicated that
      MPP+-triggered apoptosis was prevented by treatment with SP. SP treatment also
      decreased the MPP+-triggered Ca2+ influx, caspase-3 re-activity, reactive oxygen
      species production and mitochondrial membrane potential decrease. Treatment with
      MPP+ also induced phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 mitogen
      activated protein kinase. In addition, treatment with SP inhibited the MPP+
      triggered neurotoxicity in MES23.5 cells. However, no changes were observed in
      SR140333B+SP+MPP+-treated MES23.5 cell lines. In conclusion, SP could protect the
      cells from MPP+-induced cytotoxicity by inhibiting the apoptosis via NK-1
      receptors. 

PMID- 26497673
TI  - Valproic acid inhibits proliferation of HER2-expressing breast cancer cells by
      inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through Hsp70 acetylation.
AB  - Breast cancer encompasses a heterogeneous group of diseases at the molecular
      level. It is known that chemosensitivity of breast cancer depends on its
      molecular subtype. We investigated the growth inhibitory effect of valproic acid
      (VPA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, and the mechanism of this
      inhibition on four breast cancer cell lines with different molecular subtypes.
      The growth inhibitory effect of VPA in the four different breast cancer cell
      lines was investigated. The alteration of levels of p21 WAF1, cleaved caspase-3,
      acetylated Heat shock protein (Hsp) 90, acetylated Hsp70, and acetylated alpha
      tubulin by VPA was examined in VPA-sensitive, human epidermal receptor 2 (HER2)
      overexpressing SKBR3 cells. The cell growth inhibition of breast cancer cell
      lines was dependent on the dose and exposure time of VPA. The cell growth of HER2
      overexpressing SKBR3 cell line was inhibited by VPA to a much greater degree than
      other cell lines studied. In SKBR3 cell line, VPA upregulated expression of p21
      WAF1 and cleaved caspase-3 in the early phase. VPA markedly increased Hsp70
      acetylation in a time-dependent manner but did not increase Hsp90 acetylation.
      Our data demonstrated that VPA inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell
      cycle arrest and apoptosis of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells. This anti
      proliferation effect might be the direct function of VPA as an HDAC inhibitor. We
      propose an alternative mechanism whereby acetylation of Hsp70 disrupts the
      function of Hsp90 and leads to downregulation of its client proteins, including
      HER2 that might be the indirect function of VPA, in the sense that non-histone
      proteins are acetylated.

PMID- 26497674
TI  - Histological evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in a large series of
      neurodegenerative diseases.

PMID- 26497675
TI  - RCAN1 overexpression promotes age-dependent mitochondrial dysregulation related
      to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Aging is the largest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Patients with Down
      syndrome (DS) develop symptoms consistent with early-onset AD, suggesting that
      overexpression of chromosome 21 genes such as Regulator of Calcineurin 1 (RCAN1)
      plays a role in AD pathogenesis. RCAN1 levels are increased in the brain of DS
      and AD patients but also in the human brain with normal aging. RCAN1 has been
      implicated in several neuronal functions, but whether its increased expression is
      correlative or causal in the aging-related progression of AD remains elusive. We
      show that brain-specific overexpression of the human RCAN1.1S isoform in mice
      promotes early age-dependent memory and synaptic plasticity deficits, tau
      pathology, and dysregulation of dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) activity
      associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, reproducing key
      AD features. Based on these findings, we propose that chronic RCAN1
      overexpression during aging alters DRP1-mediated mitochondrial fission and thus
      acts to promote AD-related progressive neurodegeneration. 

PMID- 26497676
TI  - The proinflammatory LTB4/BLT1 signal axis confers resistance to TGF-beta1-induced
      growth inhibition by targeting Smad3 linker region.
AB  - Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is a potent pro-inflammatory eicosanoid that is derived
      from arachidonic acid, and its signaling is known to have a tumor-promoting role
      in several cancer types. In this study, we investigated whether enhanced LTB4
      signaling confers resistance to the cytostatic transforming growth factor-beta1
      (TGF-beta1) response. We found that LTB4 pretreatment or ectopic expression of
      BLT1, a high affinity LTB4 receptor, fully abrogated TGF-beta1-induced cell cycle
      arrest and expression of p15INK4B and p27KIP1. Mechanism study revealed that LTB4
      mediated suppression of TGF-beta1-induced Smad3 activation and growth inhibition
      was due to enhanced phosphorylation of Smad3 linker region (pSmad3L) through
      activation of BLT1-NAD(P)H oxidase (NOX)-reactive oxygen species (ROS)-epidermal
      growth factor receptor (EGFR)-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K)-extracellular
      signal-activated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2)-linked signaling cascade. Furthermore, the
      LTB4/BLT1 signaling pathway leading to pSmad3L was constitutively activated in
      breast cancer cells and was correlated with TGF-beta1-resistant growth of the
      cells in vitro and in vivo. In human breast cancer tissues, the expression level
      of pSmad3L (Thr179) had a positive correlation with BLT1 expression.
      Collectively, our data demonstrate for the first time that the induction of
      pSmad3L through BLT1-NOX-ROS-EGFR-PI3K-ERK1/2 signaling pathway is a key
      mechanism by which LTB4 blocks the anti-proliferative responses of TGF-beta1,
      providing a novel mechanistic insight into the connection between enhanced
      inflammatory signal and cancer cell growth. 

PMID- 26497677
TI  - Eribulin targets a ch-TOG-dependent directed migration of cancer cells.
AB  - Non-cytotoxic concentrations of microtubule targeting agents (MTAs) interfere
      with the dynamics of interphase microtubules and affect cell migration, which
      could impair tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. The underlying mechanisms however
      are still ill-defined. We previously established that directed cell migration is
      dependent on stabilization of microtubules at the cell leading edge, which is
      controlled by microtubule +end interacting proteins (+TIPs). In the present
      study, we found that eribulin, a recently approved MTA interacting with a new
      class of binding site on beta-tubulin, decreased microtubule growth speed,
      impaired their cortical stabilization and prevented directed migration of cancer
      cells. These effects were reminiscent of those observed when +TIP expression or
      cortical localization was altered. Actually, eribulin induced a dose-dependent
      depletion of EB1, CLIP-170 and the tubulin polymerase ch-TOG from microtubule
      +ends. Interestingly, eribulin doses that disturbed ch-TOG localization without
      significant effect on EB1 and CLIP-170 comets, had an impact on microtubule
      dynamics and directed migration. Moreover, knockdown of ch-TOG led to a similar
      inhibition of microtubule growth speed, microtubule capture and chemotaxis. Our
      data suggest that eribulin binding to the tip of microtubules and subsequent loss
      of ch-TOG is a priming event leading to alterations in microtubule dynamics and
      cancer cell migration. 

PMID- 26497678
TI  - Therapeutic potential of targeting cell division cycle associated 5 for oral
      squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - Molecularly targeted drugs are used in the treatment of a variety of malignant
      tumors, but this approach to developing novel therapies for oral squamous cell
      carcinoma (OSCC) has lagged behind the progress seen for other cancers. We have
      attempted to find appropriate molecular targets for OSCC and identified cell
      division cycle associated 5 (CDCA5) as a cancer-related gene which was
      overexpressed in all the human OSCC cells tested by microarray analysis. In this
      study, we investigated the expression and function of CDCA5 in OSCC. First, we
      confirmed that CDCA5 was overexpressed in 4 human OSCC cell lines by quantitative
      RT-PCR and Western blotting. We then tested the effect of synthetic small
      interfering RNAs specific for CDCA5 on the growth and invasion of human OSCC
      cells. Knockdown of CDCA5 markedly inhibited the growth of OSCC cells in vitro
      and in vivo. We also examined the expression of CDCA5 protein in 80 cases of OSCC
      immunohistochemically and found a significant association between CDCA5
      expression levels and overall survival. These results suggest that CDCA5
      functions as a critical gene supporting OSCC progression and that targeting CDCA5
      may be a useful therapeutic strategy for OSCC. 

PMID- 26497679
TI  - Tristetraprolin induces cell cycle arrest in breast tumor cells through targeting
      AP-1/c-Jun and NF-kappaB pathway.
AB  - The main characteristic of cancers, including breast cancer, is the ability of
      cancer cells to proliferate uncontrollably. However, the underlying mechanisms of
      cancer cell proliferation, especially those regulated by the RNA binding protein
      tristetraprolin (TTP), are not completely understood. In this study, we found
      that TTP inhibits cell proliferation in vitro and suppresses tumor growth in vivo
      through inducing cell cycle arrest at the S phase. Our studies demonstrate that
      TTP inhibits c-Jun expression through the C-terminal Zn finger and therefore
      increases Wee1 expression, a regulatory molecule which controls cell cycle
      transition from the S to the G2 phase. In contrast to the well-known function of
      TTP in regulating mRNA stability, TTP inhibits c-Jun expression at the level of
      transcription by selectively blocking NF-kappaB p65 nuclear translocation.
      Reconstitution of NF-kappaB p65 completely abolishes the inhibition of c-Jun
      transcription by TTP. Moreover, reconstitution of c-Jun in TTP-expressing breast
      tumor cells diminishes Wee1 overexpression and promotes cell proliferation. Our
      results indicate that TTP suppresses c-Jun expression that results in Wee1
      induction which causes cell cycle arrest at the S phase and inhibition of cell
      proliferation. Our study provides a new pathway for TTP function as a tumor
      suppressor which could be targeted in tumor treatment. 

PMID- 26497680
TI  - Mutant p53 confers chemoresistance in non-small cell lung cancer by upregulating
      Nrf2.
AB  - Nrf2 is a key transcription factor for genes coding for antioxidants,
      detoxification enzymes, and multiple drug resistance and it also confers
      resistance to anticancer drugs. Here, we hypothesized that mutant p53 could
      upregulate Nrf2 expression at the transcriptional level, thereby conferring
      cisplatin resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Luciferase reporter
      assays and real-time PCR analysis indicated that the Nrf2 promoter activity and
      its mRNA levels were markedly suppressed by wild-type p53, but not by mutant p53.
      Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) further confirmed that wild-type p53 binds
      at the p53 putative binding site to block Sp1 binding to the Nrf2 promoter and
      consequently to suppress the Nrf2 promoter activity. The MTT assay indicated that
      an increase in Nrf2 expression by mutant p53 is responsible for cisplatin
      resistance. Among the Nrf2 downstream genes, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL contribute more
      strongly to Nrf2-mediated cisplatin resistance when compared with heme oxygenase
      1 (HO-1). Cox regression analysis showed that patients with high-Nrf2, high-Bcl
      2, high-Bcl-xL mRNA tumors were more commonly occurred unfavorable response to
      cisplatin-based chemotherapy than their counterparts. The prognostic significance
      of Nrf2 mRNA levels on OS and RFS was also observed in patients who have received
      cisplatin-based chemotherapy, particularly in p53-mutant patients. Collectively,
      mutant p53 may confer cisplatin resistance via upregulation of Nrf2 expression,
      and Nrf2 mRNA level may predict chemotherapeutic response and outcomes in NSCLC. 

PMID- 26497681
TI  - Suppression of ATAD2 inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma progression through
      activation of p53- and p38-mediated apoptotic signaling.
AB  - The ATPase family, AAA domain containing 2 (ATAD2) is highly expressed in
      multiple cancers. We aim to understand the clinical and biological significance
      of ATAD2 over-expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as a means to
      validate it as a therapeutic target in HCC. We demonstrated that ATAD2 was over
      expressed in HCC patients, where high ATAD2 levels were significantly correlated
      with aggressive phenotypes such as high AFP levels, advanced tumor stages, and
      vascular invasion. Using RNA interference, suppression of ATAD2 in HCC cell lines
      decreased cell viability, migration, and invasion, and induced apoptosis in
      vitro. Furthermore, we identified p53 and p38 as key proteins that mediate
      apoptosis induced by ATAD2 suppression. In HCC cells, we demonstrated that ATAD2
      directly interacted with MKK3/6, which prevented p38 activation and therefore
      inhibited p38-mediated apoptosis. In vivo, suppression of ATAD2 impaired the
      growth of HepG2 and Hep3B subcutaneous xenografts, accompanied by enhanced
      apoptosis and p-p53 and p-p38 levels. Our results validate that ATAD2 is an
      important negative regulator of apoptosis, and that neutralizing its activity has
      promising anti-tumor effects in HCC cells. 

PMID- 26497682
TI  - A putative biomarker signature for clinically effective AKT inhibition:
      correlation of in vitro, in vivo and clinical data identifies the importance of
      modulation of the mTORC1 pathway.
AB  - Our identification of dysregulation of the AKT pathway in ovarian cancer as a
      platinum resistance specific event led to a comprehensive analysis of in vitro,
      in vivo and clinical behaviour of the AKT inhibitor GSK2141795. Proteomic
      biomarker signatures correlating with effects of GSK2141795 were developed using
      in vitro and in vivo models, well characterised for related molecular, phenotypic
      and imaging endpoints. Signatures were validated in temporally paired biopsies
      from patients treated with GSK2141795 in a clinical study. GSK2141795 caused
      growth-arrest as single agent in vitro, enhanced cisplatin-induced apoptosis in
      vitro and reduced tumour volume in combination with platinum in vivo. GSK2141795
      treatment in vitro and in vivo resulted in ~50-90% decrease in phospho-PRAS40 and
      20-80% decrease in fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG) uptake. Proteomic analysis of
      GSK2141795 in vitro and in vivo identified a signature of pathway inhibition
      including changes in AKT and p38 phosphorylation and total Bim, IGF1R, AR and YB1
      levels. In patient biopsies, prior to treatment with GSK2141795 in a phase 1
      clinical trial, this signature was predictive of post-treatment changes in the
      response marker CA125. Development of this signature represents an opportunity to
      demonstrate the clinical importance of AKT inhibition for re-sensitisation of
      platinum resistant ovarian cancer to platinum. 

PMID- 26497683
TI  - A novel prohibitin-binding compound induces the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway
      through NOXA and BIM upregulation.
AB  - We previously described diaryl trifluorothiazoline compound 1a (hereafter
      referred to as fluorizoline) as a first-in-class small molecule that induces p53
      independent apoptosis in a wide range of tumor cell lines. Fluorizoline directly
      binds to prohibitin 1 and 2 (PHBs), two proteins involved in the regulation of
      several cellular processes, including apoptosis. Here we demonstrate that
      fluorizoline-induced apoptosis is mediated by PHBs, as cells depleted of these
      proteins are highly resistant to fluorizoline treatment. In addition, BAX and BAK
      are necessary for fluorizoline-induced cytotoxic effects, thereby proving that
      apoptosis occurs through the intrinsic pathway. Expression analysis revealed that
      fluorizoline induced the upregulation of Noxa and Bim mRNA levels, which was not
      observed in PHB-depleted MEFs. Finally, Noxa(-/-)/Bim(-/-) MEFs and NOXA
      downregulated HeLa cells were resistant to fluorizoline-induced apoptosis. All
      together, these findings show that fluorizoline requires PHBs to execute the
      mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

PMID- 26497684
TI  - Altered microRNA profiles in cerebrospinal fluid exosome in Parkinson disease and
      Alzheimer disease.
AB  - The differential diagnosis of Parkinson's diseases (PD) is challenging,
      especially in the early stages of the disease. We developed a microRNA profiling
      strategy for exosomal miRNAs isolated from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in PD and
      AD. Sixteen exosomal miRNAs were up regulated and 11 miRNAs were under regulated
      significantly in PD CSF when compared with those in healthy controls (relative
      fold > 2, p < 0.05). MiR-1 and miR-19b-3p were validated and significantly
      reduced in independent samples. While miR-153, miR-409-3p, miR-10a-5p, and let-7g
      3p were significantly over expressed in PD CSF exosome. Bioinformatic analysis by
      DIANA-mirPath demonstrated that Neurotrophin signaling, mTOR signaling, Ubiquitin
      mediated proteolysis, Dopaminergic synapse, and Glutamatergic synapse were the
      most prominent pathways enriched in quantiles with PD miRNA patterns. Messenger
      RNA (mRNA) transcripts [amyloid precursor protein (APP), alpha-synuclein (alpha
      syn), Tau, neurofilament light gene (NF-L), DJ-1/PARK7, Fractalkine and Neurosin]
      and long non-coding RNAs (RP11-462G22.1 and PCA3) were differentially expressed
      in CSF exosomes in PD and AD patients. These data demonstrated that CSF exosomal
      RNA molecules are reliable biomarkers with fair robustness in regard to
      specificity and sensitivity in differentiating PD from healthy and diseased (AD)
      controls. 

PMID- 26497685
TI  - The combinatorial activation of the PI3K and Ras/MAPK pathways is sufficient for
      aggressive tumor formation, while individual pathway activation supports cell
      persistence.
AB  - A high proportion of human tumors maintain activation of both the PI3K and
      Ras/MAPK pathways. In basal-like breast cancer (BBC), PTEN expression is
      decreased/lost in over 50% of cases, leading to aberrant activation of the PI3K
      pathway. Additionally, BBC cell lines and tumor models have been shown to exhibit
      an oncogenic Ras-like gene transcriptional signature, indicating activation of
      the Ras/MAPK pathway. To directly test how the PI3K and Ras/MAPK pathways
      contribute to tumorigenesis, we deleted PTEN and activated KRas within non
      tumorigenic MCF-10A breast cells. Neither individual mutation was sufficient to
      promote tumorigenesis, but the combination promoted robust tumor growth in mice.
      However, in vivo bioluminescence reveals that each mutation has the ability to
      promote a persistent phenotype. Inherent in the concept of tumor cell dormancy, a
      stage in which residual disease is present but remains asymptomatic, viable cells
      with each individual mutation can persist in vivo during a period of latency. The
      persistent cells were excised from the mice and showed increased levels of the
      cell cycle arrest proteins p21 and p27 compared to the aggressively growing PTEN
      /-KRAS(G12V) cells. Additionally, when these persistent cells were placed into
      growth-promoting conditions, they were able to re-enter the cell cycle and
      proliferate. These results highlight the potential for either PTEN loss or KRAS
      activation to promote cell survival in vivo, and the unique ability of the
      combined mutations to yield rapid tumor growth. This could have important
      implications in determining recurrence risk and disease progression in tumor
      subtypes where these mutations are common.

PMID- 26497686
TI  - Decreased severity of collagen antibody and lipopolysaccharide-induced arthritis
      in human IL-32beta overexpressed transgenic mice.
AB  - Interleukin (IL)-32, mainly produced by T-lymphocytes, natural killer cells,
      epithelial cells, and blood monocytes, is dominantly known as a pro-inflammatory
      cytokine. However, the role of IL-32 on inflammatory disease has been doubtful
      according to diverse conflicting results. This study was designed to examine the
      role of IL-32beta on the development of collagen antibody (CAIA) and
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory arthritis. Our data showed that the
      paw swelling volume and clinical score were significantly reduced in the CAIA and
      LPS-treated IL-32beta transgenic mice compared with non-transgenic mice. The
      populations of cytotoxic T, NK and dendritic cells was inhibited and NF-kappaB
      and STAT3 activities were significantly lowered in the CAIA and LPS-treated IL
      32beta transgenic mice. The expression of pro-inflammatory proteins was prevented
      in the paw tissues of CAIA and LPS-treated IL-32beta transgenic mice. In
      addition, IL-32beta altered several cytokine levels in the blood, spleen and paw
      joint. Our data indicates that IL-32beta comprehensively inhibits the
      inflammation responses in the CAIA and LPS-induced inflammatory arthritis model. 

PMID- 26497687
TI  - Inhibition of the miR-155 target NIAM phenocopies the growth promoting effect of
      miR-155 in B-cell lymphoma.
AB  - Several studies have indicated an important role for miR-155 in the pathogenesis
      of B-cell lymphoma. Highly elevated levels of miR-155 were indeed observed in
      most B-cell lymphomas with the exception of Burkitt lymphoma (BL). However, the
      molecular mechanisms that underlie the oncogenic role of miR-155 in B-cell
      lymphoma are not well understood. To identify the miR-155 targets relevant for B
      cell lymphoma, we performed RNA immunoprecipitation of Argonaute 2 in Hodgkin
      lymphoma (HL) cells upon miR-155 inhibition and in BL cells upon ectopic
      expression of miR-155. We identified 54 miR-155-specific target genes in BL cells
      and confirmed miR-155 targeting of DET1, NIAM, TRIM32, HOMEZ, PSIP1 and JARID2.
      Five of these targets are also regulated by endogenous miR-155 in HL cells. Both
      overexpression of miR-155 and inhibition of expression of the novel miR-155
      target gene NIAM increased proliferation of BL cells. In primary B-cell lymphoma
      NIAM-positive cases have significant lower levels of miR-155 as compared to NIAM
      negative cases, suggesting that NIAM is also regulated by miR-155 in primary B
      cell lymphoma. Thus, our data indicate an oncogenic role for miR-155 in B-cell
      lymphoma which involves targeting the tumor suppressor NIAM. 

PMID- 26497688
TI  - Flavokawain A induces deNEDDylation and Skp2 degradation leading to inhibition of
      tumorigenesis and cancer progression in the TRAMP transgenic mouse model.
AB  - S phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) has been shown to be required for
      spontaneous tumor development that occurs in the retinoblastoma protein (pRb)
      deficient mice. Here we have demonstrated that flavokawain A (FKA), a novel
      chalcone from the kava plant, selectively inhibited the growth of pRb deficient
      cell lines and resulted in a proteasome-dependent and ubiquitination-mediated
      Skp2 degradation. Degradation of Skp2 by FKA was found to be involved in a
      functional Cullin1, but independent of Cdh1 expression. Further studies have
      demonstrated that FKA docked into the ATP binding pocket of the precursor cell
      expressed developmentally down-regulated 8 (NEDD8)-activating enzyme (NAE)
      complex, inhibited NEDD8 conjugations to both Cullin1 and Ubc12 in PC3 cells and
      Ubc12 NEDDylation in an in vitro assay. Finally, dietary feeding of the
      autochthonous transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) mice with
      FKA inhibited the formation of high-grade prostatic intra-epithelial neoplasia
      lesions (HG-PIN) and prostate adenocarcinomas, reduced the tumor burden and
      completely abolished distant organ metastasis. Immunohistochemistry studies
      revealed that dietary FKA feeding resulted in marked anti-proliferative and
      apoptotic effects via down-regulation of Skp2 and NEDD8 and up-regulation of
      p27/Kip1 in the prostate of TRAMP mice. Our findings therefore provide evidence
      that FKA is a promising NEDDylation inhibitor for targeting Skp2 degradation in
      prostate cancer prevention and treatment. 

PMID- 26497690
TI  - Adjuvant treatment with tumor-targeting Salmonella typhimurium A1-R reduces
      recurrence and increases survival after liver metastasis resection in an
      orthotopic nude mouse model.
AB  - Colon cancer liver metastasis is often the lethal aspect of this disease. Well
      isolated metastases are candidates for surgical resection, but recurrence is
      common. Better adjuvant treatment is therefore needed to reduce or prevent
      recurrence. In the present study, HT-29 human colon cancer cells expressing red
      fluorescent protein (RFP) were used to establish liver metastases in nude mice.
      Mice with a single liver metastasis were randomized into bright-light surgery
      (BLS) or the combination of BLS and adjuvant treatment with tumor-targeting S.
      typhimurium A1-R. Residual tumor fluorescence after BLS was clearly visualized at
      high magnification by fluorescence imaging. Adjuvant treatment with S.
      typhimurium A1-R was highly effective to increase survival and disease-free
      survival after BLS of liver metastasis. The results suggest the future clinical
      potential of adjuvant S. typhimurium A1-R treatment after liver metastasis
      resection. 

PMID- 26497691
TI  - Dopaminergic genetic variation moderates the effect of nicotine on cigarette
      reward.
AB  - RATIONALE: Cigarette smoking is influenced by nicotine's effects on dopaminergic
      activity in the mesocorticolimbic pathway. This activity appears to be moderated
      by genetic variation, specifically a variable number tandem repeat (VNTR)
      polymorphism in the third exon of the dopamine receptor gene (DRD4). OBJECTIVE:
      We examined whether this polymorphism along with three DRD4 single-nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs: rs936460, rs936461, and rs12280580) moderate the influence
      of nicotine on subjective responses to cigarettes. METHODS: White, non-Hispanic
      smokers (n = 96, cigarettes/day >=15) attended two double-blind, counterbalanced
      experimental sessions, each preceded by overnight smoking abstinence.
      Participants smoked four nicotine (8.9 mg) or placebo (1.0 mg) cigarettes per
      session, with each cigarette followed by completion of the modified Cigarette
      Evaluation Questionnaire (mCEQ). RESULTS: We examined the mCEQ composite score
      via 2 * 2 * 4 ANOVAs with genotype (major homozygotes versus minor carriers) as
      the between-subject factor and nicotine content and smoking bout as within
      subject factors. Although DRD4 VNTR variation did not moderate overall nicotine
      response, there was a moderation of nicotine response over successive cigarettes.
      Smokers with fewer than seven repeats for the DRD4 VNTR reported markedly reduced
      craving, increased satisfaction, and a greater calming effect in response to
      earlier smoked nicotine cigarettes, whereas those with seven or more repeats did
      not. In addition, minor carriers for all three DRD4 SNPs displayed blunted
      overall response to nicotine. CONCLUSION: These findings provide support for DRD4
      variation as an informative predictor of subjective responses to nicotine. We
      discuss how these data may lead to improved tailoring of smoking cessation
      pharmacotherapies.

PMID- 26497689
TI  - Combination of circulating tumor cell enumeration and tumor marker detection in
      predicting prognosis and treatment effect in metastatic castration-resistant
      prostate cancer.
AB  - Although circulating tumor cell (CTC) enumeration in peripheral blood has already
      been validated as a reliable biomarker in predicting prognosis in metastatic
      castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), patients with favorable CTC counts
      (CTC < 5/7.5 ml) still experience various survival times. Assays that can reduce
      patients' risks are urgently needed. In this study, we set up a real-time
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) method to detect epithelial
      mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stem cell gene expression status in peripheral
      blood to validate whether they could complement CTC enumeration. From January
      2013 to June 2014 we collected peripheral blood from 70 mCRPC patients and
      enumerated CTC in these blood samples using CellSearch system. At the same time,
      stem cell-related genes (ABCG2, PROM1 and PSCA) and EMT-related genes (TWIST1 and
      vimentin) were detected in these peripheral blood samples using an RT-qPCR assay.
      Patient overall survival (OS) and treatment methods were recorded in the follow
      up. For patients who received first-line chemotherapy, docetaxel plus prednisone,
      PSA progression-free survival (PSA-PFS) and PSA response rate were recorded. At
      the time of analysis, 35 patients had died of prostate cancer with a median
      follow-up of 16.0 months. Unfavorable CTC enumerations (CTC >=5/7.5 ml) were
      predictive of shorter OS (p = 0.01). Also, positive stem cell gene expression
      indicated poor prognosis in mCRPC patients (p = 0.01). However, EMT gene
      expression status failed to show any prognostic value in OS (p = 0.78). A
      multivariate analysis indicated that serum albumin (p = 0.04), ECOG performance
      status (p < 0.01), CTC enumeration (p = 0.02) and stem cell gene expression
      status (p = 0.01) were independent prognostic factors for OS. For the 40 patients
      categorized into the favorable CTC enumeration group, positive stem cell gene
      expression also suggested poor prognosis (p < 0.01). A combined prognostic model
      consisting of stem cell gene expression and CTC enumeration increased the
      concordance probability estimated value from 0.716 to 0.889 in comparison with
      CTC enumeration alone. For patients who received docetaxel plus prednisone as
      first-line chemotherapy, positive stem cell gene expression suggested a poor PSA
      PFS (p = 0.01) and a low PSA response rate (p = 0.008). However, CTC enumeration
      and EMT gene expression status did not affect PSA-PFS or PSA response rates. As a
      result, detection of peripheral blood stem cell gene expression could complement
      CTC enumeration in predicting OS and docetaxel-based treatment effects in mCRPC
      patients. 

PMID- 26497692
TI  - Selective effects of acute alcohol intake on the prospective and retrospective
      components of a prospective-memory task with emotional targets.
AB  - RATIONALE: Prospective memory involves remembering to do something in the future
      and has a prospective component (remembering that something must be done) and a
      retrospective component (remembering what must be done and when it must be done).
      Initial studies reported an impairment in prospective-memory performance due to
      acute alcohol consumption. Retrospective-memory studies demonstrated that alcohol
      effects vary depending on the emotionality of the information that needs to be
      learned. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to investigate possible
      differential effects of a mild acute alcohol dose (0.4 g/kg) on the prospective
      and retrospective components of prospective memory depending on cue valence.
      METHOD: Seventy-five participants were allocated to an alcohol or placebo group
      and performed a prospective-memory task in which prospective-memory cue valence
      was manipulated (negative, neutral, positive). The multinomial model of event
      based prospective memory (Smith and Bayen 2004) was used to measure alcohol and
      valence effects on the two prospective-memory components separately. RESULTS:
      Overall, no main effect of alcohol or valence on prospective-memory performance
      occurred. However, model-based analyses demonstrated a significantly higher
      retrospective component for positive compared with negative cues in the placebo
      group. In the alcohol group, the prospective component was weaker for negative
      than for neutral cues and the retrospective component was stronger for positive
      than for neutral cues. Group comparisons showed that the alcohol group had a
      significantly lower prospective component for negative cues and a lower
      retrospective component for neutral cues. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to
      demonstrate selective alcohol effects on prospective-memory components depending
      on prospective-memory cue valence.

PMID- 26497693
TI  - Terminalia arjuna bark extract alleviates nickel toxicity by suppressing its
      uptake and modulating antioxidative defence in rice seedlings.
AB  - Terminalia arjuna (Ta) bark contains various natural antioxidants and has been
      used to protect animal cells against oxidative stress. In the present study, we
      have examined alleviating effects of Ta bark aqueous extract against Ni toxicity
      in rice (Oryza sativa L.). When rice seedlings were raised for 8 days in
      hydroponics in Yoshida nutrient medium containing 200 MUM NiSO4, a decline in
      height, reduced biomass, increased Ni uptake, loss of root plasma membrane
      integrity, increase in the level of O2-, H2O2 and OH, increased lipid
      peroxidation, decline in photosynthetic pigments, increase in the level of
      antioxidative enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase
      and alterations in their isoenzyme profile patterns were observed. Transmission
      electron microscopy (TEM) showed damage to chloroplasts marked by disorganised
      enlarged starch granules and disrupted thylakoids under Ni toxicity. Exogenously
      adding Ta bark extract (3.2 mg ml-1) to the growth medium considerably alleviated
      Ni toxicity in the seedlings by reducing Ni uptake, suppressing generation of
      reactive oxygen species, reducing lipid peroxidation, restoring level of
      photosynthesis pigments and ultrastructure of chloroplasts, and restoring levels
      of antioxidative enzymes. Results suggest that Ta bark extract considerably
      alleviates Ni toxicity in rice seedlings by preventing Ni uptake and reducing
      oxidative stress in the seedlings.

PMID- 26497695
TI  - Direct Synthesis of Thioethers from Carboxylates and Thiols Catalyzed by FeCl3.
AB  - A new and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of thioethers
      from carboxylates and thiols. The reaction proceeds via a Fe(III)-catalyzed
      direct displacement of carboxylates from benzylic or allylic esters by
      heterocyclic thiols. Short reaction times, good to excellent yields of products,
      and few side reactions are the significant features of the new protocol. 

PMID- 26497694
TI  - Floral micromorphology of the Australian carnivorous bladderwort Utricularia
      dunlopii, a putative pseudocopulatory species.
AB  - Flowers of sexually deceptive taxa generally possess a set of morphological and
      physiological characters that mimic their insect pollinators. These characters
      often include a specific insect-like floral configuration, together with scent
      glands (osmophores) that produce fragrances which chemically resemble insect sex
      pheromones. Furthermore, these flowers tend not to produce pollinator food
      rewards. According to some authors, flowers of the Australian bladderwort
      Utricularia dunlopii (and species of the Utricularia capilliflora complex)
      resemble insects, and pollination perhaps occurs by pseudocopulation. The aims of
      this paper are to compare the structure and distribution of floral glandular
      trichomes in the Australian carnivorous plant U. dunlopii with those of closely
      related species assigned to the same section and to discuss their putative
      function. Floral tissues of U. dunlopii P. Taylor, Utricularia paulinae Lowrie,
      Utricularia dichotoma Labill. and Utricularia uniflora R.Br. (section
      Pleiochasia) were investigated using light microscopy, scanning electron
      microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and histochemistry. In U. dunlopii,
      two long, erect, filiform appendages arising from the upper lip of the corolla,
      together with three arising from the lower lip, bear numerous glandular trichomes
      that may function as osmophores. In other species, such as U. uniflora and U.
      paulinae, glandular papillae on the corolla palate may also function as
      osmophores. The floral anatomical and morphological organisation of U. dunlopii
      differs from that of the other investigated species, indicating that its insect
      pollinators are also likely to differ. Morphological and ultrastructural
      observations, while generally contributing to our understanding of the flower of
      U. dunlopii, do not refute the possibility that pollination here may occur by
      pseudocopulation. Further field-based investigations, however, are now necessary
      to test this hypothesis.

PMID- 26497696
TI  - Using Animation to Improve Recovery from Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Randomized
      Trial.
AB  - Background: Recovery from myocardial infarction has been associated with
      patients' perceptions of damage to their heart. New technologies offer a way to
      show patients animations that may foster more accurate perceptions and encourage
      medication adherence, increased exercise and faster return to activities.
      PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a brief
      animated intervention delivered at the patients' bedside on perceptions and
      recovery in acute coronary syndrome patients. METHODS: Seventy acute coronary
      syndrome patients were randomly assigned to the intervention or standard care
      alone. Illness perceptions, medication beliefs and recovery outcomes were
      measured. RESULTS: Post-intervention, the intervention group had significantly
      increased treatment control perceptions and decreased medication harm beliefs and
      concerns. Seven weeks later, intervention participants had significantly
      increased treatment control and timeline beliefs, decreased symptoms, lower
      cardiac avoidance, greater exercise and faster return to normal activities
      compared to control patients. CONCLUSIONS: A brief animated intervention may be
      clinically effective for acute coronary syndrome patients (Trial-ID:
      ACTRN12614000440628).

PMID- 26497697
TI  - Optimism and Spontaneous Self-affirmation are Associated with Lower Likelihood of
      Cognitive Impairment and Greater Positive Affect among Cancer Survivors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Optimism and self-affirmation promote adaptive coping, goal
      achievement, and better health. PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to examine the
      associations of optimism and spontaneous self-affirmation (SSA) with physical,
      mental, and cognitive health and information seeking among cancer survivors.
      METHODS: Cancer survivors (n = 326) completed the Health Information National
      Trends Survey 2013, a national survey of US adults. Participants reported
      optimism, SSA, cognitive and physical impairment, affect, health status, and
      information seeking. RESULTS: Participants higher in optimism reported better
      health on nearly all indices examined, even when controlling for SSA.
      Participants higher in SSA reported lower likelihood of cognitive impairment,
      greater happiness and hopefulness, and greater likelihood of cancer information
      seeking. SSA remained significantly associated with greater hopefulness and
      cancer information seeking when controlling for optimism. CONCLUSIONS: Optimism
      and SSA may be associated with beneficial health-related outcomes among cancer
      survivors. Given the demonstrated malleability of self-affirmation, these
      findings represent important avenues for future research.

PMID- 26497698
TI  - In vivo biokinetic and metabolic characterization of the 68Ga-labelled
      alpha5beta1-selective peptidomimetic FR366.
AB  - PURPOSE: Integrins are transmembrane receptors responsible for cell-cell adhesion
      and cell-extracellular matrix binding and play an important role in angiogenesis
      and tumour metastasis. For this reason, integrins are increasingly used as
      targets for molecular imaging. Up to now interest has mostly been focused on the
      integrin subtype alphavbeta3. However, targeting of other subtypes such as the
      integrin alpha5beta1 is also of high interest due to its central role in
      colonization of metastatic cells, resistance of tumour cells to chemotherapy and
      ionizing radiation, and tumour aggressiveness. Recently, a highly active
      antagonist ligand (2,2'-(7-(1-carboxy-4-((6-((3-(4-(((S)-1-carboxy-2-(2-(3
      guanidinobenzamido)acetamido)ethyl)carbamoyl)-3,5-dimethylphenoxy)propyl)amino)-6
      oxohexyl)amino)-4-oxobutyl)-1,4,7-triazonane-1,4-diyl)diacetic acid, FR366) for
      the integrin subtype alpha5beta1 with high selectivity versus alphavbeta3, has
      been developed and tested successfully in preliminary in vitro and in vivo
      experiments. Here, we present our results of an investigation of the use of
      (68)Ga-labelled alpha5beta1 ligand in PET imaging. METHODS: The free alpha5beta1
      peptidomimetic ligand was functionalized with a spacer (6-aminohexanoic acid) and
      the bifunctional chelator 1-((1,3-dicarboxy)propyl)-4,7-(carboxymethyl)-1,4,7
      triazacyclononane (NODAGA) to yield FR366 and labelled with (68)Ga. To confirm
      selective in vivo targeting of alpha5beta1, female BALB/c nude mice xenografted
      with alpha5beta1-expressing RKO cells in the right shoulder and
      alpha5beta1/alphavbeta3-expressing M21 cells in the left shoulder were subjected
      to PET/CT scans and biodistribution experiments. Specificity of tracer uptake was
      proven by blocking studies. Metabolic stability of the injected tracer was
      measured in urine and in plasma. RESULTS: MicroPET/CT scans with radiolabelled
      FR366 showed a good tumour-to-normal tissue ratio with low uptake in the liver
      (0.32 +/- 0.14 %ID/g) and good retention of (68)Ga-NODAGA-FR366 in the tumour
      (0.71 +/- 0.20 %ID/g and 0.40 +/- 0.12 %ID/g for RKO and M21 tumours,
      respectively, at 90 min after injection). Biodistribution experiments showed
      uptake in the alpha5beta1-expressing RKO tumour of 1.05 +/- 0.23 %ID/g at 90 min
      after injection. Specificity of tracer uptake was demonstrated by injection of 5
      mg/kg unlabelled ligand 10 min prior to tracer injection, resulting in a 67 %
      reduction in uptake in the RKO tumour. The tracer was found to be metabolically
      stable in urine and plasma 30 min after injection. CONCLUSION: Our results show
      that PET imaging of alpha5beta1 expression with the (68)Ga-labelled alpha5beta1
      specific ligand is feasible with good image quality. Thus, FR366 is a promising
      new tool for investigating the role of alpha5beta1 in angiogenesis and the
      influence of this integrin subtype on cancer aggressiveness and metastatic
      potential.

PMID- 26497699
TI  - (18)F-DOPA PET/CT in the diagnosis and localization of persistent medullary
      thyroid carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the performance of (18)F-L-dihydroxyphenylalanine ((18)F
      DOPA) PET/CT in the detection of locoregional and distant medullary thyroid
      carcinoma (MTC) metastases and to compare imaging findings with histological
      data. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 86 MTC patients with persistently
      high serum calcitonin levels after initial surgery who had undergone (18)F-DOPA
      PET/CT between January 2007 and December 2014 in two referral centres. They were
      followed up for at least 6 months after the PET/CT assessment. The results were
      compared with histological data or with the findings obtained during follow-up
      using a complementary imaging modality. RESULTS: (18)F-DOPA PET/CT was positive
      in 65 of the 86 patients, corresponding to a patient-based sensitivity of 75.6 %.
      Distant metastatic disease (M1) was seen in 29 patients including 11 with
      previously unknown metastases revealed only by PET/CT. Among the 36 patients
      without distant metastatic spread, 25 had nodal involvement limited to the neck,
      and 10 of these 25 patients underwent reoperation. The lymph node compartment
      based sensitivity of (18)F-DOPA PET/CT was 100 % in the two institutions but
      lesion-based sensitivity was only 24 %. Preoperative and postoperative median
      calcitonin levels were 405 pg/mL (range 128 - 1,960 pg/mL) and 259 pg/mL (range
      33 - 1,516 pg/mL), respectively. None of the patients achieved normalization of
      serum calcitonin after reoperation. CONCLUSION: (18)F-DOPA PET/CT enables early
      diagnosis of a significant number of patients with distant metastasis. It has a
      limited sensitivity in the detection of residual disease but provides high
      performance for regional analysis. A surgical compartment-oriented approach could
      be the approach of choice whatever the number of nodes revealed by (18)F-DOPA
      PET/CT.

PMID- 26497701
TI  - Gut dysbiosis in mania: A viable therapeutic target?

PMID- 26497700
TI  - The value of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed
      tomography in asymptomatic examinees with unexplained elevated blood
      carcinoembryonic antigen levels.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cancer is still a clinical challenge, with many efforts invested in
      order to achieve timely detection. Unexplained elevated blood carcinoembryonic
      antigen levels are occasionally observed in an asymptomatic population and
      considered as a risk factor of cancers. The purpose of this study was to
      determine the validity of 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission
      tomography/computed tomography (F-18 FDG-PET/CT) for detecting cancer in an
      asymptomatic population with an unexplained elevation in blood carcinoembryonic
      antigen (CEA) levels. METHODS: This retrospective study included a total of 1920
      asymptomatic examinees conducted from August 2011 through September 2013. The
      participants underwent CEA assay and conventional medical imaging (CEA
      conventional), or CEA assay and F-18 FDG-PET/CT (CEA-PET/CT). The validity of
      conventional medical imaging and CEA-PET/CT scanning for detecting cancer and
      early-stage cancer in an asymptomatic population with an unexplained elevation in
      blood CEA levels were evaluated. RESULTS: Sensitivity, specificity, cancer
      detection rate, missed cancer detection rate, early-stage cancer detection rate,
      and early-stage cancer ratio using the CEA-PET/CT scanning were 96.6 %, 100 %,
      10.4 %, 0.4 %, 3.7 %, and 34.5 %, respectively. In contrast, the corresponding
      values obtained using the conventional medical imaging were 50.6 % (P < 0.0001),
      100 % (P > 0.9999), 50.6 % (P < 0.0001), 99.9 % (P = 0.055), 2.6 % (P < 0.0001),
      2.5 % (P = 0.04), 0.7 % (P = 0.0004), and 14.5 % (P = 0.002), respectively.
      CONCLUSION: The F-18 FDG-PET/CT scanning significantly improved the validity of
      the cancer detection program in the asymptomatic population with an unexplained
      elevation in CEA levels.

PMID- 26497702
TI  - Recurrent brief depressive disorder in Dhat syndrome: A biological or
      psychological phenomenon!

PMID- 26497703
TI  - Corticomedullary difference in the effects of dietary Ca2+ on tight junction
      properties in thick ascending limbs of Henle's loop.
AB  - The thick ascending limb of Henle's loop (TAL) drives an important part of the
      reabsorption of divalent cations. This reabsorption occurs via the paracellular
      pathway formed by the tight junction (TJ), which in the TAL shows cation
      selectivity. Claudins, a family of TJ proteins, determine the permeability and
      selectivity of this pathway. Mice were fed with normal or high-Ca(2+) diet, and
      effects on the reabsorptive properties of cortical and medullary TAL segments
      were analysed by tubule microdissection and microperfusion. Claudin expression
      was investigated by immunostaining and quantitative PCR. We show that the TAL
      adapted to high Ca(2+) load in a sub-segment-specific manner. In medullary TAL,
      transcellular NaCl transport was attenuated. The transepithelial voltage
      decreased from 10.9 +/- 0.6 mV at control diet to 8.3 +/- 0.5 mV at high Ca(2+)
      load, thereby reducing the driving force for Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) uptake. Cortical
      TAL showed a reduction in paracellular Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) permeabilities from 8.2
      +/- 0.7 to 6.2 +/- 0.5 ? 10(-4) cm/s and from 4.8 +/- 0.5 to 3.0 +/- 0.2 . 10(-4)
      cm/s at control and high-Ca(2+) diet, respectively. Expression, localisation and
      regulation of claudins 10, 14, 16 and 19 differed along the corticomedullary
      axis: Towards the cortex, the main site of divalent cation reabsorption in TAL,
      high-Ca(2+) intake led to a strong upregulation of claudin-14 within TAL TJs
      while claudin-16 and -19 were unaltered. Towards the inner medulla, only claudin
      10 was present in TAL TJ strands. In summary, high-Ca(2+) diet induced a
      reduction of divalent cation reabsorption via a diminution of NaCl transport and
      driving force in mTAL and via decreased paracellular permeabilities in cTAL. We
      reveal an important regulatory pattern along the corticomedullary axis and
      improve the understanding how the kidney disposes of detrimental excess Ca(2+).

PMID- 26497704
TI  - Salts of 5-amino-2-sulfonamide-1,3,4-thiadiazole, a structural and analog of
      acetazolamide, show interesting carbonic anhydrase inhibitory properties,
      diuretic, and anticonvulsant action.
AB  - Three salts of 5-amino-2-sulfonamide-1,3,4-thiadiazole (Hats) were prepared and
      characterized by physico-chemical methods. The p-toluensulfonate, the
      methylsulfonate, and the chlorhydrate monohydrate salts of Hats were evaluated as
      carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) inhibitors (CAIs) and as anticonvulsants and
      diuretics, since many CAIs are clinically used as pharmacological agents. The
      three Hats salts exhibited diuretic and anticonvulsant activities with little
      neurotoxicity. The human (h) isoforms hCA I, II, IV, VII, IX, and XII were
      inhibited in their micromolar range by these salts, whereas pathogenic beta and
      gamma CAs showed similar, weak inhibitory profiles. 

PMID- 26497705
TI  - Enhanced photovoltaic performance and time varied controllable growth of a CuS
      nanoplatelet structured thin film and its application as an efficient counter
      electrode for quantum dot-sensitized solar cells via a cost-effective chemical
      bath deposition.
AB  - For the first time we report a simple synthetic strategy to prepare copper
      sulfide counter electrodes on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates using the
      inexpensive chemical bath deposition method in the presence of hydrochloric acid
      (HCl) at different deposition times. CuS nanoplatelet structures were uniformly
      grown on the FTO substrate with a good dispersion and optimized conditions. The
      growth process of the CuS nanoplatelets can be controlled by changing the
      deposition time in the presence of HCl. HCl acts as a complexing agent as well as
      improving S(2-) concentration against S atoms in this one-step preparation. The
      photovoltaic performance was significantly improved in terms of the power
      conversion efficiency (PCE), short-circuit density (J(sc)), open-circuit voltage
      (V(oc)), and the fill factor (FF). The optimized deposition time of CuS 60 min
      resulted in a higher PCE of 4.06%, J(sc) of 12.92 mA cm(-2), V(oc) of 0.60 V, and
      a FF of 0.52 compared to CuS 50 min, CuS 70 min, and a Pt CE. The superior
      performance of the 60 min sample is due to the greater electrocatalytic activity
      and low charge transfer resistance at the interface of the CE and the polysulfide
      electrolyte. The concentration of Cu/S also had an important role in the
      formation of the CuS nanoplatelet structures. The optical bandgaps for the CuS
      with different morphologies were measured to be in the range of 1.98-2.28 eV.
      This improved photovoltaic performance is mainly attributed to the greater number
      of active reaction sites created by the CuS layer on the FTO substrate, which
      results large specific surface, superior electrical conductivity, low charge
      transfer resistance, and faster electron transport in the presence of HCl. Cyclic
      voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Tafel-polarization
      measurements were used to investigate the electrocatalytic activity of the CuS
      and Pt CEs. This synthetic procedure not only provides high electrocatalytic
      activity for QDSSCs but could also be a cost-effective way to fabricate flexible
      electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells or supercapacitor applications.

PMID- 26497706
TI  - Prevalence and correlates of overweight status among Saudi school children.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are limited data on changes in the prevalence of
      overweight among the Saudi school children and on associated risk factors. We
      compared recent prevalence data (2012) with early data (1994-98) and assessed
      risk factors. DESIGN AND SETTING: Data from a cross-sectional study of children
      in primary schools in two cities in Al-Qassim province. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Parental questionnaires were used to collect sociodemographic data and
      informa.tion on the child's diet/exercise behavior. Children's weight and height
      were measured. Current and previous data on overweight prevalence were compared
      and risk factors were assessed in a multiple logistic regression model. RESULTS:
      The sample consisted of 874 randomly chosen school children, aged 6-10 years;
      analysis was based on 601 with complete data. Current overweight prevalence was
      16.9% and was higher in girls than in boys (29.7% vs. 11.7%, P value < .0001).
      Prevalence has risen in the last 15 years (overall: 16.9% vs. 10.1%; boys: 11.7%
      vs. 8.5%; girls: 29.7% vs. 11.5%; all P values < .05). Those who ate restaurant
      food >=2 times/week were 2.4 times more likely (95% CI=1.26, 4.64) to be
      overweight and those who engaged in sports >=2 hours/day were 0.5 times less
      likely to be overweight (95% CI=0.25, 1.20). CONCLUSION: The overweight
      prevalence in primary school children in Saudi Arabia has risen significantly.
      The focus should be on developing obesity prevention programs for this
      population.

PMID- 26497707
TI  - Effects of energy drink consumption on corrected QT interval and heart rate
      variability in young obese Saudi male university students.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Consumption of energy drinks has adverse effects on
      the heart that might be potentiated in obese individuals. Since the incidence of
      obesity and use of energy drinks is high among Saudi youth, we used non-invasive
      tests to study hemodynamic changes produced by altered autonomic cardiac
      activ.ity following consumption of energy drinks in obese male students. DESIGN
      AND SETTING: This cross-sectional study was carried out at Department of
      Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, over a one
      year period from December 2013 to December 2014. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In Saudi
      male university students we measured continuous ECG recordings and a one-minute
      deep breathing maneuver to measure the expiratory-to-inspiratory ratio, the mean
      heart rate range (MHRR), the mean percentage variability. (M%VHR) and the
      corrected QT interval (QTc) at 0, 30 and 60 minutes after consumption of energy
      drink. RESULTS: We enrolled 31 students (18 overweight/obese and 13 normal
      weights. QTc was significantly in.creased at 60 min as compared with the resting
      state in overweight/obese subjects (P=.006). Heart rate variability was
      significantly less in obese as compared with normal weight subjects at 60 minutes
      as indicated by E:I ratio, (P=.037), MHRR (P=.012), M%VHR (P=.040) after energy
      drink consumption. Significant increases in diastolic (P=.020) and mean arterial
      blood pressure (P=.024) were observed at 30 minutes in the obese group.
      CONCLUSION: Hemodynamic changes after intake of energy drinks in obese subjects
      indicate that obesity and energy drinks could synergistically induce harmful
      effects. This finding warrants efforts to caution the obese on intake of energy
      drinks and timely intervention to motivate changes in lifestyle.

PMID- 26497708
TI  - Quality of healthcare for hemodialysis patients in various health sectors in
      Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: We compared the adequacy of the management of
      hemodialysis patients in different health sectors in a major city in Saudi
      Arabia. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: Cross-sectional analytic study conducted in three
      different health sectors in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Data was collected
      from nine hemodialysis centers, which represent three sectors: Ministry of
      Health, governmental (but not health ministry) hospitals, and charity centers. A
      simple random sampling tech.nique was employed for gathering data from the
      participating centers. Medical records were reviewed and all the relevant data
      were retrieved using a pre-designed form. RESULTS: In the 587 subjects,
      hypertension, diabetes mellitus and an idiopathic etiology accounted for 85.3% of
      end-stage renal disease. Only 25.4% of the patients had a hemoglobin level of 110
      120 g/L and 12.1% achieved target levels of ferritin and transferrin saturation.
      The percentage of patients meeting targeted levels of calcium (2.1-2.38 mmol/L),
      phosphorous (1.13-1.78 mmol/L) and albumin (>=40 g/L) were 54.2%, 38.7% and
      23.5%, respectively. The variation between different health sectors was
      statistically significant (P < .001). Arteriovenous fistula was used for 84% of
      the patients and catheter for 15.7%. CONCLUSION: The quality of healthcare for
      hemodialysis patients in Jeddah needs improvement to meet the recommendations of
      the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative guidelines.

PMID- 26497709
TI  - Improvement of glucose and lipid metabolism with pegylated interferon-a plus
      ribavirin therapy in Chinese patients chronically infected with genotype 1b
      hepatitis C virus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many epidemiological studies have demonstrated a significant
      association between Type 2 diabetes mellitus and abnormal lipid profiles with
      chronic HCV genotype 1 (GT1) infection. We examined the impact on glucose and
      lipid profiles of treating Chinese patients using pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN)
      a and ribavirin (RBV). METHODS: We conducted a hospital-based clinical study of
      Chinese patients chronically infected with GT1b HCV. All the patients were
      treated for 48 weeks (PR48) with Peg-IFN-a (180 micro g once per week) or Peg-IFN
      a (1.5 micro g/kg once per week) plus RBV (15 mg/kg per day). Fasting blood
      glucose (FBG), postprandial blood glucose (PBG-2h), glycosylated hemoglobin
      (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels, were measured at
      baseline, during therapy, at the end of therapy and at follow-up. In addition,
      liver stiffness (LS) by transient elastography, HCV RNA and ALT levels were also
      measured. RESULTS: We enrolled 116 patients. At the end of treatment (EOT) (week
      48), HCV RNA was negative in all patients, 77.6% (90/116) of patients achieved
      sustained virologic response (SVR) 24 weeks after EOT, and 22.4% (26/116) did not
      achieve SVR. All parameters associated with liver inflammation, liver fibrosis,
      glucose and lipid metabolism had decreased significantly compared with baseline
      (P < .05) in SVR patients. However, there were no obvious changes in lipid
      metabolism in non-SVR patients. CONCLUSION: PR48 therapy is still the primary
      treatment for Chinese patients with GT1b HCV infection and will remain so until
      oral anti-HCV agents are approved. It is beneficial in amelioration of liver
      histological status and glucose metabolism regardless of post-treatment virologic
      response.

PMID- 26497710
TI  - Coronary artery calcium score in high-risk asymptomatic women in Saudi Arabia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is indicated by
      calcium deposits in the coronary artery wall. Calcification is a component of
      atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. Currently, there are no data on
      calcification in Saudi women at high risk of coronary artery disease. The aim of
      this study was to investigate the prevalence and percentiles of CAC score in high
      risk asymptotic women in Saudi Arabia with comparison of age-specific CAC
      percentiles derived from large population-based published study in the United
      States. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective analysis of CAC scores (CACS) at a
      single tertiary care center. METHODS: Between January 2011 and April 2015, women
      referred for CAC screening because of the presence of one or more CAD risk
      factors were enrolled in the study. CT scans were interpreted by an experienced
      radiographic technologist, and confirmed by a radiologist. RESULTS: The study
      sample consisted of 918 women, mean (SD) age of 55 (11) years. All patients were
      asymp.tomatic and referred by their primary care physician or cardiologist for
      CAC screening because presence of one or more CAD risks factors. CAD risk factors
      included diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, family history of CAD, and
      obesity. Baseline CAD risk factors were remarkably higher than in the US
      comparator group. CACS for 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles were
      calculated. The 75th and 90th CACS percentiles in Saudi women were significantly
      higher than the US percentiles. Age and diabetes are the most independent
      predictor of severity of CAC. LIMITATIONS: A potential bias due to sample
      collection because data was from a single tertiary care center, the study was
      retrospective and the sample size was small. CONCLUSION: There are significantly
      higher CACS percentiles in Saudi women compared with international data.
      Application of available published percentiles to a local population is not
      applicable and underestimates the severity of subclinical atherosclerosis. A
      large local population-based study is warranted to establish local CACS
      percentiles for a better understanding CAD screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

PMID- 26497711
TI  - Long-term outcomes of antiretroviral therapy in an adult HIV program: a 10-year
      retrospective cohort study in Kano, Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment outcomes from HIV/AIDS programs in resource-limited
      settings mostly describe short-term follow-up. We report 10-year treatment
      outcomes in an HIV clinic in Kano, Nigeria. METHODS: Using paper medical charts,
      the authors conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients that initiated ART
      from June 1, 2004 to December 31, 2007, and were followed up until June 30, 2014.
      The authors abstracted data from patient case files and did a time-to-event
      analysis on ART failure and loss to follow-up, and determined immunologic trends.
      RESULTS: The authors studied 345 patient records (29,860 person months of follow
      up); 82 records (23.7%) indicated that patients failed their first-line ART
      regimen at the rate of 2.75 failures per 1000 person-months. The estimates of
      durability on first-line ART regimen were 99.1% at 1 year and 59.0% at 10 years.
      Of the studied patients, 83.0% were still in care at the end of the 10-year
      period. Only being on abacavir (hazard ratio: 8.0) was a positive predictor of
      ART failure. CD4 increment at 4 years (hazard ratio: 0.9) and 5 years (hazard
      ratio: 0.9) were negative predictors. CONCLUSION: A high rate of long-term ART
      durability and modest long-term retention in care were achieved among our cohort.
      Improved availability of low-cost virologic and immunologic monitoring tools and
      provision of resistance testing technology will go a long way in improving early
      detection of treatment failure in the developing world.

PMID- 26497713
TI  - Basal cell adenocarcinoma of the buccal minor salivary gland with liver
      metastases.
AB  - Basal cell adenocarcinomas (BCACs) of salivary glands are rare malignant
      neoplasms that mostly affect the major salivary glands. They are generally
      considered low-grade carcinomas that are locally destruc.tive and tend to recur,
      but only occasionally metastasize. Currently there are only a few reported cases
      of distant metastases from BCAC, and metastasis to the liver is not previously
      described. We report the first case of BCAC with histologically confirmed liver
      metastases. A 40-year-old man presented with a 2-month history of a painless
      swelling in the left buccal region. The lesion was completely resected, and the
      patient underwent postoperative radiotherapy. Permanent histology and
      immunohistochemical studies revealed a BCAC of the buccal minor salivary gland.
      After 14 months, two hepatic metastatic nodules were detected. The patient
      underwent a partial hepatectomy with adjuvant chemotherapy. No evidence of
      progressive disease or further recurrence was observed for 20 months after the
      hepatic metastasectomy. BCACs grow indolently and long-term survival can be
      expected. Surgery should be considered in selected patients as a therapeutic
      option in metastatic disease. 

PMID- 26497712
TI  - Eosinophil-related markers and total immunoglobulin E as a predictive marker for
      antibiotic response in chronic rhinosinusitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a commonly diagnosed
      disease that has a significant impact on a child's quality of life. However, no
      useful biomarker is available to identify antibiotic-responsive CRS. We
      determined the significance of eosinophil-related markers and total IgE levels in
      childhood CRS with regard to antibiotic response. DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a
      case-control study of patients admitted to Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital between
      November 2010 and November 2011 and diagnosed with CRS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In
      this analytical cross-sectional study, we identified children whose symptoms and
      radiologic abnormalities did not resolve after 12 weeks despite appropriate
      antibiotics (non-responder CRS group), children whose symptoms and radiologic
      abnormalities resolved after 12 weeks with appropriate antibiotics (responder CRS
      group), and healthy controls selected from clinic patients. Skin prick tests were
      performed along with serum total IgE, total eosinophil count (TEC), serum
      eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) level, and ImmunoCAP analysis for common
      allergens. RESULTS: This study included 36 responders, 22 nonresponders and 22
      healthy controls. The prevalence of allergic diseases, atopy, and a family
      history of allergic diseases were significantly higher in the non-responder group
      than in the responder and control groups. TEC, ECP, and total IgE levels were
      significantly higher in the non-responder group than in the responder and control
      groups (all P < .05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that no response
      to appropriate antibiotics and TEC was positively associated with ECP
      concentration. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that there is a high prevalence
      of allergic diseases in the non-responder group, that the TEC and ECP levels in
      the non-responder group are significantly higher than those in the responder
      group and controls, and that no response to antibiotics may be due to
      eosinophilic inflammation. The measurement of serum ECP may be useful in
      monitoring the progress of childhood CRS with regard to antibiotic response.

PMID- 26497714
TI  - Multifocal giant cell reparative granuloma involving maxilla and mandible: a rare
      entity.
AB  - Giant cell reparative granuloma (GCRG) is a rare lesion that is a reactive
      process, not a true neoplasm. It was originally coined by Jaffe to describe
      lesions, which he believed were a response to intraosseous hemorrhage from jaw
      trauma. Regardless, GCRG is much more distinct from giant cell tumor (GCT) of
      bone, both histologically and clinically. We report a patient who presented with
      multiple facial swelling involving the facial skeleton that showed a
      multiloculated cystic appearance on CT involving the maxilla and mandible. The
      patient refused surgery, but after 6 months of follow up there was no
      progression. 

PMID- 26497715
TI  - Perforated obturator Littr hernia in an elderly woman.
AB  - Obturator hernia is an uncommon condition. It carries the highest mortality
      amongst abdominal wall hernias, usually presenting in elderly, multiparous and
      thin ladies. Meckel diverticulum is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction and
      its existence in an obturator hernia is extremely rare; our literature search
      revealed only two reported cases. We report the case of a 70-year-old woman who
      presented with signs and symptoms of intestinal obstruction and peritonitis. An
      exploratory laparotomy led to diagnosis of a strangulated obturator hernia. The
      sac contents included a Meckel diverticulum with a perforation at its base and a
      loop of the ileum. The ischemic ileal segment including the Meckel diverticulum
      was resected and a loop ileostomy was created. 

PMID- 26497716
TI  - Pleural myelomatous involvement in multiple myeloma: five cases.
AB  - Pleural myelomatous involvement in multiple myeloma (MM) is rare, occurring in
      less than 1% of cases. We retrospectively studied five cases of patients with MM
      who developed myelomatous pleural effusions. Three men and 2 women with a mean
      age of 61 years presented with myelomatous pleural effusion. The pleural fluid
      electrophoresis revealed a peak of IgG in three cases, of IgA in one case, and of
      lambda light chains in one case, which were identical to that in the sera of the
      patients. Detection of typical plasma cells in pleural fluid cytology was
      contributive, and histologic confirmation by pleural biopsy was positive in four
      cases. Treatment consisted of chemotherapy. The clinical outcome was initially
      good, but relapses occurred in all cases early and were complicated by fatal
      infections. Myelomatous pleural effusion is a rare affection. It is usually a
      late complication associated with poor prognosis. 

PMID- 26497717
TI  - Regulatory roles of grass carp EpCAM in cell morphology, proliferation and
      migration.
AB  - Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a Ca(2+)-independent and relatively
      weak adhesion molecule, which has been extensively investigated in mammalian
      models. However, the functional roles of its fish homolog are largely unknown. In
      the present study, we explored the biological properties of grass carp EpCAM
      (gcEpCAM) in a fish kidney cell line (CIK) via overexpression of gcEpCAM or
      gcEpCAM intracellular domain (gcEpICD) deletion mutant. Results showed that
      gcEpCAM overexpression significantly changed the cell morphology, and the
      proliferation of the cells transfected with gcEpCAM was significantly decreased
      when compared to the control cells, which is unexpectedly opposite to the
      increasing effects induced by its mammalian homolog. Moreover, overexpression of
      gcEpICD deletion mutant had no effect on cell proliferation, indicating gcEpICD's
      involvement in the cell growth control that is concerted with its role in
      mammalian model. Additionally, gcEpCAM overexpression increased cell migration
      which is at least partially consistent with the findings in mammalian cells in
      which EpCAM expression both positively and negatively affects cell migration. It
      is worth noting that gcEpICD was not essential to the stimulatory effect of
      gcEpCAM on cell migration, but overexpression of human EpICD in tumor cells
      increases cell migration, suggesting the functional discrepancy of EpICD in fish
      and mammals. In conclusion, we elucidated the cellular functionality of EpCAM in
      fish cells which will be of benefit to defining the functions of fish EpCAM and
      also provide rewarding information on the functional evolution of EpCAM in
      vertebrates. 

PMID- 26497718
TI  - A luminescent down-shifting and moth-eyed anti-reflective film for highly
      efficient photovoltaic devices.
AB  - Adhesive polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films were developed to increase the
      performance of photovoltaic devices. The films combined two separate features of
      moth-eye patterns to reduce the reflection of incident light at the film surface
      and luminescent down-shifting (LDS) CdZnS/ZnS-core/shell quantum dots (QDs) to
      convert ultraviolet (UV) radiation into visible light at 445 nm. The films were
      both flexible and self-adhesive, easily attachable to any surface of a solar cell
      module. By simply attaching the developed films on high-efficiency GaAs solar
      cells, the short circuit current density and power conversion efficiency of the
      solar cells increased to 33.8 mA cm(-2) and 28.7%, by 1.1 mA cm(-2) and 0.9
      percentage points in absolute values, respectively. We showed that the
      enhancement of the GaAs solar cells was attributed to both the anti-reflection
      (AR) properties of the moth-eye patterns and the LDS of QDs using a scattering
      matrix method and external quantum efficiency measurements. The developed films
      are versatile in application for solar cells, and expected to aid in overcoming
      limits of material absorption and device structures. 

PMID- 26497719
TI  - Oral budesonide for induction of remission in ulcerative colitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Corticosteroids are first-line therapy for induction of remission in
      ulcerative colitis. Although corticosteroids may improve symptoms, they have
      significant adverse effects. Steroids which act topically, with less systemic
      side-effects may be more desirable. Budesonide is a topically acting
      corticosteroid with extensive first pass hepatic metabolism. There are currently
      three formulations of budesonide: two standard formulations including a
      controlled-ileal release capsule and a pH-dependent capsule both designed to
      release the drug in the distal small intestine and right colon; and the newer
      Budesonide-MMX(r) capsule designed to release the drug throughout the entire
      colon. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety
      of oral budesonide for the induction of remission in ulcerative colitis. SEARCH
      METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and the Cochrane IBD Group
      Specialised Register from inception to April 2015. We also searched reference
      lists of articles, conference proceedings and ClinicalTrials.gov. SELECTION
      CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials comparing oral budesonide to placebo or
      another active therapy for induction of remission in ulcerative colitis were
      considered eligible. There were no exclusions based on patient age or the type,
      dose, duration or formulation of budesonide therapy. DATA COLLECTION AND
      ANALYSIS: Two independent investigators reviewed studies for eligibility,
      extracted data and assessed study quality. Methodological quality was assessed
      using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. The overall quality of the evidence
      supporting the outcomes was evaluated using the GRADE criteria. The primary
      outcome was induction of remission (as defined by the primary studies) at week
      eight. Secondary outcomes included clinical, endoscopic and histologic
      improvement, adverse events and early withdrawal. We calculated the risk ratio
      (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) for each dichotomous outcome
      and the mean difference (MD) and corresponding 95% CI for each continuous
      outcome. Data were analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. MAIN RESULTS: Six
      studies (1808 participants) were included. Four studies compared budesonide
      MMX(r) with placebo, one small pilot study looked at clinical remission at week
      four, and was subsequently followed by three large, studies that assessed
      combined clinical and endoscopic remission at week eight. Although two placebo
      controlled studies had mesalamine and Entocort (standard budesonide) treatment
      arms, these studies were not sufficiently powered to compare Budesonide-MMX(r)
      with these active comparators. One small study compared standard budesonide with
      prednisolone and one study compared standard budesonide to mesalamine. Four
      studies were rated as low risk of bias and two studies had an unclear risk of
      bias. A pooled analysis of three studies (900 participants) showed that
      budesonide-MMX(r) 9 mg was significantly superior to placebo for inducing
      remission (combined clinical and endoscopic remission) at 8 weeks. Fifteen per
      cent (71/462) of budesonide-MMX(r) 9 mg patients achieved remission compared to
      7% (30/438) of placebo patients (RR 2.25, 95% CI 1.50 to 3.39). A GRADE analysis
      indicated that the overall quality of the evidence supporting this outcome was
      moderate due to sparse data (101 events). A subgroup analysis by concurrent
      mesalamine use suggests higher efficacy in the 442 patients who were not
      considered to be mesalamine-refractory (RR 2.89, 95% CI 1.59 to 5.25). A subgroup
      analysis by disease location suggests budesonide is most effective in patients
      with left-sided disease (RR 2.98, 95% CI 1.56 to 5.67; 289 patients). A small
      pilot study reported no statistically significant difference in endoscopic
      remission between budesonide and prednisolone (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.23 to 2.42; 72
      patients). GRADE indicated that the overall quality of the evidence supporting
      this outcome was very low due to unclear risk of bias and very sparse data (10
      events). Standard oral budesonide was significantly less likely to induce
      clinical remission than oral mesalamine after 8 weeks of therapy (RR 0.72, 95% CI
      0.57 to 0.91; 1 study, 343 patients). A GRADE analysis indicated that the overall
      quality of the evidence supporting this outcome was moderate due to sparse data
      (161 events). Another study found no difference in remission rates between
      budesonide-MMX(r) 9 mg and mesalamine (RR 1.48, 95% CI 0.81 to 2.71; 247
      patients). GRADE indicated that the overall quality of the evidence supporting
      this outcome was low due to very sparse data (37 events). One study found no
      difference in remission rates between budesonide-MMX(r) 9 mg and standard
      budesonide 9 mg (RR 1.38, 95% CI 0.72 to 2.65; 212 patients). A GRADE analysis
      indicated that the overall quality of the evidence supporting this outcome was
      low due to very sparse data (32 events). Suppression of plasma cortisol was more
      common in prednisolone-treated patients (RR 0.02, 95% CI 0.0 to 0.33). While
      budesonide does appear to suppress morning cortisol to some extent, mean morning
      cortisol values remained within the normal range in 2 large studies (n = 899) and
      there was no difference in glucocorticoid-related side-effects across different
      treatment groups. Further, study withdrawal due to adverse events was not more
      common in budesonide compared with placebo treated patients (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.53
      to 1.38). Common adverse events included worsening ulcerative colitis, headache,
      pyrexia, insomnia, back pain, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, flatulence and
      nasopharyngitis. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Moderate quality evidence to supports the
      use of oral budesonide-MMX(r) at a 9 mg daily dose for induction of remission in
      active ulcerative colitis, particularly in patients with left-sided colitis.
      Budesonide-MMX(r) 9 mg daily is effective for induction of remission in the
      presence or absence of concurrent 5-ASA therapy. Further, budesonide-MMX(r)
      appears to be safe, and does not lead to significant impairment of
      adrenocorticoid function compared to placebo. Moderate quality evidence from a
      single study suggests that mesalamine may be superior to standard budesonide for
      the treatment of active ulcerative colitis. Low quality evidence from one study
      found no difference in remission rates between budesonide MMX(r) and mesalamine.
      Very low quality evidence from one small study showed no difference in endoscopic
      remission rates between standard budesonide and prednisolone. Low quality
      evidence from one study showed no difference in remission rates between
      budesonide-MMX(r) and standard budesonide. Adequately powered studies are needed
      to allow conclusions regarding the comparative efficacy and safety of budesonide
      versus prednisolone, budesonide-MMX(r) versus standard budesonide and budesonide
      versus mesalamine.

PMID- 26497720
TI  - Mechanical origin of aftershocks.
AB  - Aftershocks are the most striking evidence of earthquake interactions and the
      physical mechanisms at the origin of their occurrence are still intensively
      debated. Novel insights stem from recent results on the influence of the faulting
      style on the aftershock organisation in magnitude and time. Our study shows that
      the size of the aftershock zone depends on the fault geometry. We find that
      positive correlations among parameters controlling aftershock occurrence in time,
      energy and space are a stable feature of seismicity independently of magnitude
      range and geographic areas. We explain the ensemble of experimental findings by
      means of a description of the Earth Crust as an heterogeneous elastic medium
      coupled with a Maxwell viscoelastic asthenosphere. Our results show that
      heterogeneous stress distribution in an elastic layer combined with a coupling to
      a viscous flow are sufficient ingredients to describe the physics of aftershock
      triggering. 

PMID- 26497721
TI  - Can anesthetic-analgesic technique during primary cancer  surgery affect
      recurrence or metastasis?
AB  - PURPOSE: Mortality among cancer patients is more commonly due to the effects of
      metastasis and recurrence as opposed to the primary tumour. Various perioperative
      factors have been implicated in tumour growth, including anesthetic agents and
      analgesia techniques. In this narrative review, we integrate this information to
      present a summary of the best available evidence to guide the conduct of
      anesthesia for primary cancer surgery. SOURCE: We conducted a search of the
      PubMed database up to May 31, 2015 to identify relevant literature using the
      search terms "anesthesia and metastases", "anesthetic drugs and cancer",
      "volatile anesthetic agents and cancer", and "anesthetic technique and cancer".
      PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: There is conflicting evidence regarding volatile agents;
      however, the majority of studies are in vitro, suggesting that these agents are
      associated with enhanced expression of tumourigenic markers as well as both
      proliferation and migration of cancer cells. Nitrous oxide has not been shown to
      have any effect on cancer recurrence. Local anesthetic agents may reduce the
      incidence of cancer recurrence through systemic anti-inflammatory action in
      addition to direct effects on the proliferation and migration of cancer cells.
      Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs affect cancer cells via inhibition of
      cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), which leads to reduced resistance of the cancer cell to
      apoptosis and reduced production of prostaglandins by cancer cells. Nonsteroidal
      anti-inflammatory drugs also suppress the cancer cell growth cycle through
      effects independent of COX-2 inhibition. Opioids have been shown to inhibit the
      function of natural killer cells and to stimulate cancer cell proliferation
      through effects on angiogenesis and tumour cell signalling pathways. Supplemental
      oxygen at the time of surgery has a proangiogenic effect on micrometastases,
      while the use of perioperative dexamethasone does not affect overall rates of
      cancer survival. CONCLUSIONS: Current laboratory research suggests that
      perioperative interventions may impact recurrence or metastasis through effects
      on cancer cell signalling, the immune response, or modulation of the
      neuroendocrine stress response. Further evidence is awaited from prospective
      randomized-controlled trials. Meanwhile, with limited data upon which to make
      strong recommendations, anesthesiologists should seek optimal anesthesia and
      analgesia for their patients based on individual risk-benefit analysis and best
      available evidence on outcomes other than cancer recurrence.

PMID- 26497722
TI  - The prescription opioid epidemic: a call to action for our profession.

PMID- 26497723
TI  - Outcomes in neuroanesthesia: What matters most?
AB  - PURPOSE: The goal of this narrative review is to consider and categorize the
      clinically relevant outcomes that have been previously investigated in
      neuroanesthesia and to propose the essential outcomes and directions that deserve
      priority in clinical care and future outcome-oriented research. PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: The current body of neuroanesthesia research has created an important
      and comprehensive fundamental knowledge base by defining the effect of anesthetic
      care on various outcomes. The translation of animal data to patients has been
      limited, however, and must be done cautiously. The literature to date has focused
      on short-term perioperative outcomes but should now shift towards understanding
      the role of the neuroanesthesiologist in long-term and disease-specific outcomes
      that are of great concern to patients. In addition, the term "neurologic outcome"
      is nonspecific and deserves a better definition,possibly through the integration
      of multiple scales and measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Future endeavours in
      neuroanesthesia research should advocate prospective randomized trials that focus
      on long-term neurologic outcomes. These initiatives will require coordination of
      multiple centres through a clinical trials network.

PMID- 26497724
TI  - Perioperative complications in adults with a posterior mediastinal mass: a
      retrospective observational cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We studied the incidence of perioperative complications in patients
      presenting with a posterior mediastinal mass and the possible predictors of
      complications in these patients. METHODS: We conducted a review of the
      perioperative records of patients aged over 18 years with a posterior mediastinal
      mass confirmed by computed tomography (CT) who were admitted for surgical
      procedures relating to the mass during 2004-2014. Perioperative complications
      were defined as 1) hypoxemia (pulse oximetry < 90% at a fraction of inspired
      oxygen of 1.0), 2) difficult ventilation (peak pressure > 40 cm H2O or
      respiratory acidosis with PaCO2 > 60 mmHg), and 3) hemodynamic instability
      (systolic pressure < 70 mmHg, pulse rate < 40 beats.min(-1) and/or > 120
      beats.min(-1) for over five minutes). The review also extended to the first 24 hr
      postoperatively for cardiovascular and respiratory instability. RESULTS: Forty
      three patients underwent 44 procedures, and the surgery entailed resection of the
      mediastinal mass in all but one patient. All patients received general anesthesia
      following intravenous induction. In 43 of 44 cases, intubation was achieved
      uneventfully with direct laryngoscopy after neuromuscular blockade. The incidence
      of perioperative cardiopulmonary complications was seven of 44 (16%) procedures.
      Four of these involved severe hypoxemia, two concerned hemodynamic instability,
      and two led to postoperative respiratory distress. No cardiovascular collapse or
      complete airway occlusion occurred. All occurrences of intraoperative
      complications transpired mid-surgery - six of the seven with the patient in the
      lateral position. Patients who developed complications were more likely to have a
      mass with a larger diameter and evidence of airway compression on the
      preoperative CT scan. CONCLUSION: The incidence of perioperative complications in
      patients with a posterior mediastinal mass is not insignificant; however, no
      catastrophic airway or cardiopulmonary event was encountered in this study.

PMID- 26497725
TI  - Functional and aesthetic rehabilitation with maxillary prosthesis supported by
      two zygomatic implants for maxillary defect resulting from cancer ablative
      surgery: a case report/technique article.
AB  - We report herein a case of functional and aesthetic rehabilitation with maxillary
      prosthesis supported by only two zygomatic implants for a patient with severe
      maxillary defect resulting from subtotal maxillectomy for malignant melanoma of
      the upper gingiva. A 76-year-old woman was referred to our facility with non
      painful discoloration of the upper gingiva. After several examinations, a
      clinical diagnosis of malignant melanoma of the upper gingiva (cT3N1M0 stage IVA,
      American Joint Committee on Cancer) was made. Subtotal maxillectomy utilizing Le
      Fort I osteotomy and functional neck dissection were performed. A conventional
      resection denture was made and employed postoperatively, but was unable to be
      suitably retained due to insufficient residual maxillary structures. Six months
      after tumor resection, two zygomatic implants were inserted into bilateral
      zygomatic bones. Magnetic attachments were applied as a mechanism for attaching
      the implants and resection denture. After application of these implants,
      retention and stability of the prosthesis was considerably improved. The patient
      became able to eat a normal diet. From an aesthetic perspective, the depressed
      upper lip was also properly restored, leading to an acceptable facial appearance.

PMID- 26497726
TI  - Risk of thromboembolic disease in men with prostate cancer undergoing androgen
      deprivation therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the risk of thromboembolic disease (TED) in men with
      prostate cancer (PCa) on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), while accounting for
      known TED risk factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We assessed TED risk for 42 263
      men with PCa who were receiving ADT compared with a matched cohort of 190 930
      without PCa. The associations between ADT and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or
      pulmonary embolism (PE) were analysed using multivariate Cox proportional hazard
      regression models, while accounting for previous PCa-related surgeries and the
      following proxies for disease progression: transurethral resection of the
      prostate, palliative radiotherapy and nephrostomy. RESULTS: Between 1997 and
      2013, 11 242 men with PCa received anti-androgen monotherapy, 26 959 men received
      gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, 1 091 men received combined
      androgen blockade and 3 789 men underwent orchiectomy. When accounting for
      previous surgeries and proxies of disease progression, GnRH agonist users and
      surgically castrated men had a higher risk of TED than the comparison cohort:
      hazard ratios (HRs) 1.67 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.40-1.98) and 1.61 (95%
      CI 1.15-2.28), respectively. Men on anti-androgen monotherapy had a lower risk:
      HR for DVT 0.49 (95% CI 0.33-0.74). TED risk was highest among those who switched
      from anti-androgen to GnRH agonists: HR for PE 2.55 (95% CI 1.76-3.70). This
      increased from 2.52 (95% CI 1.54-4.12) in year 1, to 4.05 (95% CI 2.51-6.55) in
      year 2. CONCLUSION: The incidence of TED among men on ADT increased with the
      duration of therapy and the risk was highest for those who switched regimen,
      suggesting that disease progression as well as ADT contribute to the propagation
      of TED risk. Nonetheless, these findings support the hypothesis that only men
      with a relevant indication should receive systemic ADT.

PMID- 26497727
TI  - Informed Consent in Implantable BCI Research: Identifying Risks and Exploring
      Meaning.
AB  - Implantable brain-computer interface (BCI) technology is an expanding area of
      engineering research now moving into clinical application. Ensuring meaningful
      informed consent in implantable BCI research is an ethical imperative. The
      emerging and rapidly evolving nature of implantable BCI research makes
      identification of risks, a critical component of informed consent, a challenge.
      In this paper, 6 core risk domains relevant to implantable BCI research are
      identified-short and long term safety, cognitive and communicative impairment,
      inappropriate expectations, involuntariness, affective impairment, and privacy
      and security. Work in deep brain stimulation provides a useful starting point for
      understanding this core set of risks in implantable BCI. Three further risk
      domains-risks pertaining to identity, agency, and stigma-are identified. These
      risks are not typically part of formalized consent processes. It is important as
      informed consent practices are further developed for implantable BCI research
      that attention be paid not just to disclosing core research risks but exploring
      the meaning of BCI research with potential participants.

PMID- 26497728
TI  - A population-based analysis of the risk of drug interaction between
      clarithromycin and statins for hospitalisation or death.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clarithromycin, known as a potent inhibitor of the cytochrome P450
      isoenzyme CYP3A, may increase the plasma concentration of statins metabolized by
      this pathway; therefore, increase the risk of interaction with statins in
      reference to pharmacokinetic studies. This study aimed to characterize whether
      the concomitant use of a statin with clarithromycin is associated with serious
      outcomes among adult persons. METHODS: Health claims data of adult persons in the
      Regional Sickness Fund of Burgenland, Austria, who filled a prescription for
      clarithromycin between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2012 were reviewed
      retrospectively. We assumed that the risk of hospitalisation increases acutely
      with the indication for taking an antibiotic, whereas statin use can be
      considered a chronic exposure with a low constant effect on hospitalisation. When
      defining the population as persons taking clarithromycin and the use of statins
      as the exposure we could achieve a comparable effect in both groups from the
      acute condition on hospitalisation. Therefore, we defined exposed patients as
      those who had overlapping treatment with a statin and unexposed controls as those
      who had filled a prescription for clarithromycin without concomitant statin
      therapy. Outcome was defined as a composite of hospital admission or death within
      30 days after starting clarithromycin. We used generalised linear regression to
      model an association between outcome and exposure to statins. RESULTS: Among
      28,484 prescriptions of clarithromycin, 2317 persons were co-exposed to statins.
      Co-administration of CYP3A4 metabolized statins and clarithromycin was associated
      with a 2.11 fold increased risk of death or hospitalisation (95 % confidence
      interval [CI]: 1.79-2.48). This effect was explained by age, evidence of
      cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and utilization of other antibiotics
      (multivariable adjusted risk ratio: 1.02, 95 % CI: 0.85-1.22). The sensitivity
      analyses did not change the significance of effect. CONCLUSIONS: The risk for
      hospitalisation or death in persons receiving clarithromycin increases with age
      and cardiovascular disease but is not causally associated with statin
      clarithromycine co-administration.

PMID- 26497729
TI  - The roles of lithium-philic giant nitrogen-doped graphene in protecting micron
      sized silicon anode from fading.
AB  - A stable Si-based anode with a high initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) for
      lithium-ion batteries (LIB) is critical for energy storage. In the present paper,
      a new scalable method is adopted in combination with giant nitrogen-doped
      graphene and micron-size electrode materials. We first synthesize a new type of
      freestanding LIB anode composed of micron-sized Si (mSi) particles wrapped by
      giant nitrogen-doped graphene (mSi@GNG) film. High ICE (>85%) and long cycle life
      (more than 80 cycles) are obtained. In the mSi@GNG composite, preferential
      formation of a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the surface of
      graphene sheets is achieved. The formation and components of SEI are identified
      for the first time by using UV-resonance Raman spectroscopy and Raman mapping,
      which will revive the study of formation and evolution of SEI by Raman. New
      mechanism is proposed that the giant graphene sheets protect the mSi particles
      from over-lithiation and fracture. Such a simple and scalable method may also be
      applied to other anode systems to boost their energy and power densities for LIB.

PMID- 26497730
TI  - Developing and piloting a peer mentoring intervention to reduce teenage pregnancy
      in looked-after children and care leavers: an exploratory randomised controlled
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Looked-after children (LAC) are at greater risk of teenage pregnancy
      than non-LAC, which is associated with adverse health and social consequences.
      Existing interventions have failed to reduce rates of teenage pregnancy in LAC.
      Peer mentoring is proposed as a means of addressing many of the factors
      associated with the increased risk of teenage pregnancy in this group. OBJECTIVE:
      To develop a peer mentoring intervention to reduce teenage pregnancy in LAC.
      DESIGN: Phase I and II randomised controlled trial of a peer mentoring
      intervention for LAC; scoping exercise and literature search; national surveys of
      social care professionals and LAC; and focus groups and interviews with social
      care professionals, mentors and mentees. SETTING: Three local authorities (LAs)
      in England. PARTICIPANTS: LAC aged 14-18 years (mentees/care as usual) and 19-25
      years (mentors). INTERVENTION: Recruitment and training of mentors; randomisation
      and matching of mentors to mentees; and 1-year individual peer mentoring. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES:  PRIMARY OUTCOME: pregnancy in LAC aged 14-18 years. SECONDARY
      OUTCOMES: sexual attitudes, behaviour and knowledge; psychological health; help
      seeking behaviour; locus of control; and attachment style. A health economic
      evaluation was also carried out. RESULTS: In total, 54% of target recruitment was
      reached for the exploratory trial and 13 out of 20 mentors (65%) and 19 out of 30
      LAC aged 14-18 years (63%) (recruited during Phases I and II) were retained in
      the research. The training programme was acceptable and could be manualised and
      replicated. Recruitment and retention difficulties were attributed to systemic
      problems and LA lack of research infrastructure and lack of additional funding to
      support and sustain such an intervention. Mentees appeared to value the
      intervention but had difficulty in meeting weekly as required. Only one in four
      of the relationships continued for the full year. A future Phase III trial would
      require the intervention to be modified to include provision of group and
      individual peer mentoring; internal management of the project, with support from
      an external agency such as a charity or the voluntary sector; funds to cover LA
      research costs, including the appointment of a dedicated project co-ordinator; a
      reduction in the lower age for mentee recruitment and an increase in the mentor
      recruitment age to 21 years; and the introduction of a more formal recruitment
      and support structure for mentors. CONCLUSIONS: Given the problems identified and
      described in mounting this intervention, a new development phase followed by a
      small-scale exploratory trial incorporating these changes would be necessary
      before proceeding to a Phase III trial. FUNDING: This project was funded by the
      NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in
      Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 19, No. 85. See the NIHR Journals Library
      website for further project information.

PMID- 26497731
TI  - The Effects of Grain Boundaries on the Current Transport Properties in YBCO
      Coated Conductors.
AB  - We report a detailed study of the grain orientations and grain boundary (GB)
      networks in Y2O3 films grown on Ni-5 at.%W substrates. Electron back scatter
      diffraction (EBSD) exhibited different GB misorientation angle distributions,
      strongly decided by Y2O3 films with different textures. The subsequent yttria
      stabilized zirconia (YSZ) barrier and CeO2 cap layer were deposited on Y2O3
      layers by radio frequency sputtering, and YBa2Cu3O7-delta (YBCO) films were
      deposited by pulsed laser deposition. For explicating the effects of the grain
      boundaries on the current carry capacity of YBCO films, a percolation model was
      proposed to calculate the critical current density (J c) which depended on
      different GB misorientation angle distributions. The significantly higher J c for
      the sample with sharper texture is believed to be attributed to improved GB
      misorientation angle distributions. 

PMID- 26497732
TI  - Preparation of Stabilizer-Free Silver Nanoparticle-Coated Micropipettes as
      Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Substrate for Single Cell Detection.
AB  - In this work, we established a convenient while reproduceable method for
      stabilizer-free silver nanoparticle (AgNP)-coated micropipettes by the
      combination of magnetron sputtering and surface coupling agent. The clear
      surfaces of the AgNPs are beneficial for absorbing biological or functional
      molecules on their surfaces. By optimizing the operating parameters, such as
      sputtering current and sputtering time, the tip of micropipettes coated with
      AgNPs exhibits excellent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performance.
      Finally, the Raman spectra of a single A549 lung adenocarcinoma cell are
      successfully acquired by these advanced SERS-active micropipettes. 

PMID- 26497733
TI  - Enhance photoelectrochemical hydrogen-generation activity and stability of TiO2
      nanorod arrays sensitized by PbS and CdS quantum dots under UV-visible light.
AB  - We develop a composite photoanode by sensitizing TiO2 nanorod arrays with PbS
      quantum dots (QDs) and CdS QDs. Benefitted from additional introduced PbS QDs and
      CdS QDs onto TiO2, the absorption of the composite photoanodes are broaden from
      UV to visible region. The experimental results showed that the PbS sandwiched
      between TiO2 and CdS cannot only broad the absorption properties but also improve
      the stability. The stability can be explained by the hole facile transmission
      from PbS to CdS because of the valence band offsets between PbS and CdS which
      cause a small energy barrier and reduce the hole accumulation. The photocurrent
      density reached 1.35 mA cm(-2) at 0.9716 V vs. RHE (0 V vs. Ag/AgCl, under 60 mW
      cm(-2) illumination) for TiO2/PbS/CdS. The highest photocurrent of TiO2/PbS/CdS
      can be explained by the smallest of total resistance (138 Omega cm(-2)) compared
      to TiO2/CdS and pristine TiO2. 

PMID- 26497734
TI  - Nanoscale Relationship Between CD4 and CD25 of T Cells Visualized with NSOM/QD
      Based Dual-Color Imaging System.
AB  - In this study, by using of near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM)/immune
      labeling quantum dot (QD)-based dual-color imaging system, we achieved the direct
      visualization of nanoscale profiles for distribution and organization of CD4 and
      CD25 molecules in T cells. A novel and interesting finding was that though CD25
      clustering as nanodomains were observed on the surface of CD4(+)CD25(high)
      regulatory T cells, these CD25 nanodomains were not co-localized with CD4
      nanodomains. This result presented that the formation of these CD25 nanodomains
      on the surface of CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells were not associated with the response
      of T cell receptor (TCR)/CD3-dependent signal transduction. In contrast, on the
      surface of CD4(+)CD25(low) T cells, CD25 molecules distributed randomly without
      forming nanodomains while CD4 clustering as nanodomains can be observed; on the
      surface of CD8(+)CD25(+) T cells, CD25 clustering as nanodomains and co
      localization with CD8 nanodomains were observed. Collectively, above these
      results exhibited that TCR/CD3-based microdomains were indeed required for
      TCR/CD3-mediated T cells activation and enhanced the immune activity of
      CD4(+)CD25(low) T cells or CD8(+)CD25(+) T cells. In particular, it was found
      that the formation of CD25 nanodomains and their segregation from TCR/CD3
      microdomains were the intrinsic capability of CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells,
      suggesting this specific imaging feature of CD25 should be greatly associated
      with the regulatory activity of CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells. Importantly, this novel
      NSOM/QD-based dual-color imaging system will provide a useful tool for the
      research of distribution-function relationship of cell-surface molecules. 

PMID- 26497735
TI  - Human Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in the Treatment of Postoperative
      Temporal Bone Defect: An Animal Model.
AB  - Canal wall down mastoidectomy is one of the most effective treatments for
      cholesteatoma. However, it results in anatomical changes in the external and
      middle ear with a negative impact on the patient's quality of life. To provide
      complete closure of the mastoid cavity and normalize the anatomy of the middle
      and external ear, we used human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs),
      GMP grade, in a guinea pig model. A method for preparing a biomaterial composed
      of hMSCs, hydroxyapatite, and tissue glue was developed. Animals from the treated
      group were implanted with biomaterial composed of hydroxyapatite and hMSCs, while
      animals in the control group received hydroxyapatite alone. When compared to
      controls, the group implanted with hMSCs showed a significantly higher ratio of
      new bone formation (p = 0.00174), as well as a significantly higher volume
      percentage of new immature bone (p = 0.00166). Our results proved a beneficial
      effect of hMSCs on temporal bone formation and provided a promising tool to
      improve the quality of life of patients after canal wall down mastoidectomy by
      hMSC implantation.

PMID- 26497736
TI  - Transcatheter pulmonary and tricuspid valve-in-valve replacement for
      bioprosthesis degeneration in carcinoid heart disease.

PMID- 26497739
TI  - Theoretical maximum efficiency of solar energy conversion in plasmonic metal
      semiconductor heterojunctions.
AB  - Plasmonics can enhance solar energy conversion in semiconductors by light
      trapping, hot electron transfer, and plasmon-induced resonance energy transfer
      (PIRET). The multifaceted response of the plasmon and multiple interaction
      pathways with the semiconductor makes optimization challenging, hindering design
      of efficient plasmonic architectures. Therefore, in this paper we use a density
      matrix model to capture the interplay between scattering, hot electrons, and
      dipole-dipole coupling through the plasmon's dephasing, including both the
      coherent and incoherent dynamics necessary for interactions on the plasmon's
      timescale. The model is extended to Shockley-Queisser limit calculations for both
      photovoltaics and solar-to-chemical conversion, revealing the optimal application
      of each enhancement mechanism based on plasmon energy, semiconductor energy, and
      plasmon dephasing. The results guide application of plasmonic solar-energy
      harvesting, showing which enhancement mechanism is most appropriate for a given
      semiconductor's weakness, and what nanostructures can achieve the maximum
      enhancement. 

PMID- 26497737
TI  - Intracardiac echocardiography for guidance of transcatheter aortic valve
      implantation under monitored sedation: a solution to a dilemma?
AB  - Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been established as a valuable
      alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement in patients deemed to have high
      or prohibitive perioperative risk. However, there are several technical
      constraints and procedural risks inherent to TAVI. These risks include annulus
      rupture, ventricular perforation, aortic dissection, coronary occlusion, and
      dislodgement or migration of the valve prosthesis to the aorta or the left
      ventricle (LV). Other complications may be related to inappropriate valve
      deployment and subsequent paravalvular leak. Most complications cannot be
      detected at an early stage without echocardiographic guidance. Although not
      addressed by current guidelines, some European centres have advocated a
      'minimalist' approach with exclusively fluoroscopic and angiographic guidance.
      Transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE), including real-time three-dimensional
      (RT-3D) imaging, has been established as a standard approach for peri
      interventional guidance of TAVI. However, TEE monitoring almost always
      necessitates general anaesthesia and endotracheal intubation. A potential
      alternative to TEE is intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) that may provide a
      solution to a common dilemma: the most important advantage of ICE being the
      compatibility with monitored anaesthesia care without endotracheal intubation.
      Other advantages of ICE include uninterrupted monitoring, no fluoroscopic
      interference, and precise Doppler-based assessment of pulmonary artery pressures.
      Limitations of ICE include the need for additional venous access, the learning
      curve associated with a new device, and potentially increased cost. 

PMID- 26497740
TI  - The NF-kappaB p65 and p50 homodimer cooperate with IRF8 to activate iNOS
      transcription.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) metabolizes L-arginine to
      produce nitric oxide (NO) which was originally identified in myeloid cells as a
      host defense mechanism against pathogens. Recent studies, however, have revealed
      that iNOS is often induced in tumor cells and myeloid cells in the tumor
      microenvironment. Compelling experimental data have shown that iNOS promotes
      tumor development in certain cellular context and suppresses tumor development in
      other cellular conditions. The molecular mechanisms underlying these contrasting
      functions of iNOS is unknown. Because iNOS is often induced by inflammatory
      signals, it is therefore likely that these contrasting functions of iNOS could be
      controlled by the inflammatory signaling pathways, which remains to be
      determined. METHODS: iNOS is expressed in colon carcinoma and myeloid cells in
      the tumor microenvironment. Colon carcinoma and myeloid cell lines were used to
      elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying iNOS expression. Chromatin
      immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility shift assay were used to
      determine the IFNgamma-activated pSTAT1 and NF-kappaB association with the
      chromatin DNA of the nos2 promoter. RESULTS: We show here that iNOS is
      dramatically up-regulated in inflammed human colon tissues and in human colon
      carcinoma as compared to normal colon tissue. iNOS is expressed in either the
      colon carcinoma cells or immune cells within the tumor microenvironment. On the
      molecular level, the proinflammatory IFNgamma and NF-kappaB signals induce iNOS
      expression in human colon cancer cells. We further demonstrate that NF-kappaB
      directly binds to the NOS2 promoter to regulate iNOS expression. Although neither
      the IFNgamma signaling pathway nor the NF-kappaB signaling pathway alone is
      sufficient to induce iNOS expression in myeloid cells, IFNgamma and NF-kappaB
      synergistically induce iNOS expression in myeloid cells. Furthermore, we
      determine that IFNgamma up-regulates IRF8 expression to augment NF-kappaB
      induction of iNOS expression. More interestingly, we observed that the p65/p65
      and p50/p50 homodimers, not the canonical p65/p50 heterodimer, directly binds to
      the nos2 promoter to regulate iNOS expression in myeloid cells. CONCLUSIONS:
      IFNgamma-induced IRF8 acts in concert with NF-kappaB to regulate iNOS expression
      in both colon carcinoma and myeloid cells. In myeloid cells, the NF-kappaB
      complexes that bind to the nos2 promoter are p65/p65 and p50/p50 homodimers.

PMID- 26497741
TI  - Bushen Zhuangjin decoction inhibits TM-induced chondrocyte apoptosis mediated by
      endoplasmic reticulum stress.
AB  - Chondrocyte apoptosis triggered by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays a
      vital role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). Bushen Zhuangjin decoction
      (BZD) has been widely used in the treatment of OA. However, the cellular and
      molecular mechanisms responsible for the inhibitory effects of BZD on chondrocyte
      apoptosis remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the
      effects of BZD on ER stress-induced chondrocyte apoptosis using a chondrocyte in
      vitro model of OA. Chondrocytes obtained from the articular cartilage of the knee
      joints of Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were detected by immunohistochemical staining
      for type II collagen. The ER stress-mediated apoptosis of tunicamycin (TM)
      stimulated chondrocytes was detected using 4-phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA). We found
      that 4-PBA inhibited TM-induced chondrocyte apoptosis, which confirmed the
      successful induction of chondrocyte apoptosis. BZD enhanced the viability of the
      TM-stimulated chondrocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner, as shown by MTT
      assay. The apoptotic rate and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential
      (DeltaPsim) of the TM-stimulated chondrocytes treated with BZD was markedly
      decreased compared with those of chondrocytes not treated with BZD, as shown by
      4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining, Annexin V-FITC binding assay and
      JC-1 assay. To further elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the inhibitory
      effects of BZD on TM-induced chondrocyte apoptosis mediated by ER stress, the
      mRNA and protein expression levels of binding immunoglobulin protein (Bip), X-box
      binding protein 1 (Xbp1), activating transcription factor 4 (Atf4), C/EBP
      homologous protein (Chop), caspase-9, caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and
      Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) were measured by reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot analysis. In the TM
      stimulated chondrocytes treated with BZD, the mRNA and protein expression levels
      of Bip, Atf4, Chop, caspase-9, caspase-3 and Bax were significantly decreased,
      whereas the mRNA and protein expression levels of Xbp1 and Bcl-2 were
      significantly increased compared with the TM-stimulated chondrocytes not treated
      with BZD. Additionally, all our findings demonstrated that there was no
      significant difference between the TM-stimulated chondrocytes treated with BZD
      and those treated with 4-PBA. Taken together, our results indicate that BZD
      inhibits TM-induced chondrocyte apoptosis mediated by ER stress. Thus, BZD may be
      a potential therapeutic agent for use in the treatment of OA.

PMID- 26497742
TI  - Antioxidant, antibacterial activity, and phytochemical characterization of
      Melaleuca cajuputi extract.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The threat posed by drug-resistant pathogens has resulted in the
      increasing momentum in research and development for effective alternative
      medications. The antioxidant and antibacterial properties of phytochemical
      extracts makes them attractive alternative complementary medicines. Therefore,
      this study evaluated the phytochemical constituents of Melaleuca cajuputi flower
      and leaf (GF and GL, respectively) extracts and their antioxidant and
      antibacterial activities. METHODS: Radical scavenging capacity of the extracts
      was estimated using 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and Fe(2+)-chelating activity.
      Total antioxidant activity was determined using ferric reducing antioxidant power
      assay. Well diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal
      concentration assays were used to determine antibacterial activity against eight
      pathogens, namely Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus,
      Staphylococcus epidermidis, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumonia,
      Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Pasteurella multocida. We identified and quantified
      the phytochemical constituents in methanol extracts using liquid
      chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and gas chromatography (GC)/MS. RESULTS:
      This study reports the antioxidant and radical scavenging activity of M. cajuputi
      methanolic extracts. The GF extract showed better efficacy than that of the GL
      extract. The total phenolic contents were higher in the flower extract than they
      were in the leaf extract (0.55 +/- 0.05 and 0.37 +/- 0.05 gallic acid equivalent
      per mg extract dry weight, respectively). As expected, the percentage radical
      inhibition by GF was higher than that by the GL extract (81 and 75 %,
      respectively). A similar trend was observed in Fe(2+)-chelating activity and beta
      carotene bleaching tests. The antibacterial assay of the extracts revealed no
      inhibition zones with the Gram-negative bacteria tested. However, the extracts
      demonstrated activity against B. cereus, S. aureus, and S. epidermidis.
      CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found that M. cajuputi extracts possess
      antioxidant and antibacterial activities. The results revealed that both extracts
      had significant antioxidant and free radical-scavenging activity. Both extracts
      had antibacterial activity against S. aureus, S. epidermidis, and B. cereus. The
      antioxidant and antimicrobial activities could be attributed to high flavonoid
      and phenolic contents identified using GC/MS and LC/MS. Therefore, M. cajuputi
      could be an excellent source for natural antioxidant and antibacterial agents for
      medical and nutraceutical applications.

PMID- 26497744
TI  - Quasiparticle spin resonance and coherence in superconducting aluminium.
AB  - Conventional superconductors were long thought to be spin inert; however, there
      is now increasing interest in both (the manipulation of) the internal spin
      structure of the ground-state condensate, as well as recently observed long
      lived, spin-polarized excitations (quasiparticles). We demonstrate spin resonance
      in the quasiparticle population of a mesoscopic superconductor (aluminium) using
      novel on-chip microwave detection techniques. The spin decoherence time obtained
      (~100 ps), and its dependence on the sample thickness are consistent with Elliott
      Yafet spin-orbit scattering as the main decoherence mechanism. The striking
      divergence between the spin coherence time and the previously measured spin
      imbalance relaxation time (~10 ns) suggests that the latter is limited instead by
      inelastic processes. This work stakes out new ground for the nascent field of
      spin-based electronics with superconductors or superconducting spintronics. 

PMID- 26497743
TI  - Complexity of FGFR signalling in metastatic urothelial cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urothelial cancers (UC) are the fourth most common tumours worldwide
      after prostate (or breast), lung and colorectal cancer. Despite recent
      improvements in their management, UC remain an aggressive disease associated with
      a poor outcome. Following disease progression on first-line platinum-based
      chemotherapy, very few effective treatment options are available and none of them
      have shown significant improvement in overall survival. Alterations of the
      fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) pathway including amplification,
      mutations and overexpression are common in UC. Pre-clinical data suggest that the
      presence of such dysregulations may confer sensitivity to FGFR inhibitors.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We present here the case of a patient with a metastatic UC
      of the renal pelvis with lymph node metastases treated with the selective FGFR
      inhibitor AZD4547. RESULTS: To date, the patient has been on a study drug for 32
      months with acceptable tolerance and maintained radiological partial response as
      per RECIST 1.1 criteria. Exploratory biomarker analysis showed FGFR3, FGFR1, FGF
      ligand and fibroblast growth factor receptor substrate 2 (FRS2) expression in the
      patient's tumour, together with the presence of a germ-line mutation in the FGFR3
      extracellular binding domain. This is not a known hotspot mutation, and the
      functional significance remains unclear. CONCLUSIONS: The FGFR inhibitor AZD4547
      exhibits antitumour activity in a metastatic urothelial cancer displaying FGFR1,
      FGFR3, FGF-ligand and FRS2 expression. This lends support to the further
      exploration of FGFR inhibitors in urothelial cancer. Further studies are required
      to determinate the most effective way to select those patients most likely to
      respond.

PMID- 26497745
TI  - Prevalence, associated factors and predictors of anxiety: a community survey in
      Selangor, Malaysia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anxiety is the most common mental health disorders in the general
      population. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety, its
      associated factors and the predictors of anxiety among adults in the community of
      Selangor, Malaysia. METHODS: A cross sectional study was carried out in three
      districts in Selangor, Malaysia. The inclusion criteria of this study were
      Malaysian citizens, adults aged 18 years and above, and living in the selected
      living quarters based on the list provided by the Department of Statistics
      Malaysia (DOS). Participants completed a set of questionnaires, including the
      validated Malay version of Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD 7) to detect
      anxiety. RESULTS: Of the 2512 participants who were approached, 1556 of them
      participated in the study (61.90%). Based on the cut-off point of 8 and above in
      the GAD-7, the prevalence of anxiety was 8.2%. Based on the initial multiple
      logistic regression analysis, the predictors of anxiety were depression, serious
      problems at work, domestic violence and high perceived stress. When reanalyzed
      again after removing depression, low self-esteem and high perceived stress, six
      predictors that were identified are cancer, serious problems at work, domestic
      violence, unhappy relationship with family, non-organizational religious activity
      and intrinsic religiosity. CONCLUSION: This study reports the prevalence of
      anxiety among adults in the community of Selangor, Malaysia and also the
      magnitude of the associations between various factors and anxiety.

PMID- 26497746
TI  - The relationship between Fibroblast Growth Factor-21 and characteristic
      parameters related to energy balance in dairy cows.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Negative energy balance (NEB) is a common pathological foundation of
      ketosis and fatty liver. Liver and fat tissue are the major organs of lipid
      metabolism and take part in modulating lipid oxidative capacity and energy
      demands, which is also a key metabolic pathway that regulates NEB develop during
      perinatal period. Fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) is a recently discovered
      protein hormone that plays an important and specific regulating role in adipose
      lipid metabolism and liver gluconeogenesis for human and mouse. Our aim is to
      investigate the variation and relationship between serum FGF-21 concentration and
      characteristic parameters related to negative energy balance in different energy
      metabolism state. METHODS: In this research, five non-pregnant, non-lactating
      Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were randomly allocated into two groups. The
      interventions were a controlled-energy diet (30% of maintenance energy
      requirements) and a moderate-energy diet (120% of predicted energy requirements)
      that lasted for the duration of the experiment. We measured biochemical
      parameters, serum FGF-21, leptin and insulin levels by commercial ELISA kits.
      RESULTS: The results showed that serum FGF-21 levels were significantly higher in
      both groups treated with a controlled-energy diet, while FGF-21 levels in both
      groups treated with moderate-energy diet were low. FGF-21 levels exhibited a
      significant positive correlation with serum leptin levels, while an inverse
      relationship was found between FGF-21 and blood glucose and beta-hydroxybutyrate
      acid (BHBA) levels. CONCLUSION: An increase in FGF-21 levels after a controlled
      energy diet treatment may contribute to a positive metabolic effect which could
      result in a new theoretical and practical basis for the preventive strategy of
      dairy cows with NEB.

PMID- 26497747
TI  - Development and validation of the Comprehensive Quality of Life Outcome (CoQoLo)
      inventory for patients with advanced cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to develop a scale capable of measuring
      comprehensive quality of life (QOL) outcomes based on the concept of a good death
      for patients with advanced cancer. METHODS: We conducted an anonymous cross
      sectional questionnaire survey on inpatients being treated at the Oncology Clinic
      in Saitama Medical University International Medical Center and seven palliative
      units throughout Japan. RESULTS: A total of 405 patients with cancer participated
      in this study. Factor analysis of scores on the Comprehensive Quality of Life
      Outcome (CoQoLo) inventory revealed 28 items and the following 10 subscales:
      physical and psychological comfort; staying in a favourite place; maintaining
      hope and pleasure; good relationships with medical staff; not being a burden to
      others; good relationships with family; independence; environmental comfort;
      being respected as an individual; and having a fulfilling life. The total CoQoLo
      score was moderately correlated with satisfaction (r=0.34) and overall QOL
      (r=0.34), and moderately correlated with feelings of support and security
      regarding cancer care (r=0.44). Cronbach's alpha and the intraclass correlation
      coefficient of the total score were 0.90 and 0.79, respectively. No significant
      correlation was found between the total CoQoLo score and self-reported Eastern
      Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (r=-0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These
      results suggest that the CoQoLo has sufficient reliability and validity and
      therefore provides an accurate measure of QOL outcomes independent of the general
      physical condition of the patient.

PMID- 26497748
TI  - Aiming for a representative sample: Simulating random versus purposive strategies
      for hospital selection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A ubiquitous issue in research is that of selecting a representative
      sample from the study population. While random sampling strategies are the gold
      standard, in practice, random sampling of participants is not always feasible nor
      necessarily the optimal choice. In our case, a selection must be made of 12
      hospitals (out of 89 Dutch hospitals in total). With this selection of 12
      hospitals, it should be possible to estimate blood use in the remaining hospitals
      as well. In this paper, we evaluate both random and purposive strategies for the
      case of estimating blood use in Dutch hospitals. METHODS: Available population
      wide data on hospital blood use and number of hospital beds are used to simulate
      five sampling strategies: (1) select only the largest hospitals, (2) select the
      largest and the smallest hospitals ('maximum variation'), (3) select hospitals
      randomly, (4) select hospitals from as many different geographic regions as
      possible, (5) select hospitals from only two regions. Simulations of each
      strategy result in different selections of hospitals, that are each used to
      estimate blood use in the remaining hospitals. The estimates are compared to the
      actual population values; the subsequent prediction errors are used to indicate
      the quality of the sampling strategy. RESULTS: The strategy leading to the lowest
      prediction error in the case study was maximum variation sampling, followed by
      random, regional variation and two-region sampling, with sampling the largest
      hospitals resulting in the worst performance. Maximum variation sampling led to a
      hospital level prediction error of 15%, whereas random sampling led to a
      prediction error of 19% (95% CI 17%-26%). While lowering the sample size reduced
      the differences between maximum variation and the random strategies, increasing
      sample size to n = 18 did not change the ranking of the strategies and led to
      only slightly better predictions. CONCLUSIONS: The optimal strategy for
      estimating blood use was maximum variation sampling. When proxy data are
      available, it is possible to evaluate random and purposive sampling strategies
      using simulations before the start of the study. The results enable researchers
      to make a more educated choice of an appropriate sampling strategy.

PMID- 26497749
TI  - Transient neurological deficit due to a misplacement of central venous catheter
      despite ultrasound guidance and ultrasound assistance.
AB  - Central venous catheters (CVC) are frequently used in intensive care units (ICU),
      with a low incidence of complications, most of them being of mechanical origin
      and occurring during the insertion of the catheter. To avoid such complications,
      "ultrasound guidance" and "ultrasound assistance" are recommended. Nevertheless,
      even with trained and experienced physicians, mechanical complications of IJV
      access such as carotid punctures are still reported. We report the case of a 75
      year-old woman, admitted into the ICU for CVC insertion due to impossibility of
      peripheral venous access. About 12 hours after the procedure, the patient
      presented a neurological deficit. The cervical and thoracic CT scan showed a
      transfixing path of the catheter from the left IJV into the left common carotid
      artery, with distal extremity of the catheter localized in the ascending aorta.
      The catheter was removed, and thereafter the neurological deficit immediately and
      definitely disappeared. Onset of a neurological deficit after CVC insertion into
      the IJV, regardless the time of occurrence after the procedure, should suggest
      complication due to the CVC insertion, even if procedure was uneventful and chest
      radiography confirmed the apparent accurate position of CVC. 

PMID- 26497750
TI  - Modelling estimates of the burden of Respiratory Syncytial virus infection in
      adults and the elderly in the United Kingdom.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Growing evidence suggests respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an
      important cause of respiratory disease in adults. However, the adult burden
      remains largely uncharacterized as most RSV studies focus on children, and
      population-based studies with laboratory-confirmation of infection are difficult
      to implement. Indirect modelling methods, long used for influenza, can further
      our understanding of RSV burden by circumventing some limitations of traditional
      surveillance studies that rely on direct linkage of individual-level exposure and
      outcome data. METHODS: Multiple linear time-series regression was used to
      estimate RSV burden in the United Kingdom (UK) between 1995 and 2009 among the
      total population and adults in terms of general practice (GP) episodes (counted
      as first consultation >=28 days following any previous consultation for same
      diagnosis/diagnostic group), hospitalisations, and deaths for respiratory
      disease, using data from Public Health England weekly influenza/RSV surveillance,
      Clinical Practice Research Datalink, Hospital Episode Statistics, and Office of
      National Statistics. The main outcome considered all ICD-listed respiratory
      diseases and, for GP episodes, related symptoms. Estimates were adjusted for non
      specific seasonal drivers of disease using secular cyclical terms and stratified
      by age and risk group (according to chronic conditions indicating severe
      influenza risk as per UK recommendations for influenza vaccination). Trial
      registration NCT01706302 . Registered 11 October 2012. RESULTS: Among adults aged
      18+ years an estimated 487,247 GP episodes, 17,799 hospitalisations, and 8,482
      deaths were attributable to RSV per average season. Of these, 175,070 GP episodes
      (36 %), 14,039 hospitalisations (79 %) and 7,915 deaths (93 %) were in persons
      aged 65+ years. High- versus low-risk elderly were two-fold more likely to have a
      RSV-related GP episode or death and four-fold more likely be hospitalised for
      RSV. In most seasons since 2001, more GP episodes, hospitalisations and deaths
      were attributable to RSV in adults than to influenza. CONCLUSION: RSV is
      associated with a substantial disease burden in adults comparable to influenza,
      with most of the hospitalisation and mortality burden in the elderly. Treatment
      options and measures to prevent RSV could have a major impact on the burden of
      RSV respiratory disease in adults, especially the elderly.

PMID- 26497751
TI  - Delivery of HIV Transmission Risk-Reduction Services by HIV Care Providers in the
      United States-2013.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Evidence-based guidelines have long recommended that HIV care
      providers deliver HIV transmission risk-reduction (RR) services, but recent data
      are needed to assess their adoption. METHODS: The authors surveyed a probability
      sample of 1234 US HIV care providers on delivery of 9 sexual behavior- and 7
      substance use-related HIV transmission RR services and created an indicator of
      "adequate" delivery of services in each area, defined as performing approximately
      70% or more of applicable services. RESULTS: Providers were most likely to
      encourage patients to disclose HIV status to all partners since HIV diagnosis
      (81%) and least likely to ask about disclosure to new sex and drug injection
      partners at follow-up visits (both 41%). Adequate delivery of sexual behavior-
      and substance use-related RR services was low (37% and 43%, respectively).
      CONCLUSION: The majority of US HIV care providers may need additional support to
      improve delivery of comprehensive HIV transmission RR services.

PMID- 26497752
TI  - Profile of differentially expressed miRNAs in high-grade serous carcinoma and
      clear cell ovarian carcinoma, and the expression of miR-510 in ovarian carcinoma.
AB  - Improved insight into the molecular and genetic profile of different types of
      epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is required for understanding the carcinogenesis
      of EOC and may potentially be exploited by future targeted therapies. The aim of
      the present study was to identify a unique microRNA (miRNA) patterns and key
      miRNAs, which may assist in predicting progression and prognosis in high-grade
      serous carcinoma (HGSC) and clear cell carcinoma (CCC). To identify unique miRNA
      patterns associated with HGSC and CCC, a miRNA microarray was performed using
      Chinese tumor bank specimens of patients with HGSC or CCC in a retrospective
      analysis. The expression levels of four deregulated miRNAs were further validated
      using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in
      an external cohort of 42 cases of HGSC and 36 cases of CCC. Kaplan-Meier analysis
      was performed to analyze the correlation between the expression levels of the
      four miRNAs and patient prognosis. Among these validated miRNAs, miR-510 was
      further examined in another cohort of normal ovarian tissues, as well as the
      HGSC, low-grade serous carcinoma (LGSC) and CCC specimens using RT-qPCR and in
      situ hybridization. The results revealed that, of the 768 miRNAs analyzed in the
      microarray, 33 and 50 miRNAs were significantly upregulated and downregulated,
      respectively, with at least a 2-fold difference in HGSC, compared with CCC. The
      quantitative analysis demonstrated that miR-510 and miR-129-3p were significantly
      downregulated, and that miR-483-5p and miR-miR-449a were significantly
      upregulated in CCC, compared with HGSC (P<0.05), which was consistent with the
      microarray results. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed low expression levels of miR
      510 and low expression levels of miR-129-3p, advanced International Federation of
      Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, lymphatic metastasis and that HGSC was
      significantly associated with the poorer overall survival rates (P<0.05). The
      expression of miR-510 was significantly higher in the LGSC and CCC tissues,
      compared with the HGSC and normal ovarian tissues. The results of the present
      study suggested that different subtypes of EOC have specific miRNA signatures,
      and that miR-510 may be involved differently in HGSC and CCC. Thus, miR-510 and
      miR-129-3p may be considered as potential novel candidate clinical biomarkers for
      predicting the outcome of EOC. 

PMID- 26497753
TI  - Modeling Yeast Organelle Membranes and How Lipid Diversity Influences Bilayer
      Properties.
AB  - Membrane lipids are important for the health and proper function of cell
      membranes. We have improved computational membrane models for specific organelles
      in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to study the effect of lipid diversity on
      membrane structure and dynamics. Previous molecular dynamics simulations were
      performed by Jo et al. [(2009) Biophys J. 97, 50-58] on yeast membrane models
      having six lipid types with compositions averaged between the endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) and the plasma membrane (PM). We incorporated ergosterol,
      phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine,
      phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylinositol lipids in our models to better
      describe the unique composition of the PM, ER, and trans-Golgi network (TGN)
      bilayers of yeast. Our results describe membrane structure based on order
      parameters (SCD), electron density profiles (EDPs), and lipid packing. The
      average surface area per lipid decreased from 63.8 +/- 0.4 A(2) in the ER to 47.1
      +/- 0.3 A(2) in the PM, while the compressibility modulus (KA) varied in the
      opposite direction. The high SCD values for the PM lipids indicated a more
      ordered bilayer core, while the corresponding lipids in the ER and TGN models had
      lower parameters by a factor of at least 0.7. The hydrophobic core thickness
      (2DC) as estimated from EDPs is the thickest for PM, which is in agreement with
      estimates of hydrophobic regions of transmembrane proteins from the Orientation
      of Proteins in Membranes database. Our results show the importance of lipid
      diversity and composition on a bilayer's structural and mechanical properties,
      which in turn influences interactions with the proteins and membrane-bound
      molecules. 

PMID- 26497754
TI  - Needs Perceived by Parents of Preterm Infants: Integrating Care Into the Early
      Discharge Process.
AB  - The birth of a preterm infant can have a great emotional impact on the parents
      when the length of stay is long. Early discharge programs facilitate the
      transition to the home and have beneficial effects on both the parents and
      children. However, only a few studies have been conducted to identify the real
      needs of parents of preterm infants and to determine whether early discharge
      programs meet such needs. The main objective of this study was to identify the
      experiences and obstacles, during hospitalization and after discharge, of fathers
      and mothers of preterm infants who did or did not participate in an early
      discharge program. METHOD: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews
      was performed and included 23 parents of preterm infants. Thematic analysis was
      performed with the assistance of Atlas.ti 6.2 software. RESULTS: Two main themes
      were identified: the emotional experience and obstacles to care during
      hospitalization and the emotional experiences and obstacles at home related to
      the early discharge program. The results indicated that preterm birth initially
      has a deep emotional impact on parents. DISCUSSION: There is a remarkable lack of
      coordination regarding the information provided to parents on their infant's
      health status. Being first-time parents seems to be an important factor, although
      further evidence supporting this notion should be provided. CONCLUSION: Parents
      considered early discharge programs to be very useful in addressing the emotional
      aspects of hospitalization and the acquisition of neonatal care skills. Parents
      claim that the coordination and the information provided should be improved.

PMID- 26497755
TI  - Altered Metabolic Profile With Sodium-Restricted Dietary Approaches to Stop
      Hypertension Diet in Hypertensive Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is
      increasingly recognized as a distinct entity with unique pathophysiology. In the
      Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension in Diastolic Heart Failure (DASH-DHF)
      study, the sodium-restricted Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet
      (DASH/SRD) was associated with improved blood pressure and cardiovascular
      function in 13 hypertensive patients with HFpEF. With the use of targeted
      metabolomics, we explored metabolite changes and their relationship with energy
      dependent measures of cardiac function in DASH-DHF. METHODS AND RESULTS: With the
      use of chromatography and mass spectrometry, 152 metabolites including amino
      acids, free fatty acids, phospholipids, diglycerides, triglycerides, cholesterol
      esters, and acyl carnitines were measured. Comparison of baseline and post
      DASH/SRD samples revealed increases in short-chain acetyl, butryl, and propionyl
      carnitines (P values .02, .03, .03, respectively). Increases in propionyl
      carnitine correlated with ventricular-arterial coupling ratio (Ees:Ea; r = 0.78;
      P = .005) and ventricular contractility (maximum rate of change of pressure
      normalized stress [dsigma*/dtmax]; r = 0.66; P = .03). Changes in L-carnitine
      also correlated with Ees:Ea (r = 0.62; P = .04) and dsigma*/dtmax (r = 0.60; P =
      .05) and inversely with ventricular stiffness (r = -0.63; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS:
      Metabolite profile changes of patients with HFpEF during dietary modification
      with the use of DASH/SRD suggest improved energy substrate utilization.
      Additional studies are needed to clarify connections between diet, metabolic
      changes, and myocardial function in HFpEF.

PMID- 26497757
TI  - Determining the Role of Thiamine Deficiency in Systolic Heart Failure: A Meta
      Analysis and Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Approximately 5.7 million Americans carry the diagnosis of systolic
      heart failure (HF), a major health care burden. HF is a known manifestation of
      thiamine deficiency (TD). HF patients are at unique risk for developing TD, which
      may contribute to further altered cardiac function and symptoms. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: We performed a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis
      to evaluate the prevalence of TD in HF patients, risk factors for and mechanisms
      of development of TD in HF population, and outcomes of thiamine supplementation
      in HF patients. We found 54 studies that met our selection criteria, 9 of which
      were suitable for meta-analysis. TD is more common in HF patients than control
      subjects (odds ratio 2.53, 95% confidence interval 1.65-3.87). Diuretic use,
      changes in dietary habits, and altered thiamine absorption and metabolism were
      identified as possible mechanisms of TD in HF patients. Small observational
      studies and randomized control trials suggest that thiamine supplementation in HF
      population may improve ejection fraction and reduce symptoms. CONCLUSIONS:
      Thiamine deficiency is more prevalent in the HF population, and its
      supplementation may be beneficial. The therapeutic role of thiamine in HF
      warrants further study.

PMID- 26497756
TI  - Effect of a Sodium-Restricted Diet on Intake of Other Nutrients in Heart Failure:
      Implications for Research and Clinical Practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sodium restriction is the primary dietary therapy for heart failure
      (HF) patients. Currently, it is unknown if changing diets to reduce dietary
      sodium in HF causes secondary changes to the intake of other nutrients in this
      patient population already at nutritional risk. METHODS AND RESULTS: HF patients
      (n = 16; 52 +/- 12 years old; 78% male) followed a sodium-restricted diet for 1
      week. Nutritional changes were documented at baseline and after a <2,000 mg/d
      sodium-restricted diet, as measured by food records before baseline and each day
      during the study. After a 49% reduction in dietary sodium (3,626 +/- 956 to 1,785
      +/- 696 mg/d), we observed a significant reduction in calorie (2,467 +/- 748 to
      1,931 +/- 388 kcal/d; P < .016), carbohydrate (293 +/- 108 to 232 +/- 56 g/d; P =
      .013), calcium (995 +/- 496 to 609 +/- 208 mg/d; P < .004), thiamine (2.0 +/- 0.8
      to 1.5 +/- 0.8 mg/d; P = .020), and folate (412 +/- 192 to 331 +/- 172 MUg/d; P =
      .019) intakes. There was a decrease in saturated fat (32 +/- 18 to 21 +/- 6 g/d;
      P = .032) and a trend to lower total fat (89 +/- 34 to 68 +/- 19 g/d; P = .066)
      and higher potassium (1,262 +/- 328 to 1,405 +/- 268 mg/1,000 kcal; P = .055)
      intakes. CONCLUSIONS: We found multiple unintentional nutritional consequences
      with dietary sodium reduction in HF patients. These findings highlight the need
      to consider the whole diet when counseling HF patients to lower sodium intake.

PMID- 26497758
TI  - Association of Depressive Symptoms and Micronutrient Deficiency With Cardiac
      Event-Free Survival in Patients With Heart Failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depressive symptoms and malnutrition independently predict cardiac
      events in heart failure (HF) patients. However, the relationships among
      depressive symptoms, nutritional intake, and cardiac event-free survival have not
      been examined. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 232 patients with HF completed the
      Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) to measure depressive symptoms and a 3-day
      food diary to determine the number of micronutrient deficiencies. Patients were
      followed for 2 years to collect data on cardiac event-free survival. Patients
      were divided into 4 groups by a PHQ-9 score of 10 and the median value of
      micronutrient deficiencies. Cox regressions were used to determine the
      relationships among depressive symptoms, micronutrient deficiency, and cardiac
      event-free survival. Depressive symptoms conferred greater risk of cardiac events
      in patients with a high number of micronutrient deficiencies than in those with a
      low number of micronutrient deficiencies. Patients with a PHQ-9 score >=10 and
      number of micronutrient deficiencies >5 had 2.4 times higher risk for cardiac
      events compared with patients with a PHQ-9 score <10 and micronutrient deficiency
      <=5 (P = .005). CONCLUSIONS: There was a synergistic effect on the association of
      depressive symptoms with cardiac event-free survival in HF patients that differed
      by micronutrient deficiency.

PMID- 26497760
TI  - Inhibitory effects of trichostatin A on adrenocorticotropic hormone production
      and proliferation of corticotroph tumor AtT-20 cells.
AB  - Cushing's disease is primarily caused by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
      producing pituitary adenomas. Pituitary tumor-transforming gene 1 (PTTG1)
      expression, a hallmark of pituitary tumors, stimulates pituitary cell
      proliferation. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play an important role in regulating
      gene transcription and HDAC inhibitors induce cellular differentiation and
      suppress tumor cell proliferation. HDAC inhibitors also repress PTTG1 mRNA
      levels. Trichostatin A (TSA) is a potent cell-permeable HDAC inhibitor that
      blocks cell cycle progression. In the present study, we determined the effect of
      TSA on ACTH production and cellular proliferation in mouse AtT-20 corticotroph
      tumor cells. TSA decreased proopiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA levels in AtT-20 cells
      and reduced ACTH levels in the culture medium of these cells. The TSA-induced
      decreases in POMC mRNA levels were not modulated when TSA and dexamethasone were
      simultaneously administered. Drug treatment also decreased AtT-20 cell
      proliferation, induced apoptosis, and increased the percentage of cells in G0/G1
      phase using flow cytometry. TSA decreased PTTG1 mRNA levels. Furthermore, PTTG1
      knockdown inhibited cellular proliferation. Its knockdown also inhibited POMC
      mRNA and ACTH levels. TSA inhibits ACTH production and corticotroph tumor cell
      proliferation. TSA may inhibit cellular proliferation, and ACTH synthesis and
      secretion by decreasing PTTG1 expression. 

PMID- 26497759
TI  - Psychometric Evaluation of Two Appetite Questionnaires in Patients With Heart
      Failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Decreased appetite in heart failure (HF) may lead to undernutrition
      which could negatively influence prognosis. Appetite is a complex clinical issue
      that is often best measured with the use of self-report instruments. However,
      there is a lack of self-rated appetite instruments. The Council on Nutrition
      Appetite Questionnaire (CNAQ) and the Simplified Nutritional Appetite
      Questionnaire (SNAQ) are validated instruments developed primarily for elderly
      people. Yet, the psychometric properties have not been evaluated in HF
      populations. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric
      properties of CNAQ and SNAQ in patients with HF. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of
      186 outpatients with reduced ejection fraction and New York Heart Association
      (NYHA) functional classifications II-IV were included (median age 72 y; 70% men).
      Data were collected with the use of a questionnaire that included the CNAQ and
      SNAQ. The psychometric evaluation included data quality, factor structure,
      construct validity, known-group validity, and internal consistency.
      Unidimensionality was supported by means of parallel analysis and confirmatory
      factor analyses (CFAs). The CFA results indicated sufficient model fit. Both
      construct validity and known-group validity were supported. Internal consistency
      reliability was acceptable, with ordinal coefficient alpha estimates of 0.82 for
      CNAQ and 0.77 for SNAQ. CONCLUSIONS: CNAQ and SNAQ demonstrated sound
      psychometric properties and can be used to measure appetite in patients with HF.

PMID- 26497761
TI  - Active biopolymers in green non-conventional media: a sustainable tool for
      developing clean chemical processes.
AB  - The greenness of chemical processes turns around two main axes: the selectivity
      of catalytic transformations, and the separation of pure products. The transfer
      of the exquisite catalytic efficiency shown by enzymes in nature to chemical
      processes is an important challenge. By using appropriate reaction systems, the
      combination of biopolymers with supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) and ionic
      liquids (ILs) resulted in synergetic and outstanding platforms for developing
      (multi)catalytic green chemical processes, even under flow conditions. The
      stabilization of biocatalysts, together with the design of straightforward
      approaches for separation of pure products including the full recovery and reuse
      of enzymes/ILs systems, are essential elements for developing clean chemical
      processes. By understanding structure-function relationships of biopolymers in
      ILs, as well as for ILs themselves (e.g. sponge-like ionic liquids, SLILs;
      supported ionic liquids-like phases, SILLPs, etc.), several integral green
      chemical processes of (bio)catalytic transformation and pure product separation
      are pointed out (e.g. the biocatalytic production of biodiesel in SLILs, etc.).
      Other developments based on DNA/ILs systems, as pathfinder studies for further
      technological applications in the near future, are also considered.

PMID- 26497762
TI  - Melatonin enhancement of the radiosensitivity of human breast cancer cells is
      associated with the modulation of proteins involved in estrogen biosynthesis.
AB  - Enhancing the radiosensitivity of cancer cells is one of the most important tasks
      in clinical radiobiology. Endocrine therapy and radiotherapy are two cancer
      treatment modalities which are often given together in patients with locally
      advanced breast cancer and positive hormone-receptor status. Oncostatic actions
      of melatonin are relevant on estrogen-dependent mammary tumors. In the present
      study, we wanted to evaluate the effects of the combination of ionizing radiation
      and melatonin on proteins involved in estrogen biosynthesis in breast cancer
      cells. We demonstrated a role of melatonin in mediating the sensitization of
      human breast cancer cells to the ionizing radiation by decreasing around 50% the
      activity and expression of proteins involved in the synthesis of estrogens in
      these cells. Thus, melatonin pretreatment before radiation reduces the amount of
      active estrogens at cancer cell level. Melatonin 1 nM induced a 2-fold change in
      p53 expression as compared to radiation alone. The regulatory action of melatonin
      on p53 could be a link between melatonin and its modulatory action on the
      sensitivity of breast cancer cells to ionizing radiation. These findings may have
      implications for designing clinical trials using melatonin and radiotherapy. 

PMID- 26497764
TI  - Insights into Eukaryotic Translation Initiation from Mass Spectrometry of
      Macromolecular Protein Assemblies.
AB  - Translation initiation in eukaryotes requires the interplay of at least 10
      initiation factors that interact at the different steps of this phase of gene
      expression. The interactions of initiation factors and related proteins are in
      general controlled by phosphorylation, which serves as a regulatory switch to
      turn protein translation on or off. The structures of initiation factors and a
      complete description of their post-translational modification (PTM) status are
      therefore required in order to fully understand these processes. In recent years,
      mass spectrometry has contributed considerably to provide this information and
      nowadays is proving to be indispensable when studying dynamic heterogeneous
      protein complexes such as the eukaryotic initiation factors. Herein, we highlight
      mass spectrometric approaches commonly applied to identify interacting subunits
      and their PTMs and the structural techniques that allow the architecture of
      protein complexes to be assessed. We present recent structural investigations of
      initiation factors and their interactions with other factors and with ribosomes
      and we assess the models generated. These models allow us to locate PTMs within
      initiation factor complexes and to highlight possible roles for phosphorylation
      sites in regulating interaction interfaces. 

PMID- 26497763
TI  - The protective role of montelukast against intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury
      in rats.
AB  - Several drugs are effective in attenuating intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury
      (IRI); however little is known about the effect of montelukast. Fifty rats were
      randomly assigned to 3 groups: model group (operation with clamping), sham group
      (operation without clamping), and study group (operation with clamping and 0.2, 2
      and 20 mg/kg montelukast pretreatment). Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion was
      performed by occlusion (clamping) of the arteria mesenterica anterior for 45 min,
      followed by 24 h reperfusion. Intestinal IRI in the model group led to severe
      damage of the intestinal mucosa, liver and kidney. The Chiu scores of the
      intestines from the study group (2 and 20 mg/kg) were lower than that of the
      model group. Intestinal IRI induced a marked increase in CysLTR1, Caspase-8 and 
      9 expression in intestine, liver and kidney, which were markedly reduced by
      preconditioning with 2 mg/kg montelukast. Preconditioning with 2 g/kg montelukast
      significantly attenuated hepatic tissue injury and kidney damage, and decreased
      plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels in
      plasma after intestinal IRI. In conclusion, preconditioning with montelukast
      could attenuate intestinal IRI and the subsequent systemic inflammatory response
      in rats.

PMID- 26497765
TI  - Seasonal pattern of manic episode admissions among bipolar I disorder patients is
      associated with male gender and presence of psychotic features.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bipolar I disorder (BD-I) patients demonstrate disrupted
      chronobiology expressed as seasonal variation in mood symptoms. The seasonal
      pattern (SP) specifier of mood disorders was recently extended by the DSM-5, to
      be applied to manic episodes. However, the significance of seasonality of manic
      episodes for the course of BD-I is unknown. In the present study we sought to
      identify clinical and demographic features that discriminate between BD-I
      patients with and without SP of manic admissions. METHODS: BD-I patients (n=148)
      admitted at least twice with the same mood exacerbation type, were
      retrospectively followed between 2005 and 2013. Demographic and clinical
      characteristics were compared between BD-I patients with or without SP of manic
      admissions. RESULTS: SP of manic episode admissions, found in 31 (26%) of 117 BD
      I patients with repeated manic episode admissions, was associated with higher
      rates of male gender (p=0.01), presence of psychotic features (p=0.01) and
      comorbid substance use disorder (p<0.05) compared to patients without SP. In a
      multivariate analysis, SP of manic episode admissions was associated with the
      presence of psychotic features (OR 8.42, 95% CI: 1.05-67.65, p<0.05) and male
      gender (OR 3.23, 95% CI: 1.08-9.65, p<0.05), but not with comorbidity of
      substance use disorder (OR 1.79, 95% CI: 0.71-4.50, p=0.24). LIMITATIONS:
      Seasonal psychological/environmental factors contributing to the emergent of mood
      episodes could not be ruled out. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that SP of
      manic admissions is associated with male gender and the presence of psychotic
      features, thus might be associated with more severe form of the disorder.

PMID- 26497766
TI  - The genus Sida L. - A traditional medicine: Its ethnopharmacological,
      phytochemical and pharmacological data for commercial exploitation in herbal
      drugs industry.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Sida L. (Malvaceae) has been used for centuries
      in traditional medicines in different countries for the prevention and treatment
      of different diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, gastrointestinal and urinary
      infections, malarial and other fevers, childbirth and miscarriage problems, skin
      ailments, cardiac and neural problems, asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory
      problems, weight loss aid, rheumatic and other inflammations, tuberculosis, etc.
      AIMS OF THIS REVIEW: To assess the scientific evidence for therapeutic potential
      of Sida L. and to identify the gaps of future research needs. METHODS: The
      available information on the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology
      and toxicology of Sida species was collected via a library and electronic
      searches in SciFinder, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar for the period, 1933
      2015. RESULTS: A variety of ethnomedicinal uses of Sida species have been found
      in India, China, Afrian and American countries. Phytochemical investigation of
      this genus has resulted in identification of about 142 chemical constituents,
      among which alkaloids, flavonoids and ecdysteroids are the predominant groups.
      The crude extracts and isolates have exhibited a wide spectrum of in vitro and in
      vivo pharmacological effects involving antimicrobial, analgesic, anti
      inflammatory, abortifacient, neuroprotective, cardiovascular and
      cardioprotective, antimalarial, antitubercular, antidiabetic and antiobesity,
      antioxidant and nephroprotective activities among others. Ethnopharmacological
      preparations containing Sida species as an ingredient in India, African and
      American countries possess good efficacy in health disorders. From the toxicity
      perspective, only three Sida species have been assessed and found safe for oral
      use in rats. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacological results supported some of the uses of
      Sida species in the traditional medicine. Alkaloids, flavonoids, other phenolics
      and ecdysteroids were perhaps responsible for the activities of extracts of the
      plants of this genus. No clinical study was reported. The detailed study on
      mechanism of action of isolates and extracts and their clinical study are needed
      for their use in modern medicine. More attention should be paid to Sida acuta,
      Sida cordifolia, Sida spinosa, Sida rhombifolia and Sida veronicaefolia in the
      domain of diarrhea, dysentery, gastrointestinal and urinary infections, skin
      ailments, asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems, malaria, childbirth
      and miscarriage problems, cardiac and neural problems, weight loss aid, and
      rheumatic and other inflammations, etc. Furthermore, detailed study on quality
      and safety assurance data on available ethnopharmacological preparations is
      needed for their commercial exploitation in local and global markets.

PMID- 26497767
TI  - Effect of Pressure on Liver Stiffness During the Development of Liver Fibrosis in
      Rabbits.
AB  - This study was designed to investigate whether hepatic arterial pressure and
      portal pressure have an effect on liver stiffness during the development of liver
      fibrosis. Liver fibrosis was induced in 50 healthy New Zealand white rabbits.
      Laparotomy was performed to measure liver stiffness, and the portal vein and
      hepatic artery were successively ligated to repeat the measurements. A
      significant difference was observed among liver stiffness values measured at
      different time points (F = 22.82, p < 0.001). Differences between original liver
      stiffness and liver stiffness measured after portal ligation were positively
      correlated with portal pressure (r = 0.801, p < 0.001). In animals with grade 4
      liver fibrosis, the increase in liver stiffness caused by pressure was greater
      than that caused by extracellular matrix accumulation (p = 0.002). In conclusion,
      hepatic arterial pressure and portal pressure have a significant effect on liver
      stiffness during the development of liver fibrosis. 

PMID- 26497768
TI  - High Risk of Lateral Nodal Metastasis in Lateral Solitary Solid Papillary Thyroid
      Cancer.
AB  - We explored the relationship between ultrasonic intra-thyroidal location and neck
      node metastasis pattern in solitary solid papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Data on
      186 patients were retrospectively reviewed. The association between several
      characteristics and neck node metastasis pattern were analyzed. Among the 186
      thyroid nodules, age >=45 y (p = 0.005), mass size >=2 cm (p = 0.001), presence
      of calcifications (p < 0.001) and lateral nodal metastasis (p = 0.001) were
      significantly related to central nodal metastasis in multivariate analysis. Mass
      size >=2 cm (p = 0.046) and central nodal metastasis (p = 0.002) were
      significantly related to lateral nodal metastasis in multivariate analysis.
      Location of an intra-thyroidal solitary solid PTC located non-adjacent to the
      trachea (lateral) was significantly related to lateral nodal metastasis (p =
      0.043) compared with location of an intra-thyroidal solitary solid PTC adjacent
      to the trachea (medial or isthmus). Lateral lesions have a high risk of lateral
      nodal metastasis in solitary solid PTC. 

PMID- 26497769
TI  - Quantitative Ultrasound Assessment of Cartilage Degeneration in Ovariectomized
      Rats with Low Estrogen Levels.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess quantitatively the site-specific degeneration
      of articular cartilage in ovariectomized rats with low estrogen levels using a
      high-frequency ultrasound system. Fourteen female Sprague-Dawley rats were
      randomly divided into two groups (n = 7 per group): a sham group in which only
      the peri-ovarian fatty tissue was exteriorized and an ovariectomized group that
      underwent bilateral ovariectomy to create a menopause model with low estrogen
      levels. All animals were sacrificed at the end of the third week after
      ovariectomy. Hindlimbs were harvested. The articular cartilage from five anatomic
      sites (i.e., femoral caput [FC], medial femoral condyle [MFC], lateral femoral
      condyle [LFC], medial tibial plateau [MTP] and lateral tibial plateau [LTP]) was
      examined with ultrasound. Four parameters were extracted from the ultrasound
      radiofrequency data: reflection coefficient of the cartilage surface (RC1),
      reflection coefficient of the cartilage-bone interface (RC2), ultrasound
      roughness index (URI) and thickness of the cartilage tissue. The results
      indicated significant (p < 0.05) site dependence for cartilage thickness, URI and
      RC1 in the sham group. The 3-wk post-menopause ovariectomized rats exhibited
      significant increases (p < 0.05) in the URI at the LFC, MTP and LTP; significant
      decreases (p < 0.05) in RC1 at the FC, LFC and MTP; and significant decreases (p
      < 0.05) in cartilage thickness at the MFC, LFC, MTP and LTP. These results of
      this study suggest that post-menopausal estrogen reduction induces morphologic
      and acoustic alterations in the articular cartilage of the hip and knee joints in
      ovariectomized rats. 

PMID- 26497770
TI  - Moving beyond a categorical diagnosis of autism.

PMID- 26497771
TI  - Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder: reconciling the syndrome, its diverse
      origins, and variation in expression.
AB  - Recent discoveries about the pathogenesis and symptom structure of autism
      spectrum disorders (ASDs) are challenging traditional nosology and driving
      efforts to reconceptualise the diagnosis of autism, a goal made all the more
      pressing by new prospects for early identification, targeted intervention, and
      personalised-medicine approaches to specific autistic syndromes. Recognition that
      ASD represents the severe end of a continuous distribution of social
      communication abilities in the general population has stimulated attempts to
      standardise the measurement of autistic traits and to set appropriate clinical
      thresholds for diagnosis. Over the next decade, rapid advances in our
      understanding of symptom structure and the diversity of causes of ASD could be
      incorporated into the next evolution in the diagnosis of autism, with important
      implications for research, clinical practice, public health, and policy. As
      differential effects of personalised therapies are identified in relation to
      specific causes of autism, the benefits of an updated diagnostic nosology will
      translate into the delivery of more effective care for patients. 

PMID- 26497772
TI  - Significance of lymphadenectomy with splenectomy in radical surgery for advanced
      (pT3/pT4) remnant gastric cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To date, the optimal surgical strategy for remnant gastric cancer has
      not been determined. The purpose of this study was to clarify the significance of
      lymphadenectomy with splenectomy in remnant gastric cancer surgery. METHODS: This
      retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Kumamoto Regional Medical Center.
      The primary endpoint was overall survival after surgery. We retrospectively
      analyzed the clinicopathologic features, surgical treatments, and long-term
      prognosis of remnant gastric cancer patients treated with total gastrectomy.
      RESULTS: A total of 80 patients with gastric cancer in the remnant stomach after
      distal gastrectomy and who underwent total gastrectomy were enrolled in the
      study. Splenectomy was performed in 38 patients. Lymph node metastasis in the
      splenic hilum was not observed in the patients with pT1/pT2 tumors, whereas nodal
      metastasis at the splenic hilum was detected in 30.4% of the patients with
      pT3/pT4 tumors. The survival rate of the patients with pT3/pT4 tumors who
      underwent splenectomy was significantly higher than that of the patients who did
      not undergo splenectomy, although there was no difference in the patients with
      pT1/pT2 tumors. Among the patients classified as R0, the survival rate of the
      patients with pT3/pT4 tumors who underwent splenectomy was significantly higher
      than that of the patients who did not undergo splenectomy. CONCLUSION:
      Lymphadenectomy with splenectomy in radical surgery is beneficial for patients
      with advanced (pT3/pT4) remnant gastric cancer.

PMID- 26497773
TI  - Correlation between the promoter methylation status of ATP-binding cassette sub
      family G member 2 and drug sensitivity in colorectal cancer cell lines.
AB  - Resistance to chemotherapeutic agents has been considered as a major reason for
      the high incidence rate of recurrence and metastasis suffered by colorectal
      cancer (CRC) patients. ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 2 (ABCG2) is
      involved in drug resistance. DNA methylation of the ABCG2 promoter site has a
      significant influence on the regulation of epigenetic gene expression. In the
      present study, we investigated whether the methylation status of the ABCG2
      promoter is related to drug sensitivity in CRC cell lines. In order to examine
      the ABCG2 expression level and identify the methylation status, RT-PCR, qRT-PCR
      analysis, MS-PCR and bisulfite sequencing were conducted on 32 CRC cell lines.
      SNU-C4, LS174T and NCI-H716 were selected as low ABCG2-expressing and high
      promoter methylated cell lines. The cell proliferation assay for 5-fluorouracil,
      oxaliplatin and irinotecan was performed after 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza)
      treatment in these cell lines. In the 32 CRC cell lines, 25% of the cell lines
      expressed low or no ABCG2 expression. Of these cell lines, SNU-C4, LS174T and NCI
      H716 were hypermethylated at the promoter region, ~20%. Demethylation of ABCG2
      was induced by 5-aza, which enhanced the ABCG2 expression level and influenced
      the cell proliferation similar to treatment with the anticancer agents. Our data
      suggest that the ABCG2 expression level regulated by methylation is related to
      anticancer drug sensitivity. Based on these results, it can be applied to predict
      the anticancer drug response.

PMID- 26497774
TI  - Mosapride, a selective serotonin 5-HT4 receptor agonist, and alogliptin, a
      selective dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, exert synergic effects on plasma
      active GLP-1 levels and glucose tolerance in mice.
AB  - Pharmacologic stimulation of serotonin 5-HT4 receptors increased plasma active
      glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels independent of feeding, and that
      pharmacologic stimulation of 5-HT4 receptors and pharmacologic inhibition of
      dipeptidyl peptidase-4 exerted synergic effects on plasma active GLP-1 levels and
      glucose tolerance in mice.

PMID- 26497775
TI  - Association between brain-muscle-ARNT-like protein-2 (BMAL2) gene polymorphism
      and type 2 diabetes mellitus in obese Japanese individuals: A cross-sectional
      analysis of the Japan Multi-institutional Collaborative Cohort Study.
AB  - AIMS: Brain-muscle-Arnt-like protein-1 (BMAL1) and BMAL2 genes are essential
      components of the circadian clock, and are considered to be involved in glucose
      homeostasis. We examined whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of BMAL1
      and BMAL2 were associated with the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in the
      general Japanese population. METHODS: We studied 2467 subjects (1232 men and 1235
      women, 35-69 years old), including 105 men and 57 women with T2DM, from the
      participants of the Japan Multi-institutional Collaborative Cohort Study. The
      association between SNPs in the BMAL1 (rs11022775 and rs2290035) and BMAL2
      (rs7958822) genes and T2DM were analyzed by multiple logistic regression after
      adjustment for potential confounders. Analysis was also performed after
      stratification by body mass index (>=25 kg/m(2) and <25 kg/m(2)) to investigate
      an interaction between genotypes and obesity. RESULTS: The A/G and A/A genotypes
      of BMAL2 rs7958822 showed significantly higher adjusted odds ratios (OR) for T2DM
      than the G/G genotype among obese men (OR=2.2, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.1,
      4.6, P for interaction=0.0495) and obese women (OR=2.7, 95% CI 1.1, 6.7, P for
      interaction=0.199). There were no significant associations between BMAL1
      rs11022775 or rs2290035 genotypes and T2DM. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our
      knowledge, this is the first study to show the significant association between
      BMAL2 rs7958822 genotype and T2DM among obese subjects.

PMID- 26497777
TI  - Highly selective detection of individual nuclear spins with rotary echo on an
      electron spin probe.
AB  - We consider an electronic spin, such as a nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond,
      weakly coupled to a large number of nuclear spins, and subjected to the Rabi
      driving with a periodically alternating phase. We show that by switching the
      driving phase synchronously with the precession of a given nuclear spin, the
      interaction to this spin is selectively enhanced, while the rest of the bath
      remains decoupled. The enhancement is of resonant character. The key feature of
      the suggested scheme is that the width of the resonance is adjustable, and can be
      greatly decreased by increasing the driving strength. Thus, the resonance can be
      significantly narrowed, by a factor of 10-100 in comparison with the existing
      detection methods. Significant improvement in selectivity is explained
      analytically and confirmed by direct numerical many-spin simulations. The method
      can be applied to a wide range of solid-state systems. 

PMID- 26497776
TI  - Lyon bracing in adolescent females with thoracic idiopathic scoliosis: a
      prospective study based on SRS and SOSORT criteria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Lyon brace is commonly prescribed in many European countries to
      patients with thoracic curves and is based on the three-point pressure system.
      The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Lyon bracing for the
      conservative treatment of adolescent females with idiopathic thoracic curves in a
      case series selected on the basis of the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)
      Committee on Bracing and Nonoperative Management Standardization Criteria and
      followed the guidelines on management of idiopathic scoliosis with corrective
      braces, proposed by the International Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and
      Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT). METHODS: Prospective study based on an ongoing
      database. From 1297 patients treated for idiopathic scoliosis between 1995 and
      2014 fulfill the inclusion criteria 102 patients treated with Lyon brace. Of
      these, 69 patients had a definite outcome, 17 have abandoned treatment e 16 are
      still in treatment. The 104 patients were adolescent females with curvatures in
      the thoracic spine and a pre-treatment Risser score ranging from 0 to 2. All
      patients were prescribed with full-time Lyon bracing. The minimum duration of
      follow-up was 24 months after the end of weaning (mean: 41.64 +/- 31.45 months).
      Anteroposterior radiographs were used to estimate the curve magnitude (CM) at 5
      time points: beginning of treatment (t1), one year after the beginning of
      treatment (t2), intermediate time between t1 and t4 (t3), end of weaning (t4), 2
      year minimum follow-up from t4 (t5). Three outcomes were distinguished: curve
      correction, curve stabilization and curve progression. RESULTS: The results from
      our study showed that of the 69 patients with a definite outcome the CM mean
      value was 31.51 degrees  +/- 4.34 SD at t1 and 20 degrees  +/- 7.6 SD at t5.
      Curve correction was accomplished in 85.5 % of patients, curve stabilization was
      obtained in 13 % of patients and curve progression was evident in only 1.5 %.
      None of the patients were recommended surgery post-bracing. Of 17 patients who
      abandoned the treatment, at the time of abandonment (14.4 age) have achieved
      curve correction in 13 cases (77 %), stabilization in 53 cases (18 %) and
      progression in 1 case (5 %). CONCLUSION: The Lyon brace, through its
      biomechanical action on vertebral modeling, is highly effective in correcting
      thoracic curves in particularly when the SOSORT guidelines were adopted in
      addition to the SRS criteria.

PMID- 26497778
TI  - Alterations in Connectivity on Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging with
      Provocation of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: A MAPP Research Network Feasibility
      Study of Urological Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndromes.
AB  - PURPOSE: Urological chronic pelvic pain syndromes have refractory bladder or
      pelvic pain as the dominant symptom. This has been attributed to changes in the
      central nervous system caused by a chronic barrage of noxious stimuli. We
      developed what is to our knowledge a novel challenge protocol that induced
      bladder distention in study participants to reproduce pain and urinary symptoms.
      We tested to see whether it could discriminate between persons with urological
      chronic pelvic pain syndrome-like symptoms and asymptomatic controls. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We recruited 10 female twin pairs who were discordant for urological
      chronic pelvic pain syndrome-like symptoms. Before scanning each twin urinated to
      completion and then consumed 500 cc water. Each twin was scanned with our resting
      state functional magnetic resonance imaging protocol immediately and
      approximately 50 minutes after consumption. Time series were extracted from the
      right and left periaqueductal gray, and the right and left amygdala subregions.
      We performed the repeated measures 2-sample t-test to assess differences in
      connectivity between symptomatic and asymptomatic twins before and after bladder
      distention. RESULTS: Group by condition interaction effects were found from the
      periaqueductal gray to the right cerebellum VIIIa, the amygdala, the right
      premotor cortex/supplementary motor area and the insular cortex, and between the
      amygdala and the frontal pole/medial orbital frontal cortex, the hypothalamus,
      the insular cortex, the thalamus and the anterior cingulate cortex. CONCLUSIONS:
      These findings demonstrate that our noninvasive bladder distention protocol can
      detect differences in the processing of urinary sensation between twins
      discordant for lower urinary tract pain.

PMID- 26497780
TI  - Emergency preservation and resuscitation for cardiac arrest from trauma.
AB  - The advent of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) revolutionized the care of
      patients with cardiac arrest, now allowing survival of up to 30% after out-of
      hospital arrest due to arrhythmia; however, outcomes for cardiac arrest after
      trauma remain dismal, with less than 10% survival despite the most aggressive
      modern resuscitation techniques. The short time interval between cardiac arrest
      and brain ischemia, the reduced efficacy of CPR in the patient with profound
      hypovolemia due to hemorrhage, and the speed of exsanguination from major
      vascular injury all conspire to limit the effectiveness of standard CPR in the
      critically injured patient. Beginning in the 1980s, researchers began to harness
      the effects of profound hypothermia in order to extend the window of
      survivability after traumatic arrest, allowing the critical time needed to obtain
      surgical hemostasis in otherwise lethal exsanguinating injuries. These studies
      have culminated in the emergency preservation and resuscitation (EPR) of the
      trauma patient. Rapid central arterial access is obtained and profound (<10 
      degrees C) hypothermia induced with aortic infusion of cold saline. During this
      window of up to 1 h, damage control surgical techniques are applied to control
      hemorrhage and repair injuries, followed by controlled rewarming and reperfusion
      using cardiopulmonary bypass. In this review, we trace these techniques from
      their early theoretical development, through refinement in clinically relevant
      animal models, and into their present application in a currently-enrolling human
      clinical trial of EPR for cardiac arrest from trauma (EPR-CAT), as well as
      examine current topics, ongoing challenges, and future directions for emergency
      preservation and resuscitation research.

PMID- 26497779
TI  - New insights about ORF1 coding regions support the proposition of a new genus
      comprising arthropod viruses in the family Totiviridae.
AB  - Analyzing the positions of 2A-like polypeptide cleavage sites in all available
      genomes of arthropod totiviruses we propose the limits of all ORF1 coding
      sequences and observed that two proteins previously predicted in infectious
      myonecrosis virus genome are unique in the arthropod totiviruses group. A
      putative protein cleavage site upstream the major capsid protein was also
      identified only in these genomes. In addition, protein models generated using ab
      initio and threading approaches revealed conserved structures possibly related to
      formation of viral protrusions and RNA packaging, clarifying the mechanisms
      involved in the extracellular transmission. These data appoints that the group
      formed by arthropod totiviruses are sufficient distinctive to be clustered in new
      genus belonging to the Totiviridae family, in agreement with previous
      phylogenetic analysis. 

PMID- 26497781
TI  - Blunt cerebrovascular injuries in trauma.
AB  - Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) includes trauma to the carotid or vertebral
      vessels and is noted in 0.1% of hospitalized trauma patients without an initial
      screening system in place. Several important topics must be addressed including
      determination of the appropriate screening population, the best modality of
      screening for diagnosis, treatment types, and required follow-up of blunt
      cerebrovascular injuries.

PMID- 26497782
TI  - Cannabidiol protects an in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier from oxygen
      glucose deprivation via PPARgamma and 5-HT1A receptors.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated a
      protective effect of cannabidiol (CBD) in reducing infarct size in stroke models
      and against epithelial barrier damage in numerous disease models. We aimed to
      investigate whether CBD also affects blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability
      following ischaemia. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Human brain microvascular endothelial
      cell (HBMEC) and human astrocyte co-cultures modelled the BBB. Ischaemia was
      modelled by oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) and permeability was measured by
      transepithelial electrical resistance. KEY RESULTS: CBD (10 MUM) prevented the
      increase in permeability caused by 4 h OGD. CBD was most effective when
      administered before the OGD, but protective effects were observed up to 2 h into
      reperfusion. This protective effect was inhibited by a PPARgamma antagonist and
      partly reduced by a 5-HT1A receptor antagonist, but was unaffected by antagonists
      of cannabinoid CB1 or CB2 receptors, TRPV1 channels or adenosine A2A receptors.
      CBD also reduced cell damage, as measured by LDH release and by markers of
      cellular adhesion, such as the adhesion molecule VCAM-1. In HBMEC monocultures,
      CBD decreased VCAM-1 and increased VEGF levels, effects which were inhibited by
      PPARgamma antagonism. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: These data suggest that
      preventing permeability changes at the BBB could represent an as yet unrecognized
      mechanism of CBD-induced neuroprotection in ischaemic stroke, a mechanism
      mediated by activation of PPARgamma and 5-HT1A receptors.

PMID- 26497783
TI  - Retinal neurodegeneration in experimental glaucoma.
AB  - In rats and mice, limbar tissues of the left eye were laser-photocoagulated (LP)
      and ocular hypertension (OHT) effects were investigated 1 week to 6 months later.
      To investigate the innermost layers, retinas were examined in wholemounts using
      tracing from the superior colliculi to identify retinal ganglion cells (RGCs)
      with intact retrograde axonal transport, melanopsin immunodetection to identify
      intrinsically photosensitive RGCs (m(+)RGC), Brn3a immunodetection to identify
      most RGCs but not m(+)RGCs, RECA1 immunodetection to examine the inner retinal
      vessels, and DAPI staining to detect all nuclei in the GC layer. The outer
      retinal layers (ORLs) were examined in cross sections analyzed morphometrically
      or in wholemounts to study S- and L-cones. Innervation of the superior colliculi
      was examined 10 days to 14 weeks after LP with orthogradely transported cholera
      toxin subunit B. By 2 weeks, OHT resulted in pie-shaped sectors devoid of
      FG(+)RGCs or Brn3a(+)RGCs but with large numbers of DAPI(+)nuclei. Brn3a(+)RGCs
      were significantly greater than FG(+)RGCs, indicating the survival of large
      numbers of RGCs with their axonal transport impaired. The inner retinal
      vasculature showed no abnormalities that could account for the sectorial loss of
      RGCs. m(+)RGCs decreased to approximately 50-51% in a diffuse loss across the
      retina. Cross sections showed focal areas of degeneration in the ORLs. RGC loss
      at 1m diminished to 20-25% and did not progress further with time, whereas the S-
      and L-cone populations diminished progressively up to 6m. The retinotectal
      projection was reduced by 10 days and did not progress further. LP-induced OHT
      results in retrograde degeneration of RGCs and m(+)RGCs, severe damage to the
      ORL, and loss of retinotectal terminals. 

PMID- 26497784
TI  - Retinal ganglion cell apoptotic pathway in glaucoma: Initiating and downstream
      mechanisms.
AB  - Apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in glaucoma causes progressive visual
      field loss, making it the primary cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.
      Elevated intraocular pressure and aging, the main risk factors for glaucoma,
      accelerate RGC apoptosis. Numerous pathways and mechanisms were found to be
      involved in RGC death in glaucoma. Neurotrophic factors deprivation is an early
      event. Oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, glial cell
      dysfunction, and activation of apoptotic pathways and prosurvival pathways play a
      significant role in RGC death in glaucoma. The most important among the involved
      pathways are the MAP-kinase pathway, PI-3 kinase/Akt pathway, Bcl-2 family,
      caspase family, and IAP family. 

PMID- 26497785
TI  - The contribution of the sclera and lamina cribrosa to the pathogenesis of
      glaucoma: Diagnostic and treatment implications.
AB  - Glaucoma, the second most common cause of world blindness, results from loss of
      retinal ganglion cells (RGC). RGC die as a consequence of injury to their axons,
      as they pass through the transition between the environment within the eye and
      that of the retrobulbar optic nerve, as they course to central visual centers. At
      the optic nerve head (ONH), axonal transport becomes abnormal, at least in part
      due to the effect of strain induced by intraocular pressure (IOP) on the sclera
      and ONH. Animal glaucoma models provide the ability to study how alterations in
      ocular connective tissues affect this pathological process. New therapeutic
      interventions are being investigated to mitigate glaucoma blindness by modifying
      the remodeling of ocular tissues in glaucoma. Some genetically altered mice are
      resistant to glaucoma damage, while treatment of the sclera with cross-linking
      agents makes experimental mouse glaucoma damage worse. Inhibition of transforming
      growth factor beta activity is strikingly protective. Treatments that alter the
      response of ocular connective tissues to IOP may be effective in protecting those
      with glaucoma from vision loss. 

PMID- 26497786
TI  - Autophagy dysregulation and the fate of retinal ganglion cells in glaucomatous
      optic neuropathy.
AB  - Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease caused by the progressive apoptotic death
      of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). The mechanisms leading to the RGC loss are
      still unknown but it is now clear that, besides elevated intraocular pressure
      (IOP), which is considered the main risk factor, other IOP-independent
      determinants are responsible for the development of the optic neuropathy.
      Autophagy is a highly conserved catabolic pathway by which cellular components
      are degraded through the lysosomes. Dysfunctional autophagic pathway has been
      associated with several neuropathological conditions and a considerable number of
      studies have proved autophagy as a potential target for pharmacological
      modulation to achieve neuroprotection. Here, we review the current literature
      bridging the degeneration of RGCs to alterations of the autophagic pathway; we
      also discuss the possible role of autophagy in the pathogenesis and progression
      of glaucoma in view of the future application of autophagy modulators for
      glaucoma therapy. 

PMID- 26497787
TI  - Advances in glaucoma genetics.
AB  - Glaucoma is presumed to be a complex progressive neurodegenerative disorder
      caused by genetic and environmental factors, and it is also one of the leading
      causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. Glaucoma is divided into two major
      forms: primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and primary angle-closure glaucoma
      (PACG). Familial linkage studies for POAG have been performed and identified
      causative POAG disease genes (e.g., MYOC, OPTN, and WDR36). Recent genome-wide
      association studies revealed a large number of susceptibility gene variants
      associated with both POAG (e.g., CDKN2BAS, CAV1/CAV2, and ATOH7) and PACG (e.g.,
      PLEKHA7 and COL11A1 PCMTD1-ST18). In POAG, these genes were expressed in ocular
      tissues including retinal ganglion cells, ciliary body, trabecular meshwork, and
      the optic nerve head. A further functional analysis of these genes would provide
      the precise mechanism underlying glaucoma, including POAG and PACG. It might be
      possible to assess the personal future risk for glaucoma and facilitate
      therapeutic strategies through genetic studies. 

PMID- 26497788
TI  - Oxidative stress and mitochondrial failure in the pathogenesis of glaucoma
      neurodegeneration.
AB  - This review focuses on oxidative stress and mitochondrial failure for
      understanding mechanisms of optic nerve damage in primary open-angle glaucoma.
      The chapter shows scientific evidence for the role of mitochondrial disbalance
      and reactive oxygen species in glaucoma neurodegeneration. Mitochondria regulate
      important cellular functions including reactive oxygen species generation and
      apoptosis. Mitochondrial alterations result from a wide variety of damaging
      sources. Reactive oxygen species formed by the mitochondria can act as signaling
      molecules, inducing lipid peroxidation and/or excitotoxicity with the result of
      cell lesion and death. Antioxidants may help to counteract oxidative stress and
      to promote neuroprotection. We provide information that may lead to a new way for
      diagnosing and treating glaucoma patients. 

PMID- 26497789
TI  - Macro- and microglial responses in the fellow eyes contralateral to glaucomatous
      eyes.
AB  - Most studies employing experimental models of unilateral glaucoma have used the
      normotensive contralateral eye as the normal control. However, some studies have
      recently reported the activation of the retinal macroglia and microglia in the
      uninjured eye, suggesting that the eye contralateral to experimental glaucoma
      should not be used as a control. This review analyzes the studies describing the
      contralateral findings and discusses some of the routes through which the signals
      can reach the contralateral eye to initiate the glial reactivation. 

PMID- 26497790
TI  - Retinal and optic nerve changes in glaucoma: From animal study to clinical
      implication.
AB  - Animal models of experimental glaucoma provide the ability to longitudinally
      characterize changes in the optic nerve head and surrounding retinal nerve fiber
      layer with various imaging modalities and compare them to histomorphometric
      changes. Analysis of the optic nerve head surface by confocal scanning laser
      tomography and structures deep to this by spectral domain optical coherence
      tomography allow for the detection of the earliest structural changes seen in
      glaucoma. Algorithms utilizing these parameters along with retinal nerve fiber
      layer measurement are likely to play an important role in the future of glaucoma
      progression monitoring. 

PMID- 26497791
TI  - Lymphatic drainage from the eye: A new target for therapy.
AB  - Lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) has been central to glaucoma care for over a
      century. In order to prevent sight loss from disease, there has been considerable
      focus on medical and surgical methods to improve fluid drainage from the eye. In
      spite of this, our understanding of exactly how aqueous humor leaves the eye is
      not complete. Recently, lymphatic vessels have been discovered in the human uvea,
      with studies showing lymphatic fluid outflow in several models, in addition to
      evidence for their pharmacological enhancement. The presence of a lymphatic
      outflow system points to an exciting, expanded understanding of how fluid and
      particulate materials such as proteins move out of the eye, and how IOP may be
      regulated. We coin the term "uveolymphatic pathway"-to reflect a comprehensive
      and compelling new target for glaucoma and an exciting opportunity for future
      investigations to better understand the eye in health and disease. 

PMID- 26497792
TI  - Retinal ganglion cell dendrite pathology and synapse loss: Implications for
      glaucoma.
AB  - Dendrites are exquisitely specialized cellular compartments that critically
      influence how neurons collect and process information. Retinal ganglion cell
      (RGC) dendrites receive synaptic inputs from bipolar and amacrine cells, thus
      allowing cell-to-cell communication and flow of visual information. In glaucoma,
      damage to RGC axons results in progressive neurodegeneration and vision loss.
      Recent data indicate that axonal injury triggers rapid structural alterations in
      RGC dendritic arbors, prior to manifest axonal loss, which lead to synaptic
      rearrangements and functional deficits. Here, we provide an update on recent work
      addressing the role of RGC dendritic degeneration in models of acute and chronic
      optic nerve damage as well as novel mechanisms that regulate RGC dendrite
      stability. A better understanding of how defects in RGC dendrites contribute to
      neurodegeneration in glaucoma might provide new insights into disease onset and
      progression, while informing the development of novel therapies to prevent vision
      loss. 

PMID- 26497793
TI  - MicroRNA target prediction in glaucoma.
AB  - Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy and is one of the leading causes of
      blindness in the industrialized countries. The aim of this study is to
      investigate microRNA (miRNA) regulation in glaucoma and other neurodegenerative
      diseases, that share similar pathways, by means of in silico approaches such as
      bibliographic search and access to bioinformatic resources. First of all, data
      mining was carried out on Human miRNA Disease Database (HMDD) and miR2Disease
      databases. Then, predictions of deregulated miRNAs were carried out accessing to
      microrna.org database. Finally, the potential combinatorial effect of miRNAs, on
      regulation of biochemical pathways, was studied by an enrichment analysis
      performed by DIANA-miRPath v.2.0. We found, from literature search, 8 deregulated
      miRNAs in glaucoma and 9 and 23 in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and
      Alzheimer's disease (AD), respectively. One miRNA is commonly deregulated in
      glaucoma and AMD (miR-23a). Two miRNAs (miR-29a, miR-29b) are common to glaucoma
      and AD, and four miRNAs were identified to be commonly deregulated in AMD and AD
      (miR-9, miR-21, miR-34a, miR-146a). The match of the miRNA common to glaucoma and
      the other two neurodegenerative diseases (AMD and AD) did not generate any
      output. Enrichment of information has been reached through miRNAs prediction: 88
      predicted miRNAs are common to glaucoma and AMD, 19 are common to glaucoma and
      AD, and 9 are common to AMD and AD. Indeed, predicted miRNAs common to the three
      neurodegenerative diseases are nine (miR-107, miR-137, miR-146a, miR-181c, miR
      197, miR-21, miR-22, miR-590, miR-9). DIANA-miRPath predicted that those nine
      miRNAs might regulate pathways involved in inflammation. The findings hereby
      obtained provide a valuable hint to assess deregulation of specific miRNA, as
      potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets, in glaucoma and other
      neurodegenerative diseases by means of preclinical and clinical studies. 

PMID- 26497794
TI  - Stem cell approaches to glaucoma: from aqueous outflow modulation to retinal
      neuroprotection.
AB  - Long-term pharmacological management of glaucoma currently relies on self
      administered drugs to regulate intraocular pressure (IOP). A number of approaches
      using stem cells have recently shown promise as potential future treatment
      strategies complementary to IOP lowering. Several sources of endogenous stem
      cells have been identified in the eye, some of which may be able to repair the
      damaged trabecular meshwork and restore functional regulation of aqueous outflow.
      Neural and mesenchymal stem cells secrete growth factors which provide
      neuroprotective effects, reducing loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in animal
      models. In the future, stem cells may even replace RGCs to reform functional
      connections between the eye and the brain, although the complexity of such a
      repair task is formidable. With advances in biomaterial cell scaffolds and
      concurrent efforts in other neural systems, stem cell therapies are becoming a
      realistic option for treating multiple eye diseases, and despite ongoing
      challenges, there are reasons for optimism that stem cells may play a role in the
      treatment of human glaucoma in the future. 

PMID- 26497795
TI  - Natural compounds and retinal ganglion cell neuroprotection.
AB  - Glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness in the world, is a chronic optic
      neuropathy often associated with increased intraocular pressure and characterized
      by progressive retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons degeneration and death leading
      to typical optic nerve head damage and distinctive visual field defects. Although
      the pathogenesis of glaucoma is still largely unknown, it is hypothesized that
      RCGs become damaged through various insults/mechanisms, including ischemia,
      oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, defective axonal transport, trophic factor
      withdrawal, and neuroinflammation. In this review, we summarize the potential
      benefits of several natural compounds for RGCs neuroprotection. 

PMID- 26497797
TI  - Preface.

PMID- 26497796
TI  - Rho kinase inhibitor AMA0526 improves surgical outcome in a rabbit model of
      glaucoma filtration surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: First, to elucidate the effect of Rho kinase inhibitor, AMA0526, on
      Human Tenon Fibroblast (HTF) proliferation and transdifferentiation to
      myofibroblasts. Second, the effects of ROCK inhibition on the wound healing
      process and surgical outcome were investigated in a rabbit model of glaucoma
      filtration surgery. METHODS: After exposure of HTF to AMA0526 (0.1-25 MUM), a
      water-soluble tetrazolium salt-1 assay and caspase 3/7 activity assay were used
      to assess its effect on cell proliferation and to elucidate any toxic effects,
      respectively. Immunohistochemistry of alpha-smooth muscle actin expression was
      used to investigate fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation induced by
      transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1) in the presence or absence of the
      ROCK inhibitor. The effect of topical treatment was studied in a rabbit model of
      glaucoma filtration surgery. Treatment outcome was studied by performing
      intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements and clinical investigation of the bleb
      area and survival. Immunohistological analysis for inflammation (CD45),
      angiogenesis (CD31), and collagen I was performed at day 8, 14, and 30 after
      surgery (n=5/time point). Separate control groups treated with vehicle were used
      as control. RESULTS: In vitro results showed that AMA0526 dose dependently
      inhibited proliferation of HTF (P<0.05) without the induction of caspase 3/7
      activity. Incubation of HTF with the AMA0526 inhibited TGF-beta1 induced
      fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation. In the rabbit model, topical
      treatment significantly improved surgical outcome. Compared to vehicle-treated
      eyes, AMA0526 resulted in increased bleb area (P<0.0001) and prolonged survival
      (P=0.0025). IOP remained significantly lower throughout the course of the
      experiment in the AMA0526 group (P<0.0001). Histological evaluation revealed that
      blebs treated with the ROCK inhibitor were characterized by reduced inflammation,
      angiogenesis, and collagen deposition at the site of filtration surgery (P<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: AMA0526 had profound effects on HTF proliferation and myofibroblast
      transition and improved glaucoma filtration surgery outcome by interfering at
      different levels of the wound healing process. Therefore, these data indicate
      that ROCK inhibitors may be considered as more physiological agents which
      specifically target the wound healing process to improve the outcome of glaucoma
      surgery.

PMID- 26497798
TI  - Heart failure: new approaches to an old problem.

PMID- 26497799
TI  - Latest developments in heart transplantation: a review.
AB  - PURPOSE: Heart transplantation (HT) remains the treatment of choice for advanced
      heart failure despite improvements in medical therapy and mechanical circulatory
      support. Significant developments have occurred in the field of HT over the past
      year, in particular the successful transplantation of donor hearts after
      circulatory determination of death. The purpose of this article was to review
      developments in HT published in 2014 and 2015. METHODS: Selected articles found
      using a MEDLINE search of the key term heart transplant were reviewed. FINDINGS:
      The year has seen improvements in the attenuation of ischemia and reperfusion
      injury, patient selection, immunosuppression, imaging of the transplanted heart,
      and donor organ preservation that hold promise for increasing the number of
      transplantations and improving outcomes in HT recipients. Advances in the
      detection and attenuation of cardiac rejection and allograft vasculopathy are
      highlighted. IMPLICATIONS: A number of significant advances over the past year
      hold promise for tangible improvements in outcomes in the field of HT.

PMID- 26497800
TI  - Run kinematics with and without a jogging stroller.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Jogging strollers have become increasingly popular as they allow a
      parent the freedom to run without having to leave their children. Few studies
      have examined the effects of running with a stroller and no study to date has
      examined the effects on joint kinematics. The aim of this study was to compare
      lower limb and trunk kinematics while running with and without a jogging
      stroller. METHODS: Participants (N=15) ran on a 16-metre indoor runway, with and
      without a stroller, at their self-selected comfortable training speed. Three
      dimensional trunk and lower limb kinematics were assessed using the CODA cx1
      active marker system. FINDINGS: The jogging stroller led to reduced movement of
      the trunk in both the transverse [mean difference -11.4 degrees , 95% confidence
      interval (CI) (-14.8 degrees , -8.2 degrees ), p<0.001] and coronal [-2.9 degrees
      , 95% CI (-0.8 degrees , -4.9 degrees ), p=0.009] planes most likely due to
      fixing of the upper limbs. There was also a 6.7 degrees  [95% CI (-9 degrees , 
      4.6 degrees ), p<0.001] increase in forward trunk lean, 2.8 degrees  [95% CI (
      4.2 degrees , -1.7 degrees ), p<0.001] increase in anterior pelvic tilt and a 3
      degrees  [95% CI (-4.4 degrees , -1.5 degrees ), p=0.001] decrease in hip
      extension. There were no significant changes in knee or ankle kinematics and no
      changes in stride length, cadence or stance time. INTERPRETATION: Our data
      suggest that jogging strollers lead to minor changes in trunk, pelvis and hip
      kinematics with no significant changes at the knee and ankle. Due to the changes
      in kinematics we suggest that flexibility work for the spine, pelvis and hips may
      be recommended.

PMID- 26497801
TI  - Characteristic muscle activity patterns during gait initiation in the healthy
      younger and older adults.
AB  - It is thought that gait initiation (GI) might be an optimal task for identifying
      postural control deficiencies. Thus, the aim of this study was to clarify the
      strategies adopted by older subjects during this task. 16 healthy younger and 15
      healthy older adults participated in the study. Subjects were instructed to begin
      forward stepping with their dominant limb in response to an auditory stimulus.
      The mean muscle activity, co-contraction index, and intra-subject coefficients of
      variation (intra-subject CVs) of dominant limb muscles in different phases of GI
      were measured. The level of association between the co-contraction index and
      intra-subject CV of muscles was also explored. This study showed that in the
      anticipatory phase, the younger group had larger amplitudes and more intra
      subject CVs than older the group, particularly for the tibialis anterior muscle.
      However, the co-contraction index was greater in older subjects relative to
      younger subjects. During the weight transition phase, tibialis anterior,
      semitendinosus and vastus lateralis muscles of older adults had a lower amplitude
      as compared to younger adults. However, during the locomotor phase, the activity
      of tibialis anterior was greater in comparison to younger adults. Also, during
      this phase, similar to the anticipatory phase, the co-contraction index between
      tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles was greater in older subjects
      relative to younger subjects. Additionally, the larger co-contraction index of
      some muscles was associated with smaller intra-subject CV. These findings suggest
      that muscle behaviors are altered with aging and older adults employ different
      strategies in the different phases of GI as compared to younger adults. 

PMID- 26497802
TI  - Advanced computational modeling for in vitro nanomaterial dosimetry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accurate and meaningful dose metrics are a basic requirement for in
      vitro screening to assess potential health risks of engineered nanomaterials
      (ENMs). Correctly and consistently quantifying what cells "see," during an in
      vitro exposure requires standardized preparation of stable ENM suspensions,
      accurate characterizatoin of agglomerate sizes and effective densities, and
      predictive modeling of mass transport. Earlier transport models provided a marked
      improvement over administered concentration or total mass, but included
      assumptions that could produce sizable inaccuracies, most notably that all
      particles at the bottom of the well are adsorbed or taken up by cells, which
      would drive transport downward, resulting in overestimation of deposition.
      METHODS: Here we present development, validation and results of two robust
      computational transport models. Both three-dimensional computational fluid
      dynamics (CFD) and a newly-developed one-dimensional Distorted Grid (DG) model
      were used to estimate delivered dose metrics for industry-relevant metal oxide
      ENMs suspended in culture media. Both models allow simultaneous modeling of full
      size distributions for polydisperse ENM suspensions, and provide deposition
      metrics as well as concentration metrics over the extent of the well. The DG
      model also emulates the biokinetics at the particle-cell interface using a
      Langmuir isotherm, governed by a user-defined dissociation constant, K(D), and
      allows modeling of ENM dissolution over time. RESULTS: Dose metrics predicted by
      the two models were in remarkably close agreement. The DG model was also
      validated by quantitative analysis of flash-frozen, cryosectioned columns of ENM
      suspensions. Results of simulations based on agglomerate size distributions
      differed substantially from those obtained using mean sizes. The effect of
      cellular adsorption on delivered dose was negligible for K(D) values consistent
      with non-specific binding (> 1 nM), whereas smaller values (<= 1 nM) typical of
      specific high-affinity binding resulted in faster and eventual complete
      deposition of material. CONCLUSIONS: The advanced models presented provide
      practical and robust tools for obtaining accurate dose metrics and concentration
      profiles across the well, for high-throughput screening of ENMs. The DG model
      allows rapid modeling that accommodates polydispersity, dissolution, and
      adsorption. Result of adsorption studies suggest that a reflective lower boundary
      condition is appropriate for modeling most in vitro ENM exposures.

PMID- 26497803
TI  - Natural variation of H3K27me3 modification in two Arabidopsis accessions and
      their hybrid.
AB  - Histone modifications affect gene expression, but the mechanism and biological
      consequence of natural variation in histone modifications remain unclear. Here,
      we generated genome-wide integrated maps of H3K27me3 modification and
      transcriptome for Col, C24 and their F1 hybrid. A total of 1,828 genomic regions
      showing variation in H3K27me3 modification between Col and C24 were identified,
      most of which were associated with genic regions. Natural variation of H3K27me3
      modification between parents could result in allelic bias of H3K27me3 in hybrids.
      Furthermore, we found that H3K27me3 variation between Col and C24 was negatively
      correlated with gene expression differences between two accessions, especially
      with those arising from the cis-effect. Importantly, mutation of CLF, an
      Arabidopsis methyltransferase for H3K27, altered gene expression patterns between
      the parents. Together, these data provide insights into natural variation of
      histone modifications and their association with gene expression differences
      between Arabidopsis ecotypes. 

PMID- 26497805
TI  - Rare Cause of Acute Dysphagia Associated with Dysphonia.

PMID- 26497806
TI  - An intercomparison done at NIRS, Japan on continuous monitors for measuring 220Rn
      concentration.
AB  - An intercomparison for continuous monitors that measure thoron ((220)Rn)
      concentration was carried out using a (220)Rn chamber of National Institute of
      Radiological Sciences (NIRS), Japan; eleven (220)Rn monitors (four types) from
      nine laboratories were evaluated. The (220)Rn detection principle was the same
      for the eleven instruments and one reference instrument, which were commercially
      available silicon semiconductor detectors using an electrostatic collection
      method. The intercomparison results showed that there was a negative deviation of
      more than 30% in measured (220)Rn concentrations given by the laboratories
      relative to the reference values, which were obtained by making a decay
      correction during the travel of (220)Rn through the sampling assembly (sample
      tube, filter and drying unit) and using a calibration factor. In order to
      elucidate the reason for this and then to investigate factors that affect the
      (220)Rn concentration measured with the monitors. As a result, it was necessary
      to make the decay-correction, in particular, when using a drying unit with a
      large inner volume and to use the calibration factor in order to better estimate
      the (220)Rn concentration. It was also found to be better to determine a
      calibration factor inherent to an individual monitor, because the calibration
      factor values ranged from 0.75 to 2.32, depending on the flow rate of the monitor
      pump (0.37-1.02 L min(-1)). It was concluded from this study that a periodical
      calibration of the monitor and a check of the monitor flow rate during
      measurements are necessary to maintain a consistent quality level of the (220)Rn
      measurement.

PMID- 26497807
TI  - Semi-empirical model for fluorescence lines evaluation in diagnostic x-ray beams.
AB  - Diagnostic x-ray beams are composed of bremsstrahlung and discrete fluorescence
      lines. The aim of this study is the development of an efficient model for the
      evaluation of the fluorescence lines. The most important electron ionization
      models are analyzed and implemented. The model results were compared with
      experimental data and with other independent spectra presented in the literature.
      The implemented peak models allow the discrimination between direct and indirect
      radiation emitted from tungsten anodes. The comparison with the independent
      literature spectra indicated a good agreement. 

PMID- 26497808
TI  - Insecticide resistance in malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in Zimbabwe: a review.
AB  - Malaria is a global public health problem, with about 3.2 billion people at risk
      of infection. The populations at risk mainly reside in Africa, Asia and America,
      with African populations accounting for the largest burden of the disease. In
      2013, close to 198 million malaria cases were reported, leading to 584,000
      deaths. Much (90 %) of the mortality rates were recorded from the World Health
      Organization (WHO) database in the African region and 78 % of these occurred in
      children under the age of five. In Zimbabwe, approximately half of the population
      is at risk of infection with malaria.Insecticide residual spraying (IRS) has been
      documented as an effective way to control malaria and has been adopted globally
      by the WHO and national governments. However, both insecticide resistance and
      climate change threaten to reverse the progress made by IRS in malaria control.
      Resistance has been reported in all four classes of insecticides approved by the
      WHO for vector control intervention. Variability of environmental temperature is
      suspected to complicate the situation through alteration in the genetic
      structure, and enzyme and protein profiles of mosquitoes. In Zimbabwe, little
      research has been done on the interaction between climate change, temperature
      variability and insecticide resistance in malarial mosquitoes over time. Such
      information is important for informing policies on insecticide selection for
      IRS.We reviewed literature on insecticide sensitivity among malarial mosquitoes
      in Zimbabwe from 1972 to 2014. International peer-reviewed articles on
      insecticide sensitivity in Zimbabwe, published in English in this time period,
      were searched using MEDLINE(r) (PubMed), Google Scholar, Google and grey
      literature. Eight publications were eligible for the present study, with one of
      the articles being a review paper. Six articles covered insecticide resistance,
      while the other two articles, published in 2000, were about the absence of
      resistance. Contradicting resistance results were reported in 2014.The
      insecticide sensitivity status and distribution of insecticide resistance in
      mosquitoes are still under debate in Zimbabwe, as studies report differing
      results. The resistance trend in Zimbabwe is characterised by fluctuations in the
      status of the sensitivity of existing insecticides. Inconsistencies in data
      collection methods may be responsible for the inconsistencies in the results.
      None of the studies have determined a link between climate/temperature
      variability and insecticide resistance as yet. The current insecticide
      sensitivity status of mosquitoes still needs to be verified.

PMID- 26497810
TI  - Erratum to: Ferulic acid chronic treatment exerts antidepressant-like effect:
      role of antioxidant defense system.

PMID- 26497809
TI  - Behavioral effects of D3 receptor inhibition and 5-HT4 receptor activation on
      animals undergoing chronic cannabinoid exposure during adolescence.
AB  - Chronic exposure to cannabinoids during adolescence results in long-lasting
      behavioral deficits that match some symptomatologic aspects of schizophrenia. The
      aim of this study was to investigate the reversibility of the emotional and the
      cognitive effects of chronic exposure to cannabinoids during adolescence, via
      subsequent modulation of the serotoninergic 5-HT4 and dopaminergic D3 receptors.
      RS67333 as a 5-HT4 agonist and U-99194A as a D3 antagonist were administered
      separately at 1 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg, and in combination at 0.5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg
      to adult animals undergoing chronic treatment with the synthetic cannabinoid
      receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 (1 mg/kg) during adolescence. Animals were tested
      for anxiety-like behavior and episodic-like memory in the open field and novel
      object recognition tests respectively 30 minutes after the last drug
      administration. Chronic WIN55,212-2 treated animals exhibited a lasting
      disruption of episodic memory and increased anxiety levels. The effect on
      episodic-like memory were partially restored by acute administration of RS67333
      and U-99194A and completely by administration of both drugs in combination at
      lower doses. However, only RS67333 (20 mg/kg) improved the anxiogenic-like effect
      of WIN55,212-2. These findings give further support that chronic exposure to
      cannabinoids during adolescence may be used as an animal model for schizophrenia,
      and highlight D3 and 5-HT4 receptors as potential targets for an enhanced
      treatment of the cognitive aspect of this disease.

PMID- 26497811
TI  - Behavioral effects of Citrus paradisi in rats.
AB  - Anxiety and depression adversely affect behavior though these conditions may be
      handled through environmental and dietary changes. Diet rich in flavonoids and
      vitamins may support reducing anxiety and depression. Depression is most common
      but serious illness making life miserable; however the usage of dietary and
      herbal complements to treat anxiety and depression had been grown by the time.
      The purpose of this investigation was to characterize the behavioral properties
      of Citrus paradisi in rats at diverse doses i.e. 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 ml/kg.
      Anxiolytic and antidepressant actions were particularly measured twice in 15 days
      through elevated plus maze, open field and forced swimming tests. C. paradisi,
      revealed increase in the locomotor activity and the exploratory skills of the
      animals, as assessed in the open-field. Indeed C. paradisi had a strong
      anxiolytic effect in elevated plus-maze, as assessed by an augmented number of
      entries and the proportion of time spent in the open arms. Moreover there was
      decline in duration of immobility and rise in duration of climbing during forced
      swimming test. At the tested doses these results suggest that C. paradisi have
      the potential to exert a range of CNS-mediated biological activities and thus
      encourage more investigations in this field.

PMID- 26497812
TI  - Does sexual selection shape sex differences in longevity and senescence patterns
      across vertebrates? A review and new insights from captive ruminants.
AB  - In most mammals, both sexes display different survival patterns, often involving
      faster senescence in males. Being under intense sexual competition to secure
      mating opportunities, males of polygynous species allocate resources to costly
      behaviors and conspicuous sexual traits, which might explain these observed
      differences in longevity and senescence patterns. However, comparative studies
      performed to date have led to conflicting results. We aimed to resolve this
      problem by first reviewing case studies of the relationship between the strength
      of sexual selection and age-specific survival metrics. Then, we performed a
      comprehensive comparative analysis to test whether such relationships exist among
      species of captive ruminants. We found that the strength of sexual selection
      negatively influenced the onset of actuarial senescence in males, with males
      senescing earlier in polygynous than in monogamous species, which led to reduced
      male longevity in polygynous species. Moreover, males of territorial species
      senesced earlier but slower, and have a shorter longevity than males of species
      displaying other mating tactics. We detected little influence of the strength of
      sexual selection on the rate of actuarial senescence. Our findings demonstrate
      that the onset of actuarial senescence, rather than its rate, is a side effect of
      physiological mechanisms linked to sexual selection, and potentially accounts for
      observed differences in longevity. 

PMID- 26497814
TI  - [Substance use disorders as a cause and consequence of childhood abuse. Basic
      research, therapy and prevention in the BMBF-funded CANSAS-Network].
AB  - Substance use disorders (SUDs) belong to the most frequent behavioural
      consequences of childhood abuse and neglect (CAN). In community samples, about
      20% of adults with experiences of abuse or neglect in childhood have a lifetime
      diagnosis of an SUD. About 30% of individuals seeking treatment for a post
      traumatic disorder have an SUD and 24-67% of all patients in treatment for an SUD
      have a history of CAN. About 16% of all children and adolescents under the age of
      20 in Germany grow up in families where an alcohol- and/or drug-dependence is
      present. The children of parents with SUDs have, in addition to other risks to
      their development in cognitive and psychosocial domains, an increased risk of
      experiencing violence and neglect. Regarding both perspectives, SUD as a cause
      and as a consequence of CAN, a better understanding of relevant mediators and
      risk factors is necessary to improve prevention and develop adequate treatments.
      The aims of the BMBF-funded research network CANSAS are: 1. To gain a better
      understanding of the relationships between these two important public health
      problems (basic research), 2. To provide evidence-based treatments for survivors
      of CAN with SUDs and to increase the awareness for the necessity to diagnose CAN
      in patients with SUDs in counselling and treatment facilities (research on
      diagnostics and therapy), 3. To improve the systematic evaluation of child
      welfare among children of parents with SUDs through counselling services and to
      promote links between addiction services and youth welfare services (prevention
      research and health services research). In a multidisciplinary approach, the
      CANSAS network brings together experts in the fields of trauma treatment,
      epidemiology, basic research, health services research, prevention research as
      well as addiction services.

PMID- 26497815
TI  - [Violence and discrimination in the workplace.     The effects on health and
      setting-related approaches to prevention and rehabilitation].
AB  - Violence in the workplace is a widespread problem that manifests itself in very
      different forms. The consequences for victims and companies are equally diverse.
      Sexual harassment is a special form of violence at the workplace. Violence may
      come from external perpetrators (attacks on cashiers) or from persons inside a
      company or establishment (colleagues, patients, people in care). Statutory
      accident insurance institutions in Germany (UV, "Unfallversicherungstrager")
      receive approximately 16,000 occupational injury reports per year that resulted
      from violence and led to extended incapacity to work. The numbers are increasing
      steadily. Particularly affected by violence are people working in healthcare and
      social welfare. Both psychological and physical violence can lead to severe
      disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To avoid violence,
      technical, organisational, and personal protective measures are needed. The
      training of de-escalation officers in the areas affected can be helpful. For
      victims of psychological and physical violence in the workplace, the UV offers
      special psychotherapeutic support and recommends the training of first-aiders.

PMID- 26497813
TI  - Colorectal liver metastatic disease: efficacy of irreversible electroporation--a
      single-arm phase II clinical trial (COLDFIRE-2 trial).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a novel image-guided tumor
      ablation technique that has shown promise for the ablation of lesions in
      proximity to vital structures such as blood vessels and bile ducts. The primary
      aim of the COLDFIRE-2 trial is to investigate the efficacy of IRE for
      unresectable, centrally located colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). Secondary
      outcomes are safety, technical success, and the accuracy of contrast-enhanced
      (ce)CT and (18)F-FDG PET-CT in the detection of local tumor progression (LTP).
      METHODS/DESIGN: In this single-arm, multicenter phase II clinical trial, twenty
      nine patients with (18)F-FDG PET-avid CRLM <= 3,5 cm will be prospectively
      included to undergo IRE of the respective lesion. All lesions must be
      unresectable and unsuitable for thermal ablation due to vicinity of vital
      structures. Technical success is based on ceMRI one day post-IRE. All
      complications related to the IRE procedure are registered. Follow-up consists of
      (18)F-FDG PET-CT and 4-phase liver CT at 3-monthly intervals during the first
      year of follow-up. Treatment efficacy is defined as the percentage of tumors
      successfully eradicated 12 months after the initial IRE procedure based on
      clinical follow-up using both imaging modalities, tumor marker and (if available)
      histopathology. To determine the accuracy of (18)F-FDG PET-CT and ceCT, both
      imaging modalities will be individually scored by two reviewers that are blinded
      for the final oncologic outcome. DISCUSSION: To date, patients with a central
      CRLM unsuitable for resection or thermal ablation have no curative treatment
      option and are given palliative chemotherapy. For these patients, IRE may prove a
      life-saving treatment option. The results of the proposed trial may represent an
      important step towards the implementation of IRE for central liver tumors in the
      clinical setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION:  TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02082782.

PMID- 26497816
TI  - Influence of lactation stage and some flock management practices on sensory
      characteristics of goat milk from Brazilian Saanen breed.
AB  - This study evaluated the influence of lactation stage (early, middle, late) and
      management practices (milking hygiene and buck presence) on the sensory
      attributes of Saanen goat milk. Goats were randomly divided in four groups in
      respect of different milking sanitary procedures and the presence/absence of the
      buck in the barn. Milk samples were analyzed for sensory attributes including
      quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) and acceptance. The milking hygiene
      practice caused no significant influence on microbiological parameters. Results
      of QDA revealed that the buck presence increased the characteristic odor of milk
      at the middle and late lactation stages. The off-odor and off-flavor descriptors
      showed a distinct response since a higher intensity of these sensory
      characteristics was noted in the samples obtained from goats maintained without
      the buck. Odor and flavor contributed most in characterizing the different
      samples regardless of the management practice and lactation stage. The acceptance
      of odor showed to be influenced only by the lactation stage, while the acceptance
      of flavor was only through the presence of the buck. Odor acceptance correlated
      negatively to off-odor and off-flavor, suggesting that these two sensory
      attributes impaired the preference for the aroma of the milk samples. 

PMID- 26497817
TI  - The invasion of fatty liver disease in liver transplantation.

PMID- 26497819
TI  - Dielectrophoretic manipulation of particle mixtures employing asymmetric
      insulating posts.
AB  - A novel scheme for particle separation with insulator-based dielectrophoresis
      (iDEP) was developed. This technique offers the capability for an inverted order
      in particle elution, where larger particles leave the system before smaller
      particles. Asymmetrically shaped insulating posts, coupled with direct current
      (DC) biased low-frequency alternating current (AC) electric potentials, were used
      to successfully separate a mixture of 500 nm and 1 MUm polystyrene particles
      (size difference of 0.5 MUm in diameter). In this separation, the 1 MUm particles
      were eluted first, demonstrating the discriminatory potential of this
      methodology. To extend this technique to biological samples, a mixture containing
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells (6.3 MUm) and 2 MUm polystyrene particles was also
      separated, with the cells being eluted first. The asymmetric posts featured a
      shorter sharp half and a longer blunt half; this produced an asymmetry in the
      forces exerted on the particles. The negative DC offset produced a net
      displacement of the smaller particles toward the upstream direction, while the
      post asymmetry produced a net displacement of the larger particles toward the
      downstream direction. This new iDEP approach provides a setup where larger
      particles are quickly concentrated at the outlet of the post array and can be
      released first when in a mixture with smaller particles. This new scheme offers
      an extra set of parameters (alternating current amplitude, DC offset, post
      asymmetry, and shape) that can be manipulated to obtain a desired separation.
      This asymmetric post iDEP technique has potential for separations where it is
      important to quickly elute and enrich larger and more fragile cells in biological
      samples. 

PMID- 26497820
TI  - The prevalence of statistical reporting errors in psychology (1985-2013).
AB  - This study documents reporting errors in a sample of over 250,000 p-values
      reported in eight major psychology journals from 1985 until 2013, using the new R
      package "statcheck." statcheck retrieved null-hypothesis significance testing
      (NHST) results from over half of the articles from this period. In line with
      earlier research, we found that half of all published psychology papers that use
      NHST contained at least one p-value that was inconsistent with its test statistic
      and degrees of freedom. One in eight papers contained a grossly inconsistent p
      value that may have affected the statistical conclusion. In contrast to earlier
      findings, we found that the average prevalence of inconsistent p-values has been
      stable over the years or has declined. The prevalence of gross inconsistencies
      was higher in p-values reported as significant than in p-values reported as
      nonsignificant. This could indicate a systematic bias in favor of significant
      results. Possible solutions for the high prevalence of reporting inconsistencies
      could be to encourage sharing data, to let co-authors check results in a so
      called "co-pilot model," and to use statcheck to flag possible inconsistencies in
      one's own manuscript or during the review process.

PMID- 26497821
TI  - Localization of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Fibroblast Growth Factor 2
      in the Ovary of the Ostrich (Struthio camelus).
AB  - Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2)
      play a paramount role in the regulation of normal and pathologic angiogenesis in
      the ovary of mammals. Very little is known on the expression of these two growth
      factors in the avian ovary. The aim of this study was to determine for the first
      time the localization of VEGF and FGF-2 in the ovary of the ostrich using
      immunohistochemical techniques to investigate the vascularization of the rapidly
      growing huge ostrich oocyte. At the oocyte periphery, distinct VEGF-positive
      granules are visible. In our opinion, the expression of VEGF in the growing
      oocytes, which does not occur in mammals such as bovines, does not significantly
      contribute to angiogenesis in the theca interna and externa, where all the
      original and developing vessels are located, but may contribute to the mitoses
      and survival of granulosa cells during folliculogenesis. A different
      immunostaining can be demonstrated for FGF-2: from late pre-vitellogenic
      follicles, FGF-2 immunopositivity can be observed at the inner perivitelline
      layer area. In the stroma, the smooth muscle cells of small arteries and the
      endothelial cells of venules and veins are positively stained for FGF-2. Another
      interesting finding of this study is the occurrence of a significant number of
      VEGF- and FGF-2 positive heterophilic granulocytes within the ovarian stroma,
      which migrate from the periphery of the ovary towards the growing follicles. We
      assume that the growth factors of the heterophilic granulocytes contribute
      significantly to the angiogenesis seen in both theca layers.

PMID- 26497822
TI  - Right ventricular strain by MR quantitatively identifies regional dysfunction in
      patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Analysis of regional wall motion of the right ventricle (RV) is
      primarily qualitative with large interobserver variation in clinical practice.
      Thus, the purpose of this study was to use feature tracking to analyze regional
      wall motion abnormalities in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular
      cardiomyopathy (ARVC). METHODS: We enrolled 110 subjects (39 overt ARVC
      [mutation+/phenotype+] (35.5%), 40 preclinical ARVC [mutation+/phenotype-]
      (36.3%), and 31 control subjects (28.2%)). Cine steady state free precession
      cardiac MR was performed with temporal resolution <=40 ms in the horizontal long
      axis (HLA), axial, and short axis directions. Regional strain was analyzed using
      feature tracking software and reproducibility was assessed by means of intraclass
      correlation coefficient. Dunnett's test was used in univariate analysis for
      comparisons to control subjects; cumulative odds logistic regression was used for
      minimally and fully adjusted multivariate models. RESULTS: Strain was
      significantly impaired in overt ARVC compared with control subjects both globally
      (P < 0.01) and regionally (all segments of HLA view, P < 0.01). In the HLA view,
      regional reproducibility was excellent within (intraclass correlation coefficient
      [ICC] = 0.81) and moderate between (ICC = 0.62) observers. Using a threshold of 
      31% subtricuspid strain in the HLA view, the sensitivity and specificity for
      overt ARVC were 75.0% and 78.2%, respectively. In multivariable analysis
      involving all three groups, subtricuspid strain less than -31% (beta = 1.38; P =
      0.014) and RV end diastolic volume index (beta = 0.06; P = 0.001) were
      significant predictors of disease presence. CONCLUSION: RV strain can be
      reproducibly assessed with MR feature tracking, and regional strain is abnormal
      in overt ARVC compared with control subjects.

PMID- 26497823
TI  - Laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy is associated with worse survival
      outcomes than open radical nephroureterectomy in patients with locally advanced
      upper tract urothelial carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare survival outcomes between laparoscopic radical
      nephroureterectomy (LRNU) and open radical nephroureterectomy (ORNU) in upper
      urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) patients. METHODS: We retrospectively
      analyzed the data of 371 UTUC patients who underwent ORNU (n = 271) or LRNU (n =
      100) between 1992 and 2012. The survival outcomes included intravesical
      recurrence (IVR)-free survival, overall survival (OS), and cancer-specific
      survival (CSS). The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to estimate
      and compare survival curves between groups. Factors associated with survival
      outcomes were evaluated using univariable and multivariable Cox proportional
      hazard models. RESULTS: The three-year IVR-free survival rates were similar
      between the ORNU and LRNU groups (59.9 and 61.7 %, p = 0.267). However, the LRNU
      group showed worse five-year OS (59.1 vs. 75.2 %, p = 0.027) and CSS (66.1 vs.
      80.2 %, p = 0.015) rates than the ORNU group. In particular, on stratifying the
      study cohort by pathological stages, significant differences in OS (p = 0.007)
      and CSS (p = 0.005) between the surgical approaches were observed only in locally
      advanced disease (pT3/T4). In multivariable analysis, LRNU was an independent
      predictor of worse OS (p = 0.001) and CSS (p = 0.006) than ORNU. Likewise, in
      multivariable analysis in patients with pT3/T4 stage, LRNU was significantly
      associated with worse OS (hazard ratio [HR] 2.59, p = 0.001) and CSS (HR 2.50, p
      = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that in UTUC patients, LRNU, compared to
      ORNU, is generally associated with unfavorable OS and CSS results. In particular,
      LRNU should be performed in locally advanced UTUC patients after careful
      consideration of its impact on patient survival.

PMID- 26497824
TI  - Clinical significance of residual fragments in 2015: impact, detection, and how
      to avoid them.
AB  - PURPOSE: Residual fragments are common after stone treatment. Little is known
      about clinical outcomes relevant to the patient. This comprehensive review of the
      literature highlights the impact of residual fragments, modes of detection, and
      treatment strategies to avoid residual fragments in shock wave therapy,
      ureteroscopy, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy. METHODS: A comprehensive review
      of current literature was performed using PubMed((r)), MEDLINE((r)), EmbaseTM,
      Ovid((r)), Google ScholarTM, and the Cochrane Library. Publications relevant to
      the subject were retrieved and critically appraised. RESULTS: Residual fragments
      after treatment for urinary stones have a significant impact on a patient's well
      being and future course. (Ultra-) low-dose non-contrast computed tomography
      detects small residuals most reliably. In shock wave lithotripsy, adherence to
      basic principles helps to improve results. Various techniques and devices
      facilitate complete stone clearance in conventional and miniaturized percutaneous
      nephrolithotomy and (flexible) ureteroscopy. Promising new technologies in shock
      waves, lasers, and robotics (and potentially microrobotics) are on the horizon.
      CONCLUSIONS: Residual fragments are relevant to patients. Contemporary treatment
      of urolithiasis should aim at complete stone clearance.

PMID- 26497826
TI  - Comparison of innate immunity mediators in peritoneal fluid and spleen between
      young and aged rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aging of the innate immune system can result in a wide array of
      decreasing biological function. AIM: We investigated differences between young
      and old mice in the expression of the pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs).
      METHODS: mRNA levels for PRRs were quantified and compared in peritoneal fluid
      and spleens from old (36 months old) and young (1 month old) Wistar white rats (n
      = 8/group) using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
      RESULTS: In old rats, TLR-5 and -7 were decreased in peritoneal fluid, whereas
      TLR 4/6/9 and Syk were increased in the spleen (p < 0.05). In young rats, TLR
      2/4, dectin-1, and Trem-1 were increased in peritoneal fluid and decreased in the
      spleen (p < 0.05), but TLR 1/3/7/9/10 and Syk were vice versa (p < 0.05).
      DISCUSSION: Several parameters related to innate immunity may change with aging.
      CONCLUSION: Different expressions of mRNA for several PRRs are suggesting changes
      in innate immune responses in association with aging.

PMID- 26497827
TI  - An unusual finding of massive pulmonary embolism in a patient during treatment
      with high-dose ibuprofen.
AB  - Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been associated with an increased risk
      of venous thromboembolism. We report for the first time, the case of a patient
      who developed massive pulmonary embolism after a long period of treatment with
      high doses of ibuprofen. A 65-year-old woman was admitted with severe dyspnea
      while on treatment with high doses of ibuprofen for diffuse spine pain due to
      arthrosis. A spiral computed tomography showed a massive pulmonary embolism. No
      other explanation for the thromboembolic disorder was found. She was successfully
      treated with therapeutic doses of low-molecular-weight heparin followed by
      rivaroxaban. Ibuprofen was discontinued and replaced by tramadol. High-dose
      ibuprofen is likely to have accounted for the life-threatening thromboembolic
      disorder. 

PMID- 26497825
TI  - Treatment of muscle invasive bladder cancer in the elderly: navigating the trade
      offs of risk and benefit.
AB  - PURPOSE: Despite the fact that bladder cancer patients have the highest median
      age of any type of cancer, older patients with muscle invasion are often under
      treated. METHODS: In this review, we report the most up to date literature on the
      patterns of care and treatment of older patients with muscle invasive bladder
      cancer. Data on under-treatment, geriatric principles, cystectomy, perioperative
      chemotherapy, and bladder preservation for older patients are presented and
      analyzed. CONCLUSION: Chronologic age should not exclude patients from curative
      intent therapy. Functional age as determined by geriatric assessments and
      multidisciplinary evaluation can help clinicians decide on the best course of
      treatment for individual patients. Cystectomy, perioperative chemotherapy, and
      curative-intent bladder preservation are reasonable options in healthy older
      adults. Observation should be limited to patients with extremely poor performance
      status and very limited life expectancy.

PMID- 26497828
TI  - Oily fish consumption is inversely correlated with cerebral microbleeds in
      community-dwelling older adults: results from the Atahualpa Project.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oily fish is a major dietary source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty
      acids (omega-3 PUFAs). These nutrients improve endothelial dysfunction, reduce
      beta-amyloid induced damage of neurovascular units, and might prevent the
      occurrence of cerebral microbleeds. However, this relationship has not been
      investigated so far. AIM: To evaluate the association between oily fish intake
      and cerebral microbleeds in a population of frequent fish consumers living in
      coastal Ecuador. METHODS: Cerebral microbleeds were identified by gradient-echo
      MRI and oily fish consumption was calculated in community-dwellers aged >=60
      years enrolled in the Atahualpa Project. The association between cerebral
      microbleeds and fish servings was examined in regression models adjusted for
      relevant confounders. A predictive model was constructed using quintiles of fish
      servings to take into account the non-linearity in the relationship. RESULTS: Out
      of 311 eligible individuals, 293 (94 %) were enrolled. Cerebral microbleeds were
      recognized in 37 (13 %) individuals. Mean fish consumption was 8.8 +/- 5.4
      servings per week (omega-3 PUFAs estimates: 10.2 +/- 7.1 g). Multivariate
      analysis showed an inverse relationship between cerebral microbleeds and fish
      consumption (p < 0.001). Predictive margins of CMB were higher for individuals in
      the lowest (<=4.3) than for those in the highest (>=13.1) quintile of fish
      servings (17.4 vs 2.3 %, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows a lower
      cerebral microbleed presence among older adults eating large amounts of oily fish
      (13 servings per week, equivalent to about 15 g of omega-3 PUFAs). These high
      requirements can be more readily accomplished in other populations by taking fish
      oil preparations. Longitudinal studies are warranted to assess whether these
      interventions reduce incident cerebral microbleeds in high-risk individuals.

PMID- 26497829
TI  - White matter abnormalities are associated with chronic postconcussion symptoms in
      blast-related mild traumatic brain injury.
AB  - Blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a common injury among Iraq
      and Afghanistan military veterans due to the frequent use of improvised explosive
      devices. A significant minority of individuals with mTBI report chronic
      postconcussion symptoms (PCS), which include physical, emotional, and cognitive
      complaints. However, chronic PCS are nonspecific and are also associated with
      mental health disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Identifying
      the mechanisms that contribute to chronic PCS is particularly challenging in
      blast-related mTBI, where the incidence of comorbid PTSD is high. In this study,
      we examined whether blast-related mTBI is associated with diffuse white matter
      changes, and whether these neural changes are associated with chronic PCS. Ninety
      Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans were
      assigned to one of three groups including a blast-exposed no--TBI group, a blast
      related mTBI without loss of consciousness (LOC) group (mTBI--LOC), and a blast
      related mTBI with LOC group (mTBI + LOC). PCS were measured with the Rivermead
      Postconcussion Questionnaire. Results showed that participants in the mTBI + LOC
      group had more spatially heterogeneous white matter abnormalities than those in
      the no--TBI group. These white matter abnormalities were significantly associated
      with physical PCS severity even after accounting for PTSD symptoms, but not with
      cognitive or emotional PCS severity. A mediation analysis revealed that mTBI +
      LOC significantly influenced physical PCS severity through its effect on white
      matter integrity. These results suggest that white matter abnormalities are
      associated with chronic PCS independent of PTSD symptom severity and that these
      abnormalities are an important mechanism explaining the relationship between mTBI
      and chronic physical PCS.

PMID- 26497830
TI  - Nitrogen detected TROSY at high field yields high resolution and sensitivity for
      protein NMR.
AB  - Detection of (15)N in multidimensional NMR experiments of proteins has sparsely
      been utilized because of the low gyromagnetic ratio (gamma) of nitrogen and the
      presumed low sensitivity of such experiments. Here we show that selecting the
      TROSY components of proton-attached (15)N nuclei (TROSY (15)NH) yields high
      quality spectra in high field magnets (>600 MHz) by taking advantage of the slow
      (15)N transverse relaxation and compensating for the inherently low (15)N
      sensitivity. The (15)N TROSY transverse relaxation rates increase modestly with
      molecular weight but the TROSY gain in peak heights depends strongly on the
      magnetic field strength. Theoretical simulations predict that the narrowest line
      width for the TROSY (15)NH component can be obtained at 900 MHz, but sensitivity
      reaches its maximum around 1.2 GHz. Based on these considerations, a (15)N
      detected 2D (1)H-(15)N TROSY-HSQC ((15)N-detected TROSY-HSQC) experiment was
      developed and high-quality 2D spectra were recorded at 800 MHz in 2 h for 1 mM
      maltose-binding protein at 278 K (tauc ~ 40 ns). Unlike for (1)H detected TROSY,
      deuteration is not mandatory to benefit (15)N detected TROSY due to reduced
      dipolar broadening, which facilitates studies of proteins that cannot be
      deuterated, especially in cases where production requires eukaryotic expression
      systems. The option of recording (15)N TROSY of proteins expressed in H2O media
      also alleviates the problem of incomplete amide proton back exchange, which often
      hampers the detection of amide groups in the core of large molecular weight
      proteins that are expressed in D2O culture media and cannot be refolded for amide
      back exchange. These results illustrate the potential of (15)NH-detected TROSY
      experiments as a means to exploit the high resolution offered by high field
      magnets near and above 1 GHz. 

PMID- 26497831
TI  - Fish oil supplementation does not lower C-reactive protein or interleukin-6
      levels in healthy adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and
      docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may prevent a range of chronic conditions through anti
      inflammatory actions. However, as clinical trials using these fatty acids for
      primary prevention are yet unavailable, their putative role in disease prevention
      rests, in part, on evidence of anti-inflammatory actions in healthy individuals.
      OBJECTIVE: To investigate in a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial
      whether supplementation with a moderate dose of EPA+DHA reduces common biomarkers
      of chronic, systemic inflammation in healthy individuals. METHODS: A total of 261
      healthy individuals aged 30-54 years who were free of inflammatory conditions and
      consumed <= 300 mg per day EPA+DHA were included in the study. Participants were
      randomly assigned to 18 weeks of either fish oil supplementation providing 1400
      mg per day EPA+DHA or matching placebo. Outcome measures were serum levels of C
      reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6. In a substudy, ex vivo cytokine
      production was measured. Missing data for CRP and IL-6 were estimated using
      regression imputation. Data analyses conformed to intention-to-treat principles.
      RESULTS: Participant blinding was verified. Red blood cell EPA+DHA increased by
      64% in the active treatment group, but serum CRP and IL-6 were not affected by
      supplementation (P >= 0.20). Findings were consistent with and without imputed
      values and across subgroups. Similarly, EPA+DHA supplementation did not alter ex
      vivo production of four pro-inflammatory cytokines (P >= 0.20). CONCLUSIONS:
      Supplementation with 1400 mg EPA+DHA did not reduce common markers of systemic
      inflammation in healthy adults. Whether this or a higher dose affects other
      measures of inflammation, oxidative stress or immune function warrants
      examination.

PMID- 26497833
TI  - Influence of preparation and football skill level on injury incidence during an
      amateur football tournament.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Scientific studies on injury characteristics are rather common in
      professional football but not in amateur football despite the thousands of
      amateur football tournaments taking place worldwide each year. The purpose of
      this study was to evaluate the preparation and injury patterns of players of two
      different football skill levels who participated in an international amateur
      football tournament. METHODS: In a prospective cohort study, an international
      amateur football tournament of medical doctors in 2011 was analysed with regard
      to training and warm-up preparation, the level of football played before the
      tournament and injury data during the tournament by means of standardised injury
      definitions and data samples for football. RESULTS: Amateur players of registered
      football clubs had higher training exposure before the tournament (p < 0.001)
      than recreational players and had more frequently performed warm-up programmes (p
      < 0.001). Recreational football players showed a significantly higher overall
      injury incidence (p < 0.002), particularly of overuse injuries (p < 0.001),
      during the tournament than amateur players. In almost 75% of players in both
      groups, the body region most affected by injuries and complaints was the lower
      extremities. Orthopaedic and trauma surgeons had the lowest overall injury
      incidence and anaesthetists the highest (p = 0.049) during the tournament.
      CONCLUSION: For the first time, this study presents detailed information on the
      injury incidence and injury patterns of an amateur football tournament. Less
      trained recreational players sustained significantly more injuries than better
      trained amateur players, probably due to the lack of sufficient preparation
      before the tournament. Preventive strategies against overuse and traumatic
      injuries of recreational football players should start with regular training and
      warm-up programmes in preparation for a tournament.

PMID- 26497836
TI  - Differences in the Limits of Stability Between Older Rolling Walker Users and
      Older Single-Tip-Cane Users - A Preliminary Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify the differences in the limits of stability (LOS) between
      older rolling walker and single-tip-cane users. DESIGN: This was a matched paired
      t-test design with repeated measure. METHODS: Eighteen older subjects were
      matched based on age, gender, and functional level. The subjects were assessed
      using the multidirectional reach test initially and 5-month later in four
      directions: forward, backward, leftward, and rightward. FINDINGS: Initially,
      there were no differences between cane users and rolling walker users in the LOS
      in all directions. However, 5-month later, the cane users who held their canes in
      their right hand had significantly better stability in forward and rightward
      reach than the walker users (p < .05). Further, the walker users demonstrated
      significantly decreased functional reach in forward reach (p < .05). CONCLUSION:
      Cane users might have better stability than walker users in the forward direction
      and in the direction toward the side holding the cane. This study may provide
      guide for clinicians including nurses for selecting appropriate rehabilitative
      interventions for older adults using walkers and canes.

PMID- 26497835
TI  - Inhibitory respiratory responses to progesterone and allopregnanolone in newborn
      rats chronically treated with caffeine.
AB  - KEY POINTS: In premature newborns, recurrent apnoea is systematically treated
      with caffeine to prevent long-term neurocognitive disorders, but a substantial
      percentage of apnoea persists particularly in neonates born before 28 weeks of
      gestation. Progesterone has been proposed as a respiratory stimulant potentially
      suitable for the treatment of newborn apnoea persistent to caffeine. Accordingly
      we asked whether acute progesterone administration reduces apnoea frequency in
      newborn rats treated with caffeine. Surprisingly our results show that in newborn
      rats treated with caffeine, administration of progesterone inhibits breathing and
      increases apnoea frequency. Additional experiments showed an enhanced GABAergic
      inhibitory drive on breathing after caffeine treatment, and that progesterone is
      converted to allopregnanolone (an allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors) to
      inhibit breathing. We conclude that combining progesterone and chronic caffeine
      is not an option in preterm neonates, unless the effects of allopregnanolone can
      be counteracted. ABSTRACT: Caffeine is the main treatment for apnoea in preterm
      neonates, but its interactions with other respiratory stimulants like
      progesterone are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that the addition of
      progesterone to caffeine treatments further stimulates ventilation. Newborn rats
      were treated with water (control) or caffeine (15 mg kg(-1)) by daily gavage
      between postnatal day (P)3 and P12. At P4 and P12, we measured apnoea frequency,
      ventilatory responses and metabolic parameters under both normoxia and hypoxia
      (12% O2, 20 min) following an acute administration of either saline or
      progesterone (4 mg kg(-1); i.p.). Progesterone injection increased the serum
      levels of both progesterone and its neuroactive metabolite allopregnanolone.
      Progesterone had no effect on ventilation in control rats under normoxia.
      Progesterone depressed ventilation in P12 caffeine-treated rats under normoxia
      and hypoxia and increased apnoea frequency in both P4 and P12 rats. Because
      allopregnanolone is an allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors and caffeine may
      enhance GABAergic inhibition in newborns, we studied the effects of the GABAA
      receptor antagonist bicuculline at 0, 1, 2 and 3 mg kg(-1) doses and
      allopregnanolone (10 mg kg(-1) dose) in P12 rats. In caffeine-treated rats,
      bicuculline enhanced ventilation, while allopregnanolone decreased ventilation
      and increased total apnoea time. Progesterone had no effect on ventilation and
      apnoea frequency in caffeine-treated rats injected with finasteride, which blocks
      the conversion of progesterone to allopregnanolone. We conclude that combining
      progesterone and chronic caffeine therapy is not an option for the treatment of
      persistent apnoea in preterm neonates, unless the effects of allopregnanolone can
      be counteracted.

PMID- 26497834
TI  - Successful Replication of GWAS Hits for Multiple Sclerosis in 10,000 Germans
      Using the Exome Array.
AB  - Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) successfully identified various
      chromosomal regions to be associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). The primary
      aim of this study was to replicate reported associations from GWAS using an exome
      array in a large German study. German MS cases (n = 4,476) and German controls (n
      = 5,714) were genotyped using the Illumina HumanExome v1-Chip. Genotype calling
      was performed with the Illumina Genome Studio(TM) Genotyping Module, followed by
      zCall. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in seven regions outside the human
      leukocyte antigen (HLA) region showed genome-wide significant associations with
      MS (P values < 5 * 10(-8) ). These associations have been reported previously. In
      addition, SNPs in three previously reported regions outside the HLA region
      yielded P values < 10(-5) . The effect of nine SNPs in the HLA region remained (P
      < 10(-5) ) after adjustment for other significant SNPs in the HLA region. All of
      these findings have been reported before or are driven by known risk loci. In
      summary, findings from previous GWAS for MS could be successfully replicated. We
      conclude that the regions identified in previous GWAS are also associated in the
      German population. This reassures the need for detailed investigations of the
      functional mechanisms underlying the replicated associations. 

PMID- 26497837
TI  - Recent Clinical Trials of Pharmacologic Cardiovascular Interventions in Patients
      with Chronic Kidney Disease: An Update.
AB  - As a consequence of both traditional and non-traditional risk factors,
      cardiovascular disease is over-represented, and the leading cause of mortality,
      among patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Whilst recommendations for
      reducing cardiovascular risk in the general population exist, their applicability
      to the CKD population is questionable due to the exclusion of CKD patients from
      the majority of contemporary cardiovascular interventional studies. The aim of
      this review is to critically evaluate the literature regarding pharmacologic
      cardiovascular interventions in patients with CKD, with an emphasis on studies
      published since our 2008 review. Interventions discussed include erythropoiesis
      stimulating agents (TREAT, U.S. Normal Hematocrit, CHOIR, CREATE, Palmer meta
      analysis); statins (SHARP, AURORA, PPP, 4D, ALERT); Fibrates (VA-HIT); Folic Acid
      (ASFAST, US FOLIC acid trial, HOST); Antihypertensive Agents, Including
      Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor blockers, Beta
      blockers and Combination therapy (Cice et al, FOSDIAL, Agarwal et al, ONTARGET);
      sevelamer (DCOR); Cinacalcet (ADVANCE, EVOLVE, Cunningham meta-analysis); Anti
      oxidants (SPACE, HOPE, ATIC); Aspirin (HOT study re-analysis); vitamin D
      analogues (PRIMO); and multidisciplinary intervention (LANDMARK). Unfortunately,
      there remains a paucity of evidence in this area and a large number of
      methodologically poor quality studies with negative results. It is possible that
      these interventions do not have the same positive effect in CKD patients due to
      differences in the pathogenesis driving cardiovascular disease burden, such as
      altered bone metabolism and calcific vascular disease. Further well-designed
      studies with appropriately selected study populations and patient level outcomes
      are required. Until such time, physicians must consider on an individual patient
      basis the appropriateness of these interventions.

PMID- 26497839
TI  - Multi-residue fluorescent microspheres immunochromatographic assay for
      simultaneous determination of macrolides in raw milk.
AB  - A rapid, reliable, sensitive, and quantitative multi-residue fluorescent
      microspheres immunochromatographic assay (FMCA) was developed for simultaneous
      detection of four macrolides in raw milk. The IC50 value of the optimized FMCA
      was 1.36, 1.22, 1.01, and 1.39 ng/mL for erythromycin (ERY), spiramycin (SPI),
      tilmicosin (TIM), and tylosin (TYL), respectively. The limits of detection (LODs)
      for the four macrolides was 0.13 ng/mL. The recoveries of ERY, SPI, TIM, and TYL
      from spiked raw milk ranged from 91.8-109.2, 89.6-114.4, 84.8-111.6, and 85.8
      115.2%, respectively, with coefficients of variation (CVs) of 5.4-11.3, 7.9-15.7,
      6.2-13.7, and 3.2-14.9%, respectively. The whole testing process was completed
      within 20 min. The antibody-mixed labeled method was successfully applied to the
      FMCA, which greatly simplified the operation steps and saved a lot of time.
      Compared with the immunogold chromatographic assay (IGCA), the FMCA is more
      sensitive and stable and has less antibody consumption. A parallel analysis in
      blind raw milk samples was conducted by liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS); the results showed good correlation (r(2) = 0.99)
      between the two methods. Therefore, the developed multi-residue FMCA is reliable
      and can be easily applied to other antibiotics or other contaminants.

PMID- 26497841
TI  - Simultaneous determination of 18 D-amino acids in rat plasma by an ultrahigh
      performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method: application to
      explore the potential relationship between Alzheimer's disease and D-amino acid
      level alterations.
AB  - D-Amino acids are increasingly being recognized as important signaling molecules,
      and abnormal levels of D-amino acids have been implicated in the pathogenesis of
      Alzheimer's disease. To evaluate the potential relationship between Alzheimer's
      disease and D-amino acids, a simple, sensitive, and reliable UPLC-MS/MS method
      with pre-column derivatization was developed and validated for simultaneous
      determination of 18 D-amino acids in rat plasma. The analytes were extracted from
      plasma samples by a protein precipitation procedure, and then derivatized with
      (S)-N-(4-nitrophenoxycarbonyl) phenylalanine methoxyethyl ester [(S)-NIFE].
      Chromatographic separation was achieved using an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (2.1
      mm * 50 mm, 1.7 MUm) with a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile containing 8 mM
      ammonium hydrogen carbonate at a flow rate of 0.6 mL min(-1). The analytes were
      detected by electrospray ionization in positive ion multiple reaction monitoring
      modes. Under the optimum experimental conditions, all the linear regressions were
      acquired with r > 0.9932. The limits of quantitation of all derivatized D-amino
      acids were within 0.05-40.0 ng mL(-1) in rat plasma. The intra- and inter-day
      precisions, expressed as percentage relative standard deviations (%RSD), were
      within the range of 12.3 and 10.1%, respectively. The recoveries for all the
      analytes were observed over the range of 82.8-100.5% with RSD values less than
      12.5%. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to simultaneous
      determination of the 18 D-amino acids in plasma from Alzheimer's disease rats and
      age-matched normal controls. Results showed that the concentrations of D-serine,
      D-aspartate, D-alanine, D-leucine, and D-proline in Alzheimer's disease rat
      plasma were significantly decreased compared with those in normal controls, while
      D-phenylalanine levels increased. It was revealed that some of these D-amino
      acids would be potential diagnostic biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26497818
TI  - Multilocus sequence typing of Streptococcus thermophilus from naturally fermented
      dairy foods in China and Mongolia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Streptococcus thermophilus is a major dairy starter used for
      manufacturing of dairy products. In the present study, we developed a multilocus
      sequence typing (MLST) scheme for this important food bacterium. Sequences of 10
      housekeeping genes (carB, clpX, dnaA, murC, murE, pepN, pepX, pyrG, recA, and
      rpoB) were obtained for 239 S. thermophilus strains, which were isolated from
      home-made fermented dairy foods in 18 different regions of Mongolia and China.
      METHODS: All 10 genes of S. thermophilus were sequenced, aligned, and defined
      sequence types (STs) using the BioNumerics Software. The nucleotide diversity was
      calculated by START v2.0. The population structure, phylogenetic relationships
      and the role of recombination were inferred using ClonalFrame v1.2, SplitsTree
      4.0 and Structure v2.3. RESULTS: The 239 S. thermophilus isolates and 18
      reference strains could be assigned into 119 different STs, which could be
      further separated into 16 clonal complexes (CCs) and 38 singletons. Among the 10
      loci, a total of 132 polymorphic sites were detected. The standardized index of
      association (IAS=0.0916), split-decomposition and rho/theta (relative frequency
      of occurrence of recombination and mutation) and r/m value (relative impact of
      recombination and mutation in the diversification) confirms that recombination
      may have occurred, but it occurred at a low frequency in these 10 loci.
      Phylogenetic trees indicated that there were five lineages in the S. thermophilus
      isolates used in our study. MSTree and ClonalFrame tree analyses suggest that the
      evolution of S. thermophilus isolates have little relationship with geographic
      locality, but revealed no association with the types of fermented dairy product.
      Phylogenetic analysis of 36 whole genome strains (18 S. thermophilus, 2 S.
      vestibularis and 16 S. salivarius strains) indicated that our MLST scheme could
      clearly separate three closely related species within the salivarius group and is
      suitable for analyzing the population structure of the other two species in the
      salivarius group. CONCLUSIONS: Our newly developed MLST scheme improved the
      understanding on the genetic diversity and population structure of the S.
      thermophilus, as well as provided useful information for further studies on the
      genotyping and evolutionary research for S. thermophilus strains with global
      diversity.

PMID- 26497843
TI  - Identifying the Atomic-Level Effects of Metal Composition on the Structure and
      Catalytic Activity of Peptide-Templated Materials.
AB  - Bioinspired approaches for the formation of metallic nanomaterials have been
      extensively employed for a diverse range of applications including diagnostics
      and catalysis. These materials can often be used under sustainable conditions;
      however, it is challenging to control the material size, morphology, and
      composition simultaneously. Here we have employed the R5 peptide, which forms a
      3D scaffold to direct the size and linear shape of bimetallic PdAu nanomaterials
      for catalysis. The materials were prepared at varying Pd:Au ratios to probe
      optimal compositions to achieve maximal catalytic efficiency. These materials
      were extensively characterized at the atomic level using transmission electron
      microscopy, extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, and atomic
      pair distribution function analysis derived from high-energy X-ray diffraction
      patterns to provide highly resolved structural information. The results confirmed
      PdAu alloy formation, but also demonstrated that significant surface structural
      disorder was present. The catalytic activity of the materials was studied for
      olefin hydrogenation, which demonstrated enhanced reactivity from the bimetallic
      structures. These results present a pathway to the bioinspired production of
      multimetallic materials with enhanced properties, which can be assessed via a
      suite of characterization methods to fully ascertain structure/function
      relationships. 

PMID- 26497844
TI  - Near work-induced transient myopia in Indian subjects.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim was to determine the characteristics of near work-induced
      transient myopia (NITM) in asymptomatic Indian subjects and the influence of
      target size and contrast. METHODS: Two studies were conducted: First, 24 myopes
      and 24 emmetropes viewed four targets (N8 and N12 with 50 and 90 per cent
      contrasts) placed at 0.2 m for five minutes. The refractive status was assessed
      objectively, before and after carrying out the near task, with the Grand Seiko
      WAM-5500 open-field autorefractor under monocular viewing conditions. Second, a
      different group of 24 myopes and 24 emmetropes viewed a N12 target with 90 per
      cent contrast for 60 minutes with pre- and post-refractive state measurements
      repeated as above. NITM was defined as the difference between pre-task and post
      task distance refraction. RESULTS: In the first study, myopes demonstrated an
      initial post-task myopic shift of 0.21 D, whereas emmetropes demonstrated a small
      hyperopic shift of 0.07 D (p < 0.001). The myopes demonstrated a decay time
      constant of 6.07 seconds. There was no effect of target size or contrast on the
      magnitude of the NITM or the decay time constant (p > 0.05). In the second study,
      myopes showed a NITM of 0.31 D, which was significantly greater than emmetropes
      (p < 0.001). The myopes demonstrated a decay time constant of 8.16 seconds.
      CONCLUSION: The magnitude of the NITM was higher in myopes compared to emmetropes
      for both five minute and 60 minute viewing time. The NITM decayed slightly faster
      than that found in previous literature for some other ethnic groups. Potential
      reasons for these findings are discussed.

PMID- 26497842
TI  - Erectile dysfunction and its management in patients with diabetes mellitus.
AB  - Diabetes can be described as a syndrome of multiple closely related conditions
      induced by a chronic state of hyperglycaemia resulting from defective insulin
      secretion, insulin action or both. Chronic complications associated with diabetes
      (including neuropathy, vascular disease, nephropathy and retinopathy) are common,
      and of these, erectile dysfunction (ED) deserves special attention. ED and its
      correlation with cardiovascular disease require careful evaluation and
      appropriate treatment. PDE5 inhibitors (PDE5is) are an important tool for the
      treatment of ED, with new drugs coming onto the market since the late 90s. This
      review offers an overview of PDE5is and their use in treating ED in diabetes. We
      underline the differences between different types of PDE5i, focusing on available
      doses, duration of action, T 1/2, side effects and selectivity profiles in
      relation to patients with diabetes. We also discuss the link between diabetes and
      ED in presence of various associated cofactors (obesity, hypertension and its
      pharmacological treatments, atherosclerosis, hyperhomocysteinaemia, neuropathy,
      nephropathy, hypogonadism and depression). Finally a number of past and ongoing
      clinical trials on the use of PDE5is in patients with diabetes are presented to
      offer an overview of the appropriate treatment of ED in this condition.

PMID- 26497845
TI  - Toll-like receptor-2 and -4 are associated with hyperlipidemia.
AB  - Recent studies have suggested that toll-like receptors (TLRs) contribute to
      insulin resistance, and that fatty acids have a role in TLR activation. Other
      studies have found that TLR2 and TLR4 upregulation is consistent with an increase
      in serum lipid. Therefore, it was hypothesized that TLRs are associated with
      hyperlipidemia. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether TLR2 or
      TLR4 was associated with hyperlipidemia and to provide novel targets for
      hyperlipidemia therapy. Volunteers were selected at the Medical Examination
      Center of Hebei General Hospital (Shijiazhuang, China), including 43 patients
      with high triglyceride (TG) levels, 84 with high total cholesterol (TC) levels
      and 55 with high TG and high TC levels. In addition, 68 healthy volunteers were
      selected as a control group. For the animal study, the TLR gene and protein
      levels were assessed in the skeletal muscle of rats fed a high-fat diet. As
      expected, TLR2 and TLR4 gene expression were upregulated when TC increased, TG
      increased, or TC and TG increased. In rats fed a high-fat diet, the levels of
      gene and protein expression in the skeletal muscle of the two TLRs were all
      increased compared with the control group, this was consistent with an increase
      in TC and TG. In addition, in drug treatment groups the mRNA and protein
      expression levels of TLR in the skeletal muscle of rats fed a high fat diet were
      decreased, as were the TC and TG levels. In conclusion, these findings suggest
      that TLR2 and TLR4 are associated with hyperlipidemia. 

PMID- 26497846
TI  - The application of low frequency dielectric spectroscopy to analyze the
      electrorheological behavior of monodisperse yolk-shell SiO2/TiO2 nanospheres.
AB  - Monodisperse SiO2/TiO2 yolk-shell nanospheres (YSNSs) with different SiO2 core
      sizes were fabricated and adopted as dispersing materials for electrorheological
      (ER) fluids to investigate the influence of the gradual structural change of
      disperse particles on ER properties. The results showed that the ER performance
      of the YSNS-based ER fluid prominently enhanced with the decrease of SiO2 core
      size, which was attributed to the enhancement of electric field force between
      YSNSs. Combined with the analysis of dielectric spectroscopy, it was found that
      the increase of permittivity at low frequency (10(-2)-10(0) Hz) was due to the
      increase of polarized charges caused by secondary polarization (Psp). Moreover,
      the number of Psp closely related to the distributing change of polarized
      particles in ER fluid was a critical factor to assess the ER performance.
      Additionally, a parameter K (the absolute value of the slope of permittivity
      curves at 0.01 Hz) could be utilized to characterize the efficiency of structural
      evolution of polarized particles in ER fluid. Compared with the ER performance,
      it could be concluded that the value of Deltaepsilon(100Hz-100kHz)' just
      demonstrated the initial intensity of the interface polarization in the ER fluid
      as the electric field was applied, which ignored the distributing evolution of
      polarized disperse particles in ER fluid. The polarizability Deltaepsilon(0.01Hz
      100kHz)' obtained in the frequency range of 10(-2)-10(5) Hz should be more
      suitable for analyzing the system of ER fluid. The relationships between
      polarizability of disperse particles, parameter K and ER properties were
      discussed in detail. 

PMID- 26497847
TI  - Expression of USP22 and Survivin is an indicator of malignant behavior in
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignant liver tumor
      type, ranking as the third leading cause of all cancer-related deaths in the
      world. The post-surgical 5-year survival rate is low, largely due to the high
      recurrence rate. Therefore, the identification of target molecules that control
      the biological characteristics of HCC is of great importance. Ubiquitin-specific
      protease 22 (USP22) is a newly discovered deubiquitinating enzyme and is a cancer
      stem cell marker that plays a role in tumorigenesis, therapy resistance and cell
      cycle progression. Survivin is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein
      (IAP) family and is known to function either as an inhibitor for apoptosis or as
      a regulator of cell division. Levels of survivin are correlated with the
      aggressiveness of tumors and a poor prognosis in various cancers including HCC.
      In the present study, we examined the USP22 expression and its association with
      survivin expression and clinicopathological features in HCC. First, we examined
      the expression of USP22 and survivin in 151 HCC cases by immunohistochemistry.
      High expression of USP22 and survivin was frequently observed in HCC cases, in
      comparison with normal adjacent liver tissues. Expression of USP22 and survivin
      was well correlated with malignant behavior including tumor size, stage and
      differentiation in HCC cases. Importantly, HCC patients with high expression of
      USP22 and survivin showed poor prognosis. USP22 expression was well correlated
      with survivin expression in HCC cases. This correlation was confirmed in HCC cell
      lines and tissues by RT-PCR and western blot analysis. Next, to investigate the
      biological role of USP22 in HCC, we examined the effect of USP22 knockdown on the
      cell growth and the expression of cell cycle-related protein including survivin
      in HCC cells. USP22 siRNA suppressed cell growth. Moreover, USP22 siRNA decreased
      survivin expression together with upregulation of CDK inhibitor, p21 and
      downregulation of cyclin B. These findings suggest that USP22 may be involved in
      HCC progression in cooperation with survivin. We suggest that USP22 can be useful
      as a new prognostic marker and therapeutic target in HCC patients. 

PMID- 26497848
TI  - Growth differentiation factor 15 in heart failure with preserved vs. reduced
      ejection fraction.
AB  - AIM: Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is a cytokine highly expressed in
      states of inflammatory stress. We aimed to study the clinical correlates and
      prognostic significance of plasma GDF15 in heart failure with preserved ejection
      fraction (HFpEF) vs. reduced ejection fraction(HFrEF), compared with N-terminal
      pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), an indicator of haemodynamic wall
      stress. METHODS: Plasma GDF15 and NT-proBNP were prospectively measured in 916
      consecutive patients with HFrEF (EF <50%; n = 730) and HFpEF (EF >=50%; n = 186),
      and measured again at 6 months in 488 patients. Patients were followed up for a
      composite outcome of death or first HF rehospitalization. RESULTS: Median
      GDF15baseline values were similarly elevated in HFpEF [2862 (1812 represent the
      25th percentile and 4176 represent the 75th percentile) ng/L] and HFrEF [2517
      (1555, 4030) ng/L] (P = 0.184), whereas NT-proBNP was significantly lower in
      HFpEF than HFrEF (1119 ng/L vs. 2335 ng/L, P < 0.001). Independent correlates of
      GDF15baseline were age, systolic blood pressure, New York Heart Association
      (NYHA) class, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, sodium, haemoglobin, creatinine,
      diuretic therapy, high sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) and NT-proBNP (all P <
      0.05). During a median follow-up of 23 months, there were 379 events (307 HFrEF,
      72 HFpEF). GDF15 remained a significant independent predictor for composite
      outcome even after adjusting for important clinical predictors including hsTnT
      and NT-proBNP (adjusted hazard ratio 1.76 per 1 Ln U, 95% confidence interval
      1.39-2.21; P < 0.001), regardless of HF group (Pinteraction  = 0.275).
      GDF15baseline provided incremental prognostic value when added to clinical
      predictors, hsTnT and NT-proBNP (area under receiver operating characteristic
      curve increased from 0.720 to 0.740, P < 0.019), with a net reclassification
      improvement of 0.183 (P = 0.004). Patients with >=20% GDF156months increase had
      higher risk for composite outcome (adjusted hazard ratio 1.68, 95% confidence
      interval 1.15-2.45; P = 0.007) compared with those with GDF156months within +/-
      20% of baseline. CONCLUSIONS: The similarly elevated levels and independent
      prognostic utility of GDF15 in HFrEF and HFpEF suggest that beyond haemodynamic
      stress (NT-proBNP), inflammatory injury (GDF15) may play an important role in
      both HF syndromes.

PMID- 26497849
TI  - Myeloid-derived suppressor cells inhibit T cell proliferation in human extranodal
      NK/T cell lymphoma: a novel prognostic indicator.
AB  - The expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and its correlation
      with advanced disease stage have been shown in solid cancers. Here, we
      investigated the functional features and clinical significance of MDSCs in
      extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma (ENKL). A higher percentage of circulating HLA-DR(
      )CD33(+)CD11b(+) MDSCs was observed in ENKL patients than in healthy controls (P
      < 0.05, n = 32) by flow cytometry analysis. These MDSCs from ENKL patients (ENKL
      MDSCs) consisted of CD14(+) monocytic (Mo-MDSCs, >60 %) and CD15(+) granulocytic
      (PMN-MDSCs, <20 %) MDSCs. Furthermore, these ENKL-MDSCs expressed higher levels
      of Arg-1, iNOS and IL-17 compared to the levels of MDSCs from healthy donors, and
      they expressed moderate levels of TGFbeta and IL-10 but lower levels of CD66b.
      The ENKL-MDSCs strongly suppressed the anti-CD3-induced allogeneic and autologous
      CD4 T cell proliferation (P < 0.05), but they only slightly suppressed CD8 T cell
      proliferation (P > 0.05). Interestingly, ENKL-MDSCs inhibited the secretion of
      IFNgamma but promoted IL-10, IL-17 and TGFbeta secretion as well as Foxp3
      expression in T cells. The administration of inhibitors of iNOS, Arg-1 and ROS
      significantly reversed the suppression of anti-CD3-induced T cell proliferation
      by MDSCs (P < 0.05). Importantly, based on multivariate Cox regression analysis,
      the HLA-DR(-)CD33(+)CD11b(+) cells and CD14(+) Mo-MDSCs were independent
      predictors for disease-free survival (DFS, P = 0.013 and 0.016) and overall
      survival (OS, P = 0.017 and 0.027). Overall, our results identified for the first
      time that ENKL-MDSCs (mainly Mo-MDSCs) have a prognostic value for patients and a
      suppressive function on T cell proliferation.

PMID- 26497850
TI  - Increased tumor infiltration by mucosal-associated invariant T cells correlates
      with poor survival in colorectal cancer patients.
AB  - The infiltration of tumors by lymphocytes is a prognosis factor in colorectal
      cancer (CRC). The magnitude and quality of this infiltration have emerged as
      important component of the clinical outcome in these patients. Specifically,
      markers associated with functional cell-mediated immunity, i.e., a Th1 immune
      response, are independent markers of better prognosis, whereas Th17-associated
      components are deleterious and correlate with poorer survival. Mucosal-associated
      invariant T (MAIT) cells are a recently described T cell subset with tissue
      homing properties. They display a restricted TCR repertoire specific for widely
      conserved microbial ligands, and display anti-bacterial properties upon release
      of Th1-like, Th17-like, and/or cytotoxic granules. MAIT-cell-specific transcripts
      have been found in kidney and brain cancer, but have not been studies in other
      sites. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed by confocal microscopy the
      presence of MAIT cells within colorectal tumors as compared with paired healthy
      tissues. We observed a significant although variable increase, both in density
      and in proportion of overall tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes inside the tumors.
      Importantly, survival curves as well as multivariate analysis showed that
      patients displaying a higher recruitment of MAIT cells in their tumor, as
      compared with the neighboring healthy tissue, showed a less favorable clinical
      outcome. This study suggests that including MAIT-cell-specific markers or
      transcripts in the analysis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes could be a benefit
      to the diagnosis and follow-up of CRC patients.

PMID- 26497851
TI  - Hsa-miR-139-5p inhibits proliferation and causes apoptosis associated with down
      regulation of c-Met.
AB  - Hsa-miRNA-139-5p (miR-139-5p) has recently been discovered having anticancer
      efficacy in different organs. However, the role of miR-139-5p on lung cancer is
      still ambiguous. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-139-5p on
      development of lung cancer. Results indicated miR-139-5p was significantly down
      regulated in primary tumor tissues and very low levels were found in a non-small
      cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. Ectopic expression of miR-139-5p in NSCLC
      cell lines significantly suppressed cell growth through inhibition of cyclin D1
      and up-regulation of p57(Kip2). In addition, miR-139-5p induced apoptosis, as
      indicated by up-regulation of key apoptosis gene cleaved caspase-3, and down
      regulation of anti-apoptosis gene Bcl2. Moreover, miR-139-5p inhibited cellular
      metastasis through inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-7 and MMP-9.
      Further, oncogene c-Met was revealed to be a putative target of miR-139-5p, which
      was inversely correlated with miR-139-5p expression. Taken together, our results
      demonstrated that miR-139-5p plays a pivotal role in lung cancer through
      inhibiting cell proliferation, metastasis, and promoting apoptosis by targeting
      oncogenic c-Met. 

PMID- 26497852
TI  - MicroRNA expression profiling identifies miR-31-5p/3p as associated with time to
      progression in wild-type RAS metastatic colorectal cancer treated with cetuximab.
AB  - The aim of our study was to investigate whether microRNAs (miRNAs) could serve as
      predictive biomarkers to anti-EGFR therapy (cetuximab, panitumumab) in patients
      with RAS wild-type (wt-RAS) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Historical
      cohort of 93 patients with mCRC (2006-2009) was included and further divided into
      exploratory and validation cohorts. MiRNAs expression profiling was performed on
      the exploratory cohort of 41 wt-KRAS mCRC patients treated with cetuximab to
      identify miRNAs associated with time to progression (TTP). The validation was
      performed on two independent cohorts: 28 patients of wt-RAS mCRC treated with
      cetuximab and 24 patients of wt-RAS mCRC treated with panitumumab. We identified
      9 miRNAs with significantly different expression between responders and non
      responders to cetuximab therapy (P <= 0.01). These 9 miRNAs were further
      evaluated in two independent cohorts of patients and miR-31-3p (P < 0.001) and
      miR-31-5p (P < 0.001) were successfully confirmed as strongly associated with TTP
      in wt-RAS mCRC patients treated with cetuximab but not panitumumab. When
      evaluated on the complete cohort of cetuximab patients (N = 69), miR-31-3p (HR,
      5.10; 95% CI, 2.52-10.32; P < 0.001) and miR-31-5p (HR, 4.80; 95% CI, 2.50-9.24;
      P < 0.001) were correlated with TTP on the comparable level of significance.
      There was no difference in miR-31-5p/3p expression levels in RAS mutated and wild
      type tumor samples. MiR-31-5p/3p are promising predictive biomarkers of cetuximab
      response in wt-RAS mCRC patients. 

PMID- 26497853
TI  - Overexpression of Mcl-1 confers resistance to BRAFV600E inhibitors alone and in
      combination with MEK1/2 inhibitors in melanoma.
AB  - Melanoma harboring BRAF mutations frequently develop resistance to BRAF
      inhibitors, limiting the impact of treatment. Here, we establish a mechanism of
      resistance and subsequently identified a suitable drug combination to overcome
      the resistance. Single treatment of BRAF mutant melanoma cell lines with
      vemurafenib or dabrafenib (BRAF inhibitors) alone or in combination with
      trametinib (MEK1/2 inhibitor) resulted in overexpression of Mcl-1. Overexpression
      of Mcl-1 in A375 and SK-MEL-28 by transfection completely blocked BRAF and MEK1/2
      inhibitor-mediated inhibition of cell survival and apoptosis. Melanoma cells
      resistant to BRAF inhibitors showed massive expression of Mcl-1 as compared to
      respective sensitive cell lines. Silencing of Mcl-1 using siRNA completely
      sensitized resistant melanoma cells to growth suppression and induction of
      apoptosis by BRAF inhibitors. In vivo, vemurafenib resistant A375 xenografts
      implanted in athymic nude mice showed substantial tumor growth inhibition when
      treated with a combination of vemurafenib and Mcl-1 inhibitor or siRNA.
      Immunohistochemistry and western blot analyses demonstrated enhanced expression
      of Mcl-1 and activation of ERK1/2 in vemurafenib-resistant tumors whereas level
      of Mcl-1 or p-ERK1/2 was diminished in the tumors of mice treated with either of
      the combination. Biopsied tumors from the patients treated with or resistant to
      BRAF inhibitors revealed overexpression of Mcl-1. These results suggest that the
      combination of BRAF inhibitors with Mcl-1 inhibitor may have therapeutic
      advantage to melanoma patients with acquired resistance to BRAF inhibitors alone
      or in combination with MEK1/2 inhibitors. 

PMID- 26497854
TI  - Whole-exome sequencing and genome-wide methylation analyses identify novel
      disease associated mutations and methylation patterns in idiopathic
      hypereosinophilic syndrome.
AB  - A thorough understanding of the idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome (IHES) and
      further optimization of diagnostic work-up procedures are warranted. We analyzed
      purified eosinophils from patients with IHES by next-generation whole-exome
      sequencing and compared DNA methylation profiles from reactive eosinophilic
      conditions to known clonal and suspected clonal eosinophilia. Somatic missense
      mutations in cancer-related genes were detected in three IHES patients. These
      included the spliceosome gene PUF60 and the cadherin gene CDH17. Furthermore,
      reactive eosinophilia samples could be differentiated from known- and suspected
      clonal eosinophilia samples based on 285 differentially methylated CpG sites
      corresponding to 128 differentially methylated genes. Using Ingenuity pathway
      analysis, we found that differentially methylated genes were highly enriched in
      functional pathways such as cancer, cell death and survival, and hematological
      disease. Our data show that a subset of IHES may be of clonal origin not related
      to the classical molecular aberrations of FGFR, PDGFRA/B, or T-cells, and that
      the initiating hits could be point mutations in a variety of genes, including
      spliceosome mutations or hypermethylated tumor suppressor genes. In addition, we
      identified a DNA methylation signature that is relevant for distinguishing clonal
      and suspected clonal eosinophilia from reactive eosinophilia per se, which may be
      useful in daily clinical work. 

PMID- 26497855
TI  - MicroRNA-1 down-regulates proliferation and migration of breast cancer stem cells
      by inhibiting the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway.
AB  - We investigated the miRNA profiles of breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) and non-CSC
      tumor cells by miRNA microarray and determined the effect of altered miR-1
      expression on proliferation and migration of breast CSCs. The potential targets
      of miR-1 in the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling were characterized by bioinformatics
      analysis and luciferase assay. We found that 14 miRNAs were up-regulated and 13
      were down-regulated in the ESA+CD44+CD24-lineage- CSCs, related to ESA+CD44
      CD24+lineage- non-CSC tumor cells. The miR-1 expression was associated inversely
      with aggressiveness of breast cancers. Furthermore, enhanced miR-1 expression
      decreased the percentages of SKBR3/CSCs and miR-1 inhibition increased the
      percentages of MCF-7/CSCs. Enhanced miR-1 expression significantly reduced the
      Frizzled 7 and Tankyrase-2 (TNKS2)-regulated luciferase activity in 293T cells
      and decreased Frizzled 7, TNKS2, c-Myc, octamer-binding transcription factor 4
      (Oct4) and Nanog expression and the ratios of nuclear to cytoplasmic beta-catenin
      as well as beta-catenin-dependent luciferase activity in breast CSCs in vitro.
      miR-1 inhibited proliferation, migration and wound healing of breast CSCs in
      vitro. Enhanced miR-1 expression inhibited the growth of implanted MCF-7/CSCs
      while miR-1 inhibition promoted the growth of implanted MCF-7/CSCs in vivo. Our
      data indicate that miR-1 down-regulates breast CSC stemness, proliferation and
      migration by targeting the Frizzled 7 and TNKS2 to inhibit the Wnt/beta-catenin
      signaling. 

PMID- 26497856
TI  - Immobilization of enzymes using non-ionic colloidal liquid aphrons (CLAs):
      Activity kinetics, conformation, and energetics.
AB  - This study seeks to examine the ability of non-ionic/non-polar Colloidial Liquid
      Aphrons (CLAs) to preserve enzyme functionality upon immobilization and release.
      CLAs consisting of micron-sized oil droplets surrounded by a thin aqueous layer
      stabilized by a mixture of surfactants, were formulated by direct addition (pre
      manufacture addition) using 1% Tween 80/mineral oil and 1% Tween 20 and the
      enzymes lipase, aprotinin and alpha-chymotrypsin. The results of activity assays
      for both lipase and alpha-chymotrypsin showed that kinetic activity increased
      upon immobilization by factors of 7 and 5.5, respectively, while aprotinin
      retained approximately 85% of its native activity. The conformation of the
      enzymes released through desorption showed no significant alterations compared to
      their native state. Changes in pH and temperature showed that optimum conditions
      did not change after immobilization, while analysis of activation energy for the
      immobilized enzyme showed an increase in activity at higher temperatures.
      Furthermore, the effect of bound water within the aphron structure allowed for
      some degree of enzyme hydration, and this hydration was needed for an active
      conformation with results showing a decrease in DeltaH* for the immobilized
      system compared to its native counterpart.

PMID- 26497857
TI  - Effects of cow milk versus extensive protein hydrolysate formulas on infant
      cognitive development.
AB  - Little research has focused on infant developmental effects, other than growth,
      of formulas that differ substantially in the form of protein. To examine
      development of infants fed formulas differing in free amino acid content, we
      randomized 0.5-month-old infants (n = 79) to either a control group who fed only
      cow milk formula (CMF) during the first 8 months (CMF8), or to one of two
      experimental groups: one experimental group fed extensively protein hydrolyzed
      formula (EHF) for 1-3 months during first 4.5 months (EHF1-3) of life, and the
      other fed EHF for 8 months (EHF8). The Mullen Scales of Early Learning were
      administered monthly from 1.5 to 8.5 months to assess fine (FM) and gross (GM)
      motor control, receptive (RL) and expressive (EL) language, visual reception
      (VR), and an early learning composite (ELC). Across the 5.5-8.5-month time
      period, when compared to CMF8 infants, GM scores in EHF1-3 infants averaged 1.5
      points higher (95 % CI 0.1, 3.0) and in EHF8 infants 2.2 points higher (95 % CI
      0.3, 4.0). Similarly, VR scores averaged 1.9 points higher (95 % CI 0.1, 3.8) in
      EHF1-3 infants and 2.2 points higher (95 % CI -0.2, 4.5) in EHF8 infants. EHF8
      infants' RL scores averaged 1.8 points lower (95 % CI 0.1, 3.6) than CMF8
      infants. These data suggest that the form of protein in infant formula may impact
      cognitive development and that the higher free amino acid content in breast milk
      may be a contributing factor to the differential cognitive development between
      breastfed and CMF-fed infants. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov
      NCT00994747.

PMID- 26497858
TI  - Mammalian target of rapamycin/p70 ribosomal S6 protein kinase signaling is
      altered by sevoflurane and/or surgery in aged rats.
AB  - The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/p70 ribosomal S6 protein kinase (p70S6k)
      pathway exerts anti-apoptotic effects that may contribute to disease
      pathogenesis. The memory impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has
      been suggested to be contributed to by abnormal mTOR signaling. The aim of the
      current study was to investigate the association between sevoflurane and/or
      surgery and AD through the mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway. Sprague-Dawley rats
      were randomly assigned to the sevoflurane, surgery or control groups. The animals
      in the surgery group received a partial hepatectomy under sevoflurane anesthesia.
      The hippocampal levels of phosphorylated (p)-mTOR, p-p70S6K, caspase-3 and p
      tau/total (t)-tau were analyzed. The Morris water maze (MWM) was used to evaluate
      cognitive function following treatment. The levels of p-mTOR and p-p70S6K were
      reduced, whereas caspase-3 levels were increased in the surgery group compared
      with the sevoflurane group. The p-tau/t-tau levels were increased, however, tau
      mRNA was unaffected by sevoflurane and/or surgery. The rats in the surgery group
      required a significantly longer time to locate the platform in the MWM test
      compared with the control and sevoflurane groups. Sevoflurane treatment and/or
      surgery reduced anti-apoptotic activity, and the postoperative cognitive
      dysfunction following surgery may be due to mTOR signaling pathway inhibition in
      aged rats. Increased neuronal apoptosis and tau phosphorylation are suggested to
      be involved in the association between anesthesia and AD occurrence. 

PMID- 26497859
TI  - Disruption of diapause induction by TALEN-based gene mutagenesis in relation to a
      unique neuropeptide signaling pathway in Bombyx.
AB  - The insect neuropeptide family FXPRLa, which carries the Phe-Xaa-Pro-Arg-Leu-NH2
      sequence at the C-terminus, is involved in many physiological processes. Although
      ligand-receptor interactions in FXPRLa signaling have been examined using in
      vitro assays, the correlation between these interactions and in vivo
      physiological function is unclear. Diapause in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, is
      thought to be elicited by diapause hormone (DH, an FXPRLa) signaling, which
      consists of interactions between DH and DH receptor (DHR). Here, we performed
      transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN)-based mutagenesis of the
      Bombyx DH-PBAN and DHR genes and isolated the null mutants of these genes in a
      bivoltine strain. All mutant silkworms were fully viable and showed no
      abnormalities in the developmental timing of ecdysis or metamorphosis. However,
      female adults oviposited non-diapause eggs despite diapause-inducing temperature
      and photoperiod conditions. Therefore, we conclude that DH signaling is essential
      for diapause induction and consists of highly sensitive and specific interactions
      between DH and DHR selected during ligand-receptor coevolution in Bombyx mori. 

PMID- 26497860
TI  - [Three Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction Associated with Targeted Therapy
      of Sorafenib for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma : Case Report].
AB  - Sorafenib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) of the vascular endothelial growth
      factor receptor (VEGFR) used for advanced renal cell carcinoma. Treatment with
      sorafenib prolongs progression-free survival in patients with advanced clear-cell
      renal cell carcinoma. However, in spite of its therapeutic efficacy, sorafenib
      causes a wide range of adverse events. Cardiovascular adverse events have been
      observed when sorafenib was used with targeted agents. Although these adverse
      events like hypertension, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, cardiac
      ischemia or infarction were manageable with standard medical therapies in most
      cases, some had a poor clinical outcome. We report three cases of acute
      myocardial infarction associated with sorafenib in patients with metastatic renal
      cell carcinoma. 

PMID- 26497861
TI  - [A Case of Abdominal Wall Desmoid Tumor after Radical Nephrectomy for Renal
      Cancer].
AB  - A 71-year-old man with a right renal tumor underwent nephrectomy. The procedure
      was converted from laparoscopy to open surgery due to profound bleeding from the
      renal vein. Pathological diagnosis was clear cell carcinoma G2pT3b v1 ly1
      INFalpha. Three years after surgery, a 5 cm tumor in the abdominal wall was found
      on computed tomography (CT). A mild uptake was shown on positron emission
      tomography/CT and as the tumor was located near the surgical wound, recurrence of
      the renal cell carcinoma was suspected. However, desmoid tumor was suggested by
      the pathological examination of the tumor biopsy. En-bloc resection of the mass
      was carried out and the pathological examination showed an array of proliferating
      and tangling atypical spindle-shaped tumor cells. Immunohistochemical staining of
      the tumor cells was positive for vimentin, but negative for CD34, c-kit, and
      s100. Pathological diagnosis was desmoid tumor. There has been no recurrence so
      far. Desmoid tumor, despite its extremely low incidence, should be considered in
      a postoperative neoplasm. 

PMID- 26497862
TI  - [Ex Vivo Partial Nephrectomy and Auto-Transplantation of a Solitary Kidney with
      Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma : A Case Report].
AB  - A 68-year-old man underwent radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma of the
      right kidney 12 years ago. He was diagnosed as having a recurrent tumor of the
      contralateral kidney and a single metastatic pulmonary lesion by diagnostic
      imaging on the annual checkup. He visited us in order to receive nephron sparing
      surgery. Since the preoperative abdominal computed tomography showed tumor
      thrombus invading into the intrarenal vein, ex vivo partial nephrectomy and auto
      transplantation was performed. Although he received transit hemodialysis during
      the postoperative 10 days, his renal function, thereafter became stable without
      hemodialysis. Eighty-seven days later he underwent right lower lobectomy. At
      postoperative 6 months he has no local recurrence or distant metastasis and
      maintains well-preserved renal function.

PMID- 26497863
TI  - [A Case of Partial Prostatectomy for Advanced Rectal Cancer Involving the
      Prostate in the Jack-Knife Position].
AB  - A 72-year-old man was diagnosed with advanced rectal cancer possibly involving
      the prostate on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Following neoadjuvant
      chemoradiotherapy (CRT), he underwent curative surgery. Confirming negative
      surgical margin through intraoperative pathological evaluation, colorectectomy
      with partial prostatectomy was performed in the jack-knife position. No evidence
      of local recurrence of the tumor was observed one year after surgery without
      symptoms of the urinary tract. Partial prostatectomy is a choice to be taken into
      account in the treatment of advanced rectal cancer achieving both the good
      surgical outcome and the patient's quality of life (QOL). 

PMID- 26497864
TI  - [A Case of Rapidly Progressive Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer :
      Durable Control by Early Induction of Carboplatin and Paclitaxel].
AB  - A 60-year-old man visited the previous hospital with difficulty of urination in
      July 2004. Serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) was 5.4 ng/ml and he was
      diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma, Gleason Score 4+4=8, cT1cN0M0. Although
      radical prostatectomy was recommended, he refused any treatment and never visited
      that hospital again. He was admitted to our hospital for exacerbation of dysuria
      with anal pain newly appeared in March 2005, when it was found that his disease
      had progressed to cT4N0M1b (thoracic spine, sacroiliac joint and ischium). Serum
      PSA decreased and the primary lesion shrunk after androgen deprivation therapy
      (ADT), whereas the left ischial lesion enlarged and serum carcinoembryonic
      antigen (CEA) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were elevated. For the castration
      resistant progression, 30 Gy of local irradiation to the left ischial lesion and
      systemic chemotherapy with carboplatin (CBDCA) and paclitaxel (PTX) were
      administered, which led the patient to complete radiological and biochemical
      remission. The chemotherapy was discontinued in 2009 after the 18th course, and
      then ADT was also discontinued in 2010. The patient remains free from
      radiological or biochemical evidence of disease at the latest follow up in
      December 2014. 

PMID- 26497865
TI  - [Urethral Fistula and Scrotal Abscess Associated with Colovesical Fistula Due to
      the Sigmoid Colon Cancer].
AB  - We report here a rare case of urethral fistula and scrotal abscess associated
      with colovesical fistula due to sigmoid colon cancer. An 84-year-old male was
      referred to our hospital complaining of macrohematuria, fecaluria, pneumaturia
      and micturitional pain. Computed tomography (CT) showed colovesical fistula.
      Other examinations, including colonoscopy and cystoscopy, did not reveal a clear
      cause for the colovesical fistula. Only an elevated serum level of the tumor
      marker CA19-9 suggested the possibility of sigmoid colon cancer. Eleven days
      after hospitalization, bilateral scrotal contents had swollen rapidly to the size
      of a goose egg. CT suggested urethral fistula with scrotal abscess formation.
      Drainage of scrotal abscess and colostomy were performed. Intraoperatively, the
      fistula of the bulbar urethra was revealed. Because increased serum CA19-9
      suggested a diagnosis of sigmoid colon cancer, cystectomy and sigmoid colectomy
      with right nephrectomy were performed. Pathological examination revealed
      adenocarcinoma of sigmoid colon with bladder invasion. His condition was improved
      with rehabilitation 6 months after operation. 

PMID- 26497866
TI  - Platinum-catalyzed reduction of amides with hydrosilanes bearing dual Si-H
      groups: a theoretical study of the reaction mechanism.
AB  - A platinum-catalyzed amide reduction through hydrosilylation with 1,2
      bis(dimethylsilyl)benzene (BDSB) was investigated on a theoretical basis. While
      the platinum-catalyzed hydrosilylation of alkenes is well known, that of carbonyl
      groups rarely occurs. The only exception involves the use of bifunctional
      hydrosilanes having dual, closely located Si-H groups, which accelerate the
      hydrosilylation of carbonyl groups, leading to successful reduction of amides to
      amines under mild conditions. In the present study, we determined through density
      functional theory calculations that the platinum-catalyzed hydrosilylation of the
      C=O bond proceeds via a Pt(IV)-disilyl-dihydride intermediate with an associated
      activation energy of 29.6 kcal mol(-1). Although it was believed that the
      hydrosilylation of carbonyl groups does not occur via the classical Chalk-Harrod
      cycle, the computational results support a mechanism involving the insertion of
      the amide C=O bond into a Pt-H bond. This insertion readily occurs because a Pt-H
      bond in the Pt(IV)-disilyl-dihydride intermediate is highly activated due to the
      strong sigma-donating interaction of the silyl groups. The modified Chalk-Harrod
      mechanism that occurs preferentially in rhodium-catalyzed hydrosilylation as well
      as the ionic outer sphere mechanism associated with iridium-catalyzed amide
      reduction were both safely ruled out as mechanisms for this platinum-catalyzed
      amide reduction, because of the unexpectedly large activation barrier (>40 kcal
      mol(-1)) for the Si-O bond formation.

PMID- 26497868
TI  - Direct and continuous synthesis of VO2 nanoparticles.
AB  - Monoclinic VO2 nanoparticles are of interest due to the material's thermochromic
      properties, however, direct synthesis routes to VO2 nanoparticles are often
      inaccessible due to the high synthesis temperatures or long reaction times
      required. Herein, we present a two-step synthesis route for the preparation of
      monoclinic VO2 nanoparticles using Continuous Hydrothermal Flow Synthesis (CHFS)
      followed by a short post heat treatment step. A range of particle sizes,
      dependent on synthesis conditions, were produced from 50 to 200 nm by varying
      reaction temperatures and the residence times in the process. The nanoparticles
      were characterised by powder X-ray diffraction, Raman and UV/Vis spectroscopy,
      transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and
      differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The nanoparticles were highly
      crystalline with rod and sphere-like morphologies present in TEM micrographs,
      with the size of both the rod and spherical particles being highly dependent on
      both reaction temperature and residence time. SEM micrographs showed the surface
      of the powders produced from the CHFS process to be highly uniform. The samples
      were given a short post synthesis heat treatment to ensure that they were phase
      pure monoclinic VO2, which led to them exhibiting a large and reversible switch
      in optical properties (at near-IR wavelengths), which suggests that if such
      materials can be incorporated into coatings or in composites, they could be used
      for fenestration in architectural applications. 

PMID- 26497867
TI  - Subacute hepatic necrosis mimicking veno-occlusive disease in a patient with HFE
      H63D homozygosity after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation with
      busulfan conditioning.
AB  - Busulfan is a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent in myeloablative conditioning
      regimens for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). It has
      been associated with sinusoidal-obstructive syndrome(SOS) as a life-threatening
      complication of myeloablative allo-HCT, yet it has not been found to cause severe
      hepatocellular injury, even in cases of significant accidental overdose.We report
      the case of a 31-year-old male with a history of high-risk myelodysplastic
      syndrome transitioning to acute myeloid leukemia, who in complete remission
      underwent allo-HCT using myeloablative busulfan-fludarabine conditioning, and who
      developed hepatic failure. While he met clinical criteria for SOS and was treated
      with defibrotide,liver biopsy demonstrated severe subacute hepatic necrosis and
      lacked characteristics of SOS. Further evaluation revealed that the patient was
      homozygous for the HFE H63D gene mutation, associated with hereditary
      hemochromatosis.Both Busulfan and iron overload related to HFE H63D homozygosity
      can cause oxidative stress resulting in cellular injury, and the cumulative
      effects of these risk factors are possibly responsible for the severe
      hepatocellular injury in this case, making our patient the first-known case of
      subacute hepatic necrosis related to busulfan administration.

PMID- 26497869
TI  - Synchronizing thermodilution cardiac output measurements with spontaneous
      breathing does not improve precision.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Measuring cardiac output (CO) with the pulmonary artery catheter
      intermittent bolus thermodilution technique (PAC-IBTD) is less precise with
      spontaneous breathing compared to controlled ventilation. We aimed to test if
      precision could be improved in spontaneous breathing by synchronizing the
      measurement with respiration or using instructed respiration in 18 post-operative
      cardiac surgery patients. METHODS: We performed eight CO measurements with PAC
      IBTD using cold saline in three different situations; in random order: 1) random
      compared to respiration, 2) timed to the start of expiration, and 3) synchronized
      with a slow exhalation through a PEP-flute. We calculated the standard deviation
      (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), and precision in the total material and in
      the three situations using a linear mixed effects model. RESULTS: A total of 408
      CO measurements were performed in 17 included patients. There were no differences
      between the three study situations regarding mean or precision. The overall CO
      was 6.0 +/- 1.4 l/min (mean +/- SD), CV 6.2% and precision 12.2% for single
      measurements. Averaging three measurements increased the precision to 7.0%.
      CONCLUSION: We could not improve the precision of PAC-IBTD in spontaneously
      breathing patients by synchronizing the measurements with respiration.

PMID- 26497870
TI  - Cloning, expression and biochemical characterization of a beta-carbonic anhydrase
      from the soil bacterium Enterobacter sp. B13.
AB  - A recombinant carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) from the soil-dwelling
      bacterium Enterobacter sp. B13 was cloned and purified by Co(2+) affinity
      chromatography. Bioinformatic analysis showed that the new enzyme (denominated
      here B13-CA) belongs to the beta-class CAs and to possess 95% homology with the
      ortholog enzyme from Escherichia coli encoded by the can gene, whereas its
      sequence homology with the other such enzyme from E. coli (encoded by the cynT
      gene) was of 33%. B13-CA was characterized kinetically as a catalyst for carbon
      dioxide hydration to bicarbonate and protons. The enzyme shows a significant
      catalytic activity, with the following kinetic parameters at 20  degrees C and pH
      of 8.3: kcat of 4.8 * 10(5) s(-1) and kcat/Km of 5.6 * 10(7) M(-1) * s(-1). This
      activity was potently inhibited by acetazolamide which showed a KI of 78.9 nM.
      Although only this compound was investigated for the moment as B13-CA inhibitor,
      further studies may reveal new classes of inhibitors/activators of this enzyme
      which may show biomedical or environmental applications, considering the
      posssible role of this enzyme in CaCO3 biomineralization processes. 

PMID- 26497871
TI  - Large-scale comparative phosphoprotein analysis of maize seedling leaves during
      greening.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION : Large-scale comparative phosphoprotein analysis in maize
      seedlings reveals a complicated molecular regulation mechanism at the
      phosphoproteomic level during de-etiolation. In the present study we report a
      phosphoproteomic study conducted on Zea mays etiolated leaves harvested at three
      time points during greening (etiolated seedlings and seedlings exposed to light
      for 6 or 12 h). We identified a total of 2483 phosphopeptides containing 2389
      unambiguous phosphosites from 1339 proteins. The abundance of nearly 692
      phosphorylated peptides containing 783 phosphosites was reproducible and profiled
      with high confidence among treatments. Comparisons with other large-scale
      phosphoproteomic studies revealed that 473 of the phosphosites are novel to this
      study. Of the 783 phosphosites identified, 171, 79, and 138 were identified in 0,
      6, and 12 h samples, respectively, which suggest that regulation of
      phosphorylation plays important roles during maize seedling de-etiolation. Our
      experimental methods included enrichment of phosphoproteins, allowing the
      identification of a great number of low abundance proteins, such as transcription
      factors, protein kinases, and photoreceptors. Most of the identified
      phosphoproteins were involved in gene transcription, post-transcriptional
      regulation, or signal transduction, and only a few were involved in
      photosynthesis and carbon metabolism. It is noteworthy that tyrosine
      phosphorylation and calcium signaling pathways might play important roles during
      maize seedling de-etiolation. Taken together, we have elucidated a new level of
      complexity in light-induced reversible protein phosphorylation during maize
      seedling de-etiolation.

PMID- 26497872
TI  - Trends in stage-specific incidence of prostate cancer in Norway, 1980-2010: a
      population-based study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate changes in the stage distribution of prostate cancer
      during the time period where opportunistic prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
      testing was introduced. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cancer stage, age, and year of
      diagnosis were obtained for all men aged >50 years diagnosed with prostate cancer
      in Norway during the period 1980-2010. Three calendar-time periods (1980-1989,
      1990-2000, and 2001-2010) and three age groups (50-65, 66-74, and >=75 years)
      were defined. Birth cohorts were categorised into four intervals: <=1915, 1916
      1925, 1926-1940 and >=1941. We used Poisson regressions to conduct both a time
      period and cohort-based analysis of trends in the incidence of localised,
      regional, and distant cancer for each combination of age groups and calendar-time
      periods or birth cohorts, respectively. Additionally, we explored the effect of
      cohorts on the stage-specific incidence graphically with a Poisson regression
      using 5-year age groups, and by estimating cumulative incidence rates for each
      birth cohort. RESULTS: The annual incidence of localised cancers among men aged
      50-65 and 66-74 years rose from 41.4 and 255.2 per 100 000, respectively, before
      the introduction of PSA testing to 137.9 and 418.7 in 2001-2010 afterwards,
      corresponding to 3.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.1-3.5] and 1.6 (95% CI 1.6
      1.7) fold increases. The incidence of regional cancers increased by a factor
      seven among men aged <75 years. The incidence of distant cancers in men aged >=75
      years decreased by 29% (95% CI 25-33%). These findings were confirmed in the
      cohort-based approach. CONCLUSION: Opportunistic PSA testing substantially
      increased the incidence of localised and regional prostate cancers among men aged
      50-74 years, which was not fully compensated by the 30% decrease in incidence of
      distant prostate cancers in older men.

PMID- 26497873
TI  - Intraspecific diversity among partners drives functional variation in coral
      symbioses.
AB  - The capacity of coral-dinoflagellate mutualisms to adapt to a changing climate
      relies in part on standing variation in host and symbiont populations, but rarely
      have the interactions between symbiotic partners been considered at the level of
      individuals. Here, we tested the importance of inter-individual variation with
      respect to the physiology of coral holobionts. We identified six genetically
      distinct Acropora palmata coral colonies that all shared the same isoclonal
      Symbiodinium 'fitti' dinoflagellate strain. No other Symbiodinium could be
      detected in host tissues. We exposed fragments of each colony to extreme cold and
      found that the stress-induced change in symbiont photochemical efficiency varied
      up to 3.6-fold depending on host genetic background. The S. 'fitti' strain was
      least stressed when associating with hosts that significantly altered the
      expression of 184 genes under cold shock; it was most stressed in hosts that only
      adjusted 14 genes. Key expression differences among hosts were related to redox
      signaling and iron availability pathways. Fine-scale interactions among unique
      host colonies and symbiont strains provide an underappreciated source of raw
      material for natural selection in coral symbioses. 

PMID- 26497874
TI  - The karyotypes of five species of the Scinax perpusillus group (Amphibia, Anura,
      Hylidae) of southeastern Brazil show high levels of chromosomal stabilization in
      this taxon.
AB  - Based on morphological, bioacoustics, and morphological traits, the genus Scinax
      has been subdivided into two major clades: S. catharinae and S. ruber. The first
      clade includes S. catharinae and S. perpusillus groups, whereas the second clade
      includes S. rostratus and S. uruguayus groups. Chromosome morphology, NOR and C
      banding patterns of variation support these clades. This study aims the
      cytogenetic characterization of five species currently included in the S.
      perpusillus group: Scinax sp. (gr. perpusillus), S. arduous, S. belloni, S.
      cosenzai, and S. v-signatus, including standard cytogenetic techniques and
      repetitive DNA FISH probes. All species had 2n = 24 chromosomes. Nucleolar
      organizing regions occurred in chromosome pair 6 in all species, but differed in
      their locations among some species, suggesting a putative synaponomastic
      character for the clade. In S. belloni, the first chromosome pair was a
      metacentric, contrasting with the submetacentric first pair reported in all other
      species of the genus. Scinax sp. (gr. perpusillus) and S. v-signatus had similar
      karyotypic formulae, suggesting they are related species. Scinax cosenzai had a
      divergent C-banding pattern. Repetitive DNA probes hybridized more frequently in
      chromosomal subtelomeric regions in all species indicating recent cladogenesis in
      these species. Karyotypic evidence indicates unreported high levels of
      stabilization within S. perpusillus and in S. catharinae clade, resulting in a
      wealth of characters potentially informative for higher phylogenetic analyses. 

PMID- 26497875
TI  - Genetic diversity and genetic structure of an endemic Mexican Dusky Rattlesnake
      (Crotalus triseriatus) in a highly modified agricultural landscape: implications
      for conservation.
AB  - It is necessary to determine genetic diversity of fragmented populations in
      highly modified landscapes to understand how populations respond to land-use
      change. This information will help guide future conservation and management
      strategies. We conducted a population genetic study on an endemic Mexican Dusky
      Rattlesnake (Crotalus triseriatus) in a highly modified landscape near the Toluca
      metropolitan area, in order to provide crucial information for the conservation
      of this species. There was medium levels of genetic diversity, with a few alleles
      and genotypes. We identified three genetically differentiated clusters, likely as
      a result of different habitat cover type. We also found evidence of an ancestral
      genetic bottleneck and medium values of effective population size. Inbreeding
      coefficients were low and there was a moderate gene flow. Our results can be used
      as a basis for future research and C. triseriatus conservation efforts,
      particularly considering that the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt is heavily impacted
      by destructive land-use practices. 

PMID- 26497876
TI  - Role of non-Indigenous researchers in Indigenous health research in Australia: a
      review of the literature.
AB  - Objective This paper explores the body of knowledge around Indigenous health
      research and aims to outline what roles are appropriate for non-Indigenous
      researchers within Indigenous health research in Australia. Methods A literature
      review was conducted using CINAHL, PubMed and Scopus in May 2015. The search
      terms were 'non-Indigenous researchers' AND 'Indigenous health research' and
      other combinations of these terms. Additional documents were sourced by hand
      using the reference lists of key articles. Results Seven thematic categories were
      identified: (1) Closing the Gap: implications for research; (2) history of
      Indigenous research; (3) developing Indigenous research using a capacity-building
      approach; (4) the cultural interface between Western paradigms and Indigenous
      knowledge; (5) ethical Indigenous research; (6) culturally safe Indigenous
      research; and (7) positive roles for non-Indigenous researchers in Indigenous
      research. Conclusion It is important that non-Indigenous researchers become more
      aware of culturally appropriate ways in which to undertake Indigenous research
      and to ensure that the research undertaken is safe, ethical and useful for
      participants. Fostering partnerships between non-Indigenous academic
      organisations and researchers and Indigenous health researchers is an important
      development that can promote and enhance the emerging field of Indigenous
      inquiry. Actively contributing to capacity building with Indigenous researchers
      and research initiatives is a key role that non-Indigenous researchers and
      academic institutions can have in improving Indigenous health. Self-determination
      through health research capacity building and evidence-based advocacy may provide
      the most useful outcomes for Indigenous people. What is known about the topic?
      The health status of Indigenous Australians is well below that of other
      Australians. Historically, research about Indigenous health has been undertaken
      by non-Indigenous researchers using Western research paradigms. There is a need
      to identify appropriate roles for non-Indigenous researchers supportive of
      culturally safe and ethical research. What does this paper add? This paper
      synthesises available knowledge about the role of non-Indigenous researchers with
      Indigenous health research and provides suggestions for their contribution to
      Indigenous research practice. What are the implications for practitioners? Non
      Indigenous researchers need to: (1) focus on culturally safe research practices;
      (2) be willing to address power imbalances within the research process; and (3)
      advocate for change within academic institutions to support culturally safe
      research practices.

PMID- 26497878
TI  - Confocal laser endomicroscopy in breast surgery.

PMID- 26497877
TI  - Phase I/II dose-escalation study of PI3K inhibitors pilaralisib or voxtalisib in
      combination with letrozole in patients with hormone-receptor-positive and HER2
      negative metastatic breast cancer refractory to a non-steroidal aromatase
      inhibitor.
AB  - This phase I/II dose-escalation study evaluated the efficacy, safety, and
      pharmacokinetics of pilaralisib (SAR245408), a pan-class I phosphoinositide 3
      kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, or voxtalisib (SAR245409), a PI3K and mammalian target
      of rapamycin inhibitor, in combination with letrozole in hormone-receptor
      positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, non
      steroidal aromatase inhibitor-refractory, recurrent or metastatic breast cancer.
      Maximum tolerated doses (MTDs) were determined using a 3 + 3 design in phase I.
      Efficacy was evaluated at the MTDs in phase II. Twenty-one patients were enrolled
      in phase I; MTDs were determined to be pilaralisib tablets 400 mg once daily (QD)
      or voxtalisib capsules 50 mg twice daily in combination with letrozole tablets
      2.5 mg QD. Fifty-one patients were enrolled in phase II; one patient had a
      partial response in the pilaralisib arm. Rates of progression-free survival at 6
      months were 17 and 8 % in the pilaralisib and voxtalisib arms, respectively. The
      most frequently reported treatment-related grade >= 3 adverse events were
      aspartate aminotransferase increased (5 %) and rash (5 %) in the pilaralisib arm,
      and alanine aminotransferase increased (11 %) and rash (9 %) in the voxtalisib
      arm. Pilaralisib and voxtalisib did not interact pharmacokinetically with
      letrozole. Pilaralisib had a greater pharmacodynamic impact than voxtalisib, as
      demonstrated by its impact on glucose homeostasis. There was no association
      between molecular alterations in the PI3K pathway and efficacy. In summary,
      pilaralisib or voxtalisib, in combination with letrozole, was associated with an
      acceptable safety profile and limited efficacy in endocrine therapy-resistant HR+
      , HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. 

PMID- 26497879
TI  - Anatomy of an Extensible Open Source PACS.
AB  - The conception and deployment of cost effective Picture Archiving and
      Communication Systems (PACS) is a concern for small to medium medical imaging
      facilities, research environments, and developing countries' healthcare
      institutions. Financial constraints and the specificity of these scenarios
      contribute to a low adoption rate of PACS in those environments. Furthermore,
      with the advent of ubiquitous computing and new initiatives to improve healthcare
      information technologies and data sharing, such as IHE and XDS-i, a PACS must
      adapt quickly to changes. This paper describes Dicoogle, a software framework
      that enables developers and researchers to quickly prototype and deploy new
      functionality taking advantage of the embedded Digital Imaging and Communications
      in Medicine (DICOM) services. This full-fledged implementation of a PACS archive
      is very amenable to extension due to its plugin-based architecture and out-of-the
      box functionality, which enables the exploration of large DICOM datasets and
      associated metadata. These characteristics make the proposed solution very
      interesting for prototyping, experimentation, and bridging functionality with
      deployed applications. Besides being an advanced mechanism for data discovery and
      retrieval based on DICOM object indexing, it enables the detection of
      inconsistencies in an institution's data and processes. Several use cases have
      benefited from this approach such as radiation dosage monitoring, Content-Based
      Image Retrieval (CBIR), and the use of the framework as support for classes
      targeting software engineering for clinical contexts.

PMID- 26497880
TI  - The association of cardiovascular risk factors with saturated fatty acids and
      fatty acid desaturase indices in erythrocyte in middle-aged Korean adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The quality of dietary fats is associated with risk of cardiovascular
      diseases (CVD). We aimed to investigate the association between fatty acids in
      erythrocyte membrane phospholipids and CVD risk factors in middle-aged Korean
      adults. METHODS: Fifty-five middle-aged adults who underwent health examinations
      were included in this retrospective and cross-sectional study. Anthropometry,
      serum lipids, clinical parameters, and erythrocyte membrane phospholipid fatty
      acid data were obtained from a registry. RESULTS: The proportion of C14:0 and
      C16:0 was greatly elevated in high quartile groups for triglyceride (TG) and
      systolic and diastolic blood pressure groups (SBP and DBP) (p = 0.042, p = 0.021,
      or p = 0.008 respectively) compared to low quartile groups. While C16:1n7 and/or
      C18:1n9 were positively associated with CVD risk factors, the delta 9 desaturase
      activity index (D9D) (C18:1n9/C18:0) was only significantly increased in high
      quartile groups for TG and blood pressures (p = 0.001, p = 0.002 or p = 0.003).
      Conversely, TG and blood pressures showed inverse relationships with C20:4n6 or
      D5D (C20:4n6/C20:3n6). C18:3n6 and/or D6D (C18:3n6/C18:2n6) were positively
      associated with insulin resistance and diabetic parameters. Particularly high D6D
      was detected in high quartile groups of FBS and insulin (p = 0.016 and p =
      0.042). In linear regression analysis, D9D and/or C14:0 + C16:0 were significant
      contributors to serum TG and blood pressures. D6D was a contributing factor to
      FBS. CONCLUSIONS: The indices of D9D and D6D from erythrocyte membrane
      phospholipids and the proportion of saturated fatty acids were increased as the
      cardiovascular risk factors, including serum TG, blood pressures, and FBS
      increased their levels (IRB number C2014199 (1396)).

PMID- 26497881
TI  - Adverse Reactions to Metal on Metal Are Not Exclusive to Large Heads in Total Hip
      Arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is some suggestion that smaller diameter heads in metal-on
      metal total hip arthroplasty (MoM THA) may be less prone to the adverse reactions
      to metal debris (ARMD) seen with large-diameter heads. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We
      reviewed our population of patients with small head (<= 32 mm) MoM THA to
      determine (1) the frequency of ARMD; (2) potential risk factors for ARMD in this
      population; and (3) the etiology of revision and Kaplan-Meier survivorship with
      revision for all causes. METHODS: Small-diameter head MoM devices were used in 9%
      (347 of 3753) of primary THAs during the study period (January 1996 to March
      2005). We generally used these implants in younger, more active, higher-demand
      patients. Three hundred hips (258 patients) had MoM THA using a titanium modular
      acetabular component with a cobalt-chromium tapered insert and were available for
      review with minimum 2-year followup (mean, 10 years; range, 2-19 years). Complete
      followup was available in 86% of hips (300 of 347). Clinical records and
      radiographs were reviewed to determine the frequency and etiology of revision.
      Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis was performed. RESULTS: ARMD frequency was 5%
      (14 of 300 hips) and represented 70% (14 of 20) of revisions performed. Using
      multivariate analysis, no variable tested, including height, weight, body mass
      index, age, cup diameter, cup angle, use of screws, stem diameter, stem type,
      head diameter, preoperative clinical score, diagnosis, activity level, or sex,
      was significant as a risk factor for revision. Twenty hips have been revised: two
      for infection, four for aseptic loosening, and 14 for ARMD. Kaplan-Meier analysis
      revealed survival free of component revision for all causes was 95% at 10 years
      (95% confidence interval [CI], 91%-97%), 92% at 15 years (95% CI, 87%-95%), and
      72% at 19 years (95% CI, 43%-90%), and survival free of component revision for
      aseptic causes was 96% at 10 years (95% CI, 92%-98%), 92% at 15 years (95% CI,
      88%-95%), and 73% at 19 years (95% CI, 43%-90%). CONCLUSIONS: The late onset and
      devastating nature of metal-related failures is concerning with this small
      diameter MoM device. Although the liner is modular, it cannot be exchanged and
      full acetabular revision is required. Patients with all MoM THA devices should be
      encouraged to return for clinical and radiographic followup, and clinicians
      should maintain a low threshold to perform a systematic evaluation. Symptomatic
      patients should undergo thorough investigation and vigilant observation for ARMD.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic study.

PMID- 26497883
TI  - Editorial-Going Global: CORR1 Best-paper Awards for China and Latin America in
      2015.

PMID- 26497882
TI  - Does Postoperative Radiation Decrease Heterotopic Ossification After the Kocher
      Langenbeck Approach for Acetabular Fracture?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Controversy regarding heterotopic ossification (HO) prophylaxis
      exists after Kocher-Langenbeck for treatment of acetabular fracture. Prophylaxis
      options include antiinflammatory oral medications, single-dose radiation therapy,
      and debridement of gluteus minimus muscle. Prior literature has suggested single
      dose radiation therapy as the best prophylaxis to prevent HO formation. However,
      recent reports have emerged of radiation-induced sarcoma after radiotherapy for
      HO prophylaxis, which has led many surgeons to reconsider the risks and benefits
      of single-dose radiation therapy. We set out to determine if radiotherapy, in
      addition to standard debridement of gluteus minimus muscle, affected
      postoperative HO formation after a Kocher-Langenbeck approach for acetabular
      fracture. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: (1) After the Kocher-Langenbeck approach and
      gluteus minimus debridement, is single-dose radiotherapy associated with a
      decreased risk of HO? (2) Does addition of single-dose radiotherapy prolong
      length of stay after a Kocher-Langenbeck approach and gluteus minimus debridement
      as compared with patients without radiotherapy? METHODS: After institutional
      review board approval, all adult patients treated for acetabular fracture by a
      single surgeon with a Kocher-Langenbeck approach between August 2011 and October
      2014 were identified (n = 60). Debridement of gluteus minimus muscle caudal to
      the superior gluteal bundle was standard in all patients. Radiotherapy was given
      with a single dose of 700 cGy within 72 hours of surgery from August 2011 until
      April 2013. Patients treated subsequently did not receive radiotherapy. Patients
      treated with indomethacin (n = 1) and with fewer than 10 weeks followup were
      excluded (n = 12) because several studies suggest that most HO that develops is
      visible by that point in time. Our study group totaled 46 patients with 24 in the
      radiotherapy and debridement group and 22 in the debridement group. Charts were
      reviewed to determine length of stay. Attending orthopaedic trauma surgeons who
      were blinded to the patient's treatment group graded all followup radiographs
      according to the Brooker system, and Classes III and IV HO were considered
      clinically important Fisher's exact test was used to analyze clinically
      significant differences HO between the two groups. Length of stay was compared
      using a t-test. RESULTS: Single-dose radiotherapy is associated with a decreased
      risk of clinically important (Brooker III-IV) HO after a Kocher-Langenbeck
      approach and gluteus minimus debridement (radiotherapy: one of 24 [4%], no
      radiotherapy: seven of 22 [32%], relative risk: 0.131 [95% confidence interval
      {CI}, 0.018-0.981], p = 0.020). Addition of single-dose radiotherapy did not
      result in increased length of stay (radiotherapy: 12 +/- 7.0 days; no
      radiotherapy: 11 +/- 7.2 days; mean difference: 1.0 [95% CI, -3.2 to 5.2] days, p
      = 0.635). CONCLUSIONS: Single-dose radiation in combination with gluteus minimus
      debridement decreases the risk of clinically important HO compared with gluteus
      minimus debridement alone after a Kocher-Langenbeck approach for acetabular
      fracture. No differences in length of stay were seen. Surgeons who chose not to
      use radiotherapy as a result of concern for future sarcoma may see higher rates
      of clinically significant HO after a Kocher-Langenbeck approach for acetabular
      fracture fixation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, therapeutic study.

PMID- 26497884
TI  - From Bench to Bedside: A Perfect Fit? Osseointegration Can Improve Function for
      Patients with Amputations.

PMID- 26497885
TI  - Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor-Associated Pancreatic Carcinoma: A Review of the
      FAERS Database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To date, there is limited literature regarding the association
      between dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors and pancreatic carcinoma.
      OBJECTIVE: To describe the comparative incidence of DPP-4 inhibitors and
      pancreatic carcinoma as reportedly available in the Food and Drug Administration
      (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database. The goal was to provide
      health care practitioners a general understanding of the drug-disease occurrence.
      METHODS: This is a case/noncase study utilizing Empirica Signal software to query
      FAERS from November 1968 to December 31, 2013. The software was used to calculate
      a disproportionality statistic--namely, the empirical Bayesian geometric mean
      (EBGM)--for reports of DPP-4 inhibitors-associated pancreatic carcinoma. The FDA
      considers an EBGM significant if the fifth percentile of the distribution is at
      least 2, defined as an EB05 >= 2. With use of a disproportionality analysis, DPP
      4 inhibitors were compared with all agents listed in FAERS. RESULTS: A total of
      156 patients experienced pancreatic carcinoma while receiving DPP-4 inhibitor
      therapy. An EB05 of 10.3 was determined for sitagliptin, 7.1 for saxagliptin, 4.9
      for linagliptin, and 1.4 for alogliptin, compared with all other agents included
      in FAERS. Although an EB05 > 2 was achieved in 2 other antihyperglycemic agents,
      the findings were not consistent within their medication classes. CONCLUSION:
      There appears to be a statistical association between DPP-4 inhibitor use and
      pancreatic carcinoma. Causality cannot be inferred from the data provided.
      Additional clinical studies are needed to further explore this statistical
      association.

PMID- 26497886
TI  - Use of 4-Factor Prothrombin Concentrate (Kcentra) in Hospitalized Pediatric
      Patients.

PMID- 26497887
TI  - Melatonin as an Antioxidant for Stroke Neuroprotection.
AB  - Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a hormone derived from the pineal
      gland that has a wide range of clinical applications. While melatonin was
      originally assessed as a hormone specializing in regulation of the normal
      circadian rhythm in mammals, it now has been shown to be an effective free
      radical scavenger and antioxidant. Current research has focused on central
      nervous system (CNS) disorders, stroke in particular, for potential melatonin
      based therapeutics. As of now, the realm of potential therapy regimens is focused
      on three main treatments: exogenously delivered melatonin, pineal gland grafting,
      and melatonin-mediated stem cell therapy. All therapies contain both costs and
      benefits, and current research is still focused on finding the best treatment
      plan. While comprehensive research has been conducted, more research regarding
      the safety of such therapies is needed in order to transition into the clinical
      level of testing. Antioxidants such as traditional Chinese medicine, (-)
      epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), and lavender oil, which have been used for
      thousands of years as treatment, are now gaining recognition as effective
      melatonin treatment alternatives. This review will further discuss relevant
      studies assessing melatonin-based therapeutics and provide evidence of other
      natural melatonin treatment alternatives for the treatment of stroke.

PMID- 26497888
TI  - Theoretical study of polyiodide formation and stability on monolayer and bilayer
      graphene.
AB  - The presence of polyiodide complexes have been reported several times when carbon
      based materials were doped by iodine molecules, but their formation mechanism
      remains unclear. By using first-principles calculations that include nonlocal
      correlation effects by means of a van der Waals density functional approach, we
      propose that the formation of triiodide (I3(-)) and pentaiodide (I5(-)) is due to
      a large density of iodine molecules (I2) in interaction with a carbonaceous
      substrate. As soon as the concentration of surface iodine reaches a threshold
      value of 12.5% for a graphene monolayer and 6.25% for a bilayer, these complexes
      spontaneously appear. The corresponding structural and energetic aspects,
      electronic structures and vibrational frequencies support this statement. An
      upshift of the Dirac point from the Fermi level with values of 0.45 and 0.52 eV
      is observed for adsorbed complexes on graphene and intercalated complexes between
      two layers, respectively. For doped-graphene, it corresponds to a graphene hole
      density of around 1.1 * 10(13) cm(-2), in quantitative agreement with
      experiments. Additionally, we have studied the thermal stability at room
      temperature of these adsorbed ions on graphene by means of ab initio molecular
      dynamics, which also shows successful p-doping with polyiodide complexes. 

PMID- 26497889
TI  - Adhesio interthalamica and cavum septum pellucidum in mesial temporal lobe
      epilepsy.
AB  - The absence of the adhesio interthalamica (AI; also called interthalamic adhesion
      or massa intermedia) and the presence of a large cavum septum pellucidum (CSP)
      later in life have been related to neurodevelopmental alterations and have not
      been systematically investigated in epilepsy to date. This study carried out a
      MRI evaluation of the AI and CSP in a large sample with mesial temporal lobe
      epilepsy (MTLE). A total of 179 patients, classified according to the side of the
      epileptogenic focus, and 156 age- and sex-balanced healthy controls were
      assessed. Between-group comparisons of the prevalence and length of both AI and
      CSP were conducted. Neuropsychological assessments were also performed in 160
      MTLE patients. The patients exhibited reduction in the AI prevalence (P < 0.05;
      FDR-uncorrected) and length (P < 0.05; FDR-corrected) when compared to controls.
      Patients without AI showed lower scores in a proportion of neuropsychological
      tests than patients with AI. No CSP differences were found between MTLE patients
      and controls. These results support that AI anomalies have clinical significance
      in MTLE, as well as indicate that neurodevelopmental alterations may be
      implicated in this disorder.

PMID- 26497891
TI  - Double inversion recovery imaging improves the evaluation of gray matter volume
      losses in patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.
AB  - Our goal was to investigate whether three-dimensional (3D) double inversion
      recovery (DIR) images can show alterations of gray matter volume (GMV) between
      Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and nondemented controls and to compare
      alterations of GMV between groups using DIR images and those using 3D T1-weighted
      (T1W) images. We included 25 subjects with mild or probable AD, 25 subjects with
      amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 25 elderly cognitively normal (CN)
      subjects. Group differences in GMV among CN, MCI, and AD patients were tested by
      voxel-wise, one-way ANOVA. Additional region-of-interest-based comparisons of GMV
      differences among the three groups for DIR and T1WI were performed using ANCOVA.
      Finally, ROC curve analysis was performed. In the AD group compared with the CN
      and MCI groups, GMV was decreased in both DIR and T1W images. However, the areas
      showing GMV loss were larger in DIR images compared to those in T1W images.
      Amygdala had the highest area under curve value for both DIR and T1W images. DIR
      images were sensitive for identifying GMV loss in patients with AD compared with
      MCI and CN subjects and areas showing GMV loss identified with DIR were extended
      to more brain areas than those identified with T1W. With DIR, amygdala GMV is the
      most sensitive in differentiating between subject groups.

PMID- 26497890
TI  - Differential dopamine function in fibromyalgia.
AB  - Approximately 30 % of Americans suffer from chronic pain disorders, such as
      fibromyalgia (FM), which can cause debilitating pain. Many pain-killing drugs
      prescribed for chronic pain disorders are highly addictive, have limited clinical
      efficacy, and do not treat the cognitive symptoms reported by many patients. The
      neurobiological substrates of chronic pain are largely unknown, but evidence
      points to altered dopaminergic transmission in aberrant pain perception. We
      sought to characterize the dopamine (DA) system in individuals with FM. Positron
      emission tomography (PET) with [(18)F]fallypride (FAL) was used to assess changes
      in DA during a working memory challenge relative to a baseline task, and to test
      for associations between baseline D2/D3 availability and experimental pain
      measures. Twelve female subjects with FM and 11 female controls completed study
      procedures. Subjects received one FAL PET scan while performing a "2-back" task,
      and one while performing a "0-back" (attentional control, "baseline") task. FM
      subjects had lower baseline FAL binding potential (BP) in several cortical
      regions relative to controls, including anterior cingulate cortex. In FM
      subjects, self-reported spontaneous pain negatively correlated with FAL BP in the
      left orbitofrontal cortex and parahippocampal gyrus. Baseline BP was
      significantly negatively correlated with experimental pain sensitivity and
      tolerance in both FM and CON subjects, although spatial patterns of these
      associations differed between groups. The data suggest that abnormal DA function
      may be associated with differential processing of pain perception in FM. Further
      studies are needed to explore the functional significance of DA in nociception
      and cognitive processing in chronic pain.

PMID- 26497893
TI  - Oct4-induced oligodendrocyte progenitor cells enhance functional recovery in
      spinal cord injury model.
AB  - The generation of patient-specific oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) holds
      great potential as an expandable cell source for cell replacement therapy as well
      as drug screening in spinal cord injury or demyelinating diseases. Here, we
      demonstrate that induced OPCs (iOPCs) can be directly derived from adult mouse
      fibroblasts by Oct4-mediated direct reprogramming, using anchorage-independent
      growth to ensure high purity. Homogeneous iOPCs exhibit typical small-bipolar
      morphology, maintain their self-renewal capacity and OPC marker expression for
      more than 31 passages, share high similarity in the global gene expression
      profile to wild-type OPCs, and give rise to mature oligodendrocytes and
      astrocytes in vitro and in vivo. Notably, transplanted iOPCs contribute to
      functional recovery in a spinal cord injury (SCI) model without tumor formation.
      This study provides a simple strategy to generate functional self-renewing iOPCs
      and yields insights for the in-depth study of demyelination and regenerative
      medicine.

PMID- 26497894
TI  - Salvia libanotica improves glycemia and serum lipid profile in rats fed a high
      fat diet.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Salvia libanotica (S. Libanotica) is a commonly used herb in folk
      medicine in Lebanon and the Middle East. The present study aimed to assess the
      scientific basis for the therapeutic use of S. libanotica in glycemia and to
      evaluate its effects on lipemia and abdominal fat. METHODS: Animals were fed a
      high-fat diet and allocated into a control and three experimental groups (GI, GII
      and GIII) receiving incremental doses of the plant water extract in drinking
      water (50, 150 and 450 mg/Kg body weight respectively) for six weeks. RESULTS:
      The intake of S. libanotica extract was associated with a significant decrease in
      fasting serum glucose (102.9 +/- 10.8 in GII and 87.5 +/- 6.4 in GIII vs. 152.1
      +/- 7.9 mg/dl in controls) and a two fold increase in fasting serum insulin
      (GIII) and liver glycogen content (GII and GIII). Group III also had better
      glucose tolerance following intraperitoneal glucose challenges. Additionally, the
      plant extract intake produced a significant improvement in serum HDL (34.4 +/-
      2.4 in GIII vs. 27.2 +/- 1.9 mg/dl in controls) and HDL/LDL cholesterol ratio
      (2.79 +/- 0.32 in GII and 3.02 +/- 0.31 in GIII vs. 1.74 +/- 0.18 in controls),
      as well as a decrease in abdominal fat. CONCLUSION: The current study is the
      first to demonstrate that the chronic intake of S. libanotica infusion helps in
      the prevention of high fat-induced hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. This supports
      the plant use as a remedy for the prevention of type 2 diabetes and
      cardiovascular diseases.

PMID- 26497895
TI  - Effect of targeted ovarian cancer immunotherapy using ovarian cancer stem cell
      vaccine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence has shown that different immunotherapies for
      ovarian cancer might overcome barriers to resistance to standard chemotherapy.
      The vaccine immunotherapy may be a useful one addition to conditional
      chemotherapy regimens. The present study investigated the use of vaccine of
      ovarian cancer stem cells (CSCs) to inhibit ovarian cancer growth. METHODS:
      CD117(+)CD44(+)CSCs were isolated from human epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC)
      SKOV3 cell line by using a magnetic-activated cell sorting system. Pre
      inactivated CD117(+)CD44(+)CSC vaccine was vacccinated into athymic nude mice
      three times, and then the mice were challenged subcutaneously with SKOV3 cells.
      The anti-tumor efficacy of CSC vaccine was envaluated by in vivo tumorigenicity,
      immune efficient analysis by flow cytometer, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assays, respectively. RESULTS: The CD117(+) CD44(+)CSC vaccine increased anti
      ovarian cancer efficacy in that it depressed ovarian cancer growth in the athymic
      nude mice. Vaccination resulted in enhanced serum IFN-gamma, decreased TGF-beta
      levels, and increased cytotoxic activity of natural killer cells in the CD117(+)
      CD44(+)CSC vaccine immunized mice. Moreover, the CSC-based vaccine significantly
      reduced the CD117(+)CD44(+)CSC as well as the aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 positive
      cell populations in the ovarian cancer tissues in the xenograft mice. CONCLUSION:
      The present study provided the first evidence that human SKOV3 CD117(+)
      CD44(+)CSC-based vaccine may induce the anti-ovarian cancer immunity against
      tumor growth by reducing the CD117(+)CD44(+)CSC population.

PMID- 26497896
TI  - Transcriptional profiles of pilocytic astrocytoma are related to their three
      different locations, but not to radiological tumor features.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pilocytic astrocytoma is the most common type of brain tumor in the
      pediatric population, with a generally favorable prognosis, although recurrences
      or leptomeningeal dissemination are sometimes also observed. For tumors
      originating in the supra-or infratentorial location, a different molecular
      background was suggested, but plausible correlations between the transcriptional
      profile and radiological features and/or clinical course are still undefined. The
      purpose of this study was to identify gene expression profiles related to the
      most frequent locations of this tumor, subtypes based on various radiological
      features, and the clinical pattern of the disease. METHODS: Eighty six children
      (55 males and 31 females) with histologically verified pilocytic astrocytoma were
      included in this study. Their age at the time of diagnosis ranged from fourteen
      months to seventeen years, with a mean age of seven years. There were 40
      cerebellar, 23 optic tract/hypothalamic, 21 cerebral hemispheric, and two
      brainstem tumors. According to the radiological features presented on MRI, all
      cases were divided into four subtypes: cystic tumor with a non-enhancing cyst
      wall; cystic tumor with an enhancing cyst wall; solid tumor with central
      necrosis; and solid or mainly solid tumor. In 81 cases primary surgical resection
      was the only and curative treatment, and in five cases progression of the disease
      was observed. In 47 cases the analysis was done by using high density
      oligonucleotide microarrays (Affymetrix HG-U133 Plus 2.0) with subsequent
      bioinformatic analyses and confirmation of the results by independent RT-qPCR (on
      39 samples). RESULTS: Bioinformatic analyses showed that the gene expression
      profile of pilocytic astrocytoma is highly dependent on the tumor location. The
      most prominent differences were noted for IRX2, PAX3, CXCL14, LHX2, SIX6, CNTN1
      and SIX1 genes expression even within different compartments of the
      supratentorial region. Analysis of the genes potentially associated with
      radiological features showed much weaker transcriptome differences. Single genes
      showed association with the tendency to progression. CONCLUSIONS: Here we have
      shown that pilocytic astrocytomas of three different locations can be precisely
      differentiated on the basis of their gene expression level, but their
      transcriptional profiles does not strongly reflect the radiological appearance of
      the tumor or the course of the disease.

PMID- 26497897
TI  - Decreased expression of miR-204 in plasma is associated with a poor prognosis in
      patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - In order to identify novel non-invasive biomarkers with high accuracy for the
      screening of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), we investigated the predictive
      power of 4 microRNAs (miR-146, miR-204, miR-106a and miR-124) in plasma samples
      obtained from patients with NSCLC and healthy controls (n=50; training phase) by
      reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). We found
      that the levels of miR-204 in the patients with NSCLC were significantly
      dysregulated compared with the healthy controls, and thus this miRNA was selected
      for further validation. For the validation phase, RT-qPCR was performed on plasma
      samples from patients with NSCLC and healthy controls (n=176) in order to examine
      the expression levels of the candidate miRNA, miR-204. The results revealed that
      the plasma levels of miR-204 were significantly downregulated in the patients
      with NSCLC compared with the healthy controls (p<0.001). The value of the area
      under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve obtained for miR-204 was
      0.809 (sensitivity, 76%; specificity, 82%), which was higher than the values
      obtained for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19
      9). The expression of miR-204 in plasma significantly correlated with the tumor
      stage (p=0.009) and distant metastasis (p=0.048). A log-rank test revealed that
      lower plasma levels of miR-204 were associated with a shorter overall survival
      and disease-free survival (p=0.006 and 0.0065, respectively). Both univariate and
      multivariate Cox regression analyses indicated that a lower miR-204 expression
      level in plasma was a prognostic factor with a relative risk of death of 1.936
      and 1.712, respectively. On the whole, our results suggest that the decreased
      expression of miR-204 in plasma is a promising biomarker for the detection of
      NSCLC and the prediction of poor survival in patients with the disease.

PMID- 26497898
TI  - Embryo-scale tissue mechanics during Drosophila gastrulation movements.
AB  - Morphogenesis of an organism requires the development of its parts to be
      coordinated in time and space. While past studies concentrated on defined cell
      populations, a synthetic view of the coordination of these events in a whole
      organism is needed for a full understanding. Drosophila gastrulation begins with
      the embryo forming a ventral furrow, which is eventually internalized. It is not
      understood how the rest of the embryo participates in this process. Here we use
      multiview selective plane illumination microscopy coupled with infrared laser
      manipulation and mutant analysis to dissect embryo-scale cell interactions during
      early gastrulation. Lateral cells have a denser medial-apical actomyosin network
      and shift ventrally as a compact cohort, whereas dorsal cells become stretched.
      We show that the behaviour of these cells affects furrow internalization. A
      computational model predicts different mechanical properties associated with
      tissue behaviour: lateral cells are stiff, whereas dorsal cells are soft.
      Experimental analysis confirms these properties in vivo. 

PMID- 26497900
TI  - Protective effects of camel milk against pathogenicity induced by Escherichia
      coli and Staphylococcus aureus in Wistar rats.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effects of camel
      milk on hepatic pathogenicity induced by experimental infection with Escherichia
      (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in Wistar rats. The rats were
      divided into six groups: The control and camel milk groups received water and
      camel milk, respectively; two groups received camel milk for 2 weeks prior to
      intraperitoneal injection of either E. coli or S. aureus; and two groups were
      injected intraperitoneally with E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. All animals
      were maintained under observation for 7 days prior to biochemical and gene
      expression analyses. The rats treated with camel milk alone exhibited no changes
      in expression levels of glutamic-pyruvate transaminase (GPT) or glutamic
      oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), compared with the water-treated group. The E.
      coli- and S. aureus-injected rats exhibited a significant increase in oxidative
      stress, and prior treatment with camel milk normalized the observed changes in
      the expression levels of GPT, GOT and malondialdehyde (MDA). Treatment with camel
      milk decreased the total bacterial count in liver tissue samples obtained from
      the rats injected with E. coli and S. aureus. Camel milk administration increased
      the expression levels of glutathione-S-transferase and superoxide dismutase,
      which were downregulated following E. coli and S. aureus injection. In addition,
      camel milk downregulated the increased expression of interleukin-6 and apoptosis
      associated genes. Of note, administration of camel milk alone increased the
      expression levels of the B cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein and survivin anti
      apoptotic genes, and supplementation prior to the injection of E. coli and S.
      aureus induced further upregulation, In conclusion, camel milk exerted protective
      effects against E. coli and S. aureus pathogenicity, by modulating the extent of
      lipid peroxidation, together with the antioxidant defense system, immune
      cytokines, apoptosis and the expression of anti-apoptotic genes in the liver of
      Wistar rats. 

PMID- 26497899
TI  - Epidermal growth factor receptor status and Notch inhibition in non-small cell
      lung cancer cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Notch may behave as an oncogene or a tumor suppressor gene in lung
      cancer cells. Notch receptor undergoes cleavage by enzymes, including gamma
      secretase, generating the active Notch intracellular domain (NICD). The aim of
      the present study was to investigate the effect of DAPT, a gamma-secretase
      inhibitor, in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, as well as the impact of
      epidermal growth factor (EGF) that is over-expressed by NSCLC cells, on Notch
      signaling. H23, A549, H661 and HCC827 human NSCLC cell lines were used,
      expressing various NICD and EGF receptor (EGFR) protein levels. RESULTS: DAPT
      decreased the number of H661 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, while it
      had a small effect on H23 and A549 cells and no effect on HCC827 cells that carry
      mutated EGFR. Notch inhibition did not affect the stimulatory effect of EGF on
      cell proliferation, while EGF prevented DAPT-induced NICD decrease in H23 and
      H661 cells. The type of cell death induced by DAPT seems to depend on the cell
      type. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that inhibition of Notch cleavage may not
      affect cell number in the presence of EGFR mutations and that EGFR may affect
      Notch signalling suggesting that a dual inhibition of these pathways might be
      promising in NSCLC.

PMID- 26497901
TI  - The contribution of illness perceptions to fatigue and sleep problems in
      youngsters with epilepsy.
AB  - PURPOSE: The present study aims to explore the extent to which gender, epilepsy
      severity and illness perceptions predict fatigue and sleep problems in youngsters
      with epilepsy. METHOD: Structured interviews were conducted in 100 young patients
      (Mage = 13,9, SD = 2.21; 41% girls) and data were analyzed by means of multiple
      hierarchical regression analyses. RESULTS: Most patients (91%) were well
      controlled by anti-epileptics; 3% had infrequent seizures and 6% were
      pharmacoresistant. At a multivariate level it appeared that youngsters with
      epilepsy who believe that they have less personal control over their illness and
      who feel that the illness has a high emotional impact on their lives reported
      higher levels of fatigue. In addition, more sleep problems were reported by
      youngsters who think they have less personal control over the disease, who
      believe that treatment controls epilepsy and report that the disease has a high
      emotional impact on their lives. CONCLUSION: Given the importance of illness
      perceptions, it is suggested that they are targets for future interventions that
      aim to reduce fatigue and sleep problems in youngsters with epilepsy.

PMID- 26497903
TI  - Understanding the complex determinants of height and adiposity in disadvantaged
      daycare preschoolers in Salvador, NE Brazil through structural equation
      modelling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Earlier we reported on growth and adiposity in a cross-sectional
      study of disadvantaged Brazilian preschoolers. Here we extend the work on these
      children, using structural equation modelling (SEM) to gather information on the
      complex relationships between the variables influencing height and adiposity. We
      hope this information will help improve the design and effectiveness of future
      interventions for preschoolers. METHODS: In 376 preschoolers aged 3-6 years
      attending seven philanthropic daycares in Salvador, we used SEM to examine direct
      and indirect relationships among biological (sex, ethnicity, birth order,
      maternal height and weight), socio-economic, micronutrient (haemoglobin, serum
      selenium and zinc), and environmental (helminths, de-worming) variables on height
      and adiposity, as reflected by Z-scores for height-for-age (HAZ) and body mass
      index (BMIZ). RESULTS: Of the children, 11 % had HAZ < -1, 15 % had WHZ < -1, and
      14 % had BMIZ > 1. Of their mothers, 8 % had short stature, and 50 % were
      overweight or obese. Based on standardized regression coefficients, significant
      direct effects (p < 0.05) for HAZ were maternal height (0.39), being white (
      0.07), having helminth infection (-0.09), and serum zinc (-0.11). For BMIZ,
      significant direct effects were maternal weight (0.21), extremely low SES (
      0.15), and haemoglobin (0.14). Indirect (p < 0.05) effects for HAZ were sex
      (being male) (-0.02), helminth infection (-0.01), de-worming treatment (0.01),
      and serum selenium (-0.02), and for BMIZ were extremely low SES (-0.001),
      helminth infection (-0.004), and serum selenium (0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Of the
      multiple factors influencing preschoolers' growth, helminth infection was a
      modifiable risk factor directly and indirectly affecting HAZ and BMIZ,
      respectively. Hence the WHO de-worming recommendation should include preschoolers
      living in at-risk environments as well as school-aged children.

PMID- 26497904
TI  - Practical Management Guide for Clinicians Who Treat Patients with Amiodarone.
AB  - Amiodarone, an iodinated benzofuran derivative with Class I, II, III, and IV
      antiarrhythmic properties, is the most commonly used antiarrhythmic drug used to
      treat supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias. Appropriate use of this drug,
      with its severe and potentially life-threatening adverse effects, requires an
      essential understanding of its risk-benefit properties in order to ensure safety.
      The objective of this review is to afford clinicians who treat patients receiving
      amiodarone an appropriate management strategy for its safe use. The authors of
      this consensus management guide have thoroughly reviewed and evaluated the
      existing literature on amiodarone and apply this information, along with the
      collective experience of the authors, in its development. Provided are management
      guides on the intravenous and oral dosing of amiodarone, appropriate outpatient
      follow-up of patients taking the drug, its recognized adverse effects, and
      recommendations on when to consult specialists to help in patient management. All
      clinicians must be cognizant of the appropriate use, follow-up, and adverse
      reactions of amiodarone. The responsibility incurred by those treating such
      patients cannot be overemphasized.

PMID- 26497902
TI  - Feasibility of automated pre-screening for lifestyle and behavioral health risk
      factors in primary care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Screening of primary care patients for unhealthy behaviors and mental
      health issues is recommended by numerous governing bodies internationally, yet
      evidence suggests that provider-initiated screening is not routine practice. The
      objective of this study was to implement systematic pre-screening of primary care
      patients for common preventive health issues on a large scale. METHODS: Patients
      registered for non-acute visits to one of 40 primary care providers from eight
      clinics in an Academic Medical Center health care network in the United States
      from May, 2012 to May, 2014 were contacted one- to three-days prior to their
      visit. Patients were invited to complete a questionnaire using an Interactive
      Voice Response (IVR) system. Six items assessed pain, smoking, alcohol use,
      physical activity, concern about weight, and mood. RESULTS: The acceptance rate
      among eligible patients reached by phone was 65.6 %, of which 95.5 % completed
      the IVR-Screen (N = 8,490; mean age 57; 57 % female). Sample demographics were
      representative of the overall primary care population from which participants
      were drawn on gender, race, and insurance status, but participants were slightly
      older and more likely to be married. Eighty-seven percent of patients screened
      positive on at least one item, and 59 % endorsed multiple problems. The majority
      of respondents (64.2 %) reported being never or only somewhat physically active.
      Weight concern was reported by 43.9 % of respondents, 36.4 % met criteria for
      unhealthy alcohol use, 23.4 % reported current pain, 19.6 % reported low mood,
      and 9.4 % reported smoking. CONCLUSIONS: The percent endorsement for each
      behavioral health concern was generally consistent with studies of screening
      using other methods, and contrasts starkly with the reported low rates of
      screening and intervention for such concerns in typical PC practice. Results
      support the feasibility of IVR-based, large-scale pre-appointment behavioral
      health/ lifestyle risk factor screening of primary care patients. Pre-screening
      in this population facilitated participation in a controlled trial of brief
      treatment for unhealthy drinking, and also could be valuable clinically because
      it allows for case identification and management during routine care.

PMID- 26497905
TI  - Mutations in the MORC2 gene cause axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
AB  - Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a complex disorder with wide genetic
      heterogeneity. Here we present a new axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease form,
      associated with the gene microrchidia family CW-type zinc finger 2 (MORC2). Whole
      exome sequencing in a family with autosomal dominant segregation identified the
      novel MORC2 p.R190W change in four patients. Further mutational screening in our
      axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease clinical series detected two additional
      sporadic cases, one patient who also carried the same MORC2 p.R190W mutation and
      another patient that harboured a MORC2 p.S25L mutation. Genetic and in silico
      studies strongly supported the pathogenicity of these sequence variants. The
      phenotype was variable and included patients with congenital or infantile onset,
      as well as others whose symptoms started in the second decade. The patients with
      early onset developed a spinal muscular atrophy-like picture, whereas in the
      later onset cases, the initial symptoms were cramps, distal weakness and sensory
      impairment. Weakness and atrophy progressed in a random and asymmetric fashion
      and involved limb girdle muscles, leading to a severe incapacity in adulthood.
      Sensory loss was always prominent and proportional to disease severity.
      Electrophysiological studies were consistent with an asymmetric axonal motor and
      sensory neuropathy, while fasciculations and myokymia were recorded rather
      frequently by needle electromyography. Sural nerve biopsy revealed pronounced
      multifocal depletion of myelinated fibres with some regenerative clusters and
      occasional small onion bulbs. Morc2 is expressed in both axons and Schwann cells
      of mouse peripheral nerve. Different roles in biological processes have been
      described for MORC2. As the silencing of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease genes have
      been associated with DNA damage response, it is tempting to speculate that a
      deregulation of this pathway may be linked to the axonal degeneration observed in
      MORC2 neuropathy, thus adding a new pathogenic mechanism to the long list of
      causes of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. 

PMID- 26497906
TI  - Outcomes of Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation for Lymphoma with Melphalan
      Based Conditioning.
AB  - Haploidentical transplantation (Haplo-SCT) with post-transplantation
      cyclophosphamide (PTCy) is increasingly utilized for the treatment of lymphoma
      and almost exclusively with the nonmyeloablative fludarabine
      (Flu)/cyclophosphamide/total body irradiation (TBI) conditioning regimen. We
      present early results of a reduced-intensity (RIC) regimen utilizing fludarabine
      and melphalan (FM) for the treatment of advanced lymphoma. All patients with a
      diagnosis of lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who received Haplo
      SCT at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center between 2009 and 2014
      were reviewed (N = 22). Patients received Flu 160 mg/m(2) and melphalan 100
      mg/m(2) to 140 mg/m(2) with thiotepa 5 mg/kg or 2 Gy TBI. Because of concerns of
      increased treatment-related mortality (TRM) with the melphalan 140 mg/m(2)
      regimen (FM140), a RIC regimen with melphalan 100 mg/m(2) (FM100) was devised.
      Rituximab was included for CD20(+) disease. Graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis
      consisted of PTCy 50 mg/kg on days +3 and + 4, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate
      mofetil. Sixty-eight percent of all patients were not in complete remission at
      the time of transplantation. The 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) and
      overall survival (OS) for the entire cohort were 54%, 1-year TRM was 19%, and the
      cumulative incidence of relapse at 2 years was 27%. Two-year PFS for Hodgkin
      lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and CLL/small lymphocytic lymphoma were 57%, 51%,
      and 75%. Patients treated with FM100 compared to FM140 had equivalent PFS (71%
      versus 37%, P = .246) and OS (71% versus 58%, P = .32). These early results
      establish Flu and melphalan 100 mg/m(2) with 2 Gy TBI or thiotepa 5 mg/kg as a
      very promising conditioning regimen for the treatment of advanced lymphoma with
      Haplo-SCT and PTCy.

PMID- 26497907
TI  - Adjusting Cyclophosphamide Dose in Obese Patients with Lymphoma Is Safe and
      Yields Favorable Outcomes after Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.
AB  - No clear dosing guidelines exist for cyclophosphamide (Cy) dose adjustments in
      obese patients treated with high-dose chemoradiotherapy followed by autologous
      hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). We prospectively compared the outcomes
      of high-dose Cy/total body irradiation (TBI) conditioning in 147 non-Hodgkin
      lymphoma (NHL) patients in 3 weight groups: nonobese (<120% ideal body weight
      [IBW]; n = 72), overweight (120% to 149% IBW; n = 46), and obese (>=150% IBW; n =
      29). Nonobese and overweight patients received Cy (120 mg/kg of total body
      weight, intravenously) and TBI (1320 cGy), whereas obese patients (median body
      mass index, 36) received an adjusted Cy dose based on IBW plus 50% of the
      difference between total body weight and IBW (AdjBW50). The median patient age
      was 57 years (range, 19 to 73). The most common diagnoses were diffuse large B
      cell lymphoma (n = 57) and mantle cell lymphoma (n = 51). Three-year overall
      survival was 61% (95% confidence interval [CI], 48% to 72%) for nonobese
      patients, 68% (95% CI, 52% to 82%) for overweight patients, and 80% (95% CI, 62%
      to 93%) for obese patients. Cumulative incidence of relapse (48%, 43%, and 38%,
      respectively) and nonrelapse mortality (~4%) were similar in all groups.
      Hemorrhagic cystitis and cardiac toxicity were rare events. Our data show that
      the AdjBW50 formula can be safely and effectively used for Cy dose adjustments in
      obese patients treated for NHL with high-dose Cy/TBI conditioning followed by
      autologous HCT.

PMID- 26497909
TI  - Co(II)-MOF: A Highly Efficient Organic Oxidation Catalyst with Open Metal Sites.
AB  - A porous Co(II)-MOF (1) was synthesized by the combination of a bent imidazole
      bridged ligand and p-phthalic acid (PTA) with Co(OAc)2 under solvothermal
      conditions. This Co(II)-MOF (1) is able to undergo a reversible MeOH substitution
      reaction on the Co(II) center via a single-crystal-to-single-crystal process. The
      desolvated Co(II)-MOF (2) with the open Co(II) sites is very stable (up to 350 
      degrees C). Furthermore, 2 is a highly active heterogeneous catalyst for various
      organic substrates oxidation in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP)
      under milder conditions. The importance of open Co(II) sites in 2 for the organic
      substrates oxidation is directly evidenced by the single-crystal X-ray
      diffraction. 

PMID- 26497910
TI  - A highly enantioselective thiolation of sulfonyl indoles to access 3-sec-sulfur
      substituted indoles in water.
AB  - A highly enantioselective approach for the synthesis of 3-alkyl- indole or
      indoline derivatives with a functional thiol group is presented. The chemistry is
      based on the asymmetric 1,4-addition of thiol to vinylogous imine intermediates,
      which are generated in situ from sulfonylindoles. The broad substrate
      transformation proceeds with high yields (up to 96%) and enantioselectivity (up
      to 98% ee) in a water-compatible system. 

PMID- 26497908
TI  - Protective immunity against acute toxoplasmosis in BALB/c mice induced by a DNA
      vaccine encoding Toxoplasma gondii elongation factor 1-alpha.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Toxoplasma gondii can infect almost all warm-blood animals including
      human beings. The high incidence and severe damage that can be caused by T.
      gondii infection clearly indicates the need for the development of a vaccine. T.
      gondii elongation factor 1-alpha (TgEF-1alpha) plays an important role in
      pathogenesis and host cell invasion for this parasite. The aim of this study was
      to evaluate the immune protective efficacy of a DNA vaccine encoding TgEF-1alpha
      gene against acute T. gondii infection in mice. METHODS: A DNA vaccine (pVAX-EF
      1alpha) encoding T. gondii EF-1a (TgEF-1alpha) gene was constructed and its
      immune response and protective efficacy against lethal challenge in BALB/c mice
      were evaluated. RESULTS: Mice inoculated with the pVAX-EF-1alpha vaccine had a
      high level of specific anti-T. gondii antibodies and produced high levels of IFN
      gamma, interleukin (IL)-4, and IL-17. The expression levels of MHC-I and MHC-II
      molecules as well as the percentages of both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in mice
      vaccinated with pVAX-EF-1alpha were significantly increased (p < 0.05), compared
      with those in all the mice from control groups (blank control, PBS, and pVAXI).
      Immunization with pVAX-EF-1alpha significantly (p < 0.05) prolonged mouse
      survival time to 14.1 +/- 1.7 days after challenge infection with the virulent T.
      gondii RH strain, compared with mice in the control groups which died within 8
      days. CONCLUSIONS: DNA vaccination with pVAX-EF-1alpha triggered strong humoral
      and cellular responses and induced effective protection in mice against acute T.
      gondii infection, indicating that TgEF-1alpha is a promising vaccine candidate
      against acute toxoplasmosis.

PMID- 26497911
TI  - A novel RET gene mutation in a patient with apparently sporadic pheochromocytoma.
AB  - Pheochromocytoma (Pheo) is a chromaffin tumor arising from the adrenal medulla.
      The recent discovery of new germline mutations in RET, SDHA, SDHB, SDHC, SDHD,
      VHL, NF1, TMEM127, MAX genes, increased the rate of genetic disease from 10% to
      28% in patients with apparently sporadic tumor. RET germline mutations cause
      multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 syndrome (MEN 2A) characterized by complete
      penetrance of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC), and lower prevalence of Pheo and
      hyperparathyroidism. We describe the genetic etiology of an apparently sporadic
      case of monolateral Pheo in a 42-year-old male patient. A new (not previously
      reported) MEN 2A-associated germline RET mutation located in exon 11 (Glu632Gly,
      caused by an A>G point mutation at position 1895 of the RET cDNA) was found in
      the patient but not in his living first-degree relatives. This observation
      increases the number of possible germline RET mutations. Genotype-phenotype
      correlation of this new genetic alteration is unknown, but this rare mutation is
      probably associated with a low risk for MTC (usually the first tumor diagnosed in
      MEN 2A syndrome) and with the development of Pheo before the onset of MTC. Since
      we expect MTC to occur in our patient, strict follow-up is mandatory. Our
      findings emphasize the relevance of genetic testing in patients with Pheo,
      especially when the clinical presentation (family history, young age at
      diagnosis, multiple locations, malignant lesions, and bilateralism) is
      suggestive. 

PMID- 26497912
TI  - Experience of negative emotions in Parkinson's disease: An fMRI investigation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Amygdala abnormalities have been discussed as a possible mechanism
      underlying reduced reactivity to negative stimuli in Parkinson's disease (PD).
      METHODS: The present investigation used functional magnetic resonance imaging
      (fMRI) in order to test this hypothesis. We compared brain activation of 17
      nondepressed and nondemented PD patients with 22 healthy controls during the
      elicitation of negative affective states. The patients suffered from moderate
      motor symptoms for an average of 75 months and had stopped their antiparkinson
      medication 10-12h prior to the fMRI testing. All participants were shown images
      which depicted disgusting, fear-relevant and neutral contents and they answered
      self-report scales for the assessment of disgust proneness and trait anxiety.
      RESULTS: Both groups did not differ from each other in affective state and trait
      ratings. In line with the self-report, the fMRI data showed similar activation
      (including the amygdala) in both groups during disgust and fear elicitation.
      CONCLUSION: This fMRI investigation found no indication of diminished disgust and
      fear experience in PD. SIGNIFICANCE: Previously reported affective processing
      deficits in PD might be due to insufficiently controlled confounding variables
      (medication, depression, cognitive impairment).

PMID- 26497913
TI  - Increased ethanol consumption despite taste aversion in mice with a human
      tryptophan hydroxylase 2 loss of function mutation.
AB  - Polymorphisms in the gene encoding the brain serotonin synthesis enzyme Tph2 have
      been identified in mental illnesses, with co-morbidity of substance use disorder.
      However, little is known about the impact of Tph2 gene variants on addiction.
      Mice expressing a human Tph2 loss of function variant were used to investigate
      consequences of aversive conditions on ethanol intake. Mice were familiarized
      either with ethanol or a solution containing both ethanol and the bittering agent
      quinine. Effect of familiarization to ethanol or an ethanol-quinine solution was
      then evaluated using a two-bottles preference test in Tph2-KI and control
      littermates. Mice from both genotypes displayed similar levels of ethanol
      consumption and quinine avoidance when habituated to ethanol alone. In contrast,
      addition of quinine to ethanol during the familiarization period resulted in a
      reduction of avoidance for the quinine-ethanol solution only in mutant mice.
      These results indicate that loss of function mutation in Tph2 results in greater
      motivation for ethanol consumption under aversive conditions and may confer
      enhanced sensitivity to alcohol use disorder. 

PMID- 26497914
TI  - A new method to effectively and rapidly generate neurons from SH-SY5Y cells.
AB  - It is well known that neurons differentiated from SH-SY5Y cells can serve as cell
      models for neuroscience research; i.e., neurotoxicity and tolerance to morphine
      in vitro. To differentiate SH-SY5Y cells into neurons, RA (retinoic acid) is
      commonly used to produce the inductive effect. However, the percentage of
      neuronal cells produced from SH-SY5Y cells is low, either from the use of RA
      treatment alone or from the combined application of RA and other chemicals. In
      the current study, we used CM-hNSCs (conditioned medium of human neural stem
      cells) as the combinational inducer with RA to prompt neuronal differentiation of
      SH-SY5Y cells. We found that neuronal differentiation was improved and that
      neurons were greatly increased in the differentiated SH-SY5Y cells using a
      combined treatment of CM-hNSCs and RA compared to RA treatment alone. The
      neuronal percentage was higher than 80% (about 88%) on the 3rd day and about 91%
      on the 7th day examined after a combined treatment with CM-hNSCs and RA. Cell
      maturation and neurite growth of these neuronal cells were also improved. In
      addition, the use of CM-hNSCs inhibited the apoptosis of RA-treated SH-SY5Y cells
      in culture. We are the first to report the use of CM-hNSCs in combination with RA
      to induce neuronal differentiation of RA-treated SH-SY5Y cells. Our method can
      rapidly and effectively promote the neuronal production of SH-SY5Y cells in
      culture conditions. 

PMID- 26497915
TI  - Accuracy of Bedside Paediatric Early Warning System (BedsidePEWS) in a Pediatric
      Stem Cell Transplant Unit.
AB  - Hospital mortality in children who undergo stem cell transplant (SCT) is high.
      Early warning scores aim at identifying deteriorating patients and at preventing
      adverse outcomes. The bedside pediatric early warning system (BedsidePEWS) is a
      pediatric early warning score based on 7 clinical indicators, ranging from 0 (all
      indicators within normal ranges for age) to 26. The aim of this case-control
      study was to assess the performance of BedsidePEWS in identifying clinical
      deterioration events among children admitted to an SCT unit. Cases were defined
      as clinical deterioration events; controls were all the other patients
      hospitalized on the same ward at the time of case occurrence. BedsidePEWS was
      retrospectively measured at 4-hour intervals in cases and controls 24 hours
      before an event (T4-T24). We studied 19 cases and 80 controls. The score
      significantly increased in cases from a median of 4 at T24 to a median of 14 at
      T4. The proportion of correctly classified cases and controls was >90% since T8.
      The area under the curve receiver operating characteristic was 0.9. BedsidePEWS
      is an accurate screening tool to predict clinical deterioration in SCT patients.

PMID- 26497916
TI  - Exceptionally large entropy contributions enable the high rates of GTP hydrolysis
      on the ribosome.
AB  - Protein synthesis on the ribosome involves hydrolysis of GTP in several key steps
      of the mRNA translation cycle. These steps are catalyzed by the translational
      GTPases of which elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) is the fastest GTPase known. Here,
      we use extensive computer simulations to explore the origin of its remarkably
      high catalytic rate on the ribosome and show that it is made possible by a very
      large positive activation entropy. This entropy term (TDeltaS(?)) amounts to more
      than 7 kcal/mol at 25  degrees C. It is further found to be characteristic of the
      reaction mechanism utilized by the translational, but not other, GTPases and it
      enables these enzymes to attain hydrolysis rates exceeding 500 s(-1). This
      entropy driven mechanism likely reflects the very high selection pressure on the
      speed of protein synthesis, which drives the rate of each individual GTPase
      towards maximal turnover rate of the whole translation cycle. 

PMID- 26497917
TI  - An in silico model to demonstrate the effects of Maspin on cancer cell dynamics.
AB  - Most cancer treatments efficacy depends on tumor metastasis suppression, where
      tumor suppressor genes play an important role. Maspin (Mammary Serine Protease
      Inhibitor), an non-inhibitory serpin has been reported as a potential tumor
      suppressor to influence cell migration, adhesion, proliferation and apoptosis in
      in vitro and in vivo experiments in last two decades. Lack of computational
      investigations hinders its ability to go through clinical trials. Previously, we
      reported first computational model for maspin effects on tumor growth using
      artificial neural network and cellular automata paradigm with in vitro data
      support. This paper extends the previous in silico model by encompassing how
      maspin influences cell migration and the cell-extracellular matrix interaction in
      subcellular level. A feedforward neural network was used to define each cell
      behavior (proliferation, quiescence, apoptosis) which followed a cell-cycle
      algorithm to show the microenvironment impacts over tumor growth. Furthermore,
      the model concentrates how the in silico experiments results can further confirm
      the fact that maspin reduces cell migration using specific in vitro data
      verification method. The data collected from in vitro and in silico experiments
      formulates an unsupervised learning problem which can be solved by using
      different clustering algorithms. A density based clustering technique was
      developed to measure the similarity between two datasets based on the number of
      links between instances. Our proposed clustering algorithm first finds the
      nearest neighbors of each instance, and then redefines the similarity between
      pairs of instances in terms of how many nearest neighbors share the two
      instances. The number of links between two instances is defined as the number of
      common neighbors they have. The results showed significant resemblances with in
      vitro experimental data. The results also offer a new insight into the dynamics
      of maspin and establish as a metastasis suppressor gene for further molecular
      research. 

PMID- 26497918
TI  - Clinical Factors Associated With a Short Survival Time After Percutaneous
      Nephrostomy for Ureteric Obstruction in Cancer Patients: An Updated Model.
AB  - CONTEXT: Patients with advanced cancer can develop ureteric obstruction.
      Percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) tube insertion can relieve this obstruction and
      prevent renal failure. PCN is associated with complications and can worsen
      quality of life. Prognostic models of survival after PCN in cancer patients can
      help identify the patients who will most likely benefit from this intervention.
      This work updates a prognostic model to predict overall survival in cancer
      patients after receiving PCN. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to assess
      survival of patients with malignant urinary obstruction after PCN tube insertion.
      The secondary objective was to identify factors associated with poor prognosis in
      this group of patients and externally validate an existing model. METHODS: We
      conducted a retrospective analysis of 211 patients who had malignant urinary
      obstruction and received PCN tube insertion. RESULTS: The median survival was
      5.05 months (95% CI = 3.87-7.11; range 2-963 days). On univariate analysis, the
      factors significantly associated with shorter survival were type of malignancy,
      bilateral hydronephrosis, serum albumin <3.5 mg/dL, presence of metastasis,
      ascites, and pleural effusion (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis using a Cox
      proportional hazards regression model showed that type of malignancy, serum
      albumin <3.5 mg/dL, pleural effusion, and bilateral hydronephrosis were
      significantly associated with shorter survival (P < 0.05). Using the latter three
      factors, we stratified patients into four prognostic groups: zero risk factors
      (32 patients), one risk factor (85 patients), two risk factors (78 patients), and
      three risk factors (16 patients). Median survival for each group was 17.6 months,
      7.7 months, 2.2 months, and 1.7 months, respectively (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION:
      Survival in patients with malignant ureteric obstruction can range widely from a
      few days to a few years. The presented prognostic model is an updated model and
      can be used to identify patients with poor survival after PCN.

PMID- 26497919
TI  - C-reactive protein levels in girls with lower urinary tract symptoms.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Daytime lower urinary tract (LUT) conditions are identified as
      daytime incontinence problems for children in whom any cause of neuropathy and
      uropathy has been excluded. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a common marker of acute
      or chronic inflammation and infection. Increased CRP levels have been detected in
      the studies conducted on adults diagnosed with overactive bladders and
      interstitial cystitis. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the role of
      serum CRP levels in girls suffering from daytime LUT conditions. STUDY DESIGN:
      Out of the 752 patients who presented to the outpatient clinics with lower
      urinary tract symptoms, 709 were excluded due to: being boys, having previous
      urinary tract surgery, an active urinary tract infection, a neurological anomaly,
      a urinary system anomaly, having rheumatic disease, any chronic disease, any
      febrile infection over the past week, a history of constipation, and enuresis
      nocturna. Forty-three girls with LUT conditions and aged 8-10 years were included
      in the study as the patient group. Forty girls who attended the urology
      outpatient clinic without LUT conditions, or active urinary tract infections and
      any chronic disease requiring follow-up constituted the control group. Under the
      control of the parents, all subjects were asked to fill out 3-day voiding
      diaries. The voiding diaries identified frequency, urgency, urgency urinary
      incontinence, and functional bladder capacity data. All subjects also completed a
      dysfunctional voiding scoring system (DVSS). The serum CRP levels of all subjects
      were measured. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in serum CRP levels
      and DVSS between the patient group and the control group (P = 0.001, P = 0.001).
      The mean serum CRP levels showed a significant increase when frequency and
      urgency scores were >=8, the urge incontinence score was >=2 and the DVS score
      DVSS was >=14 in the voiding diaries of the patient group (Table). DISCUSSION:
      Lower urinary tract dysfunction is defined as a condition involving abnormalities
      of filling and/or emptying of the bladder. This frequently encountered problem
      constitutes >40% of all pediatric urology outpatient visits. The relationship
      between LUT conditions and serum CRP in both genders has been detected. However,
      it is believed that to our knowledge, this is the first study looking at the
      relationship between daytime LUTS and increased CRP levels in children. The most
      important limitations of the study were: having a small number of patients, and
      the sample consisting of only one gender and a specific age group. CONCLUSION:
      The serum CRP levels were significantly higher in the girls with daytime LUT
      conditions than in the control group. Also, the CRP levels significantly
      increased as DVSS, frequency, urgency, and urge incontinence scores increased.

PMID- 26497921
TI  - Should Prebiopsy Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging be Offered to All
      Biopsy-naive Men Undergoing Prostate Biopsy?

PMID- 26497920
TI  - Docetaxel for Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer: Wrapping up Unfinished
      Business?

PMID- 26497922
TI  - Association Between RECIST Changes and Survival in Patients with Metastatic
      Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer Receiving Docetaxel.
AB  - We explored the association between Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors
      (RECIST) 1.0 and 1.1 changes and overall survival (OS) in patients with
      metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) from the control arms of
      the VENICE and MAINSAIL phase 3 trials, respectively, receiving docetaxel,
      prednisone, and placebo. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to evaluate
      the OS prognostic ability of RECIST changes after adjusting for prognostic
      factors. In the VENICE trial, the OS hazard ratio (HR) was 0.64 (95% confidence
      interval [CI] 0.42-0.99; p=0.045) for patients with a partial response (PR)
      compared to those without PR, and 1.78 (95% CI 1.07-2.95; p=0.026) for those with
      progressive disease (PD) compared to those without PD. After adjusting for
      prostate-specific antigen (PSA) changes, PD remained significant (HR 1.85, 95% CI
      1.10-3.12; p=0.020). Data from the MAINSAIL trial corroborated the association of
      PR (HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.22-1.18; p=0.12) and PD (HR 3.51, 95% CI 1.92-6.43;
      p<0.001) with OS. After adjusting for PSA changes, PD was associated with poor OS
      (HR 2.36, 95% CI 1.11-5.04; p=0.026). Given the association between RECIST
      changes and OS, more frequent detection of measurable disease with current
      imaging techniques, and the poor reliability of bone scan and PSA changes,
      assessment of RECIST changes on treatment with novel agents in patients with
      measurable tumors may provide an objective signal of efficacy. PATIENT SUMMARY:
      In this study, we found an association between changes in objectively measurable
      tumors according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) and
      survival in patients with metastatic prostate cancer receiving docetaxel
      chemotherapy. Since bone scan and prostate-specific antigen changes are
      unreliable and measurable tumors are more frequently detected now because of
      better radiographic technology, a focus on RECIST changes should be considered
      during drug development to provide an objective signal of efficacy.

PMID- 26497923
TI  - The Impact of Adding Taxanes to Gemcitabine and Platinum Chemotherapy for the
      First-Line Therapy of Advanced or Metastatic Urothelial Cancer: A Systematic
      Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - CONTEXT: Gemcitabine/platinum chemotherapy is the most widely used first-line
      regimen for metastatic urothelial carcinoma, and the potential improvement of
      adding taxanes needs to be clarified. OBJECTIVE: To study the survival impact of
      taxane plus gemcitabine/platinum compared with gemcitabine/platinum alone as
      upfront therapy. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Literature was searched for studies
      including gemcitabine/platinum +/- taxanes (paclitaxel or docetaxel only). We
      pooled trial level data including the median, proportions, and confidence
      intervals on response-rate, progression-free survival, overall survival (OS), and
      side effects. Univariable and multivariable regression models evaluated the
      prognostic role of addition of taxanes after adjusting for platinum type,
      performance status 2, and the presence of visceral metastases. Data were weighted
      by the logarithm of the trial sample size. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Thirty-five arms
      of trials including 2,365 patients were selected (seven with taxanes [n=617], and
      28 arms without taxanes [n=1,748]). Median OS was univariably significantly
      different (p=0.019) between trials with and without taxanes. Across trials, the
      median 'median OS' amongst trials containing taxanes was 15.5 mo, compared with
      12.5 mo in trials which did not. Multivariably, visceral disease and performance
      status were significantly associated with OS, and the addition of taxanes trended
      toward significantly better OS (p=0.056) and increase in grade >= 3 neurotoxicity
      (p=0.051), regardless of specific platinum agent used. CONCLUSIONS: In this meta
      analysis, adding taxanes to gemcitabine and platinum showed a trend for improved
      OS and higher grade >= 3 neurotoxicity. Improvements in patient selection and the
      evaluation of a more potent and tolerable tubulin inhibitor in combination with
      gemcitabine/platinum in a well-powered trial are the critical next steps. PATIENT
      SUMMARY: In this report, a trend for improved overall survival and worse
      neurotoxicity was observed for adding a taxane to first-line gemcitabine/platinum
      chemotherapy for metastatic urothelial carcinoma. More effective taxanes should
      be investigated further in urothelial carcinoma in combination with
      gemcitabine/platinum.

PMID- 26497924
TI  - Assessing the Optimal Timing for Early Salvage Radiation Therapy in Patients with
      Prostate-specific Antigen Rise After Radical Prostatectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early salvage radiation therapy (eSRT) represents a treatment option
      for patients who experience a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) rise after radical
      prostatectomy (RP); however, the optimal PSA level for eSRT administration is
      still unclear. OBJECTIVE: To test the impact of PSA level on cancer control after
      eSRT according to pathologic tumour characteristics. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: The study included 716 node-negative patients with undetectable
      postoperative PSA who experienced a PSA rise after RP. All patients received
      eSRT, defined as local radiation to the prostate and seminal vesicle bed,
      delivered at PSA <= 0.5 ng/ml. Biochemical recurrence (BCR) after eSRT was
      defined as two consecutive PSA values >= 0.2 ng/ml. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND
      STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Multivariable Cox regression analysis tested the
      association between pre-eSRT PSA level and BCR after eSRT. Covariates consisted
      of pathologic stage (pT2 vs pT3a vs pT3b or higher), pathologic Gleason score (<=
      6, 7, or >= 8), and surgical margin status (negative vs positive). We tested an
      interaction with PSA level and baseline pathologic risk for the hypothesis that
      BCR-free survival differed by pre-eSRT PSA level. Three pathologic risk factors
      were identified: pathologic stage pT3b or higher, pathologic Gleason score >= 8,
      and negative surgical margins. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Median follow-up among
      patients who did not experience BCR after eSRT was 57 mo (interquartile range: 27
      105). At 5 yr after eSRT, BCR-free survival rate was 82% (95% confidence interval
      [CI], 78-85). At multivariable Cox regression analysis, pre-eSRT PSA level was
      significantly associated with BCR after eSRT (hazard ratio: 4.89; 95% CI, 1.40
      22.9; p < 0.0001). When patients were stratified according to the number of risk
      factors at final pathology, patients with at least two pathologic risk factors
      showed an increased risk of 5-yr BCR as high as 10% per 0.1 ng/ml of PSA level
      compared with only 1.5% in patients with one or no pathologic risk factors.
      CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective study, cancer control after eSRT greatly
      depended on pretreatment PSA. The absolute PSA level had a different prognostic
      value depending on the pathologic characteristics of the tumour. In patients with
      more adverse pathologic features, eSRT conferred better cancer control when
      administered at the very first sign of PSA rise. Conversely, the benefit of eSRT
      was less evident in men with favourable disease at RP. PATIENT SUMMARY: In this
      retrospective study, cancer control after early salvage radiation therapy (eSRT)
      was influenced by pretreatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. This effect
      was highest in men with at least two of the following pathologic features:
      pT3b/pT4 disease, pathologic Gleason score >= 8, and negative surgical margins.
      In these patients, eSRT conferred better cancer control when administered at the
      very first sign of PSA rise.

PMID- 26497925
TI  - Multidrug resistance-associated protein 4 is a determinant of arsenite
      resistance.
AB  - Although arsenic trioxide (arsenite, As(III)) has shown a remarkable efficacy in
      the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia patients, multidrug resistance is
      still a major concern for its clinical use. Multidrug resistance-associated
      protein 4 (MRP4), which belongs to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily of
      transporters, is localized to the basolateral membrane of hepatocytes and the
      apical membrane of renal proximal tubule cells. Due to its characteristic
      localization, MRP4 is proposed as a candidate in the elimination of arsenic and
      may contribute to resistance to As(III). To test this hypothesis, stable HEK293
      cells overexpressing MRP4 or MRP2 were used to establish the role of these two
      transporters in As(III) resistance. The IC50 values of As(III) in MRP4 cells were
      approximately 6-fold higher than those in MRP2 cells, supporting an important
      role for MRP4 in resistance to As(III). The capacity of MRP4 to confer resistance
      to As(III) was further confirmed by a dramatic decrease in the IC50 values with
      the addition of MK571, an MRP4 inhibitor, and cyclosporine A, a well-known broad
      spectrum inhibitor of ABC transporters. Surprisingly, the sensitivity of the MRP2
      cells to As(III) was similar to that of the parent cells, although insufficient
      formation of glutathione and/or Se conjugated arsenic compounds in the MRP2 cells
      might limit transport. Given that MRP4 is a major contributor to arsenic
      resistance in vitro, further investigation into the correlation between MRP4
      expression and treatment outcome of leukemia patients treated with arsenic-based
      regimens is warranted.

PMID- 26497926
TI  - The influence of red pepper powder on the density of Weissella koreensis during
      kimchi fermentation.
AB  - Weissella koreensis is a psychrophilic bacterium that is the dominant species
      found in kimchi and exhibits anti-obesity effects via its production of
      ornithine. In this study, we mined the genome of W. koreensis KACC15510 to
      identify species-specific genes that can serve as new targets for the detection
      and quantification of W. koreensis in kimchi. A specific polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR) primer set for the membrane protein-encoding gene of W. koreensis
      KACC15510 was designed and investigated to quantify its sensitivity and
      specificity for detecting the bacterium in kimchi. The specificity of the primer
      set was evaluated using genomic DNA from eight isolates of W. koreensis, 11
      different species of Weissella and 13 other reference lactic acid bacterium (LAB)
      strains. In addition, red pepper powder was observed to strongly influence the
      density of W. koreensis during kimchi fermentation. 

PMID- 26497927
TI  - Chronic effects of losartan on the muscles and the serologic profiles of mdx
      mice.
AB  - AIMS: Losartan, an angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker, attenuates
      transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) signaling, which inhibits myogenic
      regeneration. Although many researchers have demonstrated that losartan has anti
      fibrotic and protective effects on cardiac and skeletal muscles, for long-term
      administration to treat dystrophic disorders, it is essential to demonstrate not
      only the therapeutic effects of losartan on muscles but also its effects on other
      organs and on blood biochemistry. MAIN METHODS: Mdx mice, an animal model of
      Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), were fed losartan dissolved in tap water.
      After 44weeks, the skeletal (gastrocnemius), cardiac, and diaphragm muscles of
      mdx mice were removed. Tissue and blood samples were collected from all
      experimental animals. Effects of losartan on muscle regeneration, fibrosis, and
      blood enzymatic profiles were evaluated. KEY FINDINGS: In histopathological
      findings and serum biochemistry analyses, chronic losartan administration showed
      muscular protective effects and inhibited fibrosis in skeletal (gastrocnemius),
      cardiac, and diaphragmatic muscles. In addition, losartan had no effects on other
      solid organs. Interestingly, losartan had beneficial effects on serum HDL ratio.
      SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrates the therapeutic effects of losartan on
      muscles and its effects on other organs and on blood biochemistry. In conclusion,
      our results provide useful information for consideration of chronic losartan
      administration be as a treatment of DMD.

PMID- 26497929
TI  - Clinical implications of aging.
AB  - Figure summarizes the major changes of aging and some key ways these changes
      affect pages. Though many changes occur with aging, under normal or resting
      conditions, there is usually very little functionally that is diminished solely
      on the basis of aging. The net effects are reductions in reserve capacity and
      placing geriatric patients at higher risk for adverse consequences related to
      medications and diseases. Interactions between lifestyle factors, such as
      exercise, diet, and environmental exposures, have a large impact on aging and
      lead to great individual variability. The interplay between these environmental
      factors, aging, and development of chronic diseases multiply the amount of
      variation seen as individual's age.

PMID- 26497928
TI  - Review of endocrine disorders associated with environmental toxicants and
      possible involved mechanisms.
AB  - Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) are released into environment from different
      sources. They are mainly used in packaging industries, pesticides and food
      constituents. Clinical evidence, experimental models, and epidemiological studies
      suggest that EDC have major risks for human by targeting different organs and
      systems in the body. Multiple mechanisms are involved in targeting the normal
      system, through estrogen receptors, nuclear receptors and steroidal receptors
      activation. In this review, different methods by which xenobiotics stimulate
      signaling pathways and genetic mutation or DNA methylation have been discussed.
      These methods help to understand the results of xenobiotic action on the
      endocrine system. Endocrine disturbances in the human body result in breast
      cancer, ovarian problems, thyroid eruptions, testicular carcinoma, Alzheimer
      disease, schizophrenia, nerve damage and obesity. EDC characterize a wide class
      of compounds such as organochlorinated pesticides, industrial wastes, plastics
      and plasticizers, fuels and numerous other elements that exist in the environment
      or are in high use during daily life. The interactions and mechanism of toxicity
      in relation to human general health problems, especially endocrine disturbances
      with particular reference to reproductive problems, diabetes, and breast,
      testicular and ovarian cancers should be deeply investigated. There should also
      be a focus on public awareness of these EDC risks and their use in routine life.
      Therefore, the aim of this review is to summarize all evidence regarding
      different physiological disruptions in the body and possible involved mechanisms,
      to prove the association between endocrine disruptions and human diseases. 

PMID- 26497930
TI  - Cytotoxicity of PEGylated liposomes co-loaded with novel pro-apoptotic drug NCL
      240 and the MEK inhibitor cobimetinib against colon carcinoma in vitro.
AB  - The overactivation of signaling pathways, such as the PI3K and MAPK, which are
      crucial to cell growth and survival, is a common feature in many cancer types.
      Though a number of advances have been made in the development of molecular agents
      targeting these pathways, their application as monotherapies has not
      significantly improved clinical outcome. A novel liposomal preparation was
      developed, co-loaded with NCL-240, a small-molecule inhibitor of the PI3K/mTOR
      pathway, along with cobimetinib, a MEK/ERK pathway inhibitor. This combination
      drug-loaded nanocarrier, (N+C)-LP, was able to significantly enhance the
      cytotoxicity of these drugs against colon carcinoma cells in vitro demonstrating
      a clear synergistic effect (combination index of 0.79). The (N+C)-LP was also
      able to induce cell cycle arrest of the cells, specifically in the G1 phase
      thereby preventing their progression to the S-phase, typical of the action of MEK
      inhibitors. Analyzing the apoptotic events, it was found that this effect on cell
      cycle regulation is followed by the induction of apoptosis. The quantified
      distribution of apoptotic events showed that the (N+C)-LP induced apoptosis
      significantly by over 3-4 fold (P<0.001) compared to other treatment groups. The
      co-loaded liposomal preparation was also targeted to the transferrin receptor of
      cancer cells by modifying the surface of the liposome with transferrin. FACS
      analysis showed that transferrin-mediated targeting enhanced the association of
      liposomes to HCT 116 cells by almost 5-fold. This could potentially allow for
      cancer cell-specific effects in vivo thereby minimizing any non-specific
      interactions of the liposomes with non-cancerous cells. Taken together, this
      study clearly shows that the combined inhibition of the PI3K and MEK pathways
      correlates with a significant anti-proliferative effect, due to cell-cycle
      regulation leading to the induction of apoptosis. 

PMID- 26497931
TI  - Extension of in vivo half-life of biologically active molecules by XTEN protein
      polymers.
AB  - XTENTM is a class of unstructured hydrophilic, biodegradable protein polymers
      designed to increase the half-lives of therapeutic peptides and proteins. XTEN
      polymers and XTEN fusion proteins are typically expressed in Escherichia coli and
      purified by conventional protein chromatography as monodisperse polypeptides of
      exact length and sequence. Unstructured XTEN polypeptides have hydrodynamic
      volumes significantly larger than typical globular proteins of similar mass, thus
      imparting a bulking effect to the therapeutic payloads attached to them. Since
      their invention, XTEN polypeptides have been utilized to extend the half-lives of
      a variety of peptide- and protein-based therapeutics. Multiple clinical and
      preclinical studies and related drug discovery and development efforts are in
      progress. This review details the most current understanding of physicochemical
      properties and biological behavior of XTEN and XTENylated molecules.
      Additionally, the development path and status of several advanced drug discovery
      and development efforts are highlighted.

PMID- 26497932
TI  - Cervical artery dissections and type A aortic dissection in a family with a novel
      missense COL3A1 mutation of vascular type Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
AB  - Cervical artery dissection (CeAD) is a rare condition. One of the causes is the
      vascular type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS). A novel missense mutation in
      COL3A1 was found in a young patient with CeAD as the single manifestation of
      vEDS. This is a heterozygous c.953G > A mutation in exon 14, disrupting the
      normal Gly-X-Y repeats of type III procollagen, by converting glycine to aspartic
      acid. 

PMID- 26497933
TI  - Epididymal anomalies in boys with undescended testis or hydrocele: Significance
      of testicular location.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epididymal anomalies and patent processus vaginalis are frequently
      found in boys with cryptorchidism or hydrocele. We conducted this study to
      evaluate the association between epididymal anomalies and testicular location or
      patent processus vaginalis in boys with undescended testis or hydrocele. METHODS:
      Children undergoing surgery with undescended testis (group A, 136 boys and 162
      testes) or communicating hydrocele (group B, 93 boys and 96 testes) were
      included. Testicular locations and epididymal anomalies were investigated
      prospectively. An anomalous epididymis was defined as anomalies of epididymal
      fusion that consisted of loss of continuity between the testis, the epididymis,
      and the long looping epididymis. The epididymis was considered normal when a
      normal, firm attachment between the testis, the caput, and the cauda epididymis
      was present. RESULTS: The mean ages of groups A and B were 24.6 +/- 19.7 (range,
      8-52 months) and 31.4 +/- 20.6 months (range, 10-59 months). The incidence of
      epididymal anomalies was significantly higher in group A than that in group B
      (65.4 % vs. 13.5 %, P <  .001). The incidence of epididymal anomalies in boys
      with undescended testis was significantly different according to testis location.
      Epididymal anomalies were observed in 100 %, 91.4 %, and 39.3 % of cases when the
      testis was located in the abdomen, inguinal canal, and distal to the external
      inguinal ring, respectively (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We conclude that epididymal
      anomalies were more frequent in boys with undescended testis than in boys with
      hydrocele, and that these anomalies were more frequent when undescended testis
      was at a higher level. These results suggest that testicular location is
      associated with epididymal anomalies rather than patent processus vaginalis.

PMID- 26497934
TI  - Elongation factor-1A1 is a novel substrate of the protein phosphatase 1-TIMAP
      complex.
AB  - TIMAP (TGF-beta inhibited membrane associated protein) is a protein phosphatase 1
      (PP1) regulatory subunit highly abundant in endothelial cells and it is involved
      in the maintenance of pulmonary endothelial barrier function. It localizes mainly
      in the plasma membrane, but it is also present in the nuclei and cytoplasm.
      Direct interaction of TIMAP with the eukaryotic elongation factor 1 A1 (eEF1A1)
      is shown by pull-down, LC-MS/MS, Far-Western and immunoprecipitations. In
      connection with the so called moonlighting functions of the elongation factor,
      eEF1A is thought to establish protein-protein interactions through a
      transcription-dependent nuclear export motif, TD-NEM, and to aid nuclear export
      of TD-NEM containing proteins. We found that a TD-NEM-like motif of TIMAP has a
      critical role in its specific binding to eEF1A1. However, eEF1A1 is not or not
      exclusively responsible for the nuclear export of TIMAP. On the contrary, TIMAP
      seems to regulate membrane localization of eEF1A1 as the elongation factor co
      localized with TIMAP in the plasma membrane fraction of control endothelial
      cells, but it has disappeared from the membrane in TIMAP depleted cells. It is
      demonstrated that membrane localization of eEF1A1 depends on the phosphorylation
      state of its Thr residue(s); and ROCK phosphorylated eEF1A1 is a novel substrate
      for TIMAP-PP1 underlining the complex regulatory role of TIMAP in the
      endothelium. The elongation factor seems to be involved in the regulation of
      endothelial cell attachment and spreading as silencing of eEF1A1 positively
      affected these processes which were monitored by transendothelial resistance
      measurements. 

PMID- 26497935
TI  - Clinical reappraisal of SHORT syndrome with PIK3R1 mutations: toward
      recommendation for molecular testing and management.
AB  - SHORT syndrome has historically been defined by its acronym: short stature (S),
      hyperextensibility of joints and/or inguinal hernia (H), ocular depression (O),
      Rieger abnormality (R) and teething delay (T). More recently several research
      groups have identified PIK3R1 mutations as responsible for SHORT syndrome.
      Knowledge of the molecular etiology of SHORT syndrome has permitted a
      reassessment of the clinical phenotype. The detailed phenotypes of 32 individuals
      with SHORT syndrome and PIK3R1 mutation, including eight newly ascertained
      individuals, were studied to fully define the syndrome and the indications for
      PIK3R1 testing. The major features described in the SHORT acronym were not
      universally seen and only half (52%) had four or more of the classic features.
      The commonly observed clinical features of SHORT syndrome seen in the cohort
      included intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) <10th percentile, postnatal
      growth restriction, lipoatrophy and the characteristic facial gestalt. Anterior
      chamber defects and insulin resistance or diabetes were also observed but were
      not as prevalent. The less specific, or minor features of SHORT syndrome include
      teething delay, thin wrinkled skin, speech delay, sensorineural deafness,
      hyperextensibility of joints and inguinal hernia. Given the high risk of diabetes
      mellitus, regular monitoring of glucose metabolism is warranted. An
      echocardiogram, ophthalmological and hearing assessments are also recommended.

PMID- 26497936
TI  - 2D fluorescence spectroscopy for monitoring ion-exchange membrane based
      technologies - Reverse electrodialysis (RED).
AB  - Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is one of the emerging, membrane-based technologies
      for harvesting salinity gradient energy. In RED process, fouling is an
      undesirable operation constraint since it leads to a decrease of the obtainable
      net power density due to increasing stack electric resistance and pressure drop.
      Therefore, early fouling detection is one of the main challenges for successful
      RED technology implementation. In the present study, two-dimensional (2D)
      fluorescence spectroscopy was used, for the first time, as a tool for fouling
      monitoring in RED. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) of ion
      exchange membrane surfaces and of natural aqueous streams were acquired during
      one month of a RED stack operation. Fouling evolvement on the ion-exchange
      membrane surfaces was successfully followed by 2D fluorescence spectroscopy and
      quantified using principal components analysis (PCA). Additionally, the
      efficiency of cleaning strategy was assessed by measuring the membrane
      fluorescence emission intensity before and after cleaning. The anion-exchange
      membrane (AEM) surface in contact with river water showed to be significantly
      affected due to fouling by humic compounds, which were found to cross through the
      membrane from the lower salinity (river water) to higher salinity (sea water)
      stream. The results obtained show that the combined approach of using 2D
      fluorescence spectroscopy and PCA has a high potential for studying fouling
      development and membrane cleaning efficiency in ion exchange membrane processes. 

PMID- 26497937
TI  - Transport and retention of xanthan gum-stabilized microscale zero-valent iron
      particles in saturated porous media.
AB  - Microscale zero valent iron (mZVI) is a promising material for in-situ
      contaminated groundwater remediation. However, its usefulness has been usually
      inhibited by mZVI particles' low mobility in saturated porous media for
      sedimentation and deposition. In our study, laboratory experiments, including
      sedimentation studies, rheological measurements and transport tests, were
      conducted to investigate the feasibility of xanthan gum (XG) being used as a
      coating agent for mZVI particle stabilization. In addition, the effects of XG
      concentration, flow rate, grain diameter and water chemistry on XG-coated mZVI
      (XG-mZVI) particle mobility were explored by analyzing its breakthrough curves
      and retention profiles. It was demonstrated that XG worked efficiently to enhance
      the suspension stability and mobility of mZVI particles through the porous media
      as a shear thinning fluid, especially at a higher concentration level (3 g/L).
      The results of the column study showed that the mobility of XG-mZVI particles
      increased with an increasing flow rate and larger grain diameter. At the highest
      flow rate (2.30 * 10(-3) m/s) within the coarsest porous media (0.8-1.2 mm),
      86.52% of the XG-mZVI flowed through the column. At the lowest flow rate (0.97 *
      10(-4) m/s) within the finest porous media (0.3-0.6 mm), the retention was
      dramatically strengthened, with only 48.22% of the particles flowing through the
      column. The XG-mZVI particles appeared to be easily trapped at the beginning of
      the column especially at a low flow rate. In terms of two representative water
      chemistry parameters (ion strength and pH value), no significant influence on XG
      mZVI particle mobility was observed. The experimental results suggested that
      straining was the primary mechanism of XG-mZVI retention under saturated
      condition. Given the above results, the specific site-related conditions should
      be taken into consideration for the design of a successful delivery system to
      achieve a compromise between maximizing the radius of influence of the injection
      and minimizing the injection pressure. 

PMID- 26497938
TI  - Attenuation of copper in runoff from copper roofing materials by two stormwater
      control measures.
AB  - Concerns have been raised over diffuse and non-point sources of metals including
      releases from copper (Cu) roofs during storm events. A picnic shelter with a
      partitioned Cu roof was constructed with two types of stormwater control measures
      (SCMs), bioretention planter boxes and biofiltration swales, to evaluate the
      ability of the SCMs to attenuate Cu in stormwater runoff from the roof. Cu was
      measured as it entered the SCMs from the roof as influent as well as after it
      left the SCMs as effluent. Samples from twenty-six storms were collected with
      flow-weighted composite sampling. Samples from seven storms were collected with
      discrete sampling. Total Cu in composite samples of the influent waters ranged
      from 306 to 2863 MUg L(-1) and had a median concentration of 1087 MUg L(-1).
      Total Cu in the effluent from the planter boxes ranged from 28 to 141 MUg L(-1),
      with a median of 66 MUg L(-1). Total Cu in effluent from the swales ranged from 7
      to 51 MUg L(-1) with a median of 28 MUg L(-1). Attenuation in the planter boxes
      ranged from 85 to 99% with a median of 94% by concentration and in the swales
      ranged from 93 to 99% with a median of 99%. As the roof aged, discrete storm
      events showed a pronounced first-flush effect of Cu in SCM influent but this was
      less pronounced in the planter outlets. Stormwater retention time in the media
      varied with antecedent conditions, stormwater intensity and volume with median
      values from 6.6 to 73.5 min. Based on local conditions, a previously-published Cu
      weathering model gave a predicted Cu runoff rate of 2.02 g m(-2) yr(-1). The
      measured rate based on stormwater sampling was 2.16 g m(-2) yr(-1). Overall, both
      SCMs were highly successful at retaining and preventing offsite transport of Cu
      from Cu roof runoff.

PMID- 26497939
TI  - Subsurface intake systems: Green choice for improving feed water quality at SWRO
      desalination plants, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
AB  - An investigation of three seawater reverse osmosis facilities located along the
      shoreline of the Red Sea of Saudi Arabia that use well intake systems showed that
      the pumping-induced flow of raw seawater through a coastal aquifer significantly
      improves feed water quality. A comparison between the surface seawater and the
      discharge from the wells shows that turbidity, algae, bacteria, total organic
      carbon, most fractions of natural organic matter (NOM), and particulate and
      colloidal transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) have significant reductions in
      concentration. Nearly all of the algae, up to 99% of the bacteria, between 84 and
      100% of the biopolymer fraction of NOM, and a high percentage of the TEP were
      removed during transport. The data suggest that the flowpath length and hydraulic
      retention time in the aquifer play the most important roles in removal of the
      organic matter. Since the collective concentrations of bacteria, biopolymers, and
      TEP in the intake seawater play important roles in the biofouling of SWRO
      membranes, the observed reductions suggest that the desalination facilities that
      use well intakes systems will have a potentially lower fouling rate compared to
      open-ocean intake systems. Furthermore, well intake system intakes also reduce
      the need for chemical usage during complex pretreatment systems required for
      operation of SWRO facilities using open-ocean intakes and reduce environmental
      impacts. 

PMID- 26497940
TI  - How Bacteria Use Type IV Pili Machinery on Surfaces.
AB  - The bacterial type IV pilus (T4P) is a versatile molecular machine with a broad
      range of functions. Recent advances revealed that the molecular components and
      the biophysical properties of the machine are well conserved among
      phylogenetically distant bacterial species. However, its functions are diverse,
      and include adhesion, motility, and horizontal gene transfer. This review
      focusses on the role of T4P in surface motility and bacterial interactions.
      Different species have evolved distinct mechanisms for intracellular coordination
      of multiple pili and of pili with other motility machines, ranging from physical
      coordination to biochemical clocks. Coordinated behavior between multiple
      bacteria on a surface is achieved by active manipulation of surfaces and
      modulation of pilus-pilus interactions. An emerging picture is that the T4P
      actively senses and responds to environmental conditions. 

PMID- 26497941
TI  - Brucella abortus Cell Cycle and Infection Are Coordinated.
AB  - Brucellae are facultative intracellular pathogens. The recent development of
      methods and genetically engineered strains allowed the description of cell-cycle
      progression of Brucella abortus, including unipolar growth and the ordered
      initiation of chromosomal replication. B. abortus cell-cycle progression is
      coordinated with intracellular trafficking in the endosomal compartments.
      Bacteria are first blocked at the G1 stage, growth and chromosome replication
      being resumed shortly before reaching the intracellular proliferation
      compartment. The control mechanisms of cell cycle are similar to those reported
      for the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus, and they are crucial for survival in
      the host cell. The development of single-cell analyses could also be applied to
      other bacterial pathogens to investigate their cell-cycle progression during
      infection. 

PMID- 26497942
TI  - The ethics of neonatal research: An ethicist's and a parents' perspective.
AB  - The ethics of neonatal research are complex because vulnerable new parents are
      asked to provide consent on behalf of their fragile baby. Whereas clinical
      neonatal care has evolved to value personalized and shared decision-making, the
      goal of research ethics is still to standardize the informed consent process and
      make it as complete and thorough as possible. Ethicists, lawyers and physicians
      have shaped the field of research ethics and consent for research. The goal of
      detailed informed consent is to protect participants from harm, but procedures
      were developed without input from the principal stakeholders: ex-neonatal
      intensive care unit parents/patients. Empirical investigations examining patient
      and parental perspectives on research and research ethics are lacking. Rigorous
      investigations are needed to determine how parents of sick neonates want their
      families to be protected, knowing that a lack of research is also harmful. Large
      randomized controlled multicenter trials will always be needed to improve
      neonatal outcomes. These trials are costly and time-consuming. Currently, the way
      in which research is funded and regulated and the way in which academic merit is
      recognized lead to inefficiency and a waste of precious resources. Following a
      review of the history of research ethics, this article examines and discusses the
      ethics of research in neonatology. In addition, challenges and opportunities are
      identified and ideas for future investigations are proposed. 

PMID- 26497943
TI  - Captures of MFO-resistant Cydia pomonella adults as affected by lure, crop
      management system and flight.
AB  - The main resistance mechanism of codling moth (Cydia pomonella) in the tree fruit
      area of Lleida (NE Spain) is multifunction oxidases (MFO). We studied the
      frequency of MFO-resistant adults captured by different lures, with and without
      pear ester, and flights in orchards under different crop management systems. The
      factor year affected codling moth MFO-resistance level, particularly in the
      untreated orchards, highlighting the great influence of codling moth migration on
      the spread of resistance in field populations. Chemical treatments and adult
      flight were also very important but mating disruption technique showed no
      influence. The second adult flight showed the highest frequency, followed by the
      first flight and the third flight. In untreated orchards, there were no
      significant differences in the frequency of MFO-resistant individuals attracted
      by Combo and BioLure. Red septa lures baited with pear ester (DA) captured
      sufficient insects only in the first generation of 2010, obtaining a
      significantly lower proportion of MFO-resistant adults than Combo and BioLure. In
      the chemically treated orchards, in 2009 BioLure caught a significantly lower
      proportion of MFO-resistant adults than Combo during the first and third flight,
      and also than DA during the first flight. No significant differences were found
      between the lures or flights in 2010. These results cannot support the idea of a
      higher attractiveness of the pear ester for MFO-resistant adults in the field but
      do suggest a high influence of the response to the attractant depending on the
      management of the orchard, particularly with regard to the use of chemical
      insecticides. 

PMID- 26497945
TI  - Ultrasensitive Phototransistors Based on Few-Layered HfS2.
AB  - An ultrathin HfS2 -based ultrasensitive phototransistor is systematically
      studied. Au-contacted HfS2 phototransistors with ideal thickness ranging from 7
      to 12 nm exhibit a high on/off ratio of ca. 10(7) , ultrahigh photoresponsivity
      over 890 A W(-1) , and photogain over 2300. Moreover, the response time is
      strongly dependent on the back-gate voltage and shows a reverse trend for Au and
      Cr metals. 

PMID- 26497944
TI  - Contribution of Piezo2 to endothelium-dependent pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We evaluated the role of a mechanically-gated ion channel, Piezo2, in
      mechanical stimulation-induced enhancement of hyperalgesia produced by the
      pronociceptive vasoactive mediator endothelin-1, an innocuous mechanical stimulus
      induced enhancement of hyperalgesia that is vascular endothelial cell dependent.
      We also evaluated its role in a preclinical model of a vascular endothelial cell
      dependent painful peripheral neuropathy. RESULTS: The local administration of
      oligodeoxynucleotides antisense to Piezo2 mRNA, at the site of nociceptive
      testing in the rat's hind paw, but not intrathecally at the central terminal of
      the nociceptor, prevented innocuous stimulus-induced enhancement of hyperalgesia
      produced by endothelin-1 (100 ng). The mechanical hyperalgesia induced by
      oxaliplatin (2 mg/kg. i.v.), which was inhibited by impairing endothelial cell
      function, was similarly attenuated by local injection of the Piezo2 antisense.
      Polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated for the first time the presence
      of Piezo2 mRNA in endothelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the
      hypothesis that Piezo2 is a mechano-transducer in the endothelial cell where it
      contributes to stimulus-dependent hyperalgesia, and a model of chemotherapy
      induced painful peripheral neuropathy.

PMID- 26497946
TI  - Short-term outcomes of single-site robotic cholecystectomy versus four-port
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a prospective, randomized, double-blind trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Randomized studies could not demonstrate significant outcome benefit
      after single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy compared to classic four-port
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy (CLC). The new robotic single-site platform might
      offer potential benefits on local inflammation and postoperative pain due to its
      technological advantages. This prospective randomized double-blind trial compared
      the short-term outcomes between single-incision robotic cholecystectomy (SIRC)
      and CLC. METHODS: Two groups of 30 eligible patients were randomized for SIRC or
      CLC. During the first postoperative week, patients and study monitors were
      blinded to the type of procedure performed by four dressing tapes applied on the
      abdomen. Pain was assessed at 6 h and on day 1, 7 and 30 after surgery, along
      with a 1-10 cosmetic score. RESULTS: No significant difference in postoperative
      pain occurred in the two groups at any time point nor for any of the abdominal
      sites. Nineteen (63 %) SIRC patients reported early postoperative pain in extra
      umbilical sites. Intraoperative complications which might influence postoperative
      pain, such as minor bleeding and bile spillage, were similar in both groups and
      no conversions occurred. The cosmetic score 1 month postoperatively was higher
      for SIRC (p < 0.001). Two SIRC patients had wound infection, one of which
      developed an incisional hernia. CONCLUSIONS: SIRC does not offer any significant
      reduction of postoperative pain compared to CLC. SIRC patients unaware of their
      type of operation still report pain in extra-umbilical sites like after CLC. The
      cosmetic advantage of SIRC should be balanced against an increased risk of
      incisional hernias and higher costs. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:
      ACTRN12614000119695 ( http://www.anzctr.org.au ).

PMID- 26497947
TI  - A comparison of the efficacy and safety of endoscopic full-thickness resection
      and laparoscopic-assisted surgery for small gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Laparoscopic-assisted surgery (LAC) is an alternative to open
      surgery for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Endoscopic full-thickness
      resection (EFTR), a recently developed procedure, is increasingly used to resect
      GISTs originated from the muscularis propria. In this retrospective study, we
      aimed to compare EFTR with LAC as minimally invasive treatments for GISTs,
      especially those with a diameter <2 cm, originating from the muscularis propria.
      Moreover, we evaluated the clinical efficacy, safety, and feasibility of EFTR for
      GISTs. METHODS: The study included 68 patients with GISTs originating from the
      muscularis propria (35 patients who underwent EFTR, and 33 who underwent LAC) who
      were treated at the Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University
      (Zhanjiang, China) between January 2011 and December 2013. The therapeutic
      outcomes of EFTR and LAC were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: In the EFTR
      group, the mean tumor size was 13 +/- 5 mm, the mean procedure time was 91 +/- 63
      min, and the complete resection rate was 100 %. There were 35 "artificial"
      perforations and four cases of intraoperative bleeding; all complications were
      successfully managed endoscopically without emergency surgery. In the LAC group,
      the mean tumor size was 16 +/- 4 mm, the mean operation time was 155 +/- 37 min,
      and complications included three wound infections and one anastomotic leakage.
      CONCLUSIONS: EFTR was associated with a lower complication rate than LAC, with
      favorable en bloc and sufficient tumor tissue for histological diagnosis. EFTR
      seems to be an efficacious, relatively safe, and minimally invasive treatment for
      GISTs and could replace LAC surgical resection in cases where the tumor is
      smaller than 2 cm in diameter.

PMID- 26497949
TI  - Genetic load, inbreeding depression, and hybrid vigor covary with population
      size: An empirical evaluation of theoretical predictions.
AB  - Reduced population size is thought to have strong consequences for evolutionary
      processes as it enhances the strength of genetic drift. In its interaction with
      selection, this is predicted to increase the genetic load, reduce inbreeding
      depression, and increase hybrid vigor, and in turn affect phenotypic evolution.
      Several of these predictions have been tested, but comprehensive studies
      controlling for confounding factors are scarce. Here, we show that populations of
      Daphnia magna, which vary strongly in genetic diversity, also differ in genetic
      load, inbreeding depression, and hybrid vigor in a way that strongly supports
      theoretical predictions. Inbreeding depression is positively correlated with
      genetic diversity (a proxy for Ne ), and genetic load and hybrid vigor are
      negatively correlated with genetic diversity. These patterns remain significant
      after accounting for potential confounding factors and indicate that, in small
      populations, a large proportion of the segregation load is converted into fixed
      load. Overall, the results suggest that the nature of genetic variation for
      fitness-related traits differs strongly between large and small populations. This
      has large consequences for evolutionary processes in natural populations, such as
      selection on dispersal, breeding systems, ageing, and local adaptation. 

PMID- 26497950
TI  - Radical-Mediated Fluoroalkylations.
AB  - Recently, the development of eco-friendly radical processes has become of great
      interest in synthetic chemistry. In particular, visible-light photocatalysis has
      drawn tremendous attention for its environmental compatibility and versatility in
      promoting many synthetically important reactions. In addition, inorganic
      electrides as electron donors have emerged as new eco-friendly tools for radical
      transformations since they consist of non-toxic and naturally abundant main
      metals such as calcium. The design of new fluoroalkylation reactions has
      benefited greatly from recent advances in visible-light photocatalysis and the
      chemistry of inorganic electrides. Since adding fluoroalkyl groups can
      dramatically change the physical and chemical properties of organic compounds,
      using these processes to promote eco-friendly radical fluoroalkylations will have
      a major impact in areas such as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and material
      sciences. This Personal Account reviews radical-mediated fluoroalkylations, such
      as trifluoromethylations and difluoroalkylations, recently developed in our
      laboratory. 

PMID- 26497948
TI  - Utility of untimed single urine protein/creatinine ratio as a substitute for 24-h
      proteinuria for assessment of proteinuria in systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In this study, we determined: (1) the utility of an untimed sample
      of urine protein/creatinine ratio (PCR) as a screening test for proteinuria, (2)
      its ability to accurately measure proteinuria, and (3) cutoff values for PCR
      predicting protein content in a 24-h urine collection sample (24hP) of 0.5, 1.0,
      and 2.0 g/day. METHODS: Analysis was performed on data from a single lupus cohort
      (2008-2014). Proteinuria was measured in a 24hP and with PCR. On the basis of
      24hP, samples were divided into 4 groups: group 1, <0.5 g/day; group 2, 0.5-0.99
      g/day; group 3, 1-1.99 g/day; and group 4, >=2 g/day. To determine the validity
      of PCR in screening for proteinuria, the Pearson correlation coefficient was
      determined for the urine samples with normal PCR (<0.05 g/mmol) and normal 24hP
      (<0.5 g/day). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and
      negative predictive value (NPV) of PCR were calculated. To determine the ability
      of PCR to accurately measure the level of proteinuria, in addition to the
      correlation between 24hP and PCR, agreement was determined by intraclass
      correlation coefficient, concordance correlation coefficient, and Bland-Altman
      plot between 24hP/24hC and PCR. The best cutoffs for PCR predicting a 24hP of
      0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 g/day were determined with the receiver operating
      characteristic curve. RESULTS: The correlation of the samples with normal PCR as
      well as 24hP (n = 552) was 0.29 (p < 0.0001). PCR sensitivity and specificity
      against 24hP were 91 % and 83 %, respectively. The PPV was 82.5 %, and the NPV
      was 91.4 %. The correlation for all samples (n = 1233) was high, but low to
      moderate for groups 1, 2, 3, and 4. The agreement for all samples was appropriate
      but poor for groups 1, 2, 3, and 4. PCR cutoffs for 24hP of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0
      g/day were 0.08, 0.16, and 0.35 g/mmol, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PCR can be
      used as a screening test for proteinuria, and the best cutoff value to predict a
      24hP of 0.5 g/day is 0.08 g/mmol (800 mg/g). The accurate level of proteinuria
      should be measured by the gold standard test, 24hP.

PMID- 26497951
TI  - In-hospital logistics: what are the key aspects for succeeding in each of the
      steps of the process of controlled donation after circulatory death?
AB  - Donation after circulatory death (DCD) donors are becoming an increasingly
      important population of organ donors in Europe and worldwide. We report the state
      of the art regarding controlled DCD donation describing the organizational and
      technical aspects of establishing a controlled DCD programme and provide
      recommendations regarding the introduction and development of this type of
      programme. 

PMID- 26497952
TI  - Effects of pre-slaughter stressor and feeding preventative Chinese medicinal
      herbs on glycolysis and oxidative stability in pigs.
AB  - A total of 64 5-month-old Pietrain pigs were randomly allocated to four
      treatments with four replicates per treatment according to body weight. The pigs
      were fed either a standard corn-soybean meal based control diet (treatments 1 and
      2), the standard diet with 1% Lycium barbarum (LB) (treatment 3), or the standard
      diet with 1% Polygala tenuifolia Willd (PT) (treatment 4). Serum lactic acid and
      glucose concentrations were increased in stressed pigs (P < 0.05). Addition of
      the herbs in the diet had no effect on the serum lactic acid concentration, but
      1% LB decreased (P < 0.05) serum glucose concentration in the stressed pigs. Pre
      slaughter stress also decreased (P < 0.01) liver glycogen concentration and the
      decrease could be inhibited by addition of 1% LB in the diet (P > 0.05). Pre
      slaughter stress increased the concentration of maleic dialdehyde (MDA) (P <
      0.05) and decreased glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in serum, while
      dietary 1% LB increased (P < 0.05) the activity of GSH-Px and decreased the
      concentration of MDA in the serum. In conclusion, pre-slaughter stress induces
      oxidative stress in pigs and dietary supplementation with 1% LB improves
      antioxidant capacity in stressed pigs before slaughtering. 

PMID- 26497953
TI  - Anembryonic Gestation in Wild South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens.
AB  - We present the first record and description of an anembryonic gestation in a wild
      South America sea lion, Otaria flavescens (Carnivora, Pinniped). This is the
      first report of an anembryonic gestation in a wild marine mammal species. This
      description furthers the knowledge of general aspects of the reproduction of an
      otariid species, which presents the particularities of delayed implantation and
      polygynic breeding system, and adds information on a reproductive abnormality in
      marine mammals. 

PMID- 26497954
TI  - Assessment of liver fibrosis in rats by MRI with apparent diffusion coefficient
      and T1 relaxation time in the rotating frame.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore the value of T1 relaxation times in the rotating frame (T1
      rho or T1 rho) for evaluating liver fibrosis stage, compared to apparent
      diffusion coefficients (ADCs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Liver fibrosis in model
      rats (n = 50) was produced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 ) injection. Five rats
      died during the experiment. Surviving model rats (n = 45) and controls (n = 15)
      were subjected to 3.0T MRI and the ADCs (b-values: 0, 800 s/mm(2) ) and T1 rho
      values were determined. Liver fibrosis stage (F0-F4) was defined based on METAVIR
      scoring. Nonparametric statistical methods and receiver operating characteristic
      (ROC) curve analyses were employed to determine diagnostic accuracy. RESULTS:
      Mean ADC and T1 rho associated negatively (r = -0.732 P < 0.001) and positively
      (r = 0.863 P < 0.001), respectively, with severity of fibrosis stage. Analysis of
      ROC curves for fibrosis staging showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for T1
      rho (stage F0 vs. F1-F4 = 0.976, stage F0-F1 vs. F2-F4 = 0.920, stage F0-F2 vs.
      F3-F4 = 0.938, and stage F0-F3 vs. F4 = 0.931) was larger than that for ADCs
      (0.917, 0.924, 0.842, and 0.781, respectively). CONCLUSION: ADC and T1 rho values
      correlate with liver fibrosis stage. The performance of the T1 rho parameter was
      superior to that of the ADC parameter in the differentiation of liver fibrosis
      stages in a CCl4 rat model.

PMID- 26497955
TI  - [Cryosurgery in dermatology].
AB  - This article provides information on the clinical development of skin reactions
      after cryosurgery/cryotherapy and the indications, complications and
      contraindications of skin cryosurgery. Successful skin cryosurgery requires rapid
      freezing and slow thawing, minimum tissue temperature of -25 to -60C and, in
      malignant lesions, repetition of the freeze-thaw cycle. Frozen tissue reacts with
      peripheral erythema immediately after thawing, followed by edema, bulla
      formation, exudation and mumification. Lesions usually heal with a fine atrophic
      scar after approximately 4 weeks. Nowadays, cryosurgery is considered the
      treatment of choice in hypertrophic scars and keloids, granuloma annulare, small
      capillary infantile hemangioma and isolated actinic keratoses. It is also a
      valuable alternative therapy for various other skin diseases, including common
      warts, solar lentigo, superficial basal cell carcinoma and Kaposi's sarcoma.
      Cryosurgery is a safe regimen with relatively few adverse effects and
      contraindications. Pain during and/or shortly after treatment, bulla formation
      and local edema are the major temporary adverse effects; lesional
      hypopigmentation and/or peripheral hyperpigmentation is the most common long-term
      complication.

PMID- 26497956
TI  - Demethylation of HIN-1 reverses paclitaxel-resistance of ovarian clear cell
      carcinoma through the AKT-mTOR signaling pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methylation of HIN-1 is associated with poor outcomes in patients
      with ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC), which is regarded to be an aggressive,
      chemo-resistant histological subtype. This study aimed to evaluate whether 5-aza
      2-deoxycytidine (5-aza-2-dC) can reverse methylation of the HIN-1 gene to restore
      chemo-sensitivity of OCCC and the possible mechanism. METHODS: In vitro flow
      cytometric analysis and evaluation of caspase-3/7 activity of paclitaxel
      sensitive and resistant OCCC cell lines were performed. Methylation status and
      expression changes of HIN-1 in the OCCC cell lines treated with 5-aza-2-dC were
      evaluated, and immunohistochemical staining of HIN-1 in OCCC tissues was
      performed. In vivo tumor growth with or without 5-aza-2-dC treatment was
      analyzed, and Western blotting of AKT-mTOR signaling-related molecules was
      performed. RESULTS: G2-M phase arrest was absent in paclitaxel-resistant OCCC
      cells after treatment with the cytotoxic drug. The caspase activities of the
      chemo-resistant OCCC cells were lower than those of the chemo-sensitive OCCC
      cells when treated with paclitaxel. Methylation of HIN-1 was noted in paclitaxel
      resistant OCCC cell lines and cancerous tissues. 5-aza-2-dC reversed the
      methylation of HIN-1, re-activated the expression of HIN-1, and then suppressed
      the in vivo tumor growth of paclitaxel-resistant OCCC cells. Immunoblotting
      revealed that phospho-AKT473 and phospho-mTOR were significantly increased in HIN
      1-methylated paclitaxel-resistant OCCC cell lines. However, the expressions of
      phospho-AKT at Ser473 and Thr308 and phospho-mTOR decreased in the OCCC cells
      with a high expression of HIN-1. CONCLUSIONS: Demethylating agents can restore
      the HIN-1 expression in paclitaxel-resistant OCCC cells through the HIN-1-AKT
      mTOR signaling pathway to inhibit tumor growth.

PMID- 26497957
TI  - Lifestyle factors associated with histologically derived human ovarian non
      growing follicle count in reproductive age women.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Are lifestyle factors (smoking, BMI, alcohol use and oral
      contraceptive pill use) associated with the human ovarian reserve as determined
      by the total ovarian non-growing follicle number? SUMMARY ANSWER: Light to
      moderate alcohol use was significantly associated with greater ovarian non
      growing follicle (NGF) count, whereas other lifestyle factors were not
      significantly related. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: A single previous investigation has
      suggested that smoking and alcohol use are associated with lower ovarian follicle
      density. However, this investigation utilized follicle density as the outcome of
      interest rather than the estimated total ovarian NGF count. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE,
      DURATION: This cross-sectional investigation included a convenience sample of
      premenopausal women from two different academic sites, the University of
      Washington (n = 37, from 1999-2004) and the University of Oklahoma (n = 73, from
      2004-2013), undergoing incidental oophorectomy at the time of hysterectomy (total
      n = 110, age range 21-52 years). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Prior
      to undergoing oophorectomy, participants completed detailed questionnaires
      regarding lifestyle exposures. Following surgery, total ovarian NGF counts were
      determined with systematic random sampling rules and a validated
      fractionator/optical dissector technique. Associations between lifestyle factors
      and log-transformed ovarian follicle counts were determined using multivariable
      linear regression. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: After controlling for
      age, BMI, oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use, tobacco use and site of collection,
      cumulative alcohol use (measured in alcoholic drinks per day multiplied by years
      of drinking) was associated with ovarian NGF count. Women reporting light (>0 to
      <1 drink-years) and moderate (1-3 drink-years) alcohol use had greater NGF counts
      (beta = 0.75, P = 0.04, and beta = 1.00, P = 0.03; light and moderate use,
      respectively) as compared with non-users. Neither heavier alcohol use (>3 drink
      years), BMI, OCP use, nor tobacco use were significantly associated with the
      ovarian NGF count. Similar patterns of association with moderate cumulative
      alcohol use were observed when evaluating associations with pre-antral follicles
      and total follicle counts. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: All participants in
      this convenience sample had a benign indication for hysterectomy, and therefore
      may not be broadly representative of the population without such an indication.
      Additionally, lifestyle factors were self-reported, and the sample size of the
      present investigation limits our ability to detect associations of smaller
      magnitude. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: While our findings are in
      disagreement with a single investigation that utilized human follicle density as
      the outcome of interest, they are consistent with many studies investigating the
      relationship between lifestyle factors and the age of spontaneous menopause.
      Furthermore, they suggest a mechanism that does not involve accelerated
      follicular atresia to explain the association between smoking and an earlier age
      of menopause. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: This investigation was funded by
      NIA R29-HD37360-04 (N.A.K.) and OCAST HR04-115 (K.R.H.) and by the National
      Institute of General Medical Sciences, Grant 1 U54GM104938 (J.D.P.). There is no
      conflict of interest.

PMID- 26497958
TI  - Chromosomal integration vectors allowing flexible expression of foreign genes in
      Campylobacter jejuni.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Campylobacter jejuni is a major cause of human gastroenteritis yet
      there is limited knowledge of how disease is caused. Molecular genetic approaches
      are vital for research into the virulence mechanisms of this important pathogen.
      Vectors that allow expression of genes in C. jejuni via recombination onto the
      chromosome are particularly useful for genetic complementation of insertional
      knockout mutants and more generally for expression of genes in particular C.
      jejuni host backgrounds. METHODS: A series of three vectors that allow
      integration of genes onto the C. jejuni chromosome were constructed by standard
      cloning techniques with expression driven from three different strong promoters.
      Following integration onto the C. jejuni chromosome expression levels were
      quantified by fluorescence measurements and cells visualized by fluorescence
      microscopy. RESULTS: We have created plasmid, pCJC1, designed for recombination
      mediated delivery of genes onto the C. jejuni chromosome. This plasmid contains a
      chloramphenicol resistance cassette (cat) with upstream and downstream
      restriction sites, flanked by regions of the C. jejuni pseudogene Cj0223. Cloning
      of genes immediately upstream or downstream of the cat gene allows their
      subsequent introduction onto the C. jejuni chromosome within the pseudogene. Gene
      expression can be driven from the native gene promoter if included, or
      alternatively from the cat promoter if the gene is cloned downstream of, and in
      the same transcriptional orientation as cat. To provide increased and variable
      expression of genes from the C. jejuni chromosome we modified pCJC1 through
      incorporation of three relatively strong promoters from the porA, ureI and flaA
      genes of C. jejuni, Helicobacter pylori and Helicobacter pullorum respectively.
      These promoters along with their associated ribosome binding sites were cloned
      upstream of the cat gene on pCJC1 to create plasmids pCJC2, pCJC3 and pCJC4. To
      test their effectiveness, a green fluorescent protein (gfp) reporter gene was
      inserted downstream of each of the three promoters and following integration of
      promoter-gene fusions onto the C. jejuni host chromosome, expression levels were
      quantified. Expression from the porA promoter produced the highest fluorescence,
      from flaA intermediate levels and from ureI the lowest. Expression of gfp from
      the porA promoter enabled visualization by fluorescent microscopy of
      intracellular C. jejuni cells following invasion of HeLa cells. CONCLUSIONS: The
      plasmids constructed allow stable chromosomal expression of genes in C. jejuni
      and, depending on the promoter used, different expression levels were obtained
      making these plasmids useful tools for genetic complementation and high level
      expression.

PMID- 26497959
TI  - Endothelial cell activation by hemodynamic shear stress derived from
      arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis access.
AB  - Intimal hyperplasia (IH) is the first cause of failure of an arteriovenous
      fistula (AVF). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects on
      endothelial cells (ECs) of shear stress waveforms derived from AVF areas prone to
      develop IH. We used a cone-and-plate device to obtain real-time control of shear
      stress acting on EC cultures. We exposed human umbilical vein ECs for 48 h to
      different shear stimulations calculated in a side-to-end AVF model. Pulsatile
      unidirectional flow, representative of low-risk stenosis areas, induced alignment
      of ECs and actin fiber orientation with flow. Shear stress patterns of
      reciprocating flow, derived from high-risk stenosis areas, did not affect EC
      shape or cytoskeleton organization, which remained similar to static cultures. We
      also evaluated flow-induced EC expression of genes known to be involved in
      cytoskeletal remodeling and expression of cell adhesion molecules. Unidirectional
      flow induced a significant increase in Kruppel-like factor 2 mRNA expression,
      whereas it significantly reduced phospholipase D1, alpha4-integrin, and Ras p21
      protein activator 1 mRNA expression. Reciprocating flow did not increase Kruppel
      like factor 2 mRNA expression compared with static controls but significantly
      increased mRNA expression of phospholipase D1, alpha4-integrin, and Ras p21
      protein activator 1. Reciprocating flow selectively increased monocyte
      chemoattractant protein-1 and IL-8 production. Furthermore, culture medium
      conditioned by ECs exposed to reciprocating flows selectively increased smooth
      muscle cell proliferation compared with unidirectional flow. Our results indicate
      that protective vascular effects induced in ECs by unidirectional pulsatile flow
      are not induced by reciprocating shear forces, suggesting a mechanism by which
      oscillating flow conditions may induce the development of IH in AVF and vascular
      access dysfunction. 

PMID- 26497960
TI  - At high cardiac output, diesel exhaust exposure increases pulmonary vascular
      resistance and decreases distensibility of pulmonary resistive vessels.
AB  - Air pollution has recently been associated with the development of acute
      decompensated heart failure, but the underlying biological mechanisms remain
      unclear. A pulmonary vasoconstrictor effect of air pollution, combined with its
      systemic effects, may precipitate decompensated heart failure. The aim of the
      present study was to investigate the effects of acute exposure to diesel exhaust
      (DE) on pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) under resting and stress conditions
      but also to determine whether air pollution may potentiate acquired pulmonary
      hypertension. Eighteen healthy male volunteers were exposed to ambient air (AA)
      or dilute DE with a particulate matter of <2.5 MUm concentration of 300 MUg/m(3)
      for 2 h in a randomized, crossover study design. The effects of DE on PVR, on the
      coefficient of distensibilty of pulmonary vessels (alpha), and on right and left
      ventricular function were evaluated at rest (n = 18), during dobutamine stress
      echocardiography (n = 10), and during exercise stress echocardiography performed
      in hypoxia (n = 8). Serum endothelin-1 and fractional exhaled nitric oxide were
      also measured. At rest, exposure to DE did not affect PVR. During dobutamine
      stress, the slope of the mean pulmonary artery pressure-cardiac output
      relationship increased from 2.8 +/- 0.5 mmHg . min . l (-1) in AA to 3.9 +/- 0.5
      mmHg . min . l (-1) in DE (P < 0.05) and the alpha coefficient decreased from
      0.96 +/- 0.15 to 0.64 +/- 0.12%/mmHg (P < 0.01). DE did not further enhance the
      hypoxia-related upper shift of the mean pulmonary artery pressure-cardiac output
      relationship. Exposure to DE did not affect serum endothelin-1 concentration or
      fractional exhaled nitric oxide. In conclusion, acute exposure to DE increased
      pulmonary vasomotor tone by decreasing the distensibility of pulmonary resistive
      vessels at high cardiac output.

PMID- 26497961
TI  - Circadian variation of variability and irregularity of heart rate in patients
      with permanent atrial fibrillation: relation to symptoms and rate control drugs.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate diurnal variations of the
      variability and irregularity of heart rate (HR) in patients with permanent atrial
      fibrillation (AF) with and without rate control drugs. Thirty-eight patients with
      permanent AF were part of an investigator-blind crossover study comparing
      diltiazem, verapamil, metoprolol, and carvedilol. We analyzed five Holter
      recordings per patient: at baseline (no rate control drug) and with each of the
      four drug regimens. HR, variability (SD; percentages of interval differences of
      successive RR intervals of >20, 50, and 80 ms; and root of the mean squared
      differences of successive RR intervals), and irregularity (approximate and sample
      entropy) parameters were computed in 20-min long nonoverlapping segments.
      Circadian rhythmicity was evaluated using cosinor analysis to each parameter
      series, which is characterized by the 24-h mean [midline statistic of rhythm
      (MESOR)] and excursion over the mean (amplitude). Arrhythmia-related symptoms
      were assessed by a questionnaire measuring symptom severity and frequency. HR and
      variability parameters showed a significant circadian variation in most patients,
      whereas only a small minority of the patients had circadian variations of
      irregularity parameters. Patients with circadian approximate entropy n at
      baseline had more severe symptoms (symptom severity: 9 +/- 4 vs. 6 +/- 5, P <
      0.05, circadian vs. noncircadian variations). All drugs decreased the MESOR of HR
      and increased the MESOR of variability parameters. Only carvedilol and metoprolol
      decreased the normalized amplitude over 24 h of all parameters and HR. In
      conclusion, HR and RR variability parameters present a circadian variation in
      patients with permanent AF, whereas few patients demonstrated circadian
      fluctuations in irregularity parameters, suggesting different physiological
      mechanisms. 

PMID- 26497962
TI  - Cardiac and mitochondrial dysfunction following acute pulmonary exposure to
      mountaintop removal mining particulate matter.
AB  - Throughout the United States, air pollution correlates with adverse health
      outcomes, and cardiovascular disease incidence is commonly increased following
      environmental exposure. In areas surrounding active mountaintop removal mines
      (MTM), a further increase in cardiovascular morbidity is observed and may be
      attributed in part to particulate matter (PM) released from the mine. The
      mitochondrion has been shown to be central in the etiology of many cardiovascular
      diseases, yet its roles in PM-related cardiovascular effects are not realized. In
      this study, we sought to elucidate the cardiac processes that are disrupted
      following exposure to mountaintop removal mining particulate matter (PM MTM). To
      address this question, we exposed male Sprague-Dawley rats to PM MTM, collected
      within one mile of an active MTM site, using intratracheal instillation. Twenty
      four hours following exposure, we evaluated cardiac function, apoptotic indices,
      and mitochondrial function. PM MTM exposure elicited a significant decrease in
      ejection fraction and fractional shortening compared with controls. Investigation
      into the cellular impacts of PM MTM exposure identified a significant increase in
      mitochondrial-induced apoptotic signaling, as reflected by an increase in TUNEL
      positive nuclei and increased caspase-3 and -9 activities. Finally, a significant
      increase in mitochondrial transition pore opening leading to decreased
      mitochondrial function was identified following exposure. In conclusion, our data
      suggest that pulmonary exposure to PM MTM increases cardiac mitochondrial
      associated apoptotic signaling and decreases mitochondrial function concomitant
      with decreased cardiac function. These results suggest that increased
      cardiovascular disease incidence in populations surrounding MTM mines may be
      associated with increased cardiac cell apoptotic signaling and decreased
      mitochondrial function.

PMID- 26497963
TI  - The coiled-coil domain of MURC/cavin-4 is involved in membrane trafficking of
      caveolin-3 in cardiomyocytes.
AB  - Muscle-restricted coiled-coil protein (MURC), also referred to as cavin-4, is a
      member of the cavin family that works cooperatively with caveolins in caveola
      formation and function. Cavins are cytoplasmic proteins with coiled-coil domains
      and form heteromeric complexes, which are recruited to caveolae in cells
      expressing caveolins. Among caveolins, caveolin-3 (Cav3) is exclusively expressed
      in muscle cells, similar to MURC/cavin-4. In the heart, Cav3 overexpression
      contributes to cardiac protection, and its deficiency leads to progressive
      cardiomyopathy. Mutations in the MURC/cavin-4 gene have been identified in
      patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. In the present study, we show the role of
      MURC/cavin-4 as a caveolar component in the heart. In H9c2 cells, MURC/cavin-4
      was localized at the plasma membrane, whereas a MURC/cavin-4 mutant lacking the
      coiled-coil domain (DeltaCC) was primarily localized to the cytoplasm. DeltaCC
      bound to Cav3 and impaired membrane localization of Cav3 in cardiomyocytes.
      Additionally, although DeltaCC did not alter Cav3 mRNA expression, DeltaCC
      decreased the Cav3 protein level. MURC/cavin-4 and DeltaCC similarly induced
      cardiomyocyte hypertrophy; however, DeltaCC showed higher hypertrophy-related
      fetal gene expression than MURC/cavin-4. DeltaCC induced ERK activation in
      cardiomyocytes. Transgenic mice expressing DeltaCC in the heart (DeltaCC-Tg mice)
      showed impaired cardiac function accompanied by cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and
      marked interstitial fibrosis. Hearts from DeltaCC-Tg mice showed a reduction of
      the Cav3 protein level and activation of ERK. These results suggest that
      MURC/cavin-4 requires its coiled-coil domain to target the plasma membrane and to
      stabilize Cav3 at the plasma membrane of cardiomyocytes and that MURC/cavin-4
      functions as a crucial caveolar component to regulate cardiac function. 

PMID- 26497964
TI  - 2-Deoxyadenosine triphosphate restores the contractile function of cardiac
      myofibril from adult dogs with naturally occurring dilated cardiomyopathy.
AB  - Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a major type of heart failure resulting from loss
      of systolic function. Naturally occurring canine DCM is a widely accepted
      experimental paradigm for studying human DCM. 2-Deoxyadenosine triphosphate
      (dATP) can be used by myosin and is a superior energy substrate over ATP for
      cross-bridge formation and increased systolic function. The objective of this
      study was to evaluate the beneficial effect of dATP on contractile function of
      cardiac myofibrils from dogs with naturally occurring DCM. We measured actomyosin
      NTPase activity and contraction/relaxation properties of isolated myofibrils from
      nonfailing (NF) and DCM canine hearts. NTPase assays indicated replacement of ATP
      with dATP significantly increased myofilament activity in both NF and DCM
      samples. dATP significantly improved maximal tension of DCM myofibrils to the NF
      sample level. dATP also restored Ca(2+) sensitivity of tension that was reduced
      in DCM samples. Similarly, dATP increased the kinetics of contractile activation
      (kACT), with no impact on the rate of cross-bridge tension redevelopment (kTR).
      Thus, the activation kinetics (kACT/kTR) that were reduced in DCM samples were
      restored for dATP to NF sample levels. dATP had little effect on relaxation. The
      rate of early slow-phase relaxation was slightly reduced with dATP, but its
      duration was not, nor was the fast-phase relaxation or times to 50 and 90%
      relaxation. Our findings suggest that myosin utilization of dATP improves cardiac
      myofibril contractile properties of naturally occurring DCM canine samples,
      restoring them to NF levels, without compromising relaxation. This suggests
      elevation of cardiac dATP is a promising approach for the treatment of DCM. 

PMID- 26497965
TI  - Determinants of kinetic energy of blood flow in the four-chambered heart in
      athletes and sedentary controls.
AB  - The kinetic energy (KE) of intracardiac blood may play an important role in
      cardiac function. The aims of the present study were to 1) quantify and
      investigate the determinants of KE, 2) compare the KE expenditure of intracardiac
      blood between athletes and control subjects, and 3) quantify the amount of KE
      inside and outside the diastolic vortex. Fourteen athletes and fourteen
      volunteers underwent cardiac MRI, including four-dimensional phase-contrast
      sequences. KE was quantified in four chambers, and energy expenditure was
      calculated by determining the mean KE/cardiac index. Left ventricular (LV) mass
      was an independent predictor of diastolic LVKE (R(2) = 0.66, P < 0.001), whereas
      right ventricular (RV) end-diastolic volume was important for diastolic RVKE
      (R(2) = 0.76, P < 0.001). The mean KE/cardiac index did not differ between groups
      (control subjects: 0.53 +/- 0.14 mJ.l(-1).min.m(2) and athletes: 0.56 +/- 0.21
      mJ.l(-1).min.m(2), P = 0.98). Mean LV diastolic vortex KE made up 70 +/- 1% and
      73 +/- 2% of total LV diastolic KE in athletes and control subjects (P = 0.18).
      In conclusion, the characteristics of the LV as a pressure pump and the RV as a
      volume pump are demonstrated as an association between LVKE and LV mass and
      between RVKE and end-diastolic volume. This also suggests different filling
      mechanisms where the LV is dependent on diastolic suction, whereas the RV fills
      with a basal movement of the atrioventricular plane over "stationary" blood. Both
      groups had similar energy expenditure for intracardiac blood flow, indicating
      similar pumping efficiency, likely explained by the lower heart rate that cancels
      the higher KE per heart beat in athletes. The majority of LVKE is found within
      the LV diastolic vortex, in contrast to earlier findings.

PMID- 26497966
TI  - Consumer response to media information: the case of grapefruit-medicine
      interaction.
AB  - This study measured the effect of media exposure on grapefruit/grapefruit juice
      consumption changes, in particular grapefruit-medicine interaction. Respondents'
      attitudes about health news on television and the internet were measured to
      account for consumers exposed versus not exposed to such information. Results of
      a sample selection model show that consumer attitudes toward health news were
      significantly related to exposure to media information. Also, news exposure about
      grapefruit-medicine interaction has a tendency to result in reduced grapefruit
      consumption. Consumers who are directly affected by the medication interaction
      significantly react to the news, and the effect varies by age. Even though
      consumer's age was positively related to the probability of increased grapefruit
      consumption, when consumers took the medication, consumer's age was negatively
      related to the probability of increased grapefruit consumption. 

PMID- 26497967
TI  - Benefits and risks of antihypertensive medications in the elderly.
AB  - Hypertension is highly prevalent in older age and accounts for a large proportion
      of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality worldwide. Isolated systolic
      hypertension is more common in the elderly than younger adults and associated
      with poor outcomes such as cerebrovascular disease and acute coronary events.
      International guidelines are inconsistent in providing recommendations on optimal
      blood pressure targets in hypertensive elderly patients as a result of the
      limited evidence in this population. Evidence from clinical trials supports the
      use of antihypertensive drugs in hypertensive elderly patients due to benefits in
      reducing CV disease and mortality. However, elderly participants in these trials
      may not be typical of elderly patients seen in routine clinical practice, and the
      potential risks associated with use of antihypertensive drugs in the elderly are
      not as well studied as younger participants. Therefore, the purpose of this
      review was to provide a comprehensive summary of the benefits and risks of the
      use of antihypertensive drugs in elderly patients (aged >=65 years), highlighting
      landmark clinical trials and observational studies. We will focus on specific
      outcomes relating to the benefits and risks of these medications in hypertensive
      elderly patients, such as CV disease, cognitive decline, dementia, orthostatic
      hypotension, falls, fractures, cancer and diabetes, in order to provide an update
      of the most relevant and current evidence to help inform clinical decision
      making.

PMID- 26497968
TI  - Wnt signaling and astrocytic brain  tumors.

PMID- 26497970
TI  - Teaching to Teach: A Personality Disorders Curriculum.

PMID- 26497969
TI  - The prognostic impact of squamous and glandular differentiation for upper tract
      urothelial carcinoma patients after radical nephroureterectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between tumor squamous and/or glandular
      differentiation and tumor biological characteristics and to validate the impact
      of these histologic variants on oncologic outcomes of UTUC patients. METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed the data of 687 UTUC patients who underwent radical
      nephroureterectomy in our institute, from Aug 1, 1999, to Dec 31, 2011. All
      pathologic sections were reevaluated for histologic differentiation variations
      (squamous and glandular). The clinicopathological variables of patients were
      reviewed. RESULTS: Among the 687 UTUC patients in our study, 53 (7.7 %) had
      squamous differentiation, 20 (2.9 %) had glandular differentiation and 8 (1.2 %)
      had both histologic variants. Patients with mixed histologic variant tended to
      have significant larger percentage of sessile tumor architecture (58.0 vs 18.2
      %), presence of CIS (7.4 vs 2.3 %), advanced T stage, advanced tumor grade and
      lymph node metastasis (17.3 vs 6.6 %; all p < 0.05). Patients with squamous
      and/or glandular differentiation had significant worse cancer-specific survival
      than pure UTUC patients (p < 0.001), while significant difference of recurrence
      free survival between two groups was not observed (p = 0.126). Patients with both
      squamous and glandular differentiation did not show significantly worse CSS than
      those with single histologic variant. Univariate analyses revealed that tumor
      squamous and/or glandular differentiation was a significant factor on survival (p
      < 0.001). However, the influence did not remain significant after adjusted for
      other factors in the multivariate analyses (p = 0.076, HR 1.42). CONCLUSIONS:
      UTUC patients with squamous and/or glandular differentiation are more likely to
      have aggressive tumor biological features and tend to have worse postoperative
      outcomes.

PMID- 26497971
TI  - Mental Health Research in the Global Era: Training the Next Generation.

PMID- 26497972
TI  - Ketamine suppresses hypoxia-induced inflammatory responses in the late-gestation
      ovine fetal kidney cortex.
AB  - Acute fetal hypoxia is a form of fetal stress that stimulates renal
      vasoconstriction and ischaemia as a consequence of the physiological
      redistribution of combined ventricular output. Because of the potential ischaemia
      reperfusion injury to the kidney, we hypothesized that it would respond to
      hypoxia with an increase in the expression of inflammatory genes, and that
      ketamine (an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist) would reduce or block this
      response. Hypoxia was induced for 30 min in chronically catheterized fetal sheep
      (125 +/- 3 days), with or without ketamine (3 mg kg(-1)) administered
      intravenously to the fetus 10 min prior to hypoxia. Gene expression in fetal
      kidney cortex collected 24 h after the onset of hypoxia was analysed using ovine
      Agilent 15.5k array and validated with qPCR and immunohistochemistry in four
      groups of ewes: normoxic control, normoxia + ketamine, hypoxic control and
      hypoxia + ketamine (n = 3-4 per group). Significant differences in gene
      expression between groups were determined with t-statistics using the limma
      package for R (P <= 0.05). Enriched biological processes for the 427 upregulated
      genes were immune and inflammatory responses and for the 946 downregulated genes
      were metabolic processes. Ketamine countered the effects of hypoxia on
      upregulated immune/inflammatory responses as well as the downregulated metabolic
      responses. We conclude that our transcriptomics modelling predicts that hypoxia
      activates inflammatory pathways and reduces metabolism in the fetal kidney
      cortex, and ketamine blocks or ameliorates this response. The results suggest
      that ketamine may have therapeutic potential for protection from ischaemic renal
      damage.

PMID- 26497974
TI  - Dual-phase steel structure visualized by extremely slow electrons.
AB  - Mechanical properties of complex steels are affected by their multi-phase
      structure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is routinely used for
      characterizing dual-phase (DP) steels, although the identification of steel
      constituents is not straightforward. In fact, there are several ways of enabling
      the ferrite-martensite segmentation by SEM, and a wide range of electron energies
      can be utilized. This study demonstrates the phase identification of DP steels at
      high, low and extremely low landing energies of the primary electrons from tens
      of keV to tens of eV. Visualization of the specimen surface at very low landing
      energies has been achieved by inserting an earthed detector between the pole
      piece and the negatively biased specimen. This 'cathode lens mode' enables the
      use of the full energy range up to the primary electron energies. It has been
      found that extremely slow electrons (<100 eV) are exceptionally suitable for
      separation of the martensite from the ferrite matrix due to high surface
      sensitivity, enabling visualization of very fine features. Moreover, the
      channelling contrast is significantly suppressed at the landing energy of tens of
      eV of the primary electrons, which enables separation of the phases clearly even
      in the images acquired at low magnification. The contrast between the phases at
      tens of eV can be explained by the different thickness of native oxide covering
      the martensite and the ferrite phase. 

PMID- 26497973
TI  - Assessing the Genetic Predisposition of Education on Myopia: A Mendelian
      Randomization Study.
AB  - Myopia is the largest cause of uncorrected visual impairments globally and its
      recent dramatic increase in the population has made it a major public health
      problem. In observational studies, educational attainment has been consistently
      reported to be correlated to myopia. Nonetheless, correlation does not imply
      causation. Observational studies do not tell us if education causes myopia or if
      instead there are confounding factors underlying the association. In this work,
      we use a two-step least squares instrumental-variable (IV) approach to estimate
      the causal effect of education on refractive error, specifically myopia. We used
      the results from the educational attainment GWAS from the Social Science Genetic
      Association Consortium to define a polygenic risk score (PGRS) in three cohorts
      of late middle age and elderly Caucasian individuals (N = 5,649). In a meta
      analysis of the three cohorts, using the PGRS as an IV, we estimated that each z
      score increase in education (approximately 2 years of education) results in a
      reduction of 0.92 +/- 0.29 diopters (P = 1.04 * 10(-3) ). Our estimate of the
      effect of education on myopia was higher (P = 0.01) than the observed estimate
      (0.25 +/- 0.03 diopters reduction per education z-score [~2 years] increase).
      This suggests that observational studies may actually underestimate the true
      effect. Our Mendelian Randomization (MR) analysis provides new evidence for a
      causal role of educational attainment on refractive error. 

PMID- 26497975
TI  - Electrostatic Self-Assembly of Soft Matter Nanoparticle Cocrystals with Tunable
      Lattice Parameters.
AB  - Atomic crystal structure affects the electromagnetic and thermal properties of
      common matter. Similarly, the nanoscale structure controls the properties of
      higher length-scale metamaterials, for example, nanoparticle superlattices and
      photonic crystals. Electrostatic self-assembly of oppositely charged
      nanoparticles has recently become a convenient way to produce crystalline
      nanostructures. However, understanding and controlling the assembly of soft
      nonmetallic particle crystals with long-range translational order remains a major
      challenge. Here, we show the electrostatic self-assembly of binary soft particle
      cocrystals, consisting of apoferritin protein cages and poly(amidoamine)
      dendrimers (PAMAM), with very large crystal domain sizes. A systematic series of
      PAMAM dendrimers with generations from two to seven were used to produce the
      crystals, which showed a dendrimer generation dependency on the crystal structure
      and lattice constant. The systematic approach presented here offers a transition
      from trial-and-error experiments to a fundamental understanding and control over
      the nanostructure. The structure and stability of soft particle cocrystals are of
      major relevance for applications where a high degree of structural control is
      required, for example, protein-based mesoporous materials, nanoscale
      multicompartments, and metamaterials. 

PMID- 26497976
TI  - Massive pulmonary embolism leading to cardiac arrest: one pathology, two
      different ECMO modes to assist patients.
AB  - Massive acute pulmonary embolism (MAPE) represents a significant risk for
      morbidity and mortality. The potential for sudden and fatal deterioration
      highlights the need for a prompt diagnosis and appropriate intervention. Using
      two cases reports, we describe two different modes of successful ECMO
      implantation (VA-ECMO vs. VV-ECMO) for MAPE leading to cardiac arrest. A 27-year
      old patient with a severe trauma presented with a MAPE leading to cardiac arrest.
      In this case, which had absolute contraindications of thrombolysis, a VA-ECMO was
      successfully implanted. Additionally, a 56-year-old patient presented with a MAPE
      leading to cardiac arrest. Although intravenous thrombolysis allowed for
      hemodynamic stabilization, the patient remained severely hypoxemic with RV
      dilation. A VV-ECMO was successfully implemented, leading to a rapid improvement
      in both oxygenation and RV function. ECMO can provide lifesaving hemodynamic and
      respiratory support in critically ill patients with a MAPE who are too unstable
      to tolerate other interventions or have failed other therapies. An important
      determinant of success in the use of ECMO for MAPE is the return of adequate RV
      function, which allows physicians to appropriately identify which type of ECMO to
      implant.

PMID- 26497977
TI  - A review of environmental risk factors for myopia during early life, childhood
      and adolescence.
AB  - Myopia is a significant public health problem worldwide, particularly in East
      Asian countries. The increasing prevalence of myopia poses a huge socio-economic
      burden and progressive high myopia can lead to sight-threatening ocular
      complications. Hence, the prevention of early-onset myopia progressing to
      pathological high myopia is important. Recent epidemiological studies suggest
      that increased outdoor time is an important modifiable environmental factor that
      protects young children from myopia. This protective effect may be due to high
      light intensity outdoors, the chromaticity of daylight or increased vitamin D
      levels. This review summarises the possible underlying biological mechanisms for
      the protective association between time outdoors and myopia, including the
      potential role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in refractive error
      development. Recent evidence for the role of other environmental risk factors
      such as near work, birth seasons, parental smoking and birth order are also
      summarised. 

PMID- 26497978
TI  - Modulation of fatty acid metabolism is involved in the alleviation of
      isoproterenol-induced rat heart failure by fenofibrate.
AB  - Heart failure is a disease predominantly caused by an energy metabolic disorder
      in cardiomyocytes. The present study investigated the inhibitory effects of
      fenofibrate (FF) on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced hear failure in rats, and
      examined the underlying mechanisms. The rats were divided into CON, ISO (HF
      model), FF and FF+ISO (HF animals pretreated with FF) groups. The cardiac
      structure and function of the rats were assessed, and contents of free fatty
      acids and glucose metabolic products were determined. In addition, myocardial
      cells were isolated from neonatal rats and used in vitro to investigate the
      mechanisms by which FF relieves heart failure. Western blot analysis was
      performed to quantify the expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated
      receptor (PPAR)alpha and uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2). FF effectively alleviated
      the ISO-induced cardiac structural damage, functional decline, and fatty acid and
      carbohydrate metabolic abnormalities. Compared with the ISO group, the serum
      levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), free fatty acids, lactic acid and
      pyruvic acid were decreased in the FF animals. In the cultured myocardial cells,
      lactic acid and pyruvic acid contents were lower in the supernatants obtained
      from the FF animals, with lower levels of mitochondrial ROS production and cell
      necrosis, compared with the ISO group, whereas PPARalpha upregulation and UCP2
      downregulation occurred in the FF+ISO group. The results demonstrated that FF
      efficiently alleviated heart failure in the ISO-induced rat model, possibly via
      promoting fatty acid oxidation. 

PMID- 26497979
TI  - Micro-phase separation in two dimensional suspensions of self-propelled spheres
      and dumbbells.
AB  - We use numerical simulations to study the phase behavior of self-propelled
      spherical and dumbbellar particles interacting via micro-phase separation
      inducing potentials. Our results indicate that under the appropriate conditions,
      it is possible to drive the formation of two new active states; a spinning
      cluster crystal, i.e. an ordered mesoscopic phase having finite size spinning
      crystallites as lattice sites, and a fluid of living clusters, i.e. a two
      dimensional fluid where each "particle" is a finite size living cluster. We
      discuss the dynamics of these phases and suggest ways of extending their
      stability under a wide range of active forces. 

PMID- 26497980
TI  - Cetuximab-resistant oral squamous cell carcinoma cells become sensitive in
      anchorage-independent culture conditions through the activation of the EGFR/AKT
      pathway.
AB  - We have previously shown that growth of the oral squamous cell carcinoma cell
      line SAS, is resistant to cetuximab in monolayer culture conditions, even though
      epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was phosphorylated, but the growth of SAS
      aggregates was sensitive to cetuximab. In the present study, we demonstrate
      differences in the EGFR signaling pathways utilized by SAS cells in monolayer and
      suspension cultures at the molecular level. Cetuximab treatment of SAS cells in
      monolayer cultures inhibits the phosphorylation of EGFR and ERK, and reduces the
      cell migratory potency, but not cell proliferation. AG1478 treatment reduces the
      phosphorylation of EGFR, ERK and AKT, and affects cell growth in monolayer
      cultures. The phosphorylation levels of EGFR and AKT are significantly higher in
      SAS cell aggregates compared to monolayer cultures. Treatment with cetuximab and
      AG1478 reduces the growth of SAS aggregates and eliminates the phosphorylation of
      EGFR and AKT. Furthermore, proliferation of SAS aggregates is also inhibited by
      LY294002 and MK2206, which are inhibitors of PI3K and AKT, respectively. In
      addition, treatment with the lipid raft disruptor filipin III reduced the
      phosphorylation levels of EGFR and Akt in SAS aggregates, but not in SAS
      monolayer culture. These results suggest the possibility that ligands in the
      serum stimulate the phosphorylation of EGFR localized in lipid rafts leading to
      PI3K-AKT activation, which results in the growth of SAS aggregates, therefore
      resulting in the sensitivity of SAS aggregates to cetuximab.

PMID- 26497981
TI  - Arthroscopic tenodesis versus tenotomy of the long head of biceps tendon in
      simultaneous rotator cuff repair.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Full thickness rotator cuff tears are a common cause of shoulder
      pain and disability. While the role of the rotator cuff seems to be well known,
      the clinical significance of the biceps tendon for shoulder function has still
      been a subject of controversy. The aim of this study was to evaluate differences
      between tenodesis or tenotomy in simultaneous rotator cuff repair. METHODS: For
      this retrospective study 53 consecutive patients (25f/28m, O age 58 years)
      undergoing arthroscopic double row rotator cuff reconstruction and suture bridge
      repair were included. The LHB was treated with tenodesis (n = 24) or tenotomy (n
      = 29). Clinical examination was carried out for all patients after an average of
      34 months (range 27-38) following arthroscopic surgery. The Constant score, level
      of pain, range of motion in flexion and abduction, and isometric force for the
      operated and healthy shoulder in flexion and abduction were recorded. RESULTS:
      Patients in the tenodesis and tenotomy group reached similar good result
      regarding the Constant score (86.6 +/- 11.9 vs. 81.3 +/- 12.2; P = 0.120), pain
      (median 0, range 0-8 vs. Median 0, range 0-10; P = 0.421), and range of motion
      (flexion: median 180 degrees , range 90 degrees -180 degrees  vs. median 180
      degrees , range 90 degrees -180 degrees ; P = 0.833; abduction: median 180
      degrees , range 90 degrees -180 degrees  vs. median 180 degrees , range 120
      degrees -180 degrees ; P = 0.472). Postoperative popeye sign was found only in
      one patient (1.9 %). At the time of postoperative follow-up, no patient reported
      cramping of the biceps. Isometric forces in abduction of the tenotomy group (mean
      4.7 +/- 2.9 kg; maximum 5.5 +/- 2.8 kg) was significant lower compared to the
      tenodesis group (mean 6.6 +/- 3.0 kg, P = 0.019; maximum 7.7 +/- 2.9 kg, P =
      0.007) and compared to healthy shoulders (mean 6.1 +/- 3.0 kg P = 0.004; maximum
      7.4 +/- 3.1 kg, P = 0.001), all other measurements were similar. CONCLUSION:
      According to our results arthroscopic biceps tenodesis and tenotomy are valuable
      procedures in simultaneous rotator cuff repair regarding function, pain, and
      range of motion. However, the tenotomy group showed reduced strength in
      abduction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, retrospective case series.

PMID- 26497982
TI  - Surgical interventions for meniscal tears: a closer look at the evidence.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study was to compare the outcomes of various
      surgical treatments for meniscal injuries including (1) total and partial
      meniscectomy; (2) meniscectomy and meniscal repair; (3) meniscectomy and meniscal
      transplantation; (4) open and arthroscopic meniscectomy and (5) various different
      repair techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group
      Register, Cochrane Database, MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL were searched for all
      (quasi) randomized controlled clinical trials comparing various surgical
      techniques for meniscal injuries. Primary outcomes of interest included patient
      reported outcomes scores, return to pre-injury activity level, level of sports
      participation and persistence of pain using the visual analogue score. Where
      possible, data were pooled and a meta-analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of
      nine studies were included, involving a combined 904 subjects, 330 patients
      underwent a meniscal repair, 402 meniscectomy and 160 a collagen meniscal
      implant. The only surgical treatments that were compared in homogeneous fashion
      across more than one study were the arrow and inside-out technique, which showed
      no difference for re-tear or complication rate. Strong evidence-based
      recommendations regarding the other surgical treatments that were compared could
      not be made. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis illustrates the lack of level I
      evidence to guide the surgical management of meniscal tears. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Level I meta-analysis.

PMID- 26497983
TI  - Transition from brand to generic tacrolimus is associated with a decrease in
      trough blood concentration in pediatric heart transplant recipients.
AB  - There are limited data available on the bioequivalence of generic and brand-name
      tacrolimus in pediatric and heart transplant patients. We characterized changes
      in 12-hour trough concentrations and clinical outcomes after transition from
      brand to generic tacrolimus in pediatric thoracic organ transplant recipients.
      Patients with a pharmacy-confirmed date of switch between generic and brand
      tacrolimus were identified, as well as a matched control group that did not
      switch for comparison. We identified 18 patients with a confirmed date of switch,
      and in 12 patients that remained on the same dose, trough concentrations were 14%
      less than when they were on brand (p = 0.037). The average change was -1.15 +/-
      1.76 ng/mL (p = 0.045). The control group did not experience a change in trough
      concentration and was different than the switched group (p = 0.005). There were
      no differences in dosage changes or kidney or liver function. In the year after
      switch, 24% of patients who were switched to generic experienced a rejection
      event vs. 18% in the patients on brand. We suggest a strategy of monitoring
      around the time of transition, and education of the patient/family to notify the
      care team when changes from brand to generic or between generics occur.

PMID- 26497984
TI  - Learning where to feed: the use of social information in flower-visiting Pallas'
      long-tongued bats (Glossophaga soricina).
AB  - Social learning is a widespread phenomenon among vertebrates that influences
      various patterns of behaviour and is often reported with respect to foraging
      behaviour. The use of social information by foraging bats was documented in
      insectivorous, carnivorous and frugivorous species, but there are little data
      whether flower-visiting nectarivorous bats (Phyllostomidae: Glossophaginae) can
      acquire information about food from other individuals. In this study, we
      conducted an experiment with a demonstrator-observer paradigm to investigate
      whether flower-visiting Pallas' long-tongued bats (Glossophaga soricina) are able
      to socially learn novel flower positions via observation of, or interaction with,
      knowledgeable conspecifics. The results demonstrate that flower-visiting G.
      soricina are able to use social information for the location of novel flower
      positions and can thereby reduce energy-costly search efforts. This social
      transmission is explainable as a result of local enhancement; learning bats might
      rely on both visual and echo-acoustical perception and are likely to eavesdrop on
      auditory cues that are emitted by feeding conspecifics. We additionally tested
      the spatial memory capacity of former demonstrator bats when retrieving a learned
      flower position, and the results indicate that flower-visiting bats remember a
      learned flower position after several weeks. 

PMID- 26497985
TI  - The eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3f (eIF3f) interacts physically with
      the alpha 1B-adrenergic receptor and stimulates adrenoceptor activity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: eIF3f is a multifunctional protein capable of interacting with
      proteins involved in different cellular processes, such as protein synthesis, DNA
      repair, and viral mRNA edition. In human cells, eIF3f is related to cell cycle
      and proliferation, and its deregulation compromises cell viability. RESULTS: We
      here report that, in native conditions, eIF3f physically interacts with the alpha
      1B-adrenergic receptor, a plasma membrane protein considered as a proto-oncogene,
      and involved in vasoconstriction and cell proliferation. The complex formed by
      eIF3f and alpha 1B-ADR was found in human and mouse cell lines. Upon
      catecholamine stimulation, eIF3f promotes adrenoceptor activity in vitro,
      independently of the eIF3f proline- and alanine-rich N-terminal region.
      CONCLUSIONS: The eIF3f/alpha adrenergic receptor interaction opens new insights
      regarding adrenoceptor-related transduction pathways and proliferation control in
      human cells. The eIf3f/alpha 1B-ADR complex is found in mammals and is not tissue
      specific.

PMID- 26497986
TI  - Sonoclot((r))-based method to detect iron enhanced coagulation.
AB  - Thrombelastographic methods have been recently introduced to detect iron mediated
      hypercoagulability in settings such as sickle cell disease, hemodialysis,
      mechanical circulatory support, and neuroinflammation. However, these
      inflammatory situations may have heme oxygenase-derived, coexistent carbon
      monoxide present, which also enhances coagulation as assessed by the same
      thrombelastographic variables that are affected by iron. This brief report
      presents a novel, Sonoclot-based method to detect iron enhanced coagulation that
      is independent of carbon monoxide influence. Future investigation will be
      required to assess the sensitivity of this new method to detect iron mediated
      hypercoagulability in clinical settings compared to results obtained with
      thrombelastographic techniques. 

PMID- 26497987
TI  - Nadroparin for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in nonsurgical patients:
      a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Anticoagulant thromboprophylaxis with low molecular weight heparin is widely used
      in nonsurgical settings. To obtain best estimates of the effects of nadroparin
      for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in nonsurgical patients, we
      conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources were Medline,
      Embase, and Cochrane Library supplemented with conference abstracts, without
      language restrictions. Selection criteria were randomized controlled trials with
      nadroparin at prophylactic dose in adult nonsurgical patients. Main efficacy
      outcomes were major VTE (the composite of symptomatic deep vein thrombosis,
      symptomatic pulmonary embolism, asymptomatic proximal deep vein thrombosis and
      VTE-related death) and symptomatic VTE. The main safety outcome was major
      bleeding. We expressed treatment effects as risk ratios. Ten studies (4 vs.
      placebo or no treatment, 4 vs. UFH, 1 vs. fondaparinux and 1 vs. warfarin)
      enrolling a total of 7658 patients were included. In comparison with placebo,
      nadroparin reduced major VTE by about one-half (RR 0.48, 95% CI 0.24-0.97) with a
      consistent effect on symptomatic VTE (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.46-1.05) and no increase
      in major bleeding (RR 1.51, 95% CI 0.40-5.79). In comparison with other
      pharmacological prophylaxis, nadroparin was similarly efficacious for prevention
      of major VTE (RR 1.14, 95% CI 0.63-2.10) and symptomatic VTE (RR 1.10, 95% CI
      0.51-2.35) and produced similar effects on major bleeding (RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.25
      1.50). Five studies were open label, and for three of these the adjudication
      method was not described or not blinded. In nonsurgical populations at risk of
      VTE, nadroparin reduced VTE by about one half compared with placebo or no
      treatment and appeared similarly effective and safe as other prophylactic
      anticoagulants. 

PMID- 26497988
TI  - The neural network of saccadic foreknowledge.
AB  - Foreknowledge about upcoming events may be exploited to optimize behavioural
      responses. In a previous work, using an eye movement paradigm, we showed that
      different types of partial foreknowledge have different effects on saccadic
      efficiency. In the current study, we investigated the neural circuitry involved
      in processing of partial foreknowledge using functional magnetic resonance
      imaging. Fourteen subjects performed a mixed antisaccade, prosaccade paradigm
      with blocks of no foreknowledge, complete foreknowledge or partial foreknowledge
      about stimulus location, response direction or task. We found that saccadic
      foreknowledge is processed primarily within the well-known oculomotor network for
      saccades and antisaccades. Moreover, we found a consistent decrease in BOLD
      activity in the primary and secondary visual cortex in all foreknowledge
      conditions compared to the no-foreknowledge conditions. Furthermore we found that
      the different types of partial foreknowledge are processed in distinct brain
      areas: response foreknowledge is processed in the frontal eye field, while
      stimulus foreknowledge is processed in the frontal and parietal eye field. Task
      foreknowledge, however, revealed no positive BOLD correlate. Our results show
      different patterns of engagement in the saccade-related neural network depending
      upon precisely what type of information is known ahead.

PMID- 26497989
TI  - Age effects on voluntary and automatic adjustments in anti-pointing tasks.
AB  - We examined the effects of age on automatic and voluntary motor adjustments in
      pointing tasks. To this end, young (20-25 years) and middle-aged adults (48-62
      years) were instructed to point at a target that could unexpectedly change its
      location (to the left or right) or its color (to green or red) during the
      movement. In the location change conditions, participants were asked to either
      adjust their pointing movement toward the new location (i.e., normal pointing) or
      in the opposite direction (i.e., anti-pointing). In the color change conditions,
      participants were instructed to adjust their movement to the left or right
      depending on the change in color. The results showed that in a large proportion
      of the anti-pointing trials, participants made two adjustments: an early initial
      automatic adjustment in the direction of the target shift followed by a late
      voluntary adjustment toward the opposite direction. It was found that the late
      voluntary adjustments were delayed for the middle-aged participants relative to
      the young participants. There were no age differences for the fast automatic
      adjustment in normal pointing, but the early adjustment in anti-pointing tended
      to be later in the middle-aged adults. Finally, the difference in the onset of
      early and late adjustments in anti-pointing adjustments was greater among the
      middle-aged adults. Hence, this study is the first to show that aging slows down
      voluntary goal-directed movement control processes to greater extent than the
      automatic stimulus-driven processes.

PMID- 26497990
TI  - Directional specificity of postural threat on anticipatory postural adjustments
      during lateral leg raising.
AB  - This study explored the directional specificity of fear of falling (FoF) effects
      on the stabilizing function of anticipatory postural adjustments (APA).
      Participants (N = 71) performed a series of lateral leg raises from an elevated
      surface in three conditions: in the "Control condition", participants stood at
      the middle of the surface; in the two test conditions, participants were
      positioned at the lateral edge of the surface so that the shift of the whole-body
      centre-of-mass during APA for leg raising was directed towards the edge
      ("Approach condition") or was directed away from the edge ("Avoidance
      condition"). Results showed that the amplitude of APA was lower in the "Approach
      condition" than in the "Control condition" (p < .01); this reduction was
      compensated for by an increase in APA duration (p < .05), so that both postural
      stability and motor performance (in terms of peak leg velocity, final leg posture
      and movement duration) remained unchanged. These changes in APA parameters were
      not present in the "Avoidance condition". Participants further self-reported a
      greater FoF (p < .001) and a lower ability to avoid a fall (p < .001) in the
      "Approach condition" (but not in the "Avoidance condition") than in the "Control
      condition". The results of this study show that the effects of FoF do not solely
      depend on initial environmental conditions, but also on the direction of APA
      relative to the location of the postural threat. These results support the so
      called Motivational Direction Hypothesis, according to which approach and
      avoidance behaviours are primed by emotional state. 

PMID- 26497991
TI  - Brain morphologic changes in asymptomatic C9orf72 repeat expansion carriers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate possible effects of the C9orf72 repeat expansion before
      disease onset, we assessed brain morphology in asymptomatic carriers. METHODS:
      Aiming to diminish the effects of genetic variation between subjects, apart from
      the C9orf72 repeat expansion, 16 carriers of the repeat expansion were compared
      with 23 noncarriers from the same large family with a history of amyotrophic
      lateral sclerosis (ALS). Cortical thickness, subcortical volumes, and white
      matter connectivity, as assessed from high-resolution T1-weighted and diffusion
      weighted MRIs, were evaluated. For comparison, we included 14 C9orf72 carriers
      with ALS and 28 healthy, unrelated controls. RESULTS: We found temporal,
      parietal, and occipital regions to be thinner (p < 0.05) and the left caudate and
      putamen to be smaller (p < 0.05) in asymptomatic carriers compared with
      noncarriers. Cortical thinning of the primary motor cortex and decreased
      connectivity of white matter pathways (global, corticospinal tract, and corpus
      callosum) were observed in patients with C9orf72-associated ALS, but not in
      asymptomatic carriers. CONCLUSIONS: Asymptomatic C9orf72 carriers show cortical
      and subcortical differences compared with noncarriers from the same family,
      possibly effects of the C9orf72 repeat expansion on the brain. Of note, changes
      in the primary motor regions and motor-related tracts were found exclusively in
      patients with ALS, indicating that such motor changes may be a disease
      phenomenon.

PMID- 26497992
TI  - Histologic muscular history in steroid-treated and untreated patients with
      Duchenne dystrophy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal disease. The outcome
      measures used in numerous therapeutic trials include skeletal muscle biopsy. We
      studied the natural history of DMD from the standpoint of muscle histology with
      the aim of providing a reproducible tool for use in evaluating and comparing any
      histologic changes occurring in patients with DMD undergoing treatment and hence
      be able to determine how therapy modulates the histologic evolution of the
      disease. METHODS: Three independent operators analyzed 56 muscle biopsies from 40
      patients not treated with steroids, aged 1 to 10 years and 16 individuals treated
      with steroids, aged 7 to 10 years. We analyzed morphologic measures, normalized
      every measure for the average number of fibers observed for each year of age, and
      calculated intraclass correlation coefficients. RESULTS: The average proportion
      of connective tissue in patients not treated with steroids was 16.98% from ages 1
      to 6 years and 30% from ages 7 to 10 years (p < 0.0001). The average proportion
      in patients treated with steroids was 24.90%. Muscle fiber area mirrored that of
      connective tissue in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Having provided a reproducible
      tool for evaluation and comparison of histologic changes occurring in patients
      undergoing clinical trials, it was observed that at ages 6 to 7 years, fibrotic
      tissue rapidly peaks to 29.85%; this is a crucial moment when muscle tissue loses
      its self-regeneration ability, veering toward fibrotic degeneration. These data
      should be considered when deciding the most suitable time to begin therapy.

PMID- 26497993
TI  - SCP2 mutations and neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation.

PMID- 26497994
TI  - Structural similarities of human and mammalian lipocalins, and their function in
      innate immunity and allergy.
AB  - Owners and their domestic animals via skin shedding and secretions, mutually
      exchange microbiomes, potential pathogens and innate immune molecules. Among the
      latter especially lipocalins are multifaceted: they may have an immunomodulatory
      function and, furthermore, they represent one of the most important animal
      allergen families. The amino acid identities, as well as their structures by
      superposition modeling were compared among human lipocalins, hLCN1 and hLCN2, and
      most important animal lipocalin allergens, such as Can f 1, Can f 2 and Can f 4
      from dog, Fel d 4 from cats, Bos d 5 from cow's milk, Equ c 1 from horses, and
      Mus m 1 from mice, all of them representing major allergens. The beta-barrel fold
      with a central molecular pocket is similar among human and animal lipocalins.
      Thereby, lipocalins are able to transport a variety of biological ligands in
      their highly conserved calyx-like cavity, among them siderophores with the
      strongest known capability to complex iron (Fe(3+) ). Levels of human lipocalins
      are elevated in nonallergic inflammation and cancer, associated with innate
      immunoregulatory functions that critically depend on ligand load. Accordingly,
      deficient loading of lipocalin allergens establishes their capacity to induce Th2
      hypersensitivity. Our similarity analysis of human and mammalian lipocalins
      highlights their function in innate immunity and allergy. 

PMID- 26497995
TI  - Prognostic significance of the combination of preoperative hemoglobin, albumin,
      lymphocyte and platelet in patients with gastric carcinoma: a retrospective
      cohort study.
AB  - Nutritional and immune status is important to the prognosis of patients with
      gastric carcinoma (GC). Here, we evaluated the prognostic significance of the
      combination of preoperative hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte and platelet (HALP)
      in patients with GC. From January 2005 to December 2011, 1332 patients with GC
      who underwent gastrectomy were randomly divided into the training (n = 888) and
      the validation sets (n = 444) by X-tile according to the sample size ratio 2:1.
      The cut-point of HALP was 56.8 and the patients were subsequently subdivided into
      HALP < 56.8 and HALP >= 56.8 groups in both two sets. Multivariate analysis
      revealed that gender (p < 0.001, p < 0.001), tumor size (p = 0.003, p = 0.035)
      and T stage (p < 0.001, p = 0.044) were independently related to HALP both in the
      training and the validation sets. Kaplan-Meier (p < 0.001, p = 0.003) and Cox
      regression (p = 0.043, p = 0.042) showed that the prognosis of HALP >= 56.8 group
      was significantly better than that of HALP < 56.8 group both in two sets (p <
      0.001, p < 0.001). Nomograms of these two sets based on HALP were more accurate
      in prognostic prediction than TNM stage alone. Our findings suggested that HALP
      was closely associated with clinicopathological features and was an independent
      prognostic factor in GC patients. Nomogram based on HALP could accurately predict
      the prognosis of GC patients. 

PMID- 26497996
TI  - IGF-1R inhibition induces schedule-dependent sensitization of human melanoma to
      temozolomide.
AB  - Prior studies implicate type 1 IGF receptor (IGF-1R) in mediating chemo
      resistance. Here, we investigated whether IGF-1R influences response to
      temozolomide (TMZ), which generates DNA adducts that are removed by O6
      methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), or persist causing replication
      associated double-strand breaks (DSBs). Initial assessment in 10 melanoma cell
      lines revealed that TMZ resistance correlated with MGMT expression (r = 0.79, p =
      0.009), and in MGMT-proficient cell lines, with phospho-IGF-1R (r = 0.81, p =
      0.038), suggesting that TMZ resistance associates with IGF-1R activation. Next,
      effects of IGF-1R inhibitors (IGF-1Ri) AZ3801 and linsitinib (OSI-906) were
      tested on TMZ-sensitivity, cell cycle progression and DSB induction. IGF-1Ri
      sensitized BRAF wild-type and mutant melanoma cells to TMZ in vitro, an effect
      that was independent of MGMT. Cells harboring wild-type p53 were more sensitive
      to IGF-1Ri, and showed schedule-dependent chemo-sensitization that was most
      effective when IGF-1Ri followed TMZ. This sequence sensitized to clinically
      achievable TMZ concentrations and enhanced TMZ-induced apoptosis. Simultaneous or
      prior IGF-1Ri caused less effective chemo-sensitization, associated with
      increased G1 population and reduced accumulation of TMZ-induced DSBs. Clinically
      relevant sequential (TMZ -> IGF-1Ri) treatment was tested in mice bearing A375M
      (V600E BRAF, wild-type p53) melanoma xenografts, achieving peak plasma/tumor IGF
      1Ri levels comparable to clinical Cmax, and inducing extensive intratumoral
      apoptosis. TMZ or IGF-1Ri caused minor inhibition of tumor growth (gradient
      reduction 13%, 25% respectively), while combination treatment caused supra
      additive growth delay (72%) that was significantly different from control (p <
      0.01), TMZ (p < 0.01) and IGF-1Ri (p < 0.05) groups. These data highlight the
      importance of scheduling when combining IGF-1Ri and other targeted agents with
      drugs that induce replication-associated DNA damage. 

PMID- 26497997
TI  - miRNA-regulated delivery of lincRNA-p21 suppresses beta-catenin signaling and
      tumorigenicity of colorectal cancer stem cells.
AB  - Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are key cellular targets for effective cancer therapy,
      due to their critical roles in cancer progression and chemo/radio-resistance.
      Emerging evidence demonstrates that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important
      players in the biology of cancers. However, it remains unknown whether lncRNAs
      could be exploited to target CSCs. We report that large intergenic non-coding RNA
      p21 (lincRNA-p21) is a potent suppressor of stem-like traits of CSCs purified
      from both primary colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues and cell lines. A novel lincRNA
      p21-expressing adenoviral vector, which was armed with miRNA responsive element
      (MRE) of miR-451 (Ad-lnc-p21-MRE), was generated to eliminate CRC CSCs.
      Integration of miR-451 MREs into the adenovirus efficiently delivered lincRNA-p21
      into CSCs that contained low levels of miR-451. Moreover, lincRNA-p21 inhibited
      the activity of beta-catenin signaling, thereby attenuating the viability, self
      renewal, and glycolysis of CSCs in vitro. By limiting dilution and serial tumor
      formation assay, we demonstrated that Ad-lnc-p21-MRE significantly suppressed the
      self-renewal potential and tumorigenicity of CSCs in nude mice. Importantly,
      application of miR-451 MREs appeared to protect normal liver cells from off
      target expression of lincRNA-p21 in both tumor-bearing and naive mice. Taken
      together, these findings suggest that lncRNAs may be promising therapeutic
      molecules to eradicate CSCs and MREs of tumor-suppressor miRNAs, such as miR-451,
      may be exploited to ensure the specificity of CSC-targeting strategies. 

PMID- 26497998
TI  - Host JDP2 expression in the bone marrow contributes to metastatic spread.
AB  - The c-Jun Dimerization Protein 2, JDP2, is a basic leucine zipper protein member
      of the activator protein-1 (AP-1) family of transcription factors. JDP2 typically
      suppresses gene transcription through multiple mechanisms and plays a dual role
      in multiple cellular processes, including cell differentiation and proliferation
      which is dependent on AP-1 function. Whereas the role of JDP2 expression within
      cancer cells has been studied, its role in stromal cells at the tumor
      microenvironment is largely unknown. Here we show that mice lacking JDP2 (JDP2-/
      ) display a reduced rate of metastasis in Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) and polyoma
      middle T-antigen (PyMT) breast carcinoma mouse models. The replacement of wild
      type bone marrow derived cells (BMDCs) with JDP2-deficient BMDCs recapitulates
      the metastatic phenotype of JDP2-/- tumor-bearing mice. In vitro, conditioned
      medium of wild-type BMDCs significantly potentiates the migration and invasion
      capacity of LLC cells as compared to that of JDP2-/- BMDCs. Furthermore, wild
      type BMDCs secrete CCL5, a chemokine known to contribute to metastasis, to a
      greater extent than JDP2-/- BMDCs. The supplementation of CCL5 in JDP2-/- BMDC
      conditioned medium was sufficient to potentiate the invasion capacity of LLC.
      Overall, this study suggests that JDP2-expressing BMDCs within the tumor
      microenvironment contribute to metastatic spread. 

PMID- 26497999
TI  - Inhibition of autophagy promotes metastasis and glycolysis by inducing ROS in
      gastric cancer cells.
AB  - Autophagy defect has been shown to be correlated with malignant phenotype and
      poor prognosis of human cancers, however, the detailed mechanisms remain obscure.
      In this study, we investigated the biological changes induced by autophagy
      inhibition in gastric cancer. We showed that inhibition of autophagy in gastric
      cancer cells promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis,
      alters metabolic phenotype from mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to
      aerobic glycolysis and converts cell phenotype toward malignant, which maybe
      further contribute to chemoresistance and poor prognosis of gastric cancer. We
      also identified that the EMT and metabolism alterations induced by autophagy
      inhibition were dependent on ROS-NF-kappaB-HIF-1alpha pathway. More importantly,
      scavenging of ROS by the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) attenuated activation
      of NF-kappaB and HIF-1alpha in autophagy-deficient gastric cancer cells, and
      autophagy inhibition induced metastasis and glycolysis were also diminished by
      NAC in vivo. Taken together, our findings suggested that autophagy defect
      promotes metastasis and glycolysis of gastric cancer, and antioxidants could be
      used to improve disease outcome for gastric cancer patients with autophagy
      defect. 

PMID- 26498000
TI  - Achieving complete nitrogen removal by coupling nitritation-anammox and methane
      dependent denitrification: A model-based study.
AB  - The discovery of denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO) processes
      enables the complete nitrogen removal from wastewater by utilizing the methane
      produced on site from anaerobic digesters. This model-based study investigated
      the mechanisms and operational window for efficient nitrogen removal by coupling
      nitritation-anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) and methane-dependent
      denitrification in membrane biofilm reactors (MBfRs). A mathematical model was
      applied to describe the microbial interactions among Anammox bacteria, DAMO
      archaea, and DAMO bacteria. The model sufficiently described the batch
      experimental data from an MBfR containing an Anammox-DAMO biofilm with different
      feeding nitrogen compositions, which confirmed the validity of the model. The
      effects of process parameters on the system performance and microbial community
      structure could therefore be reliably evaluated. The impacts of nitritation
      produced NO2(-)/NH4(+) ratio, methane supply, biofilm thickness and total
      nitrogen (TN) surface loading were comprehensively investigated with the model.
      Results showed that the optimum NO2(-)/NH4(+) ratio produced from nitritation for
      the Anammox-DAMO biofilm system was around 1.0 in order to achieve the maximum TN
      removal (over 99.0%), independent on TN surface loading. The corresponding
      optimal methane supply increased while the associated methane utilization
      efficiency decreased with the increase of TN surface loading. The cooperation
      between DAMO organisms and Anammox bacteria played the key role in the TN
      removal. Based on these results, the proof-of-concept feasibility of a single
      stage MBfR coupling nitritation-Anammox-DAMO for complete nitrogen removal was
      also tested through integrating the model with ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB)
      and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) processes whilst controlling the dissolved
      oxygen (DO) concentration in the simulated system. The maximum TN removal was
      found to be achieved at the bulk DO concentration of around 0.17 g m(-3) under
      the simulation conditions, with the AOB, Anammox bacteria and DAMO organisms
      coexisting in the biofilm.

PMID- 26498002
TI  - AMBER-ii: New Combining Rules and Force Field for Perfluoroalkanes.
AB  - A molecular mechanics force field of the AMBER/OPLS family for perfluoroalkanes,
      noble gases, and their mixtures with alkanes has been proposed. We had to abandon
      the traditional Lorentz-Berthelot combining rules for the Lennard-Jones potential
      to be able to uniformly describe these substance classes and their mixtures.
      Instead, the Waldman-Hagler rules developed for noble gases were used for all of
      these elements except hydrogen. Hydrogen is considered to be a particular
      substance to which the usual Lorentz-Berthelot rules are applied. The proposed
      rules have little effect on the organic chemistry of H, C, N, and O elements but
      make it compliant with the chemistry of heavy elements. Because of assigning a
      relatively high partial charge of -0.37e to fluorine atoms, the new force field
      reproduces the mutual insolubility of higher liquid alkanes and perfluoroalkanes.

PMID- 26498001
TI  - Environmental neurotoxin interaction with proteins: Dose-dependent increase of
      free and protein-associated BMAA (beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine) in neonatal rat
      brain.
AB  - beta-Methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is implicated in the aetiology of
      neurodegenerative disorders. Neonatal exposure to BMAA induces cognitive
      impairments and progressive neurodegenerative changes including intracellular
      fibril formation in the hippocampus of adult rats. It is unclear why the neonatal
      hippocampus is especially vulnerable and the critical cellular perturbations
      preceding BMAA-induced toxicity remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study
      was to compare the level of free and protein-associated BMAA in neonatal rat
      brain and peripheral tissues after different exposures to BMAA. Ultra-high
      performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis revealed that
      BMAA passed the neonatal blood-brain barrier and was distributed to all studied
      brain areas. BMAA was also associated to proteins in the brain, especially in the
      hippocampus. The level in the brain was, however, considerably lower compared to
      the liver that is not a target organ for BMAA. In contrast to the liver there was
      a significantly increased level of protein-association of BMAA in the hippocampus
      and other brain areas following repeated administration suggesting that the
      degradation of BMAA-associated proteins may be lower in neonatal brain than in
      the liver. Additional evidence is needed in support of a role for protein
      misincorporation in the neonatal hippocampus for long-term effects of BMAA. 

PMID- 26498003
TI  - Procyanidin B2 inhibits high glucose-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in
      HK-2 human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells.
AB  - Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is not only an important chronic complication of
      diabetes, but is also one of the predominant cause of renal failure. Previous
      studies have indicated that the process termed 'epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition' (EMT) results in fibrosis of renal tubular epithelial cells, and is
      key in DN. As an antioxidant, procyanidin B2 can inhibit cardiac fibrosis;
      however, whether it has an effect on the inhibition of renal fibrosis remains to
      be elucidated. The present study demonstrated that high glucose levels were able
      to activate EMT-associated changes, including the loss of E-cadherin and increase
      in alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), as determined by western blotting and
      immunofluorescence. Pre-treatment with procyanidin B2 reversed the high glucose
      induced morphological changes, upregulated the expression of E-cadherin and
      downregulated the expression levels of vimentin and alpha-SMA. Furthermore,
      procyanidin B2 decreased the phosphorylation of small mothers against
      decapentaplegic (Smad)2, Smad3 and P38, and upregulated the expression of
      phosphorylated-Smad7. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested
      that procyanidin B2 inhibited high glucose-induced EMT through the inhibition of
      transforming growth factor-beta/Smad and mitogen-activated protein kinase/P38
      signaling pathways. 

PMID- 26498004
TI  - A structural and (1)H NMR relaxometric study on novel layered
      carboxyalkylaminophosphonate nanocrystals with Gd(III) ions located in the
      framework.
AB  - Novel Gd(III) carboxyalkylphosphonate nanocrystals were synthesized under mild
      hydrothermal conditions. Structural properties and (1)H NMR relaxometric
      behaviour in aqueous solution as a function of the magnetic field strength were
      investigated, aiming to evaluate the local chemical environment of the
      paramagnetic centres and their interaction and affinity with water molecules.

PMID- 26498006
TI  - Self-assembled polymeric nanocarriers for the targeted delivery of retinoic acid
      to the hair follicle.
AB  - Acne vulgaris is a highly prevalent dermatological disease of the pilosebaceous
      unit (PSU). An inability to target drug delivery to the PSU results in poor
      treatment efficacy and the incidence of local side-effects. Cutaneous application
      of nanoparticulate systems is reported to induce preferential accumulation in
      appendageal structures. The aim of this work was to prepare stable polymeric
      micelles containing retinoic acid (RA) using a biodegradable and biocompatible
      diblock methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(hexylsubstituted lactic acid)
      copolymer (MPEG-dihexPLA) and to evaluate their ability to deliver RA to skin. An
      innovative punch biopsy sample preparation method was developed to selectively
      quantify follicular delivery; the amounts of RA present were compared to those in
      bulk skin, (i.e. without PSU), which served as the control. RA was successfully
      incorporated into micelle nanocarriers and protected from photoisomerization by
      inclusion of Quinoline Yellow. Incorporation into the spherical, homogeneous and
      nanometer-scale micelles (dn < 20 nm) increased the aqueous solubility of RA by
      >400-fold. Drug delivery experiments in vitro showed that micelles were able to
      deliver RA to porcine and human skins more efficiently than Retin-A((r)) Micro
      (0.04%), a marketed gel containing RA loaded microspheres, (7.1 +/- 1.1% vs. 0.4
      +/- 0.1% and 7.5 +/- 0.8% vs. 0.8 +/- 0.1% of the applied dose, respectively). In
      contrast to a non-colloidal RA solution, Effederm((r)) (0.05%), both the RA
      loaded MPEG-dihexPLA polymeric micelles (0.005%) and Retin-A((r)) Micro (0.04%)
      displayed selectivity for delivery to the PSU with 2-fold higher delivery to PSU
      containing samples than to control samples. Moreover, the micelle formulation
      outperformed Retin-A((r)) Micro in terms of delivery efficiency to PSU presenting
      human skin (10.4 +/- 3.2% vs. 0.6 +/- 0.2%, respectively). The results indicate
      that the polymeric micelle formulation enabled an increased and targeted delivery
      of RA to the PSU, potentially translating to a safer and more efficient clinical
      management of acne. 

PMID- 26498005
TI  - Immunological factors influencing clinical outcome in lung cancer patients after
      telomerase peptide vaccination.
AB  - We have previously reported two trials in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      evaluating vaccine therapy with the telomerase peptide GV1001. The studies
      demonstrated considerable differences in survival among immune responders,
      highlighting that an immune response is not necessarily beneficial. In the
      present study, we conducted long-term clinical follow-up and investigated
      immunological factors hypothesized to influence clinical efficacy. Peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells from 33 NSCLC trial patients and 15 healthy donors were
      analyzed by flow cytometry for T regulatory cells (Tregs, CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(low/
      )FOXP3(+)) and two types of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs, HLA-DR (low)
      CD14 (+) or Lin (-/lo) HLA-DR (-) CD33 (+) CD11b (+)). T cell cultures were
      analyzed for 17 cytokines. The results demonstrated that immune responders had
      increased overall survival (OS, p < 0.001) and progression-free survival (p =
      0.003), compared to subjects without immunological response. The mean OS
      advantage was 54 versus 13 months. Six patients were still alive at the last
      clinical update, all belonging to the immune responders. No serious toxicity had
      developed (maximum observation 13 years). Most patients developed a
      polyfunctional cytokine profile, with high IFNgamma/IL-4 and IFNgamma/IL-10
      ratios. Low Treg levels were associated with improved OS (p = 0.037) and a
      favorable cytokine profile, including higher IFNgamma/IL-10 ratios. High CD33(+)
      MDSC levels were associated with poorer immune response rate (p = 0.005). The
      levels of CD14(+) MDSC were significantly higher in patients than in healthy
      controls (p = 0.012). We conclude that a randomized GV1001 trial in NSCLC is
      warranted. The findings suggest that Tregs and MDSCs are associated with a
      tolerogenic cytokine milieu and impaired clinical efficacy of vaccine responses.

PMID- 26498007
TI  - Erratum to: Amino acids and autophagy: their crosstalk, interplay and interlock.

PMID- 26498008
TI  - Induction of Gametogenesis in the Cnidarian Endosymbiosis Model Aiptasia sp.
AB  - Endosymbiosis is widespread among cnidarians and is of high ecological relevance.
      The tropical sea anemone Aiptasia sp. is a laboratory model system for
      endosymbiosis between reef-building corals and photosynthetic dinoflagellate
      algae of the genus Symbiodinium. Here we identify the key environmental cues to
      induce reproducible spawning in Aiptasia under controlled laboratory conditions.
      We find that simulating a lunar cycle with blue-wavelength light is necessary to
      promote abundant gamete production and synchronous release in well-fed animals.
      Sexual reproduction rates are genetically determined and differ among clonal
      lines under similar conditions. We also find the inverse difference in rates of
      asexual reproduction. This study provides the requisite basis for further
      development of the Aiptasia model system, allowing analysis of basic cellular and
      molecular mechanisms in the laboratory as well as investigations of broad
      questions of ecological and evolutionary relevance. 

PMID- 26498009
TI  - Surgimesh M-SLING((r)) transobturator and prepubic four-arm urethral sling for
      post-prostatectomy stress urinary incontinence: clinical prospective assessment
      at 24 months.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess tolerance and mid-term clinical outcomes of treatment, with
      a new four-arm mesh sling, of post-prostatectomy incontinence (PPI) in men.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a French multicentre prospective study that
      included 93 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy at least 1 year before
      Surgimesh M-SLING((r)) implantation for the treatment of PPI. Data were collected
      preoperatively, and patients were followed at 3, 12 and 24 months
      postoperatively. Objective outcome measures included number of pads per day, 24-h
      pad-test, maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax ) and urinary retention. We also
      analysed Urinary Symptom Profile (USP((r)) ) score, degree of erectile
      dysfunction, patients' satisfaction level, postoperative pain and procedure
      complications. Length of catheterization and hospitalization periods were also
      recorded. Patients were considered cured if no protection was used and/or daily
      pad weight was <2 g. Patients whose condition was considered to have improved
      reduced their daily urinary losses by >50%. Those not included in any of the
      aforementioned groups were assessed as unchanged or to have deteriorated, and
      were considered as treatment failures. RESULTS: The mean hospitalization period
      was 1.57 +/- 0.70 days. All patients remained catheterized for 1.17 +/- 0.48
      days. Intention-to-treat analysis at 24 months showed that 34.4% of patients were
      cured, 27.1% had improved, and 19.4% were considered failures. Two patients
      experienced transient urinary retention. USP questionnaire scores showed a
      significant decrease in incontinence and prevalence of hyperactive bladder. There
      was a nonsignificant tendency for reduced severe erectile dysfunction (ED), and a
      shift towards moderate ED was observed. No severe complications occurred.
      CONCLUSION: The Surgimesh M-SLING transobturator and prepubic four-arm urethral
      sling represents an easy-to-deploy, safe and durable therapeutic alternative for
      mild to moderate PPI. Its implantation did not have a negative influence on
      sexual performance outcomes.

PMID- 26498011
TI  - Primary Neurilemmoma of the Thyroid Gland Clinically Mimicking Malignant Thyroid
      Nodule.

PMID- 26498010
TI  - Molecular Dimensions of Gastric Cancer: Translational and Clinical Perspectives.
AB  - Gastric cancer is a global health burden and has the highest incidence in East
      Asia. This disease is complex in nature because it arises from multiple
      interactions of genetic, local environmental, and host factors, resulting in
      biological heterogeneity. This genetic intricacy converges on molecular
      characteristics reflecting the pathophysiology, tumor biology, and clinical
      outcome. Therefore, understanding the molecular characteristics at a genomic
      level is pivotal to improving the clinical care of patients with gastric cancer.
      A recent landmark study, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project, showed the
      molecular landscape of gastric cancer through a comprehensive molecular
      evaluation of 295 primary gastric cancers. The proposed molecular classification
      divided gastric cancer into four subtypes: Epstein-Barr virus-positive,
      microsatellite unstable, genomic stable, and chromosomal instability. This
      information will be taken into account in future clinical trials and will be
      translated into clinical therapeutic decisions. To fully realize the clinical
      benefit, many challenges must be overcome. Rapid growth of high-throughput
      biology and functional validation of molecular targets will further deepen our
      knowledge of molecular dimensions of this cancer, allowing for personalized
      precision medicine. 

PMID- 26498012
TI  - Clear Cell Adenocarcinoma Arising from Adenofibroma in a Patient with
      Endometriosis of the Ovary.
AB  - Ovarian clear cell adenocarcinomas (CCACs) are frequently associated with
      endometriosis and, less often with clear cell adenofibromas (CCAFs). We
      encountered a case of ovarian CCAC arising from benign and borderline
      adenofibromas of the clear cell and endometrioid types with endometriosis in a 53
      year-old woman. Regions of the adenofibromas showed transformation to CCAC and
      regions of the endometriosis showed atypical endometriotic cysts. This case
      demonstrates that CCAC can arise from CCAF or endometriosis. 

PMID- 26498015
TI  - Transient study of the oxygen reduction reaction on reduced Pt and Pt alloys
      microelectrodes: evidence for the reduction of pre-adsorbed oxygen species linked
      to dissolved oxygen.
AB  - Using chronoamperometry at preconditioned oxide-free Pt microdisc electrodes in
      aqueous media, we investigated the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on the
      millisecond timescale and obtained results consistent with the reduction of
      oxygen species which adsorb on the electrode before the ORR is electrochemically
      driven. Furthermore these adsorbed species are clearly linked to oxygen in
      solution. At long times, the amperometric response is solely controlled by the
      diffusion of dissolved oxygen towards the microelectrode. However, at short
      times, typically below 50 ms, the reduction of pre-adsorbed oxygen produces a
      large extra current whose magnitude depends on the oxygen concentration in
      solution, deliberate electrode poisoning and the rest time before the potential
      step. Using sampled current voltammetry we show that this extra current affects
      the entire potential range of the ORR. Using microdisc electrodes made with Pt
      alloys we find that the amperometric response is sufficiently sensitive to
      distinguish oxygen coverage differences between Pt, Pt0.9Rh0.1 and Pt0.9Ir0.1
      microdiscs. These unexpected and, to our knowledge, never previously reported
      results provide new insight into the oxygen reduction reaction on Pt. The
      existence over a wide potential range of irreversibly adsorbed oxygen species
      arising from dissolved oxygen and different from Pt oxide is particularly
      relevant to the development of oxygen reduction catalysts for low temperature
      fuel cells. 

PMID- 26498014
TI  - The stiffening of the cell walls observed during physiological softening of
      pears.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: The Young's modulus of the primary cell walls of pears decreases
      linearly during the pre-harvest on-tree maturation and increases during
      postharvest storage, and does not correlate with firmness of fruit. The
      determination of mechanical properties of cell walls is indispensable for
      understanding the mechanism of physiological softening and deterioration of
      quality of fruits during postharvest storage. The Young's modulus of the primary
      cell walls from pear fruit (Pyrus communis L., cultivars 'Conference' and
      'Xenia') during pre-harvest maturation and postharvest storage in an ambient
      atmosphere at 2  degrees C followed by shelf life was studied using atomic force
      microscopy (AFM). The results were related to the firmness of fruits,
      galacturonic acid content in water, chelator, sodium carbonate and insoluble
      pectin fractions, polygalacturonase and pectin methylesterase activities. The
      Young's modulus of the primary cell walls decreased linearly during the last
      month of pre-harvest maturation from 3.2 +/- 1.8 to 1.1 +/- 0.7 MPa for
      'Conference' and from 1.9 +/- 1.2 to 0.2 +/- 0.1 MPa for 'Xenia' which correlated
      with linear firmness decrease. During postharvest storage the cell wall Young's
      modulus increased while firmness continued to decrease. Correlation analysis for
      the entire period of the experiment showed a lack of straightforward relation
      between the Young's modulus of primary cell walls and fruit firmness. The Young's
      modulus of cell walls correlated negatively either with galacturonic acid content
      in sodium carbonate soluble pectin ('Conference') or with insoluble pectin
      fractions ('Xenia') and positively with polygalacturonase activity. It was
      therefore evidenced that covalently linked pectins play the key role for the
      stiffness of fruit cell walls. Based on the obtained results, the model
      explaining the fruit transition from firm and crispy to soft and mealy was
      proposed.

PMID- 26498013
TI  - Controlled downregulation of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor   provides a promising
      approach for the treatment of obesity   and obesity-derived type 2 diabetes.
AB  - Increased activity of the endocannabinoid system has emerged as a pathogenic
      factor in visceral obesity, which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus
      (T2DM). The endocannabinoid system is composed of at least two Gprotein-coupled
      receptors (GPCRs), the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1), and the cannabinoid
      receptor type 2 (CB2). Downregulation of CB1 activity in rodents and humans has
      proven efficacious to reduce food intake, abdominal adiposity, fasting glucose
      levels, and cardiometabolic risk factors. Unfortunately, downregulation of CB1
      activity by universally active CB1 inverse agonists has been found to elicit
      psychiatric side effects, which led to the termination of using globally active
      CB1 inverse agonists to treat diet-induced obesity. Interestingly, preclinical
      studies have shown that downregulation of CB1 activity by CB1 neutral antagonists
      or peripherally restricted CB1 inverse agonists provided similar anorectic
      effects and metabolic benefits without psychiatric side effects seen in globally
      active CB1 inverse agonists. Furthermore, downregulation of CB1 activity may ease
      endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial stress which are contributors to obesity
      induced insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. This suggests new approaches for
      cannabinoid-based therapy in the management of obesity and obesity-related
      metabolic disorders including type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 26498016
TI  - Sexually transmissible infections in middle and high school students: experience
      rates, risk factors and relationship with mental health - results from the Korean
      youth risk behaviour web-based survey.
AB  - Background Sexually transmissible infections (STIs) in adolescents are an
      important heath problem. However, the understanding of STIs among adolescents is
      poor. Rates of and risk factors for ever having a STI and relationships between
      ever having a STI and mental health in adolescents was investigated. METHODS:
      Data from the Korea Youth Risk Behaviour Web-based Survey (KYRBS) were used. The
      KYRBS is an anonymous, self-administered online survey. To achieve a
      representative sample of Koreans, researchers used a stratification, clustering
      and multi-stage sampling method. Data from adolescents who had not had sexual
      intercourse and surveys with missing data concerning sexual experience were
      excluded. Finally, 31363 participants were included. RESULTS: The rate of ever
      having a STI was 10.0%. A total of 26.5% of adolescents who have had sexual
      experience report always using contraceptives, and condoms are the most popular
      contraceptives (69.0%). Contraceptive method (condom, OR: 0.601, 95% CI: 0.491
      0.736) and elementary school sexual debut (elementary school, OR: 1.000, middle
      school, OR: 0.235, 95% CI: 0.181-0.305; high school, OR: 0.128, 95% CI: 0.094
      0.173) were significantly correlated with ever having a STI in the multivariate
      analysis. Depressed mood (OR: 1.379, 95% CI: 1.130-1.683), suicidal ideation (OR:
      1.358, 95% CI: 1.109-1.664) and suicide attempts (OR: 1.382, 95% CI: 1.029-1.856)
      were significantly associated with ever having a STI after adjusting for
      potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: STIs are common diseases in adolescents who
      have sexual experience and are significantly associated with mental health.
      Development of preventive measures and treatment policies including mental
      counselling for adolescents with STI are needed.

PMID- 26498017
TI  - Phylogeography of specialist weevil Trichobaris soror: a seed predator of Datura
      stramonium.
AB  - Can the genetic structure of a specialist weevil be explained by the geological
      history of their distribution zone? We analyze the genetic variation of the
      weevil Trichobaris soror, a specialist seed predator of Datura stramonium, in
      order to address this question. For the phylogeographic analysis we used the COI
      gene, and assessed species identity in weevil populations through geometric
      morphometric approach. In total, we found 53 haplotypes in 413 samples, whose
      genetic variation supports the formation of three groups: (1) the Transmexican
      Volcanic Belt (TVB group), (2) the Sierra Madre Sur (SMS group) and (3) the
      Balsas Basin (BB group). The morphometric analysis suggests that BB group is
      probably not T. soror. Our results have two implications: first, the
      phylogeographic pattern of T. soror is explained by both the formation of the
      geological provinces where it is currently distributed and the coevolution with
      its host plant, because the TVB and SMS groups could be separated due to the
      discontinuity of altitude between the geological provinces, but the recent
      population expansion of TVB group and the high frequency of only one haplotype
      can be due to specialization to the host plant. Second, we report a new record of
      a different species of weevil in BB group parasitizing D. stramonium fruits. 

PMID- 26498018
TI  - Extracardiac-Lodged Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Propel an Inflammatory Response
      Against Myocardial Infarction via Paracrine Effects.
AB  - Transplantation of stem cells, including mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs),
      improves the recovery of cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI) in
      experimental studies using animal models and in patients. However, the
      improvement of cardiac function following MSC transplantation remains suboptimal
      in both preclinical and clinical studies. Understanding the mechanism of cell
      therapy may improve its therapeutic outcomes, but the mode of action mediating
      stem cell promotion of cardiac repair is complex and not fully understood. Recent
      studies suggest that the immunomodulatory effects of MSCs on the macrophage M1/M2
      subtype transition allow the transplanted stem cells to inhibit inflammation
      induced injury and promote cardiac repair in acute MI. However, equally
      compelling evidence shows that there is poor survival and minimal graft
      persistence of transplanted MSCs within the infarcted heart tissues, negating the
      view that graft survival per se is required for the observed high rate and long
      duration of the transition from proinflammatory M1 to reparative M2 macrophages
      in the infarcted myocardium. Therefore, we raised a novel hypothesis that the
      therapeutic effects of MSC transplantation for acute MI depends not primarily on
      the grafted cells in infarct myocardium, but that MSCs migrating to and being
      lodged in the extracardiac organs, demonstrating good graft survival and
      persistence, may render the therapeutic effects in MI. More specifically, MSC
      transplantation promotes the transition from M1 to M2 in extracardiac organs,
      such as spleen and bone marrow, and therapeutic effects are conferred to the
      infarcted myocardium via paracrine effects. In MSC transplantation, the
      conversion from proinflammatory M1 to anti-inflammatory M2 monocytes may occur
      remotely from the heart and may serve as one of the major pathways in regulating
      the dual effects of inflammation. This hypothesis, if proven valid, may represent
      an important new mechanism of action to be considered for the future of MSC
      transplantation in the treatment of MI. 

PMID- 26498019
TI  - Optimal threshold for stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes: its predictive and
      prognostic value in HER2-positive breast cancer treated with trastuzumab-based
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to determine the optimal threshold for
      stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and investigate its predictive and
      prognostic value in HER2-positive breast cancer treated with trastuzumab-based
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Levels of stromal TILs were evaluated using
      hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of core biopsies from 116 patients. We
      investigated the correlation between stromal TILs and pathological response to
      identify its optimal threshold. Using receiver operating characteristic curve
      analysis, a 30 % threshold best discriminated pathological complete response
      (pCR) from non-pCR subgroups (P < 0.001). Lymphocyte-rich breast cancer (LRBC)
      was defined as having >=30 % stromal TILs level, and was used for analysis. For
      analyses of predictive factors, multivariate analysis indicated that LRBC was a
      strong predictor of pCR with an odds ratio of 5.23 (P < 0.001). Negative hormone
      receptor (HR) status was also significantly associated with pCR (P = 0.028). LRBC
      significantly predicted pCR in both HR-positive and HR-negative tumors (P = 0.016
      and 0.006, respectively). For survival analyses, LRBC was the only independent
      predictor of improved event-free survival (EFS) among baseline
      clinicopathological factors in multivariate analysis (P = 0.012). When
      pathological response was included, both LRBC and pCR were independent predictors
      of better EFS (P = 0.040 and 0.045, respectively). LRBC significantly predicted
      longer EFS in the non-pCR subgroup (P = 0.018), whereas LRBC was not
      significantly associated with EFS in the pCR subgroup (P = 0.825). A 30 %
      threshold for stromal TILs optimally identified response to trastuzumab-based NAC
      in HER2-positive breast cancer; its predictive and prognostic value was also
      validated in our study. 

PMID- 26498020
TI  - Doing "nothing" for DCIS: a case report.

PMID- 26498021
TI  - Low signal-to-cutoff ratio (S/Co) in the diagnosis of hepatitis C:  A diagnostic
      dilemma?

PMID- 26498022
TI  - Camel milk peptide improves wound healing in diabetic rats by orchestrating the
      redox status and immune response.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus alters oxidative stability and immune response.
      Here, we investigated the impact of a peptide extracted from camel milk (CMP) on
      the oxidative status, transcription factor kappa-B (NF-kB) and inflammatory
      cytokine in diabetic wounds. METHODS: Rats were assigned into three groups:
      control, diabetic induced (DM) and diabetic induced with multiple doses of CMP
      for a week (DM-CMP). RESULTS: DM showed a sharp decline in the activity of major
      antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and
      glutathione (GSH) compared to the control. The DM-CMP group, however, showed a
      noticeable replenishment in the activity of these enzymes compared to the DM
      group. The CMP-treated group also showed a normal level of lipid peroxidation
      marker (MDA) compared to the DM rats. Furthermore, ELISA analysis of serum TNF
      alpha protein showed an elevated level in diabetic rats in comparison to control
      serum. However, RT-PCR analysis of locally wounded skin tissues revealed that
      diabetes down-regulates the RNA expression of both TNF-alpha and MIF genes in
      comparison to the control samples but that CMP was found to restore RNA
      expression significantly. Although it was elevated in CMP-treated rats after one
      day of wound incision, the NF-kB protein level was significantly decreased seven
      days after the incision in comparison to the animals in the diabetic group.
      CONCLUSION: CMP, therefore, can be seen an effective antioxidant and immune
      stimulant that induces oxidative stability and speeds up wound healing in
      diabetic model animals, making it a potential adjuvant in improving wound healing
      in those with diabetic conditions.

PMID- 26498023
TI  - Eukaryotic Expression and Purification of Native Form of Mouse Midkine from
      Pichia pastoris.
AB  - To confirm the treating effectiveness of midkine as an articular protective
      agent, mouse midkine (mMK) was produced for the pre-clinic long-term studies in
      mice. The protein was expressed under the control of the AOX1 gene promoter in
      Pichia pastoris, X-33 strain, and secreted into fermentation broth through high
      density fermentation. Approximately 380 mg mMK, containing authentic and
      truncated forms, was secreted into 1 liter induction medium and 280 mg mMK was
      obtained after one-step purification on a 50 ml SP Sepharose Fast Flow column.
      The purified protein was characterized and identified to be the mature, authentic
      form of mMK. N-terminal five amino acid sequence was determined to be K-K-K-E-K.
      SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that the molecular weight of the product was about 13
      KDa. The purity of the purified rmMK protein was determined to be 99% by high
      performance liquid chromatography. The biological activity of final product was
      verified via migration assay on osteoblast-like UMR-106 cells.

PMID- 26498024
TI  - A Novel Optical Biosensing System Using Mach-Zehnder-Type Optical Waveguide for
      Influenza Virus Detection.
AB  - In order to minimize the damage from viral epidemics, early detection of the
      causative agent of a viral epidemic and prevention of its immediate spread are
      urgent social demands. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the utility of a
      Mach-Zehnder-type optical waveguide as a sensing device for influenza virus
      detection. However, it is impossible to detect a 100-nm-size virus using a sol
      gel optical biosensor because sol-gel glass has a pore size of only a few
      nanometers, which makes it impossible for the virus to diffuse into the silica
      thin film. In order to construct the influenza-specific Mach-Zehnder optical
      biosensor for influenza detection, a stable antibody immobilization method with
      resulting high density on the sol-gel surface is strongly required. In this
      study, the sol-gel glass surface was modified with amino and carboxyl groups, and
      an anti-H1N1/HA1 antibody was covalently immobilized using a cross-linking agent.
      We successfully prepared a carboxyl-modified sol-gel surface, using NHS/EDC as
      the cross-linker, for antibody immobilization, and confirmed the detection of
      influenza virus using the antibody-immobilized sol-gel glass. After treatment
      with a 100 MUg/mL influenza virus solution for 15 min, a peak wavelength shift
      (~24 nm) was observed in the output light spectrum. 

PMID- 26498025
TI  - Identification of the potential molecular targets for human intervertebral disc
      degeneration based on bioinformatic methods.
AB  - The present study aimed to explore potential molecular targets and gain further
      insights into the mechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD)
      progression. Microarray datasets of GSE19943, GSE15227 and GSE34095 were
      downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed
      genes (DEGs) in 3 IDD specimens compared with 3 controls in GSE34095, DEGs in 7
      grade III and 3 grade IV samples compared with 5 grade II samples in GSE19943,
      and differentially expressed miRNAs in 3 degenerated samples compared with 3
      controls in GSE15227 were screened. Grade III- and IV-specific networks were
      constructed and grade-specific genes were extracted. The network features were
      analyzed, followed by Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and pathway
      enrichment analysis of grade-specific genes and DEGs identified in GSE34095.
      Furthermore, miRNA-pathway interactions were analyzed using Fisher's exact test.
      Tumor protein p53 (TP53) was a hub gene in the grade III-specific network and
      ubiquitin C (UBC) was identified to be a hub gene in the grade IV-specific
      network. Six significant features were identified by grade-specific network
      topology analysis. Grade-specific genes and DEGs were involved in different GO
      terms and pathways. Differentially expressed miRNAs were identified to
      participate in 35 pathways, among which 6 pathways were significantly enriched by
      DEGs, including apoptosis. The present study identified that key genes (TP53 and
      UBC) and miR-129-5p may participate in the mechanism of IDD progression. Thus,
      they may be potential therapeutic targets for IDD.

PMID- 26498026
TI  - An orphan gene is necessary for preaxial digit formation during salamander limb
      development.
AB  - Limb development in salamanders differs from other tetrapods in that the first
      digits to form are the two most anterior (preaxial dominance). This has been
      proposed as a salamander novelty and its mechanistic basis is unknown.
      Salamanders are the only adult tetrapods able to regenerate the limb, and the
      contribution of preaxial dominance to limb regeneration is unclear. Here we show
      that during early outgrowth of the limb bud, a small cohort of cells express the
      orphan gene Prod1 together with Bmp2, a critical player in digit condensation in
      amniotes. Disruption of Prod1 with a gene-editing nuclease abrogates these cells,
      and blocks formation of the radius and ulna, and outgrowth of the anterior
      digits. Preaxial dominance is a notable feature of limb regeneration in the
      larval newt, but this changes abruptly after metamorphosis so that the formation
      of anterior and posterior digits occurs together within the autopodium resembling
      an amniote-like pattern. 

PMID- 26498028
TI  - Do not let precision medicine be kidnapped.
AB  - Obama's precision medicine initiative made the medical community boil over after
      the initiative's release. Precision medicine has been advocated by the majority
      of scientists and doctors. However, some experts have questioned this concept.
      This article does not oppose precision medicine. However, the incentive of
      vigorously promoting precision medicine at present is a concern.

PMID- 26498027
TI  - Emerging roles of podoplanin in vascular development and  homeostasis.
AB  - Podoplanin (PDPN) is a mucin-type O-glycoprotein expressed in diverse cell types,
      such as lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) in the vascular system and
      fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) in lymph nodes. PDPN on LECs or FRCs
      activates CLEC-2 in platelets, triggering platelet activation and/or aggregation
      through downstream signaling events, including activation of Syk kinase. This
      mechanism is required to initiate and maintain separation of blood and lymphatic
      vessels and to stabilize high endothelial venule integrity within lymphnodes. In
      the vascular system, normal expression of PDPN at the LEC surface requires
      transcriptional activation of Pdpn by Prox1 and modification of PDPN with core 1
      derived O-glycans. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the roles of
      PDPN in vascular development and lymphoid organ maintenance and discusses the
      mechanisms that regulate PDPN expression related to its function.

PMID- 26498029
TI  - In vivo knockdown of CXCR4 using jetPEI/CXCR4 shRNA nanoparticles inhibits the
      pulmonary metastatic potential of B16-F10 melanoma cells.
AB  - Metastasis is a key factor that limits survival in the majority of patients with
      cancer. Thus, numerous efforts have been made to elucidate the molecular
      mechanisms involved in this phenomenon. B16-F10 melanoma cells have been
      demonstrated to be highly metastatic to the lungs in mice. The aim of the current
      study was to investigate the role of CXC motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) in
      the metastatic potential of B16-F10 melanoma cells in mice. In vitro transfection
      of B16-F10 tumor cells with CXCR4 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expressing plasmids
      (CXCR4 shRNA) significantly reduced the expression levels of CXCR4 mRNA (80%) and
      protein (68%), compared with the control. In addition, these results demonstrated
      that pulmonary metastasis was significantly inhibited (85%) in mice inoculated
      with CXCR4 shRNA-transfected B16-F10 melanoma cells. The polycation-based
      nanoparticle (jetPEI) was used to investigate the effect of CXCR4 knockdown in
      vivo on the metastatic potential of B16-F10 melanoma cells. The number of
      pulmonary metastatic nodules was significantly reduced (50%) in animals that
      received a retro-orbital injection of jetPEI-CXCR4-1 shRNA. The current study
      demonstrated that CXCR4 serves a role in the metastatic potential of B16-F10
      melanoma cells. Currently there is a great interest in the development of
      antagonists for the therapeutic targeting of CXCR4 expression. Taking the results
      of the current study and the fact that CXCR4 is highly conserved between humans
      and mice into account, this experimental model of metastasis with B16-F10
      melanoma cells may aid in the discovery of CXCR4 antagonists with clinical
      implications. 

PMID- 26498032
TI  - Guest Editorial: Special issue on metabolomics.

PMID- 26498033
TI  - Position Statement on Breastfeeding from the Italian Pediatric Societies.
AB  - The 2015 Position Statement on Breastfeeding of The Italian Pediatric Societies
      (SIP, SIN, SICupp, SIGENP) recognizes breastfeeding as an healthy behaviour with
      many short and long term benefits for both mother and infant.While protecting,
      promoting and supporting breastfeeding, neonatologists and pediatricians need
      specific knowledge, skills and a positive attitude toward breastfeeding. In
      Maternity Hospitals and in Neonatal Units, appropriate organizative interventions
      should be applied in order to facilitate the beginning of breastfeeding and the
      use of mother's/human milk.The Italian Pediatric Societies indicate the
      desiderable goal of around 6 months exclusive breastfeeding if the infant grows
      properly according to WHO Growth Charts. In principle, complementary feeding
      should not be anticipated before 6 months as a nutritional strategy pretending to
      prevent allergy and/or celiac disease. Eventually, long term breastfeeding should
      be supported meeting mother's desire. 

PMID- 26498031
TI  - Combined effect of G3139 and TSPO ligands on Ca(2+)-induced permeability
      transition in rat brain mitochondria.
AB  - Permeability of the mitochondrial outer membrane is determined by the activity of
      voltage-dependent anion channels (VDAC) which are regulated by many factors and
      proteins. One of the main partner-regulator of VDAC is the 18 kDa translocator
      protein (TSPO), whose role in the regulation of membrane permeability is not
      completely understood. We show that TSPO ligands, 1 MUM PPIX and PK11195 at
      concentrations of 50 MUM, accelerate opening of permeability transition pores
      (mPTP) in Ca(2+)-overloaded rat brain mitochondria (RBM). By contrast, PK11195 at
      100 nM and anti-TSPO antibodies suppressed pore opening. Participation of VDAC in
      these processes was demonstrated by blocking VDAC with G3139, an 18-mer
      phosphorothioate oligonucleotides, which sensitized mitochondria to Ca(2+)
      induced mPTP opening. Despite the inhibitory effect of 100 nM PK11195 and anti
      TSPO antibodies alone, their combination with G3139 considerably stimulated the
      mPTP opening. Thus, 100 nM PK11195 and anti-TSPO antibody can modify permeability
      of the VDAC channel and mPTP. When VDAC channels are closed and TSPO is blocked,
      permeability of the VDAC for calcium seems to be the highest, which leads to
      accelerated pore opening. 

PMID- 26498034
TI  - Antimicrobial potential of 27 plants consumed by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes
      verus Blumenbach) in Ivory Coast.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Due to their genetic proximity, chimpanzees share with human several
      diseases including bacterial, fungal and viral infections, such as candidiasis,
      acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), Ebola virus disease. However, in its
      natural environment, chimpanzees are tolerant to several pathogens including
      simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), virus related to human immunodeficiency
      virus (HIV) that contribute to the emergence of opportunistic diseases such as
      microbial infections. METHODS: Twenty seven species of plants consumed by
      chimpanzees were evaluated for their antimicrobial potential against Escherichia
      coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, Candida
      tropicalis and Candida glabrata using the agar diffusion technique and micro
      dilution in 96-well plates. In total 132 extracts (33 dichloromethane, 33
      methanol, 33 ethyl acetate and 33 aqueous) were tested. RESULTS: The results
      showed that 24 extracts (18 %) showed activity against bacteria and 6 extracts (5
      %) were active against yeasts. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs)
      values of active extracts ranged between 23 and 750 MUg/ml for bacteria and
      between 188 and 1500 MUg/ml for yeasts. CONCLUSION: Tristemma coronatum was the
      most promising on the studied microorganisms followed by Beilschmiedia mannii.
      The extracts of the two plants indicated by chimpanzees have potential for
      antimicrobial use in human.

PMID- 26498035
TI  - Annexins are instrumental for efficient plasma membrane repair in cancer cells.
AB  - Plasma membrane stress can cause damage to the plasma membrane, both when imposed
      by the extracellular environment and by enhanced oxidative stress. Cells cope
      with these injuries by rapidly activating their plasma membrane repair system,
      which is triggered by Ca(2+) influx at the wound site. The repair system is
      highly dynamic, depends on both lipid and protein components, and include
      cytoskeletal reorganization, membrane replacements, and membrane fusion events.
      Cancer cells experience enhanced membrane stress when navigating through dense
      extracellular matrix, which increases the frequency of membrane injuries. In
      addition, increased motility and oxidative stress further increase the risk of
      plasma membrane lesions. Cancer cells compensate by overexpressing Annexin
      proteins including Annexin A2 (ANXA2). Annexin family members can facilitate
      membrane fusion events and wound healing by binding to negatively charged
      phospholipids in the plasma membrane. Plasma membrane repair in cancer cells
      depends on ANXA2 protein, which is recruited to the wound site and forms a
      complex with the Ca(2+)-binding EF-hand protein S100A11. Here they regulate actin
      accumulation around the wound perimeter, which is required for wound closure. In
      this review, we will discuss the requirement for Annexins, S100 proteins and
      actin cytoskeleton in the plasma membrane repair response of cancer cells, which
      reveals a novel avenue for targeting metastatic cancers. 

PMID- 26498037
TI  - Coccolithophore biomineralization: New questions, new answers.
AB  - Coccolithophores are unicellular phytoplankton that are characterized by the
      presence intricately formed calcite scales (coccoliths) on their surfaces. In
      most cases coccolith formation is an entirely intracellular process - crystal
      growth is confined within a Golgi-derived vesicle. A wide range of coccolith
      morphologies can be found amongst the different coccolithophore groups. This
      review discusses the cellular factors that regulate coccolith production, from
      the roles of organic components, endomembrane organization and cytoskeleton to
      the mechanisms of delivery of substrates to the calcifying compartment. New
      findings are also providing important information on how the delivery of
      substrates to the calcification site is co-ordinated with the removal of H(+)
      that are a bi-product of the calcification reaction. While there appear to be a
      number of species-specific features of the structural and biochemical components
      underlying coccolith formation, the fluxes of Ca(2+) and a HCO3(-) required to
      support coccolith formation appear to involve spatially organized recruitment of
      conserved transport processes. 

PMID- 26498036
TI  - cncRNAs: Bi-functional RNAs with protein coding and non-coding functions.
AB  - For many decades, the major function of mRNA was thought to be to provide protein
      coding information embedded in the genome. The advent of high-throughput
      sequencing has led to the discovery of pervasive transcription of eukaryotic
      genomes and opened the world of RNA-mediated gene regulation. Many regulatory
      RNAs have been found to be incapable of protein coding and are hence termed as
      non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). However, studies in recent years have shown that
      several previously annotated non-coding RNAs have the potential to encode
      proteins, and conversely, some coding RNAs have regulatory functions independent
      of the protein they encode. Such bi-functional RNAs, with both protein coding and
      non-coding functions, which we term as 'cncRNAs', have emerged as new players in
      cellular systems. Here, we describe the functions of some cncRNAs identified from
      bacteria to humans. Because the functions of many RNAs across genomes remains
      unclear, we propose that RNAs be classified as coding, non-coding or both only
      after careful analysis of their functions. 

PMID- 26498038
TI  - Clinical detection and categorization of uncommon and concomitant mutations
      involving BRAF.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Selective BRAF inhibitors, vemurafenib and dabrafenib, and the MEK
      inhibitor, trametinib, have been approved for treatment of metastatic melanomas
      with a BRAF p.V600E mutation. The clinical significance of non-codon 600
      mutations remains unclear, in part, due to variation of kinase activity for
      different mutants. METHODS: In this study, we categorized BRAF mutations
      according to the reported mutant kinase activity. A total of 1027 lung cancer,
      colorectal cancer or melanoma specimens were submitted for clinical mutation
      detection by next generation sequencing. RESULTS: Non-codon 600 mutations were
      observed in 37% of BRAF-mutated tumors. Of all BRAF mutants, 75% were kinase
      activated, 15% kinase-impaired and 10% kinase-unknown. The most common kinase
      impaired mutant involves codon 594, specifically, p.D594G (c.1781A > G) and
      p.D594N (c.1780G > A). Lung cancers showed significantly higher incidences of
      kinase-impaired or kinase-unknown mutants. Kinase-impaired BRAF mutants showed a
      significant association with concomitant activating KRAS or NRAS mutations, but
      not PIK3CA mutations, supporting the reported interaction of these mutations.
      CONCLUSIONS: BRAF mutants with impaired or unknown kinase activity as well as
      concomitant kinase-impaired BRAF mutations and RAS mutations were detected in
      lung cancers, colorectal cancers and melanomas. Different therapeutic strategies
      based on the BRAF mutant kinase activity and the concomitant mutations may be
      worthwhile.

PMID- 26498039
TI  - Clinical Electroencephalographic Biomarker for Impending Epilepsy in Asymptomatic
      Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Infants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We assessed the clinical utility of routine electroencephalography
      (EEG) in the prediction of epilepsy onset in asymptomatic infants with tuberous
      sclerosis complex. METHODS: This multicenter prospective observational study
      recruited infants younger than 7 months, seizure-free and on no antiepileptic
      drugs at enrollment, who all underwent serial physical examinations and video
      EEGs throughout the study. Parental education on seizure recognition was
      completed at the time of initial enrollment. Once seizure onset occurred,
      standard of care was applied, and subjects were followed up until 24 months.
      RESULTS: Forty patients were enrolled, 28 older than 12 months with completed EEG
      evaluation at the time of this interim analysis. Of those, 19 (67.8%) developed
      seizures. Epileptic spasms occurred in 10 (52.6%), focal seizures in five
      (26.3%), generalized tonic-clonic seizure in one (5.3%), and a combination of
      epileptic spasms and focal seizures in three (15.7%). Fourteen infants (73.6%)
      had the first emergence of epileptiform abnormalities on EEG at an average age
      4.2 months, preceding seizure onset by a median of 1.9 months. Hypsarrhythmia or
      modified hypsarrhythmia was not found in any infant before onset of epileptic
      spasms. All children with epileptiform discharges subsequently developed epilepsy
      (100% positive predictive value), and the negative predictive value for not
      developing epilepsy after a normal EEG was 64%. CONCLUSIONS: Serial routine EEGs
      in infants with tuberous sclerosis complex is a feasible strategy to identify
      individuals at high risk for epilepsy. The most frequent clinical presentation
      was epileptic spasms followed by focal seizures, and then a combination of both
      seizure types.

PMID- 26498040
TI  - Asymmetric synthesis of 1H-pyrrol-3(2H)-ones from 2,3-diketoesters by combination
      of aldol condensation with benzilic acid rearrangement.
AB  - An efficient two-step protocol for the asymmetric synthesis of 1H-pyrrol-3(2H)
      one derivatives in 99% ee from conveniently accessed 2,3-diketoesters has been
      developed. 

PMID- 26498041
TI  - Reactive oxygen species contribute to dysfunction of bone marrow hematopoietic
      stem cells in aged C57BL/6 J mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stem cells of intensely regenerative tissues are susceptible to
      cellular damage. Although the response to this process in hematopoietic stem
      cells (HSCs) is crucial, the mechanisms by which hematopoietic homeostasis is
      sustained are not completely understood. Aging increases reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) levels and inflammation, which contribute to increased proliferation,
      senescence and/or apoptosis, leading to self-renewal premature exhaustion. In
      this study, we assessed ROS production, DNA damage, apoptosis, senescence and
      plasticity in young, middle and aged (2-, 12- and 24-month-old, respectively)
      C57BL/6 J mice. RESULTS: Aged HSCs showed an increase in intracellular superoxide
      anion (1.4-fold), hydrogen peroxide (2-fold), nitric oxide (1.6-fold),
      peroxynitrite/hidroxil (2.6-fold) compared with young cells. We found that
      mitochondria and NADPHox were the major sources of ROS production in the three
      groups studied, whereas CYP450 contributed in middle and aged, and xanthine
      oxidase only in aged HSCs. In addition, we observed DNA damage and apoptosis in
      the middle (4.2- and 2-fold, respectively) and aged (6- and 4-fold, respectively)
      mice; aged mice also exhibited a significantly shorter telomere length (-1.8
      fold) and a lower expression of plasticity markers. CONCLUSION: These data
      suggest that aging impairs the functionality of HSCs and that these age
      associated alterations may affect the efficacy of aged HSC recovery and
      transplantation.

PMID- 26498042
TI  - Transgenic mouse offspring generated by ROSI.
AB  - The production of transgenic animals is an important tool for experimental and
      applied biology. Over the years, many approaches for the production of transgenic
      animals have been tried, including pronuclear microinjection, sperm-mediated gene
      transfer, transfection of male germ cells, somatic cell nuclear transfer and the
      use of lentiviral vectors. In the present study, we developed a new transgene
      delivery approach, and we report for the first time the production of transgenic
      animals by co-injection of DNA and round spermatid nuclei into non-fertilized
      mouse oocytes (ROSI). The transgene used was a construct containing the human CMV
      immediate early promoter and the enhanced GFP gene. With this procedure, 12% of
      the live offspring we obtained carried the transgene. This efficiency of
      transgenic production by ROSI was similar to the efficiency by pronuclear
      injection or intracytoplasmic injection of male gamete nuclei (ICSI). However,
      ICSI required fewer embryos to produce the same number of transgenic animals. The
      expression of Egfp mRNA and fluorescence of EGFP were found in the majority of
      the organs examined in 4 transgenic lines generated by ROSI. Tissue morphology
      and transgene expression were not distinguishable between transgenic animals
      produced by ROSI or pronuclear injection. Furthermore, our results are of
      particular interest because they indicate that the transgene incorporation
      mediated by intracytoplasmic injection of male gamete nuclei is not an exclusive
      property of mature sperm cell nuclei with compact chromatin but it can be
      accomplished with immature sperm cell nuclei with decondensed chromatin as well.
      The present study also provides alternative procedures for transgene delivery
      into embryos or reconstituted oocytes. 

PMID- 26498043
TI  - Appropriateness of colonoscopy requests according to EPAGE-II in the Spanish
      region of Catalonia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In a context of increasing demand and pressure on the public health
      expenditure, appropriateness of colonoscopy indications is a topic of discussion.
      The objective of this study is to evaluate the appropriateness of colonoscopy
      requests performed in a primary care (PC) setting in Catalonia. METHODS: Cross
      sectional descriptive study. Out-patients >14 years of age, referred by their
      reference physicians from PC or hospital care settings to the endoscopy units in
      their reference hospitals, to undergo a colonoscopy. Evaluation of the
      appropriateness of 1440 colonoscopy requests issued from January to July 2011,
      according to the EPAGE-II guidelines (European Panel on the Appropriateness of
      Gastrointestinal Endoscopy). RESULTS: The most frequent indications of diagnostic
      suspicion requests were: rectal bleeding (37.46 %), abdominal pain (26.54 %), and
      anaemia study (16.78 %). The most frequent indications of disease follow-up were
      adenomas (58.1 %), and CRC (31.16 %). Colonoscopy was appropriate in 73.68 % of
      the cases, uncertain in 16.57 %, and inappropriate in 9.74 %. In multivariate
      analysis, performed colonoscopies reached an OR of 9.9 (CI 95 % 1.16-84.08) for
      qualifying as appropriate for colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis, 1.49 (CI 95 %
      1.1-2.02) when requested by a general practitioner, and 1.09 (CI 95 % 1.07-1.1)
      when performed on women. CONCLUSIONS: Appropriateness of colonoscopy requests in
      our setting shows a suitable situation in accordance with recognized standards.
      General practitioners contribute positively to this appropriateness level. It is
      necessary to provide physicians with simple and updated guidelines, which stress
      recommendations for avoiding colonoscopy requests in the most prevalent
      conditions in PC.

PMID- 26498044
TI  - Ankyrin exposure induced by activated protein kinase C plays a potential role in
      erythrophagocytosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In physiological and pathological conditions activated protein kinace
      C (PKC) has been observed in the erythrocytes. Externalization of ankyrin
      followed by Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)/integrin recognition also triggers
      erythrophagocytosis. In the present study, to test whether activated PKC is
      associated with ankyrin exposure in erythrophagocytosis. METHODS: Phorbol 12
      myristate-13-acetate (PMA)-induced PKC activation and ankyrin phosphorylation
      were tested, and under different treatment conditions the subpopulation of
      erythrocytes with ankyrin exposure and the levels of intracellular calcium were
      analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Results showed that treatment of
      erythrocytes with PMA in a calcium-containing buffer led to ankyrin exposure. In
      the absence of extracellular calcium, no ankyrin exposure was observed. PKC
      inhibition with calphostin C, a blocker of the PMA binding site, completely
      prevented the calcium entry, protein phosphorylation and ankyrin exposure. PKC
      inhibition with chelerythrine chloride, an inhibitor of the active site,
      diminished the level of ankyrin-exposing cells and ankyrin phosphorylation;
      however it even led to a higher percentage of cells with increased levels of
      calcium than with PMA treatment alone. Although PKC was activated and ankyrin
      phosphorylation occurred, no ankyrin exposure was observed in the absence of
      extracellular calcium. CONCLUSION: Analyses of results suggested that PMA induces
      calcium influx into the erythrocytes, leading to the activation of calcium
      dependent enzymes and the phosphorylation of membrane proteins, ultimately
      inducing ankyrin exposure and erythrophagocytosis. This study may provide
      insights into the molecular mechanisms of removing aged or diseased erythrocytes.

PMID- 26498046
TI  - Breast image pre-processing for mammographic tissue segmentation.
AB  - During mammographic image acquisition, a compression paddle is used to even the
      breast thickness in order to obtain optimal image quality. Clinical observation
      has indicated that some mammograms may exhibit abrupt intensity change and low
      visibility of tissue structures in the breast peripheral areas. Such appearance
      discrepancies can affect image interpretation and may not be desirable for
      computer aided mammography, leading to incorrect diagnosis and/or detection which
      can have a negative impact on sensitivity and specificity of screening
      mammography. This paper describes a novel mammographic image pre-processing
      method to improve image quality for analysis. An image selection process is
      incorporated to better target problematic images. The processed images show
      improved mammographic appearances not only in the breast periphery but also
      across the mammograms. Mammographic segmentation and risk/density classification
      were performed to facilitate a quantitative and qualitative evaluation. When
      using the processed images, the results indicated more anatomically correct
      segmentation in tissue specific areas, and subsequently better classification
      accuracies were achieved. Visual assessments were conducted in a clinical
      environment to determine the quality of the processed images and the resultant
      segmentation. The developed method has shown promising results. It is expected to
      be useful in early breast cancer detection, risk-stratified screening, and aiding
      radiologists in the process of decision making prior to surgery and/or treatment.

PMID- 26498045
TI  - Nonstandard working schedules and health: the systematic search for a
      comprehensive model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Theoretical models on shift work fall short of describing relevant
      health-related pathways associated with the broader concept of nonstandard
      working schedules. Shift work models neither combine relevant working time
      characteristics applicable to nonstandard schedules nor include the role of rest
      periods and recovery in the development of health complaints. Therefore, this
      paper aimed to develop a comprehensive model on nonstandard working schedules to
      address these shortcomings. METHODS: A literature review was conducted using a
      systematic search and selection process. Two searches were performed: one
      associating the working time characteristics time-of-day and working time
      duration with health and one associating recovery after work with health. Data
      extracted from the models were used to develop a comprehensive model on
      nonstandard working schedules and health. RESULTS: For models on the working time
      characteristics, the search strategy yielded 3044 references, of which 26 met the
      inclusion criteria that contained 22 distinctive models. For models on recovery
      after work, the search strategy yielded 896 references, of which seven met the
      inclusion criteria containing seven distinctive models. Of the models on the
      working time characteristics, three combined time-of-day with working time
      duration, 18 were on time-of-day (i.e. shift work), and one was on working time
      duration. The model developed in the paper has a comprehensive approach to
      working hours and other work-related risk factors and proposes that they should
      be balanced by positive non-work factors to maintain health. Physiological
      processes leading to health complaints are circadian disruption, sleep
      deprivation, and activation that should be counterbalanced by (re-)entrainment,
      restorative sleep, and recovery, respectively, to maintain health. CONCLUSIONS: A
      comprehensive model on nonstandard working schedules and health was developed.
      The model proposes that work and non-work as well as their associated
      physiological processes need to be balanced to maintain good health. The model
      gives researchers a useful overview over the various risk factors and pathways
      associated with health that should be considered when studying any form of
      nonstandard working schedule.

PMID- 26498047
TI  - Manifold ranking based scoring system with its application to cardiac arrest
      prediction: A retrospective study in emergency department patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The recently developed geometric distance scoring system has shown
      the effectiveness of scoring systems in predicting cardiac arrest within 72h and
      the potential to predict other clinical outcomes. However, the geometric distance
      scoring system predicts scores based on only local structure embedded by the
      data, thus leaving much room for improvement in terms of prediction accuracy.
      METHODS: We developed a novel scoring system for predicting cardiac arrest within
      72h. The scoring system was developed based on a semi-supervised learning
      algorithm, manifold ranking, which explores both the local and global consistency
      of the data. System evaluation was conducted on emergency department patients'
      data, including both vital signs and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters.
      Comparison of the proposed scoring system with previous work was given in terms
      of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive
      value (NPV). RESULTS: Out of 1025 patients, 52 (5.1%) met the primary outcome.
      Experimental results show that the proposed scoring system was able to achieve
      higher area under the curve (AUC) on both the balanced dataset (0.907 vs. 0.824)
      and the imbalanced dataset (0.774 vs. 0.734) compared to the geometric distance
      scoring system. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed scoring system improved the prediction
      accuracy by utilizing the global consistency of the training data. We foresee the
      potential of extending this scoring system, as well as manifold ranking
      algorithm, to other medical decision making problems. Furthermore, we will
      investigate the parameter selection process and other techniques to improve
      performance on the imbalanced dataset.

PMID- 26498048
TI  - Social Support and Supervisory Quality Interventions in the Workplace: A
      Stakeholder-Centered Best-Evidence Synthesis of Systematic Reviews on Work
      Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is controversy surrounding the impact of workplace
      interventions aimed at improving social support and supervisory quality on
      absenteeism, productivity and financial outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To determine the
      value of social support interventions for work outcomes. METHODS: Databases were
      searched for systematic reviews between 2000 and 2012 to complete a synthesis of
      systematic reviews guided by the PRISMA statement and the IOM guidelines for
      systematic reviews. Assessment of articles for inclusion and methodological
      quality was conducted independently by at least two researchers, with differences
      resolved by consensus. RESULTS: The search resulted in 3363 titles of which 3248
      were excluded following title/abstract review, leaving 115 articles that were
      retrieved and underwent full article review. 10 articles met the set inclusion
      criteria, with 7 focusing on social support, 2 on supervisory quality and 1 on
      both. We found moderate and limited evidence, respectively, that social support
      and supervisory quality interventions positively impact workplace outcomes.
      CONCLUSION: There is moderate evidence that social support and limited evidence
      that supervisory quality interventions have a positive effect on work outcomes.

PMID- 26498049
TI  - A 'Balanced' Life: Work-Life Balance and Sickness Absence in Four Nordic
      Countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little attention has been given to the relationship between work-life
      balance and sickness absence. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between
      poor work-life balance and sickness absence in 4 Nordic welfare states. METHODS:
      Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed on pooled cross
      sectional data of workers aged 15-65 years from Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and
      Norway (n=4186) obtained from the 2010 European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS).
      Poor work-life balance was defined based on the fit between working hours and
      family or social commitments outside work. Self-reported sickness absence was
      measured as absence for >=7 days from work for health reasons. RESULTS: Poor work
      life balance was associated with elevated odds (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.80) of
      self-reported sickness absence and more health problems in the 4 Nordic
      countries, even after adjusting for several important confounding factors. Work
      related characteristics, ie, no determination over schedule (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.04
      to 1.53), and job insecurity (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.21 to 2.02) increased the
      likelihood of sickness absence, and household characteristics, ie, cohabitation
      status (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.96) reduced this likelihood. The associations
      were non-significant when performed separately for women and men. CONCLUSION:
      Sickness absence is predicted by poor work-life balance. Findings suggest the
      need for implementation of measures that prevent employee difficulties in
      combining work and family life.

PMID- 26498050
TI  - Dimensions of Safety Climate among Iranian Nurses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Workplace safety has been a concern of workers and managers for
      decades. Measuring safety climate is crucial in improving safety performance. It
      is also a method of benchmarking safety perception. OBJECTIVE: To develop and
      validate a psychometrics scale for measuring nurses' safety climate. METHODS:
      Literature review, subject matter experts and nurse's judgment were used in items
      developing. Content validity and reliability for new tool were tested by content
      validity index (CVI) and test-retest analysis, respectively. Exploratory factor
      analysis (EFA) with varimax rotation was used to improve the interpretation of
      latent factors. RESULTS: A 40-item scale in 6 factors was developed, which could
      explain 55% of the observed variance. The 6 factors included employees'
      involvement in safety and management support, compliance with safety rules,
      safety training and accessibility to personal protective equipment, hindrance to
      safe work, safety communication and job pressure, and individual risk perception.
      CONCLUSION: The proposed scale can be used in identifying the needed areas to
      implement interventions in safety climate of nurses.

PMID- 26498051
TI  - Validity and Reliability of Malay Version of the Job Content Questionnaire among
      Public Hospital Female Nurses in Malaysia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Job Content Questionnaire (M-JCQ) is an established self-reported
      instrument used across the world to measure the work dimensions based on the
      Karasek's demand-control-support model. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychometrics
      properties of the Malay version of M-JCQ among nurses in Malaysia. METHODS: This
      cross-sectional study was carried out on nurses working in 4 public hospitals in
      Klang Valley area, Malaysia. M-JCQ was used to assess the perceived psychosocial
      stressors and physical demands of nurses at their workplaces. Construct validity
      of the questionnaire was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA).
      Cronbach's alpha values were used to estimate the reliability (internal
      consistency) of the M-JCQ. RESULTS: EFA showed that 34 selected items were loaded
      in 4 factors. Except for psychological job demand (Cronbach's alpha 0.51), the
      remaining 3 alpha values for 3 subscales (job control, social support, and
      physical demand) were greater than 0.70, indicating acceptable internal
      consistency. However, an item was excluded due to poor item-total correlation
      (r<0.3). The final M-JCQ was consisted of 33 items. CONCLUSION: The M-JCQ is a
      reliable and valid instrument to measure psychosocial and physical stressors in
      the workplace of public hospital nurses in Malaysia.

PMID- 26498053
TI  - The Deadly Heat Wave of Pakistan, June 2015.

PMID- 26498054
TI  - Deadly Heat Wave in Karachi, July 2015: Negligence or Mismanagement?

PMID- 26498052
TI  - Occupational Safety Precautions among Nurses at Four Hospitals, Nablus District,
      Palestine.
AB  - Occupational hazards, exposure to blood and body fluids (BBF) accidents and
      safety precautions constitute an important public health issue. We assessed the
      prevalence and determinants of exposure to occupational hazards among nurses, and
      their knowledge of occupational safety precautions. In a cross-sectional study,
      we surveyed 332 nurses working in 4 hospitals, Nablus, West Bank, Palestine, by a
      questionnaire. Bivariate analysis tested the associations between ever exposure
      and the high likelihood of BBF exposure and the independent socio-demographic and
      occupational variables. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess
      the associations between the same two exposures and selected independent
      variables (those significant in the bivariate analysis). Prevalence of ever
      exposure to BBF was 51.7%, and was associated with working in private and
      charitable hospitals (OR 2.62, 2.68, respectively), having 4-6 family members (OR
      0.52) and "nursing" being as one's top career choice at university (OR 0.48). The
      prevalence of high likelihood of BBF exposure was 62.2%, and was associated with
      working in charitable and private hospitals (OR 7.81, 2.43, respectively) and
      "nursing" being as one's top career choice (OR 0.57). Regarding knowledge, most
      respondents believed it is necessary to enact laws and regulations regarding
      occupational safety precautions, reported the use of sharps containers, immediate
      disinfection after an accident, reporting an accident, and using personal
      protective equipment. Nurses had adequate knowledge of the risks of their
      hospital work. Nevertheless, they exhibited high prevalence of exposure to BBF
      accidents. Future studies are needed to re-evaluate existing occupational safety
      guidelines in hospitals, establish monitoring and evaluation protocols for health
      care workers' adherence to the guidelines, and institute well-defined policies
      for reporting occupational injury incidents so these can be handled
      appropriately.

PMID- 26498055
TI  - Neurogenic Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction in Adults with Cerebral Palsy:
      Outcomes following a Conservative Management Approach.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cerebral palsy is characterized by motor impairment following injury to
      the developing brain. Neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction is estimated to
      affect at least a third of children with cerebral palsy. However there are
      limited data as patients transition to adulthood. We sought to describe the
      symptoms, sequelae and management of neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction
      in adults with cerebral palsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed
      the charts of adult patients with cerebral palsy between 2011 and 2014. Patients
      with prior bladder reconstruction or catheterization based bladder drainage were
      excluded from study. Cerebral palsy severity was determined using GMFCS (Gross
      Motor Function Classification System). A conservative evaluation and treatment
      paradigm was used. Noninvasive treatments were encouraged. Specifically clean
      intermittent catheterization, which is often not feasible, is avoided unless
      urinary retention, hydronephrosis or refractory lower urinary tract symptoms
      develop. RESULTS: There were 121 patients included in final analysis. Median age
      was 25 and 61 patients (50%) had GMFCS level V. Noninvasive management failed in
      28 of 121 patients (23%) as defined by hydronephrosis in 9, persistent urinary
      retention in 10 and refractory lower urinary tract symptoms/incontinence in 9.
      Urethral clean intermittent catheterization was poorly tolerated. Of all patients
      25% showed evidence of urolithiasis during the study period. Surgical
      intervention was rare and associated with significant morbidity. CONCLUSIONS:
      Adults with cerebral palsy may present with variable signs and symptoms of
      neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction. Conservative treatment was successful
      in more than 75% of patients. Clean intermittent catheterization was poorly
      tolerated in patients in whom conservative treatment failed. Surgical
      intervention was rarely indicated and it should be reserved for select
      individuals.

PMID- 26498057
TI  - Effect of Testosterone Solution 2% on Testosterone Concentration, Sex Drive and
      Energy in Hypogonadal Men: Results of a Placebo Controlled Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: We determined the effect of testosterone solution 2% on total
      testosterone level and the 2 symptoms of hypogonadism, sex drive and energy
      level. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a randomized, multicenter, double-blind,
      placebo controlled, 16-week study to compare the effect of testosterone and
      placebo on the proportion of men with a testosterone level within the normal
      range (300 to 1,050 ng/dl) upon treatment completion. We also assessed the impact
      of testosterone on sex drive and energy level measured using SAID (Sexual
      Arousal, Interest and Drive scale) and HED (Hypogonadism Energy Diary),
      respectively. A total of 715 males 18 years old or older with total testosterone
      less than 300 ng/dl and at least 1 symptom of testosterone deficiency (decreased
      energy and/or decreased sexual drive) were randomized to 60 mg topical
      testosterone solution 2% or placebo once daily. RESULTS: Of study completers 73%
      in the testosterone vs 15% in the placebo group had a testosterone level within
      the normal range at study end point (p <0.001). Participants assigned to
      testosterone showed greater baseline to end point improvement in SAID scores (low
      sex drive subset p <0.001 vs placebo) and HED scores (low energy subset p = 0.02
      vs placebo, not significant at prespecified p <0.01). No major adverse
      cardiovascular or venous thrombotic events were reported in the testosterone
      group. The incidence of increased hematocrit was higher with testosterone vs
      placebo (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Once daily testosterone solution 2% for 12 weeks
      was efficacious in restoring normal testosterone levels and improving sexual
      drive in hypogonadal men. Improvement was also seen in energy levels on HED
      though not at the prespecified p <0.01. No new safety signals were identified.

PMID- 26498056
TI  - Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: AUA Guideline Amendment 2015.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this amendment is to incorporate relevant newly-published
      literature to better provide a rational basis for the management of patients with
      castration-resistant prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The original
      systematic review and meta-analysis of the published literature yielded 303
      studies published from 1996 through 2013. This review informed the majority of
      the guideline statements. Clinical Principles and Expert Opinions were used for
      guideline statements lacking sufficient evidence. In April 2014, the CRPC
      guideline underwent amendment based on an additional literature search, which
      retrieved additional studies published between February 2013 and February 2014.
      Thirty-seven studies from this search provided data relevant to the specific
      treatment modalities for CRPC. In March 2015, the CRPC guideline underwent a
      second amendment, which incorporated 10 additional studies into the evidence base
      published through February 2015. RESULTS: Guideline statements based on six index
      patients developed to represent the most common scenarios encountered in clinical
      practice were amended appropriately. The additional literature provided the basis
      for an update of current supporting text as well as the incorporation of new
      guideline statements for multiple index patients. CONCLUSIONS: Given the rapidly
      evolving nature of this field, this guideline should be used in conjunction with
      recent systematic literature reviews and an understanding of the individual
      patient's treatment goals. Patients' preferences and personal goals should be
      considered when choosing management strategies. This guideline will be
      continually updated as new literature emerges in the field.

PMID- 26498058
TI  - Increasing incidence of pertussis in Brazil: a retrospective study using
      surveillance data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many countries have reported an increase in the incidence of
      pertussis, which has become a global public health concern. METHODS: In this
      study, the epidemiology of pertussis in Brazil was assessed retrospectively using
      surveillance data gathered from case notification forms from 2007 to 2014.
      RESULTS: From 2007 to 2014, 80,068 suspected cases of pertussis were reported in
      Brazil. Of these, 24,612 (32 %) were confirmed by various criteria. The annual
      distribution of confirmed cases demonstrated a significant increase in incidence
      rate since 2012. A seasonal pattern in which cases occur most frequently between
      the end of spring and midsummer has been identified. Among the confirmed cases,
      34.5 % occurred in infants aged 0-2 months, 22.4 % occurred in infants aged 3-6
      months, 21 % occurred in children aged 7 months to 4 years, and 8 % were reported
      in adults >21 years. Of the confirmed cases, 47.2 % met only clinical criteria,
      15.5 % met clinical and epidemiological criteria, and 36.6 % were confirmed in a
      laboratory. The overall case fatality rate was 2.1 %, reaching 4.7 % among
      infants aged 0-2 months. The complications most commonly reported in the
      notification forms were pneumonia, encephalitis, dehydration, otitis, and
      malnutrition. Of the confirmed cases, 23.1 % occurred in subjects who received at
      least 3 doses of the pertussis vaccine. Within this group, there were 1098
      infants aged 7 to 15 months and 2079 children aged 16 months to 4 years. In 2012,
      18 states did not achieve 95 % immunization coverage, a number that dropped to 10
      and 6 in 2013 and 2014, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Brazil's main challenges in
      facing pertussis resurgence will be to offer the best quality medical attention
      to reduce mortality, to improve the infrastructure for laboratory diagnosis and
      to increase vaccination coverage. Additional studies to assess the effectiveness
      of the current vaccination schedule and basic research on the genetics and
      evolution of circulating B. pertussis strains are also needed.

PMID- 26498059
TI  - Attributes and weights in health care priority setting: A systematic review of
      what counts and to what extent.
AB  - In most societies resources are insufficient to provide everyone with all the
      health care they want. In practice, this means that some people are given
      priority over others. On what basis should priority be given? In this paper we
      are interested in the general public's views on this question. We set out to
      synthesis what the literature has found as a whole regarding which attributes or
      factors the general public think should count in priority setting and what weight
      they should receive. A systematic review was undertaken (in August 2014) to
      address these questions based on empirical studies that elicited stated
      preferences from the general public. Sixty four studies, applying eight methods,
      spanning five continents met the inclusion criteria. Discrete Choice Experiment
      (DCE) and Person Trade-off (PTO) were the most popular standard methods for
      preference elicitation, but only 34% of all studies calculated distributional
      weights, mainly using PTO. While there is heterogeneity, results suggest the
      young are favoured over the old, the more severely ill are favoured over the less
      severely ill, and people with self-induced illness or high socioeconomic status
      tend to receive lower priority. In those studies that considered health gain,
      larger gain is universally preferred, but at a diminishing rate. Evidence from
      the small number of studies that explored preferences over different components
      of health gain suggests life extension is favoured over quality of life
      enhancement; however this may be reversed at the end of life. The majority of
      studies that investigated end of life care found weak/no support for providing a
      premium for such care. The review highlights considerable heterogeneity in both
      methods and results. Further methodological work is needed to achieve the goal of
      deriving robust distributional weights for use in health care priority setting. 

PMID- 26498060
TI  - The effect of foetal bovine serum supplementation upon the lactate dehydrogenase
      cytotoxicity assay: Important considerations for in vitro toxicity analysis.
AB  - The lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay is a commonly-used tool for assessing
      toxicity in vitro. However, anecdotal reports suggest that foetal bovine serum
      (FBS) may contain LDH at concentrations significant enough to interfere with the
      assay and thus reduce its sensitivity. A series of experiments were performed to
      determine whether addition of FBS to culture medium significantly elevated
      culture media LDH content, and whether replacement of FBS with heat inactivated
      foetal bovine serum (HI-FBS) reduced LDH content and interfered with cell
      response to cytotoxic challenge. The addition of FBS at 5, 10 and 15% final
      concentrations increased culture medium LDH content in a dose-dependent manner.
      The substitution of HI-FBS for FBS reduced culture medium LDH content and
      increased the dynamic range of the assay. Cell viability of the SH-SY5Y human
      neuroblastoma and N27 rat mesencephalic neurone cell lines were significantly
      reduced as measured using the MTT reduction assay, whilst HI-FBS only affected
      toxicity response in a cell- and toxin-specific manner, although these effects
      were small. Hence, for cell lines with a high FBS requirement, the use of HI-FBS
      or alternative toxicity assays can be considered, or the use of alternative
      formulations, such as chemically-defined serum-free media, be adopted. 

PMID- 26498061
TI  - Inhibitory effect 6-gingerol on adipogenesis through activation of the Wnt/beta
      catenin signaling pathway in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.
AB  - 6-Gingerol has been reported to inhibit adipogenesis and lipid content
      accumulation. However, the mechanism of its anti-adipogenic effect remains
      unclear. Our aim is to investigate the molecular mechanism of the anti-adipogenic
      effect of 6-gingerol. The lipid content in adipocytes was measured by Oil Red O
      staining and cell viability was analyzed by MTT assay. The extent of suppression
      of differentiation by 6-gingerol was characterized by measuring the triglyceride
      content and GPDH activity. The regulation of adipogenic markers and the
      components of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway were analyzed by real-time PCR and
      Western blotting. The nuclear location of beta-catenin was identified using
      immunofluorescence assay. Small interfering RNA transfection was conducted to
      elucidate the crucial role of beta-catenin in anti-adipogenic effect of 6
      gingerol. Our results showed that 6-gingerol inhibited the adipogenesis and
      lowered the mRNA expression levels of transcription factors and the key lipogenic
      enzymes in 3T3-L1 cells. The effect of 6-gingerol on adipogenic differentiation
      was accompanied by stimulating the activation of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling.
      In addition, we found that 6-gingerol induced phosphorylations of glycogen
      synthase kinase-3beta(GSK-3beta), and promoted the nuclear accumulation of beta
      catenin. Importantly, the inhibitory effect of 6-gingerol on adipogenic
      differentiation was reversed after the siRNA knockdown of beta-catenin was added.
      Our findings demonstrated that 6-gingerol inhibits the adipogenic differentiation
      of 3T3-L1 cells through activating the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26498062
TI  - Plasmodium falciparum malaria in migrants who transited Libya - Where did they
      contract malaria?

PMID- 26498063
TI  - Determining temperature distribution in tissue in the focal plane of the high
      (>100 W/cm(2)) intensity focused ultrasound beam using phase shift of ultrasound
      echoes.
AB  - In therapeutic applications of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) the
      guidance of the HIFU beam and especially its focal plane is of crucial
      importance. This guidance is needed to appropriately target the focal plane and
      hence the whole focal volume inside the tumor tissue prior to thermo-ablative
      treatment and beginning of tissue necrosis. This is currently done using Magnetic
      Resonance Imaging that is relatively expensive. In this study an ultrasound
      method, which calculates the variations of speed of sound in the locally heated
      tissue volume by analyzing the phase shifts of echo-signals received by an
      ultrasound scanner from this very volume is presented. To improve spatial
      resolution of B-mode imaging and minimize the uncertainty of temperature
      estimation the acoustic signals were transmitted and received by 8 MHz linear
      phased array employing Synthetic Transmit Aperture (STA) technique. Initially,
      the validity of the algorithm developed was verified experimentally in a tissue
      mimicking phantom heated from 20.6 to 48.6  degrees C. Subsequently, the method
      was tested using a pork loin sample heated locally by a 2 MHz pulsed HIFU beam
      with focal intensity ISATA of 129 W/cm(2). The temperature calibration of 2D maps
      of changes in the sound velocity induced by heating was performed by comparison
      of the algorithm-determined changes in the sound velocity with the temperatures
      measured by thermocouples located in the heated tissue volume. The method
      developed enabled ultrasound temperature imaging of the heated tissue volume from
      the very inception of heating with the contrast-to-noise ratio of 3.5-12 dB in
      the temperature range 21-56  degrees C. Concurrently performed, conventional B
      mode imaging revealed CNR close to zero dB until the temperature reached 50 
      degrees C causing necrosis. The data presented suggest that the proposed method
      could offer an alternative to MRI-guided temperature imaging for prediction of
      the location and extent of the thermal lesion prior to applying the final HIFU
      treatment.

PMID- 26498064
TI  - Frequency analysis of photoplethysmogram and its derivatives.
AB  - There are a limited number of studies on heat stress dynamics during exercise
      using the photoplethysmogram (PPG). We investigate the PPG signal and its
      derivatives for heat stress assessment using Welch (non-parametric) and
      autoregressive (parametric) spectral estimation methods. The preliminary results
      of this study indicate that applying the first and second derivatives to PPG
      waveforms is useful for determining heat stress level using 20-s recordings.
      Interestingly, Welch's and Yule-Walker's methods in agreement that the second
      derivative is an improved detector for heat stress. In fact, both spectral
      estimation methods showed a clear separation in the frequency domain between
      measurements before and after simulated heat-stress induction when the second
      derivative is applied. Moreover, the results demonstrate superior performance of
      the Welch's method over the Yule-Walker's method in separating before and after
      the three simulated heat-stress inductions. 

PMID- 26498065
TI  - miRNA expression profile of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma and identification of
      the oncogenic role of miR-590-5p.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNA molecules, are associated
      with a variety of human cancers. Currently, little data are available regarding
      miRNA expression in vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC); the mechanism of
      action of miRNAs in VSCC still requires investigation. The aim of the present
      study was to investigate the miRNA expression profile in VSCC using a miRCURYTM
      LNA array. The expression levels of selected miRNAs were quantified by RT-qPCR.
      The relationship between miR-590-5p expression and clinical pathology was
      assessed. The expression levels of crucial transforming growth factor-beta (TGF
      beta) and Smad pathway factors were detected. We further investigated the role of
      miR-590-5p via in vitro studies in the A431 human VSCC cell line. A total of 157
      miRNAs showed significantly altered expression in this type of carcinoma. Of
      particular interest, miR-590-5p, miR-182-5p and miR-183-5p were upregulated, and
      miR-603, miR-103a-3p and miR-107 were downregulated. A positive relationship was
      found between miR-590-5p expression and lymph node metastasis. In VSCC, TGFbeta1
      and TGFbeta2 were significantly overexpressed and TGFbetaRII and Smad4 were
      significantly underexpressed at both the RNA and protein levels. In A431 cells,
      overexpression of miR-590-5p promoted proliferation, migration and G1-S phase
      transition and downregulated TGFbetaRII. The knockdown of TGFbetaRII by siRNA
      promoted malignant behaviours in the A431 cells. In conclusion, we present the
      miRNA expression profile in VSCC, and our findings suggest that the upregulation
      of miR-590-5p promotes cellular malignant behaviours via the target gene
      TGFbetaRII.

PMID- 26498067
TI  - Purines in neurite growth and astroglia activation.
AB  - The mammalian nervous system is a complex, functional network of neurons,
      consisting of local and long-range connections. Neuronal growth is highly
      coordinated by a variety of extracellular and intracellular signaling molecules.
      Purines turned out to be an essential component of these processes. Here, we
      review the current knowledge about the involvement of purinergic signaling in the
      regulation of neuronal development. We particularly focus on its role in
      neuritogenesis: the formation and extension of neurites. In the course of
      maturation mammals generally lose their ability to regenerate the central nervous
      system (CNS) e.g. after traumatic brain injury; although, spontaneous
      regeneration still occurs in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Thus, it is
      crucial to translate the knowledge about CNS development and PNS regeneration
      into novel approaches to enable neurons of the mature CNS to regenerate. In this
      context we give a general overview of growth-inhibitory and growth-stimulatory
      factors and mechanisms involved in neurite growth. With regard to neuronal
      growth, astrocytes are an important cell population. They provide structural and
      metabolic support to neurons and actively participate in brain signaling.
      Astrocytes respond to injury with beneficial or detrimental reactions with regard
      to axonal growth. In this review we present the current knowledge of purines in
      these glial functions. Moreover, we discuss organotypic brain slice co-cultures
      as a model which retains neuron-glia interactions, and further presents at once a
      model for CNS development and regeneration. In summary, the purinergic system is
      a pivotal factor in neuronal development and in the response to injury. This
      article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Purines in Neurodegeneration and
      Neuroregeneration'.

PMID- 26498066
TI  - The inverted free energy landscape of an intrinsically disordered peptide by
      simulations and experiments.
AB  - The free energy landscape theory has been very successful in rationalizing the
      folding behaviour of globular proteins, as this representation provides intuitive
      information on the number of states involved in the folding process, their
      populations and pathways of interconversion. We extend here this formalism to the
      case of the Abeta40 peptide, a 40-residue intrinsically disordered protein
      fragment associated with Alzheimer's disease. By using an advanced sampling
      technique that enables free energy calculations to reach convergence also in the
      case of highly disordered states of proteins, we provide a precise structural
      characterization of the free energy landscape of this peptide. We find that such
      landscape has inverted features with respect to those typical of folded proteins.
      While the global free energy minimum consists of highly disordered structures,
      higher free energy regions correspond to a large variety of transiently
      structured conformations with secondary structure elements arranged in several
      different manners, and are not separated from each other by sizeable free energy
      barriers. From this peculiar structure of the free energy landscape we predict
      that this peptide should become more structured and not only more compact, with
      increasing temperatures, and we show that this is the case through a series of
      biophysical measurements. 

PMID- 26498068
TI  - Sequential integrated antenatal screening for Down's syndrome, trisomy 18 and
      trisomy 13.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the performance of antenatal sequential Integrated
      screening for Down's syndrome (DS), trisomy 18 (T18) and trisomy 13 (T13), in
      which women have first trimester testing for each disorder; those above specified
      risk cut-offs are screen-positive, and the remainder continue to Integrated
      testing, using first and second trimester screening markers together. METHODS:
      Published screening marker parameters and Monte Carlo simulation were used to
      calculate detection rates (DR's) and risk cut-off levels for specified false
      positive rates (FPR's), and DR's and FPR's for specified risk cut-offs. We
      compared this screening performance with that based on all women having
      Integrated tests. RESULTS: Sequential Integrated DS screening detects 71% of DS
      pregnancies at the first trimester stage at a 0.5% FPR. For an overall 2% FPR,
      the DS DR is 92%, the same screening performance as the Integrated test performed
      on all women. Sequential Integrated T18 and T13 screening detects 70% of T18 and
      53% of T13 pregnancies at the first trimester stage at a 0.05% FPR for each. The
      overall T18 and T13 DR's are 96% and 72% respectively at 0.2% FPR, the same
      screening performance as with Integrated tests performed on all women. Increasing
      the overall FPR's does not materially increase the DR's for any of the three
      disorders. CONCLUSION: The performance of sequential Integrated screening is
      similar to the performance if all women have an Integrated test, but has the
      advantage of identifying most DS, T18, and T13 pregnancies a few weeks earlier.

PMID- 26498069
TI  - Growth and nutritional status in children with chronic kidney disease on
      maintenance dialysis in Poland.
AB  - PURPOSE: Despite vast availability of modern methods of treatment of chronic
      kidney disease and its complications, the short stature still is a major point of
      concern in adolescents with chronic kidney disease. The aim of the study was to
      assess changes in growth and nutritional status of Polish children on renal
      replacement therapy in the decade, 2004-2013. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was
      designed as a cross-sectional analysis of anthropometric values and selected
      indices of growth status amongst children receiving dialysis in Poland between
      the years 2004 and 2013. Data were acquired during two different multicentre
      studies on hypertension in dialyzed children in Poland. Basic anthropometric
      parameters (body weight, body height/length, body mass index - BMI), dialysis
      adequacy and duration of RRT were assessed. RESULTS: The study showed that
      anthropometric parameters of children undergoing renal replacement therapy had
      not significantly changed in the last 10 years of observation. Children on RRT
      were still of short stature despite availability of modern methods of hormonal
      therapy and nutrition. Median of height z-score was -2.10 in 2004 and -2.19 in
      2013. Expected clinical improvement in these measures was not proven.
      CONCLUSIONS: The cause of chronic kidney disease, method of dialysis, time on
      dialysis or dialysis adequacy did not influence the anthropometric parameters
      significantly in dialyzed children in Poland.

PMID- 26498070
TI  - Cross-talk between alpha7 nAchR and NMDAR revealed by protein profiling.
AB  - Functional regulation of NMDA receptor (NMDAR) by the activation of alpha7
      nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha7nAChR) has been reported, although the
      molecular signaling pathway underlying this process remains largely unknown. We
      employed a label-free quantitative proteomics approach to identify potential
      intracellular molecules and pathways that might be involved in the functional
      cross-talk between NMDAR and alpha7nAChR. 43 proteins showed significantly
      expression changes after choline treatment in which 35 out of 43 proteins was
      significantly altered by co-treatment with NMDA. Western blot analysis verified
      proteins expression determined by LC-MS. Furthermore, protein expression in vivo
      in neurons from fetal rats were visualized and quantified by Confocal
      microscopy,which showed consistency of relative changes of AHA-1
      expressionmeasured by LC-MS and Western blot. Biological network analysis of
      differently expressed proteins found 21 kind of biological pathways involved. Of
      those pathways, 6 pathways were directly involved in regulation of
      neurotransmitters. Lastly, the levels of neurotransmitters (dopamine, glutamate,
      GABA and 5-HT) were measured by HPLC-ECD. Co-treatment choline/NMDA significantly
      enhances the release of dopamine, glutamate and GABA and dramatically decrease 5
      HT to only 65% of control level, which is consist with this protein interaction
      network analysis, providing an additional evidence for the cross-talk between
      NMDAR and alpha7nAChR.

PMID- 26498071
TI  - Quantitative proteomics reveals the mechanism and consequence of gliotoxin
      mediated dysregulation of the methionine cycle in Aspergillus niger.
AB  - Gliotoxin (GT) is a redox-active metabolite, produced by Aspergillus fumigatus,
      which inhibits the growth of other fungi. Here we demonstrate how Aspergillus
      niger responds to GT exposure. Quantitative proteomics revealed that GT
      dysregulated the abundance of 378 proteins including those involved in methionine
      metabolism and induced de novo abundance of two S-adenosylmethionine (SAM)
      dependent methyltransferases. Increased abundance of enzymes S
      adenosylhomocysteinase (p=0.0018) required for homocysteine generation from S
      adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), and spermidine synthase (p=0.0068), involved in the
      recycling of Met, was observed. Analysis of Met-related metabolites revealed
      significant increases in the levels of Met and adenosine, in correlation with
      proteomic data. Methyltransferase MT-II is responsible for
      bisthiobis(methylthio)gliotoxin (BmGT) formation, deletion of MT-II abolished
      BmGT formation and led to increased GT sensitivity in A. niger. Proteomic
      analysis also revealed that GT exposure also significantly (p<0.05) increased
      hydrolytic enzyme abundance, including glycoside hydrolases (n=22) and peptidases
      (n=16). We reveal that in an attempt to protect against the detrimental affects
      of GT, methyltransferase-mediated GT thiomethylation alters cellular pathways
      involving Met and SAM, with consequential dysregulation of hydrolytic enzyme
      abundance in A. niger. Thus, it provides new opportunities to exploit the
      response of GT-naive fungi to GT. 

PMID- 26498072
TI  - Interactive effects of chronic waterborne copper and cadmium exposure on tissue
      specific metal accumulation and reproduction in fathead minnow (Pimephales
      promelas).
AB  - The present study was carried out to examine the interactive effects of chronic
      waterborne copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) on tissue-specific metal accumulation and
      reproduction in fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). Trios (1 male: 2 female;
      n=5) of fish were exposed for 21days to: (i) control (no added Cu or Cd), (ii)
      waterborne Cu (75MUg/L), (iii) waterborne Cd (5MUg/L), and (iv) Cu and Cd mixture
      (75 and 5MUg/L, respectively). Reproductive output (cumulative egg production)
      was significantly reduced by Cu but not by Cd. Interestingly however, no spawning
      occurred in fish exposed to the mixture of waterborne Cu and Cd. In general, both
      Cu and Cd accumulation in target tissues (gill, liver, gonad and carcass)
      increased significantly in fish exposed to Cu and Cd mixture, and no interaction
      between Cu and Cd accumulation was observed in any tissues, except in the liver
      where Cu accumulation was significantly reduced by Cd. The expression of female
      hepatic estrogen receptor genes (ER-alpha and ER-beta) was most significantly
      elevated in fish exposed to Cu and Cd mixture, whereas vitellogenin gene
      expression was reduced maximally in the same exposure. Similarly, the hepatic
      expression of the metallothionein gene was most significantly upregulated in fish
      exposed to Cu and Cd mixture. Moreover, the circulating estradiol level in
      females was significantly decreased only during the co-exposure of waterborne Cu
      and Cd. Overall, the present study indicates that the interaction of chronic
      waterborne Cu and Cd exposure may elicit greater than additive effect on
      reproductive output in fish. 

PMID- 26498073
TI  - Aquatic animal models of human disease: Selected papers from the 7(th)
      Conference. Preface.

PMID- 26498074
TI  - Is altered behavior linked to cellular energy regulation in a freshwater mussel
      (Elliptio complanata) exposed to triclosan?
AB  - Environmental stress may alter the bioenergetic balance of organisms by resulting
      in greater energy investment into detoxification processes, which diverts energy
      from other biological functions. Here, we examine responses to triclosan (TCS)
      exposure in a freshwater mussel across multiple biological levels: behavioral
      (e.g., burrowing and movement activity), organismal (e.g., metabolic rate and
      heart rate), and subcellular (e.g., gene expression and protein
      abundance/activity). At the subcellular level, we employed both energetic (i.e.,
      AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)) and traditional (i.e., heat shock protein
      (HSP70), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione-S-transferase (GST)) biomarkers.
      We found a significant reduction in burrowing and movement behaviors, a 1.8-fold
      increase in total-AMPK protein abundance, and a 2.8-fold increase in AMPK
      activity after 21d. GST activity increased after 4d, but not after 21d. Our
      findings suggest that TCS exposure results in an energetic tradeoff between
      detoxification at the cellular level and whole-animal activity. 

PMID- 26498075
TI  - Vesiculobullous and hemorrhagic erythema migrans: uncommon variants of a common
      disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of Lyme disease relies on the accurate diagnosis of
      erythema chronicum migrans (ECM) because serologic tests, culture, and polymerase
      chain reactions are often inaccurate. Although ECM is classically associated with
      a targetoid rash, there are many variants of this lesion. These variants of ECM
      are often initially diagnosed as cellulitis or spider bite reactions and treated
      with oral antibiotics. Inappropriate treatment further delays the diagnosis of
      Lyme disease, leading to late complications. METHODS: We present four cases of
      vesiculobullous and hemorrhagic ECM, a less common variant of ECM. RESULTS: All
      four patients had a history of exposure to wooded areas in Massachusetts during
      the summer months. In these patients, ECM presented with central vesicles and
      bullae with hemorrhage, crusting, and in some cases necrosis. Serologic testing
      was positive in three of the four cases at presentation. In one case, microscopic
      examination of a skin biopsy showed epidermal spongiosis with parakeratosis,
      focal necrosis, papillary dermal edema, erythrocyte extravasation, and a
      superficial and deep perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate with neutrophils and
      eosinophils of the dermis. No fungal organisms or bacteria were identified. All
      four patients were treated with doxycycline with complete resolution of symptoms.
      CONCLUSIONS: It is important to recognize the vesiculobullous and hemorrhagic
      variants of ECM in order to minimize the provision of inappropriate antibiotic
      treatment for other diagnoses. Early diagnosis of ECM and the initiation of
      appropriate antibiotics may prevent late complications of Lyme disease.

PMID- 26498076
TI  - Ebola and the Ophthalmologist.

PMID- 26498077
TI  - Papillomatous Compound Nevus.

PMID- 26498078
TI  - Should We Add Screening of Age-Related Macular Degeneration to Current Screening
      Programs for Diabetic Retinopathy?

PMID- 26498079
TI  - Ophthalmic Technology Assessments.

PMID- 26498080
TI  - Unusual Histopathological Views of Fuchs' Endothelial Dystrophy.

PMID- 26498081
TI  - Amelanotic Melanoma Arising within Conjunctival Melanocytic Intraepithelial
      Neoplasia Sine Pigmento.

PMID- 26498082
TI  - Conjunctival Melanoma with Intraocular Extension.

PMID- 26498083
TI  - Re: Peters et al.: Threat to fixation at diagnosis and lifetime risk of visual
      impairment in open-angle glaucoma (Ophthalmology 2015;122:1034-9).

PMID- 26498084
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25537196.

PMID- 26498085
TI  - Re: Yeh et al.: Ophthalmic Technology Assessment: therapies for macular edema
      associated with central retinal vein occlusion: a report by the American Academy
      of Ophthalmology (Ophthalmology 2015;122:769-78).

PMID- 26498086
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25576994.

PMID- 26498087
TI  - Re: Ueno et al.: Corneal thickness profile and posterior corneal astigmatism in
      normal corneas (Ophthalmology 2015;122:1072-8).

PMID- 26498088
TI  - Re: Koolwijk et al.: Outpatient cataract surgery: incident and procedural risk
      analysis do not support current clinical ophthalmology guidelines (Ophthalmology
      2015;122:281-7).

PMID- 26498089
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25444350.

PMID- 26498090
TI  - Risk factors for surgical site infection after instrumented fixation in spine
      trauma.
AB  - Surgical site infection (SSI) represents a significant complication after
      instrumented fixation in spine trauma. Institutional practice changes have
      emphasized early fracture correction, shortened intraoperative times, early
      ambulation, and prompt nutritional supplementation. This retrospective study
      evaluates the senior author's experience of instrumented spinal trauma SSI
      occurring at a single Level I trauma center over two equal and contiguous time
      periods, 2005-2007 (before nutritional supplementation was added to the
      institutional protocol) and 2008-2010 (after nutritional supplementation was
      added). This study assessed whether SSI varied depending on the primary surgical
      site and/or by the chosen approach. Lastly, the incidence of SSI among
      demographic and other clinical variables was evaluated. In total, 358 patients
      underwent an index procedure for spinal trauma correction. Fourteen patients
      developed a SSI requiring reoperation for an incidence of 4.0%. In assessing
      nutritional supplementation, the probability of infection tended to be lower in
      the supplemented group (3.7%) than the pre-supplement group (4.3%), but this did
      not reach significance. The difference in approach for the cervical spine was
      statistically significant (p=0.045) with rates of infection via posterior
      approach at 8.1% and no infections via anterior approach. Presence of
      comorbidities (p=0.03) and time to surgery >3days (p=0.006) were predictors of
      developing SSI. Benefit is shown from early surgical correction of spinal trauma
      patients in the reduction of postoperative SSI. Nutritional supplementation may
      provide a small reduction in infections in the spine trauma population. 

PMID- 26498091
TI  - Tuberous sclerosis complex coexistent with hippocampal sclerosis.
AB  - Tuberous sclerosis and hippocampal sclerosis are both well-defined entities
      associated with medically intractable epilepsy. To our knowledge, there has been
      only one prior case of these two pathologies being co-existent. We report a 7
      month-old boy who presented with intractable seizures at 2 months of age. MRI
      studies showed diffuse volume loss in the brain with bilateral, multiple cortical
      tubers and subcortical migration abnormalities. Subependymal nodules were noted
      without subependymal giant cell astrocytoma. Genetic testing revealed TSC2 and
      PRD gene deletions. Histopathology of the hippocampus showed CA1 sclerosis marked
      by loss of neurons in the CA1 region. Sections from the temporal, parietal and
      occipital lobes showed multiple cortical tubers characterized by cortical
      architectural disorganization, gliosis, calcifications and increased number of
      large balloon cells. Focal white matter balloon cells and spongiform changes were
      also present. The patient underwent resection of the right fronto-parietal lobe
      and a subsequent resection of the right temporal, parietal and occipital lobes.
      The patient is free of seizures on anti-epileptic medication 69 months after
      surgery. Although hippocampal sclerosis is well documented to be associated with
      coexistent focal cortical dysplasia, the specific co-existence of cortical tubers
      and hippocampal sclerosis appears to be rare.

PMID- 26498092
TI  - Awake brain tumor resection during pregnancy: Decision making and technical
      nuances.
AB  - The co-occurrence of primary brain tumor and pregnancy poses unique challenges to
      the treating physician. If a rapidly growing lesion causes life-threatening mass
      effect, craniotomy for tumor debulking becomes urgent. The choice between awake
      craniotomy versus general anesthesia becomes complicated if the tumor is
      encroaching on eloquent brain because considerations pertinent to both patient
      safety and oncological outcome, in addition to fetal wellbeing, are involved. A
      31-year-old female at 30 weeks gestation with twins presented to our hospital
      seeking awake craniotomy to resect a 7 * 6 * 5 cm left frontoparietal brain tumor
      with 7 mm left-to-right subfalcine herniation on imaging that led to word finding
      difficulty, dysfluency, right upper extremity paralysis, and right lower
      extremity weakness. She had twice undergone tumor debulking under general
      anesthesia during the same pregnancy at an outside hospital at 16 weeks and 28
      weeks gestation. There were considerations both for and against awake brain tumor
      resection over surgery under general anesthesia. The decision-making process and
      the technical nuances related to awake brain tumor resection in this
      neurologically impaired patient are discussed. Awake craniotomy benefits the
      patient who harbors a tumor that encroaches on the eloquent brain by allowing a
      greater extent of resection while preserving the language and sensorimotor
      function. It can be successfully done in pregnant patients who are neurologically
      impaired. The patient should be motivated and well informed of the details of the
      process. A multidisciplinary and collaborative effort is also crucial.

PMID- 26498093
TI  - Exercise-induced changes of cerebrospinal fluid vascular endothelial growth
      factor in adult chronic hydrocephalus patients.
AB  - Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a growth factor demonstrated to be a
      key factor in cerebral angiogenesis and neurogenesis. It has been considered a
      critical component in hippocampus neurogenesis and memory formation and has been
      observed to increase in the rat hippocampus after exercise. We previously found
      increased VEGF levels in experimental chronic hydrocephalus in several brain
      areas and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), suggesting a role in the adaption to chronic
      hypoxia. Here we investigate the ability of moderate exercise to increase CSF
      VEGF levels in adult chronic hydrocephalus patients. Lumbar CSF samples were
      collected from 17 normal pressure hydrocephalus patients. During CSF collection,
      11 patients (exercise group) underwent a standard in-room occupational therapy
      session; six patients (no-exercise group) did not undergo a physical therapy
      session. CSF-VEGF levels were evaluated for increase related to exercise and the
      clinical response to CSF drainage. CSF-VEGF levels in the exercise group
      demonstrated significant increases 1-3 hours post-exercise compared with the
      levels 1-2 hours pre-exercise (p=0.04), and also showed significantly higher
      levels than the no-exercise groups (p=0.03). The post-exercise CSF-VEGF level in
      the group that did not clinically improve was significantly higher than both
      their own pre-exercise level (p=0.02) and that seen in the clinically improving
      group (p=0.05) after exercise. We conclude that CSF-VEGF levels can increase
      after moderate exercise even in elderly hydrocephalus patients. This suggests
      that a potential benefit of exercise, especially in CSF drainage non-improved
      patients, may exist via a central VEGF mechanism.

PMID- 26498094
TI  - Comparison of the transport of the aggregates of nanoscale zerovalent iron under
      vertical and horizontal flow.
AB  - Direct injection of nanoscale zerovalent iron (NZVI) particles is being
      considered for remediation of contaminated sites. However, the transport
      characteristics of NZVI under horizontal flow conditions are not fully
      understood. In this study, NZVI particles were stabilized with carboxymethyl
      cellulose (CMC) and injected in vertical and horizontal columns to compare the
      effects of the flow direction on the transport. Columns were packed with sand of
      mean grain diameters of 180, 340 or 1140 um (referred to as fine, intermediate
      and coarse sand, respectively), and were injected with CMC-NZVI suspensions of
      0.3, 1 or 3 g Fe L(-1). Experimental breakthrough curves showed that with the
      coarse and intermediate sands, the steady-state effluent concentration in the
      horizontal column were up to 84% lower than those in the vertical column
      regardless of the initial NZVI concentration. However, in the fine sand the
      differences were insignificant, except at the highest NZVI particle
      concentration. Additionally, in the horizontally-oriented columns containing the
      coarse or intermediated sand, NZVI aggregates particles were non-uniformly
      distributed in the cross-section of the columns and there higher deposition in
      the bottom-half of the cross-section due to gravity effects. These deposition
      patterns can be accounted for, in part, by the gravitational settling of the
      large aggregates of NZVI, especially at high NZVI concentrations. A particle
      trajectory analysis in three dimensions demonstrated that under horizontal flow,
      gravity forces resulted in lower deposition of NZVI on the bottom-half of a
      single collector, as particles approaching the bottom-half of the collector were
      deflected by gravity to collectors below.

PMID- 26498096
TI  - Characterization of solidifiers used for oil spill remediation.
AB  - The physical characteristics and chemical composition of oil spill solidifiers
      were studied, and correlation of these properties with product effectiveness
      enabled determination of characteristics that are desirable in a good solidifier.
      The analyses revealed that the commercial products were primarily comprised of
      organic polymers and a few trace elements. A natural sorbent, which was composed
      entirely of plant based matter, was also evaluated, and it had the highest oil
      removal capacity, but it did not produce a solid mat-like final product.
      Generally, solidifiers with a carbonate group, pore size greater than 5 MUm, and
      bulk densities lower than 0.3 g cm(-3) were found to have better efficiency and
      produced a cohesive rubbery final product that facilitated removal compared to
      sorbents. The importance of bulk density and pore size in the performance of the
      solidifier suggest that the primary mechanism of action was likely physical
      sorption.

PMID- 26498095
TI  - A case-control study of maternal exposure to chromium and infant low birth weight
      in China.
AB  - Exposure to chromium is increasing due to environmental pollution from industrial
      processes. Several epidemiological studies have investigated chromium exposure
      and reproductive outcomes, but few studies have investigated the association of
      chromium exposure and low birth weight (LBW). This study was designed to
      investigate whether maternal exposure to chromium during pregnancy is associated
      with an increased risk of LBW. Chromium concentrations in maternal urine samples
      collected at delivery were measured in 204 LBW cases and 612 matched controls
      recruited between 2012 and 2014 in Hubei Province, China. Risk of LBW was
      associated with higher levels of chromium in maternal urine [adjusted odds ratio
      (OR) = 1.77 for the medium tertile, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.95, 3.29;
      adjusted OR = 2.48 for the highest tertile, 95% CI: 1.33, 4.61; P trend = 0.01].
      The association was more pronounced among female infants (adjusted OR = 3.67 for
      the highest tertile, 95% CI: 1.50, 8.97) than among male infants (adjusted OR =
      1.22 for the highest tertile, 95% CI = 0.48, 3.11) (p heterogeneity = 0.06). Our
      findings suggest that maternal exposure to higher levels of chromium during
      pregnancy may potentially increase the risk of delivering LBW infants,
      particularly for female infants.

PMID- 26498097
TI  - Acetic acid effects on methanogens in the second stage of a two-stage anaerobic
      system.
AB  - This study reports on biomass tolerance towards high concentrations of acetic
      acid (HAc) within the system. Biomass from the second stage of a two-stage
      anaerobic sludge digestion system was used for this study. Microbial community
      analysis by 454 pyrosequencing highlighted hydrogenotrophic Methanomicrobiales
      was the predominant archaeal population in the second stage (>99% of the total
      archaeal community). Second stage biomass degraded HAc up to 4200 mg HAc L(-1)
      without observable lag phase. However, at HAc-shock loading of 7400 mg HAc L(-1),
      it showed a one day lag phase associated with decreased biomass activity. After
      stepwise HAc-acclimation over 27 d, the biomass degraded HAc of up to 8200 mg HAc
      L(-1) without observable lag phase. The dominance of Methanomicrobiales had
      remained unchanged in proportion - while the total archaeal population increased
      during acclimation. This study showed stepwise acclimation could be an approach
      to accommodate HAc accumulation and hence higher concentrations resulting from an
      enhanced first stage.

PMID- 26498098
TI  - Associations of serum organohalogen levels and prostate cancer risk: Results from
      a case-control study in Singapore.
AB  - There is increasing evidence that elevated exposure to organochlorine pesticides
      (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) may lead to an increased risk of
      prostate cancer. As part of a hospital-based case-control study of the
      Singaporean male population, we investigated associations between organohalogen
      exposure and risk of prostate cancer. Trace residue concentrations of 74
      organohalogen contaminants, including several PCBs, OCPs and halogenated flame
      retardants (HFRs), were determined in serum samples (n = 120) using gas
      chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). A variety of OCPs, PCBs and
      HFRs were detected in samples of both patients and controls. Mean concentrations
      of p,p' DDT, p,p' DDE, PCB 118, PCB 138, PCB 153 and PCB 187 were significantly
      higher (p < 0.05) in serum of patients. p,p' DDE measured in serum of patients
      was relatively high (mean:13,700 ng/g lipid, 95% CI:7000-26,800). Odds ratios
      (ORs) of OCPs and PCBs in many cases exceeded 1. ORs for p,p' DDE and PCB-153 at
      the highest tertile (>67th) were 5.67 (95% CI, 2.37-13.54) and 2.14 (95% CI, 0.99
      to 4.66), respectively. The results suggest that exposure to DDTs and PCBs may be
      associated with prostate cancer risk in Singaporean males. No such association
      was observed for the organohalogen flame retardants studied, including
      polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The study provides novel information
      regarding the occurrence, levels and potential associations with prostate cancer
      risk for several organohalogen contaminants in the Singapore population. However,
      further investigation and analyses should be conducted to confirm these findings.

PMID- 26498099
TI  - Variations in the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in
      industrial and agricultural soils after bioremediation.
AB  - The aim of this study was to demonstrate the variations in bioavailability
      remaining in industrial and agricultural soils contaminated by polycyclic
      aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) after bioremediation. After inoculation of
      Mycobacterium sp. and Mucor sp., PAH biodegradation was tested on a manufactured
      gas plant (MGP) soil and an agricultural soil. PAH bioavailability was assessed
      before and after biodegradation using solid-phase extraction (Tenax-TA
      extraction) and solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) to represent bioaccessibility
      and chemical activity of PAHs, respectively. Only 3- and 4-ring PAHs were
      noticeably biodegradable in the MGP soil. PAH biodegradation in the agricultural
      soil was different from that in the MGP soil. The rapidly desorbing fractions
      (F(rap)) extracted by Tenax-TA and the freely dissolved concentrations of 3- and
      4-ring PAHs determined by SPME from the MGP soil decreased after 30 days
      biodegradation; those values of the 5- and 6-ring PAHs changed to a lesser
      degree. For the agricultural soil, the F(rap) values of the 3- and 4-ring PAHs
      also decreased after the biodegradation experiment. The Tenax-TA extraction and
      the SPME have the potential to assess variations in the bioavailability of PAHs
      and the degree of biodegradation in contaminated MGP soils. In addition, Tenax-TA
      extraction is more sensitive than SPME when used in the agricultural soil.

PMID- 26498100
TI  - Concentrations and mass fluxes estimation of organochlorine pesticides in Three
      Gorges Reservoir with virtual organisms using in situ PRC-based sampling rate.
AB  - Organochlorine pesticides (OCP) are widely distributed environmental pollutants.
      Due to their persistence and toxicity, it is important to know their fluxes and
      spatial and temporal distribution in the environment. In this study, a new
      procedure to estimate OCP concentration based on a set of performance reference
      compounds (PRCs) was used. Their occurrence and mass fluxes were assessed on a
      regional scale ranging from Chonqging to Maoping in Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR)
      as part of Yangtze River. The results are based on three sampling campaigns in
      2009 (twice) and 2011. Due to different factors, the measured concentrations
      varied from 410 to 1418 pg/L. The highest total OCP concentration was localized
      in Wanzhou while the lowest was downstream Maoping near the Three Gorges Dam
      (TGD). The highest load of OCP mass fluxes was observed at Wanhzou with 9.6 mg/s
      and the lowest load at Maoping with 2.97 mg/s. Studies at Maoping show an
      increase in OCP water concentration from 2009 to 2012. Comparison between free
      dissolved OCP water concentration and total OCP water concentration in TGR 2009,
      2011 and 2012 show a slight variation, indicating the important role of dilution
      in the OCP removal process in TGR.

PMID- 26498101
TI  - Rapid degradation of azo dye methyl orange using hollow cobalt nanoparticles.
AB  - A rapid and efficient method for methyl orange degradation using hollow cobalt
      (Co) nanoparticles is reported. Hollow Co nanoparticles were fabricated by a
      galvanic replacement reaction using aluminum (Al) nanoparticles as the template
      material. The methyl orange degradation characteristics were investigated by
      measuring the time dependent UV-Vis absorption of the dye solution, which showed
      a very fast degradation rate under acidic conditions. At an initial methyl orange
      concentration of 100 mg/L (pH = 2.5) and Co nanoparticle dosage of 0.5 g/L, the
      azo dye degradation efficiency reached up to 99% within 4 min, and the
      degradation constant rate was up to 2.444 min(-1), which is the highest value
      among other studies. A comparison of the decolorization rates at similar
      conditions with several other azo dyes, including Congo red, Amaranth, and Orange
      G, showed that the dye with a simpler structure and lower molecular mass
      decolorized considerably faster than the ones having a more complicated structure
      (higher molecular mass). The methyl orange degradation was also conducted using
      hollow nickel (Ni) nanoparticles and commercially available solid spherical Co
      and Ni nanoparticles. The results showed that Co-based nanoparticles outperformed
      Ni-based nanoparticles, with the hollow Co nanoparticles exhibiting the fastest
      degradation rate. Using the hollow Co nanoparticles is a very promising approach
      for the remediation of methyl orange dye containing wastewater due to the fast
      degradation rate and high degradation efficiency. In addition, these hollow Co
      nanoparticles are easily recycled because of their magnetic property.

PMID- 26498102
TI  - Wildlife contamination with fluoroquinolones from livestock: Widespread
      occurrence of enrofloxacin and marbofloxacin in vultures.
AB  - There is much recent interest in the presence and impact of veterinary
      pharmaceuticals in wildlife. Livestock carcasses are often disposed of in
      supplementary feeding stations for avian scavengers, as a management and
      conservation tool for these species worldwide. In feeding stations, vultures and
      other scavengers can consume carcasses almost immediately after disposal, which
      implies the potential ingestion of veterinary pharmaceuticals as a non-target
      consequence of supplementary feeding. Using UPLC-MS/MS and HPLC-TOF, we evaluated
      the presence and concentration of fluoroquinolone residues in plasma of nestling
      vultures feeding on domestic livestock carrion. Three different fluoroquinolones
      (marbofloxacin, enrofloxacin and its metabolite ciprofloxacin) and a non-targeted
      beta-lactam (nafcillin) were detected in vulture plasma. The high proportion of
      individuals (92%) with fluoroquinolone residues at variable concentrations (up to
      ~20 MUg L(-1) of enrofloxacin and ~150 MUg L(-1) of marbofloxacin) sampled in
      several geographically distant colonies and on different dates suggests that
      these and other drugs were potentially ingested throughout nestling development.
      Contamination with veterinary fluoroquinolones and other pharmaceuticals should
      be considered as an unintended but alarming consequence of food management in
      threatened wildlife.

PMID- 26498103
TI  - Metal toxicity to freshwater organisms as a function of pH: A meta-analysis.
AB  - Acidification caused by climate change and seasonal fluctuation can have profound
      implications for chemical toxicity to freshwater organisms. The present study
      aims to address this challenging issue through a comprehensive meta-analysis by
      comparing acute median lethal or effect concentration data (LC50 or EC50) for 10
      metals and metalloids for various freshwater species obtained at different pH
      values. Our results revealed that element toxicity generally follows three
      different models, including Model-I: decreasing toxicity with increasing pH,
      Model-II: increasing toxicity with increasing pH, and Model-III: minimal toxicity
      at intermediate (optimal) pH (pH(opt)) with increasing toxicity as pH increases
      or decreases from pH(opt). We further examined these observations by constructing
      pH-dependent species sensitivity distributions (SSDs). The results indicated that
      the 10(th) percentile hazardous concentrations (HC10s) for copper, lead, selenium
      and silver generally exhibited a positive linear relationship with pH, following
      the Model-I. The ability to accurately predict toxicity of elements to biota in
      natural waters as a function of pH may be limited, however, the pH-dependent SSD
      approach presented in this study facilitates and helps characterize the role of
      pH in water quality guidelines and ecological risk assessment.

PMID- 26498104
TI  - Occurrence of phthalate diesters (phthalates), p-hydroxybenzoic acid esters
      (parabens), bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) and their derivatives in indoor
      dust from Vietnam: Implications for exposure.
AB  - Phthalate diesters (phthalates), esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens), and
      bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) are used in personal care products, food
      packages, household products, or pharmaceuticals. These compounds possess
      endocrine-disrupting potentials and have been reported to occur in the
      environment. Nevertheless, no previous studies have reported the occurrence of
      these compounds in indoor dust from Vietnam. In this study, nine phthalates, six
      parabens, and four BADGEs were determined in indoor dust samples collected from
      Hanoi, Hatinh, Hungyen, and Thaibinh, in Vietnam. Total concentrations of
      phthalates, parabens, and BADGEs in indoor dust ranged from 3440 to 106,000 ng/g
      (median: 22,600 ng/g), 40-840 ng/g (median: 123 ng/g), and 23 to 1750 ng/g
      (median: 184 ng/g), respectively. Based on the measured median concentration of
      phthalates, parabens, and BADGEs in indoor dust, we estimated human exposure
      doses to these compounds through indoor dust ingestion for various age groups.
      The exposure doses to phthalates, parabens, and BADGEs decreased with age and
      ranged from 19.4 to 90.4 ng/kg-bw/d, 0.113-0.528 ng/kg-bw/d, and 0.158-0.736
      ng/kg-bw/d, respectively. This is the first study on the occurrence and human
      exposure of phthalates, parabens, and BADGEs in indoor dust from Vietnam.

PMID- 26498105
TI  - Daily self-sampling for high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) testing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self-sampling for HPV as part of primary screening is a well
      tolerated method for women not attending organized Pap smear screening and could
      increase coverage of cervical cancer screening. OBJECTIVE: To investigate if the
      prevalence of HR-HPV varies from day to day in infected women and if one single
      sample is reliable for detecting an ongoing infection. STUDY DESIGN: This is a
      prospective cohort study on 12 premenopausal and 13 postmenopausal women
      performing daily self-sampling for HR-HPV testing. They were all HR-HPV-positive
      1-3 months ago. Postmenopausal women were sampled for 28 days and premenopausal
      women sampled during bleeding-free days in one menstrual cycle. A possible
      difference in viral load between the estrogen-dominated proliferative phase and
      the progesterone-dominated secretory phase was analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:
      Consistent results throughout the sampling period were observed for 19 women,
      with either a daily presence of HPV (14 women) or no HPV at all during the
      sampling period (5 women). Of 607 samples from 25 women, 596 were consistently
      positive or negative for HPV during the sampling period and 11 were inconsistent
      (2%). There was no difference in HPV copy number between the estrogen dominated
      proliferative or progesterone dominated secretory menstrual cycle phases. The
      major finding was a high degree of consistency concerning HR-HPV positivity and
      negativity of HR-HPV in vaginal fluid during a sustained period of daily self
      sampling. It does not appear to matter whether the sample is collected in the
      proliferative or secretory phase.

PMID- 26498106
TI  - [Use of intravenous iron supplementation in chronic kidney disease: Interests,
      limits, and recommendations for a better practice].
AB  - Iron deficiency is an important clinical concern in chronic kidney disease (CKD),
      giving rise to iron-deficiency anaemia, and various impaired cellular functions.
      Oral supplementation, in particular with ferrous salts, is associated with a high
      rate of gastro-intestinal side effects and is poorly absorbed, a problem that is
      avoided with intravenous (IV) irons. Recently, with the approval of the European
      Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, the French
      Agence nationale de securite du medicament et des produits de sante (ANSM) took
      adequate measures to minimize the risk of allergic reactions, by correction on
      the summary of intravenous iron products characteristics. All IV iron products
      should be prescribed, administered and injected, inside public or private
      hospitals exclusively, and a clinical follow-up after the infusion for at least
      30 minutes is mandatory. The most stable intravenous iron complexes (low
      molecular weight iron dextran, ferric carboxymaltose, and iron isomaltoside 1000
      [under agreement]) can be given in higher single doses and more rapidly than less
      recent preparations such as iron sucrose (originator or similars). Test doses are
      advisable for conventional low molecular weight iron dextrans, but are no more
      mandatory. Iron supplementation is recommended for all CKD patients with iron
      deficiency anaemia and those who receive erythropoiesis-stimulating agents,
      whether or not they require dialysis. Intravenous iron is the preferred route of
      administration in haemodialysis patients, with randomized trials showing a
      significantly greater increase in haemoglobin levels for intravenous versus oral
      iron and a low rate of treatment-related adverse events during these trials.
      According ANSM, physicians should apply the product's label recommendations
      especially the posology. In the non-dialysis CKD population, the erythropoietic
      response is also significantly higher using intravenous versus oral iron, and
      tolerability is at least as good. Moreover in some non-dialysis patients,
      intravenous iron supplementation might avoid or at least delay the need for
      erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. Following the new ANSM's recommendations, we
      now have the ability to achieve iron stores replenishment correctly and
      conveniently in dialysis dependent and non-dialysis dependent CKD patients
      without compromising safety using the various pharmaceutical forms of iron
      products especially intravenous compounds. 

PMID- 26498107
TI  - Simplified scoring of the Actionable 8-item screening questionnaire for
      neurogenic bladder overactivity in multiple sclerosis: a comparative analysis of
      test performance at different cut-off points.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Actionable questionnaire is an 8-item tool to screen patients
      with multiple sclerosis (MS) for neurogenic bladder problems, identifying those
      patients who might benefit from urological referral and bladder-specific
      treatment. The original scoring yields a total score of 0 to 24 with cut-off
      point 6. A simplified scoring, yielding a total score of 0 to 8 with cut-off
      point 3, has been developed in urogynaecological patients, but has not been
      investigated in MS. METHODS: One-hundred-and-forty-one MS patients completed the
      Actionable on two occasions. We compared the test performance of the simplified
      scoring with cut-off point 3 with that of cut-off point 2, using the original
      scoring with cut-off point 6 as a gold standard. The following measures were
      calculated: True Positives (TP), True Negatives (TN), False Positives (FP), False
      Negatives (FN), Sensitivity, Specificity, Positive Predictive Value (PPV),
      Negative Predictive Value (NPV), and Accuracy. The associations between positive
      test result and urological treatment, and bladder-specific drug treatment were
      calculated. RESULTS: For cut-off point 3 the outcomes (Test 1, Test 2) were: TP
      43.26 %, 40.88 %; TN 29.79 %, 32.85 %; FP 0.00 %, 0.00 %; FN 26.95 %, 26.28 %;
      Sensitivity 0.62, 0.61; Specificity 1.00, 1.00; PPV 1.00, 1.00; NPV 0.53, 0.55;
      Accuracy 0.73, 0.74; and for cut-off point 2: TP 59.57 %, 59.85 %; TN 26.95 %,
      31.39 %; FP 2.84 %, 1.46 %; FN 10.63 %, 7.30 %; Sensitivity 0.85, 0.89;
      Specificity 0.90, 0.96; PPV 0.95, 0.98; NPV 0.72, 0.81; Accuracy 0.87, 0.91. Cut
      off 3 completely prevented FP outcomes, but wrongly classified 26 % of the
      patients as negative (FN). Cut-off 2 reduced the FN to 7-10 %, with low FP values
      (2.84-1.46 %). With cut-off 2, the percentage of patients screened positive was
      higher in the Progressive group (75.00 %) than in the Relapsing Remitting group
      (56.25 %) (P = 0.0331), which was not the case with cut-off 3. Only a positive
      test according to the original scoring was associated with both urological
      treatment (P = 0.0119) and bladder-specific medication (P = 0.0328). CONCLUSIONS:
      Our findings suggest that in MS patients the simplified Actionable scoring is
      more accurate with cut-off point 2 than with cut-off point 3, especially by
      substantially reducing FN outcomes; and that in MS the original Actionable
      scoring seems preferable.

PMID- 26498109
TI  - Investigation of the relationship between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and
      obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.

PMID- 26498108
TI  - Three steps forward, two steps back: mechanistic insights into the assembly and
      disassembly of the SNARE complex.
AB  - Membrane fusion is a tightly controlled process in all eukaryotic cell types. The
      SNARE family of proteins is required for fusion throughout the exocytic and
      endocytic trafficking pathways. SNAREs on a transport vesicle interact with the
      cognate SNAREs on the target membrane, forming an incredibly stable SNARE complex
      that provides energy for the membranes to fuse, although many aspects of the
      mechanism remain elusive. Recent advances in single-molecule and high-resolution
      structural methods provide exciting new insights into how SNARE complexes
      assemble, including measurements of assembly energetics and identification of
      intermediates in the assembly pathway. These techniques were also key in
      elucidating mechanistic details into how the SNARE complex is disassembled,
      including details of the energetics required for ATP-dependent alpha-SNAP/NSF
      mediated SNARE complex disassembly, and the structural changes that accompany ATP
      hydrolysis by the disassembly machinery. Additionally, SNARE complex formation
      and disassembly are tightly regulated processes; innovative biochemical and
      biophysical characterization has deepened our understanding of how these
      regulators work to control membrane fusion and exocytosis. 

PMID- 26498110
TI  - Prospective neonatal screening for severe T- and B-lymphocyte deficiencies in
      Seville.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency such as severe combined
      immunodeficiency (SCID) and X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) improves outcome of
      affected children. T-cell-receptor-excision circles (TRECs) and kappa-deleting
      recombination-excision circles (KRECs) determination from dried blood spots (DBS)
      identify neonates with severe T- and/or B-lymphopenia. No prospective data exist
      of the impact of gestational age (GA) and birth weight (BW) on TRECs and KRECs
      values. METHODS: TRECs and KRECs determination using triplex RT-PCR (TRECS-KRECS
      beta-actin-Assay) from prospectively collected DBS between 02/2014 and 02/2015 in
      three hospitals in Seville, Spain. Cut-off levels were TRECs < 6/punch, KRECs <
      4/punch and -beta-actin>700/punch. Internal (SCID, XLA, ataxia telangiectasia)
      and external controls (NBS quality assurance program, CDC) were included.
      RESULTS: A total of 5160 DBS were tested. Re-punch was needed in 77 samples
      (1.5%) due to insufficient beta-actin (<700 copies/punch). Pre-term neonates
      (GA<37 weeks) and neonates with a BW<2500 g showed significantly lower TRECs and
      KRECs levels (p < 0.001). Due to repeat positive results five neonates were re
      called (<0.1%): Fatal chromosomopathy (n = 1; TRECs 1/KRECs 4); extreme pre
      maturity (n = 2; TRECs 0/KRECs 0 and TRECs 1/KRECs 20 copies/punch); neonates
      born to mothers receiving azathioprine during pregnancy (n = 2; TRECs 92/KRECs 1
      and TRECs 154/KRECs 3 copies/punch). All internal and external controls were
      correctly identified. CONCLUSIONS: TRECS-KRECS-beta-actin-Assay correctly
      identifies T- and B-cell lymphopenias. Pre-maturity and low BW is associated with
      lower TREC and KREC levels. Extreme pre-maturity and maternal immune suppressive
      therapy may be a cause for false positive results of TRECs and KRECs values,
      respectively. To reduce the rate of insufficient samples, DBS extraction and
      storage need to be improved.

PMID- 26498111
TI  - Differentiating Between Attachment Styles and Behaviors and their Association
      with Marital Quality.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to distinguish between the influence of attachment
      styles and behaviors on marital quality for couples. Data were gathered from 680
      couples in a married relationship. Results showed attachment style and behaviors
      predicted marital quality for both men and women, with higher levels of
      attachment related to greater quality. Attachment behaviors predicted more of the
      variance in quality than did styles. Specific implications regarding how
      therapists may wish to foster behaviors that promote attachment security in
      marriages are discussed.

PMID- 26498112
TI  - CpG oligodeoxynucleotides potentiate the antitumor activity of anti-BST2
      antibody.
AB  - Numerous monoclonal antibodies (mAb) targeting tumor antigens have recently been
      developed. Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent
      cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) via effector cells such as tumor-infiltrating
      natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages are often involved in mediating the
      antitumor activity of mAb. CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) have a potent
      antitumor activity and are considered to increase tumor infiltration of NK cells
      and macrophages. Our group previously reported significant antitumor activity of
      anti-bone marrow stromal antigen 2 (BST2) mAb against BST2-positive endometrial
      cancer cells through ADCC. In this study, we evaluated the synergistic antitumor
      activity of combination therapy with anti-BST-2 mAb and CpG ODN using SCID mice
      and elucidated the mechanisms underlying this activity. Anti-BST2 mAb and CpG ODN
      monotherapy had a significant dose-dependent antitumor activity (P = 0.0135 and P
      = 0.0196, respectively). Combination therapy with anti-BST2 mAb and CpG ODN had a
      significant antitumor activity in SCID mice (P < 0.01), but not in NOG mice. FACS
      analysis revealed significantly increased numbers of NK cells and macrophages in
      tumors treated with a combination of anti-BST2 mAb and CpG ODN and with CpG ODN
      alone in SCID mice (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). These results suggested
      that the combination therapy with anti-BST2 mAb and CpG ODN has a significant
      antitumor activity and induces tumor infiltration of NK cells and macrophages.
      Combination therapy with CpG ODN and anti-BST2 mAb or other antitumor mAb
      depending on ADCC may represent a new treatment option for cancer.

PMID- 26498113
TI  - Re: Determinants of participation in prostate cancer screening: A simple
      analytical framework to account for healthy-user bias.

PMID- 26498114
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26498118
TI  - Incidence, Distribution and Morphology of Left Ventricular False Tendons in Cat
      Hearts.
AB  - The incidence, distribution, and macro- and microscopic structures of left
      ventricular false tendons (LVFTs) in the cat heart were studied using 25 normal
      and 57 diseased hearts. The fibrous bands were observed in the left ventricle of
      all 82 cat hearts examined and most commonly extended between the papillary
      muscles and the ventricular septum. Histologically, the LVFTs were composed of
      central Purkinje fibres and surrounding dense collagenous fibres covered by
      endothelium. There was no appreciable difference in the incidence, distribution
      or morphology of LVFTs between the normal and the diseased hearts, indicating
      that LVFTs are a common anatomic variant in the cat heart.

PMID- 26498117
TI  - MicroRNA circulating in the early aftermath of motor vehicle collision predict
      persistent pain development and suggest a role for microRNA in sex-specific pain
      differences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Molecular mediators influencing the transition from acute to
      persistent musculoskeletal pain following common stress exposures such as motor
      vehicle collision (MVC) remain poorly understood. In this exploratory, proof of
      concept study, we compared circulating microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles in
      the early aftermath of MVC among individuals who did and did not subsequently
      develop persistent pain. Blood RNA samples were obtained from African American
      individuals (n = 53) who presented to the emergency department after MVC and were
      discharged to home after evaluation. The presence or absence of severe pain in
      the axial region, the most common and morbid region in which post-MVC pain
      occurs, was assessed 6 weeks following MVC via standardized questionnaire. miRNA
      expression was determined using miRNA-sequencing; nonparametric analyses were
      used to compare miRNA expression levels among individuals with and without
      persistent pain. RESULTS: Thirty-two mature miRNA were differentially expressed
      (p < 0.05) in those with and without severe axial pain at 6 weeks. miR-135a-5p, a
      regulator of the serotonin receptor that is known to be stress-responsive,
      differed most significantly between groups (p = 3 * 10(-4)). This miRNA, and miR
      3613-3p (p = 0.001) survived correction for multiple testing (FDR = 0.15) in this
      small sample. Interestingly, differentially expressed miRNA were enriched for X
      chromosome location. In secondary analyses, the eight X chromosome miRNA were (a)
      more significantly associated with axial pain in women than men, (b) expressed
      more highly in the peripheral blood of women than men, and (c) predicted in
      pathway analyses (DIANA miRPath v 2.0) to regulate neuronal and neuroendocrine
      pathways previously implicated in various pain pathologies. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results show that circulating miRNA predict persistent severe axial pain after
      MVC and suggest that they may be involved in the pathogenesis of post-traumatic
      musculoskeletal pain. However, further studies are needed to determine if these
      miRNA play a direct causal role.

PMID- 26498120
TI  - A Dose-response relationship between severity of disc degeneration and
      intervertebral disc height in the lumbosacral spine.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Varied definitions of disc pathology exist in the literature.
      Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) classification systems incorporate several
      qualitative features including disc appearance, the distinction between the
      nucleus and the annulus, signal intensity and intervertebral disc height. The
      lack of a continuous measure has made it difficult to sensitively examine
      degenerative disc disease. This study sought to examine the relationship between
      disc degeneration and intervertebral disc height. METHODS: 72 community-based
      individuals not selected for low back pain had MRI from which the presence of
      lumbosacral disc degeneration was identified using the Pfirrmann grading system,
      and intervertebral disc height was measured. RESULTS: At each lumbosacral level,
      with higher grade of disc degeneration, intervertebral disc height was reduced
      (all p <= 0.003). Results remained unchanged when grade 5 disc degeneration,
      which necessitated a collapsed disc space, was excluded from analyses (all p <=
      0.03). To quantify these associations, at each lumbosacral level, for every grade
      increase in disc degeneration, there was a reduction in intervertebral disc
      height, after adjusting for age, gender, Body mass index and smoking history
      (beta range from -0.98 mm to -1.60 mm, 95 % CI range from -2.37 to -0.31, all p
      <= 0.005). CONCLUSION: This study has demonstrated a negative dose-response
      relationship between increasing severity of disc degeneration with a reduction in
      intervertebral disc height. Although the assessment of disc degeneration
      incorporates a number of qualitative measures, these data substantiate the
      utility of intervertebral disc height as a quantitative and continuous outcome
      measure in epidemiological studies, and potentially clinical practice.

PMID- 26498119
TI  - Vitamin D in incident nephrotic syndrome: a Midwest Pediatric Nephrology
      Consortium study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cross-sectional studies of children with prevalent nephrotic syndrome
      (NS) have shown 25-vitamin D (25(OH)D) deficiency rates of 20-100 %. Information
      on 25(OH)D status in incident patients or following remission is limited. This
      study aimed to assess 25(OH)D status of incident idiopathic NS children at
      presentation and longitudinally with short-term observation. METHODS: Multicenter
      longitudinal study of children (2-18 years old) from 14 centers across the
      Midwest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium with incident idiopathic NS. 25(OH)D
      levels were assessed at diagnosis and 3 months later. RESULTS: Sixty-one
      children, median age 5 (3, 11) years, completed baseline visit and 51 completed
      second visit labs. All 61 (100 %) had 25(OH)D < 20 ng/ml at diagnosis. Twenty
      seven (53 %) had 25(OH)D < 20 ng/ml at follow-up. Fourteen (28 %) children were
      steroid resistant. Univariate analysis showed that children prescribed vitamin D
      supplements were less likely to have 25(OH)D deficiency at follow-up (OR 0.2, 95
      % CI 0.04, 0.6). Steroid response, age, and season did not predict 25(OH)D
      deficiency. Multivariable linear regression modeling showed higher 25(OH)D levels
      at follow-up by 13.2 ng/ml (SE 4.6, p < 0.01) in children supplemented with
      vitamin D. CONCLUSIONS: In this incident idiopathic NS cohort, all children at
      diagnosis had 25(OH)D deficiency and the majority continued to have a deficiency
      at 2-4 months. Supplemental vitamin D decreased the odds of 25(OH)D deficiency at
      follow-up, supporting a role for supplementation in incident NS.

PMID- 26498121
TI  - Synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of novel 4-amino-6-(1,3,4-oxadiazolo/1,3,4
      thiadiazolo)-pyrimidine derivatives.
AB  - A series of novel 4-amino-6-(1,3,4-oxadiazolo/1,3,4-thiadiazolo)-pyrimidine
      derivatives of biological interest were prepared by sequential amination,
      hydrazide formation, and hydrazine carbothioamidination followed by cyclization.
      All the synthesized compounds (6a-6h and 7a-7f) were screened for antibacterial
      and antifungal activity. From this group, compound 7f (MIC (MUg/mL MUg/mL
      )/Inhibition (mm): 6.25/23-30) showed good antibacterial and antifungal activity.
      Reagents and conditions: (a) Ethyl acetoacetate, 60% NaH, 1,4-dioxane, 60 degrees
      C, 6 h; (b) DIPEA, 1,4-dioxane, 100 degrees C, 14 h; (c) NH2NH2 ? H2O, EtOH,
      reflux, 14 h; (d) Tolyl isothiocyanatobenzene, DMF, RT, 2 h; (e) (if X = O) EDC?
      HCl, TEA, DMF, RT, 14 h; (f) (if X = S) Conc. H2O4, RT, 14h.

PMID- 26498122
TI  - Erratum to: Discovery of new Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteasome inhibitors
      using a knowledge-based computational screening approach.

PMID- 26498123
TI  - Functionalization of protected tyrosine via Sonogashira reaction: synthesis of 3
      (1,2,3-triazolyl)-tyrosine.
AB  - 1,2,3-Triazol tyrosines were synthesized from tyrosine alkynes that were in turn
      prepared via Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction. The tyrosine alkynes were
      subjected to click-chemistry reaction conditions leading to the corresponding 3
      (1,2,3-triazolyl)-tyrosines in yields ranging from moderate to good. 

PMID- 26498124
TI  - Tripping out on TRPV4.

PMID- 26498125
TI  - Management and treatment of relapsed or refractory Ph(-) B-precursor ALL: a web
      based, double-blind survey of EU clinicians.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prognosis for adult patients with Ph(-) B-precursor acute
      lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) who are refractory to treatment or experience
      relapse (R/R), is poor; over 90% of these patients die from the disease,
      typically within a few months. While there are some national guidelines published
      for the treatment of adult patients with ALL, and local working group
      recommendations do exist, there is very little detail and no preferred treatment
      regimens for adult patients with R/R Ph(-) B-precursor ALL. The aim of this study
      was to describe current real-world clinical practice in Europe for the management
      and treatment of adult R/R Ph(-) B-precursor ALL. METHODS: A web-based, double
      blind survey was conducted in November/December 2013 in France, Germany, Italy,
      Spain, and the UK. The survey was developed following consultation with
      specialist clinicians and a critical review of published literature. Eligible
      clinicians (15 per country) were board-certified in haemato-oncology or
      haematology; had at least 4 years of experience in their current role and had
      treated at least five patients with adult ALL in the 36 months before the survey,
      including at least one with R/R Ph(-) B-precursor ALL. RESULTS: Clinicians across
      the five countries consulted 16 guidelines and local working group
      recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of R/R Ph(-) B-precursor ALL.
      Thirty three regimens for salvage therapy were reported; the most frequently
      cited was augmented hyper-CVAD (15%), with vincristine the most commonly used
      agent. Salvage therapy regimens involved a range of agents, and most respondents
      reported using at least one cytotoxic agent; across respondents 10 different
      cytotoxic agents were cited. All respondents reported that toxicity was common
      for the regimens they used to treat R/R Ph(-) B-precursor ALL. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study provides evidence of current management and treatment patterns of R/R Ph(-)
      B-precursor ALL in the real-world clinical practice in Europe. The approach to
      the treatment of R/R Ph(-) B-precursor ALL is heterogeneous, reflecting the lack
      of any clearly superior chemotherapeutic option, thus it appears that clinicians
      are trying a wide variety of therapies. These findings show a clear need for
      effective, tolerable treatments for R/R Ph(-) B-precursor ALL.

PMID- 26498126
TI  - Complete sequence and detailed analysis of the first indigenous plasmid from
      Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bacterial plasmids have a major impact on metabolic function and
      adaptation of their hosts. An indigenous plasmid was identified in a Chinese
      isolate (GX01) of the invasive phytopathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola
      (Xoc), the causal agent of rice bacterial leaf streak (BLS). To elucidate the
      biological functions of the plasmid, we have sequenced and comprehensively
      annotated the plasmid. METHODS: The plasmid DNA was extracted from Xoc strain
      GX01 by alkaline lysis and digested with restriction enzymes. The cloned and
      subcloned DNA fragments in pUC19 were sequenced by Sanger sequencing. Sequences
      were assembled by using Sequencher software. Gaps were closed by primer walking
      and sequencing, and multi-PCRs were conducted through the whole plasmid sequence
      for verification. BLAST, phylogenetic analysis and dinucleotide calculation were
      performed for gene annotation and DNA structure analysis. Transformation,
      transconjugation and stress tolerance tests were carried out for plasmid function
      assays. RESULTS: The indigenous plasmid from Xoc strain GX01, designated
      pXOCgx01, is 53,206-bp long and has been annotated to possess 64 open reading
      frames (ORFs), including genes encoding type IV secretion system, heavy metal
      exporter, plasmid stability factors, and DNA mobile factors, i.e., the Tn3-like
      transposon. Bioinformatics analysis showed that pXOCgx01 has a mosaic structure
      containing different genome contexts with distinct genomic heterogeneities.
      Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the closest relative of pXOCgx01 is pXAC64
      from Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri str. 306. It was estimated that there are
      four copies of pXOCgx01 per cell of Xoc GX01 by PCR assay and the calculation of
      whole genome shotgun sequencing data. We demonstrate that pXOCgx01 is a self
      transmissible plasmid and can replicate in some Xanthomonas spp. strains, but not
      in Escherichia coli DH5alpha. It could significantly enhance the tolerance of
      Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae PXO99A to the stresses of heavy metal ions. The
      plasmid survey indicated that nine out of 257 Xoc Chinese isolates contain
      plasmids. CONCLUSIONS: pXOCgx01 is the first report of indigenous plasmid from
      Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, and the first completely sequenced plasmid from
      Xanthomonas oryzae species. It is a self-transmissible plasmid and has a mosaic
      structure, containing genes for macromolecule secretion, heavy metal exportation,
      and DNA mobile factors, especially the Tn3-like transposon which may provide
      transposition function for mobile insertion cassette and play a major role in the
      spread of pathogenicity determinants. The results will be helpful to elucidate
      the biological significance of this cryptic plasmid and the adaptive evolution of
      Xoc.

PMID- 26498127
TI  - Vascular responsiveness determined by near-infrared spectroscopy measures of
      oxygen saturation.
AB  - Vascular impairments at the macro- and microcirculatory levels are associated
      with increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is
      currently the most widely used method for non-invasive assessment of vascular
      endothelial function. Recently, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-derived
      measures of tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) have been used to characterize the
      dynamic response of local tissue perfusion to a brief period of ischaemia. The
      purpose of the present study was to establish correlations between the
      reperfusion rate of StO2 and FMD. Ultrasound-derived FMD was quantified after 5
      min of distal cuff occlusion of the popliteal artery in 20 healthy young men (26
      +/- 3 years old). Triplicate measurements of end-diastolic arterial diameter were
      made every 15 s after cuff release, and FMD response was calculated as the
      greatest percentage change in diameter from baseline (%FMD). The StO2 was
      measured using NIRS throughout the duration of each test. Two consecutive FMD
      tests were performed, separated by 30 min of rest, and were averaged for %FMD and
      StO2. The %FMD was significantly correlated with the reperfusion slope of StO2
      after cuff release (slope 2 StO2; r = 0.63, P = 0.003). In conclusion, the
      present study established a correlation between slope 2 StO2 and %FMD in healthy
      young men. These data suggest that NIRS-derived slope 2 StO2 can be used as a
      measure of vascular endothelial function.

PMID- 26498128
TI  - Osteomyelitis of bilateral great toes: iatrogenic complication of nerve
      conduction study.

PMID- 26498129
TI  - The role of cyclo-oxygenase-1 in high-salt diet-induced microvascular dysfunction
      in humans.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Recent studies have shown that some of the deleterious effects of a
      high-salt (HS) diet are independent of elevated blood pressure and are associated
      with impaired endothelial function. Increased generation of cyclo-oxygenase (COX
      1 and COX-2)-derived vasoconstrictor factors and endothelial activation may
      contribute to impaired vascular relaxation during HS loading. The present study
      aimed to assess the regulation of microvascular reactivity and to clarify the
      role of COX-1 and COX-2 in normotensive subjects on a short-term HS diet. The
      present study demonstrates the important role of COX-1 derived vasoconstrictor
      metabolites in regulation of microvascular blood flow during a HS diet. These
      results help to explain how even short-term HS diets may impact upon
      microvascular reactivity without changes in blood pressure and suggest that a
      vasoconstrictor metabolite of COX-1 could play a role in this impaired tissue
      blood flow. ABSTRACT: The present study aimed to assess the effect of a 1-week
      high-salt (HS) diet on the role of cyclo-oxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) and the
      vasoconstrictor prostaglandins, thromboxane A2 (TXA2 ) and prostaglandin F2alpha
      (PGF2alpha ), on skin microcirculatory blood flow, as well as to detect its
      effect on markers of endothelial activation such as soluble cell adhesion
      molecules. Young women (n = 54) were assigned to either the HS diet group (N =
      30) (~14 g day(-1) NaCl ) or low-salt (LS) diet group (N = 24) (<2.3 g day(-1)
      NaCl ) for 7 days. Post-occlusive reactive hyperaemia (PORH) in the skin
      microcirculation was assessed by laser Doppler flowmetry. Plasma renin activity,
      plasma aldosterone, plasma and 24 h urine sodium and potassium, plasma
      concentrations of TXB2 (stable TXA2 metabolite) and PGF2alpha , soluble cell
      adhesion molecules and blood pressure were measured before and after the diet
      protocols. One HS diet group subset received 100 mg of indomethacin (non
      selective COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitor), and another HS group subset received 200 mg
      of celecoxib (selective COX-2 inhibitor) before repeating laser Doppler flowmetry
      measurements. Blood pressure was unchanged after the HS diet, although it
      significantly reduced after the LS diet. Twenty-four hour urinary sodium was
      increased, and plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone levels were decreased
      after the HS diet. The HS diet significantly impaired PORH and increased TXA2 but
      did not change PGF2alpha levels. Indomethacin restored microcirculatory blood
      flow and reduced TXA2 . By contrast, celecoxib decreased TXA2 levels but had no
      significant effects on blood flow. Restoration of of PORH by indomethacin during
      a HS diet suggests an important role of COX-1 derived vasoconstrictor metabolites
      in the regulation of microvascular blood flow during HS intake.

PMID- 26498130
TI  - Patterns of response to crizotinib in recurrent glioblastoma according to ALK and
      MET molecular profile in two patients.
AB  - Two patients with an unmethylated MGMT promoter and IDH1 (R132H) wild-type
      recurrent glioblastoma were treated with crizotinib. Prolonged stabilization of
      the disease (17 months) was achieved in the first case. Interestingly, anaplastic
      lymphoma kinase (ALK) expression and c-MET protein overexpression was observed.
      Conversely, no response to crizotinib was obtained in the second case with MET
      protein overexpression and c-MET amplification but no ALK expression or ALK gene
      amplification. These case studies suggest that novel targeted ALK inhibitors may
      provide relevant clinical benefit in selected cases in which driver mutations are
      demonstrable. 

PMID- 26498131
TI  - Color Rendering Plasmonic Aluminum Substrates with Angular Symmetry Breaking.
AB  - We fabricate and characterize large-area plasmonic substrates that feature
      asymmetric periodic nanostructures made of aluminum. Strong coupling between
      localized and propagating plasmon resonances leads to characteristic Fano line
      shapes with tunable spectral positions and widths. Distinctive colors spanning
      the entire visible spectrum are generated by tuning the system parameters, such
      as the period and the length of the aluminum structures. Moreover, the asymmetry
      of the aluminum structures gives rise to a strong symmetry broken color rendering
      effect, for which colors are observed only from one side of the surface normal.
      Using a combination of immersed laser interference lithography and nanoimprint
      lithography, our color rendering structures can be fabricated on areas many
      inches in size. We foresee applications in anticounterfeiting, photovoltaics,
      sensing, displays, and optical security. 

PMID- 26498133
TI  - Genetic Variants Influencing Joint Damage in Mexican Americans and European
      Americans With Rheumatoid Arthritis.
AB  - Joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is heritable, but knowledge on
      specific genetic determinants of joint damage in RA is limited. We have used the
      Immunochip array to examine whether genetic variants influence variation in joint
      damage in a cohort of Mexican Americans (MA) and European Americans (EA) with RA.
      We studied 720 MA and 424 EA patients with RA. Joint damage was quantified using
      a radiograph of both hands and wrists, scored using Sharp's technique. We
      conducted association analyses with the transformed Sharp score and the
      Immunochip single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data using PLINK. In MAs, 15 SNPs
      from chromosomes 1, 5, 9, 17 and 22 associated with joint damage yielded strong p
      values (p < 1 * 10(-4) ). The strongest association with joint damage was
      observed with rs7216796, an intronic SNP located in the MAP3K14 gene, on
      chromosome 17 (beta +/- SE = -0.25 +/- 0.05, p = 6.23 * 10(-6) ). In EAs, 28 SNPs
      from chromosomes 1, 4, 6, 9, and 21 showed associations with joint damage (p
      value < 1 * 10(-4) ). The best association was observed on chromosome 9 with
      rs59902911 (beta +/- SE = 0.86 +/- 0.17, p = 1.01 * 10(-6) ), a synonymous SNP
      within the CARD9 gene. We also observed suggestive evidence for some loci
      influencing joint damage in MAs and EAs. We identified two novel independent loci
      (MAP3K14 and CARD9) strongly associated with joint damage in MAs and EAs and a
      few shared loci showing suggestive evidence for association. 

PMID- 26498134
TI  - Dyspnoea and chest pain as the presenting symptoms of pneumomediastinum: two
      cases and a review of the literature.
AB  - Pneumomediastinum is the presence of air in the mediastinum. It may occur as
      spontaneous, traumatic, or iatrogenic pneumomediastinum. Although spontaneous
      pneumomediastinum is usually observed in healthy young men, traumatic
      pneumomediastinum may be caused by blunt or penetrating trauma to the chest and
      neck. Pneumomediastinum is a clinical condition with potential complications that
      cause high morbidity and mortality rates. Pneumomediastinum also may develop
      without tracheal or oesophageal injury after spontaneous or blunt chest, neck and
      facial injuries, and it may be accompanied by pneumothorax. We treated two
      patients who had pneumomediastinum. Case 1 was a 20-year-old man who had pain and
      dyspnoea around the sternum for one hour, as a result of a blow from an elbow
      during a football match. Case 2 was a 23-year-old man who had a two-day history
      of dyspnoea and chest pain with no history of trauma. In both patients, diagnosis
      of pneumomediastinum was confirmed with thoracic computed tomography scans, and
      the condition resolved within five days of in-patient observation. In conclusion,
      the diagnosis of pneumomediastinum should be considered for all patients who
      present to the emergency department with chest pain and dyspnoea. 

PMID- 26498132
TI  - A Meta-Analysis of Trabecular Bone Score in Fracture Risk Prediction and Its
      Relationship to FRAX.
AB  - Trabecular bone score (TBS) is a gray-level textural index of bone
      microarchitecture derived from lumbar spine dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
      (DXA) images. TBS is a bone mineral density (BMD)-independent predictor of
      fracture risk. The objective of this meta-analysis was to determine whether TBS
      predicted fracture risk independently of FRAX probability and to examine their
      combined performance by adjusting the FRAX probability for TBS. We utilized
      individual-level data from 17,809 men and women in 14 prospective population
      based cohorts. Baseline evaluation included TBS and the FRAX risk variables, and
      outcomes during follow-up (mean 6.7 years) comprised major osteoporotic
      fractures. The association between TBS, FRAX probabilities, and the risk of
      fracture was examined using an extension of the Poisson regression model in each
      cohort and for each sex and expressed as the gradient of risk (GR; hazard ratio
      per 1 SD change in risk variable in direction of increased risk). FRAX
      probabilities were adjusted for TBS using an adjustment factor derived from an
      independent cohort (the Manitoba Bone Density Cohort). Overall, the GR of TBS for
      major osteoporotic fracture was 1.44 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.35-1.53)
      when adjusted for age and time since baseline and was similar in men and women (p
      > 0.10). When additionally adjusted for FRAX 10-year probability of major
      osteoporotic fracture, TBS remained a significant, independent predictor for
      fracture (GR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.24-1.41). The adjustment of FRAX probability for
      TBS resulted in a small increase in the GR (1.76, 95% CI 1.65-1.87 versus 1.70,
      95% CI 1.60-1.81). A smaller change in GR for hip fracture was observed (FRAX hip
      fracture probability GR 2.25 vs. 2.22). TBS is a significant predictor of
      fracture risk independently of FRAX. The findings support the use of TBS as a
      potential adjustment for FRAX probability, though the impact of the adjustment
      remains to be determined in the context of clinical assessment guidelines. (c)
      2015 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

PMID- 26498135
TI  - Age-stratified cut-off points for the nocturnal penile tumescence measurement
      using Nocturnal Electrobioimpedance Volumetric Assessment (NEVA((r)) ) in
      sexually active healthy men.
AB  - The current nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) measurement is based on standard
      cut-off levels defined regardless of age. This study was conducted to provide age
      stratified cut-off points for NPT measurement. Forty sexually active healthy men
      between 20 and 60 years old were enrolled and divided equally into four groups
      defined by age (20-29, 30-39, 40-49 and 50-60 years.). None of the candidates had
      sexual dysfunction or sleep disturbance or used supportive medication to enhance
      sexual function. Erectile function was evaluated by using the 5-item version of
      the international index of erectile function (IIEF-5). NPT was observed using the
      nocturnal electrobioimpedance volumetric assessment (NEVA((r)) ). The NPT values
      of healthy men aged 20-60 years varied from 268.7% to 202.3%. The NPT differed
      significantly between age groups (P < 0.0009); however, no significant
      differences between men aged 30-39 and 40-49 (P = 0.593) were observed. Age was
      weakly associated with IIEF-5 scores (P = 0.004), whereas a strong and negative
      correlation between age and NPT (P < 0.0001) was found. IEF-5 scores were not
      significantly associated with NPT (P = 0.95). Therefore, the standard values for
      NPT testing should be considered in the evaluation of the nocturnal penile
      activity of men of all ages. 

PMID- 26498136
TI  - Inhibitory effects of fasudil on renal interstitial fibrosis induced by
      unilateral ureteral obstruction.
AB  - Renal fibrosis is the major cause of chronic kidney disease, and the Rho/Rho
      associated coiled-coil kinase (ROCK) signaling cascade is involved in the renal
      fibrotic processes. Several studies have reported that ROCK inhibitors attenuate
      renal fibrosis. However, the mechanism of this process remains to be fully
      elucidated. The present study assessed the inhibitory effect of fasudil, a ROCK
      inhibitor using immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription-quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses, in vivo and in vitro, to
      elucidate the mechanisms underlying renal interstitial fibrosis. In mice induced
      with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), collagen accumulation, the expression
      of fibrosis-associated genes and the content of hydroxyproline in the kidney
      increased 3, 7, and 14 days following UUO. Fasudil attenuated the histological
      changes, and the production of collagen and extracellular matrix in the UUO
      kidney. The expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and the
      transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta)-Smad signaling pathway, and macrophage
      infiltration were suppressed by fasudil in the kidneys of the UUO mice. The
      present study also evaluated the role of intrinsic renal cells and infiltrated
      macrophages using NRK-52E, NRK-49F and RAW264.7 cells. The mRNA and protein
      expression levels of collagen I and alpha-SMA increased in the NRK-52E and NRK
      49F cells stimulated by TGF-beta1. Hydroxyfasudil, a bioactive metabolite of
      fasudil, attenuated the increase in the mRNA and protein expression levles of
      alpha-SMA in the two cell types. However, the reduction in the mRNA expression of
      collagen I was observed in the NRK-49F cells only. Hydroxyfasudil decreased the
      mRNA expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) induced by TGF
      beta1 in the NRK-52E cells, but not in the NRK-49F cells. In the RAW264.7 cells,
      the mRNA expression levels of MCP-1, interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6 and tumor
      necrosis factor alpha were increased significantly following lipopolysaccharide
      stimulation, and were not suppressed by hydroxyfasudil. These data suggested that
      the inhibition of ROCK activity by fasudil suppressed the transformation of renal
      intrinsic cells into the myofibroblast cells, and attenuated the infiltration of
      macrophages, without inhibiting the expression or the activation of
      cytokine/chemokines, in the progression of renal interstitial fibrosis. 

PMID- 26498137
TI  - Curcumin-induced downregulation of Axl receptor tyrosine kinase inhibits cell
      proliferation and circumvents chemoresistance in non-small lung cancer cells.
AB  - Lung cancer is still in the first place in terms of both incidence and mortality.
      In the present study, we demonstrated the effect of curcumin, a phytochemical of
      the plant Curcuma longa, on expression and activation of Axl receptor tyrosine
      kinase (RTK) which plays an important role in cell survival, proliferation and
      anti-apoptosis. Curcumin treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549 and
      H460 cells, was found to decrease Axl protein as well as mRNA levels in a dose-
      and time-dependent manner. Axl promoter activity was also reduced by curcumin,
      indicating that curcumin downregulates Axl expression at the transcriptional
      level. Moreover, Axl phosphorylation in response to binding of its ligand, Gas6,
      was abrogated by curcumin, suggesting the inhibitory effect of curcumin on Gas6
      induced Axl activation. We next found cytotoxic effect of cucumin on both the
      parental A549 and H460 cells, and their variants which are resistant to cisplatin
      (A549/CisR and H460/CisR) and paclitaxel (A549/TR and H460/TR). Exposure of these
      cells to curcumin resulted in dose-dependent decline of cell viability and
      clonogenic ability. It is further observed that the anti-proliferative effect of
      curcumin on A549 cells overexpressing Axl protein was reduced, while that on H460
      cells transfected Axl specific siRNA was augmented, confirming that curcumin
      inhibits cell proliferation via downregulation of Axl expression. In addition,
      curcumin was found to cause the induction of p21, a cyclin-dependent kinase
      inhibitor, and reduction of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), an
      anti-apoptotic molecule, in parental H460 cells as well as chemoresistant cells,
      H460/CisR and H460/TR. Taken together, our data imply that Axl RTK is a novel
      target of curcumin through which it exerts anti-proliferative effect in both
      parental and chemoresistant NSCLC cells.

PMID- 26498139
TI  - Test-retest reliability of schizoaffective disorder compared with schizophrenia,
      bipolar disorder, and unipolar depression--a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Schizoaffective disorder is a frequent diagnosis, and its reliability
      is subject to ongoing discussion. We compared the diagnostic reliability of
      schizoaffective disorder with its main differential diagnoses. METHODS: We
      systematically searched Medline, Embase, and PsycInfo for all studies on the test
      retest reliability of the diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder as compared with
      schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and unipolar depression. We used meta-analytic
      methods to describe and compare Cohen's kappa as well as positive and negative
      agreement. In addition, multiple pre-specified and post hoc subgroup and
      sensitivity analyses were carried out. RESULTS: Out of 4,415 studies screened, 49
      studies were included. Test-retest reliability of schizoaffective disorder was
      consistently lower than that of schizophrenia (in 39 out of 42 studies), bipolar
      disorder (27/33), and unipolar depression (29/35). The mean difference in kappa
      between schizoaffective disorder and the other diagnoses was approximately 0.2,
      and mean Cohen's kappa for schizoaffective disorder was 0.50 (95% confidence
      interval: 0.40-0.59). While findings were unequivocal and homogeneous for
      schizoaffective disorder's diagnostic reliability relative to its three main
      differential diagnoses (dichotomous: smaller versus larger), heterogeneity was
      substantial for continuous measures, even after subgroup and sensitivity
      analyses. CONCLUSIONS: In clinical practice and research, schizoaffective
      disorder's comparatively low diagnostic reliability should lead to increased
      efforts to correctly diagnose the disorder.

PMID- 26498138
TI  - Kidney cancer focal cryoablation trend: does location or approach matter?
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluated the current indications and surgical and survival outcomes
      for cryoablation (CA) using either a percutaneous (PCA) or a laparoscopic
      approach (LCA). We also investigated the ability of the PADUA score to predict
      the risk of complications and local recurrence. METHODS: A retrospective analysis
      was performed at two European tertiary referral centers. Parameters analyzed
      included size, location, approach, operative time, hospital stay, complications,
      and functional and oncologic outcomes. Univariate and multivariate analyses were
      performed. An ROC analysis was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of the PADUA
      score. RESULTS: Eighty patients were included. Mean tumor size was 2.6 cm. PCA
      was more often performed in posterior (95 vs. 60 %), inferior (72 vs. 32 %), and
      lateral (87 vs. 55 %) tumors. The global complication rate was 8.75 %, although
      proximity to the renal sinus resulted in a higher rate (30 vs. 4 %). Mean follow
      up was 34 and 23 months for LCA and PCA, respectively. The 5-year recurrence-free
      survival was 76 and 90 % for LCA and PCA, respectively. Multivariate analysis
      showed that tumor involvement of the collecting system was predictive of
      recurrence. Under ROC analysis, PADUA score was a mild predictor for
      complications (AUC = 0.601) and a good predictor for recurrence (AUC = 0.723);
      PADUA >=8 was identified as a cutoff for patients to a higher risk of recurrence.
      CONCLUSIONS: The percutaneous approach is confirmed to be the preferred CA
      technique for posterior and lateral tumors. CA in deeper renal lesions and tumors
      with PADUA score >=8 might entail a higher risk of recurrence, and closer follow
      up should be considered in these patients.

PMID- 26498140
TI  - Hospital-acquired acute kidney injury: an analysis of baseline estimated
      glomerular filtration rate and in-hospital mortality.
AB  - AIM: The objective of this study was to determine whether the baseline estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) level was independently associated with in
      hospital mortality in generalized patients with hospital-acquired acute kidney
      injury (HA-AKI) in China. METHODS: All of the patients admitted to a tertiary
      medical center of Nanjing, China, between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2013,
      were involved. Through the use of an electronic database and the Acute Kidney
      Injury Network (AKIN) classification, the patients with HA-AKI were indentified.
      We included the hospitalized adult patients with HA-AKI. Epidemiological
      information and in-hospital outcomes were collected and were analyzed according
      to different baseline eGFR strata of the included individual patients. RESULTS:
      Of the 42,664 admissions during the study period, 1327 patients were identified
      as AKI. The incidence of HA-AKI was 3.1 %. HA-AKI patients with a compromised
      baseline eGFR tended to be older and had a higher prevalence of various comorbid
      conditions. With the gradual deterioration of the baseline eGFR, the odds ratio
      of in-hospital mortality increased incrementally and a graded independent
      association between the baseline eGFR and in-hospital mortality was observed when
      the baseline eGFR dropped below 60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2). CONCLUSION: Baseline
      eGFR was a potential risk factor for in-hospital mortality in HA-AKI. Serum
      Creatinine (SCr)-based definition of AKI needs to incorporate baseline eGFR to
      optimize or refine risk stratification.

PMID- 26498141
TI  - Can a pill prevent HIV? Negotiating the biomedicalisation of HIV prevention.
AB  - This article examines how biomedicalisation is encountered, responded to and
      negotiated within and in relation to new biomedical forms of HIV prevention. We
      draw on exploratory focus group discussions on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
      and treatment as prevention (TasP) to examine how the processes of
      biomedicalisation are affected by and affect the diverse experiences of
      communities who have been epidemiologically framed as 'vulnerable' to HIV and
      towards whom PrEP and TasP will most likely be targeted. We found that
      participants were largely critical of the perceived commodification of HIV
      prevention as seen through PrEP, although this was in tension with the
      construction of being medical consumers by potential PrEP candidates. We also
      found how deeply entrenched forms of HIV stigma and homophobia can shape and
      obfuscate the consumption and management of HIV-related knowledge. Finally, we
      found that rather than seeing TasP or PrEP as 'liberating' through reduced levels
      of infectiousness or risk of transmission, social and legal requirements of
      responsibility in relation to HIV risk reinforced unequal forms of biomedical
      self-governance. Overall, we found that the stratifying processes of
      biomedicalisation will have significant implications in how TasP, PrEP and HIV
      prevention more generally are negotiated.

PMID- 26498142
TI  - Rs488087 single nucleotide polymorphism as predictive risk factor for pancreatic
      cancers.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a devastating disease progressing asymptomatically
      until death within months after diagnosis. Defining at-risk populations should
      promote its earlier diagnosis and hence also avoid its development. Considering
      the known involvement in pancreatic disease of exon 11 of the bile salt-dependent
      lipase (BSDL) gene that encodes variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR)
      sequences, we hypothesized upon the existence of a genetic link between
      predisposition to PC and mutations in VNTR loci. To test this, BSDL VNTR were
      amplified by touchdown-PCR performed on genomic DNA extracted from cancer tissue
      or blood samples from a French patient cohort and amplicons were Sanger
      sequenced. A robust method using probes for droplet digital (dd)-PCR was designed
      to discriminate the C/C major from C/T or T/T minor genotypes. We report that the
      c.1719C > T transition (SNP rs488087) present in BSDL VNTR may be a useful marker
      for defining a population at risk of developing PC (occurrence: 63.90% in the PC
      versus 27.30% in the control group). The odds ratio of 4.7 for the T allele was
      larger than those already determined for other SNPs suspected to be predictive of
      PC. Further studies on tumor pancreatic tissue suggested that a germline T allele
      may favor Kras G12R/G12D somatic mutations which represent negative prognostic
      factors associated with reduced survival. We propose that the detection of the T
      allele in rs488087 SNP should lead to an in-depth follow-up of patients in whom
      an association with other potential risk factors of pancreatic cancer may be
      present. 

PMID- 26498143
TI  - Allele frequencies of BRAFV600 mutations in primary melanomas and matched
      metastases and their relevance for BRAF inhibitor therapy in metastatic melanoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The detection of BRAFV600 mutations in patients with metastatic
      melanoma is important because of the availability of BRAF inhibitor therapy.
      However, the clinical relevance of the frequency of BRAFV600 mutant alleles is
      unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Allele frequencies of BRAFV600 mutations were
      analyzed by ultra-deep next-generation sequencing in formalin-fixed, paraffin
      embedded melanoma tissue (75 primary melanomas and 88 matched metastases). In a
      second study, pretreatment specimens from 76 patients who received BRAF
      inhibitors were retrospectively analyzed, and BRAFV600 allele frequencies were
      correlated with therapeutic results. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients had
      concordantly BRAF-positive and 36 (48%) patients had concordantly BRAF-negative
      primary melanomas and matched metastases, and four patients had discordant
      samples with low allele frequencies (3.4-5.2%). Twenty-six of 35 patients with
      concordant samples had BRAFV600E mutations, three of whom had additional
      mutations (V600K in two patients and V600R in one) and nine patients had
      exclusively non-V600E mutations (V600K in eight patients and V600E -c.1799_1800TG
      > AA- in one patient). The frequency of mutated BRAFV600 alleles was similar in
      the primary melanoma and matched metastasis in 27/35 patients, but differed by >3
      fold in 8/35 of samples. BRAFV600E allele frequencies in pretreatment tumor
      specimens were not significantly correlated with treatment outcomes in 76
      patients with metastatic melanoma who were treated with BRAF inhibitors.
      CONCLUSIONS: BRAFV600 mutation status and allele frequency is consistent in the
      majority of primary melanomas and matched metastases. A small subgroup of
      patients has double mutations. BRAFV600 allele frequencies are not correlated
      with the response to BRAF inhibitors.

PMID- 26498144
TI  - miR-214/199a/199a* cluster levels predict poor survival in hepatocellular
      carcinoma through interference with cell-cycle regulators.
AB  - AIMS: To identify the clinical and functional association of miR-214/199a/199a*
      cluster in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to clarify the mechanism of
      miR-214. METHODS: Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional regression analyses were used
      to determine the association of miR-214/199a/199a* cluster levels with the
      survival of HCC patients. The role of miR-214 in regulating HCC cell
      proliferation was studied with miR-214 mimics/inhibitor-treated cells.
      Furthermore, the inhibition effect of miR-214 on E2F2, cyclin-dependent kinase
      (CDK) 3 and CDK6 expression was assessed in HCC cell lines with miR-214
      mimics/inhibitors to increase/decrease miR-214 expression. Direct binding of miR
      214 to the 3'-untranslated regions of E2F2, CDK3, and CDK6 was verified by dual
      luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: In analyzing HCC clinical specimens and cell
      lines, we discovered a uniform decrease in miR-214/199a/199a* expression in
      comparison with noncancerous tissue or normal liver epithelial cell lines. Higher
      miR-214 levels were related with improved patient survival. Overexpression of miR
      214 in HCC cells inhibited proliferation by inducing G1-S checkpoint arrest.
      Conversely, RNA interference-mediated silencing of miR-214 promoted cell-cycle
      progression and accelerated the proliferation of HCC cells. E2F2, CDK3 and CDK6
      were each directly targeted for inhibition by miR-214, and restoring their
      expression reversed miR-214 inhibition of cell-cycle progression. The
      relationship between expression of miR-214 and its targets was confirmed in HCC
      tumor xenografts and clinical specimens. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate
      that miR-214 has tumor-suppressive activity in HCC through inhibition of E2F2,
      CDK3 and CDK6.

PMID- 26498145
TI  - Methimazole-induced cholestatic hepatitis: two cases report and literature
      review.
AB  - Methimazole is commonly prescribed for patients who are thyrotoxic. Cholestatic
      hepatitis is a rare but serious adverse event which may be associated with
      interventional therapy. In this case report, we present two Chinese women with
      cholestatic jaundice due to methimazole treatment. Both patients had a history of
      hyperthyroidism; initial laboratory studies of liver function were normal and
      cholestatic hepatitis occurred after treatment with methimazole. Concomitant
      liver disease, such as viral hepatitis (A, B, C, D, E), autoimmune hepatitis,
      primary biliary cirrhosis and calculus of bile duct, were excluded. Liver enzyme
      levels in both patients returned to normal after stopping methimazole therapy and
      taking hepatoprotective drugs. It is essential that patients are informed about
      the earliest symptoms of serious adverse effects of antithyroid drugs, such as
      hepatic toxicity, and that they are advised to stop taking the drug immediately
      and contact their physician if such symptoms occur.

PMID- 26498147
TI  - Microscale profiling of photosynthesis-related variables in a highly productive
      biofilm photobioreactor.
AB  - In the present study depth profiles of light, oxygen, pH and photosynthetic
      performance in an artificial biofilm of the green alga Halochlorella rubescens in
      a porous substrate photobioreactor (PSBR) were recorded with microsensors.
      Biofilms were exposed to different light intensities (50-1,000 MUmol photons m(
      2) s(-1) ) and CO2 levels (0.04-5% v/v in air). The distribution of
      photosynthetically active radiation showed almost identical trends for different
      surface irradiances, namely: a relatively fast drop to a depth of about 250 um,
      (to 5% of the incident), followed by a slower decrease. Light penetrated into the
      biofilm deeper than the Lambert-Beer Law predicted, which may be attributed to
      forward scattering of light, thus improving the overall light availability.
      Oxygen concentration profiles showed maxima at a depth between 50 and 150 MUm,
      depending on the incident light intensity. A very fast gas exchange was observed
      at the biofilm surface. The highest oxygen concentration of 3.2 mM was measured
      with 1,000 MUmol photons m(-2) s(-1) and 5% supplementary CO2. Photosynthetic
      productivity increased with light intensity and/or CO2 concentration and was
      always highest at the biofilm surface; the stimulating effect of elevated CO2
      concentration in the gas phase on photosynthesis was enhanced by higher light
      intensities. The dissolved inorganic carbon concentration profiles suggest that
      the availability of the dissolved free CO2 has the strongest impact on
      photosynthetic productivity. The results suggest that dark respiration could
      explain previously observed decrease in growth rate over cultivation time in this
      type of PSBR. Our results represent a basis for understanding the complex
      dynamics of environmental variables and metabolic processes in artificial
      phototrophic biofilms exposed to a gas phase and can be used to improve the
      design and operational parameters of PSBRs.

PMID- 26498146
TI  - Is lineage decision-making restricted during tumoral reprograming of
      haematopoietic stem cells?
AB  - Within the past years there have been substantial changes to our understanding of
      haematopoiesis and cells that initiate and sustain leukemia. Recent studies have
      revealed that developing haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells are much more
      heterogeneous and versatile than has been previously thought. This versatility
      includes cells using more than one route to a fate and cells having progressed
      some way towards a cell type retaining other lineage options as clandestine.
      These notions impact substantially on our understanding of the origin and nature
      of leukemia. An important question is whether leukemia stem cells are as
      versatile as their cell of origin as an abundance of cells belonging to a lineage
      is often a feature of overt leukemia. In this regard, we examine the coming of
      age of the "leukemia stem cell" theory and the notion that leukemia, like normal
      haematopoiesis, is a hierarchically organized tissue. We examine evidence to
      support the notion that whilst cells that initiate leukemia have multi-lineage
      potential, leukemia stem cells are reprogrammed by further oncogenic insults to
      restrict their lineage decision-making. Accordingly, evolution of a sub-clone of
      lineage-restricted malignant cells is a key feature of overt leukemia. 

PMID- 26498148
TI  - Development of an incipient Stevens-Johnson reaction while on a stable dose of
      lamotrigine.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of a possible incipient Stevens-Johnson reaction
      while a patient had been on a stable dose of lamotrigine for several months and
      to consider the likely cause. METHODS: The history is recounted. RESULTS: One
      likely cause implicates differing effective doses of lamotrigine across differing
      brands and raises quality control issues. CONCLUSION: The patient's severe
      reaction may reflect changing to a brand of lamotrigine that precipitously
      generated a higher serum level of lamotrigine.

PMID- 26498149
TI  - The pivotal role of primary care in meeting the health needs of people recently
      released from prison.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Australia's prison population is growing at a rate well in excess of
      population growth. Indigenous Australians are over-represented by a factor of 13.
      Prisoners are a profoundly marginalised group characterised by complex health and
      social needs. Despite improvements in health during incarceration, poor health
      outcomes after release are common, and the net effect of incarceration is usually
      health depleting. Given the need for effective care coordination, primary care
      plays a pivotal role in meeting the health needs of this population. In this
      paper we review what is known about patterns of primary care utilisation in ex
      prisoners, identify evidence-based strategies for increasing access to primary
      care in ex-prisoners, and consider how such contact may shape subsequent health
      service outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Primary care is a necessary but not sufficient
      condition for effective post-release support. Positive outcomes may depend more
      on the quality than the quantity of care received. Given massive over
      representation of Indigenous people in Australia's prisons, and compelling
      evidence of preventable morbidity and mortality after release from prison,
      effective models of care for this population are an important component of
      closing the gap in Indigenous life expectancy.

PMID- 26498150
TI  - Research leadership: should clinical directors be distinguished researchers?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Clinical directors established research-led healthcare by combining
      research, teaching and clinical excellence within the teaching hospitals. This
      research culture created high clinical standards, which benefited patients, the
      workforce and healthcare organisations. The current paper explores this research
      leadership role for clinical directors. It reviews studies arising from the
      theory of expert leadership, which focuses on the relationship between a leader's
      core knowledge and organisational performance. More specifically, we examine the
      expert leader's research track record, the associations with their organisation's
      performance, and the influence of research activity on clinical excellence.
      CONCLUSION: Distinguished researchers still lead the most prestigious teaching
      hospitals and the most trusted departments of psychiatry in the United States
      where the clinical directorate structure originated. It is also known that good
      scholars can improve research output when appointed to leadership positions. This
      suggests that the clinical director's research track record should be a
      consideration at a time when research is being embedded in Australia's local
      health networks. A clinical director's leadership may influence the research
      performance of their department and contribute to the quality of mental
      healthcare.

PMID- 26498151
TI  - Graduate-entry medical students: older and wiser but not less distressed.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Australia has a growing number of graduate-entry medical courses. It
      is known that undergraduate medical students have high levels of psychological
      distress; however, little is known about graduate-entry medical students. We
      examined whether graduate-entry medical students had higher levels of
      psychological distress than the same-age general population. METHOD:
      Psychological distress was assessed in 122 graduate-entry medical students in an
      Australian graduate-entry medical school using the 21-item Depression Anxiety and
      Stress Scale. Mean scores and the proportion of students with scores in the
      highly distressed range were compared with non-clinical population norms. Scores
      were also compared across demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Medical students
      reported higher mean depression, anxiety and stress scores than the general
      population and were more likely to score in the moderate to extremely high range
      for anxiety (45% vs. 13%; p<0.001) and stress (17% vs. 13%; p=0.003). Anxiety and
      stress were higher in students aged >=30 years than in younger students.
      CONCLUSIONS: Despite their maturity, graduate-entry students experienced high
      psychological distress. Anxiety and stress were higher, not lower, with
      increasing age. Our results suggest that graduate-entry medical students warrant
      the same level of concern as their school-leaving counterparts. Further
      interventions to support these students during medical school are warranted.

PMID- 26498152
TI  - Rel8: demonstrating the feasibility of delivering an 8-week social skills program
      in a public mental health setting.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: As community mental health services integrate recovery-oriented
      practices, treatments that focus on skills development and social integration are
      desirable. This study aimed to examine the feasibility of implementing "Rel8", an
      8-week social skills training group adapted to suit a public community mental
      health setting. METHOD: A retrospective audit was conducted of quantitative and
      qualitative data from four groups run between 2011 and 2013. Pre- and post-group
      measures were collected, assessing self-rated friendships and confidence with
      social skills and clinician-rated social skill performance. Qualitative feedback
      about group participation was also collected through use of a developed
      questionnaire. RESULTS: Analysis revealed significant improvements in
      participants' confidence with their social skills following group participation,
      with a trend also found for improved social skill performance. CONCLUSIONS:
      "Rel8", an adapted 8-week social skills training group, is a feasible program in
      the context of community mental health services. The program added to the
      recovery-centred practice of the community mental health service while also
      adding to the diversity of clinician skills for psychosocial-oriented practice.

PMID- 26498153
TI  - Aboriginal involvement in caring-for-country: an economic case study in primary
      preventative health.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Firstly, to demonstrate the involvement of Aboriginal people in caring
      for-country as a case study of how appropriately targeted non-medical primary
      preventative health strategies can be a cost-effective approach to addressing
      chronic disease among Indigenous people. Secondly, to demonstrate the use of an
      analogous approach in addressing the global chronic disease pandemic. METHOD: A
      review of prior biomedical and economic research based on the involvement of
      Aboriginal people in caring-for-country is used to: (a) exemplifying the cost
      effectiveness of a non-medical preventative health intervention; and (b) the
      process by which such an approach might be applied across a broader context.
      RESULTS: The presented results demonstrate one non-medical primary preventative
      health approach to addressing the health burden affecting Indigenous peoples.
      CONCLUSIONS: The suggested steps in optimising the cost effectiveness of such an
      approach demonstrate how it could be applied in addressing the global chronic
      disease pandemic.

PMID- 26498154
TI  - Mast cell tryptase and chymase in the progress of cutaneous vasculitis.
AB  - In animal models of vasculitis, mast cells are essential in the pathogenesis, but
      their involvement in human skin vasculitis is obscure. Because tryptase and
      chymase are potent serine proteinases in the secretory granules of mast cells,
      the purpose was to examine the number of mast cells expressing tryptase and
      chymase during the progress of cutaneous vasculitis. These numbers were
      correlated with the appearance of immunoreactants (C3c, fibrin, IgM, IgA and IgG)
      in vessel walls. For this, skin biopsies were taken from the healthy-looking
      skin, initial petechial lesion (IP), and palpable purpura (PP) of the leg of
      patients with leukocytoclastic vasculitis (n = 10). The frozen biopsies were
      analysed using enzyme- and immunohistochemistry and direct immunofluorescence
      (IF) staining. The results show that there are no marked changes in the numbers
      of mast cells expressing chymase or tryptase proteins. Instead, chymase enzyme
      activity decreased, but the score of alpha1-antichymotrypsin staining increased,
      during the progress of vasculitis. The IF positivity of fibrin correlated
      positively with chymase activity (p = 0.01) and the ratio of chymase activity to
      tryptase protein in IP (p = 0.03), as well as with mast cells showing tryptase (p
      = 0.03) and chymase (p = 0.01) proteins in PP. The IF positivity of C3c
      correlated with the ratio of chymase activity to tryptase protein in IP (p =
      0.01). In conclusion, chymase is partially inactivated in vasculitis possibly due
      to alpha1-antichymotrypsin. Several positive correlations between chymase and
      fibrin and/or C3c in IP or PP suggest that this enzyme is involved in the
      deposition of immunoreactants in the vessel wall. 

PMID- 26498155
TI  - Do as I ... Did! Long-term memory of imitative actions in dogs (Canis
      familiaris).
AB  - This study demonstrates long-term declarative memory of imitative actions in a
      non-human animal species. We tested 12 pet dogs for their ability to imitate
      human actions after retention intervals ranging from 1 to 24 h. For comparison,
      another 12 dogs were tested for the same actions without delay between
      demonstration and recall. Our test consisted of a modified version of the Do as I
      Do paradigm, combined with the two-action procedure to control for non-imitative
      processes. Imitative performance of dogs remained consistently high independent
      of increasing retention intervals, supporting the idea that dogs are able to
      retain mental representations of human actions for an extended period of time.
      The ability to imitate after such delays supports the use of long-term
      declarative memory.

PMID- 26498156
TI  - Joint Effect of Genotypic and Phenotypic Features of Reproductive Factors on
      Endometrial Cancer Risk.
AB  - Prolonged estrogen exposure is believed to be the major cause of endometrial
      cancer. As possible markers of estrogen exposure, various menstrual and
      reproductive features, e.g., ages at menarche and menopause, are found to be
      associated with endometrial cancer risk. In order to assess their combined
      effects on endometrial cancer, we created the total number of menstrual cycles
      (TNMC) that a woman experienced during her life or up to the time of study and
      two genetic risk scores, GRS1 for age at menarche and GRS2 for age at menopause.
      Comparing 482 endometrial cancer patients with 571 population controls, we found
      TNMC was associated with endometrial cancer risk and that the association
      remained statistically significant after adjustment for obesity and other
      potential confounders. Risk increased by about 2.5% for every additional 10
      menstrual-cycles. The study also showed that high GRS1 was associated with
      increased risk. This relationship, however, was attenuated after adjustment for
      obesity. Our study further indicated women with high TNMC and GRS1 had twice the
      risk of endometrial cancer compared to those low in both indices. Our results
      provided additional support to the involvement of estrogen exposure in
      endometrial cancer risk with regard to genetic background and lifestyle features.

PMID- 26498157
TI  - Sequence- and Temperature-Dependent Properties of Unfolded and Disordered
      Proteins from Atomistic Simulations.
AB  - We use all-atom molecular simulation with explicit solvent to study the
      properties of selected intrinsically disordered proteins and unfolded states of
      foldable proteins, which include chain dimensions and shape, secondary structure
      propensity, solvent accessible surface area, and contact formation. We find that
      the qualitative scaling behavior of the chains matches expectations from theory
      under ambient conditions. In particular, unfolded globular proteins tend to be
      more collapsed under the same conditions than charged disordered sequences of the
      same length. However, inclusion of explicit solvent in addition naturally
      captures temperature-dependent solvation effects, which results in an initial
      collapse of the chains as temperature is increased, in qualitative agreement with
      experiment. There is a universal origin to the collapse, revealed in the change
      of hydration of individual residues as a function of temperature: namely, that
      the initial collapse is driven by unfavorable solvation free energy of individual
      residues, which in turn has a strong temperature dependence. We also observe that
      in unfolded globular proteins, increased temperature also initially favors
      formation of native-like (rather than non-native-like) structure. Our results
      help to establish how sequence encodes the degree of intrinsic disorder or order
      as well as its response to changes in environmental conditions. 

PMID- 26498158
TI  - Whole genome SNP genotype piecemeal imputation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite ongoing reductions in the cost of sequencing technologies,
      whole genome SNP genotype imputation is often used as an alternative for
      obtaining abundant SNP genotypes for genome wide association studies. Several
      existing genotype imputation methods can be efficient for this purpose, while
      achieving various levels of imputation accuracy. Recent empirical results have
      shown that the two-step imputation may improve accuracy by imputing the low
      density genotyped study animals to a medium density array first and then to the
      target density. We are interested in building a series of staircase arrays that
      lead the low density array to the high density array or even the whole genome,
      such that genotype imputation along these staircases can achieve the highest
      accuracy. RESULTS: For genotype imputation from a lower density to a higher
      density, we first show how to select untyped SNPs to construct a medium density
      array. Subsequently, we determine for each selected SNP those untyped SNPs to be
      imputed in the add-one two-step imputation, and lastly how the clusters of
      imputed genotype are pieced together as the final imputation result. We design
      extensive empirical experiments using several hundred sequenced and genotyped
      animals to demonstrate that our novel two-step piecemeal imputation always
      achieves an improvement compared to the one-step imputation by the state-of-the
      art methods Beagle and FImpute. Using the two-step piecemeal imputation, we
      present some preliminary success on whole genome SNP genotype imputation for
      genotyped animals via a series of staircase arrays. CONCLUSIONS: From a low SNP
      density to the whole genome, intermediate pseudo-arrays can be computationally
      constructed by selecting the most informative SNPs for untyped SNP genotype
      imputation. Such pseudo-array staircases are able to impute more accurately than
      the classic one-step imputation.

PMID- 26498159
TI  - Expert cardiologists cannot distinguish between Brugada phenocopy and Brugada
      syndrome electrocardiogram patterns.
AB  - AIMS: Brugada phenocopies (BrPs) are electrocardiogram (ECG) patterns that are
      identical to true Brugada syndrome (BrS) but are induced by various clinical
      conditions. The concept that both ECG patterns are visually identical has not
      been formally demonstrated. The aim of our study was to determine if experts on
      BrS were able to accurately distinguish between the BrS and BrP ECG patterns.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Six ECGs from confirmed cases of BrS and six ECGs from
      previously published cases of BrP were included in the study. Surface 12-lead
      ECGs were scanned, saved in JPEG format, and sent to 10 international experts on
      BrS for evaluation (no clinical history provided). Evaluators were asked to label
      each case as a Brugada ECG pattern or non-Brugada ECG pattern by visual
      interpretation alone. The overall accuracy was 53 +/- 33% for all cases. Within
      the BrS cases, the mean accuracy was 63 +/- 34% and within the BrP cases, the
      mean accuracy was 43 +/- 33%. Intra-observer repeatability was moderate (kappa =
      0.56) and inter-observer agreement was fair (kappa = 0.36) while evaluator
      accuracy vs. the true diagnosis was only marginally better than chance (kappa =
      0.05). Similarly, diagnostic operating characteristics were poor (sensitivity
      62%, specificity 43%, +LR 1.1, -LR 0.9). CONCLUSION: Our results provide strong
      evidence that BrP and BrS ECG patterns are visually identical and
      indistinguishable. These findings support the use of systematic diagnostic
      criteria for differentiating BrP vs. BrS as an erroneous diagnosis may have a
      negative impact on patient morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 26498161
TI  - Bifocal left ventricular stimulation or the optimal left ventricular stimulation
      site in cardiac resynchronization therapy: a pressure-volume loop study.
AB  - AIMS: Several implantation strategies have been proposed to improve response to
      cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), including bifocal left ventricular (LV)
      stimulation and optimal single-LV lead placement. This study aimed to compare
      these two strategies during invasive pressure-volume (PV) loop measurements.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-three patients eligible for CRT were included [21
      (64%) men, 20 (61%) ischaemic aetiology, QRS 155 +/- 23 ms], and underwent
      cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and invasive PV loop measurements. Left
      ventricular pump function was characterized by stroke work (SW) and dP/dtmax (5.1
      +/- 3.4 L mmHg and 856 +/- 190 mmHg/s, respectively). Haemodynamic response was
      assessed during stimulation at single-LV sites and during bifocal LV
      [anterolateral and posterolateral (PL)] stimulation. Response during bifocal LV
      stimulation was not significantly higher compared with standard PL pacing (SW;
      beta = 9.4 +/- 5.4, P = 0.080; dP/dtmax, beta = 0.2 +/- 1.9, P = 0.922). However,
      mean pump function improvement was significantly higher during stimulation at the
      optimal LV site compared with bifocal LV stimulation (SW; beta = 12.7 +/- 5.1, P
      = 0.012; dP/dtmax, beta = 3.3 +/- 1.2, P = 0.020). Myocardial tissue properties
      were assessed by CMR tissue tagging. Mechanical activation at the optimal LV site
      was significantly more delayed compared with the worst LV site (431 +/- 93 ms vs.
      326 +/- 127 ms; P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Stimulation at the optimal LV site showed
      a significantly higher pump function improvement compared with bifocal LV
      stimulation. Mechanical activation at the optimal LV site was significantly more
      delayed compared with the non-optimal LV site. In general, these results suggest
      that implantation of a second LV lead yields no additional benefit over
      implantation of one optimally placed LV lead. However, a bifocal approach might
      be beneficial in the individual patient.

PMID- 26498160
TI  - Diagnostic yield of molecular autopsy in patients with sudden arrhythmic death
      syndrome using targeted exome sequencing.
AB  - AIMS: The targeted genetic screening of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS)
      probands in a molecular autopsy has a diagnostic yield of up to 35%. Exome
      sequencing has the potential to improve this yield. The primary aim of this study
      is to examine the feasibility and diagnostic utility of targeted exome screening
      in SADS victims, utilizing familial clinical screening whenever possible. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: To determine the feasibility and diagnostic yield of targeted exome
      sequencing deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was isolated from 59 SADS victims (mean
      age 25 years, range 1-51 years). Targeted exome sequencing of 135 genes
      associated with cardiomyopathies and ion channelopathies was performed on the
      Illumina HiSeq2000 platform. Non-synonymous, loss-of-function, and splice-site
      variants with a minor allele frequency <0.02% in the NHLBI exome sequencing
      project and an internal set of control exomes were prioritized for analysis
      followed by <0.5% frequency threshold secondary analysis. First-degree relatives
      were offered clinical screening for inherited cardiac conditions. Seven probands
      (12%) carried very rare (<0.02%) or novel non-sense candidate mutations and 10
      probands (17%) had previously published rare (0.02-0.5%) candidate mutations-a
      total yield of 29%. Co-segregation fully confirmed two private SCN5A Na channel
      mutations. Variants of unknown significance were detected in a further 34% of
      probands. CONCLUSION: Molecular autopsy using targeted exome sequencing has a
      relatively low diagnostic yield of very rare potentially disease causing
      mutations. Candidate pathogenic variants with a higher frequency in control
      populations are relatively common and should be interpreted with caution.

PMID- 26498162
TI  - Serum amine-based metabolites and their association with outcomes in primary
      prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillator patients.
AB  - AIMS: Heart failure patients are at increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias and
      all-cause mortality. However, existing clinical and serum markers only modestly
      predict these adverse events. We sought to use metabolic profiling to identify
      novel biomarkers in two independent prospective cohorts of patients with
      implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) for primary prevention of sudden
      cardiac death (SCD). METHODS AND RESULTS: Baseline serum was quantitatively
      profiled for 42 known biologically relevant amine-based metabolites among 402
      patients from the Prospective Observational Study of Implantable Cardioverter
      Defibrillators (PROSE-ICD) Study (derivation group) and 240 patients from the
      Genetic Risk Assessment of Defibrillator Events (GRADE) Study (validation group)
      for ventricular arrhythmia-induced ICD shocks and all-cause mortality. Three
      amines, N-methyl-l-histidine, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), and l
      kynurenine, were derived and validated to be associated with all-cause mortality.
      The hazard ratios of mortality in PROSE-ICD and GRADE were 1.48 (95% confidence
      interval 1.14-1.92) and 1.67 (1.22-2.27) for N-methyl-l-histidine, 1.49 (1.17
      1.91) and 1.77 (1.27-2.45) for SDMA, 1.31 (1.06-1.63) and 1.73 (1.32-2.27) for l
      kynurenine, respectively. l-Histidine, SDMA, and l-kynurenine were associated
      with ventricular arrhythmia-induced ICD shocks in PROSE-ICD, but they did not
      reach statistical significance in the GRADE cohort. CONCLUSION: Utilizing
      metabolic profiling in two independent prospective cohorts of patients undergoing
      ICD implantation for primary prevention of SCD, we identified several novel amine
      markers that were associated with appropriate shock and mortality. These findings
      shed insight into the potential biologic pathways leading to adverse events in
      ICD patients. Further studies are needed to confirm the prognostic value of these
      findings.

PMID- 26498163
TI  - Impact of remote monitoring on reducing the burden of inappropriate shocks
      related to implantable cardioverter-defibrillator lead fractures: insights from a
      French single-centre registry.
AB  - AIMS: Lead fractures in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) patients may
      cause inappropriate shocks (ISs). An early diagnosis is essential to prevent
      adverse clinical events. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator remote monitoring
      (RM) permits prompt detection of lead fracture. Limited data define the impact of
      RM on ISs specifically related to lead fracture. We sought to compare the number
      of ISs related to lead fracture in patients with vs. without RM follow-up.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: We checked the registry of our institution and collected,
      between July 2007 and June 2014, 115 cases of right ventricular lead fractures.
      All relevant data were documented from patients' files, device-interrogation
      printouts and electronic records, and remote transmissions databases when
      applicable. We assessed the ISs that were related to lead fracture. The first
      study endpoint was the number of ISs per shocked patient. Among the 82 patients
      with conventional follow-up (CFU) and the 33 patients with RM, a first IS
      occurred to 32.9% (n = 27) and 30.3% (n = 10, P = 0.83) of the patients,
      respectively. Shocked patients in the RM group underwent significantly fewer ISs
      with a mean of 6 +/- 2 shocks per patient [median of 3.5 shocks (2-8)] than those
      in the CFU group with a mean of 18 +/- 5 shocks per patient [median of 10 shocks
      (5-22), P = 0.03]. CONCLUSION: Remote monitoring helps to reduce the burden of
      ISs related to ICD lead fractures.

PMID- 26498164
TI  - Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, clinical manifestations, and
      diagnosis.
AB  - This review aims to give an update on the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations,
      and diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC).
      Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy is mainly an autosomal dominant
      inherited disease linked to mutations in genes encoding desmosomes or desmosome
      related proteins. Classic symptoms include palpitations, cardiac syncope, and
      aborted cardiac arrest due to ventricular arrhythmias. Heart failure may develop
      in later stages. Diagnosis is based on the presence of major and minor criteria
      from the Task Force Criteria revised in 2010 (TFC 2010), which includes
      evaluation of findings from six different diagnostic categories. Based on this,
      patients are classified as having possible, borderline, or definite ARVC. Imaging
      is important in ARVC diagnosis, including both echocardiography and cardiac
      magnetic resonance imaging for detecting structural and functional abnormalities,
      but importantly these findings may occur after electrical alterations and
      ventricular arrhythmias. Electrocardiograms (ECGs) and signal-averaged ECGs are
      analysed for depolarization and repolarization abnormalities, including T-wave
      inversions as the most common ECG alteration. Ventricular arrhythmias are common
      in ARVC and are considered a major diagnostic criterion if originating from the
      RV inferior wall or apex. Family history of ARVC and detection of an ARVC-related
      mutation are included in the TFC 2010 and emphasize the importance of family
      screening. Electrophysiological studies are not included in the diagnostic
      criteria, but may be important for differential diagnosis including RV outflow
      tract tachycardia. Further differential diagnoses include sarcoidosis, congenital
      abnormalities, myocarditis, pulmonary hypertension, dilated cardiomyopathy, and
      athletic cardiac adaptation, which may mimic ARVC. 

PMID- 26498165
TI  - Nanoparticle-Mediated Target Delivery of TRAIL as Gene Therapy for Glioblastoma.
AB  - Human tumor necrosis factor alpha-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is an
      attractive cancer therapeutic because of its ability to induce apoptosis in tumor
      cells while having a negligible effect on normal cells. However, the short serum
      half-life of TRAIL and lack of efficient in vivo administration approaches have
      largely hindered its clinical use. Using nanoparticles (NPs) as carriers in gene
      therapy is considered as an alternative approach to increase TRAIL delivery to
      tumors as transfected cells would be induced to secrete TRAIL into the tumor
      microenvironment. To enable effective delivery of plasmid DNA encoding TRAIL into
      glioblastoma (GBM), we developed a targeted iron oxide NP coated with chitosan
      polyethylene glycol-polyethyleneimine copolymer and chlorotoxin (CTX) and
      evaluated its effect in delivering TRAIL in vitro and in vivo. NP-TRAIL
      successfully delivers TRAIL into human T98G GBM cells and induces secretion of 40
      pg mL(-1) of TRAIL in vitro. Transfected cells show threefold increased apoptosis
      as compared to the control DNA bound NPs. Systemic administration of NP-TRAIL-CTX
      to mice bearing T98G-derived flank xenografts results in near-zero tumor growth
      and induces apoptosis in tumor tissue. Our results suggest that NP-TRAIL-CTX can
      potentially serve as a targeted anticancer therapeutic for more efficient TRAIL
      delivery to GBM. 

PMID- 26498167
TI  - Molecular iodine adsorption within Hofmann-type structures M(L)[M'(CN)4] (M = Ni,
      Co; M' = Ni, Pd, Pt): impact of their composition.
AB  - A series of thermally stable Hofmann-type clathrate structures with the general
      formula M(pz)[M'(CN)4], where M and M' are bivalent metal ions M(II) = Ni(II),
      Co(II), M(II)' = Ni(II), Pd(II), Pt(II), and pz is the pyrazine bidentate ligand,
      was synthesized and investigated for the efficient entrapment of iodine (I2) in
      solution and in the gas phase. Iodine-containing clathrates thus prepared were
      analysed to determine the saturation capacity, thermal stability, guest-induced
      structural changes of the clathrate's lattice and the nature of the confined
      iodine according to the chemical composition of the host structure. An efficient
      confinement of about 1 I2 per unit cell is observed for the series of clathrates
      with the Ni(II) and Pd(II) ions in the square planar position whatever the
      bivalent metal ion in the octahedral position. Specific responses in the lattice
      adjustment are detected for Co(II) in the octahedral and Pd(II) in the square
      planar positions. 

PMID- 26498166
TI  - Long-range energy transfer in self-assembled quantum dot-DNA cascades.
AB  - The size-dependent energy bandgaps of semiconductor nanocrystals or quantum dots
      (QDs) can be utilized in converting broadband incident radiation efficiently into
      electric current by cascade energy transfer (ET) between layers of different
      sized quantum dots, followed by charge dissociation and transport in the bottom
      layer. Self-assembling such cascade structures with angstrom-scale spatial
      precision is important for building realistic devices, and DNA-based QD self
      assembly can provide an important alternative. Here we show long-range Dexter
      energy transfer in QD-DNA self-assembled single constructs and ensemble devices.
      Using photoluminescence, scanning tunneling spectroscopy, current-sensing AFM
      measurements in single QD-DNA cascade constructs, and temperature-dependent
      ensemble devices using TiO2 nanotubes, we show that Dexter energy transfer,
      likely mediated by the exciton-shelves formed in these QD-DNA self-assembled
      structures, can be used for efficient transport of energy across QD-DNA thin
      films. 

PMID- 26498168
TI  - Isolation and characteristics of CD133-/A2B5+ and CD133-/A2B5- cells from the
      SHG139s cell line.
AB  - In glioma tissues, there are small cell populations with the capability of
      sustaining tumor formation. These cells are referred to as glioma stem cells
      (GSCs). However, the presence of subpopulations of GSCs, and the differences
      between each subpopulation remain to be fully elucidated. In the present study,
      CD133-/A2B5- and CD133-/A2B5+ cells from the SHG139 GSC cell line (SHG139s) were
      isolated using magnetic-activated cell sorting. Following xenografting into nude
      mice, the two isolated subpopulations generated tumors. The characteristics of
      the two subpopulations were investigated extensively, and it was found that the
      two exhibited cancer stem cell characteristics. These cells expressed stem cell
      markers, exhibited a neurosphere-like appearance, and were found to exhibit self
      renewal and multipotency capabilities. Subsequently, the self-renewal and
      proliferation abilities of the two subpopulations were compared. It was found
      that the A2B5- cells had a higher proliferative index and a higher self-renewal
      ability, compared with the A2B5+ cells. In addition, the A2B5- cells exhibited
      increased angiogenic ability. However, the invasion ability of the A2B5+ cells
      was higher than that of the A2B5- cells. Taken together, the results of the
      present study suggested that there are different cell subpopulations in GSCs, and
      each subpopulation has its own properties. 

PMID- 26498169
TI  - Denosumab Inhibition of RANKL and Insulin Resistance in Postmenopausal Women with
      Osteoporosis.
AB  - The tumor necrosis factor-related cytokine receptor activator of nuclear factor
      kappa B ligand (RANKL) has been proposed as predictor of incident type 2 diabetes
      mellitus, and experimental blockade of RANKL resulted in a marked improvement of
      glucose tolerance. Denosumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that binds to
      RANKL and prevents osteoclast formation, function and survival, leading to
      fracture risk reduction. The aim of our study was to investigate glucometabolic
      parameters, insulin resistance, and lipid profile in non-diabetic women receiving
      denosumab. Forty-eight women with postmenopausal osteoporosis were enrolled and
      treated with a subcutaneous dose (60 mg) of denosumab. At baseline and after 4,
      12, ad 24 weeks, insulin resistance was computed by homeostasis model assessment
      of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and total cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL
      cholesterol were also measured. At baseline and after 24 weeks, bone turn-over
      markers were also evaluated. After denosumab administration, with the exception
      of a slight reduction of insulin and HOMA-IR values after 4 weeks (p < 0.05),
      neither fasting plasma glucose nor insulin and insulin resistance were
      significantly changed. Lipid parameters remained unchanged at each time-points of
      this study. A reduction of C-telopeptide of type 1 collagen (-63%, p < 0.0001)
      and osteocalcin (-45%, p < 0.0001), as bone resorption and formation markers,
      respectively, were observed after 24 weeks. Baseline levels of bone biomarkers
      were not predictive of HOMA-IR, and changes of osteocalcin were not associated to
      markers of glucose control. In osteoporotic otherwise healthy postmenopausal
      women, denosumab was not associated with relevant modification of insulin
      resistance and lipid profile.

PMID- 26498170
TI  - Why develop antidotes and reversal agents for non-vitamin K oral  anticoagulants?
AB  - Over the past several years, non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been
      introduced into clinical practice for the treatment of venous thromboembolism and
      prevention of stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Clinical
      trials have shown these agents to have similar or less risk of major bleeding as
      compared to warfarin therapy. Moreover, when patients do experience a major
      bleeding event administration of advanced factor products is rare, and post-bleed
      outcomes are similar in those receiving a NOAC compared to those receiving
      warfarin. However, there are situations where urgent reversal of NOAC
      anticoagulation would be desirable. The following review focuses on the outcomes
      and management strategies for patients experiencing a major bleed with warfarin
      or NOAC agents and describes the rationale for the development of therapies
      capable of targeted NOAC-reversal.

PMID- 26498171
TI  - Design and evaluation of gamma-sterilized vancomycin hydrochloride-loaded poly(E
      caprolactone) microspheres for the treatment of biofilm-based medical device
      related osteomyelitis.
AB  - CONTEXT: There is a great necessity to find and use accomplished terminal
      sterilization technique for industrial manufacturing, research and development
      studies. Gamma (gamma)-sterilization has been commonly employed for wide range of
      products as indicated by the pharmacopoeias. However, carefully examination
      should be performed prior to administration since gamma-radiation can cause
      changes in drug and polymer excipients. No information is available in literature
      about gamma-sterilization effects on vancomycin HCl-loaded poly (E-caprolactone)
      (PCL) microspheres. OBJECTIVE: Formulations were developed using a different
      preparation approach for the treatment of medical device-related osteomyelitis,
      and gamma-sterilization effects on the physicochemical characterization of the
      formulations were examined. METHODS: Water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) emulsion
      technique using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in inner and outer phase was applied to
      prepare formulations. Physicochemical properties of the formulations were
      investigated before and after gamma-sterilization and the antibacterial activity
      against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (S.
      epidermidis) were measured. RESULTS: The particle size of the nonsterilized
      formulations were between 58 and 134 MUm. 60% or 20% of vancomycin HCl were
      released from 42.500 Mn or 70.000-90.000 Mn PCL microspheres, respectively, in 24
      h. No difference was observed in the particle size, drug-loading efficiency,
      morphology, in vitro release and antimicrobial activity of the formulations after
      gamma-sterilization (p > 0.05).

PMID- 26498172
TI  - Identification of novel alleles of the rice blast resistance gene Pi54.
AB  - Rice blast is one of the most devastating rice diseases and continuous resistance
      breeding is required to control the disease. The rice blast resistance gene Pi54
      initially identified in an Indian cultivar confers broad-spectrum resistance in
      India. We explored the allelic diversity of the Pi54 gene among 885 Indian rice
      genotypes that were found resistant in our screening against field mixture of
      naturally existing M. oryzae strains as well as against five unique strains.
      These genotypes are also annotated as rice blast resistant in the International
      Rice Genebank database. Sequence-based allele mining was used to amplify and
      clone the Pi54 allelic variants. Nine new alleles of Pi54 were identified based
      on the nucleotide sequence comparison to the Pi54 reference sequence as well as
      to already known Pi54 alleles. DNA sequence analysis of the newly identified Pi54
      alleles revealed several single polymorphic sites, three double deletions and an
      eight base pair deletion. A SNP-rich region was found between a tyrosine kinase
      phosphorylation site and the nucleotide binding site (NBS) domain. Together, the
      newly identified Pi54 alleles expand the allelic series and are candidates for
      rice blast resistance breeding programs. 

PMID- 26498173
TI  - Predictive Validity of a Cigarette Purchase Task in a Randomized Controlled Trial
      of Contingent Vouchers for Smoking in Individuals With Substance Use Disorders.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A cigarette purchase task (CPT) is a behavioral economic measure of
      the reinforcing value of smoking in monetary terms (ie, cigarette demand). This
      study investigated whether cigarette demand predicted response to contingent
      monetary rewards for abstinence among individuals with substance use disorders.
      It also sought to replicate evidence for greater price sensitivity at whole
      dollar pack price transitions (ie, left-digit effects). METHODS: Participants (N
      = 338) were individuals in residential substance use disorder treatment who
      participated in a randomized controlled trial that compared contingent vouchers
      to noncontingent vouchers for smoking abstinence. Baseline demand indices were
      used to predict number of abstinent days during the 14-day voucher period (after
      the reduction lead-in) and at 1 and 3 months afterward. RESULTS: Demand indices
      correlated with measures of smoking and nicotine dependence. As measured by
      elasticity, intensity and O max, higher demand significantly predicted fewer
      abstinent exhaled carbon monoxide readings during voucher period for individuals
      in the noncontingent vouchers condition. Breakpoint exhibited a trend-level
      association with abstinent exhaled carbon monoxide readings. Demand indices did
      not predict abstinence in the contingent vouchers group, and did not predict
      abstinence at 1- and 3-month follow-ups. Left-digit price transitions were
      associated with significantly greater reductions in consumption. CONCLUSIONS: The
      association of cigarette demand with smoking behavior only in the group for whom
      abstinence was not incentivized indicates that CPT assesses the value of smoking
      more than the value of money per se and that vouchers counteract the effects of
      the intrinsic reinforcing value of cigarettes. Results provide initial short-term
      evidence of predictive validity for the CPT indices. IMPLICATIONS: This study
      provides the first evidence of the validity of the CPT for predicting early
      response to brief advice for smoking cessation plus nicotine replacement in
      smokers with substance dependence. However, demand for cigarettes did not predict
      voucher-based treatment response, indicating that incentives serve as a powerful
      motivator not to smoke that acts in opposition to the intrinsic reinforcing value
      of cigarettes and that the indices reflect the value of smoking more than the
      value of money per se.

PMID- 26498174
TI  - Atypical Case of a Painful Presacral Tumor.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retention of surgical items after a surgical procedure is not only a
      medical error, but can also lead to various unexpected complications and
      additional surgery procedures even years after the initial operation. CASE
      REPORT: A 59-year old woman was referred to our hospital with intermittent pain
      in the lesser pelvis for about three months. She had undergone laparotomy for
      cholecystectomy 24 years ago and adnexectomy more than 30 years ago. CT-scan and
      MRI indicated a presacral tumor, most likely compatible with a presacral
      teratoma. A laparoscopic resection of the tumor was performed. Intraoperatively
      the tumor showed no clear capsule and could only be resected by fragments. The
      pathological report analyzed textile fibres, diagnosing a textiloma. The patient
      showed an uneventful postoperative follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Most likely, the
      textile fibres originated from a sponge, which was retained during adnexectomy 33
      years ago. There are numerous reports of retained surgical items discovered years
      after the initial operation. In literature, there are several reported cases of
      transmural migration of a sponge into the intestine, stomach and bladder. In our
      case, the sponge must have migrated to the deepest point of the retroperitoneum,
      which appears to be quite unusual, as no comparable case reports could be found.
      This case stresses the importance of the surgeon's awareness to particular
      appearances of a retained surgical sponge from a surgical procedure performed
      even decades ago. Additionally, this case report stresses the importance of
      meticulous analysis of individual patient medical history.

PMID- 26498176
TI  - Pressure-responsive mesoscopic structures in room temperature ionic liquids.
AB  - Among the most spectacular peculiarities of room temperature ionic liquids, their
      mesoscopically segregated structural organization keeps on attracting attention,
      due to its major consequences for the bulk macroscopic properties. Herein we use
      molecular dynamics simulations to explore the nm-scale architecture in 1-octyl-3
      methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, as a function of pressure. This study
      reveals an intriguing new feature: the mesoscopic segregation in ionic liquids is
      characterized by a high level of pressure-responsiveness, which progressively
      vanishes upon application of high enough pressure. These results are in agreement
      with recent X-ray scattering data and are interpreted in terms of the microscopic
      organization. This new feature might lead to new methods of developing designer
      solvents for enhanced solvation capabilities and selectivity. 

PMID- 26498175
TI  - Inhibition of osteolysis after local administration of osthole in a TCP particles
      induced osteolysis model.
AB  - PURPOSE: Wear debris-induced osteolysis and aseptic loosening are the most
      frequent late complications of total joint arthroplasty leading to revision of
      the prosthesis. However, no effective measures for the prevention and treatment
      of particles-induced osteolysis currently exist. Here, we investigated the
      efficacy of local administration of osthole on tricalcium phosphate (TCP)
      particles-induced osteolysis in a murine calvarial model. METHODS: TCP particles
      were implanted over the calvaria of ICR mice, and established TCP particles
      induced osteolysis model. On days one, four, seven, ten and thirteen post
      surgery, osthole (10 mg/kg) or phosphate buffer saline (PBS) were subcutaneously
      injected into the calvaria of TCP particles-implanted or sham-operated mice. Two
      weeks later, blood, the periosteum and the calvaria were collected and processed
      for bone turnover markers, pro-inflammatory cytokine, histomorphometric and
      molecular analysis. RESULTS: Osthole (10 mg/kg) markedly prevented TCP particles
      induced osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption in a mouse calvarial model.
      Osthole also inhibited the decrease of serum osteocalcin level and calvarial
      alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and prevented the increase in the activity
      of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and cathepsin K in the mouse
      calvaria. Furthermore, osthole obviously reduced the release of tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) into the periosteum. Western
      blotting demonstrated TCP particles caused a remarkable endoplasmic reticulum
      (ER) stress response in the mouse calvaria, which was obviously blocked by
      osthole treatment. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that local administration of
      osthole inhibits TCP particles-induced osteolysis in the mouse calvarial in vivo,
      which may be mediated by inhibition of the ER stress signaling pathway, and it
      will be developed as a new drug in the prevention and treatment of destructive
      diseases caused by prosthetic wear particles.

PMID- 26498177
TI  - Predicting the chance of live birth for women undergoing IVF: a novel
      pretreatment counselling tool.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Which pretreatment patient variables have an effect on live birth
      rates following assisted conception? SUMMARY ANSWER: The predictors in the final
      multivariate logistic regression model found to be significantly associated with
      reduced chances of IVF/ICSI success were increasing age (particularly above 36
      years), tubal factor infertility, unexplained infertility and Asian or Black
      ethnicity. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: The two most widely recognized prediction
      models for live birth following IVF were developed on data from 1991 to 2007; pre
      dating significant changes in clinical practice. These existing IVF outcome
      prediction models do not incorporate key pretreatment predictors, such as BMI,
      ethnicity and ovarian reserve, which are readily available now. STUDY DESIGN,
      SIZE, DURATION: In this cohort study a model to predict live birth was derived
      using data collected from 9915 women who underwent IVF/ICSI treatment at any CARE
      (Centres for Assisted Reproduction) clinic from 2008 to 2012. Model validation
      was performed on data collected from 2723 women who underwent treatment in 2013.
      The primary outcome for the model was live birth, which was defined as any birth
      event in which at least one baby was born alive and survived for more than 1
      month. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Data were collected from 12
      fertility clinics within the CARE consortium in the UK. Multivariable logistic
      regression was used to develop the model. Discriminatory ability was assessed
      using the area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve, and
      calibration was assessed using calibration-in-the-large and the calibration slope
      test. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: The predictors in the final model were
      female age, BMI, ethnicity, antral follicle count (AFC), previous live birth,
      previous miscarriage, cause and duration of infertility. Upon assessing
      predictive ability, the AUROC curve for the final model and validation cohort was
      (0.62; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61-0.63) and (0.62; 95% CI 0.60-0.64)
      respectively. Calibration-in-the-large showed a systematic over-estimation of the
      predicted probability of live birth (Intercept (95% CI) = -0.168 (-0.252 to 
      0.084), P < 0.001). However, the calibration slope test was not significant
      (slope (95% CI) = 1.129 (0.893-1.365), P = 0.28). Due to the calibration-in-the
      large test being significant we recalibrated the final model. The recalibrated
      model showed a much-improved calibration. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Our
      model is unable to account for factors such as smoking and alcohol that can
      affect IVF/ICSI outcome and is somewhat restricted to representing the ethnic
      distribution and outcomes for the UK population only. We were unable to account
      for socioeconomic status and it may be that by having 75% of the population
      paying privately for their treatment, the results cannot be generalized to people
      of all socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition, patients and clinicians should
      understand this model is designed for use before treatment begins and does not
      include variables that become available (oocyte, embryo and endometrial) as
      treatment progresses. Finally, this model is also limited to use prior to first
      cycle only. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: To our knowledge, this is the
      first study to present a novel, up-to-date model encompassing three readily
      available prognostic factors; female BMI, ovarian reserve and ethnicity, which
      have not previously been used in prediction models for IVF outcome. Following
      geographical validation, the model can be used to build a user-friendly interface
      to aid decision-making for couples and their clinicians. Thereafter, a
      feasibility study of its implementation could focus on patient acceptability and
      quality of decision-making. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST: None.

PMID- 26498178
TI  - Placental characteristics in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Are macroscopic and microscopic placental characteristics in a
      heterogeneous group of women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
      different from those of a low-risk general population? SUMMARY ANSWER: Women with
      PCOS have significantly different microscopic placental characteristics compared
      with control women, independently from pregnancy complications. WHAT IS KNOWN
      ALREADY: Non-obese women with PCOS who conceived spontaneously have a
      significantly reduced placental volume and weight, with more chronic villitis and
      intervillositis compared with healthy controls. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A
      subset of a large prospective cohort study of pregnant women with PCOS was used.
      Healthy (low-risk) women who delivered at term after an uncomplicated pregnancy
      were used as the reference population. The placentas of 73 women with PCOS were
      analysed and compared with 209 placentas of healthy women.
      PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Placentas were collected after delivery
      from women with PCOS who were followed from prior to conception until delivery.
      The placentas were macroscopically and microscopically analysed and compared with
      placentas of healthy women with either a spontaneous start of labour who
      delivered at term or who had an elective Caesarean section. MAIN RESULTS AND THE
      ROLE OF CHANCE: After adjusting for potential confounders, placentas from women
      with PCOS showed more chorioamnionitis (P < 0.001), funisitis (P = 0.019),
      villitis (P = 0.045), thrombosis (P = 0.018), infarction (P = 0.010), villous
      immaturity (P = 0.009) and nucleated fetal red blood cells (P < 0.001). In a
      subgroup analysis, among women with and without pregnancy complications within
      the PCOS group, only the occurrence of thrombosis was increased in pregnancies
      complicated by pregnancy-induced hypertension or pre-eclampsia (30%, versus 0% in
      gestational diabetes pregnancies and 13% in uncomplicated pregnancies; P =
      0.008). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: There might be a small proportion of
      women with PCOS in the reference group, since this group was not screened for
      PCOS. As a result, the observed difference may be an underestimation of the true
      difference. Placentas were stored for up to 72 h at 4 degrees C, this is common
      practice but some degenerative changes cannot be ruled out absolutely. Also,
      there is possibility that baseline differences between the groups may in part
      explain some of the differences in placental pathology. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE
      FINDINGS: Our findings suggest that, in general, women with PCOS can have
      placental alterations associated with an increased hypoxic state, which seems not
      to be caused by the increased incidence of pregnancy complications.

PMID- 26498179
TI  - Human endometrial epithelial telomerase is important for epithelial proliferation
      and glandular formation with potential implications in endometriosis.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: How does regulation of telomerase activity (TA) in human
      endometrial epithelial cells (EEC) by ovarian hormones impact on telomere lengths
      (TL) and cell proliferation? SUMMARY ANSWER: Healthy endometrial epithelial cell
      proliferation is characterized by high TA and endometrial TL changes according to
      the ovarian hormone cycle, with shortest TL observed in the progesterone dominant
      mid-secretory phase, when TA is lowest, implicating progesterone in the negative
      regulation of TA and TL. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Critical shortening of telomeres
      may result in permanent cell cycle arrest while the enzyme telomerase maintains
      telomere length (TL) and replicative capacity of cells. Telomerase expression and
      activity change in the human endometrium with the ovarian hormone cycle, however
      the effect of this on endometrial TL and cell growth is not known. STUDY DESIGN,
      SIZE, DURATION: A prospective observational study, which included endometrial and
      blood samples collected from 196 women. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS:
      We studied endometrial samples from five different groups of women. Endometrial
      and matched blood TL and circulating steroid hormones were studied in samples
      collected from 85 women (Group 1). Fresh epithelial and stromal cell isolation
      and culture in vitro for TL and TA was done on endometrial biopsies collected
      from a further 74 healthy women not on hormonal therapy (Group 2) and from 5
      women on medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) for contraception (Group 3). The
      epithelial TL and telomerase protein expression was examined in active,
      peritoneal, ectopic endometriotic and matched uterine (eutopic) endometrial
      samples collected from 10 women with endometriosis (Group 4); the in vivo effect
      of mifepristone on telomerase protein expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC)
      was examined in endometrium from 22 healthy women in mid-secretory phase before
      (n = 8), and after administering 200 mg mifepristone (n = 14) (Group 5). TA was
      measured by telomere repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay; TL by qPCR, and
      Q-FISH; cell proliferation was assessed by immunoblotting of histone H3 and 3D
      culture to assess the ability of EECs to form spheroids; telomerase reverse
      transcriptase protein levels and Ki-67 (proliferative index) were assessed with
      IHC. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Endometrial TLs correlated negatively
      with serum progesterone levels (n = 58, r = -0.54) and were significantly longer
      than corresponding blood TLs (4893 +/- 929 bp versus 3955 +/- 557 bp, P = 0.002)
      suggesting a tissue-specific regulation. High TA and short TLs were observed in
      proliferating EECs in vivo and in vitro. During the progesterone dominant mid
      secretory phase endometrial TL were significantly shorter compared with the
      proliferative phase (P = 0.0002). Progestagen treatment suppressed EEC TA in vivo
      and reduced endometrial TA in explant (P = 0.01) and in vitro cultures (P = 0.02)
      compared with untreated cells. Mifepristone (progesterone receptor antagonist)
      increased telomerase protein levels in vivo (P < 0.05). In 2D culture, Imetelstat
      inhibited EEC TA (P = 0.03), proliferation (P = 0.009) and in 3D culture
      disrupted endometrial glandular architecture (P = 0.03). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR
      CAUTION: The in vitro telomerase inhibition data were tested in a mono-cellular
      system for a short-term. Further confirmation of the results in an in vivo model
      is necessary. The women in group 2 included a high proportion of women although
      with a regular menstrual cycle, with an increased BMI (>25) therefore this may
      affect extrapolation of data to other groups. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS:
      The observed effects of telomerase inhibition in vitro on epithelial cell
      proliferation, suggest that telomerase might be an attractive target in
      developing new therapies for proliferative disorders of the endometrium, such as
      endometriosis.

PMID- 26498180
TI  - Zinc regulates a key transcriptional pathway for epileptogenesis via metal
      regulatory transcription factor 1.
AB  - Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common focal seizure disorder in adults.
      In many patients, transient brain insults, including status epilepticus (SE), are
      followed by a latent period of epileptogenesis, preceding the emergence of
      clinical seizures. In experimental animals, transcriptional upregulation of
      CaV3.2 T-type Ca(2+)-channels, resulting in an increased propensity for burst
      discharges of hippocampal neurons, is an important trigger for epileptogenesis.
      Here we provide evidence that the metal-regulatory transcription factor 1 (MTF1)
      mediates the increase of CaV3.2 mRNA and intrinsic excitability consequent to a
      rise in intracellular Zn(2+) that is associated with SE. Adeno-associated viral
      (rAAV) transfer of MTF1 into murine hippocampi leads to increased CaV3.2 mRNA.
      Conversely, rAAV-mediated expression of a dominant-negative MTF1 abolishes SE
      induced CaV3.2 mRNA upregulation and attenuates epileptogenesis. Finally, data
      from resected human hippocampi surgically treated for pharmacoresistant TLE
      support the Zn(2+)-MTF1-CaV3.2 cascade, thus providing new vistas for preventing
      and treating TLE. 

PMID- 26498182
TI  - Reliability, factor structure, and validity of the German version of the Trauma
      Symptom Checklist for Children in a sample of adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSC-C) is the most widely
      used self-report scale to assess trauma-related symptoms in children and
      adolescents on six clinical scales. The purpose of the present study was to
      develop a German version of the TSC-C and to investigate its psychometric
      properties, such as factor structure, reliability, and validity, in a sample of
      German adolescents. METHOD: A normative sample of N=583 and a clinical sample of
      N=41 adolescents with a history of physical or sexual abuse aged between 13 and
      21 years participated in the study. RESULTS: The Confirmatory Factor Analysis on
      the six-factor model (anger, anxiety, depression, dissociation, posttraumatic
      stress, and sexual concerns with the subdimensions preoccupation and distress)
      revealed acceptable to good fit statistics in the normative sample. One item had
      to be excluded from the German version of the TSC-C because the factor loading
      was too low. All clinical scales presented acceptable to good reliability, with
      Cronbach's alpha's ranging from .80 to .86 in the normative sample and from .72
      to .87 in the clinical sample. Concurrent validity was also demonstrated by the
      high correlations between the TSC-C scales and instruments measuring similar
      psychopathology. TSC-C scores reliably differentiated between adolescents with
      trauma history and those without trauma history, indicating discriminative
      validity. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the German version of the TSC-C is a
      reliable and valid instrument for assessing trauma-related symptoms on six
      different scales in adolescents aged between 13 and 21 years.

PMID- 26498183
TI  - Adipose differentiation-related protein is not involved in hypoxia inducible
      factor-1-induced lipid accumulation under hypoxia.
AB  - Increasing evidence has showed that hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF1) has an
      important role in hypoxia-induced lipid accumulation, a common feature of solid
      tumors; however, its role remains to be fully elucidated. Adipose differentiation
      related protein (ADRP), a structural protein of lipid droplets, is found to be
      upregulated under hypoxic conditions. In the present study, an MCF7 breast cancer
      cell line was used to study the role of ADRP in hypoxia-induced lipid
      accumulation. It was demonstrated that hypoxia induced the gene expression of
      ADRP in a HIF1-dependent manner. Increases in the mRNA and protein levels of ADRP
      was accompanied by increased HIF1A activity. In addition, a significant decrease
      in the mRNA and protein levels of ADRP were detected in presence of siRNA
      targeting HIF1A. Using a dual-luciferase reporting experiment and chromatin
      immunoprecipitation assay, the present study demonstrated that ADRP is a direct
      target gene of HIF1, and identified a functional hypoxia response element
      localized 33 bp upstream of the transcriptional start site of the ADRP gene.
      Furthermore, the present study demonstrated the role of ADRP in low density
      liporotein (LDL) and very-LDL uptake-induced lipid accumulation under hypoxia.
      The knockdown of ADRP did not reduce HIF1-induced lipid accumulation under
      hypoxia. Together, these results showed that ADRP may be not involved in HIF1
      induced lipid accumulation. 

PMID- 26498181
TI  - Emerging role of CCN family proteins in tumorigenesis and cancer metastasis
      (Review).
AB  - The CCN family of proteins comprises the members CCN1, CCN2, CCN3, CCN4, CCN5 and
      CCN6. They share four evolutionarily conserved functional domains, and usually
      interact with various cytokines to elicit different biological functions
      including cell proliferation, adhesion, invasion, migration, embryonic
      development, angiogenesis, wound healing, fibrosis and inflammation through a
      variety of signalling pathways. In the past two decades, emerging functions for
      the CCN proteins (CCNs) have been identified in various types of cancer.
      Perturbed expression of CCNs has been observed in a variety of malignancies. The
      aberrant expression of certain CCNs is associated with disease progression and
      poor prognosis. Insight into the detailed mechanisms involved in CCN-mediated
      regulation may be useful in understanding their roles and functions in
      tumorigenesis and cancer metastasis. In this review, we briefly introduced the
      functions of CCNs, especially in cancer. 

PMID- 26498184
TI  - The challenges of managing coexistent disorders with phenylketonuria: 30 cases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The few published case reports of co-existent disease with
      phenylketonuria (PKU) are mainly genetic and familial conditions from
      consanguineous marriages. The clinical and demographic features of 30 subjects
      with PKU and co-existent conditions were described in this multi-centre,
      retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Diagnostic age of PKU and co-existent
      condition, treatment regimen, and impact of co-existent condition on blood
      phenylalanine (Phe) control and PKU management were reported. RESULTS: 30
      patients (11 males and 19 females), with PKU and a co-existent condition, current
      median age of 14 years (range 0.4 to 40 years) from 13 treatment centres from
      Europe and Turkey were described. There were 21 co-existent conditions with PKU;
      9 were autoimmune; 6 gastrointestinal, 3 chromosomal abnormalities, and 3
      inherited conditions. There were only 5 cases of parental consanguinity. Some
      patients required conflicting diet therapy (n=5), nutritional support (n=7) and 5
      children had feeding problems. There was delayed diagnosis of co-existent
      conditions (n=3); delayed treatment of PKU (n=1) and amenorrhea associated with
      Grave's disease that masked a PKU pregnancy for 12 weeks. Co-existent conditions
      adversely affected blood Phe control in 47% (n=14) of patients. Some co-existent
      conditions increased the complexity of disease management and increased
      management burden for patients and caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: Occurrence of co
      existent disease is not uncommon in patients with PKU and so investigation for co
      existent disorders when the clinical history is not completely consistent with
      PKU is essential. Integrating care of a second condition with PKU management is
      challenging.

PMID- 26498185
TI  - Comparison of subjective symptoms associated with exposure to low levels of
      formaldehyde between students enrolled and not enrolled in a gross anatomy
      course.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate students' subjective symptoms associated
      with exposure to low levels of formaldehyde (FA) during a gross anatomy course
      and to survey how the risk of subjective symptoms was affected by exposure to FA.
      METHODS: We conducted three questionnaire surveys of 125 students enrolled in an
      anatomy course (FA exposure group) and 124 students not enrolled in the course
      (FA nonexposure group) before, during, and 6 months after the course. The
      questionnaire included questions inquiring about subjective symptoms, sex, age,
      and allergies. We analyzed differences in the prevalence of subjective symptoms
      in distinct survey periods. Furthermore, we analyzed the relationship between the
      subjective symptoms and exposure to FA after adjusting for allergy, sex, and age
      using multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of some of
      the ocular, nasal, and nonspecific symptoms in the FA exposure group was low
      before the course, increased during the course and decreased 6 months after the
      course. A significant positive relationship was observed between exposure to FA
      and some symptoms after adjusting for allergy, sex, and age. CONCLUSIONS: We
      identified some concrete symptoms associated with exposure to FA. We suggest that
      the exposure to low levels of FA influences students' subjective symptoms.

PMID- 26498186
TI  - Individualized medicine and demographic change as determining workload factors in
      pathology: quo vadis?
AB  - The advent of individualized medicine with novel guidelines, extended quality
      assessment as well as intensified conventional, immunohistochemical, and
      molecular characterization of diseases has led to a substantial increase of
      pathologists' workload. Furthermore, in industrialized countries, we are facing
      the challenges of demographic change with an aging population. This raises the
      question of how pathology will be affected by these developments in the future.
      We extracted German population data and data on the number of board-certified
      physicians and pathologists from official sources. These data were reviewed in
      the light of data on caseload, case complexity, auxiliary diagnostic procedures,
      and matching patient data from a large German pathology department serving as a
      sector independent regional service provider. The refinement of diagnostic
      procedures over the last decade has resulted in a 60 % increase in slide numbers
      per case, doubling of immunohistochemistry procedures, and more than tripling of
      molecular analyses. Correlation of this development to demographics suggests that
      an aging population will further increase the caseload and case complexity in the
      coming decades since patient age is tightly linked to both parameters. This
      development is currently not accompanied by a sufficient increase in the number
      of pathologists. Our data point toward an imbalance between the increase in
      pathology workload and the number of pathologists. Extrapolations suggest a
      further aggravation of this development in the future. Thus, healthcare systems
      need to address this problem urgently in order to cope with these challenges.

PMID- 26498188
TI  - Obituary: Derek Horton (1933-2015).

PMID- 26498187
TI  - Fluviicoccus keumensis gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from freshwater.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, non-spore-forming and coccus-shaped bacterial strain,
      designated 4DR5T, was isolated from freshwater and its taxonomic position was
      investigated using a polyphasic approach. Growth occurred at 10-40  degrees C
      (optimum 30  degrees C), at pH 6-9 (optimum pH 7) and in the presence of 0-0.4 %
      (w/v) NaCl (optimum 0 %) on R2A agar. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence
      similarity, strain 4DR5T was assigned to the family Moraxellaceae of the class
      Gammaproteobacteria, and its closest related taxa were species of the genera
      Perlucidibaca (93.67 % sequence similarity), Agitococcus (93.07 %),
      Paraperlucidibaca (92.31-92.38 %), Alkanindiges (91.79 %) and Acinetobacter
      (90.24-91.23 %). The predominant isoprenoid quinone detected in strain 4DR5T was
      Q-10. The major cellular fatty acids were a summed feature consisting of C16 :
      1omega7c and/or C16 : 1omega6c, one consisting of C18 : 1omega7c and/or C18 :
      1omega6c, and C16 : 0. The major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. The
      genomic DNA G+C content of the strain was 61.2 mol%. The phylogenetic,
      chemotaxonomic and biochemical data not only supported the affiliation of strain
      4DR5T to the family Moraxellaceae, but also separated it from other established
      genera within the family. Therefore, the novel isolate evidently represents a
      novel species of a new genus of Moraxellaceae, for which the name Fluviicoccus
      keumensis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Fluviicoccus
      keumensis is 4DR5T ( = KCTC 32475T = JCM 19370T). 

PMID- 26498189
TI  - Single-molecule studies of the dynamics and interactions of bacterial OXPHOS
      complexes.
AB  - Although significant insight has been gained into biochemical, genetic and
      structural features of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) at the single-enzyme
      level, relatively little was known of how the component complexes function
      together in time and space until recently. Several pioneering single-molecule
      studies have emerged over the last decade in particular, which have illuminated
      our knowledge of OXPHOS, most especially on model bacterial systems. Here, we
      discuss these recent findings of bacterial OXPHOS, many of which generate time
      resolved information of the OXPHOS machinery with the native physiological
      context intact. These new investigations are transforming our knowledge not only
      of the molecular arrangement of OXPHOS components in live bacteria, but also of
      the way components dynamically interact with each other in a functional state.
      These new discoveries have important implications towards putative supercomplex
      formation in bacterial OXPHOS in particular. This article is part of a Special
      Issue entitled Organization and dynamics of bioenergetic systems in bacteria,
      edited by Conrad Mullineaux. 

PMID- 26498190
TI  - Photosynthetic, respiratory and extracellular electron transport pathways in
      cyanobacteria.
AB  - Cyanobacteria have evolved elaborate electron transport pathways to carry out
      photosynthesis and respiration, and to dissipate excess energy in order to limit
      cellular damage. Our understanding of the complexity of these systems and their
      role in allowing cyanobacteria to cope with varying environmental conditions is
      rapidly improving, but many questions remain. We summarize current knowledge of
      cyanobacterial electron transport pathways, including the possible roles of
      alternative pathways in photoprotection. We describe extracellular electron
      transport, which is as yet poorly understood. Biological photovoltaic devices,
      which measure electron output from cells, and which have been proposed as
      possible means of renewable energy generation, may be valuable tools in
      understanding cyanobacterial electron transfer pathways, and enhanced
      understanding of electron transfer may allow improvements in the efficiency of
      power output. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Organization and
      dynamics of bioenergetic systems in bacteria, edited by Conrad Mullineaux. 

PMID- 26498191
TI  - Fast, cheap and out of control--Insights into thermodynamic and informatic
      constraints on natural protein sequences from de novo protein design.
AB  - The accumulated results of thirty years of rational and computational de novo
      protein design have taught us important lessons about the stability, information
      content, and evolution of natural proteins. First, de novo protein design has
      complicated the assertion that biological function is equivalent to biological
      structure - demonstrating the capacity to abstract active sites from natural
      contexts and paste them into non-native topologies without loss of function. The
      structure-function relationship has thus been revealed to be either a generality
      or strictly true only in a local sense. Second, the simplification to "maquette"
      topologies carried out by rational protein design also has demonstrated that even
      sophisticated functions such as conformational switching, cooperative ligand
      binding, and light-activated electron transfer can be achieved with low
      information design approaches. This is because for simple topologies the
      functional footprint in sequence space is enormous and easily exceeds the number
      of structures which could have possibly existed in the history of life on Earth.
      Finally, the pervasiveness of extraordinary stability in designed proteins
      challenges accepted models for the "marginal stability" of natural proteins,
      suggesting that there must be a selection pressure against highly stable
      proteins. This can be explained using recent theories which relate non
      equilibrium thermodynamics and self-replication. This article is part of a
      Special Issue entitled Biodesign for Bioenergetics--The design and engineering of
      electronc transfer cofactors, proteins and protein networks, edited by Ronald L.
      Koder and J.L. Ross Anderson.

PMID- 26498192
TI  - The circadian system as an organizer of metabolism.
AB  - The regulation of metabolism by circadian systems is believed to be a key reason
      for the extensive representation of circadian rhythms within the tree of life.
      Despite this, surprisingly little work has focused on the link between metabolism
      and the clock in Neurospora, a key model system in circadian research. The
      analysis that has been performed has focused on the unidirectional control from
      the clock to metabolism and largely ignored the feedback from metabolism on the
      clock. Recent efforts to understand these links have broken new ground, revealing
      bidirectional control from the clock to metabolism and vise-versa, showing just
      how strongly interconnected these two cellular systems can be in fungi. This
      review describes both well understood and emerging links between the clock and
      metabolic output of fungi as well as the role that metabolism plays in
      influencing the rhythm set by the clock. 

PMID- 26498193
TI  - Quantitative relationship between the mRNA secondary structure of translational
      initiation region and the expression level of heterologous protein in Escherichia
      coli.
AB  - Translational efficiency in Escherichia coli is strongly influenced by mRNA
      secondary structure of translational initiation region (TIR). We have previously
      reported that the expression of heterologous protein is directly related to the
      minimal folding free energy (DeltaG) of the local secondary structure. However,
      identifying biologically relevant maximum and minimum levels of expression, or
      exploring the optimal level between them, is a key to successful optimization of
      heterologous protein expression. To systematically search a large range of the
      DeltaG of TIR, we now present a quantitative analysis of the relationship between
      expression level and these DeltaGs. The DeltaG of TIR in green fluorescent
      protein is found to be linearly correlated with the fluorescence intensity over a
      range of tenfold change. The result demonstrates that the increasing DeltaG of
      TIR can enhance the expression level linearly with no threshold or plateau.

PMID- 26498195
TI  - Development of compositional and contextual communicable congruence in robots by
      using dynamic neural network models.
AB  - The current study presents neurorobotics experiments on acquisition of skills for
      "communicable congruence" with human via learning. A dynamic neural network model
      which is characterized by its multiple timescale dynamics property was utilized
      as a neuromorphic model for controlling a humanoid robot. In the experimental
      task, the humanoid robot was trained to generate specific sequential movement
      patterns as responding to various sequences of imperative gesture patterns
      demonstrated by the human subjects by following predefined compositional semantic
      rules. The experimental results showed that (1) the adopted MTRNN can achieve
      generalization by learning in the lower feature perception level by using a
      limited set of tutoring patterns, (2) the MTRNN can learn to extract
      compositional semantic rules with generalization in its higher level
      characterized by slow timescale dynamics, (3) the MTRNN can develop another type
      of cognitive capability for controlling the internal contextual processes as
      situated to on-going task sequences without being provided with cues for
      explicitly indicating task segmentation points. The analysis on the dynamic
      property developed in the MTRNN via learning indicated that the aforementioned
      cognitive mechanisms were achieved by self-organization of adequate functional
      hierarchy by utilizing the constraint of the multiple timescale property and the
      topological connectivity imposed on the network configuration. These results of
      the current research could contribute to developments of socially intelligent
      robots endowed with cognitive communicative competency similar to that of human. 

PMID- 26498194
TI  - Perceived discrimination and cancer screening behaviors in US  Hispanics: the
      Hispanic Community Health Study/Study  of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Perceived discrimination has been associated with lower adherence to
      cancer screening guidelines. We examined whether perceived discrimination was
      associated with adherence to breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancer
      screening guidelines in US Hispanic/Latino adults. METHODS: Data were obtained
      from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary
      Study, including 5,313 Hispanic adults aged 18-74 from Bronx, NY, Chicago, IL,
      Miami, FL, and San Diego, CA, and those who were within appropriate age ranges
      for specific screening tests were included in the analysis. Cancer screening
      behaviors were assessed via self-report. Perceived discrimination was measured
      using the Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire. Confounder-adjusted
      multivariable polytomous logistic regression models assessed the association
      between perceived discrimination and adherence to cancer screening guidelines.
      RESULTS: Among women eligible for screening, 72.1 % were adherent to cervical
      cancer screening guidelines and 71.3 %were adherent to breast cancer screening
      guidelines. In participants aged 50-74, 24.6 % of women and 27.0 % of men were
      adherent to fecal occult blood test guidelines; 43.5 % of women and 34.8 % of men
      were adherent to colonoscopy/sigmoidoscopy guidelines; 41.0 % of men were
      adherent to prostate-specific antigen screening guidelines. Health insurance
      coverage, rather than perceived ethnic discrimination,was the variable most
      associated with receiving breast, cervical,colorectal, or prostate cancer
      screening. CONCLUSIONS: The influence of discrimination as a barrier to cancer
      screening may be modest among Hispanics/Latinos in urban US regions. Having
      health insurance facilitates cancer screening in this population. Efforts to
      increase cancer screening in Hispanics/Latinos should focus on increasing access
      to these services, especially among the uninsured.

PMID- 26498196
TI  - Evaluation of the Mineral Concentration in Beef from Polish Native Cattle.
AB  - The aim of the study was to determine the content of macrominerals and
      microminerals in the longissimus lumborum (LL) and semitendinosus (ST) muscles of
      young bulls of five breeds-Polish Red (PR), White-Backed (WB), Polish Black-and
      White (PBW), Simmental (SIM) and Polish Holstein-Friesian (PHF). The meat of the
      Polish Holstein-Friesian bulls was found to contain significantly less K, Mg and
      Ca and more Mn than other breeds. The meat of the White-Backed bulls contained
      significantly (P < 0.01) more Ca and less Na than the meat of the Polish Red,
      Simmental and Polish Holstein-Friesian breeds. Moreover, the meat of White-Backed
      bulls showed a significantly (P < 0.01) higher level of Mn and Cu in comparison
      with other native breeds (Polish Red and Polish Black-and-White) and the
      Simmental breed. Similar content of macronutrients was found in the LL and ST
      muscles. However, in the case of micronutrients, the LL muscle contained
      significantly more Zn, Fe and Cu as well as Mn (P > 0.05). 

PMID- 26498197
TI  - Effects of different cooking methods of oatmeal on preventing the diet-induced
      increase of cholesterol level in hypercholesterolemic rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of present study is to investigate the influences of brewing
      and boiling on hypocholesterolemic effect of oatmeal in rats fed with a
      hypercholesterolemic diet. METHODS: Fifty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were
      divided into 5 groups of 8 rats each with similar mean body weights and serum
      cholesterol concentrations. Rats were fed with the experimental diets containing
      10% of oatmeal from two Chinese oat varieties which were brewed or boiled for 30
      days. The lipids levels in serum, liver, and faeces were determined. RESULTS: The
      effects of feeding boiled oatmeal on lowering lipid concentrations in plasma and
      liver were more significant than that of brewed oatmeal (P < 0.05). Feeding
      boiled oatmeal was also more efficient in increasing fecal total lipids,
      cholesterol and bile acids as compared to feeding brewed oatmeal (P < 0.05).
      Boiled oatmeal had higher apparent viscosity and soluble beta-glucan content than
      the brewed oatmeal did (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These results indicated that the
      capability of boiled oatmeal in improving cholesterol metabolism is better than
      that of brewed oatmeal, which is mainly attributed to its higher soluble beta
      glucan content and apparent viscosity.

PMID- 26498198
TI  - Impact of stent length on clinical outcomes of first-generation and new
      generation drug-eluting stents.
AB  - The aim of this study is to compare first- and new-generation drug-eluting stents
      (DESs) which are implanted in long lesion. Stent length is known to be a
      predictor of adverse events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), even
      with the first-generation DESs. The introduction of new-generation DESs has
      reduced the rates of adverse clinical events. However, the impact of stent length
      on long-term clinical outcomes is not well known. A total of 1181 consecutive
      patients who underwent PCI using either a first-generation DES (n = 885) or a new
      generation DES (n = 296) between 2004 and 2011 were investigated. In each of the
      stent groups, the patients were divided into two groups by stent length (>32 and
      <=32 mm) and compared. During the follow-up period, the incidence of major
      adverse cardiac events (MACEs) was significantly higher for patients with long
      stents implanted than with short stents (P < 0.01; log-rank test) in the first
      generation DES group. However, there was no difference in the incidence of MACEs
      between the long- and short-stent groups in the new-generation DES group (P =
      0.24; log-rank test). On multivariate Cox regression analysis, stent length was
      not associated with adverse events in the new-generation DES groups [hazard ratio
      (HR) 0.87; 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) 0.71-1.04; P = 0.14]. Implanted
      stent length was significantly associated with a higher risk of MACEs in patients
      who received first-generation DESs, but not in patients who received the new
      generation DESs. 

PMID- 26498199
TI  - Ratio-controlled synthesis of CuNi octahedra and nanocubes with enhanced
      catalytic activity.
AB  - Non-noble bimetallic nanocrystals (NCs) have been widely explored due to not only
      their low cost and abundant content in the Earth's crust but also their
      outstanding performance in catalytic reactions. However, controllable synthesis
      of non-noble alloys remains a significant challenge. Here we report a facile
      synthesis of CuNi octahedra and nanocubes with controllable shapes and tunable
      compositions. Its success relies on the use of borane morpholine as a reducing
      agent, which upon decomposition generates a burst of H2 molecules to induce rapid
      formation of the nuclei. Specifically, octahedra switched to nanocubes with an
      increased amount of borane morpholine. In addition, the ratio of CuNi NCs could
      be facilely tuned by changing the molar ratio of both precursors. The obtained
      CuNi NCs exhibited high activity in aldehyde-alkyne-amine coupling reactions, and
      their performance is strongly facet- and composition-dependent due to the
      competition of the surface energy (enhanced by increasing the percent of Ni) and
      active sites (derived from Cu atoms). 

PMID- 26498200
TI  - Anomalous adsorption of biomolecules on a Zn-based metal-organic framework
      obtained via a facile room-temperature route.
AB  - Herein, we report a new method for the crystal growth of two Zn-based MOFs at
      room temperature (known MOF-5 and a new modification of
      [{Zn2(TBAPy)(H2O)2}.3.5DEF]n (1)) by employing slow diffusion conditions.
      Employing both Zn-based MOFs with different pore morphology made it possible to
      discover an anomalous adsorption of L-histidine in of up to 24.3 * 10(15)
      molecules cm(-2) at 25  degrees C. This is one of the first reports aimed not
      only at describing a new method for the targeted formation of crystalline MOFs
      and coordination polymers, but also at demonstrating the use of Zn-based MOFs as
      potential drug delivery materials, with highly effective adsorption of l
      histidine given herein as an example.

PMID- 26498202
TI  - Expression dynamics of bovine MX genes in the endometrium and placenta during
      early to mid pregnancy.
AB  - MX belongs to a family of type I interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes, and the MX
      protein has antiviral activity. MX has at least two isoforms, known as MX1 and
      MX2, in mammals. Moreover, bovine MX1 has been found to have alternative splice
      variants-namely, MX1-a and MX1B. In ruminants, IFN-tau-a type I IFN-is
      temporarily produced from the conceptus before implantation and induces MX
      expression in the endometrium. However, the expression dynamics of MX after
      implantation are not clear. In the present study, we investigated the expression
      of MX1-a, MX1B and MX2 in the endometrium and placenta before and after
      implantation along with the expression of IFN-alpha, type I receptors (IFNAR1 and
      IFNAR2) and interferon regulatory factors (IRF3 and IRF9). Pregnant uterine
      samples were divided into five groups according to pregnancy days 14-18, 25-40,
      50-70, 80-100, and 130-150. Tissue samples were collected from the
      intercaruncular endometrium (IC), caruncular endometrium (C) and fetal placenta
      (P). Although all the MX expressions were significantly higher in the IC and C at
      days 14-18, presumably caused by embryo-secreted IFN-tau stimulation, their
      expressions were also detectable in the IC, C and P after implantation.
      Furthermore, IFN-alpha expression was significantly higher in the IC. RT-PCR
      indicated IFNAR1, IFNAR2, IRF3 and IRF9 mRNA in all the tissues during pregnancy.
      These results suggest that all the MX genes are affected by the type I IFN
      pathway during pregnancy and are involved in an immune response to protect the
      mother and fetus. 

PMID- 26498203
TI  - Expression and localization of epidermal growth factor, transforming growth
      factor-alpha and epidermal growth factor receptor in the canine testis.
AB  - Gene expression of epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor
      alpha (TGF-alpha) and EGF receptor (EGF-R) and the localization of the
      corresponding proteins in the canine testis were studied. Levels of mRNA
      expressions were determined by semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase
      chain reaction in the testes of the peripubertal (4-6 months), young adult (3-4
      years), advanced adult (7-8 years) and senescent (11-16 years) groups. The EGF-R
      mRNA level in the testes of the peripubertal group was significantly higher than
      those in the other groups, whereas there was no difference in EGF and TGF-alpha
      mRNA levels among groups. Immunohistochemical stainings for EGF, TGF-alpha and
      EGF-R in the testis revealed that immunoreactivity in the seminiferous epithelium
      and Sertoli cell was weak and nonspecific for the stage of spermatogenesis, and
      distinct staining was found in Leydig cells. These results suggest that the EGF
      family of growth factors may be involved in testicular maturation and function in
      the dog. 

PMID- 26498204
TI  - Cell proliferation potency is independent of FGF4 signaling in trophoblast stem
      cells derived from androgenetic embryos.
AB  - We previously established trophoblast stem cells from mouse androgenetic embryos
      (AGTS cells). In this study, to further characterize AGTS cells, we compared cell
      proliferation activity between trophoblast stem (TS) cells and AGTS cells under
      fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4) signaling. TS cells continued to proliferate
      and maintained mitotic cell division in the presence of FGF4. After FGF4
      deprivation, the cell proliferation stopped, the rate of M-phase cells decreased,
      and trophoblast giant cells formed. In contrast, some of AGTS cells continued to
      proliferate, and the rate of M-phase cells did not decrease after FGF4
      deprivation, although the other cells differentiated into giant cells. RO3306, an
      ATP competitor that selectively inhibits CDK1, inhibited the cell proliferation
      of both TS and AGTS cells. Under RO3306 treatment, cell death was induced in AGTS
      cells but not in TS cells. These results indicate that RO3306 caused TS cells to
      shift mitotic cell division to endoreduplication but that some of AGTS cells did
      not shift to endoreduplication and induced cell death. In conclusion, the
      paternal genome facilitated the proliferation of trophoblast cells without FGF4
      signaling. 

PMID- 26498206
TI  - Evaluation of the impact of cantharidin on rat CYP enzymes by using a cocktail of
      probe drugs.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the influence of cantharidin on the
      activities of the drug-metabolizing enzymes CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and
      CYP3A4 in rats. The activities of CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 were
      measured using specific probe drugs. After pretreatment for 1week with
      cantharidin or physiological saline (control group) by intraperitoneal injection,
      probe drugs phenacetin (5.0mg/kg; CYP1A2 activity), tolbutamide (1.0mg/kg; CYP2C9
      activity), omeprazole (10mg/kg; CYP2C19 activity), metoprolol (20mg/kg; CYP2D6
      activity) and midazolam (10mg/kg; CYP3A4 activity) were administered to rats by
      oral administration. The blood was then collected at different times for ultra
      performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) analysis.
      The data showed that cantharidin exhibits an inhibitory effect on CYP2D6 and
      CYP3A4 by increasing t1/2, Cmax and AUC(0-infinity), and decreasing CL/F compared
      with those of the control group. In addition, cantharidin has induction effect on
      CYP2C9 activity. However, no significant changes in CYP1A2 and CYP2C19 activities
      were observed. In conclusion, the results indicated that cantharidin could
      inhibit CYP2D6 and CYP3A4, while induce CYP2C9, which may affect the disposition
      of medicines primarily dependent on these pathways. Our work may be the basis of
      related herb-drug interactions in the clinic.

PMID- 26498205
TI  - Decreased serum concentrations of sphingosine-1-phosphate in sepsis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a signaling lipid that regulates
      pathophysiological processes involved in sepsis progression, including
      endothelial permeability, cytokine release, and vascular tone. The aim of this
      study was to investigate whether serum-S1P concentrations are associated with
      disease severity in patients with sepsis. METHODS: This single-center prospective
      observational study includes 100 patients with systemic inflammatory response
      syndrome (SIRS) plus infection (n = 40), severe sepsis (n = 30), or septic shock
      (n = 30) and 214 healthy blood donors as controls. Serum-S1P was measured by mass
      spectrometry. Blood parameters, including C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin
      (PCT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), lactate, and white blood cells (WBCs), were
      determined by routine assays. The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA)
      score was generated and used to evaluate disease severity. RESULTS: Serum-S1P
      concentrations were lower in patients than in controls (P < 0.01), and the
      greatest difference was between the control and the septic shock groups (P <
      0.01). Serum-S1P levels were inversely correlated with disease severity as
      determined by the SOFA score (P < 0.01) as well as with IL-6, PCT, CRP,
      creatinine, lactate, and fluid balance. A receiver operating characteristic
      analysis for the presence or absence of septic shock revealed equally high
      sensitivity and specificity for S1P compared with the SOFA score. In a
      multivariate logistic regression model calculated for prediction of septic shock,
      S1P emerged as the strongest predictor (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with
      sepsis, serum-S1P levels are dramatically decreased and are inversely associated
      with disease severity. Since S1P is a potent regulator of endothelial integrity,
      low S1P levels may contribute to capillary leakage, impaired tissue perfusion,
      and organ failure in sepsis.

PMID- 26498207
TI  - Test-enhanced learning: analysis of an experience with undergraduate nursing
      students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study is based on the evidence that tests can be used as an
      educational tool to enhance learning, not just as an evaluation tool. There is a
      growing body of research that shows that participating in repeated testing
      improves learning, a phenomenon defined as Test-Enhanced Learning. The aim of the
      present study was to analyse the effect of the use of a test enhanced learning
      program integrated into a general psychology course for undergraduate nursing
      students and its interaction with the students' test anxiety. METHODS: 161
      undergraduate nursing students attending a General Psychology course followed an
      educational program based on Test-Enhanced Learning methodology. Students were
      divided into two groups, an experimental group (TEL group) and a control group
      (Re-study group). TEL students took a multiple-choice test on the lecture topics.
      The Re-study group just read study material. Testing and re-study occurred at
      intervals of about a week after each lesson. TEL students received feedback
      immediately after each test. About two weeks after the end of the lessons, all
      the students took a final cumulative test on all the topics. Statistical analysis
      was used to analyse students' performances. After the administration of the
      cumulative unit test, all the students took a graded examination. RESULTS:
      Students in the TEL group performed better than the controls, both in the final
      cumulative test and in a graded examination. TEL participants experienced better
      final cumulative test results than students not tested (M TEL = 23.11, M Re-study
      = 20.47, t(109.86) = -2.57, p < 0.05, r = 0.24). Test-Enhanced Learning program
      participation has a positive impact on exam performance (betaG_Step1 = 0.46, p <
      0.001). Finally, the analysis performed shows a slight moderating effect of test
      anxiety on Test-Enhanced Learning (betaGxTA_Step3 = 0.15, p < 0.05). DISCUSSION
      AND CONCLUSIONS: Test-Enhanced Learning can be an effective tool for promoting
      and enhancing learning. In fact, taking tests after studying produced better long
      term retention and then better final test performance than re-reading without
      testing. Both students in the TEL group and the Re-study group with a high test
      anxiety level perform less well than colleagues with lower test anxiety.
      Nevertheless, students with higher test anxiety may obtain more benefits from
      participating in a Test-Enhanced Learning process than people with lower test
      anxiety. Further studies on larger and more representative samples are necessary
      in order to investigate the effect of test anxiety on Test-Enhanced Learning.

PMID- 26498208
TI  - Microsatellite instability detected in tumor-related genes in C57BL/6J mice with
      thymic lymphoma induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea.
AB  - Microsatellite instability (MSI) has been observed within tumors and found to be
      closely associated with the degree of malignancy and prognosis in tumors.
      However, whether MSI in tumor-related genes can be induced by a chemical and
      whether a connection exists between MSI and tumors remain unclear. In the present
      study, we detected MSI in the tissues of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) treated
      mice by targeting to 5, 29, 30 microsatellite loci in 3 mismatch repair (MMR)
      genes, 1 DNA repair gene, and 5 tumor suppressor (TS) genes, respectively. Among
      26 mice survived in the MNU-group, 18 (69%) mice presented thymic lymphomas.
      Moreover, 61% (11/18) of the tumors metastasized to the other organs, including
      the liver, spleen, and kidney. We examined 104 tissues from MNU-treated mice
      using the 64 loci, and found 8 MSI events involved 4 loci in 4 tissues types. The
      MSI incidence in MMR, DNA repair, and TS genes was 67% (2/3), 0% (0/1) and 40%
      (2/5), respectively. MSI occurrence in tumor and non-tumor tissues was 5.6%
      (1/18) and 0% (0/8) and that in metastasis and non-metastasis tissues was 7.1%
      (1/14) and 9.4% (6/64), showing no significant difference. MSI loci in intronic
      regions of Atm, Msh6 and p21 and MSI in the 3'UTR of Pms2 were detected in MNU
      treated mice. Specifically, we found a loss of heterozygosity in intron of Atm
      (ATM-8) in one metastasis mouse. Four similar events occurred in p21 gene intron
      (P21-1) of another non-metastasis mouse. Another MSI was a heterozygous mutation
      existed in an Msh6 allele (MSH6-2) in metastasis mouse. We also found a
      homozygous 2-bp insertion in the 3'UTR of Pms2 in two non-metastasis mice. These
      results imply that MNU can induce MSI in MMR and TS genes in C57BL/6J mice. MSI
      frequency does not seem to be associated with tumorigenesis or metastasis. 

PMID- 26498209
TI  - Prognostic significance of Epstein-Barr virus infection in gastric cancer: a meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prognostic significance of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in
      gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear. Recently, a number of studies have
      investigated the association between EBV infection and the prognosis of GC with
      controversial results. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to assess its
      prognostic significance. METHODS: PubMed and EMBASE were searched for studies up
      to October 1, 2014. We investigated the association between EBV infection with
      survival in patients with GC. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) and its 95% confidence
      interval (CI) were calculated to evaluate risk. RESULTS: A final analysis of
      8,336 patients with GC from 24 studies was performed. Our analysis results
      indicated that the pooled HR was 0.67 (95% CI: 0.55-0.79; Z = 11.18, P < 0.001).
      Subgroup analyses stratified by region revealed that the protective role of EBV
      infection only remained in the Asian population (HR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.48-0.75; P <
      0.001). When stratified by study quality and statistical methodology, the
      protective role could also be identified in high quality studies (HR: 0.67, 95%
      CI: 0.55-0.79) and in univariate analysis studies (HR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.50-0.74).
      There was no evidence of significant heterogeneity and publication bias.
      CONCLUSIONS: The presence of EBV has a favorable impact on GC patient's survival,
      especially in an Asian population. Future updated studies, especially large-scale
      randomized controlled studies stratified by region, are warranted as validation
      studies.

PMID- 26498210
TI  - Chemical inhibition of DNA repair kinases as a promising tool in oncology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: DNA repair pathways play a major role in tumour resistance towards
      chemo- and radiotherapy. Therefore, inhibitors of specific DNA repair pathways
      might be advantageous when used in combination with DNA-damaging agents, such as
      ionizing radiation. This review put particular emphasis on the key DNA repair
      enzymes: DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK), ataxia-telangiectasia mutated
      kinase (ATM) and ATM-Rad3-related kinase (ATR) and their specific inhibitors in
      the context of radio-sensitization. RESULTS: We reviewed recent studies on novel
      and potent inhibitors and found evidence that inhibitors of DNA repair pathways
      such as small molecule inhibitors could be efficient and selective in tumour
      cells. Interpretation of recent literature results accompanied with implications
      for practice and further research are presented. CONCLUSIONS: The prospects of
      targeting DNA repair enzymes to treat cancer are optimistic, but future work will
      show if this approach has a significant in vivo efficacy, since we are still
      waiting for the inhibitor which would pass all phases in clinical trials. In
      spite of the fact that a number of drugs possess interesting synergy of
      radiotherapy in vitro, the future use will depend on developing compounds with
      improved solubility and the serum half-life. Normal tissue toxicity leading to a
      significant increase of radiotherapy efficiency remains a key question that might
      be answered only by clinical trials.

PMID- 26498211
TI  - Acute pancreatitis as the first manifestation of duodenal MALT lymphoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Possibly any tumor that can cause mechanical obstruction of the
      distal bile duct can induce acute pancreatitis. However, acute pancreatitis as
      the first clinical manifestation of duodenal lymphoma is extremely rare.
      OBJECTIVE: To report the case of a patient with acute pancreatitis as an
      extremely rare first manifestation of duodenal MALT lymphoma and possible
      association with erythema nodosum. METHODS: Case report of a 66-year-old woman
      who was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis caused by infiltration with duodenal
      lymphoma. RESULTS: Acute pancreatitis was confirmed by CT imaging. Detailed
      investigation revealed a duodenal mass causing pancreatic injury. Histological
      analysis established the diagnosis of MALT lymphoma. The patient's medical
      history also included erythema nodosum. Complete remission of the malignancy was
      achieved with chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: This is the first published case report
      of acute pancreatitis caused by the growth of duodenal MALT lymphoma. An
      association with erythema nodosum is possible.

PMID- 26498212
TI  - Refractory cardiogenic shock due to extensive anterior STEMI with covered left
      ventricular free wall rupture treated with awake VA-ECMO and LVAD as a double
      bridge to heart transplantation - collaboration of three cardiac centres.
AB  - AIM: To highlight an optimal collaborative strategy of three different levels of
      specialized care cardiac centres. BACKGROUND: Refractory cardiogenic shock is a
      life-threatening condition. A myocardial recovery is not achieved in many cases
      despite all efforts and subsequently the heart transplantation remains an
      ultimate option. Thereby, the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
      followed by a ventricular assist device in staged bridging provides an attractive
      approach. CASE REPORT: We report on an optimal cooperation of PCI (percutaneous
      coronary intervention) centre with ELSO (extracorporeal life support
      organization) centre and transplant centre in a patient suffering from refractory
      cardiogenic shock due to acute myocardial infarction (RCSMI) complicated by left
      ventricle free wall rupture with pericardial tamponade. CONCLUSION: The
      interhospital collaboration can be essential in the context of patients with
      RCSMI. The use of ECMO enables safe interhospital transport and gains time for
      further diagnostic and therapeutic steps in such critically ill patients.

PMID- 26498213
TI  - Gastrointestinal comorbidities in patients with psoriasis in the Czech Republic:
      The results of 189 patients with psoriasis and 378 controls.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of the study was to investigate gastrointestinal comorbidities,
      identify risk factors and detect the early stages of autoimmune gastrointestinal
      diseases, such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and coeliac disease in
      patients with psoriasis. METHODS: This was a hospital-based case-control study.
      Patients with chronic plaque psoriasis were included as cases. The control group
      consisted of patients with other skin diseases and who complied with the same
      selection criteria as cases. Two controls were selected per one case. We analysed
      the following antibodies (ASCA, AEP, p-ANCA, AGC, EMA, ARA, tTG, AGA) and non
      specific signs of gastrointestinal diseases. RESULTS: There were significant
      differences between cases and controls in several parameters. Leucocyte count,
      CRP, total protein, transglutaminase IgA antibodies and p-ANCA were statistically
      significant between groups (P < 0.05). In the binary logistic model, leucocyte
      count and p-ANCA (for all parameters included in the logistic model P <= 0.001)
      were associated with psoriasis. CONCLUSION: Patients with psoriasis should be
      regularly screened for coeliac and inflammatory bowel disease. Early diagnosis of
      gastrointestinal diseases and risk factors may prevent complications and greatly
      improve the patient's quality of life.

PMID- 26498214
TI  - Absence of Borrelia burgdorferi in the myocardium of subjects with normal left
      ventricular systolic function: a study using PCR and electron microscopy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies have demonstrated the presence of the Borrelia
      burgdorferi (Bb) genome in the myocardium of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy
      (DCM). To further support a causal relationship between the presence of Bb in the
      heart muscle and the development of DCM, demonstration of the absence of Bb in
      the myocardium of subjects with normal left ventricular (LV) systolic function is
      needed. AIM: To determine the prevalence of Bb by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
      and electron microscopy (EM) in individuals with normal LV systolic function and
      no history suggestive of myocarditis. METHODS: We investigated 50 patients (67 +/
      9 years, 15 women) with normal LV ejection fraction (EF) >= 50% undergoing
      cardiac surgery. During surgery, four samples from the right atrial appendage
      were obtained and subsequently examined by PCR and EM for the presence of Bb, and
      by immunohistochemistry to detect inflammatory cells. Serological testing of
      antibodies against Bb was also performed. RESULTS: Neither PCR nor EM detected Bb
      in any of the subjects. Immunohistological examination revealed myocardial
      inflammation in 2 individuals (4%). Serological analysis by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay demonstrated IgM antibodies against Bb in 4% and IgG
      antibodies in 12% of the study cohort; Western blot revealed IgM as well as IgG
      positivity in 14% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of Bb in the myocardium
      of individuals who undergo cardiac surgery and have normal LV systolic function
      supports the idea of Bb pathogenicity in the development of DCM.

PMID- 26498215
TI  - Ten-year survival and prognostic markers in one thousand patients with advanced
      heart failure. A single-centre analysis.
AB  - AIM: Patients with advanced heart failure (HF) represent a pool of candidates for
      heart transplantation and long-term mechanical circulatory support devices. The
      aim of our study was to determine simple and reliable markers of one-year
      mortality for selection of the most suitable patients for heart replacement
      therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS: One thousand consecutive patients with HF (mean age
      49 +/- 10.9 years; 86.8% males) referred to a single tertiary centre from January
      1998 to January 2010 in order to assess the indication for heart transplantation
      were enrolled. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed. Independent
      mortality predictors were established using logistic regression analysis. The
      mean follow-up was 4.3 +/- 2.7 years (range 1-12 years). Cumulative survival was
      as follows: 1-year survival 83%, 3-year 63%, 5-year 50%, 7-year 39%, and 10-year
      23%. Independent predictors of 1-year mortality included coronary artery disease,
      left ventricular diastolic diameter >79 mm, plasma sodium <135 mmol/L, the need
      for intravenous treatment at hospital admission (diuretics and/or inotropes), and
      furosemide dose at discharge >240 mg/day. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term prognosis of HF
      patient can be estimated based on simple parameters. Patients with signs of poor
      prognosis should be referred to tertiary centres to be considered for heart
      replacement therapy.

PMID- 26498216
TI  - Optic nerve head segmentation using fundus images and optical coherence
      tomography images for glaucoma detection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glaucoma is a common causes of blindness. The associated elevation in
      intra ocular pressure leads to progressive degeneration of the optic nerve and
      resultant structural changes with functional failure of the visual field. Since,
      glaucoma is asymptomatic in the early stages and the associated vision loss is
      irreparable, its early detection and timely medical treatment is essential to
      prevent further visual damage. OBJECTIVE: This paper presents a novel method for
      glaucoma detection using digital fundus image and optical coherence tomography
      (OCT) image. METHOD: The first section focuses on the features such as cup to
      disc ratio (CDR) and the inferior superior nasal temporal (ISNT) ratio which were
      obtained from fundus images.The above features were used for classifying the
      normal and glaucoma condition using back propagation neural network (BPN) and
      Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers. In the second part of the article,
      features such as CDR and two novel features, cup depth and retinal thickness were
      obtained from the OCT image. These features were evaluated by the BPN and SVM
      classifier. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The combined features from fundus and OCT
      images were analyzed. The system proposed here is able to classify glaucoma
      automatically. The accuracy of BPN and SVM Classifiers was 90.76% and 96.92%
      respectively.

PMID- 26498218
TI  - High fat diet-induced inflammation and oxidative stress are attenuated by N
      acetylneuraminic acid in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Serum sialic acid levels are positively correlated with coronary
      artery disease and inflammation. Although sialic acid is a non-specific marker,
      it is considered sensitive likely due to its influence in sialylation of
      glycoprotein structures all over the body. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that
      dietary supplementation with N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), a type of sialic
      acid, will have profound effects on high fat diet- (HFD-) induced inflammation
      and oxidative stress in view of the widespread incorporation of sialic acid into
      glycoprotein structures in the body. METHODS: HFD-fed rats with or without
      simvastatin or Neu5Ac (50 and 400 mg/kg/day) were followed up for 12 weeks. Lipid
      profiles, and markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and
      tumor necrosis factor alpha), insulin resistance (serum insulin and adiponectin,
      oral glucose tolerance test and homeostatic model of insulin resistance) and
      oxidative stress (total antioxidant status and thiobarbituric acid reactive
      species) in the serum and liver were determined, while mRNA levels of hepatic
      antioxidant and inflammation genes were also quantified. Serum levels of alanine
      transaminase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, urea, creatinine and
      uric acid were also assessed. RESULTS: HFD feeding caused hyperlipidemia and
      insulin resistance, and worsened liver and kidney functions. HFD feeding also
      potentiated inflammation and oxidative stress, partly through modulation of
      hepatic gene expression, while Neu5Ac especially at higher doses and simvastatin
      attenuated HFD-induced changes, although Neu5Ac showed better outcomes.
      CONCLUSIONS: Based on the present results, we surmised that Neu5Ac can prevent
      HFD-induced inflammation and oxidative stress, and may in fact be useful in the
      prevention of hyperlipidemia-associated inflammation and oxidative stress.
      However, the translational implications of these findings can only be determined
      after long-term effects are established. Hence, the use of Neu5Ac on obesity
      related diseases requires additional attention.

PMID- 26498219
TI  - Improving the Transition from Pediatric to Adult Diabetes Healthcare: A
      Literature Review.
AB  - Effective transition to adult care is a significant component of an emerging
      adult's diabetes care. Poor transition places them at risk for disengagement with
      the health care system and for poor diabetes-related outcomes. The purpose of
      this paper was to review the literature to date on existing methods of transition
      care delivery for emerging adults with diabetes. We conducted a literature review
      using MEDLINE via OvidSP and searching the grey literature. Papers published in
      English between January 1, 2000 and March 25, 2015 that evaluated transition care
      programs for emerging adults with diabetes were included. 16 original studies, 1
      study protocol and 1 technical brief describing transition programs were
      reviewed. Common components of care included transition care coordination, young
      adult clinics, transition preparation, familiarity with adult health care
      providers and support groups. Overall, when emerging adults are supported during
      the transition period, clinic attendance and glycemic control can be maintained
      or improved, and diabetes-related complications reduced. Despite widespread
      support in the literature for the need for structured transition care delivery,
      methodologically strong research evaluating transition care services remains
      limited. The literature to date encompasses a variety of care models that lack
      consistency in outcome measurements as well as lacking frameworks describing the
      interventions, which impedes comparison across studies. Further research, using a
      consistent framework for transition care program design, delivery and evaluation
      as well as reporting of outcomes, is needed to inform how best to deliver
      transition care services to this vulnerable population. 

PMID- 26498217
TI  - Ibuprofen ameliorates fatigue- and depressive-like behavior in tumor-bearing
      mice.
AB  - AIMS: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is often accompanied by depressed mood, both
      of which reduce functional status and quality of life. Research suggests that
      increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines is associated with skeletal
      muscle wasting and depressive- and fatigue-like behaviors in rodents and cancer
      patients. We have previously shown that treatment with ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal
      anti-inflammatory drug, preserved muscle mass in tumor-bearing mice. Therefore,
      the purpose of the present study was to determine the behavioral effects of
      ibuprofen in a mouse model of CRF. MAIN METHODS: Mice were injected with colon-26
      adenocarcinoma cells and treated with ibuprofen (10mg/kg) in the drinking water.
      Depressive-like behavior was determined using the forced swim test (FST). Fatigue
      like behaviors were determined using voluntary wheel running activity (VWRA) and
      grip strength. The hippocampus, gastrocnemius muscle, and serum were collected
      for cytokine analysis. KEY FINDINGS: Tumor-bearing mice showed depressive-like
      behavior in the FST, which was not observed in mice treated with ibuprofen. VWRA
      and grip strength declined in tumor-bearing mice, and ibuprofen attenuated this
      decline. Tumor-bearing mice had decreased gastrocnemius muscle mass and increased
      expression of IL-6, MAFBx and MuRF mRNA, biomarkers of protein degradation, in
      the muscle. Expression of IL-1beta and IL-6 was also increased in the
      hippocampus. Treatment with ibuprofen improved muscle mass and reduced cytokine
      expression in both the muscle and hippocampus of tumor-bearing mice.
      SIGNIFICANCE: Ibuprofen treatment reduced skeletal muscle wasting, inflammation
      in the brain, and fatigue- and depressive-like behavior in tumor-bearing mice.
      Therefore, ibuprofen warrants evaluation as an adjuvant treatment for CRF.

PMID- 26498220
TI  - Innovating in the Delivery of Diabetes Care.

PMID- 26498222
TI  - Oral direct factor Xa inhibitor versus enoxaparin for thromboprophylaxis after
      hip or knee arthroplasty: Systemic review, traditional meta-analysis, dose
      response meta-analysis and network meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To analyze the efficacy and safety of direct factor Xa inhibitors for
      thromboprophylaxis after total hip or knee replacement. To delineate the dose
      response effect of direct factor Xa inhibitors. To compare the efficacy between
      any two direct factor Xa inhibitors. DESIGN: Systemic review, traditional meta
      analysis, dose-response meta-analysis and network meta-analysis. DATA SOURCE:
      PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled
      trials of rivaroxaban, apixaban, betrixaban, darexaban and edoxaban were compared
      with enoxaparin for thromboprophylaxis after total hip or knee replacement. Two
      reviewers independently checked the quality of RCTs. Another two investigators
      independently extracted data. The primary efficacy outcomes (composite of deep
      venous thrombosis, non-fatal pulmonary embolism and death of all causes) and the
      primary bleeding outcomes (major bleeding and non-major but clinically relevant
      bleeding) were summarized for meta-analysis. Stata software was used for
      traditional meta-analysis and dose-response meta-analysis, and Winbugs software
      was used for network meta-analysis. RESULTS: Twenty trials with 38,507 subjects
      in the intention-to-treat population were included. Compared with enoxaparin, the
      risk of total venous thromboembolism was lower with rivaroxaban (relative risk
      0.70, 95% confidence interval 0.60 to 0.81), apixaban (0.62, 0.47 to 0.81), and
      edoxaban (0.62, 0.39 to 0.97) and similar to darexaban (0.96, 0.84 to 1.11) and
      betrixaban (1.28, 0.97 to 1.68). Compared with enoxaparin, the risk of major or
      clinically relevant non-major bleeding was higher with rivaroxaban (1.52, 1.14 to
      2.02), lower with betrixaban (0.34, 0.14 to 0.84) and similar to apixaban (0.88,
      0.73 to 1.05), darexaban (0.85, 0.66 to 1.09) or edoxaban (1.30, 0.72 to 2.33).
      The risk of major and clinically relevant non-major bleeding of rivaroxaban had a
      linear relationship with its treatment doses; the risk of total venous
      thromboembolism of betrixaban and darexaban had linear relationships with their
      respective treatment doses. There was no linear nor non-liner relationships
      between the effect of apixaban and its treatment dose. The ranking of total
      venous thromboembolism risk from low to high was: rivaroxaban, apixaban,
      edoxaban, enoxaparin, darexaban, and betrixaban. The ranking of major and
      clinically relevant non-major bleeding from low to high was: betrixaban,
      enoxaparin, darexaban, edoxaban, apixaban, and rivaroxaban. CONCLUSIONS: Direct
      oral factor Xa inhibitors are more effective to prevent venous thromboembolism
      after total hip or knee replacement. Their anticoagulant effect was not
      necessarily compromised with a higher bleeding risk. Rivaroxaban, apixaban and
      edoxaban showed a better anticoagulant effect, as compared with enoxaparin.
      Rivaroxaban had a higher bleeding rate, while apixaban and edoxaban did not show
      significantly higher bleeding risks.

PMID- 26498221
TI  - Effectiveness of motivational interviewing in patients with dyslipidemia: a
      randomized cluster trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is known that making people change their habits is challenging. It
      is crucial to identify the most effective approach that general practitioners
      (GPs) should use to help their patients change unhealthy habits. The objective
      this study was to assess the efficacy of a multifactorial intervention based on
      Motivational Interviewing performed by general practitioners to enhance lipid
      levels in patients with dyslipidemia, as compared to standard care. METHODS: A
      multicenter, controlled, randomized, cluster, two-parallel arm trial with a 12
      month follow-up conducted in 25 community health centers of the Spanish. 38 GPs
      and 227 primary care patients with uncontrolled dyslipidemia were included in the
      trial. GPs performed an intervention based either on Motivational Interviewing
      (MI) or standard practice. Lipid levels were measured, and the control degree was
      analyzed based on the criteria of clinical guidelines. RESULTS: 107 were assigned
      to the Experimental Group (EG) and 120 to the Control Group (CG). An overall
      improvement was achieved in total cholesterol levels (Mean Difference -MD- = 
      19.60; 95 % CI: -15.33 at -23.87 mg/dl; p < 0.001), LDL-cholesterol levels (MD = 
      13.78; 95 % CI: -9.77 at -17.79 mg/dl; p < 0.001) and triglycerides (MD = -19.14;
      CI 95 %: -11.29 at -26.99 mg/dl; p < 0.001). No differences were found between
      the two groups. However, when we assessed the degree of lipid control by
      combining cholesterol <200 mg/dl and LDL-cholesterol < 130 mg/dl parameters, it
      was observed that a higher percentage of patients achieved target figures in the
      EG versus CG (13.1 % vs. 5.0 %; adjusted OR = 5.77, 95 % CI: 1.67-19.91).
      CONCLUSION: A Motivational Interviewing-based approach conducted by Primary Care
      physicians aimed at patients with dyslipidemia, achieved a significant reduction
      in all lipid parameters, cardiovascular risk, weight reduction and the adherence
      to the Mediterranean diet, similar to that obtained with the usual intervention
      and superior in the proportion of patients achieving combined lipid control goals
      and the level of physical exercise. TRIAL REGISTRATION: the trial is registered
      in ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT01282190 ; January 21, 2011).

PMID- 26498223
TI  - Causal inference in multi-state models-sickness absence and work for 1145
      participants after work rehabilitation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multi-state models, as an extension of traditional models in survival
      analysis, have proved to be a flexible framework for analysing the transitions
      between various states of sickness absence and work over time. In this paper we
      study a cohort of work rehabilitation participants and analyse their subsequent
      sickness absence using Norwegian registry data on sickness benefits. Our aim is
      to study how detailed individual covariate information from questionnaires
      explain differences in sickness absence and work, and to use methods from causal
      inference to assess the effect of interventions to reduce sickness absence.
      Examples of the latter are to evaluate the use of partial versus full time sick
      leave and to estimate the effect of a cooperation agreement on a more inclusive
      working life. METHODS: Covariate adjusted transition intensities are estimated
      using Cox proportional hazards and Aalen additive hazards models, while the
      effect of interventions are assessed using methods of inverse probability
      weighting and G-computation. RESULTS: Results from covariate adjusted analyses
      show great differences in sickness absence and work for patients with assumed
      high risk and low risk covariate characteristics, for example based on age, type
      of work, income, health score and type of diagnosis. Causal analyses show small
      effects of partial versus full time sick leave and a positive effect of having a
      cooperation agreement, with about 5 percent points higher probability of
      returning to work. CONCLUSIONS: Detailed covariate information is important for
      explaining transitions between different states of sickness absence and work,
      also for patient specific cohorts. Methods for causal inference can provide the
      needed tools for going from covariate specific estimates to population average
      effects in multi-state models, and identify causal parameters with a
      straightforward interpretation based on interventions.

PMID- 26498224
TI  - Construction of human single-chain variable fragment antibodies of medullary
      thyroid carcinoma and single photon emission computed tomography/computed
      tomography imaging in tumor-bearing nude mice.
AB  - Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare tumor of the endocrine system with
      poor prognosis as it exhibits high resistance against conventional therapy.
      Recent studies have shown that monoclonal antibodies labeled with radionuclide
      have become important agents for diagnosing tumors. To elucidate whether single
      chain fragment of variable (scFv) antibody labeled with 131I isotope is a
      potential imaging agent for diagnosing MTC. A human scFv antibody library of MTC
      using phage display technique was constructed with a capacity of 3x10(5). The
      library was panned with thyroid epithelial cell lines and MTC cell lines (TT).
      Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to
      identify the biological characteristics of the panned scFv. Methyl thiazolyl
      tetrazolium (MTT) assay was also used to explore the optimal concentration of the
      TT cell proliferation inhibition rate. They were categorized into TT, SW480 and
      control groups using phosphate-buffered saline. Western blotting showed that
      molecular weight of scFv was 28 kDa, cell ELISA showed that the absorbance of TT
      cell group was significantly increased (P=0.000??) vs. the other three groups,
      and MTT assay showed that the inhibition rate between the two cell lines was
      statistically significantly different (P<0.05) when the concentration of scFv was
      0.1, 1 and 10 umol/l. The tumor uptake of 131I-scFv was visible at 12 h and clear
      image was obtained at 48 h using the single photon emission computed tomography.
      scFv rapidly and specifically target MTC cells, suggesting the potential of this
      antibody as an imaging agent for diagnosing MTC.

PMID- 26498225
TI  - Cell recognition based on topological sparse coding for microscopy imaging of
      focused ultrasound treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ultrasound is considered a reliable, widely available, non-invasive,
      and inexpensive imaging technique for assessing and detecting the development
      phases of cancer; both in vivo and ex vivo, and for understanding the effects on
      cell cycle and viability after ultrasound treatment. METHODS: Based on the
      topological continuity characteristics, and that adjacent points or areas
      represent similar features, we propose a topological penalized convex objective
      function of sparse coding, to recognize similar cell phases. RESULTS: This method
      introduces new features using a deep learning method of sparse coding with
      topological continuity characteristics. Large-scale comparison tests demonstrate
      that the RAW can outperform SIFT GIST and HoG as the input features with this
      method, achieving higher sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, and accuracy.
      CONCLUSIONS: Experimental results show that the proposed topological sparse
      coding technique is valid and effective for extracting new features, and the
      proposed system was effective for cell recognition of microscopy images of theMDA
      MB-231 cell line. This method allows features from sparse coding learning methods
      to have topological continuity characteristics, and the RAW features are more
      applicable for the deep learning of the topological sparse coding method than
      SIFT GIST and HoG.

PMID- 26498226
TI  - Global hotspots in the present-day distribution of ancient animal and plant
      lineages.
AB  - The current distribution of biotic lineages that emerged in the deep time has
      both theoretical and practical implications, in particular for understanding the
      processes that have forged present-day biodiversity and informing local and
      regional-scale conservation efforts. To date however, there has been no
      examination of such patterns globally across taxa and geological time. Here we
      map the diversity of selected extant seed plant and tetrapod vertebrate lineages
      that were already in existence either in the latest Triassic or latest
      Cretaceous. For Triassic-age lineages, we find concentrations in several regions 
      both tropical and temperate - parts of North America, Europe, East and South
      east Asia, northern South America, and New Zealand. With Cretaceous-age lineages,
      high values are relatively uniformly distributed across the tropics, with peak
      the values along the Andes, in South-east Asia and Queensland, but also in the
      temperate Cape Mountains. These patterns result from a combination of factors,
      including land area, geographic isolation, climate stability and mass extinction
      survival ability. While the need to protect many of these lineages has been long
      recognised, a spatially-explicit approach is critical for understanding and
      maintaining the factors responsible for their persistence, and this will need to
      be taken forward across finer scales.

PMID- 26498227
TI  - Oxytocin enhances orienting to social information in a selective group of high
      functioning male adults with autism spectrum disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study investigated the effects of nasally administered oxytocin on
      neurophysiological orienting to empathy-evoking pictures in normally intelligent
      male adults with and without an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It further
      investigated whether these effects might be moderated by the individual's
      approach and avoidance tendencies. METHODS: All subjects participated in a
      randomised double-blind placebo controlled crossover trial where either oxytocin
      (OXT) or placebo was administered preceding the viewing of affective pictures.The
      pictures, selected from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS),
      represented a systematic variation of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral scenes
      with and without humans. Both cardiac (ECR) and cortical (LPP) evoked orienting
      responses were measured and both were enhanced for the pictures with humans, in
      particular for the unpleasant ones. RESULTS: No significant group differences
      were found, nor were there any treatment effects. Moderator analysis, however,
      demonstrated that OXT did enhance orienting to affective pictures with humansin
      male adults with ASD who are easily distressed when seeing others in stressful
      situations and in healthy males who are highly sensitive to anticipated
      punishment and criticism or have a low drive for goal achievement. CONCLUSION:
      Individual differences in stress-related avoidance tendencies should be taken
      into account when considering OXT as a treatment of social deficiencies in
      autism.

PMID- 26498228
TI  - Sleep patterns of co-sleeping and solitary sleeping infants and mothers: a
      longitudinal study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Controversies exist regarding the impact of co-sleeping on infant
      sleep quality. In this context, the current study examined: (a) the differences
      in objective and subjective sleep patterns between co-sleeping (mostly room
      sharing) and solitary sleeping mother-infant dyads; (b) the predictive links
      between maternal sleep during pregnancy and postnatal sleeping arrangement; (c)
      the bi-directional prospective associations between sleeping arrangement and
      infant/maternal sleep quality at three and six months postpartum. METHODS: The
      sample included 153 families recruited during pregnancy. Data were obtained in
      home settings during the third trimester of pregnancy and at three and six months
      postpartum. Mothers were asked to monitor their own sleep and their infants'
      sleep for five nights using actigraphy and sleep diaries. Questionnaires were
      used to assess sleeping arrangements, feeding methods, socio-demographic
      characteristics, and maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms. RESULTS: Mothers
      of co-sleeping infants reported more infant night-wakings than mothers of
      solitary sleeping infants. However, none of the objective sleep measures was
      significantly different between co-sleeping and solitary sleeping infants, after
      controlling for feeding techniques. Co-sleeping mothers had significantly more
      objective and subjective sleep disturbances than mothers in the solitary sleeping
      group. Moreover, poorer maternal sleep during pregnancy and at three months
      postpartum predicted higher levels of co-sleeping at six months. CONCLUSION:
      Mothers of co-sleeping infants report more infant night-wakings, and experience
      poorer sleep than mothers of solitary sleeping infants. The quality of maternal
      sleep should be taken into clinical consideration when parents consult about co
      sleeping.

PMID- 26498229
TI  - The effect of sleep deprivation on pain perception in healthy subjects: a meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is strong evidence indicating an interaction between sleep and
      pain. However, the size of this effect, as well as the clinical relevance, is
      unclear. Therefore, this meta-analysis was conducted to quantify the effect of
      sleep deprivation on pain perception. METHODS: A systematic literature search was
      conducted using the electronic databases PubMed, Cochrane, Psyndex, Psycinfo, and
      Scopus. By conducting a random-effect model, the pooled standardized mean
      differences (SMDs) of sleep deprivation on pain perception was calculated.
      Studies that investigated any kind of sleep deprivation in conjunction with a
      pain measurement were included. In cases of several pain measurements within a
      study, the average effect size of all measures was calculated. RESULTS: Five
      eligible studies (N = 190) for the between-group analysis and ten studies (N =
      266) for the within-group analysis were identified. Sleep deprivation showed a
      medium effect in the between-group analysis (SMD = 0.62; CI95: 0.12, 1.12; z =
      2.43; p = 0.015) and a large effect in the within-group analysis (SMD = 1.49;
      CI95: 0.82, 2.17; z = 4.35; p <0.0001). The test for heterogeneity was not
      significant in the between-group analysis (Q = 5.29; df = 4; p = 0.2584), but it
      was significant in the within-group analysis (Q = 53.49; df = 9; p <0.0001).
      CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis confirms a medium effect (SMD = 0.62) of sleep
      deprivation on pain perception. As this meta-analysis is based on experimental
      studies in healthy subjects, the clinical relevance should be clarified.

PMID- 26498230
TI  - Bad sleep? Don't blame the moon! A population-based study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate if there is a significant
      effect of lunar phases on subjective and objective sleep variables in the general
      population. METHODS: A total of 2125 individuals (51.2% women, age 58.8 +/- 11.2
      years) participating in a population-based cohort study underwent a complete
      polysomnography (PSG) at home. Subjective sleep quality was evaluated by a self
      rating scale. Sleep electroencephalography (EEG) spectral analysis was performed
      in 759 participants without significant sleep disorders. Salivary cortisol levels
      were assessed at awakening, 30 min after awakening, at 11 am, and at 8 pm. Lunar
      phases were grouped into full moon (FM), waxing/waning moon (WM), and new moon
      (NM). RESULTS: Overall, there was no significant difference between lunar phases
      with regard to subjective sleep quality. We found only a nonsignificant (p =
      0.08) trend toward a better sleep quality during the NM phase. Objective sleep
      duration was not different between phases (FM: 398 +/- 3 min, WM: 402 +/- 3 min,
      NM: 403 +/- 3 min; p = 0.31). No difference was found with regard to other PSG
      derived parameters, EEG spectral analysis, or in diurnal cortisol levels. When
      considering only subjects with apnea/hypopnea index of <15/h and periodic leg
      movements index of <15/h, we found a trend toward shorter total sleep time during
      FM (FM: 402 +/- 4, WM: 407 +/- 4, NM: 415 +/- 4 min; p = 0.06) and shorter-stage
      N2 duration (FM: 178 +/- 3, WM: 182 +/- 3, NM: 188 +/- 3 min; p = 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Our large population-based study provides no evidence of a
      significant effect of lunar phases on human sleep.

PMID- 26498231
TI  - The association between sleep duration and dry eye syndrome among Korean adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the association
      between sleep duration and dry eye syndrome (DES) symptoms. METHODS: We
      investigated 15,878 subjects (male = 6684; female = 9194) aged 20 years and older
      who underwent physical examinations and completed a self-report questionnaire and
      other anthropometric variables from the fifth Korean National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2010-2012. Odds ratios (OR) and 95%
      confidence intervals (95% CI) for DES according to sleep duration were calculated
      using multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS: Compared to that in an
      optimal sleep group (6-8 h/day), OR (95% CI) DES prevalence after adjusting for
      age, gender, sociodemographic factors (educational level, occupation, household
      income, and residence), and health behaviors (smoking habit, alcohol consumption,
      and level of exercise) was 1.20 (1.05-1.36) for a mild short sleep group (5
      h/day) and 1.29 (1.08-1.55) for a severe short sleep group (<=4 h/day).
      CONCLUSION: Our results revealed that DES increased at shorter sleep durations.

PMID- 26498233
TI  - Open-label study of the efficacy and safety of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose
      in pregnant women with restless legs syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to test the efficacy and safety of
      intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) in pregnant women with restless legs
      syndrome (RLS) and iron deficiency or anemia. The open-label pilot study
      (exploratory) was performed at the University Hospital of Zurich and the
      Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland (Lugano). PATIENT AND METHODS: Nineteen women
      in the third trimester of pregnancy with moderate-to-severe RLS and serum
      ferritin levels <35 ug/l or hemoglobin (Hb) < 11.0 g/dl were included in the
      study. RLS was graded according to the International Restless Legs Syndrome
      (IRLS) Study Group rating scale. All participants had a score of >=20 or had RLS
      >=3 times/week. Based on the Hb levels, 500 or 700 mg of FCM was administered
      over 20 min. The primary end point was a >= 50% reduction in the mean IRLS score
      one week after FCM infusion. The secondary end points included periodic limb
      movements (PLMs; assessed using nocturnal foot actigraphy), sleep quality
      (assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and safety. RESULTS: The
      IRLS score decreased from 23 +/- 7 (baseline) to 13 +/- 7 (P <0.01), whereas the
      PLM index decreased from 35 +/- 26 (baseline) to 25 +/- 20 (P <0.001).
      Significant improvement in sleep quality was also reported (P <0.029), and
      treatment was well tolerated. Three serious adverse events were reported, but
      they were considered unrelated to treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide
      promising evidence on the safety and efficacy of FCM for moderate-to-severe RLS
      in pregnant women with iron deficiency or anemia. Therefore, a future placebo
      controlled study is warranted.

PMID- 26498232
TI  - New approach for analyzing self-reporting of insomnia symptoms reveals a high
      rate of comorbid insomnia across a wide spectrum of chronic diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Insomnia is increasingly recognized to be comorbid with one or more
      medical conditions. This study used an online research platform to characterize
      insomnia across different mental and physical conditions. METHODS: A custom cross
      sectional survey was fielded online to 31,208 users of the patient community
      PatientsLikeMe. The survey queried members on National Sleep Foundation-defined
      insomnia risk (waking up feeling unrefreshed, difficulty falling asleep, waking
      in the middle of the night, or waking too early). RESULTS: Complete results were
      obtained from 5256 patients with 11 comorbid conditions. Seventy-six percent of
      US-based respondents were at risk for insomnia. Patients who reported difficulty
      falling asleep were found to have nearly twice the odds of self-reporting
      insomnia (odds ratio [OR]: 1.84; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5-2.1) when
      compared to those who do not have difficulty falling asleep, whereas those who
      reported waking during the night or waking up unrefreshed were no more likely
      (OR: 1.025 and 1.032, respectively) to report that they suffered from insomnia
      than those who did not experience these issues. Although insomnia was self
      reported as severe or very severe across most conditions, few respondents had
      actually been diagnosed with insomnia by a physician. After adjustment for age
      and gender, there was an independent and strong effect of primary condition
      severity on insomnia risk, and those with severe epilepsy (0.93), depressive
      disorders (0.92), and fibromyalgia (0.92) occupied the highest risk
      probabilities. CONCLUSIONS: The high rate of severity and frequency of insomnia
      across a multitude of mental and physical conditions reveals an opportunity for
      better disease management through enhanced insomnia awareness.

PMID- 26498234
TI  - Intraindividual long-term stability of sleep electroencephalography in school
      aged children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the long-term stability of sleep duration, sleep
      continuity, and sleep architecture assessed via unattended home sleep
      electroencephalography (EEG) during middle childhood. METHODS: A total of 69
      healthy children (18 girls and 51 boys) aged 8.2 years (standard deviation = 1.3
      years) at T1 underwent unattended home sleep EEG on two nights separated by 18.5
      months (standard deviation = 3.9 months). Of the children, 34 (49.3%) children
      were born prematurely (<32 gestational weeks; mean birth weight = 1367 g) and 35
      (50.7%) children were born at term (mean birth weight = 3275 g). RESULTS: We
      found moderate to substantial stability (all p <0.001) for total sleep time (TST;
      intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.65), slow wave sleep (SWS; min, %:
      ICC = 0.49), and stage 2 sleep (min; ICC = 0.47), and found fair stability (all p
      <0.013) for sleep efficiency (ICC = 0.28), nocturnal awakenings (ICC = 0.33),
      stage 2 sleep (%; ICC = 0.32), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (min: ICC =
      0.33; %: ICC = 0.27). Prematurity status was not associated with stability of
      sleep EEG indices over time. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term follow-up of one night of
      unattended home sleep EEG during middle childhood reveals that TST, stage 2
      sleep, and SWS are relatively stable, trait-like characteristics. This applies
      less strongly for sleep efficiency, nocturnal awakenings, and REM sleep. Stage 1
      sleep and REM latency showed no stability.

PMID- 26498235
TI  - Phase-delay in the light-dark cycle impairs clock gene expression and levels of
      serotonin, norepinephrine, and their metabolites in the mouse hippocampus and
      amygdala.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A number of animal studies have implicated circadian clock genes in
      the regulation of mood, anxiety, and reward. However, the effect of misalignment
      of the environmental light-dark and internal circadian clock on the monoamine
      system is not fully understood. In the present study, we examined whether an
      abnormal light-dark schedule would affect behavior-, circadian clock-, and
      monoamine-related gene expressions, along with monoamine contents in the amygdala
      and hippocampus of mice. METHODS: Mice were subjected to an 8-hour phase delay in
      the light-dark cycle (Shift) every two days for four weeks, and locomotor
      activity was continuously measured. We examined the circadian expression of clock
      genes (Per1, Per2, and Bmal1) and genes of the NE/5HT uptake transporters (Net
      and Sert). In addition, the levels of NE/5HT and their metabolites MHPG/5HIAA
      were analyzed in the amygdala and hippocampus. RESULTS: Locomotor activity showed
      a free-running phenotype with a longer period (>24 hours) and showed misalignment
      between the light-dark and inactive-active cycles. The amplitude of the day-night
      fluctuation of Bmal1 expression was reduced in the amygdala and hippocampus of
      light-dark-shifted mice. Net gene expression in the Shift group showed different
      profiles compared with the Control group. In addition, NE and 5HT levels in the
      amygdala of the Shift group increased during the active period. CONCLUSIONS: The
      present results suggest that misalignment of the internal and external clocks by
      continuous shifting of the light-dark cycle affects the circadian clocks and
      monoamine metabolism in the amygdala and hippocampus of mice.

PMID- 26498236
TI  - Genetic associations of periodic limb movements of sleep in the elderly for the
      MrOS sleep study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between
      single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with restless legs syndrome and
      periodic limb movements of sleep in a population cohort of elderly individuals.
      METHODS: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms previously associated with periodic limb
      movements of sleep or restless legs syndrome were analyzed in 2356 white male
      participants in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Sleep Study cohort. The
      associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms and polysomnographically
      measured periodic limb movement index >=15 were examined with logistic regression
      adjusted for age, ancestry markers, and periodic limb movements of sleep risk
      factors. RESULTS: Of the men in this cohort, 61% had a periodic limb movement
      index >=15. Significant associations were observed between a periodic limb
      movement index >=15 and the number of risk alleles for the two BTBD9 single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (rs9357271[T], odds ratio [OR] = 1.38, 95% confidence
      interval [CI] 1.20-1.58; and rs3923809[A], OR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.26-1.63), one of
      the MEIS1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs2300478[G], OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.14
      1.51) and the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 5 (MAP2K5)/Ski family
      transcriptional corepressor 1 (SKOR1) single-nucleotide polymorphism
      (rs1026732[G], OR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.02-1.31). In a multivariable model controlling
      for each of the two MEIS1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, the rs6710341[A]
      single-nucleotide polymorphism became a significant risk allele (OR = 1.59, 95%
      CI 1.26-2.00). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm an association between the
      BTBD9, MEIS1, and MAP2K5/SKOR1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and periodic limb
      movements of sleep in an elderly cohort not selected for the presence of restless
      legs syndrome.

PMID- 26498237
TI  - Metabolic changes in normal- and underweight children with obstructive sleep
      disordered breathing.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the metabolic profile of normal- and underweight
      children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) due to adenotonsillar hypertrophy.
      METHODS: A total of 39 children aged 3-15 years with SDB and 28 age- and gender
      matched controls were included in the study. Body mass index z score, blood
      pressure, and fasting serum levels of triglycerides (TGs), high-density
      lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol, very-low
      density lipoprotein (VLDL), blood glucose, plasma insulin, and homeostatic model
      assessment (HOMA) were determined in both case patients and controls. RESULTS: We
      observed significantly lower levels of fasting blood glucose (p = 0.015) and
      higher levels of HDL (p = 0.002), LDL (p = 0.002), and cholesterol (p = 0.001) in
      case patients than in controls. The mean values of fasting insulin and HOMA were
      higher in case patients (6.42 +/- 6.47 and 1.40 +/- 1.48) than in controls (5.31
      +/- 3.40 and 1.20 +/- 0.84) respectively. No direct correlation between indices
      of severity of SDB and various metabolic and blood pressure parameters was found.
      When the effect of body weight was studied by subgrouping case patients according
      to normal weight and underweight, significant increases in the levels of fasting
      insulin (p = 0.039), HOMA (p = 0.017), and fasting blood glucose (p = 0.021) were
      observed. Also, a significant correlation was observed between the duration of
      illness and fasting insulin (p = 0.023), HOMA (p = 0.020), fasting glucose (p =
      0.004), and diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.030). CONCLUSION: This study shows an
      independent effect of body weight and duration of illness on various metabolic
      and blood pressure parameters in normal- and underweight children with SDB.

PMID- 26498238
TI  - Response to placebo acupuncture in insomnia: a secondary analysis of three
      randomized controlled trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the patient characteristics that are associated with a
      response to noninvasive placebo acupuncture for insomnia. METHODS: We performed a
      secondary analysis of three randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials
      of acupuncture for primary insomnia and residual insomnia associated with major
      depression. A total of 86 participants were randomized to receive placebo
      acupuncture three times per week for three consecutive weeks. Outcome was
      assessed at 1-week posttreatment. Response was defined as an Insomnia Severity
      Index (ISI) score improved by eight points or more from baseline to 1-week
      posttreatment. Sociodemographic, clinical, and baseline characteristics including
      sleep diary-derived and actigraph-derived sleep parameters as predictors of
      placebo response were examined using univariate and multivariate logistic
      regression. RESULTS: The effect size of placebo acupuncture was estimated at 0.18
      for total sleep time, 0.08 for sleep efficiency, and 0.92 for ISI score. Eighteen
      (20.9%) of the 86 participants were responders. Responders had a higher ISI score
      (p = 0.03), higher sleep diary-derived total sleep time (p = 0.02), less
      discrepancy between sleep diary-derived and actigraph-derived total sleep time (p
      = 0.03), and higher expectation toward acupuncture (p = 0.03) at baseline
      compared to nonresponders. Multivariate regression analysis found that only ISI
      score remained significant (odds ratio = 1.23, 95% confidence interval = 1.02
      1.50, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Baseline sleep parameters and perceived
      effectiveness were shown to predict the placebo response of acupuncture for
      insomnia. Although the study was limited by a small sample size, our findings
      highlighted the potential implication of sleep duration and sleep-state
      misperception in the treatment of insomnia.

PMID- 26498240
TI  - Night-shift work increases morbidity of breast cancer and all-cause mortality: a
      meta-analysis of 16 prospective cohort studies.
AB  - Night-shift work (NSW) has previously been related to incidents of breast cancer
      and all-cause mortality, but many published studies have reported inconclusive
      results. The aim of the present study was to quantify a potential dose-effect
      relationship between NSW and morbidity of breast cancer, and to evaluate the
      association between NSW and risk of all-cause mortality. The outcomes included
      NSW, morbidity of breast cancer, cardiovascular mortality, cancer-related
      mortality, and all-cause mortality. Sixteen investigations were included,
      involving 2,020,641 participants, 10,004 incident breast cancer cases, 7185
      cancer-related deaths, 4820 cardiovascular end points, and 2480 all-cause
      mortalities. The summary risk ratio (RR) of incident breast cancer for an
      increase of NSW was 1.057 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.014-1.102; test for
      heterogeneity p = 0.358, I(2) = 9.2%]. The combined RR (95% CI) of breast cancer
      risk for NSW vs daytime work was: 1.029 (0.969-1.093) in the <5-year subgroup,
      1.019 (1.001-1.038) for 5-year incremental risk, 1.025 (1.006-1.044) for 5- to 10
      year exposure times, 1.074 (1.010-1.142) in the 10- to 20-year subgroup, and
      1.088 (1.012-1.169) for >20-year exposure lengths. The overall RR was 1.089 (95%
      CI 1.016-1.166) in a fixed-effects model (test for heterogeneity p = 0.838, I(2)
      = 0%) comparing rotating NSW and day work. Night-shift work was associated with
      an increased risk of cardiovascular death (RR 1.027, 95% CI 1.001-1.053), and all
      cause death 1.253 (95% CI 0.786-1.997). In summary, NSW increased the risk of
      breast cancer morbidity by: 1.9% for 5 years, 2.5% for 5-10 years, 7.4% for 10-20
      years, and 8.8% for >20-years of NSW. Additionally, rotating NSW enhanced the
      morbidity of breast cancer by 8.9%. Moreover, NSW was associated with a 2.7%
      increase in cardiovascular death.

PMID- 26498239
TI  - Comparing subjective measures of behavioral sleep problems in children with ADHD:
      a cross-sectional study.
AB  - AIM: Behavioral sleep problems are ideally measured using a combination of
      objective and subjective measures. However, this is not always feasible. Thus, a
      global subjective measure has been used to assess sleep problems in children with
      attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), yet it is unclear how this
      relates to more detailed multidimensional measures of sleep problems. In children
      with ADHD, parent report of a global measure of sleep problem severity
      (classified no/mild versus moderate/severe) is compared with the following: (1) a
      7-Day Sleep Log and (2) the validated Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire
      (CSHQ). METHOD: This study recruited 392 children with ADHD (aged 5-13 years)
      from 50 pediatric practices across Victoria, Australia. All caregivers completed
      the CSHQ, and 257 children prospectively completed the 7-Day Sleep Logs. RESULTS:
      Sleep log data identified distinct sleep patterns according to parent-reported
      sleep problem severity; children with moderate/severe sleep problems slept 30 min
      less per day, took longer to fall asleep, and experienced more night awakenings.
      This pattern was also repeated across the CSHQ, where children with
      moderate/severe sleep problems experienced more problematic sleep symptoms across
      all domains (effect sizes: 0.5-1.1; all p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A subjective,
      global measure of sleep problem severity appears to be a useful tool for the
      initial assessment of sleep problems in children with ADHD when more extensive
      measures are not feasible, as it is reflective of well-established
      multidimensional measures. However, further research is required to determine its
      validity.

PMID- 26498241
TI  - Sleep interruption associated with house staff work schedules alters circadian
      gene expression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies indicate that disruption of circadian rhythm
      by shift work increases the risk of breast and prostate cancer. Our studies
      demonstrated that carcinogens disrupt the circadian expression of circadian genes
      (CGs) and circadian-controlled genes (CCGs) during the early stages of rat
      mammary carcinogenesis. A chemopreventive regimen of methylselenocysteine (MSC)
      restored the circadian expression of CGs and CCGs, including PERIOD 2 (PER2) and
      estrogen receptor beta (ERS2), to normal. The present study evaluated whether
      changes in CG and CCG expression in whole blood can serve as indicators of
      circadian disruption in shift workers. METHODS: Fifteen shift workers were
      recruited to a crossover study. Blood samples were drawn before (6 PM) and after
      (8 AM) completing a night shift after at least seven days on floating night-shift
      rotation, and before (8 AM), during (1 PM), and after (6 PM) completing seven
      days on day shift. The plasma melatonin level and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression
      of PER2, nuclear receptor subfamily 1, group d, member 1 (NR1D1), and ERS2 were
      measured, and the changes in levels of melatonin and gene expression were
      evaluated with statistical analyses. RESULTS: The mRNA expression of PER2 was
      affected by shift (p = 0.0079); the levels were higher in the evening for the
      night shift, but higher in the morning for the day shift. Increased PER2
      expression (p = 0.034) was observed in the evening on the night versus day
      shifts. The melatonin level was higher in the morning for both day shifts (p =
      0.013) and night shifts (p <0.0001). CONCLUSION: Changes in the level of PER2
      gene expression can serve as a biomarker of disrupted circadian rhythm in blood
      cells. Therefore, they can be a useful intermediate indicator of efficacy in
      future MSC-mediated chemoprevention studies.

PMID- 26498242
TI  - Residual effects of zolpidem, triazolam, rilmazafone and placebo in healthy
      elderly subjects: a randomized double-blind study.
AB  - With current hypnotic agents, next-day residual effects are a common problem. The
      purpose of the present study was to evaluate the residual effects of the
      commercially available hypnotics - zolpidem, triazolam, and rilmazafone - on the
      physical and cognitive functions of healthy elderly people in the early morning
      and the day following drug administration. In this study, the next-day residual
      effects of zolpidem, triazolam, and rilmazafone, following bedtime dosing in
      elderly subjects, were evaluated. Women (n = 11) and men (n = 2) aged 60-70 years
      received a single dose (at 23:00) of one of these, zolpidem 5 mg, triazolam 0.125
      mg, rilmazafone 1 mg and placebo in a randomized, double-blind, crossover design.
      Measures of objective parameters and psychomotor performances (Timed up and Go
      test, Functional Reach Test, body sway test, critical flicker fusion test, simple
      discrimination reaction test, short-term memory test) and subjective ratings were
      obtained at 04:00, 07:00, and the next time of the day. All hypnotics were
      generally well tolerated; there were no serious adverse side effects and no
      subjects discontinued the evaluations. Compared to placebo, zolpidem and
      rilmazafone had good results on the Functional Reach Test. Although subjective
      assessments tended to be poor in the early morning, rilmazafone significantly
      improved the body sway test in the other hypnotics. A single dose of zolpidem 5
      mg and triazolam 0.125 mg did not have any next-day residual effects on healthy
      elderly subjects. Residual effects appeared to be related to the compound's half
      life and the dose used. Rilmazafone 1 mg exhibited steadiness in static and
      dynamic balance and seemed to be more favorable for the elderly with early
      morning awakening.

PMID- 26498243
TI  - Comparison of impact of insomnia on depression and quality of life in restless
      legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease and primary insomnia patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although insomnia is common among people with restless legs syndrome
      (RLS), its impact on the daily suffering of those with RLS remains unclear. This
      study aimed to compare the differential impact of clinical insomnia on depression
      and quality of life (QoL) among people with RLS, primary insomnia, and healthy
      controls. METHODS: A total of 148 people with RLS, 115 with primary insomnia, and
      117 healthy controls were enrolled into this cross-sectional study. Participants
      completed sleep, depression, and QoL questionnaires. Clinical insomnia was
      defined as Korean version of the Insomnia Severity Index (K-ISI) >= 15.
      Correlation coefficients between sleep measures and both depression and QoL were
      calculated. Multivariate regression was used to identify the clinical factors
      that were most closely associated with depression and QoL among people with RLS
      and primary insomnia. RESULTS: Participants with RLS had insomnia and sleep
      quality at intermediate levels between the healthy controls and primary insomnia
      subjects, but those with clinical insomnia had equivalent depression and QoL
      scores regardless of RLS diagnosis. Insomnia severity correlated with depression
      and QoL in RLS and primary insomnia. Multivariate regression, however, revealed
      that RLS severity was the most overall predictive factor for depression and QoL
      among those with RLS. Insomnia severity was the strongest predictor in primary
      insomnia. CONCLUSION: Insomnia was more closely associated with depression and
      QoL among people with primary insomnia than those with RLS, but clinical insomnia
      may have a significant impact in RLS as well. Future RLS studies should account
      for sleep quality in addition to RLS symptom severity when investigating mood and
      QoL.

PMID- 26498244
TI  - The role of nocturnal pulse oximetry in the screening for obstructive sleep apnea
      in obese children and adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Obesity is a known risk factor for the development of
      obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children. Early screening is essential because
      of the possible complications associated with OSA. At present, the gold standard
      for diagnosing OSA is polysomnography, which however has multiple limitations.
      The aim of this study is to examine the role of nocturnal oximetry as a screening
      tool for OSA in obese children and adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      retrospective study included obese children who underwent a polysomnography at
      the Antwerp University Hospital between November 2010 and May 2014. Their
      oximetries were scored manually, blinded for the polysomnography results,
      according to Brouilette et al. OSA was defined as an obstructive apnea-hypopnea
      index (oAHI) >= 2 on polysomnography. RESULTS: This study included 130 obese
      patients (38% boys, mean age 12 years). Polysomnography results determined 44
      patients (34%) with a diagnosis of OSA. Oximetry results classified 16 patients
      as positive, 43 as negative, and 71 as inconclusive. Further analysis of the
      positive and negative oximetry results showed a sensitivity and specificity of
      58% and 88%, respectively, with a negative and positive predictive value of 81%
      and 69%, respectively. A second analysis, using the oxygen desaturation index,
      showed inferior results in comparison to the score attained by Brouillette
      (sensitivity 57%, specificity 73%). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that
      oximetry alone is insufficient as a screening tool for OSA in obese children.
      Other screening methods need to be explored in the future.

PMID- 26498245
TI  - Association of low ferritin with PLM in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The origins of periodic leg movements (PLMs), a strong correlate of
      restless legs syndrome (RLS), are uncertain. This study was performed to assess
      the relationship between PLMs and peripheral iron deficiency, as measured with
      ferritin levels corrected for inflammation. METHODS: We included a cross
      sectional sample of a cohort study of 801 randomly selected people (n = 1008
      assays, mean age 58.6 +/- 0.3 years) from Wisconsin state employee agencies. A
      previously validated automatic detector was used to measure PLMs during sleep.
      The patients were categorized into RLS symptoms-positive and RLS symptoms
      negative based on a mailed survey response and prior analysis. Analyses were
      performed using a linear model with PLM category above and below 15 PLM/h
      (periodic leg movement index, PLMI) as the dependent variable, and adjusting for
      known covariates, including previously associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) within BTBD9, TOX3/BC034767, MEIS1, MAP2K5/SKOR1, and PTPRD. Ferritin and
      C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured in serum, and ferritin levels
      corrected for inflammation using CRP levels. RESULTS: After controlling for
      cofactors, PLMI >= 15 was associated with low (<=50 ng/mL) ferritin levels (OR =
      1.55, p = 0.020). The best model was found using quasi-least squares regression
      of ferritin as a function of PLMI, with an increase of 0.0034 PLM/h predicted by
      a decrease of 1 ng/mL ferritin (p = 0.00447). CONCLUSIONS: An association was
      found between low ferritin and greater PLMs in a general population of older
      adults, independent of genetic polymorphisms, suggesting a role of low iron
      stores in the expression of these phenotypes. Patients with high PLMI may require
      to be checked for iron deficiency.

PMID- 26498246
TI  - Effects of fluid shift on upper airway patency and neck circumference in normal
      weight subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fluid shift from the lower body into the neck could narrow the upper
      airway (UA) and increase the propensity of its obstruction in people with
      obstructive sleep apnea. Although studies have demonstrated an increase in the
      neck circumference (NC) due to fluid shift, it remains unclear as to whether a
      large increase in NC means a large reduction in the cross-sectional area of the
      UA (CSA-UA). This study tested a hypothesis that a significant UA narrowing due
      to fluid redistribution is not necessarily linked to an apparent increase in NC,
      and vice versa. METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies were performed
      on 30 male and 20 female normal-weight subjects. Fluid shift was achieved by
      raising their legs by >50 degrees . The coordinates of the neck and UA boundaries
      were extracted from the MRI to calculate the NC and CSA-UA. RESULTS: After
      elevating the legs for 8 min, the CSA-UA was reduced by 27.6% while the NC
      increased by 1.5% in 50 subjects (p < 0.001). In 10% of the males and 10% of the
      females, NC was almost unchanged, while the reduction in CSA-UA was large. In 7%
      of the males and 20% of the females, the change in NC was large, while that in
      CSA-UA was small. The correlation coefficient between the changes in NC and CSA
      UA was -0.211, which was consistent with the hypothesis. CONCLUSIONS: The amount
      of NC increase should not be used to judge the degree of reduction in CSA-UA.
      Clinically, those people who have little NC increase after body position changes
      have more risk of CSA-UA reduction at bedtime.

PMID- 26498247
TI  - A cryptic paracentric inversion of MSH2 exons 2-6 causes Lynch syndrome.
AB  - Lynch syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder that predisposes carriers of DNA
      mismatch repair (MMR) gene mutations to early-onset cancer. Germline testing
      screens exons and splice sites for mutations, but does not examine introns or RNA
      transcripts for alterations. Pathogenic mutations have not been detected in ~30%
      of suspected Lynch syndrome cases with standard screening practices. We present a
      38-year-old male with a clinicopathological and family history consistent with
      Lynch syndrome, including loss of MSH2 expression in his tumor. Germline testing
      revealed normal MSH2 coding sequence, splice sites and exon copy number, however,
      cDNA sequencing identified an aberrant MSH2 transcript lacking exons 2-6. An
      inversion PCR on germline DNA identified an ~18kb unbalanced, paracentric
      inversion within MSH2, with breakpoints in a long terminal repeat in intron 1 and
      an Alu repeat in intron 6. The 3' end of the inversion had a 1.2 kb deletion and
      an 8 bp insertion at the junction with intron 6. Screening of 55 additional
      Australian patients presenting with MSH2-deficient tumors who were negative in
      germline genetic tests for MSH2 mutations identified another inversion-positive
      patient. We propose an Alu-mediated recombination model to explain the origin of
      the inversion. Our study illustrates the potential value of cDNA screening to
      identify patients with cryptic MMR gene rearrangements, clarifies why standard
      testing may not detect some pathogenic alterations, and provides a genetic test
      for screening individuals with suspected Lynch syndrome that present with
      unexplained MSH2-deficient tumors. 

PMID- 26498248
TI  - Role of GADD45a in murine models of radiation- and bleomycin-induced lung injury.
AB  - We previously reported protective effects of GADD45a (growth arrest and DNA
      damage-inducible gene 45 alpha) in murine ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI)
      via effects on Akt-mediated endothelial cell signaling. In the present study we
      investigated the role of GADD45a in separate murine models of radiation- and
      bleomycin-induced lung injury. Initial studies of wild-type mice subjected to
      single-dose thoracic radiation (10 Gy) confirmed a significant increase in lung
      GADD45a expression within 24 h and persistent at 6 wk. Mice deficient in GADD45a
      (GADD45a(-/-)) demonstrated increased susceptibility to radiation-induced lung
      injury (RILI, 10 Gy) evidenced by increased bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid
      total cell counts, protein and albumin levels, and levels of inflammatory
      cytokines compared with RILI-challenged wild-type animals at 2 and 4 wk.
      Furthermore, GADD45a(-/-) mice had decreased total and phosphorylated lung Akt
      levels both at baseline and 6 wk after RILI challenge relative to wild-type mice
      while increased RILI susceptibility was observed in both Akt(+/-) mice and mice
      treated with an Akt inhibitor beginning 1 wk prior to irradiation. Additionally,
      overexpression of a constitutively active Akt1 transgene reversed RILI
      susceptibility in GADD45a(-/-) mice. In separate studies, lung fibrotic changes 2
      wk after treatment with bleomycin (0.25 U/kg IT) was significantly increased in
      GADD45a(-/-) mice compared with wild-type mice assessed by lung collagen content
      and histology. These data implicate GADD45a as an important modulator of lung
      inflammatory responses across different injury models and highlight GADD45a
      mediated signaling as a novel target in inflammatory lung injury clinically. 

PMID- 26498249
TI  - Histone deacetylase inhibitors prevent pulmonary endothelial hyperpermeability
      and acute lung injury by regulating heat shock protein 90 function.
AB  - Transendothelial hyperpermeability caused by numerous agonists is dependent on
      heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and leads to endothelial barrier dysfunction (EBD).
      Inhibition of Hsp90 protects and restores transendothelial permeability.
      Hyperacetylation of Hsp90, as by inhibitors of histone deacetylase (HDAC),
      suppresses its chaperone function and mimics the effects of Hsp90 inhibitors. In
      this study we assessed the role of HDAC in mediating lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
      induced transendothelial hyperpermeability and acute lung injury (ALI). We
      demonstrate that HDAC inhibition protects against LPS-mediated EBD. Inhibition of
      multiple HDAC by the general inhibitors panobinostat or trichostatin provided
      protection against LPS-induced transendothelial hyperpermeability, acetylated and
      suppressed Hsp90 chaperone function, and attenuated RhoA activity and signaling
      crucial to endothelial barrier function. Treatment with the HDAC3-selective
      inhibitor RGFP-966 or the HDAC6-selective inhibitor tubastatin A provided partial
      protection against LPS-mediated transendothelial hyperpermeability. Similarly,
      knock down of HDAC3 and HDAC6 by specific small-interfering RNAs provided
      significant protection against LPS-induced EBD. Furthermore, combined
      pharmacological inhibition of both HDAC3 and -6 attenuated the inflammation,
      capillary permeability, and structural abnormalities associated with LPS-induced
      ALI in mice. Together these data indicate that HDAC mediate increased
      transendothelial hyperpermeability caused by LPS and that inhibition of HDAC
      protects against LPS-mediated EBD and ALI by suppressing Hsp90-dependent RhoA
      activity and signaling. 

PMID- 26498250
TI  - EET-dependent potentiation of pulmonary arterial pressure: sex-different
      regulation of soluble epoxide hydrolase.
AB  - We tested the hypothesis that suppression of epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET)
      metabolism via genetic knockout of the gene for soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH
      KO), or female-specific downregulation of sEH expression, plays a role in the
      potentiation of pulmonary hypertension. We used male (M) and female (F) wild-type
      (WT) and sEH-KO mice; the latter have high pulmonary EETs. Right ventricular
      systolic pressure (RVSP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) in control and
      in response to in vivo administration of U46619 (thromboxane analog), 14,15-EET,
      and 14,15-EEZE [14,15-epoxyeicosa-5(z)-enoic acid; antagonist of EETs] were
      recorded. Basal RVSP was comparable among all groups of mice, whereas MABP was
      significantly lower in F-WT than M-WT mice and further reduced predominantly in F
      KO compared with M-KO mice. U46619 dose dependently increased RVSP and MABP in
      all groups of mice. The increase in RVSP was significantly greater and coincided
      with smaller increases in MABP in M-KO and F-WT mice compared with M-WT mice. In
      F-KO mice, the elevation of RVSP by U46619 was even higher than in M-KO and F-WT
      mice, associated with the least increase in MABP. 14,15-EEZE prevented the
      augmentation of U46619-induced elevation of RVSP in sEH-KO mice, whereas 14,15
      EET-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction was comparable in all groups of mice. sEH
      expression in the lungs was reduced, paralleled with higher levels of EETs in F
      WT compared with M-WT mice. In summary, EETs initiate pulmonary vasoconstriction
      but act as vasodilators systemically. High pulmonary EETs, as a function of
      downregulation or deletion of sEH, potentiate U46619-induced increases in RVSP in
      a female-susceptible manner. 

PMID- 26498252
TI  - A systemic defect in Toll-like receptor 4 signaling increases lipopolysaccharide
      induced suppression of IL-2-dependent T-cell proliferation in COPD.
AB  - The susceptibility to bacterial infections is increased in chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD). This promotes exacerbations. IL-2 triggers CD4(+)/Th1
      cell proliferation, which is important for infection defense. Bacterial endotoxin
      (LPS) activates MyD88/IRAK and TRIF/IKKepsilon/TBK1 pathways via Toll-like
      receptor-4 (TLR4) in Th1 cells. Systemic defects in TLR pathways in CD4(+)/Th1
      cells cause an impairment of IL-2-dependent immune responses to bacterial
      infections in COPD. Peripheral blood CD4(+) T cells of never smokers, smokers
      without COPD, and smokers with COPD (each n = 10) were ex vivo activated towards
      Th1 and stimulated with LPS. IL-2, MyD88, and TRIF expression, and cell
      proliferation was analyzed by ELISA, quantitative RT-PCR, and bromodeoxyuridine
      (BrdU) and trypan blue staining comparative among the cohorts. IL-2 release from
      activated T cells was increased in COPD vs. smokers and never smokers. LPS
      reduced IL-2 expression and T-cell proliferation. These effects were increased in
      COPD vs. never smokers and inversely correlated with FEV1 (%predicted). The
      MyD88/TRIF ratio was decreased in Th1 cells of COPD. The suppression of IL-2 by
      LPS was abolished by MyD88/IRAK blockade in never smokers but by
      TRIF/IKKepsilon/TBK1 blockade in COPD. Moxifloxacin restored IL-2 expression and
      T-cell proliferation in the presence of LPS by blocking p38 MAPK. The increased
      IL-2 release from Th1 cells in COPD might contribute to airway inflammation in
      disease exacerbations. A switch from MyD88/IRAK to TRIF/IKKepsilon/TBK1 signaling
      amplifies the suppression of IL-2-dependent proliferation of CD4(+) T cells by
      LPS in COPD. This molecular pathology is of systemic origin, might impair
      adaptive immune responses, and could explain the increased susceptibility to
      bacterial infections in COPD. Targeting TLR4-downstream signaling, for example,
      with moxifloxacin, might reduce exacerbation rates. 

PMID- 26498251
TI  - Carbon monoxide in the treatment of sepsis.
AB  - Carbon monoxide (CO), a low-molecular-weight gas, is endogenously produced in the
      body as a product of heme degradation catalyzed by heme oxygenase (HO) enzymes.
      As the beneficial roles of HO system have been elucidated in vitro and in vivo,
      CO itself has also been reported as a potent cytoprotective molecule. Whereas CO
      represents a toxic inhalation hazard at high concentration, low-dose exogenous CO
      treatment (~250-500 parts per million) demonstrates protective functions
      including but not limited to the anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic effects in
      preclinical models of human diseases. Of note, CO exposure confers protection in
      animal models of sepsis by inhibiting inflammatory responses and also enhancing
      bacterial phagocytosis in leukocytes. These unique functions of CO including both
      dampening inflammation and promoting host defense mechanism are mediated by
      multiple pathways such as autophagy induction or biosynthesis of specialized
      proresolving lipid mediators. We suggest that CO gas may represent a novel
      therapy for patients with sepsis.

PMID- 26498253
TI  - Benefits of agomelatine in behavioral, neurochemical and blood brain barrier
      alterations in prenatal valproic acid induced autism spectrum disorder.
AB  - Valproic acid administration during gestational period causes behavior and
      biochemical deficits similar to those observed in humans with autism spectrum
      disorder. Although worldwide prevalence of autism spectrum disorder has been
      increased continuously, therapeutic agents to ameliorate the social impairment
      are very limited. The present study has been structured to investigate the
      therapeutic potential of melatonin receptor agonist, agomelatine in prenatal
      valproic acid (Pre-VPA) induced autism spectrum disorder in animals. Pre-VPA has
      produced reduction in social interaction (three chamber social behavior
      apparatus), spontaneous alteration (Y-Maze), exploratory activity (Hole board
      test), intestinal motility, serotonin levels (prefrontal cortex and ileum) and
      prefrontal cortex mitochondrial complex activity (complex I, II, IV).
      Furthermore, Pre-VPA has increased locomotor activity (actophotometer), anxiety,
      brain oxidative stress (thiobarbituric acid reactive species, glutathione, and
      catalase), nitrosative stress (nitrite/nitrate), inflammation (brain and ileum
      myeloperoxidase activity), calcium levels and blood brain barrier leakage in
      animals. Treatment with agomelatine has significantly attenuated Pre-VPA induced
      reduction in social interaction, spontaneous alteration, exploratory activity
      intestinal motility, serotonin levels and prefrontal cortex mitochondrial complex
      activity. Furthermore, agomelatine also attenuated Pre-VPA induced increase in
      locomotion, anxiety, brain oxidative stress, nitrosative stress, inflammation,
      calcium levels and blood brain barrier leakage. It is concluded that, Pre-VPA has
      induced autism spectrum disorder, which was attenuated by agomelatine.
      Agomelatine has shown ameliorative effect on behavioral, neurochemical and blood
      brain barrier alteration in Pre-VPA exposed animals. Thus melatonin receptor
      agonists may provide beneficial therapeutic strategy for managing autism spectrum
      disorder.

PMID- 26498254
TI  - PFKFB3-mediated glycolysis is involved in reactive astrocyte proliferation after
      oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion and is regulated by Cdh1.
AB  - Reactive astrocyte proliferation is involved in many central degenerative
      diseases. The enzyme 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase isoform
      3 (PFKFB3), an allosteric activator of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK1), controls
      glycolytic flux. Furthermore, APC/C-Cdh1 plays a crucial role in brain metabolism
      by regulating PFKFB3 expression. Previous studies have defined the roles of
      PFKFB3-mediated glycolysis in pathological angiogenesis, cell autophagy, and
      amyloid plaque deposition in proliferating cells. However, the role of PFKFB3 in
      reactive astrocyte proliferation after cerebral ischemia is unknown. In this
      study, we cultured rat primary cortical astrocytes and established an oxygen
      glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) model to mimic cerebral ischemia in vivo.
      Astrocyte proliferation was measured by western blotting for proliferating cell
      nuclear antigen (PCNA) and by EdU incorporation. We found that OGD/R up-regulated
      PFKFB3 and PFK1 expression, which was accompanied by reactive astrocyte
      proliferation. Knockdown of PFKFB3 by siRNA transfection significantly inhibited
      reactive astrocyte proliferation and lactate release, an indicator of glycolysis.
      We found that PFKFB3 and PFK1 expression were down-regulated and lactate release
      was decreased when OGD/R-induced astrocyte proliferation was inhibited by a Cdh1
      expressing lentivirus. Thus, reactive astrocyte proliferation can be effectively
      suppressed by down-regulation of PFKFB3 through control of glycolytic flux, which
      is downstream of APC/C-Cdh1.

PMID- 26498255
TI  - Ovarian endometriosis-associated stromal cells reveal persistently high affinity
      for iron.
AB  - Ovarian endometriosis is a recognized risk for infertility and epithelial ovarian
      cancer, presumably due to iron overload resulting from repeated hemorrhage. To
      find a clue for early detection and prevention of ovarian endometriosis
      associated cancer, it is mandatory to evaluate catalytic (labile) ferrous iron
      (catalytic Fe(II)) and to study iron manipulation in ovarian endometriotic
      lesions. By the use of tissues from women of ovarian endometriosis as well as
      endometrial tissue from women with and without endometriosis, we for the first
      time performed histological analysis and cellular detection of catalytic Fe(II)
      with a specific fluorescent probe (HMRhoNox-M), and further evaluated iron
      transport proteins in the human specimens and in co-culture experiments using
      immortalized human eutopic/ectopic endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) in the
      presence or absence of epithelial cells (EpCs). The amounts of catalytic Fe(II)
      were higher in ectopic endometrial stromal cells (ecESCs) than in normal eutopic
      endometrial stromal cells (n-euESCs) both in the tissues and in the corresponding
      immortalized ESCs. ecESCs exhibited higher transferrin receptor 1 expression both
      in vivo and in vitro and lower ferroportin expression in vivo than n-euESCs,
      leading to sustained iron uptake. In co-culture experiments of ESCs with iron
      loaded EpCs, ecESCs received catalytic ferrous iron from EpCs, but n-euESCs did
      not. These data suggest that ecESC play a protective role for cancer-target
      epithelial cells by collecting excess iron, and that these characteristics are
      retained in the immortalized ecESCs. 

PMID- 26498256
TI  - Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Attained Size Among Children in the First 2
      Years of Life.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relation of maternal depressive symptoms with attained
      size and whether it is stronger for young children in low-income families.
      METHODS: Secondary analysis was performed of longitudinal data from enrollment
      and parents surveys from the Healthy Steps for Young Children National Evaluation
      among 4745 children who made at least one visit to a Healthy Steps site. Length
      and weight data from medical records were converted to z scores and percentiles
      for length for age and weight for length at 6, 12, and 24 months using 2000
      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth standards. Analyses evaluated
      the relation of maternal depressive symptoms at 2 to 4 months using a modified 14
      item Center for Epidemiologic Depression Scale with attained size and child,
      maternal, and family characteristics. Regression models estimated the relation of
      symptoms with z scores and logistic regression the relation for short stature
      (below 10th percentile for length for age), adjusted for covariates. RESULTS:
      Maternal depressive symptoms were associated with z scores for length for age at
      6, 12, and 24 months and short stature at 6 and 24 months for children in
      low/middle-income families. The z scores at 24 months remained significantly
      lower for children in low/middle-income families whose mothers reported
      depressive symptoms, after adjustment for covariates. The odds of short stature
      were significantly increased at 6 months in the total sample and among low/middle
      income families for children whose mothers reported symptoms. Other measures of
      attained size were not associated with depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The link
      between maternal symptoms and young children's risk of short stature reinforces
      recommendations for increased screening for postpartum depressive symptoms and
      for clinicians to review growth charts with parents for impaired/unfavorable
      patterns.

PMID- 26498257
TI  - Children's Environmental Health: A Brief History.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children's environmental health (CEH), the branch of pediatrics that
      studies the influence of the environment on children's health, has grown
      substantially in the past 3 decades and become an increasingly visible and
      important component of pediatric medicine. GOALS: To trace the historical origins
      of CEH; to identify factors responsible for its recent growth. FINDINGS: CEH has
      historical roots in toxicology, epidemiology, and occupational medicine. It arose
      in the second half of the 20th century through a melding of insights from
      pediatric toxicology, nutritional epidemiology, and social science research.
      Convergent research in these 3 fields has documented children's unique
      sensitivities to chemical, nutritional, and psychosocial hazards during windows
      of vulnerability in early development and has shown that early-life exposures can
      produce disease and disability in childhood and across the life span. Key events
      in the development of CEH were: 1) formation by the American Academy of
      Pediatrics in 1957 of a committee on environmental health that has nurtured the
      growth of the field for 5 decades and evolved into the Council on Environmental
      Health; 2) observations made in the 1980s that nutritional deficiency in utero
      increased risk for adult-onset obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease-work
      that led to the hypothesis of the developmental origins of health and disease; 3)
      social science research showing that early exposure to psychosocial stress and
      trauma increases risk for chronic illness; and 4) publication in 1993 by the
      National Academy of Sciences of a report, Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and
      Children, which elevated awareness among national policy makers of children's
      vulnerability to toxic hazards, moved US environmental policy toward protection
      of children's health, and catalyzed research investment in CEH in the United
      States and globally. CONCLUSIONS: CEH has made substantial progress but faces
      emerging challenges, including new chemicals and pesticides; increasing movement
      of polluting industries to poor countries where environmental and public health
      protections are few; and global climate change. In the future, CEH will require
      continued investment in research and education and will need to adopt an
      increasingly global perspective.

PMID- 26498258
TI  - Left ventricular lead position, mechanical activation, and myocardial scar in
      relation to left ventricular reverse remodeling and clinical outcomes after
      cardiac resynchronization therapy: A feature-tracking and contrast-enhanced
      cardiovascular magnetic resonance study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Late mechanical activation (LMA) and viability in the left
      ventricular (LV) myocardium have been proposed as targets for LV pacing during
      cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was
      to determine whether an LV lead position over segments with LMA and no scar
      improves LV reverse remodeling (LVRR) and clinical outcomes after CRT. METHODS:
      Feature-tracking and late gadolinium enhancement images were analyzed
      retrospectively in patients with heart failure (HF) (n = 89; mean age 66.8 +/-
      10.8 years; LV ejection fraction = 23.1% +/- 9.9%) who underwent cardiovascular
      magnetic resonance (CMR) scanning before CRT implantation. Lead positions were
      classified as concordant (no scar and LMA [time to peak systolic circumferential
      strain]) or nonconcordant (scar and/or no LMA). RESULTS: LVRR occurred in 68% and
      24% of patients with concordant and nonconcordant LV lead positions, respectively
      (P < .001). Over a median of 4.4 years (range 0.1-8.7 years), LV lead concordance
      predicted cardiac mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.27; 95% confidence
      interval [CI] 0.12-0.62) and cardiac mortality or HF hospitalizations (aOR 0.26,
      95% CI 0.12-0.58). "No scar" in the paced segment predicted cardiac mortality
      (aOR 0.24; 95% CI 0.11-0.52) and cardiac mortality or HF hospitalizations
      (adjusted aOR 0.24; 95% CI 0.12-0.49). CONCLUSION: LV lead deployment over
      nonscarred LMA segments was associated with better LVRR and clinical outcomes
      after CRT. LVRR was primarily related to LMA, whereas events were primarily
      related to scar. These findings support the use of late gadolinium enhancement
      CMR and feature-tracking CMR in guiding LV lead deployment.

PMID- 26498259
TI  - Flecainide monotherapy for catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia:
      Perspectives and limitations.

PMID- 26498260
TI  - Long-term clinical outcomes of focal impulse and rotor modulation for treatment
      of atrial fibrillation: A multicenter experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: New approaches to ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) include focal
      impulse and rotor modulation (FIRM). Studies of this technology with short-term
      follow-up have shown favorable outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was
      to characterize the long-term results of FIRM ablation in a cohort of patients
      treated at 2 academic medical centers. METHODS: All FIRM-guided ablation
      procedures (n = 43) at UCLA Medical Center and Virginia Commonwealth University
      Medical Center performed between January 2012 and October 2013 were included for
      analysis. During AF, FIRM software constructed phase maps from unipolar atrial
      electrograms to identify putative AF sources. These sites were targeted for
      ablation, along with pulmonary vein isolation in 77% of patients. RESULTS: AF was
      paroxysmal in 56%, and 67% had prior AF ablation. All patients had rotors
      identified (mean 2.6 +/- 1.2 per patient, 77% in LA). Prespecified acute
      procedural end-point was achieved in 47% of patients (n = 20): AF termination in
      4, organization in 7, >10% slowing of AF cycle length in 9. Acute complications
      occurred in 4 patients (9.3%). At 18 +/- 7 months of follow-up, 37% were free
      from documented recurrent AF after a 3-month blanking period; 21% were free from
      documented atrial tachyarrhythmias and off antiarrhythmic drugs. Multivariate
      analysis did not reveal any significant predictors of AF recurrence, including
      pattern of AF, acute procedural success, or prior failed ablation. CONCLUSION:
      Long-term clinical results after FIRM ablation in this cohort of patients showed
      poor efficacy, different from previously published studies. Randomized studies
      are needed to evaluate the efficacy and clinical utility of this ablation
      approach for treating AF.

PMID- 26498261
TI  - Erythematous soft nodules on both ear helices.

PMID- 26498263
TI  - The clinical spectrum associated with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein
      antibodies (anti-MOG-Ab) in Thai patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (anti-MOG) antibody was reported
      in anti-aquaporin-4 (anti-AQP4) seronegative neuromyelitis optica spectrum
      disorders (NMOSD) patients. OBJECTIVES: To describe clinical phenotypes
      associated with anti-MOG. METHODS: Seventy consecutive Thai patients with
      inflammatory idiopathic demyelinating central nervous system disorders (IIDCD)
      who were previously anti-AQP4 seronegative were tested for anti-MOG. RESULTS:
      Anti-MOG was positive in six patients, representing 20.7% of the IIDCD anti-AQP4
      seronegative patients with a non-multiple sclerosis phenotype, and most had
      relapses. All first presented with optic neuritis with good visual recovery after
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-MOG positive patients may have manifestations that
      mimic NMOSD but differ in their course and prognosis from anti-AQP4 positive
      NMOSD.

PMID- 26498262
TI  - IFT-Cargo Interactions and Protein Transport in Cilia.
AB  - The motile and sensory functions of cilia and flagella are indispensable for
      human health. Cilia assembly requires a dedicated protein shuttle, intraflagellar
      transport (IFT), a bidirectional motility of multi-megadalton protein arrays
      along ciliary microtubules. IFT functions as a protein carrier delivering
      hundreds of distinct proteins into growing cilia. IFT-based protein import and
      export continue in fully grown cilia and are required for ciliary maintenance and
      sensing. Large ciliary building blocks might depend on IFT to move through the
      transition zone, which functions as a ciliary gate. Smaller, freely diffusing
      proteins, such as tubulin, depend on IFT to be concentrated or removed from
      cilia. As I discuss here, recent work provides insights into how IFT interacts
      with its cargoes and how the transport is regulated. 

PMID- 26498264
TI  - Coincidence of obesity associated with cardio-renal abnormalities in Thais obese
      population.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the patterns and relationship among the metabolic syndrome
      (MS), coronary heart disease (CHD) and kidney function. METHODS: A cross
      sectional secondary data set of 9359 individuals, age 30-74 years, receiving
      annual health check-up in 2012 were used in this studied. Identification of MS
      and CHD development was determined by International Diabetes Federation criteria
      and Framingham risk score, respectively, while kidney function was assessed by
      using the estimate glomerulus filtration rate (eGFR) and chronic kidney disease
      epidemiology (CKD-EPI) formula. RESULTS: The prevalence of MS was 16.1%. The
      majority pattern of MS in male displayed abnormalities of body mass index (BMI)
      plus triglyceride and blood pressure (BP). Most of them had high risk of CHD, and
      kidney function in stage 1 and 2. Furthermore, abnormalities of BMI plus BP and
      blood glucose were the main components related to high risk of CHD, and stage 1
      of kidney function in female. CONCLUSION: This finding showed the cleared pattern
      of the sequential abnormality factors which potentially use for setting the
      activity and empowerment team to prevention, promotion, and treatment strategy in
      MS patients. Particularly, BMI is the first assessment and then follow by blood
      pressure and blood sugar which could be used as the guideline for reducing MS
      associated with CHD and kidney disorder in Thai population.

PMID- 26498265
TI  - Proteasome subunit and opioid receptor gene expression down-regulation induced by
      paraquat and maneb in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells.
AB  - Paraquat (PQ) and maneb (MB) are able to induce neurotoxic effects by promoting
      alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) aggregates and altering tyrosine hydroxylase (TH),
      thus increasing the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). These pesticides promote
      neurotoxic effects also by affecting proteasome function that normally regulate
      protein turnover. We investigated the effects of the two pesticides exposure on
      multiple targets involved in PD, using SH-SY5Y cells. First, we evaluated TH and
      alpha-syn protein levels following PQ and MB cell exposure and a significant
      increase of these protein levels was observed. Subsequently, since a relationship
      between ubiquitin/proteasome and opioid receptors has been proposed, the effects
      of pesticides on their gene expression have been investigated. A decrease of
      beta1 and Rpt3 proteasome subunit mRNA levels, together with the MU and delta
      opioid receptor down-regulation, was detected. The reported alterations, here
      simultaneously observed, help to clarify the involvement of multiple biological
      markers implicated in PD, often separately evaluated. 

PMID- 26498266
TI  - Propolis aqueous extract preserves functional integrity of murine intestinal
      mucosa after exposure to ionizing radiation.
AB  - The ability of a specially prepared water propolis extract (PWE) to preserve the
      functional activity of the intestinal mucosa after radiation exposure was
      studied. PWE was given orally (650 mg/kg) to rats five days prior to irradiation
      by 6 Gy and continued for further two days. Rats were sacrificed 24h later,
      intestinal segments were examined histologically and homogenates were used to
      assess relevant biochemical parameters reflecting intestinal injury. Irradiation
      led to a rise in the histological damage score, a rise in tissue TNF-alpha and
      TBARS, and a decrease in sucrase, alkaline phosphatase, GSH and cholecystokinin
      as well as a decrease in plasma citrulline. The findings reflect a decrease in
      intestinal functional activity. PWE preserved the intestinal integrity and
      largely protected against the changes induced in the histology damage score and
      all parameters measured, possibly as a result of the antioxidant and anti
      inflammatory action of its caffeic acid content.

PMID- 26498268
TI  - Randomized controlled trial of group cognitive behavioral therapy compared to a
      discussion group for co-morbid anxiety and depression in older adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Co-morbid anxiety and depression in older adults is associated with
      worse physical and mental health outcomes and poorer response to psychological
      and pharmacological treatments in older adults. However, there is a paucity of
      research focused on testing the efficacy of the co-morbid treatment of anxiety
      and depression in older adults using psychological interventions. Accordingly,
      the primary objective of the current study was to test the effects of a group
      cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) program in treating co-morbid anxiety and
      depression in a sample of older age adults. METHOD: A total of 133 community
      dwelling participants aged ?60 years (mean age = 67.35, s.d. = 5.44, male = 59)
      with both an anxiety disorder and unipolar mood disorder, as assessed on the
      Anxiety Disorder Interview Schedule (ADIS), were randomly allocated to an 11-week
      CBT group or discussion group. Participants with Mini-Mental State Examination
      scores <26 were excluded. Participants were assessed pre-treatment, post
      treatment and at 6 months follow-up on the ADIS, a brief measure of well-being,
      Geriatric Anxiety Inventory and Geriatric Depression Scale. RESULTS: Both
      conditions resulted in significant improvements over time on all diagnostic,
      symptom and wellbeing measures. Significant group * time interaction effects
      emerged at post-treatment only for diagnostic severity of the primary disorder,
      mean severity of all anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and all disorders, and
      recovery rates on primary disorder. CONCLUSION: Group CBT produced faster and
      sustained improvements in anxiety and depression on diagnostic severity and
      recovery rates compared to an active control in older adults.

PMID- 26498267
TI  - Fucoidan ameliorates steatohepatitis and insulin resistance by suppressing
      oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines in experimental non-alcoholic fatty
      liver disease.
AB  - Fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide derived from brown seaweeds, possesses a wide
      range of pharmacological properties. In the present study, we investigated the
      therapeutic effect of fucoidan on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in
      rats. Rats were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks to induce NAFLD. Oral
      administrations of fucoidan (100mg/kg, orally), metformin (200mg/kg, orally) or
      the vehicle were started in the last four weeks. Results showed that
      administration of fucoidan for 4 weeks attenuated the development of NAFLD as
      evidenced by the significant decrease in liver index, serum liver enzymes
      activities, serum total cholesterol and triglycerides, fasting serum glucose,
      insulin, insulin resistance, and body composition index. Further, fucoidan
      decreased hepatic malondialdehyde as well as nitric oxide concentrations, and
      concomitantly increased hepatic reduced glutathione level. In addition, the
      effect of fucoidan was accompanied with significant decrease in hepatic mRNA
      expressions of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukins-1beta and matrix
      metalloproteinase-2. Furthermore, histopathological examination confirmed the
      effect of fucoidan. In conclusion, fucoidan ameliorated the development of HFD
      induced NAFLD in rats that may be, at least partly, related to its hypolipidemic,
      insulin sensitizing, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. 

PMID- 26498269
TI  - Wheat protein recognition pattern in tolerant and allergic children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wheat is one of the most common food allergens in early childhood. In
      contrast to other food allergies, wheat-specific IgE correlates badly with
      clinical symptoms and relevant components have been identified mostly for wheat
      depended exercise-induced anaphylaxis. Moreover, a high percentage of patients
      present with immediate type symptoms but wheat-specific IgE cannot be detected
      with commercial available systems. OBJECTIVE: We addressed the question whether
      the IgE recognition pattern between wheat allergic (WA) and clinically tolerant
      (WT) children differs in order to identify individual proteins useful for
      component-resolved diagnostics. METHODS: Sera of 106 children with suspected
      wheat allergy, of whom 44 children had clinical relevant wheat allergy and 62
      were tolerant upon oral food challenge, were analyzed for wheat-specific IgE
      using the ImmunoCap system as well as immunoblots against water and salt soluble,
      and water-insoluble protein fractions. 40 randomly selected sera were analyzed
      for specific IgE to omega5-gliadin. RESULTS: Sixty-three percent of the WT and
      86% of the WA children were sensitized to wheat with >0.35 kUA /l in ImmunoCAP
      analysis. We could confirm the role of alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and omega-gliadins,
      and LMW glutenin subunits as major allergens and found also IgE binding to a
      broad spectrum of water- and salt-soluble protein bands. It is of great
      importance that wheat allergic and tolerant patients showed IgE binding to the
      same protein bands. WT and WA did not significantly differ in levels of omega5
      gliadin-specific IgE. CONCLUSIONS & CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Children with challenge
      proven clinical relevant food allergy and tolerant ones had a similar spectrum of
      IgE binding to the same protein bands. These findings imply that component
      resolved diagnostics might not be helpful in the diagnostic work-up of wheat
      allergy.

PMID- 26498270
TI  - To dry or not too dry: should we be more tolerant of stable subretinal fluid in
      patients receiving anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment for
      neovascular age-related macular degeneration?

PMID- 26498272
TI  - Printing Tablets with Fully Customizable Release Profiles for Personalized
      Medicine.
AB  - Personalizing the release profiles of drugs is important for different people
      with different medical and biological conditions. A technically simple and low
      cost method to fabricate fully customizable tablets that can deliver drugs with
      any type of release profile is described. The customization is intuitively
      straightforward: the desired profile can simply be "drawn" and printed by a 3D
      printer. 

PMID- 26498273
TI  - Caregiver Expressed Emotion and Psychiatric Symptoms in African-Americans with
      Schizophrenia: An Attempt to Understand the Paradoxical Relationship.
AB  - Expressed emotion (EE) is a family environmental construct that assesses how much
      criticism, hostility, and/or emotional over-involvement a family member expresses
      about a patient (Hooley, Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 2007, 3, 329).
      Having high levels of EE within the family environment has generally been
      associated with poorer patient outcomes for schizophrenia and a range of other
      disorders. Paradoxically, for African-American patients, high-EE may be
      associated with a better symptom course (Rosenfarb, Bellack, & Aziz, Journal of
      Abnormal Psychology, 2006, 115, 112). However, this finding is in need of
      additional support and, if confirmed, clarification. In line with previous
      research, using a sample of 30 patients with schizophrenia and their primary
      caregivers, we hypothesized that having a caregiver classified as low-EE would be
      associated with greater patient symptom severity. We also aimed to better
      understand why this pattern may exist by examining the content of interviews
      taken from the Five-Minute Speech Sample. Results supported study hypotheses. In
      line with Rosenfarb et al. (2006), having a low-EE caregiver was associated with
      greater symptom severity in African-American patients. A content analysis
      uncovered some interesting patterns that may help elucidate this finding. Results
      of this study suggest that attempts to lower high-EE in African Americans may, in
      fact, be counterproductive.

PMID- 26498274
TI  - Qualitative evaluation of a novel contingency management-related intervention for
      patients receiving supervised injectable opioid treatment.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate a novel contingency management (CM)-related intervention for
      people experiencing complex drug problems, thereby increasing understanding of CM
      implementation in real-world settings. Objectives are to provide new insights
      into (i) how context influences intervention delivery; (ii) aspects of
      intervention delivery that influence outcomes; and (iii) intervention outcomes.
      DESIGN: Qualitative realist evaluation of a novel CM-related intervention:
      conditional budgets (CB). SETTING: Supervised injectable opioid treatment (IOT)
      clinic in England (May 2014-March 2015). PARTICIPANTS: Twenty IOT clinic patients
      (14 men; six women); 10 IOT clinic staff (seven men; three women). MEASUREMENTS:
      Semi-structured interviews systematically coded relating to knowledge and views
      of the intervention, experiences of delivering/receiving the intervention, and
      effectiveness of the intervention. INTERVENTION: Personal budgets provided to
      patients who reduced their supervised IOT while demonstrating ongoing stability.
      FINDINGS: (i) Contextual factors influencing intervention delivery included
      patient motivation; clarity of intervention information; prior trust in the
      treatment system; patient and staff involvement in intervention design; stability
      of the treatment setting. (ii) Aspects of delivery influencing outcomes included
      transparency of the eligibility criteria, rules and operating processes; rule
      enforcement; continued verbal information about the intervention; speed of
      incentive processing and receipt. (iii) Reduced drug use was difficult to
      attribute to CBs, as patients who did well were those most motivated to change
      before the intervention started. Unintended outcomes were positive (improved
      patient psychological wellbeing, staff job satisfaction, staff/patient
      relationships) and negative (patient relapse, increased staff work-load, tensions
      in clinic relationships). CONCLUSIONS: A 'qualitative realist' evaluation of a
      contingency management intervention to help address complex substance use
      disorder problems suggests that the programmes need to have stakeholder input,
      implement consistent eligibility criteria, rules and processes and be introduced
      into stable treatment settings where relationships are trusting and patients and
      staff feel secure.

PMID- 26498275
TI  - Sacral neuromodulation for the treatment of neurogenic lower urinary tract
      dysfunction caused by multiple sclerosis: a single-centre prospective series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sacral neuromodulation is well established in the treatment of
      refractory, non-neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction, but its efficacy and
      safety in patients with lower urinary tract dysfunction of neurological origin is
      unclear. Only few case series have been reported for multiple sclerosis. We
      prospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of sacral neuromodulation in
      patients with multiple sclerosis. METHODS: Seventeen patients (13 women, 4 men)
      treated with sacral neuromodulation for refractory neurogenic lower urinary tract
      dysfunction caused by multiple sclerosis were prospectively enrolled (2007-2011).
      Patients had to have stable disease and confirmed neurogenic lower urinary tract
      dysfunction. Voiding variables, adverse events, and subjective satisfaction were
      assessed. RESULTS: Sixteen (94 %) patients had a positive test phase with a >70 %
      improvement. After implantation of the pulse generator (InterStim II), the
      improvement in voiding variables persisted. At 3 years, the median voided volume
      had improved significantly from 125 (range 0 to 350) to 265 ml (range 200 to 350)
      (p < 0.001), the post void residual from 170 (range 0 to 730) to 25 ml (range 0
      to 300) (p = 0.01), micturition frequency from 12 (range 6 to 20) to 7 (range 4
      to 12) (p = 0.003), and number of incontinence episodes from 3 (range 0 to 10) to
      0 (range 0 to 1) (p = 0.006). The median subjective degree of satisfaction was 80
      %. Only two patients developed lack of benefit. No major complications occurred.
      CONCLUSIONS: Chronic sacral neuromodulation promises to be an effective and safe
      treatment of refractory neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction in selected
      patients with multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 26498276
TI  - Monitoring the John Cunningham virus throughout natalizumab treatment in multiple
      sclerosis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) cases
      have arisen amongst multiple sclerosis patients treated with natalizumab. Our
      objective was to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the
      John Cunningham virus (JCV) infection which causes PML. METHODS: A study was made
      of (i) the quarterly JCV DNA levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells
      (PBMCs), serum and urine samples in 100 multiple sclerosis patients during their
      natalizumab treatment (3-39 months), (ii) the association between human leukocyte
      antigen (HLA) class II and the previous viral detection and (iii) the
      identification of the JCV variants in those patients suspected of having PML.
      RESULTS: (i) JCV DNA in PBMCs and/or serum was detected in 23% of our cohort.
      Patients with an intermittent JCV excretion in urine had a significant increase
      of the viral load and prevalence in this compartment during natalizumab
      treatment. (ii) The frequency of the DRB1*07/DQA1*02:01/DQB1*02:02 haplotype
      tended to be higher in patients with detectable versus undetectable JCV DNA in
      PBMCs (P(corrected) = 0.108). (iii) The variants in PBMCs and serum of the non
      PML patient matched the archetype. In the patient with non-fatal PML, the
      archetype and the same neurotropic variant in PBMCs, serum and cerebrospinal
      fluid was identified at the time PML was diagnosed, whereas in the patient with a
      worse PML prognosis, four neurotropic variants in the three previous compartments
      were found by the PML diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The detection of the neurotropic
      variant in blood during natalizumab treatment could be critical in the prevention
      of the development of severe PML, since this variant appears simultaneously with
      the clinical symptoms of PML and mutates quickly.

PMID- 26498277
TI  - Deep brain stimulation exacerbates hypokinetic dysarthria in a rat model of
      Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) follow the degeneration of
      dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Deep brain
      stimulation (DBS) treats some parkinsonian symptoms, such as tremor, rigidity,
      and bradykinesia, but may worsen certain medial motor symptoms, including
      hypokinetic dysarthria. The mechanisms by which DBS exacerbates dysarthria while
      improving other symptoms are unclear and difficult to study in human patients.
      This study proposes an animal model of DBS-exacerbated dysarthria. We use the
      unilateral, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of PD to test the hypothesis
      that DBS exacerbates quantifiable aspects of vocalization. Mating calls were
      recorded from sexually experienced male rats under healthy and parkinsonian
      conditions and during DBS of the subthalamic nucleus. Relative to healthy rats,
      parkinsonian animals made fewer calls with shorter and less complex
      vocalizations. In the parkinsonian rats, putatively therapeutic DBS further
      reduced call frequency, duration, and complexity. The individual utterances of
      parkinsonian rats spanned a greater bandwidth than those of healthy rats,
      potentially reducing the effectiveness of the vocal signal. This utterance
      bandwidth was further increased by DBS. We propose that the parkinsonism
      associated changes in call frequency, duration, complexity, and dynamic range
      combine to constitute a rat analog of parkinsonian dysarthria. Because DBS
      exacerbates the parkinsonism-associated changes in each of these metrics, the
      subthalamic stimulated 6-OHDA rat is a good model of DBS-induced hypokinetic
      dysarthria in PD. This model will help researchers examine how DBS alleviates
      many motor symptoms of PD while exacerbating parkinsonian speech deficits that
      can greatly diminish patient quality of life.

PMID- 26498278
TI  - Prognostic significance of FAM3C in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Family with sequence similarity 3, member C (FAM3C) has been
      identified as a novel regulator in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and
      metastatic progression. However, the role of FAM3C in esophageal squamous cell
      carcinoma (ESCC) remains unexplored. The purpose of present study is to
      illustrate the role of FAM3C in predicting outcomes of patients with ESCC.
      METHODS: FAM3C expression was measured in ESCC tissues and the matched adjacent
      nontumorous tissues by quantitative real-time RT-PCR and Western blot analysis.
      The relationship between FAM3C expression and prognosis of ESCC patients was
      further evaluated by univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Univariate
      and multivariate analyses of the prognostic factors were performed using Cox
      proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The FAM3C mRNA expression was remarkably
      upregulated in ESCC compared with their nontumor counterparts (P < 0.001). In
      addition, high expression of FAM3C was significantly associated with pT stage (P
      = 0.014) , pN stage (P = 0.026) and TNM stage (P = 0.003). Kaplan-Meier analysis
      showed that the 7-year overall survival rate in the group with high expression of
      FAM3C was poorer than that in low expression group (32.0 versus 70.9 %; P <
      0.001). Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that FAM3C was an
      independent risk factor for overall survival. Moreover, Stratified analysis
      revealed that FAM3C expression could differentiate the prognosis of patients in
      early clinical stage (TNM stage I-II). CONCLUSIONS: FAM3C expression was
      dramatically increased in ESCC and might serve as a valuable prognostic indicator
      for ESCC patients after surgery.

PMID- 26498279
TI  - Lessons learned from the ESPN/ERA-EDTA Registry.
AB  - End-stage renal disease (ESRD) in children is a medically challenging condition.
      Due to its rarity and special features, methodologically sound collaborative
      studies are required. In 2007, a new European registry of pediatric renal
      replacement therapy (RRT), the ESPN/ERA-EDTA Registry, was launched. In recent
      years, the Registry has provided comprehensive data on incidence, prevalence,
      patient characteristics, RRT modalities, and mortality in pediatric ESRD, along
      with relevant insights into cardiovascular risk, anemia, nutrition and growth,
      transplantation outcomes, and rare diseases. In this review, we describe the
      study design and structure underlying the ESPN/ERA-EDTA Registry, summarize the
      major research findings from more than 20 publications, and discuss current
      limitations and the future challenges to overcome.

PMID- 26498280
TI  - Impact of the highly active antiretroviral therapy era on the epidemiology of
      primary HIV-associated thrombocytopenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary HIV-associated thrombocytopenia (PHAT) typically improves
      with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART); however, cases continue to
      occur. Data comparing the epidemiology of PHAT between the pre-HAART and HAART
      eras are limited. We retrospectively examined the incidence of PHAT over 28 years
      in the US Military HIV Natural History Study (NHS) from 1986 to 2013. RESULTS:
      Subjects had a nadir platelet count <100 * 10(9)/l with no other identifiable
      cause. Time periods were categorized as pre-HAART (1986-1995), early HAART (1996
      2001), and later HAART (2002-2013). Incidence, demographic data, and CD4 count
      were compared across the three eras. A generalized estimating equations model was
      used to assess any association of platelet count and HIV viral load in cases
      diagnosed during the HAART eras. 218 participants met the case definition. 86.2 %
      of cases occurred prior to 2002. The incidence of PHAT per 1000 person-years of
      follow-up was 16.3, 4.6, and 1.9 during pre-HAART, early HAART and later HAART
      eras respectively. CD4 cell counts were significantly higher in the HAART eras at
      the time of thrombocytopenia (p < 0.001). Of patients diagnosed after 1996, 96.4
      % were viremic within six months preceding the platelet nadir and over half were
      antiretroviral naive. Viral load (per log10 copies/ml) inversely correlated with
      platelet count throughout the HAART eras (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence
      of PHAT has markedly decreased in the HAART era. However, viremic individuals,
      including those with healthy CD4 cell counts, may be at risk. Achieving viral
      suppression as early as possible may decrease the incidence further.

PMID- 26498281
TI  - A novel stem cell culture model of recurrent glioblastoma.
AB  - Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in
      adults with average disease relapse at 9 months and median survival rarely
      extending beyond 15 months. Brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs) have been implicated
      in not only initiating GBM but also conferring resistance to therapy. However, it
      is not clear whether the BTSC population that initiates tumor growth is also
      responsible for GBM recurrence. In this study, we have developed a novel in vitro
      treatment model to profile the evolution of primary treatment-naive GBM BTSCs
      through chemoradiotherapy. We report that our in vitro model enriched for a
      CD15+/CD133- BTSC population, mirroring the phenotype of BTSCs in recurrent GBM.
      We also show that in vitro treatment increased stem cell gene expression as well
      as self-renewal capacity of primary GBMs. In addition, the chemoradiotherapy
      refractory gene signature obtained from gene expression profiling identified a
      hyper-aggressive subtype of glioma. The delivery of in vitro chemoradiotherapy to
      primary GBM BTSCs models several aspects of recurrent GBM biology, and could be
      used as a discovery and drug-screening platform to uncover new biological drivers
      and therapeutic targets in GBM.

PMID- 26498283
TI  - Patterns of resource utilization and cost for postmenopausal women with hormone
      receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative advanced
      breast cancer in Europe.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Healthcare resource utilization in breast cancer varies by disease
      characteristics and treatment choices. However, lack of clarity in guidelines can
      result in varied interpretation and heterogeneous treatment management and costs.
      In Europe, the extent of this variability is unclear. Therefore, evaluation of
      chemotherapy use and costs versus hormone therapy across Europe is needed.
      METHODS: This retrospective chart review (N = 355) examined primarily direct
      costs for chemotherapy versus hormone therapy in postmenopausal women with
      hormone-receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2
      negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer across 5 European countries (France,
      Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Sweden). RESULTS: Total direct costs
      across the first 3 treatment lines were approximately ?10,000 to ?14,000 lower
      for an additional line of hormone therapy-based treatment versus switching to
      chemotherapy-based treatment. Direct cost difference between chemotherapy-based
      and hormone therapy-based regimens was approximately ?1900 to ?2500 per month.
      Chemotherapy-based regimens were associated with increased resource utilization
      (managing side effects; concomitant targeted therapy use; and increased
      frequencies of hospitalizations, provider visits, and monitoring tests). The
      proportion of patients taking sick leave doubled after switching from hormone
      therapy to chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest chemotherapy is
      associated with increased direct costs and potentially with increased indirect
      costs (lower productivity of working patients) versus hormone therapy in HR+,
      HER2- advanced breast cancer.

PMID- 26498282
TI  - Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 inhibits high-mobility   group box 1 and
      attenuates cardiac dysfunction post-myocardial   ischemia.
AB  - High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) triggers and amplifies inflammation cascade
      following ischemic injury, and its elevated levels are associated with adverse
      clinical outcomes in patients with myocardial infarction (MI). Angiotensin
      converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a key member of vasoprotective axis of the renin
      angiotensin system (RAS), regulates cardiovascular functions and exerts
      beneficial effects in cardiovascular disease. However, the association between
      HMGB1 and ACE2 has not been studied. We hypothesized that overexpression of ACE2
      provides cardioprotective effects against MI via inhibiting HMGB1 and
      inflammation. ACE2 knock-in (KI) mice and littermate wild-type (WT) controls were
      subjected to either sham or coronary artery ligation surgery to induce MI. Heart
      function was assessed 4 weeks after surgery using echocardiography and Millar
      catheterization. Tissues were collected for histology and analysis of the
      expression of HMGB1, RAS components, and inflammatory cytokines. ACE2 in the
      heart of the ACE2 KI mice was 58-fold higher than WT controls. ACE2-MI mice
      exhibited a remarkable preservation of cardiac function and reduction of infarct
      size in comparison to WT-MI mice. Notably, ACE2 overexpression significantly
      reduced the MI-induced increase in apoptosis, macrophage infiltration, and HMGB1
      and proinflammatory cytokine expression (TNF-alpha and IL-6). Moreover, in an in
      vitro study, ACE2 activation prevented the hypoxia-induced cell death and
      upregulation of HMGB1 in adult cardiomyocytes. This protective effect is
      correlated with downregulation of HMGB1 and downstream proinflammatory cascades,
      which could be useful for the development of novel treatment for ischemic heart
      disease.

PMID- 26498284
TI  - Donor-derived tuberculosis after solid organ transplantation in two patients and
      a staff member.
AB  - Because of global mobility and migration resulting in a growing diversity of the
      donor pool, the risk for donor-derived tuberculosis in solid organ transplant
      recipients becomes more and more relevant, even in countries with a low overall
      tuberculosis incidence. Here, we describe a case series of donor-derived
      tuberculosis in 2 of 3 solid organ transplant recipients and one medical staff
      member in Germany resulting in the death of one recipient. This case series
      highlights the relevance of this topic to clinicians. It advocates for a better
      communication between organ procurement organizations and transplant centers
      regarding donor information and transplant recipient outcome. Furthermore, it
      underpins the necessity for a standardized critical incident reporting system in
      the german transplant system to improve short- and long-term recipient's safety,
      health and survival. 

PMID- 26498285
TI  - Necrotizing fasciitis due to Serratia marcescens: case report and review of the
      literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Necrotizing fasciitis is a severe, life-threatening infection. 
      Serratia marcescens, a Gram-negative bacterium, is an extremely rare cause of
      necrotizing fasciitis. METHODS: A case of S. marcescens necrotizing fasciitis is
      described, and a comprehensive review of the literature (1966-2015) of
      monomicrobial cases due to this organism performed. RESULTS: We report the first
      case of S. marcescens necrotizing fasciitis in the setting of calciphylaxis
      associated with end-stage renal disease.  A comprehensive review of the
      literature of S. marcescens necrotizing fasciitis is provided to enhance the
      awareness of this increasingly recognized infection, and to provide a concise
      summary of risk factors, treatment, and outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Our case and review
      highlight the potential risk factors for S. marcescens necrotizing fasciitis,
      including underlying renal disease and open wounds, and demonstrate the emergence
      of this organism as a cause of severe, life-threatening soft tissue infections.

PMID- 26498287
TI  - The impact of an experimentally induced increase in arterial blood pressure on
      left ventricular twist mechanics.
AB  - The effects of isometric hand-grip exercise (IHG) coupled with a period of
      postexercise circulatory occlusion (OCC; known to sustain exercise-induced
      increases in blood pressure while facilitating a decrease in heart rate) on left
      ventricular (LV) twist mechanics was examined. Two-dimensional speckle-tracking
      echocardiography was used to assess LV apical and basal rotation and LV twist in
      19 healthy participants (23 +/- 2 years old) at rest, during 3 min of IHG
      (performed at 40% maximal voluntary contraction) and 3 min of OCC immediately
      following IHG. The IHG elicited significant (P < 0.001) increases in mean
      arterial pressure (rest, 91 +/- 1 mmHg; IHG, 122 +/- 2 mmHg) and heart rate
      (rest, 65 +/- 2 beats min(-1); IHG, 91 +/- 4 beats min(-1)). Mean arterial
      pressure remained elevated during OCC (116 +/- 2 mmHg; P < 0.001 versus rest),
      whereas heart rate returned to resting levels (68 +/- 3 beats min(-1); P = 0.159
      versus rest). Apical rotation decreased significantly (P < 0.01) by 10 +/- 5%
      during IHG and 21 +/- 4% during OCC, whereas basal rotation remained unchanged
      from rest. Left ventricular twist decreased from rest to IHG (12 +/- 5%; P =
      0.015) and OCC (21 +/- 4%; P = 0.001), whereas a decrease in LV untwist rate was
      observed only during OCC. An increase in blood pressure generated by IHG, and
      maintained by a period of OCC, impairs aspects of LV twist mechanics.
      Postexercise circulatory occlusion isolated the effect of the arterial blood
      pressure rise (from heart rate), magnifying the impairment of LV twist mechanics
      when compared with IHG, whilst also negatively impacting LV relaxation. We
      propose that a protocol using isometric exercise followed by circulatory
      occlusion provides a method for studying the effects of blood pressure changes on
      LV twist mechanics.

PMID- 26498286
TI  - Changes in global gene expression of Vibrio parahaemolyticus induced by cold- and
      heat-stress.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vibrio (V.) parahaemolyticus causes seafood-borne gastro-intestinal
      bacterial infections in humans worldwide. It is widely found in marine
      environments and is isolated frequently from seawater, estuarine waters,
      sediments and raw or insufficiently cooked seafood. Throughout the food chain, V.
      parahaemolyticus encounters different temperature conditions that might alter
      metabolism and pathogenicity of the bacterium. In this study, we performed gene
      expression profiling of V. parahaemolyticus RIMD 2210633 after exposure to 4, 15,
      20, 37 and 42  degrees C to describe the cold and heat shock response. METHODS:
      Gene expression profiles of V. parahaemolyticus RIMD 2210633 after exposure to 4,
      15, 20, 37 and 42  degrees C were investigated via microarray. Gene expression
      values and RT-qPCR experiments were compared by plotting the log2 values.
      Moreover, volcano plots of microarray data were calculated to visualize the
      distribution of differentially expressed genes at individual temperatures and to
      assess hybridization qualities and comparability of data. Finally, enriched terms
      were searched in annotations as well as functional-related gene categories using
      the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery. RESULTS:
      Analysis of 37  degrees C normalised transcriptomics data resulted in
      differential expression of 19 genes at 20  degrees C, 193 genes at 4  degrees C,
      625 genes at 42  degrees C and 638 genes at 15  degrees C. Thus, the largest
      number of significantly expressed genes was observed at 15 and 42  degrees C with
      13.3 and 13%, respectively. Genes of many functional categories were highly
      regulated even at lower temperatures. Virulence associated genes (tdh1, tdh2,
      toxR, toxS, vopC, T6SS-1, T6SS-2) remained mostly unaffected by heat or cold
      stress. CONCLUSION: Along with folding and temperature shock depending systems,
      an overall temperature-dependent regulation of expression could be shown.
      Particularly the energy metabolism was affected by changed temperatures. Whole
      genome gene expression studies of food related pathogens such as V.
      parahaemolyticus reveal how these pathogens react to stress impacts to predict
      its behaviour under conditions like storage and transport.

PMID- 26498288
TI  - Vertebrobasilar artery fenestration with moyamoya disease.

PMID- 26498289
TI  - Repeated sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation for treatment of
      chronic subjective tinnitus: a pilot randomized controlled trial.
AB  - Subjective tinnitus is an auditory phantom sensation characterized by the
      perception of sound in the absence of an identifiable external source. This
      distressing audiological symptom can severely affect the quality of life.
      Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive technique that
      can induce short-term relief in tinnitus in some patients. The purpose of this
      pilot double-blind randomized controlled trial was to investigate whether
      repeated application of anodal tDCS over left temporoparietal area could induce
      long-lasting relief in patients with chronic tinnitus. Twenty-two patients with
      chronic tinnitus for at least 6 months were randomly allocated into two groups
      and received five sessions of anodal (N = 11) or sham (N = 11) stimulation in
      five consecutive days. A current intensity of 2 mA for 20 min was used for anodal
      stimulation. Outcomes were assessed using Persian version of tinnitus handicap
      inventory (THI), loudness and distress visual analog scale (VAS) scores and
      clinical global impression (CGI) scale. The trial is registered at the Iranian
      Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) with the reference ID of IRCT2014082018871N1.
      No statistically significant difference was found between anodal and sham
      stimulation regarding either immediate or long-lasting effects over the 2 weeks
      follow-up period. Deterioration of symptoms and alteration in tinnitus
      characteristics were reported by a few patients. There were no significant long
      term beneficial effects following tDCS of the left temporoparietal area.

PMID- 26498291
TI  - The protective role of DJ-1 in ultraviolet-induced damage of human skin: DJ-1
      levels in the stratum corneum as an indicator of antioxidative defense.
AB  - DJ-1 is a multifunctional protein associated with Parkinson's disease and plays a
      significant role in protecting nerve cells from oxidative stress. DJ-1 is
      expressed in the skin, although its function there is unknown. In this study, we
      investigated DJ-1 function in keratinocytes. DJ-1 was induced by H2O2 exposure
      and UV irradiation in keratinocytes. DJ-1 knockdown with small interfering RNA
      (siRNA) increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)
      release after UVB irradiation, suggesting that DJ-1 reduces ROS and might protect
      skin cells from UV damage in vitro. To investigate the in vivo role of DJ-1 in
      the skin, we determined DJ-1 levels in human stratum corneum samples obtained by
      the tape-stripping method. DJ-1 levels in the stratum corneum (scDJ-1) correlated
      with total antioxidant capacity. We also examined the effect of scDJ-1 on changes
      in skin after UVB irradiation. DJ-1 was elevated in SC from the upper arm 1 to 2
      weeks after UVB irradiation. One day after UVB irradiation, L* (brightness) and
      a* (redness) values, indicators of skin color, were altered regardless of scDJ-1
      expression. However, these values recovered more quickly in subjects with high
      scDJ-1 expression than in those with low scDJ-1 expression. These data suggest
      that DJ-1 in skin plays a significant role in protection against UV radiation and
      oxidative stress, and that DJ-1 levels in the SC might be an indicator of
      antioxidative defense against UV-induced damage. 

PMID- 26498290
TI  - Immunoadsorber for specific apheresis of autoantibodies in the treatment of
      bullous pemphigoid.
AB  - Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering skin disease associated with
      autoantibodies against two hemidesmosomal proteins, BP180 (type XVII collagen)
      and BP230. As the pathogenic relevance of antibodies against the immunodominant
      NC16A domain of BP180 has been clearly demonstrated, specific removal of these
      antibodies should be a rational therapeutic approach. Here, we evaluated three
      recombinant forms of bacterially produced BP180 NC16A, a monomer, trimer, and
      tetramer, together with different matrices for their efficacy to specifically
      adsorb autoantibodies from BP plasma samples. An adsorber consisting of NC16A
      trimer coupled to NHS-activated Sepharose 4 Fast Flow revealed satisfying
      adsorption rates and a high specificity. The NC16A-trimer adsorber was
      regenerable and autoclavable. It has the potential to be used for specific
      immunoadsorption to treat severe and refractory BP and other pemphigoid diseases
      associated with BP180 NC16A reactivity. 

PMID- 26498292
TI  - Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollen allergen induces elevation of
      intracellular calcium in human keratinocytes and impairs epidermal barrier
      function of human skin ex vivo.
AB  - Cry j1 is the major peptide allergen of Japanese cedar (Sugi), Cryptomeria
      japonica. Since some allergens disrupt epidermal permeability barrier
      homeostasis, we hypothesized that Cry j1 might have a similar effect.
      Intracellular calcium level in cultured human keratinocytes was measured with a
      ratiometric fluorescent probe, Fura-2 AM. Application of Cry j1 significantly
      increased the intracellular calcium level of keratinocytes, and this increase was
      inhibited by trypsin inhibitor or a protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2)
      antagonist. We found that Cry j1 itself did not show protease activity, but
      application of Cry j1 to cultured keratinocytes induced a rapid (within 30 s) and
      transient increase of protease activity in the medium. This transient increase
      was blocked by trypsin inhibitor or PAR-2 antagonist. The effect of Cry j1 on
      transepidermal water loss (TEWL) of cultured human skin was measured in the
      presence and absence of a trypsin inhibitor and PAR-2 antagonist. Cry j1
      significantly impaired the barrier function of human skin ex vivo, and this
      action was blocked by co-application of trypsin inhibitor or PAR-2 antagonist.
      Our results suggested that interaction of Cry j1 with epidermal keratinocytes
      leads to the activation of PAR-2, which induces elevation of intracellular
      calcium and disruption of barrier function. Blocking the interaction of Cry j1
      with epidermal keratinocytes might ameliorate allergic reaction and prevent
      disruption of epidermal permeability barrier homeostasis. 

PMID- 26498293
TI  - Neuron anatomy structure reconstruction based on a sliding filter.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reconstruction of neuron anatomy structure is a challenging and
      important task in neuroscience. However, few algorithms can automatically
      reconstruct the full structure well without manual assistance, making it
      essential to develop new methods for this task. METHODS: This paper introduces a
      new pipeline for reconstructing neuron anatomy structure from 3-D microscopy
      image stacks. This pipeline is initialized with a set of seeds that were detected
      by our proposed Sliding Volume Filter (SVF), given a non-circular cross-section
      of a neuron cell. Then, an improved open curve snake model combined with a SVF
      external force is applied to trace the full skeleton of the neuron cell. A radius
      estimation method based on a 2D sliding band filter is developed to fit the real
      edge of the cross-section of the neuron cell. Finally, a surface reconstruction
      method based on non-parallel curve networks is used to generate the neuron cell
      surface to finish this pipeline. RESULTS: The proposed pipeline has been
      evaluated using publicly available datasets. The results show that the proposed
      method achieves promising results in some datasets from the DIgital
      reconstruction of Axonal and DEndritic Morphology (DIADEM) challenge and new
      BigNeuron project. CONCLUSION: The new pipeline works well in neuron tracing and
      reconstruction. It can achieve higher efficiency, stability and robustness in
      neuron skeleton tracing. Furthermore, the proposed radius estimation method and
      applied surface reconstruction method can obtain more accurate neuron anatomy
      structures.

PMID- 26498296
TI  - Erratum: CHEK2 1100DELC germline mutation: a frequency study in hereditary breast
      and colon cancer Brazilian families.
AB  - This corrects the article DOI: 10.1590/S0004-28032012000400008. 

PMID- 26498295
TI  - Excess mortality attributable to chronic kidney disease. Results from the PIRP
      project.
AB  - Although chronic kidney disease (CKD) has a high mortality rate, the estimation
      of CKD mortality burden in the general population may be challenging because CKD
      is not always listed as a cause of death in mortality registries. To overcome
      this limitation, relative survival was used to estimate the excess mortality
      attributable to CKD as compared to the general population using data of patients
      registered in the Prevenzione Insufficienza Renale Progressiva (PIRP) registry
      since 2005 and were followed up until 2013. Relative survival was the ratio of
      survival observed in CKD patients to the expected survival of the general
      population. Multivariate parametric survival analysis was used to identify
      factors predicting excess mortality. The relative survival of CKD patients at 9
      years was 0.708. Survival was significantly lower in CKD patients with
      cardiovascular comorbidities, proteinuria, diabetes, anemia and high phosphate
      levels and in advanced CKD stages, males, older patients and those who underwent
      dialysis. Relative survival is a viable method to determine mortality
      attributable to CKD. Study limitations are that patients are representative only
      of CKD patients followed by nephrologists and that our follow-up duration may be
      relatively short as a model for mortality. 

PMID- 26498294
TI  - Glomerular diseases and cancer: evaluation of underlying malignancy.
AB  - Onconephrology is an emerging medical subspecialty focused on the numerous
      interconnections between cancer and kidney diseases. Patient with malignancies
      commonly experience kidney problems including acute kidney injury, tumor lysis
      syndrome, fluid and electrolyte disorders and chronic kidney disease, often as a
      consequence of the anti-cancer treatment. Conversely, a number of
      glomerulopathies, tubulopathies and vascular renal diseases can early signal the
      presence of an underlying cancer. Furthermore, the administration of
      immunosuppressive drugs, especially cytotoxic drugs and calcineurin inhibitors,
      may strongly impair the immune response increasing the risk of cancer. The
      objective of this review article is to: (i) discuss paraneoplastic glomerular
      disease, (ii) review cancer as an adverse effect of immunosuppressive agents used
      to treat glomerulopathies, and (iii) in the absence of international approved
      guidelines, propose a screening program based on expert opinion aimed at guiding
      nephrologists to early detect malignancies during their clinical practice.

PMID- 26498297
TI  - alpha-Tocopherol/Gallic Acid Cooperation in the Protection of Galactolipids
      Against Ozone-Induced Oxidation.
AB  - The protective ability of alpha-tocopherol (TOH) and gallic acid (GA) acting
      simultaneously at the moment of oxidizer application was evaluated by
      determination of galactolipid layers' oxidation degree. Addition of GA resulted
      in a significant decrease of ozone-derived radicals shifting the threshold of
      lipid sensitivity by an amount approximately corresponding to the GA intake in
      bulk reaction with ozone. TOH presence in lipid layers results in a change of the
      role of GA which additionally may be involved in the reduction of tocopheroxyl
      radical formed during oxidation. This leads to a decrease in effectiveness of GA
      in diminishing the amount of ozone radicals. Such an effect was not observed for
      mixed layers containing galactolipid and pre-oxidized tocopherol where the ozone
      threshold level was associated with a stoichiometry of GA + O3 reaction. It was
      concluded that probably subsequent transformations of tocopheroxyl radical to
      less reactive forms prevent its reaction with GA the entire quantity of which is
      used for radicals scavenging. This result shows the role of time parameter in
      systems where substrates are engaged in various reactions taking place
      simultaneously. The inactivation of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical by
      studied antioxidants in homogeneous system confirmed observations made on the
      basis of lipid layer properties indicating their antagonistic action (at least at
      studied conditions). Formation of layers in post-oxidation situation did not
      depend whether tocopherol was oxidized during oxidation of lipid/tocopherol
      mixture or was introduced as pre-oxidized. This may be interpreted as indication
      that products of tocopherol oxidation may stabilize lipid layers.

PMID- 26498298
TI  - Maize hybrids derived from GM positive and negative segregant inbreds are
      compositionally equivalent: any observed differences are associated with
      conventional backcrossing practices.
AB  - In this study, we show that compositional differences in grain harvested from
      genetically modified (GM) maize hybrids derived from near-isogenic trait-positive
      and trait-negative segregant inbreds are more likely related to backcrossing
      practices than to the GM trait. To demonstrate this, four paired GM trait
      positive (NK603: herbicide tolerance) and trait-negative near-isogenic inbred
      male lines were generated. These were crossed with two different females
      (testers) to create a series of trait-positive and trait-negative hybrid
      variants. The hypothesis was, that compositional variation within the hybrid
      variants would reflect differences associated with backcrossing practices and
      provide context to any observed differences between GM and non-GM hybrids. The F1
      hybrids, as well as corresponding conventional comparator hybrids, were grown
      concurrently at four field sites across the United States during the 2013 season.
      Grain was harvested for compositional analysis; proximates (protein, starch, and
      oil), amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, tocopherols (alpha-, delta-, gamma-),
      beta-carotene, phytic acid, and raffinose were measured. Statistical analysis
      showed that within each hybrid tester set, there were very few significant (p <
      0.05) differences between the paired trait-positive and trait-negative hybrids or
      between the conventional comparators and the trait-positive or trait-negative
      hybrids. Assessments of the magnitudes of differences and variance component
      analysis highlighted that growing location, and the tester used in hybrid
      formation, had a markedly greater effect on composition than did the GM trait.
      Significantly, for each tester set, compositional differences within the trait
      positive and trait-negative hybrid variants were greater than differences between
      the GM and non-GM comparators. Overall, GM trait insertion is not intrinsically a
      meaningful contributor to compositional variation, and observed differences
      between GM and non-GM comparators typically reflect incidental changes associated
      with conventional breeding practices. These results contribute to ongoing
      discussions on the relevance of negative segregants as comparators in GM
      assessments.

PMID- 26498299
TI  - Violence in general practice: a gendered risk?
AB  - This article focuses on the extent to which violence against family doctors in
      England is experienced in gendered terms. It draws on data from two studies: a
      postal survey of 1,300 general practitioners (GPs) (62% response rate) and in
      depth interviews with 26 doctors who have been assaulted or threatened; and 13
      focus groups with primary care teams and 19 in-depth interviews with GPs who had
      expressed an interest in the topic of violence against doctors. Most GPs,
      regardless of gender, reported receiving verbal abuse over the last two years,
      often interpreted as a consequence of declining deference to professionals, while
      actual physical assaults and threats were much rarer and more likely to be
      reported by men. Overall, women GPs were much more likely to express concern
      about violence and to take personal precautions, although younger male GPs
      working in inner-city practices also had high levels of concern. The study shows
      how some aspects of family doctors' work has been organised on gendered lines and
      how these contribute to the differences in experience of violence. We suggest
      that the increasing proportion of women among family doctors may have
      implications for these, often tacit, organisational routines.

PMID- 26498302
TI  - Zygosity testing should be encouraged for all same-sex twins: FOR: A genetic test
      is essential to determine zygosity.

PMID- 26498303
TI  - Zygosity testing should be encouraged for all same-sex twins: AGAINST: Benefit of
      this knowledge should be weighed against potential pitfalls.

PMID- 26498304
TI  - The morbidly adherent placenta--a continuing diagnostic and management challenge.

PMID- 26498305
TI  - Authors' reply re: Stabilising the caesarean rate: which target population?

PMID- 26498306
TI  - Re: Stabilising the caesarean rate: which target population?

PMID- 26498307
TI  - Re: Pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence 15-23 years after first delivery: a
      cross-sectional study.

PMID- 26498308
TI  - Re: The Hayman uterine compression suture.

PMID- 26498309
TI  - Authors' reply re: Pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence 15-23 years after first
      delivery: a cross-sectional study.

PMID- 26498310
TI  - Re: The Hayman uterine compression suture.

PMID- 26498312
TI  - Corrigenda.

PMID- 26498311
TI  - A report from #BlueJC: 'Can induction of labour reduce risks to my baby?'.

PMID- 26498313
TI  - Blair Bell Research Society.

PMID- 26498314
TI  - Evidence Suggesting that the Buccal and Zygomatic Branches of the Facial Nerve
      May Contain Parasympathetic Secretomotor Fibers to the Parotid Gland by Means of
      Communications from the Auriculotemporal Nerve.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The auriculotemporal nerve is one of the peripheral nerves that
      communicates with the facial nerve. However, the function of these communications
      is poorly understood. Details of how these communications form and connect with
      each other are still unclear. In addition, a reliable anatomical landmark for
      locating these communications during surgery has not been sufficiently described.
      METHODS: Microdissection was performed on 20 lateral hemifaces of 10 soft
      embalmed cadavers to investigate facial-auriculotemporal nerve communications
      with emphasis on determining their function. The auriculotemporal nerve was
      identified in the retromandibular space and traced towards its terminations. The
      communicating branches were followed and the anatomical relationships to
      surrounding structures observed. RESULTS: The auriculotemporal nerve is suspended
      above the maxillary artery in the dense retromandibular fascia behind the
      mandibular ramus. It forms a knot and fans out, providing multiple branches in
      all directions in the sagittal plane. Inferiorly, it connects the maxillary
      periarterial plexus, while minute branches supply the temporomandibular joint
      anteriorly. The larger branches mainly communicate with the branches of the
      temporofacial division of the facial nerve, and the auricular branches enter the
      fascia of the auricular cartilage posteriorly. The temporal branches and
      occasionally the zygomatic branches arise superiorly to distribute within the
      temporoparietal fascia. The auriculotemporal nerve forms the parotid
      retromandibular plexus through two types of communication. It sends one to three
      branches to join the zygomatic and buccal branches of the facial nerve at the
      branching area of the temporofacial division. It also communicates with the
      periarterial plexus of the superficial temporal and maxillary arteries. This
      plexus continues anteriorly along the branches of the facial nerve and the
      periarterial plexus of the transverse facial artery as the parotid periductal
      autonomic plexus, supplying the branches of the parotid duct within the loop of
      the two main divisions of the parotid gland. CONCLUSION: A single cutaneous
      zygomatic branch arising from the auriculotemporal nerve in some specimens, the
      intraparotid communications with the zygomatic and the buccal trunks of the
      facial nerve, the retromandibular communications with the superficial temporal
      maxillary periarterial plexuses, and the periductal autonomic plexus between the
      loop of the two main facial divisions lead to the suggestion that these
      communications of the auriculotemporal nerve convey the secretomotor to the
      zygomatic and buccal branches of the facial nerve. NO LEVEL ASSIGNED: This
      journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each submission to
      which Evidence-Based Medicine rankings are applicable. This excludes Review
      Articles, Book Reviews, and manuscripts that concern Basic Science, Animal
      Studies, Cadaver Studies, and Experimental Studies. For a full description of
      these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or
      the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

PMID- 26498315
TI  - Prohibitin promotes apoptosis of promyelocytic leukemia induced by arsenic
      sulfide.
AB  - Arsenic sulfide (As4S4), an oral form of arsenic agent, has been shown to have
      similar efficacy and safety to intravenous arsenic trioxide in the treatment of
      acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). The aim of the present study was to identify
      proteins modulated by As4S4 and to determine their involvement in the apoptotic
      pathway. We used comparative proteomic analysis to screen and identify the
      proteins that were differentially expressed with As4S4 treatment. Prohibitin
      (PHB) was selected for its diverse role and its increased expression in the cells
      treated with As4S4. To examine whether PHB play a functional role, two clones of
      PHB-knockdown and PHB-overexpression were generated by transfection of NB4-R1
      with vectors containing PHB gene sequences. In comparison with parental NB4-R1
      cells, PHB overexpression showed an increase in baseline apoptosis and an
      enhanced response in As4S4-induced apoptosis. PML-RARalpha fusion protein was
      found to be reduced with PHB-overexpression, and following As4S4 treatment, a
      greater reduction of promyelocytic leukemia-retinoic acid receptor-alpha (PML
      RARalpha) fusion protein was seen in PHB-overexpression than that in parental
      cells. Consistently, PHB knockdown presented with a significant reduction in
      As4S4-induced apoptosis and a lesser degree of PML-RARalpha degradation. The
      results indicate the antitumor activity of PHB in promoting apoptosis of APL
      cells.

PMID- 26498316
TI  - Alcohol, drug and other prior crimes and risk of arrest in handgun purchasers:
      protocol for a controlled observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Alcohol abuse is common in the USA and is a well
      established risk factor for violence. Other drug use and criminal activity are
      risk factors as well and frequently occur together with alcohol abuse. Firearm
      ownership is also common; there are >50 million firearm owners in the USA. This
      study assesses the relationships between alcohol and drug abuse and future
      violence among firearm owners, which no prior research has done. DESIGN AND STUDY
      POPULATION: This records-based retrospective cohort study will involve all
      persons who legally purchased handguns in California in 2001-approximately 116
      000 individuals-with follow-up through the end of 2013. METHODS: The principal
      exposures include prior convictions for alcohol-related and drug-related
      offenses. The primary outcome measure is an arrest following handgun purchase for
      a violent Crime Index offense: homicide, rape, robbery or aggravated assault.
      Subjects will be considered at risk for outcome events for only as long as their
      residence in California can be established independently of outcome events.
      Covariates include individual characteristics (eg, age, sex, criminal history,
      firearm purchase history) and community characteristics (eg, demographics,
      socioeconomic measures, firearm ownership and alcohol outlet density). We will
      employ survival analytic methods, expressing effects as HRs. DISCUSSION: The
      results of this large-scale study are likely to be generalisable and to have
      important implications for violence prevention policies and programmes.

PMID- 26498317
TI  - Down-regulation of expression of retinoid acid-related orphan receptor C (RORC)
      in systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - CONTEXT: Retinoic acid-related orphan receptor C (RORC), the key factor
      orchestrating the transcription of genes encoding interleukin 17, plays a
      critical role in the regulation of inflammatory responses. OBJECTIVE: The
      objective of this study was to analyze the expression of RORC in the peripheral
      blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) for a better
      understanding of the pathogenesis of SLE especially in relation to disease
      activity and clinical and biochemical findings. METHODS: The study included 24
      patients with SLE and a control group of 18 healthy gender- and age-matched
      individuals. Evaluation of the level of expression of RORC mRNA was performed by
      real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The results showed that patients
      with SLE had lower RORC gene expression levels compared with healthy subjects
      that were not correlated with disease activity. The down-regulation of RORC was
      significantly lower in patients with lupus nephritis in remission than active
      lupus nephritis and nonrenal patients. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that
      RORC plays a significant role in the dysregulated immune response associated with
      SLE. Deciphering the intricate regulatory network and the target genes of RORC
      will help unravel new specific treatments for SLE.

PMID- 26498318
TI  - Psychological maladjustment of Asian and African peacekeepers in Liberia and its
      related factors.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate the maladjustment of Asian (Bangladeshi,
      Pakistani) and African (Nigerian, Namibian, Ghanaian) peacekeepers and its major
      influence factors. By random cluster sampling, 300 Asian peacekeepers and 271
      African peacekeepers were administered the military psychological maladjustment
      scale (MPMS) and risk factors questionnaire. Investigation at Day 7 and Day 120
      into the peacekeeping deployment period indicated that MPMS total score and
      factor scores of the Asian peacekeepers were significantly lower than those of
      the African peacekeepers (p < .01). The total score and each factor score of MPMS
      of the Asian peacekeepers significantly decreased (p < .01); for the African
      peacekeepers, only the factor score of emotional disorder of MPMS significantly
      decreased (p < .05). Stepwise regression analysis showed that the education
      duration was the influence factor for the emotional disorder factor score in the
      Asian peacekeepers, and the two factors were positively correlated. Age, military
      service duration, education duration and marital status were the major influence
      factors for the MPMS factors of the African peacekeepers, among which age was
      negatively correlated with the total score and each factor score, and military
      service duration, education duration and marital status were positively related.
      We conclude that the Asian peacekeepers are more adaptable and resilient than the
      African peacekeepers. Education duration was the major influence factor for
      Emotional Disorder in the Asian peacekeepers. The major influence factors for
      maladjustment in the African peacekeepers were age, military service duration,
      education duration and marital status.

PMID- 26498319
TI  - Printable Ultrathin Metal Oxide Semiconductor-Based Conformal Biosensors.
AB  - Conformal bioelectronics enable wearable, noninvasive, and health-monitoring
      platforms. We demonstrate a simple and straightforward method for producing thin,
      sensitive In2O3-based conformal biosensors based on field-effect transistors
      using facile solution-based processing. One-step coating via aqueous In2O3
      solution resulted in ultrathin (3.5 nm), high-density, uniform films over large
      areas. Conformal In2O3-based biosensors on ultrathin polyimide films displayed
      good device performance, low mechanical stress, and highly conformal contact
      determined using polydimethylsiloxane artificial skin having complex curvilinear
      surfaces or an artificial eye. Immobilized In2O3 field-effect transistors with
      self-assembled monolayers of NH2-terminated silanes functioned as pH sensors.
      Functionalization with glucose oxidase enabled d-glucose detection at
      physiologically relevant levels. The conformal ultrathin field-effect transistor
      biosensors developed here offer new opportunities for future wearable human
      technologies. 

PMID- 26498320
TI  - Phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway is involved in pingyangmycin-induced growth
      inhibition, apoptosis and reduction of invasive potential in EOMA mouse
      hemangioendothelioma cells.
AB  - Pingyangmycin (PYM), a glycopeptide antibiotic, has been recommended as a stand
      treatment for hemangioma. However, the underlying mechanisms of its anti-tumor
      effects have remained elusive. The purpose of the present study was to explore
      the effects of PYM on the biological behavior of the EOMA mouse
      hemangioendothelioma cell line and investigate the possible mechanisms. The
      effects of PYM on EOMA cell viability were determined by an MTT assay, apoptosis
      was evaluated by Annexin V/propidium iodide staining and flow cytometric
      analysis, and cell invasion ability was determined using a Transwell invasion
      assay. In order to investigate the underlying mechanism of action of PYM, the
      expression of angiogenic signaling proteins was determined by western blot
      analysis. PYM treatment (0.5-500 ug/ml) inhibited cell growth in a time- and dose
      dependent manner. PYM at 100 ug/ml significantly induced apoptosis and reduced
      the invasive ability of EOMA cells. Effects of PYM on cell viability, apoptosis
      and invasion ability were completely blocked by co-treatment with
      phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activator insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).
      Furthermore, treatment with PYM reduced the expression of PI3K and phosphorylated
      Akt. In conclusion, the present study indicated that the PI3K/Akt pathway is
      likely to be involved in the anti-cancer effects of PYM on EOMA cells. 

PMID- 26498321
TI  - Acidithiobacillus ferriphilus sp. nov., a facultatively anaerobic iron- and
      sulfur-metabolizing extreme acidophile.
AB  - The genus Acidithiobacillus includes three species that conserve energy from the
      oxidation of ferrous iron, as well as reduced sulfur, to support their growth.
      Previous work, based on multi-locus sequence analysis, identified a fourth group
      of iron- and sulfur-oxidizing acidithiobacilli as a potential distinct species.
      Eleven strains of 'Group IV' acidithiobacilli, isolated from different global
      locations, have been studied. These were all shown to be obligate
      chemolithotrophs, growing aerobically by coupling the oxidation of ferrous iron
      or reduced sulfur (but not hydrogen) to molecular oxygen, or anaerobically by the
      oxidation of reduced sulfur coupled to ferric iron reduction. All strains were
      mesophilic, although some were also psychrotolerant. Strain variation was also
      noted in terms of tolerance to extremely low pH and to elevated concentrations of
      transition metals. One strain was noted to display far greater tolerance to
      chloride than reported for other iron-oxidizing acidithiobacilli. All of the
      strains were able to catalyse the oxidative dissolution of pyrite and, on the
      basis of some of the combined traits of some of the strains examined, it is
      proposed that these may have niche roles in commercial mineral bioprocessing
      operations, such as for low temperature bioleaching of polysulfide ores in
      brackish waters. The name Acidithiobacillus ferriphilus sp. nov. is proposed to
      accommodate the strains described, with the type strain being M20T ( = DSM
      100412T = JCM 30830T). 

PMID- 26498322
TI  - Genetic Transmission of Disease: A Legal Harm?
AB  - This paper considers whether existing law could potentially be used to
      criminalize the transmission of genetic disease. The paper argues that even if an
      offence could be made out, the criminal law should not be involved in this
      context for many reasons, including the need to protect reproductive liberty and
      pregnant women's rights. The paper also examines whether there might be scope for
      civil claims between reproductive partners for a 'failure to warn' of potential
      genetic harm and argues there are strong policy grounds for resisting such
      claims. If such a duty were to exist, there might, in the future, be scope for a
      child to bring a claim under the Congenital Disabilities (Civil Liability Act)
      1976. Such a claim could be for the failure by the child's father to warn her
      mother, which in turn led to the loss of opportunity to have treatment in utero
      which could have prevented the disability. It is suggested that the same
      arguments which supported granting maternal immunity under the Act would also
      support paternal immunity and that, therefore the issue of the lack of paternal
      immunity under the Act should be revisited. 

PMID- 26498323
TI  - Achieving Global Health and Justice: Practical and Philosophical Challenges.

PMID- 26498324
TI  - Temporal Trends of Cardiac Chambers Function with Trastuzumab in Human Epidermal
      Growth Factor Receptor II-Positive Breast Cancer Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Trastuzumab has substantially improved overall survival and reduced
      the risk of disease recurrence in patients with human epidermal growth factor
      receptor type II (HER-II)-positive breast cancer. However, this benefit may be at
      the increased risk of cardiotoxicity. We aimed to explore the early subclinical
      left and right ventricular as well as atrial dysfunction, in trastuzumab-treated
      patients with HER-II-positive breast cancer, using velocity vector imaging.
      METHODS: Echocardiography images were acquired in 50 patients with HER-II
      positive breast cancer undergoing trastuzumab therapy. All patients had baseline
      and 3-6 months and 12-15 months of follow-up echocardiograms after initiation of
      trastuzumab therapy. Subendocardial borders of all the cardiac chambers were
      traced from the apical views to obtain volumetric and deformation indices.
      RESULTS: Mean age was 60 +/- 13 years. Left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction as
      well as conventional indices of right ventricular (RV) function did not change
      with trastuzumab. The RV peak systolic global longitudinal strain (GLepsilon)
      significantly decreased (-24.53 +/- 6.03 vs. -21.28 +/- 5.11 vs. -21.84 +/- 5.15,
      baseline vs. first and second follow-ups, P = 0.01). LV peak systolic GLepsilon
      was reduced by 1.19 at early follow-up (P < 0.05). Left atrial reservoir and
      booster pump functions as well as right atrial reservoir function were reduced
      through follow-up as well. CONCLUSIONS: The RV exhibited greater change in strain
      after trastuzumab treatment when compared to the LV. Atria function was reduced
      by trastuzumab as well. The repercussion of these findings and their potential
      implication will warrant further study.

PMID- 26498325
TI  - Synthetic pathway optimization for improved 1,2,4-butanetriol production.
AB  - 1,2,4-Butanetriol (BT) is an important non-natural chemical with a variety of
      industrial applications. Identifying the bottlenecks for BT biosynthesis is
      expected to contribute to improving the efficiency of this process. In this work,
      we first constructed a prototype strain for BT production by assembling a four
      step synthetic pathway and disrupting the competing pathways for xylose in
      Escherichia coli BW25113. Using this prototype strain, we conducted systematic
      fine-tuning of the pathway enzyme expression level to identify the potential
      bottlenecks and optimize the BT biosynthesis. Production conditions were also
      optimized by exploring the effects of temperature, pH and cell density on BT
      titer. BT production was increased by 4.3-fold from the prototype strain,
      achieved a final titer of 1.58 g/L with a yield of 7.9% after 72-h
      biotransformation.

PMID- 26498326
TI  - Nucleosome alterations caused by mutations at modifiable histone residues in
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - Nucleosome organization exhibits dynamic properties depending on the cell state
      and environment. Histone proteins, fundamental components of nucleosomes, are
      subject to chemical modifications on particular residues. We examined the effect
      of substituting modifiable residues of four core histones with the non-modifiable
      residue alanine on nucleosome dynamics. We mapped the genome-wide nucleosomes in
      22 histone mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and compared the nucleosome
      alterations relative to the wild-type strain. Our results indicated that
      different types of histone mutation resulted in different phenotypes and a
      distinct reorganization of nucleosomes. Nucleosome occupancy was altered at
      telomeres, but not at centromeres. The first nucleosomes upstream (-1) and
      downstream (+1) of the transcription start site (TSS) were more dynamic than
      other nucleosomes. Mutations in histones affected the nucleosome array downstream
      of the TSS. Highly expressed genes, such as ribosome genes and genes involved in
      glycolysis, showed increased nucleosome occupancy in many types of histone
      mutant. In particular, the H3K56A mutant exhibited a high percentage of dynamic
      genomic regions, decreased nucleosome occupancy at telomeres, increased occupancy
      at the +1 and -1 nucleosomes, and a slow growth phenotype under stress
      conditions. Our findings provide insight into the influence of histone mutations
      on nucleosome dynamics. 

PMID- 26498327
TI  - Modeling and verification of process parameters for the production of tannase by
      Aspergillus oryzae under submerged fermentation using agro-wastes.
AB  - Tannase production by Aspergillus oryzae using various agro-wastes as substrates
      by submerged fermentation was studied in this research. The microbe was isolated
      from degrading corn kernel obtained from the corn fields at Tiruchengode, India.
      The microbial identification was done using 18S rRNA gene analysis. The agro
      wastes chosen for the study were pomegranate rind, Cassia auriculata flower,
      black gram husk, and tea dust. The process parameters chosen for optimization
      study were substrate concentration, pH, temperature, and incubation period.
      During one variable at a time optimization, the pomegranate rind extract produced
      maximum tannase activity of 138.12 IU/mL and it was chosen as the best substrate
      for further experiments. The quadratic model was found to be the effective model
      for prediction of tannase production by A. oryzae. The optimized conditions
      predicted by response surface methodology (RSM) with genetic algorithm (GA) were
      1.996% substrate concentration, pH of 4.89, temperature of 34.91  degrees C, and
      an incubation time of 70.65 H with maximum tannase activity of 138.363 IU/mL. The
      confirmatory experiment under optimized conditions showed tannase activity of
      139.22 IU/mL. Hence, RSM-GA pair was successfully used in this study to optimize
      the process parameters required for the production of tannase using pomegranate
      rind.

PMID- 26498328
TI  - Assessing the influence of biofilm surface roughness on mass transfer by
      combining optical coherence tomography and two-dimensional modeling.
AB  - Imaging and modeling are two major approaches in biofilm research to understand
      the physical and biochemical processes involved in biofilm development. However,
      they are often used separately. In this study we combined these two approaches to
      investigate substrate mass transfer and mass flux. Cross-sectional biofilm images
      were acquired by means of optical coherence tomography (OCT) for biofilms grown
      on carriers. A 2D biofilm model was developed incorporating OCT images as well as
      a simplified biofilm geometry serving as structural templates. The model
      incorporated fluid flow, substrate transfer and biochemical conversion of
      substrates and simulated the hydrodynamics surrounding the biofilm structure as
      well as the substrate distribution. The method allowed detailed analysis of the
      hydrodynamics and mass transfer characteristics at the micro-scale. Biofilm
      activity with respect to substrate fluxes was compared among different
      combinations of flow, substrate availability and biomass density. The combined
      approach revealed that higher substrate fluxes at heterogeneous biofilm surface
      under two conditions: pure diffusion and when high flow velocity along the
      biofilms surface renders the whole liquid-biofilm interface to be highly active.
      In-between the two conditions the substrate fluxes across the surface of smooth
      biofilm geometry were higher than that of the heterogeneous biofilms.

PMID- 26498329
TI  - Assessment of Serum Trace Elements in Diarrheic Yaks (Bos grunniens) in Hongyuan,
      China.
AB  - Diarrhea is one of the main causes of animal deaths especially in neonatal
      calves. The objective of this study was to investigate the blood serum for cobalt
      (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), Molybdenum (Mo),
      selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) concentrations in yak serum samples by inductively
      coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) from 35 yaks consisting of 10 healthy
      and 25 diarrheic ones. Our observations indicated that the concentrations of Mn,
      Zn, and Fe in yak affected with diarrhea had statistically significant reduced
      levels as compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The mean concentration of Cu
      in blood serum of diarrheic yaks was found significantly higher than the normal
      ones (P < 0.05). The Mn and Zn in the serum of diarrheic groups were observed
      significantly different (P < 0.05) with different ages. These findings can
      provide for some valuable information for the investigation on relationship
      between trace elements in the serum of normal and diarrheic yaks. 

PMID- 26498330
TI  - Interactions of genetic variants reveal inverse modulation patterns of dopamine
      system on brain gray matter volume and resting-state functional connectivity in
      healthy young adults.
AB  - Different genotypic combinations of COMT and DRD2 can generate multiple subgroups
      with different levels of dopamine signaling. Its modulations on brain properties
      can be investigated by analyzing the combined gene effects of COMT and DRD2.
      However, the inherent association between modulation patterns of the dopamine
      system on structural and functional properties of the brain remains unknown. In
      294 healthy young adults, we investigated both additive and non-additive
      interactions of COMT and DRD2 on gray matter volume (GMV) and resting-state
      functional connectivity (rsFC) using a voxel-based analysis. We found a
      significant non-additive COMT * DRD2 interaction in the right dorsal anterior
      cingulate cortex (dACC), exhibiting an inverted U-shape modulation by dopamine
      signaling. We also found a significant non-additive COMT * DRD2 interaction in
      the rsFC between the right dACC and precuneus, displaying a U-shape modulation by
      dopamine signaling. Moreover, this rsFC was negatively correlated with the GMV of
      the right dACC. Although the additive interaction did not pass corrections for
      multiple comparisons, we also found a trend towards an inverse modulation pattern
      and a negative correlation between the GMV and rsFC of the right inferior frontal
      gyrus. No genotypic differences were detected in any assessments of the
      cognition, mood and personality. These findings suggest that healthy young adults
      without optimal dopamine signaling may maintain their normal behavioral
      performance via a functional compensatory mechanism in response to structural
      deficit due to genetic variation.

PMID- 26498331
TI  - [Positive impact on the Expanded Program on Immunization when sending call-back
      SMS  through a Computerized Immunization Register, Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina
      Faso)].
AB  - The impact of a Computerized Immunization Register (CIR) on Expanded Program on
      Immunization (EPI), with sending SMS to parents before immunization sessions, has
      never been studied in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study is to
      measure EPI quickness and completeness of vaccinations after sending call-back
      SMS to parents through CIR put in place in a health center. In a health center,
      chosen at random (Colma 1) in the city of Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, West
      Africa, mothers, at first EPI session, if they had a mobile phone available at
      hand or in her surrounding, were randomized for receiving, or not, a call-back
      SMS before following EPI sessions, after child registration on a Francophone CIR
      (Siloxane's Intervax (c)). Mothers, which were sent SMS and did not correctly
      followed sessions were asked through mobile phone why their child was late for
      EPI. 523 newborns were included in the study, with 253 whose parents were sent
      SMS, and 268 being informed of sessions only by ordinary methods. At second EPI
      session at 2 months of age, there was a statistical significant increase of
      coverage for children whose parents received SMS (p<0.001). Quickness to come
      also to this session was significantly shorter when parents received SMS
      (p=0.03). At third EPI session at 3 months of age, attendance to EPI for children
      whose parents were sent SMS was significantly better (p<0.001). Quickness to come
      to this session was shorter for children with SMS (p=0.02). At fourth EPI session
      at 4 months of age, attendance for children with SMS was significantly better for
      children whose parents were sent SMS (p<0.001). Quickness to come to this session
      was better but not significantly different (p=0.49). Out of 101 children
      registered as late for EPI sessions in Colma 1 CIR, even with call-back SMS, 19
      (19%) parents could not be reached on the telephone. 31/82 (38%) mothers had
      shifted for EPI to a more proximate vaccination center (Colma 2), and 5 (6%) to
      private or civil servants clinic. 14/82 (17%) mothers had been travelling far
      from health center. Ten (12%) admitted neglect of EPI sessions. Two (2%) children
      had deceased, and one mother did not come back to Colma 1 after her child's AEFI.
      One child has been dismissed two times of vaccination following recommendation
      not to open a measles multi-dose vial for a single child, and did not come back.
      Of 523 children registered in CIR, 77 (14.7%) could not be found in the paper
      registers of Colma 1. Quickness and completeness for EPI is increased by sending
      SMS with help of CIR. An official number should be given for each child
      registered in CIR, consulted by health staff admitting children in urgency,
      allowing EPI vaccinations completion. With CIR safeguards, CIR should replace
      paper registers and should be used to send EPI reports by internet at central
      levels, helping MOH coverage determination and MAPI surveillance. The fall of
      coverage due to restriction policy not to open a multidose vial for a single
      child is low. Health staff should institute telephone call-back for badly
      immunized children registered on CIR and incorporate in it, with SMS call-back,
      pregnant women, to better complete prenatal sessions and tetanus vaccination.

PMID- 26498332
TI  - Resveratrol ameliorates hepatic steatosis and inflammation in methionine/choline
      deficient diet-induced steatohepatitis through regulating autophagy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the leading causes of
      chronic liver disease that can progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and
      eventually hepatocellular carcinoma. Resveratrol, a naturally occurring
      phytoalexin, is believed to have therapeutic effects on hepatic steatosis.
      However, the effect of resveratrol on NASH and the underlying mechanism is not
      fully illustrated. In the present study, we aimed to exam the effect of
      resveratrol on methionine/choline-deficient (MCD) diet or medium-induced hepatic
      steatosis, oxidation and inflammation, and to explore the possible mechanism.
      METHODS: C57BL/6 mice and AML12 cells were treated with MCD alone or in
      combination with different concentrations of resveratrol (100 mg/kg/day or 250
      mg/kg/day for mice and 25 MUmol/L, 50 MUmol/L, or 100 MUmol/L for cells). Levels
      of aminotransferases (ALT), interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta), IL-6, and tumor
      necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were measured, concentrations of triglyceride
      (TG) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs) were determined, and
      expressions of proteins involved in autophagy were analyzed. RESULTS: The results
      indicate that MCD diet or medium induced NASH in mouse and AML12 cell, which was
      confirmed by the elevated levels of TG, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, ALT and TBARS
      in mice serum or cell culture medium. Resveratrol administration slowed down NASH
      progression, decreased the levels of ALT, TG, TBARS, IL-1beta, IL-6,
      downregulated mRNA expressions of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, and regulated the
      expressions of proteins involved in autophagy, both in vitro and in vivo.
      However, an autophagical inhibitor significantly impaired the protective role of
      resveratrol on liver injury and inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: Resveratrol can
      attenuate hepatic steatosis and inflammation in MCD-induced NASH by regulating
      autophagy. Thus, resveratrol may be a promising agent for inhibiting lipid
      accumulation and inflammatory processes associated with NASH.

PMID- 26498333
TI  - Effects of recombinant lipoxygenase on the rheological properties of dough and
      the quality of noodles.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effects of purified recombinant lipoxygenase (ana-rLOX) on the
      rheological properties of dough and the quality of noodles made from wheat flour
      with low protein content (Yanmai 15) were studied. RESULTS: The addition of ana
      rLOX increased dough stability time, decreased the degree of softening within 12
      min, enhanced the resistance to extension, and increased the extensibility with
      135 min of resting time. The mechanical spectra of the dough showed an increase
      in both storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (G") with increasing ana-rLOX
      levels. The L(*) values of the noodle sheets increased by 2.34 compared with the
      control after storing for 1 h at room temperature. The textural parameters of
      noodles improved after ana-rLOX addition, including hardness, gumminess,
      chewiness and springiness. The wheat flour treated with the ana-rLOX had a higher
      cooking yield and lower cooking loss for the resulting noodles. The scanning
      electron microscopy results revealed that gluten was formed in the noodle samples
      that were treated with ana-rLOX. CONCLUSION: In this study, ana-rLOX was applied
      to noodles during the noodle-making process, and both dough rheological
      characteristics and noodle quality were improved. (c) 2015 Society of Chemical
      Industry.

PMID- 26498334
TI  - Tale of a hairy tail: Rapunzel Syndrome.

PMID- 26498337
TI  - Evaluation of a home treatment program for cold hypersensitivity using a
      classical conditioning procedure in patients with hand and arm injuries.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Case series. INTRODUCTION: A home treatment program using a
      classical conditioning procedure to decrease cold hypersensitivity has potential
      to reduce symptoms. PURPOSE: To evaluate a home treatment program for cold
      hypersensitivity using a classical conditioning procedure in patients who are
      cold hypersensitive after hand and arm injuries. METHODS: A series of 22 patients
      followed a classical conditioning procedure consisting of exposing the body to
      cold outdoor temperatures and immersing the hands in warm water, every other day,
      for five weeks. The McCabe Cold Sensitivity Severity scale (CSS) was used to
      measure cold hypersensitivity twice before treatment, at four weeks, and at one
      year after treatment; Likert scales was used for the patients ratings of
      improvements. A cold stress test was performed to evaluate rewarming capacity in
      injured fingers. RESULTS: From the 20 patients, who returned questionnaires at
      all assessment points, 9 reported a small and three reported a moderate
      improvement in cold hypersensitivity after treatment. There was a trend toward
      improvement in the CSS (median 36; interquartile range--19 to 60) and in the
      rewarming pattern of fingers that were initially slow to rewarm. The improvements
      were sustained or increased at one-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: These preliminary
      results suggest that the classical conditioning procedure to treat cold
      hypersensitivity has potential and should be further explored in a trial with
      more rigorous design.

PMID- 26498335
TI  - Prognostic value of cardiac biomarkers in the risk stratification of syncope: a
      systematic review.
AB  - The role of cardiac biomarkers in risk stratification of syncope is unclear. We
      undertook a systematic review to assess their predictive value for short-term
      major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). We conducted a systematic review
      using MEDLINE, EMBASE, DARE and Cochrane databases from inception to July 2014.
      We included studies involving adult syncope patients that evaluated cardiac
      biomarker levels for risk stratification during acute management and excluded
      case reports, reviews and studies involving children. Primary outcome (MACE)
      included death, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, myocardial infarction (MI),
      structural heart disease, pulmonary embolism, significant hemorrhage or cardiac
      procedural interventions. Secondary outcome analysis assessed for prediction of
      MI, cardiac syncope and death. Two reviewers extracted patient-level data based
      on the cut-off reported. Pooled sensitivities and specificities were calculated
      using patient-level data. A total of 1862 articles were identified, and 11
      studies with 4246 patients were included. Studies evaluated 3 biomarkers:
      contemporary troponin (2693 patients), natriuretic peptides (1353 patients) and
      high-sensitive troponin (819 patients). The pooled sensitivities and
      specificities for MACE were: contemporary troponin 0.29 (95 % CI 0.24, 0.34) and
      0.88 (95 % CI 0.86, 0.89); natriuretic peptides 0.77 (95 % CI 0.69, 0.85) and
      0.73 (95 % CI 0.70, 0.76); high-sensitive troponin 0.74 (95 % CI 0.65, 0.83) and
      0.65 (95 % CI 0.62, 0.69), respectively. Natriuretic peptides and high-sensitive
      troponin showed good diagnostic characteristics for both primary and secondary
      outcomes. Natriuretic peptides and high-sensitive troponin might be useful in
      risk stratification.

PMID- 26498338
TI  - Knockdown of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E suppresses cell growth
      and invasion, and induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in a human lung
      adenocarcinoma cell line.
AB  - Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) was shown to be upregulated
      in malignant human tumors. To assess the effect of downregulation of eIF4E on the
      proliferation and invasiveness of a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line, a short
      hairpin (sh)RNA targeting eIF4E was constructed and transfected into A549 human
      lung adenocarcinoma cells. The expression of eIF4E was determined by reverse
      transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Cell
      viability was assessed using a Cell Counting kit-8, and apoptosis levels and cell
      cycle distribution were assessed by flow cytometry. Invasiveness was assessed
      using Transwell chambers. Transfection of the A549 cells with eIF4E targeting
      shRNA reduced the mRNA and protein expression levels of eIF4E by >70% 48 and 72 h
      following transfection, and eIF4E targeting shRNA-transfected cells were
      significantly less viable compared with the cells transfected with scrambled
      shRNA. The rate of apoptosis was also significantly increased, significantly more
      cells were in the G0/G1 phase and fewer were in the S phase, indicating cell
      cycle arrest. The fraction of transfected cells migrating across Transwell
      inserts were also reduced. In conclusion, inhibition of eIF4E suppressed cell
      growth and invasion, induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, suggesting that
      eIF4E may be a potential therapeutic target in lung adenocarcinoma. 

PMID- 26498339
TI  - Automatic aortic root landmark detection in CTA images for preprocedural planning
      of transcatheter aortic valve implantation.
AB  - Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is currently a well-established minimal
      invasive treatment option for patients with severe aortic valve stenosis. CT
      Angiography is used for the pre-operative planning and sizing of the prosthesis.
      To reduce the inconsistency in sizing due to interobserver variability, we
      introduce and evaluate an automatic aortic root landmarks detection method to
      determine the sizing parameters. The proposed algorithm detects the sinotubular
      junction, two coronary ostia, and three valvular hinge points on a segmented
      aortic root surface. Using these aortic root landmarks, the automated method
      determines annulus radius, annulus orientation, and distance from annulus plane
      to right and left coronary ostia. Validation is performed by the comparison with
      manual measurements of two observers for 40 CTA image datasets. Detection of
      landmarks showed high accuracy where the mean distance between the automatically
      detected and reference landmarks was 2.81 +/- 2.08 mm, comparable to the
      interobserver variation of 2.67 +/- 2.52 mm. The mean annulus to coronary ostium
      distance was 16.9 +/- 3.3 and 17.1 +/- 3.3 mm for the automated and the reference
      manual measurements, respectively, with a mean paired difference of 1.89 +/- 1.71
      mm and interobserver mean paired difference of 1.38 +/- 1.52 mm. Automated
      detection of aortic root landmarks enables automated sizing with good agreement
      with manual measurements, which suggests applicability of the presented method in
      current clinical practice.

PMID- 26498340
TI  - Segmental assessments of coronary plaque morphology and composition by virtual
      histology intravascular ultrasound and fractional flow reserve.
AB  - Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is an index for identifying functionally
      significant stenotic lesions. A FFR value of <=0.75 is considered clinically
      significant and indicative of physiological ischemia. Focal lesions with 30-80 %
      stenosis by angiography with lesion lengths of less than 20 mm were selected from
      left anterior descending arteries of 74 patients. The analysis for the total
      lesion was processed first, and then each lesion was divided into three segments
      to assess the each segment. Data on plaque geometry and composition of two FFR
      groups, FFR <= 0.75 and FFR > 0.75, were compared by total and segmental
      analysis. Lesions with FFR <= 0.75 had more fibrofatty tissue (13.5 +/- 7.4 vs.
      10.2 +/- 6.5%, p = 0.05) and less dense calcium (7.2 +/- 5.3 vs. 11.9 +/- 7.5%, p
      = 0.01) compared to lesions with FFR > 0.75. The content of necrotic core in mid
      segments was higher compared to proximal and distal segments (22.9 +/- 10.6, 20.2
      +/- 10.9, 17.1 +/- 11.2%, respectively, p = 0.032) in lesions with FFR > 0.75 but
      the difference was less obvious in lesions with FFR <= 0.75 (17.9 +/- 9.9, 18.7
      +/- 9.9, 15.8 +/- 9.0%, respectively, p = 0.533). Coronary lesions with FFR >
      0.75 have larger content of dense calcium and slightly less fibrofatty tissue
      compared to lesions with FFR <= 0.75. While segmental plaque compositions for
      each segment show noticeable variations in lesions with FFR > 0.75 such as high
      concentrations of necrotic core in mid segment, these differences in each segment
      become obscure in FFR <= 0.75 and are evenly distributed across the lesion.

PMID- 26498341
TI  - "I wanted to communicate my feelings freely": a descriptive study of creative
      responses to enhance reflection in palliative medicine education.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The recent growth of arts and humanities in medical education shows
      recognition that these disciplines can facilitate a breadth of thinking and
      result in personal and professional growth. However creative work can be a
      challenge to incorporate into a busy curriculum. Offering the option of creative
      media as a way of reflecting is an example of how this can occur. This study
      aimed to examine the medical student response to being given this option to
      explore a visit to a patient in a hospice. METHODS: This was a mainly qualitative
      study. In the 2012 academic programme, the class of 86 students were given the
      option of using a creative medium to explore their responses to both the visit
      and their developing communication skills. Students were required to write an
      accompanying commentary if submitting the creative work option. Sixty-four
      percent of the class chose a creative medium e.g. poetry, visual art, narrative
      prose, music. These students were asked to take part in research including
      completing a short on-line survey and consenting for their creative work and
      commentaries to be further examined. The creative works were categorised by genre
      and the commentaries analysed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS:
      Seventeen students completed the on-line survey and fifteen consented to their
      work being used for this research. Thematic analysis of the student commentaries
      revealed the following themes: effectiveness for expressing emotion or ideas that
      are difficult to articulate; engaging and energising quality of the task; time
      for reflection; flexibility for individual learning styles and therapeutic value.
      CONCLUSIONS: Teaching the art of communicating at end-of-life is challenging
      especially when it involves patients, and teachers want to ensure students gain
      as much as possible from the experience. Offering the option to use creative
      media means that students can choose a medium for reflection that best suits them
      as individuals and that can enable them to benefit as much as possible from their
      experience.

PMID- 26498343
TI  - Thermal conductivity from hierarchical heat sinks using carbon nanotubes and
      graphene nanosheets.
AB  - The in-plane (kip) and through-plane (ktp) thermal conductivities of heat sinks
      using carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene nanosheets (GNs), and CNT/GN composites
      are extracted from two experimental setups within the 323-373 K temperature
      range. Hierarchical three-dimensional CNT/GN frameworks display higher kip and
      ktp values, as compared to the CNT- and GN-based heat sinks. The kip and ktp
      values of the CNT/GN-based heat sink reach as high as 1991 and 76 W m(-1) K(-1)
      at 323 K, respectively. This improved thermal conductivity is attributed to the
      fact that the hierarchical heat sink offers a stereo thermal conductive network
      that combines point, line, and plane contact, leading to better heat transport.
      Furthermore, the compression treatment provided an efficient route to increase
      both kip and ktp values. This result reveals that the hierarchical carbon
      structures become denser, inducing more thermal conductive area and less thermal
      resistivity, i.e., a reduced possibility of phonon-boundary scattering. The
      correlation between thermal and electrical conductivity (epsilon) can be well
      described by two empirical equations: kip = 567 ln(epsilon) + 1120 and ktp = 20.6
      ln(epsilon) + 36.1. The experimental results are obtained within the temperature
      range of 323-373 K, suitably complementing the thermal management of chips for
      consumer electronics. 

PMID- 26498342
TI  - Ambulatory Medical Assistance--After Cancer (AMA-AC): A model for an early
      trajectory survivorship survey of lymphoma patients treated with anthracycline
      based chemotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer survivorship has emerged as an important aspect of oncology
      due to the possibility of physical and psychosocial complications. The purpose of
      this study was to assess the feasibility of the Ambulatory Medical Assistance for
      After Cancer (AMA-AC) procedure for monitoring lymphoma survivorship during the
      first year after chemotherapy. METHODS: AMA-AC is based on systematic general
      practitioner (GP) consultations and telephone interventions conducted by a nurse
      coordinator (NC) affiliated to the oncology unit, while an oncologist acts only
      on demand. Patients are regularly monitored for physical, psychological and
      social events, as well as their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Inclusion
      criteria were patients newly diagnosed with non-Hodgkin or Hodgkin lymphomas, who
      had been treated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy and were in complete
      remission after treatment. RESULTS: All 115 patients and 113 collaborating GPs
      agreed to participate in the study. For patients who achieved one year of disease
      free survival (n = 104) their assessments (438 in total) were fully completed.
      Eleven were excluded from analysis (9 relapses and 2 deaths). The most frequent
      complications when taking into account all grades were arthralgia (64.3%) and
      infections (41.7%). About one third of patients developed new diseases with
      cardiovascular complications as the most common. Psychological disorders such as
      anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder were diagnosed in 42.6% of
      patients. The data collected showed that Hodgkin lymphoma patients, females, and
      patients with lower HRQoL (mental component) at study entry were at greater risk
      for developing at least one psychological disorder. CONCLUSION: This study showed
      that AMA-AC is a feasible and efficient procedure for monitoring lymphoma
      survivorship in terms of GP and patient participation rates and adherence, and
      provides a high quality of operable data. Hence, the AMA-AC procedure may be
      transferable into clinical daily practice as an alternative to standard
      oncologist-based follow-up.

PMID- 26498344
TI  - Recombinant human PDCD5 exhibits an antitumor role in hepatocellular carcinoma
      cells via clathrin-dependent endocytosis.
AB  - Liver cancer is the fifth most frequently diagnosed type of cancer in men
      worldwide. Recombinant human programmed cell death 5 (rhPDCD5) has been shown to
      enter a variety of cells by clathrin-independent endocytosis. Tissue specimens
      from 32 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients were collected for analysis of
      PDCD5 expression using ELISA. It was confirmed that the pre-operative serum
      levels of PDCD5 protein in patients with HCC were significantly lower than the
      post-operative serum levels. Moreover, the serum PDCD5 levels were significantly
      correlated with portal invasion and lymph node metastasis. rhPDCD5 inhibited cell
      proliferation as indicated by an MTT assay, and induced apoptosis and S-phase
      arrest in HCC cells as demonstrated by flow cytometric analysis. Furthermore,
      rhPDCD5 suppressed tumor growth in established xenograft tumor models. In
      addition, Pitstop2 was used to block clathrin-dependent endocytosis (CDE), which
      confirmed that the anti-tumor effect of rhPDCD5 in HCC cells is mediated via CDE.

PMID- 26498346
TI  - New daily persistent headache: A lack of an association with white matter
      abnormalities on neuroimaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide results from the largest study of new daily persistent
      headache patients to date and specifically evaluate if patients with primary new
      daily persistent headache develop white matter abnormalities or infarct-like
      lesions on neuroimaging. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patient medical
      records utilizing an electronic medical record system. All patients were seen at
      a headache specialty clinic by a single headache neurologist and diagnosed with
      primary new daily persistent headache during the time period of January 2009 to
      January 2013. RESULTS: Altogether, 97 patients were diagnosed with primary new
      daily persistent headache (65 women and 32 men). The mean average age of onset
      was slightly younger in women than men: 32.4 years vs. 35.8 years. In total, 84
      of the 97 new daily persistent headache patients had no white matter
      abnormalities or infarct-like lesions on magnetic resonance imaging with a gender
      distribution of 56 women and 28 men. The mean age of onset of this white matter
      negative subgroup was 31.1 years. Of these individuals, 36% had
      cardiovascular/cerebrovascular risk factors and 44% had a history of migraine.
      Only 13 new daily persistent headache patients (nine women, four men)
      demonstrated white matter abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging. None had
      infarct-like lesions. The mean age of onset of this white matter positive
      subgroup was 54.2 years, significantly older than the white matter negative
      population (p < .05). All new daily persistent headache patients in the white
      matter positive subgroup had cardiovascular/cerebrovascular risk factors and dual
      risk factors were noted in seven of 13 patients. Only 23% had a migraine history.
      Almost 40% of the patients in the white matter negative group were imaged 3 years
      after headache onset and at least six patients were imaged at least 9 years or
      more after onset of new daily persistent headache. Triggering events in both
      white matter lesion positive and negative populations were typical of the new
      daily persistent headache population as a whole and not specific to the presence
      or absence of brain imaging lesions except for a post-surgery trigger, which was
      significantly more likely to occur in the white matter positive group. Migraine
      associated symptoms occurred in 77% of the white matter negative subgroup
      compared with 46% of the white matter positive subgroup, which was a significant
      difference. CONCLUSION: White matter abnormalities and infarct-like lesions do
      not appear to occur in primary new daily persistent headache patients. Only new
      daily persistent headache patients with risk factors
      (cardiovascular/cerebrovascular or migraine) developed white matter abnormalities
      on brain magnetic resonance imaging. No patient with new daily persistent
      headache developed infarct-like lesions. New daily persistent headache triggering
      events (outside of possibly post-surgery) or the presence of migrainous symptoms
      did not appear to enhance the development of white matter abnormalities.

PMID- 26498345
TI  - Lymphocyte senescence in COPD is associated with decreased histone deacetylase 2
      expression by pro-inflammatory lymphocytes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Histone acetyltransferases (HAT) and histone deacetylases (HDAC) are
      enzymes that upregulate and down-regulate pro-inflammatory gene transcription
      respectively. HDAC2 is required by corticosteroids to switch off activated
      inflammatory genes and is reduced in lung macrophages in COPD. We have shown that
      COPD patients have increased steroid resistant CD28null (senescent) pro
      inflammatory T and NKT-like peripheral blood cells (particularly CD8+ subsets)
      and we hypothesized that these changes would be associated with a loss of HDAC2
      from these senescent pro-inflammatory lymphocytes. METHODS: Blood was collected
      from 10 COPD and 10 aged-matched controls. Intracellular pro-inflammatory
      cytokines, IFNgamma and TNFalpha, and expression of CD28, HDAC2 and HAT, were
      determined in lymphocyte subsets in the presence of +/- 5 mg/ml theophylline
      (HDAC2 activator), 10 MUM prednisolone and 2.5 ng/ml cyclosporine A
      (immunosuppressant), using flow cytometry. RESULTS: There was a loss of HDAC2
      from CD28null CD8+ T and NKT-like cells in COPD. There was a significant negative
      correlation between HDAC2 expression and the percentage of CD28null CD8+ T and
      NKT-like cells producing IFNgamma or TNFalpha in all subjects (eg, COPD: R = 
      .763, p < 0.001 for T-cell IFNgamma). There was a synergistic upregulation of
      HDAC2 and associated decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokine production in
      CD28nullCD8+ T and NKT-like cells in the presence of 5 mg/L theophylline + 10(-6)
      M prednisolone or 2.5 ng/mL cyclosporine A (CsA). CONCLUSIONS: Lymphocyte
      senescence in COPD is associated with loss of HDAC2 in CD28nullCD8+ T and NKT
      like cells. Alternative treatment options such as combined theophylline with low
      dose CsA, that inhibit these pro-inflammatory cells, may reduce systemic
      inflammation in COPD.

PMID- 26498347
TI  - Test-retest reliability of visual-evoked potential habituation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Habituation of visual-evoked potentials (VEPs) is typically described
      as deficient interictally in migraine patients, supposedly indicating altered
      cortical excitability. Use of this parameter for monitoring changes over time,
      e.g. under treatment, requires demonstration of test-retest reliability. METHODS:
      VEPs were recorded interictally in 41 episodic migraine patients and 40 controls.
      N75-P100 amplitudes were measured over six consecutive blocks of 75 VEPs each.
      Amplitude regression slopes and block ratios were used to quantify VEP
      habituation. Test-retest reliability was assessed over 15 minutes and two to
      three weeks. RESULTS: Controls showed significantly more negative VEP habituation
      slopes than migraine patients (-0.21 +/- 0.40 vs. 0.04 +/- 0.46 uV/block, p <
      0.05). Results were similar for block ratios, though, in the migraine group, VEP
      habituation significantly increased from test to two- to three-week retest (p <
      0.05). In addition, VEP habituation test-retest correlations were mostly poor
      both in migraine patients and controls (intraclass correlation coefficients, 15
      minutes: -0.13 to 0.30, two to three weeks: 0.07 to 0.59). CONCLUSIONS: Deficient
      VEP habituation in migraine was confirmed. However, the test-retest reliability
      of VEP habituation was rather weak. Therefore, we suggest that VEP habituation
      should be used for evaluation of cortical excitability under treatment only at
      the group level and only when a control group with sham treatment is included.

PMID- 26498348
TI  - Variability of the characteristics of a migraine attack within patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Migraine attacks may present different features in different patients
      and also within the same patient. The percentage of patients reporting
      stereotyped attacks and those reporting attacks with different phenotypes has not
      been the object of specific investigations. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this
      article is to evaluate the percentage of migraine patients reporting the same
      characteristics, in terms of phenotype and response to symptomatic medications on
      three consecutive migraine attacks. METHODS: Thirty patients with migraine
      without aura prospectively recorded the features of three consecutive attacks in
      a headache diary. Characteristics recorded were: pain intensity, presence of
      nausea, vomiting, photophobia, phonophophia, osmophobia, allodynia, cranial
      autonomic symptoms (at least one), and premonitory symptoms. Patients were
      allowed to take frovatriptan as symptomatic medication, whose efficacy was
      evaluated as the two hours pain-free status. RESULTS: None of the patients
      presented identical characteristics on the three studied attacks. This was still
      the case if we reduced the number of variables evaluated from 11 to seven of the
      eight core features indicated by the ICHD. Considering just six variables:
      unilaterality and quality of pain, presence/absence of nausea, vomiting,
      photophobia and phonophobia, only two patients (6%) had identical features on
      three consecutive attacks.With respect to the response to frovatriptan, 39% of
      patients had the same response, either positive (i.e. pain free after two hours)
      or negative (i.e. not pain free after two hours) on three consecutive attacks.
      CONCLUSION: Migraine attacks show a high variability not just among patients, but
      also within the same patient. Our data indicate that stereotypy of attacks is
      uncommon, and reinforces the underlying logic of the current operational
      classification system.

PMID- 26498349
TI  - Particular Distribution of Enterobacter cloacae Strains Isolated from Urinary
      Tract Infection within Clonal Complexes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Based on biochemical properties, Enterobacter cloacae represents a
      large complex of at least 13 variant species, subspecies, and genotypes that
      progressively identified as the most species causing hospital-acquired
      infections. The aim of this study was to determine the relevance between
      phylogenetically related strains within the E. cloacae complex and the frequency
      of urinary tract infection caused by them. METHODS: A 268-bp fragment was
      obtained from hsp60 gene for 50 clinical E. cloacae isolates from urine cultures
      of inpatients that admitted to six hospitals in Tehran, Iran during December 2012
      to November 2013. The 107 nucleotide sequences were analyzed and the evolutionary
      distances of sequences were computed and neighbor-joining tree was calculated.
      RESULTS: It showed that all of the genetic clusters have not an equal involvement
      in pathogenesis of urinary tract infections. Three superior clusters were found,
      together representing more than two third (80%) of the isolates (cluster VI with
      25 members; clusters III and VIII with 9 and 6 members, respectively) and some
      genetic clusters were absent (IV, X, XII, and xiii), some of which are supposed
      to be associated with plants and no human infection has been reported.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study, for the first time, reports the unequal contribution of
      E. cloacae complex subspecies and clusters in urinary tract infections in Iran
      and together with studies from other countries suggest that the subspecies of
      E.hormaechei subsp. Oharae is the most prevalent E. cloacae complex subspecies
      regardless of country under study.

PMID- 26498350
TI  - Hepatic TLR4 signaling is activated by LPS from digestive tract during SARA, and
      epigenetic mechanisms contribute to enforced TLR4 expression.
AB  - Subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) is known to trigger a systemic inflammatory
      response that is possibly caused by the translocation of lipopolysaccharides
      (LPS) from the gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream. The aim of this study
      is to investigate this causal relationship between the increases of circulating
      LPS and liver inflammation. Here we found that SARA goats exhibited significantly
      increased LPS concentrations in both the rumen and portal vein. The livers of
      these goats exhibited increased mRNA concentrations of pro-inflammatory genes
      that indicated inflammation. Meanwhile, the occurrence of liver inflammation was
      further validated by the enhanced protein expression of those cytokines in the
      livers of SARA goats. These increased expressions of detected pro-inflammatory
      genes were likely mediated by enforced TLR4 signaling because SARA increased the
      concentrations of TLR4 mRNA and protein in the liver and the abundance of both
      the NF-kB-p65 factor and its active phosphorylated variant. We also verified that
      the enhanced TLR4 expression was accompanied by chromatin decompaction and
      demethylation of the proximal TLR4 promoter. Hence, epigenetic mechanisms are
      involved in the enforced expression of immune genes during SARA, and these
      findings open innovative routes for interventions via the modulation of these
      epigenetic mechanisms. 

PMID- 26498352
TI  - Metabolic plasticity of cancer stem cells.

PMID- 26498351
TI  - MiR-21-5p and miR-126a-3p levels in plasma and circulating angiogenic cells:
      relationship with type 2 diabetes complications.
AB  - Innovative biomarkers are required to manage type 2 diabetic patients (T2DM). We
      focused our study on miR-126-3p and miR-21-5p levels, as biomarkers of
      endothelial function and inflammation. MiRNAs levels were measured in plasma from
      107 healthy subjects (CTR) and 193 diabetic patients (T2DM), 76 without (T2DM NC)
      and 117 with (T2DM C) complications. When diabetic complication were analysed as
      a whole, miR-126-3p and miR-21-5p levels declined significantly from CTR to T2DM
      NC and T2DM C patients. When miRNAs levels were related to specific
      complications, significantly higher miR-21-5p levels (0.46 +/- 0.44 vs. 0.26 +/-
      0.33, p < 0.001) and significant lower miR-126-3p levels (0.21 +/- 0.21 vs. 0.28
      +/- 0.22, p = 0.032) were found in T2DM with previous major cardiovascular events
      (MACE) vs. all the others T2DM patients. To confirm these results we focused on
      circulating angiogenic cells (CACs) from a subgroup of 10 CTR, 15 T2DM NC and 15
      T2DM patients with MACE. CACs from T2DM patients expressed higher miR-21-5p and
      lower miR-126-3p levels than CACs from CTR. Furthermore, CACs from T2DM + MACE
      showed the highest levels of miR-21-5p. Circulating miR-21-5p and miR-126-3p
      emerge as dynamic biomarkers of systemic inflammatory/angiogenic status. Their
      expression levels in CACs from T2DM with MACE suggest a shift from a
      proangiogenic to a proinflammatory profile.

PMID- 26498353
TI  - Molecular and functional interactions between AKT and SOX2 in breast carcinoma.
AB  - The transcription factor SOX2 is a key regulator of pluripotency in embryonic
      stem cells and plays important roles in early organogenesis. Recently, SOX2
      expression was documented in various cancers and suggested as a cancer stem cell
      (CSC) marker. Here we identify the Ser/Thr-kinase AKT as an upstream regulator of
      SOX2 protein turnover in breast carcinoma (BC). SOX2 and pAKT are co-expressed
      and co-regulated in breast CSCs and depletion of either reduces clonogenicity.
      Ectopic SOX2 expression restores clonogenicity and in vivo tumorigenicity of AKT
      inhibited cells, suggesting that SOX2 acts as a functional downstream AKT target.
      Mechanistically, we show that AKT physically interacts with the SOX2 protein to
      modulate its subcellular distribution. AKT kinase inhibition results in enhanced
      cytoplasmic retention of SOX2, presumably via impaired nuclear import, and in
      successive cytoplasmic proteasomal degradation of the protein. In line, blockade
      of either nuclear transport or proteasomal degradation rescues SOX2 expression in
      AKT-inhibited BC cells. Finally, AKT inhibitors efficiently suppress the growth
      of SOX2-expressing putative cancer stem cells, whereas conventional
      chemotherapeutics select for this population. Together, our results suggest the
      AKT/SOX2 molecular axis as a regulator of BC clonogenicity and AKT inhibitors as
      promising drugs for the treatment of SOX2-positive BC. 

PMID- 26498354
TI  - Greater efficacy of chemotherapy plus bevacizumab compared to chemo- and targeted
      therapy alone on non-small cell lung cancer patients with brain metastasis.
AB  - Control of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with brain metastasis is clinically
      challenging. This study retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of different
      adjuvant therapies for 776 cases of advanced NSCLCs with brain metastasis who
      treated with chemotherapy, chemotherapy plus bevacizumab, tyrosine kinase
      inhibitor (TKI) alone, or supportive care. The median progression-free survival
      (mPFS) and median overall survival (mOS) of patients treated with chemotherapy
      plus bevacizumab were 8.5 and 10.5 months, respectively, which were better than
      those of patients treated with other three therapies(P < 0.01). For patients with
      EGFR-mutated NSCLC, the efficacy of TKI treatment was not statistically better
      than that of chemotherapy plus bevacizumab but was significantly better than that
      of other therapies. Moreover, for patients with EGFR wild-type NSCLC, the mPFS
      and mOS after chemotherapy plus bevacizumab were greater than those with other
      two therapies (P < 0.01). The local response rate (RR)and disease control rate
      (DCR)with regimen including pemetrexed were greater than those with regimen
      including paclitaxel (P < 0.05). Chemotherapy plus bevacizumab was more effective
      for NSCLC patients with brain metastasis. Further studies will investigate the
      benefit of TKI alone for patients with EGFR-mutated. For patients with EGFR wild
      type, chemotherapy plus bevacizumab did improve PFS and OS. Furthermore, regimens
      including pemetrexed led to a greater RR. 

PMID- 26498355
TI  - FGF19 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatocellular carcinoma
      cells by modulating the GSK3beta/beta- catenin signaling cascade via FGFR4
      activation.
AB  - Compelling evidence suggests that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)
      correlates with aggressiveness of tumors and poor survival. FGF19 has been shown
      to be involved in EMT in cholangiocarcinoma and colorectal cancer, however,
      molecular mechanisms underlying FGF19-induced EMT process in hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) remain largely unknown. Here, we show the expression of FGF19 is
      significantly elevated and negatively associated with the expression of E
      cadherin in HCC tissues and cell lines. Ectopic FGF19 expression promotes EMT and
      invasion in epithelial-like HCC cells through repression of E-cadherin
      expression, whereas FGF19 knockdown enhances E-cadherin expression and hence
      diminishes EMT traits in mesenchymal-like HCC cells, suggesting FGF19 exerts its
      tumor progressing functions as an EMT inducer. Interestingly, depletion of FGF19
      cannot abrogate EMT traits in the presence of GSK3beta inhibitors. Furthermore,
      FGF19-induced EMT can be markedly attenuated when FGFR4 is knocked out. These
      observations clearly indicate that FGFR4/GSK3beta/beta-catenin axis may play a
      pivotal role in FGF19-induced EMT in HCC cells. As FGF19 and its specific
      receptor FGFR4 are frequently amplified in HCC cells, selective targeting this
      signaling node may lend insights into a potential effective therapeutic approach
      for blocking metastasis of HCC. 

PMID- 26498356
TI  - Cigarette smoking during pregnancy and preeclampsia risk: a systematic review and
      meta-analysis of prospective studies.
AB  - Although evidence from epidemiological studies evaluating the association between
      cigarette smoking during pregnancy and preeclampsia risk has been systematically
      reviewed, the findings have been out of date. To further clarify the
      relationship, we conducted this comprehensive meta-analysis of prospective
      studies. We searched PubMed and Web of Science up to August 2015 to identify
      prospective studies that evaluated the association between cigarette smoking
      during pregnancy and preeclampsia risk. Random-effects models were used to
      estimate summarized relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
      Seventeen prospective studies involving 62,089 preeclampsia patients from a total
      of approximately 1.8 million subjects were included. Overall, there was a
      significant negative association between smoking during pregnancy and incidence
      of preeclampsia (RR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.60-0.75), with significant heterogeneity
      (I2 = 91.7%). Such an inverse association was also detected in strata of subgroup
      analyses according to study location, study sample size, parity of populations,
      singleton pregnancy, and adjustment for potential confounders including maternal
      age, diabetes mellitus, chronic hypertension, body mass index, and gender of
      infant. In summary, this meta-analysis suggests that smoking during pregnancy is
      inversely associated with incidence of preeclampsia. Further large scale multi
      center prospective studies are warranted to validate our findings. 

PMID- 26498357
TI  - Amplification of ACK1 promotes gastric tumorigenesis via ECD-dependent p53
      ubiquitination degradation.
AB  - Amplification or over-expression of an activated Cdc42-associated kinase 1 (ACK1)
      gene is common in breast, lung and ovarian cancers. However, little is known
      about the role of ACK1 in gastric tumorigenesis. Here, we found that DNA copy
      numbers of the ACK1 gene and its mRNA expression levels were significantly
      increased in gastric cancer (GC) compared to normal gastric tissues.
      Additionally, silencing ACK1 inhibited GC cell proliferation and colony
      formation, induced G2/M arrest and cellular apoptosis in vitro, and suppressed
      tumor growth in vivo. Gene Ontology annotation revealed that 147 differential
      proteins regulated by ACK1 knockdown were closely related with cellular survival.
      A cell cycle regulator, ecdysoneless homolog (ECD), was found to be significantly
      down-regulated by ACK1 knockdown. Silencing of ECD inhibited colony formation and
      induced G2/M arrest and cell apoptosis, which is similar to the effects of ACK1
      knockdown. Silencing of ECD did not further enhance the effects of ACK1 knockdown
      on G2/M arrest and apoptosis, while silencing of ECD blocked the enhancement of
      colony formation by ACK1 over-expression. Over-expression of ACK or ECD promoted
      the ubiquitination of tumor suppressor p53 protein and decreased p53 levels,
      while silencing of ACK1 or ECD decreased the p53 ubiquitination level and
      increased p53 levels. Silencing of ECD attenuated the ubiquitination enhancement
      of p53 induced by ACK1 over-expression. Collectively, we demonstrate that
      amplification of ACK1 promotes gastric tumorigenesis by inducing an ECD-dependent
      ubiquitination degradation of p53.

PMID- 26498358
TI  - Negative regulation of EB1 turnover at microtubule plus ends by interaction with
      microtubule-associated protein ATIP3.
AB  - The regulation of microtubule dynamics is critical to ensure essential cell
      functions. End binding protein 1 (EB1) is a master regulator of microtubule
      dynamics that autonomously binds an extended GTP/GDP-Pi structure at growing
      microtubule ends and recruits regulatory proteins at this location. However,
      negative regulation of EB1 association with growing microtubule ends remains
      poorly understood. We show here that microtubule-associated tumor suppressor
      ATIP3 interacts with EB1 through direct binding of a non-canonical proline-rich
      motif. Results indicate that ATIP3 does not localize at growing microtubule ends
      and that in situ ATIP3-EB1 molecular complexes are mostly detected in the
      cytosol. We present evidence that a minimal EB1-interacting sequence of ATIP3 is
      both necessary and sufficient to prevent EB1 accumulation at growing microtubule
      ends in living cells and that EB1-interaction is involved in reducing cell
      polarity. By fluorescence recovery of EB1-GFP after photobleaching, we show that
      ATIP3 silencing accelerates EB1 turnover at microtubule ends with no modification
      of EB1 diffusion in the cytosol. We propose a novel mechanism by which ATIP3-EB1
      interaction indirectly reduces the kinetics of EB1 exchange on its recognition
      site, thereby accounting for negative regulation of microtubule dynamic
      instability. Our findings provide a unique example of decreased EB1 turnover at
      growing microtubule ends by cytosolic interaction with a tumor suppressor. 

PMID- 26498359
TI  - Glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ) in immuno suppression: master
      regulator or bystander?
AB  - Induction of glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ) by glucocorticoids has
      been reported to be essential for their anti-inflammatory actions. At the same
      time, GILZ is actively downregulated under inflammatory conditions, resulting in
      an enhanced pro-inflammatory response. Two papers published in the recent past
      showed elevated GILZ expression in the late stage of an inflammation. Still, the
      manuscripts suggest seemingly contradictory roles of endogenous GILZ: one of them
      suggested compensatory actions by elevated corticosterone levels in GILZ knockout
      mice, while our own manuscript showed a distinct phenotype upon GILZ knockout in
      vivo. Herein, we discuss the role of GILZ in inflammation with a special focus on
      the influence of endogenous GILZ on macrophage responses and suggest a cell-type
      specific action of GILZ as an explanation for the conflicting results as
      presented in recent reports. 

PMID- 26498360
TI  - MiR-542-5p is a negative prognostic factor and promotes osteosarcoma
      tumorigenesis by targeting HUWE1.
AB  - Recent evidence has demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the
      proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma. Using miRNA microarray and
      functional screening methods to compare miRNA expression profiles in osteosarcoma
      cell lines treated with Trichostatin A (TSA), overexpression of miR-542-5p was
      determined to be involved in the proliferation of osteosarcoma. We used isobaric
      tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) and nanoscale liquid
      chromatography-mass spectrometry (NanoLC-MS/MS) to identify differentially
      expressed proteins in MNNG/HOS and U2OS osteosarcoma cell lines transfected with
      miR-542-5p; in both cell lines, seven proteins were downregulated, and nine were
      upregulated. HUWE1 was found to be a direct target of miR-542-5p in both
      osteosarcoma cell lines, and was negatively correlated with miR-542-5p levels in
      human osteosarcoma tissues. Moreover, the expression of miR-542-5p was
      upregulated in human osteosarcoma tissue compared with non-tumor adjacent tissue.
      Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that overexpression of miR-542-5p predicted poor
      prognosis for osteosarcoma patients. Taken together, our results indicated that
      miR-542-5p plays a critical role in the proliferation of osteosarcoma and targets
      HUWE1. 

PMID- 26498362
TI  - Is magnetic resonance/ultrasound fusion prostate biopsy better than systematic
      prostate biopsy? An updated meta- and trial sequential analysis.
AB  - We systematically reviewed the literature to determine whether Magnetic
      Resonance/Ultrasound (MR/US) fusion prostate biopsy is better than systematic
      biopsy for making a definitive diagnosis of prostate cancer. The two strategies
      were also compared for their ability to detect lesions with different degrees of
      suspicion on MRI and clinically significant prostate cancer, and the number of
      cores needed for diagnosis. The Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Knowledge, and
      Medline were searched from inception until May 1, 2015. Meta-analysis was
      conducted via RevMan 5.2 software. Data was expressed as risk ratio (RR) and 95%
      confidence interval. Trial sequential analysis was used to assess risk of random
      errors. Fourteen trials were included, encompassing a total of 3105 participants.
      We found that MR/US fusion biopsy detected more prostate cancers than systematic
      biopsy (46.9% vs. 44.2%, p=0.03). In men with moderate/high MRI suspicion, MR/US
      fusion biopsy did better than systematic biopsy (RR = 1.46; p < 0.05) for making
      a diagnosis. Moreover, MR/US fusion biopsy detected more clinically significant
      cancers than systematic biopsy (RR = 1.19; p < 0.05). We recommend that MR/US
      fusion prostate biopsy be used to better detect prostate cancer, particularly in
      patients with moderate/high suspicion lesions on MRI. 

PMID- 26498361
TI  - Can active components of licorice, glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetinic acid, lick
      rheumatoid arthritis?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This review stated the possible application of the active components
      of licorice, glycyrrhizin (GL) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), in rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA) treatment based on the cyclooxygenase (COX)-2/thromboxane A2
      (TxA2) pathway. METHODS: The extensive literature from inception to July 2015 was
      searched in PubMed central, and relevant reports were identified according to the
      purpose of this study. RESULTS: The active components of licorice GL and GA exert
      the potential anti-inflammatory effects through, at least in part, suppressing
      COX-2 and its downstream product TxA2. Additionally, the COX-2/TxA2 pathway, an
      auto-regulatory feedback loop, has been recently found to be a crucial mechanism
      underlying the pathogenesis of RA. However, TxA2 is neither the pharmacological
      target of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) nor the target of
      disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), and the limitations and side
      effects of those drugs may be, at least in part, attributable to lack of the
      effects on the COX-2/TxA2 pathway. Therefore, GL and GA capable of targeting this
      pathway hold the potential as a novel add-on therapy in therapeutic strategy,
      which is supported by several bench experiments. CONCLUSIONS: The active
      components of licorice, GL and GA, could not only potentiate the therapeutic
      effects but also decrease the adverse effects of NSAIDs or DMARDs through
      suppressing the COX-2/TxA2 pathway during treatment course of RA.

PMID- 26498363
TI  - Comprehensive multiplatform biomarker analysis of 199 anal squamous cell
      carcinomas.
AB  - Anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) is a rare, HPV-associated malignancy
      typically diagnosed in early stages and definitively treated with chemoradiation.
      In situations where patients exhibit metastatic or recurrent disease, treatment
      options are severely limited. In this study, molecular alterations were
      identified that could be used to aid in therapeutic decisions for patients with
      metastatic or recurrent anal squamous cell carcinoma. Specimens from patients
      with this cancer were tested via a multiplatform profiling service (Caris Life
      Sciences, Phoenix, AZ) consisting of gene sequencing, protein expression by
      immunohistochemistry, and gene amplification with in situ hybridization.
      Utilizing these techniques, novel treatment strategies that could be explored
      were identified, including potential benefit with anti-EGFR therapies, immune
      checkpoint inhibitors, topoisomerase inhibitors, and taxanes. The frequency of
      overexpression of proteins that mark resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, such
      as MRP1 (chemotherapy efflux pump), ERCC1 (resistance to platinum-based
      chemotherapy), and thymidylate synthase (resistance to fluoropyrimidines) were
      also identified, suggesting a lack of benefit. This multiplatform strategy could
      be explored for its potential to generate a personalized treatment selection for
      patients with advanced ASCC, provide a guide for future therapeutic development
      for this cancer, and be extended to other rare cancer types as well. 

PMID- 26498364
TI  - RNA-binding protein CELF1 promotes tumor growth and alters gene expression in
      oral squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - The RNA binding protein CELF1 (also known as CUGBP1) is emerging as a critical
      regulator of cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis. Here, to provide a global
      prospective of CELF1 regulation of oral squamous cell carcinoma, we performed RNA
      sequencing in oral cancer cells and CELF1 overexpression analysis in non
      malignant human oral keratinocytes. Our approaches identified 1283 mRNAs
      differentially regulated as a function of CELF1 expression and more importantly
      CELF1 promoted alternative splicing of several target pre-mRNAs, which are known
      to be involved in various cancer biological processes. Overexpression of CELF1 in
      non-malignant human oral keratinocytes protected cells against oxidative damage
      and altered gene expression patterns. Finally, we provide evidence that reduction
      of CELF1 protein using a xenograft tumorigenesis mouse model decreased tumor
      growth. Altogether, these data provided a comprehensive view of the CELF1 mRNA
      regulatory network in oral cancer and suggests that CELF1 and/or its target mRNAs
      are viable candidates for therapeutic intervention. 

PMID- 26498366
TI  - Oxocomplexes of Mo(VI) and W(VI) with 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonate in solution:
      structural studies and the effect of the metal ion on the photophysical
      behaviour.
AB  - Multinuclear ((1)H, (13)C, (95)Mo and (183)W) NMR spectroscopy, combined with DFT
      calculations, provides detailed information on the complexation between the
      Mo(VI) and W(VI) oxoions and 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonate (8-HQS) in aqueous
      solution. Over the concentration region studied, Mo(VI) and W(VI) oxoions form
      three homologous complexes with 8-HQS in water in the pH range 2-8. Two of these,
      detected at pH < 6, are mononuclear 1 : 2 (metal : ligand) isomers, with the
      metal centre (MO2(2+)) coordinated to two 8-HQS ligands. An additional complex,
      dominant at slightly higher pH values (5-8) for solutions with a 1 : 1 metal :
      ligand molar ratio, has a binuclear M2O5(2+) centre coordinated to two 8-HQS
      ligands. The two metal atoms are bridged by three oxygen atoms, two coming from 8
      HQS, together with the M-O-M bridge of the bimetallic centre. We show that the
      long-range exchange corrected BOP functional with local response dispersion
      (LCBOPLRD), together with explicit solvent molecules, leads to geometries that
      readily converge to equilibrium structures having realistic bridging O8-HQS-M
      bonds. Previous attempts to calculate the structures of such binuclear complexes
      using DFT with the B3LYP functional have failed due to difficulties in treating
      the weak interaction in these bridged structures. We believe that the LCBOPLRD
      method may be of more general application in theoretical studies in related
      binuclear metal complexes. UV/visible absorption and luminescence spectra of all
      the complexes have also been recorded. The complex between Mo(vi) and 8-HQS is
      only weakly luminescent, in contrast to what has been observed with this ligand
      and many other metal ions. We suggest that this is due to the presence of low
      lying ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) states close to the emitting ligand
      based level which quench the emission. However, with W(VI), DFT calculations show
      that the LMCT states are now much higher in energy than the ligand based levels,
      leading to a marked increase in fluorescence.

PMID- 26498365
TI  - Genome sequencing of the extinct Eurasian wild aurochs, Bos primigenius,
      illuminates the phylogeography and evolution of cattle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Domestication of the now-extinct wild aurochs, Bos primigenius, gave
      rise to the two major domestic extant cattle taxa, B. taurus and B. indicus.
      While previous genetic studies have shed some light on the evolutionary
      relationships between European aurochs and modern cattle, important questions
      remain unanswered, including the phylogenetic status of aurochs, whether gene
      flow from aurochs into early domestic populations occurred, and which genomic
      regions were subject to selection processes during and after domestication. Here,
      we address these questions using whole-genome sequencing data generated from an
      approximately 6,750-year-old British aurochs bone and genome sequence data from
      81 additional cattle plus genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism data from a
      diverse panel of 1,225 modern animals. RESULTS: Phylogenomic analyses place the
      aurochs as a distinct outgroup to the domestic B. taurus lineage, supporting the
      predominant Near Eastern origin of European cattle. Conversely, traditional
      British and Irish breeds share more genetic variants with this aurochs specimen
      than other European populations, supporting localized gene flow from aurochs into
      the ancestors of modern British and Irish cattle, perhaps through purposeful
      restocking by early herders in Britain. Finally, the functions of genes showing
      evidence for positive selection in B. taurus are enriched for neurobiology,
      growth, metabolism and immunobiology, suggesting that these biological processes
      have been important in the domestication of cattle. CONCLUSIONS: This work
      provides important new information regarding the origins and functional evolution
      of modern cattle, revealing that the interface between early European domestic
      populations and wild aurochs was significantly more complex than previously
      thought.

PMID- 26498367
TI  - Associations between active travel and adiposity in rural India and Bangladesh: a
      cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data on use and health benefits of active travel in rural low- and
      middle- income country settings are sparse. We aimed to examine correlates of
      active travel, and its association with adiposity, in rural India and Bangladesh.
      METHODS: Cross sectional study of 2,122 adults (>=18 years) sampled in 2011-13
      from two rural sites in India (Goa and Chennai) and one in Bangladesh (Matlab).
      Logistic regression was used to examine whether >=150 min/week of active travel
      was associated with socio-demographic indices, smoking, oil/butter consumption,
      and additional physical activity. Adjusting for these same factors, associations
      between active travel and BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio were
      examined using linear and logistic regression. RESULTS: Forty-six percent of the
      sample achieved recommended levels of physical activity (>=150 min/week) through
      active travel alone (range: 33.1 % in Matlab to 54.8 % in Goa). This was more
      frequent among smokers (adjusted odds ratio 1.36, 95 % confidence interval 1.07
      1.72; p = 0.011) and those that spent >=150 min/week in work-based physical
      activity (OR 1.71, 1.35-2.16; p < 0.001), but less frequent among females than
      males (OR 0.25, 0.20-0.31; p < 0.001). In fully adjusted analyses, >=150 min/week
      of active travel was associated with lower BMI (adjusted coefficient -0.39
      kg/m(2), -0.77 to -0.02; p = 0.037) and a lower likelihood of high waist
      circumference (OR 0.77, 0.63-0.96; p = 0.018) and high waist-to-hip ratio (OR
      0.72, 0.58-0.89; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Use of active travel for >=150 min/week
      was associated with being male, smoking, and higher levels of work-based physical
      activity. It was associated with lower BMI, and lower risk of a high waist
      circumference or high waist-to-hip ratio. Promotion of active travel is an
      important component of strategies to address the growing prevalence of overweight
      in rural low- and middle- income country settings.

PMID- 26498368
TI  - Direct observation of many-body charge density oscillations in a two-dimensional
      electron gas.
AB  - Quantum interference is a striking manifestation of one of the basic concepts of
      quantum mechanics: the particle-wave duality. A spectacular visualization of this
      effect is the standing wave pattern produced by elastic scattering of surface
      electrons around defects, which corresponds to a modulation of the electronic
      local density of states and can be imaged using a scanning tunnelling microscope.
      To date, quantum-interference measurements were mainly interpreted in terms of
      interfering electrons or holes of the underlying band-structure description.
      Here, by imaging energy-dependent standing-wave patterns at noble metal surfaces,
      we reveal, in addition to the conventional surface-state band, the existence of
      an 'anomalous' energy band with a well-defined dispersion. Its origin is
      explained by the presence of a satellite in the structure of the many-body
      spectral function, which is related to the acoustic surface plasmon. Visualizing
      the corresponding charge oscillations provides thus direct access to many-body
      interactions at the atomic scale. 

PMID- 26498369
TI  - Endocytosis of fluorescent cyclodextrins by intestinal Caco-2 cells and its role
      in paclitaxel drug delivery.
AB  - Cyclodextrins are widely used excipients in pharmaceutical formulations. They are
      mainly utilized as solubilizers and absorption enhancers, but recent results
      revealed their effects on cell membranes and pharmacological barriers. In
      addition to the growing knowledge on their interaction with plasma membranes, it
      was confirmed that cyclodextrins are able to enter cells by endocytosis. The
      number of the tested cyclodextrins was limited, and the role of this mechanism in
      drug absorption and delivery is not known. Our aim was to examine the endocytosis
      of fluorescently labeled hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin, random methyl-beta
      cyclodextrin and soluble beta-cyclodextrin polymer, and the cellular uptake of
      the fluorescent paclitaxel derivative-random methyl-beta-cyclodextrin complex.
      The studied cyclodextrin derivatives were able to enter Caco-2 intestinal cells
      and localized in vesicles in the cytoplasm, while their permeability was very
      limited through Caco-2 monolayers. We demonstrated for the first time that the
      fluorescent paclitaxel derivative and rhodamine-labeled random methyl-beta
      cyclodextrin were detected in the same intracellular vesicles after treating
      cells with their inclusion complex. These results indicate that the endocytosis
      of cyclodextrin complexes can contribute to drug absorption processes.

PMID- 26498370
TI  - Modified local diatomite as potential functional drug carrier--A model study for
      diclofenac sodium.
AB  - Diatomite makes a promising candidate for a drug carrier because of its high
      porosity, large surface area, modifiable surface chemistry and biocompatibility.
      Herein, refined diatomite from Kolubara coal basin, which complied with the
      pharmacopoeial requirements for heavy metals content and microbiological quality,
      was used as a starting material. Inorganic modification of the starting material
      was performed through a simple, one-step procedure. Significant increase in
      adsorbent loading with diclofenac sodium (DS) was achieved after the modification
      process (~373mg/g) which enabled the preparation of comprimates containing
      therapeutic dose of the adsorbed drug. Adsorption of DS onto modified diatomite
      resulted in the alteration of the drug's XRD pattern and FTIR spectrum. In vitro
      drug release studies in phosphate buffer pH 7.5 demonstrated prolonged DS release
      over 8h from comprimates containing DS adsorbed on modified diatomite (up to 37%
      after 8h) and those containing physical mixture of the same composition (up to
      45% after 8h). The results of in vivo toxicity testing on mice pointed on
      potential safety of both unmodified (starting) and modified diatomite. All these
      findings favor the application of diatomite as a potential functional drug
      carrier.

PMID- 26498371
TI  - Interactions of dendritic glycopolymer with erythrocytes, red blood cell ghosts
      and membrane enzymes.
AB  - Interactions between maltose functionalized hyperbranched poly(ethylene imine)s
      (95% maltose decoration denoted as Mal-PEI A; 33% maltose decoration denoted as
      Mal-PEI B) and red blood cells (RBCs) and between red blood cell membranes were
      investigated. We monitored the degree of hemolysis, the change in cell shape, the
      influence of polymers on the fluidity of the cell membrane and some cell membrane
      enzymes to determine their possible cytotoxic impact on them. To observe the
      extent of hemolysis, the RBCs were incubated with different concentrations of Mal
      PEIs. The first significant lysis of RBCs was observed after 6h of incubation.
      Prolongation of the incubation time increased the number of ruptured cells.
      Moreover, we observed that Mal-PEI B was more hemolytic than Mal-PEI A in buffer
      solution. In contrast, an incubation of RBCs with Mal-PEIs in human plasma
      significantly decreased the hemolytic process and showed higher hemolytic
      property of Mal-PEI A compared to Mal-PEI B. Also several changes in the shape of
      the RBCs occurred after incubation with Mal-PEIs. Some of the erythrocytes shrank
      (echinocytes), but their morphology generally remained unchanged during the
      incubation. As shown by fluorescence experiments, both polymers induced the
      increase of fluidity of RBCs membranes. In summary, both types of hyperbranched
      poly(ethylene imine)s were practically non-hemolytic even at high polymer
      concentrations. Mal-PEI B was slightly more noxious than the Mal-PEI A in a
      buffer solution, while in blood plasma, the situation was opposite. Decrease of
      Na+/K+ ATPase and total ATPase enzymes activity was related with molecule size
      and number of maltose groups on the surface of molecule. The low hemolytic
      properties only observed at higher concentration (100MUM and 400MUM) indicated
      that Mal-PEIs are promising macromolecules in the area of drug delivery systems.

PMID- 26498372
TI  - Effect of sterilization on the physical stability of brimonidine-loaded solid
      lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers.
AB  - Nanoparticulate delivery systems have recently been under consideration for
      topical ophthalmic drug delivery. Brimonidine base-loaded solid lipid
      nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carrier formulations were prepared using
      glyceryl monostearate as solid lipid and were evaluated for their physical
      stability following sterilization by autoclaving at 121 degrees C for 15min. The
      objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of autoclaving on the physical
      appearance, particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, entrapment
      efficiency and particle morphology of the prepared formulations, compared to non
      autoclaved ones. Results showed that, autoclaving at 121 degrees C for 15min
      allowed the production of physically stable formulations in nanometric range,
      below 500nm suitable for ophthalmic application. Moreover, the autoclaved samples
      appeared to be superior to non-autoclaved ones, due to their increased zeta
      potential values, indicating a better physical stability. As well as, increased
      amount of brimonidine base entrapped in the tested formulations.

PMID- 26498373
TI  - Dramatic Response of BRAF V600E Mutant Papillary Craniopharyngioma to Targeted
      Therapy.
AB  - We recently reported that BRAF V600E is the principal oncogenic driver of
      papillary craniopharyngioma, a highly morbid intracranial tumor commonly
      refractory to treatment. Here, we describe our treatment of a man age 39 years
      with multiply recurrent BRAF V600E craniopharyngioma using dabrafenib (150mg,
      orally twice daily) and trametinib (2mg, orally twice daily). After 35 days of
      treatment, tumor volume was reduced by 85%. Mutations that commonly mediate
      resistance to MAPK pathway inhibition were not detected in a post-treatment
      sample by whole exome sequencing. A blood-based BRAF V600E assay detected
      circulating BRAF V600E in the patient's blood. Re-evaluation of the existing
      management paradigms for craniopharyngioma is warranted, as patient morbidity
      might be reduced by noninvasive mutation testing and neoadjuvant-targeted
      treatment. 

PMID- 26498374
TI  - Could it be colorectal cancer? General practitioners' use of the faecal occult
      blood test and decision making--a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Abdominal complaints are common reasons for contacting primary care
      physicians, and it can be challenging for general practitioners (GPs) to identify
      patients with suspected colorectal cancer (CRC) for referral to secondary care.
      The immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT) is used as a diagnostic aid
      in primary care, but it is unclear how test results are interpreted. Studies show
      that negative tests are associated with a risk of delayed diagnosis of CRC and
      that some patients with positive tests are not investigated further. The aim of
      this study was to explore what makes GPs suspect CRC and to investigate their
      practices regarding investigation and referral, with special attention on the use
      of iFOBTs. METHOD: Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with
      eleven purposely selected GPs and registrars in Region Jamtland Harjedalen,
      Sweden, and subjected to qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: In the analysis
      of the interviews four categories were identified that described what made the
      physicians suspect CRC and their practices. Careful listening-with awareness of
      the pitfalls: Attentive listening was described as essential, but there was a
      risk of being misled by, for example, the patient's own explanations. Tests can
      help-the iFOBT can also complicate the diagnosis: All physicians used iFOBTs to
      various extents. In the absence of guidelines, all found their own ways to
      interpret and act on the test results. To refer or not to refer-safety margins
      are necessary: Uncertainty was described as a part of everyday work and was
      handled in different ways. Common vague symptoms could be CRC and thus justified
      referral with safety margins. Growing more confident-but also more humble: With
      increasing experience, the GPs described becoming more confident in their
      decisions but they were also more cautious. CONCLUSIONS: Listening carefully to
      the patient's history was essential. The iFOBT was frequently used as support,
      but there were considerable variations in the interpretation and handling of the
      results. The diagnostic process can be described as navigating uncertain waters
      with safety margins, while striving to keep the patient's best interests in mind.
      The iFOBT may be useful as a diagnostic aid in primary care, but more research
      and evidence-based guidelines are needed.

PMID- 26498376
TI  - A highly enantioselective Biginelli reaction using self-assembled methanoproline
      thiourea organocatalysts: asymmetric synthesis of 6-isopropyl-3,4
      dihydropyrimidines.
AB  - An efficient self-assembled methanoproline-thiourea organocatalyst for the
      synthesis of optically active 6-isopropyl-3,4-dihydro-pyrimidines via an
      asymmetric Biginelli reaction was developed, which is superior to the individual
      precatalyst. A wide range of optically active 6-isopropyl-3,4-dihydropyrimidines
      with remarkable pharmacological interest was obtained in high yields with
      excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). A plausible transition state has
      been proposed to explain the origin of the activation and the asymmetric
      induction. 

PMID- 26498375
TI  - Five miRNAs Considered as Molecular Targets for Predicting Esophageal Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the most aggressive malignant
      gastrointestinal tumors; however the traditional therapies for EC are not
      effective enough. Great improvements are needed to explore new and valid
      treatments for EC. We aimed to screen the differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs)
      in esophageal cancer and explore the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer along with
      functions and pathways of the target genes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: miRNA high
      throughput sequencing data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA),
      then the DEMs underwent principal component analysis (PCA) based on their
      expression value. Following that, TargetScan software was used to predict the
      target genes, and enrichment analysis and pathway annotation of these target
      genes were done by DAVID and KEGG, respectively. Finally, survival analysis
      between the DEMs and patient survival time was done, and the miRNAs with
      prediction potential were identified. RESULTS: A total of 140 DEMs were obtained,
      113 miRNAs were up-regulated including hsa-mir-153-2, hsa-mir-92a-1 and hsa-mir
      182; while 27 miRNAs were down-regulated including hsa-mir comprising 29a, hsa
      mir-100 and hsa-mir-139 and so on. Five miRNAs (hsa-mir-103-1, hsa-mir-18a, hsa
      mir-324, hsa-mir-369 and hsa-mir-320b-2) with diagnostic and preventive potential
      were significantly correlated with survival time. CONCLUSIONS: The crucial
      molecular targets such as p53 may provide great clinical value in treatment, as
      well to provide new ideas for esophageal cancer therapy. The target genes of
      miRNA were found to play key roles in protein phosphorylation, and the functions
      of the target genes during protein phosphorylation should be further studied to
      explore novel treatment of EC.

PMID- 26498377
TI  - Patient-specific compensation for Co-60 TBI treatments based on Monte Carlo
      design: A feasibility study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop an AP-PA treatment technique for the delivery of total body
      irradiation (TBI) at extended SSD using a modified Co-60 unit equipped with
      flattening filter and patient-specific compensators supported by Monte Carlo (MC)
      simulations and measurements. METHODS: An existing Eldorado-78 Co-60 teletherapy
      unit was stripped of its original collimator and equipped with two beam-defining
      cerrobend blocks. An acrylic flattening filter was numerically designed based on
      detailed mapping of the dose distribution of the large open field at a 10 cm
      depth in water using a primary radiation attenuation calculation. An
      EGSnrc/BEAMnrc MC model of the resulting unit was developed and experimentally
      validated and was used to calculate MC dose distributions in whole-body supine
      and prone CT images of a patient. AP-PA patient-specific compensators were
      designed based on the supine and prone mid-plane dose distributions. RESULTS: The
      designed flattening filter flattens the beam to within +/-2% over a 200 cm * 70
      cm area at 10 cm depth in water. Experimental validation of the calculated dose
      profiles in the open and flattened beams shows agreement of better than 2% and
      1%, respectively. Patient MC dose calculations in the flattened, uncompensated
      beam showed dose deviations from prescription dose most notably in lung, neck and
      extremities ranging from -5% to +25%. The use of patient-specific compensators
      reduced inhomogeneities to within -5% to +10%. CONCLUSIONS: This work
      demonstrates that a Co-60 TBI setup upgraded with patient-specific compensators,
      numerically designed using MC patient dose calculations, is feasible and
      considerably improves the dose homogeneity.

PMID- 26498378
TI  - Multicentre treatment planning inter-comparison in a national context: The liver
      stereotactic ablative radiotherapy case.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare five liver metastasis stereotactic ablative radiotherapy
      (SABR) plans optimised in fourteen centres with 3D-Conformal-RT, IMRT, VMAT,
      CyberKnife and Tomotherapy and identify possible dosimetric differences. METHODS:
      Dose prescription was 75 Gy in 3 fractions, normalised at 67%-95% isodose.
      RESULTS: Excluding few cases, all institutions achieved the planning objectives.
      Differences up to 40% and 25% in mean dose to liver and PTV were found. No
      significant correlations between technological factors and DVH for target and
      OARs were observed; the optimisation strategies selected by the planners played a
      key role in the planning procedure. CONCLUSIONS: The human factor and the
      constraints imposed to the target volume have a greater dosimetric impact than
      treatment planning and radiation delivery technology in stereotactic treatment of
      liver metastases. Significant differences found both in terms of dosimetric
      target coverage and OAR sparing should be taken into consideration before
      starting a multi-institutional SARB clinical trial.

PMID- 26498379
TI  - Effects of extremity positioning on radiographic evaluation of femoral tunnel
      location with digitally reconstructed femoral lateral radiographs after anterior
      cruciate ligament reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Radiographic imaging is a valuable tool in clinical practice for
      quick anatomical assessment. We aimed to radiographically assess (A) the anterior
      cruciate ligament (ACL) graft tunnel location after anatomic single-bundle (SB)
      reconstruction and (B) the effects of extremity positioning on the localization
      of the orifice of the tunnel in the distal femur in comparison with Blumensaat's
      line (BL). METHODS: Three-dimensional computed tomography (3D CT) scan
      examinations of 22 knees of 22 subjects were evaluated. The 3D CT scan data was
      used to digitally reconstruct the true lateral radiographs. Graft tunnel location
      on the distal femoral shaft along the Blumensaat's line and perpendicular to it
      were assessed on these radiographs. The femur was digitally rotated to simulate
      varus, valgus, internal rotation and external rotation in 5-degree increments
      from 0 to 20-degree. At each incremental rotated position of the femur, position
      of the ACL graft tunnel was calculated relative to BL and the difference from the
      true lateral x-ray was estimated. RESULTS: The position of the tunnel in the
      distal femur was 30.6 (+/-4.4) % along BL and 33.1 (+/-5.4) % perpendicular to
      BL. Ten and more degree of external, internal, valgus and varus rotations
      significantly affected the estimates of tunnel position (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      Femoral tunnel location can be reliably estimated from lateral radiographs after
      anatomic SB ACL reconstruction. Although, ten or more degree of rotations can
      introduce significant inaccuracies in tunnel location estimates, our study
      suggests that BL is overall reliable for assessing location of the distal femoral
      tunnel. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 2b (Retrospective Cohort Study).

PMID- 26498380
TI  - Total saponins from Aralia taibaiensis protect against myocardial
      ischemia/reperfusion injury through AMPK pathway.
AB  - It was previously shown that total saponins extracted from Aralia taibaiensis
      (sAT) have potent antioxidant activities for treating diabetes mellitus and
      attenuate d-galactose-induced aging. Since diabetes mellitus and aging are
      closely associated with cardiac dysfunction, particularly ischemic heart disease,
      sAT may have potential protective activity against myocardial
      ischemia/reperfusion injury (MI/RI). However, the anti-MI/RI effects of sAT have
      yet to be examined, and the possible molecular mechanisms remain to be
      determined. The present study was undertaken to investigate the anti-MI/RI
      activities of sAT and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these effects in
      rats using TUNEL and Hoechst 33258 staining. The results confirmed the
      cardioprotective effects in vivo and elucidated the potential molecular
      mechanisms of sAT in vitro. Pretreatment with sAT significantly reduced infarct
      size, decreased the levels of lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase in the
      serum and blocked apoptosis. In addition, sAT inhibited A/R-induced apoptosis by
      decreasing DNA strand breaks, caspase-3 activity and cytochrome c release in H9c2
      cells. Furthermore, sAT markedly increased the phosphorylation of AMP-activated
      protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl CoA carboxylase and elevated the Bcl2/Bcl-2
      associated X protein ratio. These effects were blocked by compound C. The results
      suggested that sAT pretreatment exerts protective effects on myocardial cells in
      vitro and in vivo against MI/RI-induced apoptosis by activating AMPK pathway.

PMID- 26498382
TI  - Origins of Regioselectivity in Iridium Catalyzed Allylic Substitution.
AB  - Detailed studies on the origin of the regioselectivity for formation of branched
      products over linear products have been conducted with complexes containing the
      achiral triphenylphosphite ligand. The combination of iridium and P(OPh)3 was the
      first catalytic system shown to give high regioselectivity for the branched
      product with iridium and among the most selective for forming branched products
      among any combination of metal and ligand. We have shown the active catalyst to
      be generated from [Ir(COD)Cl]2 and P(OPh)3 by cyclometalation of the phenyl group
      on the ligand and have shown such species to be the resting state of the
      catalyst. A series of allyliridium complexes ligated by the resulting P,C ligand
      have been generated and shown to be competent intermediates in the catalytic
      system. We have assessed the potential impact of charge, metal-iridium bond
      length, and stability of terminal vs internal alkenes generated by attack at the
      branched and terminal positions of the allyl ligand, respectively. These factors
      do not distinguish the regioselectivity for attack on allyliridium complexes from
      that for attack on allylpalladium complexes. Instead, detailed computational
      studies suggest that a series of weak, attractive, noncovalent interactions,
      including interactions of H-bond acceptors with a vinyl C-H bond of the alkene
      ligand, favor formation of the branched product with the iridium catalyst. This
      conclusion underscores the importance of considering attractive interactions, as
      well as repulsive steric interactions, when seeking to rationalize selectivities.

PMID- 26498381
TI  - Phenotypic, Morphological and Adhesive Differences of Human Hematopoietic
      Progenitor Cells Cultured on Murine versus Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells.
AB  - Xenogenic transplantation models have been developed to study human hematopoiesis
      in immunocompromised murine recipients. They still have limitations and therefore
      it is important to delineate all players within the bone marrow that could
      account for species-specific differences. Here, we evaluated the proliferative
      capacity, morphological and physical characteristics of human CD34(+)
      hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) after co-culture on murine or
      human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). After seven days,
      human CD34(+)CD133(-) HSPCs expanded to similar extents on both feeder layers
      while cellular subsets comprising primitive CD34(+)CD133(+) and CD133(+)CD34(-)
      phenotypes are reduced fivefold on murine MSCs. The number of migrating HSPCs was
      also reduced on murine cells suggesting that MSC adhesion influences cellular
      polarization of HSPC. We used atomic force microscopy-based single-cell force
      spectroscopy to quantify their adhesive interactions. We found threefold higher
      detachment forces of human HSPCs from murine MSCs compared to human ones. This
      difference is related to the N-cadherin expression level on murine MSCs since its
      knockdown abolished their differential adhesion properties with human HSPCs. Our
      observations highlight phenotypic, morphological and adhesive differences of
      human HSPCs when cultured on murine or human MSCs, which raise some caution in
      data interpretation when xenogenic transplantation models are used. 

PMID- 26498383
TI  - Mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) affects intercellular junctions of Sertoli
      cell: A potential role of oxidative stress.
AB  - We analyzed the potential role of oxidative stress induced by mono (2-ethylhexyl)
      phthalate (MEHP) in adherent cell junction protein expression of prepubertal rat
      Sertoli cells (SC) in vitro. Five-day SC cultures were treated with MEHP (200MUM)
      for 24h and compared to cells in basal conditions. Western blot and
      immunofluorescent (IF) analyses showed that MEHP induced increase of N-cadherin
      and catenin expression, modifying its distribution. Concomitantly, Cx-43
      expression decreased significantly and delocalization of the IF signal for tight
      junction proteins (occludin, claudin-11 and ZO-1) occurred. Indicative of
      oxidative stress, MEHP induced in SC an increase of lipoperoxides, a decrease in
      glutathione (GSH) levels and a concomitant increase in Glutathione S-Transferases
      (GST) activity. Antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine (1mM) treatment prevented GSH
      decrease and N-cadherin and alpha-catenin up-regulation induced by MEHP. Our data
      suggest that oxidative stress signaling is a mechanism involved in adherent cell
      junctions disruption induced by MEHP in SC cultures. 

PMID- 26498384
TI  - Asymptotic stability of tri-trophic food chains sharing a common resource.
AB  - One of the key results of the food web theory states that the interior
      equilibrium of a tri-trophic food chain described by the Lotka-Volterra type
      dynamics is globally asymptotically stable whenever it exists. This article
      extends this result to food webs consisting of several food chains sharing a
      common resource. A Lyapunov function for such food webs is constructed and
      asymptotic stability of the interior equilibrium is proved. Numerical simulations
      show that as the number of food chains increases, the real part of the leading
      eigenvalue, while still negative, approaches zero. Thus the resilience of such
      food webs decreases with the number of food chains in the web. 

PMID- 26498385
TI  - Trophic Cascades by Large Carnivores: A Case for Strong Inference and Mechanism.
AB  - Studies on trophic cascades involving large carnivores typically are limited by a
      lack of replication and control, giving rise to a spirited debate over the
      ecological role of these iconic species. We argue that much of this debate can be
      resolved by decomposing the trophic cascade hypothesis into three constituent
      interactions, quantifying each interaction individually, and accommodating
      alternative hypotheses. We advocate for a novel approach that couples the rigor
      characterizing foundational work on trophic cascades (i.e., from studies carried
      out in mesocosm and whole lake systems) with the conservation relevance of large
      carnivore-dominated food webs. Because of their iconic status, it is crucial that
      inferences about the ecological role of large carnivores rise to meet the same
      rigorous standards to which other studies in community ecology are held. 

PMID- 26498386
TI  - Roflumilast for asthma: Efficacy findings in placebo-controlled studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of roflumilast as a potential asthma treatment is not yet
      fully understood. A series of placebo-controlled trials were undertaken in order
      to investigate the safety and efficacy of roflumilast in asthma. AIM: To evaluate
      the efficacy of roflumilast in nine randomized proof-of-concept, placebo
      controlled monotherapy and combination therapy phase II and III clinical studies
      performed between 1997 and 2005. METHODS: The studies were conducted at sites in
      Europe, North and South America, Africa, Australasia and Asia and study length
      varied from 4 to 24 weeks. Data were analyzed from 4873 patients, 12-70 years of
      age, of whom 2668 received roflumilast. At randomization patients had a forced
      expiratory flow (FEV1) of 45-90%. Roflumilast was investigated at doses of 125,
      250 and 500 MUg versus placebo. In two studies, 500 MUg roflumilast was added on
      top of standard therapy with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), 250 MUg fluticasone
      propionate, or 400 MUg beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP). Improvement in FEV1
      from baseline was the primary endpoint in seven studies. Key secondary endpoints
      included asthma symptom scores and time to first severe exacerbation. RESULTS:
      Roflumilast consistently improved FEV1 across the nine studies compared with
      placebo, reaching statistical significance in three studies. When given in
      addition to ICS, roflumilast provided additional improvements in FEV1 which was
      statistically significant for 500 MUg roflumilast/400 MUg BDP versus placebo/400
      MUg BDP. CONCLUSION: Together these studies show that roflumilast has potential
      as an effective anti-inflammatory therapy for the treatment of asthma. Additional
      beneficial effects are observed when given in combination with ICS, which warrant
      further investigation. All studies were funded by Takeda. Trial registration
      numbers available on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00073177, NCT00076076, NCT00163527.

PMID- 26498388
TI  - Strong orbital deformation due to CH-pi interaction in the benzene-methane
      complex.
AB  - The orbital distribution and composition of the benzene-methane complex have been
      investigated systemically using ab initio calculations for the first time.
      Surprisingly, we find strong deformation in the HOMO-4 and LUMO+2 induced by CH
      pi interaction, extending the general view that nonbonding interaction does not
      cause orbital change of molecules. 

PMID- 26498387
TI  - Cough reflex sensitization from esophagus and nose.
AB  - The diseases of the esophagus and nose are among the major factors contributing
      to chronic cough although their role in different patient populations is debated.
      Studies in animal models and in humans show that afferent C-fiber activators
      applied on esophageal or nasal mucosa do not initiate cough, but enhance cough
      induced by inhaled irritants. These results are consistent with the hypothesis
      that activation of esophageal and nasal C-fibers contribute to cough reflex
      hypersensitivity observed in chronic cough patients with gastroesophageal reflux
      disease (GERD) and chronic rhinitis, respectively. The afferent nerves mediating
      cough sensitization from the esophagus are probably the neural crest-derived
      vagal jugular C-fibers. In addition to their responsiveness to high concentration
      of acid typical for gastroesophageal reflux (pH < 5), esophageal C-fibers also
      express receptors for activation by weakly acidic reflux such as receptors highly
      sensitive to acid and receptors for bile acids. The nature of sensory pathways
      from the nose and their activators relevant for cough sensitization are less
      understood. Increased cough reflex sensitivity was also reported in many patients
      with GERD or rhinitis who do not complain of cough indicating that additional
      endogenous or exogenous factors may be required to develop chronic coughing in
      these diseases. 

PMID- 26498389
TI  - The development of cat testicular sperm cryopreservation protocols: Effects of
      tissue fragments or sperm cell suspension.
AB  - In endangered animals that have been found dead or sterilized for medical
      reasons, testis is the ultimate source of haploid DNA or sperm. Thus,
      preservation of testicular sperm may be performed to rescue their genetics. The
      aim of this study was to evaluate protocols for testicular sperm freezing: as
      tissue fragments or cell suspension in domestic cats as a model. A pair of testes
      from each cat (n = 9) were cut into eight equal pieces. Four randomly selected
      pieces were cryopreserved as: (1) tissue pieces using two-step freezing; (2)
      tissue pieces using a slow passive cooling device (CoolCell); (3) sperm
      suspension after single-layer centrifugation (SLC) through colloids; and (4)
      sperm suspension without being processed through SLC. A testicular piece from
      each cat served as fresh control. Testicular sperm membrane and DNA integrity
      were evaluated before, and after, the cryopreservation process. In addition,
      spermatogenic cell types (testicular sperm, spermatogonia, spermatocyte, and
      spermatid) present in the suspension samples were counted before and after SLC.
      The results found that testicular sperm membrane integrity in the suspension
      after SLC process was higher than that in the fragment form neither using the two
      step nor CoolCell freezing, both before and after freezing (before freezing: 92.3
      +/- 3.4 vs. 81 +/- 4.5 and 80.0 +/- 7.0; after freezing: 84.5 +/- 4.6 vs. 71.2 +/
      12 and 76.2 +/- 4.6; P <= 0.05). Testicular sperm DNA integrity was, however,
      not different among groups. Furthermore, the samples processed through the SLC
      had higher ration of sperm cells: other spermatogenic cells than those were not
      processed through the SLC (88.9 +/- 3.8 vs. 30 +/- 7.9; P <= 0.05). In summary,
      testicular sperm cryopreserved as a minced suspension is considered suitable in
      terms of preventing sperm membrane integrity, and SLC is considered a selection
      tool for enriching haploid sperm cells from castrated or postmortem cats. 

PMID- 26498390
TI  - Total plasma magnesium in healthy and critically ill foals.
AB  - Abnormalities in total Mg (tMg) concentration in plasma and/or serum are common
      in critically ill humans, and the association with increased mortality has been
      documented in several clinical studies in adults and newborns with hypoxic
      ischemic encephalopathy. Abnormalities in tMg were studied in hospitalized dogs,
      cats, and adult horses. Newborn foals were scarcely studied with regard to Mg
      concentration. The aims of the present study were: (1) to compare two analytical
      methods for the determination of tMg in plasma: the automated colorimetric method
      and the atomic absorption spectrometry; (2) to measure plasma tMg in healthy
      foals during the first 72 hours after birth and in sick foals during the first 72
      hours of hospitalization; (3) to compare total plasma Mg concentration among
      healthy foals, foals affected by perinatal asphyxia syndrome (PAS), prematurity
      and/or dismaturity, and sepsis; (4) to evaluate tMg plasma concentration in
      surviving and non-surviving foals. One hundred seventeen foals were included in
      the study: 20 healthy and 97 sick foals. The automated method used in clinical
      practice probably overestimates plasma tMg. Due to its higher sensitivity and
      specificity, the atomic absorption spectrometry should be considered the method
      of choice from an analytical point of view, but requires an instrumentation not
      easily available in any laboratory and specific technical skills and
      competencies. Plasma tMg in healthy foals were included in the range 0.52 to 1.01
      mmol/L and did not show any time-dependent change during the first 72 hours of
      life. In sick foals, tMg evaluated at T0 was statistically higher than tMg
      measured at subsequent times. Foals affected by PAS had a tMg at T0 significantly
      higher (P < 0.01) than healthy, septic, and premature and/or dysmature foals. The
      t test found significantly higher (P < 0.01) plasma tMg measured at T0 in non
      surviving than in surviving foals. Plasma tMg could be a useful parameter for the
      diagnosis of PAS and the formulation of the prognosis in critically ill foals. 

PMID- 26498391
TI  - Resveratrol sensitizes glioblastoma-initiating cells to temozolomide by inducing
      cell apoptosis and promoting differentiation.
AB  - Glioblastoma-initiating cells play crucial roles in the origin, growth, and
      recurrence of glioblastoma multiforme. The elimination of glioblastoma-initiating
      cells is believed to be a key strategy for achieving long-term survival of
      glioblastoma patients due to the highly resistant property of glioblastoma
      initiating cells to temozolomide. Resveratrol, a naturally occurring polyphenol,
      has been widely studied as a promising candidate for cancer prevention and
      treatment. Whether resveratrol could enhance the sensitivity of glioblastoma
      initiating cells to temozolomide therapy has not yet been reported. Here, using
      patient-derived glioblastoma-initiating cell lines, we found that resveratrol
      sensitized glioblastoma-initiating cells to temozolomide both in vitro and in
      vivo. Furthermore, we showed that resveratrol enhanced glioblastoma-initiating
      cells to temozolomide-induced apoptosis through DNA double-stranded
      breaks/pATM/pATR/p53 pathway activation, and promoted glioblastoma-initiating
      cell differentiation involving p-STAT3 inactivation. Our results propose that
      temozolomide and resveratrol combination strategy may be effective in the
      management of glioblastoma patients, particularly for those patients who have
      been present with a high abundance of glioblastoma-initiating cells in their
      tumors and show slight responsiveness to temozolomide.

PMID- 26498392
TI  - Evaluation of enzyme immobilization methods for paper-based devices--A glucose
      oxidase study.
AB  - Paper-based sensors gained almost explosive attention during the last few years.
      A large number of systems, often destined to resource limited settings is based
      on enzymatic reactions. Choice of an adequate immobilization method could
      significantly prolong the shelf-life of such sensors, especially in applications,
      where exposure to high temperatures during storage and transport is more than a
      threat. We are seeking to compare a variety of immobilization methods based on
      different phenomena (adsorption, entrapment in gel, microencapsulation, covalent
      linkage), with total of 33 methods tested. Glucose oxidase was used as a model
      enzyme. Enzymatic activity of immobilized samples was accompanied for a period of
      24 weeks considering two sets of samples, one stored in 4  degrees C and other in
      ambient temperature.

PMID- 26498393
TI  - New natural product carbonic anhydrase inhibitors incorporating phenol moieties.
AB  - Carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1) catalyze the fundamental reaction of CO2
      hydration in all living organisms, being actively involved in the regulation of a
      plethora of patho/physiological conditions. They represent a typical example of
      enzyme convergent evolution, as six genetically unrelated families of such
      enzymes were described so far. The need to find selective CA inhibitors (CAIs)
      triggered the investigation of natural product libraries, which proved to be a
      valid source of agents with such an activity, as demonstrated for the phenols,
      polyamines and coumarins. Herein we report an in vitro inhibition study of human
      (h) CA isoforms hCAs I, II, IV, VII and XII with a panel of natural polyphenols
      including flavones, flavonols, flavanones, flavanols, isoflavones and depsides,
      some of which extracted from Quercus ilex and Salvia miltiorrhiza. Several of the
      investigated derivatives showed interesting inhibition activity and selectivities
      for inhibiting some important isoforms over the off-target ones hCA I and II. 

PMID- 26498394
TI  - Inhibition of mammalian carbonic anhydrase isoforms I-XIV with a series of
      phenolic acid esters.
AB  - A series of phenolic acid esters incorporating caffeic, ferulic, and p-coumaric
      acid, and benzyl, m/p-hydroxyphenethyl- as well as p-hydroxy-phenethoxy-phenethyl
      moieties were investigated for their inhibitory effects against the metalloenzyme
      carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1). Many of the mammalian isozymes of human (h)
      or murine (m) origin, hCA I-hCA XII, mCA XIII and hCA XIV, were inhibited in the
      submicromolar range by these derivatives (with KIs of 0.31-1.03 MUM against hCA
      VA, VB, VI, VII, IX and XIV). The off-target, highly abundant isoforms hCA I and
      II, as well as hCA III, IV and XII were poorly inhibited by many of these esters,
      although the original phenolic acids were micromolar inhibitors. These phenols,
      like others investigated earlier, possess a CA inhibition mechanism distinct of
      the sulfonamides/sulfamates, clinically used drugs for the treatment of a
      multitude of pathologies, but with severe side effects due to hCA I/II
      inhibition. Unlike the sulfonamides, which bind to the catalytic zinc ion,
      phenols are anchored at the Zn(II)-coordinated water molecule, binding more
      externally within the active site cavity, and making contacts with amino acid
      residues at the entrance of the active site. As this is the region with the
      highest variability between the many CA isozymes found in mammals, this class of
      compounds shows isoform-selective inhibitory profiles, which may be exploited for
      obtaining pharmacological agents with less side effects compared to other classes
      of inhibitors.

PMID- 26498395
TI  - Five-wave-packet quantum error correction based on continuous-variable cluster
      entanglement.
AB  - Quantum error correction protects the quantum state against noise and decoherence
      in quantum communication and quantum computation, which enables one to perform
      fault-torrent quantum information processing. We experimentally demonstrate a
      quantum error correction scheme with a five-wave-packet code against a single
      stochastic error, the original theoretical model of which was firstly proposed by
      S. L. Braunstein and T. A. Walker. Five submodes of a continuous variable cluster
      entangled state of light are used for five encoding channels. Especially, in our
      encoding scheme the information of the input state is only distributed on three
      of the five channels and thus any error appearing in the remained two channels
      never affects the output state, i.e. the output quantum state is immune from the
      error in the two channels. The stochastic error on a single channel is corrected
      for both vacuum and squeezed input states and the achieved fidelities of the
      output states are beyond the corresponding classical limit. 

PMID- 26498396
TI  - Pore-forming toxins: Properties, diversity, and uses as tools to image
      sphingomyelin and ceramide phosphoethanolamine.
AB  - Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) represent a unique class of highly specific lipid
      binding proteins. The cytotoxicity of these compounds has been overcome through
      crystallographic structure and mutation studies, facilitating the development of
      non-toxic lipid probes. As a consequence, non-toxic PFTs have been utilized as
      highly specific probes to visualize the diversity and dynamics of lipid
      nanostructures in living and fixed cells. This review is focused on the
      application of PFTs and their non-toxic analogs as tools to visualize
      sphingomyelin and ceramide phosphoethanolamine, two major phosphosphingolipids in
      mammalian and insect cells, respectively. This article is part of a Special Issue
      entitled: Pore-Forming Toxins edited by Mauro Dalla Serra and Franco Gambale. 

PMID- 26498397
TI  - An intimate link between antimicrobial peptide sequence diversity and binding to
      essential components of bacterial membranes.
AB  - Antimicrobial peptides and proteins (AMPs) are widespread in the living kingdom.
      They are key effectors of defense reactions and mediators of competitions between
      organisms. They are often cationic and amphiphilic, which favors their
      interactions with the anionic membranes of microorganisms. Several AMP families
      do not directly alter membrane integrity but rather target conserved components
      of the bacterial membranes in a process that provides them with potent and
      specific antimicrobial activities. Thus, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), lipoteichoic
      acids (LTA) and the peptidoglycan precursor Lipid II are targeted by a broad
      series of AMPs. Studying the functional diversity of immune effectors tells us
      about the essential residues involved in AMP mechanism of action. Marine
      invertebrates have been found to produce a remarkable diversity of AMPs.
      Molluscan defensins and crustacean anti-LPS factors (ALF) are diverse in terms of
      amino acid sequence and show contrasted phenotypes in terms of antimicrobial
      activity. Their activity is directed essentially against Gram-positive or Gram
      negative bacteria due to their specific interactions with Lipid II or Lipid A,
      respectively. Through those interesting examples, we discuss here how sequence
      diversity generated throughout evolution informs us on residues required for
      essential molecular interaction at the bacterial membranes and subsequent
      antibacterial activity. Through the analysis of molecular variants having lost
      antibacterial activity or shaped novel functions, we also discuss the molecular
      bases of functional divergence in AMPs. This article is part of a Special Issue
      entitled: Antimicrobial peptides edited by Karl Lohner and Kai Hilpert. 

PMID- 26498398
TI  - Outcome of Patients with Long-Lasting Cerebral Vasospasm After Subarachnoid
      Hemorrhage: Is Prolonged Treatment for Cerebral Vasospasm Worthwhile? A Matched
      Pair Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cerebral vasospasm (CVS) occurs regularly between days 3 and 12 after
      subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Yet, some patients suffering from SAH have long
      lasting cerebral vasospasm (LL-CVS, i.e., longer than 14 days). The outcome of
      these patients with a very long treatment is unknown. METHODS: Patients with SAH
      were entered into a prospectively collected database. In unconscious patients,
      CVS was treated until a reversal of CVS was confirmed by imaging. Outcome was
      assessed with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS; favorable [mRS 0-2] and unfavorable
      [mRS 3-6]) 6 months after SAH. Data were compared by matched pair analysis.
      RESULTS: Of 1126 patients, 106 had LL-CVS (9.4%). The mean of treatment was until
      day 20 (range, 15-42). Of these patients, more than 30% needed treatment longer
      than 21 days after SAH; 29% had a small intracerebral hematoma (ICH; <50 mL).
      Hydrocephalus that required external ventricular drainage was present in 81%.
      Outcomes were favorable in 60%, and 8% died. In the multivariate logistic
      regression analysis, risk factors for an unfavorable outcome were elderly
      patients, poor admission status, and the presence of small ICH. Compared with the
      matched control group, who had "regular-lasting" CVS, patients with LL-CVS had a
      significant better outcome (60% vs. 49%) and a significant lower mortality rate
      (8% vs. 27%). CONCLUSION: Patients with LL-CVS had a significant better outcome
      than patients with "regular-lasting" CVS. Risk factors for worse outcome of
      patients with LL-CVS were a worse admission status, elderly age, and the presence
      of small ICH. We recommend using an objective method to validate the reversal of
      CVS in unconscious patients.

PMID- 26498399
TI  - Outcomes for Patients with Poor-Grade Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: To Treat or Not To
      Treat?

PMID- 26498400
TI  - beta-carotene and retinol contents in the meat of herbivorous ungulates with a
      special reference to their public health importance.
AB  - The aim of this study was to estimate total carotenoids, beta-carotene and
      retinol concentrations in the livers and muscles of some ungulates (cattle,
      buffalo, sheep, goats and horses) in comparison with the Wistar rats as a
      control. Cattle and horses had the highest contents of total carotenoids and beta
      carotene. Unexpectedly, sheep was the highest accumulator of retinol with a mean
      concentration of 203 +/- 23.34 ug/g, while the least accumulator was buffalo,
      having a mean value of 58.28 +/- 13.77 ug/g. Livers had higher contents of the
      examined phytochemicals than muscles. Consumption of these tissues may provide
      human with some needs from these important phytochemicals, though ingestion of
      livers, especially that of the sheep, is not advisable for the pregnant women. 

PMID- 26498401
TI  - Serological survey of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus infection in Japan.
AB  - A serological survey of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) infection was
      conducted from September 2006 to February 2007 in Japan. A total of 857 serum
      samples were collected from 113 herds in 28 prefectures and were analyzed for the
      presence of CAEV antibodies using agar gel immunodiffusion test. The
      seroprevalence of CAEV infection at the herd and animal levels was 15.0% (17/113)
      and 10.0% (86/857), respectively. Large farms with more than 10 goats and with
      animals for dairy and breeding purposes had higher seroprevalence (P<0.05). The
      results of this study provide useful information to consider effective control
      programs against CAEV infection in Japan. 

PMID- 26498402
TI  - Growth kinetics of Salmonella enterica in Hajna tetrathionate broth, Rappaport
      broth and modified semisolid Rappaport agar.
AB  - To determine the appropriate method for isolating Salmonella enterica, we
      compared the growth of S. enterica serovars using three selective enrichment
      media. S. enterica was more successfully isolated from artificially contaminated
      fecal samples after enrichment in Hajna tetrathionate broth or modified semisolid
      Rappaport agar than in Rappaport broth. Since most bacteria (other than motile S.
      enterica) do not migrate on modified semisolid Rappaport agar, the growth
      characteristics of S. enterica can be interpreted easily and quickly. Two S.
      enterica isolates did not migrate on modified semisolid Rappaport agar, but did
      grow in Hajna tetrathionate broth, which suggests that the combined use of these
      selective enrichment media is appropriate for isolating S. enterica. 

PMID- 26498403
TI  - Contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic findings in three dogs with lung lobe torsion.
AB  - Lung lobe torsion is rare but life-threatening condition in the dog. Thoracic
      radiographs and conventional ultrasonography cannot be conclusive for the
      diagnosis, and computed tomography is useful but is limited by cost and
      availability. This report describes the findings of contrast-enhanced
      ultrasonography in 3 dogs with lung lobe torsion. Contrast-enhanced
      ultrasonography showed the absence or reduction of pulmonary vascularization
      secondary to twisting of the lung lobe around its bronchovascular pedicle in all
      three dogs. Moreover, contrast-enhanced ultrasonography distinguished partial
      pulmonary atelectasis from a lung lobe torsion. These preliminary results suggest
      that contrast-enhanced ultrasonography can improve the accuracy of conventional
      ultrasonography for detection of pulmonary blood flow compromise in dogs with
      lung lobe torsion. 

PMID- 26498404
TI  - Interdisciplinary lifestyle intervention for weight management in a community
      population (HealthTrack study): Study design and baseline sample characteristics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Integrating professional expertise in diet, exercise and behavioural
      support may provide more effective preventive health services but this needs
      testing. We describe the design and baseline results of a trial in the Illawarra
      region of New South Wales, Australia. METHODS: The HealthTrack study is a 12
      month randomised controlled trial testing effects of a novel interdisciplinary
      lifestyle intervention versus usual care. The study recruited overweight and
      obese adults 25-54 years resident in the Illawarra. Primary outcomes were weight,
      and secondary outcomes were disease risk factors (lipids, glucose, blood
      pressure), and behaviour (diet, activity, and psychological factors). Protocols,
      recruitment and baseline characteristics are reported. RESULTS: Between May 2014
      and April 2015, 377 participants were recruited and randomised. The median age
      (IQR) of the mostly female sample (74%) was 45 (37-51) years. The sample
      comprised obese (BMI 32 (29-35) kg/m(2)) well educated (79% post school
      qualifications) non-smokers (96%). A high proportion reported suffering from
      anxiety (26.8%) and depression (33.7%). Metabolic syndrome was identified in
      34.9% of the sample. CONCLUSIONS: The HealthTrack study sample was recruited to
      test the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary approach to preventive healthcare
      in self-identified overweight adults in the Illawarra region. The profile of
      participants gives some indication of those likely to use services similar to the
      trial design.

PMID- 26498405
TI  - What qualitative research can contribute to a randomized controlled trial of a
      complex community intervention.
AB  - Using the case of a large-scale, multi-site Canadian Housing First research
      demonstration project for homeless people with mental illness, At Home/Chez Soi,
      we illustrate the value of qualitative methods in a randomized controlled trial
      (RCT) of a complex community intervention. We argue that quantitative RCT
      research can neither capture the complexity nor tell the full story of a complex
      community intervention. We conceptualize complex community interventions as
      having multiple phases and dimensions that require both RCT and qualitative
      research components. Rather than assume that qualitative research and RCTs are
      incommensurate, a more pragmatic mixed methods approach was used, which included
      using both qualitative and quantitative methods to understand program
      implementation and outcomes. At the same time, qualitative research was used to
      examine aspects of the intervention that could not be understood through the RCT,
      such as its conception, planning, sustainability, and policy impacts. Through
      this example, we show how qualitative research can tell a more complete story
      about complex community interventions. 

PMID- 26498406
TI  - Critical role of the Mac1/NOX2 pathway in mediating reactive microgliosis
      generated chronic neuroinflammation and progressive neurodegeneration.
AB  - As average life expectancy rises throughout the world, neurodegenerative diseases
      have emerged as one of the greatest global public heath challenges in modern
      times. Substantial efforts have been made in researching neurodegenerative
      diseases over the last few decades, yet their predominantly sporadic nature has
      made uncovering their etiologies challenging. Mounting evidence has suggested
      that factors like damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) released by
      stressed and dying neurons are likely involved in disease pathology and in
      stimulating chronic activation of microglia that contributes to neuronal
      oxidative stress and degeneration. This review focuses on how the microglial
      integrin receptor Mac1 and its downstream effector NADPH oxidase (NOX2)
      contribute to maintaining chronic neuroinflammation and are crucial in
      inflammation-driven neurotoxicity in neurodegenerative diseases. Our hope is to
      provide new insights on novel targets and therapies that could slow or even halt
      neurodegeneration. 

PMID- 26498407
TI  - Alveolar ridge dimensional changes following ridge preservation procedure: part-2
      - CBCT 3D analysis in non-human primate model.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of ridge preservation
      involving novel devices used for obturation of socket orifice (Socket cap;
      SocketKAP(TM) ) and resorbable cage used for space maintenance in sites with
      facial wall dehiscence (Socket cage; SocketKAGE(TM) ). MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Eight teeth were extracted in each of six Macaca fascicularis non-human primates.
      Six intervention groups consisted of the following: Group A: intact socket
      negative control. Group B: intact socket: socket cap. Group C: intact socket
      filled with anorganic bovine bone mineral (ABBM) + socket cap. Group D:
      dehiscence: negative control. Group E: dehiscence: socket cap + socket cage.
      Group F: dehiscence: filled with ABBM + socket cap + socket cage. CBCT scans were
      obtained preoperatively and at 6 and 12 weeks following intervention. The pre-
      and postoperative scans were superimposed, to quantify 3D volumetric alveolar
      bone changes. RESULTS: Volumetric bone loss occurred in all sockets, not only
      within the cretal zone (0-3 mm) to the ridge crest, as has been commonly reported
      by other investigators, but significant bone loss was also detected in the zone
      which was 3-6 mm apical to the alveolar crest. For intact sockets, socket cap +
      ABBM led to significantly greater percentages of remaining bone volume when
      compared to groups A and B. A significant difference favoring socket cap + socket
      cage + ABBM treatment was observed for sockets with facial dehiscence defects
      compared to groups D and E. CONCLUSIONS: Socket cap in conjunction with ABBM
      appears effective in limiting post-extraction volumetric bone loss in intact
      sockets, while socket cap + socket cage + ABBM appears effective in limiting post
      extraction bone loss in sockets with dehiscence defects.

PMID- 26498408
TI  - microRNA level is raised in the hair shafts of patients with dematomyositis in
      comparison with normal subjects and patients with scleroderma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of dermatomyositis is sometimes difficult. We tried to
      evaluate the possibility that levels of Homo sapiens microRNA-214 (hsa-miR-214)
      in hair roots or hair shafts can be a useful marker of the disease. METHODS: A
      single hair root and five pieces of hair shafts were obtained from nine patients
      with dermatomyositis, 15 normal subjects, and 18 patients with scleroderma before
      treatment. RNAs were purified from the hair roots and hair shafts using
      commercially available kits. cDNA was synthesized from the RNA, and miR-214
      levels were measured with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.
      Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to evaluate the
      diagnostic performance of hair microRNA levels. RESULTS: The levels of miR-214 in
      hair shafts of patients with dermatomyositis were significantly higher than those
      of normal subjects and patients with scleroderma. By receiver operator curve
      analysis of hair shaft miR-214 levels to distinguish patients with
      dermatomyositis from normal subjects, the area under the curve was 0.90. The
      duration between symptom onset and the first visit to the hospital was
      significantly shorter in patients with elevated hair shafts miR-214 levels,
      suggesting that they have more severe subjective symptoms. On the other hand, we
      could not find significant differences in hair root miR-214 levels among normal
      subjects and patients with dermatomyositis and scleroderma. CONCLUSIONS: Hair
      shaft miR-214 levels are useful for diagnosis and evaluating the disease severity
      of dermatomyositis. Hair microRNA levels may have potential to be a novel and
      less invasive biomarker.

PMID- 26498409
TI  - The role of Nrf2 in protection against Pb-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis
      in SH-SY5Y cells.
AB  - Lead exerts severe adverse effects on the nervous system in which oxidative
      stress might mediate impairments. In this study, we focused on Nrf2, which has
      been identified to significantly influence the protection of a cellular system
      against many xenobiotic compounds. We found that PbAc exhibited neurotoxicity
      mainly through oxidant-based processes and could be inhibited by NAC and DPI in
      SH-SY5Y cells. As a defense response, Nrf2 was activated when exposed to PbAc,
      thereby inducing a rapid increase in Nrf2 nuclear accumulation, as well as Nrf2
      ARE binding activities in a ROS-dependent manner. Analysis of Nrf2-regulated gene
      expression and protein showed that PbAc could induce the mRNA transcription of HO
      1, GSTalpha1, GCLM, GCLC, and NQO1, as well as the protein expression of HO-1 and
      gamma-GCS. The responses of these genes to PbAc were regulated by Nrf2. Silencing
      Nrf2 expression in SH-SY5Y cells inhibited PbAc-induced gene transcription and
      protein expression. Overexpression of Nrf2 led to decreased ROS production and
      cell apoptosis, as well as increased cell viability under PbAc exposure. These
      results indicated that the Nrf2-ARE system exhibited a protective role in Pb
      induced neurotoxicity, providing potential therapeutic strategies for the
      prevention and treatment of Pb-related diseases. 

PMID- 26498410
TI  - Sub-chronic (13-week) oral toxicity study, preceded by an in utero exposure phase
      and genotoxicity studies with fish source phosphatidylserine in rats.
AB  - The safety of fish phosphatidylserine (PS) conjugated to DHA (InCogTM) was
      examined in a series of toxicology studies as first step to support future use in
      infants and general population using in vitro genotoxicity tests and in a sub
      chronic toxicity study with an in-utero exposure phase. PS is a major lipid in
      the cell membrane, active in various membrane-mediated processes. PS-DHA, present
      in human milk, has been suggested to be important for early brain development.
      Rats were exposed to diets containing 1.5%, 3% or 4.5% InCog or two control
      diets. Parental (F0) animals were fed throughout mating, gestation and lactation.
      Subsequently, a subchronic, 13-week study was conducted on the F1 animals
      followed by 4 weeks of recovery. The genotoxicity tests showed no mutagenicity
      potential. No significant toxicological findings were found in the F0 rats or the
      F1 pups. In the 13-weeks study, an increase in the presence of renal minimal-mild
      multifocal corticomedullary mineralization was noted in nine females of the high
      dose group. This change was not associated with any inflammatory or degenerative
      changes in the kidneys. The no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) in the
      present study was placed at 3% in the diet (mid-dose group), equivalent to an
      overall intake of at least 2.1 g InCog/kg bw/day in the F1 generation. 

PMID- 26498411
TI  - Protective effect of gastrodin on bile duct ligation-induced hepatic fibrosis in
      rats.
AB  - Gastrodin has been showed to possess many beneficial physiological functions,
      including protection against inflammation and oxidation and apoptosis. Studies
      showed inflammation and oxidation play important roles in producing liver damage
      and initiating hepatic fibrogenesis. However, it has not been reported whether
      gastrodin has a protective effect against hepatic fibrosis or not. This is first
      ever made attempts to test gastrodin against liver fibrosis in bile duct ligation
      (BDL) rats. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of gastrodin
      on BDL-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats. BDL rats were divided into two groups,
      BDL alone group, and BDL-gastrodin group treated with gastrodin (5 mg/ml in
      drinking water). The effects of gastrodin on BDL-induced hepatic injury and
      fibrosis in rats were estimated by assessing serum, urine, bile and liver tissue
      biochemistry followed by liver histopathology (using hematoxylin & eosin and
      sirius red stain) and hydroxyproline content measurement. The results showed that
      gastrodin treatment significantly reduced collagen content, bile duct
      proliferation and parenchymal necrosis after BDL. The serum alanine
      aminotransferase (ALT) and serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) decreased with
      gastrodin treatment by 15.1 and 23.6 percent respectively in comparison to BDL
      group did not receive gastrodin. Gastrodin also significantly increased the level
      of serum high density lipoprotein (HDL) by 62.5 percent and down-regulated the
      elevated urine total bilirubin (TBIL) by 56.5 percent, but had no effect on total
      bile acid (TBA) in serum, bile and liver tissues. The immunohistochemical assay
      showed gastrodin remarkably reduced the expressions of CD68 and NF-kappaB in BDL
      rats. Hepatic SOD levels, depressed by BDL, were also increased by gastrodin by
      8.4 percent. In addition, the increases of hepatic MDA and NO levels in BDL rats
      were attenuated by gastrodin by 31.3 and 38.7 percent separately. Our results
      indicate that gastrodin significantly attenuated the severity of BDL-induced
      hepatic injury and fibrosis by attenuating oxidative stress and inflammation.
      Taken together, these findings suggest that gastrodin might be an effective
      antifibrotic drug in cholestatic liver disease. 

PMID- 26498412
TI  - Improving advance care planning and bereavement outcomes.

PMID- 26498413
TI  - Functional status metrics in kidney transplantation: implications for patients,
      programs, and policy makers.

PMID- 26498414
TI  - Progress in emergency preparedness for dialysis care 10 years after Hurricane
      Katrina.

PMID- 26498415
TI  - Timing of dialysis initiation, duration and frequency of hemodialysis sessions,
      and membrane flux: a systematic review for a KDOQI clinical practice guideline.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2006, NKF-KDOQI (National Kidney Foundation-Kidney Disease
      Outcomes Quality Initiative) published clinical practice guidelines for
      hemodialysis adequacy. Recent studies evaluating hemodialysis adequacy as
      determined by initiation timing, frequency, duration, and membrane type and
      prompted an update to the guideline. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review and evidence
      synthesis. SETTING & POPULATION: Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease
      receiving hemodialysis. SELECTION CRITERIA FOR STUDIES: We screened publications
      from 2000 to March 2014, systematic reviews, and references and consulted the NKF
      KDOQI Hemodialysis Adequacy Work Group members. We included randomized or
      controlled clinical trials in patients undergoing long-term hemodialysis if they
      reported outcomes of interest. INTERVENTIONS: Early versus late dialysis therapy
      initiation; more frequent (>3 times a week) or longer duration (>4.5 hours)
      compared to conventional hemodialysis; low- versus high-flux dialyzer membranes.
      OUTCOMES: All-cause and cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke,
      hospitalizations, quality of life, depression or cognitive function scores, blood
      pressure, number of antihypertensive medications, left ventricular mass,
      interdialytic weight gain, and harms or complications related to vascular access
      or the process of dialysis. RESULTS: We included 32 articles reporting on 19
      trials. Moderate-quality evidence indicated that earlier dialysis therapy
      initiation (at estimated creatinine clearance [eClcr] of 10-14mL/min) did not
      reduce mortality compared to later initiation (eClcr of 5-7mL/min). More than
      thrice-weekly hemodialysis and extended-length hemodialysis during a short follow
      up did not improve clinical outcomes compared to conventional hemodialysis and
      resulted in a greater number of vascular access procedures (very low-quality
      evidence). Hemodialysis using high-flux membranes did not reduce all-cause
      mortality, but reduced cardiovascular mortality compared to hemodialysis using
      low-flux membranes (moderate-quality evidence). LIMITATIONS: Few studies were
      adequately powered to evaluate mortality. Heterogeneity of study designs and
      interventions precluded pooling data for most outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Limited data
      indicate that earlier dialysis therapy initiation and more frequent and longer
      hemodialysis did not improve clinical outcomes compared to conventional
      hemodialysis.

PMID- 26498416
TI  - KDOQI Clinical Practice Guideline for Hemodialysis Adequacy: 2015 update.
AB  - The National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative
      (KDOQI) has provided evidence-based guidelines for all stages of chronic kidney
      disease (CKD) and related complications since 1997. The 2015 update of the KDOQI
      Clinical Practice Guideline for Hemodialysis Adequacy is intended to assist
      practitioners caring for patients in preparation for and during hemodialysis. The
      literature reviewed for this update includes clinical trials and observational
      studies published between 2000 and March 2014. New topics include high-frequency
      hemodialysis and risks; prescription flexibility in initiation timing, frequency,
      duration, and ultrafiltration rate; and more emphasis on volume and blood
      pressure control. Appraisal of the quality of the evidence and the strength of
      recommendations followed the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development,
      and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Limitations of the evidence are discussed and
      specific suggestions are provided for future research. 

PMID- 26498417
TI  - A jar of encouragement: a nurse's point of view of depression in the hemodialysis
      setting.

PMID- 26498418
TI  - Quiz page November 2015: hematuria in a child with tuberous sclerosis.

PMID- 26498419
TI  - AJKD Atlas of Renal Pathology: IgA nephropathy.

PMID- 26498420
TI  - AJKD Atlas of Renal Pathology: Fabry nephropathy.

PMID- 26498421
TI  - AJKD Atlas of Renal Pathology: diabetic nephropathy.

PMID- 26498422
TI  - AJKD Atlas of Renal Pathology: acute antibody-mediated rejection.

PMID- 26498423
TI  - AJKD Atlas of Renal Pathology: chronic antibody-mediated rejection.

PMID- 26498424
TI  - Who are gynandromorphophilic men? Characterizing men with sexual interest in
      transgender women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gynandromorphophilia (GAMP) is sexual interest in gynandromorphs
      (GAMs; colloquially, shemales). GAMs possess a combination of male and female
      physical characteristics. Thus, GAMP presents a challenge to conventional
      understandings of sexual orientation as sexual attraction to the male v. female
      form. Speculation about GAMP men has included the ideas that they are homosexual,
      heterosexual, or especially, bisexual. METHOD: We compared genital and subjective
      sexual arousal patterns of GAMP men with those of heterosexual and homosexual
      men. We also compared these groups on their self-ratings of sexual orientation
      and sexual interests. RESULTS: GAMP men had arousal patterns similar to those of
      heterosexual men and different from those of homosexual men. However, compared to
      heterosexual men, GAMP men were relatively more aroused by GAM erotic stimuli
      than by female erotic stimuli. GAMP men also scored higher than both heterosexual
      and homosexual men on a measure of autogynephilia. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide
      clear evidence that GAMP men are not homosexual. They also indicate that GAMP men
      are especially likely to eroticize the idea of being a woman.

PMID- 26498425
TI  - Targeting lysosomal Ca2+ to reduce reperfusion injury.

PMID- 26498426
TI  - Anti-inflammatory effects of potato extract on a rat model of cigarette smoke
      induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of potato extract
      (PE) on cigarette smoke (CS)-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      (COPD). METHODS: PE was first prepared by frozen centrifugation, and its amino
      acid composition was detected. Toxicity of PE was analyzed by changes in
      morphology, behavior, routine blood indexes, and biochemical criteria of mice.
      Then, the COPD rat model was established by CS exposure, and PE, doxofylline, and
      prednisolone acetate were used to treat these rats. After 45 days of treatment,
      the morphology and behavior of rats were recorded. In addition, the
      histopathology of lung tissue was evaluated by chest x-ray and hematoxylin and
      eosin staining. The expression of interleukine-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor
      alpha (TNF-alpha), and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was detected
      in serum and lung tissue by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and
      immunohistochemistry, respectively. RESULTS: Various amino acids were identified
      in PE, and no toxicity was exhibited in mice. The CS-induced COPD rat model was
      successfully established, which exhibited significant thickened and disordered
      lung markings on 90% of the rats. After administering doxofylline and
      prednisolone acetate, inflammation symptoms were improved. However, side effects
      such as emaciation, weakness, and loosening of teeth appeared. In the PE group,
      obviously improved histopathology was observed in lung tissues. Meanwhile, it was
      revealed that PE could increase the expression of IL-10 and reduce the expression
      of TNF-alpha and G-CSF in COPD rats, and doxofylline and prednisolone acetate
      also elicited similar results. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests PE might be
      effective in the treatment of CS-induced COPD by inhibiting inflammation.

PMID- 26498427
TI  - Carbohydrate ingestion but not mouth rinse maintains sustained attention when
      fasted.
AB  - Carbohydrate (CHO) receptors in the mouth signal brain areas involved in
      cognitive tasks relying upon motivation and task persistence; however, the
      minimal CHO dose that improves mental activity is unclear. PURPOSE: To determine
      if CHO (via ingestion or oral rinse) influences sustained attention without
      eliciting glycemic responses when in a fasted state. METHODS: Study A: Six
      healthy adults completed five treatment trials, ingesting 0-6% CHO solutions to
      evaluate glycemic response. Peak blood glucose for 6% and 1.5% CHO was greater
      (p<0.05) than 0% and 0.4% CHO; thus, the low 0.4% CHO was evaluated further.
      Study B: Following an overnight fast, ten healthy adults completed three trials
      in a crossover design: 1) 400 ml 0.4% CHO ingested serially via 25 ml boluses, 2)
      375 ml 0% CHO control (CON) ingested followed by one 25 ml 6% CHO isocaloric (1.5
      g CHO) mouth rinse, and 3) CON ingest followed by CON rinse. Following
      treatments, a 20 min Continuous Performance Task (CPT) was performed to assess
      accuracy and precision. RESULTS: Accuracy and precision were not different during
      the first 5 min of CPT. However, accuracy was maintained with CHO ingest (p=1.0)
      but decreased over 20 min (p<0.05) with both CHO and CON rinse treatments.
      Precision tended to decline over 20 min CPT with CON (p=0.06) and CHO rinse
      (p=0.05) but were maintained with CHO ingest (p=1.0). No differences in glycemic
      responses were observed between treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to mouth
      rinsing CON or CHO (1.5 g in 6% CHO), ingestion of an isocaloric low-CHO drink
      maintained sustained attention over a mentally fatiguing task and appears
      effective after fasting without eliciting a glycemic response.

PMID- 26498428
TI  - Switching from constant voltage to constant current in deep brain stimulation: a
      multicenter experience of mixed implants for movement disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: For many years deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices
      relied only on voltage-controlled stimulation (CV), but recently current
      controlled devices have been developed and approved for new implants as well as
      for replacement of CV devices after battery drain. Constant-current (CC)
      stimulation has been demonstrated to be effective in new implanted parkinsonian
      and dystonic patients, but the effect of switching to CC therapy in patients
      chronically stimulated with CV implantable pulse generators (IPGs) has not been
      assessed. This report shows the results of a consecutive retrospective data
      collection performed at five Italian centers before and after replacement of
      constant-voltage with constant-current DBS devices, in order to verify the
      clinical efficacy and safety of this procedure. METHODS: Nineteen patients with
      Parkinson's disease or dystonic syndrome underwent DBS IPG CV/CC replacement.
      Clinical features and therapy satisfaction were assessed before surgery, 1 week
      after and 3 and 6 months after replacement. Programming settings and impedances
      were recorded before removing the CV device and when the CC IPGs were switched
      on. RESULTS: The clinical outcome of CC stimulation was similar to that obtained
      with CV devices and remained stable at 3 and 6 months of follow-up. Impedance
      values recorded for CV and CC IPGs were similar. Ninety-five percent of patients
      and physicians were satisfied with mixed implants. No adverse events occurred
      after IPG replacement. CONCLUSION: Replacing CV with CC IPGs is a safe and
      effective procedure. Longer follow-up is necessary to better clarify the impact
      of CC stimulation on clinical outcome after chronic stimulation in CV mode.

PMID- 26498429
TI  - Temporal changes in alcohol-related mortality and morbidity in Australia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Alcohol consumption is an avoidable risk factor for
      morbidity and mortality. Studies have examined relative risks and outcomes of
      alcohol-related harms in Australia at discrete times, limiting the ability to
      examine changes across time. This paper examined alcohol consumption and its
      contribution to deaths, illness and injury at two time-points, 2001 and 2010.
      DESIGN: Alcohol consumption was modelled based on the 2001 and 2010 National Drug
      Strategy Household Survey, upshifted to reflect alcohol sales data. SETTING: All
      data reported are from Australian sources. MEASUREMENTS: Based on relative risk
      estimates obtained from meta-analysis, alcohol-attributable fractions were
      estimated for 42 disease and injury categories in 2001 and 2010 separately for
      conditions that were not 100% alcohol-attributable. Deaths and hospital
      separations attributable to alcohol were calculated in 2001 and 2010. FINDINGS:
      There was a relatively stable per capita consumption of alcohol across time, with
      males reporting higher levels of consumption compared with females. While there
      were increases in the number of abstainers from alcohol across time, the
      proportion of heavy alcohol consumers also increased. This corresponded with an
      observed increase in alcohol-attributable burden. For example, alcohol
      attributable deaths increased from 4957 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 2867
      8770] to 5610 (95% CI = 3398-9408) during the study period. CONCLUSION: The
      findings demonstrate that there has been an increase in alcohol-attributable
      harms between 2001 and 2010 in Australia without a corresponding increase in per
      capita consumption.

PMID- 26498430
TI  - Bioelectrical activity of the pelvic floor muscles during synchronous whole-body
      vibration--a randomized controlled study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: More and more frequently stress urinary incontinence affects young
      healthy women. Hence, early implementation of effective preventive strategies in
      nulliparous continent women is essential, including pelvic floor muscle training.
      An initial evaluation based on the bioelectrical activity of the pelvic floor
      muscles (PFM) during whole-body vibration (WBV) would help to devise the best
      individualized training for prevention of stress urinary incontinence in woman.
      We hypothesized that synchronous WBV enhances bioelectrical activity of the PFM
      which depends on vibration frequency and peak-to-peak vibration displacement.
      METHODS: The sample consisted of 36 nulliparous continent women randomly
      allocated to three comparative groups. Group I and II subjects participated in
      synchronous whole-body vibrations on a vibration platform; the frequency and peak
      to-peak displacement of vibration were set individually for each group. Control
      participants performed exercises similar to those used in the study groups but
      without the concurrent application of vibrations. Pelvic floor surface
      electromyography (sEMG) activity was recorded using a vaginal probe during three
      experimental trials limited to 30s, 60s and 90 s. The mean amplitude and
      variability of the signal were normalized to the Maximal Voluntary Contraction -
      MVC. RESULTS: Friedman's two-way ANOVA revealed a statistically significant
      difference in the mean normalized amplitudes (%MVC) of the sEMG signal from the
      PFM during 60s- and 90 s-trials between the group exposed to high-intensity WBV
      and control participants (p < 0.05). Longer trial duration was associated with a
      statistically significant decrease in the variability of sEMG signal amplitude in
      the study and control groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Synchronous high-intensity
      WBV (40 Hz, 4 mm) of long duration (60s, 90 s) significantly enhances the
      activation of the PFM in young continent women. Prolonged maintenance of a static
      position significantly decreases the variability of sEMG signal amplitude
      independent of whole-body vibrations. Single whole-body vibrations in nulliparous
      continent women does not cause pelvic floor muscle fatigue. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      The trial was registered in the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials
      Registry (no. ACTRN12615000966594); registration date: 15/09/2015.

PMID- 26498432
TI  - Consideration Sets and Their Role in Modelling Doctor Recommendations About
      Contraceptives.
AB  - Decisions about prescribed contraception are typically the result of a
      consultation between a woman and her doctor. In order to better understand
      contraceptive choice within this environment, stated preference methods are
      utilized to ask doctors about what contraceptive options they would discuss with
      different types of women. The role of doctors is to confine their discussion to a
      subset of products that best match their patient. This subset of options forms
      the consideration set from which the ultimate recommendation is made. Given the
      existence of consideration sets we address the issue of how to model
      appropriately the ultimate recommendations. The estimated models enable us to
      characterize doctor recommendations and how they vary with patient attributes and
      to highlight where recommendations are clear and when they are uncertain. The
      results also indicate systematic variation in recommendations across different
      types of doctors, and in particular we observe that some doctors are reluctant to
      embrace new products and instead recommend those that are more familiar. Such
      effects are one possible explanation for the relatively low uptake of more cost
      effective longer acting reversible contraceptives and indicate that further
      education and training of doctors may be warranted. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley
      & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26498433
TI  - Subcortical Volume Loss in the Thalamus, Putamen, and Pallidum, Induced by
      Traumatic Brain Injury, Is Associated With Motor Performance Deficits.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been associated with altered
      microstructural organization of white matter (WM) and reduced gray matter (GM).
      Although disrupted WM organization has been linked to poorer motor performance,
      the predictive value of GM atrophy for motor impairments in TBI remains unclear.
      OBJECTIVE: Here, we investigated TBI-induced GM volumetric abnormalities and
      uniquely examined their relationship with bimanual motor impairments. METHODS: 22
      moderate to severe TBI patients (mean age = 25.9 years, standard deviation [SD] =
      4.9 years; time since injury = 4.7 years, SD = 3.7 years) and 27 age- and gender
      matched controls (mean age = 23.4 years; SD = 3.8 years) completed bimanual tasks
      and a structural magnetic resonance imaging scan. Cortical and subcortical GM
      volumes were extracted and compared between groups using FreeSurfer. The
      association between bimanual performance and GM volumetric measures was
      investigated using partial correlations. RESULTS: Relative to controls, patients
      performed significantly poorer on the bimanual tasks and demonstrated
      significantly smaller total GM as well as overall and regional subcortical GM.
      However, the groups did not show significant differences in regional cortical GM
      volume. The majority of the results remained significant even after excluding TBI
      patients with focal lesions, suggesting that TBI-induced volume reductions were
      predominantly caused by diffuse injury. Importantly, atrophy of the thalamus,
      putamen, and pallidum correlated significantly with poorer bimanual performance
      within the TBI group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal that GM atrophy is
      associated with motor impairments in TBI, providing new insights into the
      etiology of motor control impairments following brain trauma.

PMID- 26498431
TI  - Breaking Down the Bilingual Cost in Speech Production.
AB  - Bilinguals have been shown to perform worse than monolinguals in a variety of
      verbal tasks. This study investigated this bilingual verbal cost in a large-scale
      picture-naming study conducted in Spanish. We explored how individual
      characteristics of the participants and the linguistic properties of the words
      being spoken influence this performance cost. In particular, we focused on the
      contributions of lexical frequency and phonological similarity across
      translations. The naming performance of Spanish-Catalan bilinguals speaking in
      their dominant and non-dominant language was compared to that of Spanish
      monolinguals. Single trial naming latencies were analyzed by means of linear
      mixed models accounting for individual effects at the participant and item level.
      While decreasing lexical frequency was shown to increase naming latencies in all
      groups, this variable by itself did not account for the bilingual cost. In turn,
      our results showed that the bilingual cost disappeared when naming words with
      high phonological similarity across translations. In short, our results show that
      frequency of use can play a role in the emergence of the bilingual cost, but that
      phonological similarity across translations should be regarded as one of the most
      important variables that determine the bilingual cost in speech production. Low
      phonological similarity across translations yields worse performance in
      bilinguals and promotes the bilingual cost in naming performance. The
      implications of our results for the effect of phonological similarity across
      translations within the bilingual speech production system are discussed.

PMID- 26498435
TI  - Renal-type clear cell carcinoma of the prostate: a diagnostic challenge.
AB  - A 72-year-old male presented with urinary symptoms. His serum prostate specific
      antigen level was 65.2 ng/ml. His radical prostatectomy specimen showed clear
      cell lesion reminiscent of the clear cell renal cell carcinoma along with acinar
      type of prostatic adenocarcinoma, Gleason score 4 + 4. The lesional clear cells
      were positive for pancytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, CD10, vimentin,
      and AMACR while negative for 34betaE12, CK7, prostate specific antigen, and PAX8.
      The final diagnosis was renal-type clear cell carcinoma of the prostate. A follow
      up of 20 months did not show metastasis. We herein report fifth case of renal
      type clear cell carcinoma of the prostate. 

PMID- 26498434
TI  - The Effects of Stroke Type, Locus, and Extent on Long-Term Outcome of Gait
      Rehabilitation: The LEAPS Experience.
AB  - Background Paresis in stroke is largely a result of damage to descending
      corticospinal and corticobulbar pathways. Recovery of paresis predominantly
      reflects the impact on the neural consequences of this white matter lesion by
      reactive neuroplasticity (mechanisms involved in spontaneous recovery) and
      experience-dependent neuroplasticity, driven by therapy and daily experience.
      However, both theoretical considerations and empirical data suggest that type of
      stroke (large vessel distribution/lacunar infarction, hemorrhage), locus and
      extent of infarction (basal ganglia, right-hemisphere cerebral cortex), and the
      presence of leukoaraiosis or prior stroke might influence long-term recovery of
      walking ability. In this secondary analysis based on the 408 participants in the
      Locomotor Experience Applied Post-Stroke (LEAPS) study database, we seek to
      address these possibilities. Methods Lesion type, locus, and extent were
      characterized by the 2 neurologists in the LEAPS trial on the basis of clinical
      computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans. A series of regression
      models was used to test our hypotheses regarding the effects of lesion type,
      locus, extent, and laterality on 2- to 12-month change in gait speed, controlling
      for baseline gait speed, age, and Berg Balance Scale score. Results Gait speed
      change at 1 year was significantly reduced in participants with basal ganglia
      involvement and prior stroke. There was a trend toward reduction of gait speed
      change in participants with lacunar infarctions. The presence of right-hemisphere
      cortical involvement had no significant impact on outcome. Conclusions Type,
      locus, and extent of lesion, and the loss of substrate for neuroplastic effect as
      a result of prior stroke may affect long-term outcome of rehabilitation of
      hemiparetic gait.

PMID- 26498437
TI  - Evolution and challenges of dynamic global vegetation models for some aspects of
      plant physiology and elevated atmospheric CO2.
AB  - Dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) simulate surface processes such as the
      transfer of energy, water, CO2, and momentum between the terrestrial surface and
      the atmosphere, biogeochemical cycles, carbon assimilation by vegetation,
      phenology, and land use change in scenarios of varying atmospheric CO2
      concentrations. DGVMs increase the complexity and the Earth system representation
      when they are coupled with atmospheric global circulation models (AGCMs) or
      climate models. However, plant physiological processes are still a major source
      of uncertainty in DGVMs. The maximum velocity of carboxylation (Vcmax), for
      example, has a direct impact over productivity in the models. This parameter is
      often underestimated or imprecisely defined for the various plant functional
      types (PFTs) and ecosystems. Vcmax is directly related to photosynthesis
      acclimation (loss of response to elevated CO2), a widely known phenomenon that
      usually occurs when plants are subjected to elevated atmospheric CO2 and might
      affect productivity estimation in DGVMs. Despite this, current models have
      improved substantially, compared to earlier models which had a rudimentary and
      very simple representation of vegetation-atmosphere interactions. In this paper,
      we describe this evolution through generations of models and the main events that
      contributed to their improvements until the current state-of-the-art class of
      models. Also, we describe some main challenges for further improvements to DGVMs.

PMID- 26498438
TI  - A joint latent class model for classifying severely hemorrhaging trauma patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In trauma research, "massive transfusion" (MT), historically defined
      as receiving >=10 units of red blood cells (RBCs) within 24 h of admission, has
      been routinely used as a "gold standard" for quantifying bleeding severity. Due
      to early in-hospital mortality, however, MT is subject to survivor bias and thus
      a poorly defined criterion to classify bleeding trauma patients. METHODS: Using
      the data from a retrospective trauma transfusion study, we applied a latent-class
      (LC) mixture model to identify severely hemorrhaging (SH) patients. Based on the
      joint distribution of cumulative units of RBCs and binary survival outcome at 24
      h of admission, we applied an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm to obtain
      model parameters. Estimated posterior probabilities were used for patients'
      classification and compared with the MT rule. To evaluate predictive performance
      of the LC-based classification, we examined the role of six clinical variables as
      predictors using two separate logistic regression models. RESULTS: Out of 471
      trauma patients, 211 (45 %) were MT, while our latent SH classifier identified
      only 127 (27 %) of patients as SH. The agreement between the two classification
      methods was 73 %. A non-ignorable portion of patients (17 out of 68, 25 %) who
      died within 24 h were not classified as MT but the SH group included 62 patients
      (91 %) who died during the same period. Our comparison of the predictive models
      based on MT and SH revealed significant differences between the coefficients of
      potential predictors of patients who may be in need of activation of the massive
      transfusion protocol. CONCLUSIONS: The traditional MT classification does not
      adequately reflect transfusion practices and outcomes during the trauma reception
      and initial resuscitation phase. Although we have demonstrated that joint latent
      class modeling could be used to correct for potential bias caused by
      misclassification of severely bleeding patients, improvement in this approach
      could be made in the presence of time to event data from prospective studies.

PMID- 26498439
TI  - Neurocognitive effects of proton radiation therapy in adults  with low-grade
      glioma.
AB  - To understand neurocognitive effects of proton radiation therapy (PRT) in
      patients with low-grade glioma, we evaluated 20 patients who received this
      therapy prospectively and over 5 years with a comprehensive neuropsychological
      battery. 20 patients were evaluated at baseline and at yearly intervals for up to
      5 years with a battery of neuropsychological measures that assessed intellectual,
      attention, executive, visuospatial and memory functions as well as mood and
      functional status. We evaluated change in cognitive functioning over time. We
      analyzed the relationship between cognitive performance and tumor location and
      also examined whether patients' performance differed from that reported in a
      study of normative practice effects. Overall, patients exhibited stability in
      cognitive functioning. Tumor location played a role in performance; those with
      tumors in the left hemisphere versus in the right hemisphere were more impaired
      at baseline on verbal measures (p < .05). However, we found greater improvement
      in verbal memory over time in patients with left than with right hemisphere
      tumors (p < .05). Results of our study, the first to investigate, in depth,
      neurocognitive effects of PRT in adults with low-grade gliomas, are promising. We
      hypothesize that the conformal advantage of PRT may contribute to preservation of
      cognitive functioning, although larger sample sizes and a longer period of study
      are required. Our study also highlights the need to consider normative practice
      effects when studying neurocognitive functioning in response to treatment over
      time, and the need to utilize comprehensive neuropsychological batteries given
      our findings that differentiate patients with left and right hemisphere tumors.

PMID- 26498440
TI  - Diachronic analysis of genetic diversity in rice landraces under on-farm
      conservation in Yunnan, China.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: Diachronic analysis showed no significant changes in the level of
      genetic diversity occurred over the past 27 years' domestication, which indicated
      genetic diversity was successfully maintained under on-farm conservation. Rice
      (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the earliest domesticated crop species. Its genetic
      diversity has been declining as a result of natural and artificial selection. In
      this study, we performed the first analysis of the levels and patterns of
      nucleotide variation in rice genomes under on-farm conservation in Yunnan during
      a 27-year period of domestication. We performed large-scale sequencing of 600
      rice accessions with high diversity, which were collected in 1980 and 2007, using
      ten unlinked nuclear loci. Diachronic analysis showed no significant changes in
      the level of genetic diversity occurring over the past 27 years' domestication,
      which indicated genetic diversity was successfully maintained under on-farm
      conservation. Population structure revealed that the rice landraces could be
      grouped into two subpopulations, namely the indica and japonica groups.
      Interestingly, the alternate distribution of indica and japonica rice landraces
      could be found in each ecological zone. The results of AMOVA showed that on-farm
      conservation provides opportunities for continued differentiation and variation
      of landraces. Therefore, dynamic conservation measures such as on-farm
      conservation (which is a backup, complementary strategy to ex situ conservation)
      should be encouraged and enhanced, especially in crop genetic diversity centers.
      The results of this study offered accurate insights into short-term evolutionary
      processes and provided a scientific basis for on-farm management practices.

PMID- 26498441
TI  - Identification of stable QTLs causing chalk in rice grains in nine environments.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: A novel QTL cluster for chalkiness on Chr04 was identified using
      single environment analysis and joint mapping across 9 environments in Asia and
      South American. QTL NILs showed that each had a significant effect on chalk.
      Chalk in rice grains leads to a significant loss in the proportion of marketable
      grains in a harvested crop, leading to a significant financial loss to rice
      farmers and traders. To identify the genetic basis of chalkiness, two sets of
      recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from reciprocal crosses between Lemont
      and Teqing were used to find stable QTLs for chalkiness. The RILs were grown in
      seven locations in Asia and Latin American and in two controlled environments in
      phytotrons. A total of 32 (21) and 46 (22) QTLs for DEC and PGWC, most of them
      explaining more than 10% of phenotypic variation, were detected based on single
      environment analysis in T/L (L/T) population, respectively. Seven (2) and 7 (3)
      QTLs for DEC and PGWC were identified in the T/L (L/T) population using joined
      analysis across all environments, respectively. Six major QTLs clusters were
      found on five chromosomes: 1, 2, 4, 5 and 11. The biggest cluster at id4007289
      RM252 on Chr04 was a novelty, including 16 and 4 QTLs detected by single
      environment analysis and joint mapping across all environments, respectively. The
      detected digenic epistatic QTLs explained up to 13% of phenotypic variation,
      suggesting that epistasis play an important role in the genetic control of
      chalkiness in rice. QTL NILs showed that each QTL cluster had a significant
      effect on chalk. These chromosomal regions could be targets for MAS, fine mapping
      and map-based cloning for low chalkiness breeding.

PMID- 26498443
TI  - Student-directed retrieval practice is a predictor of medical licensing
      examination performance.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A large body of evidence indicates that retrieval practice (test
      enhanced learning) and spaced repetition increase long-term information
      retention. Implementation of these strategies in medical curricula is
      unfortunately limited. However, students may choose to apply them autonomously
      when preparing for high-stakes, cumulative assessments, such as the United States
      Medical Licensing Examination Step 1. We examined the prevalence of specific self
      directed methods of testing, with or without spaced repetition, among preclinical
      students and assessed the relationship between these methods and licensing
      examination performance. METHODS: Seventy-two medical students at one institution
      completed a survey concerning their use of user-generated (Anki) or commercially
      available (Firecracker) flashcards intended for spaced repetition and of boards
      style multiple-choice questions (MCQs). Other information collected included Step
      1 score, past academic performance (Medical College Admission Test [MCAT] score,
      preclinical grades), and psychological factors that may have affected exam
      preparation or performance (feelings of depression, burnout, and test anxiety).
      RESULTS: All students reported using practice MCQs (mean 3870, SD 1472). Anki and
      Firecracker users comprised 31 and 49 % of respondents, respectively. In a
      multivariate regression model, significant independent predictors of Step 1 score
      included MCQs completed (unstandardized beta coefficient [B] = 2.2 * 10- 3, p <
      0.001), unique Anki flashcards seen (B = 5.9 * 10- 4, p = 0.024), second-year
      honours (B = 1.198, p = 0.002), and MCAT score (B = 1.078, p = 0.003). Test
      anxiety was a significant negative predictor (B= - 1.986, p < 0.001). Unique
      Firecracker flashcards seen did not predict Step 1 score. Each additional 445
      boards-style practice questions or 1700 unique Anki flashcards was associated
      with an additional point on Step 1 when controlling for other academic and
      psychological factors. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students engage extensively in self
      initiated retrieval practice, often with spaced repetition. These practices are
      associated with superior performance on a medical licensing examination and
      should be considered for formal support by educators.

PMID- 26498444
TI  - Is assessment good for learning or learning good for assessment? A. Both? B.
      Neither? C. It depends?

PMID- 26498442
TI  - Whole exome sequencing of microdissected splenic marginal zone lymphoma: a study
      to discover novel tumor-specific mutations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) is an indolent B-cell non
      Hodgkin lymphoma and represents the most common primary malignancy of the spleen.
      Its precise molecular pathogenesis is still unknown and specific molecular
      markers for diagnosis or possible targets for causal therapies are lacking.
      METHODS: We performed whole exome sequencing (WES) and copy number analysis from
      laser-microdissected tumor cells of two primary SMZL discovery cases. Selected
      somatic single nucleotide variants (SNVs) were analyzed using pyrosequencing and
      Sanger sequencing in an independent validation cohort. RESULTS: Overall, 25
      nonsynonymous somatic SNVs were identified, including known mutations in the
      NOTCH2 and MYD88 genes. Twenty-three of the mutations have not been associated
      with SMZL before. Many of these seem to be subclonal. Screening of 24 additional
      SMZL for mutations at the same positions found mutated in the WES approach
      revealed no recurrence of mutations for ZNF608 and PDE10A, whereas the MYD88
      L265P missense mutation was identified in 15% of cases. An analysis of the NOTCH2
      PEST domain and the whole coding region of the transcription factor SMYD1 in
      eight cases identified no additional case with a NOTCH2 mutation, but two
      additional cases with SMYD1 alterations. CONCLUSIONS: In this first WES approach
      from microdissected SMZL tissue we confirmed known mutations and discovered new
      somatic variants. Recurrence of MYD88 mutations in SMZL was validated, but NOTCH2
      PEST domain mutations were relatively rare (10 % of cases). Recurrent mutations
      in the transcription factor SMYD1 have not been described in SMZL before and
      warrant further investigation.

PMID- 26498445
TI  - Marine bacteria from the French Atlantic coast displaying high forming-biofilm
      abilities and different biofilm 3D architectures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies have reported the species composition of bacterial
      communities in marine biofilms formed on natural or on man-made existing
      structures. In particular, the roles and surface specificities of primary
      colonizers are largely unknown for most surface types. The aim of this study was
      to obtain potentially pioneering bacterial strains with high forming-biofilm
      abilities from two kinds of marine biofilms, collected from two different
      surfaces of the French Atlantic coast: an intertidal mudflat which plays a
      central role in aquaculture and a carbon steel structure of a harbour, where
      biofilms may cause important damages. RESULTS: A collection of 156 marine
      heterotrophic aerobic bacteria isolated from both biofilms was screened for their
      ability to form biofilms on polystyrene 96-well microtiter plates. Out of 25
      strains able to build a biofilm in these conditions, only four bacteria also
      formed a thick and stable biofilm on glass surfaces under dynamic conditions.
      These strains developed biofilms with four different three-dimensional
      architectures when observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy: Flavobacterium
      sp. II2003 biofilms harboured mushroom-like structures, Roseobacter sp. IV3009
      biofilms were quite homogeneous, Shewanella sp. IV3014 displayed hairy biofilms
      with horizontal fibres, whereas Roseovarius sp. VA014 developed heterogeneous and
      tousled biofilms. CONCLUSIONS: This work led for the first time to the obtaining
      of four marine bacterial strains, potentially pioneering bacteria in marine
      biofilms, able to adhere to at least two different surfaces (polystyrene and
      glass) and to build specific 3D biofilms. The four selected strains are
      appropriate models for a better understanding of the colonization of a surface as
      well as the interactions that can occur between bacteria in a marine biofilm,
      which are crucial events for the initiation of biofouling.

PMID- 26498447
TI  - [Acute unilateral paracentral scotoma].

PMID- 26498446
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26498448
TI  - [Ease of handling of first and second generation rebound tonometers].
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the ease of handling of two rebound tonometers, which are
      designed for self-measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP) in a clinical setting
      by untrained patients. METHODS: After self-measurement of the IOP with the
      rebound tonometers iCare ONE and iCare HOME, participants were asked to complete
      a questionnaire containing different subitems concerning ease of operation using
      a visual analog scale (1 = very good to 5 = very poor). Moreover, the feasibility
      and duration of measurement were tested. RESULTS: A total of 147 subjects
      participated in this study. The mean score for general handling ability was 2.79
      +/- 1.01 for the iCare ONE and 1.85 +/- 0.87 for the iCare HOME (p < 0.001). The
      evaluation of the subitems sense of safety (iCare ONE: 2.71 +/- 1.03 and iCare
      HOME: 1.87 +/- 0.81, p < 0.001) and comfort of measurement (iCare ONE: 2.07 +/-
      1.01 and iCare HOME: 1.66 +/- 0.72, p < 0.001) also showed a significant
      discrepancy between the two tonometers. Participants needed significantly less
      time for a single valid measurement when using the iCare HOME tonometer (mean
      66.14 +/- 61.54 s) compared to the iCare ONE tonometer (mean 81.54 +/- 69.51 s, p
      < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A better handling of the iCare HOME rebound tonometer in
      comparison to the iCare ONE tonometer can be deduced on the basis of the
      subjective assessments of patients and the shorter duration of measurements.
      Moreover, the iCare HOME received a significantly better evaluation for all
      subitems. The accuracy of measurements using the iCare HOME still needs to be
      clarified.

PMID- 26498449
TI  - Influence of different Er,Cr:YSGG laser parameters on long-term dentin bond
      strength of self-etch adhesive.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of erbium, chromium:
      yattrium-scandium-gallium-garnet (Er,Cr:YSGG) laser frequency on microtensile
      bond strength (MUTBS) of a self-etch adhesive to dentin after 15-month water
      storage. The Er,Cr:YSGG laser can safely be used on dental hard tissue. However,
      no study has compared the effects of Er,Cr:YSGG laser parameters and aging by
      water storage on the bonding effectiveness of self-etch adhesives to dentin.
      Thirty-five bovine teeth were randomly assigned to the following seven groups (n
      = 5): group I (diamond bur with high-speed handpiece (control)), group II
      (Er,Cr:YSGG laser 3 W/50 Hz), group III (Er,Cr:YSGG laser 3 W/35 Hz), group IV
      (Er,Cr:YSGG laser 3 W/20 Hz), group V (Er,Cr:YSGG laser 6 W/50 Hz), group VI
      (Er,Cr:YSGG laser 6 W/35 Hz), and group VII (Er,Cr:YSGG laser 6 W/20 Hz).
      Clearfil SE Bond was applied to the prepared dentin, and the composites were
      placed and cured. Resin-dentin sticks with an approximate cross-sectional area of
      0.8 mm(2) were obtained, and bond strength tests were performed at 24 h and 15
      months of water storage after bonding. Data were analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis and
      Mann-Whitney U tests (p < 0.05). Laser irradiation resulted in significantly
      lower bond strengths when compared to bur treating. Fifteen-month water storage
      reduced bond strength for all groups. There was no significant difference among
      the effects of different laser frequencies on bond strength. It can be concluded
      that Er,Cr:YSGG laser used at the tested parameters may alter the dentin bond
      durability of self-etch adhesive.

PMID- 26498450
TI  - Atomic force microscopy investigation of the interaction of low-level laser
      irradiation of collagen thin films in correlation with fibroblast response.
AB  - Low-level red laser (LLRL)-tissue interactions have a wide range of medical
      applications and are garnering increased attention. Although the positive effects
      of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) have frequently been reported and enhanced
      collagen accumulation has been identified as one of the most important mechanisms
      involved, little is known about LLRL-collagen interactions. In this study, we
      aimed to investigate the influence of LLRL irradiation on collagen, in
      correlation with fibroblast response. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and
      fluorescence spectroscopy were used to characterize surfaces and identify
      conformational changes in collagen before and after LLRL irradiation. Irradiated
      and non-irradiated collagen thin films were used as culturing substrates to
      investigate fibroblast response with fluorescence microscopy. The results
      demonstrated that LLRL induced small alterations in fluorescence emission and had
      a negligible effect on the topography of collagen thin films. However,
      fibroblasts cultured on LLRL-irradiated collagen thin films responded to LRLL.
      The results of this study show for the first time the effect of LLRL irradiation
      on pure collagen. Although irradiation did not affect the nanotopography of
      collagen, it influenced cell behavior. The role of collagen appears to be crucial
      in the LLLT mechanism, and our results demonstrated that LLRL directly affects
      collagen and indirectly affects cell behavior. 

PMID- 26498451
TI  - Treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids by fractional carbon dioxide laser: a
      clinical, histological, and immunohistochemical study.
AB  - Treatment of keloids (K) and hypertrophic scars (HTS) is challenging. A few case
      reports reported good results in HTS treated by fractional CO2 laser. The aim of
      the present study was the assessment of the clinical response as well as
      histological changes in K and HTS treated by fractional CO2 laser and the role of
      matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) in the response. A randomized half of the scar
      was treated by fractional CO2 laser in 30 patients (18 K, 12 HTS) for a total of
      four sessions 6 weeks apart. Vancouver scar score (VSS) was done before and 1, 3,
      and 6 months after the last laser session by a blinded observer. Biopsies taken
      from normal skin, untreated scar, and treated scar tissue 1 and 3 months after
      the laser sessions were stained by HX & E for histological changes and Masson
      trichrome for collagen fiber arrangement. Immunohistochemical staining for MMP9
      was done in before and 1 month after samples. Quantitative morphometric analysis
      was done for collagen and MMP9 by image analyzer. Nineteen patients completed the
      6-month follow-up period (12 K, 7 HTS). VSS score was significantly lower in the
      treated compared to untreated areas after 3 and 6 months in both K and HTS but
      was mainly due to improved pliability of the scar. Histologically, dense
      inflammatory infiltrate and increased vascularity was apparent 1 month after
      laser sessions and disappeared at 3 months. Thinner better organized collagen
      bundle could be seen in 3 months after samples. MMP9 was significantly increased
      in after treatment samples but without significant correlation with VSS.
      Fractional CO2 resurfacing is safe but affects mainly pliability of K and HTS
      with collagen remodeling apparent 3 months after therapy. MMP9 may play a role in
      mechanism of action of CO2 laser in K and HTS.

PMID- 26498452
TI  - Analysis of experimental tendinitis in rats treated with laser and platelet-rich
      plasma therapies by Raman spectroscopy and histometry.
AB  - The objective of this controlled experimental study was to analyze the changes in
      the Achilles tendons of rats with experimentally induced tendinitis after
      treatment with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and/or laser therapies by histometry to
      quantify fibroblasts and by Raman spectroscopy to determine the biochemical
      concentration of collagen types I and III. Fifty-four male Wistar rats were
      divided into six treatment groups: control (G1); PRP only (G2); irradiation with
      660 nm laser (G3); irradiation with 830 nm laser (G4); PRP plus 660 nm laser
      irradiation (G5); and PRP plus 830 nm laser irradiation (G6). Injuries (partial
      tenotomy) were inflicted in the middle third of the Achilles tendon, with PRP
      added prior to suture in the appropriate experimental groups. A diode laser
      (model Laser Flash(r) III, DMC Equipamentos Ltda, Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil) that
      can be operated in two wavelengths 660 and 830 nm was used for irradiation
      treatments. The irradiation protocol was energy density of 70 J/cm2, 20 s
      irradiation time, and 0.028 cm2 spot area, per point in three points in the
      injured. The histometry was made in micrographical images of the H&E stained
      sections and evaluated by ImageJ (version 1.46r)(r). Raman spectra were collected
      using a dispersive spectrometer at 830 nm excitation, 200 mW power, and 10 s
      integration time (P-1 Raman system, Lambda Solutions, Inc. MA, USA). The relative
      amount of type I collagen was significantly greater in the PRP plus 830 nm laser
      irradiation group (468 +/- 188) than in the control (147 +/- 137), 630 nm laser
      only (191 +/- 117), and 830 nm laser only (196 +/- 106) groups (p < 0.01), while
      the quantity of type III collagen was significantly greater in the PRP-only group
      compared to both irradiated groups without PRP (p < 0.05). Treatment with PRP
      combined with irradiation at 830 nm resulted in a larger number of fibroblasts
      and increased concentration of type I collagen, thus accelerating the healing of
      the injured tendon.

PMID- 26498453
TI  - Pre-stimulation of CD81 expression by resting B cells increases proliferation
      following EBV infection, but the overexpression of CD81 induces the apoptosis of
      EBV-transformed B cells.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 protein binds to CD81, which is a component of the B
      cell co-stimulatory complex. The E2-CD81 interaction leads to B cell
      proliferation, protein tyrosine phosphorylation and to the hypermutation of
      immunoglobulin genes. Epidemiological studies have reported a high prevalence of
      B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in HCV-positive patients, suggesting a
      potential association between HCV and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the genesis of
      B lymphocyte proliferative disorders. In the present study, in order to
      investigate the association between EBV and HCV in B cells, we created an in
      vitro EBV-induced B cell transformation model. CD81 was gradually overexpressed
      during transformation by EBV. B cells isolated from HCV-positive patients grew
      more rapidly and clumped together earlier than B cells isolated from healthy
      donors following EBV infection. Pre-stimulation of CD81 expressed by resting B
      cells with anti-CD81 monoclonal antibody (mAb) or HCV E2 accelerated the
      generation of lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) by EBV infection. These cells
      proliferated prominently through the early expression of interleukin-10 and
      intracellular latent membrane protein (LMP)-l. By contrast, the overexpression of
      CD81 on EBV-transformed B cells by anti-CD81 mAb or HCV E2 protein induced
      apoptosis through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated mitochondrial
      dysfunction. These results suggest that the engagement of CD81 expressed by B
      cells has differential effects on B cell fate (proliferation or apoptosis)
      according to EBV infection and the expression level of CD81.

PMID- 26498454
TI  - QCScreen: a software tool for data quality control in LC-HRMS based metabolomics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metabolomics experiments often comprise large numbers of biological
      samples resulting in huge amounts of data. This data needs to be inspected for
      plausibility before data evaluation to detect putative sources of error e.g.
      retention time or mass accuracy shifts. Especially in liquid chromatography-high
      resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) based metabolomics research, proper
      quality control checks (e.g. for precision, signal drifts or offsets) are crucial
      prerequisites to achieve reliable and comparable results within and across
      experimental measurement sequences. Software tools can support this process.
      RESULTS: The software tool QCScreen was developed to offer a quick and easy data
      quality check of LC-HRMS derived data. It allows a flexible investigation and
      comparison of basic quality-related parameters within user-defined target
      features and the possibility to automatically evaluate multiple sample types
      within or across different measurement sequences in a short time. It offers a
      user-friendly interface that allows an easy selection of processing steps and
      parameter settings. The generated results include a coloured overview plot of
      data quality across all analysed samples and targets and, in addition, detailed
      illustrations of the stability and precision of the chromatographic separation,
      the mass accuracy and the detector sensitivity. The use of QCScreen is
      demonstrated with experimental data from metabolomics experiments using selected
      standard compounds in pure solvent. The application of the software identified
      problematic features, samples and analytical parameters and suggested which data
      files or compounds required closer manual inspection. CONCLUSIONS: QCScreen is an
      open source software tool which provides a useful basis for assessing the
      suitability of LC-HRMS data prior to time consuming, detailed data processing and
      subsequent statistical analysis. It accepts the generic mzXML format and thus can
      be used with many different LC-HRMS platforms to process both multiple quality
      control sample types as well as experimental samples in one or more measurement
      sequences.

PMID- 26498455
TI  - The effect of primary midwife-led care on women's experience of childbirth:
      results from the COSMOS randomised controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of primary midwife-led care ('caseload
      midwifery') on women's experiences of childbirth. DESIGN: Randomised controlled
      trial. SETTING: Tertiary care women's hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
      POPULATION: A total of 2314 low-risk pregnant women. METHODS: Women randomised to
      caseload care received antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care from a primary
      midwife, with some care provided by a 'back-up' midwife. Women in standard care
      received midwifery-led care with varying levels of continuity, junior obstetric
      care or community-based medical care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome
      of the study was caesarean section. This paper presents a secondary outcome,
      women's experience of childbirth. Women's views and experiences were sought using
      seven-point rating scales via postal questionnaires 2 months after the birth.
      RESULTS: A total of 2314 women were randomised between September 2007 and June
      2010; 1156 to caseload and 1158 to standard care. Response rates to the follow-up
      questionnaire were 88 and 74%, respectively. Women in the caseload group were
      more positive about their overall birth experience than women in the standard
      care group (adjusted odds ratio 1.50, 95% CI 1.22-1.84). They also felt more in
      control during labour, were more proud of themselves, less anxious, and more
      likely to have a positive experience of pain. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with standard
      maternity care, caseload midwifery may improve women's experiences of childbirth.
      TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Primary midwife-led care ('caseload midwifery') improves
      women's experiences of childbirth.

PMID- 26498456
TI  - Synthesis and Fluorescence Properties of new Monastrol Analogs  Conjugated
      Fluorescent Coumarin Scaffolds.
AB  - A mild and efficient method has been used for the synthesis of ethyl 4-(3
      hydroxphenyl)-6-methyl-2-thioxo-1,3-dihydroprimidine-5-carboxylate (monastrol)
      (2), via Biginelli reaction. Alkylation of 2 with the fluorescent coumarin 3
      afforded the new thioether analog 4. Similarly, ethyl 4-(6,8-dichloro-2-oxo-2 H
      chromen-3-yl)-6-methyl-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-pyrimidine-5-carboxylate (6)
      was prepared. The synthesized compounds are fluorescent active and show
      wavelength of maximum absorption (lambdamax) in UV or visible region in MeOH at
      room temperature.

PMID- 26498457
TI  - White Light Emission by Dy3+ Doped Phosphor Matrices:  A Short Review.
AB  - In this review we have studied number of research papers related to white light
      emission from Dy3+ doped different host matrices. It is observed that most of the
      Dy3+doped aluminates, silicates, borates etc., emitted blue, green and red colour
      with specific intensities so that CIE coordinates, appeared near to white light.
      Correlated Colour Temperature(CCT) values of these phosphors expressed that the
      white light emission produced, was adaptable to human eyes. Dy3+ ions act as
      activator in each case. Four peaks at approximately 480,575, 670, and 757 nm
      could be seen in most of the Dy3+ doped phosphors. Expected transition
      responsible for these peaks are 4F9/2 -> 6H15/2 (Blue Colour), 4F9/2 -> 6H13/2
      (Green-Yellow Colour), 4F9/2 -> 6H11/2 (Red Colour) and 4F9/2 -> 6H9/2(Brownish
      Red Colour). Few of the discussed phosphors exhibited long phosphorescence,
      starting from several minutes to few hours. Mechanism responsible for long
      lasting white light emission was also discussed. Five different factors, to
      recognize the phosphors for its suitability as commercial white light phosphor
      have been discussed.

PMID- 26498458
TI  - Dual-reporter Imaging and its Potential Application  in Tracking Studies.
AB  - By tracking reporter molecules such as green fluorescent protein and luciferase,
      researchers can determine physiological status and follow processes both in vitro
      and in vivo.Here, we describe a dual-reporter imaging method, in which a fusion
      of eGFP and Luc2 is introduced into hosts using lentiviral particles based on HIV
      1. The fusion molecule is both fluorescent and bioluminescent, and is therefore
      ideal as an optical marker in clinical and research applications.We characterized
      multiple technical indices of the molecule,including sensibility,
      biocompatibility, lifetime, and others.Lentiviral particles carrying the reporter
      were strongly infective in endothelial progenitor (EPC) and GL261 glioma cells,as
      well as in live mice. By transforming Luc2-eGFP into hosts, morphological and
      quantitative data can be collected not only from tissue specimens but also from
      live animal models.

PMID- 26498459
TI  - A New Star-shaped Carbazole Derivative with Polyhedral  Oligomeric Silsesquioxane
      Core: Crystal Structure and Unique  Photoluminescence Property.
AB  - A new inorganic-organic hybrid material based on polyhedral oligomeric
      silsesquioxane (POSS) capped with carbazolyl substituents, octakis[3-(carbazol-9
      yl)propyldimethylsiloxy]-silsesquioxane (POSS-8Cz), was successfully synthesized
      and characterized. The X-ray crystal structure of POSS-8Cz were described. The
      photophysical properties of POSS-8Cz were investigated by using UV
      vis,photoluminescence spectroscopic analysis. The hybrid material exhibits blue
      emission in the solution and the solid film.The morphology and thermal stablity
      properties were measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and TG-DTA analysis.

PMID- 26498460
TI  - Herd-level prevalence and risk factors for bovine viral diarrhea  virus infection
      in cattle in the State of Paraiba, Northeastern  Brazil.
AB  - Serological surveys based on a planned sampling on bovine viral diarrhea virus
      (BVDV) infection in Brazilian cattle herds are scarce. A cross-sectional study
      was carried out to determine herd- and animal-level seroprevalences and to
      identify risk factors associated with herd-level seroprevalence for BVDV
      infection in the State of Paraiba, Northeastern Brazil, from September 2012 to
      January 2013. The state was divided into three sampling strata, and for each
      stratum, the prevalence of herds infected with BVDV and the prevalence of
      seropositive animals was estimated by a two-stage sampling survey. In total, 2443
      animals were sampled from 478 herds. A virus-neutralization test was used for
      BVDV antibody detection. A herd was considered positive when at least one
      seropositive animal was detected. The herd- and animal-level prevalences in the
      State of Paraiba were 65.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 61.1-69.7%) and 39.1%
      (95% CI = 33.1-45.6%), respectively. The frequency of seropositive animals per
      herd ranged from 10 to 100% (median of 50%). The risk factors identified were as
      follows: more than six calves aged <=12 months (odds ratio (OR) = 3.72; 95% CI =
      2.08-6.66), animal purchasing (OR = 1.66; 95% CI = 1.08-2.55), pasture rental (OR
      = 2.15; 95% CI = 1.35-3.55), and presence of veterinary assistance (OR = 2.04;
      95% CI = 1.10-3.79). Our findings suggest that the implementation of control and
      prevention measures among farmers, with the aim of preventing dissemination of
      the agent in the herds, is necessary. Special attention should be given to
      addressing the identified risk factors, such as sanitary control prior to animal
      purchasing and to discourage the pasture rental, as well as to encourage the
      vaccination in the herds.

PMID- 26498461
TI  - Induction of IkappaB-zeta by Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein-1 and
      CD30.
AB  - Activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) and
      Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) cells is important in the transformation and development
      process of these lymphomas. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent membrane protein-1
      (LMP-1) and ligand-independent signaling by overexpressed CD30 are known to cause
      permanent activation of NF-kappaB in lymphomas. However, hyperactivation of NF
      kappaB triggers cellular senescence and apoptosis. Here, we show that IkappaB
      zeta, an inducible regulator of NF-kappaB, is constitutively expressed in BL and
      HL cell lines. In addition, immunohistochemical staining identified nuclear
      IkappaB-zeta-positive BL cells, and Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells in lymph
      nodes. Expression of LMP-1 and CD30 increased IkappaB-zeta expression at the
      transcriptional level. IkappaB-zeta promoter was regulated by activation of the
      NF-kappaB-inducing kinase (NIK)/IkappaB kinase/NF-kappaB pathway via the carboxyl
      terminal tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factor (TRAF)
      interacting regions of LMP-1 and CD30. Interestingly, IkappaB-zeta inhibited NF
      kappaB activation by LMP-1 and CD30. The results suggest that NF-kappaB-induced
      IkappaB-zeta negatively modulates NF-kappaB hyperactivation, resulting in a fine
      balance that ultimately endows a net evolutionary benefit to the survival of BL
      and HL cells.

PMID- 26498462
TI  - Promoting Food Security for All Children.
AB  - Sixteen million US children (21%) live in households without consistent access to
      adequate food. After multiple risk factors are considered, children who live in
      households that are food insecure, even at the lowest levels, are likely to be
      sick more often, recover from illness more slowly, and be hospitalized more
      frequently. Lack of adequate healthy food can impair a child's ability to
      concentrate and perform well in school and is linked to higher levels of
      behavioral and emotional problems from preschool through adolescence. Food
      insecurity can affect children in any community, not only traditionally
      underserved ones. Pediatricians can play a central role in screening and
      identifying children at risk for food insecurity and in connecting families with
      needed community resources. Pediatricians should also advocate for federal and
      local policies that support access to adequate healthy food for an active and
      healthy life for all children and their families.

PMID- 26498463
TI  - Terpenoids from the roots of Alangium chinense.
AB  - Two new norditerpenoids (1 and 2), four new sesquiterpenoids (3-6), and 22 known
      compounds (7-28) were isolated from an ethanolic extract of roots of Alangium
      chinense. The absolute configurations of 1-6 were assigned by experimental and
      calculated ECD spectra. The skeleton of the compounds (1 and 2) has been reported
      only one time so far. Compounds 1, 13, and 23 exhibited antiviral activity
      against coxsackie virus B3 with IC50 values of 38-67 MUM. Compounds 8 and 9
      displayed neuritis inhibitory activity against microglial inflammation factor,
      with IC50 values of 6.4 and 10.1 MUM, respectively. None of the compounds were
      cytotoxic in the MTT assay. 

PMID- 26498464
TI  - Down-regulation of TGF-b1, TGF-b receptor 2, and TGF-b-associated microRNAs, miR
      20a and miR-21, in skin lesions of sulfur mustard-exposed Iranian war veterans.
AB  - Sulfur mustard (SM) affects divergent cellular pathways including cell cycle,
      apoptosis, necrosis, and inflammatory responses. SM-induced lesions in skin
      include late-onset hyper-pigmentation, xerosis, and atrophy. It seems that TGF-b
      signaling pathway is a major player for SM pathogenesis. Here, we have employed a
      real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach to evaluate the expression
      alterations of all TGF-b variants and their receptors in skin biopsies obtained
      from 10 Iran-Iraq war veterans. Using specific LNA primers, the expression
      alteration of a TGF-bR2 regulator, miR-20a, and TGF-b downstream target, miR-21,
      was also assessed in the same samples Our real-time PCR data revealed a
      significant down-regulation of TGF-b1 and TGF-bR2, the major mediators of TGF-b
      signaling pathway, in skin biopsies of SM-exposed patients (p = 0.0015 and p =
      0.0115, respectively). Down-regulation of TGF-b signaling pathway seems to
      contribute in severe inflammation observed in SM-exposed patients' tissues. MiR
      20a and miR-21, as two important TGF-b associated microRNAs (miRNAs), were also
      down-regulated in SM-exposed skin lesions, compared to those of control group (p
      = 0.0003). Based on our findings, these miRNAs could be directly or indirectly
      involve in the pathogenesis of SM. Altogether, our data suggest the suitability
      of TGF-b1, TGF-bR2, as well as miR-20a and miR-21 as potential biomarkers for
      diagnosis and treatment of SM-exposed patients.

PMID- 26498465
TI  - Clinical Significance of Hu-Antigen Receptor (HuR)   and Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)
      Expression in Human   Malignant and Benign Thyroid Lesions.
AB  - Hu-antigen R (HuR) is considered to play a crucial role in tumor formation and
      growth by binding to mRNAs encoding proteins such as Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and
      inducing their expression via mRNA stabilization and/or altered translation. The
      present study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of HuR and COX-2
      proteins' expression in human benign and malignant thyroid lesions. HuR and COX-2
      proteins' expression was assessed immunohistochemically on paraffin-embedded
      thyroid tissues obtained from 98 patients with benign (n = 48) and malignant (n =
      50) lesions and was statistically analyzed with clinicopathological parameters,
      follicular cells' proliferative capacity and recurrence risk rate. Enhanced HuR
      and COX-2 expression was significantly more frequently observed in malignant
      compared to benign thyroid lesions (p = 0.0073 and p = 0.0016, respectively), as
      well as in papillary carcinomas compared to hyperplastic nodules (p = 0.0039 and
      p = 0.0009, respectively). Positive associations of both HuR and COX-2 expression
      with follicular cells' proliferation rate were also noted (p = 0.0087 and p =
      0.0127, respectively). In malignant thyroid lesions, elevated COX-2 expression
      was significantly associated with female patients' gender (p = 0.0381) and the
      presence of lymph node metastases (p = 0.0296). The present data support evidence
      that both HuR and COX-2 may be involved in the malignant state of thyroid
      neoplasia and may be utilized in the diagnosis of malignant thyroid tumors.

PMID- 26498466
TI  - Lysobacter hankyongensis sp. nov., isolated from activated sludge and Lysobacter
      sediminicola sp. nov., isolated from freshwater sediment.
AB  - Two novel strains, designated KTCe-2T and 7C-9T, isolated from an activated
      sludge and freshwater sediment, respectively in South Korea, were characterized
      by a polyphasic approach to clarify their taxonomic positions. Phylogenetic
      analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that both isolates belong to
      the genus Lysobacter and are most closely related to 'Lysobacter daecheongensis'
      Dae 08 (98.5 % and 97.6 % similarity for strains KTCe-2T and 7C-9T,
      respectively), Lysobacter brunescens KCTC 12130T (98.4 % and 97.2 %), and
      Lysobacter oligotrophicus JCM 18257T (97.1 % and 96.8 %). The G+C content of the
      genomic DNA of strains KTCe-2T and 7C-9T was 68.6 % and 71.5 mol%, respectively.
      Strains KTCe-2T and 7C-9T possessed ubiquinone-8 as the sole respiratory quinone,
      and a fatty acid profile with iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0 as the major fatty
      acids supported the affiliation of the two strains to the genus Lysobacter.
      Moreover, the physiological and biochemical results and low DNA-DNA relatedness
      values allowed the phenotypic and genotypic differentiation of strains KTCe-2T
      and 7C-9T from other species of the genus Lysobacter with validly published
      names. Therefore, the two isolates represent two novel species of the genus
      Lysobacter, for which the name Lysobacter hankyongensis sp. nov. (type strain
      KTCe-2T = JCM 18204T = KACC 16618T) and Lysobacter sediminicola sp. nov. (type
      strain 7C-9T = JCM 18205T = KACC 16617T) are proposed. 

PMID- 26498467
TI  - Imagining Global Health with Justice: In Defense of the Right to Health.
AB  - The singular message in Global Health Law is that we must strive to achieve
      global health with justice--improved population health, with a fairer
      distribution of benefits of good health. Global health entails ensuring the
      conditions of good health--public health, universal health coverage, and the
      social determinants of health--while justice requires closing today's vast
      domestic and global health inequities. These conditions for good health should be
      incorporated into public policy, supplemented by specific actions to overcome
      barriers to equity. A new global health treaty grounded in the right to health
      and aimed at health equity--a Framework Convention on Global Health (FCGH)-
      stands out for its possibilities in helping to achieve global health with
      justice. This far-reaching legal instrument would establish minimum standards for
      universal health coverage and public health measures, with an accompanying
      national and international financing framework, require a constant focus on
      health equity, promote Health in All Policies and global governance for health,
      and advance the principles of good governance, including accountability. While
      achieving an FCGH is certainly ambitious, it is a struggle worth the efforts of
      us all. The treaty's basis in the right to health, which has been agreed to by
      all governments, has powerful potential to form the foundation of global
      governance for health. From interpretations of UN treaty bodies to judgments of
      national courts, the right to health is now sufficiently articulated to serve
      this role, with the individual's right to health best understood as a function of
      a social, political, and economic environment aimed at equity. However great the
      political challenge of securing state agreement to the FCGH, it is possible.
      States have joined other treaties with significant resource requirements and
      limitations on their sovereignty without significant reciprocal benefits from
      other states, while important state interests would benefit from the FCGH. And
      from integrating the FCGH into the existing human rights system to creative forms
      of compliance and enforcement and strengthened domestic legal and political
      accountability mechanisms, the treaty stands to improve right to health
      compliance. The potential for the FCGH to bring the right to health nearer
      universal reality calls for us to embark on the journey towards securing this
      global treaty.

PMID- 26498468
TI  - [(Very) high Creatinkinase concentration after exertional whole-body
      electromyostimulation application: health risks and longitudinal adaptations].
AB  - Due to its individualization, time-efficiency and effectiveness Whole-body
      Electromyo-stimulation (WB-EMS) becomes increasingly popular. However, recently
      (very) high Creatin-kinase concentration were reported, at least after initial WB
      EMS-application. Thus, the aim of the study was to determine (1) WB-EMS induced
      increases of CK-concentration, (2) their impact on corresponding health
      parameters and (3) training-induced changes of CK-levels.Twenty-six healthy,
      sportive volunteers without previous experience with WB-EMS were included.
      Initial high intense WB-EMS application (bipolar, 85 Hz; 350 ms; intermittent, 20
      min) led to an increase of the CK-level by the 117fold (28.545 +/- 33.611 IU/l)
      of baseline. CK-peaks were detected after 72-96 h. Despite this pronounced
      "exertional rhabdomyolysis", we did not determine rhabdomyolysis-induced
      complications (e.g. acute renal failure, hyperkalemia, hypocalcaemia). After 10
      weeks of WB-EMS (1 session/week) CK-reaction to intensive WB-EMS-Application was
      significantly blunted (906 +/- 500 IE/l) and averaged in the area of conventional
      resistance exercise.In summary, intensity of WB-EMS should be carefully increased
      during the initial sessions. 

PMID- 26498469
TI  - Various Echocardiographic Patterns of Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction
      Induced by Carbon Monoxide Intoxication.
AB  - Carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication could cause significant cardiac injury.
      Although cardiac dysfunction after CO intoxication can be presented, the
      echocardiographic findings after CO intoxication are poorly defined. The purpose
      of this study was to evaluate the clinical patterns of left ventricular (LV)
      systolic dysfunction using echocardiography. A total of 132 CO-intoxicated
      patients were enrolled. Clinical, demographic and laboratory data and
      echocardiographic findings were analyzed. The LV dysfunction group (29 patients)
      showed higher lactate level (5.8 +/- 3.3 vs. 4.1 +/- 3.5 mmol/L, p = 0.024) and
      lower base excess (BE) (-8.2 +/- 6.0 vs. -4.8 +/- 4.7 mEq/L, p = 0.001) compared
      with normal LV function group. Among the LV dysfunction group, three different
      echocardiographic patterns were presented. Regional wall motion abnormality was
      presented in 14 patients. Apical ballooning, typical finding of stress-induced
      cardiomyopathy, was presented in eight patients. Global hypokinesia of LV was
      presented in seven patients. Laboratory findings indicating the severity of CO
      intoxication, such as lactate level, pH value, BE and aspartate aminotransferase,
      showed statistical significance according to the patterns of LV dysfunction (p =
      0.033, 0.022, 0.02 and 0.006, respectively). Our results demonstrate that CO
      intoxication could induce various patterns of LV dysfunction. The patterns of LV
      dysfunction might affect subsequent clinical outcomes. 

PMID- 26498471
TI  - Molecular characterization of BK virus in patients infected with human
      immunodeficiency virus.
AB  - Immunosuppression seems to be the most important cause of BKPyV reactivation.
      Recently, a spectrum of diseases associated with BKPyV infection has been
      reported in HIV-infected patients. BKPyV isolates can be classified into four
      subtypes based on nucleotide polymorphisms within VP1 coding region. Mutations
      within the BC loop of the VP1 may be associated with an increase in the viral
      pathogenicity. The aims of this study were to determine prevalence and
      distribution of BKPyV subtypes, sequence variation and mutations within VP1 among
      HIV-infected patients and healthy donors. Urine samples from 114 HIV-infected
      patients and 120 healthy donors were collected. PCR followed by sequence analysis
      was carried out using primers specific for VP1 and NCRR of the virus genome. The
      predominant BKPyV subtype was I, followed by IV. In isolates from HIV-infected
      patients, the majority of non-synonymous alterations were located within the BC
      loop. BKV sequences from healthy donors showed non-synonymous alterations outside
      of the receptor loops in the beta-sheets. The higher frequency of mutations in
      the BC loop of VP1 protein was detected among HIV-infected patients. The most
      frequent mutation was E82D. All HIV-infected patients who harbored mutations had
      CD4(+) cell counts less than 200 cell/mm(3). It seems that immunosuppression is a
      very important factor for BKPyV reactivation that can increase viral replication
      rate and leads to higher frequency of mutations in the BC loop of the VP1. These
      mutations may change receptor specificity, and further studies are needed to
      determine the effect of these mutations on the biological properties of the
      BKPyV. 

PMID- 26498472
TI  - Evaluating Survivorship Experiences and Needs Among Rural African American Breast
      Cancer Survivors.
AB  - Disparities in cancer survivorship exist among specific populations of breast
      cancer survivors, specifically rural African American breast cancer survivors (AA
      BCS). While effective survivorship interventions are available to address and
      improve quality of life, interventions must be culturally tailored for relevance
      to survivors. Here, we report the results of our formative research using focus
      groups and in-depth interview to better understand unique rural AA-BCS
      survivorship experiences and needs in the Alabama Black Belt. Surveys were used
      to gather sociodemographic and cancer treatment data. Fifteen rural AA-BCS shared
      their experiences and concerns about keeping their cancer a secret, lack of
      knowledge about survivorship, lingering symptoms, religion and spirituality,
      cancer surveillance, and general lack of survivorship education and support.
      Rural AA-BCS were unwilling to share their cancer diagnosis, preferring to keep
      it a secret to protect family and friends. Quality-of-life issues like lymphedema
      body image and sexuality were not well understood. They viewed spirituality and
      religion as essential in coping and accepting cancer. Participants also discussed
      the importance of and barriers to maintaining health through regular check-ups.
      They needed social support from family and friends and health care providers.
      Overall, rural AA-BCS expressed their need for knowledge about survivorship self
      management by providing a vivid picture of the realities of cancer survival based
      on shared concerns for survivorship support and education within the context of
      culture.

PMID- 26498473
TI  - Trypsin- and low pH-mediated fusogenicity of avian metapneumovirus fusion
      proteins is determined by residues at positions 100, 101 and 294.
AB  - Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) are members of the
      genus Metapneumovirus in the subfamily Pneumovirinae. Metapneumovirus fusion (F)
      protein mediates the fusion of host cells with the virus membrane for infection.
      Trypsin- and/or low pH-induced membrane fusion is a strain-dependent phenomenon
      for hMPV. Here, we demonstrated that three subtypes of aMPV (aMPV/A, aMPV/B, and
      aMPV/C) F proteins promoted cell-cell fusion in the absence of trypsin. Indeed,
      in the presence of trypsin, only aMPV/C F protein fusogenicity was enhanced.
      Mutagenesis of the amino acids at position 100 and/or 101, located at a putative
      cleavage region in aMPV F proteins, revealed that the trypsin-mediated
      fusogenicity of aMPV F proteins is regulated by the residues at positions 100 and
      101. Moreover, we demonstrated that aMPV/A and aMPV/B F proteins mediated cell
      cell fusion independent of low pH, whereas the aMPV/C F protein did not.
      Mutagenesis of the residue at position 294 in the aMPV/A, aMPV/B, and aMPV/C F
      proteins showed that 294G played a critical role in F protein-mediated fusion
      under low pH conditions. These findings on aMPV F protein-induced cell-cell
      fusion provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying membrane
      fusion and pathogenesis of aMPV. 

PMID- 26498474
TI  - Super-resolution Microscopy of Clickable Amino Acids Reveals the Effects of
      Fluorescent Protein Tagging on Protein Assemblies.
AB  - The advent of super-resolution microscopy (nanoscopy) has set high standards for
      fluorescence tagging. Fluorescent proteins (FPs) are convenient tags in
      conventional imaging, but their use in nanoscopy has been questioned due to their
      relatively large size and propensity to form multimers. Here, we compared the
      nanoscale organization of proteins with or without FP tags by introducing the
      unnatural amino acid propargyl-L-lysine (PRK) in 26 proteins known to form
      multimolecular arrangements and into their FP-tagged variants. We revealed the
      proteins by coupling synthetic fluorophores to PRK via click chemistry and
      visualized them using ground-state depletion microscopy followed by individual
      molecule return, as well as stimulated emission depletion microscopy. The
      arrangements formed by the FP-tagged and nontagged proteins were similar. Mild,
      but statistically significant differences were observed for only six proteins
      (23% of all proteins tested). This suggests that FP-based nanoscopy is generally
      reliable. Unnatural amino acids should be a reliable alternative for the few
      proteins that are sensitive to FP tagging.

PMID- 26498475
TI  - Giant Hydatid Cyst of the Interventricular Septum.

PMID- 26498476
TI  - Two-dimensional speckle tracking for the assessment of coronary artery disease
      during dobutamine stress echo: clinical tool or merely research method.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Two-dimensional speckle tracking provides valuable information for
      regional wall motion abnormalities. The purpose of this study was to determine
      the diagnostic value of left ventricular longitudinal strain and torsion to
      diagnose coronary artery disease during dobutamine stress echocardiography.
      METHODS: We studied 100 patients (mean age 60.8 +/- 10.7 years, 72 male) with
      known or suspected coronary artery disease, excluding those with prior history of
      transmural infraction. All of them underwent dobutamine stress echo and coronary
      angiography within one month. Wall-motion score index, left ventricular global
      longitudinal strain and torsion were measured at rest and peak stress.
      Additionally, the respective differences between rest and stress were also
      calculated. Optimal cut-offs were derived from receiver operating characteristic
      curves for strain and torsion values. RESULTS: Mean left ventricular ejection
      fraction was 55 +/- 5.4 %. Coronary angiography revealed significant lesions in
      67 patients. Values regarding sensitivity, and specificity for wall motion score
      index difference were 78 % and 88 % respectively (area under curve 0.84). Global
      longitudinal strain difference (median 0.5 %) illustrated 81 % sensitivity and 72
      % specificity for disease detection (area under curve 0.80, cut-off value <=0 %).
      The respective values for torsion difference (median 4.7 degrees ) were 81 % and
      82 % (area under curve 0.76, cut-off value <=6.5 degrees ). Combination of wall
      motion score index difference and torsion difference for disease detection showed
      91 % sensitivity and 79 % specificity (area under curve 0.85). CONCLUSIONS: The
      implementation of speckle tracking during dobutamine stress echo could serve as
      an adjunct method for coronary artery disease assessment, providing quantitative
      diagnostic information.

PMID- 26498477
TI  - Identification of key genes associated with the human abdominal aortic aneurysm
      based on the gene expression profile.
AB  - The present study was aimed at screening the key genes associated with abdominal
      aortic aneurysm (AAA) in the neck, and to investigate the molecular mechanism
      underlying the development of AAA. The gene expression profile, GSE47472,
      including 14 AAA neck samples and eight donor controls, was downloaded from the
      Gene Expression Omnibus database. The total AAA samples were grouped into two
      types to avoid bias. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened in
      patients with AAA and subsequently compared with donor controls using linear
      models for microarray data, or the Limma package in R, followed by gene ontology
      enrichment analysis. Furthermore, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network
      based on the DEGs was constructed to detect highly connected regions using a
      Cytoscape plugin. In total, 388 DEGs in the AAA samples were identified. These
      DEGs were predominantly associated with limb development, including embryonic
      limb development and appendage development. Nuclear receptor co-repressor 1
      (NCOR1), histone 4 (H4), E2F transcription factor 4 (E2F4) and hepatocyte nuclear
      factor 4alpha (HNF4A) were the four transcription factors associated with AAA.
      Furthermore, HNF4A indirectly interacted with the other three transcription
      factors. Additionally, six clusters were selected from the PPI network. The DEG
      screening process and the construction of an interaction network enabled an
      understanding of the mechanism of AAA to be gleaned. HNF4A may exert an important
      role in AAA development through its interactions with the three other
      transcription factors (E2F4, NCOR1 and H4), and the mechanism of this coordinated
      regulation of the transcription factors in AAA may provide a suitable target for
      the development of therapeutic intervention strategies. 

PMID- 26498478
TI  - Qualitative grading of aortic regurgitation: a pilot study  comparing CMR 4D flow
      and echocardiography.
AB  - Over the past 10 years there has been intense research in the development of
      volumetric visualization of intracardiac flow by cardiac magnetic resonance
      (CMR).This volumetric time resolved technique called CMR 4D flow imaging has
      several advantages over standard CMR. It offers anatomical, functional and flow
      information in a single free-breathing, ten-minute acquisition. However, the data
      obtained is large and its processing requires dedicated software. We evaluated a
      cloud-based application package that combines volumetric data correction and
      visualization of CMR 4D flow data, and assessed its accuracy for the detection
      and grading of aortic valve regurgitation using transthoracic echocardiography as
      reference. Between June 2014 and January 2015, patients planned for clinical CMR
      were consecutively approached to undergo the supplementary CMR 4D flow
      acquisition. Fifty four patients(median age 39 years, 32 males) were included.
      Detection and grading of the aortic valve regurgitation using CMR4D flow imaging
      were evaluated against transthoracic echocardiography. The agreement between 4D
      flow CMR and transthoracic echocardiography for grading of aortic valve
      regurgitation was good (j = 0.73). To identify relevant,more than mild aortic
      valve regurgitation, CMR 4D flow imaging had a sensitivity of 100 % and
      specificity of 98 %. Aortic regurgitation can be well visualized, in a similar
      manner as transthoracic echocardiography, when using CMR 4D flow imaging.

PMID- 26498479
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of peer role play and standardized patients in undergraduate
      communication training.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The few studies directly comparing the methodological approach of
      peer role play (RP) and standardized patients (SP) for the delivery of
      communication skills all suggest that both methods are effective. In this study
      we calculated the costs of both methods (given comparable outcomes) and are the
      first to generate a differential cost-effectiveness analysis of both methods.
      METHODS: Medical students in their prefinal year were randomly assigned to one of
      two groups receiving communication training in Pediatrics either with RP (N = 34)
      or 19 individually trained SP (N = 35). In an OSCE with standardized patients
      using the Calgary-Cambridge Referenced Observation Guide both groups achieved
      comparable high scores (results published). In this study, corresponding costs
      were assessed as man-hours resulting from hours of work of SP and tutors. A cost
      effectiveness analysis was performed. RESULTS: Cost-effectiveness analysis
      revealed a major advantage for RP as compared to SP (112 vs. 172 man hours; cost
      effectiveness ratio .74 vs. .45) at comparable performance levels after training
      with both methods. CONCLUSIONS: While both peer role play and training with
      standardized patients have their value in medical curricula, RP has a major
      advantage in terms of cost-effectiveness. This could be taken into account in
      future decisions.

PMID- 26498480
TI  - KIT exon 10 variant (c.1621 A > C) single nucleotide polymorphism as predictor of
      GIST patient outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumor genotype plays a crucial role in clinical management of GIST.
      Whether genetic polymorphism of KIT may influence GIST patient outcome is
      unclear. METHODS: We investigated the biological and clinical significance of the
      presence of KIT exon 10 variant (c.1621 A > C), KIT (L541), in a transfected cell
      line (3 T3 L541) and in two retrospectively collected series of 109 GIST patients
      in total. The control group consisted of 60 healthy donors collected at the
      French department of blood transfusion. RESULTS: In the 3 T3 L541 cell line,
      KIT(L541) protein exhibited a spontaneous phosphorylation status comparable to
      that of wild-type KIT but displayed a phosphorylation pattern of AKT and ERK1/2
      that was found similar to that of the classical mutated forms of the KIT
      receptor. Of 109 patients enrolled in this retrospective translational research
      study, 24 (22%) harboured KIT (L541), similarly to the control group of healthy
      donors (n = 10 of 60, 17%). A higher prevalence of the variant KIT (L541) was
      observed in patients with metastatic status at diagnosis (KIT (L541) correlated
      nine of 22 versus 15 of 87, p = 0.02). In addition, patients with KIT (L541) and
      localized GIST had a higher rate of relapse at 5 years and lower relapse free
      survival at 5 years in univariate, as well as in multivariate analysis. Response
      rate and duration of response to imatinib was similar in KIT (L541) and KIT
      (M541) patients. CONCLUSION: KIT (L541) genotype is associated with a higher risk
      of metastasis at diagnosis and a higher risk of relapse in GIST patients.

PMID- 26498482
TI  - Metabolic engineering of E. coli for the production of isoflavonoid-7-O
      methoxides and their biological activities.
AB  - Isoflavonoid representatives such as genistein, daidzein are high potent anti
      cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant agents. It have been demonstrated that
      methylation of flavonoids enhanced the transporting ability, which lead to
      facilitated absorption and greatly increased bioavailability. In this paper,
      genetically engineered Escherichia coli was reconstructed by harboring E. coli
      K12-derived metK encoding S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) synthase (accession number:
      K02129) for enhancement of SAM as precursor and a Streptomyces avermitilis
      originated SaOMT2 (O-methyltransferase, accession number: NP_823558) for
      methylation of daidzein and genistein as preferred substrates. The formation of
      desired products via biotransformation including 7-O-methyl-genistein and 7-O
      methyl-daidzein were confirmed individually by chromatographical data such as
      HPLC, LC-TOF-MS and NMR (1 H and 13 C) as well. Furthermore, substrates
      concentration, incubation time and media parameters were optimized using flask
      culture. Finally, the most fit conditions were applied for fed-batch fermentation
      with scale up to 3 L (working volume) to obtain the maximum yield of the products
      including 164.25 MUM (46.81 mg/L) and 382.50 MUM (102.88 mg/L) for 7-O-methyl
      genistein and 7-O-methyl daidzein, respectively. In particular, potent inhibitory
      activities of those isoflavonoid methoxides against the growth of cancer line
      (B16F10, AGS and HepG2) and endothelical (HUVEC) cells were investigated and
      demonstrated. Taken together this research work described the production of
      isoflavonoid-7-O-methoxides by E. coli engineering, improvement of production,
      characterization of produced compounds and preliminary in vitro biological
      activities of the these flavonoids being manufactured. This article is protected
      by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID- 26498481
TI  - Increased cyclooxygenase-2 and nuclear factor-kappaB/p65 expression in mouse
      hippocampi after systemic administration of tetanus toxin.
AB  - Brain inflammation has a crucial role in various diseases of the central nervous
      system. The hippocampus in the mammalian brain exerts an important memory
      function, which is sensitive to various insults, including inflammation induced
      by exo/endotoxin stimuli. Tetanus toxin (TeT) is an exotoxin with the capacity
      for neuronal binding and internalization. The present study investigated changes
      in inflammatory mediators in the mouse hippocampus proper (CA1-3 regions) and
      dentate gyrus (DG) after TeT treatment. The experimental mice were
      intraperitoneally injected with TeT at a low dosage (100 ng/kg), while the
      control mice were injected with the same volume of saline. At 6, 12 and 24 h
      after TeT treatment, changes in the hippocampal levels of inflammatory mediators
      cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kappaB/p65) were assessed
      using immunohistochemical and western blot analysis. In the control group,
      moderate COX-2 immunoreactivity was observed in the stratum pyramidal (SP) of the
      CA2-3 region, while almost no expression was identified in the CA1 region and the
      DG. COX-2 immunoreactivity was increased by TeT in the SP and granule cell layer
      (GCL) of the DG in a time-dependent manner. At 24 h post-treatment, COX-2
      immunoreactivity in the SP of the CA1 region and in the GCL of the DG was high,
      and COX-2 immunoreactivity in the SP of the CA2/3 region was highest.
      Furthermore, the present study observed that NF-kappaB/p65 immunoreactivity was
      obviously increased in the SP and GCL at 6, 12 and 24 h after TeT treatment. In
      conclusion, the present study demonstrated that systemic treatment with TeT
      significantly increased the expression of COX-2 and NF-kappaB/p65 in the mouse
      hippocampus, suggesting that increased COX-2 and NF-kappaB/65 expression may be
      associated with inflammation in the brain induced by exotoxins. 

PMID- 26498483
TI  - Cigarette smoke differentially modulates dendritic cell maturation and function
      in time.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dendritic cells (DCs) as professional antigen presenting cells (APCs)
      play a critical role in the regulation of host immune responses. DCs evolve from
      immature, antigen-capturing cells, to mature antigen-presenting cells. The
      relative contribution of DCs to cigarette smoke-induced inflammation is not well
      documented. In the current study, we investigated a modulatory effect of
      cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on differentiation, maturation and function of DCs.
      METHODS: Primary murine DCs were grown from bone marrow cells with GM-CSF.
      Development of DC was analyzed by expression of CD11c, MHCII, CD86, CD40 and CD83
      using flow cytometry. Murine DC's and human L428 cells were co-cultured with CSE
      for various periods of time. Functional activity was analyzed by measuring FITC
      dextran uptake, cytokine production and the ability to stimulate T cell
      activation in a mixed lymphocyte reaction. RESULTS: Our results show that short
      term CSE stimulation (~24 h) influence the maturation status of newly
      differentiated and immature DCs towards more mature cells as revealed by
      upregulation of MHCII, CD83, CD86, CD40, reduction in antigen up-take capacity
      and enhanced secretion of pro-inflammatory (IL-12, IL-6 and TNF-alpha) cytokines.
      Interestingly, long-term CSE exposure, time- and concentration-dependently,
      suppressed the development of functional DCs. This suppression was demonstrated
      by a decline in CD11c/MHCII, CD83, CD86 and CD40 expression, the production of
      cytokines and ability to stimulate T lymphocytes. Moreover, CSE significantly
      suppressed the endocytosis function of mouse DCs which was not due to diminished
      DC viability. Similar to mouse DCs, long-term co-culturing of the human L428 DC
      cell line with CSE time-dependently suppressed the expression of CD54.
      CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides evidence that CSE modulates DC-mediated
      immune responses via affecting both the function and maturation of DCs. The
      suppressive effects of cigarette smoke on DC function might lead to impaired
      immune responses to various infections.

PMID- 26498484
TI  - Scaffold and scaffold-free self-assembled systems in regenerative medicine.
AB  - Self-assembly in tissue engineering refers to the spontaneous chemical or
      biological association of components to form a distinct functional construct,
      reminiscent of native tissue. Such self-assembled systems have been widely used
      to develop platforms for the delivery of therapeutic and/or bioactive molecules
      and various cell populations. Tissue morphology and functional characteristics
      have been recapitulated in several self-assembled constructs, designed to
      incorporate stimuli responsiveness and controlled architecture through spatial
      confinement or field manipulation. In parallel, owing to substantial functional
      properties, scaffold-free cell-assembled devices have aided in the development of
      functional neotissues for various clinical targets. Herein, we discuss recent
      advancements and future aspirations in scaffold and scaffold-free self-assembled
      devices for regenerative medicine purposes. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 1155
      1163. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26498485
TI  - Case report of malignant pulmonary parenchymal glomus tumor: imaging features and
      review of the literature.
AB  - Glomus tumor is rare tumor which arises from glomus body and is most frequently
      found in the soft tissue of the extremities. The lung is a rare ectopic site, and
      a malignant glomus tumor arising from pulmonary parenchyma is particularly
      uncommon. To deepen our understanding on their imaging features, we report a case
      of malignant glomus tumor of pulmonary parenchyma confirmed with surgical
      histopathology and immunochemistry and review the medical literature on pulmonary
      parenchymal glomus tumors with emphasis on their imaging features. 

PMID- 26498487
TI  - Flexible and fragmentable tandem photosensitive nanocrystal skins.
AB  - We proposed and demonstrated the first account of large-area, semi-transparent,
      tandem photosensitive nanocrystal skins (PNSs) constructed on flexible substrates
      operating on the principle of photogenerated potential buildup, which avoid the
      need for applying an external bias and circumvent the current-matching limitation
      between junctions. We successfully fabricated and operated the tandem PNSs
      composed of single monolayers of colloidal water-soluble CdTe and CdHgTe
      nanocrystals (NCs) in adjacent junctions on a Kapton polymer tape. Owing to the
      usage of a single NC layer in each junction, noise generation was significantly
      reduced while keeping the resulting PNS films considerably transparent. In each
      junction, photogenerated excitons are dissociated at the interface of the semi
      transparent Al electrode and the NC layer, with holes migrating to the contact
      electrode and electrons trapped in the NCs. As a result, the tandem PNSs lead to
      an open-circuit photovoltage buildup equal to the sum of those of the two single
      junctions, exhibiting a total voltage buildup of 128.4 mV at an excitation
      intensity of 75.8 MUW cm(-2) at 350 nm. Furthermore, we showed that these
      flexible PNSs could be bent over 3.5 mm radius of curvature and cut out in
      arbitrary shapes without damaging the operation of individual parts and without
      introducing any significant loss in the total sensitivity. These findings
      indicate that the NC skins are promising as building blocks to make low-cost,
      flexible, large-area UV/visible sensing platforms with highly efficient full
      spectrum conversion. 

PMID- 26498486
TI  - Cerebralcare Granule(r) attenuates cognitive impairment in rats continuously
      overexpressing microRNA-30e.
AB  - Previous studies have demonstrated that dysregulation of micro (mi)RNAs is
      associated with the etiology of various neuropsychiatric disorders, including
      depression and schizophrenia. Cerebralcare Granule(r) (CG) is a Chinese herbal
      medicine, which has been reported to have an ameliorative effect on brain injury
      by attenuating blood-brain barrier disruption and improving hippocampal neural
      function. The present study aimed to evaluate the cognitive behavior of rats
      continuously overexpressing miRNA-30e (lenti-miRNA-30e), prior to and following
      the administration of CG. In addition, the mechanisms underlying the ameliorative
      effects of CG were investigated. The cognitive ability of the rats was assessed
      using an open-field test and a Morris water maze spatial reference/working memory
      test. A terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay was
      used to detect neuronal apoptosis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus.
      Immunohistochemical analysis and western blotting were conducted to detect the
      expression levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) and ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 9
      (UBC9), in order to examine neuronal apoptosis. The lenti-miRNA-30e rats
      exhibited increased signs of anxiety, depression, hyperactivity and
      schizophrenia, which resulted in a severe impairment in cognitive ability.
      Furthermore, in the dentate gyrus of these rats, the expression levels of BCL-2
      and UBC9 were reduced and apoptosis was increased. The administration of CG
      alleviated cognitive impairment, enhanced the expression levels of BCL-2 and
      UBC9, and reduced apoptosis in the dentate gyrus in the lenti-miRNA-30e rats. No
      significant differences were detected in behavioral indicators between the lenti
      miRNA-30e rats treated with CG and the normal controls. These findings suggested
      that CG exerts a potent therapeutic effect, conferred by its ability to enhance
      the expression levels of BCL-2 and UBC9, which inhibits the apoptotic process in
      neuronal cells. Therefore, CG may be considered a potential therapeutic strategy
      for the treatment of cognitive impairment in mental disorders. 

PMID- 26498488
TI  - Antidiabetic and Antihyperlipidemic Effects of Ethanol Extract of Rosa canina L.
      fruit on Diabetic Rats: An Experimental Study With Histopathological Evaluations.
AB  - Rosa canina L. (Rosaceae) has been traditionally used as a medicinal plant. This
      study was undertaken to evaluate the antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic effects
      of Rosa canina fruit extract in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. The results
      showed oral administration of Rosa canina fruit extract significantly ameliorated
      the high levels of blood glucose compared with the control group. Serum
      triglyceride levels significantly decreased by the administration of Rosa canina
      extract compared with control. Histopathological examinations showed that the
      Rosa canina extract improved islets necrotic and regenerated pancreatic islet
      cells. Rosa canina extract has the antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic
      effects in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. 

PMID- 26498489
TI  - Understanding gate adsorption behaviour of CO2 on elastic layer-structured metal
      organic framework-11.
AB  - We demonstrate that CO2 gate adsorption behaviour of elastic layer-structured
      metal-organic framework-11 (ELM-11: [Cu(BF4)2(4,4'-bipyridine)2]), which is a
      family of soft porous crystals (SPCs), can be described by a thermodynamic model
      by free energy analysis with the aid of an adsorption experiment and a molecular
      simulation. The structures of ELM-11 (closed structure) at 273 K after its
      evacuation and CO2-encapsulated ELM-11 (open structure) at 195-298 K were
      determined by the Rietveld analysis using in situ synchrotron X-ray powder
      diffraction data. We then performed grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC)
      simulations for CO2 adsorption on the open host framework structures of ELM-11
      from the Rietveld analysis. The temperature dependence of the Helmholtz free
      energy change of host DeltaF(host) from the closed structure to the open
      structure was obtained by the free energy analysis using the GCMC data. We show
      that there is a linear correlation between DeltaF(host) and temperature, and
      thus, the internal energy and entropy changes of host, DeltaU(host) and
      DeltaS(host), respectively, can be obtained. The obtained DeltaU(host) value is
      in good agreement with that obtained from the quantum chemical calculations using
      the closed and open host framework structures, which demonstrates that the
      thermodynamic model for gate adsorption is highly appropriate. Moreover, our
      result suggests that the gate adsorption pressure depends on not only the guest
      host interaction and the internal energy change of host, but also the entropy
      change of host, which should be one of the key factors for the tailored synthesis
      of SPCs. 

PMID- 26498490
TI  - The first aurochs genome reveals the breeding history of British and European
      cattle.
AB  - The first genome sequence of the extinct European wild aurochs reveals the
      genetic foundation of native British and Irish landraces of cattle.See related
      Research article: www.dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13059-015-0790-2. 

PMID- 26498491
TI  - Association between XRCC3 Thr241Met Polymorphism and Risk of Breast Cancer: Meta
      Analysis of 23 Case-Control Studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that gene and environmental factors, such as
      BRCA1/2 mutations, ionized radiation, and chemical carcinogens, are related with
      breast cancer. X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3) is involved in
      homologous repair of double DNA breaks. It was reported that Thr241Met single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in XRCC3 is associated with increased risk of
      breast cancer. However, the finding remains controversial. The current meta
      analysis aims to determine whether XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism is associated
      with increased risk of breast cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a meta
      analysis of association between XRCC3 T241M polymorphism and the risk of breast
      cancer. Crude odds ratios (ORs) together with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were
      used to assess the strength of association in dominant, recessive, and homozygote
      models. RESULTS: We included 23 studies consisting of 13513 cases and 14100
      controls in our study. For meta-analysis on the entire database, association of
      the SNP and breast cancer risk was observed in recessive (OR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.03
      1.18, p=0.005) and homozygote (OR=1.09, 95% CI: 1.01-1.18, p=0.023) models. For
      the analysis on the Asian population subgroup, association of the SNP and breast
      cancer risk was also observed in recessive (OR=1.615, 95% CI: 1.17-2.228,
      p=0.004) and homozygote (OR=1.609, 95% CI: 1.154-2.241, p=0.005) models. For the
      evaluation of the patients without family history of breast cancer, association
      of the SNP and breast cancer risk was observed in dominant (OR=1.364, 95% CI:
      1.096-1.698, p=0.005), recessive (OR=1.336, 95% CI: 0.999-1.788, p=0.051) and
      homozygote (OR=1.492, 95% CI: 1.085-2.051, p=0.014) models. CONCLUSIONS: We can
      conclude that XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism might be associated with breast cancer
      risk, especially in Asian populations and in patients without family history of
      breast cancer.

PMID- 26498492
TI  - Effects of 6 weeks oral administration of Phyllanthus acidus leaf water extract
      on the vascular functions of middle-aged male rats.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Leaves of Phyllanthus acidus (PA) have been used
      in Thai traditional medicine for the treatment of hypertension. We have
      previously shown that chronic treatment of a PA water extract to middle-aged male
      rats caused a lowering of the body and serum lipids, two of the parameters that
      are implicated in cardiovascular disease. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate if
      chronic treatment of middle-aged male rats with a PA water extract affected the
      perivascular (aortic) adipose tissue (PVAT) and/or their vascular functions
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fresh leaves of PA were extracted with water and orally
      gavaged to the middle-aged male rats for 6 weeks. Vascular functions were studied
      in vitro using isolated thoracic aorta with and without PVAT, and mesenteric
      rings in Krebs Heinseleit solution with results recorded with a Polygraph or a
      Myograph system. The amount of blood vessel eNOS and CSE (cystathionine-gamma
      lyase) expression was measured by Western blotting. RESULTS: PA treatment caused
      a lower maximal contractile response to phenylephrine (Phe) of the endothelium
      intact aortic ring than that of the control group. This effect was abolished by
      N(G)-nitro-l-arginine (l-NA) or by denudation of the endothelium. dl
      propargylglycine (PAG, H2S inhibitor) and TEA (Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel
      blocker), but not glybenclamide (ATP-activated K(+) channel blocker), caused a
      similar increase in the baseline of the endothelium-intact aortic ring in the
      presence of l-NA in both the PA-treated and control aortic rings. This effect
      sequentially resulted in a greater contractile response of the aortic rings of
      both groups to Phe. Glybenclamide also caused a similar increase in the maximal
      contraction of the endothelium-intact blood vessels with l-NA to both groups.
      PAG, TEA or glybenclamide did not modify the phenylephrine C-R curves for either
      group of the PVAT-endothelium-intact aortic rings preincubated with l-NA. The CSE
      levels of the thoracic aorta and at the PVAT were not different between the PA
      treated and the control group. Relaxation of the Phe-precontracted thoracic
      aortic ring to acetylcholine, but not to glyceryl trinitrate, was higher for the
      PA-treated than for the control aortic rings and this effect was abolished by l
      NA. The mesenteric rings of the PA treated group showed a lower sensitivity on
      the contractile response to Phe than that of the control group, and this effect
      was abolished by l-NA. Vasodilatation to acetylcholine, but not to glyceryl
      trinitrate, of the PA treated-mesenteric ring was more sensitive than that of the
      control group and this effect was abolished by l-NA. The expression of eNOS by
      the PA treated thoracic aorta and the mesenteric arteries was higher than the
      control group. These results demonstrated that chronic treatment with a PA water
      extract to middle-aged rats affected their vascular functions by increasing the
      nitric oxide production from the endothelial cells and also modulated the
      responsiveness of the thoracic aortic- and mesenteric rings to phenylephrine and
      acetylcholine.

PMID- 26498493
TI  - A review of commercially important African medicinal plants.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Data on the relative importance and research
      status of commercially relevant African medicinal plants are needed for
      developing new research strategies in order to stimulate much-needed
      ethnopharmacological research and to promote the commercialization of African
      plants. AIM OF THE STUDY: To present an illustrated bird's eye view and
      comparative analysis of the relative popularity and importance of commercialized
      African medicinal plants. A comparison is made between the general popularity and
      commercial importance of the species (as indicated by their footprint on the
      World Wide Web) and their scientific popularity and importance (as indicated by
      the number of research publications). The inventory and review is strongly
      focussed to cover all or most of the medicinal plant raw materials in the
      international trade that are exported from African countries, with less emphasis
      on those that are regularly traded on local and regional markets within Africa.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The review is based on literature data, Scopus and Google
      searches, commercial information and the author's own experience and
      observations. RESULTS: More than 5400 plant species are used in traditional
      medicine in Africa, of which less than 10% have been commercially developed to
      some extent. Africa is home to more than 80 valuable commercial species that are
      regularly traded on international markets, including phytomedicines (e.g.
      Harpagophytum procumbens and Pelargonium sidoides), functional foods (e.g.
      Adansonia digitata and Hibiscus sabdariffa) and sources of pure chemical entities
      (e.g. caffeine from Coffea arabica and yohimbine from Pausinystalia johimbe).
      According to the Scopus results, about 60% of all recent publications on African
      medicinal plants appeared in the last decade, with an average of 280 papers (28
      per year) for 85 prominent species of international trade. The most popular
      African species for research (number of publications in brackets) were: Ricinus
      communis (5187), Aloe vera (2832), Catharanthus roseus (2653), Sesamum indicum
      (2534), Strophanthus gratus (2514), Coffea arabica (2431), Citrullus lanatus
      (2215), Momordica charantia (2047), Withania somnifera (1767), Trigonella foenum
      graecum (1687), Acacia senegal (1373), Centella asiatica (1355), Griffonia
      simplicifolia (1010), Hibiscus sabdariffa (987), Tamarindus indica (973) and
      Catha edulis (947). The top species in terms of recent research interest (% of
      publications in last decade) were: Hoodia gordonii (95%), Cyclopia genistoides
      (93%), Sceletium tortuosum (90%), Agathosma betulina (89%), Pelargonium sidoides
      (86%), Boswellia papyrifera (85%), Lessertia (Sutherlandia) frutescens (84%),
      Boswellia sacra (83%), Mondia whitei (81%), Hibiscus sabdariffa (80%), Hypoxis
      hemerocallidea (80%) and Tylosema esculentum (80%). Both lists reflect the recent
      interest in functional foods and dietary supplements. CONCLUSION: Despite a
      marked recent increase in the number of publications on indigenous medicinal
      plants and dietary supplements, Africa lags behind Europe and Asia in terms of
      the number of products that have been commercialised and the percentage of the
      flora that is utilized for international trade. There is a tremendous potential
      for developing new crops and new products but much work remains to be done to
      generate more focussed and relevant pre-clinical data and convincing proof of
      concept through clinical studies.

PMID- 26498494
TI  - JCU medical graduates' preparedness for remote practice.

PMID- 26498495
TI  - Corrigendum: genome-wide association study of colorectal cancer identifies six
      new susceptibility loci.

PMID- 26498497
TI  - Nickel as a co-catalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution on graphitic-carbon
      nitride (sg-CN): what is the nature of the active species?
AB  - The nature of a nickel-based co-catalyst deposited on a sol-gel prepared porous
      graphitic-carbon nitride (sg-CN), for photocatalytic H2 production from water,
      has been investigated. The formation of the active catalytic species, charge
      separation and recombination of the photogenerated electrons and holes during
      photochemical H2 evolution has been determined for the first time using in situ
      EPR spectroscopy. 

PMID- 26498496
TI  - During Stably Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy Integrated HIV-1 DNA Load in
      Peripheral Blood is Associated with the Frequency of CD8 Cells Expressing HLA
      DR/DP/DQ.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Characterising the correlates of HIV persistence improves
      understanding of disease pathogenesis and guides the design of curative
      strategies. This study investigated factors associated with integrated HIV-1 DNA
      load during consistently suppressive first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART).
      METHOD: Total, integrated, and 2-long terminal repeats (LTR) circular HIV-1 DNA,
      residual plasma HIV-1 RNA, T-cell activation markers, and soluble CD14 (sCD14)
      were measured in peripheral blood of 50 patients that had received 1-14 years of
      efavirenz-based or nevirapine-based therapy. RESULTS: Integrated HIV-1 DNA load
      (per 10(6) peripheral blood mononuclear cells) was median 1.9 log10 copies
      (interquartile range 1.7-2.2) and showed a mean difference of 0.2 log10 copies
      per 10 years of suppressive ART (95% confidence interval - 0.2, 0.6; p = 0.28).
      It was positively correlated with total HIV-1 DNA load and frequency of CD8(+)HLA
      DR/DP/DQ(+) cells, and was also higher in subjects with higher sCD14 levels, but
      showed no correlation with levels of 2-LTR circular HIV-1 DNA and residual plasma
      HIV-1 RNA, or the frequency of CD4(+)CD38(+) and CD8(+)CD38(+) cells. Adjusting
      for pre-ART viral load, duration of suppressive ART, CD4 cell counts, residual
      plasma HIV-1 RNA levels, and sCD14 levels, integrated HIV-1 DNA load was mean 0.5
      log10 copies higher for each 50% higher frequency of CD8(+)HLA-DR/DP/DQ(+) cells
      (95% confidence interval 0.2, 0.9; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The observed positive
      association between integrated HIV-1 DNA load and frequency of CD8(+)DR/DP/DQ(+)
      cells indicates that a close correlation between HIV persistence and immune
      activation continues during consistently suppressive therapy. The inducers of the
      distinct activation profile warrant further investigation.

PMID- 26498498
TI  - Perceived stress and musculoskeletal pain are prevalent and significantly
      associated in adolescents: an epidemiological cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-term musculoskeletal pain and negative stress are health risks
      with adverse long-term health effects, and these health risks seem to increase
      among young people. The mechanisms behind this are unclear. There is a need for a
      better understanding of perceived stress and musculoskeletal pain among
      adolescents, in order to improve health promotion and treatment approaches in
      this group. METHODS: Objectives were to evaluate the current prevalence of
      perceived stress and musculoskeletal pain in 15 and 16 year olds, to explore
      stress-pain associations and the probability that perceived stress (PSQ) was
      related to the reporting of pain and variations in pain, and to investigate
      possible differences in stress between different types of musculoskeletal pain in
      the adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Elementary schools
      participated. The outcomes were stress (Perceived stress questionnaire; PSQ) and
      musculoskeletal pain (pain/no pain, pain sites, pain duration and pain intensity
      (Visual analogue scale; VAS). RESULTS: Fifty-one point two percent (N = 422)
      reported pain, of which 70.8 % reported long-term pain. Some more girls (57.9 %)
      reported pain. 22.0 % of the study population reported moderate to severe stress
      (PSQ >= 0.45), of which 79.6 % were bothered by pain (Pearson Chi-square 38.47, p
      <= .001). All stress and pain variables were significantly associated (p < .01).
      The strongest association appeared between pain intensity (VAS) and stress (PSQ)
      (r = 0.40). Perceived stress (PSQ) was associated with the reporting of pain
      among the adolescents (Odds Ratio [OR] 1.68) and could explain some of the
      variation in pain intensity (VAS; beta = 0.15, p < .001) and number of pain sites
      (beta = 0.14, p < .01), according to the regression analyses. There were no mean
      differences in stress (PSQ) between different types of musculoskeletal pain.
      CONCLUSIONS: There was high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain, long-term pain
      and moderate to severe stress (PSQ >= 0.45) in this study sample. Perceived
      stress (PSQ) was related to the reporting of musculoskeletal pain among the
      adolescents and could explain some of the variation in pain intensity (VAS) and
      number of pain sites. There were no differences in stress levels (PSQ) between
      different types of musculoskeletal pain in the adolescents.

PMID- 26498500
TI  - Magnetic graphene-carbon nanotube iron nanocomposites as adsorbents and
      antibacterial agents for water purification.
AB  - One of the biggest challenges of the 21st century is to provide clean and
      affordable water through protecting source and purifying polluted waters. This
      review presents advances made in the synthesis of carbon- and iron-based
      nanomaterials, graphene-carbon nanotubes-iron oxides, which can remove pollutants
      and inactivate virus and bacteria efficiently in water. The three-dimensional
      graphene and graphene oxide based nanostructures exhibit large surface area and
      sorption sites that provide higher adsorption capacity to remove pollutants than
      two-dimensional graphene-based adsorbents and other conventional adsorbents.
      Examples are presented to demonstrate removal of metals (e.g., Cu, Pb, Cr(VI),
      and As) and organics (e.g., dyes and oil) by grapheme-based nanostructures.
      Inactivation of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial species (e.g.,
      Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) is also shown. A mechanism involving
      the interaction of adsorbents and pollutants is briefly discussed. Magnetic
      graphene-based nanomaterials can easily be separated from the treated water using
      an external magnet; however, there are challenges in implementing the graphene
      based nanotechnology in treating real water. 

PMID- 26498501
TI  - Interfacial behavior of asphaltenes.
AB  - We review the existing literature on asphaltenes at various types of interfaces:
      oil-water, air-water, gas-oil and solid-liquid, with more emphasis on the oil
      water interfaces. We address the role of asphaltene aggregation, recently
      clarified for asphaltenes in bulk by the Yen-Mullins model. We discuss the
      questions of adsorption reversibility and interfacial rheology, especially in
      connection with emulsion stability. 

PMID- 26498499
TI  - Carbon Nanotubes Act as Contaminant Carriers and Translocate within Plants.
AB  - Nanotechnology permits broad advances in agriculture. However, as it is still at
      a relatively early stage of development, the potential risks remain unclear.
      Herein, for the first time, we reveal the following: 1) the impact of multi
      walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the accumulation/depuration behaviors of
      contaminants in crop, mustard (Brassica juncea), and 2) the permeability and
      transportability of MWCNTs in intact mature mustard plants. Using an in vivo
      sampling technique, the kinetic accumulation/depuration processes of several
      contaminants in mustard plans exposed to MWCNTs were traced, and an enhancement
      of contaminant accumulation in living plants was observed. Meanwhile, we observed
      that the MWCNTs permeated into the roots of intact living plants (three months
      old) and were then transported to the upper organs under the force of
      transpiration steam. This study demonstrated that MWCNTs can act as contaminant
      carriers and be transported to the edible parts of crops. 

PMID- 26498502
TI  - Studies of the symptom dyspnoea: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To deal with patients suffering from dyspnoea, it is crucial for
      general practitioners to know the prevalences of different diseases causing
      dyspnoea in the respective area and season, the likelihood of avoidable life
      threatening conditions and of worsening or recovery from disease. AIM: Aim of our
      project was to conduct a systematic review of symptom-evaluating studies on the
      prevalence, aetiology, and prognosis of dyspnoea as presented to GPs in a primary
      care setting. METHODS: We did a systematic review of symptom-evaluating studies
      on dyspnoea in primary care. For this we included all studies investigating the
      complaint "dyspnoea" as a primary or secondary consulting reason in general
      practice. Apart from qualitative studies, all kind of study designs independent
      from type of data assessment, outcome measurement or study quality were included.
      Symptom-evaluating studies from other settings than primary care and studies
      which exclusively included children (age <18 years) were excluded from the
      review. Studies selecting patients prior to recruitment, e.g. because of an
      increased probability for a particular diagnosis, were also excluded. RESULTS:
      This systematic review identified 6 symptom evaluating studies on dyspnoea in the
      primary care setting. The prevalence of dyspnoea as reason for consultation
      ranges from 0.87 to 2.59 % in general practice. Among all dyspnoea patients 2.7 %
      (CI 2.2-3.3) suffer from pneumonia. Further specification of underlying
      aetiologies seems difficult due to the studies' heterogeneity showing a great
      variety of probabilities. CONCLUSION: There is a great lack of empirical evidence
      on the prevalence, aetiology and prognosis of dyspnoea in general practice. This
      might yield uncertainty in diagnosis and evaluation of dyspnoea in primary care.

PMID- 26498503
TI  - Thoracic Radiotherapy for Extensive Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta
      Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) has been evaluated as a means of
      improving overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with
      extensive stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). METHODS: A systematic review of
      Medline and Embase (inception to January 2015) was undertaken to identify studies
      of extensive stage SCLC patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy and
      randomized to receive TRT versus no TRT. Studies were screened by title (n =
      2343) and then abstract (n = 72), with subsequent full-text review (n = 16).
      Effect estimates (hazard ratios [HR] and confidence intervals) were abstracted,
      with a random-effects model created to estimate treatment effects. Cochrane's Q
      and I(2) statistics were used to assess study heterogeneity. RESULTS: Two
      randomized studies were identified, including a total of 604 patients (302 TRT;
      302 non-TRT). All patients received prophylactic cranial irradiation. The
      weighted median age was 62 years, and 56% were male. TRT was delivered as 30
      Gy/10 fractions (n = 247) or 54 Gy twice daily/36 fractions (n = 55). Overall,
      the delivery of TRT was associated with improved overall survival (HR, 0.81; 95%
      confidence interval, 0.69-0.96; P = .014) and progression-free survival (HR,
      0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.64-0.87, P < .001). For both end points, the
      studies were not found to be heterogeneous (P = .439 and P = .638 respectively,
      I(2) = 0). Bronchopulmonary toxicity (grade 3 or higher) was similar in both
      groups (<= 2%). Esophageal toxicity (grade 3 or higher) was 6.6% in the TRT arm
      and 0% in the non-TRT arm (P < .001). CONCLUSION: This systematic review with
      meta-analysis of 2 randomized trials indicates that TRT improves overall survival
      and progression-free survival in patients with extensive stage SCLC, with a small
      incremental risk of esophageal toxicity.

PMID- 26498505
TI  - Capture of reactive monophosphine-ligated palladium(0) intermediates by mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - A long-sought-after reactive monophosphine-ligated palladium(0) intermediate,
      Pd(0)L (L = phosphine ligand), was detected for the first time from the
      activation of the Buchwald precatalyst with base. The detection was enabled using
      desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) in combination
      with online reaction monitoring. The subsequent oxidative addition of Pd(0)L with
      aryl halide and C-N coupling with amine via reductive elimination was also probed
      using DESI-MS. 

PMID- 26498504
TI  - Disease Control Rate at 8 Weeks Predicts Subsequent Survival in Platinum-Treated
      Extensive Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Results From the Southwest Oncology Group
      (SWOG) Database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Overall response rate is frequently used as an end point in phase 2
      trials of platinum-treated extensive stage (ES) small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). We
      hypothesized that disease control rate (DCR) would be a superior surrogate for
      subsequent survival outcomes. METHODS: Updated patient-level data from Southwest
      Oncology Group (SWOG) trials in second- and/or third-line ES-SCLC patients were
      pooled. Landmark analysis was performed among patients alive at 8 weeks for
      overall survival (OS) measured from the 8-week landmark. Association of clinical
      prognostic factors with DCR was assessed using logistic regression. A Cox
      proportional hazard model was used to assess the associations between DCR at the
      landmark time and subsequent OS, adjusted for prognostic factors. RESULTS: Of the
      319 ES-SCLC patients, 263 were alive at the 8-week landmark and constituted the
      pooled study population. Only 8 patients had a response. Disease control at 8
      weeks was seen in 98 patients. Bivariate analysis of OS from the 8-week landmark
      revealed that DCR (hazard ratio [HR], 0.47; P < .0001) and elevated lactate
      dehydrogenase (HR, 1.70; P = .0004) were significantly associated with OS. In
      multivariable analysis, DCR remained an independent predictor of subsequent
      survival from the 8-week landmark (HR, 0.50; P < .0001). CONCLUSION: In this
      large second- and third-line ES-SCLC database, DCR at 8 weeks was found to be a
      significant predictor of subsequent survival in patients receiving
      investigational therapy. These results have critical implications in the
      selection of surrogate end points in future prospective ES-SCLC trials.

PMID- 26498506
TI  - Dopamine-dependent CB1 receptor dysfunction at corticostriatal synapses in
      homozygous PINK1 knockout mice.
AB  - Recessive mutations in the PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) gene cause
      early-onset Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigated the interaction between
      endocannabinoid (eCB) and dopaminergic transmission at corticostriatal synapses
      in PINK1 deficient mice. Whole-cell patch-clamp and conventional recordings of
      striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) were made from slices of PINK1(-/-),
      heterozygous PINK1(+/-) mice and wild-type littermates (PINK1(+/+)). In
      PINK1(+/+) mice, CB1 receptor (CB1R) activation reduced spontaneous excitatory
      postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs). Likewise, CB1R agonists (ACEA, WIN55,212-3 and
      HU210) induced a dose-dependent reduction of cortically-evoked excitatory
      postsynaptic potential (eEPSP) amplitude. While CB1R agonists retained their
      inhibitory effect in heterozygous PINK1(+/-) mice, conversely, in PINK1(-/-) mice
      they failed to modulate sEPSC amplitude. Similarly, CB1R activation failed to
      reduce eEPSP amplitude in PINK1(-/-) mice. Parallel biochemical measurements
      revealed no significant difference in the levels of the two main eCBs, 2
      arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide (AEA) in PINK1(-/-) striata.
      Similarly, no change was observed in the enzymatic activity of both fatty acid
      amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), responsible for eCB
      hydrolysis. Instead, a significant reduction of binding ability of CB1R agonists
      was found in PINK1(-/-) mice. Notably, the CB1R-dependent inhibition of synaptic
      activity was restored either by amphetamine or after chronic treatment with the
      D2 dopamine receptor agonist quinpirole. Additionally, CB1R binding activity
      returned to control levels after chronic pretreatment with quinpirole. Consistent
      with the hypothesis of a close interplay with dopaminergic neurotransmission, our
      findings show a CB1R dysfunction at corticostriatal synapses in PINK1(-/-), but
      not in PINK1(+/-) mice, and provide a mechanistic link to the distinct plasticity
      deficits observed in both genotypes. 

PMID- 26498507
TI  - Genome-wide association study on reproductive traits in Jinghai Yellow Chicken.
AB  - To identify molecular markers and candidate genes associated with reproductive
      traits, a genome-wide analysis was performed in Jinghai Yellow Chickens to
      analyze body weight at first oviposition (BWF), age at first oviposition (AFE),
      weight of the egg at first oviposition (FEW), egg weight at the age of 300 days
      (EW300), number of eggs produced by 300 days of age (EN300), egg hatchability
      (HA) and multiple selection index for egg production (MSI). The results showed
      that seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with
      reproductive traits (P<1.80E-6, Bonferroni correction). The P-values of the seven
      SNPs were 5.62E-10, 3.45E-08, 9.76E-07, 8.90E-07, 1.12E-06, 1.42E-07 and 1.48E
      07, respectively. These SNPs were located in close proximity to or within the
      sequence of the five candidate genes, including FAM184B, TTL, RGS1, FBLN5 and
      PCNX. An additional 46 SNPs that could be associated with reproductive traits
      were identified (P<3.59E-5, Bonferroni correction). Identification of the
      candidate genes as well as genome-wide SNPs that may be associated with
      reproductive traits will greatly advance the understanding of the genetic basis
      and molecular mechanisms underlying reproductive traits and may have practical
      significance in breeding programs for the improvements of reproductive traits in
      the Jinghai Yellow Chicken. 

PMID- 26498508
TI  - Are Antibiotics Effective in the Treatment of Acute Maxillary Sinusitis?

PMID- 26498509
TI  - Enhanced stability of Zn2SnO4 with N719, N3 and eosin Y dye molecules for DSSC
      application.
AB  - In view of the increased prospects of Zn2SnO4 as an alternative photoanode for
      dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), we synthesized phase pure Zn2SnO4
      nanostructures by a cost effective sonochemical technique. In order to establish
      the stability of this alternative photoanode in DSSCs, we further explored the
      interaction of the synthesized Zn2SnO4 with commonly used photosensitizers in
      DSSCs, such as N3, N719 and eosin Y. Based on the time dependent optical studies
      we could establish the prominence of anchoring groups in controlling the dye
      loading. Optical studies confirmed an enhanced stable interaction of Zn2SnO4 with
      all the studied sensitizers which could be beneficial in designing DSSC devices
      in future. In addition, we also established contact angle measurement as an
      indirect tool to understand the surface characteristics and thereby optimize the
      dye loading and stability of the photoanode surface. With the help of contact
      angle data, we could unequivocally establish the stability of the Zn2SnO4
      photoanode surface modified with N3 and N719 dye molecules. Our studies further
      suggest the enhanced and superior stability of the prepared Zn2SnO4 compared to
      ZnO in different chemical environments. The quenching of the fluorescence and the
      abrupt decrease in the contact angle owing to an increase in the surface
      roughness further strengthen the above conclusion. To our best knowledge, this
      probably is the first report on the synthesis of Zn2SnO4 by a sonochemical
      process and its interaction with various photosensitizers. An exceptionally high
      open circuit voltage of >0.8 V was observed for all the devices fabricated with
      the synthesized ZTO as a photoanode. Our studies could pave way to future
      developments in the area of DSSCs using Zn2SnO4 as a photoanode. 

PMID- 26498510
TI  - Quantitative prediction of genome-wide resource allocation in bacteria.
AB  - Predicting resource allocation between cell processes is the primary step towards
      decoding the evolutionary constraints governing bacterial growth under various
      conditions. Quantitative prediction at genome-scale remains a computational
      challenge as current methods are limited by the tractability of the problem or by
      simplifying hypotheses. Here, we show that the constraint-based modeling method
      Resource Balance Analysis (RBA), calibrated using genome-wide absolute protein
      quantification data, accurately predicts resource allocation in the model
      bacterium Bacillus subtilis for a wide range of growth conditions. The regulation
      of most cellular processes is consistent with the objective of growth rate
      maximization except for a few suboptimal processes which likely integrate more
      complex objectives such as coping with stressful conditions and survival. As a
      proof of principle by using simulations, we illustrated how calibrated RBA could
      aid rational design of strains for maximizing protein production, offering new
      opportunities to investigate design principles in prokaryotes and to exploit them
      for biotechnological applications. 

PMID- 26498511
TI  - Viscoelastic properties, creep behavior and degree of conversion of bulk fill
      composite resins.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the viscoelastic properties
      and creep behavior of bulk fill composites under different conditions and
      evaluate their degree of conversion. METHODS: Seven bulk fill composites were
      examined: everX Posterior (EV), SDR (SD), SonicFill (SF), Tetric EvoCeram Bulk
      Fill (TE), Venus Bulk Fill (VE), x-tra base (XB) and x-tra fil (XF). Each
      material was tested at 21 degrees C, 37 degrees C and 50 degrees C under dry and
      wet conditions by applying a constant torque for static and creep testing and
      dynamic torsional loading for dynamic testing. Degree of conversion (%DC) was
      measured on the top and bottom surfaces of composites with ATR-FTIR spectroscopy.
      Statistical analysis was performed with two-way ANOVA, Bonferroni's post hoc test
      and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Shear modulus G ranged from
      2.17GPa (VE) to 8.03GPa (XF) and flexural modulus E from 6.16GPa (VE) to 23GPa
      (XF) when the materials were tested dry at 21 degrees C. The increase of
      temperature and the presence of water lead to a decline of these properties.
      Flowable materials used as base composites in restorations showed significantly
      lower values (p<0.05) than non-base composites, while being more prone to creep
      deformation. %DC ranged from 47.25% (XF) to 66.67% (SD) at the top material
      surface and 36.06% (XF) to 63.20% (SD) at the bottom. SIGNIFICANCE: Bulk fill
      composites exhibited significant differences between them with base flowable
      materials showing in most cases inferior mechanical properties and higher degree
      of conversion than restorative bulk fill materials.

PMID- 26498513
TI  - Promoter hypermethylation of PTPL1, PTPN6, DAPK, p16 and 5-azacitidine inhibits
      growth in DLBCL.
AB  - Aberrant hypermethylation of CpG islands of tumor suppressor is one of the
      mechanisms for epigenetic loss of gene function. In the present study, the
      methylation status of the promoter regions of protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPN)
      6, DAPK, and p16 were studied using methylation-specific polymerase chain
      reaction (MSP) in 26 diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) lymphomas. In OCI-LY1
      cell line, gene methylation status, expression of PTPL1 and its reactivation by
      DNA demethylation was determined by PCR and on the protein level by western
      blotting. ELISA-like reaction was used to detect global DNA methylation
      measurement. Induction of apoptosis by 5-azacitidine was analyzed by Annexin V/PI
      staining and flow cytometry. Our results show that hypermethylation of the PTPN6
      gene promoter region was found in 15.4% (4/26), the DAPK gene promoter region in
      30.8% (8/26), the p16 gene promoter region in 7.7% (2/26). Notably, we identified
      that PTPL1 was hypermethylated and transcriptionally silenced in OCI-LY1 cell
      line. The expression of PTPL1 was re-inducible by 5-azacytidine. 5-azacytidine
      also inhibits the proliferation and decreases the global methylation level of the
      OCI-LY1 cell line. We can conclude from our study that a higher prevalence of
      methylation of PTPL1, PTPN6, DAPK and p16 occur in DLBCL. Our data also
      highlights 5-azacytidine as a potential therapeutic candidate for DLBCL. Further
      studies are required to substantiate the role of methylation of PTPL1, PTPN6,
      DAPK and p16 as a marker in diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

PMID- 26498514
TI  - Positron emission tomography-computed tomography versus positron emission
      tomography-magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosis of oral squamous cell
      carcinoma: A pilot study.
AB  - Diagnostic imaging of head and neck cancer has made enormous progress during
      recent years. Next to morphological imaging modalities (computed tomography [CT]
      and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]), there are also hybrid imaging systems that
      combine functional and morphological information (positron emission tomography
      [PET]/CT and PET/MRI). The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic
      accuracy of PET/MRI in the diagnosis of head and neck cancer with other imaging
      modalities (MRI, CT, PET/CT). Ten patients (nine male and one female) with
      histologically proven oral squamous cell carcinoma participated in an 18 F-FDG
      PET/CT scan and an additional 18 F-FDG PET/MRI scan prior to surgery. The
      morphological and functional results were compared with the histological results.
      Inclusion criteria were histologically proven oral squamous cell carcinoma and no
      prior surgical intervention, medical therapy, or local external radiation. There
      was no significant correlation between tumor differentiation and maximum standard
      uptake values. Functional imaging showed a slightly better correlation with the
      measurement of the maximal tumor diameter, whereas pure morphological imaging
      showed a better correlation with the measurement of infiltration depth. Only with
      PET/MRI could correct lymph node staging be reached; the other imaging tools
      showed false-negative or false-positive results. In conclusion, we showed in our
      limited patient cohort that PET/MRI is superior to the morphological imaging
      modalities, especially for lymph node staging. 

PMID- 26498512
TI  - Establishing disease causality for a novel gene variant in familial dilated
      cardiomyopathy using a functional in-vitro assay of regulated thin filaments and
      human cardiac myosin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As next generation sequencing for the genetic diagnosis of
      cardiovascular disorders becomes more widely used, establishing causality for
      putative disease causing variants becomes increasingly relevant. Diseases of the
      cardiac sarcomere provide a particular challenge in this regard because of the
      complexity of assaying the effect of genetic variants in human cardiac
      contractile proteins. RESULTS: In this study we identified a novel variant R205Q
      in the cardiac troponin T gene (TNNT2). Carriers of the variant allele exhibited
      increased chamber volumes associated with decreased left ventricular ejection
      fraction. To clarify the causal role of this variant, we generated recombinant
      variant human protein and examined its calcium kinetics as well as the maximally
      activated ADP release of human beta-cardiac myosin with regulated thin filaments
      containing the mutant troponin T. We found that the R205Q mutation significantly
      decreased the calcium sensitivity of the thin filament by altering the effective
      calcium dissociation kinetics. CONCLUSIONS: The development of moderate
      throughput post-genomic assays is an essential step in the realization of the
      potential of next generation sequencing. Although technically challenging,
      biochemical and functional assays of human cardiac contractile proteins of the
      thin filament can be achieved and provide an orthogonal source of information to
      inform the question of causality for individual variants.

PMID- 26498515
TI  - Consensus or controversy? The classification and treatment decision-making by 491
      maxillofacial surgeons from around the world in three cases of a unilateral
      mandibular condyle fracture.
AB  - PURPOSE: Many studies are available in the literature on both classification and
      treatment of unilateral mandibular condyle fractures. To date however,
      controversy regarding the best treatment for unilateral mandibular condyle
      fractures remains. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study, an attempt was made to
      quantify the level of agreement between a sample of maxillofacial surgeons
      worldwide, on the classification and treatment decisions in three different
      unilateral mandibular condyle fracture cases. RESULTS: In total, 491 of 3044
      participants responded. In all three mandibular condyle fracture cases, a fairly
      high level of disagreement was found. Only in the case of a subcondylar fracture,
      assuming dysocclusion was present, more than 81% of surgeons agreed that the best
      treatment would be open reduction and internal fixation. CONCLUSIONS: Based on
      the study results, there is considerable variation among surgeons worldwide with
      regard to treatment of unilateral mandibular condyle fracture. 3D imaging in
      higher fractures tends to lead to more invasive treatment decisions.

PMID- 26498516
TI  - Fuzzy zoning for feature matching technique in 3D reconstruction of nasal
      endoscopic images.
AB  - 3D reconstruction from nasal endoscopic images greatly supports an
      otolaryngologist in examining nasal passages, mucosa, polyps, sinuses, and
      nasopharyx. In general, structure from motion is a popular technique. It consists
      of four main steps; (1) camera calibration, (2) feature extraction, (3) feature
      matching, and (4) 3D reconstruction. Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT)
      algorithm is normally used for both feature extraction and feature matching.
      However, SIFT algorithm relatively consumes computational time particularly in
      the feature matching process because each feature in an image of interest is
      compared with all features in the subsequent image in order to find the best
      matched pair. A fuzzy zoning approach is developed for confining feature matching
      area. Matching between two corresponding features from different images can be
      efficiently performed. With this approach, it can greatly reduce the matching
      time. The proposed technique is tested with endoscopic images created from
      phantoms and compared with the original SIFT technique in terms of the matching
      time and average errors of the reconstructed models. Finally, original SIFT and
      the proposed fuzzy-based technique are applied to 3D model reconstruction of real
      nasal cavity based on images taken from a rigid nasal endoscope. The results
      showed that the fuzzy-based approach was significantly faster than traditional
      SIFT technique and provided similar quality of the 3D models. It could be used
      for creating a nasal cavity taken by a rigid nasal endoscope. 

PMID- 26498517
TI  - Three dimensional imaging of gold-nanoparticles tagged samples using phase
      retrieval with two focus planes.
AB  - Optical sectioning microscopy can provide highly detailed three dimensional (3D)
      images of biological samples. However, it requires acquisition of many images per
      volume, and is therefore time consuming, and may not be suitable for live cell 3D
      imaging. We propose the use of the modified Gerchberg-Saxton phase retrieval
      algorithm to enable full 3D imaging of gold-particle tagged samples using only
      two images. The reconstructed field is free space propagated to all other focus
      planes using post processing, and the 2D z-stack is merged to create a 3D image
      of the sample with high fidelity. Because we propose to apply the phase
      retrieving on nano particles, the regular ambiguities typical to the Gerchberg
      Saxton algorithm, are eliminated. The proposed concept is presented and validated
      both on simulated data as well as experimentally. 

PMID- 26498518
TI  - Intrathecal Versus Oral Baclofen: A Matched Cohort Study of Spasticity, Pain,
      Sleep, Fatigue, and Quality of Life.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Baclofen commonly is used to manage spasticity caused by central
      nervous system lesions or dysfunction. Although both intrathecal and oral
      delivery routes are possible, no study has directly compared clinical outcomes
      associated with these 2 routes of treatment. OBJECTIVE: To compare spasticity
      levels, pain, sleep, fatigue, and quality of life between individuals receiving
      treatment with intrathecal versus oral baclofen. DESIGN: Cross-sectional matched
      cohort survey study. SETTING: Urban academic rehabilitation outpatient clinics.
      PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients with spasticity, treated with intrathecal or oral
      baclofen for at least 1 year, matched 1:1 for age, gender, and diagnosis.
      METHODS: Standardized surveys were administered during clinic appointments or by
      telephone. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Surveys included the Penn Spasm Frequency
      Scale, Brief Pain Inventory, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale,
      Life Satisfaction Questionnaire, and Diener Satisfaction with Life Scale.
      RESULTS: A total of 62 matched subjects were enrolled. The mean (standard
      deviation [SD]) age was 46 (11) years with a mean duration of intrathecal
      baclofen or oral baclofen treatment of 11 (6) and 13 (11) years, respectively.
      There were 40 (64%) male and 22 (36%) female subjects. Primary diagnoses included
      spinal cord injury (n = 38), cerebral palsy (n = 10), stroke (n = 10), and
      multiple sclerosis (n = 4). The mean (SD) dose of intrathecal and oral baclofen
      at the time of survey were 577 (1429) MUg/day and 86 (50) mg/day, respectively.
      Patients receiving intrathecal compared with oral baclofen experienced
      significantly fewer (1.44 [0.92] versus 2.37 [1.12]) and less severe (1.44 [0.92]
      versus 2.16 [0.83]) spasms, respectively as measured by the Penn Spasm Frequency
      Scale (P < .01; P < .01). There were no significant differences in pain, sleep,
      fatigue, and quality of life between groups. Subanalysis of patients with SCI
      mirrored results of the entire study sample, with significant decreases in spasm
      frequency and severity associated with intrathecal compared to oral baclofen (P <
      .01; P < .01), but no other between group differences. The mean (SD) percent
      change in dose of oral (21% [33%]) compared with intrathecal (3% [28%]) baclofen
      was significantly larger two years prior to the date of survey (P = .02).
      CONCLUSIONS: Long-term treatment with intrathecal compared with oral baclofen is
      associated with reduced spasm frequency and severity as well as greater dose
      stability. These benefits must be weighed against the risks of internal pump and
      catheter placement in patients considering intrathecal baclofen therapy.

PMID- 26498520
TI  - Tri-iodothyronine preconditioning protects against liver ischemia reperfusion
      injury through the regulation of autophagy by the MEK/ERK/mTORC1 axis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The autophagy pathway has previously been suggested as
      an important protective factor in liver injury. The purpose of this study is to
      demonstrate the protective, autophagy-modulating effect of tri-iodothyronine (T3)
      on liver ischemia reperfusion injury. METHODS: Liver ischemia reperfusion was
      induced in male C57BL/6 mice after T3 administration. Liver function,
      histological damage, inflammatory infiltration, cytokine production, oxidative
      stress, antioxidant capacity, autophagy changing, and autophagy-associated
      intracellular signaling pathway were assessed to evaluate the impact of
      antecedent T3 treatment on ischemia reperfusion induced liver injury. RESULTS:
      After 70% liver ischemia reperfusion injury, mice that were preconditioned with
      appropriate T3 displayed significantly preserved liver function, less
      histological damage, less apoptosis, and enhanced antioxidant capacity. Further
      studies revealed that mice which were preconditioned with T3 before IR induction
      exhibited an increased level of autophagy mediated by MEK/ERK/mTORC1.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide the first line of evidence indicating that
      antecedent T3 injection can provide protection for the liver against ischemia
      reperfusion induced injury by enhancing autophagy. Therefore, T3 preconditioning
      could be a potential therapeutic approach to prevent liver IR injury related to
      various clinical conditions.

PMID- 26498519
TI  - RLIP76 regulates Arf6-dependent cell spreading and migration by linking ARNO with
      activated R-Ras at recycling endosomes.
AB  - R-Ras small GTPase enhances cell spreading and motility via RalBP1/RLIP76, an R
      Ras effector that links GTP-R-Ras to activation of Arf6 and Rac1 GTPases. Here,
      we report that RLIP76 performs these functions by binding cytohesin-2/ARNO, an
      Arf GTPase guanine exchange factor, and connecting it to R-Ras at recycling
      endosomes. RLIP76 formed a complex with R-Ras and ARNO by binding ARNO via its N
      terminus (residues 1-180) and R-Ras via residues 180-192. This complex was
      present in Rab11-positive recycling endosomes and the presence of ARNO in
      recycling endosomes required RLIP76, and was not supported by RLIP76(Delta1-180)
      or RLIP76(Delta180-192). Spreading and migration required RLIP76(1-180), and
      RLIP76(Delta1-180) blocked ARNO recruitment to recycling endosomes, and
      spreading. Arf6 activation with an ArfGAP inhibitor overcame the spreading
      defects in RLIP76-depleted cells or cells expressing RLIP76(Delta1-180).
      Similarly, RLIP76(Delta1-180) or RLIP76(Delta180-192) suppressed Arf6 activation.
      Together these results demonstrate that RLIP76 acts as a scaffold at recycling
      endosomes by binding activated R-Ras, recruiting ARNO to activate Arf6, thereby
      contributing to cell spreading and migration. 

PMID- 26498521
TI  - Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK) 4 from rapeseed (Brassica
      napus L.) is a novel member inducing ROS accumulation and cell death.
AB  - MAPKKK is the largest family of MAPK cascade, which is known to play important
      roles in plant growth, development and immune responses. So far, only a few have
      been functionally characterized even in the model plant, Arabidopsis due to the
      potential functional redundancy of MAPKKK. We previously identified and cloned a
      few MAPKKK family genes from rapeseed. In this study, BnaMAPKKK4 was
      characterized as a member in eliciting accumulation of reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) and hypersensitive response (HR)-like cell death. This is accompanied with
      accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA), anthocyanin as well as nuclear DNA
      fragmentation. The transcript abundance of a series of ROS accumulation, cell
      death, and defense response related genes were up-regulated by the expression of
      MAPKKK4. Further investigation identified BnaMAPKKK4 elicited ROS through the
      downstream MPK3. These results indicate that BnaMAPKKK4 and its downstream
      components function in the ROS-induced cell death. 

PMID- 26498522
TI  - Oxidized low-density lipoprotein attenuated desmoglein 1 and desmocollin 2
      expression via LOX-1/Ca(2+)/PKC-beta signal in human umbilical vein endothelial
      cells.
AB  - Numerous studies have reported the presence of oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) and
      expression of its lectin-like receptor, LOX-1, have been shown in atherosclerotic
      regions. The present study aims to investigate the effects of ox-LDL on
      expression of desmoglein 1 (DSG1) and desmocollin 2 (DSC2) in endothelial cells,
      and to explore the role of LOX-1 mediated signal in the permeability injury
      associated with DSG1 and DSC2 disruption induced by oxidized lipoprotein. RT-PCR
      and Western blotting were applied to determine the mRNA and protein expression
      levels of DSG1 and DSC2 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs)
      respectively. Immunoreactivities of DSG1 and DSC2 were detected by laser scanning
      confocal microscope (LSCM). HUVEC monolayers permeability was evaluated by FITC
      labeled LDL in transwell assay system. The possible signal was assessed using in
      vitro blocking LOX-1 or Ca(2+) channel or PKC. The DSG1 and DSC2 expression were
      decreased by ox-LDL in concentration- and time-dependent manner. The effects of
      ox-LDL were mediated by its endothelial receptor, LOX-1. In parallel experiments,
      ox-LDL increased the influx of extracellular calcium, activation of protein
      kinase C (PKC) and permeability to LDL, which was inhibited by the LOX-1blocking
      antibody (10 MUg/ml), Ca(2+) channel blocker (Diltiazem, 50 MUmol/L) and PKC-beta
      inhibitor (hispidin, 4 MUmol/L). These results suggested that ox-LDL-induced
      decrease in DSG1 and DSC2 expression and monolayer barrier injury via calcium
      uptake and PKC-beta activation following up-regulation of LOX-1 is one of the
      mechanisms of inducing greater permeability in HUVECs. 

PMID- 26498523
TI  - beta-Amyrin induces angiogenesis in vascular endothelial cells through the
      Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase signaling pathway.
AB  - beta-Amyrin is a pentacyclic triterpene found in various plants and has a variety
      of biological and pharmacological activities. However, the angiogenic effects of
      beta-amyrin in vascular endothelial cells have not been elucidated. Herein, we
      investigated the effects of beta-amyrin on angiogenesis and evaluated the
      underlying molecular mechanisms. beta-Amyrin treatment had no cytotoxic effect on
      cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). It promoted the
      formation of tube-like structures and enhanced HUVEC migration and the
      phosphorylation of Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in HUVECs.
      Pre-treatment with a PI3 kinase or NOS inhibitor blocked beta-amyrin-induced
      phosphorylation of Akt and eNOS. beta-Amyrin treatment significantly induced
      nitric oxide (NO) production in HUVECs. Furthermore, pre-treatment with a PI3
      kinase or NOS inhibitor significantly inhibited beta-amyrin-induced tube-like
      structures formation of vascular endothelial cells and HUVEC migration. These
      data indicate that beta-amyrin-induced angiogenesis in vascular endothelial cells
      may be mediated by Akt-eNOS signaling-dependent mechanisms. These findings
      suggest that beta-amyrin could be a novel therapeutic agent for ischemic vascular
      diseases. 

PMID- 26498524
TI  - MiR-564 functions as a tumor suppressor in human lung cancer by targeting ZIC3.
AB  - Although miR-564 was reported to be dysregulated in human malignancy, the
      function and mechanism of miR-564 in tumorigenesis remains unknown. In the
      present study, we found that miR-564 frequently downregulated in lung cancer
      cells and significantly inhibited cell proliferation, cell cycle progression,
      motility, and the tumorigenicity of lung cancer cells. Moreover, we identified
      zic family member 3 (ZIC3) as a direct target of miR-564. ZIC3 overexpression
      impaired the suppressive effects of miR-564 on the capacity of lung cancer cells
      for proliferation and motility. Finally, we detected the expression level of miR
      564 and ZIC3 protein in tissue specimens, and found a significant negative
      correlation between them. Patients with low levels of miR-564 showed a poorer
      overall survival. Taken together, our present study revealed the tumor suppressor
      role of miR-564, indicating restoration of miR-564 as a potential therapeutic
      strategy for the treatment of lung cancer. 

PMID- 26498525
TI  - Sphere formation of adipose stem cell engineered by poly-2-hydroxyethyl
      methacrylate induces in vitro angiogenesis through fibroblast growth factor 2.
AB  - A number of researchers have been reporting a wide range of in vitro and in vivo
      studies of cell engraftment to enhance angiogenesis using stem cells. Despite
      these efforts, studies involving three-dimensional (3D) culture method that
      mimics in vivo environment have not reached its peak yet. In this study, we
      investigated the change and effects on cellular angiogenic growth factors through
      sphere formation of adipose stem cell (ASC) which is engineered by poly-2
      hydroxyethyl methacrylate (Poly-HEMA). First of all, we successfully induced
      sphere formation of ASC (sph-ASC) on Poly-HEMA coated plates. sph-ASC represented
      significantly higher expression levels of anti-apoptotic and hypoxic factors
      compared to monolayer adherent ASC (adh-ASC). Interestingly, sph-ASC showed
      higher mRNA levels of the following genes; CD31, CD144, vWF, IGF-2, MCP-1, PDGF
      A, VEGF-A, VEGF-C, and FGF-2. In addition, mRNA expressions of angiogenic growth
      factor receptors such as Flk1, FGFR1, FGFR2, and Tie2 were elevated in sph-ASC.
      In protein level, Cytokine/Chemokines antibody array revealed a significant
      increase of FGF-2 in sph-ASC (3.17-fold) compared to adh-ASC. To investigate the
      effects of FGF-2 on sph-ASC, Matrigel angiogenic invasion assay showed
      significant reduced level of FGF-2 in FGF-2 siRNA transfected sph-ASC (2.27-fold)
      compared to negative control siRNA transfected sph-ASC. These findings suggest
      that Poly-HEMA coated plates induce sphere formation of ASC which has
      significantly higher expression of FGF-2, and plays a critical role as a major
      regulating growth factor of in vitro angiogenesis. 

PMID- 26498526
TI  - The bisphosphonate zoledronic acid effectively targets lung cancer cells by
      inhibition of protein prenylation.
AB  - Aberrant activation of oncoproteins such as members of the Ras family is common
      in human lung cancers. The proper function of Ras largely depends on a post
      translational modification termed prenylation. Bisphosphonates have been shown to
      inhibit prenylation in cancer cells. In this study, we show that zoledronic acid,
      a third generation bisphosphonate, is effective in targeting lung cancer cells.
      This is achieved by the induction of apoptosis and inhibition of proliferation,
      through suppressing the activation of downstream Ras and EGFR signalling by
      zoledronic acid. The combination of zoledronic acid and paclitaxel or cisplatin
      (commonly used chemotherapeutic drugs for lung cancer) augmented the activity of
      either drug alone in in vitro lung cancer cellular system and in vivo lung
      xenograft mouse model. Importantly, zoledronic acid inhibits protein prenylation
      as shown by the increased levels of unprenylated Ras and Rap1A. In addition, the
      effects of zoledronic acid were reversed in the presence of geranylgeraniol and
      farnesol, further confirming that mechanism of zoledroinc acid's action in lung
      cancer cells is through prenylation inhibition. Since zoledronic acid is already
      available for clinic use, these results suggest that it may be an effective
      addition to the armamentarium of drugs for the treatment of lung cancer. 

PMID- 26498527
TI  - Dunnione ameliorates cisplatin-induced small intestinal damage by modulating
      NAD(+) metabolism.
AB  - Although cisplatin is a widely used anticancer drug for the treatment of a
      variety of tumors, its use is critically limited because of adverse effects such
      as ototoxicity, nephrotoxicity, neuropathy, and gastrointestinal damage.
      Cisplatin treatment increases oxidative stress biomarkers in the small intestine,
      which may induce apoptosis of epithelial cells and thereby elicit damage to the
      small intestine. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) is a cofactor for
      various enzymes associated with cellular homeostasis. In the present study, we
      demonstrated that the hyper-activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1)
      is closely associated with the depletion of NAD(+) in the small intestine after
      cisplatin treatment, which results in downregulation of sirtuin1 (SIRT1)
      activity. Furthermore, a decrease in SIRT1 activity was found to play an
      important role in cisplatin-mediated small intestinal damage through nuclear
      factor (NF)-kappaB p65 activation, facilitated by its acetylation increase.
      However, use of dunnione as a strong substrate for the NADH:quinone
      oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) enzyme led to an increase in intracellular NAD(+) levels
      and prevented the cisplatin-induced small intestinal damage correlating with the
      modulation of PARP-1, SIRT1, and NF-kappaB. These results suggest that direct
      modulation of cellular NAD(+) levels by pharmacological NQO1 substrates could be
      a promising therapeutic approach for protecting against cisplatin-induced small
      intestinal damage. 

PMID- 26498528
TI  - Expression pattern and function of tyrosine receptor kinase B isoforms in rat
      mesenteric arterial smooth muscle cells.
AB  - Tyrosine receptor kinaseB (TrkB) is a high affinity receptor for brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF). TrkB isoforms involve full length TrkB (TrkB FL) and
      truncated TrkB type1 (TrkB T1) and type 2 (TrkB T2) in rats. The aim of present
      study was to explore their expression pattern and function in mesenteric arterial
      smooth muscle cells (MASMCs). The expression of TrkB isoform protein and mRNA was
      examined by Western blotting, immunofluorescence and quantitative RT-PCR
      analyses. Cell proliferation was measured by a bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)
      incorporation assay. Cell migration was measured by a Boyden chamber assay. Cell
      morphology was observed with a phase-contrast microscope. Protein and mRNA
      expression of BDNF and TrkB isoforms was confirmed in MASMCs. Expression level of
      TrkB FL was less, while that of TrkB T1 was the highest in MASMCs. Although BDNF
      increased phosphorylation of ERK, it had no influence on migration and
      proliferation of MASMCs. TrkB T1 gene knockdown by a RNA interference induced
      morphological changes and reduced expression level of alpha-smooth muscle actin
      (alpha-SMA) in MASMCs. Similar morphological changes and reduced alpha-SMA
      expression were induced in MASMCs by a Rho kinase inhibitor, Y-27632. In
      conclusion, we for the first time demonstrate that TrkB T1 expressed highly in
      MASMCs contributes to maintain normal cell morphology possibly via regulation of
      Rho activity. This study firstly defined expression level of TrkB isoforms and
      partly revealed their functions in peripheral vascular cells. 

PMID- 26498529
TI  - MicroRNA, miR-374b, directly targets Myf6 and negatively regulates C2C12
      myoblasts differentiation.
AB  - Myogenesis is a complex process including myoblast proliferation, differentiation
      and myotube formation and is controlled by myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs),
      MyoD, MyoG, Myf5 and Myf6 (also known as MRF4). MicroRNA is a kind of ~22 nt-long
      non-coding small RNAs, and act as key transcriptional or post-transcriptional
      regulators of gene expression. Identification of miRNAs involved in the
      regulation of muscle genes could improve our understanding of myogenesis process.
      In this study, we investigated the regulation of Myf6 gene by miRNAs. We showed
      that miR-374b specifically bound to the 3'untranslated region (UTR) of Myf6 and
      down-regulated the expression of Myf6 gene at both mRNA and protein level.
      Furthermore, miR-374b is ubiquitously expressed in the tissues of adult C57BL6
      mouse, and the mRNA abundance increases first and then decreases during C2C12
      myoblasts differentiation. Over-expression of miR-374b impaired C2C12 cell
      differentiation, while inhibiting miR-374b expression by 2'-O-methyl antisense
      oligonucleotides promoted C2C12 cell differentiation. Taken together, our
      findings identified miR-374b directly targets Myf6 and negatively regulates
      myogenesis. 

PMID- 26498530
TI  - UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase Ugp1 is involved in oxidative stress response and
      long-term survival during stationary phase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - Ugp1, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, plays an important role in carbohydrate
      metabolism because it provides UDP-glucose that is a pivotal metabolite in
      several metabolic pathways in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, we show
      that a considerable reduction of glycogen and trehalose content in ugp1 knockdown
      cells is rescued by complementing the expression of Ugp1, indicating that Ugp1 is
      required for the production of storage carbohydrates. Because of the specific
      function of trehalose as a stress protectant, Ugp1 expression contributed to
      oxidative stress response and long-term cell survival during stationary phase.
      Furthermore, the modulation of Ugp1 level readjusted glycogen and trehalose
      accumulation in the protein kinase A (PKA)-related gene mutants. The PKA
      dependent phenotypes of oxidative stress resistance and long-term cell survival
      were also alleviated via adjustment of Ugp1 level. Collectively, our data suggest
      that the regulation of UPG1 influences several PKA-dependent processes by
      adjusting the levels of various carbohydrates. 

PMID- 26498531
TI  - DEC1 negatively regulates AMPK activity via LKB1.
AB  - Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor DEC1 (bHLHE40/Stra13/Sharp2)
      is one of the clock genes that show a circadian rhythm in various tissues. AMP
      activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity plays important roles in the metabolic
      process and in cell death induced by glucose depletion. Recent reports have shown
      that AMPK activity exhibited a circadian rhythm. However, little is known
      regarding the regulatory mechanisms involved in the circadian rhythm of AMPK
      activity. The aim of this study is to investigate whether there is a direct
      correlation between DEC1 expression and AMPK activity. DEC1 protein and AMPK
      activity showed a circadian rhythm in the mouse liver with different peak levels.
      Knocking down DEC1 expression increased AMPK activity, whereas overexpression of
      DEC1 decreased it. Overexpressing the DEC1 basic mutants had little effect on the
      AMPK activity. DEC1 bound to the E-box of the LKB1 promoter, decreased LKB1
      activity and total protein levels. There was an inverse relationship between DEC1
      expression and AMPK activity. Our results suggest that DEC1 negatively regulates
      AMPK activity via LKB1. 

PMID- 26498532
TI  - Continuous angiotensin-(1-7) infusion improves myocardial calcium transient and
      calcium transient alternans in ischemia-induced cardiac dysfunction rats.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Ang-(1-7) on calcium
      transient (CaT) in cardiomyocytes during the pathogenesis of heart failure.
      Cardiac dysfunction was induced by ligation of left anterior descending coronary
      artery in adult SD rats. Randomly selected rats were ligated and continuously
      infused with Ang-(1-7) [HF + Ang-(1-7) group] or saline (HF + saline group) via
      osmotic minipumps. After 28 days, hemodynamic parameters, the CaT, and the heart
      rate threshold of CaT alternans (CaT-Alt) were measured. Continuous Ang-(1-7)
      treatment could attenuate the impairment of cardiac function following LAD
      ligation. The amplitudes (F/F0) and 50%/90% recovery time of CaT were
      significantly different among HF + saline, HF + Ang-(1-7) and Sham-operated
      group. Compared to the Sham-operated group, the HF + saline group showed
      decreased CaT amplitude, and a prolonged 50%/90% CaT recovery time; Ang-(1-7)
      significantly improved these abnormalities. Compared with Sham-operated group,
      heart rate thresholds of CaT-Alt significantly reduced in HF + saline group, and
      Ang-(1-7) partly restored it. These findings indicate that Ang-(1-7) attenuates
      the CaT disturbance and increases the heart rate threshold of CaT-Alt during the
      pathogenesis of ischemic heart failure. 

PMID- 26498534
TI  - A novel Bunyavirus from the soft tick, Argas vespertilionis, in Japan.
AB  - Soft ticks, Argas vespertilionis, were collected from feces of bats in Japan.
      Cytopathic effect (CPE) was observed after inoculating the homogenates of ticks
      to Vero cells. Sequencing of RNA extracted from the cell supernatant was
      performed by next generation sequencer. The contigs had identity to segments of
      Bunyaviruses, Issyk-Kul virus. The identities of segment L, M and S were only 77,
      76 and 79% to Issyk-Kul virus, respectively. Therefore, we named this novel virus
      Soft tick bunyavirus (STBV). In the phylogenetic tree, segment L of STBV was
      closely related to a cluster consisting of the genus Nairovirus of the family
      Bunyaviridae. 

PMID- 26498533
TI  - Further evaluation of an ELISA kit for detection of antibodies to a nonstructural
      protein of foot-and-mouth disease virus.
AB  - An ELISA kit for detection of antibodies to a nonstructural protein of foot-and
      mouth disease (FMDV) was further evaluated using sequentially collected serum
      samples of experimentally infected animals, because the sensitivity of the kit
      used in a previous study was significantly low in field animals. The kit fully
      detected antibodies in infected animals without vaccination; however, the first
      detections of antibodies by the kit were later than those by the liquid-phase
      blocking ELISA that is used for serological surveillance in the aftermath of
      outbreaks in Japan, for detection of antibodies to structural proteins of FMDV.
      Additionally, although the kit effectively detected antibodies in infected cattle
      with vaccination, there were several infected pigs with vaccination for which the
      kit did not detect antibodies during the experimental period. Taken together, the
      kit may not be suitable for serological surveillance after an FMD outbreak either
      with or without emergency vaccination in FMD-free countries. 

PMID- 26498536
TI  - Electrocardiographic correlates of mechanical dyssynchrony in recipients of
      cardiac resynchronization therapy devices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between electrical and mechanical indices of cardiac
      dyssynchronization in systolic heart failure (HF) remains poorly understood.
      OBJECTIVES: We examined retrospectively this relationship by using the daily
      practice tools in cardiology in recipients of cardiac resynchronization therapy
      (CRT) systems. METHODS: We studied 119 consecutive patients in sinus rhythm and
      QRS >= 120 ms (mean: 160 +/- 17 ms) undergoing CRT device implantation. P wave
      duration, PR, ePR (end of P wave to QRS onset), QT, RR-QT, JT and QRS axis and
      morphology were putative predictors of atrioventricular (diastolic filling time
      [DFT]/RR), interventricular mechanical dyssynchrony (IVMD) and left
      intraventricular mechanical dyssynchrony (left ventricular pre-ejection interval
      [PEI] and other measures) assessed by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE).
      Correlations between TTE and electrocardiographic measurements were examined by
      linear regression. RESULTS: Statistically significant but relatively weak
      correlations were found between heart rate (r=-0.5), JT (r=0.3), QT (r=0.3), RR
      QT intervals (r=0.5) and DFT/RR, though not with PR and QRS intervals. Weak
      correlations were found between: (a) QRS (r=0.3) and QT interval (r=0.3) and (b)
      IVMD > 40 ms; and between (a) ePR (r=-0.2), QRS (r=0.4), QT interval (r=0.3) and
      (b) LVPEI, though not with other indices of intraventricular dyssynchrony.
      CONCLUSIONS: The correlations between electrical and the evaluated mechanical
      indices of cardiac dyssynchrony were generally weak in heart failure candidates
      for CRT. These data may help to explain the discordance between
      electrocardiographic and echocardiographic criteria of ventricular dyssynchrony
      in predicting the effect of CRT.

PMID- 26498535
TI  - Tricuspid valve and percutaneous approach: No longer the forgotten valve!
AB  - Tricuspid valve disease is mainly represented by tricuspid regurgitation (TR),
      which is a predictor of poor outcome. TR is usually secondary, caused by right
      ventricle pressure or volume overload, the leading cause being left-sided heart
      valve diseases. Tricuspid surgery for severe TR is recommended during left valve
      surgery, and consists of either a valve replacement or, most often, a tricuspid
      repair with or without prosthetic annuloplasty. When TR persists or worsens after
      left valvular surgery, redo isolated tricuspid surgery is associated with high
      mortality. In addition, a sizeable proportion of patients present with tricuspid
      surgery deterioration over time, and need a reintervention, which is associated
      with high morbi-mortality rates. In this context, and given the recent major
      breakthrough in the percutaneous treatment of aortic and mitral valve diseases,
      the tricuspid valve appears an appealing challenge, although it raises specific
      issues. The first applications of transcatheter techniques for tricuspid valve
      disease were valve-in-valve and valve-in-ring implantation for degenerated
      bioprosthesis or ring annuloplasty. Some concerns remain regarding prosthesis
      sizing, rapid ventricular pacing and the best approach, but these procedures
      appear to be safe and effective. More recently, bicuspidization using a
      transcatheter approach for the treatment of native tricuspid valve has been
      published, in two patients. Finally, other devices are in preclinical
      development. 

PMID- 26498537
TI  - Circulating microribonucleic acids miR-1, miR-21 and miR-208a in patients with
      symptomatic heart failure: Preliminary results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiomyocytes produce a wide variety of bioactive molecules that
      regulate numerous physiological and pathophysiological processes. Recently, it
      has been recognized that changes in microribonucleic acid (miRNA) expression may
      lead to cardiac dysfunction. AIMS: To assess the expression of circulating miRNAs
      (miR-1, miR-21 and miR-208a) in patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF), and
      to investigate the relationship between expression of these miRNAs and secretion
      of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and galectin-3. METHODS:
      Thirty-five patients in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II/III (age: 68.8
      +/- 13.0 years) and 26 patients in NYHA class IV (age: 72.0 +/- 10.4 years)
      hospitalized in the intensive coronary care unit participated in the study. Serum
      concentrations of miRNAs were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain
      reaction. Basic biochemical assays were carried out, and NT-proBNP and galectin-3
      concentrations were measured in all serum samples. RESULTS: miR-1 was
      downregulated in patients with symptomatic HF and its expression decreased with
      severity of NYHA class (P=0.007). In contrast, overexpression of miR-21 was seen
      in all patients, independent of HF severity. Results suggest no miR-208a leakage
      into the circulation in patients with symptomatic HF. There was an inverse
      relationship between miR-1 expression and NT-proBNP concentration (Spearman's
      rank correlation coefficient [r]=-0.389; P=0.023) in patients in NYHA class
      II/III. Overexpression of miR-21 correlated significantly with galectin-3
      concentration (r=0.422; P=0.032). CONCLUSION: Dysregulation of miR-1 and miR-21
      expression may be essential for the development of HF; miR-1 might become a
      biomarker for predicting HF exacerbation.

PMID- 26498538
TI  - Everything Changes Always in Favor of Our Patients.

PMID- 26498539
TI  - Uterine Arteriovenous Malformation: Hysteroscopic Identification Is Possible.

PMID- 26498540
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding Zupi E, Centini G, Lazzeri L, et al. Hysteroscopic
      Endometrial Resection Versus Laparoscopic Supracervical Hysterectomy for Abnormal
      Uterine Bleeding : Long-Term Follow-up of a Randomized Trial.

PMID- 26498541
TI  - Management of Elbow Trauma: Anatomy and Exposures.
AB  - The elbow is a complex joint from the anatomic and biomechanical point of view. A
      thorough understanding of elbow anatomy greatly aids the surgeon in dealing with
      elbow trauma. The close vicinity of neurovascular structures should always be
      kept in mind when selecting a surgical approach. Any approach to the elbow needs
      to be safe and versatile. Knowledge of the attachment and orientation of elbow
      ligaments reduces the risk of inadvertent intraoperative injury and/or
      postoperative instability. Surgeons dealing with elbow trauma should have a good
      working understanding of elbow anatomy and the available approaches to
      effectively and efficiently conduct the surgical procedure to maximize outcomes
      and minimize complications. 

PMID- 26498542
TI  - Simple Elbow Dislocation.
AB  - Simple elbow dislocation refers to those elbow dislocations that do not involve
      an osseous injury. A complex elbow dislocation refers to an elbow that has
      dislocated with an osseous injury. Most simple elbow dislocations are treated
      nonoperatively. Understanding the importance of the soft tissue injury following
      a simple elbow dislocation is a key to being successful with treatment. 

PMID- 26498543
TI  - Fractures of the Radial Head.
AB  - Radial head fractures are the most common fractures around the elbow. Because
      they are often accompanied by ligamentous injuries, we recommend considering them
      to be osteoligamentous injuries rather than simple fractures, even in undisplaced
      or minimally displaced fractures. Surgeons should always suspect and actively
      exclude concomitant ligament tears. The incidence of these associated injuries
      increases with greater severity of the radial head fracture. However, the
      standard Mason classification system does not adequately address this problem,
      and all attempts to establish a new classification system that provides concise
      treatment algorithms have failed. This article discusses the current treatment
      options and the current controversies in nonsurgical therapy, open reduction and
      internal fixation (ORIF) and radial head replacement. 

PMID- 26498544
TI  - Complex Elbow Instability: Radial Head and Coronoid.
AB  - A standardized and systematic approach for the management of an acute complex
      elbow dislocation involving the radial head and coronoid will maximize clinical
      outcomes. The cornerstones of surgical management include primary restoration of
      the ulnohumeral joint by reduction of the intact joint or coronoid fracture
      fixation, followed by radial head fixation or replacement. The lateral ulnar
      collateral ligament complex is then repaired before assessing elbow stability
      within a functional sagittal arc of motion. 

PMID- 26498545
TI  - Varus Posteromedial Instability.
AB  - Varus posteromedial instability of the elbow is a result of traumatic injury to
      the medial facet of the coronoid and usually the lateral collateral ligament.
      Treatment of these fractures is usually surgical; poor outcomes have been
      described with nonoperative treatment. Surgical management consists of coronoid
      fracture fixation with plates, screws, or sutures and radial collateral ligament
      repair. Outcomes of these injuries are mixed, but most series report fair to good
      objective scores. The purpose of this article is to describe the pathophysiology
      of varus posteromedial instability, discuss the management of this injury, and
      report the outcomes of treatment. 

PMID- 26498546
TI  - Adult Monteggia and Olecranon Fracture Dislocations of the Elbow.
AB  - Monteggia fractures and olecranon fracture dislocations represent complex
      injuries with distinct patterns of bony and soft tissue involvement. Fractures of
      the proximal ulna and olecranon process may lead to disruption of the proximal
      radioulnar joint and/or ulnohumeral joint. The keys to treatment are recognition
      of the pattern of injury and formation of an algorithmic surgical plan to address
      all components of the injury process. Complications are common and may be related
      to the injury spectrum itself and/or inadequate fracture alignment or fixation. 

PMID- 26498547
TI  - Olecranon Fractures.
AB  - Olecranon fractures are common upper extremity injuries, with all but
      nondisplaced fractures treated surgically. There has been a recent shift in the
      surgical management of these fractures from tension band wiring to locking plate
      fixation and intramedullary nailing; however, this comes with increased implant
      cost. Although most patients can expect good outcomes after these various
      techniques, there is little information to guide a surgeon's treatment plan. This
      article reviews the epidemiology, classification, treatment, and outcomes of
      olecranon fractures. 

PMID- 26498548
TI  - Distal Humerus Fractures: Open Reduction Internal Fixation.
AB  - Distal humerus fractures are challenging injuries for the upper extremity
      surgeon. However, recent techniques in open reduction internal fixation have been
      powerful tools in getting positive outcomes. To get such results, the surgeon
      must be aware of how to properly use these techniques in their respective
      practices. The method of fixation depends on the fracture, taking the degree of
      comminution and the restoration of the columns and articular surface into
      account. This article helps surgeons understand the concepts behind open
      reduction internal fixation of the distal humerus and makes them aware of
      pitfalls that may lead to negative results. 

PMID- 26498549
TI  - Total Elbow Arthroplasty for Distal Humerus Fractures.
AB  - Total elbow arthroplasty is a good treatment alternative for selected patients
      with distal humerus fractures. Its attractiveness is related to several factors,
      including the possibility of performing the procedure; leaving the extensor
      mechanism intact; faster, easier rehabilitation compared with internal fixation;
      and overall good outcomes reported in terms of both pain relief and function.
      Implant failure leading to revision surgery does happen, and patients must comply
      with certain limitations to extend the longevity of their implant. Development of
      high-performance implants may allow expanding the indications of elbow
      arthroplasty for fractures. 

PMID- 26498550
TI  - Capitellar and Trochlear Fractures.
AB  - Fractures of the capitellum and trochlea account for a small proportion of elbow
      trauma. Clinicians need to be vigilant in their assessment as they are commonly
      associated with other injuries about the elbow. To optimize outcomes, the goals
      of management include a stable, anatomic reduction and early range of motion.
      Closed reduction of noncomminuted fractures may be successful but requires close
      follow-up. Open reduction and internal fixation is the preferred management of
      displaced capitellum-trochlear fractures. Elbow stiffness is the most commonly
      reported complication in operatively treated fractures. Arthroscopic-assisted
      reduction and internal fixation and arthroplasty are evolving management options.

PMID- 26498551
TI  - Distal Biceps Injuries.
AB  - A review of distal biceps tendon injuries is presented. Notable and recent
      studies on the incidence, presentation, diagnosis, and treatment are outlined.
      The benefits and risks of 1- and 2-incision techniques for repair are discussed,
      and classic studies are reviewed. 

PMID- 26498552
TI  - Distal Triceps Tendon Injuries.
AB  - Acute triceps ruptures are an uncommon entity, occurring mainly in athletes,
      weight lifters (especially those taking anabolic steroids), and following elbow
      trauma. Accurate diagnosis is made clinically, although MRI may aid in
      confirmation and surgical planning. Acute ruptures are classified on an anatomic
      basis based on tear location and the degree of tendon involvement. Most complete
      tears are treated surgically in medically fit patients. Partial-thickness tears
      are managed according to the tear severity, functional demands, and response to
      conservative treatment. We favor an anatomic footprint repair of the triceps to
      provide optimal tendon to bone healing and, ultimately, functional outcome. 

PMID- 26498553
TI  - Arthroscopic Management of Elbow Fractures.
AB  - Several types of elbow fractures are amenable to arthroscopic or arthroscopic
      assisted fracture fixation, including fractures of the coronoid, radial head,
      lateral condyle, and capitellum. Other posttraumatic conditions may be treated
      arthroscopically, such as arthrofibrosis or delayed radial head excision.
      Arthroscopy can be used for assessment of stability or intra-articular fracture
      displacement. The safest portals are the midlateral (soft spot portal), proximal
      anteromedial, and proximal anterolateral. Although circumstances may vary
      according to the injury pattern, a proximal anteromedial portal is usually
      established first. Arthroscopy enables a less invasive surgical exposure that
      facilitates visualization of the fracture fragments in select scenarios. 

PMID- 26498554
TI  - Elbow Trauma in the Athlete.
AB  - In caring for athletes, the physician must be able to accurately diagnose and
      appropriately treat all forms of elbow injuries. Traumatic injuries to the elbow
      are common in the athlete. The late cocking phase of throwing produces tremendous
      valgus stress on the elbow that can lead to medial epicondyle avulsion fractures
      in adolescents or rupture of the medial ulnar collateral ligament in skeletally
      mature overhead throwers, such as baseball pitchers and javelin throwers. Common
      traumatic elbow injuries suffered by athletes, surgical techniques for operative
      repair of these injuries, as well as postoperative rehabilitation protocols and
      the clinical results are presented. 

PMID- 26498555
TI  - Complications of Elbow Trauma.
AB  - The elbow is a highly congruent trochoginglymoid joint allowing motion in both
      flexion-extension and pronosupination across 3 articulations. Therefore,
      treatment of fractures of the elbow can be technically challenging to manage,
      even after initial surgery. The posttraumatic elbow is prone to complications
      such as stiffness associated with heterotopic ossification, instability or
      subluxation (posterolateral rotatory instability and varus posteromedial
      instability patterns), and wound complications. This article discusses the
      pathoanatomy, prevention, and treatment of these complications. 

PMID- 26498557
TI  - Elbow Trauma--It's All in the Details.

PMID- 26498556
TI  - Soft-Tissue Coverage for Elbow Trauma.
AB  - The elbow is particularly prone to trauma, and soft-tissue reconstruction can be
      challenging given the inherent motion, pressure, and lack of local tissue laxity.
      Small wounds and those without exposure of vital structures may be amenable to
      primary repair. Large wounds and those requiring more substantial structural or
      anatomic repair may require local, regional or free flap-based reconstruction. A
      comprehensive review of soft-tissue reconstruction of the elbow is provided to
      offer surgeons alternative options in complicated upper extremity wounds. 

PMID- 26498558
TI  - Towards in vitro DT/DNT testing: Assaying chemical susceptibility in early
      differentiating NT2 cells.
AB  - Human pluripotent embryonal carcinoma (NT2) cells are increasingly considered as
      a suitable model for in vitro toxicity testing, e.g. developmental toxicity and
      neurotoxicity (DT/DNT) studies, as they undergo neuronal differentiation upon
      stimulation with retinoic acid (RA) and permit toxicity testing at different
      stages of maturation. NT2 cells have recently been reported to show specific
      changes in dielectric resistance profiles during differentiation which can be
      observed as early as 24h upon RA-stimulation. These observations suggest altered
      susceptibility to chemicals at an early stage of differentiation. However,
      chemical susceptibility of early differentiating NT cells has not yet been
      studied. To address this question, we have established a cell fitness screening
      assay based on the analysis of intracellular ATP levels and we applied the assay
      in a large-scale drug screening experiment in NT2 stem cells and early
      differentiating NT2 cells. Subsequent analysis of ranked fitness phenotypes
      revealed 19 chemicals with differential toxicity profile in early differentiating
      NT2 cells. To evaluate whether any of the identified drugs have previously been
      associated with DT/DNT, we conducted a literature search on the identified
      molecules and quantified the fraction of chemicals assigned to the FDA (Food and
      Drug Administration) pregnancy risk categories (PRC) N, A, B, C, D, and X in the
      hit list and the small molecule library. While the fractions of the categories N
      and B were decreased (0.81 and 0.35-fold), the classes C, D and X were increased
      (1.35, 1.47 and 3.27-fold) in the hit list compared to the chemical library. From
      these data as well as from the literature review, identifying large fractions of
      chemicals being directly (~42%) and indirectly associated with DT/DNT (~32%), we
      conclude that our method may be beneficial to systematic in vitro-based primary
      screening for developmental toxicants and neurotoxicants and we propose cell
      fitness screening in early differentiating NT2 cells as a strategy for evaluating
      chemical susceptibility at different stages of differentiation to reduce animal
      testing in the context of the 3Rs.

PMID- 26498560
TI  - Decoding the mechanical fingerprints of biomolecules.
AB  - The capacity of biological macromolecules to act as exceedingly sophisticated and
      highly efficient cellular machines - switches, assembly factors, pumps, or motors
      - is realized through their conformational transitions, that is, their folding
      into distinct shapes and selective binding to other molecules. Conformational
      transitions can be induced, monitored, and manipulated by pulling individual
      macromolecules apart with an applied force. Pulling experiments reveal, for a
      given biomolecule, the relationship between applied force and molecular
      extension. Distinct signatures in the force-extension relationship identify a
      given biomolecule and thus serve as the molecule's 'mechanical fingerprints'.
      But, how can these fingerprints be decoded to uncover the energy barriers crossed
      by the molecule in the course of its conformational transition, as well as the
      associated timescales? This review summarizes a powerful class of approaches to
      interpreting single-molecule force spectroscopy measurements - namely,
      analytically tractable approaches. On the fundamental side, analytical theories
      have the power to reveal the unifying principles underneath the bewildering
      diversity of biomolecules and their behaviors. On the practical side, analytical
      expressions that result from these theories are particularly well suited for a
      direct fit to experimental data, yielding the important parameters that govern
      biological processes at the molecular level.

PMID- 26498559
TI  - The role of Eph receptors and Ephrins in the skin.
AB  - Eph receptors and Ephrin ligands are widely expressed in the skin. Various
      studies have been carried out to identify the effects of these molecules on many
      aspects of skin development. Here we summarize the literature that has identified
      roles for Eph receptors and Ephrins in the skin, focusing mainly on the
      epidermis, hair follicles, and cutaneous innervation. This review may help direct
      and focus further investigations into the role of Eph receptors and Ephrins in
      the development, maintenance, and repair processes in cutaneous biology. 

PMID- 26498561
TI  - Effects of thread size in the implant neck area on peri-implant hard and soft
      tissues: an animal study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this animal study was to examine the effects of thread
      size in the implant neck area on peri-implant tissues in terms of BIC and hard-
      and soft-tissue dimensions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six Beagle dogs received
      experimental implants in the mandible 3 month after the removal of premolars and
      first molars (P2, P3, P4, and M1). Two different types of implants were installed
      in each animal: Anyone microthread((r)) as Group 1 and Anyone((r)) as Group 2.
      Resonance frequency test, intraoral radiography, micro-CT, and histomorphometry
      were used to evaluate peri-implant tissue after implantation periods of 4 and 8
      weeks. RESULTS: No remarkable complication was observed during the healing period
      in either group. Resonance frequency testing revealed no significant difference
      between groups. In radiographic evaluation, Group 2 showed more bone loss than
      Group 1. However, this difference was not statistically significant. In the micro
      CT analysis, BIC and BIV values and soft-tissue height were not significant in
      both groups. Histological analysis revealed no significant difference in BIC
      ratio, bone density, or bone loss between groups. However, soft-tissue height was
      significantly greater in Group 2 than in Group 1 (P = 0.0004). CONCLUSION: No
      difference in peri-implant hard or soft tissues was observed according to thread
      size in the implant neck area.

PMID- 26498562
TI  - Opiates in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery: still not convinced.

PMID- 26498563
TI  - Prediction in pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 26498564
TI  - Resected stomach after sleeve gastrectomy.

PMID- 26498565
TI  - Emergency and pre-surgical band deflation in patients with laparoscopic
      adjustable gastric bands: variations in practice.

PMID- 26498566
TI  - Urethral calculus originating from ureterocele and causing urinary retention.

PMID- 26498567
TI  - Re: Use of fine-needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of parotid neoplasms.

PMID- 26498568
TI  - Core-Scaffold-Inspired Asymmetric Synthesis of Polysubstituted Chiral
      Hexahydropyridazines that Potently Inhibit Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation by
      Inducing Apoptosis.
AB  - The highly enantioselective preparation of pharmacologically interesting
      hexahydropyridazine derivatives based on a multicomponent cascade reaction is
      described. This one-pot approach utilizes an organocatalytic Michael reaction
      followed by intermolecular alpha-amination and intramolecular hemiaminalization
      to yield a chiral pyridazine backbone with contiguous stereogenic centers and
      multiple functional groups in good yield and with high stereoselectivity.
      Compounds synthesized by this method potently inhibited proliferation of MCF-7
      breast cancer cells. Mechanistic studies suggest that compound 5 c exerts these
      anticancer effects by inducing apoptosis through extracellular signal related
      kinase (ERK)- and poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase (PARP)-regulated
      pathways, as well as mitochondrial pathways. 

PMID- 26498569
TI  - State-of-the-art of small molecule inhibitors of the TAM family: the point of
      view of the chemist.
AB  - The TAM family of tyrosine kinases receptors (Tyro3, Axl and Mer) is implicated
      in cancer development, autoimmune reactions and viral infection and is therefore
      emerging as an effective and attractive therapeutic target. To date, only a few
      small molecules have been intentionally designed to block the TAM kinases, while
      most of the inhibitors were developed for blocking different protein kinases and
      then identified through selectivity profile studies. This minireview will examine
      in terms of chemical structure the different compounds able to act on either one,
      two or three TAM kinases with details about structure-activity relationships,
      drug-metabolism and pharmacokinetics properties where they exist. 

PMID- 26498570
TI  - Design, synthesis and evaluation of diarylpiperazine derivatives as potent anti
      tubercular agents.
AB  - Molecular hybridization is an emerging approach to design novel ligands by
      combination of two or more pharmacophoric subunits of known bioactive compounds.
      In the present study, we have designed a novel series of diarylpiperazine
      analogues, synthesized, characterized using FTIR, (1)H NMR, Mass, Elemental
      analysis and evaluated their in-vitro anti-tubercular activity. Among the
      reported sixteen diarylpiperazines, eleven analogues exhibited significant anti
      tubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain with MIC
      values below 6.25 MUg/mL and good selectivity index. Structure activity
      relationship studies concluded that, ortho-para directing group (except para
      chloro) substitution on ortho and para position of piperazine attached phenyl
      ring favored anti-tubercular activity.

PMID- 26498572
TI  - Discovery of a new class of antiviral compounds: camphor imine derivatives.
AB  - A new class of compounds featuring a camphor moiety has been discovered that
      exhibits potent inhibitory activity against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and A(H5N1)
      viruses. The synthesized compounds were characterized by spectroscopic analysis;
      in addition the structures of compound 2 and 14 were elucidated by the X-ray
      diffraction technique. Structure-activity relationship studies have been
      conducted to identify the 1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptanes2-ylidene group as
      the key functional group responsible for the observed antiviral activity. The
      most potent antiviral compound is imine 2 with therapeutic index more than 500. 

PMID- 26498571
TI  - Synthesis and pharmacological screening of a large library of 1,3,4
      thiadiazolines as innovative therapeutic tools for the treatment of prostate
      cancer and melanoma.
AB  - Antimitotic agents are widely used in cancer chemotherapy but the numerous side
      effects and the onset of resistance limit their clinical efficacy. Therefore,
      with the purpose of discovering more selective and efficient anticancer agents to
      be administered alone or in combination with traditional drugs, we synthesized a
      large library of 1,3,4-thiadiazoline analogues, maintaining the pharmacophoric
      structure of an antiproliferative compound known as K858: this is a new inhibitor
      of kinesin Eg5, able to induce the mitotic arrest in colorectal cancer cells and
      in xenograft ovarian cancer cells. We screened 103 compounds to assess their
      antiproliferative activity on PC3 prostate cancer cell line. Two derivatives,
      compounds 32 (corresponding to K858) and 33, have shown to be the most effective
      against prostate tumor cells and also towards two melanoma cell lines (SK-MEL-5
      and SK-MEL-28) at low micromolar concentrations, confirming the pharmacological
      activity of this scaffold and revealing the potential role of 1,3,4
      thiadiazolines in the management of cancer. 

PMID- 26498573
TI  - Design and synthesis of 2-oxindole based multi-targeted inhibitors of PDK1/Akt
      signaling pathway for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme.
AB  - Aggressive behavior and diffuse infiltrative growth are the main features of
      Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), together with the high degree of resistance and
      recurrence. Evidence indicate that GBM-derived stem cells (GSCs), endowed with
      unlimited proliferative potential, play a critical role in tumor development and
      maintenance. Among the many signaling pathways involved in maintaining GSC
      stemness, tumorigenic potential, and anti-apoptotic properties, the PDK1/Akt
      pathway is a challenging target to develop new potential agents able to affect
      GBM resistance to chemotherapy. In an effort to find new PDK1/Akt inhibitors, we
      rationally designed and synthesized a small family of 2-oxindole derivatives.
      Among them, compound 3 inhibited PDK1 kinase and downstream effectors such as
      CHK1, GS3Kalpha and GS3Kbeta, which contribute to GCS survival. Compound 3
      appeared to be a good tool for studying the role of the PDK1/Akt pathway in GCS
      self-renewal and tumorigenicity, and might represent the starting point for the
      development of more potent and focused multi-target therapies for GBM. 

PMID- 26498574
TI  - Spitz nevus arising in the eyelid of a teenager.
AB  - A 16-year-old boy developed over a 2-month interval a lightly pigmented left
      upper eyelid lesion measuring 1.5 mm in greatest diameter that, when excised,
      microscopically was hypercellular and composed almost exclusively of nonpigmented
      epithelioid cells that created florid, large intraepidermal junctional nests and
      sheets and nests of subepidermal cells. The diagnosis was a Spitz nevus. HMB-45,
      MART-1, and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor were all positive and
      established the melanocytic nature of the benign tumor. The Ki-67 proliferation
      index (5%) and 2 mitoses/mm(2) were both low; p16 protein was
      immunohistochemically identified in the nevoid cells. We review the clinical,
      histopathologic, and other immunohistochemical features of this entity and
      provide a brief differential diagnosis (including separation from a Spitzoid
      melanoma). This is only the third eyelid Spitz nevus reported in the literature
      and is the most fully characterized immunohistochemically. At their present stage
      of development, contemporary immunohistochemical biomarkers, while providing
      supplemental information, nonetheless remain less than definitive in terms of
      reliably distinguishing benign from malignant Spitz lesions.

PMID- 26498575
TI  - Relationship between ultrasonographic nerve morphology and severity of diabetic
      sensorimotor polyneuropathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In the current study, the aim was to characterize the
      nerve ultrasound cross-sectional areas (CSAs) of type 2 diabetic patients with
      diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSP) of different severities. METHODS: A
      hundred symptomatic DSP patients and 40 age-matched healthy controls were
      prospectively recruited. DSP severity was ascertained through the Toronto
      Clinical Scoring System (TCCS). Nerve electrophysiology and ultrasound were
      performed on both lower limbs and the non-dominant upper limb. RESULTS: The sural
      nerve was inexcitable in 19.1% of mild, 40.0% of moderate and 69.0% of severe DSP
      groups. In contrast, CSAs were measurable in all nerves of DSP patients and were
      significantly larger compared to controls. Patients with severe DSP had
      significantly larger ulnar, peroneal, tibial and sural nerves compared to mild
      DSP patients. By receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the cut-off
      value for the sural nerve at 2 mm(2) was a good discriminator (area under the
      curve 0.88) between the presence and absence of DSP (sensitivity 0.90;
      specificity 0.74) but performed less well in discriminating between the severity
      of DSP (cut-off 2.75 mm(2); area under the curve 0.62; sensitivity 0.59;
      specificity 0.73). Significant correlations were demonstrated between TCSS
      scores, most neurophysiology parameters and CSAs of the ulnar, peroneal, tibial
      and sural nerves. CONCLUSION: Nerve ultrasound in DSP reveals enlarged CSAs and
      these changes worsen with increasing disease severity, thus serving as a useful
      diagnostic tool especially when neurophysiology is unrevealing.

PMID- 26498576
TI  - Women's perceptions of antenatal, delivery, and postpartum services in rural
      Tanzania.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maternal health care provision remains a major challenge in
      developing countries. There is agreement that the provision of quality clinical
      services is essential if high rates of maternal death are to be reduced. However,
      despite efforts to improve access to these services, a high number of women in
      Tanzania do not access them. The aim of this study is to explore women's views
      about the maternal health services (pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum period)
      that they received at health facilities in order to identify gaps in service
      provision that may lead to low-quality maternal care and increased risks
      associated with maternal morbidity and mortality in rural Tanzania. DESIGN: We
      gathered qualitative data from 15 focus group discussions with women attending a
      health facility after child birth and transcribed it verbatim. Qualitative
      content analysis was used for analysis. RESULTS: 'Three categories emerged that
      reflected women's perceptions of maternal health care services: "mothers perceive
      that maternal health services are beneficial," "barriers to accessing maternal
      health services" such as availability and use of traditional birth attendants
      (TBAs) and the long distances between some villages, and "ambivalence regarding
      the quality of maternal health services" reflecting that women had both positive
      and negative perceptions in relation to quality of health care services offered'.
      CONCLUSIONS: Mothers perceived that maternal health care services are beneficial
      during pregnancy and delivery, but their awareness of postpartum complications
      and the role of medical services during that stage were poor. The study revealed
      an ambivalence regarding the perceived quality of health care services offered,
      partly due to shortages of material resources. Barriers to accessing maternal
      health care services, such as the cost of transport and the use of TBAs, were
      also shown. These findings call for improvement on the services provided.
      Improvements should address, accessibility of services, professionals' attitudes
      and stronger promotion of the importance of postpartum check-ups, both among
      health care professionals and women.

PMID- 26498578
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26498580
TI  - Codon bias and gene ontology in holometabolous and hemimetabolous insects.
AB  - The relationship between preferred codon use (PCU), developmental mode, and gene
      ontology (GO) was investigated in a sample of nine insect species with sequenced
      genomes. These species were selected to represent two distinct modes of insect
      development, holometabolism and hemimetabolism, with an aim toward determining
      whether the differences in developmental timing concomitant with developmental
      mode would be mirrored by differences in PCU in their developmental genes. We
      hypothesized that the developmental genes of holometabolous insects should be
      under greater selective pressure for efficient translation, manifest as increased
      PCU, than those of hemimetabolous insects because holometabolism requires
      abundant protein expression over shorter time intervals than hemimetabolism,
      where proteins are required more uniformly in time. Preferred codon sets were
      defined for each species, from which the frequency of PCU for each gene was
      obtained. Although there were substantial differences in the genomic base
      composition of holometabolous and hemimetabolous insects, both groups exhibited a
      general preference for GC-ending codons, with the former group having higher PCU
      averaged across all genes. For each species, the biological process GO term for
      each gene was assigned that of its Drosophila homolog(s), and PCU was calculated
      for each GO term category. The top two GO term categories for PCU enrichment in
      the holometabolous insects were anatomical structure development and cell
      differentiation. The increased PCU in the developmental genes of holometabolous
      insects may reflect a general strategy to maximize the protein production of
      genes expressed in bursts over short time periods, e.g., heat shock proteins. J.
      Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 324B: 686-698, 2015. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc. 

PMID- 26498577
TI  - Advancing patient-centered care for structurally vulnerable drug-using
      populations: a qualitative study of the perspectives of people who use drugs
      regarding the potential integration of harm reduction interventions into
      hospitals.
AB  - AIMS: To explore the perspectives of structurally vulnerable people who use drugs
      (PWUD) regarding: (1) the potential integration of harm reduction interventions
      (e.g. supervised drug consumption services, opioid-assisted treatment) into
      hospitals; and (2) the implications of these interventions for patient-centered
      care, hospital outcomes and drug-related risks and harms. DESIGN: Semi-structured
      qualitative interviews. SETTING: Vancouver, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty
      structurally vulnerable PWUD who had been discharged from hospital against
      medical advice within the past 2 years, and hospitalized multiple times over the
      past 5 years. MEASUREMENTS: Semi-structured interview guide including questions
      to elicit perspectives on hospital-based harm reduction interventions. FINDINGS:
      Participant accounts highlighted that hospital-based harm reduction interventions
      would promote patient-centered care by: (1) prioritizing hospital care access and
      risk reduction over the enforcement of abstinence-based drug policies; (2)
      increasing responsiveness to subjective health needs (e.g. pain and withdrawal
      symptoms); and (3) fostering 'culturally safe' care. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital-based
      harm reduction interventions for people who use drugs, such as supervised drug
      consumption services and opioid-assisted treatment, can potentially improve
      hospital care retention, promote patient-centered care and reduce adverse health
      outcomes among people who use drugs.

PMID- 26498581
TI  - Regression Trees Identify Relevant Interactions: Can This Improve the Predictive
      Performance of Risk Adjustment?
AB  - Risk equalization formulas have been refined since their introduction about two
      decades ago. Because of the complexity and the abundance of possible interactions
      between the variables used, hardly any interactions are considered. A regression
      tree is used to systematically search for interactions, a methodologically new
      approach in risk equalization. Analyses are based on a data set of nearly 2.9
      million individuals from a major German social health insurer. A two-step
      approach is applied: In the first step a regression tree is built on the basis of
      the learning data set. Terminal nodes characterized by more than one morbidity
      group-split represent interaction effects of different morbidity groups. In the
      second step the 'traditional' weighted least squares regression equation is
      expanded by adding interaction terms for all interactions detected by the tree,
      and regression coefficients are recalculated. The resulting risk adjustment
      formula shows an improvement in the adjusted R2 from 25.43% to 25.81% on the
      evaluation data set. Predictive ratios are calculated for subgroups affected by
      the interactions. The R2 improvement detected is only marginal. According to the
      sample level performance measures used, not involving a considerable number of
      morbidity interactions forms no relevant loss in accuracy. Copyright (c) 2015
      John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26498582
TI  - Conference report: the 2015 SHOT symposium and report--what's new?

PMID- 26498583
TI  - Decellular Nerve Allografts.
AB  - Multiple treatment options are available for patients who have peripheral nerve
      injuries with a gap. Decellular nerve allografts are one option and provide an
      extracellular scaffold for neuronal cells to migrate for axonal regrowth.
      Immunosuppression is not needed because improved nerve processing technologies
      have rendered decellular nerve allografts nonimmunogenic. These allografts have
      also shown promising results in both animal and human studies as an alternative
      repair option. 

PMID- 26498584
TI  - Update on the Diagnosis and Management of Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy.
AB  - Spondylotic degeneration in the cervical spine may result in static and/or
      dynamic spinal cord compression that can lead to the associated signs and
      symptoms of myelopathy. Clinical examination combined with appropriate imaging
      studies help to confirm the diagnosis. Classic natural history and basic science
      studies suggest a pernicious course of demyelination and neurologic decline in a
      large subset of patients. The characterization of disease severity and
      progression in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy has improved in
      recent years with imaging and data from prospective and multicenter studies.
      Additionally, advances in surgical techniques, implants, and imaging modalities
      have improved the identification of surgical candidates with cervical spondylotic
      myelopathy and associated treatment strategies. Surgical treatment, via an
      anterior, posterior, or a combined approach, is primarily intended to arrest
      neurologic progression, although it can improve function in many patients.
      Alignment and the characteristics and location of spinal cord compression help
      determine the ideal surgical approach. Distinct complications associated with
      each technique may be mitigated by appropriate patient selection and should be
      discussed preoperatively to ensure informed decision making. 

PMID- 26498585
TI  - High Ankle Sprains and Syndesmotic Injuries in Athletes.
AB  - Treatment of athletes with ligamentous injuries of the tibiofibular syndesmosis
      can be problematic. The paucity of historic data on this topic has resulted in a
      lack of clear guidelines to aid in imaging and diagnosing the injury, assessing
      injury severity, and making management decisions. In recent years, research on
      this topic has included an abundance of epidemiologic, clinical, and basic
      science investigations of syndesmotic injuries that are purely ligamentous or
      associated with ankle fracture. Several classification systems can be used to
      classify ligamentous injury to the syndesmosis. These systems integrate clinical
      and radiographic findings but do not address the location of the injury or its
      severity. Injury to the syndesmosis can be purely ligamentous; however, many
      unstable syndesmotic injuries are associated with fractures. Nonsurgical
      management can be used for stable ligamentous injuries without frank diastasis,
      but surgical management, including screw or suture-button fixation, is indicated
      for fractures with unstable syndesmotic injuries. 

PMID- 26498586
TI  - Injuries of the Scapholunate Interosseous Ligament: An Update.
AB  - The scapholunate ligament is both a key ligament in the stability of the carpus
      and one of the most frequently injured. Thorough understanding of the anatomy,
      biomechanics, and pathophysiology of the wrist is important in treating injuries
      to the scapholunate ligament. The presentation of scapholunate instability often
      includes a vague injury history and pain with grip, wrist extension, and sport or
      labor. Identified injuries are classified based on dynamic and static
      radiographic findings, chronicity, and the presence or absence of arthrosis.
      Surgical options for the treatment of low- and high-grade injuries include both
      open and arthroscopic procedures and can be broadly classified into four
      categories: limited arthroscopic procedures, primary ligament repair,
      reconstructive procedures, and salvage procedures. No strong evidence currently
      supports any one treatment. Decision making is largely based on expert opinion
      and surgeon experience. Prognosis is often guarded, and patient expectations
      should be tempered. 

PMID- 26498587
TI  - Preventing Hospital Readmissions and Limiting the Complications Associated With
      Total Joint Arthroplasty.
AB  - Total joint arthroplasty is a highly successful surgical procedure for patients
      with painful arthritic joints. The increasing prevalence of the procedure is
      generating significant expenditures in the American healthcare system. Healthcare
      payers, specifically the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, currently
      target total joint arthroplasty as an area for healthcare cost-savings
      initiatives, resulting in increased scrutiny surrounding orthopaedic care, health
      resource utilization, and hospital readmissions. Identifying the complications
      associated with total hip and total knee arthroplasty that result in readmissions
      will be critically important for predictive modeling and for decreasing the
      number of readmissions following total joint arthroplasty. Additionally,
      improving perioperative optimization, providing seamless episodic care, and
      intensifying posthospital coordination of care may result in a decreasing number
      of unnecessary hospital readmissions. Identified modifiable risk factors that
      significantly contribute to poor clinical outcome following total joint
      arthroplasty include morbid obesity; poorly controlled diabetes and nutritional
      deficiencies; Staphylococcus aureus colonization; tobacco use; venous
      thromboembolic disease; cardiovascular disease; neurocognitive, psychological,
      and behavioral problems; and physical deconditioning and fall risk. Both clinical
      practice and research will be enhanced if there is standardization of defined
      total joint arthroplasty complications and utilization of stratification schemes
      to identify high-risk patients. Subsequently, clinical intervention would be
      warranted to address modifiable risk factors before proceeding with total joint
      arthroplasty. 

PMID- 26498588
TI  - Shikonin as an inhibitor of the LPS-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition
      in human breast cancer cells.
AB  - Shikonin (SK), a natural naphthoquinone isolated from the Chinese medicinal herb,
      has been known to suppress the proliferation of several cancer cells. However,
      its role in the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) has yet to be
      demonstrated. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of SK on
      EMT. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced EMT-like phenotypic changes, enhancing cell
      migration and invasion. SK markedly reduced the expression of the LPS-induced EMT
      markers, including N-cadherin in MDA-MB-231 cells, and increased the expression
      of E-cadherin in MCF-7 cells. SK also inhibited cell migration and invasion in
      vitro. The effects of SK on the LPS-induced EMT were mediated by the inactivation
      of the NF-kappaB-Snail signaling pathway. The results provided new evidence that
      SK suppresses breast cancer cell invasion and migration by inhibiting the EMT.
      Therefore, SK is a potentially effective anticancer agent for breast tumors, by
      inhibiting metastasis. 

PMID- 26498589
TI  - Classification of EA1-box proteins and new insights into their role  during
      reproduction in grasses.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: EA1-box protein classification. Success in reproduction and
      vegetative development in flowering plants strongly depends on precise cell-to
      cell signaling events mediated by secreted peptides.A small peptide family named
      as EA1-like (EAL) has been first described 10 years ago and includes EA1 involved
      in pollen tubes attraction by the female gametophyte and EAL1-regulating germ
      cell identity in maize. EALs consist of an N-terminal endoplasmic reticulum
      targeting motif, the highly conserved EA1-box and a short C-terminal alanine-rich
      domain. Whereas EAL peptides are exclusively found in the Gramineae, the EA1-box
      is widely distributed throughout the plant kingdom. Based on in silico analysis
      and subcellular localization studies, we report here a new classification of EA1
      box proteins in flowering plants. They can be distinguished into three protein
      classes: the already defined EAL proteins, the EAG (EA1-box glycine-rich)
      proteins and the EAC (EA1-box containing)proteins. While fusion proteins of EAL
      and EAC classes locate to the secretory pathway, EAGs are cytoplasmic and locate
      also to the nucleus. Moreover, we further show that the third EAL protein of Zea
      mays, EAL2, appears to be also involved in processes related to late embryogenic
      development as its peptide level increases after formation of leaf primordia.
      Immunohistochemical studies indicate its presence in the scutellar parenchyma and
      around the vasculature, where it is secreted to the extracellular space. In
      conclusion, the members of the maize EAL family possess very diverse functions
      during reproduction and it will now be exciting to elucidate the functions of
      EAGs and EACs in plants.

PMID- 26498590
TI  - Impact of cognitive function on communication in patients  with primary or
      secondary brain tumours.
AB  - Communication support tools (CST) improve patient outcomes in oncology including:
      knowledge, satisfaction, self-management, and adherence to planned treatment.
      Little is known about communication support tools use in patients with primary or
      secondary brain tumours. We aimed to explore cognitive function and communication
      support tool use in this population. This prospective survey involved patients,
      caregivers and health professionals. Questionnaires were completed after initial
      brain radiotherapy consultation and 1-2 weeks later. Patients completed the
      Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Descriptive statistics are reported. Fifty
      three patients participated, median age 62 years, ECOG status 0-2 (90 %), with 75
      % having secondary brain metastasis. 21/53 (40 %) patients reported needing help
      reading medical information. Only 28 % patients had normal cognition (MoCA score
      >= 26/30). Initially, 82 % of patients and 87 % of caregivers reported the
      consultation was 'extremely/quite clear, and 69 % of their health professionals
      thought consultation 'extremely/quite clear' to patient. At follow-up, fewer
      patients (75 %) reported health professionals' explanation as 'extremely/quite
      clear'. Although patients recalled discussed illness and treatment details, 82 %
      recalled treatment-related side effects and management thereof by 46 %. CST use
      was reported by 22 % patients, 19 % caregivers, and 27 %health professionals.
      When used, tools improved understanding according to 92 % patients, 100 %
      caregivers, and 91 % health professionals. The majority of patients have some
      level of cognitive impairment. Information discussed appears clear to most
      patients, but this is not sustained, and recall of treatment toxicity management
      is poor. Few CSTs are used in consultations, but when used, are reported as
      helpful by all.

PMID- 26498591
TI  - Hemoperitoneum in a patient with spontaneous rupture of the posterior wall of an
      unscarred uterus in the second trimester of pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemoperitoneum resulting from a rupture of an unscarred uterus is a
      rare condition. Uterine rupture in patients without evident risk factors is
      associated with non-specific signs and symptoms that can delay the diagnosis.
      This is a report of spontaneous rupture of posterior wall of the uterus in the
      second trimester of pregnancy presented as intra-abdominal bleeding. CASE
      PRESENTATION: Here, we report the case of a 31-year-old Caucasian multiparous
      female (gravida 3, para 1) who had a sudden onset of abdominal pain at 28 weeks
      of gestation. The patient had no history of caesarean section. Exploratory
      laparotomy was performed due to deterioration of the patient's clinical
      condition, and ultrasound results were suspicious for hemoperitoneum. Uterine
      rupture in the posterior wall with active bleeding from the defect was confirmed.
      A caesarean section was performed, and a live female infant weighing 1000 g, with
      an Apgar score of three, was delivered. A hysterectomy was performed during the
      caesarean section. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic difficulties arise from the rarity of
      the disease, a nonspecific clinical picture and the absence of the main risk
      factors. Uterine rupture should be considered in the differential diagnosis of
      hemoperitoneum in patients with an unscarred uterus.

PMID- 26498592
TI  - Diabetes at the crossroads: relevance of disease classification   to
      pathophysiology and treatment.
AB  - Diabetes is not a single homogeneous disease but composed of many diseases with
      hyperglycaemia as a common feature. Four factors have, historically, been used to
      identify this diversity: the age at onset; the severity of the disease, i.e.
      degree of loss of beta cell function; the degree of insulin resistance and the
      presence of diabetes-associated autoantibodies. Our broad understanding of the
      distinction between the two major types, type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2
      diabetes mellitus, are based on these factors, but it has become apparent that
      they do not precisely capture the different disease forms. Indeed, both major
      types of diabetes have common features, encapsulated by adult-onset autoimmune
      diabetes and maturity-onset diabetes of the young. As a result, there has been a
      repositioning of our understanding of diabetes. In this review, drawing on recent
      literature, we discuss the evidence that autoimmune type 1 diabetes has a broad
      clinical phenotype with diverse therapeutic options, while the term non
      autoimmune type 2 diabetes obscures the optimal management strategy because it
      encompasses substantial heterogeneity. Underlying these developments is a general
      progression towards precision medicine with the need for precise patient
      characterisation, currently based on clinical phenotypes but in future augmented
      by laboratory-based tests.

PMID- 26498593
TI  - Carbon and sulfur isotopic signatures of ancient life and environment at the
      microbial scale: Neoarchean shales and carbonates.
AB  - An approach to coordinated, spatially resolved, in situ carbon isotope analysis
      of organic matter and carbonate minerals, and sulfur three- and four-isotope
      analysis of pyrite with an unprecedented combination of spatial resolution,
      precision, and accuracy is described. Organic matter and pyrite from eleven rock
      samples of Neoarchean drill core express nearly the entire range of delta(13) C,
      delta(34) S, Delta(33) S, and Delta(36) S known from the geologic record,
      commonly in correlation with morphology, mineralogy, and elemental composition. A
      new analytical approach (including a set of organic calibration standards) to
      account for a strong correlation between H/C and instrumental bias in SIMS
      delta(13) C measurement of organic matter is identified. Small (2-3 MUm) organic
      domains in carbonate matrices are analyzed with sub-permil accuracy and
      precision. Separate 20- to 50-MUm domains of kerogen in a single ~0.5 cm(3)
      sample of the ~2.7 Ga Tumbiana Formation have delta(13) C = -52.3 +/- 0.10/00 and
      -34.4 +/- 0.10/00, likely preserving distinct signatures of methanotrophy and
      photoautotrophy. Pyrobitumen in the ~2.6 Ga Jeerinah Formation and the ~2.5 Ga
      Mount McRae Shale is systematically (13) C-enriched relative to co-occurring
      kerogen, and associations with uraniferous mineral grains suggest radiolytic
      alteration. A large range in sulfur isotopic compositions (including higher
      Delta(33) S and more extreme spatial gradients in Delta(33) S and Delta(36) S
      than any previously reported) are observed in correlation with morphology and
      associated mineralogy. Changing systematics of delta(34) S, Delta(33) S, and
      Delta(36) S, previously investigated at the millimeter to centimeter scale using
      bulk analysis, are shown to occur at the micrometer scale of individual pyrite
      grains. These results support the emerging view that the dampened signature of
      mass-independent sulfur isotope fractionation (S-MIF) associated with the
      Mesoarchean continued into the early Neoarchean, and that the connections between
      methane and sulfur metabolism affected the production and preservation of S-MIF
      during the first half of the planet's history. 

PMID- 26498594
TI  - Circulating tumor cells (Ctc) and kras mutant circulating free Dna (cfdna)
      detection in peripheral blood as biomarkers in patients diagnosed with exocrine
      pancreatic cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat
      with the poorest prognosis. The key to improving survival rates in this disease
      is early detection and monitoring of disseminated and residual disease. However,
      this is hindered due to lack reliable diagnostic and predictive markers which
      mean that the majority of patients succumb to their condition within a few
      months. METHODS: We present a pilot study of the detection circulating free DNA
      (cfDNA) combined with tumor specific mutation detection by digital PCR as a novel
      minimally invasive biomarker in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This was
      compared to the detection of CTC by the CellSearch(r) system and a novel CTC
      enrichment strategy based on CD45 positive cell depletion. The aim of the study
      was to assess tumor specific DNA detection in plasma and CTC detection as
      prognostic markers in PDAC. RESULTS: We detected KRAS mutant cfDNA in 26% of
      patients of all stages and this correlated strongly with Overall Survival (OS),
      60 days (95% CI: 19-317) for KRAS mutation positive vs 772 days for KRAS mutation
      negative (95% CI: 416-1127). Although, the presence of CTC detected by the
      CellSearch(r) system did correlate significantly with OS, 88 days (95% CI: 27
      206) CTC positive vs 393 days CTC negative (95% CI: 284-501), CTC were detected
      in only 20% of patients, the majority of which had metastatic disease, whereas
      KRAS mutant cfDNA was detected in patients with both resectable and advanced
      disease. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor specific cfDNA detection and CTC detection are
      promising markers for the management of patients with PDAC, although there is a
      need to validate these results in a larger patient cohort and optimize the
      detection of CTC in PDAC by applying the appropriate markers for their detection.

PMID- 26498595
TI  - Antimicrobial resistance and virulence signatures of Listeria and Aeromonas
      species recovered from treated wastewater effluent and receiving surface water in
      Durban, South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treated wastewater effluent has been found to contain high levels of
      contaminants, including disease-causing bacteria such as Listeria and Aeromonas
      species. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial resistance and
      virulence signatures of Listeria and Aeromonas spp. recovered from treated
      effluents of two wastewater treatment plants and receiving rivers in Durban,
      South Africa. METHODS: A total of 100 Aeromonas spp. and 78 Listeria spp. were
      positively identified based on biochemical tests and PCR detection of DNA region
      conserved in these genera. The antimicrobial resistance profiles of the isolates
      were determined using Kirby Bauer disc diffusion assay. The presence of important
      virulence genes were detected via PCR, while other virulence determinants;
      protease, gelatinase and haemolysin were detected using standard assays. RESULTS:
      Highest resistance was observed against penicillin, erythromycin and nalidixic
      acid, with all 78 (100%) tested Listeria spp displaying resistance, followed by
      ampicillin (83.33%), trimethoprim (67.95%), nitrofurantoin (64.10%) and
      cephalosporin (60.26%). Among Aeromonas spp., the highest resistance (100%) was
      observed against ampicillin, penicillin, vancomycin, clindamycin and fusidic
      acid, followed by cephalosporin (82%), and erythromycin (58%), with 56% of the
      isolates found to be resistant to naladixic acid and trimethoprim. Among Listeria
      spp., 26.92% were found to contain virulence genes, with 14.10, 5.12 and 21%
      harbouring the actA, plcA and iap genes, respectively. Of the 100 tested
      Aeromonas spp., 52% harboured the aerolysin (aer) virulence associated gene,
      while lipase (lip) virulence associated gene was also detected in 68% of the
      tested Aeromonas spp. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of these organisms in effluents
      samples following conventional wastewater treatment is worrisome as this could
      lead to major environmental and human health problems. This emphasizes the need
      for constant evaluation of the wastewater treatment effluents to ensure
      compliance to set guidelines.

PMID- 26498596
TI  - How educational innovations and attention to competencies in postgraduate medical
      education relate to preparedness for practice: the key role of the learning
      environment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Many training programmes in postgraduate medical education (PGME)
      have introduced competency frameworks, but the effects of this change on
      preparedness for practice are unknown. Therefore, we explored how elements of
      competency-based programmes in PGME (educational innovations, attention to
      competencies and learning environment) were related to perceived preparedness for
      practice among new consultants. METHODS: A questionnaire was distributed among
      330 new consultants. Respondents rated how well their PGME training programme
      prepared them for practice, the extent to which educational innovations
      (portfolio, Mini-CEX) were implemented, and how much attention was paid to
      CanMEDS competencies during feedback and coaching, and they answered questions on
      the learning environment and general self-efficacy. Multiple regression and
      mediation analyses were used to analyze data. RESULTS: The response rate was 43 %
      (143/330). Controlling for self-efficacy and gender, the learning environment was
      the strongest predictor of preparedness for practice (B = 0.42, p < 0.001),
      followed by attention to competencies (B = 0.29, p < 0.01). Educational
      innovations were not directly related to preparedness for practice. The overall
      model explained 52 % of the variance in preparedness for practice. Attention to
      competencies mediated the relationship between educational innovations and
      preparedness for practice. This mediation became stronger at higher learning
      environment values. CONCLUSIONS: The learning environment plays a key role in
      determining the degree to which competency-based PGME prepares trainees for
      independent practice.

PMID- 26498597
TI  - Do research findings on schema-based instruction translate to the classroom?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Schema-based instruction has been shown to improve diagnostic
      performance and reduce cognitive load. However, to date, this has only been
      studied in controlled research settings. More distractions in classrooms may
      limit generalizability to real-world settings. We evaluated whether schema-based
      instruction would maintain its effects on cognitive load optimization and
      performance in a classroom. METHODS: Focused on the approach of interpreting
      cardiac auscultation findings, 101 first-year medical students at Western
      University were randomized to receive a traditional (n = 48) or a schema-based
      lecture (n = 53). Students completed four written questions to test diagnostic
      performance and a cognitive load assessment at the end of the lecture. Diagnostic
      performance and cognitive load were compared with independent t-tests. RESULTS:
      Schema-based instruction was associated with increased diagnostic performance on
      written questions (64 +/- 22 % vs 44 +/- 25 % p < 0.001) and reduced intrinsic
      cognitive load (mean difference = 15 %, standard error 3 %, p < 0.001). There was
      no significant difference in reported extraneous (p = 0.36) or germane (p = 0.42)
      cognitive load. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that schema-based
      instruction can be used to reduce intrinsic load and improve diagnostic
      performance in a real-world classroom setting. The results would be strengthened
      by replication across other locations and topics.

PMID- 26498598
TI  - Worked examples in the classroom.

PMID- 26498600
TI  - Toll-like receptor 9 agonist stimulation enables osteogenic differentiation
      without altering the immune status of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess three characteristics critical to tissue
      regeneration; multipotency, low immunogenicity and an undifferentiated status,
      providing plasticity. However, increasing evidence has indicated that induction
      of an immune response in vivo can injure and reject MSC-based tissues. Toll-like
      receptors (TLRs) are a family of pathogen-associated pattern recognition
      receptors, which are important in bridging the innate and adaptive immune
      responses. TLRs have been demonstrated to exhibit important MSC biological
      regulatory functions in previous studies. To confirm the role of TLR9 in the
      immune status maintenance of MSCs isolated from umbilical cords, the present
      study performed assessments to detect agonist effects. Following addition of the
      TLR9 agonist, CpG, to an umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (UCMSC) culture
      medium, a number of methods were used to detect the changes in the biological
      function of the UCMSCs. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction indicated increased levels of pro-inflammatory molecules and decreased
      expression levels of stem cell markers following exposure to the TLR9 agonist.
      However, flow cytometry revealed that activation of TLR9 had no effect on the
      proliferation of peripheral blood leukocytes or the expression of surface
      markers. The present study also identified that CpG-oligodeoxynucleotide promoted
      MSC osteogenic differentiation, while inhibiting MSC proliferation and migration.
      These results indicated that TLRs and their ligands may serve as regulators of
      MSC proliferation and differentiation, and affect the maintenance of MSC
      multipotency. 

PMID- 26498599
TI  - Phosphorylation increases the catalytic activity of rainbow trout gill cytosolic
      carbonic anhydrase.
AB  - Cytoplasmic carbonic anhydrase (CAc) in the gill of teleost fish contributes to
      ionic regulation and acid-base balance by catalyzing the reversible reaction of
      CO2 and water, CO2 + H2O <-> H(+) + HCO3(-). Regulation of CAc abundance and
      activity therefore is expected to fine-tune responses to ionic or acid-base
      challenges. The present study investigated the potential for gill CAc of rainbow
      trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (tCAc), to undergo reversible phosphorylation. The
      activity of tCAc was approximately doubled by phosphorylation achieved through in
      vitro stimulation of endogenous protein kinases; kinase stimulation doubled
      phospho-threonine content from that observed in tCAc isolated under conditions
      where both kinases and protein phosphatases were inhibited. In vitro incubation
      to preferentially stimulate specific kinases implicated protein kinase G (PKG) in
      mediating the increase in tCAc activity. The kinetic parameters of turnover
      number (k cat) and substrate affinity (K m) were similarly affected by
      stimulation of either kinase or phosphatase action. However, phosphorylation via
      kinase stimulation significantly increased the efficiency of tCAc (V max /K m),
      and this factor may have contributed to the elevation of tCAc activity. In
      addition, phosphorylation of tCAc by kinase stimulation significantly increased
      the inhibition constant (K i) for acetazolamide. These results demonstrate that
      tCAc is subject to reversible phosphorylation; future work should focus on
      identifying the physiological situation(s) in which phosphorylation of trout
      branchial CAc occurs.

PMID- 26498601
TI  - In vitro effectiveness of 455-nm blue LED to reduce the load of Staphylococcus
      aureus and Candida albicans biofilms in compact bone tissue.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 455-nm blue light
      emitting diode (LED), at different application times, to reduce the load of
      Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans biofilms applied to compact bone
      tissue. The microorganisms S. aureus (ATCC 25923) and C. albicans (ATCC 18804)
      were used to form biofilms on 160 specimens of compact bones that had been
      divided into eight experimental groups (n = 10) for each microorganism, according
      to the times of application of the 455-nm blue LED (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 10 min)
      with an irradiance of 75 mW/cm2. After LED application, decimal dilutions of
      microorganisms were performed, plated on BHI or Sabouraud agar and incubated for
      24 h/35  degrees C to obtain CFU/mL counts. The findings were statistically
      analyzed using a ANOVA 5 %. For the group of S. aureus biofilms, all groups of
      455-nm LED application differ compared with the control group (p < 0.05), in
      which no treatment was given. The largest reduction was obtained in the group
      receiving LED for 10 min (p = 0.00); within this group, a 3.2 log reduction was
      observed. For the C. albicans biofilms, only those samples receiving 3, 7, and 10
      min of LED application presented a significant difference compared with the
      control group (p < 0.00), indicating that longer application times are required
      to achieve efficacy. The results of this study show that 455-nm LED light was
      effective to reduce the load of S. aureus and C. albicans biofilms, especially
      during 10 min of application.

PMID- 26498602
TI  - Velamentous cord insertion as a risk factor for obstetric outcome: a
      retrospective case-control study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Velamentous umbilical cord insertion (VCI) is associated with adverse
      pregnancy outcomes. Literature lacks data on Doppler. We aimed to evaluate
      obstetric outcomes and results of uterine and umbilical artery Doppler flowmetry
      associated with VCI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective case-control
      study, 108 singleton pregnancies with VCI were age- and body mass index-matched
      to 108 singleton pregnancies without VCI. The main outcome parameters were
      obstetric outcome, pregnancy-related complications, uterine artery flowmetry at
      the second-trimester screening, and umbilical artery flowmetry before delivery.
      Statistical analysis was accomplished using Pearson's Chi-square test or Fisher's
      exact test, and the Mann-Whitney U test, where appropriate. RESULTS: Pregnancies
      with VCI revealed a significantly higher PI in the umbilical artery during the
      last measurement before delivery (1.00 +/- 0.25 vs. 0.90 +/- 0.10; p = 0.001).
      Gestational age at this measurement did not differ between the groups. Fetal
      malformations and intrauterine fetal death were more common in pregnancies with
      VCI (12.7 vs. 0 %; p < 0.001, and 6.5 vs. 0 %; p = 0.014, respectively). Patients
      with VCI delivered significantly earlier (36.2 +/- 4.5 vs. 38.4 +/- 2.6; p <
      0.001). CONCLUSION: Higher rates of (early) preterm delivery were found in
      pregnancies with VCI. Fetuses with VCI also suffered from malformations and IUFD
      more frequently. The last pulsatility index value in the umbilical artery, before
      delivery, was significantly higher in pregnancies with VCI, which is of uncertain
      clinical value.

PMID- 26498603
TI  - Short-course postpartum (6-h) magnesium sulfate therapy in severe preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of short-course postpartum (6-h) magnesium
      sulfate therapy versus 24-h conventional magnesium sulfate therapy in severe
      preeclampsia. METHODS: Cases of severe preeclampsia were randomly allocated to
      group A (n = 76) and group B (n = 43). Group A and group B received magnesium
      sulfate loading dose (4 g) followed by infusion for 6 and 24 h postpartum (1
      gm/h), respectively. Cases in both the groups were monitored closely after the
      initiation of therapy. t test and Chi-square test were used for data analysis.
      RESULTS: No occurrence of convulsions was noted in both group A and group B. The
      mean amount of magnesium sulfate used in the study group was 15.1 +/- 5.4 g as
      against 42.3 +/- 7.3 g in controls. The duration of Foley catheterization and
      monitoring was significantly less in group A (mean 11.3 +/- 5.1 and 11.1 +/- 4.9
      h, respectively) as compared to group B (mean 38.3 +/- 7.3 and 38.4 +/- 7.2 h,
      respectively). The mean duration of hospital stay was 2.7 +/- 0.7 days in cases
      delivered vaginally and 7.5 +/- 1.6 days in those who underwent cesarean section
      in group A, while it was 4.04 +/- 1.47 and 11.11 +/- 3.14 days, respectively, in
      group B. CONCLUSION: Short-course, i.e., 6-h, postpartum magnesium sulfate
      therapy is as effective as conventional 24-h postpartum magnesium sulfate therapy
      in preventing convulsions in severe preeclampsia.

PMID- 26498605
TI  - Maternal super-obesity.
AB  - PURPOSE: Pregnant women with a body-mass-index (BMI) above 50 are referred to as
      "super-obese". For these women adverse pregnancy outcome and a higher risk of
      fetal congenital defects are major issues. This report focuses on the ratio
      development of super-obesity in pregnant women, as well as on prenatal ultrasound
      and pregnancy outcome in the super-obese gravida. METHODS: We reviewed data of
      all women with a BMI above 30 who delivered at our unit in a 15-year period
      between January 2000 and December 2014. Data of obese but not super-obese mothers
      were evaluated in comparison. RESULTS: Final evaluation comprised 69/20,711
      pregnancies of super-obese mothers. Forty out of 69 women suffered from a
      preexisting condition requiring medical treatment. Fetal ultrasound evaluation
      revealed severe congenital defects in four cases. There were no missed and no
      false positive diagnoses. Elective cesarean section (c-section) took place in
      26/69 cases, 21/69 had a secondary c-section. Twenty-two out of 69 women
      delivered vaginally. Mean gestational age at delivery was 38(+6) gestational
      weeks. Pregnancy was complicated by macrosomia in 17/69 pregnancies. Severe
      neonatal hypoglycemia occurred in 6/69 cases. The number of deliveries by super
      obese mothers showed no marked variation during the study period. In contrast the
      rate of deliveries by obese, but not super-obese, mothers showed an increase.
      CONCLUSIONS: Maternal super-obesity poses a high-risk situation for mother and
      child which generally demands a higher amount of perinatal care. The number of
      deliveries by super-obese mothers remained stable over the study period. Primary
      c-section was the most frequent mode of delivery. Of the parturients who opted
      for vaginal delivery nearly half of the deliveries had to be completed by
      secondary c-section. Over-all peripartal maternal complications did not exceed
      average.

PMID- 26498604
TI  - F-18 fluoro-D-glucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed
      tomography (CT) in planning of surgery and sentinel lymph node screening in
      vulvar cancers.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the effectiveness of FDG-PET/CT in the assessment of
      inguinofemoral lymph node (IFLN) in patients with vulvar cancer by comparing FDG
      PET/CT results, sentinel lymph node (SLN) screening with gamma probe, and the
      results of frozen section and definitive pathology in these lymph nodes. STUDY
      DESIGN: This prospective study included eight patients, who were diagnosed with
      vulvar cancer at the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department of Erciyes University,
      Turkey. All patients underwent FDG-PET/CT before surgery. Local excision and IFLN
      dissection were planned by assessing IFLN involvement with SLN screening with Tc
      99m nanocolloid plus frozen section. Intraoperatively, SLN screening was
      performed by using a gamma probe, and these lymph nodes were excised and then
      evaluated by frozen section. Regardless of the frozen section results, the IFLNs
      were totally excised. The FDG-PET/CT scan results, SLN plus frozen section
      results and definitive pathology results of the inguinal lymph nodes were
      compared. RESULTS: The mean age was 64.50 +/- 13.25 years (min-max 43-79 years).
      All tumors were squamous cell carcinomas. FDG-PET/CT scan determined vulvar
      lesions accurately in all patients (8/8; 100 %). When inguinal lymph nodes were
      assessed by FDG uptake and SUVmax values, lymph nodes were interpreted as
      reactive in four patients (4/8; 50 %) and metastatic in the others (4/8; 50 %).
      In all patients frozen section confirmed the FDG-PET-CT results and definitive
      histopathology results confirmed the frozen section and FDG-PET-CT results (8/8;
      100 %). CONCLUSIONS: In light of these data, FDG-PET/CT scanning is an effective
      method for the detection of primary tumor in vulvar cancer. Although it seems to
      be an effective method for the detection of IFLN metastasis, these findings must
      be supported by further studies with larger sample size for use in the planning
      of primary surgery and inguinal lymph node dissection without SLN dissection and
      frozen section, as a minimal invasive method.

PMID- 26498606
TI  - DiSNPindel: improved intra-individual SNP and InDel detection in direct amplicon
      sequencing of a diploid.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Amplicon re-sequencing based on the automated Sanger method remains
      popular for detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertion
      deletion polymorphisms (InDels) for a spectrum of genetics applications. However,
      existing software tools for detecting intra-individual SNPs and InDels in direct
      amplicon sequencing of diploid samples are insufficient in analyzing single
      traces and their accuracy is still limited. RESULTS: We developed a novel
      computation tool, named DiSNPindel, to improve the detection of intra-individual
      SNPs and InDels in direct amplicon sequencing of a diploid. Neither reference
      sequence nor additional sample was required. Using two real datasets, we
      demonstrated the usefulness of DiSNPindel in its ability to improve largely the
      true SNP and InDel discovery rates and reduce largely the missed and false
      positive rates as compared with existing detection methods. CONCLUSIONS: The
      software DiSNPindel presented here provides an efficient tool for intra
      individual SNP and InDel detection in diploid amplicon sequencing. It will also
      be useful for identification of DNA variations in expressed sequence tag (EST) re
      sequencing.

PMID- 26498607
TI  - Celiac Disease: Background and Historical Context.
AB  - Medical descriptions of celiac disease date to the first century BC, and the
      first modern description was published in 1888. Further insights were gained
      throughout the 1900s, culminating in the identification of the dietary component,
      the major genetic determinant, and the autoantigen by the turn of the century.
      Understanding of the age of onset, population prevalence, and the extent of
      subclinical celiac disease developed in tandem. Thanks to advances in genomics,
      currently established loci account for over 50 % of the genetic risk.
      Nonetheless, much remains to be discovered. Advances in high-throughput genomic,
      biochemical, and cell analyses, as well as the bioinformatics needed to process
      the data, promise to deepen our understanding further. Here we present a primer
      of celiac disease, viewing the condition in turn from the historical,
      epidemiological, immunological, molecular, and genetic points of view. Research
      into any ailment has specific requirements: study subjects must be identified and
      relevant tissue samples collected and stored with the appropriate timing and
      conditions. These requirements are summarized. To conclude, a short discussion of
      future prospects is presented. 

PMID- 26498608
TI  - Celiac Disease: Diagnosis.
AB  - Historically the diagnosis of celiac disease has relied upon clinical,
      serological, and histological evidence. In recent years the use of sensitive
      serological methods has meant an increase in the diagnosis of celiac disease. The
      heterogeneous nature of the disorder presents a challenge in the study and
      diagnosis of the disease with patients varying from subclinical or latent disease
      to patients with overt symptoms. Furthermore the related gluten-sensitive disease
      dermatitis herpetiformis, while distinct in some respects, shares clinical and
      serological features with celiac disease. Here we summarize current best practice
      for the diagnosis of celiac disease and briefly discuss newer approaches. The
      advent of next-generation assays for diagnosis and newer clinical protocols may
      result in more sensitive screening and ultimately the possible replacement of the
      intestinal biopsy as the gold standard for celiac disease diagnosis. 

PMID- 26498610
TI  - Study Designs for Exploring the Non-HLA Genetics in Celiac Disease.
AB  - Since the breakthrough of genome-wide association studies and genetic studies of
      common complex diseases like celiac disease have been able to finally identify
      reproducible gene regions affecting risk of developing disease. Before it was
      possible to perform genome-wide association analysis, the field struggled with
      genome-wide linkage analysis to identify gene regions. Genome-wide linkage had
      been very successful in identifying genes underlying monogenic diseases, but
      common complex polygenic diseases did not prove so tractable. This chapter will
      describe the genome-wide methods available for genetic analyses of families today
      and compare these with the previous analyses performed in the 1990s and early
      twenty-first century.

PMID- 26498609
TI  - Generating Transgenic Mouse Models for Studying Celiac Disease.
AB  - This chapter provides a brief overview of current animal models for studying
      celiac disease, with a focus on generating HLA transgenic mouse models. Human
      Leukocyte Antigen class II molecules have been a particular target for transgenic
      mice due to their tight association with celiac disease, and a number of murine
      models have been developed which had the endogenous MHC class II genes replaced
      with insertions of disease susceptible HLA class II alleles DQ2 or DQ8.
      Additionally, transgenic mice that overexpress interleukin-15 (IL-15), a key
      player in the inflammatory cascade that leads to celiac disease, have also been
      generated to model a state of chronic inflammation. To explore the contribution
      of specific bacteria in gluten-sensitive enteropathy, the nude mouse and rat
      models have been studied in germ-free facilities. These reductionist mouse models
      allow us to address single factors thought to have crucial roles in celiac
      disease. No single model has incorporated all of the multiple factors that make
      up celiac disease. Rather, these mouse models can allow the functional
      interrogation of specific components of the many stages of, and contributions to,
      the pathogenic mechanisms that will lead to gluten-dependent enteropathy.
      Overall, the tools for animal studies in celiac disease are many and varied, and
      provide ample space for further creativity as well as to characterize the
      complete and complex pathogenesis of celiac disease. 

PMID- 26498611
TI  - Twenty-Four Hour Ex Vivo Culture of Celiac Duodenal Biopsies.
AB  - Organ culture is a valuable technique in celiac disease research. It provides the
      opportunity to examine interactions between different cell types during the
      disease process without the need for invasive in vivo studies. Biopsies are
      maintained in an oxygen-rich environment, in contact with, but not submerged in,
      culture medium. A very straightforward and successful method of organ culture is
      described here. 

PMID- 26498612
TI  - Isolation and Cloning of Gluten-Specific T Cells in Celiac Disease.
AB  - In patients with celiac disease, but not in healthy controls, gluten-specific CD4
      T cells are present in the small intestinal lamina propria. Specific stimulation
      of these T cells due to gluten consumption leads to the release of pro
      inflammatory cytokines, in particular IFNgamma and IL-21. This leads to tissue
      damage, the typical morphological alterations like the flattening of the
      intestinal epithelium, and a variety of disease-associated symptoms including
      malnutrition, diarrhea, stomach ache, and failure to thrive. Removal of gluten
      from the diet eliminates the trigger for these CD4 T cells and leads to recovery.
      These CD4 T cells thus play a crucial role in the disease pathogenesis. Here we
      describe how such T cells can be isolated and characterized. 

PMID- 26498613
TI  - Flow Cytometric Analysis of Human Small Intestinal Lymphoid Cells.
AB  - Flow cytometry is a powerful technique allowing simultaneous analysis of numerous
      morphological and phenotypic characteristics of cells and cellular constituents.
      Improvements in cell isolation techniques in recent years have enabled flow
      cytometric analyses of cells derived from tissue biopsies. Here we describe a
      method for isolating and analyzing small intestinal lymphoid cells using flow
      cytometry. 

PMID- 26498614
TI  - Adaptation of a Cell-Based High Content Screening System for the In-Depth
      Analysis of Celiac Biopsy Tissue.
AB  - The IN Cell Analyzer 1000 possesses several distinguishing features that make it
      a valuable tool in research today. This fully automated high content screening
      (HCS) system introduced quantitative fluorescent microscopy with computerized
      image analysis for use in cell-based analysis. Previous studies have focused on
      live cell assays, where it has proven to be a powerful and robust method capable
      of providing reproducible, quantitative data. Using HCS as a tool to investigate
      antigen expression in duodenal biopsies, we developed a novel approach to tissue
      positioning and mapping. We adapted IN Cell Analyzer 1000's image acquisition and
      analysis software for the investigation of tissue transglutaminase (tTG) and
      smooth muscle alpha-actin (SM alpha-actin) staining in paraffin-embedded duodenal
      tissue sections from celiac patients and healthy controls. These innovations
      allowed a quantitative analysis of cellular structure and protein expression. The
      results from routine biopsy material indicated the intensity of protein
      expression was altered in celiac disease compared to normal biopsy material. 

PMID- 26498615
TI  - HLA Genotyping: Methods for the Identification of the HLA-DQ2,-DQ8 Heterodimers
      Implicated in Celiac Disease (CD) Susceptibility.
AB  - In this chapter we will present the principal technical methods to genotype the
      HLA-DQA1* and -DQB1* alleles associated with celiac disease (CD), corresponding
      to the serological heterodimers HLA-DQ2 and -DQ8. We will present the methods
      specific for the genotyping of these heterodimers, which represents a common
      request from consultant doctors. Because these alleles are also common in healthy
      subjects, their presence is not diagnostic for CD. Conversely, their absence is
      more important because it excludes the disease, since CD patients negative for
      these heterodimers are very rare. Accordingly, HLA typing has been included as a
      useful test to exclude celiac disease in the ESPGHAN guidelines for diagnosis of
      celiac disease. The methods for HLA typing described in the present chapter are
      based on the following techniques: PCR-SSP (Polymerase Chain Reaction-Sequence
      Specific Primers): PCR with primers specific for HLA alleles encoding the CD risk
      heterodimers, whose presence is revealed through the electrophoresis of PCR
      products. Reverse PCR-SSOP (PCR-Sequence Specific Oligonucleotide Probes): PCR
      with primers specific for a single locus or a large group of alleles followed by
      hybridization with enzyme-conjugated probes specific for a single allele,
      immobilized on different supports (i.e., nitrocellulose strips), in which DNA
      probes binding is revealed by the production of a colored precipitate derived
      from the enzymatic modification of a specific substrate. Real-Time PCR (RT-PCR):
      PCR with locus or allelic specific primers whose amplification is revealed by
      particular probes (i.e., Taqman probes) hybridizing the DNA template within the
      two PCR primers and emitting fluorescent while the PCR reaction occurs.

PMID- 26498616
TI  - Detecting Allelic Expression Imbalance at Candidate Genes Using 5' Exonuclease
      Genotyping Technology.
AB  - Genetic variation along the length of a chromosome can influence the
      transcription of a gene. In a heterozygous individual, this may lead to one
      chromosome producing different levels of RNA, compared to its paired chromosome,
      for a given gene. Allelic differences in gene expression can offer insight into
      the role of variation in transcription, and subsequently infer a route to
      conferring disease risk. This phenomenon is known as allele expression imbalance
      or AEI, which may be assayed using a PCR-based method that includes the
      quantification of the relative dosage of each allele (e.g., 5' exonuclease
      assays, TaqManTM). Importantly, in heterozygous individuals the resolution of
      expression imbalance is performed within a controlled system; the comparison of
      the alternate allele is reported relative to the wild-type, as the experiment can
      be performed within a single sample, controlled for background genetic
      information. Alternative methods for the detection of AEI include Primer
      extension MALDI-TOF (Sequenom MassARRAY((r))), Next-Generation Sequencing, and
      SNP genotyping arrays. Here we present the methods used for the TaqManTM approach
      and include a description of the SNP identification, allele-specific PCR, and
      analytic methods to convert allele amplification metrics to relative allele
      dosage. 

PMID- 26498617
TI  - Gene Expression Profiling of Celiac Biopsies and Peripheral Blood Monocytes Using
      Taqman Assays.
AB  - Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) allows for highly sensitive, rapid, and
      reproducible quantification of mRNA: it has become an established technology for
      the quantification of gene expression with the 5' nuclease assay using
      TaqMan((r)) probes. It is used for a broad range of applications, including
      quantification of gene expression, measuring RNA interference, biomarker
      discovery, pathogen detection, and drug target validation. When studying gene
      expression with qPCR, scientists usually investigate changes-increases or
      decreases-in the quantity of particular gene products or a set of gene products.
      Investigations typically evaluate gene response to biological conditions such as
      disease states, exposure to pathogens or chemical compounds, organ or tissue
      location, and cell cycle or differentiation status. Here we describe this
      technique applied to molecular profiling of candidate genes in celiac biopsies
      and peripheral blood monocytes. Using data obtained by gene expression
      experiments, a discriminant equation has been developed that allows the correct
      classification of Celiac Disease (CD) patients compared to healthy controls, CD
      patients on a Gluten Free Diet (GFD), and other disease controls. 

PMID- 26498618
TI  - Cloning Gene Variants and Reporter Assays.
AB  - Recent advances have identified new genetic markers associated with the
      inheritance of celiac disease. These non-HLA target regions remain to be fully
      categorized. Investigation of associated SNPs indicates that the causal variants
      may alter specific gene expression. Thus, closer examination of potential causal
      variants found within regulatory regions could provide data relating to the
      mechanistic association. Molecular cloning is an established fundamental tool
      that enables investigators to examine the differential potential at a variant
      site. In conjunction with reporter gene assays, SNPs affecting gene expression
      can be uncovered and contribute to our understanding of the underlying pathogenic
      mechanisms. This chapter outlines the protocols necessary to clone risk variants
      and transfect these constructs into a T cell line for reporter assay analysis. 

PMID- 26498619
TI  - Epigenetic Methodologies for the Study of Celiac Disease.
AB  - Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is an important event for normal
      cellular homeostasis. Gene expression may be "switched" on or "turned" off via
      epigenetic means through adjustments in the architecture of DNA. These structural
      alterations result from histone posttranslation modifications such as acetylation
      and methylation on key arginine and lysine residues, or by alterations to DNA
      methylation. Other known epigenetic mechanisms invoke histone variant exchange or
      utilize noncoding RNAs (lncRNA/miRNA). Drugs which can target the epigenetic
      regulatory machinery are currently undergoing clinical trials in a wide variety
      of autoimmune diseases and cancer. Here we describe RNA isolation and the
      subsequent Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) methods, post
      epigenetic drug treatment, to identify genes, which may be responsive to such
      epigenetic targeting agents. In addition, we depict a chromatin
      immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay to determine the association between chromatin
      transcription markers and DNA following pretreatment of cell cultures with a
      histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDi). This assay allows us to determine whether
      treatment with an HDi dynamically remodels the promoter region of genes, as
      judged by the differences in the PCR product between our treated and untreated
      samples. Finally we describe two commonly used methodologies for analyzing DNA
      methylation. The first, methylation-sensitive high resolution melt analysis (MS
      HRM) is used for methylation screening of regions of interest, to identify
      potential epigenetic "hotspots." The second, quantitative methylation specific
      PCR (qMSP) is best applied when these hotspots are known, and offers a high
      throughput, highly sensitive means of quantifying methylation at specific CpG
      dinucleotides.

PMID- 26498620
TI  - Candidate Gene Knockdown in Celiac Disease.
AB  - RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful genetic tool that has created new
      opportunities in cell biology by allowing the specific modulation of gene
      expression under controlled conditions. Knockdown of genes associated with
      disease can provide valuable information pertaining to their function and
      potentially their role in the disease etiology. In the context of celiac disease,
      it allows us to examine closely the cellular changes that occur when the
      expression levels of genes of interest are reduced. Utilizing informative assays
      that demonstrate changes in cell behavior or other measurable endpoints such as
      cytokine production or migratory phenotypes can further our understanding of the
      pathogenic mechanisms in this prevalent autoimmune disorder. This chapter
      outlines protocols for examining the effects of RNAi on candidate genes and
      subsequent changes to migratory phenotype, transmigration, and adhesion. 

PMID- 26498621
TI  - Perl One-Liners: Bridging the Gap Between Large Data Sets and Analysis Tools.
AB  - Computational analyses of biological data are becoming increasingly powerful, and
      researchers intending on carrying out their own analyses can often choose from a
      wide array of tools and resources. However, their application might be obstructed
      by the wide variety of different data formats that are in use, from standard,
      commonly used formats to output files from high-throughput analysis platforms.
      The latter are often too large to be opened, viewed, or edited by standard
      programs, potentially leading to a bottleneck in the analysis. Perl one-liners
      provide a simple solution to quickly reformat, filter, and merge data sets in
      preparation for downstream analyses. This chapter presents example code that can
      be easily adjusted to meet individual requirements. An online version is
      available at http://bioinf.gen.tcd.ie/pol.

PMID- 26498622
TI  - Bioinformatic Analysis of Antigenic Proteins in Celiac Disease.
AB  - Investigation of the chemistry of the gliadin proteins has played an important
      role in our comprehension of how celiac disease (CoD) develops and progresses as
      a response to challenge with this immune stimulus. Studies in this area have
      implicated gut enzymes, tissue transglutaminase-mediated deamidation, and peptide
      binding affinity for the HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 molecules in disease pathogenesis. As
      the number and availability of prolamin sequences increases, the complexity and
      cost of laboratory analysis will similarly increase. Freely available tools to
      bioinformatically analyze candidate protein sequences can be employed as a low
      cost, high-return preliminary mechanism to focus one's laboratory analyses on the
      most rewarding sequences. This chapter describes the use of antigen prediction,
      deamidation prediction, and protease cleavage prediction as may be applied to CoD
      research.

PMID- 26498623
TI  - Quality Control Procedures for High-Throughput Genetic Association Studies.
AB  - Genome-wide association (GWA) studies provide an unbiased approach to discovering
      the role of genetic determinants of disease across the human genome. The case
      control design, the most frequently used GWA study design employed to date,
      compares allele frequencies in affected patients to those of unaffected controls.
      Several large-scale GWA studies have identified numerous risk variants for celiac
      disease (CD). However, due to their low marker density, the early GWA arrays
      failed to adequately capture much of the genetic variance associated with CD. The
      Immunochip, a custom Illumina Infinium high-density array containing 196,524
      common and rare polymorphisms, was developed to allow deep replication and fine
      mapping of the previously established GWA significant loci identified in 12 major
      autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including CD. It has the advantage of
      allowing uniform sets of genetic markers to be compared across all diseases. This
      chapter describes the methods used to perform Immunochip genotyping and the
      bioinformatics steps necessary for quality control and analysis of the resulting
      data. 

PMID- 26498624
TI  - Quality Control and Analysis of NGS RNA Sequencing Data.
AB  - Transcriptome sequencing, where RNA is isolated, converted to library of cDNA
      fragments, and sequenced using next-generation sequencing technology, has become
      the method of choice for the genome-wide characterization of mRNA levels. It
      offers a more accurate quantification of transcript levels than array-based
      methods, but also has the added benefit of allowing the discovery of novel
      gene/transcripts, alternative splice junctions, and novel RNAs. In addition, RNA
      sequencing may be used to investigate differential gene expression, allelic
      imbalance, eQTL mapping, RNA editing, RNA-protein interactions, and alternative
      splicing. A number of statistical methods and tools are available for
      differential expression analysis using RNA sequencing data and these are
      continually being developed and improved to handle more complex experimental
      designs. This chapter describes an example workflow for the quality control and
      analysis of raw RNA sequencing reads for the purposes of differential gene
      expression analysis, followed by pathway/enrichment analysis of significantly
      different genes. The methods and tools described are just one example of how this
      analysis can be conducted, but they can be applied to most standard RNA
      sequencing studies of differential gene expression. The methods covered are based
      on Illumina HiSeq single-end 50 bp reads. However, all programs used are capable
      of working with paired-end data, subsequent to minor adaptations. 

PMID- 26498625
TI  - Cell wall reconstruction and DNA damage repair play a key role in the improved
      salt tolerance effects of He-Ne laser irradiation in tall fescue seedlings.
AB  - The improved salt tolerance effects of He-Ne laser were further studied through
      the estimation of ROS levels, cell viability, DNA damage phenomena,
      physicochemical properties, and monosaccharide compositions of cell wall
      polysaccharides in tall fescue seedlings. Salt stress produced deleterious
      effects on seedlings growth and development. ROS levels and genomic DNA damage
      were markedly increased compared with controls. Physicochemical activities and
      monosaccharide proportions of cell wall polysaccharide were also pronouncedly
      altered. He-Ne laser irradiation improved plant growth retardation via increasing
      cell viability and reverting physicochemical parameters. According to the results
      of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) scanning spectra and DNA apopladder
      analysis, He-Ne laser was showed to efficiently ameliorate cell wall
      polysaccharide damage and DNA fragmentation phenomena. The treatment with DNA
      synthesis inhibitor further demonstrated that DNA damage repair was correlated
      with the improvement effects of the laser. Therefore, our data illustrated that
      He-Ne laser irradiation resulted in cell wall reconstruction and genomic DNA
      injury repair in vivo in salt-stressed seedlings, then enhanced salt tolerance
      probably via interactions between plant cell wall and related resistance gene
      expression pattern. 

PMID- 26498626
TI  - Three new compounds from Cinnamomum cassia.
AB  - Three new compounds, including two new diterpenoids, named epianhydrocinnzeylanol
      (1) and cinnacasiol H (2), and one hydroxylasiodiplodin, (3R,4S,6R)-4,6-dihydroxy
      de-O-methyllasiodiplodin (3), together with five known diterpenoids (4-8) and two
      known phenolic glycosides (9-10) were isolated from the barks of Cinnamomum
      cassia. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis and
      comparison of the chemical shift values with those of related known compounds.
      The anti-inflammatory activities of the isolates were evaluated on nitric oxide
      production in lipopolysaccharide-induced BV-2 microglial cells and the compounds
      showed weak inhibition activities. 

PMID- 26498627
TI  - DNA Folding Transition in Presence of Naphthylhydroxamic  Acids as Revealed by
      Fluorescence Microscopic Single Molecule  Observation Method.
AB  - Fluorescence microscopy is a field of growing applications in various fields as
      it can be used to study immunofluorescence,fluorescent proteins techniques, live
      cell imaging and many more. The present investigation is based on this single
      molecule observation technique to observe the effect of N-arylhydroxamic acids on
      lambda plasmid DNA and linear Bacteriophage T7 DNA. The compounds under present
      investigation include N-1-naphthyl-o-methylbenzohydroxamic acid,N-1-naphthyl-p
      methylbenzohydroxamic acid, N-1-naphthyl ethoxy benzo hydroxamic acid, N-1
      naphthylphenylacetohydroxamic acid and N-1-naphthyl valero hydroxamic acid. The
      hydrodynamic radius, RH of lambda DNA and long-axis length, l of T7 DNA were
      determined from the direct observation of Brownian motion of the DNA molecules in
      the absence and presence of hydroxamic acids. Folding transition was observed for
      lambda DNA as well as T7 DNA in the presence of naphthyl hydroxamic acids. N-1
      naphthylvalerohydroxamic acid was found to be most effective.

PMID- 26498628
TI  - Effect of Aptamer Binding on the Electron-Transfer Properties of Redox Cofactors.
AB  - In vitro selection or SELEX has allowed for the identification of functional
      nucleic acids (FNAs) that can potentially mimic and replace protein enzymes.
      These FNAs likely interact with cofactors, just like enzymes bind cofactors in
      their active sites. Investigating how FNA binding affects cofactor properties is
      important for understanding how an active site is formed and for developing
      useful enzyme mimics. Oxidoreductase enzymes contain cofactors in their active
      sites that allow the enzymes to do redox chemistry. In certain applications,
      these redox cofactors act as electron-transfer shuttles that transport electrons
      between the enzymes' active sites and electrode surfaces. Three redox cofactors
      commonly found in oxidoreductases are flavin adenine dinucleotide, nicotinamide
      adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)), and pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ). We are
      interested in investigating how DNA aptamers that bind these cofactors influence
      the cofactors' redox abilities and if these aptamer-cofactor complexes could
      serve as redox catalysts. We employed cyclic voltammetry and amperometry to study
      the electrochemical properties of NAD(+) and PQQ when bound to DNA aptamers. Our
      results suggest that the aptamers provide a stable environment for the cofactor
      to participate in redox reactions, although enhanced redox activity was not
      observed. This work provides a foundation for the development of new FNAs capable
      of redox activity. 

PMID- 26498629
TI  - Serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin is associated with
      cardiovascular events in patients with chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a member of the
      lipocalin family best known as a novel and early marker of acute kidney injury
      (AKI). Recent data suggest that NGQueryAL is not only a marker of AKI, but also
      an important player in the vascular remodeling, atherosclerotic plaque stability
      and thrombus formation. We conducted this study to investigate the association of
      serum NGAL levels with fatal and composite (fatal and non-fatal) cardiovascular
      events (CVE) in a cohort of patients with stage 1-5 CKD. METHODS: This was an
      observational cohort study in which serum NGAL was obtained from 298 CKD (stages
      1-5) patients. Fatal and composite CVE were recorded for a median 41 months. We
      examined alteration of serum NGAL through CKD groups as well as association with
      inflammatory markers. We also performed a Cox regression analysis to determine
      the association of NGAL with predefined clinical outcomes. RESULTS: The median
      value of NGAL was 50.5 ng/mL (IR 47.6-54.9 ng/mL), and higher NGAL values were
      recorded in diabetic patients. In a multiple linear regression model, including
      all univariate associates of NGAL, only log eGFR, log hs-CRP and log HDL
      cholesterol maintained an independent association with log NGAL. During the
      observational period, 30 patients died due to cardiovascular causes and 69 non
      fatal CVE were registered. In the fully adjusted model, we observed a 2.08-fold
      increase in the risk of fatal CVE and a 1.50-fold increase in the risk of fatal
      and non-fatal CVE for each increment of 1 SD in log NGAL values. CONCLUSIONS:
      This is the first study that shows that serum NGAL is associated with
      cardiovascular events (fatal and non-fatal) in patients with CKD, independently
      of traditional risk factors, renal function and inflammation.

PMID- 26498630
TI  - The effect of thermochemotherapy with mitomycin C on normal bladder urothelium,
      an experimental study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of thermochemotherapy with mitomycin C (MMC)
      on normal rabbit bladder urothelium and to compare it with standard intravesical
      MMC and hyperthermia with normal saline. METHODS: Twenty-four male New Zealand
      rabbits, with a mean weight of 2.7 kg (in weight of 2.1-4.3 kg), were divided
      into three groups, each containing eight rabbits. Thermotherapy with only normal
      saline was performed in the first group, standard intravesical MMC was performed
      in the second group, and thermotherapy with MMC was performed in the last group.
      A week after the primary procedure, total cystectomy was performed and tissue
      samples were evaluated. RESULTS: The presence of epithelial vacuolar degeneration
      (p = 0.001), epithelial hyperplasia (p = 0.000), subepithelial fibrosis (p =
      0.001) and hemorrhagic areas in the connective tissue (p = 0.002) was observed
      statistically significantly higher in the standard MMC group than in
      thermotherapy with normal saline group. There was almost a significant difference
      among standard MMC and normal saline group in terms of vascular congestion in the
      connective tissue (p = 0.08). Presence of epithelial vacuolar degeneration (p =
      0.002), epithelial hyperplasia (p = 0.002), subepithelial fibrosis (p = 0.030),
      hemorrhagic areas (p = 0.011) and vascular congestion (p = 0.36) in the
      connective tissue was observed statistically significantly higher in the
      thermochemotherapy with MMC group than in standard intravesical MMC group.
      Polymorphonuclear cell infiltration was not considerable in any of the groups,
      and there was no significant difference between each groups (p = 0.140).
      CONCLUSION: Administration of intravesical MMC causes a toxic effect on the
      normal urothelium of the bladder rather than an inflammatory reaction. Heating
      MMC significantly increased this effect.

PMID- 26498631
TI  - Excellent graft and patient survival after renal transplantation from donors
      after brain death with acute kidney injury: a case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Whether organs from donors after brain death (DBD) with acute kidney
      injury (AKI) should be accepted for transplantation is still a matter of debate.
      METHODS: This was a retrospective, center-based, matched cohort study of 33 renal
      transplant patients who received a renal allograft from a DBD with AKI. Sixty
      five kidney transplants without donor AKI transplanted directly before and after
      the index transplantation served as controls. RESULTS: All AKI donors were
      classified according to RIFLE criteria: 9.1 % Risk, 54.6 % Injury, and 36.4 %
      Failure. Mean serum creatinine was 2.41 +/- 0.88 mg/dL at procurement and 1.06 +/
      0.32 mg/dL on admission. AKI donors had lower 24-h urine production (3.22 +/-
      1.95 vs. 4.59 +/- 2.53 L, p = 0.009) and received more frequently noradrenaline
      (93.9 vs. 72.3 %, p = 0.02) and/or adrenaline (15.2 vs. 1.5 %, p = 0.02).
      Recipient and transplant characteristics were similar except a more favorable HLA
      match in control patients (p = 0.01). Hemodialysis posttransplant was more
      frequently used in AKI recipients (14/33 [42.4 %] vs. 18/65 [27.7 %], p = 0.17).
      While significant elevations in serum creatinine were noted in these patients
      until 10 days after transplantation, this difference lost statistical
      significance by day 14. One-year graft survival was very similar when comparing
      the groups (93.6 % [95 % CI 76.8-98.4 %] vs. 90.3 % [95 % CI 79.6-95.5 %], log
      rank p = 0.58). CONCLUSIONS: Kidneys from AKI donors can be transplanted with
      excellent intermediate prognosis and should not be discarded.

PMID- 26498634
TI  - Transverse Anderson localization of light near Dirac points of photonic
      nanostructures.
AB  - We perform a comparative study of the Anderson localization of light beams in
      disordered layered photonic nanostructures that, in the limit of periodic layer
      distribution, possess either a Dirac point or a Bragg gap in the spectrum of the
      wavevectors. In particular, we demonstrate that the localization length of the
      Anderson modes increases when the width of the Bragg gap decreases, such that in
      the vanishingly small bandgap limit, namely when a Dirac point is formed, even
      extremely high levels of disorder are unable to localize the optical modes
      residing near the Dirac point. A comparative analysis of the key features of the
      propagation of Anderson modes formed in the Bragg gap or near the Dirac point is
      also presented. Our findings could provide valuable guidelines in assessing the
      influence of structural disorder on the functionality of a broad array of optical
      nanodevices. 

PMID- 26498632
TI  - Ibandronate in stable renal transplant recipients with low bone mineral density
      on long-term follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bone mineral density (BMD) has been reported to increase without
      specific treatment in long-term renal transplant recipients. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the effect of ibandronate on BMD and kidney function in
      long-term renal transplant recipients as compared to a control group.
      Furthermore, we searched for a gender-specific treatment effect of ibandronate on
      BMD. METHODS: In a retrospective, matched case-control study 60 stable renal
      transplant recipients were included on long-term follow-up. The patient cohort
      was divided into two groups. The control group (n = 30) comprised patients with
      close-to-normal bone mineral density who did not receive ibandronate treatment
      and the treatment group (n = 30) comprised patients with reduced bone mineral
      density who received ibandronate treatment. The groups were matched for sex, age
      at the time of renal transplantation, use of steroids, renal transplant function
      and time lag between the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) measurements and
      renal transplantation. Patients of the treatment group were treated with 12.0 +/-
      6.7 g ibandronate. Treatment cycles lasted 19.3 +/- 11.0 months. The first bone
      mineral density testing was performed 55.3 +/- 60.2 months after renal
      transplantation followed by a second measurement 26.8 +/- 12.1 months later.
      RESULTS: Both groups did not differ in absolute (g/cm(2)) or relative (%) changes
      in BMD at the lumbar spine (0.033 +/- 0.079 vs. 0.055 +/- 0.066 g/cm(2), p =
      0.217 and 3.6 +/- 7.8 vs. 6.4 +/- 8.1 %, p = 0.124) or femoral neck (0.013 +/-
      0.106 vs. 0.025 +/- 0.077 g/cm(2), p = 0.647 and 3.2 +/- 13.6 vs. 5.0 +/- 13.1 %,
      p = 0.544) over the study period. There was no correlation of ibandronate dosages
      with changes in BMD (LS: r = -0.089; p = 0.639 and FN: r =+0.288; p = 0.445). We
      could neither determine a negative effect of ibandronate on renal transplant
      function over the study period, estimated via the CKD-EPI formula (-2.9 +/- 7.6
      vs. -2.7 +/- 10.6 mL/min/1.73 m(2), p = 0.900) nor a gender-specific action of
      ibandronate on bone mass changes. CONCLUSIONS: Ibandronate treatment was safe
      with respect to renal transplant function but did not result in a significant
      additive improvement in bone mineral density as compared to the untreated control
      group. A gender-specific action of ibandronate on BMD at the LS or FN could not
      be determined either.

PMID- 26498635
TI  - A Comparison of Photocurrent Mechanisms in Quasi-Metallic and Semiconducting
      Carbon Nanotube pn-Junctions.
AB  - We present a comparative study of quasi-metallic (Eg ~ 100 meV) and
      semiconducting (Eg ~ 1 eV) suspended carbon nanotube pn-junctions introduced by
      electrostatic gating. While the built-in fields of the quasi-metallic carbon
      nanotubes (CNTs) are 1-2 orders of magnitude smaller than those of the
      semiconducting CNTs, their photocurrent is 2 orders of magnitude higher than the
      corresponding semiconducting CNT devices under the same experimental conditions.
      Here, the large exciton binding energy in semiconducting nanotubes (~400 meV)
      makes it difficult for excitons to dissociate into free carriers that can
      contribute to an externally measured photocurent. As such, semiconducting
      nanotubes require a phonon to assist in the exciton dissociation process, in
      order to produce a finite photocurrent, while quasi-metallic nanotubes do not.
      The quasi-metallic nanotubes have much lower exciton binding energies (~50 meV)
      as well as a continuum of electronic states to decay into and, therefore, do not
      require the absorption of a phonon in order to dissociate, making it much easier
      for these excitons to produce a photocurrent. We performed detailed simulations
      of the band energies in quasi-metallic and semiconducting nanotube devices in
      order to obtain the electric field profiles along the lengths of the nanotubes.
      These simulations predict maximum built-in electric field strengths of 2.3 V/MUm
      for semiconducting and 0.032-0.22 V/MUm for quasi-metallic nanotubes under the
      applied gate voltages used in this study. 

PMID- 26498636
TI  - Fruit, vegetable and vitamin C intakes and plasma vitamin C: cross-sectional
      associations with insulin resistance and glycaemia in 9-10 year-old children.
AB  - AIM: To examine whether low circulating vitamin C concentrations and low fruit
      and vegetable intakes were associated with insulin resistance and other Type 2
      diabetes risk markers in childhood. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional,
      school-based study in 2025 UK children aged 9-10 years, predominantly of white
      European, South-Asian and black African origin. A 24-h dietary recall was used to
      assess fruit, vegetable and vitamin C intakes. Height, weight and fat mass were
      measured and a fasting blood sample collected to measure plasma vitamin C
      concentrations and Type 2 diabetes risk markers. RESULTS: In analyses adjusting
      for confounding variables (including socio-economic status), a one interquartile
      range higher plasma vitamin C concentration (30.9 MUmol/l) was associated with a
      9.6% (95% CI 6.5, 12.6%) lower homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance
      value, 0.8% (95% CI 0.4, 1.2%) lower fasting glucose, 4.5% (95% CI 3.2, 5.9%)
      lower urate and 2.2% (95% CI 0.9, 3.4%) higher HDL cholesterol. HbA1c
      concentration was 0.6% (95% CI 0.2, 1.0%) higher. Dietary fruit, vegetable and
      total vitamin C intakes were not associated with any Type 2 diabetes risk
      markers. Lower plasma vitamin C concentrations in South-Asian and black African
      Caribbean children could partly explain their higher insulin resistance.
      CONCLUSIONS: Lower plasma vitamin C concentrations are associated with insulin
      resistance and could partly explain ethnic differences in insulin resistance.
      Experimental studies are needed to establish whether increasing plasma vitamin C
      can help prevent Type 2 diabetes at an early stage.

PMID- 26498637
TI  - The pharmacological and hormonal therapy of hot flushes in breast cancer
      survivors.
AB  - The side effects of oncological treatment, which appear during or after therapy,
      are sometimes very annoying for patients and are not adequately treated by
      physicians. Among the symptoms experienced by breast cancer patients are hot
      flushes, which result from a natural or cancer therapy-induced menopause. The
      intensity of hot flushes in breast cancer patients may be more severe than those
      experienced by women undergoing a natural menopause. Taking into account the
      incidence of breast cancer and long-lasting hormone-suppression therapies, the
      problem of hot flushes will affect many women. Hormonal replacement therapy, the
      most effective therapeutic means for alleviating hot flushes, is usually
      contraindicated for breast cancer patients. For intense and severe hot flushes,
      pharmacological treatment using agents from a group of selective serotonin
      reuptake inhibitors and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors such as
      venlafaxine or citalopram may be introduced. Other agents from different
      pharmacological groups, such as clonidine, gabapentin, or pregabalin, have also
      proved to be effective in treating hot flushes. The efficacy of phytoestrogens
      has not been proven in randomized clinical trials. The importance of the placebo
      effect in decreasing vasomotor symptoms has also been reported in many research
      papers. Educating breast cancer patients in lifestyle changes which decrease the
      frequency and intensity of vasomotor symptoms can offer significant help too.
      This paper reviews the current state of research in order to assess the options
      for the treatment of hot flushes in breast cancer survivors. 

PMID- 26498638
TI  - Tackling in Youth Football.
AB  - American football remains one of the most popular sports for young athletes. The
      injuries sustained during football, especially those to the head and neck, have
      been a topic of intense interest recently in both the public media and medical
      literature. The recognition of these injuries and the potential for long-term
      sequelae have led some physicians to call for a reduction in the number of
      contact practices, a postponement of tackling until a certain age, and even a ban
      on high school football. This statement reviews the literature regarding injuries
      in football, particularly those of the head and neck, the relationship between
      tackling and football-related injuries, and the potential effects of limiting or
      delaying tackling on injury risk.

PMID- 26498640
TI  - KDM3A confers metastasis and chemoresistance in epithelial ovarian cancer.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between KDM3A
      expression and the clinicopathological parameters of patients with epithelial
      ovarian cancer (EOC). KDM3A expression was analyzed using immunohistochemistry in
      EOC tissue microarray containing 90 paired cases of EOC and matched normal
      control. The expression level of KDM3A protein in EOC tissues was significantly
      higher than that of adjacent normal control tissues. In addition, positive
      expression of KDM3A correlated with the metastases. Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier
      survival analysis showed that a high expression level of KDM3A resulted in a
      significantly poor prognosis of EOC patients. Knock-down of KDM3A could suppress
      both the proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro EOC cell lines OV-2008
      and ES-2. Additionally, knock-down of KDM3A not only could enhance cellular
      apoptosis induced by Cisplatin and Paclitaxel, but also induced some pro
      apoptotic genes expression. Our data is the first to demonstrate that increased
      KDM3A expression in EOC is significantly associated with metastases and poor
      prognosis; and that KDM3A promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of
      EOC cells. Knock-down of KDM3A may be an important complement to EOC that is
      resistant or refractory to chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26498639
TI  - Suppression of A549 cell proliferation and metastasis by calycosin via inhibition
      of the PKC-alpha/ERK1/2 pathway: An in vitro investigation.
AB  - The migration and invasion of lung cancer cells into the extracellular matrix
      contributes to the high mortality rates of lung cancer. The protein kinase C
      (PKC) and downstream signaling pathways are important in the invasion and
      migration of lung cancer cells. Calycosin (Cal), an effector chemical from
      Astragalus has been reported to affect the recurrence and metastasis of cancer
      cells via the regulation of the protein expression of matrix metalloproteinases
      (MMPs). The inhibition of Cal on the migration and invasion of A549 cells was
      investigated in the present study. Cell viability and apoptosis assays were
      performed using MTT and flow cytometric analyses. A wound healing assay and
      Transwell invasion assay were performed to evaluate the effect of Cal on A549
      cell migration and invasion. Invasion-associated proteins, including MMP-2, MMP
      9, E-cadherin (E-cad), integrin beta1, PKC-alpha and extracellular signal
      regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) were detected using western blotting. In addition,
      PKC-alpha inhibitor, AEB071, and ERK1/2 inhibitor, PD98059, were used to
      determine the association between the suppression of PKC-alpha /ERK1/2 and
      invasion, MMP-2, MMP-9, E-cad and integrin beta1. Cal was observed to suppress
      cell proliferation and induce apoptosis. There were significant differences
      between the phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (TPA)-induced A549 cells treated with
      Cal and the untreated cells in the rates of migration and invasion. The levels of
      MMP-2, MMP-9, E-cad and integrin beta1 in the TPA-induced A549 cells changed
      markedly, compared with the untreated cells. In addition, the suppression of Cal
      was affected by the PKC inhibitor, AEB071, an ERK1/2 inhibitor, PD98059. The
      results of the present study indicated that Cal inhibited the proliferation,
      adhesion, migration and invasion of the TPA-induced A549 cells. The Cal-induced
      repression of PKC-alpha/ERK1/2, increased the expression of E-Cad and inhibited
      the expression levels of MMP-2, MMP-9 and integrin beta1, which possibly
      demonstrates the mechanism underlying the biological anticancer effects of Cal. 

PMID- 26498641
TI  - alpha7nAChR is expressed in satellite cells at different myogenic status during
      skeletal muscle wound healing in rats.
AB  - Recent study has reported that alpha7 nicotine acetylcholine receptor
      (alpha7nAChR) is expressed in regenerated multinucleated myotubes. But the
      distribution of alpha7nAChR in satellite cells in different myogenic status is
      unknown. A preliminary study on the dynamic distribution of alpha7nAChR in
      satellite cells was performed by double indirect immunofluorescent procedures
      during skeletal muscle wound healing in rats. An animal model of skeletal muscle
      contusion was established in 40 Sprague-Dawley male rats. Samples were taken at
      1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 13, 17 and 21 days after injury, respectively (five rats in each
      posttraumatic interval). Five rats were employed as control. In normal muscle
      specimens, weak immunoreactivity for alpha7nAChR was detected in a few satellite
      cells (considered as quiescent). alpha7nAChR-positive signals were observed in
      proliferated and differentiated satellite cells and regenerated multinucleated
      myotubes in the wounded areas. By morphometric analysis, the average number of
      alpha7nAChR+/Pax7+ and alpha7nAChR+/MyoD+ cells climaxed at 5 days post-injury.
      The average number of alpha7nAChR+/myogenin+ cells was significantly increased
      from 3 to 9 days post-injury as compared with other posttraumatic intervals. The
      protein level of alpha7nAChR maximized at 9 days post-injury, which implies that
      alpha7nAChR was associated with the satellite cells status. Our observations on
      expression of alpha7nAChR in satellite cells from quiescence to myotube formation
      suggest that alpha7nAChR may be involved in muscle regeneration by regulating
      satellite cell status.

PMID- 26498642
TI  - Two-year results of combined intravitreal ranibizumab and photodynamic therapy
      for retinal angiomatous proliferation.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was clarify the efficacy of combination therapy of
      intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) injections and photodynamic therapy (PDT) in
      patients with symptomatic retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) over 24 months.
      METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 37 naive eyes of 31 patients treated with
      three consecutive monthly IVR injections (0.5 mg/0.05 ml) and PDT and followed
      for at least 24 months. RESULTS: The mean logarithm of the minimum angle of
      resolution best-corrected visual acuity levels improved significantly (P <
      0.0001) from 0.63 at baseline to 0.39 at 24 months. Geographic atrophy (GA)
      involving the fovea developed in nine (24%) eyes, with a significant (P = 0.036)
      decrease in VA at 24 months and a high (100%) prevalence of reticular
      pseudodrusen (RPD) at baseline. Complete occlusion of the retinal-retinal
      anastomosis seen in 35 eyes was achieved in 33 eyes at month 24. The central
      retinal thickness decreased significantly (P < 0.0001) from 415 to 129 MUm at 24
      months. The mean number of treatments during 24 months was 2.5 PDT and 5.5 IVR
      injections. CONCLUSIONS: Combination therapy comprising IVR injections and PDT is
      generally effective in maintaining or improving VA and retinal morphology within
      2 years in eyes with RAP, except for eyes with baseline RPD, which are likely to
      develop GA in the fovea resulting in reduced VA.

PMID- 26498643
TI  - Organic and inorganic mercurials have distinct effects on cellular thiols, metal
      homeostasis, and Fe-binding proteins in Escherichia coli.
AB  - The protean chemical properties of the toxic metal mercury (Hg) have made it
      attractive in diverse applications since antiquity. However, growing public
      concern has led to an international agreement to decrease its impact on health
      and the environment. During a recent proteomics study of acute Hg exposure in E.
      coli, we also examined the effects of inorganic and organic Hg compounds on thiol
      and metal homeostases. On brief exposure, lower concentrations of divalent
      inorganic mercury Hg(II) blocked bulk cellular thiols and protein-associated
      thiols more completely than higher concentrations of monovalent organomercurials,
      phenylmercuric acetate (PMA) and merthiolate (MT). Cells bound Hg(II) and PMA in
      excess of their available thiol ligands; X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicated
      nitrogens as likely additional ligands. The mercurials released protein-bound
      iron (Fe) more effectively than common organic oxidants and all disturbed the
      Na(+)/K(+) electrolyte balance, but none provoked efflux of six essential
      transition metals including Fe. PMA and MT made stable cysteine monothiol adducts
      in many Fe-binding proteins, but stable Hg(II) adducts were only seen in
      CysXxx(n)Cys peptides. We conclude that on acute exposure: (a) the distinct
      effects of mercurials on thiol and Fe homeostases reflected their different
      uptake and valences; (b) their similar effects on essential metal and electrolyte
      homeostases reflected the energy dependence of these processes; and (c) peptide
      phenylmercury-adducts were more stable or detectable in mass spectrometry than
      Hg(II)-adducts. These first in vivo observations in a well-defined model organism
      reveal differences upon acute exposure to inorganic and organic mercurials that
      may underlie their distinct toxicology. 

PMID- 26498645
TI  - The outcome of children with selective mutism following cognitive behavioral
      intervention: a follow-up study.
AB  - Selective mutism (SM) is a relatively rare childhood disorder and is
      underdiagnosed and undertreated. The purpose of the retrospective naturalistic
      study was to examine the long-term outcome of children with SM who were treated
      with specifically designed modular cognitive behavioral therapy (MCBT). Parents
      of 36 children who met diagnostic criteria of SM that received MCBT treatment
      were invited for a follow-up evaluation. Parents were interviewed using
      structured scales and completed questionnaires regarding the child, including the
      Selective Mutism Questionnaire (SMQ). Twenty-four subjects were identified and
      evaluated. Their mean age +/- SD of onset of SM symptoms, beginning of treatment,
      and age at follow-up were 3.4 +/- 1.4, 6.4 +/- 3.1, and 9.3 +/- 3.4 years,
      respectively. There was robust improvement from beginning of treatment to follow
      up evaluation in SM, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobia symptoms. The
      recovery rate from SM was 84.2 %. CONCLUSION: SM-focused MCBT is feasible in
      children and possibly effective in inducing long-term reduction of SM and
      comorbid anxiety symptoms. WHAT IS KNOWN: * There are limited empirical data on
      selective mutism (SM) treatment outcome and specifically on cognitive-behavioral
      therapy, with the majority of studies being uncontrolled case reports of 1 to 2
      cases each. * There is also limited data on the long-term outcome of children
      with SM following treatment. What is New: * Modular cognitive behavioral
      treatment is a feasible and possibly effective treatment for SM. Intervention at
      a younger age is more effective comparing to an older age. * Treatment for SM
      also decreases the rate of psychiatric comorbidities, including separation
      anxiety disorder and specific phobia.

PMID- 26498644
TI  - Advances in Isolation Methods for Spermatogonial Stem Cells.
AB  - Stem cell research has led to many remarkable achievements in recent years, but
      progress in the study of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) has been relatively
      slow, partly due to the slow development of techniques for spermatogonial stem
      cell isolation. The major accomplishments of SSC sorting and identification
      occurred approximately 10 years ago, and since that time, these techniques have
      been widely used without major improvements. In this article, we briefly
      introduce the biological properties of SSCs before reviewing the development of
      sorting techniques for SSCs in the past decades. We then summarize recent
      achievements in SSC sorting and finally discuss the advantages and disadvantages
      of SSC isolation methods, to provide new insight into techniques and research
      related to spermatogonial stem cells and promote the development of reproductive
      biology.

PMID- 26498646
TI  - The perfusion index of healthy term infants during transition at birth.
AB  - Perfusion index is a continuous parameter provided by pulse oximetry and might be
      useful for evaluating hemodynamic changes at birth and identifying transitional
      problems. The objective was to describe perfusion index values in term infants
      immediately after birth. Perfusion index of 71 healthy term born infants were
      recorded during the first 10 min after birth, using a pulse oximetry sensor
      placed preductally. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare between time
      points. No significant trend in perfusion index could be observed in term
      delivered infants. There was a significant difference between 2 and 3 min (2.4
      (1.6-5.0) vs. 2.3 (1.6-3.7), p = 0.05) and between 3 and 4 min after birth (2.3
      (1.6-3.7) vs. 2.1 (1.4-3.2), p < 0.001). There was no significant change in
      median PI values in the following 8 min. CONCLUSION: Perfusion index does not
      change significantly during transition at birth in healthy term infants born by
      normal vaginal delivery or cesarean section. Large variation in perfusion index
      causes monitoring this parameter to have limited value. WHAT IS KNOWN: *
      Perfusion index is a non-invasive indicator for peripheral perfusion. * Perfusion
      index values <1.24 are seen as an accurate predictor for severity of illness for
      infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. What is new: * Although
      significant physiological changes occur during birth, perfusion index remains
      stable. * Large variation in perfusion index causes monitoring of this value to
      have limited value as an additional parameter for evaluating transition at birth.

PMID- 26498647
TI  - Patients with anorectal malformation and upper limb anomalies: genetic evaluation
      is warranted.
AB  - The objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of genetic disorders in
      anorectal malformation (ARM) patients with upper limb anomalies to that in ARM
      patients with other associated anomalies. A retrospective case study was
      performed in two pediatric surgery centers. All patients born between 1990 and
      2012 were included. VACTERL (vertebral defects (V), anal atresia (A), cardiac
      malformations (C), tracheoesophageal fistula with esophageal atresia (TE), renal
      dysplasia (R), and limb anomalies (L)) was defined as at least three components
      present. We included 700 ARM patients: 219 patients (31 %) had isolated ARM, 43
      patients (6 %) had a major upper limb anomaly, and 438 patients (63 %) had other
      associated anomalies. The most prevalent upper limb anomalies were radial
      dysplasia (n = 12) and hypoplastic thumb (n = 11). Ten of the 43 patients (23 %)
      with an upper limb anomaly were diagnosed with a genetic disorder-nine also met
      the VACTERL criteria-vs. 9 % of ARM patients with other anomalies (p = 0.004, chi
      squared test). CONCLUSION: Genetic disorders are twice as frequently diagnosed in
      ARM patients with upper limb anomalies than in those with other anomalies. As
      they also frequently meet the VACTERL criteria, it is important to consider
      VACTERL as a diagnosis per exclusionem. Genetic counseling is certainly warranted
      in these patients. WHAT IS KNOWN: * Anorectal malformations (ARMs) often co-occur
      with other congenital anomalies, including upper limb anomalies, mainly of pre
      axial origin. * Co-occurrence of ARMs and upper limb anomalies is seen in
      disorders such as Townes-Brocks syndrome, Fanconi anemia, and VACTERL
      association. What is New: * ARM patients with a major upper limb anomaly-with or
      without other congenital anomalies-have a twofold greater chance of a genetic
      disorder than have non-isolated ARM patients without upper limb anomalies. * Not
      all upper limb anomalies in ARM patients are part of the VACTERL association; a
      workup for genetic evaluation is proposed.

PMID- 26498648
TI  - Epidemiology of haemolytic uremic syndrome in children. Data from the North
      Italian HUS network.
AB  - Despite the severity of HUS and the fact that it represents a leading cause of
      acute kidney injury in children, the general epidemiology of HUS is all but well
      documented. The present study provides updated, population-based, purely
      epidemiological information on HUS in childhood from a large and densely
      populated area of northern Italy (9.6 million inhabitants, 1.6 million children).
      We systematically reviewed the files concerning patients with STEC-HUS and
      atypical HUS (aHUS) over a 10-year observation period (January 2003-December
      2012). We included all incident cases with a documented first episode of HUS
      before the age of 18 years. We identified 101 cases of HUS during the 10 years.
      The overall mean annual incidence was 6.3 cases/million children aged <18 years
      (range 1.9-11.9), and 15.7/million of age-related population (MARP) among
      subjects aged <5 years; aHUS accounted for 11.9 % of the cases (mean incidence
      0.75/MARP). The overall case fatality rate was 4.0 % (3.4 % STEC-HUS, 8.3 %
      aHUS). CONCLUSION: Given the public health impact of HUS, this study provides
      recent, population-based epidemiological data useful for healthcare planning and
      particularly for estimating the financial burden that healthcare providers might
      have to face in treating HUS, whose incidence rate seems to increase in Northern
      Italy. WHAT IS KNOWN: * HUS is a rare disease, but it represents the leading
      cause of acute kidney injury in children worldwide. * STEC-HUS (also called
      typical, D + HUS) is more common compared to atypical HUS, but recent, population
      based epidemiological data (incidence) are scanty. What is New: * Comprehensive,
      population-based epidemiological data concerning both typical and atypical HUS
      based on a long observational period.

PMID- 26498649
TI  - Do Men Receive Information Required for Shared Decision Making About PSA Testing?
      Results from a National Survey.
AB  - Most professional organizations, including the American College of Physicians and
      U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, emphasize that screening for prostate cancer
      with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test should only occur after a detailed
      discussion between the health-care provider and patient about the known risks and
      potential benefits of the test. In fact, guidelines strongly advise health-care
      providers to involve patients, particularly those at elevated risk of prostate
      cancer, in a "shared decision making" (SDM) process about PSA testing. We
      analyzed data from the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National
      Trends Survey 2011-2012-a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey-to
      examine the extent to which health professionals provided men with information
      critical to SDM prior to PSA testing, including (1) that patients had a choice
      about whether or not to undergo PSA testing, (2) that not all doctors recommend
      PSA testing, and (3) that no one is sure if PSA testing saves lives. Over half
      (55 %) of men between the ages of 50 and 74 reported ever having had a PSA test.
      However, only 10 % of men, regardless of screening status, reported receiving all
      three pieces of information: 55 % reported being informed that they could choose
      whether or not to undergo testing, 22 % reported being informed that some doctors
      recommend PSA testing and others do not, and 14 % reported being informed that no
      one is sure if PSA testing actually saves lives. Black men and men with lower
      levels of education were less likely to be provided this information. There is a
      need to improve patient-provider communication about the uncertainties associated
      with the PSA test. Interventions directed at patients, providers, and practice
      settings should be considered.

PMID- 26498650
TI  - Expansion of quiescent lung adenocarcinoma CD8+ T cells by MUC1-8-mer peptide-T2
      cell-beta2 microglobulin complexes.
AB  - Adoptive immunotherapy requires the isolation of CD8+ T cells specific for tumor
      associated antigens, their expansion in vitro and their transfusion to the
      patient to mediate a therapeutic effect. MUC1 is an important adenocarcinoma
      antigen immunogenic for T cells. The MUC1-derived SAPDTRPA (MUC1-8-mer) peptide
      is a potent epitope recognized by CD8+ T cells in murine models. Likewise, the T2
      cell line has been used as an antigen-presenting cell to activate CD8+ T cells,
      but so far MUC1 has not been assessed in this context. We evaluated whether the
      MUC1-8-mer peptide can be presented by T2 cells to expand CD25+CD8+ T cells
      isolated from HLA-A2+ lung adenocarcinoma patients with stage III or IV tumors.
      The results showed that MUC1-8-mer peptide-loaded T2 cells activated CD8+ T cells
      from cancer HLA-A2+ patients when anti-CD2, anti-CD28 antibodies and IL-2 were
      added. The percentage of CD25+CD8+ T cells was 3-fold higher than those in the
      non-stimulated cells (P=0.018). HLA-A2+ patient cells showed a significant
      difference (2.3-fold higher) in activation status than HLA-A2+ healthy control
      cells (P=0.04). Moreover, 77.6% of MUC1-8-mer peptide-specific CD8+ T cells
      proliferated following a second stimulation with MUC1-8-mer peptide-loaded T2
      cells after 10 days of cell culture. There were significant differences in the
      percentage of basal CD25+CD8+ T cells in relation to the cancer stage; this
      difference disappeared after MUC1-8-mer peptide stimulation. In conclusion,
      expansion of CD25+CD8+ T cells by MUC1-8 peptide-loaded T2 cells plus
      costimulatory signals via CD2, CD28 and IL-2 can be useful in adoptive
      immunotherapy.

PMID- 26498651
TI  - Design and optimization of peptide nanoparticles.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Various supra-molecular structures form by self-assembly of proteins
      in a symmetric fashion. Examples of such structures are viruses, some bacterial
      micro-compartments and eukaryotic vaults. Peptide/protein-based nanoparticles are
      emerging in synthetic biology for a variety of biomedical applications, mainly as
      drug targeting and delivery systems or as vaccines. Our self-assembling peptide
      nanoparticles (SAPNs) are formed by a single peptide chain that consists of two
      helical coiled-coil segments connected by a short linker region. One helix is
      forming a pentameric coiled coil while the other is forming a trimeric coiled
      coil. RESULTS: Here, we were studying in vitro and in silico the effect of the
      chain length and of point mutations near the linker region between the pentamer
      and the trimer on the self-assembly of the SAPNs. 60 identical peptide chains co
      assemble to form a spherical nanoparticle displaying icosahedral symmetry. We
      have stepwise reduced the size of the protein chain to a minimal chain length of
      36 amino acids. We first used biochemical and biophysical methods on the longer
      constructs followed by molecular dynamics simulations to study eleven different
      smaller peptide constructs. We have identified one peptide that shows the most
      promising mini-nanoparticle model in silico. CONCLUSIONS: An approach of in
      silico modeling combined with in vitro testing and verification yielded promising
      peptide designs: at a minimal chain length of only 36 amino acids they were able
      to self-assemble into proper nanoparticles. This is important since the
      production cost increases more than linearly with chain length. Also the size of
      the nanoparticles is significantly smaller than 20 nm, thus reducing the
      immunogenicity of the particles, which in turn may allow to use the SAPNs as drug
      delivery systems without the risk of an anaphylactic shock.

PMID- 26498652
TI  - Obestatin stimulates differentiation and regulates lipolysis and leptin secretion
      in rat preadipocytes.
AB  - Obestatin is a 23-amino acid peptide encoded by the ghrelin gene, which regulates
      food intake, body weight and insulin sensitivity. Obestatin influences glucose
      and lipid metabolism in mature adipocytes in rodents. However, the role of this
      peptide in rat preadipocytes remains to be fully understood. The current study
      characterized the effects of obestatin on lipid accumulation, preadipocyte
      differentiation, lipolysis and leptin secretion in rat primary preadipocytes.
      Obestatin enhanced lipid accumulation in rat preadipocytes and increased the
      expression of surrogate markers of preadipocyte differentiation. At the early
      stage of differentiation, obestatin suppressed lipolysis. By contrast, lipolysis
      was stimulated at the late stage of adipogenesis. Furthermore, obestatin
      stimulated the release of leptin, a key satiety hormone. Overall, the results
      indicated that obestatin promotes preadipocyte differentiation. Obestatin
      increased leptin release in preadipocytes, while the modulation of lipolysis
      appears to depend upon the stage of differentiation. 

PMID- 26498653
TI  - Cardiac CTA for evaluation of cardiac function in patients with congenital heart
      disease: the good, the bad and the ugly.

PMID- 26498654
TI  - Left atrial minimum volume is more strongly associated with N-terminal pro-B-type
      natriuretic peptide than the left atrial maximum volume in a community-based
      sample.
AB  - Previous data have demonstrated that left atrial (LA) minimum volume indexed for
      body surface area (LAVImin) is more strongly associated with the Doppler
      echocardiographic E/e' ratio than LA maximum volume index (LAVImax). We sought to
      explore if LAVImin was more closely related to serum levels of NT-proBNP than
      LAVImax and E/e' in the community. A community-based sample of 730 subjects
      underwent echocardiographic examinations and NT-proBNP measurements. The mean age
      of the participants was 66.3 years (range 38-86) and 72% were men. Age (Spearman
      correlation [rho] 0.533), LAVImin (rho 0.460), LAVImax (rho 0.360), estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (rho -0.349), and E/e' (rho 0.301; all P < 0.001) were
      strongly correlated with log-NT-proBNP. In a multiple linear regression model
      with log-NT-proBNP as dependent variable and LAVImin, LAVImax, E/e' ratio, and
      potential confounders as predictors, an adjusted R(2) of 44.9% was obtained. When
      excluding either of LAVImin (R(2) 42.6%, P < 0.001) or E/e' (R(2) 44.6%, P =
      0.019) the model fit was significantly reduced. In contrast, when LAVImax was
      excluded the model fit was preserved (R(2) 45.0%, P = 0.69). To detect an NT
      proBNP level of >125 ng/L, LAVImin yielded a significantly larger area under the
      receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.749 than LAVImax (AUC 0.701; P
      < 0.001) and E/e' (AUC 0.661; P < 0.001). In our community-based sample, LAVImin
      was more strongly associated with NT-proBNP than LAVImax. Moreover, the
      discriminatory power to detect an elevated NT-proBNP level was stronger in
      LAVImin than in LAVImax and E/e'. Our findings support previous data that LAVImin
      may be more closely related to LV filling function than LAVImax.

PMID- 26498656
TI  - Advanced abdominal pregnancy with successful outcome.

PMID- 26498655
TI  - Stent fracture and longitudinal compression detected on coronary CT angiography
      in the first- and new-generation drug-eluting stents.
AB  - To evaluated prevalence and clinical implication of stent fracture and
      longitudinal compression in first- and new-generation drug-eluting stents (DES)
      using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). The incidence of stent
      fracture and longitudinal compression were compared between first- and new
      generation DES in 374 patients who underwent coronary stenting using DES and
      follow-up CCTA due to recurrent angina. 235 and 139 patients received 322 first-
      and 213 new-generation DES, respectively. The crude per-stent incidence of
      longitudinal compression (6.1 vs. 0.3 %, p < 0.001) was higher after new- than
      first-generation DES implantation using CCTA and the incidence of stent fracture
      (11.3 vs. 8.1 %, p = 0.23) was comparable. On follow-up coronary angiography for
      347 stents, stent fracture (3.2 %) and longitudinal compression (0.9 %) were less
      detected than those on CCTA. Ostial stenting was a risk factor of longitudinal
      compression (p < 0.001). Stent fracture was associated with younger patients (p =
      0.03), longer stent (p = 0.010), and excessively tortuous lesions (p = 0.001).
      The presence of stent fracture or longitudinal compression was not associated
      with poor clinical outcomes. The longitudinal compression more frequently
      occurred after new-generation DES implantation. The stent fracture was comparable
      between two DES. However, the occurrence of such mechanical deformities did not
      translate into a poor clinical outcome. 

PMID- 26498657
TI  - Erratum to: Prognostic relevance of microsatellite instability in pT3N0M0 colon
      cancer: a population-based study.

PMID- 26498658
TI  - The impacts of prolonged emergency department length of stay on clinical outcomes
      of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction after reperfusion.
AB  - Emergency department and hospital crowding have become an increasing problem. The
      clinical outcomes of prolonged emergency department (ED) length of stay in acute
      ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients after reperfusion are
      still unknown. Between January 2008 and December 2011, 432 consecutive patients
      with STEMI undergoing primary PCI were recruited. Patients were divided into two
      groups: the immediate admission group (length of ED stay <8 h; IA group) and the
      prolonged ED stay group (length of ED stay ?8 h; PS group). The median lengths of
      ED stay of the patients in both groups were 29.97 h in the PS group (n = 145,
      33.6%) and 1.78 h in the IA group (n = 287, 66.4%), respectively. The age,
      gender, risk factors of coronary artery disease, characteristic of coronary
      angiography, and TIMI risk score did not differ between the two groups. During
      nearly 4-year clinical follow-up, the short-term and long-term clinical outcomes
      were similar between the two groups. B-blocker and statins were used infrequently
      in the ED. In addition, patients with high TIMI risk score in the PS group had
      higher incidence of 1-year re-MI (6.8 vs. 1.8%; p = 0.045). In the era of primary
      PCI for STEMI patients after reperfusion, prolonged ED length of stay may not
      influence clinical outcomes. Patients with high TIMI risk score in the PS group
      still had a trend toward worse clinical outcome after long ED stays.

PMID- 26498659
TI  - Effect of smoking status on coronary artery disease among Chinese post-menopausal
      women.
AB  - Smoking is a prominent risk factor of cardiovascular diseases. The occurrence of
      myocardial infarction and mortality in smokers with cardiovascular diseases is
      several times higher than that in non-smokers. Smoking is associated with gender
      independent enhanced mortality. We determined the effect of smoking status on
      coronary artery disease (CAD) and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA)
      in Chinese post-menopausal women. Among these patients, those with significant
      CAD (>=50 % luminal narrowing) were further classified into one-, two-, or three
      vessel disease according to CCTA results. The following events were recorded: all
      cause mortality, non-fatal infarction and unstable angina. 2332 patients
      evaluated with CCTA included 1668 never smokers (71.5 %), 475 former smokers
      (20.4 %), and 189 current smokers (8.1 %). The current smokers exhibit greater
      luminal narrowing as observed on CCTA (p < 0.001) than the other subjects. During
      the median 685 +/- 269.8 days follow-up period, never-smoking women have a low
      incidence of events, whereas former and current smokers are associated with an
      increased incidence of such event (p < 0.001). Furthermore, current smoking and
      the presence of multiple-vessel disease on CCTA are independently associated with
      the events in the logistic regression analysis. Smoking status is related to
      significant CAD and luminal narrowing on CCTA in the Chinese post-menopausal
      smoking women. In addition, current smoking and the presence of multiple-vessel
      disease on CCTA can independently predict events of all-cause mortality, non
      fatal infarction or unstable angina. 

PMID- 26498660
TI  - Biomimetic sensor design.
AB  - Detection of desired target chemicals in a sensitive and selective manner is
      critically important to protect human health, environment and national security.
      Nature has been a great source of inspiration for the design of sensitive and
      selective sensors. In this mini-review, we overview the recent developments in
      bio-inspired sensor development. There are four major components of sensor
      design: design of receptors for specific targets; coating materials to integrate
      receptors to transducing machinery; sensitive transducing of signals; and
      decision making based on the sensing results. We discuss the biomimetic methods
      to discover specific receptors followed by a discussion about bio-inspired
      nanocoating material design. We then review the recent developments in phage
      based bioinspired transducing systems followed by a discussion of biomimetic
      pattern recognition-based decision making systems. Our review will be helpful to
      understand recent approaches to reverse-engineer natural systems to design
      specific and sensitive sensors. 

PMID- 26498661
TI  - Hospital pharmacists' perceptions of the suitability of doctor of pharmacy
      graduates in hospital settings in Thailand.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thai pharmacy education has moved to an all Doctor of Pharmacy
      (PharmD) programme. However, there has been no previous research about the
      perceptions regarding the suitability of PharmD graduates employed in hospital
      settings, which is the major pharmacy workforce in Thailand. METHODS: A cross
      sectional survey questionnaire was distributed to 180 hospital pharmacists at the
      2013 Association of Hospital Pharmacy (Thailand) conference. This study aimed to
      explore Thai hospital pharmacists' perceptions concerning the suitability of the
      PharmD graduates employed in hospital settings and the competency differences
      between the Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) and PharmD graduates. Descriptive
      statistics were used to present the participants' demographics and their
      perceptions. An inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the open-ended
      written answers. RESULTS: Ninety-eight valid responses were included in the data
      analysis (response rate of 55.6 %). The majority of the respondents (76.5 %) felt
      that the PharmD graduates were suited for the hospital setting and addressed its
      need for more professionals working in pharmaceutical care and with multi
      disciplinary teams. Approximately 55 % of respondents agreed that there were
      competency differences between the BPharm and PharmD graduates. Major themes
      emerged in response to the open-ended written answers showing that PharmD
      graduates had high competency in patient care services and readiness to work,
      particularly in large hospitals, due to their training to work in specialised
      areas (e.g., special clinics, ward rounds). However, PharmD graduates require
      more training in health promotion and humanistic skills and need the system to
      promote the role of PharmD in pharmaceutical care. CONCLUSIONS: PharmD graduates
      were suited for hospital settings. However, there were concerns regarding the
      suitability of the PharmD graduates for the community hospital and primary care
      hospital settings because of their insufficient training in health promotion and
      disease prevention. Half of the respondents perceived PharmD graduates as having
      higher competencies in clinical activities and being more prepared to work than
      BPharm graduates. However, the other half of the respondents perceived the
      competency of both pharmacy qualifications as being similar, as PharmD graduates
      provide non-clinical activities similar to BPharm graduates due to the high
      workload in dispensing services and the shortage of hospital pharmacists, which
      prevent PharmD graduates from providing direct pharmaceutical care services.

PMID- 26498663
TI  - Structure and properties of Al-MIL-53-ADP, a breathing MOF based on the aliphatic
      linker molecule adipic acid.
AB  - The new aluminium based metal-organic framework [Al(OH)(O2C-C4H8-CO2)].H2O
      denoted as Al-MIL-53-ADP-lp (lp stands for large pore) was synthesised under
      solvothermal conditions. This solid is an analogue of the archetypical aluminium
      terephthalate Al-MIL-53 based on the aliphatic single-chain linker molecule
      adipic acid (H2ADP, hexanedioic acid). In contrast to its aromatic counterparts,
      Al-MIL-53-ADP exhibits a structural breathing behaviour solely upon
      dehydration/rehydration. The crystal structure of the anhydrous compound denoted
      as Al-MIL-53-ADP-np (np stands for narrow pore) was determined by a combination
      of forcefield-based computations and Rietveld refinement of the powder X-ray
      diffraction data while the structure of the hydrated form Al-MIL-53-ADP-lp was
      derived computationally by a combination of force field based methods and Density
      Functional Theory calculations. Both structures were further supported by (1)H,
      (13)C and (27)Al high-resolution NMR MAS 1D data coupled again with simulations.
      Al-MIL-53-ADP was further characterised by means of vibrational spectroscopy,
      elemental analysis, thermogravimetry and water vapour sorption. 

PMID- 26498662
TI  - The unique transcriptional response produced by concurrent estrogen and
      progesterone treatment in breast cancer cells results in upregulation of growth
      factor pathways and switching from a Luminal A to a Basal-like subtype.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In breast cancer, progesterone receptor (PR) positivity or abundance
      is positively associated with survival and treatment response. It was initially
      believed that PR was a useful diagnostic marker of estrogen receptor activity,
      but increasingly PR has been recognised to play an important biological role in
      breast homeostasis, carcinogenesis and metastasis. Although PR expression is
      almost exclusively observed in estrogen receptor positive tumors, few studies
      have investigated the cellular mechanisms of PR action in the context of ongoing
      estrogen signalling. METHODS: In this study, we contrast PR function in estrogen
      pretreated ZR-75-1 breast cancer cells with vehicle treated ZR-75-1 and T-47D
      breast cancer cells using expression microarrays and chromatin
      immunoprecipitation-sequencing. RESULTS: Estrogen cotreatment caused a dramatic
      increase in the number of genes regulated by progesterone in ZR-75-1 cells. In T
      47D cells that have naturally high levels of PR, estrogen and progesterone
      cotreatment resulted in a reduction in the number of regulated genes in
      comparison to treatment with either hormone alone. At a genome level, estrogen
      pretreatment of ZR-75-1 cells led to a 10-fold increase in the number of PR DNA
      binding sites detected using ChIP-sequencing. Time course assessment of
      progesterone regulated genes in the context of estrogen pretreatment highlighted
      a series of important regulatory pathways, including those driven by epithelial
      growth factor receptor (EGFR). Importantly, progesterone applied to cells
      pretreated with estradiol resulted in switching of the PAM50-determined intrinsic
      breast cancer subtype from Luminal A to Basal-like, and increased the Oncotype
      DX(r) Unscaled Recurrence Score. CONCLUSION: Estrogen pretreatment of breast
      cancer cells increases PR steady state levels, resulting in an unequivocal
      progesterone response that upregulates key members of growth factor pathways. The
      transformative changes progesterone exerts on the breast cancer subtype suggest
      that these subtyping tools should be used with caution in premenopausal women.

PMID- 26498664
TI  - TCEA3 Attenuates Gastric Cancer Growth by Apoptosis Induction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate and interpret the expression
      level and potential function of TCEA3 in gastric cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      qRT-PCR was used to determine the expression level of TCEA3 in gastric cancer
      tissues. Pearson chi2 test was performed to clarify the correlation between TCEA3
      expression and patients' clinicopathologic characteristics. Biological function
      of TCEA3 was tested by proliferation assay and colony formation assay. Flow
      cytometry was used to study the potential function of TCEA3 in apoptosis
      induction. RESULTS: TCEA3 expression was significantly downregulated in gastric
      cancer tissues compared with paired normal tissues. Poor prognoses were observed
      in the low TCEA3 expression group of patients in contrast to the high TCEA3
      expression group. Functionally, upregulation of TCEA3 inhibited gastric cancer
      cell proliferation and colony formation. We also found that TCEA3 may attenuate
      cell growth through apoptosis induction. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that
      TCEA3 attenuates the proliferation and induces apoptosis of gastric cancer cells.

PMID- 26498666
TI  - 2015 ACC/AHA/SCAI Focused Update on Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
      for Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: An Update of the 2011
      ACCF/AHA/SCAI Guideline for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and the 2013
      ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

PMID- 26498665
TI  - Quantification of Plasmodium ex vivo drug susceptibility by flow cytometry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum
      and Plasmodium vivax highlights the need for objective measures of ex vivo drug
      susceptibility. Flow cytometry (FC) has potential to provide a robust and rapid
      quantification of ex vivo parasite growth. METHODS: Field isolates from Papua,
      Indonesia, underwent ex vivo drug susceptibility testing against chloroquine,
      amodiaquine, piperaquine, mefloquine, and artesunate. A single nucleic acid stain
      (i.e., hydroethidine (HE) for P. falciparum and SYBR Green I (SG) for P. vivax)
      was used to quantify infected red blood cells by FC-based signal detection. Data
      derived by FC were compared to standard quantification by light microscopy (LM).
      A subset of isolates was used to compare single and double staining techniques.
      RESULTS: In total, 57 P. falciparum and 23 P. vivax field isolates were collected
      for ex vivo drug susceptibility testing. Reliable paired data between LM and FC
      was obtained for 88 % (295/334) of these assays. The median difference of derived
      IC50 values varied from -5.4 to 6.1 nM, associated with 0.83-1.23 fold change in
      IC50 values between LM and FC. In 15 assays (5.1 %), the derived difference of
      IC50 estimates was beyond the 95 % limits of agreement; in eleven assays (3.7 %),
      this was attributable to low parasite growth (final schizont count < 40 %), and
      in four assays (1.4 %) due to low initial parasitaemia at the start of assay
      (<2000 ul(-1)). In a subset of seven samples, LM, single and double staining FC
      techniques generated similar IC50 values. CONCLUSIONS: A single staining FC-based
      assay using a portable cytometer provides a simple, fast and versatile platform
      for field surveillance of ex vivo drug susceptibility in clinical P. falciparum
      and P. vivax isolates.

PMID- 26498667
TI  - Moraxella catarrhalis bacteraemia and prosthetic valve endocarditis.
AB  - Moraxella catarrhalis, once considered a non-pathogenic coloniser of the
      oropharynx, has now been recognised as a true pathogen and is reported in cases
      of bacteraemia. A 63-year-old man with an aortic bioprosthetic valve was brought
      to the emergency room with altered mental status. Initial blood cultures revealed
      Gram-negative diplococci on Gram stain; echocardiogram showed a 5 mm vegetation
      on the aortic bioprosthetic valve. The blood cultures grew M. catarrhalis and the
      patient was treated medically for prosthetic valve endocarditis with 6 weeks of
      ceftriaxone and had a favourable clinical outcome. M. catarrhalis has a high
      prevalence of beta-lactamase production and hence the patient was treated with
      ceftriaxone. This case highlights the importance of considering M. catarrhalis as
      a pathogen in cases of invasive disease.

PMID- 26498668
TI  - Extramedullary plasmacytoma mimicking colon carcinoma: an unusual presentation
      and review of the literature.
AB  - A 72-year-old woman presented to outpatient clinic with fatigue, light
      headedness, dyspnoea and dark stool suggestive of lower gastrointestinal
      bleeding. She was previously diagnosed with multiple myeloma and completed 9
      cycles of chemotherapy with bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone. She had
      very good partial response. A CT scan of the abdomen revealed a 9 cm mass at the
      hepatic flexure of the large intestine with an apple core deformity causing a
      marked narrowing of the lumen. Colonoscopy confirmed a large, nearly obstructing
      ulcerative mass in the distal right colon. The patient underwent a right
      hemicolectomy, distal ileal resection and lymph node dissection. Histopathology
      confirmed the mass as a plasmacytoma. Postoperatively, the patient was started
      with bortezomib and liposomal doxorubicin followed by carfilzomib. She showed
      excellent response to the chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26498669
TI  - Two rare cases of head and neck tuberculosis.
AB  - Tuberculosis is an infectious disease, which is the leading cause of mortality
      and morbidity and is still a serious health concern. The fact that extra
      pulmonary tuberculosis does not have specific examination and radiographic
      findings and that clinical findings vary depending on the organ in which it is
      detected cause diagnostic difficulties. The head and neck region is an uncommon
      site for tuberculosis and tuberculosis can localise in many different places of
      the head and neck region. In this article, the authors present a case of
      nasopharyngeal tuberculosis, which clinically mimics nasopharyngeal carcinoma and
      rare cutaneous tuberculosis of the pinna. A wide knowledge of head and neck
      tuberculosis, including the disease in the differential diagnosis and carrying
      out microbiological examinations are necessary for accurate diagnosis. 

PMID- 26498670
TI  - Down syndrome--novel associations: antenatal strawberry-shaped skull, severe
      neonatal hepatitis and an unusual form of portosystemic hepatic shunt.

PMID- 26498671
TI  - Life-threatening ACE inhibitor-induced angio-oedema successfully treated with
      icatibant: a bradykinin receptor antagonist.
AB  - We present a case of a 75-year-old woman treated with an ACE inhibitor, who
      presented with angio-oedema of the tongue and had difficulty speaking. No
      symptoms of anaphylaxis or urticaria were present. The patient was treated
      intravenously with antihistamine and glucocorticoid in combination with
      adrenaline inhalations. After 6 h in the hospital the swelling progressed, and
      the patient was admitted to the intensive care unit and treated with one
      injection of icatibant-a bradykinin receptor antagonist. The patient reported
      subjective relief after 20-30 min and the swelling resolved within 2 h. Although
      the angio-oedema was potentially life threatening, the patient avoided intubation
      and mechanical ventilation. ACE inhibitor-induced angio-oedema is most likely
      caused by an accumulation of bradykinin and substance P. Consequently, a
      bradykinin receptor antagonist is the rational treatment of choice instead of
      antiallergic medications, which have no proven efficacy in this condition.

PMID- 26498672
TI  - Predictors of tooth loss due to periodontal disease in patients following long
      term periodontal maintenance.
AB  - AIM: To analyse patient-related factors (PRFs) and tooth-related factors (TRFs)
      associated with tooth loss due to periodontal disease (TLPD) in patients
      undergoing periodontal maintenance (PM). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The sample
      consisted of 500 patients (mean follow-up of 20 years). The impact of PRFs on
      TLPD was analysed with Poisson regression and multivariate logistic regression.
      The simultaneous impact of PRFs and TRFs was analysed with multilevel logistic
      regression and Cox regression. RESULTS: Tooth loss due to periodontal disease was
      515 (mean 0.05 patient/year). The significant PRFs were severe periodontitis (p <
      0.001), aggressive periodontitis (p < 0.001), smoking (p = 0.018), bruxism (p =
      0.022) and baseline number of teeth (p = 0.001). These PRFs allowed
      characterizing patients losing more teeth. The whole TRFs analysed were
      significant, depending on the type of tooth and the category of each factor (e.g.
      mobility 0, 1, 2, and 3). The significant PRFs increased the risk of TLPD by 2 to
      3 times while TRFs increased the risk to a higher extent. Mobility was the main
      TRF. CONCLUSIONS: Severe periodontitis, aggressive periodontitis, smoking,
      bruxism and baseline number of teeth, as well as the whole TRFs analysed, were
      associated with TLPD.

PMID- 26498673
TI  - Water insecurity in Canadian Indigenous communities: some inconvenient truths.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Canada has the second highest per capita water consumption in the
      world. However, little is known about complex socio-economic and cultural
      dynamics of water insecurities in Indigenous communities and the multiple health
      consequences. Most studies have concentrated on a simplified interpretation of
      accessibility, availability and quality issues, including some common water-borne
      infections as the only health outcomes. Thus, several government initiatives on
      potable water supply, particularly for remotely located communities, have failed
      to sustain and promote a healthy lifestyle. The objective was to explore the
      water insecurity, coping strategies and associated health risks in a small and
      isolated sub-Arctic Indigenous (Inuit) community in Canada. METHODS: The study
      was based on a community-based survey (2013) in one of the most remote Inuit
      communities of Labrador. In-depth, open-ended key informant (KI) interviews
      (community leader (1), woman (1), nurse (1), teacher (1), and elder (1)) and
      focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with community leaders (5),
      community members (25), women (5), and high school students (8). Convenience
      sampling was followed in selection of the subjects for FGDs and approached some
      KIs. All the water sources (five in April and seven in October) were visited and
      tested for their physical, chemical and microbiological parameters. The FGDs and
      KI interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. In the analysis, the data
      (qualitative and quantitative) were broadly categorized into (a) water sources,
      access and quality, (b) coping, (c) health risks and (d) challenges to run a
      public water system. RESULTS: The community did not have any piped water supply.
      Their regular sources of water consisted of several unmonitored local streams,
      brooks, and ponds. The public water system was not affordable to the majority of
      community members who solely depended on government aid. Animal fecal
      contamination (in natural sources such as streams, brooks, and ponds) and the
      presence of disinfection by-products (in the public water system) were the major
      quality issues. Gastro-intestinal infections were the most common disease in the
      community. Per capita water consumption was less than one-third of the Canadian
      national average (274 L/day/person), severely compromising personal hygiene and
      water intake. High-sugar-content beverages were the most common alternative to
      lack of accessible and affordable potable water, particularly for children.
      Mental stress due to water insecurity and chronic back and shoulder injuries due
      to carrying heavy water buckets every day were the commonly encountered adverse
      health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Water insecurity has put the community at risk of
      multiple serious adverse health outcomes. The scenario is not unique in Canada.
      There are many remote Indigenous communities facing similar kinds of water
      insecurity.

PMID- 26498674
TI  - Alterations in ductus venosus velocity indices in relation to umbilical venous
      pulsations and perinatal outcome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Abnormal blood velocity in the ductus venosus is more frequently
      detected than pulsations in the umbilical vein, but both are considered to be
      indicators of fetal compromise. The aim of this study was to investigate blood
      flow patterns in the ductus venosus and the association between individual blood
      velocity ratios and pulsations in the umbilical vein and perinatal outcome.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective cohort study on Doppler ultrasound
      examination of ductus venosus and umbilical venous blood velocity in 358 high
      risk pregnancies. Ductus venosus blood velocity pattern was analyzed for
      pulsatility index and the following velocity ratios: S/ES, S/a and ES/a (where S
      is systole, ES is end-systole, and a is atrial contraction). Ductus venosus ratio
      z-scores were calculated and related to pulsations in the umbilical vein and
      adverse perinatal outcome. RESULTS: Systolic ratios in the ductus venosus were
      less frequently abnormal than ratios taking into account diastolic velocities,
      particularly at full-term. High S/ES, ES/a ratios and pulsatility index (z-score
      >2), were all related to presence of pulsations in the umbilical vein. Umbilical
      venous pulsations were the best indicator of adverse perinatal outcome.
      CONCLUSIONS: Changes in ductus venosus blood flow during systole occur more
      rarely than diastolic changes, and alterations in end-diastolic blood velocity in
      the ductus venosus might give false-positive indications of worsening fetal
      condition. Umbilical venous pulsations seem to better predict adverse outcome of
      pregnancy than do indices in the ductus venosus.

PMID- 26498675
TI  - Association of TLR2 S450S and ICAM1 K469E polymorphisms with polycystic ovary
      syndrome (PCOS) and obesity.
AB  - Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are activated by inflammatory stimuli and influence
      endothelial functions, contributing to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We
      investigate the influence of polymorphisms in the genes encoding toll-like
      receptor 2 (TLR2) and 4 (TLR4) and endothelial adhesion molecules on polycystic
      ovary syndrome (PCOS) and its interaction with obesity. Ten single nucleotide
      polymorphisms were genotyped in 305 women with PCOS and 166 non-hyperandrogenic
      control women. In obese women, TLR2 S450S and ICAM1 K469E polymorphisms
      differently influenced metabolic variables and PCOS, respectively. Irrespective
      of PCOS, variant alleles of TLR2 S450S increased triglycerides, fasting insulin
      levels, and insulin resistance in obese women. TLR2 S450S interacted with obesity
      and PCOS on androstenedione levels, mutant alleles were associated with increased
      androstenedione concentrations in all women, with the exception of obese patients
      with PCOS (P=0.034). Regarding ICAM1 K469E, homozygosis for K469 alleles was more
      frequent in PCOS, but only in obese women (P=0.014). K469 alleles were also
      related to increased body mass index (P=0.017) and diastolic blood pressure
      (P=0.034). Moreover, ICAM1 K469E interacted with obesity and PCOS on serum
      triglyceride levels (P=0.019) and with PCOS on serum sex hormone-binding globulin
      concentrations (P=0.006). In conclusion, TLR2 S450S and ICAM1 K469E polymorphisms
      may be associated with PCOS and metabolic comorbidities in obese women. 

PMID- 26498676
TI  - Corrigendum: identification of a novel actin-dependent signal transducing module
      allows for the targeted degradation of GLI1.

PMID- 26498678
TI  - Dynamic configuration of reduced graphene oxide in aqueous dispersion and its
      effect on thin film properties.
AB  - The dynamic configuration of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in an aqueous
      dispersion is revealed by several characterization methods, showing a spontaneous
      and seemingly irreversible configuration transition from flat to highly
      corrugated sheets over time. Such dynamic behaviour of rGO leads to a tailored
      porous structure of graphene-based thin films. This affects their permeation and
      electrochemical properties, as well as future industry adoption of graphene. 

PMID- 26498677
TI  - Promoter-like epigenetic signatures in exons displaying cell type-specific
      splicing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pre-mRNA splicing occurs mainly co-transcriptionally, and both
      nucleosome density and histone modifications have been proposed to play a role in
      splice site recognition and regulation. However, the extent and mechanisms behind
      this interplay remain poorly understood. RESULTS: We use transcriptomic and
      epigenomic data generated by the ENCODE project to investigate the association
      between chromatin structure and alternative splicing. We find a strong and
      significant positive association between H3K9ac, H3K27ac, H3K4me3, epigenetic
      marks characteristic of active promoters, and exon inclusion in a small but well
      defined class of exons, representing approximately 4 % of all regulated exons.
      These exons are systematically maintained at comparatively low levels of
      inclusion across cell types, but their inclusion is significantly enhanced in
      particular cell types when in physical proximity to active promoters. CONCLUSION:
      Histone modifications and other chromatin features that activate transcription
      can be co-opted to participate in the regulation of the splicing of exons that
      are in physical proximity to promoter regions.

PMID- 26498679
TI  - Radiotherapy in Gorlin Syndrome: Can It Be Safe and Effective in Adult Patients?
AB  - Gorlin syndrome, also known as nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome, is a rare
      autosomal dominant disorder with multiple manifestations including early onset of
      cutaneous basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). Radiotherapy has traditionally been
      contraindicated due to reports of BCC induction. We describe here a patient
      treated successfully with radiotherapy with no tumour induction at 57 months of
      follow-up. A comprehensive literature review of radiotherapy outcomes in patients
      with Gorlin syndrome suggests radiotherapy may be a feasible treatment option for
      adult patients with treatment refractory lesions or surgical contraindication. 

PMID- 26498680
TI  - CD147 reinforces [Ca2+]i oscillations and promotes oncogenic progression in
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Oscillations in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) mediate various
      cellular function. Although it is known that [Ca2+]i oscillations are susceptible
      to dysregulation in tumors, the tumor-specific regulators of [Ca2+]i oscillations
      are poorly characterized. We discovered that CD147 promotes hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) metastasis and proliferation by enhancing the amplitude and
      frequency of [Ca2+]i oscillations in HCC cells. CD147 activates two distinct
      signaling pathways to regulate [Ca2+]i oscillations. By activating FAK-Src-IP3R1
      signaling pathway, CD147 promotes Ca2+ release from endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
      and enhances the amplitude of [Ca2+]i oscillations. Furthermore, CD147
      accelerates ER Ca2+refilling and enhances the frequency of [Ca2+]i oscillations
      through activating CaMKP-PAK1-PP2A-PLB-SERCA signaling pathway. Besides, CD147
      promoted ER Ca2+ release and refilling are tightly regulated by changing [Ca2+]i.
      CD147 may activate IP3R1 channel under low [Ca2+]i conditions and CD147 may
      activate SERCA pump under high [Ca2+]i conditions. CD147 deletion suppresses HCC
      tumorigenesis and increases the survival rate of liver-specific CD147 knockout
      mice by regulating [Ca2+]i oscillations in vivo. Together, these results reveal
      that CD147 functions as a critical regulator of ER-dependent [Ca2+]i oscillations
      to promote oncogenic progression in HCC.

PMID- 26498681
TI  - Tunicamycin enhances the antitumor activity of trastuzumab on breast cancer in
      vitro and in vivo.
AB  - Trastuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting HER2, has demonstrated
      clinical benefits for women with HER2-positive breast cancer; however,
      trastuzumab resistance remains the biggest clinical challenge. In this study,
      results showed that tunicamycin, an inhibitor of N-glycosylation, synergistically
      enhanced the antitumor activity of trastuzumab against HER2-overexpressing breast
      cancer cells through induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Combined
      treatment of tunicamycin with trastuzumab dramatically decreased the expression
      of EGFR family and its down signaling pathway in SKBR3 and MCF-7/HER2 cells.
      Tunicamycin dose-dependently inhibited tumor growth in both of SKBR3 xenografts
      and MCF-7/HER2 xenografts. Optimal tunicamycin without inducing ER stress in
      liver tissue significantly increased the antitumor effect of trastuzumab in MCF
      7/HER2 xenografts. Combinations of trastuzumab with N-glycosylation inhibitors
      tunicamycin may be a promising approach for improving clinical efficacy of
      trastuzumab. 

PMID- 26498682
TI  - MiR-652 inhibits acidic microenvironment-induced epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition of pancreatic cancer cells by targeting ZEB1.
AB  - Recent evidences suggest that the acidic microenvironment might facilitate
      epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tumor cells, while the effects of
      acidity on EMT of pancreatic cancer (PC) remain undefined. The present study
      demonstrated that acidity suppressed miR-652 expression, which further promoted
      EMT process by absenting inhibition on the transcriptional factor ZEB1
      expression. At first, we found that acidity remarkably enhanced invasion ability
      of PC cells accompanying with increased mesenchymal and decreased epithelial
      markers. Meanwhile, miRNAs-microarray showed that miR-652, the potential
      regulator of ZEB1, was distinctly decreased in acidity-treated PC cells.
      Furthermore, restoration of miR-652 reversed acidity-induced EMT by inhibiting
      ZEB1 expression, while miR-652 inhibitor induced EMT in normal PC cells through
      promoting ZEB1 expression. Nevertheless, knockdown of ZEB1 significantly
      suppressed acidity-induced EMT in PC cells, but ZEB1 overexpression rescued the
      EMT which was inhibited by miR-652 overexpression. The in vivo results showed
      that the tumor growth and liver metastasis were remarkably retarded by both miR
      652 overexpression and ZEB1 knockdown. The clinical samples further revealed that
      miR-652 was decreased in PC tissues and antagonistically correlated with ZEB1
      expression, associating with late tumor stage, lymphatic invasion and metastasis.
      In conclusion, our study indicated a novel acidity/miR-652/ZEB1/EMT axis in the
      tumorigenesis of PC. 

PMID- 26498683
TI  - Three-dimensional structure discrepancy between HLA alleles for effective
      prediction of aGVHD severity and optimal selection of recipient-donor pairs: a
      proof-of-concept study.
AB  - The optimal selection of recipient-donor pair and accurate prediction of acute
      graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) severity are always the two most crucial works
      in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), which
      currently rests mostly with HLA compatibility, the most polymorphic loci in the
      human genome, in clinic. Thus, there is an urgent need for a rapid and reliable
      quantitative system for optimal recipient-donor pairs selection and accurate
      prediction of aGVHD severity prior to allo-HSCT. For these reasons, we have
      developed a new selection/prediction system for optimal recipient-donor selection
      and effective prediction of aGVHD severity based on HLA three-dimensional (3D)
      structure modeling (HLA-TDSM) discrepancy, and applied this system in a pilot
      randomized clinical allo-HSCT study. The 37 patient-donor pairs in the study were
      typed at low- and high-resolution levels for HLA-A/-B/-DRB1/-DQB1 loci. HLA-TDSM
      system covering the 10000 alleles in HLA class I and II consists of the revised
      local and coordinate root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) values for each locus. Its
      accuracy and reliability were confirmed using stably transfected Hmy2.CIR-HLA-B
      cells, TCR Vbeta gene scan, and antigen-specific alloreactive cytotoxic
      lymphocytes. Based on the preliminary results, we theoretically defined all HLA
      acceptable versus unacceptable mismatched alleles. More importantly, HLA-TDSM
      enabled a successful retrospective verification and prospective prediction for
      aGVHD severity in a pilot randomized clinical allo-HSCT study of 32 recipient
      donor transplant pairs. There was a strong direct correlation between
      single/total revised RMSD and aGVHD severity (92% in retrospective group vs 95%
      in prospective group). These results seem to be closely related to the 3D
      structure discrepancy of mismatched HLA-alleles, but not the number or loci of
      mismatched HLA-alleles. Our data first provide the proof-of-concept that HLA-TDSM
      is essential for optimal selection of recipient-donor pairs and effective
      prediction of aGVHD severity before allo-HSCT. 

PMID- 26498684
TI  - The 5'-untranslated region of p16INK4a melanoma tumor suppressor acts as a
      cellular IRES, controlling mRNA translation under hypoxia through YBX1 binding.
AB  - CDKN2A/p16INK4a is an essential tumor suppressor gene that controls cell cycle
      progression and replicative senescence. It is also the main melanoma
      susceptibility gene. Here we report that p16INK4a 5'UTR mRNA acts as a cellular
      Internal Ribosome Entry Site (IRES). The potential for p16INK4a 5'UTR to drive
      cap-independent translation was evaluated by dual-luciferase assays using
      bicistronic and monocistronic vectors. Results of reporters' relative activities
      coupled to control analyses for actual bicistronic mRNA transcription, indicated
      that the wild type p16INK4a 5'UTR could stimulate cap-independent translation.
      Notably, hypoxic stress and the treatment with mTOR inhibitors enhanced the
      translation-stimulating property of p16INK4a 5'UTR. RNA immunoprecipitation
      performed in melanoma-derived SK-Mel-28 and in a patient-derived lymphoblastoid
      cell line indicated that YBX1 can bind the wild type p16INK4a mRNA increasing its
      translation efficiency, particularly during hypoxic stress. Modulation of YBX1
      expression further supported its involvement in cap-independent translation of
      the wild type p16INK4a but not a c.-42T>A variant. RNA SHAPE assays revealed
      local flexibility changes for the c.-42T>A variant at the predicted YBX1 binding
      site region. Our results indicate that p16INK4a 5'UTR contains a cellular IRES
      that can enhance mRNA translation efficiency, in part through YBX1. 

PMID- 26498685
TI  - Practice of traditional Chinese medicine for psycho-behavioral intervention
      improves quality of life in cancer patients: A systematic review and meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer patients suffer from diverse symptoms, including depression,
      anxiety, pain, and fatigue and lower quality of life (QoL) during disease
      progression. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of Traditional Chinese
      Medicine psycho-behavioral interventions (TCM PBIs) on improving QoL by meta
      analysis. RESULTS: The six TCM PBIs analyzed were acupuncture, Chinese massage,
      Traditional Chinese Medicine five elements musical intervention (TCM FEMI),
      Traditional Chinese Medicine dietary supplement (TCM DS), Qigong and Tai Chi.
      Although both TCM PBIs and non-TCM PBIs reduced functional impairments in cancer
      patients and led to pain relief, depression remission, reduced time to flatulence
      following surgery and sleep improvement, TCM PBIs showed more beneficial effects
      as assessed by reducing both fatigue and gastrointestinal distress. In
      particular, acupuncture relieved fatigue, reduced diarrhea and decreased time to
      flatulence after surgery in cancer patients, while therapeutic Chinese massage
      reduced time to flatulence and time to peristaltic sound. METHODS: Electronic
      literature databases (PubMed, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang) were searched for
      randomized, controlled trials conducted in China. The primary intervention was
      TCM PBIs. The main outcome was health-related QoL (HR QoL) post-treatment. We
      applied standard meta analytic techniques to analyze data from papers that
      reached acceptable criteria. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate the efficacy
      of TCM PBIs in improving QoL in cancer patients and establish that TCM PBIs
      represent beneficial adjunctive therapies for cancer patients.

PMID- 26498686
TI  - Prostaglandins induce early growth response 1 transcription factor mediated
      microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase up-regulation for colorectal cancer
      progression.
AB  - Cyclooxygenase2 (COX2) has been associated with cell growth, invasiveness, tumor
      progression and metastasis of colorectal carcinomas. However, the downstream
      prostaglandin (PG)-PG receptor pathway involved in these effects is poorly
      characterized.We studied the PG-pathway in gene expression databases and we found
      that PTGS2 (prostaglandin G/H synthase and cyclooxygenase) and PTGES
      (prostaglandin E synthase) are co-expressed in human colorectal tumors. Moreover,
      we detected that COX2 and microsomal Prostaglandin E2 synthase 1 (mPGES1)
      proteins are both up-regulated in colorectal human tumor biopsies.Using colon
      carcinoma cell cultures we found that COX2 overexpression significantly increased
      mPGES1 mRNA and protein. This up-regulation was due to an increase in early
      growth response 1 (EGR1) levels and its transcriptional activity. EGR1 was
      induced by COX2-generated PGF2alpha. A PGF2alpha receptor antagonist, or EGR1
      silencing, inhibited the mPGES1 induction by COX2 overexpression. Moreover, using
      immunodeficient mice, we also demonstrated that both COX2- and mPGES1
      overexpressing carcinoma cells were more efficient forming tumors.Our results
      describe for the first time the molecular pathway correlating PTGS2 and PTGES in
      colon cancer progression. We demonstrated that in this pathway mPGES1 is induced
      by COX2 overexpression, via autocrine PGs release, likely PGF2alpha, through an
      EGR1-dependent mechanism. This signaling provides a molecular explanation to
      PTGS2 and PTGES association and contribute to colon cancer advance, pointing out
      novel potential therapeutic targets in this oncological context. 

PMID- 26498687
TI  - Myeloma cells can corrupt senescent mesenchymal stromal cells and impair their
      anti-tumor activity.
AB  - Senescent cells secrete several molecules that help to prevent the progression of
      cancer. However, cancer cells can also misuse these secreted elements to survive
      and grow. Since the molecular and functional bases of these different elements
      remain poorly understood, we analyzed the effect of senescent mesenchymal stromal
      cell (MSC) secretome on the biology of ARH-77 myeloma cells. In addition to
      differentiating in mesodermal derivatives, MSCs have sustained interest among
      researchers by supporting hematopoiesis, contributing to tissue homeostasis, and
      modulating inflammatory response, all activities accomplished primarily by the
      secretion of cytokines and growth factors. Moreover, senescence profoundly
      affects the composition of MSC secretome. In this study, we induced MSC
      senescence by oxidative stress, DNA damage, and replicative exhaustion. While the
      first two are considered to induce acute senescence, extensive proliferation
      triggers replicative (i.e., chronic) senescence. We cultivated cancer cells in
      the presence of acute and chronic senescent MSC-conditioned media and evaluated
      their proliferation, DNA damage, apoptosis, and senescence. Our findings revealed
      that senescent secretomes induced apoptosis or senescence, if not both, to
      different extents. This anti-tumor activity became heavily impaired when
      secretomes were collected from senescent cells previously in contact (i.e.,
      primed) with cancer cells. Our analysis of senescent MSC secretomes with LC-MS/MS
      followed by Gene Ontology classification further indicated that priming with
      cancer profoundly affected secretome composition by abrogating the production of
      pro-senescent and apoptotic factors. We thus showed for the first time that
      compared with cancer-primed MSCs, naive senescent MSCs can exert different
      effects on tumor progression. 

PMID- 26498688
TI  - PIK3CA mutation detection in metastatic biliary cancer using cell-free DNA.
AB  - PIK3CA mutation is considered a good candidate for targeted therapies in cancers,
      especially biliary tract cancer (BTC). We evaluated the utility of cell free DNA
      (cfDNA) from serum by using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) as an alternative source
      for PIK3CA mutation analysis. To identify matching archival tumour specimens from
      serum samples of advanced BTC patients, mutation detection using ddPCR with Bio
      Rad's PrimePCR mutation and wild type assays were performed for PIK3CA p.E542K,
      p.E545K, and p.H1047R. Thirty-eight patients with metastatic BTC were enrolled.
      Only one (BTC 29T) sample (n = 38) was positive for PIK3CA p.E542K and another
      (BTC 27T) for p.H1047R mutation; none was positive for PIK3CA p.E545K. Matched
      serum sample (BTC 29P) was positive for PIK3CA p.E542K with 28 mutant copies
      detected, corresponding to 48 copies/ml of serum and an allelic prevalence of
      0.3%. Another matched serum sample (BTC 27P) was positive for PIK3CA p.H1047R
      with 10 mutant copies detected, i.e. 18 copies/ml and an allelic frequency of
      0.2%. High correlation was noted in the PIK3CA mutation status between tumour
      gDNA and serum cfDNA. Low-level PIK3CA mutations were detectable in the serum
      indicating the utility of cfDNA as a DNA source to detect cancer-derived
      mutations in metastatic biliary cancers. 

PMID- 26498690
TI  - Frizzled-7 promoter is highly active in tumors and promoter-driven Shiga-like
      toxin I inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma growth.
AB  - Frizzled-7 protein plays a significant role in the formation of several malignant
      tumors. Up regulation of the Frizzled-7 in cancer cell lines is associated with
      nuclear accumulation of wild-type beta-catenin from the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway
      which is frequently activated in tumors. To analyze activity of the Frizzled-7
      promoter in tumor cells, we constructed two recombinant plasmid vectors in which
      the Frizzled-7 promoter was used to drive the expression of green fluorescent
      protein (GFP) and Shiga-like toxin I (Stx1) (pFZD7-GFP/Stx1) genes. The Frizzled
      7 protein was found to be expressed in the cancer cell lines but not in the
      normal cell lines. The GFP expression was restricted to the cancer cell lines and
      xenografts in the BALB/C mice but not to normal cell lines. Moreover, cell
      proliferation and tumor growth decreased significantly after transfection with
      the pFZD7-Stx1. Results from this study will help determine a highly effective
      strategy for gene therapy of tumors. 

PMID- 26498689
TI  - Key contribution of eIF4H-mediated translational control in tumor promotion.
AB  - Dysregulated expression of translation initiation factors has been associated
      with carcinogenesis, but underlying mechanisms remains to be fully understood.
      Here we show that eIF4H (eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4H), an
      activator of the RNA helicase eIF4A, is overexpressed in lung carcinomas and
      predictive of response to chemotherapy. In lung cancer cells, depletion of eIF4H
      enhances sensitization to chemotherapy, decreases cell migration and inhibits
      tumor growth in vivo, in association with reduced translation of mRNA encoding
      cell-proliferation (c-Myc, cyclin D1) angiogenic (FGF-2) and anti-apoptotic
      factors (CIAP-1, BCL-xL). Conversely, each isoform of eIF4H acts as an oncogene
      in NIH3T3 cells by stimulating transformation, invasion, tumor growth and
      resistance to drug-induced apoptosis together with increased translation of IRES
      containing or structured 5'UTR mRNAs. These results demonstrate that eIF4H plays
      a crucial role in translational control and can promote cellular transformation
      by preferentially regulating the translation of potent growth and survival factor
      mRNAs, indicating that eIF4H is a promising new molecular target for cancer
      therapy. 

PMID- 26498691
TI  - SF3A1 and pancreatic cancer: new evidence for the association of the spliceosome
      and cancer.
AB  - A two-stage case-control study was conducted to examine the association between
      six candidate U2-depedent spliceosome genes (SRSF1, SRSF2, SF3A1, SF3B1, SF1 and
      PRPF40B) and pancreatic cancer (PC). Subjects with one or two T alleles at
      rs2074733 in SF3A1 had a lower risk of PC compared to those with two C alleles in
      combined two populations (OR: 0.59, 95% confidence interval: 0.48-0.73, False
      discovery rate (FDR)-P = 1.5E-05). Moreover, the presence of the higher-risk
      genotype at rs2074733 plus smoking or drinking had synergic effects on PC risk.
      These findings illustrate that RNA splicing-related genes appear to be associated
      with the occurrence of PC, and show synergic interactions with smoking and
      drinking in the additive model. In the future, our novel findings should be
      further confirmed by functional studies and independent large-scale population
      studies. 

PMID- 26498692
TI  - miR-149 represses metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting actin
      regulatory proteins PPM1F.
AB  - microRNAs have been implicated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis,
      which is predominant cause of high mortality in these patients. Although an
      increasing body of evidence indicates that miR-149 plays an important role in the
      growth and metastasis of multiple types of cancers, its role in the progression
      of HCC remains unknown. Here, we demonstrated that miR-149 was significantly down
      regulated in HCC, which was correlated with distant metastasis and TNM stage with
      statistical significance. A survival analysis showed that decreased miR-149
      expression was correlated with a poor prognosis of HCC as well. We found that
      over-expression of miR-149 suppressed migration and invasion of HCC cells in
      vitro. In addition, we identified PPM1F (protein phosphatase, Mg(2+)/Mn(2+)
      dependent, 1F) as a direct target of miR-149 whose expression was negatively
      correlated with the expression of miR-149 in HCC tissues. The re-expression of
      PPM1F rescued the miR-149-mediated inhibition of cell migration and invasion. miR
      149 regulated formation of stress fibers to inhibit migration, and re-expression
      of PPM1F reverted the miR-149-mediated loss of stress fibers. Moreover, we
      demonstrated that over-expression of miR-149 reduced pMLC2, a downstream effector
      of PPM1F, in MHCC-97H cells. In vivo studies confirm inhibition of HCC metastasis
      by miR-149. Taken together, our findings indicates that miR-149 is a potential
      prognostic biomarker of HCC and that the miR-149/PPM1F regulatory axis represents
      a novel therapeutic target for HCC treatment.

PMID- 26498693
TI  - Downregulation of RPL15 may predict poor survival and associate with tumor
      progression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Early diagnosis and treatment in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is still
      a challenge worldwide. The poor survival of PDAC patients mainly due to early
      metastasis when first diagnosed and lack of prognostic biomarker. Ribosomal
      protein L15 (RPL15), an RNA-binding protein, is a component of ribosomal 60S
      subunit. It was reported that RPL15 is dysregulated in various type of cancers.
      However, little is known about the role of RPL15 in PDAC carcinogenesis and
      progression. Herein, we clarified RPL15 expression status may serve as an
      independent prognostic biomarker in three independent PDAC patient cohorts. We
      found that RPL15 was dramatically decreased in PDAC tissues and cell lines. The
      high expression of RPL15 was inversely correlated with TNM stage, histological
      differentiation, T classification and vascular invasion. Low expression of RPL15
      was significantly associated with poor overall survival of PDAC patients.
      Furthermore, we demonstrated that the reduction of RPL15 may promote invasion
      ability of pancreatic cell by inducing EMT process. In conclusion, decreased
      RPL15 expression is associated with invasiveness of PDAC cells, and RPL15
      expression status may serve as a reliable prognostic biomarker in PDAC patients. 

PMID- 26498694
TI  - In-situ characterization of nanoparticle beams focused with an aerodynamic lens
      by Laser-Induced Breakdown Detection.
AB  - The Laser-Induced Breakdown Detection technique (LIBD) was adapted to achieve
      fast in-situ characterization of nanoparticle beams focused under vacuum by an
      aerodynamic lens. The method employs a tightly focused, 21 MUm, scanning laser
      microprobe which generates a local plasma induced by the laser interaction with a
      single particle. A counting mode optical detection allows the achievement of 2D
      mappings of the nanoparticle beams with a reduced analysis time thanks to the use
      of a high repetition rate infrared pulsed laser. As an example, the results
      obtained with Tryptophan nanoparticles are presented and the advantages of this
      method over existing ones are discussed. 

PMID- 26498695
TI  - Molecular characterization of antitumor effects of the rhizome extract from
      Curcuma zedoaria on human esophageal carcinoma cells.
AB  - Curcuma zedoaria has been used as a traditional agent against malignant diseases.
      To elucidate detailed mechanisms producing such an activity, characterization and
      determination of molecular mechanisms of its antitumor effects was conducted.
      Inhibiting activities against cell proliferation, invasion and colony formation,
      and expression levels of corresponding molecules were investigated using human
      esophageal cancer TE-8 cells treated with the rhizome extract from C. zedoaria.
      Antitumor effect of the extract administered orally was also examined in tumor
      bearing mice. The extract possessed strong anti-proliferation and invasion
      activities against TE-8 cells. Further, upregulated PTEN and downregulated
      phosphorylated Akt, mTOR and STAT3 expressions in the cells were induced shortly
      after treatment with the extract, followed by attenuation of FGFR1 and MMP-2,
      activation of caspase-9, caspase-3 and PARP, and suppression of Bcl-2
      expressions, which led the cells to apoptotic cell death. Furthermore, tumor
      formation in mice was significantly suppressed through the oral administration of
      the extract. Taken together, these results suggest that the C. zedoaria extract
      could be a promising agent against esophageal cancer.

PMID- 26498696
TI  - ST-Segment Elevation With Exercise.

PMID- 26498698
TI  - Experimental and Mechanistic Understanding of Aldehyde Hydrogenation Using Au25
      Nanoclusters with Lewis Acids: Unique Sites for Catalytic Reactions.
AB  - The catalytic activity of Au25(SR)18 nanoclusters (R = C2H4Ph) for the aldehyde
      hydrogenation reaction in the presence of a base, e.g., ammonia or pyridine, and
      transition-metal ions M(z+), such as Cu(+), Cu(2+), Ni(2+) and Co(2+), as a Lewis
      acid is studied. The addition of a Lewis acid is found to significantly promote
      the catalytic activity of Au25(SR)18/CeO2 in the hydrogenation of benzaldehyde
      and a number of its derivatives. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization
      (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry in conjunction with
      UV-vis spectroscopy confirm the generation of new species, Au25-n(SR)18-n (n = 1
      4), in the presence of a Lewis acid. The pathways for the speciation of
      Au24(SR)17 from its parent Au25(SR)18 nanocluster as well as its structure are
      investigated via the density functional theory (DFT) method. The adsorption of
      M(z+) onto a thiolate ligand "-SR-" of Au25(SR)18, followed by a stepwise
      detachment of "-SR-" and a gold atom bonded to "-SR-" (thus an "Au-SR" unit) is
      found to be the most likely mechanism for the Au24(SR)17 generation. This in turn
      exposes the Au13-core of Au24(SR)17 to reactants, providing an active site for
      the catalytic hydrogenation. DFT calculations indicate that M(z+) is also capable
      of adsorbing onto the Au13-core surface, producing a possible active metal site
      of a different kind to catalyze the aldehyde hydrogenation reaction. This study
      suggests, for the first time, that species with an open metal site like adducts
      [nanoparticle-M]((z-1)+) or fragments Au25-n(SR)18-n function as the catalysts
      rather than the intact Au25(SR)18. 

PMID- 26498699
TI  - Preference evaluation and perceived sensory comparison of fluticasone furoate and
      mometasone furoate intranasal sprays in allergic rhinitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Intranasal corticosteroid sprays (INCSs) are commonly used for therapy
      of allergic rhinitis (AR). Adherence to regular use of INCSs is influenced by
      patient perception and preferences of products. The study objective was to
      compare perceived sensory attributes of fluticasone furoate nasal spray (FFNS)
      and mometasone furoate nasal spray (MFNS) in AR patients. METHODS: In a
      multicenter, randomized, crossover, prospective study, 40 seasonal AR patients
      were administered both FFNS and MFNS for 2 weeks each in a crossover fashion, for
      a total of 4 weeks. Patients completed questionnaires for each product regarding
      perceived sensory attributes at the end of each two-week period of product
      administration. RESULTS: FFNS was significantly preferred over MFNS.
      Significantly, fewer subjects perceived a bitter taste (p=0.01), medication
      running down their throat (p=0.033), and medication running out of their nose
      (p=0.002) with FFNS. MFNS was more frequently reported to induce nasal irritation
      (p=0.012), sneezing (p=0.017), and rhinorrhea (p=0.007) compared to FFNS.
      Interestingly, these findings were markedly observed in females. Medicine
      dripping out of the nose and nasal shooting were the most common problems
      reported for MFNS with a higher proportion of subjects who felt moderate-to
      severe discomfort. Overall, 52.5% of patients expressed a preference for FFNS
      compared with 22.5% for MFNS. CONCLUSION: Several perceived sensory attributes of
      FFNS were rated significantly superior to MFNS. FFNS may contribute to enhanced
      treatment outcomes in AR patients due to improved treatment adherence.

PMID- 26498700
TI  - Associations between temperament and gene polymorphisms in the brain dopaminergic
      system and the adrenal gland of sheep.
AB  - Sheep of calm or nervous temperament differ in their physiological (cortisol
      secretion) and behavioural (motor activity) responses to stressors, perhaps due
      to variation in genes that regulate glucocorticoid synthesis or brain dopamine
      activity. Using ewes that had been selected over 20 generations for nervous
      (n=58) or calm (n=59) temperament, we confirmed the presence of a polymorphism in
      a gene specifically involved in cortisol production (CYP17), and identified
      polymorphisms in three genes specifically associated with personality and
      behavioural traits: dopamine receptors 2 and 4 (DRD2, DRD4), and monoamine
      oxidase A (MAOA). The calm and nervous lines differed in their frequencies of
      CYP17 SNP628 (single nucleotide A-G mutation at position 628) and DRD2 SNP939
      (single nucleotide T-C mutation at position 939), but not for other SNPs detected
      in DRD2 or MAOA. In a second experiment, we then genotyped a large, non-selected
      flock of ewes for DRD2 SNP939 and CYP17 SNP628. Responses to the 'arena' and
      'isolation box' challenges were associated with the DRD2 SNP939 genotype and the
      response to ACTH challenge was associated with the CYP17 SNP628 genotype. We
      conclude that, for sheep, a combination of the DRD2 SNP939 C allele and the CYP17
      SNP628 A/A genotype could be used as a genetic marker for nervous temperament,
      and that a combination of DRD2 SNP939 T/T and CYP17 SNP628 G/G could be used as a
      genetic marker for calm temperament.

PMID- 26498697
TI  - Operational Definition of Active and Healthy Aging (AHA): The European Innovation
      Partnership (EIP) on AHA Reference Site Questionnaire: Montpellier October 20-21,
      2014, Lisbon July 2, 2015.
AB  - A core operational definition of active and healthy aging (AHA) is needed to
      conduct comparisons. A conceptual AHA framework proposed by the European
      Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing Reference Site Network
      includes several items such as functioning (individual capability and underlying
      body systems), well-being, activities and participation, and diseases (including
      noncommunicable diseases, frailty, mental and oral health disorders). The
      instruments proposed to assess the conceptual framework of AHA have common
      applicability and availability attributes. The approach includes core and
      optional domains/instruments depending on the needs and the questions. A major
      common domain is function, as measured by the World Health Organization
      Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0). WHODAS 2.0 can be used across
      all diseases and healthy individuals. It covers many of the AHA dimensions
      proposed by the Reference Site network. However, WHODAS 2.0 does not include all
      dimensions proposed for AHA assessment. The second common domain is health
      related quality of life (HRQoL). A report of the AHA questionnaire in the form of
      a spider net has been proposed to facilitate usual comparisons across individuals
      and groups of interest.

PMID- 26498701
TI  - The influence of social capital on employers' use of occupational health
      services: a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Occupational health services may have a strategic role in the
      prevention of sickness absence, as well as in rehabilitation and return to work
      after sick leave, because of their medical expertise in combination with a close
      connection to workplaces. The purpose of this study was to explore how employers
      and occupational health service providers describe their business relations and
      the use of occupational health services in rehabilitation in relation to the
      organization of such services. The study uses a theoretical framework based on
      social capital to analyse the findings. METHODS: Interviews and focus groups with
      managers with Swedish public employers (n = 60), and interviews with occupational
      health services professionals (n = 25). RESULTS: Employers emphasized trustful
      relationships, local workplace knowledge, long-term contracts and dialogue about
      services for good relationships with occupational health providers. Occupational
      health providers strove to be strategic partners to employers, promoting
      preventive work, which was more easily achieved in situations where the services
      were organized in-house. Employers with outsourced occupational health services
      expressed less trust in their providers than employers with internal occupational
      health provision. CONCLUSIONS: Social capital emerges as central to understanding
      the conditions for cooperation and collective action in the use of occupational
      health services, with reference to structural (e.g. contracts), relational (e.g.
      trust) as well as cognitive (e.g. shared vision) dimensions. The study suggests
      that attention to the quality of relationships is imperative for developing
      purposeful occupational health service delivery in rehabilitation and return to
      work.

PMID- 26498702
TI  - Relative and absolute reliability of measures of linoleic acid-derived oxylipins
      in human plasma.
AB  - Modern analytical techniques allow for the measurement of oxylipins derived from
      linoleic acid in biological samples. Most validatory work has concerned
      extraction techniques, repeated analysis of aliquots from the same biological
      sample, and the influence of external factors such as diet and heparin treatment
      upon their levels, whereas less is known about the relative and absolute
      reliability of measurements undertaken on different days. A cohort of nineteen
      healthy males were used, where samples were taken at the same time of day on two
      occasions, at least 7 days apart. Relative reliability was assessed using Lin's
      concordance correlation coefficients (CCC) and intraclass correlation
      coefficients (ICC). Absolute reliability was assessed by Bland-Altman analyses.
      Nine linoleic acid oxylipins were investigated. ICC and CCC values ranged from
      acceptable (0.56 [13-HODE]) to poor (near zero [9(10)- and 12(13)-EpOME]). Bland
      Altman limits of agreement were in general quite wide, ranging from +/-0.5 (12,13
      DiHOME) to +/-2 (9(10)-EpOME; log10 scale). It is concluded that relative
      reliability of linoleic acid-derived oxylipins varies between lipids with
      compounds such as the HODEs showing better relative reliability than compounds
      such as the EpOMEs. These differences should be kept in mind when designing and
      interpreting experiments correlating plasma levels of these lipids with factors
      such as age, body mass index, rating scales etc. 

PMID- 26498704
TI  - Determination of the thermodynamic activities of LiF and ThF4 in the Li(x)Th(1
      x)F(4-3x) liquid solution by Knudsen effusion mass spectrometry.
AB  - Knudsen effusion mass spectrometry (KEMS) has been used to investigate the vapour
      pressure over the molten LiF-ThF4 salt and determine the thermodynamic activity
      of LiF and ThF4 in the liquid solution. As part of the study, the vaporization of
      pure LiF and pure ThF4 was examined and the results were compared with the
      literature values finding a good agreement. Next, the vapour pressure of the
      LixTh1-xF4-3x liquid solution was investigated by measuring four samples having
      different compositions (XLiF~ 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 mol%). In order to determine the
      thermodynamic activities, the vapour pressure of LiF and ThF4 species over the
      liquid solution, as calculated from our results, were compared with the vapour
      pressure over the pure LiF(l) and pure ThF4(l) systems. A strong deviation from
      the Raoult's law was observed, more evident in case of LiF species, in agreement
      with the predictions by our thermodynamic model. 

PMID- 26498703
TI  - Decreasing Clostridium difficile health care-associated infections through use of
      a launderable mattress cover.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The annual incidence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in the
      United States is estimated to be 330,000 cases. We evaluated the impact of using
      a launderable mattress and bed deck cover on the incidence of hospital-onset CDI
      in 2 long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs). METHODS: Two LTACHs began using a
      launderable mattress and bed deck cover on beds starting in May 2013. One
      facility had 74 beds, and the other had 30 beds. Covers were changed after every
      patient. The covers were laundered using hot water, detergent, and chlorine.
      Rates for CDIs were compared using Poisson regression between the 16 months
      before use of the launderable cover and the 14 months after the cover started
      being used. RESULTS: At hospital A, the use of bedcovers reduced the rate of
      infection by 47.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 47.1-48.6), controlling for the
      rate of handwashing compliance and length of stay in days. At hospital B, the use
      of bedcovers reduced the rate of infection by 50% (95% CI, 47.5-52.7),
      controlling for the rate of handwashing compliance and length of stay in days.
      CONCLUSION: The use of a launderable cover for mattresses and bed decks of
      hospital beds was associated with a decreased rate of health care-associated CDI
      in 2 LTACHs.

PMID- 26498705
TI  - Universal access to medicines.

PMID- 26498707
TI  - Pyogenic granuloma-like Kaposi's sarcoma.

PMID- 26498708
TI  - Reduced lymphocyte count as an early marker for predicting infected pancreatic
      necrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early occurrence of immunosuppression is a risk factor for infected
      pancreatic necrosis (IPN) in the patients with acute pancreatitis (AP). However,
      current measures for the immune systems are too cumbersome and not widely
      available. Significantly decreased lymphocyte count has been shown in patients
      with severe but not mild type of AP. Whereas, the correlation between the
      absolute lymphocyte count and IPN is still unknown. We conduct this study to
      reveal the exact relationship between early lymphocyte count and the development
      of IPN in the population of AP patients. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-three
      patients with acute pancreatitis admitted to Jinling Hospital during the period
      of January 2012 to July 2014 were included in this retrospective study. The
      absolute lymphocyte count and other relevant parameters were measured on
      admission. The diagnosis of IPN was based on the definition of the revised
      Atlanta classification. RESULTS: Patients were divided into two groups according
      to the presence of IPN. Thirty patients developed infected necrotizing
      pancreatitis during the disease course. The absolute lymphocyte count in patients
      with IPN was significantly lower on admission (0.62 * 10(9)/L, interquartile
      range [IQR]: 0.46-0.87 * 10(9)/L vs. 0.91 * 10(9)/L, IQR: 0.72-1.27 * 10(9)/L, p
      < 0.001) and throughout the whole clinical course than those without IPN.
      Logistic regression indicated that reduced lymphocyte count was an independent
      risk factor for IPN. The optimal cut-offs from ROC curve was 0.66 * 10(9)/L
      giving sensitivity of 83.7 % and specificity of 66.7 %. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced
      lymphocyte count within 48 h of AP onset is significantly and independently
      associated with the development of IPN.

PMID- 26498709
TI  - Snail-induced EMT promotes cancer stem cell-like properties in head and neck
      cancer cells.
AB  - Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key process involved in the invasion
      and metastasis of cancer cells. Furthermore, EMT can induce a cancer stem cell
      (CSC)-like phenotype in a number of tumor types. We demonstrated that Snail is
      one of the master regulators that promotes EMT and mediates cancer cell migration
      and invasion in many types of malignancies including head and neck squamous cell
      carcinoma (HNSCC). In the present study, we investigated the role of Snail in
      inducing and maintaining CSC-like properties through EMT in HNSCC. We established
      HNSCC cell lines transfected with Snail. Stem cell markers were evaluated with
      real-time RT-PCR and western blot analysis. CSC properties were assessed using
      sphere formation and WST-8 assays as well as chemosensitivity and chick
      chorioallantoic membrane in vivo invasion assays. Introduction of Snail induced
      EMT properties in HNSCC cells. Moreover, Snail-induced EMT maintained the CSC
      like phenotype, and enhanced sphere formation capability, chemoresistance and
      invasive ability. These data suggest that Snail could be one of the critical
      molecular targets for the development of therapeutic strategies for HNSCC.

PMID- 26498710
TI  - Reactive oxygen species: Reactions and detection from photosynthetic tissues.
AB  - Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have long been recognized as compounds with dual
      roles. They cause cellular damage by reacting with biomolecules but they also
      function as agents of cellular signaling. Several different oxygen-containing
      compounds are classified as ROS because they react, at least with certain
      partners, more rapidly than ground-state molecular oxygen or because they are
      known to have biological effects. The present review describes the typical
      reactions of the most important ROS. The reactions are the basis for both the
      detection methods and for prediction of reactions between ROS and biomolecules.
      Chemical and physical methods used for detection, visualization and
      quantification of ROS from plants, algae and cyanobacteria will be reviewed. The
      main focus will be on photosynthetic tissues, and limitations of the methods will
      be discussed. 

PMID- 26498711
TI  - Cryo-imaging of photosystems and phycobilisomes in Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 cells.
AB  - Primary photosynthetic reactions take place inside thylakoid membrane where light
      to-chemical energy conversion is catalyzed by two pigment-protein complexes,
      photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII). Light absorption in cyanobacteria
      is increased by pigment-protein supercomplexes--phycobilisomes (PBSs) situated on
      thylakoid membrane surfaces that transfer excitation energy into both
      photosystems. We have explored the localization of PSI, PSII and PBSs in
      thylakoid membrane of native cyanobacteria cell Anabaena sp. 7120 by means of
      cryogenic confocal microscopy. We have adapted a conventional temperature
      controlling stage to an Olympus FV1000 confocal microscope. The presence of red
      shifted emission of chlorophylls from PSI has been confirmed by spectral
      measurements. Confocal fluorescence images of PSI (in a spectral range 710-750
      nm), PSII (in a spectral range 690-705 nm) and PBSs (in a spectral range 650-680
      nm) were recorded at low temperature. Co-localization of images showed spatial
      heterogeneity of PSI, PSII and PBSs over the thylakoid membrane, and three
      dominant areas were identified: PSI-PSII-PBS supercomplex area, PSII-PBS
      supercomplex area and PSI area. The observed results were discussed with regard
      to light-harvesting regulation in cyanobacteria.

PMID- 26498712
TI  - Genetics, sleep and memory: a recall-by-genotype study of ZNF804A variants and
      sleep neurophysiology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a complex, polygenic disorder for which over 100
      genetic variants have been identified that correlate with diagnosis. However, the
      biological mechanisms underpinning the different symptom clusters remain
      undefined. The rs1344706 single nucleotide polymorphism within ZNF804A was among
      the first genetic variants found to be associated with schizophrenia. Previously,
      neuroimaging and cognitive studies have revealed several associations between
      rs1344706 and brain structure and function. The aim of this study is to use a
      recall-by-genotype (RBG) design to investigate the biological basis for the
      association of ZNF804A variants with schizophrenia. A RBG study, implemented in a
      population cohort, will be used to evaluate the impact of genetic variation at
      rs1344706 on sleep neurophysiology and procedural memory consolidation in healthy
      participants. METHODS/DESIGN: Participants will be recruited from the Avon
      Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) on the basis of genotype at
      rs1344706 (n = 24). Each participant will be asked to take part in two nights of
      in-depth sleep monitoring (polysomnography) allowing collection of
      neurophysiological sleep data in a manner not amenable to large-scale study.
      Sleep questionnaires will be used to assess general sleep quality and subjective
      sleep experience after each in-house recording. A motor sequencing task (MST)
      will be performed before and after the second night of polysomnography. In order
      to gather additional data about habitual sleep behaviour participants will be
      asked to wear a wrist worn activity monitor (actiwatch) and complete a sleep
      diary for two weeks. DISCUSSION: This study will explore the biological function
      of ZNF804A genotype (rs1344706) in healthy volunteers by examining detailed
      features of sleep architecture and physiology in relation to motor learning.
      Using a RBG approach will enable us to collect precise and detailed phenotypic
      data whilst achieving an informative biological gradient. It would not be
      feasible to collect such data in the large sample sizes that would be required
      under a random sampling scheme. By dissecting the role of individual variants
      associated with schizophrenia in this way, we can begin to unravel the complex
      genetic mechanisms of psychiatric disorders and pave the way for future
      development of novel therapeutic approaches.

PMID- 26498713
TI  - Personal Sound Amplifiers for Adults with Hearing Loss.
AB  - Age-related hearing loss is highly prevalent and often untreated. Use of hearing
      aids has been associated with improvements in communication and quality of life,
      but such treatment is unaffordable or inaccessible for many adults. The purpose
      of this review is to provide a practical guide for physicians who work with older
      adults who are experiencing hearing and communication difficulties. Specifically,
      we review direct-to-consumer amplification products that can be used to address
      hearing loss in adults. Helping adults with hearing loss navigate hearing loss
      treatment options ranging from being professionally fitted with hearing aids to
      using direct-to-consumer amplification options is important for primary care
      clinicians to understand given our increasing understanding of the impact of
      hearing loss on cognitive, social, and physical functioning. 

PMID- 26498714
TI  - Negative Secular Trends in Medicine: Summary.

PMID- 26498715
TI  - Grain Boundary Plane Orientation Fundamental Zones and Structure-Property
      Relationships.
AB  - Grain boundary plane orientation is a profoundly important determinant of
      character in polycrystalline materials that is not well understood. This work
      demonstrates how boundary plane orientation fundamental zones, which capture the
      natural crystallographic symmetries of a grain boundary, can be used to establish
      structure-property relationships. Using the fundamental zone representation,
      trends in computed energy, excess volume at the grain boundary, and temperature
      dependent mobility naturally emerge and show a strong dependence on the boundary
      plane orientation. Analysis of common misorientation axes even suggests broader
      trends of grain boundary energy as a function of misorientation angle and plane
      orientation. Due to the strong structure-property relationships that naturally
      emerge from this work, boundary plane fundamental zones are expected to simplify
      analysis of both computational and experimental data. This standardized
      representation has the potential to significantly accelerate research in the
      topologically complex and vast five-dimensional phase space of grain boundaries. 

PMID- 26498716
TI  - Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in patients with diabetes mellitus: a
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - AIMS: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and atrial fibrillation (AF) share
      pathophysiological links, as supported by the high prevalence of AF within DM
      patients. Catheter ablation of AF (AFCA) is an established therapeutic option for
      rhythm control in drug resistant symptomatic patients. Its efficacy and safety
      among patients with DM is based on small populations, and long-term outcome is
      unknown. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess safety
      and long-term outcome of AFCA in DM patients, focusing on predictors of
      recurrence. METHODS AND RESULTS: A systematic review was conducted in
      MEDLINE/PubMed and Cochrane Library. Randomized controlled trials, clinical
      trials, and observational studies including patients with DM undergoing AFCA were
      screened and included if matching inclusion and exclusion criteria. Fifteen
      studies were included, adding up to 1464 patients. Mean follow-up was 27 (20-33)
      months. Overall complication rate was 3.5 (1.5-5.0)%. Efficacy in maintaining
      sinus rhythm at follow-up end was 66 (58-73)%. Meta-regression analysis revealed
      that advanced age (P < 0.001), higher body mass index (P < 0.001), and higher
      basal glycated haemoglobin level (P < 0.001) related to higher incidence of
      arrhythmic recurrences. Performing AFCA lead to a reduction of patients requiring
      treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) from 55 (46-74)% at baseline to 29 (17
      41)% (P < 0.001) at follow-up end. CONCLUSIONS: Catheter ablation of AF safety
      and efficacy in DM patients is similar to general population, especially when
      performed in younger patients with satisfactory glycemic control. Catheter
      ablation of AF reduces the amount of patients requiring AADs, an additional
      benefit in this population commonly exposed to adverse effects of AF
      pharmacological treatments.

PMID- 26498717
TI  - Ventricular tachycardia originating from the right ventricular outflow tract in a
      patient with dextrocardia.

PMID- 26498718
TI  - Current ablation techniques for persistent atrial fibrillation: results of the
      European Heart Rhythm Association Survey.
AB  - The aim of this survey was to provide insight into current practice regarding
      ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) among members of the European
      Heart Rhythm Association electrophysiology research network. Thirty centres
      responded to the survey. The main ablation technique for first-time ablation was
      stand-alone pulmonary vein isolation (PVI): in 67% of the centres for persistent
      but not long-standing AF and in 37% of the centres for long-standing persistent
      AF as well. Other applied techniques were ablation of fractionated electrograms,
      placement of linear lesions, stepwise approach until AF termination, and
      substrate mapping and isolation of low-voltage areas. However, the percentage of
      centres applying these techniques during first ablation did not exceed 25% for
      any technique. When stand-alone PVI was performed in patients with persistent but
      not long-standing AF, the majority (80%) of the centres used an irrigated
      radiofrequency ablation catheter whereas 20% of the respondents used the
      cryoballoon. Similar results were reported for ablation of long-standing
      persistent AF (radiofrequency 90%, cryoballoon 10%). Neither rotor mapping nor
      one-shot ablation tools were used as the main first-time ablation methods.
      Systematic search for non-pulmonary vein triggers was performed only in 10% of
      the centres. Most common 1-year success rate off antiarrhythmic drugs was 50-60%.
      Only 27% of the centres knew their 5-year results. In conclusion, patients with
      persistent AF represent a significant proportion of AF patients undergoing
      ablation. There is a shift towards stand-alone PVI being the primary choice in
      many centres for first-time ablation in these patients. The wide variation in the
      use of additional techniques and in the choice of endpoints reflects the
      uncertainties and lack of guidance regarding the most optimal approach.
      Procedural success rates are modest and long-term outcomes are unknown in most
      centres. 

PMID- 26498706
TI  - Availability and affordability of cardiovascular disease medicines and their
      effect on use in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: an
      analysis of the PURE study data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: WHO has targeted that medicines to prevent recurrent cardiovascular
      disease be available in 80% of communities and used by 50% of eligible
      individuals by 2025. We have previously reported that use of these medicines is
      very low, but now aim to assess how such low use relates to their lack of
      availability or poor affordability. METHODS: We analysed information about
      availability and costs of cardiovascular disease medicines (aspirin, beta
      blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and statins) in pharmacies
      gathered from 596 communities in 18 countries participating in the Prospective
      Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. Medicines were considered available if
      present at the pharmacy when surveyed, and affordable if their combined cost was
      less than 20% of household capacity-to-pay. We compared results from high-income,
      upper middle-income, lower middle-income, and low-income countries. Data from
      India were presented separately given its large, generic pharmaceutical industry.
      FINDINGS: Communities were recruited between Jan 1, 2003, and Dec 31, 2013. All
      four cardiovascular disease medicines were available in 61 (95%) of 64 urban and
      27 (90%) of 30 rural communities in high-income countries, 53 (80%) of 66 urban
      and 43 (73%) of 59 rural communities in upper middle-income countries, 69 (62%)
      of 111 urban and 42 (37%) of 114 rural communities in lower middle-income
      countries, eight (25%) of 32 urban and one (3%) of 30 rural communities in low
      income countries (excluding India), and 34 (89%) of 38 urban and 42 (81%) of 52
      rural communities in India. The four cardiovascular disease medicines were
      potentially unaffordable for 0.14% of households in high-income countries (14 of
      9934 households), 25% of upper middle-income countries (6299 of 24,776), 33% of
      lower middle-income countries (13,253 of 40,023), 60% of low-income countries
      (excluding India; 1976 of 3312), and 59% households in India (9939 of 16,874). In
      low-income and middle-income countries, patients with previous cardiovascular
      disease were less likely to use all four medicines if fewer than four were
      available (odds ratio [OR] 0.16, 95% CI 0.04-0.57). In communities in which all
      four medicines were available, patients were less likely to use medicines if the
      household potentially could not afford them (0.16, 0.04-0.55). INTERPRETATION:
      Secondary prevention medicines are unavailable and unaffordable for a large
      proportion of communities and households in upper middle-income, lower middle
      income, and low-income countries, which have very low use of these medicines.
      Improvements to the availability and affordability of key medicines is likely to
      enhance their use and help towards achieving WHO's targets of 50% use of key
      medicines by 2025. FUNDING: Population Health Research Institute, the Canadian
      Institutes of Health Research, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario,
      AstraZeneca (Canada), Sanofi-Aventis (France and Canada), Boehringer Ingelheim
      (Germany and Canada), Servier, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, King Pharma, and
      national or local organisations in participating countries.

PMID- 26498719
TI  - Regulation of human (adrenal) androgen biosynthesis-New insights from novel
      throughput technology studies.
AB  - Androgens are precursors for sex steroids and are predominantly produced in the
      human gonads and the adrenal cortex. They are important for intrauterine and
      postnatal sexual development and human reproduction. Although human androgen
      biosynthesis has been extensively studied in the past, exact mechanisms
      underlying the regulation of androgen production in health and disease remain
      vague. Here, the knowledge on human androgen biosynthesis and regulation is
      reviewed with a special focus on human adrenal androgen production and the
      hyperandrogenic disorder of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Since human
      androgen regulation is highly specific without a good animal model, most studies
      are performed on patients harboring inborn errors of androgen biosynthesis, on
      human biomaterials and human (tumor) cell models. In the past, most studies used
      a candidate gene approach while newer studies use high throughput technologies to
      identify novel regulators of androgen biosynthesis. Using genome wide association
      studies on cohorts of patients, novel PCOS candidate genes have been recently
      described. Variant 2 of the DENND1A gene was found overexpressed in PCOS theca
      cells and confirmed to enhance androgen production. Transcriptome profiling of
      dissected adrenal zones established a role for BMP4 in androgen synthesis.
      Similarly, transcriptome analysis of human adrenal NCI-H295 cells identified
      novel regulators of androgen production. Kinase p38alpha (MAPK14) was found to
      phosphorylate CYP17 for enhanced 17,20 lyase activity and RARB and ANGPTL1 were
      detected in novel networks regulating androgens. The discovery of novel players
      for androgen biosynthesis is of clinical significance as it provides targets for
      diagnostic and therapeutic use. 

PMID- 26498720
TI  - Inhibitory effects of SKF96365 on the activities of K(+) channels in mouse small
      intestinal smooth muscle cells.
AB  - In order to investigate the effects of SKF96365 (SKF), which is a non-selective
      cationic channel blocker, on K(+) channel currents, we recorded currents through
      ATP sensitive K(+) (IKATP), voltage-gated K(+) (IKv) and Ca(2+) activated K(+)
      channels (IBK) in the absence and presence of SKF in single small intestinal
      myocytes of mice with patch-clamp techniques. SKF (10 uM) reversibly abolished
      IKATP that was induced by cromakalim (10 uM), which is a selective ATP sensitive
      K(+) channel opener. These inhibitory effects were induced in a concentration
      dependent and voltage-independent manner. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50)
      was 0.85 uM, which was obviously lower than that reported for the muscarinic
      cationic current. In addition, SKF (1 uM ~ the IC50 value in IKATP suppression)
      reversibly inhibited the IKv that was induced by repetitive depolarizing pulses
      from -80 to 20 mV. However, the extent of the inhibitory effects was only ~30%.
      In contrast, SKF (1 uM) had no significant effects on spontaneous transient IBK
      and caffeine-induced IBK. These results indicated that SKF inhibited ATP
      sensitive K(+) channels and voltage-gated K(+) channels, with the ATP sensitive
      K(+) channels being more sensitive than the voltage-gated K(+) channels. These
      inhibitory effects on K(+) channels should be considered when SKF is used as a
      cationic channel blocker. 

PMID- 26498721
TI  - Population screening in Asia: A unique opportunity to enhance early detection of
      psychosis?
AB  - A recent article in this journal (Razali et al., 2015) reports the results of a 2
      stage study screening for psychosis risk in Malaysia. The researchers
      incorporated both selective and indicated prevention strategies and included self
      report items probing non-specific "early" experiences as well as attenuated
      psychotic symptoms associated with the prodromal phase of schizophrenia. Given
      that increased stigma and reduced services may reduce help-seeking in many Asian
      countries, population screening may be more important to early detection of
      individuals at risk for psychosis. In fact, the availability of large population
      centers and greater trust of providers may make Asian research centers uniquely
      suited for conducting badly needed research on screening strategies and the role
      of cultural factors in the emergence of psychosis. 

PMID- 26498722
TI  - Prescription practices and attitude of psychiatrists towards clozapine: A survey
      of psychiatrists from India.
AB  - AIM: To assess the attitude of psychiatrists towards clozapine and also to
      evaluate the prescription practices of psychiatrists for clozapine. METHODOLOGY:
      An email survey was sent to 3381 psychiatrists from India, of whom 548 (16.2%)
      responded. RESULTS: Mean number of years in clinical practice was 12.59 (SD-10.1)
      for participating psychiatrists. Majority of the participants rated their
      knowledge about clozapine to be good (61.5%)/very good (34.5%). The primary
      indication for use of clozapine for almost all the participants was treatment
      resistance and most of the psychiatrists initiated clozapine either in the dose
      of 25mg OD (44.3%) or 12.5mg OD (37%). Half (51.8%) of the psychiatrists
      preferred to use clozapine as BD dosing schedule, and median doses required to
      stabilize the patients ranged from 137.5 to 400mg/day. Once the clozapine dose
      had been stabilized, about half (51%) of the psychiatrists advised blood
      monitoring at monthly intervals. Almost all psychiatrists rated effectiveness of
      clozapine to be better than other antipsychotics. In terms of tolerability, 45.3%
      of the psychiatrists rated it as 'same as other antipsychotics' and 15.9% rated
      it as better than other antipsychotics. Most common patient and therapist related
      factors associated with reluctance to start clozapine were history of poor
      medication compliance and need for monitoring, respectively. Upon reviewing the
      prescription of other psychiatrists, participating psychiatrists reported that in
      about 28.46% of patients clozapine was not prescribed though indicated.
      CONCLUSIONS: This survey suggests that clozapine is underused in India, although
      psychiatrists have adequate knowledge about the drug but many psychiatrists have
      negative attitude towards clozapine.

PMID- 26498723
TI  - The effect of Mycobacterium tuberculosis CRISPR-associated Cas2 (Rv2816c) on
      stress response genes expression, morphology and macrophage survival of
      Mycobacterium smegmatis.
AB  - Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are present in
      the genome of 40% bacteria and 90% archaea. CRISPR and accompanying Cas proteins
      constitute an adaptive immune system against disruptive mobile genetic elements.
      Two CRISPRs and 9 genes encoding CRISPR-associated proteins have been found in
      the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The CRISPR-associated Cas2 is an
      endoribonuclease required for the acquisition of new spacers. In this study, Cas2
      encoded by Rv2816c was expressed in Mycobacterium smegmatis lacking CRISPR-Cas
      system and its role in stress responses of M. smegmatis in vitro and within
      macrophages was studied. We found that Cas2 mediated M. smegmatis stress response
      changes were associated with the altered expression of sigma factors which
      involved in mycobacterial stress response and virulence. We also found that Cas2
      decreased the survival of M. smegmatis within macrophages. This study provides
      new insights on the role of Cas2.

PMID- 26498725
TI  - Patient perceived burden of implant placement compared to surgical tooth removal
      and apicectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess how patients actually perceive implant placement, to
      evaluate whether patients' perceived burdens are related to specific stages
      during implant placement, and to compare patients' perceptions during implant
      placement with other surgical procedures. METHODS: A sample of 287 patients was
      consecutively recruited. Only patients with implantations (n=45), surgical tooth
      removal (n=147), or apicectomies (n=95) were included. Patients' perceptions
      during oral surgery and implantation were assessed using the Burdens in Oral
      Surgery Questionnaire (BiOS-Q). Effects of treatment on BiOS-Q total and domain
      scores were assessed using multivariate linear regression analyses, and effect
      sizes (Cohen's d) were computed. RESULTS: Overall, patients' perceived burdens
      during oral surgery were low indicated by a mean BiOS-Q total score of 28.5
      points, with lowest scores for Side effects (19.4) and highest scores for
      Anesthesia (34.1). Among treatment groups, implantation was perceived least
      unpleasant. This was related to lower burdens during Bone and soft tissue
      manipulation during implantation than during surgical tooth removal (difference:
      14.8 points; d=0.8) or apicectomy (difference: 13.1 points; d=0.7). CONCLUSIONS:
      Implantation has a low overall perceived burden and is significantly less
      burdensome during bone and soft tissue manipulation than surgical tooth removal
      or apicectomy. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Patients can be informed that implant
      placement is less unpleasing than other commonly performed oral surgery
      procedures.

PMID- 26498724
TI  - Predictors of Self-Reported Adherence to Antiretroviral Medication in a Multisite
      Study of Ethnic and Racial Minority HIV-Positive Youth.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test social cognitive predictors of medication adherence in
      racial/ethnic minority youth living with HIV using a conceptual model. METHODS:
      Youth were participants in two descriptive studies by the Adolescent Trials
      Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions. Minority youth ages 16-24 years who were
      prescribed antiretroviral medication were included (N = 956). Data were collected
      through chart extraction and/or laboratory testing and by Audio Computer-Assisted
      Self-Interview. RESULTS: 39% of youth reported suboptimal adherence. Path
      analysis was used to explore predictors of medication adherence. Higher self
      efficacy predicted higher readiness and adherence. Greater social support
      predicted higher self-efficacy. Psychological symptoms and substance use were
      associated with several predictors and lower adherence. CONCLUSIONS: The model
      provided a plausible framework for understanding adherence in this population.
      Culturally competent, but individually tailored, interventions focused on
      increasing self-efficacy to take medication and reducing risk behaviors (e.g.,
      substance use) may be helpful for racial or ethnic minority youth with HIV.

PMID- 26498726
TI  - Identification of acid-resistant proteins in acquired enamel pellicle.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study characterized the proteome profile of the acquired
      pellicle formed in vivo on enamel. Changes in this proteome profile after
      exposure to lactic or citric acid were also evaluated. METHODS: Volunteers (n=8)
      were subjected to dental prophylaxis. After 2 h to allow the formation of the
      acquired pellicle, the teeth were isolated with cotton rolls and 1 mL of citric
      acid (1%, pH 2.5) or lactic acid (0.1 M pH 4.8) or deionized water was gently
      applied with a pipette on the anterior teeth (both maxillary and mandibular) for
      10 s. In sequence, the pellicle was collected with an electrode filter paper
      soaked in 3% citric acid. This procedure was repeated for two additional days
      following a crossover protocol. Proteins were subjected to reverse phase liquid
      chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (nLC-ESI-MS/MS). MS/MS data were
      processed and submitted to Proteome Discoverer software. Searches were done using
      SWISS-PROT and TrEMBL databases for human proteins. RESULTS: In total, seventy
      two proteins were present in all groups and were submitted to quantitative
      analysis (SIEVE). Some of these proteins were increased more than two-fold after
      exposure to the acids. Among them, cystatin-B was increased 20- and 13-fold after
      exposure to citric and lactic acids, respectively. Additionally, some proteins
      were identified in only one of the groups (18, 5, and 11 proteins for deionized
      water, citric and lactic acids, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our results open new
      insights regarding potentially acid-resistant proteins that could be added to
      dental products to prevent acidic dissolution of the teeth.

PMID- 26498728
TI  - Disclaimer labels on fashion magazine advertisements: Impact on visual attention
      and relationship with body dissatisfaction.
AB  - Globally there is increasing advocacy for the implementation of laws requiring
      disclaimer labels to be attached to media images that have been digitally
      altered, with the goal of reducing the known negative effects of exposure to
      unrealistic thin ideal imagery for women. The current study used eye tracking
      technology to establish how digital alteration disclaimer labels affect women's
      visual attention to fashion magazine advertisements, and the interrelationship
      with body dissatisfaction and state appearance comparison. Participants were 120
      female undergraduate students who viewed four thin ideal advertisements with
      either no disclaimer, a generic disclaimer, or a more detailed specific
      disclaimer. It was found that women did attend to the disclaimers. Specifically
      worded disclaimers directed visual attention towards target body areas, which
      resulted in increased body dissatisfaction, while state appearance comparison
      predicted increased body dissatisfaction. Further research is imperative to
      provide guidance on the most effective use of disclaimer labels. 

PMID- 26498727
TI  - Monomer elution in relation to degree of conversion for different types of
      composite.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the degree of conversion (DC)
      and the monomer release of three composite types when employed following a layer-
      and bulk-filling technique. METHODS: The release of monomers from a 'conventional
      paste-like' (Filtek Z250), a 'conventional flowable' (Filtek Supreme XTE
      Flowable) and a 'bulk-fill' flowable composite (Filtek Bulk Fill Flowable) from
      the same manufacturer (3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany) was determined. Ten cylindrical
      specimens per composite were built, either in two 2-mm layers or in one 4-mm
      bulk. DC was measured at the specimen top and bottom surface using micro-Raman
      spectroscopy, after which the specimens were immersed in 2 ml absolute ethanol
      for 24 h at 37  degrees C. This solution was refreshed weekly during six weeks
      and the concentration of BisGMA, BisEMA(6), BisPMA, UDMA, TEGDMA and BPA was
      determined by liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy. RESULTS: DC at the
      specimen top and bottom was similar except for the bulk-fill technique, which
      resulted in significantly lower DC at the specimen bottom. The release of BisGMA
      and TEGDMA was initially very high, but rapidly dropped in the second week. In
      contrast, the release of BisPMA and UDMA increased initially, but then declined
      towards the sixth week. BisEMA(6) release was relatively steady over time. All
      composites released small amounts of BPA. The total monomer release was
      significantly lower for the layer- than the bulk-filling technique. CONCLUSIONS:
      The slightly reduced degree of conversion at 4-mm depth resulted in a higher
      monomer elution when the composite was applied following a bulk-fill application
      method. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Applying a flowable and a bulk-fill composite
      following a bulk-fill application method resulted in a significantly reduced
      degree of conversion at the bottom of polymerized composite specimens when
      compared to a layer-application method. This reduced polymerization degree was
      reflected in significantly increased monomer release.

PMID- 26498729
TI  - Effect of excimer laser treatment on vitiliginous areas with leukotrichia after
      confirmation by dermoscopy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leukotrichia is clinically common in patients with vitiligo, and
      dermoscopy is useful for finding white vellus hair. The use of phototherapy in
      the repigmentation of vitiliginous areas with leukotrichia is usually difficult
      because of a deficient melanocyte reservoir. OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate
      the effect of leukotrichia on the clinical outcomes of excimer laser treatment.
      METHODS: We treated 77 patients with vitiligo using excimer laser therapy.
      Vitiligo is classified into two types: segmental vitiligo (SV) and nonsegmental
      vitiligo (NSV). Before starting the treatment, we confirmed the leukotrichia of
      vitiliginous lesions by dermoscopy and then treated the areas once weekly for 24
      weeks. At the beginning and 24 weeks later, we took clinical pictures and graded
      the repigmentation from 1 to 4. Grades 1 and 2 were defined as a poor response
      and grades 3 and 4 as a good response. RESULTS: Thirty-one of 77 patients with
      vitiligo had SV. Among those with SV, 24 (77.4%) had leukotrichia, and these
      patients showed a poor response compared to those without leukotrichia (P =
      0.272). Three of 24 patients with SV and leukotrichia showed a good response.
      Among the 46 patients with NSV, 18 (39.1%) had leukotrichia and showed a poor
      response. Twenty-eight (60.9%) of the 46 patients with NSV without leukotrichia
      showed a good response in contrast to those with leukotrichia (P < 0.01).
      Comparison of the response to the excimer laser treatment, regardless of vitiligo
      type, showed that leukotrichia was a significant negative factor in the
      repigmentation of vitiliginous areas (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Excimer laser
      therapy was satisfactory in patients with vitiligo, including SV. Confirming the
      presence of leukotrichia in patients with vitiligo before excimer laser treatment
      would be helpful in predicting the response to treatment.

PMID- 26498730
TI  - Healthcare-Associated Transmission of Plasmodium falciparum in New York City.
AB  - A patient with no risk factors for malaria was hospitalized in New York City with
      Plasmodium falciparum infection. After investigating all potential sources of
      infection, we concluded the patient had been exposed to malaria while
      hospitalized less than 3 weeks earlier. Molecular genotyping implicated patient
      to-patient transmission in a hospital setting. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol.
      2015;37(1):113-115. 

PMID- 26498731
TI  - Abundance and generalisation in mutualistic networks: solving the chicken-and-egg
      dilemma.
AB  - A frequent observation in plant-animal mutualistic networks is that abundant
      species tend to be more generalised, interacting with a broader range of
      interaction partners than rare species. Uncovering the causal relationship
      between abundance and generalisation has been hindered by a chicken-and-egg
      dilemma: is generalisation a by-product of being abundant, or does high abundance
      result from generalisation? Here, we analyse a database of plant-pollinator and
      plant-seed disperser networks, and provide strong evidence that the causal link
      between abundance and generalisation is uni-directional. Specifically, species
      appear to be generalists because they are more abundant, but the converse, that
      is that species become more abundant because they are generalists, is not
      supported by our analysis. Furthermore, null model analyses suggest that abundant
      species interact with many other species simply because they are more likely to
      encounter potential interaction partners. 

PMID- 26498732
TI  - "My dirty little habit": Patient constructions of antidepressant use and the
      'crisis' of legitimacy.
AB  - Discontents surrounding depression are many, and include concerns about a
      creeping appropriation of everyday kinds of misery; divergent opinions on the
      diagnostic category(ies); and debates about causes and appropriate treatments.
      The somewhat mixed fortunes of antidepressants - including concerns about their
      efficacy, overuse and impacts on personhood - have contributed to a moral
      ambivalence around antidepressant use for people with mental health issues. Given
      this, we set out to critically examine how antidepressant users engage in the
      moral underpinnings of their use, especially how they ascribe legitimacy (or
      otherwise) to this usage. Using a modified constant comparative approach, we
      analyzed 107 narrative interviews (32 in UKa, 36 in UKb, 39 in Australia)
      collected in three research studies of experiences of depression in the UK (2003
      4 UKa, and 2012 UKb) and in Australia (2010-11). We contend that with the
      precariousness of the legitimacy of the pharmaceutical treatment of depression,
      participants embark on their own legitimization work, often alone and while
      distressed. We posit that here, individuals with depression may be particularly
      susceptible to moral uncertainty about their illness and pharmaceutical
      interventions, including concerns about shameful antidepressant use and deviance
      (e.g. conceiving medication as pseudo-illicit). We conclude that while people's
      experiences of antidepressants (including successful treatments) involve
      challenges to illegitimacy narratives, it is difficult for participants to escape
      the influence of underlying moral concerns, and the legitimacy quandary
      powerfully shapes antidepressant use. 

PMID- 26498734
TI  - Transurethral Bipolar Enucleation of the Prostate Is an Effective Treatment
      Option for Men With Urinary Retention.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate outcomes of transurethral bipolar enucleation (TuBE) of
      the prostate in patients with refractory lower urinary tract symptoms. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on patients who underwent
      TuBE from July 2014 to March 2015. Perioperative factors evaluated included
      International Prostate Symptom Score, Sexual Health Inventory for Men score,
      prostate-specific antigen, postvoid residual volume, transrectal ultrasound
      volume measurement, estimated blood loss, operative time, pathologic weight, and
      complications. Postoperative evaluation was performed at 6 weeks and 3 months.
      RESULTS: Forty-nine patients were identified. Mean age was 67 years and mean
      follow-up was 4.4 months. Twenty-eight patients (57%) were in retention.
      Preoperative, 6-week, and 3-month mean postvoid residual volumes were 278 mL, 66
      mL, and 87 mL (P < .01); mean International Prostate Symptom Scores were 22, 9,
      and 8 (P  <  .01); mean quality of life scores were 5.0, 1.9, and 1.9; and Sexual
      Health Inventory for Men scores were 7.1, 8.4, and 7.0 (P = .35), respectively.
      Twenty-eight patients (57%) were able to have erections preoperatively and were
      still able to postoperatively. All (100%) of the patients in retention were able
      to void postoperatively. Mean operative time was 93 minutes, estimated blood loss
      was 49 mL, and pathologic weight was 18 g. Urinary tract infection occurred in 3
      patients (6%), urethral stricture in 1 (2%), and bladder neck contracture in 2
      (4%). Mean prostate-specific antigen decreased from 3.2 ng/dL to 0.9 ng/dL at 3
      months (P < .01). CONCLUSION: TuBE is an effective operation for refractory
      urinary tract symptoms including those who are in urinary retention.

PMID- 26498735
TI  - Verumontanum Cyst Associated With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in an Adolescent.
AB  - Urinary tract polyps occur anywhere from the renal pelvis to the anterior
      urethra. Lower tract polyps occur less frequently than upper tract polyps and are
      a rare finding in children. Symptoms include obstruction, dysfunctional voiding,
      or hematuria. We report the case of a 17-year-old male who presented with
      persistent leakage of urine following voiding. Ultrasound demonstrated a small
      cystic lesion in the posterior aspect of the prostate and a voiding
      cystourethrogram was suggestive of a utricular cyst or polyp. He underwent a
      cystoscopy that demonstrated a large cystic structure originating from the
      verumontanum, nearly obstructing the prostatic urethra. 

PMID- 26498736
TI  - Impact of price display on provider ordering: A systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Displaying order prices to physicians is 1 potential strategy to
      reduce unnecessary health expenditures, but its impact on patterns of care is
      unclear. OBJECTIVE: To review characteristics of previous price display
      interventions, impact on order costs and volume, effects on patient safety,
      acceptability to physicians, and the quality of this evidence. DESIGN: Systematic
      review of studies that showed numeric prices of laboratory tests, imaging
      studies, or medications to providers in real time during the ordering process and
      evaluated the impact on provider ordering. Two investigators independently
      extracted data for each study and evaluated study quality using a modified Downs
      and Black checklist. RESULTS: Of 1494 studies reviewed, 19 met inclusion
      criteria, including 5 randomized trials, 13 pre-post intervention studies, and 1
      time series analysis. Studies were published between 1983 and 2014. Of 15 studies
      reporting the quantitative impact of price display on aggregate order costs or
      volume, 10 demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in the intervention
      group. Price display was found to decrease aggregate order costs (9 of 13
      studies) more frequently than order volume (3 of 8 studies). Patient safety was
      evaluated in 5 studies and was unaffected by price display. Provider
      acceptability tended to be positive, although evidence was limited. Study quality
      was mixed, with checklist scores ranging from 5/21 to 20/21. CONCLUSIONS:
      Provider price display likely reduces order costs to a modest degree. Patient
      safety appeared unchanged, though evidence was limited. More high-quality
      evidence is needed to confirm these findings within a modern context.

PMID- 26498737
TI  - A Graphene-Based Bimorph Structure for Design of High Performance Photoactuators.
AB  - A photoactuator based on a tubular-shaped graphene composite bimorph is
      fabricated and shows reversible photoactuation with fast response and large
      deformation (deformation angle of ca. 479 degrees  in only 3.6 s), which is
      mostly attributed to the interfacial thermal stress. Various photoactuator
      devices based on the tubular bimorph, including a smart box and crawler-type
      robot that can mimic tank-track motion, are designed. 

PMID- 26498733
TI  - Clinical dissection of childhood occipital epilepsy of Gastaut and prognostic
      implication.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Our aim was to describe the clinical and electrical
      features and the long-term evolution of childhood occipital epilepsy of Gastaut
      (COE-G) in a cohort of patients and to compare long-term prognosis between
      patients with and without other epileptic syndromes. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective analysis of the long-term outcome of epilepsy in 129 patients with
      COE-G who were referred to 23 Italian epilepsy centres and one in Austria between
      1991 and 2004. Patients were evaluated clinically and with electroencephalograms
      for 10.1-23.0 years. The following clinical characteristics were evaluated:
      gender, patient age at seizure onset, history of febrile seizures and migraine,
      family history of epilepsy, duration and seizure manifestations, circadian
      distribution and frequency of seizures, history of medications including the
      number of drugs, therapeutic response and final outcome. RESULTS: Visual
      hallucinations were the first symptom in 62% and the only manifestation in 38.8%
      of patients. Patients were subdivided into two groups: group A with isolated COE
      G; group B with other epileptic syndromes associated with COE-G. The most
      significant (P < 0.05) difference concerned antiepileptic therapy: in group A, 45
      children responded to monotherapy; in group B only 15 children responded to
      monotherapy. At the end of follow-up, the percentage of seizure-free patients was
      significantly higher in group A than in group B. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood occipital
      epilepsy of Gastaut has an overall favourable prognosis and a good response to
      antiepileptic therapy with resolution of seizures and of electroencephalogram
      abnormalities. The association of typical COE-G symptoms with other types of
      seizure could be related to a poor epilepsy outcome.

PMID- 26498738
TI  - A SNP in the porcine chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10 gene is associated with
      blood hemoglobin concentration.

PMID- 26498739
TI  - Novel postzygotic KRAS mutation in a Japanese case of epidermal nevus syndrome
      presenting with two distinct clinical features, keratinocytic epidermal nevi and
      sebaceous nevi.

PMID- 26498740
TI  - Measuring benefits of opioid misuse treatment for economic evaluation: health
      related quality of life of opioid-dependent individuals and their spouses as
      assessed by a sample of the US population.
AB  - AIMS: To understand how the general public views the quality of life effects of
      opioid misuse and opioid use disorder on an individual and his/her spouse,
      measured in terms used in economic evaluations. DESIGN: Cross-sectional internet
      survey of a US population-representative respondent panel conducted December 2013
      January 2014. SETTING: United States. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2054 randomly
      selected adults; 51.1% male (before weighting). MEASUREMENTS: Mean (95%
      confidence interval) and median health 'utility' for six opioid misuse and
      treatment outcomes: active injection misuse; active prescription misuse;
      methadone maintenance therapy at initiation and when stabilized in treatment; and
      buprenorphine therapy at initiation and when stabilized. Utility is a numerical
      representation of health-related quality of life used in economic evaluations to
      'adjust' estimated survival to include peoples' preferences for health states.
      Utilities are determined by surveying the general population to estimate the
      value they assign to particular health states on a scale where 0 = the value of
      being dead and 1.0 = the value of being in perfect health. Spouse spillover
      utility is assigned to a spouse of an individual who is in a particular health
      state. FINDINGS: Mean individual utility ranged from 0.574 [95% confidence
      interval (CI) = 0.538, 0.611] for active injection opioid misuse to 0.766 for
      stabilized buprenorphine therapy (95% CI = 0.738, 0.795), with other states in
      between. Female respondents assigned higher utility to the active prescription
      misuse and buprenorphine therapy at initiation states than did males (P < 0.05);
      all other states did not differ by respondent gender. Mean spousal utilities were
      significantly lower than 1.0 but mostly higher than individual utility, and were
      similar between male and female respondents. CONCLUSIONS: In the opinion of the
      US public, injection opioid misuse results in worse health-related quality of
      life than prescription misuse, and methadone therapy results in worse health
      related quality of life than buprenorphine therapy. Spouses are negatively
      affected by their partner's opioid misuse and early treatment.

PMID- 26498741
TI  - Substance use, health status and service utilisation of older clients attending
      specialist drug and alcohol services.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: The number of older clients attending drug and alcohol
      (D&A) services is increasing, although there is insufficient knowledge regarding
      service needs for this group. The aim of this study was to document the patterns
      of substance use, health status, cognition, social conditions, and health service
      utilisation of older clients in D&A treatment. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross
      sectional observational study of 99 clients aged >=50 years (M = 55, SD = 4.5;
      77% male) attending specialist D&A services (N = 30 alcohol treatment, N = 69
      opioid treatment) in Sydney, Australia. Participants completed a confidential
      research interview. Findings were compared to aggregated data from younger opioid
      substitution treatment (OST) clients attending the same services (N = 214).
      RESULTS: Alcohol (46%), benzodiazepines (40%) and cannabis (38%) were the most
      commonly reported substances used in the past 4 weeks; 23% reported no recent
      substance use, and 17% reported using three or more drugs. Participants reported
      high levels of physical and mental health problems, social isolation, low levels
      of employment, and a third reported difficulties with daily living activities.
      Forty percent had been injured in a fall in the past 12 months. The mean
      Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-R score was 82.4 +/- 9.6, with 40% performing
      at a level consistent with severe cognitive impairment. A significantly higher
      proportion of older participants used alcohol and benzodiazepines than younger
      clients, and older participants had significantly poorer psychological health,
      physical health and quality of life. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: D&A services
      will require strategies to address the complex physical, mental, cognitive and
      social problems of older clients.

PMID- 26498742
TI  - Medical Malpractice Damage Caps and Provider Reimbursement.
AB  - A common state legislative maneuver to combat rising healthcare costs is to
      reform the tort system by implementing caps on noneconomic damages awardable in
      medical malpractice cases. Using the implementation of caps in several states and
      large database of private insurance claims, I estimate the effect of damage caps
      on the amount providers charge to insurance companies as well as the amount that
      insurance companies reimburse providers for medical services. The amount
      providers charge insurers is unresponsive to tort reform, but the amount that
      insurers reimburse providers decreases for some procedures. Copyright (c) 2015
      John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26498743
TI  - Cloning and characterization of the pepper CaPAO gene for defense responses to
      salt-induced leaf senescence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pheophorbide a oxygenase (PAO) is an important enzyme in the
      chlorophyll catabolism pathway and is involved in leaf senescence. It opens the
      porphyrin macrocycle of pheophorbide a and finally forms the primary fluorescent
      chlorophyll catabolite. Previous studies have demonstrated the function of PAO
      during cell death. However, the characterizaton of PAO during leaf senescence
      induced by environmental factors is not well understood. METHODS: Homology-based
      cloning and RACE techniques were used to obtain the full-length cDNA of the CaPAO
      gene. CaPAO expression was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Function of
      CaPAO gene were studied using virus-induced gene silencing and transgenic
      techniques with tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum). RESULTS: A novel PAO gene
      CaPAO was isolated from pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). The full-length CaPAO cDNA
      is comprised of 1838 bp, containing an open reading frame of 1614 bp, and encodes
      a 537 amino acid protein. This deduced protein belongs to the Rieske-type iron
      sulfur superfamily, containing a conserved Rieske cluster. CaPAO expression, as
      determined by quantitative real-time PCR, was higher in leaves than roots, stems
      and flowers. It was upregulated by abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate and salicylic
      acid. Moreover, CaPAO was significantly induced by high salinity and osmotic
      stress treatments and also was regulated by Phytophthora capsici. The virus
      induced gene silencing technique was used to silence the CaPAO gene in pepper
      plants. After 3 days of high salt treatment, the chlorophyll breakdown of CaPAO
      silenced pepper plants was retarded. RD29A promoter-inducible expression vector
      was constructed and transferred into tobacco plant. After 7 days of salt
      treatment, the leaves of transgenic plants were severely turned into yellow, the
      lower leaves showed necrotic symptom and chlorophyll content was significantly
      lower than that in the control plants. CONCLUSIONS: The expression of CaPAO gene
      was induced in natural senescence and various stresses. The CaPAO gene may be
      related to defense responses to various stresses and play an important role in
      salt-induced leaf senescence.

PMID- 26498744
TI  - Behind the scenes of the PRIME intervention: designing a complex intervention to
      improve malaria care at public health centres in Uganda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Uganda, health system challenges limit access to good quality
      healthcare and contribute to slow progress on malaria control. We developed a
      complex intervention (PRIME), which was designed to improve quality of care for
      malaria at public health centres. OBJECTIVE: Responding to calls for increased
      transparency, we describe the PRIME intervention's design process, rationale, and
      final content and reflect on the choices and challenges encountered during the
      design of this complex intervention. DESIGN: To develop the intervention, we
      followed a multistep approach, including the following: 1) formative research to
      identify intervention target areas and objectives; 2) prioritization of
      intervention components; 3) review of relevant evidence; 4) development of
      intervention components; 5) piloting and refinement of workshop modules; and 6)
      consolidation of the PRIME intervention theories of change to articulate why and
      how the intervention was hypothesized to produce desired outcomes. We aimed to
      develop an intervention that was evidence-based, grounded in theory, and
      appropriate for the study context; could be evaluated within a randomized
      controlled trial; and had the potential to be scaled up sustainably. RESULTS: The
      process of developing the PRIME intervention package was lengthy and dynamic. The
      final intervention package consisted of four components: 1) training in fever
      case management and use of rapid diagnostic tests for malaria (mRDTs); 2)
      workshops in health centre management; 3) workshops in patient-centred services;
      and 4) provision of mRDTs and antimalarials when stocks ran low. CONCLUSIONS: The
      slow and iterative process of intervention design contrasted with the continually
      shifting study context. We highlight the considerations and choices made at each
      design stage, discussing elements we included and why, as well as those that were
      ultimately excluded. Reflection on and reporting of 'behind the scenes' accounts
      of intervention design may improve the design, assessment, and generalizability
      of complex interventions and their evaluations.

PMID- 26498745
TI  - Global surgery in a postconflict setting--5-year results of implementation in the
      Russian North Caucasus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Collaborations for global surgery face many challenges to achieve
      fair and safe patient care and to build sustainable capacity. The 2004 terrorist
      attack on a school in Beslan in North Ossetia in the Russian North Caucasus left
      many victims with complex otologic barotrauma. In response, we implemented a
      global surgery partnership between the Vladikavkaz Children's Hospital,
      international surgical teams, the North Ossetian Health Ministry, and civil
      society organizations. This study's aim was to describe the implementation and 5
      year results of capacity building for complex surgery in a postconflict, mid
      income setting. DESIGN: We conducted an observational study at the Children's
      Hospital in Vladikavkaz in the autonomous Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, part
      of the Russian Federation. We assessed the outcomes of 15 initial patients who
      received otologic surgeries for complex barotrauma resulting from the Beslan
      terrorism attack and for other indications, and report the incidence of intra-
      and postoperative complications. RESULTS: Patients were treated for trauma
      related to terrorism (53%) and for indications not related to violence (47%).
      None of the patients developed peri- or postoperative complications. Three
      patients (two victims of terrorism) who underwent repair of tympanic perforations
      presented with re-perforations. Four junior and senior surgeons were trained on
      site and in Germany to perform and teach similar procedures autonomously.
      CONCLUSIONS: In mid-income, postconflict settings, complex surgery can be safely
      implemented and achieve patient outcomes comparable to global standards. Capacity
      building can build on existing resources, such as operation room management,
      nursing, and anesthesia services. In postconflict environments, substantial
      surgical burden is not directly attributable to conflict-related injury and
      disease, but to health systems weakened by conflicts. Extending training and safe
      surgical care to include specialized interventions such as microsurgery are
      integral components to strengthen local capacity and ownership. Our experience
      identified strategies for fair patient selection and might provide a model for
      potentially sustainable surgical system building in postconflict environments.

PMID- 26498747
TI  - Antimicrobial stewardship: are we failing in cross-specialty clinical engagement?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a public health priority and
      leading patient safety issue. Globally, antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) has been
      integral in promoting therapeutic optimization whilst minimizing harmful
      antimicrobial use. A cross-sectional, observational study was undertaken to
      investigate the coverage of AMS and antibacterial resistance across clinical
      scientific conferences in 2014, as a surrogate marker for current awareness and
      attributed importance. METHODS: Clinical specialties were identified, and the
      largest corresponding clinical scientific/research conferences in 2014 determined
      (i) within the UK and (ii) internationally. Conference characteristics and
      abstracts were interrogated and analysed to determine those related to AMS and
      AMR. Inter-specialty variation was assessed using chi(2) or Fisher's exact
      statistical analysis. RESULTS: In total, 45 conferences from 23 specialties were
      analysed representing 59,682 accepted abstracts. The UK had a significantly
      greater proportion of AMS-AMR-related abstracts compared with international
      conferences [2.8% (n = 221/7843) compared with 1.8% (n = 942/51,839); P < 0.001].
      Infection conferences contained the greatest proportion of AMS-AMR abstracts,
      representing 20% (732/3669) of all abstracts [UK 66% (80/121) and international
      18% (652/3548); P < 0.0001]. AMS-AMR coverage across all general specialties was
      poor [intensive care 9% (116/1287), surgical 1% (8/757) and medical specialties
      0.64% (332/51,497)] despite high usage of antimicrobials across all. CONCLUSIONS:
      Despite current AMS-AMR strategies being advocated by infection specialists and
      discussed by national and international policy makers, AMS-AMR coverage remained
      limited across clinical specialty scientific conferences in 2014. We call for
      further intervention to ensure specialty engagement with AMS programmes and
      promote the AMR agenda across clinical practice.

PMID- 26498746
TI  - Effectiveness of an intervention to facilitate the implementation of healthy
      eating and physical activity policies and practices in childcare services: a
      randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an
      intervention to increase the implementation of healthy eating and physical
      activity policies and practices by centre-based childcare services. The study
      also sought to determine if the intervention was effective in improving child
      dietary intake and increasing child physical activity levels while attending
      childcare. METHODS: A parallel group, randomised controlled trial was conducted
      in a sample of 128 childcare services. Intervention strategies included provision
      of implementation support staff, securing executive support, staff training,
      consensus processes, academic detailing visits, tools and resources, performance
      monitoring and feedback and a communications strategy. The primary outcome of the
      trial was the proportion of services implementing all seven healthy eating and
      physical activity policies and practices targeted by the intervention. Outcome
      data were collected via telephone surveys with nominated supervisors and room
      leaders at baseline and immediately post-intervention. Secondary trial outcomes
      included the differences between groups in the number of serves consumed by
      children for each food group within the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and in
      the proportion of children engaged in sedentary, walking or very active physical
      activity assessed via observation in a random subsample of 36 services at follow
      up. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between groups for the primary
      trial outcome (p = 0.44). Relative to the control group, a significantly larger
      proportion of intervention group services reported having a written nutrition and
      physical activity policy (p = 0.05) and providing adult-guided activities to
      develop fundamental movement skills (p = 0.01). There were no significant
      differences between groups at follow-up on measures of child dietary intake or
      physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the trial were equivocal. While
      there was no significant difference between groups for the primary trial outcome,
      the intervention did significantly increase the proportion of intervention group
      services implementing two of the seven healthy eating and physical activity
      policies and practices. High levels of implementation of a number of policies and
      practices at baseline, significant obesity prevention activity in the study
      region and higher than previously reported intra-class correlation of child
      behaviours may, in part, explain the trial findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Australian Clinical Trials Registry (reference ACTRN12612000927820 ).

PMID- 26498748
TI  - Piloting prostate cancer patient-reported outcomesin clinical practice.
AB  - PURPOSE: The expanded prostate cancer index composite-26 (EPIC-26) instrument is
      a validated research tool used for capturing patient-reported quality-of-life
      outcomes related to the domains of bowel, bladder, and sexual functioning for men
      undergoing curative treatment for prostate cancer. The purpose of this pilot
      study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of clinicians with using
      EPIC-26 in a clinical setting for patients receiving curative radiotherapy.
      METHODS: Ten clinicians reviewed EPIC-26 scores either before or during weekly
      clinical encounters with patients receiving curative radiation treatment for
      prostate cancer. After a period of 2 months, clinicians underwent individual semi
      structured interviews where they were asked about their views on measuring
      patient-reported outcomes in practice, the value of EPIC-26, impressions on
      patient acceptability, and operational issues. RESULTS: There was a general
      willingness and acceptance by clinicians to use EPIC-26 for routine clinical
      practice. Clinician participants found EPIC-26 to be generally informative, and
      added value to the clinical encounter by providing additional information that
      was specific to prostate cancer patients. EPIC-26 was also felt to improve
      overall communication and provide additional insight into the patient experience.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our qualitative findings suggest that there may be a role for
      incorporating patient-reported outcome measure assessment tools like EPIC-26
      routinely into clinical practice. However, further qualitative and quantitative
      research is required in order to assess the impact of patient-reported outcome
      information on communication, patient and clinician satisfaction, and how these
      and other related outcomes can be used for guiding treatment decision-making.

PMID- 26498749
TI  - A situation analysis of inter-professional education and practice for ethics and
      professionalism training at Makerere University College of Health Sciences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Students at Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS)
      are introduced to ethics and professionalism using the inter-professional
      education (IPE) model. Ethics and professionalism should be running themes
      throughout succeeding years of study during which students are expected to
      develop qualities and skills for future inter-professional practice (IPP). We
      performed a situation analysis of IPE and IPP among students and teaching health
      professionals at MakCHS to guide development of a relevant training curriculum of
      ethics and professionalism. METHODS: A cross sectional study with quantitative
      and qualitative methods which included questionnaires, focus group discussions
      and key informant interviews. RESULTS: We interviewed 236 undergraduate students
      (148, 63 % male) and 32 teaching health professionals (25, 78 % male). Two
      hundred fifteen (91 %) students indicated they had joint learning activities with
      students of other professions and 166 (70 %) stated there was benefit in having
      an IPE model training curriculum. Most students (140, 59 %) strongly agreed that
      learning with other students will make them more effective members of the health
      team. Whereas the respondents reported inter professionalism as being well
      articulated in their course curricula, more than half said IPE is only
      implemented in the pre-clinical years of study. They noted that IPE and IPP
      concepts were not well programmed, health professionals engaged in teaching had
      poor attitudes towards IPE and IPP, there were limited numbers of skilled health
      care workers to implement IPP and there was poor communication between students
      and teaching health professionals. Majority of teaching health professionals
      noted challenges in implementation of IPE such as poor coordination and large
      student population and major factors influencing ethics and professionalism in
      healthcare such as limited government support, low pay for the health care
      workers, disrespect and lack of appreciation of the health workers by the public.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that IPE, IPP, ethics and professionalism
      are not emphasized in the clinical years of study at MakCHS. We recommend
      increased sensitization on the concepts of IPE and IPP plus enhanced mentorship
      for both students and teaching health professionals. Innovative strategies of
      implementation of IPE and IPP for training in ethics and professionalism must be
      introduced.

PMID- 26498750
TI  - Use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in an awake patient after a major
      trauma with an incidental finding of tuberculosis.
AB  - We report the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in a trauma
      patient with an incidental finding of open tuberculosis (TB). Sedation was
      reduced during extracorporeal support and awake veno-venous ECMO was successfully
      performed. Subsequently, accidental cannula removal caused major blood loss which
      required the administration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Our case
      report demonstrates that the incidental finding of open TB is an important hint
      for differential diagnosis and that it should still be considered in high-income
      countries. In addition, awake ECMO appears to be a feasible therapeutic option in
      non-transplant patients, although the described case demonstrates that patient
      compliance and nursing care are important for therapeutic success to avoid
      complications, for example, inadvertent decannulation. 

PMID- 26498751
TI  - Longitudinal predictors of informal and formal caregiving time in community
      dwelling dementia patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: Care provided in the community for dementia patients on an individual
      basis may be very time consuming. Yet, little is known about the factors
      affecting caregiving time for community-dwelling dementia patients. Thus, we
      aimed to investigate the predictors of informal and formal caregiving time for
      these patients in a longitudinal approach. METHOD: Caregiving time for n = 126
      community-dwelling dementia patients was assessed by proxy interviews in four
      assessments at 6-month intervals (1.5 years of longitudinal follow-up; AgeCoDe
      study). Measurement of informal caregiving time was based on a German adaptation
      of the Resource Utilization in Dementia questionnaire. Dementia severity was
      measured by the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). We used random effects models to
      estimate the effects of sociodemographic variables (age, gender, marital status
      and education), comorbidity and dementia severity on informal and formal
      caregiving time. RESULTS: At the first assessment, mean age was 85.0 years (+/
      3.2 years). The majority of patients was female (65.9 %), not married (divorced,
      single, widowed: 55.6 %) and had primary education (63.5 %). Furthermore, mean
      GDS was 4.4 (+/-0.8) and mean MMSE was 20.1 (+/-5.1). According to CDR, 43
      individuals had very mild dementia, 55 individuals had mild dementia and 28
      individuals had moderate/severe dementia. Moreover, mean total caregiving time
      was 3.4 h per day (+/-4.0). Thereof the main part represents informal caregiving
      time (2.3 h +/- 3.4), whereas formal caregiving time was 1.2 h (+/-2.4). Dementia
      severity was associated with total caregiving time, mainly influenced by informal
      caregiving time. Age was positively associated with total caregiving time, driven
      by formal caregiving time, while being married was positively associated with
      total caregiving time, mainly affected by informal caregiving time. All need
      categories of informal caregiving time were strongly related to dementia
      severity, whereas none of the categories of formal caregiving time were related
      to dementia severity. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings extend previous studies that
      found an association between informal caregiving time and dementia severity.
      Moreover, our findings highlight the role of informal care for community-dwelling
      dementia patients in Germany. Informal caregiving time strongly increases with
      dementia severity. Consequently, as the number of patients suffering from
      dementia is expected to increase considerably in the next decades, there is a
      paramount need to strengthen the informal care system to meet patients' needs.

PMID- 26498752
TI  - Early psychosis research at Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth
      Mental Health.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Specialised early intervention (SEI) programs have offered
      individuals with psychotic disorders and their families new hope for improving
      illness trajectories and outcomes. The Early Psychosis Prevention and
      Intervention Centre (EPPIC) was one of the first SEI programs developed in the
      world, providing services for young people experiencing their first episode of
      psychosis. METHODS: We conducted a narrative synthesis of controlled and
      uncontrolled studies that have been conducted at EPPIC. DISCUSSION: The history
      of the EPPIC model is first described. This is followed by a discussion of
      clinical research emerging from EPPIC, including psychopharmacological,
      psychotherapeutic trials and outcome studies. Neurobiological studies are also
      described. Issues pertaining to the conduct of clinical research and future
      research directions are then described. Finally, the impact of the EPPIC model on
      the Australian environment is discussed.

PMID- 26498753
TI  - Tumorigenic hybrids between mesenchymal stem cells and gastric cancer cells
      enhanced cancer proliferation, migration and stemness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence indicates that inappropriate cell-cell fusion might
      contribute to cancer progression. Similarly, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can
      also fuse with other cells spontaneously and capable of adopting the phenotype of
      other cells. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of MSCs
      participated cell fusion in the tumorigenesis of gastric cancer. METHODS: We
      fused human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSCs) with gastric cancer
      cells in vitro by polyethylene glycol (PEG), the hybrid cells were sorted by flow
      cytometer. The growth and migration of hybrids were assessed by cell counting,
      cell colony formation and transwell assays. The proteins and genes related to
      epithelial- mesenchymal transition and stemness were tested by western blot,
      immunocytochemistry and real-time RT-PCR. The expression of CD44 and CD133 was
      examined by immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry. The xenograft assay was used
      to evaluation the tumorigenesis of the hybrids. RESULTS: The obtained hybrids
      exhibited epithelial- mesenchymal transition (EMT) change with down-regulation of
      E-cadherin and up-regulation of Vimentin, N-cadherin, alpha-smooth muscle actin
      (alpha-SMA), and fibroblast activation protein (FAP). The hybrids also increased
      expression of stemness factors Oct4, Nanog, Sox2 and Lin28. The expression of
      CD44 and CD133 on hybrid cells was stronger than parental gastric cancer cells.
      Moreover, the migration and proliferation of heterotypic hybrids were enhanced.
      In addition, the heterotypic hybrids promoted the growth abilities of gastric
      xenograft tumor in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results suggest that
      cell fusion between hucMSCs and gastric cancer cells could contribute to
      tumorigenic hybrids with EMT and stem cell-like properties, which may provide a
      flexible tool for investigating the roles of MSCs in gastric cancer.

PMID- 26498754
TI  - Impact of efflux in the development of multidrug resistance phenotypes in
      Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Efflux has been recognized as a resistance mechanism to
      antimicrobials in Staphylococcus aureus; however its role on the development of
      clinically relevant resistance is still poorly characterized. This study aimed to
      examine the impact of efflux on development of resistance to fluoroquinolones and
      other antimicrobials in S. aureus strains representing relevant phenotypes in
      terms of antibiotic susceptibility and efflux activity. METHODS: Two closely
      related methicillin- and ciprofloxacin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clinical
      strains, with different efflux capacity and the pan-susceptible strain ATCC25923
      were exposed to constant concentrations of the efflux pump (EP) substrates
      ciprofloxacin, ethidium bromide and cetrimide. Parental and exposed strains were
      tested regarding their susceptibility towards antibiotics, biocides and ethidium
      bromide, efflux capacity and levels of EP gene expression. Occurrence of
      resistance-associated mutations was screened by sequencing. RESULTS: Multidrug
      resistance phenotypes emerged upon exposure, independently of the substrate or
      its concentration, which were correlated with increased efflux capacity of the
      exposed strains. The temporal pattern of EP gene expression disclosed an early
      response with high expression of several genes, followed by a late-response,
      characterized by overexpression of specific genes. The overall cell response was
      more pronounced for strains with an initial basal efflux activity. Remarkably,
      detection of the IS256 element in the promoter regions of mgrA and norA, in some
      cases associated with increased gene expression, suggests that these genes may be
      hot spots for IS256 insertion events. The results obtained with exposure of
      ATCC25923 to ciprofloxacin were particularly striking, revealing a step-wise
      development of fluoroquinolone resistance, with a first efflux-mediated response,
      followed by the occurrence of a mutation in grlA that resulted in phenotypic
      resistance. Additionally, challenge by non-fluoroquinolone agents, particularly
      cetrimide, promoted cross resistance to fluoroquinolones, revealing the potential
      role of biocides as selective pressure for the emergence of resistance to these
      antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals efflux as a significant component of
      S. aureus resistance to fluoroquinolones and biocides and as a primary mechanism
      to withstand stress imposed by antimicrobials. This efflux-mediated response can
      result in the emergence of multidrug resistance in healthcare environments and
      should be taken into account in the management of this major pathogen.

PMID- 26498755
TI  - Partially anaortic clampless off-pump coronary artery bypass prevents neurologic
      injury compared to on-pump coronary surgery: a propensity score-matched study on
      286 patients.
AB  - Anaortic coronary artery bypass proved to prevent early neurologic injury
      compared to on-pump CABG. The Cardica PAS-Port((r)) is a fully automated device
      that might be able to perform proximal aorto-venous anastomoses without an
      increased embolic risk. We evaluated early post-operative neurologic outcome in a
      matched population following clampless OPCAB (CCAB: either "all-arterial" or with
      automatically anastomosed venous grafts) or on-pump CABG. 366 consecutive
      patients were submitted to isolated coronary bypass by a single surgeon
      experienced in both off and on-pump procedures between January 2009 and December
      2013. Of these patients, 223 underwent a clampless off-pump revascularization.
      After propensity score matching, 143 pairs were selected, who received either off
      pump or on-pump surgery. In the off-pump group, CCAB was performed with an all
      arterial approach (n = 33) or with automated proximal anastomosis of the venous
      graft(s) by means of the Cardica PAS-Port((r)) connector (n = 110). Neurologic
      injury was defined as non-reversible (NRNI: lethal coma or stroke) or reversible
      (RNI: TIA or delirium). Operative mortality was 2.4 % (CCAB 1.4 %; CABG 3.5 %; p
      = 0.14). The global rate of early neurologic injury was 5.6 % (CCAB 2.1 vs. CABG
      9.1 %; p = 0.006). Incidence was 1.4 % for NRNI (CCAB 0 vs. CABG 2.8 %; p = 0.04)
      and 4.2 % for RNI (CCAB 2.1 vs. CABG 6.3 %; p = 0.06). No differences were found
      among other major perioperative outcomes. CCAB prevents both early post-operative
      RNI and NRNI. This result can be achieved with a totally anaortic strategy and
      also with the aid of a fully automated device for proximal aorto-venous
      anastomoses. 

PMID- 26498756
TI  - Association of serum cystatin C levels with myocardial perfusion and cardiac
      functional recovery in patients with anterior wall ST elevation myocardial
      infarction treated with primary coronary intervention.
AB  - This study sought to investigate the association of baseline serum cystatin C
      levels with myocardial perfusion and cardiac functional recovery in patients with
      ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary
      percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). 108 patients with a first anterior
      STEMI who underwent PPCI were enrolled. Serum cystatin C was measured by
      immunoturbidimetric method. Patients were divided into two groups according to
      the median cystatin C levels on admission: group 1 (>=median, n = 54) and group 2
      (<median, n = 54). Myocardial perfusion was assessed by angiographic criteria, ST
      segment resolution, and the index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR).
      Echocardiographic wall motion score index was analyzed on admission and at 6
      month follow-up. Patients with angiographically, electrocardiographically no
      reflow had significantly higher cystatin C levels on admission. Patients with an
      IMR >=33.7 U also had significantly higher cystatin C levels. The WMSI showed a
      greater improvement in group 2 than in group 1 and there was a significant
      negative correlation between improvement of WMSI and the cystatin C levels. There
      was no significant difference in MACEs between the 2 groups. However, congestive
      heart failure (CHF) was observed significantly more frequent in group 1 than in
      group 2 (18.5 vs. 5.6 %, p = 0.022). Multivariate logistic regression analysis
      demonstrated that cystatin C levels at admission were a significant independent
      predictor of angiographic no-reflow and the development of CHF at 6-month follow
      up. Elevated cystatin C levels at admission were independently associated with
      impaired myocardial perfusion, poor cardiac functional recovery and development
      of CHF in patients with anterior STEMI undergoing PPCI. 

PMID- 26498757
TI  - Efficacy and toxicity profile of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in patients with
      advanced ovarian cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prognosis of patients with non-platinum-sensitive recurrent
      ovarian cancer is poor. There is a need for salvage therapies with anti-tumor
      activity and acceptable toxicity for maintaining quality of life. Pegylated
      liposomal doxorubicin (PLD, Caelyx((r))) is a promising drug fulfilling these
      demands. We present retrospective data of patients with advanced epithelial
      ovarian cancer (EOC) who were treated with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin at the
      University of Heidelberg between 2007 and 2009. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible
      patients for this retrospective study had advanced ovarian cancer and were
      treated in a palliative setting with PLD at the university hospital of
      Heidelberg, Germany. Primary objectives were toxicity and efficacy of PLD. 34
      patients were included in this study between November 2007 and December 2009; one
      patient received PLD twice as palliative treatment. RESULTS: The median age of
      the 34 patients enrolled in this study was 59.9 years (range 27-77 years). The
      median weight of the patients was 69 kg (range 47-109 kg), the median height 164
      cm (range 140-176 cm). Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin was administered every 4
      weeks with a dosage of 40 mg/m(2) body surface. PLD was administered for three
      cycles in median (range 1-9 cycles). Dose reduction was necessary in only four
      patients. In our study time to progression and overall survival was 8.74 and
      14.23 months. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this retrospective study showed the
      efficacy and low toxicity of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in patients with
      advanced EOC. Further observations are needed to confirm these preliminary
      experiences on a larger number of patients.

PMID- 26498759
TI  - The nationality of Ibni Sina (Avicenna).

PMID- 26498758
TI  - The number of removed lymph nodes by inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy: impact on
      recurrence rates in patients with vulva carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Inguinal lymph node (LN) metastasis is a crucial prognostic factor in
      vulva carcinoma. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of
      the number of resected LNs in patients with vulvar carcinoma on recurrence rates.
      METHODS: This retrospective study includes patients with vulvar squamous cell
      carcinoma who underwent inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy (IFL) between 1998 and
      2011. Dissected groins were stratified by the number of removed lymph nodes (<6
      LNs versus >=6 LNs) or inguinal LN metastasis (pN- versus pN+) and analyzed
      according to groin, local and distance recurrence rates. RESULTS: In total 45
      patients were identified and 79 groins were eligible for this analysis. 11
      patients underwent ipsilateral IFL and 34 bilateral IFL. The median age was 58
      years (range 31-80). The median tumor size was 2 cm (range 0.1-7.9). A median of
      8 (range 0-19) LNs were resected per groin. Overall in 11 groins LN metastases
      were found. Groin recurrences occurred in four patients, local recurrence in six
      patients and distant metastasis in one patient. We did not observe any
      significant improvement in groin recurrence rates, local recurrence rates and
      distant recurrence rates if more than six LNs were removed per groin. Notably,
      patients with LN metastasis did not show higher recurrence rates compared to
      unaffected LNs. CONCLUSION: In this cohort we demonstrated that resection of more
      than six LNs per groin does not improve the recurrence rates in patients with
      carcinoma of the vulva. Further prospective studies with more individuals are
      needed to evaluate the role of resected LNs in vulvar carcinoma.

PMID- 26498760
TI  - Is endometrial ablation protective against endometrial cancer? A retrospective
      observational study.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVES: Endometrial ablation has been increasingly used over the last
      30 years to manage patients with dysfunctional uterine bleeding. Of primary
      concern, however, is the potential of the procedure to mask the presence or delay
      the diagnosis of endometrial cancer. The aim of this study is to assess the long
      term effects of endometrial ablation and its association with the development of
      endometrial cancer. METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study that was
      conducted at Bradford Teaching Hospitals in the United Kingdom. The study
      included all women who had different types of endometrial ablative procedures in
      the period of January 1994 to December 2011. Analysis of the data was performed
      using SPSS for windows (V9) software package. RESULTS: Over 18 years period, 1521
      women had endometrial ablative procedures for dysfunctional uterine bleeding.
      During their long-term follow-up, none of the women developed endometrial cancer
      later in life. This incidence is much lower than the lifetime risk of endometrial
      cancer in the general population (RR 0.0135; 95 % CI 0.0007-0.2801; P = 0.0054).
      CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the largest study to examine the long-term
      incidence of endometrial cancer in women who had endometrial ablative procedures.
      It shows that the development of endometrial cancer does not seem to be
      associated with endometrial ablative procedures.

PMID- 26498761
TI  - A loss-of-function and H2B-Venus transcriptional reporter allele for Gata6 in
      mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The GATA-binding factor 6 (Gata6) gene encodes a zinc finger
      transcription factor that often functions as a key regulator of lineage
      specification during development. It is the earliest known marker of the
      primitive endoderm lineage in the mammalian blastocyst. During gastrulation,
      GATA6 is expressed in early cardiac mesoderm and definitive endoderm progenitors,
      and is necessary for development of specific mesoderm and endoderm-derived organs
      including the heart, liver, and pancreas. Furthermore, reactivation or silencing
      of the Gata6 locus has been associated with certain types of cancer affecting
      endodermal organs. RESULTS: We have generated a Gata6(H2B-Venus) knock-in
      reporter mouse allele for the purpose of labeling GATA6-expressing cells with a
      bright nuclear-localized fluorescent marker that is suitable for live imaging at
      single-cell resolution. CONCLUSIONS: Expression of the Venus reporter was
      characterized starting from embryonic stem (ES) cells, through mouse embryos and
      adult animals. The Venus reporter was not expressed in ES cells, but was
      activated upon endoderm differentiation. Gata6(H2B-Venus/H2B-Venus) homozygous
      embryos did not express GATA6 protein and failed to specify the primitive
      endoderm in the blastocyst. However, null blastocysts continued to express high
      levels of Venus in the absence of GATA6 protein, suggesting that early Gata6
      transcription is independent of GATA6 protein expression. At early post
      implantation stages of embryonic development, there was a strong correlation of
      Venus with endogenous GATA6 protein in endoderm and mesoderm progenitors, then
      later in the heart, midgut, and hindgut. However, there were discrepancies in
      reporter versus endogenous protein expression in certain cells, such as the body
      wall and endocardium. During organogenesis, detection of Venus in specific organs
      recapitulated known sites of endogenous GATA6 expression, such as in the lung bud
      epithelium, liver, pancreas, gall bladder, stomach epithelium, and vascular
      endothelium. In adults, Venus was observed in the lungs, pancreas, liver, gall
      bladder, ovaries, uterus, bladder, skin, adrenal glands, small intestine and
      corpus region of the stomach. Overall, Venus fluorescent protein under regulatory
      control of the Gata6 locus was expressed at levels that were easily visualized
      directly and could endure live and time-lapse imaging techniques. Venus is co
      expressed with endogenous GATA6 throughout development to adulthood, and should
      provide an invaluable tool for examining the status of the Gata6 locus during
      development, as well as its silencing or reactivation in cancer or other disease
      states.

PMID- 26498763
TI  - The Effects of Molecular Properties on Ready Biodegradation of Aromatic Compounds
      in the OECD 301B CO2 Evolution Test.
AB  - Ready biodegradation is the primary biodegradability of a compound, which is used
      for discriminating whether a compound could be rapidly and readily biodegraded in
      the natural ecosystems in a short period and has been applied extensively in the
      environmental risk assessment of many chemicals. In this study, the effects of 24
      molecular properties (including 2 physicochemical parameters, 10 geometrical
      parameters, 6 topological parameters, and 6 electronic parameters) on the ready
      biodegradation of 24 kinds of synthetic aromatic compounds were investigated
      using the OECD 301B CO2 Evolution test. The relationship between molecular
      properties and ready biodegradation of these aromatic compounds varied with
      molecular properties. A significant inverse correlation was found for the
      topological parameter TD, five geometrical parameters (Rad, CAA, CMA, CSEV, and N
      c), and the physicochemical parameter K ow, and a positive correlation for two
      topological parameters TC and TVC, whereas no significant correlation was
      observed for any of the electronic parameters. Based on the correlations between
      molecular properties and ready biodegradation of these aromatic compounds, the
      importance of molecular properties was demonstrated as follows: geometrical
      properties > topological properties > physicochemical properties > electronic
      properties. Our study first demonstrated the effects of molecular properties on
      ready biodegradation by a number of experiment data under the same experimental
      conditions, which should be taken into account to better guide the ready
      biodegradation tests and understand the mechanisms of the ready biodegradation of
      aromatic compounds. 

PMID- 26498762
TI  - GM1 Ganglioside is Involved in Epigenetic Activation Loci of Neuronal Cells.
AB  - Gangliosides are sialic acid-containing glycosphingolipids that are most abundant
      in the nerve tissues. The quantity and expression pattern of gangliosides in
      brain change drastically throughout development and are mainly regulated through
      stage-specific expression of glycosyltransferase (ganglioside synthase) genes. We
      previously demonstrated that acetylation of histones H3 and H4 on the N
      acetylgalactosaminyltransferase I (GalNAcT, GA2/GM2/GD2/GT2-synthase) gene
      promoter resulted in recruitment of trans-activation factors. In addition, we
      reported that epigenetic activation of the GalNAcT gene was also detected as
      accompanied by an apparent induction of neuronal differentiation in neural stem
      cells responding to an exogenous supplement of ganglioside GM1. Here, we present
      evidence supporting the concept that nuclear GM1 is associated with gene
      regulation in neuronal cells. We found that nuclear GM1 binds acetylated histones
      on the promoters of the GalNAcT and NeuroD1 genes in differentiated neurons. Our
      study demonstrates for the first time that GM1 interacts with chromatin via
      acetylated histones at the nuclear periphery of neuronal cells. 

PMID- 26498764
TI  - Prenatal diagnosis of right-sided diaphragmatic hernia and ipsilateral
      intrathoracic kidney in a female fetus: a rare observation.
AB  - Congenital diaphragmatic hernia is a rare congenital malformation, as well as
      kidney ectopia. Among kidney ectopias, the intrathoracic one is the rarest. Those
      malformations concern more frequently boys, and affected more the left than the
      right side. Their association is poorly reported in the literature. We report the
      rare case of an early sonographic prenatal diagnosis of intrathoracic kidney at
      22 weeks of gestation in a female fetus, completed on the follow-up by the
      diagnosis of an associated diaphragmatic hernia at 33 weeks of gestation. If
      chest mass is diagnosed prenatally or in neonate, ITK should be considered in a
      differential diagnosis, all the more if the ipsilateral renal fossa is empty. An
      associated DH should be searched if ITK is confirmed. Isolated ITK usually
      requires no specific treatment, in contrast with ITK associated with DH. 

PMID- 26498766
TI  - MicroRNA-33a disturbs influenza A virus replication by targeting ARCN1 and
      inhibiting viral ribonucleoprotein activity.
AB  - In order to explore the roles of microRNA(s) [miRNA(s)] in the influenza A virus
      life cycle, we compared the miRNA profiles of 293T and HeLa cell lines, as
      influenza A virus can replicate efficiently in 293T cells but only poorly in HeLa
      cells. We analysed differentially expressed miRNAs and identified five, including
      miR-33a, that could disturb influenza A virus replication significantly. Using
      TargetScan analysis, we found that ARCN1 could be a potential target of miR-33a.
      To confirm whether miR-33a could truly target ARCN1, we generated a luciferase
      reporter for the ARCN1 3' untranslated region (UTR) and performed a luciferase
      assay. The data indicated that miR-33a could suppress the luciferase activity of
      the reporter for the ARCN1 3' UTR but not a reporter in which the predicted miR
      33a targeting sites on ARCN1 3' UTR were mutated. We performed immunoblotting to
      confirm that miR-33a could downregulate the protein level of ARCN1. Consistently,
      the level of ARCN1 protein in HeLa cells was significantly lower than that in
      293T cells. We also demonstrated that ectopic expression of ARCN1 could partially
      rescue the inhibitory effect of miR-33a on virus replication. Furthermore, we
      demonstrated that miR-33a could impede virus replication at the stage of virus
      internalization, which was similar to the pattern for knockdown of ARCN1,
      indicating that miR-33a inhibits influenza virus infection by suppressing ARCN1
      expression. In addition, we found that miR-33a could also weaken the viral
      ribonucleoprotein activity in an ARCN1-independent manner. In conclusion, we
      found that miR-33a is a novel inhibitory factor for influenza A virus
      replication. 

PMID- 26498765
TI  - Linking Essential Tremor to the Cerebellum: Neurochemical Evidence.
AB  - The pathophysiology and the exact anatomy of essential tremor (ET) is not well
      known. One of the pillars that support the cerebellum as the main anatomical
      locus in ET is neurochemistry. This review examines the link between
      neurochemical abnormalities found in ET and cerebellum. The review is based on
      published data about neurochemical abnormalities described in ET both in human
      and in animal studies. We try to link those findings with cerebellum. gamma
      aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the main neurotransmitter involved in the
      pathophysiology of ET. There are several studies about GABA that clearly points
      to a main role of the cerebellum. There are few data about other neurochemical
      abnormalities in ET. These include studies with noradrenaline, glutamate,
      adenosine, proteins, and T-type calcium channels. One single study reveals high
      levels of noradrenaline in the cerebellar cortex. Another study about serotonin
      neurotransmitter results negative for cerebellum involvement. Finally, studies on
      T-type calcium channels yield positive results linking the rhythmicity of ET and
      cerebellum. Neurochemistry supports the cerebellum as the main anatomical locus
      in ET. The main neurotransmitter involved is GABA, and the GABA hypothesis
      remains the most robust pathophysiological theory of ET to date. However, this
      hypothesis does not rule out other mechanisms and may be seen as the main
      scaffold to support findings in other systems. We clearly need to perform more
      studies about neurochemistry in ET to better understand the relations among the
      diverse systems implied in ET. This is mandatory to develop more effective
      pharmacological therapies. 

PMID- 26498767
TI  - Neptunism and Transformism: Robert Jameson and other Evolutionary Theorists in
      Early Nineteenth-Century Scotland.
AB  - This paper sheds new light on the prevalence of evolutionary ideas in Scotland in
      the early nineteenth century and establish what connections existed between the
      espousal of evolutionary theories and adherence to the directional history of the
      earth proposed by Abraham Gottlob Werner and his Scottish disciples. A possible
      connection between Wernerian geology and theories of the transmutation of species
      in Edinburgh in the period when Charles Darwin was a medical student in the city
      was suggested in an important 1991 paper by James Secord. This study aims to
      deepen our knowledge of this important episode in the history of evolutionary
      ideas and explore the relationship between these geological and evolutionary
      discourses. To do this it focuses on the circle of natural historians around
      Robert Jameson, Wernerian geologist and professor of natural history at the
      University of Edinburgh from 1804 to 1854. From the evidence gathered here there
      emerges a clear confirmation that the Wernerian model of geohistory facilitated
      the acceptance of evolutionary explanations of the history of life in early
      nineteenth-century Scotland. As Edinburgh was at this time the most important
      center of medical education in the English-speaking world, this almost certainly
      influenced the reception and development of evolutionary ideas in the decades
      that followed.

PMID- 26498768
TI  - Prognosis of Primary and Recurrent Chondrosarcoma of the Rib.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chondrosarcoma of the rib is a rare disease. Although surgery is the
      only curative treatment option, rib resection with an adequate margin can be
      challenging and local recurrence is a frequent problem. In this study, the
      prognosis of primary and recurrent chondrosarcoma of the rib is reported.
      METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed of patients treated for
      chondrosarcoma of the rib between 1984 and 2014 in three major tertiary referral
      centers in The Netherlands. Clinical and histopathological features were analyzed
      for their prognostic value using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard
      analysis. Endpoints were set at local recurrent disease, metastasis rate, or
      death. RESULTS: Overall, 76 patients underwent a resection for a primary
      chondrosarcoma, and 26 patients underwent a resection for a recurrent
      chondrosarcoma. Five-year overall survival in the primary group was 90%, local
      recurrence rate was 17%, and metastasis rate was 12%. The 5-year outcome after
      recurrent chondrosarcoma was lower, with an overall survival of 65%, local
      recurrence rate of 27%, and metastasis rate of 27%. For primary chondrosarcoma,
      tumor size >5 cm and a positive resection margin were correlated with worse
      overall survival [hazard ratio (HR) 3.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03
      10.44; HR 2.92, 95% CI 1.03-8.25). A higher histological grade was correlated
      with a higher local recurrence and metastasis rate (HR 5.92, 95% CI 1.11-31.65;
      HR 6.96, 95% CI 1.15-42.60). CONCLUSION: Surgical resection of both primary and
      recurrent chondrosarcoma of the rib is an effective treatment strategy. The
      oncological outcome after surgery is worse in tumors >5 cm, in tumors with
      positive resection margins and grade 3 chondrosarcoma.

PMID- 26498769
TI  - Postoperative bleeding risk for oral surgery under continued rivaroxaban
      anticoagulant therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of postoperative
      bleeding complications after oral procedures performed under continued mono or
      dual anticoagulation therapy with rivaroxaban (and aspirin). METHODS: This
      retrospective single-center observational study included 52 oral procedures
      performed under continued oral anticoagulant therapy with rivaroxaban (20
      mg/day). Among them, two procedures were performed under continued dual therapy
      with aspirin (100 mg/day) added to the regimen. Postoperative bleeding events
      were compared with 285 oral procedures in patients without any
      anticoagulation/antiplatelet therapy. RESULTS: Postoperative bleeding
      complications after oral surgery occurred significantly more often in patients
      under continued rivaroxaban therapy (11.5 %) than in the control cases without
      anticoagulation/antiplatelet medication (0.7 %). All of the bleeding events were
      manageable: Two of them were treated with local compression, three by applying
      new fibrin glue with (one case) or without (two cases) secondary sutures, one
      occurred during a weekend and was therefore treated under inpatient conditions
      with suture replacement. All postoperative bleeding episodes occurred during the
      first postoperative week. CONCLUSIONS: According to our data, continued
      anticoagulation therapy with rivaroxaban significantly increases postoperative
      bleeding risk for oral surgical procedures, although the bleeding events were
      manageable. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Oral surgeons, cardiologists, general physicians,
      and patients should be aware of the increased bleeding risk after oral surgical
      procedures. Close observation up to 1 week postoperatively is advisable to
      prevent excessive bleeding.

PMID- 26498770
TI  - Apical pressure created during irrigation with the GentleWaveTM system compared
      to conventional syringe irrigation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to compare pressures at the apical
      foramen created by conventional syringe irrigation and the GentleWaveTM System,
      which releases high-velocity degassed irrigants to the pulp chamber and uses
      broad-spectrum sound energy for cleaning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The apical
      pressure generated during irrigation was measured for palatal and distobuccal
      root canals of four extracted maxillary molars after no instrumentation, minimal
      instrumentation to a size #15/.04, instrumentation to a size #40/.04 taper, and
      after perforating the apical foramen to size #40. The root canals opened into an
      air-tight custom fixture coupled to a piezoresistive pressure transducer. Apical
      pressures were measured for the GentleWaveTM System and syringe-needle irrigation
      at different irrigant flow rates, with the needle tip at 1 and 3 mm from the
      apical foramen using 30-gauge (G) open-ended or side-vented safety tip needles.
      RESULTS: The GentleWaveTM System generated negative apical pressures (P < 0.001
      compared with syringe irrigation); the mean pressures were between -13.07 and 
      17.19 mmHg. The 30 G needles could not reach the 1 and 3 mm from the working
      length in uninstrumented and 1 mm in minimally instrumented canals. The mean
      positive pressures between 6.46 and 110.34 mmHg were measured with needle
      irrigation depending on the flow rate, needle insertion depth, and size of the
      root canal. CONCLUSIONS: The GentleWaveTM System creates negative pressure at the
      apical foramen during root canal cleaning irrespective of the size of canal
      instrumentation. Positive apical pressures were measured for syringe irrigation.
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Negative pressure during irrigation contributes to improved
      safety as compared to high-positive pressure.

PMID- 26498771
TI  - Macrophage Polarization and Bone Formation: A review.
AB  - The contribution of inflammation to bone loss is well documented in arthritis and
      other diseases with an emphasis on how inflammatory cytokines promote
      osteoclastogenesis. Macrophages are the major producers of cytokines in
      inflammation, and the factors they produce depend upon their activation state or
      polarization. In recent years, it has become apparent that macrophages are also
      capable of interacting with osteoblasts and their mesenchymal precursors. This
      interaction provides growth and differentiation factors from one cell that act on
      the other and visa versa-a concept akin to the requirement for a feeder layer to
      grow hemopoietic cells or the coupling that occurs between osteoblasts and
      osteoclasts to maintain bone homeostasis. Alternatively, activated macrophages
      are the most likely candidates to promote bone formation and have also been
      implicated in the tissue repair process in other tissues. In bone, a number of
      factors, including oncostatin M, have been shown to promote osteoblast formation
      both in vitro and in vivo. This review discusses the different cell types
      involved, cellular mediators, and how this can be used to direct new bone
      anabolic approaches. 

PMID- 26498773
TI  - Analysis of outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention in  metastatic cancer
      patients with acute coronary syndrome over a 10-year period.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early medical palliative care has been shown to improve overall
      survival of patients with metastatic cancer, but the role of cardiac surgical
      interventions in such patients is not clear. The limited life expectancy of these
      patients often poses a dilemma to clinicians and involves a detailed analysis of
      the risks and benefits of such interventions. This study examines the outcomes of
      percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with metastatic cancer.
      METHODS: The National Inpatient Database of USA was used to identify patients
      aged >= 1 8 years who had a diagnosis of metastatic cancer and acute coronary
      syndrome (ACS) between 2000 and 2009 using ICD-9-CM codes. These were categorized
      into ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST elevation myocardial
      infarction (NSTEMI). The utilization of PCI was also identified using ICD-9-CM
      codes. The outcomes studied were in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay
      and discharge disposition. The association between various outcomes and use of
      cardiac catheterization was assessed using multivariate regression models.
      RESULTS: There were 49,515 patients with metastatic disease who were discharged
      with a diagnosis of ACS. Of these, 15,964 had STEMI and 33,551 had NSTEMI. 3981
      patients (24.9%) with STEMI and 3209 patients (9.6%) with NSTEMI received
      percutaneous coronary intervention. Caucasian male patients under age 65 years
      were more likely to receive PCI in the setting of an ACS. The hospital
      characteristics associated with higher use of PCI included academic affiliation,
      large bedsize, private for-profit hospitals and Midwestern and Western regions of
      USA. The adjusted odds of receiving PCI in this group of patient have gradually
      increased by 1.14 every year in last decade (95% CI 1.11-1.16). The beneficial
      effect of PCI on in-hospital mortality has declined in NSTEMI such that by 2009,
      there was no significant difference between patients who received PCI and those
      who did not receive PCI. This has remained unchanged for STEMI patients.C
      ONCLUSIONS: In metastatic cancer patients with ACS, the rate of PCI has increased
      over the last decade. In the current era, metastatic cancer patients with NSTEMI
      may perform equally well without PCI in terms of in-hospital mortality. The
      decision to provide such care may be considered on an individual basis based on
      the extent of their medical comorbidity and tumor burden.

PMID- 26498772
TI  - Upregulation of nuclear transporter, Kpnbeta1, contributes to accelerated cell
      proliferation- and cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance (CAM-DR) in diffuse
      large B-cell lymphoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Karyopherin proteins are involved in the shuttling of cargo
      proteins, and certain RNAs, across the nuclear pore complex into and out of the
      cell nucleus. Karyopherin beta1 (Kpnbeta1) is a member of the Karyopherin beta
      superfamily of nuclear transport proteins. In addition to the nuclear import
      function, Kpnbeta1 is associated with the occurrence of tumors. This study
      investigated the expression and biologic function of Kpnbeta1 in diffuse large B
      cell lymphoma (DLBCL). METHODS: The prognostic value of Kpnbeta1 expression was
      evaluated using immunohistochemical staining. The role of Kpnbeta1 on cell
      proliferation- and cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance (CAM-DR) was also
      determined. RESULTS: We demonstrated that Kpnbeta1 mRNA and protein expression
      levels were significantly higher in DLBCL B-cells and DLBCL cell lines than in
      normal CD19 purified B-cells. Immunohistochemical analysis suggested that the
      expression of Kpnbeta1 was correlated with Ki-67 (P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier curve
      showed that high expression of Kpnbeta1 was significantly associated with shorter
      overall survival. In addition, Kpnbeta1 was associated with the proliferation of
      DLBCL cells. Importantly, we found that Kpnbeta1 could interact with p65 and
      promote CAM-DR via accelerating NF-kappaB activation in DLBCL. CONCLUSIONS:
      Patients with tumors highly expressing Kpnbeta1 have poorer overall survivals.
      Kpnbeta1 interacts with p65 and enhances CAM-DR.

PMID- 26498774
TI  - Integrated care in ovarian cancer "IgV Ovar": results of a German pilot for
      higher quality in treatment of ovarian cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Late-stage ovarian cancer patient's survival depends on complete
      cytoreduction and chemotherapy. Complete cytoreduction is more often achieved in
      institutions with a case volume of >20 cases per year. The Integrated care
      program Ovar (IgV Ovar) was founded in 2005 and started recruiting in 2006 with
      21 health insurances and six expert centers of ovarian cancer treatment as a
      quality initiative. Results of the pilot and outcomes of patients of three
      participating centers will be presented here. METHODS: Data of 1038 patients with
      ovarian cancer were collected. Adjuvant patients (n = 505) stage FIGO IIB-IV (n =
      307) were analyzed for cytoreduction and survival. FIGO IIIC patients were
      analyzed separately. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 32.7 months. Progression-free
      survival (PFS) was 23.1 months and overall survival (OS) was 53.6 months for
      stage IIB-IV. Patients with FIGO IIIC were completely cytoreduced in 48 %. PFS
      was 21, 29 months if completely cytoreduced. OS was 47.4, 64.9 months if
      completely cytoreduced.D ISCUSSION: Although the IgV Ovar Rhineland proved to
      have some structural problems with recruitment and prospective data collection,
      cytoreduction rates and outcome of patients prove treatment of patients in expert
      centers is superior to the national and international mean. Therefore, a new
      quality initiative will be started to bring more awareness to women and to their
      gynecologists and general practitioners of just how important a good referral
      strategy is.

PMID- 26498775
TI  - Adjuvant radiotherapy for vulvar cancer with close or positive surgical margins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The survival effect of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) for vulvar cancer
      has been poorly investigated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a multicentre
      retrospective register study of 257 patients with primary squamous vulvar cancer.
      The survival effect of adjuvant RT was investigated in two groups of patients,
      dependent on surgical margins. The outcome measure was overall survival. All
      statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: Of the 257 patients investigated, 192
      had negative resection margins, while positive and/or close surgical margins were
      observed in 65 cases. Margin status was associated with unfavourable overall
      survival. The five-year overall survival was 66.1 and 49.2% in patients with
      negative and positive/close resection margins, respectively. Adjuvant RT directed
      to the vulva was associated with improved survival in patients with
      positive/close resection margins but not in patients with negative surgical
      margins. The 5-year overall survival of patients with positive/close surgical
      margins without RT was 29%, whereas with RT it increased to 67.6%. Notably,
      patients with positive/close surgical margins who received RT of the vulva had a
      5-year survival rate similar to the patients with negative margins (67.6%).
      Multivariate analysis adjusted for age, stage of disease, tumour grade and lymph
      node metastases showed that adjuvant RT significantly reduced the mortality risk
      in patients with positive/close resection margins (HR 0.36, CI 0.14-0.94, p =
      0.038). In the group of patients with negative resection margins, the involvement
      of lymph nodes was the strongest unfavourable prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS:
      Adjuvant RT should be used for patients with positive/close surgical margins to
      improve their outcome.

PMID- 26498776
TI  - Identification of differentially expressed genes associated with burn sepsis
      using microarray.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to identify the potential target biomarkers
      associated with burn sepsis using microarray. GSE1781 was downloaded from Gene
      Expression Omnibus and included a collective of three biological replicates for
      each of the three conditions: Sham-Sham, Sham-cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)
      and Burn-CLP. Subsequently, limma was applied to screen the differentially
      expressed genes (DEGs). Additionally, functional annotations were predicted by
      pathway enrichment. Furthermore, the transcription factors were screened
      according to the transcriptional regulation from patterns to profiles database.
      Furthermore, the interaction associations of the proteins were obtained from the
      STRING database and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed
      using Cytoscape. Finally, the gene co-expression analysis was conducted using
      CoExpress. In total, compared with Sham-Sham, a total of 476 DEGs and 682 DEGs
      were obtained in Sham-CLP and Burn-CLP, respectively. Additionally, 230 DEGs were
      screened in Burn-CLP compared with Sham-CLP. Acadm, Ehhadh and Angptl4 were
      significantly enriched in the PPAR signaling pathway. Additionally, Gsta3, Gstm2
      and Gstt1 in Burn-CLP were significantly enriched in glutathione metabolism. In
      the PPI network, the transcription factor Ppargc1a interacted with Angptl4, while
      Acadm interacted with Ehhadh. The gene co-expression analysis showed that Ehhadh
      could be co-expressed with Aqp8. In conclusion, Acadm, Ehhadh, Aqp8, Gsta3,
      Gstm2, Gstt1, Ppargc1a and Angptl4 may be potential target genes for the
      treatment of burn sepsis.

PMID- 26498777
TI  - Long-Term Live Cell Imaging of Cell Migration: Effects of Pathogenic Fungi on
      Human Epithelial Cell Migration.
AB  - Long-term live cell imaging was used in this study to determine the responses of
      human epithelial cells to pathogenic biofilms formed by Candida albicans.
      Epithelial cells of the skin represent the front line of defense against invasive
      pathogens such as C. albicans but under certain circumstances, especially when
      the host's immune system is compromised, the skin barrier is breached. The
      mechanisms by which the fungal pathogen penetrates the skin and invade the deeper
      layers are not fully understood. In this study we used keratinocytes grown in
      culture as an in vitro model system to determine changes in host cell migration
      and the actin cytoskeleton in response to virulence factors produced by biofilms
      of pathogenic C. albicans. It is clear that changes in epithelial cell migration
      are part of the response to virulence factors secreted by biofilms of C. albicans
      and the actin cytoskeleton is the downstream effector that mediates cell
      migration. Our goal is to understand the mechanism by which virulence factors
      hijack the signaling pathways of the actin cytoskeleton to alter cell migration
      and thereby invade host tissues. To understand the dynamic changes of the actin
      cytoskeleton during infection, we used long-term live cell imaging to obtain
      spatial and temporal information of actin filament dynamics and to identify
      signal transduction pathways that regulate the actin cytoskeleton and its
      associated proteins. Long-term live cell imaging was achieved using a high
      resolution, multi-mode epifluorescence microscope equipped with specialized light
      sources, high-speed cameras with high sensitivity detectors, and specific
      biocompatible fluorescent markers. In addition to the multi-mode epifluorescence
      microscope, a spinning disk confocal long-term live cell imaging system (Olympus
      CV1000) equipped with a stage incubator to create a stable in vitro environment
      for long-term real-time and time-lapse microscopy was used. Detailed descriptions
      of these two long-term live cell imaging systems are provided.

PMID- 26498778
TI  - Live-Cell Imaging of Mitochondria and the Actin Cytoskeleton in Budding Yeast.
AB  - Maintenance and regulation of proper mitochondrial dynamics and functions are
      necessary for cellular homeostasis. Numerous diseases, including
      neurodegeneration and muscle myopathies, and overall cellular aging are marked by
      declining mitochondrial function and subsequent loss of multiple other cellular
      functions. For these reasons, optimized protocols are needed for visualization
      and quantification of mitochondria and their function and fitness. In budding
      yeast, mitochondria are intimately associated with the actin cytoskeleton and
      utilize actin for their movement and inheritance. This chapter describes optimal
      approaches for labeling mitochondria and the actin cytoskeleton in living budding
      yeast cells, for imaging the labeled cells, and for analyzing the resulting
      images. 

PMID- 26498779
TI  - Imaging of the Actin Cytoskeleton and Mitochondria in Fixed Budding Yeast Cells.
AB  - The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used as a model system to
      study the organization and function of the cytoskeleton. In the past, its small
      size, rounded shape, and rigid cell wall created obstacles to explore the cell
      biology of this model eukaryote. It is now possible to acquire and analyze high
      resolution and super-resolution multidimensional images of the yeast cell. As a
      result, imaging of yeast has emerged as an important tool in eukaryotic cell
      biology. This chapter describes labeling methods and optical approaches for
      visualizing the cytoskeleton and interactions of the actin cytoskeleton with
      mitochondria in fixed yeast cells using wide-field and super-resolution
      fluorescence microscopy.

PMID- 26498780
TI  - Imaging of the Cytoskeleton Using Live and Fixed Drosophila Tissue Culture Cells.
AB  - In recent years, the convergence of multiple technologies and experimental
      approaches has led to the expanded use of cultured Drosophila cells as a model
      system. Their ease of culture and maintenance, susceptibility to RNA
      interference, and imaging characteristics have led to extensive use in both
      traditional experimental approaches as well as high-throughput RNAi screens. Here
      we describe Drosophila S2 cell culture and preparation for live-cell and fixed
      cell fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. 

PMID- 26498781
TI  - Imaging Cytoskeleton Components by Electron Microscopy.
AB  - The cytoskeleton is a complex of detergent-insoluble components of the cytoplasm
      playing critical roles in cell motility, shape generation, and mechanical
      properties of a cell. Fibrillar polymers-actin filaments, microtubules, and
      intermediate filaments-are major constituents of the cytoskeleton, which
      constantly change their organization during cellular activities. The actin
      cytoskeleton is especially polymorphic, as actin filaments can form multiple
      higher order assemblies performing different functions. Structural information
      about cytoskeleton organization is critical for understanding its functions and
      mechanisms underlying various forms of cellular activity. Because of the
      nanometer-scale thickness of cytoskeletal fibers, electron microscopy (EM) is a
      key tool to determine the structure of the cytoskeleton. This article describes
      application of rotary shadowing (or metal replica) EM for visualization of the
      cytoskeleton. The procedure is applicable to thin cultured cells growing on glass
      coverslips and consists of detergent extraction of cells to expose their
      cytoskeleton, chemical fixation to provide stability, ethanol dehydration and
      critical point drying to preserve three-dimensionality, rotary shadowing with
      platinum to create contrast, and carbon coating to stabilize replicas. This
      technique provides easily interpretable three-dimensional images, in which
      individual cytoskeletal fibers are clearly resolved, and individual proteins can
      be identified by immunogold labeling. More importantly, replica EM is easily
      compatible with live cell imaging, so that one can correlate the dynamics of a
      cell or its components, e.g., expressed fluorescent proteins, with high
      resolution structural organization of the cytoskeleton in the same cell.

PMID- 26498782
TI  - Purification and Localization of Intraflagellar Transport Particles and
      Polypeptides.
AB  - The growth and maintenance of almost all cilia and flagella are dependent on the
      proper functioning of the process of intraflagellar transport (IFT). This
      includes the primary cilia of most human cells that are in the Go phase of the
      cell cycle. The model system for the study of IFT is the flagella of the
      biflagellate green alga Chlamydomonas. It is in this organism that IFT was first
      discovered, and genetic data from a Chlamydomonas mutant first linked the process
      of IFT to polycystic kidney disease in humans. The information provided in this
      chapter addresses procedures to purify IFT particles from flagella and localize
      these particles, and their associated motor proteins, in flagella using light and
      electron microscopic approaches. 

PMID- 26498783
TI  - Fluorescence Imaging of the Cytoskeleton in Plant Roots.
AB  - During the past two decades the use of live cytoskeletal probes has increased
      dramatically due to the introduction of the green fluorescent protein. However,
      to make full use of these live cell reporters it is necessary to implement simple
      methods to maintain plant specimens in optimal growing conditions during imaging.
      To image the cytoskeleton in living Arabidopsis roots, we rely on a system
      involving coverslips coated with nutrient supplemented agar where the seeds are
      directly germinated. This coverslip system can be conveniently transferred to the
      stage of a confocal microscope with minimal disturbance to the growth of the
      seedling. For roots with a larger diameter such as Medicago truncatula, seeds are
      first germinated in moist paper, grown vertically in between plastic trays, and
      roots mounted on glass slides for confocal imaging. Parallel with our live cell
      imaging approaches, we routinely process fixed plant material via indirect
      immunofluorescence. For these methods we typically use non-embedded vibratome
      sectioned and whole mount permeabilized root tissue. The clearly defined
      developmental regions of the root provide us with an elegant system to further
      understand the cytoskeletal basis of plant development. 

PMID- 26498785
TI  - Basic Methods to Visualize Actin Filaments In Vitro Using Fluorescence Microscopy
      for Observation of Filament Severing and Bundling.
AB  - Dynamics of actin filaments are regulated by a number of actin-binding proteins.
      To understand the function of an actin-binding protein, it is necessary to
      characterize effects of the protein on actin filament dynamics in vitro. This
      chapter describes basic microscopic methods to visualize fluorescently labeled
      actin filaments using commonly available fluorescence microscope settings. Direct
      microscopic observation of actin filaments provides strong evidence for severing
      or bundling of actin filaments. 

PMID- 26498784
TI  - Microtubules in Plant Cells: Strategies and Methods for Immunofluorescence,
      Transmission Electron Microscopy, and Live Cell Imaging.
AB  - Microtubules (MTs) are required throughout plant development for a wide variety
      of processes, and different strategies have evolved to visualize and analyze
      them. This chapter provides specific methods that can be used to analyze
      microtubule organization and dynamic properties in plant systems and summarizes
      the advantages and limitations for each technique. We outline basic methods for
      preparing samples for immunofluorescence labeling, including an enzyme-based
      permeabilization method, and a freeze-shattering method, which generates
      microfractures in the cell wall to provide antibodies access to cells in cuticle
      laden aerial organs such as leaves. We discuss current options for live cell
      imaging of MTs with fluorescently tagged proteins (FPs), and provide chemical
      fixation, high-pressure freezing/freeze substitution, and post-fixation staining
      protocols for preserving MTs for transmission electron microscopy and tomography.

PMID- 26498786
TI  - An In Vitro Model System to Test Mechano-microbiological Interactions Between
      Bacteria and Host Cells.
AB  - The aim of this chapter is to present an innovative technique to visualize
      changes of the f-actin cytoskeleton in response to locally applied force. We
      developed an in vitro system that combines micromanipulation of force by magnetic
      tweezers with simultaneous live cell fluorescence microscopy. We applied pulling
      forces to magnetic beads coated with the Neisseria gonorrhoeae Type IV pili in
      the same order of magnitude than the forces generated by live bacteria. We saw
      quick and robust f-actin accumulation at the sites where pulling forces were
      applied. Using the magnetic tweezers we were able to mimic the local response of
      the f-actin cytoskeleton to bacteria-generated forces. In this chapter we
      describe our magnetic tweezers system and show how to control it in order to
      study cellular responses to force. 

PMID- 26498787
TI  - Reconstitution of a Minimal Actin Cortex by Coupling Actin Filaments to
      Reconstituted Membranes.
AB  - A thin layer of actin filaments in many eukaryotic cell types drives pivotal
      aspects of cell morphogenesis and is generally cited as the actin cortex. Myosin
      driven contractility and actin cytoskeleton membrane interactions form the basis
      of fundamental cellular processes such as cytokinesis, cell migration, and
      cortical flows. How the interplay between the actin cytoskeleton, the membrane,
      and actin binding proteins drives these processes is far from being understood.
      The complexity of the actin cortex in living cells and the hardly feasible
      manipulation of the omnipotent cellular key players, namely actin, myosin, and
      the membrane, are challenging in order to gain detailed insights about the
      underlying mechanisms. Recent progress in developing bottom-up in vitro systems
      where the actin cytoskeleton is combined with reconstituted membranes may provide
      a complementary route to reveal general principles underlying actin cortex
      properties. In this chapter the reconstitution of a minimal actin cortex by
      coupling actin filaments to a supported membrane is described. This minimal
      system may be very well suited to study for example protein interactions on
      membrane bound actin filaments in a very controlled and quantitative manner as it
      may be difficult to perform in living systems. 

PMID- 26498788
TI  - Use of Nanobodies to Localize Endogenous Cytoskeletal Proteins and to Determine
      Their Contribution to Cancer Cell Invasion by Using an ECM Degradation Assay.
AB  - There are numerous ways to study actin cytoskeletal structures, and thereby
      identify the underlying mechanisms of organization and their regulating proteins.
      Traditional approaches make use of protein overexpression or siRNA. However to
      study or modulate resident endogenous proteins, complementary methods are
      required. Since the discovery of nanobodies in 1993, they have proven to
      represent interesting tools in a variety of applications due to their high
      affinity, solubility, and stability. Especially their intracellular functionality
      makes them ideally suited for the study of actin cytoskeletal regulation. Here we
      provide a protocol to clone nanobody cDNAs in frame with an EGFP or mCherry
      fluorescent tag. We explain how to transfect this fusion protein in eukaryotic
      (cancer) cells and how to perform immunofluorescence. This allows microscopic
      analysis of endogenous (cytoskeletal) proteins and gives insight into their
      endogenous localization. Moreover, we outline an extracellular matrix (ECM)
      degradation assay as an application of the general protocol. By seeding cells
      onto a fluorescently labeled gelatin matrix, degradation can be quantified by
      means of a matrix degradation index. This assay demonstrates the contribution of
      a protein during cancer cell invasiveness in vitro and the potential of a
      nanobody to inhibit this degradation through modulation of its target.

PMID- 26498790
TI  - Quantitative Motion Analysis in Two and Three Dimensions.
AB  - This chapter describes 2D quantitative methods for motion analysis as well as 3D
      motion analysis and reconstruction methods. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of
      dynamic cell shape changes that occur through extension and retraction of force
      generating structures such as pseudopodia and lamellipodia. Quantitative analysis
      of these structures is an underutilized tool in the field of cell migration. Our
      intent, therefore, is to present methods that we developed in an effort to
      elucidate mechanisms of basic cell motility, directed cell motion during
      chemotaxis, and metastasis. We hope to demonstrate how application of these
      methods can more clearly define alterations in motility that arise due to
      specific mutations or disease and hence, suggest mechanisms or pathways involved
      in normal cell crawling and treatment strategies in the case of disease. In
      addition, we present a 4D tumorigenesis model for high-resolution analysis of
      cancer cells from cell lines and human cancer tissue in a 3D matrix. Use of this
      model led to the discovery of the coalescence of cancer cell aggregates and
      unique cell behaviors not seen in normal cells or normal tissue. Graphic
      illustrations to visually display and quantify cell shape are presented along
      with algorithms and formulae for calculating select 2D and 3D motion analysis
      parameters. 

PMID- 26498789
TI  - Actin-Dynamics in Plant Cells: The Function of Actin-Perturbing Substances:
      Jasplakinolide, Chondramides, Phalloidin, Cytochalasins, and Latrunculins.
AB  - This chapter gives an overview of the most common F-actin-perturbing substances
      that are used to study actin dynamics in living plant cells in studies on
      morphogenesis, motility, organelle movement, or when apoptosis has to be induced.
      These substances can be divided into two major subclasses: F-actin-stabilizing
      and -polymerizing substances like jasplakinolide and chondramides and F-actin
      severing compounds like chytochalasins and latrunculins. Jasplakinolide was
      originally isolated form a marine sponge, and can now be synthesized and has
      become commercially available, which is responsible for its wide distribution as
      membrane-permeable F-actin-stabilizing and -polymerizing agent, which may even
      have anticancer activities. Cytochalasins, derived from fungi, show an F-actin
      severing function and many derivatives are commercially available (A, B, C, D, E,
      H, J), also making it a widely used compound for F-actin disruption. The same can
      be stated for latrunculins (A, B), derived from red sea sponges; however the mode
      of action is different by binding to G-actin and inhibiting incorporation into
      the filament. In the case of swinholide a stable complex with actin dimers is
      formed resulting also in severing of F-actin. For influencing F-actin dynamics in
      plant cells only membrane permeable drugs are useful in a broad range. We however
      introduce also the phallotoxins and synthetic derivatives, as they are widely
      used to visualize F-actin in fixed cells. A particular uptake mechanism has been
      shown for hepatocytes, but has also been described in siphonal giant algae. In
      the present chapter the focus is set on F-actin dynamics in plant cells where
      alterations in cytoplasmic streaming can be particularly well studied; however
      methods by fluorescence applications including phalloidin and antibody staining
      as well as immunofluorescence-localization of the inhibitor drugs are given.

PMID- 26498791
TI  - Measurement of Cell Motility Using Microgrooved Substrates.
AB  - Cells migrate to perform specific functions such as tissue/organ formation during
      development or to repair injured tissue. Therefore, the study of cell migration
      is important not only for fundamental cell biology research, but also to
      understand tissue morphogenesis and wound healing. In this chapter, we describe a
      method developed in our laboratory to measure cell migration in a uniaxial
      direction. In this approach, linear microgrooves, fabricated on a transparent
      poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) substrate, allow cells to move in a uniaxial
      direction, in contrast to the random movement of cells in all directions on a
      smooth substrate surface. This chapter describes in detail the materials and
      methods needed to measure cell movement using microgrooved substrates, as well as
      applications of this method. 

PMID- 26498792
TI  - The Study of Cell Motility by Cell Traction Force Microscopy (CTFM).
AB  - Migration is a vital characteristic of various cell types and enables various
      cellular functions during development and wound healing. Cell movement can be
      measured by monitoring cell traction forces, which are generated by individual
      cells and transmitted to the substrate below the migrant cells. This method,
      termed cell traction force microscopy (CTFM), has the advantage of directly
      measuring the "cause" (i.e., cell traction forces, CTFs) of cell movement rather
      than the "effect" (i.e., cell movement itself). This chapter details the methods
      involved in measuring cell traction forces. Several examples are also given to
      illustrate various applications of CTFM in cell biology research. 

PMID- 26498793
TI  - Melanosome Motility in Fish Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) Cells.
AB  - Several model systems have been developed to investigate mechanism and regulation
      of intracellular organelle motility. The fish retinal pigment epithelial (RPE)
      cell represents a novel yet simple system for the study of organelle motility.
      Primary cultures of dissociated RPE cells are easily prepared and amenable to
      motility studies. In vivo, melanin-containing pigment granules (melanosomes)
      within fish RPE migrate distances up to 100 MUm in response to light flux. When
      dissociated from the epithelial layer and cultured in vitro, RPE cells attach to
      the substrate with the apical projections extending radially from the central
      cell body. Melanosomes can be chemically triggered to aggregate or disperse
      throughout the projections, and are easily observed using phase contrast
      microscopy. Melanosome migration in RPE apical projections is dependent on actin
      filaments, and thus renders this model system useful for investigations of actin
      dependent organelle motility. 

PMID- 26498794
TI  - Analysis of Stem Cell Motility In Vivo Based on Immunodetection of Planarian
      Neoblasts and Tracing of BrdU-Labeled Cells After Partial Irradiation.
AB  - Planarian flatworms have become an important system for the study of stem cell
      behavior and regulation in vivo. These organisms are able to regenerate any part
      of their body upon damage or amputation. A crucial cellular event in the process
      of planarian regeneration is the migration of pluripotent stem cells (known as
      neoblasts) to the site of injury. Here we describe two approaches for analyzing
      migration of planarian stem cells to an area where these have been ablated by
      localized X-ray irradiation. The first approach involves immunolabeling of
      mitotic neoblasts, while the second is based on tracing stem cells and their
      progeny after BrdU incorporation. The use of planarians in studies of cell
      motility is suitable for the identification of factors that influence stem cell
      migration in vivo and is amenable to RNA interference or pharmacological
      screening. 

PMID- 26498795
TI  - Chemotaxis: Under Agarose Assay.
AB  - The unicellular eukaryote Dictyostelium discoideum represents a superb model for
      examining chemotaxis. Under vegetative conditions, the amoebae are
      chemotactically responsive to pterins, such as folate. Under starved conditions,
      they lose their sensitivity to pterins, and become chemotactically responsive to
      cAMP. As an NIH model system, Dictyostelium offers a variety of advantages in
      studying chemotaxis, including its conservation of mammalian signaling pathways,
      its ease of growth, and its genetic tractability. In this chapter, we describe
      the use of the under agarose chemotaxis assay to identify proteins involved in
      controlling motility and directional sensing in Dictyostelium discoideum. Given
      the similarities between Dictyostelium and mammalian cells, this allows us to
      dissect the conserved pathways involved in eukaryotic chemotaxis. 

PMID- 26498796
TI  - Functional Analysis of Actin-Binding Proteins in the Central Nervous System of
      Drosophila.
AB  - Using Drosophila actin-binding protein Dunc-115 as model system, this chapter
      describes a MARCM (mosaic analysis with a repressible cell marker)-based method
      for analyzing cytoskeletal components for their functions in the nervous system.
      Following a concise description about the principle, a step-by-step protocol is
      provided for generating the needed stocks and for histological analysis.
      Additional details and explanations have been given in the accompanying notes.
      Together, this should form a practical and sufficient recipe for performing at
      the single-cell-level loss-of-function and gain-of-function analyses of proteins
      associated with the cytoskeleton. 

PMID- 26498797
TI  - Proteomic Analysis of Cytoskeleton Proteins in Fish.
AB  - In this chapter, we describe laboratory protocols for rearing fish and a simple
      and efficient method of extracting and identifying pathogen and host proteins
      that may be involved in entry and replication of commercially important fish
      viruses. We have used the common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) and goldfish (Cyprinus
      auratus) as a model system for studies of proteins involved in viral entry and
      replication. The chapter describes detailed protocols for maintenance of carp,
      cell culture, antibody purification of proteins, and use of electrospray
      ionization mass spectrometry analysis to screen and identify cytoskeleton and
      other proteins that may be involved in viral infection and propagation in fish. 

PMID- 26498798
TI  - Using a Handheld Gene Gun for Genetic Transformation of Tetrahymena thermophila.
AB  - This chapter describes protocols for using a handheld gene gun to deliver
      transformation vectors for overexpression of genes or gene replacement in the
      macronucleus of Tetrahymena thermophila. The protocols provide helpful
      information for preparing Tetrahymena for biolistic bombardment, preparation of
      vector-coated microcarriers, and basic gene gun operating procedures. 

PMID- 26498799
TI  - Proteomic Tools for the Analysis of Cytoskeleton Proteins.
AB  - Proteomic analyses have become an essential part of the toolkit of the molecular
      biologist, given the widespread availability of genomic data and open source or
      freely accessible bioinformatics software. Tools are available for detecting
      homologous sequences, recognizing functional domains, and modeling the three
      dimensional structure for any given protein sequence. Although a wealth of
      structural and functional information is available for a large number of
      cytoskeletal proteins, with representatives spanning all of the major
      subfamilies, the majority of cytoskeletal proteins remain partially or totally
      uncharacterized. Moreover, bioinformatics tools provide a means for studying the
      effects of synthetic mutations or naturally occurring variants of these
      cytoskeletal proteins. This chapter discusses various freely available proteomic
      analysis tools, with a focus on in silico prediction of protein structure and
      function. The selected tools are notable for providing an easily accessible
      interface for the novice, while retaining advanced functionality for more
      experienced computational biologists. 

PMID- 26498800
TI  - Homology Modeling Procedures for Cytoskeletal Proteins of Tetrahymena and Other
      Ciliated Protists.
AB  - In recent years there has been an explosive increase in the number of annotated
      protein sequences available through genome sequencing, as well as an accumulation
      of published protein structural data based on crystallographic and NMR methods.
      When taken together with the development of computational methods for the
      prediction of protein structural and functional properties through homology
      modeling, an opportunity exists for prediction of properties of cytoskeletal
      proteins in a suitable model organism, such as Tetrahymena thermophila and its
      ciliated protist relatives. In particular, the recently sequenced genome of T.
      thermophila, long a model for cytoskeletal studies, provides a good starting
      point for undertaking such homology modeling studies. Homology modeling can
      produce functional predictions, for example regarding potential molecular
      interactions, that are of great interest to the drug industry and Tetrahymena is
      an attractive model system in which to follow up computational predictions with
      experimental analyses. We provide here procedures that can be followed to gain
      entry into this promising avenue of analysis. 

PMID- 26498801
TI  - Spectroscopic Investigation and Photophysics of a D-pi-A-pi-D  Type Styryl
      Pyrazine Derivative.
AB  - E,E-2,5-bis(3,4-dimethoxystyryl)pyrazine (BDSP)has been prepared by aldol
      condensation between 2,5-dimethypyrazine and 3,4-dimthoxybenzaldehyde and
      characterized by IR, 1HNMR, 13C NMR and X-ray crystallography.The electronic
      absorption and emission properties of BDSP were studied in different solvents.
      BDSP displays a strong solvatochromic effect of the emission spectrum that is
      reflected by large red shifts of its fluorescence emission maximum on increasing
      the solvent polarity, indicating a large change in dipole moment of BDSP upon
      excitation due to photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer (PICT). Excited
      state intermolecular hydrogen bonding affects the energy of emission spectrum and
      fluorescence quantum yield of BDSP dye. The dye solutions (1*10(-4) M) in DMSO,
      DMF, CH3CN and dioxane give laser emission in green region upon excitation by a
      337.1 nm nitrogen pulse (lambda=337 nm). The tuning range, gain coefficient
      (alpha), emission cross - section (sigmae) and half-life energy (E1/2) has been
      determined. Ground and electronic excited states geometric optimization were
      performed using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density
      functional theory (TD-DFT), respectively. A DFT natural bond analysis
      complemented the ICT. BDSP dye displays fluorescence quenching by colloidal
      silver nanoparticles(AgNPs). The fluorescence data reveal that radiative and non
      radiative energy transfer play a major role in the fluorescence quenching
      mechanism.

PMID- 26498802
TI  - Pushing the limits of nickel detection to nanomolar range using a set of
      engineered bioluminescent Escherichia coli.
AB  - The detection of nickel in water is of great importance due to its harmfulness
      for living organism. A way to detect Ni is the use of whole-cell biosensors. The
      aim of the present work was to build a light-emitting bacterial biosensor for the
      detection of Ni with high specificity and low detection limit properties. For
      that purpose, the regulatory circuit implemented relied on the RcnR Ni/Co metallo
      regulator and its rcnA natural target promoter fused to the lux reporter genes.
      To convert RcnR to specifically detect Ni, several mutations were tested and the
      C35A retained. Deleting the Ni efflux pump rcnA and introducing genes encoding
      several Ni-uptake systems lowered the detection thresholds. When these constructs
      were assayed in several Escherichia coli strains, it appeared that the detection
      thresholds were highly variable. The TD2158 wild-type E. coli gave rise to a
      biosensor ten times more active and sensitive than its W3110 E. coli K12
      equivalent. This biosensor was able to confidently detect Ni concentrations as
      little as 80 nM (4.7 MUg l-1), which makes its use compatible with the norms
      governing the drinking water quality.

PMID- 26498803
TI  - Correlation studies on nitrogen for sunflower crop across the agroclimatic
      variability.
AB  - Nitrogen (N) fertilizer is an important yield limiting factor for sunflower
      production. The correlation between yield components and growth parameters of
      three sunflower hybrids (Hysun-33, Hysun-38, Pioneer-64A93) were studied with
      five N rates (0, 60, 120, 180, 240 kg ha(-1)) at three different experimental
      sites during the two consecutive growing seasons 2008 and 2009. The results
      revealed that total dry matter (TDM) production and grain yield were positively
      and linearly associated with leaf area index (LAI), leaf area duration (LAD), and
      crop growth rate (CGR) at all three sites of the experiments. The significant
      association of yield with growth components indicated that the humid climate was
      most suitable for sunflower production. Furthermore, the association of these
      components can be successfully used to predict the grain yield under diverse
      climatic conditions. The application of N at increased rate of 180 kg ha(-1)
      resulted in maximum yield as compared to standard rate (120 kg ha(-1)) at all the
      experimental sites. In this way, N application rate was significantly correlated
      with growth and development of sunflower under a variety of climatic conditions.
      Keeping in view such relationship, the N dose can be optimized for sunflower crop
      in a particular region to maximize the productivity. Multilocation trails help to
      predict the input rates precisely while taking climatic variations into account
      also. In the long run, results of this study provides basis for sustainable
      sunflower production under changing climate.

PMID- 26498804
TI  - Identification of nitrate leaching loss indicators through regression methods
      based on a meta-analysis of lysimeter studies.
AB  - This study presents a meta-analysis of 12 experiments that quantify nitrate-N
      leaching losses from grazed pasture systems in alluvial sedimentary soils in
      Canterbury (New Zealand). Mean measured nitrate-N leached (kg N/ha * 100 mm
      drainage) losses were 2.7 when no urine was applied, 8.4 at the urine rate of 300
      kg N/ha, 9.8 at 500 kg N/ha, 24.5 at 700 kg N/ha and 51.4 at 1000 kg N/ha.
      Lismore soils presented significantly higher nitrate-N losses compared to
      Templeton soils. Moreover, a multiple linear regression (MLR) model was developed
      to determine the key factors that influence nitrate-N leaching and to predict
      nitrate-N leaching losses. The MLR analyses was calibrated and validated using 82
      average values of nitrate-N leached and 48 explanatory variables representative
      of nitrogen inputs and outputs, transport, attenuation of nitrogen and farm
      management practices. The MLR model (R (2) = 0.81) showed that nitrate-N leaching
      losses were greater at higher urine application rates and when there was more
      drainage from rainfall and irrigation. On the other hand, nitrate leaching
      decreased when nitrification inhibitors (e.g. dicyandiamide (DCD)) were applied.
      Predicted nitrate-N leaching losses at the paddock scale were calculated using
      the MLR equation, and they varied largely depending on the urine application rate
      and urine patch coverage.

PMID- 26498806
TI  - Optimization of silica removal with magnesium chloride in papermaking effluents:
      mechanistic and kinetic studies.
AB  - The reuse of deinking paper mill effluent based on reverse osmosis is limited by
      silica scaling on the membranes. The removal of silica during softening processes
      is one of the most used approaches as it can treat large volumes of water at low
      cost, but when the water hardness is low, the addition of magnesium compounds is
      necessary. In the present investigation, MgCl2.6H2O was selected as magnesium
      source to analyze the effect of pH, dosage, temperature, and contact time on
      silica removal. Moreover, the silica removal mechanism was analyzed under
      different operational conditions. The results show that it is possible to obtain
      high silica removal rates (>70%) at an intermediate dosage (750 mg/L of
      MgCl2.6H2O) either at high pH (12.0) and ambient temperature (20  degrees C) or
      lower pHs, i.e., pH = 10.5, but at higher temperatures 35-50  degrees C. The
      kinetic study demonstrates that contact times lower than 30 min are enough for
      silica removal with independence of the temperature. SEM-energy-dispersive X-ray
      spectroscopy (EDX) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of
      the solids obtained confirms that silica is removed through the formation of
      magnesium silicates. The EDX analysis showed that, independently of the
      operational conditions, the atomic Si/Mg ratio was around 0.7 which indicates
      that antigorite (Mg3Si2O5(OH)4) is the predominant specie formed.

PMID- 26498805
TI  - Arsenopyrite weathering under conditions of simulated calcareous soil.
AB  - Mining activities release arsenopyrite into calcareous soils where it undergoes
      weathering generating toxic compounds. The research evaluates the environmental
      impacts of these processes under semi-alkaline carbonated conditions.
      Electrochemical (cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, EIS), spectroscopic
      (Raman, XPS), and microscopic (SEM, AFM, TEM) techniques are combined along with
      chemical analyses of leachates collected from simulated arsenopyrite weathering
      to comprehensively examine the interfacial mechanisms. Early oxidation stages
      enhance mineral reactivity through the formation of surface sulfur phases (e.g.,
      S n (2-)/S(0)) with semiconductor properties, leading to oscillatory mineral
      reactivity. Subsequent steps entail the generation of intermediate siderite
      (FeCO3)-like, followed by the formation of low-compact mass sub-micro ferric
      oxyhydroxides (alpha, gamma-FeOOH) with adsorbed arsenic (mainly As(III), and
      lower amounts of As(V)). In addition, weathering reactions can be influenced by
      accessible arsenic resulting in the formation of a symplesite (Fe3(AsO4)3)-like
      compound which is dependent on the amount of accessible arsenic in the system. It
      is proposed that arsenic release occurs via diffusion across secondary alpha,
      gamma-FeOOH structures during arsenopyrite weathering. We suggest weathering
      mechanisms of arsenopyrite in calcareous soil and environmental implications
      based on experimental data. 

PMID- 26498807
TI  - Comparison of the properties of periphyton attached to modified agro-waste
      carriers.
AB  - Periphyton is a valuable, environmentally benign resource widely used in
      environmental remediation. A protocol for reusing agro-wastes to improve the
      metabolic activity and versatility of periphyton was tested in this study. Peanut
      shell (PS), decomposed peanut shell (DPS), acidified peanut shell (APS), rice
      husks (RHs), acidified rice husks (ARHs), and a commonly used synthetic carrier,
      ceramsite (C), were used to support periphyton attachment and growth. The results
      show that the modified carriers have more hydrophilic groups, higher periphyton
      biomass, and autotrophic indices than the unmodified carriers. As a consequence,
      they promote the metabolic versatility of periphyton microbial communities. Thus,
      the periphyton attached to modified agro-wastes (DPS, APS, and ARH) grew in a
      stable and sustainable manner. This study suggests that modified PS and RH are
      effective and environmentally benign carriers that enhance periphyton activity
      and functionality. Development of periphytic carriers using agro-wastes is also a
      sustainable method of reusing these materials. 

PMID- 26498808
TI  - Stakeholder consultations and opportunities for integrating socio-behavioural
      factors into the pesticide risk analysis process.
AB  - The pesticide risk analysis process is well regulated in the EU, especially in
      relation to placing on the market authorisation procedures, but in order to avoid
      risks for human health and environment in the use phase, information on how these
      substances are employed and on socio-behavioural factors that can influence the
      exposure have to be taken into account. To better explore reasons about the gap
      between risk assessment and risk management, within the EU FP7 Health and
      Environmental Risks: Organisation, Integration and Cross-fertilisation of
      Scientific Knowledge (HEROIC) project, a stepwise stakeholder's consultation
      process was developed using a mixed approach in two different phases (survey and
      roundtable). We elicited stakeholder views regarding factors that could limit the
      pesticide risk assessment phase linked on how the knowledge is produced and the
      way the data are used in risk management and in risk communication, also taking
      into account qualitative factors such as responsibility, trust and behaviours,
      which could have impact on risk assessment policies. Activities deployed indicate
      that some changes and interaction are needed to better define the problems at the
      formulation stage, and the type of information risk assessor has to provide, to
      better inform risk manager in addressing different societal needs, to strengthen
      the credibility of the process of risk assessment and improve the effectiveness
      of policies. Integrations between disciplines may initially increase the
      complexity but in turn will provide a better and more useful estimation of the
      risk, reinforce transparency and drive a more efficient use of risk management
      resources.

PMID- 26498810
TI  - The co-occurrence of the demosponge Hymeniacidon perlevis and the edible mussel
      Mytilus galloprovincialis as a new tool for bacterial load mitigation in
      aquaculture.
AB  - Pollutants in marine coastal areas are mainly a consequence of anthropogenic
      inputs, and microorganisms often play a major role in determining the extent of
      this pollution. Thus, practical and eco-friendly techniques are urgently required
      in order to control or minimise the pathogenic bacterial problem. The bacterial
      accumulation of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck 1919) in the presence or
      absence of another filter feeder, the demosponge Hymeniacidon perlevis (Montagu
      1818) on sewage flowing into the Northern Ionian Sea has been estimated in a
      laboratory study. On account of the interesting results obtained, we also
      evaluated the bioremediation capability of the sponges when reared in co-culture
      with mussels. Specimens of M. galloprovincialis and H. perlevis were collected
      from the Mar Grande and from the Second Inlet of the Mar Piccolo of Taranto
      (Northern Ionian Sea, Italy), respectively. In the laboratory, we detected the
      bacterial abundances in the sewage, in sponge homogenates (both sponges alone and
      sponges that have been added to sewage with mussels) and in mussel homogenates
      (both mussels alone and mussels that have been added to sewage with sponges). In
      the field, we estimated the bacterial concentration in both the seawater within
      the mussels culture and the seawater collected where mussels were reared in co
      culture with sponges. The bacteriological analyses were performed analysing the
      following parameters: the density of culturable heterotrophic bacteria by spread
      plate on marine agar, total culturable bacteria at 37  degrees C on plate count
      agar and vibrios on thiosulphate-citrate-bile-sucrose-salt (TCBS) agar. Total
      coliforms, Escherichia coli and intestinal streptococci concentrations were
      detected by the MPN method. The study demonstrates a higher efficiency of the
      sponges in removing all the considered bacterial groups compared to the mussels.
      Due to the conspicuous bacterial accumulation by the sponge, we can conclude that
      the co-occurrence of the filter-feeder H. perlevis with M. galloprovincialis is a
      powerful tool in reducing the bacterial load in shellfish culture areas thus
      playing a role in mitigating the health hazard related to the consumption of
      edible mussels.

PMID- 26498809
TI  - Degradation of monocrotophos by Starkeya novella YW6 isolated from paddy soil.
AB  - A bacteria strain, YW6, capable of utilizing monocrotophos (MCP) as the sole
      carbon and nitrogen sources for growth was isolated from paddy soil and
      identified as Starkeya novella. Strain YW6 completely degraded 0.2 mM MCP within
      36 h without any lag period. Addition of carbon source resulted in slowing down
      of the initial rate of degradation of MCP, while the presence of a more favorable
      source of nitrogen enhanced the degradation of MCP. In addition to the
      degradation of MCP, strain YW6 was also able to degrade a wide range of
      organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) containing P-O-C bond, but not dimethoate,
      which has P-S-C bond. A MCP degradation pathway was proposed on the basis of
      metabolite production patterns and identification of the metabolites. MCP is
      hydrolyzed at the P-O-C bond to form N-methylacetoacetamide and dimethyl
      phosphate; N-methylacetoacetamide is transformed to N-methyl-4-oxo-pentanamide,
      which was subsequently converted to 5-(methylamino)-5-oxo-pentanoic acid, and 5
      (methylamino)-5-oxo-pentanoic acid is cleaved to glutaric acid and methylamine.
      These findings provide new insights into the microbial metabolism of MCP. To the
      best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the degradation of MCP by
      Starkeya bacteria.

PMID- 26498811
TI  - Best available techniques (BATs) for oil spill response in the Mediterranean Sea:
      calm sea and presence of economic activities.
AB  - An oil spill is the accidental or intentional discharge of petroleum products
      into the environment due to human activities. Although oil spills are actually
      just a little percent of the total world oil pollution problem, they represent
      the most visible form of it. The impact on the ecosystems can be severe as well
      as the impact on economic activities. Oil spill cleanup is a very difficult and
      expensive activity, and many techniques are available for it. In previous works,
      a methodology based on different kinds of criteria in order to come to the most
      satisfactory technique was proposed and the relative importance of each impact
      criterion on the basis of the Saaty's Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was also
      evaluated. After a review of the best available techniques (BATs) available for
      oil spill response, this work suggests criteria for BATs' selection when oil
      spills occur in the Mediterranean Sea under well-defined circumstances: calm sea
      and presence of economic activities in the affected area. A group of experts with
      different specializations evaluated the alternative BATs by means of AHP method
      taking into account their respective advantages and disadvantages. 

PMID- 26498812
TI  - Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons  by Trichoderma species: a
      mini review.
AB  - Fungi belonging to Trichoderma genus are ascomycetes found in soils worldwide.
      Trichoderma has been studied in relation to diverse biotechnological applications
      and are known as successful colonizers of their common habitats. Members of this
      genus have been well described as effective biocontrol organisms through the
      production of secondary metabolites with potential applications as new
      antibiotics. Even though members of Trichoderma are commonly used for the
      commercial production of lytic enzymes, as a biological control agent, and also
      in the food industry, their use in xenobiotic biodegradation is limited.
      Trichoderma stands out as a genus with a great range of substrate utilization, a
      high production of antimicrobial compounds, and its ability for environmental
      opportunism. In this review, we focused on the recent advances in the research of
      Trichoderma species as potent and efficient aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading
      organisms, as well as aimed to provide insight into its potential role in the
      bioremediation of soils contaminated with heavy hydrocarbons. Several Trichoderma
      species are associated with the ability to metabolize a variety of both high and
      low molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as naphthalene,
      phenanthrene, chrysene, pyrene, and benzo[a]pyrene. PAH-degrading species include
      Trichoderma hamatum, Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma reesei, Trichoderma
      koningii, Trichoderma viride, Trichoderma virens, and Trichoderma asperellum
      using alternate enzyme systems commonly seen in other organisms, such as
      multicooper laccases, peroxidases, and ring-cleavage dioxygenases. Within these
      species, T. asperellum stands out as a versatile organism with remarkable
      degrading abilities, high tolerance, and a remarkable potential to be used as a
      remediation agent in polluted soils.

PMID- 26498813
TI  - Airborne microorganisms cultivable on naturally ventilated document repositories
      of the National Archive of Cuba.
AB  - The quality of the indoor air can provide very useful information for the artwork
      conservation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the microbial concentration
      inside six document repositories of the National Archive of the Republic of Cuba
      in two months of 1 year. The repositories are large, high, and have a natural
      cross-ventilation system. The microbial sampling was done in July 2010 (summer or
      rainy month) and February 2011 (winter or dry month) using the SAS Super 100
      biocollector at 100 L/min. An appropriate selective culture media were used to
      isolate fungi and bacteria. A high total microbial concentration on the north
      side of the building in two studied months was observed. The fungal
      concentrations were significantly higher in July 2010 in all repositories, while
      the bacterial concentrations were significantly higher mostly in February 2011
      only in repositories located on the first and second floor of the building. Eight
      fungal genera in the indoor air of all environments were isolated. Regardless of
      the side of the analyzed building, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Cladosporium
      were the predominant genera. Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger were the
      species isolated in almost all of the analyzed repositories in the studied
      months. Gram-positive bacteria prevailed among bacterial groups isolated from
      indoor air repositories, and some percentages corresponded to the genera Bacillus
      and Streptomyces. In Cuba, the temperature and relative humidity are high during
      the whole year but the natural ventilation plays an important role in retarding
      microbial growth on materials.

PMID- 26498814
TI  - 'End to end' planktonic trophic web and its implications for the mussel farms in
      the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea, Italy).
AB  - The Mar Piccolo is a semi-enclosed basin subject to different natural and
      anthropogenic stressors. In order to better understand plankton dynamics and
      preferential carbon pathways within the planktonic trophic web, an integrated
      approach was adopted for the first time by examining all trophic levels
      (virioplankton, the heterotrophic and phototrophic fractions of pico-, nano- and
      microplankton, as well as mesozooplankton). Plankton abundance and biomass were
      investigated during four surveys in the period 2013-2014. Beside unveiling the
      dynamics of different plankton groups in the Mar Piccolo, the study revealed that
      high portion of the plankton carbon (C) pool was constituted by small-sized (<2
      MUm) planktonic fractions. The prevalence of small-sized species within micro-
      and mesozooplankton communities was observed as well. The succession of
      planktonic communities was clearly driven by the seasonality, i.e. by the
      nutrient availability and physical features of the water column. Our hypothesis
      is that beside the 'bottom-up' control and the grazing pressure, inferred from
      the C pools of different plankton groups, the presence of mussel farms in the Mar
      Piccolo exerts a profound impact on plankton communities, not only due to the
      important sequestration of the plankton biomass but also by strongly influencing
      its structure. 

PMID- 26498815
TI  - Cadmium stress alters the redox reaction and hormone balance in oilseed rape
      (Brassica napus L.) leaves.
AB  - In order to understand the physiological response of oilseed rape (Brassica napus
      L.) leaves to cadmium (Cd) stress and exploit the physiological mechanisms
      involved in Cd tolerance, macro-mineral and chlorophyll concentrations, reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, activities of enzymatic antioxidants,
      nonenzymatic compounds metabolism, endogenous hormonal changes, and balance in
      leaves of oilseed rape exposed to 0, 100, or 200 MUM CdSO4 were investigated. The
      results showed that under Cd exposure, Cd concentrations in the leaves
      continually increased while macro-minerals and chlorophyll concentrations
      decreased significantly. Meanwhile, with increased Cd stress, superoxide anion
      (O2(* -)) production rate and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations in the
      leaves increased significantly, which caused malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation
      and oxidative stress. For scavenging excess accumulated ROS and alleviating
      oxidative injury in the leaves, the activity of enzymatic antioxidants, such as
      superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT), was increased
      significantly at certain stress levels. However, with increased Cd stress, the
      antioxidant enzyme activities all showed a trend towards reduction. The
      nonenzymatic antioxidative compounds, such as proline and total soluble sugars,
      accumulated continuously with increased Cd stress to play a long-term role in
      scavenging ROS. In addition, ABA levels also increased continuously with Cd
      stress while ZR decreased and the ABA/ZR ratio increased, which might also be
      providing a protective role against Cd toxicity.

PMID- 26498816
TI  - The biosorption capacity of biochar for 4-bromodiphengl ether: study of its
      kinetics, mechanism, and use as a carrier for immobilized bacteria.
AB  - Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are known as ubiquitous pollutants in
      ecological systems and thus pose a great threat to the health of humans and other
      organisms due to their bioamplification and bioaccumulation along the food chain.
      The present study was designed to investigate the biosorption capacity of biochar
      for the removal of 4-monobromodiphengl ether and its synergistic effect when used
      as a carrier to immobilize the 4-monobromodiphengl ether-degrading strain
      Sphingomonas sp. DZ3. The raw biochar material was prepared by pyrolyzing maize
      straw at 350  degrees C under oxygen-limited conditions. The maximum biosorption
      capacity of biochar for 4-bromodiphengl ether was determined to be 50.23 mg/L
      under an initial concentration of 800 mg/L at pH 7.0 and 40  degrees C. The data
      obtained from the biosorption studies were fitted successfully with the pseudo
      first-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models. The Weber-Morris model
      analysis indicated that intraparticle diffusion was the limiting step in the
      biosorption of 4-bromodiphengl ether onto the biosorbent. The values of
      thermodynamic parameters ?G0 were calculated as -24.61 kJ/mol (20  degrees C), 
      24.35 kJ/mol (30  degrees C), and -23.98 kJ/mol (40  degrees C), ?S(0) was -8.45
      kJ/mol/K, and ?H(0) was 21.36 kJ/mol. The artificial neural network analysis
      indicated that the initial concentration appeared to be the most influential
      parameter on the biosorption processes. The removal rate of 4-bromodiphengl ether
      achieved using the biochar-microorganism system was increased by 63 and 83%
      compared with the rates obtained with biochar and the strain individually,
      respectively. The morphology of the biochar and immobilized strain was determined
      using a scanning electron microscope, and information of the surface functional
      groups of biochar was obtained through an infrared spectra study.

PMID- 26498817
TI  - Mitigation of cadmium and arsenic in rice grain by applying different silicon
      fertilizers in contaminated fields.
AB  - A field experiment was established to support the hypothesis that application of
      different silicon (Si) fertilizers can simultaneously reduce cadmium (Cd) and
      arsenic (As) concentration in rice grain. The "semi-finished product of Si-potash
      fertilizer" treatment at the high application of 9000 kg/ha (NP+S-KSi9000)
      significantly reduced the As concentration in rice grain by up to 20.1%, compared
      with the control. Si fertilization reduces the Cd concentration in rice
      considerably more than the As concentration. All Si fertilizers apart from sodium
      metasilicate (Na2SiO3) exhibited a high ability to reduce Cd concentration in
      rice grain. The Si-calcium (CaSi) fertilizer is the most effective in the
      mitigation of Cd concentration in rice grain. The CaSi fertilizer applied at 9000
      kg/ha (NPK+CaSi9000) and 900 kg/ha (NPK+CaSi900) reduced the Cd concentration in
      rice grain about 71.5 and 48.0%, respectively, while the Si-potash fertilizer at
      900 kg/ha (NP+KSi900), the semi-finished product of Si-potash fertilizer at both
      900 kg/ha (NP+S-KSi900) and 9000 kg/ha (NP+S-KSi9000), and the rice straw
      (NPK+RS) treatments reduced the Cd concentration in rice grain about 42, 26.5,
      40.7, and 23.1%, respectively. The results of this investigation demonstrated the
      potential effects of Si fertilizers in reducing Cd and As concentrations in rice
      grain.

PMID- 26498818
TI  - Cu retention in an acid soil amended with perlite winery waste.
AB  - The effect of perlite waste from a winery on general soil characteristics and Cu
      adsorption was assessed. The studied soil was amended with different perlite
      waste concentrations corresponding to 10, 20, 40 and 80 Mg ha(-1). General soil
      characteristics and Cu adsorption and desorption curves were determined after
      different incubation times (from 1 day to 8 months). The addition of perlite
      waste to the soil increased the amounts of organic matter as well as soil
      nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium, and these increments were stable with
      time. An increase in Cu adsorption capacity was also detected in the perlite
      waste-amended soils. The effect of perlite waste addition to the soil had special
      relevance on its Cu adsorption capacity at low coverage concentrations and on the
      energy of the soil-Cu bonds.

PMID- 26498819
TI  - Effect of resin content and substrate on the emission of BTEX and carbonyls from
      low-VOC water-based wall paint.
AB  - The primary aim of this work is to explore the effect of resin content and the
      effect of substrate on the emission of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene
      (BTEX) and carbonyls from low-VOC water-based wall paint. Four low-volatile
      organic compound (VOC) paints include paints A (20% acrylic), B (30% acrylic), C
      (20% polyvinyl acetate), and D (30% polyvinyl acetate) were painted on stainless
      steel specimen for the study of resin effect. Green calcium silicate, green
      cement, and stainless steel were painted with paints A and C for the study of
      substrate effect. Concentrations of the VOCs in the chamber decreased with the
      elapsed time. Both resin type and resin quantity in paint had effects on VOC
      emissions. Paints with acrylic resin emitted less BTEX and carbonyls than paints
      with polyvinyl acetate resin. However, the effects of resin quantity varied with
      VOCs. Porous substrates were observed to interact more strongly with paints than
      inert substrates. Both green calcium silicate and green cement substrates have
      strong power of adsorption of VOCs from wall paints, namely toluene,
      formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, 2-butanone, methacrolein, butyraldehyde, and
      benzaldehyde. Some compounds like toluene, formaldehyde, and butyaldehyde were
      desorbed very slowly from green calcium silicate and green cement substrates.

PMID- 26498820
TI  - Biological properties of Alsidium corallinum and its potential protective effects
      against damage caused by potassium bromate in the mouse liver.
AB  - In the course of searching for hepatoprotective agents from natural sources, the
      protective effect of chemical constituents of the marine red alga Alsidium
      corallinum (A. corallinum) against potassium bromate (KBrO3)-induced liver damage
      in adult mice was investigated. The in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial
      properties of A. corallinum were firstly investigated. Then, A. corallinum was
      tested in vivo for its potential protective effects against damage caused by
      KBrO3 in mice models divided into four groups: controls, KBrO3, KBrO3 + A.
      corallinum, and A. corallinum. Our results demonstrated the rich composition of
      A. corallinum in antioxidant compounds like phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins,
      polysaccharides, chlorophyll and carotenoids. Its antioxidant activity was also
      confirmed using beta-carotene bleaching by linoleic acid assay, reducing sugar
      test and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity. The ethanolic extract of A.
      corallinum also showed good inhibition of the tested bacteria. The
      coadministration of the red alga associated to the KBrO3 alleviated
      hepatotoxicity as monitored by the improvement of hepatic oxidative stress
      biomarkers and plasma biochemical parameters, when compared to the KBrO3-treated
      mice. These results were confirmed by the improvement of histological and
      molecular changes. Treatment with A. corallinum prevented liver damage induced by
      KBrO3, thus protecting the body against free radicals and reducing inflammation
      and hypercholesterolemia risks.

PMID- 26498822
TI  - Quality means decency-on the quality of teaching through accreditation of the
      course?
AB  - The term "accreditation" applies to the attempts in various fields of scientific
      work and administration. It refers to an acknowledgement of some particular
      positive (wanted) property being present in or brought about by either a
      procedure or technical system, an acknowledgement which is then formally issued
      by some authority generally accepted to be able to prove and file such
      statements. Bioindication & Biomonitoring (B&B) technologies are highly
      influenced by accreditation procedures, because both B&B technologies are often
      related to accreditation during the overall instrumental measurement processes
      applied. As an example, tuna fish used for (bio) monitoring salt water systems on
      pollution by Pb will be presented. Analytical measurement results from the
      International Measurement Evaluation Programme (IMEP 20) and additionally the
      construction of the university course "Integrative sustainable management:
      quality, environmental, health, safety and risk management (QUAR)" are reviewed
      in this respect. It was a serious finding by the multi-participant IMEP study
      that neither quality control measures nor accreditation actually ensure improved
      quality of measurement results, i.e. data produced by analytical laboratories.
      Accordingly, even though the accreditation of study curricula is often done with
      utmost diligence and precision, and while it is fairly important for making study
      curricula throughout Europe (and the World) fitting and comparable to each other
      to get study results produced and tested at university X also be accepted when
      changing to university Y, we cannot assume or take for granted that the mere
      protocol of accreditation will do anything positive to improve the chance to get
      better or "more correct" results. A single member of lab staff or professor
      changing to some other position might seriously compromise the turnout of some
      analytical lab or university course at least in the short term regardless of
      whether accreditation was done or not. As consequence, data obtained by B&B
      technologies have to be discussed and handled with the highest care to reach
      acceptable and scientifically sound goals of quality.

PMID- 26498821
TI  - An improved effective microorganism (EM) soil ball-making method for water
      quality restoration.
AB  - Soil balls containing the so-called effective microorganisms (EM) have been
      applied to improve water quality of small ponds, lakes, and streams worldwide.
      However, neither the physical conditions facilitating their proper application
      nor the diversity of microbial community in such soil balls have been
      investigated. In this study, the application of 0.75% of hardener to the soil
      balls exerted almost neutral pH (pH 7.3) which caused up to a fourfold increased
      hardness of the soil ball. Moreover, the 0.75% of hardener in the soil ball also
      improved the water quality due to a significant reduction in dissolved oxygen,
      total phosphorus, and total nitrogen contents. Metagenomic analysis of the
      microbial community in the soil ball with 0.75% hardener was compared with
      control (traditional soil ball) through next-generation sequencing. The
      traditional soil ball microbial community comprised 96.1% bacteria, 2.7%
      eukaryota, and 1% archaea, whereas the soil ball with 0.75% hardener comprised
      71.4% bacteria, 27.9% eukaryota, and 0.2% viruses. Additionally, metagenomic
      profiles for both traditional and improved soil balls revealed that the various
      xenobiotic biodegradation, such as those for caprolactam, atrazine, xylene,
      toluene, styrene, bisphenol, and chlorocyclohexane might be responsible for
      organic waste cleanup.

PMID- 26498823
TI  - A comparison of medical litigation filed against obstetrics and gynecology,
      internal medicine, and surgery departments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to review the typical factors related to
      physician's liability in obstetrics and gynecology departments, as compared to
      those in internal medicine and surgery, regarding a breach of the duty to
      explain. METHODS: This study involved analyzing 366 medical litigation case
      reports from 1990 through 2008 where the duty to explain was disputed. We
      examined relationships between patients, physicians, variables related to
      physician's explanations, and physician's breach of the duty to explain by
      comparing mean values and percentages in obstetrics and gynecology, internal
      medicine, and surgical departments with the t-test and chi(2) test. RESULTS: When
      we compared the reasons for decisions in cases where the patient won, we found
      that the percentage of cases in which the patient's claim was recognized was the
      highest for both physician negligence, including errors of judgment and
      procedural mistakes, and breach of the duty to explain, in obstetrics and
      gynecology departments; breach of the duty to explain alone in internal medicine
      departments; and mistakes in medical procedures alone in surgical departments (p
      = 0.008). When comparing patients, the rate of death was significantly higher
      than that of other outcomes in precedents where a breach of the duty to explain
      was acknowledged (p = 0.046). The proportion of cases involving obstetrics and
      gynecology departments, in which care was claimed to be substandard at the time
      of treatment, and that were not argued as breach of a duty to explain, was
      significantly higher than those of other evaluated departments (p <0.001).
      However, internal medicine and surgical departments were very similar in this
      context. In obstetrics and gynecology departments, the proportion of cases in
      which it had been conceded that the duty to explain had been breached when
      seeking patient approval (or not) was significantly higher than in other
      departments (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: It is important for physicians working in
      obstetrics and gynecology departments to carefully explain the risk of death
      associated with any planned procedure, and to obtain genuinely informed patient
      consent.

PMID- 26498824
TI  - Cerium oxide nanoparticles attenuate acute kidney injury induced by intra
      abdominal infection in Sprague-Dawley rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intra-abdominal infection or peritonitis is a cause for great concern
      due to high mortality rates. The prognosis of severe intra-abdominal infection is
      significantly diminished in the presence of acute kidney injury (AKI) which is
      often characterized by renal tubular cell death that can lead to renal failure.
      The purpose of the current study is to examine the therapeutic efficacy of cerium
      oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles for the treatment of peritonitis-induced AKI by
      polymicrobial insult. RESULTS: A one-time administration of CeO2 nanoparticles
      (0.5 mg/kg) in the absence of antibiotics or other supportive care, attenuated
      peritonitis-induced tubular dilatation and the loss of brush border in male
      Sprague-Dawley rats. These improvements in renal structure were accompanied by
      decreases in serum cystatin-C levels, reduced renal oxidative stress, diminished
      Stat-3 phosphorylation and an attenuation of caspase-3 cleavage suggesting that
      the nanoparticle treatment improved renal glomerular filtration rate, diminished
      renal inflammation and reduced renal apoptosis. Consistent with these data,
      further analysis demonstrated that the CeO2 nanoparticle treatment diminished
      peritonitis-induced increases in serum kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1),
      osteopontin, beta-2 microglobulin and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF
      A) levels. In addition, the nanoparticle attenuated peritonitis-induced
      hyperglycemia along with increases in blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum potassium
      and sodium. CONCLUSION: CeO2 nanoparticles scavenge reactive oxygen species and
      attenuate polymicrobial insult induced increase in inflammatory mediators and
      subsequent AKI. Taken together, the data indicate that CeO2 nanoparticles may be
      useful as an alternative therapeutic agent or in conjunction with standard
      medical care for the treatment of peritonitis induced acute kidney injury.

PMID- 26498825
TI  - A framework for retinal vasculature segmentation based on matched filters.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Automatic fundus image processing plays a significant role in
      computer-assisted retinopathy diagnosis. As retinal vasculature is an important
      anatomical structure in ophthalmic images, recently, retinal vasculature
      segmentation has received considerable attention from researchers. A segmentation
      method usually consists of three steps: preprocessing, segmentation, post
      processing. Most of the existing methods emphasize on the segmentation step. In
      our opinion, the vessels and background can be easily separable when suitable
      preprocessing exists. METHODS: This paper represents a new matched filter-based
      vasculature segmentation method for 2-D retinal images. First of all, a raw
      segmentation is acquired by thresholding the images preprocessed using weighted
      improved circular gabor filter and multi-directional multi-scale second
      derivation of Gaussian. After that, the raw segmented image is fine-tuned by a
      set of novel elongating filters. Finally, we eliminate the speckle like regions
      and isolated pixels, most of which are non-vessel noises and miss-classified
      fovea or pathological regions. RESULTS: The performance of the proposed method is
      examined on two popularly used benchmark databases: DRIVE and STARE. The accuracy
      values are 95.29 and 95.69 %, respectively, without a significant degradation of
      specificity and sensitivity. CONCLUSION: The performance of the proposed method
      is significantly better than almost all unsupervised methods, in addition,
      comparable to most of the existing supervised vasculature segmentation methods.

PMID- 26498826
TI  - HiFive: a tool suite for easy and efficient HiC and 5C data analysis.
AB  - The chromatin interaction assays 5C and HiC have advanced our understanding of
      genomic spatial organization, but analysis approaches for these data are limited
      by usability and flexibility. The HiFive tool suite provides efficient data
      handling and a variety of normalization approaches for easy, fast analysis and
      method comparison. Integration of MPI-based parallelization allows scalability
      and rapid processing time. In addition to single-command analysis of an entire
      experiment from mapped reads to interaction values, HiFive has been integrated
      into the open-source, web-based platform Galaxy to connect users with
      computational resources and a graphical interface. HiFive is open-source software
      available from http://taylorlab.org/software/hifive/ . 

PMID- 26498827
TI  - Validity of a two-item physical activity questionnaire for assessing attainment
      of physical activity guidelines in youth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As physical activity is important for health and well-being, it is
      essential to monitor population prevalence of physical activity. Surveillance is
      dependent on the use of valid and reliable measurement tools. The PACE+
      questionnaire is used globally in youth and has acceptable reliability; however
      it has not been validated in a European sample. The purpose of this study is to
      validate this instrument in a sample of 10-18 year old Irish youth. METHODS:
      Participants (n = 419, 45.7 % male) completed the PACE+ two-item questionnaire
      and were asked to wear an Actigraph accelerometer for eight consecutive days.
      Freedson cut-points were used to estimate moderate to vigorous physical activity
      from accelerometer counts. Analyses compared self-report and accelerometry data
      in participants with (1) >=5 and (2) seven valid accelerometer days. Calculations
      were performed for the whole sample, and were stratified by sex and school level
      (primary; post-primary). RESULTS: Spearman correlations between self-reported
      physical activity levels and accelerometry derived minutes of moderate-to
      vigorous physical activity per day were small (r = 0.27; seven valid days) to
      moderate (r = 0.34; >=5 valid days). Higher correlations were found in older
      participants (post-primary r = 0.39; primary r = 0.24) and females (r = 0.39;
      males r = 0.27) using >=5 valid days. The agreement level was high (68-96 %). The
      accuracy of classifying those not meeting the guidelines (specificity) was
      moderate to high (59-100 %). CONCLUSIONS: The PACE+ self-report instrument has
      acceptable validity for assessing non-achievement of the adolescent physical
      activity recommendations. The validity is higher in females and increases with
      age. The continued use of the tool is recommended and will allow for
      comparability between studies, tracking of physical activity over time including
      trends in youth population prevalence.

PMID- 26498828
TI  - Advanced Sodium Ion Battery Anode Constructed via Chemical Bonding between
      Phosphorus, Carbon Nanotube, and Cross-Linked Polymer Binder.
AB  - Maintaining structural stability is a great challenge for high-capacity
      conversion electrodes with large volume change but is necessary for the
      development of high-energy-density, long-cycling batteries. Here, we report a
      stable phosphorus anode for sodium ion batteries by the synergistic use of
      chemically bonded phosphorus-carbon nanotube (P-CNT) hybrid and cross-linked
      polymer binder. The P-CNT hybrid was synthesized through ball-milling of red
      phosphorus and carboxylic group functionalized carbon nanotubes. The P-O-C bonds
      formed in this process help maintain contact between phosphorus and CNTs, leading
      to a durable hybrid. In addition, cross-linked carboxymethyl cellulose-citric
      acid binder was used to form a robust electrode. As a result, this anode delivers
      a stable cycling capacity of 1586.2 mAh/g after 100 cycles, along with high
      initial Coulombic efficiency of 84.7% and subsequent cycling efficiency of ~99%.
      The unique electrode framework through chemical bonding strategy reported here is
      potentially inspirable for other electrode materials with large volume change in
      use. 

PMID- 26498829
TI  - An Ester of beta-Hydroxybutyrate Regulates Cholesterol Biosynthesis in Rats and a
      Cholesterol Biomarker in Humans.
AB  - In response to carbohydrate deprivation or prolonged fasting the ketone bodies,
      beta-hydroxybutyrate (betaHB) and acetoacetate (AcAc), are produced from the
      incomplete beta-oxidation of fatty acids in the liver. Neither betaHB nor AcAc
      are well utilized for synthesis of sterols or fatty acids in human or rat liver.
      To study the effects of ketones on cholesterol homeostasis a novel betaHB ester
      (KE) ((R)-3-hydroxybutyl (R)-3-hydroxybutyrate) was synthesized and given orally
      to rats and humans as a partial dietary carbohydrate replacement. Rats maintained
      on a diet containing 30-energy % as KE with a concomitant reduction in
      carbohydrate had lower plasma cholesterol and mevalonate (-40 and -27 %,
      respectively) and in the liver had lower levels of the mevalonate precursors
      acetoacetyl-CoA and HMG-CoA (-33 and -54 %) compared to controls. Whole liver and
      membrane LDL-R as well as SREBP-2 protein levels were higher (+24, +67, and +91
      %, respectively). When formulated into a beverage for human consumption subjects
      consuming a KE drink (30-energy %) had elevated plasma betaHB which correlated
      with decreased mevalonate, a liver cholesterol synthesis biomarker. Partial
      replacement of dietary carbohydrate with KE induced ketosis and altered
      cholesterol homeostasis in rats. In healthy individuals an elevated plasma betaHB
      correlated with lower plasma mevalonate.

PMID- 26498830
TI  - Increased lymphangiogenesis in lung metastases from colorectal cancer is
      associated with early lymph node recurrence and decreased overall survival.
AB  - Pulmonary metastasectomy (PM) is an accepted treatment modality in colorectal
      cancer (CRC) patients with pulmonary tumor spread. Positive intrathoracic lymph
      nodes at the time of PM are associated with a poor prognosis and 5-year survival
      rates of <20 %. Increased lymphangiogenesis in pulmonary metastases might
      represent an initial step for a subsequent lymphangiogenic spreading. We aimed to
      evaluate the presence of lymphangiogenesis in clinically lymph node negative
      patients undergoing PM and its impact on outcome parameters. 71 patients who
      underwent PM for CRC metastases were included in this dual-center study. Tissue
      specimens of pulmonary metastases and available corresponding primary tumors were
      assessed by immunohistochemistry for lymphatic microvessel density (LMVD) and
      lymphovascular invasion (LVI). Results were correlated with clinical outcome
      parameters. LMVD was 13.9 +/- 8.1 and 13.3 +/- 8.5 microvessels/field (mean +/-
      SD) in metastases and corresponding primary CRC; LVI was evident in 46.5 and 58.6
      % of metastases and corresponding primary CRC, respectively. Samples with high
      LMVD had a higher likelihood of LVI. LVI was associated with early tumor
      recurrence in intrathoracic lymph nodes and a decreased overall survival (p <
      0.001 and p = 0.029). Herein, we present first evidence in a well-defined patient
      collective that increased lymphangiogenesis is already present in a subtype of
      pulmonary metastases of patients staged as N0 at the time of PM. This
      lymphangiogenic phenotype has a strong impact on patients' prognosis. Our
      findings may have impact on the post-surgical therapeutic management of CRC
      patients with pulmonary spreading. 

PMID- 26498831
TI  - Internal jugular vein duplication and fenestration: Case series and literature
      review.
AB  - We present three cases of duplicated or fenestrated internal jugular veins in
      patients undergoing neck dissection, including the first known case of
      concomitant bovine aortic arch. The prevalence of this anomaly is 1.0% (three out
      of 295 patients). Internal jugular vein duplication and fenestration may risk
      iatrogenic injury to the vasculature and spinal accessory nerve during neck
      dissection. The existence of this anatomic abnormality should be considered when
      variation of the internal jugular vein is encountered. The objective of this
      report is to discuss the presentation, clinical implications, and literature
      pertaining to internal jugular vein duplication and fenestration. Laryngoscope,
      126:1585-1588, 2016.

PMID- 26498832
TI  - Community Socioeconomic Disadvantage in Midlife Relates to Cortical Morphology
      via Neuroendocrine and Cardiometabolic Pathways.
AB  - Residing in communities of socioeconomic disadvantage confers risk for chronic
      diseases and cognitive aging, as well as risk for biological factors that
      negatively affect brain morphology. The present study tested whether community
      disadvantage negatively associates with brain morphology via 2 biological factors
      encompassing cardiometabolic disease risk and neuroendocrine function.
      Participants were 448 midlife adults aged 30-54 years (236 women) who underwent
      structural neuroimaging to assess cortical and subcortical brain tissue
      morphology. Community disadvantage was indexed by US Census data geocoded to
      participants' residential addresses. Cardiometabolic risk was indexed by
      measurements of adiposity, blood pressure, glucose, insulin, and lipids.
      Neuroendocrine function was indexed from salivary cortisol measurements taken
      over 3 days, from which we computed the cortisol awakening response, area-under
      the-curve, and diurnal cortisol decline. Community disadvantage was associated
      with reduced cortical tissue volume, cortical surface area, and cortical
      thickness, but not subcortical morphology. Moreover, increased cardiometabolic
      risk and a flatter (dysregulated) diurnal cortisol decline mediated the
      associations of community disadvantage and cortical gray matter volume. These
      effects were independent of age, sex, and individual-level socioeconomic
      position. The adverse risks of residing in a disadvantaged community may extend
      to the cerebral cortex via cardiometabolic and neuroendocrine pathways.

PMID- 26498833
TI  - The usefulness of C-reactive protein and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio for
      predicting the outcome in hospitalized patients with liver cirrhosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of clinical parameters such as systemic inflammatory
      response syndrome (SIRS) criteria in predicting the infection remains unclear in
      cirrhosis patients. The aim was to evaluate the usefulness of inflammatory
      markers including C-reactive protein (CRP) and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio
      (NLR) for diagnosis of infection and predicting the outcomes in hospitalized
      cirrhotic patients. METHODS: The study included 184 cirrhotic patients
      consecutively hospitalized from 2011 to 2012. The presence of overt infection and
      survival was evaluated. CRP concentration, NLR, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease
      (MELD) score and the presence of SIRS were assessed. RESULTS: The main cause of
      admission was uncontrolled ascites (36.4 %), followed by varix bleeding (23.9 %),
      and hepatic encephalopathy (13.6 %). Fifty-eight patients (31.5 %) had overt
      infection during hospitalization and thirty-two patients (17.4 %) expired during
      the follow up period (median 38 months). Ninety-two patients (52.2 %) fulfilled
      the SIRS criteria and among them, only 32 patients (38.5 %) had the overt
      infection. For diagnose of the infection, baseline CRP concentration was a
      significant factor compared to the presence of SIRS (odds ratio 1.202, P =
      0.003). For predicting one-month short-term survival, MELD score, NLR and WBC
      count were significant factors but in Child-Pugh class C patients, NLR was only
      an independent factor. CONCLUSIONS: CRP was a significant indicator of infection
      in hospitalized cirrhotic patients and a NLR was a useful predictor of 1-month
      survival, particularly in Child-Pugh class C patients. This study suggests that
      the inflammatory markers such as CRP and NLR can help identify cirrhotic patients
      at risk of unfavorable outcomes.

PMID- 26498834
TI  - LDL cholesterol is not a good marker of cardiovascular risk in Type 1 diabetes.
AB  - AIM: LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) is considered an important cardiovascular disease
      (CVD) risk factor. Less is known in Type 1 diabetes. We assessed LDL-C and total
      cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio (TC/HDL-C) as predictors of CVD in Type 1
      diabetes. METHODS: The study monitored 30 778 people with Type 1 diabetes,
      baseline 2003-2006, to 31 December 2011. Cox regression analyses were performed
      with LDL-C and TC/HDL-C as predictors of fatal/non-fatal CVD. Models were
      adjusted for traditional CVD risk factors. RESULTS: Hazard ratios (HR) (with 95%
      CI) per 1 mmol/l increase in LDL-C for CVD were 1.09 (1.01-1.18) in people
      without lipid-lowering medication and 1.02 (0.95-1.09) in people with lipid
      lowering medication (P = 0.02 and 0.65). In people aged 40 years or older having
      a CVD risk factor, and in people with a history of CVD, HR was 1.07 (0.99-1.16)
      and 1.02 (0.92-1.13) (P = 0.07 and 0.66). HR per 1 unit increase in TC/HDL-C was
      1.12 (1.05-1.20) in people without lipid-lowering medication and 1.08 (1.02-1.15)
      in people with lipid-lowering medication (P < 0.001 and 0.01). For people aged 40
      or older and people with a history of CVD, HR was 1.16 (1.09-1.24) and 1.04 (0.95
      1.14) (P < 0.001 and 0.43). Broken down into octiles, LDL-C was not a significant
      predictor of CVD in any group. Higher octiles of TC/HDL-C were significant
      predictors for CVD in people without lipid-lowering medication and in those aged
      40 years or older. CONCLUSION: In this study of people with Type 1 diabetes in
      clinical practice, LDL-C was not a good predictor of CVD. We found no support for
      an LDL-C cut-off point < 2.6 mmol/l. TC/HDL-C seems more reliable as a marker for
      CVD risk when considering primary prevention.

PMID- 26498836
TI  - The guest-dependent thermal response of the flexible MOF Zn2(BDC)2(DABCO).
AB  - The guest-dependent thermal response of the flexible MOF Zn2(BDC)2(DABCO) (1) has
      been studied. A series of temperature-dependent single crystallographic analyses
      revealed inherent structural thermal responses of 1. The guest-free framework 1
      exhibited interesting thermal responses including anisotropic thermal expansion
      (negative thermal expansion (NTE) along the a- and b-axes, positive thermal
      expansion (PTE) along the c-axis) and disorder-order phase transition. In
      addition, inclusion of guest molecules (DMF and benzene) brought distinct thermal
      responses to 1 from host-guest interactions. 1.4DMF showed altered thermal
      responses, presenting disorder-order phase transitions at a higher temperature
      and PTE along the a- and b-axes. Meanwhile, 1.3benzene displayed a quite
      different type of thermal response such as a hinge like motion (breathing)
      without a symmetry change.

PMID- 26498835
TI  - NADPH oxidase 3-associated oxidative stress and caspase 3-dependent apoptosis in
      the cochleae of D-galactose-induced aged rats.
AB  - Oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and cell apoptosis are heavily
      implicated in aging. Our previous study established a mimetic rat model of aging
      in the cochleae using D-galactose (D-gal), and revealed that chronic injection of
      D-gal can increase oxidative stress and mtDNA common deletions (CD). The aim of
      the present study was to investigate the sources of reactive oxygen species and
      the occurrence of apoptosis in the cochleae of rats following 8 weeks of D-gal
      exposure. The results of the present study indicated that an elevated
      accumulation of the mtDNA CD and mitochondrial ultrastructural damage occurred in
      the cochleae of rats injected with D-gal for 8 weeks. In addition, the levels of
      8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, NADPH oxidase (NOX) 3, P22phox and cleaved caspase 3,
      and the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine
      triphosphate nick-end-labelling-positive cells were increased in the cochleae of
      D-gal-treated rats, compared with the controls. These findings suggested that
      nitric oxide synthase NOX3-associated oxidative stress may contribute to the
      accumulation of mtDNA mutations and activate a caspase 3-dependent apoptotic
      signalling pathway in the cochleae during aging. The present study also provided
      novel insights into the development of age-associated hearing loss, also termed
      presbycusis. 

PMID- 26498837
TI  - Charge transfer state emission dynamics in blue-emitting functionalized silicon
      nanocrystals.
AB  - We explore the dynamics of blue emission from dodecylamine and ammonia
      functionalized silicon nanocrystals (Si NCs) with average diameters of ~3 and ~6
      nm using time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) spectroscopy. The Si NCs exhibit
      nanosecond PL decay dynamics that is independent of NC size and uniform across
      the emission spectrum. The TRPL measurements reveal complete quenching of core
      state emission by a charge transfer state that is responsible for the blue PL
      with a radiative recombination rate of ~5 * 10(7) s(-1). A detailed picture of
      the charge transfer state emission dynamics in these functionalized Si NCs is
      proposed. 

PMID- 26498838
TI  - The inflammatory milieu within the pancreatic cancer microenvironment correlates
      with clinicopathologic parameters, chemoresistance and survival.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The tumor microenvironment impacts pancreatic cancer (PC)
      development, progression and metastasis. How intratumoral inflammatory mediators
      modulate this biology remains poorly understood. We hypothesized that the
      inflammatory milieu within the PC microenvironment would correlate with
      clinicopathologic findings and survival. METHODS: Pancreatic specimens from
      normal pancreas (n = 6), chronic pancreatitis (n = 9) and pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma (n = 36) were homogenized immediately upon resection. Homogenates
      were subjected to multiplex analysis of 41 inflammatory mediators. RESULTS:
      Twenty-three mediators were significantly elevated in adenocarcinoma specimens
      compared to nonmalignant controls. Increased intratumoral IL-8 concentrations
      associated with larger tumors (P = .045) and poor differentiation (P = .038); the
      administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy associated with reduced IL-8
      concentrations (P = .003). Neoadjuvant therapy was also associated with elevated
      concentrations of Flt-3 L (P = .005). Elevated levels of pro-inflammatory
      cytokines IL-1beta (P = .017) and TNFalpha (P = .033) were associated with a poor
      histopathologic response to neoadjuvant therapy. Elevated concentrations of G-CSF
      (P = .016) and PDGF-AA (P = .012) correlated with reduced overall survival.
      Conversely, elevated concentrations of FGF-2 (P = .038), TNFalpha (P = .031) and
      MIP-1alpha (P = .036) were associated with prolonged survival. CONCLUSION: The
      pancreatic cancer microenvironment harbors a unique inflammatory milieu with
      potential diagnostic and prognostic value.

PMID- 26498840
TI  - The method used to culture host cells (Sf9 cells) can affect the qualities of
      baculovirus budding particles expressing recombinant proteins.
AB  - Budded virus (BV) particles of baculovirus (Autographa californica
      nucleopolyhedrovirus, AcNPV) are harvested from the supernatant of liquid culture
      of Sf9 host cells by ultracentrifugation. Using polyacrylamide gel
      electrophoresis, Western blot and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of BV
      samples fractionated closely by sucrose density gradient centrifugation, we
      observed that BVs exhibited different qualities depending on whether they had
      been harvested from the supernatant from a standing (static), shaking
      (suspension), or standing/shaking (pre-/post-infection) culture of Sf9 cells. The
      amount of BV protein apparently increased in the order of standing,
      standing/shaking, and shaking procedure, and the yield of intact particles showed
      an opposite trend. TEM observation clearly showed that appropriate fractions of
      the standing and standing/shaking cultures contained more intact BV particles
      than those from the shaking culture. These results suggest that the qualities of
      recombinant BV particles may be related to the culture conditions of the host
      cells. 

PMID- 26498839
TI  - Age modifies respiratory complex I and protein homeostasis in a muscle type
      specific manner.
AB  - Changes in mitochondrial function with age vary between different muscle types,
      and mechanisms underlying this variation remain poorly defined. We examined
      whether the rate of mitochondrial protein turnover contributes to this variation.
      Using heavy label proteomics, we measured mitochondrial protein turnover and
      abundance in slow-twitch soleus (SOL) and fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus
      (EDL) from young and aged mice. We found that mitochondrial proteins were longer
      lived in EDL than SOL at both ages. Proteomic analyses revealed that age-induced
      changes in protein abundance differed between EDL and SOL with the largest change
      being increased mitochondrial respiratory protein content in EDL. To determine
      how altered mitochondrial proteomics affect function, we measured respiratory
      capacity in permeabilized SOL and EDL. The increased mitochondrial protein
      content in aged EDL resulted in reduced complex I respiratory efficiency in
      addition to increased complex I-derived H2 O2 production. In contrast, SOL
      maintained mitochondrial quality, but demonstrated reduced respiratory capacity
      with age. Thus, the decline in mitochondrial quality with age in EDL was
      associated with slower protein turnover throughout life that may contribute to
      the greater decline in mitochondrial dysfunction in this muscle. Furthermore,
      mitochondrial-targeted catalase protected respiratory function with age
      suggesting a causal role of oxidative stress. Our data clearly indicate divergent
      effects of age between different skeletal muscles on mitochondrial protein
      homeostasis and function with the greatest differences related to complex I.
      These results show the importance of tissue-specific changes in the interaction
      between dysregulation of respiratory protein expression, oxidative stress, and
      mitochondrial function with age. 

PMID- 26498841
TI  - Steroidal saponins from the rhizomes of Polygonatum prattii.
AB  - Seven steroidal saponins including two new furostanol glycosides were isolated
      from the rhizomes of Polygonatum prattii collected from Panzhihua, Sichuan
      province of China. The new compounds were determined as 26-O-beta-d
      glucopyranosyl-(25R)-3beta,22xi-dihydroxy-furost-5-en-7-one (pratioside G) and 26
      O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(25R)-22xi-hydroxy-furost-5-en-3beta-O-beta-D
      glucopyranosyl-(1->2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1->2)-[beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1->3)]
      beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1->4)-beta-D-galactopyranoside (pratioside H), on the
      basis of detailed spectroscopic and chemical analysis. 

PMID- 26498842
TI  - Unusual localization of glomus tumor of the knee.
AB  - Glomus tumor is an uncommon benign neuromyoarterial tumor. The extradigital
      location at the knee is unusual. Ignorance of this disease characterized by
      atypical clinical signs and the absence of specific imaging are responsible for a
      significant diagnostic delay in these forms localized in the knee. Complete
      resection of the tumor results in an immediate resolution of the pain. We report
      three rare locations of glomus tumor in the knee with an exceptional location in
      the quadriceps tendon and discuss epidemiological, diagnostic and therapeutic
      aspects of these tumors. 

PMID- 26498844
TI  - Disentangling the effects of solar radiation, wrack macroalgae and beach
      macrofauna on associated bacterial assemblages.
AB  - Wrack detritus plays a significant role in shaping community dynamics and food
      webs on sandy beaches. Macroalgae is the most abundant beach wrack, and it is
      broken down by the combination of environmental processes, macrofauna grazing,
      and microbial degradation before returning to the sea as nutrients. The role of
      solar radiation, algal species and beach macrofauna as ecological drivers for
      bacterial assemblages associated to wrack was investigated by experimental
      manipulation of Laminaria ochroleuca and Sargassum muticum. We examined the
      effects of changes in solar radiation on wrack-associated bacterial assemblages
      by using cut-off filters: PAR + UVA + UVB (280-700 nm; PAB), PAR + UVA (320-700
      nm; PA), PAR (400-700 nm; P), and a control with no filter (C). Results showed
      that moderate changes in UVR are capable to promote substantial differences on
      bacterial assemblages so that wrack patches exposed to full sunlight treatments
      (C and PAB) showed more similar assemblages among them than compared to patches
      exposed to treatments that blocked part of the solar radiation (P and PA). Our
      findings also suggested that specific algal nutrient quality-related variables
      (i.e. nitrogen, C:N ratio and phlorotannins) are main determinants of bacterial
      dynamics on wrack deposits. We showed a positive relationship between beach
      macrofauna, especially the most abundant and active wrack-users, the amphipod
      Talitrus saltator and the coleopteran Phaleria cadaverina, and both bacterial
      abundance and richness. Moderate variations in natural solar radiation and shifts
      in the algal species entering beach ecosystems can modify the role of wrack in
      the energy-flow of nearshore environments with unknown ecological implications
      for coastal ecosystems.

PMID- 26498846
TI  - Lyme disease and juvenile idiopathic arthritis - A pediatric case report.

PMID- 26498843
TI  - Intermedin protects against renal ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting
      endoplasmic reticulum stress.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intermedin (IMD) is a novel member of the calcitonin/calcitonin gene
      related peptide family. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) has been implicated in
      the pathology of renal ischemia/reperfusion (IRI). In the present study, we
      investigated whether IMD could reduce ERS damage after renal ischemia. METHODS:
      The kidneys of SD rats were subjected to 45 min of warm ischemia followed by 24 h
      of reperfusion. The hypoxia/reoxygenation(H/R) model in NRK-52E cells consisted
      of hypoxia for 1 h and reoxygenation for 2 h. IMD was over-expressed in vivo and
      in vitro using the vector pcDNA3.1-IMD. The serum creatinine concentration and
      lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in the plasma were determined. Histologic
      examinations of renal tissues were performed with PAS staining. Real-time PCR and
      Western blotting were used to determine the mRNA and protein levels,
      respectively. Additionally, ER staining was used to detect the ERS response.
      RESULTS: In the rat renal IRI model, we found that IMD gene transfer markedly
      improved renal function and pathology and decreased LDH activity and cell
      apoptosis compared with the kidneys that were transfected with the control
      plasmid. IMD significantly attenuated the ERS stress parameters compared with IRI
      group. Indeed, IMD down-regulated glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), C/EBP
      homologous protein(CHOP), and caspase 12 protein and mRNA levels. Moreover, in
      the NRK-52E cell H/R model, IMD overexpression prevented the apoptosis induced by
      H/R. Furthermore, IMD ameliorated the ER structural changes and concomitantly
      decreased the levels of GRP78, CHOP and caspase-12. CONCLUSION: This study
      revealed that IMD protects against renal IRI by suppressing ERS and ERS-related
      apoptosis.

PMID- 26498848
TI  - The MRTF-A/B function as oncogenes in pancreatic cancer.
AB  - Despite evidence that MRTF-A/B, co-activators of serum response factor (SRF),
      promotes tumor cell invasion and metastasis in cancer, there are no studies
      describing MRTF-A/B in pancreatic cancer. To clarify involvement of MRTF-A/B
      expression in pancreatic cancer, we used quantitative reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis to detect MRTF-A/B in
      pancreatic cancer, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) and non
      neoplastic pancreata. MRTF-A/B expression differs significantly between cancer
      and non-neoplastic tissues as well as between non-neoplastic tissues and IPMN
      bulk tissues. Next, we studied the roles of MRTF-A/B in vitro. Overexpression of
      MRTF-A/B promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and generated stem cell
      like cells in normal pancreatic cells. We performed quantitative reverse
      transcription-polymerase chain reaction to detect the level of MRTF-A/B in 19
      pancreatic cancer cell lines. We found that their expression was associated with
      gemcitabine resistance. Like in normal pancreatic cells, MRTF-A/B also promoted
      EMT and promoted formation of stem cell-like cells in pancreatic cancer and they
      could regulate microRNA expression associated with EMT and CICs. Finally, to
      further demonstrate the roles of MRTF-A/B in vivo, we performed nude mouse model
      of s.c. xenograft and found that overexpression of MRTF-A and MRTF-B promoted
      pancreatic cancer growth. Elucidating the roles of MRTF-A/B will help us to
      further understand molecular basis of the disease and offer new gene targets for
      effective therapies.

PMID- 26498849
TI  - Surface air plasma-induced cell death and cytokine release of human keratinocytes
      in the context of psoriasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has shown promise for wound healing,
      although little is understood of the underpinning mechanisms. Little has been
      reported so far of its potential use in the treatment of immune-mediated diseases
      such as psoriasis. OBJECTIVES: To study CAP-induced cell death and cytokine
      release in human keratinocytes as a first assessment of possible CAP use for
      psoriasis. METHODS: Using a CAP generator free of energetic ions, we observed its
      effects on keratinocytes in terms of morphology, cell viability and apoptosis,
      intracellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), lysosomal
      integrity and mitochondrial membrane potential; and on secretion and expression
      of eight cytokines at protein and gene levels. RESULTS: CAP-induced reduced cell
      viability, apoptotic death and production of intracellular and mitochondrial ROS
      in dose-dependent manner. Mitochondrial dysfunction and lysosomal leakage were
      found in CAP-treated cells. It also induced release of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8,
      tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF),
      and enhanced the mRNA expression of IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-alpha,
      interferon-gamma and VEGF. By contrast, IL-12 declined monotonically.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that with appropriate control of its dose,
      physical plasma could induce cell death via apoptotic pathways and enable
      simultaneous reduction in IL-12. These effects may be used to suppress
      keratinocyte hyperproliferation and to target T-cell activation to control
      amplification of inflammation. This provides an initial basis for further studies
      of CAP as a potential therapeutic option for inflammatory and immune-related
      diseases in dermatology, including psoriasis.

PMID- 26498850
TI  - Modified Cut-Off Value of the Urine Protein-To-Creatinine Ratio Is Helpful for
      Identifying Patients at High Risk for Chronic Kidney Disease: Validation of the
      Revised Japanese Guideline.
AB  - Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global public health issue, and strategies for
      its early detection and intervention are imperative. The latest Japanese CKD
      guideline recommends that patients without diabetes should be classified using
      the urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (PCR) instead of the urine albumin-to
      creatinine ratio (ACR); however, no validation studies are available. This study
      aimed to validate the PCR-based CKD risk classification compared with the ACR
      based classification and to explore more accurate classification methods. We
      analyzed two previously reported datasets that included diabetic and/or
      cardiovascular patients who were classified into early CKD stages. In total, 860
      patients (131 diabetic patients and 729 cardiovascular patients, including 193
      diabetic patients) were enrolled. We assessed the CKD risk classification of each
      patient according to the estimated glomerular filtration rate and the ACR-based
      or PCR-based classification. The use of the cut-off value recommended in the
      current guideline (PCR 0.15 g/g creatinine) resulted in risk misclassification
      rates of 26.0% and 16.6% for the two datasets. The misclassification was
      primarily caused by underestimation. Moderate to substantial agreement between
      each classification was achieved: Cohen's kappa, 0.56 (95% confidence interval,
      0.45-0.69) and 0.72 (0.67-0.76) in each dataset, respectively. To improve the
      accuracy, we tested various candidate PCR cut-off values, showing that a PCR cut
      off value of 0.08-0.10 g/g creatinine resulted in improvement in the
      misclassification rates and kappa values. Modification of the PCR cut-off value
      would improve its efficacy to identify high-risk populations who will benefit
      from early intervention. 

PMID- 26498851
TI  - Clinical significance of Anoctamin-1 gene at 11q13 in the development and
      progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.
AB  - This study investigates the clinical significance of Anoctamin-1 gene mapping at
      11q13 amplicon in both the development and progression of head and neck squamous
      cell carcinomas (HNSCC). ANO1 protein expression was evaluated by
      immunohistochemistry in a cohort of 372 surgically treated HNSCC patients and
      also in 35 laryngeal precancerous lesions. ANO1 gene amplification was determined
      by real-time PCR in all the laryngeal premalignancies and 60 of the HNSCCs, and
      molecular data correlated with clinical outcome. ANO1 gene amplification was
      frequently detected in both premalignant lesions (63%) and HNSCC tumours (58%),
      whereas concomitant ANO1 expression occurred at a much lower frequency (20 and
      22%). Interestingly, laryngeal dysplasias harbouring ANO1 gene amplification
      showed a higher risk of malignant transformation (HR = 3.62; 95% CI 0.79-16.57; P
      = 0.097; Cox regression). ANO1 expression and gene amplification showed no
      significant associations with clinicopathological parameters in HNSCC. However,
      remarkably ANO1 expression differentially influenced patient survival depending
      on the tumour site. Collectively, this study provides original evidence
      demonstrating the distinctive impact of ANO1 expression on HNSCC prognosis
      depending on the tumour site. 

PMID- 26498852
TI  - Opportunities to improve antimicrobial use in paediatric intensive care units: a
      nationwide survey in Spain.
AB  - Improving antimicrobial use is a complex process that requires an accurate
      assessment of ongoing problems and barriers. Paediatric intensive care units
      (PICU) have seldom been assessed from this perspective. Two Internet-based, self
      administered surveys were conducted nationwide in Spain between January and
      February 2014. The first survey aimed to assess those characteristics of Spanish
      PICUs that could influence antimicrobial prescribing or antimicrobial
      stewardship. The second survey targeted Spanish PICU physicians and pursued to
      assess their attitudes and perceptions regarding antimicrobial resistance and
      antimicrobial use. Information about 29/39 contacted PICUs was obtained. A total
      of 114/206 (55.3%) paediatric intensivists responded. PICUs were heterogeneous
      regarding years since foundation, number of beds, type of patients admitted and
      staffing. Only 11 (37.9%) PICUs had available e-prescribing systems.
      Procalcitonin was available in 24 (89.1%) PICUs, but there were no procalcitonin
      based protocols in 14 (60.9%) of them. Half of surveyed PICUs had implemented
      antimicrobial stewardship activities. Ninety-eight of the 114 PICU physicians
      (86%) who participated considered that antimicrobial resistance was a
      significantly relevant problem for their daily and that improving antimicrobial
      use in their PICU should be a priority (103; 90.4%). The main perceived problems
      regarding antimicrobial use were the excessive use of antimicrobials in patients
      with nonconfirmed infections and excessive use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials.
      The most valued antimicrobial stewardship interventions were the implementation
      of protocols to guide antimicrobial therapy. Spanish PICU doctors are aware of
      the relevance of the problem of antimicrobial resistance and the need to improve
      antimicrobial use. Targeted interventions should take into account their
      difficulties and preferences when feasible.

PMID- 26498853
TI  - Identification of candidate target genes for human peripheral arterial disease
      using weighted gene co-expression network analysis.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to identify the potential treatment targets of
      peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and provide further insights into the
      underlying mechanism of PAD, based on a weighted gene co-expression network
      analysis (WGCNA) method. The mRNA expression profiles (accession. no. GSE27034),
      which included 19 samples from patients with PAD and 18 samples from normal
      control individuals were extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus database.
      Subsequently, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained using the
      Limma package and the co-expression network modules were screened using the WGCNA
      approach. In addition, the protein-protein interaction network for the DEGs in
      the most significant module was constructed using Cytoscape software. Functional
      enrichment analyses of the DEGs in the most significant module were also
      performed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated
      Discovery and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Orthology-Based
      Annotation System, respectively. A total of 148 DEGs were identified in PAD,
      which were used to construct the WGCN, in which two modules (gray module and
      turquoise module) were identified, with the gray module exhibiting a higher gene
      significance (GS) value than the turquoise module. In addition, a co-expression
      network was constructed for 60 DEGs in the gray module. The functional enrichment
      results showed that the DEGs in the gray module were enriched in five Gene
      Ontology terms and four KEGG pathways. For example, cyclin-dependent kinase
      inhibitor 1A (CDKN1A), FBJ murine osteosarcoma viral oncogene homolog (FOS) and
      prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) were enriched in response to
      glucocorticoid stimulus. The results of the present study suggested that DEGs in
      the gray module, including CDKN1A, FOS and PTGS2, may be associated with the
      pathogenesis of PAD, by modulating the cell cycle, and may offer potential for
      use as candidate treatment targets for PAD. 

PMID- 26498855
TI  - Protein Phosphorylation: A Major Switch Mechanism for Metabolic Regulation.
AB  - Metabolism research is undergoing a renaissance because many diseases are
      increasingly recognized as being characterized by perturbations in intracellular
      metabolic regulation. Metabolic changes can be conferred through changes to the
      expression of metabolic enzymes, the concentrations of substrates or products
      that govern reaction kinetics, or post-translational modification (PTM) of the
      proteins that facilitate these reactions. On the 60th anniversary since its
      discovery, reversible protein phosphorylation is widely appreciated as an
      essential PTM regulating metabolism. With the ability to quantitatively measure
      dynamic changes in protein phosphorylation on a global scale - hereafter referred
      to as phosphoproteomics - we are now entering a new era in metabolism research,
      with mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics at the helm. 

PMID- 26498854
TI  - Self-efficacy and progression of periodontal disease: a prospective cohort study.
AB  - AIM: The purpose of this longitudinal study was to investigate whether self
      efficacy scale for self-care (SESS) was related to changes in oral health
      behaviours and progression of periodontal disease in Japanese university
      students. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Students (n = 533) who were interested in
      receiving oral health examinations before entering the university and before
      graduation were included in the analysis. Self-efficacy was assessed using SESS,
      which uses three subscales: self-efficacy for brushing of the teeth (SE-BR), for
      dentist consultations (SE-DC) and for dietary habits. The informations about oral
      health behaviours were also collected. For all participants, oral hygiene
      instructions was performed at baseline. After 3 years, the oral health behaviours
      and the periodontal condition were re-assessed. RESULTS: The progression of
      periodontal disease was related to low baseline SE-BR. Logistic regression
      analysis showed that progression of periodontal disease risk during a 3-year
      period was associated with low baseline SE-BR (OR: 1.516; 95% CI: 1.010-2.275; p
      < 0.05). The increase in the score of SE-DC was related to the increase in
      regular dental checkups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Low SESS was associated with
      progression of periodontal disease and improvement of oral health behaviours in
      university students who received oral hygiene instructions at baseline.

PMID- 26498856
TI  - The PHD2 oxygen sensor paves the way to metastasis.

PMID- 26498858
TI  - Beyond gamma-secretase activity: The multifunctional nature of presenilins in
      cell signalling pathways.
AB  - The presenilins are the catalytic subunit of the membrane-embedded tetrameric
      gamma-secretase protease complexes. More that 90 transmembrane proteins have been
      reported to be gamma-secretase substrates, including the widely studied amyloid
      precursor protein (APP) and the Notch receptor, which are precursors for the
      generation of amyloid-beta peptides and biologically active APP intracellular
      domain (AICD) and Notch intracellular domain (NICD). The diversity of gamma
      secretase substrates highlights the importance of presenilin-dependent gamma
      secretase protease activities as a regulatory mechanism in a range of biological
      systems. However, there is also a growing body of evidence that supports the
      existence of gamma-secretase-independent functions for the presenilins in the
      regulation and progression of an array of cell signalling pathways. In this
      review, we will present an overview of current literature that proposes
      evolutionarily conserved presenilin functions outside of the gamma-secretase
      complex, with a focus on the suggested role of the presenilins in the regulation
      of Wnt/beta-catenin signalling, protein trafficking and degradation, calcium
      homeostasis and apoptosis. 

PMID- 26498857
TI  - Protein-protein interactions of PDE4 family members - Functions, interactions and
      therapeutic value.
AB  - The second messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is ubiquitous and
      directs a plethora of functions in all cells. Although theoretically freely
      diffusible through the cell from the site of its synthesis it is not evenly
      distributed. It rather is shaped into gradients and these gradients are
      established by phospodiesterases (PDEs), the only enzymes that hydrolyse cAMP and
      thereby terminate cAMP signalling upstream of cAMP's effector systems. Miles D.
      Houslay has devoted most of his scientific life highly successfully to a
      particular family of PDEs, the PDE4 family. The family is encoded by four genes
      and gives rise to around 20 enzymes, all with different functions. M. Houslay has
      discovered many of these functions and realised early on that PDE4 family enzymes
      are attractive drug targets in a variety of human diseases, but not their
      catalytic activity as that is encoded in conserved domains in all family members.
      He postulated that targeting the intracellular location would provide the
      specificity that modern innovative drugs require to improve disease conditions
      with fewer side effects than conventional drugs. Due to the wealth of M.
      Houslay's work, this article can only summarize some of his discoveries and,
      therefore, focuses on protein-protein interactions of PDE4. The aim is to discuss
      functions of selected protein-protein interactions and peptide spot technology,
      which M. Houslay introduced into the PDE4 field for identifying interacting
      domains. The therapeutic potential of PDE4 interactions will also be discussed.

PMID- 26498859
TI  - Diploic vessels and computed tomography: Segmentation and comparison in modern
      humans and fossil hominids.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The diploic channels appear to be more developed in humans than in
      nonhuman primates, suggesting they may be relevant in evolutionary biology. This
      study is aimed at providing a segmentation procedure for diploic channels and CT
      analysis, a quantitative description of their variation in modern humans, and
      paleoanthropological case-studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CT data were used for
      the 2D and 3D visualization, rendering, and measure, of diploic channels in
      modern and fossil hominids. We analyzed 20 modern human skulls and three
      Neanderthals. The effect of different resolution factors was evaluated. A
      specific protocol was designed to segment the vascular network and localize the
      main branches, reducing the noise of the cancellous bone. RESULTS: We provide a
      quantitative description of the frontal, parietal, and occipital diploic networks
      in modern humans and in three Neanderthals. There is a correlation in the degree
      of vascularization among the different vault areas. No side differences can be
      detected. The diploic network is commonly connected with the meningeal artery at
      the temporal fossa, with the emissary veins at the occipital bone, and with the
      venous sinuses at the parieto-occipital areas. The channels are more developed in
      the parietal areas. The three Neanderthals show a vascular development, which is
      in the lower range of the modern human variation. CONCLUSIONS: Modern humans
      display a large variation in their morphological patterns, being the parietal
      area the most vascularized. The pattern of the diploic channels may be relevant
      in anthropology, medicine, and paleontology, taking into account their possible
      involvement in thermoregulation.

PMID- 26498861
TI  - High-throughput genotyping of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutants using fluorescent PCR
      capillary gel electrophoresis.
AB  - Recent advances in the engineering of sequence-specific synthetic nucleases
      provide enormous opportunities for genetic manipulation of gene expression in
      order to study their cellular function in vivo. However, current genotyping
      methods to detect these programmable nuclease-induced insertion/deletion (indel)
      mutations in targeted human cells are not compatible for high-throughput
      screening of knockout clones due to inherent limitations and high cost. Here, we
      describe an efficient method of genotyping clonal CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutants in
      a high-throughput manner involving the use of a direct lysis buffer to extract
      crude genomic DNA straight from cells in culture, and fluorescent PCR coupled
      with capillary gel electrophoresis. This technique also allows for genotyping of
      multiplexed gene targeting in a single clone. Overall, this time- and cost-saving
      technique is able to circumvent the limitations of current genotyping methods and
      support high-throughput screening of nuclease-induced mutants. 

PMID- 26498860
TI  - Autophagy and endosomal trafficking inhibition by Vibrio cholerae MARTX toxin
      phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate-specific phospholipase A1 activity.
AB  - Vibrio cholerae, responsible for acute gastroenteritis secretes a large
      multifunctional-autoprocessing repeat-in-toxin (MARTX) toxin linked to evasion of
      host immune system, facilitating colonization of small intestine. Unlike other
      effector domains of the multifunctional toxin that target cytoskeleton, the
      function of alpha-beta hydrolase (ABH) remained elusive. This study demonstrates
      that ABH is an esterase/lipase with catalytic Ser-His-Asp triad. ABH binds with
      high affinity to phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PtdIns3P) and cleaves the
      fatty acid in PtdIns3P at the sn1 position in vitro making it the first PtdIns3P
      specific phospholipase A1 (PLA1). Expression of ABH in vivo reduces intracellular
      PtdIns3P levels and its PtdIns3P-specific PLA1 activity blocks endosomal and
      autophagic pathways. In accordance with recent studies acknowledging the
      potential of extracellular pathogens to evade or exploit autophagy to prevent
      their clearance and facilitate survival, this is the first report highlighting
      the role of ABH in inhibiting autophagy and endosomal trafficking induced by
      extracellular V. cholerae. 

PMID- 26498862
TI  - Autoregulation and neurovascular coupling in the optic nerve head.
AB  - Impairments of autoregulation and neurovascular coupling in the optic nerve head
      play a critical role in ocular pathologies, especially glaucomatous optic
      neuropathy. We critically review the literature in the field, integrating results
      obtained in clinical, experimental, and theoretical studies. We address the
      mechanisms of autoregulation and neurovascular coupling in the optic nerve head,
      the current methods used to assess autoregulation--including measurements of
      optic nerve head blood flow (or volume and velocity)--blood flow data collected
      in the optic nerve head as pressure or metabolic demand is varied in healthy and
      pathologic conditions, and the current status and potential of mathematical
      modeling work to further the understanding of the relationship between ocular
      blood flow mechanisms and diseases such as glaucoma.

PMID- 26498863
TI  - Sulforaphane inhibits hypoxia-induced HIF-1alpha and VEGF expression and
      migration of human colon cancer cells.
AB  - The effects of sulforaphane (a natural product commonly found in broccoli) was
      investigated on hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) expression in HCT116
      human colon cancer cells and AGS human gastric cancer cells. We found that
      hypoxia-induced HIF-1alpha protein expression in HCT116 and AGS cells, while
      treatment with sulforaphane markedly and concentration-dependently inhibited HIF
      1alpha expression in both cell lines. Treatment with sulforaphane inhibited
      hypoxia-induced vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in HCT116
      cells. Treatment with sulforaphane modulated the effect of hypoxia on HIF-1alpha
      stability. However, degradation of HIF-1alpha by sulforaphane was not mediated
      through the 26S proteasome pathway. We also found that the inhibition of HIF
      1alpha by sulforaphane was not mediated through AKT and extracellular signal
      regulated kinase phosphorylation under hypoxic conditions. Finally, hypoxia
      induced HCT116 cell migration was inhibited by sulforaphane. These data suggest
      that sulforaphane may inhibit human colon cancer progression and cancer cell
      angiogenesis by inhibiting HIF-1alpha and VEGF expression. Taken together, these
      results indicate that sulforaphane is a new and potent chemopreventive drug
      candidate for treating patients with human colon cancer.

PMID- 26498864
TI  - Surgical Revascularization of the Left Anterior Descending Artery with Multiple
      Failed Overlapping Stents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple stents make standard coronary artery bypass techniques
      difficult. We describe our surgical approach, in patients undergoing coronary
      artery bypass grafting (CABG), in left anterior descending arteries (LAD) with
      multiple failed overlapping stents. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data
      of six patients undergoing CABG with multiple failed overlapping stents in the
      LAD. All patients were operated on electively. After removal of the stents with
      an open endarterectomy, the long segmental arteriotomy of the LAD was
      reconstructed with a saphenous vein patch. Afterwards the left internal mammary
      artery was anastomosed to the vein patch. RESULTS: The mean age was 61.5 +/- 7.9
      years. Five patients (83.3%) were in Canadian Cardiovascular Society Class III or
      IV. Four patients (66.6%) had suffered a remote myocardial infarction (>1 month).
      The average hospital stay was 6.5 +/- 1.1 days. Postoperative electrocardiograms
      showed no specific changes and no myocardial enzyme elevations were noted. Early
      postoperative angiography showed that all grafts including the endarterectomized
      LAD were patent. There was no mortality within the 30 days. Patients' mean follow
      up time was 35.6 +/- 36.7 months. CONCLUSIONS: CABG with open stent
      endarterectomy is a valuable alternative option for patients with "full-metal
      jacket" diseased LAD that are not graftable using standard surgical techniques.

PMID- 26498865
TI  - Age-related decline in global form suppression.
AB  - Visual selection of illusory 'Kanizsa' figures, an assembly of local elements
      that induce the percept of a whole object, is facilitated relative to
      configurations composed of the same local elements that do not induce a global
      form--an instance of 'global precedence' in visual processing. Selective
      attention, i.e., the ability to focus on relevant and ignore irrelevant
      information, declines with increasing age; however, how this deficit affects
      selection of global vs. local configurations remains unknown. On this background,
      the present study examined for age-related differences in a global-local task
      requiring selection of either a 'global' Kanizsa- or a 'local' non-Kanizsa
      configuration (in the presence of the respectively other configuration) by
      analyzing event-related lateralizations (ERLs). Behaviorally, older participants
      showed a more pronounced global-precedence effect. Electrophysiologically, this
      effect was accompanied by an early (150-225 ms) 'positivity posterior
      contralateral' (PPC), which was elicited for older, but not younger,
      participants, when the target was a non-Kanizsa configuration and the Kanizsa
      figure a distractor (rather than vice versa). In addition, timing differences in
      the subsequent (250-500 ms) posterior contralateral negativity (PCN) indicated
      that attentional resources were allocated faster to Kanizsa, as compared to non
      Kanizsa, targets in both age groups, while the allocation of spatial attention
      seemed to be generally delayed in older relative to younger age. Our results
      suggest that the enhanced global-local asymmetry in the older age group
      originated from less effective suppression of global distracter forms on early
      processing stages--indicative of older observers having difficulties with
      disengaging from a global default selection mode and switching to the required
      local state of attentional resolution.

PMID- 26498866
TI  - Poly-adenine-based programmable engineering of gold nanoparticles for highly
      regulated spherical DNAzymes.
AB  - Enzyme complexes are assembled at the two-dimensional lipid membrane or
      prearranged on three-dimensional scaffolding proteins to regulate their catalytic
      activity in cells. Inspired by nature, we have developed gold nanoparticle-based
      spherical DNAzymes (SNAzymes) with programmably engineered activities by
      exploiting poly-adenine (polyA)-Au interactions. In a SNAzyme, AuNPs serve as the
      metal core, which is decorated with a functional shell of DNAzymes. Conventional
      thiolated DNAzyme-based assembly leads to disordered structures with suppressed
      activity. In contrast, by using an anchoring block of polyA tails, we find that
      the activity of SNAzymes can be programmably regulated. By using a polyA30 tail,
      SNAzymes demonstrated remarkably enhanced binding affinity compared to the
      thiolated DNAzyme-based assembly (~75-fold) or individual DNAzymes in the
      solution phase (~10-fold). More significantly, this increased affinity is
      directly translated to the sensitivity improvement in the SNAzyme-based lead
      sensor. Hence, this design of SNAzymes may provide new opportunities for
      developing biosensors and bioimaging probes for theranostic applications. 

PMID- 26498867
TI  - Mechanism Switching of Ammonia Synthesis Over Ru-Loaded Electride Catalyst at
      Metal-Insulator Transition.
AB  - The substitution of electrons for O(2-) anions in the crystallographic cages of
      [Ca24Al28O64](4+)(O(2-))2 was investigated to clarify the correlation between the
      electronic properties and catalytic activity for ammonia synthesis in Ru-loaded
      [Ca24Al28O64](4+)(O(2-))2-x(e(-))2x (0 <= x <= 2). This catalyst has low
      catalytic performance with an electron concentration (Ne) lower than 1 * 10(21)
      cm(-3) and a high apparent activation energy (Ea) for ammonia synthesis
      comparable to that for conventional Ru-based catalysts with a basic promoter such
      as alkali or alkaline earth compounds. Replacement of more than half of the cage
      O(2-) anions with electrons (Ne ~ 1 * 10(21) cm(-3)) significantly changes the
      reaction mechanism to yield a catalytic activity that is an order higher and with
      half the Ea. The metal-insulator transition of [Ca24Al28O64](4+)(O(2-))2-x(e(
      ))2x also occurs at Ne ~ 1 * 10(21) cm(-3) and is triggered by structural
      relaxation of the crystallographic cage induced by the replacement of O(2-)
      anions with electrons. These observations indicate that the metal-insulator
      transition point is a boundary in the catalysis between Ru-loaded
      [Ca24Al28O64](4+)(O(2-))2 and [Ca24Al28O64](4+)(e(-))4. It is thus demonstrated
      that whole electronic properties of the support material dominate catalysis for
      ammonia synthesis. 

PMID- 26498868
TI  - Validation of the Seattle Heart Failure Model in Japanese heart failure patients.

PMID- 26498869
TI  - Diagnostic value of the six-minute walk test (6MWT) in grown-up congenital heart
      disease (GUCH): Comparison with clinical status and functional exercise capacity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exercise testing for the assessment of functional capacity plays an
      important role in long-term follow-up of GUCH patients. CPX is the favored
      modality for decision-making recommended in the current guidelines. In contrast
      to this complex method, the 6 MWT is a simple, easy-to-perform, safe, and
      commonly available exercise test. Although well-established in various
      cardiopulmonary diseases, the diagnostic impact of the 6 MWT in GUCH patients is
      not known so far. METHODS: 102 GUCH patients were evaluated by 6 MWT and CPX
      simultaneously. Clinical symptoms were assessed, according to the NYHA
      classification. Additionally, an echocardiography study, and selected cardiac
      blood tests (N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), high-sensitive
      Troponin T) were performed. RESULTS: Ranges of six-minute walk distance (6 MWD)
      and peak oxygen consumption (peakVO2) were 116-765 m and 6.4-36.2 ml/kg/min,
      respectively. 6 MWD and peakVO2 showed a close correlation (r=0.72, 95% CI, 0.63
      to 0.79). Patients with a peakVO2 of <= 15.5 ml/kg/min were excellently
      identified by 6 MWT (c-value=0.82). A cut-off value of 482 m was optimal to
      predict reduced peakVO2. In multivariate regression analysis, 6 MWD and NYHA
      class were identified as relevant predictors of peakVO2. In subgroup analysis,
      Eisenmenger patients achieved the shortest 6 MWD (280, SD 178 m). CONCLUSION: In
      our study population of GUCH patients, the 6 MWD shows a close correlation to
      peakVO2, and an excellent prediction of reduced peakVO2. Thus, it seems to be an
      easy-to-perform and reliable screening parameter to evaluate functional capacity
      of these patients (Controlled Clinical Trials number, NCT02193243).

PMID- 26498870
TI  - Office blood pressure is a predictor of aortic elastic properties and urinary
      protein excretion in subjects with white coat hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: White coat hypertension (WCH) is related to target organ damage and
      increased cardiovascular risk. Arterial elastic properties and urinary protein
      excretion are determinants of cardiovascular performance and predictors of
      outcomes. We investigated whether office blood pressure (BP) is a better
      determinant of arterial and renal function than the ambulatory BP in WCH
      patients. METHODS: We studied 440 consecutive untreated non-diabetic patients
      with WCH (office BP >140/90 mmHg, mean daytime ambulatory BP <135/85 mmHg).
      Arterial function was evaluated with carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV),
      an index of aortic stiffness, and aortic augmentation index (AIx), a composite
      marker of aortic stiffness and wave reflections. In 24-hour urine, albumin
      excretion and albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) were measured as markers of
      glomerular function and urinary alpha1-microglobulin was measured as a marker of
      renal tubular function. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, office systolic BP
      correlated significantly with cfPWV (r=0.245, P<0.001), AIx (r=0.31, P<0.001),
      albumin (r=0.134, P=0.005), ACR (r=0.199, P<0.001) and alpha1-microglobulin
      (r=0.118, P=0.013). In contrast, mean ambulatory systolic BP did not correlate
      with arterial function or urinary proteins (all P>0.5). Hierarchical multilevel
      linear regression analysis showed that office systolic BP is an independent
      determinant of cfPWV (P=0.050), AIx (P=0.029), albumin (P=0.002) and ACR
      (P=0.001) and has a borderline association with alpha1-microglobulin (P=0.088).
      CONCLUSIONS: In non-diabetic WCH individuals, office systolic BP is an
      independent predictor of aortic elastic properties and urinary protein excretion,
      whereas ambulatory BP is not. This finding suggests that office BP may be a
      marker of cardiovascular risk in subjects with WCH.

PMID- 26498871
TI  - Right heart size in orthotopic heart transplant population: Influence of donor
      and recipient gender, race, and body surface area.

PMID- 26498872
TI  - CTG-repeat expansions in the DMPK gene do not cause takotsubo syndrome.

PMID- 26498873
TI  - MicroRNA-101 inhibits proliferation of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells
      in a rat model of hepatopulmonary syndrome by targeting the JAK2/STAT3 signaling
      pathway.
AB  - Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is one of the reasons for the mortality of
      patients with perioperative liver disease. Intrapulmonary vascular dilatation is
      the most important mechanism underlying HPS, and it primarily occurs due to cell
      proliferation. Inhibiting the proliferation of pulmonary microvascular
      endothelial cells (PMVECs) may provide a novel strategy to prevent HPS. MicroRNAs
      (miRNAs) regulate gene expression and are crucial in cell proliferation. To
      investigate the mechanism underlying the proliferation of PMVECs in HPS, PMVECs
      were isolated from rat models of HPS. It was demonstrated that interleukin (IL)-6
      could stimulate the janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/ signal transducer and activator of
      transcription (STAT3) signaling pathway, which promotes the cell proliferation of
      PMVECs. JAK2 is a novel target gene of miR-101 and it was shown that miR-101
      could inhibit cell proliferation by targeting the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signal pathway.
      In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that miR-101 could inhibit the
      proliferation of PMVECs by targeting the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. This
      clarifies the role of miR-101 in HPS and provides the theoretical basis of the
      pathogenesis of HPS. 

PMID- 26498874
TI  - Jumonji domain containing 2A predicts prognosis and regulates cell growth in lung
      cancer depending on miR-150.
AB  - Lung cancer has become the most common cancer worldwide, of which non-small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for over 80%. Previous studies have shown that the
      Jumonji domain containing 2A (JMJD2A) was aberrantly expressed in various tumors
      and involved in the regulation of tumor progression, but the role of JMJD2A on
      the tumorigenesis in NSCLC and the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. In
      the present study, we first identified the expression of JMJD2A in NSCLC tissues
      and cell lines through quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blotting. Next,
      the effects of JMJD2A on the progression of NSCLC were analyzed. MTT assay was
      performed to measure the cell numbers and fluorescence-activated cell sorting
      (FACS) was adopted to evaluate cell apoptosis. Finally, the relationship between
      JMJD2A and miR-150 involved in NSCLC was studied. Our results suggested that
      JMJD2A was significantly overexpressed in NSCLC samples and cell lines. Kaplan
      Meier analysis showed that high level of JMJD2A predicted a poor prognosis.
      Knockdown of JMJD2A inhibited tumor growth and promoted cell apoptosis in NSCLC
      cells. Additionally, miR-150 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and positively
      related with JMJD2A expression. Significant downregulation of miR-150 was
      observed with JMJD2A knockdown. Furthermore, JMJD2A knockdown inhibited NSCLC
      cell proliferation while the silencing of miR-150 attenuated the inhibition
      effect on cell proliferation, suggesting that the effect of JMJD2A on NSCLC cell
      growth was dependent on miR-150. Thus, our findings identified that JMJD2A played
      an oncogenic role in NSCLC via regulating miR-150. JMJD2A could possibly serve as
      a prognostic factor and potential target for NSCLC therapy.

PMID- 26498875
TI  - Facile synthesis of carbon dots in an immiscible system with excitation
      independent emission and thermally activated delayed fluorescence.
AB  - Herein, we present a one-pot microwave-assisted preparative method for water
      soluble carbon dots (CDs) in an immiscible system. CDs demonstrated uniform
      morphology, high quantum yield and excitation-independent fluorescence emission.
      Moreover, we first reported the observation of thermally activated delayed
      fluorescence from CDs. 

PMID- 26498876
TI  - Photodynamic inactivation of Candida albicans by a tetracationic tentacle
      porphyrin and its analogue without intrinsic charges in presence of fluconazole.
AB  - The photodynamic inactivation mediated by 5,10,15,20-tetrakis[4-(3-N,N
      dimethylaminopropoxy)phenyl]porphyrin (TAPP) and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis[4-(3-N,N,N
      trimethylaminepropoxy)phenyl]porphyrin (TAPP(4+)) were compared in Candida
      albicans cells. A strong binding affinity was found between these porphyrins and
      the yeast cells. Photosensitized inactivation of C. albicans increased with both
      photosensitizer concentration and irradiation time. After 30 min irradiation, a
      high photoinactivation (~5 log) was found for C. albicans treated with 5 MUM
      porphyrin. Also, the photoinactivation of yeast cells was still elevated after
      two washing steps. However, the photocytotoxicity decreases with an increase in
      the cell density from 10(6) to 10(8) cells/mL. The high photodynamic activity of
      these porphyrins was also established by growth delay experiments. This C.
      albicans strain was susceptible to fluconazole with a MIC of 1.0 MUg/mL. The
      effect of photosensitization and the action of fluconazole were combined to
      eradicate C. albicans. After a PDI treatment with 1 MUM porphyrin and 30 min
      irradiation, the value of MIC decreased to 0.25 MUg/mL. In addition, a complete
      arrest in cell growth was found by combining both effects. TAPP was similarly
      effective to photoinactivate C. albicans than TAPP(4+). This porphyrin without
      intrinsic positive charges contains basic amino groups, which can be protonated
      at physiological pH. Moreover, an enhancement in the antifungal action was found
      using both therapies because lower doses of the agents were required to achieve
      cell death.

PMID- 26498877
TI  - Adaptive myelination from fish to man.
AB  - Myelinated axons with nodes of Ranvier are an evolutionary elaboration common to
      essentially all jawed vertebrates. Myelin made by Schwann cells in our peripheral
      nervous system and oligodendrocytes in our central nervous system has been long
      known to facilitate rapid energy efficient nerve impulse propagation. However, it
      is now also clear, particularly in the central nervous system, that myelin is not
      a simple static insulator but that it is dynamically regulated throughout
      development and life. New myelin sheaths can be made by newly differentiating
      oligodendrocytes, and mature myelin sheaths can be stimulated to grow again in
      the adult. Furthermore, numerous studies in models from fish to man indicate that
      neuronal activity can affect distinct stages of oligodendrocyte development and
      the process of myelination itself. This begs questions as to how these effects of
      activity are mediated at a cellular and molecular level and whether activity
      driven adaptive myelination is a feature common to all myelinated axons, or
      indeed all oligodendrocytes, or is specific to cells or circuits with particular
      functions. Here we review the recent literature on this topic, elaborate on the
      key outstanding questions in the field, and look forward to future studies that
      incorporate investigations in systems from fish to man that will provide further
      insight into this fundamental aspect of nervous system plasticity. This article
      is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Myelin Evolution.

PMID- 26498878
TI  - Glial restricted precursors maintain their permissive properties after long-term
      expansion but not following exposure to pro-inflammatory factors.
AB  - Glial restricted precursors (GRP) are a promising cellular source for
      transplantation therapy of spinal cord injury (SCI), capable of creating a
      permissive environment for axonal growth and regeneration. However, there are
      several issues regarding the nature of their permissive properties that remain
      unexplored. For example, cellular transplantation strategies for spinal cord
      repair require the preparation of a large number of cells, but it is unknown
      whether the permissive properties of GRP are maintained following the process of
      in vitro expansion. We used rat GRP isolated from the embryonic day 13.5 spinal
      cord to compare the properties of early (10-20 days) and late (120-140 days)
      passage GRP. We found that late passage GRP showed comparable effects on neurite
      outgrowth of adult rat DRG to early passage GRP in both in vitro co-culture and
      conditioned medium experiments. In addition, to further examine the effects of
      the inflammatory cascade activated in the aftermath of SCI on the
      microenvironment, we studied the direct effects of strong inflammatory mediators,
      Lipopolysaccharide and interferon gamma (LPS and IFN?, respectively), on the
      properties of GRP. We showed that exposure to these pro-inflammatory mediators
      altered GRP phenotype and attenuated their growth-promoting effects on neurite
      outgrowth in a dose dependent manner. Taken together, our data suggest that GRP
      maintain their growth-promoting properties following extensive in vitro passaging
      and underscore the importance of modulating the inflammatory environment at the
      injured spinal cord. 

PMID- 26498879
TI  - Nesfatin-1, a potent anorexic agent, decreases exploration and induces anxiety
      like behavior in rats without altering learning or memory.
AB  - The anorectic neuropeptide nesfatin-1 has recently been characterized as a
      potential mood regulator, but the accurate effect of nesfatin-1 on anxiety and
      learning and memory behavior and the possible mechanisms remains unknown. In the
      present study, to test the hypothesis that nesfatin-1 might affect the anxiety
      like and learning and memory behaviors in rats via ERK/CREB/BDNF pathway,
      nesfatin-1 was administered intraperitoneally to rats with the doses (10, 20,
      40MUg/kg), and the behavioral performance was tested using the open field task,
      the Morris water maze (MWM), and the Y maze. Moreover, the protein expression of
      brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), total and phosphorylated-ERK in the
      hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were evaluated. The results showed
      that chronic administration of nesfatin-1 could decrease the moving distance, the
      duration in the center, and the frequencies of rearing and grooming in the open
      field task, decrease the moving distance, frequency, and the preference index of
      new arm in the Y maze, although there was no significant difference of the
      performance in the MWM task among groups. Furthermore, 3 weeks' consecutive
      administration of nesfatin-1 resulted in the decrease of protein expression of
      BDNF and phosphorylated-ERK in the hippocampus and the PFC. These results
      provided evidence that exogenous nesfatin-1 could decrease exploration and induce
      anxiety-like behavior in rats, the mechanism of which might be related to the
      reduced protein expression of BDNF and phosphorylated-ERK in the hippocampus and
      the PFC. 

PMID- 26498881
TI  - Unicompartmental isoelastic resurfacing prosthesis for malignant tumor of the
      distal radius: A case report with a 3-year follow-up.
AB  - We report a case of 74-year-old man in whom a unicompartmental isoelastic
      resurfacing prosthesis was used to reconstruct the distal radius after en-bloc
      resection of a malignant tumor. Thirty-nine months after the operation, on a
      visual analogic scale, pain score was 0/10 and range of motion was 25 degrees  of
      flexion, 5 degrees  of extension, 70 degrees  of pronation, 45 degrees  of
      supination, 20 degrees  of radial deviation, and 30 degrees  of ulnar deviation.
      The Quick DASH functional score was 72.72/100. With radiographic finding, the
      prosthesis was well-aligned, with no evidence of loosening but with slightly
      implant conflict with the lunate. This case report indicates that
      unicompartmental isoelastic resurfacing prosthesis seems a simple and reliable
      technique for distal radius reconstruction after en-bloc resection of malignant
      tumor. 

PMID- 26498882
TI  - Radial nerve palsy in surgical revision of total elbow arthroplasties: A study of
      4 cases and anatomical study, possible aetiologies and prevention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Damage to the radial nerve in the arm during revision of total elbow
      arthroplasty is a serious complication; which is still not well documented. The
      aim of this study was to define a way on how to avoid this complication and to
      prevent it. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four patients underwent radial palsy after
      revision of total elbow arthroplasty. An anatomical study on 20 upper limbs was
      performed to define landmarks for the radial nerve in the arm and elbow. RESULTS:
      Radial nerve damage occurred near the proximal tip of the stem in all four
      patients, due to cement seepage caused by cortical effraction in two patients,
      and to damage caused by the retractors in the two other patients. The anatomical
      study made it possible to specify landmarks for the radial nerve in relation to
      the humerus. A high-risk area located 14cm away from the tip of the olecranon
      fossa, and 15.5cm from the medial epicondyle, was identified. CONCLUSION: A high
      risk area for the radial nerve was defined and suggested targeted landmarks with
      a posterior proximal counter-incision situated at about 14cm above the olecranon
      fossa. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 26498883
TI  - Chondrosarcoma of the femur in Mazabraud's syndrome: A first case study.
AB  - Malignant transformation of fibrous dysplasia (FD) in long bones is rare (less
      than 1% of cases) and occurs in the form of osteosarcomas. They can occur on FD
      associated with multiple myxomas, which corresponds to Mazabraud syndrome. To our
      knowledge, only six cases of FD malignant transformation into osteosarcoma in the
      context of Mazabraud syndrome have been described. Here, we describe the first
      case of malignant transformation of femur FD into chondrosarcoma in a 51-year-old
      female patient. The patient had significant changes in the size and number of
      myxomas around the femur before the malignant transformation into chondrosarcoma.
      She underwent complete femur replacement with a favourable result after 4 years'
      follow-up. Close surveillance is strongly recommended in this syndrome,
      particularly when the number and size of myxomas increase.

PMID- 26498884
TI  - Fate of the unrevised cemented stem following cup only revision: 227 hips at an
      average of 6 years follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: After primary total hip replacement, aseptic loosening of the
      acetabular cup is more common than loosening of the femoral stem. Removal of a
      well-fixed stem adds to operative time, blood loss, risk of bone loss and
      fracture. There is limited evidence that isolated cup revision can be a safe
      option in revision hip arthroplasty. We question the following regarding the
      unrevised cemented stem after isolated cup revision: 1) Does the unrevised stem
      require revision after isolated cup revision? 2) When is the stem subsequently
      revised? 3) Why is the stem subsequently revised? 4) Do unrevised stems exhibit
      radiographic loosening? HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesise that after isolated cup
      revision most unrevised stems do not need subsequent revision, and that most do
      not exhibit evidence of radiographic loosening. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A
      retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent revision of the acetabular
      component only during revision hip arthroplasty between March 1970 and July 2013
      was carried out. We assessed survival of the unrevised stem, reasons for
      subsequent revision, plus radiographic analysis for stem loosening. RESULTS: Two
      hundred and twenty-seven hips were included [215 patients with an average age at
      the time of primary surgery was 47 (13-70) years]. The Charnley stem was used in
      161 cases; C-stem 65, Howse 1. Average time between primary surgery and cup
      revision was 15.9 (1.6-33.4) years. Average follow-up for all stems post-isolated
      cup revision was 6.1 (0.1-30.7) years. Twenty-eight stems (12.3%) were
      subsequently revised 5.1 (0.1-12.6) years after the isolated cup revision.
      Reasons for subsequent revision were: aseptic loosening (10); infection (8);
      dislocation (6); unreconstructable joint post-loose cup removal (2); fracture
      (2). Radiographic review was possible on 140 cases. Five femoral stems were
      revised and 2 others showed evidence of possible radiological loosening but were
      not revised. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge this is the largest series showing that
      isolated cup revision in the place of a well-fixed cemented stem is safe and is
      associated with ongoing good long-term survival of the stem. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Level IV, retrospective case series.

PMID- 26498880
TI  - The scales and tales of myelination: using zebrafish and mouse to study
      myelinating glia.
AB  - Myelin, the lipid-rich sheath that insulates axons to facilitate rapid conduction
      of action potentials, is an evolutionary innovation of the jawed-vertebrate
      lineage. Research efforts aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms
      governing myelination have primarily focused on rodent models; however, with the
      advent of the zebrafish model system in the late twentieth century, the use of
      this genetically tractable, yet simpler vertebrate for studying myelination has
      steadily increased. In this review, we compare myelinating glial cell biology
      during development and regeneration in zebrafish and mouse and enumerate the
      advantages and disadvantages of using each model to study myelination. This
      article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Myelin Evolution.

PMID- 26498885
TI  - Response to the letter by D. Goutallier.

PMID- 26498886
TI  - Clinical experience with Angiojet: a comprehensive review.
AB  - The development of various sophisticated mechanical thrombectomy devices and the
      amassed experience of physicians in minimal invasive therapy produced a paradigm
      shift in vascular access management toward percutaneous declotting procedures,
      using pharmaceutical thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy, balloon thrombectomy,
      and a combination of the above techniques. In this setting, in the last years,
      AngioJetTM (Possis, Minneapolis, MN, USA) rheolytic thrombectomy (RT) showed an
      increasing use in emergency and election patients. The purpose of this review is
      to present the current status of percutaneous rheolytic thrombectomy in different
      fields of applications. 

PMID- 26498887
TI  - Surgical complications of carotid body tumors surgery: a review.
AB  - Carotid body tumor (CBT) is a rare neoplasm, although it represents about 65% of
      head and neck paragangliomas. Surgical excision is considered the appropriate
      therapy for CBTs. The aim of this study was to evaluate surgical outcomes on a
      large scale. We reviewed 19 studies between 2004 to 2014 with a total of 625
      procedures. We observed a higher number of cases in women (62%). Only 3 (0,48%)
      deaths were reported as surgical complication. Total cranial nerve injuries were
      302 (48,32%) of which 194 (31,04%) were transient and 108 (17,28%) were
      permanent. We found a total of 174 (27,84%) arterial injuries, most of which are
      external carotid artery (ECA) injuries. Cerebrovascular accident due to surgery
      were 15 (2,4%). We concluded that surgical resection remains the treatment of
      choice for these disease despite the related morbidity. 

PMID- 26498888
TI  - Vascular anomalies of the large bowel.
AB  - Vascular anomalies of the large bowel, commonly known as vascular malformations
      of the colon (VMC), constitute a rare but important condition, potentially
      causing significant morbidity and mortality. Our aim is to provide an up-to-date,
      practical summary evaluating this disease entity, focussing on pathogenesis, as
      well as diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. We reviewed available data in the
      literature, and discussed it in the form of a narrative, readily applicable
      review. Most VMC (over 70%) are detected in the caecum and ascending colon, and
      affect people aged over 50 years. VMC are almost always symptomatic, presenting
      with lower bleeding. Endoscopy is crucial to identify and locate VMC, and to
      treat the lesions. In patients who fail or do not fit endoscopic treatment,
      aggressive approaches (interventional angiology or surgery) are mandatory. Up to
      40% of patients may have relapse in the long term. VMC are rare but potentially
      life-threatening. Advances in endoscopic imaging and therapy have improved the
      results of treatment. Long-term follow-up after treatment is recommended. 

PMID- 26498889
TI  - Ethylene-vinyl alcohol polymer trans-arterial embolization in emergency
      peripheral active bleeding: initial experience.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this paper was to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and clinical
      outcomes of superselective embolization using ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer
      (Onyx Liquid Embolic System; ev3 Neurovascular, Irvine, CA, USA) as the primary
      treatment in active peripheral emergency arterial bleeding. METHODS: Between
      January 2014 and June 2014, all patients with active peripheral arterial bleeding
      who were treated by embolization were retrospectively analyzed. We selected 15
      (age 37-91 year old) patients embolized with Onyx, chosen as embolic agent in an
      intention-to-treat fashion. Multidetector computed tomography was performed in
      all patients. RESULTS: Active bleeding was detected in all cases. Digital
      subtraction angiography confirmed CT findings in all cases. The causes of
      bleeding were traumatic in 8 patients, angiodysplasia in 1 patient, duodenal
      ulcer in 1, chronic pancreatitis in 1 and unknown in 4 patients. Nine patients
      were under anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy. Embolization was possible in
      all patients. The technical success rate was 100%. The immediate bleeding control
      rate was 100%. No rebleeding at 30 days occurred (0%). There were no major
      complications, or deaths attributable to the treatment. No patient needed surgery
      or new embolization during a mean follow-up period of 5.1 months (range, 4.5-6
      months). CONCLUSION: Control of massive active peripheral emergency arterial
      bleeding using superselective embolization with Onyx is feasible and safe.

PMID- 26498890
TI  - Renovascular anatomic variants at CT angiography.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this paper was to assess the origin and course variations of
      vessels forming the renal vascular pedicle. METHODS: The IRB approved study
      retrospectively evaluated 921 consecutive patients (503 females, 418 males; mean
      age, 54 years), who underwent multidetector computed tomographic (MDCT) of the
      abdomen for various purposes at our Department of Radiology, between January 2012
      and December 2013. Multiplanar and volumetric reformations were performed in all
      cases. For each set of images, the locations of renal artery origins and renal
      venous drainage, such as all renal vessels variations, including division
      variations and presence of extrarenal vessels, were investigated. RESULTS: The
      tract of the aorta between the upper margin of L1 and the lower margin of L2
      originated 96% of main renal arteries and 72% of extra renal arteries. The most
      common location for renal artery origin was the L1- L2 intervertebral disc level.
      Sixty-nine percent of patients showed a single renal artery, with multiple
      arteries in 31%, bilateral multiple arteries in 11%, and early division in 6% of
      cases. Additional renal arteries were detected on the right side in 5% and on the
      left side in 12% of cases. With regard to the venous drainage, 89.8% of patients
      showed a single renal vein, with multiple vein in 10.2%, while 23.8% showed a
      retro-aortic course of the renal vein. CONCLUSION: Renal arteries and veins
      variations of origin and course are not infrequent. Extrarenal vessels may
      compromise renal surgery. The awareness of any possible renovascular anomaly is
      crucial in case of a non-invasive diagnostic search for renal artery stenosis,
      and when renal surgery related to renal arteries is performed, such as in case of
      interventional radiological procedures, urological and vascular operations, and
      renal transplantation.

PMID- 26498893
TI  - Endogenously elevated bilirubin modulates kidney function and protects from
      circulating oxidative stress in a rat model of adenine-induced kidney failure.
AB  - Mildly elevated bilirubin is associated with a reduction in the presence and
      progression of chronic kidney disease and related mortality, which may be
      attributed to bilirubin's antioxidant properties. This study investigated whether
      endogenously elevated bilirubin would protect against adenine-induced kidney
      damage in male hyperbilirubinaemic Gunn rats and littermate controls. Animals
      were orally administered adenine or methylcellulose solvent (vehicle) daily for
      10 days and were then monitored for 28 days. Serum and urine were assessed
      throughout the protocol for parameters of kidney function and
      antioxidant/oxidative stress status and kidneys were harvested for histological
      examination upon completion of the study. Adenine-treated animals experienced
      weight-loss, polyuria and polydipsia; however, these effects were significantly
      attenuated in adenine-treated Gunn rats. No difference in the presence of
      dihydroadenine crystals, lymphocytic infiltration and fibrosis were noted in Gunn
      rat kidneys versus controls. However, plasma protein carbonyl and F2-isoprostane
      concentrations were significantly decreased in Gunn rats versus controls, with no
      change in urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine or kidney tissue F2
      isoprostane concentrations. These data indicated that endogenously elevated
      bilirubin specifically protects from systemic oxidative stress in the vascular
      compartment. These data may help to clarify the protective relationship between
      bilirubin, kidney function and cardiovascular mortality in clinical
      investigations. 

PMID- 26498891
TI  - Retinal Changes in Pediatric Glaucoma and Nonglaucomatous Optic Atrophy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the incidence and significance of retinal changes in
      pediatric eyes with glaucoma and nonglaucomatous optic atrophy by optical
      coherence tomography (OCT). DESIGN: Retrospective observational case series.
      METHODS: OCT scans performed on children with either glaucoma or nonglaucomatous
      optic atrophy were retrospectively reviewed. Excluded were poor-quality scans and
      diagnoses of ocular hypertension or glaucoma suspects. RESULTS: Included were 227
      eyes (227 children), 151 with glaucoma and 76 with nonglaucomatous optic atrophy.
      Outer retinal changes were present in 20 of 151 glaucoma eyes (13.2%) (12 prior
      intraocular surgery, 5 uveitis, 3 primary retinopathy) and 6 of 76
      nonglaucomatous optic atrophy eyes (7.9%) (1 retinal vasculitis, 3 papilledema, 2
      infiltrative optic neuropathy). Excluding eyes with outer retinal changes,
      isolated inner nuclear layer (INL) cysts were found in 6 of 131 eyes with
      glaucoma (4.6%) (3 uveitis, 1 prior hydrocephalus, 1 uveitis and pars plana
      vitrectomy, and 1 juvenile open-angle glaucoma) and 21 of 70 eyes with
      nonglaucomatous optic atrophy (30%) (5 optic neuritis, 11 anterior visual pathway
      tumors, 2 papilledema, 3 other) (P < .0001). Compared to eyes without INL cysts,
      those with INL cysts had thinner average retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) (78.2
      +/- 1.8 MUm vs 52.0 +/- 4.8 MUm, P < .0001) and worse vision (logMAR = 0.33 +/-
      0.04 vs 0.65 +/- 0.09, P < .002). CONCLUSIONS: INL cysts are more frequent in
      pediatric nonglaucomatous optic atrophy than glaucoma; they are associated with
      worse vision and thinner RNFL. Outer retinal changes were exclusively seen in
      pathology that directly affected the retina. In children, INL cysts and/or outer
      retinal changes without prior history of intraocular surgery or uveitis should
      prompt further evaluation.

PMID- 26498894
TI  - Association of clinical properties and compatibility of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold
      In-Tube test with the tuberculin skin test in patients with psoriasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individuals with psoriasis show conflicting responses to the
      tuberculin skin test (TST), a commonly used screening test for latent
      tuberculosis infection. An alternative to TST is QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test
      (QFT-GIT), an in vitro interferon-gamma release assay. This study aimed to
      determine the effect of the clinical properties of psoriasis (disease severity
      and koebnerization status) on TST results and the agreement between the TST and
      QFT-GIT results in psoriatic patients. METHODS: One hundred patients with mild to
      severe psoriasis were enrolled in this prospective cross-sectional study.
      Psoriasis properties, including disease severity (psoriasis area and severity
      index score and koebnerization status), latent tuberculosis infection risk
      factors, and bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination history, were recorded. All
      patients underwent a TST and QFT-GIT. TST positivity cut-off point was >=10 mm
      for bacillus Calmette-Guerin-vaccinated patients and >=5 mm for non-vaccinated
      patients. RESULTS: Psoriasis area and severity index scores and koebnerization
      status did not correlate with TST diameters. Only one of the 23 koebnerization
      positive patients developed koebnerization in response to TST. QFT-GIT positivity
      was prominently higher in the TST-positive group, and this was the only factor
      that differed between the TST-positive and TST-negative groups (P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: Tuberculin skin test results were not affected by psoriasis severity
      or koebnerization status. QFT-GIT positivity was prominently higher in the TST
      positive group (P < 0.001). Overall agreement between TST and QFT-GIT results was
      moderate (kappa = 0.413). Concurrent negativity (44%) was higher than concurrent
      positivity (27%).

PMID- 26498895
TI  - [The need for a paradigm shift in radiotherapy].
AB  - The status and indications of radiotherapy have significantly changed in the past
      decade because novel techniques, radiobiological research and major advances in
      informatics have made better local control possible. Using supplemented marking
      of the target volume with computer tomography based other image-making methods
      adapted made it possible to define the tumor and intact surrounding tissues more
      precisely. With novel radiotherapy techniques the dosage of the homogenity and
      the covering in the target volume can be raised optimally, especially with
      intensity modulated arc radiotherapy (volumetric modulated arc therapy) without
      causing radiation injury or damage to intact surrounding tissues. Furthermore,
      with novel techniques and target volume marking, new indications have appeared in
      clinical practice and besides stereotactic radiotherapy for intracranial
      metastases, the extracranial so-called oligometastic conditions can be maintained
      close to a curative state (or in remission) for many years. Among these, perhaps
      the most striking is the stereotactic radiotherapy treatment of liver, lung and
      spinal cord metastases in one or more fractions, for which the indispensable
      condition is the image or respiratory guided technique.

PMID- 26498896
TI  - [Thousand faces of Streptococcus pneumonia (pneumococcus) infections].
AB  - Incidence and mortality rates of infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae
      (pneumococcus) are high worldwide and in Hungary among paediatric as well as
      adult populations. Pneumococci account for 35-40% of community acquired adult
      pneumonias requiring hospitalization, while 25-30% of Streptococcus pneumoniae
      pneumonias are accompanied by bacteraemia. 5-7% of all infections are fatal but
      this rate is exponentially higher in high risk patients and elderly people.
      Mortality could reach 20% among patients with severe invasive pneumococcal
      infections. Complications may develop despite administration of adequate
      antibiotics. The authors summarize the epidemiology of pneumococcal infections,
      pathogenesis of non-invasive and invasive disease and present basic clinical
      aspects through demonstration of four cases. Early risk stratification, sampling
      of hemocultures, administration of antibiotics and wider application of active
      immunization could reduce the mortality of invasive disease. Anti-pneumococcal
      vaccination is advisable for adults of >=50 years and high risk patients of >=18
      years who are susceptible to pneumococcal disease.

PMID- 26498897
TI  - [Palliative endoscopic treatment of malignant gastroduodenal obstructions with
      uncovered enteral stents].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Palliative treatment of malignant gastroduodenal obstructions with
      enteral stents is an effective and safe method, and a viable alternative to
      gastroenterostomy. AIM: The authors present the most common malignancies behind
      gastroduodenal obstructions, the aspects of stent selections, insertion
      techniques, technical and clinical success rates, and possible procedure-related
      complications. METHOD: Between 1 March, 2013 and 9 April, 2015 nineteen patients
      were treated with uncovered, self-expandable enteral stents. Out of the 19
      patients, 6 were females and 13 males, with an average age of 67 years.
      Indications of stenting were peripyloric ventricular tumour in five cases,
      malignancies of the duodenum, gastroenteralis anastomosis, Vater papilla and
      gallbladder in one case respectively, pancreatic tumor in seven cases and bile
      duct malignancies in three cases. RESULTS: The technical success rate of stent
      placement was 100%. The evaluation of clinical success was analised on the basis
      of the Gastric Outlet Obstruction Scoring System. CONCLUSIONS: The use of enteral
      stents in malignant gastroduodenal obstructions is a reliable and safe method,
      which promptly decreases symptoms of the patients and improves their quality of
      life.

PMID- 26498899
TI  - [Pregnancy and delivery with transfer of vitrified blastocysts following
      trophectoderm biopsy].
AB  - Application of preimplantation genetic diagnosis makes it possible to transfer
      only embryos unaffected by a certain genetic disorder. The authors have applied
      the combination of trophectoderm biopsy and vitrification in order to detect a
      monogenic disorder. Previously diagnosed type 1 neurofibromatosis of the woman
      was the indication for genetic examination. In vitro fertilisation and embryo
      culture was performed using sequential culture mediums. Seven blastocysts could
      be sampled on the fifth day and were vitrified subsequently. Two blastocysts
      turned out to be genetically normal based on the result of genetic examination
      using polimerase chain reaction. A healthy boy was delivered following the
      transfer of warmed blastocysts and an uneventful singleton pregnancy.

PMID- 26498900
TI  - [Prof. Dr. Dezso Tanka (1927-2015). ].

PMID- 26498898
TI  - [Antimicrobial effect on some zoonotic bacteria, of the cell-free fermentation
      fluid and purified peptide fraction of the entomopathogenic bacterium,
      Xenorhabdus budapestensis].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Many multi-resistant patogens appear continuously resulting in a
      permanent need for the development of novel antibiotics. A large number of
      antibiotics introduced in clinical and veterinary practices are not effective.
      Antibacterial peptides with unusual mode of action may represent a promising
      option against multi-resistant pathogens. The entomopathogenic Xenorhabdus
      budapestensis bacteria produce several different antimicrobial peptides compounds
      such as bicornutin-A and fabclavin. AIM: The aim of the authors was to evaluate
      the in vitro antibacterial effect of Xenorhabdus budapestensis using zoonotic
      patogen bacteria. METHOD: Cell-free conditioned media and purified peptide
      fractions of Xenorhabdus budapestensis were tested on Gram-positive (Rhodococcus
      equi, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathia, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus equi,
      Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, Listeria monocytagenes) and Gram-negative
      bacteria (Salmonella gallinarum, Salmonella derbi, Bordatella bronchoseptica,
      Escherichia coli, Pasteurella multocida, Aeromonas hydrophila) using agar
      diffusion test on blood agar plates. RESULTS: It was found that Xenorhabdus
      budapestensis bacteria produced compounds with strong and dose-dependent effects
      on the tested organisms. Purified peptid fraction exerted a more marked effect
      than cell free conditioned media. Gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to
      this antibacterial effect than Gram-negative bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: Antibacterial
      peptide compound from Xenorhabdus budapestensis exert marked antibacterial effect
      on zoonotic patogen bacteria and they should be further evaluated in future for
      their potential use in the control or prevention of zoonoses.

PMID- 26498902
TI  - Time for a Campus Tour.

PMID- 26498903
TI  - Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy for Children With Cystic Fibrosis.
AB  - Cystic fibrosis (CF) affects several organs, most notably the lungs, which become
      predisposed to infections with potentially severe consequences. Because of
      physiologic changes and infection characteristics, unique approaches to
      antimicrobial agent selection, dosing, and administration are needed. To provide
      optimal acute and long-term care, pediatric health care providers must be aware
      of these patient features and common approaches to antimicrobial therapy in CF,
      which can differ significantly from those of other infectious diseases. The
      purpose of this article is to review common respiratory pathogens, pharmacology
      of commonly used antimicrobial agents, and unique pharmacokinetics and dosing
      strategies often used when treating children with CF. 

PMID- 26498904
TI  - Transcatheter closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defects with the
      Amplatzer Vascular Plug-II.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the
      Amplatzer Vascular Plug-II used for the closure of perimembranous ventricular
      septal defects. BACKGROUND: There are no FDA-approved transcatheter devices for
      the closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defects. Several studies have
      reported on the use of various devices either off-label or under clinical trial
      protocols. However these reports have described significant adverse events
      including residual shunts, complete heart block, arrhythmia, and new valve
      regurgitations. Thus far, no study on the Amplatzer Vascular Plug-II has been
      reported. METHODS: We conducted a 4-year retrospective chart review from August,
      2010 to August, 2014, of patients with perimembranous ventricular septal defects
      associated with ventricular septal aneurysm who underwent transcatheter closure
      using the Amplatzer Vascular Plug-II. RESULTS: A total of 16 patients underwent
      Amplatzer Vascular Plug-II transcatheter closure of their perimembranous
      ventricular septal defects. The median age was 2.56 years (range: 0.5-27.3).
      Their median weight was 13.0 kg (range: 6.9-71.6). The left ventricular median
      defect size was 9.3 mm (range: 5.9-14.4). The right ventricular median defect
      size was 3.6 mm (range: 2.3-5.8). All the patients underwent successful device
      implantation with 83% of the patients having complete echocardiographic closure
      at the 1-year follow-up; however, one procedure was complicated by early device
      embolisation. The device was successfully retrieved and replaced with a larger
      device. There were no device-related outflow tract obstructions, rhythm
      abnormalities, or haemolysis. CONCLUSION: Application of the Amplatzer Vascular
      Plug-II for closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defects appears to be a
      safe and effective treatment option. Prospective clinical trials and longer
      follow-up periods are warranted.

PMID- 26498905
TI  - Phosphorylation-Dependent Regulation of G-Protein Cycle during Nodule Formation
      in Soybean.
AB  - Signaling pathways mediated by heterotrimeric G-protein complexes comprising
      Galpha, Gbeta, and Ggamma subunits and their regulatory RGS (Regulator of G
      protein Signaling) protein are conserved in all eukaryotes. We have shown that
      the specific Gbeta and Ggamma proteins of a soybean (Glycine max) heterotrimeric
      G-protein complex are involved in regulation of nodulation. We now demonstrate
      the role of Nod factor receptor 1 (NFR1)-mediated phosphorylation in regulation
      of the G-protein cycle during nodulation in soybean. We also show that during
      nodulation, the G-protein cycle is regulated by the activity of RGS proteins.
      Lower or higher expression of RGS proteins results in fewer or more nodules,
      respectively. NFR1 interacts with RGS proteins and phosphorylates them. Analysis
      of phosphorylated RGS protein identifies specific amino acids that, when
      phosphorylated, result in significantly higher GTPase accelerating activity.
      These data point to phosphorylation-based regulation of G-protein signaling
      during nodule development. We propose that active NFR1 receptors phosphorylate
      and activate RGS proteins, which help maintain the Galpha proteins in their
      inactive, trimeric conformation, resulting in successful nodule development.
      Alternatively, RGS proteins might also have a direct role in regulating
      nodulation because overexpression of their phospho-mimic version leads to partial
      restoration of nodule formation in nod49 mutants. 

PMID- 26498906
TI  - Mitigation of Insulin Resistance by Mangiferin in a Rat Model of Fructose-Induced
      Metabolic Syndrome Is Associated with Modulation of CD36 Redistribution in the
      Skeletal Muscle.
AB  - Mangiferin is one of the prominent active components responsible for the
      antidiabetic property of many traditional herbs, but its underlying mechanisms of
      action remain unclear. CD36 in skeletal muscle is known to contribute to the
      etiology of insulin resistance by facilitating fatty acid uptake. This study
      investigated the effect of mangiferin on insulin resistance. The results showed
      that treatment of Wistar-Kyoto rats with mangiferin (15 mg/kg, once daily, by
      oral gavage) for 7 weeks inhibited chronic liquid fructose consumption-induced
      increases in plasma insulin concentrations at the baseline and during oral
      glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin
      resistance index. It also suppressed the increases in fasted plasma nonesterified
      fatty acid (NEFA) concentration and the adipose tissue insulin resistance index.
      Mechanistically, mangiferin neither affected intakes of fructose and chow, and
      the increase in epididymal and perirenal fat, nor attenuated fructose-induced
      hypertension. In contrast, mangiferin attenuated fructose-induced acceleration of
      plasma NEFA clearance during OGTT, and tended to decrease excessive triglyceride
      accumulation in gastrocnemius. Immunofluorescence staining and subsequent rating
      of CD36-expressing fibers in gastrocnemius revealed that mangiferin restored
      fructose-stimulated sarcolemmal CD36 overexpression and decreased intracellular
      CD36 distribution. In addition, the effects of mangiferin on the parameters
      associated with insulin resistance and abnormal fatty acid metabolism were absent
      in the spontaneously hypertensive rats carrying numerous nonfunctional mutations
      in the CD36 gene. Thus, these results suggest that mangiferin treatment mitigates
      insulin resistance in a rat model of fructose-induced metabolic syndrome by
      modulating sarcolemmal and intracellular CD36 redistribution in the skeletal
      muscle. 

PMID- 26498907
TI  - Cardiovascular care research for immigrant or ethnic groups.

PMID- 26498908
TI  - Factors influencing the decision of older adults to be assessed for transcatheter
      aortic valve implantation: An exploratory study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is the recommended
      therapy for patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis at increased
      surgical risk and likely to derive benefit. Multimodality and multidisciplinary
      assessment is required for the heart team to determine eligibility for TAVI in a
      primarily older population. Little is known about patients' motivation and
      perspectives on making the decision to undergo the complex assessment. AIMS: To
      explore factors influencing patients' decision making to undergo TAVI eligibility
      assessment to inform practice, programme development, health policy and future
      research. METHODS: An exploratory qualitative approach was used. Semistructured
      interviews were conducted with 15 patients at the time of their referral for
      assessment to a quaternary cardiac and high volume TAVI centre. RESULTS:
      Multiple, intersecting factors that included biomedical, functional, social and
      environmental considerations influenced patients' decision. The six distinct
      factors were symptom burden, participants' perception as 'experienced' patients,
      expectations of benefit and risks, healthcare system and informal support,
      logistical barriers and facilitators, and obligations and responsibilities.
      CONCLUSIONS: The decision to undergo TAVI eligibility assessment is multifaceted
      and complex. Programmatic processes of care must be in place to facilitate
      appropriate and patient-centered decision making and access to TAVI. Strategies
      are required to mitigate the risks associated with the rapid deterioration of
      severe aortic stenosis, address patient and referring physicians' education
      needs, and provide individualised care and equitable access. Future research must
      focus on patients' experiences throughout the trajectory of TAVI care.

PMID- 26498911
TI  - How does metabolism affect cell death in cancer?
AB  - In cancer research, identifying a specificity of tumor cells compared with
      'normal' proliferating cells for targeted therapy is often considered the Holy
      Grail for researchers and clinicians. Although diverse in origin, most cancer
      cells share characteristics including the ability to escape cell death mechanisms
      and the utilization of different methods of energy production. In the current
      paradigm, aerobic glycolysis is considered the central metabolic characteristic
      of cancer cells (Warburg effect). However, recent data indicate that cancer cells
      also show significant changes in other metabolic pathways. Indeed, it was
      recently suggested that Kreb's cycle, pentose phosphate pathway intermediates,
      and essential and nonessential amino acids have key roles. Renewed interest in
      the fact that cancer cells have to reprogram their metabolism in order to
      proliferate or resist treatment must take into consideration the ability of tumor
      cells to adapt their metabolism to the local microenvironment (low oxygen, low
      nutrients). This variety of metabolic sources might be either a strength,
      resulting in infinite possibilities for adaptation and increased ability to
      resist chemotherapy-induced death, or a weakness that could be targeted to kill
      cancer cells. Here, we discuss recent insights showing how energetic metabolism
      may regulate cell death and how this might be relevant for cancer treatment.

PMID- 26498912
TI  - Avoidable tragedies: Disparities in healthcare access among medically underserved
      women diagnosed with cervical cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose was to identify barriers including logistical and health
      belief correlates of late stage presentation of cervical cancer (CxCa) among
      medically underserved women presenting to a safety net health care system.
      METHODS: Women presenting with newly diagnosed CxCa were asked to complete a
      detailed health belief survey that included questions about barriers to care and
      their knowledge of CxCa. All information was collected prior to initiating cancer
      treatment. Comparisons were made among women diagnosed at early stages of disease
      amendable to surgical treatment (<=IB1) and those diagnosed at a stage requiring
      local-regional or systemic/palliative treatment (>=IB2). RESULTS: Among the 138
      women, 21.7% were diagnosed with <=lB1 disease, while 78.3% were diagnosed with
      >=IB2 disease. Late-stage diagnosis was associated with a greater number of
      emergency room (ER) visits (p<.001) and blood transfusions (p<.001) prior to
      diagnosis. Compared to 88% with <=lB1 disease, only 53% of patients with >=IB2
      disease had a car (p=.003). Women with >=IB2 disease were more likely to be
      without a primary care provider (75.0% vs. 42.3%, p=.001). CONCLUSION: Access to
      transportation and lack of a regular primary care provider or a medical home are
      associated with late-stage of CxCa at diagnosis. Many medically underserved women
      continue to use the ER as their primary source of health care, and as a result
      their CxCa is diagnosed in advanced stages, with higher medical costs and lower
      chances of cure. The lack of Medicaid expansion in Texas may result in a
      worsening of this situation.

PMID- 26498913
TI  - Peripheral neuropathy associated with levodopa-carbidopa intestinal infusion: a
      long-term prospective assessment.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Subacute and chronic peripheral neuropathies (PNP) have
      been reported in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients treated with
      levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel infusion (LCIG), although several aspects of
      their incidence and pathogenesis still remain to be clarified. This study main
      objective is to prospectively report the 2-year incidence of PNP in patients
      treated with LCIG. METHODS AND RESULTS: The clinical, hematological, nutritional
      and electrophysiological assessments of 33 consecutive patients have been
      prospectively collected and evaluated. At baseline (before the start of LCIG
      therapy), 3/33 (9%) patients showed symptomatic PNP and 7/33 (21%) subclinical
      PNP. During a follow-up of 24.36 +/- 12.18 months, 2/23 patients with normal
      baseline clinical-electrophysiological assessment developed a subacute PNP, 2/23
      developed a chronic PNP and 7/23 developed a subclinical PNP. LCIG was
      immediately halted in the subacute cases, while the infusion therapy was not
      interrupted in chronic and subclinical forms. All PNP were supplemented with
      vitamin B1 and B12, showing a clinical improvement and/or substantial stability
      at the following evaluations. Higher levodopa-equivalent daily dose (P: 0.024)
      and homocysteine levels (P: 0.041) were found in chronic PNP, while no
      correlations were observed with vitamin B12, folate and UPDRS values. A trend
      towards BMI reduction was observed in both PNP and unaffected subjects and one
      patient developed a symptomatic PNP associated with a relevant weight loss.
      CONCLUSIONS: Serial clinical-electrophysiological evaluations are mandatory in
      patients treated with LCIG, given the possible risk of subacute and chronic PNP.
      No clear causative factors has been recognized in the subacute forms, whilst
      homocysteine-mediated neurotoxicity seems to underlie the pathogenesis of chronic
      forms.

PMID- 26498915
TI  - Patient with extensive Mongolian spots, nevus flammeus and nevus vascularis
      mixtus: A novel case of phacomatosis pigmentovascularis.

PMID- 26498914
TI  - MicroRNA expression and its implications for diagnosis and therapy of tongue
      squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is the most common type of oral squamous
      cell carcinomas and is well known for its high rate of lymph nodal metastasis.
      Despite the identification of many molecular mechanisms in TSCC, the number of
      deaths associated with TSCC increased during the past 5 years. MicroRNAs (miRNAs)
      are a family of small non-coding RNA molecules, which regulate gene expression by
      either translational inhibition or mRNA degradation. miRNAs have been proven to
      be key regulators of various biological and pathological processes including cell
      proliferation, development and tumourigenesis. Increasing evidence has
      demonstrated that the deregulated miRNAs are implicated in the diagnosis and
      treatment of TSCC. In this review, we summarized the expressions and roles of
      miRNAs in TSCC and comment on the potential roles of miRNAs in diagnosis,
      prognosis and treatment of this malignancy.

PMID- 26498916
TI  - First off-time treatment prostate-specific antigen kinetics predicts survival in
      intermittent androgen deprivation for prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) doubling time is relying on an
      exponential kinetic pattern. This pattern has never been validated in the setting
      of intermittent androgen deprivation (IAD). Objective is to analyze the
      prognostic significance for PCa of recurrent patterns in PSA kinetics in patients
      undergoing IAD. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 377 patients
      treated with IAD. On-treatment period (ONTP) consisted of gonadotropin-releasing
      hormone agonist injections combined with oral androgen receptor antagonist. Off
      treatment period (OFTP) began when PSA was lower than 4 ng/ml. ONTP resumed when
      PSA was higher than 20 ng/ml. PSA values of each OFTP were fitted with three
      basic patterns: exponential (PSA(t) = lambda.e(alphat)), linear (PSA(t) = a.t),
      and power law (PSA(t) = a.t(c)). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression model
      analyzed predictive factors for oncologic outcomes. RESULTS: Only 45% of the
      analyzed OFTPs were exponential. Linear and power law PSA kinetics represented
      7.5% and 7.7%, respectively. Remaining fraction of analyzed OFTPs (40%) exhibited
      complex kinetics. Exponential PSA kinetics during the first OFTP was
      significantly associated with worse oncologic outcome. The estimated 10-year
      cancer-specific survival (CSS) was 46% for exponential versus 80% for
      nonexponential PSA kinetics patterns. The corresponding 10-year probability of
      castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) was 69% and 31% for the two patterns,
      respectively. Limitations include retrospective design and mixed indications for
      IAD. CONCLUSION: PSA kinetic fitted with exponential pattern in approximately
      half of the OFTPs. First OFTP exponential PSA kinetic was associated with a
      shorter time to CRPC and worse CSS.

PMID- 26498917
TI  - Microparticles from apoptotic RAW 264.7 macrophage cells carry tumour necrosis
      factor-alpha functionally active on cardiomyocytes from adult mice.
AB  - After ischaemic injury and in patients with atherosclerosis, the pool of
      inflammatory macrophages is enlarged in the heart and in atherosclerotic plaques.
      Monocyte/macrophage-derived microparticles (MPs) are part of the pathological
      process of unstable atherosclerotic plaques. The present study focused on effects
      of MPs, produced by apoptotic murine RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line, in adult
      murine cardiomyocytes. Flow cytometry and western blot analysis showed that these
      MPs contained the soluble form of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha).
      Cardiomyocyte sarcomere shortening amplitudes and kinetics were reduced within 5
      min of exposure to these MPs. Conversely, Ca(2+) transient amplitude and kinetics
      were not modified. The contractile effects of MPs were completely prevented after
      pretreatment with nitric oxide synthase, guanylate cyclase or TNF-alpha
      inhibitors as well as blocking TNF-alpha receptor 1 with neutralizing antibody.
      Microscopy showed that, after 1 h, MPs were clearly surrounding rod-shaped
      cardiomyocytes, and after 2 h they were internalized into cardiomyocytes
      undergoing apoptosis. After 4 h of treatment with MPs, cardiomyocytes expressed
      increased caspase-3, caspase-8, Bax and cytochrome C. Thus, MPs from apoptotic
      macrophages induced a negative inotropic effect and slowing of both contraction
      and relaxation, similar to that observed in the presence of TNF-alpha. The use of
      specific inhibitors strongly suggests that TNF-alpha receptors and the guanylate
      cyclase/cGMP/PKG pathway were involved in the functional responses to these MPs
      and that the mitochondrial intrinsic pathway was implicated in their proapoptotic
      effects. These data suggest that MPs issued from activated macrophages carrying
      TNF-alpha could contribute to propagation of inflammatory signals leading to
      myocardial infarction. 

PMID- 26498918
TI  - Clinical implementation of routine screening for fetal trisomies in the UK NHS:
      cell-free DNA test contingent on results from first-trimester combined test.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) analysis of maternal blood for detection of
      trisomies 21, 18 and 13 is superior to other methods of screening but is
      expensive. One strategy to maximize performance at reduced cost is to offer cfDNA
      testing contingent on the results of the first-trimester combined test that is
      used currently. The objectives of this study were to report the feasibility of
      implementing such screening, to examine the factors affecting patient decisions
      concerning their options for screening and decisions on the management of
      affected pregnancies and to report the prenatal diagnosis of fetal trisomies and
      outcome of affected pregnancies following the introduction of contingent
      screening. METHODS: We examined routine clinical implementation of contingent
      screening in 11,692 singleton pregnancies in two National Health Service (NHS)
      hospitals in the UK. Women with a risk >= 1 in 100 (high-risk group) were offered
      options of invasive testing, cfDNA testing or no further testing, and those with
      a risk between 1 in 101 and 1 in 2500 (intermediate-risk group) were offered
      cfDNA testing or no further testing. The trisomic status of the pregnancies was
      determined by prenatal or postnatal karyotyping or by examination of the
      neonates. RESULTS: In the study population of 11,692 pregnancies, there were 47
      cases of trisomy 21 and 28 of trisomies 18 or 13. Screening with the combined
      test followed by invasive testing for all patients in the high-risk group
      potentially could have detected 87% of trisomy 21 and 93% of trisomies 18 or 13,
      at a false-positive rate of 3.4%; the respective values for cfDNA testing in the
      high- and intermediate-risk groups were 98%, 82% and 0.25%. However, in the high
      risk group, 38% of women chose invasive testing and 60% chose cfDNA testing; in
      the intermediate-risk group 92% opted for cfDNA testing. A prenatal diagnosis was
      made in 43 (91.5%) pregnancies with trisomy 21 and all pregnancies with trisomies
      18 or 13. In many affected pregnancies the parents chose to avoid testing or
      termination and 32% of pregnancies with trisomy 21 resulted in live births.
      CONCLUSIONS: Screening for fetal trisomies by cfDNA analysis of maternal blood,
      contingent on the results of the combined test, can be implemented easily in
      routine clinical practice. In the high-risk group from the combined test, most
      but not all women chose cfDNA testing rather than invasive testing. Performance
      of screening for trisomy 21 was superior by the cfDNA test than by the combined
      test. However, prenatal detection of trisomies and pregnancy outcome depend not
      only on performance of screening tests but also on parental choice.

PMID- 26498919
TI  - Predictors of 10-year smoking abstinence in smokers abstinent for 1 year after
      treatment.
AB  - AIMS: To identify factors predicting long-term relapse to smoking in people
      attending smoking treatment services who have maintained at least 1 year
      abstinence. DESIGN: Observational, prospective study with multiple logistic
      regression used to model predictors of relapse between 1 and 10 years from
      cessation using variables measured pre-cessation. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Among
      smokers receiving behavioural support for cessation in a clinic in Spain, in some
      cases with nicotine patches or bupropion, 366 had remained abstinent after 1 year
      of follow-up and were included into the study. MEASUREMENTS: Predictive measures
      (disease history, psychological disorder, age of starting smoking, years of
      smoking, cigarette dependence and smoking cessation treatment used) were obtained
      at the time of the quit attempt, and 'failure' (defined as reported smoking, loss
      to follow-up, died or an expired air carbon monoxide reading of > 5 parts per
      million) was assessed 10 years later. FINDINGS: At follow-up, abstinence status
      was confirmed in 50.5% (n = 185) of participants, while 21.0% (n = 77) reported
      that they had resumed smoking, and 28.5% (n = 104) were lost to follow-up (also
      counted as having resumed smoking). In the multiple regression model, the main
      factor that predicted relapse had a psychological disorder (odds ratio = 1.85,
      95% confidence interval = 1.13-3.05; P < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Having a
      psychological disorder at the time of stopping smoking is a risk factor for
      relapse to smoking, even after more than 1 year of abstinence.

PMID- 26498920
TI  - Pathway to a phenocopy: Heat stress effects in early embryogenesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heat shocks applied at the onset of gastrulation in early Drosophila
      embryos frequently lead to phenocopies of U-shaped mutants-having characteristic
      failures in the late morphogenetic processes of germband retraction and dorsal
      closure. The pathway from nonspecific heat stress to phenocopied abnormalities is
      unknown. RESULTS: Drosophila embryos subjected to 30-min, 38  degrees C heat
      shocks at gastrulation appear to recover and restart morphogenesis. Post-heat
      shock development appears normal, albeit slower, until a large fraction of
      embryos develop amnioserosa holes (diameters > 100 um). These holes are
      positively correlated with terminal U-shaped phenocopies. They initiate between
      amnioserosa cells and open over tens of minutes by evading normal wound healing
      responses. They are not caused by tissue-wide increases in mechanical stress or
      decreases in cell-cell adhesion, but instead appear to initiate from isolated
      apoptosis of amnioserosa cells. CONCLUSIONS: The pathway from heat shock to U
      shaped phenocopies involves the opening of one or more large holes in the
      amnioserosa that compromise its structural integrity and lead to failures in
      morphogenetic processes that rely on amnioserosa-generated tensile forces. The
      proposed mechanism by which heat shock leads to hole initiation and expansion is
      heterochonicity, i.e., disruption of morphogenetic coordination between embryonic
      and extra-embryonic cell types.

PMID- 26498921
TI  - Defining the complementarities between antibodies and haptens to refine our
      understanding and aid the prediction of a successful binding interaction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low molecular weight haptens (<1000 Da) cannot be recognized by the
      immune system unless conjugated to larger carrier molecules. Antibodies to these
      exceptionally small antigens can still be generated with exquisite sensitivity. A
      detailed understanding at the molecular level of this incredible ability of
      antibodies to recognize haptens, is still limited compared to other antigen
      classes. METHODS: Different hapten targets with a broad range of structural
      flexibility and polarity were conjugated to carrier proteins, and utilized in
      sheep immunization. Three antibody libraries were constructed and used as
      potential pools to isolate specific antibodies to each target. The isolated
      antibodies were analysed in term of CDR length, canonical structure, and binding
      site shape and electrostatic potential. RESULTS: The simple, chemically naive
      structure of squalane (SQA) was recognized with micromolar sensitivity. An
      increase in structural rigidity of the hydrophobic and cyclic coprostane (COP)
      did not improve this binding sensitivity beyond the micromolar range, whilst the
      polar etioporphyrin (POR) was detected with nanomolar sensitivity. Homoserine
      lactone (HSL) molecules, which combine molecular flexibility and polarity,
      generated super-sensitive (picomolar) interactions. To better understand this
      range of antibody-hapten interactions, analyses were extended to examine the
      binding loop canonical structures and CDR lengths of a series of anti-hapten
      clones. Analyses of the pre and post- selection (panning of the phage displayed
      libraries) sequences revealed more conserved sites (123) within the post
      selection sequences, when compared to their pre-selection counterparts (28). The
      strong selection pressure, generated by panning against these haptens resulted in
      the isolation of antibodies with significant sequence conservation in the FW
      regions, and suitable binding site cavities, representing only a relatively small
      subset of the available full repertoire sequence and structural diversity. As
      part of this process, the important influence of CDR H2 on antigen binding was
      observed through its direct interaction with individual antigens and indirect
      impact on the orientation and the pocket shape, when combined with CDRs H3 and
      L3. The binding pockets also displayed electrostatic surfaces that were
      complementary to the hydrophobic nature of COP, SQA, and POR, and the negatively
      charged HSL. CONCLUSIONS: The best binding antibodies have shown improved
      capacity to recognize these haptens by establishing complementary binding pockets
      in terms of size, shape, and electrostatic potential.

PMID- 26498922
TI  - Simultaneous perturbation of the MAPK and the PI3K/mTOR pathways does not lead to
      increased radiosensitization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and the
      phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)
      pathways are intertwined on various levels and simultaneous inhibition reduces
      tumorsize and prolonges survival synergistically. Furthermore, inhibiting these
      pathways radiosensitized cancer cells in various studies. To assess, if
      phenotypic changes after perturbations of this signaling network depend on the
      genetic background, we integrated a time series of the signaling data with
      phenotypic data after simultaneous MAPK/ERK kinase (MEK) and PI3K/mTOR inhibition
      and ionizing radiation (IR). METHODS: The MEK inhibitor AZD6244 and the dual
      PI3K/mTOR inhibitor NVP-BEZ235 were tested in glioblastoma and lung carcinoma
      cells, which differ in their mutational status in the MAPK and the PI3K/mTOR
      pathways. Effects of AZD6244 and NVP-BEZ235 on the proliferation were assessed
      using an ATP assay. Drug treatment and IR effects on the signaling network were
      analyzed in a time-dependent manner along with measurements of phenotypic changes
      in the colony forming ability, apoptosis, autophagy or cell cycle. RESULTS: Both
      inhibitors reduced the tumor cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, with
      NVP-BEZ235 revealing the higher anti-proliferative potential. Our Western blot
      data indicated that AZD6244 and NVP-BEZ235 perturbed the MAPK and PI3K/mTOR
      signaling cascades, respectively. Additionally, we confirmed crosstalks and
      feedback loops in the pathways. As shown by colony forming assay, the AZD6244
      moderately radiosensitized cancer cells, whereas NVP-BEZ235 caused a stronger
      radiosensitization. Combining both drugs did not enhance the NVP-BEZ235-mediated
      radiosensitization. Both inhibitors caused a cell cycle arrest in the G1-phase,
      whereas concomitant IR and treatment with the inhibitors resulted in cell line-
      and drug-specific cell cycle alterations. Furthermore, combining both inhibitors
      synergistically enhanced a G1-phase arrest in sham-irradiated glioblastoma cells
      and induced apoptosis and autophagy in both cell lines. CONCLUSION: Perturbations
      of the MEK and the PI3K pathway radiosensitized tumor cells of different origins
      and the combination of AZD6244 and NVP-BEZ235 yielded cytostatic effects in
      several tumor entities. However, this is the first study assessing, if the
      combination of both drugs also results in synergistic effects in terms of
      radiosensitivity. Our study demonstrates that simultaneous treatment with both
      pathway inhibitors does not lead to synergistic radiosensitization but causes
      cell line-specific effects.

PMID- 26498923
TI  - Esophageal motility after peroral endoscopic myotomy for achalasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has been introduced as a novel
      endoscopic treatment for achalasia. The aim of this work is to assess the changes
      in esophageal motility caused by POEM in patients with achalasia. METHODS: Forty
      one patients with achalasia underwent POEM from September 2012 to November 2014.
      Esophageal motility of all patients was evaluated preoperatively and 1 month
      after POEM utilizing high-resolution manometry, which was performed with ten
      water swallows, ten steamed bread swallows, and multiple rapid swallows (MRS).
      RESULTS: In single swallows, including liquid swallows and bread swallows, all
      the parameters of lower esophagus sphincter resting pressure (LESP), 4-s
      integrated relaxation pressure (4sIRP), and intra-bolus pressure (IBP) were
      decreased between pre- and post-POEM patients (all p < 0.05). Postoperatively,
      the trend of distal contractile integral (DCI) and distal esophageal peristaltic
      amplitude declined in subtype II and subtype III (subtype II: p < 0.05; subtype
      III: p > 0.05), but increased in subtype I (subtype I: p > 0.05). In liquid
      swallows, the Eckardt score of subtype II patients decreased with DCI, and distal
      esophageal peristaltic amplitude after POEM was significantly lower compared with
      those showing increased values of those two parameters (p < 0.05). In MRS, the
      rate of LES relaxation increased from 66.67 to 95.24%, but without normal
      response in all achalasia patients. CONCLUSIONS: POEM reduces LES pressure in
      achalasia, and partly restores esophageal motility. POEM displayed varying effect
      on esophageal motility in patients with different patterns of swallowing. In
      addition, the changes in parameters associated with esophageal peristalsis
      correlated with decreases in Eckardt score.

PMID- 26498924
TI  - The orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 inhibits low shear stress-induced carotid
      artery remodeling in mice.
AB  - Shear stress, particularly low and oscillatory shear stress, plays a critical
      pathophysiological role in vascular remodeling-related cardiovascular diseases.
      Growing evidence suggests that the orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 [also known as
      TR3 or nuclear receptor subfamily 4, group A, member 1 (NR4A1)] is expressed in
      diseased human vascular tissue and plays an important role in vascular physiology
      and pathology. In the present study, we used a mouse model of flow-dependent
      remodeling by partial ligation of the left common carotid artery (LCCA) to define
      the exact role of Nur77 in vascular remodeling induced by low shear stress.
      Following vascular remodeling, Nur77 was highly expressed in neointimal vascular
      smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the ligated carotid arteries. The reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) levels were elevated in the remodeled arteries in vivo and in
      primary rat VSMCs in vitro following stimulation with platelet-derived growth
      factor (PDGF). Further in vitro experiments revealed that Nur77 expression was
      rapidly increased in the VSMCs following stimulation with PDGF and H2O2, whereas
      treatment with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC, a ROS scavenger) reversed the increase in
      the protein level of Nur77 induced by H2O2. Moreover, Nur77 overexpression
      markedly inhibited the proliferation and migration of VSMCs, induced by PDGF.
      Finally, to determine the in vivo role of Nur77 in low shear stress-induced
      vascular remodeling, wild-type (WT) and Nur77-deficient mice were subjected to
      partial ligation of the LCCA. Four weeks following surgery, in the LCCAs of the
      Nur77-deficient mice, a significant increase in the intima-media area and carotid
      intima-media thickness was noted, as well as more severe elastin disruption and
      collagen deposition compared to the WT mice. Immunofluorescence staining revealed
      an increase in VSMC proliferation [determined by the expression of proliferating
      cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)] and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) production in
      the Nur77-deficient mice. There was no difference in the number of intimal
      apoptotic cells between the groups. Taken together, our results indicate that
      Nur77 may be a sensor of oxidative stress and an inhibitor of vascular remodeling
      induced by low shear stress. Nur77, as well as its downstream cell signals, may
      thus be a potential therapeutic target for the suppression of vascular
      remodeling.

PMID- 26498925
TI  - A cross-cultural investigation into the dimensional structure and stability of
      the Barriers to Research and Utilization Scale (BARRIERS Scale).
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is important that scales exhibit strong measurement properties
      including those related to the investigation of issues that impact evidence-based
      practice. The validity of the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale (BARRIERS
      Scale) has recently been questioned in a systematic review. This study
      investigated the dimensional structure and stability of the 28 item BARRIERS
      Scale when completed by three groups of participants from three different cross
      cultural environments. METHOD: Data from the BARRIERS Scale completed by 696
      occupational therapists from Australia (n = 137), Taiwan (n = 413), and the
      United Kingdom (n = 144) were analysed using principal components analysis,
      followed by Procrustes Transformation. Poorly fitting items were identified by
      low communalities, cross-loading, and theoretically inconsistent primary
      loadings, and were systematically removed until good fit was achieved. The cross
      cultural stability of the component structure of the BARRIERS Scale was examined.
      RESULTS: A four component, 19 item version of the BARRIERS Scale emerged that
      demonstrated an improved dimensional fit and stability across the three
      participant groups. The resulting four components were consistent with the
      BARRIERS Scale as originally conceptualised. CONCLUSION: Findings from the study
      suggest that the four component, 19 item version of the BARRIERS Scale is a
      robust and valid measure for identifying barriers to research utilization for
      occupational therapists in paediatric health care settings across Australia,
      United Kingdom, and Taiwan. The four component 19 item version of the BARRIERS
      Scale exhibited good dimensional structure, internal consistency, and stability.

PMID- 26498927
TI  - Self-reported stigma and its association with socio-demographic factors and
      physical disability in people with intellectual disabilities: results from a
      cross-sectional study in England.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether socio-demographic
      variables and physical disability (e.g. sensory impairment and mobility problems)
      were associated with self-reported stigma in people with intellectual
      disabilities (ID), and to examine whether age, sex and ethnicity modified the
      relationship between severity of intellectual disability and self-reported
      stigma. METHODS: 229 participants with mild or moderate intellectual disabilities
      were recruited from 12 centres/sites in England from community intellectual
      disability services, day centres, supported housing schemes, voluntary
      organisations and invitation letters. Information on physical disability and
      socio-demographic variables were obtained using a structured data collection
      form. Self-reported stigma was measured using a validated questionnaire. RESULTS:
      Age was associated with self-reported stigma, with older adults reporting more
      stigmatising experiences. Participants with moderate intellectual disabilities
      were more likely to report being treated differently such as being made fun of
      and being treated like children. Physical disability such as sensory, mobility
      and speech problems were not associated with self-reported stigma. Gender
      modified the relationship between severity of ID and self-reported stigma as
      participants who were male and had moderate ID were more likely to report stigma
      compared to females with moderate ID. Categorical age also modified the
      relationship between severity of ID and self-reported stigma as older
      participants who had moderate ID were more likely to report stigma compared to
      younger people with moderate ID. CONCLUSIONS: Older adults and those with
      moderate ID are potentially at higher risk of being targets of public stigma or
      are more likely to report stigma. Interventions to help individuals cope with
      stigma could be targeted to this group.

PMID- 26498926
TI  - Illness perception, help-seeking attitudes, and knowledge related to obsessive
      compulsive disorder across different ethnic groups: a community survey.
AB  - PURPOSE: Despite similar prevalence rates across ethnicities, ethnic minorities
      with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are under-represented in research and
      clinical settings. The reasons for this disproportion have been sparsely studied.
      We explored potential differences in illness perception, help-seeking attitudes,
      illness knowledge, and causal attributions that could help explain the lower
      uptake of treatment for OCD amongst ethnic minorities. METHODS: Two-hundred and
      ninety-three parents (139 White British, 61 Black African, 46 Black Caribbean,
      and 47 Indian) were recruited from the general population in South-East London,
      UK. Using a text vignette methodology, participants completed a survey including
      questions on illness perception, help-seeking attitudes, OCD knowledge, and
      causal attributions. RESULTS: The groups did not differ in socio-demographic
      characteristics and family history of OCD. White British parents perceived that
      the OCD difficulties would have more negative impact on their children and that
      treatment would be more helpful, compared to the ethnic minorities; the largest
      differences were observed between White British and Indian parents. Ethnic
      minorities were more prone to say that would seek help from their religious
      communities. Black African parents were more in favor of not seeking help for the
      described difficulties and, in general, perceived more treatment barriers. White
      British parents seemed to be better informed about OCD than ethnic minority
      parents. CONCLUSIONS: The results offer some plausible explanations for the large
      inequalities in access to services amongst ethnic minorities with OCD. Clinicians
      and policy-makers need to be aware of these socio-cultural factors when designing
      strategies to encourage help-seeking behaviors in these populations.

PMID- 26498928
TI  - Abnormalities in the meibomian glands in patients with oral administration of
      anticancer combination drug-capsule TS-1((r)): a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The anticancer TS-1((r)) combination capsules of tegafur, gimeracil,
      and oteracil potassium (Taiho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, Japan) causes side effects,
      i. e., corneal epithelial disorder and dacryostenosis. However, its side effect
      on meibomian gland had not been reported. We observed morphological changes in
      the meibomian gland in patients taking TS-1((r)) who exhibited punctate corneal
      epithelial defects to examine if dysfunction of meibomian glands is involved in
      the corneal epitheliopathy. CASE PRESENTATION: Patients comprised two males and
      one female (age, 59-81 years). After starting oral TS-1((r)) administration,
      patients developed subjective symptoms such as decreased visual acuity. Corneal
      epithelial disorder was seen in all six eyes of the three subjects exhibited, and
      lacrimal duct disorder was seen in one eye. Furthermore, meibomian gland loss and
      contraction were observed in all six eyes that exhibited meibomian gland disorder
      upon examination by using the MeiboPen((r)). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggested that
      oral administration of TS-1((r)) may cause meibomian gland disorder which
      potentially affect corneal epithelial homeostasis.

PMID- 26498929
TI  - Quinolone resistance mutations in the faecal microbiota of Swedish travellers to
      India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: International travel contributes to the spread of antibiotic
      resistant bacteria over the world. Most studies addressing travel-related changes
      in the faecal flora have focused on specific mobile resistance genes, or depended
      on culturing of individual bacterial isolates. Antibiotic resistance can,
      however, also spread via travellers colonized by bacteria carrying chromosomal
      antibiotic resistance mutations, but this has received little attention so far.
      Here we aimed at exploring the abundance of chromosomal quinolone resistance
      mutations in Escherichia communities residing in the gut of Swedish travellers,
      and to determine potential changes after visiting India. Sweden is a country with
      a comparably low degree of quinolone use and quinolone resistance, whereas the
      opposite is true for India. METHODS: Massively parallel amplicon sequencing
      targeting the quinolone-resistance determining region of gyrA and parC was
      applied to total DNA extracted from faecal samples. Paired samples were collected
      from 12 Swedish medical students before and after a 4-15 week visit to India.
      Twelve Indian residents were included for additional comparisons. Methods known
      resistance mutations were common in Swedes before travel as well as in Indians,
      with a trend for all mutations to be more common in the Indian sub group. There
      was a significant increase in the abundance of the most common amino acid
      substitution in GyrA (S83L, from 44 to 72%, p=0.036) in the samples collected
      after return to Sweden. No other substitution, including others commonly
      associated with quinolone resistance (D87N in GyrA, S80I in ParC) changed
      significantly. The number of distinct genotypes encoded in each traveller was
      significantly reduced after their visit to India for both GyrA (p=0.0020) and
      ParC (p=0.0051), indicating a reduced genetic diversity, similar to that found in
      the Indians. CONCLUSIONS: International travel can alter the composition of the
      Escherichia communities in the faecal flora, favouring bacteria carrying certain
      resistance mutations, and, thereby, contributes to the global spread of
      antibiotic resistance. A high abundance of specific mutations in Swedish
      travellers before visiting India is consistent with the hypothesis that these
      mutation have no fitness cost even in the absence of an antibiotic selection
      pressure.

PMID- 26498930
TI  - Leveraging local ancestry to detect gene-gene interactions in genome-wide data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although genome-wide association studies have successfully identified
      thousands of variants associated to complex traits, these variants only explain a
      small amount of the entire heritability of the trait. Gene-gene interactions have
      been proposed as a source to explain a significant percentage of the missing
      heritability. However, detecting gene-gene interactions has proven to be very
      difficult due to computational and statistical challenges. The vast number of
      possible interactions that can be tested induces very stringent multiple
      hypotheses corrections that limit the power of detection. These issues have been
      mostly highlighted for the identification of pairwise effects and are even more
      challenging when addressing higher order interaction effects. In this work we
      explore the use of local ancestry in recently admixed individuals to find signals
      of gene-gene interaction on human traits and diseases. RESULTS: We introduce
      statistical methods that leverage the correlation between local ancestry and the
      hidden unknown causal variants to find distant gene-gene interactions. We show
      that the power of this test increases with the number of causal variants per
      locus and the degree of differentiation of these variants between the ancestral
      populations. Overall, our simulations confirm that local ancestry can be used to
      detect gene-gene interactions, solving the computational bottleneck. When
      compared to a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based interaction screening of
      the same sample size, the power of our test was lower on all settings we
      considered. However, accounting for the dramatic increase in sample size that can
      be achieve when genotyping only a set of ancestry informative markers instead of
      the whole genome, we observe substantial gain in power in several scenarios.
      CONCLUSION: Local ancestry-based interaction tests offer a new path to the
      detection of gene-gene interaction effects. It would be particularly useful in
      scenarios where multiple differentiated variants at the interacting loci act in a
      synergistic manner.

PMID- 26498931
TI  - Effects of Vessel Tortuosity on Coronary Hemodynamics: An Idealized and Patient
      Specific Computational Study.
AB  - Although coronary tortuosity can influence the hemodynamics of coronary arteries,
      the relationship between tortuosity and flow has not been thoroughly investigated
      partly due to the absence of a widely accepted definition of tortuosity and the
      lack of patient-specific studies that analyze complete coronary trees. Using a
      computational approach we investigated the effects of tortuosity on coronary flow
      parameters including pressure drop, wall shear stress, and helical flow strength
      as measured by helicity intensity. Our analysis considered idealized and patient
      specific geometries. Overall results indicate that perfusion pressure decreases
      with increased tortuosity, but the patient-specific results show that more
      tortuous vessels have higher physiological wall shear stress values. Differences
      between the idealized and patient-specific results reveal that an accurate
      representation of coronary tortuosity must account for all relevant geometric
      aspects, including curvature imposed by the heart shape. The patient-specific
      results exhibit a strong correlation between tortuosity and helicity intensity,
      and the corresponding helical flow contributes directly to the observed increase
      in wall shear stress. Therefore, helicity intensity may prove helpful in
      developing a universal parameter to describe tortuosity and assess its impact on
      patient health. Our data suggest that increased tortuosity could have a
      deleterious impact via a reduction in coronary perfusion pressure, but the
      attendant increase in wall shear stress could afford protection against
      atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26498932
TI  - Exploring the relationship between quality of life and mental health problems in
      children: implications for measurement and practice.
AB  - Quality of life is typically reduced in children with mental health problems.
      Understanding the relationship between quality of life and mental health problems
      and the factors that moderate this association is a pressing priority. This was a
      cross-sectional study involving 45,398 children aged 8-13 years from 880 schools
      in England. Self-reported quality of life was assessed using nine items from the
      KIDSCREEN-10 and mental health was assessed using the Me and My School
      Questionnaire. Demographic information (gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic
      status) was also recorded. Quality of life was highest in children with no
      problems and lowest in children with both internalising and externalising
      problems. There was indication that quality of life may be reduced in children
      with internalising problems compared with externalising problems. Approximately
      12 % children with mental health problems reported high quality of life. The link
      between mental health and quality of life was moderated by gender and age but not
      by socio-economic status or ethnicity. This study supports previous work showing
      mental health and quality of life are related but not synonymous. The findings
      have implications for measuring quality of life in child mental health settings
      and the need for approaches to support children with mental health problems that
      are at particular risk of poor quality of life. 

PMID- 26498933
TI  - Mallet finger: a simulation and analysis of hyperflexion versus hyperextension
      injuries.
AB  - The goal of this study was to simulate the mechanisms of hyperflexion and
      hyperextension injuries of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint of the hand and
      to analyze the resulting extensor tendon injury patterns. The hypotheses were
      raised that hyperflexion trauma leads to a plastic deformation of the extensor
      tendon aponeurosis, with or without a small bony avulsion fragment but without
      joint surface involvement, and that hyperextension injuries can create a shear
      fracture of the dorsal lip of the distal phalanx, without injury to the extensor
      tendon aponeurosis. Loading was applied with a swinging pendulum impacting the
      distal phalanx in 103 human specimens in either an extended or flexion position.
      After loading, injury patterns were analyzed radiologically and histologically.
      There was evidence that hyperflexion trauma leads to a plastic deformation or
      rupture of the extensor tendon. Bony tendon avulsion was evident in 12.2 % of
      cases. With hyperextension, the extensor tendon remained intact in all cases, but
      there were large fracture fragments involving the articular surface in 4.1 % of
      cases. The results of the study show that force on the flexed joint leads to
      overstretching of the extensor tendon, and to an associated dorsal bony avulsion
      with intact joint line. Force applied to the joint in extension can lead to a
      bony dorsal edge fracture with articular involvement and with it, a palmar DIP
      joint capsule rupture. The results illuminate a direct correlation between the
      mechanism of injury and the pattern of injury in the clinical picture of mallet
      finger. 

PMID- 26498934
TI  - The extracranial to intracranial anastomotic channel through the parietal
      foramen: delineation with magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: Parietal foramina (PFs) are openings of fine canals that perforate the
      parietal bone. However, few studies have investigated the entire canals and their
      emissary vessels (EVs). Here, we explore the EVs with magnetic resonance imaging.
      METHODS: A total of 104 patients who underwent contrast examinations and
      exhibited an intact scalp, skull, dura mater, and superior sagittal sinus were
      enrolled in this study. Imaging data were obtained as thin-sliced, seamless
      sagittal sections and were transferred to a workstation for analysis. RESULTS: A
      total of 116 EVs passing through the PF and inner canals (parietal canal) were
      identified in 78 patients (75 %). All the EVs were found to perforate each layer
      of the parietal bone. Of 104 patients, 68 % exhibited one EV, 30 % two EVs, and 2
      % three EVs. In 85.3 %, the EV was entirely delineated in one sagittal slice,
      10.3 % were covered by two slices, and 4.3 % by three slices. In 68 %, the EV
      connected to the upper surface of the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) with variable
      courses from near-vertical to horizontal inclinations. CONCLUSIONS: EVs perforate
      the skull with variable inclinations, while showing a highly consistent course in
      the sagittal dimension. The PF and EV can be used as landmarks of the SSS lying
      immediately below.

PMID- 26498935
TI  - Forsythiaside A Exhibits Anti-inflammatory Effects in LPS-Stimulated BV2
      Microglia Cells Through Activation of Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling Pathway.
AB  - Inflammation and oxidative stress have been reported to play critical roles in
      the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease. Forsythiaside A, a
      phenylethanoside product isolated from air-dried fruits of Forsythia suspensa,
      has been reported to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. In this
      study, the anti-inflammatory effects of forsythiaside A on LPS-stimulated BV2
      microglia cells and primary microglia cells were investigated. The production of
      inflammatory mediators TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, NO and PGE2 were detected in this
      study. NF-kappaB, nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme
      oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression were detected by western blot analysis. Our results
      showed that forsythiaside A significantly inhibited LPS-induced inflammatory
      mediators TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, NO and PGE2 production. LPS-induced NF-kappaB
      activation was suppressed by forsythiaside A. Furthermore, forsythiaside A was
      found to up-regulate the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1. In conclusion, this study
      demonstrates that forsythiaside A inhibits LPS-induced inflammatory responses in
      BV2 microglia cells and primary microglia cells through inhibition of NF-kappaB
      activation and activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

PMID- 26498936
TI  - Attenuation of Acute Phase Injury in Rat Intracranial Hemorrhage by Cerebrolysin
      that Inhibits Brain Edema and Inflammatory Response.
AB  - The outcome of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is mainly determined by the volume
      of the hemorrhage core and the secondary brain damage to penumbral tissues due to
      brain swelling, microcirculation disturbance and inflammation. The present study
      aims to investigate the protective effects of cerebrolysin on brain edema and
      inhibition of the inflammation response surrounding the hematoma core in the
      acute stage after ICH. The ICH model was induced by administration of type VII
      bacterial collagenase into the stratum of adult rats, which were then randomly
      divided into three groups: ICH + saline; ICH + Cerebrolysin (5 ml/kg) and sham.
      Cerebrolysin or saline was administered intraperitoneally 1 h post surgery.
      Neurological scores, extent of brain edema content and Evans blue dye
      extravasation were recorded. The levels of pro-inflammatory factors (IL-1beta,
      TNF-alpha and IL-6) were assayed by Real-time PCR and Elisa kits. Aquaporin-4
      (AQP4) and tight junction proteins (TJPs; claudin-5, occludin and zonula occluden
      1) expression were measured at multiple time points. The morphological and
      intercellular changes were characterized by Electron microscopy. It is found that
      cerebrolysin (5 ml/kg) improved the neurological behavior and reduced the
      ipsilateral brain water content and Evans blue dye extravasation. After
      cerebrolysin treated, the levels of pro-inflammatory factors and AQP4 in the peri
      hematomal areas were markedly reduced and were accompanied with higher expression
      of TJPs. Electron microscopy showed the astrocytic swelling and concentrated
      chromatin in the ICH group and confirmed the cell junction changes. Thus, early
      cerebrolysin treatment ameliorates secondary injury after ICH and promotes
      behavioral performance during the acute phase by reducing brain edema,
      inflammatory response, and blood-brain barrier permeability.

PMID- 26498938
TI  - Atrial rhythm influences catheter tissue contact during radiofrequency catheter
      ablation of atrial fibrillation: comparison of contact force between sinus rhythm
      and atrial fibrillation.
AB  - Catheter tissue contact force (CF) is an important factor for durable lesion
      formation during radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) of atrial fibrillation
      (AF). Since CF varies in the beating heart, atrial rhythm during RFCA may
      influence CF. A high-density map and RFCA points were obtained in 25 patients
      undergoing RFCA of AF using a CF-sensing catheter (Tacticath, St. Jude Medical).
      The operators were blinded to the CF information. Contact type was classified
      into three categories: constant, variable, and intermittent contact. Average CF
      and contact type were analyzed according to atrial rhythm (SR vs. AF) and
      anatomical location. A total of 1364 points (891 points during SR and 473 points
      during AF) were analyzed. Average CFs showed no significant difference between SR
      (17.2 +/- 11.3 g) and AF (17.2 +/- 13.3 g; p = 0.99). The distribution of points
      with an average CF of >=20 and <10 g also showed no significant difference.
      However, the distribution of excessive CF (CF >=40 g) was significantly higher
      during AF (7.4 %) in comparison with SR (4.2 %; p < 0.05). At the anterior area
      of the right inferior pulmonary vein (RIPV), the average CF during AF was
      significantly higher than during SR (p < 0.05). Constant contact was
      significantly higher during AF (32.2 %) when compared to SR (9.9 %; p < 0.01).
      Although the average CF was not different between atrial rhythms, constant
      contact was more often achievable during AF than it was during SR. However,
      excessive CF also seems to occur more frequently during AF especially at the
      anterior part of RIPV. 

PMID- 26498939
TI  - Short- and long-term inhibition of cardiac inward-rectifier potassium channel
      current by an antiarrhythmic drug bepridil.
AB  - Bepridil is an effective antiarrhythmic drug on supraventricular and ventricular
      arrhythmias, and inhibitor of calmodulin. Recent investigations have been
      elucidating that bepridil exerts antiarrhythmic effects through its acute and
      chronic application for patients. The aim of this study was to identify the
      efficacy and the potential mechanism of bepridil on the inward-rectifier
      potassium channel in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes in acute- and long-term
      conditions. Bepridil inhibited inward-rectifier potassium current (I K1) as a
      short-term effect with IC50 of 17 MUM. Bepridil also reduced I K1 of neonatal
      cardiomyocytes when applied for 24 h in the culture medium with IC50 of 2.7 MUM.
      Both a calmodulin inhibitor (W-7) and an inhibitor of calmodulin-kinase II (KN93)
      reduced I K1 when applied for 24 h as a long-term effect in the same fashion,
      suggesting that the long-term application of bepridil inhibits I K1 more potently
      than that of the short-term application through the inhibition of calmodulin
      kinase II pathway in cardiomyocytes. 

PMID- 26498940
TI  - Body mass index is associated with prognosis in Japanese elderly patients with
      atrial fibrillation: an observational study from the outpatient clinic.
AB  - The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the prognosis of elderly
      patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is unknown. We aimed to examine the
      association of body weight with the clinical outcomes among Japanese elderly
      patients with a history of documented AF. This observational study of AF patients
      from an outpatients clinic in Nagoya University Hospital included 413 patients
      >=70 years old (99 obese: BMI >=25 kg/m(2); 256 normal weight: BMI 18.5-24.9
      kg/m(2); and 58 underweight patients: BMI <18.5 kg/m(2)). The mean age was 77.5
      +/- 5.6 years. During a mean follow-up of 19.0 months, all-cause death occurred
      in 23 patients (obese 1 %, normal weight 5.1 %, and underweight 16 %). The major
      adverse events including all-cause death, stroke or transient ischemic attack,
      heart failure requiring admission, and acute coronary syndrome were observed in
      53 patients (obese 5.1 %, normal weight 13 %, and underweight 26 %). After
      adjusting for confounding factors, the underweight group had a significantly
      greater risk for all-cause death [hazard ratio (HR) 2.91, 95 % confidence
      interval (CI) 1.12-7.60, p = 0.029], and major adverse events (HR 2.45, 95 % CI
      1.25-4.78, p = 0.009) than the normal weight group. In contrast, the obese group
      had a better prognosis in major adverse events compared with the normal weight
      group (HR 0.34, 95 % CI 0.13-0.89, p = 0.029). In conclusion, lower BMI was
      independently associated with poor outcomes among older AF patients. The
      association between obesity and better prognosis in elderly AF patients was also
      found. 

PMID- 26498941
TI  - Electrocardiographic changes associated with takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a
      patient with pre-existing left bundle branch block.
AB  - An 81-year-old man was referred to our emergency department with severe
      persistent chest pain. One year before presentation at our department, his 12
      lead electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed a normal QRS pattern during the period of
      normal conduction with intermittent left bundle branch block (LBBB). His ECG
      immediately after arrival showed deep T-wave inversion in the precordial leads
      during normal conduction. During LBBB, there was mild ST-segment elevation with
      poor R-wave progression across the precordial leads. Emergent cardiac
      catheterization was performed to rule out acute coronary syndrome. Coronary
      angiography showed no significant stenosis, and coronary spasm was not provoked
      by the administration of intracoronary ergonovine. Left ventriculography
      demonstrated persistent left ventricular apical akinesis with systolic
      ballooning. Based on these findings, the patient was diagnosed to have takotsubo
      cardiomyopathy (TCM). After 6 months, echocardiography demonstrated the recovery
      of the left ventricular regional wall motion abnormality. An ECG performed 6
      months after the presentation showed incomplete resolution of T-wave inversion in
      the periods of normal conduction. ST elevation and poor R-wave progression were
      improved during LBBB. In a case with acute chest pain and an ECG changes
      incompatible with acute ischemia superimposed on a pattern of LBBB, TCM should be
      considered as a differential diagnosis. 

PMID- 26498937
TI  - Temporal cardiac remodeling post-myocardial infarction: dynamics and prognostic
      implications in personalized medicine.
AB  - Despite dramatic improvements in short-term mortality rates following myocardial
      infarction (MI), long-term survival for MI patients who progress to heart failure
      remains poor. MI occurs when the left ventricle (LV) is deprived of oxygen for a
      sufficient period of time to induce irreversible necrosis of the myocardium. The
      LV response to MI involves significant tissue, cellular, and molecular level
      modifications, as well as substantial hemodynamic changes that feedback
      negatively to amplify the response. Inflammation to remove necrotic myocytes and
      fibroblast activation to form a scar are key wound healing responses that are
      highly variable across individuals. Few biomarkers of early remodeling stages are
      currently clinically adopted. The discovery of underlying pathophysiological
      mechanisms and associated novel biomarkers has the potential of improving
      prognostic capability and therapeutic monitoring. Combining these biomarkers with
      other prominent ones could constitute a powerful diagnostic and prognostic tool
      that directly reflects the pathophysiological remodeling of the LV. Understanding
      temporal remodeling at the tissue, cellular, and molecular level and its link to
      a well-defined set of biomarkers at early stages post-MI is a prerequisite for
      improving personalized care and devising more successful therapeutic
      interventions. Here we summarize the integral mechanisms that occur during early
      cardiac remodeling in the post-MI setting and highlight the most prominent
      biomarkers for assessing disease progression.

PMID- 26498942
TI  - Antioxidant Rescue of Selenomethionine-Induced Teratogenesis  in Zebrafish
      Embryos.
AB  - Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient that can be found at toxic
      concentrations in surface waters contaminated by runoff from agriculture and coal
      mining. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos were exposed to aqueous Se in the form of
      selenate, selenite, and l-selenomethionine (SeMet) in an attempt to determine if
      oxidative stress plays a role in selenium embryo toxicity. Selenate and selenite
      exposure did not induce embryo deformities (lordosis and craniofacial
      malformation). l-selenomethionine, however, induced significantly higher
      deformity rates at 100 ug/L compared with controls. SeMet exposure induced a dose
      dependent increase in the catalytic subunit of glutamate-cysteine ligase (gclc)
      and reached an 11.7-fold increase at 100 ug/L. SeMet exposure also reduced
      concentrations of TGSH, RGSH, and the TGSH:GSSG ratio. Pretreatment with 100 uM N
      acetylcysteine significantly reduced deformities in the zebrafish embryos
      secondarily treated with 400 ug/L SeMet from approximately 50-10 % as well as
      rescued all three of the significant glutathione level differences seen with
      SeMet alone. Selenite exposure induced a 6.6-fold increase in expression of the
      glutathione-S-transferase pi class 2 (gstp2) gene, which is involved in
      xenobiotic transformation and possibly oxidative stress. These results suggest
      that aqueous exposure to SeMet can induce significant embryonic teratogenesis in
      zebrafish that are at least partially attributed to oxidative stress.

PMID- 26498944
TI  - Light Chain Amyloidosis: Patient Experience Survey from the Amyloidosis Research
      Consortium.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Information detailing the experience of patients with light chain
      (AL) amyloidosis is lacking. The primary aim of this study was to gather data on
      the patient experience to understand the challenges in diagnosis and to gain
      insight into barriers to accessing appropriate care. METHODS: Patients with
      amyloidosis, family members, and caregivers were invited to participate in an
      online 16-question survey (available from January 29 to February 5, 2015).
      Participants with AL amyloidosis were sent an eight-question follow-up survey.
      RESULTS: The initial survey was completed by 533 participants (follow-up survey
      completed by 201 participants). AL amyloidosis was the most common diagnosis. For
      37.1% of respondents, the diagnosis of amyloidosis was not established until >= 1
      year after the onset of initial symptoms. Diagnosis was received after visits to
      1, 2, 3, 4, or >= 5 physicians by 7.6%, 23.5%, 20.3%, 16.8%, and 31.8% of
      respondents, respectively. Correct diagnosis was most often made by
      hematologists/oncologists (34.1%). Treatments included chemotherapy (63.1%) and
      stem cell transplantation (38.9%) and were difficult to tolerate for 54.1% of
      respondents. A significant number of respondents felt uninformed about clinical
      trials. Nevertheless, approximately half (46.1%) believed that enrolling in a
      trial would enhance their care. CONCLUSIONS: Establishing a diagnosis of
      amyloidosis is difficult. Current treatments are difficult to tolerate and do not
      substantially improve quality of life for most patients. There is an urgent need
      for well-tolerated therapies with clear treatment benefit. Patient awareness of
      clinical trials can be improved, especially given that respondents indicated high
      willingness to participate.

PMID- 26498943
TI  - Development of a Consensus Statement for the Definition, Diagnosis, and Treatment
      of Acute Exacerbations of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Using the Delphi
      Technique.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is a lack of agreed and established guidelines for the
      treatment of acute exacerbations of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (AE-IPF). This
      reflects, in part, the limited evidence-base underpinning the management of AE
      IPF. In the absence of high-quality evidence, the aim of this research was to
      develop a clinician-led consensus statement for the definition, diagnosis and
      treatment of AE-IPF. METHODS: A literature review was conducted to obtain
      published material on the definition and treatment of AE-IPF. The results of this
      review were circulated to an online panel of clinicians for review. Statements
      were then shared with ten expert respiratory clinicians who regularly treat
      patients with IPF. A Delphi technique was then used to develop a consensus
      statement for the definition, diagnosis and treatment of AE-IPF. During the first
      round of review, clinicians rated the clarity of each statement, the extent to
      which the statement should be included and provided comments. In two subsequent
      rounds of review, clinicians were provided with the group median inclusion rating
      for each statement, and any revised wording of statements to aid clarity.
      Clinicians were asked to repeat the clarity and inclusion ratings for the revised
      statements. RESULTS: The literature review, online panel discussion, and face-to
      face meeting generated 65 statements covering the definition, diagnosis, and
      management of AE-IPF. Following three rounds of blind review, 90% of clinicians
      agreed 39 final statements. These final statements included a definition of AE
      IPF, approach to diagnosis, and treatment options, specifically: supportive
      measures, use of anti-microbials, immunosuppressants, anti-coagulants, anti
      fibrotic therapy, escalation, transplant management, and long-term management
      including discharge planning. CONCLUSION: This clinician-led consensus statement
      establishes the 'best practice' for the management and treatment of AE-IPF based
      on current knowledge, evidence, and available treatments.

PMID- 26498945
TI  - Tobacco rattle virus 16K silencing suppressor binds ARGONAUTE 4 and inhibits
      formation of RNA silencing complexes.
AB  - The cysteine-rich 16K protein of tobacco rattle virus (TRV), the type member of
      the genus Tobravirus, is known to suppress RNA silencing. However, the mechanism
      of action of the 16K suppressor is not well understood. In this study, we used a
      GFP-based sensor strategy and an Agrobacterium-mediated transient assay in
      Nicotiana benthamiana to show that 16K was unable to inhibit the activity of
      existing small interfering RNA (siRNA)- and microRNA (miRNA)-programmed RNA
      induced silencing effector complexes (RISCs). In contrast, 16K efficiently
      interfered with de novo formation of miRNA- and siRNA-guided RISCs, thus
      preventing cleavage of target RNA. Interestingly, we found that transiently
      expressed endogenous miR399 and miR172 directed sequence-specific silencing of
      complementary sequences of viral origin. 16K failed to bind small RNAs, although
      it interacted with ARGONAUTE 4, as revealed by bimolecular fluorescence
      complementation and immunoprecipitation assays. Site-directed mutagenesis
      demonstrated that highly conserved cysteine residues within the N-terminal and
      central regions of the 16K protein are required for protein stability and/or RNA
      silencing suppression. 

PMID- 26498946
TI  - Subclinical Cushing's syndrome in patients with bilateral compared to unilateral
      adrenal incidentalomas: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature for studies
      that have investigated possible differences in the prevalence of subclinical
      Cushing's syndrome (SCS) and related clinical implications between patients with
      unilateral (UAI) and bilateral adrenal incidentalomas (BAI) and to meta-analyze
      the best evidence available. Electronic databases PubMed and EMBASE were
      systematically searched. Main study outcome was the prevalence of SCS in patients
      with UAI and BAI. Secondary outcomes were the prevalence of obesity, diabetes,
      glucose intolerance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and osteoporosis in patients
      with UAI and BAI. Risk differences (RD) or mean differences (MD) and 95 %
      confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Meta-analysis was conducted using
      Review Manager (RevMan 5.3). Six studies were included in the meta-analysis
      involving in total 1239 patients, 968 with UAI, and 271 with BAI. Patients with
      UAI had lower prevalence of SCS compared with those with BAI [RD (95 % CI) -0.13
      (-0.22 to -0.05), I (2) = 42 %]. The mass diameter of UAI did not differ from BAI
      (the size of the largest lesion) [MD (95 % CI) -0.45 (-1.09 to 0.19), I (2) = 91
      %]. The prevalence of obesity [MD (95 % CI) 0.42 (-0.53 to 1.37), I (2) = 4 %],
      diabetes [RD (95 % CI) -0.04 (-0.11 to 0.04), I (2) = 0 %], hypertension [RD (95
      % CI) 0.00 (-0.18 to 0.18), I (2) = 75 %], and dyslipidemia [RD (95 % CI) -0.02 (
      0.16 to 0.13), I (2) = 50 %] did not differ between UAI and BAI. The present meta
      analysis provided evidence that patients with BAI present a higher prevalence of
      SCS compared to patients with UAI.

PMID- 26498947
TI  - Comparison of in-plane and out-of-plane needle insertion with vs. without needle
      guidance.
AB  - PURPOSE: First comparison of two methods of needle insertion: long axis ("in
      plane") versus short axis ("out-of-plane") approach, each with and without a
      prototype needle guidance system (NGS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 24 medical
      students without prior experience punctured an ultrasound phantom (transparent
      except for the decklayer) in four conditions, with the goal of achieving as many
      accurate punctures as possible within a fixed time. RESULTS: Out-of-plane with
      NGS led to substantially more hits at first attempt than punctures without NGS (p
      < 0.001), as well as to a greater total number of hits (p = 0.004), and
      participants were faster to hit the target the first time (p = 0.009).
      CONCLUSIONS: Thus, navigation increases accuracy as well as efficiency of
      ultrasound guided punctures on the phantom. It could prove advantageous in
      clinical applications for fine needle biopsies, musculoskeletal injections,
      vascular access, and in regional anesthesia.

PMID- 26498948
TI  - Cochlear implantation for hearing rehabilitation in single-sided deafness after
      translabyrinthine vestibular schwannoma surgery.
AB  - The aim of the study was to investigate the option of cochlear implantation (CI)
      in resultant single-sided deafness associated with unilateral translabyrinthine
      resection of sporadic vestibular schwannoma (VS). This is a retrospective study
      performed at Tertiary Care Academic Centre. Following extensive counselling
      regarding the potential for delayed CI, translabyrinthine VS resection was
      performed and an intracochlear placeholder was inserted to allow later CI in 11
      patients who showed intraoperative microscopic confirmation of preserved cochlear
      nerve anatomy. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and promontory testing
      were performed 1 year after surgery to confirm the absence of VS recurrence and
      viable cochlea. Confirmed CI candidates underwent a second procedure where the
      placeholder was removed and the CI inserted (4/11). Preimplant unaided and CI
      aided evaluations at 12 and 24 months were performed for subjective and objective
      hearing outcomes. Tinnitus suppression was also measured for implant on and off
      effects. Available audiological data for three patients demonstrated significant
      hearing benefits for 'speech from deaf/implanted side, noise from the normal
      hearing side' in all three patients and localisation ability improved for 2/3
      patients. Subjective findings presented similar results. For the two patients
      with preimplant tinnitus, complete suppression occurred during active CI. CI is
      beneficial for hearing rehabilitation and tinnitus reduction in SSD patients with
      remaining viable cochlear nerve after translabyrinthine VS surgery. Counselling
      on the risks of intracochlear placeholder insertion and the inherent limitations
      for ongoing MRI investigations of VS recurrence is essential. 

PMID- 26498949
TI  - Intensity modulated perioperative HDR brachytherapy for recurrent and/or advanced
      head and neck metastases.
AB  - Recurrent neck metastases following surgery and full dose adjuvant radiotherapy
      of squamous cell head and neck cancer remain a clinical challenge. After revision
      neck dissection and chemotherapy re-irradiation dosage is often limited and
      survival prognosis deteriorates. Here, adjuvant high-dose rate intensity
      modulated perioperative brachytherapy (HDR IMBT) offers a second full radiation
      dose with a limited volume of normal tissue radiation in the neck. In this
      retrospective study patients were identified who underwent revision surgery and
      perioperative HDR IMBT for recurrent neck metastases. Survival rates were
      estimated and the scarce literature on interstitial brachytherapy of the neck was
      reviewed. From 2006 to 2014, nine patients were treated for recurrent or
      palliative neck metastases using salvage surgery and HDR IMBT. Eight patients
      received previous surgery and external beam radiotherapy with or without
      chemotherapy. Two and five year overall survival was calculated to be 78 and 67
      %, respectively. HDR IMBT is a salvage treatment option for selected cases in the
      neck following surgical revision or last-line treatment strategies. In the
      literature and this small cohort radiation toxicity and the risk of "carotid blow
      out" seemed to be low. 

PMID- 26498951
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA in the regulation of innate   immune responses.
AB  - Mitochondrion is known as the energy factory of the cell, which is also a unique
      mammalian organelle and considered to be evolved from aerobic prokaryotes more
      than a billion years ago. Mitochondrial DNA, similar to that of its bacterial
      ancestor's, consists of a circular loop and contains significant number of
      unmethylated DNA as CpG islands. The innate immune system plays an important role
      in the mammalian immune response. Recent research has demonstrated that
      mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) activates several innate immune pathways involving
      TLR9, NLRP3 and STING signaling, which contributes to the signaling platforms and
      results in effector responses. In addition to facilitating antibacterial immunity
      and regulating antiviral signaling, mounting evidence suggests that mtDNA
      contributes to inflammatory diseases following cellular damage and stress.
      Therefore, in addition to its well-appreciated roles in cellular metabolism and
      energy production,mtDNA appears to function as a key member in the innate immune
      system. Here, we highlight the emerging roles of mtDNA in innate immunity.

PMID- 26498950
TI  - Minor salivary gland carcinoma: a review of 35 cases.
AB  - Minor salivary gland carcinomas represent a heterogeneous group of tumors with
      broad variation in clinical appearance and histopathology. Clinical data of
      patients with small salivary gland malignancies were collected from the medical
      records. Tissue microarray was constructed to determine the expression pattern of
      24 proteins in 35 patients with minor salivary gland carcinomas. The choice of
      markers was based on involvement in neoangiogenesis, cell-to-cell contact, cell
      cycle regulation and carcinogenesis. Protein expression data were correlated to
      patients' clinical data. Overexpression of patched (p = 0.046) and Smo (p =
      0.032) was linked to a better overall survival and Glutathione S-transferase pi
      overexpression was linked to prolonged disease-free survival (p = 0.005). Cox-1
      (p = 0.035) and VEGFR2 (p = 0.009) were significantly linked to decreased
      survival for recurrent disease. Bcl-x (84 %), beta-catenin (87 %) and Cox-2 (87
      %) were significantly overexpressed in minor salivary gland carcinomas. We have
      shown that Smo resulted in a better overall survival, whereas Gstpi in improved
      disease-free survival. VEGFR2 was a prognostic factor for survival after
      recurrence in patients with minor salivary gland carcinomas. Cyclooxygenase
      inhibitors and anti-Wnt-1 antibodies might be a potential therapeutic option in
      an adjuvant setting or for patients with unresectable tumors of the minor
      salivary glands. 

PMID- 26498952
TI  - TH and DCX mRNAs in peripheral blood and bone marrow predict outcome in
      metastatic neuroblastoma patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: In metastatic neuroblastoma (NB) patients, accurate risk stratification
      and disease monitoring would reduce relapse probabilities. This study aims to
      evaluate the independent prognostic significance of detecting tyrosine
      hydroxylase (TH) and doublecortin (DCX) mRNAs by reverse transcriptase
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in peripheral blood (PB) and
      bone marrow (BM) samples from metastatic NB patients. PROCEDURES: RT-qPCR was
      performed on PB and BM samples from metastatic NB patients at diagnosis, post
      induction therapy and at the end of treatment for TH and DCX mRNAs detection.
      RESULTS: High levels of TH and DCX mRNAs when detected in PB and BM at diagnosis
      independently predicted worse outcome in a cohort of 162 metastatic NB. In the
      subgroup of high-risk metastatic NB, TH mRNA detected in PB remained as
      independent predictor of EFS and OS at diagnosis. After the induction therapy,
      high levels of TH mRNA in PB and DCX mRNA in BM independently predicted poor EFS
      and OS. Furthermore TH mRNA when detected in BM predicted worse EFS. TH mRNA in
      PB samples at the end of treatment is an independent predictor of worse outcome.
      CONCLUSION: TH and DCX mRNAs levels in PB and BM assessed by RT-qPCR should be
      considered in new pre-treatment risk stratification strategies to reliable
      estimate outcome differences in metastatic NB patients. In those high-risk
      metastatic NB, TH and DCX mRNA quantification could be used for the assessment of
      response to treatment and for early detection of progressive disease or relapses.

PMID- 26498953
TI  - Changes in chlamydia control activities in Europe between 2007 and 2012: a cross
      national survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2012, the levels of chlamydia control activities including primary
      prevention, effective case management with partner management and surveillance
      were assessed in 2012 across countries in the European Union and European
      Economic Area (EU/EEA), on initiative of the European Centre for Disease Control
      (ECDC) survey, and the findings were compared with those from a similar survey in
      2007. METHODS: Experts in the 30 EU/EEA countries were invited to respond to an
      online questionnaire; 28 countries responded, of which 25 participated in both
      the 2007 and 2012 surveys. Analyses focused on 13 indicators of chlamydia
      prevention and control activities; countries were assigned to one of five
      categories of chlamydia control. RESULTS: In 2012, more countries than in 2007
      reported availability of national chlamydia case management guidelines (80% vs.
      68%), opportunistic chlamydia testing (68% vs. 44%) and consistent use of nucleic
      acid amplification tests (64% vs. 36%). The number of countries reporting having
      a national sexually transmitted infection control strategy or a surveillance
      system for chlamydia did not change notably. In 2012, most countries (18/25, 72%)
      had implemented primary prevention activities and case management guidelines
      addressing partner management, compared with 44% (11/25) of countries in 2007.
      CONCLUSION: Overall, chlamydia control activities in EU/EEA countries
      strengthened between 2007 and 2012. Several countries still need to develop
      essential chlamydia control activities, whereas others may strengthen
      implementation and monitoring of existing activities.

PMID- 26498954
TI  - Modelling the cost-effectiveness of impact-absorbing flooring in Swedish
      residential care facilities.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Fall-related injuries among the elderly, specifically hip fractures,
      cause significant morbidity and mortality as well as imposing a substantial
      financial cost on the health care system. Impact-absorbing flooring has been
      advocated as an effective method for preventing hip fractures resulting from
      falls. This study identifies the cost-effectiveness of impact-absorbing flooring
      compared to standard flooring in residential care facilities for the elderly in a
      Swedish setting. METHOD: An incremental cost-effectiveness analysis was performed
      comparing impact-absorbing flooring to standard flooring using a Markov decision
      model. A societal perspective was adopted and incremental costs were compared to
      incremental gains in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Data on costs,
      probability transitions and health-related quality of life measures were
      retrieved from the published literature and from Swedish register data.
      Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed through a Monte Carlo
      simulation. RESULTS: The base-case analysis indicates that the impact-absorbing
      flooring reduces costs and increases QALYs. When allowing for uncertainty we find
      that 60% of the simulations indicate that impact-absorbing flooring is cost
      saving compared to standard flooring and an additional 20% that it has a cost per
      QALY below a commonly used threshold value CONCLUSIONS: : Using a modelling
      approach, we find that impact-absorbing flooring is a dominant strategy at the
      societal level considering that it can save resources and improve health in a
      vulnerable population.

PMID- 26498955
TI  - Tobacco use among prison staff in Germany: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies on tobacco in the prison environment report high prevalence
      of use among detainees, but little data regarding staff are available. An
      observational study addressing tobacco control in German prisons was conducted in
      2011. It involved multiple strands (quantitative and qualitative components) both
      among detainees and staff. This article presents quantitative results regarding
      staff. METHODS: Cross-sectional study among prison employees in 16 different
      institutions in nine regions (Lander) in Germany. Tobacco use and second-hand
      smoke (SHS) exposure (primary outcomes) were assessed by a questionnaire designed
      specifically. Logistic regression models were used to assess the risk factors
      associated with each outcome. RESULTS: Among 704 participants (60.6% male, mean
      age 43.9 years +/- 9.33), 27.7% are smokers and 68% declared to be exposed to
      SHS. Independent factors associated with smoking were female gender [odds ratio
      (OR) 1.49,P= 0.026], an age below 45 years (OR 1.35,P= 0.08) and working in areas
      other than administration (ORP= 0.08). An age below 45 was associated with a
      higher degree of self-reported SHS exposure. The association between SHS and
      gender was different depending on occupational area with significantly more men
      exposed to SHS in administrative area and more women in health/social area
      (interaction between gender and occupational area,P= 0.02). CONCLUSION:
      Importance of SHS exposure among prison employees and confirm the need for a
      comprehensive tobacco control policy including support to smoking cessation and
      better enforcement of the smoke-free regulation, especially where staff
      contributes to SHS. Particular attention has to be given to female employees.

PMID- 26498956
TI  - Shortened version of the work ability index to identify workers at risk of long
      term sickness absence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Work Ability Index (WAI) identifies non-sicklisted workers at
      risk of future long-term sickness absence (LTSA). The WAI is a complicated
      instrument and inconvenient for use in large-scale surveys. We investigated
      whether shortened versions of the WAI identify non-sicklisted workers at risk of
      LTSA. METHODS: Prospective study including two samples of non-sicklisted workers
      participating in occupational health checks between 2010 and 2012. A
      heterogeneous development sample (N= 2899) was used to estimate logistic
      regression coefficients for the complete WAI, a shortened WAI version without the
      list of diseases, and single-item Work Ability Score (WAS). These three
      instruments were calibrated for predictions of different (>=2, >=4 and >=6 weeks)
      LTSA durations in a validation sample of non-sicklisted workers (N= 3049)
      employed at a steel mill, differentiating between manual (N= 1710) and non-manual
      (N= 1339) workers. The discriminative ability was investigated by receiver
      operating characteristic analysis. RESULTS: All three instruments under-predicted
      the LTSA risks in both manual and non-manual workers. The complete WAI
      discriminated between individuals at high and low risk of LTSA >=2, >=4 and >=6
      weeks in manual and non-manual workers. Risk predictions and discrimination by
      the shortened WAI without the list of diseases were as good as the complete WAI.
      The WAS showed poorer discrimination in manual and non-manual workers.
      CONCLUSIONS: The WAI without the list of diseases is a good alternative to the
      complete WAI to identify non-sicklisted workers at risk of future LTSA durations
      >=2, >=4 and >=6 weeks.

PMID- 26498957
TI  - Jasmonic acid involves in grape fruit ripening and resistant  against Botrytis
      cinerea.
AB  - Fruit ripening is a complex process that is regulated by a signal network.
      Whereas the regulatory mechanism of abscisic acid has been studied extensively in
      non-climacteric fruit, little is know about other signaling pathways involved in
      this process. In this study, we performed that plant hormone jasmonic acid plays
      an important role in grape fruit coloring and softening by increasing the
      transcription levels of several ripening-related genes, such as the color-related
      genes PAL1, DFR, CHI, F3H, GST, CHS, and UFGT; softening-related genes PG, PL,
      PE, Cell, EG1, and XTH1; and aroma-related genes Ecar, QR, and EGS. Lastly, the
      fruit anthocyanin, phenol, aroma, and cell wall materials were changed. Jasmonic
      acid positively regulated its biosynthesis pathway genes LOS, AOS, and 12
      oxophytodienoate reductase (OPR) and signal pathway genes COI1 and JMT. RNA
      interference of grape jasmonic acid pathway gene VvAOS in strawberry fruit
      appeared fruit un-coloring phenotypes; exogenous jasmonic acid rescued this
      phenotypes. On the contrary, overexpression of grape jasmonic acid receptor
      VvCOI1 in the strawberry fruit accelerated the fruit-ripening process and induced
      some plant defense-related gene expression level. Furthermore, jasmonic acid
      treatment or strong jasmonic acid signal pathway in strawberry fruit make the
      fruit resistance against Botrytis cinerea.

PMID- 26498958
TI  - Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection With Arthroscopic Acromioplasty for Chronic
      Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been proposed to augment tendon
      healing through improving tissue structure during the initial repair phase.
      PURPOSE: To investigate both the clinical and tissue effects of the coapplication
      of PRP injection with arthroscopic acromioplasty (AA) in patients with chronic
      rotator cuff tendinopathy. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial; Level of
      evidence, 1. METHODS: The study comprised 60 randomized patients diagnosed with
      rotator cuff tendinopathy (55% women) aged between 35 and 75 years. Patients were
      randomized to AA alone or in combination with an injection of autologous PRP into
      the subacromial bursa (AA + PRP). Efficacy of treatment was assessed by analysis
      of patient-reported outcomes up to 2 years after treatment (Oxford Shoulder Score
      [OSS]) and by analysis of tendon biopsy specimens taken 12 weeks after treatment.
      RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the OSS between AA alone and AA +
      PRP at any time point in the study. From 12 weeks onward, there was a significant
      increase in the OSS for both groups compared with their baseline scores (P <
      .001). Bonar scoring determined no significant change in tissue structure with
      the coapplication of PRP compared with surgery alone. The number of blood vessels
      and tendon cellularity were significantly decreased in tissue biopsy specimens
      taken from PRP-treated patients. The expression of p53-positive apoptotic cells
      increased after AA + PRP but decreased after AA alone. CONCLUSION: Arthroscopic
      acromioplasty significantly improves long-term clinical outcomes up to 2 years.
      The coapplication of PRP did not affect clinical outcomes. PRP significantly
      alters the tissue characteristics in tendons after surgery with reduced
      cellularity and vascularity and increased levels of apoptosis. CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: The coapplication of PRP did not improve clinical outcomes and may
      have potential deleterious effects on healing tendons. REGISTRY NUMBER: ISRCTN
      10464365.

PMID- 26498959
TI  - Micheli Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Skeletally Immature Youths:
      A Retrospective Case Series With a Mean 3-Year Follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The management of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears in the
      skeletally immature patient remains controversial. Outcomes on a physeal-sparing
      technique using the iliotibial band for combined intra-articular and extra
      articular ACL reconstruction, called the Micheli technique, have been described
      and reported by the original authors. PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical outcomes
      of a physeal-sparing technique using the iliotibial band for combined intra
      articular and extra-articular ACL reconstruction. STUDY DESIGN: Case series;
      Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: Between 2005 and 2011, all patients who underwent
      Micheli ACL reconstruction performed by a single surgeon were identified. A
      minimum of 3 years' growth remaining was a prerequisite for Micheli
      reconstruction. Patients were excluded if postoperative follow-up was less than 1
      year. Patients were evaluated for functional outcomes, satisfaction, graft
      survival, radiographic and clinical evidence of growth disturbance, and the need
      for additional procedures. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (22 knees) met the
      inclusion criteria for this study. The mean age at the time of surgery was 11.8
      years (range, 9.9-14.0 years). All patients were male. There were 4 concomitant
      meniscal repairs and 5 partial meniscectomies performed. All patients (100%)
      completed follow-up at a mean duration of 3.0 years (range, 1.0-6.9 years).
      Overall, 6 knees (27%) underwent reoperation. Of these, 3 knees (14%) underwent
      revision ACL surgery: 2 revision reconstructions at 2.8 and 4.0 years
      postoperatively and 1 graft shrinkage at 4.7 months postoperatively. Three knees
      (14%) underwent subsequent meniscal procedures, including 2 partial
      meniscectomies and 1 meniscal repair. Of the 19 knees that did not require
      revision ACL surgery, the median patient satisfaction score was 10 (range, 9-10).
      The mean Pediatric International Knee Documentation Committee score was 96.5 +/-
      2.9, and the mean Lysholm score was 95.0 +/- 6.1. The median preinjury Tegner
      activity level was 8 (range, 6-10), and the median postoperative Tegner activity
      level was 8 (range, 6-10). Of the 19 knees that did not require revision ACL
      surgery, all had a normal Lachman test result, with a firm endpoint and normal
      pivot shift. At follow-up, 53% of knees had closed physes. There were no angular
      deformities or limb-length discrepancies. CONCLUSION: At a mean 3-year follow-up,
      the study findings confirmed excellent functional outcomes, a low ACL revision
      rate, and no growth disturbances. Patients returned to their preoperative
      activity level after reconstruction. This procedure offers a safe and effective
      ACL reconstruction option in children with several years of growth remaining.

PMID- 26498960
TI  - Electrical Changes in Resting, Exercise, and Holter Electrocardiography in Fabry
      Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Fabry cardiomyopathy, little is known about the interaction
      between its key feature of myocardial replacement fibrosis and changes in
      resting, Holter, and exercise electrocardiography (-ECG). METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Resting ECG, 24-h Holter ECG, and exercise ECG were performed in 95 patients (50
      women) with Fabry disease, staged using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to
      measure left ventricular fibrosis. With resting ECG, T alterations were seen in
      patients with cardiac fibrosis, while time intervals and rhythm were unchanged
      (except for a longer QRS duration in patients with severe fibrosis). All patients
      with severe fibrosis showed T inversion, ST alteration, or both. With Holter ECG,
      maximum and minimum heart rate did not differ with fibrosis severity. Patients
      without fibrotic tissue showed less ventricular premature beats (VPB) (median
      5/24 h) compared to those with mild (median 11/24 h) or severe fibrosis (median
      115/24 h; P < 0.05, respectively). Fibrosis was a strong predictor of VPB burden
      (r 2 = 0.5; P < 0.001). During exercise, patients with severe fibrosis had the
      least increase in systolic blood pressure (sBP) (47 +/- 22 mmHg vs. 62 +/- 25
      mmHg, P < 0.05) and the lowest maximum heart rate (113 +/- 18/min; P < 0.05).
      Patients with mild fibrosis had a high sBP during exercise (198 +/- 37 mmHg; P <
      0.05). Decreased diastolic blood pressure (>10 mmHg) occurred in some patients
      with no (3/41) or mild fibrosis (3/34) but not in patients with severe fibrosis
      (0/20; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that cardiac replacement fibrosis
      is responsible for repolarization abnormalities on resting ECG and increased VPB
      with Holter ECG. During exercise ECG, advanced cardiomyopathy is characterized by
      chronotropic incompetence with limitations on blood pressure and heart rate
      increase.

PMID- 26498961
TI  - Key factors in children's competence to consent to clinical research.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although law is established on a strong presumption that persons
      younger than a certain age are not competent to consent, statutory age limits for
      asking children's consent to clinical research differ widely internationally.
      From a clinical perspective, competence is assumed to involve many factors
      including the developmental stage, the influence of parents and peers, and life
      experience. We examined potential determining factors for children's competence
      to consent to clinical research and to what extent they explain the variation in
      competence judgments. METHODS: From January 1, 2012 through January 1, 2014,
      pediatric patients aged 6 to 18 years, eligible for clinical research studies
      were enrolled prospectively at various in- and outpatient pediatric departments.
      Children's competence to consent was assessed by MacArthur Competence Assessment
      Tool for Clinical Research. Potential determining child variables included age,
      gender, intelligence, disease experience, ethnicity and socio-economic status
      (SES). We used logistic regression analysis and change in explained variance in
      competence judgments to quantify the contribution of a child variable to the
      total explained variance. Contextual factors included risk and complexity of the
      decision to participate, parental competence judgment and the child's or parents
      decision to participate. RESULTS: Out of 209 eligible patients, 161 were included
      (mean age, 10.6 years, 47.2 % male). Age, SES, intelligence, ethnicity,
      complexity, parental competence judgment and trial participation were
      univariately associated with competence (P < 0.05). Total explained variance in
      competence judgments was 71.5 %. Only age and intelligence significantly and
      independently explained the variance in competence judgments, explaining 56.6 %
      and 12.7 % of the total variance respectively. SES, male gender, disease
      experience and ethnicity each explained less than 1 % of the variance in
      competence judgments. Contextual factors together explained an extra 2.8 % (P >
      0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Age is the factor that explaines most of to the variance in
      children's competence to consent, followed by intelligence. Experience with
      disease did not affect competence in this study, nor did other variables.
      CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Development and use of a standardized instrument for
      assessing children's competence to consent in drug trials: Are legally
      established age limits valid?, NTR3918.

PMID- 26498962
TI  - Oxidative degradation of diclofenac by thermally activated persulfate:
      implication for ISCO.
AB  - Diclofenac (DCF), one of the typically recalcitrant pharmaceuticals, has been
      frequently detected in groundwater in recent years. This work investigated the
      performance of DCF degradation by thermally activated persulfate (PS) to further
      understand its application in in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) for DCF
      contaminated groundwater. The effects of various factors, including activation
      temperature, solution pH, PS/DCF ratio, and common constitutes, e.g., HCO3(-),
      Cl(-) and humic acid, and the toxicity of transformation products were evaluated.
      The results indicated that the oxidation of DCF was well-fitted with a pseudo
      first-order kinetic model, and the rate constants increased with the elevated
      temperatures. The rate constants from 50-70  degrees C were further fitted to the
      Arrhenius equation, yielding an activation energy of 157.63 kJ.mol(-1). In
      addition, the oxidation of DCF was highly pH-dependent, with the rate constants
      rapidly decreased from pH 5 to 7, then slightly increased at the alkaline pH. The
      presence of a low dosage of Cl(-)(0-10 mM) promoted the degradation of DCF,
      whereas high Cl(-) addition (>10 mM) inhibited DCF degradation. HCO3(-) exhibited
      a negligible effect on DCF removal, while natural organic matters, e.g., humic
      acids, lightly inhibited DCF degradation. The rapid degradation of DCF was also
      confirmed in the real groundwater sample, which might be attributed to the pH
      drop during the reaction. Moreover, the radical quenching experiments revealed
      that sulfate radicals (SO4.-)) was the dominant reactive species for DCF
      oxidation. Finally, the acute toxicity of the DCF solution, as tested with a
      bioluminescent assay, was gradually decreased during the reaction, indicating
      that a thermally activated PS oxidation was a promising alternative approach for
      DCF-contaminated groundwater remediation.

PMID- 26498963
TI  - Development and applications of a DNA labeling method  with magnetic
      nanoparticles to study the role of horizontal gene  transfer events between
      bacteria in soil pollutant  bioremediation processes.
AB  - Horizontal gene transfers are critical mechanisms of bacterial evolution and
      adaptation that are involved to a significant level in the degradation of toxic
      molecules such as xenobiotic pesticides. However, understanding how these
      mechanisms are regulated in situ and how they could be used by man to increase
      the degradation potential of soil microbes is compromised by conceptual and
      technical limitations. This includes the physical and chemical complexity and
      heterogeneity in such environments leading to an extreme bacterial taxonomical
      diversity and a strong redundancy of genes and functions. In addition, more than
      99 % of soil bacteria fail to develop colonies in vitro, and even new DNA-based
      investigation methods (metagenomics) are not specific and sensitive enough to
      consider lysis recalcitrant bacteria and those belonging to the rare biosphere.
      The objective of the ANR funded project "Emergent" was to develop a new culture
      independent approach to monitor gene transfer among soil bacteria by labeling
      plasmid DNA with magnetic nanoparticles in order to specifically capture and
      isolate recombinant cells using magnetic microfluidic devices. We showed the
      feasibility of the approach by using electrotransformation to transform a
      suspension of Escherichia coli cells with biotin-functionalized plasmid DNA
      molecules linked to streptavidin-coated superparamagnetic nanoparticles. Our
      results have demonstrated that magnetically labeled cells could be specifically
      retained on micromagnets integrated in a microfluidic channel and that an
      efficient selective separation can be achieved with the microfluidic device.
      Altogether, the project offers a promising alternative to traditional culture
      based approaches for deciphering the extent of horizontal gene transfer events
      mediated by electro or natural genetic transformation mechanisms in complex
      environments such as soil.

PMID- 26498964
TI  - Application of veterinary antibiotics in China's aquaculture industry and their
      potential human health risks.
AB  - China contributes to more than 60 % of the global aquaculture production, and its
      aquaculture industry has become one of the main players in food security. A large
      amount of antibiotics is believed to be used in fish cultivation for ensuring
      adequate production. The use of antibiotics as disease control agents and growth
      promoter in aquaculture in China has raised significant concerns recently because
      of the potential threats to human health. The extensive use of antibiotics in
      aquaculture may result in water and sediment contamination and the development of
      antibiotic resistance genes. In this review, the role of aquaculture in
      antibiotic contamination of the environment as well as the emerging concern of
      antibiotic resistance genes in China is discussed. Based on this review, it has
      been concluded that more information regarding the types and quantities of
      antibiotics used by Chinese fish farmers is required. Studies about the
      contribution of antibiotic usage in aquaculture to environmental levels in
      surface water, their potential risks on environment and human health, and the
      existence and spread of antibiotic resistance genes in aquaculture are needed.

PMID- 26498965
TI  - Inoculation of paperboard mill sludge versus mixed culture bacteria for hydrogen
      production from paperboard mill wastewater.
AB  - A comparative evaluation of paperboard mill sludge (PMS) versus mixed culture
      bacteria (MCB) as inoculum for hydrogen production from paperboard mill
      wastewater (PMW) was investigated. The experiments were conducted at different
      initial cultivation pHs, inoculums to substrate ratios (ISRs gVS/gCOD), and
      hydraulic retention times (HRTs). The peak hydrogen yield (HY) of 5.29 +/- 0.16
      and 1.22 +/- 0.11 mmol/gCODinitial was occurred at pH = 5 for MCB and PMS,
      respectively. At pH of 5, the HY and COD removal achieved the highest values of
      2.26 +/- 0.14 mmol/gCODinitial and 86 +/- 1.6% at ISR = 6 for MCB, and 2.38 +/-
      0.25 mmol/gCODinitial and 60.4 +/- 2.5% at ISRs = 3 for PMS. The maximum hydrogen
      production rate was 93.75 +/- 8.9 mmol/day at HRT = 9.6 h from continuous upflow
      anaerobic reactor inoculated with MCB. Meanwhile, the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA)
      gene fragments indicated a dominance of a novel hydrogen-producing bacterium of
      Stenotrophomonas maltophilia for PMS microbial community. On the other hand,
      Escherichia fergusonii and Enterobacter hormaechei were the predominant species
      for MCB.

PMID- 26498966
TI  - Uptake of polybrominated diphenyl ethers by carrot and lettuce crops grown in
      compost-amended soils.
AB  - The uptake of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) by carrot and lettuce was
      investigated. Degradation of PBDEs in soil in the absence of the plants was
      discarded. Different carrot (Nantesa and Chantenay) and lettuce (Batavia Golden
      Spring and Summer Queen) varieties were grown in fortified or contaminated
      compost-amended soil mixtures under greenhouse conditions. After plant
      harvesting, roots (core and peel) and leaves were analyzed separately for carrot,
      while for lettuce, leaves and hearts were analyzed together. The corresponding
      bioconcentration factors (BCFs) were calculated. In carrots, a concentration
      gradient of 2,2',3,4,4',5'-hexabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-138) became evident that
      decreased from the root peel via root core to the leaves. For decabromodiphenyl
      ether (BDE-209) at the low concentration level (7 and 20 ng g(-1)), the leaves
      incorporated the highest concentration of the target substance. For lettuce, a
      decrease in the BCF value (from 0.24 to 0.02) was observed the higher the octanol
      water partition coefficient, except in the case of BDE-183 (BCF = 0.51) and BDE
      209 (BCF values from 0.41 to 0.74). Significant influence of the soils and crop
      varieties on the uptake could not be supported. Metabolic debromination,
      hydroxylation or methylation of the target PBDEs in the soil-plant system was not
      observed.

PMID- 26498967
TI  - Quinolone co-resistance in ESBL- or AmpC-producing Escherichia coli from an
      Indian urban aquatic environment and their public health implications.
AB  - Quinolone and beta-lactam antibiotics constitute major mainstay of treatment
      against infections caused by pathogenic Escherichia coli. Presence of E. coli
      strains expressing co-resistance to both these antibiotic classes in urban
      aquatic environments which are consistently being used for various anthropogenic
      activities represents a serious public health concern. From a heterogeneous
      collection of 61 E. coli strains isolated from the river Yamuna traversing
      through the National Capital Territory of Delhi (India), those harboring blaCTX-M
      15 (n = 10) or blaCMY-42 (n = 2) were investigated for co-resistance to
      quinolones and the molecular mechanisms thereof. Resistance was primarily
      attributed to amino acid substitutions in the quinolone resistance-determining
      regions (QRDRs) of GyrA (S83L +/- D87N) and ParC (S80I +/- E84K). One of the E.
      coli strains, viz., IPE, also carried substitutions in GyrB and ParE at positions
      Ser492->Asn and Ser458->Ala, respectively. The phenotypically susceptible strains
      nevertheless carried plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) gene, viz.,
      qnrS, which showed co-transfer to the recipient quinolone-sensitive E. coli J53
      along with the genes encoding beta-lactamases and led to increase in minimal
      inhibitory concentrations of quinolone antibiotics. To the best of our knowledge,
      this represents first report of molecular characterization of quinolone co
      resistance in E. coli harboring genes for ESBLs or AmpC beta-lactamases from a
      natural aquatic environment of India. The study warrants true appreciation of the
      potential of urban aquatic environments in the emergence and spread of multi-drug
      resistance and underscores the need to characterize resistance genetic elements
      vis-a-vis their public health implications, irrespective of apparent phenotypic
      resistance.

PMID- 26498970
TI  - Presented Abstracts from the Thirty Fourth Annual Education Conference of the
      National Society of Genetic Counselors (Pittsburgh, PA, October 2015).

PMID- 26498968
TI  - Accumulation of heavy metals and As in liver, hair, femur, and lung of Persian
      jird (Meriones persicus) in Darreh Zereshk copper mine, Iran.
AB  - Rodents frequently serve as bioindicator to monitor the quality of the
      environment. Concentrations of 11 elements (Cd, Co, Ti, Fe, Mn, Cu, Sb, As, Sr,
      Ni, and Cr) were investigated and compared in liver, hair, femur, and lung of the
      Persian jird (Meriones persicus) from Darreh Zereshk copper mine, Iran. Metals
      were determined in different tissues of 39 individuals of Persian jird, collected
      by snap trap in 2014 from five areas of Darreh Zereshk copper mine. Samples were
      prepared by wet digestion method, and the contents of elements were analyzed with
      ICP-OES (VARIAN, 725-ES) instrument. Cadmium, Sb, and Co were below the limit of
      detection, and Mn and As were found only in hair and liver tissues. We detected
      the highest concentration of Cu, As, Ti, Fe, Mn, Cr, and Ni in hair in comparison
      with other tissues. Significant higher levels of Ti in femur and hair; Fe in
      liver and hair; Mn in liver; As in hair; Sr in lung; Cr in lung, hair, femur, and
      liver; Cu in femur; and Ni in liver and lung tissues were observed in females.
      Nearly all element concentrations in the tissues of Persian jird from flotation
      site, Darreh Zereshk and Hasan Abad villages and leaching site (mining areas)
      were higher than those from tailing dump site (reference site). We found the
      highest concentrations of As in liver and hair; Ni and Cr in liver, hair, and
      lung; and Sr in lung and hair tissues of Persian jird in leaching site. We tried
      to specify the status of elements before fully exploitation of Darreh Zereshk
      copper mine by using bioindicator species. Based on our achievements, initial
      activities did not strongly pollute the surrounded environment of the mine. The
      high abundance of Persian jird as well as their several proper features makes
      them a suitable species for biomonitoring programs especially for further studies
      will be performed after full exploitation of Darreh Zereshk copper mine. 

PMID- 26498969
TI  - Soybean plant growth study conducted using purified protein  hydrolysate-based
      fertilizer made from chrome-tanned leather  waste.
AB  - Leather processing discharges enormous amount of chrome containing leather solid
      waste which creates a major disposal problem. Chrome-tanned leather solid waste
      is a complex of collagen and chromium. The presence of chromium limits protein
      application in fertilizer industry. The purified protein hydrolysate with zero
      chromium could be used as a nitrogen source for fertilizer formulation. In this
      study, an attempt has been made to employ purified protein hydrolysate derived
      from chrome-tanned leather shavings (CTLS) in formulation of fertilizer. The
      formulated fertilizer (1-3 t ha(-1)) is employed as nitrogen source in production
      of soybean. Plant growth study demonstrates that formulated fertilizer dosage 3 t
      ha(-1) produced similar effects of commercial fertilizer-treated plants.
      Application of formulated fertilizer yielded higher seed in plant than commercial
      fertilizer.

PMID- 26498971
TI  - Development, Experience, and Expression of Meaning in Genetic Counselors' Lives:
      an Exploratory Analysis.
AB  - Genetic counselors routinely engage with patients and families who grapple with
      questions of meaning while making decisions about genetic risk. Research and
      theory demonstrate genetic counselors gain important personal insights through
      their work and develop professionally from self-reflective practice regarding
      their beliefs and values. Data are lacking, however, about the nature of the
      meaning genetic counselors bring to their profession and how they directly
      experience and/or navigate issues of meaning within clinical practice over time.
      Accordingly, a national sample (N = 298) of practicing genetic counselors
      completed a brief survey assessing their demographic characteristics and
      willingness to participate in a semi-structured telephone interview exploring
      their views on meaning as they relate to their clinical work and professional
      development. Sixty-eight individuals of varied experience levels were interviewed
      about: 1) how they define a meaningful life for themselves; 2) lifetime sources
      of influence on their sense of meaning; 3) how they experience meaning within
      both personal and professional contexts; 4) work-related contexts that reaffirm
      and challenge their sense of meaning; and 5) how their sense of meaning has
      changed over time. Twenty-five interviews were analyzed using Consensual
      Qualitative Research methods, at which point, data saturation was reached. Five
      themes, 32 domains, and 29 categories were extracted. Common findings include:
      importance of satisfying relationships; helping others; personal fulfillment;
      personal and patient experiences of illness and loss; religious and/or spiritual
      foundations; value conflicts; competing obligations; challenges to meaning;
      development of empathy; resiliency; and increased humility. Results suggest the
      importance of professional venues for discussions of meaning (e.g., genetic
      counseling program curricula, continuing education, and peer
      supervision/consultation). Additional findings, practice implications, and
      research recommendations are presented.

PMID- 26498973
TI  - Objective assessment of Myringotomy and tympanostomy tube insertion: A
      prospective single-blinded validation study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Despite the transition to competency-based education in
      surgery, few standardized assessment tools exist in otolaryngology training. In
      particular, myringotomy and tympanostomy tube insertion (M+T) is a common
      surgical procedure with few validated assessment tools available. Our objectives
      were to develop an objective structured assessment of operative skills in M+T and
      to provide validity evidence for the developed assessment tool within
      otolaryngology training. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study involving the evaluation
      of an assessment tool. METHODS: Through consultation with a panel of experts in
      otolaryngology and medical education we developed a Task-Specific Checklist and
      Global Rating Scale for M+T. Postgraduate year 2 junior residents, postgraduate
      year 3 senior residents, and attending otolaryngologists were video recorded
      performing M+T at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. The videos were
      subsequently reviewed and independently evaluated by three blinded raters from an
      unaffiliated academic institution. RESULTS: The average score of junior
      residents, senior residents, and attending otolaryngologists using the Task
      Specific Checklist was 21.7/30 (+/-7.1), 26.3/30 (+/-3.5), and 27.3/30 (+/-6.2),
      respectively (P = .04). For the Global Rating Scale, the scores for junior
      residents, senior residents, and attending surgeons were 27.7/50 (+/-11.2),
      34.5/50 (+/-9.5), and 45.1/50 (+/-4.6), respectively (P < .001). The inter-rater
      and intrarater reliability were both above 0.88. CONCLUSIONS: The Task-Specific
      Checklist and Global Rating Scale for M+T appear reliable, with validity evidence
      supporting their use in otolaryngology training. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA
      Laryngoscope, 126:2140-2146, 2016.

PMID- 26498974
TI  - Scanning Electrospray Microscopy with Nanopipets.
AB  - Electrospray from nanopipets is used to realize scanning electrospray microscopy
      (SESM). This technique provides an ambient, noncontact method to investigate
      surface topography with distance dependence of electrospray current as feedback
      for imaging. SESM approach curves, line scans, and images are reported. Salt
      deposition on the sample surface from SESM is also characterized. 

PMID- 26498972
TI  - Nanoparticle based insulin delivery system: the next generation efficient therapy
      for Type 1 diabetes.
AB  - Diabetic cases have increased rapidly in recent years throughout the world.
      Currently, for type-1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), multiple daily insulin (MDI)
      injections is the most popular treatment throughout the world. At this juncture,
      researchers are trying to develop different insulin delivery systems, especially
      through oral and pulmonary route using nanocarrier based delivery system. This
      next generation efficient therapy for T1DM may help to improve the quality of
      life of diabetic patients who routinely employ insulin by the subcutaneous route.
      In this paper, we have depicted various next generation nanocarrier based insulin
      delivery systems such as chitosan-insulin nanoparticles, PLGA-insulin
      nanoparticles, dextran-insulin nanoparticles, polyalkylcyanoacrylated-insulin
      nanoparticles and solid lipid-insulin nanoparticles. Modulation of these insulin
      nanocarriers may lead to successful oral or pulmonary insulin nanoformulations in
      future clinical settings. Therefore, applications and limitations of these
      nanoparticles in delivering insulin to the targeted site have been thoroughly
      discussed.

PMID- 26498975
TI  - The double-edged sword of genetic accounts of criminality: causal attributions
      from genetic ascriptions affect legal decision making.
AB  - Much debate exists surrounding the applicability of genetic information in the
      courtroom, making the psychological processes underlying how people consider this
      information important to explore. This article addresses how people think about
      different kinds of causal explanations in legal decision-making contexts. Three
      studies involving a total of 600 Mechanical Turk and university participants
      found that genetic, versus environmental, explanations of criminal behavior lead
      people to view the applicability of various defense claims differently, perceive
      the perpetrator's mental state differently, and draw different causal
      attributions. Moreover, mediation and path analyses highlight the double-edged
      nature of genetic attributions-they simultaneously reduce people's perception of
      the perpetrator's sense of control while increasing people's tendencies to
      attribute the cause to internal factors and to expect the perpetrator to
      reoffend. These countervailing relations, in turn, predict sentencing in opposite
      directions, although no overall differences in sentencing or ultimate verdicts
      were found. 

PMID- 26498976
TI  - Biased Sex Ratios Influence Fundamental Aspects of Human Mating.
AB  - The operational sex ratio-the ratio of men to women in a given population-affects
      a range of social processes. The current research demonstrates that biased sex
      ratios (greater numbers of one sex than the other) influence fundamental aspects
      of people's mating strategy. When the sex ratio was favorable (one's own sex was
      in the minority), both sexes adopted strong sex-typical sociosexual orientations
      (relatively restricted for women; relatively unrestricted for men). When the sex
      ratio was unfavorable (one's own sex was in the majority), both sexes shifted
      toward the orientation typically favored by the other sex: Women became more
      unrestricted and men became more restricted (Experiment 1). When the sex ratio
      was unfavorable (relative to favorable), participants also displayed greater
      aggression toward a romantically desirable (but not undesirable) same-sex partner
      (Experiment 2). Exploratory analyses suggested that the sex ratio effect was
      present for unprovoked aggression but not provoked aggression (given the
      exploratory nature of that analysis, the aggression effect should be considered
      with some caution). Findings suggest that people's mating strategies are
      adaptively calibrated to contingencies within the local mating ecology. 

PMID- 26498977
TI  - Changes in Self-Definition Impede Recovery From Rejection.
AB  - Previous research highlights how adept people are at emotional recovery after
      rejection, but less research has examined factors that can prevent full recovery.
      In five studies, we investigate how changing one's self-definition in response to
      rejection causes more lasting damage. We demonstrate that people who endorse an
      entity theory of personality (i.e., personality cannot be changed) report
      alterations in their self-definitions when reflecting on past rejections (Studies
      1, 2, and 3) or imagining novel rejection experiences (Studies 4 and 5). Further,
      these changes in self-definition hinder post-rejection recovery, causing
      individuals to feel haunted by their past, that is, to fear the recurrence of
      rejection and to experience lingering negative affect from the rejection. Thus,
      beliefs that prompt people to tie experiences of rejection to self-definition
      cause rejection's impact to linger. 

PMID- 26498978
TI  - Assessment of stress and autonomic nervous activity in Japanese female ambulance
      paramedics working 24-hour shifts.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We studied the physical and mental conditions of 8 healthy young
      female ambulance paramedics working 24-hour shifts during their menstrual cycle,
      including assessment of cardiac autonomic nervous system activity by heart rate
      variability power spectral analysis. METHODS: The autonomic activity during the
      awake period of on- and off-duty days in the follicular, late luteal, and
      menstruation phases was measured. Questionnaires regarding fatigue and menstrual
      distress were administered and correlated with the autonomic profile. RESULTS:
      While degrees of fatigue significantly increased after work, the changes in
      autonomic activity during the awake period on on-duty days were not significantly
      different from those on off-duty days (LF/HF, p=0.123; HF/(HF+LF), p=0.153). As
      for the sleeping period, there were no significant differences. Although the
      Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ) revealed the presence of mild menstrual
      discomfort in the late luteal and menstruation phases, no significant difference
      was observed in the autonomic profile of the three menstrual cycle phases. No
      significant correlation was observed between the degree of menstrual distress and
      autonomic profile, though there was a significant correlation in the late luteal
      phase between degree of menstrual distress and fatigue after work (p<0.01).
      CONCLUSION: These results showed that, while subjects experienced menstrual
      discomfort and fatigue after work, their autonomic profile did not alter in the
      menstrual cycle. It is suggested that healthy young female ambulance paramedics
      may tolerate 24-hour shifts, though attention should be paid to subjective
      menstrual symptoms and fatigue.

PMID- 26498979
TI  - Predictors for chronic neck and low back pain in office workers: a 1-year
      prospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: All occupations expose workers to varied and unique conditions. The
      nature of work has been recognized as influencing the health of workers. Whether
      predictors for chronic neck and low back pain would be occupation-specific is
      unknown. This study aimed to identify predictors for chronic neck and low back
      pain in a cohort of office workers. METHODS: A prospective study was carried out
      among 669 healthy office workers. At baseline, risk factors were assessed using a
      questionnaire and standardized physical examination. A symptomatic case was
      defined as an individual who reported pain greater than 30 mm on a 100-mm VAS,
      and chronic pain was defined as experiencing ongoing neck or low back pain for
      greater than 3 months over the past 6 months. Two regression models were built to
      analyze the risk factors for developing chronic neck and low back pain. RESULTS:
      Of the sample, 17 and 27% of office workers who reported a new onset of neck or
      low back pain developed chronicity, respectively. Predictors for chronic neck
      pain were high body mass index, frequent neck extension during the work day, high
      initial pain intensity, and high psychological job demands. The development of
      chronic low back pain was associated with history of low back pain and high
      initial pain intensity. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that predictors for
      chronic musculoskeletal pain in a subpopulation may be a subset of predictors
      identified in a general population or occupation specific. Successful management
      to prevent chronic musculoskeletal pain may also need to consider the patient's
      occupation.

PMID- 26498980
TI  - Changes in the immunohistochemical localization of the glycine receptor in the
      superior olivary complex of adult circling mice.
AB  - Circling mice is a mutant model of spontaneous deafness exhibiting degenerated
      spiral ganglion cells in the cochlea and loss of organ of Corti. The balance
      between glycinergic inhibition and glutamatergic excitation in the lateral
      superior olive (LSO) is essential for the detection of interaural level
      differences. Long term weakening of glycinergic synaptic inhibition in the LSO
      may lead to the downregulation of synaptic release of glycine in dorsal cochlear
      nucleus and downregulation of postsynaptic glycine receptor (GlyR) activity in
      the LSO, which may contribute to hearing loss. The present study utilized an
      immunohistochemical method to assess changes in GlyR immunoreactivity (IR) and
      the cell number in the superior olivary complex (SOC) of heterozygote (+/cir) and
      homozygote (cir/cir) circling mice. A significant decrease in the IR was observed
      in all nuclei of the SOC of homozygous mice. Loss of GlyR immunoreactive cells
      and a decrement in cell size was also observed in the homozygotes. A decrease in
      the GlyR IR in the neurons and neuropils, cell number and size of the cir/cir,
      may lead to profound changes in inhibitory transmission and the functional
      properties in the SOC nuclei. Therefore, the functional loss of inhibitory
      neurotransmitters in the brainstem may result in deafness of adult cir/cir mice. 

PMID- 26498981
TI  - Electron microscopic recording of myosin head power stroke in hydrated myosin
      filaments.
AB  - Muscle contraction results from cyclic attachment and detachment between myosin
      heads and actin filaments, coupled with ATP hydrolysis. Despite extensive
      studies, however, the amplitude of myosin head power stroke still remains to be a
      mystery. Using the gas environmental chamber, we have succeeded in recording the
      power stroke of position-marked myosin heads in hydrated mixture of actin and
      myosin filaments in a nearly isometric condition, in which myosin heads do not
      produce gross myofilament sliding, but only stretch adjacent elastic structures.
      On application of ATP, individual myosin heads move by ~3.3 nm at the distal
      region, and by ~2.5 nm at the proximal region of myosin head catalytic domain.
      After exhaustion of applied ATP, individual myosin heads return towards their
      initial position. At low ionic strength, the amplitude of myosin head power
      stroke increases to >4 nm at both distal and proximal regions of myosin heads
      catalytic domain, being consistent with the report that the force generated by
      individual myosin heads in muscle fibers is enhanced at low ionic strength. The
      advantages of the present study over other in vitro motility assay systems, using
      myosin heads detached from myosin filaments, are discussed. 

PMID- 26498982
TI  - Release profile of insulin from pH-sensitive hydrogel and its hypoglycemic effect
      by oral administration.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the release profile and in vivo
      hypoglycemic effect of insulin (INS)-loaded pH-sensitive hydrogel (INS-TPM950)
      administrated by oral route. TPM950 was fabricated via a free polymerization
      method and its inner morphology was observed with a scanning electron microscope
      (SEM). INS was encapsulated into TPM950 by an adsorption method, and the in vitro
      release profiles of INS from INS-TPM950 were revealed in pH 1.2 and 6.8. To
      investigate the hypoglycemic effect of INS-TPM950, Male Wistar rats were used in
      modeling of diabetes mellitus by multiple intraperitoneal injection of alloxan.
      The in vivo hypoglycemic effect of oral INS-TPM950 was studied, and the optimal
      dosage was also determined. SEM photograph showed that abundant 3D meshes were
      distributed in the inner of TPM950 hydrogel. INS release profile suggested that
      only 18.2 +/- 11.3% INS was released in pH 1.2, but over 88.8 +/- 4.9% was
      delivered into phosphate buffer solution in pH 6.8. After injection to the
      diabetic rats, the released INS solution from INS-TPM950 exhibited an obvious
      hypoglycemic effect. Oral administration of 50.0 I.U./kg of INS-TPM950 showed a
      slow but effective hypoglycemic effect, and the lowest blood glucose level was
      reached to 47.5 +/- 5.5% of the original level. Therefore, this formulation had a
      potential application in diabetes treatment via oral ingestion.

PMID- 26498983
TI  - Temporal changes in the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes
      and prediabetes: findings from the German Health Interview and Examination
      Surveys in 1997-1999 and 2008-2011.
AB  - AIMS: Nationally representative data on temporal changes in the prevalence of
      diagnosed diabetes, as well as undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes, have been
      lacking in Germany as in most other European countries. We aimed to fill this gap
      using data from nationwide examination surveys of German adults. METHODS: The
      study population comprised 18-79-year-old participants from the German Health
      Interview and Examination Surveys in 1997-1999 (GNHIES98, n = 6655) and 2008-2011
      (DEGS1, n = 7017). Participants were classified as having diagnosed diabetes
      based on self-reported physician-diagnosed diabetes or the use of anti-diabetes
      agents. Among those without diagnosed diabetes, HbA1c measures were used to
      define undiagnosed diabetes [>= 48 mmol/mol (>= 6.5%)] or prediabetes [39-47
      mmol/mol (5.7-6.4%)]. RESULTS: Although the age- and sex-standardized prevalence
      of total diabetes remained stable between 1997-1999 at 9.3% (95% CI 8.3-10.5%)
      and 2008-2011 at 9.2% (8.3-10.3%), the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes increased
      from 5.6% (4.9-6.3%) to 7.2% (6.5-8.0%), whereas the prevalence of undiagnosed
      diabetes decreased from 3.8% (3.1-4.6%) to 2.0% (1.5-2.7%), resulting in a
      decreased proportion of undiagnosed diabetes (40.9% vs. 21.7%). Over the same
      period, the prevalence of prediabetes decreased from 27.7% (25.6-29.8%) to 20.8%
      (18.2-23.7%). Observed temporal changes were not explained by changes in BMI,
      sport activity and educational level. CONCLUSIONS: The two nationwide surveys
      indicate a shift from undiagnosed to diagnosed diabetes. However, the unchanged
      prevalence of total diabetes and the considerably high proportion of prediabetes
      strongly call for a continued and concerted effort in diabetes prevention among
      German adults.

PMID- 26498984
TI  - Simultaneous enhancements in photon absorption and charge transport of bismuth
      vanadate photoanodes for solar water splitting.
AB  - n-Type bismuth vanadate has been identified as one of the most promising
      photoanodes for use in a water-splitting photoelectrochemical cell. The major
      limitation of BiVO4 is its relatively wide bandgap (~2.5 eV), which fundamentally
      limits its solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency. Here we show that annealing
      nanoporous bismuth vanadate electrodes at 350  degrees C under nitrogen flow can
      result in nitrogen doping and generation of oxygen vacancies. This gentle
      nitrogen treatment not only effectively reduces the bandgap by ~0.2 eV but also
      increases the majority carrier density and mobility, enhancing electron-hole
      separation. The effect of nitrogen incorporation and oxygen vacancies on the
      electronic band structure and charge transport of bismuth vanadate are
      systematically elucidated by ab initio calculations. Owing to simultaneous
      enhancements in photon absorption and charge transport, the applied bias photon
      to-current efficiency of nitrogen-treated BiVO4 for solar water splitting exceeds
      2%, a record for a single oxide photon absorber, to the best of our knowledge. 

PMID- 26498985
TI  - A tirucallane and two pairs of tetranortriterpene 23-epimers from the Thai
      mangrove Xylocarpus moluccensis.
AB  - A new tirucallane, 3beta-hydroxy-3-decarbonyl-24-epi-piscidinol A (1), and two
      new pairs of tetranortriterpene 23-epimers, named thaimoluccepimers A (2) and B
      (3), were isolated from the seeds of a Thai mangrove, Xylocarpus moluccensis. The
      structures of these compounds were elucidated by HRESIMS and NMR spectroscopic
      analysis. 

PMID- 26498986
TI  - Particle size distribution of workplace aerosols in manganese alloy smelters
      applying a personal sampling strategy.
AB  - Air samples were collected by personal sampling with five stage Sioutas cascade
      impactors and respirable cyclones in parallel among tappers and crane operators
      in two manganese (Mn) alloy smelters in Norway to investigate PM fractions. The
      mass concentrations of PM collected by using the impactors and the respirable
      cyclones were critically evaluated by comparing the results of the parallel
      measurements. The geometric mean (GM) mass concentrations of the respirable
      fraction and the <10 MUm PM fraction were 0.18 and 0.39 mg m(-3), respectively.
      Particle size distributions were determined using the impactor data in the range
      from 0 to 10 MUm and by stationary measurements by using a scanning mobility
      particle sizer in the range from 10 to 487 nm. On average 50% of the particulate
      mass in the Mn alloy smelters was in the range from 2.5 to 10 MUm, while the rest
      was distributed between the lower stages of the impactors. On average 15% of the
      particulate mass was found in the <0.25 MUm PM fraction. The comparisons of the
      different PM fraction mass concentrations related to different work tasks or
      different workplaces, showed in many cases statistically significant differences,
      however, the particle size distribution of PM in the fraction <10 MUm d(ae) was
      independent of the plant, furnace or work task.

PMID- 26498987
TI  - Functional genomics to discover antibiotic resistance genes: The paradigm of
      resistance to colistin mediated by ethanolamine phosphotransferase in Shewanella
      algae MARS 14.
AB  - Shewanella algae MARS 14 is a colistin-resistant clinical isolate retrieved from
      bronchoalveolar lavage of a hospitalised patient. A functional genomics strategy
      was employed to discover the molecular support for colistin resistance in S.
      algae MARS 14. A pZE21 MCS-1 plasmid-based genomic expression library was
      constructed in Escherichia coli TOP10. The estimated library size was 1.30*10(8)
      bp. Functional screening of colistin-resistant clones was carried out on Luria
      Bertani agar containing 8 mg/L colistin. Five colistin-resistant clones were
      obtained after complete screening of the genomic expression library. Analysis of
      DNA sequencing results found a unique gene in all selected clones. Amino acid
      sequence analysis of this unique gene using the Integrated Microbial Genomes
      (IMG) and KEGG databases revealed that this gene encodes ethanolamine
      phosphotransferase (EptA, or so-called PmrC). Reverse transcription PCR analysis
      indicated that resistance to colistin in S. algae MARS 14 was associated with
      overexpression of EptA (27-fold increase), which plays a crucial role in the
      arrangement of outer membrane lipopolysaccharide.

PMID- 26498989
TI  - A resurgence of beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations effective against multidrug
      resistant Gram-negative pathogens.
AB  - beta-Lactamase inhibitors (BLIs) have played an important role in combatting beta
      lactam resistance in Gram-negative bacteria, but their effectiveness has
      diminished with the evolution of diverse and deleterious varieties of beta
      lactamases. In this review, a new generation of BLIs and inhibitor combinations
      is presented, describing epidemiological information, pharmacodynamic studies,
      resistance identification and current clinical status. Novel serine BLIs of major
      interest include the non-beta-lactams of the diazabicyclo[3.2.1]octanone (DBO)
      series. The DBOs avibactam, relebactam and RG6080 inhibit most class A and class
      C beta-lactamases, with selected inhibition of class D enzymes by avibactam. The
      novel boronic acid inhibitor RPX7009 has a similar inhibitory profile. All of
      these inhibitors are being developed in combinations that are targeting primarily
      carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative pathogens. Two BLI combinations
      (ceftolozane/tazobactam and ceftazidime/avibactam) were recently approved by the
      US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the designation of a Qualified
      Infectious Disease Product (QIDP). Other inhibitor combinations that have at
      least completed phase 1 clinical trials are ceftaroline fosamil/avibactam,
      aztreonam/avibactam, imipenem/relebactam, meropenem/RPX7009 and cefepime/AAI101.
      Although effective inhibitor combinations are in development for the treatment of
      infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria with serine carbapenemases, better
      options are still necessary for pathogens that produce metallo-beta-lactamases
      (MBLs). The aztreonam/avibactam combination demonstrates inhibitory activity
      against MBL-producing enteric bacteria owing to the stability of the monobactam
      to these enzymes, but resistance is still an issue for MBL-producing non
      fermentative bacteria. Because all of the inhibitor combinations are being
      developed as parenteral drugs, an orally bioavailable combination would also be
      of interest. 

PMID- 26498988
TI  - Activity of fosfomycin and comparison of several susceptibility testing methods
      against contemporary urine isolates.
AB  - Fosfomycin is recommended as first-line treatment for acute uncomplicated
      cystitis in women. It has demonstrated in vitro activity against a variety of
      pathogens; however, a paucity of data are available from the USA. We determined
      the susceptibility of a collection of urine isolates to fosfomycin and compared
      multiple methods of susceptibility testing. Consecutive non-duplicate
      Enterobacteriaceae, enterococci and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were
      collected from the clinical microbiology laboratory between August 2013 and
      January 2014. Isolates represented hospitalised or emergency department patients
      with monomicrobial bacteriuria. Fosfomycin MICs were determined in duplicate, on
      separate days, by Etest and disk diffusion and results were compared with agar
      dilution. Nitrofurantoin and ciprofloxacin were used as comparators. MIC results
      were categorised using Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute interpretive
      criteria for Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis. Correlation between the
      three testing methods was evaluated. Overall susceptibility to fosfomycin was
      94.4%, 93.5% and 87.9% by agar dilution, disk diffusion and Etest, respectively.
      Five fosfomycin-resistant isolates were identified, including two Morganella
      morganii, one P. aeruginosa, one Proteus mirabilis and one Enterobacter
      aerogenes. Across all organisms, rates of essential agreement, categorical
      agreement, minor errors, major errors and very major errors for Etest/disk
      diffusion compared with agar dilution were 77.3%/NA, 89.5/93.8%, 7.1/5.0%,
      3.6/1.3% and 0/0%, respectively. Fosfomycin displayed fairly consistent activity
      against a majority of isolates collected when using the susceptibility breakpoint
      of 64 MUg/mL. MICs for E. coli were particularly low (<=2 MUg/mL). These data
      lend support to current guidelines that recommend fosfomycin as empirical first
      line therapy for uncomplicated UTI.

PMID- 26498990
TI  - Theoretical demonstration of the potentiality of boron nitride nanotubes to
      encapsulate anticancer molecule.
AB  - Anticancer drug transport is now becoming an important scientific challenge since
      it would allow localizing the drug release near the tumor cell, avoiding
      secondary medical effects. We present theoretical results, based on density
      functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations, which demonstrate the
      stability of functionalized single (10,10) boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) filled
      with anticancer molecule such as carboplatin (CPT). For this functionalized
      system we determine the dependence of the adsorption energy on the molecule
      displacement near the inner BNNTs surface, together with their local
      morphological and electrical changes and compare the values to the adsorption
      energy obtained on the outer surface. Quantum simulations show that the most
      stable physisorption state is located inside the nanotube, with no net charge
      transfer. This demonstrates that chemotherapeutic encapsulation is the most
      favorable way to transport drug molecules. The solvent effect and dispersion
      repulsion contributions are then taken into account using molecular dynamics
      simulations. Our results confirm that carboplatin therapeutic agents are not
      affected when they are adsorbed inside BNNTs by the surrounding water molecules. 

PMID- 26498991
TI  - A new approach for presurgical margin assessment by reflectance confocal
      microscopy of basal cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical excision represents the most common elective treatment for
      basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Several noninvasive approaches have been proposed for
      in vivo determination of tumour margin, in order to achieve radical removal.
      OBJECTIVES: To propose a new approach through the combination of dermoscopy and
      reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) for lateral margin detection in BCC.
      METHODS: Ten patients with lesions clinically suggestive of nonpigmented BCCs
      with ill-defined margins were enrolled. All BCCs were dermoscopically evaluated
      first and the ill-defined margins were marked with a superficial cut and then
      inspected using RCM. RESULTS: RCM evaluation showed BCC foci beyond the
      presurgical marker in three out of 10 lesions. Histology confirmed the RCM
      results: the presence of BCC features across the cut, corresponding to two
      superficial BCCs and a morpheaform BCC. CONCLUSIONS: This new procedure helped to
      improve the identification of proper margins for surgical excision in
      nonpigmented BCC with clinically and dermoscopically ill-defined margins.

PMID- 26498992
TI  - Anti-cancer effects of 2-oxoquinoline derivatives on the HCT116 and LoVo human
      colon cancer cell lines.
AB  - The present study demonstrated the anti-tumor effects of the quinoline derivative
      [5-(3-chloro-oxo-4-phenyl-cyclobutyl)-quinoli-8-yl-oxy] acetic acid hydrazide
      (CQAH) against colorectal carcinoma. Substantial apoptotic effects of CQAH on
      HCT116 and LoVo human colon cancer cell lines were observed. Apoptosis was
      identified based on cell morphological characteristics, including cell shrinkage
      and chromatin condensation as well as Annexin V/propidium iodide double staining
      followed by flow cytometric analysis and detection of apoptosis-associated
      proteins by western blot analysis. CQAH induced caspase-3 and PARP cleavage,
      reduced the expression of the anti-apoptotic proteins myeloid cell leukemia-1 and
      B-cell lymphoma (Bcl) extra large protein and elevated the expression of the pro
      apoptotic protein Bcl-2 homologous antagonist killer. In addition,
      pharmacological inhibition of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), but not
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase or p38, significantly reduced CQAH-mediated
      cell death as well as cleavage of caspase-3 and PARP. Co-treatment of CQAH with
      the commercial chemotherapeutics 5-fluorouracil and camptothecin-11 significantly
      improved their efficacies. Comparison of the apoptotic effects of CQAH with those
      of two illustrated structure-activity associations for this compound type,
      indicating that substitution at position-4 of the azetidine phenyl ring is
      pivotal for inducing apoptosis. In conclusion, the results of the present study
      indicated CQAH and its analogues are potent candidate drugs for the treatment of
      colon carcinoma. 

PMID- 26498993
TI  - Complications after microdermal piercing in the hand: Report of two cases.

PMID- 26498994
TI  - The dynamic process and microscopic mechanism of extraordinary terahertz
      transmission through perforated superconducting films.
AB  - Superconductor is a compelling plasmonic medium at terahertz frequencies owing to
      its intrinsic low Ohmic loss and good tuning property. However, the microscopic
      physics of the interaction between terahertz wave and superconducting plasmonic
      structures is still unknown. In this paper, we conducted experiments of the
      enhanced terahertz transmission through a series of superconducting NbN
      subwavelength hole arrays, and employed microscopic hybrid wave model in
      theoretical analysis of the role of hybrid waves in the enhanced transmission.
      The theoretical calculation provided a good match of experimental data. In
      particular, we obtained the following results. When the width of the holes is far
      below wavelength, the enhanced transmission is mainly caused by localized
      resonance around individual holes. On the contrary, when the holes are large,
      hybrid waves scattered by the array of holes dominate the extraordinary
      transmission. The surface plasmon polaritions are proved to be launched on the
      surface of superconducting film and the excitation efficiency increases when the
      temperature approaches critical temperature and the working frequency goes near
      energy gap frequency. This work will enrich our knowledge on the microscopic
      physics of extraordinary optical transmission at terahertz frequencies and
      contribute to developing terahertz plasmonic devices. 

PMID- 26498995
TI  - Selecting molecular therapeutic drug targets based on the expression profiles of
      intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas and miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks.
AB  - The incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is increasing yearly,
      making it the second most common carcinoma after hepatocellular carcinoma among
      primary malignant liver tumors. Integrated miRNA and mRNA analysis is becoming
      more frequently used in antitumor ICC treatment. However, this approach generates
      vast amounts of data, which leads to difficulties performing comprehensive
      analyses to identify specific therapeutic drug targets. In this study, we provide
      an in-depth analysis of ICC function, identifying potential highly potent
      antitumor drugs for antitumor therapy. Two sets of whole genome expression
      profiles were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Using
      modular bioinformatic analysis, six core functional modules were identified for
      ICC. Based on a Fisher's test of the Cmap small molecule drug database, 65 drug
      components were identified that regulated the genes of these six core modules.
      Literature mining was then used to identify 15 new potential antitumor drugs.

PMID- 26498996
TI  - Palliative Arterial Switch for Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great
      Arteries with Ventricular Septal Defect and Subaortic Hypoplasia.
AB  - We present a case of palliative arterial switch with aortic arch reconstruction
      performed as the first stage of anatomical correction in a patient with
      congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries (ccTGA), ventricular
      septal defect (VSD), duct-dependent aortic coartation, and hypoplasia of the
      ascending aorta and subaortic tract.

PMID- 26498997
TI  - Knockdown of eIF4E suppresses cell proliferation, invasion and enhances cisplatin
      cytotoxicity in human ovarian cancer cells.
AB  - Eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) plays an important role in cap-dependent
      translation. The overexpression of eIF4E gene has been found in a variety of
      human malignancies. In this study, we attempted to identify the potential effects
      of eIF4E and explore the possibility of eIF4E as a therapeutic target for the
      treatment of human ovarian cancer. First the activation of eIF4E protein was
      detected with m7-GTP cap binding assays in ovarian cancer and control cells.
      Next, the eIF4E-shRNA expression plasmids were used to specifically inhibit eIF4E
      activity in ovarian cancer cells line A2780 and C200. The effects of knockdown
      eIF4E gene on cell proliferation, migration and invasion were investigated in
      vitro. Moreover, the changes of cell cycle and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells
      were detected by flow cytometry. Finally, we investigated the effect of knockdown
      of eIF4E on the chemosensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin in vitro.
      Our results show there is elevated activation of eIF4E in ovarian cancer cells
      compared with normal human ovarian epithelial cell line. The results of BrdU
      incorporation and FCM assay indicate that knockdown of eIF4E efficiently
      suppressed cell growth and induce cell cycle arrest in G1 phase and subsequent
      apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells. From Transwell assay analysis, knockdown eIF4E
      significantly decrease cellular migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells.
      We also confirmed that knockdown eIF4E could synergistically enhance the
      cytotoxicity effects of cisplatin to cancer cells and sensitized cisplatin
      resistant C200 cells in vitro. This study demonstrates that the activation of
      eIF4E gene is an essential component of the malignant phenotype in ovarian
      cancer, and aberration of eIF4E expression is associated with proliferation,
      migration, invasion and chemosensitivity to cisplatin in ovarian cancer cells.
      Knockdown eIF4E gene can be used as a potential therapeutic target for the
      treatment of human ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26498998
TI  - Clinical importance of median mandibular flexure in oral rehabilitation: a
      review.
AB  - The mandible has a property to flex inwards around the mandibular symphysis with
      change in shape and decrease in mandibular arch width during opening and
      protrusion of the mandible. The mandibular deformation may range from a few
      micrometres to more than 1 mm. The movement occurs because of the contraction of
      lateral pterygoid muscles that pulls mandibular condyles medially and causes a
      sagittal movement of the posterior segments. This movement of mandible can have a
      profound influence on prognosis and treatment outcome for various restorative,
      endodontics, fixed, removable and implant-related prosthesis. The review unfolds
      the causes, importance and clinical implications of median mandibular flexure in
      oral rehabilitation. This review also highlights the appropriate preventive
      measures and techniques that should be adopted by clinicians to minimise the
      effect of flexural movement of the jaw during oral rehabilitation. This would not
      only help clinicians to achieve a good prosthesis with accurate fit and longevity
      but also maintain the health of the surrounding periodontal or periimplant
      gingival tissues and bone. 

PMID- 26498999
TI  - Nonoccupational Postexposure Prophylaxis (nPEP) Visits: Opportunities Beyond HIV
      PEP.

PMID- 26499000
TI  - Digital breast tomosynthesis and breast ultrasound: Additional roles in dense
      breasts with category 0 at conventional digital mammography.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the diagnostic performances of digital breast tomosynthesis
      (DBT) and ultrasound for the dense breasts with category 0 at conventional
      digital mammography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was approved
      by the institutional review board, and informed consent was waived. Among the
      1103 patients who underwent screening digital mammography at our institution, 769
      (69.7%) patients had dense breasts. Of the 769 patients, 229 (29.8%) lesions were
      categorized as 0. DBT, breast ultrasound and digital mammography were performed
      in 108 (47.2%) patients. BI-RADS final assessments for DBT and ultrasound were
      recorded. Categories 1-3 were clinically considered as benign, and categories 4
      and 5 were clinically considered as malignant. The diagnostic performances of
      breast ultrasound and DBT were correlated with final pathologic reports or follow
      up images. RESULTS: Among 108 lesions, 17 (15.7%) were malignant and 91 (84.3%)
      were benign. Sensitivity was 100% for both ultrasound (17/17) and DBT (17/17) and
      negative predictive value was also 100% for both ultrasound (49/49) and DBT
      (74/74). Specificity and positive predictive value for ultrasound were 53.9%
      (49/91) and 28.8% (17/59), respectively. Specificity and positive predictive
      value for DBT were 81.3% (74/91) and 50% (17/34), respectively. DBT showed higher
      diagnostic accuracy than that of breast ultrasound (DBT: 84.3%, 91/108;
      ultrasound: 61.1%, 66/108; p<0.001). The benign biopsy rate of DBT (50%, 17/34)
      was lower than that of ultrasound (71.2%, 42/59). CONCLUSION: DBT showed better
      diagnostic performance than breast ultrasound for dense breasts with category 0.
      DBT may reduce the benign biopsy rate and short term follow-up.

PMID- 26499001
TI  - Letter to the Editor: Reply to Dunbar et al. (2015).

PMID- 26499002
TI  - Journey of a Girl Child in India During Health and Disease.

PMID- 26499003
TI  - Vaccination Policy for Japanese Encephalitis in India: Tread with Caution!
AB  - Live attenuated SA-14-14-2 vaccine against Japanese encephalitis (JE) was
      introduced in the routine immunization under Universal Immunization Program in
      the 181 endemic districts of India. Recently, the Government of India has
      announced the introduction of one dose of JE vaccine for adults in endemic
      districts. The policy to mass vaccinate adults has raised several concerns that
      are discussed in this write-up. Apart from adult vaccination, the continuation of
      large scale JE vaccination program despite it being a very focal problem, and
      continued neglect of some other serious public health illnesses have also been
      highlighted. The issue of lack of authentic data on effectiveness of currently
      employed SA-14-14-2 JE vaccine has also been discussed.

PMID- 26499004
TI  - Management of Recurrent Abdominal Pain: Have we Reached the end of the Tunnel?

PMID- 26499005
TI  - Drotaverine for Recurrent Abdominal Pain in Children.

PMID- 26499006
TI  - Outcome of Infants with Prenatally Diagnosed Congenital Heart Defects.

PMID- 26499007
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Drotaverine Hydrochloride in Children with Recurrent
      Abdominal Pain: A Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Drotaverine hydrochroride in
      children with recurrent abdominal pain. DESIGN: Double blind, randomized placebo
      controlled trial. SETTING: Pediatric Gastroenterology clinic of a teaching
      hospital. PARTICIPANTS: 132 children (age 4-12 y) with recurrent abdominal pain
      (Apley Criteria) randomized to receivedrotaverine (n=66) or placebo (n=66)
      orally. INTERVENTION: Children between 4-6 years of age received 10 mL syrup
      orally (20 mg drotaverine hydrochloride or placebo) thrice daily for 4 weeks
      while children >6 years of age received one tablet orally (40 mg drotaverine
      hydrochloride or placebo) thrice daily for 4 weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary:
      Number of episodes of pain during 4 weeks of use of drug/placebo and number of
      pain-free days. Secondary: Number of school days missed during the study period,
      parental satisfaction (on a Likert scale), and occurrence of solicited adverse
      effects. RESULTS: Reduction in number of episodes of abdominal pain [mean (SD)
      number of episodes 10.3 (14) vs 21.6 (32.4); P=0.01] and lesser school absence
      [mean (SD) number of school days missed 0.25 (0.85) vs 0.71 (1.59); P=0.05] was
      noticed in children receiving drotaverine in comparison to those who received
      placebo. The number of pain-free days, were comparable in two groups [17.4 (8.2)
      vs 15.6 (8.7); P=0.23]. Significant improvement in parental satisfaction score
      was noticed on Likert scale by estimation of mood, activity, alertness, comfort
      and fluid intake. Frequency of adverse events during follow-up period was
      comparable between children receiving drotaverine or placebo (46.9% vs 46.7%;
      P=0.98). CONCLUSION: Drotaverine hydrochloride is an effective and safe
      pharmaceutical agent in the management of recurrent abdominal pain in children.

PMID- 26499008
TI  - Outcomes of Infants with Prenatally Diagnosed Congenital Heart Disease Delivered
      in a Tertiary-care Pediatric Cardiac Facility.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report short-term outcomes of infants with prenatally diagnosed
      Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) delivered in a tertiary-care cardiac facility.
      DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary-care referral hospital.
      PARTICIPANTS: Children with prenatally diagnosed CHDs who underwent delivery at
      study centre during the period January 2008 - December 2013 were included.
      Outcomes tracked from hospital records and direct follow-up. RESULTS: Of the 552
      fetuses diagnosed to have CHD, 121 (22%) were delivered at the study centre.
      Fetuses undergoing a planned delivery were diagnosed in late gestation (mean
      gestational age 31.5 +/- 5.1 wk). 74 fetuses (61.2%) had simple CHD and rest were
      complex. 96 (79.3%) neonates received cardiac care; 30 (24.8%) required surgery
      while 5 received catheter-based interventions. 11 patients underwent surgery on
      follow-up. Neonatal survival in cardiac care group was 93.8%; on follow-up (12.5
      +/- 13.1 mo); 83 (86.4%) of these infants were alive. All infants undergoing
      neonatal surgery or catheter-based interventions survived. 25 patients (20.6%)
      received comfort care (Complex CHD, associated co-morbidities); 14 (56%) survived
      neonatal period and 6 (24%) were alive on follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Infants with
      prenatal diagnosis of CHD and planned delivery in a cardiac facility had
      satisfactory immediate outcomes, expecially in those receiving specialized post
      natal cardiac care.

PMID- 26499009
TI  - Association of Perceived Weight Status versus Body Mass Index on Adherence to
      Weight-modifying plan Among Iranian Children and Adolescents: The CASPIAN-IV
      Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify risk-groups adhering to weight-changing plans for body
      dissatisfaction in a National sample of Iranian students. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional. SETTING: Primary, Middle and high-schools. PARTICIPANTS: 13486
      students (mean age, 12.5 y). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic and
      anthropometric characteristics were collected via valid instruments. Body image
      and adherence to weight- changing diets were assessed by using validated
      questionnaires. RESULTS: 46.5% students were satisfied with their weight and12.5%
      declared that they had attempts for weight control, this was significantly higher
      among adolescent girls (13.8%, P=0.0005). Participants who perceived themselves
      as overweight and obese, were more likely (OR= 5.32) to follow weight-reduction
      diets than their peers with normal-weight perception. Actual overweight-BMI and
      obese-BMI individuals had greater odds for being on a diet (1.3 and 1.47,
      respectively) compared to their normal-BMI counterparts. CONCLUSION: Promoting
      strategies to improve body image concerns and prevent adverse outcomes of chronic
      dieting among adolescents are necessary.

PMID- 26499010
TI  - Maternal Overt Hypothyroidism and Neurobehavioral Outcome of Neonates: A Cohort
      Study from an Iodine-deficient Area of Northern India.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the relation between maternal overt hypothyroidism and
      neurodevelopmental outcome of neonates in iodine-deficient region of Northern
      India (Kashmir Valley). DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Endocrinology
      department of a tertiary-care hospital. PARTICIPANTS: 82 hypothyroid pregnant
      women were enrolled and followed up till delivery. The neonates born to this
      group represented the case neonates. 51 euthyroid healthy pregnant women were
      selected as control group. The neonates born to these mothers served as controls.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Early neonatal behavioral assessment at 3-4 weeks of age.
      RESULTS: The mean TSH and free T4 in neonates of mothers with well controlled
      hypothyroidism was significantly different from those born to mothers with poorly
      controlled hypothyroidism and controls in 1st trimester, but the difference was
      statistically insignificant for 2nd and 3rd trimester values. CONCLUSION: Overt
      maternal hypothyroidism in iodine-deficient area constitutes a risk factor for an
      abnormal neurobehavioral development of affected child.

PMID- 26499011
TI  - Determinants of Nutritional Anemia in Adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To associate the severity of nutritional anaemia with serum levels of
      ferritin, vitamin B12 and folate; and to determine demographic, socio-economic
      and nutritional correlates for nutritional anemia in adolescents. METHODS: Cross
      sectional hospital-based study among 200 adolescents (10-18 y) with anemia.
      Dietary intake (24-h recall), and serum levels of folate, vitamin B12 and
      ferritin were estimated. RESULTS: Iron, folate and vitamin B12 deficiency was
      present in 30.5% 79.5% and 50% of adolescents, respectively. Statistically
      significant association was observed between severity of anemia and serum vitamin
      B12 levels, iron intake, folate intake, Vitamin B12 intake, vegetarian diet,
      attainment of menarche and history of worm infestation. CONCLUSIONS: Folate and
      vitamin B12 deficiencies are more common than iron deficiency in anemic
      adolescents. Low dietary intake of these nutrients seems to be a significant
      determinant of their deficiencies.

PMID- 26499012
TI  - Recent Trends in the Diagnosis and Management of Biliary Atresia in Developing
      Countries.
AB  - NEED AND PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Biliary atresia is a progressive obstructive
      cholangiopathy and is fatal if left untreated within 2 years of life. Delay in
      referral is because of difficulties in differentiating it from physiologic
      jaundice and identifying an abnormal stool color. This paper presents an overview
      on the diagnosis and discusses the current strategies in the management of this
      disease in developing countries. METHODS: Articles were retrieved from the PubMed
      database using the terms biliary atresia, Kasai portoenterostomy and pediatric
      liver transplantation. Contents of the article are also based on personal
      experience of the authors. CONCLUSION: A national screening program using stool
      color cards as part of standard care in the neonatal period will greatly improve
      early detection of biliary atresia. Outcomes will improve if it is diagnosed at
      the earliest after birth, the child is referred to an experienced pediatric
      hepatobiliary unit for evaluation, and undergoes an early Kasai procedure. If an
      early Kasai portoenterostomy is performed, nearly half of all children survive
      into adolescence, and about one-third are likely to have a long-term, symptom
      free life with normal liver biochemistry. Sequential treatment combining Kasai as
      first line and liver transplantation as second line results in 90% survival for
      children with biliary atresia.

PMID- 26499013
TI  - Tetanus--A Tale of 50 Years.

PMID- 26499014
TI  - Is Antibiotic Exposure Associated With Newly Diagnosed Juvenile Idiopathic
      Arthritis?

PMID- 26499017
TI  - Adult Form of Scimitar Syndrome Presenting as Severe Pulmonary Hypertension in a
      Child.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Scimitar syndrome is a rare association of congenital cardiopulmonary
      anomalies; the adult form is not usually is associated with pulmonary
      hypertension. CASE CHARACTERISTICS: 6-year-old girl with recurrent episodes of
      cough and breathlessness, along with features of right heart enlargement.
      Computed tomography angiogram revealed right pulmonary veins draining into
      inferior vena cava with dextroposition of heart. OUTCOME: Successfully managed
      with surgical correction. MESSAGE: Scimitar syndrome should be considered in any
      child with unexplained pulmonary hypertension and dextroposed heart.

PMID- 26499018
TI  - Scrub Typhus Co-infection in an Adolescent Girl with Varicella.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Co-infections with scrub typhus have been described quite frequently
      in adults but less frequently in children. CASE CHARACTERISTICS: An adolescent
      girl with varicella infection who had persistent fever. Associated clinical
      features like pain abdomen, vomiting, and features of third space losses made us
      suspect a co-infection. IgM and IgG antibodies by ELISA in acute and convalescent
      serum were suggestive of scrub typhus. OUTCOME: She recovered following a course
      of oral doxycycline. MESSAGE: In unexplained prolonged fever or atypical clinical
      manifestations not explainable by the primary disease process, co-infection needs
      to be considered.

PMID- 26499019
TI  - Ex-utero Intrapartum Treatment (EXIT) Procedure for Giant Fetal Epignathus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Large fetal oropharyngeal tumors are rare, and have the potential to
      cause airway obstruction during birth. CASE CHARACTERISTICS: A 35-year-old woman
      with antenatally diagnosed large heterogenous mass in fetal neck displacing
      trachea and filling up the orophanygeal space. INTERVENTION: The infant was
      delivered at 31 weeks of gestation by ex-utero intrapartum therapy procedure to
      secure the airway. OUTCOME: Tumor was resected successfully on day 8 of life.
      Histopathology revealed mixed teratoma. MESSAGE: Ex-utero intrapartum therapy for
      fetuses with severe upper airway compromise may prove life-saving.

PMID- 26499020
TI  - Shanghai Fever: A Fatal Form of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Enteric Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Outcome of pseudomonas enteric fever is unpredictable as multiple
      systemic lethal complications occur abruptly. CASE CHARACTERISTICS: A 9-month-old
      girl with multiple ileal perforations, leukocoria, ecthyma gangrenosum,
      hemiplegia and a perforated ulcer in the soft palate. Blood culture suggested
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Operative repair of multiple ileal perforations
      and multidisciplinary management was provided. OUTCOME: On 10th post-operative
      day, patient succumbed to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. MESSAGE: Early
      detection and management of complications of P. aeruginosa enteric disease is
      important.

PMID- 26499021
TI  - Isolated Congenital Absence of Sternum in a Newborn.

PMID- 26499022
TI  - Brevundimonas Septicemia: A Rare Infection with Rare Presentation.

PMID- 26499023
TI  - Volume Guarantee Ventilation in Neonates and Trouble Shooting.

PMID- 26499024
TI  - Effective Strategy for Newborn Screening for Congenital Hypothyroidism.

PMID- 26499025
TI  - Effective Strategy for Newborn Screening for Congenital Hypothyroidism: Author's
      Reply.

PMID- 26499026
TI  - Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Masquerading as Tetany.

PMID- 26499027
TI  - Disclosure of HIV Status to Children.

PMID- 26499028
TI  - Competency-based Medical Education: The Next Steps.

PMID- 26499029
TI  - Why was there no Vaccine-associated Intussusception in Indian Rotavirus Vaccine
      Trial?

PMID- 26499030
TI  - The Dilemma of Reactive NS1 Antigen test in Dengue Fever.

PMID- 26499031
TI  - Reply to Letter to the Editor - The impact of weight loss and low BMI on
      mortality of nursing home residents - Results from the nutritionDay in nursing
      homes.

PMID- 26499032
TI  - Prenatal markers of neonatal fat mass: A systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Environmental influences during pregnancy are able to affect off
      spring phenotype with lifelong effects. Clinical applicable markers are needed to
      identify foetuses at risk for neonatal adiposity. This systematic review aims to
      1) review the current literature on prenatal markers of neonatal fat mass, and 2)
      appraise the clinical applicability of the assessed markers. METHODS: A
      systematic literature search was conducted to identify studies meeting the
      following inclusion criteria: 1) original research papers in English; 2) research
      on dynamic and measurable prenatal markers of neonatal fat mass; 3) neonatal fat
      mass measurement within one month after birth, using the four-compartment model,
      magnetic resonance imaging, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry or air displacement
      plethysmography. Two reviewers independently performed study selection,
      assessment of methodological (QUADAS-II) and statistical quality and appraisal of
      clinical applicability. RESULTS: Of 2333 studies primarily identified by the
      search strategy, 16 studies were included. Four of these were both
      methodologically and statistically of moderate or high quality. Prenatal markers
      investigated were ultrasound parameters, maternal biochemical markers and
      maternal characteristics. Markers of predefined interest were maternal pre
      pregnancy body mass index, fasting glucose and HbA1c, showing varying results. A
      meta-analysis was not possible due to substantial methodological heterogeneity.
      Clinically applicability of all markers was rated poor. CONCLUSIONS: Although
      associations were found, no useful marker was identified, due to lack of
      methodological and statistical quality, inconsistent results and poor clinical
      applicability. No markers were investigated in the periconceptional and embryonic
      period.

PMID- 26499033
TI  - Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is inversely associated with visceral
      abdominal tissue in Caucasian subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: & aim: Adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) is
      inversely related with abdominal adiposity as detected by waist circumference but
      the specific association to subcutaneous and visceral abdominal tissue has not
      been investigated. To this purpose we evaluated the association between MDP,
      visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous (SAT) abdominal tissue in a large sample of
      Italian adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 4388
      consecutive adults (73.2% women) followed as outpatients at Nutritional Research
      Centre in Milan, ICANS. VAT and SAT were measured by ultrasonography. MDP was
      evaluated using a Mediterranean dietary score (MEDscore) obtained from a
      validated 14-item questionnaire. RESULTS: At multiple linear regression adjusted
      for sex, age, smoking and physical activity, a 1-unit increase in MEDscore was
      associated with a -0.118 kg/m(2) decrease in BMI (p < 0.01), a -0.292 cm decrease
      in waist circumference (p < 0.01), a -0.002 cm:cm decrease in waist to height
      ratio (p < 0.001), a -1.125 mm decrease in the sum of 4 skinfolds (p < 0.001),
      and with a -0.045 cm decrease in VAT (p < 0.05). MEDscore was, however, not
      associated with SAT. Finally, the adherence to the MDP was a protective factor
      for obesity (OR = 0.717, 95%CI: 0.555-0.922) and VAT excess (OR = 0.717, 95%CI:
      0.530-0.971). CONCLUSION: Our study confirms the inverse association between MDP,
      BMI and waist circumference and adds that the association with abdominal obesity
      as detected by waist circumference is due to an association with VAT and not with
      SAT.

PMID- 26499034
TI  - Post-discharge formula feeding in preterm infants: A systematic review mapping
      evidence about the role of macronutrient enrichment.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Preterm infants are a heterogeneous group and many accumulate
      growth deficits before and after initial hospital discharge. Although this is
      associated with worse cognitive outcome, recent meta-analyses suggest that
      nutrient fortification of breast milk, or the use of nutrient and energy rich
      formulae after discharge exert little effect on growth and neurodevelopment.
      However, the complexity of study design, inclusion criteria and outcome
      parameters, combined with differences in formula composition mean that meta
      analysis may overlook important effects of differing interventions in sub-groups.
      METHODS: We systematically identified evidence and mapped the information on
      Participants, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome (PICO) from 31 published
      studies illustrating the marked heterogeneity in study design and interventions
      next to outcomes on (quality of) growth and neurodevelopment. RESULTS: Despite
      significant heterogeneity in study design, we found that nutrient enriched diets
      after discharge show no negative effects but frequently improve growth parameters
      at some point in the course of the study, in particular for boys. The data
      indicates that when energy requirements are adequate, increased protein results
      in increased growth and lean mass (LM) accretion; In particular, higher protein
      to energy ratios lead to increased lean mass accretion, and increased head
      circumference (HC) at one year. However, improvements in neurodevelopmental
      outcome were rarely seen. CONCLUSION: This comprehensive evidence mapping
      approach to the field provides a broad but detailed overview of the currently
      available evidence. Furthermore, we identified key gaps in existing knowledge on
      the role of nutrient enrichment in the post-discharge period.

PMID- 26499035
TI  - Dynamics of SI epidemic with a demographic Allee effect.
AB  - In this paper, we present an extended SI model of Hilker et al. (2009). In the
      presented model the birth rate and the death rate are both modeled as quadratic
      polynomials. This approach provides ample opportunity for taking into account the
      major contributors to an Allee effect and effectively captures species'
      differential susceptibility to the Allee effects. It is shown that, the behaviors
      (persistence or extinction) of the model solutions are characterized by the two
      essential threshold parameters lambda0 and lambda1 of the transmissibility lambda
      and a threshold quantity MU(*) of the disease pathogenicity MU. If
      lambda<lambda0, the model is bistable and a disease cannot invade from
      arbitrarily small introductions into the host population at the carrying
      capacity, while it persists when lambda>lambda0 and MU<MU(*). When lambda>lambda1
      and MU>MU(*), the disease derives the host population to extinction with origin
      as the only global attractor. For the special cases of the model, verifiable
      conditions for host population persistence (with or without infected individuals)
      and host extinction are derived. Interestingly, we show that if the values of the
      parameters alpha and beta of the extended model are restricted, then the two
      models are similar. Numerical simulations show how the parameter beta affects the
      dynamics of the model with respect to the host population persistence and
      extinction.

PMID- 26499036
TI  - A theoretical analysis of the Allee effect in wind-pollinated cordgrass plant
      invasions.
AB  - A new individual-based model is presented for investigating an important group of
      invasive plant species, from the genus Spartina, that threaten biodiversity in
      coastal and intertidal habitats around the world. The role of pollen limitation
      in influencing the early development of an invasion is explored in order to gain
      a greater understanding of the mechanistic basis for an apparent Allee effect
      (causal relationship between population size/density and mean individual fitness)
      observed in populations of invasive Spartina species. The model is used to
      explore how various factors such as atmospheric stability, wind direction/speed,
      pollen characteristics and spatial structure of the population affect the overall
      invasion dynamics and reproductive success. Comparisons were also made between
      invasive species of Spartina (S. alterniflora, S. anglica) and a non-invasive
      species (S. foliosa), showing a reduced Allee effect was associated with invasion
      success. Furthermore, the conclusions drawn here may give insights into some of
      the fundamental processes affecting the growth and population dynamics of other
      invasive wind-pollinated plants. 

PMID- 26499037
TI  - Major vault protein regulates cell growth/survival signaling through oxidative
      modifications.
AB  - Major vault protein forms a hollow, barrel-like structure in the cell called the
      vault, whose functions and regulation are not well understood. The present study
      reports that major vault protein regulates growth/survival signaling in human
      airway smooth muscle cells through oxidative modifications. The promotion of
      protein S-glutathionylation by asthma mediators such as interleukin-22 and
      platelet-derived growth factor or by knocking down glutaredoxin-1 or thioredoxin
      activated cell growth signaling. Mass spectrometry identified that major vault
      protein is glutathionylated. Major vault protein knockdown enhanced cell death
      and inhibited STAT3 and Akt signaling. We identified a protein partner of major
      vault protein that is regulated by glutaredoxin-1, namely myosin-9, which was
      found to serve as a cell death factor. Knocking down myosin-9 or promoting
      protein S-glutathionylation by knocking down glutaredoxin-1 inhibited the death
      of airway smooth muscle cells by heating to simulate bronchial thermoplasty, a
      clinically successful procedure for the treatment of severe asthma. These results
      establish a novel signaling pathway in which ligand/receptor-mediated oxidation
      promotes the S-glutathionylation of major vault protein, which in turn binds to
      myosin-9 to suppress the heating-induced death of airway smooth muscle cells. 

PMID- 26499038
TI  - FHL3 differentially regulates the expression of MyHC isoforms through
      interactions with MyoD and pCREB.
AB  - In skeletal muscle, muscle fiber types are defined by four adult myosin heavy
      chain (MyHC) isoforms. Four and a half LIM domain protein 3 (FHL3) regulates
      myoblasts differentiation and gene expression by acting as a transcriptional co
      activator or co-repressor. However, how FHL3 regulates MyHC expression is
      currently not clear. In this study, we found that FHL3 down-regulated the
      expression of MyHC 1/slow and up-regulated the expression of MyHC 2a and MyHC 2b,
      whereas no significant effect was found on MyHC 2x expression. MyoD and
      phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (pCREB) played important
      roles in the regulation of MyHC 1/slow and MyHC 2a expression by FHL3,
      respectively. FHL3 could interact with MyoD, CREB and pCREB in vivo. pCREB had
      stronger interaction with the cyclic AMP-responsive elements (CRE) of the MyHC 2a
      promoter compared with CREB, and FHL3 significantly affected the binding capacity
      of pCREB to CRE. We established a model in which FHL3 promotes the expression of
      MyHC 2a through CREB-mediated transcription and inhibits the expression of MyHC
      1/slow by inhibiting MyoD transcription activity during myogenesis. Our data
      support the notion that FHL3 plays important roles in the regulation of muscle
      fiber type composition. 

PMID- 26499039
TI  - A fast transfer-free synthesis of high-quality monolayer graphene on insulating
      substrates by a simple rapid thermal treatment.
AB  - The transfer-free synthesis of high-quality, large-area graphene on a given
      dielectric substrate, which is highly desirable for device applications, remains
      a significant challenge. In this paper, we report on a simple rapid thermal
      treatment (RTT) method for the fast and direct growth of high-quality, large
      scale monolayer graphene on a SiO2/Si substrate from solid carbon sources. The
      stack structure of a solid carbon layer/copper film/SiO2 is adopted in the RTT
      process. The inserted copper film does not only act as an active catalyst for the
      carbon precursor but also serves as a "filter" that prevents premature carbon
      dissolution, and thus, contributes to graphene growth on SiO2/Si. The produced
      graphene exhibits a high carrier mobility of up to 3000 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) at room
      temperature and standard half-integer quantum oscillations. Our work provides a
      promising simple transfer-free approach using solid carbon sources to obtain high
      quality graphene for practical applications. 

PMID- 26499040
TI  - Kinetics of lentiviral vector transduction in human CD34(+) cells.
AB  - Unlike cell lines, human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are less efficiently
      transduced with HIV-1 vectors, potentially limiting this approach. To investigate
      which step (internalization, reverse transcription, nuclear transport, and
      integration) limits lentiviral transduction, we evaluated the kinetics of
      lentiviral transduction in human CD34(+) cells. We transduced HeLa and CD34(+)
      cells with self-inactivating HIV-1 vector at low and tenfold higher multiplicity
      of infection (MOI) and evaluated vector amounts at various time points based on
      the rationale that if a given step was not limiting, tenfold greater vector
      amounts would be obtained at the tenfold higher MOI. We observed slower
      internalization (>60 min), a peak in reverse transcription at 24 hours, and
      completion of integration at 3 days in CD34(+) cells. In HeLa cells, there were
      approximately tenfold greater amounts at high MOI at all time points. When
      compared with HeLa cells, CD34(+) cells exhibited larger differences in vector
      amounts between high and low MOIs at 2-6 hours and a smaller difference at 12
      hours to 10 days, revealing a limitation in human CD34(+) cell transduction
      around 12 hours, which corresponds to reverse transcription. In serial
      measurements of reverse transcription at 24 hours, vector amounts did not
      decrease once detected among CD34(+) cells. When using an HSC expansion medium,
      we observed less limitation for starting reverse transcription and more efficient
      transduction among CD34(+) cells in vitro and in xenografted mice. These data
      suggest that it is the initiation of reverse transcription that limits lentiviral
      transduction of human CD34(+) cells. Our findings provide an avenue for
      optimizing human CD34(+) cell transduction.

PMID- 26499041
TI  - Long-Term Passivation of Strongly Interacting Metals with Single-Layer Graphene.
AB  - The long-term (>18 months) protection of Ni surfaces against oxidation under
      atmospheric conditions is demonstrated by coverage with single-layer graphene,
      formed by chemical vapor deposition. In situ, depth-resolved X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy of various graphene-coated transition metals reveals that a strong
      graphene-metal interaction is of key importance in achieving this long-term
      protection. This strong interaction prevents the rapid intercalation of oxidizing
      species at the graphene-metal interface and thus suppresses oxidation of the
      substrate surface. Furthermore, the ability of the substrate to locally form a
      passivating oxide close to defects or damaged regions in the graphene overlayer
      is critical in plugging these defects and preventing oxidation from proceeding
      through the bulk of the substrate. We thus provide a clear rationale for
      understanding the extent to which two-dimensional materials can protect different
      substrates and highlight the key implications for applications of these materials
      as barrier layers to prevent oxidation. 

PMID- 26499042
TI  - Kinetics of the establishment of HIV-1 viral interference and comprehensive
      analysis of the contribution of viral genes.
AB  - Viral interference defines the reduced susceptibility of an infected cell to
      reinfection. For HIV-1, both receptor-dependent and independent pathways were
      described. The relative importance of different receptor-independent pathways has
      not been addressed. We have used reporter viruses to quantify the percentage of
      single- and double-infected cells, as a function of the delay between the two
      infections. For co-infection experiments, the frequency of double infected cells
      was higher than expected for independent events. By delaying the second
      infection, this frequency progressively diminished, resulting in significant
      interference after 18h. Interference measured here was largely receptor
      independent. By individually deleting viral genes or expressing them in
      isolation, we demonstrate that the viral protein Rev plays a dominant role, while
      other viral proteins contributes to optimal interference. Our study defines the
      kinetics of early HIV-1 interference, describing the transition from higher
      susceptibility to double-infection to viral interference, and identifies Rev as
      its dominant effector. 

PMID- 26499043
TI  - Arterivirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase: Vital enzymatic activity remains
      elusive.
AB  - All RNA viruses encode an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), which in
      arteriviruses is expressed as the C-terminal domain of nonstructural protein 9
      (nsp9). Previously, potent primer-dependent RdRp activity has been demonstrated
      for the homologous polymerase subunit (nsp12) of the distantly related
      coronaviruses. The only previous study focusing on the in vitro activity of nsp9
      of an arterivirus (equine arteritis virus; EAV) reported weak de novo polymerase
      activity on homopolymeric RNA templates. However, this activity was not retained
      when Mn(2+) ions were omitted from the assay or when biologically relevant
      templates were supplied, which prompted us to revisit the biochemical properties
      of this polymerase. Based on the properties of active-site mutants, we conclude
      that the RNA-synthesizing activities observed in de novo and primer-dependent
      polymerase and terminal transferase assays cannot be attributed to recombinant
      EAV nsp9-RdRp. Our results illustrate the potential pitfalls of characterizing
      polymerases using highly sensitive biochemical assays. 

PMID- 26499044
TI  - Adenoviral vectors elicit humoral immunity against variable loop 2 of clade C HIV
      1 gp120 via "Antigen Capsid-Incorporation" strategy.
AB  - Adenoviral (Ad) vectors in combination with the "Antigen Capsid-Incorporation"
      strategy have been applied in developing HIV-1 vaccines, due to the vectors'
      abilities in incorporating and inducing immunity of capsid-incorporated antigens.
      Variable loop 2 (V2)-specific antibodies were suggested in the RV144 trial to
      correlate with reduced HIV-1 acquisition, which highlights the importance of
      developing novel HIV-1 vaccines by targeting the V2 loop. Therefore, the V2 loop
      of HIV-1 has been incorporated into the Ad capsid protein. We generated
      adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) vectors displaying variable loop 2 (V2) of HIV-1
      gp120, with the "Antigen Capsid-Incorporation" strategy. To assess the
      incorporation capabilities on hexon hypervariable region1 (HVR1) and protein IX
      (pIX), 20aa or full length (43aa) of V2 and V1V2 (67aa) were incorporated,
      respectively. Immunizations with the recombinant vectors significantly generated
      antibodies against both linear and discontinuous V2 epitopes. The immunizations
      generated durable humoral immunity against V2. This study will lead to more
      stringent development of various serotypes of adenovirus-vectored V2 vaccine
      candidates, based on breakthroughs regarding the immunogenicity of V2. 

PMID- 26499045
TI  - ICAM-1 regulates the survival of influenza virus in lung epithelial cells during
      the early stages of infection.
AB  - Intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is an inducible cell surface
      glycoprotein that is expressed on many cell types. Influenza virus infection
      enhanced ICAM-1 expression and messenger RNA levels. Human bronchial epithelial
      cells (HBEpC) and nasal epithelial cells, on exposure to different strains of
      influenza virus (H1N1, H3N2, and H9N1) showed significant increase in ICAM-1 gene
      expression (p<0.001) along with the ICAM-1 protein levels (surface and secreted).
      Depleting ICAM-1 in HBEpC with ICAM-1 siRNA and subsequently infecting with H1N1
      showed increased viral copy numbers. Influenza virus infection in HBEpC resulted
      in up-regulation of NF-KB protein and the lack of ICAM-1 decreased NF-KB activity
      in NF-KB luciferase reporter assay. Addition of exogenous IL-1beta to HBEpC
      induced the ICAM-1 expression and decreased matrix gene copy number. Taken
      together, HBEpC induced ICAM-1 plays a key role in modulating the influenza virus
      survival possibly through the NF-KB pathway. 

PMID- 26499046
TI  - Surface modification via strain-promoted click reaction facilitates targeted
      lentiviral transduction.
AB  - As a result of their ability to integrate into the genome of both dividing and
      non-dividing cells, lentiviruses have emerged as a promising vector for gene
      delivery. Targeted gene transduction of specific cells and tissues by lentiviral
      vectors has been a major goal, which has proven difficult to achieve. We report a
      novel targeting protocol that relies on the chemoselective attachment of cancer
      specific ligands to unnatural glycans on lentiviral surfaces. This strategy
      exhibits minimal perturbation on virus physiology and demonstrates remarkable
      flexibility. It allows for targeting but can be more broadly useful with
      applications such as vector purification and immunomodulation. 

PMID- 26499047
TI  - Target lesion evaluation by multiple modalities in vivo: near-infrared
      spectroscopy (NIRS), virtual histology intravascular ultrasound, optical
      coherence tomography, and angioscopy.

PMID- 26499048
TI  - Multiple mycotic aneurysms of the right coronary artery.

PMID- 26499049
TI  - A curly case: dissecting giant arteriovenous anomaly - left main coronary artery
      shunting to superior vena cava.

PMID- 26499050
TI  - Successful surgical treatment of a pronounced myocardial bridge of the left
      anterior descending artery with ischaemia on a two-year-old child.

PMID- 26499051
TI  - Double atrial septum or redundant Eustachian valve: procedural management during
      atrial septal defect occlusion.

PMID- 26499052
TI  - Robotic nephrectomy for living donation: surgical technique and literature
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As compared with traditional laparoscopy, robotic-assisted surgery
      provides better EndoWrist instruments and three-dimensional visualization of the
      operative field. Studies published so far indicate that living donor nephrectomy
      using the robot-assisted technique is safe, feasible, and provides remarkable
      advantages for the patients. METHODS: From 5 papers reporting detailed
      descriptions of surgical technique for robotic assisted nephrectomy (RAN) in
      living donor kidney transplantation, we have gathered information about the
      surgical techniques as well as about patients' intra- and postoperative outcome.
      Data from these articles were analyzed together with the data from our own
      experience (33 cases) so that the total number of analyzed cases was 292.
      RESULTS: In the analyzed populations, no case of donor death occurred, and no
      case developed complication above grade 2 of Clavien score. Perioperative
      complications occurred in 37 of the 292 patients (12.6%). Accidental acute
      hemorrhage occurred in 5 of the 292 cases (1.7%). The average overall
      intraoperative blood loss was 67.8 mL (range 10 to 1,500). The average warm
      ischemia time was 3.5 minutes (range .58 to 7.6). Conversion to the open
      technique occurred in only 4 cases (1.3%). The average overall operative time was
      192 minutes (range 60 to 400). The average length of the hospital stay was 2.7
      days (range 1 to 10). CONCLUSIONS: Safety and feasibility of RAN are pointed out
      in all the reviewed article, both as hand-assisted and as totally robotic
      technique. RAN appears to be significantly easier for the surgeons and the
      results are comparable with the ones obtained with the pure laparoscopic
      technique.

PMID- 26499053
TI  - Comparison of one-stage vs two-stage prosthesis-based breast reconstruction: a
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this review is to comprehensively compare the outcomes of
      one-stage and two-stage prosthesis-based breast reconstruction via meta-analytic
      methodology. DATA SOURCES: Seventeen studies comparing one-stage and two-stage
      prosthesis-based breast reconstruction were reviewed. The analysis divided the
      outcomes into 3 categories: complications, esthetic satisfaction, and total cost
      for completing reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS: The one-stage reconstruction group
      was at significantly higher risk for reconstruction failure and overall
      complications than the two-stage group. No significant difference was observed
      between the 2 groups in the results of nipple-sparing mastectomy. The esthetic
      result analysis demonstrated that both methods showed comparably positive
      outcomes. The one-stage group incurred lower cost for completing reconstruction
      than the two-stage group, despite the higher cost for treatment-related
      complications. Our results suggest that the risks for adverse outcome in patients
      undergoing one-stage reconstruction may be comparable with that of two-stage
      reconstruction when performed in patients receiving a nipple-sparing mastectomy.
      However, further well-controlled studies are required to draw more solid
      conclusions.

PMID- 26499054
TI  - Abscess due to perforated appendicitis: factors associated with successful
      percutaneous drainage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Percutaneous drainage is the standard treatment for perforated
      appendicitis with abscess. We studied factors associated with complete resolution
      (CR) with percutaneous drainage alone. METHODS: Ninety-eight patients underwent
      percutaneous drainage for acute appendicitis complicated by abscess (October 1990
      to September 2010). CR was defined as clinical recovery, resolution of the
      abscess on imaging, and drain removal without recurrence. Patients achieving CR
      were compared with patients not achieving CR. RESULTS: The rate of CR was 78.6%
      (n = 77). Abscess grade was the only radiological factor associated with CR (P =
      .007). The CR rate was higher with transgluteal drainage (90.9% vs 79.2%) than
      with other anatomic approaches (P = .018) and higher with computed tomography
      guided drainage than with ultrasound-guided drainage (82.7% vs 64.3%, P = .046).
      CONCLUSION: CR was more likely to be achieved in patients with lower abscess
      grade, computed tomography-guided drainage, and a transgluteal approach.

PMID- 26499055
TI  - Surgical repair of pectus excavatum relieves right heart chamber compression and
      improves cardiac output in adult patients--an intraoperative transesophageal
      echocardiographic study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiac compression in pectus excavatum (PE) deformity and effect of
      PE surgery on cardiac function in adults have been debated. We examined the
      effect of PE correction on right heart size and cardiac output. METHODS: A
      retrospective evaluation was performed of 168 adult patients who underwent a
      modified Nuss PE repair with intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography from
      2011 to 2014. Seventeen patients with prior PE repair undergoing bar removal
      acted as controls. RESULTS: Mean age was 33.0 years (range, 18 to 71 years).
      There was an increase in right atrium (15.1%), tricuspid annulus (10.9%), and
      right ventricular outflow tract (6.1%) size after surgery (all P < .0001). Right
      ventricular cardiac output measured in a subset of 42 patients improved by 38%.
      No change in chamber size or cardiac output occurred before and after bar removal
      surgery in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical correction of PE deformity
      caused a significant improvement in right heart chamber size and cardiac output.

PMID- 26499056
TI  - [Corrigendum] Effects of rotigaptide (ZP123) on connexin43 remodeling in canine
      ventricular fibrillation.

PMID- 26499058
TI  - Time-multiplexed two-channel capacitive radiofrequency hyperthermia with
      nanoparticle mediation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Capacitive radiofrequency (RF) hyperthermia suffers from excessive
      temperature rise near the electrodes and poorly localized heat transfer to the
      deep-seated tumor region even though it is known to have potential to cure ill
      conditioned tumors. To better localize heat transfer to the deep-seated target
      region in which electrical conductivity is elevated by nanoparticle mediation,
      two-channel capacitive RF heating has been tried on a phantom. METHODS: We made a
      tissue-mimicking phantom consisting of two compartments, a tumor-tissue-mimicking
      insert against uniform background agarose. The tumor-tissue-mimicking insert was
      made to have higher electrical conductivity than the normal-tissue-mimicking
      background by applying magnetic nanoparticle suspension to the insert. Two
      electrode pairs were attached on the phantom surface by equal-angle separation to
      apply RF electric field to the phantom. To better localize heat transfer to the
      tumor-tissue-mimicking insert, RF power with a frequency of 26 MHz was delivered
      to the two channels in a time-multiplexed way. To monitor the temperature rise
      inside the phantom, MR thermometry was performed at a 3T MRI intermittently
      during the RF heating. Finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) electromagnetic and
      thermal simulations on the phantom model were also performed to verify the
      experimental results. RESULTS: As compared to the one-channel RF heating, the two
      channel RF heating with time-multiplexed driving improved the spatial
      localization of heat transfer to the tumor-tissue-mimicking region in both the
      simulation and experiment. The two-channel RF heating also reduced the
      temperature rise near the electrodes significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Time-multiplexed
      two-channel capacitive RF heating has the capability to better localize heat
      transfer to the nanoparticle-mediated tumor region which has higher electrical
      conductivity than the background normal tissues.

PMID- 26499059
TI  - Imatinib mesylate induces mitochondria-dependent apoptosis and inhibits invasion
      of human pigmented villonodular synovitis fibroblast-like synovial cells.
AB  - Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a rare sarcoma-like disorder
      characterized by synovial lesions proliferation and invasion to articular
      cartilage for which no effective treatments are available. Imatinib mesylate (IM)
      is known to exert antitumor activity in some tumors, but its effects on PVNS
      fibroblast-like synoviocytes (PVNS-FLS) and the specific mechanism involved
      remain to be established. In the present study, the in vitro effects of IM on
      cell proliferation and survival rates were investigated in PVNS-FLS. Apoptosis
      induction was assessed via acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO)/(EB) and Annexin
      V/PI staining as well as western blotting. The invasion ability of PVNS-FLS was
      evaluated by Transwell invasion chambers. IM significantly inhibited survival and
      invasion ability of PVNS-FLS in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The drug
      treated cell groups exhibited markedly higher apoptosis, which was blocked upon
      pretreatment with the specific caspase-9 inhibitor Z-LEHD-FMK. Expression of
      cleaved caspase-9 was significantly increased and the Bcl-2 family and caspase-3
      were activated following treatment with IM. Our results collectively demonstrated
      that IM has a strong antiproliferative effect on PVNS-FLS in vitro, attributable
      to induction of mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis in association with activation
      of caspase-9/-3 and the Bcl-2/Bax family, and exhibits significant inhibition on
      the invasion ability of PVNS-FLS, suggesting that IM may be useful as a novel
      treatment of this disease.

PMID- 26499057
TI  - Cognitive computer training in children with attention deficit hyperactivity
      disorder (ADHD) versus no intervention: study protocol for a randomized
      controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common
      neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by symptoms of inattention and
      impulsivity and/or hyperactivity and a range of cognitive dysfunctions.
      Pharmacological treatment may be beneficial; however, many affected individuals
      continue to have difficulties with cognitive functions despite medical treatment,
      and up to 30 % do not respond to pharmacological treatment. Inadequate medical
      compliance and the long-term effects of treatment make it necessary to explore
      nonpharmacological and supplementary treatments for ADHD. Treatment of cognitive
      dysfunctions may prove particularly important because of the impact of these
      dysfunctions on the ability to cope with everyday life. Lately, several trials
      have shown promising results for cognitive computer training, often referred to
      as cognitive training, which focuses on particular parts of cognition, mostly on
      the working memory or attention but with poor generalization of training on other
      cognitive functions and functional outcome. Children with ADHD have a variety of
      cognitive dysfunctions, and it is important that cognitive training target
      multiple cognitive functions. METHODS/DESIGN: This multicenter randomized
      clinical superiority trial aims to investigate the effect of "ACTIVATETM," a
      computer program designed to improve a range of cognitive skills and ADHD
      symptoms. A total of 122 children with ADHD, aged 6 to 13 years, will be
      randomized to an intervention or a control group. The intervention group will be
      asked to use ACTIVATETM at home 40 minutes per day, 6 days per week for 8 weeks.
      Both intervention and control group will receive treatment as usual. Outcome
      measures will assess cognitive functions, symptoms, and behavioral and functional
      measures before and after the 8 weeks of training and in a 12- and 24-week follow
      up. DISCUSSION: Results of this trial will provide useful information on the
      effectiveness of computer training focusing on several cognitive functions.
      Cognitive training has the potential to reduce cognitive dysfunctions and to
      become a new treatment option, which can promote a more normal neural development
      in young children with ADHD and thus reduce cognitive dysfunctions and symptoms.
      This could help children with ADHD to perform better in everyday life and school.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01752530 , date of registration: 10
      December 2012.

PMID- 26499060
TI  - Hypertrophic aortic branches can potentially cause critical problems during
      minimally invasive cardiac surgery.
AB  - Here we present two cases in which hypertrophic aortic branches caused trouble
      during minimally invasive cardiac surgery. We performed mitral valvuloplasty with
      the Maze procedure in Case 1 and mitral valvuloplasty with aortic valve
      replacement in Case 2 via mini-thoracotomy. In preoperative computed tomography
      scan, we did not note a hypertrophic bronchial artery in Case 1 or a dilated
      intercostal artery in Case 2. The right atrium was distended after aortic cross
      clamping and perioperative myocardial infarction occurred in Case 1. Whereas, we
      could effectively deal with this situation in Case 2. The increased pulmonary
      blood flow can potentially cause critical problems during minimally invasive
      surgery. Sufficient venting of the right ventricle and secure myocardial
      protection is the key to perform safe surgery in the presence of dilated aortic
      branches. However, surgeons should not hesitate to convert to sternotomy under
      poor surgical exposure despite sufficient venting.

PMID- 26499061
TI  - The effects of narrative versus non-narrative information in school health
      education about alcohol drinking for low educated adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traditionally most health education materials are written in an
      expository non-narrative format. Scholars have argued that the effectiveness of
      materials may increase when these texts are replaced by narrative texts, and that
      the non-narrative texts should be replaced by narrative texts. However, no
      previous studies have tested these claims in the context of school health
      education for low educated adolescents. This study aims to do so for an existing
      preventive health education intervention about alcohol for low educated
      adolescents. Based on the empirical findings of previous studies, it is expected
      that the claims about narratives being more effective than non-narrative texts
      are not true for effects on knowledge. Instead non-narrative texts are expected
      to have a stronger impact on this outcome variable. For attitude towards alcohol
      and intention to drink alcohol the claims are expected to be true, because
      participants are expected to be less aware of the persuasive intent of the
      narrative texts, which would make them less resistant. As a result, narrative
      texts are expected to have a stronger effect on attitude and intention. METHODS:
      This study compares the effects on knowledge, attitude towards alcohol, and
      intention to drink alcohol of both information formats in a two-condition (non
      narrative vs. narrative information) experiment with repeated measures (pre
      measurement, immediate post-measurement, and delayed post-measurement). The
      experiment was conducted amongst 296 students of the two lowest levels of the
      Dutch secondary education system. RESULTS: The results showed immediate effects
      on knowledge and attitude towards alcohol, which did not differ between
      conditions and school levels. These effects did not persist over time. There were
      no effects on intention to drink alcohol. CONCLUSION: It is concluded non
      narrative and narrative information are equally effective in the context of
      school health education, suggesting the claims that scholars have made about the
      superior effects of narrative texts are not true. Given the fact that narrative
      texts are more expensive to develop, policy makers may not be advised to prefer
      these types of texts over the traditionally used non-narrative texts.

PMID- 26499062
TI  - Problem-Solving Coping and Social Support as Mediators  of Academic Stress and
      Suicidal Ideation Among Malaysian  and Indian Adolescents.
AB  - This study examined whether productive coping styles and social support were
      significant mediators of the relationship between academic stress and suicidal
      ideation. The survey was performed on a sample of 300 Malaysian and 300 Indian
      college students. The participants completed psychological assessments of
      productive coping styles, social support, academic stress, and suicidal ideation.
      Significant cultural and demographic differences emerged. Indian students
      reported higher suicidal ideation and academic stress than did Malaysian
      students, and Malaysian students received more social support and had better
      problem-solving coping styles than did Indian students. Overall, students who
      were male, non-religious, and from low-income families reported more academic
      stress and more suicidal ideation. Productive coping styles and overall social
      support strongly affected the relationship between academic stress and suicidal
      ideation among both countries' participants.

PMID- 26499063
TI  - Self-assembly of the anti-fungal polyene amphotericin B into giant helically
      twisted nanotapes.
AB  - The amphiphilic polyene amphotericin B, a powerful treatment for systemic fungal
      infections, is shown to exhibit a critical aggregation concentration, and to form
      giant helically-twisted nanostructures via self-assembly in basic aqueous
      solution. 

PMID- 26499064
TI  - How does age affect the care dependency risk one year after stroke? A study based
      on claims data from a German health insurance fund.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of age on
      care dependency risk 1 year after stroke. Two research questions are addressed:
      (1) How strong is the association between age and care dependency risk 1 year
      after stroke and (2) can this association be explained by burden of disease?
      METHODS: The study is based on claims data from a German statutory health
      insurance fund. The study population was drawn from all continuously insured
      members with principal diagnoses of ischaemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, or
      transient ischaemic attack in 2007 who survived for 1 year after stroke and who
      were not dependent on care before their first stroke (n = 2864). Data were
      collected over a 1-year period. People are considered to be dependent on care if
      they, due to a physical, mental or psychological illness or disability, require
      substantial assistance in carrying out activities of daily living for a period of
      at least 6 months. Burden of disease was assessed by stroke subtype, history of
      stroke, comorbidities as well as geriatric multimorbidity. Regression models were
      used for data analysis. RESULTS: 21.6 % of patients became care dependent during
      the observation period. Post-stroke care dependency risk was significantly
      associated with age. Relative to the reference group (0-65 years), the odds ratio
      of care dependency was 11.30 (95 % CI: 7.82-16.34) in patients aged 86+ years and
      5.10 (95 % CI: 3.88-6.71) in patients aged 76-85 years. These associations were
      not explained by burden of disease. On the contrary, age effects became stronger
      when burden of disease was included in the regression model (by between 1.1 and
      28 %). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that age has an effect on care dependency
      risk that cannot be explained by burden of disease. Thus, there must be other
      underlying age-dependent factors that account for the remaining age effects
      (e.g., social conditions). Further studies are needed to explore the causes of
      the strong age effects observed.

PMID- 26499065
TI  - A high-throughput liquid bead array-based screening technology for Bt presence in
      GMO manipulation.
AB  - The number of species and planting areas of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
      has been rapidly developed during the past ten years. For the purpose of GMO
      inspection, quarantine and manipulation, we have now devised a high-throughput Bt
      based GMOs screening method based on the liquid bead array. This novel method is
      based on the direct competitive recognition between biotinylated antibodies and
      beads-coupled antigens, searching for Bt presence in samples if it contains Bt
      Cry1 Aa, Bt Cry1 Ab, Bt Cry1 Ac, Bt Cry1 Ah, Bt Cry1 B, Bt Cry1 C, Bt Cry1 F, Bt
      Cry2 A, Bt Cry3 or Bt Cry9 C. Our method has a wide GMO species coverage so that
      more than 90% of the whole commercialized GMO species can be identified
      throughout the world. Under our optimization, specificity, sensitivity,
      repeatability and availability validation, the method shows a high specificity
      and 10-50 ng/mL sensitivity of quantification. We then assessed more than 1800
      samples in the field and food market to prove capacity of our method in
      performing a high throughput screening work for GMO manipulation. Our method
      offers an applicant platform for further inspection and research on GMO plants.

PMID- 26499067
TI  - Electrochemical impedance based chiral analysis of anti-ascorbutic drug: l
      Ascorbic acid and d-ascorbic acid using C-dots decorated conductive polymer nano
      composite electrode.
AB  - Clinical manifestations owing to l-ascorbic acid for scurvy as comparison to d
      ascorbic acid and challenges of chiral purity are overcome by using chiral
      selective conductive polymer nanocomposite which mimics antibodies and enzymes. A
      novel chiral selective imprinted polyaniline-ferrocene-sulfonic acid film has
      been electrochemically fabricated on C-dots modified pencil graphite electrode.
      The performance of the obtained l-ascorbic acid or d-ascorbic acid chiral
      selective sensor was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,
      cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry. The surface characteristics of the C
      dots, chiral sensor before and after the de-doping of chiral d- and l-ascorbic
      acid were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X
      ray diffraction spectroscopy. Excellent recognition results were obtained by
      difference in electron transfer resistance. The proposed chiral sensor is capable
      of measuring d-ascorbic acid or l-ascorbic acid in aqueous as well as in real and
      commercial samples within the range of 0.020-0.187 nM and 0.003-0.232 nM with
      detection limit of 0.00073 nM and 0.00016 nM, respectively. The proposed method
      has also been examined for the chiral selective recognition of ascorbic acid
      isomers (d- and l-) quantitatively, in complicated matrices of real samples.

PMID- 26499066
TI  - Potentiometric bioimaging with a large-scale integration (LSI)-based
      electrochemical device for detection of enzyme activity.
AB  - This paper describes potentiometric bioimaging for enzyme activity using a large
      scale integration (LSI)-based electrochemical device with 400 sensors.
      Potentiometric detection is useful for bioimaging because redox species are not
      consumed or produced during the detection process; therefore, there is no effect
      on cell activity and the detectable signal is sustained. In this study, the
      potentiometer mode of the LSI-based device was applied for the detection of
      glucose oxidase (GOx) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. The enzyme
      activities were quantitatively detected within the concentration ranges of 25-250
      MUg/mL and 0.10-5.0 ng/mL. In addition, GOx activity in hydrogels and the ALP
      activity of embryoid bodies (EBs) from embryonic stem (ES) cells were
      successfully imaged based on detection of the open circuit potentials of
      individual sensors in real time. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first
      report of potentiometric imaging using LSI-based electrochemical arrays to detect
      enzyme activity in ES cells. The LSI-based device is thus demonstrated to be a
      promising tool for bioimaging of enzyme activity.

PMID- 26499068
TI  - A Direct Link between Abscisic Acid Sensing and the Chromatin-Remodeling ATPase
      BRAHMA via Core ABA Signaling Pathway Components.
AB  - Optimal response to drought is critical for plant survival and will affect
      biodiversity and crop performance during climate change. Mitotically heritable
      epigenetic or dynamic chromatin state changes have been implicated in the plant
      response to the drought stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA). The Arabidopsis
      SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling ATPase BRAHMA (BRM) modulates response to ABA by
      preventing premature activation of stress response pathways during germination.
      We show that core ABA signaling pathway components physically interact with BRM
      and post-translationally modify BRM by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation. Genetic
      evidence suggests that BRM acts downstream of SnRK2.2/2.3 kinases, and
      biochemical studies identified phosphorylation sites in the C-terminal region of
      BRM at SnRK2 target sites that are evolutionarily conserved. Finally, the
      phosphomimetic BRM(S1760D S1762D) mutant displays ABA hypersensitivity. Prior
      studies showed that BRM resides at target loci in the ABA pathway in the presence
      and absence of the stimulus, but is only active in the absence of ABA. Our data
      suggest that SnRK2-dependent phosphorylation of BRM leads to its inhibition, and
      PP2CA-mediated dephosphorylation of BRM restores the ability of BRM to repress
      ABA response. These findings point to the presence of a rapid phosphorylation
      based switch to control BRM activity; this property could be potentially
      harnessed to improve drought tolerance in plants. 

PMID- 26499069
TI  - Hypercalcemia in metastatic GIST caused by systemic elevated calcitriol: a case
      report and review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypercalcemia is the most common oncologic metabolic emergency but
      very rarely observed in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumour, which is a
      rare mesenchymal malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract. We describe a case of
      hypercalcemia caused by elevated levels of activated vitamin D in a patient with
      gastrointestinal tumour. Prior to this case report, only one paper has reported
      an association between hypercalcemia, gastrointestinal stromal tumours and
      elevated levels of vitamin D. CASE PRESENTATION: An otherwise healthy 70-year-old
      Caucasian woman, previously treated for duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumour,
      was diagnosed with liver metastasis, and relapse of gastrointestinal stromal
      tumour was confirmed by biopsy. At presentation, the patient suffered from severe
      symptoms of hypercalcemia. The most common causes of hypercalcemia,
      hyperparathyrodism, parathyroid hormone-related peptide secretion from tumour
      cells, and metastatic bone disease, were all dismissed as the etiology. Analysis
      of vitamin D subtypes revealed normal levels of both 25-OH Vitamin D2 and 25-OH
      Vitamin D3, whereas the level of activated vitamin D, 1,25 OH Vitamin D3, also
      referred to as calcitriol, was elevated. CONCLUSION: The fact that plasma
      calcitriol decreased after initiation of oncological treatment and the finding
      that hypercalcemia did not recur during treatment support the conclusion that
      elevated calcitriol was a consequence of the gastrointestinal stromal tumour. We
      suggest that gastrointestinal stromal tumours should be added to the list of
      causes of humoral hypercalcemia in malignancy, and propose that gastrointestinal
      stromal tumour tissue may have high activity of the specific enzyme 1alpha
      hydroxylase, which can lead to increased levels of calcitriol and secondarily
      hypercalcemia.

PMID- 26499070
TI  - Traditional medicine practices among community members with chronic kidney
      disease in northern Tanzania: an ethnomedical survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In sub-Saharan Africa, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is being
      recognized as a non-communicable disease (NCD) with high morbidity and mortality.
      In countries like Tanzania, people access many sources, including traditional
      medicines, to meet their healthcare needs for NCDs, but little is known about
      traditional medicine practices among people with CKD. Therefore, we sought to
      characterize these practices among community members with CKD in northern
      Tanzania. METHODS: Between December 2013 and June 2014, we administered a
      previously-developed survey to a random sample of adult community-members from
      the Kilimanjaro Region; the survey was designed to measure traditional medicine
      practices such as types, frequencies, reasons, and modes. Participants were also
      tested for CKD, diabetes, hypertension, and HIV as part of the CKD-AFRiKA study.
      To identify traditional medicines used in the local treatment of kidney disease,
      we reviewed the qualitative sessions which had previously been conducted with key
      informants. RESULTS: We enrolled 481 adults of whom 57 (11.9 %) had CKD. The
      prevalence of traditional medicine use among adults with CKD was 70.3 % (95 % CI
      50.0-84.9 %), and among those at risk for CKD (n = 147; 30.6 %), it was 49.0 %
      (95 % CI 33.1-65.0 %). Among adults with CKD, the prevalence of concurrent use of
      traditional medicine and biomedicine was 33.2 % (11.4-65.6 %). Symptomatic
      ailments (66.7 %; 95 % CI 17.3-54.3), malaria/febrile illnesses (64.0 %; 95 % CI
      44.1-79.9), and chronic diseases (49.6 %; 95 % CI 28.6-70.6) were the most
      prevalent uses for traditional medicines. We identified five plant-based
      traditional medicines used for the treatment of kidney disease: Aloe vera,
      Commifora africana, Cymbopogon citrullus, Persea americana, and Zanthoxylum
      chalybeum. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of traditional medicine use is high among
      adults with and at risk for CKD in northern Tanzania where they use them for a
      variety of conditions including other NCDs. Additionally, many of these same
      people access biomedicine and traditional medicines concurrently. The traditional
      medicines used for the local treatment of kidney disease have a variety of
      activities, and people with CKD may be particularly vulnerable to adverse
      effects. Recognizing these traditional medicine practices will be important in
      shaping CKD treatment programs and public health policies aimed at addressing
      CKD.

PMID- 26499071
TI  - Bisnaphthalimidopropyl diaminodicyclohexylmethane induces DNA damage and repair
      instability in triple negative breast cancer cells via p21 expression.
AB  - Bisnaphthalimidopropyl diaminodicyclohexylmethane (BNIPDaCHM) bisintercalates to
      DNA and is a potential anti-cancer therapeutic. In an attempt to elucidate the
      mechanism(s) underlying the potential of BNIPDaCHM; earlier work was extended to
      investigate its effect on DNA damage and repair as well as cell cycle modulation,
      in a triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell line in vitro. BNIPDaCHM
      significantly decreased cell viability in a concentration (>= 5 MUM) and time (>=
      24 h) dependent manner. The mechanism of this growth inhibition involved
      alterations to cell cycle progression, an increase in the sub-G1 population and
      changes to plasma membrane integrity/permeability observed by flow cytometry and
      fluorescence microscopy with acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining. Using
      single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet assay) and fluorescence microscopy to
      detect gamma-H2AX-foci expression; it was found that after 4 h, >= 0.1 MUM
      BNIPDaCHM treatment-induced significant DNA double strand breaks (DSBs).
      Moreover, exposure to a non-genotoxic concentration of BNIPDaCHM induced a
      significant decrease in the repair of oxidative DNA strand breaks induced by
      hydrogen peroxide. Also, BNIPDaCHM-treatment induced a significant time dependent
      increase in p21(Waf/Cip1) mRNA expression but, did not alter p53 mRNA expression.
      In conclusion, BNIPDaCHM treatment in MDA-MB-231 cells was associated with a
      significant induction of DNA DSBs and inhibition of DNA repair at non-genotoxic
      concentrations via p53-independent expression of p21(Waf1/Cip1). The latter may
      be a consequence of novel interactions between BNIPDaCHM and MDA-MB-231 cells
      which adds to the spectrum of therapeutically relevant activities that may be
      exploited in the future design and development of naphthalimide-based
      therapeutics.

PMID- 26499072
TI  - S100A4 upregulation suppresses tissue ossification and enhances matrix
      degradation in experimental periodontitis models.
AB  - AIM: S100A4, also known as fibroblast-specific protein 1 or metastasin 1, is not
      only highly expressed in growth-stimulated cultured cells and metastatic tumor
      cells, but also in the periodontal ligament. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the roles of S100A4 in the pathogenesis of periodontitis and its
      regulatory mechanisms in inflammatory milieu. METHODS: Experimental periodontitis
      was induced in rats by submarginal silk ligatures. TRAP activity and S100A4
      expression in periodontal ligaments were examined using immunohistochemistry and
      immunofluorescence methods. IL-1beta-treated human periodontal ligament cells
      (hPDLCs) were used as in vitro model of experimental periodontitis. S100A4 mRNA
      and protein were assessed using qRT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. hPDLCs
      were transfected with either S100A4 overexpression plasmids or shRNAs plasmids.
      The mineralization in hPDLCs was evaluated with a 12-d osteogenic induction
      assay, and the expression of ALP, OCN, MMP-2 and MMP-13 was analyzed by qRT-PCR.
      RESULTS: In the periodontal ligaments of rats with experimental periodontitis,
      TRAP activity and S100A4 protein staining were considerably more intense compared
      with those in the control rats. Treatment of hPDLCs with IL-1beta (10, 50 and 100
      ng/mL) dose-dependently increased the mRNA and protein levels of S100A4.
      Transfection with shRNAs markedly increased mineralized nodule formation and the
      osteogenic-related markers ALP and OCN levels in hPDLCs, whereas the
      overexpression of S100A4 significantly reduced mineralized nodule formation, and
      increased the matrix degradation enzymes MMP-2 and MMP-13 levels in hPDLCs.
      CONCLUSION: S100A4 is upregulated in the experimental rat periodontitis and in IL
      1beta-treated hPDLCs, where S100A4 suppresses osteogenic differentiation and
      enhances matrix degradation. Thus, S100A4 is a potential target for the treatment
      of periodontitis.

PMID- 26499073
TI  - Increased levels of adenosine and ecto 5'-nucleotidase (CD73) activity precede
      renal alterations in experimental diabetic rats.
AB  - The pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN) has not been clearly established,
      making diagnosis and patient management difficult. Recent studies using
      experimental diabetic models have implicated adenosine signaling with renal cells
      dysfunction. Therefore, the study of the biochemical mechanisms that regulate
      extracellular adenosine availability during DN is of emerging interest. Using
      streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats we demonstrated that urinary levels of
      adenosine were early increased. Further analyses showed an increased expression
      of the ecto 5'-nucleotidase (CD73), which hydrolyzes AMP to adenosine, at the
      renal proximal tubules and a higher enzymatic activity in tubule extracts. These
      changes precede the signs of diabetic kidney injury recognized by significant
      proteinuria, morphological alterations and the presence of the renal fibrosis
      markers alpha smooth muscle actin and fibronectin, collagen deposits and
      thickening of the glomerular basement membrane. In the proximal tubule cell line
      HK2 we identified TGF-beta as a key modulator of CD73 activity. Importantly, the
      increased activity of CD73 could be screened in urinary sediments from diabetic
      rats. In conclusion, the increase of CD73 activity is a key component in the
      production of high levels of adenosine and emerges as a new tool for the early
      diagnosis of tubular injury in diabetic kidney disease. 

PMID- 26499074
TI  - Transduction of Oct6 or Oct9 gene concomitant with Myc family gene induced
      osteoblast-like phenotypic conversion in normal human fibroblasts.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Osteoblasts play essential roles in bone formation and
      regeneration, while they have low proliferation potential. Recently we
      established a procedure to directly convert human fibroblasts into osteoblasts
      (dOBs). Transduction of Runx2 (R), Osterix (X), Oct3/4 (O) and L-myc (L) genes
      followed by culturing under osteogenic conditions induced normal human
      fibroblasts to express osteoblast-specific genes and produce calcified bone
      matrix both in vitro and in vivo Intriguingly, a combination of only two factors,
      Oct3/4 and L-myc, significantly induced osteoblast-like phenotype in fibroblasts,
      but the mechanisms underlying the direct conversion remains to be unveiled.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined which Oct family genes and Myc family genes
      are capable of inducing osteoblast-like phenotypic conversion. RESULTS: As result
      Oct3/4, Oct6 and Oct9, among other Oct family members, had the capability, while
      N-myc was the most effective Myc family gene. The Oct9 plus N-myc was the best
      combination to induce direct conversion of human fibroblasts into osteoblast-like
      cells. DISCUSSION: The present findings may greatly contribute to the elucidation
      of the roles of the Oct and Myc proteins in osteoblast direct reprogramming. The
      results may also lead to establishment of novel regenerative therapy for various
      bone resorption diseases.

PMID- 26499075
TI  - Fisetin induces Sirt1 expression while inhibiting early adipogenesis in 3T3-L1
      cells.
AB  - Fisetin (3,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a naturally found flavonol in many
      fruits and vegetables and is known to have anti-aging, anti-cancer and anti-viral
      effects. However, the effects of fisetin on early adipocyte differentiation and
      the epigenetic regulator controlling adipogenic transcription factors remain
      unclear. Here, we show that fisetin inhibits lipid accumulation and suppresses
      the expression of PPARgamma in 3T3-L1 cells. Fisetin suppressed early stages of
      preadipocyte differentiation, and induced expression of Sirt1. Depletion of Sirt1
      abolished the inhibitory effects of fisetin on intracellular lipid accumulation
      and on PPARgamma expression. Mechanistically, fisetin facilitated Sirt1-mediated
      deacetylation of PPARgamma and FoxO1, and enhanced the association of Sirt1 with
      the PPARgamma promoter, leading to suppression of PPARgamma transcriptional
      activity, thereby repressing adipogenesis. Lowering Sirt1 levels reversed the
      effects of fisetin on deacetylation of PPARgamma and increased PPARgamma
      transactivation. Collectively, our results suggest the effects of fisetin in
      increasing Sirt1 expression and in epigenetic control of early adipogenesis. 

PMID- 26499076
TI  - O-Linked N-acetylglucosaminylation of Sp1 interferes with Sp1 activation of
      glycolytic genes.
AB  - Glycolysis, the primary pathway metabolizing glucose for energy production, is
      connected to the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) which produces UDP-N
      acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc), a GlcNAc donor for O-linked GlcNAc modification
      (O-GlcNAc), as well as for traditional elongated glycosylation. Thus, glycolysis
      and O-GlcNAc are intimately associated. The present study reports the
      transcriptional activation of glycolytic genes by the transcription factor Sp1
      and the O-GlcNAc-mediated suppression of Sp1-dependent activation of glycolytic
      genes. O-GlcNAc-deficient mutant Sp1 stimulated the transcription of nine
      glycolytic genes and cellular production of pyruvate, the final product of
      glycolysis, to a greater extent than wild-type Sp1. Consistently, this mutant Sp1
      increased the protein levels of the two key glycolytic enzymes,
      phosphofructokinase (PFK) and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH),
      to a greater extent than wild-type Sp1. Finally, the mutant Sp1 occupied GC-rich
      elements on PFK and GAPDH promoters more efficiently than wild-type Sp1. These
      results suggest that O-GlcNAcylation of Sp1 suppresses Sp1-mediated activation of
      glycolytic gene transcription. 

PMID- 26499077
TI  - Decreased RECQL5 correlated with disease progression of osteosarcoma.
AB  - Human RecQ helicase family, consisting of RECQL, RECQL4, RECQL5, BLM and WRN, has
      critical roles in genetic stability and tumorigenesis. Although RECQL5 has been
      reported to correlate with the susceptibility to malignances including
      osteosarcoma, the specific effect on tumor genesis and progression is not yet
      clarified. Here we focused on the relationship between RECQL5 expression and
      osteosarcoma disease progression, and further investigated the function of RECQL5
      on MG-63 cell proliferation and apoptosis. By immunohistochemical analysis, qRT
      PCR and western blot, we found that RECQL5 expression was downregulated in
      osteosarcoma tissues and cells. Patients with advanced tumor stage and low grade
      expressed lower RECQL5. To construct a stable RECQL5 overexpression osteosarcoma
      cell line (MG-63-RECQL5), RECQL5 gene was inserted into the human AAVS1 safe
      harbor by CRISPR/Cas9 system. The overexpression of RECQL5 was verified by qRT
      PCR and western blot. Cell proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis assay revealed
      that RECQL5 overexpression inhibited proliferation, induced G1-phase arrest and
      promoted apoptosis in MG-63 cells. Collectively, our results suggested RECQL5 as
      a tumor suppressor in osteosarcoma and may be a potential therapeutic target for
      osteosarcoma treatment. 

PMID- 26499078
TI  - Macrophage-derived microvesicles promote proliferation and migration of Schwann
      cell on peripheral nerve repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Macrophages have been implicated in peripheral nerve regeneration.
      However, whether macrophages-derived microvesicles (MVs) are involved in this
      process remains unknown. In the present study, the effects of macrophages-derived
      MVs on proliferation and migration of Schwann cells (SCs) were evaluated in both
      in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Human monocytic leukaemia cell line (THP-1) was
      successfully driven to M1 and M2 phenotypes by delivery of either IFN-gamma or IL
      4, respectively. SCs incubated with M1 or M2 macrophages-derived MVs, the cell
      migration and proliferation were assessed, and expression levels of nerve growth
      factor (NGF) and Laminin were measured. A rat model of sciatic nerve was
      established and the effects of macrophages-derived MVs on nerve regeneration were
      investigated. RESULTS: M2-derived MVs elevated migration, proliferation, NFG and
      Laminin protein levels of SCs compared with M1-or M0-derived MVs. The relative
      expression levels of miR-223 were also increased in M2 macrophages and M2-derived
      MVs. Transfected M2 macrophages with miR-223 inhibitor then co-incubated with
      SCs, an inhibition of cell migration and proliferation and a down-regulated
      levels of NFG and Laminin protein expression were observed. In vivo, M2-derived
      MVs significantly increased the infiltration and axon number of SCs. CONCLUSION:
      M2-derived MVs promoted proliferation and migration of SCs in vitro and in vivo,
      which provided a therapeutic strategy for nerve regeneration.

PMID- 26499079
TI  - SENP1 inhibits the IH-induced apoptosis and nitric oxide production in BV2
      microglial cells.
AB  - To reveal SUMOylation and the roles of Sentrin-specific proteases (SENP)s in
      microglial cells under Intermittent hypoxia (IH) condition would provide more
      intensive view of understanding the mechanisms of IH-induced central nervous
      system (CNS) damage. Hence, in the present study, we detected the expression
      levels of SENPs in microglial cells under IH and normoxia conditions via RT-PCR
      assay. We found that SENP1 was significantly down-regulated in cells exposure to
      IH. Subsequently, the effect of IH for the activation of microglia and the
      potential roles of SENP1 in the SENP1-overexpressing cell lines were investigated
      via Western blotting, RT-PCR and Griess assay. The present study demonstrated the
      apoptosis-inducing and activating role of IH on microglia. In addition, we
      revealed that the effect of IH on BV-2 including apoptosis, nitric oxide synthase
      (iNOS) expression and nitric oxide (NO) induction can be attenuated by SENP1
      overexpression. The results of the present study are of both theoretical and
      therapeutic significance to explore the potential roles of SENP1 under IH
      condition and elucidated the mechanisms underlying microglial survival and
      activation. 

PMID- 26499081
TI  - Quality of life in patients with calluses.

PMID- 26499080
TI  - Ezh2 is involved in radial neuronal migration through regulating Reelin
      expression in cerebral cortex.
AB  - Radial migration of pyramidal neurons is an important event during the
      development of cerebral cortex. Neurons experience series of morphological and
      directional transitions to get to their final laminar positions. Here we report
      that the histone methyltransferase enhancer of zest homolog 2 (Ezh2) is involved
      in the regulation of cortical radial migration. We show that Ezh2 knockdown leads
      to disturbed neuronal orientation, which results in the impairment of radial
      migration. Further results reveal that this migration deficiency may be due to
      the derepression of Reelin transcription in the migrating neurons. Our study
      provides evidence that epigenetic regulation of Reelin by Ezh2 maintains
      appropriate Reelin expression pattern to fulfill proper orientation of migrating
      neurons. 

PMID- 26499082
TI  - Complement Component 3 Is Associated with Metabolic Comorbidities in Older HIV
      Positive Adults.
AB  - Our objective was to evaluate the association of plasma inflammatory biomarkers
      with MetS in an older population of treated HIV-infected (HIV(+)) as compared to
      age-matched HIV-negative (HIV(-)) adults. This was done in a retrospective
      observational study. Plasma concentrations of complement component 3 (C3),
      cystatin C, fibroblast growth factor 1, interleukin 6, oxidized LDL, soluble
      RAGE, soluble CD163, soluble CD14, and osteopontin were measured in 79 HIV(+)
      participants on combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) with a suppressed HIV
      viral load and 47 HIV(-) participants with a median age of 59 (range 50 to 79).
      Outcomes were individual MetS components (hypertension, type II diabetes,
      dyslipidemia, and obesity) and MetS. Covariates were screened for inclusion in
      multivariable models. Odds ratios are reported per 50 mg/dl increase in C3. In
      the HIV(+) group, higher C3 levels were associated with MetS (OR 3.19, p =
      0.004), obesity (OR 2.02, p = 0.01), type II diabetes (OR 1.93, p = 0.02), and at
      a trend level with dyslipidemia (OR 1.87, p = 0.07) and hypertension (OR 1.66, p
      = 0.09). C3 levels were significantly higher in HIV(+) participants with MetS
      compared to those without MetS (p = 0.002). C3 was higher among HIV(+) patients
      with three or four MetS components as compared to those with one or two (p =
      0.04) and those with none (p = 0.002). No associations were found between C3 and
      the outcomes for HIV(-) participants. C3 is strongly associated with both MetS
      and MetS components in an older HIV(+) sample on cART compared to HIV(-)
      controls. C3 warrants further investigation as a marker of cardiometabolic risk
      among persons aging with HIV.

PMID- 26499083
TI  - The role of the opioid system in binge eating disorder.
AB  - Binge eating disorder is characterized by excessive, uncontrollable consumption
      of palatable food within brief periods of time. Excessive intake of palatable
      food is thought to be driven by hedonic, rather than energy homeostatic,
      mechanisms. However, reward processing does not only comprise consummatory
      actions; a key component is represented by the anticipatory phase directed at
      procuring the reward. This phase is highly influenced by environmental food
      associated stimuli, which can robustly enhance the desire to eat even in the
      absence of physiological needs. The opioid system (endogenous peptides and their
      receptors) has been strongly linked to the rewarding aspects of palatable food
      intake, and perhaps represents the key system involved in hedonic overeating.
      Here we review evidence suggesting that the opioid system can also be regarded as
      one of the systems that regulates the anticipatory incentive processes preceding
      binge eating hedonic episodes. 

PMID- 26499084
TI  - Structural analysis of a Dioclea sclerocarpa lectin: Study on the vasorelaxant
      properties of Dioclea lectins.
AB  - Lectins are proteins that show a variety of biological activities. However, they
      share in common at least one domain capable of recognizing specific carbohydrates
      reversibly without changing its structure. The legume lectins family is the most
      studied family of plant lectins, in particular the Diocleinae subtribe, which
      possesses high degree of structural similarity, but variable biological
      activities. This variability lies in small differences that can be analyzed in
      studies based on structures. In particular, Dioclea sclerocarpa seed lectin (DSL)
      presents low ability to relax endothelialized rat aorta in comparison with other
      Dioclea lectins such as Dioclea violacea (DVL), Dioclea virgata (DvirL) and
      Dioclea rostrata (DRL). The DSL relaxation mechanism relies on nitric oxide
      production and carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD). This feature can be
      explained by structural differences, since DSL has a carbohydrate recognition
      domain design less favorable. In addition, the presence of a glutamate residue at
      position 205 proved to be a decisive factor for the low relaxant effect of
      Dioclea lectins.

PMID- 26499085
TI  - Bioengineered quantum dot/chitosan-tripeptide nanoconjugates for targeting the
      receptors of cancer cells.
AB  - Nanobiomaterials can be engineered to recognize cancer-specific receptors at the
      cellular level for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. In this work, we report
      the synthesis of novel multifunctional nanoconjugates composed of fluorescent
      inorganic semiconductor quantum dot (QD) cores and tripeptide-modified
      polysaccharide organic shells. These structures were designed for targeting and
      imaging the alphavbeta3 integrin receptors of cancer cells. Initially, chitosan
      was covalently bound with the RGD peptide using a crosslinker to form
      bioconjugates (RGD-chitosan), which were later utilized as capping ligands for
      the production of surface-functionalized CdS QDs via a single-step process in
      aqueous media at room temperature. These core-shell nanostructures were
      extensively characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL)
      spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission
      electron microscopy (TEM), zeta potential (ZP) and dynamic light scattering
      (DLS). The TEM images and the UV-vis absorption results indicated the formation
      of ultra-small CdS QD nanocrystals with average diameters between 2.0 and 3.0 nm.
      In addition, the PL results demonstrated that the nanobioconjugates exhibited
      intense green fluorescence under excitation. The CdS-RGD-chitosan systems were
      effective at specific targeting integrin when assayed in vitro using two model
      cell cultures, HEK 293 (non-cancerous human embryonic kidney cell) and SAOS
      (cancerous sarcoma osteogenic-derived cells) imaged using fluorescence
      microscopy.

PMID- 26499086
TI  - Evaluation of antioxidants in protein formulation against oxidative stress using
      various biophysical methods.
AB  - To evaluate the biophysical stability of protein against oxidative stress,
      hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was used to induce non-site-specific protein oxidation.
      Various biophysical methods were utilized including RP-HPLC, DSC, DLS, and CD.
      Lysozyme was chosen as a model protein and three different antioxidants (ascorbic
      acid, N-acetyl-l-cysteine, and l-methionine) were selected to observe their
      effect. Significant increase in hydrodynamic size, decrease in alpha-helix
      propensity, and increase in beta-sheet content evident with increasing H2O2
      concentration and temperature suggested methionine residues as the most probable
      site of oxidation. Among the three anti-oxidants, methionine proved superior in
      suppressing protein oxidation with its increasing concentration. Methionine
      reacted with H2O2 to form methionine sulfoxide, which aided in decreasing the
      oxidant concentration to react with the protein. The hydrodynamic size of
      methionine containing protein was retained when incubated at 40 degrees C after
      14 days with unchanged transition temperature (Tm). In contrast, RP-HPLC revealed
      oxidation alterations when the same samples were stored at 40 degrees C,
      highlighting the significant impact of temperature on kinetics. N-acetyl-l
      cysteine and ascorbic acid were relatively less protective. Their hydrodynamic
      size was increased with decreasing Tm compared to the reference. In summary,
      methionine was a superior antioxidant, implicating a promising component in the
      protein formulation for suppressing oxidation. 

PMID- 26499087
TI  - Crystal structure and biochemical characterization of a 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase
      from Ralstoniaeutropha H16.
AB  - The protein ReH16_B0759 from Ralstoniaeutropha is a 3-ketoacyl-coenzyme A (CoA)
      thiolase that catalyzes the fourth step of the beta-oxidation degradative
      pathways by converting 3-ketoacyl-CoAto acyl-CoA. The crystal structures of
      ReH16_B0759 in its apo form and as a complex with its CoA substrate have been
      determined. Although ReH16_B0759 exhibited an overall structure similar to the
      ReH16_A1887 isozyme, the proteindoes not make a complex for beta-oxidation.
      Similar to other degradative thiolases, ReH16_B0759 functions as a dimer, and the
      monomer comprises three subdomains. Unlike ReH16_A1887, a substantial structural
      change was not observed upon the binding of the CoA substrate in ReH16_B0759.
      Exceptionally, the Arg220 residue moved about 5.00A to make room for the binding
      of the adenosine ring. Several charged residues including Arg220 are involved in
      the stabilization of CoA through hydrogen bond interactions. At the active site
      of ReH16_B0759, highly conserved residues such as Cys89, His347, and Cys377 were
      located near the thiol-group of CoA, suggesting that ReH16_B0759 may catalyze the
      thiolase reaction in a manner similar to that of other degradative thiolases. The
      residues involved in substrate binding and enzyme catalysis were further
      confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis.

PMID- 26499088
TI  - Optimization of extraction, characterization and antioxidant activity of
      polysaccharides from Brassica rapa L.
AB  - The root of Brassica rapa L. has been traditionally used as a Uyghur folk
      medicine to cure cough and asthma by Uyghur nationality in Xinjiang Uygur
      Autonomous Region of China. In the present study, therefore, extraction
      optimization, characterization and antioxidant activity in vitro of
      polysaccharides from the root of B. rapa L. (BRP) were investigated. The optimal
      extraction conditions with an extraction yield of 21.48 +/- 0.41% for crude BRP
      were obtained as follows: extraction temperature 93 degrees C, extraction time
      4.3h and ratio of extraction solvent (water) to raw material 75 mL/g. The crude
      BRP was purified by chromatographic columns of DEAE-52 cellulose and Sephadex G
      100, affording three purified fractions of BRP-1-1, BRP-2-1 and BRP-2-2 with
      average molecular weight of 1510, 1110 and 838 kDa, respectively. Monosaccharide
      composition analysis indicated that BRP-1-1 was composed of mannose, rhamnose,
      glucose, galactose and arabinose, BRP-2-1 was composed of rhamnose, galacturonic
      acid, galactose and arabinose, and BRP-2-2 was composed of rhamnose and
      galacturonic acid in a molar ratio of 1.27: 54.92. Furthermore, the crude BRP
      exhibited relatively higher antioxidant activity in vitro than purified
      fractions; hence, it could be used as a natural antioxidant in functional foods
      or medicines.

PMID- 26499089
TI  - The N-terminal pre-A region of Mycobacterium tuberculosis 2/2HbN promotes NO
      dioxygenase activity.
AB  - A unique defense mechanisms by which Mycobacterium tuberculosis protects itself
      from nitrosative stress is based on the O2 -dependent NO-dioxygenase (NOD)
      activity of truncated hemoglobin 2/2HbN (Mt2/2HbN). The NOD activity largely
      depends on the efficiency of ligand migration to the heme cavity through a two
      tunnel (long and short) system; recently, it was also correlated with the
      presence at the Mt2/2HbN N-terminus of a short pre-A region, not conserved in
      most 2/2HbNs, whose deletion results in a drastic reduction of NO scavenging. In
      the present study, we report the crystal structure of Mt2/2HbN-DeltapreA, lacking
      the pre-A region, at a resolution of 1.53 A. We show that removal of the pre-A
      region results in long range effects on the protein C-terminus, promoting the
      assembly of a stable dimer, both in the crystals and in solution. In the Mt2/2HbN
      DeltapreA dimer, access of heme ligands to the short tunnel is hindered.
      Molecular dynamics simulations show that the long tunnel branch is the only
      accessible pathway for O2 -ligand migration to/from the heme, and that the gating
      residue Phe(62)E15 partly restricts the diameter of the tunnel. Accordingly,
      kinetic measurements indicate that the kon value for peroxynitrite isomerization
      by Mt2/2HbN-DeltapreA-Fe(III) is four-fold lower relative to the full-length
      protein, and that NO scavenging by Mt2/2HbN-DeltapreA-Fe(II)-O2 is reduced by 35
      fold. Therefore, we speculate that Mt2/2HbN evolved to host the pre-A region as a
      mechanism for preventing dimerization, thus reinforcing the survival of the
      microorganism against the reactive nitrosative stress in macrophages. DATABASE:
      Coordinates and structure factors have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank
      under accession number 5AB8.

PMID- 26499090
TI  - Familial aggregation of stroke amongst young patients in Lund Stroke Register.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The known monogenic forms of stroke are rare. The aim of
      this study was to analyze pedigrees of young stroke patients regarding possible
      monogenic cerebrovascular disease and to evaluate the possibility of genetic
      stroke in these families. This may contribute to a better understanding of
      disease mechanism in stroke. METHODS: Lund Stroke Register includes consecutive
      patients with first-ever stroke from a defined geographical area in southern
      Sweden. Early-onset (<=55 years) stroke patients were systematically screened
      with regard to family history (FHx), and families with stroke aggregation were
      compiled. Participants provided information in a questionnaire on occurrence of
      stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) in their families. Information on
      cardiovascular risk factors (VRFs) and clinical stroke subtype was collected. FHx
      for stroke was considered positive when the patient reported either >=1 first
      degree relative with stroke/TIA, or no first-degree relative but >=3 second- or
      third-degree relatives with stroke/TIA in a distribution compatible with
      monogenic inheritance. RESULTS: Of 4103 stroke patients registered, 426 (10%) had
      first-ever stroke at <=55 years and 338 (79%) of these answered the
      questionnaire. Of them, 159 (47%) reported a positive FHx. Twenty-eight (18%) of
      the probands with positive FHx had no known VRFs. Thirty-two families with >=4
      members with stroke were identified. In all these larger families the affected
      individuals with stroke were present in more than one generation. CONCLUSION:
      Aggregation of stroke in families of early-onset stroke patients is not uncommon.
      Genetic factors with impact on stroke risk, including monogenic causes, need to
      be evaluated in future stroke studies.

PMID- 26499091
TI  - ToRCH "co-infections" are associated with increased risk of abortion in pregnant
      women.
AB  - ToRCH infections (toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus and Herpes simplex
      virus) have long been known to be associated with bad obstetric outcomes.
      However, little information is available about the impact of ToRCH co-infections
      on the outcome of pregnancy. Hence, we tested the IgG and IgM antibodies to
      Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus and Herpes Simplex Virus among 81
      pregnant women with abortion (case group) and 98 pregnant women with normal
      delivery (control group). In the single-infection model, only CMV-IgM
      seropositivity was significantly increased in case than control group (25.9% in
      case and 12.2 % in control, OR = 2.5, P = 0.019). In the co-infection model, 14
      patterns were recognized, but two patterns were significantly increased in the
      case than the control group. Co-infection of T. gondii IgG + CMV IgM was 9.1-fold
      increased in the case than the control group (8.6% in the case and 1% in control,
      OR = 9.1; P = 0.024). Also, co-infection of T. gondii IgG + HSV IgG + CMV IgM was
      7.7-fold increased in case than the control group (7.4% in case and 1 % in
      control, OR = 7.7; P = 0.04). Although the OR of other co-infections was higher
      in the case than the control group, the difference was not statistically
      significant. These findings indicate that ToRCH co-infections are associated with
      increased risk of abortion than single infection. Hence, the rates of co
      infections should be considered in prenatal screening of ToRCH infections. 

PMID- 26499092
TI  - The effect of protein restriction during the growing period on carcass, meat and
      fat quality of heavy barrows and gilts.
AB  - Nutritional strategies are being researched in pigs to increase fatness and then
      to improve quality of dry-cured products. A total of 160 Duroc*(Landrace*Large
      White) pigs, 50% barrows and 50% gilts, were used in a trial. During the growing
      period (73-118d of age), four feeds were formulated with decreasing levels of
      crude protein (CP; 21.6, 17.7, 14.7 and 13.5%) to achieve 1.10, 0.91, 0.78 and
      0.52% of total Lysine, respectively. From 118d until slaughter, at 123kg (183,
      181, 178 or 192d of age, respectively), a common diet was provided (17.7% CP and
      0.91% Lysine). Barrows had fatter carcasses than gilts but intramuscular fat
      (IMF) proportion was similar for both. Dietary CP restriction promoted wider
      backfat depth and pork with higher IMF percentage which was more monounsaturated
      and less polyunsaturated. We conclude that CP restriction during the grower
      period improves desirable carcass and meat traits in barrows and gilts intended
      for dry-cured products. 

PMID- 26499093
TI  - Ex vivo proteomics of Campylobacter jejuni 81-176 reveal that FabG affects fatty
      acid composition to alter bacterial growth fitness in the chicken gut.
AB  - Campylobacter jejuni is one of the leading causes of foodborne gastrointestinal
      illness worldwide. Here we performed ex vivo proteomic analysis of C. jejuni 81
      176 in chicken, a main reservoir for human infection. At 0, 1 and 4 weeks post
      infection (p.i.) with the GFP-expressing 81-176 strain, inocula were recovered
      from chicken ceca by cell sorting using flow cytometry. iTRAQ-coupled 2D-LC-MS/MS
      analyses that detected 55 C. jejuni proteins, among which either 3 (FabG, HydB,
      CJJ81176_0876) or 7 (MscS, CetB, FlhF, PurH, PglJ, LpxC, Icd) proteins exhibited
      >1.4-fold-increased expression at 1 or 4 week(s) p.i. compared with those at 0
      weeks p.i., respectively. Deletion of the fabG gene clearly decreased the
      proportion of bacterial unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) and chicken colonization.
      The UFA proportion of the parental strain was not altered when grown at 42 
      degrees C. These findings suggest that FabG might play a pivotal role in UFA
      production, linked to bacterial adaptation in the poultry host. To our knowledge,
      this is the first example of ex vivo C. jejuni proteomics, in which fatty acid
      metabolism might affect bacterial adaptation to the chicken host. 

PMID- 26499094
TI  - Diet drives quick changes in the metabolic activity and composition of human gut
      microbiota in a validated in vitro gut model.
AB  - The aim of this study was to screen how rapidly the human gut microbiota responds
      to diet in an in vitro model of the proximal colon (TIM-2 system). Two
      experimental diets were provided to the gut bacteria: a high carbohydrate and a
      high protein diet. The metabolic response and the composition of the microbiota
      were compared to a control diet simulating an average western meal. Short-chain
      and branched-chain fatty acids (SCFA and BCFA, respectively) production, in
      addition to changes in the community composition (profiling), were measured. The
      activity of the microbiota reflected differences between diets, exhibiting a
      trade-off between saccharolytic and proteolytic fermentation when compared to the
      control. Diversity analysis revealed a phylum-specific response depending on the
      diet tested. Most changes in the microbiome composition occurred during the first
      24 h of the experiment. The outcome of this study elucidates the fact that human
      gut bacteria quickly respond to changes in diet. In addition, it confirms that
      variations in the concentration of carbohydrates and proteins modify the activity
      and composition of the microbiota, and these changes can potentially have an
      impact on the health of the host.

PMID- 26499095
TI  - A discrete role for FNR in the transcriptional response to moderate changes in
      oxygen by Haemophilus influenzae Rd KW20.
AB  - The survival by pathogenic bacteria within the specific conditions of an
      anatomical niche is critical for their persistence. These conditions include the
      combination of toxic chemicals, such as reactive oxygen (ROS) and reactive
      nitrogen species (RNS), with factors relevant to cell growth, such as oxygen.
      Haemophilus influenzae senses oxygen levels largely through the redox state of
      the intracellular fumarate-nitrate global regulator (FNR). H. influenzae
      certainly encounters oxygen levels that fluctuate, but in reality, these would
      rarely reach a state that results in FNR being fully reduced or oxidized. We were
      therefore interested in the response of H. influenzae to ROS and RNS at
      moderately high or low oxygen levels and the corresponding role of FNR. At these
      levels of oxygen, even though the growth rate of an H. influenzae fnr mutant was
      similar to wild type, its ROS and RNS tolerance was significantly different.
      Additionally, the subtle changes in oxygen did alter the whole cell
      transcriptional profile and this was different between the wild type and fnr
      mutant strains. It was the changed whole cell profile that impacted on ROS/RNS
      defence, but surprisingly, the FNR-regulated, anaerobic nitrite reductase (NrfA)
      continued to be expressed and had a role in this phenotype. 

PMID- 26499097
TI  - Edge-Hydroxylated Boron Nitride Nanosheets as an Effective Additive to Improve
      the Thermal Response of Hydrogels.
AB  - Upon flowing hot steam over hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) bulk powder, efficient
      exfoliation and hydroxylation of BN occur simultaneously. Through effective
      hydrogen bonding with water and N-isopropylacrylamide, edge-hydroxylated BN
      nanosheets dramatically improve the dimensional change and dye release of this
      temperature-sensitive hydrogel and thereby enhance its efficacy in bionic, soft
      robotic, and drug-delivery applications. 

PMID- 26499096
TI  - Pharmacological induction of ferritin prevents osteoblastic transformation of
      smooth muscle cells.
AB  - Vascular calcification is a frequent complication of atherosclerosis, diabetes
      and chronic kidney disease. In the latter group of patients, calcification is
      commonly seen in tunica media where smooth muscle cells (SMC) undergo
      osteoblastic transformation. Risk factors such as elevated phosphorus levels and
      vitamin D3 analogues have been identified. In the light of earlier observations
      by our group and others, we sought to inhibit SMC calcification via induction of
      ferritin. Human aortic SMC were cultured using beta-glycerophosphate with
      activated vitamin D3 , or inorganic phosphate with calcium, and induction of
      alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin as well as accumulation of calcium
      were used to monitor osteoblastic transformation. In addition, to examine the
      role of vitamin D3 analogues, plasma samples from patients on haemodialysis who
      had received calcitriol or paricalcitol were tested for their tendency to induce
      calcification of SMC. Addition of exogenous ferritin mitigates the transformation
      of SMC into osteoblast-like cells. Importantly, pharmacological induction of
      heavy chain ferritin by 3H-1,2-Dithiole-3-thione was able to inhibit the SMC
      transition into osteoblast-like cells and calcification of extracellular matrix.
      Plasma samples collected from patients after the administration of activated
      vitamin D3 caused significantly increased ALP activity in SMC compared to the
      samples drawn prior to activated vitamin D3 and here, again induction of ferritin
      diminished the osteoblastic transformation. Our data suggests that
      pharmacological induction of ferritin prevents osteoblastic transformation of
      SMC. Hence, utilization of such agents that will cause enhanced ferritin
      synthesis may have important clinical applications in prevention of vascular
      calcification. 

PMID- 26499098
TI  - Comparative Effects of Diet-Induced Lipid Lowering Versus Lipid Lowering Along
      With Apo A-I Milano Gene Therapy on Regression of Atherosclerosis.
AB  - Apolipoprotein A-1 (Apo A-I) Milano, a naturally occurring Arg173to Cys mutant of
      Apo A-1, has been shown to reduce atherosclerosis in animal models and in a small
      phase 2 human trial. We have shown the superior atheroprotective effects of Apo A
      I Milano (Apo A-IM) gene compared to wild-type Apo A-I gene using transplantation
      of retrovirally transduced bone marrow in Apo A-I/Apo E null mice. In this study,
      we compared the effect of dietary lipid lowering versus lipid lowering plus Apo A
      IM gene transfer using recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) 8 as vectors on
      atherosclerosis regression in Apo A-I/Apo E null mice. All mice were fed a high
      cholesterol diet from age of 6 weeks until week 20, and at 20 weeks, 10 mice were
      euthanized to determine the extent of atherosclerosis. After 20 weeks, an
      additional 20 mice were placed on either a low-cholesterol diet plus empty rAAV
      (n = 10) to serve as controls or low-cholesterol diet plus 1 single intravenous
      injection of 1.2 * 10(12)vector genomes of adeno-associated virus (AAV) 8 vectors
      expressing Apo A-IM (n = 10). At the 40 week time point, intravenous AAV8 Apo A
      IM recipients showed a significant regression of atherosclerosis in the whole
      aorta (P< .01), aortic sinuses (P< .05), and brachiocephalic arteries (P< .05)
      compared to 20-week-old mice, whereas low-cholesterol diet plus empty vector
      control group showed no significant regression in lesion size. Immunostaining
      showed that compared to the 20-week-old mice, there was a significantly reduced
      macrophage content in the brachiocephalic (P< .05) and aortic sinus plaques (P<
      .05) of AAV8 Apo A-IM recipients. These data show that although dietary-mediated
      cholesterol lowering halts progression of atherosclerosis, it does not induce
      regression, whereas combination of low-cholesterol diet and AAV8 mediated Apo A-I
      Milano gene therapy induces rapid and significant regression of atherosclerosis
      in mice. These data provide support for the potential feasibility of this
      approach for atherosclerosis regression.

PMID- 26499099
TI  - Time-trend analysis of prevalence, incidence and traditional Chinese medicine use
      among children with asthma: a population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study determined annual prevalence and incidence trends of
      asthma among children in Taiwan from 2002 to 2008. Risk factors and traditional
      Chinese medicine (TCM) use were examined. METHODS: A random sample was selected
      for a population-based study with a selection probability of 0.5 from all 3-18
      years insurants. The annual prevalence and incidence of asthma were estimated
      according to age, sex, insurance premium and degree of urbanization. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of asthma increased from 12.99% in 2002 to 16.86% in 2008. The
      increase was greatest in 2008, among boys, 11-15 years, >=medium insurance
      premium, and high- and medium-density urban area. TCM use in asthma-prevalent
      children decreased from 1.16% in 2002 to 0.59% in 2008. The incidence fluctuated,
      ranging from 1.01% in 2002 to 1.49% in 2005. The highest was in 2005, among boys,
      3-5 years, >=medium insurance premium and high-density urban area. TCM use in
      asthma-incident children decreased from 3.59% in 2002 to 1.69% in 2008.
      CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a substantial increase in annual prevalence
      of asthma among children in Taiwan from 2002 to 2008. The incidence fluctuated.
      The TCM use showed a decreasing linear trend and was higher in incident than in
      prevalent cases.

PMID- 26499100
TI  - Myopericytoma proliferating in an unusual anastomosing multinodular fashion.
AB  - We herein describe a case of myopericytoma that proliferated in an unusual
      fashion. Myopericytoma is described as a group of rare, benign, dermal or
      subcutaneous tumors that are characterized histologically by a striking,
      concentric, perivascular proliferation of spindle cells and showing apparent
      differentiation towards perivascular myoid cells. Myopericytoma forms a
      morphological continuum with myofibroma/myofibromatosis, glomus tumor and
      angioleiomyoma. The patient was a 64-year-old woman who demonstrated a recurrent
      ulcer on an atrophic plaque on her left shin. A histopathological examination of
      the plaque demonstrated that tumor cells proliferated in an anastomosing
      multinodular fashion along the vessels in the dermis and subcutaneous tissue. In
      those nodules, there were numerous, small, concentric proliferations of myoid
      appearing spindle cells around small vascular lumina. The present case is an
      unusual example of myopericytoma, manifesting in a characteristic anastomosing,
      multinodular, infiltrating fashion. 

PMID- 26499101
TI  - Alert dwell time: introduction of a measure to evaluate interruptive clinical
      decision support alerts.
AB  - Metrics for evaluating interruptive prescribing alerts have many limitations.
      Additional methods are needed to identify opportunities to improve alerting
      systems and prevent alert fatigue. In this study, the authors determined whether
      alert dwell time-the time elapsed from when an interruptive alert is generated to
      when it is dismissed-could be calculated by using historical alert data from log
      files. Drug-drug interaction (DDI) alerts from 3 years of electronic health
      record data were queried. Alert dwell time was calculated for 25,965 alerts,
      including 777 unique DDIs. The median alert dwell time was 8 s (range, 1-4913 s).
      Resident physicians had longer median alert dwell times than other prescribers (P
      < 001). The 10 most frequent DDI alerts (n = 8759 alerts) had shorter median
      dwell times than alerts that only occurred once (P < 001). This metric can be
      used in future research to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of
      interruptive prescribing alerts.

PMID- 26499102
TI  - Cheminformatics-aided pharmacovigilance: application to Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) models can predict
      adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and thus provide early warnings of potential
      hazards. Timely identification of potential safety concerns could protect
      patients and aid early diagnosis of ADRs among the exposed. Our objective was to
      determine whether global spontaneous reporting patterns might allow chemical
      substructures associated with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) to be identified and
      utilized for ADR prediction by QSAR models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a
      reference set of 364 drugs having positive or negative reporting correlations
      with SJS in the VigiBase global repository of individual case safety reports
      (Uppsala Monitoring Center, Uppsala, Sweden), chemical descriptors were computed
      from drug molecular structures. Random Forest and Support Vector Machines methods
      were used to develop QSAR models, which were validated by external 5-fold cross
      validation. Models were employed for virtual screening of DrugBank to predict SJS
      actives and inactives, which were corroborated using knowledge bases like
      VigiBase, ChemoText, and MicroMedex (Truven Health Analytics Inc, Ann Arbor,
      Michigan). RESULTS: We developed QSAR models that could accurately predict if
      drugs were associated with SJS (area under the curve of 75%-81%). Our 10 most
      active and inactive predictions were substantiated by SJS reports (or lack
      thereof) in the literature. DISCUSSION: Interpretation of QSAR models in terms of
      significant chemical descriptors suggested novel SJS structural alerts.
      CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated that QSAR models can accurately identify SJS
      active and inactive drugs. Requiring chemical structures only, QSAR models
      provide effective computational means to flag potentially harmful drugs for
      subsequent targeted surveillance and pharmacoepidemiologic investigations.

PMID- 26499103
TI  - Text message reminders do not improve hepatitis B vaccination rates in an
      Australian sexual health setting.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of text message reminders (short messaging
      service (SMS)) on hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination completion among high risk
      sexual health center attendees. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In September 2008, Sydney
      Sexual Health Centre implemented an SMS reminder system. The authors assessed the
      impact of the reminder system on HBV vaccination rates among patients who
      initiated a course. The authors used a chi-square test and multivariate logistic
      regression to determine if SMS reminders were associated with second and third
      dose vaccine completion, compared with patients prior to the intervention.
      RESULTS: Of patients sent SMS reminders in 2009 (SMS group), 54% (130/241)
      received 2 doses and 24% (58/241) received 3 doses, compared to 56% (258/463) (P
      = 0.65) and 30% (141/463) (P = 0.07) in the pre-SMS group (2007), respectively.
      Findings did not change after adjusting for baseline characteristics
      significantly different between study groups. There were no significant
      differences in completion rates among people who injected drugs, HIV-negative gay
      and bisexual men (GBM), and HIV-positive GBM. Among sex workers, travelers, and
      people who reported sex overseas, second and third dose completion rates were
      significantly lower in the SMS group compared to the pre-SMS group. In the SMS
      group, 18% of those who only had one dose attended the clinic within 1-18 months
      and 30% of those who had 2 doses attended in 6-18 months, but vaccination was
      missed. DISCUSSION: SMS reminders did not increase second or third vaccine dose
      completion in this population. CONCLUSION: Clinician prompts to reduce missed
      opportunities and multiple recall interventions may be needed to increase HBV
      vaccination completion in this high risk population.

PMID- 26499104
TI  - Provider variation in responses to warnings: do the same providers run stop signs
      repeatedly?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Variation in the use of tests and treatments has been demonstrated to
      be substantial between providers and geographic regions. This study assessed
      variation between outpatient providers in overriding electronic prescribing
      warnings. METHODS: Responses to warnings were prospectively logged. Random
      effects models were used to calculate provider-to-provider variation in the rates
      for the decisions to override warnings in 6 different clinical domains:
      medication allergies, drug-drug interactions, duplicate drugs, renal
      recommendations, age-based recommendations, and formulary substitutions. RESULTS:
      A total of 157 482 responses were logged. Differences between 1717 providers
      accounted for 11% of the overall variability in override rates, so that while the
      average override rate was 45.2%, individual provider rates had a wide range with
      a 95% confidence interval (CI) (13.7%-76.7% ). The highest variations between
      providers were observed in the categories age-based (25.4% of total variability;
      average override rate 70.2% [95% CI, 29.1%-100% ]) and renal recommendations
      (24.2%; average 70% [95% CI, 29.5%-100% ]), and provider responses within these 2
      categories were most often clinically inappropriate according to prior work.
      Among providers who received at least 10 age-based recommendations, 64 of 238
      (27%) overrode >= 90% of the warnings and 13 of 238 (5%) overrode all of them. Of
      those who received at least 10 renal recommendations, 36 of 92 (39%) overrode >=
      90% of the alerts and 9 of 92 (10%) overrode all of them. CONCLUSIONS: The
      decision to override prescribing warnings shows variation between providers, and
      the magnitude of variation differs among the clinical domains of the warnings;
      more variation was observed in areas with more inappropriate overrides.

PMID- 26499105
TI  - Characterization of a novel metastatic prostate cancer cell line of LNCaP origin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The LNCaP cell line was originally isolated from the lymph node of a
      patient with metastatic prostate cancer. Many cell lines have been derived from
      LNCaP by selective pressures to study different aspects of prostate cancer
      progression. When injected subcutaneously into male athymic nude mice, LNCaP and
      its derivatives rarely metastasize. METHODS: Here, we describe the
      characteristics of a new LNCaP derivative, JHU-LNCaP-SM, which was generated by
      long term passage in normal cell culture conditions. RESULTS: Short tandem repeat
      (STR) analysis and genomic sequencing verified JHU-LNCaP-SM derivation from
      parental LNCaP cells. JHU-LNCaP-SM cells express the same mutated androgen
      receptor (AR) but unlike LNCaP, are no longer androgen dependent for growth. The
      cells demonstrate an attenuated androgen responsiveness in transcriptional assays
      and retain androgen sensitive expression of PSA, AR, and PSMA. Unlike parental
      LNCaP, JHU-LNCaP-SM cells quickly form subcutaneous tumors in male athymic nude
      mice, reliably metastasize to the lymph nodes and display a striking intra
      tumoral and spreading hemorrhagic phenotype as tumor xenografts. CONCLUSIONS: The
      JHU-LNCaP-SM cell line is a new isolate of LNCaP, which facilitates practical,
      preclinical studies of spontaneous metastasis of prostate cancer through
      lymphatic tissues.

PMID- 26499106
TI  - Problem drug use prevalence estimation revisited: heterogeneity in capture
      recapture and the role of external evidence.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Capture-recapture (CRC) analysis is recommended for
      estimating the prevalence of problem drug use or people who inject drugs (PWID).
      We aim to demonstrate how naive application of CRC can lead to highly misleading
      results, and to suggest how the problems might be overcome. METHODS: We present a
      case study of estimating the prevalence of PWID in Bristol, UK, applying CRC to
      lists in contact with three services. We assess: (i) sensitivity of results to
      different versions of the dominant (treatment) list: specifically, to inclusion
      of non-incident cases and of those who were referred directly from one of the
      other services; (ii) the impact of accounting for a novel covariate, housing
      instability; and (iii) consistency of CRC estimates with drug-related mortality
      data. We then incorporate formally the drug-related mortality data and lower
      bounds for prevalence alongside the CRC into a single coherent model. RESULTS:
      Five of 11 models fitted the full data equally well but generated widely varying
      prevalence estimates, from 2740 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 2670, 2840] to
      6890 (95% CI = 3740, 17680). Results were highly sensitive to inclusion of non
      incident cases, demonstrating the presence of considerable heterogeneity, and
      were sensitive to a lesser extent to inclusion of direct referrals. A reduced
      data set including only incident cases and excluding referrals could be fitted by
      simpler models, and led to much greater consistency in estimates. Accounting for
      housing stability improved model fit considerably more than did the standard
      covariates of age and gender. External data provided validation of results and
      aided model selection, generating a final estimate of the number of PWID in
      Bristol in 2011 of 2770 [95% credible interval (Cr-I) = 2570, 3110] or 0.9% (95%
      Cr-I = 0.9, 1.0%) of the population aged 15-64 years. CONCLUSIONS: Steps can be
      taken to reduce bias in capture-recapture analysis, including: careful
      consideration of data sources, reduction of lists to less heterogeneous
      subsamples, use of covariates and formal incorporation of external data.

PMID- 26499107
TI  - SMPD1 Mutation Update: Database and Comprehensive Analysis of Published and Novel
      Variants.
AB  - Niemann-Pick Types A and B (NPA/B) diseases are autosomal recessive lysosomal
      storage disorders caused by the deficient activity of acid sphingomyelinase (ASM)
      because of the mutations in the SMPD1 gene. Here, we provide a comprehensive
      updated review of already reported and newly identified SMPD1 variants. Among
      them, 185 have been found in NPA/B patients. Disease-causing variants are equally
      distributed along the SMPD1 gene; most of them are missense (65.4%) or frameshift
      (19%) mutations. The most frequently reported mutation worldwide is the
      p.R610del, clearly associated with an attenuated NP disease type B phenotype. The
      available information about the impact of 52 SMPD1 variants on ASM mRNA and/or
      enzymatic activity has been collected and whenever possible, phenotype/genotype
      correlations were established. In addition, we created a locus-specific database
      easily accessible at http://www.inpdr.org/genes that catalogs the 417 SMPD1
      variants reported to date and provides data on their in silico predicted effects
      on ASM protein function or mRNA splicing. The information reviewed in this
      article, providing new insights into the genotype/phenotype correlation, is
      extremely valuable to facilitate diagnosis and genetic counseling of families
      affected by NPA/B. 

PMID- 26499108
TI  - Osseointegrated implants placed at supracrestal level may harbour higher counts
      of A. gerencseriae and S. constellatus - a randomized, controlled pilot study.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed at evaluating the bacterial colonization in dental
      implants inserted in the crestal or supracrestal position and correlated it to
      radiographic bone measurements. METHODS: Thirty-five implants with regular
      platform in nine patients (mean age 62.4+/-11.2 years) were inserted either at
      the bone crest level (control group) or at a suprecrestal level (test group).
      Radiographic examination was performed at baseline (implant installation) and
      after 6 months. Clinical and microbiological data were collected after 6 months.
      Digital radiography was used to assess bone remodeling (marginal bone loss and
      optical alveolar density). Bacterial profile was analyzed by checkerboard DNA-DNA
      hybridization, including a panel of 40 bacterial species. RESULTS: After 6
      months, there were significantly higher counts of Actinomyces gerencseriae
      (p=0.009) and Streptococcus constellatus (p=0.05) in the test group. No
      significant differences between test and control groups were observed for
      marginal bone loss (p=0.725) and optical alveolar density (p=0.975). Probing
      depth was similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: Significantly higher counts of A.
      gerencseriae and S. constellatus were found in implants placed at the
      supracrestal level compared to the ones placed at the bone level. No relation was
      found between the installation level of dental implants and peri-implant bone
      remodeling.

PMID- 26499109
TI  - Induction of dissociated cytokine profiles by ISRAA with selective critical
      involvement of ERK1/2 in its signaling functions.
AB  - The immune system-released activating agent (ISRAA) is an immune mediator
      activated as a result of a nerve stimulus initiated by immune challenge. We have
      previously demonstrated that ISRAA and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor 1
      (TNFR1) share an interspecies-conserved motif (72% homology) that induces the
      apoptosis and proliferation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMCs)
      in a dose-dependent manner. In the present study, cytokine profiles were examined
      in response to the stimulation of hPBMCs with ISRAA. Furthermore, the signaling
      pathways induced by ISRAA were mapped. The results revealed high measurable
      levels of TNF-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10 and interferon (IFN)-gamma,
      but not IL-4, IL-17 (IL-17A) or transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta. The
      analysis of signaling pathways revealed the activation of extracellular-regulated
      protein kinase (ERK)1/2 as a downstream signal in the mitogen-activated protein
      kinase (MAPK) pathway during TNF-alpha and IL-6 production and apoptosis, but not
      during proliferation following stimulation with ISRAA by triggering the Fas
      associated protein with death domain (FADD). STAT3 was found to be
      unphosphorylated in the ISRAA-stimulated hPBMCs, and STAT3 was ubiquitously
      expressed in unstimulated cells, suggesting that ISRAA has a protein inhibitor of
      activated STAT (PIAS)-like activity, by functioning as a negative regulator of
      the effects of STAT3 on the Janus kinase (JAK)/STAT pathway. The determination of
      the nature of cytokine responses together with the signaling pathways of cellular
      activity induced by ISRAA paves the way for the investigation of a potential
      target of ISRAA and for the development of novel therapeutic approaches for the
      treatment of immune-regulated disorders.

PMID- 26499110
TI  - Transcriptome study and identification of potential marker genes related to the
      stable expression of recombinant proteins in CHO clones.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells have become the host of choice for
      the production of recombinant proteins, due to their capacity for correct protein
      folding, assembly, and posttranslational modifications. The most widely used
      system for recombinant proteins is the gene amplification procedure that uses the
      CHO-Dhfr expression system. However, CHO cells are known to have a very unstable
      karyotype. This is due to chromosome rearrangements that can arise from
      translocations and homologous recombination, especially when cells with the CHO
      Dhfr expression system are treated with methotrexate hydrate. The present method
      used in the industry for testing clones for their long-term stability of
      recombinant protein production is empirical, and it involves their cultivation
      over extended periods of time prior to the selection of the most suitable clone
      for further bioprocess development. The aim of the present study was the
      identification of marker genes that can predict stable expression of recombinant
      genes in particular clones early in the development stage. RESULTS: The
      transcriptome profiles of CHO clones with stable and unstable recombinant protein
      production were investigated over 10-weeks of cultivation, using a DNA
      microarray. We identified 14 genes that were differentially expressed between the
      stable and unstable clones already at 2 weeks from the beginning of the
      cultivation. Their expression was validated by reverse-transcription quantitative
      real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). Furthermore, the k-nearest neighbour algorithm approach
      shows that the combination of the gene expression patterns of only five of these
      14 genes is sufficient to predict stable recombinant protein production in clones
      in the early phases of cell-line development. CONCLUSIONS: The exact molecular
      mechanisms that cause unstable recombinant protein production are not fully
      understood. However, the expression profiles of some genes in clones with stable
      and unstable recombinant protein production allow prediction of such instability
      early in the cell-line development stage. We have thus developed a proof-of
      concept for a novel approach to eliminate unstable clones in the CHO-Dhfr
      expression system, which saves time and labour-intensive work in cell-line
      development.

PMID- 26499111
TI  - A retrospective study of californium-252 neutron brachytherapy combined with EBRT
      versus 3D-CRT in the treatment of esophageal squamous cell cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We conducted a retrospective analysis on 884 patients who were
      diagnosed with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and treated with either
      the neutron brachytherapy in combination with external beam radiotherapy (NBT +
      EBRT) or 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) to determine the
      differences in efficacy and morbidity between the two treatment groups. METHODS:
      The 884 ESCC patients treated with either NBT + EBRT or 3D-CRT between 2002 and
      2012 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Multivariable Cox regression was
      used to compare oncologic outcomes of the two groups of patients in the context
      of other clinically relevant variables. The acute and chronic toxicities
      associated with the two groups were compared using Fisher exact and log-rank
      tests, respectively. RESULTS: Among the 884 patients, 545 received NBT + EBRT and
      339 received 3D-CRT (i.e. EBRT-only). The age range is 39-95 years (median 66).
      The follow-up time range is 3-145 months (median 32). The analysis shows that the
      NBT + EBRT group has higher overall survival rate and local control rate than
      that of the 3D-CRT group. The acute toxicity effects were acceptable for both
      groups of patients with the NBT + EBRT group showing higher rates of leukopenia
      and thrombocytopenia and the 3D-CRT group showing higher rates on fistula and
      massive bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: The patients treated with NBT + EBRT showed better
      oncologic outcomes than those treated with 3D-CRT. The toxicity effects were
      acceptable for both groups with the NBT + EBRT group showing higher rates on the
      acute effects and the 3D-CRT group showing higher rates on the late effects.

PMID- 26499112
TI  - Effect of cooled hyperbaric bupivacaine on unilateral spinal anesthesia success
      rate and hemodynamic complications in inguinal hernia surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: We hypothesized that cooling hyperbaric bupivacaine from 23 to 5 
      degrees C may limit the intrathecal spread of bupivacaine and therefore increase
      the success rate of unilateral spinal anesthesia and decrease the rate of
      hemodynamic complications. METHODS: A hundred patients scheduled for elective
      unilateral inguinal hernia surgery were randomly allocated to receive 1.8 ml of
      0.5 % hyperbaric bupivacaine intrathecally at either 5  degrees C (group I, n =
      50) or at 23  degrees C (group II, n = 50). Following spinal block at the L2-3
      interspace, the lateral decubitus position was maintained for 15 min. Unilateral
      spinal anesthesia was assessed and confirmed at 15 and 30 min. The levels of
      sensory and motor block on the operative side were evaluated until complete
      resolution. RESULTS: The rate of unilateral spinal anesthesia at 15 and 30 min
      was significantly higher in group I (p = 0.015 and 0.028, respectively).
      Hypotensive events and bradycardia were significantly rarer in group I (p = 0.014
      and 0.037, respectively). The density and viscosity of the solution at 5  degrees
      C was significantly higher than at 23  degrees C (p < 0.0001). Compared with
      group II, sensory block peaked later in group I (17.4 vs 12.6 min) and at a lower
      level (T9 vs T7), and two-segment regression of sensory block (76.4 vs 84.3 min)
      and motor block recovery was shorter (157.6 vs 193.4 min) (p < 0.0001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Cooling of hyperbaric bupivacaine to 5  degrees C increased the
      density and viscosity of the solution and the success rate of unilateral spinal
      anesthesia, and decreased the hemodynamic complication rate.

PMID- 26499113
TI  - Knowledge of stroke a study from a sex perspective.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Public health is increasingly concerned with recognising factors that
      lead to sex differences in stroke. We conducted a study to determine the effect
      of sex on knowledge of stroke risk factors and warning signs, and how both are
      perceived, in a representative sample of adults. METHODS: A representative sample
      of the population of Extremadura, Spain was selected using a double randomisation
      technique. Previously trained medical students carried out face-to-face
      interviews using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: 2409 subjects were
      interviewed [59.9 % women; mean age (SD) 49.0 (18.7) years]. Seventy-three
      percent of all subjects reported at least one correct warning sign of stroke (OR:
      1.01; 95 % CI: 0.84-1.21). The most frequently mentioned warning signs were
      sudden weakness, dizziness, and headache. There were no sex differences regarding
      the types of warning symptoms that respondents listed. Women displayed better
      knowledge of risk factors than men (OR: 1.23; 95 % CI: 1.05-1.46). Women were
      more likely to name hypertension as a risk factor for stroke whereas men more
      frequently listed smoking, alcohol consumption and a sedentary lifestyle as risk
      factors. In response to stroke, women were significantly less likely than men to
      choose to call an ambulance or to go immediately to hospital (OR: 0.69; 95 % CI:
      0.60-0.85). CONCLUSIONS: Stroke knowledge is suboptimal in both men and women. We
      detected better knowledge of stroke risk factors in women, as well as differences
      in the type of risk factors listed by men and women. There were significant sex
      differences regarding response to stroke or to its warning signs.

PMID- 26499114
TI  - Self-harm and life problems: findings from the Multicentre Study of Self-harm in
      England.
AB  - PURPOSE: Self-harm is a major clinical problem and is strongly linked to suicide.
      It is important to understand the problems faced by those who self-harm to design
      effective clinical services and suicide prevention strategies. We investigated
      the life problems experienced by patients presenting to general hospitals for
      self-harm. METHODS: Data for 2000-2010 from the Multicentre Study of Self-harm in
      England were used to investigate life problems associated with self-harm and
      their relationship to patient and clinical characteristics, including age,
      gender, repeat self-harm and employment status. RESULTS: Of 24,598 patients
      (36,431 assessed episodes), 57% were female and with a mean age of 33.1 years (SD
      14.0 years), 92.6% were identified as having at least one contributing life
      problem. The most frequently reported problems at first episode of self-harm
      within the study period were relationship difficulties (especially with
      partners). Mental health issues and problems with alcohol were also very common
      (especially in those aged 35-54 years, and those who repeated self-harm). Those
      who repeated self-harm were more likely to report problems with housing, mental
      health and dealing with the consequences of abuse. CONCLUSIONS: Self-harm usually
      occurs in the context of multiple life problems. Clinical services for self-harm
      patients should have access to appropriate care for provision of help for
      relationship difficulties and problems concerning alcohol and mental health
      issues. Individualised clinical support (e.g. psychological therapy,
      interventions for alcohol problems and relationship counselling) for self-harm
      patients facing these life problems may play a crucial role in suicide
      prevention.

PMID- 26499118
TI  - A Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Simultaneous
      Quantitation of 10 Bioactive Components in Rhus verniciflua Extracts.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to develop a simultaneous method to quantify 10
      bioactive compounds in Rhus verniciflua extracts using high-performance liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The chromatographic separation was
      performed using a C18 column under gradient elution with 0.1% formic acid and
      acetonitrile as the mobile phase solvents. The analytes were detected in the
      negative-ion mode using multiple-reaction monitoring detection with an
      electrospray ionization interface. The calibration curves for all the analytes
      showed good linearity (r(2) >0.997) over the concentration range of 1-1,000
      ng/mL. The recovery values were within 89.53-110.14%, and the intra- and interday
      coefficients of variation were <4.86% for all the tested compounds. The developed
      method was successfully applied to a quality assessment of the R. verniciflua
      extract samples. 

PMID- 26499116
TI  - Can Peto's paradox be used as the null hypothesis to identify the role of
      evolution in natural resistance to cancer? A critical review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Carcinogenesis affects not only humans but almost all metazoan
      species. Understanding the rules driving the occurrence of cancers in the wild is
      currently expected to provide crucial insights into identifying how some species
      may have evolved efficient cancer resistance mechanisms. Recently the absence of
      correlation across species between cancer prevalence and body size (coined as
      Peto's paradox) has attracted a lot of attention. Indeed, the disparity between
      this null hypothesis, where every cell is assumed to have an identical
      probability to undergo malignant transformation, and empirical observations is
      particularly important to understand, due to the fact that it could facilitate
      the identification of animal species that are more resistant to carcinogenesis
      than expected. Moreover it would open up ways to identify the selective pressures
      that may be involved in cancer resistance. However, Peto's paradox relies on
      several questionable assumptions, complicating the interpretation of the
      divergence between expected and observed cancer incidences. DISCUSSIONS: Here we
      review and challenge the different hypotheses on which this paradox relies on
      with the aim of identifying how this null hypothesis could be better estimated in
      order to provide a standard protocol to study the deviation between
      theoretical/theoretically predicted and observed cancer incidence. We show that
      due to the disproportion and restricted nature of available data on animal
      cancers, applying Peto's hypotheses at species level could result in erroneous
      conclusions, and actually assume the existence of a paradox. Instead of using
      species level comparisons, we propose an organ level approach to be a more
      accurate test of Peto's assumptions. SUMMARY: The accuracy of Peto's paradox
      assumptions are rarely valid and/or quantifiable, suggesting the need to
      reconsider the use of Peto's paradox as a null hypothesis in identifying the
      influence of natural selection on cancer resistance mechanisms.

PMID- 26499117
TI  - Dichlorvos exposure results in large scale disruption of energy metabolism in the
      liver of the zebrafish, Danio rerio.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exposure to dichlorvos (DDVP), an organophosphorus pesticide, is
      known to result in neurotoxicity as well as other metabolic perturbations.
      However, the molecular causes of DDVP toxicity are poorly understood, especially
      in cells other than neurons and muscle cells. To obtain a better understanding of
      the process of non-neuronal DDVP toxicity, we exposed zebrafish to different
      concentrations of DDVP, and investigated the resulting changes in liver histology
      and gene transcription. RESULTS: Functional enrichment analysis of genes affected
      by DDVP exposure identified a number of processes involved in energy utilization
      and stress response in the liver. The abundance of transcripts for proteins
      involved in glucose metabolism was profoundly affected, suggesting that carbon
      flux might be diverted toward the pentose phosphate pathway to compensate for an
      elevated demand for energy and reducing equivalents for detoxification.
      Strikingly, many transcripts for molecules involved in beta-oxidation and fatty
      acid synthesis were down-regulated. We found increases in message levels for
      molecules involved in reactive oxygen species responses as well as
      ubiquitination, proteasomal degradation, and autophagy. To ensure that the
      effects of DDVP on energy metabolism were not simply a consequence of poor
      feeding because of neuromuscular impairment, we fasted fish for 29 or 50 h and
      analyzed liver gene expression in them. The patterns of gene expression for
      energy metabolism in fasted and DDVP-exposed fish were markedly different.
      CONCLUSION: We observed coordinated changes in the expression of a large number
      of genes involved in energy metabolism and responses to oxidative stress. These
      results argue that an appreciable part of the effect of DDVP is on energy
      metabolism and is regulated at the message level. Although we observed some
      evidence of neuromuscular impairment in exposed fish that may have resulted in
      reduced feeding, the alterations in gene expression in exposed fish cannot
      readily be explained by nutrient deprivation.

PMID- 26499115
TI  - Neuronal response in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease: the effect of toxic
      proteins on intracellular pathways.
AB  - Accumulation of protein aggregates is the leading cause of cellular dysfunction
      in neurodegenerative disorders. Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease
      (PD), Huntington's disease, Prion disease and motor disorders such as amyotrophic
      lateral sclerosis, present with a similar pattern of progressive neuronal death,
      nervous system deterioration and cognitive impairment. The common characteristic
      is an unusual misfolding of proteins which is believed to cause protein
      deposition and trigger degenerative signals in the neurons. A similar clinical
      presentation seen in many neurodegenerative disorders suggests the possibility of
      shared neuronal responses in different disorders. Despite the difference in core
      elements of deposits in each neurodegenerative disorder, the cascade of neuronal
      reactions such as activation of glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta, mitogen
      activated protein kinases, cell cycle re-entry and oxidative stress leading to a
      progressive neurodegeneration are surprisingly similar. This review focuses on
      protein toxicity in two neurodegenerative diseases, AD and PD. We reviewed the
      activated mechanisms of neurotoxicity in response to misfolded beta-amyloid and
      alpha-synuclein, two major toxic proteins in AD and PD, leading to neuronal
      apoptosis. The interaction between the proteins in producing an overlapping
      pathological pattern will be also discussed. 

PMID- 26499119
TI  - Evaluation of the Effects of Ketoconazole and Voriconazole on the
      Pharmacokinetics of Oxcarbazepine and Its Main Metabolite MHD in Rats by UPLC-MS
      MS.
AB  - Oxcarbazepine (OXC), a second-generation antiepileptic drug, undergoes rapid
      reduction with formation of the active metabolite 10,11-dihydro-10-hydroxy
      carbazepine (MHD) in vivo. In this study, a method for simultaneous determination
      of OXC and MHD in rat plasma using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with
      tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS-MS) was developed and validated. Under given
      chromatographic conditions, OXC, MHD and internal standard diazepam were
      separated well and quantified by electrospray positive ionization mass
      spectrometry in the multiple reaction monitoring transitions mode. The method
      validation demonstrated good linearity over the range of 10-2,000 ng/mL for OXC
      and 5-1,000 ng/mL for MHD. The lower limit of quantification was 5 ng/mL for OXC
      and 2.5 ng/mL for MHD, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the
      evaluation of the pharmacokinetics of OXC and MHD in rats, with or without
      pretreatment by ketoconazole (KET) and voriconazole (VOR). Statistics indicated
      that KET and VOR significantly affected the disposition of OXC and MHD in vivo,
      whereas VOR predominantly interfered with the disposition of MHD. This method is
      suitable for pharmacokinetic study in small animals. 

PMID- 26499120
TI  - One Step to Separate Five Alkaloids from Hypecoum leptocarpum by High-Speed
      Counter-Current Chromatography.
AB  - High-speed counter-current chromatography (CCC) was firstly and successfully
      applied for the preparative separation and purification of alkaloids from crude
      extract of Hypecoum leptocarpum. After the measurement of partition coefficient
      of five target alkaloids in the two-phase solvent systems, the CCC was performed
      well with a two-phase solvent system composed of tetrachloromethane-chloroform
      methanol-0.1 M HCl at a volume ratio of 1.5 : 2.5 : 3 : 2 (V/V/V/V). The upper
      phase was used as the stationary phase, and the lower phase was used as the
      mobile phase. From 120 mg crude extract, 5 mg leptopidine, 32 mg oxohydrastinine,
      27 mg (-)-N-methylanadine, 7 mg N-feruloyltyramine and 3 mg hypecoleptopine could
      be successfully separated. The amides alkaloid, N-feruloyltyramine, was firstly
      separated from H. leptocarpum. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis
      showed that the purity of each of the five target alkaloids was over 92%. Their
      chemical structures were confirmed by (1)H-NMR and (13)C-NMR data. 

PMID- 26499122
TI  - Modeling the Potential Impact of the 2014 American Academy of Pediatrics
      Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prophylaxis Guidance on Preterm Infant RSV Outcomes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Infectious
      Diseases issued updated guidance on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prophylaxis
      in 2014. This report models the potential impact of the new guidance on RSV
      outcomes in preterm infants 29-34 weeks' gestational age (wGA) without chronic
      lung disease in the United States. METHODS: The number of preterm infants was
      estimated using 2012 natality data. Palivizumab utilization prior to the 2014
      guidance update was estimated using 2013-2014 specialty pharmacy utilization
      data. Low, moderate, and high RSV hospitalization (RSVH) rates as well as average
      hospital length of stay, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and mechanical
      ventilation (MV) frequencies were derived from published observational studies.
      Palivizumab efficacy was derived from two randomized clinical trials. RSV events
      that would be attributable to the 2014 guidance change were calculated for
      preterm infants 29-31 and 32-34 wGA. RESULTS: Annual number of infants 29-34 wGA
      surviving the neonatal period was estimated at 123,687. Of these, an estimated
      44,712 (37%) would receive palivizumab based on the 2012 guidance. The annual
      number of RSVH among infants 29-34 wGA would increase from 3580 under the 2012
      guidance to 6166 under the 2014 guidance based on moderate rates. This would
      result in an additional 24,440 hospitalization days, 1162 ICU admissions, and 584
      MV events among this population. CONCLUSIONS: Based on published historical and
      contemporary data on RSVH rates in preterm infants 29-34 wGA, the 2014 AAP
      guidance is expected to result in additional burden to the healthcare system and
      families of preterm infants. The impact of the new guidance will be difficult to
      detect among the overall infant population, particularly in settings without
      routine testing for RSV, but the impact will be substantial for the small high
      risk population affected by the changes. FUNDING: AstraZeneca.

PMID- 26499121
TI  - Validation of HPLC-UV Assay of Caffeic Acid in Emulsions.
AB  - An accurate, sensitive, precise and rapid reversed-phase high-performance liquid
      chromatographic method was successfully developed and validated for the
      determination of caffeic acid (CA) in emulsions. The best separation was achieved
      on a 250 * 4.6 mm, 5.0 um particle size RP18 XDB Waters column using ethanol and
      purified water (40:60 v/v) adjusted to pH 2.5 with acetic acid as the mobile
      phase at a flow rate of 0.7 mL/min. Ultraviolet detection was performed at 325 nm
      at ambient column temperature (25 degrees C). The method was linear over the
      concentration range of 10-60 ug/mL (r(2) = 0.9999) with limits of detection and
      quantification of 1.44 and 4.38 ug/mL, respectively. CA was subjected to
      oxidation, acid, base and neutral degradation, as well as photolysis and heat as
      stress conditions. There were no interfering peaks at or near the retention time
      of CA. The method was applied to the determination of CA in standard and
      pharmaceutical products with excellent recoveries. The method is applicable in
      the quality control of CA. 

PMID- 26499124
TI  - A novel thermostable protein-tag: optimization of the Sulfolobus solfataricus DNA
      alkyl-transferase by protein engineering.
AB  - In the last decade, a powerful biotechnological tool for the in vivo and in vitro
      specific labeling of proteins (SNAP-tagTM technology) was proposed as a valid
      alternative to classical protein-tags (green fluorescent proteins, GFPs). This
      was made possible by the discovery of the irreversible reaction of the human
      alkylguanine-DNA-alkyl-transferase (hAGT) in the presence of benzyl-guanine
      derivatives. However, the mild reaction conditions and the general instability of
      the mesophilic SNAP-tagTM make this new approach not fully applicable to (hyper
      )thermophilic and, in general, extremophilic organisms. Here, we introduce an
      engineered variant of the thermostable alkylguanine-DNA-alkyl-transferase from
      the Archaea Sulfolobus solfataricus (SsOGT-H5), which displays a catalytic
      efficiency comparable to the SNAP-tagTM protein, but showing high intrinsic
      stability typical of proteins from this organism. The successful heterologous
      expression obtained in a thermophilic model organism makes SsOGT-H5 a valid
      candidate as protein-tag for organisms living in extreme environments.

PMID- 26499123
TI  - Adolescent HIV Risk Reduction in the Bahamas: Results from Two Randomized
      Controlled Intervention Trials Spanning Elementary School Through High School.
AB  - To address global questions regarding the timing of HIV-prevention efforts
      targeting youth and the possible additional benefits of parental participation,
      researchers from the USA and The Bahamas conducted two sequential longitudinal,
      randomized trials of an evidence-based intervention spanning the adolescent
      years. The first trial involved 1360 grade-6 students and their parents with
      three years of follow-up and the second 2564 grade-10 students and their parents
      with two years of follow-up. Through grade-12, involvement in the combined child
      and parent-child HIV-risk reduction interventions resulted in increased
      consistent condom-use, abstinence/protected sex, condom-use skills and parent
      child communication about sex. Receipt of the grade-6 HIV-prevention intervention
      conferred lasting benefits regarding condom-use skills and self-efficacy. Youth
      who had not received the grade-six intervention experienced significantly greater
      improvement over baseline as a result of the grade-10 intervention. The HIV-risk
      reduction intervention delivered in either or both grade-6 and grade-10 conferred
      sustained benefits; receipt of both interventions appears to confer additional
      benefits.

PMID- 26499125
TI  - Persistent trigeminal artery: a cross-sectional study based on over 3 years
      conventional angiography, CT angiography and MR angiography images.
AB  - PURPOSE: The trigeminal artery is one of the four primitive anastomosis
      established between the internal carotid artery and the vertebrobasilar system
      that regresses at the sixth week of embryonic development. Its persistence in
      adult life (PTA) is usually found incidentally. The aim of this study is to
      determine its prevalence, main characteristics and clinical significance.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed over the last 3 years, 2012-2014,
      to analyze images performed on conventional angiography, CT angiography and MR
      angiography of patients who attended the Neuroradiology Department of the
      Hospital Universitario Doce de Octubre in Madrid, Spain, to control their
      underlying pathology. RESULTS: Nine cases of PTA were found (prevalence 0.37 %,
      two men, seven women; three right, six left; age range 13-88 years). Eight PTA
      emerged from the cavernous ICA and one from the petrous segment. Six cases were
      lateral or petrosal type and one was medial or sphenoidal type. The whole PTAs
      anastomosed the BA, six at the middle third and three at the distal third. Weon
      et al.'s type 3 was predominant. CVD incidence was 55.6 % and aneurysm incidence
      was 22 %. CONCLUSIONS: PTA prevalence was similar to those previously reported,
      being commonly left-sided, Salas et al.'s lateral or petrosal type, Weon et al.'s
      type 3 and with no gender predominance. CVD and aneurysms incidence in the
      presence of a PTA were higher than in general population. Its anatomical
      relations make it essential to consider its presence and directional blood flow
      when planning endovascular and neurosurgical treatments.

PMID- 26499126
TI  - Evolution of Autocatalytic Sets in Computational Models of Chemical Reaction
      Networks.
AB  - Several computational models of chemical reaction networks have been presented in
      the literature in the past, showing the appearance and (potential) evolution of
      autocatalytic sets. However, the notion of autocatalytic sets has been defined
      differently in different modeling contexts, each one having some shortcoming or
      limitation. Here, we review four such models and definitions, and then formally
      describe and analyze them in the context of a mathematical framework for studying
      autocatalytic sets known as RAF theory. The main results are that: (1) RAF theory
      can capture the various previous definitions of autocatalytic sets and is
      therefore more complete and general, (2) the formal framework can be used to
      efficiently detect and analyze autocatalytic sets in all of these different
      computational models, (3) autocatalytic (RAF) sets are indeed likely to appear
      and evolve in such models, and (4) this could have important implications for a
      possible metabolism-first scenario for the origin of life. 

PMID- 26499128
TI  - A rare complication of wasp sting: acute cervical dystonia.

PMID- 26499127
TI  - Classification and diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension.
AB  - Pulmonary hypertension has been classified into five major subgroups in order to
      better understand and apply knowledge from the areas of molecular biology,
      pathophysiology and clinical science. Accurate classification of the patient not
      only optimizes diagnostic approach but also confers the best benefit, as
      therapeutic approaches are applied accurately. Current diagnostic strategies
      begin with a detailed history and physical, which are directed to elucidate
      symptoms that may increase the degree of suspicion. Subsequent application of a
      logical approach to progress through the diagnostic algorithm , with
      understanding of the complexity of this process, allows for best possible
      outcomes. Proper diagnosis and classification will eventually increase the
      potential for appropriate research and progress toward of a possible cure for
      this fatal disease.

PMID- 26499130
TI  - Toxicology of Marine Mammals: New Developments  and Opportunities.
AB  - It is widely recognized that marine mammals are exposed to a wide variety of
      pollutants, with a weight of evidence indicating impacts on their health. Since
      hundreds of new chemicals enter the global market every year,the methods,
      approaches and technologies used to characterize pollution levels or impacts are
      also in a constant state of flux. However, legal and ethical constraints often
      limit the type and extent of toxicological research being carried out in marine
      mammals. Nevertheless, new and emerging in vivo, in vitro as well as in silico
      research opportunities abound in the field of marine mammal toxicology. In the
      application of findings to population-, species-, or habitat-related risk
      assessments, the identification of causal relationships which inform source
      apportionment is important. This, in turn, is informed by a comprehensive
      understanding of contaminant classes, profiles and fate overspace and time. Such
      considerations figure prominently in the design and interpretation of marine
      mammal (eco)-toxicology research. This mini-review attempts to follow the
      evolution behind marine mammal toxicology until now,highlight some of the
      research that has been done and suggest opportunities for future research. This
      Special Issue will showcase new developments in marine mammal toxicology,
      approaches for exposure-effect research in risk assessment as well as future
      opportunities.

PMID- 26499129
TI  - Antibiotic prophylaxis for shunt surgery of children: a systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The object of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of
      antibiotic prophylaxis in children who underwent placement of intracranial
      ventricular shunts. METHODS: In this paper, the authors report a systematic
      review and meta-analysis of infection rate for pediatric shunt implantation
      surgery. Randomized or non-randomized controlled trials for comparing the use of
      prophylactic antibiotics in intracranial ventricular shunt procedures with
      placebo or no antibiotics were included in the review. RESULTS: Seven published
      reports of eligible studies involving 694 participants meet the inclusion
      criteria. Compared with the control group, antibiotic prophylaxis had made a
      significant difference in infection rate (RR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.38, 0.90, P <
      0.05). CONCLUSION: Although current evidence demonstrates that antibiotic
      prophylaxis can lead to a significant reduction of the infection rate of shunt
      surgery, more evidence from advanced multi-center studies is needed to provide
      instruction for the use of prophylactic antibiotics.

PMID- 26499131
TI  - Posterior fontanelle approach for uncinectomy and middle meatal antrostomy in
      endoscopic sinus surgery.

PMID- 26499132
TI  - Prevalence of Brick Tea-Type Fluorosis in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of brick tea-type fluorosis is high in Tibet because
      of the habit of drinking brick tea in this region. Brick tea-type fluorosis has
      become an urgent public health problem in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional
      survey was conducted to investigate prevalence of brick tea-type fluorosis in all
      districts of Tibet using a stratified cluster sampling method. Dental fluorosis
      in children aged 8-12 years and clinical skeletal fluorosis in adults were
      diagnosed according to the national criteria. A total of 423 children and 1320
      adults participated in the study. Samples of drinking water, brick tea, brick tea
      infusion (or buttered tea), and urine were collected and measured for fluoride
      concentrations by the fluoride ion selective electrode method. RESULTS: The
      fluoride level in all but one of the brick tea samples was above the national
      standard. The average daily fluoride intake from drinking brick tea in all seven
      districts in Tibet was much higher than the national standard. The prevalence of
      dental fluorosis was 33.57%, and the prevalence of clinical skeletal fluorosis
      was 46.06%. The average daily fluoride intake from drinking brick tea (r = 0.292,
      P < 0.05), urine fluoride concentrations in children (r = 0.134, P < 0.05), urine
      fluoride concentrations in adults (r = 0.162, P < 0.05), and altitude (r = 0.276,
      P < 0.05) were positively correlated with the prevalence of brick tea-type
      fluorosis. Herdsmen had the highest fluoride exposure and the most severe
      skeletal fluorosis. CONCLUSIONS: Brick tea-type fluorosis in Tibet is more
      serious than in other parts of China. The altitude and occupational factors are
      important risk factors for brick tea-type fluorosis.

PMID- 26499133
TI  - Candesartan ameliorates acute myocardial infarction in rats through inducible
      nitric oxide synthase, nuclear factor-kappaB, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1,
      activator protein-1 and restoration of heat shock protein 72.
AB  - Candesartan, an angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist, has a variety of
      biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer
      activities, with specific pharmacological effects. The present study investigated
      the mechanisms and protective effect of candesartan on acute myocardial
      infarction in rats. Male Wistar rats (8-week-old) were induced as a model of
      acute myocardial infarction and treated with candesartan (0.25 mg/kg) for 2
      weeks. The present study first measured the activities of casein kinase (CK), the
      MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), the
      level of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and infarct size. Subsequently, western blot
      analysis was performed to analyze the protein expression levels of inducible
      nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and heat shock protein 72 (HSP72) in the rats. An
      enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect iNOS and nuclear factor
      kappaB (NF-kappaB) activity. In addition, gene expression levels of monocyte
      chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and activating protein-1 (AP-1) were determined
      using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis.
      Finally, the activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9 were examined using
      colorimetric assay kits. In the serum of the rat model of acute myocardial
      infarction, candesartan significantly increased the activities of CK, CK-MB and
      LDH, and the level of cTnT. The infarction size was perfected by candesartan
      treatment. Candesartan significantly reduced the protein expression and activity
      of iNOS, the activity of NF-kappaB p65, and the gene expression levels of MCP-1
      and AP-1 in the rat model of acute myocardial infarction. Candesartan increased
      the protein expression of HSP-72 in the acute myocardial infarction rat model.
      However, candesartan did not effect the levels of caspase-3 or caspase-9 in the
      rat model of acute myocardial infarction. These results suggested that
      candesartan ameliorates acute myocardial infarction in rats through iNOS, NF
      kappaB, MCP-1 and AP-1, and the restoration of HSP72. 

PMID- 26499134
TI  - Extracting Accurate Precursor Information for Tandem Mass Spectra by
      RawConverter.
AB  - Extraction of data from the proprietary RAW files generated by Thermo Fisher mass
      spectrometers is the primary step for subsequent data analysis. High resolution
      and high mass accuracy data obtained by state-of-the-art mass spectrometers
      (e.g., Orbitraps) can significantly improve both peptide/protein identification
      and quantification. We developed RawConverter, a stand-alone software tool, to
      improve data extraction on RAW files from high-resolution Thermo Fisher mass
      spectrometers. RawConverter extracts full scan and MS(n) data from RAW files like
      its predecessor RawXtract; most importantly, it associates the accurate precursor
      mass-to-charge (m/z) value with the tandem mass spectrum. RawConverter accepts
      RAW data generated by either data-dependent acquisition (DDA) or data-independent
      acquisition (DIA). It generates output into MS1/MS2/MS3, MGF, or mzXML file
      formats, which fulfills the format requirements for most data identification and
      quantification tools. Using the tandem mass spectra extracted by RawConverter
      with corrected m/z values, 32.8%, 27.1%, and 84.1%, peptide spectra matches
      (PSMs) produce 17.4% (13.0%), 14.4% (11.5%), and 45.7% (36.2%) more peptide
      (protein) identifications than ProteoWizard, pXtract, and RawXtract,
      respectively. RawConverter is implemented in C# and is freely accessible at
      http://fields.scripps.edu/rawconv.

PMID- 26499136
TI  - Erratum: STAT3 regulated ARF expression suppresses prostate cancer metastasis.

PMID- 26499135
TI  - Gold Nanoparticle Aggregation as a Probe of Antifreeze (Glyco) Protein-Inspired
      Ice Recrystallization Inhibition and Identification of New IRI Active
      Macromolecules.
AB  - Antifreeze (glyco)proteins are found in polar fish species and act to slow the
      rate of growth of ice crystals; a property known as ice recrystallization
      inhibition. The ability to slow ice growth is of huge technological importance
      especially in the cryopreservation of donor cells and tissue, but native
      antifreeze proteins are often not suitable, nor easily available. Therefore, the
      search for new materials that mimic this function is important, but currently
      limited by the low-throughout assays associated with the antifreeze properties.
      Here 30 nm gold nanoparticles are demonstrated to be useful colorimetric probes
      for ice recrystallization inhibition, giving a visible optical response and is
      compatible with 96 well plates for high-throughout studies. This method is
      faster, requires less infrastructure, and has easier interpretation than the
      currently used 'splat' methods. Using this method, a series of serum proteins
      were identified to have weak, but specific ice recrystallization inhibition
      activity, which was removed upon denaturation. It is hoped that high-throughput
      tools such as this will accelerate the discovery of new antifreeze mimics. 

PMID- 26499137
TI  - Protective effects of trigonelline against indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer in
      rats and potential underlying mechanisms.
AB  - The present study was undertaken to explore gastroprotective effects of
      trigonelline (TRG) and to determine the potential mechanisms involved in this
      action. In order to evaluate the gastroprotective efficiency of TRG, an
      indomethacin-induced ulcer model has been applied. Antioxidants, cytokines,
      adhesion markers and apoptosis levels have been analyzed for the biochemical
      mechanism involved in TRG activity. TRG (45 mg kg(-1)) pretreated rats
      significantly inhibited gastric lesions by 81.71%. Indomethacin administration
      raises the levels of leukotriene B4 (LTB4), lipid peroxidation and
      myeloperoxidase (MPO) with the significant declines of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2),
      superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px)
      levels. Conversely, TRG (45 mg kg(-1)) pretreated animals showed significant
      rises in PGE2 and antioxidant levels along with substantial reductions in LTB4,
      lipid peroxidation and MPO levels. Indomethacin-induced rats also exhibited
      considerable increases of pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-6 (IL
      6), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and
      interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) levels and decreases of anti-inflammatory cytokines
      such as interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-4 (IL-4), but these imbalances
      were normalized through treatment of TRG. The protective activity of TRG against
      indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer has been ascribed to three important
      mechanisms: (1) anti-inflammatory; (2) antioxidant; (3) anti-apoptotic pathways. 

PMID- 26499139
TI  - [Clinical efficacy of paclitaxel combined with S-1 in the prevention and
      treatment of gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis].
AB  - Peritoneal dissemination is the most common metastasis form in patients with
      highly advanced gastric cancer(AGC) or with recurrence after radical gastrectomy.
      The median survival time after manifestation of peritoneal carcinomatosis is
      about 4-6 months. Most systemic chemotherapeutic agents are not effective for
      peritoneal metastasis because of the blood-peritoneum barrier, although some
      adjuvant chemotherapy definitely improves overall survival. In this regard,
      neoadjuvant intraperitoneal-systemic chemotherapy(NIPS) has been recently
      considered as an additional adjuvant therapy for AGC with peritoneal metastasis.
      Combined chemotherapy of intravenous and intraperitoneal paclitaxel with oral S-1
      has been confirmed by pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies to be well
      tolerated and well effective in gastric cancer patients with peritoneal
      metastasis. In this article, authors make a comprehensive introduction to
      clinical efficacy by adopting paclitaxel and S-1 to gastric cancer patients with
      peritoneal metastasis. 

PMID- 26499138
TI  - [Gastrointestinal surgeons should master the adjuvant therapy of colorectal
      cancer].
AB  - The diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer is one of the main diseases of
      gastrointestinal surgeons. It is very important to master the adjuvant
      chemotherapy of colorectal cancer for gastrointestinal surgeons. In recent years,
      with the development of a number of clinical trials and the appearance of new
      drugs, fluorouracil combined with oxaliplatin had been established as the
      standard regimen of adjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer. In the current
      guidelines, stage III( colon cancer is the indication for adjuvant chemotherapy,
      while stage II( colon cancer should receive adjuvant chemotherapy is uncertain.
      Unlike colon cancer, adjuvant therapy of rectal cancer is not evidence-based.
      Especially, the indication and duration of adjuvant chemotherapy for rectal
      cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy remain controversial. Adjuvant therapy
      of colorectal cancer still needs further investigation. 

PMID- 26499140
TI  - [Current status and research progress of perioperative chemotherapy in advanced
      gastric cancer].
AB  - Recently the standard treatment for advanced gastric cancer is the multimodal
      therapies associated with complete surgical resection of cancer (D2 dissection)
      and now more and more clinical attentions have been paid to chemotherapy. It has
      been confirmed by several randomized phase III( clinical trials that adjuvant
      chemotherapy after D2 dissection can significantly improve patients' survival.
      But it is still in debate that perioperative chemotherapy(adjuvant and
      neoadjuvant) and postoperative radiotherapy can really bring survival benefits
      for gastric cancer patients who received curative D2 dissections. Based on these
      questions, investigators designed different ongoing clinical trials in order to
      define subsets of patients who will more likely benefit from specific therapies
      and optimize the regimens and sequence. Meanwhile, along with the deep research
      of gastric cancer biomarkers and introduction of novel molecular subtypes of
      gastric cancer based on cancer genome atlas project, personalized or individual
      chemotherapy treatment will come into reality for improving survival and having
      better life quality for gastric cancer patients. 

PMID- 26499141
TI  - [Advantages and disadvantages of postoperative radiotherapy in locally advanced
      gastric cancer].
AB  - Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Radical surgery
      remains the cornerstone of the treatment, however, outcomes are poor. As an
      effective, non-invasive treatment modality, radiotherapy constitutes an important
      part of the comprehensive therapy for locally advanced gastric cancer. The
      improved target coverage and accuracy of intensity-modulated radiotherapy allow
      for selective sparing of critical structures and reduce toxicity. With the use of
      new anti-cancer drugs and the progression of radiotherapy techniques,
      chemoradiotherapy may be of value in the future. This paper discusses the
      advantages and disadvantages of adjuvant radiotherapy in gastric cancer based on
      efficacy and toxicity. 

PMID- 26499142
TI  - [Current status of hepatic resection for patients with colorectal liver
      metastasis].
AB  - Liver metastasis is responsible for the majority of death of patients with
      colorectal cancer. The hepatic resection is curative standard treatment of
      colorectal liver metastasis. More and more patients with liver metastases from
      colorectal cancer were indicated to be resected because of progress in both
      surgical technique and systemic therapies. As a result, many surgeons take a more
      aggressive attitude towards the management of liver metastasis. In addition,
      multidisciplinary team of colorectal liver metastasis has helped to standardize
      clinical practice of synchronous and metachronous liver metastases. 

PMID- 26499143
TI  - [Molecular phenotypes of colorectal cancer is critical in clinical individual
      treatment].
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is not a single disease, but a group of wide spectrum of
      heterogeneous diseases, and tumors with similar clinicopathological features may
      react differently to treatments and have diverse prognosis. So complementary risk
      evaluation, or based on molecular biomarkers to further stratify colorectal
      cancer beyond TNM staging is necessary. Understanding mechanism of carcinogenesis
      is good for subtyping colorectal cancer as well as drug development. So far, 3
      major pathways are thought to be related to CRC carcinogenesis, chromosome
      instability, microsatellite instability and CpG island hypermethylation. High
      throughput profiling enables to study the molecular basis for CRC more
      comprehensively and systemically. Several studies have defined 3-6 subtypes.
      Colorectal Cancer Subtype Consortium has made consensus to divide CRC into 5
      subtypes based on pool analysis of available profiling data. Further validation
      is ongoing. There are only a few biomarkers which can be applied in daily
      practice, including MSI, RAS, BRAF, PI3KCA and HER2. 

PMID- 26499144
TI  - [Three procedures of transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) for advanced
      mid-low rectal tumor].
AB  - Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) is a novel minimally invasive
      procedure which is performed by normal laparoscopic instruments through the
      single port transanally. Three kinds of procedures have been performed based on
      the TAMIS platform by now, including TAMIS-TME(total mesorectal excision), TAMIS
      APE(Abdominoperineal excision) and TAMIS-Hartmann. Transanal total mesorectal
      excision (taTME) with dissection from bottom to up through the platform of TAMIS
      is also called TAMIS-TME. The greatest advantage of TAMIS-TME is that it
      increases the quality of specimen and decrease the adverse injury due to the
      sufficient vision of lower part of mesorectum in the operation. TAMIS-APE and
      TAMIS-Hartmann procedures emerge after the experience of TAMIS-TME. TAMIS-APE
      procedure not only firstly make the dissection of perineal phase minimally
      invasive, but also make the perineal vision more clear, the resection of levator
      ani muscle more precise, eventually the tailored APE procedure comes true under
      the laparoscopy of perineal phase. The dissection of mid-low mesorectum for
      recurrent tumor is usually difficult just from above, TAMIS facilitates the
      resection through entering the normal anatomical space under the tumor. If the
      tumor has the risk of recurrence, distal rectum is closed and proximal colostomy
      is made, we firstly performed this procedure and name it TAMIS-Hartmann.
      Therefore, TAMIS is not only a platform for taTME, but also it provides a
      transanal approach and a "button to up" conception for the mid-low rectal tumor. 

PMID- 26499145
TI  - [Upper arm vein versus subclavian vein for totally implantable venous access
      ports for patients with gastrointestinal malignancy: a retrospective comparison
      of complications].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare two different routes of totally implantable venous access
      ports (TIVPs) from the upper arm vein and the subclavian vein in terms of
      complications for patients with gastrointestinal malignancy. METHODS: Patients
      who underwent implantations of TIVPs from September 2013 to January 2015 were
      retrospectively evaluated. The outcome measurements were rates and types of
      postprocedural early-stage and long-term complications. RESULTS: A total of 208
      patients(upper arm vein group, 86; subclavian vein group, 122) were included in
      this study. All TIVPs were implanted successfully. The rate of catheter
      displacement was higher in upper arm vein group(14.0% vs 5.7%, P=0.04), while
      other postprocedural early-stage complications had no significant difference
      between the two groups. The occurrence of transfusion obstacle and rates of
      overall postprocedural long-term complications were significantly lower in upper
      arm vein group than that in subclavian vein group(1.2% vs. 9.8%, P=0.02; 7.0% vs.
      27.0%, P=0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: Compared with subclavian vein group,
      upper arm vein group has lower postprocedural long-term complication rates and is
      recommended as a safe and comfortable choice for port implantation.

PMID- 26499146
TI  - [Safety evaluation of intraoperative peritoneal chemotherapy with Lobaplatin for
      advanced colorectal cancers].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the impact of intraoperative peritoneal chemotherapy with
      Lobaplatin on the safety of postoperative bowel function and complications in
      patients with advanced colorectal cancer. METHODS: A total of 103 colorectal
      cancer patients undergoing surgical operations in our department between October
      2013 and October 2014 were prospectively enrolled in this study and were randomly
      divided into peritoneal chemotherapy group(55 cases) and control group(48 cases)
      according to the random table. In therapy group, patients were treated with
      peritoneal implantation of 40 mg Lobaplatin intraoperatively and followed by
      intravenous chemotherapy using FOLFOX regimen with Oxaliplatin, Fluorouracil and
      Leucovorin. In control group, only FOLFOX regimen was fulfilled. Then the
      recovery time of bowel function, the incidence of adverse reactions and
      complications, and the pre- and post-chemotherapy routine blood tests and
      hepatorenal functions were compared. RESULTS: The recovery time of bowel function
      in peritoneal chemotherapy group and control group was(72.1+/-11.8) h and(68.7+/
      13.4) h respectively without significant difference(P>0.05). Each group had 6
      cases with incisional fat liquefaction(10.9% vs. 12.5%, P>0.05). There was no
      serious infection in both groups. During intravenous chemotherapy, in peritoneal
      chemotherapy group and control group, the incidence of nausea and vomit(42 cases,
      76.4% vs. 40 cases, 83.3%), constipation(38 cases, 69.1% vs. 29 cases, 60.4%),
      and diarrhea(4 cases, 7.3% vs. 5 cases, 10.4%) were observed and there were no
      significant differences(all P>0.05). It was noted that all these side effects
      vanished after chemotherapy or cured by symptomatic treatment. There were no
      significant differences between two groups in indexes of white blood cell,
      platelet, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase, and creatinine(all
      P>0.05), neither after operation nor after chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Peritoneal
      implantation of Lobaplatin as intraoperative chemotherapy for advanced colorectal
      cancer is safe and tolerable.

PMID- 26499147
TI  - [Study on prognosis relationship between ABO blood groups of patients with
      gastric cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of ABO blood group with the
      clinicopathological characteristics in patients with gastric cancer and to assess
      whether the ABO blood group was associated with prognosis. METHOD:
      Clinicopathological and follow-up data of 2838 patients with gastric cancer who
      underwent radical gastrectomy in our department from June 2008 to October 2013
      were analyzed retrospectively. The distribution of ABO blood group under
      different clinicopathological characteristics and the overall 5-year survival of
      ABO blood group were compared. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in
      clinicopathological characteristics among patients with different ABO blood
      groups (all P>0.05). The 5-year overall survival(OS) rates were 57.3% for
      patients with blood type A, 54.7% for type B, 57.4% for type O, and 53.5% for
      type AB. Though there was no significance difference of survival among ABO blood
      groups(P=0.722), while the subgroup analysis indicated that stage III( patients
      of blood group Non-AB had a poorer OS compared to those of blood group AB(25.2%
      vs. 44.7%, P=0.014); smoking patients of blood group Non-AB had a poorer OS
      compared to those of blood group AB(53.4% vs. 74.9%, P=0.044). CONCLUSION:
      Neither clinicopathological characteristics nor overall survival are associated
      with the ABO blood group, however, stage III( and smoking patients of blood group
      Non-AB have a poorer OS compared to those of blood group AB.

PMID- 26499148
TI  - [Analysis of risk factors associate with lymph node metastasis of T1 and T2
      rectal cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors associated with lymph node metastasis
      of T1 and T2 rectal cancer. METHODS: Clinicopathological data of 576 patients
      with stage T1 to T2 rectal cancer without serosal invasion confirmed by pathology
      undergoing curative resection in Changhai Hospital from January 1999 to December
      2013 were analyzed retrospectively. The relationship of clinicopathological
      factors of overall patients and stage T1 patients with lymph node metastasis was
      analyzed by univariate or multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The lymph node
      metastasis rate of stage T2 rectal cancer was significantly higher than that of
      stage T1[22.9% (108/463) vs. 9.7%(11/113), P=0.002], and the difference of stage
      T2a and T2b was not significant[22.0%(38/173) vs. 23.4% (68/290), P=0.733].
      Multivariate analysis showed that poor differentiation(HR=1.54, 95% CI:1.12 to
      2.13), abnormal carbohydrate antigen (CA) 199 level (HR=2.05, 95% CI:1.16 to
      3.62), ulcerative mass (HR=1.58, 95% CI:1.05 to 2.39) and invasion of muscle (of
      inner ring muscle HR=3.55, 95% CI:1.79 to 7.02; of outer longitudinal muscle,
      HR=2.35, 95% CI:1.21 to 4.60) were independent risk factors of lymph node
      metastasis in patients with stage T1-T2 rectal cancer(all P<0.05). Meanwhile poor
      differentiation(HR=4.43, 95% CI:1.51 to 13.03), abnormal carcinoembryonic
      antigen(CEA) level (HR=4.66, 95% CI:1.18 to 20.11) and ulcerative mass (HR=6.23,
      95% CI:1.51 to 25.66) were risk factors of lymph node metastasis in patients with
      stage T1 rectal cancer. CONCLUSION: Poor differentiation, preoperative high
      CA199, ulcerated tumor, invasion of inner ring muscle or outer longitudinal
      muscle are risk factors of lymph node metastasis in patients with stage T1-T2
      rectal cancer, while the invasion depth of muscularis propria is not risk factor.
      Besides, poor differentiation, abnormal CEA level, ulcerated tumor are risk
      factors of lymph node metastasis in stage T1 rectal cancer patients, which can be
      used as reference for local excision in patients with stage T1 rectal cancer.

PMID- 26499149
TI  - [Comparative study on computed tomography features of gastrointestinal
      schwannomas and gastrointestinal stromal tumors].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the CT image of gastrointestinal schwannomas (GIS) and
      gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GIST), and to find the CT features to be helpful
      for differentiation of GIS from GIST. METHODS: Clinical and iconography data of
      15 GIS patients and 50 GIST patients who underwent stomach CT scan with
      postoperatively confirmed histopathology between January 2000 and July 2014 in
      our department were collected retrospectively. CT findings of these two tumors
      were compared. Then the ROC curve was drawn based on the significant CT findings
      and area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to assess the sensibility and
      specificity for the differential diagnosis of GIS and GIST. RESULT: CT findings,
      such as the tumor size, shape, cystic change, perilesional lymph nodes, vessel
      seeding, enhancement pattern and degree, absolute and standardized CT value were
      significantly different between GIS and GIST(all P<0.05). Among the CT findings,
      tumor size, cystic change, perilesional lymph nodes, enhancement pattern and
      arterial phase standardized CT value (Sa) were better differential than others
      (all AUC>0.7). Tumor size showed the highest sensibility(90%), and cystic change
      and Sa showed the highest specificity(87%). CONCLUSIONS: GIS seems to show a
      homogeneous tumor more frequently, presenting light and moderate enhancement
      pattern and obvious enhancement of perilesional lymph nodes, while GIST seems to
      reveal malignant features, such as abundant blood supply, larger volume, frequent
      necrosis and cystic change. Cystic change and Sa value possess the better
      differential ability in diagnosis of these two tumors.

PMID- 26499150
TI  - [Clinical characteristics and prognosis of colon cancer patient with extremely
      elevated carcinoembryonic antigen level].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of
      colon cancer patients with extremely elevated serum carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA)
      level before operation(>50 MUg/L). METHODS: Clinicopathological and follow-up
      data of 1250 patients with colonic adenocarcinoma undergoing primary tumor
      resection between January 2001 and December 2011 were retrospectively analyzed.
      All the patients were divided into three groups according to the preoperative
      serum CEA levels as normal group (0-5 MUg/L, 721 cases), elevated group(5-50
      MUg/L, 408 cases) and extremely elevated(>50 MUg/L, 121 cases). Kaplan-Meier
      method was used to analyze the overall survival and disease-free survival. Log
      rank test was used to compare the survival between groups. Cox regression was
      used to screen the independent prognostic factors of colon cancer. RESULTS:
      Compared with normal and elevated groups, patients with extremely elevated CEA
      had more advanced T,N,M stages (P<0.01), more palliative surgery (P<0.01) and
      more lymphovascular invasion(P<0.01). During the follow-up, patients with
      extremely elevated CEA demonstrated significantly higher ratio of distant
      metastases and liver metastases (both P=0.001). After radical surgery, 5-year
      overall survival rate of patients with normal, elevated and extremely elevated
      CEA levels was 70.1%, 54.4% and 42%, respectively, with statistically significant
      difference among three groups (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that tumor
      differentiation, TNM staging, preoperative CEA levels, lymphovascular invasion
      and adjuvant chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors for colon cancer
      (all P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Colon cancer patients with extremely elevated
      preoperative CEA levels are associated with more unfavorable pathological
      factors, advanced TNM stage and more distant metastases (especially the liver
      metastases) during the follow-up. The elevated degree of preoperative CEA level
      is an independent poor prognostic factor of patients with colon cancer.

PMID- 26499151
TI  - [Expression of MACC1 protein in colorectal cancer and its relationship with
      clinicopathological characteristics].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of metastasis-associated colon cancer 1
      (MACC1) protein in colorectal cancer and its clinical significance. METHODS:
      Immunohistochemistry method was used to determine the expression of MACC1 protein
      in colorectal cancer and normal colorectal mucosal tissues (>5 cm distance to
      cancer tissue). Statistic analysis was performed to investigate the association
      between clinicopathologic features and MACC1 expression. RESULTS: The positive
      rate of MACC1 protein in colorectal cancer tissues was significantly higher than
      that in normal tissues [75%(72/96) vs. 14.6%(14/96), P<0.01, chi(2)=68.43].
      Expression of MACC1 protein was associated with TNM staging (P<0.01,
      chi(2)=16.82) and distant metastasis (P<0.01, chi(2)=10.53), but not with age,
      gender, tumor size, differentiation degree, invasion depth, and lymph node
      metastasis(all P>0.05). Positive rate of MACC1 expression increased with the
      advanced TNM staging. When distant metastasis occurred, high expression of MACC1
      protein in cancer tissues was found. During median 13(4 to 21) months of follow
      up, 7 patients died, including 6(8.3%, 6/72) with high expression and 1(4.2%,
      1/24) with low expression. Distant metastasis occurred in 9 patients, including 7
      with high expression and 2 with low expression. Two patients had local relapse,
      whose MACC1 expressions were both high. CONCLUSION: MACC1 protein is highly
      expressed in colorectal cancer tissues, which may be associated with the invasion
      and metastasis of colorectal cancer.

PMID- 26499152
TI  - [Expression of NEK-6 in gastric cancer and its clinical significance].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the NEK-6 expression in gastric cancer tissue and its
      relationship with clinicopathological features. METHODS: Fluorescent
      quantification PCR and Western blotting were used to examine the NEK-6 expression
      in 36 samples of fresh gastric cancer tissues and para-cancer gastric mucosal
      tissues, human gastric cancer cell lines(BGC-823, MKN-28, SGC-7901, MGC-803, HGC
      27, AGS), and human normal gastric epithelial cell line (GES-1). Gastric cancer
      cell lines with the highest expression level were selected to perform the
      invasion and migration tests, and the effect of down-regulated NEK-6 expression
      by siRNA transfection on above invasion and migration tests were observed.
      Meanwhile NEK-6 expression in 94 paraffin samples of gastric cancer tissues was
      examined by immunohistochemistry and its positivity was compared among different
      clinicopathologic features. RESULTS: Fluorescent quantification PCR revealed
      gastric cancer tissues had significantly higher NEK-6 expression than para-cancer
      tissues(0.002 80+/-0.001 36 vs. 0.001 91+/-0.001 48, P<0.05), NEK-6 expression
      was up-regulated in 31 gastric cancer tissues (86.1%), and human gastric cancer
      cell lines had significantly higher NEK-6 expression than GES-1 cells, among whom
      BGC-823 and AGS cell lines were the highest. Invasion and migration tests showed
      that as compared to negative siRNA control group, ability of invasion and
      migration in BGC-823 and AGS cells after siRNA transfection was obviously
      decreased. In 94 paraffin samples, positive expression rate of NEK-6 was
      60.6%(57/94), and NEK-6 expression was significantly associated with gastric
      cancer distant metastasis, lymph nodes metastasis and TNM staging(all P<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: NEK-6 expression is up-regulated in gastric cancer tissues, which is
      significantly associated with distant metastasis, lymph nodes metastasis and TNM
      staging. Down-regulation of NEK-6 expression can inhibit the ability of invasion
      and migration in gastric cancer cells.

PMID- 26499153
TI  - [Expression and proliferative regulation of miR-204 related to mitochondrial
      transcription factor A in colon cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To screen the microRNAs involved in colon cancer proliferation and to
      investigate the expression and regulating function of target miRNA in colon
      cancer. METHODS: Mitochondrial transcription factor A(TFAM), which was proved to
      be an oncogene to colon cancer in prior study, was used as target gene. The
      microRNAs involved in colon cancer proliferation were screened with miRWalk 2.0
      software. The expression of screened miRNAs was examined in 30 samples of colon
      cancer tissue, para-cancer tissue, normal colon cell strain, and 3 colon cancer
      strains (SW480, HT-29, and HCT116) by real-time PCR. MiR-204 presenting lowest
      expression was selected to further study in SW480 cells. Dual luciferase reporter
      assays was performed to examine the association of TFAM with miR-204. Anti-miR
      204 lentivirus and miR-240 lentivirus were used to down-regulate and up-regulate
      miR-204 expression respectively. Change of TFAM protein expression in SW480 cells
      was detected by Western blotting, and change of SW480 cells proliferation was
      detected by MTT and BrdU assay after lentivirus transfection. RESULTS: After
      screening, the candidate miRNAs were miR-204, miR-211, miR-214, miR-381 and miR
      590-3p. Expressions of miR-204, miR-211, miR-214 and miR-381 were lower, but miR
      590-3p expression was higher, in colon cancer tissues than those in para-cancer
      tissues(all P<0.05). Meanwhile expressions of above 4 miRNAs(miR-204, miR-211,
      miR-214 and miR-381) were also lower, but miR-590-3p expression was higher as
      well, in SW480, HT-29 and HCT116 cells compared to normal colon cells(all
      P<0.05). Among above 4 miRNAs, miR-204 showed the lowest expression in both colon
      cancer tissues and cell lines. Expression of miR-204 was negatively correlated
      with TFAM expression in colon cancer tissues(P<0.05). Dual luciferase reporter
      assays revealed TFAM could be integrated with miR-204 directly, suggesting TFAM
      as the direct target of miR-204. After up-regulating miR-204 by lentivirus,
      expression of TFAM decreased and proliferation increased in SW480 cells(all
      P<0.05). After down-regulating miR-204 by lentivirus, expression of TFAM
      increased and proliferation decreased in SW480 cells(all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: MiR
      204 inhibits TFAM expression and up-regulates the proliferation of colon cancer
      cells SW480.

PMID- 26499154
TI  - [Analysis of gastric cancer tissues genome methylation by DNA methylation chip].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To detect the methylation status of gastric cancer tissue genome by
      DNA methylation chip. METHODS: Methylation status of 6 samples of gastric cancer
      tissues and their matched adjacent tissues was analyzed using methylated DNA
      immunoprecipitation(MeDIP) combined with NibleGen chip. Significantly different
      methylated genes in promoter region and CpG island between two tissues were
      searched. Functions of these significantly different methylated genes were
      analyzed by Gene Ontology and Pathway assays. RESULTS: In gene promoter regions,
      113 significantly different methylated genes were identified in gastric cancer
      tissues, such as SHP1, FGF8 and CSF2RA, while 161 significantly different
      methylated genes were identified in their matched adjacent tissues, such as TNF,
      IGF2 and BMP7. In the CpG islands, 123 significantly different methylated genes
      were identified in gastric cancer tissues, such as WNT2B, JAK2 and TPT1, while
      139 significantly different methylated genes were identified in their matched
      adjacent tissues, such as TNFRSF4, HOXC8 and NFYA. These genes located on
      different chromosomes. In gastric cancer tissues, the 1st and the 4th chromosomes
      had the most (both 11), the 18th and the 20th chromosomes had the least(both 1).
      In matched adjacent normal tissues, the 11th chromosome had the most (17), and no
      significantly different methylated gene was found on Y chromosome. These genes
      involved in many functions, such as protein phosphorylation, regulating cellular
      catabolism, ion transport, enzyme activity, transcriptional regulation, cell
      division, cell cycle regulation, and signal transduction. CONCLUSIONS: There are
      significant differences between gastric cancer tissues and their matched adjacent
      tissues in DNA methylation. DNA methylation genes locate on different
      chromosomes, and their number and distribution vary widely. These genes may be
      associated with many pathways in carcinogenesis.

PMID- 26499155
TI  - [Association of prognosis with insulin-like growth factor receptor type I
      expression in gastric cancer patients: a meta-analysis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To systemically evaluate the relationship between the expression of
      insulin-like growth factor receptor type I (IGF-1R) and prognosis in gastric
      cancer (GC) patients. METHODS: A literature search was conducted from PubMed,
      EMBASE, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP databases to retrieve the clinical
      studies relevant to IGF-1R expression and its prognostic value in GC patients.
      Meta-analysis was performed using STATA 12.0 software. The methodology was
      assessed according to the European Lung Cancer Working Party Quality Scale for
      Biological Prognostic Factors for Lung Cancer. The quality of studies was
      assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. RESULTS: Four eligible studies
      including 685 patients were enrolled for this meta-analysis. Analysis results
      suggested that up-regulation of IGF-1R in GC patients was significantly
      associated with TNM staging (OR=5.20, 95%CI:1.12 to 24.15, P=0.035), lymph node
      metastasis(OR=8.24, 95%CI:2.68 to 25.34, P=0.000) and distant
      metastasis(OR=17.34, 95%CI:6.52 to 46.15, P=0.000). Moreover, up-regulated IGF-1R
      expression was significantly associated with poor overall survival of gastric
      cancer patients(HR=2.63, 95% CI:1.29 to 5.40, Z=2.64, P=0.008). CONCLUSION: High
      IGF-1R expression may be an adverse prognostic factor in gastric cancer patients.

PMID- 26499156
TI  - [Research progress of serum markers in the early diagnosis of acute mesenteric
      ischemia].
AB  - Acute mesenteric ischemia is an insidious and sudden disease with high mortality,
      whose good prognosis depends on early diagnosis. This review summarizes the
      analyses of related serum markers about acute mesenteric ischemia in recent
      years, and investigates the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis, in
      order to help clinicians to assess the function of intestinal barrier. 

PMID- 26499157
TI  - Fourth Circuit Upholds $237 Million Judgment Against Tuomey Healthcare System.

PMID- 26499158
TI  - The Candidate as Convict.

PMID- 26499159
TI  - Best Practice for Safe and Effective Administration of Epinephrine for the
      Treatment of Anaphylaxis in the Radiology Department.

PMID- 26499160
TI  - Awareness, Utilization, and Education of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria: A
      Review and Future Directions.
AB  - PURPOSE: With the overall rise in the use of medical imaging over the past two
      decades, overutilization has become a major concern. The ACR Appropriateness
      Criteria (AC) are an evidence-based, web-based, peer-reviewed resource designed
      to assist clinicians in making the most appropriate imaging decisions. In this
      literature review, the authors assess the current knowledge, utilization, and
      education of the AC among undergraduate and graduate medical education trainees
      and practicing physicians in both radiologic and nonradiologic specialties.
      METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was completed using the PubMed,
      Cochrane, and MedEdPORTAL databases with the query "American College of Radiology
      Appropriateness Criteria." Articles written in English and published from 1993,
      the year when the AC were introduced, to present were included for review.
      Retrieved articles were reviewed for relevance. RESULTS: The published literature
      is sparse. A review suggests a low rate of incorporation of the AC into clinical
      practice. Formal training in appropriate imaging ordering practices in both
      undergraduate and graduate medical education is lacking. The several studies
      targeting the use of the AC demonstrate that educational interventions increase
      awareness of the criteria as a decision tool. CONCLUSIONS: The low rate of
      incorporation of the AC into clinical practice may reflect the lack of formal
      training in appropriate imaging order practices, specifically in the use of the
      AC, in both undergraduate and graduate medical education. The integration of the
      AC into decision support may reduce overutilization, but this has not been fully
      studied. Greater integration of the AC into medical training would require more
      universal physician buy-in to use the AC as a resource to optimize imaging
      utilization. This further requires sustained efforts to improve the "user
      friendliness" of the AC and maximization of collaboration with nonradiology
      specialties in the development of the AC.

PMID- 26499161
TI  - Carpe Datum: A Consideration of the Barriers and Potential of Data-Driven PET
      Innovation.

PMID- 26499162
TI  - Surveying Fourth-Year Medical Students Regarding the Choice of Diagnostic
      Radiology as a Specialty.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to survey fourth-year medical students, both
      those choosing and those not choosing diagnostic radiology as their specialty,
      regarding factors influencing their choice of specialty and their perceptions of
      radiology. METHODS: A voluntary anonymous online survey hyperlink was sent to 141
      US medical schools for distribution to fourth-year students. Topics included
      demographics, radiology education, specialty choice and influencing factors, and
      opinions of radiology. RESULTS: A representative sampling (7%) of 2015 fourth
      year medical students (n = 1,219; 51% men, 49% women) participated: 7% were
      applying in radiology and 93% were not. For respondents applying in radiology,
      the most important factor was intellectual challenge. For respondents applying in
      nonradiology specialties, degree of patient contact was the most important factor
      in the decision not to choose radiology; job market was not listed as a top-three
      factor. Women were less likely than men to apply in radiology (P < .001), with
      radiology selected by 11.8% of men (56 of 476) and only 2.8% of women (13 of
      459). Respondents self-identifying as Asian had a significantly higher (P = .015)
      likelihood of selecting radiology (19 of 156 [12.2%]) than all other races
      combined (44 of 723 [6.1%]). Respondents at medical schools with required
      dedicated medical imaging rotations were more likely to choose radiology as a
      specialty, but most schools still do not require the clerkship (82%).
      CONCLUSIONS: The reasons fourth-year medical students choose, or do not choose,
      diagnostic radiology as a specialty are multifactorial, but noncontrollable
      factors, such as the job market, proved less compelling than controllable
      factors, such as taking a radiology rotation.

PMID- 26499163
TI  - ABR Core Examination Changes That Affect Residency Candidate Decisions.
AB  - PURPOSE: The recent restructuring of the ABR core examination has prompted
      changes to radiology residency training. The purpose of this study is to
      determine how factors related to the core examination restructuring influenced
      radiology applicants' match decisions. METHODS: We surveyed 626 applicants to our
      institution's radiology residency, after the 2014 match. Applicants rated 21
      factors on a 5-point scale. Eight of the factors pertained to the core
      examination. The respondents additionally listed the top three factors in order
      of importance. RESULTS: The response rate was 153 of 626 (24.4%). The three most
      influential factors were current resident satisfaction (average score: 4.74 of
      5.00 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.64-4.83]), quality of faculty (4.63 [95%
      CI = 4.52-4.73]) and quality of educational curriculum and clinical training
      (4.60 [95% CI = 4.50-4.70]). Of factors related to the core examination, the
      highest rated were core examination pass rate (4.21 [95% CI = 4.07-4.35]) and
      program resources/time off for external review courses (3.92 [95% CI = 3.79
      4.04]). Core examination pass rate (16 of 459 [3.5%]) and time off from clinical
      duties to study for the examination (6 of 459 [1.3%]) appeared infrequently in
      respondents' lists of the top three most influential factors. CONCLUSIONS:
      Factors influencing candidates' choice of radiology program are similar to those
      reported previously, despite the addition of topics related to core examination
      restructuring. Although programs vary in how they have addressed the changes,
      these issues are less important to candidates than are more traditional factors.

PMID- 26499164
TI  - Medical Student Performance After a Vertically Integrated Radiology Clerkship.
AB  - PURPOSE: Proper selection of imaging examinations and basic image interpretation
      skills are essential for all physicians, yet only approximately 25% of US medical
      schools require clerkships in radiology. Although there is limited time in most
      medical school curricula to allow the addition of a required radiology clerkship,
      the authors developed one that is vertically integrated over a two-year period.
      This clerkship includes one week of contact with radiologists distributed over
      the M2 and M3 years, podcasts, online modules, required readings, and
      presentations. A standard national examination is administered at the end of the
      clerkship period. This clerkship was designed to address the educational needs of
      students while occupying minimal time in the curriculum. The purpose of this
      study was to determine if students completing this clerkship perform as well on a
      national radiology examination as students from other medical schools, regardless
      of their curricula. METHODS: At the end of the M3 year, these students take a
      computer-based radiology examination developed by the Alliance of Medical Student
      Educators in Radiology and used by students at multiple medical schools
      nationally. The mean and median scores of these students were compared with those
      of students at these other institutions. RESULTS: The mean and median scores of
      the students were 74% and 74% (standard deviation, 7.5%) compared with 74% and
      50% (standard deviation, 8.4%) at other institutions. CONCLUSIONS: Students
      completing this vertically integrated radiology clerkship had test scores
      comparable with those of students at other medical schools.

PMID- 26499165
TI  - Radiology's Social Media Hashtag Ontology: Codifying Online Data.

PMID- 26499166
TI  - Effectiveness of Policies on Reducing Exposure to Ionizing Radiation From Medical
      Imaging: A Systematic Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: The use of medical imaging has expanded greatly in the past three
      decades, raising concern about potential unwanted carcinogenic harms associated
      with exposure to ionizing radiation among patients. This study summarizes
      evidence of efficacy of interventions that have prompted policies, and structural
      level interventions aimed at reducing radiation dose and risk of cancer,
      especially among women. METHODS: Using standard terms, we conducted searches in
      MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science, and de-duplicated retrieved citations. We
      hand-searched the reference section of eligible studies and contacted radiology
      experts to identify studies missed from electronic searches. Two reviewers
      screened retrieved citations based on predefined eligibility criteria, to
      identify relevant studies, extract key information from each, rate the quality of
      evidence, and summarize data in tabular and graphical format. RESULTS: From a
      total of 1,543 unique citations identified from all sources, 16 were included for
      data extraction. Half of the studies focused on reduction of ionizing exposure
      from CT, and half on x-ray or fluoroscopy. Identified interventions were broadly
      categorized as: policy or structural intervention (two; 13%); multipronged (four;
      25%); dose-feedback system (five; 31%); provision of training (four; 25%); and
      quality-control audit (one; 6%). In general, multipronged programs had a higher
      range for dose reduction (22%-74%), followed by policy/structural interventions
      (37%-50%). CONCLUSIONS: Existing evidence on the effectiveness of policies aimed
      at reducing patient radiation dose is disperse and low in quality. Compared with
      other approaches, multipronged efforts may offer more patient protection.

PMID- 26499167
TI  - Preparation of gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane cross-linked poly(aspartic acid)
      superabsorbent hydrogels without organic solvent.
AB  - Poly(aspartic acid) (PASP) hydrogel is a type of biodegradable and biocompatible
      polymer with high water absorbing ability. Traditionally, the production of PASP
      hydrogel is expensive, complex, environmentally unfriendly, and consumes a large
      amount of organic solvents, e.g. dimethylformamide or dimethylsulfoxide. This
      study introduces a one-step synthesis of PASP resin, in which the organic phase
      was replaced by distilled water and gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane was used as
      the cross-linker. Absorbent ability and characteristics were determined by
      swelling ratio, FTIR, (13)C SSNMR, and SEM. In vitro cytotoxicity evaluation and
      animal skin irritation tests showed the hydrogel has body-friendly properties.
      Preparing PASP hydrogel in aqueous solution is promising and finds its use in
      many applications. 

PMID- 26499168
TI  - Three new sativene sesquiterpenoids from cultures of endophytic fungus Bipolaris
      eleusines.
AB  - Three new sativene sesquiterpenoids, bipolenins A-C (1-3), together with two
      known analogs (4 and 5), were obtained from cultures of endophytic fungus
      Bipolaris eleusines. The structures of new compounds were elucidated on the basis
      of extensive spectroscopic analyses. Compound 2 showed weak inhibitory activities
      against lung cancer A-549 and breast cancer MCF-7 with IC50 values of 33.2 and
      19.1 MUmol, respectively. 

PMID- 26499169
TI  - Periplanosides A-C: new insect-derived dihydroisocoumarin glucosides from
      Periplaneta americana stimulating collagen production in human dermal
      fibroblasts.
AB  - Three new dihydroisocoumarin glucosides, termed periplanosides A-C (1-3), a known
      analog, pericanaside (4), and the other twenty known compounds were isolated from
      the insect Periplaneta americana. Their structures including absolute
      configurations were determined by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses and
      computational methods. Biological evaluation showed that compound 2 could
      stimulate collagen production by 31.2% in human dermal fibroblasts-adult (HDFa)
      at the concentration of 30 MUM, indicating its significance in skin repair and
      ulcer. 

PMID- 26499170
TI  - Predictors of low diabetes risk perception in a multi-ethnic cohort of women with
      gestational diabetes mellitus.
AB  - AIM: To determine what proportion of women with gestational diabetes
      underestimate their diabetes risk and identify factors associated with low
      diabetes risk perception. METHODS: Participants included pregnant adult women
      with gestational diabetes between 2009 and 2012 across seven diabetes clinics in
      Ontario, Canada. Data were collected through chart review and a survey that
      included a diabetes risk perception question. RESULTS: Of the 614 of 902 women
      (68% response rate) with gestational diabetes, 89% correctly responded that
      gestational diabetes increases the risk for developing diabetes. However, 47.1%
      of women perceived themselves to be at low risk for developing diabetes within 10
      years. On multivariable analysis, BMI < 25 kg/m(2) , absent previous gestational
      diabetes history, absent diabetes family history and absent insulin use were
      appropriately associated with low diabetes risk perception. However, compared
      with Caucasian ethnicity, high-risk ethnicity (Aboriginal, Latin American, West
      Indian, South Asian, Middle Eastern, Filipino, Black, Pacific Islander) [odds
      ratio (OR) 2.07; 95% CI 1.30-3.31] and East and South East Asian ethnicity (OR
      2.01; 1.10-3.67) were associated with low diabetes risk perception. After further
      adjustment for immigration, only high-risk ethnicity remained a predictor of low
      diabetes risk perception (OR 1.86; 1.09-3.19), whereas East and South East Asian
      ethnicity did not (OR 1.67; 0.86-3.22). CONCLUSIONS: Although the majority of
      women recognized gestational diabetes as a risk factor for diabetes, almost half
      underestimated their personal high diabetes risk despite prenatal care.
      Furthermore, women from high-risk ethnic groups were more likely to underestimate
      their risk, even after adjusting for immigration. Interventions tailored to these
      groups are necessary to enhance perceived diabetes risk.

PMID- 26499171
TI  - Cortical neuroinflammation contributes to long-term cognitive dysfunctions
      following adolescent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol treatment in female rats.
AB  - Over 180 million people consume cannabis globally. Cannabis use peaks during
      adolescence with a trend for continued consumption by adults. Notably, several
      studies have shown that long-term and heavy cannabis use during adolescence can
      impair brain maturation and predispose to neurodevelopmental disorders, although
      the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this association remain largely
      unknown. In this study, we evaluated whether, in female rats, chronic
      administration of increasing doses of the psychotropic plant-derived cannabis
      constituent, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), during adolescence (PND 35-45)
      could affect microglia function in the long-term. Furthermore, we explored a
      possible contribution of microglia to the development of THC-induced alterations
      in mood and cognition in adult female rats. Present data indicate that adolescent
      THC administration induces a persistent neuroinflammatory state specifically
      localized within the adult prefrontal cortex (PFC), characterized by increased
      expression of the pro-inflammatory markers, TNF-alpha, iNOS and COX-2, and
      reduction of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10. This neuroinflammatory
      phenotype is associated with down-regulation of CB1 receptor on neuronal cells
      and up-regulation of CB2 on microglia cells, conversely. Interestingly, blocking
      microglia activation with ibudilast during THC treatment significantly attenuates
      short-term memory impairments in adulthood, simultaneously preventing the
      increases in TNF-alpha, iNOS, COX-2 levels as well as the up-regulation of CB2
      receptors on microglia cells. In contrast, THC-induced depressive-like behaviors
      were unaffected by ibudilast treatment. Our findings demonstrate that adolescent
      THC administration is associated with persistent neuroinflammation within the PFC
      and provide evidence for a causal association between microglial activation and
      the development long-term cognitive deficits induced by adolescent THC treatment.

PMID- 26499172
TI  - S100B interacts with the serotonin 5-HT7 receptor to regulate a depressive-like
      behavior.
AB  - The serotonin 5-HT7 receptor (5-HT7) is an emerging target for psychiatric
      pharmacotherapy. Recent observations in rodent models and humans suggest that its
      blockade mediates antidepressant efficacy. In the present study, we identify the
      Ca(2+)-binding protein S100B as an interacting partner of 5-HT7 and show that
      S100B negatively regulates inducible cyclic AMP (cAMP) accumulation in
      transfected HeLa cells and mouse cortical astrocytes. Overexpression of S100B
      causes brain region-specific dysregulation of the cAMP pathway in vivo, such that
      concentrations of cAMP in the frontal cortex are higher in S100B transgenic
      female mice compared to wild-types. Finally, S100B transgenic female mice show
      depressive-like behavior in the forced swim test (FST) and pharmacological
      blockade of 5-HT7 with SB269970 normalizes FST behavior. Taken together, our
      results show that S100B affects behavioral despair in female mice through
      functional interaction with the 5-HT7 receptor. Furthermore, we identify S100B as
      a cAMP-regulatory protein in cultured astrocytes and the murine frontal cortex.
      Future experiments will clarify whether there is a direct link between the 5-HT7
      associated and cAMP-regulatory actions of S100B. 

PMID- 26499173
TI  - NCAM-deficient mice show prominent abnormalities in serotonergic and BDNF systems
      in brain - Restoration by chronic amitriptyline.
AB  - Mood disorders are associated with alterations in serotonergic system, deficient
      BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) signaling and abnormal synaptic
      plasticity. Increased degradation and reduced functions of NCAM (neural cell
      adhesion molecule) have recently been associated with depression and NCAM
      deficient mice show depression-related behavior and impaired learning. The aim of
      the present study was to investigate potential changes in serotonergic and BDNF
      systems in NCAM knock-out mice. Serotonergic nerve fiber density and SERT
      (serotonin transporter) protein levels were robustly reduced in the hippocampus,
      prefrontal cortex and basolateral amygdala of adult NCAM(-)(/-) mice. This SERT
      reduction was already evident during early postnatal development. [(3)H]MADAM
      binding experiments further demonstrated reduced availability of SERT in cell
      membranes of NCAM(-)(/-) mice. Moreover, the levels of serotonin and its major
      metabolite 5-HIAA were down regulated in the brains of NCAM(-)(/-) mice. NCAM(
      )(/-) mice also showed a dramatic reduction in the BDNF protein levels in the
      hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. This BDNF deficiency was associated with
      reduced phosphorylation of its receptor TrkB. Importantly, chronic administration
      of antidepressant amitriptyline partially or completely restored these changes in
      serotonergic and BDNF systems, respectively. In conclusion, NCAM deficiency lead
      to prominent and persistent abnormalities in brain serotonergic and BDNF systems,
      which likely contributes to the behavioral and neurobiological phenotype of NCAM(
      /-) mice. 

PMID- 26499174
TI  - Generalized Muller-Kern formula for equilibrium thickness of a wetting layer with
      respect to the dependence of the surface energy of island facets on the thickness
      of the 2D layer.
AB  - Experimental results indicate a particular importance of such a value as the
      equilibrium thickness of the wetting layer during epitaxial growth according to
      the Stranski-Krastanow mechanism in systems with a lattice mismatch. In this
      paper the change in free energy during the transition of atoms from the wetting
      layer to the island in such systems is considered. Recent experimental results
      also show that the surface energy of the island's facets depends upon the
      thickness of the deposited material. So, in this paper the equilibrium thickness
      of the wetting layer, at which transition from 2D to 3D growth becomes
      energetically favorable, is calculated with the assumption that the specific
      energy of the island's facets depends upon the wetting layer thickness. In this
      approximation a new generalized Muller-Kern formula is obtained. As an
      illustration of the proposed method, an example of a numerical calculation
      according to the new formula for the material system of germanium on a silicon
      (001) surface is given. The result for the found equilibrium thickness of the
      wetting layer is rather unexpected since it differs from the value obtained in
      the bounds of the traditional Muller-Kern model. 

PMID- 26499175
TI  - A randomized, phase IIa exploratory trial to assess the safety and preliminary
      efficacy of LEO 43204 in patients with actinic keratosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: LEO 43204 is a novel ingenol derivative in development for the
      treatment of actinic keratosis. OBJECTIVES: To compare the safety and preliminary
      efficacy of three doses of LEO 43204 with ingenol mebutate in actinic keratoses
      (AKs). METHODS: Patients with at least three visible, discrete, nonkeratotic AKs
      on four separate selected treatment areas on the forearms received LEO 43204 gel
      (0.025%, 0.05% and 0.075%) and ingenol mebutate 0.05% gel, by investigator
      blinded, randomized allocation, for 2 consecutive days. Patients were assessed at
      8 weeks. Primary outcomes included maximum composite local skin response (LSR)
      score and adverse events (AEs). Secondary outcomes included a reduction in the
      number of visible AKs. RESULTS: Forty patients completed the trial. For all
      treatments, mean LSR scores peaked at week 1, and were below baseline by week 8.
      Mean maximum composite LSR scores for LEO 43204 0.025%, 0.05% and 0.075% were 9.2
      (Dunnett adjusted P = 0.02), 10.1 (Dunnett adjusted P = 0.90) and 11.2 (Dunnett
      adjusted P < 0.01), respectively, vs. ingenol mebutate 0.05% gel (10.0). The most
      frequent AEs across all treatments were application site pruritus, burning
      sensation and tenderness. Mean reduction in the number of AKs was comparable for
      ingenol mebutate and the two lowest doses of LEO 43204 (71.9-73.1%), but LEO
      43204 0.075% gave a significantly larger reduction (81.8%; Dunnett adjusted P =
      0.04). CONCLUSIONS: LEO 43204 had a similar safety profile to ingenol mebutate
      and a dose-response relationship for LSRs was demonstrated. The highest LEO 43204
      dose (0.075%) significantly reduced the AK count when compared with ingenol
      mebutate.

PMID- 26499176
TI  - Use of Insulin Lispro Protamine Suspension in Pregnancy.
AB  - Maternal metabolism changes substantially during pregnancy, which poses numerous
      challenges to physicians managing pregnancy in women with diabetes. Insulin is
      the agent of choice for glycemic control in pregnant women with diabetes, and the
      insulin analogs are particularly interesting for use in pregnancy. These agents
      may reduce the risk of hypoglycemia and promote a more physiological glycemic
      profile than regular human insulin in pregnant women with type 1 (T1D), type 2
      (T2D), or gestational (GDM) diabetes. However, there have been concerns regarding
      potential risk for crossing the placental barrier, mitogenic stimulation,
      teratogenicity, and embryotoxicity. Insulin lispro protamine suspension (ILPS),
      an intermediate- to long-acting insulin, has a stable and predictable
      pharmacological profile, and appears to have a favorable time-action profile and
      produce desirable basal and postprandial glycemic control. As the binding of
      insulin lispro is unaffected by the protamine molecule, ILPS is likely to have
      the same mitogenic and immunogenic potential as insulin lispro. Insulin lispro
      produces similar outcomes to regular insulin in pregnant women with T1D, T2D, or
      GDM, does not cross the placental barrier, and is considered a useful treatment
      option for pregnant women with diabetes. Clinical data support the usefulness of
      ILPS for basal insulin coverage in non-pregnant patients with T1D or T2D, and
      suggest that the optimal regimen, in terms of balance between efficacy and
      hypoglycemic risk, is a once-daily injection, especially in patients with T2D.
      Available data concerning use of ILPS in pregnant women are currently derived
      from retrospective analyses that involved, in total, >1200 pregnant women. These
      analyses suggest that ILPS is at least as safe and effective as neutral protamine
      Hagedorn insulin. Thus, available experimental and clinical data suggest that
      ILPS once daily is a safe and effective option for the management of diabetes in
      pregnant women.

PMID- 26499177
TI  - Current Management of Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia.
AB  - Primary immune thrombocytopenia is an autoimmune disorder of unknown cause
      affecting both children and adults. The low peripheral blood platelet count is
      caused by premature platelet destruction by self-reacting antibodies in addition
      to an impairment of platelet production. The disease is heterogeneous in its
      pathophysiology, clinical features and responses to treatment. To date, most of
      the treatments used have been immune-modulating drugs and these contribute to
      increased morbidity and mortality in patients. A new class of drugs, the
      thrombopoietin receptor agonists, has been developed for use in ITP. These have
      gone through randomised controlled trials in large numbers of patients with ITP.
      These drugs have high efficacy and are well tolerated. In addition, around 30% of
      patients receiving these drugs are able to stop them and maintain a safe or
      normal platelet count. Older treatments such as splenectomy are being used less
      than before, largely because of the introduction of the thrombopoietin receptor
      agonists. Currently there are trials underway evaluating novel therapies for ITP
      that will become available over the next few years once the trials are complete. 

PMID- 26499179
TI  - Anxiety, depression and autonomy-connectedness: The mediating role of alexithymia
      and assertiveness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Autonomy-connectedness (self-awareness, sensitivity to others, and
      capacity for managing new situations) reflects the capacity for self-governance,
      including in social relationships. Evidence showed that autonomy-connectedness is
      related to anxiety and depression. Little is known about the underlying
      mechanisms. We hypothesized that alexithymia and assertiveness would mediate the
      relationships between autonomy-connectedness and anxiety and depression. METHOD:
      Relationships among the variables were investigated in 100 patients with a mean
      age of 42.2 suffering from anxiety and/or depression using a cross-sectional
      design. RESULTS: The relationship between self-awareness and both anxiety and
      depression was mediated by alexithymia. For anxiety, there was also a direct
      effect of sensitivity to others that was not explained by either alexithymia or
      assertiveness. Assertiveness did not have any mediational effect. CONCLUSIONS:
      The results indicate that particularly alexithymia explains the association of
      autonomy-connectedness with anxiety and depression. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The
      study confirmed the relevance of autonomy-connectedness in anxiety and
      depression. In treating symptoms of anxiety, it is advisable to give attention to
      normalizing the patient's sensitivity to others. Treatment of patients with
      symptoms of anxiety and depression should include assessment of emotional
      awareness and, in the case of impaired emotional awareness, should be tailored as
      to promote increased awareness.

PMID- 26499180
TI  - MicroRNA-200a suppresses epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in rat hepatic
      stellate cells via GLI family zinc finger 2.
AB  - Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) have an important role in liver fibrosis.
      Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is promoted by the Hedgehog
      (Hh) signaling pathway, is involved in the activation of HSCs. MicroRNAs
      (miRNAs/miRs) have been reported to be involved in the progression of liver
      fibrosis. A previous study indicated that the activation of HSCs was suppressed
      by miR-200a via targeting transforming growth factor-beta2 and beta-catenin.
      However, whether miR-200a is able to regulate the EMT in HSCs has remained
      elusive. The present study revealed that miR-200a was decreased in vitro and in
      vivo during liver fibrosis. Furthermore, miR-200a overexpression resulted in the
      inhibition of proliferation, alpha-SMA expression and extracellular matrix
      production of activated HSCs. Of note, miR-200a overexpression reduced
      myofibroblastic markers, including alpha-SMA, type I collagen and desmin, and
      increased the epithelial cell marker E-cadherin. These results were further
      confirmed by immunofluorescence staining. Further study showed that the
      expression of genes associated with Hh signaling, including Hhip, Shh and Gli1,
      were not affected by miR-200a. However, Gli2, a downstream signaling protein of
      the Hh pathway, was inhibited by miR-200a and confirmed as a target of miR-200a
      using a dual luciferase reporter assay. In addition, the inhibition of the Hh
      pathway by miR-200a resulted in an increase of BMP-7 and Id2 as well as a
      reduction of Snai1 and S100A4. Collectively, the results of the present study
      demonstrated that miR-200a suppressed the EMT process in HSCs, at least in part,
      via Gli2. 

PMID- 26499181
TI  - Vascular nitric oxide: Beyond eNOS.
AB  - As the first discovered gaseous signaling molecule, nitric oxide (NO) affects a
      number of cellular processes, including those involving vascular cells. This
      brief review summarizes the contribution of NO to the regulation of vascular tone
      and its sources in the blood vessel wall. NO regulates the degree of contraction
      of vascular smooth muscle cells mainly by stimulating soluble guanylyl cyclase
      (sGC) to produce cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), although cGMP-independent
      signaling [S-nitrosylation of target proteins, activation of sarco/endoplasmic
      reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA) or production of cyclic inosine monophosphate
      (cIMP)] also can be involved. In the blood vessel wall, NO is produced mainly
      from l-arginine by the enzyme endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) but it can
      also be released non-enzymatically from S-nitrosothiols or from nitrate/nitrite.
      Dysfunction in the production and/or the bioavailability of NO characterizes
      endothelial dysfunction, which is associated with cardiovascular diseases such as
      hypertension and atherosclerosis. 

PMID- 26499178
TI  - Prevalence, Treatment, and Control of Hypercholesterolemia in High Cardiovascular
      Risk Patients: Evidences from a Systematic Literature Review in Spain.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent a major Public Health
      burden. High serum cholesterol levels have been linked to major CV risk. The
      objectives of this study were to review the epidemiology of hypercholesterolemia
      in high risk CV patients from Spain, by assessing its prevalence, the proportion
      of diagnosed patients undergoing pharmacological treatment and the degree of
      attained lipid control. METHODS: A systematic literature review was carried out
      using Medline and two Spanish databases. Manuscripts containing information on
      hypercholesterolemia in several high CV risk groups [diabetes mellitus (DM),
      Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) risk >5, or documented CVD],
      published between January 2010 and October 2014, were included. RESULTS: Of the
      1947 published references initially retrieved, a full-text review was done on 264
      manuscripts and 120 were finally included. Prevalence of hypercholesterolemia
      ranged from 50 to 84% in diabetics, 30-60% in patients with DM or elevated SCORE
      risk, 64-74% with coronary heart disease, 40-70% in stroke patients, and 60-80%
      in those with peripheral artery disease. Despite the finding that most of them
      were on pharmacological treatment, acceptable control of serum lipids was very
      variable, ranging from 15% to 65%. Among those with heterozygous familial
      hypercholesterolemia, 95-100% received treatment but less than 50% achieved their
      therapeutic goals. CONCLUSIONS: An elevated prevalence of hypercholesterolemia
      can be found in targeted groups at high CV risk. Although most patients are
      receiving pharmacological treatment, rates of lipid control continue to be low,
      both in primary and secondary prevention.

PMID- 26499182
TI  - Involvement of calpain in 4-hydroxynonenal-induced disruption of gap junction
      mediated intercellular communication among fibrocytes in primary cultures derived
      from the cochlear spiral ligament.
AB  - The endocochlear potential in the inner ear is essential for hearing ability, and
      maintained by various K(+) transport apparatuses including Na(+), K(+)-ATPase and
      gap junction-mediated intercellular communication (GJ-IC) in the lateral wall
      structures of the cochlea. Noise-induced hearing loss is known at least in part
      due to disruption of GJ-IC resulting from an oxidative stress-induced decrease in
      connexins (Cxs) level in the lateral wall structures. The purpose of this study
      was to investigate, using primary cultures of fibrocytes from the cochlear spiral
      ligament of mice, the mechanism underlying GJ-IC disruption induced by 4
      hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), which is formed as a mediator of oxidative stress. An
      exposure to 4-HNE produced the following events: i.e., an increase in 4-HNE
      adducted proteins; a decrease in the protein levels of Cx43, beta-catenin, and
      Cx43/beta-catenin complex along with intracellular translocation of this complex
      from the cell membrane to the cytoplasm; enhanced calpain-dependent degradation
      of endogenous alpha-fodrin; and disruption of GJ-IC. The 4-HNE-induced decrease
      in these protein levels and disruption of GJ-IC were most completely abolished by
      the calpain inhibitor PD150606. Taken together, our data suggest that 4-HNE
      disrupted GJ-IC through calpain-mediated degradation of Cx43 and beta-catenin in
      primary cultures of fibrocytes derived from the cochlear spiral ligament. 

PMID- 26499183
TI  - Nationwide trophic cascades: changes in avian community structure driven by
      ungulates.
AB  - In recent decades, many ungulate populations have changed dramatically in
      abundance, resulting in cascading effects across ecosystems. However, studies of
      such effects are often limited in their spatial and temporal scope. Here, we
      contrast multi-species composite population trends of deer-sensitive and deer
      tolerant woodland birds at a national scale, across Britain. We highlight the
      divergent fates of these two groups between 1994 and 2011, and show a striking
      association between the calculated divergence and a composite population trend of
      woodland deer. Our results demonstrate the link between changes in deer
      populations and changes in bird communities. In a period when composite
      population trends for deer increased by 46%, the community population trend
      across deer-sensitive birds (those dependent on understory vegetation) declined
      much more than the community trend for deer-tolerant birds. Our findings suggest
      that ongoing changes in the populations of herbivorous ungulates in many
      countries worldwide may help explain patterns of community restructuring at other
      trophic levels. Ungulate impacts on other taxa may require more consideration by
      conservation practitioners than they currently receive. 

PMID- 26499184
TI  - Methylation-induced silencing of miR-34a enhances chemoresistance by directly
      upregulating ATG4B-induced autophagy through AMPK/mTOR pathway in prostate
      cancer.
AB  - miR-34a is downregulated and a regulator of drug resistance in prostate cancer
      (PCa). However, the mechanism of miR-34a in chemoresistance of PCa remains
      largely unknown. In the present study, we first confirmed the hypermethylation
      induced downregulation of miR-34a in PCa tissues and cell lines, PC-3 and DU145.
      Additionally, transfection of miR-34a mimics and demethylation by 5-azacytidine
      both resulted in the upregulation of miR-34a expression, which further induced
      declined cell proliferation and the enhanced apoptosis in PCa cells. Upregulation
      of miR-34a enhanced the chemosensitivity of PC-3 and DU145 cells. Furthermore,
      overexpression of miR-34a reduced the expression of autophagy-related proteins,
      ATG4B, Beclin-1 and LC3B II/I in PCa cells and demethylation treatment showed
      similar effect. ATG4B was confirmed directly by miR-34a targeting in PCa.
      Finally, downregulated p-AMPK and upregulated p-mTOR were detected in miR-34a
      overexpressed PCa cells. Collectively, miR-34a enhances chemosensitivity by
      directly downregulating ATG4B-induced autophagy through AMPK/mTOR pathway in PCa.

PMID- 26499185
TI  - Entomopoxvirus infection induces changes in both juvenile hormone and ecdysteroid
      levels in larval Mythimna separata.
AB  - Insect viruses are among the most important pathogens of lepidopteran insects.
      Virus-infected larvae often show developmental defects including a prolonged
      larval period and a failure to pupate, but the mechanisms by which insect viruses
      regulate host development need further investigation. In this study, the
      regulation of host endocrinology by a lepidopteran entomopoxvirus (EPV), Mythimna
      separata EPV (MySEV), was examined. When fourth instar M. separata were
      inoculated with MySEV occlusion bodies, pupation was prevented and the insects
      died during the final (sixth) larval instar. Liquid chromatography-MS analysis
      revealed that juvenile hormone (JH) titres in the haemolymph of MySEV-infected
      sixth instars were higher than those in mock-infected larvae. JH esterase (JHE)
      activity was also examined by kinetic assay using a colorimetric substrate. The
      level of JHE activity in the haemolymph of MySEV-infected larvae was generally
      lower than that found in mock-infected larvae. In contrast, ecdysteroid titre in
      the haemolymph of final-instar MySEV-infected larvae was lower than that found in
      mock-infected larvae when measured by radioimmunoassay. A statistically
      significant difference in the release of ecdysteroids from prothoracic glands
      (PGs) that were dissected from MySEV- or mock-infected sixth instar Day 3 larvae
      was not found following prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) exposure. Our results
      indicate that the release of ecdysteroids was reduced not by infection of the PGs
      by MySEV, but by reduced PTTH production from the brain. Taken together our study
      suggests that EPVs retard host development by both reducing ecdysone titre and
      maintaining status quo levels of JH by preventing its metabolism. 

PMID- 26499186
TI  - Ethical issues surrounding the provider initiated opt--Out prenatal HIV screening
      practice in Sub-Saharan Africa: a literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV remains a key
      public health priority in most developing countries. The provider Initiated Opt -
      Out Prenatal HIV Screening Approach, recommended by the World Health Organization
      (WHO) lately has been adopted and translated into policy in most Sub - Saharan
      African countries. To better ascertain the ethical reasons for or against the use
      of this approach, we carried out a literature review of the ethics literature.
      METHODS: Papers published in English and French Languages between 1990 and 2015
      from the following data bases were searched: Pubmed, Cochrane literature, Embase,
      Cinhal, Web of Science and Google Scholar. After screening from 302 identified
      relevant articles, 21 articles were retained for the critical review. DISCUSSION:
      Most authors considered this approach ethically justifiable due to its potential
      benefits to the mother, foetus and society (Beneficence). The breaching of
      respect for autonomy was considered acceptable on the grounds of libertarian
      paternalism. Most authors considered the Opt - Out approach to be less
      stigmatizing than the Opt - In. The main arguments against the Opt - Out approach
      were: non respect of patient autonomy, informed consent becoming a meaningless
      concept and the HIV test becoming compulsory, risk of losing trust in health care
      providers, neglect of social and psychological implications of doing an HIV test,
      risk of aggravation of stigma if all tested patients are not properly cared for
      and neglect of sociocultural peculiarities. CONCLUSIONS: The Opt - Out approach
      could be counterproductive in case gender sensitive issues within the various
      sociocultural representations are neglected, and actions to offer holistic care
      to all women who shall potentially test positive for HIV were not effectively
      ascertained. The Provider Initiated Opt - Out Prenatal HIV Screening option
      remains ethically acceptable, but deserves caution, active monitoring and
      evaluation within the translation of this approach into to practice.

PMID- 26499187
TI  - Coronary Vasospasm Due to Compression of a Pseudoaneurysm of the Ascending Aorta
      After Heart Surgery.

PMID- 26499189
TI  - Hepatic tuberculosis: a multimodality imaging review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We aim to illustrate the multimodal imaging spectrum of hepatic
      involvement in tuberculosis (TB). Whilst disseminated tuberculosis on imaging
      typically manifests as multiple small nodular lesions scattered in the liver
      parenchyma, isolated hepatic tuberculosis remains a rare and intriguing entity.
      METHODS: Indubitably, imaging is the mainstay for detection of tubercular hepatic
      lesions which display a broad spectrum of imaging manifestations on different
      modalities. While sonography and computed tomography (CT) findings have been
      described in some detail, there is a paucity of literature on magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) features. Due to a significant overlap with other commoner and
      similar appearing hepatic lesions, hepatic tuberculosis is often either
      misdiagnosed or labelled as indeterminate lesions. This article is a compendium
      of cases highlighting the spectrum of imaging patterns that can be encountered in
      patients with isolated primary hepatic tuberculosis as well as disseminated
      (secondary) disease. Rare patterns of primary disease such as tubercular
      cholangitis, hypervascular liver masses, and those with vascular complications
      are also illustrated and discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Imaging plays a valuable role in
      the detection of tubercular hepatic lesions. Also, imaging can be helpful in
      their characterisation and for assessing associated complications. TEACHING
      POINTS: * Hepatic TB has myriad imaging manifestations and is often confounded
      with neoplastic lesions. * Imaging patterns include miliary TB, macronodular TB,
      serohepatic TB and tubercular cholangitis. * Concurrent splenic, nodal or
      pulmonary involvements are helpful pointers towards the diagnosis. * Miliary
      calcifications along the bile ducts are characteristic of tubercular cholangitis.
      * Histological/microbiological confirmation is often necessary to confirm the
      diagnosis.

PMID- 26499188
TI  - Ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials using air-conducted sound: test
      parameters and normative data in healthy children; effect of body position on
      threshold.
AB  - In the present prospective study, we both investigated positioning techniques for
      the enhancement of oVEMP procedures and the viability of oVEMP testing in a
      healthy children population. A total of 41 healthy children were enrolled in this
      study. 21 were boys and 20 were girls, with their ages ranging from 4 to 16
      years. All children underwent audiometry and tympanometry prior to oVEMP test in
      upright and supine position. All subjects had normal hearing. The procedure was
      well tolerated by all children. Typical biphasic oVEMPs presented in 97.56 % in
      upright position and 90.25 % in the supine position. No statistically significant
      difference could be found concerning which position elicits the best or worst
      responses. However, a trend towards the supine position was noticed. It may be
      concluded that oVEMP test proved to be a well-tolerated examination of the
      vestibular system in children aged above 4 years old. Our results did not show a
      statistical difference on the oVEMP thresholds between the two body positions.
      However, further larger studies are needed to confirm these findings. 

PMID- 26499190
TI  - ATP-binding cassette sub-family C member 4 (ABCC4) is overexpressed in human NK/T
      cell lymphoma and regulates chemotherapy sensitivity: Potential as a functional
      therapeutic target.
AB  - Nasal-type natural killer/T-cell (NK/T-cell) lymphomas are subtypes of non
      Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), which are typically more clinically aggressive. There
      is, however relatively little understanding of nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma
      molecular pathogenesis. Thus, in this study we applied RNA sequencing to
      systematically screen for altered gene expression in human NK/T-cell lymphoma
      cell lines YTS and SNK-6 versus normal NK cells. We found that ATP-binding
      cassette sub-family C Member 4 (ABCC4) levels were significantly upregulated both
      in human NK/T-cell lymphoma YTS and SNK-6 cells, as compared with normal NK
      cells. These expression levels were further confirmed by real-time PCR. Protein
      levels of ABCC4 were also significantly higher in YTS and SNK-6 cells as compared
      with normal NK cells. Clinically relevant, ABCC4 expression levels were
      significantly higher in human NK/T-cell lymphoma tissues as compared with control
      nasal mucosa tissues, confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. In addition, we
      explored the biological function of such ABCC4 upregulation. Overexpression of
      ABCC4 by lentivirus transfection induced chemotherapy resistance to epirubicin
      (EPI) and cisplatin (DDP) in YTS cells. In contrast, knockdown of ABCC4
      expression by shRNA contributed to chemotherapy sensitivity by both EPI and DDP.
      Furthermore, overexpression of ABCC4 inhibited, while downregulation of ABCC4
      increased, YTS cell apoptosis following treatment by EPI or DDP. Therefore, the
      present study identified ABCC4 to be overexpressed in human NK/T-cell lymphoma
      cells, to regulate chemotherapy sensitivity to EPI and DDP, and possibly to be a
      functional therapeutic target. These findings may provide a basic rationale for
      new approaches in the effort to develop anti-tumor therapeutics for NK/T-cell
      lymphoma. 

PMID- 26499191
TI  - Differential item functioning (DIF) of SF-12 and Q-LES-Q-SF items among french
      substance users.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Differential Item Functioning (DIF) is investigated to ensure that
      each item displays a consistent pattern of responses irrespective of the
      characteristics of the respondents. Assessing DIF helps to understand the nature
      of instruments, to assess the quality of a measure and to interpret results. This
      study aimed to examine whether the items of the Quality of Life Enjoyment and
      Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF) and Short-Form 12 (SF-12)
      exhibit DIF. METHOD: A total of 124 outpatients diagnosed with substance
      dependence participated in a cross-sectional, multicenter study. In addition to
      the Q-LES-Q-SF and SF-12 results, demographic data such as age, sex, type of
      substance dependence and education level were collected. Rasch analysis was
      conducted (using RUMM2020 software) to assess DIF of the Q-LES-Q-SF and SF-12
      items. RESULTS: For SF-12, significant age-related uniform DIF was found in two
      of the 12 items, and sex-related DIF was found in one of the 12 items. All of the
      observed DIF effects in SF-12 were found among the mental health items. Three
      items showed DIF on the Q-LES-Q-SF; however, the impact of DIF item on the delta
      score calculation for the comparisons of self-reported health status between the
      groups was minimal in the SF-12 and small in the Q-LES-Q-SF. CONCLUSION: These
      results indicated that no major measurement bias affects the validity of the self
      reported health status assessed using the Q-LES-Q-SF or SF-12. Thus, these
      questionnaires are largely robust measures of self-reported health status among
      substance users.

PMID- 26499193
TI  - Caffeine and saliva steroids in young healthy recreationally trained women:
      impact of regular caffeine intake.

PMID- 26499192
TI  - False positive diagnosis on (131)iodine whole-body scintigraphy of differentiated
      thyroid cancers.
AB  - (131)Iodine is used both to ablate any residual thyroid tissue or metastatic
      disease and to obtain whole-body diagnostic images after total thyroidectomy for
      differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Even though whole-body scan is highly
      accurate in showing thyroid residues as well as metastases of DTC, false positive
      results can be found, possibly leading to diagnostic errors and unnecessary
      treatments. This paper reviews the physiological and pathological processes
      involved as well as the strategy to recognize and rule out false positive
      radioiodine images. 

PMID- 26499195
TI  - Statistical challenges for central monitoring in clinical trials: a review.
AB  - Recently, the complexity and costs of clinical trials have increased
      dramatically, especially in the area of new drug development. Risk-based
      monitoring (RBM) has been attracting attention as an efficient and effective
      trial monitoring approach, which can be applied irrespectively of the trial
      sponsor, i.e., academic institution or pharmaceutical company. In the RBM
      paradigm, it is expected that a statistical approach to central monitoring can
      help improve the effectiveness of on-site monitoring by prioritizing and guiding
      site visits according to central statistical data checks, as evidenced by
      examples of actual trial datasets. In this review, several statistical methods
      for central monitoring are presented. It is important to share knowledge about
      the role and performance capabilities of statistical methodology among clinical
      trial team members (i.e., sponsors, investigators, data managers, monitors, and
      biostatisticians) in order to adopt central statistical monitoring for assessing
      data quality in the actual clinical trial. 

PMID- 26499194
TI  - Investigation of common and rare genetic variation in the BAMBI genomic region in
      light of human obesity.
AB  - The aim of this study was to confirm the previously identified link between BAMBI
      and human obesity by means of a genetic and functional analysis. We performed
      both a mutation analysis, using high-resolution melting curve analysis, and a
      genetic association study, including 8 common tagSNPs in the BAMBI gene region.
      Three of the identified genetic variants (R151W, H201R, and C229R) were evaluated
      for their Wnt signaling enhancing capacity in a Wnt luciferase reporter assay.
      Mutation screening of the BAMBI coding region and exon-intron boundaries on our
      population of 677 obese children and adolescents and 529 lean control subjects
      resulted in the identification of 18 variants, 10 of which were not previously
      reported and 12 of which were exclusively found in obese individuals. The
      difference in variant frequency, not taking into account common polymorphisms,
      between obese (3.1 %) and lean (0.9 %) subjects was statistically significant (p
      = 0.004). Our Wnt luciferase assay, using WT and mutant BAMBI constructs, showed
      a significantly reduced activity for all of the investigated variants. Logistic
      and linear regression analysis on our Caucasian population of 1022 obese
      individuals and 606 lean controls, did not identify associations with obesity
      parameters (p values >0.05). We found several rare genetic variations, which
      represent the first naturally occurring missense variants of BAMBI in obese
      patients. Three variants (R151W, H201R, and C229R) were shown to reduce Wnt
      signaling enhancing capacity of BAMBI and we believe this result should encourage
      further study of this gene in other obese populations. In addition, we did not
      find evidence for the involvement of BAMBI common variation in human obesity in
      our population.

PMID- 26499196
TI  - Effects of sediment dredging on nitrogen cycling in Lake Taihu, China: Insight
      from mass balance based on a 2-year field study.
AB  - Sediment dredging can permanently remove pollutants from an aquatic ecosystem,
      which is considered an effective approach to aquatic ecosystem restoration. In
      this work, a 2-year field simulation test was carried out to investigate the
      effect of dredging on nitrogen cycling across the sediment-water interface (SWI)
      in Lake Taihu, China. The results showed that simulated dredging applied to an
      area rich in total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) slightly reduced
      the NH4(+)-N release from sediments while temporarily enhanced the NH4(+)-N
      release in an area with lower TOC and/or TN (in the first 180 days), although the
      application had a limited effect on the fluxes of NO2(-)-N and NO3(-)-N in both
      areas. Further analysis indicated that dredging induced decreases in
      nitrification, denitrification, and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) in
      sediments, notably by 76.9, 49.0, and 89.9%, respectively, in the TOC and/or TN
      rich area. Therefore, dredging slowed down nitrogen cycling rates in sediments
      but did not increase N loading to overlying water. The main reason for the above
      phenomenon could be attributed to the removal of the surface sediments enriched
      with more TOC and/or TN (compared with the bottom sediments). Overall, to
      minimize internal N pollution, dredging may be more applicable to nutrient-rich
      sediments.

PMID- 26499197
TI  - Formation of hydroxyl radicals and kinetic study of 2-chlorophenol photocatalytic
      oxidation using C-doped TiO2, N-doped TiO2, and C,N Co-doped TiO2 under visible
      light.
AB  - This work reports on synthesis, characterization, adsorption ability, formation
      rate of hydroxyl radicals (OH(*)), photocatalytic oxidation kinetics, and
      mineralization ability of C-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2), N-doped TiO2, and C,N
      co-doped TiO2 prepared by the sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning
      electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray
      photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-visible spectroscopy were used to
      analyze the titania. The rate of formation of OH(*) for each type of titania was
      determined, and the OH-index was calculated. The kinetics of as-synthesized TiO2
      catalysts in photocatalytic oxidation of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) under visible
      light irradiation were evaluated. Results revealed that nitrogen was incorporated
      into the lattice of titania with the structure of O-Ti-N linkages in N-doped TiO2
      and C,N co-doped TiO2. Carbon was joined to the Ti-O-C bond in the C-doped TiO2
      and C,N co-doped TiO2. The 2-CP adsorption ability of C,N co-doped TiO2 and C
      doped TiO2 originated from a layer composed of a complex carbonaceous mixture at
      the surface of TiO2. C,N co-doped TiO2 had highest formation rate of OH(*) and
      photocatalytic activity due to a synergistic effect of carbon and nitrogen co
      doping. The order of photocatalytic activity per unit surface area was the same
      as that of the formation rate of OH(*) unit surface area in the following order:
      C,N co-doped TiO2 > C-doped TiO2 > N-doped TiO2 > undoped TiO2. 

PMID- 26499198
TI  - Development of a dynamic mathematical model for membrane bioelectrochemical
      reactors with different configurations.
AB  - Membrane bioelectrochemical reactors (MBERs) integrate membrane filtration into
      bioelectrochemical systems for sustainable wastewater treatment and recovery of
      bioenergy and other resource. Mathematical models for MBERs will advance the
      understanding of this technology towards further development. In the present
      study, a mathematical model was implemented for predicting current generation,
      membrane fouling, and organic removal within MBERs. The relative root-mean-square
      error was used to examine the model fit to the experimental data. It was found
      that a constant to determine how fast the internal resistance responds to the
      change of the anodophillic microorganism concentration could have a dominant
      impact on current generation. Hydraulic cross-flow exhibited a minor effect on
      membrane fouling unless it was reduced below 0.5 m s(-1). This MBER model
      encourages further optimization and eventually can be used to guide MBER
      development.

PMID- 26499199
TI  - Encystment/excystment response and serotypic variation  in the gastropod parasite
      Tetrahymena rostrata  (Ciliophora, Tetrahymenidae).
AB  - Tetrahymena rostrata, which is characterized by a particular encystment
      excystment cycle involving autogamy, has been recently found infecting the kidney
      of edible Helix aspersa snails under farming conditions. In this work, the
      effects of several factors on its encystment/excystment behaviour and the
      occurrence of different serotypes were investigated. The encystment/excystment
      response under starvation conditions was seriously affected by temperature. While
      a peak of encystment at 48 h followed by a progressive spontaneous excystment was
      observed at 18 and 25  degrees C, the encystment response was practically
      inhibited at 5  degrees C and clearly slowed down at 10  degrees C. At 30 
      degrees C, most of surviving ciliates remained encysted throughout the
      experiment, with spontaneous excystment being detected only after switching the
      temperature to 18  degrees C. Soil components also affected the
      encystment/excystment behaviour at 18  degrees C, with spontaneous excystment
      occurring in the presence of a sterile-filtered soil extract or mineral water but
      being strongly minimized with a non-filtered soil extract. Resting cysts formed
      in the latter extract exhibited a 3-4 times thicker and ultrastructurally more
      complex wall than that formed in mineral water and retained the excystment
      ability for about 4 weeks. Incomplete desiccation did not affect significantly
      the encystment response, while the mucus and kidney extracts from snails as well
      as a ciliate extract strongly stimulated a rapid excystment. Finally, two
      different serotypes infecting H. aspersa in heliciculture farms of Galicia (NW
      Spain) were identified, but no differences were observed between the
      encystment/excystment responses exhibited by two isolates belonging to each
      serotype.

PMID- 26499200
TI  - Curcumin inhibits cancer-associated fibroblast-driven prostate cancer invasion
      through MAOA/mTOR/HIF-1alpha signaling.
AB  - Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are key determinants in the malignant
      progression of cancer, supporting tumorigenesis and metastasis. CAFs also mediate
      epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in tumor cells and their achievement
      of stem cell traits. Curcumin has recently been found to possess anticancer
      activities via its effect on a variety of biological pathways involved in cancer
      progression. In this study, we found that CAFs could induce prostate cancer cell
      EMT and invasion through a monoamine oxidase A (MAOA)/mammalian target of
      rapamycin (mTOR)/hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) signaling pathway,
      which exploits reactive oxygen species (ROS) to drive a migratory and aggressive
      phenotype of prostate carcinoma cells. Moreover, CAFs was able to increase CXC
      chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor expression in
      prostate cancer cells. However, curcumin abrogated CAF-induced invasion and EMT,
      and inhibited ROS production and CXCR4 and IL-6 receptor expression in prostate
      cancer cells through inhibiting MAOA/mTOR/HIF-1alpha signaling, thereby
      supporting the therapeutic effect of curcumin in prostate cancer.

PMID- 26499202
TI  - Integrated molecular pathology: the Belfast model.

PMID- 26499201
TI  - Gambling Risk Amongst Adolescents: Evidence from a School-Based Survey in the
      Malaysian Setting.
AB  - There has been emerging evidence regarding gambling experiences of young people
      in Asia recently, but to date, none in Malaysia. This study aimed to estimate the
      prevalence of gambling, and to identify individual, familial and high-risk
      behaviours factors among Malaysian adolescents. A cross-sectional study was
      conducted over 4 months at randomly selected secondary schools in Seremban in
      Negeri Sembilan state. A total of 2265 self-administered, anonymous
      questionnaires were distributed to the students. The students completed the
      questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic and family background, gambling
      behaviours, high risk behaviours and mental health questions. Approximately 29.6
      % (95 % CI 27.7-31.5) of respondents reported participating in some forms of
      gambling activities in the previous 12 months. Among these, 3.6 % (95 % CI 2.8
      4.3) of them were problem gamblers. Parental gambling was the strongest correlate
      with adolescent gambling behaviour. Signification association was found between
      gambling behaviour and gender (being males), but interestingly, not with
      ethnicity. Adolescents who reported engaging in high risk behaviours (such as
      smoking, alcohol consumption, involvement in physical fights, illegal vehicular
      racing) were also more likely to gamble. Gambling is not an uncommon phenomenon
      amongst Malaysian adolescents. Public awareness campaign, health education to
      targeted groups, revision of existing laws, and screening at primary care level
      should be implemented to address the issue of gambling among adolescents. This
      study also highlights the need to examine the national scope of the problem in
      Malaysia. 

PMID- 26499203
TI  - Homosexuality as a Discrete Class.
AB  - Previous research on the latent structure of sexual orientation has returned
      conflicting results, with some studies finding a dimensional structure (i.e.,
      ranging quantitatively along a spectrum) and others a taxonic structure (i.e.,
      categories of individuals with distinct orientations). The current study used a
      sample (N = 33,525) from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related
      Conditions (NESARC). A series of taxometric analyses were conducted using three
      indicators of sexual orientation: identity, behavior, and attraction. These
      analyses, performed separately for women and men, revealed low-base-rate same-sex
      oriented taxa for men (base rate = 3.0%) and women (base rate = 2.7%). Generally,
      taxon membership conferred an increased risk for psychiatric and substance-use
      disorders. Although taxa were present for men and women, women demonstrated
      greater sexual fluidity, such that any level of same-sex sexuality conferred
      taxon membership for men but not for women. 

PMID- 26499204
TI  - Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence: 30-year trend in an HIV-infected US military
      cohort.
AB  - To determine if Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibody prevalence is declining in HIV
      infected persons, we analyzed data (1984-2013) from the US Military HIV Natural
      History Study. We found that T. gondii seroprevalence at enrollment was
      associated with age and decreased significantly after 1995 (P=0.004), similar to
      the general US population. 

PMID- 26499205
TI  - What's burning got to do with it? Primate foraging opportunities in fire-modified
      landscapes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Anecdotal and formal evidence indicate that primates take advantage
      of burned landscapes. However, little work has been done to quantify the costs
      and benefits of this behavior. Using systematic behavioral observations from a
      population of South African vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops pygerythrus), we
      evaluate differences in food availability and energetics before and after
      controlled burns altered vegetation near their home range. We aim to determine
      whether burned habitats offer improved foraging opportunities. METHODS: We
      collected feeding data from foraging individuals and analyzed common plant foods
      for their energetic content. We then used the feeding and energetic data to
      calculate postencounter profitabilities and encounter rates for food types. Using
      negative binomial and mixed linear regression models we compared data from burned
      and unburned habitats. RESULTS: Our results show significantly improved encounter
      rates in burned landscapes for two prey items, invertebrates and grasses.
      However, postencounter profitabilities in burned areas were not significantly
      different than those achieved in unburned areas. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest
      that improved encounters alone can motivate changes in foraging behavior. These
      foraging benefits enable the exploitation of burned savanna habitats, likely
      driving postburn range expansions observed among populations of vervet monkeys.
      Thus quantified, these results may serve as a foundation for hypotheses regarding
      the evolution of fire-use in our own lineage.

PMID- 26499206
TI  - Resveratrol alleviates diabetes-induced testicular dysfunction by inhibiting
      oxidative stress and c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling in rats.
AB  - Diabetes adversely affects reproductive functions in humans and animals. The
      present study investigated the effects of Resveratrol on diabetes-induced
      alterations in oxidative stress, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling and
      apoptosis in the testis. Adult male Wistar rats (13-15 weeks; n=6/group) were
      segregated into 1) normal control, 2) Resveratrol-treated (5mg/kg; ip; given
      during last 3 weeks), 3) Streptozotocin-induced diabetic and, 4) Resveratrol
      treated diabetic groups, and euthanized on day 42 after the confirmation of
      diabetes. Resveratrol did not normalize blood glucose levels in diabetic rats.
      Resveratrol supplementation recovered diabetes-induced decreases in reproductive
      organ weights, sperm count and motility, intra-testicular levels of superoxide
      dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase and an increase in 4
      hydroxynonenal activities (P<0.05). Resveratrol also recovered diabetes-induced
      increases in JNK signaling pathway proteins, namely, ASK1 (apoptosis signal
      regulating kinase 1), JNKs (46 and 54 kDa isoforms) and p-JNK to normal control
      levels (P<0.05). Interestingly, the expression of a down-stream target of ASK1,
      MKK4 (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4) and its phosphorylated form (p
      MKK4) did not change in experimental groups. Resveratrol inhibited diabetes
      induced increases in AP-1 (activator protein-1) components, c-Jun and ATF2
      (activating transcription factor 2), but not their phosphorylated forms, to
      normal control levels (P<0.05). Further, Resveratrol inhibited diabetes-induced
      increase in cleaved-caspase-3 to normal control levels. In conclusion,
      Resveratrol alleviates diabetes-induced apoptosis in testis by modulating
      oxidative stress, JNK signaling pathway and caspase-3 activities, but not by
      inhibiting hyperglycemia, in rats. These results suggest that Resveratrol
      supplementation may be a useful strategy to treat diabetes-induced testicular
      dysfunction.

PMID- 26499207
TI  - The Trifluoromethyl Anion.
AB  - First evidence for the existence of free trifluoromethyl anion CF3 (-) has been
      obtained. The 3D-caged potassium cation in [K(crypt-222)](+) is inaccessible to
      CF3 (-) , thus rendering it uncoordinated ("naked"). Ionic [K(crypt-222)](+) CF3
      (-) has been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, solution NMR
      spectroscopy, DFT calculations, and reactivity toward electrophiles. 

PMID- 26499208
TI  - Tailoring dye-sensitized upconversion nanoparticle excitation bands towards
      excitation wavelength selective imaging.
AB  - One of the key roadblocks in UCNP development is its extremely limited choices of
      excitation wavelengths. We report a generic design to program UCNPs to possess
      highly tunable dye characteristic excitation bands. Using such distinctive
      properties, we were able to develop a new excitation wavelength selective
      security imaging. This work unleashed the greater freedom of the excitation
      wavelengths of the upconversion nanoparticles and we believe it is a game-changer
      in the field and this method will enable numerous applications that are currently
      limited by existing UCNPs. 

PMID- 26499209
TI  - Latifolicinin A from a Fermented Soymilk Product and the Structure-Activity
      Relationship of Synthetic Analogues as Inhibitors of Breast Cancer Cell Growth.
AB  - The functional components in soymilk may vary depending upon the fermentation
      process. A fermented soymilk product (FSP) obtained by incubation with the
      microorganisms of intestinal microflora was found to reduce the risk of breast
      cancer. Guided by the inhibitory activities against breast cancer cells, two
      cytotoxic compounds, daidzein and (S)-latifolicinin A, were isolated from the FSP
      by repetitive extraction and chromatography. Latifolicinin A is the n-butyl ester
      of beta-(4-hydroxyphenyl)lactic acid (HPLA). A series of the ester and amide
      derivatives of (S)-HPLA and L-tyrosine were synthesized for evaluation of their
      cytotoxic activities. In comparison, (S)-HPLA derivatives exhibited equal or
      superior inhibitory activities to their L-tyrosine counterparts, and (S)-HPLA
      amides showed better cytotoxic activities than their corresponding esters. In
      particular, (S)-HPLA farnesyl amide was active to triple-negative MDA-MB-231
      breast cancer cells (IC50 = 27 MUM) and 10-fold less toxic to Detroit-551 normal
      cells.

PMID- 26499210
TI  - More on sunitinib 2 weeks on/1 week off schedule: the Rainbow analysis.

PMID- 26499211
TI  - Improved in vitro evaluation of novel antimicrobials: potential synergy between
      human plasma and antibacterial peptidomimetics, AMPs and antibiotics against
      human pathogenic bacteria.
AB  - Stable peptidomimetics mimicking natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have
      emerged as a promising class of potential novel antibiotics. In the present
      study, we aimed at determining whether the antibacterial activity of two alpha
      peptide/beta-peptoid peptidomimetics against a range of bacterial pathogens was
      affected by conditions mimicking in vivo settings. Their activity was enhanced to
      an unexpected degree in the presence of human blood plasma for thirteen
      pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. MIC values typically
      decreased 2- to 16-fold in the presence of a human plasma concentration that
      alone did not damage the cell membrane. Hence, MIC and MBC data collected in
      these settings appear to represent a more appropriate basis for in vivo
      experiments preceding clinical trials. In fact, concentrations of peptidomimetics
      and peptide antibiotics (e.g. polymyxin B) required for in vivo treatments might
      be lower than traditionally deduced from MICs determined in laboratory media.
      Thus, antibiotics previously considered too toxic could be developed into usable
      last-resort drugs, due to ensuing lowered risk of side effects. In contrast, the
      activity of the compounds was significantly decreased in heat-inactivated plasma.
      We hypothesize that synergistic interactions with complement proteins and/or
      clotting factors most likely are involved. 

PMID- 26499212
TI  - miRNAfe: A comprehensive tool for feature extraction in microRNA prediction.
AB  - miRNAfe is a comprehensive tool to extract features from RNA sequences. It is
      freely available as a web service, allowing a single access point to almost all
      state-of-the-art feature extraction methods used today in a variety of works from
      different authors. It has a very simple user interface, where the user only needs
      to load a file containing the input sequences and select the features to extract.
      As a result, the user obtains a text file with the features extracted, which can
      be used to analyze the sequences or as input to a miRNA prediction software. The
      tool can calculate up to 80 features where many of them are multidimensional
      arrays. In order to simplify the web interface, the features have been divided
      into six pre-defined groups, each one providing information about: primary
      sequence, secondary structure, thermodynamic stability, statistical stability,
      conservation between genomes of different species and substrings analysis of the
      sequences. Additionally, pre-trained classifiers are provided for prediction in
      different species. All algorithms to extract the features have been validated,
      comparing the results with the ones obtained from software of the original
      authors. The source code is freely available for academic use under GPL license
      at http://sourceforge.net/projects/sourcesinc/files/mirnafe/0.90/. A user
      friendly access is provided as web interface at http://fich.unl.edu.ar/sinc/web
      demo/mirnafe/. A more configurable web interface can be accessed at
      http://fich.unl.edu.ar/sinc/web-demo/mirnafe-full/.

PMID- 26499213
TI  - The identification of cis-regulatory elements: A review from a machine learning
      perspective.
AB  - The majority of the human genome consists of non-coding regions that have been
      called junk DNA. However, recent studies have unveiled that these regions contain
      cis-regulatory elements, such as promoters, enhancers, silencers, insulators,
      etc. These regulatory elements can play crucial roles in controlling gene
      expressions in specific cell types, conditions, and developmental stages.
      Disruption to these regions could contribute to phenotype changes. Precisely
      identifying regulatory elements is key to deciphering the mechanisms underlying
      transcriptional regulation. Cis-regulatory events are complex processes that
      involve chromatin accessibility, transcription factor binding, DNA methylation,
      histone modifications, and the interactions between them. The development of next
      generation sequencing techniques has allowed us to capture these genomic features
      in depth. Applied analysis of genome sequences for clinical genetics has
      increased the urgency for detecting these regions. However, the complexity of cis
      regulatory events and the deluge of sequencing data require accurate and
      efficient computational approaches, in particular, machine learning techniques.
      In this review, we describe machine learning approaches for predicting
      transcription factor binding sites, enhancers, and promoters, primarily driven by
      next-generation sequencing data. Data sources are provided in order to facilitate
      testing of novel methods. The purpose of this review is to attract computational
      experts and data scientists to advance this field.

PMID- 26499214
TI  - [Dobutamine-related coronary spasm among patients with false positive dobutamine
      stress echocardiography: Prevalence and predictors].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) is being
      consistently used as an exercise-independent stress modality aimed at the
      detection of coronary artery disease (CAD) and the evaluation of myocardial
      ischemia. It may though occasionally induce coronary vasospasm. In this study, we
      aimed to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of dobutamine-related coronary
      spasm in patients without known CAD and false positive DSE (positive DSE but no
      significant coronary lesions on angiogram). METHODS: Three thousand nine hundred
      and fifty-two patients referred to our echocardiography laboratory for DSE
      between January 2010 and May 2012 were prospectively investigated. Those with
      positive DSE underwent coronary angiograms with systematic methylergometrine
      intracoronary injection in case of absence of significant coronary stenosis or
      spontaneous occlusive coronary spasm. Patients with spontaneous occlusive
      coronary spasm or positive methylergometrine test but no significant stenoses
      were enrolled and compared with those with positive DSE but no coronary lesions
      nor spontaneous or induced spasm ("true" false positive DSE). RESULTS: Twenty
      nine patients with DSE-related vasospasm (19.4% of positive DES without known
      CAD) were compared with 56 patients with no lesions and no spasm ("true" false
      positive DSE). They were more frequently smokers (72.4% vs 37.5%; P=0.003); they
      had more frequently dyslipidemia (79.3% vs 43%; P=0.001); they also had a larger
      ischemic area at peak DSE (3.4 segments vs 2.7 segments; P=0.05). On multivariate
      analysis, dyslipidemia (HR=10.7; 95% CI=[2.7-42.1]; P=0.001) and active smoking
      (HR=6.1; 95% CI=[1.7-21.1]; P=0.004) were found to be independent predictors of
      spasm-related DSE rather than "true" false positive DSE. CONCLUSION: DSE-related
      coronary spasm is present in a significant proportion of patients with
      erroneously labelled "false" positive DSE and should systematically be ruled out.
      Dyslipidemia and active smoking were independent predictors of spasm rather than
      "true" false positive DSE.

PMID- 26499215
TI  - [Corrigendum] Effects of miR-19b knockdown on the cardiac differentiation of P19
      mouse embryonic carcinoma cells.

PMID- 26499216
TI  - The next step for mitral valve treatment: moving to early percutaneous
      intervention to prevent irreversible damage.

PMID- 26499217
TI  - The triad of residual ischaemia, plaque burden, and plaque vulnerability: a known
      known?...a known unknown?...or an unknown unknown?

PMID- 26499218
TI  - Clips and chutes: combined solutions to combined problems.

PMID- 26499219
TI  - The effect of complete percutaneous revascularisation with and without
      intravascular ultrasound guidance in the drugeluting stent era.
AB  - AIMS: Our aim was to compare the outcomes of complete revascularisation (CR) and
      incomplete revascularisation (IR) in multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD),
      with and without intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance, in the drug-eluting
      stent (DES) era. METHODS AND RESULTS: Overall, 2,132 consecutive patients with
      multivessel CAD, defined as at least two epicardial vessels with >70% stenosis,
      had at least one DES implant. Chronic total occlusions were not analysed.
      Successful treatment of epicardial vessels and significant branches was termed
      CR; otherwise, treatment was defined as IR. CR and IR were further categorised
      according to the use of IVUS. The primary outcome was death or Q-wave myocardial
      infarction (QWMI). Secondary outcomes included the rates of non-QWMI and repeat
      revascularisation, the latter assessed as either target vessel revascularisation
      (TVR) or target lesion revascularisation (TLR) at one year. CR was associated
      with lower rates of death/QWMI (HR 0.66 [0.4-0.9]; p=0.048) and non-QWMI at one
      year (1.1% vs. 2.6%; p=0.017). Completeness of revascularisation was not
      independently associated with repeat intervention, but rates of both TVR (89% vs.
      93%; p<0.001) and TLR (91% vs. 95%; p<0.001) were higher with CR than IR. IVUS
      decreased the rates of TLR irrespective of completeness of revascularisation (p
      interaction=0.75). CONCLUSIONS: CR in selected patients gives better outcomes
      than IR in multivessel CAD at one year. IVUS guidance can further improve results
      by reducing rates of repeat intervention irrespective of completeness of
      revascularisation.

PMID- 26499220
TI  - The effectiveness of stenting of coarctation of the aorta: a systematic review.
AB  - AIMS: Stent placement as treatment for coarctation of the aorta (CoA) has become
      a more common choice in the last 20 years. Clinical results of CoA stenting are
      usually reported in small retrospective case series. This systematic review
      provides an overview of clinical experience with stenting for CoA. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: A systematic review of the reports published between January 1990 and
      December 2014 after stenting a CoA was performed with a focus on relief of
      obstruction and lowering of blood pressure. Study and patient characteristics
      were extracted, as well as pre- and post-stenting aortic diameter in mm, systolic
      pressure gradient (SPG) and pre- and post-stenting systolic blood pressure
      (mmHg), periprocedural and follow-up complications. Forty-five articles met the
      inclusion criteria. Three outcomes were extracted from the articles - aortic
      diameter, systolic pressure gradient and blood pressure. Diameter increased from
      6.4 mm (5.6, 7.3) to 15.1 mm (14.5, 15.7), pressure gradients decreased from 40
      mmHg (35, 42) to 4 mmHg (3, 5) and systolic blood pressure decreased from 153
      mmHg (148, 158) to 132 mmHg (127, 136). Stent migration was the most common
      periprocedural complication (2.4%), and mortality was low (0.4%). CONCLUSIONS:
      Stenting is an effective treatment with regard to immediate relief of obstruction
      and direct lowering effect on blood pressure. However, there is a lack of
      evidence regarding late effectiveness concerning durable blood pressure lowering,
      and limited information on periprocedural and late complications. This
      observation calls for a systematic and longer prospective follow-up of patients
      after CoA stenting.

PMID- 26499221
TI  - New Braile Inovare transcatheter aortic prosthesis: clinical results and follow
      up.
AB  - AIMS: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation has emerged as an alternative to
      conventional aortic valve replacement in high-risk patients. Diverse prostheses
      are currently under investigation. The aim of this study was the clinical, safety
      and efficacy assessment of Braile Inovare Transcatheter Aortic Prosthesis usage.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Ninety high-risk or inoperable patients underwent
      transcatheter aortic valve implantation. The mean logistic EuroSCORE was 39.3%.
      All patients presented calcified aortic stenosis. The procedures were performed
      under fluoroscopic and echocardiographic guidance. Prostheses were implanted
      through the transapical approach under rapid ventricular pacing.
      Echocardiographic and angiographic controls were included. Implantation was
      feasible in 87 cases. There was only one case of operative mortality, and 30-day
      mortality was 13.3%. The median transvalvular aortic gradient was reduced from
      44.8+/-15.3 to 14.1+/-8.0 mmHg. Left ventricular function improved in the first
      seven postoperative days. Paravalvular aortic regurgitation was present in 29.7%
      of cases, mostly trace. One case presented a major vascular complication, and
      there were two cases of permanent pacemaker implantation. Two cases of major
      stroke occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement using the
      Braile Inovare prosthesis is able to provide encouraging results with significant
      functional and structural cardiac improvement. It is mandatory to continue follow
      up to measure the benefits of this device as well as to improve selection
      criteria of patients.

PMID- 26499222
TI  - Comparison of suture-based vascular closure devices in transfemoral transcatheter
      aortic valve implantation.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to compare outcomes with the use of two
      haemostasis strategies after transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation
      (TAVI) - one Prostar(r) vs. two ProGlide(r) devices (Abbott Vascular Inc., Santa
      Clara, CA, USA). METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a retrospective study enrolling
      consecutive patients undergoing fully percutaneous transfemoral TAVI in our
      centre (Ferrarotto Hospital, Catania, Italy) from January 2012 to October 2014.
      All patients were dichotomised according to the vascular closure device (VCD)
      used for common femoral artery haemostasis (Prostar vs. ProGlide). All outcomes
      were defined according to VARC-2 criteria. The study population encompassed a
      total of 278 patients. Of these, 153 (55.1%) underwent TAVI using the Prostar,
      and 125 (44.9%) using two ProGlide devices. Vascular complications occurred in 48
      patients (17.3%), being more frequent in the ProGlide group (11.8% vs. 24.0%,
      p=0.007). Patients who had TAVI using the ProGlide were also more likely to have
      a higher rate of percutaneous closure device failure (4.6% vs. 12.8%, p=0.013).
      Percutaneous peripheral intervention was performed in 13.7% and 28.0% of Prostar
      and ProGlide cases, respectively (p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing
      transfemoral TAVI had significantly lower rates of vascular complications and
      percutaneous closure device failures when the Prostar was used compared with two
      ProGlide devices.

PMID- 26499224
TI  - Getting maximum information out of a continuous outcome: applying linear
      regression.

PMID- 26499223
TI  - Percutaneous ventricular restoration (PVR) therapy using the Parachute device in
      100 subjects with ischaemic dilated heart failure: one-year primary endpoint
      results of PARACHUTE III, a European trial.
AB  - AIMS: This prospective, non-randomised, observational study conducted in Europe
      was designed in order to assess the long-term safety and efficacy of the
      Parachute device in ischaemic heart failure subjects as a result of left
      ventricle remodelling after anterior wall myocardial infarction. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: One hundred subjects with New York Heart Association Class II-IV
      ischaemic heart failure (HF), ejection fraction (EF) between 15% and 40%, and
      dilated akinetic or dyskinetic anterior-apical wall without the need to be
      revascularised were enrolled. The primary safety endpoint was procedural- or
      device-related major adverse cardiac cerebral events (MACCE). The secondary
      safety endpoint was the composite of mortality and morbidity. Secondary efficacy
      endpoints included haemodynamic measurements determined by echocardiography, LV
      volume indices, and assessment of functional improvement measured by a
      standardised six-minute walk test. Of the 100 subjects enrolled, device
      implantation was successful in 97 (97%) subjects. The one-year rates of the
      primary and secondary safety endpoints were 7% and 32.3%, respectively. The
      secondary endpoints, LV volume reduction (p<0.0001) and six-minute walk distance
      improvement (p<0.01), were achieved. CONCLUSIONS: The favourable outcomes
      observed in this high-risk population provide reassuring safety and efficacy data
      to support adoption of this technology as a therapeutic option for HF subjects.

PMID- 26499225
TI  - How should I treat a patient with a proximal left anterior descending large
      plaque burden embolising plaque?

PMID- 26499226
TI  - Union rate after operative treatment of humeral shaft nonunion--A systematic
      review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Humeral shaft nonunions can lead to morbidity from subsequent
      operations, complications and impaired function. Currently there is no evidenced
      based consensus for treatment of humeral shaft nonunions. AIM: We aimed to
      summarize and analyze union rates and complications after operative treatment for
      humeral shaft nonunion. METHODS: Studies investigating operative treatment
      strategies for humeral shaft nonunion were identified by searching: EMBASE,
      MEDLINE, Ovid SP, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, PubMed and Google Scolar up
      to October 24, 2014. Studies were eligible if: (1) outcome of operative treatment
      for humeral shaft nonunion was reported; (2) at least ten adult patients with
      humeral shaft nonunion included; (3) full text article available; (4) written in
      English, German or Dutch; and (5) nonunion was defined as no bone-bridging
      between the fracture ends after 6 months. RESULTS: Thirty-six studies were
      included. A union rate of 98% was found in patients (n=672) who underwent plate
      fixation with autologous bone grafting (ABG), 95% in plate fixation without ABG
      (n=19), 88% in intramedullary nailing with ABG (n=164), 66% in intramedullary
      nailing without ABG (n=78), 92% in bone strut fixation (n=91) and 98% in external
      fixation (n=152). A total complication rate of 12% was found in patients treated
      with plate fixation combined with ABG, 15% in intramedullary nail with ABG and 8%
      intramedullary nailing without ABG, 20% in bone strut fixation and 22% in
      external fixation. CONCLUSION: Plate fixation with ABG was recommended for
      humeral shaft nonunion, since the union rate is highest and the complication rate
      is relatively low. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

PMID- 26499227
TI  - Aggressive operative neurosurgical management in patients with extra-axial mass
      lesion and Glasgow Coma Scale of 3 is associated with survival benefit: A
      propensity matched analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Prognosis in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Glasgow
      Coma Scale (GCS) score of 3 is poor, raising concern regarding the utility of
      aggressive operative neurosurgical management. Our purpose was to describe
      outcomes in a propensity matched population with TBI and GCS3 treated with
      operative neurosurgical procedures of craniotomy or craniectomy (CRANI). METHODS:
      We conducted a five-year, multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients with
      an ED GCS 3 and a positive head CT identified by ICD-9CM diagnosis codes. Two
      populations were examined: (1) patients with extra-axial mass lesion (subdural or
      epidural haematoma), (2) patients without mass lesion (subarachnoid and
      intraparenchymal haemorrhage including contusion, other intracerebral haemorrhage
      or intracranial injury including diffuse axonal injury). In patients with extra
      axial mass lesion, propensity score techniques were used to match patients 1:1 by
      CRANI, and the following outcomes were analysed with conditional logistic
      regression: survival, favourable hospital disposition to home or rehabilitation,
      and development of complications. RESULTS: There were 541 patients with TBI and
      GCS3; 19% had a CRANI, 83% were initiated within 4h. In those with mass lesion,
      27% (91/338) had a CRANI; after matching, a significant survival benefit was
      observed with CRANI vs. without CRANI (65% vs. 34% survival, OR: 3.9 (1.6-10.5)
      p<0.001). There was borderline increased odds of favourable disposition (43% vs.
      26%, OR: 2.4 (0.99-6.3, p=0.052) with CRANI vs. without CRANI, and no difference
      in developing a complication (58% vs. 48%, OR: 1.5 (0.7-3.4), p=0.30).
      CONCLUSIONS: Survival was achieved in 65% of patients that underwent surgical
      intervention for subdural and epidural haematoma, despite a presenting GCS of 3.
      These results demonstrate prompt operative neurosurgical management of mass
      lesion is warranted for selected patients with a GCS of 3, contributing to a
      significant 4-fold survival benefit. In the absence of mass lesion the effect of
      immediate neurosurgery on outcomes is inconclusive.

PMID- 26499228
TI  - [Corrigendum] Trastuzumab and docetaxel in a preclinical organotypic breast
      cancer model using tissue slices from mammary fat pad: Translational relevance.

PMID- 26499229
TI  - [Five percent of Italian smokers use also e-cigs].

PMID- 26499230
TI  - [HPV vaccination in males: a lost chance for technicians and decision-makers].

PMID- 26499231
TI  - [The challenge of big databases for comparative impact evaluation...adelante, con
      juicio].

PMID- 26499232
TI  - [Oncogenesis: theories and facts].

PMID- 26499233
TI  - [EpiChange. Epidemiological study on the health status of residents in
      Manfredonia (Italy). Phase 2. Scenarios and implications].
AB  - This is the second paper on the Project Manfredonia Environment and Health
      launched on February 2015 and based on a participatory approach. After a serious
      industrial accident on 1976 with release of several tons of arsenic, the
      management of environmental issues produced distrust and suspicion towards
      institutions and these feelings are still alive in the civil society. The Project
      is therefore based on a strong public engagement on each phase of the
      epidemiological investigation. In this article we report the second phase in
      which all the stakeholders consider all possible analysis results and the
      implications in terms of public health action plans. This step is relevant in
      order to acknowledge the limitation of the epidemiologic study due to
      uncertainties and assure transparency to the decision processes.

PMID- 26499234
TI  - [EpiChange. Epidemiological study on the health status of residents in
      Manfredonia (Italy). Phase 2. Epidemiological questions].

PMID- 26499235
TI  - [Evaluation of the cancer co-pay fee exemption data source (048 code) to estimate
      cancer incidence].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to assess whether the data source of cancer exemption ticket (code
      048) correctly estimate the cancer incidence produced by Cancer registries (CR).
      DESIGN: comparison between incidence estimates produced by cancer exemptions
      ticket and cases registered by CR. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: six CRs provided
      incidence data for one year in the five-year period from 2007 to 2011 and for the
      previous five years, the exemptions provided for the same year and for the
      previous five years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: incidence distribution by gender, age
      and tumour site, exemptions 048/incident cancers ratio, and trend estimates.
      RESULTS: out of 14,586 patients with 048 exemption, a first group was present in
      the CR database in the same reference year (No. 8,015) and a second group in the
      previous 6 months (No. 1,696). Of the remaining 4,875, only 2,771 were prevalent
      cases and 2,104 were manually re-valued: 514 non-cancer; 710 non
      malignant/noninfiltrating tumours, 250 non-residents, 532 unknown, and 98 lost at
      CR. The exemption/ tumours ratio was 32%in males and 37% in females. Out of
      27,632 cancer patients in CR, only 29% had a 048 exemption. Among linked cases,
      there is a case-mix problem: the exemptions overestimated the weight of some
      cancer sites (breast, prostate), but underestimate the weight of other sites
      (stomach, liver, lung) and the burden of tumours in the elderly.The trend
      estimated from the exemptions underestimates the true incidence of tumours and
      presents fluctuations, because of local administrative and organisational issues.
      CONCLUSIONS: the 048 codes are an accessory source for CRs, but when used as
      single flow they are not able to estimate the true incidence of tumours and,
      therefore, do not provide useful information on cancer trends.

PMID- 26499236
TI  - [A population study to evaluate the efficacy of influenza vaccination, 2014
      2015].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to analyse the efficacy of influenza vaccination in the period 2014-
      2015 in a population of a Local Health Authority of the Province of Milan
      (949,162 residents) in terms of reduction of short term mortality, hospital
      admissions, and access to emergency room. DESIGN: retrospective study, based on
      current health databases, comparing vaccinated subjects with non-vaccinated
      subject with a study design based on optimal caliper widths for propensity-score
      matching. SETTINGAND PARTICIPANTS: 74,250 subjects aged >=65 years and 12,090
      subjects aged l <65 years undergoing influenza vaccination, from November to
      December 2014, were compared with 74,250 and 22,090 unvaccinated subjects aged
      >=65 years or <65 years, respectively (1:1). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: deaths,
      hospitalizations in ordinary regimen, and the accesses to the emergency room for
      all causes and for specific causes that occurred from the inclusion in the study
      at 31.06.2015, with a temporal window of 6 months from vaccination, were
      identified. STATISTICAL METHODS: the association between vaccination and health
      events was quantified by estimating hazard ratios (HR) and the corresponding 95%
      confidence intervals by using Cox models. For admissions and access to the
      emergency room, the approach based on multiple outcome according to Prentice was
      also used. RESULTS: vaccination reduces by 34% the risk of decease (HR: 0.66;
      95%CI 0.61-0.71) and about 9% of hospitalization (HR: 0.91 for first event and
      0.92 for multiple events, both significant). It does not exist, however, any
      reduction in the risk for access to the emergency room. The analysis of all-cause
      and the cause-specific one yield similar results. Analysis stratified by age and
      number of comorbidities found that subjects aged over 65 and with at least one
      comorbidity shows the greater risk reduction. CONCLUSIONS: influenza vaccination
      reduces the risk of decease and access to hospital admissions. These results,
      although coming from an observational study, given the need to further confirm
      the effectiveness of influenza vaccination and the difficulty to have results
      from randomised trials, must be used to reassure people of the advantage derived
      from some prevention practices and should open a debate on the use of current
      data for the rapid evaluation of interventions in public health.

PMID- 26499237
TI  - [Introduction of a centralised system (Service) for collecting clinical data in
      cancer screening programmes in Piedmont (Northern Italy): a pre-post assessment
      of a hub&spoke model].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: evaluation of a centralised collection of clinical data (Service)
      within cancer screening programmes in Piedmont based on a hub&spoke model and its
      impact on process indicators. DESIGN: assessment of an organisational
      intervention, through a non-controlled pre-post design. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS:
      organised screening programmes within the Piedmont Region, divided into 9
      departments. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: clinical data (extracted from medical charts
      for mammography screening and from excision histology reports for cervical
      screening) obtained through the Service were quantified and their completeness
      was assessed. The Service impact on the detection rate (DR) was evaluated,
      comparing the DR pre- (2005-2008) and post-Service (2009- 2012) within breast
      screening; the DR was computed through histological diagnosis made during
      colposcopy (pre-Service method) or through the worst diagnosis between the latter
      and that reported from excision histology (post-Service method) within cervical
      screening (data available for department 1, year 2013). Some hints on human
      resources employed in pre- and post-Service periods were reported. RESULTS:
      within mammography screening, the Service obtained 53.1% of extra-department
      medical charts and 45.8% of extra-region ones; the percentage of missing
      diagnoses changed from 5.5% (pre- Service) to 3.7% (post-Service). The age
      standardised DR for malignant tumours in the post-Service period is 1.3 times the
      DR of the pre-Service period per 1,000 screening tests. Within cervical
      screening, 51.7% of histological reports was recorded. Crude DR for high-grade
      lesions changed from 3.9 (pre-Service) to 4.7 (post-Service) per 1,000 screened
      women. The system centralisation did not imply an increase in the dedicated
      personnel. CONCLUSION: the Service is an operational core which coordinates the
      collection of clinical data, impacting on process indicators without an increase
      in human resources at departmental level.

PMID- 26499238
TI  - [Investigation on the health effects of traffic-related air pollution from Mestre
      motorway (Veneto Region, Northern Italy)].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to evaluate whether living near motorway A57 (Mestre motorway, Veneto
      Region, Northern Italy) might have affected the residents' health status. DESIGN:
      longitudinal cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 148,673 residents on the
      mainland in the Municipality of Venice (Mestre) who never changed their residence
      during the follow- up period (2002-2009). MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: the 2001
      Italian census data were linked with the data sources of the epidemiological
      integrated system which includes: population registry, death certificates,
      hospital discharges, drug prescriptions, and tax exemption. Mortality and
      incidence for several subgroups of causes, incidence of acute myocardial
      infarction and stroke, and prevalence of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease, ischemic cardiopathy and diabetes were estimated. The ADMS-Urban model
      was adopted to define three different exposure areas based on PM10 emissions from
      the motorway: A (highly exposed), B (moderately exposed) used as a comparison for
      the analysis, C (unexposed). Hazard ratios (HR) for incidence and mortality were
      estimated from Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for calendar period, age,
      gender, and instruction level. The relationship between the exposure area and
      prevalence was investigated by multiple logistic regression analysis adjusted for
      the same covariates. RESULTS: compared with B area (23.25%of the population under
      study), people living in A area (3.16% of the population under study) had an
      increased incidence of acute myocardial infarction (HR: 1.43; 95%CI 1.03-1.97) in
      females, and prevalence of ischemic cardiopathy (odds ratio - OR: 1.12; 95%CI
      1.01-1.26) in both genders. Results were borderline for COPD in males (OR: 1.17;
      95%CI 0.97-1.41). Positive but nonsignificant associations were found with
      pneumonia and respiratory recoveries. CONCLUSIONS: this study showed that
      residents who live near Mestre motorway had an increased prevalence of some
      cardiorespiratory diseases, particularly ischemic cardiopathy.

PMID- 26499239
TI  - [Theory and testing of an accident risk assessment system based on prior
      experience].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to improve the "National Project: Integrated investigations for an
      indepth analysis of cases of Fatal Accidents", a project which, on one hand, is
      too open to interpretation of events, while, on the other, does not offer the
      possibility to analyse external factors which are often at the basis of accidents
      in the workplace. METHODS: identification and weighting criteria regarding causes
      of accident have been established and correlated by means of a specific
      algorithm, with the aim of making them numerically measurable. This has made it
      possible to use them as indicators to identify lines of priority in prevention
      planning. The theoretical model has been tested in an analysis of 35 work
      accidents which occurred in a firm in Mantova. RESULTS: the model has been
      evaluated in comparison to the analysis which was previously used to examine
      cases of work-related accidents and it has proved to be more efficient in the
      move towards establishing preventative action at the beginning of a chain of
      events. CONCLUSIONS: While maintaining the "Learning from mistakes" model, the
      method here proposed represents an extension and an implementation of previous
      practices. It is an effective operative method for companies, offering both a
      qualitative and quantitative analysis of work-related accidents with a view to
      their prevention.

PMID- 26499240
TI  - [Eating habits and physical activity improve thanks to the interventions of
      Italian schools].

PMID- 26499241
TI  - [Cancer survival in Italy in 2000-2007 is better than in Europe].

PMID- 26499242
TI  - Expanding the scope of alkyne-mediated bioconjugations utilizing unnatural amino
      acids.
AB  - The importance of bioconjugates within the field of chemistry drives the need for
      novel methodologies for their preparation. Well-defined and stable bioconjugates
      are easily accessible via the utilization of unnatural amino acids (UAAs). As
      such, we have synthesized and incorporated two new UAAs into green fluorescent
      protein, and optimized a novel Cadiot-Chodkiewicz bioconjugation, effectively
      expanding the toolbox of chemical reactions that can be employed in the
      preparation of bioconjugates. 

PMID- 26499243
TI  - Tracking Austronesian expansion into the Pacific via the paper mulberry plant.

PMID- 26499244
TI  - Developmental biologist Eric H. Davidson, 1937-2015.

PMID- 26499245
TI  - Chromatin extrusion explains key features of loop and domain formation in wild
      type and engineered genomes.
AB  - We recently used in situ Hi-C to create kilobase-resolution 3D maps of mammalian
      genomes. Here, we combine these maps with new Hi-C, microscopy, and genome
      editing experiments to study the physical structure of chromatin fibers, domains,
      and loops. We find that the observed contact domains are inconsistent with the
      equilibrium state for an ordinary condensed polymer. Combining Hi-C data and
      novel mathematical theorems, we show that contact domains are also not consistent
      with a fractal globule. Instead, we use physical simulations to study two models
      of genome folding. In one, intermonomer attraction during polymer condensation
      leads to formation of an anisotropic "tension globule." In the other, CCCTC
      binding factor (CTCF) and cohesin act together to extrude unknotted loops during
      interphase. Both models are consistent with the observed contact domains and with
      the observation that contact domains tend to form inside loops. However, the
      extrusion model explains a far wider array of observations, such as why loops
      tend not to overlap and why the CTCF-binding motifs at pairs of loop anchors lie
      in the convergent orientation. Finally, we perform 13 genome-editing experiments
      examining the effect of altering CTCF-binding sites on chromatin folding. The
      convergent rule correctly predicts the affected loops in every case. Moreover,
      the extrusion model accurately predicts in silico the 3D maps resulting from each
      experiment using only the location of CTCF-binding sites in the WT. Thus, we show
      that it is possible to disrupt, restore, and move loops and domains using
      targeted mutations as small as a single base pair. 

PMID- 26499246
TI  - Evolvability and nonevolvability of allometric slopes.

PMID- 26499247
TI  - Sequential divergence and the multiplicative origin of community diversity.
AB  - Phenotypic and genetic variation in one species can influence the composition of
      interacting organisms within communities and across ecosystems. As a result, the
      divergence of one species may not be an isolated process, as the origin of one
      taxon could create new niche opportunities for other species to exploit, leading
      to the genesis of many new taxa in a process termed "sequential divergence."
      Here, we test for such a multiplicative effect of sequential divergence in a
      community of host-specific parasitoid wasps, Diachasma alloeum, Utetes
      canaliculatus, and Diachasmimorpha mellea (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), that attack
      Rhagoletis pomonella fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae). Flies in the R.
      pomonella species complex radiated by sympatrically shifting and ecologically
      adapting to new host plants, the most recent example being the apple-infesting
      host race of R. pomonella formed via a host plant shift from hawthorn-infesting
      flies within the last 160 y. Using population genetics, field-based behavioral
      observations, host fruit odor discrimination assays, and analyses of life history
      timing, we show that the same host-related ecological selection pressures that
      differentially adapt and reproductively isolate Rhagoletis to their respective
      host plants (host-associated differences in the timing of adult eclosion, host
      fruit odor preference and avoidance behaviors, and mating site fidelity) cascade
      through the ecosystem and induce host-associated genetic divergence for each of
      the three members of the parasitoid community. Thus, divergent selection at lower
      trophic levels can potentially multiplicatively and rapidly amplify biodiversity
      at higher levels on an ecological time scale, which may sequentially contribute
      to the rich diversity of life.

PMID- 26499248
TI  - Evolution of chemical diversity by coordinated gene swaps in type II polyketide
      gene clusters.
AB  - Natural product biosynthetic pathways generate molecules of enormous structural
      complexity and exquisitely tuned biological activities. Studies of natural
      products have led to the discovery of many pharmaceutical agents, particularly
      antibiotics. Attempts to harness the catalytic prowess of biosynthetic enzyme
      systems, for both compound discovery and engineering, have been limited by a poor
      understanding of the evolution of the underlying gene clusters. We developed an
      approach to study the evolution of biosynthetic genes on a cluster-wide scale,
      integrating pairwise gene coevolution information with large-scale phylogenetic
      analysis. We used this method to infer the evolution of type II polyketide gene
      clusters, tracing the path of evolution from the single ancestor to those gene
      clusters surviving today. We identified 10 key gene types in these clusters, most
      of which were swapped in from existing cellular processes and subsequently
      specialized. The ancestral type II polyketide gene cluster likely comprised a
      core set of five genes, a roster that expanded and contracted throughout
      evolution. A key C24 ancestor diversified into major classes of longer and
      shorter chain length systems, from which a C20 ancestor gave rise to the majority
      of characterized type II polyketide antibiotics. Our findings reveal that (i)
      type II polyketide structure is predictable from its gene roster, (ii) only
      certain gene combinations are compatible, and (iii) gene swaps were likely a key
      to evolution of chemical diversity. The lessons learned about how natural
      selection drives polyketide chemical innovation can be applied to the rational
      design and guided discovery of chemicals with desired structures and properties. 

PMID- 26499249
TI  - Management of complicated chronic anal fissures with high-dose circumferential
      chemodenervation (HDCC) of the internal anal sphincter.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Botulinum toxin injection into the internal anal sphincter (IAS) is
      gaining popularity as a second line therapy for chronic anal fissures after
      patients fail medical therapy. The dosage of Botulinum toxin reported in the
      literature ranged from 20 to 50 IU. Complicated chronic anal fissure is defined
      as persistent fissure concurrent with other perianal pathology. We report a new
      approach involving high-dose circumferential chemodenervation (HDCC) of 100 IU in
      treating these complicated chronic anal fissures. AIM: The aim of this study was
      to evaluate the fissure healing, complication, and recurrence rates with HDCC.
      METHODS: Complicated anal fissure was defined as fissure with other perianal
      pathologies including skin tag, hypertrophied papilla, fistula, symptomatic
      hemorrhoids, anal condylomata, and abscess. Between 2008 and 2012, 62 consecutive
      patients (28 Blacks, 33 Whites, 1 Hispanic) with complete follow-up data were
      included in this single arm study. These patients underwent HDCC-IAS with
      addition interventions by a single colorectal surgeon. Follow up data were
      obtained by chart review and office follow up. RESULTS: Of the 62 patients, the
      overall success rate was greater than 70% at 3 months follow-up. A few patients
      developed transient flatus or fecal incontinence, but shortly resolved. There was
      no major complication following HDCC-IAS. CONCLUSIONS: Combination therapy
      involving HDCC-IAS and local anorectal surgery for associated condition is both
      safe and effective for fissure healing.

PMID- 26499250
TI  - Would transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) enhance the effects of
      working memory training in older adults with mild neurocognitive disorder due to
      Alzheimer's disease: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There has been longstanding interesting in cognitive training for
      older adults with cognitive impairment. In this study, we will investigate the
      effects of working memory training, and explore augmentation strategies that
      could possibly consolidate the effects in older adults with mild neurocognitive
      disorder. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been demonstrated to
      affect the neuronal excitability and reported to enhance memory performance. As
      tDCS may also modulate cognitive function through changes in neuroplastic
      response, it would be adopted as an augmentation strategy for working memory
      training in the present study. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a 4-week intervention
      double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) of tDCS. Chinese older adults
      (aged 60 to 90 years) with mild neurocognitive disorder due to Alzheimer's
      disease (DSM-5 criteria) would be randomized into a 4-week intervention of either
      tDCS-working memory (DCS-WM), tDCS-control cognitive training (DCS-CC), and sham
      tDCS-working memory (WM-CD) groups. The primary outcome would be working memory
      test - the n-back task performance and the Chinese version of the Alzheimer's
      Disease Assessment Scale - Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog). Secondary outcomes
      would be test performance of specific cognitive domains and mood. Intention-to
      treat analysis would be carried out. Changes of efficacy indicators with time and
      intervention would be tested with mixed effect models. DISCUSSION: This study
      adopts the theory of neuroplasticity to evaluate the potential cognitive benefits
      of non-invasive electrical brain stimulation, working memory training and dual
      stimulation in older adults at risk of cognitive decline. It would also examine
      the tolerability, program adherence and adverse effects of this novel
      intervention. Information would be helpful for further research of dementia
      prevention studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR-TRC- 14005036 Date of
      registration: 31 July 2014.

PMID- 26499251
TI  - Motion tracking and gait feature estimation for recognising Parkinson's disease
      using MS Kinect.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Analysis of gait features provides important information during the
      treatment of neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease. It is also
      used to observe the effects of medication and rehabilitation. The methodology
      presented in this paper enables the detection of selected gait attributes by
      Microsoft (MS) Kinect image and depth sensors to track movements in three
      dimensional space. METHODS: The experimental part of the paper is devoted to the
      study of three sets of individuals: 18 patients with Parkinson's disease, 18
      healthy aged-matched individuals, and 15 students. The methodological part of the
      paper includes the use of digital signal-processing methods for rejecting gross
      data-acquisition errors, segmenting video frames, and extracting gait features.
      The proposed algorithm describes methods for estimating the leg length,
      normalised average stride length (SL), and gait velocity (GV) of the individuals
      in the given sets using MS Kinect data. RESULTS: The main objective of this work
      involves the recognition of selected gait disorders in both the clinical and
      everyday settings. The results obtained include an evaluation of leg lengths,
      with a mean difference of 0.004 m in the complete set of 51 individuals studied,
      and of the gait features of patients with Parkinson's disease (SL: 0.38 m, GV:
      0.61 m/s) and an age-matched reference set (SL: 0.54 m, GV: 0.81 m/s). Combining
      both features allowed for the use of neural networks to classify and evaluate the
      selectivity, specificity, and accuracy. The achieved accuracy was 97.2 %, which
      suggests the potential use of MS Kinect image and depth sensors for these
      applications. CONCLUSIONS: Discussion points include the possibility of using the
      MS Kinect sensors as inexpensive replacements for complex multi-camera systems
      and treadmill walking in gait-feature detection for the recognition of selected
      gait disorders.

PMID- 26499252
TI  - Assessing information needs on bone health in cancer survivors.
AB  - PURPOSE: Bone health education and implementation of preventive measures are key
      to effective management of osteoporosis. We assessed areas of knowledge deficits
      with respect to bone health in breast and prostate cancer survivors and the
      preferred source of health information METHODS: We used a mixed methods approach.
      We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews in breast or prostate cancer survivors
      receiving hormonal therapy. Responses were independently coded by 2 researchers
      and explored under 3 content areas: osteoporosis knowledge, behaviors for self
      management, and preferred learning tools. Another 20 participants responded to a
      structured questionnaire that comprised modified versions of the Osteoporosis
      Knowledge Questionnaire (OPQ) and Osteoporosis Knowledge Assessment Tool (OKAT).
      The OPQ and OKAT were analyzed as summary scores, and areas of knowledge deficits
      (i.e., where >=60 % of participants failed to give the right response) were
      identified. RESULTS: Median age of participants was 67 (range 48-92) and 78 %
      were White. Awareness of osteoporosis was high, but detailed knowledge was low.
      Bone healthy behaviors perceived by participants as most important include good
      nutrition, exercising, calcium and vitamin D supplementation and avoidance of
      falls. The Internet was the most preferred source of information. Areas of
      knowledge deficit revealed by the OPQ and OKAT included general information, risk
      factors, prevention, and treatment of osteoporosis. CONCLUSION: There is a desire
      for information on osteoporosis, specifically tailored for cancer survivors. Good
      nutrition, supplement intake, exercise, and avoidance of falls were perceived as
      key behaviors for self-management. The Internet was an important source of
      information for breast and prostate cancer patients. Implication for Cancer
      Survivors An educational website addressing the bone health information needs of
      cancer survivors could effectively improve behaviors for self-management.

PMID- 26499253
TI  - Paradoxical effects of thyroid function on glomerular filtration rate estimated
      from serum creatinine or standardized cystatin C in patients with Japanese
      Graves' disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is clinically valuable
      for evaluating renal function. Recently, serum cystatin C (sCysC) measurement has
      been standardized and has demonstrated utility as a novel indicator of renal
      function. Thyroid hormone is known to affect serum creatinine (sCr) and sCysC,
      however, the clinical significance of post-treatment renal function evaluation is
      yet to be completely elucidated. This study examined the effects of thyroid
      hormones on eGFR by sCr (eGFRCr), and standardized sCysC (eGFRCysC) in patients
      with Japanese Graves' disease (GD). METHODS: Serum samples were obtained from 113
      outpatients with GD. Following pharmacotherapy, 41 of the 113 outpatients with GD
      achieved remission. Renal function was evaluated by eGFRCr and eGFRCysC.
      Reference method used Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI)
      equations. RESULTS: eGFRCr levels significantly increased whereas eGFRCysC levels
      significantly decreased with elevated FT3 and FT4 levels in patients with GD. In
      the remission group, eGFRCr levels significantly decreased and eGFRCysC levels
      significantly increased. No significant differences between eGFRCr and eGFRCysC
      levels were observed. Furthermore, CKD-EPI equations show a similar trend and
      eGFRCr-CysC levels were no significant differences regardless of before and after
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Renal function evaluation by eGFRCr and eGFRCysC had
      clinical utility in post-treatment euthyroidism.

PMID- 26499254
TI  - Social activity, cognitive decline and dementia risk: a 20-year prospective
      cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identifying modifiable lifestyle correlates of cognitive decline and
      risk of dementia is complex, particularly as few population-based longitudinal
      studies jointly model these interlinked processes. Recent methodological
      developments allow us to examine statistically defined sub-populations with
      separate cognitive trajectories and dementia risks. METHODS: Engagement in
      social, physical, or intellectual pursuits, social network size, self-perception
      of feeling well understood, and degree of satisfaction with social relationships
      were assessed in 2854 participants from the Paquid cohort (mean baseline age 77
      years) and related to incident dementia and cognitive change over 20-years of
      follow-up. Multivariate repeated cognitive information was exploited by defining
      the global cognitive functioning as the latent common factor underlying the
      tests. In addition, three latent homogeneous sub-populations of cognitive change
      and dementia were identified and contrasted according to social environment
      variables. RESULTS: In the whole population, we found associations between
      increased engagement in social, physical, or intellectual pursuits and increased
      cognitive ability (but not decline) and decreased risk of incident dementia, and
      between feeling understood and slower cognitive decline. There was evidence for
      three sub-populations of cognitive aging: fast, medium, and no cognitive decline.
      The social-environment measures at baseline did not help explain the
      heterogeneity of cognitive decline and incident dementia diagnosis between these
      sub-populations. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a complex series of relationships
      between social-environment variables and cognitive decline and dementia. In the
      whole population, factors such as increased engagement in social, physical, or
      intellectual pursuits were related to a decreased risk of dementia. However, in a
      sub-population analysis, the social-environment variables were not linked to the
      heterogeneous patterns of cognitive decline and dementia risk that defined the
      sub-groups.

PMID- 26499255
TI  - Implications of newborn amygdala connectivity for fear and cognitive development
      at 6-months-of-age.
AB  - The first year of life is an important period for emergence of fear in humans.
      While animal models have revealed developmental changes in amygdala circuitry
      accompanying emerging fear, human neural systems involved in early fear
      development remain poorly understood. To increase understanding of the neural
      foundations of human fear, it is important to consider parallel cognitive
      development, which may modulate associations between typical development of early
      fear and subsequent risk for fear-related psychopathology. We, therefore,
      examined amygdala functional connectivity with rs-fcMRI in 48 neonates (M=3.65
      weeks, SD=1.72), and measured fear and cognitive development at 6-months-of-age.
      Stronger, positive neonatal amygdala connectivity to several regions, including
      bilateral anterior insula and ventral striatum, was prospectively associated with
      higher fear at 6-months. Stronger amygdala connectivity to ventral anterior
      cingulate/anterior medial prefrontal cortex predicted a specific phenotype of
      higher fear combined with more advanced cognitive development. Overall, findings
      demonstrate unique profiles of neonatal amygdala functional connectivity related
      to emerging fear and cognitive development, which may have implications for
      normative and pathological fear in later years. Consideration of infant fear in
      the context of cognitive development will likely contribute to a more nuanced
      understanding of fear, its neural bases, and its implications for future mental
      health. 

PMID- 26499256
TI  - The effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the PAtient-Centred Team (PACT)
      model: study protocol of a prospective matched control before-and-after study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The present study protocol describes the evaluation of a
      comprehensive integrated care model implemented at two hospital sites at the
      University Hospital of North Norway (UNN). The PAtient Centred Team (PACT) model
      includes proactive, patient-centred interdisciplinary teams that aim to improve
      the continuum and quality of care of frail elderly patients and reduce health
      care costs. The main objectives of the evaluation are to analyse the
      effectiveness and cost effectiveness of using patient-centred teams as part of
      routine service provision for this patient group. The evaluation will analyse the
      effect on patient health and functional status, patient experiences and hospital
      utilisation, and it will conduct an economic evaluation. This paper describes the
      PACT model and the rationale for and design of the planned effectiveness and cost
      effectiveness study. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a prospective, non-randomised
      matched control before-and-after intervention study. Patients in the intervention
      group will be recruited from the hospital sites that have implemented the PACT
      model. The controls will be recruited from two hospitals without the model. The
      control patients and the index patients will be matched according to sex, age and
      number of long-term conditions. The study aims to include 600 patients in each
      group, which will provide sufficient power to detect a clinical change in the
      primary outcome. The primary outcome is the physical dimension of the Short Form
      Health Survey (SF-36). Secondary outcomes are the Patient Generated Index (PGI),
      the Patient Activation Measure (PAM), the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness
      Care (PACIC), hospitalisation and length of stay. The cost-effectiveness study
      takes a health provider perspective and calculates the cost per quality-adjusted
      life-years (QALYs) gained. The data will be collected at baseline, 6 and 12
      months. The data will be analysed using techniques and models that recognise the
      lack of randomisation and the correlation of cost and effect data. DISCUSSION:
      The study results will provide knowledge about whether the integrated care model
      implemented at UNN improves the quality of care for the frail elderly with
      multiple conditions. The study will establish whether the PAC. T model improves
      health and functional status and is cost effective compared to the usual care for
      this patient group. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02541474.

PMID- 26499257
TI  - Antithymocyte globulin treatment at the time of transplantation impairs donor
      hematopoietic stem cell engraftment.
AB  - Antithymocyte globulin (ATG) is often included in the conditioning regimen to
      prevent graft vs. host disease in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)
      transplantation. However, because ATG contains antibodies targeting a wide range
      of antigens on human cells, its potential off-target effects remain a concern.
      Here, we explored this question in humanized mice that permit the analysis of
      human cell depletion in tissues. We showed that ATG binds to almost all lineages
      of human hematopoietic cells including HSCs, and accordingly it is capable of
      depleting almost all human hematopoietic cells. Interestingly, the efficacy of
      ATG was highly variable depending on the tissue of residence, with human cells in
      bone marrow significantly less susceptible than those in the blood and spleen.
      Recovery of multilineage human lymphohematopoietic reconstitution in humanized
      mice that received ATG 3 weeks after HSC transplantation indicates that ATG had a
      minimal effect on human HSCs that have settled in bone marrow niches. However,
      efficient human HSC depletion and engraftment failure were seen in mice receiving
      ATG at the time of transplantation. Our data indicate that the efficacy of ATG is
      tissue-dependent, and suggest a potential risk of impairing donor hematopoietic
      engraftment when ATG is used in preparative conditioning regimens.

PMID- 26499258
TI  - Fluctuation amplitude and local synchronization of brain activity in the ultra
      low frequency band: An fMRI investigation of continuous feedback of finger force.
AB  - Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of motor feedback have
      suggested that brain activity in the ultra-low frequency band (0-0.01Hz) may be
      physiologically significant for various feedback conditions, i.e., real and sham
      feedback. However, the functional role of the ultra-low frequency band of brain
      activity during the feedback procedure remains unclear. Here, we carried out an
      fMRI study of continuous feedback (8min) of finger force and assessed two
      important properties of brain activity: the fluctuation amplitude and local
      synchronization in the ultra-low frequency band. Two intriguing results were
      obtained: (1) real feedback recruited a stronger fluctuation amplitude and local
      synchronization in the basal ganglia compared with sham feedback; however, no
      significant correlation was found between the two properties across subjects; and
      (2) the behavioral performance was significantly correlated with the fluctuation
      amplitude but was not correlated with local synchronization in the basal ganglia.
      These findings contribute to characterization of the functional role of brain
      activity in the ultra-low frequency band and further suggest that the fluctuation
      amplitude and local synchronization in the basal ganglia may contribute
      differently to motor feedback. 

PMID- 26499259
TI  - Embodied simulation and ambiguous stimuli: The role of the mirror neuron system.
AB  - According to the "embodied simulation theory," exposure to certain visual stimuli
      would automatically trigger action simulation in the mind of the observer,
      thereby originating a "feeling of movement" modulated by the mirror neuron system
      (MNS). Grounded on this conceptualization, some of us recently suggested that
      when exposed to the Rorschach inkblots, in order to see a human movement (e.g.,
      "a person running") in those ambiguous stimuli, the observer would need to
      experience a "feeling of movement" via embodied simulation. The current study
      used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to further test this
      hypothesis. Specifically, we investigated whether temporarily interfering with
      the activity of the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG; a putative MNS area) using
      rTMS would decrease the propensity to see human movement (M) in the Rorschach
      inkblots. Thirty-six participants were exposed to the Rorschach stimuli twice,
      i.e., during a baseline (without rTMS) and soon after inhibitory rTMS. As for the
      rTMS condition, half of the sample was stimulated over the LIFG (experimental
      group) and the other half over the Vertex (control group). In line with our
      hypothesis, the application of rTMS over LIFG, but not over Vertex, yielded a
      statistically significant reduction in the attribution of M to the ambiguous
      stimuli, with large effect size. These findings may be interpreted as being
      consistent with the hypothesis that there is a link between the MNS and the
      "feeling of movement" people may experience, when observing ambiguous stimuli
      such as the Rorschach cards. 

PMID- 26499260
TI  - Equal effects of typical environmental and specific social enrichment on
      posttraumatic cognitive functioning after fimbria-fornix transection in rats.
AB  - Enriched environment (EE) has been shown to have beneficial effects on cognitive
      recovery after brain injury. Typical EE comprises three components: (i) enlarged
      living area providing physical activation, (ii) sensory stimulation, and (iii)
      social stimulation. The present study assessed the specific contribution of the
      social stimulation. Animals were randomly divided into groups of (1) a typical
      EE, (2) pure social enrichment (SE), or (3) standard housing (SH) and subjected
      to either a sham operation or transection of the fimbria-fornix (FF). The effect
      of these conditions on acquisition of a delayed alternation task in a T-maze was
      assessed. The sham control groups were not affected by housing conditions. In the
      lesioned groups, both typical EE and SE improved the task acquisition, compared
      to SH. A baseline one-hour activity measurement confirmed an equal level of
      physical activity in the EE and SE groups. After delayed alternation testing,
      pharmacological challenges (muscarinergic antagonist scopolamine and dopaminergic
      antagonist SKF-83566) were used to assess cholinergic and dopaminergic
      contributions to task solution. Scopolamine led to a marked impairment in all
      groups. SKF-83566 significantly enhanced the performance of the lesioned group
      subjected to SE. The results demonstrate that housing in a typical as well as
      atypical EE can enhance cognitive recovery after mechanical injury to the
      hippocampus. The scopolamine challenge revealed a cholinergic dependency during
      task performance in all groups, regardless of lesion and housing conditions. The
      dopaminergic challenge revealed a difference in the neural substrates mediating
      recovery in the lesioned groups exposed to different types of housing. 

PMID- 26499261
TI  - Listening to music in a risk-reward context: The roles of the temporoparietal
      junction and the orbitofrontal/insular cortices in reward-anticipation, reward
      gain, and reward-loss.
AB  - Artificial rewards, such as visual arts and music, produce pleasurable feelings.
      Popular songs in the verse-chorus form provide a useful model for understanding
      the neural mechanisms underlying the processing of artificial rewards, because
      the chorus is usually the most rewarding element of a song. In this functional
      magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, the stimuli were excerpts of 10 popular
      songs with a tensioned verse-to-chorus transition. We examined the neural
      correlates of three phases of reward processing: (1) reward-anticipation during
      the verse-to-chorus transition, (2) reward-gain during the first phrase of the
      chorus, and (3) reward-loss during the unexpected noise followed by the verse-to
      chorus transition. Participants listened to these excerpts in a risk-reward
      context because the verse was followed by either the chorus or noise with equal
      probability. The results showed that reward-gain and reward-loss were associated
      with left- and right-biased temporoparietal junction activation, respectively.
      The bilateral temporoparietal junctions were active during reward-anticipation.
      Moreover, we observed left-biased lateral orbitofrontal activation during reward
      anticipation, whereas the medial orbitofrontal cortex was activated during reward
      gain. The findings are discussed in relation to the cognitive and emotional
      aspects of reward processing. 

PMID- 26499262
TI  - A parabolic model of drag coefficient for storm surge simulation in the South
      China Sea.
AB  - Drag coefficient (Cd) is an essential metric in the calculation of momentum
      exchange over the air-sea interface and thus has large impacts on the simulation
      or forecast of the upper ocean state associated with sea surface winds such as
      storm surges. Generally, Cd is a function of wind speed. However, the exact
      relationship between Cd and wind speed is still in dispute, and the widely-used
      formula that is a linear function of wind speed in an ocean model could lead to
      large bias at high wind speed. Here we establish a parabolic model of Cd based on
      storm surge observations and simulation in the South China Sea (SCS) through a
      number of tropical cyclone cases. Simulation of storm surges for independent
      Tropical cyclones (TCs) cases indicates that the new parabolic model of Cd
      outperforms traditional linear models. 

PMID- 26499263
TI  - Plasma levels of natriuretic peptides and development of chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plasma levels of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP)
      are increased in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) complicated with
      deteriorated kidney function, but the relationship between the plasma level of
      ANP or BNP and the future development of CKD is unclear. METHODS: We measured the
      plasma ANP and BNP levels of 294 local residents without CKD in a Japanese
      community (56.5 +/- 10.4 years, mean +/- S.D.), who were followed up for the
      development of CKD over the next 7 years. RESULTS: Sixty-three residents
      developed CKD during the follow-up period, and the baseline level of plasma ANP
      of these residents was significantly higher than in those without CKD
      development. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the residents with higher ANP than
      the median value developed CKD more frequently than those with lower ANP. The
      association between plasma ANP level and CKD development was found to be
      independent of baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate by a Cox
      proportional hazards model, while this association became insignificant when
      adjusted by age; plasma ANP was significantly correlated with age. Compared with
      ANP, the relationship between plasma BNP and CKD development was unclear in these
      analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Age-related elevation of plasma ANP levels preceded the
      development of CKD in the general population of Japan, raising a possibility for
      ANP being involved in the development of CKD.

PMID- 26499264
TI  - Cancer-testis antigen cyclin A1 is broadly expressed in ovarian cancer and is
      associated with prolonged time to tumor progression after platinum-based therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cyclin A1 is essential for male gametopoiesis. In acute myeloid
      leukemia, it acts as a leukemia-associated antigen. Cyclin A1 expression has been
      reported in several epithelial malignancies, including testicular, endometrial,
      and epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We analyzed Cyclin A1 expression in EOC and
      its correlation with clinical features to evaluate Cyclin A1 as a T-cell target
      in EOC. METHODS: Cyclin A1 mRNA expression in EOC and healthy tissues was
      quantified by microarray analysis and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).
      Protein expression in clinical samples was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC)
      and was correlated to clinical features. RESULTS: Cyclin A1 protein was
      homogeneously expressed in 43 of 62 grade 3 tumor samples and in 1 of 10 grade 2
      specimens (p < 0.001). Survival analysis showed longer time to progression (TTP)
      among patients with at least moderate Cyclin A1 expression (univariate: p =
      0.018, multivariate: p = 0.035). FIGO stage, grading, age, macroscopic residual
      tumor after debulking, and peritoneal carcinomatosis / distant metastasis had no
      impact on TTP or overall survival (OS). CONCLUSION: Cyclin A1 is highly expressed
      in most EOCs. The mechanism behind the prolonged TTP in patients with high Cyclin
      A1 expression warrants further investigation. The frequent, selectively high
      expression of Cyclin A1 in EOC makes it a promising target for T-cell therapies.

PMID- 26499265
TI  - Dysregulated development of IL-17- and IL-21-expressing follicular helper T cells
      and increased germinal center formation in the absence of RORgammat.
AB  - Interleukin 17-producing helper T (Th17) cells have been widely defined by the
      lineage transcription factor retinoid-related orphan receptor (ROR)gammat.
      Pathophysiologically, these cells play a crucial role in autoimmune diseases and
      have been linked to dysregulated germinal center (GC) reactions and autoantibody
      production. In this study, we used gene expression and flow cytometric analyses
      for the characterization of Rorgammat(-/-) and Rorgammat(-/-)Il21(RFP/+) mice to
      demonstrate a previously unknown transcriptional flexibility in the development
      of IL-17-producing Th-cell subsets. We found an accumulation of follicular Th
      (Tfh) cells by 5.2-fold, spontaneous 13-fold higher GC formation, decreased
      frequency of follicular Foxp3(+) T-regulatory (Treg) cells (50%), and a 3.4-fold
      increase in the number of proliferating follicular B cells in RORgammat-deficient
      vs. wild-type mice. Dysregulated B-cell responses were associated with enhanced
      production of IL-17 (6.4-fold), IL-21 (2.2-fold), and B-cell-activating factor
      (BAFF) (2-fold) and were partially rescued by adoptive transfer of Treg cells. In
      an unexpected finding, we detected RORgammat-independent IL-17 expression in
      ICOS(+)CXCR5(+)Tfh and in ICOS(+)CXCR5(-)Th cells. Based on the observed high
      Irf4 and Batf gene expression, we suggest that CD4(+) T-cell transcription
      factors other than RORgammat can cooperatively induce differentiation of IL-17
      producing Th cells, including Th17-like Tfh-cell subsets. We conclude that the
      occurrence of aberrant Tfh and follicular Treg cells support spontaneous GC
      formation and dysregulated B-cell responses in RORgammat-deficient mice.

PMID- 26499266
TI  - The constitutive activity of the adhesion GPCR GPR114/ADGRG5 is mediated by its
      tethered agonist.
AB  - Adhesion GPCRs (aGPCRs) form the second largest, yet most enigmatic class of the
      GPCR superfamily. Although the physiologic importance of aGPCRs was demonstrated
      in several studies, the majority of these receptors is still orphan with respect
      to their agonists and signal transduction. Recent studies reported that aGPCRs
      are activated through a tethered peptide agonist, coined the Stachel sequence.
      The Stachel sequence is the most C-terminal part of the highly conserved GPCR
      autoproteolysis-inducing domain. Here, we used cell culture-based assays to
      investigate 2 natural splice variants within the Stachel sequence of the orphan
      Gs coupling aGPCR GPR114/ADGRG5. There is 1 variant constitutively active in cAMP
      assays (~25-fold over empty vector) and sensitive to mechano-activation. The
      other variant has low basal activity in cAMP assays (6-fold over empty vector)
      and is insensitive to mechano-activation. In-depth mutagenesis studies of these
      functional differences revealed that the N-terminal half of the Stachel sequence
      confers the agonistic activity, whereas the C-terminal part orientates the
      agonistic core sequence to the transmembrane domain. Sequence comparison and
      functional testing suggest that the proposed mechanism of Stachel-mediated
      activation is relevant not only to GPR114 but to aGPCRs in general.

PMID- 26499267
TI  - Intrauterine low-functional programming of IGF1 by prenatal nicotine exposure
      mediates the susceptibility to osteoarthritis in female adult rat offspring.
AB  - This study aimed to evaluate whether female adult offspring born with
      intrauterine growth retardation induced by prenatal nicotine exposure (PNE) are
      susceptible to osteoarthritis (OA) and to explore the underlying programming
      mechanisms. Pregnant rats were treated with nicotine or saline at 2.0 mg/kg/d
      from gestational d 11 to 20. The female adult offspring with or without PNE were
      forced with a strenuous treadmill running for 6 wk to induce OA. Nicotine's
      effects on fetal articular chondrocytes were studied by exposing chondrocytes to
      nicotine for 10 d, and dihydro-beta-erythroidine, a selective alpha4beta2
      nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) inhibitor, was used to identify the
      change of nicotine's effect. For adult offspring, increased cartilage destruction
      and accelerated OA progression were observed in the PNE group with running; the
      expression of alpha1 chain of type II collagen (Col2A1), aggrecan, SRY-type high
      mobility group box 9 (Sox9), and IGF1 signaling molecules in the cartilage of PNE
      offspring were decreased. For fetuses, elevated serum corticosteroid and nicotine
      levels and suppressed IGF1 levels were observed; expression of Col2A1, aggrecan,
      Sox9, and IGF1 were reduced. The result of chondrocytes revealed that nicotine
      impeded the expression of Col2A1, aggrecan, and IGF1; blocking alpha4beta2-nAChR
      rescued nicotine's suppression. In conclusion, PNE increases the susceptibility
      of adult offspring to OA; the potential mechanism involves IGF1 low-functional
      programming in articular cartilage caused directly by the action of nicotine on
      alpha4beta2-nAChR.

PMID- 26499268
TI  - Lithium chloride modulates chondrocyte primary cilia and inhibits Hedgehog
      signaling.
AB  - Lithium chloride (LiCl) exhibits significant therapeutic potential as a treatment
      for osteoarthritis. Hedgehog signaling is activated in osteoarthritis, where it
      promotes chondrocyte hypertrophy and cartilage matrix catabolism. Hedgehog
      signaling requires the primary cilium such that maintenance of this compartment
      is essential for pathway activity. Here we report that LiCl (50 mM) inhibits
      Hedgehog signaling in bovine articular chondrocytes such that the induction of
      GLI1 and PTCH1 expression is reduced  by 71 and 55%, respectively. Pathway
      inhibition is associated with a 97% increase in primary cilia length from 2.09 +/
      0.7 MUm in untreated cells to 4.06 +/- 0.9 MUm in LiCl-treated cells. We show
      that cilia elongation disrupts trafficking within the axoneme with a 38%
      reduction in Arl13b ciliary localization at the distal region of the cilium,
      consistent with the role of Arl13b in modulating Hedgehog signaling. In addition,
      we demonstrate similar increases in cilia length in human chondrocytes in vitro
      and after administration of dietary lithium to Wistar rats in vivo. Our data
      provide new insights into the effects of LiCl on chondrocyte primary cilia and
      Hedgehog signaling and shows for the first time that pharmaceutical targeting of
      the primary cilium may have therapeutic benefits in the treatment of
      osteoarthritis.

PMID- 26499269
TI  - A clinical report of Chediak-Higashi syndrome in infancy with a novel genotype
      from the Indian subcontinent.
AB  - Chediak-Higashi syndrome (CHS; OMIM no. 214500) is an inherited multisystem
      disorder presenting with hypopigmentation and a propensity to infections due to
      immunological dysfunction. CHS generally presents in infancy with a fatal
      outcome, but less severe cases can present in adulthood. Treatment with bone
      marrow transplantation can be life-saving, so establishing a correct diagnosis is
      critical. The presence of large granules on examination of peripheral blood
      smears is suggestive of the diagnosis of CHS in most centers. However, sequencing
      of the lysosomal trafficking, LYST, gene confirms the diagnosis and can provide a
      prognosis regarding disease severity. In the case presented here, we performed
      molecular testing to identify the causative mutation and tabulated published
      mutation data from 2009 to 2014. We found a novel frameshift mutation in our case
      and concluded that frameshift and nonsense are the most common types of mutation
      in CHS, but this may be biased due to underdiagnosis of the milder and atypical
      forms of the disease. 

PMID- 26499270
TI  - Effects of Pegylated Interferon/Ribavirin on Bone Turnover Markers in
      HIV/Hepatitis C Virus-Coinfected Patients.
AB  - HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients have a 3-fold increased fracture incidence
      compared to uninfected patients. The impact of HCV therapy on bone health is
      unclear. We evaluated bone turnover markers (BTM) in well-controlled (HIV RNA <50
      copies/ml) HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who received pegylated interferon-alpha
      and ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV) in ACTG trial A5178. Early virologic responders (EVR:
      >=2 log HCV RNA drop at week 12) continued PEG-IFN/RBV and non-EVRs were
      randomized to continuation of PEG-IFN alone or observation. We assessed changes
      in C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX; bone resorption marker) and
      procollagen type I intact N-terminal propeptide (P1NP; bone formation marker),
      and whether BTM changes were associated with EVR, complete early virologic
      response (cEVR: HCV RNA <600 IU/ml at week 12), or PEG-IFN treatment. A total of
      192 subjects were included. After 12 weeks of PEG-IFN/RBV, CTX and P1NP
      decreased: -120 pg/ml and -8.48 MUg/liter, respectively (both p < 0.0001). CTX
      declines were greater in cEVR (N = 91; vs. non-cEVR (N = 101; p = 0.003). From
      week 12 to 24, CTX declines were sustained among EVR patients who continued PEG
      IFN/RBV (p = 0.027 vs. non-EVR) and among non-EVR patients who continued PEG-IFN
      alone (p = 0.022 vs. Observation). Median decreases of P1NP in EVR vs. non-EVR
      were similar at weeks 12 and 24. PEG-IFN-based therapy for chronic HCV markedly
      reduces bone turnover. It is unclear whether this is a direct IFN effect or a
      result of HCV viral clearance, or whether they will result in improved bone
      mineral density. Further studies with IFN-free regimens should explore these
      questions.

PMID- 26499271
TI  - Evolution of Movement Disorders Surgery Leading to Contemporary Focused
      Ultrasound Therapy for Tremor.
AB  - Progressively less invasive neurosurgical approaches for the treatment of
      movement disorders have evolved, beginning with open craniotomy for placement of
      lesions within pyramidal structures followed by refined stereotactic ablation of
      extrapyramidal targets that encouraged nondestructive electrode stimulation of
      deep brain structures. A noninvasive approach using transcranial high-energy
      focused ultrasound has emerged for the treatment of intractable tremor. The
      ability to target discreet intracranial sites millimeters in size through the
      intact skull using focused acoustic energy marks an important milestone in
      movement disorders surgery. This article describes the evolution of magnetic
      resonance-guided focused ultrasound for ventrolateral thalamotomy for tremor. 

PMID- 26499272
TI  - Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Spine Interventions.
AB  - MR imaging-guided interventions for treatment of low back pain and for diagnosis
      and treatment of soft tissue and bony spinal lesions have been shown to be
      feasible, effective, and safe. Advantages of this technique include the absence
      of ionizing radiation, the high tissue contrast, and multiplanar imaging options.
      Recent advancements in MR imaging systems allow improved image qualities and real
      time guidance. One exciting application is MR imaging-guided cryotherapy of
      spinal lesions, including treating such lesions as benign osteoid osteomas and
      malignant metastatic disease in patients who are not good surgical candidates.
      This particular technique shows promise for local tumor control and pain relief
      in appropriate patients. 

PMID- 26499273
TI  - 3-Tesla High-Field Magnetic Resonance Neurography for Guiding Nerve Blocks and
      Its Role in Pain Management.
AB  - Interventional magnetic resonance (MR) neurography is a minimally invasive
      technique that affords targeting of small nerves in challenging areas of the
      human body for highly accurate nerve blocks and perineural injections. This cross
      sectional technique uniquely combines high tissue contrast and high-spatial
      resolution anatomic detail, which enables the precise identification and
      selective targeting of peripheral nerves, accurate needle guidance and navigation
      of the needle tip within the immediate vicinity of a nerve, as well as direct
      visualization of the injected drug for the assessment of appropriate drug
      distribution and documentation of the absence of spread to confounding nearby
      nerves. 

PMID- 26499275
TI  - Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Cardiac Interventions.
AB  - Performing intraoperative cardiovascular procedures inside an MR imaging scanner
      can potentially provide substantial advantage in clinical outcomes by reducing
      the risk and increasing the success rate relative to the way such procedures are
      performed today, in which the primary surgical guidance is provided by X-ray
      fluoroscopy, by electromagnetically tracked intraoperative devices, and by
      ultrasound. Both noninvasive and invasive cardiologists are becoming increasingly
      familiar with the capabilities of MR imaging for providing anatomic and
      physiologic information that is unequaled by other modalities. As a result,
      researchers began performing animal (preclinical) interventions in the
      cardiovascular system in the early 1990s. 

PMID- 26499274
TI  - Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Breast Interventions: Role in Biopsy Targeting
      and Lumpectomies.
AB  - Contrast-enhanced breast MR imaging is increasingly being used to diagnose breast
      cancer and to perform biopsy procedures. The American Cancer Society has advised
      women at high risk for breast cancer to have breast MR imaging screening as an
      adjunct to screening mammography. This article places special emphasis on biopsy
      and operative planning involving MR imaging and reviews use of breast MR imaging
      in monitoring response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Described are peer-reviewed
      data on currently accepted MR imaging-guided procedures for addressing benign and
      malignant breast diseases, including intraoperative imaging. 

PMID- 26499276
TI  - Magnetic Resonance-guided Active Catheter Tracking.
AB  - Several advantages of MR imaging compared with other imaging modalities have
      provided the rationale for increased attention to MR-guided interventions,
      including its excellent soft tissue contrast, its capability to show both
      anatomic and functional information, and no use of ionizing radiation. An
      important aspect of MR-guided intervention is to provide visualization and
      navigation of interventional devices relative to the surrounding tissues. This
      article focuses on the methods for MR-guided active tracking in catheter-based
      interventions. Practical issues about implementation of active catheter tracking
      in a clinical setting are discussed and several current application examples are
      highlighted. 

PMID- 26499278
TI  - Magnetic Resonance-Guided Thermal Therapy for Localized and Recurrent Prostate
      Cancer.
AB  - The advent of focal therapies theoretically offers new treatment options for
      patients with localized prostate cancer. The goal of prostate cancer treatment is
      effective long-term cure with minimal impact on health-related quality of life.
      Multiparametric MR imaging of the prostate is being increasingly used for
      diagnosis, image-guided targeted biopsy, guidance for targeted focal and regional
      therapy, and monitoring the effectiveness of treatments for prostate cancer of
      all stages. In this article, the use of prostate MRI in the burgeoning domain of
      thermal ablative therapy for localized and recurrent prostate cancer is reviewed.

PMID- 26499277
TI  - Magnetic Resonance-Guided Passive Catheter Tracking for Endovascular Therapy.
AB  - The use of MR guidance for endovascular intervention is appealing because of its
      lack of ionizing radiation, high-contrast visualization of vessel walls and
      adjacent soft tissues, multiplanar capabilities, and potential to incorporate
      functional information such as flow, fluid dynamics, perfusion, and cardiac
      motion. This review highlights state-of-the-art imaging techniques and hardware
      used for passive tracking of endovascular devices in interventional MR imaging,
      including negative contrast, passive contrast, nonproton multispectral, and
      direct current techniques. The advantages and disadvantages of passive tracking
      relative to active tracking are also summarized. 

PMID- 26499279
TI  - Magnetic Resonance-Guided Prostate Biopsy.
AB  - The optimal strategy for prostate cancer diagnosis is to avoid overdiagnosis,
      defined as diagnosis of clinically insignificant disease, and undersampling of
      the gland, which leads to missing clinically significant disease. Targeted
      prostate biopsy is a potential solution for decreasing the rate of both
      overdiagnosis and undersampling of prostate cancer. We focus here on different
      techniques for targeting prostate lesions identified on multiparametric MR
      imaging and review different clinical settings in which MR imaging-targeted
      prostate biopsies are performed. 

PMID- 26499280
TI  - Magnetic Resonance-Guided Gynecologic Brachytherapy.
AB  - Gynecologic brachytherapy consists of positioning radioactive sources in
      catheters implanted inside a tumor. MR imaging provides tumor visibility and is
      ideal for image-guided insertions and treatment planning. It is important at
      first insertion and during treatment of large residual tumors potentially needing
      interstitial needles. Clear visibility of the tumor and the catheters is
      necessary for MR-guided brachytherapy. T2 sequences are ideal for tumor
      visibility but catheter visualization may be difficult. Active tracking and
      alternative sequences to improve catheter visibility have been explored. The use
      of digital applicator models, dummy markers, and CT-MR fusion is reviewed. 

PMID- 26499281
TI  - Magnetic Resonance-Guided Drug Delivery.
AB  - The use of clinical imaging modalities for the guidance of targeted drug delivery
      systems, known as image-guided drug delivery (IGDD), has emerged as a promising
      strategy for enhancing antitumor efficacy. MR imaging is particularly well suited
      for IGDD applications because of its ability to acquire images and quantitative
      measurements with high spatiotemporal resolution. The goal of IGDD strategies is
      to improve treatment outcomes by facilitating planning, real-time guidance, and
      personalization of pharmacologic interventions. This article reviews basic
      principles of targeted drug delivery and highlights the current status, emerging
      applications, and future paradigms of MR-guided drug delivery. 

PMID- 26499282
TI  - Update on Clinical Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound Applications.
AB  - In this review, several clinical applications of magnetic resonance (MR)-guided
      focused ultrasound (FUS) are updated. MR-guided FUS is used clinically for
      thermal ablation of uterine fibroids and bone metastases. Thousands of patients
      have successfully been treated. Transcranial MR-guided FUS has received CE
      certification for ablation of deep, central locations in the brain. Thermal
      ablation of specific parts of the thalamus can result in relief of the symptoms
      in a number of neurological disorders. Several approaches have been proposed for
      ablation of prostate and breast cancer and clinical trials should show the
      potential of MR-guided FUS for these and other applications. 

PMID- 26499284
TI  - Interventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Clinic: The Emory University
      Experience.
AB  - In this article, we share our experience in establishing a clinic-based practice
      for MR imaging-guided interventions. Clinic resources and operational logistics
      are described and our institutional cost analysis for supporting the clinic
      activity is provided. We highlight the overall value of the clinic model in
      transitioning the field of interventional MR imaging from the "proof-of-concept"
      to the "working model" era and engage in a detailed discussion of our experience
      with the positive impact of the clinic on streamlining the procedural workflow,
      increasing awareness of the technology, expanding referral bases, and boosting
      the satisfaction of both patients and referring services. 

PMID- 26499283
TI  - Magnetic Resonance Sequences and Rapid Acquisition for MR-Guided Interventions.
AB  - Interventional MR uses rapid imaging to guide diagnostic and therapeutic
      procedures. One of the attractions of MR-guidance is the abundance of inherent
      contrast mechanisms available. Dynamic procedural guidance with real-time imaging
      has pushed the limits of MR technology, demanding rapid acquisition and
      reconstruction paired with interactive control and device visualization. This
      article reviews the technical aspects of real-time MR sequences that enable MR
      guided interventions. 

PMID- 26499285
TI  - Magnetic Resonance-Guided Interventions: The State of the Art.

PMID- 26499287
TI  - Foreword.

PMID- 26499290
TI  - The relation between input-output transformation and gastrointestinal nematode
      infections on dairy farms.
AB  - Efficiency analysis is used for assessing links between technical efficiency (TE)
      of livestock farms and animal diseases. However, previous studies often do not
      make the link with the allocation of inputs and mainly present average effects
      that ignore the often huge differences among farms. In this paper, we studied the
      relationship between exposure to gastrointestinal (GI) nematode infections, the
      TE and the input allocation on dairy farms. Although the traditional cost
      allocative efficiency (CAE) indicator adequately measures how a given input
      allocation differs from the cost-minimising input allocation, they do not
      represent the unique input allocation of farms. Similar CAE scores may be
      obtained for farms with different input allocations. Therefore, we propose an
      adjusted allocative efficiency index (AAEI) to measure the unique input
      allocation of farms. Combining this AAEI with the TE score allows determining the
      unique input-output position of each farm. The method is illustrated by
      estimating efficiency scores using data envelopment analysis (DEA) on a sample of
      152 dairy farms in Flanders for which both accountancy and parasitic monitoring
      data were available. Three groups of farms with a different input-output position
      can be distinguished based on cluster analysis: (1) technically inefficient
      farms, with a relatively low use of concentrates per 100 l milk and a high
      exposure to infection, (2) farms with an intermediate TE, relatively high use of
      concentrates per 100 l milk and a low exposure to infection, (3) farms with the
      highest TE, relatively low roughage use per 100 l milk and a relatively high
      exposure to infection. Correlation analysis indicates for each group how the
      level of exposure to GI nematodes is associated or not with improved economic
      performance. The results suggest that improving both the economic performance and
      exposure to infection seems only of interest for highly TE farms. The findings
      indicate that current farm recommendations regarding GI nematode infections could
      be improved by also accounting for the allocation of inputs on the farm. 

PMID- 26499289
TI  - Cell death at the intestinal epithelial front line.
AB  - The intestinal epithelium represents the largest epithelial surface in our body.
      This single-cell-layer epithelium mediates important functions in the absorption
      of nutrients and in the maintenance of barrier function, preventing luminal
      microorganisms from invading the body. Due to its constant regeneration the
      intestinal epithelium is a tissue not only with very high proliferation rates but
      also with very prominent physiological and pathophysiological cell death
      induction. The normal physiological differentiation and maturation of intestinal
      epithelial cells leads to their shedding and apoptotic cell death within a few
      days, without disturbing the epithelial barrier integrity. In contrast excessive
      intestinal epithelial cell death induced by irradiation, drugs and inflammation
      severely impairs the vital functions of this tissue. In this review we discuss
      cell death processes in the intestinal epithelium in health and disease, with
      special emphasis on cell death triggered by the tumour necrosis factor receptor
      family.

PMID- 26499288
TI  - An integrated pan-tropical biomass map using multiple reference datasets.
AB  - We combined two existing datasets of vegetation aboveground biomass (AGB)
      (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,
      108, 2011, 9899; Nature Climate Change, 2, 2012, 182) into a pan-tropical AGB map
      at 1-km resolution using an independent reference dataset of field observations
      and locally calibrated high-resolution biomass maps, harmonized and upscaled to
      14 477 1-km AGB estimates. Our data fusion approach uses bias removal and
      weighted linear averaging that incorporates and spatializes the biomass patterns
      indicated by the reference data. The method was applied independently in areas
      (strata) with homogeneous error patterns of the input (Saatchi and Baccini) maps,
      which were estimated from the reference data and additional covariates. Based on
      the fused map, we estimated AGB stock for the tropics (23.4 N-23.4 S) of 375 Pg
      dry mass, 9-18% lower than the Saatchi and Baccini estimates. The fused map also
      showed differing spatial patterns of AGB over large areas, with higher AGB
      density in the dense forest areas in the Congo basin, Eastern Amazon and South
      East Asia, and lower values in Central America and in most dry vegetation areas
      of Africa than either of the input maps. The validation exercise, based on 2118
      estimates from the reference dataset not used in the fusion process, showed that
      the fused map had a RMSE 15-21% lower than that of the input maps and, most
      importantly, nearly unbiased estimates (mean bias 5 Mg dry mass ha(-1) vs. 21 and
      28 Mg ha(-1) for the input maps). The fusion method can be applied at any scale
      including the policy-relevant national level, where it can provide improved
      biomass estimates by integrating existing regional biomass maps as input maps and
      additional, country-specific reference datasets. 

PMID- 26499291
TI  - Mycoplasma bovis-derived lipid-associated membrane proteins activate IL-1beta
      production through the NF-kappaB pathway via toll-like receptor 2 and MyD88.
AB  - Mycoplasma bovis causes pneumonia, otitis media, and arthritis in young calves,
      resulting in economic losses to the cattle industry worldwide. M. bovis
      pathogenesis results in part from excessive immune responses. Lipid-associated
      membrane proteins (LAMPs) can potently induce host innate immunity. However,
      interactions between M. bovis-derived LAMPs and Toll-like receptors (TLRs), or
      signaling pathways eliciting active inflammation and NF-kappaB activation, are
      incompletely understood. Here, we found that IL-1beta expression was induced in
      embryonic bovine lung (EBL) cells stimulated with M. bovis-derived LAMPs.
      Subcellular-localization analysis revealed nuclear p65 translocation following
      EBL cell stimulation with M. bovis-derived LAMPs. An NF-kappaB inhibitor reversed
      M. bovis-derived LAMP-induced IL-1beta expression. TLR2 and myeloid
      differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) overexpression increased LAMP
      dependent IL-1beta induction. TLR2-neutralizing antibodies reduced IL-1beta
      expression during LAMP stimulation. LAMPs also inhibited IL-1beta expression
      following overexpression of a dominant-negative MyD88 protein. These results
      suggested that M. bovis-derived LAMPs activate IL-1beta production through the NF
      kappaB pathway via TLR2 and MyD88. 

PMID- 26499292
TI  - Follow-up study on the relationship between alopecia areata and risk of
      autoimmune diseases.

PMID- 26499293
TI  - The Density of States and the Transport Effective Mass in a Highly Oriented
      Semiconducting Polymer: Electronic Delocalization in 1D.
AB  - The determination of the band structure along k parallel to the chain direction
      demonstrates significant electronic delocalization. The small effective mass [m*
      = 0.106mo ] is consistent with the high measured mobility. 

PMID- 26499294
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26499295
TI  - Foetal trauma, body memory and early infant communication: a case illustration.
AB  - This paper presents the complex case of a male patient who started life as an
      unwanted pregnancy and adoptee in an era of socio-cultural shame and blame. When
      able to contact his birth mother later in life, he experienced a number of
      confronting synchronicities as well as visions which he felt were related to
      failed abortion attempts and to other pre- and post-natal events. The case
      material lends weight not only to Freud's, Ehrenwald's and FitzHerbert's
      assertions that the earliest form of mother-infant communications is telepathic
      in nature but that this mode of communication can be retained if emotional trauma
      inhibits normal developmental processes. Contemporary neuroscience research is
      presented supporting the hypothesis that emotional memory can become imbedded in
      the psyche/soma of the foetus. Such memory traces can later emerge into imagery
      and/or words if the traumatic impingement has been substantial enough and if
      other defensive strategies are in place. Clinical implications are then suggested
      regarding analysts' attention to the emotional conditions underpinning their
      patients' conceptions and foetal development; the connection to projective
      identification components of the countertransference as being aspects of the
      earliest telepathic mother/infant communication channel and the need for
      reductive analyses in analyst training programmes. 

PMID- 26499296
TI  - Acoustic resonance at the dawn of life: musical fundamentals of the
      psychoanalytic relationship.
AB  - This paper uses a case vignette to show how musical elements of speech are a
      crucial source of information regarding the patient's emotional states and
      associated memory systems that are activated at a given moment in the analytic
      field. There are specific psychoacoustic markers associated with different memory
      systems which indicate whether a patient is immersed in a state of creative
      intersubjective relatedness related to autobiographical memory, or has been
      triggered into a traumatic memory system. When a patient feels immersed in an
      atmosphere of intersubjective mutuality, dialogue features a rhythmical and
      tuneful form of speech featuring improvized reciprocal imitation, theme and
      variation. When the patient is catapulted into a traumatic memory system, speech
      becomes monotone and disjointed. Awareness of such acoustic features of the
      traumatic memory system helps to alert the analyst that such a shift has taken
      place informing appropriate responses and interventions. Communicative musicality
      (Malloch & Trevarthen 2009) originates in the earliest non-verbal vocal
      communication between infant and care-giver, states of primary intersubjectivity.
      Such musicality continues to be the primary vehicle for transmitting emotional
      meaning and for integrating right and left hemispheres. This enables
      communication that expresses emotional significance, personal value as well as
      conceptual reasoning. 

PMID- 26499297
TI  - The making of a tragedy: perversion in the perception of truth.
AB  - A type of wilful blindness can pervert an individual's perception of truth or
      reality, not because that reality is too much to hold, but because it is
      distasteful. Undesired. The case of Adam will be used to explore perversion as it
      twists an analytic process, affecting the transference and countertransference in
      ways that are difficult to see. Theorists of Freudian, Kleinian, Lacanian, and
      Jungian traditions are drawn from to explore potential roots to this perverted
      turn, and the way it can rigidify an individuation process. The anxiety that
      haunts this case echoes Jung's anxiety as he wondered if the stone saw him or he
      saw the stone. Object and observer blend when both analyst and patient hide from
      themselves and one another, knowing the truth of what is being discussed but
      blind to it. 

PMID- 26499298
TI  - Supervising the uncanny: the play within the play.
AB  - The writer offers a combined experience in analysis and the performing arts to
      explore uncanny aspects of the unconscious subtext of the patient's inner drama;
      subtext which can remain hidden from view in supervision. Freud and Jung's
      understanding of uncanny experience is considered together with a painting from
      medieval alchemy and Matte Blanco's conceptions concerning the symmetrical nature
      of unconscious process. Theatre and the work of the theatre director and actor in
      approaching the multidimensional aspects of a play are then introduced. Finally
      clinical case material from group supervision demonstrates how the 'theatre of
      therapy' and the work of the supervisory couple and group promote the emergence
      of a more authentic conscious asymmetrical response to the patient's 'script'
      that can break the 'spell' of the transference/countertransference relationship.
      This in turn brings meaning to the underlying and implicit 'stage directions'
      that the patient has been unconsciously communicating. 

PMID- 26499299
TI  - Two in one or one in two? Pushing off from Jung with Wolfgang Giegerich.
AB  - This paper responds to a recent paper by Wolfgang Giegerich entitled 'Two Jungs:
      apropos a paper by Mark Saban'. Giegerich disputes my assertion that the
      'rigorous notion' at the heart of his psychology 'finds no source in Jung's
      psychology, implicit or explicit'. In order to do this he posits the existence of
      two Jungs, an exoteric Jung and an esoteric Jung. The implications of Giegerich's
      binary scission of Jung are explored in this paper, and show that the tendency to
      exalt one Jung while disparaging the other betrays a comprehensive blindness
      toward the contradictory complexity of Jung's psychology as a whole. It is
      suggested that this blindness is the consequence of Giegerich's systematic
      prioritization of a neo-Hegelian agenda that is in profound conflict with the
      telos of Jung's psychology. 

PMID- 26499300
TI  - Reflections on the Jungian nature of psychology as the discipline of interiority:
      a response to Saban's 'Misunderstandings'.
AB  - Psychology as the discipline of interiority is the name of the psychology that
      has developed from Wolfgang Giegerich's work in the field of analytical
      psychology. This article offers a counterview to that of Mark Saban's claim that
      Giegerich's psychology is 'irrelevant' to Jungians today and is based on a
      fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of Jungian psychology. It will be
      shown that, in fact, it is a fundamental misunderstanding of Giegerich's work
      that has led Saban to form erroneous conclusions. Links between Jung's and
      Giegerich's conceptions of the 'objective psyche' will be highlighted, along with
      other examples of how, contrary to Saban's conclusions, psychology as the
      discipline of interiority has obvious connections to, and grounding in, Jungian
      psychology. 

PMID- 26499301
TI  - Horror films and the attack on rationality.

PMID- 26499302
TI  - Melancholia.

PMID- 26499303
TI  - James Grotstein (8 November 1925 - 30 May 2015).

PMID- 26499307
TI  - The perioperative time course and clinical significance of the chemokine CXCL16
      in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
AB  - The chemokine CXCL16 and its receptor CXCR6 have been linked to the pathogenesis
      of acute and chronic cardiovascular disease. However, data on the clinical
      significance of CXCL16 in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with acute
      myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) are still lacking. Therefore, we determined
      CXCL16 in the serum of cardiac surgery patients and investigated its kinetics and
      association with the extent of organ dysfunction. 48 patients underwent
      conventional cardiac surgery with myocardial I/R and the use of cardiopulmonary
      bypass (CPB) were consecutively enrolled in the present study. We investigated
      the peri- and post-operative profile of CXCL16. Clinical relevant data were
      assessed and documented throughout the entire observation period. To identify the
      influence of myocardial I/R and CPB on CXCL16 release data were compared to those
      received from patients that underwent off-pump procedure. Pre-operative serum
      CXCL16 levels were comparable to those obtained from healthy volunteers (1174 +/-
      55.64 pg/ml versus 1225 +/- 70.94). However, CXCL16 levels significantly
      increased during surgery (1174 +/- 55.64 versus 1442 +/- 75.42 pg/ml; P = 0.0057)
      and reached maximum levels 6 hrs after termination of surgery (1174 +/- 55.64
      versus 1648 +/- 74.71 pg/ml; P < 0.001). We revealed a positive correlation
      between the intraoperative serum levels of CXCL16 and the extent of organ
      dysfunction (r(2) = 0.356; P = 0.031). Patients with high CXCL16 release showed
      an increased extent of organ dysfunction compared to patients with low CXCL16
      release. Our study shows that CXCL16 is released into the circulation as a result
      of cardiac surgery and that high post-operative CXCL16 levels are associated with
      an increased severity of post-operative organ dysfunctions. 

PMID- 26499308
TI  - PDLIM2 suppression efficiently reduces tumor growth and invasiveness of human
      castration-resistant prostate cancer-like cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although PDLIM2 gene may have a context-dependent role in various
      human malignancies and can be a potential therapeutic target, only a limited
      number of in vitro studies addressed the molecular functions of PDLIM2 in
      prostate cancer. Here, we aimed to explore the role of PDLIM2 and the effect of
      the PDLIM2 gene suppression on oncogenic phenotypes of human castration-resistant
      prostate cancer (CRPC)-like cells. METHODS: We used human CRPC-like cell lines
      (PC3, DU145, and C4-2B) for our experiments. Transcription levels of PDLIM2 and
      relevant genes were measured by real time-PCR and protein expression was analyzed
      by western blot. Cell viability, proliferation, clonogenic growth, and tumor
      sphere formation were examined after a specific inhibition of PDLIM2 using RNA
      interference. Flow cytometry was used to examine apoptotic cell death and cell
      cycle disturbances. Wound healing and transwell migration assays were performed
      to investigate the invasion capabilities of CRPC-like cells. Additionally, key
      oncogenic signaling pathways were examined using western blot. Lastly, we
      evaluated the in vivo efficacy of PDLIM2 suppression on tumor growth of human
      CRPC xenografts in mice. RESULTS: We observed a significant enhancement of PDLIM2
      expression in human CRPC-like cell lines, while a specific inhibition of PDLIM2
      reduced cell viability and proliferation due to apoptotic cell death. Conversely,
      PDLIM2 overexpression significantly reduced cell proliferation compared to the
      negative control in androgen-sensitive LNCaP cells. Moreover, PDLIM2 suppression
      led to a decrease of clonogenic growth and tumor sphere formation in three
      dimensional cultures with the G2/M cell cycle arrest in human CRPC-like cells.
      PDLIM2 inhibition also attenuated cellular migration and invasion capabilities of
      human CRPC-like cells, and reduced the expression of mesenchymal marker. Among
      several oncogenic signaling pathways, only the MAPK/ERK signaling cascade was
      decreased by PDLIM2 inhibition and reciprocally, ERK inhibition down-regulated
      PDLIM2 expression. Importantly, PDLIM2 inhibition remarkably compromised tumor
      growth in a human CRPC xenograft model. CONCLUSION: In summary, the suppression
      of PDLIM2 significantly reduced such oncogenic phenotypes as proliferation,
      clonogenicity, invasiveness, and tumor cell growth in human CRPC-like cells both
      in vitro and in vivo, indicating that PDLIM2 may be considered a novel
      therapeutic target gene for treating human CRPC.

PMID- 26499310
TI  - Impacts of COPD on family carers and supportive interventions: a narrative
      review.
AB  - Caring for a relative with chronic disease influences multiple dimensions of
      family carers' lives. This study aimed to provide an overview of the impacts of
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on family carers and identify
      interventions aimed at supporting them. A narrative review was conducted.
      Searches were performed in electronic databases using a combination of keywords.
      Articles were screened for relevance and selected articles were analysed in two
      groups considering the study aims. Eighteen articles were selected. Fifteen
      studies evaluated the impacts of COPD on family carers and three studies
      presented interventions aimed at supporting them. Carers reported negative
      impacts of caring on physical health, emotional, social, relational and
      financial/employment life dimensions. Positive aspects of care-giving were
      reported in four studies and were related to carers' personal growth and
      satisfaction in being able to do something useful for their relatives. The
      existing interventions were directed at both patients and carers; however,
      studies provided limited information on how carers were involved, hindering the
      interpretation of findings. In conclusion, COPD poses several unique challenges
      to family carers related to the specificities of the disease. Further research
      with appropriate intervention studies is needed to promote carers' healthy
      adjustment to the disease.

PMID- 26499309
TI  - Use of solubilizers in preclinical formulations: Effect of Cremophor EL on the
      pharmacokinetic properties on early discovery compounds.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to determine whether Cremophor EL is a suitable
      surfactant that can be routinely applied to pharmacokinetic (PK) studies in early
      drug discovery without influencing the intrinsic PK characteristics of the new
      chemical entities (NCEs). Cremophor EL, a polyoxyl 35 castor oil, has been used
      as a solubilization aid for water-insoluble compounds in pre-clinical drug
      discovery. The effect of Cremophor EL on the PK properties of NCEs was examined
      in seven structurally diverse discovery compounds after intravenous
      administration. Significant effects of Cremophor EL on plasma volume of
      distribution (Vss) and plasma clearance (CL) were observed in compounds with
      moderate to high Vss or CL. The plasma Vss decreased more than 2-fold and the Vss
      binning category decreased by one unit (e.g. from moderate to low Vss) in 6 of 7
      test compounds. Two to five-fold reduction of CL was observed with these 6
      compounds. Effect on the terminal half-life (T1/2) was minimal. Using one of
      these 7 NCEs, concentration dependent effect of Cremophor EL in the vehicle was
      also determined. Higher percentage of Cremophor EL in vehicle resulted in
      progressively increased alterations on the plasma CL and Vss. Taken together,
      these findings indicated that Cremophor EL altered the intrinsic PK properties of
      these discovery compounds in a concentration dependent manner. 

PMID- 26499311
TI  - Facing the next frontier of fetal magnetic resonance imaging.

PMID- 26499312
TI  - Sensilla on different organs of female and male Telenomus dendrolimusi Chu
      (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae).
AB  - Telenomus dendrolimusi Chu is a dominant egg parasitoid of Dendrolimus, which is
      the most serious conifer defoliator in China. However, the host locating
      mechanism of T. dendrolimusi is unclear. To take better advantage of this kind of
      parasitoid, it is necessary to clarify the basic knowledge of the organization of
      the wasp's sensory system. In this study, the external morphologies of the
      sensilla on the entire female and male T. dendrolimusi body were described using
      scanning electron microscopy. Antennae shape and sensilla types were sexually
      dimorphic. Ten segments and nine types of sensilla were found on the female
      antenna, including basiconic sensillum (BS), chaeticum sensillum (ChS), trichoid
      sensillum type 1 (TS1), trichoid sensillum type 2 (TS2), trichoid curvata
      sensillum (TCS), sickle-shaped sensillum (SSS), multiporous gustatory sensillum
      (MGS), campaniform sensillum (CS), and styloconica sensillum (STS). The
      distribution of the sensilla was directional on female antenna. The male antenna
      consisted of 12 segments, and 1-3 segments were similar to those of the female.
      Five types of sensilla were found on male antenna, including BS, ChS, TS1, TCS,
      and STS. The mouthparts, thoracic legs, eyes, mesonotum, and wings were all
      covered with longitudinally fluted TSs without hole. A tympana structure appeared
      on the thoracic legs. Special crevice-shaped structures were found on the
      abdomens of both T. dendrolimusi sexes. Possible sensilla functions are discussed
      according to their morphology. These results provide a solid basis for further
      researches about the parasitic mechanisms of T. dendrolimusi.

PMID- 26499313
TI  - Multiple functions of the first EGF domain in matrilin-3: Secretion and
      endoplasmic reticulum stress.
AB  - Mutations in matrilin-3 are associated with common skeletal diseases, such as
      hand osteoarthritis (HOA), as well as rare chondrodysplasias, such as multiple
      epiphyseal dysplasia (MED) and spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia (SEMD). In the
      present study, we constructed the mutations R116W [at the von Willebrand factor,
      type A (vWFA) domain], T298M [at the first epidermal growth factor (EGF) domain]
      and C299S (at the first EGF domain), according to the mouse sequence, which are
      associated with human MED, HOA and SEMD, respectively, by overlap extension PCR
      and inserted them into an expression vector (pcDNA3.1/v5-His). We transfected
      these contructs into the COS-1 or MCT cells, and the results revealed that the
      HOA-related matrilin-3 mutation (T298M) leads to a high expression level of
      growth arrest DNA damage-inducible gene 153 (GADD153, also known as CHOP; an
      endoplasmic reticulum stress marker), as shown by western blot analysis and does
      not significantly affect protein secretion, as shown by immunofluorescence
      staining; however, osteochondroplasia, i.e., MED-related (R116W) and SEMD-related
      (C299S) mutations lead to both high levels of GADD153 expression and protein
      trafficking into the cytoplasm and form multiple vacuoles in cells, which in turn
      leads to insufficient protein secretion.

PMID- 26499314
TI  - Care interaction adding challenges to old patients' well-being during surgical
      hospital treatment.
AB  - Today, hospitals offer surgical treatment within a short hospital admission. This
      brief interaction may challenge the well-being of old patients. The aim of this
      study was to explore how the well-being of old hospitalized patients was affected
      by the interaction with staff during a fast-track surgical treatment and hospital
      admission for colon cancer. We used an ethnographic methodology with field
      observations and unstructured interviews focusing on one patient at a time (n=9)
      during a full day; the hours ranging from 7:45 a.m. to 8 p.m. Participants were
      between 74 and 85 years of age and of both sexes. The study was reported to the
      Danish Data Protection Agency with reference number (2007-58-0010). The encounter
      between old patients and the staff was a main theme in our findings elucidating a
      number of care challenges. The identified care challenges illustrated "well-being
      as a matter of different perspectives," "vulnerability in contrast to well
      being," and "staff mix influencing the care encounter." The experience of well
      being in old cancer patients during hospital admission was absent or challenged
      when staff did not acknowledge their individual vulnerability and needs. 

PMID- 26499315
TI  - Kimura's disease: an uncommon cause of head and neck masses with potentially
      serious sequelae.
AB  - Kimura's disease (KD) typically presents as a mass in the head and neck region in
      association with eosinophilia and elevated serum IgE. Excisional biopsy is often
      required in order to obtain an adequate sample for histological diagnosis and
      exclude malignancy. If suspected, patients should also be investigated for renal
      involvement as this may complicate KD. Treatment options include surgical
      excision and medical therapies such as corticosteroids depending on the extent
      and severity of disease. 

PMID- 26499316
TI  - Children's Impact on Adults' Substance Use Problem Awareness and Treatment
      Optimism: The Role of Harm.
AB  - Substance abuse is associated with a host of harmful consequences to the
      substance user as well as other individuals and society as a whole. Although harm
      is an integral component of substance abuse, there is a dearth of research that
      investigates the relationship between harm and substance use problems. The goal
      of this study was to explore recovering substance users' retrospective
      perceptions of harm caused to self and others during periods of substance abuse
      and the resulting association with the development of problem awareness and
      treatment perspectives. The present study found that perceptions of harming
      children demonstrated a significant impact on adults' substance use problem
      awareness and treatment optimism. Perceived harm caused to a child during periods
      of substance abuse was associated with increased substance use problem awareness
      and treatment optimism. Findings suggest that harming children as a consequence
      of adult substance abuse may play an impactful role on adults' recovery process.
      Implications for future research are discussed. 

PMID- 26499317
TI  - Low immediate postoperative serum-cortisol nadir predicts the short-term, but not
      long-term, remission after pituitary surgery for Cushing's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cushing's disease is an ACTH-producing pituitary adenoma, and the
      primary treatment is microscopic or endoscopic transsphenoidal selective
      adenectomy. The aims of the present study were to evaluate whether the early
      postoperative S-cortisol level can serve as a prognostic marker for short- and
      long-term remission, and retrospectively review our own short and long term
      results after surgery for Cushing's disease. METHODS: This single centre,
      retrospective study consists of 19 consecutive patients with Cushing's disease
      who underwent transsphenoidal surgery. S-cortisol was measured every 6 h after
      the operation without any glucocorticoid replacement. We have follow-up on all
      patients, with a mean follow-up of 68 months. RESULTS: At the three-month follow
      up, 16 patients (84 %) were in remission; at 12 months, 18 (95 %) were in
      remission and at the final follow-up (mean 68 months), 13 (68 %) were in
      remission. Five-years recurrence rate was 26 %. The mean postoperative S-cortisol
      nadir was significantly lower in the group of patients in remission than in the
      non-remission group at 3 months, but there was no difference between those in
      long-term remission compared to those in long-term non-remission. The optimal cut
      off value for classifying 3-month remission was 74 nmol/l. CONCLUSION: We
      achieved a 95 % 1-year remission rate with transsphenoidal surgery for Cushing's
      disease in this series of consecutive patients. However, the 5-year recurrence
      rate was 26 %, showing the need for regular clinical and biochemical controls in
      this patient group. The mean postoperative serum-cortisol nadir was significantly
      lower in patients in remission at 3 months compared to patients not in remission
      at 3 months, but a low postoperative S-cortisol did not predict long-term
      remission.

PMID- 26499318
TI  - Passive proton therapy vs. IMRT planning study with focal boost for prostate
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exploiting biologic imaging, studies have been performed to boost
      dose to gross intraprostatic tumor volumes (GTV) while reducing dose elsewhere in
      the prostate. Interest in proton beams has increased due to superior normal
      tissue sparing they afford. Our goal was to dosimetrically compare 3D conformal
      proton boost plans with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans with
      respect to target coverage and avoiding organs at risk. METHODS: Treatment
      planning computer tomography scans of ten patients were selected. For each
      patient, two hypothetical but realistic GTVs each with a fixed volume were
      contoured in different anatomical locations of the prostate. IMRT and proton beam
      plans were created with a prescribed dose of 50.4 Gy to the initial planning
      target volume (PTV) including the PTV of the seminal vesicles (PSV), 70.2 Gy to
      the PTV of the prostate (PPS), and 90 Gy to the PTV of the gross tumor volumes
      (PGTVs). For proton plans, uncertainties of range and patient setup were
      accounted for; apertures were adjusted until the dose-volume coverage of PTVs
      matched that of the IMRT plan. For both plans, prescribed PTV doses were made
      identical to allow for comparing normal-tissue doses. RESULTS: Protons delivered
      more homogeneous but less conformal doses to PGTVs than IMRT did and comparable
      doses to PSV and PPS. Volumes of bladder and rectum receiving doses higher than
      65 Gy were similar for both plans. However, volumes receiving less than 65 Gy
      were significantly reduced, i.e., protons reduced integral dose by 45.6 % and
      26.5 % for rectum and bladder, respectively. This volume-sparing was also seen in
      femoral heads and penile bulb. CONCLUSIONS: Protons delivered comparable doses to
      targets in dose homogeneity and conformity and spared normal tissues from
      intermediate-to-low doses better than IMRT did. Further improvement of dose
      sparing and changes in homogeneity and conformity may be achieved by reducing
      proton range uncertainties and from implementing intensity modulation.

PMID- 26499319
TI  - Optimal length of the pre-inserted tracheal tube for excellent view in nasal
      fiberoptic intubation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Inexperienced physicians frequently have difficulty performing nasal
      fiberoptic intubation. A pre-inserted tracheal tube of the appropriate length
      allows an excellent view of the laryngeal opening. The purpose of this study was
      to determine the ideal length of a pre-inserted tracheal tube for nasal
      fiberoptic intubation and to investigate if it could be predicted from easily
      measureable patient parameters. METHODS: This was an observational study in which
      data on adult patients (n = 150) requiring nasal intubation were collected and
      analyzed by stepwise regression. During the pre-anesthesia examination, a right
      angled gauge was used to measure the distance from the mid-point of the lateral
      border of the nares to the tragus of the ear (NT distance) and to the mandibular
      angle (NM distance). The distance from the tragus to the mandibular angle (TM
      distance) was also measured. The age, sex, height, and weight of each patient
      were recorded. After induction of anesthesia, the minimum and maximum lengths of
      the pre-inserted tracheal tube that provided an excellent view of laryngeal
      opening during nasal fiberoptic intubation were measured. The optimal length was
      calculated, and an equation was derived through stepwise regression analysis.
      RESULTS: The optimal length for each patient could be reliably predicted using
      the equation (distances in cm, weight in kg): optimal length (cm) = 1.952 + 0.051
      * height (cm) + 0.354 * NM distance (cm) - 0.011 * weight (kg) (r (2) = 0.460, P
      < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The optimal length of pre-inserted tracheal tube for nasal
      fiberoptic intubation can be predicted using a newly developed formula with three
      patient parameters, namely, height, the NM distance, and weight. Application of
      this equation in the clinical setting should facilitate nasal fiberoptic
      intubation.

PMID- 26499320
TI  - Implementing enhanced recovery after bariatric surgery protocol: a retrospective
      study.
AB  - While the demand for bariatric surgery is increasing, hospital capacity remains
      limited. The ERABS (Enhanced Recovery After Bariatric Surgery) protocol has been
      implemented in a number of bariatric centers. We retrospectively compared the
      operating room logistics and postoperative complications between pre-ERABS and
      ERABS periods in an academic hospital. The primary endpoint was the length of
      stay in hospital. The secondary endpoints were turnover times-the time required
      for preparing the operating room for the next case, induction time (from
      induction of anesthesia until a patient is ready for surgery), surgical time
      (duration of surgery), procedure time (duration of stay in the operating room),
      and the incidence of re-admissions, re-operations and complications during
      admission and within 30 days after surgery. Of a total of 374 patients, 228 and
      146 received surgery following the pre-ERABS and ERABS protocols, respectively.
      The length of hospital stay was significantly shortened from 3.7 (95 % confidence
      interval [CI] 3.1-4.7) days to 2.1 (95 % CI 1.6-2.6) days (P < 0.001). Procedure
      (surgical) times were shortened by 15 (7) min and 12 (5) min for gastric bypass
      and gastric sleeve surgery, respectively (P < 0.001 for both), by introducing the
      ERABS protocol. Induction times were reduced from 15.2 (95 % CI 14.3-16.1) min to
      12.5 (95 % CI 11.7-13.3) min (P < 0.001).Turnover times were shortened
      significantly from 38 (95 % CI 44-32) min to 11 (95 % CI 8-14) min. The incidence
      of re-operations, re-admissions and complications did not change. 

PMID- 26499321
TI  - Predictors of postoperative pain and analgesic requirements following abdominal
      hysterectomy: an observational study.
AB  - PURPOSE: A prospective observational study is conducted to identify independent
      predictors of pain and morphine consumption following abdominal hysterectomy.
      METHODS: Preoperative State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Numerical Rating
      Scales (NRS) for anxiety and pain expectations, thermal pain thresholds and pain
      scores at forearm and incision site, and pain scores generated from the insertion
      of an intravenous catheter were measured in female patients undergoing abdominal
      hysterectomy. Pearson correlations between the predictors and the two outcome
      measures postoperative pain scores and morphine consumption were studied and
      multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify independent predictors
      (primary outcome). Secondary outcomes included cut-off values of predictive tools
      for morphine consumption. RESULTS: Data from 60 patients were analyzed. STAI
      state anxiety, NRS pain expectations, and NRS anxiety scores were identified as
      independent predictors of postoperative morphine consumption. We identified a cut
      off value of 4.5 (sensitivity 90 %, specificity of 60 %) for the NRS anxiety and
      a cut-off of 42.5 (sensitivity 70 %, specificity 70 %) for the state anxiety STAI
      score for increased postoperative morphine consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative
      STAI state anxiety scores and NRS pain expectations are independent predictors
      for increased morphine consumption following hysterectomy. The STAI state anxiety
      tool and NRS 0-10 anxiety tool can be used interchangeably. The NRS 0-10 anxiety
      is a much simpler tool than STAI state anxiety and is associated with a higher
      sensitivity for high morphine consumption. Thermal pain thresholds and IV pain
      scores were not predictive of postoperative morphine consumption.

PMID- 26499322
TI  - Light Emitting Diode Fluorescence Microscopy increased the detection of smear
      positives during follow-up of Tuberculosis patients in India: program
      implications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In India, since July 2012, at designated Microscopy Centers (DMCs) in
      200 medical colleges, sputum smear examination for tuberculosis bacilli changed
      from Ziehl Neelsen (ZN) method to auramine based Light Emitting Diode Fluorescent
      Microscopy (LED-FM) method. We assessed the additional yield of smear positives
      among patients undergoing follow-up sputum examination during TB treatment before
      and after deploying LED-FM. METHODS: This was a before and after comparison study
      in eight conveniently selected medical college DMCs across North India. We
      extracted data from TB laboratory registers on number of TB patients examined for
      follow-up and their smear microscopy results including the grades by ZN (before;
      July-December 2011) and LED-FM (after; July-December 2012) and compared them.
      RESULTS: Altogether, 2868 TB patients were examined by LED-FM and 2740 were
      examined by ZN during follow-up. LED-FM increased the proportion of follow-up
      smear positives from 5.0 % (n = 136) to 7.4 % (n = 213) with an additional yield
      of 77 follow-up smear-positives-with the highest increase in smears graded scanty
      (2.6 vs 1.2 %) (p value <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Since all smear positives during
      follow-up are considered 'presumptive multidrug resistant (MDR)-TB patients' in
      India, introduction of LED-FM would result in additional number of patients
      eligible for MDR-TB testing, which would have otherwise been missed by ZN.

PMID- 26499323
TI  - Assessing the Effects of Acidification on N Dynamics in Jiyun River System of
      Tianjin, China.
AB  - Alterations in pH have significant effects on nitrification and denitrification
      processes in aquatic systems. The Jiyun River in northern China experiences
      significant acid precipitation, and as such was selected to investigate the
      effects of decreasing pH (river pH at 8.2, pH at 6 and 5) on N dynamics via
      incubation experiments (35 and 10 degrees C). Statistical results indicated that
      the NO3 (-) concentrations of the control (pH at 8.2) were either significantly
      lower (at 35 degrees C) or significantly higher (at 10 degrees C) than the
      treatments of pH at 6 and 5 at the alpha level of 0.05 in the incubation.
      However, the NO3 (-) concentrations of the two pH treatments showed significant
      difference during part of the reaction stage at 35 degrees C and no difference at
      10 degrees C. Analysis indicated that nitrification and coupled nitrification
      aerobic denitrification occurred for all treatments, which resulted in NO3 (-)
      being either accumulated or removed at the end of the incubation. 

PMID- 26499324
TI  - Ecological Risk Assessment of EDTA-Assisted Phytoremediation of Cd Under
      Different Cultivation Systems.
AB  - A long-term field experiment was designed to assess remediation efficiency and
      ecological risk of phytoremediation of Cd under different cultivation systems
      with or without ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA). EDTA can significantly
      improve the phytoremediation effectiveness of a historically polluted e-waste
      dismantling site through enhancing Cd uptake by plants in all cultivation systems
      along with higher ecological risks to different receptors especially in the
      presence of Cicer arietinum (chickpea). Moisture content at each layer of soil
      profile under Eucalyptus globules L. cultivated sites was consistently lower than
      under chickpea monoculture as a result of E. globules' high water use efficiency.
      Besides low soil moisture, E. globules can intercept more Cd-rich leachate than
      chickpea regardless of the presence of EDTA. E. globules could be used for Cd
      phytoremediation as they can take full advantage of EDTA and decrease ecological
      risk caused by the chelator.

PMID- 26499325
TI  - Photodegradation of Mefenamic Acid in Aqueous Media: Kinetics, Toxicity and
      Photolysis Products.
AB  - The present study investigated the photolytic behavior and photodegradation
      products of mefenamic acid (MEF) under ultraviolet-C irradiation. The results
      demonstrated that the photodegradation of MEF followed pseudo-first-order
      kinetics and the direct photolysis quantum yield of mefenamic acid was observed
      to be 2.63 +/- 0.28 * 10-3. Photodegradation of MEF included degradation by
      direct photolysis and by self-sensitization that the contribution rates of self
      sensitized photodegradation were 5.70, 11.25 and 18.96 % for .OH, 1O2 and O.2- ,
      respectively. Primary transformation products of MEF were identified using ultra
      performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer
      (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The identified transformation products suggested three possible
      pathways of MEF photodegradation: dehydrogenation, hydroxylation, and ketonized
      reactions. Toxicity of phototransformation products were evaluated using the
      Microtox test, which revealed that photodegradation likely provides a critical
      pathway for MEF toxicity reduction in drinking water and wastewater treatment
      facilities.

PMID- 26499328
TI  - Genome-wide association analysis reveals loci associated with resistance against
      Piscirickettsia salmonis in two Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) chromosomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pisciricketssia salmonis is the causal agent of Salmon Rickettsial
      Syndrome (SRS), which affects salmon species and causes severe economic losses.
      Selective breeding for disease resistance represents one approach for controlling
      SRS in farmed Atlantic salmon. Knowledge concerning the architecture of the
      resistance trait is needed before deciding on the most appropriate approach to
      enhance artificial selection for P. salmonis resistance in Atlantic salmon. The
      purpose of the study was to dissect the genetic variation in the resistance to
      this pathogen in Atlantic salmon. METHODS: 2,601 Atlantic salmon smolts were
      experimentally challenged against P. salmonis by means of intra-peritoneal
      injection. These smolts were the progeny of 40 sires and 118 dams from a Chilean
      breeding population. Mortalities were recorded daily and the experiment ended at
      day 40 post-inoculation. Fish were genotyped using a 50K Affymetrix(r) Axiom(r)
      myDesignTM Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) Genotyping Array. A Genome Wide
      Association Analysis was performed on data from the challenged fish. Linear
      regression and logistic regression models were tested. RESULTS: Genome Wide
      Association Analysis indicated that resistance to P. salmonis is a moderately
      polygenic trait. There were five SNPs in chromosomes Ssa01 and Ssa17
      significantly associated with the traits analysed. The proportion of the
      phenotypic variance explained by each marker is small, ranging from 0.007 to
      0.045. Candidate genes including interleukin receptors and fucosyltransferase
      have been found to be physically linked with these genetic markers and may play
      an important role in the differential immune response against this pathogen.
      CONCLUSIONS: Due to the small amount of variance explained by each significant
      marker we conclude that genetic resistance to this pathogen can be more
      efficiently improved with the implementation of genetic evaluations incorporating
      genotype information from a dense SNP array.

PMID- 26499326
TI  - Polymorphisms and minihaplotypes in the VvNAC26 gene associate with berry size
      variation in grapevine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Domestication and selection of Vitis vinifera L. for table and wine
      grapes has led to a large level of berry size diversity in current grapevine
      cultivars. Identifying the genetic basis for this natural variation is paramount
      both for breeding programs and for elucidating which genes contributed to crop
      evolution during domestication and selection processes. The gene VvNAC26, which
      encodes a NAC domain-containing transcription factor, has been related to the
      early development of grapevine flowers and berries. It was selected as candidate
      gene for an association study to elucidate its possible participation in the
      natural variation of reproductive traits in cultivated grapevine. METHODS: A
      grapevine collection of 114 varieties was characterized during three consecutive
      seasons for different berry and bunch traits. The promoter and coding regions of
      VvNAC26 gene (VIT_01s0026g02710) were sequenced in all the varieties of the
      collection, and the existing polymorphisms (SNP and INDEL) were detected. The
      corresponding haplotypes were inferred and used for a phylogenetic analysis. The
      possible associations between genotypic and phenotypic data were analyzed
      independently for each season data, using different models and significance
      thresholds. RESULTS: A total of 30 non-rare polymorphisms were detected in the
      VvNAC26 sequence, and 26 different haplotypes were inferred. Phylogenetic
      analysis revealed their clustering in two major haplogroups with marked
      phenotypic differences in berry size between varieties harboring haplogroup
      specific alleles. After correcting the statistical models for the effect of the
      population genetic stratification, we found a set of polymorphisms associated
      with berry size explaining between 8.4 and 21.7% (R(2)) of trait variance,
      including those generating the differentiation between both haplogroups.
      Haplotypes built from only three polymorphisms (minihaplotypes) were also
      associated with this trait (R(2): 17.5 - 26.6%), supporting the involvement of
      this gene in the natural variation for berry size. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      suggest the participation of VvNAC26 in the determination of the grape berry
      final size. Different VvNAC26 polymorphisms and their combination showed to be
      associated with different features of the fruit. The phylogenetic relationships
      between the VvNAC26 haplotypes and the association results indicate that this
      nucleotide variation may have contributed to the differentiation between table
      and wine grapes.

PMID- 26499329
TI  - Genetic architecture of growth traits in Populus revealed by integrated
      quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis and association studies.
AB  - Deciphering the genetic architecture underlying polygenic traits in perennial
      species can inform molecular marker-assisted breeding. Recent advances in high
      throughput sequencing have enabled strategies that integrate linkage-linkage
      disequilibrium (LD) mapping in Populus. We used an integrated method of
      quantitative trait locus (QTL) dissection with a high-resolution linkage map and
      multi-gene association mapping to decipher the nature of genetic architecture
      (additive, dominant, and epistatic effects) of potential QTLs for growth traits
      in a Populus linkage population (1200 progeny) and a natural population (435
      individuals). Seventeen QTLs for tree height, diameter at breast height, and stem
      volume mapped to 11 linkage groups (logarithm of odds (LOD) >= 2.5), and
      explained 2.7-18.5% of the phenotypic variance. After comparative mapping and
      transcriptome analysis, 187 expressed genes (10 046 common single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs)) were selected from the segmental homology regions (SHRs) of
      13 QTLs. Using multi-gene association models, we observed 202 significant SNPs in
      63 promising genes from 10 QTLs (P <= 0.0001; FDR <= 0.10) that exhibited
      reproducible associations with additive/dominant effects, and further determined
      11 top-ranked genes tightly linked to the QTLs. Epistasis analysis uncovered a
      uniquely interconnected gene-gene network for each trait. This study opens up
      opportunities to uncover the causal networks of interacting genes in plants using
      an integrated linkage-LD mapping approach.

PMID- 26499327
TI  - Prognostic significance of Traf2- and Nck- interacting kinase (TNIK) in
      colorectal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The potential of expression profiling using microarray analysis as a
      tool to predict the prognosis for different types of cancer has been realized.
      This study aimed to identify a novel biomarker for colorectal cancer (CRC).
      METHODS: The expression profiles of cancer cells in 152 patients with stage I-III
      CRC were examined using microarray analysis. High expression in CRC cells,
      especially in patients with distant recurrences, was a prerequisite to select
      candidate genes. Thus, we identified seventeen candidate genes, and selected
      Traf2- and Nck-interacting kinase (TNIK), which was known to be associated with
      progression in CRC through Wnt signaling pathways. We analyzed the protein
      expression of TNIK using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and investigated the
      relationship between protein expression and patient characteristics in 220 stage
      I-III CRC patients. RESULTS: Relapse-free survival was significantly worse in the
      TNIK high expression group than in the TNIK low expression group in stage II (p =
      0.028) and stage III (p = 0.006) patients. In multivariate analysis, high TNIK
      expression was identified as a significant independent risk factor of distant
      recurrence in stage III patients. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to
      demonstrate the prognostic significance of intratumoral TNIK protein expression
      in clinical tissue samples of CRC, in that high expression of TNIK protein in
      primary tumors was associated with distant recurrence in stage II and III CRC
      patients. This TNIK IHC study might contribute to practical decision-making in
      the treatment of these patients.

PMID- 26499330
TI  - Lasik Xtra(r) Provides Corneal Stability and Improved Outcomes.
AB  - A new procedure which combines LASIK and corneal cross-linking (Lasik Xtra(r))
      has been proposed as an alternative to traditional LASIK. It is aimed at
      restoring strength to the cornea, increasing stability in visual outcomes,
      increasing the accuracy of the refractive correction, and potentially lowering
      enhancement rates. This article reviews the current clinical evidence which has
      been published on the topic and reviews both the safety and efficacy argument for
      the procedure.

PMID- 26499331
TI  - Antiinflammatory Activities of Crebanine by Inhibition of NF-kappaB and AP-1
      Activation through Suppressing MAPKs and Akt Signaling in LPS-Induced RAW264.7
      Macrophages.
AB  - Crebanine, an aporphine alkaloid, displays various biological activities such as
      anticancer and antimicrobial activities. In this study, we further investigated
      the suppressive effect of crebanine on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced
      expression of proinflammatory mediators and the molecular mechanisms underlying
      these activities in RAW264.7 macrophages. Crebanine inhibited the production of
      proinflammatory cytokines including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, crebanine suppressed LPS
      induced inducible nitric oxide (iNO) and prostaglandin E2 and reduced the
      expression of iNO synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in RAW264.7 cells. Crebanine
      suppressed LPS-induced phosphorylation of Akt and mitogen-activated protein
      kinases (MAPKs), including extracellular signaling-regulated kinase 1/2, c-Jun
      NH2-terminal kinase, and p38 MAPK signaling. In addition, the specific inhibitor
      of MAPKs and Akt reduced the expression of IL-6 and NO production in LPS-induced
      macrophages. Furthermore, crebanine inhibited LPS-induced nuclear factor kappa B
      (NF-kappaB) activation by reducing the phosphorylation of p65 at Ser536 but not
      the p65 translocation to the nucleus and inhibitory factor kappa B alpha
      degradation. Crebanine also suppressed phosphorylation and nucleus translocation
      of activator protein-1 (AP-1). These observations suggest that the
      antiinflammatory properties of crebanine may stem from the inhibition of
      proinflammatory mediators via suppression of the NF-kappaB, AP-1, MAPKs, and Akt
      signaling pathways. 

PMID- 26499332
TI  - Small-sized gold nanoparticles inhibit the proliferation and invasion of SW579
      cells.
AB  - The present study reported on an intrinsic property of gold nanoparticles (Au
      NPs), namely their ability to inhibit the proliferation and invasion of thyroid
      carcinoma cells. Au-NPs of various sizes (5-60 nm) were synthesized and their
      uptake into the SW579 human thyroid carcinoma cell line was verified using
      transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The viability, apoptosis, cell cycle
      distribution and invasive capacity of SW579 cells were assessed following
      treatment with Au-NPs using a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, flow cytometric analysis
      and a Transwell as well as a fluorometric invasion assay. TEM demonstrated that
      all sizes of Au-NPs could be taken up by the SW579 cells. The results showed that
      small-sized Au-NPs (5 and 10 nm) significantly suppressed the proliferation and
      invasion of SW579 cells and induced apoptosis as well as cell cycle arrest in
      G0/G1 phase, while larger-sized gold nanoparticles (20-60 nm) did not exert these
      effects, therefore suggesting that the effects of Au-NPs on SW579 cells were
      highly associated with their particle size. The reduction of the invasive
      capacity of SW579 cells following treatment with Au-NPs may be attributed to
      decreases in the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9, which were
      observed using western blot and reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase
      chain reaction analyses. The present study was the first to demonstrate that
      small-sized Au-NPs inhibit the proliferation and invasion of thyroid carcinoma
      cells, which may contribute to the advancement of biomedical applications of Au
      NPs. 

PMID- 26499333
TI  - Eya4 Induces Hypertrophy via Regulation of p27kip1.
AB  - BACKGROUND: E193, a heterozygous truncating mutation in the human transcription
      cofactor Eyes absent 4 (Eya4), causes hearing impairment followed by dilative
      cardiomyopathy. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, we first show Eya4 and E193
      alter the expression of p27(kip1) in vitro, suggesting Eya4 is a negative
      regulator of p27. Next, we generated transgenic mice with cardiac-specific
      overexpression of Eya4 or E193. Luciferase and chromatin immunoprecipitation
      assays confirmed Eya4 and E193 bind and regulate p27 expression in a
      contradictory manner. Activity and phosphorylation status of the downstream
      molecules casein kinase-2alpha and histone deacetylase 2 were significantly
      elevated in Eya4- but significantly reduced in E193-overexpressing animals
      compared with wild-type littermates. Magnetic resonance imaging and hemodynamic
      analysis indicate Eya4-overexpression results in an age-dependent development of
      hypertrophy already under baseline conditions with no obvious functional effects,
      whereas E193 animals develop onset of dilative cardiomyopathy as seen in human
      E193 patients. Both cardiac phenotypes were aggravated on pressure overload.
      Finally, we identified a new heterozygous truncating Eya4 mutation, E215, which
      leads to similar clinical features of disease and a stable myocardial expression
      of the mutant protein as seen with E193. CONCLUSIONS: Our results implicate
      Eya4/Six1 regulates normal cardiac function via p27/casein kinase-2alpha/histone
      deacetylase 2 and indicate that mutations within this transcriptional complex and
      signaling cascade lead to the development of cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26499334
TI  - Alcohol Use Problems and Sexual Risk Among Young Adult African American Mothers.
AB  - Studies have documented high levels of alcohol use and sexual risk among young
      mothers. We examined parenting satisfaction and self-efficacy in relation to
      alcohol use problems and sexual risk among 346 young African American women
      enrolled in an HIV prevention trial, 41 % (n = 141) of whom were mothers. Among
      mothers, greater parenting satisfaction was associated with a reduced likelihood
      of problematic alcohol use, having multiple sex partners, and testing positive
      for Trichomonas vaginalis. Relative to non-parenting women, mothers reported
      lower condom use. Compared to non-parenting women, mothers with the highest
      parenting satisfaction reported fewer alcohol use problems; mothers with the
      lowest parenting satisfaction reported lower condom use and were more likely to
      have multiple partners and test positive for T. vaginalis. Parenting self
      efficacy was not associated with the outcomes examined. Future research
      investigating relationships between parenting satisfaction, alcohol use and
      sexual risk may be useful for improving multiple maternal health outcomes.

PMID- 26499335
TI  - Social Cohesion Among Sex Workers and Client Condom Refusal in a Canadian
      Setting: Implications for Structural and Community-Led Interventions.
AB  - Community empowerment can be a powerful determinant of HIV risk among sex workers
      (SWs). This study modeled the impact of social cohesion on client condom refusal
      among SWs in Vancouver. Longitudinal data were drawn from a prospective cohort of
      SWs (2010-2013). Lippman and colleagues' Social Cohesion Scale measured SWs'
      connectedness (i.e., perception of mutual aid, trust, support). Multivariable
      logistic regression examined the independent effect of social cohesion on client
      condom refusal. Of 654 SWs, 22 % reported baseline client condom refusal and 34 %
      over 3 years. The baseline median social cohesion score was 24 (IQR 20-29, range
      4-45). In the final confounding model, for every one-point increase in the social
      cohesion score, average odds of condom refusal decreased by 3 % (AOR 0.97; 95 %
      CI 0.95-0.99). Community empowerment can have a direct protective effect on HIV
      risk. These findings highlight the need for a legal framework that enables
      collectivization and SW-led efforts in the HIV response.

PMID- 26499338
TI  - Lithographically Patterned PEDOT Nanowires for the Detection of Iron(III) with
      Nanomolar Sensitivity.
AB  - Arrays of nanowires of an electronically conductive polymeric affinity medium
      tailored to the detection of Fe(III) are prepared, and their properties for
      detecting Fe(III) are evaluated. This polymeric affinity medium consists of
      poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) into which an iron chelator,
      deferoxamine (DFA), has been doped during the polymerization process. PEDOT-DFA
      nanowires are potentiostatically deposited from a solution containing both EDOT
      and DFA using lithographically patterned nanowire electrodeposition (LPNE). The
      through-nanowire electrical resistance of PEDOT-DFA nanowires is measured as a
      function of the Fe(III) concentration. In parallel with measurements on PEDOT-DFA
      nanowire arrays, the electrochemical impedance of PEDOT-DFA films is
      characterized as a function of the Fe(III) concentration and the frequency of the
      impedance measurement in order to better understand the mechanism of
      transduction. PEDOT-DFA nanowires detect Fe(III) from 10(-4) to 10(-8) M with a
      limit of detection of 300 pM (calculated) and 10 nM (measured). 

PMID- 26499337
TI  - A Web 2.0 and Epidemiology Mash-Up: Using Respondent-Driven Sampling in
      Combination with Social Network Site Recruitment to Reach Young Transwomen.
AB  - Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) peer referral has been proven to be an effective
      recruitment method for hard-to-reach populations; however, its application in
      diverse populations is limited. Recruitment occurred in two phases: RDS-only
      followed by development and implementation of an online social network strategy
      in combination with RDS peer referral (RDS + SNS). Compared to RDS-only, RDS +
      SNS reached a sample that was younger (chi(2) = 9.19, P = .03), more likely to
      identify with a non-binary gender identity (chi(2) = 10.4247, P = .03), with less
      housing instability (50.5 vs. 68.6 %, chi(2) = 9.0038, P = .002) and less sex
      work (19.7 vs. 31.4 %, chi(2) = 5.0798, P = .02). Additionally, we describe
      lessons learned as a result of implementing our online social network strategy.
      Our findings underscore the importance of integrating Internet-driven strategies
      to meet challenges in sample diversity and recruitment of young transwomen.

PMID- 26499336
TI  - Which Clinician Questions Elicit Accurate Disclosure of Antiretroviral Non
      adherence When Talking to Patients?
AB  - This study evaluated how clinicians assess antiretroviral (ARV) adherence in
      clinical encounters, and which questions elicit accurate responses. We conducted
      conversation analysis of audio-recorded encounters between 34 providers and 58
      patients reporting ARV non-adherence in post-encounter interviews. Among 42
      visits where adherence status was unknown by providers, 4 providers did not
      discuss ARVs (10 %), 6 discussed ARVs but did not elicit non-adherence disclosure
      (14 %), and 32 discussed ARVs which prompted disclosure (76 %). Questions were
      classified as: (1) clarification of medication ("Are you still taking the
      Combivir?"); (2) broad ("How's it going with your meds?"); (3) positively-framed
      ("Are you taking your medications regularly?"); (4) negatively-framed ("Have you
      missed any doses?"). Clinicians asked 75 ARV-related questions: 23 clarification,
      12 broad, 17 positively-framed, and 23 negatively-framed. Negatively-framed
      questions were 3.8 times more likely to elicit accurate disclosure than all other
      question types (p < 0.0001). Providers can improve disclosure probability by
      asking directly about missed doses.

PMID- 26499339
TI  - Control of litchi downy blight by zeamines produced by Dickeya zeae.
AB  - Zeamines (ZMS), a class of polyamine-polyketide-nonribosomal peptide produced by
      bacterial isolate Dickeya zeae, were shown recently to be potent antibiotics
      against some bacterial pathogens. In this study, the results indicated that ZMS
      showed antifungal activity against Peronophythora litchii and other fungal
      pathogens. The activity of ZMS against the oomycete pathogen P. litchi, which
      causes the devastating litchi downy blight, was further investigated under in
      vitro and in vivo conditions. ZMS displayed potent inhibitory activity against
      the mycelial growth and sporangia germination of P. litchii. At a concentration
      of 2 MUg/mL, about 99% of the sporangia germination was inhibited. Scanning
      electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses showed that
      treatment with ZMS could cause substantial damages to the oomycete endomembrane
      system. Furthermore, treatment of litchi fruits with ZMS solution significantly
      (P < 0.05) reduced the fruits decay and peel browning caused by P. litchii
      infection during storage at 28  degrees C. Taken together, our results provide
      useful clues on the antifungal mechanisms of ZMS, and highlight the promising
      potentials of ZMS as a fungicide, which in particular, may be useful for
      prevention and control of litchi fruits decay and browning caused by P. litchii
      infection during storage and transportation. 

PMID- 26499340
TI  - Fidelity Variants and RNA Quasispecies.
AB  - By now, it is well established that the error rate of the RNA-dependent RNA
      polymerase (RdRp) that replicates RNA virus genomes is a primary driver of the
      mutation frequencies observed in RNA virus populations-the basis for the RNA
      quasispecies. Over the last 10 years, a considerable amount of work has uncovered
      the molecular determinants of replication fidelity in this enzyme. The isolation
      of high- and low-fidelity variants for several RNA viruses, in an expanding
      number of viral families, provides evidence that nature has optimized the
      fidelity to facilitate genetic diversity and adaptation, while maintaining
      genetic integrity and infectivity. This chapter will provide an overview of what
      fidelity variants tell us about RNA virus biology and how they may be used in
      antiviral approaches.

PMID- 26499341
TI  - Corrigendum: macroscopic ordering of helical pores for arraying guest molecules
      noncentrosymmetrically.

PMID- 26499342
TI  - Tenuigenin exhibits anti-inflammatory activity via inhibiting MAPK and NF-kappaB
      and inducing Nrf2/HO-1 signaling in macrophages.
AB  - Tenuigenin (TNG), isolated from the root of the Chinese herb Polygala tenuifolia,
      possesses various biological and pharmacological activities, including anti
      oxidation and anti-inflammation activities. In this study, we aimed to further
      investigate whether its anti-inflammatory activity is associated with the
      inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)
      expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Our results
      showed that TNG treatment dramatically reduced prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and NO
      production, decreased iNOS and COX-2 gene expression, inhibited JNK1/2, ERK1/2,
      p38 and NF-kappaB (p65) phosphorylation, and blocked IkappaBalpha phosphorylation
      and degradation. Further studies revealed that TNG dramatically up-regulated heme
      oxygenase (HO)-1 and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)
      expression, which was related to the induction of Nrf2 nuclear translocation and
      decreased Keap1 protein expression. Additionally, treatment with JNK1/2, ERK1/2
      or p38 inhibitors had no effect on the TNG-induced HO-1 protein expression.
      Furthermore, the LPS-induced iNOS and COX-2 expression levels were inhibited by
      TNG, which was partially reversed by the HO-1-siRNA and HO-1 inhibitors.
      Together, these results showed that TNG's anti-inflammatory activity is related
      to the inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 expression via down-regulation of the MAPK
      and NF-kappaB, and up-regulation of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathways. 

PMID- 26499344
TI  - Changes in survival rate of multiple myeloma  after the introduction of
      bortezomib: a single institutional  experience over 20 years.
AB  - The data of factors on the changes in survival before and after the introduction
      of bortezomib in unselected multiple myeloma (MM) patients is scarce in Asian
      population. We analyzed the clinical features and treatment outcomes of 270
      consecutive MM patients admitted to our hospital between January 1995 and August
      2014. The patients were divided into two groups, 1995-2005 (n=106) and 2006-2014
      (n=164), based on bortezomib availability. There were no differences in baseline
      characteristics between the groups, except age and percentage of patients
      receiving autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT). The proportion of
      patients obtaining >=very good partial response (VGPR) was higher in the recent
      cohort, which was translated as better overall survival in both younger and older
      patients (36.1 vs. 79.8 months, P=0.024, and 40.0 vs. 110.7 months,
      respectively). Patients receiving bortezomib early after diagnosis showed
      significantly better survival. However, there was no difference in survival
      between patients obtaining >=VGPR in the two groups. On multivariate analysis,
      age >=75 and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) >normal were associated with shorter
      survival, while early bortezomib use and auto-SCT were associated with longer
      survival. On Cox regression analysis, International Staging System (ISS) stage
      III, LDH, and treatment response <VGPR in the previous cohort and ISS stage III,
      creatinine >=2.0 mg/dL, and treatment response <VGPR in the recent cohort were
      associated with poorer survival. Our observations indicated marked improvement of
      survival in MM patients diagnosed from 2006 to 2014 mainly due to the
      availability of bortezomib in Japan.

PMID- 26499343
TI  - Comparative Effects of Metal-Catalyzed Oxidizing Systems on Carbonylation and
      Integrity of Therapeutic Proteins.
AB  - PURPOSE: Ascorbic acid has been considered as a potential radical scavenging
      excipient for pharmaceutical formulations. However, under certain circumstances,
      ascorbic acid can generate reactive oxygen species via redox cycling. The
      objective of this study was to investigate ascorbic acid-induced oxidative
      carbonylation of therapeutic proteins and correlate the increase in carbonylation
      with protein aggregation. METHODS: An optimized ELISA for quantifying carbonyl
      levels was used to compare the oxidizing potentials of ascorbic acid and hydrogen
      peroxide by testing four pharmaceutically-relevant proteins (human serum albumin,
      immunoglobulin G, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor and calcitonin). Several
      transition metals at micromolar concentrations were evaluated for their ability
      to enhance ascorbic acid-induced protein carbonylation. Protein aggregation under
      oxidative conditions, with or without free radical scavengers, was measured by
      aggregate binding fluorescent dye and confirmed by microfluidic imaging. RESULTS:
      Addition of ascorbic acid alone resulted in higher increases in carbonylation
      than addition of hydrogen peroxide. The presence of trace amounts (>75 ppb) of
      copper enhanced oxidative effects of ascorbic acid, whereas other tested metals
      did not comparably promote oxidation. During oxidation, protein destabilization
      indicated by loss of the full-length protein, positively correlated with the
      increase in protein aggregation. However, levels of aggregation did not always
      correlate with the levels of protein carbonylation. At comparable carbonylation
      levels, addition of copper produced greater protein destabilization and
      aggregation than addition of iron. CONCLUSIONS: The results strongly suggest that
      ascorbic acid with traces of metals, especially copper, can promote therapeutic
      protein carbonylation and potentially aggregation. At similar carbonylation
      levels, some oxidative conditions may lead to greater protein destabilization
      than others.

PMID- 26499345
TI  - Echinocystic Acid Inhibits IL-1beta-Induced COX-2 and iNOS Expression in Human
      Osteoarthritis Chondrocytes.
AB  - Echinocystic acid (EA), a pentacyclic triterpene isolated from the fruits of
      Gleditsia sinensis Lam, displays a range of pharmacological activities including
      anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. However, the effect of EA on IL-1beta
      stimulated osteoarthritis chondrocyte has not been reported. The purpose of this
      study was to assess the effects of EA on IL-1beta-stimulated human osteoarthritis
      chondrocyte. Chondrocytes were stimulated with IL-1beta in the absence or
      presence of EA. NO and PGE2 production were measured by Griess reagent and ELISA.
      The expression of COX-2, iNOS, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), inhibitory
      kappa B (IkappaBalpha), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38, and extracellular
      signal-regulated kinase (ERK) were detected by Western blot analysis. The results
      showed that EA suppressed IL-1beta-induced collagenase-3 (MMP-13), NO, and PGE2
      production in a dose-dependent manner. IL-1beta up-regulated the expression of
      COX-2 and iNOS, and the increase was inhibited by EA. Furthermore, IL-1beta
      induced NF-kappaB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation were
      inhibited by EA. In conclusion, EA effectively attenuated IL-1beta-induced
      inflammatory response in osteoarthritis chondrocyte which suggesting that EA may
      be a potential agent in the treatment of osteoarthritis. 

PMID- 26499346
TI  - A spectrum of intracranial vascular high-flow arteriovenous shunts in RASA1
      mutations.
AB  - PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND: We describe three paediatric cases with different
      intracranial fast-flow shunts presenting early in life, all with capillary
      malformation-arteriovenous malformation syndrome and RASA1 verified mutations.
      Intracranial arteriovenous fast-flow shunts are rare vascular malformations
      typically presenting early in life and have been associated with cutaneous
      capillary malformations, characterized as capillary malformation-arteriovenous
      malformation syndrome. Heterozygous RASA1 gene mutations have been found to be
      disease causing with high penetrance for the typical cutaneous findings, but only
      some individuals with the syndrome have intracranial lesions. CASES: One infant
      presented with a vein of Galen malformation responsible for hydrodynamic
      disorders, one neonate suffered from severe cardiac insufficiency related to a
      superior sagittal sinus dural malformation with high-flow fistulas, and one baby
      was treated at infant age of a choroidal arteriovenous fistula discovered
      antenatally. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We report the follow-up of these three
      cases with RASA1 gene mutation and comment on the possible role of evaluation for
      vascular lesions and capillary malformation-arteriovenous malformation syndrome
      in patients and their families, with intracranial fast-flow shunts.

PMID- 26499347
TI  - A case of acute onset succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency:
      neuroimaging findings and literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) deficiency is a rare
      autosomal recessive disorder of gamma-aminobutyric acid metabolism, leading to
      elevated levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid in
      cerebrospinal fluid. PATIENT: We describe the neuroimaging findings of a
      previously healthy 6-month-old girl with acute onset of lethargy, hypotonia, and
      choreiform movements, and a subsequent diagnosis of SSADH deficiency. Magnetic
      resonance (MR) imaging of the brain revealed symmetric T2 hyperintense signal
      abnormalities and reduced diffusivity of the globus pallidi bilaterally. Arterial
      spin-labeling perfusion MR imaging suggested bilateral hyperperfusion of the
      globus pallidi. MR spectroscopy of the thalamus and frontal lobe white matter
      revealed increased signal intensity in the glutamate and glutamine region of the
      spectra between 2.1 and 2.4 ppm. CONCLUSION: The unique early imaging findings
      described here may be attributable to bioenergetic failure and deficiency in
      mitochondrial energy metabolism and are consistent with SSADH-knockout mice
      studies.

PMID- 26499348
TI  - A commentary to the manuscript awareness and uptake of measures for preventing
      CNS birth defects among mothers of affected children in a sub-Saharan African
      neurosurgeon's practice.

PMID- 26499349
TI  - Comparison between the antero-posterior and posterior only approaches for
      treating thoracolumbar tuberculosis (T10-L2) with kyphosis in children: a minimum
      3-year follow-up.
AB  - PURPOSE: There are few papers in the literature comparing outcomes between antero
      posterior and posterior-only approaches for treating thoracolumbar tuberculosis
      (T10-L2) in children. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 47 children
      who were diagnosed and treated as thoracolumbar tuberculosis (T10-L2) in our
      department from January 2005 to June 2009. Forty-seven cases of thoracolumbar
      tuberculosis were treated by two different surgical approaches. All the cases
      were divided into two groups: 25 cases in group A underwent one-stage posterior
      debridement, transforaminal fusion, and instrumentation, and 22 cases in group B
      underwent anterior debridement, bone graft, and posterior instrumentation in a
      single- or two-stage procedure. Two approaches were compared in terms of average
      operative time, blood loss, hospitalizations, bony fusion, intraoperative and
      postoperative complications, the Oswestry disability index score, neurological
      status, and the angle of kyphosis. RESULTS: All 47 patients (24 M/23F), averaged
      9.1 +/- 2.6 years old (range 5 to 14 years), who were followed up for mean of
      49.3 +/- 8.6 months (range 36 to 65 months). Spinal tuberculosis (TB) was
      completely cured, and the grafted bones were fused in 9 months in all cases. It
      was obviously that the average operative time, blood loss, hospitalization, and
      complication rate of group A was less than those of group B. Good clinical
      outcomes were achieved in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Both the antero-posterior and
      posterior approaches can effectively heal T10-L2 vertebral tuberculosis, but the
      average surgical time, blood loss, complications, and hospital stay following the
      posterior approach are prominently less than those following the antero-posterior
      approach. It might be a better surgical treatment for thoracic spinal
      tuberculosis in children with poor health status, especially for cases in early
      phase of bone destruction and/or mild and moderate kyphosis.

PMID- 26499350
TI  - Bariatric surgery as a treatment for idiopathic intracranial hypertension: a
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a chronic neurologic
      disease that may result in persistent and debilitating symptoms that are
      refractory to conventional treatments. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to
      systematically review the effect of bariatric weight reduction surgery as a
      treatment for IIH. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using
      the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Sciences, and
      the Cochrane Library. No restrictions were placed on these searches, including
      the date of publication. RESULTS: A total of 85 publications were identified, and
      after initial appraisal, 17 were included in the final review. Overall
      improvement in symptoms of IIH after bariatric surgery was observed in 60 of the
      65 patients observed (92%). Postoperative lumbar puncture opening pressure was
      shown to decrease by an average of 18.9 cmH2O in the 12 patients who had this
      recorded. CONCLUSION: Bariatric surgery for weight loss is associated with
      alleviation of IIH symptoms and a reduction in intracranial pressure.
      Furthermore, an improvement was observed in patients where conventional
      treatments, including neurosurgery, were ineffective. Further prospective
      randomized studies with control groups and a larger number of participants are
      lacking within the published studies to date. There is, therefore, a strong
      rationale for the use of bariatric surgery in individuals with IIH for the
      effective treatment of this condition, as well as the efficacy of weight loss for
      various other obesity co-morbidities.

PMID- 26499351
TI  - Life-threatening late complication after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding:
      two cases of gastric necrosis.

PMID- 26499352
TI  - Effect of probiotics on postoperative quality of gastric bypass surgeries: a
      prospective randomized trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gastric bypass surgery is the recommended treatment for severely
      obese patients. However, postoperative symptomatic gastrointestinal (GI) episodes
      are common complaints. OBJECTIVES: To determine if administration of probiotics
      improves symptomatic GI episodes after gastric bypass surgery. SETTING: Hospital
      based bariatric center. METHODS: This double-blind, randomized trial was
      conducted between March 2010 and September 2010 with 60 patients who underwent
      gastric bypass for severe obesity and experienced postoperative symptomatic GI
      episodes. Patients were randomly assigned to the probiotics group A (n = 20; 1 g
      Clostridium butyricum MIYAIRI twice daily); probiotics group B (n = 20;
      Bifidobacterium longum BB536 twice daily); or digestive enzymes group (n = 20;
      Aczym, containing 100 mg takadiastase N, 20 mg cellulase AP, 50 mg lipase MY, and
      100 mg pancreatin, twice daily). Quality of life was measured using the modified
      Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (mGIQLI) before and after the 2-week
      intervention. RESULTS: Preintervention patient characteristics and mGIQLI scores
      were similar among the 3 groups. After the 2-week intervention, the mean mGIQLI
      score improved from 57.4 to 63.9 points in the entire sample and also within each
      group for 7 items specifically for 7: excessive passage of gas, foul smell of
      flatulence, belching, heartburn, abdominal noises, abdominal bloating, and
      abdominal pain. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of probiotics or digestive enzymes
      may improve symptomatic GI episodes after gastric bypass surgeries and improve
      quality of life, at least initially.

PMID- 26499353
TI  - A video case report of LRYGB in a patient with a left ventricular assist device.

PMID- 26499354
TI  - Beriberi: an uncommon complication of sleeve gastrectomy.

PMID- 26499355
TI  - Distal small bowel bypass for weight regain after gastric bypass: safety and
      efficacy threshold occurs at <70% bypass.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For patients with poor weight loss (WL) after Roux-en-Y gastric
      bypass (RYGB) there are few well-tolerated and effective surgical options.
      Revision to distal bypass by shortening of the common channel (CC) induces
      significant WL but often produces protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) and severe
      diarrhea. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify a safe and effective
      threshold for distal small bowel bypass when done for revision of gastric bypass.
      SETTING: Academic Institution, United States. METHODS: We performed revision of
      RYGB for WL in 20 patients by shortening the CC to a new length of 120-300 cm.
      The Roux limb length was unchanged. WL and PCM were monitored. A threshold for
      percent of small bowel bypassed at which PCM was avoided was retrospectively
      determined. WL was then compared in patients above and below this threshold. Five
      patients completed a 250-kcal mixed meal challenge before and 3 months after
      revision to determine selected gut hormone responses. RESULTS: Bypassing >=70%
      small bowel resulted in PCM in 4 of 10 patients but in none of 10 patients below
      that threshold. PCM was observed as late as 2 years after revision and
      necessitated rerevision by lengthening of the CC in 3 patients. Additionally,
      nocturnal diarrhea was more common and more intractable when >=70% bypass was
      done. Both groups had significant excess body WL over 2 years, but it was greater
      in patients with >=70% bypass (47+/-19 versus 26+/-17; P<.05). A favorable gut
      hormone response was observed with 3-hour decrease in glucose-dependent
      insulinotropic peptide (GIP) by 25% and increase in glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP
      1) by 25%, whereas fasting peptide-YY (PYY) increased by 71% (P<.05 for all).
      CONCLUSIONS: Revision of RYGB to distal bypass when it is <70% of a patient's
      small bowel length results in an acceptable balance of WL and a positive safety
      profile. WL may be mediated through an enhanced gut hormone effect, an aversion
      to ingested fat, and possibly other mechanisms.

PMID- 26499356
TI  - An Evidence-Based Approach to Defining Fetal Macrosomia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the risk of adverse outcomes associated
      with the current diagnostic criteria for fetal macrosomia. Study DESIGN: We
      evaluated three techniques for characterizing birth weight as a predictor of
      shoulder dystocia or third- or fourth-degree laceration in 79,879 vaginal
      deliveries. First, we compared deliveries with birth weights above or below 4,500
      g. We then performed logistic regression using birth weight as a continuous
      predictor, both with and without fractional polynomial transformation. Finally,
      we calculated the number of cesarean sections required to prevent one incident of
      the interrogated outcomes (number needed to treat [NNT]). RESULTS: Rates of
      adverse intrapartum outcomes increase incrementally with increasing birth weight
      and are predicted most accurately with logistic regression following fractional
      polynomial transformation. The NNT for third- or fourth-degree laceration dropped
      from 14.3 (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.9-14.7) at a birth weight of 3,500 g
      to 6.4 (95% CI, 6.1-6.8) at 4,500 g and, for shoulder dystocia, from 54.9 (95%
      CI, 51.5-58.6) at 3,500 g to 5.6 (95% CI, 5.2-6.0) at 4,500 g. CONCLUSION: The
      conventional distinction between "normal" and "macrosomic" does not reflect the
      incremental effect of increasing birth weight on the risk of obstetric morbidity.
      Outcomes analysis can inform fetal growth standards to better reflect relevant
      thresholds of risk.

PMID- 26499357
TI  - Prostaglandin Availability and Association with Outcomes for Infants with
      Congenital Heart Disease.
AB  - Data regarding availability of prostaglandin E1 (PGE) and its impact on the
      stabilization, transport, critical care course, and surgical outcome of infants
      with ductal-dependent congenital heart disease in the current pediatric
      healthcare environment are unknown. We sought to determine the proportion of
      hospitals in Texas that stock PGE and to investigate associations between PGE
      availability and clinical outcomes. All birth institutions listed with the Texas
      Department of Health and Human Services were contacted to determine PGE
      availability as of 2011. Outcomes of all infants admitted to our institution from
      2007 to 2012 who received PGE for ductal-dependent lesions were evaluated. PGE
      was stocked in 50 % (n = 139) of hospitals that performed deliveries in Texas in
      2011 representing 79.1 % (303, 481) of births. Hospitals that did not stock PGE
      had less annual births and were located a further distance from a center that
      provided pediatric cardiac surgical services. Patients born at a hospital that
      did not stock PGE had significantly greater serum lactate and creatinine (p =
      0.002) and serum lactate on admission (p < 0.001). The PGE availability was not
      associated with hospital length of stay, postoperative length of stay, or
      mortality. When stratifying in TGA and HLHS subgroups, lack of PGE availability
      remained associated with higher creatinine, higher lactate, lower glucose, and
      lower pH. PGE is not universally available in all healthcare institutions
      providing obstetrical services. Lack of availability of PGE at an outlying
      hospital was associated with increased morbidity, but was not associated with
      mortality or length of stay.

PMID- 26499358
TI  - Changes in Myocardial Contractility and Electromechanical Interval During the
      First Month of Life in Healthy Neonates.
AB  - This study aims at documenting the changes in ventricular tissue velocities,
      longitudinal strain and electromechanical coupling during the first month of
      life. During the neonatal period, when the ventricular myocardium is not yet
      fully maturated, the heart is subjected to significant hemodynamic changes. We
      studied the ventricular performance of 16 healthy neonates at three time points
      over the first month of life: on days 2 (IQR [2;2]), 13 [12;14] and 27 [25;29].
      We found that systolic and diastolic tissue velocities increased significantly in
      both left and right ventricle (by 1.2-1.7 times, p < 0.001). Congruently, we
      found that peak systolic longitudinal strain of the right and left ventricles
      increased significantly. However, no significant changes in longitudinal strain
      rate were observed. Finally, QS-intervals shortened during the neonatal period:
      being measured at 12 points throughout the left ventricle, time to peak systolic
      velocity decreased on average to 89 % in the second and to 80 % in the fourth
      week of life (22.3 +/- 0.2 vs. 19.8 +/- 0.3 vs. 17.8 +/- 0.5 ms, r = -0.564, p <
      0.001). When comparing opposing walls of the left ventricle, no dyssynchrony in
      left ventricular contraction was found. In addition to increasing systolic and
      diastolic tissue velocities during the first month of life, the time to peak
      systolic contraction shortens in the neonatal heart, which may reflect an
      increasing efficiency of the excitation-contraction coupling in the maturing
      myocardium. While there appears to be no dyssynchrony in ventricular contraction,
      these findings may extend our appreciation of the immature neonatal heart and
      certain disease states.

PMID- 26499359
TI  - Elevated Inducible Nitric Oxide Levels and Decreased Hydrogen Sulfide Levels Can
      Predict the Risk of Coronary Artery Ectasia in Kawasaki Disease.
AB  - Kawasaki disease (KD) is a vasculitis disease in children that is associated with
      coronary artery ectasia (CAE). We investigated whether inducible nitric oxide
      synthase (i-NOS) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) could be used to predict CAE
      secondary to KD. We enrolled 65 children with KD (35 cases with CAE and 30 cases
      without CAE), 33 healthy children, and 32 children with fever but without
      vasculitis disease (febrile group). We measured plasma nitric oxide (NO), total
      nitric oxide synthase (Total-NOS), i-NOS, constructive nitric oxide synthase (c
      NOS) levels, and H2S content in all patients. Plasma NO, Total-NOS, i-NOS, and
      H2S were higher in KD children than in healthy and febrile children (P < 0.05).
      The i-NOS level was higher in KD children with CAE compared to those without CAE,
      while the H2S was lower (both P < 0.05). Using a combination of i-NOS (higher
      than 10 U/mL) and H2S (lower than 3.31 MUmol/L) to predict CAE had 80 %
      sensitivity and 81 % specificity (P < 0.05). Elevated plasma i-NOS and decreased
      plasma H2S levels in the acute phase of KD have good predictive value for CAE and
      may be used to guide appropriate clinical treatment and prevent future
      cardiovascular complications.

PMID- 26499360
TI  - Rapidly rising incidence of Type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents aged 0-19
      years in Zhejiang, China, 2007 to 2013.
AB  - AIMS: To investigate the incidence rates and trends in Type 1 diabetes in
      children and adolescents aged 0-19 years in the registered Zhejiang population
      over the period 2007-2013 by age, sex and calendar year. METHODS: In total, 611
      individuals with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes were identified from 30
      districts in Zhejiang province over the study period. Annual incidence and 95%
      confidence intervals (CI) by age group and sex were calculated per 100 000 person
      years. Trends in diabetes incidence and the associations of age and sex with Type
      1 diabetes were assessed using Poisson regression models. RESULTS: The mean
      annual age-standardized incidence of diabetes was 2.02/100 000 person-years (95%
      CI: 1.92-2.12), with an average annual increase of 12.0% (95% CI: 7.6-16.6%) over
      the study period. The risk for Type 1 diabetes in girls was estimated to be 1.25
      (95% CI: 1.07-1.47) times higher than that in boys. Compared with those aged 0-4
      years, the 5-9, 10-14 and 15-19 years age groups were at significantly greater
      risk, with adjusting incidence rate ratios of 3.54, 6.58 and 5.39, respectively.
      The mean age at diagnosis decreased significantly from 12.85 years in 2007 to
      11.21 years in 2013. A steep rise in diabetes incidence was observed in the under
      5 years age group, which showed the greatest increase at 33.61%. CONCLUSIONS: The
      incidence of diabetes in Zhejiang was relatively low, although rapidly rising
      trends have been found in recent years, particularly in younger children. Further
      monitoring and research are urgently required to better understand possible
      environmental risk factors and formulate preventive strategies.

PMID- 26499361
TI  - Modeling of interstitial fluid movement in soft tissue under negative pressure-
      relevance to treatment of tissue swelling.
AB  - Exact physiological mechanisms behind the potential positive treatment effects of
      pathological tissue swelling (edema), such as increased interstitial fluid flow,
      are poorly understood. Finite-element model was created and the model response
      was matched with the deformation data from the negative pressure (suction)
      measurements in human (N = 11) forearm. Two experimental suction protocols were
      simulated to evaluate their impact on interstitial fluid flow in soft tissues.
      Simulated continuous suction was up to 27 times more efficient in fluid
      transportation compared to the cyclic suction. The continuous suction that
      transports the interstitial fluid effectively may help to decrease soft tissue
      edema.

PMID- 26499362
TI  - Applications of DQ-DRENAR for the structural analysis of phosphate glasses.
AB  - A new solid state NMR technique entitled DQ-DRENAR (Double-Quantum based Dipolar
      Recoupling Effects Nuclear Alignment Reduction) has been recently described for
      measuring homonuclear dipole-dipole interactions in multi-spin-1/2 systems under
      magic-angle spinning conditions. As in rotational echo double resonance (REDOR),
      the homonuclear dipole-dipole coupling constant can be extracted from a plot of a
      normalized difference signal (S0-S')/S0 versus dipolar mixing time, where S is
      the signal amplitude with the DQ-Hamiltonian present, and S0 is the signal
      amplitude in the absence of the DQ-Hamiltonian, which is used for normalization.
      Within the range of (S0-S)/S0<=0.3-0.5 such "homonuclear REDOR curves" can be
      approximated by simple parabolae, yielding effective squared dipole-dipole
      coupling constants ?bjk(2) summed over all the pairwise interactions present. The
      effect of glassy disorder has been studied by simulations, replacing singular
      valued internuclear distances by Gaussian distance distributions with the same
      central value. This situation results in a systematic over-estimation effect,
      which tends to compensate the implicit under-estimation effect caused by the
      parabolic fitting approach. The present contribution describes applications to a
      number of phosphate-based glasses and glass ceramics. The method turns out to be
      well suited for the differentiation of the various Q((n)) phosphate species, for
      characterizing the spatial distribution of isolated orthophosphate ions and for
      the detection of incipient nano-segregation and/or phase separation effects in
      glass ceramics. 

PMID- 26499363
TI  - Divalent metal ion-mediated assembly of spherical nucleic acids: the case study
      of Cu(2.).
AB  - Despite the critical functions of divalent metal ions (M(2+)s) in association
      with duplex DNA, fundamental and general interactions of M(2+)s with spherical
      nucleic acids (SNAs) composed of single-stranded DNA have rarely been
      investigated. We have explored that the coordinative nature of the M(2+)-SNA
      binding mediates the temperature- and base composition-dependent reversible
      assemblies of SNAs even without the need of complementary counterparts for duplex
      interconnection, additional monovalent metal ions for charge screening, or pre
      designed sequences for any non-Watson-Crick base-pairing, all of which are
      essential for the conventional assembly of SNAs. Cu(2+) has been identified to
      maximize the reversible assembly properties in relation to this M(2+)-mediated
      DNA bond, and has been further qualitatively and quantitatively investigated in
      detail as a model system. 

PMID- 26499364
TI  - Unilateral hyperhidrosis and hypothermia: symptoms of an intrathoracic tumour.

PMID- 26499365
TI  - Substance P enhances the activation of AMPK and cellular lipid accumulation in
      3T3-L1 cells in response to high levels of glucose.
AB  - The rescue of glucose tolerance and insulin-sensitivity in peripheral tissues,
      including adipose tissue, is essential in therapeutic strategies for diabetes.
      The present study demonstrated that substance P (SP) increases the accumulation
      of lipids in 3T3-L1 cells during their differentiation into adipocytes in
      response to a high concentration of glucose. SP reciprocally regulated the
      activities of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and Akt: SP enhanced the
      activation of AMPK, although the activity of Akt was downregulated. Notably, SP
      induced an increase in the expression level of glucose transporter 4 in the 3T3
      L1 adipocytes. Therefore, it is possible that SP leads to an increase in glucose
      uptake and the accumulation of lipids in adipocytes, and may contribute towards
      the rescue of insulin-sensitivity in diabetes. 

PMID- 26499366
TI  - Modelling the effects of cerebral microvasculature morphology on oxygen
      transport.
AB  - The cerebral microvasculature plays a vital role in adequately supplying blood to
      the brain. Determining the health of the cerebral microvasculature is important
      during pathological conditions, such as stroke and dementia. Recent studies have
      shown the complex relationship between cerebral metabolic rate and transit time
      distribution, the transit times of all the possible pathways available dependent
      on network topology. In this paper, we extend a recently developed technique to
      solve for residue function, the amount of tracer left in the vasculature at any
      time, and transit time distribution in an existing model of the cerebral
      microvasculature to calculate cerebral metabolism. We present the mathematical
      theory needed to solve for oxygen concentration followed by results of the
      simulations. It is found that oxygen extraction fraction, the fraction of oxygen
      removed from the blood in the capillary network by the tissue, and cerebral
      metabolic rate are dependent on both mean and heterogeneity of the transit time
      distribution. For changes in cerebral blood flow, a positive correlation can be
      observed between mean transit time and oxygen extraction fraction, and a negative
      correlation between mean transit time and metabolic rate of oxygen. A negative
      correlation can also be observed between transit time heterogeneity and the
      metabolic rate of oxygen for a constant cerebral blood flow. A sensitivity
      analysis on the mean and heterogeneity of the transit time distribution was able
      to quantify their respective contributions to oxygen extraction fraction and
      metabolic rate of oxygen. Mean transit time has a greater contribution than the
      heterogeneity for oxygen extraction fraction. This is found to be opposite for
      metabolic rate of oxygen. These results provide information on the role of the
      cerebral microvasculature and its effects on flow and metabolism. They thus open
      up the possibility of obtaining additional valuable clinical information for
      diagnosing and treating cerebrovascular diseases. 

PMID- 26499368
TI  - Resveratrol induces human keratinocyte damage via the activation of class III
      histone deacetylase, Sirt1.
AB  - Human skin diseases are various and induce chronic inflammatory disorders,
      including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and certain forms of ichthyosis. Psoriasis
      is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by circumscribed, red,
      thickened plaques. Regulation of the balance between growth, differentiation and
      death is critical to keratinocytes; when altered, epidermal keratinocytes undergo
      hyperproliferation, abnormal differentiation and inflammatory infiltration. In
      the present study, we focused on the effects of resveratrol, found in red wine
      and peanuts, on the cell death of keratinocytes. We additionally studied the
      mechanism of resveratrol on Sirt1, a class III histone deacetylase, and Akt
      phosphorylation. Resveratrol caused apoptosis and increased Sirt1 expression in
      human HaCaT keratinocytes, following a decrease in the p62 protein level.
      Inhibition of Sirt1 by Sirt1 inhibitor restored cell viability and protein
      levels. Furthermore, we showed that resveratrol-induced Sirt1 blocked Akt
      phosphorylation. The present results indicated that resveratrol inhibited the Akt
      pathways by inducing Sirt1, thus leading to cell death. These data suggest that
      resveratrol-mediated activation of Sirt1 histone deacetylase may be a potential
      therapeutic target for skin diseases including psoriasis.

PMID- 26499367
TI  - Interaction between PVY HC-Pro and the NtCF1beta-subunit reduces the amount of
      chloroplast ATP synthase in virus-infected tobacco.
AB  - The photosynthetic rate of virus-infected plants is always reduced. However, the
      molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unclear. The helper
      component-proteinase (HC-Pro) of Potato virus Y (PVY) was found in the
      chloroplasts of PVY-infected tobacco, indicating some new function of HC-Pro in
      the chloroplasts. We generated HC-Pro transgenic plants with a transit peptide to
      target the protein to chloroplast. The HC-Pro transgenic tobacco showed a
      decreased photosynthetic rate by 25% at the light intensity of 600 MUmol m(-2) s(
      1). Using a yeast two-hybrid screening assay to search for chloroplast proteins
      interacting with HC-Pro, we identified that PVY HC-Pro can interact with the
      chloroplast ATP synthase NtCF1beta-subunit. This interaction was confirmed by GST
      pull-down and co-immunoprecipitation assays. HC-Pro didn't interfere with the
      activity of assembled ATP synthase in vitro. The HC-Pro/NtCF1beta-subunit
      interaction might affect the assembly of ATP synthase complex. Quantitative
      western blot and immunogold labeling of the ATP synthase indicated that the
      amount of ATP synthase complex was decreased in both the HC-Pro transgenic and
      the PVY-infected tobacco. These results demonstrate that HC-Pro plays an
      important role in reducing the photosynthetic rate of PVY-infected plants, which
      is a completely new role of HC-Pro besides its multiple known functions. 

PMID- 26499369
TI  - Evaluation of Quantitative Real-Time PCR as a Hepatitis C Virus Supplementary
      Test After RIBA Discontinuation.
AB  - Laboratory testing plays a major role in hepatitis C virus (HCV) diagnosis and
      patient follow-up. The high false positive rates of HCV screening tests require
      confirmation through a supplementary test. According to the 2003 CDC guidelines,
      recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) is indispensible to confirm positive
      screening results and differentiate biologic false positivity from true HCV
      exposure. However, RIBA has been permanently discontinued since 2011. In the 2013
      update of its guidelines, CDC called for further studies on HCV laboratory
      testing without RIBA. In this study, we analyzed the applicability of
      quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) as a supplementary HCV diagnostic test. By
      comparing our HCV testing performances before and after RIBA discontinuation, we
      found that omitting RIBA has no significant effect on the accurate and efficient
      identification of HCV infection, provided that HCV antibody signal-to-cutoff
      ratio is considered. Furthermore, we proposed a new HCV testing algorithm that
      incorporates semiquantitative assessment of HCV antibody positivity and HCV viral
      load measurement by qPCR. By following the algorithm, we were able to address
      confirmation of positive HCV screening results and to provide useful information
      generally required by clinicians, including the needs of further laboratory
      testing or clinical follow-up, as well as HCV viral titers. 

PMID- 26499371
TI  - Reprint of "Decision-making in child protective services: Influences at multiple
      levels of the social ecology".
AB  - Decision-making in the child protection system is influenced by multiple factors;
      agency and geographic contexts, caseworker attributes, and families' unique
      circumstances all likely play a role. In this study, we use the second cohort of
      the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being to explore how these
      factors are associated with two key case decisions-substantiation and removal to
      out-of-home care. Analyses are conducted using weighted hierarchical linear
      models. We find that substantiation is strongly influenced by agency factors,
      particularly constraints on service accessibility. Substantiation is less likely
      when agencies can provide services to unsubstantiated cases and when
      collaboration with other social institutions is high. This supports the concept
      that substantiation may be a gateway to services in some communities. Agency
      factors contributed less to the probability of removal among substantiated cases,
      though time resources and constraints on decision-making had some influence. For
      both substantiation and removal risks, county, caseworker, and child
      characteristics were less influential than agency characteristics and family risk
      factors. 

PMID- 26499370
TI  - Gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders in patients with eating disorders.
AB  - The two most clinically serious eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia
      nervosa. A drive for thinness and fear of fatness lead patients with anorexia
      nervosa either to restrict their food intake or binge-eat then purge (through
      self-induced vomiting and/or laxative abuse) to reduce their body weight to much
      less than the normal range. A drive for thinness leads patients with bulimia
      nervosa to binge-eat then purge but fail to reduce their body weight. Patients
      with eating disorders present with various gastrointestinal disturbances such as
      postprandial fullness, abdominal distention, abdominal pain, gastric distension,
      and early satiety, with altered esophageal motility sometimes seen in patients
      with anorexia nervosa. Other common conditions noted in patients with eating
      disorders are postprandial distress syndrome, superior mesenteric artery
      syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and functional constipation. Binge eating may
      cause acute gastric dilatation and gastric perforation, while self-induced
      vomiting can lead to dental caries, salivary gland enlargement, gastroesophageal
      reflux disease, and electrolyte imbalance. Laxative abuse can cause dehydration
      and electrolyte imbalance. Vomiting and/or laxative abuse can cause hypokalemia,
      which carries a risk of fatal arrhythmia. Careful assessment and intensive
      treatment of patients with eating disorders is needed because gastrointestinal
      symptoms/disorders can progress to a critical condition.

PMID- 26499373
TI  - The CD8+ cell non-cytotoxic antiviral response affects RNA polymerase II-mediated
      human immunodeficiency virus transcription in infected CD4+ cells.
AB  - A CD8+ cell non-cytotoxic antiviral response (CNAR), mediated by a CD8+ cell
      antiviral factor (CAF), is associated with a long-term healthy state in human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. CNAR/CAF reduces viral transcription
      without a known effect on specific viral sequences in the HIV genome. In studies
      to define the mechanism involved in the block in viral transcription, we now
      report that transcription from the HIV-LTR reporter is reduced in infected CD4+
      cells upon treatment with CAF. In agreement with this observation, the amount of
      RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) on the HIV promoter and other viral regions was
      strongly diminished in HIV-infected CD4+ cells co-cultivated with CNAR-expressing
      CD8+ cells. These results demonstrate further that CNAR/CAF has a specific role
      in regulating HIV transcription and a step during the preinitiation complex
      assembly appears to be sensitive to CNAR/CAF. 

PMID- 26499372
TI  - Childhood trauma and neighborhood-level crime interact in predicting adult
      posttraumatic stress and major depression symptoms.
AB  - Previous research has identified several individual-level factors that modify the
      risk of childhood trauma on adult psychiatric symptoms, including symptoms of
      major depression (MD) and posttraumatic stress (PTS). Neighborhood-level factors
      also influence the impact of individual-level exposures on adult psychopathology.
      However, no prior studies to our knowledge have explored cross-level interactions
      between childhood trauma and neighborhood-level factors on MD and PTS symptoms.
      The purpose of this study was therefore to explore cross-level interactions
      between a neighborhood-level factor - neighborhood-level crime - and childhood
      trauma on MD and PTS symptoms. Participants in this study (N=3192) were recruited
      from a large public hospital, and completed self-report inventories of childhood
      trauma and MD and PTS symptoms. Participant addresses were mapped onto 2010
      census tracts, and data on crime within each tract were collected. Multilevel
      models found a significant cross-level interaction between childhood trauma and
      neighborhood crime on MD symptoms, such that the influence of high levels of
      childhood trauma on MD symptoms was enhanced for participants living in high
      crime neighborhoods. Supplementary analyses found variation in the strength of
      cross-level interaction terms by types of childhood trauma and crime, with the
      strongest associations including emotional neglect paired with personal and
      property crime. The results provide preliminary support for interventions that
      help childhood trauma survivors find housing in less vulnerable neighborhoods and
      build skills to cope with neighborhood crime. 

PMID- 26499374
TI  - Targeted silencing of CXCL1 by siRNA inhibits tumor growth and apoptosis in
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive malignancy and a major cause of
      cancer-related mortality worldwide. Our previous study shows that chemokine (C-X
      C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1) was upregulated and CXCR1 was downregulated in tumor
      tissues as compared to peritumor tissues by chemotaxis assay. As the status of
      CXCL subgroups and their receptors affect progression of HCC, we evaluated
      potential mechanisms of CXCL1 associated with anticancer effects in HCC based on
      our previous study. The effects of targeting CXCL1 by RNA interference (RNAi) on
      the proliferation and apoptosis of CBRH-7919 cells were observed in vitro and in
      vivo. Additionally, whether CXCL1 knockdown significantly reduce the activity of
      STAT3, NF-kappaB and HIF-1 or not were also estimated. RNAi of CXCL1 in the CBRH
      7919 cells decreased the growth of tumors in nude mice by inhibited cells
      proliferation and induced apoptosis. In conclusion, these findings suggest that
      CXCL1 plays critical roles in the growth and apoptosis of HCC. RNAi of CXCL1
      inhibits the growth and apoptosis of tumor cells, which indicates that CXCL1 may
      be a potential molecular target for use in HCC therapy.

PMID- 26499375
TI  - An analysis of policy levers used to implement mental health reform in Australia
      1992-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Over the past two decades, mental health reform in Australia has
      received unprecedented government attention. This study explored how five policy
      levers (organisation, regulation, community education, finance and payment) were
      used by the Australian Federal Government to implement mental health reforms.
      METHODS: Australian Government publications, including the four mental health
      plans (published in 1992, 1998, 2003 and 2008) were analysed according to policy
      levers used to drive reform across five priority areas: [1] human rights and
      community attitudes; [2] responding to community need; [3] service structures;
      [4] service quality and effectiveness; and [5] resources and service access.
      RESULTS: Policy levers were applied in varying ways; with two or three levers
      often concurrently used to implement a single initiative or strategy. For
      example, changes to service structures were achieved using various combinations
      of all five levers. Attempts to improve service quality and effectiveness were
      instead made through a single lever-regulation. The use of some levers changed
      over time, including a move away from prescriptive, legislative use of
      regulation, towards a greater focus on monitoring service standards and consumer
      outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Patterns in the application of policy levers across the
      National Mental Health Strategy, as identified in this analysis, represent a
      novel way of conceptualising the history of mental health reform in Australia. An
      improved understanding of the strategic targeting and appropriate utilisation of
      policy levers may assist in the delivery and evaluation of evidence-based mental
      health reform in the future.

PMID- 26499377
TI  - Abdomen disease diagnosis in CT images using flexiscale curvelet  transform and
      improved genetic algorithm.
AB  - This paper presents an abdomen disease diagnostic system based on the flexi-scale
      curvelet transform, which uses different optimal scales for extracting features
      from computed tomography (CT) images. To optimize the scale of the flexi-scale
      curvelet transform, we propose an improved genetic algorithm. The conventional
      genetic algorithm assumes that fit parents will likely produce the healthiest
      offspring that leads to the least fit parents accumulating at the bottom of the
      population, reducing the fitness of subsequent populations and delaying the
      optimal solution search. In our improved genetic algorithm, combining the
      chromosomes of a low-fitness and a high-fitness individual increases the
      probability of producing high-fitness offspring. Thereby, all of the least fit
      parent chromosomes are combined with high fit parent to produce offspring for the
      next population. In this way, the leftover weak chromosomes cannot damage the
      fitness of subsequent populations. To further facilitate the search for the
      optimal solution, our improved genetic algorithm adopts modified elitism. The
      proposed method was applied to 120 CT abdominal images; 30 images each of normal
      subjects, cysts, tumors and stones. The features extracted by the flexi-scale
      curvelet transform were more discriminative than conventional methods,
      demonstrating the potential of our method as a diagnostic tool for abdomen
      diseases.

PMID- 26499376
TI  - Paranasal sinus opacification at MRI in lower airway disease (the HUNT study
      MRI).
AB  - The study builds on the concept of united airways, which describes the link
      between the upper and lower airways. Explorations of this concept have mainly
      related to asthma and less to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The
      aim of this study was to investigate paranasal sinus opacification at magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) in COPD, self-reported asthma and respiratory symptoms.
      In this cross-sectional study, 880 randomly selected participants in the Nord
      Trondelag health survey (HUNT) (mean age 57.7 years, range 50-66 years, 463
      women) were investigated using MRI of the paranasal sinuses. Participants were
      allocated to four mutually exclusive groups: (1) COPD (n = 20), (2) asthma (n =
      89), (3) respiratory symptoms (n = 199), and (4) reference group (n = 572).
      Paranasal sinus opacifications were categorised as mucosal thickening, polyps and
      retention cysts, and fluid. In each participant, measurements >=1 mm from all
      sinuses were summed to give a total for each category of opacities. The sums for
      these three categories were further added together, and referred to as the total
      sum. Using the 75th percentile cut-off values, the likelihood of having paranasal
      sinus opacifications was more than six times higher in participants with COPD and
      twice as high in participants with asthma than among the reference group.
      Respiratory symptoms were only associated with mucosal thickening. The present
      study shows that paranasal sinus opacification is associated not only with
      asthma, but also with COPD and respiratory symptoms. This is in accordance with
      the united airways hypothesis, and should be kept in mind when handling patients
      with these conditions. 

PMID- 26499379
TI  - Highly Decoupled Graphene Multilayers: Turbostraticity at its Best.
AB  - The extraordinary properties of graphene are truly observable when it is
      suspended, being free from any substrate influence. Here, a new type of
      multilayer graphene is reported wherein each layer is turbostratically decoupled,
      resembling suspended graphene in nature, while maintaining high degree of 2D
      crystallinity. Such defect-free graphene multilayers have been made over large
      areas by Joule heating of a Ni foil coated with a solid hydrocarbon. Raman
      spectra measured on thick flakes of turbostratically single layer graphene (T
      SLG) (100-250 nm) have shown characteristics similar to suspended graphene with
      very narrow 2D bands (~16 cm(-1)) and I2D/IG ratios up to 7.4, importantly with
      no D band intensity. Electron diffraction patterns showed sets of diffraction
      spots spread out with definite angular spacings, reminiscent of the angular
      deviations from the AB packing which are responsible for keeping the layers
      decoupled. The d-spacing derived from X-ray diffraction was larger (by ~0.04 A)
      compared to that in graphite. Accordingly, the c-axis resistance values were
      three orders higher, suggesting that the layers are indeed electronically
      decoupled. The high 2D crystallinity observed along with the decoupled nature
      should accredit the observed graphene species as a close cousin of suspended
      graphene. 

PMID- 26499378
TI  - Lack of IL7Ralpha expression in T cells is a hallmark of T-cell immunodeficiency
      in Schimke immuno-osseous dysplasia (SIOD).
AB  - Schimke immuno-osseous dysplasia (SIOD) is an autosomal recessive, fatal
      childhood disorder associated with skeletal dysplasia, renal dysfunction, and T
      cell immunodeficiency. This disease is linked to biallelic loss-of-function
      mutations of the SMARCAL1 gene. Although recurrent infection, due to T-cell
      deficiency, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, the etiology of the T
      cell immunodeficiency is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the T cells of SIOD
      patients have undetectable levels of protein and mRNA for the IL-7 receptor alpha
      chain (IL7Ralpha) and are unresponsive to stimulation with IL-7, indicating a
      loss of functional receptor. No pathogenic mutations were detected in the exons
      of IL7R in these patients; however, CpG sites in the IL7R promoter were
      hypermethylated in SIOD T cells. We propose therefore that the lack of IL7Ralpha
      expression, associated with hypermethylation of the IL7R promoter, in T cells and
      possibly their earlier progenitors, restricts T-cell development in SIOD
      patients. 

PMID- 26499380
TI  - Overexpression of Klotho suppresses liver cancer progression and induces cell
      apoptosis by negatively regulating wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Klotho is a discovered aging suppressor gene, and its overexpression
      in mice extends the life span of the animal. Recently, Klotho is also identified
      as a tumor suppressor gene in variety of tumors; however, the potential role and
      the antitumor mechanism remain unclarified in liver cancers. METHODS: RT-PCR and
      western blotting analysis were used to detect the expression of Klotho, beta
      catenin, C-myc, and Cyclin D1. MTT assay was used to detect the survival rates of
      HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells. Colony formation assay was used to test the
      proliferation ability in Klotho transfected cells. FACS was used to detect the
      cell apoptosis rate in different groups. RESULTS: The results showed that lower
      expression of Klotho were found in liver cancer cell lines than the immortalized
      liver cell L02. Also, MTT assay results found that overexpression or recombinant
      Klotho administration suppressed the proliferation of liver cancer cells HepG2
      and SMMC-7721. Moreover, the colony formation assay results showed that the
      number of colonies was significantly lower in the cells with transfection with
      pCMV-Klotho than the controls. Thus, functional analysis demonstrated that Klotho
      expression inhibited the proliferation of liver cancer cells and Klotho worked as
      an important antitumor gene in tumor progression. Next, the mechanism was partly
      clarified that Klotho expression induced cell apoptosis in HepG2 and SMMC-7721
      cells, and this phenomenon was mainly involved in the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling
      pathway. The western blotting analysis revealed that overexpression or
      recombinant administration of Klotho obviously decreased the expression levels of
      beta-catenin, C-myc, and Cyclin D1 in HepG2 cells. Most importantly, the
      antitumor mechanism for Klotho due to that overexpression of Klotho not only
      decreased the endogenous beta-catenin levels but also inhibited the nuclear
      translocation of beta-catenin to delay the cell cycle progression. CONCLUSIONS:
      Klotho was a tumor suppressor gene, and overexpression of Klotho suppressed the
      proliferation of liver cancer cells partly due to negative regulation of Wnt/beta
      catenin signaling pathway. So, Klotho might be used as a potential target, and
      the study will contribute to treatment for therapy of liver cancer patients.

PMID- 26499381
TI  - Association between HCV infection and diabetes type 2 in Egypt: is it time to
      split up?
AB  - PURPOSE: There is a conflicting evidence about the association between hepatitis
      C virus (HCV) infection and diabetes mellitus. The objective of this study was to
      assess this association in Egypt, the country with the highest HCV prevalence in
      the world. METHODS: The source of data was from the Egypt Demographic and Health
      Survey conducted in 2008. Using multivariable logistic regression analyses to
      account for known confounders, the association was investigated at two levels']:
      (1) HCV exposure (HCV antibody status) and diabetes mellitus and (2) diabetes
      mellitus and chronic HCV infection (HCV RNA status) among HCV-exposed
      individuals. RESULTS: We found no evidence for an association between HCV
      antibody status and diabetes (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.87; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], 0.63-1.19). However, among HCV-exposed individuals, we found an
      evidence for an association between diabetes and active HCV infection (adjusted
      OR = 2.44, 95% CI, 1.30-4.57). CONCLUSIONS: Although it does not appear that HCV
      exposure and diabetes are linked, there might be an association between diabetes
      and chronic HCV infection. The HCV-diabetes relationship may be more complex than
      previously anticipated. Therefore, a call for an "amicable divorce" to the HCV
      diabetes relationship could be premature.

PMID- 26499383
TI  - Wellens' syndrome in a 22-year-old man.

PMID- 26499382
TI  - Optimal strength and timing of steroids in the management of erlotinib-related
      skin toxicities in a post-marketing surveillance study (POLARSTAR) of 9909 non
      small-cell lung cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Skin toxicities, such as rash, are the most common adverse reactions
      associated with erlotinib. Steroids are a key treatment option for rash
      management; however, optimal timing of administration and selection of steroid
      strength have not been fully established. In this surveillance study of Japanese
      non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with erlotinib, rash
      management using topical steroids was analyzed in routine clinical practice.
      METHODS: From December 2007 to October 2009, all recurrent/advanced NSCLC
      patients in Japan treated with erlotinib were enrolled into this study (POst
      Launch All-patient Registration Surveillance in TARceva). The observation period
      was 12 months, and data for all adverse events were collected. Erlotinib-related
      rash, interventions for the symptoms, and outcomes of the interventions were
      analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 9909 patients were evaluated. Rash occurred in 67.4
      % of patients; grade 1, 2, and 3 rash were observed in 26.8 %, 32.4 %, and 7.2 %
      of patients, respectively. The most common management strategy was topical
      steroids in 75.0 % of patients with rash. Regardless of rash grade, earlier
      initiation of steroids resulted in quicker recovery. In those for whom topical
      steroids were initiated more than 21 days after rash onset, median recovery time
      was more than 100 days regardless of rash grade, compared with those treated
      before rash onset, whose median time to recovery was 35-51 days, depending on
      rash grade. Median time to recovery of rash in the group initiated on medium-rank
      steroids then changed to strong-rank steroids was 47, 98, and 103 days for those
      with grade 1, 2, and 3 rash, respectively, compared with 39, 53, and 73 days
      median recovery for grade 1, 2, and 3 rash, respectively, in patients initiated
      on strong-rank steroids. CONCLUSION: Earlier initiation of topical steroids for
      the management of rash with strong or higher-rank steroids could achieve faster
      improvement.

PMID- 26499384
TI  - Impact of sex differences in brain response to infection with Plasmodium berghei.
AB  - Malaria is considered to be one of the most prevalent diseases in the world.
      Severity of the disease between males and females is very important in clinical
      research areas. In this study, we investigated the impact of sex differences in
      brain response to infection with Plasmodium berghei. Male and female C57Bl/6 mice
      were infected with P. berghei-infected erythrocytes. The infection induced a
      significant change in weight loss in males (-7.2 % +/- 0.5) than females (-4.9 %
      +/- 0.6). The maximum parasitemia reached about 15 % at day 9 postinfection.
      Also, P. berghei infection caused histopathological changes in the brain of mice.
      These changes were in the form of inflammation, hemorrhage, and structural
      changes in Purkinje cells. In addition, P. berghei was able to induce a marked
      oxidative damage in mice brain. The infection induced a significant increase in
      male brain glutathione than females while the brain catalase level was
      significantly increased in infected females than infected males. Moreover, the
      change in brain neurotransmitters, dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and
      serotonin, was more in infected males than infected females. At the molecular
      level, P. berghei was able to induce upregulations of Adam23, Cabp1, Cacnb4,
      Glrb, and Vdac3-mRNA in the brain of mice. These genes were significantly
      upregulated in infected males than in infected females. In general, P. berghei
      could induce structural, biochemical, and molecular alterations in mice brain.
      Severity of these alterations was different according to sex of mice.

PMID- 26499385
TI  - Barriers to Receiving Follow-Up Eye Care and Detection of Non-Glaucomatous Ocular
      Pathology in the Philadelphia Glaucoma Detection and Treatment Project.
AB  - This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate adherence rates and identify
      barriers to receiving follow-up eye care in participants diagnosed with
      significant non-glaucomatous eye pathology in the Philadelphia Glaucoma Detection
      and Treatment Project. This community-based project aimed to improve detection,
      management, treatment, and follow-up eye care of individuals at high risk for
      glaucoma in community-based settings. Participants throughout Philadelphia,
      Pennsylvania, USA were enrolled. After a comprehensive eye examination, follow-up
      recommendations were given to each participant. A telephone survey was
      administered to individuals diagnosed with non-glaucomatous ocular pathology 3
      months after initial eye examination to assess rates of follow-up and to evaluate
      potential barriers to follow-up. Of the 1649 participants enrolled in this
      project, 249 (15 %) were diagnosed with significant non-glaucomatous ocular
      pathology requiring follow-up care. There were 143 (57 %) who responded to the
      telephone survey. Respondents had a median age of 72 years, and were
      predominately female (69 %) and African-American (64 %). Of the respondents, 36
      (25 %) attended a follow-up appointment. Participants who did not remember the
      results of their examinations, did not remember their recommendations, and had
      not seen an eye doctor within the past year were less likely to make a follow-up
      appointment (P = 0.04, 0.001 and 0.005, respectively). The Philadelphia Glaucoma
      Detection and Treatment Program was able to detect a significant amount of non
      glaucomatous ocular pathology requiring follow-up care. Actual follow-up rates
      were sub-optimal. Further research is needed to determine interventions to
      overcome barriers and increase adherence with follow-up recommendations.

PMID- 26499386
TI  - Suture anchors to fix free flaps in oral and oropharyngeal reconstruction.

PMID- 26499387
TI  - A new approach to control haemorrhage during lower lip shave.

PMID- 26499388
TI  - Smartphone photography in oral and maxillofacial surgery.
AB  - An increasing number of staff in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS)
      departments take clinical photographs with their personal phones. We report the
      results of a survey on the use of smartphone photography in OMFS departments in
      the United Kingdom, and highlight the guidelines that govern their use and the
      associated ethical and medicolegal implications. 

PMID- 26499389
TI  - Processing context: Asymmetric interference of visual form and texture in object
      and scene interactions.
AB  - Substantive evidence has demonstrated that scene-centered global image features
      influence the processing of objects embedded in complex visual scenes.
      Conversely, a growing body of work suggests that relevant object information may
      inherently influence diagnostic global scene statistics used in rapid scene
      categorization. Here, we investigate the potential effects of interference in
      object-scene perception when attending to form and texture in both simple figure
      ground representations and more complex object-background scenes. Results reveal
      asymmetric interference in the perception of form and texture in object and scene
      processing: Inconsistent scene texture interfered with the classification of
      object texture, and inconsistent object form interfered with the classification
      of scene form, but not vice versa. These findings contribute to our understanding
      of the interactions between an object and its environment, and further inform our
      knowledge of the visual features which influence interactivity in object and
      scene perception. 

PMID- 26499390
TI  - Preparation and Evaluation of the Chelating Nanocomposite Fabricated with Marine
      Algae Schizochytrium sp. Protein Hydrolysate and Calcium.
AB  - Marine algae have been becoming a popular research topic because of their
      biological implication. The algae peptide-based metal-chelating complex was
      investigated in this study. Schizochytrium sp. protein hydrolysate (SPH)
      possessing high Ca-binding capacity was prepared through stepwise enzymatic
      hydrolysis to a degree of hydrolysis of 22.46%. The nanocomposites of SPH
      chelated with calcium ions were fabricated in aqueous solution at pH 6 and 30 
      degrees C for 20 min, with the ratio of SPH to calcium 3:1 (w/w). The size
      distribution showed that the nanocomposite had compact structure with a radius of
      68.16 +/- 0.50 nm. SPH was rich in acidic amino acids, accounting for 33.55%,
      which are liable to bind with calcium ions. The molecular mass distribution
      demonstrated that the molecular mass of SPH was principally concentrated at 180
      2000 Da. UV scanning spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
      suggested that the primary sites of calcium-binding corresponded to the carboxyl
      groups, carbonyl groups, and amino groups of SPH. The results of fluorescent
      spectroscopy, size distribution, atomic force microscope, and (1)H nuclear
      magnetic resonance spectroscopy suggested that calcium ions chelated with SPH
      would cause intramolecular and intermolecular folding and aggregating. The SPH
      calcium chelate exerted remarkable stability and absorbability under either
      acidic or basic conditions, which was in favor of calcium absorption in the
      gastrointestinal tracts of humans. The investigation suggests that SPH-calcium
      chelate has the potential prospect to be utilized as a nutraceutical supplement
      to improve bone health in the human body. 

PMID- 26499391
TI  - Protein nanorings organized by poly(styrene-block-ethylene oxide) self-assembled
      thin films.
AB  - This study explores the use of block copolymer self-assembly to organize
      Lsmalpha, a protein which forms stable doughnut-shaped heptameric structures.
      Here, we have explored the idea that 2-D crystalline arrays of protein filaments
      can be prepared by stacking doughnut shaped Lsmalpha protein into the
      poly(ethylene oxide) blocks of a hexagonal microphase-separated polystyrene-b
      polyethylene oxide (PS-b-PEO) block copolymer. We were able to demonstrate the
      coordinated assembly of such a complex hierarchical nanostructure. The key to
      success was the choice of solvent systems and protein functionalization that
      achieved sufficient compatibility whilst still promoting assembly. Unambiguous
      characterisation of these structures is difficult; however AFM and TEM
      measurements confirmed that the protein was sequestered into the PEO blocks. The
      use of a protein that assembles into stackable doughnuts offers the possibility
      of assembling nanoscale optical, magnetic and electronic structures. 

PMID- 26499392
TI  - Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: effects on plant terpenoid accumulation.
AB  - Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are a diverse group of soil-dwelling fungi
      that form symbiotic associations with land plants. AMF-plant associations promote
      the accumulation of plant terpenoids beneficial to human health, although how AMF
      mediate terpenoid accumulation is not fully understood. A critical assessment and
      discussion of the literature relating to mechanisms by which AMF influence plant
      terpenoid accumulation, and whether this symbiosis can be harnessed in
      horticultural ecosystems was performed. Modification of plant morphology,
      phosphorus availability and gene transcription involved with terpenoid
      biosynthetic pathways were identified as key mechanisms associated with terpenoid
      accumulation in AMF-colonised plants. In order to exploit AMF-plant symbioses in
      horticultural ecosystems it is important to consider the specificity of the AMF
      plant association, the predominant factor affecting terpenoid accumulation, as
      well as the end use application of the harvested plant material. Future research
      should focus on resolving the relationship between ecologically matched AMF
      genotypes and terpenoid accumulation in plants to establish if these associations
      are effective in promoting mechanisms favourable for plant terpenoid
      accumulation. 

PMID- 26499393
TI  - pH dependence of cyanide and imidazole binding to the heme domains of
      Sinorhizobium meliloti and Bradyrhizobium japonicum FixL.
AB  - Equilibrium and kinetic properties of cyanide and imidazole binding to the heme
      domains of Sinorhizobium meliloti and Bradyrhizobium japonicum FixL (SmFixLH and
      BjFixLH) have been investigated between pH5 and 11. KD determinations were made
      at integral pH values, with the strongest binding at pH9 for both ligands. KD for
      the cyanide complexes of BjFixLH and SmFixLH is 0.15+/-0.09 and 0.50+/-0.20MUM,
      respectively, and 0.70+/-0.01mM for imido-BjFixLH. The association rate constants
      are pH dependent with maximum values of 443+/-8 and 252+/-61M(-1)s(-1) for cyano
      complexes of BjFixLH and SmFixLH and (5.0+/-0.3)*10(4) and (7.0+/-1.4)*10(4)M(
      1)s(-1) for the imidazole complexes. The dissociation rate constants are
      essentially independent of pH above pH5; (1.2+/-0.3)*10(-4) and (1.7+/-0.3)*10(
      4)s(-1) for the cyano complexes of BjFixLH and SmFixLH, and (73+/-19) and (77+/
      14) s(-1) for the imidazole complexes. Two ionizable groups in FixLH affect the
      rate of ligand binding. The more acidic group, identified as the heme 6 propionic
      acid, has a pKa of 7.6+/-0.2 in BjFixLH and 6.8+/-0.2 in SmFixLH. The second
      ionization is due to formation of hydroxy-FixLH with pKa values of 9.64+/-0.05
      for BjFixLH and 9.61+/-0.05 for SmFixLH. Imidazole binding is limited by the rate
      of heme pocket opening with maximum observed values of 680 and 1270s(-1) for
      BjFixLH and SmFixLH, respectively. 

PMID- 26499394
TI  - The Impact of Maternal Body Mass Index and Gestational Age on the Detection of
      Uterine Contractions by Tocodynamometry: A Retrospective Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of maternal body mass index (BMI) and
      gestational age (GA) on uterine contraction detection by tocodynamometry.
      METHODS: Gravidas with preterm labor (PTL) complaints who were evaluated by
      tocodynamometry, discharged from Labor and Delivery triage, and subsequently
      readmitted for preterm delivery were studied. Forty-six patients in whom
      contractions were detected (group 1) were compared to 49 women in whom
      contractions were not detected (group 2) with respect to BMI and GA at both
      evaluation and delivery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to adjust for
      confounders. RESULTS: Group 2 had a higher mean BMI (31.7 vs 26.1, P < .001),
      were more likely to be obese (57.1% vs 19.6%, P < .001), and were more likely to
      have been evaluated in the mid-trimester (36.7% vs 17.4%, P = .04) compared to
      group 1. Independent risk factors for the inability of the tocodynamometer to
      detect contractions were obesity (odds ratio [OR] 0.18, 95% confidence interval
      [CI] 0.07-0.46) and evaluation in the mid-trimester (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.13-0.84).
      CONCLUSION: Our study provides evidence that the effectiveness of tocodynamometry
      diminishes with increasing maternal BMI. Efficacy of tocodynamometry is also
      decreased at earlier GA, most pronounced below 25 weeks. To evaluate women with
      PTL symptoms in the mid-trimester or symptomatic obese women at any GA, a
      modality other than tocodynamometry could be valuable to more accurately assess
      uterine activity.

PMID- 26499395
TI  - Effects of melatonin and its analogues on neural stem cells.
AB  - Neural stem cells (NSCs) are multipotent cells which are capable of self
      replication and differentiation into neurons, astrocytes or oligodendrocytes in
      the central nervous system (CNS). NSCs are found in two main regions in the adult
      brain: the subgranular zone (SGZ) in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) and the
      subventricular zone (SVZ). The recent discovery of NSCs in the adult mammalian
      brain has fostered a plethora of translational and preclinical studies to
      investigate novel approaches for the therapy of neurodegenerative diseases.
      Melatonin is the major secretory product synthesized and secreted by the pineal
      gland and shows both a wide distribution within phylogenetically distant
      organisms from bacteria to humans and a great functional versatility. Recently,
      accumulated experimental evidence showed that melatonin plays an important role
      in NSCs, including its proliferation, differentiation and survival, which are
      modulated by many factors including MAPK/ERK signaling pathway, histone
      acetylation, neurotrophic factors, transcription factors, and apoptotic genes.
      The purpose of this review is to summarize the beneficial effects of melatonin on
      NSCs and further to discuss the potential usage of melatonin and its derivatives
      or analogues in the treatment of CNS neurodegenerative diseases. 

PMID- 26499396
TI  - Identification of a novel fusion transcript between human relaxin-1 (RLN1) and
      human relaxin-2 (RLN2) in prostate cancer.
AB  - Simultaneous expression of highly homologous RLN1 and RLN2 genes in prostate
      impairs their accurate delineation. We used PacBio SMRT sequencing and RNA-Seq in
      LNCaP cells in order to dissect the expression of RLN1 and RLN2 variants. We
      identified a novel fusion transcript comprising the RLN1 and RLN2 genes and found
      evidence of its expression in the normal and prostate cancer tissues. The RLN1
      RLN2 fusion putatively encodes RLN2 isoform with the deleted secretory signal
      peptide. The identification of the fusion transcript provided information to
      determine unique RLN1-RLN2 fusion and RLN1 regions. The RLN1-RLN2 fusion was co
      expressed with RLN1 in LNCaP cells, but the two gene products were inversely
      regulated by androgens. We showed that RLN1 is underrepresented in common PCa
      cell lines in comparison to normal and PCa tissue. The current study brings a
      highly relevant update to the relaxin field, and will encourage further studies
      of RLN1 and RLN2 in PCa and broader. 

PMID- 26499398
TI  - Acidosis differently modulates the inflammatory program in monocytes and
      macrophages.
AB  - Inflammation, ischemia or the microenvironment of solid tumors is often
      accompanied by a reduction of extracellular pH (acidosis) that stresses the cells
      and acts on cellular signaling and transcription. The effect of acidosis on the
      expression of various inflammatory markers, on functional parameters (migration,
      phagocytic activity) and on signaling pathways involved was studied in monocytic
      cells and macrophages. In monocytic cell lines acidosis led to a reduction in
      expression of most of the inflammatory mediators, namely IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF
      alpha, MCP-1, COX-2 and osteopontin. In primary human monocytes MCP-1 and TNF
      alpha were reduced but COX-2 and IL-6 were increased. In RAW264.7 macrophage cell
      line IL-1beta, COX-2 and iNOS expression was increased, whereas MCP-1 was reduced
      similar to the effect in monocytic cells. For primary human monocyte-derived
      macrophages the regulation of inflammatory markers by acidosis depended on
      activation state, except for the acidosis-induced downregulation of MCP-1 and TNF
      alpha. Acidosis affected functional immune cell behavior when looking at
      phagocytic activity which was increased in a time-dependent manner, but cellular
      motility was not changed. Neither ERK1/2 nor CREB signaling was stimulated by the
      reduction of extracellular pH. However, p38 was activated by acidosis in RAW264.7
      cells and this activation was critical for the induction of IL-1beta, COX-2 and
      iNOS expression. In conclusion, acidosis may impede the recruitment of immune
      cells, but fosters inflammation when macrophages are present by increasing the
      level of COX-2 and iNOS and by functionally forcing up the phagocytic activity.

PMID- 26499399
TI  - [Lp-PLA2, a biomarker of vascular inflammation and vulnerability of
      atherosclerosis plaques].
AB  - A chronic inflammation is involved in various stages of development of the
      atherosclerotic plaques. Among the emerging biomarkers of atherogenesis, the
      lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), formerly known as PAF
      acetylhydrolase (McIntyre et al., 2009), hydrolyses the oxidized short chain
      phospholipids of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), thereby releasing pro
      inflammatory mediators (lysophospholipids and oxidized fatty acids). Lp-PLA2,
      produced by monocytes/macrophages and T-lymphocytes, and mainly associated with
      LDL (Gazi et al., 2005), is predominantly expressed in the necrotic center of the
      atherosclerotic plaques and in the macrophage-rich areas (Kolodgie et al., 2006).
      It would have a predictive role of cardiovascular (CV) events in relation to the
      vulnerability of atherosclerotic plaques. Determination of Lp-PLA2 has been
      proposed in the assessment of the CV risk, to ensure a better stratification of
      populations at intermediate risk for targeted therapy (Davidson et al., 2008).
      Its proatherogenic role suggested that inhibition of its activity could ensure a
      better vascular protection in combination with cholesterol-lowering agents.
      Nevertheless, Lp-PLA2 is not yet a fully validated marker for use in daily
      clinical practice, especially since the studies using an inhibitor of Lp-PLA2
      (darapladib) (STABILITY Investigators et al., 2014; O'Donoghue et al., 2014) did
      not show any reduction in coronary events. Lp-PLA2 could have a site-specific
      role in plaque inflammation and development (Fenning et al., 2015). High Lp-PLA2
      activity could reflect a response to pro-inflammatory stress characteristic of
      atherosclerosis (Marathe et al., 2014). This presentation aims at clarifying the
      involvement of Lp-PLA2 in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, and at
      assessing its interest both as a biomarker for the onset of CV events and as a
      therapeutic target. 

PMID- 26499397
TI  - Regulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow in neurodegenerative, neurovascular
      and neuroinflammatory disease.
AB  - Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation and turnover provides a sink for the
      elimination of solutes from the brain interstitium, serving an important
      homeostatic role for the function of the central nervous system. Disruption of
      normal CSF circulation and turnover is believed to contribute to the development
      of many diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's
      disease, ischemic and traumatic brain injury, and neuroinflammatory conditions
      such as multiple sclerosis. Recent insights into CSF biology suggesting that CSF
      and interstitial fluid exchange along a brain-wide network of perivascular spaces
      termed the 'glymphatic' system suggest that CSF circulation may interact
      intimately with glial and vascular function to regulate basic aspects of brain
      function. Dysfunction within this glial vascular network, which is a feature of
      the aging and injured brain, is a potentially critical link between brain injury,
      neuroinflammation and the development of chronic neurodegeneration. Ongoing
      research within this field may provide a powerful new framework for understanding
      the common links between neurodegenerative, neurovascular and neuroinflammatory
      disease, in addition to providing potentially novel therapeutic targets for these
      conditions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Neuro Inflammation
      edited by Helga E. de Vries and Markus Schwaninger.

PMID- 26499400
TI  - [Corrigendum] Lentivirus vector-mediated gene transduction of CNGRC peptide in
      rat adipose stem cells.

PMID- 26499401
TI  - Prospective observational study of near-miss obstetric events at two tertiary
      hospitals in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the incidence and patterns of near-miss obstetric events
      (defined as "A woman who nearly died but survived a complication that occurred
      during pregnancy, childbirth or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy"), as
      well as studying the classification criteria for near-miss events. METHODS: A
      prospective observational study was conducted in two tertiary hospitals in
      Mumbai. Women with near-miss obstetric events were interviewed during the period
      September 2012-August 2013. RESULTS: There were 884 near-miss events among 877
      women, with seven patients readmitted. Clinical-criteria for near-miss events,
      accounting for 701 (79.3%) cases, were the commonest among the three
      classifications of near-miss events. Among the cases observed, hypertensive
      disorders of pregnancy (472 [53.4%]), severe anemia (185 [20.9%]), and postpartum
      hemorrhage 68 [7.7%]) were the most common causes of near-miss events. The most
      common problem encountered by patients prior to hospital admission for the near
      miss cases was the unavailability of treatment at lower-level health facilities,
      affecting 598 (68.2%) of the 877 study participants. CONCLUSION: Hypertensive
      disorders of pregnancy, postpartum hemorrhage, and severe anemia remain important
      determinants in maternal morbidity. Facilities and training at first-referral
      units should be improved so that they can respond better to basic obstetric
      emergencies such as sepsis, hemorrhage, and shock.

PMID- 26499403
TI  - Self-healing supramolecular heterometallic gels based on the synergistic effect
      of the constituent metal ions.
AB  - Supramolecular heterometallic gels with synergistic properties were prepared for
      the first time using ligand with Co(2+) and Ni(2+), and their macroscopic self
      healing has been achieved by improving the unfavorable viscoelasticity of each
      monometallic gel. 

PMID- 26499402
TI  - A retrospective cohort study of the association between midwifery experience and
      perinatal mortality.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether experience of midwife-only and nurse-midwife lead
      maternity carers (LMCs) is related to perinatal mortality. METHODS: In a
      retrospective analysis, routinely collected data were obtained for all
      pregnancies resulting in live births (or stillbirth at >=20weeks or weighing
      >400g) in New Zealand in 2005-2009. An anonymized dataset of date of midwife
      registration was used. The main outcome measure was perinatal mortality (fetal
      deaths and neonatal deaths <=27days). RESULTS: Among 233215 eligible births,
      84043 were linked to a midwife-only LMC and 150172 to a nurse-midwife LMC. Among
      pregnancies with midwife-only LMCs, perinatal mortality was higher when the
      midwife had less than 1year of experience than when the midwife had 5-9years'
      experience (rate ratio 1.33; 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.73), an absolute
      difference of two additional deaths per 1000 births. There was a decreasing rate
      of perinatal mortality with increasing experience (P=0.031). Perinatal mortality
      rates did not differ by experience in the nurse-midwife group. CONCLUSION:
      Pregnancies cared for by early-career (<1year) midwife-only LMCs were associated
      with a 33% increase in perinatal mortality. No association between experience and
      perinatal mortality was found for nurse-midwives. Midwife-only trained LMCs could
      require additional training and/or supervision in their first year of practice.

PMID- 26499404
TI  - Phosphorus and water recovery by a novel osmotic membrane bioreactor-reverse
      osmosis system.
AB  - An osmotic membrane bioreactor-reverse osmosis (OMBR-RO) hybrid system integrated
      with periodic microfiltration (MF) extraction was evaluated for simultaneous
      phosphorus and clean water recovery from raw sewage. In this hybrid system, the
      forward osmosis membrane effectively retained inorganic salts and phosphate in
      the bioreactor, while the MF membrane periodically bled them out for phosphorus
      recovery with pH adjustment. The RO process was used for draw solute recovery and
      clean water production. Results show that phosphorus recuperation from the MF
      permeate was most effective when the solution pH was adjusted to 10, whereby the
      recovered precipitate contained 15-20% (wt/wt) of phosphorus. Periodic MF
      extraction also limited salinity build-up in the bioreactor, resulting in a
      stable biological performance and an increase in water flux during OMBR
      operation. Despite the build-up of organic matter and ammonia in the draw
      solution, OMBR-RO allowed for the recovery of high quality reused water. 

PMID- 26499406
TI  - Underserved Areas and Pediatric Resident Characteristics: Is There Reason for
      Optimism?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine whether resident characteristics and experiences are
      related to practice in underserved areas. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of a
      national random sample of pediatric residents (n = 1000) and additional sample of
      minority residents (n = 223) who were graduating in 2009 was conducted. Using
      weighted logistic regression, we examined relationships between resident
      characteristics (background, values, residency experiences, and practice goals)
      and reported 1) expectation to practice in underserved area and 2) postresidency
      position in underserved area. RESULTS: Response rate was 57%. Forty-one percent
      of the residents reported that they had an expectation of practicing in an
      underserved area. Of those who had already accepted postresidency positions, 38%
      reported positions in underserved areas. Service obligation in exchange for
      loans/scholarships and primary care/academic pediatrics practice goals were the
      strongest predictors of expectation of practicing in underserved areas
      (respectively, adjusted odds ratio 4.74, 95% confidence interval 1.87-12.01;
      adjusted odds ratio 3.48, 95% confidence interval 1.99-6.10). Other significant
      predictors include hospitalist practice goals, primary care practice goals,
      importance of racial/ethnic diversity of patient population in residency
      selection, early plan (before medical school) to care for underserved families,
      mother with a graduate or medical degree, and higher score on the Universalism
      value scale. Service obligation and primary care/academic pediatrics practice
      goal were also the strongest predictors for taking a postresidency job in
      underserved area. CONCLUSIONS: Trainee characteristics such as service
      obligations, values of humanism, and desire to serve underserved populations
      offer the hope that policies and public funding can be directed to support
      physicians with these characteristics to redress the maldistribution of
      physicians caring for children.

PMID- 26499405
TI  - Niclosamide inhibits the inflammatory and angiogenic activation of human
      umbilical vein endothelial cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Niclosamide is known to have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory
      activities; however, its therapeutic mechanism has not been defined. In this
      study, to explain the therapeutic mechanism of niclosamide, we examined the
      effect of niclosamide on endothelial cell activation,leukocyte integration,
      proliferation, migration and angiogenesis in vitro. METHODS: Endothelia-leukocyte
      adhesion assays were used to assess primary cultures of human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells' (HUVECs) activation following TNF-alpha treatment. Each step
      of angiogenesis was evaluatedin vitro, including endothelial cell proliferation,
      migration and tube formation. Proliferation was examined using EdU assays, while
      wound migration assays and transwell assays were used to evaluate cell migration;
      cord like structure formation assays on Matrigel were used to assess tube
      formation. In vivo matrigel plug assay was used to assess angiogenesis. The
      protein expression was measured using western blot. RESULTS: Niclosamide reduced
      the adhesion of human monocyte cells to HUVECs. Niclosamide also reduced protein
      expression of VCAM-1 and ICAM1 in HUVECs.Niclosamide significantly inhibited
      HUVEC proliferation,migration and cord-like structure formation. Niclosamide also
      suppresses VEGF-induced angiogenesis in vivo.Niclosamide attenuated IKK-mediated
      activation of NF-kappaB pathway in TNFalpha-induced endothelial cells.
      Niclosamide also suppresses VEGF-induced endothelial VEGFR2 activation and
      downstream P-AKT, P-mTOR and P-p70S6K. CONCLUSIONS: Niclosamide exerted a potent
      effect on HUVECs activation, suggesting that it might function via an endothelia
      based mechanism in the treatment of various diseases, including rheumatoid
      arthritis and cancer.

PMID- 26499407
TI  - Efficacy and safety of a 21/7-active combined oral contraceptive with continuous
      low-dose ethinyl estradiol.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Substituting low-dose ethinyl estradiol (EE) for the hormone-free
      interval in combined oral contraceptives (COCs) may enhance ovarian suppression
      and improve tolerability. This noncomparative phase 3 study evaluated the
      efficacy and safety of a 21/7-active COC regimen including 21days of desogestrel
      (DSG)/EE followed by 7days of EE. STUDY DESIGN: This multicenter, open-label,
      phase 3, single-arm study enrolled sexually active women aged 18-40years at risk
      for pregnancy. Women received up to 1year, or 13 consecutive 28-day cycles, of
      DSG 150mcg/EE 20mcg for 21days and EE 10mcg alone for 7days. Participants kept
      diaries to record compliance, bleeding/spotting and other contraceptive use.
      Efficacy was measured using the Pearl Index (PI) and life-table approach. Safety
      and tolerability were assessed primarily through reported adverse events (AEs).
      RESULTS: A total of 2858 women enrolled and 1680 completed the study. Forty-six
      pregnancies in 2401 women aged 18-35years occurred after COC initiation and up to
      7days after last DSG/EE or EE-only tablet was taken. When cycles in which another
      contraceptive method was used were excluded, the PI was 2.68 [95% confidence
      interval (CI), 1.96-3.57]. The cumulative pregnancy rate after 1year of treatment
      was 2.47% (95% CI, 1.85-3.29) for all users aged 18-35years. When only cycles
      during which women considered compliant were included, the PI was 2.00 (95% CI,
      1.39-2.80). AEs were similar to those seen with other oral contraceptives.
      CONCLUSIONS: This 21/7-active DSG/EE COC with 7days of low-dose EE was
      efficacious and well tolerated for pregnancy prevention. IMPLICATIONS STATEMENT:
      This phase 3 open-label study demonstrated that a 21/7-active COC regimen
      including 21days of DSG 150mcg/EE 20mcg and 7days of EE 10mcg was efficacious and
      well tolerated for pregnancy prevention.

PMID- 26499408
TI  - Milan 2015: creating a safer, healthier, and sustainable world.

PMID- 26499409
TI  - Green areas and public health: improving wellbeing and physical activity in the
      urban context.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The green areas play an important role in improving the
      environmental quality and climate of the city. However, despite the undoubted
      importance of these areas, the benefits to public health are still under
      investigation. RESULTS: The Authors perform a review of studies on the
      relationship between health and green areas and describe the main areas for which
      evidence on this relationship is currently available. They include: effects on
      air quality, on social cohesion, on mental health, with particular reference to
      the stress, and on physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the evidence comes
      from cross-sectional and descriptive studies and the approaches used to measure
      the association show themselves to be often unsatisfactory. The Authors conclude
      the review stressing the need for greater integration between the different
      professionals involved in urban planning and in health care analysis in order to
      identify research approaches more appropriate to understand such complex issues,
      striving toward a planning design of green areas that will satisfy both
      environmental sustainability and health requirements.

PMID- 26499410
TI  - Incidence of infection-associated cancers in Italy and prevention strategies.
AB  - Chronic infections and infestations represent major causes of cancer. Overall,
      Helicobacter pylori, HPV, HBV, and HCV are estimated to account for 15% of all
      human cancers. We have estimated that cancers associated with 6 pathogens in
      Italy account for 31,000 yearly cases, 42.0%of which is attributable to H.
      pylori, 34.7%to HBV and HCV, 19.8%to HPV, 2.9%to KSHV, and 0.2% to EBV. These
      figures represent 8.5% of all incident cases of cancer in Italy. The
      implementation of anti-HBV vaccination programs in countries with high endemicity
      resulted in a significant impact on the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma,
      and the availability of antiviral drugs is a real opportunity to drastically
      reduce the cases attributable to HCV. Primary prevention of cervical cancer
      mainly involves HPV vaccination; two vaccines (bivalent and quadrivalent) are
      available and a new vaccine (9-valent) has recently been approved by the FDA.
      Secondary prevention is based on screening programs that include Pap smear
      cytology and/or HPV test. To reduce the burden of HIV-associated cancers,
      prevention programs include primary prevention of HIV infection, early diagnosis
      and treatment, restoration of immune function, reduction in the prevalence of
      associated infections and risk factors, and secondary prevention. To date, anti
      HBV and anti-HPV vaccinations, eradication of H. pylori infection, treatment of
      HCV and HIV carriers with antivirals, and HPV-related cancer screening prove to
      be the most effective strategies for the prevention of infection-associated
      cancers. 

PMID- 26499411
TI  - Molecular epidemiology tools in the management of healthcare-associated
      infections: towards the definition of recommendations.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are an important cause of
      morbidity and mortality worldwide and have a significant economic impact for
      health systems. Molecular epidemiology tools have a central role in HAI
      prevention programs. In order to give an overview of their specific advantages
      and disadvantages we reported current and new molecular typing methods for HAI
      outbreak detection and epidemiological surveillance. METHODS: The current review
      was drafted as a short version of a longer document written by the Public Health
      Genomics (GSP) working group, and the Italian Study Group of Hospital Hygiene
      (GISIO), entitled Molecular epidemiology of Healthcare Associated Infections:
      recommendations from the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and
      Public Health (SItI). This text considers various aspects related to HAIs: the
      role of genotyping and bioinformatics, the organizational levels of laboratories,
      as well as ethical and economic aspects. CONCLUSIONS: The use of molecular
      epidemiology represents a key tool in the management of HAIs, to be used as a
      complement to conventional control measures. The present contribution aims to
      increase knowledge on the proper use of such methods, given the major challenge
      HAI represents for National Health systems.

PMID- 26499412
TI  - Appropriate perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis: challenges, strategies, and
      quality indicators.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common surgical complications
      and perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) contributes to the reduction of
      the associated risk. The aim of the present review article is to summarize the
      most recently published studies with a special focus on challenges, strategies
      and quality indicators of PAP. METHODS: Literature searches in the Medline
      database, using PubMed, were carried out for studies published from January 2011
      to April 2015. Inclusion criteria were all types of epidemiological studies
      investigating: i. compliance with PAP recommendations at different levels by
      using process indicators, and ii. the effect of different interventions conducted
      in order to improve PAP compliance. RESULTS: A total of 28 studies were
      retrieved. Overall compliance with all included PAP indicators ranged from 9.4%
      to 80%. Generally, compliance with the PAP process indicators significantly
      improved after interventions. CONCLUSIONS: The present review summarizes the
      recent published studies and indicates an overall inadequate compliance with PAP
      recommendations, underlining the need to develop and to implement successful
      strategies to improve adherence to guidelines. Different interventions were found
      efficacious in order to increase compliance with appropriate PAP administration.

PMID- 26499413
TI  - Professional competencies in health promotion and public health: what is common
      and what is specific? Review of the European debate and perspectives for
      professional development.
AB  - According to the Nairobi Call to Action, the growth of practitioners' skills can
      be favoured by setting accreditation standards and by reorienting professional
      competencies of current and future health workers. This will make it possible to
      develop a critical mass of competent practitioners, foster training, and increase
      visibility of the professional field. Through a review of the literature, the
      authors offer an overview of competency-based strategies for professional
      development in health promotion. The main research questions discussed were as
      follows: Is there a shared definition of public health?; Is there a shared
      definition of health promotion?; Who are the main stakeholders for public health
      and health promotion in Europe?; What is the meaning of professional competencies
      in education and practice for public health and health promotion?; Is there a
      shared system of professional core competencies in public health and health
      promotion?;What is common and what is specific between the two systems of
      professional competencies?; Is it useful and feasible to create specific
      strategies of professional development for public health and health promotion? A
      transformative use of competencies makes it possible to inform students,
      professionals, employers, and political decision-makers about what is expected
      from a specific profession and its values. 

PMID- 26499414
TI  - How to choose health technologies to be assessed by HTA? A review of criteria for
      priority setting.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Health Technology Assessment (HTA) plays a key role in the policy
      and decision-making process. Nevertheless, it is time- and resource-consuming,
      and therefore requires proper resource allocation. Priority setting, as a best
      way to organize effective and explicit resource allocation systems, may be
      applied even in this field. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to provide an
      overview of criteria used for priority setting in HTA at European level. METHODS:
      A systematic review of the scientific literature was performed through PubMed
      alongside consultation of the websites of the European HTA Agencies belonging to
      the INAHTA. The search was limited to papers written in English and provided with
      the full text. Documents were considered eligible if providing criteria for
      priority setting in HTA. RESULTS: Seven scientific articles were retrieved from
      PubMed and 14 European HTA Agencies released prioritization criteria were
      analysed. The most relevant criteria were: frequency/burden of disease, economic
      impact and costs, potential benefits, impact on ethical, social, cultural and/or
      legal aspects. CONCLUSION: This work is meant to contribute to supranational
      discussion on priority setting at European level and shows that, despite the
      available evidence, work still needs to be done toward harmonization and sharing
      of the criteria to adopt.

PMID- 26499415
TI  - Genetic testing and economic evaluations: a systematic review of the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify those studies in which economic analysis of predictive
      genetic and pharmacogenetic testing programs have been carried out. Since the
      Italian National Prevention Plan 2014-2018 foresees the implementation of genetic
      testing for inherited breast cancer, special attention was given to the cost
      effectiveness of BRCA1/2 testing programs. METHODS: A systematic review of
      primary economic evaluations (EEs) of predictive genetic and pharmacogenetic
      testing programs and an overview of previously published systematic reviews of
      economic evaluations (ERs) was performed. RESULTS: Overall 128 EEs and 11 ERs
      were identified. The methodological quality of both EEs and ERs was good on
      average. Both predictive genetic and pharmacogenetic testing programs were mainly
      concerned with oncological diseases. Seventeen percent of genetic testing
      programs are cost-saving, while a further 44% of cost/QALY ratios fall under the
      commonly used threshold of ?37,000 per QALY. For BRCA1/2 testing, only cascade
      genetic screening programs, targeted to close relatives of carriers, show clear
      evidence of cost-effectiveness. CONCLUSION: Despite some limitations, EEs and ERs
      are powerful tools that provide indications to policy-makers on which genetic
      testing programs might be introduced into health care systems and public health
      practice.

PMID- 26499416
TI  - HPV vaccination for boys? A systematic review of economic studies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: HPV vaccination is recommended in many countries, including Italy,
      for girls in their twelfth year of age. In some countries, the goal of
      vaccination coverage has not been reached, and extension to boys has thus been
      debated. OBJECTIVE: Aim of this study is to perform a systematic review of
      pharmaco-economic studies considering the extension of HPV vaccination to boys.
      METHODS: An electronic literature search was performed on Pubmed to identify
      studies published from 2005 to 2015 in English and Italian. Four search
      strategies were used, including the terms "HPV", "boys", "vaccination", "economic
      evaluation", "cost effectiveness", and "epidemiological impact". Screening of
      titles, abstracts, and full texts was conducted, and economical evaluation of the
      extension of HPV vaccination to males was considered a criteria of inclusion. A
      total of 289 articles were identified. Only 15 articles were finally considered
      pertinent. RESULTS: The extension of HPV vaccination to boys was cost-effective
      or potentially cost-effective in 53%and 7%of the studies, respectively. Six
      studies did not positively evaluate the implementation of this intervention.
      However, taking into account both the new two-dose vaccination schedule available
      for all subjects <=13 years, and the dramatic reduction in the price of vaccines
      in the last few years, the advantages of universal vaccination are more
      consistent. CONCLUSION: The extension of HPV vaccination to boys is therefore
      foreseen to become increasingly implemented in the near future.

PMID- 26499417
TI  - Antimeningococcal and antipneumococcal vaccination determinants: a European
      systematic literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: ESCULAPIO is a multicenter project, funded by the Italian Centre for
      Disease Prevention and Control, aimed at implementing communication strategies to
      improve vaccination knowledge and attitudes among different target populations.
      OBJECTIVE: The objective of the Sicilian research unit was, in the first phase,
      to identify, through systematic literature revision, which vaccination
      determinants play a role in the uptake of recommended vaccines included in the
      Italian Vaccination Plan. DESIGN: A systematic literature review was carried out
      on studies describing the determinants underlying pneumococcal and meningococcal
      vaccination uptake. The analysis was limited to papers published in English from
      2000 to date. RESULTS: A total of 188 (meningococcal) and 731 (pneumococcal)
      papers were found. After selection by publication data, country (Europe), article
      type (original article), target population (healthy subjects), 7 (meningococcal)
      and 4 ( pneumococcal) manuscripts were finally included in the analysis. For
      meningococcal vaccination a better socioeconomic status is related to vaccination
      acceptance, whereas distance from immunization service is a negative determinant.
      For pneumococcal vaccination the determinants related to vaccination uptake are
      older parental age and a strong vaccine recommendation. Conversely, when the
      vaccine needs to be paid for, a refusal is more likely. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      show that payment for vaccination is a major barrier and communication about
      meningococcal and pneumococcal vaccination should be targeted towards specific
      population groups, especially through the counseling activities by health
      professionals.

PMID- 26499418
TI  - From surveillance to development of nutritional guidelines.
AB  - In Italy, like in most parts of the world, 30% of children and almost 50% of
      adults are overweight. This condition is one of the causes of non-communicable
      diseases responsible for over two thirds of DALYs, deaths and costs for
      healthcare. Current surveys confirm that overweight and obesity are associated
      with food habits which have changed, in Italy, in the last fifty years. Fewer and
      fewer people have been following a Mediterranean diet, which is considered an
      effective diet for the prevention of many diseases. The consumption of fruit,
      vegetables, legumes, whole cereals, and EVO oil has decreased, while the
      consumption of food with high energetic density and rich in sugar, salt, and
      added fat has increased, especially when eating out. Schools and workplaces are
      the best places to promote healthy food habits and an active lifestyle. The aim
      is to involve families (including low-income families), educators, and catering
      services. This type of intervention is not new to the National Health System and
      has already led to improvements: however, it is still possible to improve the use
      of resources and coordination between social, educational, and health services
      bringing the community to become its own health promoter. Health operators have
      to be more aware of overweight as a health threat. The National Health Plan
      represents a commitment for Italy, the country hosting EXPO 2015, to fulfill the
      targets of the "Action Plan European Strategy for the Prevention and Control of
      Non-communicable Diseases 2012-2016" entrusting the Departments of Prevention
      with the interventions and development of a network of stakeholders. 

PMID- 26499419
TI  - The importance of indicators in monitoring water quality according to European
      directives.
AB  - Directive 2000/60/EC and subsequent legislation provide a list of priority
      substances to be measured and monitored in EU water bodies and require the
      adoption of analytical methods that ensure comparability of the data collected in
      all Member States. These regulations and standards have gradually improved water
      quality in the EU. However, new drugs, whose effects on ecosystems and health are
      still to be determined, are detected with growing frequency. The Member States
      are now called upon to characterize and monitor these pollutants in view of their
      possible inclusion in the priority substance list. 

PMID- 26499420
TI  - Migrant health: the Apulian model.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Since the 1990s Puglia has been totally involved in the reception
      and assistance of refugees. The prevention of infectious diseases among migrants,
      especially those residing in communities, is an important concern for public
      health authorities, since infectious diseases eliminated in Europe may still be
      widespread in the migrants' countries of origin, and other diseases may have a
      higher incidence than in European countries. Thus immigrants may contribute to
      the burden and spread of infectious diseases. OBJECTIVE: We describe the Apulian
      model of management and prevention of infectious disease among the population of
      Asylum Seeker Centres (CARA). It consists of a number of activities: surveillance
      of Poliovirus circulation, tuberculosis screening, seroprevalence studies of
      viral hepatitis and HIV, an immunization program for children, and syndromic
      surveillance. All the activities are organized and carried out by the Regional
      Observatory for Epidemiology among refugees hosted in the Bari Palese CARA.
      RESULTS: Surveillance of Poliovirus circulation has been carried out periodically
      since 2008 by assessing the presence of wild poliovirus or Sabin-like poliovirus
      in stool samples and seroprevalence studies. Data did not show circulation of
      poliovirus and indicated a good level of immunization against polio among
      refugees. Seroprevalence studies of viral hepatitis and HIV were carried out in
      2008 and involved 529 refugees; 44 individuals (8.3%) were HBsAg positive, 24
      (4.5%) were anti-HCV positive, 8 (1.5%) were HIV positive. Tuberculosis screening
      started in 2009 after a refugee's death due to tuberculosis and has been ongoing
      since then. The Mantoux tuberculin skin test is used and cutipositive migrants
      are examined by chest X-ray. Around 50% of migrants have been found to be
      cutipositive and 10% showed TB sequelae. Syndromic surveillance and an
      immunization program began in 2011 because of the significant increase in
      migration flow following civil unrest in North Africa; respiratory tract
      infection and diarrhoea were the most frequent notified syndromes. The
      immunization program involved 129 children coming from 23 countries: all received
      the appropriate vaccinations. The program also includes an annual special session
      to vaccinate all refugees against flu. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirmed some
      traditional concerns about migrant health and especially about the control of
      infectious diseases among these populations and the need, from our point of view,
      to strengthen screening to aid the development of trust between migrants and
      resident population.

PMID- 26499421
TI  - Evidence-based approach for continuous improvement of occupational health.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It was recognized early on that an Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM)
      approach could be applied to Public Health (PH), including the area of
      Occupational Health (OH). The aim of Evidence-Based Occupational Health (EBOH) is
      to ensure safety, health, and well-being in the workplace. Currently, high
      quality research is necessary in order to provide arguments and scientific
      evidence upon which effective, efficient, and sustainable preventive measures and
      policies are to be developed in the workplace in Western countries. Occupational
      physicians need to integrate available scientific evidence and existing
      recommendations with a framework of national employment laws and regulations.
      OBJECTIVE: This paper addresses the state of the art of scientific evidence
      available in the field (i.e., efficacy of interventions, usefulness of education
      and training of workers, and need of a multidisciplinary strategy integrated
      within the national PH programs) and the main critical issues for their
      implementation. CONCLUSIONS: Promoting good health is a fundamental part of the
      smart, inclusive growth objectives of Europe 2020 - Europe's growth strategy:
      keeping people healthy and active for longer has a positive impact on
      productivity and competitiveness. It appears clear that health quality and safety
      in the workplace play a key role for smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth in
      Western countries.

PMID- 26499422
TI  - Monitoring the web to support vaccine coverage: results of two years of the
      portal VaccinarSi.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The increasingly widespread use of the Internet by the population to
      collect information regarding health and medical treatments and the circulation
      of many non-scientific documents on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines has
      led the Italian Society of Hygiene (SItI), in 2013, to promote a portal to
      provide scientific information that is verified and easily understood to
      counteract the rampant misinformation on health treatments and combat the
      phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy. METHODS: The project was launched in May 2013
      and provides a portal with six main sections (vaccine preventable diseases,
      registered vaccines, benefits and risks of vaccination, against misinformation,
      pros & cons and travel immunizations) and other headings that relate to
      scientific events, comics and news coverage concerning vaccines. The contents are
      validated and evaluated by a scientific committee of high profile scientists and
      experts in computer-mediated communication. RESULTS: In the first two years of
      activity, the portal has published more than 250 web pages on all aspects related
      to vaccinations. The number of individual users was 860,411, with a constant
      increase over time. Of these, about 21.7% returned to the website at least once.
      The total visits in 24 months were 1,099,670, with a total page count of
      2,530,416. The frequency of contact was almost exclusively Italian (95.6%), with
      a higher proportion of males (54.1%) and younger age groups (25-34 years, 33.5%,
      and18-24 years, 27.5%). The data also show a significant position of the website
      in the major web search engines. The website has been certified by the Health On
      the Net Foundation. It is connected with the main social networks and it has
      recently opened its first regional section (Veneto). CONCLUSIONS: The strong,
      progressive increase in web contacts, the involvement of several institutional
      bodies, and the appreciation of various stakeholders give an absolutely positive
      assessment of the first two years of the VaccinarSi project. The success of the
      website suggests future developments, with updates, sections devoted to regional
      problems, in-depth news analysis, and international expansion. The authors
      conclude that initiatives like this are to be implemented and constitute an
      effective way to counteract vaccine hesitancy.

PMID- 26499424
TI  - Management of women at high risk of hereditary breast cancer in the Veneto
      Regional Program for Prevention.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Today it is well-known that high risk of genetic breast cancer
      concerns a very limited part of the population: no more than 2-3 women are
      affected every thousand and this condition as a whole accounts for no more than
      3%-5% of all breast cancers. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: Following the directions
      contained in the 2014-2018 National Prevention Plan, Veneto's 2014-2018 Regional
      Program of Prevention (PRP), approved by Regional Council Resolution (DGR) No.
      749 of 14.5.2015, consolidation of a pathway of diagnosis, observation, and
      prophylaxis for women at high risk of hereditary breast carcinoma is thus
      proposed. The principal activities of this policy will be the following: creation
      of a regional working group, survey of currently existing pathways for the
      identification of women at risk of hereditary breast cancer and adoption of the
      same, approval and consolidation of a structured regional pathway for women at
      high risk of hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancer, from paths of oncogenetic
      consultation and genetic testing to management of disease risk. Subsequent to the
      recognition of the pathway of diagnosis, observation, and prophylaxis for women
      at high risk of hereditary breast carcinoma, the Veneto region undertakes to
      develop a co-ordinated program of information and training on this pathway
      directed at the population and healthcare workers. CONCLUSIONS: It is firmly
      hoped that with the inclusion of a program for the management of women at high
      risk of hereditary breast cancer within the Veneto PRP this topic may become more
      defined and structured in terms of sustainability, integration with the existing
      regional networks (mammography network, Breast Unit), contrasting inequality,
      monitoring and evaluation, in this way pursuing the objectives of a reduction of
      cause-specific mortality and improvement of quality of life.

PMID- 26499423
TI  - Antibiotic consumption and resistance: results of the SPIN-UTI project of the
      GISIO-SItI.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate trends and association between antibiotic consumption and
      resistance during an eight-year period, from 2006 to 2013. DESIGN: Prospective
      multicenter study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Intensive Care Units (ICUs)
      participating in the four editions of the Italian nosocomial infections
      surveillance in the ICU Network (Sorveglianza Prospettica delle Infezioni
      Nosocomiali nelle Unita di Terapia Intensiva, SPIN-UTI project). MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: The isolation density of selected species of microorganisms, antibiotic
      resistance rates (RRs), incidence density of resistant isolates and antimicrobial
      usage density were calculated. RESULTS: RRs of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter
      baumannii, of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, of third-generation
      cephalosporin (3GC)-resistant K. pneumoniae and of 3GC-resistant Escherichia coli
      showed significant increasing trends (p <=0.001). The consumption of each
      antibiotic class varied with years, although not significantly. Significant
      strongly positive correlations were detected between RRs and antibiotic
      consumption. CONCLUSIONS: The present study describes high RRs and increasing
      trends of resistant microorganisms and highlights the need for continuous
      comprehensive strategies targeting not only the prudent use of antibiotics, but
      also infection control measures to limit the epidemic spread of resistant
      isolates.

PMID- 26499426
TI  - Malnutrition decreases the odds of attaining motor milestones in HIV exposed
      children: results from a paediatric DREAM cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: HIV and malnutrition are the two major causes of infant mortality in
      Sub-Saharan Africa. The study describes the impact of malnutrition on motor
      milestone development in HIV-exposed children. DESIGN: Randomized community
      intervention trial (SMAC, Safe Milk for African Children). SETTING AND
      PARTICIPANTS: Growth, motor development, and malnutrition were assessed in a
      sample of 76 HIV-exposed children, aged 0-24 months, at the Blantyre Dream Centre
      in Malawi. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We assessed growth and selected motor milestone
      achievement in agreement with WHO/UNICEF criteria. Odds ratios and 95%confidence
      intervals were calculated according to motor milestones and malnutrition indices.
      Multivariable logistic regression was performed with 18 months data. RESULTS:
      High rates of malnutrition were observed. Underweight increased by 6.7/9.2 and
      3.2/5.5 the odds of not standing alone and not walking alone at 15 and 18 months.
      Stunting increased by 9.7 the odds of not standing alone at 11 months and by 6.1
      the odds of not walking alone at 18 months. Wasting increased by 5.5/10.3 the
      odds for not walking with assistance at 12 and 18 months. Low weight for age was
      associated with delay in walking at 18 months (HR=2.9). CONCLUSION: Malnutrition
      in HIV-exposed children decreases the likelihood of adequate development.

PMID- 26499425
TI  - Increased incidence of childhood leukemia in urban areas: a population-based case
      control study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We carried out a population-based case-control study to assess the
      possibility of an excess risk of childhood leukemia in urban areas, independently
      from road traffic pollution. METHODS: Study subjects were the 111 cases of
      childhood leukemia diagnosed from 1998 to 2011 among residents of two provinces
      of the northern Italian Emilia-Romagna region, and 444 controls matched by age
      and sex. Through mapping of the region carried out by remote sensing, we examined
      the percentage of urban or rural area in the 100-meter circular buffer around
      each child's house. We also modeled annual average exposure to benzene and PM10
      from vehicular traffic at each residence. RESULTS: In a multivariate model
      adjusting for benzene and PM10, the odds ratio of leukemia associated with
      residence in a highly urbanized area and residential area (>=95% land use of this
      type near the child's home) was 1.4 (95% confidence intervals 0.8-2.4) and 1.3
      (0.8-2.2), respectively. An increased risk was also found in association with the
      proximity to "dumps, scrap yards, and building sites". No association emerged
      with residence in rural areas or near industrial plants. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results indicate that children living in urban areas experience an excess
      leukemia risk, independently from exposure to pollutants from vehicles.

PMID- 26499427
TI  - Reducing external drainage-related cerebrospinal fluid infections through
      implementation of a multidisciplinary protocol: experience in a paediatric
      hospital.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency of external cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drain
      related CNS infections before and after implementation of a protocol for their
      prevention. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental study, with comparison of incidence before
      and after the implementation of the intervention. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS:
      Bambino Gesu Children's Hospital in Rome, Italy. Children receiving an external
      cerebrospinal fluid drain from 1 January 2013 to 31 March 2015. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Drain-related infections. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients were included in
      the study. Before protocol implementation, cumulative incidence was 14 per 100
      drains. Incidence rate was 8/1,000 catheter-days. After protocol implementation,
      cumulative incidence and incidence rate were 6.7 per 100 drains and 4.6 per 1,000
      catheter-days (p=0.61 and p=0.2 versus the pre-intervention period,
      respectively). Infected patients were significantly younger (median age: 16.5
      days vs 13.4 months; p=0.026), had a significantly higher number of procedures (5
      vs 1 procedure per patient; p <0.0001) and were most frequently affected by post
      haemorrhagic hydrocephalus of premature newborns (50% vs 16.7%; p=0.039),
      compared to non-infected patients. CONCLUSIONS: After protocol implementation, we
      observed a reduction of incidence of CSF drain-related infections, though the
      short post-intervention period limited the power of the study to detect a
      significant difference. Patients <1 year of age, with multiple interventions and
      post-haemorrhagic hydrocephalus had higher risk of CSF drain-related infections.

PMID- 26499429
TI  - The first italian validation of the most widespread health literacy assessment
      tool: the Newest Vital Sign.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This work represents the first attempt to validate, for the Italian
      population, the most widespread health literacy assessment tool: the Newest Vital
      Sign (NVS). DESIGN: The UK version of this tool was adapted for Italy using a
      translation/back-translation process. A web-based survey was then administered to
      a multidisciplinary panel of experts to assess its face validity. Finally, a
      preliminary study of construct validity was conducted, focusing on efficiency,
      comprehensibility, reliability, and sensitivity of the items of the test. For the
      evaluation of these dimensions we adopted Pearson's r correlation and calculated
      the average scores obtained for the subscales. RESULTS: Data analysis shows that
      the NVS-IT can be considered, under every aspect, an adequate tool for the
      assessment of individual health literacy grade level, given the optimal
      correlation among the experts' judgments and the average scores above the
      acceptability threshold. CONCLUSION: Our study aims to encourage use of the NVS
      for the Italian population and, furthermore, introduce a scientific approach to
      health literacy, an issue that is gaining interest even in our country, though,
      to date, this has mainly resulted in the production of theoretical works.

PMID- 26499428
TI  - Assessment of the effectiveness of the universal varicella vaccination program in
      Toscana (Italy), in the period 2010-2013.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of the varicella vaccination program in
      Toscana after one dose of vaccine, in the birth cohorts 2008-2011. DESIGN:
      Varicella vaccine effectiveness (VE) was calculated using the "screening method",
      based on vaccine coverage (VC) at 24 months and proportion of vaccinated subjects
      among varicella notified cases (PVC), verified through the Local Health Units'
      (LHUs) immunization registries. Breakthrough varicella (BV) was defined as a case
      of varicella occurring in a child vaccinated >=42 days before the date of disease
      onset. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study was conducted in the 12 Tuscan LHUs
      and included all varicella cases notified in 2010-2013 in children of the birth
      cohorts 2008-2011. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BV cases; VE after one dose of
      varicella vaccine; time interval between varicella vaccination and symptom onset.
      RESULTS: VC was 79.8%, VE reached 90.8%(95%CI 89.5%-92.0%) and the proportion of
      BV among notified cases was 26.6%. The median time interval between vaccination
      and symptom onset was 25 months. CONCLUSIONS: The very low rate of BV cases among
      vaccinated children confirms the high effectiveness even of a single dose of
      varicella vaccine and does not support a change of the current immunization
      schedule.

PMID- 26499430
TI  - Molecular typing of XDR Acinetobacter baumannii strains in an Italian ICU.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility and clonal
      relationship of Acinetobacter baumannii strains isolated in an Italian ICU.
      DESIGN: Epidemiological, observational, retrospective, longitudinal study.
      SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The ICU of the University Hospital of Sassari, Italy.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) and Multi Locus
      Sequence Typing (MLST) were used to evaluate the genomic features of the isolated
      strains. RESULTS: Drug susceptibility testing for all isolated strains showed the
      same resistance pattern, characterized by resistance to the most important
      antibiotics, with the only exception of colistin. PFGE showed a very poor between
      strain variability; three distinct clusters, 11, 4, and 1 isolates in size, were
      identified (Dice's coefficient: 92.11%). MLST showed that all isolated strains
      belonged to sequence type 2 (ST2). All isolates collected from the environment
      and the human samples were positive for the following genes: blaOXA-23, blaOXA-51
      like, blaVIM-like, blaIMP-like, andISAba1; however, blaOXA-24-like, blaOXA-58
      like, and blaNDM-like were not detected. CONCLUSIONS: The survey identified XDR
      strains belonging to the same cell clone, confirming the wide circulation and
      environmental persistence of this microorganism.

PMID- 26499431
TI  - Invasive pneumococcal disease in children and adults in seven Italian regions
      after the introduction of the conjugate vaccine, 2008-2014.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the trend of invasive pneumococcal disease in the years
      2008-2014; to verify the impact of the conjugate vaccine and monitor the
      occurrence of serotype replacement. DESIGN: Prospective observational study based
      on data from the national surveillance for invasive bacterial diseases
      coordinated by the Istituto superiore di sanita. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Seven
      Italian regions (A.P. Bolzano, A.P. Trento, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia
      Giulia, Lombardia, Piemonte, Veneto), accounting for 43% of the national
      population. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of cases and incidence of invasive
      pneumococcal diseases: global, stratified by age groups and by serotypes included
      or not in the PCV13. RESULTS: In 2008-2014, in the 0-4 age group IPD incidence
      for all serotypes decreased from 7.1 to 2.9/100,000; incidence for vaccine
      serotypes (VT) decreased from 5.5 to 1.1/100,000, while incidence for non-vaccine
      serotypes (NVT) increased from 1.6 to 2.0/100,000 (2.5 in 2013). In the >64 age
      group, IPD incidence increased from 5.3 to 7.5/100,000; VT incidence decreased
      from 3.9 to 3.2 (4.9 in 2010 and 4.3 in 2013), whereas NVT incidence increased
      from 1.4 to 4.4/100,000. CONCLUSION: Use of the conjugate vaccine has reduced the
      number of cases of IPD by VT in children; the increase in IPD by NVT, above all
      in older age groups, suggests a serotype replacement.

PMID- 26499432
TI  - Influenza and immunization: a quantitative study of media coverage in the season
      of the "Fluad case".
AB  - BACKGROUND: Seasonal influenza generates serious health and economic losses. In
      the last influenza season, the report of three deaths originally blamed on the
      Fluad vaccine drew widespread attention from the media and is likely to have had
      a major negative impact on vaccine uptake. OBJECTIVE: We quantitatively analyzed
      media coverage on influenza and immunization-related topics on all published
      issues of the Italian newspaper ranking first in circulation, over one year.
      DESIGN: We retrieved relevant key words and articles, reporting on article topic,
      length, position, and approach to immunization, and on other selected indicators'
      summary statistics, trends, and correspondence with key events. RESULTS: Selected
      key words were retrieved 798 times over the study period, 34% specifically
      focusing on influenza. The average number of influenza-related key words per
      issue was 96%higher in the four-day "uncertainty" period from when the deaths
      were first reported to the release of the test results disproving any causal
      association between the deaths and the vaccine (time frame #1), as compared to
      the whole study period. Ninety relevant articles were included in the analysis,
      51%focusing on influenza, the average number/issue being 97%higher during time
      frame #1. During time frame #1, articles were also longer and located in the main
      sections of the newspapers. No articles were published at the launch of the
      seasonal influenza immunization campaign. CONCLUSION: We propose an analytic
      model of media monitoring that could be effectively applied to support health
      authorities and representatives of the scientific community in conveying health
      education messages through the media.

PMID- 26499433
TI  - Vaccine coverage in Italy and assessment of the 2012-2014 National Immunization
      Prevention Plan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2012, the ItalianMinistry of Health issued the National
      Immunization Prevention Plan (Piano Nazionale Prevenzione Vaccinale, or PNPV 2012
      2014), with the aim of harmonizing immunization strategies across the country and
      ensuring equitable access to infectious disease prevention to all citizens. The
      Plan defines the immunization standards all regions should comply with. OBJECTIVE
      AND METHODS: As new evidence has accumulated in the field of immunization, and
      the new National Immunization Prevention Plan is about to be launched, the aim of
      the current study is to: i. present immunization coverage data (2000-2014) for 14
      vaccines included in the PNPV to be offered to the general population, ii. assess
      to what extent the PNPV coverage targets and objectives have been met, and iii.
      report on how the PNPV was transposed into regional immunization programs. Data
      are also available for the eight regions that piloted varicella immunization.
      RESULTS: The 2012-2014 PNPV first introduced a "lifecourse" approach to
      vaccination at the institutional level, and has been a milestone for prevention
      in the Italian health policy agenda. However, infant vaccine coverage rates have
      been decreasing over the last years, as has influenza immunization in the
      elderly. HPV vaccine coverage has been increasing for all birth cohorts, but is
      still far below the targets set in the Plan. Promising preliminary data show that
      pneumococcal and meningococcal C conjugate vaccines were well introduced in
      regional immunization schedules. CONCLUSION: The 2012-2014 PNPV objectives have
      only been partially met, due to several factors, in particular increase in
      vaccine hesitancy. Strengthened efforts are needed to promote immunization. The
      new National Immunization Prevention Plan should introduce new vaccines and
      extend immunization programs to other target populations on the basis of the most
      recent scientific evidence available. It is of crucial importance that
      interventions of proven efficacy be planned and implemented to contrast the
      growing phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy and ultimately increase immunization
      uptake.

PMID- 26499434
TI  - Authors' response to the letter on the article "Partial laryngectomy as salvage
      surgery after radiotherapy: Oncological and functional outcomes and impact on
      quality of life. A retrospective study of 20 cases".

PMID- 26499435
TI  - Survival of a micro-vascular free flap after a prolonged cardiac arrest.

PMID- 26499436
TI  - 3-D imaging of islets in obesity: formation of the islet-duct complex and
      neurovascular remodeling in young hyperphagic mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity and insulin resistance lead to islet hyperplasia. However,
      how the islet remodeling influences the pancreatic environment and the associated
      neurovascular networks is largely unknown. The lack of information is primarily
      due to the difficulty of global visualization of the hyperplasic islet (>200 MUm)
      and the neurovascular environment with high definition. METHODS: We modulated the
      pancreatic optical property to achieve 3-dimensional (3-D) whole-islet histology
      and to integrate transmitted light microscopy (which provides the ground-truth
      tissue information) with confocal fluorescence imaging. The new optical and
      imaging conditions were used to globally examine the hyperplastic islets of the
      young (2 months) obese db/db and ob/ob mice, which otherwise cannot be easily
      portrayed by the standard microtome-based histology. The voxel-based islet
      micrographs were digitally processed for stereo projection and qualitative and
      quantitative analyses of the islet tissue networks. RESULTS: Paired staining and
      imaging of the pancreatic islets, ducts and neurovascular networks reveal the
      unexpected formation of the 'neuro-insular-ductal complex' in the young obese
      mice. The complex consists of the peri- and/or intra-islet ducts and prominent
      peri-ductal sympathetic nerves; the latter contributes to a marked increase in
      islet sympathetic innervation. In vascular characterization, we identify a
      decreased perivascular density of the ob/ob islet pericytes, which adapt to
      ensheathing the dilated microvessels with hypertrophic processes. CONCLUSIONS:
      Modulation of pancreatic optical property enables 3-D panoramic examination of
      islets in the young hyperphagic mice to reveal the formation of the islet-duct
      complex and neurovascular remodeling. On the basis of the morphological proximity
      of the remodeled tissue networks, we propose a reactive islet microenvironment
      consisting of the endocrine cells, ductal epithelium and neurovascular tissues in
      response to the metabolic challenge that is experienced early in life.

PMID- 26499437
TI  - Impaired atrial natriuretic peptide-mediated lipolysis in obesity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Catecholamines and natriuretic peptides (NPs) are the only hormones
      with pronounced lipolytic effects in human white adipose tissue. Although
      catecholamine-induced lipolysis is well known to be impaired in obesity and
      insulin resistance, it is not known whether the effect of NPs is also altered.
      METHODS: Catecholamine- and atrial NP (ANP)-induced lipolysis was investigated in
      abdominal subcutaneous adipocytes in vitro and in situ by microdialysis. RESULTS:
      In a cohort of 122 women, both catecholamine- and ANP-induced lipolysis in vitro
      was markedly attenuated in obesity (n=87), but normalized after substantial body
      weight loss (n=52). The impairment of lipolysis differed between the two hormones
      when expressing lipolysis per lipid weight, the ratio of stimulated over basal
      (spontaneous) lipolysis rate or per number of adipocytes. Thus, while the
      response to catecholamines was lower when expressed as the former two measures,
      it was higher when expressed per cell number, a consequence of the significantly
      larger fat cell size in obesity. In contrast, although ANP-induced lipolysis was
      also attenuated when expressed per lipid weight or the ratio stimulated/basal, it
      was similar between non-obese and obese subjects when expressed per cell number
      suggesting that the lipolytic effect of ANP may be even more sensitive to the
      effects of obesity than catecholamines. Obesity was characterized by a decrease
      in the protein expression of the signaling NP A receptor (NPRA) and a trend
      toward increased levels of the clearance receptor NPRC. The impairment in ANP
      induced lipolysis observed in vitro was corroborated by microdialysis experiments
      in situ in a smaller cohort of lean and overweight men. CONCLUSIONS: ANP- and
      catecholamine-induced lipolysis is reversibly attenuated in obesity. The pro
      lipolytic effects of ANP are relatively more impaired compared with that of
      catecholamines, which may in part be due to specific changes in NP receptor
      expression.

PMID- 26499439
TI  - Inhibition of mitochondrial beta-oxidation by miR-107 promotes hepatic lipid
      accumulation and impairs glucose tolerance in vivo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatic expression of microRNA-107 is ubiquitously upregulated in
      various metabolic diseases. In our previous study, we had demonstrated that fatty
      acid synthase (FASN) is a target of miR-107. miR-107-FASN interaction, by
      inducing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, promotes lipid accumulation in
      hepatocytes. Here, we explore the possible mechanism(s) of the miR-107-FASN-ER
      stress on hepatic lipid metabolism. METHODS: HepG2 cells were transfected with
      the scramble or miR-107 and/or its inhibitor. Transcript levels of lipid droplet
      membrane proteins, apolipoproteins and beta-oxidation genes were quantified by
      quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. Cells were treated with tunicamycin (Tm,
      1 h) and 4-PBA (4-phenyl butyric acid, 8 h) or transfected with hydroxyacyl-CoA
      dehydrogenase/3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase/enoyl-CoA hydratase, apha subunit (HADHA)
      short interfering RNA or its overexpression vector. Mice were injected with the
      scramble or mmu-miR-107 (2.5 mg kg(-1) body weight) and random glucose levels
      were measured and oral glucose tolerance test was performed. Serum levels of
      cholesterol, triglyceride and serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase/serum
      glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGOT/SGPT) were evaluated. Hepatic tissues were
      collected to estimate levels of miR-107 and mitochondrial beta-oxidation genes.
      Six-micrometer-thick cryosections of hepatic tissues were prepared and stained
      with Oil Red O for lipid accumulation. RESULTS: miR-107 does not alter the
      expression of lipid metabolism-related transcription factors, lipid droplet
      components and apolipiprotein B. miR-107 significantly decreased the levels of
      the mitochondrial beta-oxidation enzyme, HADHA in HepG2 cells (P<0.01), which was
      prevented by the miR-107 inhibitor. Similar decrease was observed with Tm
      (P<0.001), suggesting that HADHA inhibition is promoted by ER stress induction.
      Interestingly, miR-107-mediated HADHA suppression was rescued by the ER stress
      inhibitor, 4-PBA (P<0.01). HADHA overexpression rescued miR-107-induced lipid
      accumulation (P<0.01). miR-107 injection in mice increased random blood glucose
      levels (P<0.05) and impaired glucose tolerance (P<0.05). Hepatic levels of Hadha
      were significantly decreased (P<0.001 and P<0.05) accompanied by increased lipid
      accumulation (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: miR-107 promotes hepatic lipid accumulation
      by suppressing transcript levels of HADHA, induces hyperglycemia and impairs
      glucose tolerance. We conclude that miR-107 regulation of fatty acid oxidation is
      an important contributor toward hepatic lipid accumulation.

PMID- 26499440
TI  - Lower core body temperature and greater body fat are components of a human
      thrifty phenotype.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: In small studies, a thrifty human phenotype, defined by a
      greater 24-hour energy expenditure (EE) decrease with fasting, is associated with
      less weight loss during caloric restriction. In rodents, models of diet-induced
      obesity often have a phenotype including a reduced EE and decreased core body
      temperature. We assessed whether a thrifty human phenotype associates with
      differences in core body temperature or body composition. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data
      for this cross-sectional analysis were obtained from 77 individuals participating
      in one of two normal physiology studies while housed on our clinical research
      unit. Twenty-four-hour EE using a whole-room indirect calorimeter and 24-h core
      body temperature were measured during 24 h each of fasting and 200% overfeeding
      with a diet consisting of 50% carbohydrates, 20% protein and 30% fat. Body
      composition was measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry. To account for the effects
      of body size on EE, changes in EE were expressed as a percentage change from 24
      hour EE (%EE) during energy balance. RESULTS: A greater %EE decrease with fasting
      correlated with a smaller %EE increase with overfeeding (r=0.27, P=0.02). The %EE
      decrease with fasting was associated with both fat mass and abdominal fat mass,
      even after accounting for covariates (beta=-0.16 (95% CI: -0.26, -0.06) %EE per
      kg fat mass, P=0.003; beta=-0.0004 (-0.0007, -0.00004) %EE kg(-1) abdominal fat
      mass, P=0.03). In men, a greater %EE decrease in response to fasting was
      associated with a lower 24- h core body temperature, even after adjusting for
      covariates (beta=1.43 (0.72, 2.15) %EE per 0.1  degrees C, P=0.0003).
      CONCLUSIONS: Thrifty individuals, as defined by a larger EE decrease with
      fasting, were more likely to have greater overall and abdominal adiposity as well
      as lower core body temperature consistent with a more efficient metabolism.

PMID- 26499438
TI  - Altered gut and adipose tissue hormones in overweight and obese individuals:
      cause or consequence?
AB  - The aim of this article is to review the research into the main peripheral
      appetite signals altered in human obesity, together with their modifications
      after body weight loss with diet and exercise and after bariatric surgery, which
      may be relevant to strategies for obesity treatment. Body weight homeostasis
      involves the gut-brain axis, a complex and highly coordinated system of
      peripheral appetite hormones and centrally mediated neuronal regulation. The list
      of peripheral anorexigenic and orexigenic physiological factors in both animals
      and humans is intimidating and expanding, but anorexigenic glucagon-like peptide
      1 (GLP-1), cholecystokinin (CCK), peptide YY (PYY) and orexigenic ghrelin from
      the gastrointestinal tract, pancreatic polypeptide (PP) from the pancreas and
      anorexigenic leptin from adiposites remain the most widely studied hormones.
      Homeostatic control of food intake occurs in humans, although its relative
      importance for eating behaviour is uncertain, compared with social and
      environmental influences. There are perturbations in the gut-brain axis in obese
      compared with lean individuals, as well as in weight-reduced obese individuals.
      Fasting and postprandial levels of gut hormones change when obese individuals
      lose weight, either with surgical or with dietary and/or exercise interventions.
      Diet-induced weight loss results in long-term changes in appetite gut hormones,
      postulated to favour increased appetite and weight regain while exercise
      programmes modify responses in a direction expected to enhance satiety and permit
      weight loss and/or maintenance. Sustained weight loss achieved by bariatric
      surgery may in part be mediated via favourable changes to gut hormones. Future
      work will be necessary to fully elucidate the role of each element of the axis,
      and whether modifying these signals can reduce the risk of obesity. 

PMID- 26499441
TI  - Breastfeeding during the first 6 months of life, adiposity rebound and
      overweight/obesity at 8 years of age.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The question of whether breastfeeding protects the child from obesity
      is a still debated issue; however, the relationship between early adiposity
      rebound and higher risk of obesity is well known. This study was aimed at
      evaluating whether breastfeeding (without formula supplement) during the first 6
      months of life delays the time of adiposity rebound and consequently reduces the
      rates of obesity at the age of 8. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study
      included 1812 children born in Gran Canaria in 2004, with follow-up until they
      were 8 years of age. Anthropometrical data had been taken during routine visits
      to the doctor and were extracted from medical record databases. Only children
      with breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life (173 children) and children
      without breastfeeding (192 children) were included. Children with mixed feeding
      and children whose data were not available were excluded. RESULTS: No body mass
      index (BMI) differences were found between children with breastfeeding (17.7) or
      without breastfeeding (17.3) during the first 6 months of life. The percentages
      of children with normal weight, overweight and obesity were similar in both
      groups, as well as the age of adiposity rebound breastfeeding 3.61 years; formula
      3.64 years). Early adiposity rebound was associated with increased BMI at the age
      of 8, both in male and female children. CONCLUSIONS: Breastfeeding during the
      first 6 months of life was not demonstrated to delay the age of the adiposity
      rebound, in our study.

PMID- 26499442
TI  - Prenatal notch1 receptor blockade by protein delta homolog 1 (DLK1) modulates
      adipocyte size in vivo.
AB  - INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: The protein delta homolog 1 (DLK1) has been reported to
      have an important role as inhibitor of adipogenesis. Understanding its mode of
      action can be a promising approach to cope with the formation of obesity.
      However, data on DLK1 signaling are not consistent, and especially its role as
      negative regulator of Notch receptors is discussed controversially. METHODS: DLK1
      effects have been investigated in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells by Adipokine
      Profiler Array, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantitative real-time PCR
      (qRT-PCR). In vivo effects of DLK1 on adipogenesis have been studied by the DLK1
      treatment of pregnant C57BL/6NTac mice and the phenotypical characterization of
      the offspring fed on chow or high-fat diet (HFD). Furthermore, gene expression of
      key adipogenesis genes in adipose tissue (AT) samples was observed by qRT-PCR.
      RESULTS: In 3T3-L1 cells, DLK1 was found to be an inhibitor of Notch1 signaling.
      Gene expression of Notch1 and Hes1 was lowered by 53% and 65%, respectively, and
      the expression of protein target PAI-1 was decreased by 51%. The offspring of
      DLK1-treated pregnant mice were fed chow or HFD starting from week 4. At week 18,
      a larger proportion of visceral AT was determined on HFD after DLK1 treatment
      (P=0.011), whereas adipocyte size was reduced (P=0.007 for maximal size). This
      was affiliated to an upregulation of adipocyte differentiation. The underlying
      mechanism was found in an increased expression of the Notch1 receptor gene and
      protein in AT of the offsprings independently of the diet. However, feeding a
      chow diet resulted in a decreased expression of Notch1 target genes Hes1 and RBP
      Jkappa, whereas under HFD these genes were upregulated. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of
      mice with recombinant human DLK1 during pregnancy has significant effects on AT
      of the offspring. This can be associated with counter-regulatory changes in the
      Notch1 signaling cascade.

PMID- 26499443
TI  - Surgical removal of inflamed epididymal white adipose tissue attenuates the
      development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in obesity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is strongly associated with
      abdominal obesity. Growing evidence suggests that inflammation in specific depots
      of white adipose tissue (WAT) has a key role in NAFLD progression, but
      experimental evidence for a causal role of WAT is lacking. METHODS: A time-course
      study in C57BL/6J mice was performed to establish which WAT depot is most
      susceptible to develop inflammation during high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity.
      Crown-like structures (CLS) were quantified in epididymal (eWAT), mesenteric
      (mWAT) and inguinal/subcutaneous (iWAT) WAT. The contribution of inflamed WAT to
      NAFLD progression was investigated by surgical removal of a selected WAT depot
      and compared with sham surgery. Plasma markers were analyzed by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (cytokines/adipokines) and lipidomics (lipids). RESULTS: In
      eWAT, CLS were formed already after 12 weeks of HFD, which coincided with maximal
      adipocyte size and fat depot mass, and preceded establishment of non-alcoholic
      steatohepatitis (NASH). By contrast, the number of CLS were low in mWAT and iWAT.
      Removal of inflamed eWAT after 12 weeks (eWATx group), followed by another 12
      weeks of HFD feeding, resulted in significantly reduced NASH in eWATx.
      Inflammatory cell aggregates (-40%; P<0.05) and inflammatory genes (e.g.,
      TNFalpha, -37%; P<0.05) were attenuated in livers of eWATx mice, whereas
      steatosis was not affected. Concomitantly, plasma concentrations of circulating
      proinflammatory mediators, viz. leptin and specific saturated and monounsaturated
      fatty acids, were also reduced in the eWATx group. CONCLUSIONS: Intervention in
      NAFLD progression by removal of inflamed eWAT attenuates the development of NASH
      and reduces plasma levels of specific inflammatory mediators (cytokines and
      lipids). These data support the hypothesis that eWAT is causally involved in the
      pathogenesis of NASH.

PMID- 26499444
TI  - Less favorable body composition and adipokines in South Asians compared with
      other US ethnic groups: results from the MASALA and MESA studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Small studies have shown that South Asians (SAs) have more total
      body, subcutaneous, visceral and hepatic fat and abnormal adipokine levels
      compared with Whites. However, comprehensive studies of body composition and
      adipokines in SAs compared with other ethnic groups are lacking. METHODS: Using
      harmonized data, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of two community-based
      cohorts: Mediators of Atherosclerosis of South Asians Living in America (MASALA,
      n=906) and Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA which included 2622
      Whites, 803 Chinese Americans, 1893 African Americans and 1496 Latinos). General
      linear models were developed to assess the ethnic differences in ectopic fat
      (visceral, intermuscular and pericardial fat; and hepatic attenuation), lean
      muscle mass and adipokines (adiponectin and resistin). Models were adjusted for
      age, sex, site, alcohol use, smoking, exercise, education, household income and
      body mass index. Ectopic fat models were additionally adjusted for hypertension,
      diabetes, high-density lipoprotein and triglycerides. Adipokine models were
      adjusted for subcutaneous, visceral, intermuscular and pericardial fat; and
      hepatic attenuation. RESULTS: Compared with all ethnic groups in MESA (Whites,
      Chinese Americans, African Americans and Latinos), SAs had greater intermuscular
      fat (pairwise comparisons with each MESA group, P<0.01), lower hepatic
      attenuation (P<0.001) and less lean mass (P<0.001). SAs had greater visceral fat
      compared with Chinese Americans, African Americans and Latinos (P<0.05) and
      greater pericardial fat compared with African Americans (P<0.001). SAs had lower
      adiponectin levels compared with other ethnic groups (P<0.01; except Chinese
      Americans) and higher resistin levels than all groups (P<0.001), even after
      adjusting for differences in body composition. CONCLUSION: There are significant
      ethnic differences in ectopic fat, lean mass and adipokines. A less favorable
      body composition and adipokine profile in SAs may partially explain the increased
      predisposition to cardiometabolic disease. The mechanisms that underlie these
      differences warrant further investigation.

PMID- 26499445
TI  - GM3 ganglioside and phosphatidylethanolamine-containing lipids are adipose tissue
      markers of insulin resistance in obese women.
AB  - AIMS: The association between central obesity and insulin resistance reflects the
      properties of visceral adipose tissue. Our aim was to gain further insight into
      this association by analysing the lipid composition of subcutaneous and omental
      adipose tissue in obese women with and without insulin resistance. METHODS:
      Subcutaneous and omental adipose tissue and serum were obtained from 29 obese non
      diabetic women, 13 of whom were hyperinsulinemic. Histology, lipid and gene
      profiling were performed. RESULTS: In omental adipose tissue of obese, insulin
      resistant women, adipocyte hypertrophy and macrophage infiltration were
      accompanied by an increase in GM3 ganglioside and its synthesis enzyme ST3GAL5;
      in addition, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) lipids were increased and their
      degradation enzyme, phosphatidylethanolamine methyl transferase (PEMT),
      decreased. ST3GAL5 was expressed predominantly in adipose stromovascular cells
      and PEMT in adipocytes. Insulin resistance was also associated with an increase
      in PE lipids in serum. INTERPRETATION: The relevance of these findings to insulin
      resistance in humans is supported by published mouse studies, in which adipocyte
      GM3 ganglioside, increased by the inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor
      alpha, impaired insulin action and PEMT was required for adipocyte lipid storage.
      Thus in visceral adipose tissue of obese humans, an increase in GM3 ganglioside
      secondary to inflammation may contribute to insulin resistance and a decrease in
      PEMT may be a compensatory response to adipocyte hypertrophy.

PMID- 26499446
TI  - DNA methylation and gene expression patterns in adipose tissue differ
      significantly within young adult monozygotic BMI-discordant twin pairs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about epigenetic alterations associated with
      subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) in obesity. Our aim was to study genome-wide
      DNA methylation and gene expression differences in SAT in monozygotic (MZ) twin
      pairs who are discordant for body mass index (BMI). This design completely
      matches lean and obese groups for genetic background, age, gender and shared
      environment. METHODS: 14We analyzed DNA methylome and gene expression from SAT,
      together with body composition (magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy) and
      glucose tolerance test, lipids and C-reactive protein from 26 rare BMI-discordant
      (intrapair difference in BMI ?3 kg m(-2)) MZ twin pairs identified from 10 birth
      cohorts of young adult Finnish twins. RESULTS: We found 17 novel obesity
      associated genes that were differentially methylated across the genome between
      heavy and lean co-twins. Nine of them were also differentially expressed. Pathway
      analyses indicated that dysregulation of SAT in obesity includes a paradoxical
      downregulation of lipo/adipogenesis and upregulation of inflammation and
      extracellular matrix remodeling. Furthermore, CpG sites whose methylation
      correlated with metabolically harmful fat depots (intra-abdominal and liver fat)
      also correlated with measures of insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and low-grade
      inflammation, thus suggesting that epigenetic alterations in SAT are associated
      with the development of unhealthy obesity. CONCLUSION: This is the first study in
      BMI-discordant MZ twin pairs reporting genome-wide DNA methylation and expression
      profiles in SAT. We found a number of novel genes and pathways whose methylation
      and expression patterns differ within the twin pairs, suggesting that the
      pathological adaptation of SAT to obesity is, at least in part, epigenetically
      regulated.

PMID- 26499448
TI  - Pentoxifylline as a modulator of anticancer drug doxorubicin. Part I: Reduction
      of doxorubicin DNA binding.
AB  - Pentoxifylline--biologically active aromatic compound--has a well established
      capability to sequester aromatic ligands, such as an anticancer drug--doxorubicin
      -in mixed stacking aggregates. Formation of such hetero-complexes may influence
      biological activity of secluded drug. Presented work shows assessment of
      pentoxifylline influence on doxorubicin direct interactions with DNA employing
      biophysical methods. Achievement of this goal required statistical
      thermodynamical model allowing numerical four-parameter analysis of experimental
      mixture--an issue that was successfully tackled by merging McGhee--von Hippel and
      Kapuscinski--Kimmel models. Results obtained with new model are well in agreement
      with data obtained with separate experiments with each of these two models and
      show reduction of doxorubicin in free (monomeric, dimeric) and complexed with DNA
      forms in favor of doxorubicin-pentoxifylline complexes with increasing
      pentoxifylline concentration. Developed model appears to be a universal tool
      allowing numerical analysis of mixtures containing self-aggregating ligand, DNA,
      and modulating agent.

PMID- 26499447
TI  - Isocaloric fructose restriction and metabolic improvement in children with
      obesity and metabolic syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Dietary fructose is implicated in metabolic syndrome, but intervention
      studies are confounded by positive caloric balance, changes in adiposity, or
      artifactually high amounts. This study determined whether isocaloric substitution
      of starch for sugar would improve metabolic parameters in Latino (n = 27) and
      African-American (n = 16) children with obesity and metabolic syndrome. METHODS:
      Participants consumed a diet for 9 days to deliver comparable percentages of
      protein, fat, and carbohydrate as their self-reported diet; however, dietary
      sugar was reduced from 28% to 10% and substituted with starch. Participants
      recorded daily weights, with calories adjusted for weight maintenance.
      Participants underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and oral glucose
      tolerance testing on Days 0 and 10. Biochemical analyses were controlled for
      weight change by repeated measures ANCOVA. RESULTS: Reductions in diastolic blood
      pressure (-5 mmHg; P = 0.002), lactate (-0.3 mmol/L; P < 0.001), triglyceride,
      and LDL-cholesterol (-46% and -0.3 mmol/L; P < 0.001) were noted. Glucose
      tolerance and hyperinsulinemia improved (P < 0.001). Weight reduced by 0.9 +/-
      0.2 kg (P < 0.001) and fat-free mass by 0.6 kg (P = 0.04). Post hoc sensitivity
      analysis demonstrates that results in the subcohort that did not lose weight (n =
      10) were directionally consistent. CONCLUSIONS: Isocaloric fructose restriction
      improved surrogate metabolic parameters in children with obesity and metabolic
      syndrome irrespective of weight change.

PMID- 26499449
TI  - Detecting and Diagnosing Atrial Fibrillation (D2AF): study protocol for a cluster
      randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation is a common cause of stroke and other morbidity.
      Adequate treatment with anticoagulants reduces the risk of stroke by 60 %. Early
      detection and treatment of atrial fibrillation could prevent strokes. Atrial
      fibrillation is often asymptomatic and/or paroxysmal. Case-finding with pulse
      palpation is an effective screening method, but new methods for detecting atrial
      fibrillation have been developed. To detect paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
      ambulatory rhythm recording is needed. This study aims to determine the yield of
      case-finding for atrial fibrillation in primary care patients. In addition, it
      will determine the diagnostic accuracy of three different case-finding methods.
      METHODS/DESIGN: In a multicenter cluster randomised controlled trial, we compare
      an enhanced protocol for case-finding of atrial fibrillation with usual care. We
      recruit 96 practices. We include primary care patients aged 65 years or older not
      diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Within each practice, a cluster of 200
      patients is randomly selected and marked. Practices are evenly randomised to
      intervention or control group. The allocation is not blinded. When a marked
      patient visits an intervention practice, the case-finding protocol starts,
      consisting of: pulse palpation, sphygmomanometer with automated atrial
      fibrillation detection and handheld single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). All
      patients with at least 1 positive test and a random sample of patients with
      negative tests receive a 12-lead ECG. Patients without atrial fibrillation on the
      12-lead ECG, undergo additional continuous Holter and use the handheld single
      lead ECG at home for 2 weeks. Control practices provide care as usual. The study
      runs for 1 year in each cluster. The primary outcomes are the difference in
      detection rate of new AF between intervention and control practices and the
      accuracy of three index tests to diagnose AF. We are currently recruiting
      practices. The 'Detecting and Diagnosing Atrial Fibrillation' (D2AF) study will
      determine the yield of an intensive case-finding strategy and the diagnostic
      accuracy of three index tests to diagnose atrial fibrillation in a primary care
      setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Netherlands Trial Register: NTR4914 , registered on
      the 25 of November 2014.

PMID- 26499450
TI  - Use of ordinal information by fish.
AB  - Mammals and birds can process ordinal numerical information which can be used,
      for instance, for recognising an object on the basis of its position in a
      sequence of similar objects. Recent studies have shown that teleost fish possess
      numerical abilities comparable to those of other vertebrates, but it is unknown
      if they can also learn ordinal numerical relations. Guppies (Poecilia reticulata)
      learned to recognise the 3(rd) feeder in a row of 8 identical ones even when
      inter-feeder distance and feeder positions were varied among trials to prevent
      the use of any spatial information. To assess whether guppies spontaneously use
      ordinal or spatial information when both are simultaneously available, fish were
      then trained with constant feeder positions and inter-feeder distance. In probe
      trials where these two sources of information were contrasted, the subjects
      selected the correct ordinal position significantly more often than the original
      spatial position, indicating that the former was preferentially encoded during
      training. Finally, a comparison between subjects trained on the 3(rd) and the
      5(th) position revealed that guppies can also learn the latter discrimination,
      but the larger error rate observed in this case suggests that 5 is close to the
      upper limit of discrimination in guppies. 

PMID- 26499451
TI  - Cerebral venous thrombosis: comparing characteristics of infective and non
      infective aetiologies: a 12-year retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most cases of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) have non-infective
      causes. Infective CVT, though less common, often results in a catastrophic
      outcome. The distinctive clinical characteristics of infection-associated CVT
      (IACVT) and non-infection-associated CVT (NIACVT) would facilitate early
      detection and proper management. OBJECTIVE: To compare the characteristics of
      IACVT and NIACVT. METHODS: All patients with CVT admitted to Songklanagarind
      Hospital between January 2002 and December 2013 with the ICD10 codes I636, I676,
      O225 and G08 were identified and recruited. We compared the clinical
      presentations, neuroimaging results and hospital outcomes for patients with IACVT
      and those with NIACVT. We analysed the differences using descriptive statistics.
      Additionally, for patients with IACVT, we described the primary sites of
      infection, associated CVT, host immune status and microbiological results.
      RESULTS: Twenty of the 83 patients with CVT (24.1%) had IACVT. Male gender (70.0%
      vs 34.9%) and pre-existing diabetes mellitus (35.0% vs 4.8%) were significantly
      more prevalent in the IACVT than the NIACVT group. Additionally, cavernous sinus
      thrombosis predominated in IACVT (80.0% vs 11.1%), whereas focal neurological
      syndrome was more common among patients with NIACVT (50.8% vs 15.0%). Paracranial
      infections, mostly sinusitis and orbital cellulitis, were common primary
      infections (80.0%) among patients with IACVT. Lastly, fungus was a devastating
      causative pathogen in IACVT-five of six patients with fungal infection had
      intracranial complications. CONCLUSIONS: Cavernous sinus thrombosis is a
      distinctive clinical presentation of IACVT, whereas focal neurological syndrome
      is a hallmark feature of NIACVT. Paracranial fungal infections are highly
      virulent and frequently associated with intracranial complications.

PMID- 26499452
TI  - Quantification of confocal fluorescence microscopy for the detection of cervical
      intraepithelial neoplasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer remains a major health problem, especially in
      developing countries. Colposcopic examination is used to detect high-grade
      lesions in patients with a history of abnormal pap smears. New technologies are
      needed to improve the sensitivity and specificity of this technique. We propose
      to test the potential of fluorescence confocal microscopy to identify high-grade
      lesions. METHODS: We examined the quantification of ex vivo confocal fluorescence
      microscopy to differentiate among normal cervical tissue, low-grade Cervical
      Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN), and high-grade CIN. We sought to (1) quantify
      nuclear morphology and tissue architecture features by analyzing images of
      cervical biopsies; and (2) determine the accuracy of high-grade CIN detection via
      confocal microscopy relative to the accuracy of detection by colposcopic
      impression. Forty-six biopsies obtained from colposcopically normal and abnormal
      cervical sites were evaluated. Confocal images were acquired at different depths
      from the epithelial surface and histological images were analyzed using in-house
      software. RESULTS: The features calculated from the confocal images compared well
      with those features obtained from the histological images and histopathological
      reviews of the specimens (obtained by a gynecologic pathologist). The
      correlations between two of these features (the nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio and the
      average of three nearest Delaunay-neighbors distance) and the grade of dysplasia
      were higher than that of colposcopic impression. The sensitivity of detecting
      high-grade dysplasia by analysing images collected at the surface of the
      epithelium, and at 15 and 30 MUm below the epithelial surface were respectively
      100, 100, and 92 %. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative analysis of confocal fluorescence
      images showed its capacity for discriminating high-grade CIN lesions vs. low
      grade CIN lesions and normal tissues, at different depth of imaging. This
      approach could be used to help clinicians identify high-grade CIN in clinical
      settings.

PMID- 26499453
TI  - Management of the knees in arthrogryposis.
AB  - Arthrogryposis is defined as limited range of motion in three or more joints in
      two or more body parts. This article will describe treatment options for the
      arthrogrypotic knee. In all types of arthrogryposis, and in both extension and
      flexion deformities, very early treatment is favorable. Just after birth,
      traction and mobilization followed by serial casting could often greatly improve
      the range of motion. In the hyperextended knee, surgical lengthening of the
      extensor apparatus may be needed. Flexion deformities could be improved with
      temporary physeal arrest of the anterior distal femur by fixing two-hole plates
      over the physis on both sides of patella. The plates will result in a constrained
      growth of the anterior physis, and thus a very slow extension of the knee, which
      will give the nerves and vessels time to adjust. Pterygium, webbing of the knee
      joint, is a special subgroup that in selected mild cases could be treated with
      extensive surgical release of the webbing and orthotics. Arthrogrypotic knees can
      be treated with early reduction and maintenance with orthotics. 

PMID- 26499454
TI  - Is percutaneous proximal gracilis tenotomy as effective and safe as the open
      procedure?
AB  - PURPOSE: There is currently an increasing trend for percutaneous surgical
      interventions mainly in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The purpose of this
      study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous proximal
      gracilis tenotomy (PPGT) in children with CP scheduled for hip adductor tenotomy.
      METHODS: This is a prospective study of 59 hips in 31 consecutive patients with
      CP scheduled for hip adductor tenotomy in the setting of multilevel tenotomies or
      hip osteotomy (femoral or Dega). A pediatric orthopedic surgeon conducted a
      percutaneous adductor longus and gracilis tenotomy through the same stab wound.
      Another surgeon extended the wound to explore what had been cut during the PPGT,
      and completed the tenotomy if necessary (open proximal gracilis tenotomy; OPGT).
      Hip abduction with the hip and knee extended (HA) was assessed by a third surgeon
      (1) immediately before PPGT, i.e., directly after percutaneous adductor longus
      tenotomy (prePPGT), (2) after PPGT (postPPGT), and (3) following OPGT (postOPGT),
      using a goniometer, in a standardized reproducible manner. All three surgeons
      were blinded to each other's findings. Primary end-points included the percentage
      of muscle portion sectioned percutaneously and the improvement of HA angle.
      Comparison between HA before and after PPGT was performed using a paired t test
      with 95 % confidence interval (CI), and comparison between HA after PPGT and OPGT
      was performed using a Student's t-test with 95 % CI. The bleeding was assessed
      and other iatrogenic lesions were identified. The relationship between HA after
      PPGT and the percentage of muscle portion sectioned percutaneously was evaluated
      by calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient (p < 0.01). RESULTS: Mean HA
      measured 33.71 degrees prePPGT and increased to 45.90 degrees postPPGT (p <
      0.0001). The postOPGT HA averaged 48.71 degrees with no statistically significant
      gain compared with postPPGT (p = 0.21). The muscular portion of gracilis origin
      was cut to an average of 91.95 %; completely in only 14 hips, between 90 and 100
      % in 35 hips, between 70 and 90 % in 9 hips, and between 60 and 70 % in 1 hip.
      The gain in HA did not correlate with the extent of the muscular portion
      sectioned percutaneously (R = -0.043). Minimal accidental section of adductor
      brevis postPPGT was encountered in 39 hips. Considerable bleeding postPPGT with
      hematoma formation requiring hemostasis during the open control procedure
      occurred in 30 hips. Partial iatrogenic injury of the anterior branch of the
      obturator nerve was encountered in one patient bilaterally with severe adductor
      contracture, due to an anatomic too medial variant. CONCLUSIONS: This is the only
      prospective study concerning the outcome of PPGT. Although PPGT is fast, simple
      and effective, it is not as safe as the open procedure even when performed
      correctly by an experienced surgeon, mainly because of the increased risk of
      bleeding. The findings of the current study do not support its use as a 'standard
      of-care' technique in children with hip adductor contracture. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Level II therapeutic study-prospective comparative study.

PMID- 26499455
TI  - Long-term outcome for patients with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita.
AB  - PURPOSE: To access the long-term outcomes for patients with arthrogryposis
      multiplex congenita at adult age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cases were traced
      for most of them thanks to direct contact maintained from child hood, from
      colleagues interested from other parts of the country, and from the list from
      Alliance arthrogryposis association (parents and patients). The methods used
      were: mostly direct clinical examination, some phone calls or email. All answered
      a questionnaire for general life and mainly for function. One of these questions
      was: what is the function you missed most during your life? RESULTS: 65 patients(
      41 females and 24 males) were reviewed at adult age from 22 to 65 years. For the
      personal life: 38 are married and had 34 children with only 4 having
      arthrogryposis. Only 27 (15 F/12 M) were living alone. Self-sufficiency was
      observed in 35, partial in 20, total dependence in 10 people. 38 reached
      university level, 20 had secondary school level, 10 had primary school level.
      Ambulation was made possible with wheelchair: permanent for 18, partial for 9
      ambulating at home only, 8 ambulating outside with crutches and 29 were free
      walkers. 36 patients out of 65 were driving a car sometimes modified with special
      equipment. The involvement of spine was seen in 26 patients requiring surgical
      treatment sometimes complex combining anterior and posterior approach in 14
      cases. Surgery of the lower limbs (hips, knee, feet) was very often repeated,
      with almost always stability, pain free and function. The most important finding
      was that 52 patients had more or less severe involvement of the upper limbs which
      was considered by the majority of the patients to be the most disabling, more
      than the absence of walking! CONCLUSION: Finally, it appeared that for the care
      of these patients, priority goes to the upper limbs function, because majority of
      these patients have a high level of intelligence. A remarkable fact is that many
      of these patients had to spend a lot of time during infancy and childhood in
      rehabilitation centers with education adapted for schools and teachers. Finally,
      they are grateful for that, telling often that it would have been much more
      difficult if not impossible to have such a treatment and education at home.

PMID- 26499456
TI  - Does physical therapy prevent post-operative delay in return of function
      following tension-band plating?
AB  - PURPOSE: The clinical outcomes and complications of tension-band plating have
      been well documented, and commonly include a post-operative delay in return of
      function. We performed a retrospective comparison study to evaluate the capacity
      of immediate post-operative physical therapy to prevent this post-operative delay
      in return of function. METHODS: Sixty-seven consecutive growth-deformity patients
      who were treated with tension-band plating at a single institution fulfilled the
      study criteria. Patients were allocated into two treatment groups: no post
      operative physical therapy and immediately post-operative physical therapy. All
      patients were evaluated for delayed return of function, which was defined as use
      of crutches, lack of >90 degrees  flexion and full extension of the knee, or
      persistent pain requiring medication at the initial 2-week follow-up visit. Rates
      of delayed function were compared between the two treatment groups. RESULTS:
      Among the study participants, 48 patients had no physical therapy and 19 patients
      had immediate post-operative physical therapy. Eighteen patients in the no
      physical therapy group reported a delay (37.5 %) while only 2 patients in the
      physical therapy treatment group reported a delay (10.5 %); p = 0.0386.
      CONCLUSIONS: Delayed return of function dramatically affects pediatric patients,
      causing unnecessary absence from school and strain on the caregiver. Therefore,
      it is important to identify treatment modalities to help mitigate the
      complications of surgery. We conclude that the use of immediate post-operative
      physical therapy statistically significantly helps patients to return more
      rapidly to their functional level.

PMID- 26499457
TI  - Erratum to: Cytotoxic effects of 4-octylphenol on fish hepatocytes.

PMID- 26499458
TI  - When children play, they feel better: organized activity participation and health
      in adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Participation in organized leisure-time activities (OLTA) has been
      linked to healthy youth development. This study aimed to assess whether
      participation in OLTA is associated with both physical and mental health in
      adolescents, and whether this association differs by pattern of activity
      participation, age and gender. METHODS: The present study was based on data from
      the 2013/2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study in the Czech
      Republic. This data concerned 10,503 adolescents (49.2 % boys) aged 11, 13 and
      15. A cluster analysis was carried out to obtain patterns of activity
      participation and yielded five groups (all-rounders, artists, individual sports,
      team sports and inactive). The association between participation in types of OLTA
      and physical and mental health was analysed using logistic regression models
      adjusted for age and gender. We also assessed interactions between types of OLTA
      and gender and age. RESULTS: Participation in OLTA was associated with better
      self-rated health and higher life satisfaction regardless of gender or age.
      Participation in team or individual sports was associated with better general
      health and less frequent health complaints in boys, while participation in art
      activities was associated with lower occurrence of health complaints in girls and
      11-year-olds. CONCLUSION: Participation in OLTA is associated with better
      physical and mental health in adolescents. The association varies by pattern of
      activity participation and is partly gender- and age-specific.

PMID- 26499459
TI  - Self-perceived memory loss is associated with an increased risk of hip fracture
      in the elderly: a population-based NOREPOS cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An early detection of memory loss may hold great value as a predictor
      for dementia. Dementia has already been associated with higher risk of hip
      fracture. Our aim was to examine the prospective association between self
      reported memory-loss and the risk of subsequent hip fracture in the elderly.
      METHODS: A population-based prospective cohort study design was used. Information
      on four self-perceived memory loss questions was obtained from questionnaires in
      3 health surveys performed in Norway during the years 2000-2001. A total of 7154
      men and 2462 women aged 67-77 years old were followed for a median of 7.8 years.
      Hip fracture information (n = 287 in men, and n = 237 in women) was obtained from
      NORHip (a database including all hip fractures treated in Norway from year 1994).
      Cox survival analysis was performed to estimate HR (hazard ratio). RESULTS: The
      risk of sustaining a hip fracture were higher in those who reported to forget
      things they had just heard or read, with a HR of 1.52 (1.19--1.95) in men and HR
      1.60 (1.23--2.07) in women after adjustment for relevant confounders. Women
      reporting to forget where they had put things also had higher risk of later hip
      fracture with a HR of 1.58 (1.20--2.07). Answering yes in both questions showed
      stronger association with sustaining a first hip fracture compared with those who
      gave a negative response in both questions, with a multivariate adjusted HR of
      1.41 (IC 95 % 1.06--1.88) in men and 1.90 (IC 95 % 1.39--2.60) in women. The two
      last questions did not show a significant association with hip fracture.
      CONCLUSIONS: There was a higher risk of hip fracture in elderly who reported self
      perceived memory loss. Due to the serious implications of sustaining a hip
      fracture, early detection of risk groups is important for preventive
      interventions.

PMID- 26499460
TI  - Self-reported tattoo reactions in a cohort of 448 French tattooists.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self-reported complaints in people having tattoos, including
      swelling, itch, and photosensitivity, are frequent. Tattooists are usually
      heavily tattooed with multiple extended colored tattoos and constitute a specific
      population of interest. OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of cutaneous
      complications on tattoos among a cohort of French tattooists. METHODS: An
      observational self-reported internet survey was performed among the tattooists of
      the French Tattoo Union in November 2013 to report on complaints about their
      tattoos. RESULTS: Of the 448 respondents, 42.6% reported a "tattoo reaction" on a
      least one of their previous tattoos: transient itch (45.7%), wax-and-waning
      swelling (57%), and swelling after sun exposure (23%). A tattoo "allergy" on one
      color of the tattoo was found in 8%. Permanent itch, swelling, and cutaneous
      infection were rare. No skin cancer on tattoos was reported. The binary
      regression analysis revealed that the area of the tattooed body surface was the
      main driver of the risk of developing a tattoo reaction, mainly transient or
      permanent swelling triggered by sun exposure or not. The tattoo reaction,
      transient itch, and swelling on tattoos seemed to be associated with the sun
      protection habits of the tattooed individuals. CONCLUSION: Professional
      tattooists have a high prevalence of minor complaints (transient itch and
      swelling) and photosensitivity on their tattoos such as in the general tattooed
      population.

PMID- 26499461
TI  - Short Communication: CXCL12 rs1029153 Polymorphism Is Associated with the
      Sustained Virological Response in HIV/Hepatitis C Virus-Coinfected Patients on
      Hepatitis C Virus Therapy.
AB  - The immune response against HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection partly
      depends on chemokine-mediated recruitment of specific T cells. CXCL12
      polymorphisms have been associated with AIDS progression and survival, but there
      are no data related to HCV infection. The aim of this study was to determine
      whether CXCL12 polymorphisms are related so as to achieve sustained virological
      response (SVR) after HCV therapy with pegylated-interferon-alpha/ribavirin
      (pegIFN-alpha/ribavirin) in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients. We carried out a
      retrospective study in 319 naive patients who started HCV treatment. The CXCL12
      (rs266093, rs1029153, and rs1801157) and IL28B (rs12980275) polymorphisms were
      genotyped by using the GoldenGate assay. Genetic data were analyzed under an
      additive inheritance model. The overall rates of the SVR were 54.9% (175/319) and
      41.5% (90/217) in GT1/4 patients and 83.2% (84/101) in GT2/3 patients. Patients
      with a favorable CXCL12 rs1029153 T allele had higher SVR rates than patients
      with the rs1029153 CC genotype (44% CC, 49% CT, and 61.3% TT; p = 0.025). No
      significant results for the rs266093 and rs1801157 polymorphisms were found.
      Patients harboring the favorable rs1029153 T allele had significantly increased
      odds of achieving SVR [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.55; 95% confidence interval
      (95% CI) = 1.01; 2.40; p = 0.047]. Moreover, no significant association was found
      when the study population was stratified by HCV genotype (data not shown),
      possibly due to the low number of patients in each group. In conclusion, in this
      study we found that the favorable CXCL12 rs1029153 T allele seems to be related
      so as to achieve an SVR in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients on pegIFN-alpha/ribavirin
      therapy.

PMID- 26499462
TI  - Understanding the experiences and needs of individuals with Spinal Muscular
      Atrophy and their parents: a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The clinical features of SMA, which range along a spectrum of
      severity, are relatively well described. In contrast, the literature on how
      individuals with SMA and their families experience this condition is limited. To
      address this gap, we undertook a qualitative study with individuals affected by
      SMA Types I, II and III, parents of those affected, and clinicians. METHODS: We
      completed 16 focus group sessions and 37 interviews in the US with 96
      participants including: 21 with individuals with SMA; 64 parents of individuals
      affected by SMA; and 11 clinicians who specialize in the care of SMA patients.
      RESULTS: The Diagnostic Journey: Families reported substantial diagnostic delays
      owing to: 1) lack of awareness and knowledge about SMA; 2) the difficulty of
      distinguishing normal from abnormal development; and 3) the challenge of
      differential diagnosis. Lack of sensitivity in how clinicians communicated this
      potentially devastating diagnosis compounded parents' negative impressions.
      Newborn Screening: Parents generally held positive views about adding SMA to
      newborn screening panels. For example, it would: 1) enable earlier access to
      care; 2) shorten the diagnostic journey; and 3) give families more time to
      prepare to care for a disabled child. Some noted negative outcomes such as
      prematurely affecting a parent's relationship with a child before symptoms are
      evident. The Psychosocial Impact of Living with SMA: Ten thematic areas
      characterized the impact: 1) confronting premature death; 2) making difficult
      treatment choices; 3) fearing the loss of functional ability; 4) coming to terms
      with lost expectations; 5) loss of sleep and stress; 6) stigma; 7) limitations on
      social activities; 8) independence; 9) uncertainty and helplessness; and 10)
      family finances. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest high levels of
      burden experienced by individuals with SMA and their families. The difficulties
      of living with SMA begin with the long and often arduous process of finding a
      diagnosis for their child. Newborn screening for SMA is seen as an important step
      toward shortening this journey. The psychosocial effects of coping with SMA are
      substantial and wide ranging both for the individual living with this condition
      and family members of affected individuals.

PMID- 26499463
TI  - Putative stem cell markers in cervical squamous cell carcinoma are correlated
      with poor clinical outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to elucidate the value of putative cancer
      stem cell markers Musashi-1, ALDH1, Sox2, and CD49f in predicting the prognosis
      in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). METHODS: Real-time PCR and
      immunohistochemistry staining was performed to examine Musashi-1, ALDH1, Sox2,
      and CD49f expression in archived specimens of CSCC patients with postoperative
      chemotherapy. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards model were used
      to assess the prognostic impact of CSC markers for overall survival (OS) and
      recurrent-free survival (RFS). RESULTS: The Real-time PCR data showed that the
      expression of all markers were increased in CSCC tissues compared with in paired
      normal cervical tissues (P < 0.05). The IHC result showed that high expression of
      Msi1, ALDH1, Sox2, and CD49f was found in 25.7%, 43.0%, 62.0% and 29.0% CSCC
      samples, respectively. Moreover, high expression of Msi1 (P = 0.033 and P =
      0.003, respectively), ALDH1 (P = 0.015 and P = 0.002, respectively), and Sox2 (P
      = 0.005 and P = 0.003, respectively), and low expression of CD49f (P = 0.027 and
      P = 0.025, respectively) were correlated with poor OS and PFS in CSCC patients.
      Interestingly, tumors with Msi1(high)/CD49f(low) expression had the poorest
      prognosis according to Msi1/CD49f stratification. In multivariate Cox regression
      analysis, Sox2 expression (P = 0.047 and P = 0.018, respectively), ALDH1
      expression (P = 0.013 and P = 0.003, respectively), and CD49f expression (P =
      0.008 and P = 0.003, respectively) were independent prognostic markers for both
      OS and RFS. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that cancer stem cell markers are
      linked with poor prognosis of CSCC patients.

PMID- 26499464
TI  - Construction of a novel twin-arginine translocation (Tat)-dependent type
      expression vector for secretory production of heterologous proteins in
      Corynebacterium glutamicum.
AB  - Corynebacterium glutamicum is recognized as a favorable host for the secretory
      production of heterologous proteins. However, there are few secretion-type
      expression vectors available for protein production in C. glutamicum. In this
      study, we constructed a shuttle expression vector pAU3, which harbors the strong
      promoter tac-M for constitutive gene transcription, the consensus RBS sequence
      for protein translation, and the strong cgR_0949 signal sequence for protein
      secretion via the Tat pathway in C. glutamicum. The applicability of pAU3 was
      confirmed by the highly efficient expression and secretion of the CAT protein in
      C. glutamicum. The vector pAU3 is highly useful for secretory production of
      heterologous proteins in C. glutamicum. 

PMID- 26499465
TI  - Growth responses of breast and leg muscles to essential amino acids in broiler
      chicks.
AB  - The first three essential amino acids (EAA) for broilers including methionine
      (Met), lysine (Lys) and threonine (Thr) may greatly influence the growth of chick
      muscles at early stages of life. In order to survey the potential effects of
      those EAA on growth muscles, a rotatable three-variable central composite design
      (CCD) was conducted to track the interrelationships of dietary digestible Met
      (dMet), Lys (dLys) and Thr (dThr) for optimization of processing yields in
      broiler chicks using response surface methodology. A total of 60 floor pens of
      six birds each were assigned to 15 dietary treatments based on CCD containing
      five levels of dMet (0.416% to 0.584% of diet), dLys (0.881% to 1.319% of diet)
      and dThr (0.532% to 0.868% of diet) from 3 to 16 days of age. Experimental
      treatments significantly affected breast mass (BM) and leg mass (LM) of the birds
      (P<0.05) in which the main effect of dLys on BM was threefold higher than the
      main effect of dThr, and interaction effect between dMet and dLys was observed on
      BM (P<0.05). However, in the case of LM, the main effect of dThr was higher than
      the main effects of dMet and dLys and highest interaction effect exist between
      dThr and dMet (P<0.05). The second-order models for BM and LM were fitted by
      least squares regression. Canonical analysis revealed that the stationary points
      for carcass components were saddle points, thus ridge analysis was performed for
      getting optimal values of each EAA. Ridge analyses of BM and LM models showed
      that the maximum BM point may be obtained with 0.58%, 1.05% and 0.76% of dMet,
      dLys and dThr, respectively, in diet, and maximum LM point may be achieved with
      0.58%, 1.09% and 0.70% of dMet, dLys and dThr, respectively, in diet. The
      resultant ideal ratios of dMet and dThr to dLys were 55% and 72% for BM; 53% and
      64% for LM. Moreover, sensitivity analysis showed that the most important amino
      acids in BM and LM models were Lys and Thr, respectively. In conclusion,
      providing these three amino acid for BM optimization may warrant LM optimization
      and higher ideal ratios of dMet and dThr for breast muscle may indicate the
      higher importance of these EAA in this muscle than those in thigh muscle. 

PMID- 26499466
TI  - Case of photosensitivity caused by fenofibrate after photosensitization to
      ketoprofen.

PMID- 26499467
TI  - Anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects of pentacyclic triterpenoids
      maslinic acid through NF-kappaB inactivation.
AB  - SCOPE: Consumption of olives (Olea europaea L.), including table olives and oil,
      is associated with low incidence of inflammation-related diseases. In this study,
      the effects of maslinic acid (MA), the main constituent of olive pomace, on the
      expression of genes and proteins involved in inflammatory activity in RAW 264.7
      cells were investigated. Furthermore, the effect of MA on carrageenan-induced paw
      edema and collagen antibody induced arthritis in mice was determined. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: We confirmed the suppressive effects of MA on LPS-induced tumor necrosis
      factor alpha production and on the expression of inflammatory response associated
      genes in RAW 264.7 cells. We also clarified the suppressive effect of MA on LPS
      induced nuclear factor-kappa B activation as well as the phosphorylation of
      IkappaB-alpha. Furthermore, MA (200 mg/kg in the edema model or 100 mg/kg in the
      arthritis model) exerted anti-inflammatory and antiarthritis effects as shown by
      the suppression of paw edema, arthritis score, inflammatory cells, and
      destruction of synovium in knee joints. CONCLUSION: Olive products containing MA
      are useful as a new preventive and therapeutic food ingredient for inflammatory
      and arthritic diseases.

PMID- 26499468
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26499469
TI  - Cultural competence dimensions and outcomes: a systematic review of the
      literature.
AB  - It has been widely suggested that cultural competence is an individual's core
      requirement for working effectively with culturally diverse people. However,
      there is no consensus regarding the definition or the components of this concept
      and there is a dearth of empirical proof indicating the benefits of cultural
      competence. Therefore, a systematic review was conducted to identify the most
      common cultural competence dimensions proposed in recent publications and to
      identify whether sufficient evidence exists regarding the efficacy of cultural
      competence in the healthcare context. A total of 1204 citations were identified
      through an electronic search of databases, of which 18 publications included
      cultural competence frameworks, and 13 studies contained empirical data on
      cultural competence outcomes. The overarching themes of the review were centred
      around the challenges faced by the healthcare sector in many countries due to
      growing cultural diversity, but lack of cultural competence, leading to
      predicaments that arise during intercultural interactions between patients and
      clinicians. This review will benefit researchers exploring cultural competence as
      one of the research variables impacting research outcomes.

PMID- 26499470
TI  - Intrathymic and other anomalous courses of the left brachiocephalic vein in the
      fetus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The left brachiocephalic vein (LBCV), or innominate vein, connects the
      left jugular vein to the right superior vena cava. Its course is posterior to the
      thymus and directly anterior and superior to the aortic arch. Pediatric and adult
      cardiology studies have reported on the subaortic or retrotracheal courses of the
      LBCV and the presence of double LBCV. We observed recently in the fetus that the
      LBCV may have a course through the thymus (intrathymic) or be absent in the
      presence of a left superior vena cava. The aim of this study was to report the
      prevalence of isolated intrathymic and absent LBCV in normal fetuses undergoing
      second-trimester ultrasound screening, as well as the prevalence of other courses
      in association with cardiac anomalies. METHODS: In the prospective part of this
      study, consecutive second-trimester ultrasound examinations were evaluated to
      assess the presence and course of the fetal LBCV. In the retrospective case
      control part of this study, the databases of two fetal medicine centers were
      reviewed for cardiac anomalies and the pattern and prevalence of anomalous
      courses of the LBCV were reported. RESULTS: One thousand four hundred and
      eighteen consecutive fetuses were examined prospectively. An intrathymic course
      of the LBCV with a typical bent shape was found in 1.76% (1 : 57) of cases and
      the absence of a LBCV in association with a persistent left superior vena cava
      (LSVC) was found in 0.28% (1 : 350). All fetuses with an isolated intrathymic
      course or absence of the LBCV had a normal outcome. Over a period of 4.5 years, a
      total of 1544 fetuses with cardiac malformations were reviewed at two centers.
      Among these, an anomalous course of the LBCV was noted in eight (0.5%) cases: six
      subaortic, one retrotracheal and one double LBCV. CONCLUSION: An intrathymic LBCV
      is a common condition and appears to be a normal variant in the fetus. The
      prevalence of a LSVC in our screening population was similar to that reported in
      previous studies. Anomalous courses of the LBCV are seen occasionally in cases
      with cardiac malformation. Copyright (c) 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley &
      Sons Ltd.

PMID- 26499471
TI  - Association between apical periodontitis lesions and plasmatic levels of C
      reactive protein, interleukin 6 and fibrinogen in hypertensive patients.
AB  - AIM: To test the null hypothesis of association between chronic apical
      periodontitis (CAP) and plasmatic levels of the C-reactive protein (CRP),
      interleukin-6 (IL-6) and fibrinogen in a population of severely hypertensive
      patients. METHODOLOGY: One hundred and seventy patients with severe refractory
      hypertension were selected. All patients were submitted to radiographic, clinical
      and periodontal evaluation. Plasmatic levels of CRP, IL-6 and fibrinogen were
      measured on the morning of the first periodontal appointment using commercially
      available kits. Multiple linear regression analyses were carried out to appraise
      the effect of the co-variables on the plasmatic levels of the inflammatory
      markers assessed. RESULTS: Of the 170 subjects who participated, 105 (61.8%) were
      females and the median age of the participants was 53 years (range: 40-78). The
      adjusted multiple linear analyses demonstrated that plasmatic levels of CRP
      levels were associated with the body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.259, P < 0.001) and
      residual tooth roots (RTR) (r = 0.191, P = 0.041). IL-6 and fibrinogen levels
      showed associated with BMI (r = 0.400, P < 0.001 and r = 0.214, P = 0.002
      respectively). CAP correlated weakly with CRP (r = 0.250, P = 0.005), IL-6 (r =
      0.174, P = 0.020) and fibrinogen (r = 0.393, P < 0.001) levels. CONCLUSION: The
      null hypothesis was rejected in favour of the alternative hypothesis. In other
      words, the presence of chronic apical periodontitis was associated with higher
      plasmatic levels of CRP, IL-6 and fibrinogen, in a population of severely
      hypertensive patients. However, the weak association between CAP and each
      dependent variable suggests a modest participation of endodontic infection on the
      plasmatic levels of biomarkers.

PMID- 26499472
TI  - A case of familial central precocious puberty caused by a novel mutation in the
      makorin RING finger protein 3 gene.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Central precocious puberty (CPP) is often familial but its genetic
      cause is largely unknown. Very recently, the makorin RING finger protein 3
      (MKRN3) gene, located on chromosome 15 in the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS)
      associated region (15q11-q13), has been found mutated in 5 families with familial
      precocious puberty. The MKRN3 is a maternal imprinted gene and the phenotype is
      expressed only when the MKRN3 mutations are localized on the allele inherited
      from the father. The function of this gene is not completely known and the
      phenotype caused by its defect is not yet fully elucidated. We report a new MKRN3
      mutation (Pro160Cysfs*14) causing familial CPP. CASE PRESENTATION: The index case
      is a 7 years old girl showing Tanner stage 3 and pubic hair stage 1. Her bone age
      evaluated by TW2 method was 10.3 years. Her hormonal data confirmed the diagnosis
      of central precocious puberty. Familial medical history revealed precocious
      puberty in a cousin on paternal side. Paternal grandmother had menarche at the
      age of 9 years and 6 months and premature menopause when she was 36 years old.
      Genetic analysis revealed a new mutation (c477_485del; Pro160Cysfs*14) in the
      maternally imprinted MKRN3. Puberty onset was at 5 years in the other affected
      female family member. Precocious puberty was well controlled by pharmacological
      therapy. CONCLUSION: We expand the number of the MKRN3 mutations associated with
      CPP and highlight the importance of an accurate family medical history to
      disclose the peculiar pattern of inheritance of this gene.

PMID- 26499473
TI  - Prostate motion during radiotherapy of prostate cancer patients with and without
      application of a hydrogel spacer: a comparative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The use of a tissue expander (hydrogel) for sparing of
      the rectum from increased irradiation during prostate radiotherapy is becoming
      popular. The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of a tissue expander
      (hydrogel) on the intrafraction prostate motion during radiotherapy. METHODS AND
      MATERIAL: Real time prostate motion was analysed for 26 patients and 742
      fractions; 12 patients with and 14 patients without hydrogel (SpaceOARTM). The
      intra-fraction motion was quantified and compared between the two groups.
      RESULTS: The average (+/-standard deviation) of the mean motion during the
      treatment for patients with and without hydrogel was 1.5 (+/-0.8 mm) and 1.1 (+/
      0.9 mm) respectively (p < 0.05). The average time of motion >3 mm for patients
      with and without hydrogel was 7.7 % (+/-1.1 %) and 4.5 % (+/-0.9 %) respectively
      (p > 0.05). The hydrogel age, fraction number and treatment time were found to
      have no effect (R (2)  < 0.05) on the prostate motion. CONCLUSIONS: Differences
      in intrafraction motion in patients with hydrogel and without hydrogel were
      within measurement uncertainty (<1 mm). This result confirms that the addition of
      a spacer does not negate the need for intrafraction motion management if
      clinically indicated.

PMID- 26499474
TI  - Morphology of sealant/enamel interface after surface treatment with bioactive
      glass.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to analyze, by confocal laser scanning microscopy
      (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the morphology of sealant/enamel
      interface after surface treatment with Biosilicate. Before pits and fissures
      sealing, the occlusal surfaces of 10 sound human molars were sectioned
      perpendicularly at the fissures in order to obtain three slices for each tooth.
      Slices were randomly assigned into three groups (n = 10) according to sealing
      protocol: Group 1- Acid etching + Biosilicate + glass ionomer-based sealant
      (Clinpro XT Varnish, 3M ESPE); Group 2- Acid etching + glass ionomer-based
      sealant (Clinpro XT Varnish, 3M ESPE); Group 3- No sealing. All slices were
      subjected to thermal cycling (5,000 cycles; 5-55 degrees C; dwell time: 30s).
      Half of the slices from each group (n = 5) were analyzed by CLSM and the other
      half by SEM. Groups 1 and 2 were also submitted to EDS analysis and their data
      were evaluated by Two-Way ANOVA e Tukey's test (alpha=5%). EDS data analysis
      showed higher amounts of silicon (Si) ions than calcium (Ca) ions in Group 1 (P <
      0.05); Group 2 presented higher amounts (P < 0.05) of Ca ions than Si ions. It
      may be concluded that the use of Biosilicate for surface treatment did not affect
      the morphology of glass ionomer-based sealant/enamel interfaces.

PMID- 26499475
TI  - Effects of fentanyl on serotonin syndrome-like behaviors in rats.
AB  - Emerging evidence from case reports suggests that fentanyl may precipitate
      potentially life-threatening serotonin syndrome in patients taking serotonergic
      drugs. However, the underlying mechanism of the association between serotonin
      syndrome and fentanyl remains under investigation. We therefore investigated the
      pharmacological effects of an analgesic dose of fentanyl (0.2 mg/kg) injected
      subcutaneously (s.c.) on serotonergic toxicity-like responses in rats. Rats were
      s.c. injected with 0.75 mg/kg 8-OH-DPAT, a full 5-HT1A agonist, as an animal
      model of serotonin syndrome. The 8-OH-DPAT-treated rats showed well-characterized
      serotonin syndrome-like behaviors (low body posture, forepaw treading),
      hyperlocomotion, and decreased body temperature. Rats injected s.c. with fentanyl
      alone showed no significant changes in any of the parameters measured, while
      concomitant administration of fentanyl + 8-OH-DPAT resulted in exaggerated 8-OH
      DPAT-induced serototoxic responses. A separate dose-response experiment showed
      that the serototoxic effect of fentanyl was dose-dependent. Pretreatment with
      naloxone [2.0 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection], an opioid receptor
      antagonist, failed to antagonize the fentanyl-induced exaggerated serotonin
      syndrome-like behaviors. In contrast, pretreatment with WAY-100653, a serotonin 5
      HT1A receptor antagonist (0.5 mg/kg, i.p. injection) completely inhibited all
      responses. Our findings provide preclinical proof-of-concept that an analgesic
      dose of fentanyl enhances serotonin toxicity, likely via its serotonin-reuptake
      inhibitory activity, independently of interaction with the opioid receptors. 

PMID- 26499476
TI  - Redundancy in Glucose Sensing: Enhanced Accuracy and Reliability of an
      Electrochemical Redundant Sensor for Continuous Glucose Monitoring.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current electrochemical glucose sensors use a single electrode.
      Multiple electrodes (redundancy) may enhance sensor performance. We evaluated an
      electrochemical redundant sensor (ERS) incorporating two working electrodes (WE1
      and WE2) onto a single subcutaneous insertion platform with a processing
      algorithm providing a single real-time continuous glucose measure. METHODS:
      Twenty-three adults with type 1 diabetes each wore two ERSs concurrently for 168
      hours. Post-insertion a frequent sampling test (FST) was performed with ERS
      benchmarked against a glucose meter (Bayer Contour Link). Day 4 and 7 FSTs were
      performed with a standard meal and venous blood collected for reference glucose
      measurements (YSI and meter). Between visits, ERS was worn with capillary blood
      glucose testing >=8 times/day. Sensor glucose data were processed prospectively.
      RESULTS: Mean absolute relative deviation (MARD) for ERS day 1-7 (3,297 paired
      points with glucose meter) was (mean [SD]) 10.1 [11.5]% versus 11.4 [11.9]% for
      WE1 and 12.0 [11.9]% for WE2; P < .0001. ERS Clarke A and A+B were 90.2% and
      99.8%, respectively. ERS day 4 plus day 7 MARD (1,237 pairs with YSI) was 9.4
      [9.5]% versus 9.6 [9.7]% for WE1 and 9.9 [9.7]% for WE2; P = ns. ERS day 1-7
      precision absolute relative deviation (PARD) was 9.9 [3.6]% versus 11.5 [6.2]%
      for WE1 and 10.1 [4.4]% for WE2; P = ns. ERS sensor display time was 97.8 [6.0]%
      versus 91.0 [22.3]% for WE1 and 94.1 [14.3]% for WE2; P < .05. CONCLUSIONS:
      Electrochemical redundancy enhances glucose sensor accuracy and display time
      compared with each individual sensing element alone. ERS performance compares
      favorably with 'best-in-class' of non-redundant sensors.

PMID- 26499477
TI  - Organizational characteristics, outcomes, and resource use in 78 Brazilian
      intensive care units: the ORCHESTRA study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Detailed information on organization and process of care in intensive
      care units (ICU) in emerging countries is scarce. Here, we investigated the
      impact of organizational factors on the outcomes and resource use in a large
      sample of Brazilian ICUs. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of 59,693 patients
      (medical admissions, 67 %) admitted to 78 ICUs during 2013. We retrieved
      patients' data from an ICU quality registry and surveyed ICUs regarding
      structure, organization, staffing patterns, and process of care. We used
      multilevel logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with
      hospital mortality. Efficient resource use was assessed by estimating
      standardized resource use and mortality rates adjusted for the SAPS 3 score.
      RESULTS: ICUs were mostly medical-surgical (79 %) and located at private
      hospitals (86 %). Median nurse to bed ratio was 0.20 (IQR, 0.15-0.28) and board
      certified intensivists were present 24/7 in 16 (21 %) of ICUs. Multidisciplinary
      rounds occurred in 67 (86 %) and daily checklists were used in 36 (46 %) ICUs.
      Most frequent protocols focused on sepsis management and prevention of healthcare
      associated infections. Hospital mortality was 14.4 %. In multivariable analysis,
      the number of protocols was the only organizational characteristic associated
      with mortality [odds ratio = 0.944 (95 % CI 0.904-0.987)]. The effects of
      protocols were consistent across subgroups including surgical and medical
      patients as well as the SAPS 3 tertiles. We also observed a significant trend
      toward efficient resource use as the number of protocols increased. CONCLUSIONS:
      In emerging countries such as Brazil, organizational factors, including the
      implementation of protocols, are potential targets to improve patient outcomes
      and resource use in ICUs.

PMID- 26499478
TI  - Understanding lung protection.

PMID- 26499479
TI  - Protocols: help for improvement but beware of regression to the mean and
      mediocrity.

PMID- 26499480
TI  - The road forward in the management of Acinetobacter infections in the ICU.

PMID- 26499481
TI  - Does high-pressure, high-frequency oscillation shake the foundations of lung
      protection?

PMID- 26499482
TI  - The case for stronger regulation of private practitioners to control tuberculosis
      in low- and middle-income countries.
AB  - Tuberculosis case management practices of private practitioners in low- and
      middle-income countries are commonly not in compliance with treatment guidelines,
      thus increasing the risk of drug resistance. National Tuberculosis control
      programs have long been encouraged to collaborate with private providers to
      improve compliance, but there is no example yet of a sustained, large scale
      collaborations with private practitioners in these settings. Regulations have
      long been realized as a potential response to poor quality care, however there
      has been a lack of interest from the international actors to invest in stronger
      regulation of private providers in these countries due to limited evidence and
      many implementation challenges. Regulatory strategies have now evolved beyond the
      costly conventional form of command and control. These new strategies need to be
      tested for addressing the challenge of poor quality care among private providers.
      Multilateral and bilateral funding agencies committed to tuberculosis control
      need to invest in facilitating strengthening government's capacity to effectively
      regulate private providers. 

PMID- 26499483
TI  - Whole transcriptome analysis of Penicillium digitatum strains treatmented with
      prochloraz reveals their drug-resistant mechanisms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Penicillium digitatum is one of the most destructive postharvest
      pathogen of citrus fruits, causing fruit decay and economic loss. The emergence
      of fungicide-resistant strains made the control of P. digitatum more difficult.
      While the genome of P. digitatum is available, there has been few reports about
      its resistant mechanism from the transcriptome perspective and there has been no
      large-scale functional annotation of the genome using expressed genes derived
      from transcriptomes. METHODS: Total RNA of P. digitatum strain HS-F6 (prochloraz
      resistant strain) and HS-E3 (prochloraz-susceptible strain) before and after
      prochloraz-treatment were extracted and sequenced on an Illumina Hiseq 2000
      platform. The transcriptome data of four samples were compared and analyzed using
      differential expression analysis, novel transcripts prediction and alternative
      splicing analysis, SNP analysis and quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: We
      present a large scale analysis about the transcriptome data of P. digitatum. The
      whole RNA was extracted from a prochloraz-resistant strain (HS-F6) and a
      prochloraz-susceptible strain (HS-E3) before and after prochloraz-treatment and
      sequenced by Illumina technology. A total of more than 100 million reads were
      generated and de novo assembled into 9760 transcripts that contained annotated
      genes after quality control and sequence assembling. 6625 single nucleotide
      variations (SNVs) were identified from the sequences aligned against the
      reference genome. Gene expression profiling analysis was performed upon
      prochloraz treatment in HS-F6 and HS-E3, and differential expression analysis was
      used to identify genes related to prochloraz-response and drug-resistance: there
      are 224 differentially expressed genes in HS-E3 and 1100 differentially expressed
      genes in HS-F6 after prochloraz-treatment. Moreover, gene expression profile in
      prochloraz-resistant strain HS-F6 is quite different from that in HS-E3 before
      prochloraz-treatment, 1520 differential expression genes were identified between
      the two strains. Gene ontology (GO) term enrichment and KEGG enrichment were then
      performed to classify the differential expression genes. Among these genes, there
      are a lot of transporter encoding genes including 14 MFS (Major Facilitator
      Superfamily) transporters, 8 ABC (ATP-binding cassette transporter) and 3 MATE
      (multidrug and toxic compound extrusion family) transporters. Meanwhile, the
      roles of typical MFS, ABC and MATE proteins in prochloraz resistance were
      investigated using real-time quantitative PCR. CONCLUSIONS: The sequencing-based
      transcriptome data of P. digitatum demonstrate differences between prochloraz
      resistant and prochloraz-susceptible strains with prochloraz-treatment. The
      differences existed in expressed transcripts, splice isoforms and GO categories,
      which would contribute to our knowledge on the molecular mechanisms involved in
      drug resistance of P. digitatum.

PMID- 26499484
TI  - The microbiome of Folsomia candida: an assessment of bacterial diversity in a
      Wolbachia-containing animal.
AB  - The springtail Folsomia candida is an important model organism for soil ecology,
      ecotoxicology and ecogenomics. The decomposer activities of soil invertebrates
      like Folsomia depend on their relationship with microbial communities including
      gut symbionts. In this paper, we apply high-throughput sequencing to provide a
      detailed characterization of the bacterial community associated with
      parthenogenetic F. candida. First, we evaluated a method to suppress the
      amplification of DNA from the endosymbiont Wolbachia, to prevent it from
      interfering with the identification of less abundant operational taxonomic units
      (OTUs). The suppression treatment applied was effective against Wolbachia and did
      not interfere with the detection of the most abundant OTUs (59 OTUs, contributing
      over 87% of the reads). However, this method did affect the inferred community
      composition. Significant differences were subsequently observed in the
      composition of bacterial communities associated with two different strains of F.
      candida. A total of 832 OTUs were found, of which 45% were only present in one
      strain and 17% only in the other. Among the 20 most abundant OTUs, 16 were shared
      between strains. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and clone libraries,
      although unable to capture the full diversity of the bacterial community,
      provided results that supported the NGS data. 

PMID- 26499485
TI  - 16S rRNA assessment of the influence of shading on early-successional biofilms in
      experimental streams.
AB  - Elevated nutrient levels can lead to excessive biofilm growth, but reducing
      nutrient pollution is often challenging. There is therefore interest in
      developing control measures for biofilm growth in nutrient-rich rivers that could
      act as complement to direct reductions in nutrient load. Shading of rivers is one
      option that can mitigate blooms, but few studies have experimentally examined the
      differences in biofilm communities grown under shaded and unshaded conditions. We
      investigated the assembly and diversity of biofilm communities using in situ
      mesocosms within the River Thames (UK). Biofilm composition was surveyed by 454
      sequencing of 16S amplicons (~400 bp length covering regions V6/V7). The results
      confirm the importance of sunlight for biofilm community assembly; a resource
      that was utilized by a relatively small number of dominant taxa, leading to
      significantly less diversity than in shaded communities. These differences
      between unshaded and shaded treatments were either because of differences in
      resource utilization or loss of diatom-structures as habitats for bacteria. We
      observed more co-occurrence patterns and network interactions in the shaded
      communities. This lends further support to the proposal that increased river
      shading can help mitigate the effects from macronutrient pollution in rivers.

PMID- 26499486
TI  - Confocal Raman microspectroscopy reveals a convergence of the chemical
      composition in methanogenic archaea from a Siberian permafrost-affected soil.
AB  - Methanogenic archaea are widespread anaerobic microorganisms responsible for the
      production of biogenic methane. Several new species of psychrotolerant
      methanogenic archaea were recently isolated from a permafrost-affected soil in
      the Lena Delta (Siberia, Russia), showing an exceptional resistance against
      desiccation, osmotic stress, low temperatures, starvation, UV and ionizing
      radiation when compared to methanogens from non-permafrost environments. To gain
      a deeper insight into the differences observed in their resistance, we described
      the chemical composition of methanogenic strains from permafrost and non
      permafrost environments using confocal Raman microspectroscopy (CRM). CRM is a
      powerful tool for microbial identification and provides fingerprint-like
      information about the chemical composition of the cells. Our results show that
      the chemical composition of methanogens from permafrost-affected soils presents a
      high homology and is remarkably different from strains inhabiting non-permafrost
      environments. In addition, we performed a phylogenetic reconstruction of the
      studied strains based on the functional gene mcrA to prove the different
      evolutionary relationship of the permafrost strains. We conclude that the
      permafrost methanogenic strains show a convergent chemical composition regardless
      of their genotype. This fact is likely to be the consequence of a complex
      adaptive process to the Siberian permafrost environment and might be the reason
      underlying their resistant nature.

PMID- 26499487
TI  - Developing expressed sequence tag libraries and the discovery of simple sequence
      repeat markers for two species of raspberry (Rubus L.).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Due to a relatively high level of codominant inheritance and
      transferability within and among taxonomic groups, simple sequence repeat (SSR)
      markers are important elements in comparative mapping and delineation of genomic
      regions associated with traits of economic importance. Expressed sequence tags
      (ESTs) are a source of SSRs that can be used to develop markers to facilitate
      plant breeding and for more basic research across genera and higher plant orders.
      METHODS: Leaf and meristem tissue from 'Heritage' red raspberry (Rubus idaeus)
      and 'Bristol' black raspberry (R. occidentalis) were utilized for RNA extraction.
      After conversion to cDNA and library construction, ESTs were sequenced, quality
      verified, assembled and scanned for SSRs.  Primers flanking the SSRs were
      designed and a subset tested for amplification, polymorphism and transferability
      across species. ESTs containing SSRs were functionally annotated using the
      GenBank non-redundant (nr) database and further classified using the gene
      ontology database. RESULTS: To accelerate development of EST-SSRs in the genus
      Rubus (Rosaceae), 1149 and 2358 cDNA sequences were generated from red raspberry
      and black raspberry, respectively. The cDNA sequences were screened using
      rigorous filtering criteria which resulted in the identification of 121 and 257
      SSR loci for red and black raspberry, respectively. Primers were designed from
      the surrounding sequences resulting in 131 and 288 primer pairs, respectively, as
      some sequences contained more than one SSR locus. Sequence analysis revealed that
      the SSR-containing genes span a diversity of functions and share more sequence
      identity with strawberry genes than with other Rosaceous species. CONCLUSION:
      This resource of Rubus-specific, gene-derived markers will facilitate the
      construction of linkage maps composed of transferable markers for studying and
      manipulating important traits in this economically important genus.

PMID- 26499489
TI  - Three genetic groups of the Eucalyptus stem canker pathogen Teratosphaeria
      zuluensis introduced into Africa from an unknown source.
AB  - The Eucalyptus stem canker pathogen Teratosphaeria zuluensis was discovered in
      South Africa in 1988 and it has subsequently been found in several other African
      countries as well as globally. In this study, the population structure, genetic
      diversity and evolutionary history of T. z uluensis were analysed using
      microsatellite markers to gain an enhanced understanding of its movement in
      Africa. Isolates were collected from several sites in Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda
      and Zambia. Data obtained were compared with those previously published for a
      South African population. The data obtained from 334 isolates, amplified across
      eight microsatellite loci, were used for assignment, differentiation and genetic
      diversity tests. STRUCTURE analyses, theta st and genetic distances revealed the
      existence of two clusters, one dominated by isolates from South Africa and the
      other by isolates from the Zambezi basin including Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.
      High levels of admixture were found within and among populations, dominated by
      the Mulanje population in Malawi. Moderate to low genetic diversity of the
      populations supports the previously held view that the pathogen was introduced
      into Africa. The clonal nature of the Ugandan population suggests a very recent
      introduction, most likely from southern Africa. 

PMID- 26499488
TI  - Puquitinib mesylate (XC-302) induces autophagy via inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR
      signaling pathway in nasopharyngeal cancer cells.
AB  - There are numerous studies that demonstrate the anti-neoplastic activity of
      phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors and the mechanisms of inducing
      autophagy in cancer cells. The new anticancer drug puquitinib mesylate (XC-302)
      is a molecular-targeted drug, which suppresses the activity of PI3K directly.
      However, it remains unclear whether XC-302 can develop an antitumor effect by
      inducing autophagy in nasopharyngeal cancer cells. The MTT assay was used to
      study the anti-proliferative effects of XC-302. Subsequently, autophagy was
      determined by monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining, punctate localization of green
      fluorescent protein (GFP)-light chain 3 (LC3), LC3 protein blotting and electron
      microscopy. The expression levels of beclin 1, p62, protein kinase B (AKT),
      phospho (p)-AKT, mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and p-mTOR in XC-302
      induced autophagy were detected. Autophagy inhibition was assayed by 3
      methyladenine (3-MA) or small interfering RNA (siRNA) silencing of beclin 1. XC
      302 inhibited the viability of CNE-2 in a dose-dependent manner and the IC50 of
      72 h was 5.2 umol/l. After cells were exposed to XC-302 for 24 h, MDC-labeled
      autophagolysosomes were evident in CNE-2 cells by fluorescence microscope.
      Autophagosomes and autolysosomes were identified by transmission electron
      microscopy. Following transfection with GFP-LC3, XC-302 induced a significant
      accumulation of GFP-LC3, as monitored by a confocal microscope, which was reduced
      by 3-MA. XC-302 induced the formation of LC3-II, increased beclin 1 levels and
      decreased the expression of p62. Additionally, the expression levels of p-AKT and
      p-mTOR were reduced with the elevation of XC-302. Knockdown of beclin 1 with
      siRNA or co-treatment with 3-MA enhanced significantly the survival of CNE-2 and
      promoted the ability of clone formation. XC-302 also induced apoptosis in CNE-2,
      and when autophagy was inhibited by 3-MA, the apoptosis rate was decreased. The
      present data provides the evidence that XC-302 can induce autophagy in CNE-2,
      which promotes the program of cell death and inhibits the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling
      pathway. Furthermore, XC-302 also promoted apoptosis in CNE-2 cells, which could
      be reduced when autophagy was suppressed, meaning that autophagy may interact
      with apoptosis to induce cell death.

PMID- 26499490
TI  - Molecular mechanism of anti-cancer activity of phycocyanin in triple-negative
      breast cancer cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Triple-negative breast cancers represent an important clinical
      challenge, as these cancers do not respond to conventional endocrine therapies or
      other available targeted agents. Phycocyanin (PC), a natural, water soluble and
      non-toxic molecule is shown to have potent anti-cancer property. METHODS: In this
      study, we determined the efficacy of PC as an anti-neoplastic agent in vitro on a
      series of breast cancer cell lines. We studied effects of PC in inducing DNA
      damage and apoptosis through western blot and qPCR. Also, anti-metastatic and
      anti-angiogenic properties were studied by classic wound healing and vasculogenic
      mimicry assays. RESULTS: We found that triple negative MDA-MB-231 cells were most
      sensitive to PC (IC50 : 5.98 +/- 0.95 MUM) as compared to other cells. They also
      showed decreased cell proliferation and reduced colony formation ability upon
      treatment with PC. Profile of Cell cycle analysis showed that PC caused G1 arrest
      which could be attributed to decreased mRNA levels of Cyclin E and CDK-2 and
      increased p21 levels. Mechanistic studies revealed that PC induced apoptosis as
      evident by increase in percentage of annexin positive cells, increase in gamma
      H2AX levels, and by changing the Bcl-2/Bax ratio followed by release of
      cytochrome C and increased Caspase 9 levels. MDA MB 231 cells treated with PC
      resulted in decreased cell migration and increased cell adhesive property and
      also showed anti-angiogenic effects. We also observed that PC suppressed
      cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and prostaglandin E(2) production. All these
      biological effects of phycocyanin on MDA MB 231 cells could be attributed to
      decreased MAPK signaling pathway. We also observed that PC is non-toxic to non
      malignant cells, platelets and RBC's. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these findings
      demonstrate, for the first time, that PC may be a promising anti-neoplastic agent
      for treatment of triple negative breast cancers.

PMID- 26499491
TI  - Brain mechanisms of sympathetic activation in heart failure: Roles of the renin
      angiotensin system, nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines (Review).
AB  - Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) have an insufficient perfusion to the
      peripheral tissues due to decreased cardiac output. The compensatory mechanisms
      are triggered even prior to the occurrence of clinical symptoms, which include
      activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and other neurohumoral
      factors. However, the long-term activation of the SNS contributes to progressive
      cardiac dysfunction and has toxic effects on the cardiomyocytes. The mechanisms
      leading to the activation of SNS include changes in peripheral baroreceptor and
      chemoreceptor reflexes and the abnormal regulation of sympathetic nerve activity
      (SNA) in the central nervous system (CNS). Recent studies have focused on the
      role of brain mechanisms in the regulation of SNA and the progression of CHF. The
      renin-angiotensin system, nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines were shown
      to be involved in the abnormal regulation of SNA in the CNS. The alteration of
      these neurohumoral factors during CHF influences the activity of neurons in the
      autonomic regions and finally increase the sympathetic outflow. The present
      review summarizes the brain mechanisms contributing to sympathoexcitation in CHF.

PMID- 26499492
TI  - cryo-EM structures of the E. coli replicative DNA polymerase reveal its dynamic
      interactions with the DNA sliding clamp, exonuclease and tau.
AB  - The replicative DNA polymerase PolIIIalpha from Escherichia coli is a uniquely
      fast and processive enzyme. For its activity it relies on the DNA sliding clamp
      beta, the proofreading exonuclease epsilon and the C-terminal domain of the clamp
      loader subunit tau. Due to the dynamic nature of the four-protein complex it has
      long been refractory to structural characterization. Here we present the 8 A
      resolution cryo-electron microscopy structures of DNA-bound and DNA-free states
      of the PolIII-clamp-exonuclease-tauc complex. The structures show how the
      polymerase is tethered to the DNA through multiple contacts with the clamp and
      exonuclease. A novel contact between the polymerase and clamp is made in the DNA
      bound state, facilitated by a large movement of the polymerase tail domain and
      tauc. These structures provide crucial insights into the organization of the
      catalytic core of the replisome and form an important step towards determining
      the structure of the complete holoenzyme.

PMID- 26499493
TI  - Circularization restores signal recognition particle RNA functionality in
      Thermoproteus.
AB  - Signal recognition particles (SRPs) are universal ribonucleoprotein complexes
      found in all three domains of life that direct the cellular traffic and secretion
      of proteins. These complexes consist of SRP proteins and a single, highly
      structured SRP RNA. Canonical SRP RNA genes have not been identified for some
      Thermoproteus species even though they contain SRP19 and SRP54 proteins. Here, we
      show that genome rearrangement events in Thermoproteus tenax created a permuted
      SRP RNA gene. The 5'- and 3'-termini of this SRP RNA are located close to a
      functionally important loop present in all known SRP RNAs. RNA-Seq analyses
      revealed that these termini are ligated together to generate circular SRP RNA
      molecules that can bind to SRP19 and SRP54. The circularization site is processed
      by the tRNA splicing endonuclease. This moonlighting activity of the tRNA
      splicing machinery permits the permutation of the SRP RNA and creates highly
      stable and functional circular RNA molecules. 

PMID- 26499494
TI  - Nonlinear circuits for naturalistic visual motion estimation.
AB  - Many animals use visual signals to estimate motion. Canonical models suppose that
      animals estimate motion by cross-correlating pairs of spatiotemporally separated
      visual signals, but recent experiments indicate that humans and flies perceive
      motion from higher-order correlations that signify motion in natural
      environments. Here we show how biologically plausible processing motifs in neural
      circuits could be tuned to extract this information. We emphasize how known
      aspects of Drosophila's visual circuitry could embody this tuning and predict fly
      behavior. We find that segregating motion signals into ON/OFF channels can
      enhance estimation accuracy by accounting for natural light/dark asymmetries.
      Furthermore, a diversity of inputs to motion detecting neurons can provide access
      to more complex higher-order correlations. Collectively, these results illustrate
      how non-canonical computations improve motion estimation with naturalistic
      inputs. This argues that the complexity of the fly's motion computations,
      implemented in its elaborate circuits, represents a valuable feature of its
      visual motion estimator. 

PMID- 26499495
TI  - Functional genomic screening reveals asparagine dependence as a metabolic
      vulnerability in sarcoma.
AB  - Current therapies for sarcomas are often inadequate. This study sought to
      identify actionable gene targets by selective targeting of the molecular networks
      that support sarcoma cell proliferation. Silencing of asparagine synthetase
      (ASNS), an amidotransferase that converts aspartate into asparagine, produced the
      strongest inhibitory effect on sarcoma growth in a functional genomic screen of
      mouse sarcomas generated by oncogenic Kras and disruption of Cdkn2a. ASNS
      silencing in mouse and human sarcoma cell lines reduced the percentage of S phase
      cells and impeded new polypeptide synthesis. These effects of ASNS silencing were
      reversed by exogenous supplementation with asparagine. Also, asparagine depletion
      via the ASNS inhibitor amino sulfoximine 5 (AS5) or asparaginase inhibited mouse
      and human sarcoma growth in vitro, and genetic silencing of ASNS in mouse sarcoma
      cells combined with depletion of plasma asparagine inhibited tumor growth in
      vivo. Asparagine reliance of sarcoma cells may represent a metabolic
      vulnerability with potential anti-sarcoma therapeutic value. 

PMID- 26499496
TI  - Pharmacophore modeling, 3D-QSAR, and docking study of pyrozolo[1,5-a]pyridine/4,4
      dimethylpyrazolone analogues as PDE4 selective inhibitors.
AB  - Phosphodiesterases 4 enzyme is an attractive target for the design of anti
      inflammatory and bronchodilator agents. In the present study pharmacophore and
      atom based 3D-QSAR studies were carried out for pyrozolo[1,5-a]pyridine/4,4
      dimethylpyrazolone analogues. A five point pharmacophore model was developed
      using 52 molecules having pIC50 values ranging from 9.959 to 3.939. The best
      predictive pharmacophoric hypothesis AHHRR.3 was characterized by survival score
      (2.944), cross validated (r(2) = 0.8147), regression coefficient (R(2) = 0.9545)
      and Fisher ratio (F =173) with 4 component PLS factor. Results explained that one
      hydrogen bond acceptor, two aromatic rings and two hydrophobic groups are crucial
      for the PDE4 inhibition. The docking studies of all selected inhibitors in the
      active site of PDE4 showed crucial hydrogen bond interactions with Asp392, Asn395
      Tyr233, and Gln443 residues. The pharmacophoric features R15 and R16 exhibited pi
      pi stacking with His234, Phe414, and Phe446 residues. The generated model was
      further validated by carrying out the decoy test. The binding free energies of
      these inhibitors in the catalytic domain of 1XMU were calculated by the molecular
      mechanics/generalized Born surface area VSGB 2.0 method. The results of molecular
      dynamics simulation confirmed the extra precision docking-predicted priority for
      binding sites, the accuracy of docking, and the reliability of active
      conformations. Pyrozolo[1,5-a]pyridine/4,4-dimethylpyrazolone analogues in this
      study showed lower binding affinity toward PDE3A in comparison to PDE4. Outcomes
      of the present study provide insight in designing novel molecules with better
      PDE4 inhibitory activity. Graphical Abstract Pyrozolo[1,5-a]pyridines/4,4
      dimethylpyrazolones. 

PMID- 26499497
TI  - Optimization of enrofloxacin-imprinted polymers by computer-aided design.
AB  - Recently, a series of computational and combinatorial approaches were employed to
      improve the efficiency of screening for optimal molecularly imprinted polymer
      (MIP) systems. In the present work, we investigated MIP systems based on
      enrofloxacin (ENRO) as the template molecule and either 2-vinyl-4,6-diamino-1,3,5
      triazine (VDAT), 4-vinylpyridine (4-Vpy), acrylamide (AM), or
      trifluoromethacrylic acid (TFMAA) as the functional monomer. The optimized
      geometries of these systems, the optimal molar ratios of template to functional
      monomer, and the active sites in the systems were all identified using density
      functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. The imprinting
      mechanism was investigated by calculating the hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance
      ((1)H NMR) spectra of the systems. The simulated results revealed that the MIP
      system corresponding to a 1:7 complex of TFMAA and ENRO contained the most H
      bonds and presented the lowest (i.e., most negative) binding energy and the
      strongest interactions. MIPs of ENRO with the four functional monomers were
      prepared based on the optimal molar ratios of template to functional monomer
      determined in the simulations. Adsorption experiments suggested that TFMAA has
      the highest affinity (saturated adsorption 30.25 mg/g) among the four monomers
      for the template. Thus, we determined the optimal monomer and imprinting ratio
      for ENRO-imprinted MIPs and predicted their adsorption characteristics. Graphical
      Abstract The preparation and extraction processes of MIPs with ENRO as template,
      TFMAA as functional monomer, and EDMA as cross-linker. 

PMID- 26499498
TI  - Unraveling the performance of dispersion-corrected functionals for the accurate
      description of weakly bound natural polyphenols.
AB  - Long-range non-covalent interactions play a key role in the chemistry of natural
      polyphenols. We have previously proposed a description of supramolecular
      polyphenol complexes by the B3P86 density functional coupled with some
      corrections for dispersion. We couple here the B3P86 functional with the D3
      correction for dispersion, assessing systematically the accuracy of the new B3P86
      D3 model using for that the well-known S66, HB23, NCCE31, and S12L datasets for
      non-covalent interactions. Furthermore, the association energies of these
      complexes were carefully compared to those obtained by other dispersion-corrected
      functionals, such as B(3)LYP-D3, BP86-D3 or B3P86-NL. Finally, this set of models
      were also applied to a database composed of seven non-covalent polyphenol
      complexes of the most interest. Graphical abstract Weakly bound natural
      polyphenols?. 

PMID- 26499499
TI  - Molecular modeling studies demonstrate key mutations that could affect the ligand
      recognition by influenza AH1N1 neuraminidase.
AB  - The goal of this study was to identify neuraminidase (NA) residue mutants from
      human influenza AH1N1 using sequences from 1918 to 2012. Multiple alignment
      studies of complete NA sequences (5732) were performed. Subsequently, the
      crystallographic structure of the 1918 influenza (PDB ID: 3BEQ-A) was used as a
      wild-type structure and three-dimensional (3-D) template for homology modeling of
      the mutated selected NA sequences. The 3-D mutated NAs were refined using
      molecular dynamics (MD) simulations (50 ns). The refined 3-D models were used to
      perform docking studies using oseltamivir. Multiple sequence alignment studies
      showed seven representative mutations (A232V, K262R, V263I, T264V, S367L, S369N,
      and S369K). MD simulations applied to 3-D NAs showed that each NA had different
      active-site shapes according to structural surface visualization and docking
      results. Moreover, Cartesian principal component analyses (cPCA) show structural
      differences among these NA structures caused by mutations. These theoretical
      results suggest that the selected mutations that are located outside of the
      active site of NA could affect oseltamivir recognition and could be associated
      with resistance to oseltamivir. 

PMID- 26499500
TI  - Integrated physiologic assessment of ischemic heart disease in real-world
      practice using index of microcirculatory resistance and fractional flow reserve:
      insights from the International Index of Microcirculatory Resistance Registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) is a quantitative and
      specific index for coronary microcirculation. However, the distribution and
      determinants of IMR have not been fully investigated in patients with ischemic
      heart disease (IHD). METHODS AND RESULTS: Consecutive patients who underwent
      elective measurement of both fractional flow reserve (FFR) and IMR were enrolled
      from 8 centers in 5 countries. Patients with acute myocardial infarction were
      excluded. To adjust for the influence of collateral flow, IMR values were
      corrected with Yong's formula (IMRcorr). High IMR was defined as greater than the
      75th percentile in each of the major coronary arteries. FFR<=0.80 was defined as
      an ischemic value. 1096 patients with 1452 coronary arteries were analyzed (mean
      age 61.1, male 71.2%). Mean FFR was 0.84 and median IMRcorr was 16.6 U (Q1, Q3
      12.4 U, 23.0 U). There was no correlation between IMRcorr and FFR values (r=0.01,
      P=0.62), and the categorical agreement of FFR and IMRcorr was low (kappa value=
      0.04, P=0.10). There was no correlation between IMRcorr and angiographic %
      diameter stenosis (r=-0.03, P=0.25). Determinants of high IMR were previous
      myocardial infarction (odds ratio [OR] 2.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.24
      3.74, P=0.01), right coronary artery (OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.54-2.84, P<0.01), female
      (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.18-2.38, P<0.01), and obesity (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.31-2.49,
      P<0.01). Determinants of FFR <=0.80 were left anterior descending coronary artery
      (OR 4.31, 95% CI 2.92-6.36, P<0.01), angiographic diameter stenosis >=50% (OR
      5.16, 95% CI 3.66-7.28, P<0.01), male (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.38-3.35, P<0.01), and
      age (per 10 years, OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.01-1.46, P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: IMR showed no
      correlation with FFR and angiographic lesion severity, and the predictors of high
      IMR value were different from those for ischemic FFR value. Therefore,
      integration of IMR into FFR measurement may provide additional insights regarding
      the relative contribution of macro- and microvascular disease in patients with
      ischemic heart disease. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL:
      http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02186093.

PMID- 26499501
TI  - A comprehensive intervention for adverse drug reactions   identification and
      reporting in a Pediatric Emergency Department.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physicians identify from 45.7 to 96.2 % of Adverse Drug Reactions
      (ADRs) in their patients, with under-reporting ranging from 6 to 100 %. In order
      to improve ADR reporting, several interventions have been evaluated in different
      studies, but not with regard to ADR identification. In addition, it is not known
      whether some patient characteristics might influence on ADR identification and
      reporting by physicians. OBJECTIVES: (a) To assess the effectiveness of a
      comprehensive intervention directed to Emergency Department physicians and
      coordinated by a pharmacist in a tertiary care pediatric hospital on ADR
      identification and reporting. (b) To assess if some of the children's
      characteristics might influence on ADR identification and reporting. Setting The
      Emergency Department of the Hospital Infantil de Mexico "Federico Gomez", which
      is a national pediatric institute of health in Mexico. METHODS: A Quasi
      experimental, pre-post test trial was designed. During the intervention, the
      pharmacist gave talks on Pharmacovigilance and on the program for electronic
      capture of data, took part in patient visits, left reminders, improved
      accessibility to ADR report format and performed feedback activities. To classify
      and quantify correctly identified ADRs and ADRs reported to the Institutional
      Pharmacovigilance Center (IPC), 1136 clinical records were reviewed. The models
      were adjusted for patient variables. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Total ADRs, ADRs
      correctly identified by physicians, ADRs reported to the IPC by physicians.
      Results Before the intervention, 97 % of ADRs were correctly identified and 6.1 %
      reported by physicians. During the intervention, 99.6 % were correctly identified
      and 41.2 % were reported, and after the intervention, 99.6 and 41.7 %,
      respectively. Identification during the intervention showed a sevenfold increase
      with regard to preintervention and was maintained post-intervention. ADR
      reporting during the intervention showed a 14-fold increase with regard to pre
      intervention and was maintained during post-intervention. CONCLUSION: Physicians
      do identify ADRs, but fail to report them. The intervention increased ADR correct
      identification and reporting. The effect was maintained after the intervention.

PMID- 26499502
TI  - The structural and process aspects of pharmacy quality: older adults'
      perceptions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients are increasingly playing an active role in healthcare and
      their definitions of healthcare quality are becoming more important to
      understand. The Donabedian model has been used to understand patients'
      perceptions of quality in healthcare settings including hospitals and nursing
      homes; no research has applied the model to understand patients' perceptions of
      pharmacy quality. OBJECTIVE: To describe older adults' perception of a quality
      pharmacy including their expectations of a quality pharmacy and their preferences
      in a quality pharmacy. SETTING: Six focus groups held in community centers and
      senior residence facilities in Wisconsin. METHODS: The design was a descriptive,
      exploratory study. Participants were adults 65 years and older who filled a
      prescription at a community pharmacy in the 90 days prior to being contacted.
      Donabedian's assessment of healthcare quality based on 'structure,' 'process' and
      'outcome' was used to organize and categorize the focus group themes. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURE: The focus groups explored older adults' perceptions and
      expectations of a quality pharmacy. The factors that influenced their pharmacy
      choice were also examined. Results The older adults' description of a quality
      pharmacy was based on the 'structure' and 'process' domain of the Donabedian
      model. However, most responses were focused on the 'process' domains and related
      to the application of patient-centered care (e.g., pharmacist interaction and
      communication) versus the structure domains (e.g., staff availability). The most
      frequently reported factor in the choice of pharmacies was the pharmacy's
      location with some participants also reporting that their relationship and
      rapport with the pharmacist were also important. Older adults' expectations were
      focused on the 'process' features of quality, including the provision of
      medication-related information, and the pharmacist facilitating medication safety
      and medication adherence. CONCLUSIONS: In describing pharmacy quality, older
      adults mostly refer to the 'process' aspects of quality. Older adults perceive a
      quality pharmacy as one where the pharmacist provides patient-centered care.
      While location is important in pharmacy choices, the pharmacist's patient
      centeredness, and the quality features of the pharmacy are also relevant. Older
      adults' expectations were related to their perception of a quality pharmacy.
      Pharmacists should publicize their pharmacies' 'process' features in quality
      reporting systems.

PMID- 26499503
TI  - Pharmaceutical care of elderly patients with poorly controlled   type 2 diabetes
      mellitus: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Care of the elderly with diabetes is more complicated than that for
      other age groups. The elderly and/or those with multiple comorbidities are often
      excluded from randomized controlled trials of treatments for diabetes. The
      heterogeneity of health status of the elderly also increases the difficulty in
      diabetes care; therefore, diabetes care for the elderly should be individualized.
      Motivated patients educated about diabetes benefit the most from collaborating
      with a multidisciplinary patient-care team. A pharmacist is an important team
      member by serving as an educator, coach, healthcare manager, and pharmaceutical
      care provider. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of pharmaceutical care on
      glycemic control of ambulatory elderly patients with type 2 diabetes. SETTING: A
      421-bed district hospital in Nantou City, Taiwan. METHOD: We conducted a
      randomized controlled clinical trial involving 100 patients with type 2 diabetes
      with poor glycemic control (HbA1c levels of >=9.0 %) aged >=65 years over 6
      months. Participants were randomly assigned to a standard-care (control, n = 50)
      or pharmaceutical-care (intervention, n = 50) group. Pharmaceutical care was
      provided by a certified diabetes-educator pharmacist who identified and resolved
      drug-related problems and established a procedure for consultations pertaining to
      medication. The Mann-Whitney test was used to evaluate nonparametric quantitative
      data. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The
      change in the mean HbA1c level from the baseline to the next level within 6
      months after recruiting. RESULTS: Nonparametric data (Mann-Whitney test) showed
      that the mean HbA1c level significantly decreased (0.83 %) after 6 months for the
      intervention group compared with an increase of 0.43 % for the control group (P
      <= 0.001). Medical expenses between groups did not significantly differ (-624.06
      vs. -418.7, P = 0.767). There was no significant difference in hospitalization
      rates between groups. CONCLUSION: The pharmacist intervention program provided
      pharmaceutical services that improved long-term, safe control of blood sugar
      levels for ambulatory elderly patients with diabetes and did not increase medical
      expenses.

PMID- 26499504
TI  - An exploration of health professionals' experiences of medicines management in
      elderly, hospitalised patients in Abu Dhabi.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given the multiplicity of issues relating to medicines in the
      elderly, the structures and processes of medicines management should be clearly
      defined and described to optimise patient outcomes. There is a paucity of
      research which provides an in-depth exploration of these elements of medicines
      management for elderly patients. OBJECTIVES: This study explored health
      professionals' experiences of medicines management for elderly, hospitalised
      patients in Abu Dhabi. Setting The research was conducted in five major hospitals
      in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. METHOD: Responses to an online sampling
      questionnaire were used to purposively select nurses, pharmacists and physicians
      for interview. A semi-structured interview schedule was developed with reference
      to normalization process theory (NPT) and the theoretical domains framework (TDF)
      to explore issues of medicines management structures, processes and outcomes.
      Face-to-face interviews of 20-30 min were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim
      and analysed using the Framework Approach. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Health
      professionals' in-depth experiences of structures, processes and outcomes
      relating to medicines management. Results Saturation of themes was deemed to
      occur at interview 27 (7 nurses, 13 pharmacists, 7 physicians). Six key themes
      and several subthemes emerged from the qualitative analysis, which pertained to
      the need for: appropriate polypharmacy; a systematic approach to medicines
      history taking; improved communication and documentation; improved patients'
      adherence to medicines; guidelines and policies to support medicines selection,
      and an educated and trained multidisciplinary team. The most dominant TDF
      behavioural determinants were issues around: professional role and identity;
      beliefs about capabilities; beliefs about consequences; environmental context and
      resources; knowledge, and goals. NPT construct identified little evidence of
      coherence, cognitive participation, collective action and reflexive monitoring.
      CONCLUSION: The key themes identified in this research indicate the need to
      develop a more structured approach to medicines management in elderly
      hospitalised patients in Abu Dhabi. The NPT constructs and the TDF behavioural
      determinants can be utilised as part of service development and implementing
      change.

PMID- 26499505
TI  - Survey of pharmacists' antibiotic dosing recommendations   for sustained low
      efficiency dialysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of hybrid renal replacement therapies like sustained low
      efficiency dialysis (SLED) is increasing in ICUs worldwide. However,
      pharmacokinetic studies designed to inform therapeutic antibiotic dosing in
      critically ill patients receiving SLED are limited. SLED operational
      characteristics vary across institutions. Pharmacists in institutions that
      utilize SLED are challenged to recommend therapeutic doses for antibiotics.
      OBJECTIVE: To characterize pharmacist-recommended antibiotic regimens for SLED.
      METHODS: An electronic survey was sent to pharmacist members of the American
      College of Clinical Pharmacy in the Nephrology or Critical Care Practice and
      Research Network. Dosing recommendations for a hypothetical critically ill septic
      patient were collected for cefepime, ceftaroline, daptomycin, levofloxacin,
      meropenem, and piperacillin/tazobactam. Main outcome measure Antibiotic regimens
      for the six antibiotics, their frequency, pharmacist's experience with renal
      replacement therapies (RRT), post-graduate training, years of clinical
      experience, number of staffed beds in their hospital, and RRT employed in their
      ICUs. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 69 clinical pharmacists who had 8.5 +/
      7.5 (mean +/- SD) years of experience. All pharmacists had experience dosing
      medications for patients receiving RRT. The most frequently recommended regimen
      for each antibiotic was: cefepime 1000 mg every 24 h, ceftaroline 200 mg every 12
      h, daptomycin 6 mg/kg every 24 h, levofloxacin 500 mg every 24 h, meropenem 1000
      mg every 12 h, and piperacillin/tazobactam 2250 mg every 8 h. Up to nine distinct
      regimens were recommended for each antibiotic, and the total daily dose between
      these regimens ranged by as much as a 12-fold. Neither pharmacist's experience
      with SLED, post-graduate training, nor years of clinical experience were
      significantly associated with particular dosing recommendations for the
      antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Pharmacists working in institutions that utilize SLED
      make antibiotic dosing recommendations that vary 4-12-fold depending on the drug.
      Published research does not provide adequate guidance to optimally dose
      antibiotics in patients receiving SLED. More SLED pharmacokinetic trials, real
      time serum concentration monitoring and advanced pharmacokinetic modeling
      techniques are necessary to ensure therapeutic dosing in patients receiving SLED.

PMID- 26499506
TI  - Outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in patients with
      biphenotypic acute leukemia.
AB  - The outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients
      with biphenotypic acute leukemia (BAL) remain unclear. We retrospectively
      analyzed the outcomes of HSCT in BAL patients in Japan in comparison to acute
      myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) using the
      registration data from a nationwide database. The data of 90, 5371, and 3301
      patients with BAL, AML, and ALL, respectively, were included in the analysis. The
      median follow-up period was 1481.5 days (range: 0-5556). The 5-year overall
      survival (OS) of the BAL, AML, and ALL patients were 39.6, 41.8, and 42.0 %,
      respectively (BAL vs. AML, P = 0.98 BAL vs. ALL, P = 0.77). A multivariate
      analysis revealed that, in comparison to BAL, AML with a better-risk karyotype
      was associated with superior OS. An analysis of the prognostic factors of BAL
      patients showed that OS was significantly longer in patients who were in their
      first complete remission in comparison to patients who were not in remission. Our
      data suggest that HSCT is an effective treatment for BAL patients, regardless of
      the presence of any known poor prognostic factors other than a non-remission
      status.

PMID- 26499507
TI  - The Wilms Tumor-1 (WT1) rs2234593 variant is a prognostic factor in normal
      karyotype acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within Wilms tumor-1 (WT1) exon 7,
      rs16754, has been arguably reported to be implicated in acute myeloid leukemia
      (AML) prognosis. We assessed the potential association of selected WT1 SNPs as
      well as WT1 mutations in normal karyotype (NK)-AML and evaluated the prognostic
      value of these normal gene variants. Diagnostic samples from a series of 474
      young adult NK-AML patients were used to genotype five WT1 SNPs using TaqMan
      assays and to directly sequence WT1 exons 7 and 9. Analysis of five WT1 gene
      variants showed an association of rs2234593 allele C with WT1 Ex7 mutation.
      Prognostic study of the same variants identified rs2234593 significantly
      associated with relapse and overall survival (OS). Patients with rs2234593AA/AC
      showed significantly higher 10-year OS (50 vs 36 %, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.69
      (0.52-0.90), p = 0.006) and lower cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) (36 vs 51
      %, HR = 0.62 (0.45-0.86), p = 0.004) compared to those with rs2234593CC. The
      effect of AA genotype on CIR remained significant after adjustment for basic
      covariates including FLT3 internal-tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD) and
      nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) mutations (HR = 0.60 (0.41-0.89), p = 0.009), with some
      evidence of improved survival (HR = 0.75 (0.55-1.03), p = 0.07). A multivariate
      analysis showed WT1 Ex7-mutant as the major relapse predictor, with a tendency
      for rs2234593-A effect after allowing for Ex7 mutation (p = 0.07). No adjusted
      risk benefit was found for previously reported rs16754-G. In conclusion, WT1
      normal gene variant rs2234593 is associated with mutational status of WT1 Ex7 and
      is a further prognostic marker independent from FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutations in NK
      AML.

PMID- 26499508
TI  - Phylogeographic breaks within Asian butternuts indicate the existence of a
      phytogeographic divide in East Asia.
AB  - East Asia has been hypothesized to be subdivided into two distinct northern and
      southern areas, separated by a band of dry climate that was far more severe in
      the early Tertiary but still exists today. However, this biogeographic hypothesis
      has rarely been tested using a molecular phylogeographic approach. We genotyped
      70 populations throughout the distributional range of Asian butternuts (Juglans
      section Cardiocaryon) using eight chloroplast DNA regions, one single-copy
      nuclear gene, and 17 nuclear microsatellite loci, supplemented with
      paleodistribution modeling of the major genetic clades. The genetic data
      consistently identified two clades, one northern, comprising Juglans mandshurica
      and Juglans ailantifolia, and one southern, comprising Juglans cathayensis. The
      two clades diverged through climate-induced vicariance of an ancestral northern
      range during the mid-Miocene and remained mostly separate thereafter, with
      geographical isolation of the Japanese Islands and refugial isolation or
      secondary contacts in the late Pleistocene producing further subdivision within
      the northern clade. But beyond all that, we also discovered a role of
      environmental adaptation in maintaining and/or reinforcing the north-south
      divergence. Asian butternuts offer a strong case for the existence of a
      biogeographic divide between the northern and southern parts of East Asia during
      the Neogene and into the Pleistocene. 

PMID- 26499509
TI  - Love really is in the eye of the beholder.

PMID- 26499510
TI  - 20 g PPV with indocyanine green-assisted ILM peeling versus 23 g PPV with
      brilliant blue G-assisted ILM peeling for epiretinal membrane.
AB  - To compare the anatomical and visual outcomes of 20 gauge (g) pars plana
      vitrectomy (PPV) with indocyanine green (ICG)-assisted internal limiting membrane
      (ILM) peeling and 23 g PPV with brilliant blue G (BBG)-assisted ILM peeling for
      idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM). 38 eyes of 38 patients with idiopathic ERM
      were included. They were divided in two groups: group 1 (18 eyes) underwent 20 g
      PPV with ICG-assisted ILM peeling and group 2 (20 eyes) 23 g PPV with BBG
      assisted ILM peeling. Postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and
      central macular thickness (CMT) were compared. Average BCVA in group 1 improved
      significantly from 0.60 logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution (log MAR) at
      baseline to 0.3 log MAR postoperatively. Average BCVA in group 2 improved
      significantly from 0.60 log MAR at baseline to 0.3 log MAR postoperatively. Mean
      CMT reduced significantly from 473 to 375 MUm in group 1 and from 486 to 396 MUm
      in group 2. There were no significant differences in the BCVA and CMT between the
      groups. Both surgical methods appeared to be safe and provided similar anatomical
      and visual outcomes. 

PMID- 26499511
TI  - A Role for Diminished GABA Transporter Activity in the Cortical Discharge
      Phenotype of MeCP2-Deficient Mice.
AB  - Cortical network hyper-excitability is a common phenotype in mouse models lacking
      the transcriptional regulator methyl-CPG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2). Here, we
      implicate enhanced GABAB receptor activity stemming from diminished cortical
      expression of the GABA transporter GAT-1 in the genesis of this network hyper
      excitability. We found that administering the activity-dependent GABAB receptor
      allosteric modulator GS-39783 to female Mecp2(+/-) mice at doses producing no
      effect in wild-type mice strongly potentiated their basal rates of spontaneous
      cortical discharge activity. Consistently, administering the GABAB receptor
      antagonist CGP-35348 significantly decreased basal discharge activity in these
      mice. Expression analysis revealed that while GABAB or extra-synaptic GABAA
      receptor prevalence is preserved in the MeCP2-deficient cortex, the expression of
      GAT-1 is significantly reduced from wild-type levels. This decrease in GAT-1
      expression is consequential, as low doses of the GAT-1 inhibitor NO-711 that had
      no effects in wild-type mice strongly exacerbated cortical discharge activity in
      female Mecp2(+/-) mice. Taken together, these data indicate that the absence of
      MeCP2 leads to decreased cortical levels of the GAT-1 GABA transporter, which
      facilitates cortical network hyper-excitability in MeCP2-deficient mice by
      increasing the activity of cortical GABAB receptors. 

PMID- 26499512
TI  - Dietary fibre-rich resistant starches promote ammonia detoxification in the human
      colon as measured by lactose-[15N2]ureide.
AB  - Three resistant starches (RSs), namely fibre of potatoes (FP), wrinkle pea starch
      (WPS), and high amylose maize starch (HAMS) with different dietary fibre
      contents, were supplemented in adults to evaluate their effects on urinary
      nitrogen and ammonia excretion as well as on faecal nitrogen excretion by means
      of lactose-[(15)N2]ureide ((15)N-LU) degradation. Twenty subjects received a
      regular diet either without or with the supplementation of FP, WPS, and HAMS in a
      randomized order. After administration of (15)N-LU, urine and faeces were
      collected over 48 and 72 h, respectively, whereas blood was collected after 6 h.
      The (15)N-abundances were measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry. In
      comparison to the dry run, supplementation with RS significantly lowered renal
      (15)N-excretion (dry run: 43.2%, FP: 34.6%, WPS: 37.9%, HAMS: 36.4%) as well as
      the corresponding (15)NH3-excretion (dry run: 0.08%, FP: 0.06%, HAMS: 0.05%),
      clearly indicating a reduced colonic nitrogen generation at high dietary fibre
      intake.

PMID- 26499513
TI  - High Frequency of Detection by PCR of Viral Nucleic Acid in The Blood of Infants
      Presenting with Clinical Myocarditis.
AB  - Specific viruses are associated with pediatric myocarditis, but the prevalence of
      viral DNAemia detected by blood polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is unknown. We
      evaluated the prevalence of known cardiotropic viruses (enterovirus, adenovirus,
      human herpesvirus 6, and parvovirus B19) in children with clinical myocarditis (n
      = 21). Results were compared to pediatric controls with similar viral PCR
      testing. The majority of positive PCR (89 %) was noted in children <=12 months of
      age at diagnosis compared to older children. Infant myocarditis patients (8/10)
      had increased the prevalence of PCR positivity compared to infant pediatric
      controls (4/114) (p < 0.0001). Other than age, patient characteristics at
      diagnosis were similar between PCR-positive and PCR-negative patients. Both PCR
      negative myocarditis infants had clinical recovery at follow-up. Of the PCR
      positive myocarditis infants, 4 had clinical recovery, 2 developed chronic
      cardiomyopathy, 1 underwent heart transplant, and 1 died. Infants with clinical
      myocarditis have a high rate of blood viral positivity, which is higher compared
      to older children with myocarditis and healthy infant controls. Age-related
      differences in PCR positivity may be due to differences in host and/or virus
      characteristics. Our findings suggest that viral blood PCR may be a useful
      diagnostic tool and identify patients who would potentially benefit from virus
      specific therapy.

PMID- 26499514
TI  - Clinical Features and Surgical Outcomes of Coronary Sinus Orifice Atresia.
AB  - This study aimed to review clinical features and surgical outcomes of coronary
      sinus orifice atresia (CSOA). From 2003 to 2015, 6 patients were diagnosed with
      CSOA. Median age at diagnosis was 2 years (range 0.2-73). CSOA was preoperatively
      diagnosed in 2 patients, intraoperatively in 3, and postoperatively in 1.
      Coronary venous blood flow drained into innominate vein through the left superior
      vena cava (LSVC) in 2, into the atrium through Thebesian veins in 2, and into
      both in 2. Three patients required surgical treatment. The first patient with a
      congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries had undergone ligation of
      the LSVC and a cutback of the proximal LSVC into the functional right atrium
      during the double-switch operation. The second patient with tricuspid atresia
      gradually developed hypoxia after the Fontan operation due to the increase in
      veno-venous shunt blood flow from the Fontan pathway to the right atrium through
      the LSVC and Thebesian veins, so that the LSVC was ligated and the coronary sinus
      was unroofed 6 years after Fontan operation. The other functional single
      ventricle patient had undergone ligation of the LSVC and a cutback of the
      proximal LSVC into the left atrium during the Fontan operation. There were no
      mortalities at the median follow-up of 9 years (1-11). CSOA should be suspected
      when the LSVC and usual-sized innominate vein were presented. Surgical treatment
      is required if the postoperative hemodynamics would affect coronary venous
      perfusion, like single ventricular palliation (244 words).

PMID- 26499515
TI  - Food matrix and processing influence on carotenoid bioaccessibility and
      lipophilic antioxidant activity of fruit juice-based beverages.
AB  - The biological activity of carotenoids depends on their bioaccessibility and
      solubilization in the gastrointestinal tract. These compounds are poorly
      dispersed in the aqueous media of the digestive tract due to their lipophilic
      nature. Thus, it is important to analyze the extent to which some factors, such
      as the food matrix and food processing, may improve their bioaccessibility.
      Beverages formulated with a blend of fruit juices and water (WB), milk (MB) or
      soymilk (SB) were treated by high-intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF) (35 kV
      cm(-1) with 4 MUs bipolar pulses at 200 Hz for 1800 MUs), high-pressure
      processing (HPP) (400 MPa at 40  degrees C for 5 min) or thermal treatment (TT)
      (90  degrees C for 1 min) in order to evaluate the influence of food matrix and
      processing on the bioaccessibility of carotenoids and on the lipophilic
      antioxidant activity (LAA). The bioaccessibility of these compounds diminished
      after applying any treatment (HIPEF, HPP and TT), with the exception of cis
      violaxanthin + neoxanthin, which increased by 79% in HIPEF and HPP beverages. The
      lowest carotenoid bioaccessibility was always obtained in TT beverages (losses up
      to 63%). MB was the best food matrix for improving the bioaccessibility of
      carotenoids, as well as the LAA. The results demonstrate that treatment and food
      matrix modulated the bioaccessibility of carotenoids as well as the lipophilic
      antioxidant potential of beverages. Additionally, HIPEF and HPP could be
      considered as promising technologies to obtain highly nutritional and functional
      beverages. 

PMID- 26499516
TI  - Central venous pressure as an adjunct to flow-guided volume optimisation after
      induction of general anaesthesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the central venous pressure (CVP) is often used as a guide
      to volume status in major surgery and intensive care, fluid therapy should be
      guided by the response of the stroke volume (SV) to a fluid bolus. The present
      study evaluates whether the central venous pressure (CVP) can serve as an adjunct
      to decisions of whether or not fluid should be infused. METHODS: Stroke volume
      (SV) and stroke volume variation (SVV) was monitored with FloTrac/Vigileo and the
      CVP were measured in 80 patients just before general anaesthesia was induced
      (baseline) and then, before each of three successive bolus infusions of 3 mL kg-1
      of 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4. A patient showed fluid responsiveness and was
      denoted a "responder" if SV increased by >=10% from the bolus infusion. RESULTS:
      The CVP was higher in non-responders (mean 7.2 mm Hg) than in responders (mean
      5.8 mm Hg, P < 0.0001). In non-responders but not in responders, the absence or
      presence of a rise in CVP improved the prediction of whether the patient would
      show fluid responsiveness during the next fluid bolus. For example, if no rise in
      CVP occurred the chance was 48% of subsequent fluid responsiveness, while this
      chance was only 9% for those who had an increase in CVP (P < 0.004). There was
      only a fair concordance between fluid responsiveness as indicated by SV and SVV
      (Cohen's kappa 0.28). CONCLUSIONS: A low CVP suggests that the patient is lower
      on the Frank-Starling curve than indicated by SV as measured by FloTrac/Vigileo.

PMID- 26499518
TI  - Study of Ion Transfer Coupling with Electron Transfer by Hydrophilic Droplet
      Electrodes.
AB  - In a hydrophilic droplet three-electrode system, electroactive species within the
      droplet play very important roles in the electron-transfer (ET) process on the
      solid/electrolyte interface, which can then induce an ion-transfer (IT) reaction
      at the liquid/liquid interface. In this work, several redox couples and
      electroactive species are chosen to study ET-IT coupling processes at the
      water/1,2-dichloroethane (W/DCE) interface by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and
      Osteryoung square wave voltammetry (OSWV). Among them, the redox couple
      Ru(NH3)6(3+/2+) has been found to have the widest useful potential window of
      about 1.2 V. A hydrophilic droplet three-electrode system using a single
      electroactive molecule instead of a redox couple has been confirmed to be stable
      and has similar functionality to a redox couple. In addition, the lipophilicity
      of antiplatelet drug clopidogrel at the W/DCE interface is investigated and its
      ionic partition diagram has been constructed. Protonated clopidogrel is detected
      in a linear concentration range of 5.0-50 MUM and the limit of detection (LOD) is
      calculated to be 3.0 MUM by using the hydrophilic droplet system Ru(NH3)6(3+/2+)
      and OSWV. 

PMID- 26499517
TI  - Tiagabine Protects Dopaminergic Neurons against Neurotoxins by Inhibiting
      Microglial Activation.
AB  - Microglial activation and inflammation are associated with progressive neuronal
      apoptosis in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD). gamma
      Aminobutyric acid (GABA), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central
      nervous system, has recently been shown to play an inhibitory role in the immune
      system. Tiagabine, a piperidine derivative, enhances GABAergic transmission by
      inhibiting GABA transporter 1 (GAT 1). In the present study, we found that
      tiagabine pretreatment attenuated microglial activation, provided partial
      protection to the nigrostriatal axis and improved motor deficits in a methyl-4
      phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of PD. The protective
      function of tiagabine was abolished in GAT 1 knockout mice that were challenged
      with MPTP. In an alternative PD model, induced by intranigral infusion of
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS), microglial suppression and subsequent neuroprotective
      effects of tiagabine were demonstrated. Furthermore, the LPS-induced inflammatory
      activation of BV-2 microglial cells and the toxicity of conditioned medium toward
      SH-SY5Y cells were inhibited by pretreatment with GABAergic drugs. The
      attenuation of the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) and
      the inhibition of the generation of inflammatory mediators were the underlying
      mechanisms. Our results suggest that tiagabine acts as a brake for nigrostriatal
      microglial activation and that it might be a novel therapeutic approach for PD. 

PMID- 26499519
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PMID- 26499610
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PMID- 26499747
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PMID- 26499748
TI  - Panoscopically optimized thermoelectric performance of a half-Heusler/full
      Heusler based in situ bulk composite Zr(0.7)Hf(0.3)Ni(1+x)Sn: an energy and time
      efficient way.
AB  - All scale hierarchical architecturing, matrix/inclusion band alignment and intra
      matrix electronic structure engineering, the so called panoscopic approach for
      thermoelectric materials has been demonstrated to be an effective paradigm for
      optimizing high ZT. To achieve such hierarchically organized microstructures,
      composition engineering has been considered to be an efficient strategy. In this
      work, such a panoscopic concept has been extended to demonstrate for the first
      time in the case of half-Heusler based thermoelectric materials via a composition
      engineering route. A series of new off-stoichiometric n-type Zr0.7Hf0.3Ni1+xSn (0
      <=x<= 0.10) HH compositions have been modified to derive HH(1 -x)/full-Heusler
      (FH)(x) composite with an all scale hierarchically modified microstructure with
      FH inclusions within the matrix to study the temperature dependent thermoelectric
      properties. The structural analysis employing XRD, FE-SEM and HR-TEM of these
      materials reveal a composite of HH and FH, with hierarchically organized
      microstructures. In such a submicron/nano-composite, the electronic properties
      are observed to be well optimized yielding a large power factor; alpha(2)sigma
      (~30.7 * 10(-4) W m(-1) K(-2) for Zr0.7Hf0.3Ni1.03Sn) and reduced thermal
      conductivity (~2.4 W m(-1) K(-1) for Zr0.7Hf0.3Ni1.03Sn) yielding a high ZT~ 0.96
      at 773 K for composition Zr0.7Hf0.3Ni1.03Sn which is ~250% larger than the normal
      HH Zr0.7Hf0.3NiSn (ZT~ 0.27 at 773 K). The enhancement in ZT of these composites
      has been discussed in terms of primary electron filtering, electron injection and
      several phonon scattering mechanisms such as alloy scattering, point defect
      scattering, and grain boundary scattering. The Bergman and Fel model is used to
      calculate effective thermoelectric parameters of these composites for comparing
      the experimental results. 

PMID- 26499750
TI  - Response to "Comments on 'Lateral Subcutaneous Brow Lift: Updated Technique'".

PMID- 26499749
TI  - Comments on "Lateral Subcutaneous Brow Lift: Updated Technique".

PMID- 26499751
TI  - Simultaneous Double Eyelid Blepharoplasty and Ptosis Correction with a Single
      Knot, Continuous, Nonincisional Technique: A Five-Year Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Double eyelid blepharoplasty is one of the most popular facial
      cosmetic surgeries performed in patients with Asian eyelids. Although most
      patients choose to undergo blepharoplasty for cosmetic purposes, rather than
      functional reasons, these patients frequently present with concomitant mild-to
      moderate blepharoptosis. OBJECTIVES: Performing nonincisional double eyelid
      surgery without correcting the ptosis tends to lead to unsatisfactory results.
      The authors introduce our new method for simultaneous correction of
      blepharoptosis during double eyelid blepharoplasty. METHODS: For 5 years, the
      authors have performed a single-knot continuous nonincisional technique for
      simultaneous correction of blepharoptosis during double eyelid blepharoplasty.
      The medical charts of 127 patients (254 eyelids) were retrospectively reviewed.
      Muller muscle tagging suture was utilized to achieve the accurate amount of
      Muller tucking during the surgery. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant
      difference between pretreatment MRD1 (1.62 +/- 0.57 mm), and postoperative MRD1
      (3.97 +/- 0.81 mm; P < .001, Wilcoxon signed rank test, nonparametric paired
      comparison). The mean duration of surgery for both eyelids was 14.8 minutes
      (range, 14.1-19.7 minutes), and the mean extent of Muller muscle tucking was 7.8
      mm (range, 6.0-10.0 mm). The majority of patients showed favorable results during
      long-term follow-up, with minimal complications. CONCLUSIONS: There are no
      previously published articles documenting simultaneous double eyelid
      blepharoplasty and ptosis correction, using a single-knot continuous
      nonincisional technique. The authors suggest our simple and effective method is a
      good option for double eyelid blepharoplasty in cases with mild-to-moderate
      blepharoptosis.' LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4: Therapeutic.

PMID- 26499752
TI  - Response to "Seroma Prevention in Abdominoplasty: Eliminating the Cause".

PMID- 26499753
TI  - Response to "Seroma Prevention in Abdominoplasty: Eliminating the Cause".

PMID- 26499754
TI  - Seroma Prevention in Abdominoplasty: Eliminating the Cause.

PMID- 26499755
TI  - Prevention of colorectal cancer: How many tools do we have in our basket?
AB  - Prevention is the main strategy in order to reduce colorectal cancer incidence
      and mortality. It can be accomplished through primary prevention, using measures
      affecting factors known to confer higher risk of colorectal cancer, or through
      secondary prevention, aimed at early diagnosis of cancer or preneoplastic lesions
      in groups of subjects at increased risk of cancer. Although primary prevention
      should be the goal for future years, because it acts on the probable causes of
      colorectal cancer, at present it seems that secondary prevention is more
      effective on colorectal cancer survival, and the approaches which have yielded
      the most satisfying results, in terms of reduced mortality for cancer, are those
      aimed at detecting preneoplastic lesions, or cancer at an early stage in selected
      groups of subjects at average or increased risk of colorectal cancer. These
      groups are subjects aged 50years or older, affected individuals (gene carriers)
      or family members of hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes (i.e., Lynch syndrome
      and familial adenomatous polyposis), and patients with inflammatory bowel
      diseases. The most effective procedures used, though with some drawbacks, are
      fecal occult blood tests and colonoscopy. Future research should be addressed to
      find new approaches that will render preventive strategies more acceptable for
      the population, and more cost-effective. 

PMID- 26499757
TI  - Gastric motor dysfunctions in Parkinson's disease: Current pre-clinical evidence.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with several non-motor symptoms, such as
      behavioral changes, urinary dysfunction, sleep disorders, fatigue and, above all,
      gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction, including gastric dysmotility, constipation
      and anorectal dysfunction. Delayed gastric emptying, progressing to
      gastroparesis, is reported in up to 100% of patients with PD, and it occurs at
      all stages of the disease with severe consequences to the patient's quality of
      life. The presence of alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) aggregates in myenteric neurons
      throughout the digestive tract, as well as morpho-functional alterations of the
      enteric nervous system (ENS), have been documented in PD. In particular, gastric
      dysmotility in PD has been associated with an impairment of the brain-gut axis,
      involving the efferent fibers of the vagal pathway projecting directly to the
      gastric myenteric plexus. The present review intends to provide an integrated
      overview of available knowledge on the possible role played by the ENS,
      considered as a semi-autonomous nervous network, in the pathophysiology of
      gastric dysmotility in PD. Particular attention has been paid review how
      translational evidence in humans and studies in pre-clinical models are allowing
      a better understanding of the functional, neurochemical and molecular alterations
      likely underlying gastric motor abnormalities occurring in PD. 

PMID- 26499756
TI  - Influence of dietary protein on postprandial blood glucose levels in individuals
      with Type 1 diabetes mellitus using intensive insulin therapy.
AB  - AIM: To determine the effects of protein alone (independent of fat and
      carbohydrate) on postprandial glycaemia in individuals with Type 1 diabetes
      mellitus using intensive insulin therapy. METHODS: Participants with Type 1
      diabetes mellitus aged 7-40 years consumed six 150 ml whey isolate protein drinks
      [0 g (control), 12.5, 25, 50, 75 and 100] and two 150 ml glucose drinks (10 and
      20 g) without insulin, in randomized order over 8 days, 4 h after the evening
      meal. Continuous glucose monitoring was used to assess postprandial glycaemia.
      RESULTS: Data were collected from 27 participants. Protein loads of 12.5 and 50 g
      did not result in significant postprandial glycaemic excursions compared with
      control (water) throughout the 300 min study period (P > 0.05). Protein loads of
      75 and 100 g resulted in lower glycaemic excursions than control in the 60-120
      min postprandial interval, but higher excursions in the 180-300 min interval. In
      comparison with 20 g glucose, the large protein loads resulted in significantly
      delayed and sustained glucose excursions, commencing at 180 min and continuing to
      5 h. CONCLUSIONS: Seventy-five grams or more of protein alone significantly
      increases postprandial glycaemia from 3 to 5 h in people with Type 1 diabetes
      mellitus using intensive insulin therapy. The glycaemic profiles resulting from
      high protein loads differ significantly from the excursion from glucose in terms
      of time to peak glucose and duration of the glycaemic excursion. This research
      supports recommendations for insulin dosing for large amounts of protein.

PMID- 26499758
TI  - Association of type 2 diabetes GWAS loci and the risk of Parkinson's and
      Alzheimer's diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Insulin and insulin-like growth factor contribute to normal brain
      function. Recent experimental and clinical studies showed that type 2 diabetes
      mellitus (T2DM) and Parkinson's disease (PD) or Alzheimer's disease (AD) share
      several dysregulated pathways. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate whether genome
      wide significant loci of T2DM are associated with the risk of PD and AD as well
      as the severity of cognitive impairment. METHODS: Study subjects were 500 PD
      patients, 400 AD patients, and 500 unrelated controls. We selected 32 genetic
      variants from 11 genes (CDC123, CDKAL1, CDKN2B, FTO, GLIS3, HHEX, IGF2BP2,
      KCNJ11, KCNQ1, SLC30A8, and TCF7L2) and intergenic regions based on results of
      recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in T2DM. These variants were
      reported to be T2DM-susceptibility loci and have been replicated in other
      independent studies. All association analyses were performed using logistic
      regression models, adjusting for age and sex. RESULTS: KCNQ1 SNP rs163182 showed
      the strongest association with AD, but it was not significant after Bonferroni
      correction (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.07-1.59, Pcorrected = 0.32). In PD patients,
      CDC123 SNP rs11257655 showed modest association with MMSE score <26, and CDKN2B
      SNPs (rs2383208, rs10965250, and rs10811661) showed modest association with MoCA
      score <26, which were not significant after Bonferroni correction. Other genetic
      variants had no association with the risk of PD or AD and the severity of
      cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that genome-wide
      significant loci of T2DM play no major role in the risk and cognitive impairment
      of PD and AD.

PMID- 26499759
TI  - MicroRNA-22 functions as a tumor suppressor by targeting SIRT1 in renal cell
      carcinoma.
AB  - Accumulating evidence demonstrates that microRNA-22 (miR-22) was deregulated in
      many types of cancers and was involved in various cellular processes related to
      carcinogenesis. However, the exact roles and mechanisms of miR-22 remain unknown
      in human renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Here, the relationship between miR-22
      expression pattern and clinicopathological features of patients with EOC were
      determined by real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, the role of
      miR-22 and possible molecular mechanisms in EOC were investigated by several in
      vitro approaches and in a nude mouse model. Results from qRT-PCR showed that miR
      22 was significantly downregulated in RCC samples compared with corresponding non
      cancerous tissues, which was significantly associated with tumor stage and lymph
      node metastasis. Functional study demonstrated that enforced overexpression of
      miR-22 in renal cancer cells inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion, and
      induced cell apoptosis in vitro, and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. In
      addition, SIRT1 was identified as a direct target of miR-22 by a luciferase
      reporter assay. Overexpression of miR-22 activated p53 and its downstream target
      p21 and PUMA, and the apoptosis markers cleaved CASP3 and PARP, and inhibited
      epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). These findings showed that miR-22
      functioned as tumor suppressor in RCC and blocked RCC growth and metastasis by
      directly targeting SIRT1 in RCC, indicating a potential novel therapeutic role in
      RCC treatment.

PMID- 26499761
TI  - Calculation and word problem-solving skills in primary grades - Impact of
      cognitive abilities and longitudinal interrelations with task-persistent
      behaviour.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary school math skills form a basis for academic success down the
      road. Different math skills have different antecedents and there is a reason to
      believe that more complex math tasks require better self-regulation. AIMS: The
      study aimed to investigate longitudinal interrelations of calculation and problem
      solving skills, and task-persistent behaviour in Grade 1 and Grade 3, and the
      effect of non-verbal intelligence, linguistic abilities, and executive
      functioning on math skills and task persistence. SAMPLE: Participants were 864
      students (52.3% boys) from 33 different schools in Estonia. METHODS: Students
      were tested twice - at the end of Grade1 and at the end of Grade 3. Calculation
      and problem-solving skills, and teacher-rated task-persistent behaviour were
      measured at both time points. Non-verbal intelligence, linguistic abilities, and
      executive functioning were measured in Grade 1. RESULTS: Cross-lagged structural
      equation modelling indicated that calculation skills depend on previous math
      skills and linguistic abilities, while problem-solving skills require also non
      verbal intelligence, executive functioning, and task persistence. Task-persistent
      behaviour in Grade 3 was predicted by previous problem-solving skills, linguistic
      abilities, and executive functioning. Gender and mother's educational level were
      added as covariates. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that math skills and self
      regulation are strongly related in primary grades and that solving complex tasks
      requires executive functioning and task persistence from children. Findings
      support the idea that instructional practices might benefit from supporting self
      regulation in order to gain domain-specific, complex skill achievement.

PMID- 26499760
TI  - Niche differentiation of bacterial communities at a millimeter scale in Shark Bay
      microbial mats.
AB  - Modern microbial mats can provide key insights into early Earth ecosystems, and
      Shark Bay, Australia, holds one of the best examples of these systems.
      Identifying the spatial distribution of microorganisms with mat depth facilitates
      a greater understanding of specific niches and potentially novel microbial
      interactions. High throughput sequencing coupled with elemental analyses and
      biogeochemical measurements of two distinct mat types (smooth and pustular) at a
      millimeter scale were undertaken in the present study. A total of 8,263,982 16S
      rRNA gene sequences were obtained, which were affiliated to 58 bacterial and
      candidate phyla. The surface of both mats were dominated by Cyanobacteria,
      accompanied with known or putative members of Alphaproteobacteria and
      Bacteroidetes. The deeper anoxic layers of smooth mats were dominated by
      Chloroflexi, while Alphaproteobacteria dominated the lower layers of pustular
      mats. In situ microelectrode measurements revealed smooth mats have a steeper
      profile of O2 and H2S concentrations, as well as higher oxygen production,
      consumption, and sulfate reduction rates. Specific elements (Mo, Mg, Mn, Fe, V,
      P) could be correlated with specific mat types and putative phylogenetic groups.
      Models are proposed for these systems suggesting putative surface anoxic niches,
      differential nitrogen fixing niches, and those coupled with methane metabolism. 

PMID- 26499762
TI  - Head-To-Head Assessment of Diagnostic Performance of Testosterone Immunoassays in
      Patients With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Determination of plasma testosterone is critical for the proper
      diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but the interpretation of
      biochemical tests is hampered by inadequate specificity and precision of
      available immunoassays. We here compared the diagnostic performance of three
      testosterone immunoassays (Advia Centaur, Immulite 2000 XPi, Cobas e411) in PCOS
      patients using receiver operator characteristics curve analysis. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Plasma levels of testosterone, androstendione, dehydroepiandrosterone
      sulfate, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, estradiol, progesterone, steroid hormone binding
      globulin, luteinizing hormone, and follicular stimulating hormone were determined
      in 188 patients with PCOS and 202 controls. Free testosterone (fT) levels and
      free androgen index (FAI) were calculated. Testosterone levels measured on Advia
      Centaur, Immulite 2000 XPi, and Cobas e411 showed clear linear relationship to
      each other. Testosterone measured with Advia Centaur showed discriminatory
      performance superior to Immulite 2000 XPi and Cobas e411. Calculation of fT or
      FAI improved the performance of Advia Centaur and Immulite 2000 XPi, which
      nevertheless performed better than Cobas e411. The performance of other
      parameters was inferior to that of testosterone, fT, and FAI. CONCLUSION: Present
      study documents striking differences between testosterone immunoassays with
      respect to their capacity to identify PCOS patients and favors the use of
      calculated parameters reflecting active testosterone in plasma.

PMID- 26499763
TI  - Involvement of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and associated transforming
      growth factor-beta/Smad signaling in paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis.
AB  - Paraquat (PQ) is a highly toxic herbicide which is able to induce pulmonary
      fibrosis in humans and animals. The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)
      was demonstrated to be an important factor in pulmonary fibrosis. However, it has
      remained elusive whether PQ induces pulmonary fibrosis via EMT, which was
      therefore investigated in the present study. In addition, the underlying
      mechanisms of PQ-induced EMT were examined in vitro. Hematoxylin and eosin
      staining of rat lung tissues demonstrated that PQ induced pulmonary fibrosis in
      vivo. Western blot analysis then revealed that the expression of epithelial cell
      marker E-cadherin was significantly decreased, while the expression of
      mesenchymal markers alpha-smooth-muscle actin and vimentin was significantly
      increased in rat lung tissues and A549 cells following PQ treatment. Transforming
      growth factor (TGF)-beta/Smad signaling was also induced by PQ as evidenced by
      increased expression of TGF-beta1 and Smad2. However, PQ-induced EMT in A549
      cells was abolished by transfection with TGF-beta1-specific small hairpin RNA. In
      conclusion, the present study demonstrated that PQ induced EMT in vivo and in
      vitro, which may be an important process in the development of PQ-induced
      pulmonary fibrosis. In addition, TGF-beta/Smad signaling was involved in PQ
      induced EMT. 

PMID- 26499765
TI  - Introduction.

PMID- 26499764
TI  - Newborn screening and the era of medical genomics.
AB  - Across the span of the last 75+ years, technological and conceptual advances in
      genetics have found rapid implementation at the beginning of human life. From
      karyotype testing, to molecular cytogenetics, to gene panel testing, and now to
      whole exome and whole genome sequencing, each iterative expansion of our
      capability to acquire genetic data on the next generation has been implemented
      quickly in the clinical setting. In tandem, our continuously expanding ability to
      acquire large volumes of genetic data has generated its own challenges in terms
      of interpretation, clinical utility of the information, and concerns over privacy
      and discrimination; for the first time, we are faced with the possibility of
      having complete access to our genetic data from birth, if not shortly after
      conception. Here, we discuss the evolution of the field toward this new reality
      and we consider the potentially far-reaching consequences and, at present, an
      unclear path toward developing best practices for implementation. 

PMID- 26499766
TI  - Goniothalamin enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells through
      DR5 upregulation and cFLIP downregulation.
AB  - The combination of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and bioactive
      compound to enhance apoptosis in TRAIL-resistant cancer is one of cancer
      treatment strategies. TRAIL possesses the unique capacity to selectively induce
      apoptosis in cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo with little effect on normal
      cells. Recent studies have reported that there are many TRAIL-resistant cancers.
      Thus, bioactive compounds that enhance cytotoxicity of TRAIL would be potential
      candidates for cancer therapeutic application. This study evaluated the cytotoxic
      and apoptosis induction upon combined treatment of TRAIL and goniothalamin, the
      natural styryl-lactone compound extracted from plant Goniothalamus spp., in LoVo
      cells. The results showed that a combination of goniothalamin and TRAIL enhanced
      caspase-dependent apoptosis induction in LoVo cells via both death receptor- and
      mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis pathways. In addition, goniothalamin enhanced
      TRAIL-induced apoptosis through increased death receptor DR5 expression and
      decreased anti-apoptotic regulator cFLIP. Interestingly, goniothalamin increased
      translocation of DR5 to cell surface and consequently contributed to the
      enhancement of TRAIL-induced apoptosis. In conclusion, this is the first report
      showing the combined treatment of goniothalamin and TRAIL was able to effectively
      enhance TRAIL-mediated apoptosis induction in TRAIL-refractory colorectal cancer,
      LoVo cells. Therefore, this study may offer a strategic cancer treatment against
      TRAIL-resistant cancers.

PMID- 26499768
TI  - A Review on Novel Breast Cancer Therapies: Photodynamic Therapy and Plant Derived
      Agent Induced Cell Death Mechanisms.
AB  - This review article presents an extensive examination of risk factors for breast
      cancer, treatment strategies with special attention to photodynamic therapy and
      natural product based treatments. Breast cancer remains the most commonly
      occurring cancer in women worldwide and the detection, treatment, and prevention
      are prominent concerns in public health. Background information on current
      developments in treatment helps to update the approach towards risk assessment.
      Breast cancer risk is linked to many factors such as hereditary, reproductive and
      lifestyle factors. Minimally invasive Photodynamic therapy (PDT) can be used in
      the management of various cancers; it uses a light sensitive drug (a
      photosensitizer, PS) and a light of visible wavelength, to destroy targeted
      cancer cells. State of the art analyses has been carried out to investigate
      advancement in the search for the cure and control of cancer progression using
      natural products. Traditional medicinal plants have been used as lead compounds
      for drug discovery in modern medicine. Both PDT and plant derived drugs induce
      cell death via different mechanisms including apoptosis, necrosis, autophagy,
      cell cycle regulation and even the regulation of various cell signalling
      pathways.

PMID- 26499767
TI  - Risk of infectious complications associated with blood transfusion in elective
      spinal surgery-a propensity score matched analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Although the negative aspects of blood transfusion are
      increasingly recognized, less is known about transfusion-related risks in spinal
      surgery. PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine whether perioperative
      allogeneic blood transfusion is associated with increased risk of infectious
      complications after elective spinal surgery. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort
      study with propensity score matched analysis was carried out. PATIENT SAMPLE:
      Data of patients with spinal canal stenosis and spondylolisthesis who underwent
      elective lumbar surgeries (decompression or fusion) were obtained from the
      Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, a nationwide administrative inpatient
      database in Japan. OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical outcomes included in-hospital death
      and the occurrence of infectious complications (surgical site infection [SSI],
      respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infection, and sepsis). METHODS:
      Patients' clinical information, including sex, age, type of hospital,
      preoperative comorbidities, duration of anesthesia, cell saver use, and volume of
      allogeneic blood transfused, were investigated. Patients transfused with >840 mL
      (6 units) were excluded. Propensity scores for receiving transfusion were
      calculated, with one-to-one matching based on estimated propensity scores to
      adjust for patients' baseline characteristics. The proportions of complications
      were compared in patients with and without transfusions. This study was funded by
      grants from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan. RESULTS: Of the
      84,650 patients identified, 5,289 patients (6.1%) received transfusions, with
      4,436 (5.2%) receiving up to 840 mL. One-to-one propensity score matching
      resulted in 4,275 pairs with and without transfusion. Patients transfused were at
      increased risk of SSI (odds ratio [OR], 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4
      2.5; p<.001) and urinary tract infection (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.5-4.2; p<.001) than
      those not transfused. CONCLUSIONS: Allogeneic blood transfusion after elective
      lumbar surgery was associated with increased risks of SSI and urinary tract
      infection.

PMID- 26499769
TI  - ASNC Leaves Its Mark.

PMID- 26499770
TI  - Evaluation of attenuation correction in cardiac PET using PET/MR.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Simultaneous acquisition Positron emission tomography/magnetic
      resonance (PET/MR) is a new technology that has potential as a tool both in
      research and clinical diagnosis. However, cardiac PET acquisition has not yet
      been validated using MR imaging for attenuation correction (AC). The goal of this
      study is to evaluate the feasibility of PET imaging using a standard 2-point
      Dixon volume interpolated breathhold examination (VIBE) MR sequence for AC.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Evaluation was performed in both phantom and patient data. A
      chest phantom containing heart, lungs, and a lesion insert was scanned by both
      PET/MR and PET/CT. In addition, 30 patients underwent whole-body 18F
      fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT followed by simultaneous cardiac PET/MR. Phantom study
      showed 3% reduction of activity values in the myocardium due to the non-inclusion
      of the phased array coil in the AC. In patient scans, average standardized uptake
      values (SUVs) obtained by PET/CT and PET/MR showed no significant difference (n =
      30, 4.6 +/- 3.5 vs 4.7 +/- 2.8, P = 0.47). There was excellent per patient
      correlation between the values acquired by PET/CT and PET/MR (R 2 = 0.97).
      CONCLUSIONS: Myocardial SUVs PET imaging using MR for AC shows excellent
      correlation with myocardial SUVs obtained by standard PET/CT imaging. The 2-point
      Dixon VIBE MR technique can be used for AC in simultaneous PET/MR data
      acquisition.

PMID- 26499771
TI  - Case vignettes based on EQ-5D to elicit stated preferences for health services
      utilization from the insurees' perspective.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is little evidence as to why or why not insurees decide to seek
      medical services. Steps prior to the entry of the insuree into the professional
      health care system have not been sufficiently examined and can only be partially
      described by secondary data of the statutory health insurance (SHI). We report
      the first investigation using case vignettes based on the generic health-related
      quality of life questionnaire EQ-5D as part of a choice study to assess insurees'
      stated preferences in health services utilization. METHODS: We invited 1500
      randomly selected citizens (age 30 to 70 years) from the East German state of
      Saxony-Anhalt by postal mail to participate in the choice study. Attributes of
      the case vignettes involved in choice tasks were the five dimensions of the EQ
      5D. We used multilevel mixed effects logit regression analysis with the dependent
      variables: preference to seek medical services (model 1) and preferred time until
      consultation (model 2) for the assessed case vignette. The EQ-5D attributes of
      the case vignettes and participant characteristics served as the independent
      variables. We also included the respondent's certainty of choosing from the
      choice set, and the order of questions of the questionnaire as control variables.
      RESULTS: Of the 1500 questionnaires 683 were evaluable (net response rate 48.0%).
      On the level of the case vignettes, problems in all five dimensions of the EQ-5D
      were statistically significant factors of the estimated likelihood to seek
      medical services (model 1). On the respondent level, there was a significant
      relationship between the preference for medical consultation for the assessed
      case vignette and the respondent's gender, age, educational level, the existence
      of a regular doctor, and the certainty of choosing from the choice set. Problems
      in four of the five dimensions of the EQ-5D (except anxiety/depression) of the
      case vignettes were significantly associated with the preferred time until
      consultation (model 2). On the respondent level, gender, educational level, the
      certainty of choosing from the choice set, and the order of questions of the
      questionnaire were significant determinants of the time until consultation.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study offers a promising new approach for the national and cross
      national study of preferences in health services utilization from the insurees'
      perspective.

PMID- 26499772
TI  - Turning Back the Clock on Women's Health in Medically Underserved Communities.

PMID- 26499774
TI  - Phase Space Structures Explain Hydrogen Atom Roaming in Formaldehyde
      Decomposition.
AB  - We re-examine the prototypical roaming reaction--hydrogen atom roaming in
      formaldehyde decomposition--from a phase space perspective. Specifically, we
      address the question "why do trajectories roam, rather than dissociate through
      the radical channel?" We describe and compute the phase space structures that
      define and control all possible reactive events for this reaction, as well as
      provide a dynamically exact description of the roaming region in phase space.
      Using these phase space constructs, we show that in the roaming region, there is
      an unstable periodic orbit whose stable and unstable manifolds define a conduit
      that both encompasses all roaming trajectories exiting the formaldehyde well and
      shepherds them toward the H2...CO well.

PMID- 26499773
TI  - Treated versus non-treated subjects with depression from a 30-year cohort study:
      prevalence and clinical covariates.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine prevalence rates of several components of
      depression (unipolar and bipolar major, minor, recurrent brief depression, and
      dysthymia) and to identify covariates of treatment. We analysed a representative
      population-based, long-term prospective cohort study from age 20 to 50. Across
      the seven semi-structured interviews, generalized estimating equations examined
      the associations between diagnoses and treatment status during the course. The
      results show that the mean annual treatment rate across 30 years in persons with
      MDE was 39.2%. The weighted treatment prevalence for any depressive disorder was
      23.4% (15.7% for MDE, 4.3% for minor depressive disorders and 3.4% for non
      diagnosed subjects). Persons were more likely to seek treatment as they grew
      older. Women with MDE had triple the treatment prevalence of men (23.8 vs. 7.4%).
      Variables of distress/suffering under depression (OR 1.36-1.52) and the number of
      diagnostic depressive symptoms (OR 1.47) were statistically significant
      predictors of treatment, as were episode duration (OR 2.21) and various variables
      assessing impairment due to depression (OR 4.65-8.02). In conclusion, only a
      minority of persons with depressive disorders seek professional treatment in the
      year of disorder onset. Women and subjects suffering from high levels of
      depressive symptoms, frequent episodes, long episode duration and consecutive
      high distress and impairment were more likely to seek treatment.

PMID- 26499775
TI  - Disparities in Adherence to Pediatric Sepsis Guidelines across a Spectrum of
      Emergency Departments: A Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Observational In Situ
      Simulation Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Each year in the United States, 72,000 pediatric patients develop
      septic shock, at a cost of $4.8 billion. Adherence to practice guidelines can
      significantly reduce mortality; however, few methods to compare performance
      across a spectrum of emergency departments (EDs) have been described. OBJECTIVES:
      We employed standardized, in situ simulations to measure and compare adherence to
      pediatric sepsis guidelines across a spectrum of EDs. We hypothesized that
      pediatric EDs (PEDs) would have greater adherence to the guidelines than general
      EDs (GEDs). We also explored factors associated with improved performance.
      METHODS: This multi-center observational study examined in situ teams caring for
      a simulated infant in septic shock. The primary outcome was overall adherence to
      the pediatric sepsis guideline as measured by six subcomponent metrics.
      Characteristics of teams were compared using multivariable logistic regression to
      describe factors associated with improved performance. RESULTS: We enrolled 47
      interprofessional teams from 24 EDs. Overall, 21/47 teams adhered to all six
      sepsis metrics (45%). PEDs adhered to all six metrics more than GEDs (93% vs.
      22%; difference 71%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 43-84). Adherent teams had
      significantly higher Emergency Medical Services for Children readiness scores, MD
      composition of physicians to total team members, teamwork scores, provider
      perceptions of pediatric preparedness, and provider perceptions of sepsis
      preparedness. In a multivariable regression model, only greater composite team
      experience had greater adjusted odds of achieving an adherent sepsis score
      (adjusted odds ratio 1.38, 95% CI 1.01-1.88). CONCLUSIONS: Using standardized in
      situ scenarios, we revealed high variability in adherence to the pediatric sepsis
      guideline across a spectrum of EDs. PEDs demonstrated greater adherence to the
      guideline than GEDs; however, in adjusted analysis, only composite team
      experience level of the providers was associated with improved guideline
      adherence.

PMID- 26499776
TI  - Biomechanics of posterior instrumentation in L1-L3 lateral interbody fusion:
      Pedicle screw rod construct vs. transfacet pedicle screws.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of pedicle screws is the gold standard for supplemental
      posterior fixation in lateral interbody fusion. Information about the performance
      of transfacet pedicle screws compared to standard pedicle screws and rods in the
      upper lumbar spine with or without a lateral interbody fusion device in place is
      limited. METHODS: Fifteen fresh frozen human cadaveric lumbar spine segments (T12
      L4) were studied using standard pure moment flexibility tests. Specimens were
      divided into two groups to receive either bilateral transfacet pedicle screws
      (n=8) or bilateral pedicle screws (n=14). Stability of each motion segment (L1-L2
      and L2-L3) was evaluated intact, with posterior instrumentation with an intact
      disc, with posterior instrumentation and a lateral interbody fusion device in
      place, and following cyclic loading with the interbody device and posterior
      instrumentation still in place. Both raw values of motion (range of motion, lax
      zone and stiff zone) and normalized mobility (ratios to intact) were analyzed for
      each case. FINDINGS: In terms of immediate stability, transfacet pedicle screws
      performed equivalent to similarly sized pedicle screws, both with intact disc and
      with lateral interbody fusion device in all directions of loading. Stability
      following cyclic loading decreased significantly during lateral bending and axial
      rotation. INTERPRETATION: Posterior fixation with transfacet pedicle screws
      provides equivalent immediate stability to similarly sized pedicle screws.
      However, in the presence of a lateral interbody fusion device, pedicle screws
      seem to resist loosening more and may be a better option for fusion in the upper
      lumbar spine.

PMID- 26499777
TI  - The STORM trial and beyond: narrowing the horizon of adjuvant  sorafenib for
      postoperative hepatocellular carcinoma.

PMID- 26499778
TI  - Simple laboratory score improves the preoperative diagnosis of adnexal mass.
AB  - We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of a newly developed laboratory score-based
      on CA125, platelet count (PLT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen levels
      in the preoperative diagnosis of adnexal mass. In this retrospective single
      center study, we analyzed records of 142 patients with 54 malignant (38 %) and 88
      benign (62 %) ovarian tumors. Preoperative levels of CA125, PLT, CRP, and
      fibrinogen were dichotomized according to the common cutoff values (CA125, 35
      U/ml; PLT, 350/nl; CRP, 5.0 mg/l; fibrinogen, 400 mg/dl), resulting in "1" for
      results above the cutoff and "0" for results within the normal ranges. The values
      (1 or 0) were summarized to a "low" (0-2) or "high" (3-4) score. Its diagnostic
      accuracy was compared to the "gold standard," CA125. All parameters differed
      significantly between malignant and benign cases. The score was false positive in
      5/88 (5.7 %) and false negative in 13/54 (24 %) of cases. Conversely, CA125 was
      false positive in 18/88 (20.4 %) and false negative in 4/54 (7.4 %). The
      diagnostic accuracy of CA125 (>35 U/ml) was sensitivity 0.93, specificity 0.80,
      positive predictive value (PPV) 0.74, negative predictive value (NPV) 0.95, and
      positive likelihood ratio (weighted by prevalence) (+LH/p) 2.78. The diagnostic
      accuracy of the score was sensitivity 0.76, specificity 0.94, PPV 0.89, NPV 0.86,
      and +LH/p 8.2. In conclusion, the score is easy to use and generates no
      additional costs. It provides a better specificity, PPV, and +LH/p than CA125.
      The sensitivity and NPV are lower, but acceptable. A validation of the score in a
      large patient cohort is needed. 

PMID- 26499779
TI  - RRP12 is a crucial nucleolar protein that regulates p53 activity in osteosarcoma
      cells.
AB  - RRP12 (ribosomal RNA processing 12 homolog), a nucleolar protein, plays important
      roles in cell cycle progression and the response to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
      damage in yeast cells. However, its role has not been investigated in mammalian
      cells that possess p53, which has close functional association to nucleolus. We
      explored the role of RRP12 in nucleolar stress condition using an osteosarcoma
      cell line, U2OS. To induce DNA damage and nucleolar disruption, two cytotoxic
      drugs, doxorubicin and actinomycin D were used. Cytotoxic stress resulted
      nucleolar disruption induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in U2OS cells.
      However, RRP12 overexpression promoted resistance to cytotoxic stress. In
      contrast, RRP12 silencing enhanced susceptibility to cytotoxic stress. During
      drug treatment, p53 activity and cell death were suppressed by RRP12
      overexpression but promoted by RRP12 silencing. This study demonstrated that
      RRP12 was crucial for cell survival during cytotoxic stress via the repression of
      p53 stability. Thus, targeting RRP12 may enhance chemotherapeutic effect in
      cancers. 

PMID- 26499780
TI  - Role of miR-138 in the regulation of larynx carcinoma cell metastases.
AB  - The cases of larynx carcinoma (LC) with poor prognosis largely result from the
      distal metastases of the primary tumor. Since microRNAs (miRNAs) play critical
      roles during cancer metastases, determination of the involved miRNAs in the
      regulation of the LC metastases may provide novel therapeutic targets for LC
      treatment. Here, we studied the LC specimens from the patients and found that the
      levels of miR-138 were significantly decreased and the levels of ZEB2, a critical
      factor that regulates cancer cell invasiveness, were significantly increased in
      LC, compared to the paired normal larynx tissue. Metastatic LC appeared to
      contained lower levels of miR-138. Moreover, miR-138 and ZEB2 inversely
      correlated in LC specimens. Bioinformatics analyses showed that miR-138 targeted
      the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of ZEB2 mRNA to inhibit its translation,
      which was confirmed in a luciferase reporter assay. Further, miR-138
      overexpression inhibited ZEB2-mediated cell invasiveness, while miR-138 depletion
      increased ZEB2-mediated cell invasiveness in LC cells. Together, our data suggest
      that miR-138 suppression in LC cells may promote ZEB2-mediated cancer metastases.
      Thus, miR-138 appears to be an intriguing therapeutic target to prevent
      metastases of LC.

PMID- 26499781
TI  - Diagnostic and prognostic values of tissue hsa-miR-30c and hsa-miR-203 in
      prostate carcinoma.
AB  - Prostate cancer (PCa) has become a prevalent malignant disease in males globally.
      Accumulating data suggested that hsa-microRNAs (miRNAs) could be potential
      biomarkers for tumor diagnosis due to their important roles in the cell cycle.
      This study investigated the diagnostic and prognostic values of hsa-miR-203 and
      hsa-miR-30c in PCa tissues. There were 44 pathologically confirmed PCa patients
      who were enrolled in this study. Tissue samples were collected from both tumor
      tissues and adjacent normal tissues. RNA was extracted and the expression levels
      of hsa-miR-203 and hsa-miR-30c in tumor and normal tissues were compared. The
      receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to evaluate the
      reliability of hsa-miR-203 and hsa-miR-30c in detecting PCa. All subjects in this
      study were followed up by 36 months, and the Kaplan-Meier method was conducted to
      investigate the survival status of PCa patients. The average relative expressions
      of hsa-miR-203 and hsa-miR-30c in tumor tissues were significantly different from
      those in adjacent normal tissues (P < 0.001), and the predictive power of the two
      hsa-miRNAs for PCa prognosis was reliable. Besides that, the average survival
      times of low-hsa-miR-30c and high-hsa-miR-203 groups were significantly lower
      than those of the corresponding groups with the log-rank P of 0.015 and 0.023,
      respectively. In summary, our study suggested that both hsa-miR-203 and hsa-miR
      30c are potential biomarkers for detection and prognosis of PCa. 

PMID- 26499782
TI  - Clinical effects of autologous dendritic cells combined with cytokine-induced
      killer cells followed by chemotherapy in treating patients with advanced
      colorectal cancer: a prospective study.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dendritic cell and
      cytokine-induced killer (DC-CIK) cell-based immunotherapy combined with
      chemotherapy on the treatment of patients with advanced colorectal cancer. We
      prospectively included patients with advanced colorectal cancer and assessed the
      efficacy of DC-CIK cell-based immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy compared
      to treatment with chemotherapy alone. T cell subtypes, progression-free survival
      (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events were evaluated in each group. In
      total, 134 patients were included in the DC-CIK group and 121 patients were
      included in the control group. No significant differences were observed in the
      percentages of CD3(+), CD3(+)CD4(+), CD3(+)CD8(+), and NK cells after DC-CIK cell
      based immunotherapy compared to before chemotherapy in the DC-CIK group. The
      median PFS and OS in the DC-CIK treatment group were 8.8 months (95 % CI 8.4-9.1)
      and 14.7 months (95 % CI 13.9-15.5), respectively, which were significantly
      improved compared to the PFS and OS in the control group. The frequencies of
      grade III and IV leukopenia (8.2 vs. 19.0 %, P = 0.011), grade III and IV anemia
      (3.0 vs. 9.1 %, P = 0.039), and grade III and IV thrombocytopenia (3.7 vs. 10.7
      %, P = 0.029) were significantly lower in the DC-CIK group compared to the
      control group. DC-CIK cell-based immunotherapy could induce an immune response
      against colorectal cancer and prolong PFS and OS. DC-CIK cell-based immunotherapy
      combined with chemotherapy had a significant benefit in terms of survival in
      patients with colorectal cancer compared to chemotherapy alone. 

PMID- 26499783
TI  - Green tea polyphenol EGCG suppresses osteosarcoma cell growth through
      upregulating miR-1.
AB  - (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the most abundant and active polyphenol in
      green tea, has been demonstrated to have anticancer effects in a wide variety of
      human cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short noncoding RNAs and play
      important role in gene regulation and are critically involved in the pathogenesis
      and progression of human cancer. This study aims to investigate the effects of
      EGCG on osteosarcoma (OS) cells and elucidate the underlying mechanism. Cellular
      function assays revealed that EGCG inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell
      cycle arrest and promoted apoptosis of OS cells in vitro, and also inhibited the
      growth of transplanted tumors in vivo. By miRNA microarray and RT-qPCR analysis,
      miR-1 was found to be significantly upregulated in MG-63 and U-2OS treated by
      EGCG in dose- and time-dependent manners, and miR-1 downregulation by inhibitor
      mimics attenuated EGCG-induced inhibition on cell growth of OS cells. We also
      confirmed that miR-1 was also frequently decreased in clinical OS tumor tissues.
      Moreover, both EGCG and miR-1 mimic inhibited c-MET expression, and combination
      treatment with EGCG and c-MET inhibitor (crizotinib) had enhanced inhibitory
      effects on the growth of MG-63 and U-2OS cells. Taken together, these results
      suggest that EGCG has an anticancer effect on OS cells, at least partially,
      through regulating miR-1/c-MET interaction. 

PMID- 26499784
TI  - MiR-613: a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for patients with esophageal
      squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - MicroRNA-613 (miR-613) plays important roles in tumorigenesis and cancer
      progression. We aimed to evaluate its expression level and potential for
      diagnosis and prognosis in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC). We examined
      miR-613 expression in 60 pairs of ESCC cancerous and matched paracancerous
      tissues, serum samples from 75 ESCC patients and 75 healthy volunteers, and 105
      formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples using quantitative reverse
      transcription polymerase chain reaction. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC)
      curve analysis, Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox regression were applied to analyze
      its diagnostic and prognostic value. MiR-613 was significantly decreased in ESCC
      tissue compared with paracancerous tissue (P < 0.001). Moreover, the expression
      level of miR-613 was significantly reduced with increased T stage of ESCC.
      Statistically significant difference between ESCC patients and healthy controls
      in expression level of miR-613 (0.89 +/- 0.73 vs. 1.71 +/- 1.03, P < 0.001) was
      found. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) based on serum miR-613 was 0.767 +/-
      0.040. We also performed analysis on early-stage patients and revealed that the
      AUC value was 0.728 +/- 0.052 (P < 0.001). The Kaplan-Meier curve revealed that
      the downregulation of miR-613 was related to worse overall survival (OS) and
      progression-free survival (PFS) of ESCC patients (P = 0.018 and P = 0.035,
      respectively). Furthermore, the multivariate analysis identified miR-613 to be an
      independent prognostic factor for OS and PFS (P = 0.031 and P = 0.006,
      respectively) In conclusion, miR-613 is significantly reduced in cancerous tissue
      and serum samples of ESCC patients. It can serve as an ideal indicator for the
      diagnosis and prognosis of ESCC. 

PMID- 26499785
TI  - Is revisional surgery mandatory when an unexpected sarcoma diagnosis is made
      following primary surgery?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are often diagnosed unexpectedly after
      surgery, and many excisions are incomplete. As histopathological assessments are
      challenging, patients later referred to comprehensive cancer centers (CCC) often
      come with an unclear status. This can make treatment planning problematic. We
      investigated the reliability of primary histopathological assessments, whether
      revisional surgery improved resection status, and the prognostic value of
      residual tumor at re-excision. METHODS: We analyzed the demographic and clinical
      characteristics of all patients referred to our CCC between 2003 and 2013. We
      compared patients treated exclusively at our CCC with those who had primary
      surgery elsewhere, and focused on resection margins, re-excision type, residual
      tumor, resection status after re-excision, and oncological outcome. RESULTS: Over
      half (n = 110) of all patients (n = 204) were referred from elsewhere. Seventy
      one had undergone an excision without suspicion of malignancy. Resection status
      in referred patients was significantly inferior to the CCC group (p < 0.0001),
      although the latter had significantly more serious tumors and advanced disease
      stages (p < 0.05). The residual tumor rate was 53.13%, with a significantly
      higher probability in an upper extremity (p = 0.001). Initial histopathological
      classification was misleading in 46.9% of cases. Re-excision improved resection
      status in 69% of cases. Residual tumor presumably leads to higher rates of local
      recurrence (p = 0.057) and significantly shorter times to recurrence (p < 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Re-excision should always follow unplanned STS excisions. Resection
      margins and histopathological assessments from referring institutions are often
      unreliable and unsuitable for treatment planning. Residual tumor is a risk factor
      for earlier and more likely local recurrence.

PMID- 26499786
TI  - Living Kidney Donors With Adrenal Incidentalomas: Are They Appropriate Donors?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of adrenal incidentalomas (AIs) in a single
      center series of living renal donors, to describe an evaluation algorithm for AIs
      in this patient population, and to compare the complication rates of hand
      assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (HALDN) with those of combined HALDN and
      adrenalectomy. METHODS: We performed a single-center, retrospective study of
      consecutive living kidney donors who underwent laparoscopic nephrectomy for
      transplantation, with or without simultaneous ipsilateral adrenalectomy, between
      January 2008 and September 2014. RESULTS: During the study period, AIs were
      detected in 18 of 1033 potential living renal donors who underwent computerized
      tomographic angiography. Application of additional donor selection criteria and
      of an adrenal mass assessment algorithm resulted in 849 HALDN, of which 13 were
      combined with simultaneous adrenalectomy. The hospital length of stay (2.4 vs 2.6
      days), perioperative (0.025 vs 0.077), early (0.073 vs 0.077), and late (0.014 vs
      0.077) postoperative complication rates, and conversion to open donor nephrectomy
      (0.008 vs 0.00) were not significantly different. Mean operative time was
      significantly longer in the adrenalectomy group. None of the adrenal masses were
      malignant. CONCLUSION: Here, we presented our algorithm to manage the living
      kidney donors with AIs. Although donor population with AIs was relatively small
      in number, simultaneous adrenalectomy and ipsilateral nephrectomy seemed to be
      technically safe and conferred no identifiable increased risk of malignancy for
      the kidney transplant donor, when the incidentaloma is nonfunctional and less
      than or equal to 4 cm as assessed by preoperative imaging.

PMID- 26499787
TI  - Preparation and Characterization of Ultrarapidly Dissolving Orodispersible Films
      for Treating and Preventing Iodine Deficiency in the Pediatric Population.
AB  - Iodine deficiency is a public health problem that is easily prevented in many
      countries through having a salt iodization program. However, the World Health
      Organization (WHO) recommends that particular population groups including infants
      and young children have a sufficient level of daily iodine intake, while also
      reducing salt consumption in their diet. While many iodine supplements are
      available, swallowing tablet supplements is physically difficult for young
      children; thus, there is a need for the development of novel iodine delivery
      systems for pediatric patients. In this study a novel, ultrarapidly dissolving,
      nanofiber-based orodispersible film formulation containing iodine which is
      constructed from nanofibers was manufactured using an electrospinning technique.
      The potassium iodate (KIO3)-loaded poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) fiber
      orodispersible films dissolve within seconds on wetting (applying on the tongue)
      without the need for the consumption of water. The electrospinning process and
      KIO3 loading did not alter the crystallinity and conformation of PEO. With high
      loading, KIO3 nanocrystals are present in the fibers. This formulation design
      allows easy administration of iodine for preventing childhood iodine deficiency.
      We have also described a novel and easy method for producing and harvesting
      nanocrystals of inorganic salts that can be potentially adopted for use in other
      relevant fields. 

PMID- 26499788
TI  - Covalent bonding of YIGSR and RGD to PEDOT/PSS/MWCNT-COOH composite material to
      improve the neural interface.
AB  - The development of coating materials for neural interfaces has been a pursued to
      improve the electrical, mechanical and biological performances. For these goals,
      a bioactive coating was developed in this work featuring a poly(3,4
      ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)/carbon nanotube (CNT) composite and covalently
      bonded YIGSR and RGD. Its biological effect and electrical characteristics were
      assessed in vivo on microwire arrays (MWA). The coated electrodes exhibited a
      significantly higher charge storage capacity (CSC) and lower electrochemical
      impedance at 1 kHz which are desired to improve the stimulating and recording
      performances, respectively. Acute neural recording experiments revealed that
      coated MWA possess a higher signal/noise ratio capturing spikes undetected by
      uncoated electrodes. Moreover, coated MWA possessed more active sites and single
      units, and the noise floor of coated electrodes was lower than that of uncoated
      electrodes. There is little information in the literature concerning the chronic
      performance of bioactively modified neural interfaces in vivo. Therefore in this
      work, chronic in vivo tests were conducted and the PEDOT/PSS/MWCNT-polypeptide
      coated arrays exhibited excellent performances with the highest mean maximal
      amplitude from day 4 to day 12 during which the acute response severely
      compromised the performance of the electrodes. In brief, we developed a simple
      method of covalently bonding YIGSR and RGD to a PEDOT/PSS/MWCNT-COOH composite
      improving both the biocompatibility and electrical performance of the neural
      interface. Our findings suggest that YIGSR and RGD modified PEDOT/PSS/MWCNT is a
      promising bioactivated composite coating for neural recording and stimulating. 

PMID- 26499789
TI  - Different combinations of morpho-physiological traits are responsible for
      tolerance to drought in wild tomatoes Solanum chilense and Solanum peruvianum.
AB  - Herbaceous species can modify leaf structure during the growing season in
      response to drought stress and water loss. Evolution can select combinations of
      traits in plants for efficient water use in restricted environments. We
      investigated plant traits that mediate adaptation and acclimation to water stress
      in two herbaceous drought-tolerant species. Anatomical, morphological and
      physiological traits related to stems and leaves were examined under optimal
      watering (OW) and a long period of restricted watering (RW) in 11 accessions from
      three Solanaceae species (Solanum chilense, S. peruvianum and S. lycopersicum).
      The relationships between these traits were tested using linear regression and
      PCA. There were significant differences in anatomical traits between the species
      under both OW and RW, where leaf area correlated with stem diameter. Proline and
      total carbohydrates accumulated highly in S. chilense and S. peruvianum,
      respectively, and these osmolytes were strongly correlated with increased osmotic
      potential. Stomatal density varied between species but not between acclimation
      treatments, while stomatal rate was significantly higher in wild tomatoes. There
      was a strong positive relationship between stem growth rate and a group of traits
      together expressed as total stomatal number. Total stomata is described by
      integration of leaf area, stomatal density, height and internode length. It is
      proposed that constitutive adaptations and modifications through acclimation that
      mediate RW play an important role in tolerance to drought stress in herbaceous
      plants. The capacity for growth under drought stress was not associated with any
      single combination of traits in wild tomatoes, since the two species differed in
      relative levels of expression of various phenotypic traits. 

PMID- 26499790
TI  - Fatal subarachnoid hemorrhage associated with internal carotid artery dissection
      resulting from whiplash trauma.
AB  - Spinal injury following inertial loading of the head and neck (whiplash) is a
      common sequel of low speed traffic crashes. A variety of non-musculoskeletal
      injuries have been described in association with injury to the spine following
      whiplash trauma, including traumatic brain injury, vestibular derangement, and
      cranial nerve injury, among others. Vascular injuries in the head and neck have,
      however, only rarely been described. We present the case of a middle-aged male
      who sustained an ultimately fatal injury that resulted from injury to the
      internal carotid artery (ICA) and intracerebral vascular structures following a
      hard braking maneuver, with no direct head- or neck contact with the vehicular
      interior. Based on this unusual mechanism of injury we reviewed hospital data
      from the United States nationwide inpatient database (NIS) to assess the
      frequency of similar injuries reportedly resulting from traffic crashes. The post
      mortem examination revealed a left internal carotid artery dissection associated
      with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Based on the close temporal association, the
      absent prior history, and the plausibility of the injury mechanism, the injury
      was attributed to the braking maneuver. An analysis of NIS data demonstrated that
      the prevalence of subarachnoid hemorrhage is significantly higher when there is a
      traumatic etiology, and higher yet when the trauma is a traffic crash (odds ratio
      3.3 and 4.3, respectively). The presented case, together with the hospital
      inpatient data analysis, indicate that although SAH in combination with ICA
      dissection is relatively rare, it is substantially more probable following a
      traffic crash. In a clinical or forensic setting the inference that magnitude of
      a trauma was low should not serve as a basis for either excluding a cervical
      artery dissection from a differential diagnosis, or for excluding the trauma as a
      cause of a diagnosed dissection. This case report illustrates a rare fatal
      outcome of inertial load to the head and neck induced by a sudden braking event
      in a commonly experienced non-collision traffic incident. The likely mechanism of
      injury resulted from interaction between the occupant and the 3-point seat belt.
      These findings indicate that ICA dissections are substantially more likely to be
      associated with SAH following head and neck trauma, regardless of the magnitude
      of the traumatic event or whether an impact was involved. 

PMID- 26499791
TI  - Short-term outcome of percutaneous posterior tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) for
      the treatment of faecal incontinence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to establish the efficacy of
      percutaneous posterior tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) in treating flatal, urge
      and passive faecal incontinence (FI). METHODS: A prospective study with 55
      patients with FI was carried out. Clinical anamnesis, physical examination, a
      reverse visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Wexner score and the American Society
      of Colon and Rectal Surgeons quality of life score were recorded at baseline and
      6 months, along with an incontinence diary. Subjects underwent one weekly session
      for 12 consecutive weeks and then continued with six additional fortnightly
      sessions. An intention-to-treat analysis was performed. RESULTS: Fifty-five
      patients (44 females; mean age 58.62 +/- 10.74 years) with FI were treated with
      PTNS. The origins of the incontinence were obstetric (52.7 %) and perineal
      surgery (34.5 %). Eight patients did not continue with the second stage of
      treatment. The median Wexner baseline value was 9.98. After 6 months, it had
      decreased to 4.55 (p < 0.001). The visual analogue scale (VAS) increased from
      4.94 to 6.80 (p < 0.001). There was a significant improvement in lifestyle,
      coping/behaviour, depression/self-perception and embarrassment scores. With
      respect to different types of FI, there was an improvement in the Wexner score
      both in patients with true passive FI and in those with urge or mixed FI.
      CONCLUSIONS: PTNS is an effective treatment for FI. Patients with passive or urge
      FI can benefit from this therapy, with improvement of the Wexner score and
      quality of life variables.

PMID- 26499792
TI  - Functional Characterization of Monomeric GTPase Rab1 in the Secretory Pathway of
      Leishmania.
AB  - Leishmania secretes a large number of its effectors to the extracellular milieu.
      However, regulation of the secretory pathway in Leishmania is not well
      characterized. Here, we report the cloning, expression, and characterization of
      the Rab1 homologue from Leishmania. We have found that LdRab1 localizes in Golgi
      in Leishmania. To understand the role of LdRab1 in the secretory pathway of
      Leishmania, we have generated transgenic parasites overexpressing GFP-LdRab1:WT,
      GFP-LdRab1:Q67L (a GTPase-deficient dominant positive mutant of Rab1), and GFP
      LdRab1:S22N (a GDP-locked dominant negative mutant of Rab1). Surprisingly, our
      results have shown that overexpression of GFP-LdRab1:Q67L or GFP-LdRab1:S22N does
      not disrupt the trafficking and localization of hemoglobin receptor in
      Leishmania. To determine whether the Rab1-dependent secretory pathway is
      conserved in parasites, we have analyzed the role of LdRab1 in the secretion of
      secretory acid phosphatase and Ldgp63 in Leishmania. Our results have shown that
      overexpression of GFP-LdRab1:Q67L or GFP-LdRab1:S22N significantly inhibits the
      secretion of secretory acid phosphatase by Leishmania. We have also found that
      overexpression of GFP-LdRab1:Q67L or GFP-LdRab1:S22N retains RFP-Ldgp63 in Golgi
      and blocks the secretion of Ldgp63, whereas the trafficking of RFP-Ldgp63 in GFP
      LdRab1:WT-expressing cells is unaltered in comparison with control cells. Taken
      together, our results have shown that the Rab1-regulated secretory pathway is
      well conserved, and hemoglobin receptor trafficking follows an Rab1-independent
      secretory pathway in Leishmania. 

PMID- 26499793
TI  - The PTK7 and ROR2 Protein Receptors Interact in the Vertebrate WNT/Planar Cell
      Polarity (PCP) Pathway.
AB  - The non-canonical WNT/planar cell polarity (WNT/PCP) pathway plays important
      roles in morphogenetic processes in vertebrates. Among WNT/PCP components,
      protein tyrosine kinase 7 (PTK7) is a tyrosine kinase receptor with poorly
      defined functions lacking catalytic activity. Here we show that PTK7 associates
      with receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 2 (ROR2) to form a
      heterodimeric complex in mammalian cells. We demonstrate that PTK7 and ROR2
      physically and functionally interact with the non-canonical WNT5A ligand, leading
      to JNK activation and cell movements. In the Xenopus embryo, Ptk7 functionally
      interacts with Ror2 to regulate protocadherin papc expression and morphogenesis.
      Furthermore, we show that Ptk7 is required for papc activation induced by Wnt5a.
      Interestingly, we find that Wnt5a stimulates the release of the tagged Ptk7
      intracellular domain, which can translocate into the nucleus and activate papc
      expression. This study reveals novel molecular mechanisms of action of PTK7 in
      non-canonical WNT/PCP signaling that may promote cell and tissue movements. 

PMID- 26499794
TI  - Utilization of Dioxygen by Carotenoid Cleavage Oxygenases.
AB  - Carotenoid cleavage oxygenases (CCOs) are non-heme, Fe(II)-dependent enzymes that
      participate in biologically important metabolic pathways involving carotenoids
      and apocarotenoids, including retinoids, stilbenes, and related compounds. CCOs
      typically catalyze the cleavage of non-aromatic double bonds by dioxygen (O2) to
      form aldehyde or ketone products. Expressed only in vertebrates, the RPE65 sub
      group of CCOs catalyzes a non-canonical reaction consisting of concerted ester
      cleavage and trans-cis isomerization of all-trans-retinyl esters. It remains
      unclear whether the former group of CCOs functions as mono- or di-oxygenases.
      Additionally, a potential role for O2 in catalysis by the RPE65 group of CCOs has
      not been evaluated to date. Here, we investigated the pattern of oxygen
      incorporation into apocarotenoid products of Synechocystis apocarotenoid
      oxygenase. Reactions performed in the presence of (18)O-labeled water and (18)O2
      revealed an unambiguous dioxygenase pattern of O2 incorporation into the reaction
      products. Substitution of Ala for Thr at position 136 of apocarotenoid oxygenase,
      a site predicted to govern the mono- versus dioxygenase tendency of CCOs, greatly
      reduced enzymatic activity without altering the dioxygenase labeling pattern.
      Reevaluation of the oxygen-labeling pattern of the resveratrol-cleaving CCO,
      NOV2, previously reported to be a monooxygenase, using a purified enzyme sample
      revealed that it too is a dioxygenase. We also demonstrated that bovine RPE65 is
      not dependent on O2 for its cleavage/isomerase activity. In conjunction with
      prior research, the results of this study resolve key issues regarding the
      utilization of O2 by CCOs and indicate that dioxygenase activity is a feature
      common among double bond-cleaving CCOs. 

PMID- 26499795
TI  - D-Amino Acid Probes for Penicillin Binding Protein-based Bacterial Surface
      Labeling.
AB  - Peptidoglycan is an essential and highly conserved mesh structure that surrounds
      bacterial cells. It plays a critical role in retaining a defined cell shape, and,
      in the case of pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria, it lies at the interface
      between bacterial cells and the host organism. Intriguingly, bacteria can
      metabolically incorporate unnatural D-amino acids into the peptidoglycan stem
      peptide directly from the surrounding medium, a process mediated by penicillin
      binding proteins (PBPs). Metabolic peptidoglycan remodeling via unnatural D-amino
      acids has provided unique insights into peptidoglycan biosynthesis of live
      bacteria and has also served as the basis of a synthetic immunology strategy with
      potential therapeutic implications. A striking feature of this process is the
      vast promiscuity displayed by PBPs in tolerating entirely unnatural side chains.
      However, the chemical space and physical features of this side chain promiscuity
      have not been determined systematically. In this report, we designed and
      synthesized a library of variants displaying diverse side chains to
      comprehensively establish the tolerability of unnatural D-amino acids by PBPs in
      both Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms. In addition, nine Bacillus
      subtilis PBP-null mutants were evaluated with the goal of identifying a potential
      primary PBP responsible for unnatural D-amino acid incorporation and gaining
      insights into the temporal control of PBP activity. We empirically established
      the scope of physical parameters that govern the metabolic incorporation of
      unnatural D-amino acids into bacterial peptidoglycan.

PMID- 26499796
TI  - The Stable Interaction Between Signal Peptidase LepB of Escherichia coli and
      Nuclease Bacteriocins Promotes Toxin Entry into the Cytoplasm.
AB  - LepB is a key membrane component of the cellular secretion machinery, which
      releases secreted proteins into the periplasm by cleaving the inner membrane
      bound leader. We showed that LepB is also an essential component of the machinery
      hijacked by the tRNase colicin D for its import. Here we demonstrate that this
      non-catalytic activity of LepB is to promote the association of the central
      domain of colicin D with the inner membrane before the FtsH-dependent proteolytic
      processing and translocation of the toxic tRNase domain into the cytoplasm. The
      novel structural role of LepB results in a stable interaction with colicin D,
      with a stoichiometry of 1:1 and a nanomolar Kd determined in vitro. LepB provides
      a chaperone-like function for the penetration of several nuclease-type
      bacteriocins into target cells. The colicin-LepB interaction is shown to require
      only a short peptide sequence within the central domain of these bacteriocins and
      to involve residues present in the short C-terminal Box E of LepB. Genomic
      screening identified the conserved LepB binding motif in colicin-like ORFs from
      13 additional bacterial species. These findings establish a new paradigm for the
      functional adaptability of an essential inner-membrane enzyme. 

PMID- 26499797
TI  - The Blockade of NF-kappaB Activation by a Specific Inhibitory Peptide Has a
      Strong Neuroprotective Role in a Sprague-Dawley Rat Kernicterus Model.
AB  - Kernicterus, the permanent nerve damage occurring as a result of bilirubin
      precipitation, still occurs worldwide and may lead to death or permanent
      neurological impairments. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, and
      effective therapeutic strategies are lacking. The present study aims to
      investigate the activation of NF-kappaB and to identify the effect of NF-kappaB
      inhibition on the newborn rat kernicterus model. The NF-kappaB essential modifier
      binding domain peptide (NBD), coupled with the HIV trans-activator of
      transcription peptide (TAT) was used to inhibit NF-kappaB. NF-kappaB was
      significantly activated in the cerebrum at 1 and 3 h (p < 0.05) after the model
      was established, as measured by EMSA. NF-kappaB activation was inhibited by
      intraperitoneal administration of TAT-NBD. The general conditions of the TAT-NBD
      treated rats were improved; meanwhile, these rats performed much better on the
      neurological evaluation, the rotarod test, and the Morris water maze test (p <
      0.05) than the vehicle-treated rats at 28 days. Furthermore, the morphology of
      the nerve cells was better preserved in the TAT-NBD group, and these cells
      displayed less neurodegeneration and astrocytosis. Simultaneously, apoptosis in
      the brain was attenuated, and the levels of the TNF-alpha and IL-1beta proteins
      were decreased (p < 0.01). These results suggested that NF-kappaB was activated,
      and inhibition of NF-kappaB activation by TAT-NBD not only attenuated the acute
      neurotoxicity, apoptosis, and inflammation, but also improved the long term
      neurobehavioral impairments in the kernicterus model rats in vivo. Thus,
      inhibiting NF-kappaB activation might be a potential therapeutic approach for
      kernicterus. 

PMID- 26499798
TI  - Pleiotropic Functions of Tumor Suppressor WWOX in Normal and Cancer Cells.
AB  - WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX), originally marked as a likely tumor
      suppressor gene, has over the years become recognized for its role in a much
      wider range of cellular activities. Phenotypic effects displayed in animal
      studies, along with resolution of WWOX's architecture, fold, and binding
      partners, point to the protein's multifaceted biological functions. Results from
      a series of complementary experiments seem to indicate WWOX's involvement in
      metabolic regulation. More recently, clinical studies involving cases of severe
      encephalopathy suggest that WWOX also plays a part in controlling CNS
      development, further expanding our understanding of the breadth and complexity of
      WWOX behavior. Here we present a short overview of the various approaches taken
      to study this dynamic gene, emphasizing the most recent findings regarding WWOX's
      metabolic- and CNS-associated functions and their underlying molecular basis. 

PMID- 26499799
TI  - Probing the Mec1ATR Checkpoint Activation Mechanism with Small Peptides.
AB  - Yeast Mec1, the ortholog of human ATR, is the apical protein kinase that
      initiates the cell cycle checkpoint in response to DNA damage and replication
      stress. The basal activity of Mec1 kinase is activated by cell cycle phase
      specific activators. Three distinct activators stimulate Mec1 kinase using an
      intrinsically disordered domain of the protein. These are the Ddc1 subunit of the
      9-1-1 checkpoint clamp (ortholog of human and Schizosaccharomyces pombe Rad9),
      the replication initiator Dpb11 (ortholog of human TopBP1 and S. pombe Cut5), and
      the multifunctional nuclease/helicase Dna2. Here, we use small peptides to
      determine the requirements for Mec1 activation. For Ddc1, we identify two
      essential aromatic amino acids in a hydrophobic environment that when fused
      together are proficient activators. Using this increased insight, we have been
      able to identify homologous motifs in S. pombe Rad9 that can activate Mec1.
      Furthermore, we show that a 9-amino acid Dna2-based peptide is sufficient for
      Mec1 activation. Studies with mutant activators suggest that binding of an
      activator to Mec1 is a two-step process, the first step involving the obligatory
      binding of essential aromatic amino acids to Mec1, followed by an enhancement in
      binding energy through interactions with neighboring sequences. 

PMID- 26499800
TI  - Coupling between Nutrient Availability and Thyroid Hormone Activation.
AB  - The activity of the thyroid gland is stimulated by food availability via leptin
      induced thyrotropin-releasing hormone/thyroid-stimulating hormone expression.
      Here we show that food availability also stimulates thyroid hormone activation by
      accelerating the conversion of thyroxine to triiodothyronine via type 2
      deiodinase in mouse skeletal muscle and in a cell model transitioning from 0.1 to
      10% FBS. The underlying mechanism is transcriptional derepression of DIO2 through
      the mTORC2 pathway as defined in rictor knockdown cells. In cells kept in 0.1%
      FBS, there is DIO2 inhibition via FOXO1 binding to the DIO2 promoter. Repression
      of DIO2 by FOXO1 was confirmed using its specific inhibitor AS1842856 or
      adenoviral infection of constitutively active FOXO1. ChIP studies indicate that 4
      h after 10% FBS-containing medium, FOXO1 binding markedly decreases, and the DIO2
      promoter is activated. Studies in the insulin receptor FOXO1 KO mouse indicate
      that insulin is a key signaling molecule in this process. We conclude that FOXO1
      represses DIO2 during fasting and that derepression occurs via nutritional
      activation of the PI3K-mTORC2-Akt pathway. 

PMID- 26499801
TI  - Fasting and Systemic Insulin Signaling Regulate Phosphorylation of Brain Proteins
      That Modulate Cell Morphology and Link to Neurological Disorders.
AB  - Diabetes is strongly associated with cognitive decline, but the molecular reasons
      are unknown. We found that fasting and peripheral insulin promote phosphorylation
      and dephosphorylation, respectively, of specific residues on brain proteins
      including cytoskeletal regulators such as slit-robo GTPase-activating protein 3
      (srGAP3) and microtubule affinity-regulating protein kinases (MARKs), in which
      deficiency or dysregulation is linked to neurological disorders. Fasting
      activates protein kinase A (PKA) but not PKB/Akt signaling in the brain, and PKA
      can phosphorylate the purified srGAP3. The phosphorylation of srGAP3 and MARKs
      were increased when PKA signaling was activated in primary neurons. Knockdown of
      PKA decreased the phosphorylation of srGAP3. Furthermore, WAVE1, a protein kinase
      A-anchoring protein, formed a complex with srGAP3 and PKA in the brain of fasted
      mice to facilitate the phosphorylation of srGAP3 by PKA. Although brain cells
      have insulin receptors, our findings are inconsistent with the down-regulation of
      phosphorylation of target proteins being mediated by insulin signaling within the
      brain. Rather, our findings infer that systemic insulin, through a yet unknown
      mechanism, inhibits PKA or protein kinase(s) with similar specificity and/or
      activates an unknown phosphatase in the brain. Ser(858) of srGAP3 was identified
      as a key regulatory residue in which phosphorylation by PKA enhanced the GAP
      activity of srGAP3 toward its substrate, Rac1, in cells, thereby inhibiting the
      action of this GTPase in cytoskeletal regulation. Our findings reveal novel
      mechanisms linking peripheral insulin sensitivity with cytoskeletal remodeling in
      neurons, which may help to explain the association of diabetes with neurological
      disorders such as Alzheimer disease. 

PMID- 26499802
TI  - Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Stress Induces Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) Expression via the
      PI3K-Akt-GSK3beta Signaling Pathway and Promotes Hepatocellular Injury.
AB  - Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), an NAD(+)-dependent histone deacetylase, plays crucial roles
      in various biological processes including longevity, stress response, and cell
      survival. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is caused by dysfunction of ER
      homeostasis and exacerbates various diseases including diabetes, fatty liver, and
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although several reports have shown that
      SIRT1 negatively regulates ER stress and ER stress-induced responses in vitro and
      in vivo, the effect of ER stress on SIRT1 is less explored. In this study, we
      showed that ER stress induced SIRT1 expression in vitro and in vivo. We further
      determined the molecular mechanisms of how ER stress induces SIRT1 expression.
      Surprisingly, the conventional ER stress-activated transcription factors XBP1,
      ATF4, and ATF6 seem to be dispensable for SIRT1 induction. Based on inhibitor
      screening experiments with SIRT1 promoter, we found that the PI3K-Akt-GSK3beta
      signaling pathway is required for SIRT1 induction by ER stress. Moreover, we
      showed that pharmacological inhibition of SIRT1 by EX527 inhibited the ER stress
      induced cellular death in vitro and severe hepatocellular injury in vivo,
      indicating a detrimental role of SIRT1 in ER stress-induced damage responses.
      Collectively, these data suggest that SIRT1 expression is up-regulated by ER
      stress and contributes to ER stress-induced cellular damage. 

PMID- 26499803
TI  - Evaluation of the basic functions of six calcium-dependent protein  kinases in
      Toxoplasma gondii using CRISPR-Cas9 system.
AB  - Toxoplasma gondii, an important protozoan parasite, infects almost all warm
      blooded animals and humans. Although treatments in T. gondii are limited by the
      lack of effective drugs, some calcium-dependent kinases were demonstrated as the
      promising drug targets to chemotherapy against T. gondii due to their essential
      roles in T. gondii and absence from their hosts. The objectives of the present
      study were to investigate the functions of six calcium-dependent protein kinases
      (CDPK4, CDPK4A, CDPK5, CDPK6, CDPK8, and CDPK9) in T. gondii to assess whether
      they are suitable for designing as drug targets. We used the CRISPR-Cas9 system
      to disrupt six CDPK genes successfully by insertion of DHFR* at the guide RNA
      targeted region in the six endogenous CDPK loci and successfully obtained the six
      knockout (KO)-CDPK strains. The biological characteristics of the six strains
      were evaluated by plaque assays, invasion, egress, replication, and virulence
      assays, respectively. The results indicated that there was no significant
      difference between the six KO-CDPK strains and wild-type strain in virulence and
      the lytic cycle including invasion, egress, and replication. The conclusion was
      the six CDPKs are not essential for T. gondii lytic cycle and also not virulence
      factors for mice, suggesting that the six CDPKs may participate in other
      functions in T. gondii.

PMID- 26499804
TI  - Biosynthesis, characterization, and acute toxicity of Berberis  tinctoria
      fabricated silver nanoparticles against the Asian tiger  mosquito, Aedes
      albopictus, and the mosquito predators  Toxorhynchites splendens and Mesocyclops
      thermocyclopoides.
AB  - Aedes albopictus is an important arbovirus vector, including dengue. Currently,
      there is no specific treatment for dengue. Its prevention solely depends on
      effective vector control measures. In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)
      were biosynthesized using a cheap leaf extract of Berberis tinctoria as reducing
      and stabilizing agent and tested against Ae. albopictus and two mosquito natural
      enemies. AgNPs were characterized by using UV-vis spectrophotometry, X-ray
      diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. In laboratory conditions, the
      toxicity of AgNPs was evaluated on larvae and pupae of Ae. albopictus.
      Suitability Index/Predator Safety Factor was assessed on Toxorhynchites splendens
      and Mesocyclops thermocyclopoides. The leaf extract of B. tinctoria was toxic
      against larval instars (I-IV) and pupae of Ae. albopictus; LC50 was 182.72 ppm (I
      instar), 230.99 ppm (II), 269.65 ppm (III), 321.75 ppm (IV), and 359.71 ppm
      (pupa). B. tinctoria-synthesized AgNPs were highly effective, with LC50 of 4.97
      ppm (I instar), 5.97 ppm (II), 7.60 ppm (III), 9.65 ppm (IV), and 14.87 ppm
      (pupa). Both the leaf extract and AgNPs showed reduced toxicity against the
      mosquito natural enemies M. thermocyclopoides and T. splendens. Overall, this
      study firstly shed light on effectiveness of B. tinctoria-synthesized AgNPs as an
      eco-friendly nanopesticide, highlighting the concrete possibility to employ this
      newer and safer tool in arbovirus vector control programs.

PMID- 26499806
TI  - Mammalian drug efflux transporters of the ATP binding cassette (ABC) family in
      multidrug resistance: A review of the past decade.
AB  - Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a serious phenomenon employed by cancer cells which
      hampers the success of cancer pharmacotherapy. One of the common mechanisms of
      MDR is the overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) efflux transporters in
      cancer cells such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp/ABCB1), multidrug resistance-associated
      protein 2 (MRP2/ABCC2), and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2) that
      limits the prolonged and effective use of chemotherapeutic drugs. Researchers
      have found that developing inhibitors of ABC efflux transporters as
      chemosensitizers could overcome MDR. But the clinical trials have shown that most
      of these chemosensitizers are merely toxic and only show limited or no benefits
      to cancer patients, thus new inhibitors are being explored. Recent findings also
      suggest that efflux pumps of the ABC transporter family are subject to epigenetic
      gene regulation. In this review, we summarize recent findings of the role of ABC
      efflux transporters in MDR. 

PMID- 26499805
TI  - Moonlighting proteins in cancer.
AB  - Since the 1980s, growing evidence suggested that the cellular localization of
      proteins determined their activity and biological functions. In a classical view,
      a protein is characterized by the single cellular compartment where it primarily
      resides and functions. It is now believed that when proteins appear in different
      subcellular locations, the cells surpass the expected activity of proteins given
      the same genomic information to fulfill complex biological behavior. Many
      proteins are recognized for having the potential to exist in multiple locations
      in cells. Dysregulation of translocation may cause cancer or contribute to poorer
      cancer prognosis. Thus, quantitative and comprehensive assessment of dynamic
      proteins and associated protein movements could be a promising indicator in
      determining cancer prognosis and efficiency of cancer treatment and therapy. This
      review will summarize these so-called moonlighting proteins, in terms of a
      coupled intracellular cancer signaling pathway. Determination of the detailed
      biological intracellular and extracellular transit and regulatory activity of
      moonlighting proteins permits a better understanding of cancer and identification
      of potential means of molecular intervention. 

PMID- 26499808
TI  - Connectometry: A statistical approach harnessing the analytical potential of the
      local connectome.
AB  - Here we introduce the concept of the local connectome: the degree of connectivity
      between adjacent voxels within a white matter fascicle defined by the density of
      the diffusing spins. While most human structural connectomic analyses can be
      summarized as finding global connectivity patterns at either end of anatomical
      pathways, the analysis of local connectomes, termed connectometry, tracks the
      local connectivity patterns along the fiber pathways themselves in order to
      identify the subcomponents of the pathways that express significant associations
      with a study variable. This bottom-up analytical approach is made possible by
      reconstructing diffusion MRI data into a common stereotaxic space that allows for
      associating local connectomes across subjects. The substantial associations can
      then be tracked along the white matter pathways, and statistical inference is
      obtained using permutation tests on the length of coherent associations and
      corrected for multiple comparisons. Using two separate samples, with different
      acquisition parameters, we show how connectometry can capture variability within
      core white matter pathways in a statistically efficient manner and extract
      meaningful variability from white matter pathways, complements graph-theoretic
      connectomic measures, and is more sensitive than region-of-interest approaches.

PMID- 26499807
TI  - The common genetic influence over processing speed and white matter
      microstructure: Evidence from the Old Order Amish and Human Connectome Projects.
AB  - Speed with which brain performs information processing influences overall
      cognition and is dependent on the white matter fibers. To understand genetic
      influences on processing speed and white matter FA, we assessed processing speed
      and diffusion imaging fractional anisotropy (FA) in related individuals from two
      populations. Discovery analyses were performed in 146 individuals from large Old
      Order Amish (OOA) families and findings were replicated in 485 twins and siblings
      of the Human Connectome Project (HCP). The heritability of processing speed was
      h(2)=43% and 49% (both p<0.005), while the heritability of whole brain FA was
      h(2)=87% and 88% (both p<0.001), in the OOA and HCP, respectively. Whole brain FA
      was significantly correlated with processing speed in the two cohorts.
      Quantitative genetic analysis demonstrated a significant degree to which common
      genes influenced joint variation in FA and brain processing speed. These
      estimates suggested common sets of genes influencing variation in both
      phenotypes, consistent with the idea that common genetic variations contributing
      to white matter may also support their associated cognitive behavior.

PMID- 26499809
TI  - Altered thalamocortical and intra-thalamic functional connectivity during light
      sleep compared with wake.
AB  - The transition from wakefulness into sleep is accompanied by modified activity in
      the brain's thalamocortical network. Sleep-related decreases in thalamocortical
      functional connectivity (FC) have previously been reported, but the extent to
      which these changes differ between thalamocortical pathways, and patterns of
      intra-thalamic FC during sleep remain untested. To non-invasively investigate
      thalamocortical and intra-thalamic FC as a function of sleep stage we recorded
      simultaneous EEG-fMRI data in 13 healthy participants during their descent into
      light sleep. Visual scoring of EEG data permitted sleep staging. We derived a
      functional thalamic parcellation during wakefulness by computing seed-based FC,
      measured between thalamic voxels and a set of pre-defined cortical regions. Sleep
      differentially affected FC between these distinct thalamic subdivisions and their
      associated cortical projections, with significant increases in FC during sleep
      restricted to sensorimotor connections. In contrast, intra-thalamic FC, both
      within and between functional thalamic subdivisions, showed significant increases
      with advancement into sleep. This work demonstrates the complexity and state
      specific nature of functional thalamic relationships--both with the cortex and
      internally--over the sleep/wake cycle, and further highlights the importance of a
      thalamocortical focus in the study of sleep mechanisms.

PMID- 26499810
TI  - Improved determination of the myelin water fraction in human brain using magnetic
      resonance imaging through Bayesian analysis of mcDESPOT.
AB  - Myelin water fraction (MWF) mapping with magnetic resonance imaging has led to
      the ability to directly observe myelination and demyelination in both the
      developing brain and in disease. Multicomponent driven equilibrium single pulse
      observation of T1 and T2 (mcDESPOT) has been proposed as a rapid approach for
      multicomponent relaxometry and has been applied to map MWF in the human brain.
      However, even for the simplest two-pool signal model consisting of myelin
      associated and non-myelin-associated water, the dimensionality of the parameter
      space for obtaining MWF estimates remains high. This renders parameter estimation
      difficult, especially at low-to-moderate signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), due to
      the presence of local minima and the flatness of the fit residual energy surface
      used for parameter determination using conventional nonlinear least squares
      (NLLS)-based algorithms. In this study, we introduce three Bayesian approaches
      for analysis of the mcDESPOT signal model to determine MWF. Given the high
      dimensional nature of the mcDESPOT signal model, and, therefore the high
      dimensional marginalizations over nuisance parameters needed to derive the
      posterior probability distribution of the MWF, the Bayesian analyses introduced
      here use different approaches to reduce the dimensionality of the parameter
      space. The first approach uses normalization by average signal amplitude, and
      assumes that noise can be accurately estimated from signal-free regions of the
      image. The second approach likewise uses average amplitude normalization, but
      incorporates a full treatment of noise as an unknown variable through
      marginalization. The third approach does not use amplitude normalization and
      incorporates marginalization over both noise and signal amplitude. Through
      extensive Monte Carlo numerical simulations and analysis of in vivo human brain
      datasets exhibiting a range of SNR and spatial resolution, we demonstrated
      markedly improved accuracy and precision in the estimation of MWF using these
      Bayesian methods as compared to the stochastic region contraction (SRC)
      implementation of NLLS. 

PMID- 26499811
TI  - Regional growth and atlasing of the developing human brain.
AB  - Detailed morphometric analysis of the neonatal brain is required to characterise
      brain development and define neuroimaging biomarkers related to impaired brain
      growth. Accurate automatic segmentation of neonatal brain MRI is a prerequisite
      to analyse large datasets. We have previously presented an accurate and robust
      automatic segmentation technique for parcellating the neonatal brain into
      multiple cortical and subcortical regions. In this study, we further extend our
      segmentation method to detect cortical sulci and provide a detailed delineation
      of the cortical ribbon. These detailed segmentations are used to build a 4
      dimensional spatio-temporal structural atlas of the brain for 82 cortical and
      subcortical structures throughout this developmental period. We employ the
      algorithm to segment an extensive database of 420 MR images of the developing
      brain, from 27 to 45weeks post-menstrual age at imaging. Regional volumetric and
      cortical surface measurements are derived and used to investigate brain growth
      and development during this critical period and to assess the impact of
      immaturity at birth. Whole brain volume, the absolute volume of all structures
      studied, cortical curvature and cortical surface area increased with increasing
      age at scan. Relative volumes of cortical grey matter, cerebellum and
      cerebrospinal fluid increased with age at scan, while relative volumes of white
      matter, ventricles, brainstem and basal ganglia and thalami decreased. Preterm
      infants at term had smaller whole brain volumes, reduced regional white matter
      and cortical and subcortical grey matter volumes, and reduced cortical surface
      area compared with term born controls, while ventricular volume was greater in
      the preterm group. Increasing prematurity at birth was associated with a
      reduction in total and regional white matter, cortical and subcortical grey
      matter volume, an increase in ventricular volume, and reduced cortical surface
      area.

PMID- 26499812
TI  - In vivo mapping of macroscopic neuronal projections in the mouse hippocampus
      using high-resolution diffusion MRI.
AB  - Recent developments in diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) make it a
      promising tool for non-invasive mapping of the spatial organization of axonal and
      dendritic networks in gray matter regions of the brain. Given the complex
      cellular environments, in which these networks reside, evidence on the capability
      of diffusion MRI-based tractography to study these networks is still lacking. In
      this study, we used a localized diffusion MRI approach to acquire high spatial
      and angular resolution images of the live mouse hippocampus. The diffusion MRI
      and tractography results were compared with histology and the Allen mouse brain
      connectivity atlas using a multi-step image registration pipeline. The results
      demonstrated that in vivo diffusion MRI data at 0.1mm isotropic resolution
      revealed the organization of axonal and dendritic networks in the hippocampus and
      the tractography results shared remarkable similarity with the viral tracer data
      in term of their spatial projection patterns. Quantitative analysis showed
      significant correlations between tractography- and tracer-based projection
      density measurements in the mouse hippocampus. These findings suggest that high
      resolution diffusion MRI and tractography can reveal macroscopic neuronal
      projections in the mouse hippocampus and are important for future development of
      advanced tractography methods.

PMID- 26499813
TI  - Resource atlases for multi-atlas brain segmentations with multiple ontology
      levels based on T1-weighted MRI.
AB  - Technologies for multi-atlas brain segmentation of T1-weighted MRI images have
      rapidly progressed in recent years, with highly promising results. This approach,
      however, relies on a large number of atlases with accurate and consistent
      structural identifications. Here, we introduce our atlas inventories (n=90),
      which cover ages 4-82years with unique hierarchical structural definitions (286
      structures at the finest level). This multi-atlas library resource provides the
      flexibility to choose appropriate atlases for various studies with different age
      ranges and structure-definition criteria. In this paper, we describe the details
      of the atlas resources and demonstrate the improved accuracy achievable with a
      dynamic age-matching approach, in which atlases that most closely match the
      subject's age are dynamically selected. The advanced atlas creation strategy,
      together with atlas pre-selection principles, is expected to support the further
      development of multi-atlas image segmentation.

PMID- 26499815
TI  - Reliability of Modern Scores to Predict Long-Term Mortality After Isolated Aortic
      Valve Operations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Contemporary scores for estimating perioperative death have been
      proposed to also predict also long-term death. The aim of the study was to
      evaluate the performance of the updated European System for Cardiac Operative
      Risk Evaluation II, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality
      score, and the Age, Creatinine, Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction score for
      predicting long-term mortality in a contemporary cohort of isolated aortic valve
      replacement (AVR). We also sought to develop for each score a simple algorithm
      based on predicted perioperative risk to predict long-term survival. METHODS:
      Complete data on 1,444 patients who underwent isolated AVR in a 7-year period
      were retrieved from three prospective institutional databases and linked with the
      Italian Tax Register Information System. Data were evaluated with performance
      analyses and time-to-event semiparametric regression. RESULTS: Survival was 83.0%
      +/- 1.1% at 5 years and 67.8 +/- 1.9% at 8 years. Discrimination and calibration
      of all three scores both worsened for prediction of death at 1 year and 5 years.
      Nonetheless, a significant relationship was found between long-term survival and
      quartiles of scores (p < 0.0001). The estimated perioperative risk by each model
      was used to develop an algorithm to predict long-term death. The hazard ratios
      for death were 1.1 (95% confidence interval, 1.07 to 1.12) for European System
      for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II, 1.34 (95% CI, 1.28 to 1.40) for the
      Society of Thoracic Surgeons score, and 1.08 (95% CI, 1.06 to 1.10) for the Age,
      Creatinine, Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction score. CONCLUSIONS: The predicted
      risk generated by European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II, The
      Society of Thoracic Surgeons score, and Age, Creatinine, Left Ventricular
      Ejection Fraction scores cannot also be considered a direct estimate of the long
      term risk for death. Nonetheless, the three scores can be used to derive an
      estimate of long-term risk of death in patients who undergo isolated AVR with the
      use of a simple algorithm.

PMID- 26499814
TI  - Examining the relationships between cortical maturation and white matter
      myelination throughout early childhood.
AB  - Cortical development and white matter myelination are hallmark processes of
      infant and child neurodevelopment, and play a central role in the evolution of
      cognitive and behavioral functioning. Non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) has been used to independently track these microstructural and
      morphological changes in vivo, however few studies have investigated the
      relationship between them despite their concurrency in the developing brain.
      Further, because measures of cortical morphology rely on underlying gray-white
      matter tissue contrast, which itself is a function of white matter myelination,
      it is unclear if contrast-based measures of cortical development accurately
      reflect cortical architecture, or if they merely represent adjacent white matter
      maturation. This may be particularly true in young children, in whom brain
      structure is rapidly maturing. Here for the first time, we investigate the
      dynamic relationship between cortical and white matter development across early
      childhood, from 1 to 6years. We present measurements of cortical thickness with
      respect to cortical and adjacent myelin water fraction (MWF) in 33 bilateral
      cortical regions. Significant results in only 14 of 66 (21%) cortical regions
      suggest that cortical thickness measures are not heavily driven by changes in
      adjacent white matter, and that brain imaging studies of cortical and white
      matter maturation reflect distinct, but complimentary, neurodevelopmental
      processes.

PMID- 26499816
TI  - Basic Cardiac Surgery Skills on Sale for $22.50: An Aortic Anastomosis Simulation
      Curriculum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current resident and student duty-hour restrictions necessitate
      efficient training, which may be aided by simulation. Data on the utility of low
      cost simulation in cardiothoracic surgery are scant. We evaluated the effect and
      value of a low-cost, low-fidelity aortic anastomosis simulation curriculum.
      METHODS: Twenty participants (11 medical students, 9 residents) completed an
      aortic anastomosis on a porcine heart as a pretest. Participants were then
      provided access to a 14-minute online video created by a cardiac surgeon and
      given a low-cost task trainer for self-directed practice. Five weeks later,
      participants performed another aortic anastomosis on a porcine heart as a
      posttest. Pretest and posttest performances were filmed, deidentified, and graded
      blindly and independently by two cardiac surgeons using a standardized assessment
      tool (perfect score, 110; passing score, 58 or higher). Participants were
      surveyed anonymously after the posttest. RESULTS: The mean (SD) aortic
      anastomosis performance score improved significantly from pretest (53.3 [25.3])
      to posttest (83.6 [15.3]; p < 0.001). Pass rates also improved significantly (35%
      versus 95%, p < 0.001). Medical students' scores improved most (p = 0.01). All 20
      participants reported improved confidence in performing the task, and 18 believed
      that the online video was essential to better performance. The cost of the
      curriculum totaled $22.50 per participant, with 6 hours of total staff time
      required for assessment. CONCLUSIONS: An aortic anastomosis training and
      simulation curriculum improves the skills of student and resident trainees with
      minimal expense and staff time commitment. Such a curriculum may be of great
      value to both cardiothoracic training programs and their trainees.

PMID- 26499817
TI  - Can consumption of antioxidant rich mushrooms extend longevity?: antioxidant
      activity of Pleurotus spp. and its effects on Mexican fruit flies' (Anastrepha
      ludens) longevity.
AB  - The variability of antioxidant capacity of 14 strains of the edible oyster
      mushroom Pleurotus spp. was determined, and the effect of selected mushroom
      supplements on the longevity of the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens, was
      evaluated. The antioxidant capacity of the fruiting bodies was determined by
      three different methods, measuring the free radical scavenging activity of
      methanolic extracts, the OH radical scavenging capacity, and the total phenol
      content. The inhibition percentage of the DPPH radical varied between 32.6 and
      85.7% and total phenols varied between 30.6 and 143.3 mg/g. The strains with the
      highest (Pleurotus djamor ECS-0142) and lowest (Pleurotus ostreatus ECS-1123)
      antioxidant capacity were selected to study their effect on the survival, life
      expectancy, and mortality of the Mexican fruit fly A. ludens. The results
      demonstrated differing responses between male and female flies. High
      concentrations of mushrooms (5 and 20%) in the diet resulted in a decrease in
      life expectancy. However, flies on the diet with 1% P. djamor ECS-0142 showed
      slightly but significantly greater survival than those on the control diet. The
      possible adverse effect of protein content in mushroom extracts is discussed.

PMID- 26499818
TI  - Prenatal and childhood growth and physical performance in old age--findings from
      the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study 1934-1944.
AB  - Health in adulthood is in part a consequence of development and growth taking
      place during sensitive periods in early life. It has not been explored previously
      whether early growth is associated with physical performance in old age from a
      life course perspective taking into account health-related behavior, biological
      risk factors, and early life experiences. At a mean age of 71 years, physical
      performance was assessed using the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) in 1078 individuals
      belonging to the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. We used multiple linear regression
      analysis to assess the association between the SFT physical fitness scores and
      individual life course measurements. Several adult characteristics were
      associated with physical performance including socioeconomic status, lifestyle
      factors, and adult anthropometry. Higher birth weight and length were associated
      with better physical performance, even after adjusting for potential confounders
      (all p values <0.05). The strongest individual association between life course
      measurements and physical performance in old age was found for adult body fat
      percentage. However, prenatal growth was independently associated with physical
      performance seven decades later. These findings suggest that physical performance
      in old age is at least partly programmed in early life.

PMID- 26499820
TI  - Validation of the self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ 20) in British Pakistani and
      White European population in the United Kingdom.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of depression is difficult to determine because of low
      clinical depression detection rates in the primary care setting. This low level
      of detection is a significantly greater problem in people from ethnic minority
      communities. The availability of culturally validated screening questionnaires
      might help to improve the detection and treatment of depression. METHOD: The aim
      of the study was to assess the validity of the self-reporting questionnaire SRQ
      20, (English and Urdu versions) in white Europeans and British Pakistanis and to
      determine the optimum cut-off scores for detecting depression. Validation of the
      English and Urdu versions of the SRQ was conducted with a sample of white
      Europeans and British Pakistani participants. The semi-structured Schedule for
      Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) was used as the gold standard
      diagnostic interview, and receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to
      evaluate SRQ test performance. RESULTS: The SRQ was completed by 1856
      participants out of whom 651 completed the SCAN interview. The SRQ sensitivity,
      specificity, and predictive values versus SCAN indicated a cut-off score of 7 as
      optimum for white Europeans and a cut-off score of 6 for British Pakistanis.
      LIMITATIONS: This study focused on depression alone and did not take into
      consideration comorbid conditions such as anxiety which might have affected the
      way respondents answered the questions and contributed to comparatively lower
      optimum cut-off scores in British Pakistanis. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this
      validation study provide evidence for high sensitivity and specificity of SRQ
      amongst both white Europeans and British Pakistanis. The SRQ can be used as a
      routine screening questionnaire for depression in English and Urdu speaking
      populations in the UK.

PMID- 26499821
TI  - Screening and analysis of mutation hot-spots in deafness-associated genes among
      adolescents with hearing loss.
AB  - The present study aimed to screen the hot-spot deafness gene mutations of
      adolescents with non-syndromic hearing loss in Yongchuan, Chongqing (CQ-YC
      ANSHL), aiming to preliminarily understand the region's spectrum and occurrence
      frequency of deafness gene mutation hot-spots. A total of 60 CQ-YC ANSHL were
      selected from the Special Education School of Yongchuan, Chongqing and the nine
      most common mutations of four deafness genes among the Chinese population were
      detected and associated with the patients' medical history as well as family
      history of deafness. Deafness gene mutations were detected in 22 cases, among
      which the detection rates of GJB2, mitochondrial 12S ribosomal ribonucleic acid
      and SLC26A4 mutations were 23.73% (14/59), 10.17% (6/59) and 5.08% (3/59),
      respectively, while no GJB3 mutation was detected. The carrying rate of deafness
      gene mutations in CQ-YC ANSHL was high; therefore, based on the deafness gene
      diagnosis, the combination of medication guidance, pre-natal diagnosis and
      clinical interventions may be able to effectively reduce the incidence of
      deafness in this region. 

PMID- 26499819
TI  - Effect of resistance training on C-reactive protein, blood glucose and lipid
      profile in older women with differing levels of RT experience.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of a progressive resistance
      training (RT) program on C-reactive protein (CRP), blood glucose (GLU), and lipid
      profile in older women with differing levels of RT experience. Sixty-five older
      women (68.9 +/- 6.1 years, 67.1 +/- 13.1 kg) were separated according to RT
      experience: an advanced group composed by 35 participants who previously carried
      out 24 weeks of RT and a novice group composed by 30 participants without
      previous experience in RT (n = 30). Both groups performed a RT program comprised
      of eight exercises targeting all the major muscles. Training was carried out 3
      days/week for 8 weeks. Serum triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high
      density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL
      C), GLU, and CRP concentrations were determined pre- and post- intervention after
      12 h fasting. A significant group by time interaction (P < 0.05) for the TC
      (novice = -1.9% vs. advanced = 1.0%), and CRP (novice = -22.9% vs. advanced = 
      54.5%) was observed. A main effect of time (P < 0.05) was identified for the GLU
      (novice = -2.6% vs. advanced = -6.6%), TG (novice = -12.9% vs. advanced = -5.7%),
      HDL-C (novice = +6.7% vs. advanced = +2.6%), and LDL-C (novice = -34.0% vs.
      advanced = -25.4%). These results suggest that RT improves the metabolic profile
      of older women and that training for a longer period of time seems to produce
      more pronounced reductions mainly on CRP.

PMID- 26499822
TI  - A Review of Drowning Prevention Interventions for Children and Young People in
      High, Low and Middle Income Countries.
AB  - Globally, drowning is one of the ten leading causes of child mortality. Children
      aged <5 years are particularly at risk, and children and young people continue to
      be overrepresented in drowning statistics. Accordingly, evidence informed
      interventions to prevent children drowning are of global importance. This review
      aimed to identify, assess and analyse public health interventions to reduce child
      drowning and investigate the use of behavioural theories and evaluation
      frameworks to guide child drowning prevention. Thirteen databases were searched
      for relevant peer reviewed articles. The systematic review was guided by the
      PRISMA criteria and registered with PROSPERO. Fifteen articles were included in
      the final review. Studies were delivered in high, middle and low income
      countries. Intervention designs varied, one-third of studies targeted children
      under five. Almost half of the studies relied on education and information to
      reduce drowning deaths, only three studies used a multi-strategy approach.
      Minimal use of behavioural theories and/or frameworks was found and just one
      third of the studies described formative evaluation. This review reveals an over
      reliance on education and information as a strategy to prevent drowning, despite
      evidence for comprehensive multi-strategy approaches. Accordingly, interventions
      must be supported that use a range of strategies, are shaped by theory and
      planning and evaluation frameworks, and are robust in intervention design,
      delivery and evaluation methodology. This approach will provide sound evidence
      that can be disseminated to inform future practice and policy for drowning
      prevention. 

PMID- 26499823
TI  - 111In-pentetreotide scintigraphy and 18F FDG PET-CT in differentiated thyroid
      carcinoma metastases with negative whole body radioiodine scan.
AB  - Metastases of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) can lose affinity to
      radioiodine with the passage of time, with resultant difficulty in management.
      Thyroid tumors are known to express somatostatin receptors and therefore 111In
      pentetreotide, somatostatin analogue, can visualize tumors with high
      concentration of somatostatin receptors. We report a case of I-131 whole body
      scan (WBS) negative recurrent metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma with
      positive 18F FDG PET-CT and 111In-pentetreotide scan. Somatostatin receptor
      scintigraphy (SRS) with 111In-pentetreotide may be useful both in the staging and
      monitoring of patients with non-iodine avid carcinoma of the thyroid. 111In
      pentetreotide scan positive patients are potential candidates for somatostatin
      receptor-targeted therapy. 

PMID- 26499824
TI  - Incidental splenic littoral cell angioma complicating a case of Rolon cancer: A
      case report.
AB  - Littoral cell angioma (LCA) is a recently described rare generally benign primary
      vascular neoplasm of the spleen originating from the lining cells of the splenic
      red pulp sinuses that is usually discovered incidentally. LCA may be associated
      with epithelial malignancies and may itself also have malignant potential. We
      report the case of a 71-year-old woman who presented with intraoperative bleeding
      from the spleen during sigmoidectomy for colonic adenocarcinoma.
      Histopathological examination of the removed spleen revealed multiple
      haemorrhagic lesions diagnosed as littoral cell angioma. This case has been
      reported due to its rarity and to highlight how its accidental detection, unique
      and unexpected presentation complicated a case of colonic carcinoma. Individuals
      diagnosed with this tumour must be carefully evaluated to exclude primary,
      secondary and synchronous malignancies. 

PMID- 26499825
TI  - A 65-year old female with synchronous HIV and Extramedullary Plasmacytoma of
      Maxillary sinus.
AB  - Extramedullary plasmacytoma in the head and neck region is a rare malignant
      neoplasm comprising approximately 3% of all the plasma cell neoplasms and less
      than 1% of head and neck tumors. This extraskeletal lesion is a unifocal,
      monoclonal, neoplastic proliferation of plasma cells. Some investigators believe
      that this lesion represents the least aggressive part of the spectrum of plasma
      cell neoplasms which extends to multiple myeloma. Therefore, plasmacytoma is
      believed to have clinical importance. We report a case of extramedullary
      plasmacytoma in the right maxillary sinus of a 65-year-old HIV positive female as
      a clinical rarity with review of the relevant literature. 

PMID- 26499826
TI  - Spinal metastasis of breast cancer presenting after 25 years: An extremely rare
      presentation.
AB  - Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in females of the developed
      world and is gradually becoming the leading cause in the developing world as
      well. The innate biology of breast cancer is marked by varied presentations,
      characteristics, response, recurrence and metastatic phenomenon. Even an early
      stage breast cancer has the potential to recur and/or metastasize after extremely
      long duration and this possibility should be borne in the clinician's mind. 

PMID- 26499827
TI  - Solid tumors after chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients: Report of six cases and
      review of the literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Malignancies have been reported to occur with increased frequency
      in chronic lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) patients. The aim of this study was to
      describe which second malignancies occur in patients with CLL, whether these
      malignancies are related to CLL, its treatment, or both. We also attempt to study
      factors predicting the development of other malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Between 1995 and 2009, six cases of CLL associated with solid tumor were
      diagnosed in Hematology Department of Military Hospital of Tunis. The diagnosis
      of CLL was made by immunophenotyping of peripheral blood circulating B cells, and
      the diagnosis of solid tumors was made by biopsy with anatomopathological exam
      and immunohistochemical study. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 71 years.
      Five patients were male. The CLL was classified Stage A in one case, Stage B in
      three cases and Stage C in two cases. Two patients had abnormal karyotype. Three
      patients have not received specific treatment for their CLL. Solid tumors were
      represented by skin cancer in three cases, lung cancer in two cases and breast
      cancer in one case. The median time between diagnosis of CLL and that of solid
      tumor was 53 months. CONCLUSION: Patients with CLL have an increased risk of
      developing a second cancer. Awareness of risk factors could permit early
      detection.

PMID- 26499828
TI  - Bevacizumab in clinical practice.
AB  - The development of targeted therapies and especially angiogenesis inhibitor drugs
      is undoubtedly a major advancement in the treatment of cancer in the 21st
      century. Bevacizumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody directed
      against vascular endothelial growth factor that was approved for the treatment of
      multiple solid tumors, we have reviewed the side effects cited in clinical trials
      of bevacizumab and the guidelines for their management and we can conclude that
      bevacizumab, is generally well tolerated but is associated with increase in some
      adverse side effects for which monitoring is required particularly vascular and
      renal side effects including hypertension, proteinuria, thromboembolic events and
      hemorrhage. The better understanding of bevacizumab toxicity profile and the
      guidelines for their optimal management as well as the education of patients may
      allow prolonged therapy and thus improved clinical outcomes. 

PMID- 26499829
TI  - Targeted therapies in the management of breast cancer.
AB  - The incidence of cancer is increasing in the United Kingdom. Breast cancer is the
      most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the UK with an age standardised
      rate of 124 per 100,000 women. It accounts for almost one-third of all female
      cases of cancer in the UK and it is the most common form of cancer among women in
      both developing and developed countries. There are many management options for
      cancer such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Surgery has been the main
      treatment option for many solid tumours for several decades. However, research
      has shown that attacking specific targets within tumours such as receptors,
      intracellular proteins and genes could result in better clinical outcome.
      Promising therapeutic targets that have been identified include Raf kinase, Src,
      HER2, epidermal growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor
      receptor. After several decades of intensive research, it appears that we are
      finally hitting cancer where it hurts. It is very likely that in the near future,
      more targets for potential therapies would be identified and ultimately, there
      would be significant reduction in morbidity and mortality from cancers, including
      breast cancer. 

PMID- 26499830
TI  - Primary Surgery in Treatment of Stages II and III Wilms' Tumour: A Developing
      Countries' Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment options for Wilms' tumour (WT) are costly and it affects
      the country's health budget and resources if adopted and implemented at the
      national level especially in developing countries with low or resource-challenged
      settings. AIM: The objective of this study is to evaluate the role and
      effectiveness of primary surgery in the treatment of stage II and III pediatric
      WT following the schedule indicated in the National Wilms' Tumor Study (NWTS-4)
      in the institutes of two developing countries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study
      enrolled 40 children who were primarily diagnosed as stage II and III WT. They
      were divided into 2 equal groups. Group I (n = 20) included those children who
      have undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery and postoperative
      chemotherapy, while group II (n = 20) included those children who have undergone
      primary surgery as an initial management followed by chemotherapy. After a mean
      postoperative follow-up period of 20+/-5 months, clinical and radiological
      evaluation was performed for all patients. RESULTS: In group I, 15 patients were
      preoperatively diagnosed as stage II and 5 patients as stage III while in group
      II, 16 patients were proved to be stage II and 4 patients were stage III. After a
      follow up period, clinical and radiological evaluation using CT was performed on
      all patients. In patients with stage II, evidence of recurrence was noted in 4
      patients of group I whereas no patient showed any evidence of recurrence in group
      II. In patients with stage III, rebound increase in size was seen in 2 patients
      in group I and only one patient in group II. CONCLUSION: Primary surgery with
      appropriate adjuvant therapy improves the treatment results compared to the
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy and delayed surgery for children primarily diagnosed as
      stage II and III WT. It may be used as a safe and effective tool in treating WT
      patients with relatively no changes from the long administration schedules. This
      will have a highly positive impact in lowering treatment cost in developing
      countries.

PMID- 26499831
TI  - Utility of fine needle aspiration cytology in evaluation of lymphadenopathy - An
      audit from a Cancer Centre in South India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cytological evaluation and diagnosis of lymphadenopathy plays an
      important role in distinction between reactive hyperplasia and malignancy.Being a
      tertiary cancer care centre, lymph node enlargement clinically suspected to be
      due to malignancy constitute the commonest indication for fine needle aspiration
      cytology (FNAC) at our centre. The aim of this study was to determine the utility
      of FNAC in evaluating enlarged lymph nodes and to categorizethe causes of
      lymphadenopathy diagnosed byFNAC at our centre. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data was
      collected from the records of department of Pathology over a period of three
      months from January to March 2014. The data was analyzed and various parameters
      studied. RESULTS: There were 2000 aspirates over a period of three months of
      which 270 (13.5%) were from lymph nodes. Of these, 130 cases (48.2%) have
      metastatic deposits.We also came across 16 cases (5.9%) of lymphoma, 5 cases
      (1.9%) of granulomatous lymphadenitis, 2 cases (0.7%) of suppurative lesion and
      99 cases (36.7%) of reactive hyperplasia during this period. In 3 cases (1.1%),
      the lesion turned out to be of salivary gland origin. Aspirates were suboptimal
      for diagnosis in 15 cases (5.5%). Aspirates were more in males (181) as compared
      to females (89). The most common site of aspiration was the cervical lymph
      node(64.5%),followed by supraclavicular=81(30%), inguinal=33(12.22%),
      axillary=19(7.04%) sub mental=1(0.37%) and others=7(2.59%). Apart from metastatic
      carcinomas other metastatic malignancies we came across were malignant melanoma,
      neuroblastoma, germ cell tumor and synovial sarcoma. CONCLUSION: FNAC of lymph
      nodes helps in rapid diagnosis of lymphadenopathy.Categorizingthe cause of lymph
      node enlargement as metastatic malignancy,lymphoma, reactive change, inflammatory
      cause,suppuration etc. can be done by FNAC.In patients with known histologically
      proven malignancy in whom a subsequent enlargement of lymph node occurs,a
      cytological diagnosis of metastasis helps in avoiding unwanted surgery for
      confirming metastasis.In patients without a previous diagnosis of malignancy,
      FNAC not only confirm metastatic deposit but in most conditions give a clue
      regarding site of primary. The use of immunocytochemistry and cell block
      preparations have increased the scope of FNAC.

PMID- 26499832
TI  - Level of awareness of lung cancer risk factors, signs, symptoms and safe
      practices among college teachers of different states in India: Do awareness
      programmes have an impact on adoption of safe practices?
AB  - Lung cancer is the one of the most common cause of cancer mortality among men in
      India where incidence rates are increasing although they are largely preventable
      diseases. In India, late presentation is generally responsible for high mortality
      and morbidity rates and early detection is one of the best ways to control it.
      The purpose of this study is to measure the level of awareness on lung cancer
      among women represented by a sample of college teachers in India and the impact
      of awareness programs in changing or adopting safer practices and the prevention
      and early detection of the disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The assessment was
      conducted during a Pink Chain Campaign on cancer awareness in 2011 in various
      women colleges in India. Pre-test related to lung cancer was followed by
      awareness programs. Posttest using the same questionnaire was conducted at the
      end of interactive session, at 1 year and 6 months. RESULTS: A total of 156 out
      of 182 teachers participated in the study (overall response rate was 85.7%). Mean
      age of the study population was 42.4 years (range- 28-59 yrs). There was a
      significant increase in level of knowledge regarding lung cancer at 6 months and
      this was sustained at 1 year. Magazines and newspapers were the primary source
      for information regarding risk factors, signs and symptoms of lung cancer in more
      than 60% of teachers whereas more than 30% teachers were educated by doctors. At
      post-awareness after 1 year and 6 months, there was a significant change in
      alcohol and smoking habits. The main reasons for not undergoing screening tests
      are: ignorance (50%), lethargic attitude (44.8 %) and lack of time (34.6 %).
      CONCLUSION: Knowledge about lung cancer was very low among teachers. Overall
      awareness of risk factors, signs and symptoms, and screening modalities of lung
      cancer have improved after 1 year along with practices related to smoking and
      alcohol consumption. There was a significant improvement in people undergoing
      regular check-up's. Improved means of communication, access to information and
      effective warnings about cigarette smoking are necessary to increase public
      awareness. To ensure the adoption of safe practices in the lifestyle of people
      who smoke and consume alcohol, awareness programmes such as the pink chain
      campaign should be conducted regularly, frequently and more widely in various
      areas of India.

PMID- 26499833
TI  - Characteristics and outcomes of acute kidney injury resulting in hospital
      admission in patients with solid tumor: Experience of a single center.
AB  - AIM: To describe the characteristics and outcomes of acute kidney injury (AKI)
      resulting in hospital admission in cancer patients managed at a comprehensive
      cancer center. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study conducted
      between December 2011 and July 2012. Patients admitted to the solid tumor service
      were screened to identify those who met the criteria of AKI upon admission. The
      identified cases were reviewed by two clinicians to determine the cause of AKI
      and to determine if AKI was the major cause for admission. Patient demographics,
      past medical and medication history were recorded. In addition, we evaluated
      patients for resolution of AKI. RESULTS: During the study period, 103 cases were
      identified, 57.3% were males, mean age was 64 years+/-11.2 (SD), 24 patients
      23.3%) have diabetes, and 55 patients (53.4%) have hypertension. The most common
      causes of AKI were dehydration, medications, and tumor-related, reported in 40
      (38.8%), 34 (33%), and 23 (22.3%) of these cases respectively. The most common
      medications associated with AKI were chemotherapy (n=13, 42%), mainly cisplatin
      (76.9%), followed by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (n=12, 38.7%). Eleven
      patients (10.7%) progressed to chronic renal failure and three patients required
      hemodialysis. In the remaining cases, AKI resolved after a mean of 6.39 days+/
      3.73(SD). Transfer to the intensive care unit was required for 4 patients and
      death was reported in 3 patients. CONCLUSION: AKI in cancer patients was mostly
      due to dehydration, medications, and the tumor. Measures to reduce the incidence
      of AKI are necessary to prevent unnecessary admission and the potential for
      further complications.

PMID- 26499834
TI  - Outcome of HER2 positive luminal operable breast cancer in comparison with
      outcome of other operable luminal breast cancer patients: Long follow-up of
      single center randomized study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In clinical practice, there is increasing recognition that HER2
      positive breast cancer patients are not a homogeneous group. Especially patients
      with luminal B breast cancers which are now subdivided to more than two groups.
      AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study is to know the effect of HER2 positivity
      on luminal breast cancer patients by comparing disease free survival DFS luminal
      of HER2 positive breast cancer patients with other luminal cases with HER2
      negative disease. Also we explored the effect of HER2 positivity on different
      risk factors for breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We compared the outcome of
      25 HER2 positive luminal breast cancer patients with a control group of other
      luminal operable breast cancer at the same period of time with the same
      eligibility and exclusive criteria. RESULTS: Total of 59 operable luminal breast
      cancer patients were eligible for the study, 25 of them were luminal HER2
      positive and the 34 were control group of luminal HER2 negative. We found that
      HER2 positive luminal breast cancer patients were having more unfavorable risk
      factors and have more incidence of relapse mainly after 48 months follow-up than
      other luminal patients: after 24 months follow-up period HER2 positive luminal
      patients have cumulative DFS of 91% compared with 93% in luminal HER2 negative
      patients but after 48 months follow-up the difference between the two groups
      became more obvious as it was 66% for luminal HER2 positive group and 90 % for
      the control group. High risk patients for luminal HER2 positive breast cancer
      patients have higher risk of relapse (60% compared with 86%), and this appeared
      also in other subgroups. CONCLUSION: HER2 positive luminal breast cancer patients
      have a higher incidence of relapse compared with other luminal breast cancer, and
      this difference appear mainly after 48 months of follow-up. High risk patients
      for luminal HER2 positive breast cancer have higher risk of relapse than high
      risk patients of other luminal patients.

PMID- 26499835
TI  - Relevance Rank Platform (RRP) for Functional Filtering of High Content Protein
      Protein Interaction Data.
AB  - High content protein interaction screens have revolutionized our understanding of
      protein complex assembly. However, one of the major challenges in translation of
      high content protein interaction data is identification of those interactions
      that are functionally relevant for a particular biological question. To address
      this challenge, we developed a relevance ranking platform (RRP), which consist of
      modular functional and bioinformatic filters to provide relevance rank among the
      interactome proteins. We demonstrate the versatility of RRP to enable a
      systematic prioritization of the most relevant interaction partners from high
      content data, highlighted by the analysis of cancer relevant protein interactions
      for oncoproteins Pin1 and PME-1. We validated the importance of selected
      interactions by demonstration of PTOV1 and CSKN2B as novel regulators of Pin1
      target c-Jun phosphorylation and reveal previously unknown interacting proteins
      that may mediate PME-1 effects via PP2A-inhibition. The RRP framework is modular
      and can be modified to answer versatile research problems depending on the nature
      of the biological question under study. Based on comparison of RRP to other
      existing filtering tools, the presented data indicate that RRP offers added value
      especially for the analysis of interacting proteins for which there is no
      sufficient prior knowledge available. Finally, we encourage the use of RRP in
      combination with either SAINT or CRAPome computational tools for selecting the
      candidate interactors that fulfill the both important requirements, functional
      relevance, and high confidence interaction detection. 

PMID- 26499838
TI  - Correction: Coordination-directed self-assembly of a simple benzothiadiazole
      fused tetrathiafulvalene to low-bandgap metallogels.
AB  - Correction for 'Coordination-directed self-assembly of a simple benzothiadiazole
      fused tetrathiafulvalene to low-bandgap metallogels' by Anneliese M. Amacher et
      al., Chem. Commun., 2015, 51, 15063-15066. 

PMID- 26499836
TI  - Comparative Phosphoproteomics Reveals the Role of AmpC beta-lactamase
      Phosphorylation in the Clinical Imipenem-resistant Strain Acinetobacter baumannii
      SK17.
AB  - Nosocomial infectious outbreaks caused by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter
      baumannii have emerged as a serious threat to human health. Phosphoproteomics of
      pathogenic bacteria has been used to identify the mechanisms of bacterial
      virulence and antimicrobial resistance. In this study, we used a shotgun strategy
      combined with high-accuracy mass spectrometry to analyze the phosphoproteomics of
      the imipenem-susceptible strain SK17-S and -resistant strain SK17-R. We
      identified 410 phosphosites on 248 unique phosphoproteins in SK17-S and 285
      phosphosites on 211 unique phosphoproteins in SK17-R. The distributions of the
      Ser/Thr/Tyr/Asp/His phosphosites in SK17-S and SK17-R were
      47.0%/27.6%/12.4%/8.0%/4.9% versus 41.4%/29.5%/17.5%/6.7%/4.9%, respectively. The
      Ser-90 phosphosite, located on the catalytic motif S(88)VS(90)K of the AmpC beta
      lactamase, was first identified in SK17-S. Based on site-directed mutagenesis,
      the nonphosphorylatable mutant S90A was found to be more resistant to imipenem,
      whereas the phosphorylation-simulated mutant S90D was sensitive to imipenem.
      Additionally, the S90A mutant protein exhibited higher beta-lactamase activity
      and conferred greater bacterial protection against imipenem in SK17-S compared
      with the wild-type. In sum, our results revealed that in A. baumannii, Ser-90
      phosphorylation of AmpC negatively regulates both beta-lactamase activity and the
      ability to counteract the antibiotic effects of imipenem. These findings
      highlight the impact of phosphorylation-mediated regulation in antibiotic
      resistant bacteria on future drug design and new therapies. 

PMID- 26499839
TI  - Administration of tauroursodeoxycholic acid enhances osteogenic differentiation
      of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and bone regeneration.
AB  - It is known that osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can
      be promoted by suppression of adipogenesis of MSCs. We have recently found that
      the chemical chaperone tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) significantly reduces
      adipogenesis of MSCs. In the present study, we examined whether TUDCA can promote
      osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs)
      by regulating Integrin 5 (ITGA5) associated with activation of ERK1/2 signal
      pathway and thereby enhance bone tissue regeneration by reducing apoptosis and
      the inflammatory response. TUDCA treatment promoted in vitro osteogenic
      differentiation of BMMSCs and in vivo bone tissue regeneration in a calvarial
      defect model, as confirmed by micro-computed tomography, histological staining,
      and immunohistochemistry for osteocalcin. In addition, TUDCA treatment
      significantly decreased apoptosis and the inflammatory response in vivo and in
      vitro, which is important to enhance bone tissue regeneration. These results
      indicate that TUDCA plays a critical role in enhancing osteogenesis of BMMSCs,
      and is therefore a potential alternative drug for bone tissue regeneration. 

PMID- 26499840
TI  - Active control of the nucleation temperature enhances freezing survival of
      multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells.
AB  - Cryopreservation is a technique that has been extensively used for storage of
      multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in regenerative medicine. Therefore,
      improving current cryopreservation procedures in terms of increasing cell
      viability and functionality is important. In this study, we optimized the
      cryopreservation protocol of MSCs derived from the common marmoset Callithrix
      jacchus (cj), which can be used as a non-human primate model in various
      pathological and transplantation studies and have a great potential for
      regenerative medicine. We have investigated the effect of the active control of
      the nucleation temperature using induced nucleation at a broad range of
      temperatures and two different dimethylsulfoxide concentrations (Me2SO, 5% (v/v)
      and 10%, (v/v)) to evaluate the overall effect on the viability, metabolic
      activity and recovery of cells after thawing. Survival rate and metabolic
      activity displayed an optimum when ice formation was induced at -10  degrees C.
      Cryomicroscopy studies indicated differences in ice crystal morphologies as well
      as differences in intracellular ice formation with different nucleation
      temperatures. High subzero nucleation temperatures resulted in larger
      extracellular ice crystals and cellular dehydration, whereas low subzero
      nucleation temperatures resulted in smaller ice crystals and intracellular ice
      formation. 

PMID- 26499837
TI  - Proteomic Analysis Revealed the Important Role of Vimentin in Human Cervical
      Carcinoma HeLa Cells Treated With Gambogic Acid.
AB  - Gambogic acid (GA) is an anticancer agent in phase IIb clinical trial in China.
      In HeLa cells, GA inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M
      phase and apoptosis, as showed by results of MTT assay and flow cytometric
      analysis. Possible target-related proteins of GA were searched using comparative
      proteomic analysis (2-DE) and nine proteins at early (3 h) stage together with
      nine proteins at late (24 h) stage were found. Vimentin was the only target
      related protein found at both early and late stage. Results of both 2-DE analysis
      and Western blotting assay suggested cleavage of vimentin induced by GA. MS/MS
      analysis of cleaved vimentin peptides indicated possible cleavage sites of
      vimentin at or near ser51 and glu425. Results of targeted proteomic analysis
      showed that GA induced change in phosphorylation state of the vimentin head
      domain (aa51-64). Caspase inhibitors could not abrogate GA-induced cleavage of
      vimentin. Over-expression of vimentin ameliorated cytotoxicity of GA in HeLa
      cells. The GA-activated signal transduction, from p38 MAPK, heat shock protein 27
      (HSP27), vimentin, dysfunction of cytoskeleton, to cell death, was predicted and
      then confirmed. Results of animal study showed that GA treatment inhibited tumor
      growth in HeLa tumor-bearing mice and cleavage of vimentin could be observed in
      tumor xenografts of GA-treated animals. Results of immunohistochemical staining
      also showed down-regulated vimentin level in tumor xenografts of GA-treated
      animals. Furthermore, compared with cytotoxicity of GA in HeLa cells,
      cytotoxicity of GA in MCF-7 cells with low level of vimentin was weaker whereas
      cytotoxicity of GA in MG-63 cells with high level of vimentin was stronger. These
      results indicated the important role of vimentin in the cytotoxicity of GA. The
      effects of GA on vimentin and other epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)
      markers provided suggestion for better usage of GA in clinic. 

PMID- 26499841
TI  - An ultra-rapid cryo-technique for complex organisms.
AB  - The soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an excellent research model in cell
      biology, human disease and developmental studies. In this study, a novel
      cryopreservation technique based on a rapid cooling procedure, previously
      established for juveniles, was applied to adult-worms. Here we demonstrated that
      adults of C. elegans, a complex metazoan organism, survive to a rapid cooling and
      storage in liquid nitrogen (-196  degrees C) with a very high survival percentage
      (85%). The procedure relies on a Low CryoProtectant Technique (LCPT) and Ultra
      Rapid Cooling (URC). The high cooling rate is achieved through the reduction of
      sample volumes and the effectiveness of a nylon carrier. Our technique complies
      with the requirements for vitrification to occur. The main distinctive characters
      of this cryopreservation technique compared to other methods, e.g. Slow Freezing
      and Vitrification, are presented. Our results show that this cryopreservation
      method is valid for both unicellular and multicellular organisms; it is suitable
      for short or long time storage in liquid-nitrogen. This technique promises to be
      a unique and simpler method for cryostorage of cells, organisms and tissues. 

PMID- 26499842
TI  - Combined Percutaneous Mitral Valve Implantation and Paravalvular Leak Closure in
      a High-risk Patient With Severe Mitral Regurgitation.

PMID- 26499843
TI  - Coronary Hematoma After Thoracic Trauma.

PMID- 26499844
TI  - Polychlorinated biphenyls in umbilical cord serum of newborns from Rio Grande do
      Sul state, Brazil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are food-chain contaminants that
      have been shown to contaminate foods worldwide. The newborn are exposed to these
      organochlorine compounds across the placenta and through breastfeeding. They are
      proven to be carcinogenic and may contribute to congenital malformation etiology.
      METHODS: This study examined levels of five PCB congeners (28, 52, 138, 153 and
      180) in umbilical cord serum samples from 148 newborns from Rio Grande do Sul
      state, Brazil. Serum concentrations of PCBs were analyzed by gas chromatography
      with electron capture detection and mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Levels of ?PCBs
      ranged from 0.35 to 55.17 ng/ml in umbilical cord serum positive samples, and PCB
      138 was the most prevalent congener. Only 7.4% of samples presented no PCB
      congener. CONCLUSIONS: Some PCB congener cord serum levels were related to the
      locale of the mothers' residence, smoking and drinking habits, fruit consumption,
      and congenital malformation.

PMID- 26499845
TI  - Methotrexate normalized keratinocyte activation cycle by overturning abnormal
      keratins as well as deregulated inflammatory mediators in psoriatic patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In psoriatic skin, epidermal keratinocytes undergo deregulated
      inflammatory response that leads to prolonged expression of inflammatory
      mediators as well as abnormal keratins. Methotrexate (MTX) is an
      immunosuppressive agent used as a standard drug to treat severe psoriasis. The
      aim of the study is to find the pharmacological effect of MTX on abnormal keratin
      and deregulated inflammatory mediators. METHODS: Fifty-eight psoriasis vulgaris
      patients were recruited for this study. Skin biopsies of psoriatic patients were
      collected and analyzed for activation signal such as TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma and
      deactivation signal such as TGF-beta1. Also, protein and gene expression of
      normal keratins K14 and K10 and abnormal keratins K16 and K17 were analyzed in
      skin biopsies before (day 0) and after (at the end of 6 and 12 weeks) MTX
      treatment. RESULTS: Results show a significant decrease in tissue TNF-alpha and
      IFN-gamma and increase in TGF-beta1 after MTX treatment when compared with before
      MTX treatment in psoriasis patients (p<0.001). Protein and gene expression of
      K14, K16 and K17 decreased after MTX treatment, whereas the expression of
      differentiation marker K10 increased after MTX treatment. CONCLUSION: MTX
      resolves deregulated inflammatory markers and maintains normal keratin phenotype
      on hyperproliferating KC, thereby controlling acanthosis in psoriasis patients.

PMID- 26499848
TI  - RNA polymerase III autoantibodies may indicate renal and more severe skin
      involvement in systemic sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multiorgan autoimmune disorder
      characterized by sclerosis of the skin and organs as well as the presence of
      antinuclear autoantibodies. Several types of antinuclear autoantibodies have been
      described in SSc, associated with distinct disease entities and differences in
      prognosis. METHODS: The aim of this study was to screen for the presence of
      antibodies reacting with RNA polymerase III (anti-RNAP3) in a large cohort of
      patients with SSc treated at a tertiary referral center and to evaluate
      correlations with disease severity. RESULTS: Anti-RNAP3 antibodies were detected
      in 11 of 158 patients (7.0%). Eight of the 11 (72.7%) anti-RNAP3-positive
      patients had diffuse cutaneous SSc (P < 0.01). A higher modified Rodnan skin
      score, associated with diffuse SSc, correlated with the presence of anti-RNAP3 (P
      < 0.0001). The detection of anti-RNAP3 antibodies strongly correlated with the
      presence of renal involvement (P < 0.0001). The odds ratio of RNAP3-positive
      patients to develop renal involvement was 80.1 (95% CI 9.3-690.1). CONCLUSIONS:
      This study demonstrates that the detection of anti-RNAP3 antibodies in patients
      with SSc correlates with renal crisis and severe cutaneous involvement. The
      possibility to detect specific antibodies with a prognostic value can lead to a
      better risk management of patients with SSc.

PMID- 26499849
TI  - Nutrient availability, the microbiome, and intestinal transport during pregnancy.
AB  - Adequate adaptation of the gastrointestinal tract is important during pregnancy
      to ensure that the increased metabolic demands by the developing fetus are met.
      These include changes in surface area mediated by villus hypertrophy and enhanced
      functional capacity of individual nutrient receptors, including those
      transporting glucose, fructose, leucine, and calcium. These processes are
      regulated either by the enhanced nutrient demand or are facilitated by changes in
      the secretion of pregnancy hormones. Our review also covers recent research into
      the microbiome, and how pregnancy could lead to microbial adaptations, which are
      beneficial to the mother, yet are also similar to those seen in the metabolic
      syndrome. The potential role of diet in modulating the microbiome during
      pregnancy, as well as the potential for the intestinal microbiota to induce
      pregnancy complications, are examined. Gaps in the current literature are
      highlighted, including those where only historical evidence is available, and we
      suggest areas that should be a priority for further research. In summary,
      although a significant degree of adaptation has been described, there are both
      well-established processes and more recent discoveries, such as changes within
      the maternal microbiome, that pose new questions as to how the gastrointestinal
      tract effectively adapts to pregnancy, especially in conjunction with maternal
      obesity. 

PMID- 26499847
TI  - Vagal modulation of high mobility group box-1 protein mediates electroacupuncture
      induced cardioprotection in ischemia-reperfusion injury.
AB  - Excessive release of high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) protein from ischemic
      cardiomyocytes activates inflammatory cascades and enhances myocardial injury
      after reperfusion. Here we report evidence that electroacupuncture of mice at
      Neiguan acupoints can inhibit the up-regulation of cardiac HMGB1 following
      myocardial ischemia and attenuate the associated inflammatory responses and
      myocardial injury during reperfusion. These benefits of electroacupuncture were
      partially reversed by administering recombinant HMGB1 to the mice, and further
      potentiated by administering anti-HMGB1 antibody. Electroacupuncture-induced
      inhibition of HMGB1 release was markedly reduced by unilateral vagotomy or
      administration of nicotinic receptor antagonist, but not by chemical
      sympathectomy. The cholinesterase inhibitor neostigmine mimicked the effects of
      electroacupuncture on HMGB1 release and myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury.
      Culture experiments with isolated neonatal cardiomyocytes showed that
      acetylcholine, but not noradrenaline, inhibited hypoxia-induced release of HMGB1
      via a alpha7nAchR-dependent pathway. These results suggest that
      electroacupuncture acts via the vagal nerve and its nicotinic receptor-mediated
      signaling to inhibit HMGB1 release from ischemic cardiomyocytes. This helps
      attenuate pro-inflammatory responses and myocardial injury during reperfusion. 

PMID- 26499846
TI  - Reprogramming of glucose, fatty acid and amino acid metabolism for cancer
      progression.
AB  - Metabolic reprogramming is widely observed during cancer development to confer
      cancer cells the ability to survive and proliferate, even under the stressed,
      such as nutrient-limiting, conditions. It is famously known that cancer cells
      favor the "Warburg effect", i.e., the enhanced glycolysis or aerobic glycolysis,
      even when the ambient oxygen supply is sufficient. In addition, deregulated
      anabolism/catabolism of fatty acids and amino acids, especially glutamine, serine
      and glycine, have been identified to function as metabolic regulators in
      supporting cancer cell growth. Furthermore, extensive crosstalks are being
      revealed between the deregulated metabolic network and cancer cell signaling.
      These exciting advancements have inspired new strategies for treating various
      malignancies by targeting cancer metabolism. Here we review recent findings
      related to the regulation of glucose, fatty acid and amino acid metabolism, their
      crosstalk, and relevant cancer therapy strategy. 

PMID- 26499850
TI  - Cortisol, blood pressure, and heart rate responses to food intake were
      independent of physical fitness levels in women.
AB  - This research tested the hypothesis that women who had higher levels of physical
      fitness will have lower hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis (cortisol) and
      sympatho-adrenal medullary system (blood pressure and heart rate) responses to
      food intake compared with women who had low levels of physical fitness. Lower
      fitness (n = 22; maximal oxygen consumption = 27.4 +/- 1.0 mL?kg(-1).min(-1)) and
      higher fitness (n = 22; maximal oxygen consumption = 41.9 +/- 1.6 mL?kg(-1).min(
      1)) women (aged 30-50 years; in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle) who
      participated in levels of physical activity that met (lower fitness = 2.7 +/- 0.5
      h/week) or considerably exceeded (higher fitness = 7.1 +/- 1.4 h/week) physical
      activity guidelines made their own lunch using standardised ingredients at 1200
      h. Concentrations of cortisol were measured in blood samples collected every 15
      min from 1145-1400 h. Blood pressures and heart rate were also measured every 15
      min between 1145 h and 1400 h. The meal consumed by the participants consisted of
      20% protein, 61% carbohydrates, and 19% fat. There was a significant overall
      response to lunch in all of the parameters measured (time effect for all, p <
      0.01). The cortisol response to lunch was not significantly different between the
      groups (time * treatment, p = 0.882). Overall, both groups showed the same
      pattern of cortisol secretion (treatment p = 0.839). Systolic blood pressure,
      diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, or heart rate responses (time *
      treatment, p = 0.726, 0.898, 0.713, and 0.620, respectively) were also similar
      between higher and lower fitness women. Results suggest that the physiological
      response to food intake in women is quite resistant to modification by elevated
      physical fitness levels. 

PMID- 26499852
TI  - Development and validation of the Australian Aboriginal racial identity and self
      esteem survey for 8-12 year old children (IRISE_C).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In Australia, there is little empirical research of the racial
      identity of Indigenous children and youth as the majority of the current
      literature focuses on adults. Furthermore, there are no instruments developed
      with cultural appropriateness when exploring the identity and self-esteem of the
      Australian Aboriginal population, especially children. The IRISE_C (Racial
      Identity and Self-Esteem of children) inventory was developed to explore the
      elements of racial identity and self-esteem of urban, rural and regional
      Aboriginal children. This paper describes the development and validation of the
      IRISE_C instrument with over 250 Aboriginal children aged 8 to 12 years. METHODS:
      A pilot of the IRISE C instrument was combined with individual interviews and was
      undertaken with 35 urban Aboriginal children aged 8-12 years. An exploratory
      factor analysis was performed to refine the survey and reduce redundant items in
      readiness for the main study. In the main study, the IRISE C was employed to 229
      Aboriginal children aged 6-13 years across three sites (rural, regional and
      urban) in Western Australia. An exploratory factor analysis using Principal axis
      factoring was used to assess the fit of items and survey structure. A
      confirmatory factor analysis was then employed using LISREL (diagonally weighted
      least squares) to assess factor structures across domains. Internal consistency
      and reliability of subscales were assessed using Cronbach's co-efficient alpha.
      RESULTS: The pilot testing identified two key concepts - children's knowledge of
      issues related to their racial identity, and the importance, or salience, that
      they attach to these issues. In the main study, factor analyses showed two clear
      factors relating to: Aboriginal culture and traditions; and a sense of belonging
      to an Aboriginal community. Principal Axis Factoring of the Knowledge items
      supported a 2-factor solution, which explained 38.7% of variance. Factor One
      (Aboriginal culture) had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.835; Factor 2 (racial identity)
      had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.800, thus demonstrating high internal reliability of
      the scales. CONCLUSION: The IRISE_C has been shown to be a valid instrument
      useful of exploring the development of racial identity of Australian Aboriginal
      children across the 8-12 year old age range and across urban, rural and regional
      geographical locations.

PMID- 26499853
TI  - Body Satisfaction Among Girls With Obesity: A Strong Case for #Loveyourbody.

PMID- 26499854
TI  - The Cause and Consequence of Mental Health Problems Among At-Risk Youth.

PMID- 26499851
TI  - An emerging role for prdm family genes in dorsoventral patterning of the
      vertebrate nervous system.
AB  - The embryonic vertebrate neural tube is divided along its dorsoventral (DV) axis
      into eleven molecularly discrete progenitor domains. Each of these domains gives
      rise to distinct neuronal cell types; the ventral-most six domains contribute to
      motor circuits, while the five dorsal domains contribute to sensory circuits.
      Following the initial neurogenesis step, these domains also generate glial cell
      types-either astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. This DV pattern is initiated by two
      morphogens-Sonic Hedgehog released from notochord and floor plate and Bone
      Morphogenetic Protein produced in the roof plate-that act in concentration
      gradients to induce expression of genes along the DV axis. Subsequently, these DV
      restricted genes cooperate to define progenitor domains and to control neuronal
      cell fate specification and differentiation in each domain. Many genes involved
      in this process have been identified, but significant gaps remain in our
      understanding of the underlying genetic program. Here we review recent work
      identifying members of the Prdm gene family as novel regulators of DV patterning
      in the neural tube. Many Prdm proteins regulate transcription by controlling
      histone modifications (either via intrinsic histone methyltransferase activity,
      or by recruiting histone modifying enzymes). Prdm genes are expressed in
      spatially restricted domains along the DV axis of the neural tube and play
      important roles in the specification of progenitor domains, as well as in the
      subsequent differentiation of motor neurons and various types of interneurons.
      Strikingly, Prdm proteins appear to function by binding to, and modulating the
      activity of, other transcription factors (particularly bHLH proteins). The
      identity of key transcription factors in DV patterning of the neural tube has
      been elucidated previously (e.g. the nkx, bHLH and pax families), but it now
      appears that an additional family is also required and that it acts in a
      potentially novel manner. 

PMID- 26499855
TI  - Childhood Adversities and Educational Attainment in Young Adulthood: The Role of
      Mental Health Problems in Adolescence.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to examine whether the association between
      childhood adversities and educational attainment in young adulthood can be
      explained by mental health problems in adolescence and whether associations and
      pathways differ for boys and girls. METHODS: Data were used of 2,230 participants
      from the Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey, a Dutch prospective
      cohort study with a 9-year follow-up. Childhood adversities were measured at age
      11 years, mental health problems (i.e., externalizing, internalizing and
      attention problems with Youth Self-Report) at age 16 years, and educational
      attainment at age 19 years. Structural equation modeling was performed to analyze
      the data, overall and stratified by gender. RESULTS: Only among boys, childhood
      adversities were associated with low educational attainment in young adulthood.
      Externalizing problems in adolescence explained 5% of the association between
      childhood adversities and educational attainment. Furthermore, for both boys and
      girls, externalizing problems in adolescence had a direct effect on educational
      attainment in young adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: Among boys, childhood adversities are
      associated with poorer educational outcomes of young adults. A part of this
      association runs via adolescent externalizing problems. The results suggest that
      boys, compared with girls, are less capable to cope with childhood adversities.
      Monitoring of exposed boys to childhood adversities is of utmost importance.

PMID- 26499856
TI  - Psychologists and the Transition From Pediatrics to Adult Health Care.
AB  - PURPOSE: Guidelines for optimal transition call for multidisciplinary teams,
      including psychologists, to address youth and young adults' multifactorial needs.
      This study aimed to characterize psychologists' roles in and barriers to
      involvement in transition from pediatric to adult health care. METHODS:
      Psychologists were invited via professional listservs to complete an online
      survey about practice settings, roles in transition programming, barriers to
      involvement, and funding sources. Participants also responded to open-ended
      questions about their experiences in transition programs. RESULTS: One hundred
      participants responded to the survey. Involvement in transition was reported at
      multiple levels from individual patient care to institutional transition
      programming, and 65% reported more than one level of involvement. Direct clinical
      care (88%), transition-related research (50%), and/or leadership (44%)
      involvement were reported, with 59% reporting more than one role. Respondents
      often described advocating for their involvement on transition teams. Various
      sources of funding were reported, yet, 23% reported no funding for their work.
      Barriers to work in transition were common and included health care systems
      issues such as poor coordination among providers or lack of a clear transition
      plan within the clinic/institution. CONCLUSIONS: Psychologists assume numerous
      roles in the transition of adolescents from pediatric to adult health care. With
      training in health care transition-related issues, psychologists are ideally
      positioned to partner with other health professionals to develop and implement
      transition programs in multidisciplinary settings, provided health care system
      barriers can be overcome.

PMID- 26499857
TI  - Prevalence of Sexual Experience and Initiation of Sexual Intercourse Among
      Adolescents, Rakai District, Uganda, 1994-2011.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to identify risk factors and time trends
      for sexual experience and sexual debut in rural Uganda. METHODS: Using population
      based, longitudinal data from 15- to 19-year olds in Rakai, Uganda, we examined
      temporal trends in the prevalence of sexual experience and potential risk factors
      for sexual experience (n = 31,517 person-round observations) using logistic
      regression. We then identified factors associated with initiation of sex between
      survey rounds, using Poisson regression to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR; n
      = 5,126 person-year observations). RESULTS: Sexual experience was more common
      among adolescent women than men. The prevalence of sexual experience rose for
      most age-gender groups after 1994 and then declined after 2002. Factors
      associated with higher prevalence of sexual experience (without adjustment for
      other factors) included age, not enrolled in school, orphanhood, lower
      socioeconomic status, and drinking alcohol in the past 30 days; similar factors
      were associated with initiation of sex. Factors independently associated with
      initiation of sex included older age, nonenrollment in school (IRR = 1.7 for
      women and 1.8 for men), alcohol use (IRR = 1.3 for women and men), and being a
      double orphan among men (IRR = 1.2). Sexual experience began to decline around
      2000, whereas increases in school enrollment began as early as 1994 and declines
      in orphanhood occurred after 2004 (as antiretroviral therapy became available).
      CONCLUSIONS: Sexual experience among youth in Rakai was associated with social
      factors particularly school enrollment. Changes in these social factors also
      appear to influence change over time in sexual experience.

PMID- 26499858
TI  - Perceived Discrimination and Heavy Episodic Drinking Among African-American
      Youth: Differences by Age and Reason for Discrimination.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine whether associations between
      perceived discrimination and heavy episodic drinking (HED) vary by age and by
      discrimination type (e.g., racial, age, physical appearance) among African
      American youth. METHODS: National data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics
      Transition to Adulthood Study were analyzed. Youth participated in up to four
      interviews (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011; n = 657) between ages 18 and 25 years.
      Respondents reported past-year engagement in HED (four or more drinks for
      females, five or more drinks for males) and frequency of discriminatory acts
      experienced (e.g., receiving poor service, being treated with less courtesy).
      Categorical latent growth curve models, including perceived discrimination types
      (racial, age, and physical appearance) as a time-varying predictors of HED, were
      run. Controls for gender, birth cohort, living arrangement in adolescence,
      familial wealth, parental alcohol use, and college attendance were explored.
      RESULTS: The average HED trajectory was curvilinear (increasing followed by
      flattening), whereas perceived discrimination remained flat with age. In models
      including controls, odds of HED were significantly higher than average around
      ages 20-21 years with greater frequency of perceived racial discrimination;
      associations were not significant at other ages. Discrimination attributed to age
      or physical appearance was not associated with HED at any age. CONCLUSIONS:
      Perceived racial discrimination may be a particularly salient risk factor for HED
      around the ages of transition to legal access to alcohol among African-American
      youth. Interventions to reduce discrimination or its impact could be targeted
      before this transition to ameliorate the negative outcomes associated with HED.

PMID- 26499859
TI  - Incidence and Course of Adolescent Deliberate Self-Harm in Victoria, Australia,
      and Washington State.
AB  - PURPOSE: There have been few longitudinal studies of deliberate self-harm (DSH)
      in adolescents. This cross-national longitudinal study outlines risk and
      protective factors for DSH incidence and persistence. METHODS: Seventh and ninth
      grade students (average ages 13 and 15 years) were recruited as state
      representative cohorts, surveyed, and then followed up 12 months later (N =
      3,876), using the same methods in Washington State and Victoria, Australia. The
      retention rate was 99% in both states at follow-up. A range of risk and
      protective factors for DSH were examined using multivariate analyses. RESULTS:
      The prevalence of DSH in the past year was 1.53% in Grade 7 and .91% in Grade 9
      for males and 4.12% and 1.34% for Grade 7 and Grade 9 females, respectively, with
      similar rates across states. In multivariate analyses, incident DSH was lower in
      Washington State (odds ratio [OR] = .67; 95% confidence interval [CI] = .45-1.00)
      relative to Victoria 12 months later. Risk factors for incident DSH included
      being female (OR = 1.93; CI = 1.35-2.76), high depressive symptoms (OR = 3.52; CI
      = 2.37-5.21), antisocial behavior (OR = 2.42; CI = 1.46-4.00), and lifetime (OR =
      1.85; CI = 1.11-3.08) and past month (OR = 2.70; CI = 1.57-4.64) alcohol use
      relative to never using alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: Much self-harm in adolescents
      resolves over the course of 12 months. Young people who self-harm have high rates
      of other health risk behaviors associated with family and peer risks that may all
      be targets for preventive intervention.

PMID- 26499860
TI  - Six-months follow-up of a cluster randomized trial of school-based smoking
      prevention education programs in Aceh, Indonesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Smoking prevention programs have been taught in schools to reduce the
      high smoking prevalence and its related problems among adolescent populations.
      Although short-term benefits have been observed, the long-term effectiveness of
      such programs appear to be inconsistent. This study aims at investigating the
      long-term impact of both health and Islamic focused interventions amongst
      students in Indonesia. METHODS: At 6 months after completion of the
      interventions, 427 of the original 447 participants (control group = 128,
      intervention groups = 299) from a school-based cluster randomized control trial
      were re-assessed for their smoking knowledge, attitudes, intentions and
      behaviours using a self-report questionnaire. Data was analyzed according to the
      study's 2 * 2 factorial design with adjustment for baseline scores, school and
      classroom clustering effects and multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Compared to the
      control group, significant long term effects were found for the health-based
      intervention program in improved health (beta = 4.3 +/- 0.4, p < 0.001), Islamic
      (beta = 1.1 +/- 0.4, p = 0.01) knowledge and a reduction of smoking attitudes
      (beta = -11.5 +/- 1.8, p < 0.001). For the Islamic-based intervention programs
      there was an improvement of health (beta = 3.7 +/- 0.4, p < 0.001) and Islamic
      (beta = 2.2 +/- 0.5, p < 0.001) knowledge and a reduction towards smoking
      attitude (beta = -6.0 +/- 1.9, p < 0.01) and smoking behaviors in the past month
      (OR = 0.1, 95 % CI = 0.0-0.8, p = 0.03). The effects were greater but less than
      additive in the combined group for health (beta = -3.2 +/- 0.9, p < 0.001 for
      interaction) and Islamic knowledge (beta = -2.3 +/- 0.9, p = 0.01 for
      interaction) but were additive for smoking attitudes (beta = 6.1 +/- 3.2, p =
      0.07 for interaction). No significant effects on smoking intentions were observed
      at 6 months follow-up in the health or Islamic-based intervention programs.
      CONCLUSION: School-based programs can provide long term benefits on Indonesian
      adolescents' smoking knowledge and attitudes. Tailoring program intervention
      components with participants' religious background might maximise program
      effectiveness. A larger and more encompassing study is now required to confirm
      the effectiveness of this new Indonesia culturally-based program. Adolescents in
      similar areas might also benefit from this type of school-based smoking cessation
      program. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry,
      ACTRN12612001070820.

PMID- 26499861
TI  - Cytotoxic, anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of silver nitrate against H
      ras transformed 5RP7.
AB  - Metal based drugs have successfully been used in both the detection and treatment
      of different disease states. The antibacterial features of metal ion silver are
      well documented. Most recently, metal ion silver has been tested and applied in
      anticancer activity. The present study observed the cytotoxic, anti-proliferative
      and apoptotic effects of metal complex silver nitrate in H-ras transformed 5RP7
      cell lines for 24 h. In addition, the toxic effects of silver nitrate was
      investigated on NIH/3T3 primary mouse embryonic fibroblast cells for 24 h.
      Cytotoxic effects were determined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5
      diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) assay. Apoptosis and necrosis were evaluated by
      flow cytometric analysis (Annexin-V FITC/PI). Caspase-3 activation was researched
      by flow cytometric analysis. Apoptotic morphology was observed by DAPI staining.
      Structure and ultra-structure changes of cells were assessed using transmission
      electron microscopy. The results indicate silver nitrate has high cytotoxicity
      and a strong capacity to induce apoptosis in H-ras 5RP7 cells. Furthermore silver
      nitrate was not toxic against NIH/3T3 primary mouse embryonic fibroblast cells at
      low doses for 24 h. 

PMID- 26499862
TI  - Spontaneous remission of fully symptomatic visceral leishmaniasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), i.e., infection with Leishmania sp.
      associated with high fever, weight loss, massive splenomegaly and markedly
      altered laboratory parameters, is generally fatal if untreated. The possibility
      of transient spontaneous remission of fully symptomatic visceral leishmaniasis
      (VL) has been mentioned but, to our knowledge) has never been documented. CASE
      PRESENTATION: We report the first documented history of a patient with overt,
      confirmed VL experiencing a complete remission in the absence of any anti
      leishmanial therapy. The diagnosis of VL at the time of the self-resolving
      episode was strongly suspected based on clinical presentation and presence of
      antileishmanial antibody, then unequivocally confirmed years later by the
      presence of an amastigote on a stored smear and the positive quantitative PCR
      with Leishmania-specific primers from the material scraped from this same slide
      CONCLUSION: This report demonstrates that complete spontaneous remission may
      occur in patients with overt, fully symptomatic VL. VL should therefore be
      considered in cases of self-resolving or relapsing episodes of fever of unknown
      origin. Confirmation should be based on both serological tests and specific PCR
      on a blood sample.

PMID- 26499863
TI  - The Vat-AIEC protease promotes crossing of the intestinal mucus layer by Crohn's
      disease-associated Escherichia coli.
AB  - The aetiology of Crohn's disease (CD) involves disorders in host genetic factors
      and intestinal microbiota. Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) are
      receiving increased attention because in studies of mucosa-associated microbiota,
      they are more prevalent in CD patients than in healthy subjects. AIEC are
      associated both with ileal and colonic disease phenotypes. In this study, we
      reported a protease called Vat-AIEC from AIEC that favours the mucosa
      colonization. The deletion of the Vat-AIEC-encoding gene resulted in an adhesion
      impaired phenotype in vitro and affected the colonization of bacteria in contact
      with intestinal epithelial cells in a murine intestinal loop model, and also
      their gut colonization in vivo. Furthermore, unlike LF82Deltavat-AIEC, wild-type
      AIEC reference strain LF82 was able to penetrate a mucus column extensively and
      promoted the degradation of mucins and a decrease in mucus viscosity. Vat-AIEC
      transcription was stimulated by several chemical conditions found in the ileum
      environment. Finally, the screening of E. coli strains isolated from CD patients
      revealed a preferential vat-AIEC association with AIEC strains belonging to the
      B2 phylogroup. Overall, this study revealed a new component of AIEC virulence
      that might favour their implantation in the gut of CD patients. 

PMID- 26499864
TI  - Epigenome-Wide Association Study of Tic Disorders.
AB  - Tic disorders are moderately heritable common psychiatric disorders that can be
      highly troubling, both in childhood and in adulthood. In this study, we report
      results obtained in the first epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of tic
      disorders. The subjects are participants in surveys at the Netherlands Twin
      Register (NTR) and the NTR biobank project. Tic disorders were measured with a
      self-report version of the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale Abbreviated version
      (YGTSS-ABBR), included in the 8th wave NTR data collection (2008). DNA
      methylation data consisted of 411,169 autosomal methylation sites assessed by the
      Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip Kit (HM450k array). Phenotype and
      DNA methylation data were available in 1,678 subjects (mean age = 41.5). No
      probes reached genome-wide significance (p < 1.2 * 10(-7)). The strongest
      associated probe was cg15583738, located in an intergenic region on chromosome 8
      (p = 1.98 * 10(-6)). Several of the top ranking probes (p < 1 * 10(-4)) were in
      or nearby genes previously associated with neurological disorders (e.g., GABBRI,
      BLM, and ADAM10), warranting their further investigation in relation to tic
      disorders. The top significantly enriched gene ontology (GO) terms among higher
      ranking methylation sites included anatomical structure morphogenesis
      (GO:0009653, p = 4.6 * 10-(15)) developmental process (GO:0032502, p = 2.96 * 10(
      12)), and cellular developmental process (GO:0048869, p = 1.96 * 10(-12)).
      Overall, these results provide a first insight into the epigenetic mechanisms of
      tic disorders. This first study assesses the role of DNA methylation in tic
      disorders, and it lays the foundations for future work aiming to unravel the
      biological mechanisms underlying the architecture of this disorder.

PMID- 26499865
TI  - Organization and genomic complexity of sheep immunoglobulin light chain gene
      loci.
AB  - Sheep is the representative of the artiodactyla and is an agriculturally
      important animal, but limited knowledge is available with regard to its
      immunoglobulin genes and their expression mechanisms in the sheep. Based on the
      recently released sheep genome, we have characterized the genomic organization of
      the sheep immunoglobulin light gene loci. The sheep Iglambda locus, located on
      chromosome 17, contains 2Clambda segments each preceded by a Jlambda, but the
      Clambda2 appears to be a pseudogene. A total of 42 Vlambda segments (14
      potentially functional genes, 1 ORF and 27 pseudogenes) were identified. In
      contrast, the Igkappa locus on chromosome 3 contains only a single Ckappa gene, 3
      Jk segments and 13 Vkappa segments (8 potentially functional genes and 5
      pseudogenes). Analysis of junctions of the recombined VJ transcripts revealed a
      restricted Vlambda4-Jlambda1-Clambda1 recombination and Vk6-Jk3-Ckappa
      recombination, respectively encode most of lambda and kappa chain antibody
      repertoire in the sheep despite more potential germline encoded combinatorial
      diversity. Therefore, the sheep may use gene conversion in combination with
      somatic hypermutation for antibody repertoire formation. 

PMID- 26499866
TI  - Two cases of eosinophilic pustular folliculitis associated with pregnancy.

PMID- 26499868
TI  - A mitochondria-targeted ratiometric fluorescent probe for rapid, sensitive and
      specific detection of biological SO2 derivatives in living cells.
AB  - In this study, we report a ratiometric fluorescent probe (CZBI) for sulfur
      dioxide (SO2) derivatives based on the conjugate of carbazole and
      benzo[e]indolium, which displays colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescence dual
      response to HSO3(-). The probe can quantitatively detect HSO3(-) with high
      specificity, fast response (within 40s) as well as low detection limit (10nM). A
      1,4-nucleophilic addition reaction was proposed for the sensing mechanism of this
      probe, which was confirmed by (1)H NMR and HR-MS spectra. Fluorescence co
      localization studies demonstrated that CZBI was a specific mitochondria-targeted
      fluorescent probe for SO2 derivatives with excellent cell membrane permeability.
      Furthermore, fluorescence imaging of HeLa cells indicated that CZBI could be used
      for monitoring the intrinsically generated intracellular SO2 derivatives in
      living cells by ratiometric fluorescence imaging. Thus, CZBI has a great
      potential application for exploring the role played by SO2 derivatives in
      biology. 

PMID- 26499867
TI  - Do cognitive measures and brain circuitry predict outcomes of exercise in
      Parkinson Disease: a randomized clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is emerging research detailing the relationship between
      balance/gait/falls and cognition. Imaging studies also suggest a link between
      structural and functional changes in the frontal lobe (a region commonly
      associated with cognitive function) and mobility. People with Parkinson's disease
      have important changes in cognitive function that may impact rehabilitation
      efficacy. Our underlying hypothesis is that cognitive function and frontal lobe
      connections with the basal ganglia and brainstem posture/locomotor centers are
      responsible for postural deficits in people with Parkinson's disease and play a
      role in rehabilitation efficacy. The purpose of this study is to 1) determine if
      people with Parkinson's disease can improve mobility and/or cognition after
      partaking in a cognitively challenging mobility exercise program and 2) determine
      if cognition and brain circuitry deficits predict responsiveness to exercise
      rehabilitation. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a randomized cross-over controlled
      intervention to take place at a University Balance Disorders Laboratory. The
      study participants will be people with Parkinson's disease who meet inclusion
      criteria for the study. The intervention will be 6 weeks of group exercise (case)
      and 6 weeks of group education (control). The exercise is a cognitively
      challenging program based on the Agility Boot Camp for people with PD. The
      education program is a 6-week program to teach people how to better live with a
      chronic disease. The primary outcome measure is the MiniBESTest and the secondary
      outcomes are measures of mobility, cognition and neural imaging. DISCUSSION: The
      results from this study will further our understanding of the relationship
      between cognition and mobility with a focus on brain circuitry as it relates to
      rehabilitation potential. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered at
      clinical trials.gov (NCT02231073).

PMID- 26499869
TI  - Ratiometric electrochemiluminescent strategy regulated by electrocatalysis of
      palladium nanocluster for immunosensing.
AB  - This work designed a novel ratiometric electrochemiluminescence (ECL)
      immunosensing approach based on two different ECL emitters: CdS quantum dots
      (QDs) as cathodic emitter and luminol as anodic emitter. The ECL immunosensor was
      constructed by a layer-by-layer modification of CdS QDs, Au nanoparticles and
      capture antibody on a glassy carbon electrode. With hydrogen peroxide as ECL
      coreactant, the immunosensor showed a cathodic ECL emission of CdS QDs at -1.5 V
      (vs Ag/AgCl) in air-saturated pH 8.0 buffer. Upon the formation of sandwich
      immunoassay, the lumiol/palladium nanoclusters (Pd NCs)@graphene oxide probe was
      introduced to the electrode. Therefore, the cathodic ECL intensity decreased and
      luminol anodic ECL emission was appeared at +0.3 V (vs Ag/AgCl) owing to the
      competition of the coreactant of hydrogen peroxide. Using carcino-embryonic
      antigen as model, this ratiometric ECL strategy could be used for immunoassay
      with a linear range of 1.0-100 pg mL(-1) and a detection limit of 0.62 pg mL(-1).
      The enhanced ratiometric ECL signal resulted from the high density and excellent
      electrocatalysis of the loaded Pd NCs. The immunosensor exhibited good stability
      and acceptable fabrication reproducibility and accuracy, showing a great
      promising for clinical application. This electrocatalysis-regulated ratiometric
      ECL provides a new concept for ECL measurement, and could be conveniently
      extended for detection of other protein biomarkers.

PMID- 26499870
TI  - Intense charge transfer surface based on graphene and thymine-Hg(II)-thymine base
      pairs for detection of Hg(2.).
AB  - In this article, we developed an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor with a
      high-intensity charge transfer interface for Hg(2+) detection based on Hg(II)
      induced DNA hybridization. The sensor was fabricated by the following simple
      method. First, graphene oxide (GO) was electrochemically reduced onto a glassy
      carbon electrode through cyclic voltammetry. Then, amino-labeled double-stranded
      (ds)DNA was assembled on the electrode surface using 1-pyrenebutyric acid N
      hydroxysuccinimide as a linker between GO and DNA. The other terminal of dsDNA,
      which was labeled with biotin, was linked to CdSe quantum dots via biotin-avidin
      interactions. Reduced graphene oxide has excellent electrical conductivity. dsDNA
      with T-Hg(II)-T base pairs exhibited more facile charge transfer. They both
      accelerate the electron transfer performance and sensitivity of the sensor. The
      increased ECL signals were logarithmically linear with the concentration of
      Hg(II) when Hg(2+) was present in the detection solution. The linear range of the
      sensor was 10(-11) to 10(-8)mol/L (R=0.9819) with a detection limit of 10(
      11)mol/L. This biosensor exhibited satisfactory results when it was used to
      detect Hg(II) in real water samples. The biosensor with high-intense charge
      transfer performance is a prospect avenue to pursue more and more sensitive
      detection method. 

PMID- 26499871
TI  - Multifunctional catalytic platform for peroxidase mimicking, enzyme
      immobilization and biosensing.
AB  - A hybrid platform based on ionic liquid-based alkoxysilane functionalized
      mesoporous silica was applied for the synthesis of supported Pt nanoparticles
      with peroxidase-like catalytic activity. The positively charged groups
      (imidazolium) chemically bonded to the surface provide dual-functionality as ion
      exchangers to the hybrid material, firstly used for the in situ synthesis of the
      highly dispersed Pt nanostructures and, secondly, for the immobilization of
      biological species aiming biosensing purposes. The peroxidase-like catalytic
      activity of the SiO2/Imi/Pt material was evaluated towards the H2O2-mediated
      oxidation of a chromogenic peroxidase substrate (TMB), allowing the colorimetric
      detection of H2O2. Finally, to further explore the practical application of this
      nanomaterial-based artificial system, glucose oxidase (GOx) was immobilized on
      the catalytic porous platform and a bioassay for the colorimetric determination
      of glucose was successfully conducted as a model system. The enzyme-like
      catalytic properties of the SiO2/Imi/Pt as well as its ability to immobilize and
      keep active biological entities on the porous structure indicate that this hybrid
      porous platform is potentially useful for the development of biosensing devices. 

PMID- 26499872
TI  - Tumour necrosis factor-alpha-mediated disruption of cerebrovascular endothelial
      barrier integrity in vitro involves the production of proinflammatory interleukin
      6.
AB  - The co-involvement of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6
      (IL-6) during blood-brain barrier (BBB) injury has been reported in various
      models of neuroinflammation, although the precise functional interplay between
      these archetypal proinflammatory cytokines remains largely undefined within this
      context. In the current paper, we tested the hypothesis that TNF-alpha-mediated
      BBB disruption is measurably attributable in-part to induction of microvascular
      endothelial IL-6 production. In initial experiments, we observed that treatment
      of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMvECs) with TNF-alpha (0-100
      ng/mL, 0-24 h) robustly elicited both time- and dose-dependent induction of IL-6
      expression and release, as well as expression of the IL-6 family receptor, GP130.
      Further experiments demonstrated that the TNF-alpha-dependent generation of
      reactive oxygen species, down-regulation of adherens/tight junction proteins, and
      concomitant elevation of HBMvEC permeability, were all significantly attenuated
      by blockade of IL-6 signalling using either an anti-IL-6 neutralizing antibody or
      an IL-6 siRNA. Based on these observations, we conclude that TNF-alpha treatment
      of HBMvECs in vitro activates IL-6 production and signalling, events that were
      shown to synergize with TNF-alpha actions to elicit HBMvEC permeabilization.
      These novel findings offer a constructive insight into the specific contribution
      of downstream cytokine induction to the injurious actions of TNF-alpha at the BBB
      microvascular endothelium interface. The co-involvement of tumour necrosis factor
      alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) during blood-brain barrier (BBB)
      injury has been widely reported. Using human brain microvascular endothelial
      cells (HBMvEC), we show that TNF-alpha-mediated BBB disruption is measurably
      attributable in-part to induction of endothelial IL-6 production and signalling.
      We demonstrate that the TNF-alpha-dependent generation of reactive oxygen species
      (ROS), down-regulation of interendothelial junctions, and concomitant elevation
      of HBMvEC permeability, could be significantly attenuated by using either an IL-6
      neutralizing antibody or an IL-6-specific siRNA. These findings provide insight
      into the complex nature of proinflammatory cytokine injury at the BBB
      microvascular endothelium interface.

PMID- 26499874
TI  - Editorial Comment from Dr Haddad and Dr Margulis to Prognostic factors of
      recurrent disease in upper urinary tract urothelial cancer after radical
      nephroureterectomy: Subanalysis of the multi-institutional national database of
      the Japanese Urological Association.

PMID- 26499875
TI  - Central corneal sensitivity after small incision lenticule extraction versus
      femtosecond laser-assisted LASIK for myopia: a meta-analysis of comparative
      studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate central corneal sensitivity
      after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) versus femtosecond laser
      assisted laser in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) for myopia. METHODS: Eligible
      studies were identified by systematically searching PubMed, the Cochrane Library,
      Embase and the Chinese Biomedicine Database. Central corneal sensitivity after
      SMILE versus FS-LASIK was assessed by the pooled weighted mean differences (WMDs)
      of the reduction from pre-operation levels to 1 week, 1, 3 and 6 months following
      the operation. The quality of the included literature was assessed by the Quality
      Index. Data were synthesized by Stata 12.0 SE for Windows. RESULTS: Five studies
      involving 245 patients (363 eyes; 189 eyes in the FS-LASIK group and 174 eyes in
      the SMILE group) were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results showed
      that there were no significant differences in central corneal sensitivity between
      FS-LASIK and SMILE before surgery (WMD = 0 mm, 95 % CI: -0.23 to -0.23, p =
      0.998). At 1 week, 1 and 3 months after surgery, the central corneal sensitivity
      after FS-LASIK was lower than with SMILE (WMD = -17.35 mm, 95 % CI: -26.54 to 
      8.16, p <0.001; WMD = -17.52 mm, 95 % CI: -25.10 to -9.94, p <0.001; WMD = -14.64
      mm, 95 % CI: -20.08 to -9.21, p <0.001, respectively). However, central corneal
      sensitivity after FS-LASIK was similar with SMILE 6 months after surgery (WMD = 
      2.02 mm, 95 % CI: -4.23 to 0.19, p = 0.074). CONCLUSION: Central corneal
      sensitivity exhibited a small decrease and a faster recovery after the SMILE
      procedure compared to FS-LASIK during the first three postoperative months.
      Corneal sensitivity after SMILE and FS-LASIK was similar at 6 months after
      surgery. However, these results should be interpreted with caution due to the
      limited number of studies.

PMID- 26499877
TI  - Entropy of corneal nerve fibers distribution observed by laser scanning confocal
      microscopy: A noninvasive quantitative method to characterize the corneal
      innervation in Sjogren's syndrome patients.
AB  - Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is a progressive autoimmune condition mainly affecting
      the salivary and lacrimal glands with an incidence of primary SS between 1/100
      and 1/1,000. SS implies an alteration in the epithelium and subepithelium
      innervation, with consequent reduction of corneal sensitivity. It is necessary to
      have noninvasive quantitative methods to characterize the status of the corneal
      nerve fibers of the patients in order to choose and follow the best therapy.
      Entropy (information dimension) of the nerve corneal fibers distribution observed
      by confocal microscopy was evaluated in patients with primary SS (n = 30, 6
      males, 24 females, 21-81 years), diagnosed by biopsy of salivary gland and blood
      tests and in sex- age-matched healthy subjects (n = 12). Corneal nerve fiber
      density, Langerhans cell count, and cell density in the nerve plexus images were
      also evaluated. In selected patients salivary gland atrophy degree was also
      evaluated. Nerve corneal distribution observed by confocal microscopy is fractal.
      Entropy of the corneal nerve distribution statistically distinguishes between SS
      patients and healthy subjects: patients present a lower value of information
      dimension of the corneal nerve fibers distribution than healthy individuals (P <
      0.001). Percentage of grouped cases classified by entropy according to the
      subjects (selected patients vs. healthy) showed a 100% sensitivity and 96%
      specificity, P < 0.0001 with a low value of coefficient of variation among the
      individuals (6-7 times lower than the other morphometric indexes). Entropy
      correlated with the severity of the disease (salivary gland atrophy degree, P <
      0.01). Evaluation of entropy of the corneal nerve distribution observed by a
      laser confocal microscopy appears to quantitatively and noninvasively
      characterize an aspect of the SS patients in relation to the recognition of an
      impairment of their ocular surface, giving us for the first time a method to
      objectively and precisely characterize the corneal innervation status in the SS
      patients.

PMID- 26499876
TI  - Quercetin suppresses immune cell accumulation and improves mitochondrial gene
      expression in adipose tissue of diet-induced obese mice.
AB  - SCOPE: To examine the effect of dietary quercetin on the function of epididymal
      adipose tissue (EAT) in Western diet-induced obese mice. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      C57BL/6J mice were fed a control diet; a Western diet high in fat, cholesterol,
      and sucrose; or the same Western diet containing 0.05% quercetin for 18 weeks.
      Supplementation with quercetin suppressed the increase in the number of
      macrophages, the decrease in the ratio of CD4(+) to CD8(+) T cells in EAT, and
      the elevation of plasma leptin and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels in mice fed
      the Western diet. Comprehensive gene expression analysis revealed that quercetin
      suppressed gene expression associated with the accumulation and activation of
      immune cells, including macrophages and lymphocytes in EAT. It also improved the
      expression of the oxidative stress-sensitive transcription factor NFkappaB, NADPH
      oxidases, and antioxidant enzymes. Quercetin markedly increased gene expression
      associated with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial DNA
      content. CONCLUSION: Quercetin most likely universally suppresses the
      accumulation and activation of immune cells, including antiinflammatory cells,
      whereas it specifically increased gene expression associated with mitochondrial
      oxidative phosphorylation. Suppression of oxidative stress and NFkappaB activity
      likely contributed to the prevention of the accumulation and activation of immune
      cells and resulting chronic inflammation.

PMID- 26499878
TI  - Association between ultrasound features of adenomyosis and severity of menstrual
      pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between the ultrasound features of
      adenomyosis and the severity of menstrual pain. METHODS: This was a prospective
      observational study set in the general gynecology clinic of a university teaching
      hospital between January 2009 and January 2010. A total of 718 consecutive
      premenopausal women aged between 17 and 55 years attended the clinic and
      underwent structured clinical and transvaginal ultrasound examinations in
      accordance with the study protocol. Morphological features of adenomyosis on
      ultrasound scan were recorded systematically. A quantitative assessment of
      menstrual pain was made by completion of a numerical rating scale (NRS). RESULTS:
      One hundred and fifty-seven (21.9% (95% CI, 18.8-24.9%)) women were diagnosed
      with adenomyosis on ultrasound. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that
      an ultrasound diagnosis of adenomyosis and ultrasound and laparoscopic diagnoses
      of endometriosis were significantly associated with menstrual pain when measured
      by an NRS. In addition, there was a statistically significant positive
      correlation between the severity of menstrual pain and the number of ultrasound
      features of adenomyosis seen. CONCLUSIONS: Women with ultrasound features of
      adenomyosis have more severe menstrual pain than do women without these features.
      The positive correlation between the number of ultrasound features of adenomyosis
      and the severity of menstrual pain could form the basis of a clinically relevant
      grading system for adenomyosis. A classification of severity of adenomyosis based
      on the number of ultrasound features present is a novel concept that should be
      evaluated prospectively in different populations. Copyright (c) 2015 ISUOG.
      Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PMID- 26499879
TI  - General practice and specialist palliative care teams: an exploration of their
      working relationship from the perspective of clinical staff working in New
      Zealand.
AB  - With the future focus on palliative and end-of-life care provision in the
      community, the role of the general practice team and their relationship with
      specialist palliative care providers is key to responding effectively to the
      projected increase in palliative care need. Studies have highlighted the
      potential to improve co-ordination and minimise fragmentation of care for people
      living with palliative care need through a partnership between generalist
      services and specialist palliative care. However, to date, the exact nature of
      this partnership approach has not been well defined and debate exists about how
      to make such partnerships work successfully. The aim of this study was to explore
      how general practice and specialist palliative care team (SPCT) members view
      their relationship in terms of partnership working. Five focus group discussions
      with general practices and SPCT members (n = 35) were conducted in 2012 in two
      different regions of New Zealand and analysed using a general inductive approach.
      The findings indicate that participants' understanding of partnership working was
      informed by their identity as a generalist or specialist, their existing rules of
      engagement and the approach they took towards sustaining the partnership.
      Considerable commitment to partnership working was shown by all participating
      teams. However, their working relationship was based primarily on trust and
      personal liaison, with limited formal systems in place to enable partnership
      working. Tensions between the cultures of 'generalism' and 'specialism' also
      provided challenges for those endeavouring to meet palliative care need
      collaboratively in the community. Further research is required to better
      understand the factors associated with successful partnership working between
      general practices and specialist palliative care in order to develop robust
      strategies to support a more sustainable model of community palliative care.

PMID- 26499880
TI  - Influence of oval and circular post placement using different resin cements on
      push-out bond strength and void volume analysed by micro-CT.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the percentage volume of voids within cement layers, to
      determine the push-out bond strength of circular and oval fibre posts luted with
      different commercial resin cements in oval cross-sectional root canals, and to
      correlate push-out bond strength values and volume of voids of circular and oval
      fibre posts. METHODOLOGY: Seventy-two mandibular premolars with oval-shaped root
      canals were selected. The specimens were divided into two main groups according
      to the post type (oval and circular). Groups were further divided into three
      subgroups (n = 24) according to resin cement type: Maxcem Elite, Rely-X Unicem
      and Duo-Link. The volumes of voids within the cements were analysed by micro
      computed tomography (micro-CT). The bond strength was then measured using a push
      out test with an Instron universal testing machine. The failure modes were
      evaluated. Statistical analyses were performed using a three-way anova, Tukey's
      post hoc, Pearson's correlation and chi-square test (P = 0.05). RESULTS: The push
      out bond strength values were significantly affected by root canal region, post
      type and cement type (P < 0.001). Root canal region, post type and cement type
      also significantly affected void volume (P < 0.001). There was a significant
      interaction between post type and cement type (P < 0.001). The most frequent
      failure type was adhesive failure in all the groups. There was no significant
      correlation between the push-out bond strength and void volume (P > 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Void volume did not affect push-out bond strength of oval and
      circular posts luted in oval canals.

PMID- 26499882
TI  - Three-dimensional motions of distal syndesmosis during walking.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The motion of the distal syndesmosis correlates highly with the
      instability, while an accurate kinematic description of the distal tibiofibular
      joint during normal gait has not previously been presented. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Sixteen healthy syndesmoses of sixteen living subjects (8 male and 8 female) were
      studied during stance phase of the normal gait. Data of CT scanning were
      collected first and used to create the 3D models of the distal tibia and fibula.
      The lateral X-ray images of the syndesmosis were captured by fluoroscopy when the
      subject was walking. Seven key-pose images were selected for subsequent 3D to 2D
      bone model registration and six degrees-of-freedom (DOF) motions of syndesmosis
      were then calculated. A validation experiment was also conducted to confirm the
      accuracy of the 3D/2D technique for the syndesmosis. RESULTS: During the stance
      phase, the distal tibiofibular joint exhibited with 2.98 +/- 1.10 degrees  of
      dorsi/plantarflexion, 5.94 +/- 1.52 degrees  of inversion/eversion, and 5.99 +/-
      2.00 degrees  of internal/external rotation; 2.63 +/- 1.05 mm on medial/lateral,
      3.86 +/- 1.65 mm on anterior/posterior, and 4.12 +/- 1.53 mm on superior/inferior
      translation. From heel strike to mid-stance, the syndesmosis demonstrated 1.69
      degrees  of dorsiflexion, 3.61 degrees  of eversion, and 3.95 degrees  of
      external rotation. Likewise, from mid-stance to heel-off, the syndesmosis
      presented 1.04 degrees  of plantarflexion, 4.95 degrees  of inversion, and 5.13
      degrees  of internal rotation. CONCLUSION: During the stance phase of normal
      gait, internal/external rotation and vertical motion play dominant roles in terms
      of rotation and translation, respectively.

PMID- 26499881
TI  - Lower limb biomechanical characteristics of patients with neuropathic diabetic
      foot ulcers: the diabetes foot ulcer study protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Foot ulceration is the main precursor to lower limb amputation in
      patients with type 2 diabetes worldwide. Biomechanical factors have been
      implicated in the development of foot ulceration; however the association of
      these factors to ulcer healing remains less clear. It may be hypothesised that
      abnormalities in temporal spatial parameters (stride to stride measurements),
      kinematics (joint movements), kinetics (forces on the lower limb) and plantar
      pressures (pressure placed on the foot during walking) contribute to foot ulcer
      healing. The primary aim of this study is to establish the biomechanical
      characteristics (temporal spatial parameters, kinematics, kinetics and plantar
      pressures) of patients with plantar neuropathic foot ulcers compared to controls
      without a history of foot ulcers. The secondary aim is to assess the same
      biomechanical characteristics in patients with foot ulcers and controls over-time
      to assess whether these characteristics remain the same or change throughout
      ulcer healing. METHODS/DESIGN: The design is a case-control study nested in a six
      month longitudinal study. Cases will be participants with active plantar
      neuropathic foot ulcers (DFU group). Controls will consist of patients with type
      2 diabetes (DMC group) and healthy participants (HC group) with no history of
      foot ulceration. Standardised gait and plantar pressure protocols will be used to
      collect biomechanical data at baseline, three and six months. Descriptive
      variables and primary and secondary outcome variables will be compared between
      the three groups at baseline and follow-up. DISCUSSION: It is anticipated that
      the findings from this longitudinal study will provide important information
      regarding the biomechanical characteristic of type 2 diabetes patients with
      neuropathic foot ulcers. We hypothesise that people with foot ulcers will
      demonstrate a significantly compromised gait pattern (reduced temporal spatial
      parameters, kinematics and kinetics) at base line and then throughout the follow
      up period compared to controls. The study may provide evidence for the design of
      gait-retraining, neuro-muscular conditioning and other approaches to off-load the
      limbs of those with foot ulcers in order to reduce the mechanical loading on the
      foot during gait and promote ulcer healing.

PMID- 26499883
TI  - Mycorrhiza alters the profile of root hairs in trifoliate orange.
AB  - Root hairs and arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) coexist in root systems for nutrient
      and water absorption, but the relation between AM and root hairs is poorly known.
      A pot study was performed to evaluate the effects of four different AM fungi
      (AMF), namely, Claroideoglomus etunicatum, Diversispora versiformis,
      Funneliformis mosseae, and Rhizophagus intraradices on root hair development in
      trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata) seedlings grown in sand. Mycorrhizal
      seedlings showed significantly higher root hair density than non-mycorrhizal
      seedlings, irrespective of AMF species. AMF inoculation generally significantly
      decreased root hair length in the first- and second-order lateral roots but
      increased it in the third- and fourth-order lateral roots. AMF colonization
      induced diverse responses in root hair diameter of different order lateral roots.
      Considerably greater concentrations of phosphorus (P), nitric oxide (NO),
      glucose, sucrose, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) were
      found in roots of AM seedlings than in non-AM seedlings. Levels of P, NO,
      carbohydrates, IAA, and MeJA in roots were correlated with AM formation and root
      hair development. These results suggest that AMF could alter the profile of root
      hairs in trifoliate orange through modulation of physiological activities. F.
      mosseae, which had the greatest positive effects, could represent an efficient AM
      fungus for increasing fruit yields or decreasing fertilizer inputs in citrus
      production.

PMID- 26499884
TI  - Speckle tracking analysis allows sensitive detection of stress cardiomyopathy in
      severe aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: Stress cardiomyopathy is a common life-threatening complication after
      aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). We hypothesized that left ventricular
      (LV) longitudinal strain alterations assessed with speckle tracking could
      identify early systolic function impairment. METHODS: This was an observational
      single-center prospective pilot controlled study conducted in a neuro-intensive
      care unit. Forty-six patients with severe SAH with a World Federation of
      Neurological Surgeons grade (WFNS) >= III were included. Transthoracic
      echocardiography (TTE) was performed on day 1, day 3, and day 7 after the
      patient's admission. A cardiologist blinded to the patient's management analyzed
      the LV global longitudinal strain (GLS). The control group comprised normal
      subjects matched according to gender and age. RESULTS: On day 1 median (25th-75th
      percentile) GLS was clearly impaired in SAH patients compared to controls [-16.7
      (-18.7/-13.7) % versus -20 (-22/-19) %, p < 0.0001], whereas LVEF was preserved
      [65 (59-70) %]. GLS was severely impaired in patients with a WFNS score of V
      versus III-IV [-15.6 (-16.9/-12.3) % versus -17.8 (-20.6/-15.8) %, p = 0.008].
      Seventeen (37 %) patients had a severe GLS alteration (>- 16 %). In these
      patients, GLS improved from day 1 [-12.4 (-14.8/-10.9) %] to last evaluation [
      16.2 (-19/-14.6) %, p = 0.0007] in agreement with the natural evolution of stress
      cardiomyopathy. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of LV GLS assessment, we demonstrated
      for the first time that myocardial alteration compatible with a stress
      cardiomyopathy is detectable in up to 37 % of patients with severe SAH while LVEF
      is preserved. GLS could be used for sensitive detection of stress cardiomyopathy.
      This is critical because cardiac impairment remains a major cause of morbidity
      and mortality after SAH.

PMID- 26499885
TI  - Prevalence of obesity and overweight and associated factors among financial
      institution workers in Accra Metropolis, Ghana: a cross sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Certain professions are associated with low physical activity.
      Workers in such professions spend the most part of their adult working lives less
      engaged in physical activity if they don't consciously exercise outside of
      working hours. This increases their risk of obesity and its associated diseases.
      This study determined the prevalence of obesity and overweight and associated
      factors among workers of a financial institution in Accra Metropolis, Ghana.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 180 workers of a financial
      institution in Accra using the World Health Organization's STEPS (STEPwise
      approach) instrument for non-communicable disease risk factor surveillance.
      Relevant sociodemographic information were recorded and BMI was computed for each
      respondent. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of obesity and overweight among the
      bank workers was 55.6 % (17.8 % obese and 37.8 % overweight). After adjusting for
      other variables, physical activity (OR = 0.34, 95 % CI = 0.13-0.89, p = 0.03),
      alcohol consumption (OR = 3.00, 95 % CI = 1.35, 6.68, p = 0.007), marital status
      (OR = 2.74, 95 % CI = 0.96-7.85, p = 0.04), sex (OR = 2.78, 95 % CI = 1.23-6.33,
      p = 0.01), and age (OR = 1.10, 95 % CI = 1.01-1.20, p = 0.036) were significantly
      associated with obesity and overweight. CONCLUSION: Being physically inactive,
      consumption of alcohol, being married and a female, in addition to old age,
      increase the risk of obesity and overweight significantly. These factors should
      inform policy makers in developing strategies to reduce the burden of obesity and
      overweight among this category of workers.

PMID- 26499886
TI  - Suppressive effects of microRNA-16 on the proliferation, invasion and metastasis
      of hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
AB  - miR-16 is known to be abnormally expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
      cells, and the overexpression of miR-16 inhibits the proliferation, invasion and
      metastasis of various cancer cells. MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are closely
      related to the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of HCC. The present study
      aimed to explore the effects of miR-16 on the proliferation, invasion and
      metastasis of HCC cells, and to elucidate the mechanisms involved. A cell line
      with moderate levels of miR-16 expression was selected from the SMMC-7721, HepG2,
      SK-Hep-1 and Huh-7 HCC cells and validated by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR).
      The effects of miR-16 on HCC cell viability were determined by MTT assay; cell
      migration and invasion were determined by Transwell cell invasion assay, and
      apoptosis was determined by flow cytometery (FCM). Western blot analysis was used
      to measure the expression levels of the apoptosis-related proteins, Bax, Bcl-2,
      matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, as well as to examine epithelial
      mesenchymal transition (EMT), and E-cadherin, vimentin, and phosphatidylinositol
      3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway-related protein expression. The mRNA
      expression levels of miR-16 were highest in the SMMC-7721 cells and lowest in the
      SK-Hep-1 and Huh-7 cells; moderate levels were observed in the HepG2 cells. The
      HepG2 cell line was selected as the cell line for use in the follow-up
      experiments, where we measured cell viability, and the expression of PI3k/Akt,
      Bax, Bcl-2, MMP-2 and MMP-9, and E-cadherin and vimentin. miR-16 overexpression
      significantly inhibited the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of the HepG2
      cells, as shown by western blot analysis. This was achieved through the
      upregulation of Bax expression, the downregulation of Bcl-2 expression and the
      decrease in the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9. In addition the expression of E
      cadherin increased and vimentin expression decreased. miR-16 overexpression
      inhibited PI3K expression and Akt phosphorylation. The results of this study
      suggest that the overexpression of miR-16 inhibits the proliferation, invasion
      and metastasis of HepG2 HCC cells, and that these effects are associated with the
      PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

PMID- 26499887
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of Brassica napus pod using RNA-Seq and identification of
      lipid-related candidate genes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Brassica napus is an important oilseed crop. Dissection of the
      genetic architecture underlying oil-related biological processes will greatly
      facilitates the genetic improvement of rapeseed. The differential gene expression
      during pod development offers a snapshot on the genes responsible for oil
      accumulation in. To identify candidate genes in the linkage peaks reported
      previously, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology to analyze the pod
      transcriptomes of German cultivar Sollux and Chinese inbred line Gaoyou. METHODS:
      The RNA samples were collected for RNA-Seq at 5-7, 15-17 and 25-27 days after
      flowering (DAF). Bioinformatics analysis was performed to investigate
      differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene annotation analysis was integrated
      with QTL mapping and Brassica napus pod transcriptome profiling to detect
      potential candidate genes in oilseed. RESULTS: Four hundred sixty five and two
      thousand, one hundred fourteen candidate DEGs were identified, respectively,
      between two varieties at the same stages and across different periods of each
      variety. Then, 33 DEGs between Sollux and Gaoyou were identified as the candidate
      genes affecting seed oil content by combining those DEGs with the quantitative
      trait locus (QTL) mapping results, of which, one was found to be homologous to
      Arabidopsis thaliana lipid-related genes. DISCUSSION: Intervarietal DEGs of lipid
      pathways in QTL regions represent important candidate genes for oil-related
      traits. Integrated analysis of transcriptome profiling, QTL mapping and
      comparative genomics with other relative species leads to efficient
      identification of most plausible functional genes underlying oil-content related
      characters, offering valuable resources for bettering breeding program of
      Brassica napus. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided a comprehensive overview on the
      pod transcriptomes of two varieties with different oil-contents at the three
      developmental stages.

PMID- 26499889
TI  - Monocot and dicot MLO powdery mildew susceptibility factors are functionally
      conserved in spite of the evolution of class-specific molecular features.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Specific members of the plant Mildew Locus O (MLO) protein family act
      as susceptibility factors towards powdery mildew (PM), a worldwide-spread fungal
      disease threatening many cultivated species. Previous studies indicated that
      monocot and dicot MLO susceptibility proteins are phylogenetically divergent.
      METHODS: A bioinformatic approach was followed to study the type of evolution of
      Angiosperm MLO susceptibility proteins. Transgenic complementation tests were
      performed for functional analysis. RESULTS: Our results show that monocot and
      dicot MLO susceptibility proteins evolved class-specific conservation patterns.
      Many of them appear to be the result of negative selection and thus are likely to
      provide an adaptive value. We also tested whether different molecular features
      between monocot and dicot MLO proteins are specifically required by PM fungal
      species to cause pathogenesis. To this aim, we transformed a tomato mutant
      impaired for the endogenous SlMLO1 gene, and therefore resistant to the tomato PM
      species Oidium neolycopersici, with heterologous MLO susceptibility genes from
      the monocot barley and the dicot pea. In both cases, we observed restoration of
      PM symptoms. Finally, through histological observations, we demonstrate that both
      monocot and dicot susceptibility alleles of the MLO genes predispose to
      penetration of a non-adapted PM fungal species in plant epidermal cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: With this study, we provide insights on the evolution and function
      of MLO genes involved in the interaction with PM fungi. With respect to breeding
      research, we show that transgenic complementation assays involving
      phylogenetically distant plant species can be used for the characterization of
      novel MLO susceptibility genes. Moreover, we provide an overview of MLO protein
      molecular features predicted to play a major role in PM susceptibility. These
      represent ideal targets for future approaches of reverse genetics, addressed to
      the selection of loss-of-function resistant mutants in cultivated species.

PMID- 26499888
TI  - Co-expression of the carbamoyl-phosphate synthase 1 gene and its long non-coding
      RNA correlates with poor prognosis of patients with intrahepatic
      cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - The mechanisms leading to high rates of malignancy and recurrence of human
      intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) remain unclear. It is difficult to diagnose
      and assess the prognosis of patients with ICC in the clinic due to the lack of
      specific biomarkers. In addition, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been
      reported to serve important roles in certain types of tumorigenesis however a
      role in ICC remains to be reported. The aim of the current study was to screen
      for genes and lncRNAs that are abnormally expressed in ICC and to investigate
      their biological and clinicopathological significance in ICC. The global gene and
      lncRNA expression profiles in ICC were measured using bioinformatics analysis.
      Carbamoyl-phosphate synthase 1 (CPS1) and its lncRNA CPS1 intronic transcript 1
      (CPS1-IT1) were observed to be upregulated in ICC. The expression of CPS1 and
      CPS1-IT1 was measured in 31 tissue samples from patients with ICC and a number of
      cell lines. The effects of CPS1 and CPS1-IT1 on the proliferation and apoptosis
      of the ICC-9810 cell line were measured. In addition, the clinicopathological
      features and survival rates of patients with ICC with respect to the gene and
      lncRNA expression status were analyzed. CPS1 and CPS1-IT1 were co-upregulated in
      ICC tissues compared with non-cancerous tissues. Knockdown of CPS1 andor CPS1-IT1
      reduced the proliferation and increased the apoptosis of ICC-9810 cells.
      Additionally, clinical analysis indicated that CPS1 and CPS1-IT1 were associated
      with poor liver function and reduced survival rates when the relative expression
      values were greater than 4 in cancer tissues. The comparisons between the high
      CPS1 expression group and the low expression group indicated significant
      differences in international normalized ratio (P=0.048), total protein (P=0.049),
      indirect bilirubin (P=0.025), alkaline phosphatase (P=0.003) and disease-free
      survival (P=0.034). In addition, there were differential trends in CA19-9
      (P=0.068), globulin (P=0.052) and total bilirubin (P=0.066). The comparisons
      between the high CPS1-IT1 expression group and the low expression group indicated
      significant differences in lymphatic invasion (P=0.045), carbohydrate antigen 19
      9 (P=0.044), disease-free survival (P=0.026), and non-significant differential
      trends in alkaline phosphatase were observed (P=0.085). In conclusion, CPS1 and
      CPS1-IT1 may serve an important role in ICC development by promoting the
      proliferation of ICC cells. Furthermore, CPS1 and CPS1-IT1 were associated with
      poor liver function and reduced survival rates. Thus, CPS1 and CPS1-IT1 may be
      potential prognostic indicators for patients with ICC. 

PMID- 26499890
TI  - Adequacy of Help Received by Individuals with Severe Mental Disorders After a
      Major Healthcare Reform in Quebec: Predictors and Changes at 5-Year Follow-Up.
AB  - This study assessed predictors and changes in adequacy of help received (AHR), as
      perceived by 204 individuals with severe mental disorders (SMDs) transferred from
      a mental health institution to the community following a key healthcare reform.
      Adjusted perceived AHR remained stable after 2 years (T1), but decreased at 5
      year follow-up (T2). Predictors of higher adjusted perceived AHR are age,
      severity of needs, help received from services and relatives, and number of
      health professionals consulted. Community mental health services need to address
      the two major predictors of adjusted perceived AHR: severity of needs among
      individuals with SMDs and level of help from services.

PMID- 26499891
TI  - Self-establishing communities enable cooperative metabolite exchange in a
      eukaryote.
AB  - Metabolite exchange among co-growing cells is frequent by nature, however, is not
      necessarily occurring at growth-relevant quantities indicative of non-cell
      autonomous metabolic function. Complementary auxotrophs of Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae amino acid and nucleotide metabolism regularly fail to compensate for
      each other's deficiencies upon co-culturing, a situation which implied the
      absence of growth-relevant metabolite exchange interactions. Contrastingly, we
      find that yeast colonies maintain a rich exometabolome and that cells prefer the
      uptake of extracellular metabolites over self-synthesis, indicators of ongoing
      metabolite exchange. We conceived a system that circumvents co-culturing and
      begins with a self-supporting cell that grows autonomously into a heterogeneous
      community, only able to survive by exchanging histidine, leucine, uracil, and
      methionine. Compensating for the progressive loss of prototrophy, self
      establishing communities successfully obtained an auxotrophic composition in a
      nutrition-dependent manner, maintaining a wild-type like exometabolome, growth
      parameters, and cell viability. Yeast, as a eukaryotic model, thus possesses
      extensive capacity for growth-relevant metabolite exchange and readily cooperates
      in metabolism within progressively establishing communities. 

PMID- 26499892
TI  - Small nucleolar RNA U91 is a new internal control for accurate microRNAs
      quantification in pancreatic cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: RT-qPCR quantification of miRNAs expression may play an essential
      role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) diagnostics. RT-qPCR-based
      experiments require endogenous controls for the result normalization and
      reliability. However, expression instability of reference genes in tumors may
      introduce bias when determining miRNA levels. METHODS: We investigated expression
      of 6 miRNAs, isolated from FFPE samples of pancreatic adenocarcinomas. Four
      internal controls were utilized for RT-qPCR result normalization: artificial miR
      39 from C. elegans, U6 snRNA, miR-16 and snoRNA U91. RESULTS: We found miR-21,
      miR-155 or miR-217 expression values in tumors may differ up to several times,
      depending on selected internal controls. Moreover, different internal controls
      can produce controversial results for miR-96, miR-148a or miR-196a
      quantification. Also, expression of our endogenous controls varied significantly
      in tumors. U6 demonstrated variation from -1.03 to 8.12-fold, miR-16 from -2.94
      up to 7.38-fold and the U91 from -3.05 to 4.36-fold respectively. On the other
      hand, the most stable gene, determined by NormFinder algorithm, was U91. Each
      miRNA normalized relatively to the spike or U91, demonstrated similar expression
      values. Thus, statistically significant and insignificant differences between
      tumors and normal tissues for miRNAs were equal for the spike and the U91. Also,
      the differences between the spike and U91 were statistically insignificant for
      all of miRs except miR-217. Among three endogenous controls, U91 had the lowest
      average expression values and standard deviation in cancer tissues. CONCLUSIONS:
      We recommend U91 as a new normalizer for miRNA quantification in PDACs.

PMID- 26499893
TI  - Bacterial RNAs activate innate immunity in Arabidopsis.
AB  - The common molecular patterns of microbes play a critical role in the regulation
      of plant innate immunity. However, little is known about the role of nucleic
      acids in this process in plants. We pre-infiltrated Arabidopsis leaves with total
      RNAs from Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pto DC3000) and subsequently
      inoculated these plants with the same bacterial cells. Total Pto DC3000 RNAs pre
      infiltrated into Arabidopsis leaves elicited plant immune responses against Pto
      DC3000. However, sheared RNAs and RNase A application failed to induce immunity,
      suggesting that intact bacterial RNAs function in plant innate immunity. This
      notion was supported by the positive regulation of superoxide anion levels,
      callose deposition, two mitogen-activated protein kinases and defense-related
      genes observed in bacterial RNA-pre-treated leaves. Intriguingly, the Pto DC3000
      population was not compromised in known pattern recognition receptor mutants for
      chitin, flagellin and elongation factor-Tu (EF-Tu). Plant defense-related mutant
      analyses further revealed that bacterial RNA-elicited innate immunity was
      normally required for salicylic and jasmonic acid signaling. Notably, among total
      RNAs, the abundant bacterial RNA species 16S and 23S ribosomal RNAs were the
      major determinants of this response. Our findings provide evidence that bacterial
      RNA serves as a microbe-associated molecular pattern in plants. 

PMID- 26499896
TI  - A new polyketide, penicillolide from the marine-derived fungus Penicillium
      sacculum.
AB  - A new polyketide, penicillolide (1) was isolated from the fermentation broth of
      the marine-derived fungus Penicillium sacculum GT-308. Compound 1 is a polyketide
      with a unique carbon skeleton. The structure of this compound was established via
      extensive spectroscopic analyses including 1D-, 2D-NMR, and HRESI-MS. 

PMID- 26499894
TI  - c-di-GMP signalling and the regulation of developmental transitions in
      streptomycetes.
AB  - The complex life cycle of streptomycetes involves two distinct filamentous cell
      forms: the growing (or vegetative) hyphae and the reproductive (or aerial)
      hyphae, which differentiate into long chains of spores. Until recently, little
      was known about the signalling pathways that regulate the developmental
      transitions leading to sporulation. In this Review, we discuss important new
      insights into these pathways that have led to the emergence of a coherent
      regulatory network, focusing on the erection of aerial hyphae and the synchronous
      cell division event that produces dozens of unigenomic spores. In particular, we
      highlight the role of cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) in controlling the initiation of
      development, and the role of the master regulator BldD in mediating c-di-GMP
      signalling. 

PMID- 26499897
TI  - Arylation with Diaryliodonium Salts.
AB  - This chapter focuses on recent developments in metal-free and metal-catalyzed
      arylations with diaryliodonium salts (diaryl-lambda3-iodanes). Synthetic routes
      to diaryliodonium salts are briefly described, and chemoselectivity trends with
      unsymmetric iodonium salts are discussed.

PMID- 26499895
TI  - Gut biogeography of the bacterial microbiota.
AB  - Animals assemble and maintain a diverse but host-specific gut microbial
      community. In addition to characteristic microbial compositions along the
      longitudinal axis of the intestines, discrete bacterial communities form in
      microhabitats, such as the gut lumen, colonic mucus layers and colonic crypts. In
      this Review, we examine how the spatial distribution of symbiotic bacteria among
      physical niches in the gut affects the development and maintenance of a resilient
      microbial ecosystem. We consider novel hypotheses for how nutrient selection,
      immune activation and other mechanisms control the biogeography of bacteria in
      the gut, and we discuss the relevance of this spatial heterogeneity to health and
      disease. 

PMID- 26499898
TI  - Health care professionals' and students' attitude toward collaboration between
      pharmacists and physicians in Croatia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As traditional roles of pharmacists and physicians seem nowadays
      insufficient to ensure patient safety and therapy effectiveness,
      interprofessional collaboration has been suggested to improve health outcomes.
      OBJECTIVE: To assess and compare the attitudes of physicians and pharmacists, as
      well as medical and pharmacy students in Croatia, toward interprofessional
      collaboration in primary health care. METHODS: The study included 513 pharmacists
      and physicians, and 365 students of pharmacy and medicine from Croatia. The
      validated questionnaire, Scale of Attitudes Toward Physician-Pharmacist
      Collaboration, was translated in Croatian and completed, anonymously and
      voluntarily, by all participants. Results Pharmacists showed a more positive
      attitude toward collaboration than physicians (53.8 +/- 4.8 vs. 50.7 +/- 5.0).
      Pharmacy students expressed the most positive attitude (56.2 +/- 4.9), while
      medical students showed the remarkably lowest attitude toward collaboration (44.6
      +/- 6.2). CONCLUSION: Pharmacists and physicians in Croatia expressed a
      relatively positive attitude toward their collaboration, comparable with their
      colleges in the USA. On the other hand, medical students expressed a 21 % less
      positive attitude than pharmacy students which could have an effect on
      interprofessional collaboration in the future when those students start working
      as health care professionals. Future studies, focusing on the promotion of this
      collaboration, on both under-graduated and post-graduated level, are warranted.

PMID- 26499899
TI  - Elevated circulating monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1/CCL-2) level may
      be an unfavorable predictive factor to platinum- and taxane-based combination
      chemotherapy in patients with gastric cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1/CCL-2) is a member of the CC
      chemokine family and a potent chemotactic factor for monocytes that regulate
      migration and infiltration of monocytes and macrophages. It plays an important
      role in the pathogenesis of multiple malignancies, and its expression strongly
      also affects the outcomes of cancer patients. The objective of this study was to
      determine the clinical significance of the serum levels of MCP-1/CCL-2 in gastric
      cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 78 patients diagnosed with
      gastric cancer were enrolled in this study. Serum MCP-1/CCL-2 concentrations were
      determined by the solid-phase sandwich ELISA method. Age- and sex-matched 30
      healthy controls were included in the analysis. RESULTS: The median age at
      diagnosis was 60 years, range 21-84 years. The baseline serum MCP-1/CCL-2
      concentrations of the gastric cancer patients were significantly higher than of
      healthy subjects (p < 0.001). The known clinical variables including gender, age,
      site of lesion, histopathology, tumor size, lymph node involvement, and stage of
      disease were not found to be correlated with serum MCP-1/CCL-2 concentrations (p
      > 0.05). However, a significant relationship was shown between serum MCP-1/CCL-2
      levels and response to chemotherapy (p = 0.05). Chemotherapy non-responsive
      patients had higher serum MCP-1/CCL-2 concentrations. Serum MCP-1/CCL-2
      concentrations were not associated with prognosis on both progression-free and
      overall survival (p = 0.53 and p = 0.39, respectively). CONCLUSION: Elevated
      circulating MCP-1/CCL-2 level may be an unfavorable predictive factor to
      chemotherapy based on platinum and taxane in patients with gastric cancer.
      However, serum MCP-1/CCL-2 concentrations were not associated with prognosis on
      both progression-free and overall survival.

PMID- 26499900
TI  - Phase 1a/1b and pharmacogenetic study of docetaxel, oxaliplatin and capecitabine
      in patients with advanced cancer of the stomach or the gastroesophageal junction.
AB  - PURPOSE: The prognosis of gastroesophageal cancer is poor, and current regimens
      are associated with limited efficacy. The purpose of this study was to explore
      the safety and preliminary efficacy of docetaxel, oxaliplatin plus capecitabine
      for advanced cancer of the stomach or the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ).
      Secondary objectives included pharmacokinetic and pharmacogenetic analyses.
      METHODS: Patients were treated in escalating dose levels with docetaxel and
      oxaliplatin (both on day 1), plus capecitabine b.i.d. on days 1-14 every 3 weeks,
      to determine the dose-limiting toxicity and maximum tolerated dose (MTD). An
      expansion cohort was treated at the MTD. A total of ten polymorphisms in
      pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic candidate genes were analyzed and tested for
      association with treatment outcome. RESULTS: A total of 34 evaluable patients
      were enrolled. The MTD was docetaxel 50 mg/m(2), oxaliplatin 100 mg/m(2) plus
      capecitabine 850 mg/m(2) b.i.d. The median number of treatment cycles was 6
      (range 2-8). Grade >= 3 toxicities included neutropenia (24 %), leukocytopenia
      (15 %), febrile neutropenia (12 %), fatigue (9 %) and diarrhea (6 %). The overall
      response rate was 45 %; two patients achieved a complete response. Median
      progression-free survival and overall survival were 6.5 months (95 % CI 5.4-7.6)
      and 11.0 months (95 % CI 7.9-14.1), respectively. The polymorphisms ERCC1 354C>T,
      TYMS 1053C>T and rs2612091 in ENOSF1 were associated with severe toxicity; ERCC1
      354C>T and ERCC2 2251A>C were associated with poor progression-free survival.
      CONCLUSION: Docetaxel, oxaliplatin plus capecitabine are a well-tolerable, safe
      and effective treatment regimen for patients with advanced cancer of the stomach
      or GEJ. Pharmacogenetic markers in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic candidate
      genes may be predictive for treatment outcome.

PMID- 26499901
TI  - The isoflavone content of two new alfalfa-derived products for instant beverage
      preparation.
AB  - The frequent use of plant-based products to promote health leads to the search
      for scientific information related to efficacy and safety of those products for
      human consumption. Two alfalfa-derived products (ADP), freeze-dried juice (FDJ)
      and dehydrated powder (DP), from alfalfa harvested in Mexico, are being developed
      as new possible nutraceuticals. To the best of our knowledge, any study reports
      the real composition of such products used to prepare instant beverages in what
      concerns isoflavone contents. Seven isoflavones (glycitein, formononetin,
      biochanin A, daidzein, genistein, daidzin and genistin) were assessed by HPLC-DAD
      analysis as well as its variation in five different batches of these products.
      Different solvents were tested in order to choose the best one to extract
      isoflavones. The results showed the presence of daidzein, genistein, genistin and
      daidzin in most samples while glycitein, formononetin and biochanin A were not
      detected. Significant differences between isoflavone contents were found with
      different solvent systems. Water was the best option to extract daidzein (0.40
      1.08 mg per unit and 1.30-4.90 mg per unit for DP and FDJ, respectively) whereas
      the water-methanol-formic acid mixture was efficient to extract genistein (0.19
      0.43 mg per unit and 0.15-0.72 mg per unit for DP and FDJ, respectively). In all
      cases, the total isoflavone content was higher in freeze-dried juices than in
      dehydrated powders. Genistein and daidzein were the more abundant isoflavones
      quantified. Further physiological and nutritional studies are needed to complete
      the validation of effectiveness and safety of these products. 

PMID- 26499903
TI  - Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with nested polymerase chain reaction
      analysis in enucleated eye ball in Eales' disease.
AB  - Nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) was performed on enucleated eyeball for
      detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) genome in a patient with Eales'
      disease. PCR analysis in all previous studies has been done mainly using aqueous,
      vitreous and epiretinal membranes from these patients. Paraffin wax embedded
      tissue section of the enucleated eyeball was analyzed by histopathology and nPCR
      targeting MPB64 gene and IS6110 region of M. tb genome. Lymphocytic infiltration
      was seen in the vitreous, iris and the retinal tissue. Ziehl Neelsen stain was
      negative for acid fast bacilli. Caseation necrosis was not seen in any section.
      Agarose gel electrophoretogram showed positive results with 200 bp specific
      amplified product targeting MPB64 gene, whereas nPCR targeting IS6110 region was
      negative. Since biopsy proven M. tb is extremely difficult in ocular tissues due
      to extensive necrosis, the nPCR technique aided in the diagnosis. 

PMID- 26499904
TI  - Surface-Induced Dissociation Mass Spectra as a Tool for Distinguishing Different
      Structural Forms of Gas-Phase Multimeric Protein Complexes.
AB  - One attractive feature of ion mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS) lies in its
      ability to provide experimental collision cross section (CCS) measurements, which
      can be used to distinguish different conformations that a protein complex may
      adopt during its gas-phase unfolding. However, CCS values alone give no detailed
      information on subunit structure within the complex. Consequently, structural
      characterization typically requires molecular modeling, which can have
      uncertainties without experimental support. One method of obtaining direct
      experimental evidence on the structures of these intermediates is utilizing gas
      phase activation techniques that can effectively dissociate the complexes into
      substructures while preserving the native topological information. The most
      commonly used activation method, collision-induced dissociation (CID) with low
      mass target gases, typically leads to unfolding of monomers of a protein complex.
      Here, we describe a method that couples IM-MS and surface-induced dissociation
      (SID) to dissociate the source-activated precursors of three model protein
      complexes: C-reactive protein (CRP), transthyretin (TTR), and concanavalin A (Con
      A). The results of this study confirm that CID involves the unfolding of the
      protein complex via several intermediates. More importantly, our experiments also
      indicate that retention of similar CCS between different intermediates does not
      guarantee retention of structure. Although CID spectra (at a given collision
      energy) of source-activated, mass-selected precursors do not distinguish between
      native-like, collapsed, and expanded forms of a protein complex, dissociation
      patterns and/or average charge states of monomer products in SID of each of these
      forms are unique. 

PMID- 26499905
TI  - Rational regional distribution of sugarcane cultivars in China.
AB  - Knowing yield potential and yield stability of sugarcane cultivars is of
      significance in guiding sugarcane breeding and rationalising regional
      distribution of sugarcane cultivars. In the present study, a heritability
      adjusted genotype main effect plus genotype * environment (HA-GGE) biplot program
      was used to analyze the cane and sucrose yields of 44 newly released sugarcane
      cultivars at eight pilot test sites. The cane and sucrose yields of nine
      cultivars were higher than those of the control cultivar ROC22. From the
      perspective of cane yield, cultivars FN 40 and YZ 06-407 were well adapted to a
      wider range of conditions and produced relatively high cane yields in several
      pilot sites. From the perspective of sucrose yield, cultivars LC 03-1137, FN 38,
      FN 41, MT 01-77 and LC 05-136 were well adapted to a wide range of conditions and
      produced relatively high sucrose yields. Based on these results, three high
      yielding and widely adapted cultivars, namely, FN 39, LC 05-136, and YZ 05-51
      were recommended for production in three major Chinese sugarcane planting areas.
      The results will provide a theoretical basis for recommending the effective use
      and rational regional distribution of sugarcane cultivars in China. 

PMID- 26499907
TI  - Bifunctional Ce(1-x)Eu(x)O2 (0 <=x<= 0.3) nanoparticles for photoluminescence and
      photocatalyst applications: an X-ray absorption spectroscopy study.
AB  - Ce1-xEuxO2 (0 <=x<= 0.3) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by the chemical
      precipitation method. The microstructures and morphology were characterized by
      synchrotron X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron
      microscopy. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra at the Eu M5,4
      edge and atomic-multiplet calculations revealed that Eu(3+) was predominantly
      present in the CeO2 lattice and Eu(2+) was negligibly present within the entire
      doping range. The detailed analysis of the Ce M5,4-edge and the O K-edge has
      shown strong dependence of the Ce(3+)/Ce(4+) ratio and oxygen vacancy with Eu
      content. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra at the Ce K
      edge, along with theoretical fitting, have shown systematic variation in the
      coordination number, bond length and Debye-Waller factor with Eu doping. A blue
      shift in the absorption edge was observed which implies a net increase in the
      charge transfer gap between the O 2p and Ce 4f bands due to the increased number
      of Ce(3+) ions in the Eu doped samples. The excitation and emission spectra of
      pure CeO2 NPs did not show any photoluminescence (PL) characteristic; however,
      Ce1-xEuxO2 (x = 0.1-0.3) NPs showed significant improvements in the 4f-4f, (5)D0
      (7)F2 and (5)D0-(7)F1 transitions induced luminescence properties. Eu doping has
      two major effects on the electronic structure and optical properties of CeO2 NPs:
      the first, at an Eu content of 10 mol%, is the formation of Ce(4+)-O-Eu(3+)
      networks, i.e., Eu(3+) ions substitute the Ce(4+) ions and introduce oxygen
      vacancies and Ce(3+) ions in the host lattice, which favors the (5)D0-(7)F2
      induced PL properties. The other, at an Eu doping over 10 mol%, is the formation
      of both Ce(4+)-O-Eu(3+) and Ce(3+)-O-Eu(3+), i.e., Eu(3+) ions not only take
      substitutional sites of Ce(4+) ions but also replace a fraction of Ce(3+) ions in
      the CeO2 lattice which favors (5)D0-(7)F1 induced PL properties. As an
      application of CeO2 NPs towards the degradation of water pollutants, we
      demonstrated that the Ce1-xEuxO2 (0 <=x<= 0.3) NPs can serve as effective
      photocatalyst materials towards the degradation of the methyl-orange aqueous
      pollutant dye under UV light irradiation. 

PMID- 26499906
TI  - Usefulness of Intraoperative Computer Tomography-Assisted Thoracoscopic
      Segmentectomy for Small-Sized Lung Cancer.
AB  - We report the case of a patient who had synchronous primary lung cancers in the
      left upper lobe (S(1+2)a, S(1+2)c), and underwent S(1+2) segmentectomy. The
      lesion in S(1+2)c was non-palpable, and the location was confirmed using
      intraoperative computed tomography (CT) scan. After A(1+2) and B(1+2) had been
      cut, the intersegmental border was marked with clips and intraoperative CT was
      performed. After confirming the correct anatomical intersegmental border and the
      resection margin was sufficient, we cut the intersegmental border. The two
      lesions were both adenocarcinomas. Intraoperative CT was useful for confirming
      the locations of non-palpable lesions and anatomical intersegmental borders. 

PMID- 26499910
TI  - A microsimulation model for the development and progression of chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease that is
      thought to affect over one million people in Great Britain. The main factor
      contributing to the development of COPD is tobacco smoke. This paper presents a
      microsimulation model for the development of COPD, incorporating population
      dynamics and trends in smoking. The model simulates a population longitudinally
      throughout their lifetimes, providing projections of future COPD prevalence and
      evaluation of the effects of changes in risk factor prevalence such as smoking.
      Sensitivity analysis provides information on the most influential model
      parameters. The model-predicted prevalence of COPD in 2040 was 17% in males over
      the age of 35 years (13% amongst non-smokers and 22% amongst smokers), and a
      modest decline over the next 25 years due to recent trends in smoking rates. The
      simulation model provides us with valuable information on current and future
      trends in COPD in Great Britain. It was developed primarily to enable easy
      extension to evaluate the effects of occupational and environmental exposures on
      lung function and the prevalence of COPD and to allow evaluation of
      interventions, such as introducing health surveillance or policy changes. As
      longitudinal studies for investigating COPD are difficult due to the lengthy
      follow-up time required and the potentially large number of drop-outs, we
      anticipate that the model will provide a valuable tool for health impact
      assessment. An extended model for occupational exposures is under development and
      will be presented in a subsequent paper. 

PMID- 26499911
TI  - A replication study of 49 Type 2 diabetes risk variants in a Punjabi Pakistani
      population.
AB  - AIM: The burden of Type 2 diabetes is alarmingly high in South Asia, a region
      that has many genetically diverse ethnic populations. Genome-wide association
      studies (GWAS) conducted largely in European populations have identified a number
      of loci predisposing to Type 2 diabetes risk, however, the relevance of such
      genetic loci in many South Asian sub-ethnicities remains elusive. The aim of this
      study was to replicate 49 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously
      identified through GWAS in Punjabis living in Pakistan. METHODS: We examined the
      association of 49 SNPs in 853 Type 2 diabetes cases and 1945 controls using
      additive logistic regression models after adjusting for age and gender. RESULTS:
      Of the 49 SNPs investigated, eight showed a nominal association (P < 0.05) that
      also remained significant after controlling for the false discovery rate. The
      most significant association was found for rs7903146 at the TCF7L2 locus. For a
      per unit increase in the risk score comprising of all the 49 SNPs, the odds ratio
      in association with Type 2 diabetes risk was 1.16 (95% CI 1.13-1.19, P < 2.0E
      16). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that some Type 2 diabetes susceptibility
      loci are shared between Europeans and Punjabis living in Pakistan.

PMID- 26499912
TI  - MicroRNA-616 promotes the migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition of HCC by targeting PTEN.
AB  - MicroRNAs, which can post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression by binding
      to the 3'-untranslated regions of the mRNAs, have been found to be the critical
      regulators of the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
      The present study demonstrated for the first time that microRNA-616 (miR-616) was
      markedly upregulated in HCC tissues, and was associated with the recurrence and
      metastasis of HCC. Elevated level of miR-616 was correlated with adverse
      clinicopathological features and poor prognosis of HCC patients. Gain- and loss
      of-function studies revealed that miR-616 could potentiate the migration,
      invasion and the epithelial-mesenchymal transtion (EMT) phenotype of HCC cells.
      Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), the predicted target of miR-616 by
      bioinformatics analysis, was confirmed as a direct downstream target of miR-616
      through western blotting, luciferase reporter and immunohistochemical assays.
      Furthermore, we demonstrated that miR-616 exerted the promoting effects on EMT
      and metastatic ability of HCC cells through suppressing PTEN expression. Based on
      these results, we conclude that miR-616 is a promising prognostic biomarker of
      HCC and targeting miR-616 may be a potential option to prevent the progression of
      HCC.

PMID- 26499913
TI  - Screening and identification of five serum proteins as novel potential biomarkers
      for cured pulmonary tuberculosis.
AB  - Rapid and efficient methods for the determination of cured tuberculosis (TB) are
      lacking. A total of 85 differentially expressed serum proteins were identified by
      iTRAQ labeling coupled with two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry (2D LC-MS/MS) analysis (fold change >1.50 or <0.60, P < 0.05). We
      validated albumin (ALB), Rho GDP-dissociation inhibitor 2 (ARHGDIB), complement 3
      (C3), ficolin-2 (FCN2), and apolipoprotein (a) (LPA) using the enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Significantly increased ALB and LPA levels (P
      = 0.036 and P = 0.012, respectively) and significantly reduced ARHGDIB, C3, and
      FCN2 levels (P < 0.001, P = 0.035, and P = 0.018, respectively) were observed in
      cured TB patients compared with untreated TB patients. In addition, changes in
      ALB and FCN2 levels occurred after 2 months of treatment (P < 0.001 and P =
      0.030, respectively). We established a cured TB model with 87.10% sensitivity,
      79.49% specificity, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.876. The results
      indicated that ALB, ARHGDIB, C3, FCN2, and LPA levels might serve as potential
      biomarkers for cured TB. Our study provides experimental data for establishing
      objective indicators of cured TB and also proposes potential markers for
      evaluating the efficacy of anti-TB drugs.

PMID- 26499914
TI  - Laparoscope-assisted intestinal lengthening using an anterior flap in jejunal
      atresia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Jejunal atresia with short bowel syndrome is an unusual type of
      jejunoileal atresia. They present with jejunal atresia near the ligament of
      Treitz and a foreshortened small bowel. In this paper, we report our preliminary
      experience to emphasize the advantages and feasibility of enteroplasty for
      intestinal lengthening and primary anastomosis with an anterior flap in jejunal
      atresia with short bowel syndrome in neonates. METHODS: Between January 2014 and
      December 2014, four neonates with jejunal atresia and short bowel syndrome were
      submitted to this procedure in our hospital. Enteroplasty for intestinal
      lengthening procedures was accomplished in all the neonates by laparoscopic
      assisted procedure. The procedure was manually performed after exteriorization of
      the atretic bowel via the slightly enlarged umbilical port site incision.
      RESULTS: The mean operative time was 80 min (range 65-110 min). Blood loss was
      minimal. There was no mortality or surgical complication so far. The median
      follow-up duration was 14.5 months (range 9-20 months). In all the cases, the
      autonomy for oral/enteric feeding was obtained within 1 month after surgery. One
      neonate was readmitted because of associated cholestasis 1 month after the
      operation, and was cured by conservative therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Enteroplasty for
      intestinal lengthening and primary anastomosis with an anterior flap is a safe
      and feasible technique that could allow increased tolerance to oral/enteric
      feeding, thereby improves their chances for quality survival.

PMID- 26499916
TI  - Effects of comprehensive intensive therapies on the change of intima-media
      thickness of carotid arteries in type 2 diabetic patients: A report of 4-year
      follow-up with a literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim was to evaluate the effect of comprehensive intensive therapy
      on the carotid and femoral arteries of intima-media thickness in patients with
      type 2 diabetes mellitus after 4-year follow-up. METHODS: In this prospective 4
      year study, patients (N = 210) with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes received
      either comprehensive intensive therapy (n = 110) or conventional therapy (n =
      100). Blood pressure, blood glucose and lipid levels were monitored every 3-6
      months, and carotid and femoral arteries of intima-media thickness were monitored
      with ultrasonography. For the literature review, various databases were searched
      until 20 December 2014 for studies that evaluated effects of intensive multi
      factorial therapies on comprehensive intensive therapy in type 2 diabetes
      mellitus patients. RESULTS: The comprehensive intensive therapy group had a
      smaller rate of carotid intima-media thickness increase than the conventional
      therapy (control) group (p < 0.05). The carotid intima-media thickness in
      comprehensive intensive therapy group remained stable while the adjusted rate of
      carotid intima-media thickness increase was 12.55% in the control group. The
      femoral intima-media thickness change was also smaller in comprehensive intensive
      therapy group but the difference over time did not reach significance.
      CONCLUSION: The carotid intima-media thickness remained stable in type 2 diabetes
      mellitus patients who received comprehensive intensive therapy, suggesting that
      multi-factorial intensive therapies might have potential in reducing macro
      vascular events in these patients.

PMID- 26499915
TI  - Magnitude, treatment, and impact of diabetes mellitus in patients hospitalized
      with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction: A community-based study.
AB  - PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To examine differences in the characteristics, treatment
      practices and in-hospital outcomes of patients with and without previously
      diagnosed diabetes hospitalized for non-ST segment elevation myocardial
      infarction. KEY METHODS: The study cohort consisted of 3916 patients diagnosed
      with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction at all 11 central MA medical
      centres between 1999 and 2009, of whom 1475 (38%) had been previously diagnosed
      with diabetes. MAIN RESULTS: Diabetic patients were more likely to have received
      treatment with effective cardiac medications, and to have undergone coronary
      bypass surgery, but were less likely to have received a percutaneous coronary
      intervention, than non-diabetic patients. Patients with a history of diabetes
      were more likely to have developed cardiogenic shock, heart failure and died
      during their index hospitalization than non-diabetic patients. MAIN CONCLUSION:
      Diabetic patients presenting with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction
      remain at high risk of developing significant clinical complications during
      hospitalization.

PMID- 26499917
TI  - Prevalence of macro- and microvascular complications in patients with type 2
      diabetes and kidney disease with or without albuminuria in a single Chinese
      Diabetes Centre.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between diabetic retinopathy,
      neuropathy and low ankle-brachial index in mild-to-moderate chronic kidney
      disease of type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: We enrolled 875 type 2 diabetic
      patients who were divided into two phenotypes (with or without albuminuria) and
      stratified into three groups (stage 1 with estimated glomerular filtration rate ?
      90 mL/min/1.73 m(2), stage 2 with estimated glomerular filtration rate of 60-89,
      stage 3 with estimated glomerular filtration rate of 30-59). The prevalence of
      diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy and low ankle-brachial index was compared and
      the risk factors of renal impairment were determined. RESULTS: Among chronic
      kidney disease stages, the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy increased from
      42.5%, 56.6% to 66.7% in albuminuric subjects and from 29.4%, 33.0% to 50.0% with
      no significant trend in normoalbuminuric subjects (p = 0.005, 0.007 and 0.399
      compared with albuminuric subjects in each stage). There was a significantly
      increased prevalence of low ankle-brachial index (17.5%, 22.6% and 44.4%) in
      normoalbuminuric subjects but no significant trend in albuminuric subjects.
      Diabetic retinopathy (odds ratio = 2.474, 95% confidence interval = 1.009-6.068)
      was an independent risk factor of declining kidney function in albuminuric
      patients. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was graded according
      to the estimated glomerular filtration rate declining in albuminuric patients
      while the prevalence of low ankle-brachial index was gradually increased in
      normoalbuminuric patients, indicating the diverse underlying mechanisms of mild
      to moderate chronic kidney disease between these two phenotypes.

PMID- 26499918
TI  - Vancomycin AUC24 /MIC Ratio in Patients with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus
      aureus Pneumonia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vancomycin is the treatment of choice for serious methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. The area under the
      concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 hr (AUC24 )/minimum inhibitory
      concentration (MIC) ratio was recently introduced as a parameter for assessing
      clinical outcome by S. aureus. This study was purposed to apply the vancomycin
      AUC24 /MIC in patients with MRSA pneumonia. METHODS: Forty-seven patients with
      confirmed lower respiratory infection caused by MRSA during 2011 were enrolled.
      All patients were treated with vancomycin. Clinical characteristics and
      laboratory data were collected. AUC24 /MIC values were calculated as previously
      reported and patients were divided into two groups based on the bacteriologic
      response, which was eradicated or not, and an AUC24 /MIC value (above or below
      400). RESULTS: MRSA infections were eradicated in 39 patients but 8 patients had
      persistent MSRA infection in the following cultures. The mean AUC24 /MIC values
      and vancomycin concentrations were not statistically different between patients
      with and without MRSA eradication. All 13 patients with a vancomycin MIC of 2
      mg/L had an AUC24 /MIC below 400. CONCLUSION: AUC24 /MIC might not be a reliable
      indicator for assessing treatment response of vancomycin in MRSA pneumonia.
      Relationship between vancomycin AUC24 /MIC and therapeutic outcome needs to
      undergo further studies, including sufficiently large sample size.

PMID- 26499919
TI  - MicroRNA-519 enhances HL60 human acute myeloid leukemia cell line proliferation
      by reducing the expression level of RNA-binding protein human antigen R.
AB  - Previous studies have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRs) are involved in cell
      apoptosis. However, the role of miR-519 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has yet
      to be elucidated. The present study identified the effects of miR-519 on HL60
      human acute myeloid leukemia cell growth and apoptosis. The expression levels of
      miR-519 were examined in AML cells, as well as AML tissue samples. Furthermore,
      cell viability and apoptosis were examined in HL60 cells transfected with miR-519
      mimics, miR-519 inhibitors or a negative control. In addition, the effects of
      human antigen R (HuR) on cell apoptosis were investigated using specific small
      interfering RNA targeting HuR. The results demonstrated that the expression
      levels of miR-519 were significantly increased in the AML cells and the tissue
      samples, suggesting that miR-519 may contribute to abnormal HL60 cell
      proliferation. Upregulation of miR-519 expression decreased HL60 cell viability
      and induced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, knockdown of HuR reduced cell migration
      and enhanced cell apoptosis. The results of the present study indicate that miR
      519 may contribute to HL60 cell apoptosis by regulating the expression of HuR. 

PMID- 26499921
TI  - A Phase 1 Study of Intravitreous E10030 in Combination with Ranibizumab in
      Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the safety and tolerability of E10030 (Fovista; Ophthotech,
      New York, NY), a platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) antagonist, when
      administered in combination with an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor
      (VEGF) agent, ranibizumab (Lucentis; Genentech, South San Francisco, CA) 0.5 mg,
      by intravitreal injection in participants with neovascular age-related macular
      degeneration (NVAMD). DESIGN: Prospective phase 1 clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: A
      total of 23 participants diagnosed with NVAMD and aged 50 years or older were
      enrolled. METHODS: Part 1 included 15 participants. Three participants received a
      single intravitreal E10030 (0.03 mg) injection and were subsequently given
      intravitreal ranibizumab (0.5 mg) injections at weeks 2, 6, and 10. Twelve
      participants (3 per group) received E10030 (0.03, 0.3, 1.5, or 3.0 mg) in
      combination with ranibizumab (0.5 mg) at day 0, month 1, and month 2 in an
      ascending manner. In Part 2 (8 participants), E10030 (0.3, 1.5, or 3.0 mg) in
      combination with ranibizumab (0.5 mg) was injected at day 0, month 1, and month
      2. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Safety at week 12 was the primary outcome and included
      assessment of vital signs, laboratory tests, and serial eye examinations. Other
      safety metrics included assessment through week 24 of Early Treatment of Diabetic
      Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) visual acuity (VA) and biomarker changes evaluated by
      optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fluorescein angiography (FA). RESULTS: All
      doses of intravitreal E10030 administered in combination with ranibizumab were
      well tolerated. No dose-limiting toxicities or relevant safety events were noted
      at any dose level during the study. Investigators did not report adverse events
      related to E10030 or ranibizumab. Mean VA change was a gain of 14 letters, and
      59% of participants gained >=15 letters from baseline at week 12. On FA at week
      12, there was an 85.5% mean reduction from baseline in choroidal
      neovascularization (CNV) size. On OCT at the week 12 visit, there was a mean
      decrease in center point thickness and central subfield thickness of 38.9% and
      33.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal E10030 administered at doses up to
      3 mg in combination with ranibizumab was well tolerated without evidence of
      systemic or ocular toxicity in participants with NVAMD. The changes in both mean
      VA and imaging biomarkers suggest a favorable short-term safety profile for the
      combination therapy of E10030 and ranibizumab.

PMID- 26499922
TI  - Inhibitory effect of carbonyl reductase 1 on ovarian cancer growth via tumor
      necrosis factor receptor signaling.
AB  - We investigated the mechanisms of the inhibitory effect of carbonyl reductase 1
      (CR1) on ovarian cancer growth mediated by the activation of the tumor necrotic
      factor receptor (TNFR) pathway. OVCAR-3 and TOV21G cells overexpressing CR1 were
      constructed by transfecting them with CR1 cDNA by lipofection. CR1-overexpressing
      and control OVCAR-3 and TOV21G cells were injected subcutaneously into nude mice
      and the tumor growth was compared between the two groups for 3-4 weeks. The
      expression of TNFR1 and TNFR2 in tumors was examined immunohistochemically at the
      end of the experiment. Expression levels of caspase-8 and -3 activated by TNFR1,
      c-Jun activated by TNFR2, and NF-kappaB activated by both TNFR1 and TNFR2 were
      determined using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Tumor growth was
      significantly suppressed in mice injected with CR1-overexpressing cells. Tumor
      volume in the CR1 induction group decreased temporarily until 2 weeks. Tumor cell
      membranes in both CR1 induction and control groups were positive for TNFR1
      expression; however, total protein levels did not differ between the two groups.
      TNFR-2 expression was comparatively weak in both groups. The expression of NF
      kappaB and c-Jun was weaker in the CR1 induction group than in control. In
      contrast, caspase-8 and -3 expression was higher in the CR1 induction group.
      Furthermore, the number of apoptotic cells was significantly greater in tumors
      that appeared after injections of both types of CR1-overexpressing cells than in
      those of control cancer cells. These results suggest that CR1 induces apoptosis
      by activating the caspase pathway via binding to TNFR1.

PMID- 26499920
TI  - Cataract Surgery Outcomes in Uveitis: The Multicenter Uveitis Steroid Treatment
      Trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the visual outcomes of cataract surgery in eyes that received
      fluocinolone acetonide implant or systemic therapy with oral corticosteroids and
      immunosuppression during the Multicenter Uveitis Steroid Treatment (MUST) Trial.
      DESIGN: Nested prospective cohort study of patients enrolled in a randomized
      clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: Patients that underwent cataract surgery during the
      first 2 years of follow-up in the MUST Trial. METHODS: Visual outcomes of
      cataract surgery were evaluated 3, 6, and 9 months after surgery using
      logarithmic visual acuity charts. Change in visual acuity over time was assessed
      using a mixed-effects model. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Best-corrected visual acuity.
      RESULTS: After excluding eyes that underwent cataract surgery simultaneously with
      implant surgery, among the 479 eyes in the MUST Trial, 117 eyes (28 eyes in the
      systemic, 89 in the implant group) in 82 patients underwent cataract surgery
      during the first 2 years of follow-up. Overall, visual acuity increased by 23
      letters from the preoperative visit to the 3-month visit (95% confidence interval
      [CI], 17-29 letters; P < 0.001) and was stable through 9 months of follow-up.
      Eyes presumed to have a more severe cataract, as measured by inability to grade
      vitreous haze, gained an additional 42 letters (95% CI, 34-56 letters; P < 0.001)
      beyond the 13-letter gain in eyes that had gradable vitreous haze before surgery
      (95% CI, 9-18 letters; P < 0.001) 3 months after surgery, making up for an
      initial difference of -45 letters at the preoperative visit (95% CI, -56 to -34
      letters; P < 0.001). Black race, longer time from uveitis onset, and hypotony
      were associated with worse preoperative visual acuity (P < 0.05), but did not
      affect postsurgical recovery (P > 0.05, test of interaction). After adjusting for
      other risk factors, there was no significant difference in the improvement in
      visual acuity between the 2 treatment groups (implant vs. systemic therapy, 2
      letters; 95% CI, -10 to 15 letters; P = 0.70). CONCLUSIONS: Cataract surgery
      resulted in substantial, sustained, and similar visual acuity improvement in the
      eyes of patients with uveitis treated with the fluocinolone acetonide implant or
      standard systemic therapy.

PMID- 26499923
TI  - Dynamic balance in elite karateka.
AB  - In karate, balance control represents a key performance determinant. With the
      hypothesis that high-level athletes display advanced balance abilities, the
      purpose of the current study was to quantitatively investigate the motor
      strategies adopted by elite and non-elite karateka to maintain balance control in
      competition. The execution of traditional karate techniques (kihon) in two groups
      of elite Masters (n = 6, 31 +/- 19 years) and non-elite Practitioners (n = 4, 25
      +/- 9 years) was compared assessing body center of mass (CoM) kinematics and
      other relevant parameters like step width and angular joint behavior. In the
      considered kihon sequence, normalized average CoM height was 8% lower (p < 0.05),
      while CoM displacement in the horizontal direction was significantly higher in
      Masters than in Practitioners (2.5 vs. 1.9 m, p < 0.05), as well as CoM average
      velocity and rms acceleration (p < 0.05). Step width was higher in Masters in
      more than half of the sequence steps (p < 0.05). Results suggest that elite
      karateka showed a refined dynamic balance control, obtained through the increase
      of the base of support and different maneuvers of lower limbs. The proposed
      method could be used to objectively detect talented karateka, to measure
      proficiency level and to assess training effectiveness.

PMID- 26499924
TI  - Low Prevalence of Hypomagnesemia in Long-term Recipients of Proton Pump
      Inhibitors in a Managed Care Cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Chronic intake of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) has been
      associated with hypomagnesemia, but prevalence of PPI-associated hypomagnesemia
      is not known. METHODS: We examined the prevalence of hypomagnesemia among long
      term PPI recipients by using a large health maintenance organization database. We
      collected data on 10,167 participants eligible for chronic drug prescriptions
      from 2008 through 2013. Adult subjects receiving continuous PPI therapy for >= 6
      months between 2008 and 2013 and >= 1 serum magnesium determination(s) were
      identified. Patients with any magnesium levels less than 1.6 mg/dL were selected
      for analysis; those with recognizable causes of altered magnesium homeostasis
      were excluded. RESULTS: Five hundred ninety participants received long-term PPIs,
      and 414 (70.2%) met the inclusion criteria for a total exposure of 2293 PPI-years
      (average, 5.7 years/subject). Of these patients, 57 (13.8%) had >= 1 low serum
      magnesium; 5 were no longer on PPIs, and 44 had other recognizable causes for
      hypomagnesemia (25 receiving diuretics, 8 with chronic diarrhea, 8 with chronic
      kidney disease, and 3 with malignancies). Of the 8 remaining patients (7 female;
      mean age, 71.2 +/- 13.4 years; mean daily medications, 5.4 +/- 1.1), mild
      hypomagnesemia (range, 1.2-1.5 mg/dL) was noted in 13.9% of 289 measurements. All
      8 patients had normal serum levels of magnesium at their final measurement.
      CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of known precipitating factors, chronic PPI use does
      not appear to be associated with hypomagnesemia.

PMID- 26499925
TI  - Identification of Quality Measures for Performance of and Interpretation of Data
      From Esophageal Manometry.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Esophageal manometry is the standard for the diagnosis of
      esophageal motility disorders. Variations in the performance and interpretation
      of esophageal manometry result in discrepant diagnoses and unnecessary repeated
      procedures, and could have negative effects on patient outcomes. We need a method
      to benchmark the procedural quality of esophageal manometry; as such, our
      objective was to formally develop quality measures for the performance and
      interpretation of data from esophageal manometry. METHODS: We used the RAND
      University of California Los Angeles Appropriateness Method (RAM) to develop
      validated quality measures for performing and interpreting esophageal manometry.
      The research team identified potential quality measures through a literature
      search and interviews with experts. Fourteen experts in esophageal manometry
      ranked the proposed quality measures for appropriateness via a 2-round process on
      the basis of RAM. RESULTS: The experts considered a total of 29 measures; 17 were
      ranked as appropriate and were as follows: related to competency (2), assessment
      before the esophageal manometry procedure (2), the esophageal manometry procedure
      itself (3), and interpretation of data (10). The data interpretation measures
      were integrated into a single composite measure. Eight measures therefore were
      found to be appropriate quality measures for esophageal manometry . Five other
      factors also were endorsed by the experts, although these were not ranked as
      appropriate quality measures. CONCLUSIONS: We identified 8 formally validated
      quality measures for the performance and interpretation of data from esophageal
      manometry on the basis of RAM. These measures represent key aspects of a high
      quality esophageal manometry study and should be adopted uniformly. These
      measures should be evaluated in clinical practice to determine how they affect
      patient outcomes.

PMID- 26499926
TI  - Large Sessile Serrated Polyps Can Be Safely and Effectively Removed by Endoscopic
      Mucosal Resection.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: As many as 50% of large sessile serrated adenomas/polyps
      (SSPs) are removed incompletely, which is significant because SSPs have been
      implicated in the development of interval cancers. It is unclear if endoscopic
      mucosal resection (EMR) is an optimal method for removal of SSPs. We assessed the
      efficacy and safety of removal of SSPs 10 mm and larger using a standardized
      inject-and-cut EMR technique. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of
      colonoscopy data, collected over 7 years (2007-2013) at 2 centers, from 199
      patients with proximal colon SSPs 10 mm and larger (251 polyps) removed by EMR by
      4 endoscopists. The primary outcome measure was local recurrence. The secondary
      outcome measure was safety. RESULTS: At the index colonoscopy, patients had a
      median of 1 serrated lesion (range, 1-12) and 1 nonserrated neoplastic lesion
      (range, 0-15). The mean SSP size was 15.9 +/- 5.3 mm; most were superficially
      elevated (84.5%) and located in the ascending colon (51%), and 3 SSPs (1.2%) had
      dysplasia. Surveillance colonoscopies were performed on 138 patients (69.3%) over
      a mean follow-up period of 25.5 +/- 17.4 months. Of these patients, 5 had local
      recurrences (3.6%; 95% confidence interval, 0.5%-6.7%), detected after 17.8 +/-
      15.4 months, with a median size of 4 mm. No patients developed postprocedural
      bleeding, perforation, or advanced colon cancer, or had a death related to the
      index colorectal lesion during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Inject-and-cut EMR
      is a safe and effective technique for the resection of SSPs. Less than 5% of
      patients have a local recurrence, which is usually small and can be treated
      endoscopically.

PMID- 26499927
TI  - Association Between Plasma Level of Galectin-9 and Survival of Patients With Drug
      Induced Acute Liver Failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Fewer than 50% of patients with acute liver failure (ALF)
      recover spontaneously, and ALF has high mortality without liver transplantation.
      Kupffer cells have been reported to mediate liver inflammation during drug
      induced injury. Galectin-9 is produced by Kupffer cells and has diverse roles in
      regulating immunity. We investigated whether plasma levels of galectin-9 are
      associated with outcomes of patients with ALF. METHODS: We analyzed plasma
      samples (collected at time of hospital admission) and clinical data from 149
      patients included in the Acute Liver Failure Study Group from July 2006 through
      November 2010 (110 had acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity and 39 had
      nonacetaminophen drug-induced liver injury). We compared data with those from all
      patients enrolled in the study (from July 1, 2006 through October 30, 2013), and
      from healthy individuals of similar ages with no evidence of liver disease
      (control subjects). Plasma levels of galectin-9 were measured using a polyclonal
      antibody and colorimetric assay. RESULTS: Patients with ALF had statistically
      higher plasma levels of galectin-9 than control subjects, but levels did not
      differ significantly between patients with acetaminophen-induced liver injury and
      drug-induced liver injury. A level of galectin-9 above 690 pg/mL was associated
      with a statistically significant increase in risk for mortality or liver
      transplantation caused by ALF. Competing risk analyses associated level of
      galectin-9 with transplant-free survival, independently of Model For End-Stage
      Liver Disease score or systemic inflammatory response syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: A
      one-time measurement of plasma galectin-9 level can be used to assign patients
      with ALF to high-, intermediate-, and low-risk groups. The combination of
      galectin-9 level and Model For End-Stage Liver Disease score was more closely
      associated with patient outcome than either value alone. These data might be used
      to determine patient prognoses and prioritize patients for liver transplantation.
      ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT00518440.

PMID- 26499928
TI  - Poor Documentation of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Quality Measures in Academic,
      Community, and Private Practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Quality measures are used to standardize health care and
      monitor quality of care. In 2011, the American Gastroenterological Association
      established quality measures for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but there has
      been limited documentation of compliance from different practice settings.
      METHODS: We reviewed charts from 367 consecutive patients with IBD seen at
      academic practices, 217 patients seen at community practices, and 199 patients
      seen at private practices for compliance with 8 outpatient measures. Records were
      assessed for IBD history, medications, comorbidities, and hospitalizations. We
      also determined the number of patient visits to gastroenterologists in the past
      year, whether patients had a primary care physician at the same institution, and
      whether they were seen by a specialist in IBD or in conjunction with a trainee,
      and reviewed physician demographics. A univariate and multivariate statistical
      analysis was performed to determine which factors were associated with compliance
      of all core measures. RESULTS: Screening for tobacco abuse was the most
      frequently assessed core measure (89.6% of patients; n = 701 of 783), followed by
      location of IBD (80.3%; n = 629 of 783), and assessment for corticosteroid
      sparing therapy (70.8%; n = 275 of 388). The least-frequently evaluated measures
      were pneumococcal immunization (16.7% of patients; n = 131 of 783), bone loss
      (25%; n = 126 of 505), and influenza immunization (28.7%; n = 225 of 783). Only
      5.8% of patients (46 of 783) had all applicable core measures documented (24 in
      academic practice, none in clinical practice, and 22 in private practice). In the
      multivariate model, year of graduation from fellowship (odds ratio [OR], 2.184;
      95% confidence interval [CI], 1.522-3.134; P < .001), year of graduation from
      medical school (OR, 0.500; 95% CI, 0.352-0.709; P < .001), and total number of
      comorbidities (OR, 1.089; 95% CI, 1.016-1.168; P = .016) were associated with
      compliance with all core measures. CONCLUSIONS: We found poor documentation of
      IBD quality measures in academic, clinical, and private gastroenterology
      practices. Interventions are necessary to improve reporting of quality measures.

PMID- 26499929
TI  - Increased Risk of Oral Cancer in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Epidemiology studies have consistently found an increased risk
      of oral malignancies in organ transplant recipients, patients with graft-versus
      host disease, and people with human immunodeficiency virus infection. We assessed
      the risk of oral cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).
      METHODS: We collected data on 7294 patients with IBD (3785 women) seen at Mount
      Sinai Medical Center, New York, from 2000 through 2011. The expected incidence of
      oral cancer was calculated for each sex-specific and 5-year age-specific stratum
      by specific incidence rates using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results
      18 registry data (2000-2011), adjusted for age to the 2000 United States
      population (census P25-1130). RESULTS: Eleven patients (7 men) were found to have
      biopsy-proven oral cancer. Six patients had cancer of the tongue; 2 patients had
      cancer of the hard palate; and the remaining 3 had tonsillar, buccal, or
      mandibular sarcoma. Before the cancer diagnosis, IBD had been treated in 4
      patients with azathioprine or mercaptopurine, in 1 patient with infliximab, and 3
      in patients with combination of biologic agents and azathioprine; 4 of the
      patients had not been treated for IBD. The age- and sex-adjusted standardized
      incidence ratio (SIR) for oral cancer in patients with IBD was 9.77 (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 5.14-16.98). In women, the SIR was 12.07 (95% CI, 3.84
      29.11), and in men the SIR was 8.49 (95% CI, 3.71-16.78). The age-adjusted SIR
      for tongue cancer was 18.91 (95% CI, 7.66-39.33): 17.06 for men (95% CI, 5.42
      41.15) and 22.10 for women (95% CI, 3.70-73.01). CONCLUSIONS: We found patients
      with IBD to be at increased risk for oral cancers, especially tongue cancer.
      Women are at higher risk than men.

PMID- 26499930
TI  - Ability of King's College Criteria and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Scores
      to Predict Mortality of Patients With Acute Liver Failure: A Meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Several prognostic factors are used to identify patients with
      acute liver failure (ALF) who require emergency liver transplantation. We
      performed a meta-analysis to determine the accuracy of King's College criteria
      (KCC) versus the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores in predicting
      hospital mortality among patients with ALF. METHODS: We performed a systematic
      search of the literature for articles published from 2001 through 2015 that
      compared the accuracy of the KCC with MELD scores in predicting hospital
      mortality in patients with ALF. We identified 23 studies (comprising 2153
      patients) and assessed the quality of data, and then performed a meta-analysis of
      pooled sensitivity and specificity values, diagnostic odds ratios (DORs), and
      summary receiver operating characteristic curves. Subgroups analyzed included
      study quality, era, location (Europe vs non-Europe), and size; ALF etiology
      (acetaminophen-associated ALF [AALF] vs nonassociated [NAALF]); and whether or
      not the study included patients who underwent liver transplantation and if the
      study center was also a transplant center. RESULTS: The DOR for the KCC was 5.3
      (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.7-7.6; 57% heterogeneity) and the DOR for MELD
      score was 7.0 (95% CI, 5.1-9.7; 48% heterogeneity), so the MELD score and KCC are
      comparable in overall accuracy. The summary area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve values was 0.76 for the KCC and 0.78 for MELD scores. The
      KCC identified patients with AALF who died with 58% sensitivity (95% CI, 51%-65%)
      and 89% specificity (95% CI, 85%-93%), whereas MELD scores identified patients
      with AALF who died with 80% sensitivity (95% CI, 74%-86%) and 53% specificity
      (95% CI, 47%-59%). The KCC predicted hospital mortality in patients with NAALF
      with 58% sensitivity (95% CI, 54%-63%) and 74% specificity (95% CI, 69%-78%),
      whereas MELD scores predicted hospital mortality in patients with NAALF with 76%
      sensitivity (95% CI, 72%-80%) and 73% specificity (95% CI, 69%-78%). In patients
      with AALF, the KCC's DOR was 10.4 (95% CI, 4.9-22.1) and the MELD score's DOR was
      6.6 (95% CI, 2.1-20.2). In patients with NAALF, the KCC's DOR was 4.16 (95% CI,
      2.34-7.40) and the MELD score's DOR was 8.42 (95% CI, 5.98-11.88). CONCLUSIONS:
      Based on a meta-analysis of studies, the KCC more accurately predicts hospital
      mortality among patients with AALF, whereas MELD scores more accurately predict
      mortality among patients with NAALF. However, there is significant heterogeneity
      among studies and neither system is optimal for all patients. Given the
      importance of specificity in decision making for listing for emergency liver
      transplantation, MELD scores should not replace the KCC in predicting hospital
      mortality of patients with AALF, but could have a role for NAALF.

PMID- 26499931
TI  - Notalgia paraesthetica: A pilot study of treatment with simple exercises and
      stretches.
AB  - Notalgia paraesthetica is a distressing condition for which current treatments
      are either poorly effective or have unacceptable adverse effects. The aim of this
      pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a programme of simple exercises
      and stretches for this condition. In total, 12 patients participated in a trial
      of simple exercises and stretches over 12 weeks, designed to relieve the sensory
      neuropathy caused by paraspinal muscle entrapment. Of the 12 patients 11 achieved
      satisfactory amelioration of their symptoms with no adverse effects. Our pilot
      study was unblinded and consisted of small patient numbers. Further research to
      evaluate this approach is warranted. 

PMID- 26499932
TI  - Knowledge as an interactional tool in the management of client empowerment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the way speaker and recipient knowledge is managed in
      interaction by a call taker at a mental-health information line, to achieve the
      institutional goals of information provision and client empowerment. METHODS:
      This study utilizes conversation analysis in the analysis of a single call to the
      line. RESULTS: Analysis demonstrates the ways in which a call taker produces
      turns-at-talk that construct a caller as knowing what help they wanted prior to
      that moment in the interaction, and that invoke 'common' knowledge of sources of
      such help. CONCLUSION: Talk that orients to knowledge is used as an interactional
      resource that allows the call taker to avoid talk that may be considered advice,
      and to be heard to achieve the goal of client empowerment. The asymmetric
      identities of help-seeker and help-provider are managed in this process. PRACTICE
      IMPLICATIONS: Client empowerment can be seen as something interactionally
      achieved and managed in talk-in-interaction, while not necessarily objectively
      experienced by the client.

PMID- 26499933
TI  - Spatio-temporal behavior of brightness temperature in Tel-Aviv and its
      application to air temperature monitoring.
AB  - This study applies remote sensing technology to assess and examine the spatial
      and temporal Brightness Temperature (BT) profile in the city of Tel-Aviv, Israel
      over the last 30 years using Landsat imagery. The location of warmest and coldest
      zones are constant over the studied period. Distinct diurnal and temporal BT
      behavior divide the city into four different segments. As an example of future
      application, we applied mixed regression models with daily random slopes to
      correlate Landsat BT data with monitored air temperature (Tair) measurements
      using 14 images for 1989-2014. Our preliminary results show a good model
      performance with R(2) = 0.81. Furthermore, based on the model's results, we
      analyzed the spatial profile of Tair within the study domain for representative
      days. 

PMID- 26499934
TI  - Estimating ground-level PM(10) in a Chinese city by combining satellite data,
      meteorological information and a land use regression model.
AB  - Development of exposure assessment model is the key component for epidemiological
      studies concerning air pollution, but the evidence from China is limited.
      Therefore, a linear mixed effects (LME) model was established in this study in a
      Chinese metropolis by incorporating aerosol optical depth (AOD), meteorological
      information and the land use regression (LUR) model to predict ground PM10 levels
      on high spatiotemporal resolution. The cross validation (CV) R(2) and the RMSE of
      the LME model were 0.87 and 19.2 MUg/m(3), respectively. The relative prediction
      error (RPE) of daily and annual mean predicted PM10 concentrations were 19.1% and
      7.5%, respectively. This study was the first attempt in China to estimate both
      short-term and long-term variation of PM10 levels with high spatial resolution in
      a Chinese metropolis with the LME model. The results suggested that the LME model
      could provide exposure assessment for short-term and long-term epidemiological
      studies in China. 

PMID- 26499935
TI  - Vulvar lichen sclerosus: A new regenerative approach through fat grafting.
AB  - OBJECTIVE. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of fat grafting in
      the treatment of severe vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS). Our primary outcome was to
      assess the improvement of mucocutaneous trophism, the resolution/reduction of
      symptoms, and the histological features of the vulvar skin after treatment. The
      secondary outcome was to evaluate the improvement in life quality, and in
      resumption and quality of sexual life. METHODS. Between 2011 and 2014, 36
      patients were offered fat grafting to treat LS. Inclusion criteria were age
      between 25 and 80 years, histopathologic diagnosis of LS, good health, failure of
      previous first line treatments. RESULTS. 34 out of 36 patients (94%) showed a
      better vulvar trophismof the skin and mucosae; 27 (75%) had an improvement in
      caliber and elasticity of the vaginal introitus; clitoris burying degree was
      reduced in 18 patients (50%), 30 (83%) reported an increased volume of labia
      major a and minor a, 34 (94%) had a complete disappearance of scratching lesions,
      and 28 (78%) showed a remission of white lesions. Eventually 34 patients (95%)
      stopped using topical corticosteroids routinely. The improvement in life quality
      was significant for both DLQI (p b 0001) and FSFI (p b 0001). CONCLUSIONS. Fat
      grafting may have a role as a support and completion treatment in selected cases
      of women with vulvar LS who do not respond to first line therapy or in severe
      cases where the anatomical impairment does not allow a regular sexual function
      and a good quality of life.

PMID- 26499936
TI  - Reduction in ERRalpha is associated with lichen sclerosus and vulvar squamous
      cell carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: ERRs (estrogen-related receptors) regulate energy metabolism, the cell
      cycle and inflammatory processes in both normal and cancer cells. Chronic
      inflammation induced by lichen sclerosus (LS) or human papilloma virus (HPV)
      precedes vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (vulvar SCC). We investigated the
      expression of ERRalpha, ERRbeta and ERRgamma in normal vulvar skin, LS as well as
      LS-dependent and LS-independent/HPV-related vulvar SCC. METHODS: A total of 203
      samples were analyzed for ERRalpha, ERRbeta and ERRgamma by using
      immunohistochemistry. These included 37 normal vulvar skin samples, 110 LS
      samples, 6 vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) samples and 50 vulvar SCC
      samples. RESULTS: A substantial reduction in or disappearance of ERRalpha was
      detected in all vulvar SCC samples. A total of 79% of childhood-onset LS and 51%
      of adulthood-onset LS lesions showed decreases in ERRalpha staining. A gradual
      reduction in ERRalpha cytoplasmic staining was observed from healthy vulvar skin
      to precursor lesions and further to SCC. Nuclear ERRalpha staining was observed
      in 8/33 (24%) LS-dependent and 10/17 (59%) LS-independent SCC samples.
      CONCLUSIONS: ERRalpha, a key regulator of cell energy metabolism, may play a role
      in the pathogenesis of both LS and vulvar SCC.

PMID- 26499937
TI  - Design, Synthesis, and Acaricidal/Insecticidal Activities of Oxazoline
      Derivatives Containing a Sulfur Ether Moiety.
AB  - On the basis of etoxazole, a series of novel 2-(2,6-difluorophenyl)-4-(4
      substituted phenyl)-1,3-oxazolines containing a sulfur ether moiety were designed
      and synthesized via the key intermediate N-(1-(4-(bromomethyl)phenyl)-2
      chloroethyl)-2,6-difluorobenzamide. The bioassay results showed that most of
      these designed target compounds exhibited excellent acaricidal activity against
      both the eggs and larvae of Tetranychus cinnabarinus, especially the eggs. Among
      compounds with high activity against the eggs of mites, the LC50 values of 2, 11,
      17, and 19 were 0.0003, 0.0002, 0.0005, and 0.0008 mg L(-1), respectively, much
      lower than that of etoxazole (0.0089 mg L(-1)). Compound 2 was chosen to evaluate
      the acaricidal activity in the field, and the results displayed that at a
      concentration of 22 mg kg(-1), 2 had a much better control effect than etoxazole
      against both T. cinnabarinus and P. latus on eggplant. Some compounds also showed
      good insecticidal activities against oriental armyworm and mosquito. On the basis
      of our research, the newly found structure-activity relationship may guide the
      development of new acaricides/pesticides that are required in the agriculture
      market. 

PMID- 26499938
TI  - The role of the domain size and titanium dopant in nanocrystalline hematite thin
      films for water photolysis.
AB  - Here we develop a novel technique for preparing high quality Ti-doped hematite
      thin films for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, through sputtering
      deposition of metallic iron films from an iron target embedded with titanium
      (dopants) pellets, followed by a thermal oxidation step that turns the metal
      films into doped hematite. It is found that the hematite domain size can be tuned
      from ~10 nm to over 100 nm by adjusting the sputtering atmosphere from more
      oxidative to mostly inert. The better crystallinity at a larger domain size
      ensures excellent PEC water splitting performance, leading to record high
      photocurrent from pure planar hematite thin films on FTO substrates. Titanium
      doping further enhances the PEC performance of hematite photoanodes. The
      photocurrent is improved by 50%, with a titanium dopant concentration as low as
      0.5 atom%. It is also found that the role of the titanium dopant in improving the
      PEC performance is not apparently related to the films' electrical conductivity
      which had been widely believed, but is more likely due to the passivation of
      surface defects by the titanium dopants. 

PMID- 26499939
TI  - Driving skills in unmedicated first- and recurrent-episode schizophrenic
      patients.
AB  - The present study was designed to examine driving skills according to regulations
      of the German guidelines for road and traffic safety in unmedicated schizophrenic
      inpatients. A total of 13 first-episode (FES) and 13 recurrent-episode (RES)
      schizophrenic inpatients were included in the analysis and compared with a group
      of 20 healthy controls (HC). Data were collected with the computerised Wiener
      Testsystem measuring visual perception, reactivity and stress tolerance,
      concentration and vigilance. Analysis of data indicates that a great proportion
      (58 %) of schizophrenic patients were impaired in psychomotor functions related
      to driving skills. FES and RES significantly differed with respect to driving
      ability with a greater proportion in the FES (38 %) showing severe impairments
      when compared with RES (25 %). Differences with respect to HC performance were
      most pronounced in concentration and for the FES additionally in visual
      perception. Analysis of our data indicates that a great proportion of
      schizophrenic patients are impaired in psychomotor functions related to driving
      skills that cannot be attributed to adverse side effects of psychopharmacological
      treatment. Besides, we cannot confirm a chronical decline of psychomotor
      functions related to driving skills at least in the early course of schizophrenic
      illness.

PMID- 26499940
TI  - A 10-year population-based study of people with multiple sclerosis in Stockholm,
      Sweden: use of and satisfaction with care and the value of different factors in
      predicting use of care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The national strategy for treatment of chronic diseases - including
      MS - and changes in the Swedish welfare system, call for analyses of the use of,
      and patient satisfaction with, care in a long-term perspective. The aim was
      therefore to explore the use of care and the predictive value of personal
      factors, disease-specific factors and functioning on the use of care and to
      explore patient satisfaction with care in a 10-year perspective. METHODS:
      Information regarding personal factors, disease-specific factors, functioning and
      satisfaction with care was collected by home-visits; use of care was collected
      from the Stockholm County Council computerised register. RESULT: Data from 121
      people with MS (PwMS) was collected. Primary care accounted for the majority of
      all care. Neurology and Rehabilitation Departments together accounted for two
      thirds of all hospital outpatient care. Rehabilitation Departments accounted for
      one-third of the total number of inpatient days. Lower coping capacity, impaired
      manual dexterity and activity of daily living dependency at baseline, together
      with progress in MS disability predicted a higher use of care. Overall, patient
      satisfaction with care was stable over time. CONCLUSION: The extensive use of
      care offers challenges to care coordination. Implementation of person-centred
      care could be a strategy to increase efficacy/outcome of care.

PMID- 26499942
TI  - Labia Minora, Labia Majora, and Clitoral Hood Alteration: Experience-Based
      Recommendations.
AB  - Aesthetic alteration of the genitalia is increasingly sought by women unhappy
      with the size, shape, and appearance of their vulva. Although the labia minora
      are usually the focus of concern, the entire anatomic region--minora, labia
      majora, clitoral hood, perineum, and mons pubis--should be evaluated in a
      preoperative assessment of women seeking labiaplasty. Labiaplasty is associated
      with high patient satisfaction and low complication rates. The three basic labia
      minora reduction techniques--edge excision, wedge excision, and central
      deepithelialization--as well as their advantages and disadvantages are discussed
      to assist the surgeon in tailoring technique selection to individual genital
      anatomy and aesthetic desires. We present key points of the preoperative anatomic
      evaluation, technique selection, operative risks, perioperative care, and
      potential complications for labia minora, labia majora, and clitoral hood
      alterations, based on a large operative experience. Labiaplasty competency should
      be part of the skill set of all plastic surgeons.

PMID- 26499941
TI  - Interaction Between Breast Cancer Cells and Adipose Tissue Cells Derived from Fat
      Grafting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adipose tissue transplantation has the benefit of providing both
      regenerative and aesthetic outcomes in breast cancer treatment. However, the
      transplanted tissue can stimulate the growth of residual cancer cells.
      OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to identify the interactions between adipose
      tissue cell subpopulations and human cancer cell lines. METHODS: Intact adipose
      tissue from lipofilling procedures as well as fibroblasts derived from adipose
      tissue, were cocultured in the presence of MDA-MB-231, MCF-7 e ZR-75-1 breast
      cancer cell lines. The influence on cancer cell lines of fibroblasts, induced to
      differentiate into specific adipocytes, was also assayed. RESULTS: All cancer
      cell lines displayed a significant increase in proliferation rate when cocultured
      in the presence of either intact adipose tissue or induced adipocytes. To a
      lesser extent, uninduced fibroblasts stimulate breast cancer cell proliferation.
      CONCLUSIONS: Recent studies have shown that the microenvironment surrounding
      breast cancer cells may stimulate growth and promote progression of residual
      cancer cells when surgery is performed on the main tumor mass. Accordingly, the
      graft of adipose tissue could potentially promote or accelerate the development
      of a subclinical tumor or support its locoregional recurrence. Our data suggest
      that adipocytes have a remarkable influence on the proliferation of cancer cell
      lines. The oncological safety of the lipofilling procedure outcome is still
      debated; thus, further studies and consistent follow-up examination are needed.

PMID- 26499943
TI  - Mitotic arrest deficient-like 1 is correlated with poor prognosis in small-cell
      lung cancer after surgical resection.
AB  - Mitotic arrest deficient-like 1 (MAD1L1) whose dysfunction is associated with
      chromosomal instability plays a pathogenic role in a few human cancers. However,
      the status of MAD1L1 expression in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains unknown.
      Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the expression of MAD1L1 protein in 32
      lymph node metastasis (LN-M) tissues and 88 primary SCLCs compared with 32
      adjacent noncancerous tissues. The associations of MAD1L1 protein expression with
      the clinicopathologic features and clinical outcomes in patients with SCLC were
      analyzed. The ratio of MAD1L1 positive expression was higher in primary SCLC
      tissues (39.8 %) and LN-M tissues (46.9 %) compared with adjacent noncancerous
      tissues (9.4 %). MAD1L1 positive expression was associated with tumor-node
      metastasis (TNM) stage (P = 0.003), International Association for the Study of
      Lung Cancer (IASLC) stage (P = 0.004), tumor size (P = 0.015), lymph node
      metastasis (P = 0.014), and recurrence (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis
      suggested that MAD1L1 positive expression was an independent factor for overall
      survival (hazard ratio (HR) 2.002; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.065-3.763; P =
      0.031) and recurrence-free survival (HR 2.263; 95 % CI 1.197-4.276; P = 0.012).
      To sum up, MAD1L1 positive expression may be associated with tumour progression
      and metastasis in SCLCs and may thus serve as a new biomarker for prognosis in
      these patients. 

PMID- 26499944
TI  - HMGB1 promotes HCC progression partly by downregulating p21 via ERK/c-Myc pathway
      and upregulating MMP-2.
AB  - High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) was found to be over-expressed in many kinds of
      human cancer, which binds with several receptors and activates RAGE-Ras-MAPK,
      Toll-like receptors, NF-kappaB, and Src family kinase signaling pathways and
      plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. However, the
      function and mechanism of HMGB1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear.
      The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of HMGB1 on HCC progression
      and explore new molecular mechanism. HMGB1 transient knockdown, stable knockdown,
      and re-expression were performed by transfection with specific siRNA, shRNA, or
      expression vector in HCCLM3 cells. Results showed that transient knockdown HMGB1
      prevented cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis, induced S phase arrest, and
      inhibited migration and invasion in vitro, and stable knockdown HMGB1 inhibited
      xenograft growth in Balb/c athymic mice in vivo. Molecular mechanism
      investigation revealed that knockdown HMGB1 significantly reduced the activation
      of MAPKs, including ERK1/2, p38, SAPK/JNK, as well as MAPKKs (MEK1/2, SEK1) and
      its substrates (c-Jun, c-Myc); downregulated NF-kappaB/p65 expression and
      phosphorylation level; decreased MMP-2 expression and activity; and upregulated
      p21 expression. Interestingly, c-Myc was firstly found to be involved in the
      promoting function of HMGB1 on HCC progression, which provided a novel clue for
      the inhibitory effect of HMGB1 on p21 expression by a p53-independent pathway.
      Collectively, these findings indicated that HMGB1 promoted HCC progression partly
      by enhancing the ERK1/2 and NF-kappaB pathways, upregulating MMP-2, and
      downregulating p21 via an ERK/c-Myc pathway. 

PMID- 26499945
TI  - Role of estrogen receptor alpha in human cervical cancer-associated fibroblasts:
      a transcriptomic study.
AB  - Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) are crucial in genesis and progression of
      tumors; however, cervical CAFs (C-CAFs) are not well characterized. Estradiol
      (E2) has been implicated as a cofactor in human papillomavirus (HPV)-mediated
      cervical cancer (CxCa), both in animal models and in women using oral
      contraceptives; however, the exact role of the hormone is unclear. Human C-CAFs
      have recently been shown to express estrogen receptor alpha (ER-alpha). We
      investigated gene expression patterns in ex vivo cultured early and late stage C
      CAFs in the context of E2. CAFs were isolated from four patients with early and
      two patients with late stage CxCa. ER-alpha expression in CxCa tissues was
      localized to stromal fibroblast-like cells and confirmed in ex vivo cultured C
      CAFs. Two ER antagonists (ICI 182,780 and Methyl Piperidino Pyrazole) were used
      to unravel ER signaling in CAFs. Microarray technology was used for expression
      profiling and validated by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. The
      transcriptomes of C-CAFs across stages indicated their activated state. C-CAFs
      had gene expression patterns associated with both pro-tumorigenic and pro
      inflammatory signaling. Late-stage C-CAFs compared to those of early stage
      appeared to be more actively metabolizing and cycling but expressed fewer genes
      related to immune function. We report differential expression profiles between C
      CAFs: early vs. late stage and in the presence of ER antagonists. Both ER
      antagonists seemed to modulate C-CAF function by down regulating genes associated
      with cell cycle and metabolism, affecting angiogenesis and cancer progression.
      This study characterized C-CAFs from early and late stage disease, and
      experiments with ER inhibitors emphasized the probable importance of canonical ER
      alpha signaling. Interfering with paracrine signaling through fibroblast ER-alpha
      is worth exploiting as a targeted therapy in CxCa management. 

PMID- 26499946
TI  - The alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor mediates the sensitivity of gastric
      cancer cells to taxanes.
AB  - Gastric cancer is difficult to cure because most patients are diagnosed at an
      advanced disease stage. Systemic chemotherapy remains an important therapy for
      gastric cancer, but both progression-free survival and disease-free survival
      associated with various combination regimens are limited because of
      refractoriness and chemoresistance. Accumulating evidence has revealed that the
      homomeric alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (A7-nAChR) promotes human
      gastric cancer by driving cancer cell proliferation, migration, and metastasis.
      Therefore, A7-nAChR may serve as a potential therapeutic target for gastric
      cancer. However, the role of A7-nAChR in taxane therapy for gastric cancer was
      unclear. Cells were subjected to A7-nAChR knockdown (A7-nAChR KD) using short
      interfering RNA (siRNA). The anti-proliferative effects of taxane were assessed
      via 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), terminal
      deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick-end labeling (TUNEL), and cell cycle
      distribution assays. A7-nAChR-KD cells exhibited low resistance to docetaxel and
      paclitaxel treatment, as measured by the MTT assay. Following paclitaxel
      treatment, the proportion of apoptotic cells was higher among A7-nAChR-KD cells
      than among scrambled control cells, as measured by cell cycle distribution and
      TUNEL assays. Further molecular analyses showed a reduction in the pAKT levels
      and a dramatic increase in the Bad levels in paclitaxel-treated A7-nAChR-KD cells
      but not in scrambled control cells. Following paclitaxel treatment, the level of
      Bax was slightly increased in both cell populations, whereas Poly (ADP-ribose)
      polymerase (PARP) cleavage was increased only in A7-nAChR-KD cells. These
      findings indicate that A7-nAChR-KD cells are more sensitive to paclitaxel
      treatment. We conclude that A7-nAChR may be a key biomarker for assessing the
      chemosensitivity of gastric cancer cells to taxane. 

PMID- 26499947
TI  - Long-term outcomes of concurrent chemoradiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone in
      stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with IMRT: a retrospective study.
AB  - This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT)
      for stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients treated with intensity
      modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). A total of 249 patients were retrospectively
      reviewed. All patients were treated with IMRT. One hundred forty-three patients
      treated with CCRT and 106 patients treated with IMRT alone. With a median follow
      up of 59.4 months, adding concurrent chemotherapy did not statistically
      significantly improve the 5-year overall survival (OS) (89.7 % vs 99.0 %, p =
      0.278), locoregional relapse-free survival (LRFS) (94.8 % vs 89.3 %, p = 0.167),
      and distant metastases-free survival (DMFS) (93.4 % vs 97.5 %, p = 0.349). The
      patients with CCRT significantly experienced more acute toxic effects. The main
      grades 3-4 toxicity reactions were mucositis (26.6 % vs 15.1 %, p = 0.03) and
      leukopenia/neutropenia (9.1 % vs 0.9 %, p = 0.005). In subgroup analysis of
      patients with concurrent platinum single-agent chemotherapy the 5-year OS (98.4 %
      vs 81.9 %, p = 0.013) and DMFS (96.9 % vs 84.4 %, p = 0.043) of patients with
      platinum every 3 weeks (Q3W) were significantly higher than those with platinum
      weekly (QW) and no significant difference for LRFS (96.8 % vs 90.4 %, p = 0.150).
      CCRT did not improve the survival of patients with stage II NPC but increased the
      acute toxicity reactions. Patients with platinum Q3W improved the 5-year OS and
      DMFS, compared with those with platinum QW. 

PMID- 26499948
TI  - Function analysis of rs9589207 polymorphism in miR-92a in gastric cancer.
AB  - MiR-92a was identified as an essential oncogene by promoting the cell
      proliferation through FBXW7 in gastric cancer (GC). The function of the single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located in the mature region of miR-92a (rs9589207)
      has not been investigated. We found that rs9589207 in miR-92a was involved in the
      occurrence of GC by acting as a tumor protective factor and was highly associated
      with tumor size in GC patients instead of tumor number or metastasis in 554 GC
      patients and 531 cancer-free controls. Besides, the AA genotype in miR-92a could
      attenuate the promoting function of miR-92a in cell proliferation with an
      incapacitation in downregulating the expression of FBXW7. In conclusion,
      rs9589207 in miR-92a was highly associated with a decreased risk of GC in Chinese
      Han population and might serve as a novel biomarker for the disease. 

PMID- 26499950
TI  - Role and use of evidence in policymaking: an analysis of case studies from the
      health sector in Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health policymaking is a complex process and analysing the role of
      evidence is still an evolving area in many low- and middle-income countries.
      Where evidence is used, it is greatly affected by cognitive and institutional
      features of the policy process. This paper examines the role of different types
      of evidence in health policy development in Nigeria. METHODS: The role of
      evidence was compared between three case studies representing different health
      policies, namely the (1) integrated maternal neonatal and child health strategy
      (IMNCH); (2) oral health (OH) policy; and (3) human resource for health (HRH)
      policy. The data was collected using document reviews and 31 in-depth interviews
      with key policy actors. Framework Approach was used to analyse the data, aided by
      NVivo 10 software. RESULTS: Most respondents perceived evidence to be factual and
      concrete to support a decision. Evidence was used more if it was perceived to be
      context-specific, accessible and timely. Low-cost high-impact evidence, such as
      the Lancet series, was reported to have been used in drafting the IMNCH policy.
      In the OH and HRH policies, informal evidence such as experts' experiences and
      opinions, were reported to have been useful in the policy drafting stage. Both
      formal and informal evidence were mentioned in the HRH and OH policies, while the
      development of the IMNCH was revealed to have been informed mainly by more formal
      evidence. Overall, respondents suggested that formal evidence, such as survey
      reports and research publications, were most useful in the agenda-setting stage
      to identify the need for the policy and thus initiating the policy development
      process. International and local evidence were used to establish the need for a
      policy and develop policy, and less to develop policy implementation options.
      CONCLUSION: Recognition of the value of different evidence types, combined with
      structures for generating and using evidence, are likely to enhance evidence
      informed health policy development in Nigeria and other similar contexts.

PMID- 26499949
TI  - Upregulation of long non-coding RNA TUG1 correlates with poor prognosis and
      disease status in osteosarcoma.
AB  - The pathogenesis of osteosarcoma involves complex genetic and epigenetic factors.
      This study was to explore the impact and clinical relevance of long non-coding
      RNA (lncRNA), Taurine up-regulated gene 1 (TUG1) on patients with osteosarcoma.
      Seventy-six osteosarcoma tissues and matched adjacent normal tissues were
      included for analysis. The plasma samples were obtained from 29 patients with
      osteosarcoma at pre-operation and post-operation, 42 at newly diagnosed, 18 who
      experienced disease progression or relapse, 45 post-treatment, 36 patients with
      benign bone tumor, and 20 healthy donors. Quantitative real-time reverse
      transcript polymerase chain reactions were used to assess the correlation of the
      expression levels of TUG1 with clinical parameters of osteosarcoma patients. TUG1
      was significantly overexpressed in the osteosarcoma tissues compared with matched
      adjacent normal tissues (P < 0.01) and was closely correlated with tumor size,
      post-operative chemotherapy, and Enneking surgical stage. Upregulation of TUG1
      strongly correlated with poor prognosis and was an independent prognostic
      indicator for overall survival (HR = 2.78, 95% CI = 1.29-6.00, P = 0.009) and
      progression-free survival (HR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.01-3.54, P = 0.037). Our
      constructed nomogram containing TUG1 had more predictive accuracy than that
      without TUG1 (c-index 0.807 versus 0.776, respectively). In addition, for plasma
      samples, TUG1 expression levels were obviously decreased in post-operative
      patients (mean DeltaCT -4.98 +/- 0.22) compared with pre-operation patients (mean
      DeltaCT -6.09 +/- 0.74), and the changes of TUG1 expression levels were
      significantly associated with disease status. Receiver operating characteristic
      (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated that TUG1 could distinguish patients with
      osteosarcoma from healthy individuals compared with alkaline phosphatase (ALP)
      (the area under curve 0.849 versus 0.544). TUG1 was overexpressed in patients
      with osteosarcoma and strongly correlated with disease status. In addition, TUG1
      may serve as a molecular indicator in maintaining surveillance and forecasting
      prognosis. 

PMID- 26499951
TI  - Clinical and genetic characteristics of Japanese nephronophthisis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nephronophthisis (NPH) accounts for 4-5 % of end-stage renal disease
      occurring in childhood. METHOD: We investigated the clinical context and
      characteristics of renal and extrarenal symptoms, as well as the NPHP genes, in
      35 Japanese patients with clinical and histologic features suggesting NPH.
      RESULTS: NPH occurred fairly uniformly throughout Japan irrespective of region or
      gender. In three families, NPH affected siblings. The median age of patients was
      12.5 years. Renal abnormalities attributable to NPH discovered through mass
      screening, such as urine tests in school. However, NPH accounted for less than 50
      % of children with abnormal findings, including incidentally discovered renal
      dysfunction during evaluation of extrarenal symptoms or during routine check-ups.
      Typical extrarenal manifestations leaded to discovery including anemia and
      delayed physical development. The urine often showed low gravity specific density
      and low molecular weight proteinuria. Frequent renal histologic findings included
      cystic dilation of tubules, mainly in the medulla, and irregularity of tubular
      basement membranes. Genetically abnormalities of NPHP1 were not common, with
      large deletions frequently noted. Compound heterozygotes showing single
      abnormalities in each of NPHP1, NPHP3, and NPHP4 were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      findings resemble those reported in Western populations.

PMID- 26499952
TI  - Prevalence and predictors for musculoskeletal discomfort in Malaysian office
      workers: Investigating explanatory factors for a developing country.
AB  - Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a major occupational health issue for
      workers in developed and developing countries, including Malaysia. Most research
      related to MSDs has been undertaken in developed countries; given the different
      regulatory and cultural practices it is plausible that contributions of hazard
      and risk factors may be different. A population of Malaysian public service
      office workers were surveyed (N = 417, 65.5% response rate) to determine
      prevalence and associated predictors of MSD discomfort. The 6-month period
      prevalence of MSD discomfort was 92.8% (95%CI = 90.2-95.2%). Akaike's Information
      Criterion (AIC) analyses was used to compare a range of models and determine a
      model of best fit. Contributions associated with MSD discomfort in the final
      model consisted of physical demands (61%), workload (14%), gender (13%), work
      home balance (9%) and psychosocial factors (3%). Factors associated with MSD
      discomfort were similar in developed and developing countries but the relative
      contribution of factors was different, providing insight into future development
      of risk management strategies.

PMID- 26499953
TI  - Identifying suspects by matching hand photographs with video evidence.
AB  - Reports by minors of sexual relations against their will are not rare, and in
      some cases pornographic photography is a part of the abuse. Such material can be
      used to help identify the perpetrator. In this study we examined the efficacy of
      visual comparison between two databases. One consisted of blinded still images of
      the back of the right hand of 51 males from video recordings, the other of
      blinded high quality camera images of the back of the right hand from the same 51
      individuals. The images were compared in pairs (2601 combinations) and a judgment
      was made about whether they were a highly likely, possible or unlikely match,
      using several anatomical features as markers for comparison. Using this method
      all 51 high quality images were correctly matched with the video image from the
      same person, though in some cases there was up to 5 other samples that could not
      be excluded as possible matches. In total there were no false positive "highly
      possible" matches, but there were 50 false positive "possible" matches. Visual
      comparison of the back of the hand is a valuable addition to the burden of
      evidence in a judicial setting, but should not be used as a standalone method to
      establish proof of identity. The applicability of the method is dependent on the
      existence of a database of images; the degree of certainty of the identification
      is directly correlated to the size of the database. 

PMID- 26499954
TI  - Diet, Depression, and Destiny in Heart Failure.

PMID- 26499955
TI  - Effects of simvastatin on the osteogenic differentiation and immunomodulation of
      bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - The present study aimed to investigate the effects of simvastatin on the bone
      differentiation capacity and immunological characteristics of bone marrow
      mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). BMSCs were isolated and cultured in medium
      containing 1.0 umol/ml simvastatin. The alkaline phosphatase activity, mRNA
      expression levels of osteocalcin and bone sialoprotein, and calcium nodule
      formation were assessed to determine the osteogenic differentiation capability of
      BMSCs. To investigate alterations in the immunological properties of simvastation
      treated BMSCs, the immunogenicity of these cells and the effect of BMSCs on
      phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation were also assessed.
      Following treatment with simvastatin, the alkaline phosphatase activity, and mRNA
      expression levels of osteocalcin and bone sialoprotein were increased
      significantly in the BMSCs. In addition, von Kossa staining revealed a brown
      calcium-positive reaction zone in simvastatin-treated cells. Simvastatin-induced
      BMSCs revealed no affect on the proliferation of allogeneic lymphocytes, however,
      inhibited phytohemagglutinin-induced lymphocyte proliferation. Collectively,
      simvastatin promoted the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs significantly
      without affecting their immunosuppressive properties. 

PMID- 26499956
TI  - Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the expansin gene family in
      tomato.
AB  - Plant expansins are capable of inducing pH-dependent cell wall extension and
      stress relaxation. They may be useful as targets for crop improvement to enhance
      fruit development and stress resistance. Tomato is a major agricultural crop and
      a model plant for studying fruit development. Because only some tomato expansins
      have been studied, a genome-wide analysis of the tomato expansin family is
      necessary. In this study, we identified 25 SlEXPAs, eight SlEXPBs, one SlEXLA,
      four SlEXLBs, and five short homologs in the tomato genome. 25 of these genes
      were identified as being expressed. Bioinformatic analysis showed that although
      tomato expansins share similarities with those from other plants, they also
      exhibit specific features regarding genetic structure and amino acid sequences,
      which indicates a unique evolutionary process. Segmental and tandem duplication
      events have played important roles in expanding the tomato expansin family.
      Additionally, the 3-exon/2-intron structure may form the basic organization of
      expansin genes. We identified new expansin genes preferentially expressed in
      fruits (SlEXPA8, SlEXPB8, and SlEXLB1), roots (SlEXPA9, SlEXLB2, and SlEXLB4),
      and floral organs. Among the analyzed genes those that were inducible by hormone
      or stress treatments, including SlEXPA3, SlEXPA7, SlEXPB1-B2, SlEXPB8, SlEXLB1
      LB2, and SlEXLB4. Our findings may further clarify the biological activities of
      tomato expansins, especially those related to fruit development and stress
      resistance, and contribute to the genetic modification of tomato plants to
      improve crop quality and yield.

PMID- 26499957
TI  - Isolation and characterization of cDNAs and genomic DNAs encoding ADP-glucose
      pyrophosphorylase large and small subunits from sweet potato.
AB  - Sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.], the world's seventh most important food
      crop, is also a major industrial raw material for starch and ethanol production.
      In the plant starch biosynthesis pathway, ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase)
      catalyzes the first, rate-limiting step and plays a pivotal role in regulating
      this process. In spite of the importance of sweet potato as a starch source, only
      a few studies have focused on the molecular aspects of starch biosynthesis in
      sweet potato and almost no intensive research has been carried out on the AGPase
      gene family in this species. In this study, cDNAs encoding two small subunits
      (SSs) and four large subunits (LSs) of AGPase isoforms were cloned from sweet
      potato and the genomic organizations of the corresponding AGPase genes were
      elucidated. Expression pattern analysis revealed that the two SSs were
      constitutively expressed, whereas the four LSs displayed differential expression
      patterns in various tissues and at different developmental stages. Co-expression
      of SSs with different LSs in Escherichia coli yielded eight heterotetramers
      showing different catalytic activities. Interactions between different SSs and
      LSs were confirmed by a yeast two-hybrid experiment. Our findings provide
      comprehensive information about AGPase gene sequences, structures, expression
      profiles, and subunit interactions in sweet potato. The results can serve as a
      foundation for elucidation of molecular mechanisms of starch synthesis in
      tuberous roots, and should contribute to future regulation of starch biosynthesis
      to improve sweet potato starch yield.

PMID- 26499958
TI  - Sigma-1 receptor activation inhibits osmotic swelling of rat retinal glial
      (Muller) cells by transactivation of glutamatergic and purinergic receptors.
AB  - Water accumulation in retinal glial (Muller) and neuronal cells resulting in
      cellular swelling contributes to the development of retinal edema and
      neurodegeneration. Sigma (sigma) receptor activation is known to have
      neuroprotective effects in the retina. Here, we show that the nonselective sigma
      receptor agonist ditolylguanidine, and the selective sigma1 receptor agonist PRE
      084, inhibit the osmotic swelling of Muller cell somata induced by superfusion of
      rat retinal slices with a hypoosmotic solution containing barium ions. In
      contrast, PRE-084 did not inhibit the osmotic swelling of bipolar cell somata.
      The effects of sigma receptor agonists on the Muller cell swelling were abrogated
      in the presence of blockers of metabotropic glutamate and purinergic P2Y1
      receptors, respectively, suggesting that sigma receptor activation triggers
      activation of a glutamatergic-purinergic signaling cascade which is known to
      prevent the osmotic Muller cell swelling. The swelling-inhibitory effect of
      17beta-estradiol was prevented by the sigma1 receptor antagonist BD1047,
      suggesting that the effect is mediated by sigma1 receptor activation. The data
      may suggest that the neuroprotective effect of sigma receptor activation in the
      retina is in part mediated by prevention of the cytotoxic swelling of retinal
      glial cells. 

PMID- 26499959
TI  - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-associated mutant profilin 1 increases dendritic
      arborisation and spine formation in primary hippocampal neurons.
AB  - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common motor neuron disease and
      familial ALS accounts for 10% of cases. The identification of familial ALS
      mutations in the actin-binding protein profilin 1 directly implicates actin
      dynamics and regulation in the pathogenesis of ALS. The mechanism by which these
      mutations cause ALS is unknown. In this study we show that expression of the ALS
      associated actin-binding deficient mutant of PFN1 (PFN1(C71G)) results in
      increased dendritic arborisation and spine formation, and cytoplasmic inclusions
      in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons. 

PMID- 26499960
TI  - Parental health shocks, child labor and educational outcomes: Evidence from
      Tanzania.
AB  - This paper examines the impact of parental illness on children's education. We
      find that only father's illness decreases children's school attendance. Father's
      illness also has long-term impacts on child education, as it decreases children's
      likelihood of completing primary school and leads to fewer years of schooling.
      However, we find no evidence that father's illness affects schooling through
      increased child labor. Instead, father's illness decreases household's income and
      reduces school attendance possibly because of the reduced ability of the family
      to afford education. In contrast, mother's illness and illness of other household
      members have no effect on children's schooling. 

PMID- 26499961
TI  - Smoothing the Bumpy Road to Antiarrhythmic Drug Development.

PMID- 26499962
TI  - Long-Standing Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: Can We Distinguish Ectopic Activity
      From Reentry by Epicardial Mapping?

PMID- 26499963
TI  - Simultaneous Biatrial High-Density (510-512 Electrodes) Epicardial Mapping of
      Persistent and Long-Standing Persistent Atrial Fibrillation in Patients: New
      Insights Into the Mechanism of Its Maintenance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mechanism(s) of persistent and long-standing persistent (LSP)
      atrial fibrillation (AF) is/are poorly understood. We performed high-density,
      simultaneous, biatrial, epicardial mapping of persistent and LSP AF in patients
      undergoing open heart surgery (1) to test the hypothesis that persistent and LSP
      AF are due to >= 1 drivers, either focal or reentrant, and (2) to characterize
      associated atrial activation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twelve patients with
      persistent and LSP AF (1 month to 9 years duration) were studied at open heart
      surgery. During AF, electrograms were recorded from both atria simultaneously for
      1 to 5 minutes from 510 to 512 epicardial electrodes with ECG lead II. Thirty-two
      consecutive seconds of activation sequence maps were produced per patient. During
      AF, multiple foci (QS unipolar atrial electrograms) of different cycle lengths
      (mean, 175 +/- 18 ms) were present in both atria in 11 of 12 patients. Foci (2-4
      per patient, duration 5-32 s) were either sustained or intermittent, were
      predominantly found in the lateral left atrial free wall, and likely acted as
      drivers. Random and nonrandom breakthrough activation sites (initial r or R in
      unipolar atrial electrograms) were also found. In 1 of 12 patients, only
      breakthrough sites were found. All wave fronts emanated from foci and
      breakthrough sites, and largely either collided or merged with each other at
      variable sites. Repetitive focal QS activation occasionally generated repetitive
      wannabe reentrant activation in 5 of 12 patients. No actual reentry was found.
      CONCLUSIONS: During persistent and LSP AF in 12 patients, wave fronts emanating
      from foci and breakthrough sites maintained AF. No reentry was demonstrated.

PMID- 26499964
TI  - Potassium Channel Blockade Enhances Atrial Fibrillation-Selective Antiarrhythmic
      Effects of Optimized State-Dependent Sodium Channel Blockade.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The development of effective and safe antiarrhythmic drugs for atrial
      fibrillation (AF) rhythm control is an unmet clinical need. Multichannel blockers
      are believed to have advantages over single-channel blockers for AF, but their
      development has been completely empirical to date. We tested the hypothesis that
      adding K(+)-channel blockade improves the atrium-selective electrophysiological
      profile and anti-AF effects of optimized Na(+)-channel blockers. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Realistic cardiomyocyte-, tissue-, and state-dependent Na(+)-channel
      block mathematical models, optical mapping, and action potential recording were
      used to study the effect of Na(+)-current (INa) blockade with or without
      concomitant inhibition of the rapid or ultrarapid delayed-rectifier K(+) currents
      (IKr and IKur, respectively). In the mathematical model, maximal AF selectivity
      was obtained with an inactivated-state Na(+)-channel blocker. Combining optimized
      Na(+)-channel blocker with IKr block increased rate-dependent and atrium
      selective peak INa reduction, increased AF selectivity, and more effectively
      terminated AF compared with optimized Na(+)-channel blocker alone. Combining
      optimized Na(+)-channel blocker with IKur block had similar effects but without
      IKr block-induced ventricular action potential prolongation. Consistent with the
      mathematical model, in coronary-perfused canine hearts, the addition of
      dofetilide (selective IKr blocker) to pilsicainide (selective INa blocker)
      produced enhanced atrium-selective effects on maximal phase 0 upstroke and
      conduction velocity. Furthermore, pilsicainide plus dofetilide had higher AF
      termination efficacy than pilsicainide alone. Pilsicainide alone had no
      statistically significant effect on AF inducibility, whereas pilsicainide plus
      dofetilide rendered AF noninducible. CONCLUSIONS: K(+)-channel block potentiates
      the AF-selective anti-AF effects obtainable with optimized Na(+)-channel
      blockade. Combining optimized Na(+)-channel block with blockade of atrial K(+)
      currents is a potentially valuable AF-selective antiarrhythmic drug strategy.

PMID- 26499965
TI  - Informatics framework of traditional Sino-Japanese medicine (Kampo) unveiled by
      factor analysis.
AB  - Kampo, an empirically validated system of traditional Sino-Japanese medicine,
      aims to treat patients holistically. This is in contrast to modern medicine,
      which focuses in principle on treating the affected parts of the body of the
      patient. Kampo medicines formulated as combinations of crude drugs are prescribed
      based on a Kampo-specific diagnosis called Sho (in Japanese), defined as the
      holistic condition of each patient. Therefore, the medication system is very
      complex and is not well understood from a modern scientific perspective. Here, we
      show the informatics framework of Kampo medication by multivariate factor
      analysis of the elements constituting Kampo medication. First, the variation of
      Kampo formulas projected by principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that the
      combination patterns of crude drugs were highly correlated with Sho diagnoses of
      Deficiency and Excess. In an opposite way, partial least squares projection to
      latent structures (PLS) regression analysis could also predict Deficiency/Excess
      only from the composed crude drugs. Secondly, to chemically verify the
      correlation between Deficiency/Excess and crude drugs, we performed mass
      spectrometry (MS)-based metabolome analysis of Kampo prescriptions. PCA and PLS
      regression analysis of the metabolome data also suggested that Deficiency/Excess
      could be theoretically explained based on the variation in chemical fingerprints
      of Kampo medicines. Our results show that factor analysis of Kampo concepts and
      of the metabolomes of Kampo medicines enables interpretation of the complex
      system of Kampo. This study will theoretically form the basis for establishing
      traditionally and empirically based medications worldwide, leading to
      systematically personalized medicine.

PMID- 26499966
TI  - Diabetes Prevention and Weight Loss with a Fully Automated Behavioral
      Intervention by Email, Web, and Mobile Phone: A Randomized Controlled Trial Among
      Persons with Prediabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One-third of US adults, 86 million people, have prediabetes. Two
      thirds of adults are overweight or obese and at risk for diabetes. Effective and
      affordable interventions are needed that can reach these 86 million, and others
      at high risk, to reduce their progression to diagnosed diabetes. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of a fully automated algorithm-driven
      behavioral intervention for diabetes prevention, Alive-PD, delivered via the Web,
      Internet, mobile phone, and automated phone calls. METHODS: Alive-PD provided
      tailored behavioral support for improvements in physical activity, eating habits,
      and factors such as weight loss, stress, and sleep. Weekly emails suggested small
      step goals and linked to an individual Web page with tools for tracking,
      coaching, social support through virtual teams, competition, and health
      information. A mobile phone app and automated phone calls provided further
      support. The trial randomly assigned 339 persons to the Alive-PD intervention
      (n=163) or a 6-month wait-list usual-care control group (n=176). Participants
      were eligible if either fasting glucose or glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was in
      the prediabetic range. Primary outcome measures were changes in fasting glucose
      and HbA1c at 6 months. Secondary outcome measures included clinic-measured
      changes in body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference,
      triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL) ratio, and Framingham
      diabetes risk score. Analysis was by intention-to-treat. RESULTS: Participants'
      mean age was 55 (SD 8.9) years, mean BMI was 31.2 (SD 4.4) kg/m(2), and 68.7%
      (233/339) were male. Mean fasting glucose was in the prediabetic range (mean
      109.9, SD 8.4 mg/dL), whereas the mean HbA1c was 5.6% (SD 0.3), in the normal
      range. In intention-to-treat analyses, Alive-PD participants achieved
      significantly greater reductions than controls in fasting glucose (mean -7.36
      mg/dL, 95% CI -7.85 to -6.87 vs mean -2.19, 95% CI -2.64 to -1.73, P<.001), HbA1c
      (mean -0.26%, 95% CI -0.27 to -0.24 vs mean -0.18%, 95% CI -0.19 to -0.16,
      P<.001), and body weight (mean -3.26 kg, 95% CI -3.26 to -3.25 vs mean -1.26 kg,
      95% CI -1.27 to -1.26, P<.001). Reductions in BMI, waist circumference, and
      TG/HDL were also significantly greater in Alive-PD participants than in the
      control group. At 6 months, the Alive-PD group reduced their Framingham 8-year
      diabetes risk from 16% to 11%, significantly more than the control group
      (P<.001). Participation and retention was good; intervention participants
      interacted with the program a median of 17 (IQR 14) of 24 weeks and 71.1%
      (116/163) were still interacting with the program in month 6. CONCLUSIONS: Alive
      PD improved glycemic control, body weight, BMI, waist circumference, TG/HDL
      ratio, and diabetes risk. As a fully automated system, the program has high
      potential for scalability and could potentially reach many of the 86 million US
      adults who have prediabetes as well as other at-risk groups. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01479062; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01479062
      (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6bt4V20NR).

PMID- 26499967
TI  - Development of a Modified Version of the Spinal Function Sort (M-SFS): A Mixed
      Method Approach.
AB  - Purpose To develop a modified version of the spinal function sort (M-SFS) by
      measuring work-related self-efficacy beliefs in patients with chronic low back
      pain. Methods A mixed method design consisting of three different methods (M1-3)
      was performed. In semi-structured interviews participants were asked how often
      they performed the activities of the 50 SFS items in 1 week, and which spinal
      postures and movements were associated with their back pain (M1). Quantitative
      analysis of previously obtained SFS data investigated internal consistency,
      unidimensionality, item response, and floor and ceiling effect (M2). Experts
      rated the SFS items based on their relevance (M3). The findings from these
      methods were used within a final scoring system for item reduction. Results From
      semi-structured interviews with 17 participants, eight new items emerged (M1).
      Quantitative analysis of 565 data sets (M2) revealed very high internal
      consistency of all items (Cronbach's alpha = 0.98) indicating item redundancy;
      unidimensionality of the SFS was supported by principal component analysis; good
      item response was confirmed by Rasch analysis; and a floor effect of four items
      depicting very heavy material handling was found. Experts agreed on 8 out of the
      50 SFS as relevant (M3). From the original SFS, 12 items met the predefined
      summary score of 9. Conclusions A modified version of the SFS with 20 items has
      been developed. Feasibility, reliability and validity of this modified version
      must be tested before it can be used in clinical practice.

PMID- 26499968
TI  - Instrumentation and automation for the separation sciences.

PMID- 26499969
TI  - Reciprocating free-flow isoelectric focusing device for preparative separation of
      proteins.
AB  - The traditional recycling free-flow isoelectric focusing (RFFIEF) suffered from
      complex structure, tedious operations and poor extensibility as well as high
      cost. To address these issues, a novel reciprocating free-flow isoelectric
      focusing device (ReFFIEF) was developed for proteins or peptides pre
      fractionation. In the new device, a reciprocating background flow was for the
      first time introduced into free flow electrophoresis (FFE) system. The gas
      cushion injector (GCI) used in the previous continuous free-flow electrophoresis
      (CFFE) was redesigned for the reciprocating background flow. With the GCI, the
      reciprocating background flow could be achieved between the GCI, separation
      chamber and transient self-balance collector (tSBC). In a run, process fluid
      flowed to and from, forming a stable reciprocating fluid flow in the separation
      chamber. A pH gradient was created within the separation chamber, and at the same
      time proteins were focused repeatedly when passing through the chamber under
      perpendicular electric field. The ReFFIEF procedure was optimized for
      fractionations of three model proteins, and the optimized method was further used
      for pre-fractionation of model human serum samples. As compared with the
      traditional RFFIEF devices developed about 25 years ago, the new ReFFIEF system
      showed several merits, such as simple design and structure, user-friendly
      operation and easy to extend as well as low cost. 

PMID- 26499970
TI  - Application of Asymmetric Flow Field-Flow Fractionation hyphenations for liposome
      antimicrobial peptide interaction.
AB  - Asymmetric Flow Field-Flow Fractionation (AF4) combined with multidetector
      analysis form a promising technique in the field of nanoparticle
      characterization. This system is able to measure the dimensions and
      physicochemical properties of nanoparticles with unprecedented accuracy and
      precision. Here, for the first time, this technique is optimized to characterize
      the interaction between an archetypal antimicrobial peptide and synthetic
      membranes. By using charged and neutral liposomes it is possible to mimic some of
      the charge characteristics of biological membranes. The use of AF4 system allows
      determining, in a single analysis, information regarding the selectivity of the
      peptides, the quantity of peptides bound to each liposome, the induced change in
      the size distribution and morphology of the liposomes. The results obtained
      provide relevant information for the study of structure-activity relationships in
      the context of membrane-induced antimicrobial action. This information will
      contribute to the rational design of potent antimicrobial agents in the future.
      Moreover, the application of this method to other liposome systems is
      straightforward and would be extremely useful for a comprehensive
      characterization with regard to size distribution and protein interaction in the
      nanomedicine field. 

PMID- 26499971
TI  - Determination of total acid content in biomass hydrolysates by solvent-assisted
      and reaction based headspace gas chromatography.
AB  - This work reports on a novel method for the determination of total acid (TA) in
      biomass hydrolysates by a solvent-assisted and reaction-based headspace gas
      chromatography (HS-GC). The neutralization reaction between the acids in
      hydrolysates and bicarbonate in an ethanol (50%) aqueous solution was performed
      in a closed headspace sample vial, from which the carbon dioxide generated from
      the reaction was detected by HS-GC. It was found that the addition of ethanol can
      effectively eliminate the precipitation of some organic acids in the biomass
      hydrolysates. The results showed that the reaction and headspace equilibration
      can be achieved within 45min at 70 degrees C; the method has a good precision
      (RSD<3.27%) and accuracy (recovery of 97.4-105%); the limit of quantification is
      1.36MUmol. The present method is quite suitable to batch analysis of TA content
      in hydrolysate for the biorefinery related research. 

PMID- 26499972
TI  - Tracking and identification of antibacterial components in the essential oil of
      Tanacetum vulgare L. by the combination of high-performance thin-layer
      chromatography with direct bioautography and mass spectrometry.
AB  - Two tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.) essential oils were obtained by steam
      distillation of the capitula with subsequent liquid-liquid extraction (oil 1) or
      with use of an auxiliary phase for the trapping of the steam components (oil 2).
      These oils were investigated against Bacillus subtilis F1276, B. subtilis
      spizizenii (DSM 618), Xanthomonas euvesicatoria, Pseudomonas syringae pv.
      maculicola, Ralstonia solanacearum strain GMI1000 and Aliivibrio fischeri, using
      the coupling of high-performance thin-layer chromatography to direct
      bioautography (HPTLC-DB). Using this method with the potato and tomato pathogen
      R. solanacearum is shown for the first time. Due to the advanced extraction
      process, oil 2 was richer in components and provided more inhibition zones. The
      main bioactive components were identified by scanning HPTLC-Direct Analysis in
      Real Time mass spectrometry (HPTLC-DART-MS) and solid-phase microextraction gas
      chromatography electron impact MS (SPME-GC-EI-MS) as cis- and trans-chrysanthenol
      as well as trans-chrysanthenyl acetate. cis-Chrysanthenol exhibited antibacterial
      effects against all tested bacteria, whereas trans-chrysanthenol inhibited B.
      subtilis, R. solanacearum and A. fischeri. trans-Chrysanthenyl acetate was an
      inhibitor for X. euvesicatoria, R. solanacearum and A. fischeri. Although HPTLC
      DART-MS resulted in a comparable fragmentation, the ionization characteristics
      and the recorded mass spectra clearly showed that DART is a softer ionization
      technique than EI. It is also more affected by ambient conditions and thus prone
      to additional oxidation products. 

PMID- 26499973
TI  - Application of graphitic sorbent for online microextraction of drugs in human
      plasma samples.
AB  - In the present work a new sorbent based on graphitized carbon (CarbonX((r)) COA)
      was evaluated in microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) for extraction of
      lidocaine and ropivacaine from human plasma samples. The new graphitic sorbent
      showed high recoveries of lidocaine and ropivacaine compared to C18 sorbent. In
      the present study the G-MEPS (syringe packed with graphitic sorbent) was connect
      online with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In order
      to obtain a fast and reliable method different factors affecting MEPS performance
      were investigated. The extraction efficiency of the graphitic sorbent was
      compared with silica-based sorbents used in MEPS. The G-MEPS was also evaluated
      for reuse (50-100 times). The recoveries of lidocaine and ropivacaine from plasma
      samples were 79% and 82%; respectively. The method was validated according to FDA
      (Food and Drug Administration) guideline for bioanalytical method validation.
      Linearity was assessed in the range 5-2000nmol/L, with coefficient of
      determination r(2)>0,995 (n=3) for lidocaine and r(2)>0.997 (n=3) for
      ropivacaine. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 5nmol/L and the limit
      of detection (LOD) was 1nmol/L for studied analytes in plasma samples. For both
      analytes considered in this study the accuracy values in plasma samples were
      ranged from 86% to 113%. The Inter-day precisions, expressed as relative standard
      deviation (%RSD), at three different concentrations (QC-samples) ranged from 8%
      to 9% for lidocaine, and from 4% to 11% for ropivacaine. 

PMID- 26499974
TI  - Highly efficient capillary columns packed with superficially porous particles via
      sequential column packing.
AB  - Highly efficient capillary columns packed with superficially porous particles
      were created for use in ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography. Superficially
      porous particles around 1.5MUm in diameter were packed into fused silica
      capillary columns with 30, 50, and 75MUm internal diameters. To create the
      columns, several capillary columns were serially packed from the same slurry,
      with packing progress plots being generated to follow the packing of each column.
      Characterization of these columns using hydroquinone yielded calculated minimum
      reduced plate heights as low as 1.24 for the most efficient 30MUm internal
      diameter column, corresponding to over 500,000plates/m. At least one highly
      efficient column (minimum reduced plate height less than 2) was created for all
      three of the investigated column inner diameters, with the smallest diameter
      columns having the highest efficiency. This study proves that highly efficient
      capillary columns can be created using superficially porous particles and shows
      the efficiency potential of these particles. 

PMID- 26499975
TI  - A computational study of the self-assembly of the RFFFR peptide.
AB  - The beta-amyloid peptide sequence, LVFFA, inspired the investigation of the fiber
      formation potential of the RFFFR peptide. The self-assembly was studied in silico
      by coarse grained-, atomistic molecular dynamics simulations and semi-empirical
      quantum mechanical calculations. The fiber formation was found to occur according
      to a three step process starting with the emergence of small aggregates that join
      together and form fiber segments that eventually form one continuous fiber. From
      a series of simulations the critical fiber concentration was determined to be in
      the interval between 70 mM and 100 mM. To obtain more structural information of
      the stable fiber, the final coarse grained configuration was backtransformed to
      atomistic detail. Based on this structure a 10 ns atomistic simulation was
      performed, which suggests that the fiber is stabilized by hydrogen bonds and
      water mediated hydrogen bonds. These stabilizing bonds are, however, reduced by
      competitive protein-water hydrogen bonds. Hence, pi-stacking is suspected to play
      a larger role in fiber stabilization. The pi-stacking of intermolecular Phe
      residues are found to favor a T-shaped stacking mode, while intramolecular pi
      stacking interactions assume a broad variety of modes from the parallel displaced
      mode to the T-shaped stacking mode and modes in between, with equal probability.
      Selected snapshots from the atomistic simulation were geometry optimized using
      semi-empirical quantum mechanical methods to validate the fiber stability and pi
      stacking configuration. An average Calpha-RMSD was determined to be 2.68 A. These
      findings indicate that the fiber may be used as a novel model system for the
      study of amyloid fibers or self-assembled conductive biowires, respectively. 

PMID- 26499976
TI  - Bradykinin in ischemic conditioning-induced tissue protection: Evidences and
      possible mechanisms.
AB  - Ischemic conditioning is an intrinsic protective mechanism in which repeated
      short episodes of reversible ischemia protects the tissue and increases its
      tolerance against a subsequent longer period of ischemia (index ischemia).
      Bradykinin is a physiologically and pharmacologically active peptide of the
      kallikrein-kinin system. Besides the involvement of bradykinin in a variety of
      physiological and pathological responses such as pain, inflammation and in
      cardiovascular system as a potent vasodilator, it also acts as an endogenous
      cytoprotective mediator in the ischemic tissue. Pretreatment with various
      pharmacological modulators of bradykinin has confirmed the involvement of
      bradykinin in ischemic conditioning-induced protection. The protective actions of
      bradykinin in three major paradigms of ischemic conditioning i.e. ischemic
      preconditioning, ischemic postconditioning and remote ischemic preconditioning
      involves activation and regulation of various endogenous signaling cascades to
      render the heart resistant to infarction. In ischemic preconditioning, bradykinin
      exerts cardioprotective effect via activation of PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway
      and regulation of redox state via NO release. The role of bradykinin and its B2
      receptors in ischemic-postconditioning induced neuroprotection has been described
      mainly due to its increased redox signaling cascade and activation of
      mitochondrial anti-apoptotic pathway. Furthermore, its cardioprotective role
      during remote ischemic preconditioning has been associated with activation of B2
      receptors mediated neurogenic pathway and internalization of B2 receptors along
      with the formation of signalosomes that activates intracellular cytoprotective
      transduction pathways. The present review focuses on the potential role of
      bradykinin in mediating different forms of ischemic conditioning
      (pre/post/remote)-induced cardioprotection and neuroprotection along with the
      possible mechanisms. 

PMID- 26499977
TI  - Role of connexin 43 in cardiovascular diseases.
AB  - Gap junctions (GJs) channels provide the basis for intercellular communication in
      the cardiovascular system for maintenance of the normal cardiac rhythm,
      regulation of vascular tone and endothelial function as well as metabolic
      interchange between the cells. They allow the transfer of small molecules and may
      enable slow calcium wave spreading, transfer of "death" or of "survival" signals.
      In the cardiomyocytes the most abundant isoform is Connexin 43 (Cx43).
      Alterations in Cx43 expression and distribution were observed in myocardium
      disease; i.e. in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, heart failure and ischemia. Recent
      reports suggest the presence of Cx43 in the mitochondria as well, at least in the
      inner mitochondrial membrane, where it plays a central role in ischemic
      preconditioning. In this review, the current knowledge on the relationship
      between the remodeling of cardiac gap junctions and cardiac diseases are
      summarized. 

PMID- 26499978
TI  - Liquid B2O3 up to 1700 K: x-ray diffraction and boroxol ring dissolution.
AB  - Using high energy x-ray diffraction, the structure factors of glassy and molten
      B2O3 were measured with high signal-to-noise, up to a temperature of T  = 
      1710(20) K. The observed systematic changes with T are shown to be consistent
      with the dissolution of hexagonal [B3O6] boroxol rings, which are abundant in the
      glass, whilst the high-T (>~1500 K) liquid can be more closely described as a
      random network structure based on [BO3] triangular building blocks. We therefore
      argue that diffraction data are in fact qualitatively sensitive to the presence
      of small rings, and support the existence of a continuous structural transition
      in molten B2O3, for which the temperature evolution of the 808 cm-1 Raman
      scattering band (boroxol breathing mode) has long stood as the most emphatic
      evidence. Our conclusions are supported by both first-principles and polarizable
      ion model molecular dynamics simulations which are capable of giving good account
      of the experimental data, so long as steps are taken to ensure a ring fraction
      similar to that expected from Raman spectroscopy. The mean thermal expansion of
      the B-O bond has been measured directly to be alphaBO  =  3.7(2)  *  10-6 K-1,
      which accounts for a few percent of the bulk expansion just above the glass
      transition temperature, but accounts for greater than one third of the bulk
      expansion at temperatures in excess of 1673 K.

PMID- 26499979
TI  - Serum levels of TWEAK in patients with psoriasis vulgaris.
AB  - Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) has been
      implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of inflammatory disorders and
      autoimmune diseases. However, studies conducted on the relationship of TWEAK and
      psoriasis patients are limited. In this study, we aimed to explore the serum
      levels of TWEAK and investigated whether TWEAK levels are associated with
      clinical variables and expression of other well-known psoriasis-related cytokines
      including IL-6, IL-23 and TNF-alpha. Forty-five patients with chronic plaque
      psoriasis and 43 controls were enrolled in this study. The severity of psoriasis
      was assessed by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). Serum levels of
      cytokines were measured using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA) kits. The mean TWEAK, IL-6, IL-23, and TN-alpha levels were significantly
      higher in psoriasis patients than in control subjects. However, there were no
      significant correlations between the psoriasis severity, the illness duration and
      serum cytokine levels. This study shows that TWEAK may be associated with the
      pathogenesis of psoriasis, like TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-23. 

PMID- 26499983
TI  - Ebola: what it teaches us about medical ethics. A response to Angus Dawson.

PMID- 26499981
TI  - Estimation of changes in the force of infection for intestinal and urogenital
      schistosomiasis in countries with schistosomiasis control initiative-assisted
      programmes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The last decade has seen an expansion of national schistosomiasis
      control programmes in Africa based on large-scale preventative chemotherapy. In
      many areas this has resulted in considerable reductions in infection and
      morbidity levels in treated individuals. In this paper, we quantify changes in
      the force of infection (FOI), defined here as the per (human) host parasite
      establishment rate, to ascertain the impact on transmission of some of these
      programmes under the umbrella of the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI).
      METHODS: A previous model for the transmission dynamics of Schistosoma mansoni
      was adapted here to S. haematobium. These models were fitted to longitudinal
      cohort (infection intensity) monitoring and evaluation data. Changes in the FOI
      following up to three annual rounds of praziquantel were estimated for Burkina
      Faso, Mali, Niger, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
      according to country, baseline endemicity and schistosome species. Since
      schistosomiasis transmission is known to be highly focal, changes in the FOI at a
      finer geographical scale (that of sentinel site) were also estimated for S.
      mansoni in Uganda. RESULTS: Substantial and statistically significant reductions
      in the FOI relative to baseline were recorded in the majority of, but not all,
      combinations of country, parasite species, and endemicity areas. At the finer
      geographical scale assessed within Uganda, marked heterogeneity in the magnitude
      and direction of the relative changes in FOI was observed that would not have
      been appreciated by a coarser-scale analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Reductions in the rate
      at which humans acquire schistosomes have been achieved in many areas of SSA
      countries assisted by the SCI, while challenges in effectively reducing
      transmission persist in others. Understanding the underlying heterogeneity in the
      impact and performance of the control intervention at the level of the
      transmission site will become increasingly important for programmes transitioning
      from morbidity reduction to elimination of infection. Such analyses will require
      a fine-scale approach. The lack of association found between programmatic
      variables, such as therapeutic treatment coverage (recorded at district level)
      and changes in FOI (at sentinel site level) is discussed and recommendations are
      made.

PMID- 26499982
TI  - A qualitative analysis of the attitudes of Irish patients towards participation
      in genetic-based research.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Progress in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in medicine is
      dependent upon high-quality biomedical research. Technological advances have
      facilitated improved understanding of disease aetiology, and rapidly emerging
      data promises further progress. Translating this potential into the clinic
      depends on patient participation in innovative clinical trials. We investigated
      attitudes to genetic research in Ireland, particularly with respect to commercial
      and financial implications. METHODS: A multi-centre, cross-sectional survey study
      was performed. Consecutive out-patients attending four clinics were asked to
      complete paper-based questionnaires. The same questionnaire was publicly
      available in electronic format on www.surveymonkey.com for 72 h. Data were
      analysed using SPSS. RESULTS: 351 questionnaires were completed (99 paper, 252
      electronic). The majority of respondents were female (n = 288, 82 %), and highly
      educated, with 244 (70 %) attending college/university. Most participants
      supported genetic research (267, 76 %), more frequently for common diseases (274,
      78 %) than rare disorders (204, 58 %, p < 0.001, chi 2). 103 (29 %) had
      participated in scientific research, and 57 (16 %) had donated material to a bio
      bank. The majority (n = 213, 61 %) would not support research with potential
      financial/commercial gain. 106 (30 %) would decline to participate in research if
      researchers would benefit financially, compared to 49 (14 %) if the research was
      supported by a pharmaceutical company (p < 0.001, chi 2). Respondents would
      provide buccal samples (258, 74 %) more readily than tissue (225, 64 %) or blood
      (222, 63 %). CONCLUSIONS: A high level of support for genetic research exists
      among the Irish population, but active participation is dependent upon a number
      of factors, notably, type of biological material required, frequency of the
      disease in question, and commercial interest of the researchers.

PMID- 26499984
TI  - Emotional reactions to human reproductive cloning.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Extant surveys of people's attitudes towards human reproductive
      cloning focus on moral judgements alone, not emotional reactions or sentiments.
      This is especially important given that some (especially Leon Kass) have argued
      against such cloning on the ground that it engenders widespread negative
      emotions, like disgust, that provide a moral guide. OBJECTIVE: To provide some
      data on emotional reactions to human cloning, with a focus on repugnance, given
      its prominence in the literature. METHODS: This brief mixed-method study measures
      the self-reported attitudes and emotions (positive or negative) towards cloning
      from a sample of participants in the USA. RESULTS: Most participants condemned
      cloning as immoral and said it should be illegal. The most commonly reported
      positive sentiment was by far interest/curiosity. Negative emotions were much
      more varied, but anxiety was the most common. Only about a third of participants
      selected disgust or repugnance as something they felt, and an even smaller
      portion had this emotion come to mind prior to seeing a list of options.
      CONCLUSIONS: Participants felt primarily interested and anxious about human
      reproductive cloning. They did not primarily feel disgust or repugnance. This
      provides initial empirical evidence that such a reaction is not appropriately
      widespread.

PMID- 26499980
TI  - Sonic hedgehog patterning during cerebellar development.
AB  - The morphogenic factor sonic hedgehog (Shh) actively orchestrates many aspects of
      cerebellar development and maturation. During embryogenesis, Shh signaling is
      active in the ventricular germinal zone (VZ) and represents an essential signal
      for proliferation of VZ-derived progenitors. Later, Shh secreted by Purkinje
      cells sustains the amplification of postnatal neurogenic niches: the external
      granular layer and the prospective white matter, where excitatory granule cells
      and inhibitory interneurons are produced, respectively. Moreover, Shh signaling
      affects Bergmann glial differentiation and promotes cerebellar foliation during
      development. Here we review the most relevant functions of Shh during cerebellar
      ontogenesis, underlying its role in physiological and pathological conditions. 

PMID- 26499985
TI  - An unusual case of acute respiratory failure in a patient with pulmonary veins
      stenosis late after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: a case report and
      the review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) can be treated with percutaneous catheter
      ablation procedures into the left atrium. Pulmonary veins stenosis (PV) stenosis
      is a severe complication of this procedure. CASE PRESENTATION: we report a case
      of late hemoptysis secondary to severe PV stenosis in a man who underwent AF
      ablation 9 months before onset of symptoms. He presented four episodes of
      bleeding and developed an acute respiratory failure (ARF). Parameters of
      respiratory mechanics and medical investigation did not show any abnormalities.
      Only computed tomography (CT) angiography showed stenosis of 3 out of 4 native
      PVs. PV balloon dilatation in all affected PVs and a stent was implanted in 1 of
      the 3 PVs with full restoration of respiratory function during 1 year follow-up.
      CONCLUSION: PV stenosis may be the underlying cause of recurrent haemoptysis
      after AF ablation in the presence of normal respiratory parameters. This
      diagnosis can be confirmed by means of CT angiography and magnetic resonance
      imaging can provide accurate localization of stenosis.

PMID- 26499986
TI  - Effects of Donor Age and Cold Ischemia on Liver Transplantation  Outcomes
      According to the Severity of Recipient Status.
AB  - BackgroundProlonged cold ischemic time (CIT) and increased donor age are well
      known factors negatively influencing outcomes after liver transplantation (LT).
      AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the magnitude of their
      negative effects is related to recipient model for end-stage liver disease (MELD)
      score. METHODS: This retrospective study was based on a cohort of 1402 LTs,
      divided into those performed in low-MELD (<10), moderate-MELD (10-20), and high
      MELD (>20) recipients. RESULTS: While neither donor age (p = 0.775) nor CIT (p =
      0.561) was a significant risk factor for worse 5-year graft survival in low-MELD
      recipients, both were found to yield independent effects (p = 0.003 and p =
      0.012, respectively) in moderate-MELD recipients, and only CIT (p = 0.004) in
      high-MELD recipients. However, increased donor age only triggered the negative
      effect of CIT in moderate-MELD recipients, which was limited to grafts recovered
      from donors aged >=46 years (p = 0.019). Notably, utilization of grafts from
      donors aged >=46 years with CIT >=9 h in moderate-MELD recipients (p = 0.003) and
      those with CIT >=9 h irrespective of donor age in high-MELD recipients (p =
      0.031) was associated with particularly compromised outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In
      conclusion, the negative effects of prolonged CIT seem to be limited to patients
      with moderate MELD receiving organs procured from older donors and to high-MELD
      recipients, irrespective of donor age. Varying effects of donor age and CIT
      according to recipient MELD score should be considered during the allocation
      process in order to avoid high-risk matches.

PMID- 26499987
TI  - Rotavirus-associated mild encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS)
      case report and review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe gastroenteritis in
      children under the age of 5 years worldwide. It is well recognised that rotavirus
      can cause signs and symptoms beyond the gastrointestinal tract, including
      neurological manifestations such as encephalopathy. Mild encephalopathy with a
      reversible splenial lesion (MERS) is a clinico-radiological syndrome that has
      been associated with rotavirus. We report a case of a 4-year-old boy with
      clinically mild encephalopathy, who had an isolated splenial lesion in the corpus
      callosum on neuroimaging, and rotavirus RNA detected in faeces. We use this case
      as an opportunity to review the literature on rotavirus-associated MERS. CASE
      PRESENTATION: A previously healthy 4-year-old boy presented with a 2-day history
      of vomiting, diarrhoea, and fever, complicated by reduced level of consciousness.
      Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed a marked hyperintensity in the
      splenium of the corpus callosum on T2 and diffusion-weighted images. Rotavirus
      genome was detected by polymerase chain reaction in a stool specimen, but not in
      the cerebrospinal fluid. The genotype was identified as G1P8. His clinical
      condition improved with gradual resolution of his symptoms. No neurological
      complications were evident upon discharge and the patient had no recurring
      symptoms or significant residual defects when followed up 2 months later.
      CONCLUSION: MERS is a novel clinic-radiological syndrome first described in
      Japan. A transient splenial lesion with reduced diffusion that appears as a high
      signal intensity in diffusion-weighted MRI is the main diagnostic feature.
      Rotavirus is one of the most common agents associated with MERS, although to our
      knowledge only one previous case has been reported from Europe. The majority of
      patients appear to achieve full recovery following rotavirus-associated MERS,
      irrespective of treatment. This case, together with other published reports,
      supports the hypothesis that rotavirus-associated MERS is unlikely to be the
      result of direct viral invasion of the CNS. It has been suggested that MERS may
      be caused by intra-myelinic axonal oedema or local inflammatory cell
      infiltration; however, the pathogenesis remains incompletely understood.

PMID- 26499988
TI  - The individual, the government and the global community: sharing responsibility
      for health post-2015 in Vanuatu, a small island developing state.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The end of 2015 will see the creation of the sustainable
      development goals - the new global framework for development. The process of
      creating universally relevant goals has involved community consultation
      throughout the world. Within this process it is vital that Pacific Island
      countries are included as they face particular development challenges due to
      their size and geographical location. As small island developing states, many
      Pacific Island countries struggle to overcome high rates of poverty and poor
      health outcomes. In order to include Pacific voices in the new health related
      sustainable development goals, Vanuatu was selected as a representative of the
      Pacific for this qualitative study. This paper presents the perspectives of
      communities throughout Vanuatu on their essential health needs and how best to
      meet them. METHODS: This paper examines the perspectives of 102 individuals from
      throughout Vanuatu. Ten focus group discussions and 2 individual interviews were
      conducted within communities in September 2013. Discussions focused on community
      perceptions of health, essential health needs, and responsibility in achieving
      health needs. Discussions were audio recorded and transcribed. The transcripts
      were then analysed using a theoretical thematic approach in order to identify
      central themes and subthemes. RESULTS: Individuals in this study demonstrated a
      comprehensive understanding of health, defining health in a holistic manner.
      Participants identified clear environmental and societal factors that impact upon
      health, and emphasized failures within the current health system as important
      barriers to attaining good health. Participants described the challenges faced in
      taking responsibility for one's health, and pointed to both the government and
      the international community as key players in meeting the essential health needs
      of communities. CONCLUSIONS: As a small island developing state, Vanuatu faces
      accentuated development challenges - particularly as globalisation and climate
      change progress. The individuals and communities in this study demonstrate a
      clear understanding of their needs, and show a strong desire for change. They
      point to both the government and the international community to assist in meeting
      health needs, and stress that respect for traditional governance and community
      involvement in decision-making are vital in this process. In order to ensure that
      the new health goals effectively meet local needs in Vanuatu such factors must be
      incorporated into policy and implementation decision-making.

PMID- 26499989
TI  - "Microglial nodules" and "newly forming lesions" may be a Janus face of early MS
      lesions; implications from virus-induced demyelination, the Inside-Out model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the precise mechanism of initial lesion development in
      multiple sclerosis (MS) remains unclear, two different neuropathological findings
      have been reported as a potential early pathology of MS: "microglial nodules" and
      "newly forming lesions", both of which contain neither T cell infiltration nor
      demyelination. In microglial nodules, damaged axons were associated with a small
      number of aggregated macrophages/microglia, while oligodendrocyte apoptosis was a
      characteristic in newly forming lesions. However, is the presence of "microglial
      nodules" and "oligodendrogliopathy" mutually exclusive? Might these two different
      observations be the same neuropathology (as proposed by the concept, "preactive
      lesions"), but interpreted differently based on the different theories of early
      MS lesion development, using different staining methods? DISCUSSION: Since two
      studies are looking at two distinct aspects of early MS pathogenesis (one focused
      on axons and the other on oligodendrocytes), in a sense, one can say that these
      two studies are complementary. On the other hand, experimentally, Wallerian
      degeneration (WD) has been demonstrated to induce both microglial nodules and
      oligodendrocyte apoptosis in the central nervous system (CNS). Here, when
      encephalitogenic T cells are present in the periphery in both autoimmune and
      viral models of MS, induction of WD in the CNS has been shown to result in the
      recruitment of T cells along the degenerated tract, leading to demyelination
      (Inside-Out model). These experimental findings are consistent with early MS
      pathology described by both "microglial nodules" and "newly forming lesions".
      CONCLUSIONS: The differences between the two neuropathological findings may be
      based on the preference of staining methods, where one group observed axonal and
      microglial pathology and the other observed oligodendrocyte apoptosis; a Janus
      face that is looked at from the two different sides.

PMID- 26499990
TI  - Ameliorative effect of butylated hydroxyanisole against ferric nitrilotriacetate
      induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats.
AB  - Ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA) is a known renal carcinogen and has been shown
      to adversely induce oxidative stress and tissue toxicity after both acute and
      chronic exposure. Present studies were designed to study the hepatoprotective and
      antioxidant potential of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), a phenolic antioxidant
      used in foods on ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA) induced hepatotoxicity in
      rats. Male albino rats of Wistar strain (4-6 weeks old) weighing 125-150 g were
      used in this study. Animals were given a single dose of Fe-NTA (9 mg/kg body
      weight, intraperitoneal) after a week's treatment with BHA. BHA was administered
      orally once daily for 7 days at doses of 1 and 2 mg/animal/day. The
      hepatoprotective activity was assessed using various biochemical parameters as
      serum transaminases (alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST))
      and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Fe-NTA treatment increased ALT, AST, and LDH
      levels significantly when compared to the corresponding saline-treated group (p <
      0.001). Fe-NTA also depleted the levels of glutathione and the activities of
      antioxidant enzymes namely glutathione reductase and glutathione-S-tranferase (p
      < 0.05). Pretreatment with BHA significantly decreased ALT, AST and LDH levels in
      a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). BHA also increased antioxidant enzymes level
      and decreased lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide generation to 1.3-1.5-fold
      as compared to Fe-NTA-treated group. The results show the strong hepatoprotective
      activity of BHA which could be due to its potent antioxidant effects.

PMID- 26499991
TI  - Determination of genotoxic effects of boron and zinc on Zea mays using protein
      and random amplification of polymorphic DNA analyses.
AB  - In this research, we aimed to determine genotoxic effects of boron (B) and zinc
      (Zn) on Zea mays by using total soluble protein content and random amplification
      of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses. For the RAPD analysis, 16 RAPD primers were
      found to produce unique polymorphic band profiles on treated maize seedlings.
      With increased Zn and B concentrations, increased polymorphism rate was observed,
      while genomic template stability and total soluble protein content decreased. The
      treatment with Zn was more effective than that of B groups on the levels of total
      proteins. The obtained results from this study revealed that the total soluble
      protein levels and RAPD profiles were performed as endpoints of genotoxicity and
      these analyses can offer useful biomarker assays for the evaluation of genotoxic
      effects on Zn and B polluted plants.

PMID- 26499992
TI  - Role of cysteinyl leukotriene receptor-1 antagonists in treatment of
      experimentally induced mammary tumor: does montelukast modulate antitumor and
      immunosuppressant effects of doxorubicin?
AB  - It has been reported that a leukotriene (LT)-D4 receptor (i.e. cysteinyl LT1
      receptor; CysLT1R) has an important role in carcinogenesis. The current study was
      carried out to assess the possible antitumor effects of montelukast (MON), a
      CysLT1R antagonist, in a mouse mammary carcinoma model, that is, a solid Ehrlich
      carcinoma (SEC). Effects of MON on tumor-induced immune dysfunction and the
      possibility that MON may modulate the antitumor and immunomodulatory effects of
      doxorubicin (DOX) were also studied. The effects in tumor-bearing hosts of
      several dosings with MON (10 mg/kg, per os), with and without the added presence
      of DOX (2 mg/kg, intraperitoneal), were investigated in vivo; end points
      evaluated included assessment of tumor volume, splenic lymphocyte
      profiles/functionality, tumor necrosis factor-alpha content, as well as apoptosis
      and expression of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) among the tumor cells. The
      data indicate that MON induced significant antitumor activity against the SEC.
      MON treatments also significantly mitigated both tumor- and DOX-induced declines
      in immune parameters assessed here. Moreover, MON led to decreased NF-kappaB
      nuclear expression and, in doing so, appeared to chemosensitize these tumor cells
      to DOX-induced apoptosis.

PMID- 26499993
TI  - Biodegradable collagen matrix (OlogenTM) implant and conjunctival autograft for
      scleral necrosis after pterygium excision: two case reports.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Scleromalacia, in the form of scleral thinning, melting, and
      necrosis, is a potentially serious complication of pterygium excision. This study
      introduces a new biodegradable material, OlogenTM collagen matrix (OCM), to
      repair scleral thinning as an alternative to preserved scleral tissue, and
      evaluates the long-term outcomes of OCM for ocular surface reconstruction
      surgery. CASE PRESENTATION: Two cases of possibly mitomycin C (MMC)-associated
      marked scleral thinning after pterygium excision with 0.02 % topical MMC for 2
      weeks were included in this study. An OCM graft at the scleral thinning area and
      conjunctival autograft (CAU) were performed on both patients. The scleral defect
      size was measured and its margin was marked with a biopsy punch. The margin of
      the scleral thinning area was trimmed by Vannas scissors and the OCM was cut
      using a circular-shape biopsy punch of the same size. The OCM was sutured with a
      recipient scleral wall using 10-0 nylon interrupted sutures. Free CAU was
      harvested from the superonasal bulbar conjunctiva with a punch biopsy 1-mm larger
      in diameter than that of the OCM. The previously sutured OCM bed was covered with
      CAU and the graft was secured with 10-0 nylon interrupted sutures. Both patients
      were examined periodically for over two years by assessing graft thickness and
      surface vascularization using a slit lamp biomicroscope. Reepithelialization of
      the ocular surface was observed within three to six days after surgery. Ocular
      discomfort and inflammation ceased in both patients as the ocular surface quickly
      stabilized. The entire graft site remained intact and provided a good healthy
      ocular surface with fluorescein stain negative intact epithelium and good
      vascularization of grafted conjunctiva. Epithelial defects and scleral thinning
      did not recur in either patient over the two year follow-up period. CONCLUSION:
      For treatment of a possibly MMC-associated scleral necrosis following the
      surgical excision of the pterygium, an OCM graft with CAU is highly recommended
      for good clinical outcomes and low recurrence rates. With the clinical results of
      this study, the new biodegradable OlogenTM collagen matrix qualifies as an
      alternative treatment to scleral tissue for ocular surface reconstruction.

PMID- 26499994
TI  - How temperature-induced variation in musculoskeletal anatomy affects escape
      performance and survival of zebrafish (Danio rerio).
AB  - Fishes are particularly sensitive to the effects of environmental conditions
      during early development, which can significantly impact adult morphology,
      performance, and survival. Previous research has highlighted the sensitivity of
      fishes to the effects of temperature during early development on vertebral number
      and muscle composition, which are both important determinants of an individual's
      swimming performance. In this study, we investigated the effect of developmental
      temperature on vertebral and muscle variation, and the subsequent effect of any
      variation on burst swimming performance in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Following
      development at a range of temperatures, all individuals were shifted to and
      maintained at a common temperature before startle responses were recorded and
      individuals were analyzed for either vertebral number or muscle composition. Our
      results indicate that developmental temperature does not significantly affect
      muscle composition, but can affect an individual's vertebral number, and that
      individuals with more vertebrae achieved greater displacement and velocities
      during C-start performance. To determine the ecological importance of this
      vertebral variation and to identify the potential selective factors behind it, we
      exposed populations of zebrafish with various vertebral numbers to native
      predators, needlenose garfish (Xenentodon cancila). We found that only caudal
      vertebral number was related to survival, and that survivors had the same caudal
      vertebral number across developmental temperatures. Overall, this work highlights
      the importance of including variation in musculoskeletal anatomy when
      investigating what is driving selection in fishes. J. Exp. Zool. 325A:25-40,
      2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26499995
TI  - Gut microbiota and probiotics: Focus on diabetes mellitus.
AB  - The characterization of gut microbiota has become an important area of research
      in several clinical conditions, including type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Changes in the
      composition and/or metabolic activity of the gut microbiota can contribute to
      human health. Thus, this review discusses the effects of probiotics and gut
      microbiota on metabolic control in these individuals. Relevant studies were
      obtained from electronic databases such as PubMed/Medline and ISI Web of Science.
      The main probiotics used in these studies belonged to the genera Lactobacillus
      and Bifidobacterium. The authors found seven randomized placebo-controlled
      clinical trials and 13 experimental studies directly related to the effect of
      probiotics on metabolic control in the context of T2DM. The hypothesis that gut
      microbiota plays a role in the development of diabetes indicates an important
      beginning, and the potential of probiotics to prevent and reduce the severity of
      T2DM is better observed in animal studies. In clinical trials, the use of
      probiotics in glycemic control presented conflicting results, and only few
      studies have attempted to evaluate factors that justify metabolic changes, such
      as markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and incretins. Thus, further
      research is needed to assess the effects of probiotics in the metabolism of
      diabetic individuals, as well as the main mechanisms involved in this complex
      relationship.

PMID- 26499996
TI  - The measurement of intraocular pressure over positive soft contact lenses by
      rebound tonometry.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate if the accuracy of intraocular pressure (IOP)
      measurements using rebound tonometry over disposable hydrogel (etafilcon A)
      contact lenses (CL) is affected by the positive power of the CLs. METHODS: The
      experimental group comprised 26 subjects, (8 male, 18 female). IOP measurements
      were undertaken on the subjects' right eyes in random order using a Rebound
      Tonometer (ICare). The CLs had powers of +2.00D and +6.00D. Measurements were
      taken over each contact lens and also before and after the CLs had been worn.
      RESULTS: The IOP measure obtained with both CLs was significantly lower compared
      to the value without CLs (t test; p<0.001) but no significant difference was
      found between the two powers of CLs. CONCLUSIONS: Rebound tonometry over positive
      hydrogel CLs leads to a certain degree of IOP underestimation. This result did
      not change for the two positive lenses used in the experiment, despite their
      large difference in power and therefore in lens thickness. Optometrists should
      bear this in mind when measuring IOP with the rebound tonometer over plus power
      contact lenses.

PMID- 26499997
TI  - Survey mode influence on patient-reported outcome scores in orthopaedic surgery:
      telephone results may be positively biased.
AB  - PURPOSE: Patient-reported outcome (PRO) scores are used to evaluate treatment
      modalities in orthopaedic surgery. The method of PRO collection may introduce
      bias to reported surgical outcomes due to the presence of an interviewer. This
      study evaluates post-operative PROs for variation of outcomes between survey
      methods-in-person, online, or telephone. METHODS: From 2008 to 2011, 456 patients
      underwent arthroscopic surgical treatment for acetabular labral tears. All pre
      operative surveys were completed in the clinic during pre-operative visit. Two
      year follow-up questionnaires were completed by 385 (84 %) patients. The PRO data
      were prospectively collected pre- and post-operatively using five tools: modified
      Harris Hip Score (mHHS), Hip Outcome Score Activities of Daily Living (HOS-ADLS),
      Hip Outcome Score Sports-Specific Subscale (HOS-SSS), Non-Arthritic Hip Score
      (NAHS), and visual analog scale. Patients were grouped according to method of 2
      year follow-up: in-person during follow-up visit (102 patients, 26 %), online by
      email prompt (138 patients, 36 %), or telephone with an interviewer (145
      patients, 38 %). RESULTS: Pre-operative baseline PRO scores demonstrated no
      statistically significant difference between groups for mHHS, HOS-ADLS, HOS-SSS,
      and NAHS. Two-year post-operative PRO scores obtained by telephone were
      statistically greater than scores obtained in-person or online for mHHS (p <
      0.001), HOS-ADLS (p < 0.001), and HOS-SSS (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: This study
      demonstrates higher patient-reported outcome scores and greater improvement by
      telephone surveys compared to in-person or online. The variation of results
      between collection methods is indicative of a confounding variable. Clinically,
      it is important to understand these confounding variables in order to assess
      patient responses and guide treatment. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 26499998
TI  - Femoral rotation in total knee arthroplasty: a comparison of patient
      individualized jigs with gap balancing in relation to anatomic landmarks.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of our study was to compare the accuracy of the rotational
      position of the femoral component in total knee arthroplasty aligned with patient
      individualized jigs (PSJ) to a gap balancing technique (GBT). METHODS: A
      consecutive series of 21 osteoarthritic patients were treated with 22 cruciate
      retaining total knee prostheses. During surgery, the rotation of the femoral
      component pinholes was recorded for all knees using PSJ and GBT and transferred
      to computer tomograms (CT). The rotational differences between PSJ and GBT
      relative to the transepicondylar axis were analysed. RESULTS: The medium rotation
      of the femoral component pinholes was 1.3 degrees  +/- 5.1 degrees  (min = -6.3
      degrees ; max = 14.4 degrees ) for PSJ and 0.1 +/- 1.4 degrees  (min = -1.6
      degrees ; max = 3.4 degrees ) for GBT. Outliers of more than 3 degrees  were
      found more frequently with PSJ in 12 cases but only in one for GBT. CONCLUSION:
      Based on our study, we would not recommend relying intra-operatively solely on
      the CT-based PSJ without the option to adjust or control femoral rotation. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: II.

PMID- 26499999
TI  - Patterns and predictors of early mortality among emergency department patients in
      Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ethiopian emergency department (ED) patients have a considerable
      burden of illness and injury for which all-cause mortality rates have not
      previously been published. This study sought to characterize the burden of and to
      identify predictors for early all-cause mortality among patients presenting to
      the Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital ED (TASH-ED) in Ethiopia. METHODS: Data
      was prospectively collected from the records of all patients who died within 72 h
      of ED presentation. Pearson's Chi square and Fisher's exact tests were used to
      investigate associations between two outcome variables: (a) time to death and (b)
      immediate cause of death in relation to specific demographic and clinical
      factors. Time from ED presentation to death was dichotomized as 'very early'
      mortality within <=6 h and death >6-72 h and logistic regression was used to
      assess the adjusted impact of these demographic and clinical variables on the
      probability of dying within 6 h of ED presentation. RESULTS: Between October 2012
      and May 2013, 9956 patients visited the ED and 220 patients died within 72 h of
      admission. After excluding patients dead on arrival (n = 34), the average age of
      death was 43.1 years and the overall mortality rate was 1.9 %. Head injury (21.5
      %) and sepsis (18.8 %) were the most common causes of death. Relative to medical
      patients, trauma patients were more likely to be male (p < 0.01), less likely to
      have had prior recent ED visits (p < 0.01) and more likely to be triaged as
      higher acuity (p = 0.04). The sole statistically significant predictor of death
      within 6 h from our multivariable logistic regression model was symptom duration
      less than 4 h (4-48 h vs. <4 h: OR = 0.20, 95 % CI 0.07, 0.53, p < 0.01; >48 h
      vs. <4 h: OR = 0.27, 95 % CI 0.09, 0.81, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The mortality
      burden of trauma and sepsis in the TASH-ED is substantial, and mortality patterns
      differ between these groups. As emergency medicine develops as a specialty in the
      Ethiopian health system, the potential impact of context-specific clinical care
      protocol development, trauma prevention advocacy and ED care re-organization
      initiatives to reduce mortality among these young, previously well patients
      warrants exploration.

PMID- 26500000
TI  - Recurrent nocturnal hypoglycaemia as a cause of morning fatigue in treated
      Addison's disease--favourable response to dietary management: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Addison's disease, or primary adrenal insufficiency, is often
      associated with reduced well-being and fatigue despite use of currently
      recommended adrenal hormone replacement. Hypoglycaemia is a known manifestation
      of glucocorticoid deficiency, but is generally considered rare in adults and not
      relevant to troubling ongoing symptoms in patients with Addison's disease. CASE
      PRESENTATION: A 43 year old woman with a three year history of Addison's disease
      complained of severe morning fatigue and headaches, despite standard
      glucocorticoid replacement therapy in the form of thrice daily hydrocortisone and
      mineralocorticoid replacement with fludrocortisone. Alternative glucocorticoid
      replacement regimens and the addition of dehydroepiandrosterone replacement
      therapy had no effect. Nocturnal hypoglycaemia was suspected and a 4-day
      continuous glucose monitor system (CGMS) revealed hypoglycaemia (interstitial
      glucose < 2.2 mmol/L) between 0200-0400 h on 3 of 4 days. The patient was
      counselled to take an evening snack designed to ensure slow absorption of
      ingested carbohydrates. Nocturnal hypoglycaemia was then absent on follow up CGMS
      assessment. The patient noted a marked symptomatic improvement in morning
      symptoms, but with persistent fatigue during the day. CONCLUSION: Currently, the
      best strategy for control of non-specific symptoms in treated Addison's disease
      is unknown, but it may be that investigation for hypoglycaemia and treatment,
      where necessary, could assist some sufferers to achieve improved wellbeing. A
      systematic study of this phenomenon in Addison's disease is required.

PMID- 26500001
TI  - Lungs exposed to 1 hour warm ischemia without heparin before harvesting might be
      suitable candidates for transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The limiting factor for lung transplantation is the lack of donor
      organs. The usage of lungs from donation after cardiac death (DCD) would
      dramatically increase donor availability. In the present paper we wanted to
      investigate lungs exposed to 1 h of warm ischemia without heparin followed by
      flush-perfusion and cold storage compared to lungs harvested from heart beating
      donors (HBD) using standard harvesting technique. METHODS: Twelve Swedish
      domestic pigs were randomized into two groups. Six pigs (DCD group) underwent
      ventricular fibrillation and were then left untouched for 1 h after declaration
      of death. They did not receive heparin. The lungs were then harvested and flush
      perfused with Perfadex(r) solution and the organs were stored at 8  degrees C for
      4 h. Six pigs (HBD group) received heparin and the lungs were harvested and flush
      perfused with Perfadex(r) solution and the organs were stored at 8  degrees C for
      4 h. Lung function was evaluated, using ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP), with blood
      gases at different oxygen levels, pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), lung
      weight, and macroscopic appearance. RESULTS: At FiO2 1.0, the PaO2 in the DCD
      group was 51.7 +/- 2.0 kPa and in the HBD group 68.6 +/- 2.4 kPa (p < 0.01).
      Significantly lower PVR levels were measured in the DCD group (372 +/- 31 dyne x
      s/cm(5)) compared to the HBD group (655 +/- 45 dyne x s/cm(5)) (p < 0.001). There
      was no significant difference between groups in weight, compliance or signs of
      pulmonary thrombosis or embolization. CONCLUSIONS: It seems as if DCD lungs
      exposed to 1 h of warm ischemia before 4 h of cold storage has satisfying
      oxygenation capacity, low PVR, normal weight and no signs of thrombosis or
      embolization. According to our study it seems as lungs exposed to 1 h warm
      ischemia without heparin might be good candidates for transplantation.

PMID- 26500002
TI  - Multicenter analytical performance evaluation of a fully automated anti-Mullerian
      hormone assay and reference interval determination.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Anti-Mullenria hormone (AMH) is an established biomarker for
      assessing ovarian reserve and predicting response to controlled ovarian
      stimulation. Its routine clinical use is hampered by the variability and low
      throughput of available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The presented
      study examined if a fully automated AMH electrochemiluminescence assay (ECLIA;
      Elecsys(r) AMH assay, Roche Diagnostics) was suitable for measuring AMH levels in
      healthy women and in those diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
      DESIGN AND METHODS: Five European laboratories evaluated the Elecsys(r) AMH assay
      independently under routine conditions over eight months. Within-run imprecision,
      repeatability, intermediate precision, linearity and functional sensitivity were
      assessed. The Elecsys(r) AMH assay was compared to a manual ELISA microtiter
      plate format test (AMH Gen II ELISA, modified version; Beckman Coulter Inc.)
      using 1729 routine serum samples. AMH reference intervals were determined in 887
      healthy women with regular menstrual cycle aged 20-50 years, and 149 women
      diagnosed with PCOS. RESULTS: The fully automated Elecsys(r) AMH assay showed
      excellent precision, linearity, and functional sensitivity. The coefficient of
      variation was 1.8% for repeatability and 4.4% for intermediate precision. Values
      measured with the Elecsys(r) AMH assay were highly correlated with the manual
      ELISA method (modified version) but 24-28% lower. Reference intervals showed the
      expected AMH decline with age in healthy women and increased AMH levels in women
      with PCOS. CONCLUSIONS: The Elecsys(r) AMH assay demonstrated good precision
      under routine conditions, and is suitable for determining AMH levels in serum and
      lithium-heparin plasma.

PMID- 26500003
TI  - N-acetylcysteine interference of Trinder-based assays.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate potential
      interference of Trinder-based chemistry assays by N-acetylcysteine (NAC). A
      secondary objective was to look for evidence of interference in patients treated
      with NAC for acetaminophen (APAP) overdose. DESIGN AND METHODS: Dilutions of NAC
      in plasma were tested for interference using the following Roche Diagnostics
      Trinder-based assays on a cobas 8000 system: enzymatic creatinine (Cr),
      cholesterol (CHOL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides
      (TRIG), and uric acid (UA). Two non-Trinder Roche assays - urea nitrogen (BUN)
      and glucose (GLUC) - were tested as controls. Sekisui N-geneous(r) low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reagent was also evaluated. Retrospective chart
      review of APAP overdose cases over 49months was conducted to look for differences
      in plasma Cr before and after intravenous (IV) NAC administration. RESULTS: NAC
      concentrations (shown in parentheses) that caused >=10% inhibition for individual
      assays were (in order of sensitivity to interference): TRIG (570mg/L)>CHOL
      (740mg/L)~Cr (790mg/L)>UA (1100mg/L)>HDL-C (1760mg/L)>LDL-C (2900mg/L). Neither
      BUN nor GLUC achieved significant inhibition up to 10,000mg/L NAC. Evidence for
      relatively minor inhibition of Cr was observed in patients after NAC
      administration. CONCLUSIONS: NAC inhibition of the assays investigated typically
      occurs at concentrations higher than expected during IV and oral NAC therapy.

PMID- 26500004
TI  - Identification and frequencies of cystic fibrosis mutations in central Argentina.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Argentinian population is mainly of Caucasian origin, with a
      small contingent of indigenous descent. The aim of this study is to test the
      hypothesis that a panel of mutations designed for European countries is not
      optimal as a first-line molecular diagnosis for routine use in this country of
      mixed European origin. METHODS: Phenotype analyses combined with a European
      screening panel of 71 mutations followed by Sanger sequencing and large
      rearrangement study, were used to characterize the identification and
      distribution of CFTR mutations in the Santa Fe province of Argentina. RESULTS:
      Clinical review of 121 subjects suspected of CF during childhood led to selection
      of 83 unrelated patients. Thirty four different mutations, including two new
      ones, c.2554dupT and p.Leu49Pro, were detected. The total sensitivity was 91% (n
      = 151/166 alleles). CONCLUSIONS: Frequencies of CFTR mutations in Argentinian
      populations differ from those of their European ancestry. A new first line panel
      of 21 CFTR mutations with a sensitivity of 84% is proposed for routine use in
      central Argentina.

PMID- 26500005
TI  - Erectile dysfunction and diabetes: Association with the impairment of lipid
      metabolism and oxidative stress.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that exists an association of non-diabetic and
      diabetic patients suffering from erectile dysfunction (ED) with lipid metabolism
      and oxidative stress. DESIGN AND METHODS: Clinical and laboratory characteristics
      in non-diabetic (n = 30, middle age range: 41-55.5 years; n = 25, old age range:
      55.5-73), diabetic ED patients (n = 30, age range: 55.5-75 years) and diabetic
      patients (n = 25, age range: 56-73.25), were investigated. Proteomic analysis was
      performed to identify differentially expressed plasma proteins and to evaluate
      their oxidative posttranslational modifications. RESULTS: A decreased level of
      high-density lipoproteins in all ED patients (P < 0.001, C.I. 0.046-0.10), was
      detected by routine laboratory tests. Proteomic analysis showed a significant
      decreased expression (P < 0.05) of 5 apolipoproteins (i.e. apolipoprotein H,
      apolipoprotein A4, apolipoprotein J, apolipoprotein E and apolipoprotein A1) and
      zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein, 50% of which are more oxidized proteins. Exclusively
      for diabetic ED patients, oxidative posttranslational modifications for
      prealbumin, serum albumin, serum transferrin and haptoglobin markedly increased.
      CONCLUSIONS: Showing evidence for decreased expression of apolipoproteins in ED
      and the remarkable enhancement of oxidative posttranslational modifications in
      diabetes-associated ED, considering type 2 diabetes mellitus and age as
      independent risk factors involved in the ED pathogenesis, lipid metabolism and
      oxidative stress appear to exert a complex interplay in the disease.

PMID- 26500006
TI  - Heat shock protein 70 and antibodies to heat shock protein 60 are associated with
      cerebrovascular atherosclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are produced by all cells, including
      vascular, to ensure stress protection. Damaged cells release Hsps in their local
      environment and systemic circulation. The aim of this study was to investigate
      the involvement and prognostic utility of serum Hsp60 and Hsp70, and the
      respective antibodies anti-Hsp60 and anti-Hsp70 in subjects with advanced
      atherosclerosis resulting in high degree of cerebrovascular stenosis. DESIGN AND
      METHODS: Ultrasound Doppler examination of carotid arteries was used to
      discriminate between control and cerebrovascular atherosclerosis subjects. Twenty
      eight subjects without carotid obstruction were selected as controls. Fifty
      patients with obstruction of cerebrovascular blood flow were evaluated for the
      degree of stenosis of cerebral arteries by digital subtraction angiography. In
      parallel, serum concentrations of Hsp60, Hsp70, anti-Hsp60 and anti-Hsp70 were
      measured by ELISA kits. RESULTS: Anti-Hsp60 was significantly higher (P=0.003) in
      the atherosclerosis group than in the control group (23.62ng/L vs. 15.28ng/L,
      respectively, expressed as median). Circulating Hsp70 was lower in the
      atherosclerosis than in the control group (P=0.048), with respective median
      values of 0.00MUg/L vs. 0.22MUg/L. Concentrations of Hsp60 and anti-Hsp70 did not
      differ significantly between the control and atherosclerosis group. CONCLUSIONS:
      Higher circulating anti-Hsp60 is associated with advanced cerebrovascular
      atherosclerosis as a consequence of the autoimmunity part of the inflammation and
      bursting of atherosclerosis. Higher levels of Hsp70 observed in the control group
      could be protective in the development of atherosclerotic changes.

PMID- 26500008
TI  - Erratum to: Phenylephrine Pharmacokinetics and First-Pass Metabolism: What Is an
      Ideal Pharmacokinetic Surrogate?

PMID- 26500007
TI  - Pedicle screw placement accuracy in thoracic and lumbar spinal surgery with a
      patient-matched targeting guide: a cadaveric study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Pedicle screw placement is an increasingly common procedure for the
      correction of spine degenerative disease, deformity and trauma. However, screw
      placement is demanding, with complications resulting from inaccurate screw
      placement. While several different techniques have been developed to improve
      accuracy, they all have their limitations. METHODS: We examined the MySpine
      (Medacta International SA, Castel San Pietro, CH) patient-matched pedicle
      targeting guide in three cadaveric spine specimens operated on by three surgeons.
      A three-dimensional (3D) preoperative plan was constructed from spinal computed
      tomography scans, from which individualised guides were developed for the
      placement of Medacta Unconstrained Screw Technology pedicle screws. Following
      screw placement, the 3D positioning of the screws was compared to the
      preoperative plan against a series of pre-defined criteria. RESULTS: Of 46
      inserted screws eligible for assessment, 91.3 % were fully inside the pedicle.
      There were no cases of Grade B (2-4 mm) or C (>4 mm) pedicle perforation. The
      mean deviation between the planned and actual screw position at the midpoint of
      the pedicle was 0.70 mm, the mean horizontal deviation was 0.60 mm and the mean
      vertical deviation was 0.77 mm. The mean angular deviation in the sagittal plane
      was 1.74 degrees , versus 1.32 degrees  in the transverse plane. The mean
      deviation in screw depth was 1.55 mm. On all measures, the accuracy of screw
      placement was within the predefined criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Our cadaver study
      indicates that pedicle screw placement with the system is accurate and should be
      investigated in larger in vitro and in vivo studies.

PMID- 26500009
TI  - The Greek financial crisis: maintaining medical education against the odds.

PMID- 26500010
TI  - Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network head injury clinical prediction
      rules are reliable in practice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN)
      traumatic brain injury (TBI) age-based clinical prediction rules identify
      children at very low risk of a significant head injury who can safely avoid CT.
      Our goal was to independently validate these prediction rules. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional study. SETTING: Two paediatric emergency departments located in USA and
      in Italy. PATIENTS: All children presenting within 24 h of a head injury with a
      Glasgow Coma Score of >= 14. INTERVENTION: Assessment of PECARN TBI clinical
      predictors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Clinically important TBI defined as head injury
      resulting in death, intubation for >24 h, neurosurgery or two or more nights of
      hospitalisation for the management of head trauma. RESULTS: During the study
      period, we included 2439 children (91% of eligible patients), of which 959 (39%)
      were < 2 years of age and 1439 (59%) were male. Of the study patients, 373 (15%)
      had a CT performed, 69 (3%) had traumatic findings on their CT and 19 (0.8%) had
      a clinically important TBI. None of the children with a clinically important TBI
      were classified as very low risk by the PECARN TBI prediction rules (overall
      sensitivity 100%; 95% CI 83.2% to 100%, specificity 55%, 95% CI 52.5% to 56.6%,
      and negative predictive value 100%, 95% CI 99.6% to 100%). CONCLUSIONS: In our
      external validation, the age-based PECARN TBI prediction rules accurately
      identified children at very low risk for a clinically significant TBI and can be
      used to assist CT decision making for children with minor blunt head trauma.

PMID- 26500011
TI  - Minocycline-induced pigmentation of the skin and nails.

PMID- 26500012
TI  - Guidelines and Mindlines.

PMID- 26500013
TI  - Astroglial beta-Arrestin1-mediated Nuclear Signaling Regulates the Expansion of
      Neural Precursor Cells in Adult Hippocampus.
AB  - Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is crucial for preserving normal brain function,
      but how it is regulated by niche cells is uncertain. Here we show that beta
      arrestin 1 (beta-arr1) in dentate gyrus (DG) regulates neural precursor
      proliferation. beta-arr1 knockout (KO) mice show reduced neural precursor
      proliferation in subgranular zone (SGZ) which could be rescued by selective viral
      expression of beta-arr1 but not its nuclear-function-deficient mutants under
      control of hGFAP promotor in DG. Compared with wild type astrocytes, beta-arr1 KO
      astrocytes nurture less neurospheres, and this may be attributed to changed
      activity of soluble, heat-sensitive excretive factors, such as BMP2. RNA
      sequencing reveals that beta-arr1 KO DG astrocytes exhibit an aberrant gene
      expression profile of niche factors, including elevated transcription of Bmp2.
      Taken together, our data suggest that beta-arr1 mediated nuclear signaling
      regulates the production of excretive factors derived from niche astrocytes and
      expansion of neural precursors in DG, thus maintaining homeostasis of adult
      hippocampal neurogenesis. 

PMID- 26500014
TI  - Guidelines for quantification of noise-induced hearing loss in a medicolegal
      context.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Guidelines published in 2000 by the authors are widely used by
      medical and legal professionals in the UK for diagnosis of noise-induced hearing
      loss in a medicolegal context. However, they cannot be used for quantification of
      the noise-induced hearing loss, which is required in most cases. This requirement
      is addressed. DESIGN: A method is developed here to quantify noise-induced
      hearing loss, thereby overcoming this shortcoming. SETTING: Assessment of noise
      induced hearing loss in medicolegal cases. PARTICIPANTS: A consecutive series of
      124 cases of noise-induced hearing loss is used for evaluation. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURE: Magnitude of noise-induced hearing loss based on hearing threshold
      levels averaged over the frequencies 1, 2 and 3 kHz. RESULTS: The rationale of
      the method, practical application and three worked examples are developed. A
      simpler short-cut method is developed and shown to be equivalent to the full
      method in most cases. CONCLUSIONS: The method offers a practical approach to
      quantification of noise-induced hearing loss.

PMID- 26500015
TI  - Changes in soil oribatid communities associated  with conversion from
      conventional to organic agriculture.
AB  - We investigated the effects of switching from conventional management to organic
      management on the abundance and community composition of soil-living oribatid
      mites in clover fields in an experimental agricultural station at Al-Fayoum,
      Egypt. The site had two adjacent fields with identical vegetation cover but
      different management. Fifteen random soil samples were collected monthly from
      each of three plots per field, from October to March. We characterized the soils
      with respect to various physicochemical variables as well as fungal community
      composition, and estimated mite densities through core sampling. Organic fields
      had a significantly more abundant oribatid community than did conventional
      fields. Also the abundance of soil fungi was greater in the organically managed
      field. Organic management promoted common oribatid mite species with a wide
      ecological amplitude that already had a high abundance where such common species
      are more responsive to changes in agricultural management. However, some species
      of mite responded indifferent or negative to the switch from conventional to
      organic management. Overall, the differences between the two ecological systems
      were mainly quantitative. Species diversities of both mite and fungal communities
      did not differ much between the two management systems. Diversity (H0) and
      equitability (E) of soil oribatid communities were higher in conventional plots
      than in the organic plots during the first 2 months but indistinguishable
      thereafter. Our study confirmed that organic management stimulates soilorganic
      matter build-up, with positive effects on both fungal and oribatid mite abundance
      and possible long-term effects on soil function.

PMID- 26500016
TI  - The diagnostic utility of exome sequencing in Joubert syndrome and related
      disorders.

PMID- 26500017
TI  - FALS with FUS mutation in Japan, with early onset, rapid progress and basophilic
      inclusion.

PMID- 26500018
TI  - The NAC transcription factor family in maritime pine (Pinus Pinaster): molecular
      regulation of two genes involved in stress responses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: NAC transcription factors comprise a large plant-specific gene family
      involved in the regulation of diverse biological processes. Despite the growing
      number of studies on NAC transcription factors in various species, little
      information is available about this family in conifers. The goal of this study
      was to identify the NAC transcription family in maritime pine (Pinus pinaster),
      to characterize ATAF-like genes in response to various stresses and to study
      their molecular regulation. METHODS: We have isolated two maritime pine NAC genes
      and using a transient expression assay in N. benthamiana leaves estudied the
      promoter jasmonate response. RESULTS: In this study, we identified 37 NAC genes
      from maritime pine and classified them into six main subfamilies. The largest
      group includes 12 sequences corresponding to stress-related genes. Two of these
      NAC genes, PpNAC2 and PpNAC3, were isolated and their expression profiles were
      examined at various developmental stages and in response to various types of
      stress. The expression of both genes was strongly induced by methyl jasmonate
      (MeJA), mechanical wounding, and high salinity. The promoter regions of these
      genes were shown to contain cis-elements involved in the stress response and
      plant hormonal regulation, including E-boxes, which are commonly found in the
      promoters of genes that respond to jasmonate, and binding sites for bHLH
      proteins. Using a transient expression assay in N. benthamiana leaves, we found
      that the promoter of PpNAC3 was rapidly induced upon MeJA treatment, while this
      response disappeared in plants in which the transcription factor NbbHLH2 was
      silenced. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that PpNAC2 and PpNAC3 encode stress
      responsive NAC transcription factors involved in the jasmonate response in pine.
      Furthermore, these data also suggest that the jasmonate signaling pathway is
      conserved between angiosperms and gymnosperms. These findings may be useful for
      engineering stress tolerance in pine via biotechnological approaches.

PMID- 26500020
TI  - Erythematous and edematous plaques on the bilateral extremities in an
      immunocompromised patient. Protothecosis.

PMID- 26500019
TI  - A randomized controlled trial of web-based cognitive behavioral therapy for
      severely fatigued breast cancer survivors (CHANGE-study): study protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: About one third of breast cancer survivors suffer from persistent
      severe fatigue after completion of curative cancer treatment. Face-to-face
      cognitive behavioral therapy (F2F CBT), especially designed for fatigue in cancer
      survivors, was found effective in reducing fatigue. However, this intervention is
      intensive and treatment capacity is limited. To extend treatment options, a web
      based version of CBT requiring less therapist time was developed. This
      intervention is aimed at changing fatigue-perpetuating cognitions and behaviors.
      The efficacy of web-based CBT will be examined in a multicenter randomized
      controlled trial. METHODS: In total, 132 severely fatigued breast cancer
      survivors will be recruited and randomized to either an intervention condition or
      care as usual (ratio 1:1). Participants will be assessed at baseline and 6 months
      thereafter. The intervention group will receive web-based CBT, consisting of
      three F2F sessions and maximally eight web-based modules over a period of 6
      months. The care as usual group will be on a waiting list for regular F2F CBT.
      The total duration of the waiting list is 6 months. The primary outcome of the
      study is fatigue severity. Secondary outcomes are functional impairments,
      psychological distress and quality of life. DISCUSSION: If web-based CBT is
      effective, it will provide an additional treatment option for fatigue in breast
      cancer survivors. Web-based CBT is expected to be less time-consuming for
      therapists than regular F2F CBT, which would result in an increased treatment
      capacity. Moreover, the intervention would become more easily accessible for a
      larger number of patients, and patients can save travel time and costs. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Dutch Trial Registry--NTR4309.

PMID- 26500021
TI  - Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) stimulates the proliferation of
      Muller glia-derived progenitor cells in avian and murine retinas.
AB  - Muller glia can be stimulated to de-differentiate, proliferate and form Muller
      glia-derived progenitor cells (MGPCs) that regenerate retinal neurons. In the
      zebrafish retina, heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) may be one of
      the key factors that stimulate the formation of proliferating MGPCs. Currently
      nothing is known about the influence of HB-EGF on the proliferative potential of
      Muller glia in retinas of birds and rodents. In the chick retina, we found that
      levels of both hb-egf and egf-receptor are rapidly and transiently up-regulated
      following NMDA-induced damage. Although intraocular injections of HB-EGF failed
      to stimulate cell-signaling or proliferation of Muller glia in normal retinas, HB
      EGF stimulated proliferation of MGPCs in damaged retinas. By comparison,
      inhibition of the EGF-receptor (EGFR) decreased the proliferation of MGPCs in
      damaged retinas. HB-EGF failed to act synergistically with FGF2 to stimulate the
      formation of MGPCs in the undamaged retina and inhibition of EGF-receptor did not
      suppress FGF2-mediated formation of MGPCs. In the mouse retina, HB-EGF stimulated
      the proliferation of Muller glia following NMDA-induced damage. Furthermore, HB
      EGF not only stimulated MAPK-signaling in Muller glia/MGPCs, but also activated
      mTor- and Jak/Stat-signaling. We propose that levels of expression of EGFR are
      rate-limiting to the responses of Muller glia to HB-EGF and the expression of
      EGFR can be induced by retinal damage, but not by FGF2-treatment. We conclude
      that HB-EGF is mitogenic to Muller glia in both chick and mouse retinas, and HB
      EGF is an important player in the formation of MGPCs in damaged retinas. 

PMID- 26500022
TI  - Activation of inflammasome by attenuated Salmonella typhimurium in bacteria
      mediated cancer therapy.
AB  - Escherichia coli and attenuated Salmonella both naturally accumulate in a tumor
      mass, yet have distinct therapeutic efficacy: the E. coli K-12 strain (MG1655)
      cannot induce as significant a tumor suppression as attenuated Salmonella
      typhimurium, despite similar levels of accumulation in the tumor. To elucidate
      the mechanism of the robust antitumor effect of S. typhimurium, the cytokine
      profiles elicited by bacterial colonization in tumors were analyzed. C57BL/6 mice
      bearing MC38 tumors were injected with Salmonella or MG1655 in the tail vein.
      Tumors were collected 3 days post-infection and homogenized. Inflammasome-related
      signals were measured by real-time PCR, ELISA and western blot analysis. Only
      attenuated Salmonella triggered significant levels of the inflammatory cytokine
      IL-1beta in the tumor, whereas tumor growth was significantly suppressed. In
      addition, transcript levels of the core molecules of inflammasome signaling,
      IPAF, NLRP3 and P2X7, were significantly elevated only in Salmonella-treated
      tumors. Upon direct interaction between Salmonella and BMDM, BMDM expressed
      inflammasome-related proteins such as NLRP3, IPAF and caspase-1 p10, and secreted
      a significant amount of IL-1beta in supernatants. Coincubation assays with BMDM
      and Salmonella-treated MC38 cells (damaged cancer cells) revealed secretion of IL
      1beta only when TLR4 and inflammasome were activated by both LPS and damaged
      cancer cells. ATP released from damaged cancer cells was also identified as a
      mechanism of NLRP3 activation. In conclusion, Salmonella activate the
      inflammasome pathway using damage signals released from cancer cells and through
      direct interaction with macrophages. 

PMID- 26500023
TI  - Cross-Talk Between Ionic and Nanoribbon Current Signals in Graphene Nanoribbon
      Nanopore Sensors for Single-Molecule Detection.
AB  - Nanopores are now being used not only as an ionic current sensor but also as a
      means to localize molecules near alternative sensors with higher sensitivity
      and/or selectivity. One example is a solid-state nanopore embedded in a graphene
      nanoribbon (GNR) transistor. Such a device possesses the high conductivity needed
      for higher bandwidth measurements and, because of its single-atomic-layer
      thickness, can improve the spatial resolution of the measurement. Here
      measurements of ionic current through the nanopore are shown during double
      stranded DNA (dsDNA) translocation, along with the simultaneous response of the
      neighboring GNR due to changes in the surrounding electric potential. Cross-talk
      originating from capacitive coupling between the two measurement channels is
      observed, resulting in a transient response in the GNR during DNA translocation;
      however, a modulation in device conductivity is not observed via an electric
      field-effect response during DNA translocation. A field-effect response would
      scale with GNR source-drain voltage (Vds), whereas the capacitive coupling does
      not scale with Vds . In order to take advantage of the high bandwidth potential
      of such sensors, the field-effect response must be enhanced. Potential field
      calculations are presented to outline a phase diagram for detection within the
      device parameter space, charting a roadmap for future optimization of such
      devices.

PMID- 26500024
TI  - Pediatric sleep-disordered breathing: New evidence on its development.
AB  - Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in children could be resolved by
      adenotonsillectomy (T&A). However, incomplete results are often noted post
      surgery. Because of this partial resolution, long-term follow-up is needed to
      monitor for reoccurrence of SDB, which may be diagnosed years later through
      reoccurrence of complaints or in some cases, through systematic investigations.
      Children undergoing T&A often have small upper airways. Genetics play a role in
      the fetal development of the skull, the skull base, and subsequently, the size of
      the upper airway. In non-syndromic children, specific genetic mutations are often
      unrecognized early in life and affect the craniofacial growth, altering functions
      such as suction, mastication, swallowing, and nasal breathing. These
      developmental and functional changes are associated with the development of SDB.
      Children without genetic mutations but with impairment of the above said
      functions also develop SDB. When applied early in life, techniques involved in
      the reeducation of these functions, such as myofunctional therapy, alter the
      craniofacial growth and the associated SDB. This occurs as a result of the
      continuous interaction between cartilages, bones and muscles involved in the
      growth of the base of the skull and the face. Recently collected data show the
      impact of the early changes in craniofacial growth patterns and how these changes
      lead to an impairment of the developmental functions and consequent persistence
      of SDB. The presence of nasal disuse and mouth breathing are abnormal functions
      that are easily amenable to treatment. Understanding the dynamics leading to the
      development of SDB and recognizing factors affecting the craniofacial growth and
      the resulting functional impairments, allows appropriate treatment planning which
      may or may not include T&A. Enlargement of lymphoid tissue may actually be a
      consequence as opposed to a cause of these initial dysfunctions. 

PMID- 26500025
TI  - Phospho-MEK1/2 and uPAR Expression Determine Sensitivity of AML Blasts to a
      Urokinase-Activated Anthrax Lethal Toxin (PrAgU2/LF).
AB  - In this study, we attempt to target both the urokinase plasminogen activator and
      the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell
      lines and primary AML blasts using PrAgU2/LF, a urokinase-activated anthrax
      lethal toxin. PrAgU2/LF was cytotoxic to five out of nine AML cell lines.
      Cytotoxicity of PrAgU2/LF appeared to be nonapoptotic and was associated with
      MAPK activation and urokinase activity because all the PrAgU2/LF-sensitive cell
      lines showed both uPAR expression and high levels of MEK1/2 phosphorylation.
      Inhibition of uPAR or desensitization of cells to MEK1/2 inhibition blocked
      toxicity of PrAgU2/LF, indicating requirement for both uPAR expression and MAPK
      activation for activity. PrAgU2/LF was also cytotoxic to primary blasts from AML
      patients, with blasts from four out of five patients showing a cytotoxic response
      to PrAgU2/LF. Cytotoxicity of primary AML blasts was also dependent on uPAR
      expression and phos-MEK1/2 levels. CD34(+) bone marrow blasts and peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells lacked uPAR expression and were resistant to PrAgU2/LF,
      demonstrating the lack of toxicity to normal hematological cells and, therefore,
      the tumor selectivity of this approach. Dose escalation in mice revealed that the
      maximal tolerated dose of PrAgU2/LF is at least 5.7-fold higher than that of the
      wild-type anthrax lethal toxin, PrAg/LF, further demonstrating the increased
      safety of this molecule. We have shown, in this study, that PrAgU2/LF is a novel,
      dual-specific molecule for the selective targeting of AML. 

PMID- 26500026
TI  - A Preclinical Model of Inflammatory Breast Cancer to Study the Involvement of
      CXCR4 and ACKR3 in the Metastatic Process.
AB  - Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an aggressive and invasive tumor, accounting
      for 2.5% of all breast cancer cases, and characterized by rapid progression,
      regional and distant metastases, younger age of onset, and lower overall
      survival. Presently, there are no effective therapies against IBC and a paucity
      of model systems. Our aim was to develop a clinically relevant IBC model that
      would allow investigations on the role of chemokine receptors in IBC metastasis.
      Primary cultures of tumor cells were isolated from pleural exudates of an IBC
      patient and grown as spheres or monolayers. We developed a human xenograft model
      where patient-derived IBC cells, stably transduced with lentiviral vectors
      expressing fluorescent and bioluminescent markers, were inoculated directly into
      the left ventricle of mice. Our in vivo data show that these IBC cells (FC
      IBC02A) are able to seed and proliferate into various organs, including brain,
      lungs, lymph nodes, and bone, closely replicating the metastatic spread observed
      in IBC patients. Moreover, cells were able to generate tumors when grafted in the
      mammary fat pad of mice. RT-PCR and microscopy studies revealed expression of
      both CXCR4 and ACKR3 receptors in FC-IBC02A cells. Furthermore, CXCL12 (the
      endogenous chemokine ligand of these receptors) induced transendothelial
      migration of these cells and stimulated signaling pathways involved in cell
      survival and migration - an effect reduced by CXCR4 or ACKR3 antagonists. This
      new model can be used to develop chemokine-based pharmacological approaches
      against the IBC metastatic process. This work also provides the first evidence of
      ACKR3 expression in IBC cells. 

PMID- 26500027
TI  - Targeting Suppressor of Variegation 3-9 Homologue 2 (SUV39H2) in Acute
      Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).
AB  - Although recent progress in understanding the biology and optimizing the
      treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has improved cure rates of
      childhood ALL to nearly 90%, the cure rate in adult ALL remains less than 50%.
      The poor prognosis in adult ALL has in part been attributed to larger proportion
      of high-risk leukemia showing drug resistance. Thus, identifying novel
      therapeutic targets in ALL is needed for further improvements in treatment
      outcomes of adult ALL. Genetic aberration of chromatin-modifying molecules has
      been recently reported in subtypes of ALL, and targeting components of chromatin
      complexes has shown promising efficacy in preclinical studies. Suppressor of
      variegation 3-9 homologue 2 (SUV39H2), also known as KMT1B, is a SET-domain
      containing histone methyltransferase that is upregulated in solid cancers, but
      its expression is hardly detectable in normal tissues. Here, we show that SUV39H2
      is highly expressed in ALL cells but not in blood cells from healthy donors and
      also that SUV39H2 mRNA is expressed at significantly higher levels in bone marrow
      or blood cells from patients with ALL obtained at diagnosis compared with those
      obtained at remission (P = .007). In four ALL cell lines (Jurkat and CEM derived
      from T-ALL and RS4;11 and REH derived from B-ALL), SUV39H2 knockdown resulted in
      a significant decrease in cell viability (~77%, P < .001), likely through
      induction of apoptosis. On the other hand, SUV39H2 overexpression made cells more
      resistant to chemotherapy. We conclude that SUV39H2 is a promising therapeutic
      target and further investigation of this therapeutic approach in ALL is
      warranted. 

PMID- 26500028
TI  - Overcoming Chemoresistance of Pediatric Ependymoma by Inhibition of STAT3
      Signaling.
AB  - The long-term clinical outcome of pediatric intracranial epepdymoma is poor with
      a high rate of recurrence. One of the main reasons for this poor outcome is the
      tumor's inherent resistance to chemotherapy. Signal transducer and activator of
      transcription 3 (STAT3) is overactive in many human cancers, and inhibition of
      STAT3 signaling is an emerging area of interest in oncology. In this study, the
      possibility of STAT3 inhibition as a treatment was investigated in pediatric
      intracranial ependymoma tissues and cell lines. STAT3 activation status was
      checked in ependymoma tissues. The responses to conventional chemotherapeutic
      agents and a STAT3 inhibitor WP1066 in primarily cultured ependymoma cells were
      measured by cell viability assay. Apoptosis assays were conducted to reveal the
      cytotoxic mechanism of applied agents. Knockdown of STAT3 was tried to confirm
      the effects of STAT3 inhibition in ependymoma cells. High levels of phospho-STAT3
      (p-STAT3) expression were observed in ependymoma tissue, especially in the
      anaplastic histology group. There was no cytotoxic effect of cisplatin,
      ifosfamide, and etoposide. Both brain tumor-initiating cells (BTICs) and bulk
      tumor cells (BCs) showed considerably decreased viability after WP1066 treatment.
      However, BTICs had fewer responses than BCs. No additive or synergistic effect
      was observed for combination therapy of WP1066 and cisplatin. WP1066 effectively
      abrogated p-STAT3 expression. An increased apoptosis and decreased Survivin
      expression were observed after WP1066 treatment. Knockdown of STAT3 also
      decreased cell survival, supporting the critical role of STAT3 in sustaining
      ependymoma cells. In this study, we observed a cytotoxic effect of STAT3
      inhibitor on ependymoma BTICs and BCs. There is urgent need to develop new
      therapeutic agents for pediatric ependymoma. STAT3 inhibitors may be a new group
      of drugs for clinical application. 

PMID- 26500029
TI  - Polycomb Repressor Complex 1 Member, BMI1 Contributes to Urothelial Tumorigenesis
      through p16-Independent Mechanisms.
AB  - Urothelial carcinoma (UC) causes significant morbidity and remains the most
      expensive cancer to treat because of the need for repeated resections and
      lifelong monitoring for patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).
      Novel therapeutics and stratification approaches are needed to improve the
      outlook for both NMIBC and muscle-invasive bladder cancer. We investigated the
      expression and effects of B Lymphoma Mo-MLV Insertion Region 1 (BMI1) in UC. BMI1
      was found to be overexpressed in most UC cell lines and primary tumors by
      quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. In
      contrast to some previous reports, no association with tumor stage or grade was
      observed in two independent tumor panels. Furthermore, upregulation of BMI1 was
      detected in premalignant bladder lesions, suggesting a role early in
      tumorigenesis. BMI1 is not located within a common region of genomic
      amplification in UC. The CDKN2A locus (which encodes the p16 tumor suppressor
      gene) is a transcriptional target of BMI1 in some cellular contexts. In UC cell
      lines and primary tissues, no correlation between BMI1 and p16 expression was
      observed. Retroviral-mediated overexpression of BMI1 immortalized normal human
      urothelial cells (NHUC) in vitro and was associated with induction of telomerase
      activity, bypass of senescence, and repression of differentiation. The effects of
      BMI1 on gene expression were identified by expression microarray analysis of NHUC
      BMI1. Metacore analysis of the gene expression profile implicated downstream
      effects of BMI1 on alpha4/beta1 integrin-mediated adhesion, cytoskeleton
      remodeling, and CREB1-mediated transcription. 

PMID- 26500030
TI  - Increased Expression of CAP2 Indicates Poor Prognosis in Hepatocellular
      Carcinoma.
AB  - CAP2 has been suggested as a potential diagnostic biomarker for early
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its prognostic significance in HCC
      remains unclear. Here, we show that CAP2 expression is much higher in HCC tissues
      than that in paracarcinoma tissues, at both mRNA and protein levels. Data of
      immunohistochemistry (IHC) revealed that CAP2 was markedly up-regulated in 77.3%
      of HCC cases. High CAP2 expression, defined by the median score of IHC, was
      present in 53.3% of the patients. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that high CAP2
      expression was associated with poor overall survival (P < .0001), disease-free
      survival (P = .013) and recurrence probability (P = .004) in a training cohort of
      312 HCC patients. The prognostic implication of CAP2 in HCC was further confirmed
      in a validation cohort of 208 HCC patients and by stratified survival analysis.
      Multiple Cox regression analysis indicated CAP2 as an independent predictor for
      overall survival (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.615, 95% confidence interval: 1.345
      1.938, P < .001). Collectively, we conclude that CAP2 is increased in HCC and is
      a novel unfavorable biomarker for prognostic prediction for patients with this
      deadly disease. 

PMID- 26500031
TI  - Detection of Clonal and Subclonal Copy-Number Variants in Cell-Free DNA from
      Patients with Breast Cancer Using a Massively Multiplexed PCR Methodology.
AB  - We demonstrate proof-of-concept for the use of massively multiplexed PCR and next
      generation sequencing (mmPCR-NGS) to identify both clonal and subclonal copy
      number variants (CNVs) in circulating tumor DNA. This is the first report of a
      targeted methodology for detection of CNVs in plasma. Using an in vitro model of
      cell-free DNA, we show that mmPCR-NGS can accurately detect CNVs with average
      allelic imbalances as low as 0.5%, an improvement over previously reported whole
      genome sequencing approaches. Our method revealed differences in the spectrum of
      CNVs detected in tumor tissue subsections and matching plasma samples from 11
      patients with stage II breast cancer. Moreover, we showed that liquid biopsies
      are able to detect subclonal mutations that may be missed in tumor tissue
      biopsies. We anticipate that this mmPCR-NGS methodology will have broad
      applicability for the characterization, diagnosis, and therapeutic monitoring of
      CNV-enriched cancers, such as breast, ovarian, and lung cancer. 

PMID- 26500032
TI  - Changes in Nuclear Orientation Patterns of Chromosome 11 during Mouse
      Plasmacytoma Development.
AB  - Studying changes in nuclear architecture is a unique approach toward the
      understanding of nuclear remodeling during tumor development. One aspect of
      nuclear architecture is the orientation of chromosomes in the three-dimensional
      nuclear space. We studied mouse chromosome 11 in lymphocytes of [T38HxBALB/c]N
      mice with a reciprocal translocation between chromosome X and 11 (T38HT(X;11))
      exhibiting a long chromosome T(11;X) and a short chromosome T(X;11) and in fast
      onset plasmacytomas (PCTs) induced in the same strain. We determined the three
      dimensional orientation of chromosome 11 using a mouse chromosome 11 specific
      multicolor banding probe. We also examined the nuclear position of the small
      translocation chromosome T(X;11) which contains cytoband 11E2 and parts of E1.
      Chromosomes can point either with their centromeric or with their telomeric end
      toward the nuclear center or periphery, or their position is found in parallel to
      the nuclear border. In T38HT(X;11) nuclei, the most frequently observed
      orientation pattern was with both chromosomes 11 in parallel to the nuclear
      border ("PP"). PCT cells showed nuclei with two or more copies of chromosome 11.
      In PCTs, the most frequent orientation pattern was with one chromosome in
      parallel and the other pointing with its centromeric end toward the nuclear
      periphery ("CP"). There is a significant difference between the orientation
      patterns observed in T38HT(X;11) and in PCT nuclei (P < .0001). 

PMID- 26500033
TI  - Sex Steroid Hormone Receptor Expression Affects Ovarian Cancer Survival.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although most ovarian cancers express estrogen (ER),
      progesterone (PR), and androgen (AR) receptors, they are currently not applied in
      clinical decision making. We explored the prognostic impact of sex steroid
      hormone receptor protein and mRNA expression on survival in epithelial ovarian
      cancer. METHODS: Immunohistochemical stainings for ERalpha, ERbeta, PR, and AR
      were assessed in relation to survival in 118 serous and endometrioid ovarian
      cancers. Expression of the genes encoding the four receptors was studied in
      relation to prognosis in the molecular subtypes of ovarian cancer in an
      independent data set, hypothesizing that the expression levels and prognostic
      impact may differ between the subtypes. RESULTS: Expression of PR or AR protein
      was associated with improved 5-year progression-free (P=.001 for both) and
      overall survival (P<.001 for both, log-rank test). ERalpha and ERbeta did not
      provide prognostic information. Patients whose tumors coexpressed PR and AR had
      the most favorable prognosis, and this effect was retained in multivariable
      analyses. Analyses of the corresponding genes using an independent data set
      revealed differences among the molecular subtypes, but no clear relationship
      between high coexpression of PGR and AR and prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: A favorable
      outcome was seen for patients whose tumors coexpressed PR and AR. Gene expression
      data suggested variable effects in the different molecular subtypes. These
      findings demonstrate a prognostic role for PR and AR in ovarian cancer and
      support that tumors should be stratified based on molecular as well as
      histological subtypes in future studies investigating the role of endocrine
      treatment in ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26500035
TI  - Enhancement of the Carbon Dots/K2S2O8 Chemiluminescence System Induced by
      Triethylamine.
AB  - Triethylamine (TEA), a common coreactant for electrochemiluminescence (ECL), is
      first utilized as a coreactant for chemiluminescence (CL). The CL intensity of
      carbon dots/K2S2O8 could be increased by ~20 times in the presence of TEA. On the
      basis of this fascinating phenomenon, a room temperature operated senor is
      constructed for the fast, selective, and sensitive determination of TEA. A wide
      linear relationship between CL intensity and TEA concentration from 1 MUM to 1000
      MUM (R(2) = 0.9995) was found with the detection limit down to 1 MUM. The
      enhancement mechanism of TEA to this CL system is carefully investigated.
      Experimental results reveal that the forming of TEA free radical is what indeed
      induced the enhancement of the CL efficiency of CDs. 

PMID- 26500034
TI  - Isolation and Characterization of the Lytic Cold-Active  Bacteriophage MYSP06
      from the Mingyong Glacier in China.
AB  - As unique ecological systems, glaciers are characterized by low temperatures and
      low nutrient levels, which allow them to be considered as "living fossils" for
      the purpose of researching the evolution of life and the environmental evolution
      of the earth. Glaciers are also natural microbial "reservoirs". In this work, a
      lytic cold-active bacteriophage designated MYSP06 was isolated from
      Janthinobacterium sp. MYB06 from the Mingyong Glacier in China, and its major
      characteristics were determined. Electron microscopy revealed that bacteriophage
      MYSP06 had an isometric head (74 nm) and a long tail (10 nm in width, 210 nm in
      length). It was classified as a Siphoviridae with an approximate genome size of
      65-70 kb. A one-step growth curve revealed that the latent and burst periods were
      95 and 65 min, respectively, with an average burst size of 16 bacteriophage
      particles per infected cell. The bacteriophage particles (100 %) adsorbed to the
      host cells within 10 min after infection. Moreover, the pH value and thermal
      stability of bacteriophage MYSP06 were also investigated. The maximum stability
      of the bacteriophage was observed at the optimal pH 7.0, and the bacteriophage
      became completely unstable at the extremely alkaline pH 11.0; however, it was
      comparatively stable at the acidic alkaline pH 6.0. As MYSP06 is a cold-active
      bacteriophage with a lower production temperature, its characterization and its
      relationship with its host Janthinobacterium sp. MYB06 deserve further study.

PMID- 26500037
TI  - A Genome-Wide Scan of DNA Methylation Markers for Distinguishing Monozygotic
      Twins.
AB  - Identification of individuals within pairs of monozygotic (MZ) twins remains
      unresolved using common forensic DNA typing technology. For some criminal cases
      involving MZ twins as suspects, the twins had to be released due to inability to
      identify which of the pair was the perpetrator. In this study, we performed a
      genome-wide scan on whole blood-derived DNA from four pairs of healthy
      phenotypically concordant MZ twins using the methylated DNA immunoprecipitation
      sequencing technology to identify candidate DNA methylation markers with capacity
      to distinguish MZ twins within a pair. We identified 38 differential methylation
      regions showing within-pair methylation differences in all four MZ pairs. These
      are all located in CpG islands, 17 of which are promoter-associated, 17 are
      intergenic islands, and four are intragenic islands. Genes associated with these
      markers are related with cell proliferation, differentiation, and growth and
      development, including zinc finger proteins, PRRX2, RBBP9, or are involved in G
      protein signaling, such as the regulator of G-protein signaling 16. Further
      validation studies on additional MZ twins are now required to evaluate the
      broader utility of these 38 markers for forensic use. 

PMID- 26500036
TI  - Clinical impact of alcohol-related cirrhosis in the next decade: estimates based
      on current epidemiological trends in the United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identifying changes in the epidemiology of liver disease is critical
      for establishing healthcare priorities and allocating resources to develop
      therapies. The projected contribution of different etiologies toward development
      of cirrhosis in the United States was estimated based on current publications on
      epidemiological data and advances in therapy. Given the heterogeneity of
      published reports and the different perceptions that are not always reconcilable,
      a critical overview rather than a formal meta-analysis of the existing data and
      projections for the next decade was performed. METHODS: Data from the World
      Health Organization Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health of 2014,
      Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients from 1999 to 2012, National
      Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the Centers for Disease Control
      and Prevention were inquired to determine future changes in the epidemiology of
      liver disease. RESULTS: Alcohol consumption has increased over the past 60 years.
      In 2010, transplant-related costs for liver recipients were the highest for
      hepatitis C (~$124 million) followed by alcohol-related cirrhosis (~$86 million).
      We anticipate a significant reduction in incidence cirrhosis due to causes other
      than alcohol because of the availability of high efficiency antiviral agents for
      hepatitis C, universal and effective vaccination for hepatitis B, relative
      stabilization of the obesity trends in the United States, and novel, potentially
      effective therapies for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The proportion of alcohol
      related liver disease is therefore likely to increase in both the population as a
      whole and the liver transplant wait list. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol-related cirrhosis
      and alcohol-related liver disorders will be the major cause of liver disease in
      the coming decades. There is an urgent need to allocate resources aimed toward
      understanding the pathogenesis of the disease and its complications so that
      effective therapies can be developed.

PMID- 26500038
TI  - Luminex xMAP combined with Western blot improves HIV diagnostic sensitivity.
AB  - Currently, Western blot is used to confirm the initial serodiagnosis of HIV
      infection by antibody detection. However, a major deficiency of the Western blot
      relates to a lack of sufficient sensitivity in detecting HIV antibodies. This
      report describes a simple, sensitive and inexpensive bead-based assay for
      detection of early HIV infection. A panel of 138 positive specimens including 105
      blood donors and 33 MSM with known Western blot results were evaluated using
      Luminex xMAP at Tianjin Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We
      demonstrate a superior sensitivity of Luminex xMAP compared with Western blot. Of
      the 87 confirmed HIV positive blood donors, Western blot only confirmed 65 cases
      with 74.7% (65/87) sensitivity while Luminex xMAP identified 72 cases with 82.8%
      (72/87) sensitivity (p<0.05). Western blot and Luminex xMAP verified 13 and 19 of
      33 MSM specimens, respectively. The sensitivity was 39.4% (13/33) for Western
      blot and 57.6% (19/33) for Luminex xMAP (p<0.1). Luminex xMAP combined with
      Western blot improves the diagnostic sensitivity of HIV infection at an early
      stage, and reduces the chances of missed diagnosis. 

PMID- 26500039
TI  - Erratum to: Successful treatment with adalimumab for severe multifocal
      choroiditis and panuveitis in presumed (early-onset) ocular sarcoidosis.

PMID- 26500040
TI  - Lewis-Acid-Mediated Stereospecific Radical Polymerization of Acrylimides Bearing
      Chiral Oxazolidinones.
AB  - Lewis acid (MgBr2)-catalyzed radical polymerization of acrylimides bearing chiral
      oxazolidinones gave highly isotactic polyacrylimides with up to >99% meso tetrad
      (mmm) selectivity. Polymerization in the absence of Lewis acid gave atactic
      polymers with 80% racemo diad (r) selectivity; the selectivity was deliberately
      tuned from 80% r to >99% mmm by varying the polymerization conditions. The
      polyacrylimide was quantitatively converted to corresponding polyacrylates while
      preserving the stereoregularity, thus providing a general method for the
      synthesis of atactic to isotactic polyacrylates.

PMID- 26500041
TI  - Human factors--recognising and minimising errors in our day to day practice.
AB  - A significant cause of mistakes in healthcare and which are potentially harmful
      or fatal to patients can result from both individual clinicians and their
      employing organisations. The understanding and recognition of the role of human
      error within the healthcare setting is improving, but we still have much to learn
      when compared with other high-risk organisations such as aviation where such
      errors can be devastating at a much larger scale. The importance of both
      organisational issues and human factor issues at a more personal level including
      tiredness, the effect of emotions and the role of situational awareness, needs to
      be understood by all those involved in healthcare. Potential mistakes can be
      reduced with simple measures which need to be recognised by, emphasised and
      embedded in both teams and individuals. In this review, we address the need for
      greater awareness of human factors, assessing the path to error and how this can
      be reduced to minimum levels in clinical practice. 

PMID- 26500042
TI  - Response to Re: Reconsideration of the clinical and histopathological
      significance of angiogenesis in prostate cancer: Usefulness and limitations of
      microvessel density measurement.

PMID- 26500043
TI  - Pro-angiogenic microRNA-296 upregulates vascular endothelial growth factor and
      downregulates Notch1 following cerebral ischemic injury.
AB  - The present study examined the association between microRNA (miR)-296 and
      angiogenesis following cerebral ischemic injury, and the underlying mechanisms. A
      cerebral ischemic model was established in rats via right middle cerebral artery
      occlusion. The animals were randomly divided into four groups (baseline, 1 day, 3
      day and 7 day). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses
      were performed to examine the expression levels of miR-296 and hepatocyte growth
      factor-regulated tyrosine kinase substrate (HGS), respectively. Angiogenesis was
      assessed by examining microvessel density. The results demonstrated that miR-296
      and angiogenesis were significantly upregulated, while HGS was significantly
      downregulated following ischemic injury. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of
      miR-296 markedly enhanced the formation of capillary-like structures in human
      umbilical vein endothelial cells, parallel with significantly increased
      expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor
      2, and reduced expression levels of DLL4 and Notch1. The results of the present
      study provided in vivo and in vitro evidence suggesting that miR-296 promotes
      angiogenesis in the ischemic brain through upregulating VEGF and downregulating
      Notch1 following cerebral ischemic injury. 

PMID- 26500045
TI  - Gastrointestinal actions of glucagon-like peptide-1-based therapies: glycaemic
      control beyond the pancreas.
AB  - The gastrointestinal hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) lowers postprandial
      glucose concentrations by regulating pancreatic islet-cell function, with
      stimulation of glucose-dependent insulin and suppression of glucagon secretion.
      In addition to endocrine pancreatic effects, mounting evidence suggests that
      several gastrointestinal actions of GLP-1 are at least as important for glucose
      lowering. GLP-1 reduces gastric emptying rate and small bowel motility, thereby
      delaying glucose absorption and decreasing postprandial glucose excursions.
      Furthermore, it has been suggested that GLP-1 directly stimulates hepatic glucose
      uptake, and suppresses hepatic glucose production, thereby adding to reduction of
      fasting and postprandial glucose levels. GLP-1 receptor agonists, which mimic the
      effects of GLP-1, have been developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Based
      on their pharmacokinetic profile, GLP-1 receptor agonists can be broadly
      categorized as short- or long-acting, with each having unique islet-cell and
      gastrointestinal effects that lower glucose levels. Short-acting agonists
      predominantly lower postprandial glucose excursions, by inhibiting gastric
      emptying and intestinal glucose uptake, with little effect on insulin secretion.
      By contrast, long-acting agonists mainly reduce fasting glucose levels,
      predominantly by increased insulin and reduced glucagon secretion, with potential
      additional direct inhibitory effects on hepatic glucose production. Understanding
      these pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic differences may allow personalized
      antihyperglycaemic therapy in type 2 diabetes. In addition, it may provide the
      rationale to explore treatment in patients with no or little residual beta-cell
      function. 

PMID- 26500044
TI  - Chronic and progressive Parkinson's disease MPTP model in adult and aged mice.
AB  - Despite the different animal models of Parkinson's disease developed during the
      last years, they still present limitations modelling the slow and progressive
      process of neurodegeneration. Here, we undertook a histological, neurochemical
      and behavioural analysis of a new chronic parkinsonian mouse model generated by
      the subcutaneous administration of low doses of MPTP (20 mg/kg, 3 times per week)
      for 3 months, using both young adult and aged mice. The MPTP-induced
      nigrostriatal neurodegeneration was progressive and was accompanied by a decrease
      in striatal dopamine levels and motor impairment. We also demonstrated the
      characteristic neuroinflammatory changes (microglial activation and astrogliosis)
      associated with the neurodegenerative process. Aged animals showed both a faster
      time course of neurodegeneration and an altered neuroinflammatory response. The
      long-term systemic application of low MPTP doses did not induce any increase in
      mortality in either young adult or aged mice and better resembles the slow
      evolution of the neurodegenerative process. This treatment could be useful to
      model different stages of Parkinson's disease, providing a better understanding
      of the pathophysiology of the disease and facilitating the testing of both
      protective and restorative treatments. Here, we show a new chronic and
      progressive parkinsonian mouse model, in young and aged mice. This model produces
      a stable degeneration of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway, continuous
      neuroinflammatory reaction and motor deficits. Aged animals showed a faster
      neurodegeneration and an altered neuroinflammatory response. This treatment could
      be useful to model different stages of PD and to test both protective and
      restorative therapeutic approaches. 

PMID- 26500046
TI  - A microfluidic bubble trap and oscillator.
AB  - A new approach to trap air bubbles before they enter microfluidic systems is
      presented. The bubble trap is based on the combined interaction of surface
      tension and hydrodynamic forces. The design is simple, easy to fabricate and
      straightforward to use. The trap is made of tubes of different sizes and can
      easily be integrated into any microfluidic setup. We describe the general working
      principle and derive a simple theoretical model to explain the trapping.
      Furthermore, the natural oscillations of trapped air bubbles created in this
      system are explained and quantified in terms of bubble displacement over time and
      oscillation frequency. These oscillations may be exploited as a basis for fluidic
      oscillators in future microfluidic systems. 

PMID- 26500047
TI  - Overexpression of mitochondrial Hsp75 protects neural stem cells against
      microglia-derived soluble factor-induced neurotoxicity by regulating
      mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening in vitro.
AB  - Microglia (MG)-induced neurotoxicity, a major determinant of Alzheimer's disease,
      is closely related to the survival of neural stem cells (NSCs). Heat shock
      protein 75 (Hsp75) has been reported to exert protective effects against
      environmental stresses; however, whether or not it protects NSCs against MG
      derived soluble factor-induced neurotoxicity remains unclear. In the present
      study, we constructed NSCs that overexpressed human Hsp75 protein and established
      a co-culture system in order to elucidate the role of Hsp75 in NSC-MG
      interactions. The results obtained indicated that Hsp75 expression increased
      after 12 h of soluble factor induction and continued to increase for up to 36 h
      of treatment. The overexpression of Hsp75 decreased NSC apoptosis and preserved
      mitochondrial membrane potential. Further experiments revealed that the
      overexpression of Hsp75 inhibited the formation of cyclophilin D (CypD)-dependent
      mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) involvement in neurotoxicity
      mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and suppressed the activation of the
      mitochondrial apoptotic cascade, as demonstrated by the inhibition of the release
      of cytochrome c (Cytc) and the activation of caspase-3. The findings of this
      study demonstrate that Hsp75 overexpression prevents the impairment of NSCs
      induced by MG-derived soluble factors by regulating the opening of mPTP. Thus,
      Hsp75 warrants further investigation as a potential candidate for protection
      against neurotoxicity.

PMID- 26500050
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26500048
TI  - Trans-presentation of IL-15 modulates STAT5 activation and Bcl-6 expression in
      TH1 cells.
AB  - During infection, naive CD4(+) T helper cells differentiate into specialized
      effector subsets based upon environmental signals propagated by the cytokine
      milieu. Recently, this paradigm has been complicated by the demonstration that
      alterations in the cytokine environment can result in varying degrees of
      plasticity between effector T helper cell populations. Therefore, elucidation of
      the mechanisms by which cytokines regulate T helper cell differentiation
      decisions is increasingly important. The gamma common cytokine IL-15 is currently
      undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of malignancies, due to its well
      established role in the regulation of natural killer and CD8(+) T cell immune
      responses. However, the effect of IL-15 signaling on CD4(+) T cell activity is
      incompletely understood. One mechanism by which IL-15 activity is conferred is
      through trans-presentation via the IL-15 receptor alpha subunit. Here, we
      demonstrate that differentiated TH1 cells are responsive to trans-presented IL
      15. Importantly, while trans-presentation of IL-15 results in STAT5 activation
      and maintenance of the TH1 gene program, IL-15 treatment alone allows for
      increased Bcl-6 expression and the upregulation of a TFH-like profile.
      Collectively, these findings describe a novel role for IL-15 in the modulation of
      CD4(+) T cell responses and provide valuable insight for the use of IL-15 in
      immunotherapeutic approaches. 

PMID- 26500049
TI  - SL4, a chalcone-based compound, induces apoptosis in human cancer cells by
      activation of the ROS/MAPK signalling pathway.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: SL4, a chalcone-based compound, exhibits clearly inhibitory effects
      on HIF-1 and has been shown to effectively suppress tumour invasion and
      angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Here, studies were conducted to determine
      SL4's anti-apoptotic effects and its underlying mechanisms, in human cancer
      cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cytotoxicity, apoptotic induction and its involved
      mechanisms of SL4 were investigated using normal cells, cancer cells and mouse
      xenograft models. The role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitogen-activated
      protein kinase (MAPK) signalling in SL4-induced apoptosis was explored by
      manipulating specific scavenger or signalling inhibitors, in cultured cells.
      RESULTS: SL4 significantly inhibited cell population growth of human cancer cell
      lines but exhibited lower cytotoxicity against normal cells. In addition, SL4
      effectively induced apoptosis of Hep3B and MDA-MB-435 cells by activating
      procaspase-8, -9 and -3, and down-regulating expression levels of XIAP, but did
      not affect HIF-1 apoptosis-related targets, Survivin and Bcl-XL. Further study
      showed that SL4 also reduced mitochondrial membrane potential and promoted
      generation of ROS. ROS generation and apoptotic induction by SL4 were blocked by
      NAC, a scavenger of ROS, suggesting SL4-induced apoptosis via ROS accumulation.
      We also found that MAPKs, JNK and p38, but not ERK1/2, to be critical mediators
      in SL4-induced apoptosis. SP600125 and SB203580, specific inhibitors of JNK
      kinase and p38 kinase, significantly retarded apoptosis induced by SL4. Moreover,
      anti-oxidant NAC blocked activation of JNK and p38 induced by SL4, indicating
      that ROS may act as upstream signalling of JNK and p38 activation. It is
      noteworthy that animal studies revealed dramatic reduction (49%) in tumour volume
      after 11 days SL4 treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that SL4 induced
      apoptosis in human cancer cells through activation of the ROS/MAPK signalling
      pathway, suggesting that it may be a novel lead compound, as a cancer drug
      candidate, with polypharmacological characteristics.

PMID- 26500051
TI  - Modulated CMOS camera for fluorescence lifetime microscopy.
AB  - Widefield frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FD-FLIM) is
      a fast and accurate method to measure the fluorescence lifetime of entire images.
      However, the complexity and high costs involved in construction of such a system
      limit the extensive use of this technique. PCO AG recently released the first
      luminescence lifetime imaging camera based on a high frequency modulated CMOS
      image sensor, QMFLIM2. Here we tested and provide operational procedures to
      calibrate the camera and to improve the accuracy using corrections necessary for
      image analysis. With its flexible input/output options, we are able to use a
      modulated laser diode or a 20 MHz pulsed white supercontinuum laser as the light
      source. The output of the camera consists of a stack of modulated images that can
      be analyzed by the SimFCS software using the phasor approach. The nonuniform
      system response across the image sensor must be calibrated at the pixel level.
      This pixel calibration is crucial and needed for every camera settings, e.g.
      modulation frequency and exposure time. A significant dependency of the
      modulation signal on the intensity was also observed and hence an additional
      calibration is needed for each pixel depending on the pixel intensity level.
      These corrections are important not only for the fundamental frequency, but also
      for the higher harmonics when using the pulsed supercontinuum laser. With these
      post data acquisition corrections, the PCO CMOS-FLIM camera can be used for
      various biomedical applications requiring a large frame and high speed
      acquisition.

PMID- 26500052
TI  - Association of Torsion With Testicular Cancer: A Retrospective Study.
AB  - Testicular torsion is a medical emergency that usually requires surgical
      exploration. However, testicular malignancy has been anecdotally reported with
      the association of torsion in surgical specimens, and the published data remain
      scant on the association of torsion with testicular tumors. By retrospective
      medical record review, we identified 32 patients who had been diagnosed with
      testicular torsion, 20 of whom had undergone orchiectomy. Of these 20 patients, 2
      were diagnosed with a malignancy. Our study, the largest case series to date, has
      shown an association between testicular torsion and testicular cancer of 6.4%.
      BACKGROUND: Testicular torsion is a medical emergency that usually requires
      surgical exploration. However, testicular malignancy has been anecdotally
      reported in association with torsion in surgical specimens. However, the
      published data remain scant on the association between torsion and the presence
      of testicular tumors. The present retrospective study explored the association
      between torsion and testicular cancer in patients with testicular torsion
      undergoing orchiectomy during scrotal exploration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      medical record review was performed of patients who had had a diagnosis of
      testicular torsion from January 2003 to February 2015. The clinicopathologic
      characteristics of the patients were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 32 patients
      were identified. Their mean age was 21.1 years (range, 7-39 years). All the
      patients had unilateral testicular torsion, which affected the left side in 17
      and the right side in 15. Manual detorsion was successful in 6 patients, and 26
      patients underwent emergency surgery with testicular detorsion (6 fixation
      surgery and 20 orchiectomy). The type of incision was scrotal in 6, inguinal in
      10, and unspecified in 4. Pathologic examination of the orchiectomy specimens
      showed malignancy in 2 cases (seminoma and malign mixed germ cell tumor).
      CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, the present single-center case series
      is the largest case series to date of testicular torsion and showed an
      association between testicular torsion and testicular cancer of 6.4%. However,
      further larger series of the association between testicular torsion and cancer
      are needed to explore the relationship between testicular torsion and testicular
      cancer.

PMID- 26500054
TI  - Chemical constituents and antioxidant activity of essential oil and organic
      extract from the peel and kernel parts of Citrus japonica Thunb. (kumquat) from
      Iran.
AB  - The constituents of essential oils and organic extracts from peel and kernels of
      Citrus japonica were analysed by GC and GC/MS. The content of essential oil in
      peel and kernel was 1.1 and 0.8% based on dry weight. The essential oil of C.
      japonica peel and kernel was characterised by a higher amount of limonene (51.0
      and 47.1%) and germacrene D (12.1 and 6.3%), and the hexane extracts of its peel
      and kernel were characterised by a higher amount of dodecanol-1(12.9 and 20.8%)
      and linolenic acid (13.1 and 16.3%), respectively. The antioxidant activities of
      oils were evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. The results
      indicate that both oils from different parts of C. japonica possess considerable
      antioxidant activity. The fruit peel and kernel essential oil could thus be
      useful in the industries, chiefly in the food and pharmaceutical industries. 

PMID- 26500053
TI  - Gaps in the evidence on improving social care outcomes: findings from a meta
      review of systematic reviews.
AB  - Adult social care continues to be a central policy concern in the UK. The Adult
      Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) is a range of measures nationally
      available to drive forward improvement on outcomes and quality in local councils.
      While there is an emphasis on improving transparency, quality and outcomes,
      drawing on research evidence to achieve these aims is often difficult because the
      evidence is not easily identifiable, is disparate or of variable quality. We
      conducted a meta-review to analyse and summarise systematic review-level evidence
      on the impact of interventions on the four outcomes set out in the ASCOF: quality
      of life, delaying and reducing the need for services, satisfaction with services
      and safeguarding of vulnerable adults. This paper focuses on the availability of
      review-level evidence and the presence of significant gaps in this evidence base.
      A range of health and social care databases were searched, including MEDLINE,
      ASSIA and The Cochrane Library in January and February 2012. All systematic
      reviews evaluating the efficacy of social care interventions for improving ASCOF
      outcomes for older people, people with long-term conditions, mental health
      problems or physical and/or learning disabilities were eligible. Two reviewers
      independently screened systematic reviews for quality and relevance and extracted
      data; 43 systematic reviews were included, the majority of which examined the
      impact of interventions on quality of life (n = 34) and delaying and reducing the
      need for support (n = 25). Limited systematic review-level evidence was found
      regarding satisfaction with services and safeguarding. There were also
      significant gaps in relation to key social care interventions and population
      groups. Research priorities include addressing these gaps and the collation of
      data on interventions, outcomes and populations more closely related to social
      care. Overall, a more relevant, comprehensive and robust evidence base is
      required to support improvement of outcomes for recipients of adult social care.

PMID- 26500055
TI  - Are the three hydroxyphenyl radical isomers created equal?--The role of the
      phenoxy radical.
AB  - We have investigated the thermal decomposition of the three hydroxyphenyl
      radicals (C6H4OH) in a heated microtubular reactor. Intermediates and products
      were identified isomer-selectively applying photoion mass-selected threshold
      photoelectron spectroscopy with vacuum ultraviolet synchrotron radiation.
      Similarly to the phenoxy radical (C6H5-O), hydroxyphenyl decomposition yields
      cyclopentadienyl (c-C5H5) radicals in a decarbonylation reaction at elevated
      temperatures. This finding suggests that all hydroxyphenyl isomers first
      rearrange to form phenoxy species, which subsequently decarbonylate, a mechanism
      which we also investigate computationally. Meta- and para-radicals were
      selectively produced and spectroscopically detectable, whereas the ortho isomer
      could not be traced due to its fast rethermalization and rapid decomposition in
      the reactor. A smaller barrier to isomerization to phenoxy was found to be the
      reason for this observation. Since hydroxyphenyl species may be present under
      typical sooting conditions in flames, the resonantly stabilized cyclopentadienyl
      radical adds to the hydrocarbon pool and can contribute to the formation of
      polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are precursors in soot formation. 

PMID- 26500056
TI  - The aryl hydrocarbon receptor links integrin signaling to the TGF-beta pathway.
AB  - Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive form of intrinsic brain tumor.
      Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta represents a central mediator of the
      malignant phenotype of these tumors by promoting invasiveness and angiogenesis,
      maintaining tumor cell stemness and inducing profound immunosuppression.
      Integrins, which are highly expressed in glioma cells, interact with the TGF-beta
      pathway. Furthermore, a link has been described between activity of the
      transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and TGF-beta expression.
      Here we demonstrate that integrin inhibition, using alphav, beta3 or beta5
      neutralizing antibodies, RNA interference-mediated integrin gene silencing or
      pharmacological inhibition by the cyclic RGD peptide EMD 121974 (cilengitide) or
      the non-peptidic molecule GLPG0187, inhibits AhR activity. These effects are
      independent of cell detachment or cell density. While AhR mRNA expression was not
      affected by integrin inhibition, AhR total and nuclear protein levels were
      reduced, suggesting that integrin inhibition-mediated regulation of AhR may occur
      at a post-transcriptional level. AhR-null astrocytes, AhR-null hepatocytes or
      glioblastoma cells with a transiently silenced AhR gene showed reduced
      sensitivity to integrin inhibition-mediated alterations in TGF-beta signaling,
      indicating that AhR mediates integrin control of the TGF-beta pathway.
      Accordingly, there was a significant correlation of alphav integrin levels with
      nuclear AhR and pSmad2 levels as determined by immunohistochemistry in human
      glioblastoma in vivo. In summary, this study identifies a signaling network
      comprising integrins, AhR and TGF-beta and validates integrin inhibition as a
      promising strategy not only to inhibit angiogenesis, but also to block AhR- and
      TGF-beta-controlled features of malignancy in human glioblastoma.

PMID- 26500057
TI  - Peroxiredoxin II promotes hepatic tumorigenesis through cooperation with
      Ras/Forkhead box M1 signaling pathway.
AB  - The current study was carried out to define the involvement of Peroxiredoxin
      (Prx) II in progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the underlying
      molecular mechanism(s). Expression and function of Prx II in HCC was determined
      using H-ras(G12V)-transformed HCC cells (H-ras(G12V)-HCC cells) and the tumor
      livers from H-ras(G12V)-transgenic (Tg) mice and HCC patients. Prx II was
      upregulated in H-ras(G12V)-HCC cells and H-ras(G12V)-Tg mouse tumor livers, the
      expression pattern of which highly similar to that of forkhead Box M1 (FoxM1).
      Moreover, either knockdown of FoxM1 or site-directed mutagenesis of FoxM1-binding
      site of Prx II promoter significantly reduced Prx II levels in H-ras(G12V)-HCC
      cells, indicating FoxM1 as a direct transcription factor of Prx II in HCC.
      Interestingly, the null mutation of Prx II markedly decreased the number and size
      of tumors in H-ras(G12V)-Tg livers. Consistent with this, knockdown of Prx II in
      H-ras(G12V)-HCC cells reduced the expression of cyclin D1, cell proliferation,
      anchorage-independent growth and tumor formation in athymic nude mice, whereas
      overexpression of Prx II increased or aggravated the tumor phenotypes.
      Importantly, the expression of Prx II was correlated with that of FoxM1 in HCC
      patients. The activation of extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) pathway and
      the expression of FoxM1 and cyclin D1 were highly dependent on Prx II in H
      ras(G12V)-HCC cells and H-ras(G12V)-Tg livers. Prx II is FoxM1-dependently
      expressed antioxidant in HCC and function as an enhancer of Ras(G12V) oncogenic
      potential in hepatic tumorigenesis through activation of ERK/FoxM1/cyclin D1
      cascade.

PMID- 26500058
TI  - Cytosolic PKM2 stabilizes mutant EGFR protein expression through regulating HSP90
      EGFR association.
AB  - Secondary mutation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) resulting in drug
      resistance is one of the most critical issues in lung cancer therapy. Several
      drugs are being developed to overcome EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)
      resistance. Here, we report that pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) stabilized mutant EGFR
      protein by direct interaction and sustained cell survival signaling in lung
      cancer cells. PKM2 silencing resulted in markedly reduced mutant EGFR expression
      in TKI-sensitive or -resistant human lung cancer cells, and in inhibition of
      tumor growth in their xenografts, concomitant with downregulation of EGFR-related
      signaling. Mechanistically, PKM2 directly interacted with mutant EGFR and heat
      shock protein 90 (HSP90), and thus stabilized EGFR by maintaining its binding
      with HSP90 and co-chaperones. Stabilization of EGFR relied on dimeric PKM2, and
      the protein half-life of mutant EGFR decreased when PKM2 was forced into its
      tetramer form. Clinical levels of PKM2 positively correlated with mutant EGFR
      expression and with patient outcome. These results reveal a previously
      undescribed non-glycolysis function of PKM2 in the cytoplasm, which contribute to
      EGFR-dependent tumorigenesis and provide a novel strategy to overcome drug
      resistance to EGFR TKIs.

PMID- 26500060
TI  - A novel pVHL-independent but NEMO-driven pathway in renal cancer promotes HIF
      stabilization.
AB  - Activation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is due to loss of von Hippel-Lindau
      protein (pVHL) function in most clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs). Here
      we describe a novel pVHL-independent mechanism of HIF regulation and identify
      nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB essential modulator (NEMO) as a hitherto unknown
      oncogenic factor influencing human ccRCC progression. Over 60% of human ccRCCs
      (n=157) have negative or weak NEMO protein expression by immunohistochemistry.
      Moderate/strong NEMO protein expression is more frequent in VHL wild-type ccRCCs.
      We show that NEMO stabilizes HIFalpha via direct interaction and independently of
      NF-kappaB signaling in vitro. NEMO prolongs tumor cell survival via regulation of
      apoptosis and activation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, facilitating
      tumor metastasis. Our findings suggest that NEMO-driven HIF activation is
      involved in progression of ccRCC. Therefore, NEMO may represent a clinically
      relevant link between NF-kappaB and the VHL/HIF pathways. Targeting NEMO with
      specific inhibitors in patients with metastatic ccRCC could be a novel treatment
      approach in patients with ccRCC expressing functional pVHL.

PMID- 26500059
TI  - CDK6-a review of the past and a glimpse into the future: from cell-cycle control
      to transcriptional regulation.
AB  - The G1 cell-cycle kinase CDK6 has long been thought of as a redundant homolog of
      CDK4. Although the two kinases have very similar roles in cell-cycle progression,
      it has recently become apparent that they differ in tissue-specific functions and
      contribute differently to tumor development. CDK6 is directly involved in
      transcription in tumor cells and in hematopoietic stem cells. These functions
      point to a role of CDK6 in tissue homeostasis and differentiation that is
      partially independent of CDK6's kinase activity and is not shared with CDK4. We
      review the literature on the contribution of CDK6 to transcription in an attempt
      to link the new findings on CDK6's transcriptional activity to cell-cycle
      progression. Finally, we note that anticancer therapies based on the inhibition
      of CDK6 kinase activity fail to take into account its kinase-independent role in
      tumor development.

PMID- 26500061
TI  - PI3K-p110alpha mediates resistance to HER2-targeted therapy in HER2+, PTEN
      deficient breast cancers.
AB  - Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) amplification/overexpression
      (HER2+) frequently co-occurs with PI3K pathway activation in breast tumors. PI3K
      signaling is most often activated by PIK3CA mutation or PTEN loss, which
      frequently results in sensitivity to p110alpha or p110beta inhibitors,
      respectively. To examine the p110 isoform dependence in HER2+, PTEN-deficient
      tumors, we generated genetic mouse models of breast tumors driven by concurrent
      Her2 activation and Pten loss coupled with deletion of p110alpha or p110beta.
      Ablation of p110alpha, but not p110beta, significantly impaired the development
      of Her2+/Pten-null tumors in mice. We further show that p110alpha primarily
      mediates oncogenic signaling in HER2+/PTEN-deficient human cancers while p110beta
      conditionally mediates PI3K/AKT signaling only upon HER2 inhibition. Combined
      HER2 and p110alpha inhibition effectively reduced PI3K/AKT signaling and growth
      of cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Addition of the p110beta inhibitor to
      dual HER2 and p110alpha inhibition induced tumor regression in a xenograft model
      of HER2+/PTEN-deficient human cancers. Together, our data suggest that combined
      inhibition of HER2 and p110alpha/beta may serve as a potent and durable
      therapeutic regimen for the treatment of HER2+, PTEN-deficient breast tumors.

PMID- 26500062
TI  - Sleeping Beauty transposon screen identifies signaling modules that cooperate
      with STAT5 activation to induce B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) activation occurs
      frequently in human progenitor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). To
      identify gene alterations that cooperate with STAT5 activation to initiate
      leukemia, we crossed mice expressing a constitutively active form of STAT5
      (Stat5b-CA) with mice in which a mutagenic Sleeping Beauty transposon (T2/Onc)
      was mobilized only in B cells. Stat5b-CA mice typically do not develop B-ALL (<2%
      penetrance); in contrast, 89% of Stat5b-CA mice in which the T2/Onc transposon
      had been mobilized died of B-ALL by 3 months of age. High-throughput sequencing
      approaches were used to identify genes frequently targeted by the T2/Onc
      transposon; these included Sos1 (74%), Kdm2a (35%), Jak1 (26%), Bmi1 (19%),
      Prdm14 or Ncoa2 (13%), Cdkn2a (10%), Ikzf1 (8%), Caap1 (6%) and Klf3 (6%).
      Collectively, these mutations target three major cellular processes: (i) the
      Janus kinase/STAT5 pathway (ii) progenitor B-cell differentiation and (iii) the
      CDKN2A tumor-suppressor pathway. Transposon insertions typically resulted in
      altered expression of these genes, as well as downstream pathways including
      STAT5, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) and p38. Importantly,
      expression of Sos1 and Kdm2a, and activation of p38, correlated with survival,
      further underscoring the role these genes and associated pathways have in B-ALL.

PMID- 26500064
TI  - High-selenium lentil diet protects against arsenic-induced atherosclerosis in a
      mouse model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of death worldwide, and
      arsenic (As) intake, mainly through drinking water, is a well-known risk factor
      for CVD as well as other health problems. Selenium (Se) is a known antagonist to
      As toxicity. OBJECTIVE: We tested the potential of high-Se lentils from the
      Canadian prairies as a therapeutic food to alter the outcome of As-enhanced
      atherosclerosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male ApoE(-/-) mice exposed to a moderate
      level of As (200ppb) in their drinking water, and control mice on tap water
      received one of three lentil diets: Se-deficient (0.009mg/kg), Se-adequate
      (0.16mg/kg) or Se-high (0.3mg/kg). After 13weeks, lesion formation in the aortic
      arch and sinus were assessed. Intralesional cellular composition, serum lipid
      levels and hepatic oxidative stress were assessed as well. RESULTS: Arsenic
      exacerbated plaque formation was reduced in the sinus and completely abolished in
      the aortic arch of mice on the Se-fortified lentil diet, whereas lesions were
      increased in As-exposed mice on both the Se-deficient and Se-adequate diets.
      Notably, Se deficiency contributed to proatherogenic composition of serum lipids
      in As-exposed mice as indicated by high-density lipoprotein:low-density
      lipoprotein. At least adequate Se status was crucial for counteracting As-induced
      oxidative stress. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to show the potential of
      high-Se lentils to protect against As-triggered atherosclerosis, and this invites
      further investigations in human populations at risk from As contamination of
      their drinking water.

PMID- 26500065
TI  - A meta-analysis on selective versus comprehensive neck dissection in oral
      squamous cell carcinoma patients with clinically node-positive neck.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Properly management of cervical lymph node metastases is a critical
      treatment for patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However there is
      no consensus on the optimal treatment for oral cancer patients with clinically
      node-positive (cN+) neck. This study aims to access the feasibility of selective
      neck dissection in oral cancer patients with cN+neck. METHOD: We searched PubMed
      and EMBASE up to April 2015 to identify the studies which compared selective neck
      dissection (SND) with comprehensive neck dissection (CND) in OSCC patients with
      cN+neck. Data were extracted by two authors. The meta-analysis was conducted with
      regional recurrence and disease specific death as primary endpoints. RESULT: Five
      studies with a total of 443 patients met our inclusion criteria. No significant
      difference was found regarding regional recurrence, disease specific death or
      overall death between the SND and CND group. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest
      that cN+OSCC patients treated with SND in conjunction with adjuvant therapy got
      comparable clinical outcome to CND.

PMID- 26500063
TI  - The homeoprotein SIX1 controls cellular senescence through the regulation of
      p16INK4A and differentiation-related genes.
AB  - Cellular senescence is an antiproliferative response with essential functions in
      tumor suppression and tissue homeostasis. Here we show that SIX1, a member of the
      SIX family of homeobox transcriptional factors, is a novel repressor of
      senescence. Our data show that SIX1 is specifically downregulated in fibroblasts
      upon oncogenic stress and other pro-senescence stimuli, as well as in senescent
      skin premalignant lesions. Silencing of SIX1 in human fibroblasts suffices to
      trigger senescence, which is mediated by p16INK4A and lacks a canonical
      senescence-associated secretory phenotype. Interestingly, SIX1-associated
      senescence is further characterized by the expression of a set of development and
      differentiation-related genes that significantly overlap with genes associated
      with SIX1 in organogenesis or human tumors, and show coincident regulation in
      oncogene-induced senescence. Mechanistically, we show that gene regulation by
      SIX1 during senescence is mediated, at least in part, by cooperation with
      Polycomb repressive complexes. In summary, our results identify SIX1, a key
      development regulator altered in human tumors, as a critical repressor of
      cellular senescence, providing a novel connection between senescence,
      differentiation and tumorigenesis.

PMID- 26500066
TI  - Efficient synthesis of stably adenylated DNA and RNA adapters for microRNA
      capture using T4 RNA ligase 1.
AB  - MicroRNA profiling methods have become increasingly important due to the rapid
      rise of microRNA in both basic and translational sciences. A critical step in
      many microRNA profiling assays is adapter ligation using pre-adenylated adapters.
      While pre-adenylated adapters can be chemically or enzymatically prepared,
      enzymatic adenylation is preferred due to its ease and high yield. However,
      previously reported enzymatic methods either require tedious purification steps
      or use thermostable ligases that can generate side products during the subsequent
      ligation step. We have developed a highly efficient, template- and purification
      free, adapter adenylation method using T4 RNA ligase 1. This method is capable of
      adenylating large amounts of adapter at ~100% efficiency and can efficiently
      adenylate both DNA and RNA bases. We find that the adenylation reaction speed can
      differ between DNA and RNA and between terminal nucleotides, leading to bias if
      reactions are not allowed to run to completion. We further find that the addition
      of high PEG levels can effectively suppress these differences. 

PMID- 26500067
TI  - Scopulariopsis sp. and Fusarium sp. in the Documentary Heritage: Evaluation of
      Their Biodeterioration Ability and Antifungal Effect of Two Essential Oils.
AB  - Fungi produce pigments and acids, generating particular local conditions which
      modify the physicochemical properties of materials. The aims of this work are (i)
      to investigate bioadhesion, foxing production and biofilm formation by
      Scopulariopsis sp. and Fusarium sp. isolated from document collections under
      laboratory conditions; (ii) to verify attack on cellulose fibres and (iii) to
      study the possibility of reducing fungal growth using natural products. Biofilm
      formation and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) production by fungi were
      demonstrated in laboratory assays and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
      observations. The biocidal activity of two essential oils of Origanum vulgare L.
      and Thymus vulgaris L. was evaluated using the microatmosphere method. SEM
      observations showed that these strains were able to attach to paper and form
      biofilms, causing damage on them, which demonstrates the biodeterioration ability
      of these microorganisms. Scopulariopsis sp. and Fusarium sp. isolated from paper
      books showed the formation of fox-like reddish-brown colour spots, attack to the
      paper structure and pigment production on aged paper samples. The strains tested
      produced a decrease in the pH of one unit. This would substantiate the effect of
      the strains in paper biodeterioration. The microatmosphere method showed that
      volatile compounds of the essential oils have antifungal activity. 

PMID- 26500068
TI  - Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin Determination in a Clinical Setting:
      Consistency Between Capillary Electrophoresis Assays and Utility of HPLC as a
      Confirmatory Test.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is used to assess chronic
      alcohol consumption in administrative and forensic context. The aim of the
      present study was the optimization of the diagnostic strategy for CDT
      determination in a clinical laboratory setting. METHODS: Two capillary zone
      electrophoresis (CZE) assays, the CEofix CDT (Analis, Suarlee, Belgium) run on
      single capillary MDQ instrument and the muticapillary (Sebia, Lisses, France),
      were compared as screening methods and a commercial high-performance liquid
      chromatography (HPLC) assay (Recipe, Munich, Germany) was used for confirmation.
      RESULTS: In total, 367 serum samples were analyzed by both CZE assays with
      concordant classification in 92% of cases. All discordant samples were classified
      as negative by HPLC, as did 2/3 of those that could not be classified by either
      CZE assay. Classification of samples with CDT values close to cut-off by CZE was
      confirmed by HPLC in 95-100% of negative samples but only in 28.6-33.3% of
      positive samples. CONCLUSIONS: Both CZE assays proved suitable for CDT screening.
      HPLC was useful for discriminating CDT value in most of samples that could not be
      interpreted by CZE due to analytical interferences. Considering the implication
      of CDT testing, HPLC assay may also be helpful for the confirmation of positive
      results close to the cut-off value of CZE assays.

PMID- 26500069
TI  - Dynamic expression of miR-206-3p during mouse skin development is independent of
      keratinocyte differentiation.
AB  - MicroRNA-206 (miR-206), the homolog of which in mice is termed miR-206-3p, is a
      muscle-specific miRNA known to be important in the development of skeletal
      muscle, and is involved in smooth muscle innervation of the airway through the
      post-transcriptional suppression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf). miR
      206-3p is also expressed at significant levels in adult and embryonic skin;
      however, its functional roles in adult skin and during skin development remain to
      be fully elucidated. In the present study, the spatiotemporal expression of miR
      206-3p and its target-gene, Bdnf, during mouse skin development were
      investigated. The expression level of miR-206-3p increased from 13.5 days
      postcoitus (dpc), peaked at 17.5 dpc and declined following birth. The observed
      temporal profile of the expression of miR-206-3p was accompanied by an inverse
      change in the protein expression levels of BDNF. However, the mRNA expression
      levels of Bdnf did not parallel those of BDNF protein. The localization of the
      expression of miR-206-3p was similar, or located near that of ubiquitin carboxyl
      terminal hydrolase L1 during skin development. An in vitro keratinocyte model
      demonstrated no significant differences between primary and differentiated
      keratinocytes in the expression levels of either miR-206-3p (P=0.227) or Bdnf
      (mRNA, P=0.118; mature BDNF, P=0.106; pro-BDNF, P=0.905). These findings indicate
      a potential role for miR-206-3p in cutaneous innervation, which largely relies on
      BDNF neurotrophic support and is independent of keratinocyte differentiation. The
      results of the present study suggested that this novel mechanism may be targeted
      for developing potential therapeutic approaches. 

PMID- 26500070
TI  - Ability to use the wait-and-see strategy in pathological gamblers.
AB  - Pathological gamblers (PGs) perform differently on neurocognitive tests than do
      healthy controls (HC). The aim of this study was to assess "waiting ability" - a
      major components of inhibition control-using a modified Stop Signal Task (SST) in
      a population of male PGs (N=55), and HCs (N=53). Results indicated no differences
      between PGs and HCs in reaction times, intra-individual response variability, or
      number of false alarms and misses. In conclusion, PGs were not impaired in their
      ability to manipulate their on-line response strategy during the experimental
      task and were instead able to change their strategy to decrease the number of
      false alarms. However, much more empirical and theoretical work needs to be
      carried out in order to understand the key neural basis of impulsivity among PGs.

PMID- 26500071
TI  - Vitamin D status in psychotic disorder patients and healthy controls--The
      influence of ethnic background.
AB  - Vitamin D deficiency is common among patients with psychotic disorders and could
      be due to unknown disease mechanisms or contingent factors. However most studies
      are performed in chronic patients and have often failed to address the influence
      of ethnicity on vitamin D levels in clinical samples. We investigated serum
      concentrations of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (S-25 OH D) in first episode patients
      compared to patients with multi episodes and healthy controls; with a specific
      focus on differences between visible ethnic minorities and participants from the
      majority population. A total of 284 participants were included in this cross
      sectional study. First episode patients with a DSM-IV psychotic disorder were
      matched on age, gender and ethnicity to participants from a multi episode patient
      sample (1:1) and healthy controls (1:2). We did not find any differences between
      either patient groups or the healthy controls, but participants from visible
      ethnic minorities had significantly lower S-25 OH D than participants from the
      majority population. This implies that S-25 OH D should be routinely measured in
      persons from visible ethnic minorities since low levels are associated with
      higher levels of depressive symptoms.

PMID- 26500072
TI  - Physical activity in the treatment of Post-traumatic stress disorder: A
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - People with PTSD experience high levels of cardiovascular disease and comorbid
      mental health problems. Physical activity (PA) is an effective intervention in
      the general population. We conducted the first systematic review and meta
      analysis to determine the effect of PA on PTSD. We searched major electronic
      databases from inception till 03/2015 for RCTs of PA interventions among people
      with PTSD. A random effects meta-analysis calculating hedges g was conducted.
      From a potential of 812 hits, four unique RCTs met the inclusion criteria (n=200,
      mean age of participants 34-52 years). The methodological quality of included
      trials was satisfactory, and no major adverse events were reported. PA was
      significantly more effective compared to control conditions at decreasing PTSD
      and depressive symptoms among people with PTSD. There was insufficient data to
      investigate the effect on anthropometric or cardiometabolic outcomes. Results
      suggest that PA may be a useful adjunct to usual care to improve the health of
      people with PTSD. Although there is a relative paucity of data, there is reason
      to be optimistic for including PA as an intervention for people with PTSD,
      particularly given the overwhelming evidence of the benefits of PA in the general
      population. Robust effectiveness and implementation studies are required.

PMID- 26500073
TI  - Sedanolide induces autophagy through the PI3K, p53 and NF-kappaB signaling
      pathways in human liver cancer cells.
AB  - Sedanolide (SN), a phthalide-like compound from celery seed oil, possesses
      antioxidant effects. However, the effect of SN on cell death in human liver
      cancer cells has yet to be determined. In this study, cell viability
      determination, monodansylcadaverine (MDC) fluorescent staining and immunoblot
      analysis were performed to determine autophagy induction and autophagy-induced
      protein expression changes via molecular examination after human liver cancer
      (J5) cells were treated with SN. Our studies demonstrate that SN suppressed J5
      cell viability by inducing autophagy. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-I,
      mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Akt protein levels decreased, whereas
      PI3K-III, LC3-II and Beclin-1 protein levels increased following SN treatment in
      J5 cells. In addition, SN treatment upregulated nuclear p53 and damage-regulated
      autophagy modulator (DRAM) and downregulated cytosolic p53 and Tp53-induced
      glycolysis and apoptosis regulator (TIGAR) expression in J5 cells. Furthermore,
      the cytosolic phosphorylation of inhibitor of kappa B (IkappaB) and nuclear p65
      and the DNA-binding activity of NF-kappaB increased after SN treatment. These
      results suggest that SN induces J5 cell autophagy by regulating PI3K, p53 and NF
      kappaB autophagy-associated signaling pathways in J5 cells.

PMID- 26500074
TI  - Designer exosomes as next-generation cancer immunotherapy.
AB  - Exosomes are small 40-120 nm vesicles secreted by nearly all cells and are an
      important form of intercellular communication. Exosomes are abundant, stable, and
      highly bioavailable to tissues in vivo. Increasingly, exosomes are being
      recognized as potential therapeutics as they have the ability to elicit potent
      cellular responses in vitro and in vivo. Patient-derived exosomes have been
      employed as a novel cancer immunotherapy in several clinical trials, but at this
      point lack sufficient efficacy. Still other researchers have focused on modifying
      the content and function of exosomes in various ways, toward the end-goal of
      specialized therapeutic exosomes. Here we highlight major advances in the use of
      exosomes for cancer immunotherapy and exosome bioengineering followed by a
      discussion of focus areas for future research to generate potent therapeutic
      exosomes. From the Clinical Editor: Exosomes are small vesicles used by cells for
      intercellular communication. In this short article, the authors described the
      current status and the potential use of exosomes in the clinical setting.

PMID- 26500075
TI  - Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC)
      in pediatric ovarian tumors: a novel treatment approach.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal
      chemotherapy (HIPEC) have been used in adults with ovarian carcinoma proving
      overall survival benefit in randomized trials, but measured in months. Diffuse
      peritoneal disease from pediatric type ovarian tumors is rare. We applied CRS and
      HIPEC to pediatric girls with diffuse peritoneal disease as part of a clinical
      trial. METHODS: In all patients complete cytoreduction was followed by HIPEC
      using 100 mg/m2 of cisplatin for 90 min in a closed technique. All received
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with disease outside of the abdominal cavity
      were excluded. RESULTS: Of 101 pediatric CRS and HIPEC operations, 8 had ovarian
      primary tumors and multifocal peritoneal disease. There were three yolk sac
      tumors (germ cell, mixed teratoma), one Sertoli-Leydig, one PNET of the ovary,
      one choriocarcinoma, one juvenile granulosa cell tumor and one adenocarcinoma.
      Age ranged 4-18 years. Three of the 8 (37 %) recurred and died. The remaining 63
      % are disease free 2-6 years post HIPEC. Overall survival and relapse-free
      survival in this cohort was 64 and 62 %, respectively [CI 0.64 (0.34, 1); 0.62
      (0.37, 1)]. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of CRS and HIPEC in pediatric
      ovarian tumors. HIPEC may be effective in pediatric-type ovarian tumors. More
      study is needed in a larger cohort.

PMID- 26500076
TI  - Obstructive jaundice secondary to Morgagni hernia in an infant with Fontan
      circulation.
AB  - The vast majority of congenital diaphragmatic cases present with severe
      respiratory distress in the immediate neonatal period. Obstructive jaundice
      secondary to CDH is a rare presenting symptom, previously unreported with
      Morgagni type hernias which comprise 2% of all CDHs. Although the safety of
      minimally invasive repair for CDH has been shown previously, there has been
      little data on its safety for patients with complex congenital cardiac disease.
      In this case report, we present an 18-month old infant with Fontan circulation
      presenting with jaundice secondary to Morgagni hernia who ultimately underwent
      laparoscopic repair. A brief discussion of the safety of laparoscopic surgery in
      patients post-Fontan is included.

PMID- 26500077
TI  - The "Dose-Effect" Relationship Between 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Muscle Strength in
      Hemodialysis Patients Favors a Normal Threshold of 30 ng/mL for Plasma 25
      Hydroxyvitamin D.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Muscle strength is weakened in maintenance hemodialysis patients.
      Strength is both a measure of a functional parameter and of frailty as it is
      independently associated with mortality. In the general population, observational
      studies show that plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) is positively correlated
      with muscle strength and function. We analyzed the determinants of muscle
      strength measured by handgrip and 25(OH)D in a maintenance hemodialysis
      population. METHODS: In this observational cross-sectional study, data from all
      hemodialysis patients from our nephrology department were recorded in July 2014.
      Daily nutritional oral intake, handgrip strength, body composition measured by
      bioimpedancemetry analysis, as well as biological and dialysis parameters, were
      obtained from medical files. We used a linear regression model to assess
      nutritional, biological, and dialysis parameters as well as body composition
      associated with handgrip strength. RESULTS: The median age (interquartile range)
      of the 130 included patients was 77.3 (69.5-84.7) years, 57.7% were men, and
      50.8% had diabetes mellitus. Median handgrip strength value (interquartile range)
      was 14.3 (10.6-22.2) kg. In univariate analyses, the factors associated with
      handgrip strength were age, gender, albumin, transthyretin, predialysis
      creatinine and urea, normalized protein nitrogen appearance, lean mass, and
      muscle mass measured by bioimpedancemetry analysis as well as phase angle, and
      25(OH)D. In multivariate analyses, lower age, male gender, higher albumin, higher
      muscle mass, and 25(OH)D level >= 30 ng/mL were independently correlated with
      muscle strength measured by handgrip. CONCLUSIONS: This study found a positive
      correlation between plasma 25(OH)D and muscle strength measured by handgrip in
      hemodialysis patients. We report a "dose-effect" relationship between 25(OH)D and
      handgrip strength under 30 ng/mL, which is no more present above 30 ng/mL.
      Prospective randomized studies are needed to prove that supplementation with
      cholecalciferol, leading to 25(OH)D levels >= 30 ng/mL, improves muscle strength
      in hemodialysis patients.

PMID- 26500078
TI  - Appraisal of the Missing Proteins Based on the mRNAs Bound to Ribosomes.
AB  - Considering the technical limitations of mass spectrometry in protein
      identification, the mRNAs bound to ribosomes (RNC-mRNA) are assumed to reflect
      the mRNAs participating in the translational process. The RNC-mRNA data are
      reasoned to be useful for appraising the missing proteins. A set of the
      multiomics data including free-mRNAs, RNC-mRNAs, and proteomes was acquired from
      three liver cancer cell lines. On the basis of the missing proteins in neXtProt
      (release 2014-09-19), the bioinformatics analysis was carried out in three
      phases: (1) finding how many neXtProt missing proteins have or do not have RNA
      seq and/or MS/MS evidence, (2) analyzing specific physicochemical and biological
      properties of the missing proteins that lack both RNA-seq and MS/MS evidence, and
      (3) analyzing the combined properties of these missing proteins. Total of 1501
      missing proteins were found by neither RNC-mRNA nor MS/MS in the three liver
      cancer cell lines. For these missing proteins, some are expected higher
      hydrophobicity, unsuitable detection, or sensory functions as properties at the
      protein level, while some are predicted to have nonexpressing chromatin
      structures on the corresponding gene level. With further integrated analysis, we
      could attribute 93% of them (1391/1501) to these causal factors, which result in
      the expression products scarcely detected by RNA-seq or MS/MS. 

PMID- 26500079
TI  - Neuroendocrine neoplasms of the lung: Concepts and terminology.
AB  - Neuroendocrine neoplasms of the lung continue to undergo scrutiny, with respect
      to the diagnostic terminology recommended for them and details of their
      clinicopathologic profiles. This overview considers the nosological evolution of
      such lesions and presents current views on classification schemes that pertain to
      them. 

PMID- 26500080
TI  - Developing Theory to Guide Building Practitioners' Capacity to Implement Evidence
      Based Interventions.
AB  - Public health and other community-based practitioners have access to a growing
      number of evidence-based interventions (EBIs), and yet EBIs continue to be
      underused. One reason for this underuse is that practitioners often lack the
      capacity (knowledge, skills, and motivation) to select, adapt, and implement
      EBIs. Training, technical assistance, and other capacity-building strategies can
      be effective at increasing EBI adoption and implementation. However, little is
      known about how to design capacity-building strategies or tailor them to
      differences in capacity required across varying EBIs and practice contexts. To
      address this need, we conducted a scoping study of frameworks and theories
      detailing variations in EBIs or practice contexts and how to tailor capacity
      building to address those variations. Using an iterative process, we consolidated
      constructs and propositions across 24 frameworks and developed a beginning theory
      to describe salient variations in EBIs (complexity and uncertainty) and practice
      contexts (decision-making structure, general capacity to innovate, resource and
      values fit with EBI, and unity vs. polarization of stakeholder support). The
      theory also includes propositions for tailoring capacity-building strategies to
      address salient variations. To have wide-reaching and lasting impact, the
      dissemination of EBIs needs to be coupled with strategies that build
      practitioners' capacity to adopt and implement a variety of EBIs across diverse
      practice contexts.

PMID- 26500081
TI  - Larvicidal and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities of apiaceae plant
      essential oils and their constituents against aedes albopictus and formulation
      development.
AB  - This study evaluated the larvicidal activity of 12 Apiaceae plant essential oils
      and their components against the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, and the
      inhibition of acetylcholine esterase with their components. Of the 12 plant
      essential oils tested, ajowan (Trachyspermum ammi), caraway seed (Carum carvi),
      carrot seed (Daucus carota), celery (Apium graveolens), cumin (Cuminum cyminum),
      dill (Anethum graveolens), and parsley (Petroselinum sativum) resulted in >90%
      larval mortality when used at 0.1 mg/mL. Of the compounds identified, alpha
      phellandrene, alpha-terpinene, p-cymene, (-)-limonene, (+)-limonene, gamma
      terpinene, cuminaldehyde, neral, (S)-+-carvone, trans-anethole, thymol,
      carvacrol, myristicin, apiol, and carotol resulted in >80% larval mortality when
      used at 0.1 mg/mL. Two days after treatment, 24.69, 3.64, and 12.43% of the
      original amounts of the celery, cumin, and parsley oils, respectively, remained
      in the water. Less than 50% of the original amounts of alpha-phellandrene, 1,8
      cineole, terpinen-4-ol, cuminaldehyde, and trans-antheole were detected in the
      water at 2 days after treatment. Carvacrol, alpha-pinene, and beta-pinene
      inhibited the activity of Ae. albopictus acetylcholinesterase with IC50 values of
      0.057, 0.062, and 0.190 mg/mL, respectively. A spherical microemulsion of parsley
      essential oil-loaded poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was prepared, and the larvicidal
      activity of this formulation was shown to be similar to that of parsley oil. 

PMID- 26500082
TI  - Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid blood biomarkers increase linearly in men and
      women after tightly controlled intakes of 0.25, 0.5, and 1 g/d of EPA + DHA.
AB  - Blood levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have
      been related to coronary heart disease risk. Understanding the response of EPA +
      DHA in blood to dietary intake of EPA + DHA would facilitate the use of blood
      measures as markers of adherence and enable the development of dietary
      recommendations. The objective of this study is examine the blood response to
      intakes of EPA + DHA <=1 g/d with an intervention designed for dietary adherence.
      It was hypothesized this relationship would be linear and that intakes of EPA +
      DHA <1 g/d would result in blood levels below those associated with the highest
      level of protection for cardiovascular events. Background EPA + DHA intake of men
      and women (n = 20) was determined by food frequency questionnaire and adherence
      was monitored by weekly fingertip blood sampling for fatty acid determinations.
      Participants consumed nutraceuticals to achieve intakes of 0.25 g/d and 0.5 g/d
      EPA + DHA for successive four-week periods. A subgroup (n = 5) had intakes of 1.0
      g/d EPA + DHA for an additional 4 weeks. Fatty acid composition of whole blood,
      erythrocytes, and plasma phospholipids were determined at each time point. Blood
      levels of EPA and DHA increased linearly in these pools. A comprehensive review
      of the literature was used to verify the blood-intake relationship. Blood levels
      of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids reached blood levels associated
      with the highest levels of primary cardiac arrest reduction and sudden cardiac
      death risk only with intakes of 1.0 g/d of EPA + DHA. The blood biomarker
      response to intakes of EPA + DHA <=1 g/d is linear in a small but highly adherent
      study sample and this information can assist in determining adherence in clinical
      studies and help identify dietary intake targets from associations between blood
      and disease. 

PMID- 26500084
TI  - Cervical cancer screening among women >=70 years of age in the United States-A
      referral problem or patient choice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Clinical guidelines recommend that women with a history of adequate
      screening and not otherwise at high risk may discontinue cervical cancer
      screening after 65 years of age. However, screening remains common among US women
      over 65 years old. This study was conducted to examine whether overutilization
      was attributable to provider's recommendation or patient choice. METHOD: This
      cross-sectional study used data from 1752 female participants (70+ years) from
      the 2013 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). We quantitatively assessed the
      proportions of provider-recommended and patient self-initiated Pap smears.
      RESULTS: Among female respondents, 40.8% had a Pap smear within the past 3 years,
      19.4% had a Pap smear in the last year, and 39.7% reported receiving a
      recommendation for a Pap smear from their provider in the past year. Among women
      who received a recommendation to obtain a Pap smear, 39.8% did so within the past
      12 months compared to 5.9% of women who did not receive a recommendation
      (adjusted odds ratio 10.5, 95% confidence interval 7.39-15.0). About 70% of women
      who visited an obstetrician/gynecologist and reported receiving a recommendation
      to have a Pap smear did so in the past year, while 32.3% of women who visited an
      obstetrician/gynecologist but did not receive a recommendation obtained one.
      CONCLUSION: Pap smears were common among women >=70 years of age. Health care
      providers may need additional education on current guidelines regarding
      indications for Pap smears in this age group to help reduce screening of patients
      who may not benefit.

PMID- 26500085
TI  - Gout and its comorbidities in the total population of Stockholm.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Study of prevalence of gout with concomitant diseases. METHODS: Study
      population included all living persons in Stockholm County, Sweden, on January
      1st 2013 (N=2,124,959). A diagnosis of gout was identified during 2013-2014, with
      information of diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance, hypertension, chronic
      heart failure, chronic kidney disease, alcohol abuse, and malignancies. Age
      adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for women and
      men with gout, using individuals without gout as referents, were calculated.
      RESULTS: Age-adjusted odds of co-morbidities among individuals with gout vs.
      those without gout were: diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance 3.97 (95% CI
      3.65-4.31) in women and 1.88 (95% CI 1.78-1.99) in men; hypertension 4.02 (95% CI
      3.69-4.37) in women and 3.21 (95% CI 3.06-3.37) in men; chronic heart failure
      4.72 (95% CI 4.31-5.19) in women and 2.84 (95% CI 2.66-3.04) in men; chronic
      kidney disease 2.08 (95% CI 1.50-2.87) in women and 2.39 (95% CI 2.15-2.66) in
      men; alcohol abuse 8.98 (95% CI 8.15-9.80) in women and 4.38 (95% CI 4.10-4.69)
      in men; and malignancies 1.32 (95% CI 1.17-1.48) in women and 1.13 (95% CI 1.06
      1.21) men. CONCLUSION: Gout is a warning sign for concomitant diseases, e.g.
      alcoholism, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. KEY MESSAGES.

PMID- 26500083
TI  - Orally delivered beta-glucans aggravate dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced
      intestinal inflammation.
AB  - beta-Glucans have beneficial health effects due to their immune modulatory
      properties. Oral administration of beta-glucans affects tumour growth, microbial
      infection, sepsis, and wound healing. We hypothesized that pre-treatment with
      orally delivered soluble and particulate beta-glucans could ameliorate the
      development of aggravate dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced intestinal
      inflammation. To study this, mice were orally pre-treated with beta-glucans for
      14 days. We tested curdlan (a particulate beta-(1,3)-glucan), glucan phosphate (a
      soluble beta-(1,3)-glucan), and zymosan (a particle made from Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae, which contains around 55% beta-glucans). Weight loss, colon weight,
      and feces score did not differ between beta-glucan and vehicle treated groups.
      However, histology scores indicated that beta-glucan-treated mice had increased
      inflammation at a microscopic level suggesting that beta-glucan treatment
      worsened intestinal inflammation. Furthermore, curdlan and zymosan treatment led
      to increased colonic levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, compared to
      vehicle. Glucan phosphate treatment did not significantly affect cytokine and
      chemokine levels. These data suggest that particulate and soluble beta-glucans
      differentially affect the intestinal immune responses. However, no significant
      differences in other clinical colitis scores between soluble and particulate beta
      glucans were found in this study. In summary, beta-glucans aggravate the course
      of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced intestinal inflammation at the level of
      the mucosa. 

PMID- 26500086
TI  - The gap between expectations and reality of exercise-induced weight loss is
      associated with discouragement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exercise interventions result in modest weight loss, yet exercise is
      frequently prescribed for weight loss. PURPOSE: To identify individuals who
      become discouraged when exercise fails to achieve weight loss. METHODS:
      Representative samples of U.S. adults were recruited using Google Consumer
      Surveys in August-October 2014. Respondents were asked about beliefs and
      potential discouragement regarding the role of exercise and weight loss. An
      analysis of variance was performed to predict individuals that become discouraged
      if exercise does not lead to weight loss. RESULTS: The belief that exercise is a
      very effective way to lose weight was common (71% of respondents). Stronger
      belief that exercise is an effective way to lose weight (p<0.001) in individuals
      with higher weight status (p=0.04) positively predicted discouragement with
      exercise. Higher weight status combined with the belief that exercise reduces
      weight was a significant positive predictor of discouragement (p=0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with higher weight status that believe that exercise is
      an effective way to lose weight are more likely to become discouraged when
      exercise does not lead to weight loss. Prescribing exercise for weight loss might
      contribute to discouragement. Future studies should evaluate ways to encourage
      exercise without promoting the belief that exercise will yield weight loss.

PMID- 26500087
TI  - Ultrafast colorimetric determination of predominant protein structure evolution
      with gold nanoplasmonic particles.
AB  - The intracellular and extracellular accumulation of disordered proteins and
      aggregated proteins occurs in many protein conformational diseases, such as aging
      related neurodegeneration and alcoholic liver diseases. However, the conventional
      methods to study protein structural changes are limited for the rapid detection
      and monitoring of protein aggregation because of long incubation times (i.e.,
      usually several days), complicated sample pretreatment steps, and expensive
      instrumentation. Here, we describe an ultrafast colorimetric method for the real
      time monitoring of protein structure evolution and the determination of
      predominant structures via nanoparticle-assisted protein aggregation. During the
      aggregation process, nanoparticles act as nucleation cores, which form networks
      depending on the structures of the protein aggregates, and accelerate the
      kinetics of the protein aggregation. Simultaneously, these nanoparticles exhibit
      colorimetric responses according to their embedded shapes (e.g., fibrillar and
      amorphous) on the protein aggregates. We observed distinct spectral shifts and
      concomitant colorimetric responses of concentration- and type-dependent protein
      aggregation with the naked eye within a few minutes (<2 min) under acidic
      conditions. Moreover, the morphological transitions from small aggregates to
      larger aggregates of nanoparticle-assisted protein aggregates were visualized
      with dark-field microscope imaging, which show a similar trend with that of
      protein aggregates formed without the aid of nanoparticles. Finally we show that
      our proposed method can be utilized to screen the protein aggregation propensity
      under a variety of conditions such as different pH levels, high temperature, and
      chemicals. These findings suggest that the proposed method is an easy way to
      study the molecular biophysics of protein aggregation and to rapidly screen anti
      aggregation drugs for protein conformational diseases. 

PMID- 26500088
TI  - Inhibition of Flavobacterium psychrophilum adhesion in vitro.
AB  - Flavobacterium psychrophilum, a bacterium known for its adhesion ability to
      surfaces, has recently been shown to express phenotypic variation, as smooth and
      rough colony types in vitro. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of
      different compounds on adhesion of both phenotypes of F. psychrophilum to
      polystyrene surfaces of 96-well microtiter plates. Cells of F. psychrophilum of
      both phenotypes (10(8) CFU ml(-1)) were treated with different compounds for 1 h
      at 15 degrees C and were subsequently allowed to adhere to polystyrene surfaces.
      The adhered cells were stained with crystal violet and optical density measured
      at 595 nm. The compounds were classified as non, weak, moderate or strong
      inhibitors of the F. psychrophilum adhesion. The results showed that a
      combination of selected carbohydrates, D- and L-amino acids, phytochemicals, an
      ion chelating agent (EDTA) and proteinase K strongly inhibited the adhesion of
      mainly smooth cells. We suggest that the compounds inhibit the cell adhesion by
      presumably disrupting the protein-protein interactions that hold smooth cells
      together and by negatively affecting the surface hydrophobicity of smooth cells.
      In contrast, rough cells exhibit resistance to most inhibitor compounds. 

PMID- 26500089
TI  - EheA from Exiguobacterium sp. yc3 is a novel thermostable DNase belonging to HNH
      endonuclease superfamily.
AB  - The HNH endonuclease superfamily usually contains a conserved HNH motif in the
      sequence, and the second subfamily of it uses N to replace the second H in the
      HNH motif. A bacterium with extracellular thermostable DNase was isolated and
      identified as Exiguobacterium sp. yc3. A 20 kDa putative DNase was later purified
      and the encoding gene of it was amplified and sequenced, the deduced amino acid
      sequence analysis showed that the protein belongs to the HNH endonuclease
      superfamily, and therefore it was named as EheA ( E: xiguobacterium H: NH E:
      ndonuclease). Characterization of the recombinant EheA confirmed that EheA is a
      DNase. By site-directed mutation method, H116, N141 and N156 were proved to be
      essential for the DNase activity. EheA is the first experimentally determined
      bacterial source endonuclease belonging to the second subfamily of HNH
      superfamily. Further bioinformatic analysis showed that EheA homologue genes are
      conserved in the Exiguobacterium species, which suggests their possible important
      functions for Exiguobacterium species. And as a thermostable DNase, EheA also has
      a promising future in many application fields. 

PMID- 26500090
TI  - Perceived Work Ability in the Light of Long-Term and Stress-Related Unhealthy
      Behaviors-a Prospective Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most of the few studies that exist on the longitudinal associations
      between health behaviors and work ability target to single health behaviors.
      PURPOSE: To investigate how lifetime clusters of unhealthy behaviors associate
      with perceived work ability in early midlife. METHODS: The study population
      consisted of 46-year-old men and women (n = 3107) born in Northern Finland in
      1966. Their current perceived work ability compared to lifetime best, and their
      unhealthy behaviors (physical inactivity, smoking, and alcohol consumption) were
      assessed by questionnaires. We determined clusters of unhealthy behaviors at the
      ages of 14, 31, and 46 and created lifetime development trajectories of health
      behaviors. We also assessed stress-related eating and drinking at the ages of 31
      and 46. Cross-tabulations and multivariate logistic regression models were used
      to investigate the associations between clusters of health behaviors, stress
      related eating and drinking, and work ability at 46 years. The analyses were
      controlled for basic education and physical strenuousness of work, psychosocial
      job characteristics, perceived work ability, and BMI (kg/m(2)) at 31 years.
      RESULTS: Four health behavior trajectories emerged: always healthy, moderate
      (reference group), deteriorated. and always unhealthy. Among men, always
      unhealthy behaviors [OR (95 % confidence interval) 2.81 (1.35, 5.86)], and among
      women, deteriorated health behaviors [1.67 (1.07, 2.58)] associated with poor
      perceived work ability at 46 years. In addition, stress-related eating and
      drinking associated independently with poor perceived work ability at 46 years
      [men 2.58 (1.62, 4.12) and women 2.48 (1.70, 3.61)]. CONCLUSION: Long-lasting and
      stress-related unhealthy behaviors increase the risk of poor work ability in
      midlife.

PMID- 26500091
TI  - Searching for biological traces on different materials using a forensic light
      source and infrared photography.
AB  - Because biological traces often play an important role in the investigation
      process of criminal acts, their detection is essential. As they are not always
      visible to the human eye, tools like a forensic light source or infrared
      photography can be used. The intention of the study presented was to give advice
      how to visualize biological traces best. Which wavelengths and/or filters give
      the best results for different traces on different fabrics of different colors?
      Therefore, blood (undiluted and diluted), semen, urine, saliva, and perspiration
      have been examined on 29 different materials. 

PMID- 26500092
TI  - Fatal methadone intoxication in an infant listed as a homicide.
AB  - Voluntary methadone administration for the purpose of sedation eventually
      resulting in the infant's death is extremely infrequent, though it has been
      observed. In this report, we describe an autopsy case pertaining to a 32-month
      old infant who was repeatedly exposed to methadone by his parents. Autopsy
      revealed a coarctation of the aorta with a focal stenosis located at the junction
      of the distal aortic arch and the descending aorta. Left ventricular hypertrophy
      was also observed. Both these findings were considered to not have played a role
      in the child's death. Methadone was detected in the femoral blood (0.633 mg/l),
      urine (5.25 mg/l), bile (2.64 mg/l), and gastric contents (1.08 mg). A segmental
      hair analysis showed the presence of methadone and morphine in both the proximal
      and distal portion of the lock. Methadone was also detected in nail samples. A
      segmental hair analysis performed on the younger brother of the deceased revealed
      the presence of methadone and morphine in both the proximal and distal segments,
      as well as the presence of 6-monoacetylmorphine exclusively in the distal
      portion. Though the parents denied any involvement in methadone administration or
      exposure for the purpose of sedation, the manner of death was listed as homicide.
      The case emphasizes the usefulness of hair analysis to identify threatening
      situations for the children of drug-dependent parents and possibly support
      measures by the authorities to recognize and intervene in these potentially fatal
      situations. 

PMID- 26500093
TI  - Indications and Results of HLA-Identical Sibling Hematopoietic Cell
      Transplantation for Sickle Cell Disease.
AB  - Although a number of published trials exist of HLA-identical sibling
      hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for sickle cell disease (SCD) that span
      2 decades, when and for whom this therapy should be pursued is a subject of
      debate. Assessments of the risks of transplant-related complications that include
      infertility and debilitating graft-versus-host disease and long-term quality of
      life after successful HCT are difficult to perform without prospective trials in
      transplant and nontransplant cohorts. However, it is possible to assess the risk
      of mortality and to compare published rates of survival in individuals with SCD
      treated and not treated by HCT. In this brief review, projections about mortality
      risk based on recent published reports are reviewed and summarized. The published
      data show overall survival and event-free survival rates of 95% and 92%,
      respectively, in children treated by HLA-identical sibling HCT. The overall
      survival rates in the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant
      Research (N = 412) and European Blood and Marrow Transplant (N = 487) registries
      were 91% and 95%, respectively. These results provide broad support for the
      therapeutic value of HLA-identical sibling HCT for children with SCD and serve as
      the basis for a strong recommendation in favor of the option of HCT when a
      suitable donor is available. The experience of HLA-identical sibling HCT in
      adults with SCD is limited but appears to be similar to results in children.
      These preliminary observations, however, warrant further investigation. 

PMID- 26500094
TI  - Upregulation of RICTOR gene transcription by the proinflammatory cytokines
      through NF-kappaB pathway contributes to the metastasis of renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - Metastasis accounts for more than 50 % of deaths among renal cell carcinoma (RCC)
      patients, and therefore, it is important to study the biology of metastasis and
      identify metastasis-associated biomarkers for risk prognosis and stratification
      of patients for an individualized therapy of RCC. In cultured RCC cells,
      knockdown of Rictor by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) inhibited cell migration and
      invasion, probably due to impairments in activation of Akt. Pretreatment with
      tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) or interleukin 6 (IL-6) enhanced the
      expression of Rictor and the migration of renal cancer cells. Mechanistic
      analysis showed that TNFalpha induced the activation of NF-kappaB in RCC cells.
      Luciferase reporter analysis revealed a NF-kappaB responding element (-301 to -51
      bp) at the promoter region of Rictor. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)
      analysis further confirmed that TNFalpha-induced binding of p65 with the promoter
      of Rictor. In a xenograft model, knockdown of Rictor-blocked RCC cells metastasis
      to the mouse lungs and livers. Taken together, our results suggest that the
      proinflammatory cytokine TNFalpha promotes the expression of Rictor through the
      NF-kappaB pathway. 

PMID- 26500095
TI  - The combination of thymoquinone and paclitaxel shows anti-tumor activity through
      the interplay with apoptosis network in triple-negative breast cancer.
AB  - Thymoquinone (TQ) is the active ingredient of Nigella sativa which has a
      therapeutic potential in cancer therapy and prevention. In this study, TQ has
      been shown to induce specific cytotoxicity and apoptosis and to inhibit wound
      healing in triple-negative breast cancer cell line. TQ also inhibited cancer
      growth in a mouse tumor model. Moreover, TQ and paclitaxel (Pac) combination
      inhibited cancer growth in cell culture and in mice. Genes involved in TQ and TQ
      Pac-mediated cytotoxicity were studied using focused real-time PCR arrays. After
      bioinformatic analysis, genes in apoptosis, cytokine, and p53 signaling
      categories were found to be modulated with a high significance in TQ-treated
      cells (p < 10(-28), p < 10(-8), and p < 10(-6), respectively). Important to note,
      TQ has been found to regulate the genes involved in the induction of apoptosis
      through death receptors (p = 5.5 * 10(-5)). Additionally, tumor suppressor genes
      such as p21, Brca1, and Hic1 were highly upregulated by TQ and TQ-Pac
      combination. Interestingly, when cells were treated with high dose TQ, several
      growth factors such as Vegf and Egf were upregulated and several pro-apoptotic
      factors such as caspases were downregulated possibly pointing out key pathways
      manipulated by cancer cells to resist against TQ. In cells treated with the
      combination of TQ and Pac, genes in apoptosis cascade (p < 10(-12)), p53
      signaling (p = 10(-5)), and JAK-STAT signaling (p < 10(-3)) were differentially
      expressed. TQ has also been shown to induce protein levels of cleaved Caspase-3,
      Caspase-7, and Caspase-12 and PARP and to reduce phosphorylated p65 and Akt1. The
      in vivo therapeutic potential of TQ-Pac combination and the genetic network
      involved in this synergy have been shown for the first time to the best of our
      knowledge. 

PMID- 26500096
TI  - Circulating tumor cells as trigger to hematogenous spreads and potential
      biomarkers to predict the prognosis in ovarian cancer.
AB  - Despite several improvements in the surgical field and in the systemic treatment,
      ovarian cancer (OC) is still characterized by high recurrence rates and
      consequently poor survival. In OC, there is still a great lack of knowledge with
      regard to cancer behavior and mechanisms of recurrence, progression, and drug
      resistance. The OC metastatization process mostly occurs via intracoelomatic
      spread. Recent evidences show that tumor cells generate a favorable
      microenvironment consisting in T regulatory cells, T infiltrating lymphocytes,
      and cytokines which are able to establish an "immuno-tolerance mileau" in which a
      tumor cell can become a resistant clone. When the disease responds to treatment,
      immunoediting processes and cancer progression have been stopped. A similar
      inhibition of the immunosuppressive microenvironment has been observed after
      optimal cytoreductive surgery as well. In this scenario, the early identification
      of circulating tumor cells could represent a precocious signal of loss of the
      immune balance that precedes cancer immunoediting and relapse. Supporting this
      hypothesis, circulating tumor cells have been demonstrated to be a prognostic
      factor in several solid tumors such as colorectal, pancreatic, gastric, breast,
      and genitourinary cancer. In OC, the role of circulating tumor cells is still to
      be defined. However, as opposed to healthy women, circulating tumor cells have
      been demonstrated in peripheral blood of OC patients, opening a new research
      field in OC diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and follow-up. 

PMID- 26500097
TI  - Impact of use of angiotensin II receptor blocker on all-cause mortality in
      hemodialysis patients: prospective cohort study using a propensity-score
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is controversial whether treatment with an angiotensin II receptor
      blocker (ARB) or a calcium channel blocker (CCB) improves prognosis of
      hemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS: This study was designed as a multicenter
      prospective cohort study. HD patients (n = 1071) were enrolled from 22 institutes
      in January 2009 and followed up for 3 years. Patients with missing data, kidney
      transplantation or retraction of consent during the follow-up period (n = 204)
      were excluded, and 867 patients contributed to analysis of mortality. Propensity
      score (PS) for use of ARB and that for CCB was calculated using a multiple
      logistic regression model. RESULTS: ARB and CCB were prescribed in 45.6 and 54.7
      % of patients at enrollment. During the 3-year follow-up period, all-cause
      mortality and cardiovascular mortality rates were 18.8 and 5.1 %, respectively.
      Kaplan-Meier curves showed that all-cause and cardiovascular mortality rates were
      lower in the ARB group than in the non-ARB group, though the mortality rates were
      similar in the CCB group and non-CCB group. In PS-stratified Cox regression
      analysis, ARB treatment was associated with 34 and 45 % reduction of all-cause
      death and cardiovascular death, respectively. In PS matching analysis, ARB
      treatment was associated with a significant reduction (46 % reduction) in the
      risk of all-cause death. A significant impact of CCB treatment on all-cause or
      cardiovascular mortality was not detected in PS analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The use of
      an ARB, but not a CCB, is associated with reduced all-cause and cardiovascular
      mortalities in patients on HD.

PMID- 26500098
TI  - Functional analysis of novel allelic variants in URAT1 and GLUT9 causing renal
      hypouricemia type 1 and 2.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Renal hypouricemia is a rare heterogeneous inherited disorder
      characterized by impaired tubular uric acid transport with severe complications,
      such as acute kidney injury and nephrolithiasis. Type 1 is caused by a loss-of
      function mutation in the SLC22A12 gene (URAT1), while type 2 is caused by defects
      in the SLC2A9 gene (GLUT9). METHODS AND RESULTS: In this article we present
      clinical, biochemical and molecular genetics of two Czech patients. The serum
      uric acid in the probands was 57 and 98 umol/l and expressed as an increase in
      the fractional excretion of uric acid (40 and 18 %). The sequencing analysis of
      SLC22A12 and SLC2A9 revealed novel variants p.R92C and p.R203C in URAT1 and
      p.G72D in GLUT9. Functional studies were performed for these novel variants and
      for previously reported variants p.I118HfsX27, p.G216R and p.N333S in GLUT9
      responsible for renal hypouricemia in three probands from Czech Republic and
      United Kingdom. Functional studies showed significantly decreased urate uptake
      for all variants. However, urate uptake of GLUT9 variants prepared for both
      isoforms were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first complex
      function characterization of non-synonymous allelic variants in patients with
      renal hypouricemia regarding both GLUT9 isoforms. Our finding of defects in the
      SLC2A9 and SLC22A12 genes show the following: renal hypouricemia is not
      restricted to East Asia populations; urate uptake of GLUT9 variants prepared for
      both isoforms were not significantly different; renal hypouricemia type 2 has
      more wide clinical variability than type 1; the phenotypic severity of renal
      hypouricemia is not correlated with results of functional characterizations of
      URAT1 and GLUT9 variants.

PMID- 26500099
TI  - Mechanisms of disease: The human N-glycome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The majority of human proteins are being modified by covalent
      attachment of complex oligosaccharides--glycans. Both glycans and polypeptide
      parts of a protein contribute to its structure and function, but contrary to
      polypeptide that is defined by the sequence of nucleotides in the corresponding
      gene, glycans are shaped by complex dynamic interactions between hundreds of
      enzymes, transcription factors, ion channels and other proteins. SCOPE OF REVIEW:
      An overview of current knowledge about the importance of N-glycans in normal
      human physiology and disease mechanisms, exemplified by IgG N-glycans. MAJOR
      CONCLUSIONS: Recent technological development enabled systematic analysis of
      glycome composition in large epidemiological cohorts and clinical studies.
      However, the majority of these studies is still missing any glycomic component,
      and consequently also lacks this layer of biological information. Individual
      variation in glycosylation is potentially important for individualized disease
      risk, disease course and response to therapy. Evidence in support of this
      hypothesis is accumulating, but further studies are needed to enable
      understanding of the role of changes in protein glycosylation in disease. GENERAL
      SIGNIFICANCE: Glycans are involved in virtually all physiological processes.
      Inter-individual variation in glycome composition is large, and these differences
      associate with disease risk, disease course and the response to therapy. This
      article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Glycans in personalised medicine"
      Guest Editor: Professor Gordan Lauc.

PMID- 26500100
TI  - EUS-Guided Transgastric Drainage of Perihepatic Biloma After Laparoscopic Liver
      Metastasectomy from Colon Cancer.

PMID- 26500101
TI  - Cannabinoid WIN55, 212-2 induces cell cycle arrest and inhibits the proliferation
      and migration of human BEL7402 hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the leading cause of cancer-associated
      mortality worldwide; however, only limited therapeutic treatments are currently
      available. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of cannabinoids as
      novel therapeutic targets in HCC. In addition, the mechanism underlying the
      effects of a synthetic cannabinoid, WIN55, 212-2, on the BEL7402 HCC cell line
      was investigated. The results demonstrated that WIN55, 212-2 induced cell cycle
      arrest of the BEL7402 cells at the G0/G1 phase via cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2)
      mediated downregulation of phosphorylated-extracellular signal-regulated kinases
      (ERK)1/2, upregulation of p27, and downregulation of cyclin D1 and cyclin
      dependent kinase 4. Furthermore, inhibition of CB2 with the CB2 antagonist AM630
      abrogated WIN55, 212-2-induced cell cycle arrest. Inhibition of ERK1/2 also
      resulted in cell cycle dysregulation and cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase,
      which subsequently resulted in cell growth inhibition. In addition, the present
      study detected a significant reduction in matrix metalloproteinase-9,
      retinoblastoma protein and E2F1 expression, and migration inhibition by WIN
      treatment. These results suggested that cannabinoid receptor agonists, including
      WIN, may be considered as novel therapeutics for the treatment of HCC. 

PMID- 26500102
TI  - Endogenous Acetylcholine Controls the Severity of Polymicrobial Sepsisassociated
      Inflammatory Response in Mice.
AB  - Acetylcholine (ACh) is the main mediator associated with the anti-inflammatory
      cholinergic pathway. ACh plays an inhibitory role in several inflammatory
      conditions. Sepsis is a severe clinical syndrome characterized by bacterial
      dissemination and overproduction of inflammatory mediators. The aim of the
      current study was to investigate the participation of endogenous ACh in the
      modulation of inflammatory response induced by a model of polymicrobial sepsis.
      Wild type (WT) and vesicular acetylcholine transporter knockdown (VAChT(KD)) mice
      were exposed to cecal ligation and perforation- induced sepsis. Levels of Tumor
      Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-alpha) and bacterial growth in peritoneal cavity and
      serum, and neutrophil recruitment into peritoneal cavity were assessed. The
      concentration of TNF-alpha in both compartments was higher in VAChT(KD) in
      comparison with WT mice. VAChT(KD) mice presented elevated burden of bacteria in
      peritoneum and blood, and impairment of neutrophil migration to peritoneal
      cavity. This phenotype was reversed by treatment with nicotine salt. These
      findings suggest that endogenous ACh plays a major role in the control of sepsis
      associated inflammatory response. 

PMID- 26500103
TI  - Reversal in Cognition Impairments, Cholinergic Dysfunction, and Cerebral
      Oxidative Stress Through the Modulation of Ryanodine Receptors (RyRs) and
      Cysteinyl Leukotriene-1 (CysLT1) Receptors.
AB  - Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) is a general pathophysiological condition
      occurring in vascular dementia (VaD) associated with negative impact on cognitive
      functions. Ryanodine as well as cysteinyl leukotriene-1 receptors (RyRs and
      CysLT1Rs) are extensively present in the central nervous system, where they
      participate in regulation of cognition, motivation, inflammation and
      neurodegeneration. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of ruthenium
      red; a selective RyR blocker as well as montelukast; a specific CysLT1 antagonist
      in CCH induced VaD in mice. Two vessel occlusion (2VO) or permanent ligation of
      bilateral common carotid arteries technique was used to induce CCH in mice.
      Animals with bilateral carotid arteries occlusion have revealed impaired learning
      and memory (Morris water maze), cholinergic dysfunction (increased
      acetylcholinesterase activity) as well as increased brain oxidative stress
      (reduction in brain superoxide dismutase, glutathione and catalase with an
      increase in thiobarbituric acid reactive substance level), with increased brain
      infarct size (2,3,5-triphenylterazolium chloride staining). While, administration
      of ruthenium red and montelukast considerably attenuated CCH induced cognitive
      impairments, cholinergic dysfunction, brain oxidative stress as well as brain
      damage. The results suggest that bilateral carotid arteries occlusion induced CCH
      has brought out VaD, which was attenuated by treatment with ruthenium red and
      montelukast. Therefore, modulation of RyRs as well as CysLT1 receptors may
      provide help in conditions involving CCH such as cognitive impairment and VaD. 

PMID- 26500104
TI  - Genome-wide identification and comparative analysis of grafting-responsive mRNA
      in watermelon grafted onto bottle gourd and squash rootstocks by high-throughput
      sequencing.
AB  - Grafting is an important agricultural technique widely used to improve plant
      growth, yield, and adaptation to either biotic or abiotic stresses. However, the
      molecular mechanisms underlying grafting-induced physiological processes remain
      unclear. Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.) is an important horticultural crop
      worldwide. Grafting technique is commonly used in watermelon production for
      improving its tolerance to stresses, especially to the soil-borne fusarium wilt
      disease. In the present study, we used high-throughput sequencing to perform a
      genome-wide transcript analysis of scions from watermelon grafted onto bottle
      gourd and squash rootstocks. Our transcriptome and digital gene expression (DGE)
      profiling data provided insights into the molecular aspects of gene regulation in
      grafted watermelon. Compared with self-grafted watermelon, there were 787 and
      3485 genes differentially expressed in watermelon grafted onto bottle gourd and
      squash rootstocks, respectively. These genes were associated with primary and
      secondary metabolism, hormone signaling, transcription factors, transporters, and
      response to stimuli. Grafting led to changes in expression of these genes,
      suggesting that they may play important roles in mediating the physiological
      processes of grafted seedlings. The potential roles of the grafting-responsive
      mRNAs in diverse biological and metabolic processes were discussed. Obviously,
      the data obtained in this study provide an excellent resource for unraveling the
      mechanisms of candidate genes function in diverse biological processes and in
      environmental adaptation in a graft system.

PMID- 26500106
TI  - Disrupting Electronic Health Records Systems: The Next Generation.
AB  - The health care system suffers from both inefficient and ineffective use of data.
      Data are suboptimally displayed to users, undernetworked, underutilized, and
      wasted. Errors, inefficiencies, and increased costs occur on the basis of
      unavailable data in a system that does not coordinate the exchange of
      information, or adequately support its use. Clinicians' schedules are stretched
      to the limit and yet the system in which they work exerts little effort to
      streamline and support carefully engineered care processes. Information for
      decision-making is difficult to access in the context of hurried real-time
      workflows. This paper explores and addresses these issues to formulate an
      improved design for clinical workflow, information exchange, and decision making
      based on the use of electronic health records. 

PMID- 26500105
TI  - TIPE2 Play a Negative Role in TLR4-Mediated Autoimmune T Helper 17 Cell Responses
      in Patients with Myasthenia Gravis.
AB  - Th17-related cytokines have been suggested to play a crucial role in myasthenia
      gravis (MG) pathogenesis.The tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-induced protein 8
      like-2 (TNFAIP8L2 or TIPE2), is a newly identified member of the tumor necrosis
      TNFAIP8 family which is an essential negative regulator of both innate and
      adaptive immunity. In the present study, the expression of TIPE2 mRNA and protein
      in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy and MG subjects were
      detected by Real-time PCR and Western blotting.The serum IL-6, IL-17 and IL-21
      levels were tested by ELISA. Furthermore, PBMC from MG patients were purified and
      stimulated with LPS (TLR4 agonist) with or without transfection of TIPE2
      expressing adenovirus, then the expression of TIPE2 and Th17-specific
      transcriptional factor RORgammat and the IL-6, IL-17 and IL-21 levels of
      supernatant were analized. Our data demonstrated that the expression of TIPE2
      mRNA and protein was reduced in MG compared with normal controls, with lower
      expression in generalized patients than in ocular ones. Furthermore, TIPE2 mRNA
      presents a significantly negative correlation with the serum levels of IL-6, IL
      17 and IL-21 in either generalized patients or ocular patients. In cultured MG
      PBMC, TLR4 activation led to the down-regulation of TIPE2, while the expression
      of RORgammat and production of IL-6, IL-17 and IL-21 were significantly
      increased. However, when TIPE2 was overexpressed, these TLR4 activation-induced
      effects were significantly abrogated. Overall, our results indicated for the
      first time that TIPE2 may participate in the development of MG through negatively
      regulation of TLR4-mediated autoimmune T helper 17 cell responses. 

PMID- 26500108
TI  - Gluten Introduction to Infant Feeding and Risk of Celiac Disease: Systematic
      Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the evidence regarding the effect of time of gluten
      introduction and breastfeeding on the risk of developing celiac disease (CD).
      STUDY DESIGN: We included randomized controlled trials and observational studies
      evaluating the proper timing for introducing gluten to the infant diet, the
      appropriate quantity of gluten consumption at weaning, and the effect of
      breastfeeding on CD risk. Studies were located through the electronic databases
      Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE
      (Ovid), and System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe (SIGLE). Two
      independent authors collected the data. RESULTS: A total of 1982 studies were
      identified, 15 of which were eligible for data extraction. A meta-analysis was
      performed on 2 randomized controlled trials, 10 cohort studies, and 1 case
      control study. There was a 25% increase in CD risk with late (>6 months) vs
      recommended (4-6 months) gluten introduction (risk ratio [RR], 1.25; 95% CI, 1.08
      1.45). There was no significant effect of breastfeeding vs no breastfeeding on CD
      risk (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.28-1.10), with substantial heterogeneity (I(2) = 92%)
      among studies. CONCLUSION: There is currently no evidence to support that early
      introduction of gluten to the infant diet increases the risk of CD; however, late
      introduction of gluten may be associated with increased risk of CD. More studies
      are needed that control for potential confounders and that evaluate environmental
      factors in low-risk families.

PMID- 26500109
TI  - Differential gene expression in human, murine, and cell line-derived macrophages
      upon polarization.
AB  - The mechanisms by which macrophages control the inflammatory response, wound
      healing, biomaterial-interactions, and tissue regeneration appear to be related
      to their activation/differentiation states. Studies of macrophage behavior in
      vitro can be useful for elucidating their mechanisms of action, but it is not
      clear to what extent the source of macrophages affects their apparent behavior,
      potentially affecting interpretation of results. Although comparative studies of
      macrophage behavior with respect to cell source have been conducted, there has
      been no direct comparison of the three most commonly used cell sources: murine
      bone marrow, human monocytes from peripheral blood (PB), and the human leukemic
      monocytic cell line THP-1, across multiple macrophage phenotypes. In this study,
      we used multivariate discriminant analysis to compare the in vitro expression of
      genes commonly chosen to assess macrophage phenotype across all three sources of
      macrophages, as well as those derived from induced pluripotent stem cells
      (iPSCs), that were polarized towards four distinct phenotypes using the same
      differentiation protocols: M(LPS,IFN) (aka M1), M(IL4,IL13) (aka M2a), M(IL10)
      (aka M2c), and M(-) (aka M0) used as control. Several differences in gene
      expression trends were found among the sources of macrophages, especially between
      murine bone marrow-derived and human blood-derived M(LPS,IFN) and M(IL4,IL13)
      macrophages with respect to commonly used phenotype markers like CCR7 and genes
      associated with angiogenesis and tissue regeneration like FGF2 and MMP9. We found
      that the genes with the most similar patterns of expression among all sources
      were CXCL-10 and CXCL-11 for M(LPS,IFN) and CCL17 and CCL22 for M(IL4,IL13).
      Human PB-derived macrophages and human iPSC-derived macrophages showed similar
      gene expression patterns among the groups and genes studied here, suggesting that
      iPSC-derived monocytes have the potential to be used as a reliable cell source of
      human macrophages for in vitro studies. These findings could help select
      appropriate markers when testing macrophage behavior in vitro and highlight those
      markers that may confuse interpretation of results from experiments employing
      macrophages from different sources.

PMID- 26500110
TI  - Aberrant miR-21 and miR-200b expression and its pro-fibrotic potential in
      hypertrophic scars.
AB  - The post-traumatic hypertrophic scar (HS) is a fibrotic disease with excessive
      extracellular matrix (ECM) production by fibroblasts in response to tissue
      injury. Although dysregulation of miRNAs is known to be involved in a variety of
      pathophysiologic processes, the role of miRNA in hypertrophic scar formation is
      unclear. Abnormal expression of miRNA in fibrosis has been investigated in
      several studies. The transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) promotes
      fibroblasts proliferation, the synthesis of collagen and other extracellular
      matrix, and ultimately leads to the formation of the HS by inducing excessive
      deposition of ECM. We identified two miRNAs whose expression was correlated with
      fibrotic diseases: miR-21 and miR-200b. This study further confirmed that after
      stimulation with TGF-beta1, the expression of miR-21 was increased, whereas the
      mRNA level of SMAD7 was decreased in fibroblasts. TGF-beta1 reduced the
      expression of miR-200b, while it augmented that of Zinc finger E-box-binding
      homeobox 1(Zeb1). Our experiments demonstrated that the expression of miR-21 and
      miR-200b are related to a disorder, and the TGF-beta/miR-21/Smad7 and TGF
      beta/miR200b/Zeb1 pathways might participate in the pathogenesis of HS. Thus, a
      novel, beyond the traditional methods, approach for HS treatment via miRNA
      therapeutics could have been provided. 

PMID- 26500111
TI  - Visualizing cell-cycle kinetics after hypoxia/reoxygenation in HeLa cells
      expressing fluorescent ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicator (Fucci).
AB  - Hypoxia induces G1 arrest in many cancer cell types. Tumor cells are often
      exposed to hypoxia/reoxygenation, especially under acute hypoxic conditions in
      vivo. In this study, we investigated cell-cycle kinetics and clonogenic survival
      after hypoxia/reoxygenation in HeLa cells expressing fluorescent ubiquitination
      based cell cycle indicator (Fucci). Hypoxic treatment halted cell-cycle
      progression during mid-S to G2 phase, as determined by the cell cycle-regulated
      E3 ligase activities of SCF(Skp2) and APC/C(Cdh1), which are regulators of the
      Fucci probes; however, the DNA content of the arrested cells was equivalent to
      that in G1 phase. After reoxygenation, time-lapse imaging and DNA content
      analysis revealed that all cells reached G2 phase, and that Fucci fluorescence
      was distinctly separated into two fractions 24h after reoxygenation: red cells
      that released from G2 arrest after repairing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs)
      exhibited higher clonogenic survival, whereas most cells that stayed green
      contained many DSBs and exhibited lower survival. We conclude that hypoxia
      disrupts coordination of DNA synthesis and E3 ligase activities associated with
      cell-cycle progression, and that DSB repair could greatly influence cell-cycle
      kinetics and clonogenic survival after hypoxia/reoxygenation. 

PMID- 26500112
TI  - A structural insight into the inhibitory mechanism of an orally active PI3K/mTOR
      dual inhibitor, PKI-179 using computational approaches.
AB  - The PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway has been identified as an important target
      for cancer therapy. Attempts are increasingly made to design the inhibitors
      against the key proteins of this pathway for anti-cancer therapy. The PI3K/mTOR
      dual inhibitors have proved more effective than the inhibitors against only
      single protein targets. Recently discovered PKI-179, an orally effective
      compound, is one such dual inhibitor targeting both PI3K and mTOR. This anti
      cancer compound is efficacious both in vitro and in vivo. However, the binding
      mechanisms and the molecular interactions of PKI-179 with PI3K and mTOR are not
      yet available. The current study investigated the exact binding mode and the
      molecular interactions of PKI-179 with PI3Kgamma and mTOR using molecular docking
      and (un)binding simulation analyses. The study identified PKI-179 interacting
      residues of both the proteins and their importance in binding was ranked by the
      loss in accessible surface area, number of molecular interactions of the residue,
      and consistent appearance of the residue in (un)binding simulation analysis. The
      key residues involved in binding of PKI-179 were Ala-805 in PI3Kgamma and Ile
      2163 in mTOR as they have lost maximum accessible surface area due to binding. In
      addition, the residues which played a role in binding of the drug but were away
      from the catalytic site were also identified using (un)binding simulation
      analyses. Finally, comparison of the interacting residues in the respective
      catalytic sites was done for the difference in the binding of the drug to the two
      proteins. Thus, the pairs of the residues falling at the similar location with
      respect to the docked drug were identified. The striking similarity in the
      interacting residues of the catalytic site explains the concomitant inhibition of
      both proteins by a number of inhibitors. In conclusion, the docking and
      (un)binding simulation analyses of dual inhibitor PKI-179 with PI3K and mTOR will
      provide a suitable multi-target model for studying drug-protein interactions and
      thus help in designing the novel drugs with higher potency. 

PMID- 26500107
TI  - Randomized Trial of Late Surfactant Treatment in Ventilated Preterm Infants
      Receiving Inhaled Nitric Oxide.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess whether late surfactant treatment in extremely low
      gestational age (GA) newborn infants requiring ventilation at 7-14 days, who
      often have surfactant deficiency and dysfunction, safely improves survival
      without bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). STUDY DESIGN: Extremely low GA newborn
      infants (GA <=28 0/7 weeks) who required mechanical ventilation at 7-14 days were
      enrolled in a randomized, masked controlled trial at 25 US centers. All infants
      received inhaled nitric oxide and either surfactant (calfactant/Infasurf) or sham
      instillation every 1-3 days to a maximum of 5 doses while intubated. The primary
      outcome was survival at 36 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) without BPD, as
      evaluated by physiological oxygen/flow reduction. RESULTS: A total of 511 infants
      were enrolled between January 2010 and September 2013. There were no differences
      between the treated and control groups in mean birth weight (701 +/- 164 g), GA
      (25.2 +/- 1.2 weeks), percentage born at GA <26 weeks (70.6%), race, sex,
      severity of lung disease at enrollment, or comorbidities of prematurity. Survival
      without BPD did not differ between the treated and control groups at 36 weeks PMA
      (31.3% vs 31.7%; relative benefit, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.75-1.28; P = .89) or 40 weeks
      PMA (58.7% vs 54.1%; relative benefit, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.92-1.27; P = .33). There
      were no between-group differences in serious adverse events, comorbidities of
      prematurity, or severity of lung disease to 36 weeks. CONCLUSION: Late treatment
      with up to 5 doses of surfactant in ventilated premature infants receiving
      inhaled nitric oxide was well tolerated, but did not improve survival without BPD
      at 36 or 40 weeks. Pulmonary and neurodevelopmental assessments are ongoing.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01022580.

PMID- 26500113
TI  - Experimental and theoretical study of alpha-Eu2(MoO4)3 under compression.
AB  - The compression process in the alpha-phase of europium trimolybdate was revised
      employing several experimental techniques. X-ray diffraction (using synchrotron
      and laboratory radiation sources), Raman scattering and photoluminescence
      experiments were performed up to a maximum pressure of 21 GPa. In addition, the
      crystal structure and Raman mode frequencies have been studied by means of first
      principles density functional based methods. Results suggest that the compression
      process of alpha-Eu2(MoO4)3 can be described by three stages. Below 8 GPa, the
      alpha-phase suffers an isotropic contraction of the crystal structure. Between 8
      and 12 GPa, the compound undergoes an anisotropic compression due to distortion
      and rotation of the MoO4 tetrahedra. At pressures above 12 GPa, the amorphization
      process starts without any previous occurrence of a crystalline-crystalline phase
      transition in the whole range of pressure. This behavior clearly differs from the
      process of compression and amorphization in trimolybdates with [Formula: see
      text]-phase and tritungstates with alpha-phase. 

PMID- 26500115
TI  - Relamorelin to Treat Constipation: "Pusher" or Pushover?

PMID- 26500114
TI  - Acculturative Dissonance and Risks for Proactive and Reactive Aggression Among
      Latino/a Adolescents: Implications for Culturally Relevant Prevention and
      Interventions.
AB  - There is a dearth of studies concerning the functions of aggression among
      Latino/a youth despite the fact they are one of the fastest growing youth
      populations in the United States. We examined individual, peer, cultural, and
      community level indicators of reactive and proactive aggression and determined
      whether these relationships were moderated by acculturative dissonance (e.g.,
      culturally specific family conflicts arising from the acculturation process)
      among a sample of Latino/a adolescents who were predominantly of Mexican
      heritage. Consistent with prior evidence, results revealed that peer delinquency
      was uniquely associated with proactive aggression, whereas impulsivity was
      uniquely associated with reactive aggression. Further, acculturative dissonance
      was uniquely associated with proactive but not reactive aggression. No moderating
      effects for acculturative dissonance were found, indicating that the significant
      risk factors in our study were associated with proactive and reactive aggression
      regardless of the level of acculturative dissonance experienced. Notably,
      acculturative dissonance was a unique risk factor for proactive aggression and
      thus may be an important target for prevention and interventions among Latino/a
      youth. Consequently, interventions designed to prevent culturally specific family
      conflicts and promote family functioning may be particularly useful in mitigating
      the risk of aggression intended to achieve social and material awards among in
      this population. 

PMID- 26500116
TI  - Glucagon Is a Safe and Inexpensive Initial Strategy in Esophageal Food Bolus
      Impaction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Controversy exists about the utility of pharmacologic agents and
      endoscopic technique used for esophageal food bolus impaction. AIM: To evaluate
      the utility of glucagon and the technique used for endoscopic removal, including
      the rate of success and the adverse events of the techniques. METHODS: The
      database of the largest healthcare provider in southeastern Wisconsin was
      retrospectively reviewed for patients presenting with esophageal food bolus
      impaction. Data extracted included glucagon administration and its success rate,
      outcome of radiographic studies, and the endoscopic method of removal and adverse
      events associated with it, including 30-day mortality. RESULTS: A total of 750
      patients were identified with food bolus impaction from 2007 to 2012. Glucagon
      was administered in 440 patients and was successful in 174 (39.5%). Endoscopic
      removal was performed in 470 patients and was successful in 469 (99.8%). The push
      technique was utilized in 209 patients, reduction in the bolus size by piecemeal
      removal followed by the push technique was utilized in 97 patients, and the pull
      technique was utilized in 107 patients. There were no perforations with
      endoscopic removal. Only 4.5% of the X-rays performed reported a possible foreign
      body within the esophagus. Glucagon was a significantly less-expensive strategy
      than endoscopic therapy (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Glucagon is low cost, is
      moderately effective, and may be considered as an initial strategy. Endoscopic
      removal regardless of technique is safe and effective. The yield of radiography
      is poor in the setting of food bolus impaction.

PMID- 26500117
TI  - Akt2-Dependent Phosphorylation of Radixin in Regulation of Mrp-2 Trafficking in
      WIF-B Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The dominant ezrin/radixin/moesin protein in hepatocytes is radixin,
      which plays an important role in mediating the binding of F-actin to the plasma
      membrane after a conformational activation by phosphorylation at Thr564. AIM:
      Here we have investigated the importance of Akt-mediated radixin Thr564
      phosphorylation on Mrp-2 distribution and function in WIF-B cells. Mrp-2 is an
      adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette transporter that plays an important
      role in detoxification and chemoprotection by transporting a wide range of
      compounds, especially conjugates of lipophilic substances with glutathione,
      organic anions, and drug metabolites such as glucuronides. METHODS: Akt1 and Akt2
      expression were manipulated using dominant active and negative constructs as well
      as Akt1 and Akt2 siRNA. Cellular distribution of radixin and Mrp-2 was visualized
      by fluorescence microscopy. A 5-chloromethylfluorescein diacetate, which is a
      substrate of the Mrp-2 and is actively transported in canalicular lumina, was
      used to measure Mrp-2 function. RESULTS: Radixin phosphorylation was
      significantly increased in wild-type and dominant active Akt2 transfected cells.
      Furthermore, radixin and Mrp-2 were localized at the canalicular membrane,
      similar to control cells. In contrast, overexpression of dominant negative Akt2,
      siRNA knockdown of Akt2 and a specific Akt inhibitor prevented radixin
      phosphorylation and led to alteration of normal radixin and Mrp-2 localization;
      inhibition of Akt2, but not Akt1 function led to radixin localization to the
      cytoplasmic space. In addition, dominant negative and Akt2 knockdown led to a
      dramatically impaired hepatocyte secretory response, while wild-type and dominant
      active Akt2 transfected cells exhibited increased 5-chloromethylfluorescein
      diacetate excretion. In contrast to Akt2, Akt1 was not associated with radixin
      phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS: These studies, therefore, identify Akt2 as a
      critical kinase that regulates radixin phosphorylation and leads to Mrp-2
      translocation and function.

PMID- 26500118
TI  - PKM2 Promotes Cell Survival and Invasion Under Metabolic Stress by Enhancing
      Warburg Effect in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pyruvate kinase isoenzyme M2 (PKM2) is an essential enzyme involved
      in the regulation of aerobic glycolysis in cancer cells and promotes the
      translation between glycolytic flux and biosynthesis of cellular building blocks.
      AIM: Our present study aims to explore the expression pattern and underlying
      cellular functions of PKM2 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) under
      metabolic stress. METHODS: Oncomine database and a tissue microarray (n = 90)
      were used to investigate the expression pattern of PKM2 and its
      clinicopathological findings. In vitro proliferation, apoptosis and invasion
      assays were used to determine the role and related mechanism of PKM2 in PDAC.
      RESULTS: Data from Oncomine database and our tissue microarray show that PKM2 is
      significantly elevated in PDAC specimens compared with the corresponding normal
      tissues. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis shows that higher expression of PKM2 is
      closely correlated with a poor prognosis of patients with PDAC. Under metabolic
      stress, suppression of PKM2 expression in PANC-1 and AsPC-1 cells results in
      decreased cell survival, increased caspase-3/7 activity, and reduced invasive
      potential, and these effects can be reversed by reintroduction of PKM2.
      Furthermore, sh-PKM2 cells show a significant decreased Warburg effect compared
      with sh-Ctrl cells as demonstrated by reduced glucose consumption and lactate
      production. Treatment with 2-deoxy-D-glucose, a glycolysis inhibitor, completely
      blocks the influences of PKM2 on cell survival and invasion. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      study reveals that silencing of PKM2 exhibits a tumor-suppressive role through
      altered Warburg effect and suggests that targeting PKM2 might serve as a
      potential therapeutic target for PDAC.

PMID- 26500121
TI  - Morphine modulates the effects of histamine H1 and H3 receptors on seizure
      susceptibility in pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure model of mice.
AB  - Histamine regulates release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin,
      gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate and also is involved in several
      functions in central nervous system (CNS). It has been shown that histamine
      participates in disorders like seizure. It has been well documented that morphine
      dose-dependently induces anti or proconvulsant effects. In the current study, we
      firstly showed that morphine (1mg/kg) exerts anticonvulsant effects which
      significantly reversed by naltrexone administration. Secondly, we determined
      seizure threshold for H1 and H3 receptors agonists and antagonists in mouse model
      of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced clonic seizures. Our results showed that
      activation of H1 receptors by 2-(2-Pyridyl)-ethylamine exerts anticonvulsant
      properties while inhibition of H1 receptors by pyrilamine maleate induced
      proconvulsant effects. Furthermore, we showed that immepip dihydrobromide, a H3
      receptor agonist, increased seizure susceptibility to PTZ whereas thioperamide, a
      H3 receptor antagonist increased seizure threshold. We also revealed that
      pretreatment with morphine potently reversed the effects of histaminergic system
      on seizure threshold suggesting the involvement of opioid system in alteration of
      seizure threshold by histaminergic drugs. 

PMID- 26500122
TI  - Nursing staff shortfalls make special measures more likely.

PMID- 26500123
TI  - Boosting immunity: new vaccines for children.

PMID- 26500124
TI  - Seizures: awareness and observation in the ward environment.
AB  - The preconceived 'foaming' and 'violent' seizure stereotypes are
      misrepresentations, particularly by non-specialist health professionals. Thus the
      vast semiology (signs and symptoms) of seizures and their subtle signs too easily
      go unrecognised by the untrained eye. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of
      adult patients admitted to the ward for treatment of their current illness will
      have a pre-existing seizure disorder (epilepsy). Furthermore, such hospitalised
      patients are more likely to suffer a seizure within the ward environment as
      triggering factors are unavoidably present. Thus, it is essential that nurses are
      prepared to encounter seizures, irrespective of the reason for admission. This
      article discusses the clinical semiology of the various seizure types in
      association with the underpinning neuropathophysiology, as well as the potential
      seizure triggers. It thereby enhances nurses' awareness and observations of
      seizure activity in patients in the ward environment. 

PMID- 26500125
TI  - Nurses' perceptions of self-management in renal care.
AB  - Self-management is vital for patients with long-term conditions in order to
      ensure wellbeing. It needs to be supported by a healthcare workforce who are
      knowledgeable and able to work in collaboration with individuals. In this study,
      ten nurses were selected by means of exclusion/inclusion criteria and then
      interviewed with a semi-structured approach. Following analysis of the data with
      an open, axial and selective coding process, clear themes emerged: expectation of
      roles, lack of confidence and concerns with risk-taking. There were a number of
      concerns around engaging with self-management for this group of nurses, including
      a lack of knowledge and skills to assess the suitability of patients for self
      management and subsequently to offer support, and concerns that self-management
      would be too unsafe in a renal setting. This study suggests that nurses would
      need education in strategies to support and implement self-management. Further
      studies should be undertaken to explore this possibility with renal patients
      admitted to the ward. 

PMID- 26500126
TI  - Comparing palliative care provision in India and the UK.
AB  - The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow is committed to developing
      culturally competent, sensitive services to meet the needs of local ethnic
      minority communities. The clinical nurse specialist for widening access travelled
      to India, funded by a travel scholarship from the Florence Nightingale
      Foundation. The main rationale for this visit was to observe and compare
      palliative care practice in India in community, hospice and hospital settings
      with the current service provision by the hospice/hospital palliative care teams
      in Glasgow. A second focus was to study the cultural differences and potential
      challenges of providing palliative care to a diverse Indian population from multi
      faith communities and different socio-economic classes. Throughout the visit the
      barriers to accessing palliative care services in India were observed as well as
      cultural norms that might impact on clinical practice in the UK. 

PMID- 26500127
TI  - Taking care of our children and young people.
AB  - John Tingle discusses two reports looking at the health, care and wellbeing of
      children. 

PMID- 26500128
TI  - Will the UK Supreme Court allow assisted dying?
AB  - MPs overwhelmingly voted against passing the Assisted Dying Bill into law in
      September 2015. The Bill was defeated by a majority of 212, despite the heartfelt
      pleas of many MPs to pass it into law. The size of the defeat means that it is
      unlikely that Parliament will consider a similar law for many years. Yet many
      considered the Bill their last opportunity to make assisted dying lawful. There
      is, however, one further possible way assisted dying could become lawful in the
      UK--and that would be where the Supreme Court allowed it. In this article, the
      author reviews the Supreme Court's decision in R (on the application of
      Nicklinson v Ministry of Justice [2014] and considers how likely it is that the
      Supreme Court will now sanction assisted dying following Parliament's refusal to
      enact an assisted dying law.

PMID- 26500129
TI  - Is the nursing profession ready for revalidation?
AB  - Emeritus professor Alan Glasper, from the University of Southampton, discusses
      progress made by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) on plans to introduce
      revalidation for nurses in 2016. 

PMID- 26500130
TI  - To whistleblow, or not--and dealing with the repercussions.
AB  - In this month's column, Aysha Mendes discusses the moral distress a nurse may
      experience when witnessing care that he or she feels is not up to standard-and
      being faced with the decision about whether or not to blow the whistle, as well
      as what the consequences could be. 

PMID- 26500131
TI  - Preparing students to deliver integrated care.

PMID- 26500132
TI  - Writing for publication: from staff nurse to nurse consultant.

PMID- 26500133
TI  - Bridging the generation gap to aid recruitment and retention.

PMID- 26500134
TI  - Is There Still a Role for Low-Dose All-Transretinoic Acid in the Treatment of
      Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia in the Arsenic Trioxide Era?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low-dose all-transretinoic acid (LD-ATRA) has shown similar peak
      plasma concentrations and a mean area under the concentration time curve in
      comparison with standard doses of ATRA. We evaluated the efficacy of LD-ATRA plus
      anthracycline-based chemotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed acute
      promyelocytic leukemia (APL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients diagnosed with APL
      during the period of 2002 to 2014 were included. They received ATRA 25 mg/m(2)
      plus anthracycline (doxorubicin or mitoxantrone) as induction chemotherapy,
      followed by 3 consolidations with LD-ATRA and anthracycline and maintenance
      therapy with intermittent LD-ATRA and oral chemotherapy for 2 years. RESULTS:
      Twenty-two patients with a median age of 28 years (range, 18-55 years) were
      included; 17 (77%) were in the low-risk group. Complete remission occurred in
      86%, and the early death rate was 9%. At a median follow-up of 32 months (range,
      4-126 months) disease-free survival (DFS) was 75% and overall survival (OS) was
      86%, with a relapse rate of 27% for the entire follow-up period. CONCLUSION: LD
      ATRA plus anthracycline is safe and effective in achieving CR of APL. The early
      death rate is similar to that of treatment with standard doses, but it appears to
      be inferior in preventing relapses.

PMID- 26500135
TI  - Prognostic Factors, Response to Treatment, and Survival in Patients With Chronic
      Myeloid Leukemia in Blast Phase: A Single-Institution Survey.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Data from 51 patients (23 women) with chronic myeloid leukemia
      (CML) in blast phase (BP) were analyzed in order to identify prognostic factors
      for complete hematologic response (CHR) and survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty
      four patients experienced disease progression from chronic or accelerated phase,
      and 7 cases presented as CML-BP. Thirteen patients (25.5%) had extramedullary
      involvement at diagnosis, and 71% were myeloid BP. Clonal evolution was
      identified in 53% of the cases, and the abnormalities most frequently observed
      were isochromosome (17q), double Philadelphia chromosome, and trisomy 8. Forty
      five patients received treatment: 60% chemotherapy (CT) alone and 40% CT plus
      tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) or TKI alone; 42% of them experienced CHR.
      RESULTS: Median overall survival (OS) in patients whose disease responded to
      treatment was 7 months (95% confidence interval, 1.7-6.2 months), with a median
      disease-free survival of 5 months (95% confidence interval, 2.8-5.8 months). One
      out of 3 patients who underwent hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation remains
      alive. Multivariate analysis revealed that lymphoid BP and TKI therapy had a
      statistically significant positive impact as prognostic factors for CHR. In the
      multivariate analysis, age > 60 years, hemoglobin < 10 g/dL, and complex
      karyotype were statistically significant negative prognostic factors for OS.
      There was no statistical significant difference in OS between patients who
      received only CT (1988-2002) with those treated with CT plus TKI (2003-2013).
      CONCLUSION: This is the first study in Mexico to report prognostic factors
      associated with CHR and OS in patients with CML-BP.

PMID- 26500136
TI  - A comparison of open and endovascular treatment strategies for the management of
      splenic artery aneurysms.
AB  - Splenic artery aneurysms are rare with an incidence of less than 0.8%. Evidence
      to support an endovascular management strategy over open surgical repair for SAA
      is limited. We used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample to compare open to
      endovascular SAA repair by assessing postoperative outcomes, length of hospital
      stay, and mortality. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to
      determine predictors of postoperative complications. There were 2316 admissions
      with a diagnosis code for SAA [347 (14.9%) endovascular repair and 112 (4.8%)
      open surgery]. There was a statistically significant lower rate of cardiac (2.3%
      vs 6.9%, P = 0.05) and pulmonary (8.9% vs 16.1%, P = 0.05) complications for the
      endovascular repair group. The risk of surgical site infection was also lower
      (0.6% vs 5.1%, P = 0.01) in the endovascular group. Median in-hospital LOS was
      greater for open repairs (6 vs. 4 days, P = 0.01). There were no statistically
      significant differences across procedures for renal complications (8.9%, P =
      0.88) or in-hospital mortality (3%, P = 0.99). Regression analysis established
      procedure type to be independent predictor of postoperative complications.
      Endovascular repair of SAA is therefore associated with a lower complication rate
      and less resource utilization but no difference in mortality peri-operatively.
      This may justify an endovascular first treatment strategy in the management of
      SAA. 

PMID- 26500137
TI  - Surface soil phytoliths as vegetation and altitude indicators: a study from the
      southern Himalaya.
AB  - Phytoliths represent one of the few available altitudinal vegetation proxies for
      mountain ecosystems. This study analyzed 41 topsoil phytolith samples collected
      from five altitudinal zones in the southern Himalaya as far as, and beyond, the
      timberline, from tropical forest (up to 1,000 m a.s.l.) to subtropical forest
      (1,000-2,000 m a.s.l.), to temperate forest (2,000-3,000 m a.s.l.), to subalpine
      forest (3,000-4,100 m a.s.l.) and finally to alpine scrub (4,100-5,200 m a.s.l.).
      The statistical results show a good correlation between phytolith assemblages and
      these five altitudinal vegetation zones: the five phytolith assemblages
      identified effectively differentiated these five altitudinal vegetation zones. In
      particular, coniferous phytoliths accurately indicated the timberline.
      Additionally, we tested the phytolith index Ic (a proxy for estimating the
      percentage of Pooideae vis-a-vis the total grass content) as a quantifier of
      phytolith variety versus altitude. Ic increased along altitude, as expected. An
      investigation of phytoliths provided an initial basis for the analysis of the
      composition of gramineous vegetation. Furthermore, redundancy analysis and
      discriminant analysis also suggested a significant correlation between phytolith
      assemblages and altitude. Our research therefore provides an up-to-date analogue
      for the reconstruction of changes to palaeovegetation and palaeoaltitude in
      mountainous areas.

PMID- 26500138
TI  - Thrombocytopenia in MDS: epidemiology, mechanisms, clinical consequences and
      novel therapeutic strategies.
AB  - Thrombocytopenia is commonly seen in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients, and
      bleeding complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality.
      Thrombocytopenia is an independent factor for decreased survival and has been
      incorporated in newer prognostic scoring systems. The mechanisms of
      thrombocytopenia are multifactorial and involve a differentiation block of
      megakaryocytic progenitor cells, leading to dysplastic, hypolobated and
      microscopic appearing megakaryocytes or increased apoptosis of megakaryocytes and
      their precursors. Dysregulated thrombopoietin (TPO) signaling and increased
      platelet destruction through immune or nonimmune mechanisms are frequently
      observed in MDS. The clinical management of patients with low platelet counts
      remains challenging and approved chemotherapeutic agents such as lenalidomide and
      azacytidine can also lead to a transient worsening of thrombocytopenia. Platelet
      transfusion is the only supportive treatment option currently available for
      clinically significant thrombocytopenia. The TPO receptor agonists romiplostim
      and eltrombopag have shown clinical activity in clinical trials in MDS. In
      addition to thrombopoietic effects, eltrombopag can inhibit leukemic cell
      proliferation via TPO receptor-independent effects. Other approaches such as
      treatment with cytokines, immunomodulating drugs and signal transduction
      inhibitors have shown limited activity in selected groups of MDS patients.
      Combination trials of approved agents with TPO agonists are ongoing and hold
      promise for this important clinical problem. 

PMID- 26500139
TI  - Lenalidomide with or without erythropoietin in transfusion-dependent
      erythropoiesis-stimulating agent-refractory lower-risk MDS without 5q deletion.
AB  - After failure of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), lenalidomide (LEN)
      yields red blood cell (RBC) transfusion independence (TI) in 20-30% of lower-risk
      non-del5q myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Several observations suggest an
      additive effect of ESA and LEN in this situation. We performed a randomized phase
      III study in 131 RBC transfusion-dependent (TD, median transfusion requirement
      six RBC units per 8 weeks) lower-risk ESA-refractory non-del5q MDS. Patients
      received LEN alone, 10 mg per day, 21 days per 4 weeks (L arm) or LEN (same
      schedule) + erythropoietin (EPO) beta, 60,000 U per week (LE arm). In an intent
      to-treat (ITT) analysis, erythroid response (HI-E, IWG 2006 criteria) after four
      treatment cycles (primary end point) was 23.1% (95% CI 13.5-35.2) in the L arm
      and 39.4% (95% CI 27.6-52.2) in the LE arm (P=0.044), while RBC-TI was reached in
      13.8 and 24.2% of the patients in the L and LE arms, respectively (P=0.13).
      Median response duration was 18.1 and 15.1 months in the L and LE arms,
      respectively (P=0.47). Side effects were moderate and similar in the two arms.
      Low baseline serum EPO level and a G polymorphism of CRBN gene predicted HI-E.
      Combining LEN and EPO significantly improves erythroid response over LEN alone in
      lower-risk non-del5q MDS patients with anemia resistant to ESA. 

PMID- 26500141
TI  - A novel Lin-CD34+CD38- integrin alpha2- bipotential megakaryocyte-erythrocyte
      progenitor population in the human bone marrow.

PMID- 26500140
TI  - FOXP1 suppresses immune response signatures and MHC class II expression in
      activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphomas.
AB  - The FOXP1 (forkhead box P1) transcription factor is a marker of poor prognosis in
      diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Here microarray analysis of FOXP1-silenced
      DLBCL cell lines identified differential regulation of immune response signatures
      and major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) genes as some of the most
      significant differences between germinal center B-cell (GCB)-like DLBCL with full
      length FOXP1 protein expression versus activated B-cell (ABC)-like DLBCL
      expressing predominantly short FOXP1 isoforms. In an independent primary DLBCL
      microarray data set, multiple MHC II genes, including human leukocyte antigen DR
      alpha chain (HLA-DRA), were inversely correlated with FOXP1 transcript expression
      (P<0.05). FOXP1 knockdown in ABC-DLBCL cells led to increased cell-surface
      expression of HLA-DRA and CD74. In R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide,
      doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone)-treated DLBCL patients (n=150), reduced
      HLA-DRA (<90% frequency) expression correlated with inferior overall survival
      (P=0.0003) and progression-free survival (P=0.0012) and with non-GCB subtype
      stratified by the Hans, Choi or Visco-Young algorithms (all P<0.01). In non-GCB
      DLBCL cases with <90% HLA-DRA, there was an inverse correlation with the
      frequency (P=0.0456) and intensity (P=0.0349) of FOXP1 expression. We propose
      that FOXP1 represents a novel regulator of genes targeted by the class II MHC
      transactivator CIITA (MHC II and CD74) and therapeutically targeting the FOXP1
      pathway may improve antigen presentation and immune surveillance in high-risk
      DLBCL patients. 

PMID- 26500143
TI  - Long-term complete clinical and hematological responses of the TEMPI syndrome
      after autologous stem cell transplantation.

PMID- 26500144
TI  - Kaposi varicelliform eruption in patients with autoimmune bullous dermatoses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Viral superinfection of skin affected by preceding dermatosis has
      been studied extensively in eczema and reported anecdotally in pemphigus. Little
      is known about its involvement and complications in patients with other
      immunobullous diseases. METHODS: To investigate clinical features and
      complications of viral superinfection in patients with immunobullous diseases, we
      performed a retrospective chart review. RESULTS: We identified 12 patients with
      immunobullous diseases (linear immunoglobulin A bullous dermatosis, n = 2;
      pemphigoid, n = 3; pemphigus, n = 7) and superinfection by herpes simplex virus 1
      (n = 9) or 2 (n = 3). Complications included inpatient hospitalization for
      intensive management of skin lesions during viral flare (n = 6), herpes keratitis
      (n = 1), and death due to sepsis (n = 1). Five patients previously had a skin
      swab negative for herpes simplex virus polymerase chain reaction before a
      positive test. Nine patients were taking systemic corticosteroids or
      corticosteroid-sparing agents at herpetic infection; two with linear
      immunoglobulin A bullous dermatosis and one with a new diagnosis of pemphigus
      vulgaris had not. CONCLUSIONS: Viral superinfection is a potentially serious
      complication in patients with immunobullous diseases. Clinicians should have a
      high index of suspicion for this phenomenon, even when patients are not otherwise
      immunosuppressed or when previous viral skin assays have been negative.

PMID- 26500142
TI  - Reprogramming human B cells into induced pluripotent stem cells and its
      enhancement by C/EBPalpha.
AB  - B cells have been shown to be refractory to reprogramming and B-cell-derived
      induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) have only been generated from murine B
      cells engineered to carry doxycycline-inducible Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and Myc (OSKM)
      cassette in every tissue and from EBV/SV40LT-immortalized lymphoblastoid cell
      lines. Here, we show for the first time that freshly isolated non-cultured human
      cord blood (CB)- and peripheral blood (PB)-derived CD19+CD20+ B cells can be
      reprogrammed to iPSCs carrying complete VDJH immunoglobulin (Ig) gene monoclonal
      rearrangements using non-integrative tetracistronic, but not monocistronic, OSKM
      expressing Sendai Virus. Co-expression of C/EBPalpha with OSKM facilitates iPSC
      generation from both CB- and PB-derived B cells. We also demonstrate that myeloid
      cells are much easier to reprogram than B and T lymphocytes. Differentiation
      potential back into the cell type of their origin of B-cell-, T-cell-, myeloid-
      and fibroblast-iPSCs is not skewed, suggesting that their differentiation does
      not seem influenced by 'epigenetic memory'. Our data reflect the actual cell
      autonomous reprogramming capacity of human primary B cells because biased
      reprogramming was avoided by using freshly isolated primary cells, not exposed to
      cytokine cocktails favoring proliferation, differentiation or survival. The
      ability to reprogram CB/PB-derived primary human B cells offers an unprecedented
      opportunity for studying developmental B lymphopoiesis and modeling B-cell
      malignancies. 

PMID- 26500145
TI  - Development of an aptasensor for electrochemical detection of exosomes.
AB  - Exosomes are small (50-100 nm in diameter) vesicles secreted from various
      mammalian cells. Exosomes have been correlated with tumor antigens and anti-tumor
      immune responses and may represent cancer biomarkers. Herein, we report on the
      development of an aptamer-based electrochemical biosensor for quantitative
      detection of exosomes. Aptamers specific to exosome transmembrane protein CD63
      were immobilized onto gold electrode surfaces and incorporated into a
      microfluidic system. Probing strands pre-labeled with redox moieties were
      hybridized onto aptamer molecules anchored on the electrode surface. In the
      presence of exosomes these beacons released probing strands with redox reporters
      causing electrochemical signal to decrease. These biosensors could be used to
      detect as few as 1*10(6) particles/mL of exosomes, which represents 100-fold
      decrease in the limit of detection compared to commercial immunoassays relying on
      anti-CD63 antibodies. Given the importance of exosome-mediated signal
      transmission among cells, our study may represent an important step towards
      development of a simple biosensor that detects exosomes without washing or
      labeling steps in complex media.

PMID- 26500146
TI  - Microdialysis measurements of equine lamellar perfusion and energy metabolism in
      response to physical and pharmacological manipulations of blood flow.
AB  - REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: A suitable method for evaluating lamellar perfusion
      changes and their metabolic consequences is currently lacking. OBJECTIVES: To
      examine perfusion changes in lamellar tissue using serial microdialysis
      measurements of urea clearance and energy metabolites. STUDY DESIGN: Randomised,
      controlled (within subject) experimental trial. METHODS: Nine Standardbred horses
      were instrumented with microdialysis probes in the foot lamellar tissue and skin
      (over the tail base). Urea (20 mmol/l) was added to the perfusate and its
      clearance was used to estimate local perfusion. Samples were collected every 15
      min for a 1 h control period, then during application of a distal limb
      tourniquet, during periods when norepinephrine or potassium chloride (KCl) were
      included in both skin and lamellar perfusates, and after systemic (intravenous)
      acetylpromazine. Dialysate concentrations of glucose, lactate, pyruvate and urea
      were measured and lactate:glucose (L:G) and lactate:pyruvate (L:P) ratios
      calculated. Values were compared with pre-intervention baseline and also between
      simultaneous skin and lamellar samples using nonparametric statistical methods.
      RESULTS: Lamellar glucose decreased and lactate, urea, L:G and L:P increased
      significantly with tourniquet application, without significant changes in skin
      dialysate values. Lamellar and skin glucose decreased and L:G increased
      significantly during norepinephrine infusion, but mild increases in urea were not
      significant at either site. KCl caused significant decreases in lamellar and skin
      L:G, and an increase in skin glucose, but did not affect urea clearance.
      Acetylpromazine caused profound decreases in lamellar glucose and L:P, with
      increased L:G and pyruvate, but did not affect urea clearance or any skin
      dialysate values. CONCLUSIONS: Significant changes in microdialysis urea
      clearance only occurred with severe lamellar hypoperfusion. However, changes in
      dialysate metabolite concentrations reflected less profound fluctuations in
      perfusion. This method may be useful for examining lamellar perfusion and energy
      balance during laminitis development and for the evaluation of vasoactive
      therapeutics.

PMID- 26500147
TI  - Simultaneous determination of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene
      metabolites in human urine using electromembrane extraction combined with liquid
      chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - For the first time, electromembrane extraction combined with liquid
      chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry was applied for the determination of
      urinary benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene metabolites. S
      Phenylmercapturic acid, hippuric acid, phenylglyoxylic acid, and methylhippuric
      acid isomers were extracted from human urine through a supported liquid membrane
      consisting of 1-octanol into an alkaline acceptor solution filling the inside of
      a hollow fiber by application of an electric field. Various extraction factors
      were investigated and optimized using response surface methodology, the
      statistical method. The optimum conditions were established to be 300 V applied
      voltage, 15 min extraction time, 1500 rpm stirring speed, and 5 mM ammonium
      acetate (pH 10.2) acceptor solution. The method was validated with respect to
      selectivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection, limit of
      quantification, recovery, and reproducibility. The results showed good linearity
      (r(2) > 0.995), precision, and accuracy. The extract recoveries were 52.8-79.0%.
      Finally, we applied this method to real samples and successfully measured
      benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene metabolites. 

PMID- 26500148
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26500150
TI  - Active-Metal Template Synthesis of a Halogen-Bonding Rotaxane for Anion
      Recognition.
AB  - The synthesis of an all-halogen-bonding rotaxane for anion recognition is
      achieved by using active-metal templation. A flexible bis-iodotriazole-containing
      macrocycle is exploited for the metal-directed rotaxane synthesis. Endotopic
      binding of a Cu(I) template facilitates an active-metal CuAAC iodotriazole axle
      formation reaction that captures the interlocked rotaxane product. Following
      copper-template removal, exotopic coordination of a more sterically demanding
      rhenium(I) complex induces an inversion in the conformation of the macrocycle
      component, directing the iodotriazole halogen-bond donors into the rotaxane's
      interlocked binding cavity to facilitate anion recognition. 

PMID- 26500149
TI  - Modulation of vincristine and doxorubicin binding and release from silk films.
AB  - Sustained release drug delivery systems remain a major clinical need for small
      molecule therapeutics in oncology. Here, mechanisms of small molecule
      interactions with silk protein films were studied with cationic oncology drugs,
      vincristine and doxorubicin, with a focus on hydrophobicity (non-ionic
      surfactant) and charge (pH and ionic strength). Interactions were primarily
      driven by charge interactions between the positively charged drugs and the
      negatively charged groups within the silk films. Exploiting chemical
      modifications of silk further modulated the drug interactions in a controlled
      fashion. Increasing anionic side groups via carboxylate- and sulfonate
      modifications of tyrosine side chains in the silk protein using diazonium
      coupling chemistry, increased drug binding and altered drug release. The effects
      of silk film protein crystallinity, beta sheet content, on drug binding and
      release were also explored. Lower crystallinity supported more rapid drug binding
      when compared to higher crystalline silk films. The drug release kinetics were
      governed by the protonation state of vincristine and doxorubicin and were tunable
      based on silk crystallinity and chemistry. These studies depict an approach to
      characterize small molecule-silk protein interactions and methods to tune drug
      binding and release kinetics from this protein delivery matrix. 

PMID- 26500151
TI  - The Meaning of 'choice and control' for People with Intellectual Disabilities who
      are Planning their Social Care and Support.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This paper questions consumerist assumptions in current English
      social care policy and aims to look behind the processes of personalization to
      interrogate what 'choice and control' means in the lives of a diverse group of
      people with intellectual disabilities. METHODS: Data were from multiple
      interviews and direct practice recordings with nine people using personal budgets
      and were analysed using an interpretative approach. RESULTS: Identity, other
      people and personal budget processes were all important for choice and control.
      People needed to build confidence in themselves as decision-makers, both through
      peer support and through joint decisions with trusted others. CONCLUSIONS:
      Practitioners need to take into account the spectrum of ways in which people may
      make decisions. Action needs to be taken both at the micro level of support
      interactions and at the macro level, with a clearer articulation of independent
      living in policy and strategy for people with intellectual disabilities.

PMID- 26500152
TI  - funtooNorm: an R package for normalization of DNA methylation data when there are
      multiple cell or tissue types.
AB  - MOTIVATION: DNA methylation patterns are well known to vary substantially across
      cell types or tissues. Hence, existing normalization methods may not be optimal
      if they do not take this into account. We therefore present a new R package for
      normalization of data from the Illumina Infinium Human Methylation450 BeadChip
      (Illumina 450 K) built on the concepts in the recently published funNorm method,
      and introducing cell-type or tissue-type flexibility. RESULTS: funtooNorm is
      relevant for data sets containing samples from two or more cell or tissue types.
      A visual display of cross-validated errors informs the choice of the optimal
      number of components in the normalization. Benefits of cell (tissue)-specific
      normalization are demonstrated in three data sets. Improvement can be
      substantial; it is strikingly better on chromosome X, where methylation patterns
      have unique inter-tissue variability. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: An R
      package is available at https://github.com/GreenwoodLab/funtooNorm, and has been
      submitted to Bioconductor at http://bioconductor.org.

PMID- 26500153
TI  - The minimum evolution problem is hard: a link between tree inference and graph
      clustering problems.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Distance methods are well suited for constructing massive
      phylogenetic trees. However, the computational complexity for Rzhetsky and Nei's
      minimum evolution (ME) approach, one of the earliest methods for constructing a
      phylogenetic tree from a distance matrix, remains open. RESULTS: We show that
      Rzhetsky and Nei's ME problem is NP-complete, and so probably computationally
      intractable. We do this by linking the ME problem to a graph clustering problem
      called the quasi-clique decomposition problem, which has recently also been shown
      to be NP-complete. We also discuss how this link could potentially open up some
      useful new connections between phylogenetics and graph clustering.

PMID- 26500154
TI  - BGT: efficient and flexible genotype query across many samples.
AB  - BGT is a compact format, a fast command line tool and a simple web application
      for efficient and convenient query of whole-genome genotypes and frequencies
      across tens to hundreds of thousands of samples. On real data, it encodes the
      haplotypes of 32 488 samples across 39.2 million SNPs into a 7.4 GB database and
      decodes up to 420 million genotypes per CPU second. The high performance enables
      real-time responses to complex queries. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION:
      https://github.com/lh3/bgt.

PMID- 26500155
TI  - 'Start to finish trans-institutional transdisciplinary care': a novel approach
      improves colorectal surgical results in frail elderly patients.
AB  - AIM: The frail elderly surgical patient is at increased risk of morbidity after
      major surgery. A transdisciplinary Geriatric Surgery Service (GSS) has been shown
      to produce consistently positive results in our institution. A trans
      institutional transdisciplinary Start to Finish (STF) programme was initiated
      incorporating seamless prehabilitation and rehabilitation to enhance the outcome
      further. METHOD: Patients who underwent major colorectal resection in Khoo Teck
      Puat Hospital and were managed under the GSS from January 2007 to December 2014
      were included in this prospective study. The STF programme was initiated from
      January 2012. The surgical outcome of patients managed under the GSS before the
      initiation of STF was compared with that after its implementation. RESULTS: There
      were 57 patients after the initiation of the STF programme compared with 60
      patients managed before STF. There were 26.4% and 25% of frail patients in the
      STF group compared with the non-STF group (P = 0.874). The mean length of
      hospital stay was significantly shorter in the STF group (8.4 days vs 11.0 days,
      P = 0.029). Functional recovery in patients available for follow-up at 6 weeks
      showed 100% (46/46) recovery in the elective STF group who received
      prehabilitation and 95.7% (45/47) in the elective non-STF group who did not (P =
      0.157). There were no significant differences in a Clavien-Dindo complication
      score of Grade 3 or more and 30-day mortality between the two groups. CONCLUSION:
      Through a trans-institutional transdisciplinary approach, we managed to achieve a
      significantly shorter hospital stay in frail patients having colorectal surgery.
      All elective patients who received prehabilitation achieved full functional
      recovery.

PMID- 26500156
TI  - Male vagina is a more accurate term than prostatic utricle.

PMID- 26500158
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26500157
TI  - Mitochondrial dysfunction in a transgenic mouse model expressing human amyloid
      precursor protein (APP) with the Arctic mutation.
AB  - Accumulation of amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) in the brain is an important event
      in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. We have used a transgenic mouse model
      expressing human amyloid precursor protein (APP) with the Arctic mutation to
      investigate whether Abeta deposition is correlated with mitochondrial functions
      in these animals. We found evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction (i.e., decreased
      mitochondrial membrane potential, increased production of reactive oxygen species
      and oxidative DNA damage) at 6 months of age, when the mice showed very mild
      Abeta deposition. More pronounced mitochondrial abnormalities were present in 24
      month-old TgAPParc mice with more extensive Abeta pathology. This study
      demonstrates for the first time mitochondrial dysfunction in transgenic mice with
      a mutation within the Abeta peptide (the Arctic APP mutation), and confirms
      previous studies suggesting that mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress
      is an early event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. This study
      demonstrates mitochondrial dysfunction in transgenic mice with a mutation within
      the amyloid beta (Abeta) peptide (the Arctic amyloid precursor protein (APP)
      mutation). We found evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction (i.e. decreased
      mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), increased production of reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) and oxidative DNA damage) at 6 months of age, when very mild Abeta
      deposition is present in the mice. Also, the cytochrome c (COX) activity was
      significantly decreased in mitochondria from transgenic mice at 24 months of age.

PMID- 26500159
TI  - Psychological predictors for health-related quality of life and disability in
      persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exhibit
      low physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQL) and high
      susceptibility to disability. We investigated the influence of psychological
      factors on HRQL and disability in COPD individuals recruited from the general
      population. In line with Leventhal's common sense model, we expected
      psychological factors to be associated with HRQL and disability even after
      controlling for medical status. METHODS: Individuals with COPD (n = 502; 59.7
      years old; GOLD grades were I: 3%, II: 17%, III: 34%, IV: 46%) were assessed
      through an online survey administered via COPD patient organisations in Germany.
      Individuals filled in the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), COPD Assessment Test,
      Patient Health Questionnaire (modules: GAD-2, PHQ-15, PHQ-9), Brief Illness
      Perception Questionnaire, a questionnaire that assesses causal illness
      attributions, and the internal illness-related locus of control scale of the 'KKG
      questionnaire for the assessment of control beliefs about illness and health'.
      Multiple linear regressions were calculated. RESULTS: The investigated factors
      explained high variances (disability = 56%, physical HRQL = 28%, mental HRQL =
      63%, p <= .001). Better mental health, more optimistic illness perceptions,
      attribution to psychological causes, and stronger internal locus of control were
      associated with lower disability and better HRQL. Comorbid somatic symptoms
      contributed to high disability and low quality of life. CONCLUSION: Psychological
      factors, such as illness perception, attribution and internal locus of control,
      were associated with disability and HRQL. These factors should be considered when
      designing treatments for individuals with COPD, and adequate interventions should
      be provided to enhance illness understanding and self-management skills.

PMID- 26500160
TI  - In Situ Tuning of Switching Window in a Gate-Controlled Bilayer Graphene
      Electrode Resistive Memory Device.
AB  - A resistive random access memory (RRAM) device with a tunable switching window is
      demonstrated for the first time. The SET voltage can be continuously tuned from
      0.27 to 4.5 V by electrical gating from -10 to +35 V. The gate-controlled bilayer
      graphene-electrode RRAM can function as 1D1R and potentially increase the RRAM
      density. 

PMID- 26500161
TI  - How would case managers' practice change in a consumer-directed care environment
      in Australia?
AB  - The aim of this study was to explore case managers' perceived changes in their
      practice in the future when consumer-directed care (CDC) is widely implemented in
      Australia's community aged care system. Purposeful sampling was used and semi
      structured individual and group interviews were conducted between September 2012
      and March 2013. Participants were drawn from a list of all case managers who
      administered publicly funded community aged care packages in Victoria, Australia.
      Empowerment theory was used to guide the analysis and interpretation of the data.
      The thematic analysis revealed that case managers had mixed views about CDC. They
      also perceived changes in case managers' practice in the future when CDC is
      widely implemented. These might specifically include: first, case managers would
      not directly manage clients' budgets. While some case managers were concerned
      about losing power for this change, others believed that they would still have
      important financial roles to perform, such as setting rules, providing financial
      support and monitoring clients' use of budgets. Second, case managers would focus
      on performing roles in providing information, and empowering, facilitating and
      educating clients. These would help to strengthen clients' capacities and assist
      them to self-manage their care. Third, case managers would work in partnership
      with clients through frequent or skilful communication, mutual goal setting and
      goal facilitation. Fourth, case managers would manage more clients. In addition,
      they would provide less support to each individual client and perform less care
      co-ordination role. The findings suggest case managers paying attention to power
      balance regarding budget management in a CDC environment. Furthermore, they might
      frequently or skilfully communicate with, empower, facilitate and educate
      clients; work together with them to set up goals; and facilitate them to achieve
      goals. New research using empowerment theory to examine the actual practice of
      case managers in a well-established CDC system is warranted.

PMID- 26500162
TI  - The importance of accurately modelling human interactions: Comment on "Coupled
      disease-behavior dynamics on complex networks: A review" by Z. Wang et al.

PMID- 26500164
TI  - Micromorphological characterization of zinc/silver particle composite coatings.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the three-dimensional (3D) surface
      micromorphology of zinc/silver particles (Zn/AgPs) composite coatings with
      antibacterial activity prepared using an electrodeposition technique. These 3D
      nanostructures were investigated over square areas of 5 MUm * 5 MUm by atomic
      force microscopy (AFM), fractal, and wavelet analysis. The fractal analysis of 3D
      surface roughness revealed that (Zn/AgPs) composite coatings have fractal
      geometry. Triangulation method, based on the linear interpolation type, applied
      for AFM data was employed in order to characterise the surfaces topographically
      (in amplitude, spatial distribution and pattern of surface characteristics). The
      surface fractal dimension Df , as well as height values distribution have been
      determined for the 3D nanostructure surfaces.

PMID- 26500165
TI  - Melanopsin and the Non-visual Photochemistry in the Inner Retina of Vertebrates.
AB  - Melanopsin (Opn4), a member of the G-protein-coupled receptor family, is a
      vitamin A-based opsin in the vertebrate retina that has been shown to be involved
      in the synchronization of circadian rhythms, pupillary light reflexes, melatonin
      suppression and other light-regulated tasks. In nonmammalian vertebrates there
      are two Opn4 genes, Opn4m and Opn4x, the mammalian and Xenopus orthologs
      respectively. Opn4x is only expressed in nonmammalian vertebrates including
      reptiles, fish and birds, while Opn4m is found in a subset of retinal ganglion
      cells (RGCs), the intrinsically photosensitive (ip) RGCs of the inner retina of
      both mammals and nonmammalian vertebrates. All opsins described utilize
      retinaldehyde as chromophore, photoisomerized from 11-cis- to all-trans-retinal
      upon light exposure. Visual retinal photoreceptor cones and rods, responsible for
      day and night vision respectively, recycle retinoids through a process called the
      visual cycle that involves the retinal pigment epithelium or glial Muller cells.
      Although Opn4 has been characterized as a bistable photopigment, little is known
      about the mechanism/s involved in its chromophore regeneration. In this review,
      we will attempt to shed light on the visual cycle taking place in the inner
      retina and discuss the state of the art in the nonvisual photochemistry of
      vertebrates. 

PMID- 26500166
TI  - Addressing the stimulant treatment gap: A call to investigate the therapeutic
      benefits potential of cannabinoids for crack-cocaine use.
AB  - Crack-cocaine use is prevalent in numerous countries, yet concentrated primarily 
      largely within urban contexts - in the Northern and Southern regions of the
      Americas. It is associated with a variety of behavioral, physical and mental
      health and social problems which gravely affect users and their environments. Few
      evidence-based treatments for crack-cocaine use exist and are available to users
      in the reality of street drug use. Numerous pharmacological treatments have been
      investigated but with largely disappointing results. An important therapeutic
      potential for crack-cocaine use may rest in cannabinoids, which have recently
      seen a general resurgence for varied possible therapeutic usages for different
      neurological diseases. Distinct potential therapeutic benefits for crack-cocaine
      use and common related adverse symptoms may come specifically from cannabidiol
      (CBD) - one of the numerous cannabinoid components found in cannabis - with its
      demonstrated anxiolytic, anti-psychotic, anti-convulsant effects and potential
      benefits for sleep and appetite problems. The possible therapeutic prospects of
      cannabinoids are corroborated by observational studies from different contexts
      documenting crack-cocaine users' 'self-medication' efforts towards coping with
      crack-cocaine-related problems, including withdrawal and craving, impulsivity and
      paranoia. Cannabinoid therapeutics offer further benefits of being available in
      multiple formulations, are low in adverse risk potential, and may easily be
      offered in community-based settings which may add to their feasibility as
      interventions for - predominantly marginalized - crack-cocaine user populations.
      Supported by the dearth of current therapeutic options for crack-cocaine use, we
      are advocating for the implementation of a rigorous research program
      investigating the potential therapeutic benefits of cannabinoids for crack
      cocaine use. Given the high prevalence of this grave substance use problem in the
      Americas, opportunities for such research should urgently be created and
      facilitated there. 

PMID- 26500167
TI  - Prognostication by inflammation-based score in patients with locally advanced
      pancreatic cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An association between inflammatory/immunonutritional status and
      patient prognosis has been reported in various types of cancer. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the utility of inflammatory/immunonutritional factors as
      therapeutic predictors for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer
      treated with chemoradiotherapy (CRT). METHODS: Ninety-six patients with
      histologically proven locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma who underwent
      CRT were enrolled in this study. We evaluated significance of inflammation-based
      factors as predictors of therapeutic effect and prognosis. RESULTS: The median
      progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of all patients was 10
      and 18 months, respectively. A Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) of 2 and plasma
      fibrinogen levels >= 400 mg/dL were independent predictors of poor PFS and OS. A
      prognostic nutritional index (PNI) >= 45 was a predictor of a significantly
      better reduction rate of the primary tumor. The prognosis between patients with
      GPS 0/1 and fibrinogen <400 mg/dL, GPS 2 or fibrinogen >=400 mg/dL, and GPS 2 and
      fibrinogen >=400 mg/dL were significantly different. Patients with GPS 2 and/or
      plasma fibrinogen >= 400 mg/dL had significantly higher incidence of metastasis
      within 6 months after CRT. CONCLUSIONS: GPS, fibrinogen, PNI are useful
      therapeutic and prognostic predictors in patients with locally advanced
      pancreatic cancer treated with CRT.

PMID- 26500168
TI  - The Clinical and Serological Effect of a Gluten-Free Diet in Border Terriers with
      Epileptoid Cramping Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Canine epileptoid cramping syndrome (CECS) is a paroxysmal movement
      disorder of Border Terriers (BTs). These dogs might respond to a gluten-free
      diet. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to examine the clinical and
      serological effect of a gluten-free diet in BTs with CECS. ANIMALS: Six client
      owned BTs with clinically confirmed CECS. METHODS: Dogs were prospectively
      recruited that had at least a 6-month history of CECS based on the observed
      phenomenology (using video) and had exhibited at least 2 separate episodes on
      different days. Dogs were tested for anti-transglutaminase 2 (TG2 IgA) and anti
      gliadin (AGA IgG) antibodies in the serum at presentation, and 3, 6, and 9 months
      after the introduction of a gluten-free diet. Duodenal biopsies were performed in
      1 dog. RESULTS: Serum TG2 IgA titers were increased in 6/6 BTs (P = .006) and AGA
      IgG titers were increased in 5/6 BTs at presentation compared to those of
      controls (P = .018). After 9 months, there was clinical and serological
      improvement in all BTs with CECS strictly adhering to a gluten-free diet (5/5).
      One dog had persistently increased antibody titers. This dog scavenged horse
      manure. On the strict introduction of a gluten-free diet this dog also had an
      improved clinical and serological response. The diet-associated improvement was
      reversible in 2 dogs on completion of the study, both of which suffered a relapse
      of CECS on the re-introduction of gluten. CONCLUSIONS: Canine epileptoid cramping
      syndrome in BTs is a gluten-sensitive movement disorder triggered and perpetuated
      by gluten and thus responsive to a gluten-free diet.

PMID- 26500169
TI  - Evaluation of a hybrid treatment for Veterans with comorbid traumatic brain
      injury and posttraumatic stress disorder: Study protocol for a randomized
      controlled trial.
AB  - Comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and history of traumatic
      brain injury (TBI) is high among Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Enduring
      Freedom/New Dawn (OIF/OEF/OND). Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is empirically
      supported for the treatment of PTSD, but it is not specifically designed to
      accommodate the memory, attention, or problem solving deficits that are
      experienced by many Veterans with comorbid PTSD and TBI. Compensatory cognitive
      rehabilitation, including cognitive symptom management and rehabilitation therapy
      (CogSMART), is effective for cognitive deficits stemming from a variety of
      etiologies, including TBI. We have integrated components of CogSMART into CPT in
      order to address the unique challenges faced by Veterans with ongoing cognitive
      complaints related to PTSD and a history of mild TBI. Here we describe an ongoing
      randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy of our novel hybrid
      treatment, SMART-CPT, as compared to standard CPT, for OIF/OEF/OND Veterans with
      PTSD and a history of mild to moderate TBI. We describe the development of this
      hybrid treatment as well as implementation of the randomized controlled trial. 

PMID- 26500170
TI  - Family Access to a Dentist Study (FADS): A multi-center randomized controlled
      trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Many low-income parent/caregivers do not understand the importance
      of cavity-free primary (baby) teeth and the chronic nature of dental caries
      (tooth decay). As a consequence, dental preventive and treatment utilization is
      low even when children are screened in schools and referred for care. This study
      aims to test a referral letter and Dental Information Guide (DIG) designed using
      the Common-Sense Model of Self-Regulation (CSM) framework to improve caregivers'
      illness perception of dental caries and increase utilization of care by children
      with restorative dental needs. METHODS: A multi-site randomized controlled trial
      with caregivers of Kindergarten to 4th grade children in urban Ohio and rural
      Washington State will compare five arms: (1) CSM referral letter alone; (2) CSM
      referral letter+DIG; (3) reduced CSM referral letter alone; (4) reduced CSM
      referral letter+DIG; and (5) standard (control) referral. At baseline, children
      will be screened at school to determine restorative dental needs. If in need of
      treatment, caregivers will be randomized to study arms and an intervention packet
      will be sent home. The primary outcome will be dental care based on a change in
      oral health status by clinical examination 7 months post-screening (ICDAS sealant
      codes 1 and 2; restoration codes 3-8; extraction). Enrollment commenced summer
      2015 with results in summer 2016. CONCLUSION: This study uses the CSM framework
      to develop and test behavioral interventions to increase dental utilization among
      low-income caregivers. If effective this simple intervention has broad
      applicability in clinical and community-based settings.

PMID- 26500171
TI  - Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and 30-Day Mortality in Patients with Acute
      Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although a highly significant association has been described between
      neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and mortality in patients with various types
      of stroke, the association between NLR and mortality in intracerebral hemorrhage
      (ICH) patients remains unclear. METHODS: In this observational study, we enrolled
      224 ICH patients. They were divided into 2 groups based on their 30-day outcomes.
      Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify independent risk
      factors of 30-day mortality. An optimal cutoff value for the continuous NLR was
      calculated by applying a receiver operating curve analysis to discriminate
      between the survival and death groups. RESULTS: Among 224 patients, 26 died. No
      significant difference in NLR at admission was observed between the 2 groups
      (surviving: 2.39 +/- 1.75 versus nonsurviving: 3.09 +/- 2.16, P= .065), whereas
      NLR on the next morning following admission was significantly higher in the
      patients who died (12.53 +/- 9.33) than in those who survived (5.53 +/- 4.68) (P
      <.001). On multivariate logistic analysis, Glasgow Coma Scale score (odds ratio
      [OR] .805, 95% confidence interval [CI] .661-.979, P = .030), age (>=80 years; OR
      .203, CI .055-.750, P = .017), ICH volume (>=30 cm(3); OR .112, CI .108-.699, P =
      .019), and NLR on the next morning (OR 1.091, CI 1.002-1.188, P = .044) were
      independent risk factors of 30-day mortality. An NLR of 7.35 was identified as
      the optimal cutoff value. The area under the curve of NLR for 30-day mortality
      was .762 (P < .001). The mortality was significantly higher in patients with an
      NLR of 7.35 or higher than in those with an NLR less than 7.35 (31.6% versus
      4.8%, P <.001). CONCLUSIONS: Higher NLR exhibited an increased mortality in ICH
      patients. NLR could be used to predict 30-day outcome in ICH patients.

PMID- 26500172
TI  - Methodological Quality of Motor Intervention Randomized Controlled Trials in
      Stroke Rehabilitation.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of the study was to evaluate the methodological quality of
      motor intervention randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in the stroke
      rehabilitation literature and to examine trends in quality over time. METHODS: A
      systematic literature search was conducted for all English articles (published up
      to December 2013) examining rehabilitation for motor recovery poststroke. All
      RCTs with a human sample, of which at least 50% had a stroke, were included in
      the analysis. A Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) score was assigned to
      assess methodological quality. A one-way analysis of variance was conducted to
      examine adherence to quality items overall and over time, with post hoc t-tests
      performed where appropriate. RESULTS: Six hundred seventy-six RCTs met inclusion
      criteria, of which 32.0% had excellent, 42.0% good, 23.1% fair, and 3.0% poor
      methodological qualities. The overall mean PEDro score was 6.6 +/- 1.6; with
      scores improving significantly between 1979-1983 and 2009-2013 (5.0 +/- 1.4
      versus 7.0 +/- 1.5; P = .0003); however, no significant improvements in
      individual items were found (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed
      improvements in the total methodological quality of motor intervention RCTs in
      stroke rehabilitation over time. However, no relationship was found between
      individual quality items and improvement over time.

PMID- 26500173
TI  - Correlation between Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Early-Stage Chronic Kidney
      Disease: Results from Asymptomatic Polyvascular Abnormalities in Community Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) might be a potential independent risk
      factor for increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). Our aim is to
      determine whether mild to moderate kidney dysfunction is associated with
      increased carotid IMT. METHODS: We employed 3629 subjects free from clinical
      cardiovascular diseases at the baseline visit of the Asymptomatic Polyvascular
      Abnormalities in Community Study. Kidney function was evaluated in terms of
      estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculated by the Chronic Kidney
      Disease Epidemiology Collaboration China equation. The mean of the maximal
      internal and common carotid IMT was measured by means of high-resolution B-mode
      ultrasound. Univariable linear regressions and multivariate logistic regressions
      were used to evaluate the independent association between kidney function and
      carotid IMT. RESULTS: In the unadjusted linear analysis, carotid IMT showed a
      significant negative correlation with eGFR in both male (r = -.346, P < .001) and
      female (r = -.253, P < .001) subjects. After adjustment for age, traditional
      vascular risk factors (smoking, diabetes, systolic blood pressure, diastolic
      blood pressure, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, and antihypertensive drug use), and
      nontraditional risk factors (C-reactive protein and homocysteine), the
      association remained significant. The odds ratio for increased IMT was 1.299 (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 1.062-1.588) in the group with an eGFR of 60-89
      mL/minute/1.73 m(2) and 1.789 (95% CI, 1.203-2.660) in the group with an eGFR of
      30-59 mL/minute/1.73 m(2). CONCLUSIONS: Increased IMT is associated with early
      stage CKD. This association is independent of traditional and nontraditional
      cardiovascular risk factors. Early detection of kidney dysfunction is important
      to improve risk stratification of atherosclerotic disease.

PMID- 26500174
TI  - Outcomes after Stroke in Patients with Previous Pressure Ulcer: A Nationwide
      Matched Retrospective Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Factors associated with poststroke adverse events were not completely
      understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether stroke patients
      with previous pressure ulcers had more adverse events after stroke. METHODS:
      Using the claims data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database,
      we conducted a retrospective cohort study matched by propensity score. Three
      thousand two first-ever stroke patients with previous pressure ulcer and 3002
      first-ever stroke patients without pressure ulcer were investigated between 2002
      and 2009. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of
      complications and 30-day mortality after stroke associated with previous pressure
      ulcer were calculated in the multivariate logistic regressions. RESULTS: Patients
      with pressure ulcer had significantly higher risk than control for poststroke
      urinary tract infection (OR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.38-1.78), pneumonia (OR: 1.35, 95%
      CI: 1.16-1.58), gastrointestinal bleeding (OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.04-1.66), and
      epilepsy (OR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.83-1.85). Stroke patients with pressure ulcer had
      increased 30-day poststroke mortality (OR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.55-2.61), particularly
      in those treated with debridement (OR: 2.87, 95% CI: 1.85-4.44) or high quantity
      of antibiotics (OR: 4.01, 95% CI: 2.10-7.66). Pressure ulcer was associated with
      poststroke mortality in both genders and patients aged 60 years or older.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study showed increased poststroke complications and mortality
      in patients with previous pressure ulcer, which suggests the urgent need for
      monitoring stroke patients for pressure ulcer history.

PMID- 26500175
TI  - Impact of kidney ischemic lesions on renal function after fenestrated
      endovascular repair.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Fenestrated endovascular aortic repair (fEVAR) is being used
      increasingly in the treatment of complex aortic aneurysms; however, this
      procedure can be associated with visceral and renal complications. Because the
      causes of possible renal function (RF) impairment have not been fully examined
      yet, we conducted a study to investigate whether there are risk factors associate
      with renal ischemic lesions (RILs) and if they influence RF in patients treated
      for complex aortic aneurysm with fEVAR. METHODS: We evaluated the clinical,
      anatomic, and technical characteristics of consecutive patients treated with
      fEVAR from 2008 to 2014. RIL were identified by postoperative computed tomography
      angiography and the volume of renal parenchyma involved quantified. A decrease in
      RF (>30% glomerular filtration rate reduction) was evaluated at discharge, and at
      the 6- and 12-month follow-ups. RESULTS: Among 53 patients, we analyzed 38 (72%)
      juxta/pararenal and 15 (28%) thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (33 [64%] with >=3
      fenestrations) and 102 renal arteries. Fifteen patients (30%) showed RIL, which
      was caused by accessory renal artery (ARA) coverage in 6 cases (38%), distal
      embolism in 6 (38%), renal artery thrombosis in 2 (18%), and iatrogenic
      embolization for intraoperative bleeding during fEVAR in 1 (6%). The volume of
      renal parenchyma involved was less than 25% in 10 (67%) and 25% to 50% in 5 (33%)
      cases. In no cases was more than 50% renal volume affected. On multivariate
      analysis, RIL predictors were the presence of ARA (odds ratio [OR], 8.00; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 1.16-54.89; P = .03) and extensive thrombosis of the
      pararenal aorta (OR, 39.93; 95% CI, 3.36-474.23; P = .003). At discharge, chronic
      renal failure (CRF; OR, 4.80; 95% CI, 1.27-18.09; P = .01), diabetes (OR, 8.44;
      95% CI, 1.33-53.51; P = .01), and extensive thrombosis of the pararenal aorta
      (OR, 5.50; 95% CI, 1.32-29.92; P = .01) were significantly associated with
      worsening RF. RIL, independent from volume, did not influence the postoperative
      RF. At 6 months and 1-year, preoperative CRF and perioperative declines in RF
      were identified as the only risk factors for worsening RF. CONCLUSIONS: RIL is a
      common fEVAR complication and is primarily owing to ARA coverage and aortic
      thrombus embolization. However, RIL does not influence RF, which is predicted by
      preoperative CRF, diabetes, and extensive aortic thrombus.

PMID- 26500176
TI  - pH responsive graft copolymers of chitosan.
AB  - Grafting suitable polymers onto chitosan can produce cationic or polyampholyte
      polymers or hydrogels that are potential smart biomedical materials. Chitosan
      graft-[poly(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] has been prepared in three different
      physical forms as linear free chains in solution, chemical gels crosslinked with
      glutaraldehyde, and poly(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] grafted onto chitosan
      tripolyphosphate gel beads. In addition to chemical structure, the graft
      copolymers were characterized with respect to their dissolution and swelling
      behavior in aqueous solution. It has been established that solubility of the
      products is controlled by the grafting yield. While pH sensitive polymers, which
      collapse at a given pH value are obtained at lower grafting yields, hydrogels
      form at higher grafting yields with pH responsive swelling behavior.
      Glutaraldehyde crosslinked chitosan-graft-[poly(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]
      gels and chitosan tripolyphosphate gel beads grafted with
      poly[(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] exhibit pH sensitive swelling with highest
      equilibrium swelling capacity at pH=1.2. 

PMID- 26500177
TI  - Effect of CaCO3/HCl pretreatment on the surface modification of chitin gel beads
      via graft copolymerization of 2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate and 4-vinylpyridine.
AB  - Although chitin, poly(N-acetylglucosamine), possesses considerable potential as a
      biomaterial, it has not been as thoroughly studied as its derivative chitosan. In
      this study, the potential of chitin gel beads has been evaluated for surface
      modification via vinyl polymer grafting. Grafting behavior of two well
      established vinyl monomers, namely 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) and 4
      vinylpyridine (4-VP) were investigated using cerium (IV) ammonium nitrate as the
      redox initiator with the aim of obtaining chemically functionalized more
      hydrophilic chitin surfaces. The intractable nature of chitin, which is one of
      its primary drawbacks as a grafting substrate was overcome by applying a CaCO3
      treatment during bead preparation. The maximum grafting percentage of poly(HEMA)
      onto chitin bead without CaCO3 treatment was found to be 65%, while the value for
      CaCO3 treated chitin beads was 515%. The maximum grafting yield of poly(4-VP) on
      to CaCO3 treated chitin powder was 380% at optimum conditions. The grafting
      system was extensively characterized before and after grafting by FT-IR, SEM, C
      13 NMR and XRD analyses. Significant improvement on the swelling capacities of
      chitin based gel beads in aqueous acidic, basic and neutral media was obtained.
      An account of the pros and cons of the system has been presented. 

PMID- 26500178
TI  - Pathogenesis of Hepatorenal Syndrome: Implications for Therapy.
AB  - Patients with cirrhosis are prone to develop acute kidney injury (AKI) due to a
      number of causes, including bacterial infections with or without septic shock,
      hypovolemia, administration of nephrotoxic drugs, and intrinsic kidney diseases,
      among others. Most importantly, patients with advanced cirrhosis develop a
      distinctive cause of AKI, characterized by rapidly progressive glomerular
      filtration rate loss associated with marked disturbances in circulatory function
      in the absence of obvious pathologic abnormalities in the kidneys, known as
      hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). Decreased kidney function results from intense renal
      vasoconstriction secondary to the complex circulatory changes of cirrhosis with
      splanchnic vasodilatation and effective hypovolemia. Beyond activation of
      vasoactive systems, factors including impaired renal blood flow autoregulation
      and systemic inflammation may play a role in the development of HRS. Most
      patients improve with albumin and vasopressors; however, the prognosis of HRS
      remains very poor. Novel biomarkers may be helpful in distinguishing HRS from
      other causes of AKI in patients with cirrhosis. 

PMID- 26500179
TI  - Future Avenues to Decrease Uremic Toxin Concentration.
AB  - In this article, we review approaches for decreasing uremic solute concentrations
      in chronic kidney disease and in particular, in end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
      The rationale to do so is the straightforward relation between concentration and
      biological (toxic) effect for most toxins. The first section is devoted to
      extracorporeal strategies (kidney replacement therapy). In the context of high
      flux hemodialysis and hemodiafiltration, we discuss increasing dialyzer blood and
      dialysate flows, frequent and/or extended dialysis, adsorption, bioartificial
      kidney, and changing physical conditions within the dialyzer (especially for
      protein-bound toxins). The next section focuses on the intestinal generation of
      uremic toxins, which in return is stimulated by uremic conditions. Therapeutic
      options are probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and intestinal sorbents. Current
      data are conflicting, and these issues need further study before useful
      therapeutic concepts are developed. The following section is devoted to
      preservation of (residual) kidney function. Although many therapeutic options may
      overlap with therapies provided before ESRD, we focus on specific aspects of ESRD
      treatment, such as the risks of too-strict blood pressure and glycemic regulation
      and hemodynamic changes during dialysis. Finally, some recommendations are given
      on how research might be organized with regard to uremic toxins and their
      effects, removal, and impact on outcomes of uremic patients. 

PMID- 26500180
TI  - TGF-beta superfamily signaling in testis formation and early male germline
      development.
AB  - The TGF-beta ligand superfamily contains at least 40 members, many of which are
      produced and act within the mammalian testis to facilitate formation of sperm.
      Their progressive expression at key stages and in specific cell types determines
      the fertility of adult males, influencing testis development and controlling
      germline differentiation. BMPs are essential for the interactive instructions
      between multiple cell types in the early embryo that drive initial specification
      of gamete precursors. In the nascent foetal testis, several ligands including
      Nodal, TGF-betas, Activins and BMPs, serve as key masculinizing switches by
      regulating male germline pluripotency, somatic and germline proliferation, and
      testicular vascularization and architecture. In postnatal life, local production
      of these factors determine adult testis size by regulating Sertoli cell
      multiplication and differentiation, in addition to specifying germline
      differentiation and multiplication. Because TGF-beta superfamily signaling is
      integral to testis formation, it affects processes that underlie testicular
      pathologies, including testicular cancer, and its potential to contribute to
      subfertility is beginning to be understood. 

PMID- 26500181
TI  - Adenosine receptor targets for pain.
AB  - The main focus for the development of adenosine targets as analgesics to date has
      been A1Rs due to its antinociceptive profile in various preclinical pain models.
      The usefulness of systemic A1R agonists may be limited by other effects
      (cardiovascular, motor), but enhanced selectivity for pain might occur with
      partial agonists, potent and highly selective agonists, or allosteric modulators.
      A2AR agonists exhibit some peripheral pronociceptive effects, but also act on
      immune cells to suppress inflammation and on spinal glia to suppress pain
      signaling and may be useful for inflammatory and neuropathic pain. A2BR agonists
      exhibit peripheral proinflammatory effects on immune cells, but also spinal
      antinociceptive effects similar to A2AR agonists. A3Rs are now demonstrated to
      produce antinociception in several preclinical neuropathic pain models, with
      mechanistic actions on glial cells, and may be useful for neuropathic pain.
      Endogenous adenosine levels can be augmented by inhibition of metabolism (via
      adenosine kinase) or increased generation (via nucleotidases), and these
      approaches have implications for pain. Endogenous adenosine contributes to
      antinociception by several pharmacological agents, herbal remedies, acupuncture,
      transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, exercise, joint mobilization, and
      water immersion via spinal and/or peripheral effects, such that this system
      appears to constitute a major pain regulatory system. Finally, caffeine inhibits
      A1-, A2A- and A3Rs with similar potency, and dietary caffeine intake will need
      attention in trials of: (a) agonists and/or modulators acting at these receptors,
      (b) some pharmacological and herbal analgesics, and (c) manipulations that
      enhance endogenous adenosine levels, all of which are inhibited by caffeine
      and/or A1R antagonists in preclinical studies. All adenosine receptors have
      effects on spinal glial cells in regulating nociception, and gender differences
      in the involvement of such cells in chronic neuropathic pain indicate gender may
      also need attention in preclinical and human trials evaluating the efficacy of
      adenosine-based analgesics.

PMID- 26500182
TI  - Activation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors during preconditioning low
      frequency stimulation suppresses subsequent induction of long-term potentiation
      in hippocampal CA1 neurons.
AB  - We investigated the role of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs)
      activated during preconditioning low-frequency stimulation (LFS) in the
      subsequent high-frequency stimulation (HFS)-induced induction of long-term
      potentiation (LTP) in CA1 neurons in hippocampal slices from mature guinea pigs.
      Induction of LTP in the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) or the
      population spike (PS) by delivery of HFS (a tetanus of 100 pulses at 100 Hz) to
      the Schaffer collateral-commissural pathway to CA1 neuron synapses was suppressed
      when the CA1 synapses were preconditioned by LFS of 1000 pulses at 1 Hz. This
      effect was inhibited when the preconditioning LFS was applied in the presence of
      an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) antagonist, a metabotropic glutamate
      receptor (mGluR) antagonist, IP3R antagonist, a calmodulin-dependent kinase II
      inhibitor or a calcineurin inhibitor. Furthermore, blockade of group I mGluRs
      immediately before the delivery of HFS blocked the inhibitory effect of the
      preconditioning LFS on subsequent induction of LTP by HFS. These results suggest
      that, in hippocampal CA1 neuron synapses, co-activation of NMDARs and IP3Rs
      during a preconditioning LFS results in both phosphorylation and
      dephosphorylation events that lead to prolonged activation of group I mGluRs that
      is responsible for the failure of LTP induction.

PMID- 26500183
TI  - From GFP to beta-lactamase: advancing intact cell imaging for toxins and
      effectors.
AB  - Canonical reporters such as green fluorescent protein (GFP) and luciferase have
      assisted researchers in probing cellular pathways and processes. Prior research
      in pathogenesis depended on sensitivity of biochemical and biophysical techniques
      to identify effectors and elucidate entry mechanisms. Recently, the beta
      lactamase (betalac) reporter system has advanced toxin and effector reporting by
      permitting measurement of betalac delivery into the cytosol or host betalac
      expression in intact cells. betalac measurement in cells was facilitated by the
      development of the fluorogenic substrate, CCF2-AM, to identify novel effectors,
      target cells, and domains involved in bacterial pathogenesis. The assay is also
      adaptable for high-throughput screening of small molecule inhibitors against
      toxins, providing information on mechanism and potential therapeutic agents. The
      versatility and limitations of the betalac reporter system as applied to toxins
      and effectors are discussed in this review. 

PMID- 26500184
TI  - Folic acid supplementation in early pregnancy and the risk of preeclampsia, small
      for gestational age offspring and preterm delivery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess whether folic acid intake during the first trimester of
      pregnancy is related to pregnancy outcomes preeclampsia, low birth weight or
      preterm birth. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study of 3647 women who were
      followed from the first trimester of pregnancy. Detailed information on quantity
      of folic acid intake before and during the first three months of pregnancy was
      recorded. Pregnancy outcome data were abstracted from obstetric records. RESULTS:
      Lean mothers who used folic acid supplementation the month before pregnancy had a
      40% reduced risk of developing preeclampsia. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) with
      95% confidence intervals (95%CI) for preeclampsia in lean mothers (BMI<25) who
      used folic acid supplements the month before pregnancy was 0.6 (95% CI 0.4-1.0).
      Obese mothers who used folic acid supplementation in the first trimester had an
      increased, but not statistically significant risk for preterm birth (adjusted OR
      1.9 with 95% CI 0.9-4.0). There were no significant associations between folic
      acid supplementation and low birth weight. CONCLUSION: Our study supports a
      possible protective effect of folate intake in early pregnancy on preeclampsia in
      lean mothers. There was no support for any beneficial effect of folic acid use on
      preterm birth or low birth weight, and we found no evidence of any harmful
      effects of folate use for the outcomes included in our study.

PMID- 26500185
TI  - An optimized procedure for stained bloodless anatomic hepatectomy in canines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poloxamer 407 (P407) is a thermosensitive polymer that can gelatinize
      at body temperature and dissolve below critical temperature. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate an optimized procedure for hepatectomy, in which the target
      liver section was stained with methylene blue, and the blood inflow was occluded
      with P407. METHODS: Twelve dogs were randomized into two equal groups. The
      conventional group (CG) underwent unstained liver resection with the hemi-Pringle
      maneuver for blood control. After angiography, the optimized group (OG) was
      cannulated to the target lobar hepatic artery via the femoral artery and to the
      target segmental portal vein via a branch of the splenic vein. The artery was
      then occluded with P407, whereas the vein was administered methylene blue and
      P407 sequentially before excision along the stained border. Blood specimens and
      necropsy were acquired periodically. RESULTS: The stained resection margins were
      clearly visualized and were accompanied by negligible blood loss. The occlusion
      duration was significantly reduced from 24.5 +/- 2.3 min in the conventional
      group to 18.5 +/- 4.9 min in the OG (P < 0.05). The aspartate aminotransferase
      and alanine aminotransferase levels were less elevated in the OG postoperatively.
      No significant evidence of pathology was detected in either group. CONCLUSIONS:
      This optimized procedure represents an easy, time-saving and effective approach
      for stained anatomic hepatectomy with temporary intravascular blood occlusion.

PMID- 26500186
TI  - Twitter-Delivered Behavioral Weight-Loss Interventions: A Pilot Series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lifestyle interventions are efficacious at reducing risk for diabetes
      and cardiovascular disease but have not had a significant public health impact
      given high cost and patient and provider burden. OBJECTIVE: Online social
      networks may reduce the burden of lifestyle interventions to the extent that they
      displace in-person visits and may enhance opportunities for social support for
      weight loss. METHODS: We conducted an iterative series of pilot studies to
      evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of using online social networks to
      deliver a lifestyle intervention. RESULTS: In Study 1 (n=10), obese participants
      with depression received lifestyle counseling via 12 weekly group visits and a
      private group formed using the online social network, Twitter. Mean weight loss
      was 2.3 pounds (SD 7.7; range -19.2 to 8.2) or 1.2% (SD 3.6) of baseline weight.
      A total of 67% (6/9) of participants completing exit interviews found the support
      of the Twitter group at least somewhat useful. In Study 2 (n=11), participants
      were not depressed and were required to be regular users of social media.
      Participants lost, on average, 5.6 pounds (SD 6.3; range -15 to 0) or 3.0% (SD
      3.4) of baseline weight, and 100% (9/9) completing exit interviews found the
      support of the Twitter group at least somewhat useful. To explore the feasibility
      of eliminating in-person visits, in Study 3 (n=12), we delivered a 12-week
      lifestyle intervention almost entirely via Twitter by limiting the number of
      group visits to one, while using the same inclusion criteria as that used in
      Study 2. Participants lost, on average, 5.4 pounds (SD 6.4; range -14.2 to 3.9)
      or 3.0% (SD 3.1) of baseline weight, and 90% (9/10) completing exit interviews
      found the support of the Twitter group at least somewhat useful. Findings
      revealed that a private Twitter weight-loss group was both feasible and
      acceptable for many patients, particularly among regular users of social media.
      CONCLUSIONS: Future research should evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness
      of online social network-delivered lifestyle interventions relative to
      traditional modalities.

PMID- 26500187
TI  - Protective efficacy of a peptide derived from a potential adhesin of Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa against corneal infection.
AB  - Dissecting the interactions between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and corneal cells is
      important to identify a novel target for prevention and treatment of Pseudomonas
      keratitis. The current study began with a peptide identified by phage display,
      and was to investigate the protective efficacy against P. aeruginosa infection in
      cornea. The original peptide Pc-E, with high homology to a hypothetical membrane
      protein (HmpA) in P. aeruginosa, and the derived peptide Pc-EP, with the same
      sequence as a region in HmpA, were synthesized. Peptide Pc-EP could directly bind
      to HCEC, stronger than Pc-E, and specifically activate toll-like receptor 5, and
      thereby significantly induce the production of pro-inflammatory factors, such as
      IL-1beta, IL-6, IFN-gamma and IL-17. Moreover, Pc-EP could act as an antagonist
      to inhibit the adhesion of wild-type P. aeruginosa to HCEC and mouse corneas. No
      inhibitory effect was observed on the adhesion of the strain loss of HmpA. When
      compared to the wild-type strain, the adhesion of the hmpA mutant to corneal
      cells was significantly decreased. Treatment of infected mouse corneas with Pc-EP
      before infection significantly decreased the bacterial load in the cornea and
      attenuated the corneal pathology. These results indicate that Pc-EP can be a
      useful prophylactic agent for P. aeruginosa keratitis. 

PMID- 26500188
TI  - The SPAIC-11 and SPAICP-11: Two brief child- and parent-rated measures of social
      anxiety.
AB  - The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children-11 (SPAIC-11) and Social
      Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children's Parents-11 (SPAICP-11) were developed
      as brief versions of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory--Child and Parent
      Versions via item response theory (IRT) using child and parent reports of social
      anxiety. A sample of 496 children was analyzed using IRT analyses, revealing 11
      items that exhibit measurement equivalence across parent and child reports.
      Descriptive and psychometric data are provided for the child, parent, and
      combined total scores. Discriminant validity was demonstrated using logistic
      regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses. The SPAIC-11 and
      SPAICP-11 are psychometrically sound measures that are able to measure social
      anxiety invariantly across children and their parents. These brief measures which
      include combined parent and child perception of the child's social anxiety may
      provide notable benefits to clinical research.

PMID- 26500189
TI  - Prospects for the gliding mechanism of Mycoplasma mobile.
AB  - Mycoplasma mobile forms gliding machinery at a cell pole and glides continuously
      in the direction of the cell pole at up to 4.5MUm per second on solid surfaces
      such as animal cells. This motility system is not related to those of any other
      bacteria or eukaryotes. M. mobile uses ATP energy to repeatedly catch, pull, and
      release sialylated oligosaccharides on host cells with its approximately 50-nm
      long legs. The gliding machinery is a large structure composed of huge surface
      proteins and internal jellyfish-like structure. This system may have developed
      from an accidental combination between an adhesin and a rotary ATPase, both of
      which are essential for the adhesive parasitic life of Mycoplasmas. 

PMID- 26500190
TI  - Organization principles in visual working memory: Evidence from sequential
      stimulus display.
AB  - Although the mechanisms of visual working memory (VWM) have been studied
      extensively in recent years, the active property of VWM has received less
      attention. In the current study, we examined how VWM integrates sequentially
      presented stimuli by focusing on the role of Gestalt principles, which are
      important organizing principles in perceptual integration. We manipulated the
      level of Gestalt cues among three or four sequentially presented objects that
      were memorized. The Gestalt principle could not emerge unless all the objects
      appeared together. We distinguished two hypotheses: a perception-alike hypothesis
      and an encoding-specificity hypothesis. The former predicts that the Gestalt cue
      will play a role in information integration within VWM; the latter predicts that
      the Gestalt cue will not operate within VWM. In four experiments, we demonstrated
      that collinearity (Experiment 1) and closure (Experiment 2) cues significantly
      improved VWM performance, and this facilitation was not affected by the testing
      manner (Experiment 3) or by adding extra colors to the memorized objects
      (Experiment 4). Finally, we re-established the Gestalt cue benefit with
      similarity cues (Experiment 5). These findings together suggest that VWM realizes
      and uses potential Gestalt principles within the stored representations,
      supporting a perception-alike hypothesis. 

PMID- 26500191
TI  - The Alternative Omen Effect: Illusory negative correlation between the outcomes
      of choice options.
AB  - In situations of choice between uncertain options, one might get feedback on both
      the outcome of the chosen option and the outcome of the unchosen option ("the
      alternative"). Extensive research has shown that when both outcomes are
      eventually revealed, the alternative's outcome influences the way people evaluate
      their own outcome. In a series of experiments, we examined whether the outcome of
      the alternative plays an additional role in the decision-making process by
      creating expectations regarding the outcome of the chosen option. Specifically,
      we hypothesized that people see a good (bad) alternative's outcome as a bad
      (good) sign regarding their own outcome when the two outcomes are in fact
      uncorrelated, a phenomenon we call the "Alternative Omen Effect" (ALOE). Subjects
      had to repeatedly choose between two boxes, the outcomes of which were then
      sequentially revealed. In Experiments 1 and 2 the alternative's outcome was
      presented first, and we assessed the individual's prediction of their own
      outcome. In Experiment 3, subjects had to predict the alternative's outcome after
      seeing their own. We find that even though the two outcomes were in fact
      uncorrelated, people tended to see a good (bad) alternative outcome as a bad
      (good) sign regarding their own outcome. Importantly, this illusory negative
      correlation affected subsequent behavior and led to irrational choices.
      Furthermore, the order of presentation was critical: when the outcome of the
      chosen option was presented first, the effect disappeared, suggesting that this
      illusory negative correlation is influenced by self-relevance. We discuss the
      possible sources of this illusory correlation as well as its implications for
      research on counterfactual thinking. 

PMID- 26500192
TI  - Comparison of inducible versus constitutive expression of plectasin on yields and
      antimicrobial activities in Pichia pastoris.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plectasin might serve as a substitute for traditional antibiotics,
      but its yields and antimicrobial activities warrant further investigation.
      OBJECTIVE: To identify the influence of inducible versus constitutive expression
      of plectasin on yields and antimicrobial activities. METHODS: Through SOE-PCR, a
      recombinant plectasin gene was generated and inserted into inducible
      (pPICZalphaA) and constitutive (pGAPZalphaA) vectors in order to create Pichia
      pastoris GS115 strains. After 120 h of fermentation, supernatants were purified
      by an AKTA purifier using nickel columns. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC)
      and inhibition zone assays were performed after Tricine-SDS-PAGE. RESULTS: After
      120 h of fermentation, the yield of constitutive plectasin (370 MUg/ml) was much
      lower than that from inducible vector (880 MUg/ml) (P < 0.05). However,
      constitutive strain reached its plateau phase faster and keep more consistent
      yield (P < 0.05). The MICs of inducible plectasin against Methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) 15471118, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus feces
      (VREF), and penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumonia (PRSP) 31355 were 64,
      32, and 64 MUg/ml, respectively, while those of constitutive plectasin were 4, 4,
      and 16 MUg/ml. No significant differences were observed in antimicrobial
      activities between inducible and constitutive plectasin for MRSA 15471118, VREF
      and PRSP 31355 (all P > 0.05). However, constitutive plectasin had a larger
      inhibition zone than inducible plectasin with the same mass. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although P. pastoris GS115 (pGAPZalphaA-Plectasin-GS115) had lower expression
      than P. pastoris GS115 (pPICZalphaA-plectasin-GS115), it reached the plateau
      phase faster, had steadier yields and showed superiority in antimicrobial
      activities. Therefore, pGAPZalphaA might be more suitable for expression of
      plectasin in GS115 compared with pPICZalphaA.

PMID- 26500193
TI  - Short-term treatment with VEGF receptor inhibitors induces retinopathy of
      prematurity-like abnormal vascular growth in neonatal rats.
AB  - Retinal arterial tortuosity and venous dilation are hallmarks of plus disease,
      which is a severe form of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). In this study, we
      examined whether short-term interruption of vascular endothelial growth factor
      (VEGF) signals leads to the formation of severe ROP-like abnormal retinal blood
      vessels. Neonatal rats were treated subcutaneously with the VEGF receptor (VEGFR)
      tyrosine kinase inhibitors, KRN633 (1, 5, or 10 mg/kg) or axitinib (10 mg/kg), on
      postnatal day (P) 7 and P8. The retinal vasculatures were examined on P9, P14, or
      P21 in retinal whole-mounts stained with an endothelial cell marker. Prevention
      of vascular growth and regression of some preformed capillaries were observed on
      P9 in retinas of rats treated with KRN633. However, on P14 and P21, density of
      capillaries, tortuosity index of arterioles, and diameter of veins significantly
      increased in KRN633-treated rats, compared to vehicle (0.5% methylcellulose)
      treated animals. Similar observations were made with axitinib-treated rats.
      Expressions of VEGF and VEGFR-2 were enhanced on P14 in KRN633-treated rat
      retinas. The second round of KRN633 treatment on P11 and P12 completely blocked
      abnormal retinal vascular growth on P14, but thereafter induced ROP-like abnormal
      retinal blood vessels by P21. These results suggest that an interruption of
      normal retinal vascular development in neonatal rats as a result of short-term
      VEGFR inhibition causes severe ROP-like abnormal retinal vascular growth in a
      VEGF-dependent manner. Rats treated postnatally with VEGFR inhibitors could serve
      as an animal model for studying the mechanisms underlying the development of plus
      disease. 

PMID- 26500194
TI  - Neuropilin-2 contributes to LPS-induced corneal inflammatory lymphangiogenesis.
AB  - Neuropilin-2 (NP2), a high-affinity kinase-deficient co-receptor for vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C, is involved in embryonic vessel development,
      tumor growth, tumor lymphangiogenesis and metastasis. However, the pathological
      role of NP2 in other disorders, particularly under inflammatory lymphangiogenic
      conditions, remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of
      NP2 in inflammation-induced lymphangiogenesis in vivo using a lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS)-induced corneal neovascularization mouse model and in vitro using a
      macrophage-mouse lymphatic endothelial cell (mLEC) co-culture system. In the
      mouse model of LPS-induced inflammatory corneal neovascularization, NP2 and VEGFR
      3 expression were rapidly up-regulated after LPS stimulation, and microRNA
      mediated knockdown of NP2 significantly inhibited the up-regulation of VEGFR-3.
      Moreover, NP2 knockdown specifically inhibited the increase in the number of
      corneal lymphatic vessels but did not influence the increase in the number of
      blood vessels or macrophage recruitment induced by LPS. In a macrophage-LEC co
      culture system, LPS up-regulated VEGFR-3 expression and induced mLEC migration
      and proliferation, and NP2 knockdown inhibited the up-regulation of VEGFR-3
      expression and mLEC migration but not proliferation. Taken together, these
      results suggested that NP2 might be involved in the regulation of
      lymphangiogenesis via the regulation of VEGFR-3 expression during corneal
      inflammation. Therefore, NP2-targeted therapy might be a promising strategy for
      selective inhibition of inflammatory lymphangiogenesis in corneal inflammatory
      diseases, transplant immunology and oncology. 

PMID- 26500196
TI  - Spatial distribution of metabolites in the human lens.
AB  - Spatial distribution of 34 metabolites along the optical and equatorial axes of
      the human lens has been determined. For the majority of metabolites, the
      homogeneous distribution has been observed. That suggests that the rate of the
      metabolite transformation in the lens is low due to the general metabolic
      passivity of the lens fiber cells. However, the redox processes are active in the
      lens; as a result, some metabolites, including antioxidants, demonstrate the
      "nucleus-depleted" type of distribution, whereas secondary UV filters show the
      "nucleus-enriched" type. The metabolite concentrations at the lens poles and
      equator are similar for all metabolites under study. The concentric pattern of
      the "nucleus-depleted" and "nucleus-enriched" distributions testifies that the
      metabolite distribution inside the lens is mostly governed by a passive
      diffusion, relatively free along the fiber cells and retarded in the radial
      direction across the cells. No significant difference in the metabolite
      distribution between the normal and cataractous human lenses was found. 

PMID- 26500197
TI  - Postoperative antiviral therapy with nucleos(t)ide analogs for patients with
      hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

PMID- 26500195
TI  - Expansions of the neurovascular scleral canal and contained optic nerve occur
      early in the hypertonic saline rat experimental glaucoma model.
AB  - PURPOSE: To characterize early optic nerve head (ONH) structural change in rat
      experimental glaucoma (EG). METHODS: Unilateral intraocular pressure (IOP)
      elevation was induced in Brown Norway rats by hypertonic saline injection into
      the episcleral veins and animals were sacrificed 4 weeks later by perfusion
      fixation. Optic nerve cross-sections were graded from 1 (normal) to 5 (extensive
      injury) by 5 masked observers. ONHs with peripapillary retina and sclera were
      embedded, serial sectioned, 3-D reconstructed, delineated, and quantified.
      Overall and animal-specific EG versus Control eye ONH parameter differences were
      assessed globally and regionally by linear mixed effect models with significance
      criteria adjusted for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Expansions of the optic
      nerve and surrounding anterior scleral canal opening achieved statistical
      significance overall (p < 0.0022), and in 7 of 8 EG eyes (p < 0.005). In at least
      5 EG eyes, significant expansions (p < 0.005) in Bruch's membrane opening (BMO)
      (range 3-10%), the anterior and posterior scleral canal openings (8-21% and 5
      21%, respectively), and the optic nerve at the anterior and posterior scleral
      canal openings (11-30% and 8-41%, respectively) were detected. Optic nerve
      expansion was greatest within the superior and inferior quadrants. Optic nerve
      expansion at the posterior scleral canal opening was significantly correlated to
      optic nerve damage (R = 0.768, p = 0.042). CONCLUSION: In the rat ONH, the optic
      nerve and surrounding BMO and neurovascular scleral canal expand early in their
      response to chronic experimental IOP elevation. These findings provide phenotypic
      landmarks and imaging targets for detecting the development of experimental
      glaucomatous optic neuropathy in the rat eye.

PMID- 26500198
TI  - Liver transplantation in adults with portal vein thrombosis: Data from the China
      Liver Transplant Registry.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a common complication in patients
      with liver cirrhosis. During liver transplantation (LT), PVT may complicate the
      procedure and lead to a poor prognosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate
      patients enrolled in the China Liver Transplant Registry, to understand the
      influence of PVT to the LT recipients. METHODS: We collected data from patients
      who underwent LT and were entered into the China Liver Transplant Registry. All
      data of medical records and follow-up were retrospectively reviewed. The
      preoperative condition, duration of surgery, intraoperative blood loss,
      postoperative early and late PVT, and survival rates were compared between
      patients with PVT and those without PVT. Multivariate Cox analysis and survival
      analysis were used to determine the influence of PVT. RESULTS: A total of 20,524
      cases were recruited into the study. In all, 1810 (8.82%) patients were diagnosed
      with preoperative PVT of various severities. All patients were followed up for an
      average of 30.25+/-33.25months (up to a maximum of 171.68months). Patients with
      PVT had a significantly longer operating time, more intraoperative blood loss and
      a higher rate of post-LT PVT (P<0.001). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that PVT
      did not reduce the recipients' survival rate (HR=0.89, 95% CI: 0.774-1.024,
      P=0.103). There was no significant difference in cumulative survival rate
      (P=0.059) between patients without PVT, and patients with PVT. CONCLUSIONS: PVT
      increases the difficulty of LT, but doesn't reduce the survival rate. Therefore,
      PVT is not an absolute contraindication for LT in experienced transplantation
      centers.

PMID- 26500199
TI  - Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: A risk factor for cancer, autoimmune and
      cardiovascular diseases?
AB  - The authors show, in an elegant population-based study, a significant association
      between intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and liver and biliary cancer. This
      association is most probably related to the high frequency of hepatitis C and
      gallstone disease in women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, both being
      risk factors for liver and biliary cancer. In addition, the study clearly shows
      an increased risk of diabetes mellitus and autoimmune diseases, such as thyroid
      diseases, psoriasis, autoimmune arthropathies and Crohn's disease, and a small
      increase in cardiovascular diseases. In practice, a follow-up of liver function
      tests 6-12 weeks after delivery is strongly recommended to detect a possible
      associated liver disease. 

PMID- 26500200
TI  - Safety and efficacy of palliative systemic chemotherapy combined with colorectal
      self-expandable metallic stents in advanced colorectal cancer: A multicenter
      study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) placement is an accepted
      palliative therapy for management of acute malignant bowel obstruction in
      advanced colorectal cancer. Nevertheless, data are lacking on the effects of
      systemic chemotherapy combined with colorectal SEMS. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the safety and efficacy of palliative chemotherapy for advanced
      colorectal cancer combined with colorectal SEMS placement. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      This multicentre retrospective study included all consecutive advanced colorectal
      cancer patients who received first-line palliative chemotherapy combined with
      endoscopic stenting for colorectal cancer with obstruction. We analyzed the
      number of cycles and the type of combination used. The primary endpoint was
      overall survival. Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival,
      response rate, grade 3-4 toxicity and the outcomes of SEMS for malignant
      colorectal obstruction. RESULTS: A total of 38 patients were included. Among
      them, 25 patients received oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil combination
      chemotherapy. Objective response and stabilization occurred in 38 and 24% of
      patients, respectively. The median overall survival and progression-free survival
      from the start of chemotherapy were 18 and 5months, respectively. The objective
      response rate and overall disease control rate were 38 and 62%, respectively.
      Toxicity was generally acceptable. Major complications related to stenting
      included perforation (8%), stent migration (5%), and reobstruction secondary to
      tumor ingrowths (13%). CONCLUSIONS: Chemotherapy combined with colonic stenting
      as a first-line treatment seems to be a valid option in advanced colorectal
      cancer patients with malignant colorectal obstruction.

PMID- 26500201
TI  - Association study of PNPLA2 gene with histological parameters of NAFLD in an
      obese population.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the
      closely associated metabolic syndrome is high and is related to risk factors such
      as obesity and type 2 diabetes. A genetic basis for NAFLD has been suggested, but
      only few causal genes have been identified. The most significant association
      reported to date is the robust association of the PNPLA3 I148M variant with
      susceptibility to NAFLD. We therefore hypothesized that the PNPLA2 gene might
      also be involved in NAFLD pathogenesis, because of its close sequence similarity
      with PNPLA3 and its possible involvement in ectopic fat accumulation. METHODS: In
      this study, we investigated the association of PNPLA2 polymorphisms with the
      development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in a prospectively recruited
      Belgian obese population comprising 633 individuals with varying degrees of fatty
      liver disease. We selected 3 PNPLA2 SNPs for genotyping, including 2 tagSNPs that
      cover most information on common genetic variation in the selected region.
      RESULTS: After performing linear regression analysis, we found that 2 of the
      analyzed PNPLA2 SNPs were associated with anthropometric and metabolic
      parameters. In our subcohort of patients that underwent liver biopsy (n=372/633
      or 58.7%), we assessed the influence of the PNPLA2 variants on the severity of
      histologically determined liver damage, but we did not find convincing evidence
      for association. CONCLUSION: Although we found evidence for moderate association
      between PNPLA2 tagSNPs and anthropometric and metabolic parameters in our cohort,
      no evidence for association between polymorphisms in the PNPLA2 gene and the
      presence and severity of NAFLD was identified.

PMID- 26500202
TI  - Restrained eating predicts effortful self-control as indicated by heart rate
      variability during food exposure.
AB  - When confronted with food, restrained eaters have to inhibit the pursuit of the
      short-term goal of enjoying their food for the sake of the long-term goal of
      controlling their weight. Thus, restrained eating creates a self-control
      situation. In the present study we investigated the initiation of effortful self
      control by food cues in accordance with the level of restrained eating. We
      expected that a preceding act of self-control would moderate the association
      between restrained eating and effortful self-control initiated by food cues.
      Participants (N=111) were randomly assigned to a task requiring self-control or a
      task not requiring self-control. Subsequently, participants were exposed to
      palatable food, and effortful self-control was measured via heart rate
      variability (HRV). Restrained eating was associated with enhanced HRV during food
      exposure after exercising self-control but not after not exercising self-control.
      The results indicate that maintaining dieting goals results in food cues
      initiating effortful self-control after a preceding act of self-control. We
      suggest considering the effect of acts of self-control when modeling the initial
      steps on the path from food cues to unsuccessful restrained eating. 

PMID- 26500203
TI  - Characterization of maize spermine synthase 1 (ZmSPMS1): Evidence for
      dimerization and intracellular location.
AB  - Polyamines are ubiquitous positively charged metabolites that play an important
      role in wide fundamental cellular processes; because of their importance, the
      homeostasis of these amines is tightly regulated. Spermine synthase catalyzes the
      formation of polyamine spermine, which is necessary for growth and development in
      higher eukaryotes. Previously, we reported a stress inducible spermine synthase 1
      (ZmSPMS1) gene from maize. The ZmSPMS1 enzyme differs from their dicot
      orthologous by a C-terminal extension, which contains a degradation PEST sequence
      involved in its turnover. Herein, we demonstrate that ZmSPMS1 protein interacts
      with itself in split yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assays. A Bimolecular Fluorescence
      Complementation (BiFC) assay revealed that ZmSPMS1 homodimer has a cytoplasmic
      localization. In order to gain a better understanding about ZmSPMS1 interaction,
      two deletion constructs of ZmSPMS1 protein were obtained. The DeltaN-ZmSPMS1
      version, where the first 74 N-terminal amino acids were eliminated, showed
      reduced capability of dimer formation, whereas the DeltaC-ZmSPMS1 version,
      lacking the last 40 C-terminal residues, dramatically abated the ZmSPMS1-ZmSPMS1
      protein interaction. Recombinant protein expression in Escherichia coli of
      ZmSPMS1 derived versions revealed that deletion of its N-terminal domain affected
      the spermine biosynthesis, whereas C-terminal ZmSPMS1 truncated version fail to
      generate this polyamine. These data suggest that N- and C-terminal domains of
      ZmSPMS1 play a role in a functional homodimer. 

PMID- 26500204
TI  - Futility of Imaging Atherosclerotic Renal Artery Stenosis?

PMID- 26500205
TI  - The Reply.

PMID- 26500206
TI  - Fever-induced Brugada Pattern.

PMID- 26500207
TI  - The Reply.

PMID- 26500208
TI  - Brugada Phenocopy Is an Important Differential Diagnosis in Patients with Type 1
      Brugada ECG Patterns.

PMID- 26500209
TI  - The Reply.

PMID- 26500210
TI  - Cocaine-related Aortic Dissection: Questions yet to Be Resolved.

PMID- 26500211
TI  - The Reply.

PMID- 26500212
TI  - Changes in Internal Medicine Fellowship Timeline Are Not Favorable for Applicants
      on J1 Visa.

PMID- 26500213
TI  - The Reply.

PMID- 26500214
TI  - Autonomic Dysfunction and Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26500215
TI  - The Reply.

PMID- 26500216
TI  - Hypertensives May Safely Consume Ethanol and Coffee in Moderation.

PMID- 26500217
TI  - Dr Alpert Is on the Money!

PMID- 26500218
TI  - From pay-per-bag to pay-per-kg: The case of Flanders revisited.
AB  - Weight-based pricing systems for municipal solid waste collection and processing
      are increasingly popular in many European countries and regions. However, the
      impact on waste generation of such pricing schedules remains debated and depends
      strongly on the practical details of the system used. This article assesses the
      impact of a voluntary transition by Flemish municipalities from the default price
      per-bag pricing systems to a more sophisticated weight-based pricing schedule. By
      (1) exploiting alternative statistical techniques, (2) using more recent data and
      (3) focusing on the introduction effect of the new pricing schedule, we are able
      to complement and refine prior research on this topic. Our results indicate that
      introducing weight-based pricing has initially a significant and substantial
      downward impact on the amount of residual municipal solid waste per capita. This
      result is robust under different methodologies that control for selection bias.
      There are however, indications that this initial effect does not persist in the
      years after introduction. 

PMID- 26500219
TI  - Ethanol attenuates vasorelaxation via inhibition of inducible nitric oxide
      synthase in rat artery exposed to interleukin-1beta.
AB  - Nitric oxide produced by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) regulates sepsis
      induced hypotension. During septic shock, interleukin (IL)-1beta is synthesized
      in endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells by endotoxin. Ethanol (EtOH)
      suppresses endotoxin-induced hypotension. The present study aimed to elucidate
      the effect of EtOH on gradual relaxation and iNOS expression induced by IL-1beta
      in isolated rat superior mesenteric arteries (SMAs). Exposure to IL-1beta-induced
      contraction in SMA rings, followed by a gradual relaxation of phenylephrine
      precontracted tone. Contraction was abolished by indomethacin (IM), cycloheximide
      (Chx), and endothelium denudation. In contrast, the gradual relaxation was
      abolished by NOS inhibitors, Chx, endothelium denudation, and inhibited by EtOH
      (50 and 100 mM). However, IM had no effect on relaxation. Western blot analysis
      demonstrated that iNOS expression was induced by IL-1beta and was inhibited by
      EtOH and endothelium denudation. Furthermore, messenger RNA expression of iNOS,
      but not endothelial NOS, was inhibited by EtOH. These data suggest that IL-1beta
      induced contraction is mediated by thromboxane A2, whereas IL-1beta-induced
      relaxation occurs via NO derived from iNOS. The endothelium plays an important
      role in vasorelaxation. Taken together, EtOH inhibits IL-1beta-mediated
      vasorelaxation by suppressing endothelium iNOS expression. This study provides
      the first evidence of EtOH -induced inhibition of IL-1beta-mediated
      vasorelaxation. 

PMID- 26500220
TI  - Genotoxic and mutagenic effects of vigabatrin, a gamma-aminobutyric acid
      transaminase inhibitor, in Wistar rats submitted to rotarod task.
AB  - Vigabatrin (VGB) is an antiepileptic drug thatincreases brain gamma-aminobutyric
      acid (GABA) levels through irreversible inhibition of GABA transaminase. The aim
      of this study was to evaluate neurotoxicological effects of VGB measuring motor
      activity and genotoxic and mutagenic effects after a single and repeated
      administration. Male Wistar rats received saline, VGB 50, 100, or 250 mg/kg by
      gavage for acute and subchronic (14 days) treatments and evaluated in the rotarod
      task. Genotoxicity was evaluated using the alkaline version of the comet assay in
      samples of blood, liver, hippocampus, and brain cortex after both treatments.
      Mutagenicity was evaluated using the micronucleus test in bone marrow of the same
      animals that received subchronic treatment. The groups treated with VGB showed
      similar performance in rotarod compared with the saline group. Regarding the
      acute treatment, it was observed that only higher VGB doses induced DNA damage in
      blood and hippocampus. After the subchronic treatment, VGB did not show genotoxic
      or mutagenic effects. In brief, VGB did not impair motor activities in rats after
      acute and subchronic treatments. It showed a repairable genotoxic potential in
      the central nervous system since genotoxicity was observed in the acute treatment
      group. 

PMID- 26500221
TI  - Effects of silver nanoparticles on human dermal fibroblasts and epidermal
      keratinocytes.
AB  - Biomedical application of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has been rapidly
      increasing. Owing to their strong antimicrobial activity, AgNPs are used in
      dermatology in the treatment of wounds and burns. However, recent evidence for
      their cytotoxicity gives rise to safety concerns. This study was undertaken as a
      part of an ongoing programme in our laboratory to develop a topical agent for
      wound healing. Here, we investigated the potential toxicity of AgNPs using normal
      human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) and normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK)
      with the aim of comparing the effects of AgNPs and ionic silver (Ag-I). Besides
      the effect of AgNPs and Ag-I on cell viability, the inflammatory response and DNA
      damage in AgNPs and Ag-I-treated cells were examined. The results showed that Ag
      I were significantly more toxic than AgNPs both on NHDF and NHEK. Non-cytotoxic
      concentrations of AgNPs and Ag-I did not induce DNA strand breaks and did not
      affect inflammatory markers, except for a transient increase in interleukin 6
      levels in Ag-I-treated NHDF. The results showed that AgNPs are more suitable for
      the intended application as a topical agent for wound healing up to the
      concentration 25 ug/mL. 

PMID- 26500222
TI  - Association of ADAM33 gene polymorphism and arginase activity with susceptibility
      to ventilatory impairment in wood dust-exposed workers.
AB  - ADAM33 represents an important gene of susceptibility for lung function
      impairment. This work aimed to evaluate the association between genetic
      polymorphism of ADAM33 at four single nucleotide polymorphisms (T1, T2, S1, and
      Q1) and arginase activity with respiratory functions impairment in wood workers.
      The study was done to compare ventilatory functions and arginase activity of 82
      wood workers and 81 controls. Genotyping was determined by using the polymerase
      chain restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Forced expiratory volume
      in the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and peak expiratory flow
      rate (PEF) of the workers were significantly reduced compared with the controls.
      T1 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was associated with obvious decline in
      the FEV1, FVC, and PEF in wood workers, while T2 SNP was associated with decline
      in FEV1 and PEF. A significant increase in arginase activity was found in T2 and
      S1 SNPs of the exposed workers. Increase in duration of exposure was correlated
      with the decline in ventilatory functions. This inverse correlation was
      significant for pulmonary function indices in AA and GG genotypes of T1 and T2,
      respectively. Moreover, significance was detected for FVC and FEV1 in AA and GA
      genotypes of S1 and Q1. A positive correlation between arginase activity and
      duration of exposure was found to be significant in GG genotype of S1 SNP. An
      association between ADAM33 gene polymorphism and impaired lung functions was
      detected in wood dust-exposed workers. Arginase activity may play an associated
      important role in increasing this impairment in wood workers. 

PMID- 26500223
TI  - Do phages impact microbial dynamics, prokaryotic community structure and nutrient
      dynamics in Lake Bourget?
AB  - Phages are the most abundant and diversified biological entities in aquatic
      ecosystems. Understanding their functional role requires laboratory experiments
      on a short time-scale. Using samples of surface waters of Lake Bourget, we
      studied whether viruses impact (i) the abundance patterns of the bacterial and
      phytoplankton communities, (ii) a part of the prokaryotic community composition
      (both for Eubacteria and Archaea), and (iii) the recycling of nutrients and/or
      organic matter. Three experiments were performed (one each in February, March and
      April) at the transition between winter and spring in 2013. The experiment
      reduced or increased the abundance of virus-like particles in samples containing
      only the picoplanktonic fraction. Viral and cellular abundances, bacterial and
      archaeal community structures as well as nutrient concentrations were analysed
      every 24 h for 3 days. Some of the results reveal that increasing the phage
      abundance increased the diversity of the eubacterial community. Consistent with
      the 'killing the winner' concept, viruses are thus likely to significantly change
      the composition of the bacterial community. This suggests a positive association
      between viral abundance and bacterial diversity. In contrast, the composition of
      the archaeal community did not seem to be affected by phage abundance, suggesting
      the absence of viral control on this community or the inability to observe it at
      this period of year, either based on the time scale of the investigation or
      because the archaeal virus titre was too low to induce a significant and visible
      effect. Lastly, we were unable to demonstrate viruses driving the cycling of
      nutrients or the response of plankton to nutrient concentration changes in a
      significant way, suggesting that the role of viruses may be subtle or difficult
      to assess through the use of such experimental procedures. 

PMID- 26500224
TI  - Hox11 genes regulate postnatal longitudinal bone growth and growth plate
      proliferation.
AB  - Hox genes are critical regulators of skeletal development and Hox9-13 paralogs,
      specifically, are necessary for appendicular development along the proximal to
      distal axis. Loss of function of both Hoxa11 and Hoxd11 results in severe
      malformation of the forelimb zeugopod. In the radius and ulna of these mutants,
      chondrocyte development is perturbed, growth plates are not established, and
      skeletal growth and maturation fails. In compound mutants in which one of the
      four Hox11 alleles remains wild-type, establishment of a growth plate is
      preserved and embryos develop normally through newborn stages, however, skeletal
      phenotypes become evident postnatally. During postnatal development, the radial
      and ulnar growth rate slows compared to wild-type controls and terminal bone
      length is reduced. Growth plate height is decreased in mutants and premature
      growth plate senescence occurs along with abnormally high levels of chondrocyte
      proliferation in the reserve and proliferative zones. Compound mutants
      additionally develop an abnormal curvature of the radius, which causes
      significant distortion of the carpal elements. The progressive bowing of the
      radius appears to result from physical constraint caused by the
      disproportionately slower growth of the ulna than the radius. Collectively, these
      data are consistent with premature depletion of forelimb zeugopod progenitor
      cells in the growth plate of Hox11 compound mutants, and demonstrate a continued
      function for Hox genes in postnatal bone growth and patterning. 

PMID- 26500225
TI  - Donor platelet plasma components inactivate sensitive and multidrug resistant
      Acinetobacter baumannii isolates.
AB  - Acinetobacter baumannii is an environmentally resilient healthcare-associated
      opportunistic pathogen responsible for infections at many body sites. In the last
      10 years, clinical strains resistant to many or all commonly used antibiotics
      have emerged globally. With few antimicrobial agents in the pharmaceutical
      pipeline, new and alternative agents are essential. Platelets secrete a large
      number of proteins, including proteins with antimicrobial activity. In a previous
      study, we demonstrated that donor platelet supernatants and plasma significantly
      inhibited the growth of a reference strain of A. baumannii in broth and on skin.
      This inhibition appeared to be unrelated to the platelet activation state. In
      this study, we demonstrate that this growth inhibition extends to clinical
      multidrug resistant isolates. We also demonstrate that there is no relationship
      between this activity and selected platelet-derived antimicrobial proteins.
      Instead, the donor plasma components complement and alpha-2 macroglobulin are
      implicated. 

PMID- 26500226
TI  - Microbiota-mitochondria inter-talk: consequence for microbiota-host interaction.
AB  - New discoveries in metagenomics and clinical research have highlighted the
      importance of the gut microbiota for human health through the regulation of the
      host immune response and energetic metabolism. The microbiota interacts with host
      cells in particular by intermingling with the mitochondrial activities. This
      mitochondria-microbiota cross-talk is intriguing because mitochondria share many
      common structural and functional features with the prokaryotic world. Several
      studies reported a correlation between microbiota quality and diversity and
      mitochondrial function. The mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) plays an important role during the innate immune response and inflammation,
      and is often targeted by pathogenic bacteria. Data suggest that excessive
      mitochondrial ROS production may affect ROS signaling induced by the microbiota
      to regulate the gut epithelial barrier. Finally, the microbiota releases
      metabolites that can directly interfere with the mitochondrial respiratory chain
      and ATP production. Short chain fatty acids have beneficial effects on
      mitochondrial activity. All these data suggest that the microbiota targets
      mitochondria to regulate its interaction with the host. Imbalance of this
      targeting may result in a pathogenic state as observed in numerous studies. The
      challenge to find new treatments will be to find strategies to modulate the
      quality and diversity of the microbiota rather than acting on microbiota
      metabolites and microbiota-related factors. 

PMID- 26500227
TI  - State Fall Prevention Coalitions as Systems Change Agents: An Emphasis on Policy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Falls among older adults are an escalating public health issue, which
      requires a multidisciplinary and multilevel approach to affect systems change to
      effectively address this problem. The National Council on Aging established the
      Falls Free(r) Initiative, enfolding and facilitating statewide Fall Prevention
      Coalitions. Fall Free(r) activities included developing the State Policy Toolkit
      for Advancing Falls Prevention to promote sustainable change by supporting the
      dissemination and adoption of evidence-based strategies. PURPOSE: To (1)
      determine if the policies being implemented were recommended and supported by the
      Toolkit, (2) identify the perceived barriers and facilitators to implementing
      policies, and (3) identify Coalitions' current and future fall prevention policy
      activities. METHODS: A 63-item online survey was distributed to State Coalition
      Leads. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and counts) were used to describe
      Coalition characteristics and activities. RESULTS: Coalitions had several
      similarities, and varied greatly in their number of member organizations and
      members as well as meeting frequencies. Key activities included building
      partnerships, disseminating programs, and pursuing at least one of the eight
      National Council on Aging-recommended policy goals. The most commonly reported
      facilitator was active support from the Coalition Leads, whereas the lack of
      funding was the most cited barrier. CONCLUSION: This study serves as the first
      national census of empirical evidence regarding Falls Coalitions' composition,
      goals, and activities. Results indicate that Coalitions are actively pursuing
      evidence-based policies but could benefit from additional technical assistance
      and resources. Findings support the value of Toolkit recommendations by
      documenting what is feasible and being implemented. Knowledge about facilitators
      and barriers will inform future efforts to foster sustainable systems change in
      states with active Coalitions and encourage Coalitions in other states.

PMID- 26500228
TI  - Identifying the Rehabilitative Potential of Electronically Monitored Release
      Preparation: A Randomized Controlled Study in Germany.
AB  - As one of many fields of application, electronic monitoring (EM) of offenders can
      be used-in conjunction with other measures-for release preparation. Using such
      measures, policymakers expect an alleviation of the negative effects of
      imprisonment and the promotion of positive rehabilitative effects by adding
      structure and social support. At the same time, policymakers are willing to
      maintain community safety through the close supervision provided by EM. The
      present study examines participants' psychological and psychosocial changes
      during two measures of electronically monitored release preparation, namely, home
      detention and early work release. These findings are compared with a randomized
      group of participants who remained in custody. In sum, we found no distinctive
      positive effects of the tested measures. Because most participants already
      displayed functional psychological characteristics at pretest, there was only a
      small margin for improvement through electronically monitored release
      preparation. We conclude that if rehabilitation is sought by the use of such
      measures, it is important to select a target group that is actually in need of
      rehabilitative support and equally important to conduct further research on the
      rehabilitative potential of EM measures.

PMID- 26500230
TI  - Continued EGFR Inhibition With Postprogression Chemotherapy: Where Do We Stand?

PMID- 26500229
TI  - Brentuximab Vedotin in Transplant-Naive Relapsed/Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma:
      Experience in 30 Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is characterized by the presence of CD30
      positive Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg cells. Approximately 30%-40% of patients with
      advanced disease are refractory to frontline therapy or will relapse after first
      line treatment. The standard management of these patients is salvage chemotherapy
      followed by high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT).
      The best prognostic factor is the status of disease before ASCT; in particular,
      the normalization of positron emission tomography (PET) scan. Brentuximab vedotin
      (BV) has shown a high overall response rate in refractory/relapsed HL after ASCT,
      whereas few data are available regarding its role before ASCT. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: A multicenter, retrospective, observational study was conducted. The
      primary endpoint of the study was the effectiveness of BV as single agent in
      patients with relapsed/refractory, ASCT-naive HL, determined by the conversion of
      PET status from positive to negative; secondary endpoints were safety, capacity
      to proceed to ASCT, survival, and progression-free status. RESULTS: Thirty
      patients with relapsed/refractory HL- and PET-positive disease after conventional
      chemotherapy salvage treatments were treated with a median of 4 cycles of BV.
      Normalization of PET findings (Deauville score <=2) occurred in 9 of 30 patients
      (30%). Those nine patients proceeded to ASCT. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that
      BV can normalize PET status in a subset of HL patients refractory to conventional
      chemotherapy salvage treatments, such as ifosfamide-containing regimens,
      cytarabine- and platinum-containing regimens, prior to ASCT.

PMID- 26500231
TI  - On Rounds: The King.

PMID- 26500232
TI  - Delayed aneurysm rupture due to residual blood flow at the inflow zone of the
      intracranial paraclinoid internal carotid aneurysm treated with the Pipeline
      embolization device: Histopathological investigation.
AB  - Cerebral aneurysm rupture is a serious complication that can occur after flow
      diverter (FD) placement, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We
      encountered a case in which direct stress on the aneurysm wall caused by residual
      blood flow at the inflow zone near the neck during the process of thrombosis
      after FD placement appeared associated with aneurysm rupture. The patient was a
      67-year-old woman with progressive optic nerve compression symptoms caused by a
      large intracranial paraclinoid internal carotid aneurysm. The patient had
      undergone treatment with a Pipeline embolization device (PED) with satisfactory
      adherence between the PED and vessel wall. Surgery was completed without
      complications, and optic nerve compression symptoms improved immediately after
      treatment. Postoperative clinical course was satisfactory, but the patient
      suddenly died 34 days postoperatively. Autopsy confirmed the presence of
      subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by rupture of the internal carotid aneurysm that
      had been treated with PED. Although the majority of the aneurysm lumen including
      the outflow zone was thrombosed, a non-thrombosed area was observed at the inflow
      zone. Perforation was evident in the aneurysm wall at the inflow zone near the
      neck, and this particular area of aneurysm wall was not covered in thrombus.
      Macrophage infiltration was not seen on immunohistochemical studies of the
      aneurysm wall near the perforation. A hemodynamically unstable period during the
      process of complete thrombosis of the aneurysm lumen after FD placement may be
      suggested, and blood pressure management and appropriate management with
      antiplatelet therapy may be important. 

PMID- 26500233
TI  - Delayed vertebral body collapse after stereotactic radiosurgery and
      radiofrequency ablation: Case report with histopathologic-MRI correlation.
AB  - Stereotactic radiosurgery and percutaneous radiofrequency ablation are emerging
      therapies for pain palliation and local control of spinal metastases. However,
      the post-treatment imaging findings are not well characterized and the risk of
      long-term complications is unknown. We present the case of a 46-year-old woman
      with delayed vertebral body collapse after stereotactic radiosurgery and
      radiofrequency ablation of a painful lumbar metastasis. Histopathologic-MRI
      correlation confirmed osteonecrosis as the underlying etiology and demonstrated
      that treatment-induced vascular fibrosis and tumor progression can have identical
      imaging appearances. 

PMID- 26500234
TI  - The Debaryomyces hansenii carboxylate transporters Jen1 homologues are functional
      in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - We have functionally characterized the four Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc) Jen1
      homologues of Debaryomyces hansenii (Dh) by heterologous expression in S.
      cerevisiae. Debaryomyces hansenii cells display mediated transport for the uptake
      of lactate, acetate, succinate and malate. DHJEN genes expression was detected by
      RT-PCR in all carbon sources assayed, namely lactate, succinate, citrate,
      glycerol and glucose. The heterologous expression in the S. cerevisiae W303-1A
      jen1Delta ady2Delta strain demonstrated that the D. hansenii JEN genes encode
      four carboxylate transporters. DH27 gene encodes an acetate transporter (Km 0.94
      +/- 0.17 mM; Vmax 0.43 +/- 0.03 nmol s(-1) mg(-1)), DH17 encodes a malate
      transporter (Km 0.27 +/- 0.04 mM; Vmax 0.11 +/- 0.01 nmol s(-1) mg(-1)) and both
      DH18 and DH24 encode succinate transporters with the following kinetic
      parameters, respectively, Km 0.31 +/- 0.06 mM; Vmax 0.83 +/- 0.04 nmol s(-1) mg(
      1)and Km 0.16 +/- 0.02 mM; Vmax 0.19 +/- 0.02 nmol s(-1) mg(-1). Surprisingly, no
      lactate transporter was found, although D. hansenii presents a mediated transport
      for this acid. This work advanced the current knowledge on yeast carboxylate
      transporters by characterizing four new plasma membrane transporters in D.
      hansenii. 

PMID- 26500235
TI  - Vaccination with LAG-3Ig (IMP321) and Peptides Induces Specific CD4 and CD8 T
      Cell Responses in Metastatic Melanoma Patients--Report of a Phase I/IIa Clinical
      Trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cancer vaccines aim to generate and maintain antitumor immune responses.
      We designed a phase I/IIa clinical trial to test a vaccine formulation composed
      of Montanide ISA-51 (Incomplete Freund's Adjuvant), LAG-3Ig (IMP321, a non-Toll
      like Receptor agonist with adjuvant properties), and five synthetic peptides
      derived from tumor-associated antigens (four short 9/10-mers targeting CD8 T
      cells, and one longer 15-mer targeting CD4 T-cells). Primary endpoints were
      safety and T-cell responses. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Sixteen metastatic melanoma
      patients received serial vaccinations. Up to nine injections were subcutaneously
      administered in three cycles, each with three vaccinations every 3 weeks, with 6
      to 14 weeks interval between cycles. Blood samples were collected at baseline, 1
      week after the third, sixth and ninth vaccination, and 6 months after the last
      vaccination. Circulating T-cells were monitored by tetramer staining directly ex
      vivo, and by combinatorial tetramer and cytokine staining on in vitro stimulated
      cells. RESULTS: Side effects were mild to moderate, comparable to vaccines with
      Montanide alone. Specific CD8 T-cell responses to at least one peptide formulated
      in the vaccine preparation were found in 13 of 16 patients. However, two of the
      four short peptides of the vaccine formulation did not elicit CD8 T-cell
      responses. Specific CD4 T-cell responses were found in all 16 patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that vaccination with IMP321 is a promising and safe
      strategy for inducing sustained immune responses, encouraging further development
      for cancer vaccines as components of combination therapies.

PMID- 26500236
TI  - Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Lenvatinib in Patients with Advanced
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the maximum tolerable dose (MTD), safety, pharmacokinetics,
      pharmacodynamics, and preliminary efficacy of lenvatinib in patients with
      advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: This multicenter,
      open-label, phase I, dose-escalation study included patients aged 20 to 80 years,
      refractory to standard therapy, and stratified by hepatic function measured using
      Child-Pugh (CP) scores: CP-A (score, 5-6) and CP-B (score, 7-8). Lenvatinib was
      administered continually once daily for 4-week cycles. MTD was defined as the
      maximum dose associated with <= 1 dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) occurring in cycle
      1 among 6 patients. RESULTS: In total, 20 patients (9 in CP-A and 11 in CP-B)
      were enrolled. The MTD was 12 and 8 mg once daily in CP-A and CP-B, respectively;
      DLTs included proteinuria, hepatic encephalopathy, and hyperbilirubinemia. The
      most common grade 3 toxicities included hypertension in CP-A and
      hyperbilirubinemia in CP-B. Lenvatinib plasma concentration at 24 hours after
      administration (C24 h) for 12 mg once daily was higher in patients with HCC than
      in patients with other solid tumors shown in a previous phase I study, but C24 h
      for 25 mg once daily lenvatinib was comparable. After lenvatinib treatment, the
      number of circulating endothelial and c-Kit(+) cells decreased and the levels of
      interleukin (IL)-6, IL10, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, and vascular
      endothelial growth factor increased (P < 0.05). Partial responses were observed
      in 3 patients and tumor shrinkage occurred in 14 patients. CONCLUSIONS:
      Lenvatinib (12 mg once daily) demonstrated preliminary efficacy with manageable
      toxicity and is the recommended dose for phase II studies in patients with HCC
      and CP-A.

PMID- 26500237
TI  - Sensitive Detection of Mono- and Polyclonal ESR1 Mutations in Primary Tumors,
      Metastatic Lesions, and Cell-Free DNA of Breast Cancer Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: Given the clinical relevance of ESR1 mutations as potential drivers of
      resistance to endocrine therapy, this study used sensitive detection methods to
      determine the frequency of ESR1 mutations in primary and metastatic breast
      cancer, and in cell-free DNA (cfDNA). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Six ESR1 mutations
      (K303R, S463P, Y537C, Y537N, Y537S, D538G) were assessed by digital droplet PCR
      (ddPCR), with lower limits of detection of 0.05% to 0.16%, in primary tumors (n =
      43), bone (n = 12) and brain metastases (n = 38), and cfDNA (n = 29).
      Correlations between ESR1 mutations in metastatic lesions and single (1 patient)
      or serial blood draws (4 patients) were assessed. RESULTS: ESR1 mutations were
      detected for D538G (n = 13), Y537S (n = 3), and Y537C (n = 1), and not for K303R,
      S463P, or Y537N. Mutation rates were 7.0% (3/43 primary tumors), 9.1% (1/11 bone
      metastases), 12.5% (3/24 brain metastases), and 24.1% (7/29 cfDNA). Two patients
      showed polyclonal disease with more than one ESR1 mutation. Mutation allele
      frequencies were 0.07% to 0.2% in primary tumors, 1.4% in bone metastases, 34.3%
      to 44.9% in brain metastases, and 0.2% to 13.7% in cfDNA. In cases with both
      cfDNA and metastatic samples (n = 5), mutations were detected in both (n = 3) or
      in cfDNA only (n = 2). Treatment was associated with changes in ESR1 mutation
      detection and allele frequency. CONCLUSIONS: ESR1 mutations were detected at very
      low allele frequencies in some primary breast cancers, and at high allele
      frequency in metastases, suggesting that in some tumors rare ESR1-mutant clones
      are enriched by endocrine therapy. Further studies should address whether
      sensitive detection of ESR1 mutations in primary breast cancer and in serial
      blood draws may be predictive for development of resistant disease. See related
      commentary by Gu and Fuqua, p. 1034.

PMID- 26500239
TI  - Neonatal randomised point-of-care trials are feasible and acceptable in the UK:
      results from two national surveys.

PMID- 26500238
TI  - IL1 Receptor Antagonist Inhibits Pancreatic Cancer Growth by Abrogating NF-kappaB
      Activation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Constitutive NF-kappaB activation is identified in about 70% of
      pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cases and is required for oncogenic KRAS
      induced PDAC development in mouse models. We sought to determine whether
      targeting IL-1alpha pathway would inhibit NF-kappaB activity and thus suppress
      PDAC cell growth. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We determined whether anakinra, a human IL
      1 receptor (rhIL-1R) antagonist, inhibited NF-kappaB activation. Assays for cell
      proliferation, migration, and invasion were performed with rhIL-1R antagonist
      using the human PDAC cell lines AsPc1, Colo357, MiaPaCa-2, and HPNE/K
      ras(G12V)/p16sh. In vivo NF-kappaB activation-dependent tumorigenesis was assayed
      using an orthotopic nude mouse model (n = 20, 5 per group) treated with a
      combination of gemcitabine and rhIL-1RA. RESULTS: rhIL-1R antagonist treatment
      led to a significant decrease in NF-kappaB activity. PDAC cells treated with rhIL
      1R antagonist plus gemcitabine reduced proliferation, migration, and invasion as
      compared with single gemcitabine treatment. In nude mice, rhIL-1R antagonist plus
      gemcitabine significantly reduced the tumor burden (gemcitabine plus rhIL-1RA vs.
      control, P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: We found that anakinra, an FDA-approved drug
      that inhibits IL-1 receptor (IL-1R), when given with or without gemcitabine, can
      reduce tumor growth by inhibiting IL1alpha-induced NF-kappaB activity; this
      result suggests that it is a useful therapeutic approach for PDAC.

PMID- 26500240
TI  - Religion, reason, controversies and perspectives in clinical and research ethics.

PMID- 26500242
TI  - The Role of Prematurity in Patients With Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy.
AB  - A multicenter retrospective study was conducted to investigate the perinatal
      factors, imaging findings and clinical characteristics of hemiplegic cerebral
      palsy with a particular focus on children born prematurely. Our cohort included
      135 patients of whom 42% were born prematurely; 16% were extreme premature
      infants who were born at 30 weeks or earlier. Nineteen (14%) were twins. Right
      hemiplegia was slightly more common and accounted for 59% of the patients.
      Imaging findings of intraventricular hemorrhage and periventricular leukomalacia
      were more prevalent in premature children whereas stroke, porencephaly, cerebral
      hemorrhage and cerebral atrophy were more evenly distributed in both term-born
      and prematurely-born children (p< 0.01). The overall prevalence of epilepsy in
      the cohort was 26% with no differences in full-term compared to prematurely-born
      children. Regardless of the gestational birth age, intellectual deficits were
      more common in the presence of comorbidity of both hemiplegia and epilepsy (p<
      0.05). 

PMID- 26500243
TI  - Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Outcomes in Children With Sepsis-Associated
      Encephalopathy Admitted to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Prospective Case
      Control Study.
AB  - The authors prospectively compared the neurodevelopmental and behavioral outcomes
      in 50 consecutive children with sepsis-associated encephalopathy admitted to
      intensive care unit with healthy controls. Children with sepsis-associated
      encephalopathy had significantly worse mean verbal IQ, full-scale IQ, General
      Development Score, and its physical, adaptive, social-emotional, cognitive, and
      communication subscales. Significant proportion of cases (52% vs 32% in controls)
      had low intelligence. Decline in school performance (44%), disobedience (28%),
      and stubbornness/irritable behavior (26%) were the most common behavior changes.
      Children with Glasgow Coma Scale score <=10 and <=8 had impairments in full-scale
      IQ even though overall Glasgow Coma Scale score did not show significant
      correlation with developmental outcomes. In conclusion, children with sepsis
      associated encephalopathy have delayed neurodevelopment, low verbal IQ, decline
      in school performance and low intelligence at short-term follow-up. Irritability,
      shock and duration of sedation are associated with poor behavioral outcomes,
      especially scholastic performance. 

PMID- 26500244
TI  - Association of Interleukin-1 Gene Cluster and Interleukin-1 Receptor
      Polymorphisms With Febrile Seizures.
AB  - Interleukin-1 (IL-1) plays a key role in inflammation, has an effect on a wide
      variety of cells, and often leads to tissue destruction. While the ratio between
      IL-1 and IL-1Ra could influence the development of different diseases of the
      central nervous system, its gene polymorphisms were investigated in a group of
      patients with febrile seizures. Ninety patients with febrile seizures were
      enrolled and compared with 140 controls. The allele and genotype frequency of
      single nucleotide polymorphisms within the IL-1alpha, beta, IL-1 R and IL-1Ra
      gene were determined. The frequency of the IL-1Ra/C allele at position Mspa-I
      11100 was decreased significantly (P= .002) and the IL-1Ra/T frequency was
      significantly increased in patients (P= .002). In addition, the CT genotype
      frequency at the same position was significantly overrepresented in controls
      compared to patients (P= .001). Certain alleles and genotypes in the IL-1 gene
      were overrepresented in patients with febrile seizures, which possibly could
      predispose individuals to this disease. 

PMID- 26500245
TI  - Partial and intermediate atrioventricular septal defects without major associated
      cardiac anomalies.
AB  - Partial and intermediate atrioventricular septal defects (p-i AVSDs) constitute
      approximately 20-40% of all AVSDs. Children with p-i AVSDs are usually
      asymptomatic and typically undergo surgery at the preschool age or earlier if the
      signs of heart failure have developed. Surgical treatment for repair of p-i AVSDs
      has been successful for more than 60 years and is mainly directed towards closing
      septal defects, and maintaining or creating competent, non-stenotic left and/or
      right atrioventricular valves. By most measures, the outcomes of surgical
      management of p-i AVSDs have improved over the last 5 decades. In spite of
      significantly reduced mortality, the need for reoperation and long-term morbidity
      remains an issue in some patients from this population. The purpose of this
      article is to review current options and outcomes concerning the surgical
      management of the p-AVSD and i-AVSD variants without major associated cardiac
      malformations.

PMID- 26500246
TI  - Association between Serum Potassium and Outcomes in Patients with Reduced Kidney
      Function.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patients with CKD are more likely than others to have
      abnormalities in serum potassium (K(+)). Aside from severe hyperkalemia, the
      clinical significance of K(+) abnormalities is not known. We sought to examine
      the association of serum K(+) with mortality and hospitalization rates within
      narrow eGFR strata to understand how the burden of hyperkalemia varies by CKD
      severity. Associations were examined between serum K(+) and discontinuation of
      medications that block the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which are
      known to increase serum K(+). DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: A
      cohort of patients with CKD (eGFR<60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2)) with serum K(+) data
      were studied (n=55,266) between January 1, 2009, and June 30, 2013 (study end).
      Serum K(+), eGFR, and covariates were considered on a time-updated basis.
      Mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), hospitalization, and
      discontinuation of RAAS blockers were considered per time at risk. RESULTS:
      During the study, serum K(+) levels of 5.5-5.9 and >=6.0 mEq/L were most
      prevalent at lower eGFR: they were present, respectively, in 1.7% and 0.2% of
      patient-time for eGFR of 50-59 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) versus 7.6% and 1.8% of
      patient-time for eGFR<30 ml/min per 1.73 m(2). Serum K(+) level <3.5 mEq/L was
      present in 1.2%-1.4% of patient-time across eGFR strata. The median follow-up
      time was 2.76 years. There was a U-shaped association between serum K(+) and
      mortality; pooled adjusted incidence rate ratios were 3.05 (95% confidence
      interval, 2.53 to 3.68) and 3.31 (95% confidence interval, 2.52 to 4.34) for K(+)
      levels <3.5 mEq/L and >=6.0 mEq/L, respectively. Within eGFR strata, there were U
      shaped associations of serum K(+) with rates of MACE, hospitalization, and
      discontinuation of RAAS blockers. CONCLUSIONS: Both hyperkalemia and hypokalemia
      were independently associated with higher rates of death, MACE, hospitalization,
      and discontinuation of RAAS blockers in patients with CKD who were not undergoing
      dialysis. Future studies are needed to determine whether interventions targeted
      at maintaining normal serum K(+) improve outcomes in this population.

PMID- 26500247
TI  - Evaluation of Neurocognition in Youth with CKD Using a Novel Computerized
      Neurocognitive Battery.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Neurocognitive problems in CKD are well documented;
      time-efficient methods are needed to assess neurocognition in this population. We
      performed the first study of the efficient 1-hour Penn Computerized
      Neurocognitive Battery (CNB) in children and young adults with CKD. DESIGN,
      SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: We administered the Penn CNB cross
      sectionally to individuals aged 8-25 years with stage 2-5 CKD (n=92, enrolled
      from three academic nephrology practices from 2011 to 2014) and matched healthy
      controls (n=69). We analyzed results from 12 tests in four domains: executive
      control, episodic memory, complex cognition, and social cognition. All tests
      measure accuracy and speed; we converted raw scores to age-specific z-scores on
      the basis of Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (n=1790) norms. We analyzed
      each test in a linear regression with accuracy and speed z-scores as dependent
      variables and with (1) CKD versus control or (2) eGFR as explanatory variables,
      adjusted for race, sex, and maternal education. RESULTS: Patients with CKD
      (mean+/-SD eGFR, 48+/-25 ml/min per 1.73 m(2); mean age, 16.3+/-3.9 years) and
      controls (mean eGFR, 98+/-20 ml/min per 1.73 m(2); mean age, 16.0+/-4.0 years)
      were similar demographically. CKD participants had lower accuracy than controls
      in tests of complex cognition, with moderate to large effect sizes: -0.53 (95%
      confidence interval [95% CI], -0.87 to -0.19) for verbal reasoning, -0.52 (95%
      CI, -0.83 to -0.22) for nonverbal reasoning, and -0.64 (95% CI, -0.99 to -0.29)
      for spatial processing. For attention, patients with CKD had lower accuracy
      (effect size, -0.35 [95% CI, -0.67 to -0.03]) but faster response times (effect
      size, 0.44 [95% CI, 0.04 to 0.83]) than controls, perhaps reflecting greater
      impulsivity. Lower eGFR was associated with lower accuracy for complex cognition,
      facial and visual memory, and emotion identification tests. CONCLUSIONS: CKD is
      associated with lower accuracy in tests of complex cognition, attention, memory,
      and emotion identification, which related to eGFR. These findings are consistent
      with traditional neurocognitive testing in previous studies.

PMID- 26500248
TI  - Factors Associated with Recovery of Renal Function following Radical Nephrectomy
      for Kidney Neoplasms.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Partial nephrectomy or radical nephrectomy is the
      standard of care for patients with kidney neoplasms, but surgery may result in
      loss of renal function. We sought to identify patient characteristics associated
      with renal functional recovery following radical nephrectomy. DESIGN, SETTING,
      PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: We performed a retrospective study among 572
      patients with kidney neoplasms who underwent RN between 2006 and 2013. The
      primary endpoint was recovery of postoperative eGFR to the preoperative level. We
      plotted the trajectory of each patient's eGFR from their first postoperative
      visit up to 3 years after surgery. Cumulative incidence and competing risks
      regression estimated associations between patient and clinical characteristics
      and eGFR recovery, stratified by preoperative eGFR. RESULTS: Median age was 61.5
      years; 68% of patients were male, and 89% were white. Overall, eGFR increased
      over time following an initial postoperative decrease. Median postoperative
      follow-up among survivors was 10.8 (minimum, 0.03; maximum, 36.0) months; during
      follow-up, 263 patients achieved eGFR recovery. Median time to eGFR recovery was
      25.3 months. Two-year cumulative incidence of eGFR recovery was 49% overall and
      44% and 58% among those with preoperative eGFR>=60 and <60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2),
      respectively (P<0.001). On multivariable analysis, younger age at surgery and
      female sex were significantly associated with a higher chance of eGFR recovery
      among patients with preoperative eGFR<60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2). Among patients
      with preoperative eGFR>=60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2), hypertension was significantly
      associated with a lower chance of eGFR recovery, whereas increased tumor size was
      significantly associated with a higher chance of eGFR recovery. CONCLUSIONS:
      Overall, almost half of the patients in this study recovered to their
      preoperative eGFR by 2 years following surgery. Distributions of preoperative
      risk factors differed by preoperative eGFR, leading to distinct factors that were
      significantly associated with chance of eGFR recovery.

PMID- 26500249
TI  - Developing the eHistology Atlas.
AB  - The eMouseAtlas project has undertaken to generate a new resource providing
      access to high-resolution colour images of the slides used in the renowned
      textbook 'The Atlas of Mouse Development' by Matthew H. Kaufman. The original
      histology slides were digitized, and the associated anatomy annotations captured
      for display in the new resource. These annotations were assigned to objects in
      the standard reference anatomy ontology, allowing the eHistology resource to be
      linked to other data resources including the Edinburgh Mouse Atlas Gene
      Expression database (EMAGE) an the Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) gene-expression
      database (GXD). The provision of the eHistology Atlas resource was assisted
      greatly by the expertise of the eMouseAtlas project in delivering large image
      datasets within a web environment, using IIP3D technology. This technology also
      permits future extensions to the resource through the addition of further layers
      of data and annotations to the resource. Database URL:
      www.emouseatlas.org/emap/eHistology/index.php.

PMID- 26500250
TI  - First-Step Mutations during Adaptation Restore the Expression of Hundreds of
      Genes.
AB  - The temporal change of phenotypes during the adaptive process remains largely
      unexplored, as do the genetic changes that affect these phenotypic changes. Here
      we focused on three mutations that rose to high frequency in the early stages of
      adaptation within 12 Escherichia coli populations subjected to thermal stress (42
      degrees C). All the mutations were in the rpoB gene, which encodes the RNA
      polymerase beta subunit. For each mutation, we measured the growth curves and
      gene expression (mRNAseq) of clones at 42  degrees C. We also compared growth and
      gene expression with their ancestor under unstressed (37  degrees C) and stressed
      conditions (42  degrees C). Each of the three mutations changed the expression of
      hundreds of genes and conferred large fitness advantages, apparently through the
      restoration of global gene expression from the stressed toward the prestressed
      state. These three mutations had a similar effect on gene expression as another
      single mutation in a distinct domain of the rpoB protein. Finally, we compared
      the phenotypic characteristics of one mutant, I572L, with two high-temperature
      adapted clones that have this mutation plus additional background mutations. The
      background mutations increased fitness, but they did not substantially change
      gene expression. We conclude that early mutations in a global transcriptional
      regulator cause extensive changes in gene expression, many of which are likely
      under positive selection for their effect in restoring the prestress physiology. 

PMID- 26500252
TI  - Disentangling Sources of Selection on Exonic Transcriptional Enhancers.
AB  - In addition to coding for proteins, exons can also impact transcription by
      encoding regulatory elements such as enhancers. It has been debated whether such
      features confer heightened selective constraint, or evolve neutrally. We have
      addressed this question by developing a new approach to disentangle the sources
      of selection acting on exonic enhancers, in which we model the evolutionary rates
      of every possible substitution as a function of their effects on both protein
      sequence and enhancer activity. In three exonic enhancers, we found no
      significant association between evolutionary rates and effects on enhancer
      activity. This suggests that despite having biochemical activity, these exonic
      enhancers have no detectable selective constraint, and thus are unlikely to play
      a major role in protein evolution. 

PMID- 26500253
TI  - Identification and Validation of Larixyl Acetate as a Potent TRPC6 Inhibitor.
AB  - Classical or canonical transient receptor potential 6 (TRPC6), a nonselective and
      Ca(2+)-permeable cation channel, mediates pathophysiological responses within
      pulmonary and renal diseases that are still poorly controlled by current
      medication. Thus, controlling TRPC6 activity may provide a promising and
      challenging pharmacological approach. Recently identified chemical entities have
      demonstrated that TRPC6 is pharmacologically targetable. However, isotype
      selectivity with regard to its closest relative, TRPC3, is difficult to achieve.
      Reasoning that balsams, essential oils, or incense materials that are
      traditionally used for inhalation may contain biologic activities to block TRPC6
      activity, we embarked on a natural compound strategy to identify new TRPC6
      blocking chemical entities. Within several preparations of plant extracts, a
      strong TRPC6-inhibitory activity was found in conifer balsams. The biologic
      activity was associated with nonvolatile resins, but not with essential oils. Of
      various conifers, the larch balsam was unique in displaying a marked TRPC6
      prevalent mode of action. By testing the main constituents of larch resin, we
      identified larixol and larixyl acetate as blockers of Ca(2+) entry and ionic
      currents through diacylglycerol- or receptor-activated recombinant TRPC6
      channels, exhibiting approximately 12- and 5-fold selectivity compared with its
      closest relatives TRPC3 and TRPC7, respectively. No significant inhibition of
      more distantly related TRPV or TRPM channels was seen. The potent inhibition of
      recombinant TRPC6 by larixyl acetate (IC50 = 0.1-0.6 uM) was confirmed for native
      TRPC6-like [Ca(2+)]i signals in diacylglycerol-stimulated rat pulmonary artery
      smooth muscle cells. In isolated mouse lungs, larix-6-yl monoacetate (CAS 4608-49
      5; larixyl acetate; 5 uM) prevented acute hypoxia-induced vasoconstriction. We
      conclude that larch-derived labdane-type diterpenes are TRPC6-selective
      inhibitors and may represent a starting point for pharmacological TRPC6
      modulation within experimental therapies.

PMID- 26500254
TI  - Rapid Short-Read Sequencing and Aneuploidy Detection Using MinION Nanopore
      Technology.
AB  - MinION is a memory stick-sized nanopore-based sequencer designed primarily for
      single-molecule sequencing of long DNA fragments (>6 kb). We developed a library
      preparation and data-analysis method to enable rapid real-time sequencing of
      short DNA fragments (<1 kb) that resulted in the sequencing of 500 reads in 3 min
      and 40,000-80,000 reads in 2-4 hr at a rate of 30 nt/sec. We then demonstrated
      the clinical applicability of this approach by performing successful aneuploidy
      detection in prenatal and miscarriage samples with sequencing in <4 hr. This
      method broadens the application of nanopore-based single-molecule sequencing and
      makes it a promising and versatile tool for rapid clinical and research
      applications. 

PMID- 26500251
TI  - Phenoscape: Identifying Candidate Genes for Evolutionary Phenotypes.
AB  - Phenotypes resulting from mutations in genetic model organisms can help reveal
      candidate genes for evolutionarily important phenotypic changes in related taxa.
      Although testing candidate gene hypotheses experimentally in nonmodel organisms
      is typically difficult, ontology-driven information systems can help generate
      testable hypotheses about developmental processes in experimentally tractable
      organisms. Here, we tested candidate gene hypotheses suggested by expert use of
      the Phenoscape Knowledgebase, specifically looking for genes that are candidates
      responsible for evolutionarily interesting phenotypes in the ostariophysan fishes
      that bear resemblance to mutant phenotypes in zebrafish. For this, we searched
      ZFIN for genetic perturbations that result in either loss of basihyal element or
      loss of scales phenotypes, because these are the ancestral phenotypes observed in
      catfishes (Siluriformes). We tested the identified candidate genes by examining
      their endogenous expression patterns in the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus.
      The experimental results were consistent with the hypotheses that these features
      evolved through disruption in developmental pathways at, or upstream of, brpf1
      and eda/edar for the ancestral losses of basihyal element and scales,
      respectively. These results demonstrate that ontological annotations of the
      phenotypic effects of genetic alterations in model organisms, when aggregated
      within a knowledgebase, can be used effectively to generate testable, and useful,
      hypotheses about evolutionary changes in morphology. 

PMID- 26500255
TI  - Targeted Integration of Single-Copy Transgenes in Drosophila melanogaster Tissue
      Culture Cells Using Recombination-Mediated Cassette Exchange.
AB  - Transfection of transgenes into Drosophila cultured cells is a standard approach
      for studying gene function. However, the number of transgenes present in the cell
      following transient transfection or stable random integration varies, and the
      resulting differences in expression level affect interpretation. Here we
      developed a system for Drosophila cell lines that allows selection of cells with
      a single-copy transgene inserted at a specific genomic site using recombination
      mediated cassette exchange (RMCE). We used the phiC31 integrase and its target
      sites attP and attB for RMCE. Cell lines with an attP-flanked genomic cassette
      were transfected with donor plasmids containing a transgene of interest (UAS-x),
      a dihydrofolate reductase (UAS-DHFR) gene flanked by attB sequences, and a
      thymidine kinase (UAS-TK) gene in the plasmid backbone outside the attB
      sequences. In cells undergoing RMCE, UAS-x and UAS-DHFR were exchanged for the
      attP-flanked genomic cassette, and UAS-TK was excluded. These cells were selected
      using methotrexate, which requires DHFR expression, and ganciclovir, which causes
      death in cells expressing TK. Pure populations of cells with one copy of a stably
      integrated transgene were efficiently selected by cloning or mass culture in ~6
      weeks. Our results show that RMCE avoids the problems associated with current
      methods, where transgene number is not controlled, and facilitates the rapid
      generation of Drosophila cell lines in which expression from a single transgene
      can be studied. 

PMID- 26500256
TI  - A gamma-Secretase Independent Role for Presenilin in Calcium Homeostasis Impacts
      Mitochondrial Function and Morphology in Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - Mutations in the presenilin (PSEN) encoding genes (PSEN1 and PSEN2) occur in most
      early onset familial Alzheimer's Disease. Despite the identification of the
      involvement of PSEN in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) ~20 years ago, the underlying
      role of PSEN in AD is not fully understood. To gain insight into the biological
      function of PSEN, we investigated the role of the PSEN homolog SEL-12 in
      Caenorhabditis elegans. Using genetic, cell biological, and pharmacological
      approaches, we demonstrate that mutations in sel-12 result in defects in calcium
      homeostasis, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. Moreover, consistent with
      mammalian PSEN, we provide evidence that SEL-12 has a critical role in mediating
      endoplasmic reticulum (ER) calcium release. Furthermore, we found that in SEL-12
      deficient animals, calcium transfer from the ER to the mitochondria leads to
      fragmentation of the mitochondria and mitochondrial dysfunction. Additionally, we
      show that the impact that SEL-12 has on mitochondrial function is independent of
      its role in Notch signaling, gamma-secretase proteolytic activity, and amyloid
      plaques. Our results reveal a critical role for PSEN in mediating mitochondrial
      function by regulating calcium transfer from the ER to the mitochondria. 

PMID- 26500257
TI  - Deep History of East Asian Populations Revealed Through Genetic Analysis of the
      Ainu.
AB  - Despite recent advances in population genomics, much remains to be elucidated
      with regard to East Asian population history. The Ainu, a hunter-gatherer
      population of northern Japan and Sakhalin island of Russia, are thought to be key
      to elucidating the prehistory of Japan and the peopling of East Asia. Here, we
      study the genetic relationship of the Ainu with other East Asian and Siberian
      populations outside the Japanese archipelago using genome-wide genotyping data.
      We find that the Ainu represent a deep branch of East Asian diversity more basal
      than all present-day East Asian farmers. However, we did not find a genetic
      connection between the Ainu and populations of the Tibetan plateau, rejecting
      their long-held hypothetical connection based on Y chromosome data. Unlike all
      other East Asian populations investigated, the Ainu have a closer genetic
      relationship with northeast Siberians than with central Siberians, suggesting
      ancient connections among populations around the Sea of Okhotsk. We also detect a
      recent genetic contribution of the Ainu to nearby populations, but no evidence
      for reciprocal recent gene flow is observed. Whole genome sequencing of
      contemporary and ancient Ainu individuals will be helpful to understand the
      details of the deep history of East Asians. 

PMID- 26500258
TI  - Roles of Nucleoid-Associated Proteins in Stress-Induced Mutagenic Break Repair in
      Starving Escherichia coli.
AB  - The mutagenicity of DNA double-strand break repair in Escherichia coli is
      controlled by DNA-damage (SOS) and general (RpoS) stress responses, which let
      error-prone DNA polymerases participate, potentially accelerating evolution
      during stress. Either base substitutions and indels or genome rearrangements
      result. Here we discovered that most small basic proteins that compact the
      genome, nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs), promote or inhibit mutagenic break
      repair (MBR) via different routes. Of 15 NAPs, H-NS, Fis, CspE, and CbpA were
      required for MBR; Dps inhibited MBR; StpA and Hha did neither; and five others
      were characterized previously. Three essential genes were not tested. Using
      multiple tests, we found the following: First, Dps, which reduces reactive oxygen
      species (ROS), inhibited MBR, implicating ROS in MBR. Second, CbpA promoted F'
      plasmid maintenance, allowing MBR to be measured in an F'-based assay. Third, Fis
      was required for activation of the SOS DNA-damage response and could be
      substituted in MBR by SOS-induced levels of DinB error-prone DNA polymerase.
      Thus, Fis promoted MBR by allowing SOS activation. Fourth, H-NS represses ROS
      detoxifier sodB and was substituted in MBR by deletion of sodB, which was not
      otherwise mutagenic. We conclude that normal ROS levels promote MBR and that H-NS
      promotes MBR by maintaining ROS. CspE positively regulates RpoS, which is
      required for MBR. Four of five previously characterized NAPs promoted stress
      responses that enhance MBR. Hence, most NAPs affect MBR, the majority via
      regulatory functions. The data show that a total of six NAPs promote MBR by
      regulating stress responses, indicating the importance of nucleoid structure and
      function to the regulation of MBR and of coupling mutagenesis to stress, creating
      genetic diversity responsively. 

PMID- 26500259
TI  - Estimating Relatedness in the Presence of Null Alleles.
AB  - Studies of genetics and ecology often require estimates of relatedness
      coefficients based on genetic marker data. However, with the presence of null
      alleles, an observed genotype can represent one of several possible true
      genotypes. This results in biased estimates of relatedness. As the numbers of
      marker loci are often limited, loci with null alleles cannot be abandoned without
      substantial loss of statistical power. Here, we show how loci with null alleles
      can be incorporated into six estimators of relatedness (two novel). We evaluate
      the performance of various estimators before and after correction for null
      alleles. If the frequency of a null allele is <0.1, some estimators can be used
      directly without adjustment; if it is >0.5, the potency of estimation is too low
      and such a locus should be excluded. We make available a software package
      entitled PolyRelatedness v1.6, which enables researchers to optimize these
      estimators to best fit a particular data set. 

PMID- 26500260
TI  - Selective Strolls: Fixation and Extinction in Diploids Are Slower for Weakly
      Selected Mutations Than for Neutral Ones.
AB  - In finite populations, an allele disappears or reaches fixation due to two main
      forces, selection and drift. Selection is generally thought to accelerate the
      process: a selected mutation will reach fixation faster than a neutral one, and a
      disadvantageous one will quickly disappear from the population. We show that even
      in simple diploid populations, this is often not true. Dominance and recessivity
      unexpectedly slow down the evolutionary process for weakly selected alleles. In
      particular, slightly advantageous dominant and mildly deleterious recessive
      mutations reach fixation slightly more slowly than neutral ones (at most 5%).
      This phenomenon determines genetic signatures opposite to those expected under
      strong selection, such as increased instead of decreased genetic diversity around
      the selected site. Furthermore, we characterize a new phenomenon: mildly
      deleterious recessive alleles, thought to represent a wide fraction of newly
      arising mutations, on average survive in a population slightly longer than
      neutral ones, before getting lost. Consequently, these mutations are on average
      slightly older than neutral ones, in contrast with previous expectations.
      Furthermore, they slightly increase the amount of weakly deleterious
      polymorphisms, as a consequence of the longer unconditional sojourn times
      compared to neutral mutations. 

PMID- 26500261
TI  - The Differences Between Cis- and Trans-Gene Inactivation Caused by
      Heterochromatin in Drosophila.
AB  - Position-effect variegation (PEV) is the epigenetic disruption of gene expression
      near the de novo-formed euchromatin-heterochromatin border. Heterochromatic cis
      inactivation may be accompanied by the trans-inactivation of genes on a normal
      homologous chromosome in trans-heterozygous combination with a PEV-inducing
      rearrangement. We characterize a new genetic system, inversion In(2)A4,
      demonstrating cis-acting PEV as well as trans-inactivation of the reporter
      transgenes on the homologous nonrearranged chromosome. The cis-effect of
      heterochromatin in the inversion results not only in repression but also in
      activation of genes, and it varies at different developmental stages. While cis
      actions affect only a few juxtaposed genes, trans-inactivation is observed in a
      500-kb region and demonstrates a nonuniform pattern of repression with
      intermingled regions where no transgene repression occurs. There is no repression
      around the histone gene cluster and in some other euchromatic sites. trans
      Inactivation is accompanied by dragging of euchromatic regions into the
      heterochromatic compartment, but the histone gene cluster, located in the middle
      of the trans-inactivated region, was shown to be evicted from the
      heterochromatin. We demonstrate that trans-inactivation is followed by de novo
      HP1a accumulation in the affected transgene; trans-inactivation is specifically
      favored by the chromatin remodeler SAYP and prevented by Argonaute AGO2. 

PMID- 26500262
TI  - Dual Role of Jun N-Terminal Kinase Activity in Bone Morphogenetic Protein
      Mediated Drosophila Ventral Head Development.
AB  - The Drosophila bone morphogenetic protein encoded by decapentaplegic (dpp)
      controls ventral head morphogenesis by expression in the head primordia, eye
      antennal imaginal discs. These are epithelial sacs made of two layers: columnar
      disc proper cells and squamous cells of the peripodial epithelium. dpp expression
      related to head formation occurs in the peripodial epithelium; cis-regulatory
      mutations disrupting this expression display defects in sensory vibrissae,
      rostral membrane, gena, and maxillary palps. Here we document that disruption of
      this dpp expression causes apoptosis in peripodial cells and underlying disc
      proper cells. We further show that peripodial Dpp acts directly on the disc
      proper, indicating that Dpp must cross the disc lumen to act. We demonstrate that
      palp defects are mechanistically separable from the other mutant phenotypes; both
      are affected by the c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway but in opposite ways. Slight
      reduction of both Jun N-terminal kinase and Dpp activity in peripodial cells
      causes stronger vibrissae, rostral membrane, and gena defects than Dpp alone;
      additionally, strong reduction of Jun N-terminal kinase activity alone causes
      identical defects. A more severe reduction of dpp results in similar vibrissae,
      rostral membrane, and gena defects, but also causes mutant maxillary palps. This
      latter defect is correlated with increased peripodial Jun N-terminal kinase
      activity and can be caused solely by ectopic activation of Jun N-terminal kinase.
      We conclude that formation of sensory vibrissae, rostral membrane, and gena
      tissue in head morphogenesis requires the action of Jun N-terminal kinase in
      peripodial cells, while excessive Jun N-terminal kinase signaling in these same
      cells inhibits the formation of maxillary palps. 

PMID- 26500264
TI  - Persistence of the tissue culture origin vaccine for infectious laryngotracheitis
      virus in commercial chicken flocks in Brazil.
AB  - Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is a respiratory disease of great importance
      that causes serious economic losses in the poultry industry. Its control is based
      on biosecurity procedures and vaccination programs that use live attenuated
      vaccines such as tissue culture origin (TCO), chicken embryo origin (CEO), and
      vectored vaccines. However, problems have been reported, such as the reversion of
      virulence, virus latency, and field virus outbreaks. Several molecular techniques
      have been developed to differentiate between the field and vaccine strains. This
      study was conducted to determine the presence of infectious laryngotracheitis
      virus (ILTV) in Brazil from 2012 to 2014. PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length
      polymorphism) was used to detect and differentiate ILTV strains; DNA sequencing
      and predictive RFLP analysis were also used for this purpose. Molecular analysis
      detected the presence of ILTV in 15 samples that were characterized as strains of
      TCO vaccine origin. This study showed that the ILTV TCO vaccine strain has been
      circulating in commercial chicken flocks in Brazil since its introduction during
      the 2002 outbreak. 

PMID- 26500263
TI  - Manipulation of Karyotype in Caenorhabditis elegans Reveals Multiple Inputs
      Driving Pairwise Chromosome Synapsis During Meiosis.
AB  - Meiotic chromosome segregation requires pairwise association between homologs,
      stabilized by the synaptonemal complex (SC). Here, we investigate factors
      contributing to pairwise synapsis by investigating meiosis in polyploid worms. We
      devised a strategy, based on transient inhibition of cohesin function, to
      generate polyploid derivatives of virtually any Caenorhabditis elegans strain. We
      exploited this strategy to investigate the contribution of recombination to
      pairwise synapsis in tetraploid and triploid worms. In otherwise wild-type
      polyploids, chromosomes first sort into homolog groups, then multipartner
      interactions mature into exclusive pairwise associations. Pairwise synapsis
      associations still form in recombination-deficient tetraploids, confirming a
      propensity for synapsis to occur in a strictly pairwise manner. However, the
      transition from multipartner to pairwise association was perturbed in
      recombination-deficient triploids, implying a role for recombination in promoting
      this transition when three partners compete for synapsis. To evaluate the basis
      of synapsis partner preference, we generated polyploid worms heterozygous for
      normal sequence and rearranged chromosomes sharing the same pairing center (PC).
      Tetraploid worms had no detectable preference for identical partners, indicating
      that PC-adjacent homology drives partner choice in this context. In contrast,
      triploid worms exhibited a clear preference for identical partners, indicating
      that homology outside the PC region can influence partner choice. Together, our
      findings, suggest a two-phase model for C. elegans synapsis: an early phase, in
      which initial synapsis interactions are driven primarily by recombination
      independent assessment of homology near PCs and by a propensity for pairwise SC
      assembly, and a later phase in which mature synaptic interactions are promoted by
      recombination. 

PMID- 26500265
TI  - Chicken gga-miR-181a targets MYBL1 and shows an inhibitory effect on
      proliferation of Marek's disease virus-transformed lymphoid cell line.
AB  - Marek's disease (MD), caused by Marek's disease virus (MDV), is a
      lymphoproliferative neoplastic disease of chickens and is characterized by MD
      lymphoma in multiple visceral organs of chicken. It causes great damage to
      poultry health. Recently, miRNA has been reported to be involved in Marek's
      disease lymphomagenesis. Our previous study showed that gga-miR-181a was
      downregulated in MDV-induced lymphoma, and its target gene, v-myb myeloblastosis
      viral oncogene homolog-like 1 (MYBL1), was predicted. In this study, the
      interaction between gga-miR-181a and MYBL1 was further verified by detecting
      protein expression levels of MYBL1 after transfecting miR-181a mimic into MD
      lymphoma cell line, MSB1. The result showed that protein level of MYBL1 was lower
      in gga-miR-181a mimic transfecting group than that in the negative control group
      at 96 h post transfection, which indicated that MYBL1 was a target gene of gga
      miR-181a. Additionally, we found that the expression of MYBL1 was higher in MDV
      infected samples than that in non-infected controls, which agreed with the
      proposition that miRNA showed a negatively correlated expression pattern with its
      target gene. We observed the inhibitory effect of gga-miR-181a on MSB1 cell
      proliferation. Collectively, the aberrant expression of gga-miR-181a and MYBL1 in
      MD lymphoma suggested that they might be involved in MD tumor transformation and
      played important roles. 

PMID- 26500266
TI  - A comparison of post-mortem findings in broilers dead-on-farm and broilers dead
      on-arrival at the abattoir.
AB  - Broiler mortality during transport to abattoirs (dead-on-arrival/DOA) evokes
      concern due to compromised animal welfare and associated economic losses. The
      general aim of this study was to characterize pathological lesions associated
      with mortality in broilers close to slaughter. The specific aim was to
      investigate whether disease at the end of the growth period may be a predisposing
      factor for DOA by describing and comparing the pathological findings in broilers
      dead-on-farm (DOF) in the final days of the production cycle and in broilers DOA
      from the same flocks. Gross post-mortem examinations were performed on 607
      broilers from 32 flocks, either DOF (371) or DOA (236). In DOF broilers, the most
      common pathological lesions were lung congestion (37.7%), endocarditis (29.4%),
      and ascites (24.0%), whereas the most common findings in broilers DOA were lung
      congestion (57.2%) and trauma (24.6%). Lung congestion was more prevalent among
      DOA broilers compared to DOF broilers (P-value of > 0.001). A possible cause
      behind the pathological finding lung congestion is sudden death syndrome (SDS).
      The study indicates that steps in the transportation process per se cause the
      majority of pathological lesions such as lung congestion and trauma that may have
      led to the mortalities registered. Pre-existing diseases such as ascites and
      osteomyelitis may also predispose for DOA. Thus, factors relating to on-farm
      health, catching, and transportation are all areas of future investigation in
      order to reduce transport mortalities and to enhance welfare in broilers. 

PMID- 26500267
TI  - Comparison of 3 phytases on energy utilization of a nutritionally marginal wheat
      soybean meal broiler diet.
AB  - The net energy (NE) value may be a better measure than apparent metabolizable
      energy (ME) of the effect of supplemental phytase on energy utilization in
      broilers. The present study was conducted to assess the impact of 3 microbial
      phytases supplemented at an unconventionally high level (1,000 FTU/kg feed) on
      performance and NE of broilers using the indirect calorimetric method (IC). Four
      treatments included: 1) Control, formulated to be deficient in ME (12.35 MJ/kg in
      the starter diet; 12.56 MJ/kg in the grower diet), calcium (0.72% in the starter
      diet; 0.60% in the grower diet), and available phosphorus (0.25% in the starter
      diet; 0.20% in the grower diet); 2) control + intrinsically thermostable phytase
      A; 3) control + intrinsically thermostable phytase B; and 4) control + coated
      phytase C. A completely randomized design was employed. A total of 384 male
      broiler chicks were used, and each treatment had 6 replicates with 16 birds per
      replicate. The birds were reared until d 21 in floor pens with hardwood shavings.
      Thirty-two birds (8 birds per treatment) were randomly selected to determine heat
      production and NE (from 25-28 d) following a 3-d acclimatization in the
      respiratory chambers. Performance results at d 21 showed that supplementation
      with either of the 3 phytases improved body weight (P < 0.001) and feed intake (P
      < 0.05), and increased the relative weights of tibia ash (P < 0.05) and toe ash
      (P < 0.01). Phytases A and B increased the NE value of the diet (P < 0.05). It
      may be concluded that the negative effects imposed by calcium and available
      phosphorus down-specification can be compensated by phytase supplementation in
      general, and intrinsically thermostable phytases improve the ME and NE value.
      However, phytase did not reduce heat production, heat increment, or increase
      NE:ME in birds. 

PMID- 26500269
TI  - In ovo feeding with minerals and vitamin D3 improves bone properties in
      hatchlings and mature broilers.
AB  - The objective of this study was to examine the effect of in ovo feeding (IOF)
      with inorganic minerals or organic minerals and vitamin D3 on bone properties and
      mineral consumption. Eggs were incubated and divided into 4 groups: IOF with
      organic minerals, phosphate, and vitamin D3 (IOF-OMD); IOF with inorganic
      minerals and phosphate (IOF-IM); sham; and non-treated controls (NTC). IOF was
      performed on embryonic day (E) 17; tibiae and yolk samples were taken on E19 and
      E21. Post-hatch, only chicks from the IOF-OMD, sham, and NTC were raised, and
      tibiae were taken on d 10 and 38. Yolk mineral content was examined by
      inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy. Tibiae were tested for their whole-bone
      mechanical properties, and mid-diaphysis bone sections were indented in a micro
      indenter to determine bone material stiffness (Young's modulus). Micro-computed
      tomography (MUCT) was used to examine cortical and trabecular bone structure. Ash
      content analysis was used to examine bone mineralization. A latency-to-lie (LTL)
      test was used to measure standing ability of the d 38 broilers. The results
      showed that embryos from both IOF-OMD and IOF-IM treatments had elevated Cu, Mn,
      and Zn amounts in the yolk on E19 and E21 and consumed more of these minerals
      (between E19 and E21) in comparison to the sham and NTC. On E21, these hatchlings
      had higher whole-bone stiffness in comparison to the NTC. On d 38, the IOF-OMD
      had higher ash content, elevated whole-bone stiffness, and elevated Young's
      modulus (in males) in comparison to the sham and NTC; however, no differences in
      standing ability were found. Very few structural differences were seen during the
      whole experiment. This study demonstrates that mineral supplementation by in ovo
      feeding is sufficient to induce higher mineral consumption from the yolk,
      regardless of its chemical form or the presence of vitamin D3. Additionally, IOF
      with organic minerals and vitamin D3 can increase bone ash content, as well as
      stiffness of the whole bone and bone material in the mature broiler, but does not
      lead to longer LTL. 

PMID- 26500268
TI  - Effects of supplemental zinc source and level on antioxidant ability and fat
      metabolism-related enzymes of broilers.
AB  - The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of dietary
      supplemental Zinc (Zn) source and level on antioxidant ability and fat metabolism
      related enzymes of broilers. Dietary treatments included the Zn-unsupplemented
      corn-soybean meal basal diet (control) and basal diets supplemented with 60, 120,
      or 180 mg Zn/kg as Zn sulfate, Zn amino acid chelate with a weak chelation
      strength of 6.5 quotient of formation (Qf) (11.93% Zn) (Zn-AA W), Zn proteinate
      with a moderate chelation strength of 30.7 Qf (13.27% Zn) (Zn-Pro M), or Zn
      proteinate with an extremely strong chelation strength of 944.0 Qf (18.61% Zn)
      (Zn-Pro S). The results showed that dietary supplemental Zn increased (P < 0.01)
      Zn contents in the liver, breast, and thigh muscles of broilers, and up-regulated
      mRNA expressions of copper and Zn containing superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) and
      metallothioneins (MT) in the liver (P < 0.01) and thigh muscle (P < 0.05), and
      also enhanced (P < 0.05) CuZnSOD activities in the breast and thigh muscles,
      which exerted antioxidant ability and a decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) level in
      the liver (P < 0.01) and breast and thigh muscles (P < 0.05) of broilers.
      Furthermore, supplemental Zn increased activities of malate dehydrogenase (MDH)
      and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in the abdominal fat (P < 0.05), and fatty acid
      synthetase (FAS) and LPL in the liver (P < 0.01), which were accompanied with up
      regulation (P < 0.01) of the mRNA expressions levels of these enzymes in the
      abdominal fat and liver of broilers. Dietary Zn source, and an interaction
      between Zn source and level, had no effects on any measurements. It is concluded
      that dietary Zn supplementation improved Zn status and resulted in promoting
      antioxidant ability and activities and gene expressions of fat metabolism-related
      enzymes of broilers regardless of Zn source and level, and the addition of 60 mg
      Zn/kg to the corn-soybean meal basal diet (a total dietary Zn of approximately 90
      mg/kg) was appropriate for improving the above aspects of broilers.

PMID- 26500270
TI  - Selenium deposition kinetics of different selenium sources in muscle and feathers
      of broilers.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine selenium (Se) deposition kinetics in
      muscles and feathers of broilers in order to develop a rapid method to compare
      bioavailability of selenium sources. Different Se sources such as 2-hydroxy-4
      methylselenobutanoic acid (HMSeBA, SO), sodium selenite (SS) and seleno-yeast
      (SY) were compared for their kinetics on Se deposition in muscles and feathers in
      broiler chicks from 0 to 21 d of age. A total of 576 day-old broilers were
      divided into four treatments with 8 replicates of 18 birds per pen. The diets
      used in the experiment were a negative control (NC) not supplemented with Se and
      3 diets supplemented with 0.2 mg Se/kg as SS, SY or SO. Total Se content in
      breast muscle and feathers were assessed on days 0, 7, 14 and 21. At 7 d of age,
      SO increased muscle Se content compared to D0 (P < 0.05), whereas with the other
      treatments, muscle Se concentration decreased (P < 0.05). After 21 days, organic
      Se sources maintained (SY) or increased (SO) (P < 0.05) breast muscle Se
      concentration compared to hatch value whereas inorganic source (SS) or non
      supplemented group (NC) showed a significant decrease in tissue Se concentration
      (P < 0.05). At D21, Se contents of muscle and feathers were highly correlated
      (R(2) = 0.927; P < 0.0001). To conclude, these results indicate that efficiency
      of different Se sources can be discriminated through a 7 d using muscle Se
      content in broiler chickens. Muscle and feathers Se contents were highly
      correlated after 21 days. Also feather sampling at 21 days of age represents a
      reliable and non-invasive procedure for Se bioefficacy comparison. 

PMID- 26500271
TI  - Lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, arginine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, and
      threonine maintenance requirements of broiler breeders.
AB  - Five hundred and sixty Cobb-Vantress broiler breeders were used to determine the
      maintenance requirement of dietary Arg, His, Ile, Leu, Lys, Met, Phe, Thr, and
      Val in 10 21-d assays using the comparative slaughter technique. Fifty sexually
      immature broiler breeder pullets per assay were given crystalline amino acid
      diets containing graded levels of Arg, His, Ile, Leu, Lys, Met, Phe, Thr, or Val,
      respectively, representing 0, 10, 20, 30, 40% of their suggested requirement
      level (NRC, 1994) with all other amino acids maintained at 40% of their suggested
      requirement level. Sixty hens were slaughtered prior to the beginning of the
      study to assess initial body composition at 3 weight groups. Linear regression
      lines (protein accretion vs. amino acid intake) were determined and the
      maintenance requirements were calculated based on zero protein accretion. The
      maintenance requirements expressed on a metabolic weight basis were determined to
      be 174, 94, 52, 81, 60, 126, 133, and 155 mg/kg(0.75)/d for Arg, Ile, Leu, Lys,
      Met, Phe, Thr, and Val, respectively. Additionally, the maintenance requirements,
      expressed on metabolic protein weight basis, were determined to be 651, 329, 172,
      295, 223, 523, 478, and 546 mg/kgCP/d for Arg, Ile, Leu, Lys, Met, Phe, Thr, and
      Val, respectively. The requirement for His could not be established as the
      results obtained were outside of assay range. 

PMID- 26500272
TI  - Inclusion of fiber in diets for brown-egg laying pullets: Effects on growth
      performance and digestive tract traits from hatching to 17 weeks of age.
AB  - We investigated the effects of fiber inclusion in the diet on growth performance
      and digestive traits in pullets from hatching to 17 wk of age. The control diets
      of the 3 feeding periods (0 to 5 wk, 5 to 10 wk, and 10 to 17 wk) were based on
      corn and soybean meal and did not include any additional fiber source. The
      experimental diets included 2 or 4% of cereal straw or sugar beet pulp (SBP) at
      the expense (wt:wt) of the control diet. From 0 to 5 wk of age, fiber inclusion
      did not affect pullet performance. From hatch to 17 wk of age, the inclusion of
      straw had little effect on pullet performance but the inclusion of 4% SBP reduced
      (ADG) (P < 0.05) and reduced feed conversion ratio (FCR; P < 0.001). Pullets fed
      straw had greater ADG (P < 0.05) and better energy conversion ratio (P < 0.01)
      than pullets fed SBP. An increase in fiber from 2 to 4% reduced FCR (P < 0.05).
      Body weight uniformity was not affected by diet. Fiber inclusion increased the
      relative weight (% BW) of the gizzard at 5 wk (P = 0.056) and 10 wk (P < 0.01) of
      age, but no differences were detected between fiber sources. At same ages, the
      relative length (cm/kg BW) of the pullets (P = 0.058 and P < 0.01, respectively)
      and tarsus (P = 0.079 and P < 0.05, respectively) was higher in pullets fed SBP
      than in pullets fed straw. Fiber inclusion, however, did not affect any of these
      traits at 17 wk of age. In summary, the inclusion of 2% straw at the expense
      (wt:wt) of the whole diet did not affect pullet performance at 17 wk of age. An
      increase in the level of straw from 2 to 4% reduced FCR but did not affect ADG.
      The inclusion of SBP, however, reduced pullet growth, with effects being more
      pronounced at the higher level. 

PMID- 26500273
TI  - Effect of various fiber types and choice feeding of fiber on performance, gut
      development, humoral immunity, and fiber preference in broiler chicks.
AB  - Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of fibrous materials
      with one single diet or by choice feeding on performance, intestinal morphology,
      immunity, and fiber preference in broiler chicks. In experiment 1, 240-day-old
      chicks (Ross 308) were assigned to one of 4 treatments, comprising 5 replicates
      per treatment in a completely randomized design. Dietary treatments included: a
      basal diet (control) or 30 g/kg sugar beet pulp (SBP), 30 g/kg rice hull (RH), or
      30 g/kg equal combination of them (SBP/RH) added to the basal diet. Results
      showed SBP and SBP/RH impaired daily weight gain (DWG) in the growing period
      compared with control (P < 0.05). Additionally, chickens that received SBP had
      deteriorated FCR across the entire rearing period (P < 0.05). In comparison to
      control and SBP, supplementing SBP/RH significantly increased antibody titer
      against Newcastle disease virus (NDV; P < 0.05) at 23 d of age. Furthermore, SBP
      reduced duodenal and ileal villus height compared with control at 21 d of age. In
      experiment 2, a total of 240 chicks were allotted to 4 experimental treatments of
      feeding: 1) control; or choice feeding between 2) control and SBP (C-SBP); 3)
      control and RH (C-RH); 4) control and SBP/RH (C- SBP/RH). Results indicated that
      chicks had a tendency to use separate sources of fiber. RH was consumed lower
      than C-SBP/RH and C-SBP in starter and growing periods, respectively (P < 0.05).
      Chickens choice fed RH and SBP/RH had greater daily feed intake than control
      across 14 to 28 d of age (P < 0.05). However, DWG reduced in all fiber fed birds
      (P < 0.05) and resulted in impaired FCR in broilers of the C-SBP group (P <
      0.05). In addition, choice feeding of SBP/RH increased antibody titer against NDV
      as compared with control and SBP (P < 0.05). In conclusion, fiber inclusion in
      both experiments impaired growth performance but an equal combination of fiber
      improved immunity. In addition, broilers had a tendency to use separate sources
      of fiber. 

PMID- 26500274
TI  - Rice and soy protein isolate in pre-starter diets for broilers.
AB  - Although most industries use a specific diet for the pre-starter phase,
      ingredients are used in the later phases, primarily corn and soybean meal, which
      at this stage do not have high digestibility. Three experiments : Exp : were
      carried out to evaluate the substitution of corn by white or parboiled rice : WR,
      PR : and the inclusion of 6% soy protein isolate : SPI : in pre-starter diets (1
      to 7 d). In Exp 1 (1 to 21 d), WR, PR, and SPI were added to the diets until the
      birds were 21-day-old, whereas in Exps 2 and 3 (1 to 33 d), only until birds were
      7-day-old. Birds were fed a basal diet based on corn and soybean meal until the
      end of the experimental period. In Exp 1, the coefficients of total tract
      apparent retention : CTTAR : of the pre-starter and the starter diets, ileal and
      jejunal digestibility of starch in the starter diets, and broiler performance
      were measured. Subsequently, the same pre-starter diets Exp 1 were evaluated in
      pellet (Exp 2) or mash (Exp 3) form and different oil percentage (Exp 2) or not
      (Exp 3). We hypothesized that the ingredients particle size (Exp 2) and fat
      content (Exp 3) could influence feed intake. There was no interaction among the
      evaluated factors (P > 0.05). Rice (WR or PR) promoted better results than corn
      in terms of CTTAR of dietary components, jejunal and ileal starch digestibility,
      and broiler performance (P < 0.01). In Exp 1, diets with 6% SPI presented better
      CTTAR, except Nitrogen ( N: ), but lower feed intake, which negatively affected
      broiler performance (P < 0.01). In Exps 1, 2, and 3, the inclusion of SPI did not
      improve broiler performance (P > 0.05), so that SPI may not be the best choice
      for pre-starter diets. The study also suggests that better growth performance and
      nutrient digestibility can be obtained in broiler chickens if corn is replaced by
      rice in pre-starter diets. 

PMID- 26500275
TI  - A meta-analysis of the effects of nonphytate phosphorus on broiler performance
      and tibia ash concentration.
AB  - Decreasing feed costs while maintaining broiler performance at a high level with
      minimal environmental pollution has become a major challenge for poultry
      nutritionists in recent years. In this regard, phosphorus (P) is a nutrient that
      is problematic. To overcome this, a comprehensive knowledge of the responses of
      broilers to P is needed and the factors that affect its utilization need better
      understanding. For this purpose, a meta-analysis was conducted using results
      published in the literature on the responses of broilers to different levels of
      nonphytate P (NPP), calcium (Ca), microbial phytase (MP), and vitamin D3 or its
      metabolites (VD). The effects of Ca, MP, and VD on NPP requirements were
      investigated. Results showed significant (P <= 0.0001) linear and quadratic
      effects of NPP on all the responses, viz. average daily gain (ADG), feed intake
      (FI), feed efficiency (FE), and tibia ash concentration (TA). Results showed the
      negative effect of high Ca levels on all investigated responses, although these
      deleterious effects were alleviated when levels of NPP were increased or MP
      and/or VD added. Synergistic effects of MP and VD on FI and TA were observed.
      Best performance for all responses was found when MP and VD were added to low or
      moderate levels of Ca and NPP. Optimization showed higher levels of NPP are
      required to maximize TA compared to ADG, FI, and FE. Based on our analysis,
      requirements for NPP were affected mostly by Ca (increased) and MP (decreased),
      and, to a lesser extent, VD (inconsistent). 

PMID- 26500276
TI  - Influence of soy oil source and dietary supplementation of vitamins E and C on
      the oxidation status of serum and egg yolk, and the lipid profile of egg yolk.
AB  - An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of adding vitamins E and C
      to diets containing 3.5% refined soy oil (SO), recycled soy oil (RSO), or
      acidulated soy oil soapstocks (ASS) on 1) fatty acid (FA) profile, and
      cholesterol, triglyceride (TG) and alpha-tocopherol (alpha-T) concentrations of
      yolk, and 2) the oxidation status of serum and yolk. Twelve dietary treatments,
      using 3 oil sources, 2 levels of vitamin E (0 vs. 250 mg/kg), and 2 levels of
      vitamin C (0 vs. 250 mg/kg), were prepared. A total of 300 W36 Hy-line laying
      hens, from 44 to 56 weeks of age, were placed in 60 cages (5 birds/cage) and 5
      cages were randomly assigned to one of the 12 diets. Blood samples and eggs were
      collected after 84 d on trial. No interactions among main effects were found for
      any of the traits studied. Oil sources had little effects on the FA profile of
      the yolk, except for C18:3 that was higher (P-value of < 0.01) in the hens fed SO
      than those fed RSO or ASS. Vitamin E supplementation significantly (P-value of <
      0.05) increased the concentration of C16:0, C18:0, and C16:1 but decreased that
      of C18:2 and C22:6n3 in the yolk. Vitamin C supplementation significantly (P
      value of < 0.05) increased C18:0 and C18:3 concentrations in the yolk but
      decreased the n6 to n3 FA ratio. The concentrations of cholesterol and
      triglyceride in serum and yolk were not affected by dietary treatment but alpha
      tocopherol concentration increased (P-value of < 0.01) by the dietary vitamin E.
      Compared with the hens fed the SO diets, malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in
      serum was higher with RSO diet but lower with ASS diet. Vitamin E and vitamin C
      supplementation decreased (P-value of < 0.05) serum MDA. Yolk FA profile was
      affected not only by the FA profile of the oil source used in diet, but also by
      the supplementation of vitamin E and C. The results showed that triglyceride
      profile, but not cholesterol content, of egg was affected by fatty acid profile
      of the supplemental oil and the vitamin C and E supplementations. 

PMID- 26500278
TI  - Method for the determination of chromium in feed matrix by HPLC.
AB  - An improved method for the chromatographic separation and determination of
      chromium (III) and (VI) [ CRIII AND CRVI: ] in mineral mixtures and feed samples
      has been developed. The method uses precolumn derivatization using ammonium
      pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate ( APD: ) followed by reversed-phase liquid
      chromatography to separate the chromium ions. Both Cr(III) and Cr(VI) species are
      chelated with ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate prior to separation by mixing
      with acetonitrile and 0.5 mmol acetate buffer (pH 4.5). Optimum chromatographic
      separations were obtained with a polymer-based reversed-phase column (Kinetex, 5
      MU, 250 * 4.5 mm, Phenomenex, Torrance, CA) and a mobile phase containing
      acetonitrile and water (7:3). Both Cr(III) and Cr(VI) ion concentrations were
      directly determined from the corresponding areas in the chromatogram. The effect
      of analytical parameters, including pH, concentration of ligand, incubation
      temperature, and mobile phase, was optimized for both chromium complexes. The
      range of the procedure was found to be linear for Cr(III) and Cr(VI)
      concentrations between 0.125 and 4 MUg/mL (r2 = 0.9926) and 0.1 and 3.0 MUg/mL
      (r2 = 0.9983), respectively. Precision was evaluated by replicate analysis in
      which the percentage relative standard deviation values for chromium complex were
      found to be below 4.0. The recoveries obtained (85-115%) for both Cr(III) and
      Cr(VI) complexes indicated the accuracy of the developed method. The degradation
      products, as well as the excipients, were well resolved from the chromium complex
      peak in the chromatogram. Finally, the new method proved to be suitable for
      routine analysis of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) species in raw materials, mineral
      mixtures, and feed samples.

PMID- 26500279
TI  - A method of production of boneless chicken wings (drumettes and winglets) by
      separation of periosteum from bone without cutting skin and muscles.
AB  - The deboning of broiler chicken wings, including drumettes and winglets, is not
      common in the poultry processing industry. However, consumers who like convenient
      foods may be interested in boneless products. Samples of broiler wings were
      deboned by articular cartilage dislocation and periosteum stripping without
      cutting skin and muscles to obtain boneless drumettes and winglets, with each
      having inner space formed by bone removal. The average weight of bone-in winglets
      (30.7 g) was less (P < 0.05) than that of bone-in drumettes (39.9 g), whereas the
      average percentage of boneless product was less (P < 0.05) in the drumettes
      (74.9) than in the winglets (80.1). There was a smaller number of muscles in the
      drumettes than in the winglets, but major muscles in the drumettes were larger
      than any muscles in the winglets. The average weight of muscle was greater (P <
      0.05) and that of skin was less (P < 0.05) in the drumettes than in the winglets,
      and thus the muscle/skin ratio was approximately twice as high (P < 0.05) in the
      drumettes. The size and shape were different between the bone-in and boneless
      products, as expected. When a cooked product was examined, no appreciable inner
      space (resulting from bone removal) was seen on its transverse section. The
      advantages of boneless wing products over bone-in wing products were discussed.
      It was concluded that the method described in the present study is useful for the
      production of high-quality boneless wing products. 

PMID- 26500277
TI  - Super pharmacological levels of calcitriol (1,25-(OH)2D3) inhibits mineral
      deposition and decreases cell proliferation in a strain dependent manner in
      chicken mesenchymal stem cells undergoing osteogenic differentiation in vitro.
AB  - The biologically active form of vitamin D3, calcitriol (1,25-(OH)2D3), plays a
      key role in mineral homeostasis and bone formation and dietary vitamin
      D3deficiency is a major cause of bone disorders in poultry. Supplementary dietary
      cholecalciferol (25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25-OH), the precursor of calcitriol, is
      commonly employed to combat this problem; however, dosage must be carefully
      determined as excess dietary vitamin D can cause toxicity resulting in a decrease
      in bone calcification, hypercalcinemia and renal failure. Despite much research
      on the therapeutic administration of dietary vitamin D in humans, the relative
      sensitivity of avian species to exogenous vitamin D has not been well defined. In
      order to determine the effects of exogenous 1,25-(OH)2D3during avian
      osteogenesis, chicken bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) were
      exposed to varying doses of 1,25-(OH)2D3during in vitro osteogenic
      differentiation and examined for markers of early proliferation and osteogenic
      induction. Similar to humans and other mammals, poultry BM-MSCs were found to be
      highly sensitive to exogenous 1,25-(OH)2D3with super pharmacological levels
      exerting significant inhibition of mineralization and loss of cell proliferation
      in vitro. Strain related differences were apparent, with BM-MCSs derived from
      layers strains showing a higher level of sensitivity to 1,25-(OH)2D3than those
      from broilers. These data suggest that understanding species and strain specific
      sensitivities to 1,25-(OH)2D3is important for optimizing bone health in the
      poultry industry and that use of avian BM-MSCs are a useful tool for examining
      underlying effects of genetic variation in poultry.

PMID- 26500280
TI  - Glycosomal bromodomain factor 1 from Trypanosoma cruzi enhances trypomastigote
      cell infection and intracellular amastigote growth.
AB  - Acetylation is a ubiquitous protein modification present in prokaryotic and
      eukaryotic cells that participates in the regulation of many cellular processes.
      The bromodomain is the only domain known to bind acetylated lysine residues. In
      the last few years, many bromodomain inhibitors have been developed in order to
      treat diseases caused by aberrant acetylation of lysine residues and have been
      tested as anti-parasitic drugs. In the present paper, we report the first
      characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi bromodomain factor 1 (TcBDF1). TcBDF1 is
      expressed in all life cycle stages, but it is developmentally regulated. It
      localizes in the glycosomes directed by a PTS2 (peroxisome-targeting signal 2)
      sequence. The overexpression of wild-type TcBDF1 is detrimental for
      epimastigotes, but it enhances the infectivity rate of trypomastigotes and the
      replication of amastigotes. On the other hand, the overexpression of a mutated
      version of TcBDF1 has no effect on epimastigotes, but it does negatively affect
      trypomastigotes' infection and amastigotes' replication. 

PMID- 26500281
TI  - Induction of caspase-dependent extrinsic apoptosis by apigenin through inhibition
      of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signalling in HER2
      overexpressing BT-474 breast cancer cells.
AB  - Phytoestrogen intake is known to be beneficial to decrease breast cancer
      incidence and progression. But its molecular mechanisms of action are still
      unknown. The present study aimed to examine the effect of apigenin on
      proliferation and apoptosis in HER2-expressing breast cancer cells. In our
      experiments, apigenin inhibited the proliferation of BT-474 cells in a dose- and
      time-dependent manner. Apigenin also inhibited clonogenic survival (anchorage
      dependent and -independent) of BT-474 cells in a dose-dependent manner. These
      growth inhibitions were accompanied with an increase in sub-G0/G1 apoptotic
      populations. Apigenin-induced extrinsic a caspase-dependent apoptosis up
      regulating the levels of cleaved caspase-8 and cleaved caspase-3, and inducing
      the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Whereas, apigenin did not
      induce apoptosis via intrinsic mitochondrial apoptosis pathway since this
      compound did not decrease mitochondrial membrane potential without affecting the
      levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX).
      Apigenin reduced the expression of phospho-JAK1, phospho-JAK2 and phospho-STAT3
      and decreased signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)
      dependent luciferase reporter gene activity in BT-474 cells. Apigenin inhibited
      CoCl2-induced VEGF secretion and decreased the nuclear translocation of STAT3.
      Our study indicates that apigenin induces apoptosis through inhibition of STAT3
      signalling and could serve as a useful compound to prevent or treat HER2
      overexpressing breast cancer. 

PMID- 26500283
TI  - Releasing prophase arrest in zebrafish oocyte: synergism between maturational
      steroid and Igf1.
AB  - Binding of 17beta-estradiol (E2) to novel G-protein coupled receptor, Gper1,
      promotes intra-oocyte adenylyl cyclase activity and transactivates epidermal
      growth factor receptor to ensure prophase-I arrest. Although involvement of
      either membrane progestin receptor (mPR) or Igf system has been implicated in
      regulation of meiosis resumption, possibility of concurrent activation and
      potential synergism between 17alpha,20beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (DHP)- and
      Igf-mediated signalling cascades in alleviating E2 inhibition of oocyte
      maturation (OM) has not been investigated. Here using zebrafish (Danio rerio)
      defolliculated oocytes, we examined the effect of DHP and Igf1, either alone or
      in combination, in presence or absence of E2, on OM in vitro. While priming of
      denuded oocytes with E2 blocked spontaneous maturation, co-treatment with DHP (3
      nM) and Igf1 (10 nM), but not alone, reversed E2 inhibition and promoted a robust
      increase in germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD). Although stimulation with either
      Igf1 or DHP promoted Akt phosphorylation, pharmacological inhibition of PI3K/Akt
      signalling prevented Igf1-induced GVBD but delayed DHP action till 4-5 h of
      incubation. Moreover, high intra-oocyte cAMP attenuates both DHP and Igf1
      mediated OM and co-stimulation with DHP and Igf1 could effectively reverse E2
      action on PKA phosphorylation. Interestingly, data from in vivo studies reveal
      that heightened expression of igf1, igf3 transcripts in intact follicles
      corresponded well with elevated phosphorylation of Igf1r and Akt, mPRa
      immunoreactivity, PKA inhibition and accelerated GVBD response just prior to
      ovulation. This indicates potential synergism between maturational steroid and
      Igf1 which might have physiological relevance in overcoming E2 inhibition of
      meiosis resumption in zebrafish oocytes. 

PMID- 26500282
TI  - Control of Pim2 kinase stability and expression in transformed human
      haematopoietic cells.
AB  - The oncogenic Pim2 kinase is overexpressed in several haematological
      malignancies, such as multiple myeloma and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), and
      constitutes a strong therapeutic target candidate. Like other Pim kinases, Pim2
      is constitutively active and is believed to be essentially regulated through its
      accumulation. We show that in leukaemic cells, the three Pim2 isoforms have
      dramatically short half-lives although the longer isoform is significantly more
      stable than the shorter isoforms. All isoforms present a cytoplasmic localization
      and their degradation was neither modified by broad-spectrum kinase or
      phosphatase inhibitors such as staurosporine or okadaic acid nor by specific
      inhibition of several intracellular signalling pathways including Erk, Akt and
      mTORC1. Pim2 degradation was inhibited by proteasome inhibitors but Pim2
      ubiquitination was not detected even by blocking both proteasome activity and
      protein de-ubiquitinases (DUBs). Moreover, Pyr41, an ubiquitin-activating enzyme
      (E1) inhibitor, did not stabilize Pim2, strongly suggesting that Pim2 was
      degraded by the proteasome without ubiquitination. In agreement, we observed that
      purified 20S proteasome particles could degrade Pim2 molecule in vitro. Pim2 mRNA
      accumulation in UT7 cells was controlled by erythropoietin (Epo) through STAT5
      transcription factors. In contrast, the translation of Pim2 mRNA was not
      regulated by mTORC1. Overall, our results suggest that Pim2 is only controlled by
      its mRNA accumulation level. Catalytically active Pim2 accumulated in proteasome
      inhibitor-treated myeloma cells. We show that Pim2 inhibitors and proteasome
      inhibitors, such as bortezomib, have additive effects to inhibit the growth of
      myeloma cells, suggesting that Pim2 could be an interesting target for the
      treatment of multiple myeloma. 

PMID- 26500284
TI  - In juvenile dermatomyositis, heart rate variability is reduced, and associated
      with both cardiac dysfunction and markers of inflammation: a cross-sectional
      study median 13.5 years after symptom onset.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Low heart rate variability (HRV) is a well-established predictor of
      cardiac death. The aim of this study was to investigate arrhythmias and HRV in
      patients with JDM, and associations between HRV and inflammatory markers,
      echocardiographic measurements and disease parameters. METHODS: Fifty-five
      patients with JDM were examined 2-34 years (median 13.5 years) after disease
      onset, and compared with 55 age and sex matched controls. Holter ECG monitoring
      and echocardiography were analysed blinded to patient information. Arrhythmia and
      HRV (six parameters) were analysed by standard software, finally adjudicated by
      an experienced cardiologist. Markers of inflammation (ESR, high sensitivity
      (hs)CRP and cytokines) were analysed. Disease activity and organ damage were
      assessed by clinical examination at follow-up and retrospectively by chart
      review. RESULTS: In two out of six HRV parameters, JDM patients had lower values
      than controls. No difference in arrhythmias was found between the groups. In
      patients, but not in controls, there were significant negative correlations
      between five out of six HRV parameters, and ESR and hsCRP (Spearman correlation
      coefficient, -0.306 to -0.470; P, 0.023 to <0.001). Also, in patients, negative
      correlations were found between three out of six HRV parameters and systolic and
      diastolic function. Active disease and low HRV were associated. Patients with
      hsCRP in the highest quartile (Q4) had lower HRV in all parameters compared with
      those in pooled Q1-3 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: JDM patients had reduced HRV, which
      was associated with elevated inflammatory markers, active disease and reduced
      myocardial function. This suggests reduced vagal control of the heart; further
      studies are needed to determine whether this is also associated with cardiac
      morbidity or mortality.

PMID- 26500285
TI  - CALIBRATION OF THERMOLUMINESCENCE AND FILM DOSEMETERS FOR SKIN DOSES FROM HIGH
      ACTIVITY MICROPARTICLES.
AB  - The use of EXT-RADTM extremity TLDs and radiochromic film to measure doses from
      primarily beta-emitting microparticles is discussed. Specific calibration
      techniques have been developed, using both Monte Carlo modelling and experiments.
      Results for a (90)Sr/(90)Y microparticle are presented to illustrate the general
      techniques and to demonstrate reasonable agreement between the dosimetry methods.

PMID- 26500287
TI  - Key Genetic and Epigenetic Mechanisms in Chemical Carcinogenesis.
AB  - DNA sequence and genetic factors alone cannot fully explain the many processes
      implicated in diseases initiation and development. It is now well understood that
      additional factors are involved in a final resulting phenotype. Epigenetic
      modifications, heritable changes not affecting the DNA sequence, are a key
      phenomenon at the basis of normal growth and differentiation. However, these can
      be defective leading to diseases, such as cancer. An increasing body of
      literature reports the environmental and occupational exposure to a mixture of
      natural and man-produced substances leading to epigenetic alterations. The
      identification of key genetic and/or epigenetic events involved in chemical
      carcinogenesis is an important step towards the discovery of biomarkers that can
      be used to evaluate the exposure, predict biological effects, and prevent adverse
      health consequences. Here, we focus on epidemiological studies to review the most
      recent advances in understanding genetic and epigenetic factors in relation to
      particulate matter, benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure. 

PMID- 26500288
TI  - Adverse Outcome Pathways for Regulatory Applications: Examination of Four Case
      Studies With Different Degrees of Completeness and Scientific Confidence.
AB  - Adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) offer a pathway-based toxicological framework to
      support hazard assessment and regulatory decision-making. However, little has
      been discussed about the scientific confidence needed, or how complete a pathway
      should be, before use in a specific regulatory application. Here we review four
      case studies to explore the degree of scientific confidence and extent of
      completeness (in terms of causal events) that is required for an AOP to be useful
      for a specific purpose in a regulatory application: (i) Membrane disruption
      (Narcosis) leading to respiratory failure (low confidence), (ii) Hepatocellular
      proliferation leading to cancer (partial pathway, moderate confidence), (iii)
      Covalent binding to proteins leading to skin sensitization (high confidence), and
      (iv) Aromatase inhibition leading to reproductive dysfunction in fish (high
      confidence). Partially complete AOPs with unknown molecular initiating events,
      such as 'Hepatocellular proliferation leading to cancer', were found to be
      valuable. We demonstrate that scientific confidence in these pathways can be
      increased though the use of unconventional information (eg, computational
      identification of potential initiators). AOPs at all levels of confidence can
      contribute to specific uses. A significant statistical or quantitative
      relationship between events and/or the adverse outcome relationships is a common
      characteristic of AOPs, both incomplete and complete, that have specific
      regulatory uses. For AOPs to be useful in a regulatory context they must be at
      least as useful as the tools that regulators currently possess, or the techniques
      currently employed by regulators. 

PMID- 26500289
TI  - Resting-state functional connectivity of the default mode network associated with
      happiness.
AB  - Happiness refers to people's cognitive and affective evaluation of their life.
      Why are some people happier than others? One reason might be that unhappy people
      are prone to ruminate more than happy people. The default mode network (DMN) is
      normally active during rest and is implicated in rumination. We hypothesized that
      unhappiness may be associated with increased default-mode functional connectivity
      during rest, including the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), posterior cingulate
      cortex (PCC) and inferior parietal lobule (IPL). The hyperconnectivity of these
      areas may be associated with higher levels of rumination. One hundred forty-eight
      healthy participants underwent a resting-state fMRI scan. A group-independent
      component analysis identified the DMNs. Results indicated increased functional
      connectivity in the DMN was associated with lower levels of happiness.
      Specifically, relative to happy people, unhappy people exhibited greater
      functional connectivity in the anterior medial cortex (bilateral MPFC), posterior
      medial cortex regions (bilateral PCC) and posterior parietal cortex (left IPL).
      Moreover, the increased functional connectivity of the MPFC, PCC and IPL,
      correlated positively with the inclination to ruminate. These results highlight
      the important role of the DMN in the neural correlates of happiness, and suggest
      that rumination may play an important role in people's perceived happiness. 

PMID- 26500291
TI  - Retraction: MDA-9/Syntenin is essential for factor VIIa-induced signaling,
      migration, and metastasis in melanoma cells.

PMID- 26500290
TI  - Coordinated activation of premotor and ventromedial prefrontal cortices during
      vicarious reward.
AB  - The vicarious reward we receive from watching likable others obtaining a positive
      outcome is a pervasive phenomenon, yet its neural correlates are poorly
      understood. Here, we conducted a series of functional magnetic resonance imaging
      experiments to test the hypothesis that the brain areas responsible for action
      observation and reward processing work in a coordinated fashion during vicarious
      reward. In the first experiment (manipulation phase), the participant was
      instructed to cheer for a particular player in a two-player competitive game
      (Rock-Paper-Scissors). This manipulation made participants feel more unity with
      that player and resulted in unity-related activation in the premotor area during
      action observation. In the following main experiment, the participant witnessed
      the previously cheered-for or non-cheered-for player succeed in a new solitary
      game (a stopwatch game). The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) was activated
      when the cheered-for player succeeded in the game but not when the other player
      did. Interestingly, this vmPFC activation was functionally connected with
      premotor activation only during the cheered-for player's success. These results
      suggest that vicarious reward is processed in the vmPFC-premotor network, which
      is activated specifically by the success of the other person with whom the
      individual feels unity and closeness. 

PMID- 26500292
TI  - Tocopherol transfer protein sensitizes prostate cancer cells to vitamin E.

PMID- 26500293
TI  - Retraction: G protein-coupled receptor kinase-2 is a novel regulator of collagen
      synthesis in adult human cardiac fibroblasts.

PMID- 26500294
TI  - Selectively targeting the DNA-binding domain of the androgen receptor as a
      prospective therapy for prostate cancer.

PMID- 26500295
TI  - Altered Monoaminergic Systems and Depressive-like Behavior in Congenic Prion
      Protein Knock-out Mice.

PMID- 26500296
TI  - Reply to Altered Monoaminergic Systems and Depressive-like Behavior in Congenic
      Prion Protein Knock-out Mice.

PMID- 26500297
TI  - Politically Incorrect.

PMID- 26500298
TI  - Caring for older people: is home care always best?

PMID- 26500299
TI  - Promoting modifiable risk factors for dementia: is there a role for general
      practice?

PMID- 26500300
TI  - Statins for all: should patients who have migraine with aura be on a statin?

PMID- 26500302
TI  - Is general practice engaged with physical activity promotion?

PMID- 26500303
TI  - The 10-minute appointment.

PMID- 26500304
TI  - Why do 'high risk' women book late or not at all for antenatal care?

PMID- 26500305
TI  - Patient consent and opting-out.

PMID- 26500306
TI  - Practice with a difference!

PMID- 26500307
TI  - RCGP Research Paper of the Year 2014: partnership with patients is an important
      theme in primary care research.

PMID- 26500308
TI  - Yonder: Fatigue, role models, MDT meetings, and GP signatures.

PMID- 26500309
TI  - Law note: giving evidence in court.

PMID- 26500314
TI  - Is there an anthropologist in the house?

PMID- 26500315
TI  - Access to general practice in England: time for a policy rethink.

PMID- 26500316
TI  - Creatinine point-of-care testing for detection and monitoring of chronic kidney
      disease: primary care diagnostic technology update.

PMID- 26500317
TI  - Elbow pain: a guide to assessment and management in primary care.

PMID- 26500318
TI  - Determinants of health-related quality of life in older primary care patients:
      results of the longitudinal observational AgeCoDe Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In older patients with chronic diseases, focusing on subjective,
      patient-relevant outcomes, such as health-related quality of life (HRQoL), is
      more pertinent than pursuing clinical or laboratory target values. AIM: To
      investigate factors influencing the course of HRQoL in older (aged >=78 years)
      primary care patients and to derive non-pharmacological recommendations for
      improving their quality of life. DESIGN AND SETTING: A population-based
      prospective longitudinal observational study featuring data analysis from waves 2
      to 5 of the AgeCoDe study, which was conducted in six cities in Germany. METHOD:
      The HRQoL of 1968 patients over the course of 4.5 years was observed. Patients
      were, on average, aged 82.6 (+/-3.4) years and their HRQoL was measured using the
      EQ-5D visual analogue scale in a face-to-face assessment. Fixed-effects
      regression models were calculated to examine impact of change in potential
      influencing factors. This method allows unobserved heterogeneity to be
      controlled. RESULTS: The course of the participants' HRQoL declined with
      increasing age, walking and incident hearing impairment. Increasing the number of
      physical activities improved the HRQoL. These findings were modified by sex,
      education level, and depression. Especially in females and patients with rather
      low education levels, increased physical activity improved the subjects' HRQoL,
      while hearing impairment decreased it. Moving to an institution only improved the
      HRQoL in patients without depression or those with a low level of education
      (primary education). CONCLUSION: Motivating patients to increase their weekly
      physical activity and to focus on preserving their ability to walk are promising
      approaches to improving HRQoL in older age. Less-educated patients and those
      without depression can also benefit from moving into an institution (for example,
      a care or retirement home).

PMID- 26500319
TI  - Comparison of end-of-life care for older people living at home and in residential
      homes: a mortality follow-back study among GPs in the Netherlands.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The proportion of older people is increasing, therefore their place
      of residence and place of care at the end of life are becoming increasingly
      important. AIM: To compare aspects of end-of-life care among older people in
      residential homes and home settings in the Netherlands. DESIGN AND SETTING:
      Nationwide representative mortality follow-back study among GPs in the
      Netherlands. METHOD: The study included patients aged >=65 years who died non
      suddenly, whose longest place of residence in their last year of life was at home
      or in a residential home (n = 498). Differences were analysed using Pearson's
      chi(2) test, Mann-Whitney U tests, and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS:
      Controlling for the differences between the populations in home settings and
      residential homes, no differences were found in treatment goals, communication
      about end-of-life care, or use of specialised palliative care between the two
      settings. However, people living in a residential home were more likely to have
      received palliative care from a GP than people living at home (OR 2.84, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] = 1.41 to 5.07). In residential homes, people more often
      experienced no transfer between care settings (OR 2.76, 95% CI = 1.35 to 5.63)
      and no hospitalisations (OR 2.2, 95% CI = 1.04 to 4.67) in the last 3 months of
      life, and died in hospital less often (OR 0.78, 95% CI = 0.63 to 0.97) than those
      people living at home. CONCLUSION: Despite similar treatment goals, care in
      residential homes seems more successful in avoiding transfers and hospitalisation
      at the end of life. Especially since older people are encouraged to stay at home
      longer, measures should be taken to ensure they are not at higher risk of
      transfers and hospitalisations in this setting.

PMID- 26500320
TI  - Promoting physical activity in older people in general practice: ProAct65+
      cluster randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Regular physical activity reduces falls, hip fractures, and all-cause
      mortality, but physical activity levels are low in older age groups. AIM: To
      evaluate two exercise programmes promoting physical activity among older people.
      DESIGN AND SETTING: Pragmatic three-arm, parallel-design cluster randomised
      controlled trial involving 1256 people aged >=65 years (of 20 507 invited)
      recruited from 43 general practices in London, Nottingham, and Derby. METHOD:
      Practices were randomised to the class-based Falls Management Exercise programme
      (FaME), the home-based Otago Exercise Program (OEP), or usual care. The primary
      outcome was the proportion reaching the recommended physical activity target 12
      months post-intervention. Secondary outcomes included falls, quality of life,
      balance confidence, and costs. RESULTS: In total, 49% of FaME participants
      reached the physical activity target compared with 38% for usual care (adjusted
      odds ratio 1.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.11 to 2.87, P = 0.02).
      Differences between FaME and usual care persisted 24 months after intervention.
      There was no significant difference comparing those in the OEP (43% reaching
      target at 12 months) and usual-care arms. Participants in the FaME arm added
      around 15 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day to their
      baseline level; this group also had a significantly lower rate of falls (incident
      rate ratio 0.74, 95% CI = 0.55 to 0.99, P = 0.042). Balance confidence was
      significantly improved in both intervention arms. The mean cost per extra person
      achieving the physical activity target was L1740. Attrition and rates of adverse
      reactions were similar. CONCLUSION: The FaME programme increases self-reported
      physical activity for at least 12 months post-intervention and reduces falls in
      people aged >=65 years, but uptake is low. There was no statistically significant
      difference in reaching the target, or in falls, between the OEP and usual-care
      arms.

PMID- 26500321
TI  - GPs' perspectives on secondary cardiovascular prevention in older age: a focus
      group study in the Netherlands.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although guidelines recommend secondary cardiovascular prevention
      irrespective of age, in older age the uptake of treatment is lower than in
      younger age groups. AIM: To explore the dilemmas GPs in the Netherlands encounter
      when implementing guidelines for secondary cardiovascular prevention in older
      age. DESIGN AND SETTING: Qualitative study in four focus groups consisting of GPs
      (n = 23, from the northern part of the province South Holland) and a fifth focus
      group consisting of GP trainees (n = 4, from the Leiden University Medical
      Center). METHOD: Focus group discussions were organised to elicit perspectives on
      the implementation of secondary cardiovascular prevention for older people. The
      14 theoretical domains of the refined Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) were
      used for (deductive) coding of the focus group discussions. The coded texts were
      analysed, content was discussed, and barriers and facilitators were identified
      for each domain of the TDF. RESULTS: The main theme that emerged was
      'uncertainty'. Identified barriers were guideline-related, patient-related, and
      organisation-related. Identified facilitators were doctor-related, patient
      related, and organisation-related. The main aim of secondary preventive treatment
      was improvement in quality of life. CONCLUSION: GPs in the Netherlands are
      uncertain about many aspects of secondary cardiovascular prevention in older age;
      the guidelines themselves, their own role, patient factors, and the organisation
      of care. In view of this uncertainty, GPs consciously weigh all aspects of the
      situation in close dialogue with the individual patient, with the ultimate aim of
      improving quality of life. This highly-individualised care may largely explain
      the reduced prescription rates.

PMID- 26500322
TI  - Chest pain for coronary heart disease in general practice: clinical judgement and
      a clinical decision rule.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Marburg Heart Score (MHS) is a simple, valid, and robust clinical
      decision rule assisting GPs in ruling out coronary heart disease (CHD) in
      patients presenting with chest pain. AIM: To investigate whether using the rule
      adds to the GP's clinical judgement. DESIGN AND SETTING: A comparative diagnostic
      accuracy study was conducted using data from 832 consecutive patients with chest
      pain in general practice. METHOD: Three diagnostic strategies were defined using
      the MHS: diagnosis based solely on the MHS; using the MHS as a triage test; and
      GP's clinical judgement aided by the MHS. Their accuracy was compared with the
      GPs' unaided clinical judgement. RESULTS: Sensitivity and specificity of the GPs'
      unaided clinical judgement was 82.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 72.4 to
      89.9) and 61.0% (95% CI = 56.7 to 65.2), respectively. In comparison, the
      sensitivity of the MHS was higher (difference 8.5%, 95% CI = -2.4 to 19.6) and
      the specificity was similar (difference -0.4%, 95% CI = -5.3 to 4.5); the
      sensitivity of the triage was similar (difference -1.5%, 95% CI = -9.8 to 7.0)
      and the specificity was higher (difference 11.6%, 95% CI = 7.8 to 15.4); and both
      the sensitivity and specificity of the aided clinical judgement were higher
      (difference 8.0%, 95% CI = -6.9 to 23.0 and 5.8%, 95% CI = -1.6 to 13.2,
      respectively). CONCLUSION: Using the Marburg Heart Score for initial triage can
      improve the clinical diagnosis of CHD in general practice.

PMID- 26500323
TI  - Utilising out-of-hours primary care for assistance with cancer pain: a semi
      structured interview study of patient and caregiver experiences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pain is the most frequent complication of cancer and an important
      reason for out-of-hours (OOH) primary care contacts by patients with established
      cancer. Existing quantitative data give little insight into the reason for these
      contacts. Exploring such encounters of care could highlight ways to improve
      anticipatory cancer care and communication between daytime and OOH primary care
      services. AIM: To explore the experiences, views, and opinions of patients and
      their caregivers who have used OOH primary care for help with managing cancer
      pain. DESIGN AND SETTING: A semi-structured interview study with patients and
      caregivers who have utilised an OOH primary care service in Grampian, Scotland,
      because of pain related to cancer. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews with 11
      patients and four caregivers (n = 15), transcribed verbatim and analysed using
      framework analysis and, to a lesser extent, inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS:
      Six key themes emerged: making sense of pain and predicting its likely course;
      beliefs about analgesics; priority daytime access; the importance of continuity
      of care and communication between all involved; barriers and facilitators to
      seeking help in the OOH period; and satisfaction/dissatisfaction with OOH care.
      Three prominent sub-themes were: patient knowledge; the influence of a caregiver
      on decision-making; and the benefits of having a palliative care summary.
      CONCLUSION: Effective daytime and anticipatory care can positively influence OOH
      care. Interventions that aid patients in understanding cancer pain, communicating
      about pain, utilising analgesics effectively, and seeking appropriate and timely
      help may improve cancer pain management.

PMID- 26500324
TI  - Caring for people living with, and beyond, cancer: an online survey of GPs in
      England.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing numbers of people are living with, and beyond, cancer.
      They are at risk of long-term morbidity and premature mortality due to the
      consequences of their disease and its treatment. Primary care can contribute to
      providing ongoing care. AIM: To determine the current practice and views of GPs
      in England regarding cancer survivorship care. DESIGN AND SETTING: Online survey
      of a sample of 500 GPs, stratified by NHS region in England. METHOD: The survey
      included questions adapted from prior surveys assessing physician knowledge and
      attitudes regarding care of patients with cancer. RESULTS: In total, 500 GPs
      responded; approximately half reported often providing care to people living
      beyond cancer for treatment-related side effects (51%), psychological symptoms
      (65%), and lifestyle advice (55%). Only 29% felt very confident managing
      treatment-related side effects compared with 46% and 65% for psychological
      symptoms and lifestyle advice respectively. Half reported usually receiving
      cancer treatment summaries and survivorship care plans but most of the sample
      felt these would improve their ability to provide care (76%). Only 53% were
      convinced of the usefulness of cancer care reviews. Although most felt that
      primary and specialist care should share responsibility for managing bone (81%)
      and cardiovascular (77%) health consequences, fewer than half reported often
      taking previous history of cancer or cancer treatment into consideration when
      assessing bone health; only one-fifth did this in relation to cardiovascular
      health. Most responders were interested in receiving education to improve their
      knowledge and expertise. CONCLUSION: GPs have a potentially important role to
      play in caring for people following cancer treatment. This study has highlighted
      areas where further support and education are needed to enable GPs to optimise
      their role in cancer survivorship care.

PMID- 26500325
TI  - The association between symptoms and bladder or renal tract cancer in primary
      care: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Appropriate selection for further investigation of patients
      presenting in primary care with symptoms that may indicate cancer is key to early
      diagnosis. AIM: To quantify the risk of urinary tract cancer in patients
      presenting in primary care with symptoms that may indicate bladder or renal
      cancer. DESIGN AND SETTING: Systematic review of studies relating to bladder or
      renal cancer in primary care. METHOD: Databases searched were MEDLINE,
      PreMEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science (SCI and SSCI), and ISI
      Proceedings from 1980 to August 2014, and PsycINFO (1980-2012) and BioMed Central
      (inception to 2012) for retrospective, prospective, or case-control diagnostic
      accuracy studies of symptomatic patients presenting to primary care with one or
      more symptoms for whom follow-up data were available. The target conditions were
      bladder or renal cancer. The studies were appraised using the QUADAS-2 tool.
      RESULTS: Eleven studies with 3 451 675 patients were included. The positive
      predictive value (PPV) from meta-analysis of visible haematuria was 5.1% in adult
      patients. It increased with age and was higher in males. The PPVs of other single
      symptoms were very low, with the highest non-haematuria PPV being 1.4% for
      anaemia in males. Fewer data were available on the PPVs of symptom combinations.
      Generally, these data showed that, with the exception of symptom combinations
      including haematuria, these were very low. CONCLUSION: The only high-risk feature
      of bladder/renal cancer in primary care was visible haematuria, and this clearly
      warrants investigation. However, not all patients with one of these cancers
      experience haematuria, so a policy restricting investigation to patients with
      haematuria will inevitably delay the diagnosis in some patients.

PMID- 26500326
TI  - Improving management and effectiveness of home blood pressure monitoring: a
      qualitative UK primary care study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self-monitoring blood pressure (SMBP) is becoming an increasingly
      prevalent practice in UK primary care, yet there remains little conceptual
      understanding of why patients with hypertension engage in self-monitoring. AIM:
      To identify psychological factors or processes prompting the decision to self
      monitor blood pressure. DESIGN AND SETTING: A qualitative study of patients
      previously participating in a survey study about SMBP from four general practices
      in the West Midlands. METHOD: Taped and transcribed in-depth interviews with 16
      patients (6 currently monitoring, 2 used to self-monitor, and 8 had never self
      monitored). Thematic analysis was undertaken. RESULTS: Three main themes emerged:
      'self' and 'living with hypertension' described the emotional element of living
      with an asymptomatic condition; 'self-monitoring behaviour and medication'
      described overall views about self-monitoring, current practice, reasons for
      monitoring, and the impact on medication adherence; and 'the GP-patient
      transaction' described the power relations affecting decisions to self-monitor.
      Self-monitoring was performed by some as a protective tool against the fears of a
      silent but serious condition, whereas others self-monitor simply out of
      curiosity. People who self-monitored tended not to discuss this with their nurse
      or GP, partly due to perceiving minimal or no interest from their clinician about
      home monitoring, and partly due to fear of being prescribed additional
      medication. CONCLUSION: The decision to self-monitor appeared often to be an
      individual choice with no schedule or systems to integrate it with other medical
      care. Better recognition by clinicians that patients are self-monitoring, perhaps
      utilising the results in shared decision-making, might help integrate it into
      daily practice.

PMID- 26500327
TI  - Can we trust studies using audit software? A case study of atrial fibrillation
      audit.

PMID- 26500328
TI  - Academic general practice: a viewpoint on achievements and challenges.

PMID- 26500329
TI  - Adherence to medication in stroke survivors dependent on caregivers.

PMID- 26500330
TI  - Ocular surface disease in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyse clinical signs and symptoms of ocular surface disease in
      patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), based on severity of diabetic peripheral
      neuropathy (DPN). METHODS: This cross-sectional study included participants who
      were carefully phenotyped by a multidisciplinary team and categorised into groups
      based on severity of DPN. All study participants underwent ophthalmic evaluation
      and completed the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and Visual Function
      Questionnaire (VFQ-25). RESULTS: The 34 study participants were healthy controls
      (n=9), patients with DM and mild or no DPN (n=16) and patients with DM and severe
      DPN (n=9). Tear osmolarity was increased, and corneal nerve fibre length was
      decreased, with increasing severity of DPN. In addition, patients with DM were
      found to have decreased Schirmer's test values when compared with healthy
      controls. No statistically significant differences were found between groups in
      OSDI, tear breakup time or corneal sensitivity. No statistically significant
      correlations were noted between the OSDI or VFQ-25 scores and clinical signs of
      dry eyes. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates some increased clinical signs of
      ocular surface disease but not an increase in subjective symptoms of dry eyes,
      with increasing severity of DPN. Furthermore, no significant correlation was
      found between OSDI scores and clinical signs of dry eye. A periodic evaluation of
      the ocular surface is important for patients with DM, in addition to retinopathy
      screening, as they may be asymptomatic but have severe dry eye disease, which can
      lead to further ocular surface complications such as corneal ulceration. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01695629.

PMID- 26500331
TI  - Frequent BRAF mutation in early-onset colorectal cancer in Taiwan: association
      with distinct clinicopathological and molecular features and poor clinical
      outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Occurrence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) under the age of
      30 is very rare and the molecular characteristics are poorly understood. A low
      BRAF mutation rate has been noted in several studies of EOCRC from Western
      countries. AIMS: To determine the clinicopathological and molecular features of
      EOCRCs in Taiwan. METHODS: KRAS/BRAF gene mutation, mismatch repair protein
      immunohistochemistry, microsatellite instability and CpG island methylation
      phenotype analyses were examined to determine the molecular characteristics of
      EOCRC. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients with EOCRC at our hospital between 2000 and
      2012 were studied. BRAF mutation was detected in 11 of the 59 tumours analysed
      (19%) and the rate was significantly higher than the overall BRAF mutation rate
      of colorectal cancer in patients older than 30 years (p<0.001). Clinically, 9 of
      11 patients with BRAF-mutated tumours presented with advanced-stage diseases and
      they presented significantly more frequently with stage IV disease than those
      with BRAF wild-type tumours (p=0.042). Histologically, BRAF mutation was
      associated with a poorly differentiated histology, a serrated precursor polyp and
      focal signet ring cell differentiation (p=0.042, 0.008 and 0.008, respectively).
      None of the BRAF-mutated tumours was mismatch repair protein-deficient and/or
      microsatellite instability-high. Overall survival of patients with BRAF-mutated
      tumours was significantly worse than that of patients with BRAF wild-type
      tumours, despite adjustment for the disease stages and tumour differentiation.
      CONCLUSIONS: BRAF mutation was frequent in EOCRCs in Taiwan and was associated
      with distinct clinicopathological and molecular features.

PMID- 26500332
TI  - Serine-arginine protein kinase 1 (SRPK1), a determinant of angiogenesis, is
      upregulated in prostate cancer and correlates with disease stage and invasion.
AB  - Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) undergoes alternative splicing to
      produce both proangiogenic and antiangiogenic isoforms. Preferential splicing of
      proangiogenic VEGF is determined by serine-arginine protein kinase 1 (SRPK1),
      which is upregulated in a number of cancers. In the present study, we aimed to
      investigate SRPK1 expression in prostate cancer (PCa) and its association with
      cancer progression. SRPK1 expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry of
      PCa tissue extracted from radical prostatectomy specimens of 110 patients. SRPK1
      expression was significantly higher in tumour compared with benign tissue
      (p<0.00001) and correlated with higher pT stage (p=0.004), extracapsular
      extension (p=0.003) and extracapsular perineural invasion (p=0.008).
      Interestingly, the expression did not correlate with Gleason grade (p=0.21),
      suggesting that SRPK1 facilitates the development of a tumour microenvironment
      that favours growth and invasion (possibly through stimulating angiogenesis)
      while having little bearing on the morphology or function of the tumour cells
      themselves. 

PMID- 26500333
TI  - Comprehensive genomic profiling of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma reveals a long
      tail of therapeutic targets.
AB  - AIM: We queried whether extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma featured clinically
      relevant genomic alterations that could lead to targeted therapy. METHODS:
      Comprehensive genomic profiling by hybridisation capture of up to 315 genes was
      performed on 99 clinically advanced extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. RESULTS:
      There were 60 male and 39 female patients with a median age of 60.5 years. A
      total of 400 alterations were identified (mean 4.0; range 0-13) in 84 genes.
      Eighty-two (83%) of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients featured at least
      one clinically relevant genomic alterations including KRAS (43%); ERBB2 (9%),
      PTEN (7%); ATM and NF1 (6%) and CCND1, FBXW7, GNAS, MDM2 and NRAS (all at 5%).
      BRAF, BRCA2, CDK4, CDK6, FGFR1, FGFR3, PTCH1, RAF1 and STK11 were each altered in
      a single patient. No IDH1/2 mutations or FGFR2 gene fusions were identified.
      CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive genomic profiling of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
      differs significantly from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma, and reveals diverse opportunities for the use of targeted
      therapies.

PMID- 26500334
TI  - Immunophenotyping of ampullary carcinomata allows for stratification of treatment
      specific subgroups.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ampullary carcinomata (AC) can be separated into intestinal (IT) or
      pancreatobiliary (PB) subtypes. Although morphological, immunohistochemical and
      molecular differentiation of IT and PB have been well documented; the prognostic
      significance of histological subtype and whether patients with either subtype
      benefit from differential chemotherapeutic regimens remains unclear. METHODS: As
      part of a larger cohort study, patients who underwent resection for AC or
      pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) were retrospectively identified.
      Clinicopathological covariates and outcome were obtained and MUC1, MUC2, CDX2 and
      CK20 were assessed with immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Of 99 ACs, the resultant
      immunophenotypes indicated 48% and 22% were IT and PB, respectively. Thirty (30%)
      cases were quadruple negative (QN). Within the PDAC cohort (N = 257), the most
      prevalent immunophenotype was QN (53%). Subsequently, all QN ACs were classified
      as PB immunohistochemically yielding 47.5% and 52.5% classified as IT and PB,
      respectively. Involved regional lymph nodes and elevated T-stage were
      significantly associated with PB compared with IT AC (p = 0.0032 and 0.0396,
      respectively). Progression-free survival revealed inferior survival for PB versus
      IT AC (p = 0.0156). CONCLUSIONS: AC can be classified into prognostic groups with
      unique clinicopathological characteristics using immunohistochemistry.
      Immunophenotypical similarity of PB and PDAC suggests that treatment regimens
      similar to those used in PDAC should be explored.

PMID- 26500335
TI  - Immunohistochemical detection of cytoplasmic nucleophosmin in formalin-fixed
      paraffin-embedded marrow trephine biopsies in acute myeloid leukaemia.
AB  - AIMS: Nucleophosmin (NPM1) gene mutations resulting in cytoplasmic delocalisation
      of nucleophosmin (NPMc+) are the most common genetic abnormality in acute myeloid
      leukaemia (AML). In this study, we tested whether immunohistochemical (IHC)
      detection of cytoplasmic NPM1 (cNPM1) in formalin-fixed bone marrow trephine
      biopsies correlated with NPM1 mutations and the prognostic impact of NPM1 and fms
      related tyrosine kinase 3-internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD) gene mutations
      was also assessed. METHODS: A total of 71 Chinese adult de novo AML cases were
      evaluated for cNPM1 by IHC where the bone marrow trephines were fixed in 10%
      buffered formalin and decalcified by 5% EDTA. NPM1 and FLT3-ITD gene mutations
      were also investigated using PCR, fragment analysis and direct DNA sequencing.
      RESULTS: IHC analysis of cNPM1 had a very good sensitivity (86.7%) and excellent
      specificity (96.4%) for NPM1 mutation. The positive predictive value was 86.7%
      and the negative predictive value was 96.4%. NPM1 mutations and FLT3-ITD were
      closely associated (p = 0.003). Patients with mutated NPM1 and without FLT3-ITD
      mutation have a longer overall survival (p = 0.042) than patients with both NPM1
      and FLT3-ITD mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that IHC detection of
      cNPM1 in formalin-fixed trephine biopsies correlated well but not entirely with
      NPM1 mutation. Furthermore, NPM1 mutations were significantly more frequent in
      FLT3-ITD than FLT3-wild-type cases.

PMID- 26500336
TI  - Leisure time physical activity and cancer risk: evaluation of the WHO's
      recommendation based on 126 high-quality epidemiological studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The WHO has concluded that physical activity reduces the risk of
      numerous diseases. However, few systemic reviews have been performed to assess
      the role of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) in lowering the risk of cancer
      in a dose-dependent manner and furthermore the suitability of recommendation of
      physical activity by the WHO. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis was
      designed to estimate cancer risk by LTPA in binary comparison and in a dose
      dependent manner. MEDLINE and Web of Science were searched up to 30 December 2014
      without language restrictions. Reference lists were reviewed for potential
      articles. RESULTS: A total of 126 studies were recruited into the meta-analysis.
      Overall, the total cancer risk was reduced by 10% in people who undertook the
      most LTPA as compared with those who did the least. Dose-response meta-analysis
      indicated that the current WHO recommendation (equal to an average of 10
      metabolic equivalents of energy hours per week) induced a 7% (95% CI 5% to 9%)
      cancer reduction. Moreover, the protective role of LTPA against cancer becomes
      saturated at 20 metabolic equivalents of energy hours per week, with a relative
      risk of 0.91 (95% CI 0.88 to 0.93). Subanalyses results based on cancer types
      showed that LTPA only exhibited significant protection against breast cancer and
      colorectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis indicates that the current WHO
      recommendation of physical activity can result in a 7% reduction in cancer risk,
      which is mainly attributed to its protective role against breast cancer and
      colorectal cancer. Furthermore, two-fold of current recommendation level is
      considered to give its saturated protection against cancer.

PMID- 26500337
TI  - Examining the link between women's exposure to stressful life events prior to
      conception and infant and toddler health: the role of birth weight.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The life course perspective suggests a pathway may exist among
      maternal exposure to stressful life events prior to conception (PSLEs), infant
      birth weight and subsequent offspring health, whereby PSLEs are part of a 'chains
      of-risk' that set children on a certain health pathway. No prior study has
      examined the link between PSLEs and offspring health in a nationally
      representative sample of US mothers and their children. We used longitudinal,
      nationally representative data to evaluate the relation between maternal exposure
      to PSLEs and subsequent measures of infant and toddler health, taking both
      maternal and obstetric characteristics into account. METHODS: We examined 6900
      mother-child dyads participating in 2 waves of the nationally representative
      Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (n=6900). Infant and toddler
      health outcomes assessed at 9 and 24 months included overall health status,
      special healthcare needs and severe health conditions. Adjusted path analyses
      examined associations between PSLEs, birth weight and child health outcomes.
      RESULTS: In adjusted analyses, PSLEs increased the risk for very low birth weight
      (VLBW, <1500 g), which, in turn, predicted poor health at both 9 and 24 months of
      age. Path analyses demonstrated that PSLEs had small indirect effects on
      children's subsequent health that operated through VLBW. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      analysis suggests a chains-of-risk model in which women's exposure to PSLEs
      increases the risk for giving birth to a VLBW infant, which, in turn, adversely
      affects infant and toddler health. Addressing women's preconception health may
      have important downstream benefits for their children, although more research is
      needed to replicate these findings.

PMID- 26500338
TI  - Effects of Interplanting Flowering Plants on the Biological Control of Corn
      Earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Sweet
      Corn.
AB  - Natural enemy exploitation of food resources and alternative hosts in noncrop
      vegetation has been shown to be an effective means of enhancing natural enemy
      populations in diversified agro-ecosystem. Field trials were conducted in Hawaii
      to examine effects of interplanting flowering plants on 1) parasitism of corn
      earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) eggs by Trichogramma spp., and 2) abundance of
      Orius spp. in relation to prey (H. zea eggs and thrips [primarily, Frankliniella
      occidentalis (Pergande) and Frankliniella williamsi Hood]). Sweet corn (maize),
      Zea mays L., was interplanted with three flowering plants, buckwheat, Fagopyrum
      esculentum Moench, cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.), and sunn hemp, Crotolaria
      juncea L., at 2:1 and 4:1 (corn: flowering plant) ratios in 2009 and 2010,
      respectively. In 2009, the abundance of Orius spp. was significantly greater in
      the buckwheat-interplanted treatment compared to the monocrop control at similar
      levels of prey availability, indicating buckwheat flowers might have provided
      both prey and nectar resources. In 2010, cowpea and sunn hemp flowering plants
      provided a source of an alternate host insect's eggs for Trichogramma spp.
      oviposition, resulting in significantly higher parasitism of H. zea eggs in the
      cowpea- and sunn hemp-interplanted treatments compared to the monocrop control.
      Despite of differences in pest and natural enemy interactions in two field
      trials, our findings suggested that provisioning of an alternate host insect's
      eggs through flowering plants is an effective means for enhancing Trichogramma
      spp. and provisioning of both nectar and prey resources through flowering plants
      is important for enhancing predation by Orius spp. 

PMID- 26500340
TI  - Monovalent Fc receptor blockade by an anti-Fcgamma receptor/albumin fusion
      protein ameliorates murine ITP with abrogated toxicity.
AB  - Patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) commonly have antiplatelet antibodies
      that cause thrombocytopenia through Fcgamma receptors (FcgammaRs). Antibodies
      specific for FcgammaRs, designed to inhibit antibody-FcgammaR interaction, had
      been shown to improve ITP in refractory human patients. However, the development
      of such FcgammaR-specific antibodies has stalled because of adverse events, a
      phenomenon recapitulated in mouse models. One hypothesis behind these adverse
      events involved the function of the Fc region of the antibody, which engages
      FcgammaRs, leading to inflammatory responses. Unfortunately, inhibition of Fc
      function by deglycosylation failed to prevent this inflammatory response. In this
      work, we hypothesize that the bivalent antigen-binding fragment regions of
      immunoglobulin G are sufficient to trigger adverse events and have reasoned that
      designing a monovalent targeting strategy could circumvent the inflammatory
      response. To this end, we generated a fusion protein comprising a monovalent
      human FcgammaRIIIA-specific antibody linked in tandem to human serum albumin,
      which retained FcgammaR-binding activity in vitro. To evaluate clinically
      relevant in vivo FcgammaR-blocking function and inflammatory effects, we
      generated a murine version targeting the murine FcgammaRIII linked to murine
      albumin in a passive murine ITP model. Monovalent blocking of FcgammaR function
      dramatically inhibited antibody-dependent murine ITP and successfully
      circumvented the inflammatory response as assessed by changes in body
      temperature, basophil activation, and basophil depletion. Consistent with our
      hypothesis, in vivo cross-linking of the fusion protein induced these
      inflammatory effects, recapitulating the adverse events of the parent antibody.
      Thus, monovalent blocking of FcgammaR function demonstrates a proof of concept to
      successfully treat FcgammaR-mediated autoimmune diseases. 

PMID- 26500339
TI  - Sequential vs alternating administration of VMP and Rd in elderly patients with
      newly diagnosed MM.
AB  - Bortezomib plus melphalan and prednisone (VMP) and lenalidomide plus low-dose
      dexamethasone (Rd) are 2 standards of care for elderly untreated multiple myeloma
      (MM) patients. We planned to use VMP and Rd for 18 cycles in a sequential or
      alternating scheme. Patients (233) with untreated MM, >65 years, were randomized
      to receive 9 cycles of VMP followed by 9 cycles of Rd (sequential scheme; n =
      118) vs 1 cycle of VMP followed by 1 cycle of Rd, and so on, up to 18 cycles
      (alternating scheme; n = 115). VMP consisted of one 6-week cycle of bortezomib
      using a biweekly schedule, followed by eight 5-week cycles of once-weekly VMP. Rd
      included nine 4-week cycles of Rd. The primary end points were 18-month
      progression free survival (PFS) and safety profile of both schemes. The 18-month
      PFS was 74% and 80% in the sequential and alternating arms, respectively (P =
      .21). The sequential and alternating groups exhibited similar hematologic and
      nonhematologic toxicity. Both arms yielded similar complete response rate (42%
      and 40%), median PFS (32 months vs 34 months, P = .65), and 3-year overall
      survival (72% vs 74%, P = .63). The benefit of both schemes was remarkable in
      patients aged 65 to 75 years. In addition, achieving complete and
      immunophenotypic response was associated with better outcome. The present
      approach, based on VMP and Rd, is associated with high efficacy and acceptable
      toxicity profile with no differences between the sequential and alternating
      regimens. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00443235. 

PMID- 26500341
TI  - Improving evidence on anticoagulant therapies for venous thromboembolism in
      children: key challenges and opportunities.
AB  - Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is increasingly diagnosed in pediatric patients, and
      anticoagulant use in this population has become common, despite the absence of US
      Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for this indication. Guidelines for
      the use of anticoagulants in pediatrics are largely extrapolated from large
      randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in adults, smaller dose-finding and
      observational studies in children, and expert opinion. The recently FDA-approved
      direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), such as dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban,
      and edoxaban, provide potential advantages over oral vitamin K antagonists and
      subcutaneous low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs). However, key questions arise
      regarding their potential off-label clinical application in pediatric
      thromboembolic disease. In this Perspective, we provide background on the use of
      LMWHs such as enoxaparin as the mainstay of treatment of pediatric provoked VTE;
      identify key questions and challenges with regard to DOAC trials and future DOAC
      therapy in pediatric VTE; and discuss applicable lessons learned from the recent
      pilot/feasibility phase of a large multicenter RCT of anticoagulant duration in
      pediatric VTE. The challenges and lessons learned present opportunities to
      improve evidence for anticoagulant therapies in pediatric VTE through future
      clinical trials. 

PMID- 26500342
TI  - KIR2DL5B genotype predicts outcomes in CML patients treated with response
      directed sequential imatinib/nilotinib strategy.
AB  - Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) on natural killer (NK) cells have
      been shown to predict for response in chronic phase-chronic myeloid leukemia (CP
      CML) patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. We performed KIR
      genotyping in 148 newly diagnosed CP-CML patients treated with a novel sequential
      imatinib/nilotinib strategy aimed at achievement of optimal molecular responses
      at defined time points. We found the presence of KIR2DL5B to be associated with
      inferior transformation-free survival and event-free survival and an independent
      predictor of inferior major molecular response (BCR-ABL1 <=0.1%) and molecular
      response 4.5 (BCR-ABL1 <=0.0032%). This suggests a critical early role for NK
      cells in facilitating response to imatinib that cannot be overcome by subsequent
      intensification of therapy. KIR genotyping may add valuable prognostic
      information to future baseline predictive scoring systems in CP-CML patients and
      facilitate optimal frontline treatment selection. 

PMID- 26500343
TI  - Total knee replacement is linked to reduced pain but with serious side effects,
      trial finds.

PMID- 26500344
TI  - Many cancer drugs recently approved in US do not improve overall survival, study
      finds.

PMID- 26500345
TI  - The scientific report guiding the US dietary guidelines: is it scientific?

PMID- 26500346
TI  - Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) Have Novel Asymmetrical Antibodies.
AB  - Igs in vertebrates comprise equally sized H and L chains, with exceptions such as
      H chain-only Abs in camels or natural Ag receptors in sharks. In Reptilia, Igs
      are known as IgYs. Using immunoassays with isotype-specific mAbs, in this study
      we show that green turtles (Chelonia mydas) have a 5.7S 120-kDa IgY comprising
      two equally sized H/L chains with truncated Fc and a 7S 200-kDa IgY comprised of
      two differently sized H chains bound to L chains and apparently often
      noncovalently associated with an antigenically related 90-kDa moiety. Both the
      200- and 90-kDa 7S molecules are made in response to specific Ag, although the 90
      kDa molecule appears more prominent after chronic Ag stimulation. Despite no
      molecular evidence of a hinge, electron microscopy reveals marked flexibility of
      Fab arms of 7S and 5.7S IgY. Both IgY can be captured with protein G or melon
      gel, but less so with protein A. Thus, turtle IgY share some characteristics with
      mammalian IgG. However, the asymmetrical structure of some turtle Ig and the
      discovery of an Ig class indicative of chronic antigenic stimulation represent
      striking advances in our understanding of immunology. 

PMID- 26500347
TI  - Costimulation of IL-2 Production through CD28 Is Dependent on the Size of Its
      Ligand.
AB  - Optimal T cell activation typically requires engagement of both the TCR and
      costimulatory receptors, such as CD28. Engagement of CD28 leads to tyrosine
      phosphorylation of its cytoplasmic region and recruitment of cytoplasmic
      signaling proteins. Although the exact mechanism of CD28 signal transduction is
      unknown, CD28 triggering has similarities to the TCR, which was proposed to use
      the kinetic-segregation (KS) mechanism. The KS model postulates that, when small
      receptors engage their ligands within areas of close (~15 nm) contact in the T
      cell/APC interface, this facilitates phosphorylation by segregating the engaged
      receptor/ligand complex from receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases with large
      ectodomains, such as CD45. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effect of
      elongating the extracellular region of the CD28 ligand, CD80, on its ability to
      costimulate IL-2 production by primary T cells. CD80 elongation reduced its
      costimulatory effect without abrogating CD28 binding. Confocal microscopy
      revealed that elongated CD80 molecules were less well segregated from CD45 at the
      T cell/APC interface. T cells expressing CD28 harboring a key tyrosine-170
      mutation were less sensitive to CD80 elongation. In summary, the effectiveness of
      CD28 costimulation is inversely proportional to the dimensions of the CD28-CD80
      complex. Small CD28-CD80 complex dimensions are required for optimal
      costimulation by segregation from large inhibitory tyrosine phosphatases. These
      results demonstrate the importance of ligand dimensions for optimal costimulation
      of IL-2 production by T cells and suggest that the KS mechanism contributes to
      CD28 signaling. 

PMID- 26500349
TI  - CD8 T Cells Enter the Splenic T Cell Zones Independently of CCR7, but the
      Subsequent Expansion and Trafficking Patterns of Effector T Cells after Infection
      Are Dysregulated in the Absence of CCR7 Migratory Cues.
AB  - CCR7 is an important chemokine receptor that regulates T cell trafficking and
      compartmentalization within secondary lymphoid organs. However, the T cell
      intrinsic role of CCR7 during infection in the spleen is not well understood.
      This study was designed to understand how CCR7-dependent localization and
      migration of CD8(+) T cells in different compartments of the spleen affected the
      primary and recall responses after infection. To this end, we used adoptive
      transfer of naive Ag-specific CD8 T cells (OT-I) that either lacked CCR7 or
      constitutively expressed CCR7 (CD2-CCR7) in mice that were subsequently infected
      i.v. with Listeria monocytogenes. We show that naive CCR7(-/-)CD8(+) T cells
      failed to enter the T cell zone, whereas CD2-CCR7 OT-I cells were exclusively
      confined to the T cell zones of the spleen. Surprisingly, however, CCR7(-/-) OT-I
      cells entered the T cell zones after infection, but the entry and egress
      migratory pattern of these cells was dysregulated and very distinct compared with
      wild-type OT-I cells. Moreover, CCR7-deficient OT-I cells failed to expand
      robustly when compared with wild-type OT-I cells and were preferentially skewed
      toward a short-lived effector cell differentiation pattern. Interestingly, CCR7(
      /-), CD2-CCR7, and wild-type OT-I memory cells responded equally well to
      rechallenge infection. These results highlight a novel role of CCR7 in regulating
      effector CD8 T cell migration in the spleen and demonstrate differential
      requirement of CCR7 for primary and secondary CD8 T cell responses to infection. 

PMID- 26500348
TI  - IgM-Dependent Phagocytosis in Microglia Is Mediated by Complement Receptor 3, Not
      Fcalpha/MU Receptor.
AB  - Microglia play an important role in receptor-mediated phagocytosis in the CNS. In
      brain abscess and other CNS infections, invading bacteria undergo opsonization
      with Igs or complement. Microglia recognize these opsonized pathogens by Fc or
      complement receptors triggering phagocytosis. In this study, we investigated the
      role of Fcalpha/MUR, the less-studied receptor for IgM and IgA, in microglial
      phagocytosis. We showed that primary microglia, as well as N9 microglial cells,
      express Fcalpha/MUR. We also showed that anti-Staphylococcus aureus IgM markedly
      increased the rate of microglial S. aureus phagocytosis. To unequivocally test
      the role of Fcalpha/MUR in IgM-mediated phagocytosis, we performed experiments in
      microglia from Fcalpha/MUR(-/-) mice. Surprisingly, we found that IgM-dependent
      phagocytosis of S. aureus was similar in microglia derived from wild-type or
      Fcalpha/MUR(-/-) mice. We hypothesized that IgM-dependent activation of
      complement receptors might contribute to the IgM-mediated increase in
      phagocytosis. To test this, we used immunologic and genetic inactivation of
      complement receptor 3 components (CD11b and CD18) as well as C3. IgM-, but not
      IgG-mediated phagocytosis of S. aureus was reduced in wild-type microglia and
      macrophages following preincubation with an anti-CD11b blocking Ab. IgM-dependent
      phagocytosis of S. aureus was also reduced in microglia derived from CD18(-/-)
      and C3(-/-) mice. Taken together, our findings implicate complement receptor 3
      and C3, but not Fcalpha/MUR, in IgM-mediated phagocytosis of S. aureus by
      microglia.

PMID- 26500350
TI  - Imbalanced PTEN and PI3K Signaling Impairs Class Switch Recombination.
AB  - Class switch recombination (CSR) generates isotype-switched Abs with distinct
      effector functions. B cells express phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and
      multiple isoforms of class IA PI3K catalytic subunits, including p110alpha and
      p110delta, whose roles in CSR remain unknown or controversial. In this article,
      we demonstrate a direct effect of PTEN on CSR signaling by acute deletion of Pten
      specifically in mature B cells, thereby excluding the developmental impact of
      Pten deletion. We show that mature B cell-specific PTEN overexpression enhances
      CSR. More importantly, we establish a critical role for p110alpha in CSR.
      Furthermore, we identify a cooperative role for p110alpha and p110delta in
      suppressing CSR. Mechanistically, dysregulation of p110alpha or PTEN inversely
      affects activation-induced deaminase expression via modulating AKT activity.
      Thus, our study reveals that a signaling balance between PTEN and PI3K isoforms
      is essential to maintain normal CSR. 

PMID- 26500351
TI  - Estimation of the Antirelapse Efficacy of Tafenoquine, Using Plasmodium vivax
      Genotyping.
AB  - Prevention of relapse of Plasmodium vivax infection is a key treatment goal in
      malaria. Use of P. vivax genotyping in a multicenter, double-blind, randomized,
      placebo-controlled phase 2b study in Peru, India, Thailand, and Brazil allowed
      determination of genetically heterologous or homologous P. vivax infection
      recurrence following receipt of chloroquine plus one of 4 doses of tafenoquine
      (50, 100, 300, or 600 mg) or chloroquine plus primaquine, compared with receipt
      of chloroquine alone. The antihypnozoite efficacy of tafenoquine was evident as a
      reduction in homologous recurrences of P. vivax infection as drug doses were
      increased. No clear dose-response pattern was evident for heterologous
      recurrences of P. vivax infection. Rates of homologous recurrence of P. vivax
      infection appear to be clinically useful for comparing drug efficacy for the
      prevention of P. vivax infection relapse. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION:
      NCT01376167.

PMID- 26500353
TI  - Inheriting the Journal.

PMID- 26500352
TI  - Mimicking Biological Delivery Through Feedback-Controlled Drug Release Systems
      Based on Molecular Imprinting.
AB  - Intelligent drug delivery systems (DDS) are able to rapidly detect a biological
      event and respond appropriately by releasing a therapeutic agent; thus, they are
      advantageous over their conventional counterparts. Molecular imprinting is a
      promising area that generates a polymeric network which can selectively recognize
      a desired analyte. This field has been studied for a variety of applications over
      a long period of time, but only recently has it been investigated for biomedical
      and pharmaceutical applications. Recent work in the area of molecularly imprinted
      polymers in drug delivery highlights the potential of these recognitive networks
      as environmentally responsive DDS that can ultimately lead to feedback controlled
      recognitive release systems.

PMID- 26500354
TI  - Chiropractors' characteristics associated with their number of workers'
      compensation patients.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was
      to identify characteristics of Canadian doctors of chiropractic (DCs) associated
      with their number of workers' compensation patients. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA:
      It has been previously hypothesized that DCs that treat a relatively high volume
      of workers' compensation cases may have different characteristics than the
      general chiropractic community. METHODS: Secondary data analyses were performed
      on data collected in the 2011 survey of the Canadian Chiropractic Resources
      Databank (CCRD). The CCRD survey included 81 questions concerning the practice
      and concerns of DCs. Of the 6,533 mailed questionnaires, 2,529 (38.7%) were
      returned. Of these, 652 respondents did not meet our inclusion criteria, and our
      final study sample included 1,877 respondents. Bivariate analyses were conducted
      between predetermined independent variables and the annual number of workers'
      compensation patients. A negative binomial multivariate regression was performed
      to identify significant factors associated with the number of workers'
      compensation patients. RESULTS: On average, DCs received 10.3 (standard deviation
      (SD) = 17.6) workers' compensation cases and nearly one-third did not receive any
      such cases. The type of clinic (other than sole provider), practice area
      population (smaller than 500,000), practice province (other than Quebec), number
      of practice hours per week, number of treatments per week, main sector of
      activity (occupational/ industrial), care provided to patients (electrotherapy,
      soft-tissue therapy), percentage of patients with neuromusculoskeletal
      conditions, and percentage of patients referred by their employer or a physician
      were associated with a higher annual number of workers' compensation cases.
      CONCLUSION: Canadian DCs who reported a higher volume of workers' compensation
      patients had practices oriented towards the treatment of injured workers,
      collaborated with other health care providers, and facilitated workers' access to
      care.

PMID- 26500355
TI  - Collaborative care for a patient with complex low back pain and long-term tobacco
      use: a case report.
AB  - Few examples of interprofessional collaboration by chiropractors and other
      healthcare professionals are available. This case report describes an older adult
      with complex low back pain and longstanding tobacco use who received
      collaborative healthcare while enrolled in a clinical trial. This 65 year-old
      female retired office worker presented with chronic back pain. Imaging findings
      included disc extrusion and spinal stenosis. Multiple co-morbidities and the
      complex nature of this case substantiated the need for multidisciplinary
      collaboration. A doctor of chiropractic and a doctor of osteopathy provided
      collaborative care based on patient goal setting and supported by structured
      interdisciplinary communication, including record sharing and telephone
      consultations. Chiropractic and medical interventions included spinal
      manipulation, exercise, tobacco reduction counseling, analgesic use, nicotine
      replacement, dietary and ergonomic recommendations, and stress reduction
      strategies. Collaborative care facilitated active involvement of the patient and
      resulted in decreased radicular symptoms, improvements in activities of daily
      living, and tobacco use reduction. 

PMID- 26500357
TI  - Conservative treatment of a rock climber with a SLAP lesion: a case report.
AB  - This case report describes the clinical presentation and conservative treatment
      of a patient who suffered from a superior labrum anteroposterior (SLAP) tear of
      the shoulder after a rock climbing session. The 26 year old man had injured his
      right shoulder while trying to reach a distant socket with his shoulder 90
      degrees  abducted and in extreme external rotation. After initial treatment
      failure in chiropractic, the patient sought an orthopaedist and physiotherapy
      care. A contrast magnetic resonance examination revealed a SLAP lesion. Awaiting
      orthopaedic consultation and in the absence of clinical improvement the patient
      sought care from a second chiropractor. Clinical examination revealed a mild
      winging of the right scapula and the presence of trigger points in the rotator
      cuff muscles, biceps, rhomboids and serratus anterior. The chiropractic treatment
      then included soft tissue mobilization and the prescription of strengthening
      exercises of the serratus anterior and rotator cuff muscles. After 4 sessions,
      the patient did not feel any pain and gradually resumed all his recreational
      activities. Clinicians should be aware that SLAP lesions are difficult to
      identify clinically and that manual therapy might be an important component of
      conservative treatment of SLAP lesions. 

PMID- 26500356
TI  - Leg length discrepancy and osteoarthritis in the knee, hip and lumbar spine.
AB  - Osteoarthritis (OA) is an extremely common condition that creates substantial
      personal and health care costs. An important recognised risk factor for OA is
      excessive or abnormal mechanical joint loading. Leg length discrepancy (LLD) is a
      common condition that results in uneven and excessive loading of not only knee
      joints but also hip joints and lumbar motion segments. Accurate imaging methods
      of LLD have made it possible to study the biomechanical effects of mild LLD (LLD
      of 20mm or less). This review examines the accuracy of these methods compared to
      clinical LLD measurements. It then examines the association between LLD and OA of
      the joints of the lower extremity. More importantly, it addresses the largely
      neglected association between LLD and degeneration of lumbar motion segments and
      the patterns of biomechanical changes that accompany LLD. We propose that mild
      LLD may be an important instigator or contributor to OA of the hip and lumbar
      spine, and that it deserves to be rigorously studied in order to decrease OA's
      burden of disease. 

PMID- 26500358
TI  - Whole body vibration and cerebral palsy: a systematic review.
AB  - PURPOSE: The goal of this review is to evaluate the effects of whole body
      vibration on outcomes in patients with cerebral palsy. The findings in this
      review may help clinicians make evidence informed decisions on the use of whole
      body vibration for cerebral palsy. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted on
      April 29, 2014.The following search terms were used to search of several
      databases: (whole body vibration OR whole-body vibration OR whole body-vibration
      OR WBV) AND (cerebral palsy). Articles that met the inclusion criteria were
      assessed using the Scottish intercollegiate guidelines network (SIGN) rating
      system to assess the methodology and bias of the articles for randomized control
      trials. RESULTS: The search produced 25 articles, of which 12 duplicates were
      identified and removed. Another seven articles were not considered since they did
      not fit the inclusion criteria, leaving a total of five studies for review. Four
      of the articles analyzed the effects of WBV in children while the other study
      focused on adults with cerebral palsy. There was one low quality article, four
      acceptable quality articles and one high quality article when assessed using the
      SIGN criteria. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that whole body vibration has the
      potential to provide symptomatic relief for patients with cerebral palsy. Whole
      body vibration may improve spasticity, muscle strength and coordination. There is
      a lack of research to conclusively determine whether it does alter bone mineral
      density.

PMID- 26500359
TI  - A rare case of unilateral variations of forearm arteries: anatomy, embryology and
      clinical implications.
AB  - This study documents the existence and topographic anatomy of a rare case of
      variant forearm arteries found in the left upper limb of a 68-year-old male
      cadaver. The arteries of the arm followed typical courses, but both the radial
      and ulnar arteries in the forearm followed a superficial course. The common
      interosseous artery and recurrent ulnar arteries branched from the radial, not
      the ulnar, artery. The radial artery was larger than the ulnar artery and was the
      major source of blood supply to the forearm. Clinical implications for single
      superficial forearm arteries are reviewed. A person with both superficial radial
      and superficial ulnar arteries would be at a substantially increased risk of
      injury or iatrogenic effects that could compromise blood supply to the hand. This
      study will enhance clinician's awareness of potential arterial variations, so
      they can provide adequate assessment, diagnosis and treatment of upper limb
      lesions. 

PMID- 26500360
TI  - Intra- and inter-observer reliability of the Cobb measurement by chiropractic
      interns using digital evaluation methods.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It is important to create a body of evidence surrounding the
      reliability of certain diagnostic criteria. While the reliability of the Cobb
      measurement is well established with various licensed health care professionals,
      this study aims to determine the inter- and intra-observer reliability of the
      Cobb Measurement among chiropractic interns. METHODS: Fourteen chiropractic
      interns analyzed 10 pre-selected digital spinal radiographs on a Picture
      Archiving and Communication System (PACS) in two separate rounds of observation.
      The participants indicated their choice of end vertebra and Cobb Measurement in
      each round of observation. Agreement on vertebral levels selected was estimated
      using percentage agreement. Intra-observer reliability was estimated using the
      Pearson r correlation coefficient, and inter-observer correlation was estimated
      using the Inter-Class Coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: The range of percentage
      agreement on vertebral level selection was 0.36 - 0.79. The Pearson r correlation
      coefficient for round 1 and round 2 was 0.79. The ICC (3,1) was 0.79 (round 1),
      and 0.70 (round 2). CONCLUSION: Less than optimal agreement on end vertebrae
      selection was found between observers. Intra- and inter-observer reliability of
      the Cobb Measurement was 'excellent' (round 1) and 'good' (round 2).

PMID- 26500361
TI  - Chiropractic management of a patient with breast cancer metastases to the brain
      and spine: a case report.
AB  - Cancers of the breast, kidney, lungs, prostate and thyroid metastasize to the
      musculoskeletal system in the majority of patients with malignancy. This report
      chronicles the case of a 65-year-old female with a known history of breast cancer
      who presented to a chiropractic clinic. Once metastasis was ruled out as the
      cause of her complaint, the patient was treated with manual therapies and
      exercises. As the patient's treatments progressed and her pain improved, she
      presented with a new complaint of 'pressure' in her head. Advanced imaging
      revealed metastasis to the brain and subsequently to the spine. The aim of this
      case is to heighten awareness of the presentation of metastasis to the brain and
      the spine in a chiropractic patient, and to demonstrate the benefit of
      chiropractic care in the management of such patients. 

PMID- 26500362
TI  - Diagnostic and treatment methods used by chiropractors: A random sample survey of
      Canada's English-speaking provinces.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: It is important to understand how chiropractors practice beyond their
      formal education. The objective of this analysis was to assess the diagnostic and
      treatment methods used by chiropractors in English-speaking Canadian provinces.
      METHODS: A questionnaire was created that examined practice patterns amongst
      chiropractors. This was sent by mail to 749 chiropractors, randomly selected and
      stratified proportionally across the nine English-speaking Canadian provinces.
      Participation was voluntary and anonymous. Data were entered into an Excel
      spreadsheet, and descriptive statistics were calculated. RESULTS: The response
      rate was 68.0%. Almost all (95.1%) of respondents reported performing
      differential diagnosis procedures with their new patients; most commonly
      orthopaedic testing, palpation, history taking, range of motion testing and
      neurological examination. Palpation and painful joint findings were the most
      commonly used methods to determine the appropriate joint to apply manipulation.
      The most common treatment methods were manual joint manipulation/mobilization,
      stretching and exercise, posture/ergonomic advice and soft-tissue therapies.
      CONCLUSIONS: Differential diagnosis is a standard part of the assessment of new
      chiropractic patients in English-speaking Canadian provinces and the most common
      methods used to determine the site to apply manipulation are consistent with
      current scientific literature. Patients are treated with a combination of manual
      and/or manipulative interventions directed towards the joints and/or soft
      tissues, as well as exercise instruction and postural/ergonomic advice.

PMID- 26500363
TI  - Is "fear of passive movement" a distinctive component of the Fear-Avoidance Model
      in whiplash?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Modify the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) for 'fear of passive
      motion' beliefs. METHODS: With permission, a 14-item modification, the TSK-PM
      (passive movement), was created. Test-retest reliability was tested first.
      Construct validity was tested in chronic whiplash patients by comparing the TSK
      PM with the TSK, the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and cervical ranges of motion.
      RESULTS: The TSK-PM showed high test-retest reliability (r = 0.83) and high
      correlation with the original TSK (r = 0.84). Low, non-significant correlations
      were found with other variables. NDI scores were strongly correlated with ranges
      of motion. CONCLUSIONS: While having high test-retest reliability and a single
      factor structure, the TSK-PM failed to demonstrate distinctive construct validity
      vs the original TSK. The original TSK is likely to be sufficient to assess fear
      of being moved in neck pain patients in a clinical setting. Modifications to the
      current version of the TSK-PM might improve its construct validity in future
      studies.

PMID- 26500364
TI  - Missed appendicitis diagnosis: A case report.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this case report is to highlight and emphasize the need
      for an appropriate and thorough list of differential diagnoses when managing
      patients, as it is insufficient to assume cases are mechanical, until proven non
      mechanical. There are over 250,000 cases of appendicitis annually in the United
      States. Of these cases, <50% present with classic signs and symptoms of pain in
      the right lower quadrant, mild fever and nausea. It is standard for patients who
      present with appendicitis to be managed operatively with a laparoscopic
      appendectomy within 24 hours, otherwise the risk of complications such as
      rupture, infection, and even death increases dramatically. CLINICAL FEATURES:
      This is a retrospective case report following a 27-year-old male with missed
      appendicitis, who presented to a chiropractor two-weeks after self-diagnosed food
      poisoning. On assessment, he was tender with resisted lumbar rotation. Psoas
      Sign, McBurney's Point, vascular exam, hip exam, were negative. A diagnosis of an
      abdominal strain was provided. Two weeks later, he returned to the chiropractor
      without an improvement of symptoms. INTERVENTION & OUTCOME: The patient was sent
      to the hospital, where he was provided a diagnosis of missed appendicitis. He
      required a hemicolonectomy due to the associated phlegmonous mass. SUMMARY: When
      a patient presents to a chiropractic clinic with symptoms of abdominal pain,
      having a comprehensive list of non-mechanical differential diagnoses as well as
      mechanical differentials is crucial. Appropriate assessment and management of
      abdominal cases decreases the risk to patients, as missed diagnoses often require
      more invasive interventions.

PMID- 26500366
TI  - Robert M. Wingfield, dc: A conscientious chiropractor.
AB  - "I slept and dreamed that life was beauty. I woke - and found that life was
      duty." This quote from the poet Ellen Sturgis Hooper, could be attributed to
      Robert Wingfield, who has persevered in his quest for personal and professional
      excellence. This historical biography begins with his genealogy, going back to
      the 11(th) century in Merry England and ends in 2015, with his relatively quiet
      existence still centred in Ontario. The essay scrutinizes Dr. Wingfield's
      accomplishments for the Ontario Chiropractic Association (OCA), Canadian
      Chiropractic Association (CCA) and Ontario Board of Directors of Chiropractic
      (BDC). Moreover, it attempts to give the reader a glimpse into his personal
      endeavours, to help us fathom how he tackles (as William Shakespeare would say)
      "the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to." 

PMID- 26500365
TI  - What is the pain source? A case report of a patient with low back pain and
      bilateral hip osteonecrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low back pain is a common symptom arising from many possible sources
      and includes the possibility of the contribution of remote pathology. This report
      describes a patient with bilateral osteonecrosis of the femoral heads presenting
      with a primary symptom of low back pain. CASE PRESENTATION: A 37-year-old male
      presented for evaluation of dominant pain that existed for approximately 6-12
      months and was located in the right low back. Milder pain was also reported in
      the right hip. Low back and hip pain were both aggravated by weight-bearing
      activities. An evidence-based diagnostic evaluation revealed little indication
      for a primary pain source originating from low back structures. Radiographs
      revealed bilateral osteonecrosis with evidence of left femoral head collapse.
      CONCLUSION: Hip osteonecrosis may have contributed to an atypical presentation of
      low back pain due to aberrant localization of pain and/or combined with altered
      biomechanical loading of musculoskeletal structures.

PMID- 26500367
TI  - Postpartum Contraception: a Comparative Study of Berlin Women with and without
      Immigration Background.
AB  - Research Questions: Are there differences in postpartum contraceptive use between
      women with and without immigration background? Do women more commonly use
      contraception following a high-risk pregnancy or caesarean section? What role
      does current breastfeeding play and, amongst immigrants, what is the effect of
      acculturation level on the frequency of contraceptive use? Study Population and
      Methods: Data collection was carried out as part of a larger study in three
      Berlin delivery units using standardised interviews (questionnaires covering e.g.
      sociodemographics, immigration history/acculturation and use of antenatal care);
      telephone interviews comprising 6 questions on postpartum contraception,
      breastfeeding and postpartum complications were conducted on a sample of the
      study population six months after delivery. Results: 247 women with, and 358
      women without a background of immigration were included in the study (total study
      population n = 605, response rate 81.1 %). 68 % of 1st generation immigrants, 87
      % of 2nd/3rd generation women and 73 % of women without immigration background
      (non-immigrants) used contraception. In the logistical regression analysis 1st
      generation immigrants were less likely than non-immigrants to be using
      contraception six months postpartum, and 1st generation immigrants with low
      acculturation level were significantly less likely to use contraception than
      2nd/3rd generation women with low acculturation level. Conclusion: In the
      extended postpartum period there was no major difference in contraceptive use
      between immigrants in general and non-immigrants. It remains unclear whether the
      differing contraceptive behaviour of 1st generation immigrants is the result of
      less access to information, sociocultural factors or differing contraceptive
      requirements and further targeted, qualitative study is required.

PMID- 26500368
TI  - Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors for Obesity During Pregnancy Over Time.
AB  - Objective: The increasing prevalence of obesity is having an impact on morbidity
      worldwide. Since young mature women are equally affected by the general increase
      in weight, the aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of obesity
      together with associated maternal risk factors, complications during pregnancy,
      and fetal outcomes in a local cohort for the years 2006 and 2011. Study Design:
      Maternal and fetal records of women who delivered at the University of Wurzburg,
      with a 5-year interval (2006 and 2011) between investigations, were
      retrospectively analyzed. Descriptive statistics included prevalence of obesity,
      maternal weight gain, as well as several complications during pregnancy and fetal
      characteristics. The association between maternal or fetal complications and
      extent of maternal obesity was analyzed. Results: Our analysis included 2838
      mothers with singleton pregnancies who delivered in 2006 (n = 1293) or 2011 (n =
      1545) in our department. We found that neither pre-pregnancy body mass index
      (23.77 +/- 4.85 vs. 24.09 +/- 5.10 kg/m2, p = 0.25) nor weight gain (14.41 +/-
      5.77 vs. 14.78 +/- 5.65 kg; p = 0.09) increased significantly over time. But the
      majority of all overweight (71 %) or obese (60.4 %) mothers gained more weight
      than generally recommended. The prevalence of gestational diabetes, gestational
      hypertension, and preeclampsia increased significantly and was associated with
      high pre-pregnancy body mass index, as was delivery by cesarean section. However,
      obesity was not associated with prolonged pregnancy and did not seem to
      negatively affect fetal outcome. Conclusion: There is a trend to increasing
      weight gain during pregnancy, and the majority of mothers, especially those with
      a high pre-pregnancy body mass index, exceeded the weight gain recommendations.
      Associated risk factors such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, and delivery
      by cesarean section are increasing.

PMID- 26500369
TI  - Treatment of Giant Fibroadenoma in Young Women: Results after Tumor Excision
      without Reconstructive Surgery.
AB  - Introduction: Giant fibroadenoma (GFA) of the breast is defined as fibroadenoma
      larger than 5 cm, usually presenting unilaterally and manifesting as breast
      asymmetry or deformity of the breast. Material and Methods: A retrospective
      database search was done of all patients with giant fibroadenoma who underwent
      surgery for GFA in the breast center of Hanover Medical School between 2007 and
      2014; all patients with GFA were followed up. Data were analyzed with regard to
      tumor and patient characteristics and esthetic outcome. Results: A total of 13
      patients with symptomatic GFA underwent surgery between 2007 and 2014. Mean
      patient age was 21.2 years (range 14-31 years). In 8 of 13 patients the tumor had
      resulted in breast deformity and/or breast asymmetry. Average size of the mass
      was 10.2 cm (range 8.5-12 cm) and average weight was 203.6 g (range 151.2-323.5
      g). Initial clinical suspicion of GFA was confirmed by ultrasound examination.
      Preoperative core biopsy revealed fibroadenoma in 8/13 cases, cellular
      fibroepithelial lesions with a differential diagnosis of benign phyllodes tumor
      in 3 cases and unspecific histological findings in the remaining 2 cases.
      Conclusion: Excision was done using an inframammary or periareolar approach
      without reconstructive plasty. The cosmetic results were good, as were the
      outcomes on follow-up. We therefore favor this surgical technique to treat giant
      fibroadenoma of similar size to those described above.

PMID- 26500370
TI  - ICG Fluorescence Technique for the Detection of Sentinel Lymph Nodes in Breast
      Cancer: Results of a Prospective Open-label Clinical Trial.
AB  - Introduction: Detection of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) is the standard procedure
      to evaluate axillary lymph node status in breast cancer. In addition to known and
      established procedures such as the blue dye method and scintigraphy, this study
      investigated the efficacy of a method based on use of the fluorescent dye
      indocyanine green (ICG). Patients and Method: A total of 126 women with breast
      cancer histologically verified by punch biopsy were studied during surgical
      removal of SLN. In addition to SLN marking with technetium and scintigraphy,
      intra-individual comparison was done using indocyanine green (ICG) for marking
      instead of the standard blue dye. Results: Scintigraphy had a detection rate of
      96 %; the detection rate with ICG was just under 89 %. A body mass index (BMI) >
      40 was found to be a limiting factor for the fluorescent method. Investigation
      into potential toxicities associated with the use of the fluorescent dye ICG
      revealed no systemic or even local side effects. The fluorescent method was found
      to be significantly less expensive than the scintigraphy method. Conclusion: The
      ICG fluorescence technique for the detection of SLN was found to be a valid and
      feasible method in clinical practice when compared directly with the blue dye
      method and scintigraphy.

PMID- 26500371
TI  - High Estradiol Levels During Postmenopause - Pitfalls in Laboratory Analysis.
AB  - A 54-year-old woman was admitted with a result of high serum estradiol levels (>
      4300 pg/ml) and typical postmenopausal symptoms. She had a history of an
      adnexectomy (normal histopathology) due to the elevated estradiol levels. After
      surgery, estradiol levels were as high as before. Analyzing the anti-mullerian
      hormone (AMH), inhibin B, DHEA-S and estrone, typical postmenopausal levels were
      found. Serum estradiol levels were controlled several times with rabbit-derived
      polyclonal as well as monoclonal antibodies to optimize the selectivity of the
      test system. Secondary, a radioimmunoassay was performed to exclude interferences
      of the detection system where lower, but still elevated estradiol levels (186
      pg/ml) were found. Hypothesizing that our patient underwent a cross reaction with
      irregular antibodies, a control was done using sheep-derived antibodies, which
      proved a postmenopausal hormone level (estradiol level < 5 pg/ml). This result
      was confirmed using a fluorescence enzyme immunoassay (FEIA) revealing high
      levels of irregular antibodies (> 200 mg/l; reference < 30 mg/l). This case
      depicts the pitfalls of estradiol measurement detecting false elevated estradiol
      levels in a postmenopausal woman.

PMID- 26500372
TI  - Traumatic Vulvar Epithelial Inclusion Cysts Following Female Genital Mutilation
      (FGM).
AB  - Background: Female genital mutilation (FGM) occurs mainly in Africa, parts of the
      Arabian Peninsula and parts of Asia. It is commonly associated with acute
      complications as well as diverse late/delayed complications. One of the most
      common of these late complications is progressively enlarging painless cysts of
      the vulva. Case Report: An 8-year-old girl from Eritrea presented to our
      paediatric emergency department with a progressively enlarging mass of the vulva.
      She had undergone a clitoridectomy and partial removal of the labia minora as an
      infant in Eritrea. We performed surgical excision of the cyst and reconstruction
      of the labia. Histology showed a traumatic squamous epithelial inclusion cyst of
      the vulva. Conclusion: Epithelial or dermoid cysts of the vulva following FGM are
      extremely rare. Symptoms often require surgical intervention. Through increasing
      migration, more girls and female youths with FGM are likely to present to
      practices and hospitals in Germany. Thus increased knowledge and awareness of the
      medical complications of FGM and their treatment will be necessary in years to
      come.

PMID- 26500373
TI  - Emissions of nitrous oxide and ammonia from a sandy soil following surface
      application and incorporation of cauliflower leaf residues.
AB  - Vegetable production systems are often characterized by excessive nitrogen (N)
      fertilization and the incorporation of large amounts of post-harvest crop
      residues. This makes them particularly prone to ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide
      (N2O) emissions. Yet, urgently needed management strategies that can reduce these
      harmful emissions are missing, because underlying processes are not fully
      understood. The present study therefore focuses on the effects of residue
      placement on NH3 and N2O emissions. For this, cauliflower leaf residues (286 kg
      N/ha) were either applied as surface mulch (mulch) or mixed with the topsoil
      (mix) and in situ NH3 and N2O emissions were investigated. The experiment took
      place on a sandy soil in Northeastern Germany during summer 2012. Residue
      application created a high peak in N2O emissions during the first 2 weeks,
      irrespective of residue placement. There was no significant difference in the
      emission sums over the experimental period (65 days) between the mix (5.8 +/-
      0.68 kg N2O-N/ha) and the mulch (9.7 +/- 1.53 kg N2O-N/ha) treatment. This was
      also the case for NH3 emissions, which exhibited a lower initial peak followed by
      a prolonged decline. Measured emission sums were 4.1 +/- 0.33 (mix) and 5.1 +/-
      0.73 (mulch) kg NH3-N/ha. It was concluded that substantial NH3 and N2O emissions
      can occur after high input of available organic carbon and N even in a coarse
      textured soil with low water-holding capacity. Other than expected, surface
      application does not enhance NH3 emissions at the expense of N2O emissions
      compared with residue mixing into the soil, at least under the conditions of the
      present study.

PMID- 26500374
TI  - The effects of treading by two breeds of dairy cow with different live weights on
      soil physical properties, poaching damage and herbage production on a poorly
      drained clay-loam soil.
AB  - There is little empirical evidence to indicate that dairy cow live weight affects
      the extent of soil damage at the hoof-soil interface during grazing on poorly
      drained permanent grassland. In the present study the impact of Holstein-Friesian
      (HF) dairy cows with a mean (+/-standard deviation) live weight of 570 (+/-61) kg
      were compared with Jersey * Holstein-Friesian (JX) with a mean live weight of 499
      (+/-52) kg each at two stocking densities: mean 2.42 +/- (0.062) and 2.66 (+/
      0.079) cows/ha. Soil physical properties (bulk density, macroporosity,
      gravimetric water content, air-filled porosity, penetration resistance and shear
      strength), poaching damage (post-grazing soil surface deformation and hoof-print
      depth), herbage yield and milk production were measured throughout 2011 and 2012.
      Soil physical properties, post-grazing soil surface deformation and herbage
      production were not affected by dairy cow breed or by interactions between breed
      and stocking density. Hoof-print depth was higher in the HF treatments (39 v. 37
      mm, s.e. 0.5 mm). Loading pressure imposed at the soil surface was the same for
      both breeds due to a direct correlation between live weight and hoof size.
      Poaching damage was greater at higher stocking density. Using the lighter JX cow
      offered little advantage in terms of lowering the negative impact of treading on
      soil physical properties or reducing poaching damage and no advantage in terms of
      herbage or milk production compared with the heavier HF cow.

PMID- 26500375
TI  - Maize yield response to a phosphorus-solubilizing microbial inoculant in field
      trials.
AB  - Findings from multi-year, multi-site field trial experiments measuring maize
      yield response to inoculation with the phosphorus-solubilizing fungus,
      Penicillium bilaiae Chalabuda are presented. The main objective was to evaluate
      representative data on crop response to the inoculant across a broad set of
      different soil, agronomic management and climate conditions. A statistical
      analysis of crop yield response and its variability was conducted to guide
      further implementation of a stratified trial and sampling plan. Field trials,
      analysed in the present study, were conducted across the major maize producing
      agricultural cropland of the United States (2005-11) comprising 92 small (with
      sampling replication) and 369 large (without replication) trials. The multi-plot
      design enabled both a determination of how sampling area affects the estimation
      of maize yield and yield variance and an estimation of the ability of inoculation
      with P. bilaiae to increase maize yield. Inoculation increased maize yield in 66
      of the 92 small and 295 of the 369 large field trials (within the small plots,
      yield increased significantly at the 95% confidence level, by 0.17 +/- 0.044 t/ha
      or 1.8%, while in the larger plots, yield increases were higher and less variable
      (i.e., 0.33 +/- 0.026 t/ha or 3.5%). There was considerable inter-annual
      variability in maize yield response attributed to inoculation compared to the un
      inoculated control, with yield increases varying from 0.7 +/- 0.75 up to 3.7 +/-
      0.73%. No significant correlation between yield response and soil acidity (i.e.,
      pH) was detected, and it appears that pH reduction (through organic acid or
      proton efflux) was unlikely to be the primary pathway for better phosphorus
      availability measured as increased yield. Seed treatment and granular or dribble
      band formulations of the inoculant were found to be equally effective.
      Inoculation was most effective at increasing maize yield in fields that had low
      or very low soil phosphorus status for both small and large plots. At higher
      levels of soil phosphorus, yield in the large plots increased more with
      inoculation than in the small plots, which could be explained by phosphorus
      fertilization histories for the different field locations, as well as transient
      (e.g., rainfall) and topographic effects.

PMID- 26500376
TI  - Extraction and pre-concentration of platinum and palladium from microwave
      digested road dust via ion exchanging mesoporous silica microparticles prior to
      their quantification by quadrupole ICP-MS.
AB  - We report on the use of mesoporous silica microparticles (MUPs) functionalized
      with quarternary amino groups for the isolation of platinum and palladium
      tetrachloro complexes from aqueous road dust digests. The MUPs have a size
      ranging from 450 to 850 nm and are suspended directly in the aqueous digests,
      upon which the anionic Pt and Pd complexes are retained on the cationic surface.
      Subsequently, the MUPs are separated by centrifugation. Elements that cause
      spectral interferences in ICP-MS determination of Pt and Pd can be quantitatively
      removed by adding fresh 0.240 mol L-1 HCl to the MUPs and by repeating the
      centrifugation step. The analyte-loaded MUPs are then dissolved in 0.1 mL of 2
      mol L-1 HF, diluted to 2 mL, and the solutions thus obtained are analyzed by
      quadrupole ICP-MS. This method avoids analyte elution from the sorbent. This
      "dispersed particle extraction" approach yielded a run-to-run relative standard
      deviation <= 5 % for Pt and <= 4 % for Pd (at 0.1 ng mL-1, n = 4 road dust
      digests). Method detection limits (expressed as concentrations in the dust
      samples) are 2 and 1 ng g-1 for Pt and Pd, respectively. The method was validated
      by analysis of a reference material (BCR CRM 723) and applied to the analysis of
      road dust samples collected in downtown Vienna. Pt and Pd concentrations in
      samples collected in summer and in winter were compared, with concentrations
      ranging from 205 to 1445 ng g-1 for Pt and from 201 to 1230 ng g-1 for Pd.
      Graphical AbstractMesoporous silica microparticles (MUPs) functionalized with
      quarternary amino groups were used for isolating platinum and palladium from
      aqueous road dust digests. The MUPs were suspended directly in the aqueous
      digests, and the analyte-loaded MUPs were analyzed using "dispersed particle
      extraction".

PMID- 26500377
TI  - Mesoscale simulations of curvature-inducing protein partitioning on lipid bilayer
      membranes in the presence of mean curvature fields.
AB  - The membrane-surface migration of curvature-inducing proteins in response to
      membrane curvature gradients has been investigated using Monte Carlo simulations
      of a curvilinear membrane model based on the Helfrich Hamiltonian. Consistent
      with theoretical and experimental data, we find the proteins that generate
      curvature can also sense the background membrane curvature, wherein they
      preferentially partition to the high curvature regions. The partitioning strength
      depends linearly on local membrane curvature and the slope (or the coupling
      constant) of the partitioning probability versus mean curvature depends on the
      membrane bending rigidity and instantaneous curvature field caused by different
      proteins. Our simulation study allows us to quantitatively characterize and
      identify the important factors affecting the coupling constant (slope), which may
      be difficult to determine in experiments. Furthermore, the membrane model is used
      to study budding of vesicles where it is found that in order to stabilize a
      mature vesicle with a stable 'neck-region' (or stable membrane overhangs), the
      area (extent) of the intrinsic curvature region needs to exceed a threshold
      critical value. The migration and partitioning of curvature-inducing proteins in
      a budding vesicle with a stable neck (with a characteristic negative value of the
      Gaussian curvature) is investigated.

PMID- 26500378
TI  - LEARNING WORDS FOR LIFE: Promoting Vocabulary in Dual Language Learners.
AB  - Teaching vocabulary to young dual language learners is critical for their
      learning in school. This article presents recommendations for promoting
      vocabulary during reading aloud and conversations in early childhood.

PMID- 26500379
TI  - Long Term Physical Health Consequences of Adverse Childhood Experiences.
AB  - This study examined associations between adverse childhood family experiences and
      adult physical health using data from 52,250 US adults aged 18-64 from the 2009
      2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). We found that
      experiencing childhood physical, verbal, or sexual abuse, witnessing parental
      domestic violence, experiencing parental divorce, and living with someone who was
      depressed, abused drugs or alcohol, or who had been incarcerated were associated
      with one or more of the following health outcomes: self-rated health, functional
      limitations, diabetes, and heart attack. Adult socioeconomic status and poor
      mental health and health behaviors significantly mediated several of these
      associations. The results of this study highlight the importance of family-based
      adverse childhood experiences on adult health outcomes and suggest that adult SES
      and stress-related coping behaviors may be crucial links between trauma in the
      childhood home and adult health.

PMID- 26500380
TI  - Inference for High-dimensional Differential Correlation Matrices.
AB  - Motivated by differential co-expression analysis in genomics, we consider in this
      paper estimation and testing of high-dimensional differential correlation
      matrices. An adaptive thresholding procedure is introduced and theoretical
      guarantees are given. Minimax rate of convergence is established and the proposed
      estimator is shown to be adaptively rate-optimal over collections of paired
      correlation matrices with approximately sparse differences. Simulation results
      show that the procedure significantly outperforms two other natural methods that
      are based on separate estimation of the individual correlation matrices. The
      procedure is also illustrated through an analysis of a breast cancer dataset,
      which provides evidence at the gene co-expression level that several genes, of
      which a subset has been previously verified, are associated with the breast
      cancer. Hypothesis testing on the differential correlation matrices is also
      considered. A test, which is particularly well suited for testing against sparse
      alternatives, is introduced. In addition, other related problems, including
      estimation of a single sparse correlation matrix, estimation of the differential
      covariance matrices, and estimation of the differential cross-correlation
      matrices, are also discussed.

PMID- 26500381
TI  - Interventions to Improve Late Life.

PMID- 26500382
TI  - Why crying does and sometimes does not seem to alleviate mood: a quasi
      experimental study.
AB  - Whereas retrospective studies suggest that crying can be beneficial in terms of
      mood enhancement, results of quasi-experimental laboratory studies consistently
      demonstrate its negative effects on mood. The present study was specifically
      designed to evaluate a parsimonious explanation for this paradox by assessing
      mood after crying in a laboratory, both immediately and at follow up. Mood
      ratings of 28 objectively established criers and 32 non-criers were compared
      before and immediately after the exposure to an emotional movie, as well as 20
      and 90 min later. As expected, immediately after the film, negative mood
      significantly increased in criers, while it did not change in non-criers. This
      mood deterioration was followed by a recovery that resulted in return to the
      baseline mood levels at the third measurement. Criers subsequently reported mood
      enhancements at the final measurement compared to the pre-film measurement.
      Crying frequency did not predict mood changes above those predicted by the
      presence of crying. The observed relation between crying and more long-term mood
      recovery reconciles seemingly contrasting earlier results and provides a simple
      and obvious explanation. After the initial deterioration of mood following crying
      that was observed in laboratory studies, it apparently takes some time for the
      mood, not just to recover, but also to become even less negative than before the
      emotional event, which corresponds to the results of retrospective studies.

PMID- 26500383
TI  - Religious Affiliation and Fertility in a Sub-Saharan Context: Dynamic and
      Lifetime Perspectives.
AB  - We use uniquely detailed data from a predominantly Christian high-fertility area
      in Mozambique to examine denominational differentials in fertility from two
      complementary perspectives-dynamic and cumulative. First, we use event-history
      analysis to predict yearly risks of birth from denominational affiliation. Then,
      we employ Poisson regression to model the association between the number of
      children ever born and share of reproductive life spent in particular
      denominations or outside organized religion. Both approaches detect a significant
      increase in fertility associated with membership in a particular type of African
      initiated churches which is characterized by strong organizational identity,
      rigid hierarchy, and insular corporate culture. Membership in the Catholic Church
      is also associated with elevated completed fertility. We relate these results to
      extant theoretical perspectives on the relationship between religion and
      fertility by stressing the interplay between ideological, social, and
      organizational characteristics of different types of churches and situate our
      findings within the context of fertility transition and religious demographics in
      Mozambique and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa.

PMID- 26500384
TI  - Sources of variation in emotional awareness: Age, gender, and socioeconomic
      status.
AB  - The present study examined associations between emotional awareness facets (type
      clarity, source clarity, negative emotion differentiation, voluntary attention,
      involuntary attention) and sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, and
      socioeconomic status (SES)) in a large US sample (N = 919). Path analyses
      controlling for variance shared between sociodemographic variables and allowing
      emotional awareness facets to correlate-demonstrated that (a) age was positively
      associated with type clarity and source clarity, and inversely associated with
      involuntary attention; (b) gender was associated with all facets but type
      clarity, with higher source clarity, negative emotion differentiation, voluntary
      attention, and involuntary attention reported by women then men; and (c) SES was
      positively associated with type clarity with a very small effect. These findings
      extend our understanding of emotional awareness and identify future directions
      for research to elucidate the causes and consequences of individual differences
      in emotional awareness.

PMID- 26500385
TI  - Computational Characterization of Mutations in Cardiac Troponin T Known to Cause
      Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - Cardiac Troponin T (cTnT) is a central modulator of thin filament regulation of
      myofilament activation. The lack of structural data for the TNT1 tail domain, a
      proposed alpha-helical region, makes the functional implications of the FHC
      mutations difficult to determine. Studies have suggested that flexibility of TNT1
      is important in normal protein-protein interactions within the thin filament. Our
      groups have previously shown through Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations that
      some FHC mutations, Arg92Leu(R92L) and Arg92Trp(R92W), result in increased
      flexibility at a critical hinge region 12 residues distant from the mutation. To
      explain this distant effect and its implications for FHC mutations, we
      characterized the dynamics of wild type and mutational segments of cTnT using MD.
      Our data shows an opening of the helix between residues 105-110 in mutants.
      Consequently, the dihedral angles of these residues correspond to non-alpha
      helical regions on Ramachandran plots. We hypothesize the removal of a charged
      residue decreases electrostatic repulsion between the point mutation and
      surrounding residues resulting in local helical compaction. Constrained ends of
      the helix and localized compaction results in expansion within the nearest non
      polar helical turn from the mutation site, residues 105-109.

PMID- 26500386
TI  - Uncertainty analysis of a model of wind-blown volcanic plumes.
AB  - Mathematical models of natural processes can be used as inversion tools to
      predict unobserved properties from measured quantities. Uncertainty in
      observations and model formulation impact on the efficacy of inverse modelling.
      We present a general methodology, history matching, that can be used to
      investigate the effect of observational and model uncertainty on inverse
      modelling studies. We demonstrate history matching on an integral model of
      volcanic plumes that is used to estimate source conditions from observations of
      the rise height of plumes during the eruptions of Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland, in
      2010 and Grimsvotn, Iceland, in 2011. Sources of uncertainty are identified and
      quantified, and propagated through the integral plume model. A preliminary
      sensitivity analysis is performed to identify the uncertain model parameters that
      strongly influence model predictions. Model predictions are assessed against
      observations through an implausibility measure that rules out model inputs that
      are considered implausible given the quantified uncertainty. We demonstrate that
      the source mass flux at the volcano can be estimated from plume height
      observations, but the magmatic temperature, exit velocity and exsolved gas mass
      fraction cannot be accurately determined. Uncertainty in plume height
      observations and entrainment coefficients results in a large range of plausible
      values of the source mass flux. Our analysis shows that better constraints on
      entrainment coefficients for volcanic plumes and more precise observations of
      plume height are required to obtain tightly constrained estimates of the source
      mass flux.

PMID- 26500388
TI  - A Bayesian Nonparametric Approach for the Analysis of Multiple Categorical Item
      Responses.
AB  - We develop a modeling framework for joint factor and cluster analysis of datasets
      where multiple categorical response items are collected on a heterogeneous
      population of individuals. We introduce a latent factor multinomial probit model
      and employ prior constructions that allow inference on the number of factors as
      well as clustering of the subjects into homogenous groups according to their
      relevant factors. Clustering, in particular, allows us to borrow strength across
      subjects, therefore helping in the estimation of the model parameters,
      particularly when the number of observations is small. We employ Markov chain
      Monte Carlo techniques and obtain tractable posterior inference for our
      objectives, including sampling of missing data. We demonstrate the effectiveness
      of our method on simulated data. We also analyze two real-world educational
      datasets and show that our method outperforms state-of-the-art methods. In the
      analysis of the real-world data, we uncover hidden relationships between the
      questions and the underlying educational concepts, while simultaneously
      partitioning the students into groups of similar educational mastery.

PMID- 26500387
TI  - A Cough Aerosol Simulator for the Study of Disease Transmission by Human Cough
      Generated Aerosols.
AB  - Aerosol particles expelled during human coughs are a potential pathway for
      infectious disease transmission. However, the importance of airborne transmission
      is unclear for many diseases. To better understand the role of cough aerosol
      particles in the spread of disease and the efficacy of different types of
      protective measures, we constructed a cough aerosol simulator that produces a
      humanlike cough in a controlled environment. The simulated cough has a 4.2 l
      volume and is based on coughs recorded from influenza patients. In one
      configuration, the simulator produces a cough aerosol containing particles from
      0.1 to 100 um in diameter with a volume median diameter (VMD) of 8.5 um and a
      geometric standard deviation (GSD) of 2.9. In a second configuration, the cough
      aerosol has a size range of 0.1-30 um, a VMD of 3.4 um, and a GSD of 2.3. The
      total aerosol volume expelled during each cough is 68 ul. By generating a
      controlled and reproducible artificial cough, the simulator allows us to test
      different ventilation, disinfection, and personal protection scenarios. The
      system can be used with live pathogens, including influenza virus, which allows
      isolation precautions used in the healthcare field to be tested without risk of
      exposure for workers or patients. The information gained from tests with the
      simulator will help to better understand the transmission of infectious diseases,
      develop improved techniques for infection control, and improve safety for
      healthcare workers and patients.

PMID- 26500389
TI  - College Students' Perceptions of Depressed Mood: Exploring Accuracy and
      Associations.
AB  - College is a time of high risk for depressed mood. Theories about depression
      (i.e. Cognitive Theory and Depressive Realism theory) are well researched, but
      suggest different venues of understanding the cognitive underpinnings of mood. In
      addition, much research is available about normative perceptions around substance
      use and how those perceptions relate to behaviors. However, there are no studies
      examining normative perceptions around depressed mood nor how these perceptions
      may relate to students' own well-being. Undergraduates (N=1577) ages 18-24
      responded to an online survey as part of a larger study on drinking and depressed
      mood. The survey assessed symptoms of depression and feelings of sadness,
      depression and suicidal ideation experienced in the past 2 weeks, as well as
      students' perceptions of the prevalence of these feelings among other students.
      Rates of sadness and depression reported in the sample were relatively high;
      whereas rates of reported suicidal ideation were low. Most students under
      estimated the prevalence of sadness and depression experienced by other students;
      a finding that was especially true for male students. Conversely, most students
      over-estimated the prevalence of suicidal ideation. Students who reported
      experiencing a given feeling in the past two weeks perceived greater rates of the
      feeling among other students. Depression symptoms were associated with both
      greater perceived prevalence of sadness, depression and suicidal ideation, as
      well as correct and over-estimates of the prevalence of sadness and depression.
      Implications for future directions in prevention and interventions efforts are
      discussed.

PMID- 26500390
TI  - THE EFFECTS OF PAST SEXUAL ASSAULT PERPETRATION AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION ON MEN'S
      REACTIONS TO WOMEN'S MIXED SIGNALS.
AB  - Theories about misperception of sexual intent, cognitive distortions among
      rapists, and alcohol's effects on cognition describe processes that may
      contribute to acquaintance sexual assault. Drawing on these literatures, an
      experiment was conducted to examine hypotheses about the effects of past sexual
      assault perpetration and alcohol consumption on 153 college men's reactions to a
      female confederate. As compared to nonperpetrators, self-acknowledged rapists and
      verbal coercers reported being more sexually attracted to the confederate.
      Trained coders were least certain that rapists noticed specific positive and
      negative cues that the confederate used and most certain that verbal coercers
      did. Intoxicated participants perceived themselves and their partner as acting
      more sexually than did sober or placebo participants. Suggestions are discussed
      for research and treatment programs with college sexual assault perpetrators.

PMID- 26500391
TI  - Is long-term structural priming affected by patterns of experience with
      individual verbs?
AB  - Several recent papers have reported long-term structural priming effects in
      experiments where previous patterns of experience with the double object and
      prepositional object constructions are shown to affect later patterns of language
      production for those constructions. The experiments reported in this paper
      address the extent to which these long-term priming effects are modulated by the
      participants' patterns of experience with particular verbs within the double
      object and prepositional object constructions. The results of three experiments
      show that patterns of experience with particular verbs using the double object or
      prepositional object constructions do not have much effect on the shape of the
      longterm structural priming effects reported elsewhere in the literature. These
      findings lend support to the claim that structural priming is the result of
      adaptations to the language production system that occur on an abstract,
      structural level of representation that is separate from representations
      regarding the behavior of particular lexical items in particular constructions
      [e.g., Chang, F., Dell, G. S., & Bock, K. (2006). Becoming syntactic.
      Psychological Review, 113, 234-272]. 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PMID- 26500392
TI  - MS2 Coliphage as a Surrogate for 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) Virus (pH1N1)
      in Surface Survival Studies on N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators.
AB  - Research on influenza viruses regarding transmission and survival has surged in
      the recent years due to infectious emerging strains and outbreaks such as the
      2009 Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic. MS2 coliphage has been applied as a surrogate
      for pathogenic respiratory viruses, such as influenza, as it's safe for personnel
      to handle and requires less time and labor to measure virus infectivity. However,
      direct comparisons to determine the effectiveness of coliphage as a surrogate for
      influenza virus regarding droplet persistence on personal protective equipment
      such as N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) are lacking. Persistence of
      viral droplets deposited on FFRs in healthcare settings is important to discern
      due to the potential risk of infection via indirect fomite transmission. The
      objective of this study was to determine if MS2 coliphage could be applied as a
      surrogate for influenza A viruses for studying persistence when applied to the
      FFRs as a droplet. The persistence of MS2 coliphage and 2009 Pandemic Influenza A
      (H1N1) Virus on FFR coupons in different matrices (viral media, 2% fetal bovine
      serum, and 5 mg ml-1 mucin) were compared over time (4, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 144
      hours) in typical absolute humidity conditions (4.1 * 105 mPa [18 degrees C/20%
      relative humidity (RH)]). Data revealed significant differences in viral
      infectivity over the 6-day period (H1N1- P <0.0001; MS2 - P <0.005), although a
      significant correlation of viral log10 reduction in 2% FBS (P <0.01) was
      illustrated. Overall, MS2 coliphage was not determined to be a sufficient
      surrogate for influenza A virus with respect to droplet persistence when applied
      to the N95 FFR as a droplet.

PMID- 26500393
TI  - Am I looking at a cat or a dog? Gaze in the semantic variant of primary
      progressive aphasia is subject to excessive taxonomic capture.
AB  - Object naming impairments or anomias are the most frequent symptom in aphasia,
      and can be caused by a variety of underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. Anomia in
      neurodegenerative or primary progressive aphasias (PPA) often appears to be based
      on taxonomic blurring of word meaning: words such as "dog" and "cat" are still
      recognized generically as referring to animals, but are no longer conceptually
      differentiated from each other, leading to coordinate errors in word-object
      matching. This blurring is the hallmark symptom of the "semantic variant" of PPA,
      who invariably show focal atrophy in the left anterior temporal lobe. In this
      study we used eye tracking to characterize information processing online (in real
      time) as non-aphasic controls, semantic and non-semantic PPA participants
      completed a word-to-object matching task. All participants (including controls)
      showed taxonomic capture of gaze, spending more time viewing foils that were from
      the same category as the target compared to unrelated foils, but capture was more
      extreme in the semantic PPA group. The semantic group showed heightened capture
      even on trials where they ultimately pointed to the correct target, demonstrating
      the superiority of eye movements over traditional testing methods in detecting
      subtle processing impairments. Heightened capture was primarily driven by a
      tendency to direct gaze back and forth, repeatedly, between a set of related
      foils on each trial, a behavior almost never shown by controls or non-semantic
      participants. This suggests semantic PPA participants were accumulating and
      weighing evidence for a probabilistic rather than definitive mapping between the
      noun and several candidate objects. Neurodegeneration in PPA thus appears to
      distort lexical concepts prior to extinguishing them altogether, causing
      uncertainty in recognition and word-object matching.

PMID- 26500394
TI  - A ratiometric two-photon fluorescent probe for hydrazine and its applications.
AB  - A ratiometric two-photon fluorescent probe TNQ was developed based on quinoline
      platform to detect hydrazine (N2H4) with high selectivity. TNQ exhibited large
      two-photon absorption cross sections at 710 nm (250 GM) and excellent ratiometric
      two-photon fluorescent detection signal for hydrazine. TNQ was also successfully
      applied to selectively detect hydrazine vapor even at a concentration down to
      0.05%. Cell cytotoxicity and bio-imaging studies revealed that probe TNQ was cell
      permeable and could be used to detect hydrazine in living cells with low
      cytotoxicity under two-photon excitation.

PMID- 26500395
TI  - Evidence that rodent control strategies ought to be improved to enhance food
      security and reduce the risk of rodent-borne illnesses within subsistence farming
      villages in the plague-endemic West Nile region, Uganda.
AB  - Rodents pose serious threats to human health and economics, particularly in
      developing countries where the animals play a dual role as pests: they are
      reservoirs of human pathogens, and they inflict damage levels to stored products
      sufficient to cause food shortages. To assess the magnitude of the damage caused
      by rodents to crops, their level of contact with humans, and to better understand
      current food storage and rodent control practices, we conducted a survey of 37
      households from 17 subsistence farming villages within the West Nile region of
      Uganda. Our survey revealed that rodents cause both pre- and post-harvest damage
      to crops. Evidence of rodent access to stored foods was reported in conjunction
      with each of the reported storage practices. Approximately half of the
      respondents reported that at least one family member had been bitten by a rat
      within the previous three months. Approximately two-thirds of respondents
      practiced some form of rodent control in their homes. The abundance of rodents
      was similar within homes that practiced or did not practice rodent control.
      Together, our results show that current efforts are inadequate for effectively
      reducing rodent abundance in homes.

PMID- 26500396
TI  - Demand and supply of medical physicists: Issues of quantity, quality, and
      competency in India.

PMID- 26500397
TI  - Performance characteristics of mobile MOSFET dosimeter for kilovoltage X-rays
      used in image guided radiotherapy.
AB  - The main objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of metal
      oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) dosimeter for kilovoltage
      (kV) X-ray beams in order to perform the in vivo dosimetry during image guidance
      in radiotherapy. The performance characteristics of high sensitivity MOSFET
      dosimeters were investigated for 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, and 125 kV X-ray beams
      used for imaging in radiotherapy. This study was performed using Clinac 2100 C/D
      medical electron linear accelerator with on-board imaging and kV cone beam
      computed tomography system. The characteristics studied in this work include
      energy dependence, angular dependence, and linearity. The X-ray beam outputs were
      measured as per American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) TG 61
      recommendations using PTW parallel plate (PP) ionization chamber, which was
      calibrated in terms of air kerma (Nk) by the National Standard Laboratory. The
      MOSFET dosimeters were calibrated against the PP ionization chamber for all the
      kV X-ray beams and the calibration coefficient was found to be 0.11 cGy/mV with a
      standard deviation of about +/-1%. The response of MOSFET was found to be energy
      independent for the kV X-ray energies used in this study. The response of the
      MOSFET dosimeter was also found independent of angle of incidence for the gantry
      angles in the range of 0 degrees  to 360 degrees  in-air as well as at 3 cm depth
      in tissue equivalent phantom. 

PMID- 26500398
TI  - Determination of dosimetric leaf gap using amorphous silicon electronic portal
      imaging device and its influence on intensity modulated radiotherapy dose
      delivery.
AB  - As complex treatment techniques such as intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)
      entail the modeling of rounded leaf-end transmission in the treatment planning
      system, it is important to accurately determine the dosimetric leaf gap (DLG)
      value for a precise calculation of dose. The advancements in the application of
      the electronic portal imaging device (EPID) in quality assurance (QA) and
      dosimetry have facilitated the determination of DLG in this study. The DLG
      measurements were performed using both the ionization chamber (DLGion) and EPID
      (DLGEPID) for sweeping gap fields of different widths. The DLGion values were
      found to be 1.133 mm and 1.120 mm for perpendicular and parallel orientations of
      the 0.125 cm(3) ionization chamber, while the corresponding DLGEPID values were
      0.843 mm and 0.819 mm, respectively. It was found that the DLG was independent of
      volume and orientation of the ionization chamber, depth, source to surface
      distance (SSD), and the rate of dose delivery. Since the patient-specific QA
      tests showed comparable results between the IMRT plans based on the DLGEPID and
      DLGion, it is concluded that the EPID can be a suitable alternative in the
      determination of DLG. 

PMID- 26500399
TI  - Simulation of the 6 MV Elekta Synergy Platform linac photon beam using Geant4
      Application for Tomographic Emission.
AB  - The present work validates the Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission Monte
      Carlo software for the simulation of a 6 MV photon beam given by Elekta Synergy
      Platform medical linear accelerator treatment head. The simulation includes the
      major components of the linear accelerator (LINAC) with multi-leaf collimator and
      a homogeneous water phantom. Calculations were performed for the photon beam with
      several treatment field sizes ranging from 5 cm * 5 cm to 30 cm * 30 cm at 100 cm
      distance from the source. The simulation was successfully validated by comparison
      with experimental distributions. Good agreement between simulations and
      measurements was observed, with dose differences of about 0.02% and 2.5% for
      depth doses and lateral dose profiles, respectively. This agreement was also
      emphasized by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness-of-fit test and by the gamma-index
      comparisons where more than 99% of the points for all simulations fulfill the
      quality assurance criteria of 2 mm/2%. 

PMID- 26500400
TI  - A phantom study on the behavior of Acuros XB algorithm in flattening filter free
      photon beams.
AB  - To study the behavior of Acuros XB algorithm for flattening filter free (FFF)
      photon beams in comparison with the anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA) when
      applied to homogeneous and heterogeneous phantoms in conventional and RapidArc
      techniques. Acuros XB (Eclipse version 10.0, Varian Medical Systems, CA, USA) and
      AAA algorithms were used to calculate dose distributions for both 6X FFF and 10X
      FFF energies. RapidArc plans were created on Catphan phantom 504 and conventional
      plans on virtual homogeneous water phantom 30 * 30 * 30 cm(3), virtual
      heterogeneous phantom with various inserts and on solid water phantom with air
      cavity. Dose at various inserts with different densities were measured in both
      AAA and Acuros algorithms. The maximum % variation in dose was observed in (-944
      HU) air insert and minimum in (85 HU) acrylic insert in both 6X FFF and 10X FFF
      photons. Less than 1% variation observed between -149 HU and 282 HU for both
      energies. At -40 HU and 765 HU Acuros behaved quite contrarily with 10X FFF.
      Maximum % variation in dose was observed in less HU values and minimum variation
      in higher HU values for both FFF energies. Global maximum dose observed at higher
      depths for Acuros for both energies compared with AAA. Increase in dose was
      observed with Acuros algorithm in almost all densities and decrease at few
      densities ranging from 282 to 643 HU values. Field size, depth, beam energy, and
      material density influenced the dose difference between two algorithms. 

PMID- 26500401
TI  - Monte Carlo dose calculation in dental amalgam phantom.
AB  - It has become a great challenge in the modern radiation treatment to ensure the
      accuracy of treatment delivery in electron beam therapy. Tissue inhomogeneity has
      become one of the factors for accurate dose calculation, and this requires
      complex algorithm calculation like Monte Carlo (MC). On the other hand, computed
      tomography (CT) images used in treatment planning system need to be trustful as
      they are the input in radiotherapy treatment. However, with the presence of metal
      amalgam in treatment volume, the CT images input showed prominent streak
      artefact, thus, contributed sources of error. Hence, metal amalgam phantom often
      creates streak artifacts, which cause an error in the dose calculation. Thus, a
      streak artifact reduction technique was applied to correct the images, and as a
      result, better images were observed in terms of structure delineation and density
      assigning. Furthermore, the amalgam density data were corrected to provide
      amalgam voxel with accurate density value. As for the errors of dose
      uncertainties due to metal amalgam, they were reduced from 46% to as low as 2% at
      d80 (depth of the 80% dose beyond Zmax) using the presented strategies.
      Considering the number of vital and radiosensitive organs in the head and the
      neck regions, this correction strategy is suggested in reducing calculation
      uncertainties through MC calculation. 

PMID- 26500402
TI  - Production, biodistribution, and dosimetry of (47)Sc-1,4,7,10
      tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetramethylene phosphonic acid as a bone-seeking
      radiopharmaceutical.
AB  - In this study 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetramethylene phosphonic
      acid (DOTMP) was used as the polyaminophosphonic acid carrier ligand and the
      therapeutic potential of the bone seeking radiopharmaceutical (47)Sc-DOTMP was
      assessed by measuring its dosage-dependent skeletal uptake and then the absorbed
      radiation dose of human organs was estimated. Because of limited availability of
      (47)Sc we performed some preliminary studies using (46)Sc. (46)Sc was produced
      with a specific activity of 116.58 MBq/mg (3.15 mCi/mg) and radionuclide purity
      of 98%. (46)Sc-DOTMP was prepared and an activity of 1.258 MBq (34 MUCi) at a
      chelant-to-metal ratio of 60:1 was administered to five groups of mice with each
      group containing 3 mice that were euthanized at 4, 24, 48, 96 and 192 h post
      administration. The heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys, intestine, skin,
      muscle, and a femur were excised, weighed, and counted. The data were analyzed to
      determine skeletal uptake and source organ residence times and cumulated
      activities for (47)Sc-DOTMP. (46)Sc-DOTMP complex was prepared in radiochemical
      purity about 93%. In vitro stability of complex was evaluated at room temperature
      for 48 h. Biodistribution studies of complex in mice were studied for 7 days. The
      data were analyzed to estimate skeletal uptake and absorbed radiation dose of
      human organs using biodistribution data from mice. By considering the results,
      (47)Sc-DOTMP is a possible therapeutic agent for using in palliation of bone pain
      due to metastatic skeletal lesions from several types of primary cancers in
      prostate, breast, etc. 

PMID- 26500403
TI  - Radiobiological evaluation of intensity modulated radiation therapy treatments of
      patients with head and neck cancer: A dual-institutional study.
AB  - In clinical practice, evaluation of clinical efficacy of treatment planning stems
      from the radiation oncologist's experience in accurately targeting tumors, while
      keeping minimal toxicity to various organs at risk (OAR) involved. A more
      objective, quantitative method may be raised by using radiobiological models. The
      purpose of this work is to evaluate the potential correlation of OAR-related
      toxicities to its radiobiologically estimated parameters in simultaneously
      integrated boost (SIB) intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans of
      patients with head and neck tumors at two institutions. Lyman model for normal
      tissue complication probability (NTCP) and the Poisson model for tumor control
      probability (TCP) models were used in the Histogram Analysis in Radiation Therapy
      (HART) analysis. In this study, 33 patients with oropharyngeal primaries in the
      head and neck region were used to establish the correlation between NTCP values
      of (a) bilateral parotids with clinically observed rates of xerostomia, (b)
      esophagus with dysphagia, and (c) larynx with dysphagia. The results of the study
      indicated a strong correlation between the severity of xerostomia and dysphagia
      with Lyman NTCP of bilateral parotids and esophagus, respectively, but not with
      the larynx. In patients without complications, NTCP values of these organs were
      negligible. Using appropriate radiobiological models, the presence of a moderate
      to strong correlation between the severities of complications with NTCP of
      selected OARs suggested that the clinical outcome could be estimated prior to
      treatment. 

PMID- 26500404
TI  - Cost-effective pediatric head and body phantoms for computed tomography dosimetry
      and its evaluation using pencil ion chamber and CT dose profiler.
AB  - In the present work, a pediatric head and body phantom was fabricated using
      polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) at a low cost when compared to commercially
      available phantoms for the purpose of computed tomography (CT) dosimetry. The
      dimensions of head and body phantoms were 10 cm diameter, 15 cm length and 16 cm
      diameter, 15 cm length, respectively. The dose from a 128-slice CT machine
      received by the head and body phantom at the center and periphery were measured
      using a 100 mm pencil ion chamber and 150 mm CT dose profiler (CTDP). Using these
      values, the weighted computed tomography dose index (CTDIw) and in turn the
      volumetric CTDI (CTDIv) were calculated for various combinations of tube voltage
      and current-time product. A similar study was carried out using standard
      calibrated phantom and the results have been compared with the fabricated ones to
      ascertain that the performance of the latter is equivalent to that of the former.
      Finally, CTDIv measured using fabricated and standard phantoms were compared with
      respective values displayed on the console. The difference between the values was
      well within the limits specified by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), India.
      These results indicate that the cost-effective pediatric phantom can be employed
      for CT dosimetry. 

PMID- 26500406
TI  - Need for travel health services in India.

PMID- 26500405
TI  - Three-dimensional polymer gel dosimetry using an onboard 0.35 T magnetic
      resonance imaging scanner: A simulation study.

PMID- 26500407
TI  - Social determinants of health and oral health: An Indian perspective.
AB  - Several conventional approaches have been tried in the past to resolve health
      inequities in India. However, achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is yet to
      be fully realized as the benefits have been meager. The recent concept of
      targeting social determinants of general and oral health in order to achieve
      health for all has shown positive results in the developed as well as the
      developing nations. Based on the framework recommended by the Commission on
      Social Determinants of Health, several policies have been introduced and suitably
      backed up with the intention of providing health care even to people living in
      remote sections of the society. This paper intends to highlight the rationale for
      social determinants approach in Indian context, its application and future
      recommendations for the same. It is considered as a radical approach, and
      adequate measures have been implemented by health systems to achieve the desired
      targets without delay. However, in order to achieve UHC, redistribution of the
      available resources and converting the "normative" needs into "felt" needs of the
      people is going to be an uphill task to accomplish. 

PMID- 26500408
TI  - Metabolic syndrome in different sub occupations among mine workers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a condition described by the group of
      risk factors associated with obesity that raise the risk of cardiovascular
      disease and type 2 diabetes. MS has an increasing trend in developing countries
      with change of diet and lifestyle. Many studies in India have reported high
      prevalence of MS among general population however there is little information
      available about the same in working population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present
      study was conducted among 281 mine employees from an organized mining company
      from Southern India. The workers were classified into different sub occupational
      groups according to ISCO-88. WHO Criteria was used for the diagnosis of MS.
      RESULTS: The overall prevalence of MS in mine employees was about 17%. Among
      different sub occupations, the highest was observed in professional group of
      52.9% and lowest in elementary occupations of 9.4%. In other sub occupational
      groups it was 23.3% in clerical, 18.9% in trade workers, 17.5% in technicians and
      15.5% in machine operators. Occurrence of MS when compared in different sub
      occupations was statistically significant (P = <0.001). Further MS was found to
      be 6.4% in the 18-30 years of age group which significantly increased to 40.3% in
      the 51-60 years age group suggesting direct relation of MS with increase in age.
      DISCUSSION: Mining being physical demanding occupation prevalence of MS is
      assumed to be lower than the general population; however it was observed that the
      prevalence is in similar line to that of general population with the prevalence
      ranging from 9.4% to 52.9% among different sub occupations. Hence it is concluded
      that there is need of health education and promotion among the mine workers.

PMID- 26500409
TI  - Occupation-related psychological distress among police constables of Udupi taluk,
      Karnataka: A cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Police occupational stress is an extensive issue due to number of
      negative consequences on an individual as well as the police department which is
      often neglected. This study is the first of its kind in Udupi district. AIM: The
      present study intended to find out the prevalence of psychological distress among
      police constable, assess stressors, and the factors influencing it. SETTINGS AND
      DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted among police constables in police
      stations of Udupi taluk. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 76 constables
      participated in the study, who were taken up from seven randomly selected police
      stations. General health questionnaire and organizational and operational police
      stress questionnaire were used to assess psychological distress and stressors,
      respectively. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data were analyzed using SPSS version
      15. Results were tabulated using frequency distribution and proportions for
      dichotomous variables and mean with a standard deviation for continuous
      variables. Chi-square test was performed to find the association between
      psychological distress and other variables. RESULTS: One-fourth (95% confidence
      interval: 0.153, 0.347) of the participants reported as having high levels of
      psychological distress. Years of service and 28 stressful activities were
      significantly associated with psychological distress. CONCLUSION: Psychological
      distress among the police constables is of concern; hence some modifications such
      as sharing work, fixed duty hours, etc., should be done in the police department
      in order to avoid stress and its adverse effects. Stress management training can
      be given at regular intervals to improve competitiveness and enhance coping
      skills.

PMID- 26500410
TI  - Empirical estimation of the grades of hearing impairment among industrial workers
      based on new artificial neural networks and classical regression methods.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prediction models are used in a variety of medical domains, and they
      are frequently built from experience which constitutes data acquired from actual
      cases. This study aimed to analyze the potential of artificial neural networks
      and logistic regression techniques for estimation of hearing impairment among
      industrial workers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 210 workers employed in a
      steel factory (in West of Iran) were selected, and their occupational exposure
      histories were analyzed. The hearing loss thresholds of the studied workers were
      determined using a calibrated audiometer. The personal noise exposures were also
      measured using a noise dosimeter in the workstations. Data obtained from five
      variables, which can influence the hearing loss, were used as input features, and
      the hearing loss thresholds were considered as target feature of the prediction
      methods. Multilayer feedforward neural networks and logistic regression were
      developed using MATLAB R2011a software. RESULTS: Based on the World Health
      Organization classification for the grades of hearing loss, 74.2% of the studied
      workers have normal hearing thresholds, 23.4% have slight hearing loss, and 2.4%
      have moderate hearing loss. The accuracy and kappa coefficient of the best
      developed neural networks for prediction of the grades of hearing loss were 88.6
      and 66.30, respectively. The accuracy and kappa coefficient of the logistic
      regression were also 84.28 and 51.30, respectively. CONCLUSION: Neural networks
      could provide more accurate predictions of the hearing loss than logistic
      regression. The prediction method can provide reliable and comprehensible
      information for occupational health and medicine experts.

PMID- 26500411
TI  - Situational analysis of industrial hygienists in India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Industrial growth in India has resulted in increased employment
      opportunities thereby inflating the size of the workforce engaged in both
      organized and unorganized sectors. This workforce is exposed to various
      occupational factors at workplace and hence is susceptible to occupational
      diseases, the control of which requires trained occupational health manpower.
      METHODS: The present study was undertaken to map the institutions offering
      courses to develop industrial hygienist in India, estimate the requirement of
      such occupational health manpower and to design competencies and curriculum for
      such a course. RESULTS: Though there are no norms for the industrial hygienist in
      the Indian Factories Act, on assumption on the basis of norms provided for Safety
      Officer, it is estimated that for 26.92 million workforce engaged in organized
      sector, a total of 5407 Industrial hygienists will be required. Thus there is an
      estimated deficit of 51% for Industrial hygienist based on current ratio of
      employment. However on supply side there are only three institutes offering
      specialized courses on industrial hygiene out of which only one is full time
      residential course while rest two are offered through distance learning mode.
      CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, there is a vital need for the development of industrial
      hygienist not only in quantity but also in quality so that the workers in
      industries and communities lead socially and environmentally productive lives.

PMID- 26500412
TI  - Chronic pesticide exposure: Health effects among pesticide sprayers in Southern
      India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Occupational health has never been a priority for policy makers in
      India, despite 63% of the Indian population being in the economically productive
      age group. OBJECTIVES: The study was designed to find out the morbidity as a
      result of long-term exposure to pesticides among professional pesticide sprayers
      in a rural block in Tamil Nadu. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was
      done in Kaniyambadi block of Vellore district, Tamil Nadu, during July to October
      2013. A total of 70 professional pesticide sprayers and 66 people engaged in
      other occupations were enrolled into the study. The participants were
      administered a standardized questionnaire apart from measuring pulmonary function
      and peripheral sensations. Venous blood samples were collected for measuring
      serum cholinesterase. RESULTS: The pesticide sprayers had higher prevalence of
      breathlessness on activities of daily living (odds ratio [OR]: 3.14, 95%
      confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-8.07), chronic cough/phlegm (OR: 3.53, 95% CI:
      1.09-11.46), symptoms of peripheral sensory neuropathy (OR: 6.66, 95% CI: 2.53
      17.51) and recurrent abdominal pain (OR: 3.05, 95% CI: 1.03-9.01), when compared
      to people engaged in other occupations. Pesticide sprayers also had significantly
      lower mean peak expiratory low rates and poor peripheral sensations. The serum
      cholinesterase levels were not statistically different between the groups.
      CONCLUSION: The pesticide sprayers had a higher morbidity when compared to people
      engaged in other occupations, and further research is needed to find out methods
      to prevent the same. Serum cholinesterase may not be a good marker for
      quantifying exposure to pesticide among sprayers, during a spraying season.

PMID- 26500413
TI  - Neopterin: A candidate biomarker for the early assessment of toxicity of aluminum
      among bauxite dust exposed mine workers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Bauxite ore is a major source of aluminum (Al) which contains
      approximately 35-60% Al by weight. Occupational and environmental bauxite dust
      exposure may cause toxicity by interaction with human biological systems
      resulting in oxidative stress (OS) and cell death. A neopterin derivative as an
      antioxidant is able to modulate cytotoxicity by the induction of OS. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A total of 273 subjects were selected for blood collection from
      three different major Al producing bauxite mines and were categorized into three
      groups as experimental (Exp) (n = 150), experimental controls (ExC) (n = 73) and
      control (Con) (n = 50). Whole blood and serum samples were used for measurement
      of Al, neopterin, urea and creatinine values. Statistical analysis was performed
      using R-2.15.1 programming language. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The result showed
      that age, body mass index and the behavioral habits, that is, smoking, tobacco
      and alcohol consumption have possible effects on neopterin level. Serum neopterin
      levels were found to be significantly higher (P <0.0001) in the experimental
      group as compared to other groups. Significantly positive correlation (P <
      0.0001) was observed between neopterin and creatinine. It was also observed that
      neopterin level increases as the duration of exposure increases. CONCLUSION: On
      the basis of findings it was concluded that exposure to bauxite dust (even at low
      levels of Al) changes biochemical profile leading to high levels of serum
      neopterin. Levels of serum neopterin in workers exposed to bauxite dust were
      probably examined for the 1(st) time in India. The outcome of this study
      suggested that serum neopterin may be used as potential biomarker for early
      detection of health risks associated with bauxite dust exposed population.

PMID- 26500414
TI  - Evaluation of occupational exposure of carpet weavers in northern province of
      Madhya Pradesh (India) during different seasons.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We investigated general working conditions in the carpet
      manufacturing industry and assessed the health risk factors of weavers working in
      this industry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Noise level, light intensity, temperature
      and humidity were measured with the help of sound level meter, lux meter and
      thermohygrometer, respectively at the workplace and the result were subjected to
      One Way Analysis of Variance. A pretested questionnaire was used to evaluate the
      health problems among different weavers working in the carpet industry. RESULTS:
      Results indicated that the weavers in these units were exposed to extreme
      environmental conditions. The majority of these weavers were suffering from eye
      irritation, back pain, allergies, general weakness, hearing loss, with most
      workers having three to five of these health problems. Our study reported higher
      incidence of musculoskeletal and respiratory diseases among weavers, during
      different season. CONCLUSION: A large variation during different seasons is an
      indication that environmental conditions play an important role in determining
      the health of weavers at the workplace. Results clearly demonstrate that working
      conditions were not suitable for the type of work carried out by the weavers.

PMID- 26500415
TI  - Ascertaining the standard of journal using quality indices.
AB  - In the modern era, most of the researchers want to share their work on a global
      platform so that they not only receive the due recognition but even their
      findings can be utilized by other professionals working in the same arena. In
      order to achieve this, the most common approach is to publish the research
      findings in an appropriate journal. However, the indicators which eventually
      determine the overall quality of a journal are variable and there is a great need
      that the contributors should understand the meaning and scope of each of these
      indicators. In conclusion, in order to establish the journal's quality, the
      researchers should obtain the information about the various indices from the
      journals' website or editorial board and then only submit their research work for
      publishing. 

PMID- 26500416
TI  - Successful treatment of frostbite with hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

PMID- 26500417
TI  - Identification and Classification of Rhizobia by Matrix-Assisted Laser
      Desorption/Ionization Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Mass spectrometry (MS) has been widely used for specific, sensitive and rapid
      analysis of proteins and has shown a high potential for bacterial identification
      and characterization. Type strains of four species of rhizobia and Escherichia
      coli DH5alpha were employed as reference bacteria to optimize various parameters
      for identification and classification of species of rhizobia by matrix-assisted
      laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight MS (MALDI TOF MS). The parameters
      optimized included culture medium states (liquid or solid), bacterial growth
      phases, colony storage temperature and duration, and protein data processing to
      enhance the bacterial identification resolution, accuracy and reliability. The
      medium state had little effects on the mass spectra of protein profiles. A
      suitable sampling time was between the exponential phase and the stationary
      phase. Consistent protein mass spectral profiles were observed for E. coli
      colonies pre-grown for 14 days and rhizobia for 21 days at 4 degrees C or 21
      degrees C. A dendrogram of 75 rhizobial strains of 4 genera was constructed based
      on MALDI TOF mass spectra and the topological patterns agreed well with those in
      the 16S rDNA phylogenetic tree. The potential of developing a mass spectral
      database for all rhizobia species was assessed with blind samples. The entire
      process from sample preparation to accurate identification and classification of
      species required approximately one hour.

PMID- 26500418
TI  - Insight into the Protein Composition of Immunoglobulin Light Chain Deposits of
      Eyelid, Orbital and Conjunctival Amyloidosis.
AB  - Amyloidosis is a disease characterized by the formation of extracellular amyloid
      deposits. Immunoglobulin light-chain amyloidosis can appear as a local disorder
      presenting with mild symptoms or as a life threatening systemic disease. The
      systemic form of immunoglobulin light-chain amyloidosis is the most common type
      of amyloidosis in western countries although it is a rare disease. Identification
      of the proteins forming amyloid fibrils is essential for the diagnosis of the
      disease and knowledge about the overall protein composition of the deposits may
      lead to a larger understanding of the deposition events thereby facilitating a
      more detailed picture of the molecular pathology. In this pilot study, we
      investigated the protein composition of amyloid deposits isolated from human
      specimens of the eyelid, conjunctiva, and orbit. Deposits and internal control
      tissue (patient tissue without apparent deposits) were procured by laser capture
      microdissection. Proteins in the captured amyloid and control samples were
      quantified by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry using the label-free
      exponential modified Protein Abundance Index (emPAI) method. Immunoglobulin light
      chain kappa or lambda was found to be the most predominant protein in the amyloid
      deposits from the eyelid, conjunctiva, and orbit. Five proteins, apolipoprotein A
      I, carboxypeptidase B2 (TAFI), complement component C9, fibulin-1 and plasminogen
      were found solely across all amyloid but not in the control tissue. In addition,
      the protein profiles identified apolipoprotein E and serum amyloid P component to
      be associated with the immunoglobulin light chain deposits across all three
      tissues analyzed. The method used in this study provided high sensitivity and
      specificity for the type of amyloid and may provide additional information on the
      pathology of the amyloid deposits in the ocular tissues studied.

PMID- 26500419
TI  - Prenatal Iron Deficiency and Auditory Brainstem Responses at 3 and 10 Months: A
      Pilot Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine whether prenatal iron deficiency delays auditory brainstem
      response (ABR) maturation in infancy. METHODS: One hundred and fifteen full-term
      healthy Chinese infants with maternal and cord blood haemoglobin and serum
      ferritin determinations were recruited into this study. Forty-eight infants
      received ABR testing at 3 months, and 45 infants were tested at 10 months.
      Comparison of the ABR variables were made between infants with and those without
      evidence of prenatal iron deficiency (maternal 3rd trimester haemoglobin <110
      g/L, cord blood ferritin <75 MUg/L); or anaemia at 10 months (haemoglobin <110
      g/L). RESULTS: Latencies for wave V and wave III-V and I-V intervals were
      prolonged at 3 months in infants of anaemic mothers (effect sizes 1.02-1.19 SD).
      At 10 months, infants with low cord blood serum ferritin (indicating low iron
      stores at birth) showed longer wave I latency and possibly wave V latency also,
      besides demonstrating a smaller wave V amplitude (effect sizes 0.58-0.62 SD).
      Infants with low ferritin at birth and anemia at 10 months had longer wave III-V
      latency than other groups. CONCLUSION: In full-term healthy infants, prenatal
      iron deficiency appears to have adverse effects on the developing central nervous
      system and auditory system as assessed by ABRs at 3 and/or 10 months.

PMID- 26500420
TI  - Comprehension Tools for Teachers: Reading for Understanding from Prekindergarten
      through Fourth Grade.
AB  - This paper describes the theoretical framework, as well as the development and
      testing of the intervention, Comprehension Tools for Teachers (CTT), which is
      composed of eight component interventions targeting malleable language and
      reading comprehension skills that emerging research indicates contribute to
      proficient reading for understanding for prekindergarteners through fourth
      graders. Component interventions target processes considered largely automatic as
      well as more reflective processes, with interacting and reciprocal effects.
      Specifically, we present component interventions targeting cognitive, linguistic,
      and text-specific processes, including morphological awareness, syntax, mental
      state verbs, comprehension monitoring, narrative and expository text structure,
      enacted comprehension, academic knowledge, and reading to learn from
      informational text. Our aim was to develop a tool set composed of intensive
      meaningful individualized small group interventions. We improved feasibility in
      regular classrooms through the use of design-based iterative research methods
      including careful lesson planning, targeted scripting, pre- and postintervention
      proximal assessments, and technology. In addition to the overall framework, we
      discuss seven of the component interventions and general results of design and
      efficacy studies.

PMID- 26500421
TI  - Preventing Drug Abuse Among Hispanic Adolescents: Developing a Responsive
      Intervention Approach.
AB  - Intervention research is essential to help Hispanic American adolescents avoid
      drug use. This article describes an intervention research program aimed at
      preventing drug use among these youths. Grounded in salient epidemiological data,
      the program is informed by bicultural competence, social learning, and
      motivational interviewing theories. The program, called Vamos, is aimed at the
      risk and protective factors as well as the cultural prerogatives that demark the
      adolescent years of Hispanic American youths. Innovative in its approach, the
      program is delivered through a smartphone application (app). By interacting with
      engaging content presented via the app, youths can acquire the cognitive
      behavioral skills necessary to avoid risky situations, urges, and pressures
      associated with early drug use. The intervention development process is presented
      in detail, and an evaluation plan to determine the program's efficacy is
      outlined. Lessons for practice and intervention programming are discussed.

PMID- 26500422
TI  - Highway Healthcare: How Naturalistic Driving Data Index Adherence to CPAP Therapy
      in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
AB  - Drowsy driving is a major factor in many vehicle crashes around the world. Sleep
      disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), underpin many of these crashes.
      Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is an effective treatment for
      sleep apnea but it requires consistent use and is often rejected by OSA patients.
      Rejection of CPAP treatment creates a dangerous on-road environment for both OSA
      sufferers and the general public. Algorithms capable of detecting CPAP use and
      its effects on driving are integral to identifying and mitigating this danger.
      This work uses naturalistic kinematic driving data to develop an algorithm which
      can detect nightly CPAP abstinence and adequate CPAP use. Speed and lateral
      acceleration data were collected using a data recorder in participant's primary
      vehicle and CPAP data were collected by downloading adherence data from
      participant CPAP machines. The speed and acceleration data were reduced to a set
      of symbols using Symbolic Aggregate approximation (SAX) time-series analysis. The
      symbols were converted into a sequence frequency dataset using sliding windows of
      size 1 to 10 s with a 1 Hz sampling rate. A Random Forest classifier was trained
      on the data to create a classification algorithm. On a held aside testing set,
      the Random Forest algorithm correctly identified 71% of the instances and had an
      area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.76. The variable
      importance of the algorithm suggested that kinematic patterns associated with
      common drowsy driver crash types were key features in the algorithm's prediction
      performance.

PMID- 26500423
TI  - Holistic Processing in the Composite Task Depends on Face Size.
AB  - Holistic processing is a hallmark of face processing. There is evidence that
      holistic processing is strongest for faces at identification distance, 2 - 10
      meters from the observer. However, this evidence is based on tasks that have been
      little used in the literature and that are indirect measures of holistic
      processing. We use the composite task- a well validated and frequently used
      paradigm - to measure the effect of viewing distance on holistic processing. In
      line with previous work, we find a congruency x alignment effect that is
      strongest for faces that are close (2m equivalent distance) than for faces that
      are further away (24m equivalent distance). In contrast, the alignment effect for
      same trials, used by several authors to measure holistic processing, produced
      results that are difficult to interpret. We conclude that our results converge
      with previous findings providing more direct evidence for an effect of size on
      holistic processing.

PMID- 26500424
TI  - Sexual assault and alcohol consumption: what do we know about their relationship
      and what types of research are still needed?
AB  - Approximately half of all sexual assaults are associated with either the
      perpetrator's alcohol consumption, the victim's alcohol consumption, or both.
      Although the emphasis of this review is on alcohol-involved sexual assaults,
      their unique aspects can only be evaluated by comparing them to other types of
      sexual assault. Theoretical perspectives on sexual assault that focus on
      characteristics of the perpetrator, the victim, and the situation are described.
      A number of personality traits, attitudes, and past experiences have been
      systematically linked to sexual assault perpetration, including beliefs about
      alcohol and heavy drinking. In contrast, only a few experiences have been
      significantly related to sexual assault victimization, including childhood sexual
      abuse and heavy drinking. There is support for both psychological and
      pharmacological mechanisms linking alcohol and sexual assault. Beliefs about
      alcohol's effects reinforce stereotypes about gender roles and can exacerbate
      their influence on perpetrators' actions. Alcohol's effects on cognitive and
      motor skills also contribute to sexual assault through their effects on
      perpetrators' and victims' ability to process and react to each other's verbal
      and nonverbal behavior. Limitations with existing research and methodological
      challenges associated with conducting research on this topic are described.
      Suggestions are made for future research which can inform prevention and
      treatment programs.

PMID- 26500425
TI  - Spirituality and religious coping in African American youth with depressive
      illness.
AB  - The research team completed a secondary data analysis of primary data from a 2
      phase depression treatment engagement behavioral trial to assess African American
      adolescents reported experiences of spiritual and religious coping when dealing
      with depression. The team utilized data collected from twenty-eight youth who
      participated in focus groups or individual interviews. Qualitative data were
      analyzed using thematic techniques for transcript-based analysis to identify the
      key patterns and elements of the study participants' accounts and to extract 6
      primary themes. The main themes are reported in this manuscript and include;
      "Religion as Treatment Incentive", "Prayer & Agency", "Mixed Emotions", "Doesn't
      Hurt, Might Help", "Finding Support in the Church", and "Prayer and Church:
      Barriers to Treatment?" Overall, the data suggested that religion and
      spirituality play a key role in African American adolescents' experiences of
      depression. As well, it is surmised that these factors may be important for
      improving treatment seeking behaviors and reducing racial mental health
      disparities in this population of youth.

PMID- 26500426
TI  - A joint effort of the Brazilian Evo-Devo community.

PMID- 26500427
TI  - Evolution of flatworm central nervous systems: Insights from polyclads.
AB  - The nervous systems of flatworms have diversified extensively as a consequence of
      the broad range of adaptations in the group. Here we examined the central nervous
      system (CNS) of 12 species of polyclad flatworms belonging to 11 different
      families by morphological and histological studies. These comparisons revealed
      that the overall organization and architecture of polyclad central nervous
      systems can be classified into three categories (I, II, and III) based on the
      presence of globuli cell masses -ganglion cells of granular appearance-, the
      cross-sectional shape of the main nerve cords, and the tissue type surrounding
      the nerve cords. In addition, four different cell types were identified in
      polyclad brains based on location and size. We also characterize the serotonergic
      and FMRFamidergic nervous systems in the cotylean Boninia divae by
      immunocytochemistry. Although both neurotransmitters were broadly expressed,
      expression of serotonin was particularly strong in the sucker, whereas FMRFamide
      was particularly strong in the pharynx. Finally, we test some of the major
      hypothesized trends during the evolution of the CNS in the phylum by a character
      state reconstruction based on current understanding of the nervous system across
      different species of Platyhelminthes and on up-to-date molecular phylogenies. 

PMID- 26500428
TI  - A putative RA-like region in the brain of the scale-backed antbird, Willisornis
      poecilinotus (Furnariides, Suboscines, Passeriformes, Thamnophilidae).
AB  - The memorization and production of song in songbirds share important parallels
      with the process of speech acquisition in humans. In songbirds, these processes
      are dependent on a group of specialized telencephalic nuclei known as the song
      system: HVC (used as a proper name), RA (robust nucleus of arcopallium), LMAN
      (lateral magnocellular nucleus of the nidopallium) and striatal Area X. A recent
      study suggested that the arcopallium of the Sayornis phoebe, a non vocal learner
      suboscine species, contains a nucleus with some properties similar to those of
      songbird RA, suggesting that the song system may have been present in the last
      common ancestor of these groups. Here we report morphological and gene expression
      evidence that a region with some properties similar to RA is present in another
      suboscine, the Amazonian endemic Willisornis poecilinotus. Specifically, a
      discrete domain with a distinct Nissl staining pattern and that expresses the RA
      marker RGS4 was found in the arcopallium where the oscine RA is localized. Our
      findings, combined with the previous report on the S. phoebe, suggest that an
      arcopallial region with some RA-like properties was present in the ancestor of
      both Suboscines infraorders Tyranni and Furnarii, and is possibly an ancestral
      feature of Passeriformes. 

PMID- 26500429
TI  - Molecular evolution of HoxA13 and the multiple origins of limbless morphologies
      in amphibians and reptiles.
AB  - Developmental processes and their results, morphological characters, are
      inherited through transmission of genes regulating development. While there is
      ample evidence that cis-regulatory elements tend to be modular, with sequence
      segments dedicated to different roles, the situation for proteins is less clear,
      being particularly complex for transcription factors with multiple functions.
      Some motifs mediating protein-protein interactions may be exclusive to particular
      developmental roles, but it is also possible that motifs are mostly shared among
      different processes. Here we focus on HoxA13, a protein essential for limb
      development. We asked whether the HoxA13 amino acid sequence evolved similarly in
      three limbless clades: Gymnophiona, Amphisbaenia and Serpentes. We explored
      variation in omega (dN/dS) using a maximum-likelihood framework and
      HoxA13sequences from 47 species. Comparisons of evolutionary models provided low
      omega global values and no evidence that HoxA13 experienced relaxed selection in
      limbless clades. Branch-site models failed to detect evidence for positive
      selection acting on any site along branches of Amphisbaena and Gymnophiona, while
      three sites were identified in Serpentes. Examination of alignments did not
      reveal consistent sequence differences between limbed and limbless species. We
      conclude that HoxA13 has no modules exclusive to limb development, which may be
      explained by its involvement in multiple developmental processes. 

PMID- 26500430
TI  - Insights into the dynamics of hind leg development in honey bee (Apis mellifera
      L.) queen and worker larvae - A morphology/differential gene expression analysis.
AB  - Phenotypic plasticity is a hallmark of the caste systems of social insects,
      expressed in their life history and morphological traits. These are best studied
      in bees. In their co-evolution with angiosperm plants, the females of corbiculate
      bees have acquired a specialized structure on their hind legs for collecting
      pollen. In the highly eusocial bees (Apini and Meliponini), this structure is
      however only present in workers and absent in queens. By means of histological
      sections and cell proliferation analysis we followed the developmental dynamics
      of the hind legs of queens and workers in the fourth and fifth larval instars. In
      parallel, we generated subtractive cDNA libraries for hind leg discs of queen and
      worker larvae by means of a Representational Difference Analysis (RDA). From the
      total of 135 unique sequences we selected 19 for RT-qPCR analysis, where six of
      these were confirmed as differing significantly in their expression between the
      two castes in the larval spinning stage. The development of complex structures
      such as the bees' hind legs, requires diverse patterning mechanisms and signaling
      modules, as indicated by the set of differentially expressed genes related with
      cell adhesion and signaling pathways. 

PMID- 26500431
TI  - small ORFs: A new class of essential genes for development.
AB  - Genes that contain small open reading frames (smORFs) constitute a new group of
      eukaryotic genes and are expected to represent 5% of the Drosophila melanogaster
      transcribed genes. In this review we provide a historical perspective of their
      recent discovery, describe their general mechanism and discuss the importance of
      smORFs for future genomic and transcriptomic studies. Finally, we discuss the
      biological role of the most studied smORF so far, the Mlpt/Pri/Tal gene in
      arthropods. The pleiotropic action of Mlpt/Pri/Tal in D. melanogaster suggests a
      complex evolutionary scenario that can be used to understand the origins,
      evolution and integration of smORFs into complex gene regulatory networks. 

PMID- 26500433
TI  - Exploring the role of auxin in the androgynophore movement in Passiflora.
AB  - The flowers of the species belonging to the genus Passiflorashow a range of
      features that are thought to have arisen as adaptations to different pollinators.
      Some Passiflora species belonging to the subgenus Decaloba sect. Xerogona, show
      touch-sensitive motile androgynophores. We tested the role of auxin polar
      transport in the modulation of the androgynophore movement by applying auxin
      (IAA) or an inhibitor of auxin polar transport (NPA) in the flowers. We recorded
      the movement of the androgynophore during mechano-stimulation and analyzed the
      duration, speed, and the angle formed by the androgynophore before and after the
      movement, and found that both IAA and NPA increase the amplitude of the movement
      in P. sanguinolenta. We hypothesize that auxin might have a role in modulating
      the fitness of these Decaloba species to different pollination syndromes and
      demonstrate that an interspecific hybrid between insect- and hummingbird
      pollinated Xerogona species present a heterosis effect on the speed of the
      androgynophore movement. 

PMID- 26500434
TI  - Occupational exposure of workers to pesticides: Toxicogenetics and susceptibility
      gene polymorphisms.
AB  - Farm workers are often exposed to pesticides, which are products belonging to a
      specific chemical group that affects the health of agricultural workers and is
      mostly recognized as genotoxic and carcinogenic. The exposure of workers from
      Piaui, Brazil, to these hazardous chemicals was assessed and cytogenetic
      alterations were evaluated using the buccal micronucleus assay, hematological and
      lipid parameters, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity and genetic polymorphisms
      of enzymes involved in the metabolism of pesticides, such as PON1, as well as of
      the DNA repair system (OGG1, XRCC1 and XRCC4). Two groups of farm workers exposed
      to different types of pesticides were evaluated and compared to matched non
      exposed control groups. A significant increase was observed in the frequencies of
      micronuclei, kariorrhexis, karyolysis and binucleated cells in the exposed groups
      (n = 100) compared to controls (n = 100). No differences were detected regarding
      the hematological parameters, lipid profile and BChE activity. No significant
      difference was observed either regarding DNA damage or nuclear fragmentation when
      specific metabolizing and DNA repair genotypes were investigated in the exposed
      groups. 

PMID- 26500432
TI  - Evo-devo of non-bilaterian animals.
AB  - The non-bilaterian animals comprise organisms in the phyla Porifera, Cnidaria,
      Ctenophora and Placozoa. These early-diverging phyla are pivotal to understanding
      the evolution of bilaterian animals. After the exponential increase in research
      in evolutionary development (evo-devo) in the last two decades, these organisms
      are again in the spotlight of evolutionary biology. In this work, I briefly
      review some aspects of the developmental biology of nonbilaterians that
      contribute to understanding the evolution of development and of the metazoans.
      The evolution of the developmental genetic toolkit, embryonic polarization, the
      origin of gastrulation and mesodermal cells, and the origin of neural cells are
      discussed. The possibility that germline and stem cell lineages have the same
      origin is also examined. Although a considerable number of non-bilaterian species
      are already being investigated, the use of species belonging to different
      branches of non-bilaterian lineages and functional experimentation with gene
      manipulation in the majority of the non-bilaterian lineages will be necessary for
      further progress in this field. 

PMID- 26500435
TI  - Prevalence of beta(S)-globin gene haplotypes, alpha-thalassemia (3.7 kb deletion)
      and redox status in patients with sickle cell anemia in the state of Parana,
      Brazil.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of beta S-globin gene
      (beta(S) globin) haplotypes and alpha thalassemia with 3.7 kb deletion (
      alpha(3.7kb) thalassemia) in the northwest region of Parana state, and to
      investigate the oxidative and clinical-hematological profile of beta(S) globin
      carriers in this population. Of the 77 samples analyzed, 17 were Hb SS, 30 were
      Hb AS and 30 were Hb AA. The beta(S)globin haplotypes and -alpha(3.7kb)
      thalassemia were identified using polymerase chain reaction.Trolox equivalent
      antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were assessed
      spectophotometrically. Serum melatonin levels were determined using high
      performance liquid chromatography coupled to coulometric electrochemical
      detection. The haplotype frequencies in the SS individuals were as follows: Bantu
      21 (62%), Benin - 11 (32%) and Atypical- 2 (6%). Bantu/Benin was the most
      frequent genotype. Of the 47 SS and AS individuals assessed, 17% (n = 8) had the 
      alpha(3.7kb) mutation. Clinical manifestations, as well as serum melatonin, TEAC
      and LPO levels did not differ between Bantu/Bantu and Bantu/Benin individuals (p
      > 0.05). Both genotypes were associated with high LPO and TEAC levels and
      decreased melatonin concentration. These data suggest that the level of oxidative
      stress in patients with Bantu/Bantu and Bantu/Benin genotypes may overload the
      antioxidant capacity. 

PMID- 26500436
TI  - High interpopulation homogeneity in Central Argentina as assessed by Ancestry
      Informative Markers (AIMs).
AB  - The population of Argentina has already been studied with regard to several
      genetic markers, but much more data are needed for the appropriate definition of
      its genetic profile. This study aimed at investigating the admixture patterns and
      genetic structure in Central Argentina, using biparental markers and comparing
      the results with those previously obtained by us with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
      in the same samples. A total of 521 healthy unrelated individuals living in 13
      villages of the Cordoba and San Luis provinces were tested. The individuals were
      genotyped for ten autosomal ancestry informative markers (AIMs). Allele
      frequencies were compared with those of African, European and Native American
      populations, chosen to represent parental contributions. The AIM estimates
      indicated a greater influence of the Native American ancestry as compared to
      previous studies in the same or other Argentinean regions, but smaller than that
      observed with the mtDNA tests. These differences can be explained, respectively,
      by different genetic contributions between rural and urban areas, and asymmetric
      gene flow occurred in the past. But a most unexpected finding was the marked
      interpopulation genetic homogeneity found in villages located in diverse
      geographic environments across a wide territory, suggesting considerable gene
      flow. 

PMID- 26500437
TI  - Costs of genetic testing: Supporting Brazilian Public Policies for the
      incorporating of molecular diagnostic technologies.
AB  - This study identifies and describes the operating costs associated with the
      molecular diagnosis of diseases, such as hereditary cancer. To approximate the
      costs associated with these tests, data informed by Standard Operating Procedures
      for various techniques was collected from hospital software and a survey of
      market prices. Costs were established for four scenarios of capacity utilization
      to represent the possibility of suboptimal use in research laboratories. Cost
      description was based on a single site. The results show that only one technique
      was not impacted by rising costs due to underutilized capacity. Several common
      techniques were considerably more expensive at 30% capacity, including polymerase
      chain reaction (180%), microsatellite instability analysis (181%), gene
      rearrangement analysis by multiplex ligation probe amplification (412%), non
      labeled sequencing (173%), and quantitation of nucleic acids (169%). These
      findings should be relevant for the definition of public policies and suggest
      that investment of public funds in the establishment of centralized diagnostic
      research centers would reduce costs to the Public Health System. 

PMID- 26500438
TI  - Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome and a set of polymorphic
      microsatellite markers through next-generation sequencing for the brown brocket
      deer Mazama gouazoubira.
AB  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the brown brocket deer Mazama gouazoubira
      and a set of polymorphic microsatellite markers were identified by 454
      pyrosequencing. De novo genome assembly recovered 98% of the mitochondrial genome
      with a mean coverage of 9-fold. The mitogenome consisted of 16,356 base pairs
      that included 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal subunit genes, 22 transfer
      RNAs and the control region, as found in other deer. The genetic divergence
      between the mitogenome described here and a previously published report was
      ~0.5%, with the control region and ND5 gene showing the highest intraspecific
      variation. Seven polymorphic loci were characterized using 15 unrelated
      individuals; there was moderate genetic variation across most loci (mean of 5.6
      alleles/locus, mean expected heterozygosity = 0.70), with only one locus
      deviating significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, probably because of null
      alleles. Marker independence was confirmed with tests for linkage disequilibrium.
      The genetic variation of the mitogenome and characterization of microsatellite
      markers will provide useful tools for assessing the phylogeography and population
      genetic patterns in M. gouazoubira, particularly in the context of habitat
      fragmentation in South America. 

PMID- 26500439
TI  - Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) genetic diversity at Paranagua Estuarine Complex
      feeding grounds in Brazil.
AB  - Sea turtles are marine reptiles that undertake long migrations through their
      life, with limited information regarding juvenile stages. Feeding grounds (FGs),
      where they spend most of their lives, are composed by individuals from different
      natal origins, known as mixed stock populations. The aim of this study was to
      assess genetic composition, natal origins and demographic history of juvenile
      green turtles (Chelonia mydas) at the Paranagua Estuarine Complex (PEC), Brazil,
      considered a Natural World Heritage site. Tissue samples of stranded animals were
      collected (n = 60), and 700 bp mitochondrial DNA sequences were generated and
      compared to shorter sequences from previously published studies. Global exact
      tests of differentiation revealed significant differences among PEC and the other
      FGs, except those at the South Atlantic Ocean. Green turtles at PEC present
      genetic signatures similar to those of nesting females from Ascension Island,
      Guinea Bissau and Aves Island/Surinam. Population expansion was evidenced to have
      occurred 20-25 kYA, reinforcing the hypothesis of recovery from Southern Atlantic
      refugia after the last Glacial Maximum. These results contribute to a better
      understanding of the dynamics of green turtle populations at a protected area by
      providing knowledge on the dispersion patterns and reinforcing the importance of
      the interconnectivity between nesting and foraging populations. 

PMID- 26500440
TI  - Successful crosses between fungal-resistant wild species of Arachis (section
      Arachis) and Arachis hypogaea.
AB  - Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is the fifth most produced oil crop worldwide. Besides
      lack of water, fungal diseases are the most limiting factors for the crop.
      Several species of Arachis are resistant to certain pests and diseases. This
      study aimed to successfully cross the A-genome with B-K-A genome wild species
      previously selected for fungal disease resistance, but that are still untested.
      We also aimed to polyplodize the amphihaploid chromosomes; cross the synthetic
      amphidiploids and A. hypogaea to introgress disease resistance genes into the
      cultivated peanut; and analyze pollen viability and morphological descriptors for
      all progenies and their parents. We selected 12 A-genome accessions as male
      parents and three B-genome species, one K-genome species, and one A-genome
      species as female parents. Of the 26 distinct cross combinations, 13 different
      interspecific AB-genome and three AA-genome hybrids were obtained. These sterile
      hybrids were polyploidized and five combinations produced tetraploid flowers.
      Next, 16 combinations were crossed between A. hypogaea and the synthetic
      amphidiploids, resulting in 11 different hybrid combinations. Our results confirm
      that it is possible to introgress resistance genes from wild species into the
      peanut using artificial hybridization, and that more species than previously
      reported can be used, thus enhancing the genetic variability in peanut genetic
      improvement programs. 

PMID- 26500441
TI  - The chitinase C gene PsChiC from Pseudomonas sp. and its synergistic effects on
      larvicidal activity.
AB  - Pseudomonas sp. strain TXG6-1, a chitinolytic gram-negative bacterium, was
      isolated from a vegetable field in Taixing city, Jiangsu Province, China. In this
      study, a Pseudomonas chitinase C gene (PsChiC) was isolated from the chromosomal
      DNA of this bacterium using a pair of specific primers. The PsChiC gene consisted
      of an open reading frame of 1443 nucleotides and encoded 480 amino acid residues
      with a calculated molecular mass of 51.66 kDa. The deduced PsChiC amino acid
      sequence lacked a signal sequence and consisted of a glycoside hydrolase family
      18 catalytic domain responsible for chitinase activity, a fibronectin type III
      like domain (FLD) and a C-terminal chitin-binding domain (ChBD). The amino acid
      sequence of PsChiCshowed high sequence homology (> 95%) with chitinase C from
      Serratia marcescens. SDS-PAGE showed that the molecular mass of chitinase PsChiC
      was 52 kDa. Chitinase assays revealed that the chitobiosidase and endochitinase
      activities of PsChiCwere 51.6- and 84.1-fold higher than those of pET30a,
      respectively. Although PsChiC showed little insecticidal activity towards
      Spodoptera litura larvae, an insecticidal assay indicated that PsChiC increased
      the insecticidal toxicity of SpltNPV by 1.78-fold at 192 h and hastened death.
      These results suggest that PsChiC from Pseudomonas sp. could be useful in
      improving the pathogenicity of baculoviruses. 

PMID- 26500442
TI  - High-throughput nucleotide sequence analysis of diverse bacterial communities in
      leachates of decomposing pig carcasses.
AB  - The leachate generated by the decomposition of animal carcass has been implicated
      as an environmental contaminant surrounding the burial site. High-throughput
      nucleotide sequencing was conducted to investigate the bacterial communities in
      leachates from the decomposition of pig carcasses. We acquired 51,230 reads from
      six different samples (1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 14 week-old carcasses) and found that
      sequences representing the phylum Firmicutes predominated. The diversity of
      bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences in the leachate was the highest at 6 weeks, in
      contrast to those at 2 and 14 weeks. The relative abundance of Firmicutes was
      reduced, while the proportion of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria increased from
      3-6 weeks. The representation of phyla was restored after 14 weeks. However, the
      community structures between the samples taken at 1-2 and 14 weeks differed at
      the bacterial classification level. The trend in pH was similar to the changes
      seen in bacterial communities, indicating that the pH of the leachate could be
      related to the shift in the microbial community. The results indicate that the
      composition of bacterial communities in leachates of decomposing pig carcasses
      shifted continuously during the study period and might be influenced by the
      burial site. 

PMID- 26500443
TI  - Cloning and expression analysis of the chitinase gene Ifu-chit2 from Isaria
      fumosorosea.
AB  - Entomopathogenic fungi can produce a series of chitinases, some of which function
      synergistically with proteases and other hydrolytic enzymes to degrade the insect
      cuticle. In the present study, the chitinase gene Ifu-chit2 from Isaria
      fumosorosea was investigated. The Ifu-chit2 gene is 1,435-bp long, interrupted by
      three short introns, and encodes a predicted protein of 423 amino acids with a 22
      residue signal peptide. The predicted Ifu-Chit2 protein is highly homologous to
      Beauveria bassiana chitinase Bbchit2 and belongs to the glycohydrolase family 18.
      Ifu-Chit2 was expressed in Escherichia coli to verify chitinase activity, and the
      recombinant enzyme exhibited activity with a colloidal chitin substrate.
      Furthermore, the expression profiles of Ifu-chit2 were analyzed at different
      induction times under in vivo conditions. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis
      revealed that Ifu-chit2 expression peaked at two days post-induction. The
      expression of chitinase Ifu-chit2 in vivo suggests that the chitinase may play a
      role in the early stage of pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26500445
TI  - The best of both worlds: Phylogenetic eigenvector regression and mapping.
AB  - Eigenfunction analyses have been widely used to model patterns of autocorrelation
      in time, space and phylogeny. In a phylogenetic context, Diniz-Filho et al.
      (1998) proposed what they called Phylogenetic Eigenvector Regression (PVR), in
      which pairwise phylogenetic distances among species are submitted to a Principal
      Coordinate Analysis, and eigenvectors are then used as explanatory variables in
      regression, correlation or ANOVAs. More recently, a new approach called
      Phylogenetic Eigenvector Mapping (PEM) was proposed, with the main advantage of
      explicitly incorporating a model-based warping in phylogenetic distance in which
      an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (O-U) process is fitted to data before eigenvector
      extraction. Here we compared PVR and PEM in respect to estimated phylogenetic
      signal, correlated evolution under alternative evolutionary models and
      phylogenetic imputation, using simulated data. Despite similarity between the two
      approaches, PEM has a slightly higher prediction ability and is more general than
      the original PVR. Even so, in a conceptual sense, PEM may provide a technique in
      the best of both worlds, combining the flexibility of data-driven and empirical
      eigenfunction analyses and the sounding insights provided by evolutionary models
      well known in comparative analyses. 

PMID- 26500444
TI  - Phylogenetic incongruence inferred with two mitochondrial genes in Mepraia spp.
      and Triatoma eratyrusiformis(Hemiptera, Reduviidae).
AB  - Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is widely used to clarify phylogenetic relationships
      among and within species, and to determine population structure. Due to the
      linked nature of mtDNA genes it is expected that different genes will show
      similar results. Phylogenetic incongruence using mtDNA genes may result from
      processes such as heteroplasmy, nuclear integration of mitochondrial genes,
      polymerase errors, contamination, and recombination. In this study we used
      sequences from two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b and cytochrome oxidase
      subunit I) from the wild vectors of Chagas disease, Triatoma eratyrusiformis and
      Mepraia species to test for topological congruence. The results showed some cases
      of phylogenetic incongruence due to misplacement of four haplotypes of four
      individuals. We discuss the possible causes of such incongruence and suggest that
      the explanation is an intra-individual variation likely due to heteroplasmy. This
      phenomenon is an independent evidence of common ancestry between these taxa. 

PMID- 26500446
TI  - Form factors of the isovector scalar current and the [Formula: see text]
      scattering phase shifts.
AB  - A model for S-wave [Formula: see text] scattering is proposed which could be
      realistic in an energy range from threshold up to above 1 GeV, where inelasticity
      is dominated by the [Formula: see text] channel. The T-matrix, satisfying two
      channel unitarity, is given in a form which matches the chiral expansion results
      at order [Formula: see text] exactly for the [Formula: see text], [Formula: see
      text] amplitudes and approximately for [Formula: see text]. It contains six
      phenomenological parameters. Asymptotic conditions are imposed which ensure a
      minimal solution of the Muskhelishvili-Omnes problem, thus allowing one to
      compute the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] form factor matrix
      elements of the [Formula: see text] scalar current from the T-matrix. The
      phenomenological parameters are determined such as to reproduce the experimental
      properties of the [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] resonances, as well as
      the chiral results of the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] scalar
      radii, which are predicted to be remarkably small at [Formula: see text]. This T
      matrix model could be used for a unified treatment of the [Formula: see text]
      final-state interaction problem in processes such as [Formula: see text],
      [Formula: see text], or the [Formula: see text] initial-state interaction in
      [Formula: see text].

PMID- 26500447
TI  - Discriminant validity and test re-test reproducibility of a gait assessment in
      patients with vestibular dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gait function may be impaired in patients with vestibular disorders,
      making gait assessment in the clinical setting relevant for this patient
      population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the discriminant validity
      of a gait assessment protocol between patients with vestibular disorders and
      healthy participants. Furthermore, test re-test reproducibility and the
      measurement error of gait performance measures in patients with vestibular
      lesions was performed under different walking conditions. METHODS: Gait
      parameters of thirty-five patients with vestibular disorders and twenty-seven
      healthy controls were assessed twice with the GAITRite(r) system. Discriminant
      validity, reproducibility (intra class correlation [ICC]) and the measurement
      error (standard error of measurement [SEM], smallest detectable change [SDC])
      were determined for gait speed, cadence and step length. Bland-Altman plots were
      made to assess systematic bias between tests. RESULTS: A significant effect of
      grouping on gait performance indicates discriminant validity of gait assessment.
      All tests revealed differences between patients and healthy controls (p < 0.01).
      The ICCs for test re-test reproducibility were excellent (0.70-0.96) and
      measurement error showed acceptable SDC values for gait parameters derived from
      three walking conditions (9-19 %). Bland-Altman plots indicated no systematic
      bias. CONCLUSIONS: Good validity and reproducibility of GAITRite(r) system
      measurements suggest that this system could facilitate the study of gait in
      patients with vestibular disorders in clinical settings. The SDC values for gait
      are generally small enough to detect changes after a rehabilitation program for
      patients with vestibular disorders.

PMID- 26500448
TI  - Treading the clinical pathway: a qualitative study of advanced practice nurses in
      a local health district in Australia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Career planning in nursing is often haphazard, with many studies
      showing that nurses need personal motivation, education, and the support of
      workplaces, which are often dominated by political and fiscal agendas. Nurses
      often need institutional and personal support to plan their careers and make
      decisions regarding their career aspirations. METHOD: A descriptive qualitative
      design was used. Data were gathered using semi-structured digitally recorded
      interviews and analysed for common categories. Twenty seven (n = 27) participants
      were interviewed. RESULTS: There were four categories revealed by the
      participants who described their career progression experiences: moving up the
      ladder, changing jobs for career progression, self-driven and the effects of
      institutional environments. CONCLUSION: Many of the participants' careers had
      been shaped serendipitously. Similar to other studies, these nurses felt
      political, institutional and financial factors impacted on their career
      opportunities. There are implications for nursing managers with more support
      required for nurses to plan their career trajectories. In addition to an
      organisation centred approach to career planning, nurse leaders and managers must
      take into account the personal and professional requirements of their nurses.
      Nurses themselves also need to take personal responsibility for career
      development. Greater support for nurses' career planning and personal drive will
      help organisations to plan their future workforce needs.

PMID- 26500449
TI  - Medication administration error: magnitude and associated factors among nurses in
      Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The significant impact of medication administration errors affect
      patients in terms of morbidity, mortality, adverse drug events, and increased
      length of hospital stay. It also increases costs for clinicians and healthcare
      systems. Due to this, assessing the magnitude and associated factors of
      medication administration error has a significant contribution for improving the
      quality of patient care. The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude and
      associated factors of medication administration errors among nurses at the Felege
      Hiwot Referral Hospital inpatient department. METHODS: A prospective, observation
      based, cross-sectional study was conducted from March 24-April 7, 2014 at the
      Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital inpatient department. A total of 82 nurses were
      interviewed using a pre-tested structured questionnaire, and observed while
      administering 360 medications by using a checklist supplemented with a review of
      medication charts. Data were analyzed by using SPSS version 20 software package
      and logistic regression was done to identify possible factors associated with
      medication administration error. RESULT: The incidence of medication
      administration error was 199 (56.4 %). The majority (87.5 %) of the medications
      have documentation error, followed by technique error 263 (73.1 %) and time error
      193 (53.6 %). Variables which were significantly associated with medication
      administration error include nurses between the ages of 18-25 years [Adjusted
      Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.9, 95 % CI (1.65,6.38)], 26-30 years [AOR = 2.3, 95 % CI
      (1.55, 7.26)] and 31-40 years [AOR = 2.1, 95 % CI (1.07, 4.12)], work experience
      of less than or equal to 10 years [AOR = 1.7, 95 % CI (1.33, 4.99)], nurse to
      patient ratio of 7-10 [AOR = 1.6, 95 % CI (1.44, 3.19)] and greater than 10 [AOR
      = 1.5, 95 % CI (1.38, 3.89)], interruption of the respondent at the time of
      medication administration [AOR = 1.5, 95 % CI (1.14, 3.21)], night shift of
      medication administration [AOR = 3.1, 95 % CI (1.38, 9.66)] and age of the
      patients with less than 18 years [AOR = 2.3, 95 % CI (1.17, 4.62)]. CONCLUSION:
      In general, medication errors at the administration phase were highly prevalent
      in Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital. Documentation error is the most dominant type
      of error observed during the study. Increasing nurses' staffing levels,
      minimizing distraction and interruptions during medication administration by
      using no interruptions zones and "No-Talk" signage are recommended to overcome
      medication administration errors. Retaining experienced nurses from leaving to
      train and supervise inexperienced nurses with the focus on medication safety, in
      addition providing convenient sleep hours for nurses would be helpful in ensuring
      that medication errors don't occur as frequently as observed in this study.

PMID- 26500451
TI  - Annuity choices and income drawdown: evidence from the decumulation phase of
      defined contribution pensions in England.
AB  - We provide new empirical evidence on the importance of defined contribution
      pension wealth in England, and the nature of annuitization decisions taken by
      older adults who retire with such sources of wealth. Other things equal,
      financial literacy, and numeracy in particular, are important factors governing
      individuals' choices over whether to shop around for an annuity as opposed to
      taking the 'path of least resistance' option and purchasing from their original
      pension fund provider. This has important policy and welfare implications given
      that buying an annuity on the open market has significant financial benefits for
      most people. In the context of the increasing reliance on private provision for
      retirement, the importance of individuals having the financial literacy to
      successfully navigate complex financial decisions late in life should not be
      underestimated.

PMID- 26500450
TI  - Caregiver perceptions regarding the measurement of level and quality of care in
      Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary informal caregivers play a critical role in the care and
      support of persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD). A recent systematic review
      found little existing research into whether caregiver quality-of-life affects the
      level or quality of care that caregivers provide to their loved ones with AD. The
      dearth of research could be due to the absence of research questionnaires
      designed specifically to measure level or quality of care in AD. In the present
      study, we interviewed primary informal caregivers to obtain their views on the
      type of questionnaire that would be most suitable to assess level or quality of
      care in AD. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive design was used. Purposive
      sampling was used to select participants. Participants were primary informal
      caregivers who were 18 years of age and older and were directly involved in the
      day-to-day care of community-dwelling (residing in private homes) persons with
      AD. A total of 21 caregivers were interviewed using focus groups or one-on-one
      interviews. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS:
      Informal caregivers identified a number of factors that researchers should
      consider when developing an instrument to measure level or quality of care that
      informal caregivers provide to their loved ones with AD. Overall, caregivers
      preferred a questionnaire that would employ a case management approach that
      recognizes the increase in care demands as patient health deteriorates, that
      acknowledges the importance of social support for caregivers, and that considers
      the role of hired help. CONCLUSIONS: The information generated from this study
      can help in developing an instrument for measuring the level or quality of care
      provided. Such an instrument could guide nursing practice in supporting
      caregivers as they care for persons with AD.

PMID- 26500452
TI  - Xanthorrhizol: a review of its pharmacological activities and anticancer
      properties.
AB  - Xanthorrhizol (XNT) is a bisabolane-type sesquiterpenoid compound extracted from
      Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. It has been well established to possess a variety of
      biological activities such as anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,
      antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, antihypertensive, antiplatelet, nephroprotective,
      hepatoprotective, estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects. Since many synthetic
      drugs possess toxic side effects and are unable to support the increasing
      prevalence of disease, there is significant interest in developing natural
      product as new therapeutics. XNT is a very potent natural bioactive compound that
      could fulfil the current need for new drug discovery. Despite its importance, a
      comprehensive review of XNT's pharmacological activities has not been published
      in the scientific literature to date. Here, the present review aims to summarize
      the available information in this area, focus on its anticancer properties and
      indicate the current status of the research. This helps to facilitate the
      understanding of XNT's pharmacological role in drug discovery, thus suggesting
      areas where further research is required. 

PMID- 26500453
TI  - Celastrol induces cell cycle arrest by MicroRNA-21-mTOR-mediated inhibition p27
      protein degradation in gastric cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Celastrol has anti-cancer effects by increase of apoptosis of gastric
      cancer cells. However, its role in gastric cancer cell cycle is still unclear.
      The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of celastrol on
      gastric cancer cell cycle. METHODS: The effects of celastrol on cell cycle in BGC
      823 and MGC-803 cells were assayed via flow cytometry analysis. The expression of
      p27 and mTOR was detected by real-time PCR and western blot. The activity of mTOR
      and mTORC2 was measured by mTOR and mTORC2 kinase assays. miR-21 mimic was used
      to up-regulate miR-21 expression and mTOR expression plasmid was used to increase
      mTOR level in gastric cancer cells. RESULTS: Celastrol caused G2/M cell-cycle
      arrest that was accompanied by the down-regulation of miR-21 expression. In
      particular, miR-21 overexpression reversed cell cycle arrest effects of
      celastrol. Further study showed that celastrol increased levels of the p27
      protein by inhibiting its degradation. miR-21 and mTOR signaling pathway was
      involved in the increase of p27 protein expression in BGC-823 and MGC-803 cells
      treated with celastrol. Significantly, miR-21 overexpression restored the
      decrease of mTOR activity in cells exposed celastrol. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of
      celastrol on cell cycle arrest of gastric cancer cells was due to an increase of
      p27 protein level via inhibiting miR-21-mTOR signaling pathway.

PMID- 26500454
TI  - The choroid plexus may be an underestimated site of tumor invasion to the brain:
      an in vitro study using neuroblastoma cell lines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The central nervous system (CNS) is protected by several barriers,
      including the blood-brain (BBB) and blood-cerebrospinal fluid (BCSFB) barriers.
      Understanding how cancer cells circumvent these protective barriers to invade the
      CNS is of crucial interest, since brain metastasis during cancer is often a fatal
      event in both children and adults. However, whereas much effort has been invested
      in elucidating the process of tumor cell transmigration across the BBB, the role
      of the BCSFB might still be underestimated considering the significant number of
      meningeal cancer involvement. Our work aimed to investigate the transmigration of
      neuroblastoma cells across the BCSFB in vitro. METHODS: We used an inverted model
      of the human BCSFB presenting proper restrictive features including adequate
      expression of tight-junction proteins, low permeability to integrity markers, and
      high trans-epithelial electrical resistance. Two different human neuroblastoma
      cell lines (SH-SY5Y and IMR-32) were used to study the transmigration process by
      fluorescent microscopy analysis. RESULTS: The results show that neuroblastoma
      cells are able to actively cross the tight human in vitro BCSFB model within 24
      h. The presence and transmigration of neuroblastoma cancer cells did not affect
      the barrier integrity within the duration of the experiment. CONCLUSIONS: In
      conclusion, we presume that the choroid plexus might be an underestimated site of
      CNS invasion, since neuroblastoma cell lines are able to actively cross a choroid
      plexus epithelial cell layer. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the
      molecular mechanisms of tumor cell transmigration in vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 26500455
TI  - Nitric oxide secretion in human conjunctival fibroblasts is inhibited by alpha
      linolenic acid.
AB  - PURPOSE: It is known that both human conjunctival fibroblasts (HCF) and corneal
      epithelial (HCE) cells contribute to the inflammatory process in the ocular
      surface by releasing inflammatory cytokines. In addition, nitric oxide (NO) has
      an important role in inflammatory responses in the ocular surface. In the present
      study, we aimed to characterize the capacity of these cells to release nitric
      oxide in response to cytokines and Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and show that Alpha
      linoleic acid (ALA) inhibits these responses. METHODS: HCF, HCE cells, peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and co-culture of HCF and PBMC were treated with
      different combinations of inflammatory inducers, including interleukin)IL- (6,
      tumor necrosis factors (TNF)-alpha, interferon (IFN)- gamma and IL-1beta and LPS.
      Nitrite levels were measured in cell supernatants with and without ALA by the
      Griess reaction test at 24, 48 and 72 h respectively. Expression of nitric oxide
      synthase 2 (NOS-2) was evaluated by real-time PCR. RESULTS: All cytokine
      combinations had an inducible effect on nitrite secretion in HCF, PBMC and co
      cultured PBMC and HCF, but not in HCE cells. Treatment with a combination of IL
      6, LPS, TNF-alpha, IFN- gamma and IL-1beta induced the highest nitrite secretion
      (2.91 fold, P < 0.01) as compared to cells incubated in medium alone. nitrite
      secretion was reduced by 38.9 % (P < 0.05) after treatment with ALA alone. Co
      culturing PBMC with HCF with and without ALA treatment demonstrated similar
      results in nitrite level as,compared to PBMC alone. In addition, ALA
      significantly decreased NOS-2 expression in HCF by 48.9 % (P < 0. 001) after 72
      h. CONCLUSIONS: The decrease in nitrite release and inhibition of NOS-2
      expression indicate that ALA may have an anti-inflammatory effect both on HCF and
      on peripheral immune cells. This indicates that ALA may serve as a potent anti
      inflammatory agent in ocular surface inflammation.

PMID- 26500456
TI  - Should lifelong anticoagulation for unprovoked venous thromboembolism be
      revisited?
AB  - Venous thromboembolism [VTE] is a common medical condition that has significant
      morbidity and mortality. Although stringent guidelines recommend lifelong
      anticoagulation for patients with unprovoked VTE, the optimal management strategy
      for their long term treatment remains controversial. Whereas in cancer-associated
      VTE and second unprovoked VTE lifelong anticoagulation is universally accepted, a
      careful analysis of the benefit vs. risk of long-term anticoagulation following a
      first unprovoked VTE should be considered as case fatality rates [CFR] from VTE
      appear more pronounced in the first few months. The CFR from major bleeding
      remains constant throughout therapy. Therefore, the risk of bleeding may be
      underestimated over longer treatment periods relative to the morbidity of
      recurrent VTE which appears to peak in the first year. The current review
      highlights the balance between the recurrence risk and bleeding risks in the era
      of direct oral anticoagulants. Vitamin K antagonists have been the standard of
      care for over 50 years bearing significant bleeding risks. The new oral
      anticoagulants [NOACs] have shown similar efficacy and perhaps a questionable
      improved safety profile when compared to warfarin. Aspirin has historically not
      been a useful agent in the management of VTE. However, two recent trials [WARFASA
      and ASPIRE] showed a likely 20-30 % risk reduction when compared to placebo for
      recurrent VTE after initial anticoagulation. The risk of major hemorrhage was low
      in both trials. With the emergence of NOACs and the increased utility of aspirin,
      there are multiple therapeutic options for long term management for VTE. Given
      comparable efficacy and improved safety of NOACs and aspirin, the risk benefit of
      anticoagulation is improving. A risk stratification model may help identifying
      patients at high risk for recurrence necessitating a lifelong anticoagulation.
      This cohort should be separated from a low risk group that may benefit from
      clinical observation, aspirin or NOACs. Prospective clinical trials are needed to
      support these clinical observations. 

PMID- 26500457
TI  - Family history of venous thromboembolism is a risk factor for venous
      thromboembolism in combined oral contraceptive users: a nationwide case-control
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim was to assess the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE)
      associated with use of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) in women with a family
      history of VTE. METHODS: The study is a Swedish nationwide case-control study
      based on the Multigeneration register, the Swedish Hospital Discharge Register,
      the Outpatient Care Register, and the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register. Cases (n
      = 2,311) were non-pregnant Swedish women aged 15-49 with first VTE diagnoses
      between January 2006 and December 2010. Five controls without VTE were matched to
      each case on age and education level. Conditional logistic regression examined
      the associations with VTE with determination of odds ratio (OR) for first VTE
      diagnosis. Effect modification was assessed by interaction testing. RESULTS: Both
      among controls (14.6 % vs. 4.5 %; p < 0.0001) and cases (27.2 % vs. 8.8 %; p <
      0.0001) COC use was more common in women without a family history of VTE compared
      with women with a family history of VTE. In a multivariate conditional logistic
      regression model the OR for VTE was 2.53 (95 % CI 2.23-2.87) for COC users and
      2.38 (2.09-2.71) for individuals with a family history of VTE. The OR for VTE for
      COC users with a family history of VTE was 6.02 (5.02-7.22). There was no
      significant interaction between family history of VTE and COC use (OR 0.92, 0.57
      1.46). CONCLUSIONS: Family history of VTE is a risk factor for VTE in women using
      COCs. The low prevalence of COC use among women with a family history of VTE
      suggests that family history of VTE is considered when COCs are prescribed in
      Sweden. The present study may therefore even underestimate the importance of
      family history of VTE. The lack of interaction indicates that the risk of COC use
      in women with family history of VTE is determined by the product of the ORs for
      family history and COC use.

PMID- 26500458
TI  - The management of acute venous thromboembolism in clinical practice - study
      rationale and protocol of the European PREFER in VTE Registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major health problem, with over one
      million events every year in Europe. However, there is a paucity of data on the
      current management in real life, including factors influencing treatment
      pathways, patient satisfaction, quality of life (QoL), and utilization of health
      care resources and the corresponding costs. The PREFER in VTE registry has been
      designed to address this and to understand medical care and needs as well as
      potential gaps for improvement. METHODS/DESIGN: The PREFER in VTE registry was a
      prospective, observational, multicenter study conducted in seven European
      countries including Austria, France Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the
      UK to assess the characteristics and the management of patients with VTE, the use
      of health care resources, and to provide data to estimate the costs for 12 months
      treatment following a first-time and/or recurrent VTE diagnosed in hospitals or
      specialized or primary care centers. In addition, existing anticoagulant
      treatment patterns, patient pathways, clinical outcomes, treatment satisfaction,
      and health related QoL were documented. The centers were chosen to reflect the
      care environment in which patients with VTE are managed in each of the
      participating countries. Patients were eligible to be enrolled into the registry
      if they were at least 18 years old, had a symptomatic, objectively confirmed
      first time or recurrent acute VTE defined as either distal or proximal deep vein
      thrombosis, pulmonary embolism or both. After the baseline visit at the time of
      the acute VTE event, further follow-up documentations occurred at 1, 3, 6 and 12
      months. Follow-up data was collected by either routinely scheduled visits or by
      telephone calls. RESULTS: Overall, 381 centers participated, which enrolled 3,545
      patients during an observational period of 1 year. CONCLUSION: The PREFER in VTE
      registry will provide valuable insights into the characteristics of patients with
      VTE and their acute and mid-term management, as well as into drug utilization and
      the use of health care resources in acute first-time and/or recurrent VTE across
      Europe in clinical practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered in DRKS register, ID
      number: DRKS00004795.

PMID- 26500459
TI  - The Potential Clinical Utility of Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring Data to Estimate
      the Number of Alcoholic Drinks Consumed.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Transdermal alcohol monitoring is used extensively in forensic
      settings to identify whether individuals have violated court-ordered mandates to
      abstain from drinking. Despite widespread use in that setting, comparatively few
      studies have explored the clinical utility of transdermal alcohol monitoring.
      Furthermore, of the few studies conducted, most have relied on the forensically
      established conservative criteria to identify whether or not a drinking episode
      has occurred. Here, we explore how transdermal alcohol monitoring data can be
      used to estimate more clinically meaningful parameters relevant to clinical
      treatment programs. METHODS: We developed a procedure to use transdermal data to
      objectively estimate the number of standardized drinks an individual has
      consumed. Participants included 46 men and women who consumed 1 to 5 beers within
      2 hours in the laboratory on separate days while wearing devices to monitor
      transdermal alcohol concentrations (TAC). RESULTS: A mathematical model was
      derived to estimate the number of standardized alcohol drinks consumed, which
      included a number of variables (time-to-peak TAC, area under the TAC curve, and
      sex). The model was then validated by applying it to data from a separate study.
      Our results indicate that transdermal alcohol devices can be used to estimate the
      number of standard drinks consumed. CONCLUSIONS: Objective methods characterizing
      both the level of intoxication achieved and the number of drinks consumed, such
      as transdermal alcohol monitoring, could be useful in both research and treatment
      settings.

PMID- 26500460
TI  - How close are the Slater and Becke-Roussel potentials in solids?
AB  - The Becke-Roussel (BR) potential [Phys. Rev. A 1989, 39, 3761] was proposed as an
      approximation to the Slater potential, which is the Coulomb potential generated
      by the exact exchange hole. In the present work, a detailed comparison between
      the Slater and BR potentials in solids is presented. It is shown that the two
      potentials usually lead to very similar results for the electronic structure;
      however, in a few cases, e.g., Si, Ge, or strongly correlated systems like NiO,
      the fundamental band gap or magnetic properties can differ markedly. Such
      differences should not be neglected when the computationally expensive Slater
      potential is replaced by the cheap semilocal BR potential in approximations to
      the exact-exchange Kohn-Sham potential, such as the one proposed by Becke and
      Johnson [J. Chem. Phys. 2006, 124, 221101].

PMID- 26500461
TI  - Computational investigation of RNA CUG repeats responsible for myotonic dystrophy
      1.
AB  - Despite the importance of the knowledge of molecular hydration entropy
      (DeltaShyd) in chemical and biological processes, the exact calculation of
      DeltaShyd is very difficult, because of the complexity in solute-water
      interactions. Although free-energy perturbation (FEP) methods have been employed
      quite widely in the literature, the poor convergent behavior of the van der Waals
      interaction term in the potential function limited the accuracy and robustness.
      In this study, we propose a new method for estimating DeltaShyd by means of
      combining the FEP approach and the scaled particle theory (or information theory)
      to separately calculate the electrostatic solute-water interaction term
      (DeltaSelec) and the hydrophobic contribution approximated by the cavity
      formation entropy (DeltaScav), respectively. Decomposition of DeltaShyd into
      DeltaScav and DeltaSelec terms is found to be very effective with a substantial
      accuracy enhancement in DeltaShyd estimation, when compared to the conventional
      full FEP calculations. DeltaScav appears to dominate over DeltaSelec in
      magnitude, even in the case of polar solutes, implying that the major
      contribution to the entropic cost for hydration comes from the formation of a
      solvent-excluded volume. Our hybrid scaled particle theory and FEP method is thus
      found to enhance the accuracy of DeltaShyd prediction by effectively
      complementing the conventional full FEP method.

PMID- 26500462
TI  - A high protein diet (3.4 g/kg/d) combined with a heavy resistance training
      program improves body composition in healthy trained men and women--a follow-up
      investigation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The consumption of a high protein diet (>4 g/kg/d) in trained men and
      women who did not alter their exercise program has been previously shown to have
      no significant effect on body composition. Thus, the purpose of this
      investigation was to determine if a high protein diet in conjunction with a
      periodized heavy resistance training program would affect indices of body
      composition, performance and health. METHODS: Forty-eight healthy resistance
      trained men and women completed this study (mean +/- SD; Normal Protein group [NP
      n = 17, four female and 13 male]: 24.8 +/- 6.9 yr; 174.0 +/- 9.5 cm height; 74.7
      +/- 9.6 kg body weight; 2.4 +/- 1.7 yr of training; High Protein group [HP n =
      31, seven female and 24 male]: 22.9 +/- 3.1 yr; 172.3 +/- 7.7 cm; 74.3 +/- 12.4
      kg; 4.9 +/- 4.1 yr of training). Moreover, all subjects participated in a split
      routine, periodized heavy resistance-training program. Training and daily diet
      logs were kept by each subject. Subjects in the NP and HP groups were instructed
      to consume their baseline (~2 g/kg/d) and >3 g/kg/d of dietary protein,
      respectively. RESULTS: Subjects in the NP and HP groups consumed 2.3 and 3.4
      g/kg/day of dietary protein during the treatment period. The NP group consumed
      significantly (p < 0.05) more protein during the treatment period compared to
      their baseline intake. The HP group consumed more (p < 0.05) total energy and
      protein during the treatment period compared to their baseline intake.
      Furthermore, the HP group consumed significantly more (p < 0.05) total calories
      and protein compared to the NP group. There were significant time by group (p <=
      0.05) changes in body weight (change: +1.3 +/- 1.3 kg NP, -0.1 +/- 2.5 HP), fat
      mass (change: -0.3 +/- 2.2 kg NP, -1.7 +/- 2.3 HP), and % body fat (change: -0.7
      +/- 2.8 NP, -2.4 +/- 2.9 HP). The NP group gained significantly more body weight
      than the HP group; however, the HP group experienced a greater decrease in fat
      mass and % body fat. There was a significant time effect for FFM; however, there
      was a non-significant time by group effect for FFM (change: +1.5 +/- 1.8 NP, +1.5
      +/- 2.2 HP). Furthermore, a significant time effect (p <= 0.05) was seen in both
      groups vis a vis improvements in maximal strength (i.e., 1-RM squat and bench)
      vertical jump and pull-ups; however, there were no significant time by group
      effects (p >= 0.05) for all exercise performance measures. Additionally, there
      were no changes in any of the blood parameters (i.e., basic metabolic panel).
      CONCLUSION: Consuming a high protein diet (3.4 g/kg/d) in conjunction with a
      heavy resistance-training program may confer benefits with regards to body
      composition. Furthermore, there is no evidence that consuming a high protein diet
      has any deleterious effects.

PMID- 26500463
TI  - Effects of zeolite supplementation on parameters of intestinal barrier integrity,
      inflammation, redoxbiology and performance in aerobically trained subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Zeolites are crystalline compounds with microporous structures of Si
      tetrahedrons. In the gut, these silicates could act as adsorbents, ion
      exchangers, catalysts, detergents or anti-diarrheic agents. This study evaluated
      whether zeolite supplementation affects biomarkers of intestinal wall
      permeability and parameters of oxidation and inflammation in aerobically trained
      individuals, and whether it could improve their performance. METHODS: In a
      randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled trial, 52 endurance trained men
      and women, similar in body fat, non-smokers, 20-50 years, received 1.85 g of
      zeolite per day for 12 weeks. Stool samples for determination of intestinal wall
      integrity biomarkers were collected. From blood, markers of redox biology,
      inflammation, and DNA damage were determined at the beginning and the end of the
      study. In addition, VO2max and maximum performance were evaluated at baseline and
      after 12 weeks of treatment. For statistical analyses a 2-factor ANOVA was used.
      RESULTS: At baseline both groups showed slightly increased stool zonulin
      concentrations above normal. After 12 weeks with zeolite zonulin was
      significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in the supplemented group. IL-10 increased
      tendentially (p < 0.1) in the zeolite group. There were no significant changes
      observed in the other measured parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Twelve weeks of zeolite
      supplementation exerted beneficial effects on intestinal wall integrity as
      indicated via decreased concentrations of the tight junction modulator zonulin.
      This was accompanied by mild anti-inflammatory effects in this cohort of
      aerobically trained subjects. Further research is needed to explore mechanistic
      explanations for the observations in this study.

PMID- 26500464
TI  - Small-angle neutron scattering correlation functions of bulk magnetic materials.
AB  - On the basis of the continuum theory of micromagnetics, the correlation function
      of the spin-misalignment small-angle neutron scattering cross section of bulk
      ferromagnets (e.g. elemental polycrystalline ferromagnets, soft and hard magnetic
      nanocomposites, nanoporous ferromagnets, or magnetic steels) is computed. For
      such materials, the spin disorder which is related to spatial variations in the
      saturation magnetization and magnetic anisotropy field results in strong spin
      misalignment scattering dSigmaM/dOmega along the forward direction. When the
      applied magnetic field is perpendicular to the incoming neutron beam, the
      characteristics of dSigmaM/dOmega (e.g. the angular anisotropy on a two
      dimensional detector or the asymptotic power-law exponent) are determined by the
      ratio of magnetic anisotropy field strength Hp to the jump DeltaM in the
      saturation magnetization at internal interfaces. Here, the corresponding one- and
      two-dimensional real-space correlations are analyzed as a function of applied
      magnetic field, the ratio Hp/DeltaM, the single-particle form factor and the
      particle volume fraction. Finally, the theoretical results for the correlation
      function are compared with experimental data on nanocrystalline cobalt and
      nickel.

PMID- 26500465
TI  - Representational analysis of extended disorder in atomistic ensembles derived
      from total scattering data.
AB  - With the increased availability of high-intensity time-of-flight neutron and
      synchrotron X-ray scattering sources that can access wide ranges of momentum
      transfer, the pair distribution function method has become a standard analysis
      technique for studying disorder of local coordination spheres and at intermediate
      atomic separations. In some cases, rational modeling of the total scattering data
      (Bragg and diffuse) becomes intractable with least-squares approaches,
      necessitating reverse Monte Carlo simulations using large atomistic ensembles.
      However, the extraction of meaningful information from the resulting atomistic
      ensembles is challenging, especially at intermediate length scales.
      Representational analysis is used here to describe the displacements of atoms in
      reverse Monte Carlo ensembles from an ideal crystallographic structure in an
      approach analogous to tight-binding methods. Rewriting the displacements in terms
      of a local basis that is descriptive of the ideal crystallographic symmetry
      provides a robust approach to characterizing medium-range order (and disorder)
      and symmetry breaking in complex and disordered crystalline materials. This
      method enables the extraction of statistically relevant displacement modes
      (orientation, amplitude and distribution) of the crystalline disorder and
      provides directly meaningful information in a locally symmetry-adapted basis set
      that is most descriptive of the crystal chemistry and physics.

PMID- 26500466
TI  - Profex: a graphical user interface for the Rietveld refinement program BGMN.
AB  - Profex is a graphical user interface for the Rietveld refinement program BGMN.
      Its interface focuses on preserving BGMN's powerful and flexible scripting
      features by giving direct access to BGMN input files. Very efficient workflows
      for single or batch refinements are achieved by managing refinement control files
      and structure files, by providing dialogues and shortcuts for many operations, by
      performing operations in the background, and by providing import filters for CIF
      and XML crystal structure files. Refinement results can be easily exported for
      further processing. State-of-the-art graphical export of diffraction patterns to
      pixel and vector graphics formats allows the creation of publication-quality
      graphs with minimum effort. Profex reads and converts a variety of proprietary
      raw data formats and is thus largely instrument independent. Profex and BGMN are
      available under an open-source license for Windows, Linux and OS X operating
      systems.

PMID- 26500467
TI  - SASfit: a tool for small-angle scattering data analysis using a library of
      analytical expressions.
AB  - SASfit is one of the mature programs for small-angle scattering data analysis and
      has been available for many years. This article describes the basic data
      processing and analysis workflow along with recent developments in the SASfit
      program package (version 0.94.6). They include (i) advanced algorithms for
      reduction of oversampled data sets, (ii) improved confidence assessment in the
      optimized model parameters and (iii) a flexible plug-in system for custom user
      provided models. A scattering function of a mass fractal model of branched
      polymers in solution is provided as an example for implementing a plug-in. The
      new SASfit release is available for major platforms such as Windows, Linux and
      MacOS. To facilitate usage, it includes comprehensive indexed documentation as
      well as a web-based wiki for peer collaboration and online videos demonstrating
      basic usage. The use of SASfit is illustrated by interpretation of the small
      angle X-ray scattering curves of monomodal gold nanoparticles (NIST reference
      material 8011) and bimodal silica nanoparticles (EU reference material ERM-FD
      102).

PMID- 26500468
TI  - Molecular weight-gyration radius relation of globular proteins: a comparison of
      light scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering and structure-based data.
AB  - The molecular weight-gyration radius relation for a number of globular proteins
      based on experimental light scattering data is compared with small-angle X-ray
      scattering data recently published by Mylonas & Svergun [J. Appl. Cryst. (2007
      ?), 40, s245-s249]. In addition, other recent experimental data and theoretical
      calculations are reviewed. It is found that the MW-Rg relation for the globular
      proteins is well represented by a power law with an exponent of 0.37 (2).

PMID- 26500469
TI  - Novel Methods for Pulse Wave Velocity Measurement.
AB  - The great incidence of cardiovascular (CV) diseases in the world spurs the search
      for new solutions to enable an early detection of pathological processes and
      provides more precise diagnosis based in multi-parameters assessment. The pulse
      wave velocity (PWV) is considered one of the most important clinical parameters
      for evaluate the CV risk, vascular adaptation, and therapeutic efficacy. Several
      studies were dedicated to find the relationship between PWV measurement and
      pathological status in different diseases, and proved the relevance of this
      parameter. The commercial devices dedicate to PWV estimation make a regional
      assessment (measured between two vessels), however a local measurement is more
      precise evaluation of artery condition, taking into account the differences in
      the structure of arteries. Moreover, the current devices present some limitations
      due to the contact nature. Emerging trends in CV monitoring are moving away from
      more invasive technologies to non-invasive and non-contact solutions. The great
      challenge is to explore the new instrumental solutions that allow the PWV
      assessment with fewer approximations for an accurately evaluation and relatively
      inexpensive techniques in order to be used in the clinical routine.

PMID- 26500470
TI  - Comparison of Three Fixation Methods for Femoral Neck Fracture in Young Adults:
      Experimental and Numerical Investigations.
AB  - Femoral neck fractures in young patients are usually caused by a high-energy
      trauma, which results in a perpendicular fracture. Although efforts are focused
      on preserving the femoral head in young patients, vertical femoral neck fracture
      is a problematic orthopedic injury due to the domination of shear forces. Due to
      controversy regarding which fixation method is the best choice, the purpose of
      this study was to find the most stable fixation method for this kind of fracture.
      This study includes experimental testing on cadaveric bone samples and finite
      element analysis (FEA) for three fracture fixation techniques, namely cannulated
      screws (CSs), dynamic hip screw with derotational screw (DHS + DS), and proximal
      femoral locking plate (PFLP). Experimental results of bone-implant stiffness,
      average femoral head displacement, failure load, failure energy, and relative
      position of the fractured fragments indicate that DHS + DS offers the strongest
      structure for stabilizing a vertical femoral neck fracture. Experimental data and
      FEA results both indicate that under static loading, the DHS + DS method of
      fixation produces the lowest femoral head displacement and interfragmentary
      movement, followed by PFLP and then CSs. The results of this research suggest
      that, based on the clinical assumption that a restricted weight-bearing regimen
      is recommended in the postoperative rehabilitation protocol, the DHS + DS method
      of fixation is a better choice compared to CSs and PFLP for a vertical femoral
      neck fracture fixation in young adults.

PMID- 26500471
TI  - Overview of state policies requiring smoking cessation therapy in psychiatric
      hospitals and drug abuse treatment centers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research demonstrates that individuals in substance abuse treatment
      are more likely to die from tobacco addiction than from their primary addiction,
      yet historically substance abuse treatment has not included treatment for tobacco
      addiction. The purpose of our study was to (1) review the diffusion of state
      policies mandating the provision of tobacco cessation treatment as a condition of
      state licensure in substance abuse treatment facilities and psychiatric treatment
      centers and (2) describe the current landscape of policies relating to tobacco
      cessation in state-licensed substance abuse treatment facilities and psychiatric
      treatment centers. FINDINGS: We conducted a nationwide assessment of all 50
      states from May 2013 - October 2014 to determine the progress each has made with
      developing a statewide tobacco cessation policy. We reviewed state government
      websites, conducted phone interviews with state regulatory agencies, and emailed
      state employees. Overall, 13 of 50 states (26 %) require tobacco cessation
      provision in alcohol, drug rehabilitation, and or mental health treatment
      centers, 6 states (12 %) are currently working towards a state policy, and 31
      states (62 %) do not require tobacco cessation nor are working towards a state
      policy, though many of them have smoke free policies in both substance abuse
      centers and mental health wards. CONCLUSIONS: Our updated review of statewide
      smoking cessation policies in alcoholic, drug abuse, and mental health
      populations reveals that while clinical findings that affect population health
      may be well-publicized in the research community, these findings are not
      necessarily translated into policy. Further research on policy diffusion is
      needed.

PMID- 26500472
TI  - Use of snus, its association with smoking and alcohol consumption, and related
      attitudes among adolescents: the Finnish National School Health Promotion Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between the use of snus and lifestyle-related habits
      - especially in adolescence, when these behaviours begin and become established -
      is not widely studied. Our aim was to analyse associations between snus use and
      habits of and attitudes towards smoking and alcohol consumption among Finnish
      adolescents. METHODS: The study is a part of the National School Health Promotion
      Study in Finland. The study population consisted of a representative sample of
      Finnish adolescents (n = 183 226). A questionnaire enquired about pupils' use of
      snus, habits of and attitudes towards smoking and alcohol consumption, as well as
      their (age, gender, school type) and their parents' (education and smoking)
      background factors. Chi-square tests and logistic regression models served in the
      statistical analyses. RESULTS: Of the adolescents, 18 % had used snus (2 % daily,
      16 % experimented) while 82 % never had. Snus use was more common among boys than
      girls (p < 0.05). Concerning smoking, 19 % were daily and 15 % occasional
      smokers. Regarding alcohol, 11 % consumed it weekly and 57 % monthly or less
      frequently. More than two thirds of the adolescents held positive attitudes
      towards smoking (71 %), and alcohol (67 %). Male gender (OR = 9.9; 95 % CI 9.4
      10.4), current (OR = 32.8; 95 % CI 26.1-41.1) or former (OR = 10.1; 95 % CI 8.0
      12.9) smoking, weekly consumption of alcohol (OR = 27.4; 95 % CI 21.0-35.8),
      positive attitude towards smoking (OR = 1.4; 95 % CI 1.3-1.6), and higher
      parental education (OR = 1.4; 95 % CI 1.3-1.4) associated significantly with
      adolescents' current snus use, whereas parental smoking did not. CONCLUSION:
      Current snus use among adolescents may signal an accumulation of other lifestyle
      related risky behaviours such as current or past smoking and alcohol consumption
      as well as a positive attitude towards smoking. In addition to these possible co
      existing health-related risk factors, health promotion activities should take
      into account gender and school differences in order to target preventive messages
      to youth more effectively.

PMID- 26500473
TI  - Distributed encoding of spatial and object categories in primate hippocampal
      microcircuits.
AB  - The primate hippocampus plays critical roles in the encoding, representation,
      categorization and retrieval of cognitive information. Such cognitive abilities
      may use the transformational input-output properties of hippocampal laminar
      microcircuitry to generate spatial representations and to categorize features of
      objects, images, and their numeric characteristics. Four nonhuman primates were
      trained in a delayed-match-to-sample (DMS) task while multi-neuron activity was
      simultaneously recorded from the CA1 and CA3 hippocampal cell fields. The results
      show differential encoding of spatial location and categorization of images
      presented as relevant stimuli in the task. Individual hippocampal cells encoded
      visual stimuli only on specific types of trials in which retention of either, the
      Sample image, or the spatial position of the Sample image indicated at the
      beginning of the trial, was required. Consistent with such encoding, it was shown
      that patterned microstimulation applied during Sample image presentation
      facilitated selection of either Sample image spatial locations or types of
      images, during the Match phase of the task. These findings support the existence
      of specific codes for spatial and numeric object representations in primate
      hippocampus which can be applied on differentially signaled trials. Moreover, the
      transformational properties of hippocampal microcircuitry, together with the
      patterned microstimulation are supporting the practical importance of this
      approach for cognitive enhancement and rehabilitation, needed for memory
      neuroprosthetics. 

PMID- 26500474
TI  - Avoidance and contextual learning induced by a kairomone, a pheromone and a
      common odorant in female CD1 mice.
AB  - Chemosignals mediate both intra- and inter-specific communication in most
      mammals. Pheromones elicit stereotyped reactions in conspecifics, whereas
      kairomones provoke a reaction in an allospecific animal. For instance, predator
      kairomones elicit anticipated defensive responses in preys. The aim of this work
      was to test the behavioral responses of female mice to two chemosignals: 2
      heptanone (2-HP), a putative alarm pheromone, and 2,4,5-trimethylthiazoline
      (TMT), a fox-derived putative kairomone, widely used to investigate fear and
      anxiety in rodents. The banana-like odorant isoamyl acetate (IA), unlikely to act
      as a chemosignal, served as a control odorant. We first presented increasing
      amounts of these odorants in consecutive days, in a test box in which mice could
      explore or avoid them. Female mice avoided the highest amounts of all three
      compounds, with TMT and IA eliciting avoidance at lower amounts (3.8 pmol and
      0.35 MUmol, respectively) than 2-HP (35 MUmol). All three compounds induced
      minimal effects in global locomotion and immobility in this set up. Further, mice
      detected 3.5 pmol of TMT and IA in a habituation-dishabituation test, so
      avoidance of IA started well beyond the detection threshold. Finally, both TMT
      and IA, but not 2-HP, induced conditioned place avoidance and increased
      immobility in the neutral compartment during a contextual memory test. These data
      suggest that intense odors can induce contextual learning irrespective of their
      putative biological significance. Our results support that synthetic predator
      related compounds (like TMT) or other intense odorants are useful to investigate
      the neurobiological basis of emotional behaviors in rodents. Since intense
      odorants unlikely to act as chemosignals can elicit similar behavioral reactions
      than chemosignals, we stress the importance of using behavioral measures in
      combination with other physiological (e.g., hormonal levels) or neural measures
      (e.g., immediate early gene expression) to establish the ethological significance
      of odorants. 

PMID- 26500475
TI  - Astrocyte matricellular proteins that control excitatory synaptogenesis are
      regulated by inflammatory cytokines and correlate with paralysis severity during
      experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
AB  - The matricellular proteins, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC)
      and SPARC-like 1 (SPARCL1), are produced by astrocytes and control excitatory
      synaptogenesis in the central nervous system. While SPARCL1 directly promotes
      excitatory synapse formation in vitro and in the developing nervous system in
      vivo, SPARC specifically antagonizes the synaptogenic actions of SPARCL1. We
      hypothesized these proteins also help maintain existing excitatory synapses in
      adult hosts, and that local inflammation in the spinal cord alters their
      production in a way that dynamically modulates motor synapses and impacts the
      severity of paralysis during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in
      mice. Using a spontaneously remitting EAE model, paralysis severity correlated
      inversely with both expression of synaptic proteins and the number of synapses in
      direct contact with the perikarya of motor neurons in spinal gray matter. In both
      remitting and non-remitting EAE models, paralysis severity also correlated
      inversely with sparcl1:sparc transcript and SPARCL1:SPARC protein ratios directly
      in lumbar spinal cord tissue. In vitro, astrocyte production of both SPARCL1 and
      SPARC was regulated by T cell-derived cytokines, causing dynamic modulation of
      the SPARCL1:SPARC expression ratio. Taken together, these data support a model
      whereby proinflammatory cytokines inhibit SPARCL1 and/or augment SPARC expression
      by astrocytes in spinal gray matter that, in turn, cause either transient or
      sustained synaptic retraction from lumbar spinal motor neurons thereby regulating
      hind limb paralysis during EAE. Ongoing studies seek ways to alter this
      SPARCL1:SPARC expression ratio in favor of synapse reformation/maintenance and
      thus help to modulate neurologic deficits during times of inflammation. This
      could identify new astrocyte-targeted therapies for diseases such as multiple
      sclerosis. 

PMID- 26500476
TI  - The WIN-speller: a new intuitive auditory brain-computer interface spelling
      application.
AB  - The objective of this study was to test the usability of a new auditory Brain
      Computer Interface (BCI) application for communication. We introduce a word
      based, intuitive auditory spelling paradigm the WIN-speller. In the WIN-speller
      letters are grouped by words, such as the word KLANG representing the letters A,
      G, K, L, and N. Thereby, the decoding step between perceiving a code and
      translating it to the stimuli it represents becomes superfluous. We tested 11
      healthy volunteers and four end-users with motor impairment in the copy spelling
      mode. Spelling was successful with an average accuracy of 84% in the healthy
      sample. Three of the end-users communicated with average accuracies of 80% or
      higher while one user was not able to communicate reliably. Even though further
      evaluation is required, the WIN-speller represents a potential alternative for
      BCI based communication in end-users. 

PMID- 26500477
TI  - Commentary: "Compensatory plasticity: time matters".

PMID- 26500479
TI  - Sleep deprivation alters choice strategy without altering uncertainty or loss
      aversion preferences.
AB  - Sleep deprivation alters decision making; however, it is unclear what specific
      cognitive processes are modified to drive altered choices. In this manuscript, we
      examined how one night of total sleep deprivation (TSD) alters economic decision
      making. We specifically examined changes in uncertainty preferences dissociably
      from changes in the strategy with which participants engage with presented choice
      information. With high test-retest reliability, we show that TSD does not alter
      uncertainty preferences or loss aversion. Rather, TSD alters the information the
      participants rely upon to make their choices. Utilizing a choice strategy metric
      which contrasts the influence of maximizing and satisficing information on choice
      behavior, we find that TSD alters the relative reliance on maximizing information
      and satisficing information, in the gains domain. This alteration is the result
      of participants both decreasing their reliance on cognitively-complex maximizing
      information and a concomitant increase in the use of readily-available
      satisficing information. TSD did not result in a decrease in overall information
      use in either domain. These results show that sleep deprivation alters decision
      making by altering the informational strategies that participants employ, without
      altering their preferences. 

PMID- 26500480
TI  - An fMRI comparison of neural activity associated with recognition of familiar
      melodies in younger and older adults.
AB  - Several studies of semantic memory in non-musical domains involving recognition
      of items from long-term memory have shown an age-related shift from the medial
      temporal lobe structures to the frontal lobe. However, the effects of aging on
      musical semantic memory remain unexamined. We compared activation associated with
      recognition of familiar melodies in younger and older adults. Recognition follows
      successful retrieval from the musical lexicon that comprises a lifetime of
      learned musical phrases. We used the sparse-sampling technique in fMRI to
      determine the neural correlates of melody recognition by comparing activation
      when listening to familiar vs. unfamiliar melodies, and to identify age
      differences. Recognition-related cortical activation was detected in the right
      superior temporal, bilateral inferior and superior frontal, left middle
      orbitofrontal, bilateral precentral, and left supramarginal gyri. Region-of
      interest analysis showed greater activation for younger adults in the left
      superior temporal gyrus and for older adults in the left superior frontal, left
      angular, and bilateral superior parietal regions. Our study provides powerful
      evidence for these musical memory networks due to a large sample (N = 40) that
      includes older adults. This study is the first to investigate the neural basis of
      melody recognition in older adults and to compare the findings to younger adults.

PMID- 26500478
TI  - Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in behavioral and food addiction:
      a systematic review of efficacy, technical, and methodological issues.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Behavioral addictions (BA) are complex disorders for which
      pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments have shown their limits. Non
      invasive brain stimulation, among which transcranial direct current stimulation
      (tDCS), has opened up new perspectives in addiction treatment. The purpose of
      this work is to conduct a critical and systematic review of tDCS efficacy, and of
      technical and methodological considerations in the field of BA. METHODS: A
      bibliographic search has been conducted on the Medline and ScienceDirect
      databases until December 2014, based on the following selection criteria:
      clinical studies on tDCS and BA (namely eating disorders, compulsive buying,
      Internet addiction, pathological gambling, sexual addiction, sports addiction,
      video games addiction). Study selection, data analysis, and reporting were
      conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. RESULTS: Out of 402 potential
      articles, seven studies were selected. So far focusing essentially on abnormal
      eating, these studies suggest that tDCS (right prefrontal anode/left prefrontal
      cathode) reduces food craving induced by visual stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: Despite
      methodological and technical differences between studies, the results are
      promising. So far, only few studies of tDCS in BA have been conducted. New
      research is recommended on the use of tDCS in BA, other than eating disorders.

PMID- 26500481
TI  - Diversifying the secretory routes in neurons.
AB  - Nervous system homeostasis and synaptic function need dedicated mechanisms to
      locally regulate the molecular composition of the neuronal plasma membrane and
      allow the development, maintenance and plastic modification of the neuronal
      morphology. The cytoskeleton and intracellular trafficking lies at the core of
      all these processes. In most mammalian cells, the Golgi apparatus (GA) is at the
      center of the biosynthetic pathway, located in the proximity of the microtubule
      organizing center. In addition to this central localization, the somatic GA in
      neurons is complemented by satellite Golgi outposts (GOPs) in dendrites, which
      are essential for dendritic morphogenesis and are emerging like local stations of
      membranes trafficking to synapses. Largely, GOPs participation in post-ER
      trafficking has been determined by imaging the transport of the exogenous protein
      VSVG. Here we review the diversity of neuronal cargoes that traffic through GOPs
      and the assortment of different biosynthetic routes to synapses. We also analyze
      the recent advances in understanding the role of cytoskeleton and Golgi matrix
      proteins in the biogenesis of GOPs and how the diversity of secretory routes can
      be generated. 

PMID- 26500482
TI  - Prediction of individual differences in risky behavior in young adults via
      variations in local brain structure.
AB  - In recent years the problem of how inter-individual differences play a role in
      risk-taking behavior has become a much debated issue. We investigated this
      problem based on the well-known balloon analog risk task (BART) in 48 healthy
      subjects in which participants inflate a virtual balloon opting for a higher
      score in the face of a riskier chance of the balloon explosion. In this study,
      based on a structural Voxel Based Morphometry (VBM) technique we demonstrate a
      significant positive correlation between BART score and size of the gray matter
      volume in the anterior insula in riskier subjects. Although the anterior insula
      is among the candidate brain areas that were involved in the risk taking behavior
      in fMRI studies, here based on our structural data it is the only area that was
      significantly related to structural variation among different subjects. 

PMID- 26500483
TI  - Identification of dopamine receptors across the extant avian family tree and
      analysis with other clades uncovers a polyploid expansion among vertebrates.
AB  - Dopamine is an important central nervous system transmitter that functions
      through two classes of receptors (D1 and D2) to influence a diverse range of
      biological processes in vertebrates. With roles in regulating neural activity,
      behavior, and gene expression, there has been great interest in understanding the
      function and evolution dopamine and its receptors. In this study, we use a
      combination of sequence analyses, microsynteny analyses, and phylogenetic
      relationships to identify and characterize both the D1 (DRD1A, DRD1B, DRD1C, and
      DRD1E) and D2 (DRD2, DRD3, and DRD4) dopamine receptor gene families in 43
      recently sequenced bird genomes representing the major ordinal lineages across
      the avian family tree. We show that the common ancestor of all birds possessed at
      least seven D1 and D2 receptors, followed by subsequent independent losses in
      some lineages of modern birds. Through comparisons with other vertebrate and
      invertebrate species we show that two of the D1 receptors, DRD1A and DRD1B, and
      two of the D2 receptors, DRD2 and DRD3, originated from a whole genome
      duplication event early in the vertebrate lineage, providing the first conclusive
      evidence of the origin of these highly conserved receptors. Our findings provide
      insight into the evolutionary development of an important modulatory component of
      the central nervous system in vertebrates, and will help further unravel the
      complex evolutionary and functional relationships among dopamine receptors. 

PMID- 26500484
TI  - The GOLPH3 pathway regulates Golgi shape and function and is activated by DNA
      damage.
AB  - The Golgi protein GOLPH3 binds to PtdIns(4)P and MYO18A, linking the Golgi to the
      actin cytoskeleton. The GOLPH3 pathway is essential for vesicular trafficking
      from the Golgi to the plasma membrane. A side effect of GOLPH3-dependent
      trafficking is to generate the extended ribbon shape of the Golgi. Perturbation
      of the pathway results in changes to both Golgi morphology and secretion, with
      functional consequences for the cell. The cellular response to DNA damage
      provides an example of GOLPH3-mediated regulation of the Golgi. Upon DNA damage,
      DNA-PK phosphorylation of GOLPH3 increases binding to MYO18A, activating the
      GOLPH3 pathway, which consequently results in Golgi fragmentation, reduced
      trafficking, and enhanced cell survival. The PtdIns(4)P/GOLPH3/MYO18A/F-actin
      pathway provides new insight into the relationship between Golgi morphology and
      function, and their regulation. 

PMID- 26500485
TI  - The scent of wolves: pyrazine analogs induce avoidance and vigilance behaviors in
      prey.
AB  - The common gray wolf (Canis lupus) is an apex predator located at the top of the
      food chain in the Northern Hemisphere. It preys on rodents, rabbits, ungulates,
      and many other kinds of mammal. However, the behavioral evidence for, and the
      chemical basis of, the fear-inducing impact of wolf urine on prey are unclear.
      Recently, the pyrazine analogs 2, 6-dimethylpyrazine, 2, 3, 5-trimethylpyrazine
      and 3-ethyl-2, 5-dimethyl pyrazine were identified as kairomones in the urine of
      wolves. When mice were confronted with a mixture of purified pyrazine analogs,
      vigilance behaviors, including freezing and excitation of neurons at the
      accessory olfactory bulb, were markedly increased. Additionally, the odor of the
      pyrazine cocktail effectively suppressed the approach of deer to a feeding area,
      and for those close to the feeding area elicited fear-related behaviors such as
      the "tail-flag," "flight," and "jump" actions. In this review, we discuss the
      transfer of chemical information from wolf to prey through the novel kairomones
      identified in wolf urine and also compare the characteristics of wolf kairomones
      with other predator-produced kairomones that affect rodents. 

PMID- 26500486
TI  - How the risky features of previous selection affect subsequent decision-making:
      evidence from behavioral and fMRI measures.
AB  - Human decision making is rarely conducted in temporal isolation. It is often
      biased and affected by environmental variables, particularly prior selections. In
      this study, we used a task that simulates a real gambling process to explore the
      effect of the risky features of a previous selection on subsequent decision
      making. Compared with decision making after an advantageous risk-taking situation
      (Risk_Adv), that after a disadvantageous risk-taking situation (Risk_Disadv) is
      associated with a longer response time (RT, the time spent in making decisions)
      and higher brain activations in the caudate and the dorsolateral prefrontal
      cortex (DLPFC). Compared with decisions after Risk_Adv, those after Risk_Disadv
      in loss trials are associated with higher brain activations in the left superior
      temporal gyrus (STG) and the precuneus. Brain activity and relevant RTs
      significantly correlated. Overall, people who experience disadvantageous risk
      taking selections tend to focus on current decision making and engage cognitive
      endeavors in value evaluation and in the regulation of their risk-taking
      behaviors during decision making. 

PMID- 26500487
TI  - Injury in aged animals robustly activates quiescent olfactory neural stem cells.
AB  - While the capacity of the olfactory epithelium (OE) to generate sensory neurons
      continues into middle age in mice, it is presumed that this regenerative
      potential is present throughout all developmental stages. However, little
      experimental evidence exists to support the idea that this regenerative capacity
      remains in late adulthood, and questions about the functionality of neurons born
      at these late stages remain unanswered. Here, we extend our previous work in the
      VNO to investigate basal rates of proliferation in the OE, as well as after
      olfactory bulbectomy (OBX), a commonly used surgical lesion. In addition, we show
      that the neural stem cell retains its capacity to generate mature olfactory
      sensory neurons in aged animals. Finally, we demonstrate that regardless of age,
      a stem cell in the OE, the horizontal basal cell (HBC), exhibits a morphological
      switch from a flattened, quiescent phenotype to a pyramidal, proliferative
      phenotype following chemical lesion in aged animals. These findings provide new
      insights into determining whether an HBC is active or quiescent based on a
      structural feature as opposed to a biochemical one. More importantly, it suggests
      that neural stem cells in aged mice are responsive to the same signals triggering
      proliferation as those observed in young mice. 

PMID- 26500488
TI  - Misidentifications of specific forms of cross-frequency coupling: three warnings.
AB  - Cross-frequency coupling (CFC) between neural oscillations has received increased
      attention over the last decade, as it is believed to underlie a number of
      cognitive operations in different brain systems. Coupling can take different
      forms as it associates the phase, frequency, and/or amplitude of coupled
      oscillations. These specific forms of coupling are a signature for the underlying
      network physiology and probably relate to distinct cognitive functions. Here I
      discuss three caveats in data analysis that can lead to mistake one specific form
      of CFC for another: (1) bicoherence assesses the level of phase-amplitude and not
      of phase-phase coupling (PPC) as commonly accepted; (2) a test for phase
      amplitude coupling (PAC) can indeed signal phase-frequency coupling (PFC) when
      the higher frequency signal is extracted using a too narrow band; (3) an
      oscillation whose frequency fluctuates may induce spurious amplitude
      anticorrelations between neighboring frequency bands. I indicate practical rules
      to avoid such misidentifications and correctly identify the specific nature of
      cross-frequency coupled signals. 

PMID- 26500489
TI  - Resveratrol: brain effects on SIRT1, GPR50 and photoperiodic signaling.
AB  - Silent information regulator-1 (SIRT1) deacetylase, a sensor of intermittent
      energy restriction, is inextricably intertwined with circadian regulation of
      central and peripheral clock genes. The purpose of this study was to identify
      SIRT1-specific target genes that are expressed in a circadian rhythm pattern and
      driven, in part, by specific components of foodstuffs. Using human cells and rats
      fed with a resveratrol diet we show that SIRT1 binds to, and transcriptionally
      regulates, a gene locus encoding the G protein-coupled receptor (GPR), GPR50 in
      the brain. GPR50 is the mammalian orthologue of the melatonin1c membrane-bound
      receptor which has been identified as a genetic risk factor for bipolar disorder
      and major depression in women. In general, our findings support and expand the
      notion that circadian clock signaling components and dietary interventions are
      adaptively linked, and suggest that the brain may be particularly sensitive to
      metabolic events in response to light-dark cycles. 

PMID- 26500490
TI  - Dendritic morphology, synaptic transmission, and activity of mature granule cells
      born following pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus in the rat.
AB  - To understand the potential role of enhanced hippocampal neurogenesis after
      pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE) in the development of epilepsy, we
      quantitatively analyzed the geometry of apical dendrites, synaptic transmission,
      and activation levels of normotopically distributed mature newborn granule cells
      in the rat. SE in male Sprague-Dawley rats (between 6 and 7 weeks old) lasting
      for more than 2 h was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of pilocarpine. The
      complexity, spine density, miniature post-synaptic currents, and activity
      regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) expression of granule cells born
      5 days after SE were studied between 10 and 17 weeks after CAG-GFP retroviral
      vector-mediated labeling. Mature granule cells born after SE had dendritic
      complexity similar to that of granule cells born naturally, but with denser
      mushroom-like spines in dendritic segments located in the outer molecular layer.
      Miniature inhibitory post-synaptic currents (mIPSCs) were similar between the
      controls and rats subjected to SE; however, smaller miniature excitatory post
      synaptic current (mEPSC) amplitude with a trend toward less frequent was found in
      mature granule cells born after SE. After maturation, granule cells born after SE
      did not show denser Arc expression in the resting condition or 2 h after being
      activated by pentylenetetrazol-induced transient seizure activity than vicinal
      GFP-unlabeled granule cells. Thus our results suggest that normotopic granule
      cells born after pilocarpine-induced SE are no more active when mature than age
      matched, naturally born granule cells. 

PMID- 26500491
TI  - Imatinib treatment reduces brain injury in a murine model of traumatic brain
      injury.
AB  - Current therapies for Traumatic brain injury (TBI) focus on stabilizing
      individuals and on preventing further damage from the secondary consequences of
      TBI. A major complication of TBI is cerebral edema, which can be caused by the
      loss of blood brain barrier (BBB) integrity. Recent studies in several CNS
      pathologies have shown that activation of latent platelet derived growth factor
      CC (PDGF-CC) within the brain can promote BBB permeability through PDGF receptor
      alpha (PDGFRalpha) signaling, and that blocking this pathway improves outcomes.
      In this study we examine the efficacy for the treatment of TBI of an FDA approved
      antagonist of the PDGFRalpha, Imatinib. Using a murine model we show that
      Imatinib treatment, begun 45 min after TBI and given twice daily for 5 days,
      significantly reduces BBB dysfunction. This is associated with significantly
      reduced lesion size 24 h, 7 days, and 21 days after TBI, reduced cerebral edema,
      determined from apparent diffusion co-efficient (ADC) measurements, and with the
      preservation of cognitive function. Finally, analysis of cerebrospinal fluid
      (CSF) from human TBI patients suggests a possible correlation between high PDGF
      CC levels and increased injury severity. Thus, our data suggests a novel strategy
      for the treatment of TBI with an existing FDA approved antagonist of the
      PDGFRalpha. 

PMID- 26500492
TI  - NDRG2 phosphorylation provides negative feedback for SGK1-dependent regulation of
      a kainate receptor in astrocytes.
AB  - Glutamate receptors play an important role in the function of astrocytes. Among
      their tasks is the regulation of gliotransmission, gene expression and exocytosis
      of the tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), which has an enhancing effect on
      N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and thus prevent over-excitation of
      neighboring neurons. The kainate receptor GluK2, which is expressed in neurons
      and astrocytes, is under tight regulation of the PI3-kinase SGK pathway as shown
      in neurons. SGK1 targets include N-myc downstream-regulated genes (NDRGs) 1 and 2
      (NDRG1, NDRG2), proteins with elusive function. In the present study, we analyzed
      the effects of SGK1, NDRG1, and NDRG2 on GluK2 current amplitude and plasma
      membrane localization in astrocytes and heterologous expression. We demonstrate
      that NDRG1 and NDRG2 themselves have no effect on GluK2 current amplitudes in
      heterologous expressed ion channels. However, when NDRG2 is coexpressed with
      GluK2 and SGK1, the stimulating effect of SGK1 on GluK2 is suppressed both in
      heterologous expression and in astrocytes. Here, we reveal a new negative
      feedback mechanism, whereby GluK2 stimulation by SGK1 is regulated by parallel
      phosphorylation of NDRG2. This regulation of GluK2 by SGK1 and NDRG2 in
      astrocytes may play an important role in gliotransmission, modulation of gene
      expression and regulation of exocytosis of tPA. 

PMID- 26500493
TI  - Decrease of gene expression of astrocytic 5-HT2B receptors parallels development
      of depressive phenotype in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Astrocytes contribute to pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders, including
      major depression. Stimulation of astroglial 5-HT2B receptors transactivates
      epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) and regulates gene expression.
      Previously we reported that expression of 5-HT2B receptors in cortical astrocytes
      is down-regulated in animals, which developed anhedonia in response to chronic
      stress; moreover this down-regulation as well as anhedonia, are reversed by
      chronic treatment with fluoxetine. In this study we have investigated whether
      astrocytic 5-HT2B receptor is involved in anhedonia in C57BL/6 mice model of
      Parkinson' disease (PD) induced by intraperitoneal injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl
      1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) for 7 days. The MPTP treatment induced
      anhendonia in 66.7% of animals. The appearance of depressive behavior was
      accompanied with motor deficiency and decrease of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)
      expression. Expression of mRNA and protein of 5-HT2B receptor in animals that
      became anhedonic decreased to 77.3 and 79.3% of control groups, respectively; in
      animals that received MPTP but did not develop anhedonia the expression of 5-HT2B
      receptor did not change. Experiments with FACS-sorted isolated cells demonstrated
      that decrease in 5-HT2B receptor expression was confined to astrocytes, and did
      not occur in neurons. Fluoxetine corrected MPTP-induced decrease of 5-HT2B
      receptor expression and depressive behavior. Our findings indicate that
      regulation of gene expression of 5-HT2B receptors in astroglia may be associated
      with pathophysiological evolution of PD-induced depression. 

PMID- 26500494
TI  - Vesicular expression and release of ATP from dopaminergic neurons of the mouse
      retina and midbrain.
AB  - Vesicular nucleotide transporter (VNUT) is required for active accumulation of
      adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) into vesicles for purinergic neurotransmission,
      however, the cell types that express VNUT in the central nervous system remain
      unknown. This study characterized VNUT expression within the mammalian retina and
      brain and assessed a possible functional role in purinergic signaling. Two native
      isoforms of VNUT were detected in mouse retina and brain based on RNA transcript
      and protein analysis. Using immunohistochemistry, VNUT was found to co-localize
      with tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive, dopaminergic (DA) neurons of the
      substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area, however, VNUT expression in
      extranigral non-DA neurons was also observed. In the retina, VNUT labeling was
      found to co-localize solely with TH-positive DA-cells. In the outer retina, VNUT
      positive interplexiform cell processes were in close contact with horizontal
      cells and cone photoreceptor terminals, which are known to express P2 purinergic
      receptors. In order to assess function, dissociated retinal neurons were loaded
      with fluorescent ATP markers (Quinacrine or Mant-ATP) and the DA marker FFN102,
      co-labeled with a VNUT antibody and imaged in real time. Fluorescent ATP markers
      and FFN102 puncta were found to co-localize in VNUT positive neurons and upon
      stimulation with high potassium, ATP marker fluorescence at the cell membrane was
      reduced. This response was blocked in the presence of cadmium. These data suggest
      DA neurons co-release ATP via calcium dependent exocytosis and in the retina this
      may modulate the visual response by activating purine receptors on closely
      associated neurons. 

PMID- 26500495
TI  - Homocysteine aggravates ROS-induced depression of transmitter release from motor
      nerve terminals: potential mechanism of peripheral impairment in motor neuron
      diseases associated with hyperhomocysteinemia.
AB  - Homocysteine (HCY) is a pro-inflammatory sulphur-containing redox active
      endogenous amino acid, which concentration increases in neurodegenerative
      disorders including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A widely held view
      suggests that HCY could contribute to neurodegeneration via promotion of
      oxidative stress. However, the action of HCY on motor nerve terminals has not
      been investigated so far. We previously reported that oxidative stress inhibited
      synaptic transmission at the neuromuscular junction, targeting primarily the
      motor nerve terminals. In the current study, we investigated the effect of HCY on
      oxidative stress-induced impairment of transmitter release at the mouse diaphragm
      muscle. The mild oxidant H2O2 decreased the intensity of spontaneous quantum
      release from nerve terminals (measured as the frequency of miniature endplate
      potentials, MEPPs) without changes in the amplitude of MEPPs, indicating a
      presynaptic effect. Pre-treatment with HCY for 2 h only slightly affected both
      amplitude and frequency of MEPPs but increased the inhibitory potency of H2O2
      almost two fold. As HCY can activate certain subtypes of glutamate N-methyl D
      aspartate (NMDA) receptors we tested the role of NMDA receptors in the
      sensitizing action of HCY. Remarkably, the selective blocker of NMDA receptors,
      AP-5 completely removed the sensitizing effect of HCY on the H2O2-induced
      presynaptic depressant effect. Thus, at the mammalian neuromuscular junction HCY
      largely increases the inhibitory effect of oxidative stress on transmitter
      release, via NMDA receptors activation. This combined effect of HCY and local
      oxidative stress can specifically contribute to the damage of presynaptic
      terminals in neurodegenerative motoneuron diseases, including ALS. 

PMID- 26500496
TI  - Cellullar insights into cerebral cortical development: focusing on the locomotion
      mode of neuronal migration.
AB  - The mammalian brain consists of numerous compartments that are closely connected
      with each other via neural networks, comprising the basis of higher order brain
      functions. The highly specialized structure originates from simple
      pseudostratified neuroepithelium-derived neural progenitors located near the
      ventricle. A long journey by neurons from the ventricular side is essential for
      the formation of a sophisticated brain structure, including a mammalian-specific
      six-layered cerebral cortex. Neuronal migration consists of several contiguous
      steps, but the locomotion mode comprises a large part of the migration. The
      locomoting neurons exhibit unique features; a radial glial fiber-dependent
      migration requiring the endocytic recycling of N-cadherin and a neuron-specific
      migration mode with dilation/swelling formation that requires the actin and
      microtubule organization possibly regulated by cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5),
      Dcx, p27(kip1), Rac1, and POSH. Here I will introduce the roles of various
      cellular events, such as cytoskeletal organization, cell adhesion, and membrane
      trafficking, in the regulation of the neuronal migration, with particular focus
      on the locomotion mode. 

PMID- 26500497
TI  - Synaptic remodeling of neuronal circuits in early retinal degeneration.
AB  - Photoreceptor degenerations are a major cause of blindness and among the most
      common forms of neurodegeneration in humans. Studies of mouse models revealed
      that synaptic dysfunction often precedes photoreceptor degeneration, and that
      abnormal synaptic input from photoreceptors to bipolar cells causes circuits in
      the inner retina to become hyperactive. Here, we provide a brief overview of
      frequently used mouse models of photoreceptor degenerations. We then discuss
      insights into circuit remodeling triggered by early synaptic dysfunction in the
      outer and hyperactivity in the inner retina. We discuss these insights in the
      context of other experimental manipulations of synaptic function and activity.
      Knowledge of the plasticity and early remodeling of retinal circuits will be
      critical for the design of successful vision rescue strategies. 

PMID- 26500498
TI  - Dendritic spine density of prefrontal layer 6 pyramidal neurons in relation to
      apical dendrite sculpting by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.
AB  - Prefrontal layer 6 (L6) pyramidal neurons play an important role in the adult
      control of attention, facilitated by their strong activation by nicotinic
      acetylcholine receptors. These neurons in mouse association cortex are
      distinctive morphologically when compared to L6 neurons in primary cortical
      regions. Roughly equal proportions of the prefrontal L6 neurons have apical
      dendrites that are "long" (reaching to the pial surface) vs. "short" (terminating
      in the deep layers, as in primary cortical regions). This distinct prefrontal
      morphological pattern is established in the post-juvenile period and appears
      dependent on nicotinic receptors. Here, we examine dendritic spine densities in
      these two subgroups of prefrontal L6 pyramidal neurons under control conditions
      as well as after perturbation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. In control
      mice, the long neurons have significantly greater apical and basal dendritic
      spine density compared to the short neurons. Furthermore, manipulations of
      nicotinic receptors (chrna5 deletion or chronic developmental nicotine exposure)
      have distinct effects on these two subgroups of L6 neurons: apical spine density
      is significantly reduced in long neurons, and basal spine density is
      significantly increased in short neurons. These changes appear dependent on the
      alpha5 nicotinic subunit encoded by chrna5. Overall, the two subgroups of
      prefrontal L6 neurons appear positioned to integrate information either across
      cortex (long neurons) or within the deep layers (short neurons), and nicotinic
      perturbations differently alter spine density within each subgroup. 

PMID- 26500500
TI  - Commentary: "Nitric oxide releases Cl(-) from acidic organelles in retinal
      amacrine cells".

PMID- 26500499
TI  - Stimulating somatosensory psychophysics: a double-blind, sham-controlled study of
      the neurobiological mechanisms of tDCS.
AB  - The neuromodulation technique transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is
      thought to produce its effects on behavior by altering cortical excitability.
      Although the mechanisms underlying the observed effects are thought to rely on
      the balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission, the physiological
      principles of the technique are not completely understood. In this study, we
      examine the influence of tDCS on vibrotactile adaptation, using a simple
      amplitude discrimination paradigm that has been shown to exhibit modifications in
      performance due to changes in inhibitory neurotransmission. Double-blind tDCS
      (Anodal/Sham) of 1 mA was delivered for 600 s to electrodes positioned in a
      somatosensory/contralateral orbit montage. Stimulation was applied as part of a
      pre/post design, between blocks of the behavioral tasks. In accordance with
      previous work, results obtained before the application of tDCS indicated that
      amplitude discrimination thresholds were significantly worsened during adaptation
      trials, compared to those achieved at baseline. However, tDCS failed to modify
      amplitude discrimination performance. Using a Bayesian approach, this finding was
      revealed to constitute substantial evidence for the null hypothesis. The failure
      of DC stimulation to alter vibrotactile adaptation thresholds is discussed in the
      context of several factors that may have confounded the induction of changes in
      cortical plasticity. 

PMID- 26500501
TI  - Tissue plasminogen activator inhibits NMDA-receptor-mediated increases in calcium
      levels in cultured hippocampal neurons.
AB  - NMDA receptors (NMDARs) play a critical role in neurotransmission, acting as
      essential mediators of many forms of synaptic plasticity, and also modulating
      aspects of development, synaptic transmission and cell death. NMDAR-induced
      responses are dependent on a range of factors including subunit composition and
      receptor location. Tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) is a serine protease
      that has been reported to interact with NMDARs and modulate NMDAR activity. In
      this study we report that tPA inhibits NMDAR-mediated changes in intracellular
      calcium levels in cultures of primary hippocampal neurons stimulated by low (5
      MUM) but not high (50 MUM) concentrations of NMDA. tPA also inhibited changes in
      calcium levels stimulated by presynaptic release of glutamate following treatment
      with bicucculine/4-aminopyridine (4-AP). Inhibition was dependent on the
      proteolytic activity of tPA but was unaffected by alpha2-antiplasmin, an
      inhibitor of the tPA substrate plasmin, and receptor-associated protein (RAP), a
      pan-ligand blocker of the low-density lipoprotein receptor, two proteins
      previously reported to modulate NMDAR activity. These findings suggest that tPA
      can modulate changes in intracellular calcium levels in a subset of NMDARs
      expressed in cultured embryonic hippocampal neurons through a mechanism that
      involves the proteolytic activity of tPA and synaptic NMDARs. 

PMID- 26500502
TI  - First evidence for glial pathology in late life minor depression: S100B is
      increased in males with minor depression.
AB  - Minor depression is diagnosed when a patient suffers from 2 to 4 depressive
      symptoms for at least 2 weeks. Though minor depression is a widespread
      phenomenon, its pathophysiology has hardly been studied. To get a first insight
      into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this disorder we assessed serum
      levels of biomarkers for plasticity, glial and neuronal function: brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF), S100B and neuron specific enolase (NSE). 27 subjects
      with minor depressive episode and 82 healthy subjects over 60 years of age were
      selected from the database of the Leipzig population-based study of civilization
      diseases (LIFE). Serum levels of BDNF, S100B and NSE were compared between
      groups, and correlated with age, body-mass index (BMI), and degree of white
      matter hyperintensities (score on Fazekas scale). S100B was significantly
      increased in males with minor depression in comparison to healthy males, whereas
      other biomarkers did not differ between groups (p = 0.10-0.66). NSE correlated
      with Fazekas score in patients with minor depression (rs = 0.436, p = 0.048) and
      in the whole sample (rs = 0.252, p = 0.019). S100B correlated with BMI (rs =
      0.246, p = 0.031) and with age in healthy subjects (rs = 0.345, p = 0.002).
      Increased S100B in males with minor depression, without alterations in BDNF and
      NSE, supports the glial hypothesis of depression. Correlation between white
      matter hyperintensities and NSE underscores the vascular hypothesis of late life
      depression. 

PMID- 26500503
TI  - The neocortical microcircuit collaboration portal: a resource for rat
      somatosensory cortex.

PMID- 26500504
TI  - A computational relationship between thalamic sensory neural responses and
      contrast perception.
AB  - Uncovering the relationship between sensory neural responses and perceptual
      decisions remains a fundamental problem in neuroscience. Decades of experimental
      and modeling work in the sensory cortex have demonstrated that a perceptual
      decision pool is usually composed of tens to hundreds of neurons, the responses
      of which are significantly correlated not only with each other, but also with the
      behavioral choices of an animal. Few studies, however, have measured neural
      activity in the sensory thalamus of awake, behaving animals. Therefore, it
      remains unclear how many thalamic neurons are recruited and how the information
      from these neurons is pooled at subsequent cortical stages to form a perceptual
      decision. In a previous study we measured neural activity in the macaque lateral
      geniculate nucleus (LGN) during a two alternative forced choice (2AFC) contrast
      detection task, and found that single LGN neurons were significantly correlated
      with the monkeys' behavioral choices, despite their relatively poor contrast
      sensitivity and a lack of overall interneuronal correlations. We have now
      computationally tested a number of specific hypotheses relating these measured
      LGN neural responses to the contrast detection behavior of the animals. We
      modeled the perceptual decisions with different numbers of neurons and using a
      variety of pooling/readout strategies, and found that the most successful model
      consisted of about 50-200 LGN neurons, with individual neurons weighted
      differentially according to their signal-to-noise ratios (quantified as d
      primes). These results supported the hypothesis that in contrast detection the
      perceptual decision pool consists of multiple thalamic neurons, and that the
      response fluctuations in these neurons can influence contrast perception, with
      the more sensitive thalamic neurons likely to exert a greater influence. 

PMID- 26500505
TI  - Functional connectivity in in vitro neuronal assemblies.
AB  - Complex network topologies represent the necessary substrate to support complex
      brain functions. In this work, we reviewed in vitro neuronal networks coupled to
      Micro-Electrode Arrays (MEAs) as biological substrate. Networks of dissociated
      neurons developing in vitro and coupled to MEAs, represent a valid experimental
      model for studying the mechanisms governing the formation, organization and
      conservation of neuronal cell assemblies. In this review, we present some
      examples of the use of statistical Cluster Coefficients and Small World indices
      to infer topological rules underlying the dynamics exhibited by homogeneous and
      engineered neuronal networks. 

PMID- 26500506
TI  - Editorial: Neuromodulation of executive circuits.

PMID- 26500507
TI  - OFF bipolar cells in macaque retina: type-specific connectivity in the outer and
      inner synaptic layers.
AB  - OFF bipolar cells in the macaque retina were recently classified into five types:
      flat midget bipolar (FMB) and diffuse bipolar (DB) 1, 2, 3a, and 3b. We examined
      all parallel pathways from cone photoreceptors via OFF bipolar cells to parasol
      and midget ganglion cells by serial section transmission electron microscopy.
      Basal contacts of OFF bipolar cells to cone pedicles were previously categorized
      as triad-associated (TA) and non-TA (NTA). The latter was further divided into
      two groups located in the middle and marginal areas of the pedicle at the present
      eccentricity of 15 degrees . We then mapped the distributions of all three basal
      contacts of the five OFF bipolar cell types in the same area of cone pedicles. TA
      contacts were more numerous than NTA contacts in FMB (93%), DB1 (67%), and DB3a
      (81%) cells, but less in DB2 (30%) and DB3b (21%) cells. Cluster analysis of
      these contact parameters reconfirmed five distinct OFF bipolar cell types and
      showed these positional configurations of basal synapses to be cell type
      specific. This architecture is thought to provide a spatial framework for the
      interstitial diffusion and local uptake of the neurotransmitter (glutamate) that
      spills over from ribbon synapses. All five OFF bipolar cell types formed ribbon
      synaptic contacts to both parasol and midget ganglion cells. DB2 and 3a, DB1 and
      3b, and FMB predominantly, moderately, and negligibly contacted parasol ganglion
      cells, respectively. FMB almost exclusively contacted midget ganglion cells, to
      which DB1 provided dominant output (58%), and DB2, 3a, and 3b provided between 3%
      and 10% of their output. Consequently, the cone signal sampling routes of a
      midget ganglion cell consisted of two substructures: the narrow (mainly 2-3
      cones) FMB pathway and the wide (mainly 10 cones) DB pathway, where connection
      strength was four-fold greater in the FMB than DB pathway. The narrow and strong
      FMB pathway may confer the highest spatial resolution and sporadically may
      include blue cone signals. 

PMID- 26500508
TI  - Genetic variations in the serotonergic system contribute to amygdala volume in
      humans.
AB  - The amygdala plays a critical role in emotion processing and psychiatric
      disorders associated with emotion dysfunction. Accumulating evidence suggests
      that amygdala structure is modulated by serotonin-related genes. However, there
      is a gap between the small contributions of single loci (less than 1%) and the
      reported 63-65% heritability of amygdala structure. To understand the "missing
      heritability," we systematically explored the contribution of serotonin genes on
      amygdala structure at the gene set level. The present study of 417 healthy
      Chinese volunteers examined 129 representative polymorphisms in genes from
      multiple biological mechanisms in the regulation of serotonin neurotransmission.
      A system-level approach using multiple regression analyses identified that nine
      SNPs collectively accounted for approximately 8% of the variance in amygdala
      volume. Permutation analyses showed that the probability of obtaining these
      findings by chance was low (p = 0.043, permuted for 1000 times). Findings showed
      that serotonin genes contribute moderately to individual differences in amygdala
      volume in a healthy Chinese sample. These results indicate that the system-level
      approach can help us to understand the genetic basis of a complex trait such as
      amygdala structure. 

PMID- 26500509
TI  - Extra-neurohypophyseal axonal projections from individual vasopressin-containing
      magnocellular neurons in rat hypothalamus.
AB  - Conventional neuroanatomical, immunohistochemical techniques, and
      electrophysiological recording, as well as in vitro labeling methods may fail to
      detect long range extra-neurohypophyseal-projecting axons from vasopressin (AVP)
      containing magnocellular neurons (magnocells) in the hypothalamic paraventricular
      nucleus (PVN). Here, we used in vivo extracellular recording, juxtacellular
      labeling, post-hoc anatomo-immunohistochemical analysis and camera lucida
      reconstruction to address this question. We demonstrate that all well-labeled AVP
      immunopositive neurons inside the PVN possess main axons joining the tract of
      Greving and multi-axon-like processes, as well as axonal collaterals branching
      very near to the somata, which project to extra-neurohypophyseal regions. The
      detected regions in this study include the medial and lateral preoptical area,
      suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), lateral habenula (LHb), medial and central
      amygdala and the conducting systems, such as stria medullaris, the fornix and the
      internal capsule. Expression of vesicular glutamate transporter 2 was observed in
      axon-collaterals. These results, in congruency with several previous reports in
      the literature, provided unequivocal evidence that AVP magnocells have an
      uncommon feature of possessing multiple axon-like processes emanating from somata
      or proximal dendrites. Furthermore, the long-range non-neurohypophyseal
      projections are more common than an "occasional" phenomenon as previously
      thought. 

PMID- 26500510
TI  - Peri-saccadic compression to two locations in a two-target choice saccade task.
AB  - When visual stimuli are presented at the onset of a saccadic eye movement they
      are seen compressed onto the target location of the saccade. This peri-saccadic
      compression is believed to result from internal feedback pathways between
      oculomotor and visual areas of the brain. This feedback enhances vision around
      the saccade target at the expense of localization ability in other regions of the
      visual field. Although saccades can be targeted at only one object at a time,
      often multiple potential targets are available in a visual scene, and the
      oculomotor system has to choose which target to look at. If two targets are
      available, preparatory activity builds-up at both target locations in oculomotor
      maps. Here we show that, in this situation, two foci of compression develop,
      independent of which of the two targets is eventually chosen for the saccade. Our
      results suggest that theories that use oculomotor feedback as efference copy
      signals for upcoming eye movements should take the possibility into account that
      multiple feedback signals from potential targets may occur in parallel before the
      execution of a saccade. 

PMID- 26500511
TI  - Neurogenesis paradoxically decreases both pattern separation and memory
      interference.
AB  - The hippocampus has been the focus of memory research for decades. While the
      functional role of this structure is not fully understood, it is widely
      recognized as being vital for rapid yet accurate encoding and retrieval of
      associative memories. Since the discovery of adult hippocampal neurogenesis in
      the dentate gyrus by Altman and Das in the 1960's, many theories and models have
      been put forward to explain the functional role it plays in learning and memory.
      These models postulate different ways in which new neurons are introduced into
      the dentate gyrus and their functional importance for learning and memory. Few if
      any previous models have incorporated the unique properties of young adult-born
      dentate granule cells and the developmental trajectory. In this paper, we propose
      a novel computational model of the dentate gyrus that incorporates the
      developmental trajectory of the adult-born dentate granule cells, including
      changes in synaptic plasticity, connectivity, excitability and lateral
      inhibition, using a modified version of the Restricted Boltzmann machine. Our
      results show superior performance on memory reconstruction tasks for both recent
      and distally learned items, when the unique characteristics of young dentate
      granule cells are taken into account. Even though the hyperexcitability of the
      young neurons generates more overlapping neural codes, reducing pattern
      separation, the unique properties of the young neurons nonetheless contribute to
      reducing retroactive and proactive interference, at both short and long time
      scales. The sparse connectivity is particularly important for generating distinct
      memory traces for highly overlapping patterns that are learned within the same
      context. 

PMID- 26500514
TI  - Augmenting brain function with meditation: can detachment coincide with empathy?

PMID- 26500512
TI  - Neuroimaging studies of striatum in cognition part II: Parkinson's disease.
AB  - In recent years a gradual shift in the definition of Parkinson's disease (PD) has
      been established, from a classical akinetic-rigid movement disorder to a multi
      system neurodegenerative disease. While the pathophysiology of PD is complex and
      goes much beyond the nigro-striatal degeneration, the striatum has been shown to
      be responsible for many cognitive functions. Patients with PD develop impairments
      in multiple cognitive domains and the PD model is probably the most extensively
      studied regarding striatum dysfunction and its influence on cognition. Up to 40%
      of PD patients present cognitive impairment even in the early stages of disease
      development. Thus, understanding the key patterns of striatum and connecting
      regions' influence on cognition will help develop more specific approaches to
      alleviate cognitive impairment and slow down its decline. This review focuses on
      the contribution of neuroimaging studies in understanding how striatum impairment
      affects cognition in PD. 

PMID- 26500513
TI  - Neuroimaging studies of the striatum in cognition Part I: healthy individuals.
AB  - The striatum has traditionally mainly been associated with playing a key role in
      the modulation of motor functions. Indeed, lesion studies in animals and studies
      of some neurological conditions in humans have brought further evidence to this
      idea. However, better methods of investigation have raised concerns about this
      notion, and it was proposed that the striatum could also be involved in different
      types of functions including cognitive ones. Although the notion was originally a
      matter of debate, it is now well-accepted that the caudate nucleus contributes to
      cognition, while the putamen could be involved in motor functions, and to some
      extent in cognitive functions as well. With the arrival of modern neuroimaging
      techniques in the early 1990, knowledge supporting the cognitive aspect of the
      striatum has greatly increased, and a substantial number of scientific papers
      were published studying the role of the striatum in healthy individuals. For the
      first time, it was possible to assess the contribution of specific areas of the
      brain during the execution of a cognitive task. Neuroanatomical studies have
      described functional loops involving the striatum and the prefrontal cortex
      suggesting a specific interaction between these two structures. This review
      examines the data up to date and provides strong evidence for a specific
      contribution of the fronto-striatal regions in different cognitive processes,
      such as set-shifting, self-initiated responses, rule learning, action
      contingency, and planning. Finally, a new two-level functional model involving
      the prefrontal cortex and the dorsal striatum is proposed suggesting an essential
      role of the dorsal striatum in selecting between competing potential responses or
      actions, and in resolving a high level of ambiguity. 

PMID- 26500515
TI  - Timing of therapies for Down syndrome: the sooner, the better.
AB  - Intellectual disability (ID) is the unavoidable hallmark of Down syndrome (DS),
      with a heavy impact on public health. Accumulating evidence shows that DS is
      characterized by numerous neurodevelopmental alterations among which the
      reduction of neurogenesis, dendritic hypotrophy and connectivity alterations
      appear to play a particularly prominent role. Although the mechanisms whereby
      gene triplication impairs brain development in DS have not been fully clarified,
      it is theoretically possible to correct trisomy-dependent defects with targeted
      pharmacotherapies. This review summarizes what we know about the effects of
      pharmacotherapies during different life stages in mouse models of DS. Since brain
      alterations in DS start to be present prenatally, the prenatal period represents
      an optimum window of opportunity for therapeutic interventions. Importantly,
      recent studies clearly show that treatment during the prenatal period can rescue
      overall brain development and behavior and that this effect outlasts treatment
      cessation. Although late therapies are unlikely to exert drastic changes in the
      brain, they may have an impact on the hippocampus, a brain region where
      neurogenesis continues throughout life. Indeed, treatment at adult life stages
      improves or even rescues hippocampal neurogenesis and connectivity and
      hippocampal-dependent learning and memory, although the duration of these effects
      still remains, in the majority of cases, a matter of investigation. The exciting
      discovery that trisomy-linked brain abnormalities can be prevented with early
      interventions gives us reason to believe that treatments during pregnancy may
      rescue brain development in fetuses with DS. For this reason we deem it extremely
      important to expedite the discovery of additional therapies practicable in humans
      in order to identify the best treatment/s in terms of efficacy and paucity of
      side effects. Prompt achievement of this goal is the big challenge for the
      scientific community of researchers interested in DS. 

PMID- 26500516
TI  - Neural correlates of rules and conflict in medial prefrontal cortex during
      decision and feedback epochs.
AB  - The ability to properly adjust behavioral responses to cues in a changing
      environment is crucial for survival. Activity in the medial Prefrontal Cortex
      (mPFC) is thought to both represent rules to guide behavior as well as detect and
      resolve conflicts between rules in changing contingencies. However, while lesion
      and pharmacological studies have supported a crucial role for mPFC in this type
      of set-shifting, an understanding of how mPFC represents current rules or detects
      and resolves conflict between different rules is unclear. Here, we directly
      address the role of rat mPFC in shifting rule based behavioral strategies using a
      novel behavioral task designed to tease apart neural signatures of rules,
      conflict and direction. We demonstrate that activity of single neurons in rat
      mPFC represent distinct rules. Further, we show increased firing on high conflict
      trials in a separate population of mPFC neurons. Reduced firing in both
      populations of neurons was associated with poor performance. Moreover, activity
      in both populations increased and decreased firing during the outcome epoch when
      reward was and was not delivered on correct and incorrect trials, respectively.
      In addition, outcome firing was modulated by the current rule and the degree of
      conflict associated with the previous decision. These results promote a greater
      understanding of the role that mPFC plays in switching between rules, signaling
      both rule and conflict to promote improved behavioral performance. 

PMID- 26500517
TI  - Distinct neural correlates for attention lapses in patients with schizophrenia
      and healthy participants.
AB  - Momentary lapses in attention are common in healthy populations. This phenomenon
      has recently received increased investigation, particularly in relationship to
      the default mode network (DMN). Previous research has suggested that these lapses
      may be due to intrusive task-irrelevant thoughts. The study of this phenomenon in
      schizophrenia, which is characterized by a wide variety of cognitive deficits
      including deficits in attention, has not previously been explored. We used the AX
      Continuous Performance Task to investigate attention lapses in healthy
      participants as well as patients with schizophrenia. We found distinct patterns
      of network activation between these two groups. Lapses in healthy participants
      were associated with DMN activation, while in patients, the same behavioral
      phenomenon was associated with deactivations in frontal-parietal control network
      (FPCN) regions. When considered in contrast to the results observed in healthy
      participants, these results suggest an additional origin of attention lapses in
      patients derived from a loss of task-related context, rather than intrusive task
      irrelevant thoughts. 

PMID- 26500518
TI  - The effects of impulsivity and proactive inhibition on reactive inhibition and
      the go process: insights from vocal and manual stop signal tasks.
AB  - This study measured proactive and reactive response inhibition and their
      relationships with self-reported impulsivity. We examined the domains of both
      vocal and manual responding using a stop signal task (SST) with two stop
      probabilities: high and low probability stop (1/3 and 1/6 stops respectively).
      Our aim was to evaluate the effect stop probability would have on reactive and
      proactive inhibition. We tested 44 subjects and found that for the high compared
      to low probability stop signal condition, more proactive inhibition was evident
      and this was correlated with a reduction in the stop signal reaction time (SSRT).
      We found that reactive inhibition had a positive relationship with dysfunctional
      but not functional impulsivity in both vocal and manual domains of responding.
      These findings support the hypothesis that proactive inhibition may pre-activate
      the network for reactive inhibition. 

PMID- 26500520
TI  - Bimanual non-congruent actions in motor neglect syndrome: a combined
      behavioral/fMRI study.
AB  - In Motor Neglect (MN) syndrome, a specific impairment in non-congruent bimanual
      movements has been described. In the present case-control study, we investigated
      the neuro-functional correlates of this behavioral deficit. Two right-brain
      damaged (RBD) patients, one with (MN+) and one without (MN-) MN, were evaluated
      by means of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) in a bimanual Circles
      Lines (CL) paradigm. Patients were requested to perform right-hand movements
      (lines-drawing) and, simultaneously, congruent (lines-drawing) or non-congruent
      (circles-drawing) left-hand movements. In the behavioral task, MN- patient showed
      a bimanual-coupling-effect, while MN+ patient did not. The fMRI study showed that
      in MN-, a fronto-parietal network, mainly involving the pre-supplementary motor
      area (pre-SMA) and the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), was significantly more
      active in non-congruent than in congruent conditions, as previously shown in
      healthy subjects. On the contrary, MN+ patient showed an opposite pattern of
      activation both in pre-SMA and in PPC. Within this fronto-parietal network, the
      pre-SMA is supposed to exert an inhibitory influence on the default coupling of
      homologous muscles, thus allowing the execution of non-congruent movements. In MN
      syndrome, the described abnormal pre-SMA activity supports the hypothesis that a
      failure to inhibit ipsilesional motor programs might determine a specific
      impairment of non-congruent movements. 

PMID- 26500519
TI  - Auditory cortical deactivation during speech production and following speech
      perception: an EEG investigation of the temporal dynamics of the auditory alpha
      rhythm.
AB  - Sensorimotor integration (SMI) across the dorsal stream enables online monitoring
      of speech. Jenson et al. (2014) used independent component analysis (ICA) and
      event related spectral perturbation (ERSP) analysis of electroencephalography
      (EEG) data to describe anterior sensorimotor (e.g., premotor cortex, PMC)
      activity during speech perception and production. The purpose of the current
      study was to identify and temporally map neural activity from posterior (i.e.,
      auditory) regions of the dorsal stream in the same tasks. Perception tasks
      required "active" discrimination of syllable pairs (/ba/ and /da/) in quiet and
      noisy conditions. Production conditions required overt production of syllable
      pairs and nouns. ICA performed on concatenated raw 68 channel EEG data from all
      tasks identified bilateral "auditory" alpha (alpha) components in 15 of 29
      participants localized to pSTG (left) and pMTG (right). ERSP analyses were
      performed to reveal fluctuations in the spectral power of the alpha rhythm
      clusters across time. Production conditions were characterized by significant
      alpha event related synchronization (ERS; pFDR < 0.05) concurrent with EMG
      activity from speech production, consistent with speech-induced auditory
      inhibition. Discrimination conditions were also characterized by alpha ERS
      following stimulus offset. Auditory alpha ERS in all conditions temporally
      aligned with PMC activity reported in Jenson et al. (2014). These findings are
      indicative of speech-induced suppression of auditory regions, possibly via
      efference copy. The presence of the same pattern following stimulus offset in
      discrimination conditions suggests that sensorimotor contributions following
      speech perception reflect covert replay, and that covert replay provides one
      source of the motor activity previously observed in some speech perception tasks.
      To our knowledge, this is the first time that inhibition of auditory regions by
      speech has been observed in real-time with the ICA/ERSP technique. 

PMID- 26500521
TI  - Training Efficiency and Transfer Success in an Extended Real-Time Functional MRI
      Neurofeedback Training of the Somatomotor Cortex of Healthy Subjects.
AB  - This study investigated the level of self-regulation of the somatomotor cortices
      (SMCs) attained by an extended functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
      neurofeedback training. Sixteen healthy subjects performed 12 real-time
      functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback training sessions within 4
      weeks, involving motor imagery of the dominant right as well as the non-dominant
      left hand. Target regions of interests in the SMC were individually localized
      prior to the training by overt finger movements. The feedback signal (FS) was
      defined as the difference between fMRI activation in the contra- and ipsilateral
      SMC and visually presented to the subjects. Training efficiency was determined by
      an off-line general linear model analysis determining the fMRI percent signal
      changes in the SMC target areas accomplished during the neurofeedback training.
      Transfer success was assessed by comparing the pre- and post-training transfer
      task, i.e., the neurofeedback paradigm without the presentation of the FS. Group
      results show a distinct increase in feedback performance (FP) in the transfer
      task for the trained group compared to a matched untrained control group, as well
      as an increase in the time course of the training, indicating an efficient
      training and a successful transfer. Individual analysis revealed that the
      training efficiency was not only highly correlated to the transfer success but
      also predictive. Trainings with at least 12 efficient training runs were
      associated with a successful transfer outcome. A group analysis of the
      hemispheric contributions to the FP showed that it is mainly driven by increased
      fMRI activation in the contralateral SMC, although some individuals relied on
      ipsilateral deactivation. Training and transfer results showed no difference
      between left- and right-hand imagery, with a slight indication of more
      ipsilateral deactivation in the early right-hand trainings. 

PMID- 26500522
TI  - Neural Mechanisms Underlying Perilesional Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
      in Aphasia: A Feasibility Study.
AB  - Little is known about the neural mechanisms by which transcranial direct current
      stimulation (tDCS) impacts on language processing in post-stroke aphasia. This
      was addressed in a proof-of-principle study that explored the effects of tDCS
      application in aphasia during simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging
      (fMRI). We employed a single subject, cross-over, sham-tDCS controlled design,
      and the stimulation was administered to an individualized perilesional
      stimulation site that was identified by a baseline fMRI scan and a picture naming
      task. Peak activity during the baseline scan was located in the spared left
      inferior frontal gyrus and this area was stimulated during a subsequent cross
      over phase. tDCS was successfully administered to the target region and anodal-
      vs. sham-tDCS resulted in selectively increased activity at the stimulation site.
      Our results thus demonstrate that it is feasible to precisely target an
      individualized stimulation site in aphasia patients during simultaneous fMRI,
      which allows assessing the neural mechanisms underlying tDCS application. The
      functional imaging results of this case report highlight one possible mechanism
      that may have contributed to beneficial behavioral stimulation effects in
      previous clinical tDCS trials in aphasia. In the future, this approach will allow
      identifying distinct patterns of stimulation effects on neural processing in
      larger cohorts of patients. This may ultimately yield information about the
      variability of tDCS effects on brain functions in aphasia. 

PMID- 26500523
TI  - A task-independent neural representation of subjective certainty in visual
      perception.
AB  - Am I really sure? This is a question not only scientists ask themselves but
      practically everybody every day. A recent study provides behavioral evidence
      supporting the view that one's subjective confidence in a decision (i.e., feeling
      sure that a decision is correct) is represented in a task-independent format.
      Previous neuroimaging studies identified neural correlates of decision confidence
      but whether or not these are task-dependent remains unclear. Here, combining two
      perceptual decision tasks with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we
      provide neural evidence for a task-independent representation of degrees of
      subjective certainty (i.e., a neural representation of subjective certainty that
      remains constant across two visual tasks). Importantly, due to the constant
      stimulus-intensity used this result is independent of task-difficulty and
      stimulus properties. Our data provide strong evidence for a generic mechanism
      underlying the computation of subjective perceptual certainty in vision. 

PMID- 26500524
TI  - Psychopathic traits are associated with reduced attention to the eyes of
      emotional faces among adult male non-offenders.
AB  - Psychopathic traits are linked with impairments in emotional facial expression
      recognition. These impairments may, in part, reflect reduced attention to the
      eyes of emotional faces. Although reduced attention to the eyes has been noted
      among children with conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits, similar
      findings are yet to be found in relation to psychopathic traits among adult male
      participants. Here we investigated the relationship of primary (selfish,
      uncaring) and secondary (impulsive, antisocial) psychopathic traits with
      attention to the eyes among adult male non-offenders during an emotion
      recognition task. We measured the number of fixations, and overall dwell time, on
      the eyes, and the mouth of male and female faces showing the six basic emotions
      at varying levels of intensity. We found no relationship of primary or secondary
      psychopathic traits with recognition accuracy. However, primary psychopathic
      traits were associated with a reduced number of fixations, and lower overall
      dwell time, on the eyes relative to the mouth across expressions, intensity, and
      sex. Furthermore, the relationship of primary psychopathic traits with attention
      to the eyes of angry and fearful faces was influenced by the sex and intensity of
      the expression. We also showed that a greater number of fixations on the eyes,
      relative to the mouth, were associated with increased accuracy for angry and
      fearful expression recognition. These results are the first to show effects of
      psychopathic traits on attention to the eyes of emotional faces in an adult male
      sample, and may support amygdala based accounts of psychopathy. These findings
      may also have methodological implications for clinical studies of emotion
      recognition. 

PMID- 26500525
TI  - Differential effects of socioeconomic status on working and procedural memory
      systems.
AB  - While prior research has shown a strong relationship between socioeconomic status
      (SES) and working memory performance, the relation between SES and procedural
      (implicit) memory remains unknown. Convergent research in both animals and humans
      has revealed a fundamental dissociation, both behaviorally and neurally, between
      a working memory system that depends on medial temporal-lobe structures and the
      dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) vs. a procedural memory system that
      depends on the basal ganglia. Here, we measured performance in adolescents from
      lower- and higher-SES backgrounds on tests of working memory capacity (complex
      working memory span) and procedural memory (probabilistic classification) and
      their hippocampal, DLPFC, and caudate volumes. Lower-SES adolescents had worse
      working memory performance and smaller hippocampal and DLPFC volumes than their
      higher-SES peers, but there was no significant difference between the lower- and
      higher-SES groups on the procedural memory task or in caudate volumes. These
      findings suggest that SES may have a selective influence on hippocampal
      prefrontal-dependent working memory and little influence on striatal-dependent
      procedural memory. 

PMID- 26500526
TI  - Neural bases of accented speech perception.
AB  - The recognition of unfamiliar regional and foreign accents represents a
      challenging task for the speech perception system (Floccia et al., 2006; Adank et
      al., 2009). Despite the frequency with which we encounter such accents, the
      neural mechanisms supporting successful perception of accented speech are poorly
      understood. Nonetheless, candidate neural substrates involved in processing
      speech in challenging listening conditions, including accented speech, are
      beginning to be identified. This review will outline neural bases associated with
      perception of accented speech in the light of current models of speech
      perception, and compare these data to brain areas associated with processing
      other speech distortions. We will subsequently evaluate competing models of
      speech processing with regards to neural processing of accented speech. See
      Cristia et al. (2012) for an in-depth overview of behavioral aspects of accent
      processing. 

PMID- 26500527
TI  - Children's belief- and desire-reasoning in the temporoparietal junction: evidence
      for specialization from functional near-infrared spectroscopy.
AB  - Behaviorally, children's explicit theory of mind (ToM) proceeds in a progression
      of mental-state understandings: developmentally, children demonstrate accurate
      explicit desire-reasoning before accurate explicit belief-reasoning. Given its
      robust and cross-cultural nature, we hypothesize this progression may be paced in
      part by maturation/specialization of the brain. Neuroimaging research
      demonstrates that the right temporoparietal junction (TPJ) becomes increasingly
      selective for ToM reasoning as children age, and as their ToM improves. But this
      research has narrowly focused on beliefs or on undifferentiated mental-states. A
      recent ERP study in children included a critical contrast to desire-reasoning,
      and demonstrated that right posterior potentials differentiated belief-reasoning
      from desire-reasoning. Taken together, the literature suggests that children's
      desire-belief progression may be paced by specialization of the right TPJ for
      belief-reasoning specifically, beyond desire-reasoning. In the present study, we
      tested this hypothesis directly by examining children's belief- and desire
      reasoning using functional near-infrared spectroscopy in conjunction with
      structural magnetic resonance imaging to pinpoint brain activation in the right
      TPJ. Results showed greatest activation in the right TPJ for belief-reasoning,
      beyond desire-reasoning, and beyond non-mental reasoning (control). Findings
      replicate and critically extend prior ERP results, and provide clear evidence for
      a specific neural mechanism underlying children's progression from understanding
      desires to understanding beliefs. 

PMID- 26500528
TI  - Unsupervised invariance learning of transformation sequences in a model of object
      recognition yields selectivity for non-accidental properties.
AB  - Non-accidental properties (NAPs) correspond to image properties that are
      invariant to changes in viewpoint (e.g., straight vs. curved contours) and are
      distinguished from metric properties (MPs) that can change continuously with in
      depth object rotation (e.g., aspect ratio, degree of curvature, etc.). Behavioral
      and electrophysiological studies of shape processing have demonstrated greater
      sensitivity to differences in NAPs than in MPs. However, previous work has shown
      that such sensitivity is lacking in multiple-views models of object recognition
      such as Hmax. These models typically assume that object processing is based on
      populations of view-tuned neurons with distributed symmetrical bell-shaped tuning
      that are modulated at least as much by differences in MPs as in NAPs. Here, we
      test the hypothesis that unsupervised learning of invariances to object
      transformations may increase the sensitivity to differences in NAPs vs. MPs in
      Hmax. We collected a database of video sequences with objects slowly rotating in
      depth in an attempt to mimic sequences viewed during object manipulation by young
      children during early developmental stages. We show that unsupervised learning
      yields shape-tuning in higher stages with greater sensitivity to differences in
      NAPs vs. MPs in agreement with monkey IT data. Together, these results suggest
      that greater NAP sensitivity may arise from experiencing different in-depth
      rotations of objects. 

PMID- 26500529
TI  - An algorithm to predict the connectome of neural microcircuits.
AB  - Experimentally mapping synaptic connections, in terms of the numbers and
      locations of their synapses and estimating connection probabilities, is still not
      a tractable task, even for small volumes of tissue. In fact, the six layers of
      the neocortex contain thousands of unique types of synaptic connections between
      the many different types of neurons, of which only a handful have been
      characterized experimentally. Here we present a theoretical framework and a data
      driven algorithmic strategy to digitally reconstruct the complete synaptic
      connectivity between the different types of neurons in a small well-defined
      volume of tissue-the micro-scale connectome of a neural microcircuit. By
      enforcing a set of established principles of synaptic connectivity, and
      leveraging interdependencies between fundamental properties of neural
      microcircuits to constrain the reconstructed connectivity, the algorithm yields
      three parameters per connection type that predict the anatomy of all types of
      biologically viable synaptic connections. The predictions reproduce a spectrum of
      experimental data on synaptic connectivity not used by the algorithm. We conclude
      that an algorithmic approach to the connectome can serve as a tool to accelerate
      experimental mapping, indicating the minimal dataset required to make useful
      predictions, identifying the datasets required to improve their accuracy, testing
      the feasibility of experimental measurements, and making it possible to test
      hypotheses of synaptic connectivity. 

PMID- 26500530
TI  - A model-based approach to predict muscle synergies using optimization:
      application to feedback control.
AB  - This paper presents a new model-based method to define muscle synergies. Unlike
      the conventional factorization approach, which extracts synergies from
      electromyographic data, the proposed method employs a biomechanical model and
      formally defines the synergies as the solution of an optimal control problem. As
      a result, the number of required synergies is directly related to the dimensions
      of the operational space. The estimated synergies are posture-dependent, which
      correlate well with the results of standard factorization methods. Two examples
      are used to showcase this method: a two-dimensional forearm model, and a three
      dimensional driver arm model. It has been shown here that the synergies need to
      be task-specific (i.e., they are defined for the specific operational spaces: the
      elbow angle and the steering wheel angle in the two systems). This functional
      definition of synergies results in a low-dimensional control space, in which
      every force in the operational space is accurately created by a unique
      combination of synergies. As such, there is no need for extra criteria (e.g.,
      minimizing effort) in the process of motion control. This approach is motivated
      by the need for fast and bio-plausible feedback control of musculoskeletal
      systems, and can have important implications in engineering, motor control, and
      biomechanics. 

PMID- 26500532
TI  - Enhanced HMAX model with feedforward feature learning for multiclass
      categorization.
AB  - In recent years, the interdisciplinary research between neuroscience and computer
      vision has promoted the development in both fields. Many biologically inspired
      visual models are proposed, and among them, the Hierarchical Max-pooling model
      (HMAX) is a feedforward model mimicking the structures and functions of V1 to
      posterior inferotemporal (PIT) layer of the primate visual cortex, which could
      generate a series of position- and scale- invariant features. However, it could
      be improved with attention modulation and memory processing, which are two
      important properties of the primate visual cortex. Thus, in this paper, based on
      recent biological research on the primate visual cortex, we still mimic the first
      100-150 ms of visual cognition to enhance the HMAX model, which mainly focuses on
      the unsupervised feedforward feature learning process. The main modifications are
      as follows: (1) To mimic the attention modulation mechanism of V1 layer, a bottom
      up saliency map is computed in the S1 layer of the HMAX model, which can support
      the initial feature extraction for memory processing; (2) To mimic the learning,
      clustering and short-term memory to long-term memory conversion abilities of V2
      and IT, an unsupervised iterative clustering method is used to learn clusters
      with multiscale middle level patches, which are taken as long-term memory; (3)
      Inspired by the multiple feature encoding mode of the primate visual cortex,
      information including color, orientation, and spatial position are encoded in
      different layers of the HMAX model progressively. By adding a softmax layer at
      the top of the model, multiclass categorization experiments can be conducted, and
      the results on Caltech101 show that the enhanced model with a smaller memory size
      exhibits higher accuracy than the original HMAX model, and could also achieve
      better accuracy than other unsupervised feature learning methods in multiclass
      categorization task. 

PMID- 26500531
TI  - Coordinated alpha and gamma control of muscles and spindles in movement and
      posture.
AB  - Mounting evidence suggests that both alpha and gamma motoneurons are active
      during movement and posture, but how does the central motor system coordinate the
      alpha-gamma controls in these tasks remains sketchy due to lack of in vivo data.
      Here a computational model of alpha-gamma control of muscles and spindles was
      used to investigate alpha-gamma integration and coordination for movement and
      posture. The model comprised physiologically realistic spinal circuitry, muscles,
      proprioceptors, and skeletal biomechanics. In the model, we divided the cortical
      descending commands into static and dynamic sets, where static commands (alpha s
      and gamma s ) were for posture maintenance and dynamic commands (alpha d and
      gamma d ) were responsible for movement. We matched our model to human reaching
      movement data by straightforward adjustments of descending commands derived from
      either minimal-jerk trajectories or human EMGs. The matched movement showed
      smooth reach-to-hold trajectories qualitatively close to human behaviors, and the
      reproduced EMGs showed the classic tri-phasic patterns. In particular, the
      function of gamma d was to gate the alpha d command at the propriospinal neurons
      (PN) such that antagonistic muscles can accelerate or decelerate the limb with
      proper timing. Independent control of joint position and stiffness could be
      achieved by adjusting static commands. Deefferentation in the model indicated
      that accurate static commands of alpha s and gamma s are essential to achieve
      stable terminal posture precisely, and that the gamma d command is as important
      as the alpha d command in controlling antagonistic muscles for desired movements.
      Deafferentation in the model showed that losing proprioceptive afferents mainly
      affected the terminal position of movement, similar to the abnormal behaviors
      observed in human and animals. Our results illustrated that tuning the simple
      forms of alpha-gamma commands can reproduce a range of human reach-to-hold
      movements, and it is necessary to coordinate the set of alpha-gamma descending
      commands for accurate and stable control of movement and posture. 

PMID- 26500533
TI  - Editorial: Modularity in motor control: from muscle synergies to cognitive action
      representation.

PMID- 26500534
TI  - Eccrine Angiomatous Hamartoma in an Adolescent.
AB  - Eccrine angiomatous hamartoma is a rare hamartoma that usually affects childhood
      and adolescence. In this report we describe a typical onset and clinical
      presentation of eccrine angiomatous hamartoma. Histopathological analysis and
      immunohistochemical staining of the sections were done to confirm the diagnosis. 

PMID- 26500535
TI  - Adult Onset of BRAF(V600E)-Mutated Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis with Cutaneous
      Involvement Successfully Diagnosed by Immunohistochemical Staining.
AB  - Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is characterized by the clonal proliferation
      of Langerhans cells; it is categorized as a single-system disease with single or
      multifocal lesions, and as a multi-system disease with or without the risk of
      organ involvement. Although the skin is not categorized as a risk organ, the
      precise diagnosis of skin lesions is necessary to determine the protocol for the
      treatment of LCH. In this report, we describe a 28-year-old Japanese man with
      adult onset of BRAF(V600E)-mutated LCH with cutaneous involvement successfully
      diagnosed by immunohistochemical staining. Our report suggests that
      immunohistochemical staining for the BRAF(V600E) gene could be a diagnostic tool
      to determine the clinical type of LCH. 

PMID- 26500536
TI  - Giant Hidroacanthoma Simplex Mimicking Bowen's Disease.
AB  - Hidroacanthoma simplex is a benign tumor of the skin, macroscopically resembling
      seborrheic keratosis or Bowen's disease and histologically mimicking clonal-type
      seborrheic keratosis. We observed a plaque of 70 * 50 mm on the right flank part.
      From clinical appearance, we suspected Bowen's disease; however, based on
      immunohistochemical findings, we made a diagnosis of hidroacanthoma simplex. 

PMID- 26500537
TI  - A Case of Leser-Trelat Syndrome Associated with a Renal Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - Seborrheic keratoses can often be found in elderly people. In general, they
      appear gradually. In cases of a sudden eruption with itching it might be
      paraneoplastic. Although some authors doubt the existence of the paraneoplastic
      Leser-Trelat syndrome, we present a case of sudden eruption of seborrheic
      keratoses connected with a newly diagnosed renal cell carcinoma. As far as we
      know, this is the first case report of a Leser-Trelat syndrome with a malignancy
      of the kidney. 

PMID- 26500538
TI  - Cutaneous Eruption due to Telaprevir.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) chronically infects 0.5-3% of the world population. A
      large group of patients develop cirrhosis and its complications. Since 2011,
      telaprevir and boceprevir are used, improving the disease evolution. One of the
      main side effects of these drugs is skin eruption. We report a 53-year-old
      patient with cirrhosis due to HCV who started the classic treatment associated
      with telaprevir. In the ninth week, he presented a severe rash that required the
      interruption of this drug. We emphasize the importance of early recognition and
      appropriate management of adverse skin reaction. 

PMID- 26500539
TI  - Successful Treatment with Pazopanib for Multiple Lung Metastases of Inguinal
      Epithelioid Sarcoma: A Case Report.
AB  - Epithelioid sarcoma is a rare soft tissue sarcoma and usually resistant to
      chemotherapy. It has high rates of local recurrence and distant metastasis, and
      the prognosis after metastasis is poor. We report a case of multiple lung
      metastases of an epithelioid sarcoma originating in the inguinal area that we
      treated with the multikinase inhibitor pazopanib. The patient was a 38-year-old
      male who began to experience discomfort in his left inguinal area. Magnetic
      resonance imaging showed a tumor extended from the medial aspect of the wing of
      the left ilium along the iliopsoas muscle to its site of insertion on the femur.
      The histopathological diagnosis with a biopsy was proximal-type epithelioid
      sarcoma. Although a positron emission tomography examination showed
      fluorodeoxyglucose accumulation in the left inguinal tumor, there was no distant
      metastasis. Wide resection by a combined iliac resection procedure was performed.
      Twelve months after surgery, computed tomography revealed multiple nodules and a
      diagnosis of bilateral multiple lung metastases was made. Treatment with
      pazopanib 800 mg was started. After 2.5 months of treatment, a clear reduction in
      the size of the pulmonary metastases was shown. Thirty months after the start of
      pazopanib treatment, most of the metastases have disappeared, and no development
      of new lesions has been seen. Therefore, it appeared that pazopanib was capable
      of serving as one of the choices of therapeutic agents that should be taken into
      consideration for the treatment of advanced epithelioid sarcoma. 

PMID- 26500540
TI  - Adipsia in a Diabetes Insipidus Patient.
AB  - Central diabetes insipidus is a very common disorder after brain surgery
      or/trauma or even in the presence of brain inflammatory diseases. Polyuria and
      polydipsia are the clinical markers, but sometimes clinical situations are
      presenting with no thirst. These are not frequent but are life-treating
      conditions. Diagnosis is not easy, and for this reason some cases are treated
      late. We describe here a very infrequent oncological case of dangerous adipsic
      diabetes insipidus in a young girl who survived. 

PMID- 26500541
TI  - Hypercalcemia-Induced Hypokalemic Metabolic Alkalosis in a Multiple Myeloma
      Patient: The Risk of Furosemide Use.
AB  - Hypercalcemia is often seen in patients with malignancies, and in the past
      treatment for this has traditionally included loop diuretics. Clinically,
      patients with hypercalcemia frequently present with polyuria and volume
      contraction which may be further exacerbated by diuretic therapy. In the lab,
      hypercalcemia has been shown to activate the calcium-sensing receptor in the
      thick ascending limb of Henle and inactivate the 2 chloride sodium potassium co
      transporter and induce a hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis, an effect similar to
      that of the loop diuretic furosemide. We now report what may well be the first
      clinical correlate of this laboratory finding in a patient who developed a
      hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis as a consequence of severe hypercalcemia due to
      multiple myeloma and whose metabolic derangement was corrected without the use of
      a loop diuretic which may have exacerbated the electrolyte abnormalities. 

PMID- 26500542
TI  - Hemiparetic Primary Lateral Sclerosis: Revisiting Mills Syndrome.
AB  - A slowly progressive hemiparesis beginning in a single limb with evolution to the
      ipsilateral limb was originally described in 8 patients in 1906 by Mills. We
      present 5 cases of progressive hemiparetic corticospinal tract degeneration,
      identified by the clinical presentation and the exclusion of other etiologies
      using serological, imaging, and electrodiagnostic studies. 

PMID- 26500543
TI  - A Case of Recurrent Hemorrhages due to a Chronic Expanding Encapsulated
      Intracranial Hematoma.
AB  - Few case reports of encapsulated intracranial hematoma (EIH) exist, and the
      mechanisms underlying the onset and enlargement of EIH remain unclear. Here, we
      report on a 39-year-old woman with an EIH that repeatedly hemorrhaged and swelled
      and was ultimately surgically removed. In June 2012, the patient visited her
      local doctor, complaining of headaches. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan
      identified a small hemorrhage of approximately 7 mm in her right basal ganglia,
      and a wait-and-see approach was adopted. Six months later, her headaches
      recurred. She was admitted to our department after MRI showed tumor lesions
      accompanying the intermittent hemorrhaging in the right basal ganglia. After
      admission, hemorrhaging was again observed, with symptoms progressing to left
      sided hemiplegia and fluctuating consciousness; thus, a craniotomy was performed.
      No obvious abnormal blood vessels were observed on the preoperative cerebral
      angiography. We accessed the lesion using a transcortical approach via a right
      frontotemporal craniotomy and removed the subacute hematoma by extracting the
      encapsulated tumor as a single mass. Subsequent pathological examinations showed
      that the hematoma exhibited abnormal internal vascularization and was covered
      with a capsule formed from growing capillaries and accumulating collagen fibers,
      suggesting that it was an EIH. No lingering neurological symptoms were noted upon
      postoperative follow-up. This type of hematoma expands slowly and is
      asymptomatic, with reported cases consisting of patients that already have
      neurological deficits due to progressive hematoma growth. Our report is one of a
      few to provide a clinical picture of the initial stages that occur prior to
      hematoma encapsulation. 

PMID- 26500544
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of Levodopa before and after Gastrointestinal Resection in
      Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Levodopa (LD) is important in the clinical treatment of Parkinson's
      disease (PD), and the changes of its pharmacokinetics may affect the clinical
      outcome. LD is mainly absorbed in the upper intestine; thus, the pharmacokinetics
      of LD may change after gastrointestinal operation. Here, we present the case of a
      patient who underwent resection of the intestine and compared his LD
      pharmacokinetics before and after resection. CASE PRESENTATION: A 72-year-old
      Japanese male PD patient developed jaundice and was diagnosed with
      cholangiocarcinoma. Pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed and part of the
      stomach, total duodenum, and part of the jejunum were resected. The patient had
      been treated with LD, and his pharmacokinetics was checked twice at the age of 68
      years. Because LD is absorbed in the duodenum and jejunum, we checked his
      pharmacokinetics again after the operation. The results before the operation were
      almost similar; however, in comparison, the area under the curve and peak drug
      concentration was reduced, and the time-to-peak drug concentration and
      elimination halftime were elongated after the operation. CONCLUSION: Physicians
      must pay attention to the change of LD pharmacokinetics after gastrointestinal
      operation.

PMID- 26500545
TI  - Wallenberg Syndrome with Associated Motor Weakness in a Two-Week-Postpartum
      Female.
AB  - A 30-year-old, right-handed female presented 2 weeks postpartum with acute-onset
      severe headache, vertigo, and vomiting. Initial neurologic examination
      illustrated lingual dysarthria, horizontal nystagmus, right dysmetria on finger
      to-nose testing, and weakness of the extremities. Magnetic resonance imaging
      showed a large, left lateral medullary infarction (Wallenberg syndrome) with
      cephalad extension into the ipsilateral pons as well as involvement of the left
      middle cerebellar peduncle. The patient was discharged 3 weeks later to an
      inpatient rehabilitation facility with gradual improvement of her symptoms. 

PMID- 26500546
TI  - Computational reconstitution of spine calcium transients from individual
      proteins.
AB  - We have built a stochastic model in the program MCell that simulates Ca(2+)
      transients in spines from the principal molecular components believed to control
      Ca(2+) entry and exit. Proteins, with their kinetic models, are located within
      two segments of dendrites containing 88 intact spines, centered in a fully
      reconstructed 6 * 6 * 5 MUm(3) cube of hippocampal neuropil. Protein components
      include AMPA- and NMDA-type glutamate receptors, L- and R-type voltage-dependent
      Ca(2+) channels, Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchangers, plasma membrane Ca(2+) ATPases, smooth
      endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPases, immobile Ca(2+) buffers, and calbindin.
      Kinetic models for each protein were taken from published studies of the isolated
      proteins in vitro. For simulation of electrical stimuli, the time course of
      voltage changes in the dendritic spine was generated with the desired stimulus in
      the program NEURON. Voltage-dependent parameters were then continuously re
      adjusted during simulations in MCell to reproduce the effects of the stimulus.
      Nine parameters of the model were optimized within realistic experimental limits
      by a process that compared results of simulations to published data. We find that
      simulations in the optimized model reproduce the timing and amplitude of Ca(2+)
      transients measured experimentally in intact neurons. Thus, we demonstrate that
      the characteristics of individual isolated proteins determined in vitro can
      accurately reproduce the dynamics of experimentally measured Ca(2+) transients in
      spines. The model will provide a test bed for exploring the roles of additional
      proteins that regulate Ca(2+) influx into spines and for studying the behavior of
      protein targets in the spine that are regulated by Ca(2+) influx. 

PMID- 26500548
TI  - Association of Statins with Sensory and Autonomic Ganglionopathy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine if statins have an effect on small nerve fibers. METHODS:
      This retrospective study evaluated the effect of statins in pure small-fiber
      neuropathy (SFN). Outcome measures were symptom scales (numbness, tingling, and
      autonomic symptoms), skin biopsies assessing epidermal nerve fiber density
      (ENFD), sweat gland nerve fiber density (SGNFD), and quantitative autonomic
      testing. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty participants with pure SFN were
      identified. Eighty participants (women/men, age +/- SD 33/47, 68.1 +/- 11.6 years
      old) were on statins for 53.5 +/- 28.7 months to treat dyslipidemia and they were
      age and gender matched with 80 participants (33/47, 68.1 +/- 9.5) that were off
      statins. ANOVA showed reduced ENFD/SGNFD at the proximal leg in the statin group
      [(count/mm) 8.3 +/- 3.6/51.3 +/- 14.2] compared to the off statin group (10.4 +/-
      3.8, p = 0.0008/56.4 +/- 12.7, p = 0.018). There was no difference in ENFD/SGNFD
      at the distal leg in the statin group (4.9 +/- 3.2/39.8 +/- 15.7) compared to the
      off statin group (5.9 +/- 3.4, p = 0.067/41.8 +/- 15.9, p = 0.426). Statins did
      not affect symptom scales and the outcome of autonomic testing. CONCLUSION:
      Statin use is associated with degeneration of sensory and autonomic fibers. The
      pattern of abnormalities, e.g., degeneration of proximal while sparing of distal
      fibers, is consistent with a non-length-dependent process with lesions in the
      dorsal root and the autonomic ganglia. The statin-associated sensory and
      autonomic ganglionopathy is mild.

PMID- 26500549
TI  - White matter microstructure contributes to age-related declines in task-induced
      deactivation of the default mode network.
AB  - Task-induced deactivations within the brain's default mode network (DMN) are
      thought to reflect suppression of endogenous thought processes to support
      exogenous goal-directed task processes. Older adults are known to show reductions
      in deactivation of the DMN compared to younger adults. However, little is
      understood about the mechanisms contributing to functional dysregulation of the
      DMN in aging. Here, we explored the relationships between functional modulation
      of the DMN and age, task performance and white matter (WM) microstructure.
      Participants were 117 adults ranging from 25 to 83 years old who completed an
      fMRI task switching paradigm, including easy (single) and difficult (mixed)
      conditions, and underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The fMRI results
      revealed an age by condition interaction (beta = -0.13, t = -3.16, p = 0.002)
      such that increasing age affected deactivation magnitude during the mixed
      condition (beta = -0.29, t = -3.24 p = 0.002) but not the single condition (p =
      0.58). Additionally, there was a WM by condition interaction (beta = 0.10, t =
      2.33, p = 0.02) such that decreasing WM microstructure affected deactivation
      magnitude during the mixed condition (beta = 0.30, t = 3.42 p = 0.001) but not
      the single condition (p = 0.17). Critically, mediation analyses indicated that
      age-related reductions in WM microstructure accounted for the relationship
      between age and DMN deactivation in the more difficult mixed condition. These
      findings suggest that age-related declines in anatomical connectivity between DMN
      regions contribute to functional dysregulation within the DMN in older adults. 

PMID- 26500550
TI  - Organic anion transporter 2 transcript variant 1 shows broad ligand selectivity
      when expressed in multiple cell lines.
AB  - Organic anion transporter 2 (OAT2) is likely important for renal and hepatic drug
      elimination. Three variants of the OAT2 peptide sequence have been described -
      OAT2 transcript variant 1 (OAT2-tv1), OAT2 transcript variant 2 (OAT2-tv2), and
      OAT2 transcript variant 3 (OAT2-tv3). Early studies helping to define the ligand
      selectivity of OAT2 failed to identify the variant used, and the studies used
      several heterologous expression systems. In preliminary studies using OAT2-tv1,
      we failed to observe transport of several previously identified substrates,
      leading us to speculate that ligand selectivity of OAT2 differs with variant
      and/or heterologous expression system. The purpose was to further investigate the
      ligand selectivity of the OAT2 variants expressed in multiple cell types. We
      cloned OAT2-tv1 and OAT2-tv2, but were unsuccessful at amplifying mRNA for OAT2
      tv3 from human kidney. OAT2-tv1 and OAT2-tv2 were individually expressed in human
      embryonic kidney (HEK), Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK), or Chinese hamster
      ovary (CHO) cells. mRNA for OAT2-tv1 and OAT2-tv2 was demonstrated in each cell
      type transfected with the respective construct, indicating their expression. OAT2
      tv1 trafficked to the plasma membrane of all three cell types, but OAT2-tv2 did
      not. OAT2-tv1 transported penciclovir in all three cell types, but failed to
      transport para-aminohippurate, succinate, glutarate, estrone-3-sulfate,
      paclitaxel or dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate - previously identified substrates
      of OAT2-tv2. Not surprising given its lack of plasma membrane expression, OAT2
      tv2 failed to transport any of the organic solutes examined, including
      penciclovir. Penciclovir transport by OAT2-tv1 was sensitive to large (e.g.,
      cyclosporine A) and small (e.g., allopurinol) organic compounds, as well as
      organic anions, cations and neutral compounds, highlighting the multiselectivity
      of OAT2-tv1. The potencies with which indomethacin, furosemide, cyclosporine A
      and cimetidine inhibited OAT2-tv1 are in good agreement with previous studies
      using this variant, but inconsistent with studies using OAT2 with an unidentified
      sequence. This study shows that organic molecules with diverse physicochemical
      properties interact with OAT2-tv1, making it a likely site of drug interactions.
      Many previously identified substrates of OAT2 are not transported by OAT2-tv1,
      suggesting that variant and/or expression system may contribute. Future work
      should establish the expression pattern and ligand selectivity of OAT2-tv3. 

PMID- 26500547
TI  - A muscle stem cell for every muscle: variability of satellite cell biology among
      different muscle groups.
AB  - The human body contains approximately 640 individual skeletal muscles. Despite
      the fact that all of these muscles are composed of striated muscle tissue, the
      biology of these muscles and their associated muscle stem cell populations are
      quite diverse. Skeletal muscles are affected differentially by various muscular
      dystrophies (MDs), such that certain genetic mutations specifically alter muscle
      function in only a subset of muscles. Additionally, defective muscle stem cells
      have been implicated in the pathology of some MDs. The biology of muscle stem
      cells varies depending on the muscles with which they are associated. Here we
      review the biology of skeletal muscle stem cell populations of eight different
      muscle groups. Understanding the biological variation of skeletal muscles and
      their resident stem cells could provide valuable insight into mechanisms
      underlying the susceptibility of certain muscles to myopathic disease. 

PMID- 26500551
TI  - HDL particle number and size as predictors of cardiovascular disease.
AB  - Previous studies indicate that reduced concentrations of circulating high-density
      lipoprotein (HDL) particles can be superior to HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels as
      a predictor of cardiovascular disease. Measurements of HDL particle numbers,
      therefore, bear a potential for the improved assessment of cardiovascular risk.
      Furthermore, such measurement can be relevant for the evaluation of novel
      therapeutic approaches targeting HDL. Modern in-depth analyses of HDL particle
      profile may further improve evaluation of cardiovascular risk. Although clinical
      relevance of circulating concentrations of HDL subpopulations to cardiovascular
      disease remains controversial, the negative relationship between the number of
      large HDL particles and cardiovascular disease suggests that assessment of HDL
      particle profile can be clinically useful. Reduced mean HDL size is equally
      associated with cardiovascular disease in large-scale clinical studies. Since HDL
      C is primarily carried in the circulation by large, lipid-rich HDL particles, the
      inverse relationship between HDL size and cardiovascular risk can be secondary to
      those established for plasma levels of HDL particles, HDL-C, and large HDL. The
      epidemiological data thereby suggest that HDL particle number may represent a
      more relevant therapeutic target as compared to HDL-C. 

PMID- 26500552
TI  - Non-clinical development of CER-001.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease remains the most pressing healthcare issue for the
      developed world and is becoming so for developing countries. There are no
      currently approved therapies that can rapidly reduce the burden of unstable,
      inflamed plaque in the overall coronary vascular bed. High-density lipoprotein
      (HDL) has multiple actions that could lead to plaque stabilization, such as rapid
      removal of large quantities of cholesterol from the vasculature through the
      process of reverse lipid transport, improvement in endothelial function,
      protection against oxidative damage, and reduction in inflammation. Short-term
      infusion of HDL-mimetics in animal models as well as in humans has shown
      promising effects on the plaque size and morphology. Cerenis Therapeutics has
      developed CER-001, a negatively charged lipoprotein complex consisting of
      phospholipid and recombinant human apoA-I that mimics the structure and function
      of natural HDL. Three clinical trials using CER-001 infusions have demonstrated
      improvements in the carotid wall thickness of patients with familial
      hypercholesterolaemia and in patients with hypo-alphalipoproteinaemia, as well as
      an impact on coronary plaque burden measured by intravascular ultrasonography at
      the lowest tested dose (3 mg/kg) in post-ACS patients. Here, we reviewed the non
      clinical data leading to the demonstration that CER-001 is a full HDL mimetic. 

PMID- 26500554
TI  - Influence of aerobic exercise training on post-exercise responses of aortic pulse
      pressure and augmentation pressure in postmenopausal women.
AB  - Central arterial blood pressure (BP) is more predictive of future cardiovascular
      events than is brachial BP because it reflects the BP load imposed on the left
      ventricle with greater accuracy. However, little is known about the effects of
      exercise training on central hemodynamic response to acute exercise. The purpose
      of the present study was to determine the influence of an aerobic exercise
      regimen on the response of aortic BP after a single aerobic exercise in
      postmenopausal women. Nine healthy postmenopausal women (age: 61 +/- 2 years)
      participated in a 12-week aerobic exercise training regimen. Before and after the
      training, each subjects performed a single bout of cycling at ventilatory
      thresholds for 30 min. We evaluated the post-exercise aortic BP response, which
      was estimated via the general transfer function from applanation tonometry. After
      the initial pre-training aerobic exercise session, aortic BP did not change
      significantly: however, aortic pulse pressure and augmentation pressure were
      significantly attenuated after the single aerobic exercise session following the
      12-week training regimen. The present study demonstrated that a regular aerobic
      exercise training regimen induced the post-exercise reduction of aortic pulse
      pressure and augmentation pressure. Regular aerobic exercise training may enhance
      post-exercise reduction in aortic BP. 

PMID- 26500555
TI  - Spironolactone treatment attenuates vascular dysfunction in type 2 diabetic mice
      by decreasing oxidative stress and restoring NO/GC signaling.
AB  - Type 2 diabetes (DM2) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Aldosterone,
      which has pro-oxidative and pro-inflammatory effects in the cardiovascular
      system, is positively regulated in DM2. We assessed whether blockade of
      mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) with spironolactone decreases reactive oxygen
      species (ROS)-associated vascular dysfunction and improves vascular nitric oxide
      (NO) signaling in diabetes. Leptin receptor knockout [LepR(db)/LepR(db) (db/db)]
      mice, a model of DM2, and their counterpart controls [LepR(db)/LepR(+), (db/+)
      mice] received spironolactone (50 mg/kg body weight/day) or vehicle (ethanol 1%)
      via oral per gavage for 6 weeks. Spironolactone treatment abolished endothelial
      dysfunction and increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)
      phosphorylation (Ser(1177)) in arteries from db/db mice, determined by
      acetylcholine-induced relaxation and Western Blot analysis, respectively. MR
      antagonist therapy also abrogated augmented ROS-generation in aorta from diabetic
      mice, determined by lucigenin luminescence assay. Spironolactone treatment
      increased superoxide dismutase-1 and catalase expression, improved sodium
      nitroprusside and BAY 41-2272-induced relaxation, and increased soluble guanylyl
      cyclase (sGC) beta subunit expression in arteries from db/db mice. Our results
      demonstrate that spironolactone decreases diabetes-associated vascular oxidative
      stress and prevents vascular dysfunction through processes involving increased
      expression of antioxidant enzymes and sGC. These findings further elucidate redox
      sensitive mechanisms whereby spironolactone protects against vascular injury in
      diabetes. 

PMID- 26500553
TI  - The role of serotonin 5-HT2A receptors in memory and cognition.
AB  - Serotonin 5-HT2A receptors (5-HT2ARs) are widely distributed in the central
      nervous system, especially in brain region essential for learning and cognition.
      In addition to endogenous 5-HT, several hallucinogens, antipsychotics, and
      antidepressants function by targeting 5-HT2ARs. Preclinical studies show that 5
      HT2AR antagonists have antipsychotic and antidepressant properties, whereas
      agonist ligands possess cognition-enhancing and hallucinogenic properties.
      Abnormal 5-HT2AR activity is associated with a number of psychiatric disorders
      and conditions, including depression, schizophrenia, and drug addiction. In
      addition to its traditional activity as a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR),
      recent studies have defined novel operations of 5-HT2ARs. Here we review progress
      in the (1) receptor anatomy and biology: distribution, signaling, polymerization
      and allosteric modulation; and (2) receptor functions: learning and memory,
      hallucination and spatial cognition, and mental disorders. Based on the recent
      progress in basic research on the 5-HT2AR, it appears that post-training 5-HT2AR
      activation enhances non-spatial memory consolidation, while pre-training 5-HT2AR
      activation facilitates fear extinction. Further, the potential influence that 5
      HT2AR-elicited visual hallucinations may have on visual cue (i.e., landmark)
      guided spatial cognition is discussed. We conclude that the development of
      selective 5-HT2AR modulators to target distinct signaling pathways and neural
      circuits represents a new possibility for treating emotional, neuropsychiatric,
      and neurodegenerative disorders. 

PMID- 26500556
TI  - Evolution from electrophysiologic to hemodynamic monitoring: the story of left
      atrial and pulmonary artery pressure monitors.
AB  - Heart failure (HF) is a costly, challenging and highly prevalent medical
      condition. Hospitalization for acute decompensation is associated with high
      morbidity and mortality. Despite application of evidence-based medical therapies
      and technologies, HF remains a formidable challenge for virtually all healthcare
      systems. Repeat hospitalizations for acute decompensated HF (ADHF) can have major
      financial impact on institutions and resources. Early and accurate identification
      of impending ADHF is of paramount importance yet there is limited high quality
      evidence or infrastructure to guide management in the outpatient setting.
      Historically, ADHF was identified by physical exam findings or invasive
      hemodynamic monitoring during a hospital admission; however, advances in medical
      microelectronics and the advent of device-based diagnostics have enabled long
      term ambulatory monitoring of HF patients in the outpatient setting. These
      monitors have evolved from piggybacking on cardiac implantable electrophysiologic
      devices to standalone implantable hemodynamic monitors that transduce left atrial
      or pulmonary artery pressures as surrogate measures of left ventricular filling
      pressure. As technology evolves, devices will likely continue to miniaturize
      while their capabilities grow. An important, persistent challenge that remains is
      developing systems to translate the large volumes of real-time data, particularly
      data trends, into actionable information that leads to appropriate, safe and
      timely interventions without overwhelming outpatient cardiology and general
      medical practices. Future directions for implantable hemodynamic monitors beyond
      their utility in heart failure may include management of other major chronic
      diseases such as pulmonary hypertension, end stage renal disease and portal
      hypertension. 

PMID- 26500557
TI  - Commentary: Chemiexcitation of melanin derivatives induces DNA photoproducts long
      after UV exposure.

PMID- 26500558
TI  - Extracting extensor digitorum communis activation patterns using high-density
      surface electromyography.
AB  - The extensor digitorum communis muscle plays an important role in hand dexterity
      during object manipulations. This multi-tendinous muscle is believed to be
      controlled through separate motoneuron pools, thereby forming different
      compartments that control individual digits. However, due to the complex
      anatomical variations across individuals and the flexibility of neural control
      strategies, the spatial activation patterns of the extensor digitorum communis
      compartments during individual finger extension have not been fully tracked under
      different task conditions. The objective of this study was to quantify the global
      spatial activation patterns of the extensor digitorum communis using high-density
      (7 * 9) surface electromyogram (EMG) recordings. The muscle activation map (based
      on the root mean square of the EMG) was constructed when subjects performed
      individual four finger extensions at the metacarpophalangeal joint, at different
      effort levels and under different finger constraints (static and dynamic). Our
      results revealed distinct activation patterns during individual finger
      extensions, especially between index and middle finger extensions, although the
      activation between ring and little finger extensions showed strong covariance.
      The activation map was relatively consistent at different muscle contraction
      levels and for different finger constraint conditions. We also found that
      distinct activation patterns were more discernible in the proximal-distal
      direction than in the radial-ulnar direction. The global spatial activation map
      utilizing surface grid EMG of the extensor digitorum communis muscle provides
      information for localizing individual compartments of the extensor muscle during
      finger extensions. This is of potential value for identifying more selective
      control input for assistive devices. Such information can also provide a basis
      for understanding hand impairment in individuals with neural disorders. 

PMID- 26500559
TI  - Computational implementation of a tunable multicellular memory circuit for
      engineered eukaryotic consortia.
AB  - Cells are complex machines capable of processing information by means of an
      entangled network of molecular interactions. A crucial component of these
      decision-making systems is the presence of memory and this is also a specially
      relevant target of engineered synthetic systems. A classic example of memory
      devices is a 1-bit memory element known as the flip-flop. Such system can be in
      principle designed using a single-cell implementation, but a direct mapping
      between standard circuit design and a living circuit can be cumbersome. Here we
      present a novel computational implementation of a 1-bit memory device using a
      reliable multicellular design able to behave as a set-reset flip-flop that could
      be implemented in yeast cells. The dynamics of the proposed synthetic circuit is
      investigated with a mathematical model using biologically-meaningful parameters.
      The circuit is shown to behave as a flip-flop in a wide range of parameter
      values. The repression strength for the NOT logics is shown to be crucial to
      obtain a good flip-flop signal. Our model also shows that the circuit can be
      externally tuned to achieve different memory states and dynamics, such as
      persistent and transient memory. We have characterized the parameter domains for
      robust memory storage and retrieval as well as the corresponding time response
      dynamics. 

PMID- 26500560
TI  - Respiratory kinematic and airflow differences between reflex and voluntary cough
      in healthy young adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cough is a defensive behavior that can be initiated in response to a
      stimulus in the airway (reflexively), or on command (voluntarily). There is
      evidence to suggest that physiological differences exist between reflex and
      voluntary cough; however, the output (mechanistic and airflow) differences
      between the cough types are not fully understood. Therefore, the aims of this
      study were to determine the lung volume, respiratory kinematic, and airflow
      differences between reflex and voluntary cough in healthy young adults. METHODS:
      Twenty-five participants (14 female; 18-29 years) were recruited for this study.
      Participants were evaluated using respiratory inductance plethysmography
      calibrated with spirometry. Experimental procedures included: (1) respiratory
      calibration, (2) three voluntary sequential cough trials, and (3) three reflex
      cough trials induced with 200 MUM capsaicin. RESULTS: Lung volume initiation
      (LVI; p = 0.003) and lung volume excursion (LVE; p < 0.001) were significantly
      greater for voluntary cough compared to reflex cough. The rib cage and abdomen
      significantly influenced LVI for voluntary cough (p < 0.001); however, only the
      rib cage significantly impacted LVI for reflex cough (p < 0.001). LVI
      significantly influenced peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) for voluntary cough (p
      = 0.029), but not reflex cough (p = 0.610). DISCUSSION: Production of a reflex
      cough results in significant mechanistic and airflow differences compared to
      voluntary cough. These findings suggest that detection of a tussigenic stimulus
      modifies motor aspects of the reflex cough behavior. Further understanding of the
      differences between reflex and voluntary cough in older adults and in persons
      with dystussia (cough dysfunction) will be essential to facilitate the
      development of successful cough treatment paradigms.

PMID- 26500561
TI  - Alexithymic Trait, Painful Heat Stimulation, and Everyday Pain Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alexithymia was found to be associated with a variety of somatic
      complaints, including somatoform pain symptoms. This study addressed the question
      of whether the different facets of alexithymia are related to responses in heat
      pain stimulation and its interrelations with levels of everyday pain as assessed
      by self-report. METHODS: In the study, sensitivity to heat pain was assessed in
      50 healthy female participants. Alexithymia facets were assessed by the Toronto
      Alexithymia Scale. Pain threshold and tolerance were determined using a testing
      the limits procedure. Participants, furthermore, rated subjective intensities and
      unpleasantness of tonic heat stimuli (45.5-47.5 degrees C) on visual analog
      scales and on a questionnaire. Possible confounding with temperature sensitivity
      and mood was controlled. Everyday pain was assessed by self-report addressing
      everyday pain frequency, intensity, and impairment experienced over the last 2
      months. RESULTS: Main results were that the facets of alexithymia were
      differentially associated with pain perception. The affective scale "difficulties
      in describing feelings" was associated with hyposensitivity to pain as indicated
      by higher pain tolerance scores. Furthermore, everyday pain frequency was related
      to increased alexithymia values on the affective scale "difficulties in
      identifying feelings," whereas higher values on the cognitive alexithymia scale
      "externally oriented thinking" were related to lower pain impairment and
      intensity. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the different facets of alexithymia are
      related to alternations in pain processing. Further research on clinical samples
      is necessary to elucidate whether different aspects of alexithymia act as a
      vulnerability factor for the development of pain symptoms.

PMID- 26500562
TI  - Differential Intrinsic Coupling Modes in Psychological and Physical Trauma.

PMID- 26500563
TI  - Impulsivity is Associated with Early Sensory Inhibition in Neurophysiological
      Processing of Affective Sounds.
AB  - Impulsivity is widely related to socially problematic behaviors and psychiatric
      illness. Previous studies have investigated the relationship between response
      inhibition and impulsivity. However, no study has intensively examined how
      impulsivity correlates with automatic sensory processing before the drive for
      response inhibition to sensory inputs. Sensory gating (SG) is an automatic
      inhibitory function that attenuates the neural response to redundant sensory
      information and protects higher cognitive functions from the burst of information
      processing. Although SG functions abnormally in several clinical populations,
      there is very little evidence supporting SG changes in conjunction with
      impulsivity traits in non-clinical populations. The present study recruited
      healthy adults (n = 23) to conduct a neurophysiological experiment using a paired
      click paradigm and self-report scales assessing impulsive behavioral traits.
      Auditory stimuli included not only a pure tone but also white noise to explore
      the differences in auditory-evoked potential (AEP) responses between the two
      stimuli. White noise is more affective than pure tones; therefore, we predicted
      that the SG of AEPs (P50, N100, and P200) for white noise would correlate more
      with self-reported impulsivity than with those for pure tones. Our main findings
      showed that SG of the P50 and P200 amplitudes significantly correlated with self
      reported reward responsiveness and fun-seeking, respectively, only for white
      noise stimuli, demonstrating that higher-scoring impulsivity subcomponents were
      related to greater SG. Frequency-domain analyses also revealed that greater
      desynchronization of the beta band for the second white noise stimulus was
      associated with higher motor impulsivity scores, suggesting that an impulsivity
      related change of SG was associated with attentional modulation. These findings
      indicate that the measurement of SG of white noise may be an efficient tool to
      evaluate impulsivity in non-clinical populations, and should also be applied to
      clinical populations. 

PMID- 26500565
TI  - Commentary: The Impact of Neuroimmune Alterations in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PMID- 26500564
TI  - Eyeblink Conditioning and Novel Object Recognition in the Rabbit: Behavioral
      Paradigms for Assaying Psychiatric Diseases.
AB  - Analysis of data collected from behavioral paradigms has provided important
      information for understanding the etiology and progression of diseases that
      involve neural regions mediating abnormal behavior. The trace eyeblink
      conditioning (EBC) paradigm is particularly suited to examine cerebro-cerebellar
      interactions since the paradigm requires the cerebellum, forebrain, and awareness
      of the stimulus contingencies. Impairments in acquiring EBC have been noted in
      several neuropsychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease
      (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
      Although several species have been used to examine EBC, the rabbit is unique in
      its tolerance for restraint, which facilitates imaging, its relatively large
      skull that facilitates chronic neuronal recordings, a genetic sequence for
      amyloid that is identical to humans which makes it a valuable model to study AD,
      and in contrast to rodents, it has a striatum that is differentiated into a
      caudate and a putamen that facilitates analysis of diseases involving the
      striatum. This review focuses on EBC during schizophrenia and AD since
      impairments in cerebro-cerebellar connections have been hypothesized to lead to a
      cognitive dysmetria. We also relate EBC to conditioned avoidance responses that
      are more often examined for effects of antipsychotic medications, and we propose
      that an analysis of novel object recognition (NOR) may add to our understanding
      of how the underlying neural circuitry has changed during disease states. We
      propose that the EBC and NOR paradigms will help to determine which therapeutics
      are effective for treating the cognitive aspects of schizophrenia and AD, and
      that neuroimaging may reveal biomarkers of the diseases and help to evaluate
      potential therapeutics. The rabbit, thus, provides an important translational
      system for studying neural mechanisms mediating maladaptive behaviors that
      underlie some psychiatric diseases, especially cognitive impairments associated
      with schizophrenia and AD, and object recognition provides a simple test of
      memory that can corroborate the results of EBC. 

PMID- 26500567
TI  - Implicit beliefs about ideal body image predict body image dissatisfaction.
AB  - We examined whether implicit measures of actual and ideal body image can be used
      to predict body dissatisfaction in young female adults. Participants completed
      two Implicit Relational Assessment Procedures (IRAPs) to examine their implicit
      beliefs concerning actual (e.g., I am thin) and desired ideal body image (e.g., I
      want to be thin). Body dissatisfaction was examined via self-report
      questionnaires and rating scales. As expected, differences in body
      dissatisfaction exerted a differential influence on the two IRAP scores.
      Specifically, the implicit belief that one is thin was lower in participants who
      exhibited a high degree of body dissatisfaction than in participants who
      exhibited a low degree of body dissatisfaction. In contrast, the implicit desire
      to be thin (i.e., thin ideal body image) was stronger in participants who
      exhibited a high level of body dissatisfaction than in participants who were less
      dissatisfied with their body. Adding further weight to the idea that both IRAP
      measures captured different underlying constructs, we also observed that they
      correlated differently with body mass index, explicit body dissatisfaction, and
      explicit measures of actual and ideal body image. More generally, these findings
      underscore the advantage of using implicit measures that incorporate relational
      information relative to implicit measures that allow for an assessment of
      associative relations only. 

PMID- 26500568
TI  - Perceived legitimacy of normative expectations motivates compliance with social
      norms when nobody is watching.
AB  - Three main motivations can explain compliance with social norms: fear of peer
      punishment, the desire for others' esteem and the desire to meet others'
      expectations. Though all play a role, only the desire to meet others'
      expectations can sustain compliance when neither public nor private monitoring is
      possible. Theoretical models have shown that such desire can indeed sustain
      social norms, but empirical evidence is lacking. Moreover it is unclear whether
      this desire ranges over others' "empirical" or "normative" expectations. We
      propose a new experimental design to isolate this motivation and to investigate
      what kind of expectations people are inclined to meet. Results indicate that,
      when nobody can assign either material or immaterial sanctions, the perceived
      legitimacy of others' normative expectations can motivate a significant number of
      people to comply with costly social norms. 

PMID- 26500566
TI  - Opening the gender diversity black box: causality of perceived gender equity and
      locus of control and mediation of work engagement in employee well-being.
AB  - The study is aimed at assessing the role of perceived gender equity and locus of
      control in employee well-being at the workplace and ascertaining if work
      engagement mediates between perceived gender equity, locus of control, and
      employee well-being (measured through optimism, general satisfaction with life
      and work, and executive burnout). Adopting a personal survey method data was
      collected from 373 managers (both males and females) from the public and private
      sectors representing manufacturing and service industry in India. The study
      bridges the knowledge gap by operationalizing the construct of perceived gender
      equity and studying its role in the work engagement and employee well-being.
      Conceptualization of the well-being in an unconventional way covering both the
      positive and the negative aspects extends the understanding of the emerging
      concept of well-being. It has practical implications for talent management and
      work engagement besides promoting gender equity at the workplace for employee
      well-being. It opens vistas for the gender based theory and cross cultural
      research on gender equity. 

PMID- 26500569
TI  - Children's understanding of Aesop's fables: relations to reading comprehension
      and theory of mind.
AB  - Two studies examined children's developing understanding of Aesop's fables in
      relation to reading comprehension and to theory of mind. Study 1 included 172
      children from Junior Kindergarten through Grade 6 in a school-wide examination of
      the relation between reading comprehension skills and understanding of Aesop's
      fables told orally. Study 2 examined the relation between theory of mind and
      fables understanding among 186 Junior (4-year-old) and Senior (5-year-old)
      Kindergarten children. Study 1 results showed a developmental progression in
      fables understanding with children's responses becoming increasingly
      decontextualized as they were able to extract the life lesson. After general
      vocabulary, passage comprehension predicted fables understanding. Study 2 results
      showed a relation between young children's theory of mind development and their
      understanding of fables. After general vocabulary, second-order theory of mind
      predicted children's fables understanding. Findings point to the importance of
      developing mental state awareness in children's ability to judge characters'
      intentions and to understand the deeper message embedded in fables. 

PMID- 26500570
TI  - Does Cognitive Behavior Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) show a sustainable effect on
      delusions? A meta-analysis.
AB  - Cognitive Behavior Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) is an effective treatment
      resulting in small to medium effect sizes with regard to changes in positive
      symptoms and psychopathology. As a consequence, CBTp is recommended by national
      guidelines for all patients with schizophrenia. However, although CBTp was
      originally developed as a means to improve delusions, meta-analyses have
      generally integrated effects for positive symptoms rather than for delusions.
      Thus, it is still an open question whether CBTp is more effective with regard to
      change in delusions compared to treatment as usual (TAU) and to other
      interventions, and whether this effect remains stable over a follow-up period.
      Moreover, it would be interesting to explore whether newer studies that focus on
      specific factors involved in the formation and maintenance of delusions (causal
      interventionist approach) are more effective than the first generation of CBTp
      studies. A systematic search of the trial literature identified 19 RCTs that
      compared CBTp with TAU and/or other interventions and reported delusions as an
      outcome measure. Meta-analytic integration resulted in a significant small to
      medium effect size for CBTp in comparison to TAU at end-of-therapy (k = 13;
      [Formula: see text] 0.27) and after an average follow-up period of 47 weeks (k =
      12; [Formula: see text] 0.25). When compared with other interventions, there was
      no significant effect of CBTp at end-of-therapy (k = 8; [Formula: see text] 0.16)
      and after a follow-up period (k = 5; [Formula: see text]). Comparison between
      newer studies taking a causal-interventionist approach (k = 4) and first
      generation studies showed a difference of 0.33 in mean effect sizes in favor of
      newer studies at end-of-therapy. The findings suggest that CBTp is superior to
      TAU, but is not superior to other interventions, in bringing about a change in
      delusions, and that this superiority is maintained over the follow-up period.
      Moreover, interventions that focus on causal factors of delusions seem to be a
      promising approach to improving interventions for delusions. 

PMID- 26500573
TI  - Learning psychological research and statistical concepts using retrieval-based
      practice.
AB  - Research methods and statistics are an indispensable subject in the undergraduate
      psychology curriculum, but there are challenges associated with engaging students
      in it, such as making learning durable. Here we hypothesized that retrieval-based
      learning promotes long-term retention of statistical knowledge in psychology.
      Participants either studied the educational material in four consecutive periods,
      or studied it just once and practiced retrieving the information in the
      subsequent three periods, and then took a final test through which their learning
      was assessed. Whereas repeated studying yielded better test performance when the
      final test was immediately administered, repeated practice yielded better
      performance when the test was administered a week after. The data suggest that
      retrieval practice enhanced the learning-produced better long-term retention-of
      statistical knowledge in psychology than did repeated studying. 

PMID- 26500574
TI  - Variability in social reasoning: the influence of attachment security on the
      attribution of goals.
AB  - Over the last half decade there has been a growing move to apply the methods and
      theory of cognitive development to questions regarding infants' social
      understanding. Though this combination has afforded exciting opportunities to
      better understand our species' unique social cognitive abilities, the resulting
      findings do not always lead to the same conclusions. For example, a growing body
      of research has found support for both universal similarity and individual
      differences in infants' social reasoning about others' responses to incomplete
      goals. The present research examines this apparent contradiction by assessing the
      influence of attachment security on the ability of university undergraduates to
      represent instrumental needs versus social-emotional distress. When the two
      varieties of goals were clearly differentiated, we observed a universally similar
      pattern of results (Experiments 1A/B). However, when the goals were combined, and
      both instrumental need and social-emotional distress were presented together,
      individual differences emerged (Experiments 2 and 3). Taken together, these
      results demonstrate that by integrating the two perspectives of shared universals
      and individual differences, important points of contact can be revealed
      supporting a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the nature of human social
      reasoning. 

PMID- 26500571
TI  - The neurosciences and the search for a unified psychology: the science and
      esthetics of a single framework.
AB  - The search for a so-called unified or integrated theory has long served as a goal
      for some psychologists, even if the search is often implicit. But if the
      established sciences do not have an explicitly unified set of theories, then why
      should psychology? After examining this question again I argue that psychology is
      in fact reasonably unified around its methods and its commitment to functional
      explanations, an indeterminate functionalism. The question of the place of the
      neurosciences in this framework is complex. On the one hand, the neuroscientific
      project will not likely renew and synthesize the disparate arms of psychology. On
      the other hand, their reformulation of what it means to be human will exert an
      influence in multiple ways. One way to capture that influence is to conceptualize
      the brain in terms of a technology that we interact with in a manner that we do
      not yet fully understand. In this way we maintain both a distance from neuro
      reductionism and refrain from committing to an unfettered subjectivity. 

PMID- 26500576
TI  - Bridging the gap between DeafBlind minds: interactional and social foundations of
      intention attribution in the Seattle DeafBlind community.
AB  - This article is concerned with social and interactional processes that simplify
      pragmatic acts of intention attribution. The empirical focus is a series of
      interactions among DeafBlind people in Seattle, Washington, where pointing signs
      are used to individuate objects of reference in the immediate environment. Most
      members of this community are born deaf and slowly become blind. They come to
      Seattle using Visual American Sign Language, which has emerged and developed in a
      field organized around visual modes of access. As vision deteriorates, however,
      links between deictic signs (such as pointing) and the present, remembered, or
      imagined environment erode in idiosyncratic ways across the community of language
      users, and as a result, it becomes increasingly difficult for participants to
      converge on objects of reference. In the past, DeafBlind people addressed this
      problem by relying on sighted interpreters. Under the influence of the recent
      "pro-tactile" movement, they have turned instead to one another to find new
      solutions to these referential problems. Drawing on analyses of 120 h of
      videorecorded interaction and language-use, detailed fieldnotes collected during
      12 months of sustained anthropological fieldwork, and more than 15 years of
      involvement in this community in a range of capacities, I argue that DeafBlind
      people are generating new and reciprocal modes of access to their environment,
      and this process is aligning language with context in novel ways. I discuss two
      mechanisms that can account for this process: embedding in the social field and
      deictic integration. I argue that together, these social and interactional
      processes yield a deictic system set to retrieve a restricted range of values
      from the extra-linguistic context, thereby attenuating the cognitive demands of
      intention attribution and narrowing the gap between DeafBlind minds. 

PMID- 26500579
TI  - Wh-filler-gap dependency formation guides reflexive antecedent search.
AB  - Prior studies on online sentence processing have shown that the parser can
      resolve non-local dependencies rapidly and accurately. This study investigates
      the interaction between the processing of two such non-local dependencies: wh
      filler-gap dependencies (WhFGD) and reflexive-antecedent dependencies. We show
      that reflexive-antecedent dependency resolution is sensitive to the presence of a
      WhFGD, and argue that the filler-gap dependency established by WhFGD resolution
      is selected online as the antecedent of a reflexive dependency. We investigate
      the processing of constructions like (1), where two NPs might be possible
      antecedents for the reflexive, namely which cowgirl and Mary. Even though Mary is
      linearly closer to the reflexive, the only grammatically licit antecedent for the
      reflexive is the more distant wh-NP, which cowgirl. (1). Which cowgirl did Mary
      expect to have injured herself due to negligence? Four eye-tracking text-reading
      experiments were conducted on examples like (1), differing in whether the
      embedded clause was non-finite (1 and 3) or finite (2 and 4), and in whether the
      tail of the wh-dependency intervened between the reflexive and its closest overt
      antecedent (1 and 2) or the wh-dependency was associated with a position earlier
      in the sentence (3 and 4). The results of Experiments 1 and 2 indicate the parser
      accesses the result of WhFGD formation during reflexive antecedent search. The
      resolution of a wh-dependency alters the representation that reflexive antecedent
      search operates over, allowing the grammatical but linearly distant antecedent to
      be accessed rapidly. In the absence of a long-distance WhFGD (Experiments 3 and
      4), wh-NPs were not found to impact reading times of the reflexive, indicating
      that the parser's ability to select distant wh-NPs as reflexive antecedents
      crucially involves syntactic structure. 

PMID- 26500580
TI  - Commentary: Cultural recycling of neural substrates during language evolution and
      development.

PMID- 26500578
TI  - A psychometric analysis of the reading the mind in the eyes test: toward a brief
      form for research and applied settings.
AB  - The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test is a popular measure of individual
      differences in Theory of Mind that is often applied in the assessment of
      particular clinical populations (primarily, individuals on the autism spectrum).
      However, little is known about the test's psychometric properties, including
      factor structure, internal consistency, and convergent validity evidence. We
      present a psychometric analysis of the test followed by an evaluation of other
      empirically proposed and statistically identified structures. We identified, and
      cross-validated in a second sample, an adequate short-form solution that is
      homogeneous with adequate internal consistency, and is moderately related to
      Cognitive Empathy, Emotion Perception, and strongly related to Vocabulary. We
      recommend the use of this short-form solution in normal adults as a more precise
      measure over the original version. Future revisions of the test should seek to
      reduce the test's reliance on one's vocabulary and evaluate the short-form
      structure in clinical populations. 

PMID- 26500577
TI  - Flow theory - goal orientation theory: positive experience is related to
      athlete's goal orientation.
AB  - The main purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between flow
      experience and goal orientation theory, as well as, the differences in flow
      experience based on the orthogonal model of goal orientation theory. Two hundred
      and seventy eight athletes completed the Task and Ego Orientation Sport
      Questionnaire based on how they usually feel. The challenge and skills ratings
      were completed 1 h before the competition, based on how they felt at the exact
      time of answering. In the following, the Flow State Scale-2 was completed up to
      30 min after the competition they just participated, along with the challenge
      skill ratings, based on how athletes felt during the competition. The results
      indicated that the athletes' task orientation may be an important factor for
      attaining flow in competitive sport, feeling more skillful and estimating the
      upcoming competition as challenging, while low ego and low task oriented athletes
      lack these elements, which are important for them to get into flow. Additionally,
      not the level of task and ego orientation per se, but the balance between
      athletes' goal orientation preferences seems important for the formation of flow
      experience, indicating that high task - high ego and high task - low ego athletes
      are experiencing the most positive mental state. 

PMID- 26500572
TI  - Chemosensory anxiety cues moderate the experience of social exclusion - an fMRI
      investigation with Cyberball.
AB  - Recent evidence suggests that the experience of stress can be communicated
      between individuals via chemosensory cues. Little is known, however, about the
      impact of these cues on neurophysiological responses during a socially
      threatening situation. In the current investigation we implemented a widely used
      paradigm to study social exclusion-Cyberball-to examine whether chemosensory cues
      signaling anxiety modulate the neuronal effects of ostracism. In a double-blind,
      within-subjects design, 24 healthy, normosmic participants were presented with
      chemosensory cues of anxiety (or control samples) and completed the Cyberball
      task while in a 3T fMRI scanner. Axillary sweat collected from male students
      awaiting an oral examination served as the anxiety cues while the chemosensory
      control stimuli consisted of sweat collected from the same individuals
      participating in an ergometer training session. The neuroimaging data revealed
      that under the control chemosensory condition, exclusion from Cyberball was
      associated with significantly higher orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate
      cortex activity, which is consistent with previous studies in the field. However,
      when participants were primed with the anxiety sweat, the activity in these
      regions was not observed. Further, under exposure to anxiety cues during
      ostracism the participants showed deactivations in brain regions involved in
      memory (hippocampus), social cognition (middle temporal gyrus, superior temporal
      gyrus) and processing of salience (inferior frontal gyrus). These results suggest
      that successful communication of anxiety via the chemosensory domain may moderate
      the experience of social exclusion. It is possible that the anxiety signals make
      it easier for the individuals to detach from the group, pointing to the
      communicative role of chemosensory anxiety cues in enhancing adjustment
      mechanisms in light of a distressing situation. 

PMID- 26500586
TI  - The hows and whys of face memory: level of construal influences the recognition
      of human faces.
AB  - Three experiments investigated the influence of level of construal (i.e., the
      interpretation of actions in terms of their meaning or their details) on
      different stages of face memory. We employed a standard multiple-face recognition
      paradigm, with half of the faces inverted at test. Construal level was
      manipulated prior to recognition (Experiment 1), during study (Experiment 2) or
      both (Experiment 3). The results support a general advantage for high-level
      construal over low-level construal at both study and at test, and suggest that
      matching processing style between study and recognition has no advantage. These
      experiments provide additional evidence in support of a link between semantic
      processing (i.e., construal) and visual (i.e., face) processing. We conclude with
      a discussion of implications for current theories relating to both construal and
      face processing. 

PMID- 26500575
TI  - Internalizing and externalizing traits predict changes in sleep efficiency in
      emerging adulthood: an actigraphy study.
AB  - Research on psychopathology and experimental studies of sleep restriction support
      a relationship between sleep disruption and both internalizing and externalizing
      disorders. The objective of the current study was to extend this research by
      examining sleep, impulsivity, antisocial personality traits, and internalizing
      traits in a university sample. Three hundred and eighty six individuals (161
      males) between the ages of 18 and 27 years (M = 18.59, SD = 0.98) wore actigraphs
      for 7 days and completed established measures of disorder-linked personality
      traits and sleep quality (i.e., Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), Triarchic
      Psychopathy Measure, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11, and the Pittsburgh Sleep
      Quality Index). As expected, sleep measures and questionnaire scores fell within
      the normal range of values and sex differences in sleep and personality were
      consistent with previous research results. Similar to findings in predominantly
      male forensic psychiatric settings, higher levels of impulsivity predicted poorer
      subjective sleep quality in both women and men. Consistent with well-established
      associations between depression and sleep, higher levels of depression in both
      sexes predicted poorer subjective sleep quality. Bidirectional analyses showed
      that better sleep efficiency decreases depression. Finally, moderation analyses
      showed that gender does have a primary role in sleep efficiency and marginal
      effects were found. The observed relations between sleep and personality traits
      in a typical university sample add to converging evidence of the relationship
      between sleep and psychopathology and may inform our understanding of the
      development of psychopathology in young adulthood. 

PMID- 26500581
TI  - Improving reading skills in students with dyslexia: the efficacy of a sublexical
      training with rhythmic background.
AB  - The core deficit underlying developmental dyslexia (DD) has been identified in
      difficulties in dynamic and rapidly changing auditory information processing,
      which contribute to the development of impaired phonological representations for
      words. It has been argued that enhancing basic musical rhythm perception skills
      in children with DD may have a positive effect on reading abilities because music
      and language share common mechanisms and thus transfer effects from the former to
      the latter are expected to occur. A computer-assisted training, called Rhythmic
      Reading Training (RRT), was designed in which reading exercises are combined with
      rhythm background. Fourteen junior high school students with DD took part to 9
      biweekly individual sessions of 30 min in which RRT was implemented. Reading
      improvements after the intervention period were compared with ones of a matched
      control group of 14 students with DD who received no intervention. Results
      indicated that RRT had a positive effect on both reading speed and accuracy and
      significant effects were found on short pseudo-words reading speed, long pseudo
      words reading speed, high frequency long words reading accuracy, and text reading
      accuracy. No difference in rhythm perception between the intervention and control
      group were found. Findings suggest that rhythm facilitates the development of
      reading skill because of the temporal structure it imposes to word decoding. 

PMID- 26500589
TI  - Working alliance inventory applied to virtual and augmented reality (WAI-VAR):
      psychometrics and therapeutic outcomes.
AB  - This study examines the psychometric properties of the Working Alliance Inventory
      Short (WAI-S) adaptation to Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
      therapies (WAI-VAR). The relationship between the therapeutic alliance (TA) with
      VR and AR and clinically significant change (CSC) is also explored. Seventy-five
      patients took part in this study (74.7% women, M age = 34.41). Fear of flying and
      adjustment disorder patients received VR therapy, and cockroach phobia patients
      received AR therapy. Psychometric properties, CSC, one-way ANOVA, Spearman's
      Correlations and Multiple Regression were calculated. The WAI-VAR showed a
      unidimensional structure, high internal consistency and adequate convergent
      validity. "Not changed" patients scored lower on the WAI-VAR than "improved" and
      "recovered" patients. Correlation between the WAI-VAR and CSC was moderate. The
      best fitting model for predicting CSC was a linear combination of the TA with
      therapist (WAI-S) and the TA with VR and AR (WAI-VAR), due to the latter variable
      slightly increased the percentage of variability accounted for in CSC. The WAI
      VAR is the first validated instrument to measure the TA with VR and AR in
      research and clinical practice. This study reveals the importance of the quality
      of the TA with technologies in achieving positive outcomes in the therapy. 

PMID- 26500583
TI  - Can vocal conditioning trigger a semiotic ratchet in marmosets?
AB  - The complexity of human communication has often been taken as evidence that our
      language reflects a true evolutionary leap, bearing little resemblance to any
      other animal communication system. The putative uniqueness of the human language
      poses serious evolutionary and ethological challenges to a rational explanation
      of human communication. Here we review ethological, anatomical, molecular, and
      computational results across several species to set boundaries for these
      challenges. Results from animal behavior, cognitive psychology, neurobiology, and
      semiotics indicate that human language shares multiple features with other
      primate communication systems, such as specialized brain circuits for
      sensorimotor processing, the capability for indexical (pointing) and symbolic
      (referential) signaling, the importance of shared intentionality for associative
      learning, affective conditioning and parental scaffolding of vocal production.
      The most substantial differences lie in the higher human capacity for symbolic
      compositionality, fast vertical transmission of new symbols across generations,
      and irreversible accumulation of novel adaptive behaviors (cultural ratchet). We
      hypothesize that increasingly-complex vocal conditioning of an appropriate animal
      model may be sufficient to trigger a semiotic ratchet, evidenced by progressive
      sign complexification, as spontaneous contact calls become indexes, then symbols
      and finally arguments (strings of symbols). To test this hypothesis, we outline a
      series of conditioning experiments in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).
      The experiments are designed to probe the limits of vocal communication in a
      prosocial, highly vocal primate 35 million years far from the human lineage, so
      as to shed light on the mechanisms of semiotic complexification and cultural
      transmission, and serve as a naturalistic behavioral setting for the
      investigation of language disorders. 

PMID- 26500585
TI  - Distinct effects of contrast and color on subjective rating of fearfulness.
AB  - Natural scenes provide important affective cues for observers to avoid danger.
      From an adaptationist perspective, such cues affect the behavior of the observer
      and shape the evolution of the observer's response. It is evolutionarily
      significant for individuals to extract affective information from the environment
      as quickly and as efficiently as possible. However, the nearly endless variations
      in physical appearance of natural scenes present a fundamental challenge for
      perceiving significant visual information. How image-level properties, such as
      contrast and color, influence the extraction of affective information leading to
      subjective emotional perception is unclear. On the one hand, studies have shown
      that visual perception and emotional perception seem to interact with each other
      at the earliest stages in cortical processing. On the other hand, it is important
      for high-level subjective ratings to be invariant to low-level visual properties.
      Using a psychophysical approach and signal detection theory (SDT), we tested how
      contrast and color influenced fearfulness ratings of a set of natural scene
      pictures that varied in contents and in levels of fearfulness. Image contrast
      influenced perceptual sensitivity but not the decision criterion of fearfulness
      rating, whereas color affected the decision criterion but not perceptual
      sensitivity. These results show that different low-level visual features
      contribute independently to sensitivity or decision criterion in affective
      perception, suggesting distinct interactions between visual cognition and
      affective processing. Specifically, our naturalistic approach using a novel
      stimulus set, combined with SDT, has demonstrated two dissociable types of
      cognitive mechanisms underlying how image-level properties leverage the
      extraction of affective information in natural vision. 

PMID- 26500587
TI  - The effect of magnocellular-based visual-motor intervention on Chinese children
      with developmental dyslexia.
AB  - Magnocellular (M) deficit theory points out that the core deficit of
      developmental dyslexia (DD) is the impairment in M pathway, which has been
      evidenced in many previous studies. Based on the M deficit, some researchers
      found that visual intervention focusing on M deficit improved dyslexics' M
      function as well as reading abilities. However, the number and reliability of
      these training studies were limited. Therefore, the present study conducted an M
      based visual-motor intervention on Chinese children with DD to investigate the
      relationship between M deficit and Chinese DD. Intervention programs included
      coherent motion detection, visual search, visual tracking, and juggling, which
      were related to M function. The results showed that M function and phonological
      awareness of training dyslexic group were improved to a normal level as age
      matched normal children after intervention, while non-training dyslexics did not.
      It supported M deficit theory, and suggested M deficit might be the core deficit
      of Chinese DD. 

PMID- 26500584
TI  - Neurotransmitters as food supplements: the effects of GABA on brain and behavior.
AB  - Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the
      human cortex. The food supplement version of GABA is widely available online.
      Although many consumers claim that they experience benefits from the use of these
      products, it is unclear whether these supplements confer benefits beyond a
      placebo effect. Currently, the mechanism of action behind these products is
      unknown. It has long been thought that GABA is unable to cross the blood-brain
      barrier (BBB), but the studies that have assessed this issue are often
      contradictory and range widely in their employed methods. Accordingly, future
      research needs to establish the effects of oral GABA administration on GABA
      levels in the human brain, for example using magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
      There is some evidence in favor of a calming effect of GABA food supplements, but
      most of this evidence was reported by researchers with a potential conflict of
      interest. We suggest that any veridical effects of GABA food supplements on brain
      and cognition might be exerted through BBB passage or, more indirectly, via an
      effect on the enteric nervous system. We conclude that the mechanism of action of
      GABA food supplements is far from clear, and that further work is needed to
      establish the behavioral effects of GABA. 

PMID- 26500582
TI  - Dopaminergic modulation of positive expectations for goal-directed action:
      evidence from Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) impairs the control of movement and cognition, including
      the planning of action and its consequences. This provides the opportunity to
      study the dopaminergic influences on the perception and awareness of action. Here
      we examined the perception of the outcome of a goal-directed action made by
      medicated patients with PD. A visuomotor task probed the integration of
      sensorimotor signals with the positive expectations of outcomes (Self priors),
      which in healthy adults bias perception toward success in proportion to trait
      optimism. We tested the hypotheses that (i) the priors on the perception of the
      consequences of one's own actions differ between patients and age- and sex
      matched controls, and (ii) that these priors are modulated by the levodopa dose
      equivalent (LDEs) in patients. There was no overall difference between patients
      and controls in the perceptual priors used. However, the precision of patient
      priors was inversely related to their LDE. Patients with high LDE showed more
      accurate priors, representing predictions that were closer to the true
      distribution of performance. Such accuracy has previously been demonstrated when
      observing the actions of others, suggesting abnormal awareness of action in these
      patients. These results confirm a link between dopamine and the positive
      expectation of the outcome of one's own actions, and may have implications for
      the management of PD. 

PMID- 26500588
TI  - Discrete versus multiple word displays: a re-analysis of studies comparing
      dyslexic and typically developing children.
AB  - The study examines whether impairments in reading a text can be explained by a
      deficit in word decoding or an additional deficit in the processes governing the
      integration of reading subcomponents (including eye movement programming and
      pronunciation) should also be postulated. We report a re-analysis of data from
      eleven previous experiments conducted in our lab where the reading performance on
      single, discrete word displays as well multiple displays (texts, and in few cases
      also word lists) was investigated in groups of dyslexic children and typically
      developing readers. The analysis focuses on measures of time and not accuracy.
      Across experiments, dyslexic children are slower and more variable than typically
      developing readers in reading texts as well as vocal reaction time (RTs) to
      singly presented words; the dis-homogeneity in variability between groups points
      to the inappropriateness of standard measures of size effect (such as Cohen's d),
      and suggests the use of the ratio between groups' performance. The mean ratio for
      text reading is 1.95 across experiments. Mean ratio for vocal RTs for singly
      presented words is considerably smaller (1.52). Furthermore, this latter value is
      probably an overestimation as considering total reading times (i.e., a measure
      including also the pronunciation component) considerably reduces the group
      difference in vocal RTs (1.19 according to Martelli et al., 2014). The ratio
      difference between single and multiple displays does not depend upon the presence
      of a semantic context in the case of texts as large ratios are also observed with
      lists of unrelated words (though studies testing this aspect were few). We
      conclude that, if care is taken in using appropriate comparisons, the deficit in
      reading texts or lists of words is appreciably greater than that revealed with
      discrete word presentations. Thus, reading multiple stimuli present a specific,
      additional challenge to dyslexic children indicating that models of reading
      should incorporate this aspect. 

PMID- 26500590
TI  - What goes on in the resting-state? A qualitative glimpse into resting-state
      experience in the scanner.
AB  - The brain's resting-state has attracted considerable interest in recent years,
      but currently little is known either about typical experience during the resting
      state or about whether there are inter-individual differences in resting-state
      phenomenology. We used descriptive experience sampling (DES) in an attempt to
      apprehend high fidelity glimpses of the inner experience of five participants in
      an extended fMRI study. Results showed that the inner experiences and the neural
      activation patterns (as quantified by amplitude of low frequency fluctuations
      analysis) of the five participants were largely consistent across time,
      suggesting that our extended-duration scanner sessions were broadly similar to
      typical resting-state sessions. However, there were very large individual
      differences in inner phenomena, suggesting that the resting-state itself may
      differ substantially from one participant to the next. We describe these
      individual differences in experiential characteristics and display some typical
      moments of resting-state experience. We also show that retrospective
      characterizations of phenomena can often be very different from moment-by-moment
      reports. We discuss implications for the assessment of inner experience in
      neuroimaging studies more generally, concluding that it may be possible to use
      fMRI to investigate neural correlates of phenomena apprehended in high fidelity. 

PMID- 26500593
TI  - Square bananas, blue horses: the relative weight of shape and color in concept
      recognition and representation.
AB  - The present study investigates the role that shape and color play in the
      representation of animate (i.e., animals) and inanimate manipulable entities
      (i.e., fruits), and how the importance of these features is modulated by
      different tasks. Across three experiments participants were shown either images
      of entities (e.g., a sheep or a pineapple) or images of the same entities
      modified in color (e.g., a blue pineapple) or in shape (e.g., an elongated
      pineapple). In Experiment 1 we asked participants to categorize the entities as
      fruit or animal. Results showed that with animals color does not matter, while
      shape modifications determined a deterioration of the performance - stronger for
      fruit than for animals. To better understand our findings, in Experiments 2 we
      asked participants to judge if entities were graspable (manipulation evaluation
      task). Participants were faster with manipulable entities (fruit) than with
      animals; moreover alterations in shape affected the response latencies more for
      animals than for fruit. In Experiment 3 (motion evaluation task), we replicated
      the disadvantage for shape-altered animals, while with fruits shape and color
      modifications produced no effect. By contrasting shape- and color- alterations
      the present findings provide information on shape/color relative weight,
      suggesting that the action based property of shape is more crucial than color for
      fruit categorization, while with animals it is critical for both manipulation and
      motion tasks. This contextual dependency is further revealed by explicit
      judgments on similarity - between the altered entities and the prototypical ones 
      provided after the different tasks. These results extend current literature on
      affordances and biofunctionally embodied understanding, revealing the relative
      robustness of biofunctional activity compared to intellectual one. 

PMID- 26500596
TI  - Music stimulates muscles, mind, and feelings in one go.

PMID- 26500594
TI  - Normative data on the n-back task for children and young adolescents.
AB  - The n-back task is a frequently used measure of working memory (WM) in cognitive
      neuroscience research contexts, and it has become widely adopted in other areas
      over the last decade. This study aimed to obtain normative data for the n-back
      task from a large sample of children and adolescents. To this end, a computerized
      verbal n-back task with three levels of WM load (1-back, 2-back, and 3-back) was
      administered to 3722 Spanish school children aged 7-13 years. Results showed an
      overall age-related increase in performance for the different levels of
      difficulty. This trend was less pronounced at 1-back than at 2-back when hits
      were considered. Gender differences were also observed, with girls outperforming
      boys although taking more time to respond. The theoretical implications of these
      results are discussed. Normative data stratified by age and gender for the three
      WM load levels are provided. 

PMID- 26500592
TI  - Preference reversal in quantum decision theory.
AB  - We consider the psychological effect of preference reversal and show that it
      finds a natural explanation in the frame of quantum decision theory. When people
      choose between lotteries with non-negative payoffs, they prefer a more certain
      lottery because of uncertainty aversion. But when people evaluate lottery prices,
      e.g., for selling to others the right to play them, they do this more rationally,
      being less subject to behavioral biases. This difference can be explained by the
      presence of the attraction factors entering the expression of quantum
      probabilities. Only the existence of attraction factors can explain why,
      considering two lotteries with close utility factors, a decision maker prefers
      one of them when choosing, but evaluates higher the other one when pricing. We
      derive a general quantitative criterion for the preference reversal to occur that
      relates the utilities of the two lotteries to the attraction factors under
      choosing vs. pricing and test successfully its application on experiments by
      Tversky et al. We also show that the planning paradox can be treated as a kind of
      preference reversal. 

PMID- 26500602
TI  - Erratum: Observing the restriction of another person: vicarious reactance and the
      role of self-construal and culture.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 1052 in vol. 6, PMID: 26300795.]. 

PMID- 26500597
TI  - Just let them play? Deliberate preparation as the most appropriate foundation for
      lifelong physical activity.

PMID- 26500595
TI  - Heritage language and linguistic theory.
AB  - This paper discusses a common reality in many cases of multilingualism: heritage
      speakers, or unbalanced bilinguals, simultaneous or sequential, who shifted early
      in childhood from one language (their heritage language) to their dominant
      language (the language of their speech community). To demonstrate the relevance
      of heritage linguistics to the study of linguistic competence more broadly
      defined, we present a series of case studies on heritage linguistics, documenting
      some of the deficits and abilities typical of heritage speakers, together with
      the broader theoretical questions they inform. We consider the reorganization of
      morphosyntactic feature systems, the reanalysis of atypical argument structure,
      the attrition of the syntax of relativization, and the simplification of scope
      interpretations; these phenomena implicate diverging trajectories and outcomes in
      the development of heritage speakers. The case studies also have practical and
      methodological implications for the study of multilingualism. We conclude by
      discussing more general concepts central to linguistic inquiry, in particular,
      complexity and native speaker competence. 

PMID- 26500599
TI  - Student assessment of teaching as a source of information about aspects of
      teaching quality in multiple subject domains: an application of multilevel
      bifactor structural equation modeling.
AB  - Research on educational effectiveness most often uses student assessments of
      classroom instruction for measuring aspects of teaching quality. Given that
      crucial inferences on the success of education are based on these assessments, it
      is essential to ensure that they provide valid indicators. In this study, we
      illustrate the application of an innovative application of a multilevel bifactor
      structural equation model (ML-BFSEM) to examine the validity of student
      assessments. Analyzing a large-scale data set of 12,077 fourth-grade students in
      three countries (Finland, Norway, and Sweden), we find that (i) three aspects of
      teaching quality and subject domain factors can be established; (ii) metric and
      scalar invariance could be established for the ML-BFSEM approach across
      countries; and (iii) significant relations between students' assessments of how
      easy the teacher is to understand and achievement in all subjects exist. In
      support of substantive research, we demonstrate a methodological approach for
      representing the complex nature of student assessments of teaching quality. We
      finally encourage substantive and methodological researchers to advance the ML
      BFSEM. 

PMID- 26500600
TI  - Investigating expectation effects using multiple physiological measures.
AB  - The study aimed at experimentally investigating whether the human body can
      anticipate future events under improved methodological conditions. Previous
      studies have reported contradictory results for the phenomenon typically called
      presentiment. If the positive findings are accurate, they call into doubt our
      views about human perception, and if they are inaccurate, a plausible
      conventional explanation might be based on the experimental design of the
      previous studies, in which expectation due to item sequences was misinterpreted
      as presentiment. To address these points, we opted to collect several
      physiological variables, to test different randomization types and to manipulate
      subjective significance individually. For the latter, we combined a mock crime
      scenario, in which participants had to steal specific items, with a concealed
      information test (CIT), in which the participants had to conceal their knowledge
      when interrogated about items they had stolen or not stolen. We measured
      electrodermal activity, respiration, finger pulse, heart rate (HR), and reaction
      times. The participants (n = 154) were assigned randomly to four different
      groups. Items presented in the CIT were either drawn with replacement (full) or
      without replacement (pseudo) and were either presented category-wise (cat) or
      regardless of categories (nocat). To understand how these item sequences
      influence expectation and modulate physiological reactions, we compared the
      groups with respect to effect sizes for stolen vs. not stolen items. Group
      pseudo_cat yielded the highest effect sizes, and pseudo_nocat yielded the lowest.
      We could not find any evidence of presentiment but did find evidence of
      physiological correlates of expectation. Due to the design differing
      fundamentally from previous studies, these findings do not allow for conclusions
      on the question whether the expectation bias is being confounded with
      presentiment. 

PMID- 26500598
TI  - From pre-registration to publication: a non-technical primer for conducting a
      meta-analysis to synthesize correlational data.
AB  - Meta-analysis synthesizes a body of research investigating a common research
      question. Outcomes from meta-analyses provide a more objective and transparent
      summary of a research area than traditional narrative reviews. Moreover, they are
      often used to support research grant applications, guide clinical practice, and
      direct health policy. The aim of this article is to provide a practical and non
      technical guide for psychological scientists that outlines the steps involved in
      planning and performing a meta-analysis of correlational datasets. I provide a
      supplementary R script to demonstrate each analytical step described in the
      paper, which is readily adaptable for researchers to use for their analyses.
      While the worked example is the analysis of a correlational dataset, the general
      meta-analytic process described in this paper is applicable for all types of
      effect sizes. I also emphasize the importance of meta-analysis protocols and pre
      registration to improve transparency and help avoid unintended duplication. An
      improved understanding this tool will not only help scientists to conduct their
      own meta-analyses but also improve their evaluation of published meta-analyses. 

PMID- 26500591
TI  - Visual duration aftereffect is position invariant.
AB  - Adaptation to relatively long or short sensory events leads to a negative
      aftereffect, such that the durations of the subsequent events within a certain
      range appear to be contracted or expanded. The distortion in perceived duration
      is presumed to arise from the adaptation of duration detectors. Here, we focus on
      the positional sensitivity of those visual duration detectors by exploring
      whether the duration aftereffect may be constrained by the visual location of
      stimuli. We adopted two different paradigms, one that tests for transfer across
      visual hemifields, and the other that tests for simultaneous selectivity between
      visual hemifields. By employing these experimental designs, we show that the
      duration aftereffect strongly transfers across visual hemifields and is not
      contingent on them. The lack of position specificity suggests that duration
      detectors in the visual system may operate at a relatively later stage of sensory
      processing. 

PMID- 26500603
TI  - Suggesting a Way to Understand the Actual Potential of Anti-Alzheimer's Disease
      Drugs That Show Promise in Transgenic Mouse Models.

PMID- 26500606
TI  - Determinants of Concurrent Motor and Language Recovery during Intensive Therapy
      in Chronic Stroke Patients: Four Single-Case Studies.
AB  - Despite intensive research on mechanisms of recovery of function after stroke,
      surprisingly little is known about determinants of concurrent recovery of
      language and motor functions in single patients. The alternative hypotheses are
      that the two functions might either "fight for resources" or use the same
      mechanisms in the recovery process. Here, we present follow-up data of four
      exemplary patients with different base levels of motor and language abilities. We
      assessed functional scales and performed exact lesion analysis to examine the
      connection between lesion parameters and recovery potential in each domain.
      Results confirm that preservation of the corticospinal tracts (CSTs) is a neural
      predictor for good motor recovery while preservation of the arcuate fasciculus
      (AF) is important for a good language recovery. However, results further indicate
      that even patients with large lesions in CST, AF, and superior longitudinal
      fasciculus, respectively, are able to recover their motor/language abilities
      during intensive therapy. We further found some indicators of a facilitating
      interaction between motor and language recovery. Patients with positive
      improvement of motor skills after therapy also improved in language skills, while
      the patients with no motor improvements were not able to gain any language
      recovery. 

PMID- 26500605
TI  - Training in Compensatory Strategies Enhances Rapport in Interactions Involving
      People with Mobius Syndrome.
AB  - In the exploratory study reported here, we tested the efficacy of an intervention
      designed to train teenagers with Mobius syndrome (MS) to increase the use of
      alternative communication strategies (e.g., gestures) to compensate for their
      lack of facial expressivity. Specifically, we expected the intervention to
      increase the level of rapport experienced in social interactions by our
      participants. In addition, we aimed to identify the mechanisms responsible for
      any such increase in rapport. In the study, five teenagers with MS interacted
      with three naive participants without MS before the intervention, and with three
      different naive participants without MS after the intervention. Rapport was
      assessed by self-report and by behavioral coders who rated videos of the
      interactions. Individual non-verbal behavior was assessed via behavioral coders,
      whereas verbal behavior was automatically extracted from the sound files.
      Alignment was assessed using cross recurrence quantification analysis and mixed
      effects models. The results showed that observer-coded rapport was greater after
      the intervention, whereas self-reported rapport did not change significantly.
      Observer-coded gesture and expressivity increased in participants with and
      without MS, whereas overall linguistic alignment decreased. Fidgeting and
      repetitiveness of verbal behavior also decreased in both groups. In sum, the
      intervention may impact non-verbal and verbal behavior in participants with and
      without MS, increasing rapport as well as overall gesturing, while decreasing
      alignment. 

PMID- 26500604
TI  - Transplanted Neural Progenitor Cells from Distinct Sources Migrate Differentially
      in an Organotypic Model of Brain Injury.
AB  - Brain injury is a major cause of long-term disability. The possibility exists for
      exogenously derived neural progenitor cells to repair damage resulting from brain
      injury, although more information is needed to successfully implement this
      promising therapy. To test the ability of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) obtained
      from rats to repair damaged neocortex, we transplanted neural progenitor cell
      suspensions into normal and injured slice cultures of the neocortex acquired from
      rats on postnatal day 0-3. Donor cells from E16 embryos were obtained from either
      the neocortex, including the ventricular zone (VZ) for excitatory cells,
      ganglionic eminence (GE) for inhibitory cells or a mixed population of the two.
      Cells were injected into the ventricular/subventricular zone (VZ/SVZ) or directly
      into the wounded region. Transplanted cells migrated throughout the cortical
      plate with GE and mixed population donor cells predominately targeting the upper
      cortical layers, while neocortically derived NPCs from the VZ/SVZ migrated less
      extensively. In the injured neocortex, transplanted cells moved predominantly
      into the wounded area. NPCs derived from the GE tended to be immunoreactive for
      GABAergic markers while those derived from the neocortex were more strongly
      immunoreactive for other neuronal markers such as MAP2, TUJ1, or Milli-Mark.
      Cells transplanted in vitro acquired the electrophysiological characteristics of
      neurons, including action potential generation and reception of spontaneous
      synaptic activity. This suggests that transplanted cells differentiate into
      neurons capable of functionally integrating with the host tissue. Together, our
      data suggest that transplantation of neural progenitor cells holds great
      potential as an emerging therapeutic intervention for restoring function lost to
      brain damage. 

PMID- 26500608
TI  - The Emerging Regulation of VEGFR-2 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.
AB  - Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF) signals vascular development and
      angiogenesis mainly by binding to VEGF receptor family member 2 (VEGFR-2).
      Adaptor proteins mediate many VEGFR-2's functions in the development of blood
      vessels. Cancer cells secrete VEGF to activate VEGFR-2 pathway in their
      neighboring endothelial cells in the process of cancer-related angiogenesis.
      Interestingly, activation of VEGFR-2 signaling is found in breast cancer cells,
      but its role and regulation are not clear. We highlighted research advances of
      VEGFR-2, with a focus on VEGFR-2's regulation by mutant p53 in breast cancer. In
      addition, we reviewed recent Food and Drug Administration-approved tyrosine
      kinase inhibitor drugs that can inhibit the function of VEGFR-2. Ongoing
      preclinical and clinical studies might prove that pharmaceutically targeting
      VEGFR-2 could be an effective therapeutic strategy in treating triple-negative
      breast cancer. 

PMID- 26500609
TI  - From chemolithoautotrophs to electrolithoautotrophs: CO2 fixation by Fe(II)
      oxidizing bacteria coupled with direct uptake of electrons from solid electron
      sources.
AB  - At deep-sea vent systems, hydrothermal emissions rich in reductive chemicals
      replace solar energy as fuels to support microbial carbon assimilation. Until
      recently, all the microbial components at vent systems have been assumed to be
      fostered by the primary production of chemolithoautotrophs; however, both the
      laboratory and on-site studies demonstrated electrical current generation at vent
      systems and have suggested that a portion of microbial carbon assimilation is
      stimulated by the direct uptake of electrons from electrically conductive
      minerals. Here we show that chemolithoautotrophic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacterium,
      Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, switches the electron source for carbon
      assimilation from diffusible Fe(2+) ions to an electrode under the condition that
      electrical current is the only source of energy and electrons. Site-specific
      marking of a cytochrome aa3 complex (aa3 complex) and a cytochrome bc1 complex
      (bc1 complex) in viable cells demonstrated that the electrons taken directly from
      an electrode are used for O2 reduction via a down-hill pathway, which generates
      proton motive force that is used for pushing the electrons to NAD(+) through a
      bc1 complex. Activation of carbon dioxide fixation by a direct electron uptake
      was also confirmed by the clear potential dependency of cell growth. These
      results reveal a previously unknown bioenergetic versatility of Fe(II)-oxidizing
      bacteria to use solid electron sources and will help with understanding carbon
      assimilation of microbial components living in electronically conductive chimney
      habitats. 

PMID- 26500601
TI  - Me, myself, and I: self-referent word use as an indicator of self-focused
      attention in relation to depression and anxiety.
AB  - Self-focused attention (SFA) is considered a cognitive bias that is closely
      related to depression. However, it is not yet well understood whether it
      represents a disorder-specific or a trans-diagnostic phenomenon and which role
      the valence of a given context is playing in this regard. Computerized
      quantitative text-analysis offers an integrative psycho-linguistic approach that
      may help to provide new insights into these complex relationships. The relative
      frequency of first-person singular pronouns in natural language is regarded as an
      objective, linguistic marker of SFA. Here we present two studies that examined
      the associations between SFA and symptoms of depression and anxiety in two
      different contexts (positive vs. negative valence), as well as the convergence
      between pronoun-use and self-reported aspects of SFA. In the first study, we
      found that the use of first-person singular pronouns during negative but not
      during positive memory recall was positively related to symptoms of depression
      and anxiety in patients with anorexia nervosa with varying levels of co-morbid
      depression and anxiety. In the second study, we found the same pattern of results
      in non-depressed individuals. In addition, use of first-person singular pronouns
      during negative memory recall was positively related to brooding (i.e., the
      assumed maladaptive sub-component of rumination) but not to reflection. These
      findings could not be replicated in two samples of depressed patients. However,
      non-chronically depressed patients used more first-person singular pronouns than
      healthy controls, irrespective of context. Taken together, the findings lend
      partial support to theoretical models that emphasize the effects of context on
      self-focus and consider SFA as a relevant trans-diagnostic phenomenon. In
      addition, the present findings point to the construct validity of pronoun-use as
      a linguistic marker of maladaptive self-focus. 

PMID- 26500612
TI  - In situ metabolism in halite endolithic microbial communities of the hyperarid
      Atacama Desert.
AB  - The Atacama Desert of northern Chile is one of the driest regions on Earth, with
      areas that exclude plants and where soils have extremely low microbial biomass.
      However, in the driest parts of the desert there are microorganisms that colonize
      the interior of halite nodules in fossil continental evaporites, where they are
      sustained by condensation of atmospheric water triggered by the salt substrate.
      Using a combination of in situ observations of variable chlorophyll fluorescence
      and controlled laboratory experiments, we show that this endolithic community is
      capable of carbon fixation both through oxygenic photosynthesis and potentially
      ammonia oxidation. We also present evidence that photosynthetic activity is
      finely tuned to moisture availability and solar insolation and can be sustained
      for days, and perhaps longer, after a wetting event. This is the first
      demonstration of in situ active metabolism in the hyperarid core of the Atacama
      Desert, and it provides the basis for proposing a self-contained, endolithic
      community that relies exclusively on non-rainfall sources of water. Our results
      contribute to an increasing body of evidence that even in hyperarid environments
      active metabolism, adaptation, and growth can occur in highly specialized
      microhabitats. 

PMID- 26500617
TI  - Biocide effects of volatile organic compounds produced by potential biocontrol
      rhizobacteria on Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.
AB  - Six rhizobacteria isolated from common bean and able to protect bean plants from
      the common bacterial blight (CBB) causal agent, were in vitro evaluated for their
      potential antifungal effects toward different plant pathogenic fungi, mostly soil
      borne. By dual culture assays, the above bacteria resulted producing diffusible
      and volatile metabolites which inhibited the growth of the majority of the
      pathogens under study. In particular, the latter substances highly affected the
      mycelium growth of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum strains, one of which was selected
      for further studies either on mycelium or sclerotia. Gas chromatographic analysis
      of the bacterial volatiles led to the identification of an array of volatile
      organic compounds (VOCs). Time course studies showed the modification of the VOCs
      profile along a period of 5 days. In order to evaluate the single detected VOC
      effects on fungal growth, some of the pure compounds were tested on S.
      sclerotiorum mycelium and their minimal inhibitory quantities were determined.
      Similarly, the minimal inhibitory quantities on sclerotia germination were also
      defined. Moreover, observations by light and transmission electron microscopes
      highlighted hyphae cytoplasm granulation and ultrastructural alterations at cell
      organelles, mostly membranes, mitochondria, and endoplasmic reticulum. The
      membranes appeared one of the primary targets of bacterial volatiles, as
      confirmed by hemolytic activity observed for the majority of pure VOCs. However,
      of interest is the alteration observed on mitochondria as well. 

PMID- 26500610
TI  - Proteomics identifies Bacillus cereus EntD as a pivotal protein for the
      production of numerous virulence factors.
AB  - Bacillus cereus is a Gram-positive pathogen that causes a wide variety of
      diseases in humans. It secretes into the extracellular milieu proteins that may
      contribute directly or indirectly to its virulence. EntD is a novel exoprotein
      identified by proteogenomics of B. cereus ATCC 14579. We constructed a DeltaentD
      mutant and analyzed the impact of entD disruption on the cellular proteome and
      exoproteome isolated from early, late, and stationary-phase cultures. We
      identified 308 and 79 proteins regulated by EntD in the cellular proteome and the
      exoproteome, respectively. The contribution of these proteins to important
      virulence-associated functions, including central metabolism, cell structure,
      antioxidative ability, cell motility, and toxin production, are presented. The
      proteomic data were correlated with the growth defect, cell morphology change,
      reduced motility, and reduced cytotoxicity of the DeltaentD mutant strain. We
      conclude that EntD is an important player in B. cereus virulence. The function of
      EntD and the putative EntD-dependent regulatory network are discussed. To our
      knowledge, this study is the first characterization of an Ent family protein in a
      species of the B. cereus group. 

PMID- 26500619
TI  - Genetic manipulation of a metabolic enzyme and a transcriptional regulator
      increasing succinate excretion from unicellular cyanobacterium.
AB  - Succinate is a building block compound that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
      has declared as important in biorefineries, and it is widely used as a commodity
      chemical. Here, we identified the two genes increasing succinate production of
      the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Succinate was excreted
      under dark, anaerobic conditions, and its production level increased by knocking
      out ackA, which encodes an acetate kinase, and by overexpressing sigE, which
      encodes an RNA polymerase sigma factor. Glycogen catabolism and organic acid
      biosynthesis were enhanced in the mutant lacking ackA and overexpressing sigE,
      leading to an increase in succinate production reaching five times of the wild
      type levels. Our genetic and metabolomic analyses thus demonstrated the effect of
      genetic manipulation of a metabolic enzyme and a transcriptional regulator on
      succinate excretion from this cyanobacterium with the data based on metabolomic
      technique. 

PMID- 26500615
TI  - Optimization of cellulase production by Enhydrobacter sp. ACCA2 and its
      application in biomass saccharification.
AB  - Cellulase finds use in saccharification of lignocellulosic agroresidues to
      fermentable sugars which can be used for production of commercially important
      metabolites. This study reports endoglucanase (CMCase) production by
      Enhydrobacter sp. ACCA2. The CMCase activity of the strain ACCA2 was successively
      improved by optimization of range of physical and nutritional parameter in a set
      of non-statistical and statistical experiments. Initial non-statistical selection
      of carbon source, incubation time, temperature and pH resulted in 1.07 fold
      increase of CMCase activity. In a subsequent statistical method, response surface
      methodology, optimization of medium components such as carboxymethylcellulose,
      peptone, NaCl, MgSO4, K2HPO4, and (NH4)2SO4 yielded further increase up to 2.39
      fold CMCase activity. The cellulolytic potential was evaluated in biomass
      saccharification with different plant materials and the results revealed that the
      enzyme produced by strain may have significant commercial values for industrial
      saccharification process. Moreover, this is the first report of cellulase
      production by an Enhydrobacter spp. 

PMID- 26500611
TI  - Cell scale host-pathogen modeling: another branch in the evolution of constraint
      based methods.
AB  - Constraint-based models have become popular methods for systems biology as they
      enable the integration of complex, disparate datasets in a biologically cohesive
      framework that also supports the description of biological processes in terms of
      basic physicochemical constraints and relationships. The scope, scale, and
      application of genome scale models have grown from single cell bacteria to multi
      cellular interaction modeling; host-pathogen modeling represents one of these
      examples at the current horizon of constraint-based methods. There are now a
      small number of examples of host-pathogen constraint-based models in the
      literature, however there has not yet been a definitive description of the
      methodology required for the functional integration of genome scale models in
      order to generate simulation capable host-pathogen models. Herein we outline a
      systematic procedure to produce functional host-pathogen models, highlighting
      steps which require debugging and iterative revisions in order to successfully
      build a functional model. The construction of such models will enable the
      exploration of host-pathogen interactions by leveraging the growing wealth of
      omic data in order to better understand mechanism of infection and identify novel
      therapeutic strategies. 

PMID- 26500613
TI  - Molecular tools in understanding the evolution of Vibrio cholerae.
AB  - Vibrio cholerae, the etiological agent of cholera, has been a scourge for
      centuries. Cholera remains a serious health threat for developing countries and
      has been responsible for millions of deaths globally over the past 200 years.
      Identification of V. cholerae has been accomplished using a variety of methods,
      ranging from phenotypic strategies to DNA based molecular typing and currently
      whole genomic approaches. This array of methods has been adopted in
      epidemiological investigations, either singly or in the aggregate, and more
      recently for evolutionary analyses of V. cholerae. Because the new technologies
      have been developed at an ever increasing pace, this review of the range of
      fingerprinting strategies, their relative advantages and limitations, and cholera
      case studies was undertaken. The task was challenging, considering the vast
      amount of the information available. To assist the study, key references
      representative of several areas of research are provided with the intent to
      provide readers with a comprehensive view of recent advances in the molecular
      epidemiology of V. cholerae. Suggestions for ways to obviate many of the current
      limitations of typing techniques are also provided. In summary, a comparative
      report has been prepared that includes the range from traditional typing to whole
      genomic strategies. 

PMID- 26500618
TI  - Specific microbial gene abundances and soil parameters contribute to C, N, and
      greenhouse gas process rates after land use change in Southern Amazonian Soils.
AB  - Ecological processes regulating soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles are still
      poorly understood, especially in the world's largest agricultural frontier in
      Southern Amazonia. We analyzed soil parameters in samples from pristine
      rainforest and after land use change to pasture and crop fields, and correlated
      them with abundance of functional and phylogenetic marker genes (amoA, nirK,
      nirS, norB, nosZ, nifH, mcrA, pmoA, and 16S/18S rRNA). Additionally, we
      integrated these parameters using path analysis and multiple regressions.
      Following forest removal, concentrations of soil C and N declined, and pH and
      nutrient levels increased, which influenced microbial abundances and
      biogeochemical processes. A seasonal trend was observed, suggesting that
      abundances of microbial groups were restored to near native levels after the dry
      winter fallow. Integration of the marker gene abundances with soil parameters
      using path analysis and multiple regressions provided good predictions of
      biogeochemical processes, such as the fluxes of NO3, N2O, CO2, and CH4. In the
      wet season, agricultural soil showed the highest abundance of nitrifiers (amoA)
      and Archaea, however, forest soils showed the highest abundances of denitrifiers
      (nirK, nosZ) and high N, which correlated with increased N2O emissions.
      Methanogens (mcrA) and methanotrophs (pmoA) were more abundant in forest soil,
      but methane flux was highest in pasture sites, which was related to soil
      compaction. Rather than analyzing direct correlations, the data integration using
      multivariate tools provided a better overview of biogeochemical processes.
      Overall, in the wet season, land use change from forest to agriculture reduced
      the abundance of different functional microbial groups related to the soil C and
      N cycles; integrating the gene abundance data and soil parameters provided a
      comprehensive overview of these interactions. Path analysis and multiple
      regressions addressed the need for more comprehensive approaches to improve our
      mechanistic understanding of biogeochemical cycles. 

PMID- 26500614
TI  - Transcriptional and metabolic effects of glucose on Streptococcus pneumoniae
      sugar metabolism.
AB  - Streptococcus pneumoniae is a strictly fermentative human pathogen that relies on
      carbohydrate metabolism to generate energy for growth. The nasopharynx colonized
      by the bacterium is poor in free sugars, but mucosa lining glycans can provide a
      source of sugar. In blood and inflamed tissues glucose is the prevailing sugar.
      As a result during progression from colonization to disease S. pneumoniae has to
      cope with a pronounced shift in carbohydrate nature and availability. Thus, we
      set out to assess the pneumococcal response to sugars found in glycans and the
      influence of glucose (Glc) on this response at the transcriptional,
      physiological, and metabolic levels. Galactose (Gal), N-acetylglucosamine
      (GlcNAc), and mannose (Man) affected the expression of 8 to 14% of the genes
      covering cellular functions including central carbon metabolism and virulence.
      The pattern of end-products as monitored by in vivo (13)C-NMR is in good
      agreement with the fermentation profiles during growth, while the pools of
      phosphorylated metabolites are consistent with the type of fermentation observed
      (homolactic vs. mixed) and regulation at the metabolic level. Furthermore, the
      accumulation of alpha-Gal6P and Man6P indicate metabolic bottlenecks in the
      metabolism of Gal and Man, respectively. Glc added to cells actively metabolizing
      other sugar(s) was readily consumed and elicited a metabolic shift toward a
      homolactic profile. The transcriptional response to Glc was large (over 5% of the
      genome). In central carbon metabolism (most represented category), Glc exerted
      mostly negative regulation. The smallest response to Glc was observed on a sugar
      mix, suggesting that exposure to varied sugars improves the fitness of S.
      pneumoniae. The expression of virulence factors was negatively controlled by Glc
      in a sugar-dependent manner. Overall, our results shed new light on the link
      between carbohydrate metabolism, adaptation to host niches and virulence. 

PMID- 26500616
TI  - Human microbiomes and their roles in dysbiosis, common diseases, and novel
      therapeutic approaches.
AB  - The human body is the residence of a large number of commensal (non-pathogenic)
      and pathogenic microbial species that have co-evolved with the human genome,
      adaptive immune system, and diet. With recent advances in DNA-based technologies,
      we initiated the exploration of bacterial gene functions and their role in human
      health. The main goal of the human microbiome project is to characterize the
      abundance, diversity and functionality of the genes present in all microorganisms
      that permanently live in different sites of the human body. The gut microbiota
      expresses over 3.3 million bacterial genes, while the human genome expresses only
      20 thousand genes. Microbe gene-products exert pivotal functions via the
      regulation of food digestion and immune system development. Studies are
      confirming that manipulation of non-pathogenic bacterial strains in the host can
      stimulate the recovery of the immune response to pathogenic bacteria causing
      diseases. Different approaches, including the use of nutraceutics (prebiotics and
      probiotics) as well as phages engineered with CRISPR/Cas systems and quorum
      sensing systems have been developed as new therapies for controlling dysbiosis
      (alterations in microbial community) and common diseases (e.g., diabetes and
      obesity). The designing and production of pharmaceuticals based on our own body's
      microbiome is an emerging field and is rapidly growing to be fully explored in
      the near future. This review provides an outlook on recent findings on the human
      microbiomes, their impact on health and diseases, and on the development of
      targeted therapies. 

PMID- 26500622
TI  - Diverse electron sources support denitrification under hypoxia in the obligate
      methanotroph Methylomicrobium album strain BG8.
AB  - Aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) are a diverse group of microorganisms
      that are ubiquitous in natural environments. Along with anaerobic MOB and
      archaea, aerobic methanotrophs are critical for attenuating emission of methane
      to the atmosphere. Clearly, nitrogen availability in the form of ammonium and
      nitrite have strong effects on methanotrophic activity and their natural
      community structures. Previous findings show that nitrite amendment inhibits the
      activity of some cultivated methanotrophs; however, the physiological pathways
      that allow some strains to transform nitrite, expression of gene inventories, as
      well as the electron sources that support this activity remain largely
      uncharacterized. Here we show that Methylomicrobium album strain BG8 utilizes
      methane, methanol, formaldehyde, formate, ethane, ethanol, and ammonia to support
      denitrification activity under hypoxia only in the presence of nitrite. We also
      demonstrate that transcript abundance of putative denitrification genes, nirS and
      one of two norB genes, increased in response to nitrite. Furthermore, we found
      that transcript abundance of pxmA, encoding the alpha subunit of a putative
      copper-containing monooxygenase, increased in response to both nitrite and
      hypoxia. Our results suggest that expression of denitrification genes, found
      widely within genomes of aerobic methanotrophs, allow the coupling of substrate
      oxidation to the reduction of nitrogen oxide terminal electron acceptors under
      oxygen limitation. The present study expands current knowledge of the metabolic
      flexibility of methanotrophs by revealing that a diverse array of electron donors
      support nitrite reduction to nitrous oxide under hypoxia. 

PMID- 26500621
TI  - Incorporating the soil environment and microbial community into plant competition
      theory.
AB  - Plants affect microbial communities and abiotic properties of nearby soils, which
      in turn influence plant growth and interspecific interaction, forming a plant
      soil feedback (PSF). PSF is a key determinant influencing plant population
      dynamics, community structure, and ecosystem functions. Despite accumulating
      evidence for the importance of PSF and development of specific PSF models,
      different models are not yet fully integrated. Here, we review the theoretical
      progress in understanding PSF. When first proposed, PSF was integrated with
      various mathematical frameworks to discuss its influence on plant competition.
      Recent theoretical models have advanced PSF research at different levels of
      ecological organizations by considering multiple species, applying spatially
      explicit simulations to examine how local-scale predictions apply to larger
      scales, and assessing the effect of PSF on plant temporal dynamics over the
      course of succession. We then review two foundational models for microbial- and
      litter-mediated PSF. We present a theoretical framework to illustrate that
      although the two models are typically presented separately, their behavior can be
      understood together by invasibility analysis. We conclude with suggestions for
      future directions in PSF theoretical studies, which include specifically
      addressing microbial diversity to integrate litter- and microbial-mediated PSF,
      and apply PSF to general coexistence theory through a trait-based approach. 

PMID- 26500607
TI  - A New Role for Browning as a Redox and Stress Adaptive Mechanism?
AB  - The worldwide epidemic of obesity and metabolic disorders is focusing the
      attention of the scientific community on white adipose tissue (WAT) and its
      biology. This tissue is characterized not only by its capability to change in
      size and shape but also by its heterogeneity and versatility. WAT can be
      converted into brown fat-like tissue according to different physiological and
      pathophysiological situations. The expression of uncoupling protein-1 in brown
      like adipocytes changes their function from energy storage to energy dissipation.
      This plasticity, named browning, was recently rediscovered and convergent recent
      accounts, including in humans, have revived the idea of using these oxidative
      cells to fight against metabolic diseases. Furthermore, recent reports suggest
      that, beside the increased energy dissipation and thermogenesis that may have
      adverse effects in situations such as cancer-associated cachexia and massive
      burns, browning could be also considered as an adaptive stress response to high
      redox pressure and to major stress that could help to maintain tissue homeostasis
      and integrity. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge
      concerning brown adipocytes and the browning process and also to explore
      unexpected putative role(s) for these cells. While it is important to find new
      browning inducers to limit energy stores and metabolic diseases, it also appears
      crucial to develop new browning inhibitors to limit adverse energy dissipation in
      wasting-associated syndromes. 

PMID- 26500624
TI  - Temperature and pressure adaptation of a sulfate reducer from the deep
      subsurface.
AB  - Microbial life in deep marine subsurface faces increasing temperatures and
      hydrostatic pressure with depth. In this study, we have examined growth
      characteristics and temperature-related adaptation of the Desulfovibrio
      indonesiensis strain P23 to the in situ pressure of 30 MPa. The strain originates
      from the deep subsurface of the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge (IODP
      Site U1301). The organism was isolated at 20 degrees C and atmospheric pressure
      from ~61 degrees C-warm sediments approximately 5 m above the sediment-basement
      interface. In comparison to standard laboratory conditions (20 degrees C and 0.1
      MPa), faster growth was recorded when incubated at in situ pressure and high
      temperature (45 degrees C), while cell filamentation was induced by further
      compression. The maximum growth temperature shifted from 48 degrees C at
      atmospheric pressure to 50 degrees C under high-pressure conditions.
      Complementary cellular lipid analyses revealed a two-step response of membrane
      viscosity to increasing temperature with an exchange of unsaturated by saturated
      fatty acids and subsequent change from branched to unbranched alkyl moieties.
      While temperature had a stronger effect on the degree of fatty acid saturation
      and restructuring of main phospholipids, pressure mainly affected branching and
      length of side chains. The simultaneous decrease of temperature and pressure to
      ambient laboratory conditions allowed the cultivation of our moderately
      thermophilic strain. This may in turn be one key to a successful isolation of
      microorganisms from the deep subsurface adapted to high temperature and pressure.

PMID- 26500627
TI  - Bioactivity of volatile organic compounds produced by Pseudomonas tolaasii.
AB  - Pseudomonas tolaasii is the main bacterial pathogen of several mushroom species.
      In this paper we report that strains of P. tolaasii produce volatile substances
      inducing in vitro mycelia growth inhibition of Pleurotus ostreatus and P.
      eryngii, and Agaricus bisporus and P. ostreatus basidiome tissue blocks brown
      discoloration. P. tolaasii strains produced the volatile ammonia but not hydrogen
      cyanide. Among the volatiles detected by GC-MS, methanethiol, dimethyl disulfide
      (DMDS), and 1-undecene were identified. The latter, when assayed individually as
      pure compounds, led to similar effects noticed when P. tolaasii volatiles natural
      blend was used on mushrooms mycelia and basidiome tissue blocks. Furthermore, the
      natural volatile mixture resulted toxic toward lettuce and broccoli seedling
      growth. In contrast, pure volatiles showed different activity according to their
      nature and/or doses applied. Indeed, methanethiol resulted toxic at all the doses
      used, while DMDS toxicity was assessed till a quantity of 1.25 MUg, below which
      it caused, together with 1-undecene (>=10 MUg), broccoli growth increase. 

PMID- 26500620
TI  - Functional and evolutionary analyses of Helicobacter pylori HP0231 (DsbK) protein
      with strong oxidative and chaperone activity characterized by a highly diverged
      dimerization domain.
AB  - Helicobacter pylori does not encode the classical DsbA/DsbB oxidoreductases that
      are crucial for oxidative folding of extracytoplasmic proteins. Instead, this
      microorganism encodes an untypical two proteins playing a role in disulfide bond
      formation - periplasmic HP0231, which structure resembles that of EcDsbC/DsbG,
      and its redox partner, a membrane protein HpDsbI (HP0595) with a beta-propeller
      structure. The aim of presented work was to assess relations between HP0231
      structure and function. We showed that HP0231 is most closely related
      evolutionarily to the catalytic domain of DsbG, even though it possesses a
      catalytic motif typical for canonical DsbA proteins. Similarly, the highly
      diverged N-terminal dimerization domain is homologous to the dimerization domain
      of DsbG. To better understand the functioning of this atypical oxidoreductase, we
      examined its activity using in vivo and in vitro experiments. We found that
      HP0231 exhibits oxidizing and chaperone activities but no isomerizing activity,
      even though H. pylori does not contain a classical DsbC. We also show that HP0231
      is not involved in the introduction of disulfide bonds into HcpC (Helicobacter
      cysteine-rich protein C), a protein involved in the modulation of the H. pylori
      interaction with its host. Additionally, we also constructed a truncated version
      of HP0231 lacking the dimerization domain, denoted HP0231m, and showed that it
      acts in Escherichia coli cells in a DsbB-dependent manner. In contrast, HP0231m
      and classical monomeric EcDsbA (E. coli DsbA protein) were both unable to
      complement the lack of HP0231 in H. pylori cells, though they exist in oxidized
      forms. HP0231m is inactive in the insulin reduction assay and possesses high
      chaperone activity, in contrast to EcDsbA. In conclusion, HP0231 combines
      oxidative functions characteristic of DsbA proteins and chaperone activity
      characteristic of DsbC/DsbG, and it lacks isomerization activity. 

PMID- 26500625
TI  - Genome sequencing reveals a new lineage associated with lablab bean and genetic
      exchange between Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli and Xanthomonas fuscans
      subsp. fuscans.
AB  - Common bacterial blight is a devastating seed-borne disease of common beans that
      also occurs on other legume species including lablab and Lima beans. We sequenced
      and analyzed the genomes of 26 strains of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli and
      X. fuscans subsp. fuscans, the causative agents of this disease, collected over
      four decades and six continents. This revealed considerable genetic variation
      within both taxa, encompassing both single-nucleotide variants and differences in
      gene content, that could be exploited for tracking pathogen spread. The bacterial
      strain from Lima bean fell within the previously described Genetic Lineage 1,
      along with the pathovar type strain (NCPPB 3035). The strains from lablab
      represent a new, previously unknown genetic lineage closely related to strains of
      X. axonopodis pv. glycines. Finally, we identified more than 100 genes that
      appear to have been recently acquired by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli from
      X. fuscans subsp. fuscans. 

PMID- 26500623
TI  - New strategic insights into managing fungal biofilms.
AB  - Fungal infections have dramatically increased in the last decades in parallel
      with an increase of populations with impaired immunity, resulting from medical
      conditions such as cancer, transplantation, or other chronic diseases. Such
      opportunistic infections result from a complex relationship between fungi and
      host, and can range from self-limiting to chronic or life-threatening infections.
      Modern medicine, characterized by a wide use of biomedical devices, offers new
      niches for fungi to colonize and form biofilm communities. The capability of
      fungi to form biofilms is well documented and associated with increased drug
      tolerance and resistance. In addition, biofilm formation facilitates persistence
      in the host promoting a persistent inflammatory condition. With a limited
      availability of antifungals within our arsenal, new therapeutic approaches able
      to address both host and pathogenic factors that promote fungal disease
      progression, i.e., chronic inflammation and biofilm formation, could represent an
      advantage in the clinical setting. In this paper we discuss the antifungal
      properties of myriocin, fulvic acid, and acetylcholine in light of their already
      known anti-inflammatory activity and as candidate dual action therapeutics to
      treat opportunistic fungal infections. 

PMID- 26500628
TI  - Beauveria bassiana Lipase A expressed in Komagataella (Pichia) pastoris with
      potential for biodiesel catalysis.
AB  - Lipases (EC 3.1.1.3) comprise a biotechnologically important group of enzymes
      because they are able to catalyze both hydrolysis and synthesis reactions,
      depending on the amount of water in the system. One of the most interesting
      applications of lipase is in the biofuel industry for biodiesel production by oil
      and ethanol (or methanol) transesterification. Entomopathogenic fungi, which are
      potential source of lipases, are still poorly explored in biotechnological
      processes. The present work reports the heterologous expression and biochemical
      characterization of a novel Beauveria bassiana lipase with potential for
      biodiesel production. The His-tagged B. bassiana lipase A (BbLA) was produced in
      Komagataella pastoris in buffered methanol medium (BMM) induced with 1% methanol
      at 30 degrees C. Purified BbLA was activated with 0.05% Triton X-100 and
      presented optimum activity at pH 6.0 and 50 degrees C. N-glycosylation of the
      recombinant BbLA accounts for 31.5% of its molecular weight. Circular dichroism
      and molecular modeling confirmed a structure composed of alpha-helix and beta
      sheet, similar to alpha/beta hydrolases. Immobilized BbLA was able to promote
      transesterification reactions in fish oil, demonstrating potential for biodiesel
      production. BbLA was successfully produced in K. pastoris and shows potential use
      for biodiesel production by the ethanolysis reaction. 

PMID- 26500626
TI  - Diversity and functions of volatile organic compounds produced by Streptomyces
      from a disease-suppressive soil.
AB  - In disease-suppressive soils, plants are protected from infections by specific
      root pathogens due to the antagonistic activities of soil and rhizosphere
      microorganisms. For most disease-suppressive soils, however, the microorganisms
      and mechanisms involved in pathogen control are largely unknown. Our recent
      studies identified Actinobacteria as the most dynamic phylum in a soil
      suppressive to the fungal root pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. Here we isolated and
      characterized 300 isolates of rhizospheric Actinobacteria from the Rhizoctonia
      suppressive soil. Streptomyces species were the most abundant, representing
      approximately 70% of the isolates. Streptomyces are renowned for the production
      of an exceptionally large number of secondary metabolites, including volatile
      organic compounds (VOCs). VOC profiling of 12 representative Streptomyces
      isolates by SPME-GC-MS allowed a more refined phylogenetic delineation of the
      Streptomyces isolates than the sequencing of 16S rRNA and the house-keeping genes
      atpD and recA only. VOCs of several Streptomyces isolates inhibited hyphal growth
      of R. solani and significantly enhanced plant shoot and root biomass. Coupling of
      Streptomyces VOC profiles with their effects on fungal growth, pointed to VOCs
      potentially involved in antifungal activity. Subsequent assays with five
      synthetic analogs of the identified VOCs showed that methyl 2-methylpentanoate,
      1,3,5-trichloro-2-methoxy benzene and the VOCs mixture have antifungal activity.
      In conclusion, our results point to a potential role of VOC-producing
      Streptomyces in disease suppressive soils and show that VOC profiling of
      rhizospheric Streptomyces can be used as a complementary identification tool to
      construct strain-specific metabolic signatures. 

PMID- 26500631
TI  - The Shewanella algae strain YM8 produces volatiles with strong inhibition
      activity against Aspergillus pathogens and aflatoxins.
AB  - Aflatoxigenic Aspergillus fungi and associated aflatoxins are ubiquitous in the
      production and storage of food/feed commodities. Controlling these microbes is a
      challenge. In this study, the Shewanella algae strain YM8 was found to produce
      volatiles that have strong antifungal activity against Aspergillus pathogens. Gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry profiling revealed 15 volatile organic compounds
      (VOCs) emitted from YM8, of which dimethyl trisulfide was the most abundant. We
      obtained authentic reference standards for six of the VOCs; these all
      significantly reduced mycelial growth and conidial germination in Aspergillus;
      dimethyl trisulfide and 2,4-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-phenol showed the strongest
      inhibitory activity. YM8 completely inhibited Aspergillus growth and aflatoxin
      biosynthesis in maize and peanut samples stored at different water activity
      levels, and scanning electron microscopy revealed severely damaged conidia and a
      complete lack of mycelium development and conidiogenesis. YM8 also completely
      inhibited the growth of eight other agronomically important species of
      phytopathogenic fungi: A. parasiticus, A. niger, Alternaria alternate, Botrytis
      cinerea, Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium oxysporum, Monilinia fructicola, and
      Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. This study demonstrates the susceptibility of
      Aspergillus and other fungi to VOCs from marine bacteria and indicates a new
      strategy for effectively controlling these pathogens and the associated mycotoxin
      production during storage and possibly in the field. 

PMID- 26500633
TI  - Potential probiotic yeasts isolated from the fish gut protect zebrafish (Danio
      rerio) from a Vibrio anguillarum challenge.
AB  - Due to the negative consequences associated with the use of antibiotics,
      researchers, and food producers have studied alternatives, such as probiotics,
      for the control of fish diseases. The probiotic properties of yeasts in
      aquaculture have been scarcely considered. The present study investigated the
      probiotic properties of local yeast strains for aquaculture application in the
      protection of bacterial diseases. Yeast strains (n = 15), previously isolated
      from the intestinal gut of healthy salmonids, yellowtail, and croaker, were
      evaluated for their protection of zebrafish larvae following a Vibrio anguillarum
      challenge. We developed an infection model on zebrafish larvae with V.
      anguillarum, observing rapid mortality (>=50%) 5 days post-immersion challenge.
      Infection of Tg(Lyz:DsRed)(nz50) larvae with fluorescent-marked V. anguillarum
      showed the oro-intestinal as the natural route of infection concomitant with an
      inflammatory response of the larvae reflected by neutrophil migration outside the
      hematopoietic tissue. Thirteen of 15 strains increased the percentage of larvae
      survival after the V. anguillarum challenge, although no yeast showed in vitro
      anti-V. anguillarum activity. In a subset of yeasts, we explored yeast-larvae
      interactions using fluorescent yeast and evaluated larvae colonization by culture
      analysis. All fluorescent yeasts were located in the gastrointestinal tract until
      5 days post-inoculation (dpi). Yeasts reached 10(3) CFU/larvae at 0 dpi, although
      the persistence until 5 dpi of the viable yeast in the gut was different among
      the strains. These results reveal that some yeasts isolated from the gut of fish
      could be potential probiotics, reducing the mortality associated to V.
      anguillarum challenge, and suggest that gut colonization could be involved in the
      protective effect. Future studies should elucidate other mechanisms involved in
      yeast protection and verify the beneficial effects of probiotic use in commercial
      fish species. 

PMID- 26500634
TI  - Escherichia coli lipoprotein binds human plasminogen via an intramolecular
      domain.
AB  - Escherichia coli lipoprotein (Lpp) is a major cellular component that exists in
      two distinct states, bound-form and free-form. Bound-form Lpp is known to
      interact with the periplasmic bacterial cell wall, while free-form Lpp is
      localized to the bacterial cell surface. A function for surface-exposed Lpp has
      yet to be determined. We hypothesized that the presence of C-terminal lysinses in
      the surface-exposed region of Lpp would facilitate binding to the host zymogen
      plasminogen (Plg), a protease commandeered by a number of clinically important
      bacteria. Recombinant Lpp was synthesized and the binding of Lpp to Plg, the
      effect of various inhibitors on this binding, and the effects of various
      mutations of Lpp on Lpp-Plg interactions were examined. Additionally, the ability
      of Lpp-bound Plg to be converted to active plasmin was analyzed. We determined
      that Lpp binds Plg via an atypical domain located near the center of mature Lpp
      that may not be exposed on the surface of intact E. coli according to the current
      localization model. Finally, we found that Plg bound by Lpp can be converted to
      active plasmin. While the consequences of Lpp binding Plg are unclear, these
      results prompt further investigation of the ability of surface exposed Lpp to
      interact with host molecules such as extracellular matrix components and
      complement regulators, and the role of these interactions in infections caused by
      E. coli and other bacteria. 

PMID- 26500630
TI  - Isolation of new Brazilian giant viruses from environmental samples using a panel
      of protozoa.
AB  - The Megavirales are a newly described order capable of infecting different types
      of eukaryotic hosts. For the most part, the natural host is unknown. Several
      methods have been used to detect these viruses, with large discrepancies between
      molecular methods and co-cultures. To isolate giant viruses, we propose the use
      of different species of amoeba as a cellular support. The aim of this work was to
      isolate new Brazilian giant viruses by comparing the protozoa Acanthamoeba
      castellanii, A. polyphaga, A. griffini, and Vermamoeba vermiformis (VV) as a
      platform for cellular isolation using environmental samples. One hundred samples
      were collected from 3 different areas in September 2014 in the Pampulha lagoon of
      Belo Horizonte city, Minas Gerais, Brazil. PCR was used to identify the isolated
      viruses, along with hemacolor staining, labelling fluorescence and electron
      microscopy. A total of 69 viruses were isolated. The highest ratio of isolation
      was found in A. polyphaga (46.38%) and the lowest in VV (0%). Mimiviruses were
      the most frequently isolated. One Marseillevirus and one Pandoravirus were also
      isolated. With Brazilian environmental samples, we demonstrated the high rate of
      lineage A mimiviruses. This work demonstrates how these viruses survive and
      circulate in nature as well the differences between protozoa as a platform for
      cellular isolation. 

PMID- 26500629
TI  - Regulation of lung immunity and host defense by the intestinal microbiota.
AB  - Every year in the United States approximately 200,000 people die from pulmonary
      infections, such as influenza and pneumonia, or from lung disease that is
      exacerbated by pulmonary infection. In addition, respiratory diseases such as,
      asthma, affect 300 million people worldwide. Therefore, understanding the
      mechanistic basis for host defense against infection and regulation of immune
      processes involved in asthma are crucial for the development of novel therapeutic
      strategies. The identification, characterization, and manipulation of immune
      regulatory networks in the lung represents one of the biggest challenges in
      treatment of lung associated disease. Recent evidence suggests that the
      gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota plays a key role in immune adaptation and
      initiation in the GI tract as well as at other distal mucosal sites, such as the
      lung. This review explores the current research describing the role of the GI
      microbiota in the regulation of pulmonary immune responses. Specific focus is
      given to understanding how intestinal "dysbiosis" affects lung health. 

PMID- 26500632
TI  - The effect of diet and host genotype on ceca microbiota of Japanese quail fed a
      cholesterol enriched diet.
AB  - Two Japanese quail strains, respectively atherosclerosis-susceptible (SUS) and 
      resistant (RES), have been shown to be good models to study cholesterol
      metabolism and transportation associated with atherosclerosis. Our objective was
      to examine possible difference in cecal microbiota between these strains when fed
      a control diet and a cholesterol enriched diet, to determine how host genotype
      and diet could affect the cecal microbiome that may play a part in cholesterol
      metabolism. A factorial study with both strains and two diets (control,
      cholesterol) was carried out. Cecal content was collected from 12 week old quail
      that have been on their respective diets for 6 weeks. DNA was extracted from the
      samples and the variable region 3-5 of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was amplified.
      The amplicon libraries were subjected to pyrosequencing. Principal Component
      Analysis (PCA) of beta-diversity showed four distinct microbiota communities that
      can be assigned to the 4 treatment groups (RES/control, RES/cholesterol,
      SUS/control, SUS/cholesterol). At the Phylum level, the 4 treatment groups has
      distinct Firmicutes community characteristics but no significant difference in
      Bacteroidetes. Eubacterium dolichum was rare in RES/control but became
      overabundant in RES/cholesterol. An unclassified species of Lactobacillaceae was
      found in abundance in SUS/control but the same species was rare in
      RES/cholesterol. On the other hand, two Lactobacillus species were only found in
      RES/control and an unclassified Lachnospiraceae species was abundant in
      RES/cholesterol but rare in SUS/control. The abundance of four species of
      Lachnospiraceae, three species of Ruminococcaceae and one species of
      Coprobacillaceae was positively correlated with plasma Total Cholesterol, plasma
      LDL, and LDL/HDL ratio. Our study of cecal microbiota in these quail has
      demonstrated that selection for susceptibility/resistance to diet induced
      atherosclerosis has also affected the quail's cecal environment to host
      distinctly different cecal microbiome. 

PMID- 26500636
TI  - Nutrient-cycling microbes in coastal Douglas-fir forests: regional-scale
      correlation between communities, in situ climate, and other factors.
AB  - Microbes such as fungi and bacteria play fundamental roles in litter-decay and
      nutrient-cycling; however, their communities may respond differently than plants
      to climate change. The structure (diversity, richness, and evenness) and
      composition of microbial communities in climate transects of mature Douglas-fir
      stands of coastal British Columbia rainshadow forests was analyzed, in order to
      assess in situ variability due to different temperature and moisture regimes. We
      compared denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profiles of fungi (18S
      FF390/FR1), nitrogen-fixing bacteria (NifH-universal) and ammonia-oxidizing
      bacteria (AmoA) polymerase chain reaction amplicons in forest floor and mineral
      soil samples from three transects located at different latitudes, each transect
      spanning the Coastal Western Hemlock and Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zones.
      Composition of microbial communities in both soil layers was related to degree
      days above 0 degrees C (2725-3489), while pH (3.8-5.5) best explained shifts in
      community structure. At this spatial scale, climatic conditions were likely to
      directly or indirectly select for different microbial species while local site
      heterogeneity influenced community structure. Significant changes in microbial
      community composition and structure were related to differences as small as 2.47%
      and 2.55 degrees C in mean annual moisture and temperature variables,
      respectively. The climatic variables best describing microbial composition
      changed from one functional group to the next; in general they did not alter
      community structure. Spatial distance, especially associated with latitude, was
      also important in accounting for community variability (4-23%); but to a lesser
      extent than the combined influence of climate and soil characteristics (14-25%).
      Results suggest that in situ climate can independently account for some patterns
      of microbial biogeography in coastal Douglas-fir forests. The distribution of up
      to 43% of nutrient-cycling microorganisms detected in forest soils responded to
      smaller abiotic gradients than host trees. 

PMID- 26500635
TI  - FvBck1, a component of cell wall integrity MAP kinase pathway, is required for
      virulence and oxidative stress response in sugarcane Pokkah Boeng pathogen.
AB  - Fusarium verticillioides (formerly F. moniliforme) is suggested as one of the
      causal agents of Pokkah Boeng, a serious disease of sugarcane worldwide.
      Currently, detailed molecular and physiological mechanism of pathogenesis is
      unknown. In this study, we focused on cell wall integrity MAPK pathway as one of
      the potential signaling mechanisms associated with Pokkah Boeng pathogenesis. We
      identified FvBCK1 gene that encodes a MAP kinase kinase kinase homolog and
      determined that it is not only required for growth, micro- and macro-conidia
      production, and cell wall integrity but also for response to osmotic and
      oxidative stresses. The deletion of FvBCK1 caused a significant reduction in
      virulence and FB1 production, a possibly carcinogenic mycotoxin produced by the
      fungus. Moreover, we found the expression levels of three genes, which are known
      to be involved in superoxide scavenging, were down regulated in the mutant. We
      hypothesized that the loss of superoxide scavenging capacity was one of the
      reasons for reduced virulence, but overexpression of catalase or peroxidase gene
      failed to restore the virulence defect in the deletion mutant. When we introduced
      Magnaporthe oryzae MCK1 into the FvBck1 deletion mutant, while certain phenotypes
      were restored, the complemented strain failed to gain full virulence. In summary,
      FvBck1 plays a diverse role in F. verticillioides, and detailed investigation of
      downstream signaling pathways will lead to a better understanding of how this
      MAPK pathway regulates Pokkah Boeng on sugarcane. 

PMID- 26500637
TI  - Deterioration to extinction of wastewater bacteria by non-thermal atmospheric
      pressure air plasma as assessed by 16S rDNA-DGGE fingerprinting.
AB  - The use of cold plasma jets for inactivation of a variety of microorganisms has
      recently been evaluated via culture-based methods. Accordingly, elucidation of
      the role of cold plasma in decontamination would be inaccurate because most
      microbial populations within a system remain unexplored owing to the high amount
      of yet uncultured bacteria. The impact of cold atmospheric plasma on the
      bacterial community structure of wastewater from two different industries was
      investigated by metagenomic-based polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient
      gel electrophoresis (DGGE) utilizing 16S rRNA genes. Three doses of atmospheric
      pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma were applied to wastewater samples
      on different time scales. DGGE revealed that the bacterial community gradually
      changed and overall abundance decreased to extinction upon plasma treatment. The
      bacterial community in food processing wastewater contained 11 key operational
      taxonomic units that remained almost completely unchanged when exposed to plasma
      irradiation at 75.5 mA for 30 or 60 s. However, when exposure time was extended
      to 90 s, only Escherichia coli, Coliforms, Aeromonas sp., Vibrio sp., and
      Pseudomonas putida survived. Only E. coli, Aeromonas sp., Vibrio sp., and P.
      putida survived treatment at 81.94 mA for 90 s. Conversely, all bacterial groups
      were completely eliminated by treatment at 85.34 mA for either 60 or 90 s.
      Dominant bacterial groups in leather processing wastewater also changed greatly
      upon exposure to plasma at 75.5 mA for 30 or 60 s, with Enterobacter aerogenes,
      Klebsiella sp., Pseudomonas stutzeri, and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans being
      sensitive to and eliminated from the community. At 90 s of exposure, all groups
      were affected except for Pseudomonas sp. and Citrobacter freundii. The same trend
      was observed for treatment at 81.94 mA. The variability in bacterial community
      response to different plasma treatment protocols revealed that plasma had a
      selective impact on bacterial community structure at lower doses and potential
      bactericidal effects at higher doses. 

PMID- 26500638
TI  - Functional bacterial amyloid increases Pseudomonas biofilm hydrophobicity and
      stiffness.
AB  - The success of Pseudomonas species as opportunistic pathogens derives in great
      part from their ability to form stable biofilms that offer protection against
      chemical and mechanical attack. The extracellular matrix of biofilms contains
      numerous biomolecules, and it has recently been discovered that in Pseudomonas
      one of the components includes beta-sheet rich amyloid fibrils (functional
      amyloid) produced by the fap operon. However, the role of the functional amyloid
      within the biofilm has not yet been investigated in detail. Here we investigate
      how the fap-based amyloid produced by Pseudomonas affects biofilm hydrophobicity
      and mechanical properties. Using atomic force microscopy imaging and force
      spectroscopy, we show that the amyloid renders individual cells more resistant to
      drying and alters their interactions with hydrophobic probes. Importantly,
      amyloid makes Pseudomonas more hydrophobic and increases biofilm stiffness 20
      fold. Deletion of any one of the individual members of in the fap operon (except
      the putative chaperone FapA) abolishes this ability to increase biofilm stiffness
      and correlates with the loss of amyloid. We conclude that amyloid makes major
      contributions to biofilm mechanical robustness. 

PMID- 26500639
TI  - Rapid detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa targeting the toxA gene in intensive
      care unit patients from Beijing, China.
AB  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major opportunistic pathogen in hospital-acquired
      infections and exhibits increasing antibiotic resistance. A rapid and sensitive
      molecular method for its detection in clinical samples is needed to guide
      therapeutic treatment and to control P. aeruginosa outbreaks. In this study, we
      established a polymerase spiral reaction (PSR) method for rapid detection of P.
      aeruginosa by targeting the toxA gene, which regulates exotoxin A synthesis. Real
      time turbidity monitoring and a chromogenic visualization using hydroxynaphthol
      blue were used to assess the reaction. All 17 non- P. aeruginosa strains tested
      negative, indicating the high specificity of the PSR primers. The detection limit
      was 2.3 pg/MUl within 60 min at isothermal temperature (65 degrees C), 10-fold
      more sensitive than conventional PCR. Then, the PSR assay was applied to a
      clinical surveillance of P. aeruginosa in three top hospitals in Beijing, China.
      Of the 130 sputum samples collected from ICU patients with suspected multi
      resistant infections, 37 P. aeruginosa isolates were identified from the positive
      samples. All clinical strains belonged to 10 different P. aeruginosa multilocus
      sequence typing groups and exhibited high resistance to carbapenems,
      cephalosporins, and aminoglycosides. Interestingly, of the 33 imipenem-resistant
      isolates, 30 (90.9%) had lost the outer membrane porin oprD gene. Moreover,
      isolate SY-95, containing multiple antibiotic resistance genes, possessed the
      ability to hydrolyze all antibiotics used in clinic and was susceptible only to
      polymyxin B. Our study showed the high level of antibiotic resistance and co
      occurrence of resistance genes in the clinical strains, indicating a rapid and
      continuing evolution of P. aeruginosa. In conclusion, we developed a P.
      aeruginosa PSR assay, which could be a useful tool for clinical screening,
      especially in case of poor resources, or for point-of-care testing. 

PMID- 26500640
TI  - Prevalence and characteristics of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes in
      Escherichia coli isolated from piglets with post-weaning diarrhea in Heilongjiang
      province, China.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of
      extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) genes in Escherichia coli isolated from
      post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) piglets in Heilongjiang province, China. METHODS: Of
      458 E. coli isolated from 589 fecal samples from PWD piglets, a total of 198
      isolates were confirmed as ESBL producers by the double-disk synergy test (DDST).
      Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing were performed to identify genes
      for ESBL, plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR), and integrons. RESULTS:
      Of the 198 isolates, bla CTX-M and bla TEM were detected in 191 and 149 isolates,
      respectively. Sequencing revealed that 10 bla CTX-M subtypes were detected, and
      bla CTX-M-14 was the most prevalent, followed by bla CTX-M-55 and bla CTX-M-65.
      Of the 149 TEM-positive strains, four were bla TEM-52 and the rest were bla TEM
      1. Among the 198 ESBL-positive isolates, 173 isolates were found to harbor at
      least one PMQR gene, with oqxAB, qnrS, qnrB, qepA, and aac(6')-Ib-cr being
      detected alone or in combination in 125, 114, 26, 24, and 45 strains,
      respectively. One hundred and fifty-five ESBL-positive isolates were also
      positive for class I integron (int1), and eight different gene cassette arrays
      were confirmed in 110 isolates by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)
      and DNA sequencing analyses, with predominance of dfrA17-aadA5, dfrA12-orfF
      aadA2, and dfrA1-aadA1 arrays. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is
      the first report of the bla TEM-52 gene in pig E. coli isolates in China and this
      is also the first description of the coexistence of the qnrB, qnrS, aac(6')-Ib
      cr, qepA, and oqxAB genes in one E. coli strain.

PMID- 26500641
TI  - A tail of two phages: genomic and functional analysis of Listeria monocytogenes
      phages vB_LmoS_188 and vB_LmoS_293 reveal the receptor-binding proteins involved
      in host specificity.
AB  - The physical characteristics of bacteriophages establish them as viable
      candidates for downstream development of pathogen detection assays and biocontrol
      measures. To utilize phages for such purposes, a detailed knowledge of their host
      interaction mechanisms is a prerequisite. There is currently a wealth of
      knowledge available concerning Gram-negative phage-host interaction, but little
      by comparison for Gram-positive phages and Listeria phages in particular. In this
      research, the lytic spectrum of two recently isolated Listeria monocytogenes
      phages (vB_LmoS_188 and vB_LmoS_293) was determined, and the genomic basis for
      their observed serotype 4b/4e host-specificity was investigated using comparative
      genomics. The late tail genes of these phages were identified to be highly
      conserved when compared to other serovar 4-specific Listeria phages. Spontaneous
      mutants of each of these phages with broadened host specificities were generated.
      Their late tail gene sequences were compared with their wild-type counterparts
      resulting in the putative identification of the products of ORF 19 of vB_LmoS_188
      and ORF 20 of vB_LmoS_293 as the receptor binding proteins of these phages. The
      research findings also indicate that conserved baseplate architectures and host
      interaction mechanisms exist for Listeria siphoviruses with differing host
      specificities, and further contribute to the current knowledge of phage-host
      interactions with regard to Listeria phages. 

PMID- 26500642
TI  - Food safety concerns deriving from the use of silver based food packaging
      materials.
AB  - The formulation of innovative packaging solutions, exerting a functional
      antimicrobial role in slowing down food spoilage, is expected to have a
      significant impact on the food industry, allowing both the maintenance of food
      safety criteria for longer periods and the reduction of food waste. Different
      materials are considered able to exert the required antimicrobial activity, among
      which are materials containing silver. However, challenges exist in the
      application of silver to food contact materials due to knowledge gaps in the
      production of ingredients, stability of delivery systems in food matrices and
      health risks caused by the same properties which also offer the benefits. Aims of
      the present study were to test the effectiveness and suitability of two packaging
      systems, one of which contained silver, for packaging and storing Stracchino
      cheese, a typical Italian fresh cheese, and to investigate if there was any
      potential for consumers to be exposed to silver, via migration from the packaging
      to the cheese. Results did not show any significant difference in the
      effectiveness of the packaging systems on packaged Stracchino cheese, excluding
      that the active packaging systems exerted an inhibitory effect on the growth of
      spoilage microorganisms. Moreover, silver migrated into the cheese matrix
      throughout the storage time (24 days). Silver levels in cheese finally exceeded
      the maximum established level for the migration of a non-authorised substance
      through a functional barrier (Commission of the European Communities, 2009). This
      result poses safety concerns and strongly suggests the need for more research
      aimed at better characterizing the new packaging materials in terms of their
      potential impacts on human health and the environment. 

PMID- 26500643
TI  - Commentary: Role of Sterylglucosidase 1 (Sgl1) on the pathogenicity of
      Cryptococcus neoformans: potential applications for vaccine development.

PMID- 26500644
TI  - Large-scale analysis of macromolecular crowding effects on protein aggregation
      using a reconstituted cell-free translation system.
AB  - Proteins must fold into their native structures in the crowded cellular
      environment, to perform their functions. Although such macromolecular crowding
      has been considered to affect the folding properties of proteins, large-scale
      experimental data have so far been lacking. Here, we individually translated 142
      Escherichia coli cytoplasmic proteins using a reconstituted cell-free translation
      system in the presence of macromolecular crowding reagents (MCRs), Ficoll 70 or
      dextran 70, and evaluated the aggregation propensities of 142 proteins. The
      results showed that the MCR effects varied depending on the proteins, although
      the degree of these effects was modest. Statistical analyses suggested that
      structural parameters were involved in the effects of the MCRs. Our dataset
      provides a valuable resource to understand protein folding and aggregation inside
      cells. 

PMID- 26500645
TI  - Crossing of the epithelial barriers by Bacillus anthracis: the Known and the
      Unknown.
AB  - Anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis, a Gram-positive spore-forming bacterium,
      is initiated by the entry of spores into the host body. There are three types of
      human infection: cutaneous, inhalational, and gastrointestinal. For each form, B.
      anthracis spores need to cross the cutaneous, respiratory or digestive epithelial
      barriers, respectively, as a first obligate step to establish infection. Anthrax
      is a toxi-infection: an association of toxemia and rapidly spreading infection
      progressing to septicemia. The pathogenicity of Bacillus anthracis mainly depends
      on two toxins and a capsule. The capsule protects bacilli from the immune system,
      thus promoting systemic dissemination. The toxins alter host cell signaling,
      thereby paralyzing the immune response of the host and perturbing the endocrine
      and endothelial systems. In this review, we will mainly focus on the events and
      mechanisms leading to crossing of the respiratory epithelial barrier, as the
      majority of studies have addressed inhalational infection. We will discuss the
      critical gaps of knowledge that need to be addressed to gain a comprehensive view
      of the initial steps of inhalational anthrax. We will then discuss the few data
      available on B. anthracis crossing the cutaneous and digestive epithelia. 

PMID- 26500647
TI  - Polyclonal Expansion of NKG2C(+) NK Cells in TAP-Deficient Patients.
AB  - Adaptive natural killer (NK) cell responses to human cytomegalovirus infection
      are characterized by the expansion of NKG2C(+) NK cells expressing self-specific
      inhibitory killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs). Here, we set out to
      study the HLA class I dependency of such NKG2C(+) NK cell expansions. We
      demonstrate the expansion of NKG2C(+) NK cells in patients with transporter
      associated with antigen presentation (TAP) deficiency, who express less than 10%
      of normal HLA class I levels. In contrast to normal individuals, expanded
      NKG2C(+) NK cell populations in TAP-deficient patients display a polyclonal KIR
      profile and remain hyporesponsive to HLA class I-negative target cells.
      Nonetheless, agonistic stimulation of NKG2C on NK cells from TAP-deficient
      patients yielded significant responses in terms of degranulation and cytokine
      production. Thus, while interactions with self-HLA class I molecules likely shape
      the KIR repertoire of expanding NKG2C(+) NK cells during adaptive NK cell
      responses in normal individuals, they are not a prerequisite for NKG2C(+) NK cell
      expansions to occur. The emergence of NKG2C-responsive adaptive NK cells in TAP
      deficient patients may contribute to antiviral immunity and potentially explain
      these patients' low incidence of severe viral infections. 

PMID- 26500649
TI  - The Role of Crk Adaptor Proteins in T-Cell Adhesion and Migration.
AB  - Crk adaptor proteins are key players in signal transduction from a variety of
      cell surface receptors. They are involved in early steps of lymphocyte activation
      through their SH2-mediated transient interaction with signal transducing effector
      molecules, such as Cbl, ZAP-70, CasL, and STAT5. In addition, they constitutively
      associate, via their SH3 domain, with effector molecules, such as C3G, that
      mediate cell adhesion and regulate lymphocyte extravasation and recruitment to
      sites of inflammation. Recent studies demonstrated that the conformation and
      function of CrkII is subjected to a regulation by immunophilins, which also
      affect CrkII-dependent T-cell adhesion to fibronectin and migration toward
      chemokines. This article addresses mechanisms that regulate CrkII conformation
      and function, in general, and emphasizes the role of Crk proteins in receptor
      coupled signaling pathways that control T-lymphocyte adhesion and migration to
      inflammatory sites. 

PMID- 26500648
TI  - Mechanisms of Control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by NK Cells: Role of
      Glutathione.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), continues to be
      one of the most prevalent infectious diseases in the world. There is an upward
      trend in occurrence due to emerging multidrug resistant strains and an
      increasingly larger proportion of immunocompromised patient populations as a
      result of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome pandemic. The complex and often
      deadly combination of multidrug resistant M. tb (MDR-M. tb) along with human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) puts a significant number of people at high risk for
      pulmonary and extra-pulmonary TB without sufficient therapeutic options
      available. Natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages are major components of the
      body's innate immune system, contributing significantly to the body's ability to
      synergistically inhibit the growth of M. tb in immune compromised individuals
      lacking a sufficient T cell response. Direct mechanisms of control are largely
      through the secretory products perforin, granulysin, and granzymes, as well as
      multiple membrane-bound death receptors that facilitate target directed lysis. NK
      cells also have a role in indirectly stimulating an immune response through
      activation of macrophages and monocytes with multiple signaling pathways,
      including both reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species. Glutathione
      (GSH) has been shown to play a part in inhibiting the growth of intracellular M.
      tb through bacteriostatic mechanisms. Enhancing cellular GSH through several
      cytokines and N-acetyl cysteine has been shown to increase these effects, at
      least in part, through their action on NK cells. Taken together, there is
      substantial evidence for a mechanistic correlation between NK cell activity and
      functionality in combating M. tb in HIV infection mediated through adequate GSH
      production and use. 

PMID- 26500646
TI  - Radio-Immunotherapy-Induced Immunogenic Cancer Cells as Basis for Induction of
      Systemic Anti-Tumor Immune Responses - Pre-Clinical Evidence and Ongoing Clinical
      Applications.
AB  - Radiotherapy (RT) primarily aims to locally destroy the tumor via the induction
      of DNA damage in the tumor cells. However, the so-called abscopal, namely
      systemic and immune-mediated, effects of RT move over more and more in the focus
      of scientists and clinicians since combinations of local irradiation with immune
      therapy have been demonstrated to induce anti-tumor immunity. We here summarize
      changes of the phenotype and microenvironment of tumor cells after exposure to
      irradiation, chemotherapeutic agents, and immune modulating agents rendering the
      tumor more immunogenic. The impact of therapy-modified tumor cells and damage
      associated molecular patterns on local and systemic control of the primary tumor,
      recurrent tumors, and metastases will be outlined. Finally, clinical studies
      affirming the bench-side findings of interactions and synergies of radiation
      therapy and immunotherapy will be discussed. Focus is set on combination of
      radio(chemo)therapy (RCT) with immune checkpoint inhibitors, growth factor
      inhibitors, and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy. Well-deliberated
      combination of RCT with selected immune therapies and growth factor inhibitors
      bear the great potential to further improve anti-cancer therapies. 

PMID- 26500651
TI  - HIV-1 Infection of T Lymphocytes and Macrophages Affects Their Migration via Nef.
AB  - The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) disseminates in the body and is found in
      several organs and tissues. Although HIV-1 mainly targets both CD4(+) T
      lymphocytes and macrophages, it has contrasting effects between these cell
      populations. HIV-1 infection namely reduces the viability of CD4(+) T cells,
      whereas infected macrophages are long-lived. In addition, the migration of T
      cells is reduced by the infection, whereas HIV-1 differentially modulates the
      migration modes of macrophages. In 2-dimensions (2D) assays, infected macrophages
      are less motile compared to the control counterparts. In 3D environments,
      macrophages use two migration modes that are dependent on the matrix
      architecture: amoeboid and mesenchymal migration. HIV-1-infected macrophages
      exhibit a reduced amoeboid migration but an enhanced mesenchymal migration, via
      the viral protein Nef. Indeed, the mesenchymal migration involves podosomes, and
      Nef stabilizes these cell structures through the activation of the tyrosine
      kinase Hck, which in turn phosphorylates the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein
      (WASP). WASP is a key player in actin remodeling and cell migration. The
      reprogramed motility of infected macrophages observed in vitro correlates in vivo
      with enhanced macrophage infiltration in experimental tumors in Nef-transgenic
      mice compared to control mice. In conclusion, HIV infection of host target cells
      modifies their migration capacity; we infer that HIV-1 enhances virus spreading
      in confined environments by reducing T cells migration, and facilitates virus
      dissemination into different organs and tissues of the human body by enhancing
      macrophage mesenchymal migration. 

PMID- 26500652
TI  - Leukotriene B4 as a Potential Therapeutic Target for the Treatment of Metabolic
      Disorders.

PMID- 26500650
TI  - Selective Manipulation of the Gut Microbiota Improves Immune Status in
      Vertebrates.
AB  - All animals develop in association with complex microbial communities. It is now
      well established that commensal microbiota is essential for the correct
      functionality of each organ in the host. Particularly, the commensal gastro
      intestinal microbiota (CGIM) is a key factor for development, immunity and
      nutrient conversion, rendering them bio-available for various uses. Thus,
      nutritional inputs generate a positive loop in maintaining host health and are
      essential in shaping the composition of the CGIM communities. Probiotics, which
      are live exogenous microorganisms, selectively provided to the host, are a
      promising concept for manipulating the microbiota and thus for increasing the
      host health status. Nevertheless, most mechanisms induced by probiotics to
      fortify the immune system are still a matter of debate. Alternatively,
      prebiotics, which are non-digestible food ingredients, can favor the growth of
      specific target groups of CGIM. Several metabolites are produced by the CGIM, one
      of the most important are the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which emerge from
      the fermentation of complex carbohydrates. SCFAs have been recognized as key
      players in triggering beneficial effects elicited by simple diffusion and by
      specific receptors present, thus, far only in epithelial cells of higher
      vertebrates at different gastro-intestinal locations. However, both strategies
      have shown to provide resistance against pathogens during periods of high stress.
      In fish, knowledge about the action of pro- and prebiotics and SCFAs is still
      limited. Thus, in this review, we briefly summarize the mechanisms described on
      this topic for higher vertebrates and discuss why many of them may operate in the
      fish gut representing a model for different mucosal tissues. 

PMID- 26500653
TI  - Exploiting the Immunomodulatory Properties of Chemotherapeutic Drugs to Improve
      the Success of Cancer Immunotherapy.
AB  - Cancer immunotherapy is gaining momentum in the clinic. The current challenge is
      to understand why a proportion of cancer patients do not respond to cancer
      immunotherapy, and how this can be translated into the rational design of
      combinatorial cancer immunotherapy strategies aimed at maximizing success of
      immunotherapy. Here, we discuss how tumors orchestrate an immunosuppressive
      microenvironment, which contributes to their escape from immune attack. Relieving
      the immunosuppressive networks in cancer patients is an attractive strategy to
      extend the clinical success of cancer immunotherapy. Since the clinical
      availability of drugs specifically targeting immunosuppressive cells or mediators
      is still limited, an alternative strategy is to use conventional chemotherapy
      drugs with immunomodulatory properties to improve cancer immunotherapy. We
      summarize the preclinical and clinical studies that illustrate how the anti-tumor
      T cell response can be enhanced by chemotherapy-induced relief of
      immunosuppressive networks. Treatment strategies aimed at combining chemotherapy
      induced relief of immunosuppression and T cell-boosting checkpoint inhibitors
      provide an attractive and clinically feasible approach to overcome intrinsic and
      acquired resistance to cancer immunotherapy, and to extend the clinical success
      of cancer immunotherapy. 

PMID- 26500656
TI  - Dysfunctional Crohn's Disease-Associated NOD2 Polymorphisms Cannot be Reliably
      Predicted on the Basis of RIPK2 Binding or Membrane Association.
AB  - Polymorphisms in NOD2 represent the single greatest genetic risk factor for the
      development of Crohn's disease. Three different non-synonomous NOD2 polymorphisms
      - R702W, G908R, and L1007fsincC - account for roughly 80% of all NOD2-associated
      cases of Crohn's disease and are reported to result in a loss of receptor
      function in response to muramyl dipeptide (MDP) stimulation. Loss of NOD2
      signaling can result from a failure to detect ligand; alterations in cellular
      localization; and changes in protein interactions, such as an inability to
      interact with the downstream adaptor protein RIPK2. Using an overexpression
      system, we analyzed ~50 NOD2 polymorphisms reportedly connected to Crohn's
      disease to determine if they also displayed loss of function and if this could be
      related to alterations in protein localization and/or association with RIPK2.
      Just under half the polymorphisms displayed a significant reduction in signaling
      capacity following ligand stimulation, with nine of them showing near complete
      ablation. Only two polymorphisms, R38M and R138Q, lost the ability to interact
      with RIPK2. However, both these polymorphisms still associated with cellular
      membranes. In contrast, L248R, W355stop, L550V, N825K, L1007fsinC, L1007P, and
      R1019stop still bound RIPK2, but showed impaired membrane association and were
      unable to signal in response to MDP. This highlights the complex contributions of
      NOD2 polymorphisms to Crohn's disease and reiterates the importance of both RIPK2
      binding and membrane association in NOD2 signaling. Simply ascertaining whether
      or not NOD2 polymorphisms bind RIPK2 or associate with cellular membranes is not
      sufficient for determining their signaling competency. 

PMID- 26500655
TI  - Inflammasome/IL-1beta Responses to Streptococcal Pathogens.
AB  - Inflammation mediated by the inflammasome and the cytokine IL-1beta are some of
      the earliest and most important alarms to infection. These pathways are
      responsive to the virulence factors that pathogens use to subvert immune
      processes, and thus are typically activated only by microbes with potential to
      cause severe disease. Among the most serious human infections are those caused by
      the pathogenic streptococci, in part because these species numerous strategies
      for immune evasion. Since the virulence factor armament of each pathogen is
      unique, the role of IL-1beta and the pathways leading to its activation varies
      for each infection. This review summarizes the role of IL-1beta during infections
      caused by streptococcal pathogens, with emphasis on emergent mechanisms and
      concepts countering paradigms determined for other organisms. 

PMID- 26500657
TI  - Microbiota-Specific CD4CD8alphaalpha Tregs: Role in Intestinal Immune Homeostasis
      and Implications for IBD.
AB  - In studies in murine models, active suppression by IL-10-secreting Foxp3
      regulatory T cells (Tregs) has emerged as an essential mechanism in colon
      homeostasis. However, the role of the equivalent subset in humans remains
      unclear, leading to suggestions that other subsets and/or mechanisms may
      substitute for Foxp3 Tregs in the maintenance of colon homeostasis. We recently
      described a new subset of CD4CD8alphaalpha T cells reactive to the gut bacterium
      Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and endowed with regulatory/suppressive functions.
      This subset is abundant in the healthy colonic mucosa, but less common in that of
      patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We discuss here the physiological
      significance and potential role of these Tregs in preventing inflammation of the
      gut mucosa and the potential applications of these discoveries for IBD
      management. 

PMID- 26500654
TI  - Hypersensitivity Responses in the Central Nervous System.
AB  - Immune-mediated tissue damage or hypersensitivity can be mediated by autospecific
      IgG antibodies. Pathology results from activation of complement, and antibody
      dependent cellular cytotoxicity, mediated by inflammatory effector leukocytes
      include macrophages, natural killer cells, and granulocytes. Antibodies and
      complement have been associated to demyelinating pathology in multiple sclerosis
      (MS) lesions, where macrophages predominate among infiltrating myeloid cells.
      Serum-derived autoantibodies with predominant specificity for the astrocyte water
      channel aquaporin-4 (AQP4) are implicated as inducers of pathology in
      neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating disease
      where activated neutrophils infiltrate, unlike in MS. The most widely used model
      for MS, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, is an autoantigen-immunized
      disease that can be transferred to naive animals with CD4(+) T cells, but not
      with antibodies. By contrast, NMO-like astrocyte and myelin pathology can be
      transferred to mice with AQP4-IgG from NMO patients. This is dependent on
      complement, and does not require T cells. Consistent with clinical observations
      that interferon-beta is ineffective as a therapy for NMO, NMO-like pathology is
      significantly reduced in mice lacking the Type I IFN receptor. In MS, there is
      evidence for intrathecal synthesis of antibodies as well as blood-brain barrier
      (BBB) breakdown, whereas in NMO, IgG accesses the CNS from blood. Transfer models
      involve either direct injection of antibody and complement to the CNS, or
      experimental manipulations to induce BBB breakdown. We here review studies in MS
      and NMO that elucidate roles for IgG and complement in the induction of BBB
      breakdown, astrocytopathy, and demyelinating pathology. These studies point to
      significance of T-independent effector mechanisms in neuroinflammation. 

PMID- 26500658
TI  - A current perspective on the role of AGCVIII kinases in PIN-mediated apical hook
      development.
AB  - Despite their sessile lifestyle, seed plants are able to utilize differential
      growth rates to move their organs in response to their environment. Asymmetrical
      growth is the cause for the formation and maintenance of the apical hook-a
      structure of dicotyledonous plants shaped by the bended hypocotyl that eases the
      penetration through the covering soil. As predicted by the Cholodny-Went theory,
      the cause for differential growth is the unequal distribution of the phytohormone
      auxin. The PIN-FORMED proteins transport auxin from cell-to-cell and control the
      distribution of auxin in the plant. Their localization and activity are regulated
      by two subfamilies of AGCVIII protein kinases: the D6 PROTEIN KINASEs as well as
      PINOID and its two closely related WAG kinases. This mini-review focuses on the
      regulatory mechanism of these AGCVIII kinases as well as their role in apical
      hook development of Arabidopsis thaliana. 

PMID- 26500660
TI  - Bacterial endophytes from wild maize suppress Fusarium graminearum in modern
      maize and inhibit mycotoxin accumulation.
AB  - Wild maize (teosinte) has been reported to be less susceptible to pests than
      their modern maize (corn) relatives. Endophytes, defined as microbes that inhabit
      plants without causing disease, are known for their ability to antagonize plant
      pests and pathogens. We hypothesized that the wild relatives of modern maize may
      host endophytes that combat pathogens. Fusarium graminearum is the fungus that
      causes Gibberella Ear Rot (GER) in modern maize and produces the mycotoxin,
      deoxynivalenol (DON). In this study, 215 bacterial endophytes, previously
      isolated from diverse maize genotypes including wild teosintes, traditional
      landraces and modern varieties, were tested for their ability to antagonize F.
      graminearum in vitro. Candidate endophytes were then tested for their ability to
      suppress GER in modern maize in independent greenhouse trials. The results
      revealed that three candidate endophytes derived from wild teosintes were most
      potent in suppressing F. graminearum in vitro and GER in a modern maize hybrid.
      These wild teosinte endophytes could suppress a broad spectrum of fungal
      pathogens of modern crops in vitro. The teosinte endophytes also suppressed DON
      mycotoxin during storage to below acceptable safety threshold levels. A fourth,
      less robust anti-fungal strain was isolated from a modern maize hybrid. Three of
      the anti-fungal endophytes were predicted to be Paenibacillus polymyxa, along
      with one strain of Citrobacter. Microscopy studies suggested a fungicidal mode of
      action by all four strains. Molecular and biochemical studies showed that the P.
      polymyxa strains produced the previously characterized anti-Fusarium compound,
      fusaricidin. Our results suggest that the wild relatives of modern crops may
      serve as a valuable reservoir for endophytes in the ongoing fight against serious
      threats to modern agriculture. We discuss the possible impact of crop evolution
      and domestication on endophytes in the context of plant defense. 

PMID- 26500661
TI  - Corrigendum: De novo assembly of the Japanese lawngrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.)
      root transcriptome and identification of candidate unigenes related to early
      responses under salt stress.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 610 in vol. 6, PMID: 26347751.]. 

PMID- 26500662
TI  - Ion and lipid signaling in apical growth-a dynamic machinery responding to
      extracellular cues.
AB  - Apical cell growth seems to have independently evolved throughout the major
      lineages of life. To a certain extent, so does our body of knowledge on the
      mechanisms regulating this morphogenetic process. Studies on pollen tubes, root
      hairs, rhizoids, fungal hyphae, even nerve cells, have highlighted tissue and
      cell specificities but also common regulatory characteristics (e.g., ions,
      proteins, phospholipids) that our focused research sometimes failed to grasp. The
      working hypothesis to test how apical cell growth is established and maintained
      have thus been shaped by the model organism under study and the type of methods
      used to study them. The current picture is one of a dynamic and adaptative
      process, based on a spatial segregation of components that network to achieve
      growth and respond to environmental (extracellular) cues. Here, we explore some
      examples of our live imaging research, namely on cyclic nucleotide gated ion
      channels, lipid kinases and syntaxins involved in exocytosis. We discuss how
      their spatial distribution, activity and concentration suggest that the players
      regulating apical cell growth may display more mobility than previously thought.
      Furthermore, we speculate on the implications of such perspective in our
      understanding of the mechanisms regulating apical cell growth and their responses
      to extracellular cues. 

PMID- 26500663
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of Ginkgo biloba kernels.
AB  - Ginkgo biloba is a dioecious species native to China with medicinally and
      phylogenetically important characteristics; however, genomic resources for this
      species are limited. In this study, we performed the first transcriptome
      sequencing for Ginkgo kernels at five time points using Illumina paired-end
      sequencing. Approximately 25.08-Gb clean reads were obtained, and 68,547 unigenes
      with an average length of 870 bp were generated by de novo assembly. Of these
      unigenes, 29,987 (43.74%) were annotated in publicly available plant protein
      database. A total of 3,869 genes were identified as significantly differentially
      expressed, and enrichment analysis was conducted at different time points.
      Furthermore, metabolic pathway analysis revealed that 66 unigenes were
      responsible for terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, with up to 12 up-regulated
      unigenes involved in the biosynthesis of ginkgolide and bilobalide. Differential
      gene expression analysis together with real-time PCR experiments indicated that
      the synthesis of bilobalide may have interfered with the ginkgolide synthesis
      process in the kernel. These data can remarkably expand the existing
      transcriptome resources of Ginkgo, and provide a valuable platform to reveal more
      on developmental and metabolic mechanisms of this species. 

PMID- 26500664
TI  - Impact of high temperature stress on floret fertility and individual grain weight
      of grain sorghum: sensitive stages and thresholds for temperature and duration.
AB  - Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] yield formation is severely affected by
      high temperature stress during reproductive stages. This study pursues to (i)
      identify the growth stage(s) most sensitive to high temperature stress during
      reproductive development, (ii) determine threshold temperature and duration of
      high temperature stress that decreases floret fertility and individual grain
      weight, and (iii) quantify impact of high daytime temperature during floret
      development, flowering and grain filling on reproductive traits and grain yield
      under field conditions. Periods between 10 and 5 d before anthesis; and between 5
      d before- and 5 d after-anthesis were most sensitive to high temperatures causing
      maximum decreases in floret fertility. Mean daily temperatures >25 degrees C
      quadratically decreased floret fertility (reaching 0% at 37 degrees C) when
      imposed at the start of panicle emergence. Temperatures ranging from 25 to 37
      degrees C quadratically decreased individual grain weight when imposed at the
      start of grain filling. Both floret fertility and individual grain weights
      decreased quadratically with increasing duration (0-35 d or 49 d during floret
      development or grain filling stage, respectively) of high temperature stress. In
      field conditions, imposition of temperature stress (using heat tents) during
      floret development or grain filling stage also decreased floret fertility,
      individual grain weight, and grain weight per panicle. 

PMID- 26500659
TI  - Chloroplast signaling within, between and beyond cells.
AB  - The most conspicuous function of plastids is the oxygenic photosynthesis of
      chloroplasts, yet plastids are super-factories that produce a plethora of
      compounds that are indispensable for proper plant physiology and development.
      Given their origins as free-living prokaryotes, it is not surprising that
      plastids possess their own genomes whose expression is essential to plastid
      function. This semi-autonomous character of plastids requires the existence of
      sophisticated regulatory mechanisms that provide reliable communication between
      them and other cellular compartments. Such intracellular signaling is necessary
      for coordinating whole-cell responses to constantly varying environmental cues
      and cellular metabolic needs. This is achieved by plastids acting as receivers
      and transmitters of specific signals that coordinate expression of the nuclear
      and plastid genomes according to particular needs. In this review we will
      consider the so-called retrograde signaling occurring between plastids and
      nuclei, and between plastids and other organelles. Another important role of the
      plastid we will discuss is the involvement of plastid signaling in biotic and
      abiotic stress that, in addition to influencing retrograde signaling, has direct
      effects on several cellular compartments including the cell wall. We will also
      review recent evidence pointing to an intriguing function of chloroplasts in
      regulating intercellular symplasmic transport. Finally, we consider an intriguing
      yet less widely known aspect of plant biology, chloroplast signaling from the
      perspective of the entire plant. Thus, accumulating evidence highlights that
      chloroplasts, with their complex signaling pathways, provide a mechanism for
      exquisite regulation of plant development, metabolism and responses to the
      environment. As chloroplast processes are targeted for engineering for improved
      productivity the effect of such modifications on chloroplast signaling will have
      to be carefully considered in order to avoid unintended consequences on plant
      growth and development. 

PMID- 26500665
TI  - Gaseous 3-pentanol primes plant immunity against a bacterial speck pathogen,
      Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato via salicylic acid and jasmonic acid-dependent
      signaling pathways in Arabidopsis.
AB  - 3-Pentanol is an active organic compound produced by plants and is a component of
      emitted insect sex pheromones. A previous study reported that drench application
      of 3-pentanol elicited plant immunity against microbial pathogens and an insect
      pest in crop plants. Here, we evaluated whether 3-pentanol and the derivatives 1
      pentanol and 2-pentanol induced plant systemic resistance using the in vitro I
      plate system. Exposure of Arabidopsis seedlings to 10 MUM and 100 nM 3-pentanol
      evaporate elicited an immune response to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000.
      We performed quantitative real-time PCR to investigate the 3-pentanol-mediated
      Arabidopsis immune responses by determining Pathogenesis-Related (PR) gene
      expression levels associated with defense signaling through salicylic acid (SA),
      jasmonic acid (JA), and ethylene signaling pathways. The results show that
      exposure to 3-pentanol and subsequent pathogen challenge upregulated PDF1.2 and
      PR1 expression. Selected Arabidopsis mutants confirmed that the 3-pentanol
      mediated immune response involved SA and JA signaling pathways and the NPR1 gene.
      Taken together, this study indicates that gaseous 3-pentanol triggers induced
      resistance in Arabidopsis by priming SA and JA signaling pathways. To our
      knowledge, this is the first report that a volatile compound of an insect sex
      pheromone triggers plant systemic resistance against a bacterial pathogen. 

PMID- 26500667
TI  - The Arabidopsis minE mutation causes new plastid and FtsZ1 localization
      phenotypes in the leaf epidermis.
AB  - Plastids in the leaf epidermal cells of plants are regarded as immature
      chloroplasts that, like mesophyll chloroplasts, undergo binary fission. While
      mesophyll chloroplasts have generally been used to study plastid division, recent
      studies have suggested the presence of tissue- or plastid type-dependent
      regulation of plastid division. Here, we report the detailed morphology of
      plastids and their stromules, and the intraplastidic localization of the
      chloroplast division-related protein AtFtsZ1-1, in the leaf epidermis of an
      Arabidopsis mutant that harbors a mutation in the chloroplast division site
      determinant gene AtMinE1. In atminE1, the size and shape of epidermal plastids
      varied widely, which contrasts with the plastid phenotype observed in atminE1
      mesophyll cells. In particular, atminE1 epidermal plastids occasionally displayed
      grape-like morphology, a novel phenotype induced by a plastid division mutation.
      Observation of an atminE1 transgenic line harboring an AtMinE1 promoter::AtMinE1
      yellow fluorescent protein fusion gene confirmed the expression and plastidic
      localization of AtMinE1 in the leaf epidermis. Further examination revealed that
      constriction of plastids and stromules mediated by the FtsZ1 ring contributed to
      the plastid pleomorphism in the atminE1 epidermis. These results illustrate that
      a single plastid division mutation can have dramatic consequences for epidermal
      plastid morphology, thereby implying that plastid division and morphogenesis are
      differentially regulated in epidermal and mesophyll plastids. 

PMID- 26500666
TI  - Plant-derived SAC domain of PAR-4 (Prostate Apoptosis Response 4) exhibits growth
      inhibitory effects in prostate cancer cells.
AB  - The gene Par-4 (Prostate Apoptosis Response 4) was originally identified in
      prostate cancer cells undergoing apoptosis and its product Par-4 showed cancer
      specific pro-apoptotic activity. Particularly, the SAC domain of Par-4 (SAC-Par
      4) selectively kills cancer cells leaving normal cells unaffected. The
      therapeutic significance of bioactive SAC-Par-4 is enormous in cancer biology;
      however, its large scale production is still a matter of concern. Here we report
      the production of SAC-Par-4-GFP fusion protein coupled to translational enhancer
      sequence (5' AMV) and apoplast signal peptide (aTP) in transgenic Nicotiana
      tabacum cv. Samsun NN plants under the control of a unique recombinant promoter
      M24. Transgene integration was confirmed by genomic DNA PCR, Southern and
      Northern blotting, Real-time PCR, and Nuclear run-on assays. Results of Western
      blot analysis and ELISA confirmed expression of recombinant SAC-Par-4-GFP protein
      and it was as high as 0.15% of total soluble protein. In addition, we found that
      targeting of plant recombinant SAC-Par-4-GFP to the apoplast and endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) was essential for the stability of plant recombinant protein in
      comparison to the bacterial derived SAC-Par-4. Deglycosylation analysis
      demonstrated that ER-targeted SAC-Par-4-GFP-SEKDEL undergoes O-linked
      glycosylation unlike apoplast-targeted SAC-Par-4-GFP. Furthermore, various in
      vitro studies like mammalian cells proliferation assay (MTT), apoptosis induction
      assays, and NF-kappaB suppression suggested the cytotoxic and apoptotic
      properties of plant-derived SAC-Par-4-GFP against multiple prostate cancer cell
      lines. Additionally, pre-treatment of MAT-LyLu prostate cancer cells with
      purified SAC-Par-4-GFP significantly delayed the onset of tumor in a syngeneic
      rat prostate cancer model. Taken altogether, we proclaim that plant made SAC-Par
      4 may become a useful alternate therapy for effectively alleviating cancer in the
      new era. 

PMID- 26500668
TI  - Transition from somatic embryo to friable embryogenic callus in cassava: dynamic
      changes in cellular structure, physiological status, and gene expression
      profiles.
AB  - Friable embryogenic callus (FEC) is considered as the most suitable material for
      efficient genetic transformation of cassava. Heavy genotype dependence of FEC
      induction and amenability to somaclonal variation limits the production and
      maintenance of reliable FEC. Identifying key elements involved in biological
      processes from somatic embryos (SEs) to FEC at different stages provides critical
      insights for FEC improvement. Cytological observation showed a dramatic change of
      subcellular structures among SEs, fresh FEC (FFEC), and old FEC (OFEC). Decrease
      of sucrose and increase of fructose and glucose were detected in OFEC. A total of
      6871 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified from SEs, FFEC, and
      OFEC by RNA-seq. Analysis of the DEGs showed that FEC induction was accompanied
      by the process of dedifferentiation, whereas the epigenetics modification
      occurred during the continuous subculturing process. The cell structure was
      reconstructed, mainly including the GO terms of "cell periphery" and "external
      encapsulating structure"; in parallel, the internal mechanisms changed
      correspondingly, including the biological process of glycolysis and metabolisms
      of alanine, aspartate, and glutamate. The significant reduction of genomic DNA
      methylation in OFEC indicated altered gene expression via chromatin modification.
      These results indicate that the induction and long-term subculture of FEC is a
      complicated biological process involving changes of genome modification, gene
      expression, and subcellular reconstruction. The findings will be useful for
      improving FEC induction and maintenance from farmer-preferred cassava cultivars
      recalcitrant to genetic transformation, hence improving cassava through genetic
      engineering. 

PMID- 26500669
TI  - Myrosinase-dependent and -independent formation and control of isothiocyanate
      products of glucosinolate hydrolysis.
AB  - Brassicales contain a myrosinase enzyme that hydrolyzes glucosinolates to form
      toxic isothiocyanates (ITC), as a defense against bacteria, fungi, insects and
      herbivores including man. Low levels of ITC trigger a host defense system in
      mammals that protects them against chronic diseases. Because humans typically
      cook their brassica vegetables, destroying myrosinase, there is a great interest
      in determining how human microbiota can hydrolyze glucosinolates and release
      them, to provide the health benefits of ITC. ITC are highly reactive
      electrophiles, binding reversibly to thiols, but accumulating and causing damage
      when free thiols are not available. We found that addition of excess thiols
      released protein-thiol-bound ITC, but that the microbiome supports only poor
      hydrolysis unless exposed to dietary glucosinolates for a period of days. These
      findings explain why 3-5 servings a week of brassica vegetables may provide
      health effects, even if they are cooked. 

PMID- 26500670
TI  - Overexpression of OsDof12 affects plant architecture in rice (Oryza sativa L.).
AB  - Dof (DNA binding with one finger) proteins, a class of plant-specific
      transcription factors, are involved in plant growth and developmental processes
      and stress responses. However, their biological functions remain to be
      elucidated, especially in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Previously, we have reported
      that OsDof12 can promote rice flowering under long-day conditions. Here, we
      further investigated the other important agronomical traits of the transgenic
      plants overexpressing OsDof12 and found that overexpressing OsDof12 could lead to
      reduced plant height, erected leaf, shortened leaf blade, and smaller panicle
      resulted from decreased primary and secondary branches number. These results
      implied that OsDof12 is involved in rice plant architecture formation.
      Furthermore, we performed a series of Brassinosteroid (BR)-responsive tests and
      found that overexpression of OsDof12 could also result in BR hyposensitivity. Of
      note, in WT plants the expression of OsDof12 was found up-regulated by BR
      treatment while in OsDof12 overexpression plants two positive BR signaling
      regulators, OsBRI1 and OsBZR1, were significantly down-regulated, indicating that
      OsDof12 may act as a negative BR regulator in rice. Taken together, our results
      suggested that overexpression of OsDof12 could lead to altered plant architecture
      by suppressing BR signaling. Thus, OsDof12 might be used as a new potential
      genetic regulator for future rice molecular breeding. 

PMID- 26500671
TI  - Making better maize plants for sustainable grain production in a changing
      climate.
AB  - Achieving grain supply security with limited arable land is a major challenge in
      the twenty-first century, owing to the changing climate and increasing global
      population. Maize plays an increasingly vital role in global grain production. As
      a C4 plant, maize has a high yield potential. Maize is predicted to become the
      number one cereal in the world by 2020. However, maize production has plateaued
      in many countries, and hybrid and production technologies have been fully
      exploited. Thus, there is an urgent need to shape maize traits and architectures
      for increased stress tolerance and higher yield in a changing climate. Recent
      achievements in genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics have provided an
      unprecedented opportunity to make better maize. In this paper, we discuss the
      current challenges and potential of maize production, particularly in China. We
      also highlight the need for enhancing maize tolerance to drought and heat waves,
      summarize the elite shoot and root traits and phenotypes, and propose an ideotype
      for sustainable maize production in a changing climate. This will facilitate
      targeted maize improvement through a conventional breeding program combined with
      molecular techniques. 

PMID- 26500673
TI  - Unraveling the in vitro secretome of the phytopathogen Botrytis cinerea to
      understand the interaction with its hosts.
AB  - Botrytis cinerea is a necrotrophic fungus with high adaptability to different
      environments and hosts. It secretes a large number of extracellular proteins,
      which favor plant tissue penetration and colonization, thus contributing to
      virulence. Secretomics is a proteomics sub-discipline which study the secreted
      proteins and their secretion mechanisms, so-called secretome. By using proteomics
      as experimental approach, many secreted proteins by B. cinerea have been
      identified from in vitro experiments, and belonging to different functional
      categories: (i) cell wall-degrading enzymes such as pectinesterases and endo
      polygalacturonases; (ii) proteases involved in host protein degradation such as
      an aspartic protease; (iii) proteins related to the oxidative burst such as
      glyoxal oxidase; (iv) proteins which may induce the plant hypersensitive response
      such as a cerato-platanin domain-containing protein; and (v) proteins related to
      production and secretion of toxins such as malate dehydrogenase. In this mini
      review, we made an overview of the proteomics contribution to the study and
      knowledge of the B. cinerea extracellular secreted proteins based on our current
      work carried out from in vitro experiments, and recent published papers both in
      vitro and in planta studies on this fungi. We hypothesize on the putative
      functions of these secreted proteins, and their connection to the biology of the
      B. cinerea interaction with its hosts. 

PMID- 26500672
TI  - Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling by modified reduced representation
      bisulfite sequencing in Brassica rapa suggests that epigenetic modifications play
      a key role in polyploid genome evolution.
AB  - Brassica rapa includes some of the most important vegetables worldwide as well as
      oilseed crops. The complete annotated genome sequence confirmed its
      paleohexaploid origins and provides opportunities for exploring the detailed
      process of polyploid genome evolution. We generated a genome-wide DNA methylation
      profile for B. rapa using a modified reduced representation bisulfite sequencing
      (RRBS) method. This sampling represented 2.24% of all CG loci (2.5 * 10(5)),
      2.16% CHG (2.7 * 10(5)), and 1.68% CHH loci (1.05 * 10(5)) (where H = A, T, or
      C). Our sampling of DNA methylation in B. rapa indicated that 52.4% of CG sites
      were present as (5m)CG, with 31.8% of CHG and 8.3% of CHH. It was found that
      genic regions of single copy genes had significantly higher methylation compared
      to those of two or three copy genes. Differences in degree of genic DNA
      methylation were observed in a hierarchical relationship corresponding to the
      relative age of the three ancestral subgenomes, primarily accounted by single
      copy genes. RNA-seq analysis revealed that overall the level of transcription was
      negatively correlated with mean gene methylation content and depended on copy
      number or was associated with the different subgenomes. These results provide new
      insights into the role epigenetic variation plays in polyploid genome evolution,
      and suggest an alternative mechanism for duplicate gene loss. 

PMID- 26500674
TI  - Internal transcribed spacer 2 barcode: a good tool for identifying Acanthopanacis
      cortex.
AB  - Acanthopanacis cortex has been used in clinical applications for a long time.
      Considering some historical and geographical factors, Acanthopanacis cortex is
      easily confused with other herbs in medicine markets, thereby causing potential
      safety issues. In this study, we used the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2)
      barcode to identify 69 samples belonging to six species, including Acanthopanacis
      cortex and its adulterants. The nearest distance, single-nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs), and neighbor-joining (NJ) tree methods were used to evaluate the
      identification ability of the ITS2 barcode. According to the kimura-2-parameter
      model, the intraspecific distance of Eleutherococcus nodiflorus ITS2 sequences
      ranged from 0 to 0.0132. The minimum interspecific distance between E. nodiflorus
      and E. giraldii was 0.0221, which was larger than the maximum intraspecific
      distance of E. nodiflorus. Three stable SNPs in ITS2 can be used to distinguish
      Acanthopanacis cortex and its closely related species. The NJ tree indicated that
      the Acanthopanacis cortex samples clustered into one clade, which can be
      distinguished clearly from the adulterants of this herb. A secondary structure of
      ITS2 provided another dimensionality to identify species. In conclusion, the ITS2
      barcode effectively identifies Acanthopanacis cortex, and DNA barcoding is a
      convenient tool for medicine market supervision. 

PMID- 26500675
TI  - Ecogeography and utility to plant breeding of the crop wild relatives of
      sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.).
AB  - Crop wild relatives (CWR) are a rich source of genetic diversity for crop
      improvement. Combining ecogeographic and phylogenetic techniques can inform both
      conservation and breeding. Geographic occurrence, bioclimatic, and biophysical
      data were used to predict species distributions, range overlap and niche
      occupancy in 36 taxa closely related to sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Taxa
      lacking comprehensive ex situ conservation were identified. The predicted
      distributions for 36 Helianthus taxa identified substantial range overlap, range
      asymmetry and niche conservatism. Specific taxa (e.g., Helianthus deblis Nutt.,
      Helianthus anomalus Blake, and Helianthus divaricatus L.) were identified as
      targets for traits of interest, particularly for abiotic stress tolerance, and
      adaptation to extreme soil properties. The combination of techniques demonstrates
      the potential for publicly available ecogeographic and phylogenetic data to
      facilitate the identification of possible sources of abiotic stress traits for
      plant breeding programs. Much of the primary genepool (wild H. annuus) occurs in
      extreme environments indicating that introgression of targeted traits may be
      relatively straightforward. Sister taxa in Helianthus have greater range overlap
      than more distantly related taxa within the genus. This adds to a growing body of
      literature suggesting that in plants (unlike some animal groups), geographic
      isolation may not be necessary for speciation. 

PMID- 26500676
TI  - A possible mechanism of biological silicification in plants.
AB  - Plants are significant exponents of biological silicification. While not all
      plants are generally considered as biosilicifiers the extent to which all plants
      deposit biogenic silica is largely unknown. There are plants which are known as
      silica accumulators though even in these plants the extent and degree to which
      their tissues are silicified is neither appreciated nor understood. An
      elucidation of the mechanism of silicification in biota is complicated by a lack
      of known bio-organic chemistry of silicic acid, the starting point in this
      process. Herein I argue the case that biological silicification is an entirely
      passive process. It is passive from the point of view that its underlying
      mechanisms and processes do not require us to invoke any as yet undiscovered
      silicon biochemistry. It is also passive in that although silicification confers
      clear biological/ecological advantages under certain conditions, it is actually
      non-essential in all plants and potentially, at least, toxic in some. 

PMID- 26500677
TI  - Simultaneous inference of haplotypes and alleles at a causal gene.
AB  - We present a methodology which jointly infers haplotypes and the causal alleles
      at a gene influencing a given trait. Often in human genetic studies, the
      available data consists of genotypes (series of genetic markers along the
      chromosomes) and a phenotype. However, for many genetic analyses, one needs
      haplotypes instead of genotypes. Our methodology is not only able to estimate
      haplotypes conditionally on the disease status, but is also able to infer the
      alleles at the unknown disease locus. Some applications of our methodology are in
      genetic mapping and in genetic counseling. 

PMID- 26500678
TI  - Moving from capstones toward cornerstones: successes and challenges in applying
      systems biology to identify mechanisms of autism spectrum disorders.
AB  - The substantial progress in the last few years toward uncovering genetic causes
      and risk factors for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has opened new experimental
      avenues for identifying the underlying neurobiological mechanism of the
      condition. The bounty of genetic findings has led to a variety of data-driven
      exploratory analyses aimed at deriving new insights about the shared features of
      these genes. These approaches leverage data from a variety of different sources
      such as co-expression in transcriptomic studies, protein-protein interaction
      networks, gene ontologies (GOs) annotations, or multi-level combinations of all
      of these. Here, we review the recurrent themes emerging from these analyses and
      highlight some of the challenges going forward. Themes include findings that ASD
      associated genes discovered by a variety of methods have been shown to contain
      disproportionate amounts of neurite outgrowth/cytoskeletal, synaptic, and more
      recently Wnt-related and chromatin modifying genes. Expression studies have
      highlighted a disproportionate expression of ASD gene sets during mid fetal
      cortical development, particularly for rare variants, with multiple analyses
      highlighting the striatum and cortical projection and interneurons as well. While
      these explorations have highlighted potentially interesting relationships among
      these ASD-related genes, there are challenges in how to best transition these
      insights into empirically testable hypotheses. Nonetheless, defining shared
      molecular or cellular pathology downstream of the diverse genes associated with
      ASDs could provide the cornerstones needed to build toward broadly applicable
      therapeutic approaches. 

PMID- 26500679
TI  - Arthropod venom Hyaluronidases: biochemical properties and potential applications
      in medicine and biotechnology.
AB  - Hyaluronidases are enzymes that mainly degrade hyaluronan, the major
      glycosaminoglycan of the interstitial matrix. They are involved in several
      pathological and physiological activities including fertilization, wound healing,
      embryogenesis, angiogenesis, diffusion of toxins and drugs, metastasis,
      pneumonia, sepsis, bacteremia, meningitis, inflammation and allergy, among
      others. Hyaluronidases are widely distributed in nature and the enzymes from
      mammalian spermatozoa, lysosomes and animal venoms belong to the subclass EC
      3.2.1.35. To date, only five three-dimensional structures for arthropod venom
      hyaluronidases (Apis mellifera and Vespula vulgaris) were determined.
      Additionally, there are four molecular models for hyaluronidases from Mesobuthus
      martensii, Polybia paulista and Tityus serrulatus venoms. These enzymes are
      employed as adjuvants to increase the absorption and dispersion of other drugs
      and have been used in various off-label clinical conditions to reduce tissue
      edema. Moreover, a PEGylated form of a recombinant human hyaluronidase is
      currently under clinical trials for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic
      cancer. This review focuses on the arthropod venom hyaluronidases and provides an
      overview of their biochemical properties, role in the envenoming,
      structure/activity relationship, and potential medical and biotechnological
      applications. 

PMID- 26500680
TI  - Peak cortisol response to corticotropin-releasing hormone is associated with age
      and body size in children referred for clinical testing: a retrospective review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) testing is used to evaluate
      suspected adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) deficiency, but the clinical
      characteristics that affect response in young children are incompletely
      understood. Our objective was to determine the effect of age and body size on
      cortisol response to CRH in children at risk for ACTH deficiency referred for
      clinical testing. METHODS: Retrospective, observational study of 297 children,
      ages 30 days - 18 years, undergoing initial, clinically indicated outpatient CRH
      stimulation testing at a tertiary referral center. All subjects received 1mcg/kg
      corticorelin per institutional protocol. Serial, timed ACTH and cortisol
      measurements were obtained. Patient demographic and clinical factors were
      abstracted from the medical record. Patients without full recorded anthropometric
      data, pubertal assessment, ACTH measurements, or clear indication for testing
      were excluded (number remaining = 222). Outcomes of interest were maximum
      cortisol after stimulation (peak) and cortisol rise from baseline (delta).
      Bivariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were used to assess the
      effects of age and size (weight, height, body mass index (BMI), body surface area
      (BSA), BMI z-score, and height z-score) on cortisol response while accounting for
      clinical covariates including sex, race/ethnicity, pubertal status, indication
      for testing, and time of testing. RESULTS: Subjects were 27 % female, with mean
      age of 8.9 years (SD 4.5); 75 % were pre-pubertal. Mean peak cortisol was 609.2
      nmol/L (SD 213.0); mean delta cortisol was 404.2 nmol/L (SD 200.2). In separate
      multivariable models, weight, height, BSA and height z-score each remained
      independently negatively associated (p < 0.05) with peak and delta cortisol,
      controlling for indication of testing, baseline cortisol, and peak or delta ACTH,
      respectively. Age was negatively associated with peak but not delta cortisol in
      multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the use of a weight-based dosing
      protocol, both peak and delta cortisol response to CRH are negatively associated
      with several measures of body size in children referred for clinical testing,
      raising the question of whether alternate CRH dosing strategies or age- or size
      based thresholds for adequate cortisol response should be considered in pediatric
      patients, or, alternatively, whether this finding reflects practice patterns
      followed when referring children for clinical testing.

PMID- 26500681
TI  - Anti-Hepatitis E Antibody in Hemodialysis Patients in Isfahan, Iran: Prevalence
      and Risk Factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many studies have been performed regarding the prevalence of
      hepatitis E in the general population, but there is controversial evidence for an
      increased risk of the infection in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD).
      OBJECTIVES: The primary end point of the present study was to determine if the
      prevalence of anti-hepatitis E virus IgG (anti-HEV IgG) is higher in patients on
      maintenance HD than in the normal population in Isfahan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In
      a case-control study performed in Isfahan in June 2012, we compared the
      seroprevalence of HEV among 274 patients on maintenance HD and 275 otherwise
      healthy individuals. The patients were recruited from 3 HD centers in Isfahan.
      Anti-HEV IgG was detected using a Dia Pro Diagnostic HEV enzyme immunoassay
      (ELISA) kit. Demographic and clinical data (sex, age, blood transfusion history,
      HD duration, age at HD initiation, and evidence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C
      infections) were obtained from the medical records of the HD patients. RESULTS:
      Anti-HEV IgG was detected in 27 (9.9%) controls and 78 (28.3%) patients, with the
      difference being statistically significant (P < 0.05). Furthermore, there was a
      significant association between positive anti-HEV antibody, HD duration, and
      blood transfusion history in the HD patients. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the
      results, it seems necessary to conduct prospective studies in order to identify
      factors responsible for the high seroprevalence of HEV in Isfahan HD units.

PMID- 26500682
TI  - Five Years Survival of Patients After Liver Transplantation and Its Effective
      Factors by Neural Network and Cox Poroportional Hazard Regression Models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transplantation is the only treatment for patients with liver
      failure. Since the therapy imposes high expenses to the patients and community,
      identification of effective factors on survival of such patients after
      transplantation is valuable. OBJECTIVES: The current study attempted to model the
      survival of patients (two years old and above) after liver transplantation using
      neural network and Cox Proportional Hazards (Cox PH) regression models. The event
      is defined as death due to complications of liver transplantation. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: In a historical cohort study, the clinical findings of 1168 patients who
      underwent liver transplant surgery (from March 2008 to march 2013) at Shiraz
      Namazee Hospital Organ Transplantation Center, Shiraz, Southern Iran, were used.
      To model the one to five years survival of such patients, Cox PH regression model
      accompanied by three layers feed forward artificial neural network (ANN) method
      were applied on data separately and their prediction accuracy was compared using
      the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Furthermore,
      Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the survival probabilities in different
      years. RESULTS: The estimated survival probability of one to five years for the
      patients were 91%, 89%, 85%, 84%, and 83%, respectively. The areas under the ROC
      were 86.4% and 80.7% for ANN and Cox PH models, respectively. In addition, the
      accuracy of prediction rate for ANN and Cox PH methods was equally 92.73%.
      CONCLUSIONS: The present study detected more accurate results for ANN method
      compared to those of Cox PH model to analyze the survival of patients with liver
      transplantation. Furthermore, the order of effective factors in patients'
      survival after transplantation was clinically more acceptable. The large dataset
      with a few missing data was the advantage of this study, the fact which makes the
      results more reliable.

PMID- 26500683
TI  - Increased Ribavirin Bioavailability Associated With Telaprevir Use in Hepatitis C
      Patients Treated With PEGylated -Interferon/Ribavirin/Telaprevir Triple Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anemia is more frequent in patients receiving telaprevir with
      PEGylated interferon/ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV) than in those receiving PEG-IFN/RBV
      alone. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to measure the impact of telaprevir on RBV
      bioavailability and to assess the concomitant renal function. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Thirty-seven hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients non-responders to a
      previous course of PEG-IFN/RBV therapy and re-treated with triple therapy
      combining PEG-IFN/RBV and telaprevir were analyzed. RBV bioavailability was
      measured before the triple therapy initiation, during telaprevir treatment at
      week (W) 4 and W8, and after telaprevir cessation (post W16). The renal function
      was assessed by estimating the glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). RESULTS: At W4,
      RBV bioavailability, expressed as mg/L/daily dose/kg body weight, was
      significantly increased (median increase = 0.06 mg/L/dose/kg; P < 0.001). In
      parallel, the renal function was impaired with a mean eGFR decrease of -6.8
      mL/minutes/1.73 m2 (P = 0.109). Between W4 and W8, RBV bioavailability continued
      to increase (P < 0.001) but subsequently decreased slightly after telaprevir
      discontinuation with a concomitant restoration of the renal function (eGFR
      increase of 6.34 mL/minutes/1.73 m2). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated a
      reversible increase in RBV bioavailability after telaprevir exposure, which might
      be linked to the impairment of the GFR. This also suggests a RBV-telaprevir
      pharmacological interaction, a possible source of severe anemia observed under
      triple therapy. These results suggest that RBV pharmacological monitoring may be
      clinically relevant, especially in the context of first-generation HCV protease
      inhibitor-based therapy.

PMID- 26500684
TI  - Plasma Osteopontin Level in Chronic Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteopontin (OPN) is a secreted glycoprotein and is frequently
      associated with various tumors. OBJECTIVES: We sought to investigate the clinical
      usefulness of the level of plasma OPN, compared to alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), as a
      biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to evaluate its diagnostic value
      in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its relationship with clinical
      and laboratory features of HCC and NAFLD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was
      performed on 120 subjects classified into 5 groups: Group I included 25 chronic
      non-cirrhotic hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients; Group II encompassed 25
      patients with chronic HCV infection with liver cirrhosis; Group III comprised 25
      patients with chronic HCV with liver cirrhosis and HCC; Group IV was comprised of
      25 patients with NAFLD; and Group V consisted of 20 healthy age- and sex-matched
      controls. All the participants were subjected to history taking and clinical and
      abdominal ultrasonographic examinations as well as the following laboratory
      investigations: liver function tests, complete blood count, blood sugar,
      hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis C virus antibodies, HCV-RNA by qualitative
      polymerase chain reaction (for Groups I, II, and III) and serum AFP and plasma
      OPN levels. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences in plasma
      OPN levels between the HCC group (401 +/- 72 ng/mL) and the other groups, between
      the cirrhotic group (258.3 +/- 35 ng/mL) and the non-cirrhotic group (HCV group,
      168.7 +/- 41 ng/mL; fatty liver group, 106.7 +/- 35 ng/mL), and between the
      chronic non-cirrhotic HCV group and the fatty liver group (I and IV) and the
      controls (35.1 +/- 6 ng/mL). In the HCC group, the diagnostic value of OPN was
      comparable to that of AFP at a cutoff value of 280 ng/mL, achieving sensitivity,
      specificity, and overall accuracy of 100%, 98%, and 96%, respectively. Regarding
      the validity of plasma OPN as a predictor of fatty change, our results revealed a
      diagnostic accuracy of 50% with 70% sensitivity, 45% specificity, 50% positive
      predictive value, and 75% negative predictive value at a cutoff value of 134
      ng/mL. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma OPN is comparable to AFP as a diagnostic marker and is
      related to the severity of liver involvement in HCC patients. Plasma OPN is of
      diagnostic potential value in NAFLD.

PMID- 26500685
TI  - Neurons of self-defence: neuronal innervation of the exocrine defence glands in
      stick insects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stick insects (Phasmatodea) use repellent chemical substances
      (allomones) for defence which are released from so-called defence glands in the
      prothorax. These glands differ in size between species, and are under neuronal
      control from the CNS. The detailed neural innervation and possible differences
      between species are not studied so far. Using axonal tracing, the neuronal
      innervation is investigated comparing four species. The aim is to document the
      complexity of defence gland innervation in peripheral nerves and central
      motoneurons in stick insects. RESULTS: In the species studied here, the defence
      gland is innervated by the intersegmental nerve complex (ISN) which is formed by
      three nerves from the prothoracic (T1) and suboesophageal ganglion (SOG), as well
      as a distinct suboesophageal nerve (Nervus anterior of the suboesophageal
      ganglion). In Carausius morosus and Sipyloidea sipylus, axonal tracing confirmed
      an innervation of the defence glands by this N. anterior SOG as well as N.
      anterior T1 and N. posterior SOG from the intersegmental nerve complex. In
      Peruphasma schultei, which has rather large defence glands, only the innervation
      by the N. anterior SOG was documented by axonal tracing. In the central nervous
      system of all species, 3-4 neuron types are identified by axonal tracing which
      send axons in the N. anterior SOG likely innervating the defence gland as well as
      adjacent muscles. These neurons are mainly suboesophageal neurons with one
      intersegmental neuron located in the prothoracic ganglion. The neuron types are
      conserved in the species studied, but the combination of neuron types is not
      identical. In addition, the central nervous system in S. sipylus contains one
      suboesophageal and one prothoracic neuron type with axons in the intersegmental
      nerve complex contacting the defence gland. CONCLUSIONS: Axonal tracing shows a
      very complex innervation pattern of the defence glands of Phasmatodea which
      contains different neurons in different nerves from two adjacent body segments.
      The gland size correlates to the size of a neuron soma in the suboesophageal
      ganglion, which likely controls gland contraction. In P. schultei, the
      innervation pattern appears simplified to the anterior suboesophageal nerve.
      Hence, some evolutionary changes are notable in a conserved neuronal network.

PMID- 26500688
TI  - Telemedicine - a scientometric and density equalizing analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As a result of the various telemedicine projects in the past years a
      large number of studies were recently published in this field. However, a precise
      bibliometric analysis of telemedicine publications does not exist so far.
      METHODS: The present study was conducted to establish a data base of the existing
      approaches. Density-equalizing algorithms were used and data was retrieved from
      the Thomson Reuters database Web of Science. RESULTS: During the period from 1900
      to 2006 a number of 3290 filed items were connected to telemedicine, with the
      first being published in 1964. The studies originate from 101 countries, with the
      USA, Great Britain and Canada being the most productive suppliers participating
      in 56.08 % of all published items. Analyzing the average citation per item for
      countries with more than 10 publications, Ireland ranked first (10.19/item), New
      Zealand ranked second (9.5/item) followed by Finland (9.04/item). The citation
      rate can be assumed as an indicator for research quality. The ten most productive
      journals include three journals with the main focus telemedicine and another five
      with the main focus "Information/Informatics". In all subject categories examined
      for published items related to telemedicine, "Health Care Sciences & Services"
      ranked first by far. More than 36 % of all publications are assigned to this
      category, followed by "Medical Informatics" with 9.72 % and "Medicine, General &
      Internal" with 8.84 % of all publications. CONCLUSION: In summary it can be
      concluded that the data shows clearly a strong increase in research productivity.
      Using science citation analysis it can be assumed that there is a large rise in
      the interest in telemedicine studies.

PMID- 26500686
TI  - A randomized controlled trial: the effect of inulin on weight management and
      ectopic fat in subjects with prediabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fat infiltration of the liver, muscle and pancreas is associated with
      insulin resistance and risk of diabetes. Weight loss reduces ectopic fat
      deposition and risk of diabetes, but is difficult to sustain to due to
      compensatory increases in appetite. Fermentable carbohydrates have been shown to
      decrease appetite and food intake, and promote weight loss in overweight
      subjects. In animal studies, fermentable carbohydrate reduces ectopic fat
      independent of weight loss. We aimed to investigate the effect of the fermentable
      carbohydrate inulin on weight maintenance, appetite and ectopic fat in subjects
      with prediabetes. METHODS: Forty-four subjects with prediabetes were randomized
      to 18 weeks' inulin or cellulose supplementation. During weeks 1-9 (weight loss
      phase) all subjects had four visits with a dietitian to guide them towards a 5 %
      weight loss. During weeks 10-18 (weight maintenance phase) subjects continued
      taking their assigned supplementation and were asked to maintain the weight they
      had lost but were offered no further support. All subjects attended study
      sessions at baseline, 9 and 18 weeks for measurement of weight; assessment of
      adipose tissue and ectopic fat content by magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic
      resonance spectroscopy; glucose, insulin and GLP-1 levels following a meal
      tolerance test; and appetite by ad libitum meal test and visual analogue scales.
      RESULTS: Both groups lost approximately 5 % of their body weight by week nine (
      5.3 +/- 0.1 % vs -4.3 +/- 0.4 %, p = 0.13, but the inulin group lost
      significantly more weight between 9 and 18 weeks (-2.3 +/- 0.5 % vs -0.6 +/- 0.4
      %, p = 0.012). Subjects taking inulin had lower hepatic (p = 0.02) and soleus
      muscle (p < 0.05) fat content at 18 weeks compared to control even after
      controlling for weight loss and consumed less at the ad libitum meal test (p =
      0.027). Fasting glucose significantly decreased at week nine only (p = 0.005),
      insulin concentrations did not change, and there was a significant increase in
      GLP-1 in the cellulose group at 9 and 18 weeks (p < 0.03, p < 0.00001).
      CONCLUSION: Inulin may have a two-pronged effect on the risk of diabetes by 1)
      promoting weight loss 2) reducing intrahepatocellular and intramyocellular lipid
      in people with prediabetes independent of weight loss. TRIAL REGISTRATION: 
      CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT01841073.

PMID- 26500687
TI  - Weight loss-induced changes in adipose tissue proteins associated with fatty acid
      and glucose metabolism correlate with adaptations in energy expenditure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Energy restriction causes adaptations in energy expenditure (total
      ,TEE; resting-,REE; activity induced-,AEE). OBJECTIVE: To determine if changes in
      the levels of proteins involved in adipocyte glucose and fatty acid metabolism as
      indicators for energy deficiency are related to adaptations in energy expenditure
      during weight loss. METHODS: Forty-eight healthy subjects (18 men, 30 women),
      mean +/- SD age 42 +/- 8 y and BMI 31.4 +/- 2.8 kg/m(2), followed a very low
      energy diet for 8 wk. Protein levels of fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4),
      fructose-bisphosphate aldolase C (AldoC) and short chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA
      dehydrogenase (HADHsc) (adipose tissue biopsy, western blot), TEE (doubly labeled
      water), REE (ventilated hood), and AEE were assessed before and after the 8-wk
      diet. RESULTS: There was a positive correlation between the decrease in AldoC and
      the decrease in TEE (R = 0.438, P < 0.01) and the decrease change in AEE (R =
      0.439, P < 0.01). Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between the
      increases in HADHsc and the decrease in REE (R = 0.343, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION:
      The decrease in AldoC correlated with the decrease in AEE, which may be explained
      by a decreased glycolytic flux. Additionally, the change in HADHsc, a crucial
      enzyme for a step in beta-oxidation, correlated with the adaptation in REE. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION:  CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01015508 at
      clinicaltrials.gov.

PMID- 26500689
TI  - The isolation of early nuclear endosperm of Oryza sativa to facilitate gene
      expression analysis and screening imprinted genes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Since the quality and yield of rice production depends on endosperm
      development, previous studies have focused on the molecular mechanism that
      regulates this developmental process. Recently, how this process is
      epigenetically regulated has become an important topic. However, the gene
      expression analysis and screening imprinted genes during early endosperm
      development remain challenging since the isolation of early endosperm has not
      been possible. Here, we report a procedure for the isolation of endosperm at 24
      or 48 HAP (hours after pollination) during the free nuclear stage of endosperm
      development. RESULTS: This technique allows for rapid and convenient collection
      of pure free nuclear endosperm. Early endosperm RNA can then be extracted from
      the isolated endosperm cells using dynabeads. Our results showed that the quality
      of RNA is satisfactory for gene expression analysis and screening the parental-of
      origin specific genes in early endosperm. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, we offer a reliable
      method to overcome one of the major obstacles in the investigation of the
      molecular mechanisms of early endosperm development. Our approach can be used for
      accurate gene expression analysis and screening of imprinted genes, and
      facilitates the confirmation of endosperm-specific gene expression at the very
      early stages of endosperm development. This method could also be used in other
      species to collect early free nuclear endosperm.

PMID- 26500691
TI  - Carbon accretion in unthinned and thinned young-growth forest stands of the
      Alaskan perhumid coastal temperate rainforest.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accounting for carbon gains and losses in young-growth forests is a
      key part of carbon assessments. A common silvicultural practice in young forests
      is thinning to increase the growth rate of residual trees. However, the effect of
      thinning on total stand carbon stock in these stands is uncertain. In this study
      we used data from 284 long-term growth and yield plots to quantify the carbon
      stock in unthinned and thinned young growth conifer stands in the Alaskan coastal
      temperate rainforest. We estimated carbon stocks and carbon accretion rates for
      three thinning treatments (basal area removal of 47, 60, and 73 %) and a no-thin
      treatment across a range of productivity classes and ages. We also accounted for
      the carbon content in dead trees to quantify the influence of both thinning and
      natural mortality in unthinned stands. RESULTS: The total tree carbon stock in
      naturally-regenerating unthinned young-growth forests estimated as the asymptote
      of the accretion curve was 484 (+/-26) Mg C ha-1 for live and dead trees and 398
      (+/-20) Mg C ha-1 for live trees only. The total tree carbon stock was reduced by
      16, 26, and 39 % at stand age 40 y across the increasing range of basal area
      removal. Modeled linear carbon accretion rates of stands 40 years after treatment
      were not markedly different with increasing intensity of basal area removal from
      reference stand values of 4.45 Mg C ha-1 year-1to treatment stand values of 5.01,
      4.83, and 4.68 Mg C ha-1 year-1 respectively. However, the carbon stock reduction
      in thinned stands compared to the stock of carbon in the unthinned plots was
      maintained over the entire 100 year period of observation. CONCLUSIONS: Thinning
      treatments in regenerating forest stands reduce forest carbon stocks, while
      carbon accretion rates recovered and were similar to unthinned stands. However,
      that the reduction of carbon stocks in thinned stands persisted for a century
      indicate that the unthinned treatment option is the optimal choice for short-term
      carbon sequestration. Other ecologically beneficial results of thinning may
      override the loss of carbon due to treatment. Our model estimates can be used to
      calculate regional carbon losses, alleviating uncertainty in calculating the
      carbon cost of the treatments.

PMID- 26500692
TI  - Preparing Early Childhood Teachers to Work With Young Dual Language Learners.
AB  - Teacher preparation is clearly linked to the quality of early childhood programs.
      In order for young dual language learners (DLLs) to be academically successful,
      teacher preparation should focus on those skills and abilities relevant to
      students' particular needs. This article reviews the content of professional
      preparation for early educators working with young DLLs and briefly discusses the
      importance of developing the cultural and linguistic diversity of the early
      childhood workforce. It identifies 6 content areas: (a) understanding language
      development, (b) understanding the relationship between language and culture,

PMID- 26500690
TI  - WSES position paper on vascular emergency surgery.
AB  - Trauma, both blunt and penetrating, is extremely common worldwide, as trauma to
      major vessels. The management of these patients requires specialized surgical
      skills and techniques of the trauma surgeon. Furthermore few other surgical
      emergencies require immediate diagnosis and treatment like a ruptured abdominal
      aortic aneurysm (rAAA). Mortality of patients with a rAAA reaches 85 %, with more
      than half dying before reaching the hospital. These are acute events demanding
      immediate intervention to save life and limb and precluding any attempt at
      transfer or referral. It is the purpose of this position paper to discuss neck,
      chest, extremities and abdominal trauma, bringing to light recent evidence based
      data as well as expert opinions; besides, in this paper we present a review of
      the recent literature on rAAA and we discuss the rationale for transfer to
      referral center, the role of preoperative imaging and the pros and cons of
      Endoluminal repair of rAAA (REVAR) versus Open Repair (OR). 

PMID- 26500693
TI  - Towards automatic image analysis and assessment of the multicellular apoptosis
      process.
AB  - Apoptotic programmed cell death (PCD) is a fundamental aspect of developmental
      maturation. However, the authors' understanding of apoptosis, especially in the
      multi-cell regime, is incomplete because of the difficulty of identifying dying
      cells by conventional strategies. Real-time in vivo microscopy of Drosophila, an
      excellent model system for studying the PCD during development, has been used to
      uncover plausible collective apoptosis at the tissue level, although the dynamic
      regulation of the process remains to be deciphered. In this work, the authors
      have developed an image-analysis program that can quantitatively analyse time
      lapse microscopy of live tissues undergoing apoptosis with a fluorescent nuclear
      marker, and subsequently extract the spatiotemporal patterns of multicellular
      response. The program can process a large number of cells (>103) automatically
      tracked across sets of image frames. It is applied to characterise the apoptosis
      of Drosophila wing epithelium at eclosion. Using the natural anatomic structures
      as reference, the authors identify dynamic patterns in the progression of PCD
      within the Drosophila tissues. The results not only confirm the previously
      observed collective multi-cell behaviour from a quantitative perspective, but
      also reveal a plausible role played by the anatomic structures, such as the wing
      veins, in the PCD propagation across the Drosophila wing.

PMID- 26500694
TI  - Dual functional nisin-multi-walled carbon nanotubes coated filters for bacterial
      capture and inactivation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Removal of pathogens from water is one way to prevent waterborne
      illness. In this paper, we developed dual functional carbon nanotube (CNT)
      modified filters for bacterial capture and inactivation, utilizing multi-walled
      CNTs (MWCNTs) to coat on commercially available filters and making use of the
      exceptional adsorption property of CNTs to adsorb a natural antimicrobial peptide
      nisin on it. Two types of MWCNTs with different outer layer diameters were used
      (MWCNTs1: <8 nm in diameter; MWCNTs2: 10-20 nm in diameter). RESULTS: The
      thickness of MWCNT layers, surface morphology, and surface hydrophobicity of both
      types of MWCNT coated filters were characterized. The MWCNT coating on filters
      significantly increased the surface hydrophobicity. The absorption of nisin and
      the capture of bacterial pathogens were correlated with increased surface
      hydrophobicity. The MWCNTs1 and MWCNTs2 filters with 1.5 mg MWCNTs loading
      captured 2.44 and 3.88 log of cells, respectively, from aqueous solutions
      containing a total of ~10(6) CFU/mL cells. Nisin deposit at the amount of 0.5 mg
      on the surfaces of MWCNT filters significantly reduced the viability of captured
      B. anthracis cells by 95.71-97.19 %, and inhibited the metabolic activities of
      the captured cells by approximately 98.3 %. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated
      that the MWCNT-nisin filters achieved dual functions in bacterial pathogen
      capture and inhibition in one single filtration step, which is potentially
      applicable in removing undesired microorganisms from water sources and inhibiting
      captured Gram positive bacteria activities.

PMID- 26500695
TI  - Inducible gene expression system by 3-hydroxypropionic acid.
AB  - BACKGROUND: 3-Hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) is an important platform chemical that
      boasts a variety of industrial applications. Gene expression systems inducible by
      3-HP, if available, are of great utility for optimization of the pathways of 3-HP
      production and excretion. RESULTS: Here we report the presence of unique
      inducible gene expression systems in Pseudomonas denitrificans and other
      microorganisms. In P. denitrificans, transcription of three genes (hpdH, mmsA and
      hbdH-4) involved in 3-HP degradation was upregulated by 3-HP by the action of a
      transcriptional regulator protein, LysR, and a cis-acting regulatory site for
      LysR binding. Similar inducible systems having an LysR transcriptional regulator
      were identified in other microorganisms that also could degrade 3-HP. A docking
      study showed that the 3-HP binding pocket is located between the N-terminal helix
      turn-helix motif and the C-terminal cofactor-binding domain. CONCLUSIONS: This
      LysR-regulated 3-HP-inducible system should prove useful for control of the level
      of gene expression in response to 3-HP.

PMID- 26500696
TI  - Bioflocculant production from untreated corn stover using Cellulosimicrobium
      cellulans L804 isolate and its application to harvesting microalgae.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microalgae are widely studied for biofuel production. Nevertheless,
      harvesting step of biomass is still a critical challenge. Bioflocculants have
      been applied in numerous applications including the low-cost harvest of
      microalgae. A major bottleneck for commercial application of bioflocculant is its
      high production cost. Lignocellulosic substrates are abundantly available. Hence,
      the hydrolyzates of rice stover and corn stover have been used as carbon source
      to produce the bioflocculant in previous studies. However, the hydrolyzates of
      biomass required the neutralization of pH before the downstream fermentation
      processes, and the toxic by-products produced during hydrolysis process inhibited
      the microbial activities in the subsequent fermentation processes and
      contaminated the bioflocculant product. Therefore, strains that can secrete plant
      cell-wall-degrading enzymes and simultaneously produce bioflocculants through
      directly degrading the lignocellulosic biomasses are of academic and practical
      interests. RESULTS: A lignocellulose-degrading strain Cellulosimicrobium
      cellulans L804 was isolated in this study, which can produce the bioflocculant
      MBF-L804 using untreated biomasses, such as corn stover, corn cob, potato
      residues, and peanut shell. The effects of culture conditions including initial
      pH, carbon source, and nitrogen source on MBF-L804 production were analyzed. The
      results showed that over 80 % flocculating activity was achieved when the corn
      stover, corn cob, potato residues, and peanut shell were used as carbon sources
      and 4.75 g/L of MBF-L804 was achieved under the optimized condition: 20 g/L dry
      corn stover as carbon source, 3 g/L yeast extract as nitrogen source, pH 8.2. The
      bioflocculant MBF-L804 contained 68.6 % polysaccharides and 28.0 % proteins. The
      Gel permeation chromatography analysis indicated that the approximate molecular
      weight (MW) of MBF-L804 was 229 kDa. The feasibility of harvesting microalgae
      Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Chlorella minutissima using MBF-L804 was evaluated.
      The highest flocculating efficiencies for C. reinhardtii and C. minutissima were
      99.04 and 93.83 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows for the first time
      that C. cellulans L804 can directly convert corn stover, corn cob, potato
      residues and peanut shell into the bioflocculants, which can be used to
      effectively harvest microalgae.

PMID- 26500697
TI  - Microbial population dynamics during long-term sludge adaptation of thermophilic
      and mesophilic sequencing batch digesters treating sewage fine sieved fraction at
      varying organic loading rates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this research, the feasibility of, and population dynamics in, one
      step anaerobic sequencing batch reactor systems treating the fine sieved fraction
      (FSF) from raw municipal wastewater was studied under thermophilic (55  degrees
      C) and mesophilic (35  degrees C) conditions. FSF was sequestered from raw
      municipal wastewater, in the Netherlands, using a rotating belt filter (mesh size
      350 micron). FSF is a heterogeneous substrate that mainly consists of fibres
      originating from toilet paper and thus contains a high cellulosic fraction (60-80
      % of total solids content), regarded as an energy-rich material. RESULTS: Results
      of the 656-day fed-batch operation clearly showed that thermophilic digestion was
      more stable, applying high organic loading rates (OLR) up to 22 kg COD/(m(3)
      day). In contrast, the mesophilic digester already failed applying an OLR of 5.5
      kg COD/(m(3) day), indicated by a drop in pH and increase in volatile fatty acids
      (VFAs). The observed viscosity values of the mesophilic sludge were more than
      tenfold higher than the thermophilic sludge. 454-pyrosequencing of eight
      mesophilic and eight thermophilic biomass samples revealed that Bacteroides and
      aceticlastic methanogen Methanosaeta were the dominant genera in the mesophilic
      digester, whereas OP9 lineages, Clostridium and the hydrogenotrophic methanogen
      Methanothermobacter dominated the thermophilic one. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      suggests that applying thermophilic conditions for FSF digestion would result in
      a higher biogas production rate and/or a smaller required reactor volume,
      comparing to mesophilic conditions.

PMID- 26500698
TI  - Phylogeny-structured carbohydrate metabolism across microbiomes collected from
      different units in wastewater treatment process.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With respect to global priority for bioenergy production from plant
      biomass, understanding the fundamental genetic associations underlying
      carbohydrate metabolisms is crucial for the development of effective biorefinery
      process. Compared with gut microbiome of ruminal animals and wood-feed insects,
      knowledge on carbohydrate metabolisms of engineered biosystems is limited.
      RESULTS: In this study, comparative metagenomics coupled with metabolic network
      analysis was carried out to study the inter-species cooperation and competition
      among carbohydrate-active microbes in typical units of wastewater treatment
      process including activated sludge and anaerobic digestion. For the first time,
      sludge metagenomes demonstrated rather diverse pool of carbohydrate-active genes
      (CAGs) comparable to that of rumen microbiota. Overall, the CAG composition
      correlated strongly with the microbial phylogenetic structure across sludge
      types. Gene-centric clustering analysis showed the carbohydrate pathways of
      sludge systems were shaped by different environmental factors, including
      dissolved oxygen and salinity, and the latter showed more determinative influence
      of phylogenetic composition. Eventually, the highly clustered co-occurrence
      network of CAGs and saccharolytic phenotypes, revealed three metabolic modules in
      which the prevalent populations of Actinomycetales, Clostridiales and
      Thermotogales, respectively, play significant roles as interaction hubs, while
      broad negative co-exclusion correlations observed between anaerobic and aerobic
      microbes, probably implicated roles of niche separation by dissolved oxygen in
      determining the microbial assembly. CONCLUSIONS: Sludge microbiomes encoding
      diverse pool of CAGs was another potential source for effective lignocellulosic
      biomass breakdown. But unlike gut microbiomes in which Clostridiales,
      Lactobacillales and Bacteroidales play a vital role, the carbohydrate metabolism
      of sludge systems is built on the inter-species cooperation and competition among
      Actinomycetales, Clostridiales and Thermotogales.

PMID- 26500699
TI  - Karyotype alteration generates the neoplastic phenotypes of SV40-infected human
      and rodent cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite over 50 years of research, it remains unclear how the DNA
      tumor viruses SV40 and Polyoma cause cancers. Prevailing theories hold that virus
      coded Tumor (T)-antigens cause cancer by inactivating cellular tumor suppressor
      genes. But these theories don't explain four characteristics of viral
      carcinogenesis: (1) less than one in 10,000 infected cells become cancer cells,
      (2) cancers have complex individual phenotypes and transcriptomes, (3) recurrent
      tumors without viral DNA and proteins, (4) preneoplastic aneuploidies and
      immortal neoplastic clones with individual karyotypes. RESULTS: As an alternative
      theory we propose that viral carcinogenesis is a form of speciation, initiated by
      virus-induced aneuploidy. Since aneuploidy destabilizes the karyotype by
      unbalancing thousands of genes it catalyzes chain reactions of karyotypic and
      transcriptomic evolutions. Eventually rare karyotypes evolve that encode cancer
      specific autonomy of growth. The low probability of forming new autonomous cancer
      species by random karyotypic and transcriptomic variations predicts individual
      and clonal cancers. Although cancer karyotypes are congenitally aneuploid and
      thus variable, they are stabilized or immortalized by selections for variants
      with cancer-specific autonomy. Owing to these inherent variations cancer
      karyotypes are heterogeneous within clonal margins. To test this theory we
      analyzed karyotypes and phenotypes of SV40-infected human, rat and mouse cells
      developing into neoplastic clones. In all three systems we found (1)
      preneoplastic aneuploidies, (2) neoplastic clones with individual clonal but
      flexible karyotypes and phenotypes, which arose from less than one in 10,000
      infected cells, survived over 200 generations, but were either T-antigen positive
      or negative, (3) spontaneous and drug-induced variations of neoplastic phenotypes
      correlating 1-to-1 with karyotypic variations. CONCLUSIONS: Since all 14 virus
      induced neoplastic clones tested contained individual clonal karyotypes and
      phenotypes, we conclude that these karyotypes have generated and since maintained
      these neoplastic clones. Thus SV40 causes cancer indirectly, like carcinogens, by
      inducing aneuploidy from which new cancer-specific karyotypes evolve
      automatically at low rates. This theory explains the (1) low probability of
      carcinogenesis per virus-infected cell, (2) the individuality and clonal
      flexibility of cancer karyotypes, (3) recurrence of neoplasias without viral T
      antigens, and (4) the individual clonal karyotypes, transcriptomes and
      immortality of virus-induced neoplasias - all unexplained by current viral
      theories.

PMID- 26500700
TI  - A modified method for preparing meiotic chromosomes based on digesting pollen
      mother cells in suspension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Meiotic chromosome preparation is a key step in plant meiotic
      research. Pollen mother cell (PMC) wall elimination is beneficial to cytogenetic
      experimental procedures. Without wall interference, these procedures are easier
      and more successful. In existing methods it is difficult to eliminate PMC walls
      completely and uniformly. In this paper, we present an improved method for
      digesting PMC walls, and one for providing massive chromosomal spreads on a slide
      for other cytogenetic experimental procedures. RESULTS: Three plants were
      selected to exhibit the modified meiotic chromosome preparation method. PMCs were
      dispersed as single cells and incubated in a mixed enzyme solution (3 % cellulose
      + 0.3 % pectinase + 1 % snailase) for 1.5-2.5 h. In total, 28.28 % cells were
      lost during this process. There were 800-1900 spreads on every slide and no PMC
      wall interference was found on any of the slides. The spreads were also evenly
      distributed on the slides. More spreads were obtained when PMC and protoplast
      densities in the suspension were increased. All three plants' spreads were
      successfully used to locate a 5 s rDNA conserved sequence. The Nicotiana hybrid's
      spreads were successfully used to identify the hybrid's parental genome.
      CONCLUSION: This is an alternative method for meiotic chromosome preparation.
      Through this method, PMC walls can be completely and uniformly eliminated, and
      hundreds of spreads on every slide can be obtained. These spreads can be
      successfully used for DNA in situ hybridization.

PMID- 26500701
TI  - Characterization of whole-genome autosomal differences of DNA methylation between
      men and women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disease risk and incidence between males and females reveal
      differences, and sex is an important component of any investigation of the
      determinants of phenotypes or disease etiology. Further striking differences
      between men and women are known, for instance, at the metabolic level. The extent
      to which men and women vary at the level of the epigenome, however, is not well
      documented. DNA methylation is the best known epigenetic mechanism to date.
      RESULTS: In order to shed light on epigenetic differences, we compared autosomal
      DNA methylation levels between men and women in blood in a large prospective
      European cohort of 1799 subjects, and replicated our findings in three
      independent European cohorts. We identified and validated 1184 CpG sites to be
      differentially methylated between men and women and observed that these CpG sites
      were distributed across all autosomes. We showed that some of the differentially
      methylated loci also exhibit differential gene expression between men and women.
      Finally, we found that the differentially methylated loci are enriched among
      imprinted genes, and that their genomic location in the genome is concentrated in
      CpG island shores. CONCLUSION: Our epigenome-wide association study indicates
      that differences between men and women are so substantial that they should be
      considered in design and analyses of future studies.

PMID- 26500702
TI  - The histone chaperone DAXX maintains the structural organization of
      heterochromatin domains.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The death domain-associated protein (DAXX) collaborates with
      accessory proteins to deposit the histone variant H3.3 into mouse telomeric and
      pericentromeric repeat DNA. Pericentromeric repeats are the main genetic
      contributor to spatially discrete, compact, constitutive heterochromatic
      structures called chromocentres. Chromocentres are enriched in the H3K9me3
      histone modification and serve as integral, functionally important components of
      nuclear organization. To date, the role of DAXX as an H3.3-specific histone
      chaperone has been investigated primarily using biochemical approaches which
      provide genome-wide views on cell populations and information on changes in local
      chromatin structures. However, the global chromatin and subnuclear reorganization
      events that coincide with these changes remain to be investigated. RESULTS: Using
      electron spectroscopic imagine (ESI), a specialized form of energy-filtered
      transmission electron microscopy that allows us to visualize chromatin domains in
      situ with high contrast and spatial resolution, we show that in the absence of
      DAXX, H3K9me3-enriched domains are structurally altered and become uncoupled from
      major satellite DNA. In addition, the structural integrity of nucleoli and the
      organization of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) are disrupted. Moreover, the absence of DAXX
      leads to chromatin that is more sensitive, on a global level, to micrococcal
      nuclease digestion. CONCLUSIONS: We identify a novel role of DAXX as a major
      regulator of subnuclear organization through the maintenance of the global
      heterochromatin structural landscape. As well, we show, for the first time, that
      the loss of a histone chaperone can have severe consequences for global nuclear
      organization.

PMID- 26500703
TI  - Effectiveness and safety of prolotherapy injections for management of lower limb
      tendinopathy and fasciopathy: a systematic review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this review was to identify and evaluate existing
      research to determine the clinical effectiveness and safety of prolotherapy
      injections for treatment of lower limb tendinopathy and fasciopathy. REVIEW: Nine
      databases were searched (Medline, Science Direct, AMED, Australian Medical Index,
      APAIS-Health, ATSIhealth, EMBASE, Web of Science, OneSearch) without language,
      publication or data restrictions for all relevant articles between January 1960
      and September 2014. All prospective randomised and non-randomised trials, cohort
      studies, case-series, cross-sectional studies and controlled trials assessing the
      effectiveness of one or more prolotherapy injections for tendinopathy or
      fasciopathy at or below the superior aspect of the tibia/fibula were included.
      Methodological quality of studies was determined using a modified evaluation tool
      developed by the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Injuries Group. Data analysis was
      carried out to determine the mean change of outcome measure scores from baseline
      to final follow-up for trials with no comparative group, and for randomised
      controlled trials, standardised mean differences between intervention groups were
      calculated. Pooled SMD data were calculated where possible to determine the
      statistical heterogeneity and overall effect for short-, intermediate- and long
      term data. Adverse events were also reported. Two hundred and three studies were
      identified, eight of which met the inclusion criteria. These were then grouped
      according to tendinopathy or fasciopathy being treated with prolotherapy
      injections: Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciopathy and Osgood-Schlatter
      disease. The methodological quality of the eight included studies was generally
      poor, particularly in regards to allocation concealment, intention to treat
      analysis and blinding procedures. Results of the analysis provide limited support
      for the hypothesis that prolotherapy is effective in both reducing pain and
      improving function for lower limb tendinopathy and fasciopathy, with no study
      reporting a mean negative or non-significant outcome following prolotherapy
      injection. The analysis also suggests prolotherapy injections provide equal or
      superior short-, intermediate- and long-term results to alternative treatment
      modalities, including eccentric loading exercises forAchilles tendinopathy,
      platelet-rich plasma for plantar fasciopathy and usual care or lignocaine
      injections for Osgood-Schlatter disease. No adverse events following prolotherapy
      injections were reported in any study in this review. CONCLUSIONS: The
      conclusions of this review were derived from the best available scientific
      evidence. It is intended that the results of this study will assist clinical
      decision-making by practitioners. The results of this review found limited
      evidence that prolotherapy injections are a safe and effective treatment for
      Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciopathy and Osgood-Schlatter disease, however
      more robust research using large, methodologically-sound randomised controlled
      trials is required to substantiate these findings.

PMID- 26500704
TI  - AtomicChargeCalculator: interactive web-based calculation of atomic charges in
      large biomolecular complexes and drug-like molecules.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Partial atomic charges are a well-established concept, useful in
      understanding and modeling the chemical behavior of molecules, from simple
      compounds, to large biomolecular complexes with many reactive sites. RESULTS:
      This paper introduces AtomicChargeCalculator (ACC), a web-based application for
      the calculation and analysis of atomic charges which respond to changes in
      molecular conformation and chemical environment. ACC relies on an empirical
      method to rapidly compute atomic charges with accuracy comparable to quantum
      mechanical approaches. Due to its efficient implementation, ACC can handle any
      type of molecular system, regardless of size and chemical complexity, from drug
      like molecules to biomacromolecular complexes with hundreds of thousands of
      atoms. ACC writes out atomic charges into common molecular structure files, and
      offers interactive facilities for statistical analysis and comparison of the
      results, in both tabular and graphical form. CONCLUSIONS: Due to high
      customizability and speed, easy streamlining and the unified platform for
      calculation and analysis, ACC caters to all fields of life sciences, from drug
      design to nanocarriers. ACC is freely available via the Internet at
      http://ncbr.muni.cz/ACC.

PMID- 26500714
TI  - Thinking Outside the Stroke: Treating Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA).
AB  - In this article, we explore the symptoms, cause, treatment potential, and
      supportive services for individuals diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia
      (PPA). Although it is possible to regain certain cognitive abilities with stroke
      or brain injury, in PPA, language abilities worsen and other symptoms emerge with
      time, shortening the lifespan. The goal of speech therapy for PPA is not to
      regain lost language, but rather to maximize communication for as long as
      possible. In this article, we offer information and tools for speech-language
      pathologists to help people living with PPA achieve these goals and improve
      overall quality of life.

PMID- 26500708
TI  - Implementation of Mindfulness Training for Mental Health Staff: Organizational
      Context and Stakeholder Perspectives.
AB  - Occupational stress and burnout adversely impacts mental health care staff well
      being and patient outcomes. Mindfulness training reduces staff stress and may
      improve patient care. However, few studies explore mental health setting
      implementation. This qualitative study used focus groups to evaluate
      stakeholders' perceptions of organizational factors affecting implementation of
      an adapted version of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for staff on
      adolescent mental health units. Common facilitators included leadership securing
      buy-in with staff, allocating staff time to participate, and quiet space for
      training and practice. Other facilitators were past staff knowledge of
      mindfulness, local champions, and acculturating staff with mindfulness through a
      non-mandatory training attendance policy. Common barriers were limited staff time
      to attend training sessions and insufficient training coverage for some staff.
      Staff also reported improved focus when interacting with adolescents and improved
      social cohesion on the units. We conclude that a mindfulness-based program for
      reducing occupational stress can be successfully implemented on adolescent mental
      health units. Implementation appeared to change the social context of the units,
      including staff and patient interactions. More broadly, our findings highlight
      the importance of environmental factors in shaping attitudes, diffusion of
      innovation, and acculturation of wellness program implementations.

PMID- 26500706
TI  - Efficacy and safety of vildagliptin, sitagliptin, and linagliptin as add-on
      therapy in Chinese patients with T2DM inadequately controlled with dual
      combination of insulin and traditional oral hypoglycemic agent.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the three dipeptidyl
      peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors (vildagliptin, sitagliptin, and linagliptin) as
      add-on therapy in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
      (T2DM)inadequately controlled on dual combination of insulin and metformin or
      acarbose. METHODS: A total of 535 T2DM patients who failed to achieve glycemic
      control with insulin and a traditional oral hypoglycemic agent were randomized to
      receive vildagliptin, sitagliptin, or linagliptin. Body mass index, glycosylated
      hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting and postprandial plasma glucose (FPG and PPG),
      insulin dose, and adverse events were evaluated during the study. RESULTS: The
      baseline HbA1c was 9.59 +/- 1.84 % (vildagliptin group), 9.22 +/- 1.60 %
      (sitagliptin group), and 9.58 +/- 1.80 % (linagliptin group). At week 12 it was
      8.16 +/- 1.29 % (vildagliptin), 8.56 +/- 1.96 % (linagliptin), and 8.26 +/- 1.10
      % (sitagliptin). The changes in HbA1c from baseline were -1.33 +/- 0.11 %
      (vildagliptin), -0.84 +/- 0.08 % (sitagliptin) and -0.81 +/- 0.08 %
      (linagliptin), the vildagliptin group had the greatest reduction in HbA1c (P <
      0.05). The proportions of patients that reached target HbA1c were 66.27 %
      (vildagliptin), 52.73 % (sitagliptin), and 55.49 % (linagliptin), the
      vildagliptin group had the highest one (P < 0.05). The baseline FPG and PPG
      values in the three groups were at the same level. At week 12, mean FPG levels in
      the vildagliptin (7.31 +/- 1.50 mmol/L) and linagliptin (6.90 +/- 1.55 mmol/L)
      groups were significantly lower than in the sitagliptin group (8.02 +/- 4.48
      mmol/L; P < 0.05); the linagliptin group had the lowest mean PPG followed by the
      vildagliptin group which was also significant lower (P = 0.000) than the
      sitagliptin group. Additionally, the required insulin dosage in the vildagliptin
      group was the lowest among the groups at weeks 6 and 12. Only mild AEs were
      reported during the study. CONCLUSION: The three DPP-4 inhibitors appear to be
      effective and safe as add-on therapy for T2DM patients on dual combination of
      insulin and a traditional OHA. Vildagliptin was more effective in decreasing
      insulin requirement and achieving glycemic control when compared to the other
      two.

PMID- 26500705
TI  - Target prediction utilising negative bioactivity data covering large chemical
      space.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In silico analyses are increasingly being used to support mode-of
      action investigations; however many such approaches do not utilise the large
      amounts of inactive data held in chemogenomic repositories. The objective of this
      work is concerned with the integration of such bioactivity data in the target
      prediction of orphan compounds to produce the probability of activity and
      inactivity for a range of targets. To this end, a novel human bioactivity data
      set was constructed through the assimilation of over 195 million bioactivity data
      points deposited in the ChEMBL and PubChem repositories, and the subsequent
      application of a sphere-exclusion selection algorithm to oversample presumed
      inactive compounds. RESULTS: A Bernoulli Naive Bayes algorithm was trained using
      the data and evaluated using fivefold cross-validation, achieving a mean recall
      and precision of 67.7 and 63.8 % for active compounds and 99.6 and 99.7 % for
      inactive compounds, respectively. We show the performances of the models are
      considerably influenced by the underlying intraclass training similarity, the
      size of a given class of compounds, and the degree of additional oversampling.
      The method was also validated using compounds extracted from WOMBAT producing
      average precision-recall AUC and BEDROC scores of 0.56 and 0.85, respectively.
      Inactive data points used for this test are based on presumed inactivity,
      producing an approximated indication of the true extrapolative ability of the
      models. A distance-based applicability domain analysis was also conducted;
      indicating an average Tanimoto Coefficient distance of 0.3 or greater between a
      test and training set can be used to give a global measure of confidence in model
      predictions. A final comparison to a method trained solely on active data from
      ChEMBL performed with precision-recall AUC and BEDROC scores of 0.45 and 0.76.
      CONCLUSIONS: The inclusion of inactive data for model training produces models
      with superior AUC and improved early recognition capabilities, although the
      results from internal and external validation of the models show differing
      performance between the breadth of models. The realised target prediction
      protocol is available at https://github.com/lhm30/PIDGIN.Graphical abstractThe
      inclusion of large scale negative training data for in silico target prediction
      improves the precision and recall AUC and BEDROC scores for target models.

PMID- 26500713
TI  - Effect of musical training on static and dynamic measures of spectral-pattern
      discrimination.
AB  - Both behavioral and physiological studies have demonstrated enhanced processing
      of speech in challenging listening environments attributable to musical training.
      The relationship, however, of this benefit to auditory abilities as assessed by
      psychoacoustic measures remains unclear. Using tasks previously shown to relate
      to speech-in-noise perception, the present study evaluated discrimination ability
      for static and dynamic spectral patterns by 49 listeners grouped as either
      musicians or nonmusicians. The two static conditions measured the ability to
      detect a change in the phase of a logarithmic sinusoidal spectral ripple of
      wideband noise with ripple densities of 1.5 and 3.0 cycles per octave chosen to
      emphasize either timbre or pitch distinctions, respectively. The dynamic
      conditions assessed temporal-pattern discrimination of 1-kHz pure tones frequency
      modulated by different lowpass noise samples with thresholds estimated in terms
      of either stimulus duration or signal-to-noise ratio. Musicians performed
      significantly better than nonmusicians on all four tasks. Discriminant analysis
      showed that group membership was correctly predicted for 88% of the listeners
      with the structure coefficient of each measure greater than 0.51. Results suggest
      that enhanced processing of static and dynamic spectral patterns defined by low
      rate modulation may contribute to the relationship between musical training and
      speech-in-noise perception. [Supported by NIH.].

PMID- 26500712
TI  - Absorption Enhancement in Organic-Inorganic Halide Perovskite Films with Embedded
      Plasmonic Gold Nanoparticles.
AB  - We report on the numerical analysis of solar absorption enhancement in organic
      inorganic halide perovskite films embedding plasmonic gold nanoparticles. The
      effect of particle size and concentration is analyzed in realistic systems in
      which random particle location within the perovskite film and the eventual
      formation of dimers are also taken into account. We find a maximum integrated
      solar absorption enhancement of ~10% in perovskite films of 200 nm thickness and
      ~6% in 300 nm films, with spheres of radii 60 and 90 nm, respectively, in volume
      concentrations of around 10% in both cases. We show that the presence of dimers
      boosts the absorption enhancement up to ~12% in the thinnest films considered.
      Absorption reinforcement arises from a double contribution of plasmonic near
      field and scattering effects, whose respective weight can be discriminated and
      evaluated from the simulations.

PMID- 26500707
TI  - Association of JAZF1 and TSPAN8/LGR5 variants in relation to type 2 diabetes
      mellitus in a Saudi population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic and multifactorial
      disease with a rapidly rising incidence in Saudi Arabia. Various genes including
      zinc finger protein 1 (JAZF1) and tetraspanin 8/leucine-rich repeat-containing G
      protein-coupled receptor (TSPAN8/LGR5) have been previously described to be
      associated with T2DM. This study investigated the association of JAZF1 (rs864745)
      and TSPAN8 (rs7961581) with T2DM in a Saudi population. METHODS: Genomic DNA
      samples from 400 Saudi T2DM patients and 400 healthy controls were genotyped and
      analyzed using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism method. The difference between the genotype frequencies were carried
      out with Chi-square test. Odds ratio, 95 % confidence intervals and p values were
      calculated using multinomial logistic regression. Dominant and recessive models
      were implemented to show the statistical significances. Analysis of variance was
      used to compare differences between genotypes for the various parameters.
      RESULTS: Distribution frequencies of the AA, AG, and GG genotypes of JAZF1
      (rs864745) differed significantly among T2DM patients and healthy controls (p <
      0.05). The AG and GG genotypes were independently and significantly associated
      with a T2DM risk after adjusting for factors such as age, sex, and body mass
      index [odds ratio (OR) 2.1 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.3-3.4); p = 0.002]
      and [OR 1.9 (95 % CI 1.2-3.1); p = 0.005], respectively. A genotype-based
      stratification of anthropometric and biochemical data revealed that the AG + GG
      genotype is associated with waist circumference (p = 0.04) and fasting blood
      glucose (p = 0.01) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (p = 0.02).
      None of the allele or genotype showed the significant association between the
      T2DM cases and control subjects in rs7961581 polymorphism in TSPAN8/LGR5 gene.
      CONCLUSION: The rs864745 variant in JAZF1 gene may act as genetic risk factors
      for the development of T2DM in a Saudi population.

PMID- 26500710
TI  - Sources of cigarettes among adolescent smokers: Free or purchased?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies have described youth cigarette sources in terms of
      whether the cigarettes were free or purchased. Understanding the different ways
      youth obtain tobacco can guide development of interventions to more effectively
      reduce youth smoking. PURPOSE: To determine the propensity for youth to purchase
      cigarettes versus obtain cigarettes for free, and the factors associated with
      each obtainment method. METHODS: Our sample included 812 youth ages 12-17 who
      reported ever smoking a whole cigarette. Our outcome was the source of the last
      cigarette smoked (purchased vs. free) and independent variables included
      demographics, smoking behaviors, and smoking status of parents/siblings/friends.
      We conducted logistic regression to assess relationships between outcome and
      independent variables. RESULTS: Eighty-four percent of youth obtained their last
      cigarette for free and 16% purchased their last cigarette. Youth who smoked less
      and had less weekly spending money were more likely to have obtained their last
      cigarette for free. DISCUSSION: Youth smokers appear to have a high propensity to
      obtain their cigarette for free, particularly those who smoke relatively
      infrequently. TRANSLATION TO HEALTH EDUCATION PRACTICE: Interventions that target
      sources of free cigarettes have the potential to reduce the progression of youth
      smoking at a critical stage in its development.

PMID- 26500709
TI  - Molecular and immunologic markers of kidney cancer-potential applications in
      predictive, preventive and personalized medicine.
AB  - Kidney cancer is one of the deadliest malignancies due to frequent late diagnosis
      (33 % or renal cell carcinoma are metastatic at diagnosis) and poor treatment
      options. There are two major subtypes of kidney cancer: renal cell carcinoma
      (RCC) and renal pelvis carcinoma. The risk factors for RCC, accounting for more
      than 90 % of all kidney cancers, are smoking, obesity, hypertension, misuse of
      pain medication, and some genetic diseases. The most common molecular markers of
      kidney cancer include mutations and epigenetic inactivation of von Hippel-Lindau
      (VHL) gene, genes of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway, and
      carbonic anhydrase IX (CIAX). The role of epigenetic pathways, including DNA
      methylation and chromatin structure remodeling, was also demonstrated.
      Immunologic properties of RCC enable this type of tumor to escape immune response
      effectively. An important role in this process is played by tumor-associated
      macrophages that demonstrate mixed M1/M2 phenotype. In this review, we discuss
      molecular and cellular aspects for RCC development and current state of knowledge
      allowing personalized approaches for diagnostics and prognostic prediction of
      this disease. A set of macrophage markers is suggested for the analysis of the
      association of macrophage phenotype and disease prognosis. 

PMID- 26500715
TI  - Teaching reading to youth with fragile X syndrome: Should phonemic awareness and
      phonics instruction be used?
AB  - CLINICAL QUESTION: Would a child with fragile X syndrome benefit more from
      phonemic awareness and phonics instruction or whole-word training to increase
      reading skills? METHOD: Systematic review. STUDY SOURCES: PsycINFO. SEARCH TERMS:
      Fragile X or Down Syndrome or Cognitive Impairment or Cognitive Deficit or
      Cognitive Disability or Intellectual Disorder or Intellectual Delay or
      Intellectual Disability or Mental Retardation AND Whole Word or Sight Word or
      Phonological Awareness or Phonics. NUMBER OF STUDIES INCLUDED: FXS = 0; DS = 6;
      ID = 17. PRIMARY RESULTS: There are currently no published peer-reviewed
      treatment studies testing reading interventions for children with fragile X
      syndrome.Phonological awareness and reading outcomes are correlated in children
      with fragile X syndrome, similar to the pattern seen in typical development.There
      is converging empirical evidence that phonologically-based approaches, often
      included as part of a comprehensive program, can be beneficial with children and
      adolescents with other developmental disabilities, including Down syndrome,
      intellectual disabilities, and autism spectrum disorder. CONCLUSIONS: There is a
      need for more research to determine what types of reading interventions are
      beneficial when working with children with fragile X syndrome. Given the lack of
      published empirical research in this area, clinicians should rely on existing
      evidence-based treatment data and professional judgment when determining which
      course of treatment to implement.

PMID- 26500711
TI  - SEX, LIES AND SELF-REPORTED COUNTS: BAYESIAN MIXTURE MODELS FOR HEAPING IN
      LONGITUDINAL COUNT DATA VIA BIRTH-DEATH PROCESSES.
AB  - Surveys often ask respondents to report non-negative counts, but respondents may
      misremember or round to a nearby multiple of 5 or 10. This phenomenon is called
      heaping, and the error inherent in heaped self-reported numbers can bias
      estimation. Heaped data may be collected cross-sectionally or longitudinally and
      there may be covariates that complicate the inferential task. Heaping is a well
      known issue in many survey settings, and inference for heaped data is an
      important statistical problem. We propose a novel reporting distribution whose
      underlying parameters are readily interpretable as rates of misremembering and
      rounding. The process accommodates a variety of heaping grids and allows for
      quasi-heaping to values nearly but not equal to heaping multiples. We present a
      Bayesian hierarchical model for longitudinal samples with covariates to infer
      both the unobserved true distribution of counts and the parameters that control
      the heaping process. Finally, we apply our methods to longitudinal self-reported
      counts of sex partners in a study of high-risk behavior in HIV-positive youth.

PMID- 26500718
TI  - Complete genome sequences of bacteriophages P12002L and P12002S, two lytic phages
      that infect a marine Polaribacter strain.
AB  - The bacterial genus Polaribacter is distributed widely in marine environments;
      however, there have been no reports of phages infecting Polaribacter strains.
      Here, we describe the isolation and genome sequencing of two lytic siphophages,
      P12002L and P12002S, that infect Polaribacter sp. strain IMCC12002. The two
      phages and host strain were isolated from coastal seawater of Korea. Complete
      genome sequences of the two phages were similar to each other and about 50 kb in
      length, with a G + C content of 28.9 %. The two genomes showed typical
      characteristics of phage genomes: a modular structure and high proportion of
      hypothetical proteins. The genome sequences have been deposited in GenBank under
      accession numbers KR136259 (P12002L) and KR136260 (P12002S). 

PMID- 26500720
TI  - Structural Elucidation of a Small Molecule Inhibitor of Protein Disulfide
      Isomerase.
AB  - Compound libraries provide a starting point for multiple biological
      investigations, but the structural integrity of compounds is rarely assessed
      experimentally until a late stage in the research process. Here, we describe the
      discovery of a neuroprotective small molecule that was originally incorrectly
      annotated with a chemical structure. We elucidated the correct structure of the
      active compound using analytical chemistry, revealing it to be the natural
      product securinine. We show that securinine is protective in a cell model of
      Huntington disease and identify the binding site of securinine to its target,
      protein disulfide isomerase using NMR chemical shift perturbation studies. We
      show that securinine displays favorable pharmaceutical properties, making it a
      promising compound for in vivo studies in neurodegenerative disease models. In
      addition to finding this unexpected activity of securinine, this study provides a
      systematic roadmap to those who encounter compounds with incorrect structural
      annotation in the course of screening campaigns.

PMID- 26500717
TI  - Complete genome sequences of Geobacillus sp. Y412MC52, a xylan-degrading strain
      isolated from obsidian hot spring in Yellowstone National Park.
AB  - Geobacillus sp. Y412MC52 was isolated from Obsidian Hot Spring, Yellowstone
      National Park, Montana, USA under permit from the National Park Service. The
      genome was sequenced, assembled, and annotated by the DOE Joint Genome Institute
      and deposited at the NCBI in December 2011 (CP002835). Based on 16S rRNA genes
      and average nucleotide identity, Geobacillus sp. Y412MC52 and the related
      Geobacillus sp. Y412MC61 appear to be members of a new species of Geobacillus.
      The genome of Geobacillus sp. Y412MC52 consists of one circular chromosome of
      3,628,883 bp, an average G + C content of 52 % and one circular plasmid of 45,057
      bp and an average G + C content of 45 %. Y412MC52 possesses arabinan,
      arabinoglucuronoxylan, and aromatic acid degradation clusters for degradation of
      hemicellulose from biomass. Transport and utilization clusters are also present
      for other carbohydrates including starch, cellobiose, and alpha- and beta
      galactooligosaccharides. 

PMID- 26500719
TI  - Complete genome sequence of Propionibacterium freudenreichii DSM 20271(T).
AB  - Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. freudenreichii DSM 20271(T) is the type
      strain of species Propionibacterium freudenreichii that has a long history of
      safe use in the production dairy products and B12 vitamin. P. freudenreichii is
      the type species of the genus Propionibacterium which contains Gram-positive, non
      motile and non-sporeforming bacteria with a high G + C content. We describe the
      genome of P. freudenreichii subsp. freudenreichii DSM 20271(T) consisting of a
      2,649,166 bp chromosome containing 2320 protein-coding genes and 50 RNA-only
      encoding genes. 

PMID- 26500716
TI  - Cardiac CT vs. Stress Testing in Patients with Suspected Coronary Artery Disease:
      Review and Expert Recommendations.
AB  - Diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease represent a major challenge
      to our health care systems affecting millions of patients each year. Until
      recently, the diagnosis of coronary artery disease could be conclusively
      determined only by invasive coronary angiography. To avoid risks from cardiac
      catheterization, many healthcare systems relied on stress testing as gatekeeper
      for coronary angiography. Advancements in cardiac computed tomography angiography
      technology now allows to noninvasively visualize coronary artery disease,
      challenging the role of stress testing as the default noninvasive imaging tool
      for evaluating patients with chest pain. In this review, we summarize current
      data on the clinical utility of cardiac computed tomography and stress testing in
      stable patients with suspected coronary artery disease.

PMID- 26500722
TI  - Moderated mediation analysis: An illustration using the association of gender
      with delinquency and mental health.
AB  - PURPOSE: When researchers find an association between two variables, it is useful
      to evaluate the role of other constructs in this association. While assessing
      these mediation effects, it is important to determine if results are equal for
      different groups. It is possible that the strength of a mediation effect may
      differ for males and females, for example - such an effect is known as moderated
      mediation. DESIGN: Participants were 2532 adolescents from diverse ethnic/racial
      backgrounds and equally distributed across gender. The goal of this study was to
      investigate parental respect as a potential mediator of the relationship between
      gender and delinquency and mental health, and to determine whether observed
      mediation is moderated by gender. FINDINGS: Parental respect mediated the
      association between gender and both delinquency and mental health. Specifically,
      parental respect was a protective factor against delinquency and mental health
      problems for both females and males. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Demonstrated the
      process of estimating models in Lavaan, using two approaches (i.e. single group
      regression and multiple group regression model), and including covariates in both
      models.

PMID- 26500721
TI  - Glyconanomaterials: Emerging applications in biomedical research.
AB  - Carbohydrates constitute the most abundant organic matter in nature, serving as
      structural components and energy sources, and mediating a wide range of cellular
      activities. The emergence of nanomaterials with distinct optical, magnetic, and
      electronic properties has witnessed a rapid adoption of these materials for
      biomedical research and applications. Nanomaterials of various shapes and sizes
      having large specific surface areas can be used as multivalent scaffolds to
      present carbohydrate ligands. The resulting glyconanomaterials effectively
      amplify the glycan-mediated interactions, making it possible to use these
      materials for sensing, imaging, diagnosis, and therapy. In this review, we
      summarize the synthetic strategies for the preparation of various
      glyconanomaterials. Examples are given where these glyconanomaterials have been
      used in sensing and differentiation of proteins and cells, as well as in imaging
      glycan-medicated cellular responses.

PMID- 26500723
TI  - Two Paraneoplastic Autoimmune Syndromes: Limbic Encephalitis and Palmar Fasciitis
      in a Patient with Small Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is characterized by a relatively high rate of
      autoimmune phenomena. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis (PLE) is an autoimmune
      syndrome in which a non-neural tumor containing an antigen normally present in
      the nervous system precipitates an antibody attack on neural tissues. Patients
      with PLE usually present with rapidly progressive short-term memory deficits,
      confusion or even dementia. Palmar fasciitis and polyarthritis syndrome (PFPAS)
      is another autoimmune syndrome characterized by rheumatologic manifestations,
      especially involving the palms of the hands. We report a case of a 59-year old
      woman who presented with worsening neurological symptoms of two-week duration,
      and later coma. The combined clinical, serological, and imaging studies suggested
      a diagnosis of PLE. A chest computed tomographic scan showed a 1.2 cm-diameter
      mass in the upper lobe of the left lung that was surgically removed and showed
      SCLC. Following surgery, neurological symptoms rapidly improved, allowing the
      patient to receive adjuvant chemotherapy. While in remission for both SCLC and
      PLE, the patient developed pain, soft-tissue swelling, and stiffness in both
      palms, suggesting the diagnosis of PFPAS. Five months following the diagnosis of
      palmar fasciitis, SCLC relapsed with mediastinal and cervical lymphadenopathy.
      This case report underlines the continuous interaction of SCLC with the immune
      system, expressed by coexistence of two rare paraneoplastic diseases, PLE, and
      PFPAS, in a patient with SCLC. While symptoms related to PLE preceded the initial
      diagnosis of SCLC, other symptoms related to PFPAS preceded relapse. 

PMID- 26500724
TI  - Carcinosarcoma with Choriocarcinomatous and Osteosarcomatous Differentiation in a
      Patient with Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome.
AB  - Juvenile polyposis syndrome (JPS) is an infrequent autosomal dominant hereditary
      predisposition to the occurrence of hamartomatous polyps in the colon and rectum.
      We describe the case of a 12-year-old boy with JPS associated with an abdominal
      tumor. Histological sections of the abdominal tumor showed components of
      adenocarcinoma, osteosarcoma, and choriocarcinoma. Immunohistochemistry was
      AE1/AE3, CK7, HCG and SALL4 positive. Juvenile polyposis syndrome patients are at
      increased risk of colorectal adenocarcinoma. However, we present a case of an
      adenocarcinoma associated with other unusual components. This association has not
      been reported before. 

PMID- 26500725
TI  - Metastatic Ghost Cell Odontogenic Carcinoma: Description of a Case and Search for
      Actionable Targets.
AB  - Ghost cell odontogenic carcinoma (GCOC) is an exceedingly rare malignant tumor on
      the spectrum of already uncommon odontogenic or dentinogenic tumors. We describe
      here the case of metastatic GCOC in a patient with a history of recurrent
      dentinogenic ghost cell tumor of the mandible, now presenting with bilateral
      pleural effusions. We will discuss typical histopathologic and histochemical
      features of GCOC, along with results of genomic testing and their role in
      directing therapy. 

PMID- 26500726
TI  - Paratesticular Spindle Cell Rhabdomyosarcoma.
AB  - Spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare variant of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma
      that affects young males and most commonly involves the paratesticular region. We
      report a case of paratesticular spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma in a 14-year-old
      boy, who presented with a painless scrotal mass. Left inguinal orchidectomy was
      performed. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examination of the mass
      revealed spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma of the paratesticular region. 

PMID- 26500727
TI  - Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Masquerading as a Primary Ovarian Mass in a Post
      Operative Case of Meningioma and Renal Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - The clinical presentation of metastatic renal cell carcinoma to ovary is
      extremely rare as well as confusing due to its close resemblance to primary
      ovarian tumors, especially clear cell carcinoma. We present a case of metastatic
      renal cell carcinoma diagnosed in a 48-year-old female, who had renal cell
      carcinoma of the right kidney and right sphenoid wing meningioma of transitional
      type. 

PMID- 26500728
TI  - Palliative Radiation for Leukemic Arthropathy from Human T-Cell Lymphoma Virus
      associated Adult T-Cell Leukemia Lymphoma.
AB  - Human T-cell lymphoma virus (HTLV)-associated adult T-cell leukemia lymphoma is a
      rare cancer in the United States, but there are several areas around the world
      where the virus is endemic. HTLV-associated adult T-cell leukemia lymphoma has
      been associated with leukemic arthropathy. We present a patient with HTLV
      associated adult T-cell leukemia lymphoma with leukemic arthropathy. Although non
      steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and chemotherapy are often used for treatment,
      we describe the successful use of radiation therapy in the palliative relief of
      symptoms from leukemic arthropathy. 

PMID- 26500730
TI  - Cavernous Hemangioma of the Left Forearm.
AB  - Cavernous hemangiomas are benign hamartomatous proliferation of endothelial
      tissues. They can arise virtually anywhere in the body and do not contain tissues
      native to the organ or structure in which they are located. Contrary to what is
      seen in capillary hemangiomas and the cavernous cutaneous variety, intramuscular
      hemangiomas almost always never regress. We report a case of intramuscular
      cavernous hemangioma in an 18-year-old male Nigerian with swelling in the left
      forearm of 9 years duration. The swelling progressively increased in size and
      nearly involved the entire forearm with occasional pain and no preceding history
      of trauma. Pre-operative plain radiographs showed an ill-defined soft tissue
      swelling with multiple calcifications or phleboliths. Surgical excision with
      ligation of feeding vessels was done and histology confirmed the diagnosis with
      free margin of excision. Post-operative clinical improvement was marked. 

PMID- 26500729
TI  - A Rare Metastatic Myositis Ossificans of Obturator Muscle Secondary to Urothelial
      Carcinoma.
AB  - The most frequent metastatic sites of the urothelial bladder cancers (UBCs) are
      bones, lungs, lymph nodes, liver, pleura, and brain. In the literature, skeletal
      muscle metastases from UBC have been rarely reported. We report a case of a 65
      year-old male with metastatic myositis ossificans to obturator muscle 14 months
      after radical cystectomy performed for a muscle invasive transitional cell
      carcinoma. An abdomen computed tomography scan showed a lesion of about 8 cm in
      diameter in the left obturator muscle with myositis ossificans aspect. Ultrasound
      guided biopsy specimen of the left obturator muscle revealed poorly
      differentiated metastatic urothelial carcinoma with malignant myositis ossificans
      aspects. The patient refused additional surgery and received systemic
      chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the site of the lesion. The patient more than 6
      months after treatment has a good performance status with a partial reduction of
      the mass and negative imaging for metastases in the follow-up. 

PMID- 26500731
TI  - Locally Advanced Spiroadenocarcinoma in the Regional Axilla of a Breast Cancer
      Patient: Hallmarks of Definitive Diagnosis and Management.
AB  - Eccrine spiroadenocarcinoma is an extremely rare malignant eccrine gland tumor
      which may masquerade as other more common malignancies such as poorly
      differentiated squamous carcinoma or metastatic breast cancer. We report a case
      of an ulcerated axillary skin lesion with bulky adenopathy in a 77 year-old
      female with a prior history of ipsilateral triple negative breast carcinoma. The
      clear transition of benign spiradenoma to malignant carcinoma was essential to
      establishing a definitive diagnosis and treatment plan. 

PMID- 26500732
TI  - Synchronous Pulmonary Malignancies: Atypical Presentation of Mantle Cell Lymphoma
      Masking a Lung Malignancy.
AB  - We present a case of a pleural space malignancy masked by an atypical
      presentation of mantle cell lymphoma. Our patient presented with a large pleural
      effusion and right sided pleural studding, initially attributed to a new
      diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma. Rare atypical epithelial cells were also seen
      amongst the clonal population of lymphocytes. The patient lacked systemic
      manifestations of mantle cell lymphoma and did not improve with chemotherapy. A
      pleural biopsy ultimately revealed the presence of an undifferentiated carcinoma,
      favoring a lung primary. A discussion of synchronous pleural space malignancies
      involving lymphomas is given. 

PMID- 26500733
TI  - A Case of Endometrioid Adenocarcinoma Originating from the Serous Surface of the
      Small Intestine.
AB  - Malignant transformation of endometriosis has been extensively described in the
      literature. However, extragonadal endometrioid adenocarcinoma, either de novo or
      arising from malignant transformation of endometriosis, is rare. The present case
      report describes a patient with endometrioid adenocarcinoma on the serous surface
      of the small intestine. A 25-year-old female with no history of endometriosis was
      referred to our hospital with an intrapelvic tumor. An internal examination,
      ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a round mass approximately 80
      mm in diameter; however, identification of the affected organ was difficult.
      Because we could not rule out malignancy based on the non-specific radiologic
      findings, laparotomy was performed. A mass with ileal adhesions was detected
      intraoperatively. In addition, the uterus and bilateral adnexa appeared normal.
      The tumor was resected with part of the ileum. Histopathology confirmed a
      diagnosis of endometrioid adenocarcinoma originating from the serous surface of
      the small intestine. 

PMID- 26500734
TI  - Peritoneal Malignant Mesothelioma with Epithelioid Type, Demonstrating High Serum
      and Ascitic KL-6 Levels: Immunohistochemical Analyses.
AB  - We report a case of KL-6 producing peritoneal malignant mesothelioma. A 56-year
      old woman was referred to our hospital on November 2005 with severe abdominal
      distention. Peritoneal malignant mesothelioma with epithelioid type was diagnosed
      by clinical symptoms, laboratory investigations, imaging studies, and
      immunohistochemical examination of known tumor markers. In addition, high serum
      and ascitic KL-6 levels were observed and the immunostaining of the tumor for KL
      6 was evident. We thus consider KL-6 to be a potential novel marker for
      peritoneal malignant mesothelioma with epithelioid type. 

PMID- 26500735
TI  - The Present and Future Opportunities of the Rare Cancer Network: An International
      Consortium for Advancement of Oncologic Care.
AB  - To date, the Rare Cancer Network (RCN) has initiated more than 90 studies and 54
      peer-reviewed publications were produced as a result. The Second International
      Symposium of the Rare Cancer Network recently took place in Istanbul, Turkey on
      April 17-18, 2015, and update was given on multiple currently ongoing projects,
      while also giving room for new proposals which will shape the direction of future
      studies for the group. This companion issue of the RCN Proceedings summarized the
      findings of this meeting, while also serving as a call for fresh projects and
      papers which will continue to energize the group and advance the oncologic
      science. A brief introduction to the principles, history, and vision of the RCN
      was also included. To review, the academic year of 2014-15 marked an enormous
      success for the international members of the RCN, with the generation of 8 fully
      published papers and more than 12 newly proposed topics. By the collective
      efforts of all RCN members, in the future, we look forward to the upcoming
      opportunities in continuing to advance the standard of chemo- and
      radiotherapeutic oncologic care for selected rare tumor topics. The studies of
      these rare cancers often do not allow the design and execution of prospectively
      enrolled trials; however, these uncommon malignancies do impact the humankind and
      add to its suffering globally in significant ways. 

PMID- 26500737
TI  - Corynebacterium CDC Group G Native and Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis.
AB  - We report the first case of native and recurrent prosthetic valve endocarditis
      with Corynebacterium CDC group G, a rarely reported cause of infective
      endocarditis (IE). Previously, there have been only two cases reported for
      prosthetic valve IE caused by these organisms. A 69-year-old female with a known
      history of mitral valve regurgitation presented with a 3-day history of high
      grade fever, pleuritic chest pain and cough. Echocardiography confirmed findings
      of mitral valve thickening consistent with endocarditis, which subsequently
      progressed to become large and mobile vegetations. Both sets of blood cultures
      taken on admission were positive for Corynebacterium CDC group G. Despite removal
      of a long-term venous access port, the patient's presumed source of line
      associated bacteremia, mitral valve replacement, and aggressive antibiotic
      therapy, the patient had recurrence of vegetations on the prosthetic valve. She
      underwent replacement of her prosthetic mitral valve in the subsequent 2 weeks,
      before she progressed to disseminated intravascular coagulation and expired.
      Although they are typically considered contaminants, corynebacteria, in the
      appropriate clinical setting, should be recognized, identified, and treated as
      potentially life-threatening infections, particularly in the case of line
      associated bacteremias, and native and prosthetic valve endocarditis. 

PMID- 26500736
TI  - Management of Metastatic Apocrine Hidradenocarcinoma with Chemotherapy and
      Radiation.
AB  - Hidradenocarcinoma is a rare aggressive form of cutaneous adnexal skin carcinoma
      originating from the sweat gland. Due to its low incidence, prognostic and
      treatment strategies are still being explored both for primary and advanced
      disease. This tumor most often presents as either solid or cystic appearing
      subcutaneous nodules, which may be associated with pruritus or ulceration. To
      date the mainstay of treatment for local disease has been surgical excision;
      however, the paucity of historical data available has shown that these tumors
      often behave aggressively with high rates of local recurrence, metastasis, and
      poor overall outcomes. There are few case reports describing the utility of
      radiation therapy in the treatment of hidradenocarcinoma. Herein, we present a
      case of metastatic apocrine hidradenocarcinoma in a 32-year-old Caucasian male.
      The patient initially underwent excisional biopsy which confirmed the diagnosis
      of poorly differentiated, highly infiltrative, apocrine hidradenocarcinoma. He
      received systemic chemotherapy for metastatic disease, followed by radiation
      therapy to areas of grossly palpable adenopathy. Prior to radiation therapy the
      patient had an enlarged hypermetabolic conglomerate of lymph nodes in the right
      axilla, and borderline enlarged low activity nodes within the left axilla. He
      received 3 cycles of chemotherapy followed by tamoxifen and radiation therapy
      (50.4 Gy in 28 fractions) to areas of progressive disease in the bilateral
      axilla, lower neck, and axillary skin. Following treatment, the patient had
      complete resolution of skin nodules and improvement of his pruritus. While the
      role of radiation therapy in the treatment of hidradenocarcinoma has not been
      well established, this case report demonstrated the potential benefit of external
      beam radiotherapy in the management of this rare disease. 

PMID- 26500738
TI  - Vibrio Vulnificus Necrotizing Fasciitis Associated with Acupuncture.
AB  - Necrotizing fasciitis is a severe life-threatening infection of the deep
      subcutaneous tissues and fascia. Infection with Vibrio vulnificus, a halophilic
      Gram-negative bacillus found worldwide in warm coastal waters, can lead to severe
      complications, particularly among patients with chronic liver diseases. We herein
      present an unusual case of necrotizing fasciitis caused by V. vulnificus
      triggered by acupuncture needle insertion. The patient, who suffered from
      diabetes mellitus and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and worked at a fish
      hatchery, denied any injury prior to acupuncture. This is the first ever reported
      case of V. vulnificus infection triggered by acupuncture needle insertion,
      clearly emphasizing the potential hazards of the prolonged survival of V.
      vulnificus on the skin. The potential infectious complications of acupuncture
      needle insertion are discussed. 

PMID- 26500739
TI  - Trends and Predictors of Mortality Among HIV Positive Patients in the Era of
      Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in Uganda.
AB  - Knowledge of mortality trends and predictors among HIV-positive patients in the
      era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in resource poor settings is
      still limited. The aim of this study was to describe trends and predictors of
      mortality among HIV-positive patients in the era of HAART in Uganda. Data from
      2004 to 2013 for adult HIV-positive patients (>=15 years) obtaining care and
      treatment from the AIDS Support Organization in Uganda were reviewed for
      mortality. Descriptive statistics were analyzed by frequencies and cross
      tabulations. Calendar period was used as a proxy measure for HAART exposure and a
      time plot of the proportion of HIV-positive patients reporting dead per year was
      used to describe the trends. Logistic regression was used to determine the
      predictors of mortality at bivariate and multivariate levels, respectively. We
      included in the analysis 95,857 HIV positive patients; 64% were female with
      median age of 33 years (interquartile range 27-40). Of these 36,133 (38%) were
      initiated on ART and a total of 4279 (4.5%) died; 19.5% (835/4279) of those who
      died had an opportunistic infection. Overall, mortality first increased between
      2004 and 2006 and thereafter substantially declined (X(2) trend=211.9, P<0.001).
      Mortality was relatively higher in Eastern Uganda compared to other geographical
      areas. Male gender, older age (>45 years), being from Eastern or Northern Uganda,
      having none or primary education, being unemployed, advanced immunodeficiency
      (CD4 count <100 cell/uL or WHO stage III or IV) and underweight (<45 kg weight)
      at HAART initiation and calendar period 2004-2008 were significant predictors of
      mortality (P<0.001). Overall, the expanding coverage of HAART is associated with
      a declining trend in mortality among HIV positive patients in Uganda. However,
      mortality trends differed significantly by geographical area and men remain
      potentially at higher risk of death probably because of delayed initiation on
      ART. There is urgent need for men targeted interventions for improved ART
      performance. 

PMID- 26500740
TI  - Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels are not Associated with Adverse Outcomes in
      Clostridium Difficile Infection.
AB  - Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a significant source of healthcare
      associated morbidity and mortality. This study investigated whether serum 25
      hydroxyvitamin D is associated with adverse outcomes from CDI. Patients with CDI
      were prospectively enrolled. Charts were reviewed and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D
      was measured. The primary outcome was a composite definition of severe disease:
      fever (temperature >38 degrees C), acute organ dysfunction, or serum white blood
      cell count >15,000 cells/uL within 24-48 hours of diagnosis; lack of response to
      therapy by day 5; and intensive care unit admission; colectomy; or death within
      30 days. Sixty-seven patients were included in the final analysis. Mean (+/-SD)
      serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D was 26.1 (+/-18.54) ng/mL. Severe disease, which
      occurred in 26 (39%) participants, was not associated with serum 25
      hydroxyvitamin D [odds ratio (OR) 1.00; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.96-1.04].
      In the adjusted model for severe disease only serum albumin (OR 0.12; 95%CI 0.02
      0.64) and diagnosis by detection of stool toxin (OR 5.87; 95%CI 1.09-31.7)
      remained independent predictors. We conclude that serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is
      not associated with the development of severe disease in patients with CDI. 

PMID- 26500742
TI  - Importance of Coryneform Bacteria in Infective Endocarditis.

PMID- 26500741
TI  - Gastrointestinal Mucormycosis Resulting in a Catastrophic Outcome in an
      Immunocompetent Patient.
AB  - We present a case of a middle-aged female who was admitted to the hospital with a
      respiratory infection and subsequently developed an acute surgical abdomen
      secondary to a perforated viscous. She was found to have mucormycosis of the
      intestinal tract and eventually succumbed to the sequelae of the infection. 

PMID- 26500743
TI  - Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis Due to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus
      Aureus in a Patient with Cirrhosis: The Potential Role for Daptomycin and Review
      of the Literature.
AB  - Gram-positive cocci are emerging causes of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
      (SBP), especially in patients with healthcare-associated infections. We report
      the case of a 68-year-old man with hepatitis C virus and alcohol-related
      cirrhosis who developed SBP due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
      treated with daptomycin. We discuss the potential role of daptomycin in this
      setting with a review of the literature about the use of daptomycin in primary or
      secondary bacterial peritonitis. 

PMID- 26500744
TI  - Acute Myositis Associated with Concurrent Infection of Rotavirus and Norovirus in
      a 2-Year-Old Girl.
AB  - Rotavirus and norovirus are common pathogens associated with gastroenteritis in
      children. Although rotavirus occasionally induces central nervous system disease,
      only 3 cases with rotavirus-induced acute myositis have been reported in the
      English literature. We recently treated a female patient with acute myositis
      associated with gastroenteritis induced by concurrent infection with rotavirus
      and norovirus. Having suffered from gastroenteritis for 3 days, she suddenly
      developed myositis affecting her lower extremities with concomitant creatine
      kinase elevation. Herein, we present our patient and review the previous cases
      including those reported in the Japanese literature. 

PMID- 26500745
TI  - A Rare Case of Painful Goiter Secondary to Pediatric Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
      Requiring Thyroidectomy for Pain Control.
AB  - Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) usually presents as painless thyroid swelling.
      Painful pediatric HT is a rare condition with limited literature on pain
      management. We report a 15-year-old female who presented with 4 weeks history of
      fatigue, malaise and progressive, painful midline thyroid swelling. There was no
      difficulty in swallowing, no fever or recent upper respiratory infection
      symptoms. Exam was remarkable for diffusely enlarged, very tender, and non
      nodular thyroid. Thyroid function tests, C-reactive protein, and complete blood
      count were normal. Ultrasound revealed diffusely enlarged non-nodular, non-cystic
      gland with mild increased vascularity. Diagnosis of HT was confirmed by biopsy
      and thyroid antibodies. Over a 6 week period, pain management with ibuprofen,
      levothyroxine, corticosteroid, gabapentin and amitriptyline was unsuccessful.
      Ultimately, total thyroidectomy resulted in complete resolution of thyroid pain.
      We can conclude that thyroidectomy may be considered for the rare case of painful
      HT in children. 

PMID- 26500746
TI  - Rare but Lethal Disease of Childhood: Metastatic, Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer.
AB  - Bladder cancer is the most common malignancy of urinary tract and the seventh
      most common cancer in men with the peak incidence in the sixth decade of life.
      Our knowledge about bladder tumors in pediatric age group mainly relies on case
      series. The reported cases are mostly low grade and non-muscle invasive. We
      herein present a case of a 17-year-old male with metastatic high-grade muscle
      invasive bladder cancer who was presented with macroscopic hematuria and flank
      pain. 

PMID- 26500747
TI  - Adrenal Hypoplasia Congenita: A Rare Cause of Primary Adrenal Insufficiency and
      Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism.
AB  - Primary adrenal insufficiency is defined by the impaired synthesis of
      adrenocortical hormones due to an intrinsic disease of the adrenal cortex.
      Determining its etiology is crucial to allow adequate long-term management and
      genetic counseling. We report the case of a male adolescent that presented in the
      neonatal period with adrenal crisis and received replacement therapy for primary
      adrenal insufficiency. During follow-up, adrenal hypoplasia congenita (AHC) was
      suspected given his persistently raised adrenocorticotropic hormone levels, with
      markedly low 17-OH progesterone and androstenedione levels. DNA sequence analysis
      revealed a mutation in NR0B1 gene (c.1292delG), confirming the diagnosis. Delayed
      puberty and persistent low levels of gonadotropins led to testosterone
      replacement therapy. X-linked AHC is a rare cause of primary adrenal
      insufficiency and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, related to mutations in NR0B1
      gene. Despite its rarity, AHC should be considered in patients who present with
      primary adrenal failure, low levels of 17-OH progesterone and hypogonadotropic
      hypogonadism. 

PMID- 26500748
TI  - Recurrent Rhino-Ocular-Cerebral Mucormycosis in a Leukemic Child: A Case Report
      and Review of Pediatric Literature.
AB  - Mucormycosis is an uncommon but severe fungal infection, typically observed in
      immunocompromized patients. We report a case of acute lymphoblastic leukemia
      complicated by rhino-oculo-cerebral mucormycosis in a pediatric patient.
      Combination lipid polyene-echinocandin therapy, along with surgical debridement
      appeared to be effective. Nevertheless, a severe relapse occurred during
      posaconazole prophylaxis; antifungal therapy, hemimaxillectomy and suspension of
      chemotherapy were performed. Although mucormycosis is a frequently lethal
      infection, prompt diagnosis and aggressive treatment can be successful even in
      cases of relapse. 

PMID- 26500749
TI  - Fecal Impaction Causing Pelvic Venous Compression and Edema.
AB  - Chronic constipation is a common condition which may result in fecal impaction. A
      13-year-old male with chronic constipation and encopresis presented with fecal
      impaction for three weeks. The impaction caused abdominal pain, distension,
      encopresis, and decreased oral intake. He was found in severe distress with non
      pitting edema of his feet and ankles along with perineal edema. The pedal edema
      worsened after receiving a fluid bolus, so concern arose for venous compression
      or a thrombus. A Duplex Ultrasound demonstrated changes in the venous waveforms
      of the bilateral external iliac and common femoral veins without thrombosis.
      Manual disimpaction and polyethylene glycol 3350 with electrolytes resolved the
      pedal and perineal edema. Four months later, he had soft bowel movements without
      recurrence of the edema. A repeat Duplex Ultrasound was normal. We present a
      child in whom severe fecal impaction caused pelvic venous compression resulting
      in bilateral pedal and perineal edema. 

PMID- 26500750
TI  - Lessons from Prenatal Care Provider-Based Recruitment into the National
      Children's Study.
AB  - In response to recruitment difficulties experienced by the National Children's
      Study, alternatives to the door-to-door recruitment method were pilot tested.
      This report describes outcomes, successes, and challenges of recruiting women
      through prenatal care providers in Benton County, Arkansas, USA. Eligible women
      residing in 14 randomly selected geographic segments were recruited. Data were
      collected during pregnancy, at birth, and at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months
      postpartum. Participants were compared to non-enrolled eligible women through
      birth records. Of 6402 attempts to screen for address eligibility, 468 patients
      were potentially eligible. Of 221 eligible women approached to participate, 151
      (68%) enrolled in the 21-year study. Enrolled women were similar to non-enrolled
      women in age, marital status, number of prenatal care visits, and gestational age
      and birth weight of the newborn. Women enrolled from public clinics were more
      likely to be Hispanic, lower educated, younger and unmarried than those enrolled
      from private clinics. Sampling geographic areas from historical birth records
      failed to produce expected equivalent number of births across segments.
      Enrollment of pregnant women from prenatal care providers was successful. 

PMID- 26500751
TI  - Role of the cytoplasmic isoform of RBFOX1/A2BP1 in establishing the architecture
      of the developing cerebral cortex.
AB  - BACKGROUND: RBFOX1 (also known as FOX1 or A2BP1) regulates alternative splicing
      of a variety of transcripts crucial for neuronal functions. Physiological
      significance of RBFOX1 during brain development is seemingly essential since
      abnormalities in the gene cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other
      neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders such as intellectual
      disability, epilepsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and
      schizophrenia. RBFOX1 was also shown to serve as a "hub" in ASD gene
      transcriptome network. However, the pathophysiological significance of RBFOX1
      gene abnormalities remains to be clarified. METHODS: To elucidate the
      pathophysiological relevance of Rbfox1, we performed a battery of in vivo and in
      vitro analyses of the brain-specific cytoplasmic isoform, Rbfox1-iso2, during
      mouse corticogenesis. In vivo analyses were based on in utero electroporation,
      and the role of Rbfox1-iso2 in cortical neuron migration, neurogenesis, and
      morphology was investigated by morphological methods including confocal laser
      microscope-assisted time-lapse imaging. In vitro analyses were carried out to
      examine the morphology of primary cultured mouse hippocampal neurons. RESULTS:
      Silencing of Rbfox1-iso2 in utero caused defects in the radial migration and
      terminal translocation of cortical neurons during corticogenesis. Time-lapse
      imaging revealed that radial migration was apparently impaired by dysregulated
      nucleokinesis. Rbfox1-iso2 also regulated neuronal network formation in vivo
      since axon extension to the opposite hemisphere and dendritic arborization were
      hampered by the knockdown. In in vitro analyses, spine density and mature spine
      number were reduced in Rbfox1-iso2-deficient hippocampal neurons. CONCLUSIONS:
      Impaired Rbfox1-iso2 function was found to cause abnormal corticogenesis during
      brain development. The abnormal process may underlie the basic pathophysiology of
      ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders and may contribute to the emergence of
      the clinical symptoms of the patients with RBFOX1 gene abnormalities.

PMID- 26500753
TI  - Colil: a database and search service for citation contexts in the life sciences
      domain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To promote research activities in a particular research area, it is
      important to efficiently identify current research trends, advances, and issues
      in that area. Although review papers in the research area can suffice for this
      purpose in general, researchers are not necessarily able to obtain these papers
      from research aspects of their interests at the time they are required.
      Therefore, the utilization of the citation contexts of papers in a research area
      has been considered as another approach. However, there are few search services
      to retrieve citation contexts in the life sciences domain; furthermore,
      efficiently obtaining citation contexts is becoming difficult due to the large
      volume and rapid growth of life sciences papers. RESULTS: Here, we introduce the
      Colil (Comments on Literature in Literature) database to store citation contexts
      in the life sciences domain. By using the Resource Description Framework (RDF)
      and a newly compiled vocabulary, we built the Colil database and made it
      available through the SPARQL endpoint. In addition, we developed a web-based
      search service called Colil that searches for a cited paper in the Colil database
      and then returns a list of citation contexts for it along with papers relevant to
      it based on co-citations. The citation contexts in the Colil database were
      extracted from full-text papers of the PubMed Central Open Access Subset (PMC
      OAS), which includes 545,147 papers indexed in PubMed. These papers are
      distributed across 3,171 journals and cite 5,136,741 unique papers that
      correspond to approximately 25 % of total PubMed entries. CONCLUSIONS: By
      utilizing Colil, researchers can easily refer to a set of citation contexts and
      relevant papers based on co-citations for a target paper. Colil helps researchers
      to comprehend life sciences papers in a research area more efficiently and makes
      their biological research more efficient.

PMID- 26500752
TI  - Platelet studies in autism spectrum disorder patients and first-degree relatives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Platelets have been proven to be a useful cellular model to study
      some neuropathologies, due to the overlapping biological features between neurons
      and platelets as granule secreting cells. Altered platelet dense granule
      morphology was previously reported in three autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
      patients with chromosomal translocations that disrupted ASD candidate genes NBEA,
      SCAMP5, and AMYSIN, but a systematic analysis of platelet function in ASD is
      lacking in contrast to numerous reports of elevated serotonin levels in platelets
      and blood as potential biomarker for ASD. METHODS: We explored platelet count,
      size, epinephrine-induced activation, and dense granule ATP secretion in a cohort
      of 159 ASD patients, their 289 first-degree relatives (103 unaffected siblings,
      99 mothers, and 87 fathers), 45 adult controls, and 65 pediatric controls. For
      each of the responses separately, a linear mixed model with gender as a covariate
      was used to compare the level between groups. We next investigated the
      correlation between platelet function outcomes and severity of impairments in
      social behavior (social responsiveness score (SRS)). RESULTS: The average
      platelet count was increased in ASD patients and siblings vs. controls (ASD 320.3
      * 10(9)/L, p = 0.003; siblings 332.0 * 10(9)/L, p < 0.001; controls 283.0 *
      10(9)/L). The maximal platelet secretion-dependent aggregation response to
      epinephrine was not significantly lower for ASD patients. However, secondary wave
      responses following stimulation with epinephrine were more frequently delayed or
      absent compared to controls (ASD 52 %, siblings 45 %, parents 53 %, controls 22
      %, p = 0.002). In addition, stimulated release of ATP from dense granules was
      reduced in ASD patients, siblings, and parents vs. controls following activation
      of platelets with either collagen (ASD 1.54 MUM, p = 0.001; siblings 1.51 MUM, p
      < 0.001; parents 1.67 MUM, p = 0.021; controls 2.03 MUM) or ADP (ASD 0.96 MUM, p
      = 0.003; siblings 1.00 MUM, p = 0.012; parents 1.17 MUM, p = 0.21; controls 1.40
      MUM). Plasma serotonin levels were increased for ASD patients (n = 20, p = 0.005)
      and siblings (n = 20, p = 0.0001) vs. controls (n = 16). No significant
      correlations were found in the different groups between SRS scores and count,
      size, epinephrine aggregation, or ATP release. CONCLUSIONS: We report increased
      platelet counts, decreased platelet ATP dense granule secretion, and increased
      serotonin plasma levels not only in ASD patients but also in their first-degree
      relatives. This suggests that potential genetic factors associated with platelet
      counts and granule secretion can be associated with, but are not fully penetrant
      for ASD.

PMID- 26500754
TI  - RDF2Graph a tool to recover, understand and validate the ontology of an RDF
      resource.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Semantic web technologies have a tremendous potential for the
      integration of heterogeneous data sets. Therefore, an increasing number of widely
      used biological resources are becoming available in the RDF data model. There are
      however, no tools available that provide structural overviews of these resources.
      Such structural overviews are essential to efficiently query these resources and
      to assess their structural integrity and design, thereby strengthening their use
      and potential. RESULTS: Here we present RDF2Graph, a tool that automatically
      recovers the structure of an RDF resource. The generated overview allows to
      create complex queries on these resources and to structurally validate newly
      created resources. CONCLUSION: RDF2Graph facilitates the creation of complex
      queries thereby enabling access to knowledge stored across multiple RDF
      resources. RDF2Graph facilitates creation of high quality resources and resource
      descriptions, which in turn increases usability of the semantic web technologies.

PMID- 26500755
TI  - Risk factors for endoscopic sedation reversal events: a five-year retrospective
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Conscious sedation is widely used in endoscopic practice but is not
      without risk. We aimed to determine the frequency of sedation complications
      requiring reversal, and to identify potential patient and procedural risk
      factors. DESIGN: A retrospective study of all gastrointestinal endoscopic
      procedures performed under conscious sedation, in a large three-campus tertiary
      referral endoscopic centre, between 12 October 2007 and 31 December 2012 (n=52
      553). Flumazenil or naloxone administration was used as a marker of sedation
      complications requiring reversal. Reversal cases were analysed for associations
      with sedation dose, patient American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade,
      age and type of procedure undertaken. RESULTS: In total, 149 sedation reversals
      occurred, representing 0.28% of all sedated endoscopic procedures carried out.
      Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and increasing patient ASA
      grade were positively associated with sedation reversal (p<0.05). Mean midazolam
      dose was highest for ERCP (4.9+/-2.9 mg) and lowest for flexible sigmoidoscopy
      (1.7+/-0.6 mg; p<0.01). Mean opioid dose (calculated as pethidine equivalent) was
      highest for ERCP (62.9+/-38.7 mg) and lowest for gastroscopy (6.9+/-13.5 mg;
      p<0.01). Maximum doses of midazolam or opioid recommended by the British Society
      of Gastroenterology were exceeded in 7.4% and 14.1% of reversals, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: ERCP procedures and higher patient ASA grade were associated with an
      increased risk of conscious sedation-related complications requiring reversal. In
      these high-risk groups, alternative sedation strategies should be considered and
      tested. Prospective studies are needed to further explore risk factors that may
      help predict adverse sedation outcomes.

PMID- 26500756
TI  - Clinical trial: free fatty acid suppositories compared with enema as bowel
      preparation for flexible sigmoidoscopy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of
      recently developed suppositories containing free fatty acids as a bowel-cleansing
      agent prior to flexible sigmoidoscopy and compare them with Klyx (docusate
      sodium/sorbitol). DESIGN: A controlled, non-inferiority, single-blind, randomised
      study on outpatients undergoing flexible sigmoidoscopy. SETTING: Department of
      Gastroenterology, Landspitali-University Hospital and endoscopic clinic.
      PATIENTS: 53 outpatients undergoing flexible sigmoidoscopy. INTERVENTION:
      Participants were randomised to receive either free fatty acid suppositories (28)
      or a standard bowel preparation with Klyx enema (25). In the study group, two
      suppositories were administered the evening before as well as 2 h prior to the
      sigmoidoscopy. In the control group, Klyx enema (120 mL) was administered the
      evening before and repeated 2 h prior to the procedure. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASUREMENTS: Quality of the bowel cleansing, height of scope insertion and
      safety. RESULTS: The mean height of scope insertion and bowel cleansing was 43 cm
      (SD=13.4) in the study group and 48 cm (SD=10.4) in the control group (NS). The
      investigating physicians were less satisfied with the bowel preparation in the
      study group compared with the control group with a difference of 20% (p<0.016).
      The amount of faeces noted in the rectum was similar in both groups with no
      significant difference (p<0.56). No serious side effects, toxic reaction or
      irritation were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The suppositories are well tolerated with
      no significant side effects. The suppositories had distinct bowel emptying effect
      and as effective as Klyx in rectal cleansing. Although physician's satisfaction
      was slightly lower, the height of scope insertion was similar. TRIAL REGISTRATION
      NUMBER: EudraCT nr.: 2010-018761-35.

PMID- 26500757
TI  - Gastrulation occurs in multiple phases at two distinct sites in Latrodectus and
      Cheiracanthium spiders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The longstanding canonical model of spider gastrulation posits that
      cell internalization occurs only at a unitary central blastopore; and that the
      cumulus (dorsal organizer) arises from within the early deep layer by cell-cell
      interaction. Recent work has begun to challenge the canonical model by
      demonstrating cell internalization at extra-blastoporal sites in two species
      (Parasteatoda tepidariorum and Zygiella x-notata); and showing in Zygiella that
      the prospective cumulus internalizes first, before other cells are present in the
      deep layer. The cell behaviors making up spider gastrulation thus appear to show
      considerable variation, and a wider sampling of taxa is indicated. RESULTS: We
      evaluated the model in three species from two families by direct observation of
      living embryos. Movements of individual cells were traced from timelapse
      recordings and the origin and fate of the cumulus determined by CM-DiI labeling.
      We show that there are two distinct regions of internalization: most cells enter
      the deep layer via the central blastopore but many additional cells ingress via
      an extra-blastoporal ring, either at the periphery of the germ disc (Latrodectus
      spp.) or nearer the central field (Cheiracanthium mildei). In all species, the
      cumulus cells internalize first; this is shown by tracing cells in timelapse,
      histology, and by CM-DiI injection into the deep layer. Injection very early in
      gastrulation labels only cumulus mesenchyme cells whereas injections at later
      stages label non-cumulus mesoderm and endoderm. CONCLUSIONS: We propose a revised
      model to accommodate the new data. Our working model has the prospective cumulus
      cells internalizing first, at the central blastopore. The cumulus cells begin
      migration before other cells enter the deep layer. This is consistent with early
      specification of the cumulus and suggests that cell-cell interaction with other
      deep layer cells is not required for its function. As the cumulus migrates,
      additional mesendoderm internalizes at two distinct locations: through the
      central blastopore and at an extra-blastoporal ring. Our work thus demonstrates
      early, cell-autonomous behavior of the cumulus and variation in subsequent
      location and timing of cell internalization during gastrulation in spiders.

PMID- 26500758
TI  - Cytotoxic and targeted therapy for treatment of pseudomyogenic
      hemangioendothelioma.
AB  - Pseudomyogenic hemangioendothelioma (PMH) is a recently described, indolent
      vascular tumor that usually presents in the distal extremities. PMH typically has
      a multi-focal presentation and can involve several tissue planes including the
      dermis, subcutis, muscle, and bone. This soft tissue tumor predominantly affects
      men between 20 and 50 years of age. PMH tumors typically are resected but
      frequently recur locally; thus, more efficacious treatment options are needed.
      Herein, we report two cases of patients with PMH who were treated with systemic
      therapy. To the best of our knowledge, our report is the first to describe a
      response of PMH either to gemcitabine/taxane cytotoxic chemotherapy or to a
      mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor. In the first case, a 45-year-old man
      with PMH of the right ilium was treated with gemcitabine plus docetaxel. Although
      chemotherapy was ultimately halted owing to gemcitabine-induced pulmonary
      toxicity, positron emission tomography-computer tomography scans taken after
      three cycles of gemcitabine plus docetaxel illustrated a noticeable response to
      the regimen. In the second case, a 22-year-old man with PMH of the right distal
      femur and metastases in the left ilium showed no response to gemcitabine plus
      docetaxel therapy, but underwent surgical resection after cisplatin and
      doxorubicin resulted in stable disease. DNA sequencing of his tumor revealed the
      presence of a tuberous sclerosis 1 (TSC1) mutation, so daily everolimus, which
      inhibits mammalian target of rapamycin, was started. Two months after beginning
      everolimus, the patient underwent magnetic resonance imaging of the pelvis, which
      revealed mild shrinkage of PMH metastases in the left iliac bone. Despite the
      apparent heterogeneity of response to gemcitabine/taxane chemotherapy in our two
      patients, these two cases indicate that gemcitabine/taxane and mammalian target
      of rapamycin inhibitor may serve as systemic treatment options for PMH and
      warrant further investigation. 

PMID- 26500759
TI  - Unveiling the hidden function of long non-coding RNA by identifying its major
      partner-protein.
AB  - Tens of thousands of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been discovered in
      eukarya, but their functions are largely unknown. Fortunately, lncRNA-protein
      interactions may offer details of how lncRNAs play important roles in various
      biological processes, thus identifying proteins associated with lncRNA is
      critical. Here we review progress of molecular archetypes that lncRNAs execute as
      guides, scaffolds, or decoys for protein, focusing on advantages, shortcomings
      and applications of various conventional and emerging technologies to probe
      lncRNAs and protein interactions, including protein-centric biochemistry
      approaches such as nRIP and CLIP, and RNA-centric biochemistry approaches such as
      ChIRP, CHART and RAP. Overall, this review provides strategies for probing
      interactions between lncRNAs and protein. 

PMID- 26500760
TI  - Human in vitro induced T regulatory cells and memory T cells share common
      demethylation of specific FOXP3 promoter region.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The FOXP3 gene is the master regulator for T regulatory cells and is
      under tight DNA methylation control at the Treg specific demethylated region
      (TSDR) in its first intron. This said, methylation of its promoter region, the
      significance of which is unknown, has also been associated with various immune
      related disease states such as asthma, food allergy, auto-immunity and cancer.
      Here, we used induced T regulatory cells (iTreg) as a target cell population to
      identify candidate hypomethylated CpG sites in the FOXP3 gene promoter to design
      a DNA methylation quantitative assay for this region. FINDINGS: Three CpG sites
      at the promoter region showed clear demethylation pattern associated with high
      FOXP3 expression after activation in presence of TGFbeta and were selected as
      primary targets to design methylation-dependent RT-PCR primers and probes. We
      then examined the methylation of this 'inducible-promoter-demethylated-region'
      (IPDR) in various FOXP3+ T cell subsets. Both naive and memory thymic-derived
      Treg cells were found to be fully demethylated at both the IPDR and TSDR.
      Interestingly, in addition to iTregs, both CD25- and CD25(lo) conventional memory
      CD4+CD45RA- T cells displayed a high fraction of IPDR demethylated cells in
      absence of TSDR demethylation. CONCLUSION: This implies that the fraction of
      memory T cells should be taken in account when interpreting FOXP3 promoter
      methylation results from clinical studies. This approach, which is available for
      testing in clinical samples could have diagnostic and prognostic value in
      patients with immune or auto-inflammatory diseases.

PMID- 26500761
TI  - Vascularization mediated by mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow and adipose
      tissue: a comparison.
AB  - Tissue-engineered constructs are promising to overcome shortage of organ donors
      and to reconstruct at least parts of injured or diseased tissues or organs.
      However, oxygen and nutrient supply are limiting factors in many tissues,
      especially after implantation into the host. Therefore, the development of a
      vascular system prior to implantation appears crucial. To develop a functional
      vascular system, different cell types that interact with each other need to be co
      cultured to simulate a physiological environment in vitro. This review provides
      an overview and a comparison of the current knowledge of co-cultures of human
      endothelial cells (ECs) with human adipose tissue-derived stem/stromal cells
      (ASCs) or bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in three dimensional (3D)
      hydrogel matrices. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), BMSCs or ASCs, have been shown
      to enhance vascular tube formation of ECs and to provide a stabilizing function
      in addition to growth factor delivery and permeability control for ECs. Although
      phenotypically similar, MSCs from different tissues promote tubulogenesis through
      distinct mechanisms. In this report, we describe differences and similarities
      regarding molecular interactions in order to investigate which of these two cell
      types displays more favorable characteristics to be used in clinical
      applications. Our comparative study shows that ASCs as well as BMSCs are both
      promising cell types to induce vascularization with ECs in vitro and consequently
      are promising candidates to support in vivo vascularization. 

PMID- 26500764
TI  - Important considerations for microRNA extraction methods from whole blood and
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
AB  - MicroRNAs are non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate mRNA expression and play
      significant roles in both health and disease. Differential microRNA expression
      has been used to aid diagnosis and discriminate disease stages. The accuracy and
      reliability of microRNA expression measurement is of utmost importance. For
      diagnostic investigations, microRNA expression in human peripheral blood is
      commonly detected using total RNA extracted using different methods. To date, no
      convincing data have been available showing whether microRNA expression levels
      are comparable when total RNA has been extracted from whole blood or peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The present study examined miR-146a-5p and miR
      155-5p expression using total RNA extracted in parallel from whole blood and
      PBMCs of 14 healthy volunteers. MicroRNA expression levels were significantly
      different between whole blood and PBMCs. No significant difference was observed
      in microRNA expression between fresh and cryopreserved PBMCs (p=0.125 for both).
      Further observations revealed that gender differences did not influence miR-146a
      5p or miR-155-5p expression regardless of using whole blood (p = 0.797 and 1.00
      respectively) or PBMC (p = 0.190 and 0.898 respectively). Our results demonstrate
      that microRNA expression could be subjective to the methods used for total RNA
      extraction which highlights the importance of using uniform extraction methods. 

PMID- 26500763
TI  - Evaluation of three therapeutic alternatives for the early treatment of ovine
      pregnancy toxaemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ovine pregnancy toxaemia is a common metabolic disorder of ewes due
      to increased foetal energy requirements in late pregnancy. This pathology is a
      metabolic condition characterized by hypoglycaemia and hyperketonaemia resulting
      in the inability of the animal to maintain an adequate energy balance. The
      response to treatment is effective, if it is started in the early stages of the
      disease, when irreversible neurological injuries have not yet been established.
      The aim was to evaluate three therapeutic alternatives to effectively reverse the
      disease process in its early stages. For this, thirty adult Corriedale ewes,
      pregnant with a single lamb, were randomly separated in three groups of ten
      animals each, at day 130 of gestation. From that day onwards, ewes were locked up
      for forage fasting until glycaemia reached clinical values defining sub-clinical
      pregnancy toxaemia (1.59 +/- 0.24 mmol/L). After fasting, ewes grazed and
      received a treatment for 4 days: 50 ml i.v. infusions of hypertonic glucose and
      20 UI insulin/ewe/day s.c. or 100 ml/sheep/12 h of glycerol together with
      propylene glycol oral solution or fed with pasture supplemented with two daily
      intakes 300 g/sheep of cracked corn. Glycaemia and beta-hydroxybutyrate were
      determined in all the animals from the beginning of fasting until the completion
      of the treatment. RESULTS: Fasting caused a decline in blood glucose in the 3
      groups. This decline continued until fasting was withdrawn and treatment began.
      Thereafter blood glucose increased in all three groups, although in the group
      supplemented with glycerol and propylene glycol it started to increase
      significantly after 12 h. The values of beta-hydroxybutyrate decreased in the 3
      groups at the start of treatment, and this decline was more pronounced earlier on
      and in the group supplemented with glycerol and propylene glycol. We found no
      significant differences between all experimental groups. No animal showed
      clinical signs of pregnancy toxaemia throughout the research. CONCLUSIONS: The
      three treatments administered to sheep affected by sub-clinical pregnancy
      toxaemia were able to restore normal concentration of glucose and beta
      hydroxybutyrate in blood, although per os administration of 100 ml/sheep/12 h of
      glycerol with propylene glycol, was the most successful treatment, normalizing
      the aforementioned biochemical parameters in a shorter time.

PMID- 26500762
TI  - Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy secondary to adipose infiltration
      as a cause of episodic collapse in a horse.
AB  - A 15-year-old Clydesdale cross gelding was investigated and managed over a 2-year
      period for intermittent collapse. The horse presented initially after an observed
      episode of collapse at rest, and had a resting tachycardia, elevated Cardiac
      Troponin I and polycythaemia. Multiple dysrhythmias were detected on telemetric
      electrocardiography. Vital parameters, cardiac rhythm and red cell count returned
      to reference range with prolonged rest but further resting syncopal episodes were
      observed, and due to safety concerns and limited treatment options the horse was
      euthanased. Post mortem evaluation identified extensive infiltration and
      replacement of right and left ventricular myocardial fibres with adipose and
      fibrous tissue, consistent with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.
      This report provides further information regarding the clinical and pathological
      features of this rarely reported condition. 

PMID- 26500765
TI  - The increase in hydric volume is associated to contractile impairment in the calf
      after the world's most extreme mountain ultra-marathon.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies have recently focused on the effect of running a mountain
      ultra-marathon (MUM) and their results show muscular inflammation, damage and
      force loss. However, the link between peripheral oedema and muscle force loss is
      not really established. We tested the hypothesis that, after a MUM, lower leg
      muscles' swelling could be associated with muscle force loss. The knee extensor
      (KE) and the plantar flexor (PF) muscles' contractile function was measured by
      supramaximal electrical stimulations, potentiated low- and high-frequency
      doublets (PS10 and PS100) of the KE and the PF were measured by transcutaneous
      electrical nerve stimulation and bioimpedance was used to assess body composition
      in the runners (n = 11) before (Pre) and after (Post) the MUM and compared with
      the controls (n = 8). RESULTS: The maximal voluntary contraction of the KE and
      the PF significantly decreased by 20 % Post-MUM in the runners. Hydration of the
      non-fat mass (NF-Hyd) and extracellular water volume (Ve) were increased by 12 %
      Post-MUM (p < 0.001) in the runners. Calf circumference (+2 %, p < 0.05) was also
      increased. Significant relationships were found for percentage increases in Ve
      and NF-Hyd with percentage decrease in PS10 of the PF (r = -0.68 and r = -0.70, p
      < 0.05) and with percentage increase of calf circumference (r = 0.72 and r =
      0.73, p < 0.05) in the runners. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that
      increases in circumference and in hydric volume are associated to contractile
      impairment in the calf in ultra-marathon runners.

PMID- 26500767
TI  - Rcorrector: efficient and accurate error correction for Illumina RNA-seq reads.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Next-generation sequencing of cellular RNA (RNA-seq) is rapidly
      becoming the cornerstone of transcriptomic analysis. However, sequencing errors
      in the already short RNA-seq reads complicate bioinformatics analyses, in
      particular alignment and assembly. Error correction methods have been highly
      effective for whole-genome sequencing (WGS) reads, but are unsuitable for RNA-seq
      reads, owing to the variation in gene expression levels and alternative splicing.
      FINDINGS: We developed a k-mer based method, Rcorrector, to correct random
      sequencing errors in Illumina RNA-seq reads. Rcorrector uses a De Bruijn graph to
      compactly represent all trusted k-mers in the input reads. Unlike WGS read
      correctors, which use a global threshold to determine trusted k-mers, Rcorrector
      computes a local threshold at every position in a read. CONCLUSIONS: Rcorrector
      has an accuracy higher than or comparable to existing methods, including the only
      other method (SEECER) designed for RNA-seq reads, and is more time and memory
      efficient. With a 5 GB memory footprint for 100 million reads, it can be run on
      virtually any desktop or server. The software is available free of charge under
      the GNU General Public License from https://github.com/mourisl/Rcorrector/.

PMID- 26500766
TI  - Potential return on investment for implementation of perioperative goal-directed
      fluid therapy in major surgery: a nationwide database study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preventable postsurgical complications are increasingly recognized as
      a major clinical and economic burden. A recent meta-analysis showed a 17-29 %
      decrease in postoperative morbidity with goal-directed fluid therapy. Our
      objective was to estimate the potential economic impact of perioperative goal
      directed fluid therapy. METHODS: We studied 204,680 adult patients from 541 US
      hospitals who had a major non-cardiac surgical procedure between January 2011 and
      June 2013. Hospital costs (including 30-day readmission costs) in patients with
      and without complications were extracted from the Premier Inc. research database,
      and potential cost-savings associated with a 17-29 % decrease in postoperative
      morbidity were estimated. RESULTS: A total of 76,807 patients developed one or
      more postsurgical complications (morbidity rate 37.5 %). In patients with and
      without complications, hospital costs were US$27,607 +/- 32,788 and US$15,783 +/-
      12,282 (p < 0.0001), respectively. Morbidity rate was anticipated to decrease to
      26.6-31.1 % with goal-directed fluid therapy, yielding potential gross cost
      savings of US$153-263 million for the study period, US$61-105 million per year,
      or US$754-1286 per patient. Potential savings per patient were highly variable
      from one surgical procedure to the other, ranging from US$354-604 for femur and
      hip-fracture repair to US$3515-5996 for esophagectomies. When taking into account
      the volume of procedures, the total potential savings per year were the most
      significant (US$32-55 million) for colectomies. CONCLUSIONS: Postsurgical
      complications occurred in more than one third of our study population and had a
      dramatic impact on hospital costs. With goal-directed fluid therapy, potential
      cost-savings per patient were US$754-1286. The highest cost-savings per year were
      observed for colectomies. These projections should help hospitals estimate the
      return on investment when considering the implementation of goal-directed fluid
      therapy.

PMID- 26500768
TI  - Optimized production of transgenic buffalo embryos and offspring by cytoplasmic
      zygote injection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cytoplasmic injection of exogenous DNA into zygotes is a promising
      technique to generate transgenic livestock. However, it is still relatively
      inefficient and has not yet been demonstrated to work in buffalo. We sought to
      improve two key technical parameters of the procedure, namely i) how much linear
      DNA to inject and ii) when to inject it. For this, we introduced a constitutively
      expressed enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) plasmid into buffalo zygotes.
      RESULTS: First, we found that the proportion of EGFP-expressing blastocysts
      derived from zygotes injected with 20 or 50 ng/MUL DNA was significantly higher
      than from those injected with 5 MUg/mL. However, 50 ng/MUL exogenous DNA
      compromised blastocyst development compared to non-injected IVF controls.
      Therefore the highest net yield of EGFP-positive blastocysts was achieved at 20
      ng/MUL DNA. Second, zygotes injected early (7-8 h post-insemination [hpi])
      developed better than those injected at mid (12-13 hpi) or late (18-19 hpi) time
      points. Blastocysts derived from early injections were also more frequently EGFP
      positive. As a consequence, the net yield of EGFP-expressing blastocysts was more
      than doubled using early vs late injections (16.4 % vs 7.7 %). With respect to
      blastocyst quality, we found no significant difference in cell numbers of EGFP
      positive blastocysts vs non-injected blastocysts. Following embryo transfer of
      six EGFP-positive blastocysts into four recipient animals, two viable buffalo
      calves were born. Biopsied ear tissues from both buffalo calves were analyzed for
      transgene presence and expression by Southern blot, PCR and confocal laser
      scanning microscopy, respectively. This confirmed that both calves were
      transgenic. CONCLUSIONS: Our cytoplasmic injection protocol improved generation
      of transgenic embryos and resulted in the first transgenic buffalo calves
      produced by this method.

PMID- 26500769
TI  - A review of the effects of dietary organic acids fed to swine.
AB  - Animal production depends on nutrient utilization and if done there is an
      accelerated momentum towards growth with a low cost to feed ratio Public concern
      over the consumption of pork with antibiotic residues of the animals fed with
      antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) has paved the way to use other additives like
      herbs and their products, probiotics, prebiotics etc. Numerous feed additives are
      in vogue for achieving this target and one such classical example is the usage of
      organic acids and their salts. Usage of organic acids was in progress for over
      four decades. Early weaned piglets are (3-4 weeks age) exposed to stress with a
      reduced feed intake, little or no weight gain. This post weaning lag period is
      due to a limited digestive and absorptive capacity due to insufficient production
      of hydrochloric acid, pancreatic enzymes and sudden changes in feed consistency
      and intake. Lowering dietary pH by weak organic acids was found to overcome these
      problems. The main activity of organic acids is associated with a reduction in
      gastric pH converting the inactive pepsinogen to active pepsin for effective
      protein hydrolysis. Organic acids are both bacteriostatic and bactericidal.
      Lactic acid has been reported to reduce gastric pH and delay the multiplication
      of an enterotoxigenic E. coli. These acids are the intermediary products in
      Kreb's cycle and thus act as an energy source preventing the tissue breakdown
      resulting from gluconeogenesis and lipolysis. Excretion of supplemental minerals
      and nitrogen are minimized with organic acids as these form complexes with
      minerals and aids for their bio-availability. Short chain fatty cids like acetic,
      propionic and n-butyric acid produced by microbial fermentation of dietary fibre
      in the large intestines may increase the proliferation of epithelial cells and
      have stimulatory effects on both endocrine and exocrine pancreatic secretions in
      pigs. Organic acids also enhances apparent total tract digestibility and improves
      growth performance. It is concluded that organic acids and their salts increase
      the protein utilization especially in weaner pigs and improves production
      indices. 

PMID- 26500771
TI  - Erratum to: Review of the nutritional benefits and risks related to intense
      sweeteners.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13690-015-0092-x.]. 

PMID- 26500770
TI  - Targeting mitochondrial complex I using BAY 87-2243 reduces melanoma tumor
      growth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have demonstrated that functional mitochondria are
      required for tumorigenesis, suggesting that mitochondrial oxidative
      phosphorylation (OXPHOS) might be a potential target for cancer therapy. In this
      study, we investigated the effects of BAY 87-2243, a small molecule that inhibits
      the first OXPHOS enzyme (complex I), in melanoma in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS:
      BAY 87-2243 decreased mitochondrial oxygen consumption and induced partial
      depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential. This was associated with
      increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, lowering of total cellular ATP
      levels, activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and reduced cell
      viability. The latter was rescued by the antioxidant vitamin E and high
      extracellular glucose levels (25 mM), indicating the involvement of ROS-induced
      cell death and a dependence on glycolysis for cell survival upon BAY 87-2243
      treatment. BAY 87-2243 significantly reduced tumor growth in various BRAF mutant
      melanoma mouse xenografts and patient-derived melanoma mouse models. Furthermore,
      we provide evidence that inhibition of mutated BRAF using the specific small
      molecule inhibitor vemurafenib increased the OXPHOS dependency of BRAF mutant
      melanoma cells. As a consequence, the combination of both inhibitors augmented
      the anti-tumor effect of BAY 87-2243 in a BRAF mutant melanoma mouse xenograft
      model. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results suggest that complex I inhibition
      has potential clinical applications as a single agent in melanoma and also might
      be efficacious in combination with BRAF inhibitors in the treatment of patients
      with BRAF mutant melanoma.

PMID- 26500772
TI  - Networks' Characteristics Matter for Systems Biology.
AB  - A fundamental goal of systems biology is to create models that describe
      relationships between biological components. Networks are an increasingly popular
      approach to this problem. However, a scientist interested in modeling biological
      (e.g., gene expression) data as a network is quickly confounded by the
      fundamental problem: how to construct the network? It is fairly easy to construct
      a network, but is it the network for the problem being considered? This is an
      important problem with three fundamental issues: How to weight edges in the
      network in order to capture actual biological interactions? What is the effect of
      the type of biological experiment used to collect the data from which the network
      is constructed? How to prune the weighted edges (or what cut-off to apply)?
      Differences in the construction of networks could lead to different biological
      interpretations. Indeed, we find that there are statistically significant
      dissimilarities in the functional content and topology between gene co-expression
      networks constructed using different edge weighting methods, data types, and edge
      cut-offs. We show that different types of known interactions, such as those found
      through Affinity Capture-Luminescence or Synthetic Lethality experiments, appear
      in significantly varying amounts in networks constructed in different ways.
      Hence, we demonstrate that different biological questions may be answered by the
      different networks. Consequently, we posit that the approach taken to build a
      network can be matched to biological questions to get targeted answers. More
      study is required to understand the implications of different network inference
      approaches and to draw reliable conclusions from networks used in the field of
      systems biology.

PMID- 26500773
TI  - Characterization of the human T cell response to in vitro CD27 costimulation with
      varlilumab.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical targeting of TNFR family of receptors (CD40, CD134 and
      CD137) with immunostimulatory monoclonal antibodies has been successful in cancer
      immunotherapy. However, targeting of CD27 with a mAb is a relatively new approach
      to provide costimulation of immune cells undergoing activation. Thus, activation
      of human CD27 (TNFRSF7) with a monoclonal antibody (varlilumab) has previously
      been demonstrated to result in T cell activation and anti-tumor activity in
      preclinical models, and is currently in early phase clinical trials in patients
      with advanced malignancies. In this study we used an in vitro system using human
      peripheral blood T cells to characterize the varlilumab-mediated costimulatory
      effects in combination with TCR stimulation in terms of phenotypic,
      transcriptional and functionality changes. METHODS: T cells were isolated from
      normal volunteer PBMCs using magnetic bead isolation kits and stimulated in vitro
      with plate bound anti-CD3 Ab (OKT3) and varlilumab or control Ab for 72 h.
      Activation profiles were monitored by ELISA or Luminex-based testing
      cytokine/chemokine releases, cell surface phenotyping for costimulatory and
      coinhibitory markers and CFSE dye dilution by proliferating T cells and Tregs.
      Changes in gene expression and transcriptome analysis of varlilumab-stimulated T
      cells was carried on Agilent Human whole genome microarray datasets using a suite
      of statistical and bioinformatic software tools. RESULTS: Costimulation of T
      cells with varlilumab required continuous TCR signaling as pre-activated T cells
      were unable to produce cytokines with CD27 signaling alone. Analysis of T cell
      subsets further revealed that memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were specifically
      activated with a bias toward CD8+ T lymphocyte proliferation. Activation was
      accompanied by upregulated cell surface expression of costimulatory [4-1BB, OX40,
      GITR and ICOS] and coinhibitory [PD-1] molecules. Importantly, varlilumab
      costimulation did not activate purified Tregs as measured by cytokine production,
      proliferation and suppression of dividing non-Treg T cells. Analysis of changes
      in gene expression during varlilumab stimulation of T cells revealed modulation
      of pro-inflammatory signatures consistent with cellular activation and
      proliferation, with the IL-2 pathway showing the highest frequency of gene
      modulation. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, the data reveal the requirements and T cell
      subtype-specific effects of CD27 costimulation, and helps select relevant
      biomarkers for studying the effects of varlilumab in patients.

PMID- 26500774
TI  - Immune monitoring technology primer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent biotechnological developments have resulted in increasing
      interest in immunology biomarkers. These biomarkers have potential clinical
      utility in the near future as predictors of treatment response. Hence, clinical
      validation of these predictive markers is critical. FINDINGS: The process of
      clinically validating a predictive biomarker is reviewed. Validation of a
      predictive biomarker requires quantifying the strength of a statistical
      interaction between marker and a treatment. Different study designs are
      considered. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical validation of immunology biomarkers can be
      demanding both in terms of time and resources, and careful planning and study
      design are critical.

PMID- 26500775
TI  - Prognostic impact of circulating Her-2-reactive T-cells producing pro- and/or
      anti-inflammatory cytokines in elderly breast cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treating elderly breast cancer patients remains a challenge but the
      increasing availability of immunotherapeutic approaches instills optimism that
      these tumours may also be susceptible to immune control. Because aging leads to a
      number of alterations in the immune system ("immunosenescence") reflecting
      potential exhaustion which could compromise immunomodulatory antibody therapy,
      here we have assessed the immunocompetence of elderly breast cancer patients
      compared with a group of younger patients, and related this to the 5-year
      survival of the former. METHODS: T-cell responses to Her-2 peptide pools in vitro
      were assessed by analyzing pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production by CD4+
      and CD8+ T-cells in 40 elderly and 35 younger breast cancer patients. RESULTS:
      The proportions of older and younger patients whose peripheral T-cells responded
      to Her-2 peptides in vitro were found to be similar, although a significantly
      higher fraction of younger patients possessed IL-2-producing CD4+ Her-2-reactive
      T-cells than in the elderly (p = 0.03). However, IL-2 production did not impart a
      survival benefit to the latter. In contrast, there was a survival benefit of
      possessing Her-2-reactive CD8+ T-cells, but this was abrogated in patients if
      they also had CD4+ Her-2-responsive T-cells that producedIL-5 and/or IL-17 (p =
      0.01). This resulted in a 5-yr survival rate of only 29 % compared to 76 % for
      patients whose her-2-reactive CD4+ T-cells did not produceIL-5 and/or IL-17.
      Additionally, patients whose CD8+ T-cells produced TNF had a significantly better
      survival than those that did not (93 % compared to 52 %, p = 0.01), whereas no
      survival benefit was attributable to possessing IFN-gamma-producing cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: Elderly breast cancer patients appear perfectly immunocompetent to
      respond to Her-2 peptide pools in vitro, with response patterns very similar to
      younger patients. The nature of this response is associated with 5-year survival
      of these elderly patients, suggesting that boosting anti-tumor responses and
      modulating the nature of the T-cell response is likely to be effective even in
      potentially immunosenescent elderly breast cancer patients, and might be useful
      for predicting which patients are most likely to benefit from such treatments.

PMID- 26500777
TI  - Introducing the clinical trials monitor: a new section of the journal for
      immunotherapy of cancer.

PMID- 26500776
TI  - Multispectral imaging of formalin-fixed tissue predicts ability to generate tumor
      infiltrating lymphocytes from melanoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) has shown great promise in melanoma,
      with over 50 % response rate in patients where autologous tumor-reactive tumor
      infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) can be cultured and expanded. A major limitation
      of ACT is the inability to generate or expand autologous tumor-reactive TIL in 25
      45 % of patients tested. Methods that successfully identify tumors that are not
      suitable for TIL generation by standard methods would eliminate the costs of
      fruitless expansion and enable these patients to receive alternate therapy
      immediately. METHODS: Multispectral fluorescent immunohistochemistry with a panel
      including CD3, CD8, FoxP3, CD163, PD-L1 was used to analyze the tumor
      microenvironment in 17 patients with melanoma among our 36-patient cohort to
      predict successful TIL generation. Additionally, we compared tumor fragments and
      enzymatic digestion of tumor samples for efficiency in generating tumor-reactive
      TIL. RESULTS: Tumor-reactive TIL were generated from 21/36 (58 %) of melanomas
      and for 12/13 (92 %) tumors where both enzymatic and fragment methods were
      compared. TIL generation was successful in 10/13 enzymatic preparations and in
      10/13 fragment cultures; combination of both methods resulted in successful
      generation of autologous tumor-reactive TIL in 12/13 patients. In 17 patients for
      whom tissue blocks were available, IHC analysis identified that while the
      presence of CD8(+) T cells alone was insufficient to predict successful TIL
      generation, the CD8(+) to FoxP3(+) ratio was predictive with a positive
      predictive value (PPV) of 91 % and negative-predictive value (NPV) of 86 %.
      Incorporation of CD163+ macrophage numbers and CD8:PD-L1 ratio did not improve
      the PPV. However, the NPV could be improved to 100 % by including the ratio of
      CD8(+):PD-L1(+) expressing cells. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to apply 7
      color multispectral immunohistochemistry to analyze the immune environment of
      tumors from patients with melanoma. Assessment of the data using unsupervised
      hierarchical clustering identified tumors from which we were unable to generate
      TIL. If substantiated, this immune profile could be applied to select patients
      for TIL generation. Additionally, this biomarker profile may also indicate a pre
      existing immune response, and serve as a predictive biomarker of patients who
      will respond to checkpoint blockade. We postulate that expanding the spectrum of
      inhibitory cells and molecules assessed using this technique could guide
      combination immunotherapy treatments and improve response rates.

PMID- 26500778
TI  - Wintering North Pacific black-legged kittiwakes balance spatial flexibility and
      consistency.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Marine environments are inherently dynamic, yet marine predators are
      often long-lived and employ strategies where consistency, individual
      specialization, routine migrations, and spatial memory are key components to
      their foraging and life-history strategies. Intrinsic determinates of animal
      movements are linked to physiological and life-history traits (e.g. sex, colony,
      experience), while extrinsic influences occur as the result of an animal's
      interactions with either other animals or the environment (e.g. prey
      availability, weather, competition). Knowledge of the factors affecting animal
      movements is critical to understand energetic bottlenecks and population
      dynamics. Here, we attempt to understand the interaction of some of these factors
      on the winter distributions of a surface-feeding seabird in the North Pacific.
      Between 2008 and 2011, we tracked 99 black-legged kittiwakes breeding at St. Paul
      and St. George in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska using geolocation loggers. We
      tested for colony and sex differences in winter distributions, and individual
      spatial fidelity over two consecutive winters of 17 individuals. Then we linked
      tracking data to associated environmental conditions as proxies of prey
      availability (e.g. sea surface temperature, mesoscale eddies, chlorophyll a, and
      wind) to understand their influence on kittiwake space use at an ocean basin
      scale. RESULTS: Black-legged kittiwakes from both Pribilof Islands primarily
      wintered in pelagic sub-arctic waters, however, distributions spanned seven
      ecoregions of the North Pacific. There was a high degree of similarity in area
      use of birds from the two closely situated colonies and between sexes. Birds
      tracked for two consecutive years showed higher fidelity to wintering areas than
      occurred at random. Annual changes were apparent, as distributions were further
      north in 2009/10 than 2008/09 or 2010/11. This occurred because 70 % of birds
      remained in the Bering Sea in the fall of 2009, which corresponded with lower
      October sea surface temperatures than the other two years. CONCLUSIONS: Although
      individuals returned to wintering areas in consecutive years, our results suggest
      that under current conditions individual black-legged kittiwakes have a high
      capacity to alter winter distributions.

PMID- 26500779
TI  - Post-operative cardiac arrest induced by co-administration of amiodarone and
      dexmedetomidine: a case report.
AB  - We firstly report a postoperative hemodialysis patient who was co-administered
      with amiodarone and dexmedetomidine and developed severe bradycardia followed by
      cardiac arrest. A 79-year-old male patient underwent an amputation of the right
      lower extremity. The electrocardiogram of the patient showed a complete right
      bundle branch block with left anterior fascicular block before the anesthesia,
      and paroxysmal atrial tachycardia over 200 beats/min lasting 15 min was observed
      during surgery. After admission to the intensive care unit, the intensivist and
      the consultant cardiologist decided to treat tachycardia using amiodarone. The
      initial dosing of amiodarone and the maintenance infusion succeeded to decrease
      the heart rate. Approximately 2 h and a half after the start of dexmedetomidine
      infusion for sedation, the heart rate gradually declined and severe bradycardia
      suddenly followed by cardiac arrest was observed. Resuscitation was promptly
      initiated and the patient regained sinus rhythm without delay. In retrospective
      analysis, the monitoring record of the electrocardiogram revealed the marked
      atrioventricular conduction abnormalities. This is the first case report
      concerning a cardiac arrest induced by amiodarone and dexmedetomidine. 

PMID- 26500780
TI  - Numerical analysis of in vivo platelet consumption data from ITP patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerical methods have recently allowed quantitative interpretation
      of in vivo murine platelet consumption data in terms of values for the random
      destruction rate constant (RD), intrinsic lifespan (LS), and the standard
      deviation of ln LS (SD), as well as the platelet production rate (PR) and age
      distribution (AD). But application of these methods to data obtained in
      thrombocytopenic patients is problematic for two reasons. First, such data has in
      all cases been obtained with radiolabeled platelets, and uptake of the radio
      isotope by long lived cells complicates the analysis. Second, inferred values of
      the platelet production rate (PR) and random destruction rate (RD) are difficult
      to interpret, since increased RD can occur either as a cause or a consequence of
      thrombocytopenia. METHODS: We used a numerical method to analyze in vivo platelet
      consumption data from a series of 41 patients with immune thrombocytopenic
      purpura (ITP). An additional parameter, the fraction of labeled long-lived cells
      (LL), was evaluated concurrently with RD, LS, and SD. To provide a basis for
      interpreting these values, we used an iterative interpolation process to predict
      their response to different pathophysiologic mechanisms. The process also
      generates predicted effects on the widely used immature platelet fraction (IPF).
      RESULTS: Optimal parameter value sets were identified in 76 % (31 of 41) of the
      data sets. 27 of 31 ITP patients showed no substantial homeostatic increase in
      platelet production, with the remaining 4 showing both augmented platelet
      consumption and a compensatory increase in PR. Up to 1/3 of the patients showed
      the degree of increased RD expected to result from reduced thrombopoiesis only.
      "Jacknife" resampling yielded CV values of <0.5 in over 75 % of the evaluable
      data sets. Predicted platelet age distributions indicate that interpretation of
      the IPF and absolute IPF (aIPF) is a complex function of platelet count. We
      found, counter-intuitively, that reduced PR can increase the IPF, and increased
      RD can reduce the aIPF. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the feasibility of
      using numerical analysis to quantitatively interpret in vivo platelet consumption
      data, to identify likely etiologies of thrombocytopenias, and to assess the
      utility of IPF measurements in that context.

PMID- 26500781
TI  - Anemia in prospective blood donors deferred by the copper sulphate technique of
      hemoglobin estimation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients who require transfusion as part of their clinical management
      have the right to expect sufficient blood to be available to meet their needs and
      to receive the safest blood possible. Donor deferrals (disqualification) lead to
      loss of precious blood donors and blood units available for transfusion purposes.
      It is believed that a large majority of donor deferrals are due to temporal and
      correctable causes such as anemia in developing countries. It is therefore
      important to determine anemia among donor population to inform decision-making on
      the type of measures to be taken to reduce deferrals due to anemia. The aim of
      the study was to determine anemia in prospective blood donors deferred by the
      copper sulphate technique of hemoglobin estimation. This, to provide information
      that would help plan a future strategy for donor recruitment and management.
      METHODS: Three (3) ml of venous blood samples were collected from the study
      subjects into EDTA anticoagulant tubes. The hemoglobin levels and red cell
      indices were measured using Sysmex hematology analyser. A thin blood film was
      prepared and stained using Leishman stain and then observed under the light
      microscope. RESULTS: The prevalence of anemia among the total deferred patients
      (538) was 17.1 %. Four different types of anemia were found among the subjects.
      These were normocytic normochromic (46.74 %), microcytic hypochromic (42.39 %)
      normocytic hypochromic (8.70 %), and microcytic normochromic anemia (2.17 %).
      CONCLUSION: The study showed that a significant number of the prospective blood
      donors deferred for having low hemoglobin by the copper sulphate method turned
      out to have anemia by the standard method of diagnosis. Prevalence of anemia
      among apparently healthy blood donors was therefore higher than expected.
      Measures must therefore be taken to address this in order not to lose potential
      blood donors due to a correctable and preventable cause such as anemia.

PMID- 26500782
TI  - The study of CaO and MgO heterogenic nano-catalyst coupling on
      transesterification reaction efficacy in the production of biodiesel from
      recycled cooking oil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fossil fuels' pollution and their non-renewability have motivated the
      search for alternative fuels. Some common example of seed oils are sunflower oil,
      date seed oil, soy bean oil. For instance, soy methyl and soy-based biodiesel are
      the main biodiesel. Biodiesel is a clean diesel fuel that can be produced through
      transesterification reaction. Recycled cooking oil, on the other hand, is one of
      the inexpensive, easily available sources for producing biodiesel. RESULTS: This
      article is aimed at production of biodiesel via trans-esterification method, Nano
      CaO synthesis using sol-gel method, and Nano MgO synthesis using sol-gel self
      combustion. Two catalysts' combination affecting the reaction's efficacy was also
      discussed. Optimum conditions for the reaction in the presence of Nano CaO are
      1.5 % weight fracture, 1:7 alcohol to oil proportion and 6 h in which biodiesel
      and glycerin (the byproduct) are produced. Moreover, the optimum conditions for
      this reaction in the presence of Nano CaO and Nano MgO mixture are 3 % weight
      fracture (0.7 g of Nano CaO and 0.5 g of Nano MgO), 1:7 alcohols to oil
      proportion and 6 h. CONCLUSIONS: Nano MgO is not capable of catalyzing the
      transesterification by itself, because it has a much weaker basic affinity but
      when used with Nano CaO due to its surface structure, the basic properties
      increase and it becomes a proper base for the catalyst so that CaO contact
      surface increases and transesterification reaction yield significantly increases
      as well. This study investigates the repeatability of transesterification
      reaction in the presence of these Nano catalysts as well.

PMID- 26500783
TI  - Initial experience of SPECT/CT in the diagnosis of occult scaphoid fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: *Equal contributors.Planar bone scintigraphy (PBS) is often advocated
      for diagnosing occult scaphoid fractures. PBS is a sensitive diagnostic modality,
      but lacks specificity, which may result in over-diagnosis. PURPOSE: To examine,
      in a pilot study, the potential additional value of single photon emission
      computed tomography (SPECT) combined with low dose computed tomography (CT) for
      the diagnosis of an occult scaphoid fracture. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten patients
      that underwent combined PBS and SPECT/CT for a clinically suspected scaphoid
      fracture, where radiographs could not detect a fracture, were included in this
      pilot study. The PBS and SPECT/CT results were independently and separately
      evaluated by a nuclear physician for scaphoid fractures and other injuries.
      RESULTS: PBS was positive for a scaphoid fracture in four patients and diagnosed
      three other fractures. SPECT/CT showed five scaphoid fractures and one other
      fracture. SPECT/CT - PBS had discrepant results in three patients. In two
      patients PBS diagnosed a trapezoid fracture where SPECT/CT showed a scaphoid
      fracture. The other patient was diagnosed with a scaphoid fracture on PBS,
      whereas SPECT/CT showed bone bruise of other carpal bones. CONCLUSION: SPECT/CT
      has the potential to be more accurate than PBS as it uses anatomical information
      of the CT to discriminate between the scaphoid, other carpal bones, and bone
      bruises. Larger studies with an independent reference standard are needed for
      confirmation of these preliminary data.

PMID- 26500784
TI  - Image rejects in general direct digital radiography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The number of rejected images is an indicator of image quality and
      unnecessary imaging at a radiology department. Image reject analysis was frequent
      in the film era, but comparably few and small studies have been published after
      converting to digital radiography. One reason may be a belief that rejects have
      been eliminated with digitalization. PURPOSE: To measure the extension of deleted
      images in direct digital radiography (DR), in order to assess the rates of
      rejects and unnecessary imaging and to analyze reasons for deletions, in order to
      improve the radiological services. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All exposed images at
      two direct digital laboratories at a hospital in Norway were reviewed in January
      2014. Type of examination, number of exposed images, and number of deleted images
      were registered. Each deleted image was analyzed separately and the reason for
      deleting the image was recorded. RESULTS: Out of 5417 exposed images, 596 were
      deleted, giving a deletion rate of 11%. A total of 51.3% were deleted due to
      positioning errors and 31.0% due to error in centering. The examinations with the
      highest percentage of deleted images were the knee, hip, and ankle, 20.6%, 18.5%,
      and 13.8% respectively. CONCLUSION: The reject rate is at least as high as the
      deletion rate and is comparable with previous film-based imaging systems. The
      reasons for rejection are quite different in digital systems. This falsifies the
      hypothesis that digitalization would eliminates rejects. A deleted image does not
      contribute to diagnostics, and therefore is an unnecessary image. Hence, the high
      rates of deleted images have implications for management, training, education, as
      well as for quality.

PMID- 26500785
TI  - Pulmonary gas conducting interstitial pathway.
AB  - In spite of the growing efforts oriented towards revealing different aspects of
      emphysema, the persistence of the emphysematous or emphysema-like changes (ELCs)
      is not explored yet in the open literature. In this study we demonstrate the
      persistence of an ELC for 22 years in a spontaneous pneumothorax (SP) patient
      which indicates a hitherto unknown gas supply to the ELC. For this purpose we
      used high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) images processed into three
      dimensional (3D) geometry. By the same token, not only a long persistence but
      also the volume increase of this ELC between 2002 and 2010 was demonstrated. The
      3D geometry visualized an aerated interstitial structure between the sites of
      supposed gas leakage at the wall of the third generation airways and the ELC.
      This potential gas conducting interstitial pathway is not a continuation and has
      neither the form nor the structure of a bronchus. The finding suggests that in
      this patient the intrabronchial gas passes through the bronchial wall and via a
      gas conducting interstitial pathway reaches the ELC. Despite the availability of
      the presently employed techniques for at least 15 years, such case and phenomenon
      have not been described previously. The retrieval of the patient suggests that
      the findings could be relevant for a considerable proportion of the population. 

PMID- 26500786
TI  - NRG1 and KITL Signal Downstream of Retinoic Acid in the Germline to Support Soma
      Free Syncytial Growth of Differentiating Spermatogonia.
AB  - Defined culture systems supporting spermatogonial differentiation will provide
      experimental platforms to study spermatogenesis. However, germline-intrinsic
      signaling mechanisms sufficient to support spermatogonial differentiation without
      somatic cells remain largely undefined. Here, we analyzed EGF superfamily
      receptor and ligand diversity in rat testis cells, and delineated germline
      intrinsic signaling via an ERBB3 co-transducer, ERBB2, as essential for retinoic
      acid-induced syncytial growth by differentiating spermatogonia. Like the ERBB2/3
      agonist NRG1, we found KIT Ligand (KITL) robustly supported spermatogonial
      differentiation without serum or somatic cells. ERBB2 inhibitors failed to
      disrupt KITL-dependent spermatogonial development, and, KITL prevented ERBB3
      deficient spermatogonial degeneration upon differentiation. Thus, we report NRG1
      and KITL activate alternative pathways downstream of retinoic acid signaling in
      the germline that are essential for stem cells to undergo pre-meiotic steps of
      spermatogenesis in culture. Robust serum/soma-free spermatogonial differentiation
      opens new doors to study mammalian germ cell biology in culture, which will
      facilitate the discovery of spermatogenic factors that can drive meiotic
      progression in vitro.

PMID- 26500788
TI  - Blended Learning: The Student Viewpoint.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blended learning (BL) is defined as "a way of meeting the challenges
      of tailoring learning and development to the needs of individuals by integrating
      the innovative and technological advances offered by online learning with the
      interaction and participation offered in the best of traditional learning." The
      Gulf Medical University (GMU), Ajman, UAE, offers a number of courses which
      incorporate BL with contact classes and online component on an E-learning
      platform. Insufficient learning satisfaction has been stated as an obstacle to
      its implementation and efficacy. AIM: To determine the students' perceptions
      toward BL which in turn will determine their satisfaction and the efficacy of the
      courses offered. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted
      at the GMU, Ajman between January and December 2013. Perceptions of BL process,
      content, and ease of use were collected from 75 students enrolled in the
      certificate courses offered by the university using a questionnaire. Student
      perceptions were assessed using Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal-Wallis test on
      the basis of gender, age, and course enrollment. RESULTS: The median scores of
      all the questions in the three domains were above three suggesting positive
      perceptions on BL. The distribution of perceptions was similar between gender and
      age. However, significant differences were observed in the course enrollment (P =
      0.02). CONCLUSION: Students hold a positive perception of the BL courses being
      offered in this university. The difference in perceptions among students of
      different courses suggest that the BL format offered needs modification according
      to course content to improve its perception.

PMID- 26500787
TI  - Putting a bit into the polo-box domain of polo-like kinase 1.
AB  - Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) plays key roles in regulating various mitotic processes
      that are critical for cellular proliferation. A growing body of evidence suggests
      that Plk1 overexpression is tightly associated with the development of human
      cancers. Interestingly, various types of cancer cells are shown to be addicted to
      a high level of Plk1, and the reversal of Plk1 addiction appears to be an
      effective strategy for selectively killing cancer cells, but not normal cells.
      Therefore, Plk1 is considered an attractive anticancer drug target. Over the
      years, a large number of inhibitors that target the catalytic activity of Plk1
      have been developed. However, these inhibitors exhibit significant levels of
      cross-reactivity with related kinases, including Plk2 and Plk3. Consequently, as
      an alternative approach for developing anti-Plk1 therapeutics, substantial effort
      is under way to develop inhibitors that target the C-terminal protein-protein
      interaction domain of Plk1, called the polo-box domain (PBD). In this
      communication, I will discuss the pros and cons of targeting the PBD in
      comparison to those of targeting the ATP-binding site within the kinase domain.

PMID- 26500789
TI  - To Assess Sleep Quality among Pakistani Junior Physicians (House Officers): A
      Cross-sectional Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sleep deprivation among junior physicians (house officers) is of
      growing concern. In developed countries, duty hours are now mandated, but in
      developing countries, junior physicians are highly susceptible to develop sleep
      impairment due to long working hours, on-call duties and shift work schedule.
      AIM: We undertook the study to assess sleep quality among Pakistani junior
      physicians. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at
      private and public hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan, from June 2012 to January
      2013. The study population comprised of junior doctors (house physicians and
      house surgeons). A consecutive sample of 350 physicians was drawn from the above
      mentioned study setting. The subject underwent two validated self-administered
      questionnaires, that is, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth
      Sleepiness Scale (ESS). RESULTS: A total of 334 physicians completely filled out
      the questionnaire with a response rate of 95.4% (334/350). Of 334 physicians,
      36.8% (123/334) were classified as "poor sleepers" (global PSQI score > 5). Poor
      sleep quality was associated with female gender (P = 0.01), excessive daytime
      sleepiness (P < 0.01), lower total sleep time (P < 0.001), increased sleep onset
      latency (P < 0.001), and increased frequency of sleep disturbances (P < 0.001).
      Abnormal ESS scores (ESS > 10) were more prevalent among poor sleepers (P < 0.01)
      signifying increased level of daytime hypersomnolence. CONCLUSION: Sleep quality
      among Pakistani junior physicians is significantly poor. Efforts must be directed
      towards proper sleep hygiene education. Regulations regarding duty hour
      limitations need to be considered.

PMID- 26500790
TI  - Molecular Epidemiology of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Strains in the North-West
      and West of Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) transmission type is a
      key step in the control of this disease. AIM: This study aimed to determine the
      path and transmission type of MTB and the insertion sequence IS6110 band number
      and verify their relationship to demographic and clinical risk factors. SUBJECTS
      AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 64 MTB patients from three border
      provinces of Iran were selected after full clinical history and physical
      evaluation design. The drug susceptibility testing was carried out using the
      standard proportion technique on sputum samples. Isolates tested with restriction
      fragment length polymorphism technique used IS6110. RESULTS: Recent transmission
      of disease was 33/50 (66%) based on clustering rate. The IS6110 band number had a
      significant relationship with drug resistance detected in proportion method
      tested by univariate linear regression (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the IS6110 band
      number had association with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination history (P =
      0.02), sex (P < 0.01), and purified protein derivative (PPD) reaction size (P <
      0.01) tested by multiple analysis. The risk of recent transmission inferred from
      the clustering rate was significantly higher in patients from Western provinces
      compared to those from the North-West province (P = 0.048). However, age (P =
      0.39), gender (P = 0.16), vaccination history (P = 0.57), drug susceptibility,
      and PPD (P < 0.6) were independent of clustering. The largest cluster of up to
      six subjects was found in the Western provinces. CONCLUSION: Recent MTB
      transmission was much more common in the West compared to the North-West of Iran.
      Large MTB clusters with strong epidemiological links may be reflective of a
      disease outbreak. Correlation noted between the IS6110 band number and
      vaccination history; PPD size and female gender necessitates further studies.

PMID- 26500791
TI  - Periodontal Disease Awareness and Knowledge among Nigerian Primary School
      Teachers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Teacher-led oral health education is equally effective in improving
      the oral health knowledge and oral hygiene status of adolescents as dentist-led
      and peer-led strategies. AIM: The aim was to determine periodontal disease
      awareness and knowledge among Nigerian primary school teachers. SUBJECTS AND
      METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among primary school teachers
      in Edo State, Nigeria. A self-administered questionnaire which elicited
      information on demography, awareness of the periodontal disease and source of
      information, knowledge of etiology, and symptoms of the periodontal disease, was
      the data collection tool.. The test of association was done using either Chi
      square or Fisher's exact statistics. P value was set at 0.05 for significance
      level. RESULTS: Out of 180 teachers recruited from seven public primary schools
      in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, 151 of them fully participated by filling the
      study questionnaires giving a 83.9% (151/180) response rate. The majority 74.2%
      (112/151) of the participants reported having heard of the periodontal disease
      and the leading source of information was television. A total of 29.8% (45/151)
      of participants considered periodontal disease as the main cause of tooth loss
      among adult Nigerian. Only 12.6% (19/151) of the participants knew dental plaque
      as soft debris on teeth and 29.1% (44/151) attested that plaque can cause
      periodontal disease. The majority of the participants were not aware of age 81.5%
      (123/151) and gender 96.7% (146/151) predisposition to periodontal disease. The
      perceived manifestations of the periodontal disease reported by were mainly gum
      bleeding 35.1% (53/151) and swollen gum 20.5% (31/151). A total of 70.2%
      (106/151) of the participants considered periodontal disease as a preventable
      disease and about half 49.0% (74/151) of the participants considered daily mouth
      cleaning as the best preventive method. The majority 95.4% (144/151) of the
      participants expressed interest in learning about the periodontal disease and the
      most preferred methods were workshops and lectures. CONCLUSION: A significant
      proportion of the participants heard about periodontal disease from nondental
      clinic sources. There existed a poor awareness of etiology, age and gender
      predispositions, manifestation, complications, and the preventable nature of
      periodontal disease among the participants. However, the majority of them
      indicated interest in learning about periodontal disease which should be utilized
      in optimizing their knowledge.

PMID- 26500792
TI  - The Effectiveness of Prenatal Intervention on Pain and Anxiety during the Process
      of Childbirth-Northern Iran: Clinical Trial Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Due to the painful nature of childbirth and its maternal and neonatal
      complications, the woman needs support in this phase of their life. Increased
      knowledge and skills during pregnancy prepares pregnant mothers for labor and
      leads to promoted health. AIM: This study was designed to evaluate the
      effectiveness of "prenatal education" on the process of childbirth. SUBJECTS AND
      METHODS: This clinical trial was conducted on 195 pregnant women, that is,
      control group (N = 132) and case group (N = 63) attending health centers in Amol
      Iran from 20 weeks of gestation age during 2012. Case group members attended in
      "prenatal education" class and the control group only received routine care. Data
      were collected through demographic questionnaire, standard hospital anxiety
      questionnaire, and a checklist related to childbirth information, and intensity
      of pain based on visual analogue scale and McGill scales. The data were analyzed
      by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software using t-test and Chi
      square test. RESULTS: The result of this study showed that the parent with a high
      level of education was more interested to participant in prenatal classes. The
      anxiety level in case group (who received education) was 14.47 (4.69) and in
      control group it was 16 (4.86), (P < 0.001) the pain intensity in case group was
      85.68 (1.85) and in control group was 90.99 (14.72) (P = 0.03), intervention on
      labor such episiotomy was 39 %66.1 (39/63) in case group and 80 %72.8 (80/132) in
      control group (P = 0.01) and cesarean section was 13 %17.1 (13/63) in case group
      and 58 %32.2 (58/132) in control group (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: According to
      findings of this study, the prenatal education and psychological support are
      beneficial for mothers during pregnancy and labor. Therefore, it is recommended
      for educating all the pregnant women.

PMID- 26500793
TI  - Influence of Sociodemographic and Stroke-related Factors on Availability of
      Social Support among Nigerian Stroke Survivors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Availability of social support has been identified as an important
      prerequisite for positive outcomes after stroke. There is however, little
      information on variables that influence the availability of social support after
      stroke. AIM: This study explored the influence of selected sociodemographic and
      clinical variables on social support of stroke survivors in Nigeria. SUBJECTS AND
      METHODS: One hundred stroke survivors undergoing rehabilitation at two tertiary
      care hospitals in Northern Nigeria participated in the study. Data on age,
      gender, living arrangement, marital, education and prestroke employment status,
      and time after stroke were obtained through interview, while poststroke
      disability was evaluated with the modified Rankin Scale. Social support was
      assessed with the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS).
      Univariate and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. A P value of
      less than 0.05 is considered as significant. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed
      that gender, education, and prestroke employment status were significantly
      associated with the availability of social support. In a regression model that
      accounted for 11 % of the variance in social support, prestroke employment was
      the only variable that independently influenced availability of social support
      (beta = -0.33, P < 0.01) with previously employed stroke survivors having higher
      MSPSS score (5.28 [0.98]) compared to the unemployed (4.57 [0.82]). CONCLUSION:
      Employment is a known significant contributor to social network and was also
      found to influence significantly, the availability of poststroke social support
      in this study. Further studies are required to identify factors that more
      substantially influence the availability of social support after stroke.

PMID- 26500795
TI  - Concurrent Occurrence of Uterovaginal and Rectal Prolapse: An Uncommon
      Presentation.
AB  - Concomitant uterovaginal and rectal prolapse is an uncommon occurrence. Where
      laparoscopic equipment and skills are lacking, sacrohysteropexy with synthetic
      mesh and rectopexy can be accomplished by laparotomy, especially in women who
      desire to retain their uterus for either biological or psychological reasons. A
      40-year-old primipara with a history of concomitant mass protruding from both her
      vagina and anus following a spontaneous unsupervised delivery at home. Following
      pelvic examination, a diagnosis of uterovaginal and rectal prolapse was made. In
      view of her parity and desire to retain her reproductive function, she was
      offered abdominal sacrohysteropexy with synthetic mesh and rectopexy with
      satisfactory postoperative recovery. In resource-limited settings with
      concomitant uterine and rectal prolapse, open abdominal sacrohysteropexy with
      synthetic mesh and rectopexy is an effective and safe alternative to Manchester
      operation in the absence of laparoscopic equipment and skills. 

PMID- 26500794
TI  - Body Size Perceptions and Weight Status of Adults in a Nigerian Rural Community.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are now recognized worldwide as increasing
      public health problems throughout the life course and wrong perception of one's
      body size may reduce the motivation for an overweight person to lose weight. AIM:
      This study was conducted to investigate how Nigerian rural dwellers perceive
      their body size and how their perception agrees with their body mass index (BMI).
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of 183 adults living in a rural
      community, South-West Nigeria was randomly recruited into the study. Their verbal
      and visual body size perceptions were assessed through structured questions and
      body images. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the
      data. RESULTS: Thirty-five percent (64/183) of participants were classified as
      either overweight or obese by BMI. More than half of the participants perceived
      themselves as normal weight. More women perceived themselves to be obese than men
      in both verbal and visual perceptions. Based on BMI classification, 43% (79/183)
      and 54% (98/183) of participants misperceived themselves in verbal and visual
      perception, respectively. Underestimation of body size was higher in men (38.3%,
      36/94) while overestimation was higher in women (9.0%, 8/89). Men had
      consistently higher values of kappa coefficient which indicate greater agreement
      than women in both types of perception. CONCLUSION: We found considerable gender
      differences in body weight perception of adults in the Nigerian rural community.
      A large proportion of these rural dwellers could not appropriately classify their
      weight status; and over 30% (64/183) and nearly 50% (92/183) of them
      underestimated their own body weight in verbal and visual perceptions
      respectively.

PMID- 26500797
TI  - Case series of choroid plexus papilloma in children at uncommon locations and
      review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Choroid plexus papillomas (CPPs) comprise around 1% of intracranial
      neoplasms. The most common location is atrium of the lateral ventricle in
      children and fourth ventricle in adults. Other rare locations include third
      ventricle, cerebellopontine (CP) angle and cerebral parenchyma, with only a few
      cases reported. Authors report three cases of CPP at uncommon locations in
      pediatric patients. The rarity of these locations, diagnostic dilemma and
      management aspects are discussed along with an extensive review of the
      literature. METHODS: Retrospective institutional data analysis of
      histopathologically confirmed pediatric CPPs from 2010 to 2014. RESULTS: Authors
      noted three cases of CPP in children in uncommon locations-one each in the
      posterior third ventricle, fourth ventricle, and CP angle. All were males in the
      first decade. Two cases presented with features of obstructive hydrocephalus
      while the latter presented with compressive effects. Complete excision was
      achieved in two cases while subtotal removal was performed in one case (fourth
      ventricular) because of excess blood loss. Mean follow-up duration was 24.6
      months (range 20-30 months). One case (of subtotal removal) had fair recovery
      while other two had excellent outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Posterior third ventricle,
      fourth ventricle, and CP angle are uncommon locations for these tumors in
      children. Complete surgical removal is the treatment of choice and approach needs
      to be tailored according to the site and size of the lesion. Blood loss is a
      major concern in young children as they are highly vascular tumors. Complete
      removal leads to excellent long-term survival rates. Adjuvant treatment is not
      required.

PMID- 26500796
TI  - Multiple Intussusceptions Associated with Polycythemia in an Anabolic Steroid
      Abuser, A Case Report and Literature Review.
AB  - Intussusceptions are generally associated with mechanical lead points or
      localized inflammation that function as foci for intestinal telescoping. We
      present the case of a patient whose abuse of anabolic steroids resulted in the
      development of multiple simultaneous intussusceptions. Our patient had no
      additional identifiable risk factors for intussusception. Consistent with
      previous reports, corticosteroid induced polycythemia and its consequent
      hyperviscosity led to intravascular sludging and mesenteric ischemia with
      associated bowel wall thickening. The localized intestinal induration then served
      as mechanical foci for intussusception. Due to the illicit nature of anabolic
      androgenic steroid (AAS) abuse, the physiologic effects of supraphysiologic doses
      are sparsely reported and poorly understood. The scope of AAS abuse and its
      consequences are likely under-reported and under-recognized within the medical
      community. Our case presented a unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenge with
      which we aim to increasing awareness and clinical suspicion for AAS among
      healthcare personnel. 

PMID- 26500798
TI  - Penetrating intracranial nail-gun injury to the middle cerebral artery: A
      successful primary repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Penetrating nail-gun injuries to the head are rare, however, the
      incidence has been gradually rising over the last decade. While there is a large
      volume of case reports in the literature, there are only a few incidences of
      cerebrovascular injury. We present a case of a patient with a nail-gun injury to
      the brain, which compromised the cerebral vasculature. In this article, we
      present the case, incidence, pathology, and a brief literature review of
      penetrating nail-gun injuries to highlight the principles of management
      pertaining to penetration of cerebrovascular structures. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 26
      year-old male presented with a penetrating nail-gun injury to his head. There
      were no neurological deficits. Initial imaging revealed that the nail had
      penetrated the cranium and suggested the vasculature to be intact. However, due
      to the proximity of the nail to the circle of Willis the operative approach was
      tailored in anticipation of a vascular injury. Intraoperatively removal of the
      foreign body demonstrated a laceration to the M1 branch of the middle cerebral
      artery (MCA), which was successfully repaired. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this
      is the first reported case of a vascular arterial injury to the MCA from a nail
      gun injury. It is imperative to have a high clinical suspicion for
      cerebrovascular compromise in penetrating nail-gun injuries even when
      conventional imaging suggests otherwise.

PMID- 26500799
TI  - Repeat Gamma Knife surgery for vestibular schwannomas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gamma Knife (GK) surgery is a recognized treatment option for the
      management of small to medium-sized vestibular schwannoma (VS) associated with
      high-tumor control and low morbidity. When a radiosurgical treatment fails to
      stop tumor growth, repeat GK surgery can be proposed in selected cases. METHODS:
      A series of 27 GK retreatments was performed in 25 patients with VS; 2 patients
      underwent three procedures. The median time interval between GK treatments was 45
      months. The median margin dose used for the first, second, and third GK
      treatments was 12 Gy, 12 Gy, and 14 Gy, respectively. Six patients (4 patients
      for the second irradiation and 2 patients for the third irradiation) with partial
      tumor regrowth were treated only on the growing part of the tumor using a median
      margin dose of 13 Gy. The median tumor volume was 0.9, 2.3, and 0.7 cc for the
      first, second, and third treatments, respectively. Stereotactic positron emission
      tomography (PET) guidance was used for dose planning in 6 cases. RESULTS: Mean
      follow-up duration was 46 months (range 24-110). At the last follow-up, 85% of
      schwannomas were controlled. The tumor volume decreased, remained unchanged, or
      increased after retreatment in 15, 8, and 4 cases, respectively. Four patients
      had PET during follow-up, and all showed a significant metabolic decrease of the
      tumor. Hearing was not preserved after retreatment in any patients. New facial or
      trigeminal palsy did not occur after retreatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      support the long-term efficacy and low morbidity of repeat GK treatment for
      selected patients with tumor growth after initial treatment.

PMID- 26500800
TI  - The incidence and risk factors for surgical site infection after clean spinal
      operations: A prospective cohort study and review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative infection is one of the most common complications after
      spine surgeries. In our study, surgical site infection (SSI) is described as;
      superficial (i.e., skin and subcutaneous tissues) and deep (i.e., fascia and
      muscles) infections occurring in the short term (i.e., 1-month) after spine
      surgeries (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition 81.00-81.08). To
      detect the risk factors for the occurrence of such a complication, studies
      require a large number of patients, a high quality of data and adequate analysis.
      In this study, we prospectively enrolled 987 patients undergoing spinal surgery
      over a 3 years period. METHODS: From November 2010 to November 2013, 987 patients
      had a variety of spinal operations that included; disc herniation, spinal
      stenosis, spondylolisthesis, fracture-dislocations, spine and spinal cord tumors,
      and syringomyelia. Patients under the age of 10, those with a recent history of
      infection and antibiotherapy, and patients with immunodeficiency disorders were
      excluded. RESULTS: Of the 987 spine procedures performed, 27 (2.73%) developed
      postoperative infections. Multi-variant data analysis indicated that multiple
      factors correlated with an increased risk of SSI in descending order; trauma, a
      past history of diabetes, smoking, being confined to bed, in the perioperative
      period, mean blood sugar levels above 120 mg/dl, longer lengths of incisions, and
      longer hospital stay. CONCLUSION: Considering the preventable nature of most of
      the factors contributing to SSI, it should be possible to reduce these
      complications.

PMID- 26500801
TI  - Review of the management of pneumocephalus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pneumocephalus (PNC) is the presence of air in the intracranial
      cavity. The most frequent cause is trauma, but there are many other etiological
      factors, such as surgical procedures. PNC with compression of frontal lobes and
      the widening of the interhemispheric space between the tips of the frontal lobes
      is a characteristic radiological finding of the "Mount Fuji sign." In addition to
      presenting our own case, we reviewed the most relevant clinical features,
      diagnostic methods, and conservative management for this condition. CASE
      DESCRIPTION: A 74-year-old male was diagnosed with meningioma of olfactory groove
      several years ago. After no improvement, surgery of the left frontal craniotomy
      keyhole type was conducted. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the skull
      performed 24 h later showed a neuroimaging that it is described as the silhouette
      of Mount Fuji. The treatment was conservative and used continuous oxygen for 5
      days. Control CT scan demonstrated reduction of the intracranial air with normal
      brain parenchyma. CONCLUSION: The review of the literature, we did not find any
      cases of tension pneumocephalus documented previously through a supraorbital
      keyhole approach. There are a few cases reported of patients with Mount Fuji
      signs that do not require surgical procedures. The conservative treatment in our
      report leads to clinical and radiological improvement as well as a reduction in
      hospitalization time.

PMID- 26500802
TI  - Imaging the spontaneous obliteration of a cerebral arteriovenous malformation
      using c-arm cone beam computed tomography: A case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spontaneous occlusion of a cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
      without treatment is a rare occurrence. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report the case of a
      56-year-old male who presented with aphasia and right hemiparesis secondary to
      intracerebral and intraventricular hemorrhage. Diagnostic digital subtraction
      angiography (DSA) and c-arm cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) demonstrated a 5
      mm Spetzler-Martin Grade III left thalamic AVM drained by the internal cerebral
      vein. Subsequent DSA and CBCT studies confirmed the spontaneous obliteration of
      the AVM. CONCLUSIONS: In this case, CBCT provided high resolution imaging of the
      AVM. Future clinical use of CBCT as an adjunct to DSA may enhance the diagnostic
      and therapeutic imaging of vascular lesions.

PMID- 26500803
TI  - Is there room for stereotactic radiosurgery as an option for third ventricular
      colloid cysts in patients refusing surgery? A case report and some therapeutic
      considerations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Colloid cysts of the third ventricle are epithelium-lined mucus
      filled cysts usually occurring in the anterosuperior third ventricle. They are
      benign, slow-growing lesions but with the risk of sudden death. Treatment
      alternatives for symptomatic cysts include stereotactic aspiration, microsurgical
      or endoscopic approaches, and shunts for hydrocephalus. CASE DESCRIPTION: The
      current case describes a patient presenting with hydrocephalus and a colloid
      cyst. A ventriculoperitoneal shunt was placed as the patient refused a definitive
      surgical procedure for the removal of the cyst, and stereotactic radiosurgery was
      then performed. CONCLUSIONS: Stereotactic radiosurgery may be a reasonable
      alternative with minimal risks in those patients harboring a third ventricle
      colloid cyst refusing a definitive surgical procedure for resection of the cyst.

PMID- 26500804
TI  - mBLAST: Keeping up with the sequencing explosion for (meta)genome analysis.
AB  - Recent advances in next-generation sequencing technologies require alignment
      algorithms and software that can keep pace with the heightened data production.
      Standard algorithms, especially protein similarity searches, represent
      significant bottlenecks in analysis pipelines. For metagenomic approaches in
      particular, it is now often necessary to search hundreds of millions of sequence
      reads against large databases. Here we describe mBLAST, an accelerated search
      algorithm for translated and/or protein alignments to large datasets based on the
      Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) and retaining the high sensitivity of
      BLAST. The mBLAST algorithms achieve substantial speed up over the National
      Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) programs BLASTX, TBLASTX and BLASTP
      for large datasets, allowing analysis within reasonable timeframes on standard
      computer architectures. In this article, the impact of mBLAST is demonstrated
      with sequences originating from the microbiota of healthy humans from the Human
      Microbiome Project. mBLAST is designed as a plug-in replacement for BLAST for any
      study that involves short-read sequences and includes high-throughput analysis.
      The mBLAST software is freely available to academic users at
      www.multicorewareinc.com.

PMID- 26500806
TI  - Curriculum Development of a Research Laboratory Methodology Course for
      Complementary and Integrative Medicine Students.
AB  - Training in fundamental laboratory methodologies is valuable to medical students
      because it enables them to understand the published literature, critically
      evaluate clinical studies, and make informed decisions regarding patient care. It
      also prepares them for research opportunities that may complement their medical
      practice. The National College of Natural Medicine's (NCNM) Master of Science in
      Integrative Medicine Research (MSiMR) program has developed an Introduction to
      Laboratory Methods course. The objective of the course it to train clinical
      students how to perform basic laboratory skills, analyze and manage data, and
      judiciously assess biomedical studies. Here we describe the course development
      and implementation as it applies to complementary and integrative medicine
      students.

PMID- 26500805
TI  - Macrophage Polarization in AIDS: Dynamic Interface between Anti-Viral and Anti
      Inflammatory Macrophages during Acute and Chronic Infection.
AB  - Monocyte and macrophage inflammation in parenchymal tissues during acute and
      chronic HIV and SIV infection plays a role in early anti-viral immune responses
      and later in restorative responses. Macrophage polarization is observed in such
      responses in the central nervous system (CNS) and the heart and cardiac vessels
      that suggest early responses are M1 type antiviral responses, and later responses
      favor M2 restorative responses. Macrophage polarization is unique to different
      tissues and is likely dictated as much by the local microenvironment as well as
      other inflammatory cells involved in the viral responses. Such polarization is
      found in HIV infected humans, and the SIV infected animal model of AIDS, and
      occurs even with effective anti-retroviral therapy. Therapies that directly
      target macrophage polarization in HIV infection have recently been implemented,
      as have therapies to directly block traffic and accumulation of macrophages in
      tissues.

PMID- 26500807
TI  - Role of Male Factor Testing in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss or In Vitro Fertilization
      Failure.

PMID- 26500808
TI  - Future Prospects for Periodontal Bioengineering Using Growth Factors.
AB  - Polypeptide growth factors have demonstrated strong potential to repair defects
      associated with teeth and dental implants. Over the past two decades, intense
      research efforts have led to the clinical development of several growth factors
      or biologic agents, including bone morphogenetic proteins, platelet-derived
      growth factor, fibroblast growth factors, and enamel matrix proteins. Several of
      these growth factors are now being used clinically for a variety of applications,
      such as the promotion of periodontal regeneration, sinus floor augmentation, and
      root coverage procedures. Although clinical results have been promising and
      growth factors add another dimension to clinical care, optimization of growth
      factor targeting approaches to periodontal wounds remains a challenge.
      Enhancement of growth factor local application to improve bioavailability,
      bioactivity, and allowance of three-dimensional reconstruction of complex
      anatomic defects is a goal. This article will highlight developments for growth
      factor delivery to better stimulate the wound healing response for periodontal
      and bone regeneration in the maxillofacial region.

PMID- 26500809
TI  - Competition from native hydrophytes reduces establishment and growth of invasive
      dense-flowered cordgrass (Spartina densiflora).
AB  - Experimental studies to determine the nature of ecological interactions between
      invasive and native species are necessary for conserving and restoring native
      species in impacted habitats. Theory predicts that species boundaries along
      environmental gradients are determined by physical factors in stressful
      environments and by competitive ability in benign environments, but little is
      known about the mechanisms by which hydrophytes exclude halophytes and the life
      history stage at which these mechanisms are able to operate. The ongoing invasion
      of the South American Spartina densiflora in European marshes is causing concern
      about potential impacts to native plants along the marsh salinity gradient,
      offering an opportunity to evaluate the mechanisms by which native hydrophytes
      may limit, or even prevent, the expansion of invasive halophytes. Our study
      compared S. densiflora seedling establishment with and without competition with
      Phragmites australis and Typha domingensis, two hydrophytes differing in clonal
      architecture. We hypothesized that seedlings of the stress tolerant S. densiflora
      would be out-competed by stands of P. australis and T. domingensis. Growth,
      survivorship, biomass patterns and foliar nutrient content were recorded in a
      common garden experiment to determine the effect of mature P. australis and T.
      domingensis on the growth and colonization of S. densiflora under fresh water
      conditions where invasion events are likely to occur. Mature P. australis stands
      prevented establishment of S. densiflora seedlings and T. domingensis reduced S.
      densiflora establishment by 38%. Seedlings grown with P. australis produced fewer
      than five short shoots and all plants died after ca. 2 yrs. Our results showed
      that direct competition, most likely for subterranean resources, was responsible
      for decreased growth rate and survivorship of S. densiflora. The presence of
      healthy stands of P. australis, and to some extent T. domingensis, along river
      channels and in brackish marshes may prevent the invasion of S. densiflora by
      stopping the establishment of its seedlings. 

PMID- 26500810
TI  - Comments and corrections on 3D modeling studies of locomotor muscle moment arms
      in archosaurs.
AB  - In a number of recent studies we used computer modeling to investigate the
      evolution of muscle leverage (moment arms) and function in extant and extinct
      archosaur lineages (crocodilians, dinosaurs including birds and pterosaurs).
      These studies sought to quantify the level of disparity and convergence in muscle
      moment arms during the evolution of bipedal and quadrupedal posture in various
      independent archosaur lineages, and in doing so further our understanding of
      changes in anatomy, locomotion and ecology during the group's >250 million year
      evolutionary history. Subsequent work by others has led us to re-evaluate our
      models, which revealed a methodological error that impacted on the results
      obtained from the abduction-adduction and long-axis rotation moment arms in our
      published studies. In this paper we present corrected abduction-adduction and
      long axis rotation moment arms for all our models, and evaluate the impact of
      this new data on the conclusions of our previous studies. We find that, in
      general, our newly corrected data differed only slightly from that previously
      published, with very few qualitative changes in muscle moments (e.g., muscles
      originally identified as abductors remained abductors). As a result the majority
      of our previous conclusions regarding the functional evolution of key muscles in
      these archosaur groups are upheld. 

PMID- 26500811
TI  - Multifaceted interventions to decrease mortality in patients with severe
      sepsis/septic shock-a quality improvement project.
AB  - Despite knowledge that EGDT improves outcomes in septic patients, staff education
      on EGDT and compliance with the CPOE order set has been variable. Based on
      results of a resident survey to identify barriers to decrease severe
      sepsis/septic shock mortality in the medical intensive care unit (MICU),
      multifaceted interventions such as educational interventions to improve awareness
      to the importance of early goal-directed therapy (EGDT), and the use of the
      Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) order set, were implemented in July
      2013. CPOE order set was established to improve compliance with the EGDT
      resuscitation bundle elements. Orders were reviewed and compared for patients
      admitted to the MICU with severe sepsis/septic shock in July and August 2013
      (controls) and 2014 (following the intervention). Similarly, educational slide
      sets were used as interventions for residents before the start of their ICU
      rotations in July and August 2013. While CPOE order set compliance did not
      significantly improve (78% vs. 76%, p = 0.74), overall EGDT adherence improved
      from 43% to 68% (p = 0.0295). Although there was a trend toward improved
      mortality, this did not reach statistical significance. This study shows that
      education interventions can be used to increase awareness of severe sepsis/septic
      shock and improve overall EGDT adherence. 

PMID- 26500812
TI  - Short-term fertilizer application alters phenotypic traits of symbiotic nitrogen
      fixing bacteria.
AB  - Fertilizer application is a common anthropogenic alteration to terrestrial
      systems. Increased nutrient input can impact soil microbial diversity or function
      directly through altered soil environments, or indirectly through plant-microbe
      feedbacks, with potentially important effects on ecologically-important plant
      associated mutualists. We investigated the impacts of plant fertilizer,
      containing all common macro and micronutrients on symbiotic nitrogen-fixing
      bacteria (rhizobia), a group of bacteria that are important for plant
      productivity and ecosystem function. We collected rhizobia nodule isolates from
      natural field soil that was treated with slow-release plant fertilizer over a
      single growing season and compared phenotypic traits related to free-living
      growth and host partner quality in these isolates to those of rhizobia from
      unfertilized soils. Through a series of single inoculation assays in controlled
      glasshouse conditions, we found that isolates from fertilized field soil provided
      legume hosts with higher mutualistic benefits. Through growth assays on media
      containing variable plant fertilizer concentrations, we found that plant
      fertilizer was generally beneficial for rhizobia growth. Rhizobia isolated from
      fertilized field soil had higher growth rates in the presence of plant fertilizer
      compared to isolates from unfertilized field soil, indicating that plant
      fertilizer application favoured rhizobia isolates with higher abilities to
      utilize fertilizer for free-living growth. We found a positive correlation
      between growth responses to fertilizer and mutualism benefits among isolates from
      fertilized field soil, demonstrating that variable plant fertilizer induces
      context-dependent genetic correlations, potentially changing the evolutionary
      trajectory of either trait through increased trait dependencies. Our study shows
      that short-term application is sufficient to alter the composition of rhizobia
      isolates in the population or community, either directly though changes in the
      soil chemistry or indirectly through altered host legume feedbacks, and is
      potentially a strong selective agent acting on natural rhizobia populations. 

PMID- 26500813
TI  - Validation experiments on finite element models of an ostrich (Struthio camelus)
      cranium.
AB  - The first finite element (FE) validation of a complete avian cranium was
      performed on an extant palaeognath, the ostrich (Struthio camelus). Ex-vivo
      strains were collected from the cranial bone and rhamphotheca. These experimental
      strains were then compared to convergence tested, specimen-specific finite
      element (FE) models. The FE models contained segmented cortical and trabecular
      bone, sutures and the keratinous rhamphotheca as identified from micro-CT scan
      data. Each of these individual materials was assigned isotropic material
      properties either from the literature or from nanoindentation, and the FE models
      compared to the ex-vivo results. The FE models generally replicate the location
      of peak strains and reflect the correct mode of deformation in the rostral
      region. The models are too stiff in regions of experimentally recorded high
      strain and too elastic in regions of low experimentally recorded low strain. The
      mode of deformation in the low strain neurocranial region is not replicated by
      the FE models, and although the models replicate strain orientations to within 10
      degrees  in some regions, in most regions the correlation is not strong. Cranial
      sutures, as has previously been found in other taxa, are important for modifying
      both strain magnitude and strain patterns across the entire skull, but especially
      between opposing the sutural junctions. Experimentally, we find that the strains
      on the surface of the rhamphotheca are much lower than those found on nearby
      bone. The FE models produce much higher principal strains despite similar strain
      ratios across the entirety of the rhamphotheca. This study emphasises the
      importance of attempting to validate FE models, modelling sutures and
      rhamphothecae in birds, and shows that whilst location of peak strain and
      patterns of deformation can be modelled, replicating experimental data in digital
      models of avian crania remains problematic. 

PMID- 26500814
TI  - Under which conditions can introverts achieve happiness? Mediation and moderation
      effects of the quality of social relationships and emotion regulation ability on
      happiness.
AB  - Personality traits have been directly associated with happiness. One consistent
      finding is a strong link between extraversion and happiness: extraverts are
      happier than introverts. Although happy introverts exist, it is currently unclear
      under what conditions they can achieve happiness. The present study analyzes,
      generally, how the quality of social relationships and emotion regulation ability
      influence happiness and, specifically, how these factors can lead introverts to
      be happy. In the present study, 1,006 participants aged 18-80 (42% males)
      completed measures of extraversion, neuroticism, quality of social relationships,
      emotion regulation ability, and happiness. We found that extraverts had
      significantly higher happiness, quality of social relationships and emotion
      regulation ability scores than introverts. In addition, people with high quality
      social relationships or high emotion regulation ability were happier. Serial
      mediation analyses indicated that greater levels of extraversion were associated
      with greater happiness, with small effect size, via two indirect mechanisms: (a)
      higher quality of social relationships, and (b) higher quality of social
      relationships followed serially by higher emotion regulation ability. We also
      found a moderating effect due to the three-way interaction of extraversion,
      quality of social relationships, and emotion regulation ability: introverts were
      happier when they had high scores for these two variables, though the effect size
      was small. These results suggest that the quality of social relationships and
      emotion regulation ability are relevant to our understanding of complex
      associations between extraversion and happiness. 

PMID- 26500815
TI  - Antityrosinase activity of Euphorbia characias extracts.
AB  - Tyrosinase is a well-known key enzyme in melanin biosynthesis and its inhibitors
      have become increasingly important because of their potential use as
      hypopigmenting agents. In the present study, the anti-melanogenic effect of
      aqueous and ethanolic extracts from Euphorbia characias leaves, stems, and
      flowers in cell-free and cellular systems was examined. All the extracts showed
      inhibitory effects against mushroom tyrosinase with leaf extracts exhibiting the
      lowest IC50 values of 24 and 97 ug/mL for aqueous and ethanolic extracts
      respectively. Enzyme kinetic analysis indicated that leaf aqueous extract acts as
      a mixed type inhibitor, while ethanolic extract shows a competitive inhibition
      effect on mushroom tyrosinase using L-DOPA as substrate. In addition, the
      inhibitory effect of leaf extracts on tyrosinase activity and melanin production
      was examined in murine melanoma B16F10 cells. Cellular tyrosinase activity as
      well as levels of melanin synthesis are reduced in a dose-dependent manner by
      extracts in cells treated with alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH).
      The effects are comparable, and sometimes even better, than that of kojic acid, a
      well known tyrosinase inhibitor used for reference. All these results suggest
      that E. characias could be a great source of the natural inhibitors from
      tyrosinase and has the potential to be used as a whitening agent in therapeutic
      fields. 

PMID- 26500816
TI  - Intraspecific variation of phragmocone chamber volumes throughout ontogeny in the
      modern nautilid Nautilus and the Jurassic ammonite Normannites.
AB  - Nautilus remains of great interest to palaeontologists after a long history of
      actualistic comparisons and speculations on aspects of the palaeoecology of
      fossil cephalopods, which are otherwise impossible to assess. Although a large
      amount of work has been dedicated to Nautilus ecology, conch geometry and volumes
      of shell parts and chambers have been studied less frequently. In addition,
      although the focus on volumetric analyses for ammonites has been increasing
      recently with the development of computed tomographic technology, the
      intraspecific variation of volumetric parameters has never been examined. To
      investigate the intraspecific variation of the phragmocone chamber volumes
      throughout ontogeny, 30 specimens of Recent Nautilus pompilius and two Middle
      Jurassic ammonites (Normannites mitis) were reconstructed using computed
      tomography and grinding tomography, respectively. Both of the ontogenetic growth
      trajectories from the two Normannites demonstrate logistic increase. However, a
      considerable difference in Normannites has been observed between their entire
      phragmocone volumes (cumulative chamber volumes), in spite of their similar
      morphology and size. Ontogenetic growth trajectories from Nautilus also show a
      high variation. Sexual dimorphism appears to contribute significantly to this
      variation. Finally, covariation between chamber widths and volumes was examined.
      The results illustrate the strategic difference in chamber construction between
      Nautilus and Normannites. The former genus persists to construct a certain conch
      shape, whereas the conch of the latter genus can change its shape flexibly under
      some constraints. 

PMID- 26500817
TI  - A taste for exotic food: Neotropical land planarians feeding on an invasive
      flatworm.
AB  - Invasive species establish successfully in new habitats especially due to their
      ability to include new species in their diet and due to the freedom from natural
      enemies. However, native species may also adapt to the use of new elements in
      their ecosystem. The planarian Endeavouria septemlineata, first recorded in
      Hawaii, was later found in Brazil. Recently, we found it in human-disturbed areas
      in southern Brazil and here we investigate its interactions with other
      invertebrates both in the field and in the laboratory. We observed the species in
      the field during collecting activities and hence maintained some specimens alive
      in small terraria in the laboratory, where we offered different invertebrate
      species as potential prey and also put them in contact with native land
      planarians in order to examine their interaction. Both in the field and in the
      laboratory, E. septemlineata showed a gregarious behavior and was found feeding
      on woodlice, millipedes, earwigs and gastropods. In the laboratory, specimens
      often did not attack live prey, but immediately approached dead specimens,
      indicating a scavenging behavior. In an experiment using the slug Deroceras laeve
      and the woodlouse Atlantoscia floridana, there was a higher consumption of dead
      specimens of woodlice and slugs compared to live specimens, as well as a higher
      consumption of dead woodlice over dead slugs. Four native land planarians of the
      genus Obama and one of the genus Paraba attacked and consumed E. septemlineata,
      which, after the beginning of the attack, tried to escape by tumbling or using
      autotomy. As a scavenger, E. septemlineata would have no impact on the
      populations of species used as food, but could possibly exclude native scavengers
      by competition. On the other hand, its consumption by native land planarians may
      control its spread and thus reduce its impact on the ecosystem. 

PMID- 26500818
TI  - Variations in leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) skull morphology and body
      size: sexual and geographic influences.
AB  - The leopard cat, Prionailurus bengalensis (Kerr, 1792), is one of the most
      widespread Asian cats, occurring in continental eastern and southeastern Asia.
      Since 1929, several studies have focused on the morphology, ecology, and taxonomy
      of leopard cats. Nevertheless, hitherto there has been no agreement on basic
      aspects of leopard cat biology, such as the presence or absence of sexual
      dimorphism, morphological skull and body differences between the eleven
      recognized subspecies, and the biogeography of the different morphotypes. Twenty
      measurements on 25 adult leopard cat skulls from different Asian localities were
      analyzed through univariate and multivariate statistical approaches. Skull and
      external body measurements from studies over the last 77 years were assembled and
      organized in two categories: full data and summary data. Most of this database
      comprises small samples, which have never been statistically tested and compared
      with each other. Full data sets were tested with univariate and multivariate
      statistical analyses; summary data sets (i.e., means, SDs, and ranges) were
      analyzed through suitable univariate approaches. The independent analyses of the
      data from these works confirmed our original results and improved the overview of
      sexual dimorphism and geographical morphological variation among subspecies.
      Continental leopard cats have larger skulls and body dimensions. Skulls of
      Indochinese morphotypes have broader and higher features than those of
      continental morphotypes, while individuals from the Sunda Islands have skulls
      with comparatively narrow and low profiles. Cranial sexual dimorphism is present
      in different degrees among subspecies. Most display subtle sex-related variations
      in a few skull features. However, in some cases, sexual dimorphism in skull
      morphology is absent, such as in P. b. sumatranus and P. b. borneoensis. External
      body measurement comparisons also indicate the low degree of sexual dimorphism.
      Apart from the gonads, the longer hind foot of male leopard cats is the main
      feature of sexual dimorphism among P. b. bengalensis (and probably among P. b.
      horsfieldii too). External body measurements also indicated the absence of sexual
      dimorphism among individuals of P. b. borneoensis. Inter-subspecific skull
      comparisons provided a morphometric basis for differentiating some subspecies.
      Prionailurus b. horsfieldii and P. b. bengalensis were distinguished only by a
      subtle difference in PM(4) size, indicating that overall skull morphology does
      not appear to support their separate taxonomical status, in spite of the marked
      differences reported in their coat patterns. Geological events affecting the
      Sunda Shelf connection between the Sunda Islands and the mainland during the Last
      Glacial Maximum seem to have influenced directly the morphological pattern shown
      by leopard cat subspecies nowadays. 

PMID- 26500819
TI  - Expression of temperature-sensitive ion channel TRPM8 in sperm cells correlates
      with vertebrate evolution.
AB  - Transient Receptor Potential cation channel, subfamily Melastatin, member 8
      (TRPM8) is involved in detection of cold temperature, different noxious compounds
      and in execution of thermo- as well as chemo-sensitive responses at cellular
      levels. Here we explored the molecular evolution of TRPM8 by analyzing sequences
      from various species. We elucidate that several regions of TRPM8 had different
      levels of selection pressure but the 4th-5th transmembrane regions remain highly
      conserved. Analysis of synteny suggests that since vertebrate origin, TRPM8 gene
      is linked with SPP2, a bone morphogen. TRPM8, especially the N-terminal region of
      it, seems to be highly variable in human population. We found 16,656 TRPM8
      variants in 1092 human genomes with top variations being SNPs, insertions and
      deletions. A total of 692 missense mutations are also mapped to human TRPM8
      protein of which 509 seem to be delateroiours in nature as supported by Polyphen
      V2, SIFT and Grantham deviation score. Using a highly specific antibody, we
      demonstrate that TRPM8 is expressed endogenously in the testis of rat and sperm
      cells of different vertebrates ranging from fish to higher mammals. We
      hypothesize that TRPM8 had emerged during vertebrate evolution (ca 450 MYA). We
      propose that expression of TRPM8 in sperm cell and its role in regulating sperm
      function are important factors that have guided its molecular evolution, and that
      these understandings may have medical importance. 

PMID- 26500820
TI  - Metacarpal torsion in apes, humans, and early Australopithecus: implications for
      manipulatory abilities.
AB  - Human hands, when compared to that of apes, have a series of adaptations to
      facilitate manipulation. Numerous studies have shown that Australopithecus
      afarensis and Au. africanus display some of these adaptations, such as a longer
      thumb relative to the other fingers, asymmetric heads on the second and fifth
      metacarpals, and orientation of the second metacarpal joints with the trapezium
      and capitate away from the sagittal plane, while lacking others such as a very
      mobile fifth metacarpal, a styloid process on the third, and a flatter metacarpo
      trapezium articulation, suggesting some adaptation to manipulation but more
      limited than in humans. This paper explores variation in metacarpal torsion, a
      trait said to enhance manipulation, in humans, apes, early australopithecines and
      specimens from Swartkrans. This study shows that humans are different from large
      apes in torsion of the third and fourth metacarpals. Humans are also
      characterized by wedge-shaped bases of the third and fourth metacarpals, making
      the metacarpal-base row very arched mediolaterally and placing the ulnar-most
      metacarpals in a position that facilitate opposition to the thumb in power or
      cradle grips. The third and fourth metacarpals of Au. afarensis are very human
      like, suggesting that the medial palm was already well adapted for these kinds of
      grips in that taxon. Au. africanus present a less clear human-like morphology,
      suggesting, perhaps, that the medial palm was less suited to human-like
      manipulation in that taxa than in Au. afarensis. Overall, this study supports
      previous studies on Au. afarensis and Au. africanus that these taxa had derived
      hand morphology with some adaptation to human-like power and precision grips and
      support the hypothesis that dexterous hands largely predated Homo. 

PMID- 26500821
TI  - The development of Negative Self-Beliefs Inventory (NSBI): cultural adaptation
      and psychometric validation.
AB  - Social anxiety is an emotional disorder common to various populations around the
      world. The newly developed Self-Beliefs Related to Social Anxiety Scale (SBSA)
      aims to assess three kinds of self-beliefs through 15 items that include self
      related cognitive factors that evidently result in social anxiety. This study
      explored the psychometric characteristics of SBSA among 978 Chinese. An eight
      item Negative Self-beliefs Inventory (NSBI) was developed through qualitative and
      quantitative analyses. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis,
      and multi-group confirmatory factor analysis suggested that NSBI contained clear,
      meaningful, stable, and invariant three-factor structure consistent with the
      original SBSA. Further analyses showed that the three subscales and the entire
      scale exhibited high internal consistency (0.779-0.837), good criterion validity,
      and good convergent and divergent validity (i.e., negative associations with
      flourishing and positive associations with anxiety, depression, and stress).
      These findings indicated that NSBI is reliable and valid for measuring negative
      self-beliefs in the Chinese population. A higher total score of NSBI indicates
      the more serious negative self-beliefs. Limitations of the present study and
      implications for research and practice were also discussed. Further studies are
      needed to evaluate the predictive ability, incremental validity, and potential
      role of NSBI in clinical and large-scale populations. 

PMID- 26500822
TI  - Growing coral larger and faster: micro-colony-fusion as a strategy for
      accelerating coral cover.
AB  - Fusion is an important life history strategy for clonal organisms to increase
      access to shared resources, to compete for space, and to recover from
      disturbance. For reef building corals, fragmentation and colony fusion are key
      components of resilience to disturbance. Observations of small fragments
      spreading tissue and fusing over artificial substrates prompted experiments aimed
      at further characterizing Atlantic and Pacific corals under various conditions.
      Small (~1-3 cm(2)) fragments from the same colony spaced regularly over ceramic
      tiles resulted in spreading at rapid rates (e.g., tens of square centimeters per
      month) followed by isogenic fusion. Using this strategy, we demonstrate growth,
      in terms of area encrusted and covered by living tissue, of Orbicella faveolata,
      Pseudodiploria clivosa, and Porites lobata as high as 63, 48, and 23 cm(2) per
      month respectively. We found a relationship between starting and ending size of
      fragments, with larger fragments growing at a faster rate. Porites lobata showed
      significant tank effects on rates of tissue spreading indicating sensitivity to
      biotic and abiotic factors. The tendency of small coral fragments to encrust and
      fuse over a variety of surfaces can be exploited for a variety of applications
      such as coral cultivation, assays for coral growth, and reef restoration. 

PMID- 26500823
TI  - Autophagic flux inhibition and lysosomogenesis ensuing cellular capture and
      retention of the cationic drug quinacrine in murine models.
AB  - The proton pump vacuolar (V)-ATPase is the driving force that mediates the
      concentration of cationic drugs (weak bases) in the late endosome-lysosome
      continuum; secondary cell reactions include the protracted transformation of
      enlarged vacuoles into autophagosomes. We used the inherently fluorescent
      tertiary amine quinacrine in murine models to further assess the accumulation and
      signaling associated with cation trapping. Primary fibroblasts concentrate
      quinacrine ~5,000-fold from their culture medium (KM 9.8 uM; transport studies).
      The drug is present in perinuclear granules that are mostly positive for Rab7 and
      LAMP1 (microscopy). Both drug uptake and retention are extensively inhibited by
      treatments with the V-ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin A1. The H(+) ionophore
      monensin also prevented quinacrine concentration by fibroblasts. However,
      inhibition of plasma membrane transporters or of the autophagic process with
      spautin-1 did not alter quinacrine transport parameters. Ancillary experiments
      did not support that low micromolar concentrations of quinacrine are substrates
      for organic cation transporters-1 to -3 or P-glycoprotein. The secondary
      autophagy induced by quinacrine in cells may derive from the accumulation of
      incompetent autophagolysosomes, as judged from the accumulation of p62/SQSTM1 and
      LC3 II (immunoblots). Accordingly, protracted lysosomogenesis is evidenced by
      increased expression of LAMP1 and LAMP2 in quinacrine-treated fibroblasts (48 h,
      immunoblots), a response that follows the nuclear translocation of the lysosomal
      genesis transcription factor TFEB and upregulation of LAMP1 and -2 mRNAs (24 h).
      Quinacrine administration to live mice evidenced variable distribution to various
      organs and heterogeneous accumulation within the lung (stereo-microscopy,
      extraction). Dose-dependent in vivo autophagic and lysosomal accumulation was
      observed in the lung (immunoblots). No evidence has been found for transport or
      extrusion mechanisms modulating the cellular uptake of micromolar quinacrine at
      the plasma membrane level. As shown in vitro and in vivo, V-ATPase-mediated
      cation sequestration is associated, above a certain threshold, to autophagic flux
      inhibition and feed-back lysosomogenesis. 

PMID- 26500824
TI  - Six simple questions to detect malnutrition or malnutrition risk in elderly
      women.
AB  - Of the numerous instruments available to detect nutritional risk, the most widely
      used is the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), but it takes 15-20 min to complete
      and its systematic administration in primary care units is not feasible in
      practice. We developed a tool to evaluate malnutrition risk that can be completed
      more rapidly using just clinical variables. Between 2008 and 2013, we conducted a
      cross-sectional study of 418 women aged >=60 years from Mexico. Our outcome was
      positive MNA and our secondary variables included were: physical activity,
      diabetes mellitus, hypertension, educational level, dentition, psychological
      problems, living arrangements, history of falls, age and the number of tablets
      taken daily. The sample was divided randomly into two groups: construction and
      validation. Construction: a risk table was constructed to estimate the likelihood
      of the outcome, and risk groups were formed. VALIDATION: the area under the ROC
      curve (AUC) was calculated and we compared the expected and the observed
      outcomes. The following risk factors were identified: physical activity,
      hypertension, diabetes, dentition, psychological problems and living with the
      family. The AUC was 0.77 (95% CI [0.68-0.86], p < 0.001). No differences were
      found between the expected and the observed outcomes (p = 0.902). This study
      presents a new malnutrition screening test for use in elderly women. The test is
      based on six very simple, quick and easy-to-evaluate questions, enabling the MNA
      to be reserved for confirmation. However, it should be used with caution until
      validation studies have been performed in other geographical areas.

PMID- 26500825
TI  - Assessing shoreline exposure and oyster habitat suitability maximizes potential
      success for sustainable shoreline protection using restored oyster reefs.
AB  - Oyster reefs provide valuable ecosystem services that contribute to coastal
      resilience. Unfortunately, many reefs have been degraded or removed completely,
      and there are increased efforts to restore oysters in many coastal areas. In
      particular, much attention has recently been given to the restoration of
      shellfish reefs along eroding shorelines to reduce erosion. Such fringing reef
      approaches, however, often lack empirical data to identify locations where reefs
      are most effective in reducing marsh erosion, or fully take into account habitat
      suitability. Using monitoring data from 5 separate fringing reef projects across
      coastal Louisiana, we quantify shoreline exposure (fetch + wind direction + wind
      speed) and reef impacts on shoreline retreat. Our results indicate that fringing
      oyster reefs have a higher impact on shoreline retreat at higher exposure
      shorelines. At higher exposures, fringing reefs reduced marsh edge erosion an
      average of 1.0 m y(-1). Using these data, we identify ranges of shoreline
      exposure values where oyster reefs are most effective at reducing marsh edge
      erosion and apply this knowledge to a case study within one Louisiana estuary. In
      Breton Sound estuary, we calculate shoreline exposure at 500 random points and
      then overlay a habitat suitability index for oysters. This method and the
      resulting visualization show areas most likely to support sustainable oyster
      populations as well as significantly reduce shoreline erosion. Our results
      demonstrate how site selection criteria, which include shoreline exposure and
      habitat suitability, are critical to ensuring greater positive impacts and
      longevity of oyster reef restoration projects. 

PMID- 26500826
TI  - Anvi'o: an advanced analysis and visualization platform for 'omics data.
AB  - Advances in high-throughput sequencing and 'omics technologies are
      revolutionizing studies of naturally occurring microbial communities.
      Comprehensive investigations of microbial lifestyles require the ability to
      interactively organize and visualize genetic information and to incorporate
      subtle differences that enable greater resolution of complex data. Here we
      introduce anvi'o, an advanced analysis and visualization platform that offers
      automated and human-guided characterization of microbial genomes in metagenomic
      assemblies, with interactive interfaces that can link 'omics data from multiple
      sources into a single, intuitive display. Its extensible visualization approach
      distills multiple dimensions of information about each contig, offering a dynamic
      and unified work environment for data exploration, manipulation, and reporting.
      Using anvi'o, we re-analyzed publicly available datasets and explored temporal
      genomic changes within naturally occurring microbial populations through de novo
      characterization of single nucleotide variations, and linked cultivar and single
      cell genomes with metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data. Anvi'o is an open
      source platform that empowers researchers without extensive bioinformatics skills
      to perform and communicate in-depth analyses on large 'omics datasets. 

PMID- 26500828
TI  - Promoting an active form of learning out-of-class via answering online "study
      questions" leads to higher than expected exam scores in General Biology.
AB  - A rising need for workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
      (STEM) fields has fueled interest in improving teaching within STEM disciplines.
      Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of active learning approaches on
      student learning outcomes. However, many of these studies have been conducted in
      experimental, rather than real-life class, settings. In addition, most of these
      studies have focused on in-class active learning exercises. This study tested the
      effects of answering questions outside of class on exam performance for General
      Biology students at the University of Minnesota. An online database of 1,020
      multiple-choice questions covering material from the first half of the course was
      generated. Students in seven course sections (with an average of ~265 students
      per section) were given unlimited access to the online study questions. These
      students made extensive use of the online questions, with students answering an
      average of 1,323 questions covering material from the half of the semester for
      which the questions were available. After students answered a set of questions,
      they were shown the correct answers for those questions. More specific feedback
      describing how to arrive at the correct answer was provided for the 73% of the
      questions for which the correct answers were not deemed to be self-explanatory.
      The extent to which access to the online study questions improved student
      learning outcomes was assessed by comparing the performance on exam questions of
      students in the seven course sections with access to the online study questions
      with the performance of students in course sections without access to the online
      study questions. Student performance was analyzed for a total of 89 different
      exams questions that were not included in the study questions, but that covered
      the same material covered by the study questions. Each of these 89 questions was
      used on one to five exams given to students in course sections that had access to
      the online study questions and on three to 77 exams given to students in sections
      that lacked such access. Data from over 1,800 students in sections with access to
      the online study questions show that those students scored a statistically
      significant average of 6.6% points higher on the exam questions analyzed than
      students in sections without access to the study questions. This difference was
      greater than the average amount necessary to raise students' exam grades by one
      grade (e.g., from a "B-" to a "B"). In addition, there was a higher correlation
      between number of questions answered and success on exam questions on material
      related to the study questions than between number of questions answered and
      success on exam questions on material unrelated to the study questions. The
      online study question system required substantial effort to set up, but required
      minimal effort to maintain and was effective in significantly raising average
      exam scores for even very large course sections. 

PMID- 26500827
TI  - Interdisciplinary, interinstitutional and international collaboration of family
      medicine researchers in Taiwan.
AB  - The family medicine researches flourished worldwide in the past decade. However,
      the collaborative patterns of family medicine publications had not been reported.
      Our study analyzed the collaborative activity of family medicine researchers in
      Taiwan. We focused on the types of collaboration among disciplines, institutions
      and countries. We searched "family medicine" AND "Taiwan" in address field from
      Web of Science and documented the disciplines, institutions and countries of all
      authors. We analyzed the collaborative patterns of family medicine researchers in
      Taiwan from 2010 to 2014. The journal's impact factor of each article in the same
      publication year was also retrieved. Among 1,217 articles from 2010 to 2014,
      interdisciplinary collaboration existed in 1,185 (97.3%) articles,
      interinstitutional in 1,012 (83.2%) and international in 142 (11.7%). Public
      health was the most common collaborative discipline. All international researches
      were also interdisciplinary and interinstitutional. The United States (75
      articles), the United Kingdom (21) and the People's Republic of China (20) were
      the top three countries with which family medicine researchers in Taiwan had
      collaborated. We found a high degree of interdisciplinary and interinstitutional
      collaboration of family medicine researches in Taiwan. However, the collaboration
      of family medicine researchers in Taiwan with family medicine colleagues of other
      domestic or foreign institutions was insufficient. The future direction of family
      medicine studies could focus on the promotion of communication among family
      medicine researchers. 

PMID- 26500830
TI  - Stable isotope analyses of web-spinning spider assemblages along a headwater
      stream in Puerto Rico.
AB  - Web-spinning spiders that inhabit stream channels are considered specialists of
      aquatic ecosystems and are major consumers of emerging aquatic insects, while
      other spider taxa are more commonly found in riparian forests and as a result may
      consume more terrestrial insects. To determine if there was a difference in
      spider taxa abundance between riverine web-spinning spider assemblages within the
      stream channel and the assemblages 10 m into the riparian forest, we compared
      abundances for all web-spinning spiders along a headwater stream in El Yunque
      National Forest in northeast Puerto Rico. By using a nonmetric dimensional
      scaling (NMDS) abundance analysis we were able to see a clear separation of the
      two spider assemblages. The second objective of the study was to determine if
      aquatic insects contributed more to the diet of the spider assemblages closest to
      the stream channel and therefore stable isotope analyses of delta (15)N and delta
      (13)C for web-spinning spiders along with their possible prey were utilized. The
      results of the Bayesian mixing model (SIAR) however showed little difference in
      the diets of riverine (0 m), riparian (10 m) and upland (25 m) spiders. We found
      that aquatic insects made up ~50% of the diet for web-spinning spiders collected
      at 0 m, 10 m, and 25 m from the stream. This study highlights the importance of
      aquatic insects as a food source for web-spinning spiders despite the taxonomic
      differences in assemblages at different distances from the stream. 

PMID- 26500829
TI  - A reappraisal of the morphology and systematic position of the theropod dinosaur
      Sigilmassasaurus from the "middle" Cretaceous of Morocco.
AB  - Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis is an enigmatic theropod dinosaur from the early
      Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Morocco, originally based on a few isolated
      cervical vertebrae. Ever since its original description, both its taxonomic
      validity and systematic affinities were contentious. Originally considered to
      represent its own family, Sigilmassasauridae, the genus has variously been
      suggested to represent a carcharodontosaurid, an ornithischian, and, more
      recently, a spinosaurid. Here we describe new remains referrable to this taxon
      and re-evaluate its taxonomic status and systematic affinities. Based on the new
      remains, a re-evaluation of the original materials, and comparisons with other
      spinosaurids, the holotype of Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis is identified as an
      anterior dorsal, rather than a cervical vertebra, and differences between
      elements referred to this taxon can be explained by different positions of the
      elements in question within the vertebral column. Many characters used previously
      to diagnose the genus and species are found to be more widespread among basal
      tetanurans, and specifically spinosaurids. However, the taxon shows several
      autapomorphies that support its validity, including the presence of a strongly
      rugose, ventrally offset triangular platform that is confluent with a ventral
      keel anteriorly in the mid-cervical vertebral centra and a strongly reduced
      lateral neural arch lamination, with no or an incomplete distinction between
      anterior and posterior centrodiapophyseal laminae in the posterior cervical and
      anterior dorsal vertebrae. We argue furthermore that Spinosaurus maroccanus, also
      described on the basis of isolated cervical vertebrae from the same stratigraphic
      unit and in the same paper as Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis, is a subjective
      synonym of the latter. Both a detailed comparison of this taxon with other
      theropods and a formal phylogenetic analysis support spinosaurid affintities for
      Sigilmassasaurus. However, we reject the recently proposed synonymy of both
      Spinosaurus maroccanus and Sigilmassasurus brevicollis with Spinosaurus
      aegyptiacus from the Cenomanian of Egypt, as there are clear differences between
      the vertebrae of these taxa, and they do not share any derived character that is
      not found in other spinosaurids. Together with a comparison with other
      spinosaurid vertebral material from the Kem Kem, this suggests that more than one
      taxon of spinosaurid was present in the Kem Kem assemblage of Morocco, so the
      referral of non-overlapping material from this unit to a single taxon should be
      regarded with caution. 

PMID- 26500831
TI  - Clustering symptoms of non-severe malaria in semi-immune Amazonian patients.
AB  - Malaria is a disease that generates a broad spectrum of clinical features. The
      purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical spectrum of malaria in semi
      immune populations. Patients were recruited in Mancio Lima, a city situated in
      the Brazilian Amazon region. The study included 171 malaria cases, which were
      diagnosed via the use of a thick blood smear and confirmed by molecular methods.
      A questionnaire addressing 19 common symptoms was administered to all patients.
      Multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were performed
      to identify clusters of symptoms, and logistic regression was used to identify
      factors associated with the occurrence of symptoms. The cluster analysis revealed
      five groups of symptoms: the first cluster, which included algic- and fever
      related symptoms, occurred in up to 95.3% of the cases. The second cluster, which
      comprised gastric symptoms (nausea, abdominal pain, inappetence, and bitter
      mouth), occurred in frequencies that ranged between 35.1% and 42.7%, and at least
      one of these symptoms was observed in 71.9% of the subjects. All respiratory
      symptoms were clustered and occurred in 42.7% of the malaria cases, and diarrhea
      occurred in 9.9% of the cases. Symptoms constituting the fifth cluster were
      vomiting and pallor, with a 14.6% and 11.7% of prevalence, respectively. A higher
      parasitemia count (more than 300 parasites/mm(3)) was associated with the
      presence of fever, vomiting, dizziness, and weakness (P < 0.05). Arthralgia and
      myalgia were associated with patients over the age of 14 years (P < 0.001).
      Having experienced at least eight malaria episodes prior to the study was
      associated with a decreased risk of chills and fever and an increased risk of
      sore throat (P < 0.05). None of the symptoms showed an association with gender or
      with species of Plasmodium. The clinical spectrum of malaria in semi-immune
      individuals can have a broad range of symptoms, the frequency and intensity of
      which are associated with age, past exposure to malaria, and parasitemia.
      Understanding the full spectrum of nonsevere malaria is important in endemic
      areas to guide both passive and active case detection, for the diagnosis of
      malaria in travelers returning to non-endemic areas, and for the development of
      vaccines aimed to decrease symptom severity. 

PMID- 26500832
TI  - Allocation trade-off under climate warming in experimental amphibian populations.
AB  - Climate change could either directly or indirectly cause population declines via
      altered temperature, rainfall regimes, food availability or phenological
      responses. However few studies have focused on allocation trade-offs between
      growth and reproduction under marginal resources, such as food scarce that may be
      caused by climate warming. Such critical changes may have an unpredicted impact
      on amphibian life-history parameters and even population dynamics. Here, we
      report an allocation strategy of adult anuran individuals involving a
      reproductive stage under experimental warming. Using outdoor mesocosm experiments
      we simulated a warming scenario likely to occur at the end of this century. We
      examined the effects of temperature (ambient vs. pre-/post-hibernation warming)
      and food availability (normal vs. low) on reproduction and growth parameters of
      pond frogs (Pelophylax nigromaculatus). We found that temperature was the major
      factor influencing reproductive time of female pond frogs, which showed a
      significant advancing under post-hibernation warming treatment. While feeding
      rate was the major factor influencing reproductive status of females, clutch
      size, and variation of body size for females, showed significant positive
      correlations between feeding rate and reproductive status, clutch size, or
      variation of body size. Our results suggested that reproduction and body size of
      amphibians might be modulated by climate warming or food availability variation.
      We believe this study provides some new evidence on allocation strategies
      suggesting that amphibians could adjust their reproductive output to cope with
      climate warming. 

PMID- 26500833
TI  - Non-invasive Testing for NASH and NASH with Advanced Fibrosis: Are We There Yet?
AB  - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent etiology of
      chronic liver disease in America. NAFLD can be broadly classified in two
      subtypes: nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), which is generally considered a benign
      condition with negligible risk of progression to cirrhosis, and nonalcoholic
      steatohepatitis (NASH), which is generally considered to be progressive with
      substantial risk of progression to cirrhosis. Additionally, recent studies
      suggest the odds of liver mortality increases amongst NASH patients with advanced
      fibrosis (bridging fibrosis +/- cirrhosis). Liver biopsy examination is the
      current gold standard to accurately discriminate between NAFL vs. NASH as well as
      diagnose advanced fibrosis. However, due to its invasive nature, risk of bleeding
      (and even rarely death), prohibitive cost, and sampling error, liver biopsies are
      imperfect for diagnosis and monitoring of NAFLD. As a result, noninvasive
      biomarkers that can accurately detect NASH and advanced fibrosis without biopsy
      are needed. This article will discuss the most novel noninvasive biomarkers in
      diagnosing NASH and advanced fibrosis.

PMID- 26500834
TI  - Online Gambling Addiction: the Relationship Between Internet Gambling and
      Disordered Gambling.
AB  - One of the most significant changes to the gambling environment in the past 15
      years has been the increased availability of Internet gambling, including mobile;
      Internet gambling is the fastest growing mode of gambling and is changing the way
      that gamblers engage with this activity. Due to the high level of accessibility,
      immersive interface and ease at which money can be spent, concerns have been
      expressed that Internet gambling may increase rates of disordered gambling. The
      current paper aimed to provide an overview of the research to date as well as
      highlight new and interesting findings relevant to Internet gambling addiction. A
      comprehensive review of the existing literature was conducted to provide an
      overview of significant trends and developments in research that relates to
      disordered Internet gambling. This paper presents research to inform a greater
      understanding of adult participation in Internet gambling, features of this
      interface that may impact problem severity, the relationship between Internet
      gambling and related problems, as well as considering the role of the wider
      spectrum of gambling behaviour and relevant individual factors that moderate this
      relationship.

PMID- 26500835
TI  - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in the Context of Cardiovascular
      Conditions.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide and is
      associated with high levels of morbidity, disability and poor quality of life.
      The prevalence of insomnia symptoms and diagnosis of insomnia are high among
      those with CVD. Although insomnia appears to be important to CVD, less is known
      about the effects of insomnia treatment on important biological, sleep, symptom,
      quality of life, functional and morbidity or mortality outcomes in people with or
      at-risk for CVD. The purposes of this paper are to review the literature on the
      effects of CBT-I on insomnia, sleep, daytime symptoms, function, and biological
      outcomes in the context of CVD and to suggest implications for future research
      and practice. Limited available evidence suggests that CBT-I improves biomarkers
      that may contribute to CVD risk. CBT-I shows promise as a way to improve
      cardiovascular morbidity associated with the negative biological consequences of
      chronic insomnia, as well as symptom burden, functional performance and quality
      of life in the large population of people who are living with chronic CVD and
      insomnia. Additional research is needed to answer basic questions about short and
      long term outcomes, the role of biomarkers, and optimal delivery methods of CBT-I
      in cardiac conditions.

PMID- 26500836
TI  - Progenitor Cells of the Mandibular Condylar Cartilage.
AB  - The secondary cartilage of the mandibular condyle is unique as it undergoes
      endochondral ossification during growth and robustly remodels in response to
      changes in its mechanical loading environment. This cartilage is derived from
      mesenchymal progenitor cells that express markers of early osteoblast
      differentiation, namely alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and runt-related transcription
      factor 2 (Runx2). Interestingly, these progenitor cells then differentiate into
      cartilage with appropriate mechanical loading. Our laboratory has determined that
      these cells can be labeled by osteoblast progenitor cell markers, including the
      3.6 fragment of the rat collagen type 1. However, the role these mesenchymal
      progenitor cells play in adult mandibular condylar cartilage maintenance and
      adaptation, as well as the existence of a more potent progenitor cell population
      within the mandibular condylar cartilage, remain in question. Further
      characterization of these cells is necessary to determine their potency and
      regenerative capacity to elucidate their potential for regenerative therapy.

PMID- 26500837
TI  - Analysis by a highly sensitive split luciferase assay of the regions involved in
      APP dimerization and its impact on processing.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive
      loss of cognitive functions, leading to dementia. Two types of lesions are found
      in AD brains: neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques. The latter are composed
      mainly of the beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) generated by amyloidogenic processing
      of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Several studies have suggested that
      dimerization of APP is closely linked to Abeta production. Nevertheless, the
      mechanisms controlling APP dimerization and their role in APP function are not
      known. Here we used a new luciferase complementation assay to analyze APP
      dimerization and unravel the involvement of its three major domains: the
      ectodomain, the transmembrane domain and the intracellular domain. Our results
      indicate that within cells full-length APP dimerizes more than its alpha and beta
      C-terminal fragments, confirming the pivotal role of the ectodomain in this
      process. Dimerization of the APP transmembrane (TM) domain has been reported to
      regulate processing at the gamma-cleavage site. We show that both non-familial
      and familial AD mutations in the TM GXXXG motifs strongly modulate Abeta
      production, but do not consistently change dimerization of the C-terminal
      fragments. Finally, we found for the first time that removal of intracellular
      domain strongly increases APP dimerization. Increased APP dimerization is linked
      to increased non-amyloidogenic processing. 

PMID- 26500838
TI  - Generation of an alpaca-derived nanobody recognizing gamma-H2AX.
AB  - Post-translational modifications are difficult to visualize in living cells and
      are conveniently analyzed using antibodies. Single-chain antibody fragments
      derived from alpacas and called nanobodies can be expressed and bind to the
      target antigenic sites in living cells. As a proof of concept, we generated and
      characterized nanobodies against the commonly used biomarker for DNA double
      strand breaks gamma-H2AX. In vitro and in vivo characterization showed the
      specificity of the gamma-H2AX nanobody. Mammalian cells were transfected with
      fluorescent fusions called chromobodies and DNA breaks induced by laser
      microirradiation. We found that alternative epitope recognition and masking of
      the epitope in living cells compromised the chromobody function. These pitfalls
      should be considered in the future development and screening of intracellular
      antibody biomarkers. 

PMID- 26500839
TI  - E4orf1 induction in adipose tissue promotes insulin-independent signaling in the
      adipocyte.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Type 2 diabetes remains a worldwide epidemic with major
      pathophysiological changes as a result of chronic insulin resistance. Insulin
      regulates numerous biochemical pathways related to carbohydrate and lipid
      metabolism. METHODS: We have generated a novel mouse model that allows us to
      constitutively activate, in an inducible fashion, the distal branch of the
      insulin signaling transduction pathway specifically in adipocytes. RESULTS: Using
      the adenoviral 36 E4orf1 protein, we chronically stimulate locally the Ras-ERK
      MAPK signaling pathway. At the whole body level, this leads to reduced body
      weight gain under a high fat diet challenge. Despite overlapping glucose
      tolerance curves, there is a reduced requirement for insulin action under these
      conditions. The mice further exhibit reduced circulating adiponectin levels that
      ultimately lead to impaired lipid clearance, and inflamed and fibrotic white
      adipose tissues. Nevertheless, they are protected from diet-induced hepatic
      steatosis. As we observe constitutively elevated p-Akt levels in the adipocytes,
      even under conditions of low insulin levels, this pinpoints enhanced Ras-ERK-MAPK
      signaling in transgenic adipocytes as a potential alternative route to bypass
      proximal insulin signaling events. CONCLUSION: We conclude that E4orf1 expression
      in the adipocyte leads to enhanced baseline activation of the distal insulin
      signaling node, yet impaired insulin receptor stimulation in the presence of
      insulin, with important implications for the regulation of adiponectin secretion.
      The resulting systemic phenotype is complex, yet highlights the powerful nature
      of manipulating selective branches of the insulin signaling network within the
      adipocyte.

PMID- 26500840
TI  - The role of GluN2A and GluN2B NMDA receptor subunits in AgRP and POMC neurons on
      body weight and glucose homeostasis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hypothalamic agouti-related peptide (AgRP) and pro-opiomelanocortin
      (POMC) expressing neurons play critical roles in control of energy balance.
      Glutamatergic input via n-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) is pivotal for
      regulation of neuronal activity and is required in AgRP neurons for normal body
      weight homeostasis. NMDARs typically consist of the obligatory GluN1 subunit and
      different GluN2 subunits, the latter exerting crucial differential effects on
      channel activity and neuronal function. Currently, the role of specific GluN2
      subunits in AgRP and POMC neurons on whole body energy and glucose balance is
      unknown. METHODS: We used the cre-lox system to genetically delete GluN2A or
      GluN2B only from AgRP or POMC neurons in mice. Mice were then subjected to
      metabolic analyses and assessment of AgRP and POMC neuronal function through
      morphological studies. RESULTS: We show that loss of GluN2B from AgRP neurons
      reduces body weight, fat mass, and food intake, whereas GluN2B in POMC neurons is
      not required for normal energy balance control. GluN2A subunits in either AgRP or
      POMC neurons are not required for regulation of body weight. Deletion of GluN2B
      reduces the number of AgRP neurons and decreases their dendritic length. In
      addition, loss of GluN2B in AgRP neurons of the morbidly obese and severely
      diabetic leptin-deficient Lep (ob/ob) mice does not affect body weight and food
      intake but, remarkably, leads to full correction of hyperglycemia. Lep (ob/ob)
      mice lacking GluN2B in AgRP neurons are also more sensitive to leptin's anti
      obesity actions. CONCLUSIONS: GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors in AgRP neurons
      play a critical role in central control of body weight homeostasis and blood
      glucose balance via mechanisms that likely involve regulation of AgRP neuronal
      survival and structure, and modulation of hypothalamic leptin action.

PMID- 26500841
TI  - Moderate voluntary exercise attenuates the metabolic syndrome in melanocortin-4
      receptor-deficient rats showing central dopaminergic dysregulation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Melanocortin-4 receptors (MC4Rs) are highly expressed by dopamine
      secreting neurons of the mesolimbic tract, but their functional role has not been
      fully resolved. Voluntary wheel running (VWR) induces adaptations in the
      mesolimbic dopamine system and has a myriad of long-term beneficial effects on
      health. In the present experiments we asked whether MC4R function regulates the
      effects of VWR, and whether VWR ameliorates MC4R-associated symptoms of the
      metabolic syndrome. METHODS: Electrically evoked dopamine release was measured in
      slice preparations from sedentary wild-type and MC4R-deficient Mc4r (K314X) (HOM)
      rats. VWR was assessed in wild-type and HOM rats, and in MC4R-deficient loxTB
      (Mc4r) mice, wild-type mice body weight-matched to loxTB (Mc4r) mice, and wild
      type mice with intracerebroventricular administration of the MC4R antagonist
      SHU9119. Mesolimbic dopamine system function (gene/protein expression) and
      metabolic parameters were examined in wheel-running and sedentary wild-type and
      HOM rats. RESULTS: Sedentary obese HOM rats had increased electrically evoked
      dopamine release in several ventral tegmental area (VTA) projection sites
      compared to wild-type controls. MC4R loss-of-function decreased VWR, and this was
      partially independent of body weight. HOM wheel-runners had attenuated markers of
      intracellular D1-type dopamine receptor signaling despite increased dopamine flux
      in the VTA. VWR increased and decreased DeltaFosB levels in the nucleus accumbens
      (NAc) of wild-type and HOM runners, respectively. VWR improved metabolic
      parameters in wild-type wheel-runners. Finally, moderate voluntary exercise
      corrected many aspects of the metabolic syndrome in HOM runners. CONCLUSIONS:
      Central dopamine dysregulation during VWR reinforces the link between MC4R
      function and molecular and behavioral responding to rewards. The data also
      suggest that exercise can be a successful lifestyle intervention in MC4R
      haploinsufficient individuals despite reduced positive reinforcement during
      exercise training.

PMID- 26500842
TI  - Leptin modulates nutrient reward via inhibitory galanin action on orexin neurons.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Leptin modulates food reward via central leptin receptor (LepRb)
      expressing neurons. Food reward requires stimulation of midbrain dopamine neurons
      and is modulated by central leptin action, but the exact central mechanisms
      remain unclear. Stimulatory and inhibitory leptin actions on dopamine neurons
      have been reported, e.g. by indirect actions on orexin neurons or via direct
      innervation of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area. METHODS: We showed
      earlier that LepRb neurons in the lateral hypothalamus (LHA) co-express the
      inhibitory acting neuropeptide galanin (GAL-LepRb neurons). We studied the
      involvement of GAL-LepRb neurons to regulate nutrient reward in mice with
      selective LepRb deletion from galanin neurons (GAL-LepRb(KO) mice). RESULTS: We
      found that the rewarding value and preference for sucrose over fat was increased
      in GAL-LepRb(KO) mice compared to controls. LHA GAL-LepRb neurons innervate
      orexin neurons, but not the VTA. Further, expression of galanin and its receptor
      GalR1 are decreased in the LHA of GAL-LepRb(KO) mice, resulting in increased
      activation of orexin neurons. CONCLUSION: We suggest galanin as an important
      mediator of leptin action to modulate nutrient reward by inhibiting orexin
      neurons.

PMID- 26500843
TI  - Distribution and characterisation of Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor expressing
      cells in the mouse brain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although Glucagon-like peptide 1 is a key regulator of energy
      metabolism and food intake, the precise location of GLP-1 receptors and the
      physiological relevance of certain populations is debatable. This study
      investigated the novel GLP-1R-Cre mouse as a functional tool to address this
      question. METHODS: Mice expressing Cre-recombinase under the Glp1r promoter were
      crossed with either a ROSA26 eYFP or tdRFP reporter strain to identify GLP-1R
      expressing cells. Patch-clamp recordings were performed on tdRFP-positive neurons
      in acute coronal brain slices from adult mice and selective targeting of GLP-1R
      cells in vivo was achieved using viral gene delivery. RESULTS: Large numbers of
      eYFP or tdRFP immunoreactive cells were found in the circumventricular organs,
      amygdala, hypothalamic nuclei and the ventrolateral medulla. Smaller numbers were
      observed in the nucleus of the solitary tract and the thalamic paraventricular
      nucleus. However, tdRFP positive neurons were also found in areas without
      preproglucagon-neuronal projections like hippocampus and cortex. GLP-1R cells
      were not immunoreactive for GFAP or parvalbumin although some were
      catecholaminergic. GLP-1R expression was confirmed in whole-cell recordings from
      BNST, hippocampus and PVN, where 100 nM GLP-1 elicited a reversible inward
      current or depolarisation. Additionally, a unilateral stereotaxic injection of a
      cre-dependent AAV into the PVN demonstrated that tdRFP-positive cells express cre
      recombinase facilitating virally-mediated eYFP expression. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study is a comprehensive description and phenotypic analysis of GLP-1R expression
      in the mouse CNS. We demonstrate the power of combining the GLP-1R-CRE mouse with
      a virus to generate a selective molecular handle enabling future in vivo
      investigation as to their physiological importance.

PMID- 26500844
TI  - Molecular regulation of urea cycle function by the liver glucocorticoid receptor.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: One of the major side effects of glucocorticoid (GC) treatment is lean
      tissue wasting, indicating a prominent role in systemic amino acid metabolism. In
      order to uncover a novel aspect of GCs and their intracellular-receptor, the
      glucocorticoid receptor (GR), on metabolic control, we conducted amino acid and
      acylcarnitine profiling in human and mouse models of GC/GR gain- and loss-of
      function. METHODS: Blood serum and tissue metabolite levels were determined in
      Human Addison's disease (AD) patients as well as in mouse models of systemic and
      liver-specific GR loss-of-function (AAV-miR-GR) with or without dexamethasone
      (DEX) treatments. Body composition and neuromuscular and metabolic function tests
      were conducted in vivo and ex vivo, the latter using precision cut liver slices.
      RESULTS: A serum metabolite signature of impaired urea cycle function (i.e.
      higher [ARG]:[ORN + CIT]) was observed in human (CTRL: 0.45 +/- 0.03, AD: 1.29 +/
      0.04; p < 0.001) and mouse (AAV-miR-NC: 0.97 +/- 0.13, AAV-miR-GR: 2.20 +/-
      0.19; p < 0.001) GC/GR loss-of-function, with similar patterns also observed in
      liver. Serum urea levels were consistently affected by GC/GR gain- (~+32%) and
      loss (~-30%) -of-function. Combined liver-specific GR loss-of-function with DEX
      treatment revealed a tissue-autonomous role for the GR to coordinate an
      upregulation of liver urea production rate in vivo and ex vivo, and prevent
      hyperammonaemia and associated neuromuscular dysfunction in vivo. Liver mRNA
      expression profiling and GR-cistrome mining identified Arginase I (ARG1) a urea
      cycle gene targeted by the liver GR. CONCLUSIONS: The liver GR controls systemic
      and liver urea cycle function by transcriptional regulation of ARG1 expression.

PMID- 26500846
TI  - Corrigendum to "Obesity in a model of gpx4 haploinsufficiency uncovers a causal
      role for lipid-derived aldehydes in human metabolic disease and cardiomyopathy"
      [Mol Metab 4 (6) (2015) 493-506].
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2015.04.001.]. 

PMID- 26500845
TI  - TIMP3 interplays with apelin to regulate cardiovascular metabolism in
      hypercholesterolemic mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3) is an extracellular
      matrix (ECM) bound protein, which has been shown to be downregulated in human
      subjects and experimental models with cardiometabolic disorders, including type 2
      diabetes mellitus, hypertension and atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the effects of TIMP3 on cardiac energy homeostasis during increased
      metabolic stress conditions. METHODS: ApoE(-/-)TIMP3(-/-) and ApoE(-/-) mice on a
      C57BL/6 background were subjected to telemetric ECG analysis and experimental
      myocardial infarction as models of cardiac stress induction. We used Western
      blot, qRT-PCR, histology, metabolomics, RNA-sequencing and in vivo phenotypical
      analysis to investigate the molecular mechanisms of altered cardiac energy
      metabolism. RESULTS: ApoE(-/-)TIMP3(-/-) revealed decreased lifespan. Telemetric
      ECG analysis showed increased arrhythmic episodes, and experimental myocardial
      infarction by left anterior descending artery (LAD) ligation resulted in
      increased peri-operative mortality together with increased scar formation,
      ventricular dilatation and a reduction of cardiac function after 4 weeks in the
      few survivors. Hearts of ApoE(-/-)TIMP3(-/-) exhibited accumulation of neutral
      lipids when fed a chow diet, which was exacerbated by a high fat, high
      cholesterol diet. Metabolomics analysis revealed an increase in circulating
      markers of oxidative stress with a reduction in long chain fatty acids. Using
      whole heart mRNA sequencing, we identified apelin as a putative modulator of
      these metabolic defects. Apelin is a regulator of fatty acid oxidation, and we
      found a reduction in the levels of enzymes involved in fatty acid oxidation in
      the left ventricle of ApoE(-/-)TIMP3(-/-) mice. Injection of apelin restored the
      hitherto identified metabolic defects of lipid oxidation. CONCLUSION: TIMP3
      regulates lipid metabolism as well as oxidative stress response via apelin. These
      findings therefore suggest that TIMP3 maintains metabolic flexibility in the
      heart, particularly during episodes of increased cardiac stress.

PMID- 26500848
TI  - A radiolabeled antibody targeting CD123(+) leukemia stem cells - initial
      radioimmunotherapy studies in NOD/SCID mice engrafted with primary human AML.
AB  - Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) with anti-CD123 monoclonal antibody CSL360 modified with
      nuclear translocation sequence (NLS) peptides and labeled with the Auger electron
      emitter, (111)In ((111)In-NLS-CSL360) was studied in the prevalent NOD/SCID mouse
      AML engraftment assay. Significant decreases in CD123(+) leukemic cells and
      impairment of leukemic stem cell self-renewal were achieved with high doses of
      RIT. However, NOD/SCID mice were very radiosensitive to these doses. At low non
      toxic treatment doses, (111)In-NLS-CSL360 demonstrated a trend towards improved
      survival associated with decreased spleen/body weight ratio, an indicator of
      leukemia burden, and almost complete eradication of leukemia from the bone marrow
      in some mice. 

PMID- 26500847
TI  - Synchrotron infrared imaging of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) in cardiac
      tissue from mice fed high glycemic diets.
AB  - Recent research findings correlate an increased risk for dieases such as
      diabetes, macular degeneration and cardiovascular disease (CVD) with diets that
      rapidly raise the blood sugar levels; these diets are known as high glycemic
      index (GI) diets which include white breads, sodas and sweet deserts. Lower
      glycemia diets are usually rich in fruits, non-starchy vegetables and whole grain
      products. The goal of our study was to compare and contrast the effects of a low
      vs. high glycemic diet using the biochemical composition and microstructure of
      the heart. The improved spatial resolution and signal-to-noise for SR-FTIR
      obtained through the coupling of the bright synchrotron infrared photon source to
      an infrared spectral microscope enabled the molecular-level observation of diet
      related changes within unfixed fresh frozen histologic sections of mouse cardiac
      tissue. High and low glycemic index (GI) diets were started at the age of five
      months and continued for one year, with the diets only differing in their starch
      distribution (high GI diet = 100% amylopectin versus low GI diet = 30%
      amylopectin/70% amylose). Serial cryosections of cardiac tissue for SR-FTIR
      imaging alternated with adjacent hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained sections
      allowed not only fine-scale chemical analyses of glycogen and glycolipid
      accumulation along a vein as well as protein glycation hotspots co-localizing
      with collagen cold spots but also the tracking of morphological differences
      occurring in tandem with these chemical changes. As a result of the bright
      synchrotron infrared photon source coupling, we were able to provide significant
      molecular evidence for a positive correlation between protein glycation and
      collagen degradation in our mouse model. Our results bring a new insight not only
      to the effects of long-term GI dietary practices of the public but also to the
      molecular and chemical foundation behind the cardiovascular disease pathogenesis
      commonly seen in diabetic patients.

PMID- 26500849
TI  - Pharmacological targeting of PI3K isoforms as a therapeutic strategy in chronic
      lymphocytic leukaemia.
AB  - PI3Kdelta inhibitors such as idelalisib are providing improved therapeutic
      options for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). However under
      certain conditions, inhibition of a single PI3K isoform can be compensated by the
      other PI3K isoforms, therefore PI3K inhibitors which target multiple PI3K
      isoforms may provide greater efficacy. The development of compounds targeting
      multiple PI3K isoforms (alpha, beta, delta, and gamma) in CLL cells, in vitro,
      resulted in sustained inhibition of BCR signalling but with enhanced cytotoxicity
      and the potential for improve clinical responses. This review summarises the
      progress of PI3K inhibitor development and describes the rationale and potential
      for targeting multiple PI3K isoforms. 

PMID- 26500850
TI  - Patterns of relapse and outcome of elderly multiple myeloma patients treated as
      front-line therapy with novel agents combinations.
AB  - We report the characteristics of relapse, treatment response, and outcomes of 145
      elderly patients with multiple myeloma in first relapse after front-line
      treatment with VMP or VTP. Reappearance of CRAB symptoms (113 patients) and more
      aggressive forms of disease (32 patients) were the most common patterns of
      relapse. After second-line therapy, 75 (51.7%) patients achieved at partial
      response and 16 (11%) complete response (CR). Overall survival was longer among
      patients receiving VMP as front-line induction (21.4 vs. 14.4 months, P=0.037),
      in patients achieving CR (28.3 vs. 14.8 months; P=0.04), and in patients without
      aggressive relapse (28.6 vs. 7.6 months; P=0.0007). 

PMID- 26500851
TI  - Surgical Neonatal Sepsis in Developing Countries.

PMID- 26500852
TI  - Feeding Intolerance and Poor Growth in Infants with Gastroschisis: Longitudinal
      Experience with Consecutive Patients over Thirteen Years.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: 1) To investigate in-hospital factors associated with delayed
      tolerance of full volume enteral nutrition and 2) To assess longitudinal growth
      in a contemporary population of infants with gastroschisis. DESIGN: Retrospective
      single-center study of all infants with gastroschisis Setting: Level III neonatal
      intensive care unit in a free-standing Children's Hospital Duration: 13.5 years
      MATERIALS & METHODS: Detailed data regarding demographics, nutritional support,
      growth, and infant outcomes was collected for all infants with gastroschisis.
      Linear regression was used to investigate in-hospital factors associated with
      feeding intolerance and poor growth. RESULTS: For 52 infants, the median
      gestational age at birth was 36 weeks, the median postnatal age to achieve full
      feeds was 22 days, and median in-hospital weight gain was 18 gm/day. With linear
      regression, there was a positive association between time to full feeds and both
      hospital length of stay (adjusted R2=0.503, p < 0.0001) and (unexpectedly) in
      hospital weight gain (adjusted R2=0.125, p=0.0248). There was a negative
      association between in-hospital weight gain and preterm birth (adjusted R2=0.125,
      p=0.0356). For infants with longitudinal growth data, 35% had a weight < 5th
      percentile (of whom 67% were preterm). CONCLUSIONS: Many infants with
      gastroschisis have poor growth before and after hospital discharge. Aggressive
      feeding advancement may be a contributing factor to this finding and preterm
      infants may be at greater risk for poor growth than term infants.

PMID- 26500853
TI  - Urinary Claudin-2 Measurements as a Predictor of Necrotizing Enterocolitis: A
      Pilot Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) affects 5-10% of NICU patients where
      initially patients may have only nonspecific clinical findings. A noninvasive
      tool for detection would aid in diagnosis. Increased urinary claudins have been
      associated with active adult inflammatory bowel disease. METHODS: Institutional
      Review Board approval was obtained. Neonatal intestinal tissue samples were
      obtained from patients with and without NEC. Immunofluorescence analysis of
      claudin-2 was performed on the intestinal tissue. Thirty two urine samples were
      collected from 6 NICU patients. Proteins were extracted and urinary claudin-2
      expression was measured using Western Blot Analysis. All sample concentrations
      were normalized to urinary creatinine. Differences were analyzed with ANOVA or
      Student's T-test. Findings were correlated to the patient's clinical status.
      RESULTS: Neonatal intestinal immunofluorescence analysis revealed that claudin-2
      is present in healthy intestinal epithelium and is decreased in NEC intestinal
      tissue (p=0.0001). Of the six patients evaluated, three patients had NEC. All 3
      patients with NEC had spikes in urinary claudin-2 levels (p<0.001, p<0.001, p
      0.0598 respectively). Spikes did not appear to correlate with other etiologies of
      neonatal sepsis, medication use or need for mechanical ventilation. Levels during
      active NEC were almost twice that of NEC-free periods (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: A
      tool for early detection would facilitate early intervention and potential
      prevention of severe NEC. Preliminary findings indicate that urinary claudin-2
      may represent a potential biomarker for NEC worth further investigation.

PMID- 26500855
TI  - Upper Airway Obstruction in a Newborn with Vallecular Cyst.
AB  - Vallecular cyst is a rare cause of stridor in neonates, which may present as a
      life threatening airway obstruction. Here, we report a preterm infant with a
      congenital vallecular cyst who presented with stridor and respiratory distress
      that developed immediately after birth. She was successfully treated with
      endoscopic marsupialization. 

PMID- 26500854
TI  - Coexistence of Anal Atresia, Anophthalmia and Intestinal Neuronal Dysplasia Type
      A in a Newborn.
AB  - We report a patient with anal atresia, anophthalmia and intestinal neuronal
      dysplasia type A. 

PMID- 26500856
TI  - Meckel's Diverticulum causing Intussusception in a Newborn.
AB  - A neonate presenting with intussusception probably caused by Meckel's
      diverticulum is reported here. 

PMID- 26500857
TI  - Epidermolysis Bullosa with Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis in a Newborn.
AB  - Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is an inherited blistering disorder characterized by
      the fragility of the skin and mucous membranes. Extracutaneous manifestations can
      be associated. We report a unique concomitant occurrence of EB and hypertrophic
      pyloric stenosis in a newborn. 

PMID- 26500858
TI  - Intestinal Obstruction due to Ileal Duplication Cyst and Malrotation in a Preterm
      Neonate.

PMID- 26500859
TI  - Hernia of Umbilical Cord associated with Cleft Lip and Palate, and Congenital
      Glaucoma.

PMID- 26500860
TI  - Livedo reticularis: A review of the literature.
AB  - Livedo reticularis (LR) is a cutaneous physical sign characterized by transient
      or persistent, blotchy, reddish-blue to purple, net-like cyanotic pattern. LR is
      a benign disorder affecting mainly middle-aged females, whereas livedo racemosa
      (LRC) is pathologic, commonly associated with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.
      This article aims to review the causes of LR and LRC along with the evaluation
      and management. 

PMID- 26500861
TI  - Role of C-reactive protein as a marker of disease severity and cardiovascular
      risk in patients with psoriasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of studies addressing the elevation of C-reactive
      protein (CRP) among psoriatic patients and the role of this marker in assessment
      of disease severity and association with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
      OBJECTIVE: To assess the difference in CRP levels between psoriatic patients and
      healthy population and to determine their role in disease severity. Also to
      compare CRP levels in psoriatic patients with and without the metabolic syndrome.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of hundred patients with chronic plaque psoriasis
      and an equal number of age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled in
      the study over a period of one year. Serum CRP levels of both cases and controls
      were estimated. Metabolic syndrome was identified among psoriasis patients using
      National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Panel III (ATP III) guidelines.
      Clinical activity of psoriasis was evaluated using Psoriasis Area and Severity
      Index Score. RESULTS: Patients with psoriasis reported significantly higher
      levels of CRP than healthy controls (P value 0.001). Patients with severe disease
      had significantly higher levels of CRP (P value < 0.003). Elevated level of CRP
      was observed among psoriatic patients with the metabolic syndrome than patients
      without the metabolic syndrome and the difference was statistically significant
      (P value = 0.001). CONCLUSION: CRP may be considered as a useful marker of
      psoriasis severity that could be used to monitor psoriasis and its treatment.
      Elevated levels of CRP may be an independent risk factor for CVD in patients with
      psoriasis.

PMID- 26500863
TI  - Kindler syndrome with palmoplantar hyperhidrosis and blonde hair.
AB  - Kindler syndrome (KS) is a very rare genodermatosis characterized by acral
      blistering starting in infancy along with photosensitivity, progressive
      poikiloderma, cutaneous atrophy, and a variable degree of mucosal involvement. A
      large number of other cutaneous and extracutaneous features have been described,
      which aid in diagnosing it. Generally KS has been found to be associated with
      hypohidrosis/anhidrosis. We herein present a rare case of KS with unique
      features. 

PMID- 26500862
TI  - Narrowband UVB phototherapy in pityriasis rosea.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pityriasis rosea (PR) is an acute self-limiting disease. Despite
      vigorous efforts by generations of researchers since nearly 150 years, present
      treatment modalities for PR are not very gratifying. Ultraviolet radiation has
      been recommended in PR, although only a few studies validate this proposal. This
      study was conducted to explore the therapeutic effect of NBUVB on the symptoms,
      course, and severity of PR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study involved a hundred
      patients who were randomly divided into two groups, using computer-generated
      randomization chart. Group A underwent treatment with fixed dose NBUVB of 250
      mJ/cm(2) three times (nonconsecutive) a week for 4 weeks. Group B formed the
      placebo group who did not receive any treatment. The two groups were compared
      with each other for the intensity of pruritis, course and duration of disease,
      and PR severity score (PRSS). RESULTS: The t values of improvement in PRSS score
      in Group A (t = 12.796) were higher as compared with that in Group B (t =
      10.066). Similarly, the t value of the pruritus scale in Group A (t = 7.758) was
      higher than Group B (t = 5.754) indicating the symptomatic improvement in
      itching. CONCLUSION: Fixed-dose NBUVB phototherapy resulted in marked improvement
      in the severity and symptoms of the disease as quantitatively assessed by PRSS.

PMID- 26500864
TI  - Lichen striatus with onychodystrophy in an infant.
AB  - Lichen striatus with nail involvement is rare and is often unnoticed. Nail
      changes are often nonspecific but they are usually localized to one portion of
      the nail. Also single nail involvement and presence of skin lesions near the nail
      are often noticed. We report the case of an infant with lichen striatus and nail
      involvement. 

PMID- 26500865
TI  - Ecthyma gangrenosum in a previously healthy patient.
AB  - Ecthyma gangrenosum is a rare skin infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It
      is usually seen in immunocompromised and critically ill patients. We report one
      such case in a previously healthy 20-year old male. Ecthyma gangrenosum can occur
      in healthy patients without bacteremia. 

PMID- 26500866
TI  - Penoscrotal porokeratosis: A distinct entity.
AB  - A 26-year-old man presented with five months history of redness associated with
      itching and burning over the scrotum and shaft of the penis with a persistent
      rash on those sites. There had been no response to topical steroid and antifungal
      creams. Clinical examination revealed a large well-circumscribed erythematous
      plaque with a thready raised border with a tiny groove at its summit that
      involved almost two-thirds of the ventral part of the shaft of the penis. Ill
      defined erythema with a granular surface was seen over the anterior scrotal skin.
      A 4 mm punch biopsy of the plaque on the penile shaft revealed multiple cornoid
      lamellae located adjacent to one another. The patient was treated with topical
      emollients. Follow up after four months revealed almost complete resolution of
      the plaque on the penile shaft. Penoscrotal porokeratosis appears to be a
      distinct entity in the family of porokeratotic diseases, described only in young
      males in their twenties with involvement of the penile shaft and anterior scrotum
      with severe burning and itching and histologically associated with multiple
      cornoid lamellae. It may represent an unusual epidermal porokeratotic reaction
      pattern and may be a self-resolving condition. 

PMID- 26500867
TI  - Extragenital lichen sclerosus et atrophicus along the lines of Blaschko.
AB  - Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA) is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis of
      unknown etiology. Extragenital involvement is uncommon and commonly affects the
      neck, shoulders, and upper portion of the trunk. It is predominant in women with
      a male-to-female ratio of 1:6 and occurs at any age. Linear pattern along the
      lines of Blaschko are seen. There is no cure for LSA. Topical corticosteroids and
      calcineurin inhibitors, such as tacrolimus, pimecrolimus, PUVA antimalarial
      agents, and topical retinoids have been tried with varying results. A case of a
      33-year-old man with LSA over right lower limb along the lines of Blasckho is
      reported here. 

PMID- 26500868
TI  - Linear Darier's disease: A case with bilateral presentation.
AB  - Darier's disease is an autosomal dominant genodermatosis characterized by a
      persistent eruption of hyperkeratotic greasy papules mainly over the seborrheic
      sites of the body, usually associated with nail abnormalities and sometimes with
      mucous membrane lesions. The lesions typically occur in the younger age group and
      are associated with pruritus. We report here an atypical case of Linear Darier's
      disease with bilateral presentation in a middle-aged adult that could be confused
      with conditions such as lichen planus, inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal
      nevus, and wart. 

PMID- 26500869
TI  - Unilateral hypertrophic skin lesions, hemimegalencephaly, and meningioma: The
      many faces of Proteus syndrome.
AB  - Proteus syndrome is a rare condition with a wide spectrum of abnormalities. It is
      characterized by hamartomatous malformations involving multiple organs. Serious
      complications may ensue, such as pulmonary embolism, cystic lung disease, and
      various neoplasms such as parotid adenomas, ovarian cystadenomas, and
      meningiomas. We report here a case of Proteus syndrome in a 21-year-old woman who
      had facial hemihypertrophy, cerebriform plantar hyperplasia, hemimegalencephaly,
      and meningioma for the rarity of the entity. 

PMID- 26500870
TI  - Atrichia congenita.
AB  - Atrichia congenita is a rare genodermatoses is characterized by a mutation of the
      human hairless (HR) gene on chromosome 8p22. There is loss of scalp hair between
      one to six months of age, after which no growth occurs. Eyebrow, eyelash, and
      body hair may also be sparse or absent; patients may have a few pubic and
      axillary hairs. The condition may present in isolation or along with other
      defects. 

PMID- 26500871
TI  - A rubbery dermal nodule.

PMID- 26500872
TI  - An indurated plantar plaque with surface nodularity.

PMID- 26500873
TI  - Nevus depigmentosus with unilateral bluish sclera, a rare entity.

PMID- 26500874
TI  - Phaeohyphomycosis presenting as a solitary nodulocystic lesion in a renal
      transplant patient.

PMID- 26500875
TI  - Neutrophilic dermatosis of the dorsal hands: A rare unilateral presentation.

PMID- 26500876
TI  - Pronounced skin folds with finger clubbing.

PMID- 26500877
TI  - Kaposi varicelliform eruption.

PMID- 26500878
TI  - Liposomal doxorubicin-induced palmoplantar erythrodysthesia syndrome.

PMID- 26500879
TI  - SkIndia Quiz 20: A case of multiple nodules on forearm.

PMID- 26500880
TI  - Vulval elephantiasis.

PMID- 26500881
TI  - Sister Mary Joseph's nodule.

PMID- 26500882
TI  - Soft pink nodules on the scalp.

PMID- 26500883
TI  - Crab louse.

PMID- 26500884
TI  - Axillary syringomas mimicking Fox-Fordyce disease.

PMID- 26500885
TI  - Misfolded N-CoR is Linked to the Ectopic Reactivation of CD34/Flt3-Based Stem
      Cell Phenotype in Promyelocytic and Monocytic Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
AB  - Nuclear receptor co-repressor (N-CoR) is the key component of generic co
      repressor complex essential for the transcriptional control of genes involved in
      cellular hemostasis. We have recently reported that N-CoR actively represses
      Flt3, a key factor of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) self-renewal and growth, and
      that de-repression of Flt3 by the misfolded N-CoR plays an important role in the
      pathogenesis of promyelocytic and monocytic acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The
      leukemic cells derived from the promyelocytic and monocytic AML are distinctly
      characterized by the ectopic reactivation of stem cell phenotypes in relatively
      committed myeloid compartment. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this
      phenomenon is not known. Here, we report that N-CoR function is essential for the
      commitment of primitive hematopoietic cells to the cells of myeloid lineage and
      that loss of N-CoR function due to misfolding is linked to the ectopic
      reactivation of generic stem cell phenotypes in promyelocytic and monocytic AML.
      Analysis of N-CoR and Flt3 transcripts in mouse hematopoietic cells revealed a
      positive correlation between N-CoR level and the commitment of myeloid cells and
      an inverse correlation between N-CoR and Flt3 levels in primitive as well as
      committed myeloid cells. Enforced N-CoR expression in mouse HSCs inhibited their
      growth and self-renewal potentials and promoted maturation toward cells of
      myeloid lineage, suggesting a role of N-CoR in the commitment of cells of myeloid
      lineage. In contrast to AML cells with natively folded N-CoR, primary and
      secondary promyelocytic and monocytic AML cells harboring the misfolded N-CoR
      were highly positive for Flt3 and myeloid antigen-based HSC marker CD34. Genetic
      and therapeutic restoration of N-CoR conformation significantly down-regulated
      the CD34 levels in monocytic AML cells, suggesting an important role of N-CoR in
      the suppression of CD34-based HSC phenotypes. These findings collectively suggest
      that N-CoR is crucial for the commitment of primitive hematopoietic cells to
      cells of myeloid lineage and that misfolded N-CoR may contribute to
      transformation of committed myeloid cells through the ectopic reactivation of
      Flt3/CD34-based stem cell phenotypes in promyelocytic and monocytic AML.
      Moreover, these findings provide novel mechanistic insights into the formation of
      leukemic stem cells in subsets of AML and identify the misfolded N-CoR as a
      subtype-specific biomarker of AML. 

PMID- 26500886
TI  - Beyond Bevacizumab: An Outlook to New Anti-Angiogenics for the Treatment of
      Ovarian Cancer.
AB  - In addition to the monoclonal vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibody
      bevacizumab, several alternative anti-angiogenic treatment strategies for ovarian
      cancer patients have been evaluated in clinical trials. Apart from targeting
      extracellular receptors by the antibody aflibercept or the peptibody trebananib,
      the multikinase inhibitors pazopanib, nintedanib, cediranib, sunitinib, and
      sorafenib were developed to interfere with VEGF receptors and multiple additional
      intracellular pathways. Nintedanib and pazopanib significantly improved
      progression-free survival in two positive phase III trials for first-line
      therapy. A reliable effect on overall survival could, however, not be observed
      for any anti-angiogenic first-line therapies so far. In terms of recurrent
      disease, two positive phase III trials revealed that trebananib and cediranib are
      effective anti-angiogenic agents for this indication. Patient selection and
      biomarker guided prediction of response seems to be a central aspect for future
      studies. Combining anti-angiogenics with other targeted therapies to possibly
      spare chemotherapy in certain constellations represents another very interesting
      future perspective for clinical trials. This short review gives an overview of
      current clinical trials for anti-angiogenic treatment strategies beyond
      bevacizumab. In this context, possible future perspectives combining anti
      angiogenics with other targeted therapies and the need for specific biomarkers
      predicting response are elucidated. 

PMID- 26500887
TI  - Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in the Treatment of Oncological Perineal and
      Genital Defects.
AB  - Defects of the perineum may result from ablative procedures of different
      malignancies. The evolution of more radical excisional surgery techniques
      resulted in an increase in large defects of the perineum. The perineogenital
      region per se has many different functions for urination, bowel evacuation,
      sexuality, and reproduction. Up-to-date individual and interdisciplinary surgical
      treatment concepts are necessary to provide optimum oncological as well as
      quality of life outcome. Not only the reconstructive method but also the timing
      of the reconstruction is crucial. In cases of postresectional exposition of e.g.,
      pelvic or femoral vessels or intrapelvic and intra-abdominal organs, simultaneous
      flap procedure is mandatory. In particular, the reconstructive armamentarium of
      the plastic surgeon should include not only pedicled flaps but also free
      microsurgical flaps so that no compromise in terms of the extent of the
      oncological resection has to be accepted. For intra-abdominally and/or pelvic
      tumors of the rectum, the anus, or the female reproductive system, which were
      resected through an abdominally and a sacrally surgical access, simultaneous
      vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous (VRAM) flap reconstruction is
      recommendable. In terms of soft tissue sarcoma of the pelvic/caudal
      abdomen/proximal thigh region, two-stage reconstructions are possible. This
      review focuses on the treatment of perineum, genitals, and pelvic floor defects
      after resection of malignant tumors, giving a distinct overview of the different
      types of defects faced in this region and describing a number of reconstructive
      techniques, especially VRAM flap and pedicled flaps like antero-lateral thigh
      flap or free flaps. Finally, this review outlines some considerations concerning
      timing of the different operative steps. 

PMID- 26500888
TI  - Treatment Plan Technique and Quality for Single-Isocenter Stereotactic Ablative
      Radiotherapy of Multiple Lung Lesions with Volumetric-Modulated Arc Therapy or
      Intensity-Modulated Radiosurgery.
AB  - The aim of this study is to provide a practical approach to the planning
      technique and evaluation of plan quality for the multi-lesion, single-isocenter
      stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) of the lung. Eleven patients with two
      or more lung lesions underwent single-isocenter volumetric-modulated arc therapy
      (VMAT) radiosurgery or IMRS. All plans were normalized to the target maximum
      dose. For each plan, all targets were treated to the same dose. Plan conformity
      and dose gradient were maximized with dose-control tuning structures surrounding
      targets. For comparison, multi-isocenter plans were retrospectively created for
      four patients. Conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI), gradient index
      (GI), and gradient distance (GD) were calculated for each plan. V5, V10, and V20
      of the lung and organs at risk (OARs) were collected. Treatment time and total
      monitor units (MUs) were also recorded. One patient had four lesions and the
      remainder had two lesions. Six patients received VMAT and five patients received
      intensity-modulated radiosurgery (IMRS). For those treated with VMAT, two
      patients received 3-arc VMAT and four received 2-arc VMAT. For those treated with
      IMRS, two patients were treated with 10 and 11 beams, respectively, and the rest
      received 12 beams. Prescription doses ranged from 30 to 54 Gy in three to five
      fractions. The median prescribed isodose line was 84% (range: 80-86%). The median
      maximum dose was 57.1 Gy (range: 35.7-65.1 Gy). The mean combined PTV was 49.57
      cm(3) (range: 14.90-87.38 cm(3)). For single-isocenter plans, the median CI was
      1.15 (range: 0.97-1.53). The median HI was 1.19 (range: 1.16-1.28). The median GI
      was 4.60 (range: 4.16-7.37). The median maximum radiation dose (Dmax) to total
      lung was 55.6 Gy (range: 35.7-62.0 Gy). The median mean radiation dose to the
      lung (Dmean) was 4.2 Gy (range: 1.1-9.3 Gy). The median lung V5 was 18.7% (range:
      3.8-41.3%). There was no significant difference in CI, HI, GI, GD, V5, V10, and
      V20 (lung, heart, trachea, esophagus, and spinal cord) between single-isocenter
      and multi-isocenter plans. This multi-lesion, single-isocenter lung SABR planning
      technique demonstrated excellent plan quality and clinical efficiency and is
      recommended for radiosurgical treatment of two or more lung targets for well
      suited patients. 

PMID- 26500889
TI  - Editorial: Radioembolization in the Treatment of Liver Cancer: A
      Multidisciplinary Approach for Individualized Therapy.

PMID- 26500890
TI  - Structural Characterization of Mucin O-Glycosylation May Provide Important
      Information to Help Prevent Colorectal Tumor Recurrence.
AB  - Although colorectal cancer is a preventable and curable disease if early stage
      tumors are removed, it still represents the second cause of cancer-related death
      worldwide. Surgical resection is the only curative treatment but once operated
      the patient is either subjected to adjuvant chemotherapy or not, depending on the
      invasiveness of the cancer and risks of recurrence. In this context, we
      investigated, by mass spectrometry (MS), alterations in the repertoire of
      glycosylation of mucins from colorectal tumors of various stages, grades, and
      recurrence status. Tumors were also compared with their counterparts in resection
      margins from the same patients and with healthy controls. The obtained data
      showed an important decrease in the level of expression of sialylated core 3
      based O-glycans in tumors correlated with an increase in sialylated core 1
      structures. No correlation was established between stages of the tumor samples
      and mucin O-glycosylation. However, with the notable exception of sialyl Tn
      antigens, tumors with recurrence presented a milder alteration of glycosylation
      profile than tumors without recurrence. These results suggest that mucin O
      glycans from tumors with recurrence might mimic a healthier physiological
      situation, hence deceiving the immune defense system. 

PMID- 26500891
TI  - Decreased RXRalpha is Associated with Increased beta-Catenin/TCF4 in (56)Fe
      Induced Intestinal Tumors.
AB  - Although it is known that accumulation of oncogenic beta-catenin is critical for
      intestinal tumorigenesis, the underlying mechanisms have not yet been fully
      explored. Post-translational beta-catenin level is regulated via the adenomatous
      polyposis coli (APC)-dependent as well as the APC-independent ubiquitin
      proteasome pathway (UPP). Employing an APC-mutant mouse model (APC(Min/+)) the
      present study aimed to investigate the status of RXRalpha, an APC-independent
      factor involved in targeting beta-catenin to UPP for degradation, in tumor
      bearing and tumor-free areas of intestine after exposure to energetic (56)Fe
      ions. APC(Min/+) mice were exposed to energetic (56)Fe ions (4 or 1.6 Gy) and
      intestinal tumor samples and tumor-free normal intestinal samples were collected
      100-110 days after exposure. The status of TCF4, beta-catenin, cyclin D1, and
      RXRalpha was examined using immunohistochemistry and immunoblots. We observed
      increased accumulation of the transcription factor TCF4 and its co-activator beta
      catenin as well as their downstream oncogenic target protein cyclin-D1 in (56)Fe
      ion-induced intestinal tumors. Further, decreased expression of RXRalpha in
      tumors as well as in adjacent normal epithelium was indicative of perturbations
      in beta-catenin proteasomal-targeting machinery. This indicates that decreased
      UPP targeting of beta-catenin due to downregulation of RXRalpha can contribute to
      further accumulation of beta-catenin and to (56)Fe-induced tumorigenesis. 

PMID- 26500892
TI  - MicroRNA-17-5p induces drug resistance and invasion of ovarian carcinoma cells by
      targeting PTEN signaling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The miR-17-5p was overexpressed in ovarian cancer cells, and those
      cells were treated with paclitaxel. The proliferation of ovarian cancer cells was
      assessed by MTT assay. The Caspase-Glo3/7 and TUNEL assay were used to examine
      the effect of miR-17-5p on paclitaxel-induced apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells.
      The migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells were analyzed by BD matrigel
      assays. Western blot was performed to evaluate the expression of apoptotic
      proteins and epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers in ovarian cancer cells.
      RESULTS: The survival rate of ovarian cancer cells was increased after
      overexpression of miR-17-5p. The apoptosis decreased in miR-17-5p overexpressed
      ovarian cancer cells. Altered miR-17-5p expression affected migration and
      invasion of ovarian cancer cells. The overexpression of miR-17-5p altered the
      expression of EMT markers. miR-17-5p activates AKT by downregulation of PTEN in
      ovarian cancer cells. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that miR-17-5p might serve
      as potential molecular therapeutic target.

PMID- 26500893
TI  - Study of Normal Branching Pattern of the Coeliac Trunk and its Variations Using
      CT Angiography.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Blood vessel anomalies are always interesting from embryological
      view and of considerable significance from a clinical or a surgical standpoint.
      Vascular anomalies are usually asymptomatic; they may cause problems in patients
      undergoing diagnostic angiography or any operative procedure. The length and
      course of the coeliac artery are variable and its branches frequently arise
      separately from the main trunk. Several other branches may additionally arise
      from the coeliac trunk, for example, inferior phrenic arteries, the dorsal
      pancreatic artery, and the middle colic artery. AIM: The present study was
      undertaken to analyse the vertebral level of origin of coeliac artery, its
      branching pattern and the associated variations using computed tomographic
      angiography in 75 subjects. RESULTS: The results obtained were analysed and
      classified based on Adachi's and Lipshutz's classification method. The results
      were also compared with various other studies cited in the literature. The level
      of origin was found to be at the inter-vertebral disc between T12 and L1 in a
      majority of the cases (70.6%). It was also found that the coeliac trunk
      trifurcates in majority of the cases i.e. 90.6%. Trifurcation was of two types,
      classical and non-classical, the classical trunk being the commonest type.
      Variations included bifurcation of the trunk (8%) with Left gastric artery
      arising directly from the aorta, in a few cases (1.3%) Common hepatic artery
      arose as a separate trunk from the aorta. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive knowledge
      of this arterial anatomy and variations will be very useful when planning
      abdominal surgeries and image-guided interventions. The success of procedures
      such as liver transplantation, intestinal anastomosis, intra-arterial
      chemotherapy, chemo-embolization, and radio-embolization requires a detailed
      knowledge of the coeliac artery and its anatomical variants, which are extremely
      common, to avoid iatrogenic injuries and to prevent complications.

PMID- 26500894
TI  - Junctura Tendinae in the First Intermetacarpal Space: A Case Report.
AB  - The anatomy of extensor tendons and juncturae tendinum (JT) is of interest to
      both anatomists and surgeons. Understanding the structure of the JTs and the
      interactions between the tendons of the fingers is of utmost importance in hand
      assessment, especially during the reconstructive procedures such as tendon
      transfers. During routine dissection of extensor tendons of dorsum of hand there
      was a filamentous band between the tendon of extensor pollicis longus and
      extensor indices in the first intermetacarpal space. This band was identified as
      Juncturae tendinae of Type 1. It was attached to the extensor tendons on either
      side of the first intermetacarpal space in a transverse direction. The presence
      of Juncturae tendinae in the first intermetacarpal space is a rare variation.
      This variation is important as it interferes with independent motion of thumb and
      index finger and also in tendon repairs. 

PMID- 26500895
TI  - Effect of Ubiquinol Therapy on Sperm Parameters and Serum Testosterone Levels in
      Oligoasthenozoospermic Infertile Men.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The male sperm counts decline due to environmental factors, such as
      pesticides, heavy metals and exogenous estrogens causing negative impact on
      spermatogenesis. The low testosterone levels are associated with lower levels of
      antioxidants that protect against free radical damage to glands that produce
      testosterone. The earlier studies showed that the supplementation of vitamins and
      antioxidants including 10mg Ubiquinol per-day increases in sperm count and
      motility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Ubiquinol is strong antioxidant, hence in
      view of the above study 150 mg/day Ubiquinol was supplemented to 60 men with age
      group of 20-40 years. The patients were supplemented for six months, the
      testosterone level and sperm parameters were analysed before and after
      supplementation of Ubiquinol every month up to six months. The total sperm count
      increased by 53% (p<0.05). RESULTS: The total sperm motility was observed 26%
      (p<0.05) high after supplementations. Out of total motility, the quantity of
      rapidly motile sperm increased 41% (p<0.05). The number of sluggish motile sperm
      was decreased approximate 29% (p<0.05). The non motile sperm count was also
      decreased up to 55% (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The testosterone level is maintained
      during the study and morphology of flagella of sperm has improved. The finding
      suggests that the supplementation of Ubiquinol may be beneficial for oligospermic
      patients.

PMID- 26500896
TI  - A Study on the Level of Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Markers in Type 2
      Diabetes Mellitus Patients with Different Treatment Modalities.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing worldwide
      in all the age group. UKPDS study had shown that good glycaemic control is
      maintained by the administration of insulin in addition to hypoglycaemic drugs.
      But, hyperinsulinemia might cause vascular complications in T2DM. Oxidative
      stress and inflammation are common in diabetes and plays an important role in
      vascular complications. AIM: The study has been designed to estimate and compare
      the level of oxidative stress and inflammation in type 2 diabetic patients under
      different treatment modalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty Type 2 diabetic
      subjects undergoing treatment were selected from Government Hospital and VMKV
      Medical College & Hospital at Salem. The subjects were divided into two groups
      based on treatment modalities, hypoglycaemic drugs subjects as Group-I (30) and
      hypoglycaemic drugs & Insulin subjects in Group-II (30). BMI was calculated by
      standard formula and Fasting blood sugar (FBS), postprandial blood sugar (PPBS),
      glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), Lipid profile, oxidative stress (MDA) and
      inflammatory markers were measured by well established methods. SPSS 16.0 version
      was used for statistical analysis. RESULT: In our study we have found
      significantly high levels of BMI, MDA and hsCRP (25.5+/-2.79, 2.73+/-1.65, 1.98+/
      0.85) in Group II subjects when compared to Group I subjects (23.4+/-3.09, 2.23+/
      1.76, 1.168+/-1.124). CONCLUSION: Since risk factors like BMI, MDA and hsCRP were
      high in Diabetes mellitus patients on both oral hypoglycaemic drugs and insulin,
      they are more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases. Evaluation of these markers
      at regular interval can reduce the incidence of vascular complications in Type 2
      DM patients.

PMID- 26500897
TI  - Serum Adenosine Deaminase as Inflammatory Marker in Rheumatoid Arthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prototypical inflammatory joint
      disease. The degree of inflammation is reflected in the extent of joint damage,
      which further has influence on the quality of life of patients with RA, including
      risk of atherosclerosis. Hence, besides clinical indices, estimation of degree of
      inflammation using biochemical markers helps in effecting optimum treatment
      strategies. C-reactive protein (CRP) is established as an inflammatory marker in
      patients with RA. Adenosine deaminase (ADA), an enzyme of purine metabolism is
      considered as a marker of cell mediated immunity and has also been suggested as a
      marker of inflammatory process in RA. The present study attempts to study the
      efficacy of serum ADA activity as an inflammatory marker in RA. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Forty six RA patients and forty six age and sex matched healthy controls
      were included in the study. ADA activity and high sensitivity C-reactive protein
      (hsCRP) levels in serum were measured in all the subjects. Statistical analyses
      were done using Medcalc statistical software version 12.2.2. RESULTS: ADA
      activity and hsCRP levels were increased in RA patients compared to controls
      (p<0.0001 and 0.0001 respectively). Significant positive correlation was obtained
      between hsCRP and ADA in patients (r=0.316, p=0.033). Receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed statistically significant area under
      curve (AUC) for ADA that is comparable to that obtained for hsCRP (0.776,
      p<0.0001 for ADA, 0.726, p<0.0001 for hsCRP). Similar diagnostic utility was
      obtained with ROC generated cut-off value of 25.3 IU/L (82.6% sensitivity and
      65.2% specificity) and with control mean value of 23.48 IU/L (86.96% sensitivity
      and 54.35% specificity) for ADA. CONCLUSION: Findings of the present study
      indicate the importance of ADA as a marker of inflammation. Considering the
      higher sensitivity obtained, we propose control mean (23.48 IU/L) as a cut-off
      for serum ADA activity as an inflammatory marker. Owing to the simplicity and
      also the cost effectiveness of ADA assay, ADA may be recommended as a marker of
      inflammation in patients with RA. However, further larger and well controlled
      studies are needed to establish its role as inflammatory marker.

PMID- 26500898
TI  - Association of Serum Ferritin Levels with Metabolic Syndrome and Insulin
      Resistance.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The impact of CVDs and Type II DM is increasing over the last
      decade. It has been estimated that by 2025 their incidence will double. Ferritin
      is one of the key proteins regulating iron homeostasis and is a widely available
      clinical biomarker of iron status. Some studies suggest that prevalence of
      atherosclerosis and insulin resistance increases significantly with increasing
      serum ferritin. Metabolic syndrome is known to be associated with increased risk
      of atherosclerosis as well as insulin resistance. AIM: The present study was
      designed to explore the association of serum ferritin levels with metabolic
      syndrome and insulin resistance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was
      prospective, cross sectional. The study protocol was approved by IEC. The study
      group consisted of 90 participants (50 cases of metabolic syndrome and 40 age and
      sex matched controls). Diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was done as per NCEP ATP
      III criteria. Estimation of serum Ferritin and Insulin was done by
      Chemiluminescence Immunoassay (CLIA) while Glucose by Glucose Oxidase and
      Peroxidase (GOD-POD) method. Insulin Resistance was calculated by HOMA IR score.
      STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data obtained was statistically analysed by using student t
      test. RESULTS: We found statistically significant rise in the levels of serum
      ferritin (p=<0.001), glucose (p=<0.001), insulin (p=<0.001) and HOMA IR score
      (p=<0.0001) in cases of metabolic syndrome as compared with controls. CONCLUSION:
      High serum ferritin levels though within normal range are significantly
      associated with both metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance.

PMID- 26500899
TI  - Bisalbuminemia in a Hypothyroid Patient with Diabetes: A Case Report.
AB  - Bisalbuminemia is a rarely encountered anomaly characterized by presence of bifid
      albumin bands or a single widened albumin band in electrophoretogram. Inherited
      bisalbuminemia is quite rare and inherited as an autosomal dominant form. The
      acquired form of bisalbuminemia is usually transient and may be observed during
      long term beta lactam antibiotic therapy, acute pancreatitis, myeloma and
      nephrotic syndrome. This is a case of bisalbuminemia in 61-year-old diabetic
      female with hypothyroidism came with acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma. 

PMID- 26500900
TI  - Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness in Young Adults with Family History of
      Coronary Artery Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is well established that accelerated athero-sclerosis occurs in
      middle-aged and elderly adults with family history of coronary artery disease
      (CAD). However similar data on younger population with genetic predisposition is
      lacking. As identifying and treating this target group at an early stage will
      help in postponing the disease progression and delay the onset of clinical events
      later in life. AIM: We undertook the present study to investigate whether
      structural vascular changes related to atherosclerosis are detectable in healthy
      young adults with family history of CAD by non-invasive high resolution scan of
      the carotid artery intima media thickness (CIMT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty
      healthy young adults of both sexes, aged 18-25 years with family history of CAD
      were taken as cases and fifty age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure
      matched subjects without family history of CAD served as control. All
      participants completed a standardized cardiovascular disease risk assessment
      questionnaire and resting blood pressure, pulse rate and BMI were recorded. None
      of the subjects were smoker or alcoholic. Both cases and controls were subjected
      to high resolution B-mode ultrasonographic evaluation of CIMT. Fasting blood
      samples were drawn for baseline investigations and lipid profile estimation.
      RESULTS: Compared to control subjects, cases had increased CIMT (mean of combined
      sites 0.57 +/- 0.08 mm vs 0.46 +/- 0.05 mm in controls, p<0.001). Offspring with
      family history of CAD exhibited an unfavourable lipid profile. We observed a
      direct association between carotid intima media thickness and triglyceride
      concentration (Correlation coefficient=0.32). Multiple logistic regression
      analysis showed family history of CAD to be independent risk factor for CIMT
      (Odds ratio=5.36, confidence interval 1.84 - 10.53, p=0.003). CONCLUSION:
      Arterial wall abnormalities are present at an early age in offspring with family
      history of CAD. Identifying such high risk individuals is feasible with an easy,
      non-invasive and reproducible technique like CIMT measurement and hence is
      recommended.

PMID- 26500901
TI  - Effect of Age on Response to Experimental Pain in Normal Indian Males.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Response to experimental pain depends on the nature of
      the pain stimulus, as well as on gender, racial, cultural and socioeconomic
      factors. This study investigates the effect of age on pain sensitivity and
      cardiovascular reactivity produced by experimental pain. We have also compared
      the values of body mass index (BMI) and resting blood pressure of volunteers with
      the normal values. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 83 Indian
      males of different age groups. The volunteers were divided into 4 groups:
      Children, Young Adults, Middle-Aged Adults and Old Adults; and their basal
      parameters (BMI, resting pulse and blood pressure) were recorded. Selected
      volunteers were subjected to cold pressor task (CPT). Pain sensitivity (PS) (pain
      threshold, tolerance and pain rating on a visual analog scale) and cardiovascular
      reactivity (CVR) (increase in pulse and blood pressure) were recorded. RESULTS:
      Many volunteers had abnormal values of BMI and resting blood pressure and had to
      be excluded from the study. PS and CVR between different groups were compared by
      one-way ANOVA. Significant differences in PS were observed, with highest pain
      sensitivity in Children and lowest in Old Adults. No significant differences were
      observed in the CVR. CONCLUSION: The high numbers of volunteers with abnormal
      basal parameters (BMI and resting blood pressure) show an urgent need to educate
      the general public about the dangers and risk factors of obesity and
      hypertension. Less exposure of children to painful encounters may be responsible
      for their high pain sensitivity while higher values of resting blood pressure and
      decreased sensitivity of the sensory systems with advancing age may be
      responsible for the hypoalgesia observed in old adults.

PMID- 26500902
TI  - Evaluation of Multidrug Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and their Association
      with Biofilm Production in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Tripura, Northeast India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High morbidity and mortality rates are associated with Methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) because of development of multidrug
      resistance. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) has the ability to colonize and
      form biofilms on biomaterials which is causing resistance towards antimicrobials
      and thus making them difficult to eradicate from the infected hosts. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Culture isolation, identification was done following standard
      protocol and antibiogram of the isolates were done. The detection of MRSA,
      Macrolide-Lincosamide-Streptogramin B resistance (MLSB), vancomycin resistance
      phenotypes were done by using cefoxitin disc diffusion test, D zone test and
      vancomycin E test. Biofilm was detected by Congo red agar method. RESULTS: A
      total of 100 (31.7%) S. aureus strains were isolated from 315 clinical specimens.
      The prevalence of MRSA was 47% (47/100) with 85.1% were homogeneous MRSA and
      14.9% were heterogeneous. Out of 47 MRSA strains, 63.8% were Hospital acquired
      MRSA (HA-MRSA) infections whereas rests 36.2% were caused by Community acquired
      MRSA (CA-MRSA) strains. Maximum number of MRSA isolates belonged to group A
      biotype (34%). A 14.9% isolates were of nontypeable group. Out of 100 S. aureus
      isolates, the prevalence of Vancomycin resistant S. aureus (VRSA) was found to be
      3%. The MLSB phenotypes showed that the rates of inducible MLSB (iMLSB),
      constitutive MLSB (cMLSB) and Macrolide-Streptogramin B (MSB) in case of MRSA to
      be 19.1%, 31.9% and 12.8%. Prevalence of low-level (MUP(L)) and high-level
      mupirocin resistance (MUP(H)) among MRSA was 19.1% and 6.4%. Biofilm production
      was found in 55% strains of S. aureus. Out of 47 MRSA strains 76.6%were producing
      biofilm in comparison to 38.8% in methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA). Higher
      degree of antibiotic resistance in biofilm producers was seen especially in case
      of ciprofloxacin, co-trimoxazole, rifampicin, kanamycin, erythromycin and
      clindamycin whereas gentamycin, tetracycline and penicillin resistance was more
      in non-biofilm producers. CONCLUSION: This study shows high rate of circulating
      MRSA with a majority of these isolates are multi-drug resistant of which mostly
      are biofilm producers in our hospital setup. Development of antimicrobial
      stewardship program based on the local epidemiological data and national
      guidelines is the need of the hour.

PMID- 26500903
TI  - Comparison of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and Immunochromatography for
      Rotavirus Detection in Children Below Five Years with Acute Gastroenteritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Group-A rotaviruses are responsible for 30 to 60% of severe watery
      diarrhea cases in young children. Timely diagnosis of rotavirus infection helps
      to determine appropriate treatment and prevents unnecessary use of antibiotics.
      AIM: To compare Immunochromatography (ICG) with standard ELISA test for diagnosis
      of and to determine incidence, clinical socio-epidemiological profile and
      possible risk factors associated with rotavirus infection in children below five
      years with acute gastroenteritis. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A prospective study
      performed from February 2013 to April 2014 in Microbiology and Paediatrics
      Departments, Government Medical College, Amritsar, Punjab, India. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Hundred stool samples from children below five years diagnosed with
      acute gastroenteritis were taken and tested by ICG and standard ELISA test.
      STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Performed using the SPSS software for Windows, version
      17.0. P-values calculated using chi(2) test for categorical variables. A p < 0.05
      was considered significant. RESULTS: Maximum cases with ICG showed a sensitivity
      of 95.24% and specificity of 97.47% when compared to ELISA. Incidence of
      rotavirus diarrhea was 21% using ELISA and 23% using ICG. With ELISA rotavirus
      infection was highest in age group 6 months to 24 months (83.3%) and in male
      (90.47%). The infection was maximum during November to April and presented with
      triad of diarrhea, vomiting, fever (76.2%). Majority of cases had watery diarrhea
      in high percentage (90.47%). Severe dehydration (76.19%), respiratory symptoms
      (38.09%), bottle feeding (52.38%), malnourished children (47.61%), children
      playing with toys (47.6%) and submersible water pump (61.95%) as a source of
      drinking water associated with rotavirus infection were found to statistically
      significant. CONCLUSION: ICG shows a good agreement with ELISA and has the
      advantage of being a quicker, cost-effective and useful for testing single
      specimen, convenient, not requiring additional equipment, readily available,
      simple to perform and easy-to-read results.

PMID- 26500904
TI  - Correlation of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism 35-Kb Upstream of HLA-C and
      Clinical Profile of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The SNP HLA-C-35 kb (rs9264942) may contribute to the host immune
      defense mechanism by affecting the cell surface expression pattern of HLA-C and
      antigen presentation to CD8+ cytotoxic cells. Thus, this SNP may contribute to
      intracellular multidrug-resistant (MDR)-tuberculosis (TB) infection. AIM: To
      examine the association between the SNP HLA-C-35 kb (rs9264942) and the clinical
      profile of MDR-TB infection. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: MDR-TB-positive patients were
      followed from May 2012 to December 2013 to observe the progression of MDR-TB
      infection. Non-TB individuals and non-MDR-TB individuals were also recruited as
      controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patients' HLA-C-35 kb (rs9264942) status was
      determined by PCR. RESULTS: The C allele was slightly more frequent in the MDR-TB
      patients than in the non-MDR TB patients (OR= 1.28; 95% CI: 0.701 - 2.328). The C
      allele was found to be more frequent in the MDR-TB patients exhibiting pulmonary
      fibrosis (OR= 2.13; 95% CI: 0.606 - 7.480) or pulmonary infiltrates (OR= 3.17;
      95% CI: 0.690 - 14.598) and among the MDR-TB patients who were classified as
      underweight (OR= 8.00; 95% CI: 1.261 - 50.770). The CC genotype was associated
      with the treatment after failure of category II group (OR= 4.17; 95% CI: 1.301 -
      13.346). CONCLUSION: The C allele SNP HLA-C-35 kb (rs9264942) may contribute to
      the clinical profile in MDR-TB infection.

PMID- 26500905
TI  - Multi Drug Resistant Klebsiella Isolates in Burn Patients: A Comparative Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Infections are the most common complications in the burn patients
      admitted to the hospitals leading to high morbidity and mortality. Klebsiella is
      one of the most frequently isolated bacteria from burn wounds. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We studied antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Klebsiella isolates
      from burn patients. In this cross- sectional study wound swabs from 1294 patients
      hospitalized in burnward were collected for bacteriological examination.
      Antibiotic sensitivity testing of Klebsiella isolates was done by modified Stokes
      disc diffusion method. RESULTS: Out of 883 isolates from 1294 patients 195 were
      found to be Klebsiella spp. Based on the biochemical properties 153 isolates were
      Klebsiella pneumoniae, 37 were Klebsiella oxytoca and 5 were others species. In
      our study we found that 54% of the Klebsiella isolates were multidrug resistant
      as they were resistant to at least one antibiotic of three or more different
      groups of antibiotics. [Table: see text]. CONCLUSION: Rate of isolation of
      Klebsiella as well as its resistance for commonly used antibiotics is increasing
      over the time.

PMID- 26500906
TI  - Pulmonary Infection by Blastoschizomyces capitatus in An old Tuberculosis
      Patient.
AB  - Blastoschizomyces capitatus is an arthrospore filamentous fungus. Lung infection
      by Blastoschizomyces can develop as an opportunistic infection in patients with
      underlying conditions especially when there is immunosuppression including
      neutropenia. However, it can occur in non-neutropenic patients with solid organ
      transplant and patients whose local pulmonary defenses are altered by chronic
      underlying lung pathology. We report here a case of pulmonary infection by B.
      capitatus in an old tuberculosis patient. 

PMID- 26500907
TI  - Breast Abscess by Salmonella Paratyphi A: Case Report and Literature Review.
AB  - A case of suspicious breast mass due to Salmonella enterica serotype Paratyphi A
      in a non-lactating, diabetic female is being described. The infection was
      successfully treated with a combination of surgical drainage and antibiotic
      treatment. This case highlights the fact that a focal Salmonella infection
      involving the breast should be considered as a rare differential diagnosis for
      breast malignancy and submission of specimens for microbiological analysis may be
      helpful in establishment of an accurate diagnosis and management. 

PMID- 26500908
TI  - Human Microbiome Engineering: The Future and Beyond.
AB  - Microbial flora of skin and mucosal surface are vital component of human biology.
      Current research indicates that this microbial constellation, rather than being
      inert commensals, has greater implications in health and disease. They play
      essential role in metabolism, immunity, inflammation, neuro-endocrine regulation
      and even moderate host response to cancer. Genetic engineering was a major
      breakthrough in medical research in 1970's and it opened up newer dimensions in
      vaccinology, large-scale synthesis of bio-molecule and drug development.
      Engineering human microbiome is a novel concept. Recombinant DNA technology can
      be employed to modify the genome of critical components of resident microflora to
      achieve unprecedented goals. 

PMID- 26500909
TI  - Rapid Screening for Carbapenem Resistant Organisms: Current Results and Future
      Approaches.
AB  - Carbapenem producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is a major public health threat. A
      total of 120 carbapenem resistant E.coli (n=32) and K.pneumoniae (n=88) from
      blood stream infections were screened for the presence of carbapenem resistant
      genes KPC, NDM, IMP, VIM, and OXA-48 like using both conventional multiplex PCR
      and Xpert((r)) Carba-R test. Additionally 26 faeces samples were directly
      screened with Xpert((r)) Carba-R test. Of the tested isolates, 40% (n=48) of NDM
      and 39.2% (n=47/) of OXA-48-like were identified. Co-production of OXA-48 and NDM
      was seen in 15 (12.5%) isolates. In Xpert((r)) Carba-R test, only NDM was
      identified in 55% (n=66) of tested isolates. Of the tested faeces samples, 12
      were identified as carbapenemase producers: nine with NDM, two with the co
      production of NDM and VIM and in Klebsiella spp (n=1), NDM and KPC co-production
      was seen. However, Xpert((r)) Carba-R test fails to detect OXA-48 like as
      compared with multiplex PCR. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV of Xpert((r))
      Carba-R test was 100%, 77%, 96% and 100% respectively. Incorporation of OXA-48
      like specific sequence in the panel of Xpert((r)) Carba-R test may improve its
      sensitivity and maximize the coverage of assay. 

PMID- 26500910
TI  - Spectrum of Typical and Atypical Clinico-Histopathological and Radiological
      Presentation of Soft Tissue and Muscular Cysticercosis in Mid-Western and Far
      Western Region of Nepal.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Soft tissue and muscular involvement in cysticercosis is a
      relatively rarer presentation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty seven
      histopathologically confirmed cases of soft tissue and muscular cysticercosis
      were collected and the clinical, radiological data was reviewed. RESULTS: There
      was female predominance for the lesions (19 cases among 27 cases). The most
      common location for the lesion was in the arm (9 cases), thigh (4 cases), forearm
      (7 cases), abdominal wall (4 cases) followed by nape of the neck (2 cases).
      Lesion ranged from 8 mm to 5 cm in size. Ultrasound was diagnostic in 24 cases
      and inconclusive in three cases. Histopathologically, intact cyst wall was noted
      in 12 cases, scolex in 5 cases. Seven cases showed degenerating cyst wall
      surrounded by inflammatory cells, granulation tissue and fibrosis. CONCLUSION:
      Fine needle aspiration cytology and histopathological assessment is prudent in
      the diagnosis of soft tissue and muscular cysticercosis in cases posing clinical
      diagnostic dilemma.

PMID- 26500912
TI  - Otocephaly: Agnathia- Microstomia-Synotia Syndrome- A Rare Congenital Anomaly.
AB  - Otocephaly is a rare malformation characterized by the association of agnathia
      (agenesis of mandible) or mandibular hypoplasia, melotia (anteromedial
      malposition of ears), microstomia (small mouth), aglossia or microglossia (absent
      or rudimentary tongue). This rare anomaly of the ventral portion of first
      brachial arch is a consequence of failure of migration of neural crest cells from
      hind brain. It leads to the development of maxillary and mandibular prominences
      and starts to develop at the fourth and fifth week of gestation. We hereby
      present the autopsy findings of a fetus of 28 weeks gestation abortus having
      otocephaly without holoprosencephaly. 

PMID- 26500911
TI  - Serous Microcystic Adenocarcinoma of Pancreas Infiltrating Into Spleen: A Case
      Report.
AB  - Cystic tumours of pancreas account for 5-10% of all pancreatic neoplasms and
      serous tumours represent 1% among those tumours. Most of the serous tumours are
      benign and very rarely they infiltrate adjacent organs like liver and spleen.
      Herewith we present a rare case report of serous cystadenocarcinoma of pancreas
      in a 65-year-old woman. The tumour involved the body and tail of pancreas and
      contiguously invaded the spleen. The histopathology of tumour was similar to
      serous cystadenoma with mild nuclear hyperchromasia and atypia. The spleen showed
      tumour infiltration as microcysts diffusely infitrating the red pulp. 

PMID- 26500914
TI  - An Unusual Presacral Cyst in An Infant.
AB  - The neurenteric cyst is a rare developmental lesion arising as a result of
      persistence of the neurenteric canal. It usually presents in the second and third
      decade. Lesions occurring in children are rare. Majority of the cases presented
      with signs of spinal cord involvement. This is a rare case of neurenteric cyst in
      an infant who presented with a presacral mass. A nine-month-old female had an
      antenatally diagnosed sacrococcygeal lesion. Radiology suggested a diagnosis of
      sacrococcygeal teratoma. Histology was typical of a neurenteric cyst. We report
      this case to create awareness about this rare cystic lesion and inclusion of this
      entity in the differential diagnosis of cystic masses in children at this
      location. 

PMID- 26500913
TI  - Primary Bladder Neurofibroma: A Rare Case with Clinical Implications and
      Diagnostic Challenges.
AB  - Neurofibroma of the genito-urinary tract is rare. Urinary bladder is the
      commonest organ involved in cases of urinary tract involvement. Patients present
      early in life and there is male preponderance. We discuss here a case of primary
      neurofibroma of the urinary bladder in a 52-year-male presenting with haematuria,
      irritative bladder symptoms and pelvic mass. Cystoscopy showed a swelling in the
      left lateral wall. A transurethral biopsy revealed neurofibroma of the urinary
      bladder. Immunohistochemical studies confirmed the diagnosis. 

PMID- 26500915
TI  - Retroperitoneal Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumour: A Rare Case Report.
AB  - Malignant nerve sheath tumours (MPNST) are rare neoplasias and retroperitoneal
      cases are fairly rare and clinically difficult to be detected, but they are very
      agressive neoplasias. MPNST are frequently seen in head, neck and upper
      extremities. In patients with NF1; MPNST, a poor-prognostic lesion, may result
      from a malignant degeneration of a former plexiform neurofibroma. It is necessary
      to be aware of a potential malignancy in patients diagnosed with plexiform
      neurofibroma. We present a 21-year-old female with a diagnosis of MPNST. The
      patient was admited to the hospital because of a tumour in the subcutaneous
      region on her left buttock. The surgeon's clinical diagnosis was lipoma. After
      the pathological examination of biopsy specimen, the lesion was identified as
      "plexiform neurofibroma" and then the patient was diagnosed with
      Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1). Simultaneously, another mass on the
      retroperitoneal region was identified as malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour
      (MPNST). 

PMID- 26500916
TI  - Cytologic Interpretation of Melanotic Neuroectodermal Tumour of Infancy Involving
      Cranial Bones: Clue to Diagnosis.
AB  - Melanotic neuroectodermal tumour of infancy (MNTI) is a rare, benign but locally
      aggressive neoplasm of infants commonly affecting the maxilla. It can also
      involve other areas like skull, mandible, brain and epididymis. The tumour
      comprise of dual populations of cells like small, basophilic neuroblast like
      cells and large pigment laden epithelial cells arranged in tubular and
      pseudoglandular pattern. The proportion of two components varies and therefore
      the diagnosis can be difficult in absence of the large cells. We describe the
      cytologic, histologic and immunohistochemical findings in a case of MNTI
      involving left side orbit with frontal, temporal and parietal bones. The
      cytologic interpretation could be made due to the suggestive clinical and
      radiologic findings and detection of large epithelial pigmented cells on thorough
      searching. The neuroblast like cells was positive for Neuron specific enolase,
      large cells for HMB-45 and Pan CK. Both the cellular components were negative for
      desmin. This case report is presented due to its rarity and also to aid the
      surgical pathologists in diagnosis where the findings are not too straight
      forward. 

PMID- 26500917
TI  - Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: An Unusual Cause of Bleeding Pancreatic Mass.
AB  - Renal Cell Carcinoma metastasizing to pancreas is uncommon, occurring in 1-2% of
      cases; lung being the most common site. It is usually asymptomatic, or may
      present as abdominal pain, weight loss, pancreatitis or gastrointestinal
      bleeding. Herein, we present a case of 75-year-old male presented as
      intraabdominal bleeding to the Emergency Department. Contrast enhanced computed
      tomography with angiography of abdomen showed lobulated soft tissue mass in the
      uncinate process region, infiltrating into the distal third and proximal fourth
      part of duodenum. A clinico-radiological diagnosis of carcinoma head of pancreas
      infiltrating into duodenum was made and the patient underwent Whipple's
      operation. With past history of nephrectomy 3 years back, microscopy and the
      immunoprofile; a final diagnosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma metastasizing
      to pancreas was given on histopathology. A high index of suspicion is required
      for patients with a history of RCC and they should be monitored lifelong for
      early detection of metastases and to improve survival. 

PMID- 26500918
TI  - An Extemly Rare Case of Left Atrium and Right Pulmonary Vein Leiomyosarcoma.
AB  - We report a case of a 43-year-old female, presented with complaints of
      breathlessness for 1 month and had three episodes of syncopal attacks in the past
      two months. On clinical evaluation, bilateral pedal oedema was noticed. Echo
      cardiogram revealed large left atrial blood clot measuring 5.7x4.3x4.3 cm.
      Ultrasound whole abdomen was normal. We received an excised mass with right
      pulmonary vein end arterectomy speciemen. Histopathology of the mass revealed
      characteristic features of leiomyosarcoma with grade III, according to FNCCS
      grading system. The tumour was consistent with substantial amount of poorly
      differentiated fasicles of pleomorphic spindle cells and brisk atypical mitosis,
      with marked necrosis. Immunohistochemistry revealed the tumour cells in strong
      diffuse cytoplasmic positive for smooth muscle actin and Ki-67 showed 15-20% of
      tumour cells postivity. The prognosis depends on the individual tumour origin for
      individual site, size of tumour and depth of tumour than histological features.
      Pulmonary venous leiomyosarcomas were assumed to be misinterpretation of left
      atrial leiomyosarcomas with growth of the tumour into pulmonary vein lumen. We
      report this case in view of its extreme rarity. 

PMID- 26500919
TI  - Co-Existence of Acinic Cell Carcinoma - Papillary Cystic Variant and
      Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis - Report of A Case with Brief Review.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) and cancer are two lethal diseases causing significant
      morbidity and mortality in developing countries like India. Co-existence of these
      two disease lead to diagnostic dielemma among the clinicians. Overlapping
      clinical manifestations lead to delay in diagnosis. We report a case of acinic
      cell carcinoma -papillary cystic variant of the salivary gland and extra
      pulmonary tuberculosis in a young female. We emphasize the importance of the
      awareness of the co-existence of these two diseases and the role of fine needle
      aspiration cytology in the initial diagnosis. 

PMID- 26500920
TI  - Information Education and Communication can Improve Adherence to Artemether
      Lumefantrine Combination in Patients of Uncomplicated Falciparum Malaria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis and prompt treatment with Artemisinin combination
      therapy (ACT) is vital to improve mortality in Falciparum Malaria. Information
      education and communication (IEC) is a strong tool that can improve drug
      adherence. AIM: To explore if IEC in the form of designed drug bags with verbal
      communication can improve ACT adherence in Falciparum Malaria patients. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A prospective, interventional, controlled study was conducted in OPD
      patients of both SCB Medical college, Cuttack and district headquarter hospital
      Cuttack district of Odisha. IEC material in the form of well designed drug bag
      and verbal communication was used for intervention. Control group received ACT
      combinations but were not given IEC. RESULTS: Adherence to IEC was significantly
      higher (81%) in patients receiving IEC compared to controlled patients not
      receiving IEC. Educational status and the geographical area of the patient were
      found out to affect adherence to IEC to a significant extent. CONCLUSION: IEC in
      the form of designed drug bags, supplemented by verbal communication can improve
      ACT adherence in Falciparum Malaria.

PMID- 26500921
TI  - Prevalence of Y Chromosome Microdeletions in Idiopathic Azoospermia Cases in
      Central Indian Men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genetic factor is important determinant of human male fertility, it
      is involved in 10-15% infertile males. Chromosome abnormalities and Y chromosome
      microdeletions are the main genetic causative factors for infertility. The
      frequency of male infertility & microdeletions in Y chromosome are also related
      to ethnic, geographical variations. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of
      chromosomal abnormalities and microdeletions of Y chromosome in infertile
      azoospermia cases in central India to assess the geographical or population based
      variations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have studied 160 non-obstructive
      azoospermia cases to find out frequency of chromosomal abnormalities and Y
      chromosome microdeletions of AZF locus. G-banding method was used for exclusion
      of chromosomal abnormalities. One hundred and forty eight azoospermic infertile
      men were screened using 12 sequence-tagged-sites (STS) primers of AZFa, AZFb,
      AZFc region and SRY gene (Yp) region by polymerase chain reactions. RESULTS: Out
      of 160 azoospermic infertile males, 12 (7.5%) confirmed chromosomal abnormalities
      and Klinefelter's syndrome was predominantly cause of azoospermia. Of the 148
      infertile males, 19 (12.8%) were shown microdeletions in different AZF regions.
      Deletions in AZFa region were 2.02% and 3.37% was in AZFb whereas high
      frequencies of deletions (6.08%) in AZFc were recorded in azoospermic males. In
      two azoospermic males were shown microdeletions in AZFb+c loci. CONCLUSION: The
      prevalence of Y chromosome microdeletions in azoospermic men was 12.8% in this
      geographical region. Klinefelter's syndrome is important cause in male
      infertility. So, the screening of Y microdeletions is essential.

PMID- 26500922
TI  - Prevalence of Atherosclerotic Coronary Stenosis in Asymptomatic North Indian
      Population: A Post-mortem Coronary Angiography Study.
AB  - AIM: A preliminary study of coronaries using post-mortem angiography was
      undertaken to see the prevalence of atherosclerotic coronary stenosis in non
      cardiac unnatural deaths. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in a
      tertiary care centre located in Chandigarh. A total of 128 medico-legal cases
      were studied comprising 88 males and 40 females. Post-mortem examinations of
      these MLC cases were conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine, PGIMER,
      Chandigarh. All hearts were visually screened by post-mortem coronary angiography
      first and then grossly examined using serial transverse incision technique in
      positive screening cases to find the degree of narrowing. RESULTS: Of the study
      group, 34% males and 20% females showed evidence of narrowing on angiography. Of
      the males showing coronary stenosis, 83% had single vessel disease and 13% had
      double vessel disease, while only one individual had triple vessel disease. In
      cases of female, all the cases of coronary stenosis were single vessel disease.
      Left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was the most common vessel
      involved, followed by right coronary artery (RCA) & Left circumflex artery (LCX)
      and in cases of double vessel disease, LAD in combination with LCX was
      responsible for 75% of the cases. Remarkably 23.6% of study population in the age
      group of less than 40 years showed appreciable narrowing in at least one of the
      coronaries. CONCLUSION: In general, the prevalence of CAD is on the rise,
      particularly in younger population owing to the changes in their lifestyle and
      food habits. This preliminary study revealed evidence of narrowing of at least
      one coronary in 34% male and 20% female population and 23.6% subjects were less
      than 40 years old. Further detailed studies are needed especially in younger age
      group and to support the need for preventive cardiology in the early years of
      life.

PMID- 26500923
TI  - Is the Time Right to Start Using Flipped Classrooms in Indian Medical Colleges?

PMID- 26500924
TI  - Screening Depression Among Elderly in a City of Southeast Asia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Changing family structure (Joint to Nuclear), increased life
      expectancy above 60 years of age, generation and communication gap, financial
      dependency on children leads to conflict among family members. This may sometime
      lead to old age home settlement of elderly people. All these condition leads to
      isolation and insecurity among elderly people and this condition affect the
      mental status of elderly people which may sometime lead to depression among Old
      Age Homes residents and family living elderly people. OBJECTIVE: To study the
      prevalence of depression and diagnosed systemic morbidities among elderly people.
      To study the predictors of depression among study subjects. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among elderly people
      (age >=60 years) residing in old age homes (OAHs) and in community/families in
      Lucknow, India. Multistage sampling technique was used to include required sample
      of subjects from the community and for OAHs all the elderly people living in OAHs
      were included. Geriatric depression scale was used to screen depression. RESULTS:
      Depression was 27.7% among elderly people residing in OAHs while it was 15.6%
      those residing at their own homes. In community most frequent morbidity was
      hypertension (17.7%) while 41.1% elderly people had no diagnosed morbidity. In
      OAHs out of total the musculoskeletal morbidity (33.7%) was most frequent and
      18.8% had no diagnosed morbidity. On multivariate analysis financial dependency
      and education were found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Depression
      was more common among elderly living in Old Age Homes as compare to those living
      in community. Hypertension, musculoskeletal morbidities and eye related
      morbidities were most frequent diagnosed morbidities. Financial Dependency &
      Education were found to be primary predictors of depression.

PMID- 26500925
TI  - Menstrual Disorders and Its Determinants Among Married Women of Rural Haryana.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Disorders of menstruation are common problems among women. They
      have several psychological effects on women's health. AIM: This study aimed to
      estimate prevalence of menstrual disorders, usage of sanitary pads and their
      determinants among married women in selected villages of rural Haryana. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted during September 2011 in 10
      villages of PHC (Primary Health Centre) Mandi, Haryana, using a systematic random
      sampling technique. Currently married women in the age group of 18-45 years
      living in study area for more than 1 year were included in the study while those
      who were pregnant and unable to understand questions were excluded. Informed
      verbal consent was obtained from all participants. RESULTS: A total of 344 women
      were interviewed. The mean (SD) age of participants was 28.0 (5.4) years.
      Majority of women were housewives (78.8%) and most had education up to middle
      school (22.7%). Mean (SD) age at menarche was 14.3 (1.2) years. Nearly one-tenth
      of women had married before 18 years of age. Prevalence of all menstrual
      disorders was 20.3% and most common disorder was excessive pain. About one fifth
      reported irregularity of menstrual cycles. Almost half were not using sanitary
      pads during menses. Menstrual disorders were more common among non-users of
      contraception (OR=1.7, p = 0.04) and housewives (OR = 2.4, p= 0.03). CONCLUSION:
      Disorders of menstruation were fairly common among women surveyed. Usage of
      sanitary pads was quiet low. Awareness generation among women regarding menstrual
      problems and Behaviour Change Communication to promote usage of sanitary pads are
      important measures to reduce related morbidity.

PMID- 26500926
TI  - Burden of Diabetes Related Complications Among Hypertensive and Non Hypertensive
      Diabetics: A Comparative Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes and hypertension are the conditions with overlapping risk
      factors and complications. Objective of present study was to compare the burden
      of complications of diabetes among hypertensive and non hypertensive diabetes
      individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at
      Saveetha medical college and hospital, Chennai, India. A total of 100 diabetics
      having hypertension and 50 non-hypertensive diabetic patients were enrolled on
      the basis of purposive sampling. Information about sociodemograpic
      characteristics, general health, health distress, diabetes symptoms,
      communication with physician, healthcare utilization and lifetime occurrence of
      diabetes related complications. Mean, standard deviation and median of continuous
      variables and proportion of categorical variables were recorded. RESULTS: Average
      age of the hypertensive diabetes patients (M=57; SD=11) was higher than non
      hypertensive diabetes patients (M=52; SD=11) which was statistically significant
      (p=.009). Diabetic neuropathy was reported by 45% of the hypertensive and 38% of
      the non-hypertensive diabetics. Mean self reported general health score was
      higher among hypertensive diabetic participants (M=3.4; SD=1) in comparison to
      non hypertensive diabetic participants (M=3; SD=1) and it was found statistically
      significant (p=.03) indicating towards poor self health perception among
      hypertensive's. Results of the study have shown that the proportion of
      participants who have prepared any list of questions before visiting doctor's
      clinic (fairly often to always) was significantly higher among hypertensive
      diabetics (30%) in comparison to non-hypertensive diabetics (14%). CONCLUSION:
      The proportion of participants reporting diabetes neuropathy and retinopathy was
      higher among hypertensive diabetics in comparison to non hypertensive diabetics.

PMID- 26500927
TI  - Role of Behavioural Risk Factors in Symptoms Related to UTI Among Nursing
      Students.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: UTI is a well known entity amongst young girls, and the majority of
      girls have recurrent infections within one year. Anything that disturbs the usual
      vaginal environment would result in conditions favouring the production of
      unwanted microorganisms leading to infections of this very sensitive area.
      Studies have shown that, there is an evident relation of UTI's among students and
      practices of personal hygiene. AIM: To determine association between the
      behavioural risk factors and UTI among nursing girls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      present study was undertaken amongst unmarried nursing students of a Medical
      College Hospital. A predesigned pretested questionnaire was used to know the
      personal hygiene of students and to find out its association with UTI in the last
      three months. Chi-square test was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: A
      significant association was observed between perineal hygiene and UTI. The major
      risk factors of UTI identified were incorrect perineal washing technique, use of
      synthetic/silk innerwears, not sundrying the innerwears, improper menstrual
      hygiene. CONCLUSION: There are still major gaps in the knowledge regarding
      causation of UTI among the nursing students. This calls for an urgent need for
      educational talks periodically addressing these gaps.

PMID- 26500928
TI  - Attitude Towards Alzheimer's Disease Among Undergraduate Students of University
      of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease is most common among the dementias and is
      characterized by gradual declines in functional and cognitive abilities.
      Caregivers including family members play a key role in providing critically
      needed care for these patients. OBJECTIVE: This study compared the knowledge and
      attitudes of pre-healthcare and non-medical undergraduate students towards
      patients with Alzheimer's disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study
      was conducted involving quota sampling of 691 undergraduate students (369 pre
      healthcare and 322 non-medical). A 28-item questionnaire was utilised comprising
      of closed-ended questions and some based on a scale rating. The students'
      knowledge of Alzheimer's disease was arranged into categories such as: 0 for no
      knowledge about Alzheimer's disease, 1 for very little knowledge about
      Alzheimer's disease, 2 for fair knowledge about Alzheimer's disease and 3 for
      great knowledge about Alzheimer's disease. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The data was
      analysed using the computer software SPSS and the Chi squared test of
      independence was also used to determine which knowledge variables were
      independent of student's status. RESULTS: Overall, 40.01% of the students have
      great or fair knowledge of Alzheimer's disease, with that of pre-healthcare
      students being satisfactory (54.47%). Pre-healthcare students have a more
      positive attitude towards Alzheimer's disease and 82.2% of students wished to
      take advantage of predictive test for Alzheimer's disease. Age and genetics were
      identified as risk factors of the disease. CONCLUSION: Pre-healthcare students
      had greater understanding of Alzheimer's disease and depicted a more empathetic
      and caring attitude towards patients. This can be attributed mainly to their
      knowledge and exposure toward the disease.

PMID- 26500929
TI  - Prevalence and Current Approaches of Ebola Virus Disease in ASEAN Countries.
AB  - As indicated by the World Health Organization as of year 2014, around 10,000
      people have been influenced with Ebola infection. The episode of Ebola in African
      locale is courged with a high death rate. Notwithstanding, in the United States,
      people influenced by Ebola have been given brilliant wellbeing offices, as the
      U.S. is one of the highest nations that have taken sterner wellbeing measures and
      principles against Ebola. Aside from the U.S., individuals in Asia, where
      billions live in indigence and general wellbeing frameworks are frequently
      extremely powerless, are under more serious danger of the Ebola infection.
      Despite the fact that nations like Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan can
      take stretched out measures to battle against the infection, nations like
      Philippines and Indonesia have unfathomable quantities of poor who may be
      incredibly influenced by a conceivable episode. At this moment, the chances that
      Asia will take a critical hit from the Ebola infection appear to be genuinely
      little. Yet, while it is far-fetched that Asia will encounter a real flare-up,
      genuine concerns stay about the infection coming to urban communities like Hong
      Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore through their worldwide airplane terminals.
      Wellbeing priests from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
      reported key measures not long ago to keep the Ebola plague from coming to the
      locale and to backing influenced nations. This article accordingly will
      concentrate on the prevalence and current approaches of Ebola Virus Disease in
      ASEAN nations which is the need of the hour. 

PMID- 26500930
TI  - Treatment of Acute Painful Thyroiditis with Low Dose Prednisolone: A Study on
      Patients from Western Nepal.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Thyroiditis is a disorder that involves inflammation of the thyroid
      gland. Subacute thyroiditis is the most common cause of acute painful
      thyroiditis. It is thought to be a viral inflammatory disorder. Subacute
      thyroiditis has been treated with either nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
      (NSAIDs) or high dose corticosteroids. The response to steroids is more dramatic
      and quicker than the NSAIDs. Prednisolone is the most commonly used
      corticosteroid to treat subacute thyroiditis. The usual dose is one mg/kg/day
      tapered over six weeks although the basis for this dose has not been established
      yet by prospective studies. AIM: The current research was carried out to study if
      prednisolone in lower initial dose (20 mg/day tapered over four weeks) is
      effective in patients with acute painful thyroiditis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      study was a prospective, cross sectional, observational study carried out at
      Pokhara, Nepal. All the patients presenting with anterior neck pain of less than
      1 week with tender thyroid on palpation and ESR more than 30mm/h were included in
      the study. The patients were administered prednisolone in a starting dose of 20
      mg/day tapered over four weeks. Data were collected, analysed and the results
      were interpreted. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty two patients of acute painful
      thyroiditis were included in our study. Age of the patients ranged from 19 years
      to 69 years with the mean age of 36.58 years. Female to Male ratio was 10:1. Mean
      ESR was 57.03 at the time of presentation. ESR decreased to 29.63 at two weeks
      and 17.03 mm per hour (normal) at 4 weeks after continuation of the drug. All the
      patients reported with severe pain in the anterior neck at the time of
      presentation. Pain was completely relieved in 115 patients (94%) at 2 weeks after
      starting the treatment and it was better than previous in seven patients.
      CONCLUSION: Twenty mg of prednisolone daily tapered over 4 weeks is an adequate
      treatment of subacute thyroiditis. However, dose can be drastically tapered after
      2 weeks.

PMID- 26500931
TI  - Effect of Refractive Status and Axial Length on Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fibre
      Layer Thickness: An Analysis Using 3D OCT.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accurate measurement of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) is now
      possible with the high resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT). Effect of
      refractive status of the eye on RNFL thickness may be relevant in the diagnosis
      of glaucoma and other optic nerve diseases. AIM: To assess the RNFL thickness and
      compare its correlation with refractive status and axial length of the eye.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three hundred eyes of 150 patients were included in this
      study, who underwent RNFL analysis using TOPCON 3D OCT 2000. Analysis of variance
      has been used to find the significance of study parameters between the study
      groups. RESULTS: The study showed that refractive status/axial length affected
      the peripapillary RNFL thickness significantly. CONCLUSION: The study suggests
      that the diagnostic accuracy of OCT may be improved by considering refractive
      status and axial length of the eye when RNFL is measured.

PMID- 26500932
TI  - Post Surgical Giant Epidermal Inclusion Cyst of the Lid and Orbit- A Rare Case.
AB  - Epidermoid cyst within the lid and orbit is extremely rare. Epidermoid tumours
      are inclusion of ectodermal elements in the site not normally containing these
      structures. It is of two types; primary type related to implantation of ectoderm
      at the time of closure of the neural groove and secondary type caused by post
      traumatic inclusion of the surface epithelium. A 45-year-old male had complaint
      of swelling on the right upper lid and orbital region. It first appeared two
      years back. It was painless progressively increased in size and shape. There was
      difficulty in opening of eye lid due to large swelling, feeling of heaviness in
      the right upper lid and occasional headache. There was history of right eye
      ocular infection following vegetative matter injury three years back.
      Evisceration of right eye was done for aforementioned reason. USG report shows
      cystic encapsulated mass with calcification foci in right upper lid-orbital
      region with fat component. MRI right orbit shows fairly large hyperintense cystic
      lesion seen involving right orbit with posterior extension up to optic canal. No
      intracranial extension. FNAC confirmed epidermal inclusion cyst. We did upper lid
      reconstruction with removal of mass. We have successfully removed the mass
      without any complication and with one year follow-up there is no recurrence. 

PMID- 26500933
TI  - The Prevalence, Risk Factors and Changes in Symptoms of Self Reported Asthma,
      Rhinitis and Eczema Among Pregnant Women in Ogbomoso, Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Allergic disorders have become a major public health concern
      worldwide. No Nigerian study has examined the epidemiology of allergic diseases
      among women. AIM: To document the prevalence, risk factors and the changes in the
      symptoms of allergic disorders during pregnancy. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Cross
      sectional study conducted at the booking and antenatal clinics of LAUTECH
      Teaching Hospital and Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Clinic of the
      Comprehensive Health Center, Oja Igbo, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Study enrolled 432 women from two public hospitals. Sociodemographic and clinical
      history were obtained and allergic disorders were diagnosed using ISAAC
      questionnaires. RESULTS: The prevalence of wheezing, eczema and rhinitis in
      pregnancy are 7.5%, 4.0% and 5.8% respectively. The prevalence of wheezing and
      eczema was slightly higher among the pregnant in past 12 months. Wheeze worsened
      in 70% (18/26), improved in 15% (2/26), and stable in 15% (2/26). Eczema worsened
      in 50% (7/14), improved in 7.1% (1/14) and stable in 42.9% (6/14), while allergic
      rhinitis worsened in 50% (11/22), improved in 22.7% (5/22) and stabilized in 27.3
      % (6/22). In multivariate analysis, the risk of allergic diseases in pregnancy
      was increase 2 times by low income earning (CI: 1.2 - 2.1, p = 0.002), low level
      education (OR = 0.6, CI: 0.3 - 0.9, p = 0.011) and by family history of asthma,
      OR-4.3, CI - 1.3 - 13.9, p = 0.015. Family history of asthma increase the chances
      of asthma by 18.7 times, CI-2.3 - 152.2, p = 0.006, while the odd of eczema was
      increased 9.1 times (CI-2.7 - 30.6, p<0.001) and 2.4 times (CI: 1.2 - 4.7, p =
      0.008) by second hand home smoking and low-family income respectively. The risk
      of allergic rhinitis were raised 1.8 times by low family income (CI 1.1 - 2.8, p
      = 0.013) and 3.9 times by family history of rhinitis (OR = 3.9, CI 1.2 - 12.7, p
      = 0.024). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of wheezing and eczema are higher in pregnancy
      probably due to exacerbation induced by pregnancy. Social and genetic factors are
      important risk factors for allergic disorders in pregnancy.

PMID- 26500934
TI  - Decreased Bone Mineral Density at the Femoral Neck and Lumbar Spine in South
      Indian Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With prevalence of diabetes in India reaching epidemic proportions
      and increase in the population of geriatric age group and risks of falls, it is
      important to understand the effect that diabetes has on bone health. AIM: The
      objective was to assess bone mineral density (BMD) of patients with type 2
      diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to study factors contributing to BMD in patients
      with T2DM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective cross-sectional study on
      150 patients with T2DM (diagnosed at age > 30 years) and an equal number (n=150)
      of age and sex matched healthy controls from September 2012 to July 2014 at a
      tertiary care center located in Southern India. BMD was measured at the femoral
      neck and lumbar spine (L2-L4) by dual energy absorptiometry (DXA) in cases and
      controls. Serum total calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and 25
      OH- vitamin D3 was measured in patient group. RESULTS: Mean age (SD) was 51.29
      (+/-8.05) and 51 (+/-8.3) years in cases and controls, respectively. The femoral
      neck and lumbar spine BMD was significantly lower in T2DM cases compared to
      controls. Also the femoral neck and lumbar spine T-score was significantly lower
      in T2DM cases compared to controls. Femoral neck BMD among male patients with
      T2DM was significantly lower compared to controls (men). Among women, BMD at
      femoral neck as well as lumbar spine was significantly lower in cases when
      compared to controls. Ninety six out of 150 (64%) T2DM cases had Vitamin D values
      <20 ng/mL. There was weak negative correlation between age of patient, duration
      of diabetes and HbA1C with femoral neck BMD. There was weak negative correlation
      between HbA1C and lumbar spine BMD. CONCLUSION: Indian subjects with type 2
      diabetes have significantly lower BMD at both femoral neck and lumbar spine
      compared to age and sex matched healthy controls. We conclude that osteopenia and
      osteoporosis are overlooked complications of diabetes. Longitudinal studies are
      needed to see for actual incidence of fractures among this high risk group.

PMID- 26500935
TI  - Anti-perinuclear Factor as Diagnostic Marker in Rheumatoid Arthritis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease. It is
      associated with several auto antibodies which can serve as diagnostic and
      prognostic markers. AIM: In this study, Anti perinuclear Factor (APF) was
      evaluated as a biomarker in comparison with Rheumatoid Factor (RF) in Rheumatoid
      Arthritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty two sera of patients with RA (mean age
      48+/-15.8), 23 sera of Patient control group (mean age 32.5 +/- 16.9) and 30 sera
      of Healthy control group (mean age 32.1+/- 16.9) were analysed. The method is
      based on the binding of APF to perinuclear keratohyalin granules of buccal
      mucosal cell and its detection using a fluorescently labeled anti human total
      antiserum. RESULTS: APF were found in 71.2 %(37/52) of patients with RA. The
      sensitivity and specificity for APF from 1/5 serum dilution was 71.2% and 94.3%
      respectively. RF test had higher sensitivity (88.5%) compare to the APF test
      (71.2%), but its specificity was (86.8%) less than APF (94.3%). There was no
      significant relationship between the onset of APF and severity of disease but
      there was significant relationship between the APF titer and severity of disease
      (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: It is concluded that APF test is a valuable serological
      tool for the diagnosis of the disease and a useful serological marker to
      differentiate from the other inflammatory rheumatoid diseases.

PMID- 26500936
TI  - Hypokalaemic Periodic Paralysis- A Prospective Study of the Underlying
      Etiologies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypokalaemic periodic paralysis (HPP) is a rare muscular disorder
      characterised by episodic weakness associated with hypokalaemia. The disease can
      either be inherited or acquired and misdiagnosis of the disease is quite common.
      Most of the data available on the disease is from the western world. Studies
      reporting aetiological, clinical and metabolic profiles of Indian population are
      sparse. Hence we tried to provide insights of the disease among the Indian
      population. AIM: To study the aetiological, clinical and metabolic profile of
      patients diagnosed with Hypokalaemic Periodic Paralysis (HPP). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This is an observational and analytical study on HPP diagnosed patients,
      during September 2011 to September 2014 in Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. A total of
      23 patients were studied. Detailed history, clinical evaluation and metabolic
      workup for secondary causes of HPP were analysed. RESULTS: Of the 23 patients,
      57% had primary HPP while 43% had secondary HPP. The group of patients with
      primary HPP comprised of 92% males and 8% females with mean age of 28 years and
      the mean duration of symptoms of 18 hours. The group with secondary HPP comprised
      of 70% males and 30% females with mean age of 38.7 years and the mean duration of
      symptoms of 60 hours. The secondary causes of HPP were thyrotoxicosis (50%),
      infective diarrhea (20%), Crohn's disease (10%), renal tubular acidosis (RTA)
      Type I (10%) and Conn's syndrome (10%). CONCLUSION: In our study primary HPP was
      found to be more common than secondary HPP. Males were predominantly affected in
      both groups. HPP should be ruled out before starting therapy for Guillain-Barre
      Syndrome (GBS).

PMID- 26500937
TI  - Therapeutic Hypothermia after Prolonged Cardiac Arrest: Case Report with Review
      of Literature.
AB  - Patients who survive cardiac arrest often develop severe neurological dysfunction
      due to the hypoxic brain injury and reperfusion induced cell death. Therapeutic
      hypothermia (TH) has become a standard therapy of cerebral protection following
      the successful return of spontaneous circulation in patients of out-of-hospital
      cardiac arrest, according to American heart association guidelines. This is a
      case report of a 30-year-old patient who developed in-hospital cardiac arrest and
      was revived after prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and also required
      primary angioplasty. TH was then established with local measures for 24 hours for
      cerebral protection. The patient was gradually and successfully weaned off from
      ventilator with no neurological impairment. There is an increasing evidence of TH
      and its protective mechanisms in patients with non-shockable arrest rhythms with
      particular emphasis on neurological outcomes. This article emphasizes the role of
      TH in every successful CPR irrespective of the cardiac rhythm. 

PMID- 26500938
TI  - Immunologic Cerebral Vasculitis and Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis: An Uncommon
      Association.
AB  - Infection can cause cerebral vasculitis not only by direct invasion of the vessel
      wall, but by immune complex deposition, or through secondary cryoglobulineamia.
      There are also two types of cerebral vasculitis associated with tuberculosis
      (TB). In TB treatment, cerebral vasculitis caused by immunologic injury received
      little attention than vasculitis due to direct invasion of TB infection. We
      report a case in a young woman who presented with fever, generalized
      lymphadenopathy, stroke-like events, movement disorder and coma, which was found
      to be active, lymph node TB with immunologic cerebral vacuities without
      tuberculosis meningitis. 

PMID- 26500939
TI  - Gerbode Defect-A Rare Defect of Atrioventricular Septum and Tricuspid Valve.
AB  - Left ventricular to right atrial communications (the Gerbode defect) are rare
      types of ventricular septal defect and present as direct or an indirect type. We
      hereby, report two cases, one direct and another indirect type. Cardiopulmonary
      bypass surgery was done and a successful suture closure of ventricularseptal
      defect using pericardial patch was performed. 

PMID- 26500940
TI  - Inheritance of Hereditary Persistence of Fetal Haemoglobin (HPFH) in a Family of
      Western Odisha, India.
AB  - Hereditary persistence of foetal haemoglobin (HPFH) is a rare inherited
      haemoglobin disorders in India. We encountered five cases of HPFH-3 in
      heterozygous condition in a single family of western Odisha, India. All the cases
      had raised % HbF (26.1+/-3.23%) with pancellular distribution of HbF in
      erythrocytes. There were no abnormalities found in the red cell indices. All the
      cases were asymptomatic till date with normal growth and development. Molecular
      confirmation of this haemoglobin disorders is important for control and
      prevention of haemoglobinopathies in this region. 

PMID- 26500942
TI  - Pseudo-ballooning of Radial Artery-An Artifact.

PMID- 26500941
TI  - Follicular Bronchiolitis: A Literature Review.
AB  - Follicular bronchiolitis (FB) also known as hyperplasia of the bronchial
      associated lymphoid tissue (BALT), or bronchiolar nodular lymphoid hyperplasia,
      is an entity characterized by the development of lymphoid follicles with germinal
      centers in the walls of small airways. FB is thought to be caused by antigenic
      stimulation of BALT, followed by a polyclonal lymphoid hyperplasia. It is
      currently classified as one of the reactive pulmonary lymphoid disorders in a
      group known as the lymphoproliferative pulmonary diseases (LPDs). FB is a
      pathological diagnosis that can be seen in several clinical settings, including
      connective tissue diseases, immunodeficiency states, autoimmune diseases,
      infections, obstructive airway diseases, as well as several types of interstitial
      lung diseases (ILDs). Its characteristics need to be carefully identified and
      differentiated from other closely related diseases in the group of LPDs due to
      significant differences in treatment and prognosis. 

PMID- 26500943
TI  - Atrial Fibrillation Due to Acute Myocarditis During Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever.

PMID- 26500944
TI  - A Comparison of Clinical Features, Pathology and Outcomes in Various Subtypes of
      Breast Cancer in Indian Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is often classified into subtypes using
      immunohistochemical markers. These subtypes have distinct biological behaviour.
      This study was conducted with the aim of estimating the distribution of various
      subtypes of breast cancer in Indian population based on immunohistochemistry
      markers and to determine the clinical features, pathology and outcomes of these
      subtypes of breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was
      undertaken and all patients of breast cancer over a 5 year period were included.
      These patients were divided into 4 subgroups depending on the presence or absence
      of immunohistochemical markers: i) Luminal A (ER/PR+, Her 2 neu-); ii) Luminal B
      (ER/PR+, Her 2 neu+); iii) Her 2 enriched (ER-/PR-, Her 2 neu+) and; iv) Triple
      negative (ER-, PR-, Her2 neu-). Clinical and pathological features and survival
      were compared between patients in the 4 subgroups. RESULTS: Luminal A subgroup
      had majority of patients (43.8%). Patients in Luminal B, Her 2 enriched, and
      Triple negative subgroups were 14.8%, 16.1% and 25.3%. Median follow-up of
      patients was for 34 months. Luminal A subgroup patients were more likely to be
      postmenopausal and have smaller and lower grade (I/II) tumours with better
      survival (OS-91.06%). Patients in the Triple negative subgroup were more likely
      to be premenopausal (p-value 0.036, odds ratio 0.611, CI 0.394-0.949), have
      larger and higher grade (III) tumours with worse overall survival (OS-88.46%,
      odds ratio 1.32, 95%CI 0.602-2.39). Her 2 enriched group patients had bad
      prognostic features like larger size of tumour and higher grade of tumour and
      worst survival among all the subgroups (OS-85.07%, odds ratio 1.78, 95% CI 0.767
      4.163). However, these outcomes were not statistically significant for the
      subgroups. CONCLUSION: A retrospective study was undertaken of breast cancer
      patients in India, according to subtypes based on immunohistochemistry. Luminal A
      had prognostic features and survival which was better as compared to other
      subgroups (Luminal B, Her 2 enriched and Triple negative). Incidence of patients
      with Triple negative breast cancer was higher in the premenopausal period.
      Patients with Her 2 enriched breast cancer had the worst survival among all the
      subgroups.

PMID- 26500945
TI  - Paraganglioma of Urinary Bladder Presenting as An Early Preeclampsia with
      Successful Perinatal Outcome After Surgery: A Case Report and Review of
      Literature.
AB  - Paraganglioma in urinary bladder associated with pregnancy is extremely rare with
      a prevalence of less than 1%. We report a case of 25-year-old pregnant female who
      presented with gross haematuria and clot retention during first trimester. MRI
      pelvis showed a mass antero- inferior to bladder. Transurethral resection biopsy
      revealed paraganglioma of the urinary bladder. Her workup showed neither raised
      plasma free normetanephrine levels. Patient underwent partial cystectomy during
      second trimester. Postoperatively, she is normotensive with normal serum free
      normetanephrine levels. At term, she delivered a healthy female child. This case
      highlights a successful perinatal outcome with timely intervention, adequate
      preoperative control of hypertension and counselling. We report a case of
      paraganglioma of urinary bladder presenting as an early preeclampsia with
      successful perinatal outcome after surgery. 

PMID- 26500946
TI  - Penile Metastases From Prostate Adenocarcinoma: A Rare Presentation.
AB  - Penile metastases are rare in occurrence and are usually secondary to other
      genitourinary primary tumours. It is a debilitating near terminal condition at
      presentation with a dismal prognosis and poor survival rates. Supportive and
      palliative care is generally recommended to improve the quality of life of
      patients. We present a case of penile metastases in a 74-year-old male patient
      with prostatic adenocarcinoma in association with multiple skeletal metastases. 

PMID- 26500947
TI  - A Case Series & Review of Literature of Angiomyolipoma with Medical & Surgical
      Perspective.
AB  - The angiomyolipoma of renal origin is a rare benign tumour composed of fat cells,
      smooth muscle cells, and thick-wall blood vessels. Mostly these are sporadic
      origin, asymptomatic and benign in nature. Here we present two cases of Renal
      angiomyolipoma (AML) presenting as fever, pain, perirenal haematoma & frank
      haematuria. After initial stabilization, evaluated by contrast enhanced computer
      tomography (CECT) & diagnosed as renal angiomyolipoma because of low Hounsfield
      areas (10-20HU) suggestive for fat. Patient later underwent angiography with
      selective angioembolisation. Post intervention period was uneventful and was
      treated by an oral Everolimus 10 mg daily for a period of one year in first case
      & partial resection was done in second case. On two year follow-up both patients
      were doing well & had normal renal function without any recurrence. Embolisation
      is the emergency treatment of choice for bleeding angiomyolipoma. When preventive
      treatment is considered a nephron sparing approach by either transarterial
      embolisation or partial nephrectomy is clearly important. While angiomyolipoma in
      both kidneys or in solitary functioning kidneys, renal preservation is mandatory
      in order to avoid need for renal replacement therapy. Also, recently approved
      drug Everolimus may be considered for patients not suitable for surgery
      particularly in tumour seen with tuberous sclerosis. 

PMID- 26500948
TI  - An Unusual Transorbital Penetrating Injury by House-key (lock): A Case Report
      with a Small Review of Literature.
AB  - Penetrating injuries of the brain are quite uncommon, comprising approximately
      0.4% of all head injuries. In our case, a four-year-old boy who fell forward on a
      house-key (lock) accidentally while playing with some other children sustained a
      left sided penetrating transorbital brain injury. After hospital admission, the
      patient had a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 15/15, no visual loss but
      restriction of upward gaze (left eye) and profuse bleeding from the wound site.
      Firstly, the metallic key was removed in emergency operation theatre and
      haemostasis secured. Next day we did a combined surgical approach with
      neurosurgeons, Eye-surgeons and general surgeons after having CT scan report. We
      report this case because penetrating head injury is rare and transorbital
      penetrating head injury is even rarer and a predicament in emergency surgical
      practice with controversial management. 

PMID- 26500949
TI  - Ectopic Ureter Accompanied by Duplicated Ureter: Three Cases.
AB  - We report cases of ectopic ureter accompanied by three types of ureteral
      duplication that had been diagnosed previously and treated for enuresis. Data
      from three female patients ranging in age from 1 to 10 years were evaluated. The
      ectopic ureter was observed on the left in one case, on the right in another and
      bilateral in the third case. Complete duplication was found in two cases, while
      the third had incomplete duplication. Ureteroneocystostomy was performed in one
      case and subtotal nephrectomy was carried out in the other two cases.
      Ureteroneocystostomy was performed for the ectopic ureter found in the opposite
      urinary system in one of the cases. Ectopic duplicated ureter should be
      considered in treatment-resistant enuresis and urinary tract infections and after
      a careful physical examination, imaging as well as function tests should be
      performed. 

PMID- 26500950
TI  - A Rare Case of Emphysematous Cholecystitis.
AB  - Emphysematous cholecystitis is an acute infection of the gallbladder wall caused
      by gas-forming organisms. It is infrequent with insidious onset and diagnosed by
      the use of radiographs detecting presence of air within the gallbladder wall or
      lumen. The report describes the case of a 42-year-old alcoholic male who
      presented with sudden onset of pain in the right upper quadrant of abdomen, fever
      and bilious vomiting of two days duration. The patient did not have symptoms of
      jaundice. Emergency partial cholecystectomy was done and the culture directed
      antibiotics were given. The patient was followed up for 4 years and he remained
      asymptomatic. 

PMID- 26500951
TI  - Perigraft Seroma Presenting as Discharging Sinus and Spontaneous Exteriorization
      of Vascular Graft - A Rare Entity Following Vascular Repair with PTFE Graft.
AB  - Perigraft seroma presenting as discharging sinus and spontaneous exteriorization
      of vascular graft are rare complication of vascular injury repair with
      polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts. We hereby report a case of young boy who
      presented with discharging sinuses and vascular graft coming out from one of the
      sinuses following vascular repair of femoral artery with PTFE graft after a
      follow-up of six months but the limb was salvaged. On evaluation PTFE graft was
      found to be thrombosed and collaterals were formed for distal perfusion. Because
      of persistent discharging sinuses, PTFE graft was removed and femoral artery was
      ligated proximal and distal to the graft. This case highlights an unusual
      complication of PTFE grafts that is commonly used in vascular surgery and also
      highlights the fact that these graft buy time for gradual collaterals formation
      for distal perfusion and hence when thrombosed and complicated can be safely
      removed. 

PMID- 26500952
TI  - De novo Choledocholithiasis in Retained Common Bile Duct Stent.
AB  - De novo choledocholithiasis means formation of stone in the common bile duct
      (CBD). It can present as biliary colic, jaundice, cholangitis, pancreatitis or it
      may be asymptomatic. There are various indications for biliary stenting like CBD
      stone, CBD stricture, biliary leak, peri ampullary carcinoma, CBD malignancy,
      etc. Foreign bodies like silk sutures, endo-clips, fish bone, retained T- tubes,
      plastic or metallic stents, etc. lead to biliary stasis leading to eventual stone
      formation. Here, we discuss a case of choledocholithiasis post-cholecystectomy
      with CBD stenting done 15 years back which had migrated and acted as a nidus for
      stone formation in the CBD and hepatic duct. 

PMID- 26500953
TI  - Intramuscular Ossified Haemangioma: A Rare Case Report.
AB  - Haemangiomas are benign vascular neoplasm and intra muscular haemangioma
      constitutes 0.8% of all. Of these intramuscular ossified haemangioma is very
      rare. Here we are reporting a 30-year-old female admitted in our institute with
      complaints of pain and swelling in the medial aspect of right thigh for duration
      of one year. On evaluation CT showed well defined soft tissue lesion with
      calcification in vastus medialis which on guided aspiration showed numerous RBCs
      along with clusters of histiocytes with occasional calcified specs seen without
      presence of granulomas. The swelling was excised and histopathology confirmed
      intra muscular haemangioma with ossification. We hereby reporting a rare case of
      calcified intra muscular cavernous haemangioma which should be considered as
      differential diagnosis in any case of deep seated swelling with unexplained pain.

PMID- 26500954
TI  - Pacinian Neuroma Presenting as Congenital Macrodactyly: A Rare Case Report.
AB  - Pacinian neuromas are rare benign tumours of pacinian corpuscles of the digits.
      They generally occur on the volar aspect of the fingertips. Pacinian corpuscles
      are specialised nerve endings with a lamellated structure and are regarded as
      pressure and vibration receptors. Here, we report a case of pacinian neuroma
      presenting as congenital macrodactyly of the right little finger with pain for
      which the lesion was surgically excised. 

PMID- 26500955
TI  - Pleomorphic Adenoma in Subcutaneous Plane of the Neck: A Rare Entity.
AB  - Heterotopic Salivary Gland Tissue (HSGT) is salivary tissue found in locations
      not normally host to it. Neoplasms occurring in these heterotopic tissues are
      very rare. Review of literature has revealed the neck to be host to HSGT and
      rarely, tumourigenic changes in these inclusions have been observed. We present a
      clinically unsuspected case of an ectopic pleomorphic adenoma of lower neck in
      which the ectopic salivary tissue was found in subcutaneous plane, which to the
      best of our knowledge has not been reported and was proved only on cytology and
      histopathology. There is a probability of this tumour undergoing malignant
      transformation. Therefore, these tumours need to be promptly diagnosed,
      adequately treated and should be included in the differential diagnosis of neck
      masses. 

PMID- 26500956
TI  - Ectopic Spleen Presenting as Lump Abdomen: A Rare Case Report and Review of
      Literature.
AB  - Ectopic spleen is due to failure of fusion of the mesogastrium and the lining
      body wall epithelium, resulting in lax or absent supporting ligaments of spleen,
      making it abnormally mobile. This case presented as lump abdomen with history of
      recurrent attacks of abdominal pain. Clinical diagnosis was unidentified
      abdominal mass. The radiological imaging was suggestive of the diagnosis, and the
      exploration of abdomen has clinched the diagnosis. 

PMID- 26500957
TI  - CT Guided Removal of Iatrogenic Foreign Body: A Broken Intravenous Cannula.
AB  - Foreign bodies are encountered on day to day basis by a surgeon. Usually foreign
      bodies are lodged in narrow cavities of the body and the common age group is in
      children. They may range from foreign bodies in ear, nose, cricopharynx and even
      in rectum. Iatrogenic foreign bodies are not uncommon. Unknowingly, surgeons have
      been known to leave sponges, artery forceps in the abdomen which lead to
      hazardous sequelae. Intravascular foreign bodies occurrence has increased from a
      decade or so. 

PMID- 26500958
TI  - A Rare Case of Jejunal Atresia Due to Intrauterine Intussusception.
AB  - Intestinal atresia is generally caused by intrauterine vascular obstructions
      involving mesenteric vessels. Intrauterine intussusceptions (IUI) are one of
      these disruptive events. Intestinal intussusceptions affects children commonly
      between 3 months and 3 years of age, but it rarely affects in intrauterine life.
      The relationship between intrauterine intussusception and intestinal atresia has
      been demonstrated by few cases in literature, suggesting intrauterine
      intussusception as a rare cause of intestinal atresia. We report a 7-day-old full
      term neonate presenting with intrauterine intussusceptions (jejuno-jejunal)
      resulting in jejunal atresia. 

PMID- 26500959
TI  - Indwelling Catheterization in Caesarean Section: Time To Retire It!
AB  - BACKGROUND: Routine placement of indwelling catheter preoperatively in Caesarean
      Section is being practiced without justified scientific evidence. AIM: To
      evaluate the effect of routine indwelling catheterization on the postoperative
      ambulation, morbidity and hospital stay in women undergoing Caesarean section.
      SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Case-Control study carried in a tertiary teaching hospital.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was carried over 150 women undergoing primary
      Caesarean section without any medical complication or pre-existing Urinary Tract
      Infections (UTI). The subjects were randomly allocated to 2 groups i.e. Group
      1(Non-Catheterized; NC) and Group 2 (Catheterized for 24 hours postoperatively;
      C). Parameters noted were; duration of surgery, time of ambulation, postoperative
      voiding discomfort {graded as - no, mild, moderate-severe, by Visual Analog
      Scoring (VAS)}, incidence of UTI, postoperative urinary retention, need of
      postoperative antibiotics and duration of hospital stay. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS:
      Results were analysed using unpaired t-test. RESULTS: There was no significant
      difference in duration of surgery and postoperative urinary retention in both
      groups. However, it was seen that non-catheterized patients had significantly
      earlier ambulation, shorter hospital stay, took less time for first voiding,
      lesser voiding discomfort, less incidence of UTI and lesser use of postoperative
      antibiotics. CONCLUSION: The routine use of indwelling catheter in Caesarean
      section is unscientific and unnecessary. There should be selective rather than
      routine catheterization.

PMID- 26500960
TI  - A Case Control Study to Evaluate the Association between Primary Cesarean Section
      for Dystocia and Vitamin D Deficiency.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Milder forms of vitamin D deficiency could be responsible for poor
      muscular performance causing dysfunctional labor. The aim of our research was to
      study the association between vitamin D deficiency and primary cesarean section.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a case control study. Forty six women who
      delivered by primary cesarean section with dystocia as primary or secondary
      indication after 37 weeks of gestation were taken as cases and a similar number
      of women who delivered vaginally were taken as controls. Vitamin D deficiency was
      diagnosed when the serum 25(OH)D level was <=20 ng/ml and this was compared
      between cases and controls. RESULTS: Median serum (OH) vitamin D levels was
      23.3ng/ml among women who delivered by cesarean section and 26.2ng/ml among
      controls (p=0.196). Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups except
      for a strong association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and cesarean section,
      (29.7kg/m(2) in cases and 25.9kg/m(2) in controls p=0.001) seen in multivariate
      analysis. Vitamin D deficiency was seen in 34.8% of cases and 21.7% of controls
      (p=0.165). CONCLUSION: This small case control study did not show a significant
      association between vitamin D deficiency and primary cesarean section.

PMID- 26500961
TI  - Pregnancy with Irreducible Utero-Vaginal Prolapse.
AB  - Pregnancy with uterine prolapse is a relatively rare condition. Irreducible
      prolapse occurring during pregnancy is even rarer. There is still a need for
      obstetricians to be aware about the management of uterine prolapse which allows
      for an uneventful pregnancy, labour and delivery. Here we present a case of a
      woman who developed irreducible uterine prolapse during pregnancy and the issues
      surrounding its management. We had to abort her pregnancy to reduce her prolapse
      which could otherwise have been life threatening. 

PMID- 26500962
TI  - A Huge Mature Cystic Teratoma in a Nulliparous Patient.
AB  - Here we report a case of a giant mature cystic teratoma of the ovary in a 38-year
      old nullipaous woman. The patient presented with abdominal distension and
      abdominal pain. Laparotomy and cystectomy yielded satisfactory results.
      Histologic evaluation confirmed a benign cystic teratoma of the ovary. The
      patient underwent surgery for rupture of corpus luteum six years ago and no gross
      lesion was seen at the operation. This case demonstrates that dermoid cysts can
      grow to enormous sizes within a short duration. 

PMID- 26500963
TI  - Virilizing Ovarian Steroid Cell Tumor: A Rare Case.
AB  - Ovarian steroid cell tumours are fewer than 5 percent of sex-cord stromal tumours
      and 0.1% of all ovarian tumours. The average age at diagnosis is the mid-20s, but
      patients can present at virtually any age. We present a case of 38-year-old
      multipara with history of secondary amenorrhea, clinical signs & symptoms of
      virilization developed over the past 5 years. With elevated (115ng/dL) serum
      testosterone level and radiological findings of a left adnexal solid mass; the
      patient was suspected to have a virilizing tumour of left ovary. Laparoscopic
      left salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. Histopathology revealed tumour cells in
      small nests with vacuolated to eosinophilic cytoplasm with nuclear atypia
      completely replacing the ovarian tissue suggestive of steroid cell tumour (NOS)
      of ovary. The patient was discharged and advised for follow up with serum
      testosterone levels after 3 weeks. 

PMID- 26500964
TI  - Takayasu Arteritis with Bilateral Renal Artery Stenosis and Left Subclavian
      Artery Stenosis in Pregnancy.
AB  - Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a rare, systemic, chronic inflammatory, progressive,
      idiopathic disease of aorta and its main branches. It causes narrowing, occlusion
      and aneurysm of arteries. It affects mainly young females in about 80-90% of
      cases (young female arteritis). TA has adverse effect on pregnancy in the form of
      abortion, superimposed preeclampsia, IUGR (Intrauterine growth restriction), IUFD
      (intrauterine fetal death), abruption and CCF (congestive cardiac failure).
      Careful assessment, treatment of TA complication, regular antenatal followup and
      multidisciplinary approach involving obstetrician, cardiologist, rheumatologist
      and anaesthetist improve maternal and fetal outcome. We described here a case of
      pregnancy with TA with bilateral renal artery stenosis and left subclavian artery
      stenosis. 

PMID- 26500965
TI  - Post-Partum Diastasis of the Pubic Symphysis: Report of a Rare Case.
AB  - Post-partum pubic symphysis diastasis refers to an abnormally wide gap between
      the two pubic bones following delivery. It is an uncommon and under diagnosed
      condition resulting in acute pelvic pain. A case of pelvic diastasis in a 24-year
      old G2A1 following normal vaginal delivery is reported. Management consisted of
      simple conservative treatment with binders and analgesics, which were sufficient
      in achieving a complete reversal of the condition. The low incidence of 1 in 3700
      normal vaginal deliveries over a 5 year period at Public Health Centre, Chennai,
      coupled with the rarity of the condition renders it as a salient presentation in
      the practice of our profession. 

PMID- 26500966
TI  - Middle Interhemispheric Variant of Holoprosencephaly - Presenting as Non
      Visualized Cavum Septum Pellucidum and An Interhemispheric Cyst in A 19-Weeks
      Fetus.
AB  - Middle Interhemispheric variant (MIH) is a rare subtype of holoprosencephaly
      (HPE), also known as syntelencephaly. We present a case of MIH, which was
      diagnosed as an interhemispheric cyst on antenatal sonography at 19 weeks, but
      later diagnosed as MIH variant of holoprosencephaly after a postabortal MRI and
      perinatal autopsy. 

PMID- 26500967
TI  - An Abdominal Wall Desmoid Tumour Mimicking Cesarean Scar Endometriomas: A Case
      Report and Review of the Literature.
AB  - Abdominal wall desmoid tumours (DT) are rare, slow-growing benign muscular
      aponeurotic fibrous tumours with the tendency to locally invade and recur. They
      constitute 0.03% of all neoplasms and high infiltration and recurrence rate, but
      there is no metastatic potential. Although surgery is the primary treatment
      modality, the optimal treatment remains unclear. Abdominal wall endometriosis is
      also an unusual disease, and preoperative clinical diagnosis is not always easy.
      The preoperative radiologic imaging modalities may not aid all the time. Herein,
      we report an abdominal mass presenting as cyclic pain. Forty-two years old woman
      who gave birth by cesarean section admitted the complaints of painful abdominal
      mass (78x45 mm in size) under her cesarean incision scar. She had severe pain,
      particularly during menstruation. The clinical and radiological imaging findings
      mimicking endometrioma. We performed wide surgical excision of mass with a 1 cm
      tumor-free margin with the diagnosis of a benign mesenchymal tumor in the frozen
      section. The postoperative course was uneventful and recovered without any
      complication and recurrence three years after surgery. This report presents a
      case of abdominal wall desmoid tumor mimicking endometrioma. In this paper,
      shortcomings in diagnosis, abdominal wall endometriomas, and DTs were discussed
      in the view of literature. 

PMID- 26500968
TI  - Primary Tubal Choriocarcinoma Presented as Ruptured Ectopic Pregnancy.
AB  - The primary tubal choriocarcinoma associated with ectopic pregnancy is very rare.
      A 31-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency room due to amenorrhea, left
      lower abdominal pain and fatigue. Her beta-Hcg level was 29251.4 mIU/ml and
      transvaginal ultrasund revealed a 24x21 mm of left tubal ectopic pregancy mass
      with large amount of free fluid in pelvic cavity. The patient was diagnosed with
      ruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy and thus, she underwent laparotomy with left
      total salpingectomy. The pathological assessment was reported as primary tubal
      choriocarcinoma with the involvement of whole tubal layer. The patient was
      defined to have stage I choriocarcinoma with good prognostic factors and
      methotrexate monotherapy was administered. Serum beta- Hcg levels of the patient
      gradually declined and eventually became negative at the first month of the
      treatment. With this case report we aimed to implicate that when diagnosing the
      ectopic pregnancy, even very rare, the tubal choriocarcinoma should be kept in
      mind. 

PMID- 26500969
TI  - Management of Proximal Tibia Fractures Using Wire Based Circular External
      Fixator.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Management of high grade proximal tibia or tibial plateau fractures
      is often associated with complications. The use of wire fixators for the
      definitive treatment of such fractures entails a minimally invasive technique of
      insertion that gives good fracture reduction and stability combined with minimal
      postoperative complications. AIM: To assess the outcome of treatment of such
      fractures by the use of Joshi's external stabilization system (JESS), which is a
      wire based, circular external fixator system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      prospective, uncontrolled study was done using JESS on 20 consecutive patients of
      high energy fractures of the tibial plateau, classified according to the
      Schatzker's classification as type VI. RESULTS: In this series, road traffic
      accidents accounted for most of the injuries (n=12), while pedestrian accidents
      (n=4), injury due to fall from height (n=3) and injury due to fall while playing
      (n=1) were the other modes of injury. The mean patient age was 39.4 years. The
      mean follow up period was 24 weeks. In this study, using Knee society score
      evaluation, excellent results were seen in 12 patients (60%), good results were
      seen in 5 patients (25%), fair in 2 patients (10%) and bad in 1 patient (5%).
      Complications seen were, pin tract infections in two cases (10%) which resolved
      with dressings and oral antibiotics and one case of non-union (5%), in which the
      tibial plateau fracture extended into proximal 1/3 of the tibial shaft with
      severe comminution. No other complication was encountered. CONCLUSION: JESS is a
      simple, inexpensive and useful technique in the management of high grade tibial
      plateau fractures.

PMID- 26500970
TI  - Measurement of Ulnar Variance in a Regional Subset of Indian Population-A Pilot
      Study of 30 Subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The variation of level of distal articulating surface of ulna with
      respect to distal articulating surface of radius is known as ulnar variance (UV).
      Positive and negative UV has been implicated in various wrist and hand
      pathologies. AIM: To measure ulnar variance in a regional subset of Indian
      population and to compare two techniques of measurement of ulnar variance viz.
      method of perpendiculars and modification of the concentric circles method.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: UV was measured in a regional subset of Indian population
      comprising of 30 subjects. The mean age of patients was 35.9 years. There were 16
      males and 14 females in the study group. Antero-posterior (AP) X-rays of wrist in
      neutral position were taken and UV was measured using method of perpendiculars
      and the modified circle method. RESULTS: The mean UV using method of
      perpendiculars (UVA) was 0.387 mm and using modified circle method (UVB) was
      0.507mm. A higher predominance of positive UV in this regional subset of Indian
      population was observed. There was no correlation between UV with respect to age
      and sex. No statistically significant difference was observed between the two
      methods of measurement utilized in the study. CONCLUSION: The documentation of a
      negative and positive ulnar variance will help in prophylactic and timely
      intervention for various wrist pathologies, if required. However, a larger sample
      size with a longer follow up is required to suggest a correlation of ulnar
      variance with clinically symptomatic disease.

PMID- 26500971
TI  - A Rare Combination of Avulsion Fractures Around the Knee -A Case Report.
AB  - Patella fractures, tibial spine avulsion and Segond fractures are mainly due to
      trauma to the knee which may be direct or indirect injuries. While each entity is
      well documented when occurring in isolation, but bilateral inferior pole patella
      fracture, tibial spine avulsion in the right knee and bilateral segond fracture
      in a same patient is a rare occurrence. We report a case of 24-year-old male with
      such an injury. The diagnosis was confirmed by X-ray, CT scan and MRI imaging of
      right knee. Then the patient was treated with arthroscopic anterior cruciate
      ligament (ACL) avulsion fixation with pull through technique and suture disc;
      bilateral inferior pole patella was treated conservatively with knee brace,
      segond fracture was treated conservatively similarly. To the best of our
      knowledge, this is the rare case in the medical literature with all these
      injuries occurring simultaneously. 

PMID- 26500972
TI  - Determinants of Capillary Refill Time in Healthy Neonates.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Traditionally Capillary refilling time (CRT) has been used as a
      widely accepted method to assess cardiac output and peripheral circulation in
      neonates. There are only few studies describing normal values and the correct
      method of recording CRT. The value of CRT is affected by various factors like
      ambient or skin temperature, age, site of measurement, duration as well as amount
      of pressure and inter observer variation. However, none of these have been
      standardized. Hence, we conducted this study to establish the normal value and
      factors affecting Capillary Refilling Time (CRT) in healthy neonates in Varanasi.
      DESIGN: Prospective observational study done over a period of 2 years. SETTING:
      Maternity wards and Neonatal intensive care unit of Sir Sunderlal Hospital,
      Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
      PARTICIPANTS: Healthy neonates between 35-42 weeks of gestation staying with
      their mothers and admitted in neonatal intensive care unit. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: CRT was measured by standard technique four times during first week of
      life on day 1, 3, 5 and 7. STATISTICS ANALYSIS: Student t-test was used for
      analysis. A p-value less than 0.05 was taken as statistically significant.
      RESULTS: The mean capillary refilling time (CRT) was 2.23 +/- 0.37 seconds in
      healthy neonates during first week of life. We studied each neonate four times in
      first week of life. Significantly lower values of CRT were noted in low birth
      weight babies throughout first week in healthy neonates. Babies under
      phototherapy and radiant warmer had also shorter CRT values. Values were not
      affected by age, sex and gestation. CONCLUSION: The normal value of capillary
      refilling time (CRT) in healthy neonate is less than three seconds. The major
      determinants of CRT in healthy neonate are birth weight, radiant warmer and
      phototherapy. CRT alone in neonatal age is less informative haemodynamic
      parameter; it should be evaluated along with either blood pressure or oxygen
      saturation with pulse oxymeter. Further studies are needed to assess the
      reliability and validity of CRT as a clinical tool to measure perfusion in
      neonates.

PMID- 26500973
TI  - Evaluation of Cord Blood - Haematological Scoring System as an Early Predictive
      Screening Method for the Detection of Early Onset Neonatal Sepsis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sepsis is one of the major causes of neonatal morbidity and
      mortality. Early recognition and diagnosis of neonatal sepsis are difficult
      because of the variable and non-specific clinical presentation of this condition.
      Hence, there is a need for early predictive screening method for neonatal sepsis.
      OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the role of Cord blood Haematological Scoring System as
      an early predictive screening method for detection of early onset neonatal sepsis
      and also to identify the neonates who are at risk of developing neonatal sepsis
      using cord blood. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The present prospective cross-sectional
      study was conducted by taking 153 cord blood samples of full term newborns
      immediately after delivery in the hospital. Pre-term, still birth and emergency
      deliveries were excluded from the study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cord blood
      was collected and analysed for various Haematological parameters like Total
      leucocyte count, Absolute Neutrophil count, Immature to mature Neutrophil ratio,
      immature to mature ratio, Neutrophil morphology, nucleated erythrocytes, platelet
      count, micro erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Blood cultures were performed as
      gold standard for diagnosing neonatal sepsis. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Chi-square
      test, Risk ratio, risks in exposed and risk in unexposed were performed. RESULTS:
      Of 153 newborns for analysis, 59 (38.56%) developed sepsis. The haematological
      scoring system found that an abnormal immature to total neutrophil ratio,
      Neutropenia, micro erythrocyte sedimentation rate followed by an abnormal
      immature to mature neutrophil ratio were the most sensitive indicators in
      identifying infants with sepsis. The study also found that higher the score, the
      greater the certainty of sepsis being present. CONCLUSION: The haematological
      scoring system using cord blood can be considered as an early predictive
      screening method for detection of early onset neonatal sepsis. Identifying the
      risk of developing sepsis early can prevent morbidity and mortality of the
      neonates.

PMID- 26500974
TI  - Study of Asymptomatic Hypoglycemia in Full Term Exclusively Breastfed Neonates in
      First 48 Hours of Life.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypoglycemia is a common metabolic problem in the neonatal period
      especially in the presence of settings like prematurity, small for gestational
      age babies and sepsis. Episodes of asymptomatic hypoglycemia may occur in term
      neonates without apparent risk factors. AIM: This study was conducted to estimate
      the incidence of hypoglycemia in healthy, intramural, singleton full term
      neonates and to correlate the above incidence with maternal factors like parity,
      mode of delivery and time of initiation of breast feeding after birth. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A hospital based, prospective longitudinal study involving healthy,
      term, asymptomatic neonates. Blood glucose values were measured at 1, 6, 24 and
      48 hours of life. RESULTS: The overall incidence of hypoglycemia was 10 % in
      asymptomatic, healthy term newborns. All the hypoglycemic episodes occurred in
      the first 24 hours of life. 23.07% of neonates born to primiparous mothers had
      hypoglycemia, against 5.4% neonates born to multiparous mothers (p<0.05). There
      was a higher recording of hypoglycemia when breast feeding was initiated > 1 hour
      after delivery (16.67%) than when breast feeding was initiated within one hour of
      delivery (7.89%). CONCLUSION: Asymptomatic hypoglycemia occurred in about 10% of
      healthy, full term neonates; primiparity and delayed initiation of breast feeding
      > 1 hour are noted as additional risk factors.

PMID- 26500975
TI  - Incontinence in Intellectual Disability: An Under Recognized Cause.
AB  - Many children with Down syndrome may develop urinary incontinence during
      adolescence or nearing adulthood. Most often low mental ability, behavioural
      issues, urinary tract infection, hypothyroidism, atlanto-axial subluxation or
      sexual abuse may be suspected to be the reason. We report a case of Down syndrome
      with tethered cord syndrome (TCS) and Lipoma of Filum terminale with Cauda equina
      in normal position, as a cause of bowel and bladder incontinence. The need for
      operating with Cauda Equina in normal position is debated. But a conscious
      decision was taken to operate and the incontinence improved markedly which was
      documented by using a standardized questionnaire (King's questionnaire) and
      thereby making a difference in the child's life. A literature search did not
      result in any case of Down syndrome with tethered cord syndrome and secondary
      incontinence as presentation. Considering the possibility of TCS as a cause of
      incontinence, often neglected even in normal children, careful evaluation and
      correction of such problems will make a difference in the life of many
      intellectually disabled children. Incontinence should not be casually attributed
      to intellectual disability without ruling out other causes. 

PMID- 26500976
TI  - Mesenchymal Hamartoma of Chest Wall in an Infant: Mimicking Persistent Pneumonia.
AB  - Mesenchymal Hamartoma of the chest wall (MHCW) is a very rare benign tumour. They
      are usually discovered in infancy. Spontaneous regression is known to occur in
      this benign condition. Management is surgical removal of mass if respiratory
      compromise is present. Conservative management is preferred modality in
      asymptomatic children as malignant transformation is not reported. Herein, we
      present a case of MHCW in a 5 month old infant presenting with acute respiratory
      distress with history of respiratory problem at 3 months of age. Child was
      suspected to have persistent pneumonia in view of radiological findings. Child's
      respiratory distress improved with antibiotics and bronchodilators. Respiratory
      symptoms in MHCW are due to extrinsic compression of lung parenchyma. Present
      case had respiratory symptoms with persistent radiological findings leading to
      suspicion of persistent pneumonia. His respiratory symptoms and exacerbation on
      follow up was attributed to hyper reactive airway disease and MHCW was managed
      conservatively. The non-neoplastic nature, characteristic presentation,
      histopathology, imaging modality and management options of MHCW are discussed. 

PMID- 26500977
TI  - Efficacy of High Frequency Ultrasound in Localization and Characterization of
      Orbital Lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The complicated anatomy of orbit and the wide spectrum of
      pathological conditions present a formidable challenge for early diagnosis, which
      is critical for management. Ultrasonography provides a detailed cross sectional
      anatomy of the entire globe with excellent topographic visualization and real
      time display of the moving organ. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the
      efficacy of high frequency Ultrasound in localization of orbital diseases and to
      characterize various orbital pathologies sonologically. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Hundred eyes of 85 patients were examined with ultrasound using linear high
      frequency probe (5 to 17 MHz) of PHILPS IU22 ultrasound system. Sonological
      diagnosis was made based on location, acoustic characteristics, kinetic
      properties and Doppler flow dynamics. Final diagnosis was made based on clinical
      & laboratory findings/higher cross-sectional imaging/surgery & histopathology (as
      applicable). Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography was evaluated and compared
      with final diagnosis. RESULTS: The distinction between ocular and extraocular
      pathologies was made in 100% of cases. The overall sensitivity, specificity, NPV
      and accuracy of ultrasonography were 94.2%, 98.8%, 92.2% & 94.9% respectively for
      diagnosis of ocular pathologies and 94.2%, 99.2%, 95.9% & 95.2% respectively for
      extra ocular pathologies. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography is a readily available,
      simple, cost effective, non ionizing and non invasive modality with overall high
      diagnostic accuracy in localising and characterising orbital pathologies. It has
      higher spatial and temporal resolution compared to CT/MRI. However, CT/MRI may be
      indicated in certain cases for the evaluation of calcifications, bony
      involvement, extension to adjacent structures and intracranial extension.

PMID- 26500978
TI  - Role of High Resolution Computed Tomography in Evaluation of Pathologies of
      Temporal Bone.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT), a modification of routine
      CT, provides a direct visual window in the temporal bone providing minute
      structural details. Purpose of the present study was to evaluate the normal
      variations, pathological processes (infections and congenital anomalies) and
      their extent involving the temporal bone along with their complications on HRCT
      and to correlate these imaging findings surgically, wherever available. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The prospective study included 50 patients who were referred to the
      radiology department with clinically suspected temporal bone or ear pathologies.
      After detailed clinical examination, the patients were subjected to high
      resolution computed tomography (HRCT) examination. The imaging findings were
      correlated with the surgical findings wherever available. The surgical findings
      were considered as final. RESULTS: From a total of 50 cases, 83.33% had
      cholesteatoma. The surgical and radiological findings showed a high level of
      sensitivity (89.29%) in the identification of cholesteatoma. HRCT provides a good
      sensitivity of 80.65% in the identification of changes to the ossicular chain
      despite the presence of surrounding soft tissue. HRCT was highly informative in
      identification of erosion of lateral semicircular canal. In diagnosis of facial
      canal dehiscence HRCT had a low sensitivity of 33.33%. In the evaluation of any
      congenital abnormality of the ear HRCT proved to be beneficial in depicting the
      anatomical details. CONCLUSION: The clinical and radiological findings showed a
      high level sensitivity with intraoperative findings as regards to the presence of
      cholesteatoma, changes of the ossicular chain and erosion of the lateral
      semicircular canal. HRCT findings, in the treatment of any congenital abnormality
      of the ear were a good guide to the surgeon for planning and management.

PMID- 26500979
TI  - Lhermitte-Duclos Disease: Diagnosis on MRI, MR Spectroscopy, CT and Positron
      Emission Tomography.

PMID- 26500980
TI  - Efficacy of Caudal Clonidine and Fentanyl on Analgesia, Neuroendocrine Stress
      Response and Emergence Agitation in Children Undergoing Lower Abdominal Surgeries
      Under General Anaesthesia with Sevoflurane.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Clonidine has proved to be effective drug for postoperative
      analgesia but it's efficacy to alter neuroendocrine stress response and emergence
      agitation is unknown. This study was conducted to assess and compare the efficacy
      of caudal fentanyl vs. clonidine for analgesia, blunting of neuroendocrine stress
      responses (NESR) and emergence agitation (EA) following sevoflurane anaesthesia.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective, randomized, double blind study enrolled
      60 children undergoing infraumbilical surgery. Three groups of 20 each were
      assigned to receive caudal block with either bupivacaine 0.25% 1 ml/kg with
      normal saline (group I) or bupivacaine 0.25% 1 ml/kg and 1 microgram*kg-1fentanyl
      (group II), or bupivacaine 0.25% 1 ml/kg and 3 MUg/kg clonidine [group III].
      Postoperative analgesia, sedation, NESR, emergence agitation and side effects
      were observed. RESULTS: VAS score at two hours was significantly less in group
      III (0.60+/- 0.60) than in group I (1.80+/- 0.41) and group II (1.25+/- 0.44),
      the time to rescue analgesia was also significantly greater in group III
      (8.03+0.41hours) than groups I and II (4.15+/- 0.54 hours) and (6.18+/- 0.5hours)
      respectively. The EA scores were significantly better in Group III but patients
      were significantly more sedated postoperatively. Intraoperatively, NESR was
      blunted in all the groups and the markers of NESR were lowest in group III.
      CONCLUSION: Caudal clonidine in a dose of 3 MUg/kg prolongs analgesia and
      decreases emergence agitation as compared to bupivacaine alone or with fentanyl
      1MUg/kg. Modulation of the neuroendocrine stress response was observed in all the
      investigated groups though the indicators were lowest in clonidine group.

PMID- 26500981
TI  - Comparative Evaluation of Bolus Administration of Dexmedetomidine and Fentanyl
      for Stress Attenuation During Laryngoscopy and Endotracheal Intubation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation can cause hypertension and
      tachycardia which can result in myocardial ischemia or stroke in vulnerable
      people. The objective of our study was to compare the efficacy of bolus dose of
      dexmedetomidine and fentanyl in attenuating haemodynamic stress responses
      following laryngoscopy and intubation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty patients who
      were fixed to undergo elective surgeries under general anaesthesia were randomly
      divided into 2 groups. Group 1 received 1 mcg/kg of dexmedetomidine over 10
      minutes and group 2 received fentanyl 2mcg/kg before induction. Anaesthesia was
      standardized in both the groups and vital parameters were recorded for up to 10
      minutes after intubation. RESULTS: Dexmedetomidine in a dose of 1mcg/kg prevented
      an increase in heart rate following laryngoscopy when compared to fentanyl group.
      This effect lasted for 10 minutes after intubation is performed. Though
      dexmedetomidine prevented an increase in blood pressure, this effect was
      statistically significant only for 2 minutes after intubation when compared to
      fentanyl group. CONCLUSION: Attenuation of rise in heart rate and blood pressure
      following laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation was better with 1mcg/kg of
      dexmedetomidine when compared to fentanyl.

PMID- 26500982
TI  - Comparison of Effects of Different Doses Dexmedetomidine on Inhibiting Tracheal
      Intubation-Evoked Haemodynamic Response in the Elderly Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is a selective alpha2-adrenergic receptor
      agonist with anxiolytic and analgesic properties. In the present study, we aimed
      primarily to assess the effects of DEX on sedation, cognitive function and
      cardiovascular reflex responses before, during and after the tracheal intubation
      in the elderly patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty patients undergoing
      elective abdominal surgery were randomly assigned to four Groups: Group A(saline,
      n=20), Group B (0.25MUg/kg DEX, n=20), Group C (0.50MUg/kg DEX, n=20) and Group D
      (1.00MUg/kg DEX, n=20). With the constant speed infusion of saline and a loading
      different doses of DEX (diluted with saline to 50ml) for 10min respectively
      before induction of anaesthesia, the values of arterial pressure {systolic blood
      pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP)}, heart rate (HR) and bispectral
      index (BIS) at the time point of before pump DEX (T0), at the end of infusing DEX
      (T1), before tracheal intubation (T2), at the moment of tracheal intubation (T3)
      and 5min after trachea intubation (T4) were observed, oxygen saturation (SPO2)
      and the Modified Observers Assessment of Alertness/Sedation Scale (OAA/S) score
      were observed at the time of T1 and T0. RESULTS: Comparison among Groups,
      compared with Group A, SBP and DBP values in Group C at T2 showed significant
      differences (p<0.05), SBP and DBP values in Group D at T1, T2 and T4 indicated
      significant differences (p<0.05), HR values in Group D at T1, T2, T3 and T4
      showed significant differences (p<0.05); Compared with Group A, BIS values in
      Group C at T2 and T3 indicated significant differences (p<0.05), BIS values in
      Group D at T1, T2, T3 and T4 showed significant differences (p<0.05); Comparison
      between T3 andT2, means of SBP, DBP and HR in Group A and in Group B showed
      significant differences (p<0.05); Group D showed significant differences in SPO2
      and (OAA/S) betweenT1 and T0 (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Comparison within Groups and
      between Groups in different doses DEX, the present result showed that 0.5MUg/kg
      DEX had an effective inhibition, without respiratory depression, on tracheal
      intubation evoked cardiovascular response in the elderly patients.

PMID- 26500983
TI  - Evaluation of Efficacy of Epidural Clonidine with 0.5% Bupivacaine for
      Postoperative Analgesia for Orthopaedic Lower Limb Surgeries.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of epidural
      clonidine in intra and postoperative analgesia, the level of sedation caused by
      clonidine and monitor its side effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients of
      ASA1 & ASA2 scheduled for lower limb orthopaediac surgeries were chosen for the
      study. Study group received 50MUg of clonidine diluted to 1ml along with first
      dose of epidural injection and Control group received 1ml of normal saline along
      with first dose of epidural. Intra and postoperative vitals, verbal pain rating
      scale (VRS), sedation score and number of rescue anlgesics required
      postoperatively were noted. Patients received rescue analgesic when VRS was 1.
      RESULTS: Addition of clonidine to bupivacaine definitely improves the quality of
      analgesia by reducing the overall pain score, prolonging the duration of the time
      of first rescue analgesia and causing reduction of total analgesic consumption in
      the postoperative period without any hemodynamic instability. Sedation may be
      beneficial during the intraoperative period. CONCLUSION: Epidural clonidine
      produces long lasting, good quality analgesia with good level of sedation and
      with minimal side effects.

PMID- 26500984
TI  - A Randomized Double Blinded Comparison of Epidural Infusion of Bupivacaine,
      Ropivacaine, Bupivacaine-Fentanyl, Ropivacaine-Fentanyl for Postoperative Pain
      Relief in Lower Limb Surgeries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Continuous epidural infusion of Bupivacaine and Ropivacaine with or
      without the addition of Fentanyl has been evaluated by various researchers for
      effective postoperative pain relief. Studies however, depict significant
      variability in their results with regard to analgesic efficacy and adverse
      effects like hypotension, motor blockade etc. AIM: To comparatively evaluate
      postoperative analgesic efficacy, motor sparing effect, postoperative
      haemodynamic variations and total postoperative analgesic consumption in first 24
      hours. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomised double blind study was conducted on
      100 adult, ASA grade I and II patients, of either sex who had undergone elective
      lower limb surgery under spinal anaesthesia. According to the group allocated,
      patients were started on epidural infusion after completion of surgery. Group I
      (0.2% Ropivacaine), Group II (0.1% Ropivacaine + 2MUg/ml Fentanyl), Group III
      (0.2% Bupivacaine), Group IV (0.1% Bupivacaine + 2MUg/ml Fentanyl) at the rate of
      6 ml/hour. VAS scores, epidural consumption, supplemental epidural boluses,
      rescue analgesics, haemodynamics, motor block, sensory block regression,
      sedation, nausea and pruritis were recorded by a blinded observer for 24 hours.
      RESULTS: The haemodynamic parameters were stable in all the groups. Side effects
      including the motor block were negligible and comparable in all groups. Group I
      patients had significantly lower VAS scores, mean total epidural consumption,
      supplemental epidural bolus requirement and rescue analgesic requirement among
      all groups. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that epidural analgesia using
      Ropivacaine 0.2% infusion is more effective than other study groups when used for
      postoperative pain relief in lower limb surgeries.

PMID- 26500985
TI  - Intubating Conditions of two Different Doses of Rocuronium At 60 Seconds; by
      Clinical Assessment; and with T.O.F Response of Adductor Pollicis Muscle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: At 60 seconds, 2xED95 dose (0.6mg/kg) of rocuronium is frequently
      used for intubation. Some studies suggest 3XED95 (0.9mg/kg body weight) dose in
      achieving excellent intubating conditions. In this context, present study aimed
      at comparing intubating conditions with these two doses of rocuronium, using
      clinical criteria by cooper's score; assisted with adductor pollicis T.O.F
      response. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Present prospective randomized comparative
      clinical study was conducted on 60 patients subjected for general anaesthesia.
      Induction was done with fentanyl (1mcg/kg body weight) and propofol (2mg/kg body
      weight) and relaxation achieved with Rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg (Group A-30 cases);
      0.9mg/kg (Group B- 30 cases). (n=30) intubation was done at 60 seconds.
      Intubating conditions were assessed clinically by cooper's score.T.O.F responses
      of AP by visual and tactile means. RESULTS: Intubating conditions clinically were
      excellent in 16 cases (53%), good in 12 cases (40%), and fair in 2 cases (7%)
      respectively in Group-A. In group-B excellent in 29 cases (97%) and good in 1case
      (3%). In group A in no case TOF-0 achieved. TOF 1, 2, 3, and 4 were observed in 1
      case (3%), 7 cases (23%) 16 cases (54%) and 6 cases (20%) respectively. Whereas
      in group B, TOF 0, 1, 2, 3 were observed in 18 cases (61%), 4 cases (13%), 7
      cases (23%) and 1 case (3%). In no case TOF-4 observed. Chi square test
      (p<0.0001) confirmed a highly significant statistical difference with respect to
      elicited TOFcounts, and intubating conditions achieved. CONCLUSION: 3xED95 dose
      of Rocuronium achieves more intense NMB and better conditions for intubation at
      60 seconds than 2ED 95 dose.

PMID- 26500986
TI  - Sports Induced Cardiac Arrest: A Case of Missed Rhabdomyolysis.
AB  - Exercise induced rhabdomyolysis although uncommon, is well known in strenuous and
      exhaustive sports like marathons, cycling and wrestlers. But it is not known in
      Kabaddi players. We report a case of nearly fatal rhabdomyolysis which was missed
      during early resuscitation in emergency room and lead to cardiac arrest due to
      catastrophic metabolic acidosis and severe -hyperkalemia. After high quality
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation and return of spontaneous rhythm, emergency
      resuscitative exploratory laparotomy was performed for suspected bladder injury
      which was negative. He had remarkable recovery over 24 h following diagnosis and
      aggressive supportive management including peritoneal dialysis. Heat stroke and
      rhabdomyolysis should be suspected early in players playing strenuous sports in
      tropical countries even during winter. High degree of suspicion and early
      aggressive general support is the key to success for unusual clinical
      presentation of any such clinical entity. 

PMID- 26500987
TI  - A Simple Technique to Prevent Reverse Flow of Blood From Intravenous Line in
      Ipsilateral Arm with Noninvasive Blood Pressure Cuff.

PMID- 26500988
TI  - Psychiatric Morbidity in Infertility Patients in a Tertiary Care Setup.
AB  - CONTEXT: Infertility is regarded as a trigger for psychological morbidity.
      Infertile couples often suffer from anxiety, depression and lack of self
      confidence. AIMS: To study the demographic factors associated with infertility in
      a tertiary care setup and to determine the level of anxiety and depression
      associated with it by using standardized scales. The study protocol also included
      studying the various coping strategies employed by these patient groups. SETTINGS
      AND DESIGN: Case control study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prestructured
      questionnaire based study conducted for a span of 6 months. The study population
      included the patients attending the infertility and the family planning
      outpatient department. We applied the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale
      (HADS) and the Becks Depression Inventory (BDI). Brief COPE Inventory was applied
      to look for the various coping measures that are employed by the anxious and
      depressed patients. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data analysis was done using SPSS
      ver20. RESULTS: A total of 280 study subjects were included in the study; which
      included 140 women from the infertility clinic and 140 from the family planning
      OPD. A total of 56.4% (79/140) of the females were found to be suffering from
      depression and 68.9% (96/140) of the females were found to be suffering from
      anxiety and depression both. Seven risk factors were found to be significant for
      depression based on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scale and 6 risk factors
      were found to be significant based on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
      (HADS). The most common coping method employed by depressed women was venting
      72.2% (57/79) followed by behavioural disengagement 70.9% (56/79); whereas the
      most important coping method employed by the anxious and depressed women was
      behavioural disengagement 71.9% (69/96). CONCLUSION: Anxiety and depression is
      common among patients suffering from infertility and measures should be taken to
      alleviate it.

PMID- 26500989
TI  - Development of Screening Questionnaire for Detection of Alcohol Dependence.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Alcohol dependence (AD) is a major reason for morbidity and visits
      to emergency medical settings. However, the detection of AD is often difficult or
      overlooked. This study aimed to develop a brief screening questionnaire in Hindi
      language for detection of AD in an emergency medical setting. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The authors in consultation devised a set of questions related to AD in
      the Hindi language requiring binary yes/no type of response. These questions were
      guided by clinical experience, nosological criteria and previously published
      screening questionnaires. After initial piloting, these questions were
      administered by the treating doctors to 100 consenting adult patients presenting
      with possible AD in the emergency medical services of a tertiary care hospital in
      North India. A diagnosis of AD was arrived at by administering Mini-International
      Neuropsychiatric Interview separately. Identification of the most discriminant
      combinations of items for the detection of AD were based on the chi-square test
      and binary logistic regression analyses. The final version of the questionnaire
      was then externally validated on another cohort of patients. RESULTS: Based on
      the analyses, we retained 5 items in the final version of the questionnaire.
      Sensitivity and specificity values for cut-off scores were calculated. Subsequent
      external validation revealed satisfactory psychometric properties of the
      questionnaire. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire represents a simple and brief
      clinician-administered instrument for screening of AD in an emergency medical
      setting.

PMID- 26500990
TI  - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with Intellectual Disability: A Diagnostic and
      Therapeutic Challenge.
AB  - Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are known to occur in patients with
      intellectual disability and at rates least proportional to the general population
      but often the developmental disabilities and lack of communication in these
      patients make it difficult to diagnose and assess the disorder and hence go
      undetected and untreated. Once diagnosed, treating OCD is another challenge faced
      by therapist in patients with intellectual disabilities. We report a case of
      intellectual disability with OCD highlighting the diagnostic and therapeutic
      challenges. 

PMID- 26500992
TI  - Telogen Effluvium: A Review.
AB  - Telogen effluvium was first described by Kligman in 1961. It is a most common
      cause of diffuse hair loss. Women with telogen effluvium more frequently present
      to dermatologist. A wide variety of potential triggers have been implicated in
      the pathogenesis of telogen effluvium. Diffuse shedding of telogen hair are seen
      after 3-4 months of triggering event. The observation of increased telogen hair
      shedding does not infer a cause. Establishing aetiology of telogen effluvium
      requires elicitation of relevant history and appropriate laboratory
      investigations to exclude endocrine, nutritional and autoimmune disorders. 

PMID- 26500993
TI  - Leprosy Mimicking Psoriasis.

PMID- 26500991
TI  - Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: Benzodiazepines and Beyond.
AB  - Alcohol dependence is an increasing and pervasive problem. Alcohol withdrawal
      symptoms are a part of alcohol dependence syndrome and are commonly encountered
      in general hospital settings, in most of the departments. Alcohol withdrawal
      syndrome ranges from mild to severe. The severe complicated alcohol withdrawal
      may present with hallucinations, seizures or delirium tremens. Benzodiazepines
      have the largest and the best evidence base in the treatment of alcohol
      withdrawal, and are considered the gold standard. Others, such as
      anticonvulsants, barbiturates, adrenergic drugs, and GABA agonists have been
      tried and have evidence. Supportive care and use of vitamins is essential in the
      management. Symptom triggered regime is favoured over fixed tapering dose regime,
      although monitoring through scales is cumbersome. This article aims to review the
      evidence base for appropriate clinical management of the alcohol withdrawal
      syndrome. We searched Pubmed for articles published in English on 'Alcohol
      withdrawal syndrome' in humans during the last 10 years. A total of 1182 articles
      came up. Articles not relevant to clinical utility and management were excluded
      based on the titles and abstract available. Full text articles, meta-analyses,
      systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials were obtained from this list
      and were considered for review. 

PMID- 26500994
TI  - Impact of Adjuvant Therapy on Survival in Curatively Resected Gallbladder
      Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) has the propensity to fail at loco
      regional (LR) and distant sites despite aggressive radical surgery. Adjuvant
      therapy in the form of radiotherapy (RT), systemic chemotherapy (CT) and
      chemoradiation (CRT) is the usual practice. Due to rarity of this disease, there
      is limited evidence to suggest the type of adjuvant treatment which should be
      offered to the patients. AIM: The study was conducted to evaluate the impact of
      adjuvant treatment on curatively resected GBC patients. SETTINGS AND DESIGN:
      Histological proven patients of GBC registered between June, 2008 and July, 2014
      were identified from our hospital database and retrospective analysis was done.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients of GBC who had curative resection followed by
      adjuvant treatment as RT alone, CT alone or CRT were included in the study.
      STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Adverse prognostic factors and the effect of adjuvant
      treatment on overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) were evaluated
      using Cox Regression Method and Kaplan Meier plot. RESULTS: We identified 33
      patients of which 23 were Stage I or II disease (Early disease) and the remaining
      10 were Stage III or IV disease (Advanced disease). All except one patient had
      adenocarcinoma. A total of 5 patients were treated with RT alone while 16
      patients received CT alone. The remaining 12 patients were treated with CRT.
      Median follow-up period was 8.5 months. At analysis 4 were alive while the
      remaining 29 were dead due to disease. With regard to "Early disease" patients
      who had RT alone, CT alone and CRT, the median OS was 22.3, 10.3 and 15.2 months
      respectively (p = .440). Cohort of patients with "Advanced disease" who were
      treated with CT alone and CRT the median OS was 7.5 and 7.0 months respectively
      (p = .643). On multivariate analysis none of the prognostic factors had an
      adverse impact on survival. CONCLUSION: The impact of adjuvant treatment in the
      form of RT, CT or CRT after curative resection in GBC patients was seen in terms
      of improved survival but was not statistically significant.

PMID- 26500995
TI  - Synchronous Bilateral Breast Cancers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bilateral breast cancer (BBC) is not an uncommon entity in
      contemporary breast clinics. Improved life expectancy after breast cancer
      treatment and routine use of contra-lateral breast mammography has led to
      increased incidence of BBC. Our study objective was to define the epidemiological
      and tumour characteristics of BBC in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of
      1251 breast cancer patients were treated during the period January 2007 to March
      2015 and 30 patients were found to have BBC who constituted the study population
      (60 tumour samples). Synchronous bilateral breast cancers (SBC) was defined as
      two tumours diagnosed within an interval of 6 months and a second cancer
      diagnosed after 6 months was labelled as metachronous breast cancer (MBC).
      Analyses of patient and tumour characteristics were done in this prospective data
      base of BBC patients. RESULTS: Median patient age was 66 years (range 39-85).
      Majority of the patients had SBC (n=28) and in 12 patients the second tumour was
      clinically occult and detected only by mammography of the contra-lateral breast.
      The second tumour was found at lower tumour size compared to the first in 73% of
      cases and was negative for axillary metastasis in 80% of cases (24/30).
      Infiltrating ductal carcinoma was the commonest histological type (n=51) and
      majority of the tumours were ER/PR positive (50/60). Her2 was overexpressed in 13
      tumours (21%). Over 70% (22/30) of patients had similar histology in both breasts
      and amongst them grade concordance was present in about 69% (15/22) of patients.
      Concordance rates of ER, PR and Her2 statuses were 83%, 80% and 90% respectively.
      Bilateral mastectomy was the commonest surgery performed in 80% of the patients
      followed by bilateral breast conservation in 13%. At the end of study period, 26
      patients were alive and disease free. Median survival was 29 months (range 3-86
      months). CONCLUSION: In most patients with BBC, the second tumour is identified
      at an early stage than index tumours supporting the importance of contralateral
      breast cancer screening at the time of primary diagnosis and during follow-up.
      BBC occurs more frequently in old age group and majority of these tumours are
      estrogen dependent. There is good pathological concordance between the index
      tumour and the contralateral breast cancer.

PMID- 26500996
TI  - Identifying the Factors Causing Delayed Presentation of Cancer Patients to a
      Government Medical College of Central India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of cancer is increasing throughout the world. One of
      the prime aims of its management is early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention.
      Factors causing delay to either of these goals should be identified and
      rectified. AIM: To identify the factors causing delayed initial diagnosis and
      subsequent management in patients presenting to the Oncology department.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred proven cancer patients were prospectively
      evaluated for the pattern of presentation to the outpatient Department of
      Radiation Oncology of a Government Medical College (MC) in Central India.
      RESULTS: The mean age of presentation was 51.05 years (range 7 months-77 years).
      The number of male patients was 168 while females were 132. The duration of
      symptoms ranged from 20 days to 3 years. The number of patients with little/no
      education presented mainly in advanced stages as compared to their educated
      counterpart and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). The
      number of patients presenting directly to the department was 108, those diagnosed
      outside and referred to us was 84 while those diagnosed and received some form of
      oncologic treatment outside and referred thereafter was 108. The difference in
      the primary delay between patients presenting directly to the MC versus those
      diagnosed outside was significant (p=0.0126). The mean duration of starting
      definitive treatment after presentation to the outpatient was 4.68 days (range 0
      22 days) and was very significantly (p< 0.001) less than the secondary delays
      caused to the other two subsets of patients. CONCLUSION: Factors causing delayed
      presentation are both patient and system related. It is imperative to educate the
      common people regarding the early signs and symptoms of cancer. At the same time,
      the system needs to overhaul its efficiency to avoid secondary delays that
      adversely affect the treatment outcome. An upgradation of the existing oncology
      facilities in the public sector can achieve this target efficiently.

PMID- 26500997
TI  - Isolated Langerhans Histiocytosis in Thyroid: Thyroidectomy or Chemotherapy?
AB  - Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disorder of mononuclear phagocytic
      system whose clinical presentation varies from the localised involvement of a
      single bone to a widely disseminated disease. Langerhans cell histiocytosis
      rarely involves the thyroid gland and isolated involvement of thyroid is even
      rarer. We report a case of an eight-year-old male child diagnosed with Langerhans
      cell histiocytosis limited to thyroid gland with review of literature. Should
      thyroidectomy be done or proceed with chemotherapy? Our case report raises this
      question with a note on the role of 18 fluoro deoxy glucose positron emission
      tomography-computed tomography in the management of the same. 

PMID- 26500998
TI  - Oncologic Concerns in An Exstrophied Urinary Bladder - An Indian Scenario.
AB  - Exstrophy of the urinary bladder is a rare congenital anomaly which if untreated
      causes bladder carcinoma and intestinal tumours noted if urinary diversion is
      performed. It is seen that 50% of all persons afflicted with exstrophy are dead
      by their tenth year and 66-67% are dead by their twentieth year. It is thus a
      great rarity to see a case of ectopia vesicae in adulthood. Still more uncommon
      is to see a case of exstrophy complicated by carcinoma. Here, we report a case of
      papillary adenocarcinoma of ectopic urinary bladder in a 42-year-old male
      patient. In view of locally advanced disease, patient was given neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy. The case is being reported on account of its rarity to sensitise
      clinicians about rising incidence of carcinoma if mismanaged due to lack of
      protocol in oncological screening. 

PMID- 26500999
TI  - Diode Laser in Management of Tracheobronchial Typical Carcinoid: A Case Report
      with Review of Literature.
AB  - Tracheobronchial carcinoids are relatively uncommon neoplasms with malignant
      (though indolent) potential and variable behavior. Clinical presentation is
      usually similar to any obstructive tracheobronchial lesions or rarely with
      presentation of carcinoid syndrome. Management varies from Pneumonectomy to use
      of lung sparing bronchoscoplastic techniques. We report the case of a 32-year-old
      male patient diagnosed with carcinoid of left main bronchus. Patient was
      successfully treated with trans-bronchoscopic diode laser. At 24 months of follow
      up patient remains asymptomatic and recurrence-free. 

PMID- 26501000
TI  - Post Esophagectomy Hiatal Hernia; Expect the Unexpected.

PMID- 26501001
TI  - Comparison of Plaque Inhibiting Efficacies of Aloe Vera and Propolis Tooth Gels:
      A Randomized PCR Study.
AB  - BACKGOUND AND AIM: Allopathic medications used for periodontal disease are known
      to be associated with various side effects. Hence a search for naturotherapies
      are on the rise. Among the natural pharmacons available aloevera and propolis are
      considered to be effective and free from adverse effects. Taking this into
      account, the present study was done to compare the plaque inhibiting efficacies
      of Aloe vera and Propolis tooth gels in patients with chronic periodontitis.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients diagnosed with chronic periodontitis were
      randomly allocated to groups A and B containing 20 patients each. Patients in
      group A were advised to use Aloe vera tooth gel while those in group B were
      advised to use Propolis tooth gel. Clinical and microbiologic parameters using
      Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were recorded at baseline and after 3 months.
      RESULTS: Student t-test was performed for all the obtained results. In the Aloe
      vera group, comparison of baseline PCR and after 3 month results showed reduction
      only in P. gingivalis (p=0.001), where as statistically significant reduction in
      all the three red complex microorganisms was seen in propolis group. All the
      clinical parameters (Plaque Index, Gingival Index, Bleeding on Probing, Probing
      pocket Depth, and Clinical Attachment Level) in both the groups showed
      statistically significant reductions after 3 months. CONCLUSION: Propolis showed
      a statistically significant reduction in plaque, microbiologic and clinical
      parameters. However, clinical trials of longer durations with larger sample sizes
      are required to evaluate the efficacy.

PMID- 26501002
TI  - SBS vs Inhouse Recycling Methods-An Invitro Evaluation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In today's world of economic crisis it is not feasible for an
      orthodontist to replace each and every debonded bracket with a new bracket- quest
      for an alternative thrives Orthodontist. The concept of recycling bracket for its
      reuse has evolved over a period of time. Orthodontist can send the brackets to
      various commercial recycling companies for recycling, but it's impractical as
      these are complex procedures and require time and usage of a new bracket would
      seem more feasible. Thereby, in-house methods have been developed. The aim of the
      study was to determine the SBS (Shear Bond Strength) and to compare, evaluate the
      efficiency of in house recycling methods with that of the SBS of new brackets.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five in-house-recycling procedures-Adhesive Grinding
      Method, Sandblasting Method, Thermal Flaming Method, Buchman method and Acid Bath
      Method were used in the present study. Initial part of the study included the use
      of UV/Vis spectrophotometer where in the absorption level of base of new
      stainless steel bracket is compared with the base of a recycled bracket. The
      difference seen in the UV absorbance can be attributed to the presence of
      adhesive remnant. For each recycling procedure the difference in UV absorption is
      calculated. New stainless steel brackets and recycled brackets were tested for
      its shear bond strength with Instron testing machine. Comparisons were made
      between shear bond strength of new brackets with that of recycled brackets. The
      last part of the study involved correlating the findings of UV/Vis
      spectrophotometer with the shear bond strength for each recycling procedure.
      RESULTS: Among the recycled brackets the Sandblasting technique showed the
      highest shear bond strength (19.789MPa) and the least was shown by the Adhesive
      Grinding method (13.809MPa). CONCLUSION: The study concludes that sand blasting
      can be an effective choice among the 5 in house methods of recycling methods.

PMID- 26501003
TI  - Prevalence of Zygomatic Air Cell Defect using Orthopantomogram.
AB  - AIM: To determine the prevalence, radiographic appearance, variations,
      characteristics and establishing dominant location and type of zygomatic air cell
      defect (ZACD) among the North Indian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      panoramic radiographs of 2500 dental clinic outpatients were examined for the
      presence of ZACD for estimating the prevalence and characteristics of the ZACD.
      RESULTS: ZACD was found in 63 patients with a prevalence of 2.5% with male
      predominance. Unilateral (70%) and unilocular appearance (78%) of ZACD were the
      dominant patterns. Patients with ZACD had a mean age of 37.4 years and a range of
      19-78 years. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of ZACD among the Indian population is in
      accordance with the other studies carried out in other populations of the world.
      So it is important for surgeons to assess location of ZACD before planning any
      surgical procedure in order to avoid intraoperative complications.

PMID- 26501004
TI  - Influence of Full Veneer Restoration on Fracture Resistance of Three Different
      Core Materials: An Invitro Study.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: One of the factor which affects the strength of the tooth
      restored with core material is the property of the material. In clinical
      situation all such restored teeth are protected by crowns. This study evaluated
      the strength of different core materials on a compromised tooth structure after
      restoration with a crown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy extracted intact human
      premolars were collected and mounted within a mould using auto-polymerizing
      resin. The teeth were divided in-to four groups - A, B, C and D. Each group
      contained 20 teeth except group A with 10 teeth. All the teeth were prepared for
      full veneer cast crown. Except for the teeth in group: A) extensive class-I
      cavities were prepared in the teeth of all the groups and restored with; B)
      composite resin, 3M EPSE Filtek P60; C) Silver reinforced glass ionomer, SHOFU Hi
      Dense XP and; (D) Resin reinforced glass ionomer, GC Gold Label light cure GIC.
      All the teeth were restored with cast-metal alloy and exposed to 1.2 million
      cycles of cyclic loading in a chewing simulator. Subsequently, the teeth that
      survived were loaded till fracture in the universal testing machine. Fracture
      loads and type of fractures were recorded. RESULTS: All the specimens survived
      cyclic loading. The mean fracture strength of the silver reinforced glass ionomer
      was greater with and without crown (p<0.001). Statistical analysis for the mean
      fracture load of each specimen showed significant difference between the groups.
      CONCLUSION: Under the condition of this study, core materials when restored with
      artificial crown had a significant increase in fracture resistance.

PMID- 26501005
TI  - Influence of Surface Modifications of Acrylic Resin Teeth on Shear Bond Strength
      with Denture Base Resin-An Invitro Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Debonding of artificial teeth from the denture base is an important
      issue for edentulous patients rehabilitated with conventional or implant
      supported complete dentures. AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate shear
      bond strength between denture base resin and acrylic resin denture teeth
      subjected to three different surface modifications on the ridge lap area as
      compared to unmodified denture teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty acrylic resin
      central incisor denture teeth were selected and randomly divided into four test
      groups. The teeth in each group were subjected to one of the three different
      surface modifications, namely, chemical treatment, sandblasting and placement of
      retentive grooves on the ridge lap area respectively, prior to packing of the
      denture base resin. The group with unmodified teeth served as control. Forty
      acrylic resin test blocks thus obtained were tested for shear bond strength
      between acrylic resin teeth and denture base resin in Universal Testing Machine.
      Data obtained was statistically analysed using one-way ANOVA and Student- Newman-
      Keul's test (p< 0.05). RESULTS: Analysis of shear bond strength revealed that
      retentive grooves on the ridge lap area showed highest bond strength values
      followed by sandblasting and both were statistically significant compared to the
      control and chemically treated groups. Unmodified surface of the resin teeth
      showed the least bond strength. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this
      invitro study the placement of retentive grooves or sandblasting of the ridge lap
      area showed highly significant improvement in shear bond strength compared to the
      unmodified surface. Chemical treatment did not result in any significant
      improvement in the shear bond strength compared to the unmodified surface.

PMID- 26501006
TI  - Have Smartphones Contributed in the Clinical Progress of Oral and Maxillofacial
      Surgery?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dental surgeons who encounter complex situations, such as those in
      unscheduled care, often have limited resources to provide a structured and
      specialty care. Therefore, there is always a need for cost-effective, easy to
      handle, easy to carry "Smartphones". OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper was to
      undertake a review of literature on "Smartphone in Oral and Maxillofacial
      Surgery" online data-base and discuss the case series with emphasis on the role
      of attending dental surgeon and the maxillofacial surgeon. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The available literature relevant to oral and maxillofacial surgery in online
      data-base of the United States National Library of Medicine: PubMed
      (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/) was searched. The inclusion criterion was
      to review the published clinical papers, abstracts and evidence based reviews on
      'Uses of Smartphone in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery'. RESULTS: Six articles
      were found with the search term "Smartphone in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery" in
      the literature searched. Five articles met the inclusion criteria for the study.
      The relevant data was extracted, tabulated, and reviewed to draw evidence-based
      conclusions for uses of smartphone in oral and maxillofacial surgery. CONCLUSION:
      Utilization of smartphones in oral and maxillofacial surgery facilitate in
      differential diagnosis, treatment, follow up, prevention of the disease further
      and thereby improve the quality of patient care without requiring the presence of
      the maxillofacial surgeon in remote areas.

PMID- 26501007
TI  - The Efficacy of Tranexamic Acid in the Reduction of Incidence of Dry Socket: An
      Institutional Double Blind Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alveolar osteitis (AO) is an important postoperative problem with an
      incidence of 20% to 35% especially prevalent after the removal of mandibular
      molars. Fibrinolysis with subsequent loss of blood clotting is believed to be the
      general cause of AO. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of
      tranexamic acid, an antifibrinolytic agent in comparison with a placebo with
      respect to the reduction of incidence of AO after the extraction of mandibular
      molars by using following parameters: Pain, disintegration of Clot, halitosis.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A double blind study consisted of 60 patients, who
      underwent routine dental extractions of mandibular molar teeth. Group A (30
      patients) requiring routine dental extractions of mandibular teeth was randomly
      selected and was administered a dose of tranexamic acid orally (Pause 500mg) one
      hour prior to extraction of teeth. Gel foam soaked in tranexamic acid (160mg) was
      placed into the extraction socket postoperatively. A figure of eight silk suture
      was placed over the socket to secure the gelfoam. Group B (30 patients); a
      placebo (crocin) was given orally one hour prior to the extraction and gel foam
      soaked in saline was placed into the extraction socket postoperatively. A figure
      of eight silk suture was placed over the socket. Pain was rated individually by
      each patient at 3(rd), 7(th), 14(th) day after extraction and the results was
      statistically analysed. RESULTS: This study supports that the use of tranexamic
      acid both locally and systemically following the removal of the teeth reduces the
      incidence of AO associated with the extraction of mandibular molars. CONCLUSION:
      Tranexamic acid has several advantages also when used for simple dental
      extractions, namely: low cost and ready availability and therefore we recommend
      this treatment modality.

PMID- 26501008
TI  - Clinical Evaluation of Efficacy of CIA and CNA Intrusion Arches.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Excessive overbite is one of the most common problems
      that confront the orthodontist. Deep bite can be due to infraocclusion of
      posterior teeth, supraocclusion of anterior teeth or a combination of the two.
      Correction of same can be carried out by extrusion of molars, intrusion of
      incisors or by a combination of both respectively. Various intrusion arches are
      recommended for correcting deep bite by true intrusion of anterior teeth, Utility
      arches, Segmental arch, Connecticut Intrusion Arch (CIA) and Connecticut New Arch
      (CNA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical efficacy of CIA and CNA
      intrusion arches. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tracings recorded from pre and post
      treatment lateral cephalograms of 25 patients treated by CIA (Group I) and
      another 25 patients treated by CNA (Group II) intrusion arches in deep bite cases
      after four months of treatment were analysed and findings were recorded.
      STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Paired t-test was used to compare pre and post-treatment
      changes within Groups I and II and unpaired t-test was used to compare treatment
      changes between Group I and Group II. A P-value of < 0.05 was set for statistical
      significance. RESULTS: Findings of this study demonstrate that an average of 1mm
      of intrusion takes place with CIA intrusion arch and 1.3mm with CNA intrusion
      arch in a period of 4 months. Both intrusion arches do not affect the position of
      molar in vertical or anteroposterior plane. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Both CIA
      and CNA intrusion arches are effective in bringing about intrusion of lower
      incisors.

PMID- 26501010
TI  - Effect of Cigarette Smoke on Surface Roughness of Different Denture Base
      Materials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surface roughness is an important property of denture bases since
      denture bases are in contact with oral tissues and a rough surface may affect
      tissues health due to microorganism accumulation. Therefore, the effect of
      cigarette smoke on the surface roughness of two commercially available denture
      base materials was evaluated to emphasize which type has superior properties for
      clinical use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total numbers of 40 specimens were
      constructed from two commercially available denture base materials; heat-cured
      PMMA and visible light cured UDMA resins (20 for each). The specimens for each
      type were randomly divided into: Group I: Heat cured resin control group; Group
      II: Heat cured acrylic resin specimens exposed to cigarette smoking; Group III:
      Light cured resin control group; Group IV: Light cured resin specimens exposed to
      cigarette smoking. The control groups used for immersion in distilled water and
      the smoke test groups used for exposure to cigarette smoking. The smoke test
      groups specimens were exposed to smoking in a custom made smoking chamber by
      using 20 cigarettes for each specimen. The surface roughness was measured by
      using Pocket SurfPS1 profilometer and the measurements considered as the
      difference between the initial and final roughness measured before and after
      smoking. RESULTS: The t-test for paired observation of test specimens after
      exposure to smoking was indicated significant change in surface roughness for
      Group II (p< 0.05) but has no significance with Group IV. Otherwise, there were
      no significant differences with control groups (Group I and III). CONCLUSION: The
      surface roughness of the dentures constructed from heat cured acrylic resin had
      been increased after exposure to cigarette smoke but had no impact on the
      dentures constructed from visible light cured resin.

PMID- 26501009
TI  - Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Kannada Version of Modified Dental Anxiety Scale
      Among an Adult Indian Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dental anxiety is one of the most common barriers in seeking dental
      care. In order to overcome this barrier dentist need to screen patients to
      successfully help in treatment. A scale is thus needed to measure dental anxiety
      which is socially & culturally acceptable. AIM: This study aimed to assess the
      Cross cultural adaptation and validity of the Kannada translation of the Modified
      Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS-K). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A test-retest was conducted
      on 30 patients visiting a dental institution to assess the reliability of MDAS-
      K. A cross-sectional survey of 301 patients was conducted in different
      departments at a dental institution to test the psychometric properties of MDAS
      K. The assessment tool consisted of a proforma containing socio-demographic, non
      socio- demographic variables, MDAS-K and Visual analogue scale (VAS). STATISTICAL
      ANALYSIS: Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, inter-item Spearman's
      correlation. Independent t-test, ANOVA and post hoc Bonferroni were used to
      analyse dental anxiety in the psychometric constructs. RESULTS: The internal
      consistency of MDAS-K was good with Cronbach's alpha of 0.83. The test-retest
      reliability for MDAS K had a good correlation of 0.901. The psychometric
      variables established the construct validity of MDAS-K.MDAS-K also showed good
      convergent validity with VAS score. The anxiety levels differed in patients
      visiting different dental departments. CONCLUSION: The high reliability and
      validity of the MDAS-K supports its cross cultural adaptation and indicates that
      it can be a valuable tool for dental practioners in quantifying anxiety among
      patients and provide quality dental care.

PMID- 26501011
TI  - Impact of Bariatric Surgery and Diet Modification on Periodontal Status: A Six
      Month Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nutrition is an essential component of oral health and improper
      nutrition is an important aetiological factor in the development of obesity as
      well. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate effect of diet
      modification and oral hygiene maintenance after bariatric surgery on the
      periodontal status of Class III and IV obese patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two
      hundred and twenty four patients between the age ranges of 18 -64 years, from
      both sexes, were subjected to complete periodontal examination prior to bariatric
      surgery and 6 months post surgery. Patients were advised diet modification which
      included more fibrous food intake & decreased intake of soft and sugary food
      along with supragingival scaling & oral health care regime after bariatric
      surgery with a 6 month follow up. No periodontal surgical intervention was
      performed. RESULTS: The patients showed a mean differences in the bleeding score,
      plaque and gingival index which was found to be statistically significant
      (p<0.001). The improvement in clinical attachment level and probing pocket depth
      before and after surgery were found to be statistically insignificant (p>0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Thus we conclude that fibrous diet along with good periodontal care
      can help to improve the oral hygiene status of patients undergoing bariatric
      surgery, even if periodontal surgical intervention is not performed resulting in
      freedom from periodontitis, thus improving quality of life of the patient.

PMID- 26501012
TI  - Desensitizing Agent Reduces Dentin Hypersensitivity During Ultrasonic Scaling: A
      Pilot Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dentin hypersensitivity can interfere with optimal periodontal care
      by dentists and patients. The pain associated with dentin hypersensitivity during
      ultrasonic scaling is intolerable for patient and interferes with the procedure,
      particularly during supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) for patients with
      gingival recession. AIM: This study proposed to evaluate the desensitizing effect
      of the oxalic acid agent on pain caused by dentin hypersensitivity during
      ultrasonic scaling. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study involved 12 patients who
      were incorporated in SPT program and complained of dentin hypersensitivity during
      ultrasonic scaling. We examined the availability of the oxalic acid agent to
      compare the degree of pain during ultrasonic scaling with or without the
      application of the dentin hypersensitivity agent. Evaluation of effects on dentin
      hypersensitivity was determined by a questionnaire and visual analog scale (VAS)
      pain scores after ultrasonic scaling. The statistical analysis was performed
      using the paired Student t-test and Spearman rank correlation coefficient.
      RESULTS: The desensitizing agent reduced the mean VAS pain score from 69.33 +/-
      16.02 at baseline to 26.08 +/- 27.99 after application. The questionnaire
      revealed that >80% patients were satisfied and requested the application of the
      desensitizing agent for future ultrasonic scaling sessions. CONCLUSION: This
      study shows that the application of the oxalic acid agent considerably reduces
      pain associated with dentin hypersensitivity experienced during ultrasonic
      scaling. This pain control treatment may improve patient participation and
      treatment efficiency.

PMID- 26501013
TI  - Evaluation of Salivary Levels of Pyridinoline Cross Linked Carboxyterminal
      Telopeptide of Type I Collagen (ICTP) in Periodontal Health and Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traditional parameters (Pocket depth, bleeding on probing, clinical
      attachment loss, radiographic findings) have been used for a long time for the
      assessment of periodontal disease conditions. However, these parameters only
      indicate towards the periodontal damage that has already taken place but do not
      give any idea regarding the current status of the periodontal health or disease.
      Hence, the present study is aimed at evaluating the concentration of the bone
      biomarker ICTP in saliva, which can give a better real time assessment of
      periodontal health and disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty three patients were
      selected and divided into three groups based on the recorded clinical parameters
      of probing pocket depth, attachment loss and bleeding on probing. Group I
      (Healthy, n = 11), Group II (Gingivitis, n = 17), Group III (Periodontitis. n =
      15). Salivary samples were collected before scaling and root planning to avoid
      contamination by blood. ICTP levels were evaluated in the salivary samples by
      using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED:
      Kruskal Wallis test was used to compare the mean ICTP level of the three groups.
      RESULTS: ICTP was detected in all the samples. Highest mean ICTP concentrations
      in saliva were obtained for group III (periodontitis group) and the lowest mean
      ICTP concentrations were seen in group I (healthy group). This suggests that the
      level of ICTP in saliva increases proportionally from periodontal health to
      diseased conditions (gingivitis & periodontitis). CONCLUSION: There is a
      substantial increase in the salivary concentration of ICTP in chronic
      periodontitis patients than in gingivitis and healthy patients. Salivary ICTP
      levels were the maximum in chronic periodontitis patients followed by gingivitis
      patients and the least in healthy individuals. ICTP may be considered as a
      biomarker in periodontal disease progression.

PMID- 26501014
TI  - Spectrophotometric Study of the Effect of Luting Agents on the Resultant Shade of
      Ceramic Veneers: An Invitro Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Dentistry has found practically the best available aesthetic
      answer, is ceramic restoration. There are various factors that contribute to the
      success of ceramic veneers, like colour of underlying tooth, thickness if
      ceramics and the type of underlying luting cement. Shade selection and matching
      remains still challenge, however the shade of luting agent used for cementation
      of veneers produces a change in resultant shade of veneers. AIM: To compare and
      analyze the spectrophotometric effect of opaque and transparent luting agent on
      resultant shade of ceramic veneers made of 2L1.5 shade (Vitapan 3D-Masters) and
      B2 shade (Vitapan Classic). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Out of 15 ceramic veneers of
      2L1.5 shade (VITAPAN 3D- Master), seven teeth cemented with opaque cement and
      eight teeth with transparent cement shade of dual cure resin cement (Variolink
      II(TM)). Out of 10 ceramic veneers of B2 shade (VITAPAN Classic), five teeth were
      cemented with opaque cement and other five teeth with transparent cement shade of
      dual cure resin cement (Variolink II(TM)). Spectrophotometric (Macbeth U.S.A.)
      analysis of all ceramic veneer crowns done with optiview software and readings
      were recorded in Commission Internationale de I' Eclairge {CIELAB} system and dE
      value was calculated. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Statistical analysis was done by
      using Paired t-test. RESULTS: Spectrophotometric analysis of all the veneers
      cemented with opaque luting agent were lighter in shade due to significant change
      in dL value. Veneers cemented with transparent luting agent were darker in shade
      due to significant change in the dL value. CONCLUSION: Opaque luting agent gives
      lighter shade and transparent luting agent gives darker shade to ceramic veneers
      fabricated with 2L1.5 and B2 shades.

PMID- 26501015
TI  - Evaluation of Microleakage of Dental Composites Using Bonding Agents with
      Different Placement Techniques: An Invitro Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rapid progress of adhesive dentistry over the past decade has
      been attributed to the significant advances in dentin bonding technology.
      Requirements of an ideal bonding agent are quite similar to those indicated by
      Buonocore despite of many improvements. As we enter the new millennium, it is
      important for us to examine the past. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the microleakage of
      three bonding agents namely Single Bond, Prime & Bond NT and Excite using
      different composite materials namely Z100, Spectrum TPH, Tetric with three
      different placement techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty four extracted human
      premolars were taken & divided into 9 groups depending upon application of
      bonding agents followed by composite restorations. Specimens were subjected to
      thermal cycling at 6(0)C, 37(0)C, 54(0)C and again at 37(0)C & then placed in 10
      ml each of freshly prepared 50% silver nitrate solution for 2 hour in darkness,
      washed & placed under sun light for 24 hours. The sectioned specimens were then
      observed under stereomicroscope to detect microleakage. RESULTS: On comparing the
      mean microleakage scores among the three groups, maximum microleakage scores have
      been obtained when no bonding agent was used, while least microleakage scores
      were obtained with double coat of bonding agent. CONCLUSION: The present study
      suggests that the placement of bonding agent technique before composite
      restoration can be effective to limit the microleakage at the tooth restoration
      interface.

PMID- 26501016
TI  - Prevalence and Difficulty Index Associated with the 3(rd) Mandibular Molar
      Impaction among Malaysian Ethnicities: A Clinico-Radiographic Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mandibular third molars (3Mms) are the most common impacted teeth
      in the human dentition and their prevalence ranges from 27-68.8% in various parts
      of the world. The assessment of surgical difficulty of 3Mms extraction helps in
      better formulation of treatment plan by minimizing postoperative complications.
      OBJECTIVES: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the prevalence
      and pattern of 3Mm impaction in patients between 20-44-year-old among Malaysian's
      ethnicities attending Oral Health Center/ SEGi University, Faculty of dentistry.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study reviewed 1249 orthopantomograms (OPGs) of
      subjects aged 20 to 44 years of three Malaysian ethnic groups. Of the study
      population 918 OPGs were considered for the study. Patient's details include age,
      gender and ethnicity were extracted from the patient's clinical record and all
      details related to impaction were obtained from patient's panoramic radiograph
      that was individually examined by two investigators. The data collected was
      statistically analysed using SPSS 16. RESULTS: This study found that Chinese
      female recorded the highest number of patients with "very difficult" category of
      impacted mandibular third molars. The most common age group involved was 20-24
      years, mesioangular impaction, deep occlusal level and no ramus space for
      impacted mandibular third molars (3ms) were the most common findings observed.
      CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that predicting the level of difficulty
      preoperatively for impacted 3m surgery will help in formulating the better
      treatment plan, thereby minimizing the postoperative complication for the
      ultimate benefit of the patient.

PMID- 26501017
TI  - Inhibition of Tongue Coat and Dental Plaque Formation by Stabilized Chlorine
      Dioxide Vs Chlorhexidine Mouthrinse: A Randomized, Triple Blinded Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is an oxidizing agent with known
      bactericidal, viricidal and fungicidal properties. Its efficacy in reducing the
      halitosis has been established by previous literature. However, data evaluating
      its antiplaque property is scarce. Chlorhexidine (CHX) is considered as the gold
      standard and an effective adjunctive to mechanical plaque removal. However, it is
      associated with few reversible side effects. Therefore a study was conducted to
      assess the antiplaque property of ClO2 containing mouthrinse against CHX
      mouthrinse. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of stabilized chlorine
      dioxide containing mouthrinse and CHX containing mouthrinse in inhibition of
      tongue coat accumulation and dental plaque formation using a four day plaque
      regrowth model clinically and microbiologically in a healthy dental cohort.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Single Center, Randomized, Triple blinded,
      Microbiological clinical trial was conducted involving 25 healthy dental students
      volunteers (11 males, 14 females). Two commercially available mouthrinse:
      Mouthrinse A - Aqueous based ClO2 mouthrinse Freshchlor((r)) and Mouthrinse B -
      Aqueous based 0.2% CHX mouthrinse Hexidine((r)) were selected as the test
      products. Subjects were asked to rinse and gargle for 1 minute with the allocated
      mouthrinse under supervision after supragingival scaling, polishing and tongue
      coat removal. After four hours, smears were taken from the buccal mucosa and
      tooth surface. On the fifth day from baseline of four day non brushing plaque
      regrowth model the samples were again taken from buccal mucosa and tooth surface
      followed by recording of plaque scores by Rastogi Modification of Navy Plaque
      index, extent of tongue coat by Winkel's tongue coating index and measuring
      tongue coat wet weight in grams. The samples collected were subjected to
      microbial analysis and the results were expressed as colony forming units (CFUs)
      per sample. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The Data was analysed using SPSS 16.00 and
      presented using descriptive statistics. Independent t-test was used for the
      comparison between mouthrinse A groups & mouthrinse B group. RESULTS: The plaque
      scores and Winkels tongue coat scores, wet tongue coat weight recorded on the
      fifth day after the use of the two mouthrinse didn't show a statistically
      significant difference. The CFU per sample from tooth and mucosa after four hours
      revealed low bacteria count with respect to mouthrinse B however the CFU obtained
      on the fifth day did not show a statistically significant difference between the
      two mouthrinse. CONCLUSION: The clinical antiplaque efficacy of CHX and ClO2
      mouthwash is comparable and so is the efficacy in reducing the oral bacterial
      load.

PMID- 26501018
TI  - Estimation of Release of Nickel and Chromium by Indian Made Orthodontic Appliance
      in Saliva.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: With increasing use of Indian made orthodontic materials, need was
      felt to know nickel and chromium release from these material. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This study was conducted on simulated appliances consisting of brackets
      (022"Roth, Modern orthodontics, Ludhiana, India), from second premolar to central
      incisor, buccal tube and 0.019*0.025- inch SS arch wires secured with SS
      ligatures. Immersion was done in artificial saliva. Samples were analysed to
      using Atomic Absorption Photospectrometer (GVC ScientificEquipment Pvt. Ltd
      Australia) at AES Laboratories (P) Ltd., Noida India on 1(st), 7(th), 14(th) and
      28(th) day. RESULTS: SPSS (ver 17, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA) was used
      toperform the statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics i.e. median and 25
      and75 percentiles were used. Peak nickel release was on 7(th) day and
      subsequently declined over 14(th) and 28(th) day. The peak level of chromium
      concentration was on 14(th) day, which declined thereafter. CONCLUSION: Average
      daily release of nickel and chromium over a period of one month was 97.368
      MUg/day and 47.664 MUg/day respectively. The estimated release rates were
      approximately 32% and 16% of the reported average daily dietary.

PMID- 26501019
TI  - Evaluation of Relationship Between Demographics and Dental Status in a Defined
      Group of Iranian Paediatric Patients Undergoing Cancer Therapy.
AB  - CONTEXT: Cancer is a major cause of death in children under 15 years of age.
      AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate relationship between demographics and dental
      status in a defined group of Iranian paediatric patients undergoing cancer
      therapy. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This cross-sectional study was accomplished on 161
      subjects age ranging 8-12 years. There were 76 cancerous patients hospitalized at
      Mahak Hospital (one of the major children's cancer centers in Tehran) as the
      study group and 85 healthy children attending at Dental School, International
      Branch of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran from 2012
      to 2013. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Demographics were gathered by using data-form.
      Oral examination and DMFT Index were used to describe teeth status in all teeth
      and in the first permanent molars. According to Becker's definition, "D" stands
      for untreated decayed teeth, "M" indicates missing teeth, and "F" shows Filled
      teeth. It is noteworthy that full coverage crowns are considered as "F" in this
      Index. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U, Student's t-tests and
      Logistic Regression were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The most frequent type
      of cancer was acute lymphoblastic/lymphocytic leukemia (33.3%). Patients were
      significantly shorter than controls (p=0.03), and their fathers and mothers were
      of lower educational achievement (p=0.01, p= 0.001). Although DMFT of all
      dentition showed significantly higher score in cancerous children (p=0.001), DMFT
      of four first permanent molars (left, right, upper, and lower) was borderline
      significantly higher in patients (p= 0.06). Moreover, frequency of cancer was
      borderline significantly higher in children with lower birth order (p= 0.05).
      According to Logistic Regression, in as much as patients grew elder 1 year, DMFT
      index increased 1.5 units. CONCLUSION: Patients under cancer therapy were shorter
      than healthy ones, and their parents were of lower educational levels. In
      addition, their teeth status was poorer than controls.

PMID- 26501020
TI  - Spontaneous Bone Regeneration After Enucleation of Large Jaw Cysts: A Digital
      Radiographic Analysis of 44 Consecutive Cases.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study evaluated the healing in cystic defect of the jaw to
      substantiate our understanding of spontaneous bone healing after enucleation of
      jaw cysts subjectively and with analysis of digital postoperative panoramic
      radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourty four consecutive patients reporting to
      the Department of Dental and Oral Surgery, during the period between 2008-2012
      having maxillary and mandibular cysts treated by either surgical enucleation or
      by marsupialization followed by enucleation were evaluated for subsequent bone
      formation at the site of cystectomy defect by subjective clinical examination
      along with digital radiographic examination. Postoperative clinical and
      radiographic examinations were performed at 6,9,12, and 24 months. Bone
      regeneration was evaluated by reduction of the size of residual cavities at the
      cystectomy defect using digital orthopantomogram. RESULTS: Out of 44 patients 15
      patients completed two years of follow-up with all the patients having 6 months
      follow-up. The maximum size of the cystic pathology was 150.40mm and minimum of
      14.73mm at the time of presentation (average size of 58.16mm). Twenty patients
      were diagnosed with odontogenic keratocyst, with one patient having multiple OKC
      associated with Gorlin Goltz Syndrome, 17 patients had dentigerous cyst, 5 had
      Radicular cyst; solitary bone cyst and globulomaxillary cyst formed one each.
      Uneventful healing and spontaneous filling of the residual cavities were obtained
      in all cases. The digital analysis of the postoperative radiographs showed mean
      values of reduction in size of the residual cavity of 25.85% after 6 months,
      57.13% after 9 months, 81.03% after one year and 100% after two year. CONCLUSION:
      Spontaneous bone regeneration can occur after surgical removal of jaw cysts
      without the aid of any graft materials even in large cystic cavity sufficiently
      surrounded by enough bony walls. This simplifies the surgical procedure,
      decreases the overall cost of surgery, and reduces the risk of postoperative
      complications associated with grafting.

PMID- 26501021
TI  - Prevalence of Elongated Styloid Process in a Central Brazilian Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Eagle's syndrome comprises a rare disorder caused by compression of
      an elongated or deformed styloid process or ossified/calcified stylohyoid
      ligament on neural and vascular structures. It is characterized by facial and
      neck pain and can be confused with a wide variety of facial neuralgias, oral and
      dental diseases and temporomandibular disorders. An imaging evaluation associated
      with a careful clinical examination, are mandatory in structuring a correct
      differential diagnosis and in the establishment of a proper therapeutic protocol.
      AIM: To investigate the prevalence of the elongated styloid process in a Central
      Brazilian population and its relation to gender, age and side. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Digital panoramic radiographs of 736 patients (412 female and 324 male,
      with a mean age of 35.03 years) were consecutively selected from a private
      radiology clinic's secondary database. The apparent length of the styloid process
      was measured from the point where the styloid left the tympanic plate to the tip
      of the process by two specialists in dental radiology, with the help of the
      measuring tools on the accompanying software. Styloid process measuring more than
      30 mm was considered elongated. The statistical analysis included frequency
      distribution and cross tabulation. The data were analysed by using Chi-squared
      tests. The level of significance was set at 5% for all analyses. RESULTS: A total
      of 323 (43.89%) radiographic images were suggestive of elongated styloid process.
      No statistically significant difference was found between the genders, although a
      higher prevalence was noticed in female participants. Approximately, 31% of the
      elongated styloid process was observed in 18-53-year-old participants (p < 0.05).
      Two hundred and sixty seven styloid processes (36.28%) were elongated on both
      right and left sides. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of elongated styloid process was
      high and no statistically significant correlation was found between the presence
      of elongated styloid process and the studied variables with the exception of the
      age.

PMID- 26501022
TI  - Driving the Mineral out Faster: Simple Modifications of the Decalcification
      Technique.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Quicker decalcification is essential for faster diagnosis of hard
      tissue pathology. Heat and mechanical agitation are known to hasten
      decalcification. AIM: To compare the rate of decalcification, cellular and
      staining characteristics of decalcified specimens of bone and teeth by using the
      conventional method (10% formal formic acid), heating to 45(o)C and by physical
      agitation with magnetic stirrer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Weight-matched samples of
      caprine-origin bone (n=15) and teeth (n=15) were decalcified using three methods
      namely: a) Gooding and Stewart's fluid; b) Gooding and Stewart's fluid heated to
      45(o)C for 6 hours daily; and c) Gooding and Stewart's fluid agitated using a
      magnetic stirrer for 6 hours daily. Non-lesional skin tissue samples were placed
      along with each specimen. End point of decalcification (chemical test) was noted;
      4 micron sections were taken and stained with H&E. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS:
      Differences in rate of decalcification and staining characteristics were assessed
      by Kruskal Wallis test and chi-square test respectively. RESULTS: Hard tissues
      decalcified faster with stirring and heating methods. The amount of osteocyte
      retraction noted in bone was significantly reduced in the stirring method. In
      tooth specimens, modified techniques resulted in poorer nuclear-cytoplasmic
      contrast of pulp cells. Heating affected the odontoblast layer. Soft tissues
      exhibited higher eosinophilia in stirring and conventional methods, whereas
      nuclear-cytoplasmic contrast and chromatin staining was poorest in heating and
      conventional methods. CONCLUSION: Physical agitation of decalcifying fluid may be
      recommended while maintaining satisfactory quality of tissue morphology and
      staining.

PMID- 26501023
TI  - Amnion and Chorion Allografts in Combination with Coronally Advanced Flap in the
      Treatment of Gingival Recession: A Clinical Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Guided tissue regeneration (GTR) based root coverage using different
      allograft membranes has been utilized to correct gingival recession defects with
      promising results. Amnion and chorion allograft membranes of alternative origin
      derived from human placental tissue has been advocated in the treatment of
      gingival recession. However, chorion membrane has been used in combination with
      amnion membrane no study has compared these allograft membranes in the treatment
      of gingival recession. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to clinically
      evaluate and compare the efficacy of amnion membrane and chorion membrane in
      combination with coronally advanced flap in the treatment of gingival recessions.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve systemically healthy patients having at least 2
      bilateral Miller's Class I or Class II gingival recession were recruited and
      coronally advanced flap was performed with amnion membrane or chorion membrane.
      Clinical parameters such as gingival Index, plaque index, length of the
      recession, width of the recession, width of keratinized gingiva, relative
      attachment level were evaluated at baseline, 3 and 6 months post-surgery.
      RESULTS: The mean decrease in length of recession (LR) for Chorion site was
      2.00+/-1.54mm and amnion site was 1.58+/-1.14mm. The gain in attachment level for
      amnion site was 2.17+/-1.53mm and for chorion site was 1.58+/-1.22mm. The total
      mean percentage of root coverage was 34% for chorion site and 22% for amnion
      site. CONCLUSION: Both amnion membrane and chorion membrane has shown to be
      versatile allograft material to be used in the treatment of root coverage.

PMID- 26501024
TI  - Modified Occlusal Table - An Aid to Enhance Function of Hemimandibulectomy
      Patient: A Case Report.
AB  - Completely edentulous patients who have undergone hemimandibulectomy suffer
      severe anatomic and functional loss. Functions like mastication, speech and
      deglutition are severely compromised. The mandibular deviation towards the
      resected side leads to inefficient mastication. In order to alleviate the
      difficulties encountered by the patient, construction of a modified occlusal
      table into conventional complete denture has been described in this article. This
      simple modification enables the patient to articulate teeth on a broader surface
      area. The inclines of the cusps also help in mandibular guidance. Thus,
      prosthetic rehabilitation of hemimandibulectomy patients with two rows of teeth
      on the unresected side serves to restore function and aaesthetics providing them
      with an added psychological comfort. 

PMID- 26501025
TI  - A Case of Dentinogenesis Imperfecta Treated with Submerged Root Technique.
AB  - Dentinogenesis imperfecta (DGI), an autosomal dominant trait, is one of the most
      common hereditary disorders affecting both the formation and mineralization of
      dentin. Either or both primary and permanent dentition is affected by it. Here,
      we present a case report of a 13-year-old female patient affected with DGI who
      had undergone prosthetic rehabilitation with submerged root technique. 

PMID- 26501026
TI  - Reconstruction and Intentional Replantation of a Maxillary Central Incisor with a
      Complete Vertical Root Fracture: A Rare Case Report with Three Years Follow up.
AB  - Vertical root fractures in teeth present with challenges not only with diagnosis
      but also with management. The prognosis in such teeth is generally questionable
      with extraction of the tooth being the most common treatment option. However,
      conservative treatment options such as reconstruction of the fractured fragments
      with adhesive resin followed by intentional replantation have been recently
      suggested. There are only a few case reports that describe management of complete
      vertical root fracture by reconstruction of fragments. The present case report
      describes successful management of an unusual complete vertical root fracture of
      a maxillary right central incisor in a 23-year-old male by reconstructing the
      fragments with a dual cure resin followed by intentional replantation. At the
      three year follow up, the tooth was asymptomatic, radiographically sound with
      probing depth and mobility within normal physiological limits. 

PMID- 26501027
TI  - Heterogeneity of Nasolabial Flap- Role in Prevention of Morbidity Associated with
      Reconstruction of Orofacial Defects.
AB  - Reconstructive technique after surgical excision of malignancy in orofacial
      region should be planned in preoperative period itself. Surgery is the preferred
      modality of treatment if the tumour is small and located in an accessible area.
      Nasolabial flap is a versatile flap which is well suited to cover small defects
      in maxillofacial region. Nasolabial flap can be used as an alternative to other
      distant pedicled flaps in selected cases. A retrospective analysis of 12 cases of
      oral cancer treated with primary excision and reconstruction using nasolabial
      flap was done. Patients who underwent resection of tumour and reconstruction with
      nasolabial flap in selected cases reduced the morbidity associated with Distant
      pedicled flaps. Two selected cases are described in detail. 

PMID- 26501028
TI  - Magnet and Semi Precision Attachment in an Implant Retained Partial Denture for
      the Rehabilitation of an Irradiated Marginal Mandibulectomy Patient: A Case
      Report.
AB  - Surgical treatment of malignancies in the oral cavity (mandible, tongue, floor of
      the mouth, alveolus, buccal sulcus) often results in an unfavourable anatomic
      condition for prosthodontic rehabilitation. Hence, maxillofacial prosthetic
      rehabilitation becomes a mightier task when resection is accompanied by radiation
      therapy. In selected cases, implant therapy comes to rescue. The following report
      throws light on the case of prosthetic rehabilitation of a patient who underwent
      right marginal mandibulectomy and right partial glossectomy, with the aid of a
      single implant, semi precision attachment and magnet supported partial denture. 

PMID- 26501029
TI  - Deceptive Lesions of Periodontium: A Case Series.
AB  - Basic pathology of the common appearing diseases of the periodontium are not
      always common inflammatory reactions. The root cause may be malignant and
      metastatic lesions. Here, we present unusual causes of these common periodontal
      lesions. This article also stress upon the importance of histopathological
      examination of the surgically excised localized gingival swellings which fail to
      regress after conservative therapy. 

PMID- 26501030
TI  - Proposed Clinico-Pathological Classification for Oral Exophytic Lesions.
AB  - Oral exophytic lesions often have proven to be diagnostically challenging due to
      the varied clinical presentation. The exophytic growth of the oral lesions is due
      to the type of pathology and histological changes. Careful clinical
      interpretation with a better histological understanding of exophytic lesions may
      ease the diagnosis from the differential diagnosis panel. The purpose of
      proposing classification system is to categorize the exophytic lesions of
      interest under specific clinical and/or histological explanation; and this will
      eventually lead to better understanding of the pathological condition that is
      described. To the best of our knowledge, there is no such classification system
      available for oral exophytic lesions and hence proposal of classification system
      is attempted in this study. Further, proposing a new classification system is not
      just to influence the academic contribution, but also to assist at greatest
      extent for diagnosis during clinical practice. 

PMID- 26501031
TI  - A Review on Perforation Repair Materials.
AB  - Perforation is an artificial communication between the root canal system and
      supporting tissues of the teeth. Root perforation complicates the treatment and
      deprives the prognosis if not properly managed. A wide variety of materials to
      seal the perforations have been suggested in literature. There are many
      comparative studies showing the efficacy of one material over the other.
      Literature shows many reviews on diagnosis, treatment plan and factors affecting
      prognosis of perforation repair; but none of these articles elaborated upon
      various materials available to seal the perforation. The present article aims at
      describing all the materials used for perforation repair from the past till date;
      it also offers a literature review of all the articles published over last four
      decades referred to the treatment of perforation with various root repair
      materials. 

PMID- 26501032
TI  - Toll-Like Receptors: A Key Marker for Periodontal Disease and Preterm Birth - A
      Contemporary Review.
AB  - The receptors of the innate immune system have evolved to recognize pathogenic
      bacteria in a complex manner. Out of these immune receptors, the pattern
      recognition receptors (PRRs) such as Toll like receptors have gained importance
      off late to play a key role in the activation of cascade of inflammatory
      cytokines in pathogenesis of preterm birth. Preterm birth has become leading
      cause of neonatal deaths globally. The concept of oral infection influencing the
      occurrence of preterm delivery has gained importance. Translocation of
      periodontal pathogens and inflammatory mediators play role in the pathogenesis of
      preterm labour. The transmembrane toll like receptors of innate immunity have
      been recently implicated in the association of periodontal infection and preterm
      labour. The TLRs are considered as a key marker and TLR blockade can be a
      critical method for treating women who are exposed to periodontal pathogens. This
      review is aimed at discussing the role of TLR in periodontal disease and its
      relationship with preterm birth. 

PMID- 26501033
TI  - Osseoperception: An Implant Mediated Sensory Motor Control- A Review.
AB  - Osseointegration of dental implants has been researched extensively, covering
      various aspects such as bone apposition, biomechanics and microbiology etc
      however, physiologic integration of implants and the associated prosthesis in the
      body has received very little attention. This integration is due to the
      development of a special sensory ability, which is able to restore peripheral
      sensory feedback mechanism. The underlying mechanism of this so-called
      'osseoperception' phenomenon remains a matter of debate. The following article
      reveals the histological, neurophysiologic and psychophysical aspects of
      osseoperception. A comprehensive research to provide scientific evidence of
      osseoperception was carried out using various online resources such as Pubmed,
      Google scholar etc to retrieve studies published between 1985 to 2014 using the
      following keywords: "osseoperception", "mechanoreceptors", "tactile sensibility".
      Published data suggests that a peripheral feedback pathway can be restored with
      osseointegrated implants. This implant-mediated sensory-motor control may have
      important clinical implications in the normal functioning of the implant
      supported prosthesis. 

PMID- 26501034
TI  - Biomedical Biopolymers, their Origin and Evolution in Biomedical Sciences: A
      Systematic Review.
AB  - Biopolymers provide a plethora of applications in the pharmaceutical and medical
      applications. A material that can be used for biomedical applications like wound
      healing, drug delivery and tissue engineering should possess certain properties
      like biocompatibility, biodegradation to non-toxic products, low antigenicity,
      high bio-activity, processability to complicated shapes with appropriate
      porosity, ability to support cell growth and proliferation and appropriate
      mechanical properties, as well as maintaining mechanical strength. This paper
      reviews biodegradable biopolymers focusing on their potential in biomedical
      applications. Biopolymers most commonly used and most abundantly available have
      been described with focus on the properties relevant to biomedical importance. 

PMID- 26501035
TI  - Forensic Facial Reconstruction: The Final Frontier.
AB  - Forensic facial reconstruction can be used to identify unknown human remains when
      other techniques fail. Through this article, we attempt to review the different
      methods of facial reconstruction reported in literature. There are several
      techniques of doing facial reconstruction, which vary from two dimensional
      drawings to three dimensional clay models. With the advancement in 3D technology,
      a rapid, efficient and cost effective computerized 3D forensic facial
      reconstruction method has been developed which has brought down the degree of
      error previously encountered. There are several methods of manual facial
      reconstruction but the combination Manchester method has been reported to be the
      best and most accurate method for the positive recognition of an individual.
      Recognition allows the involved government agencies to make a list of suspected
      victims'. This list can then be narrowed down and a positive identification may
      be given by the more conventional method of forensic medicine. Facial
      reconstruction allows visual identification by the individual's family and
      associates to become easy and more definite. 

PMID- 26501036
TI  - Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Hematoxylin and Eosin Staining.

PMID- 26501037
TI  - The Use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Dentistry.

PMID- 26501038
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding Prevalence of Periodontal Disease and
      Characterization of its Extent and Severity in An Adult Population: An
      Observational Study.

PMID- 26501039
TI  - A Contemporary Approach to Classify Ghost Cells Comprising Oral Lesions.
AB  - Ghost cells are swollen eosinophilic epithelial cells that have lost their nuclei
      but retain the cellular and nuclear outline. Pathologic ghost cell formation
      could be the process of aberrant keratinization or the result of coagulative
      necrosis. Ghost cells have been described in several odontogenic lesions, which
      include calcifying epithelial odontogenic cysts or tumours like odontomas,
      ameloblastic fibro-odontomas, and ameloblastomas. This article present a view on
      the formation of ghost cells with proposal/introduction of a classification for
      ghost cell lesions of the oral cavity in an attempt to organize these lesions for
      the better understanding and academic purpose. 

PMID- 26501040
TI  - Erratum to: Combined effect of hydrogen sulphide donor and losartan in
      experimental diabetic nephropathy in rats.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s40200-015-0185-7.]. 

PMID- 26501041
TI  - Hyperglycaemia and its related risk factors in Ilam province, west of Iran- a
      population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Impaired fasting glycaemia (IFG) has been defined as the fasting
      plasma glucose level between 6.1 (110 mgl/dl) and 6.9 mmol/l (125 mgl/dl).
      Control of hyperglycaemia during acute illness among diabetic and non-diabetic
      patients has been associated with improved outcome. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the prevalence of and factors related to hyperglycaemia, IFG and
      diabetes in west of Iran. METHODS: This project was performed by a cross
      sectional method in Ilam province including 2158 people >= 25 years old. From the
      list of all rural and urban health centers of each county, several were randomly
      selected. For each selected health centre, families numbered 1-20 completed
      questionnaire forms for all the members aging >= 25 years. FBS was measured for
      all the participants by standard method. All the demographic and laboratory
      results were analysed using SPSS 16. Descriptive and regression analysis were
      used for statistical analysis appropriately. RESULTS: A total of 2158 people were
      evaluated in this study, among which 72 % were female with a mean age of 45.5 +/-
      14 years. 40 % of participants were from urban regions and the mean height,
      weight, FBS and waist size of the participants were respectively as follows: 164
      +/- 8.9 cm, 68.4 +/- 12.3 kg, 5.7 +/- 2.8 mmol/l (102.6 +/- 49.9 mg/dl) and 82.3
      +/- 14.3 cm. The prevalence of IFG, diabetes and hyperglycaemia among
      participants were 7.8 %, 11.8 % and 19.6 %, respectively and participants from
      urban area showed a significantly higher prevalence of hyperglycaemia compared to
      rural regions (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The most effective factors associated
      with IFG and diabetes were family history of diabetes, age, hypertension, marital
      status, place of life and smoking, respectively. The prevalence of IFG, diabetes
      and hyperglycemia among the population living in Ilam province, west of Iran,
      were 7.8, 11.8 and 19.6 % respectively which were directly increased with age.

PMID- 26501042
TI  - Condylar positioning changes following unilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy
      in patients with mandibular prognathism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was performed to evaluate three-dimensional positional
      change of the condyle using three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT)
      following unilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (USSRO) in patients with
      mandibular prognathism. METHODS: This study examined two patients exhibiting
      skeletal class III malocclusion with facial asymmetry who underwent USSRO for a
      mandibular setback. 3D-CT was performed before surgery, immediately after
      surgery, and 6 months postoperatively. After creating 3D-CT images by using the
      In-vivo 5TM program, the axial plane, coronal plane, and sagittal plane were
      configured. Three-dimensional positional changes from each plane to the condyle,
      axial condylar head axis angle (AHA), axial condylar head position (AHP), frontal
      condylar head axis angle (FHA), frontal condylar head position (FHP), sagittal
      condylar head axis angle (SHA), and sagittal condylar head position (SHP) of the
      two patients were measured before surgery, immediately after surgery, and 6
      months postoperatively. RESULTS: In the first patient, medial rotation of the
      operated condyle in AHA and anterior rotation in SHA were observed. There were no
      significant changes after surgery in AHP, FHP, and SHP after surgery. In the
      second patient, medial rotation of the operated condyle in AHA and lateral
      rotation of the operated condyle in FHA were observed. There were no significant
      changes in AHP, FHP, and SHP postoperatively. This indicates that in USSRO,
      postoperative movement of the condylar head is insignificant; however, medial
      rotation of the condylar head is possible. Although three-dimensional changes
      were observed, these were not clinically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The results of
      this study suggest that although three-dimensional changes in condylar head
      position are observed in patients post SSRO, there are no significant changes
      that would clinically affect the patient.

PMID- 26501043
TI  - Reconstruction of extensive jaw defects induced by keratocystic odontogenic tumor
      via patient-customized devices.
AB  - Keratocystic odontogenic tumors can occur in any area of the maxilla or mandible.
      According to their size, location, and relations with surrounding structures,
      they are treated by cyst enucleation or enucleation after either marsupialization
      or decompression. Enucleation is performed when cysts are not large and when only
      minor damage to adjacent anatomical structures is expected. Although
      marsupialization and decompression follow the same basic bone-regeneration
      principle, which is to say, by reducing the pressure within the cyst, the former
      leaves a large defect after healing due to the large fistula necessary to induce
      the conversion of the cyst-lining epithelia to oral epithelia; the latter leaves
      only a relatively small defect, because of the continuous washing carried out by
      means of a tube inserted into a small hole in the cyst. In the latter case too, a
      decompressor appropriate for the focal position is required, owing to the
      importance of maintaining the device and controlling for oral hygiene. We report
      herein decompression treatment with a patient-customized device for an extensive
      cyst in the anterior region of the mandible.

PMID- 26501044
TI  - A Case of New Familiar Genetic Variant of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney
      Disease-2: A Case Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is characterized
      by renal cyst formation due to mutations in genes coding for polycystin-1 [PKD1
      (85-90% of cases), on ch 16p13.3] and polycystin-2 [PKD2 (10-15% of cases), on ch
      4q13-23] and PKD3 gene (gene unmapped). It is also associated with TSC2/PKD1
      contiguous gene syndrome. ADPKD is usually inherited, but new mutations without a
      family history occur in approximately 10% of the cases. CASE PRESENTATION: A 17
      year-old boy was followed up for bilateral cystic kidney disease, hypertension,
      and obesity since he was 13 years old. The diagnosis was an accidental finding
      during abdominal CT at age 13 to rule out appendicitis. A renal ultrasonogram
      also demonstrated a multiple bilateral cysts. Because of parental history of
      bilateral renal cysts, PKD1 and PKD2, genetic testing was ordered. Results
      showed, PKD2 variant 1:3 bp deletion of TGT; nucleotide position: 1602-1604;
      codon position: 512-513; mRNA reading frame maintained. The same mutation was
      later identified in his father. CONCLUSION: A smaller number of patients have a
      defect in the PKD2 locus on chromosome 4 (resulting in PKD2 disease). There are
      no known published cases on this familiar genetic variant of ADPKD-2 cystic
      kidney disease. In this case, the disease is present unusually early in life.

PMID- 26501045
TI  - Altered Fetal Head Growth in Preeclampsia: A Retrospective Cohort Proof-Of
      Concept Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is associated with fetal growth restriction and low
      birth weights. Neurotrophins, which mediate neuronal growth and development, are
      also increased in the placenta and cord blood in preeclampsia. Hence, the aim of
      this study was to determine whether fetal head growth is altered in preeclampsia,
      adjusting for growth restriction and other confounding variables. METHODS: This
      research included a retrospective cohort study, looking at fetal head
      circumference at birth, plus a case-control study examining fetal head
      circumference at mid-gestation. The head circumference at birth analysis
      consisted of 14,607 pregnancies (preeclampsia = 382, control = 14,225), delivered
      between July 2006 and June 2012 at Nepean Hospital, Australia. Head circumference
      at birth, in addition to other maternal and fetal variables, was sourced from the
      Nepean Obstetric Database. The head circumference at mid-gestation study
      consisted of 756 pregnancies (preeclampsia = 248, control = 508), delivered
      within the same data collection period at Nepean Hospital. Head circumference at
      mid-gestation was retrieved from an earlier ultrasound scan. Exclusion criteria
      included >1 fetus, illegal drug use, alcohol consumption, and chronic or
      gestational hypertension. Generalized linear models were used to analyze fetal
      head circumference in preeclampsia versus controls, adjusting for confounding
      variables. RESULTS: Head circumference increased at a greater rate in
      preeclampsia versus controls, adjusted for gestation, fetal gender, birth weight
      and length, smoking, maternal BMI, and growth restriction. At mid-gestation,
      there was no difference in head circumference between preeclampsia and controls.
      CONCLUSION: For the first time, this research has suggested increased fetal head
      growth in preeclampsia, adjusted for confounders. This finding may be explained
      by altered fetal exposure to neurotrophins in preeclampsia. The long-term
      neurodevelopmental consequences of preeclampsia remain unclear.

PMID- 26501046
TI  - Building Interdisciplinary Leadership Skills among Health Practitioners in the
      Twenty-First Century: An Innovative Training Model.
AB  - Transformational learning is the focus of twenty-first century global educational
      reforms. In India, there is a need to amalgamate the skills and knowledge of
      medical, nursing, and public health practitioners and to develop robust
      leadership competencies among them. This initiative proposed to identify
      interdisciplinary leadership competencies among Indian health practitioners and
      to develop a training program for interdisciplinary leadership skills through an
      Innovation Collaborative. Medical, nursing, and public health institutions
      partnered in this endeavor. An exhaustive literature search was undertaken to
      identify leadership competencies in these three professions. Published evidence
      was utilized in searching for the need for interdisciplinary training of health
      practitioners, including current scenarios in interprofessional health education
      and the key competencies required. The interdisciplinary leadership competencies
      identified were self-awareness, vision, self-regulation, motivation,
      decisiveness, integrity, interpersonal communication skills, strategic planning,
      team building, innovation, and being an effective change agent. Subsequently, a
      training program was developed, and three training sessions were piloted with 66
      participants. Each cohort comprised a mix of participants from different
      disciplines. The pilot training guided the development of a training model for
      building interdisciplinary leadership skills and organizing interdisciplinary
      leadership workshops. The need for interdisciplinary leadership competencies is
      recognized. The long-term objective of the training model is integration into the
      regular medical, nursing, and public health curricula, with the aim of developing
      interdisciplinary leadership skills among them. Although challenging, formal
      incorporation of leadership skills into health professional education is possible
      within the interdisciplinary classroom setting using principles of transformative
      learning. 

PMID- 26501048
TI  - How Target and Perceiver Gender Affect Impressions of HIV Risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: People do not use condoms consistently but instead rely on intuition
      to identify sexual partners high at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
      infection. The present study examined gender differences of intuitive impressions
      about HIV risk. METHODS: Male and female perceivers evaluated portraits of
      unacquainted male and female targets regarding their risk for HIV, trait
      characteristics (trust, responsibility, attractiveness, valence, arousal, and
      health), and willingness for interaction. RESULTS: Male targets were perceived as
      more risky than female targets for both perceiver genders. Furthermore, male
      perceivers reported higher HIV risk perception for both male and female targets
      than female perceivers. Multiple regression indicated gender differences in the
      association between person characteristics and HIV risk. In male targets, only
      trustworthiness predicts HIV risk. In female targets, however, HIV risk is
      related to trustworthiness, attractiveness, health, valence (for male
      perceivers), and arousal (for female perceivers). CONCLUSION: The present
      findings characterize intuitive impressions of HIV risk and reveal differences
      according to both target and perceiver gender. Considering gender differences in
      intuitive judgments of HIV risk may help devise effective strategies by shifting
      the balance from feelings of risk toward a more rational mode of risk perception
      and the adoption of effective precautionary behaviors.

PMID- 26501047
TI  - Concordance between Self-Reports and Medicare Claims among Participants in a
      National Study of Chronic Disease Self-Management Program.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the concordance between self-reported data and variables
      obtained from Medicare administrative data in terms of chronic conditions and
      health care utilization. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. PARTICIPANTS:
      We analyzed data from a sample of Medicare beneficiaries who were part of the
      National Study of Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) and were
      eligible for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) pilot
      evaluation of CDSMP (n = 119). METHODS: Self-reported and Medicare claims-based
      chronic conditions and health care utilization were examined. Percent of
      consistent numbers, kappa statistic (kappa), and Pearson's correlation
      coefficient were used to evaluate concordance. RESULTS: The two data sources had
      substantial agreement for diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      (COPD) (kappa = 0.75 and kappa = 0.60, respectively), moderate agreement for
      cancer and heart disease (kappa = 0.50 and kappa = 0.47, respectively), and fair
      agreement for depression (kappa = 0.26). With respect to health care utilization,
      the two data sources had almost perfect or substantial concordance for number of
      hospitalizations (kappa = 0.69-0.79), moderate concordance for ED care
      utilization (kappa = 0.45-0.61), and generally low agreement for number of
      physician visits (kappa <= 0.31). CONCLUSION: Either self-reports or claim-based
      administrative data for diabetes, COPD, and hospitalizations can be used to
      analyze Medicare beneficiaries in the US. Yet, caution must be taken when only
      one data source is available for other types of chronic conditions and health
      care utilization.

PMID- 26501049
TI  - A Selected Review of the Mortality Rates of Neonatal Intensive Care Units.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Newborn babies in need of critical medical attention are normally
      admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). These infants tend to be
      preterm, have low birth weight, and/or have serious medical conditions. Neonatal
      survival varies, but progress in perinatal and neonatal care has notably
      diminished mortality rates. In this selected review, we examine and compare the
      NICU mortality rates and etiologies of death in different countries. METHODS: A
      literature search was conducted in Ovid MEDLINE, OLDMEDLINE, EMBASE Classic, and
      EMBASE. The primary endpoint was the mortality rates in NICUs. Secondary
      endpoints included the reasons for death and the correlation between infant age
      and mortality outcome. For the main analysis, we examined all infants admitted to
      NICUs. Subgroup analyses included extremely low birth weight infants (based on
      the authors' own definition), very low birth weight infants, very preterm
      infants, preterm infants, preterm infants with a birth weight of <=1,500 g, and
      by developed and developing countries. RESULTS: The literature search yielded
      1,865 articles, of which 20 were included. The total mortality rates greatly
      varied among countries. Infants in developed and developing countries had similar
      ages at death, ranging from 4 to 20 days and 1 to 28.9 days, respectively. The
      mortality rates ranged from 4 to 46% in developed countries and 0.2 to 64.4% in
      developing countries. CONCLUSION: The mortality rates of NICUs vary between
      nations but remain high in both developing and developed countries.

PMID- 26501050
TI  - Pediatric Nephrology in Primary Care: The Forest for the Trees.

PMID- 26501051
TI  - Implementation and evaluation of a training program as part of the Cooperative
      Biological Engagement Program in Azerbaijan.
AB  - A training program for animal and human health professionals has been implemented
      in Azerbaijan through a joint agreement between the United States Defense Threat
      Reduction Agency and the Government of Azerbaijan. The training program is
      administered as part of the Cooperative Biological Engagement Program, and
      targets key employees in Azerbaijan's disease surveillance system including
      physicians, veterinarians, epidemiologists, and laboratory personnel. Training is
      aimed at improving detection, diagnosis, and response to especially dangerous
      pathogens (EDPs), although the techniques and methodologies can be applied to
      other pathogens and diseases of concern. Biosafety and biosecurity training is
      provided to all trainees within the program. Prior to 2014, a variety of
      international agencies and organizations provided training, which resulted in
      gaps related to lack of coordination of training materials and content. In 2014 a
      new training program was implemented in order to address those gaps. This paper
      provides an overview of the Cooperative Biological Engagement Program training
      program in Azerbaijan, a description of how the program fits into existing
      national training infrastructure, and an evaluation of the new program's
      effectiveness to date. Long-term sustainability of the program is also discussed.

PMID- 26501052
TI  - The Association between Medicare Advantage Market Penetration and Diabetes in the
      United States.
AB  - The objective of this study is to explore the extent to which managed care market
      penetration in the United States is associated with the presence of chronic
      disease. Diabetes was selected as the chronic disease of interest due to its
      increasing prevalence as well as the disease management protocols that can lessen
      disease complications. We hypothesized that greater managed care market
      penetration would be associated with (1) lower prevalence of diabetes and (2)
      lower prevalence of diabetes-related comorbidities (DRCs) among diabetics. Data
      for this analysis came from two sources. We merged Medicare Advantage (MA) market
      penetration data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with
      data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (2004-2008). Results
      suggest that county-level MA market penetration is not significantly associated
      with prevalence of diabetes or DRCs. That finding is quite interesting in that
      managed care market penetration has been shown to have an effect on utilization
      of inpatient services. It may be that managed care protocols do not offer the
      same benefits beyond the inpatient setting. 

PMID- 26501053
TI  - Structure-odor relationships of linalool, linalyl acetate and their corresponding
      oxygenated derivatives.
AB  - Linalool 1 is an odorant that is commonly perceived as having a pleasant odor,
      but is also known to elicit physiological effects such as inducing calmness and
      enhancing sleep. However, no comprehensive studies are at hand to show which
      structural features are responsible for these prominent effects. Therefore, a
      total of six oxygenated derivatives were synthesized from both 1 and linalyl
      acetate 2, and were tested for their odor qualities and relative odor thresholds
      (OTs) in air. Linalool was found to be the most potent odorant among the
      investigated compounds, with an average OT of 3.2 ng/L, while the 8
      hydroxylinalool derivative was the least odorous compound with an OT of 160 ng/L;
      8-carboxylinalool was found to be odorless. The odorant 8-oxolinalyl acetate,
      which has very similar odor properties to linalool, was the most potent odorant
      besides linalool, exhibiting an OT of 5.9 ng/L. By comparison, 8-carboxylinalyl
      acetate had a similar OT (6.1 ng/L) as its corresponding 8-oxo derivative but
      exhibited divergent odor properties (fatty, greasy, musty). Overall, oxygenation
      on carbon 8 had a substantial effect on the aroma profiles of structural
      derivatives of linalool and linalyl acetate. 

PMID- 26501054
TI  - An imidazole functionalized pentameric thiophene displays different staining
      patterns in normal and malignant cells.
AB  - Molecular tools for fluorescent imaging of cells and their components are vital
      for understanding the function and activity of cells. Here, we report an
      imidazole functionalized pentameric oligothiophene, p-HTIm, that can be utilized
      for fluorescent imaging of cells. p-HTIm fluorescence in normal cells appeared in
      a peripheral punctate pattern partially co-localized with lysosomes, whereas a
      one-sided perinuclear Golgi associated localization of the dye was observed in
      malignant cells. The uptake of p-HTIm was temperature dependent and the
      intracellular target was reached within 1 h after staining. The ability of p-HTIm
      to stain cells was reduced when the imidazole side chain was chemically altered,
      verifying that specific imidazole side-chain functionalities are necessary for
      achieving the observed cellular staining. Our findings confirm that properly
      functionalized oligothiophenes can be utilized as fluorescent tools for vital
      staining of cells and that the selectivity toward distinct intracellular targets
      are highly dependent on the side-chain functionalities along the conjugated
      thiophene backbone. 

PMID- 26501055
TI  - Relevance of Crop Biology for Environmental Risk Assessment of Genetically
      Modified Crops in Africa.
AB  - Knowledge about the crop biology of economic crops in Africa is needed for
      regulators to accurately review dossiers and conduct comprehensive environmental
      risk assessments (ERAs). This information allows regulators to decide whether
      biotech crops present a risk to biodiversity, since crossing between domesticated
      crops and their wild relatives could affect the adaptations of the wild species.
      The criteria that should be used in the evaluation of African crops for ERA
      include growth habit, center of origin, center of genetic diversity, proximity of
      wild relatives, inter-fertility, mode of pollen dispersal, length of pollen
      viability, mating system, invasiveness, weediness, mode of propagation, mode of
      seed dispersal, and length of seed dormancy. In this paper, we discuss the crops
      being genetic engineered in Africa and describe the crop biology of those with
      native relatives. 

PMID- 26501056
TI  - Effect of Ceramic Scaffold Architectural Parameters on Biological Response.
AB  - Numerous studies have focused on the optimization of ceramic architectures to
      fulfill a variety of scaffold functional requirements and improve biological
      response. Conventional fabrication techniques, however, do not allow for the
      production of geometrically controlled, reproducible structures and often fail to
      allow the independent variation of individual geometric parameters. Current
      developments in additive manufacturing technologies suggest that 3D printing will
      allow a more controlled and systematic exploration of scaffold architectures.
      This more direct translation of design into structure requires a pipeline for
      design-driven optimization. A theoretical framework for systematic design and
      evaluation of architectural parameters on biological response is presented. Four
      levels of architecture are considered, namely (1) surface topography, (2) pore
      size and geometry, (3) porous networks, and (4) macroscopic pore arrangement,
      including the potential for spatially varied architectures. Studies exploring the
      effect of various parameters within these levels are reviewed. This framework
      will hopefully allow uncovering of new relationships between architecture and
      biological response in a more systematic way as well as inform future refinement
      of fabrication techniques to fulfill architectural necessities with a
      consideration of biological implications. 

PMID- 26501057
TI  - Public Submissions on the Uganda National Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill, 2012
      Reveal Potential Way Forward for Uganda Legislators to Pass the Bill.
AB  - The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is
      an internationally binding instrument addressing issues of biosafety. Biosafety
      refers to the need to protect human health and the environment from the possible
      adverse effects of the products of modern biotechnology. Accordingly, all
      countries to the convention are required to put in place regulatory mechanisms to
      enhance the safety of biotechnology in the context of the Convention's overall
      goal of reducing all potential threats to biological diversity, while taking into
      account the risks to human health. Therefore, each country party to the
      convention has its own procedures to enact laws to guide the safe use of
      biotechnology. In Uganda, the process involves the drafting of the bill by the
      first parliamentary counsel, approval by cabinet, first reading at the
      parliament, committal to the responsible parliamentary sessional committee,
      tabling of the bill for public hearing, consultations, and final approval. In
      Uganda, the Committee on Science and Technology is responsible for the Biosafety
      Bill. In March 2013, the Committee tabled the bill for public hearing and
      submissions from public institutions. There were comments supporting the passage
      of the Bill and comments in objection. The reasons for objection are mainly due
      to precaution, speculation, lack of knowledge about biotechnology and biosafety,
      and alleged influence from biosafety entrepreneurs. This article reviews these
      public views, revealing controversy and possible consensus to pass the bill. 

PMID- 26501058
TI  - Modeling the Contribution of Allosteric Regulation for Flux Control in the
      Central Carbon Metabolism of E. coli.
AB  - Modeling cellular metabolism is fundamental for many biotechnological
      applications, including drug discovery and rational cell factory design. Central
      carbon metabolism (CCM) is particularly important as it provides the energy and
      precursors for other biological processes. However, the complex regulation of CCM
      pathways has still not been fully unraveled and recent studies have shown that
      CCM is mostly regulated at post-transcriptional levels. In order to better
      understand the role of allosteric regulation in controlling the metabolic
      phenotype, we expand the reconstruction of CCM in Escherichia coli with
      allosteric interactions obtained from relevant databases. This model is used to
      integrate multi-omics datasets and analyze the coordinated changes in enzyme,
      metabolite, and flux levels between multiple experimental conditions. We observe
      cases where allosteric interactions have a major contribution to the metabolic
      flux changes. Inspired by these results, we develop a constraint-based method
      (arFBA) for simulation of metabolic flux distributions that accounts for
      allosteric interactions. This method can be used for systematic prediction of
      potential allosteric regulation under the given experimental conditions based on
      experimental data. We show that arFBA allows predicting coordinated flux changes
      that would not be predicted without considering allosteric regulation. The
      results reveal the importance of key regulatory metabolites, such as fructose-1,6
      bisphosphate, in controlling the metabolic flux. Accounting for allosteric
      interactions in metabolic reconstructions reveals a hidden topology in metabolic
      networks, improving our understanding of cellular metabolism and fostering the
      development of novel simulation methods that account for this type of regulation.

PMID- 26501059
TI  - Editorial: Bioinformatics of Non-Coding RNAs with Applications to Biomedicine:
      Recent Advances and Open Challenges.

PMID- 26501060
TI  - Effect of Infliximab Dose Increase in Rheumatoid Arthritis at Different Trough
      Concentrations: A Cohort Study in Clinical Practice Conditions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence supporting treatment intensification in rheumatoid arthritis
      (RA) is limited and controversial. We explored outcomes of infliximab dose
      increases and accounted for pre-existing trough levels in patients with active
      RA. METHODS: This study was a retrospective study of 42 RA patients who received
      increased infliximab following an insufficient response (DAS28 >3.2). Serum
      concentrations of infliximab and antibodies to infliximab (ATI) and DAS28 and
      EULAR clinical response parameters were recorded for 1 year. Analyses were
      performed in three patient groups that were defined by infliximab serum
      concentration prior to treatment enhancement: no detectable, low (<1.1 MUg/mL) or
      high (>=1.1 MUg/mL) drug levels. RESULTS: No circulating infliximab was detected
      in 20 patients (47.6%), but 13 (31%) and 9 (21.4%) patients exhibited low and
      high levels, respectively. ATI was only detected in patients with no detectable
      drug levels because the drug interferes with ELISA. DAS28 disease activity
      globally showed a modest improvement after dose escalation, but this improvement
      did not persist after 6 and 12 months. Infliximab serum levels increased
      significantly in the high group (p = 0.016), but no increase was achieved in the
      low and no detectable groups. The three study groups exhibited similar disease
      activity over time, and no improvement was observed in the non-responder EULAR
      rates. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the efficacy of an infliximab dose
      increase is limited, and the response is independent of the infliximab trough
      serum concentration that is achieved prior to escalation.

PMID- 26501061
TI  - Targeted Therapies in Liver Fibrosis: Combining the Best Parts of Platelet
      Derived Growth Factor BB and Interferon Gamma.
AB  - Cytokines, growth factors, and other locally produced mediators play key roles in
      the regulation of disease progression. During liver fibrosis, these mediators
      orchestrate the balance between pro- and antifibrotic activities as exerted by
      the hepatic cells. Two important players in this respect are the profibrotic
      mediator platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) and the antifibrotic
      cytokine interferon gamma (IFNgamma). PDGF-BB, produced by many resident and
      infiltrating cells, causes extensive proliferation, migration, and contraction of
      hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and myofibroblasts. These cells are the
      extracellular matrix-producing hepatic cells and they highly express the PDGFbeta
      receptor. On the other hand, IFNgamma is produced by natural killer cells in
      fibrotic livers and is endowed with proinflammatory, antiviral, and antifibrotic
      activities. This cytokine attracted much attention as a possible therapeutic
      compound in fibrosis. However, clinical trials yielded disappointing results
      because of low efficacy and adverse effects, most likely related to the dual role
      of IFNgamma in fibrosis. In our studies, we targeted the antifibrotic IFNgamma to
      the liver myofibroblasts. For that, we altered the cell binding properties of
      IFNgamma, by delivery of the IFNgamma-nuclear localization sequence to the highly
      expressed PDGFbeta receptor using a PDGFbeta receptor recognizing peptide,
      thereby creating a construct referred to as "Fibroferon" (i.e., fibroblast
      targeted interferon gamma). In recent years, we demonstrated that HSC-specific
      delivery of IFNgamma increased its antifibrotic potency and improved its general
      safety profile in vivo, making Fibroferon highly suitable for the treatment of
      (fibrotic) diseases associated with elevated PDGFbeta receptor expression. The
      present review summarizes the knowledge on these two key mediators, PDGF-BB and
      IFNgamma, and outlines how we used this knowledge to create the cell-specific
      antifibrotic compound Fibroferon containing parts of both of these mediators. 

PMID- 26501063
TI  - Students' Consumption of Beverages and Snacks at School and Away from School: A
      Case Study in the North East of Italy.
AB  - In North-East Italy (the Veneto region), several public school nutrition policies
      have been developed to reduce the consumption of high-caloric snacks and
      beverages. However, little is known about whether the policies actually influence
      students' dietary behaviors. In order to address this point, a multi-center cross
      sectional survey of 691 Italian students was conducted. Students completed the
      Beverage and Snack Questionnaire, which assesses the consumption of beverages and
      snacks at school and out of school. Three-level Poisson Models with random
      intercept with students (level 1 units) nested into classroom (level 2 units),
      and nested into schools (level 3 units), were used to examine the influence of
      the school setting vs. the out of school environment (independent variable) on
      students' consumption of sweet beverages, snacks, milk-based beverages, low
      carbohydrate drinks, fruit, and vegetables (dependent variable) (p <= 0.05). The
      results showed a significantly higher consumption of sweet beverages, snacks,
      milk-based beverages, low-carbohydrate drinks, fruit, and vegetables out-of-the
      school, suggesting a school-protective association Thus, the policies aimed to
      limit or deny access to unhealthy foods in the school environment may play an
      important role in promoting more healthful dietary patterns for school children.
      Additional studies should be conducted to compare students' dietary behaviors
      between schools with nutrition policies to those without nutrition policies. 

PMID- 26501062
TI  - Psychosocial Risk Factors, Interventions, and Comorbidity in Patients with Non
      Specific Low Back Pain in Primary Care: Need for Comprehensive and Patient
      Centered Care.
AB  - Non-specific low back pain (LBP) affects many people and has major socio-economic
      consequences. Traditional therapeutic strategies, mainly focused on biomechanical
      factors, have had moderate and short-term impact. Certain psychosocial factors
      have been linked to poor prognosis of LBP and they are increasingly considered as
      promising targets for management of LBP. Primary health care providers (HCPs) are
      involved in most of the management of people with LBP and they are skilled in
      providing comprehensive care, including consideration of psychosocial dimensions.
      This review aims to discuss three pieces of recent research focusing on
      psychosocial issues in LBP patients in primary care. In the first systematic
      review, the patients' or HCPs' overall judgment about the likely evolution of LBP
      was the factor most strongly linked to poor outcome, with predictive validity
      similar to that of multidimensional scales. This result may be explained by the
      implicit aggregation of many prognostic factors underlying this judgment and
      suggests the relevance of considering the patients from biopsychosocial and
      longitudinal points of view. The second review showed that most of the
      interventions targeting psychosocial factors in LBP in primary care have to date
      focused on the cognitive-behavioral factors, resulting in little impact. It is
      unlikely that any intervention focusing on a single factor would ever fit the
      needs of most patients; interventions targeting determinants from several fields
      (mainly psychosocial, biomechanical, and occupational) may be more relevant.
      Should multiple stakeholders be involved in such interventions, enhanced
      interprofessional collaboration would be critical to ensure the delivery of
      coordinated care. Finally, in the third study, the prevalence of psychosocial
      comorbidity in chronic LBP patients was not found to be significantly higher than
      in other patients consulting in primary care. Rather than specifically screening
      for psychosocial conditions, this suggests taking into account any potential
      comorbidity in patients with chronic LBP, as in other patients. All these results
      support the adoption of a more comprehensive and patient-centered approach when
      dealing with patients with LBP in primary care. As this condition is illustrative
      of many situations encountered in primary care, the strategies proposed here may
      benefit most patients consulting in this setting. 

PMID- 26501064
TI  - Superficial Temporal Artery Pseudoaneurysm: A Case Report.
AB  - Pseudoaneurysms of the superficial temporal artery are an uncommon vascular
      lesion of the external carotid system and most often the result of blunt head
      trauma. The frequency of pseudoaneurysms of the superficial temporal artery
      developing after craniotomy is exceedingly low and only a few cases have been
      reported. We present a case of pseudoaneurysm of this type in a 45-year-old male
      who underwent craniotomy for excision of meningioma. One month postoperatively,
      the craniotomy flap exhibited an enormous diffuse pulsate swelling. The suspected
      diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm arising from superficial temporal artery was
      confirmed on angiography. Surgical excision was done and no recurrences of the
      tumor or aneurysm were noted on subsequent follow up. 

PMID- 26501065
TI  - Metazoan Hsp70-based protein disaggregases: emergence and mechanisms.
AB  - Proteotoxic stresses and aging cause breakdown of cellular protein homeostasis,
      allowing misfolded proteins to form aggregates, which dedicated molecular
      machines have evolved to solubilize. In bacteria, fungi, protozoa and plants
      protein disaggregation involves an Hsp70*J-protein chaperone system, which loads
      and activates a powerful AAA+ ATPase (Hsp100) disaggregase onto protein aggregate
      substrates. Metazoans lack cytosolic and nuclear Hsp100 disaggregases but still
      eliminate protein aggregates. This longstanding puzzle of protein quality control
      is now resolved. Robust protein disaggregation activity recently shown for the
      metazoan Hsp70-based disaggregases relies instead on a crucial cooperation
      between two J-protein classes and interaction with the Hsp110 co-chaperone. An
      expanding multiplicity of Hsp70 and J-protein family members in metazoan cells
      facilitates different configurations of this Hsp70-based disaggregase allowing
      unprecedented versatility and specificity in protein disaggregation. Here we
      review the architecture, operation, and adaptability of the emerging metazoan
      disaggregation system and discuss how this evolved. 

PMID- 26501066
TI  - Mood Disorders and BDNF Relationship with Alcohol Drinking Trajectories among
      PLWH Receiving Care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the excessive rates of Hazardous Alcohol Use (HAU) among
      people living with HIV (PLWH), although largely speculated, psychological and
      physiological components associated with HAU, has not been actively measured.
      Therefore, the present study was geared toward determining: 1) the rates of mood
      disorders and its relationship with HAU, and 2) to assess the impact of Brain
      Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a well-known regulator of alcohol and mood
      disorders. METHODS: For this study, participants of the longitudinal PADS Study
      n=400, were followed over time. Alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification
      Test -AUDIT- and the Alcohol Dependence Scale -ADS) and moods (depression,
      anxiety, and stress) were assessed repeatedly. RESULTS: A cluster analyses shows
      three distinctive trajectories. The first one, revealed a group with increased
      drinking (Cluster 1: n=140), constant alcohol intake (Cluster 2: n = 60), and one
      with decreased consumption (Cluster 3: n =120). Analyses discovered higher AUDIT
      scores across the clusters with Cluster 1 being followed by Clusters 2 and 3 (1:
      14.5 +/- 8 vs. 2=8.7 +/- 7.5 vs. 3= 6.6 +/- 4.2, p = 0.001). Women in Clusters 1
      and 2 had higher levels of stress (1:21 +/- 7.5; 2:19.3 +/- 7) and lower BDNF
      levels (7904 +/- 1248 pg/ml and 10405 +/- 909 pg/mL) than their counterparts in
      Cluster 3 (PSS: 3: 16.6 +/-5, p = 0.02 BDNF: 10828 +/- 1127 pg/mL, p = 0.08). Men
      in Cluster 1 differed in terms of stress (19.8 +/- 7 vs. 21 +/- 7.5 score) and
      BDNF levels (Cluster 1: 5204 +/- 818 vs. Cluster 2: 7656 +/- 843 pg/ml, p =
      0.002) but not in the number of years living with HIV. The proportion of subjects
      with multiple mood comorbidities was disturbingly higher (26%), and all were
      members of Cluster 1. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that
      participants reporting high relative to low levels of perceived stress, dual mood
      comorbidity, altered BDNF levels and low income increased the likelihood of being
      a member of Cluster 1. CONCLUSION: This study found that stress and overlaying
      psychiatric comorbidities are linked with persistent alcohol use. Findings
      suggest that BDNF and social support seems to be a logical target as it seems to
      be the bridge linking mood disorders and alcohol consumption.

PMID- 26501067
TI  - Platelets Contribute to BBB Disruption Induced by HIV and Alcohol.
AB  - The role of platelets in the neurological diseases that underlie cognitive
      impairment has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Multiple pathways
      in platelets contribute to host defenses, as well as to CNS function. In the
      current study, we hypothesize that the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) is disrupted
      when exposed to platelets from patients with triple Co-morbidity (hazardous
      alcohol users+ HIV+ thrombocytopenia), compared to those with dual, single or no
      morbidity (HIV only, alcohol only or healthy controls).

PMID- 26501068
TI  - Lysosomal acid lipase in cancer.

PMID- 26501069
TI  - BCL-2 proteins: melanoma lives on the edge.

PMID- 26501070
TI  - Translation, Pdcd4 and eIF4A.

PMID- 26501071
TI  - "MetasTAZation" and beyond.

PMID- 26501072
TI  - Checkmate to CHK1 in T-cell ALL?

PMID- 26501073
TI  - JAK-STAT in lymphoproliferative disorders.

PMID- 26501074
TI  - Tumorigenicity of RTK/RAS in urothelium.

PMID- 26501075
TI  - Transport and senescence.

PMID- 26501076
TI  - Targeting the tumor-stromal-immune cell axis.

PMID- 26501077
TI  - Regulation of microRNA-200c in cancer stem cells.

PMID- 26501078
TI  - Circumventing HSP90 inhibitors via apoptosis block.

PMID- 26501079
TI  - Pten in mouse vagina.

PMID- 26501080
TI  - Viruses, stemness, embryogenesis, and cancer: a miracle leap toward molecular
      definition of novel oncotargets for therapy-resistant malignant tumors?
AB  - Recent breakthrough studies documented consistent activation of specific
      endogenous retroviruses in human embryonic stem cells and preimplantation human
      embryos and demonstrated the essential role of the sustained retroviral
      activities for maintenance of pluripotency and embryonic stem cell identity.
      Present analysis has led to the hypothesis that activation of the human stem cell
      associated retroviruses (SCARs), namely LTR7/HERVH and LTR5_Hs/HERVK, is likely
      associated with the emergence of clinically lethal therapy resistant death-from
      cancer phenotypes in a sub-set of cancer patients diagnosed with different types
      of malignant tumors. 

PMID- 26501081
TI  - The PI3K regulatory subunit gene PIK3R1 is under direct control of androgens and
      repressed in prostate cancer cells.
AB  - Androgen receptor (AR) signalling and the PI3K pathway mediate survival signals
      in prostate cancer, and have been shown to regulate each other by reciprocal
      negative feedback, such that inhibition of one activates the other. Understanding
      the reciprocal regulation of these pathways is important for disease management
      as tumour cells can adapt and survive when either single pathway is inhibited
      pharmacologically. We recently carried out genome-wide exon-specific profiling of
      prostate cancer cells to identify novel androgen-regulated transcriptional
      events. Here we interrogated this dataset for novel androgen-regulated genes
      associated with the PI3K pathway. We find that the PI3K regulatory subunits
      PIK3R1 (p85alpha) and PIK3R3 (p55gamma) are direct targets of the AR which are
      rapidly repressed by androgens in LNCaP cells. Further characterisation revealed
      that the PIK3CA p110alpha catalytic subunit is also indirectly regulated by
      androgens at the protein level. We show that PIK3R1 mRNA is significantly under
      expressed in prostate cancer (PCa) tissue, and provide data to suggest a context
      dependent regulatory mechanism whereby repression of the p85alpha protein by the
      AR results in destabilisation of the PI3K p110alpha catalytic subunit and
      downstream PI3K pathway inhibition that functionally affects the properties of
      prostate cancer cells. 

PMID- 26501083
TI  - Smart tools and orthogonal click-like reactions onto small unilamellar vesicles:
      Additional molecular data.
AB  - We present here the synthetic routes and the experimental data (NMR and MS
      spectra) for model reactions for copper-free Huisgen 1,4-cycloaddition,
      Staudinger ligation and for addition of a dithiol on a dibromomaleimide ring.
      Starting materials were synthesized from the commercially available 4
      chlorophenethylamine, previously described 2-(cyclooct-2-yn-1-yloxy)acetic acid,
      1-fluorocyclooct-2-ynecarboxylic acid, commercial 2
      (diphenylphosphino)terephthalic acid 1-methyl 4-pentafluorophenyl diester and
      dibromomaleimide. In all cases, the expected compounds were obtained with good
      yield (50% to quantitative). A novel synthesis of the lipid anchor DOGP3NH2 is
      also described. These data were used as basis for the study reported in the
      article "Smart Tools and Orthogonal Click-like Reactions onto Small Unilamellar
      Vesicles" in Chemistry and Physics of Lipids [1]. 

PMID- 26501082
TI  - Combination of heat shock protein 90 and focal adhesion kinase inhibitors
      synergistically inhibits the growth of non-small cell lung cancer cells.
AB  - Discovery of effective drug combinations is a promising strategy to improve
      patient survival. This study explores the impact of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90)
      inhibition in combination with focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor on the
      growth of non-small cell lung cancer cells (NSCLC cells). Our data show that 17-N
      Allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG), a well-studied Hsp90 inhibitor,
      synergized with FAK inhibitor, PF-573228, on the growth inhibition of NSCLC
      cells. This combination effect was confirmed using additional chemically distinct
      Hsp90 inhibitor, STA-9090, which is currently undergoing phase 3 clinical
      evaluation. Co-treatment of NSCLC cells with Hsp90 and FAK inhibitors
      significantly enhanced the inhibition on long-term colony formation compared to
      that with single agent. Inhibition of FAK exacerbated the G2 cell cycle arrest
      and annexin-V apoptotic staining induced by 17-AAG. Further mechanistic studies
      revealed that the combination of Hsp90 and FAK inhibitors reduced the activity of
      canonical proliferative and survival Akt-mTOR signaling, and increased pro
      apoptotic caspase activation. Interestingly, FAK inhibition alone induced
      feedback activation of pro-survival Erk signaling, which was abrogated by co
      treatment with Hsp90 inhibitors. Both Hsp90 and FAK inhibitors are undergoing
      clinical evaluation. Our studies suggest the tandem of Hsp90 and FAK inhibitors
      may provide an effective treatment option for NSCLC patients. 

PMID- 26501084
TI  - Data in support of quantitative proteomics to identify potential virulence
      regulators in Paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates.
AB  - Paracoccidioides genus are the etiologic agents of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM),
      a systemic mycosis endemic in Latin America. Few virulence factors have been
      identified in these fungi. This paper describes support data from the
      quantitative proteomics of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis attenuated and virulent
      isolates [1]. The protein compositions of two isolates of the Pb18 strain showing
      distinct infection profiles were quantitatively assessed by stable isotopic
      dimethyl labeling and proteomic analysis. The mass spectrometry and the analysis
      dataset have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium via the PRIDE
      partner repository with identifier PXD000804. 

PMID- 26501085
TI  - Supporting data for characterization of the busulfan metabolite EdAG and the
      Glutaredoxins that it adducts.
AB  - This article describes data related to a research article titled "The Busulfan
      Metabolite EdAG Irreversibly Glutathionylates Glutaredoxins" [1]. EdAG is an
      electrophilic GSH analog formed in vivo from busulfan, which is used in
      hematopoietic stem cell transplants. EdAG glutathionylates Glutaredoxins (Grx's)
      but not glutathione transferase A1-1 (GSTA1-1) in vitro. This article includes a
      complete NMR characterization of synthetic EdAG including homonuclear and
      heteronuclear correlation spectra. Also included are mass spectra of peptides
      from Grx's or GSTA1-1 that have cys residues that do not react with EdAG. 

PMID- 26501086
TI  - Electrochemical and passivation behavior investigation of ferritic stainless
      steel in simulated concrete pore media.
AB  - The applications of stainless steel are one of the most reliable solutions in
      concrete structures to reduce chloride-induced corrosion problems and increase
      the structures service life, however, due to high prices of nickel, especially in
      many civil engineering projects, the austenitic stainless steel is replaced by
      the ferritic stainless steels. Compared with austenite stainless steel, the
      ferritic stainless steel is known to be extremely resistant of stress corrosion
      cracking and other properties. The good corrosion resistance of the stainless
      steel is due to the formation of passive film. While, there is little literature
      about the electrochemical and passive behavior of ferritic stainless steel in the
      concrete environments. So, here, we present the several corrosion testing
      methods, such as the potentiodynamic measurements, EIS and Mott-Schottky
      approach, and the surface analysis methods like XPS and AES to display the
      passivation behavior of 430 ferritic stainless steel in alkaline solution with
      the presence of chloride ions. These research results illustrated a simple and
      facile approach for studying the electrochemical and passivation behavior of
      stainless steel in the concrete pore environments. 

PMID- 26501087
TI  - Treating the Inflammatory Core of Metabolic Syndromes.

PMID- 26501088
TI  - Surgical Approaches to the Lumbar Hidden Zone: Current Strategies and Future
      Directions.

PMID- 26501089
TI  - The Japan Statin Treatment Against Recurrent Stroke (J-STARS) Trial: Where to
      Now?

PMID- 26501090
TI  - Understanding Hidden Antigens and Targeting Parasitic Nematodes.

PMID- 26501091
TI  - High Dose Meclizine Prevents Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Healthy Male
      Mice.

PMID- 26501092
TI  - Intracranial Glioblastomas: New Hope for an Effective Treatment.

PMID- 26501093
TI  - Tenofovir Activating Kinases May Impact the Outcome of HIV Treatment and
      Prevention.

PMID- 26501094
TI  - HIV-1 Reservoir Association with Immune Activation.
AB  - In this issue of EBioMedicine, Ruggiero and colleagues describe immune activation
      biomarkers associated with the size of the HIV reservoir in a carefully designed
      cross-sectional study. The cohort consists of a homogeneous sample of HIV-1
      infected patients with long-term plasma HIV-1 RNA suppression under
      antiretroviral treatment (ART). It is crucial to explore the potential utility of
      biomarkers that are easier (less labor intensive, less expensive) to measure than
      integrated HIV DNA load, in order to quickly and accurately quantify cellular
      reservoirs of HIV. 

PMID- 26501095
TI  - Emergence of Microbial Resistance During Hospitalization.

PMID- 26501096
TI  - Plasmodium malariae Malaria: From Monkey to Man?

PMID- 26501097
TI  - Who is Funding What in the Fight Against Pneumonia?

PMID- 26501098
TI  - Prevention of Maternal-Fetal Transmission of Cytomegalovirus.

PMID- 26501099
TI  - Another Important Lesson from Military Surgery?

PMID- 26501100
TI  - A Breath of Fresh Air for Clinical Diagnoses.

PMID- 26501101
TI  - Cost Efficiencies in the Healthcare Setting: Telephone Versus Face-to-Face.

PMID- 26501102
TI  - Muscleblind-Like 1 and Muscleblind-Like 3 Depletion Synergistically Enhances
      Myotonia by Altering Clc-1 RNA Translation.
AB  - Loss of Muscleblind-like 1 (Mbnl1) is known to alter Clc-1 splicing to result in
      myotonia. Mbnl1(DeltaE3/DeltaE3)/Mbnl3(DeltaE2) mice, depleted of Mbnl1 and
      Mbnl3, demonstrate a profound enhancement of myotonia and an increase in the
      number of muscle fibers with very low Clc-1 currents, where gClmax values
      approach ~ 1 mS/cm(2), with the absence of a further enhancement in Clc-1 splice
      errors, alterations in polyA site selection or Clc-1 localization. Significantly,
      Mbnl1(DeltaE3/DeltaE3)/Mbnl3(DeltaE2) muscles demonstrate an aberrant
      accumulation of Clc-1 RNA on monosomes and on the first polysomes. Mbnl1 and
      Mbnl3 bind Clc-1 RNA and both proteins bind Hsp70 and eEF1A, with these
      associations being reduced in the presence of RNA. Thus binding of Mbnl1 and
      Mbnl3 to Clc-1 mRNA engaged with ribosomes can facilitate an increase in the
      local concentration of Hsp70 and eEF1A to assist Clc-1 translation. Dual
      depletion of Mbnl1 and Mbnl3 therefore initiates both Clc-1 splice errors and
      translation defects to synergistically enhance myotonia. As the HSA(LR) model for
      myotonic dystrophy (DM1) shows similar Clc-1 defects, this study demonstrates
      that both splice errors and translation defects are required for DM1 pathology to
      manifest. RESEARCH IN CONTEXT: Research in context: Myotonic Dystrophy type 1
      (DM1) is a dominant disorder resulting from the expression of expanded CUG repeat
      RNA, which aberrantly sequesters and inactivates the muscleblind-like (MBNL)
      family of proteins. In mice, inactivation of Mbnl1 is known to alter Clc-1
      splicing to result in myotonia. We demonstrate that concurrent depletion of Mbnl1
      and Mbnl3 results in a synergistic enhancement of myotonia, with an increase in
      muscle fibers showing low chloride currents. The observed synergism results from
      the aberrant accumulation of Clc-1 mRNA on monosomes and the first polysomes.
      This translation error reflects the ability of Mbnl1 and Mbnl3 to act as adaptors
      that recruit Hsp70 and eEF1A to the Clc-1 mRNA engaged with ribosomes, to
      facilitate translation. Thus our study demonstrates that Clc-1 RNA translation
      defects work coordinately with Clc-1 splice errors to synergistically enhance
      myotonia in mice lacking Mbnl1 and Mbnl3.

PMID- 26501103
TI  - Involvement of Potassium and Cation Channels in Hippocampal Abnormalities of
      Embryonic Ts65Dn and Tc1 Trisomic Mice.
AB  - Down syndrome (DS) mouse models exhibit cognitive deficits, and are used for
      studying the neuronal basis of DS pathology. To understand the differences in the
      physiology of DS model neurons, we used dissociated neuronal cultures from the
      hippocampi of Ts65Dn and Tc1 DS mice. Imaging of [Ca(2+)]i and whole cell patch
      clamp recordings were used to analyze network activity and single neuron
      properties, respectively. We found a decrease of ~ 30% in both fast (A-type) and
      slow (delayed rectifier) outward potassium currents. Depolarization of Ts65Dn and
      Tc1 cells produced fewer spikes than diploid cells. Their network bursts were
      smaller and slower than diploids, displaying a 40% reduction in Deltaf / f0 of
      the calcium signals, and a 30% reduction in propagation velocity. Additionally,
      Ts65Dn and Tc1 neurons exhibited changes in the action potential shape compared
      to diploid neurons, with an increase in the amplitude of the action potential, a
      lower threshold for spiking, and a sharp decrease of about 65% in the after
      hyperpolarization amplitude. Numerical simulations reproduced the DS measured
      phenotype by variations in the conductance of the delayed rectifier and A-type,
      but necessitated also changes in inward rectifying and M-type potassium channels
      and in the hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels. We
      therefore conducted whole cell patch clamp measurements of M-type potassium
      currents, which showed a ~ 90% decrease in Ts65Dn neurons, while HCN measurements
      displayed an increase of ~ 65% in Ts65Dn cells. Quantitative real-time PCR
      analysis indicates overexpression of 40% of KCNJ15, an inward rectifying
      potassium channel, contributing to the increased inhibition. We thus find that
      changes in several types of potassium channels dominate the observed DS model
      phenotype. 

PMID- 26501104
TI  - Genome-wide Polygenic Burden of Rare Deleterious Variants in Sudden Unexpected
      Death in Epilepsy.
AB  - Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) represents the most severe degree of
      the spectrum of epilepsy severity and is the commonest cause of epilepsy-related
      premature mortality. The precise pathophysiology and the genetic architecture of
      SUDEP remain elusive. Aiming to elucidate the genetic basis of SUDEP, we analysed
      rare, protein-changing variants from whole-exome sequences of 18 people who died
      of SUDEP, 87 living people with epilepsy and 1479 non-epilepsy disease controls.
      Association analysis revealed a significantly increased genome-wide polygenic
      burden per individual in the SUDEP cohort when compared to epilepsy (P = 5.7 *
      10(- 3)) and non-epilepsy disease controls (P = 1.2 * 10(- 3)). The polygenic
      burden was driven both by the number of variants per individual, and over
      representation of variants likely to be deleterious in the SUDEP cohort. As
      determined by this study, more than a thousand genes contribute to the observed
      polygenic burden within the framework of this study. Subsequent gene-based
      association analysis revealed five possible candidate genes significantly
      associated with SUDEP or epilepsy, but no one single gene emerges as common to
      the SUDEP cases. Our findings provide further evidence for a genetic
      susceptibility to SUDEP, and suggest an extensive polygenic contribution to SUDEP
      causation. Thus, an overall increased burden of deleterious variants in a highly
      polygenic background might be important in rendering a given individual more
      susceptible to SUDEP. Our findings suggest that exome sequencing in people with
      epilepsy might eventually contribute to generating SUDEP risk estimates,
      promoting stratified medicine in epilepsy, with the eventual aim of reducing an
      individual patient's risk of SUDEP. 

PMID- 26501106
TI  - Pan-Nematoda Transcriptomic Elucidation of Essential Intestinal Functions and
      Therapeutic Targets With Broad Potential.
AB  - The nematode intestine is continuous with the outside environment, making it
      easily accessible to anthelmintics for parasite control, but the development of
      new therapeutics is impeded by limited knowledge of nematode intestinal cell
      biology. We established the most comprehensive nematode intestinal functional
      database to date by generating transcriptional data from the dissected intestines
      of three parasitic nematodes spanning the phylum, and integrating the results
      with the whole proteomes of 10 nematodes (including 9 pathogens of humans or
      animals) and 3 host species and 2 outgroup species. We resolved 10,772 predicted
      nematode intestinal protein families (IntFams), and studied their presence and
      absence within the different lineages (births and deaths) among nematodes.
      Conserved intestinal cell functions representing ancestral functions of
      evolutionary importance were delineated, and molecular features useful for
      selective therapeutic targeting were identified. Molecular patterns conserved
      among IntFam proteins demonstrated large potential as therapeutic targets to
      inhibit intestinal cell functions with broad applications towards treatment and
      control of parasitic nematodes. 

PMID- 26501107
TI  - Meclizine Preconditioning Protects the Kidney Against Ischemia-Reperfusion
      Injury.
AB  - Global or local ischemia contributes to the pathogenesis of acute kidney injury
      (AKI). Currently there are no specific therapies to prevent AKI. Potentiation of
      glycolytic metabolism and attenuation of mitochondrial respiration may decrease
      cell injury and reduce reactive oxygen species generation from the mitochondria.
      Meclizine, an over-the-counter anti-nausea and -dizziness drug, was identified in
      a 'nutrient-sensitized' chemical screen. Pretreatment with 100 mg/kg of
      meclizine, 17 h prior to ischemia protected mice from IRI. Serum creatinine
      levels at 24 h after IRI were 0.13 +/- 0.06 mg/dl (sham, n = 3), 1.59 +/- 0.10
      mg/dl (vehicle, n = 8) and 0.89 +/- 0.11 mg/dl (meclizine, n = 8). Kidney injury
      was significantly decreased in meclizine treated mice compared with vehicle group
      (p < 0.001). Protection was also seen when meclizine was administered 24 h prior
      to ischemia. Meclizine reduced inflammation, mitochondrial oxygen consumption,
      oxidative stress, mitochondrial fragmentation, and tubular injury. Meclizine
      preconditioned kidney tubular epithelial cells, exposed to blockade of glycolytic
      and oxidative metabolism with 2-deoxyglucose and NaCN, had reduced LDH and
      cytochrome c release. Meclizine upregulated glycolysis in glucose-containing
      media and reduced cellular ATP levels in galactose-containing media. Meclizine
      inhibited the Kennedy pathway and caused rapid accumulation of
      phosphoethanolamine. Phosphoethanolamine recapitulated meclizine-induced
      protection both in vitro and in vivo. 

PMID- 26501108
TI  - Human Exportin-1 is a Target for Combined Therapy of HIV and AIDS Related
      Lymphoma.
AB  - Infection with HIV ultimately leads to advanced immunodeficiency resulting in an
      increased incidence of cancer. For example primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is an
      aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma with very poor prognosis that typically affects
      HIV infected individuals in advanced stages of immunodeficiency. Here we report
      on the dual anti-HIV and anti-PEL effect of targeting a single process common in
      both diseases. Inhibition of the exportin-1 (XPO1) mediated nuclear transport by
      clinical stage orally bioavailable small molecule inhibitors (SINE) prevented the
      nuclear export of the late intron-containing HIV RNA species and consequently
      potently suppressed viral replication. In contrast, in CRISPR-Cas9 genome edited
      cells expressing mutant C528S XPO1, viral replication was unaffected upon
      treatment, clearly demonstrating the anti-XPO1 mechanism of action. At the same
      time, SINE caused the nuclear accumulation of p53 tumor suppressor protein as
      well as inhibition of NF-kappaB activity in PEL cells resulting in cell cycle
      arrest and effective apoptosis induction. In vivo, oral administration arrested
      PEL tumor growth in engrafted mice. Our findings provide strong rationale for
      inhibiting XPO1 as an innovative strategy for the combined anti-retroviral and
      anti-neoplastic treatment of HIV and PEL and offer perspectives for the treatment
      of other AIDS-associated cancers and potentially other virus-related
      malignancies. 

PMID- 26501109
TI  - Investigating Reports of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: An Analysis of HPV-16/18
      Adjuvanted Vaccine Post-Licensure Data.
AB  - Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain disorder that typically
      follows trauma or surgery. Suspected CRPS reported after vaccination with human
      papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines led to temporary suspension of proactive
      recommendation of HPV vaccination in Japan. We investigated the potential CRPS
      signal in relation to HPV-16/18-adjuvanted vaccine (Cervarix(r)) by database
      review of CRPS cases with independent expert confirmation; a disproportionality
      analysis and analyses of temporality; an observed versus expected analysis using
      published background incidence rates; systematic reviews of aggregate safety
      data, and a literature review. The analysis included 17 case reports of CRPS: 10
      from Japan (0.14/100,000 doses distributed) and seven from the United Kingdom
      (0.08/100,000). Five cases were considered by independent experts to be confirmed
      CRPS. Quantitative analyses did not suggest an association between CRPS and HPV
      16/18-adjuvanted vaccine. Observed CRPS incidence after HPV-16/18 vaccination was
      statistically significantly below expected rates. Systematic database reviews
      using search terms varying in specificity and sensitivity did not identify new
      cases. No CRPS was reported during clinical development and no unexpected results
      found in the literature. There is not sufficient evidence to suggest an increased
      risk of developing CRPS following vaccination with HPV-16/18-adjuvanted vaccine.
      Post-licensure safety surveillance confirms the acceptable benefit-risk of HPV
      16/18 vaccination. 

PMID- 26501110
TI  - Successful Treatment of Intracranial Glioblastoma Xenografts With a Monoamine
      Oxidase B-Activated Pro-Drug.
AB  - The last major advance in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) was the
      introduction of temozolomide in 1999. Treatment with temozolomide following
      surgical debulking extends survival rate compared to radiotherapy and debulking
      alone. However, virtually all glioblastoma patients experience disease
      progression within 7 to 10 months. Although many salvage treatments, including
      bevacizumab, rechallenge with temozolomide, and other alkylating agents, have
      been evaluated, none of these clearly improves survival. Monoamine oxidase B
      (MAOB) is highly expressed in glioblastoma cell mitochondria, and mitochondrial
      function is intimately tied to treatment-resistant glioblastoma progression.
      These glioblastoma properties provide a strong rationale for pursuing a MAOB
      selective pro-drug treatment approach that, upon drug activation, targets
      glioblastoma mitochondria, especially mitochondrial DNA. MP-MUS is the lead
      compound in a family of pro-drugs designed to treat GBM that is converted into
      the mature, mitochondria-targeting drug, P(+)-MUS, by MAOB. We show that MP-MUS
      can successfully kill primary gliomas in vitro and in vivo mouse xenograft
      models. 

PMID- 26501112
TI  - Discovery of Genetic Variants of the Kinases That Activate Tenofovir in a
      Compartment-specific Manner.
AB  - Tenofovir (TFV) is used in combination with other antiretroviral drugs for human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment and prevention. TFV requires two
      phosphorylation steps to become pharmacologically active; however, the kinases
      that activate TFV in cells and tissues susceptible to HIV infection have yet to
      be identified. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), vaginal, and colorectal
      tissues were transfected with siRNA targeting nucleotide kinases, incubated with
      TFV, and TFV-monophosphate (TFV-MP) and TFV-diphosphate (TFV-DP) were measured
      using mass spectrometry-liquid chromatography. Adenylate kinase 2 (AK2) performed
      the first TFV phosphorylation step in PBMC, vaginal, and colorectal tissues.
      Interestingly, both pyruvate kinase isozymes, muscle (PKM) or liver and red blood
      cell (PKLR), were able to phosphorylate TFV-MP to TFV-DP in PBMC and vaginal
      tissue, while creatine kinase, muscle (CKM) catalyzed this conversion in
      colorectal tissue. In addition, next-generation sequencing of the Microbicide
      Trials Network MTN-001 clinical samples detected 71 previously unreported genetic
      variants in the genes encoding these kinases. In conclusion, our results
      demonstrate that TFV is activated in a compartment-specific manner. Further,
      genetic variants have been identified that could negatively impact TFV
      activation, thereby compromising TFV efficacy in HIV treatment and prevention. 

PMID- 26501111
TI  - Integration of copy number and transcriptomics provides risk stratification in
      prostate cancer: A discovery and validation cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding the heterogeneous genotypes and phenotypes of prostate
      cancer is fundamental to improving the way we treat this disease. As yet, there
      are no validated descriptions of prostate cancer subgroups derived from
      integrated genomics linked with clinical outcome. METHODS: In a study of 482
      tumour, benign and germline samples from 259 men with primary prostate cancer, we
      used integrative analysis of copy number alterations (CNA) and array
      transcriptomics to identify genomic loci that affect expression levels of mRNA in
      an expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) approach, to stratify patients into
      subgroups that we then associated with future clinical behaviour, and compared
      with either CNA or transcriptomics alone. FINDINGS: We identified five separate
      patient subgroups with distinct genomic alterations and expression profiles based
      on 100 discriminating genes in our separate discovery and validation sets of 125
      and 103 men. These subgroups were able to consistently predict biochemical
      relapse (p = 0.0017 and p = 0.016 respectively) and were further validated in a
      third cohort with long-term follow-up (p = 0.027). We show the relative
      contributions of gene expression and copy number data on phenotype, and
      demonstrate the improved power gained from integrative analyses. We confirm
      alterations in six genes previously associated with prostate cancer (MAP3K7,
      MELK, RCBTB2, ELAC2, TPD52, ZBTB4), and also identify 94 genes not previously
      linked to prostate cancer progression that would not have been detected using
      either transcript or copy number data alone. We confirm a number of previously
      published molecular changes associated with high risk disease, including MYC
      amplification, and NKX3-1, RB1 and PTEN deletions, as well as over-expression of
      PCA3 and AMACR, and loss of MSMB in tumour tissue. A subset of the 100 genes
      outperforms established clinical predictors of poor prognosis (PSA, Gleason
      score), as well as previously published gene signatures (p = 0.0001). We further
      show how our molecular profiles can be used for the early detection of aggressive
      cases in a clinical setting, and inform treatment decisions. INTERPRETATION: For
      the first time in prostate cancer this study demonstrates the importance of
      integrated genomic analyses incorporating both benign and tumour tissue data in
      identifying molecular alterations leading to the generation of robust gene sets
      that are predictive of clinical outcome in independent patient cohorts.

PMID- 26501113
TI  - Host Protein Biomarkers Identify Active Tuberculosis in HIV Uninfected and Co
      infected Individuals.
AB  - Biomarkers for active tuberculosis (TB) are urgently needed to improve rapid TB
      diagnosis. The objective of this study was to identify serum protein expression
      changes associated with TB but not latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
      (LTBI), uninfected states, or respiratory diseases other than TB (ORD). Serum
      samples from 209 HIV uninfected (HIV(-)) and co-infected (HIV(+)) individuals
      were studied. In the discovery phase samples were analyzed via liquid
      chromatography and mass spectrometry, and in the verification phase biologically
      independent samples were analyzed via a multiplex multiple reaction monitoring
      mass spectrometry (MRM-MS) assay. Compared to LTBI and ORD, host proteins were
      significantly differentially expressed in TB, and involved in the immune
      response, tissue repair, and lipid metabolism. Biomarker panels whose composition
      differed according to HIV status, and consisted of 8 host proteins in HIV(-)
      individuals (CD14, SEPP1, SELL, TNXB, LUM, PEPD, QSOX1, COMP, APOC1), or 10 host
      proteins in HIV(+) individuals (CD14, SEPP1, PGLYRP2, PFN1, VASN, CPN2, TAGLN2,
      IGFBP6), respectively, distinguished TB from ORD with excellent accuracy (AUC =
      0.96 for HIV(-) TB, 0.95 for HIV(+) TB). These results warrant validation in
      larger studies but provide promise that host protein biomarkers could be the
      basis for a rapid, blood-based test for TB. 

PMID- 26501114
TI  - Host-dependent Induction of Transient Antibiotic Resistance: A Prelude to
      Treatment Failure.
AB  - Current antibiotic testing does not include the potential influence of host cell
      environment on microbial susceptibility and antibiotic resistance, hindering
      appropriate therapeutic intervention. We devised a strategy to identify the
      presence of host-pathogen interactions that alter antibiotic efficacy in vivo.
      Our findings revealed a bacterial mechanism that promotes antibiotic resistance
      in vivo at concentrations of drug that far exceed dosages determined by
      standardized antimicrobial testing. This mechanism has escaped prior detection
      because it is reversible and operates within a subset of host tissues and cells.
      Bacterial pathogens are thereby protected while their survival promotes the
      emergence of permanent drug resistance. This host-dependent mechanism of
      transient antibiotic resistance is applicable to multiple pathogens and has
      implications for the development of more effective antimicrobial therapies. 

PMID- 26501115
TI  - Hidden Selection of Bacterial Resistance to Fluoroquinolones In Vivo: The Case of
      Legionella pneumophila and Humans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infectious diseases are the leading cause of human morbidity and
      mortality worldwide. One dramatic issue is the emergence of microbial resistance
      to antibiotics which is a major public health concern. Surprisingly however, such
      in vivo adaptive ability has not been reported yet for many intracellular human
      bacterial pathogens such as Legionella pneumophila. METHODS: We examined 82
      unrelated patients with Legionnaire's disease from which 139 respiratory
      specimens were sampled during hospitalization and antibiotic therapy. We both
      developed a real time PCR assay and used deep-sequencing approaches to detect
      antibiotic resistance mutations in L. pneumophila and follow their selection and
      fate in these samples. FINDINGS: We identified the in vivo selection of
      fluoroquinolone resistance mutations in L. pneumophila in two infected patients
      treated with these antibiotics. By investigating the mutational dynamics in
      patients, we showed that antibiotic resistance occurred during hospitalization
      most likely after fluoroquinolone treatment. INTERPRETATION: In vivo selection of
      antibiotic resistances in L. pneumophila may be associated with treatment
      failures and poor prognosis. This hidden resistance must be carefully considered
      in the therapeutic management of legionellosis patients and in the control of the
      gradual loss of effectiveness of antibiotics.

PMID- 26501116
TI  - Natural infection of Plasmodium brasilianum in humans: Man and monkey share
      quartan malaria parasites in the Venezuelan Amazon.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The quartan malaria parasite Plasmodium malariae is the widest spread
      and best adapted human malaria parasite. The simian Plasmodium brasilianum causes
      quartan fever in New World monkeys and resembles P. malariae morphologically.
      Since the genetics of the two parasites are nearly identical, differing only in a
      range of mutations expected within a species, it has long been speculated that
      the two are the same. However, no naturally acquired infection with parasites
      termed as P. brasilianum has been found in humans until now. METHODS: We
      investigated malaria cases from remote Yanomami indigenous communities of the
      Venezuelan Amazon and analyzed the genes coding for the circumsporozoite protein
      (CSP) and the small subunit of ribosomes (18S) by species-specific PCR and
      capillary based-DNA sequencing. FINDINGS: Based on 18S rRNA gene sequencing, we
      identified 12 patients harboring malaria parasites which were 100% identical with
      P. brasilianum isolated from the monkey, Alouatta seniculus. Translated amino
      acid sequences of the CS protein gene showed identical immunodominant repeat
      units between quartan malaria parasites isolated from both humans and monkeys.
      INTERPRETATION: This study reports, for the first time, naturally acquired
      infections in humans with parasites termed as P. brasilianum. We conclude that
      quartan malaria parasites are easily exchanged between humans and monkeys in
      Latin America. We hypothesize a lack of host specificity in mammalian hosts and
      consider quartan malaria to be a true anthropozoonosis. Since the name P.
      brasilianum suggests a malaria species distinct from P. malariae, we propose that
      P. brasilianum should have a nomenclatorial revision in case further research
      confirms our findings. The expansive reservoir of mammalian hosts discriminates
      quartan malaria from other Plasmodium spp. and requires particular research
      efforts.

PMID- 26501117
TI  - Mapping pneumonia research: A systematic analysis of UK investments and published
      outputs 1997-2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The burden of pneumonia continues to be substantial, particularly
      among the poorest in global society. We describe here the trends for UK pneumonia
      R&D investment and published outputs, and correlate with 2013 global mortality.
      METHODS: Data related to awards to UK institutions for pneumonia research from
      1997 to 2013 were systematically sourced and categorised by disease area and type
      of science. Investment was compared to mortality figures in 2010 and 2013 for
      pneumonia, tuberculosis and influenza. Investment was also compared to
      publication data. RESULTS: Of all infectious disease research between 2011 and
      2013 (L917.0 million), L28.8 million (3.1%) was for pneumonia. This was an
      absolute and proportionate increase from previous time periods. Translational
      pneumonia research (33.3%) received increased funding compared with 1997-2010
      where funding was almost entirely preclinical (87.5%, here 30.9%), but high
      burden areas such as paediatrics, elderly care and antimicrobial resistance
      received little investment. Annual investment remains volatile; publication
      temporal trends show a consistent increase. When comparing investment to global
      burden with a novel 'investment by mortality observed' metric, tuberculosis
      (L48.36) and influenza (L484.21) receive relatively more funding than pneumonia
      (L43.08), despite investment for pneumonia greatly increasing in 2013 compared to
      2010 (L7.39). Limitations include a lack of private sector data and the need for
      careful interpretation of the comparisons with burden, plus categorisation is
      subjective. CONCLUSIONS: There has been a welcome increase for pneumonia funding
      awarded to UK institutions in 2011-2013 compared with 1997-2010, along with
      increases for more translational research. Published outputs relating to
      pneumonia rose steadily from 1997 to 2013. Investment relative to mortality for
      pneumonia has increased, but it remains low compared to other respiratory
      infections and clear inequities remain. Analyses that measure investments in
      pneumonia can provide an insight into funding trends and research gaps. RESEARCH
      IN CONTEXT: Pneumonia continues to be a high-burden illness around the globe.
      This paper shows that although research funding is increasing in the UK (between
      1997 and 2013), it remains poorly funded compared to other important respiratory
      infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and influenza. Publications about
      pneumonia have been steadily increasing over time, indicating continuing academic
      and clinical interest in the topic. Though global mortality of pneumonia is
      declining, it should still be an area of high priority for funders, policymakers
      and researchers.

PMID- 26501119
TI  - Prevention of Primary Cytomegalovirus Infection in Pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading infectious agent causing
      congenital sensorineural hearing loss and psychomotor retardation. CMV vaccine is
      currently unavailable and treatment options in pregnancy are limited. Susceptible
      pregnant women caring for children are at high risk for primary infection. CMV
      educational and hygienic measures have the potential to prevent primary maternal
      infection. METHODS: A mixed interventional and observational controlled study was
      conducted to investigate the effectiveness of hygiene information among pregnant
      women at risk for primary CMV infection for personal/occupational reasons. In the
      intervention arm, CMV-seronegative women, identified at the time of maternal
      serum screening for fetal aneuploidy at 11-12 weeks of gestation, were given
      hygiene information and prospectively tested for CMV until delivery. The
      comparison arm consisted of women enrolled at delivery who were neither tested
      for nor informed about CMV during pregnancy, and who had a serum sample stored at
      the screening for fetal aneuploidy. By design, groups were homogeneous for age,
      parity, education, and exposure to at least one risk factor. The primary outcome
      was CMV seroconversion. Acceptance of hygiene recommendations was a secondary
      objective and was measured by a self-report. FINDINGS: Four out of 331 (1.2%)
      women seroconverted in the intervention group compared to 24/315 (7.6%) in the
      comparison group (delta = 6.4%; 95% CI 3.2-9.6; P < 0.001). There were 3 newborns
      with congenital infection in the intervention group and 8 in the comparison group
      (1 with cerebral ultrasound abnormalities at birth). Ninety-three percent of
      women felt hygiene recommendations were worth suggesting to all pregnant women at
      risk for infection. INTERPRETATION: This controlled study provides evidence that
      an intervention based on the identification and hygiene counseling of CMV
      seronegative pregnant women significantly prevents maternal infection. While
      waiting for CMV vaccine to become available, the intervention described may
      represent a responsible and acceptable primary prevention strategy to reduce
      congenital CMV.

PMID- 26501105
TI  - The Japan Statin Treatment Against Recurrent Stroke (J-STARS): A Multicenter,
      Randomized, Open-label, Parallel-group Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although statin therapy is beneficial for the prevention of initial
      stroke, the benefit for recurrent stroke and its subtypes remains to be
      determined in Asian, in whom stroke profiles are different from Caucasian. This
      study examined whether treatment with low-dose pravastatin prevents stroke
      recurrence in ischemic stroke patients. METHODS: This is a multicenter,
      randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint, parallel-group study of patients who
      experienced non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke. All patients had a total
      cholesterol level between 4.65 and 6.21 mmol/L at enrollment, without the use of
      statins. The pravastatin group patients received 10 mg of pravastatin/day; the
      control group patients received no statins. The primary endpoint was the
      occurrence of stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA), with the onset of each
      stroke subtype set to be one of the secondary endpoints. FINDING: Although 3000
      patients were targeted, 1578 patients (491 female, age 66.2 years) were recruited
      and randomly assigned to pravastatin group or control group. During the follow-up
      of 4.9 +/- 1.4 years, although total stroke and TIA similarly occurred in both
      groups (2.56 vs. 2.65%/year), onset of atherothrombotic infarction was less
      frequent in pravastatin group (0.21 vs. 0.64%/year, p = 0.0047, adjusted hazard
      ratio 0.33 [95%CI 0.15 to 0.74]). No significant intergroup difference was found
      for the onset of other stroke subtypes, and for the occurrence of adverse events.
      INTERPRETATION: Although whether low-dose pravastatin prevents recurrence of
      total stroke or TIA still needs to be examined in Asian, this study has generated
      a hypothesis that it may reduce occurrence of stroke due to larger artery
      atherosclerosis. FUNDING: This study was initially supported by a grant from the
      Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan. After the governmental support
      expired, it was conducted in collaboration between Hiroshima University and the
      Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation.

PMID- 26501120
TI  - Reporting of Cardiovascular Medical Device Adverse Events to Pharmaceuticals and
      Medical Devices Agency, Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Marketing authorization holders (MAHs) are obligated to report
      adverse events (AEs) within 15 days (some cases 30 days) to the Pharmaceuticals
      and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) of Japan. METHODS: To analyze the timeliness of
      AE reporting to the PMDA, 6610 reports for five categories of cardiovascular
      devices were retrieved. Two durations were calculated: (1) time from the date the
      AE occurred to that when the MAH captured it (DOC: days); and (2) time from the
      date of MAH capture to that of MAH report (DCR: days). Number of DOC > 15 days
      (DOC15) and delayed reports (DCR > 15 or 30 days) were also calculated. RESULTS:
      AEs included 9.2% deaths and 7.5% non-recoveries. DOC15 and delayed reports were
      51.0% and 10.9%, respectively. By multivariate analysis, DOC15 was associated
      with foreign AE, device category, MAH, patient outcome, event category, and AE
      that had to be reported within 15 or 30 days (AE15/30). Delayed report was
      associated with device category, MAH, patient outcome, event category, and
      AE15/30. COMMENTS: Although Japanese MAHs complied with the obligation to report
      AEs, they often failed to share AEs with healthcare providers. Registry may be a
      potential solution, although the cooperation of healthcare providers to input
      data is essential.

PMID- 26501118
TI  - The Helicobacter Eradication Aspirin Trial (HEAT): A Large Simple Randomised
      Controlled Trial Using Novel Methodology in Primary Care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical trials measuring the effect of an intervention on clinical
      outcomes are more influential than those investigating surrogate measures but are
      costly. We developed methods to reduce costs substantially by using existing data
      in primary care systems, to ask whether Helicobacter pylori eradication would
      reduce the incidence of hospitalisation for ulcer bleeding in aspirin users.
      METHODS: The Helicobacter Eradication Aspirin Trial (HEAT) is a National
      Institute of Health Research-funded, double-blind placebo controlled randomised
      trial of the effects of H. pylori eradication on subsequent ulcer bleeding in
      infected individuals taking aspirin daily, conducted in practices across the
      whole of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. A bespoke web-based trial
      management system developed for the trial (and housed within the secure NHS Data
      Network) communicates directly with the HEAT Toolkit software downloaded at
      participating practices, which issues queries searching entry criteria (>= 60
      years, on chronic aspirin <= 325 mg daily, not on anti-ulcer therapy or non
      steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for GP review of eligibility. Trial
      participation is invited using a highly secure automated online mail management
      system. Interested patients are seen once for consent and breath testing. Those
      with a positive test are randomised to eradication treatment (lansoprazole,
      clarithromycin, metronidazole) or placebo, with drug sent by post. Events are
      tracked by upload of accumulating information in the GP database, patient
      contact, review of National Hospital Episode Statistics and Office of National
      Statistics data. RESULTS: HEAT is the largest Clinical Research Network-supported
      drug trial, with 115,660 invitation letters sent from 850 practices, 22,922
      volunteers, and 3038 H. pylori positive patients randomised to active or placebo
      treatment after 2.5 years of recruitment. 178 practices have performed their
      first follow-up data search to identify 21 potential endpoints to date.
      DISCUSSION: HEAT is important medically, because aspirin is so widely used, and
      methodologically, as a successful trial would show that large-scale studies of
      important clinical outcomes can be conducted at a fraction of the cost of those
      conducted by industry, which in turn will help to ensure that trials of primarily
      medical rather than commercial interest can be conducted successfully in the UK.

PMID- 26501121
TI  - Continuous Postoperative Pericardial Flushing: A Pilot Study on Safety,
      Feasibility, and Effect on Blood Loss.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prolonged or excessive blood loss is a common complication after
      cardiac surgery. Blood remnants and clots, remaining in the pericardial space in
      spite of chest tube drainage, induce high fibrinolytic activity that may
      contribute to bleeding complications. Continuous postoperative pericardial
      flushing (CPPF) with an irrigation solution may reduce blood loss by preventing
      the accumulation of clots. In this pilot study, the safety and feasibility of
      CPPF were evaluated and the effect on blood loss and other related complications
      was investigated. METHODS: Between November 2011 and April 2012 twenty-one adult
      patients undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD) received CPPF from
      sternal closure up to 12 h postoperative. With an inflow Redivac drain that was
      inserted through one of the chest tube incision holes, an irrigation solution
      (NaCl 0.9% at 38  degrees C) was delivered to the pericardial cavity using a
      volume controlled flushing system. Safety aspects, feasibility issues and
      complications were registered. The mean actual blood loss in the CPPF group was
      compared to the mean of a retrospective group (n = 126). RESULTS: CPPF was
      successfully completed in 20 (95.2%) patients, and no method related
      complications were observed. Feasibility was good in this experimental setting.
      Patients receiving CPPF showed a 30% (P = 0.038) decrease in mean actual blood
      loss 12 h postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: CPPF after cardiac surgery was found to
      be safe and feasible in this experimental setting. The clinically relevant effect
      on blood loss needs to be confirmed in a randomized clinical trial.

PMID- 26501122
TI  - Do We Know Why We Make Errors in Morphological Diagnosis? An Analysis of Approach
      and Decision-Making in Haematological Morphology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The laboratory interpretation of blood film morphology is frequently
      a rapid, accurate, and cost-effective final-stage of blood count analysis.
      However, the interpretation of findings often rests with a single individual, and
      errors can carry significant impact. Cell identification and classification
      skills are well supported by existing resources, but the contribution and
      importance of other skills are less well understood. METHODS: The UK external
      quality assurance group in haematology (UK NEQAS(H)) runs a Continued
      Professional Development scheme where large digital-images of abnormal blood
      smears are presented using a web-based virtual microscope. Each case is answered
      by more than 800 individuals. Morphological feature selection and prioritisation,
      as well as diagnosis and proposed action, are recorded. We analysed the responses
      of participants, aiming to identify successful strategies as well as sources of
      error. FINDINGS: The approach to assessment by participants depended on the
      affected cell type, case complexity or skills of the morphologist. For cases with
      few morphological abnormalities, we found that accurate cell identification and
      classification were the principle requirements for success. For more complex
      films however, feature recognition and prioritisation had primary importance.
      Additionally however, we found that participants employed a range of heuristic
      techniques to support their assessment, leading to associated bias and error.
      INTERPRETATION: A wide range of skills together allow successful morphological
      assessment and the complexity of this process is not always understood or
      recognised. Heuristic techniques are widely employed to support or reinforce
      primary observations and to simplify complex findings. These approaches are
      effective and are integral to assessment; however they may also be a source of
      bias or error. Improving outcomes and supporting diagnosis require the
      development of decision-support mechanisms that identify and support the benefits
      of heuristic strategies while identifying or avoiding associated biases. FUNDING:
      The CPD scheme is funded by participant subscription.

PMID- 26501123
TI  - Lessons of War: Turning Data Into Decisions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq produced a substantial
      number of critically wounded service-members. We collected biomarker and clinical
      information from 73 patients who sustained 116 life-threatening combat wounds,
      and sought to determine if the data could be used to predict the likelihood of
      wound failure. METHODS: From each patient, we collected clinical information,
      serum, wound effluent, and tissue prior to and at each surgical debridement.
      Inflammatory cytokines were quantified in both the serum and effluent, as were
      gene expression targets. The primary outcome was successful wound healing.
      Computer intensive methods were used to derive prognostic models that were
      internally validated using target shuffling and cross-validation methods. A
      second cohort of eighteen critically injured civilian patients was evaluated to
      determine if similar inflammatory responses were observed. FINDINGS: The best
      performing models enhanced clinical observation with biomarker data from the
      serum and wound effluent, an indicator that systemic inflammatory conditions
      contribute to local wound failure. A Random Forest model containing ten variables
      demonstrated the highest accuracy (AUC 0.79). Decision Curve Analysis indicated
      that the use of this model would improve clinical outcomes and reduce unnecessary
      surgical procedures. Civilian trauma patients demonstrated similar inflammatory
      responses and an equivalent wound failure rate, indicating that the model may be
      generalizable to civilian settings. INTERPRETATION: Using advanced analytics, we
      successfully codified clinical and biomarker data from combat patients into a
      potentially generalizable decision support tool. Analysis of inflammatory data
      from critically ill patients with acute injury may inform decision-making to
      improve clinical outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. FUNDING: United States
      Department of Defense Health Programs.

PMID- 26501125
TI  - Telephone Consultation as a Substitute for Routine Out-patient Face-to-face
      Consultation for Children With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Randomised Controlled
      Trial and Economic Evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence for the use of telephone consultation in childhood
      inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is lacking. We aimed to assess the effectiveness
      and cost consequences of telephone consultation compared with the usual out
      patient face-to-face consultation for young people with IBD. METHODS: We
      conducted a randomised-controlled trial in Manchester, UK, between July 12, 2010
      and June 30, 2013. Young people (aged 8-16 years) with IBD were randomized to
      receive telephone consultation or face-to-face consultation for 24 months. The
      primary outcome measure was the paediatric IBD-specific IMPACT quality of life
      (QOL) score at 12 months. Secondary outcome measures included patient
      satisfaction with consultations, disease course, anthropometric measures,
      proportion of consultations attended, duration of consultations, and costs to the
      UK National Health Service (NHS). Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial
      is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02319798. FINDINGS: Eighty six
      patients were randomised to receive either telephone consultation (n = 44) or
      face-to-face consultation (n = 42). Baseline characteristics of the two groups
      were well balanced. At 12 months, there was no evidence of difference in QOL
      scores (estimated treatment effect in favour of the telephone consultation group
      was 5.7 points, 95% CI - 2.9 to 14.3; p = 0.19). Mean consultation times were 9.8
      min (IQR 8 to 12.3) for telephone consultation, and 14.3 min (11.6 to 17.0) for
      face-to-face consultation with an estimated reduction (95% CI) of 4.3 (2.8 to
      5.7) min in consultation times (p < 0.001). Telephone consultation had a mean
      cost of UKL35.41 per patient consultation compared with L51.12 for face-face
      consultation, difference L15.71 (95% CI 11.8-19.6; P < 0.001). INTERPRETATION: We
      found no suggestion of inferiority of telephone consultation compared with face
      to-face consultation with regard to improvements in QOL scores, and telephone
      consultation reduced consultation time and NHS costs. Telephone consultation is a
      cost-effective alternative to face-to-face consultation for the routine
      outpatient follow-up of children and adolescents with IBD. FUNDING: Research for
      Patient Benefit Programme, UK National Institute for Health Research.

PMID- 26501124
TI  - Volatile Biomarkers in Breath Associated With Liver Cirrhosis - Comparisons of
      Pre- and Post-liver Transplant Breath Samples.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The burden of liver disease in the UK has risen dramatically and
      there is a need for improved diagnostics. AIMS: To determine which breath
      volatiles are associated with the cirrhotic liver and hence diagnostically
      useful. METHODS: A two-stage biomarker discovery procedure was used. Alveolar
      breath samples of 31 patients with cirrhosis and 30 healthy controls were mass
      spectrometrically analysed and compared (stage 1). 12 of these patients had their
      breath analysed after liver transplant (stage 2). Five patients were followed
      longitudinally as in-patients in the post-transplant period. RESULTS: Seven
      volatiles were elevated in the breath of patients versus controls. Of these, five
      showed statistically significant decrease post-transplant: limonene, methanol, 2
      pentanone, 2-butanone and carbon disulfide. On an individual basis limonene has
      the best diagnostic capability (the area under a receiver operating
      characteristic curve (AUROC) is 0.91), but this is improved by combining
      methanol, 2-pentanone and limonene (AUROC curve 0.95). Following transplant,
      limonene shows wash-out characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Limonene, methanol and 2
      pentanone are breath markers for a cirrhotic liver. This study raises the
      potential to investigate these volatiles as markers for early-stage liver
      disease. By monitoring the wash-out of limonene following transplant, graft liver
      function can be non-invasively assessed.

PMID- 26501126
TI  - Nanoporous Superhydrophobic Coatings that Promote the Extended Release of Water
      Labile Quorum Sensing Inhibitors and Enable Long-Term Modulation of Quorum
      Sensing in Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - Materials and coatings that inhibit bacterial colonization are of interest in a
      broad range of biomedical, environmental, and industrial applications. In view of
      the rapid increase in bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics, the
      development of new strategies that target nonessential pathways in bacterial
      pathogens-and that thereby limit growth and reduce virulence through nonbiocidal
      means-has attracted considerable attention. Bacterial quorum sensing (QS)
      represents one such target, and is intimately connected to virulence in many
      human pathogens. Here, we demonstrate that the properties of nanoporous, polymer
      based superhydrophobic coatings can be exploited to host and subsequently sustain
      the extended release of potent and water-labile peptide-based inhibitors of QS
      (QSIs) in Staphylococcus aureus. Our results demonstrate that these peptidic QSIs
      can be released into surrounding media for periods of at least 8 months, and that
      they strongly inhibit agr-based QS in S. aureus for at least 40 days. These
      results also suggest that these extremely nonwetting coatings can confer
      protection against the rapid hydrolysis of these water-labile peptides, thereby
      extending their useful lifetimes. Finally, we demonstrate that these peptide
      loaded superhydrophobic coatings can strongly modulate the QS-controlled
      formation of biofilm in wild-type S. aureus. These nanoporous superhydrophobic
      films provide a new, useful, and nonbiocidal approach to the design of coatings
      that attenuate bacterial virulence. This approach has the potential to be
      general, and could prove suitable for the encapsulation, protection, and release
      of other classes of water-sensitive agents. We anticipate that the materials,
      strategies, and concepts reported here will enable new approaches to the long
      term attenuation of QS and associated bacterial phenotypes in a range of basic
      research and applied contexts.

PMID- 26501127
TI  - Functionalizing Soft Matter for Molecular Communication.
AB  - The information age was enabled by advances in microfabrication and communication
      theory that allowed information to be processed by electrons and transmitted by
      electromagnetic radiation. Despite immense capabilities, microelectronics has
      limited abilities to access and participate in the molecular-based communication
      that characterizes our biological world. Here, we use biological materials and
      methods to create components and fabricate devices to perform simple molecular
      communication functions based on bacterial quorum sensing (QS). Components were
      created by protein engineering to generate a multidomain fusion protein capable
      of sending a molecular QS signal, and by synthetic biology to engineer E. coli to
      receive and report this QS signal. The device matrix was formed using stimuli
      responsive hydrogel-forming biopolymers (alginate and gelatin). Assembly of the
      components within the device matrix was achieved by physically entrapping the
      cell-based components, and covalently conjugating the protein-based components
      using the enzyme microbial transglutaminase. We demonstrate simple devices that
      can send or receive a molecular QS signal to/from the surrounding medium, and a
      two-component device in which one component generates the signal (i.e., issues a
      command) that is acted upon by the second component. These studies illustrate the
      broad potential of biofabrication to generate molecular communication devices.

PMID- 26501128
TI  - Robotic Surgery: Applications.

PMID- 26501129
TI  - An Adaptive Difference Distribution-based Coding with Hierarchical Tree Structure
      for DNA Sequence Compression.
AB  - Previous reference-based compression on DNA sequences do not fully exploit the
      intrinsic statistics by merely concerning the approximate matches. In this paper,
      an adaptive difference distribution-based coding framework is proposed by the
      fragments of nucleotides with a hierarchical tree structure. To keep the
      distribution of difference sequence from the reference and target sequences
      concentrated, the sub-fragment size and matching offset for predicting are
      flexible to the stepped size structure. The matching with approximate repeats in
      reference will be imposed with the Hamming-like weighted distance measure
      function in a local region closed to the current fragment, such that the accuracy
      of matching and the overhead of describing matching offset can be balanced. A
      well-designed coding scheme will make compact both the difference sequence and
      the additional parameters, e.g. sub-fragment size and matching offset.
      Experimental results show that the proposed scheme achieves 150% compression
      improvement in comparison with the best reference-based compressor GReEn.

PMID- 26501131
TI  - Inflammation as a Mediator of the Association Between Race and Atrial
      Fibrillation: Results from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite a lower prevalence of established atrial fibrillation (AF)
      risk factors, Whites exhibit substantially higher rates of this arrhythmia
      compared to Blacks. The mechanism underlying this observation is not known. Both
      inflammation and obesity are risk factors for AF, and adipose tissue is a known
      contributor to systemic inflammation. OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the
      degree to which racial differences in AF risk are explained by differences in
      inflammation and adiposity. METHODS: Baseline serum inflammatory biomarker
      concentrations and abdominal adiposity (assessed by computed tomography) were
      quantified in a subset of Black and White participants without prevalent AF in
      the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study. Participants were
      prospectively followed for the diagnosis of AF using study ECGs and Medicare
      claims data. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the adjusted
      relative hazard of incident AF between races before and after biomarker
      adjustment. RESULTS: Among 2,768 participants (43% Black), 721 developed incident
      AF over a median follow up of 10.9 years. White race was associated with a
      heightened adjusted risk of incident AF (HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.30 to 1.84, p <
      0.001). Abdominal adiposity was not associated with AF when added to the adjusted
      model. Among the studied biomarkers, adiponectin, TNF-alpha, TNF-alpha SR I, and
      TNF-alpha SR II concentrations were each higher among Whites and independently
      associated with a greater risk of incident AF. Together, these inflammatory
      cytokines mediated 42% (95% CI 15 to 119%, p = 0.004) of the adjusted race-AF
      association. CONCLUSIONS: Systemic inflammatory pathways significantly mediate
      the heightened risk of AF among Whites. The higher level of systemic inflammation
      and concomitant increased AF risk in Whites is not explained by racial
      differences in abdominal adiposity or the presence of other pro-inflammatory
      cardiovascular comorbidities.

PMID- 26501130
TI  - Mini-ISES identifies promising carbafructopyranose-based salens for asymmetric
      catalysis: Tuning ligand shape via the anomeric effect.
AB  - This study introduces new methods of screening for and tuning chiral space and in
      so doing identifies a promising set of chiral ligands for asymmetric synthesis.
      The carbafructopyranosyl-1,2-diamine(s) and salens constructed therefrom are
      particularly compelling. It is shown that by removing the native anomeric effect
      in this ligand family, one can tune chiral ligand shape and improve chiral bias.
      This concept is demonstrated by a combination of (i) x-ray crystallographic
      structure determination, (ii) assessment of catalytic performance, and (iii)
      consideration of the anomeric effect and its underlying dipolar basis. The title
      ligands were identified by a new mini version of the in situ enzymatic screening
      (ISES) procedure through which catalyst-ligand combinations are screened in
      parallel, and information on relative rate and enantioselectivity is obtained in
      real time, without the need to quench reactions or draw aliquots. Mini-ISES
      brings the technique into the nanomole regime (200 to 350 nmol catalyst/20 MUml
      organic volume) commensurate with emerging trends in reaction development/process
      chemistry. The best-performing beta-d-carbafructopyranosyl-1,2-diamine-derived
      salen ligand discovered here outperforms the best known organometallic and
      enzymatic catalysts for the hydrolytic kinetic resolution of 3-phenylpropylene
      oxide, one of several substrates examined for which the ligand is "matched." This
      ligand scaffold defines a new swath of chiral space, and anomeric effect
      tunability defines a new concept in shaping that chiral space. Both this ligand
      set and the anomeric shape-tuning concept are expected to find broad application,
      given the value of chiral 1,2-diamines and salens constructed from these in
      asymmetric catalysis.

PMID- 26501132
TI  - Using Machine Learning to Identify Benign Cases with Non-Definitive Biopsy.
AB  - When mammography reveals a suspicious finding, a core needle biopsy is usually
      recommended. In 5% to 15% of these cases, the biopsy diagnosis is non-definitive
      and a more invasive surgical excisional biopsy is recommended to confirm a
      diagnosis. The majority of these cases will ultimately be proven benign. The use
      of excisional biopsy for diagnosis negatively impacts patient quality of life and
      increases costs to the healthcare system. In this work, we employ a multi
      relational machine learning approach to predict when a patient with a non
      definitive core needle biopsy diagnosis need not undergo an excisional biopsy
      procedure because the risk of malignancy is low.

PMID- 26501133
TI  - Multi-scale and Multimodal Fusion of Tract-tracing, Myelin Stain and DTI-derived
      Fibers in Macaque Brains.
AB  - Assessment of structural connectivity patterns of brains can be an important
      avenue for better understanding mechanisms of structural and functional brain
      architectures. Therefore, many efforts have been made to estimate and validate
      axonal pathways via a number of techniques, such as myelin stain, tract-tracing
      and diffusion MRI (dMRI). The three modalities have their own advantages and are
      complimentary to each other. From myelin stain data, we can infer rich in-plane
      information of axonal orientation at micro-scale. Tract-tracing data is
      considered as 'gold standard' to estimate trustworthy meso-scale pathways. dMRI
      currently is the only way to estimate global macro-scale pathways given further
      validation. We propose a framework to take advantage of these three modalities.
      Information of the three modalities is integrated to determine the optimal
      tractography parameters for dMRI fibers and identify cross-validated fiber
      bundles that are finally used to construct atlas. We demonstrate the
      effectiveness of the framework by a collection of experimental results. 

PMID- 26501134
TI  - Common airborne fungi induce species-specific effects on upper airway
      inflammatory and remodelling responses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Whilst the exact cause of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) remains
      elusive, it is clear that both inflammation and remodelling are key disease
      processes. Environmental fungi have been linked to airway inflammation in CRS;
      however, their role in the pathogenesis of this condition remains controversial.
      The current consensus suggests that whilst fungi may not be directly causative,
      it is likely that CRS patients have deficits in their innate and potentially
      acquired immunity, which in turn may modify their ability to react to fungi. This
      study used a nasal polyp explant tissue stimulation model to study the
      inflammatory and remodelling responses related to challenge with common airborne
      fungal species. METHODS: Ex vivo nasal polyp tissue from six well phenotyped
      CRSwNP patients undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery was stimulated
      with 1, 10 and 100 MUg/ml of Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus niger,
      Cladosporium sphaerospermum and Penicillium notatum and compared with
      unchallenged polyp tissue as control. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
      was used to measure the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL
      6), granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and tumour necrosis
      factor-alpha (TNF-alpha); and pro-remodelling cytokines transforming growth
      factor-b1 (TGF-b1), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in the polyp
      supernatant. RESULTS: Aspergillus niger stimulation increased pro-inflammatory
      cytokines TNF-alpha, GM-CSF and IL-6 whilst having little effect on the
      remodelling cytokines bFGF and TGF-b1. In contrast, stimulation with Cladosporium
      sphaerospermum, Alternaria alternata and Penicillium notatum reduced pro
      inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6, but induced a dose-dependent increase
      in remodelling cytokines TGF-b1 and bFGF. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that
      common airborne fungi induce species-specific effects on the upper airway
      inflammatory and remodelling responses. These findings provide further
      immunological evidence of a disease-modifying role for fungi in CRS.

PMID- 26501135
TI  - The microbiome of the maxillary sinus and middle nasal meatus in chronic
      rhinosinusitis.
AB  - AIM: This multicenter study was focused on the identification of the
      microorganisms inhabiting the maxillary sinus and middle nasal meatus in chronic
      rhinosinusitis. METHODOLOGY: 112 middle meatus swabs and 112 maxillary sinus
      aspirates from 103 patients were available for culture. RESULTS: A total of 244
      strains of microorganisms representing more than 50 families were identified in
      the maxillary sinus and middle nasal meatus (164 and 80, respectively). These
      included 154 (63.0%) strains of aerobic bacteria from 32 species and 90 (37.0%)
      strains of anaerobic bacteria from 23 species. Aerobes were more common than
      anaerobes in both the nasal cavity (78.7% vs. 21.3%) and in the maxillary sinus
      (55.2% vs. 44.8%). Species of Streptococci (28.8%) and Prevotella (17.8%) were
      the most common findings in the maxillary sinus aspirates. S. pneumonia, H.
      influenza, and S. aureus were relatively rare, and found in only 6.7%, 5.4%, and
      8.9% of the samples, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained suggest that
      common upper airway pathogens do not play a major role in the pathogenesis of
      chronic rhinosinusitis. The microbiome of inflamed sinonasal mucosa is extremely
      diverse and involves exotic species of bacteria that, to date, have not been
      considered as potential inhabitants of the paranasal sinuses.

PMID- 26501136
TI  - Can mid-infrared biomedical spectroscopy of cells, fluids and tissue aid
      improvements in cancer survival? A patient paradigm.
AB  - This review will take a fresh approach from the patient perspective; offering
      insight into the applications of mid-infrared biomedical spectroscopy in a
      scenario whereby the patient presents with non-specific symptoms and via an
      extensive diagnostic process multiple lesions are discovered but no clear sign of
      the primary tumour; a condition known as cancer of unknown primary (CUP). With
      very limited options to diagnose the cancer origin, treatment options are likely
      to be ineffective and prognosis is consequentially very poor. CUP has not yet
      been targeted by infrared biospectroscopy, however, this timely, concise
      dissemination will focus on a series of research highlights and breakthroughs
      from the field for the management of a variety of cancer-related diseases - many
      examples of which have occurred within this year alone. The case for integration
      of mid-infrared (MIR) technology into clinical practice will be demonstrated
      largely via diagnostic, but also therapeutic and prognostic avenues by means of
      including cytological, bio-fluid and tissue analysis. The review is structured
      around CUP but is relevant for all cancer diagnoses. Infrared spectroscopy is
      fast developing a reputation as a valid and powerful tool for the detection and
      diagnosis of cancer using a variety of sample formats. The technology will
      produce data and tools that are designed to complement routine clinical practice;
      enhancing the ability of the clinician to make a reliable and non-subjective
      decision and enabling decreased levels of mortality and morbidity and gains in
      patient quality of life. 

PMID- 26501137
TI  - Sensitive electrochemical detection of copper ions based on the copper(II) ion
      assisted etching of Au@Ag nanoparticles.
AB  - A new sensitive electrochemical sensor for the detection of copper ions based on
      the copper ion assisted etching of Au@Ag nanoparticles was developed in this
      work. Since copper ions could greatly catalyze the etching process of the silver
      shell of Au@Ag nanoparticles in the presence of thiosulfate solutions, leading to
      an obvious decrease of the linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) signals of silver, the
      concentration of the copper ions, therefore, can be measured. Under the optimized
      conditions, the electrochemical sensor exhibited excellent sensitivity and
      selectivity for Cu(2+), with wide linear ranges of 1 nM to 100 MUM, and the
      detection limit of 0.3 nM. In addition, this method was successfully applied for
      the analysis of Cu(2+) in river water and exhibited good analytical performance. 

PMID- 26501138
TI  - Electronic vs. structural ordering in a manganese(III) spin crossover complex.
AB  - A symmetry breaking spin transition in a Mn(III) complex is reported with three
      structural phases, a high symmetry high temperature S = 2 phase, an intermediate
      S = 1/S = 2 ordered phase and an aperiodic low temperature phase with S = 1
      cations. The aperiodicity is interpreted as resulting from long-range ordering of
      the NTf2(-) anions.

PMID- 26501139
TI  - miR-221 Promotes Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition through Targeting PTEN and
      Forms a Positive Feedback Loop with beta-catenin/c-Jun Signaling Pathway in Extra
      Hepatic Cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHCC) is a refractory malignancy with poor
      prognosis due to its early invasion, metastasis and recurrence after operation.
      Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of invasion and metastasis is the key to
      the development of new and effective therapeutic strategies for EHCC. In the
      present study we demonstrated that miR-221 promoted EHCC invasion and metastasis
      through targeting PTEN and formed a positive feedback loop with beta-catenin/c
      Jun signaling pathway. We found miR-221 was upregulated in EHCC specimens and CC
      cell lines. Moreover, miR-221 was found strongly associated with the metastasis
      and prognosis of EHCC patients. The expression of PTEN was downregulated in EHCC
      patients and CC cell lines, and was further demonstrated as one of the downstream
      targets of miR-221. In addition, our data indicated that beta-catenin activated
      miR-221 through c-jun, while miR-221 enhanced beta-catenin signaling induced
      epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by targeting PTEN, hence forming a
      positive feedback loop in EHCC cell lines. In conclusion, our results suggested
      that miR-221 promotes EMT through targeting PTEN and forms a positive feedback
      loop with beta-catenin/c-Jun signaling pathway in EHCC. 

PMID- 26501140
TI  - [Approval procedures for clinical trials in the field of radiation oncology].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Application of ionizing radiation for the purpose of
      medical research in Germany needs to be approved by the national authority for
      radiation protection (Bundesamt fur Strahlenschutz, BfS). For studies in the
      field of radiation oncology, differentiation between use of radiation for
      "medical care (Heilkunde)" versus "medical research" frequently leads to
      contradictions. The aim of this article is to provide principle investigators,
      individuals, and institutions involved in the process, as well as institutional
      review or ethics committees, with the necessary information for this assessment.
      Information on the legal frame and the approval procedures are also provided.
      METHODS: A workshop was co-organized by the German Society for Radiation Oncology
      (DEGRO), the Working Party for Radiation Oncology (ARO) of the German Cancer
      Society (DKG), the German Society for Medical Physics (DGMP), and the German
      Cancer Consortium (DKTK) in October 2013. This paper summarizes the results of
      the workshop and the follow-up discussions between the organizers and the BfS.
      RESULTS: Differentiating between "Heilkunde" which does not need to be approved
      by the BfS and "medical research" is whether the specific application of
      radiation (beam quality, dose, schedule, target volume, etc.) is a clinically
      established and recognized procedure. This must be answered by the qualified
      physician(s) ("fachkundiger Arzt" according to German radiation protection law)
      in charge of the study and the treatments of the patients within the study,
      taking into consideration of the best available evidence from clinical studies,
      guidelines and consensus papers. Among the important parameters for assessment
      are indication, total dose, and fractionation. Radiation treatments applied
      outside clinical trials do not require approval by the BfS, even if they are
      applied within a randomized or nonrandomized clinical trial. The decision-making
      by the "fachkundigem Arzt" may be supported on request by an opinion given by the
      DEGRO Expert Committee for clinical trials. CONCLUSION: An important aim for
      promoting clinical research and patient care in radiation oncology is to further
      professionalize planning and implementation of clinical trials in this field.
      Correct assessment, at an early stage, whether a trial needs to be approved by
      the BfS may reduce unnecessary costs and reduce the time needed for the approval
      procedure for those trials which need to be assessed by the BfS.

PMID- 26501141
TI  - Temporal changes in tumor oxygenation and perfusion upon normo- and hyperbaric
      inspiratory hyperoxia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inspiratory hyperoxia under hyperbaric conditions has been shown to
      effectively reduce tumor hypoxia and to improve radiosensitivity. However,
      applying irradiation (RT) under hyperbaric conditions is technically difficult in
      the clinical setting since RT after decompression may be effective only if tumor
      pO2 remains elevated for a certain period of time. The aim of the present study
      was to analyze the time course of tumor oxygenation and perfusion during and
      after hyperbaric hyperoxia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tumor oxygenation, red blood
      cell (RBC) flux for perfusion monitoring, and vascular resistance were assessed
      continuously in experimental rat DS-sarcomas by polarographic catheter electrodes
      and laser Doppler flowmetry at 1 and 2 atm (bar) of environmental pressure during
      breathing of pure O2 or carbogen (95 % O2 + 5 % CO2). RESULTS: During room air
      breathing, the tumor pO2 followed very rapidly within a few minutes the change of
      the ambient pressure during compression or decompression. With O2 breathing under
      hyperbaric conditions, the tumor pO2 increased more than expected based on the
      rise of the environmental pressure, although the time course was comparably
      rapid. Breathing carbogen, the tumor pO2 followed with a slight delay of the
      pressure change, and within 10 min after decompression the baseline values were
      reached again. RBC flux increased during carbogen breathing but remained almost
      constant with pure O2, indicating a vasodilation (decrease in vascular
      resistance) with carbogen but a vasoconstriction (increase in vascular
      resistance) with O2 during hyperbaric conditions. CONCLUSION: Since the tumor pO2
      directly followed the environmental pressure, teletherapy after hyperbaric
      conditions does not seem to be promising as the pO2 reaches baseline values again
      within 5-10 min after decompression.

PMID- 26501142
TI  - Neuroprotection and Retinal Diseases.
AB  - Neuronal death is the primary cause of vision loss in most retinal diseases.
      Neuroprotection is the modification of neurons, and/or their surrounding
      environment, to promote the survival and function of the neurons, especially in
      environments that would normally be deleterious to their health. Through advances
      in antioxidative therapy, neurotrophic support and anti-apoptotic therapy, the
      field of neuroprotection is advancing with the therapeutic hope of improving
      vision and clinical outcomes for patients.

PMID- 26501143
TI  - Docetaxel Induced Sclerosing Cholangitis.

PMID- 26501144
TI  - META-GSA: Combining Findings from Gene-Set Analyses across Several Genome-Wide
      Association Studies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Gene-set analysis (GSA) methods are used as complementary
      approaches to genome-wide association studies (GWASs). The single marker
      association estimates of a predefined set of genes are either contrasted with
      those of all remaining genes or with a null non-associated background. To pool
      the p-values from several GSAs, it is important to take into account the
      concordance of the observed patterns resulting from single marker association
      point estimates across any given gene set. Here we propose an enhanced version of
      Fisher's inverse chi2-method META-GSA, however weighting each study to account
      for imperfect correlation between association patterns. SIMULATION AND POWER: We
      investigated the performance of META-GSA by simulating GWASs with 500 cases and
      500 controls at 100 diallelic markers in 20 different scenarios, simulating
      different relative risks between 1 and 1.5 in gene sets of 10 genes. Wilcoxon's
      rank sum test was applied as GSA for each study. We found that META-GSA has
      greater power to discover truly associated gene sets than simple pooling of the p
      values, by e.g. 59% versus 37%, when the true relative risk for 5 of 10 genes was
      assume to be 1.5. Under the null hypothesis of no difference in the true
      association pattern between the gene set of interest and the set of remaining
      genes, the results of both approaches are almost uncorrelated. We recommend not
      relying on p-values alone when combining the results of independent GSAs.
      APPLICATION: We applied META-GSA to pool the results of four case-control GWASs
      of lung cancer risk (Central European Study and Toronto/Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum
      Research Institute Study; German Lung Cancer Study and MD Anderson Cancer Center
      Study), which had already been analyzed separately with four different GSA
      methods (EASE; SLAT, mSUMSTAT and GenGen). This application revealed the pathway
      GO0015291 "transmembrane transporter activity" as significantly enriched with
      associated genes (GSA-method: EASE, p = 0.0315 corrected for multiple testing).
      Similar results were found for GO0015464 "acetylcholine receptor activity" but
      only when not corrected for multiple testing (all GSA-methods applied; p ~ 0.02).

PMID- 26501146
TI  - Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
AB  - Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe vision loss
      in individuals over the age of 50 years. Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is
      the hallmark of 'wet' or 'exudative' AMD, and is responsible for approximately
      90% of cases of severe vision loss due to AMD. Vascular endothelial growth factor
      (VEGF) is a key component in the development and progression of wet AMD. Since
      the approval of ranibizumab in 2006, VEGF inhibitors have rapidly altered the
      treatment and standard of care for wet AMD. Ranibizumab, bevacizumab, and
      aflibercept are now the most widely used anti-VEGF agents for the treatment of
      wet AMD. This chapter discusses the pharmacologic properties, pharmacokinetics,
      safety, and efficacy of these medications, as well as revisits landmark clinical
      trials that establish these drugs as gold standards in care. While these
      medications have greatly and positively altered the way we treat AMD, there are
      still many economic and therapeutic limitations with our current therapy
      regimens. There continue to be advancements and innovations in exploring
      alternative and new treatment modalities, as well as combining existing treatment
      options to improve efficacy, and reduce cost and patient burden.

PMID- 26501145
TI  - Prediction of Post-Operative Liver Dysfunction by Serum Markers of Liver Fibrosis
      in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the role of biomarkers in predicting postoperative liver
      dysfunction in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: A total of
      200 patients operated from July 2009 to June 2010 at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan
      University for pathologically confirmed HCC were retrospectively analyzed for
      clinical data, HBD DNA level and serum biochemical markers for liver fibrosis.
      The patients were followed up to observersation end point. Correlation of the
      monitored parameters with postoperative liver dysfunction and patient survival
      was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Preoperative hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA
      level, serum prealbumin (PA) hyaluronic acid (HA), and laminin (LN) levels
      correlated with postoperative liver dysfunction, and preoperative LN level also
      was associated with the patients' survival. A predictive model was generated
      using these 4 parameters and validated in 89 HCC patients with sensitivity and
      specificity of 0.625 and 0.912, respectively [corrected]. However, no correlation
      was identified between postoperative liver function and overall survival.
      CONCLUSION: Liver fibrosis markers could be preoperatively used in predicting
      postoperative liver dysfunction in HCC patients.

PMID- 26501147
TI  - Comparative Effect of a Renin Inhibitor and a Thiazide Diuretic on Renal Tissue
      Oxygenation in Hypertensive Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: The purpose of the present study was to compare the direct renin
      inhibitor aliskiren to the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in their ability
      to modulate renal tissue oxygenation in hypertensive patients. METHODS: 24
      patients were enrolled in this randomized prospective study and 20 completed the
      protocol. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either aliskiren 150-300
      mg/d or HCTZ 12.5 - 25 mg/d for 8 weeks. Renal oxygenation was measured by BOLD
      MRI at weeks 0 and 8. BOLD-MRI was also performed before and after an i.v.
      injection of 20 mg furosemide at week 0 and at week 8. BOLD-MRI data were
      analyzed by measuring the oxygenation in 12 computed layers of the kidney
      enabling to asses renal oxygenation according to the depth within the kidney and
      by the classical method of regions of interest (ROI). RESULTS: The classical ROI
      analysis of the data showed no difference between the groups at week 8. The
      analysis of renal oxygenation according to the 12 layers method shows no
      significant difference between aliskiren and HCTZ at week 8 before administration
      of furosemide. However, within group analyses show that aliskiren slightly but
      not significantly increased oxygenation in the cortex and decreased medullary
      oxygenation whereas HCTZ induced a significant overall decrease in renal tissue
      oxygenation. With the same method of analysis we observed that the response to
      furosemide was unchanged in the HCTZ group at week 8 but was characterized by an
      increase in both cortical and medullary oxygenation in aliskiren-treated
      patients. Patients responding to aliskiren and HCTZ by a fall in systolic blood
      pressure of >10 mmHg improved their renal tissue oxygenation when compared to non
      responders. CONCLUSION: With the classical method of evaluation using regions no
      difference were found between aliskiren and HCTZ on renal tissue oxygenation
      after 8 weeks. In contrast, with our new method that takes into account the
      entire kidney, within group analyses show that aliskiren slightly increases
      cortical and medullary renal tissue oxygenation in hypertensive patients whereas
      HCTZ decreases significantly renal oxygenation at trough.

PMID- 26501148
TI  - Ocular Immunity and Inflammation.
AB  - Complex immunologic mechanisms are involved in multiple intraocular diseases. The
      field of immunology has aided greatly in better understanding and treating
      inflammation in the posterior segment. While traditional therapy has relied on
      drugs such as corticosteroids and antimetabolites that exert there effects by
      multiple mechanisms, the more recently developed biologic immune modulators
      involve specific mechanisms of action with the potential to significantly reduce
      side effects relative to more traditional agents. Better understanding of
      diseases such as age-related macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy has led
      to the appreciation of immune mechanisms involved in these diseases and has
      suggested potential targets for therapy.

PMID- 26501149
TI  - Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies and Fragments: Ranibizumab.
AB  - Ranibizumab is a recombinant, humanized, affinity-matured, monoclonal antibody
      Fab fragment against all isoforms of vascular endothelial growth factor-A, which
      was developed specifically for intraocular use. Ranibizumab has been extensively
      investigated in clinical trials on choroidal neovascularization from wet age
      related macular degeneration and pathologic myopia, as well as macular edema due
      to diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion. Numerous randomized,
      controlled clinical trials have shown this medication to be effective in
      improving both vision as well as anatomical outcomes, and the medication has
      repeatedly shown to have an acceptable safety profile.

PMID- 26501151
TI  - Investigation of Model Sunscreen Formulations Comparing the Sun Protection
      Factor, the Universal Sun Protection Factor and the Radical Formation Ratio.
AB  - In view of globally rising skin cancer rates and harmful effects exerted by
      sunlight throughout the ultraviolet, visible and infrared ranges, an objective,
      safe and comprehensive method for determining sunscreen efficacy is required in
      order to warrant safe sun exposure. In this study, the influence of
      characteristic active ingredients (chemical filters, physical filters and
      antioxidants) on different sunscreen indicators, including the universal sun
      protection factor and the radical formation ratio, was determined and compared to
      their influence on sun protection factor values. Spectroscopic universal sun
      protection factor measurements were conducted ex vivo by analyzing tape strips
      taken from human skin, and radical formation ratio determination was performed
      via electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy using porcine ear skin ex vivo.
      The sun protection factor determination was conducted according to ISO standards
      (ISO 24444:2010). It was shown that chemical filters provide a protective effect
      which was measurable by all methods examined (spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic
      resonance spectroscopy and erythema formation). Physical filters, when used as
      single active ingredients, increased protective values in universal sun
      protection factor and sun protection factor measurements but exhibited no
      significant effect on universal sun protection factor measurements when used in
      combination with chemical filters or antioxidants. Antioxidants were shown to
      increase sun protection factor values. Radical formation ratio values were shown
      to be influenced merely by chemical filters, leading to the conclusion that the
      universal sun protection factor is the most suitable efficacy indicator for the
      ultraviolet range. 

PMID- 26501150
TI  - Role of BioResponse 3,3'-Diindolylmethane in the Treatment of Human Prostate
      Cancer: Clinical Experience.
AB  - Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) progression after androgen
      deprivation therapy shows upregulated expression of androgen receptor (AR) splice
      variants, induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition phenotypes and enhanced
      stem cell characteristics, all of which are associated with resistance to
      enzalutamide. Since there is no curative treatment for CRPC, innovative
      treatments are urgently needed. In our recent study, we found that resistance to
      enzalutamide was partly due to deregulated expression of microRNAs such as miR
      34a, miR-124, miR-27b, miR-320 and let-7, which play important roles in
      regulating AR and stem cell marker gene expression that appears to be linked with
      resistance to enzalutamide. Importantly, we found that BioResponse 3,3'
      diindolylmethane (BR-DIM) treatment in vitro and in vivo caused downregulation in
      the expression of wild-type AR. The AR splice variants, Lin28B and EZH2, appear
      to be deregulated through the re-expression of let-7, miR-27b, miR-320 and miR
      34a in human prostate cancer (PCa). BR-DIM administered in clinical trials was
      well tolerated, and 93% of patients had detectable prostatic DIM levels. The
      inhibitory effects of BR-DIM on AR and AR target gene such as prostate-specific
      antigen were also observed in the clinical trial. Our preclinical and clinical
      studies provide the scientific basis for a 'proof-of-concept' clinical trial in
      CRPC patients treated with enzalutamide in combination with BR-DIM. This strategy
      could be expanded in future clinical trials in patients with PCa to determine
      whether or not they could achieve a better treatment outcome which could be
      partly mediated by delaying or preventing the development of CRPC. 

PMID- 26501152
TI  - Diabetic Retinopathy and Diabetic Macular Edema.
AB  - Diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema result from chronic damage to the
      neurovascular structures of the retina. The pathophysiology of retinal damage
      remains uncertain but includes metabolic and neuroinflammatory insults. These
      mechanisms are addressed by intensive metabolic control of the systemic disease
      and by the use of ocular anti-inflammatory agents, including vascular endothelial
      growth factor inhibitors and corticosteroids. Improved understanding of the
      ocular and systemic mechanisms that underlie diabetic retinopathy will lead to
      improved means to diagnose and treat retinopathy and better maintain vision.

PMID- 26501153
TI  - Purchases of Prescription Antidepressants in the Swedish Population in Relation
      to Major Workplace Downsizing.
AB  - Organizational downsizing may be a risk factor for morbidity among both the
      displaced and those who remain in work. However, the knowledge is limited
      regarding its impact on clinically relevant mental health problems. Our objective
      was to investigate purchases of prescription antidepressants across 5 years in
      relation to workplace downsizing. We studied all Swedish residents 2004
      throughout 2010, 22-54 years old in 2006, gainfully employed, and with a stable
      labor market position up to 2006. People primarily employed at a workplace with
      >=18% staff reduction were considered exposed to major downsizing (in 2006-2007,
      2007-2008, or 2008-2009). We applied repeated measures regression analyses
      through generalized estimating equations, calculating odds of any purchase of
      prescription antidepressants (inferred from the prescribed drug register) within
      five 12-month periods from 2 years before to 2 years after the period of major
      downsizing and compared the trends for newly exposed (n = 632,500) and unexposed
      (n = 1,021,759) to major downsizing. The odds of purchasing prescription
      antidepressants for exposed increased more than for nonexposed, mainly
      peridownsizing (1 year before to 1 year after), and postdownsizing (1 year after
      to 2 years after) for survivors (odds ratio 1.24 vs. 1.14 peridownsizing and 1.12
      vs. 1.00 postdownsizing) and those changing workplace (odds ratio 1.22 vs. 1.14
      peridownsizing and 1.10 vs. 1.00 postdownsizing) with no previous sickness
      absence or disability pension (>=7% more than unexposed peri- and
      postdownsizing). This large-scale study indicates that downsizing is associated
      with a slight increase in the odds of purchasing prescription antidepressants
      among people without previous sickness absence or disability pension. 

PMID- 26501154
TI  - Halo and Pseudohalo Cu(I)-Pyridinato Double Chains with Tunable Physical
      Properties.
AB  - The properties recently reported on the Cu(I)-iodide pyrimidine nonporous 1D
      coordination polymer [CuI(ANP)]n (ANP = 2-amino-5-nitropyridine) showing
      reversible physically and chemically driven electrical response have prompted us
      to carry a comparative study with the series of [CuX(ANP)]n (X = Cl (1), X = Br
      (2), X = CN (4), and X = SCN (5)) in order to understand the potential influence
      of the halide and pseudohalide bridging ligands on the physical properties and
      their electrical response to vapors of these materials. The structural
      characterization of the series shows a common feature, the presence of -X-Cu(ANP)
      X- (X = Cl, Br, I, SCN) double chain structure. Complex [Cu(ANP)(CN)]n (4)
      presents a helical single chain. Additionally, the chains show supramolecular
      interlinked interactions via hydrogen bonding giving rise to the formation of
      extended networks. Their luminescent and electrical properties have been studied.
      The results obtained have been correlated with structural changes. Furthermore,
      the experimental and theoretical results have been compared using the density
      functional theory (DFT). The electrical response of the materials has been
      evaluated in the presence of vapors of diethyl ether, dimethyl methylphosphonate
      (DMMP), CH2Cl2, HAcO, MeOH, and EtOH, to build up simple prototype devices for
      gas detectors. Selectivity toward gases consisting of molecules with H-bonding
      donor or acceptor groups is clearly observed. This selective molecular
      recognition is likely due to the 2-amino-5-nitropyridine terminal ligand. 

PMID- 26501155
TI  - 3D automatic liver segmentation using feature-constrained Mahalanobis distance in
      CT images.
AB  - Automatic 3D liver segmentation is a fundamental step in the liver disease
      diagnosis and surgery planning. This paper presents a novel fully automatic
      algorithm for 3D liver segmentation in clinical 3D computed tomography (CT)
      images. Based on image features, we propose a new Mahalanobis distance cost
      function using an active shape model (ASM). We call our method MD-ASM. Unlike the
      standard active shape model (ST-ASM), the proposed method introduces a new
      feature-constrained Mahalanobis distance cost function to measure the distance
      between the generated shape during the iterative step and the mean shape model.
      The proposed Mahalanobis distance function is learned from a public database of
      liver segmentation challenge (MICCAI-SLiver07). As a refinement step, we propose
      the use of a 3D graph-cut segmentation. Foreground and background labels are
      automatically selected using texture features of the learned Mahalanobis
      distance. Quantitatively, the proposed method is evaluated using two clinical 3D
      CT scan databases (MICCAI-SLiver07 and MIDAS). The evaluation of the MICCAI
      SLiver07 database is obtained by the challenge organizers using five different
      metric scores. The experimental results demonstrate the availability of the
      proposed method by achieving an accurate liver segmentation compared to the state
      of-the-art methods. 

PMID- 26501156
TI  - Perinatal outcome of dichorionic-triamniotic as compared to trichorionic
      triplets.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if the perinatal outcomes of dichorionic-triamniotic (DC)
      triplets are significantly different than that of trichorionic (TC) triplets.
      STUDY DESIGN: Comparison of maternal and neonatal data of 44 DC to 46 TC
      triplets, using univariate analysis. RESULTS: DC triplets were significantly more
      common after spontaneous conception but all other maternal characteristics as
      well complications and cesarean section rates were similar. Both groups had
      similar incidence of birth at <32 and <28 weeks as well as similar incidence of
      very low and extremely low birth weight. There was similar incidence of neonatal
      morbidity except for twin-twin transfusion syndrome (13.6%) in the DC group. The
      stillbirth rate was 45/1000 and 29/1000, the early neonatal mortality rates were
      63/1000 and 45/1000, and the perinatal mortality rate was 106/1000 and 72/1000
      for DC and TC triplets, respectively (all not significantly different).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that DC twins are not significantly disadvantaged
      compared to TC triplets and the similar outcomes might be reassuring for those
      who consider continuing their DC triplet pregnancy.

PMID- 26501157
TI  - Idiopathic infantile hypercalcemia: case report and review of the literature.
AB  - The widespread use of supplemental vitamin D has dramatically reduced the
      incidence of rickets. While generally considered a safe practice, there is
      potential for toxicity in patients with idiopathic infantile hypercalcemia (IIH).
      Inadequate 24-hydroxylase-enzyme activity renders these individuals unable to
      degrade active vitamin D, resulting in hypercalcemia due to increased intestinal
      calcium absorption, decreased renal calcium excretion, and increased osteoclastic
      bone activity. Clinicians should be aware that even therapeutic doses of vitamin
      D can prove harmful for patients with CYP24A1 mutations. Studies have also
      demonstrated a link between inadequate 24-hydroxylase activity and
      nephrocalcinosis, renal insufficiency, and calcium containing kidney stones,
      further emphasizing the importance of early recognition of this disease and
      judicious use of vitamin D. We present a case with an interesting diagnostic
      algorithm used to diagnose IIH when given an incomplete history and subsequently
      review the existing literature on the subject. 

PMID- 26501158
TI  - Decrease of small dense LDL and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 due to
      human growth hormone treatment in short children with growth hormone deficiency
      and small for gestational age status.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and small for gestational age (SGA)
      status are associated with cardiovascular risks. We therefore, investigated
      antiatherogenic effects of growth hormone (GH). METHODS: Subfractions of low
      density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), lipoprotein
      associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein
      (hsCRP) were measured at baseline, after 8 and 52 weeks of GH treatment in 51
      short children born SGA (n=33) or with GHD (n=18). RESULTS: The overall group
      showed post-treatment reductions of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) (p=0.016), small
      dense LDL cholesterol (sdLDL-C, p<0.001), Lp-PLA2 (p<0.001), and hsCRP (p=0.005),
      but increase of HDL2a cholesterol (HDL2a-C, p=0.025). SGA children revealed
      significant correlations between Lp-PLA2 and LDL-C and sdLDL-C both before and
      after GH, significant reductions of sdLDL-C, Lp-PLA2, hsCRP, and an increase of
      HDL2a-C. GHD children showed the same lipid responses, though not significantly.
      CONCLUSIONS: Children with GHD or born SGA may benefit from GH by growth
      acceleration and reduction of cardiovascular long-term risks.

PMID- 26501159
TI  - Phytochemical, sub-acute toxicity, and antibacterial evaluation of Cordia
      sebestena leaf extracts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Nigeria, Cordia sebestena (Boraginaceae), an understudied
      medicinal plant, is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of
      gastrointestinal disorders. In this study, we investigated the chemical
      composition, antibacterial potential, and sub-acute toxicity of C. sebestena
      leaves. METHODS: Ethyl acetate extracts were analyzed using thin layer
      chromatography (TLC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometry. The
      antibacterial potential of the extracts was tested against five standard
      bacteria, namely Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus,
      Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Clinical observations and blood
      parameters were used to evaluate the possible toxicity of C. sebestena. RESULTS:
      The TLC profile yielded 39 fractions, which were pooled to nine combined sub
      fractions (A-I). The FTIR spectrum of sub-fraction H indicated the presence of
      aliphatic C-H stretching vibration at 2922 and 2850 cm-1, C=O stretch at 1734 and
      1708 cm-1, and C=C stretch of aromatics and aliphatics at 1464 and (shoulder)
      1618 cm-1, respectively. The fractions of the C. sebestena ethyl acetate leaf
      extract showed antibacterial potential across board, but fraction H had the
      highest antibacterial activity against B. cereus and S. aureus. The study also
      indicated the relatively low toxicity profile of the ethyl acetate leaf extract
      of C. sebestena in the liver of rats. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that C.
      sebestena leaves have strong antibacterial potential and low toxicity, thereby
      underlying the scientific basis for their folkloric use in the management of
      microbial infections and its associated complications.

PMID- 26501160
TI  - Preventive effect of total glycosides from Ligustri Lucidi Fructus against
      nonalcoholic fatty liver in mice.
AB  - The protective effects of the total glycosides from Ligustri Lucidi Fructus
      against nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) in mice were investigated. Liver injury
      was induced by the administration of high fat diet for 60 days. During this
      period, the model group received high fat diet only; the treatment groups
      received various drugs plus high fat diet. Compared with the model group, the
      total glycosides significantly decreased the contents of triglyceride (TG) and
      cholesterol (TC), as well as the activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and
      aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in the serum. Moreover, the contents of TG and
      TC in liver tissue and the liver index were reduced. Histological findings also
      confirmed antisteatosis. Compared with the model group, total glycosides
      significantly reduced the levels of the sterol regulatory element binding protein
      1c (SREBP-1c) and liver X receptor-a (LXR-alpha) protein, and down-regulated the
      expression of SREBP-1c, LXR-alpha and interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA in the liver.
      These results suggest that the total glycosides are effective in the treatment of
      NAFL of mice. Their mode of action is associated with inhibiting SREBP-1c, LXR
      alpha and IL-6 mRNA, reducing lipid synthesis factor SREBP-1c and LXR-alpha
      protein and gene expression, suppressing inflammatory responses, then decreasing
      serum lipid and hepatic lipid. 

PMID- 26501161
TI  - Synthesis of platinum(II) complexes of 2-cycloalkyl-substituted benzimidazoles
      and their cytotoxic effects.
AB  - Five novel Pt(II) complexes with some 2-cycloalkyl-substituted benzimidazole
      carrier-ligands were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic
      activities against HeLa and OVCAR-3 cell lines. A cell viability test revealed
      that [dichloro-bis(2-cycloheptylbenzimidazole) platinum(II)] is less cytotoxic
      than cisplatin, and its cytotoxic effect can be compared with that of
      carboplatin. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that this complex at 117 MUM
      concentration causes apoptosis in approx. 72 % of the OVCAR-3 cell population. In
      addition, the complex was found to cause an increase in the SubG1 population of
      both OVCAR-3 and HeLa cells and to cause less apoptosis in HeLa cells than
      cisplatin. 

PMID- 26501162
TI  - Evaluation of the water soluble extractive of astragali radix with different
      growth patterns using 1H-NMR spectroscopy.
AB  - Astragali radix (AR), known in China as huangqi, is commonly used in traditional
      Chinese medicine. Water soluble extractive (WSE) values play an important role in
      the quality evaluation of herbal drugs. In this study, WSE of wild and cultivated
      AR were compared systematically. The WSE value of cultivated AR was significantly
      higher than that of the wild AR, and their UV-absorbance in the range of 250-400
      nm was also different. The chemical compositions of different WSE were further
      compared by 1H NMR spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis. Results from
      the principal component analysis and the hierarchical cluster analysis showed a
      clear separation between the WSEs of wild and cultivated AR. The differential
      metabolites responsible for the separation were identified by orthogonal
      projections to latent structures discriminant analysis and recursive support
      vector machine. The WSE of wild AR contained more arginine, valine, threonine,
      asparagine, succinate, and glutamine, while the cultivated AR contained more
      sucrose. Thus, the WSE can be used as a simple and reliable method for
      discrimination of wild and cultivated ARs, and the results obtained in this study
      extend the potential use of WSE in the quality evaluation of herbal drugs. 

PMID- 26501163
TI  - De novo ceramide synthesis is involved in acute inflammation during labor.
AB  - Gestation is regulated by an inflammatory process that allows implantation and
      parturition. The comprehension of such inflammatory switches is important for the
      identification of therapeutic targets in pregnancy defects. Sphingolipids are a
      class of structural membrane components with important signaling functions. Among
      sphingolipids, ceramide is a well-known mediator of stress signals and pro
      inflammatory responses. In this paper, we evaluated the association between
      ceramide increase and the inflammatory process of labor, comparing placentas from
      vaginal deliveries, including both spontaneous and induced labor, versus elective
      cesarean. We demonstrated that: (i) the inflammatory marker IL-6 is upregulated
      in labored placentas; (ii) IL-6 content inversely correlates with labor duration;
      (iii) ceramide content and expression of serine palmitoyl transferase (SPT, rate
      limiting enzyme for de novo ceramide synthesis) are increased in labored
      placentas; (iv) the expression of SPT directly correlates with inflammation and
      inversely with labor duration. These observations suggest that ceramide
      metabolism and signaling may be implicated in controlling important inflammatory
      mechanisms driving gestation: we hypothesize that ceramide can be a therapeutic
      target in inflammatory complications of parturition. 

PMID- 26501164
TI  - Diagnostic values of CD64, C-reactive protein and procalcitonin in ventilator
      associated pneumonia in adult trauma patients: a pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most common
      nosocomial infections; however, its diagnosis remains difficult to establish in
      the critical care setting. We investigated the potential role of neutrophil CD64
      (nCD64) expression as an early marker for the diagnosis of VAP. METHODS: Forty
      nine consecutive patients with clinically suspected VAP were prospectively
      included in a single-center study. The levels of nCD64, C-reactive protein (CRP),
      and serum procalcitonin (PCT) were analyzed for diagnostic evaluation at the time
      of intubation (baseline), at day 0 (time of diagnosis), and at day 3. The
      receiver operating characteristic curves were analyzed to identify the ideal
      cutoff values. RESULTS: VAP was confirmed in 36 of 49 cases. In patients with and
      without VAP, the median levels (interquartile range, IQR) of nCD64 did not differ
      either at baseline [2.4 (IQR, 1.8-3.1) and 2.6 (IQR, 2.3-3.2), respectively;
      p=0.3] or at day 0 [2 (IQR, 2.5-3.0) and 2.6 (IQR, 2.4-2.9), respectively;
      p=0.8]. CRP showed the largest area under the curve (AUC) at day 3. The optimum
      cutoff value for CRP according to the maximum Youden index was 133 mg/dL. This
      cutoff value had 69% sensitivity and 76% specificity for predicting VAP; the AUC
      was 0.73 (95% CI, 0.59-0.85). The nCD64 and PCT values could not discriminate
      between the VAP and non-VAP groups either at day 0 or day 3. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results of this pilot study suggest that neutrophil CD64 measurement has a poor
      role in facilitating the diagnosis of VAP and thus may not be practically
      recommended to guide the administration of antibiotics when VAP is suspected.

PMID- 26501165
TI  - Pharmacogenetics of healthy volunteers in Puerto Rico.
AB  - Puerto Ricans are a unique Hispanic population with European, Native American
      (Taino), and higher West African ancestral contributions than other non-Caribbean
      Hispanics. In admixed populations, such as Puerto Ricans, genetic variants can be
      found at different frequencies when compared to parental populations and uniquely
      combined and distributed. Therefore, in this review, we aimed to collect data
      from studies conducted in healthy Puerto Ricans and to report the frequencies of
      genetic polymorphisms with major relevance in drug response. Filtering for
      healthy volunteers or individuals, we performed a search of pharmacogenetic
      studies in academic literature databases without limiting the period of the
      results. The search was limited to Puerto Ricans living in the island, excluding
      those studies performed in mainland (United States). We found that the genetic
      markers impacting pharmacological therapy in the areas of cardiovascular,
      oncology, and neurology are the most frequently investigated. Coincidently, the
      top causes of mortality in the island are cardiovascular diseases, cancer,
      diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke. In addition, polymorphisms in genes
      that encode for members of the CYP450 family (CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP2D6) are
      also available due to their relevance in the metabolism of drugs. The complex
      genetic background of Puerto Ricans is responsible for the divergence in the
      reported allele frequencies when compared to parental populations (Africans, East
      Asians, and Europeans). The importance of reporting the findings of
      pharmacogenetic studies conducted in Puerto Ricans is to identify genetic
      variants with potential utility among this genetically complex population and
      eventually move forward the adoption of personalized medicine in the island. 

PMID- 26501167
TI  - Photosensitizers and Photodynamic Therapy: Verteporfin.
AB  - Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a phototherapy in which a photosensitive dye is
      injected into a peripheral vein and activated by light in order to occlude
      choroidal vessels or change their permeability. PDT has been largely applied in
      the treatment of choroidal neovascularization (CNV), especially CNV related to
      age-related macular degeneration, but was also of benefit in other diseases,
      including central serous chorioretinopathy and choroidal hemangioma. 

PMID- 26501166
TI  - Dermal Patch with Integrated Flexible Heater for on Demand Drug Delivery.
AB  - Topical administration of drugs and growth factors in a controlled fashion can
      improve the healing process during skin disorders and chronic wounds. To achieve
      this goal, a dermal patch is engineered that utilizes thermoresponsive drug
      microcarriers encapsulated within a hydrogel layer attached to a flexible heater
      with integrated electronic heater control circuitry. The engineered patch
      conformally covers the wound area and enables controlled drug delivery by
      electronically adjusting the temperature of the hydrogel layer. The drugs are
      encapsulated inside microparticles in order to control their release rates. These
      monodisperse thermoresponsive microparticles containing active molecules are
      fabricated using a microfluidic device. The system is used to release two
      different active molecules with molecular weights similar to drugs and growth
      factors and their release profiles are characterized. This platform is a key step
      towards engineering smart and closed loop systems for topical applications. 

PMID- 26501169
TI  - From honeybees to robots and back: division of labour based on partitioning
      social inhibition.
AB  - In this paper, a distributed adaptive partitioning algorithm inspired by division
      of labor in honeybees is investigated for its applicability in a swarm of
      underwater robots in one hand and is qualitatively compared with the behavior of
      honeybee colonies on the other hand. The algorithm, partitioning social
      inhibition (PSI), is based on local interactions and uses a simple logic inspired
      from age-polyethism and task allocation in honeybee colonies. The algorithm is
      analyzed in simulation and is successfully applied here to partition a swarm of
      underwater robots into groups demonstrating its adaptivity to changes and
      applicability in real world systems. In a turn towards the inspiration origins of
      the algorithm, three honeybee colonies are then studied for age-polyethism
      behaviors and the results are contrasted with a simulated swarm running the PSI
      algorithm. Similar effects are detected in both the biological and simulated
      swarms suggesting biological plausibility of the mechanisms employed by the
      artificial system. 

PMID- 26501171
TI  - Kappa-opioid antagonism impairs forebrain-dependent associative learning: A trace
      eyeblink conditioning study.
AB  - The opioid receptor system is well known for its relationship to painful stimuli
      but has also been discovered to have a role in acquisition and consolidation of
      associative memories. Most opioid receptor specific studies have focused on, and
      attributed these findings to, modulation of the mu-opioid receptor (MOR);
      however, some studies have suggested that the kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) also
      plays in role in memory modulation. The following study set out to determine KOR
      involvement in acquisition for forebrain-dependent associations. Using the
      forebrain-dependent associative task whisker-trace eyeblink conditioning (WTEB),
      the current study demonstrated that KOR inhibition via NorBNI (10 mg/kg)
      significantly delayed acquisition. To explore the brain region mediating these
      NorBNI-induced learning impairments, subsequent experiments focused on primary
      somatosensory cortex (S1). S1 plays a pivotal role in the acquisition of WTEB
      with lesions either before or after conditioning inhibiting acquisition or
      retrieval respectively. NorBNI (10 MUg or 20 MUg) in S1 was found to
      significantly delay acquisition, similar to that observed following systemic
      injections. In support of these findings, studies have suggested a role for
      dynorphin (KOR's endogenous ligand) expressing GABAergic interneurons in cortical
      processing of whisker information. Although, additional studies will be required
      to determine the specific mechanism for KOR and these GABAergic interneurons;
      these findings strongly support previous studies suggesting KOR involvement in
      learning mechanisms, while elucidating an unexplored neocortical learning
      mechanism.

PMID- 26501170
TI  - Cross-modal savings in the contralateral eyelid conditioned response.
AB  - The present experiment monitored bilateral eyelid responses during eyeblink
      conditioning in rats trained with a unilateral unconditioned stimulus (US). Three
      groups of rats were used to determine if cross-modal savings occurs when the
      location of the US is switched from one eye to the other. Rats in each group
      first received paired or unpaired eyeblink conditioning with a conditioned
      stimulus (tone or light; conditional stimulus [CS]) and a unilateral periorbital
      electrical stimulation US. All rats were subsequently given paired training, but
      with the US location (Group 1), CS modality (Group 2), or US location and CS
      modality (Group 3) changed. Changing the location of the US alone resulted in an
      immediate transfer of responding in both eyelids (Group 1) in rats that received
      paired training before the transfer session. Rats in Groups 2 and 3 that
      initially received paired training showed facilitated learning to the new CS
      modality during the transfer sessions, indicating that cross-modal savings occurs
      whether or not the location of the US is changed. All rats that were initially
      given unpaired training acquired conditioned eyeblink responses similar to de
      novo acquisition rate during the transfer sessions. Savings of CR incidence was
      more robust than savings of CR amplitude when the US switched sides, a finding
      that has implications for elucidating the neural mechanisms of cross-modal
      savings.

PMID- 26501172
TI  - Sexual receptivity facilitated by unesterified estradiol: Dependence on estrogen
      and progestin receptors and priming dose of estradiol benzoate.
AB  - In some conditions, female sexual behavior in ovariectomized rats can be induced
      by continuous exposure of estradiol (E2) alone or by a single injection of a high
      dose of the long-lasting, esterified estradiol benzoate (EB). However, there are
      inconsistencies in the literature on the role of estrogens during priming or in
      the facilitation on female sexual behavior in EB-primed rats, as well as the
      cellular mechanisms involved. Either subcutaneous (sc) or intracerebral (icv)
      administration of some doses of free unesterified E2, induced lordosis in EB
      primed rats. Either sc or icv injection of E2, immediately prior to testing,
      induced high levels of sexual receptivity when the female rats were primed with
      an EB sc injection of 2 MUg EB. The roles of progesterone receptor (PR) and
      estrogen receptor on lordosis induced by sc or icv administration of E2 were
      explored. Tamoxifen or RU486 administrated sc or icv; each reduced lordosis
      induced by E2. Similarly, antisense oligonucleotides directed at PR-B or total PR
      (PR-A + PR-B) administrated icv immediately before EB injection inhibited
      lordosis induced by daily injections of EB. These results suggest that lordosis
      facilitated by free E2 is dependent on priming dose of EB. Furthermore both ERs
      and PRs are involved in this action of E2.

PMID- 26501173
TI  - Structural plasticity in hippocampal cells related to the facilitative effect of
      intracranial self-stimulation on a spatial memory task.
AB  - Posttraining intracranial self-stimulation (SS) in the lateral hypothalamus
      facilitates the acquisition and retention of several implicit and explicit memory
      tasks. Here, intracellular injections of Lucifer yellow were used to assess
      morphological changes in hippocampal neurons that might be specifically related
      to the facilitative posttraining SS effect upon the acquisition and retention of
      a distributed spatial task in the Morris water maze. We examined the structure,
      size and branching complexity of cornus ammonis 1 (CA1) cells, and the spine
      density of CA1 pyramidal neurons and granular cells of the dentate gyrus (DG).
      Animals that received SS after each acquisition session performed faster and
      better than Sham ones--an improvement that was also evident in a probe trial 3
      days after the last training session. The neuromorphological analysis revealed an
      increment in the size and branching complexity in apical CA1 dendritic
      arborization in SS-treated subjects as compared with Sham animals. Furthermore,
      increased spine density was observed in the CA1 field in SS animals, whereas no
      effects were observed in DG cells. Our results support the hypothesis that the
      facilitating effect of SS on the acquisition and retention of a spatial memory
      task could be related to structural plasticity in CA1 hippocampal cells.

PMID- 26501174
TI  - Auditory processing and morphological anomalies in medial geniculate nucleus of
      Cntnap2 mutant mice.
AB  - Genetic epidemiological studies support a role for CNTNAP2 in developmental
      language disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, specific language
      impairment, and dyslexia. Atypical language development and function represent a
      core symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with evidence suggesting that
      aberrant auditory processing-including impaired spectrotemporal processing and
      enhanced pitch perception-may both contribute to an anomalous language phenotype.
      Investigation of gene-brain-behavior relationships in social and repetitive ASD
      symptomatology have benefited from experimentation on the Cntnap2 knockout (KO)
      mouse. However, auditory-processing behavior and effects on neural structures
      within the central auditory pathway have not been assessed in this model. Thus,
      this study examined whether auditory-processing abnormalities were associated
      with mutation of the Cntnap2 gene in mice. Cntnap2 KO mice were assessed on
      auditory-processing tasks including silent gap detection, embedded tone
      detection, and pitch discrimination. Cntnap2 knockout mice showed deficits in
      silent gap detection but a surprising superiority in pitch-related discrimination
      as compared with controls. Stereological analysis revealed a reduction in the
      number and density of neurons, as well as a shift in neuronal size distribution
      toward smaller neurons, in the medial geniculate nucleus of mutant mice. These
      findings are consistent with a central role for CNTNAP2 in the ontogeny and
      function of neural systems subserving auditory processing and suggest that
      developmental disruption of these neural systems could contribute to the atypical
      language phenotype seen in autism spectrum disorder.

PMID- 26501175
TI  - Neural activation patterns underlying basolateral amygdala influence on intra
      accumbens opioid-driven consummatory versus appetitive high-fat feeding behaviors
      in the rat.
AB  - The present study explored the role of the amygdala in mediating a unique pattern
      of feeding behavior driven by intra-accumbens (intra-Acb) opioid activation in
      the rat. Temporary inactivation of the basolateral amygdala (BLA), via GABAA
      agonist muscimol administration prevents increased consumption following intra
      Acb opioid administration of the selective MU-opioid agonist D-Ala2, NMe-Phe4,
      Glyol5-enkephalin (DAMGO), yet leaves food approach behaviors intact,
      particularly after consumption has ended. One interpretation is that inactivation
      of the BLA selectively blocks neural activity underlying DAMGO-driven
      consummatory (consumption) but not appetitive (approach) behaviors. The present
      experiments take advantage of this temporal dissociation of consumption and
      approach behaviors to investigate their associated neural activity. Following
      either intra-Acb saline or DAMGO administration, with or without BLA muscimol
      administration, rats were given 2-hr access to a limited amount of high-fat diet.
      Immediately following the feeding session, rats were sacrificed and brains
      assayed for neural activity patterns across critical brain regions known to
      regulate both appetitive and consummatory feeding behaviors. The results show
      that intra-Acb DAMGO administration increased c-Fos activation in orexin neurons
      within the perifornical area of the hypothalamus and that this increase in
      activation is blocked by BLA muscimol inactivation. Intra-Acb DAMGO
      administration significantly increased c-Fos activation within dopaminergic
      neurons of the ventral tegmental area, compared to saline controls, and BLA
      inactivation had no effect on this increase. Overall, these data provide
      underlying circuitry that may mediate the selective influence of the BLA on
      driving consummatory, but not appetitive, feeding behaviors in a model of
      hedonically driven feeding behavior.

PMID- 26501176
TI  - The head direction cell system and behavior: The effects of lesions to the
      lateral mammillary bodies on spatial memory in a novel landmark task and in the
      water maze.
AB  - The head direction system is composed of neurons found in a number of connected
      brain areas that fire in a sharply tuned, directional way. The function of this
      system, however, has not been fully established. To assess this, we devised a
      novel spatial landmark task, comparable to the paradigms in which stimulus
      control has been assessed for spatially tuned neurons. The task took place in a
      large cylinder and required rats to dig in a specific sand cup, from among 16
      alternatives, to obtain a food reward. The reinforced cup was in a fixed location
      relative to a salient landmark, and probe sessions confirmed that the landmark
      exerted stimulus control over the rats' cup choices. To assess the contribution
      of the head direction cell system to this memory task, half of the animals
      received ibotenic acid infusions into the lateral mammillary nuclei (LMN), an
      essential node in the head direction network, while the other received sham
      lesions. No differences were observed in performance of this task between the 2
      groups. Animals with LMN lesions were impaired, however, in reversal learning on
      a water maze task. These results suggest that the LMN, and potentially the head
      direction cell system, are not essential for the use of visual landmarks to guide
      spatial behavior.

PMID- 26501178
TI  - On the genetics of loss aversion: An interaction effect of BDNF Val66Met and
      DRD2/ANKK1 Taq1a.
AB  - Loss aversion is the tendency to overweight losses compared with gains in
      decision situations. Several studies have investigated the neurobiological
      background of this phenomenon and it was found that activation in the mesolimbic
      mesocortical dopamine system during a gambling decision correlates with loss
      aversion. In a behavioral experiment with N = 143 subjects, the present study
      investigates the influence of 2 functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms on the
      BDNF gene (BDNF Val66Met polymorphism) and ANKK1 gene (DRD2 Taq1a/ANKK1
      polymorphism), that are known to affect the dopamine system, on loss aversion.
      Additionally, associations of alexithymia, a personality construct describing the
      disability to consciously experience emotions in the self, with loss aversion and
      with the mentioned polymorphisms were assessed using the TAS-20 questionnaire, to
      replicate associations that have been reported before. Results revealed a
      significant interaction effect of the 2 polymorphisms on loss aversion. Carriers
      of the genetic constellation 66Met+/A1+ had the lowest loss aversion scores,
      compared with all other allelic groups. According to the literature this allelic
      configuration is characterized by a relatively low D2/3 receptor binding in the
      striatum and an impaired activity-dependent secretion of BDNF. This is the first
      study showing that loss aversion is related to naturally occurring differences in
      dopamine function.

PMID- 26501177
TI  - Low expression of D2R and Wntless correlates with high motivation for heroin.
AB  - Drug overdose now exceeds car accidents as the leading cause of accidental death
      in the United States. Of those drug overdoses, a large percentage of the deaths
      are due to heroin and/or pharmaceutical overdose, specifically misuse of
      prescription opioid analgesics. It is imperative, then, that we understand the
      mechanisms that lead to opioid abuse and addiction. The rewarding actions of
      opioids are mediated largely by the mu-opioid receptor (MOR), and signaling by
      this receptor is modulated by various interacting proteins. The neurotransmitter
      dopamine also contributes to opioid reward, and opioid addiction has been linked
      to reduced expression of dopamine D2 receptors (D2R) in the brain. That said, it
      is not known if alterations in the expression of these proteins relate to drug
      exposure and/or to the "addiction-like" behavior exhibited for the drug. Here, we
      held total drug self-administration constant across acquisition and showed that
      reduced expression of the D2R and the MOR interacting protein, Wntless, in the
      medial prefrontal cortex was associated with greater addiction-like behavior for
      heroin in general and with a greater willingness to work for the drug in
      particular. In contrast, reduced expression of the D2R in the nucleus accumbens
      and hippocampus was correlated with greater seeking during signaled
      nonavailability of the drug. Taken together, these data link reduced expression
      of both the D2R and Wntless to the explicit motivation for the drug rather than
      to differences in total drug intake per se.

PMID- 26501179
TI  - Antidepressant drugs specifically inhibiting noradrenaline reuptake enhance
      recognition memory in rats.
AB  - Patients suffering from major depression often experience memory deficits even
      after the remission of mood symptoms, and many antidepressant drugs do not
      affect, or impair, memory in animals and humans. However, some antidepressant
      drugs, after a single dose, enhance cognition in humans (Harmer et al., 2009). To
      compare different classes of antidepressant drugs for their potential as memory
      enhancers, we used a version of the novel object recognition task in which rats
      spontaneously forget objects 24 hr after their presentation. Antidepressant drugs
      were injected systemically 30 min before or directly after the training phase
      (Session 1 [S1]). Post-S1 injections were used to test for specific memory
      consolidation effects. The noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors reboxetine and
      atomoxetine, as well as the serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor
      duloxetine, injected prior to S1 significantly enhanced recognition memory. In
      contrast, the serotonin reuptake inhibitors citalopram and paroxetine and the
      cyclic antidepressant drugs desipramine and mianserin did not enhance recognition
      memory. Post-S1 injection of either reboxetine or citalopram significantly
      enhanced recognition memory, indicating an effect on memory consolidation. The
      fact that citalopram had an effect only when injected after S1 suggests that it
      may counteract its own consolidation-enhancing effect by interfering with memory
      acquisition. However, pretreatment with citalopram did not attenuate reboxetine's
      memory-enhancing effect. The D1/5-receptor antagonist SCH23390 blunted
      reboxetine's memory-enhancing effect, indicating a role of dopaminergic
      transmission in reboxetine-induced recognition memory enhancement. Our results
      suggest that antidepressant drugs specifically inhibiting noradrenaline reuptake
      enhance cognition and may be beneficial in the treatment of cognitive symptoms of
      depression.

PMID- 26501180
TI  - Perinatal stress effects on later anxiety and hormone secretion in male mandarin
      voles.
AB  - The estradiol (E2), estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha), testosterone (T), and
      androgen receptor (AR) can contribute to anxiety, but whether they are associated
      with the reversion of prenatal adverse outcomes remains unclear. Here, we tested
      the interactive effects of prenatal maternal restraint stress and early postnatal
      short-term maternal separation on adult male mandarin vole (Microtus mandarinus)
      behavior and changes in E2, T, and their receptors. The results showed that PS
      adult males (PS/NH) exhibited an increase in anxiety-like behavior in open-field
      and elevated plus-maze tests than the other 3 groups, including adult male
      offspring controls (PC/NH), adult male offspring controls with short-term
      maternal separation (PC/H), and PS adult males with short-term maternal
      separation (PS/H). The increase in anxiety-like behavior was associated with
      significantly lower E2 and T serum levels, had significantly more ERalpha
      immunoreactive neurons (ERalpha-IRs) in some brain regions, as well as
      significantly fewer AR immunoreactive neurons (AR-IRs) in some brain regions than
      the other 3 groups. We found it interesting that the PC/H and PS/H were similar
      to the PC/NH in that they did not produce anxiety-like behavior. However, early
      postnatal short-term maternal separation reversed prenatally induced changes in
      E2 and T serum levels and altered ERalpha-IRs and AR-IRs in the brain. These data
      suggest that changes in anxious adults may be governed by early environmental
      factors and their interactions because changes in E2 and T serum levels and the
      distribution of ERalpha and AR in the brain result in behavioral changes related
      to less anxiety into adulthood.

PMID- 26501182
TI  - Spectroscopic Analysis of Binary Mixed-Solvent-Polyimide Precursor Systems with
      the Preferential Solvation Model for Determining Solute-Centric Kamlet-Taft
      Solvatochromic Parameters.
AB  - Hydrogen bond donor/acceptor mixed-solvent systems for solutes that exhibit
      strong specific interactions are not readily characterized with methods that
      depend on solvatochromic parameters. In this work, the reaction of two monomers,
      4,4'-oxidianiline (ODA) and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), to form the common
      engineering plastic precursor, poly(amic acid) (PAA), are studied for the
      tetrahydrofuran (THF) mixed-solvent systems (THF-methanol, THF-ethanol, THF
      water) with spectroscopy. Solute-centric (SC) Kamlet-Taft solvatochromic (K-T)
      parameters for the solvent environment around the monomer are determined using a
      proposed model that incorporates spectroscopically determined local composition
      (X(L)) around the ODA monomer and the preferential solvation model. For the
      example reaction to occur under homogeneous conditions, mixed-solvent conditions
      need have HBA-rich local compositions (0.30 < X(HBA)(L) < 0.83), high solute
      centric basicity (beta(SC) > 0.60), high solute-centric polarity, (pi(SC)* >
      0.63), and low solute-centric acidity (alpha(SC) < 0.63). The method developed
      allows characterization of mixed-solvent effects and can be readily extended to
      other systems that have strong specific interactions.

PMID- 26501183
TI  - Selective modification of the 3''-amino group of kanamycin prevents significant
      loss of activity in resistant bacterial strains.
AB  - Aminoglycosides are highly potent, wide-spectrum bactericidals. N-1 modification
      of aminoglycosides has thus far been the best approach to regain bactericidal
      efficiency of this class of antibiotics against resistant bacterial strains. In
      the present study we have evaluated the effect that both, the number of
      modifications and their distribution on the aminoglycoside amino groups (N-1, N
      3, N-6' and N-3''), have on the antibiotic activity. The modification of N-3'' in
      the antibiotic kanamycin A is the key towards the design of new aminoglycoside
      antibiotics. This derivative maintains the antibiotic activity against
      aminoglycoside acetyl-transferase- and nucleotidyl-transferase-expressing
      strains, which are two of the most prevalent modifying enzymes found in
      aminoglycoside resistant bacteria. 

PMID- 26501181
TI  - Characterization of cognitive deficits in mice with an alternating hemiplegia
      linked mutation.
AB  - Cognitive impairment is a prominent feature in a range of different movement
      disorders. Children with Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood are prone to
      developmental delay, with deficits in cognitive functioning becoming
      progressively more evident as they grow older. Heterozygous mutations of the
      ATP1A3 gene, encoding the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha3 subunit, have been identified as
      the primary cause of Alternating Hemiplegia. Heterozygous Myshkin mice have an
      amino acid change (I810N) in Na+,K+-ATPase alpha3 that is also found in
      Alternating Hemiplegia. To investigate whether Myshkin mice exhibit learning and
      memory deficits resembling the cognitive impairments of patients with Alternating
      Hemiplegia, we subjected them to a range of behavioral tests that interrogate
      various cognitive domains. Myshkin mice showed impairments in spatial memory,
      spatial habituation, locomotor habituation, object recognition, social
      recognition, and trace fear conditioning, as well as in the visible platform
      version of the Morris water maze. Increasing the duration of training ameliorated
      the deficit in social recognition but not in spatial habituation. The deficits of
      Myshkin mice in all of the learning and memory tests used are consistent with the
      cognitive impairment of the vast majority of AHC patients. These mice could thus
      help advance our understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms influencing
      cognitive impairment in patients with ATP1A3-related disorders.

PMID- 26501184
TI  - Templateless Infrared Heating Process for Fabricating Carbon Nitride Nanorods
      with Efficient Photocatalytic H2 Evolution.
AB  - The bottom-up fabrication of carbon nitride nanorods is realized through the
      direct infrared heating of dicyandiamide. The approach requires no templates or
      extra organics. The controlled infrared heating has a major influence on the
      morphology of the obtained carbon nitrides. The precursors assemble into carbon
      nitride nanorods at low power levels, and they grow into nanoplates at high power
      levels. The formation mechanism of the carbon nitride nanorods is proposed to be
      a kinetically driven process, and the photocatalytic activity of the carbon
      nitride nanorods prepared at 50% power for hydrogen evolution is about 2.9 times
      that of carbon nitride nanoplates at 100% power. Structural, optical, and
      electronic analysis demonstrates that the enhancement is primarily attributed to
      the elimination of structural defects and the improved charge-carrier separation
      in highly condensed and oriented carbon nitride nanorods. 

PMID- 26501185
TI  - Light-driven carboxylation of o-alkylphenyl ketones with CO2.
AB  - o-Alkylphenyl ketones undergo a C-C bond forming carboxylation reaction with CO2
      simply upon irradiation with UV light or even solar light. The reaction presents
      a clean process exploiting light energy as the driving force for carboxylation of
      organic molecules with CO2. 

PMID- 26501186
TI  - WITHDRAWN: Dengue Human Infection Models to Advance Dengue Vaccine Development.
AB  - The Publisher regrets that this article is an accidental duplication of an
      article that has already been published,
      http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.09.052. The duplicate article has
      therefore been withdrawn. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be
      found at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy.

PMID- 26501187
TI  - Sexual arousal and masculinity-femininity of women.
AB  - Studies with volunteers in sexual arousal experiments suggest that women are, on
      average, physiologically sexually aroused to both male and female sexual stimuli.
      Lesbians are the exception because they tend to be more aroused to their
      preferred sex than the other sex, a pattern typically seen in men. A separate
      research line suggests that lesbians are, on average, more masculine than
      straight women in their nonsexual behaviors and characteristics. Hence, a common
      influence could affect the expression of male-typical sexual and nonsexual traits
      in some women. By integrating these research programs, we tested the hypothesis
      that male-typical sexual arousal of lesbians relates to their nonsexual
      masculinity. Moreover, the most masculine-behaving lesbians, in particular, could
      show the most male-typical sexual responses. Across combined data, Study 1
      examined these patterns in women's genital arousal and self-reports of masculine
      and feminine behaviors. Study 2 examined these patterns with another measure of
      sexual arousal, pupil dilation to sexual stimuli, and with observer-rated
      masculinity-femininity in addition to self-reported masculinity-femininity.
      Although both studies confirmed that lesbians were more male-typical in their
      sexual arousal and nonsexual characteristics, on average, there were no
      indications that these 2 patterns were in any way connected. Thus, women's sexual
      responses and nonsexual traits might be masculinized by independent factors.
      (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26501188
TI  - Metamorphic GaAs/GaAsBi Heterostructured Nanowires.
AB  - GaAs/GaAsBi coaxial multishell nanowires were grown by molecular beam epitaxy.
      Introducing Bi results in a characteristic nanowire surface morphology with
      strong roughening. Elemental mappings clearly show the formation of the GaAsBi
      shell with inhomogeneous Bi distributions within the layer surrounded by the
      outermost GaAs, having a strong structural disorder at the wire surface. The
      nanowire exhibits a predominantly ZB structure from the bottom to the middle
      part. The polytipic WZ structure creates denser twin defects in the upper part
      than in the bottom and middle parts of the nanowire. We observe room temperature
      cathodoluminescence from the GaAsBi nanowires with a broad spectral line shape
      between 1.1 and 1.5 eV, accompanied by multiple peaks. A distinct energy peak at
      1.24 eV agrees well with the energy of the reduced GaAsBi alloy band gap by the
      introduction of 2% Bi. The existence of localized states energetically and
      spatially dispersed throughout the NW are indicated from the low temperature
      cathodoluminescence spectra and images, resulting in the observed luminescence
      spectra characterized by large line widths at low temperatures as well as by the
      appearance of multiple peaks at high temperatures and for high excitation powers.

PMID- 26501190
TI  - HLADR: a database system for enhancing the discovery of biomarkers for predicting
      human leukocyte antigen-mediated idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions.
AB  - AIM: To establish a database for the associations between idiosyncratic drug
      reactions (IDRs) and human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) and to systematically assess
      the characteristics of the drug-HLA associations. MATERIALS & METHODS: Electronic
      databases were searched to extensively identify drug-HLA association studies from
      1966 to present. RESULTS: A drug-HLA-IDR database, HLADR, was created. The drug
      HLA relationship network clearly reflected an ethnicity dependency of the
      associations. The positive predictive values and the negative predictive values
      demonstrated that other potential factors may also regulate the occurrence of HLA
      specific IDRs. CONCLUSIONS: Constructing studies with samples from homogeneous
      ethnic groups and identifying cofactors that affect negative predictive values
      and positive predictive values will become necessary to enhance the
      predictability of HLA biomarkers for future research on IDRs.

PMID- 26501189
TI  - Biomechanical Comparison of Glutaraldehyde-Crosslinked Gelatin Fibrinogen
      Electrospun Scaffolds to Porcine Coronary Arteries.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for Americans. As
      coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) remains a mainstay of therapy for CVD
      and native vein grafts are limited by issues of supply and lifespan, an effective
      readily available tissue-engineered vascular graft (TEVG) for use in CABG would
      provide drastic improvements in patient care. Biomechanical mismatch between
      vascular grafts and native vasculature has been shown to be the major cause of
      graft failure, and therefore, there is need for compliance-matched biocompatible
      TEVGs for clinical implantation. The current study investigates the biaxial
      mechanical characterization of acellular electrospun glutaraldehyde (GLUT) vapor
      crosslinked gelatin/fibrinogen cylindrical constructs, using a custom-made
      microbiaxial optomechanical device (MOD). Constructs crosslinked for 2, 8, and 24
      hrs are compared to mechanically characterized porcine left anterior descending
      coronary (LADC) artery. The mechanical response data were used for constitutive
      modeling using a modified Fung strain energy equation. The results showed that
      constructs crosslinked for 2 and 8 hrs exhibited circumferential and axial
      tangential moduli (ATM) similar to that of the LADC. Furthermore, the 8-hrs
      experimental group was the only one to compliance-match the LADC, with compliance
      values of 0.0006+/-0.00018 mm Hg-1 and 0.00071+/-0.00027 mm Hg-1, respectively.
      The results of this study show the feasibility of meeting mechanical
      specifications expected of native arteries through manipulating GLUT vapor
      crosslinking time. The comprehensive mechanical characterization of cylindrical
      biopolymer constructs in this study is an important first step to successfully
      develop a biopolymer compliance-matched TEVG. 

PMID- 26501193
TI  - Facile Synthesis of DendriMac Polymers via the Combination of Living Anionic
      Polymerization and Highly Efficient Coupling Reactions.
AB  - Two DendriMac polymers (Dendri-hydr and Dendri-click) are efficiently and
      conveniently synthesized via the combination of living anionic polymerization
      (LAP) and hydrosilylation/click chemistry. Based on the end-capping of DPE
      derivatives (DPE-SiH and DPE-DA) toward polymeric anions, the polymeric core and
      arms are effectively synthesized, and the base polymers can be regarded as
      polymeric bricks. Hydrosilylation and click chemistry are used as coupling
      reactions to construct the DendriMac polymers with high efficiency and
      convenience. The numbers of branched arms are calculated by SEC as 5.84 and 6.08
      for Dendri-hydr and Dendri-click, respectively, which indicate that the DendriMac
      architectures exhibit high structural integrity. Because of its independence,
      high efficiency, and convenience, the whole construction can be regarded as the
      "building of polymeric bricks." 

PMID- 26501191
TI  - Ductal pancreatic cancer modeling and drug screening using human pluripotent stem
      cell- and patient-derived tumor organoids.
AB  - There are few in vitro models of exocrine pancreas development and primary human
      pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We establish three-dimensional culture
      conditions to induce the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into
      exocrine progenitor organoids that form ductal and acinar structures in culture
      and in vivo. Expression of mutant KRAS or TP53 in progenitor organoids induces
      mutation-specific phenotypes in culture and in vivo. Expression of TP53(R175H)
      induces cytosolic SOX9 localization. In patient tumors bearing TP53 mutations,
      SOX9 was cytoplasmic and associated with mortality. We also define culture
      conditions for clonal generation of tumor organoids from freshly resected PDAC.
      Tumor organoids maintain the differentiation status, histoarchitecture and
      phenotypic heterogeneity of the primary tumor and retain patient-specific
      physiological changes, including hypoxia, oxygen consumption, epigenetic marks
      and differences in sensitivity to inhibition of the histone methyltransferase
      EZH2. Thus, pancreatic progenitor organoids and tumor organoids can be used to
      model PDAC and for drug screening to identify precision therapy strategies. 

PMID- 26501194
TI  - Seizures From Solving Sudoku Puzzles.

PMID- 26501192
TI  - Genome-wide identification of microRNAs regulating cholesterol and triglyceride
      homeostasis.
AB  - Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have linked genes to various pathological
      traits. However, the potential contribution of regulatory noncoding RNAs, such as
      microRNAs (miRNAs), to a genetic predisposition to pathological conditions has
      remained unclear. We leveraged GWAS meta-analysis data from >188,000 individuals
      to identify 69 miRNAs in physical proximity to single-nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) associated with abnormal levels of circulating lipids. Several of these
      miRNAs (miR-128-1, miR-148a, miR-130b, and miR-301b) control the expression of
      key proteins involved in cholesterol-lipoprotein trafficking, such as the low
      density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (LDLR) and the ATP-binding cassette A1 (ABCA1)
      cholesterol transporter. Consistent with human liver expression data and genetic
      links to abnormal blood lipid levels, overexpression and antisense targeting of
      miR-128-1 or miR-148a in high-fat diet-fed C57BL/6J and Apoe-null mice resulted
      in altered hepatic expression of proteins involved in lipid trafficking and
      metabolism, and in modulated levels of circulating lipoprotein-cholesterol and
      triglycerides. Taken together, these findings support the notion that altered
      expression of miRNAs may contribute to abnormal blood lipid levels, predisposing
      individuals to human cardiometabolic disorders. 

PMID- 26501195
TI  - Mass spectrometry of modified RNAs: recent developments.
AB  - A common feature of ribonucleic acids (RNAs) is that they can undergo a variety
      of chemical modifications. As nearly all of these chemical modifications result
      in an increase in the mass of the canonical nucleoside, mass spectrometry has
      long been a powerful approach for identifying and characterizing modified RNAs.
      Over the past several years, significant advances have been made in method
      development and software for interpreting tandem mass spectra resulting in
      approaches that can yield qualitative and quantitative information on RNA
      modifications, often at the level of sequence specificity. We discuss these
      advances along with instrumentation developments that have increased our ability
      to extract such information from relatively complex biological samples. With the
      increasing interest in how these modifications impact the epitranscriptome, mass
      spectrometry will continue to play an important role in bioanalytical
      investigations revolving around RNA. 

PMID- 26501196
TI  - Combat application tourniquet (CAT) eradicates popliteal pulses effectively by
      correcting the windlass turn degrees: a trial on 145 participants.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We aimed to define an ideal range of windlass turn degrees for 100
      % success rates within the study population. METHODS: CAT was applied at mid
      thigh level. Data included age, lower extremity circumference (LEC), body mass
      index (BMI), and mean arterial pressure (MAP). Windlass turn degrees were
      measured in failed and successful participants. The failed participants' windlass
      mechanisms were twisted until the popliteal artery was occluded. Failure to
      success and additional turn degrees to secure the windlass mechanism of CAT was
      determined. Doppler ultrasound was used to examine the popliteal artery blood
      flow. RESULTS: 145 servicemen have participated in the study. Initially, 70 %
      successfully applied CAT. There was no statistically significant difference in
      BMI and MAP values between successful and failed participants. The mean LEC for
      failed and successful applications were 57.5 +/- 4 and 56.8 +/- 4, respectively.
      The required turn degrees for success ranged between 45 degrees  and 270 degrees
      . After correction, the cumulative success rate of 93 and 100 % was reached at
      990 degrees  and 1170 degrees  overall turn degrees. DISCUSSION: In order to
      adequately stop limb hemorrhage, soldiers should be taught their optimal turn
      degrees.

PMID- 26501197
TI  - Persistent lymphopenia is an independent predictor of mortality in critically ill
      emergency general surgical patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lymphopenia has been associated with poor outcome following sepsis,
      burns and trauma. This study was designed to establish whether lymphocyte count
      was associated with mortality in emergency general surgery (EGS) patients, and
      whether persistent lymphopenia was an independent predictor of mortality.
      METHODS: A retrospective review of a prospectively compiled database of adult
      patients requiring ICU admission between 2002 and 2013 was performed. EGS
      patients with acute intra-abdominal pathology and organ dysfunction were
      included. Lymphocyte counts obtained from the day of ICU admission through to day
      7 were examined. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine
      the relationship between persistent lymphopenia and outcome. The primary outcome
      measure was in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: The study included 173 patients, of
      whom 135 (78 %) had a low lymphocyte count at admission to ICU and 91 % (158/173)
      developed lymphopenia on at least one occasion. Lymphocyte counts were lower
      among non-survivors compared with survivors on each day from day 2 (0.62 vs 0.81,
      p = 0.03) through to day 7 (0.87 vs 1.15, p < 0.01). Patients with a persistently
      low lymphocyte count during the study period had significantly higher mortality
      when compared to patients with other lymphocyte patterns (64 vs 29 %, p < 0.01).
      On multivariate regression analysis, persistent lymphopenia was independently
      associated with increased in-hospital mortality [odds ratio 3.5 (95 % CI 1.7
      7.3), p < 0.01]. CONCLUSION: Lymphopenia is commonly observed in critically ill
      EGS patients. Patients with persistent lymphopenia are 3.5 times more likely to
      die and lymphopenia is an independent predictor of increased mortality in this
      patient group.

PMID- 26501198
TI  - Intramuscular Immunisation with Chlamydial Proteins Induces Chlamydia trachomatis
      Specific Ocular Antibodies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis can cause trachoma, which
      is the leading cause of blindness due to infection worldwide. Despite the large
      scale implementation of trachoma control programmes in the majority of countries
      where trachoma is endemic, there remains a need for a vaccine. Since C.
      trachomatis infects the conjunctival epithelium and stimulates an immune response
      in the associated lymphoid tissue, vaccine regimens that enhance local antibody
      responses could be advantageous. In experimental infections of non-human primates
      (NHPs), antibody specificity to C. trachomatis antigens was found to change over
      the course of ocular infection. The appearance of major outer membrane protein
      (MOMP) specific antibodies correlated with a reduction in ocular chlamydial
      burden, while subsequent generation of antibodies specific for PmpD and Pgp3
      correlated with C. trachomatis eradication. METHODS: We used a range of
      heterologous prime-boost vaccinations with DNA, Adenovirus, modified vaccinia
      Ankara (MVA) and protein vaccines based on the major outer membrane protein
      (MOMP) as an antigen, and investigated the effect of vaccine route, antigen and
      regimen on the induction of anti-chlamydial antibodies detectable in the ocular
      lavage fluid of mice. RESULTS: Three intramuscular vaccinations with recombinant
      protein adjuvanted with MF59 induced significantly greater levels of anti-MOMP
      ocular antibodies than the other regimens tested. Intranasal delivery of vaccines
      induced less IgG antibody in the eye than intramuscular delivery. The inclusion
      of the antigens PmpD and Pgp3, singly or in combination, induced ocular antigen
      specific IgG antibodies, although the anti-PmpD antibody response was
      consistently lower and attenuated by combination with other antigens.
      CONCLUSIONS: If translatable to NHPs and/or humans, this investigation of the
      murine C. trachomatis specific ocular antibody response following vaccination
      provides a potential mouse model for the rapid and high throughput evaluation of
      future trachoma vaccines.

PMID- 26501199
TI  - Carriers of the Complex Allele HFE c.[187C>G;340+4T>C] Have Increased Risk of
      Iron Overload in Sao Miguel Island Population (Azores, Portugal).
AB  - Iron overload is associated with acquired and genetic conditions, the most common
      being hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) type-I, caused by HFE mutations. Here, we
      conducted a hospital-based case-control study of 41 patients from the Sao Miguel
      Island (Azores, Portugal), six belonging to a family with HH type-I
      pseudodominant inheritance, and 35 unrelated individuals fulfilling the
      biochemical criteria of iron overload compatible with HH type-I. For this
      purpose, we analyzed the most common HFE mutations- c.845G>A [p.Cys282Tyr],
      c.187C>G [p.His63Asp], and c.193A>T [p.Ser65Cys]. Results revealed that the
      family's HH pseudodominant pattern is due to consanguineous marriage of HFE
      c.845G>A carriers, and to marriage with a genetically unrelated spouse that is a 
      c.187G carrier. Regarding unrelated patients, six were homozygous for c.845A, and
      three were c.845A/c.187G compound heterozygous. We then performed sequencing of
      HFE exons 2, 4, 5 and their intron-flanking regions. No other mutations were
      observed, but we identified the -c.340+4C [IVS2+4C] splice variant in 26 (74.3%)
      patients. Functionally, the c.340+4C may generate alternative splicing by HFE
      exon 2 skipping and consequently, a protein missing the alpha1-domain essential
      for HFE/ transferrin receptor-1 interactions. Finally, we investigated HFE
      mutations configuration with iron overload by determining haplotypes and
      genotypic profiles. Results evidenced that carriers of HFE-c.187G allele also
      carry -c.340+4C, suggesting in-cis configuration. This data is corroborated by
      the association analysis where carriers of the complex allele HFE
      c.[187C>G;340+4T>C] have an increased iron overload risk (RR = 2.08, 95% CI =
      1.40-2.94, p<0.001). Therefore, homozygous for this complex allele are at risk of
      having iron overload because they will produce two altered proteins--the p.63Asp
      [c.187G], and the protein lacking 88 amino acids encoded by exon 2. In summary,
      we provide evidence that the complex allele HFE-c.[187C>G;340+4T>C] has a role,
      as genetic predisposition factor, on iron overload in the Sao Miguel population.
      Independent replication studies in other populations are needed to confirm this
      association.

PMID- 26501200
TI  - Characterization, Genome Sequence, and Analysis of Escherichia Phage CICC 80001,
      a Bacteriophage Infecting an Efficient L-Aspartic Acid Producing Escherichia
      coli.
AB  - Escherichia phage CICC 80001 was isolated from the bacteriophage contaminated
      medium of an Escherichia coli strain HY-05C (CICC 11022S) which could produce L
      aspartic acid. The phage had a head diameter of 45-50 nm and a tail of about 10
      nm. The one-step growth curve showed a latent period of 10 min and a rise period
      of about 20 min. The average burst size was about 198 phage particles per
      infected cell. Tests were conducted on the plaques, multiplicity of infection,
      and host range. The genome of CICC 80001 was sequenced with a length of 38,810
      bp, and annotated. The key proteins leading to host-cell lysis were
      phylogenetically analyzed. One protein belonged to class II holin, and the other
      two belonged to the endopeptidase family and N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase
      family, respectively. The genome showed the sequence identity of 82.7% with that
      of Enterobacteria phage T7, and carried ten unique open reading frames. The
      bacteriophage resistant E. coli strain designated CICC 11021S was breeding and
      its L-aspartase activity was 84.4% of that of CICC 11022S.

PMID- 26501202
TI  - Tracing potential soil contamination in the historical Solvay soda ash plant
      area, Jaworzno, Southern Poland.
AB  - This study of soil conditions was carried out on 30 meadow soil (podzol) samples
      from the vicinity of the soda ash heap in Jaworzno, supplemented by analyses of
      18 samples of waste deposited on the heap. In all samples, the total content of
      macroelements (Ca and Na) and heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn) as well as pH
      were analysed. The element concentrations were measured using inductively coupled
      plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The materials examined were
      neutral to ultra-alkaline. Total accumulations (mg kg(-1)) of chemical elements
      in the soil vary from 130.24 to 14076.67 for Ca, 41.40-926.23 for Na, 0.03-3.34
      for Cd, 0.94-103.62 for Cr, 0.94-35.89 for Ni, 3.51-76.47 for Pb and 12.05-279.13
      for Zn, whereas quantities of the same elements in the waste samples vary from
      171705.13 to 360487.94 for Ca, 517.64-3152.82 for Na, 0.2-9.89 for Cd, 1.16-20.40
      for Cr, 1.08-9.79 for Ni, 0.1-146.05 for Pb and 10.26-552.35 for Zn. The vertical
      distribution of the metals was determined in each soil profile. Despite
      enrichment of heavy metals in the uppermost horizon on the top of the heap, the
      results lead to the conclusion that the relation of historical production of soda
      ash in Jaworzno to current contamination of the local soil environment is
      insignificant. 

PMID- 26501201
TI  - Perinatal Asphyxia May Influence the Level of Beta-Amyloid (1-42) in
      Cerebrospinal Fluid: An Experimental Study on Newborn Pigs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Total tau (T-tau), phosphorylated tau (p-Tau) and Beta-Amyloid 1-42
      (AB42) in Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) are useful biomarkers in neurodegenerative
      diseases. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of these and other CSF
      biomarkers (T-tau, p-Tau, AB42, S100B and NSE), during hypoxia-reoxygenation in a
      newborn pig model. DESIGN: Thirty newborn pigs were included in a study of
      moderate or severe hypoxia. The moderate hypoxia group (n = 12) was exposed to
      global hypoxia (8% O2) until Base excess (BE) reached -15 mmol/l. The pigs in the
      group exposed to severe hypoxia (n = 12) received 8% O2 until BE reached -20
      mmol/l or mean Blood Pressure fell below 20 mm Hg, The control group (n = 6) was
      kept at room air. For all treatments, the CSF was collected at 9.5 hours after
      the intervention. RESULTS: The level of AB42 in CSF was significantly lower in
      the pigs exposed to severe hypoxia compared with the control group, 922(SD +/
      445)pg/ml versus. 1290(SD +/-143) pg/ml (p<0.05), respectively. Further, a non
      significant reduction of AB42 was observed in the group exposed to moderate
      hypoxia T-tau and p-Tau revealed no significant differences between the
      intervention groups and the control group, however a significantly higher level
      of S100B was seen in the CSF of pigs receiving hypoxia in comparison to the level
      in the control group. Further on, there was a moderate negative correlation
      between the levels of AB42 and S100B in CSF, as well as a moderate negative
      correlation between Lactate in blood at end of hypoxia and AB42 in CSF.
      INTERPRETATION: This is the first study to our knowledge that demonstrated a
      significant drop in AB42 in CSF after neonatal hypoxia. Whether or not this has
      an etiological basis for adult neurodegenerative disorders needs to be studied
      with additional experiments and epidemiological studies. AB42 and S100B are
      significantly changed in neonatal pigs subjected to hypoxia compared to controls
      and thus may be valuable biomarkers of perinatal asphyxia.

PMID- 26501203
TI  - A Young Woman With Blurred Vision and Distal Paresthesias.
AB  - A 29-year-old woman presented with blurred vision and distal paresthesias. Her
      initial evaluation revealed severe bilateral optic disc edema with distal lower
      extremity sensory and motor deficits and electrodiagnostic evidence of a length
      dependent mixed demyelinating and axonal polyneuropathy. The results of routine
      diagnostic testing, including laboratory tests, magnetic resonance imaging, and
      lumbar puncture, were nondiagnostic. A targeted biopsy was ultimately required
      for diagnosis. In this article, we discuss the differential diagnosis and outline
      the clinical evaluation indicated for a patient presenting with demyelinating
      polyneuropathy and concurrent papilledema. 

PMID- 26501205
TI  - THE IOM FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPING EVIDENCE-BASED STANDARDS IN THE FIELD OF
      PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS FOR MENTAL ILLNESS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE: A DYNAMIC
      RESEARCHER'S PERSPECTIVE. CAUSE FOR CONCERN.

PMID- 26501204
TI  - A randomized, placebo-controlled repeat-dose thorough QT study of inhaled
      loxapine in healthy volunteers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This randomized, double-blind, active- and placebo-controlled,
      crossover, thorough QT study assessed the effect of two inhaled loxapine doses on
      cardiac repolarization as measured by corrected QT (QTc) interval in healthy
      subjects (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01854710). METHODS: Subjects received two doses
      of inhaled loxapine (10 mg) 2 hours apart+oral placebo, two doses of inhaled
      placebo+oral placebo, or two doses of inhaled placebo+oral moxifloxacin (400 mg;
      positive control), with >=3 days washout between treatments. Two-sided 90%
      confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated around least-squares mean predose
      placebo-subtracted individually corrected QT durations (DeltaDeltaTcIs) at 12
      time points throughout 24 hours after dosing. A DeltaDeltaTcI 95% upper CI
      exceeding 10 msec was the threshold indicating QTc prolongation (primary
      endpoint). Secondary endpoints included Fridericia- and Bazett-corrected QT
      duration and QTcI outliers. Pharmacokinetics and adverse events (AEs) were also
      assessed. RESULTS: Of 60 subjects enrolled (mean age, 33.8 years; 52% male), 44
      completed the study. Post loxapine dosing, no DeltaDeltaTcI 95% upper CI exceeded
      10 msec; the largest was 6.31 msec 5 minutes post dose 2. Methodology was
      validated by DeltaDeltaTcI 95% lower CIs exceeding 5 msec at 9 of 12 time points
      after moxifloxacin dosing. Loxapine plasma concentrations increased rapidly (mean
      Cmax, 177 ng/mL; median tmax 2 minutes after dose 2, 2.03 hours after dose 1).
      There were no deaths, serious AEs, or AEs leading to discontinuation, and one
      severe AE. CONCLUSIONS: Primary and secondary endpoints indicated two therapeutic
      doses of inhaled loxapine did not cause threshold QTc prolongation in this study.

PMID- 26501206
TI  - Invisible Sensors: Simultaneous Sensing and Camouflaging in Multiphysical Fields.
AB  - The first multiphysical invisible sensor is theoretically and experimentally
      presented. An ultrathin, homogeneous, and isotropic shell is designed to
      simultaneously manipulate heat flux and DC current and eliminate the
      multiphysical perturbation, while maintaining the receiving and transmitting
      properties of the sensor. 

PMID- 26501207
TI  - Synergistic effect of wire bending and salivary pH on surface properties and
      mechanical properties of orthodontic stainless steel archwires.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the corrosive behaviour of
      stainless steel archwires in a more clinically relevant way by bending and
      exposing to various pH. METHODS: One hundred and twenty pieces of rectangular
      stainless steel wires (0.43 * 0.64 mm) were randomly assigned into four groups.
      In each group, there were 15 pieces of bent wires and 15 straight ones. Prior to
      measurements of the wires, as individual experimental groups (group 1, 2, and 3),
      the wires were exposed to artificial saliva for 4 weeks at pH 5.6, 6.6, and 7.6,
      respectively. A control group of wires (group 4) remained in air for the same
      period of time before sent for measurements. Surface roughness (Ra-value) was
      measured by a profilometer. Young's modulus and maximum force were determined by
      a four-point flexural test apparatus. Scanning electron microscopy was used to
      observe the surface morphology of straight wire. Differences between groups were
      examined using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: Mean surface
      roughness values, flexural Young's moduli, and maximum force values of bent wires
      are significantly different from those of the straight wires, which was the main
      effect of wire bending, ignoring the influence of pH. A significant effect was
      found between Ra-values regarding the main effect of pH, ignoring the influence
      of shape. There was a significant interaction effect of bending and pH on
      flexural Young's moduli of stainless steel archwires, while pH did not show much
      impact on the maximum force values of those stainless steel wires. Bigger surface
      irregularities were seen on SEM images of straight wires immersed in artificial
      saliva at pH 5.6 compared to artificial saliva at other pH values. Surface depth
      (Rz) was more sensitive than Ra in revealing surface roughness, both measured
      from 3D reconstructed SEM images. Ra showed a comparable result of surface
      roughness to Ra-value measured by the profilometer. CONCLUSIONS: Bending has a
      significant influence on surface roughness and mechanical properties of
      rectangular SS archwires. pH plays a synergistic effect on the change of
      mechanical properties of stainless steel (SS) wires along with wire bending.

PMID- 26501208
TI  - Ratiometric Fluorescence Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition for Live Mammalian Cell
      Imaging.
AB  - Click chemistry with metabolic labeling has been widely used for selectively
      imaging biomacromolecules in cells. The first example of azide-alkyne
      cycloaddition for ratiometric fluorescent imaging of live cells is reported. The
      precursor of the azido fluorophore (cresyl violet) has a fluorescence emission
      peak at 620 nm. The electron-rich nitrogen of the azido group blue-shifts the
      emission peak to 566 nm. When the click reaction occurs, an emission peak appears
      at 620 nm due to the lower electronic density of the newly formed triazole ring,
      which allows us to ratiometrically record fluorescence signals. This emission
      shift was applied to ratiometric imaging of propargylcholine- and
      dibenzocyclooctyne-labeled human breast cancer cells MCF-7 under laser confocal
      microscopy. Two typical triazole compounds were isolated for photophysical
      parameter measurements. The emission spectra presented a fluorescence emission
      peak around 620 nm for both click products. The results further confirmed the
      emission wavelength change was the result of azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction.
      Since nearly all biomolecules can be metabolically labeled by reported alkyne
      functionalized derivatives of native metabolites, our method can be readily
      applied to image these biomacromolecules. 

PMID- 26501209
TI  - Complement Activation and Inhibition in Retinal Diseases.
AB  - Within the past several decades, a brigade of dedicated researchers from around
      the world has provided essential insights into the critical niche of immune
      mediated inflammation in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration
      (AMD). Yet, the question has lingered as to whether disease-initiating events are
      more or less dependent on isolated immune-related responses, unimpeded
      inflammation, endogenous pathways of age-related cell senescence and oxidative
      stress, or any of the other numerous molecular derangements that have been
      identified in the natural history of AMD. There is now an abundant cache of data
      signifying immune system activation as an impetus in the pathogenesis of this
      devastating condition. Furthermore, recent rigorous investigations have revealed
      multiple inciting factors, including several important complement-activating
      components, thus creating a new array of disease-modulating targets for the
      research and development of molecular therapeutic interventions. While the
      precise in vivo effects of complement activation and inhibition in the
      progression and treatment of AMD remain to be determined, ongoing clinical trials
      of the first generation of complement-targeted therapeutics are hoped to yield
      critical data on the contribution of this pathway to the disease process.

PMID- 26501210
TI  - Pharmacological effects of primaquine ureas and semicarbazides on the central
      nervous system in mice and antimalarial activity in vitro.
AB  - New primaquine (PQ) urea and semicarbazide derivatives 1-4 were screened for the
      first time for central nervous system (CNS) and antimalarial activity.
      Behavioural tests were performed on mice. In vitro cytotoxicity on L-6 cells and
      activity against erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum was determined.
      Compound 4 inhibited 'head-twitch' responses and decreased body temperature of
      mice, which suggests some involvement of the serotonergic system. Compound 4
      protected mice against clonic seizures and was superior in the antimalarial test.
      A hybrid of two PQ urea 2 showed a strong antimalarial activity, confirming the
      previous findings of the high activity of bis(8-aminoquinolines) and other
      bisantimalarial drugs. All the compounds decreased the locomotor activity of
      mice, what suggests their weak depressive effects on the CNS, while PQ
      derivatives 1 and 2 increased amphetamine-induced hyperactivity. None of the
      compounds impaired coordination, what suggests a lack of their neurotoxicity. All
      the tested compounds presented an antinociceptive activity in the 'writhing'
      test. Compounds 3 and 4 were active in nociceptive tests, and those effects were
      reversed by naloxone. Compound 4 could be a useful lead compound in the
      development of CNS active agents and antimalarials, whereas compound 3 may be
      considered as the most promising lead for new antinociceptive agents. 

PMID- 26501212
TI  - Generalized Intermolecular Interaction Tensor Applied to Long-Range Interactions
      in Hydrogen and Coinage Metal (Cu, Ag, and Au) Clusters.
AB  - We present a novel formulation for the intermolecular interaction tensor, which
      is used to describe the long-range electrostatic, induction, and dispersion
      interactions. Our formulation is based on concepts drawn from combinatorial
      analysis and Clifford calculus and enables us to present the interaction tensor
      in a form that is simple to use and suitable for both numerical and symbolic
      analyses. We apply the derived formulas to calculate the long-range interaction
      coefficients in hydrogen and coinage metal (Cu, Ag, and Au) clusters. The
      electronic structure calculations are performed at the CCSD(T) level, with triple
      zeta and quadruple-zeta basis sets. The multipole moments and dispersion
      coefficients are obtained as fits to the derived interaction formulas. The most
      important interaction parameters are obtained accurately and are in good
      agreement with other results. 

PMID- 26501211
TI  - Epidemiology of Sarcoidosis in a Prospective Cohort Study of U.S. Women.
AB  - RATIONALE: Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous and inflammatory disorder that
      most often involves the lungs but also affects many other organs. Data on
      sarcoidosis from large epidemiological studies remain scarce. OBJECTIVES: To
      evaluate the baseline prevalence and 22-year incidence of sarcoidosis and their
      associations with demographic and geographic characteristics in a large cohort of
      U.S. women. METHODS: The Nurses' Health Study II is a prospective cohort study of
      U.S. female nurses enrolled in 1989 (aged 25-44 yr, n = 116,430). Data on major
      illnesses were collected through biennial questionnaires (1989-2011). Cases were
      identified by the nurses' self-report of physician-diagnosed sarcoidosis.
      Associations of demographic and geographic characteristics with sarcoidosis were
      evaluated by logistic regression and Cox models. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A
      total of 377 sarcoidosis cases were identified. The baseline prevalence was
      100/100,000 women. The average annual incidence rate was 11/100,000 during
      2,275,028 person-years of follow up. Incidence rate increased with age (P =
      0.003), from 9 to 15/100,000 in women aged less than 35 to 55 or more years,
      respectively. Black women had a higher prevalence (odds ratio, 5.24; 95%
      confidence interval, 2.87-9.55) and incidence (hazard ratio, 3.80; 95% confidence
      interval, 2.31-6.24) than white women. Across U.S. regions, more than twofold
      differences were observed in sarcoidosis prevalence and incidence, with
      consistently higher rates in the Northeast. CONCLUSIONS: We provide recent
      national data on the epidemiology of sarcoidosis among U.S. women. Important
      differences in prevalence and incidence were observed across U.S. regions. Large
      epidemiological studies are needed to better understand the causes of the
      observed demographic and geographic differences in sarcoidosis.

PMID- 26501213
TI  - A Simple Derived Prediction Score for the Identification of an Elevated Pulmonary
      Artery Wedge Pressure Using Precatheterization Clinical Data in Patients Referred
      to a Pulmonary Hypertension Center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the foremost diagnostic challenges in clinical pulmonary
      hypertension is discriminating between pulmonary arterial hypertension (group 1)
      and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (group 2.2). Group 2.2 is
      defined as a normal left ventricular ejection fraction (> 50%) and a pulmonary
      arterial wedge pressure (PAWP) > 15 mm Hg. We aimed to determine whether patient
      history, demographics, and noninvasive measures could predict PAWP before to
      right heart catheterization. METHODS: Data were prospectively collected on 350
      consecutive patients at a single tertiary care medical center; of these patients,
      151 met criteria for entry into our study (88 in group 1 and 63 in group 2.2).
      Data included historical features, demographics, and results of a transthoracic
      echocardiogram. A multivariate regression model was developed to predict PAWP >
      15 mm Hg. RESULTS: Univariate predictors of PAWP > 15 mm Hg included older age,
      higher BMI and weight, systemic systolic BP and pulse pressure, more features of
      the metabolic syndrome, presence of hypertension and left atrial enlargement,
      absence of right ventricular enlargement, and lower glomerular filtration rate
      and 6-min walk distance. The optimal model for predicting PAWP > 15 mm Hg was
      composed of age (> 68 years), BMI (> 30 kg/m(2)), absence of right ventricular
      enlargement, and presence of left atrial enlargement (area under the curve,
      0.779). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical characteristics obtained before diagnostic right
      heart catheterization accurately predict the probability of elevation of PAWP >
      15 mm Hg in patients with preserved ejection fraction. These combined clinical
      characteristics can be used a priori to predict the likelihood of group 2.2
      pulmonary hypertension.

PMID- 26501214
TI  - Optimizing Vowel Formant Measurements in Four Acoustic Analysis Systems for
      Diverse Speaker Groups.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study systematically assessed the effects of select linear
      predictive coding (LPC) analysis parameter manipulations on vowel formant
      measurements for diverse speaker groups using 4 trademarked Speech Acoustic
      Analysis Software Packages (SAASPs): CSL, Praat, TF32, and WaveSurfer. METHOD:
      Productions of 4 words containing the corner vowels were recorded from 4 speaker
      groups with typical development (male and female adults and male and female
      children) and 4 speaker groups with Down syndrome (male and female adults and
      male and female children). Formant frequencies were determined from manual
      measurements using a consensus analysis procedure to establish formant reference
      values, and from the 4 SAASPs (using both the default analysis parameters and
      with adjustments or manipulations to select parameters). Smaller differences
      between values obtained from the SAASPs and the consensus analysis implied more
      optimal analysis parameter settings. RESULTS: Manipulations of default analysis
      parameters in CSL, Praat, and TF32 yielded more accurate formant measurements,
      though the benefit was not uniform across speaker groups and formants. In
      WaveSurfer, manipulations did not improve formant measurements. CONCLUSIONS: The
      effects of analysis parameter manipulations on accuracy of formant-frequency
      measurements varied by SAASP, speaker group, and formant. The information from
      this study helps to guide clinical and research applications of SAASPs.

PMID- 26501215
TI  - Pinhal Virus, a New Arenavirus Isolated from Calomys tener in Brazil.
AB  - Arenavirus Sabia was originally isolated from a fatal human infection in Brazil,
      and after the occurrence of the second fatal human case in Sao Paulo state,
      epidemiologic and virologic studies were performed in the area where the patient
      lived, aiming at the identification of the Sabia natural rodent reservoir. A
      broadly cross-reactive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to
      screen for antibody-positive samples. Antibodies to arenavirus were detected in
      two of the 55 samples of Calomys tener, and from these results, samples of
      rodents were analyzed by a broad RT-PCR assay. RT-PCR amplification detected
      arenavirus sequences in five of the 55 C. tener samples, and sequencing showed
      that this virus is a distinct form of Sabia virus. Thus, we describe here the
      evidence for the circulation of a new arenavirus in Brazil (proposed name Pinhal
      virus) and its genetic characterization compared to other arenaviruses. This
      study also suggests C. tener as a probable rodent reservoir for this virus and
      associates this new virus with the lineage C of New World arenaviruses. Although
      we have defined some characteristics of this virus, so far, there is no evidence
      of its involvement in human disease. 

PMID- 26501216
TI  - Biologic Therapies: Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha, Anti-Interleukins,
      Rituximab and Others.
AB  - Biologic agents are a group of therapeutic agents targeting mediators of
      inflammation, including soluble factors (e.g. cytokines and chemokines),
      cytokine/chemokine receptors and immune cell surface markers. The purpose of this
      chapter is to introduce the use of biologic therapies for the treatment of ocular
      inflammatory diseases. Anti-tumor necrosis factor agents, particularly infliximab
      and adalimumab, are well studied. We will review these, as well as newer options
      in the development of more targeted therapy, including anti-interleukins, anti
      cell surface molecule biologics and interferon-2alpha. Biologic treatment of
      ocular inflammatory disease has advanced rapidly over the past 10 years and
      continues to be an exciting field of study.

PMID- 26501217
TI  - Association of Financial Integration Between Physicians and Hospitals With
      Commercial Health Care Prices.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Financial integration between physicians and hospitals may help
      health care provider organizations meet the challenges of new payment models but
      also may enhance the bargaining power of provider organizations, leading to
      higher prices and spending in commercial health care markets. OBJECTIVE: To
      assess the association between recent increases in physician-hospital integration
      and changes in spending and prices for outpatient and inpatient services. DESIGN,
      SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Using regression analysis, we estimated the
      relationship between changes in physician-hospital integration from January 1,
      2008, through December 31, 2012, in 240 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and
      concurrent changes in spending. Adjustments were made for patient, plan, and
      market characteristics, including physician, hospital, and insurer market
      concentration. The study population included a cohort of 7,391,335 nonelderly
      enrollees in preferred-provider organizations or point-of-service plans included
      in the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Database during the study period. Data
      were analyzed from December 1, 2013, through July 13, 2015. EXPOSURE: Physician
      hospital integration, measured using Medicare claims data as the share of
      physicians in an MSA who bill for outpatient services with a place-of-service
      code indicating employment or practice ownership by a hospital. MAIN OUTCOMES AND
      MEASURES: Annual inpatient and outpatient spending per enrollee and associated
      use of health care services, with utilization measured by price-standardized
      spending (the sum of annual service counts multiplied by the national mean of
      allowed charges for the service). RESULTS: Among the 240 MSAs, physician-hospital
      integration increased from 2008 to 2012 by a mean of 3.3 percentage points, with
      considerable variation in increases across MSAs (interquartile range, 0.8-5.2
      percentage points). For our study sample of 7,391,335 nonelderly enrollees, an
      increase in physician-hospital integration equivalent to the 75th percentile of
      changes experienced by MSAs was associated with a mean increase of $75 (95% CI,
      $38-$113) per enrollee in annual outpatient spending (P < .001) from 2008 to
      2012, a 3.1% increase relative to mean outpatient spending in 2012 ($2407 [95%
      CI, $2400-$2414] per enrollee). This increase in outpatient spending was driven
      almost entirely by price increases because associated changes in utilization were
      minimal (corresponding change in price-standardized spending, $14 [95% CI, -$13
      to $41] per enrollee; P = .32). Changes in physician-hospital integration were
      not associated with significant changes in inpatient spending ($22 [95% CI, -$1
      to $46] per enrollee; P = .06) or utilization ($10 [95% CI, -$12 to $31] per
      enrollee; P = .37). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Financial integration between
      physicians and hospitals has been associated with higher commercial prices and
      spending for outpatient care.

PMID- 26501219
TI  - Retinal Vein Occlusion.
AB  - The primary treatment against macular edema with retinal vein occlusion (RVO) has
      changed from observation in central RVO (CRVO) and laser photocoagulation in
      branch RVO (BRVO) to administration of intravitreal agents based on anti-vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or anti-inflammatory strategies. Anti-VEGF
      treatment such as ranibizumab, bevacizumab, or aflibercept improved vision by
      13.9-16.2 letters (best-corrected visual acuity) after 12 months versus baseline
      in patients with macular edema secondary to CRVO. A long-term study showed that
      reduced follow-up and fewer retreatments resulted in worsening visual acuity.
      Intravitreal therapy with anti-inflammatory agents stabilized visual acuity in
      CRVO. However, increased intraocular pressure and cataract progression were
      frequently observed. Anti-VEGF agents such as ranibizumab or bevacizumab improved
      visual acuity by 15.5-18.3 letters in patients with macular edema secondary to
      BRVO after 12 months. The improved vision remained during the long-term follow
      up. There was no significant difference between standard care and intravitreal
      triamcinolone groups in BRVO, and increased intraocular pressure and cataract
      progression occurred frequently in the triamcinolone group. Anti-VEGF
      intravitreal administration resulted in good vision in CRVO and BRVO patients and
      is employed as a primary therapy. Anti-VEGF therapy requires frequent
      observations and intravitreal injections to maintain good vision.

PMID- 26501218
TI  - Clinical Evaluation of the Use of Tibial Bone Grafting in Dentoalveolar
      Reconstructive Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of tibial
      autogenous bone grafting in the treatment of patients with alveolar bone defects.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study subjects consisted of 12 patients (10 male, 2
      female, age: 19-51 years) who underwent reconstructive autogenous bone-grafting
      procedures. The medial approach to the tibial bone was used to harvest autogenous
      cancellous bone grafts in all the patients. Clinical parameters (complications at
      the donor and recipient sites, resorption and volume of the grafts) were
      evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 36.25 +/-
      0.9 years. Of the 12 patients, 5 (41.7%) received bone grafts for sinus
      augmentation, 3 (25%) for cyst cavity reconstruction and 4 (33.3%) for alveolar
      cleft reconstruction procedures. The average follow-up period was 28.4 months
      (range: 21-40 months). An average of 5.2 cm3 of cancellous bone was harvested for
      grafting procedures. All the grafting procedures were successful, and there were
      no surgical complications during the harvesting protocol. In all cases, pain and
      gait disturbance lasted less than 2 weeks. CONCLUSION: The results of this study
      suggest that the use of tibial autogenous bone graft harvested using a medial
      approach was a safe, simple and effective method for grafting various alveolar
      bone defects where high amounts of cancellous bone grafts were needed with low
      morbidity.

PMID- 26501220
TI  - Right Atrial Flap Repair for Left Superior Vena Cava Draining into Left Atrium.
AB  - There are different surgical methods for the repair of persistent left superior
      vena cava that connects directly to the left atrium. We describe an extracardiac
      surgical technique that includes direct anastomosis of persistent left superior
      vena cava to the right atrium with right atrial flap and autologous pericardium.
      We have performed this procedure in four cases and there is no obstruction at
      postoperative control studies. Right atrial flap repair is a feasible
      extracardiac technique that offers growth potential. 

PMID- 26501221
TI  - Dynamic Cerebral Autoregulation after Cardiopulmonary Bypass.
AB  - Background Cerebral hemodynamic disturbances in the peri- or postoperative period
      may contribute to postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in patients
      undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with cardiopulmonary bypass
      (CPB). We therefore examined dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA) post-CPB and
      changes in neurocognitive function in patients that had undergone CABG. Materials
      and Methods We assessed dCA by transfer function analysis of spontaneous
      oscillations between arterial blood pressure and middle cerebral artery blood
      flow velocity measured by transcranial Doppler ultrasound in eight patients 6
      hours after the cessation of CPB; 10 healthy volunteers served as controls.
      Neurocognitive function was assessed by four specific tests 1 day prior to and 3
      days after CPB. Results Even though patients exhibited systemic inflammation and
      anemic hypoxemia, dCA was similar to healthy volunteers (gain: 1.24 [0.94-1.49]
      vs. 1.22 [1.06-1.34] cm mm Hg-1 s-1, p = 0.97; phase: 0.33 [0.15-0.56] vs. 0.69
      [0.50-0.77] rad, p = 0.09). Neurocognitive testing showed a perioperative decline
      in the Letter Digit Coding Score (p = 0.04), while weaker dCA was associated with
      a lower Stroop Color Word Test (rho =  - 0.90; p = 0.01). Discussion and
      Conclusion We found no changes in dCA 6 hours after CPB. However, based on the
      data at hand, it cannot be ruled out that changes in dCA predispose to POCD,
      which calls for larger studies that assess the potential impact of dCA in the
      early postoperative period on POCD.

PMID- 26501222
TI  - Predictive Value of EuroSCORE II in Patients Undergoing Left Ventricular Assist
      Device Therapy.
AB  - Background Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are nowadays a widespread
      option for the effective treatment of heart failure. We hypothesized that the
      European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II (EuroSCORE II) might be
      a superior tool in clinical decision making compared with other established score
      systems. Methods In this retrospective, single-center analysis, between 2008 and
      2014, 40 consecutive patients were followed for up to 36 months after LVAD
      (Thoratec HeartMate II) implantation. Postoperative survival was correlated to
      the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support
      (INTERMACS) levels, Destination Therapy Risk Score (DTRS), HeartMate II Risk
      Score (HMRS), and EuroSCORE II. Results Overall, a positive outcome (survival,
      transplantation, or weaning) was reached in 87.5% (30 days), 70% (1 year), and
      60% (2 and 3 years) of cases. Patients were categorized as high, medium, and low
      risk by use of the different scores. Within the created subgroups, the following
      1-year positive outcomes were achieved-INTERMACS: high risk 58% versus low risk
      68%; EuroSCORE II: high risk 17% versus low risk 89%; DTRS: high risk 44% versus
      low risk 75%; and HMRS: high risk 60% versus low risk 100%. After 1 year, the
      EuroSCORE II classification's area under the receiver operating characteristic
      curve (AUC) was superior (AUC = 0.78) and Fisher exact test revealed a
      significant predictive value for this classification (p = 0.0037) but not for
      INTERMACS levels, DTRS, or HMRS classifications. Conclusion These results support
      the assumption that EuroSCORE II risk classification may be useful to predict
      survival in LVAD patients. In our observation, it proved to be superior to
      INTERMACS, DTRS, and HMRS after 1 year. 

PMID- 26501223
TI  - Tricuspid Valve Surgery in Patients with Isolated Tricuspid Valve Endocarditis:
      Analysis of Perioperative Parameters and Long-Term Outcomes.
AB  - Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the perioperative
      characteristics and the short- and mid-term outcomes in patients undergoing
      tricuspid valve (TV) surgery for isolated TV endocarditis. Patients and Methods A
      total of 56 patients with isolated TV endocarditis underwent TV surgery at a
      single center between June 1995 and February 2012. Mean age of patients was 53.8
      +/- 17.1 years, 39 (69.6%) being male. The mean left ventricular ejection
      fraction was 60.4 +/- 13.6% and 13 (23.2%) patients had diabetes mellitus.
      Average logistic EuroSCORE was 19.4 +/- 17.0%. Mean follow-up was 4.7 +/- 3.8
      years. Results Microbiological investigations revealed positive blood cultures in
      89.1% of patients and positive intraoperative swabs in 51.9%. The most common
      pathogen (42.9%) isolated was Staphylococcus aureus, followed by coagulase
      negative staphylococcus (17.9%). Discussion A history of intravenous drug abuse
      (IVDA) was recorded in 11 patients (19.6%), of which 8 patients additionally had
      hepatitis C. A total of 15 patients (26.8%) had a permanent pacemaker/implantable
      cardioverter-defibrillator in situ. TV replacement was performed in 22 patients
      (39.3%) and TV repair was performed in 34 patients (60.7%). Overall 30-day
      mortality was 12.5%. Five-year survival was 63.9 +/- 7.2% (95% confidence
      interval [CI]: 64.0-137.5 months). Freedom from reoperation for recurrent TV
      endocarditis was 91.7 +/- 4.0% (95% CI: 152.3-179.3 months) at 5 years.
      Conclusion Blood culture is the most important tool to detect the causative
      pathogen causing IE of TV. The high risk of hepatitis C in patients with IVDA and
      IE of the TV should be mentioned.

PMID- 26501224
TI  - Association of Vitiligo With Tumor Response in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma
      Treated With Pembrolizumab.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin disorder that reacts against
      melanocytes. The association of vitiligo with tumor response in patients with
      melanoma who undergo immunotherapy has been reported but is still controversial.
      OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate the appearance of vitiligo in patients
      receiving pembrolizumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against the programmed
      death cell receptor. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This prospective
      observational study was conducted from January 1, 2012, through September 24,
      2013, in a single tertiary care hospital with a unit dedicated to patients with
      melanoma. Sixty-seven patients with metastatic melanoma who received
      pembrolizumab treatment in the context of a phase 1 study were included and
      screened for the emergence of vitiligo. Data were collected from January 1, 2012,
      to February 28, 2014, and analyzed from February through December 2014. MAIN
      OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Objective tumor response with regard to the occurrence of
      vitiligo in patients receiving pembrolizumab therapy. Correlation between
      vitiligo occurrence and overall survival was also estimated using the Kaplan
      Meier product-limit method and compared with a log-rank test. To prevent
      guarantee- or lead-time bias, a landmark analysis approach after 12, 16, and 20
      weeks of treatment was retained. RESULTS: Of the 67 patients included in the
      study, 17 (25%) developed vitiligo during pembrolizumab treatment and 50 (75%)
      did not. An objective (complete or partial) response to treatment was associated
      with a higher occurrence of vitiligo (12 of 17 [71%] vs 14 of 50 [28%]; P =
      .002). The time to onset of vitiligo ranged from 52 to 453 (median, 126) days
      from the start of treatment. Of the 17 patients with vitiligo, 3 (18%) had a
      complete response, 9 (53%) had a partial response, 3 (18%) had stable disease,
      and 2 (12%) had progressive disease at the final follow-up. All the patients
      treated with pembrolizumab who developed vitiligo were alive at the time of
      analysis, with a median follow-up of 441 days. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:
      Vitiligo, a clinically visible immune-related adverse event could be associated
      with clinical benefit in the context of pembrolizumab treatment.

PMID- 26501225
TI  - Effect of High Temperature- and High Pressure-Treated Red Ginseng on Lipolysis
      and Lipid Oxidation in C2C12 Myotubes.
AB  - Korean red ginseng (KRG), a highly valuable medicinal herb in oriental societies,
      has biological activity similar to that of Panax ginseng. Recently, it has been
      discovered that the biological activities of red ginseng can vary according to
      heating and steaming processes under different conditions that change the
      principal components of KRG and result in changes in biological activity. This
      study evaluated and compared the effects of high temperature- and high pressure
      treated red ginseng (HRG) and commercial red ginseng (RG) on beta-oxidation in
      C2C12 myotubes. HRG enhanced the phosphorylation levels of AMP-activated protein
      kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), but RG did not affect the
      phosphorylation of AMPK in C2C12 myotubes. HRG also promoted the nuclear
      translocation of forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1), and the translocation exerted
      an increase in the protein expression of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL). As a
      consequence, HRG increased the mRNA expression level of carnitine
      palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT-1) compared to the control. Taken together, our
      results indicated that HRG promotes the lipolysis of triglycerides and
      mitochondrial beta-oxidation of fatty acids in C2C12 myotubes, suggesting that
      alterations to the principal components by high temperature and pressure may
      positively influence the nutraceutical functions of HRG. 

PMID- 26501226
TI  - A Molecular Study of Pediatric Spindle and Sclerosing Rhabdomyosarcoma:
      Identification of Novel and Recurrent VGLL2-related Fusions in Infantile Cases.
AB  - Sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma (ScRMS) and spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma (SRMS) have
      been recently reclassified as a stand-alone pathologic entity, separate from
      embryonal RMS. Genetically, a subset of the congenital cases display NCOA2 gene
      rearrangements, whereas tumors occurring in older children or adults harbor MYOD1
      gene mutations with or without coexisting PIK3CA mutations. Despite these recent
      advances, a significant number of tumors lack known genetic alterations. In this
      study we sought to investigate a large group of pediatric SRMS/ScRMS, spanning a
      diverse clinical and pathologic spectrum, by using a combined fluorescence in
      situ hybridization, targeted DNA, and whole-transcriptome sequencing methodology
      for a more definitive molecular classification. A total of 26 SRMS and ScRMS
      cases were selected from the 2 participating institutions for the molecular
      analysis. Ten of the 11 congenital/infantile SRMS showed recurrent fusion genes:
      with novel VGLL2 rearrangements seen in 7 (63%), including VGLL2-CITED2 fusion in
      4 and VGLL2-NCOA2 in 2 cases. Three (27%) cases harbored the previously described
      NCOA2 gene fusions, including TEAD1-NCOA2 in 2 and SRF-NCOA2 in 1. All fusion
      positive congenital/infantile SRMS patients with available long-term follow-up
      were alive and well, none developing distant metastases. Among the remaining 15
      SRMS patients older than 1 year, 10 (67%) showed MYOD1 L122R mutations, most of
      them following a fatal outcome despite an aggressive multimodality treatment. All
      4 cases harboring coexisting MYOD1/PIK3CA mutations shared sclerosing morphology.
      All 5 fusion/mutation-negative SRMS cases presented as intra-abdominal or
      paratesticular lesions. 

PMID- 26501229
TI  - Sirolimus for Retinal and Uveitic Diseases.
AB  - Chronic inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ocular
      diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, uveitis and age-related macular
      degeneration. Activation and proliferation of naive T cells may result in
      pathological changes responsible for significant visual morbidity. Sirolimus
      (earlier termed rapamycin) is a novel drug that inhibits cellular kinases and,
      thereby, inhibits T-cell proliferation. Preclinical studies in experimental
      models have shown promising results with the use of this pharmacological agent in
      various ocular conditions. Subsequently, early phase I/II studies have provided
      encouraging safety and efficacy data. This chapter focuses on the mechanisms of
      action, preclinical study results and data from human clinical trials of
      sirolimus in human eye diseases. Key highlights from ongoing phase III clinical
      trials are also provided. Sirolimus, thus, appears to be an important addition to
      the armamentarium of steroid-sparing therapeutic agents that act on various steps
      in the inflammatory pathway.

PMID- 26501227
TI  - Action-specific influences on perception and postperceptual processes: Present
      controversies and future directions.
AB  - The action-specific perception account holds that people perceive the environment
      in terms of their ability to act in it. In this view, for example, decreased
      ability to climb a hill because of fatigue makes the hill visually appear to be
      steeper. Though influential, this account has not been universally accepted, and
      in fact a heated controversy has emerged. The opposing view holds that action
      capability has little or no influence on perception. Heretofore, the debate has
      been quite polarized, with efforts largely being focused on supporting one view
      and dismantling the other. We argue here that polarized debate can impede
      scientific progress and that the search for similarities between 2 sides of a
      debate can sharpen the theoretical focus of both sides and illuminate important
      avenues for future research. In this article, we present a synthetic review of
      this debate, drawing from the literatures of both approaches, to clarify both the
      surprising similarities and the core differences between them. We critically
      evaluate existing evidence, discuss possible mechanisms of action-specific
      effects, and make recommendations for future research. A primary focus of future
      work will involve not only the development of methods that guard against action
      specific postperceptual effects but also development of concrete, well
      constrained underlying mechanisms. The criteria for what constitutes acceptable
      control of postperceptual effects and what constitutes an appropriately specific
      mechanism vary between approaches, and bridging this gap is a central challenge
      for future research.

PMID- 26501230
TI  - Adaptive estimation of hand movement trajectory in an EEG based brain-computer
      interface system.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The various parameters that define a hand movement such as its
      trajectory, speed, etc, are encoded in distinct brain activities. Decoding this
      information from neurophysiological recordings is a less explored area of brain
      computer interface (BCI) research. Applying non-invasive recordings such as
      electroencephalography (EEG) for decoding makes the problem more challenging, as
      the encoding is assumed to be deep within the brain and not easily accessible by
      scalp recordings. APPROACH: EEG based BCI systems can be developed to identify
      the neural features underlying movement parameters that can be further utilized
      to provide a detailed and well defined control command set to a BCI output
      device. A real-time continuous control is better suited for practical BCI
      systems, and can be achieved by continuous adaptive reconstruction of movement
      trajectory than discrete brain activity classifications. In this work, we
      adaptively reconstruct/estimate the parameters of two-dimensional hand movement
      trajectory, namely movement speed and position, from multi-channel EEG
      recordings. The data for analysis is collected by performing an experiment that
      involved center-out right-hand movement tasks in four different directions at two
      different speeds in random order. We estimate movement trajectory using a Kalman
      filter that models the relation between brain activity and recorded parameters
      based on a set of defined predictors. We propose a method to define these
      predictor variables that includes spatial, spectral and temporally localized
      neural information and to select optimally informative variables. MAIN RESULTS:
      The proposed method yielded correlation of (0.60 +/- 0.07) between recorded and
      estimated data. Further, incorporating the proposed predictor subset selection,
      the correlation achieved is (0.57 +/- 0.07, p < 0.004) with significant gain in
      stability of the system, as well as dramatic reduction in number of predictors
      (76%) for the savings of computational time. SIGNIFICANCE: The proposed system
      provides a real time movement control system using EEG-BCI with control over
      movement speed and position. These results are higher and statistically
      significant compared to existing techniques in EEG based systems and thus promise
      the applicability of the proposed method for efficient estimation of movement
      parameters and for continuous motor control.

PMID- 26501228
TI  - Appealing to fear: A meta-analysis of fear appeal effectiveness and theories.
AB  - Fear appeals are a polarizing issue, with proponents confident in their efficacy
      and opponents confident that they backfire. We present the results of a
      comprehensive meta-analysis investigating fear appeals' effectiveness for
      influencing attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. We tested predictions from a
      large number of theories, the majority of which have never been tested meta
      analytically until now. Studies were included if they contained a treatment group
      exposed to a fear appeal, a valid comparison group, a manipulation of depicted
      fear, a measure of attitudes, intentions, or behaviors concerning the targeted
      risk or recommended solution, and adequate statistics to calculate effect sizes.
      The meta-analysis included 127 articles (9% unpublished) yielding 248 independent
      samples (NTotal = 27,372) collected from diverse populations. Results showed a
      positive effect of fear appeals on attitudes, intentions, and behaviors, with the
      average effect on a composite index being random-effects d = 0.29. Moderation
      analyses based on prominent fear appeal theories showed that the effectiveness of
      fear appeals increased when the message included efficacy statements, depicted
      high susceptibility and severity, recommended one-time only (vs. repeated)
      behaviors, and targeted audiences that included a larger percentage of female
      message recipients. Overall, we conclude that (a) fear appeals are effective at
      positively influencing attitude, intentions, and behaviors; (b) there are very
      few circumstances under which they are not effective; and (c) there are no
      identified circumstances under which they backfire and lead to undesirable
      outcomes.

PMID- 26501231
TI  - Physical Activity, Television Viewing Time, and 12-Year Changes in Waist
      Circumference.
AB  - PURPOSE: Both moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary
      behavior can be associated with adult adiposity. Much of the relevant evidence is
      from cross-sectional studies or from prospective studies with relevant exposure
      measures at a single time point before weight gain or incident obesity. This
      study examined whether changes in MVPA and television (TV) viewing time are
      associated with subsequent changes in waist circumference, using data from three
      separate observation points in a large population-based prospective study of
      Australian adults. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Australian Diabetes,
      Obesity, and Lifestyle study collected in 1999-2000 (baseline), 2004-2005 (wave
      2), and 2011-2012 (wave 3). The study sample consisted of adults age 25 to 74 yr
      at baseline who also attended site measurement at three time points (n = 3261).
      Multilevel linear regression analysis examined associations of initial 5-yr
      changes in MVPA and TV viewing time (from baseline to wave 2) with 12-yr change
      in waist circumference (from baseline to wave 3), adjusting for well-known
      confounders. RESULTS: As categorical predictors, increases in MVPA significantly
      attenuated increases in waist circumference (P for trend < 0.001). TV viewing
      time change was not significantly associated with changes in waist circumference
      (P for trend = 0.06). Combined categories of MVPA and TV viewing time changes
      were predictive of waist circumference increases; compared with those who
      increased MVPA and reduced TV viewing time, those who reduced MVPA and increased
      TV viewing time had a 2-cm greater increase in waist circumference (P = 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: Decreasing MVPA emerged as a significant predictor of increases in
      waist circumference. Increasing TV viewing time was also influential, but its
      impact was much weaker than MVPA.

PMID- 26501232
TI  - Objective Sedentary Time, Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity, and Physical
      Capability in a British Cohort.
AB  - PURPOSE: Sedentariness has been proposed as an independent risk factor for poor
      health. However, few studies have considered associations of sedentary time (ST)
      with physical functional health independent of time spent in moderate-to-vigorous
      physical activity (MVPA). METHODS: Community-based men and women (n = 8623, 48-92
      yr old) in the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer-Norfolk study
      attended a health examination for objective measurement of physical capability,
      including grip strength (Smedley dynamometer (kg)), usual walking speed (UWS
      (cm.s(-1))), and timed chair stand speed (TCSS (stands per minute)). Of these,
      4051 participants wore an accelerometer (GT1M ActiGraph) for 7 d to estimate time
      spent in MVPA (MVPA, >=1952 counts per minute) and ST (ST, <100 counts per
      minute). Relations between physical capability outcomes and both MVPA and ST were
      explored using linear regression. The mutual independence of associations was
      also tested, and ST-MVPA interactions were explored using fractional polynomial
      models to account for nonlinear associations. RESULTS: Men in the highest
      compared with those in the lowest sex-specific quartile of MVPA were stronger
      (1.84 kg; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.79-2.89), had faster UWS (11.7 cm.s(
      1); 95% CI, 8.4-15.1) and faster TCSS (2.35 stands per minute; 95% CI, 1.11-3.59)
      after multivariable adjustment. Similarly, women in the highest quartile of MVPA
      were stronger (2.47 kg; 95% CI, 1.79-3.14) and had faster UWS (15.5 cm.s(-1); 95%
      CI, 12.4-18.6) and faster TCSS (3.27 stands per minute; 95% CI, 2.19-4.25).
      Associations persisted after further adjustment for ST. Associations between
      higher ST and lower physical capability were also observed, but these were
      attenuated after accounting for MVPA. Furthermore, no MVPA-ST interactions were
      observed (Pinteractions > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: More time spent in MVPA was
      associated with higher physical capability, but there were no independent ST
      associations.

PMID- 26501234
TI  - Total nucleated cell and leukocyte differential counts in canine pleural and
      peritoneal fluid and equine synovial fluid samples: comparison of automated and
      manual methods.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rapid and precise measurement of total and differential nucleated
      cell counts is a crucial diagnostic component of cavitary and synovial fluid
      analyses. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study included (1) evaluation of
      reliability and precision of canine and equine fluid total nucleated cell count
      (TNCC) determined by the benchtop Abaxis VetScan HM5, in comparison with the
      automated reference instruments ADVIA 120 and the scil Vet abc, respectively, and
      (2) comparison of automated with manual canine differential nucleated cell
      counts. METHODS: The TNCC and differential counts in canine pleural and
      peritoneal, and equine synovial fluids were determined on the Abaxis VetScan HM5
      and compared with the ADVIA 120 and Vet abc analyzer, respectively. Statistical
      analyses included correlation, least squares fit linear regression, Passing
      Bablok regression, and Bland-Altman difference plots. In addition, precision of
      the total cell count generated by the VetScan HM5 was determined. RESULTS:
      Agreement was excellent without significant constant or proportional bias for
      canine cavitary fluid TNCC. Automated and manual differential counts had R(2)  <
      .5 for individual cell types (least squares fit linear regression). Equine
      synovial fluid TNCC agreed but with some bias due to the VetScan HM5
      overestimating TNCC compared to the Vet abc. Intra-assay precision of the VetScan
      HM5 in 3 fluid samples was 2-31%. CONCLUSIONS: The Abaxis VetScan HM5 provided
      rapid, reliable TNCC for canine and equine fluid samples. The differential
      nucleated cell count should be verified microscopically as counts from the
      VetScan HM5 and also from the ADVIA 120 were often incorrect in canine fluid
      samples.

PMID- 26501235
TI  - Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1alpha Is Associated With Sprouting Angiogenesis in the
      Murine Laser-Induced Choroidal Neovascularization Model.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the expression and distribution of neoangiogenic
      molecules and the role of hypoxia during the development of experimental
      choroidal neovascularization (CNV). METHODS: Lesions were induced on C57Bl6 mice
      using laser photocoagulation. Animals were euthanized in a timely manner and
      eyecups were dissected from enucleated eyes. Choroids were immunostained for
      pericytes, sprouting endothelial cells (EC), or vascular EC. Choroidal
      neovascularization lesions where analyzed for tissue hypoxia, hypoxia-inducible
      factors (HIF), and heat-shock proteins (HSP). RESULTS: Choroidal
      neovascularization lesions showed a trend of increased cellular recruitment
      throughout the time-course and the lesions displayed positive staining for
      angiogenic markers. Both pericytes and sprouting EC displayed a radial
      progression, while vascular EC displayed a more uniform distribution across the
      CNV lesions. Furthermore, positive tissue hypoxia staining was observed and
      associated with expression of HIF-1alpha and vascular endothelial growth factor
      (VEGF). CONCLUSIONS: Our data delimitate specific temporal windows during CNV
      initiation, propagation, maturation, and even recovery in experimental CNV. We
      show that murine CNV undergoes hypoxia-associated sprouting angiogenesis, and
      demonstrate involvement of pericytes. Moreover, we have shown expression of HIF
      1alpha to the retinal pigment epithelium surrounding the CNV lesions, together
      with VEGF upregulation, independently of the HSP response induced by the laser
      thermal insult.

PMID- 26501233
TI  - A four-component model of age-related memory change.
AB  - We develop a novel, computationally explicit, theory of age-related memory change
      within the framework of the context maintenance and retrieval (CMR2) model of
      memory search. We introduce a set of benchmark findings from the free recall and
      recognition tasks that include aspects of memory performance that show both age
      related stability and decline. We test aging theories by lesioning the
      corresponding mechanisms in a model fit to younger adult free recall data. When
      effects are considered in isolation, many theories provide an adequate account,
      but when all effects are considered simultaneously, the existing theories fail.
      We develop a novel theory by fitting the full model (i.e., allowing all
      parameters to vary) to individual participants and comparing the distributions of
      parameter values for older and younger adults. This theory implicates 4
      components: (a) the ability to sustain attention across an encoding episode, (b)
      the ability to retrieve contextual representations for use as retrieval cues, (c)
      the ability to monitor retrievals and reject intrusions, and (d) the level of
      noise in retrieval competitions. We extend CMR2 to simulate a recognition memory
      task using the same mechanisms the free recall model uses to reject intrusions.
      Without fitting any additional parameters, the 4-component theory that accounts
      for age differences in free recall predicts the magnitude of age differences in
      recognition memory accuracy. Confirming a prediction of the model, free recall
      intrusion rates correlate positively with recognition false alarm rates. Thus, we
      provide a 4-component theory of a complex pattern of age differences across 2 key
      laboratory tasks.

PMID- 26501236
TI  - Outcome Preferences in Patients With Noninfectious Uveitis: Results of a Best
      Worst Scaling Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To estimate patient preferences regarding potential adverse outcomes of
      local versus systemic corticosteroid therapies for noninfectious uveitis by using
      a best-worst scaling (BWS) approach. METHODS: Local and systemic therapies are
      alternatives for noninfectious uveitis that have different potential adverse
      outcomes. Patients participating in the Multicenter Uveitis Steroid Treatment
      Trial Follow-up Study (MUST FS) and additional patients with a history of
      noninfectious uveitis treated at two academic medical centers (Johns Hopkins
      University and University of Pennsylvania) were surveyed about their preferences
      regarding six adverse outcomes deemed important to patients. Using "case 1" BWS,
      patients were asked to repeatedly select the most and least worrying from a list
      of outcomes (in the survey three outcomes per task). RESULTS: Eighty-two patients
      in the MUST FS and 100 patients treated at the academic medical centers completed
      the survey. According to BWS, patients were more likely to select vision not
      meeting the requirement for driving (individual BWS score: median = 3,
      interquartile range, 0-5), development of glaucoma (2, 1-4), and needing eye
      surgery (1, 0-3) as the most worrying outcomes as compared to needing medicine
      for high blood pressure/cholesterol (-2, -4 to 0), development of cataracts (-2, 
      3 to -1), or infection (sinusitis) (-3, -5 to 0). Larger BWS scores indicated the
      outcomes were more worrying to patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with noninfectious
      uveitis considered impaired vision, development of glaucoma, and need for eye
      surgery worrying adverse outcomes, which suggests that it is especially desirable
      to avoid these outcomes if possible. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00132691.)

PMID- 26501237
TI  - Successful use of a bivalirudin treatment protocol to prevent extracorporeal
      thrombosis in ambulatory hemodialysis patients with heparin-induced
      thrombocytopenia.
AB  - Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an uncommon problem in hemodialysis
      (HD) patients. There have been a few reports on the use of lepirudin, argatroban,
      or danaparoid in the management of extracorporeal thrombosis (ECT) during
      dialysis in these patients, because heparin is contraindicated. Here, we report
      the first long-term use of bivalirudin to prevent ECT. Our study was conducted at
      Fahd Bin Jassim Kidney Center in Doha, Qatar. All patients diagnosed with HIT
      were included. A bivalirudin treatment protocol was developed with the initial
      dosage and dosage adjustments based on the value of activated partial
      thromboplastin time (aPTT), the risk of bleeding, and the recurrence of ECT.
      Eight patients were positive for HIT AB. Among them, three were excluded: two due
      to the use of warfarin for atrial fibrillation and one due to a negative repeat
      HIT AB test with no ECT. Five patients who were positive for HIT AB and
      experienced recurrent ECT events during dialysis were included. These patients
      were monitored while on bivalirudin protocol for a mean of 4.6 +/- 2 months,
      during which they received a mean number of HD treatments of 66 +/- 24. There
      were no bleeding events or adverse reactions related to bivalirudin during the
      study. Here, we report the first long-term successful use of a bivalirudin
      protocol to prevent ECT in ambulatory HD patients with HIT. This protocol allowed
      for a simple dosing initiation with easy adjustment based on weight, aPTT, and
      recurrence of ECT events. The protocol provided excellent safety. 

PMID- 26501238
TI  - Long-term prognosis of early repolarization with J-wave and QRS slur patterns on
      the resting electrocardiogram: a cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of early repolarization with J waves and QRS
      slurs remains controversial. Although these findings are more prevalent in
      patients with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation, their ability to predict
      cardiovascular death has varied across studies. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis
      that J waves and QRS slurs on electrocardiograms (ECGs) are associated with
      increased risk for cardiovascular death. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING:
      Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. PATIENTS: Veterans younger than 56
      years who had resting 12-lead electrocardiography, 90.5% of whom were men.
      MEASUREMENTS: Electrocardiograms were manually measured and visually coded using
      criteria of 0.1 mV or greater in at least 2 contiguous leads. J waves were
      measured at the peak of an upward deflection or notch at the end of QRS, and QRS
      slurs were measured at the top of conduction delay on the QRS downstroke.
      Absolute risk differences at 10 years were calculated to study the associations
      between J waves or QRS slurs and the primary outcome of cardiovascular death.
      RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 17.5 years, 859 cardiovascular deaths
      occurred. Of 20 661 ECGs, 4219 (20%) had J waves or QRS slurs in the inferior
      and/or lateral territories; of these, 3318 (78.6%) had J waves or QRS slurs in
      inferior leads and 1701 (40.3%) in lateral leads. The upper bound of differences
      in risk for cardiovascular death from any of the J-wave or QRS slur patterns
      suggests that an increased risk can be safely ruled out (inferior, -0.77% [95%
      CI, -1.27% to -0.27%]; lateral, -1.07% [CI, -1.72% to -0.43%]). LIMITATION: The
      study consisted of predominantly men, and deaths could be classified as
      cardiovascular but not arrhythmic. CONCLUSION: J waves and QRS slurs did not
      exhibit a clinically meaningful increased risk for cardiovascular death in long
      term follow-up. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: None.

PMID- 26501239
TI  - Evaluation and Management of Chronic Aspiration in Children With Normal Upper
      Airway Anatomy.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Chronic airway aspiration is a challenging problem for physicians and
      caregivers and can cause significant pulmonary morbidity in pediatric patients.
      Our knowledge regarding the causes and optimal management of these patients is in
      its infancy. OBJECTIVE: To review our experience with the evaluation and
      management of pediatric patients with documented aspiration and normal upper
      airway anatomy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this retrospective medical
      record review, we studied pediatric patients for airway disorders at a pediatric
      tertiary referral center who were diagnosed as having aspiration on modified
      barium swallow study during a 10-year period (June 1, 2002, through September 31,
      2012). INTERVENTIONS: Direct laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy performed with the
      patient under general anesthesia. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Demographics,
      comorbidities, management, and swallowing outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Forty
      six patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age at presentation was 1.56
      years, and there was a male to female ratio of approximately 2:1. Eight patients
      (17%) were syndromic, 16 (35%) had developmental delay, and 12 (26%) had
      congenital heart disease. Fifteen patients (33%) underwent brain magnetic
      resonance imaging, and none had a brainstem or posterior fossa lesion that
      accounted for their aspiration. Patients were subdivided according to the
      consistency of the fluids that they aspirated: 25 (54%) aspirated thin liquids,
      15 (33%) aspirated thickened liquids, and 6 (13%) aspirated purees. Of these
      patients, 21 (84%), 12 (80%), and 3 (50%) had resolution of their swallowing
      dysfunction with feeding and swallowing therapy, respectively. A total of 3
      patients (7%) required a tracheostomy for their refractory aspiration.
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: We recommend feeding and swallowing therapy for
      children with normal upper airway anatomy. Brain magnetic resonance imaging
      should be considered for patients with suspected brainstem or posterior fossa
      lesion based on neurologic examination findings. Most patients who aspirate thin
      and thickened liquids will have resolution of their swallowing dysfunction within
      1 year of beginning therapy.

PMID- 26501240
TI  - In situ electronic probing of semiconducting nanowires in an electron microscope.
AB  - For the development of electronic nanoscale structures, feedback on its
      electronic properties is crucial, but challenging. Here, we present a comparison
      of various in situ methods for electronically probing single, p-doped GaAs
      nanowires inside a scanning electron microscope. The methods used include (i)
      directly probing individual as-grown nanowires with a sharp nano-manipulator,
      (ii) contacting dispersed nanowires with two metal contacts and (iii) contacting
      dispersed nanowires with four metal contacts. For the last two cases, we compare
      the results obtained using conventional ex situ litho-graphy contacting
      techniques and by in situ, direct-write electron beam induced deposition of a
      metal (Pt). The comparison shows that 2-probe measurements gives consistent
      results also with contacts made by electron beam induced deposition, but that for
      4-probe, stray deposition can be a problem for shorter nanowires. This
      comparative study demonstrates that the preferred in situ method depends on the
      required throughput and reliability. 

PMID- 26501241
TI  - Study of the Biotransformation of Tongmai Formula by Human Intestinal Flora and
      Its Intestinal Permeability across the Caco-2 Cell Monolayer.
AB  - Tongmai formula (TMF) is a well-known Chinese medicinal preparation that contains
      isoflavones as its major bioactive constituents. As traditional Chinese medicines
      (TCMs) are usually used by oral administration, their fate inside the intestinal
      lumen, including their biotransformation by human intestinal flora (HIF) and
      intestinal absorption deserves study. In this work TMF extract was incubated with
      human intestinal bacteria under anaerobic conditions and the changes in the
      twelve main constituents of TMF were then investigated. Their intestinal
      permeabilities, i.e., the transport capability across the intestinal brush border
      were investigated with a human colon carcinoma cell line (Caco-2) cell monolayer
      model to predict the absorption mechanism. Meanwhile, rapid HPLC-DAD methods were
      established for the assay. According to the biotransformation curves of the
      twelve constituents and the permeability coefficients, the intestinal absorption
      capacity of the typical compounds was elevated from the levels of 10(-7) cm/s to
      10(-5) cm/s from those of the original compounds in TMF. Among them the main
      isoflavone glycosides puerarin (4), mirificin (6) and daidzin (7) were
      transformed into the same aglycone, daidzein (10). Therefore it was predicted
      that the aglycone compounds might be the real active ingredients in TMF. The
      models used can represent a novel path for the TCM studies. 

PMID- 26501242
TI  - Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Simultaneous Extraction for Preparation of Genipin from
      Bark of Eucommia ulmoides after Ultrasound, Microwave Pretreatment.
AB  - A continuous process based on the combination of ultrasounds and/or microwaves
      pretreatments followed by enzymatic hydrolysis and simultaneous extraction (EHSE)
      has been proposed to recover genipin from Eucommia ulmoides bark. At first, in
      the pretreatment step, the mixture of 1.0 g dried bark powder and 10 mL deionized
      water were irradiated by microwave under 500 W for 10 min. Then, in hydrolysis
      step, the optimal conditions were as follows: 0.5 mg/mL of cellulase
      concentration, 4.0 pH of enzyme solution, 24 h of incubation time and 40  degrees
      C of incubation temperature. After incubation, 10 mL ethanol was added to extract
      genipin for 30 min by ultrasound. After EHSE treatment, the yield of genipin
      could reach 1.71 MUmol/g. Moreover, scanning electron micrographs illustrated
      that severe structural disruption of plant was obtained by EHSE. The results
      indicated that the EHSE method provided a good alternative for the preparation of
      genipin from Eucommia ulmoides bark as well as other herbs. 

PMID- 26501244
TI  - Polymorph Impact on the Bioavailability and Stability of Poorly Soluble Drugs.
AB  - Drugs with low water solubility are predisposed to poor and variable oral
      bioavailability and, therefore, to variability in clinical response, that might
      be overcome through an appropriate formulation of the drug. Polymorphs (anhydrous
      and solvate/hydrate forms) may resolve these bioavailability problems, but they
      can be a challenge to ensure physicochemical stability for the entire shelf life
      of the drug product. Since clinical failures of polymorph drugs have not been
      uncommon, and some of them have been entirely unexpected, the Food and Drug
      Administration (FDA) and the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) has
      required preliminary and exhaustive screening studies to identify and
      characterize all the polymorph crystal forms for each drug. In the past, the
      polymorphism of many drugs was detected fortuitously or through manual time
      consuming methods; today, drug crystal engineering, in particular, combinatorial
      chemistry and high-throughput screening, makes it possible to easily and
      exhaustively identify stable polymorphic and/or hydrate/dehydrate forms of poorly
      soluble drugs, in order to overcome bioavailability related problems or clinical
      failures. This review describes the concepts involved, provides examples of drugs
      characterized by poor solubility for which polymorphism has proven important,
      outlines the state-of-the-art technologies and discusses the pertinent
      regulations. 

PMID- 26501245
TI  - In Vitro Cytoprotective Effects and Antioxidant Capacity of Phenolic Compounds
      from the Leaves of Swietenia macrophylla.
AB  - Swietenia macrophylla (mahogany) is a highly valued timber species, whereas the
      leaves are considered to be waste product. A total of 27 phenolic compounds were
      identified in aqueous extracts from mahogany leaves by comparing retention times
      and mass spectra data with those of authentic standards using LC-ESI-MS/MS.
      Polyphenols play an important role in plants as defense mechanisms against pests
      and pathogens and have potent antioxidant properties. In terms of health
      applications, interest has increased considerably in naturally occurring
      antioxidant sources, since they can retard the progress of many important
      neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The
      antioxidant capacities of two aqueous extracts, M1 (decoction) and M2 (infusion),
      were measured using TEAC and Folin-Ciocalteau methods. Additionally, M1 was used
      in order to investigate its potential cytoprotective effects on an in vitro model
      of neurodegeneration, by using primary cerebellar cultures exposed to methyl
      mercury (MeHg). Under experimental sub-chronic conditions (72 h), concomitant
      exposure of the same cultures to MeHg and M1 extract resulted in a statistically
      significant increase in cell viability in all three concentrations tested (10, 50
      and 100 MUg/mL), strongly suggesting that due to its high content of antioxidant
      compounds, the M1 extract provides significant cytoprotection against the MeHg
      induced in vitro neurotoxicity. 

PMID- 26501246
TI  - Phosphonylated Acyclic Guanosine Analogues with the 1,2,3-Triazole Linker.
AB  - A novel series of {4-[(2-amino-6-chloro-9H-purin-9-yl)methyl]-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1
      yl}alkylphosphonates and {4-[(2-amino-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-9H-purin-9-yl)methyl]-1H
      1,2,3-triazol-1-yl}alkylphosphonates as acyclic analogues of guanosine were
      synthesized and assessed for antiviral activity against a broad range of DNA and
      RNA viruses and for their cytostatic activity toward three cancerous cell lines
      (HeLa, L1210 and CEM). They were devoid of antiviral activity; however, several
      phosphonates were found slightly cytostatic against HeLa cells at an IC50 in the
      80-210 uM range. Compounds (1R,2S)-17k and (1S,2S)-17k showed the highest
      inhibitory effects (IC50=15-30 uM) against the proliferation of murine leukemia
      (L1210) and human T-lymphocyte (CEM) cell lines.

PMID- 26501243
TI  - Charting a Path to Success in Virtual Screening.
AB  - Docking is commonly applied to drug design efforts, especially high-throughput
      virtual screenings of small molecules, to identify new compounds that bind to a
      given target. Despite great advances and successful applications in recent years,
      a number of issues remain unsolved. Most of the challenges and problems faced
      when running docking experiments are independent of the specific software used,
      and can be ascribed to either improper input preparation or to the simplified
      approaches applied to achieve high-throughput speed. Being aware of
      approximations and limitations of such methods is essential to prevent errors,
      deal with misleading results, and increase the success rate of virtual screening
      campaigns. In this review, best practices and most common issues of docking and
      virtual screening will be discussed, covering the journey from the design of the
      virtual experiment to the hit identification. 

PMID- 26501247
TI  - Synthesis, Hydrolysis, and Protonation-Promoted Intramolecular Reductive
      Breakdown of Potential NRTIs: Stavudine alpha-P-Borano-gamma-P-N-L
      tryptophanyltriphosphates.
AB  - Phosphorus-modified prodrugs of dideoxynucleoside triphosphates (ddNTPs) have
      shown promise as pronucleotide strategies for improving antiviral activity
      compared to their parent dideoxynucleosides. Borane modified NTPs offer a
      promising choice as nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors
      (NRTIs). However, the availability of alpha-P-borano-gamma-P-substituted NTP
      analogs remains limited due to challenges with synthesis and purification. Here,
      we report the chemical synthesis and stability of a new potential class of NRTI
      prodrugs: stavudine (d4T) 5'-alpha-P-borano-gamma-P-N-L
      tryptophanyltriphosphates. One-pot synthesis of these compounds was achieved via
      a modified cyclic trimetaphosphate approach. Pure Rp and Sp diastereomers were
      obtained after HPLC separation. Based on LC-MS analysis, we report degradation
      pathways, half-lives (5-36 days) and mechanisms arising from structural
      differences to generate the corresponding borano tri- and di-phosphates, and H
      phosphonate, via several parallel routes in buffer at physiologically relevant pH
      and temperature. Here, the major hydrolysis products, d4T alpha-P
      boranotriphosphate Rp and Sp isomers, were isolated by HPLC and identified with
      spectral data. We first propose that one of the major degradation products, d4T H
      phosphonate, was generated from the d4T pronucleotides via a protonation-promoted
      intramolecular reduction followed by a second step nucleophilic attack. This
      report could provide valuable information for pronucleotide-based drug design in
      terms of selective release of target nucleotides. 

PMID- 26501248
TI  - Synthesis and Crystallographic Insight into the Structural Aspects of Some Novel
      Adamantane-Based Ester Derivatives.
AB  - Adamantyl-based compounds are commercially important in the treatments for
      neurological conditions and type-2 diabetes, aside from their anti-viral
      abilities. Their values in drug design are chronicled as multi-dimensional. In
      the present study, a series of 2-(adamantan-1-yl)-2-oxoethyl benzoates, 2(a-q),
      and 2-(adamantan-1-yl)-2-oxoethyl 2-pyridinecarboxylate, 2r, were synthesized by
      reacting 1-adamantyl bromomethyl ketone with various carboxylic acids using
      potassium carbonate in dimethylformamide medium at room temperature. Three
      dimensional structures studied using X-ray diffraction suggest that the adamantyl
      moiety can serve as an efficient building block to synthesize 2-oxopropyl
      benzoate derivatives with synclinal conformation with a looser-packed crystal
      packing system. Compounds 2a, 2b, 2f, 2g, 2i, 2j, 2m, 2n, 2o, 2q and 2r exhibit
      strong antioxidant activities in the hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging test.
      Furthermore, three compounds, 2p, 2q and 2r, show good anti-inflammatory
      activities in the evaluation of albumin denaturation. 

PMID- 26501249
TI  - Amine-Functionalized ZnO Nanosheets for Efficient CO2 Capture and Photoreduction.
AB  - Amine-functionalized ZnO nanosheets were prepared through a one-step hydrothermal
      method by using monoethanolamine, which has a hydroxyl group, for covalent
      attachment on ZnO and a primary amine group to supply the amine
      functionalization. We demonstrate that the terminal amine groups on ZnO surfaces
      substantially increase the capability of CO2 capture via chemisorption, resulting
      in effective CO2 activation. As a result, the photogenerated electrons from
      excited ZnO can more readily reduce the surface-activated CO2, which thereby
      enhances the activity for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. 

PMID- 26501250
TI  - Maleimides Designed for Self-Assembly and Reactivity on Graphene.
AB  - Two new maleimide derivatives have been synthesized, prone to self-assemble and
      react with graphene as dienophiles. Both compounds bear a long alkyl chain on the
      carbon-carbon double bond position 3. The maleimide 1 bears a second alkyl chain
      at the nitrogen, while in compound 2, three maleimide functionalities are linked
      to a triethynylbenzene core. 

PMID- 26501252
TI  - Melatonin as a Potent and Inducible Endogenous Antioxidant: Synthesis and
      Metabolism.
AB  - Melatonin is a tryptophan-derived molecule with pleiotropic activities. It is
      present in almost all or all organisms. Its synthetic pathway depends on the
      species in which it is measured. For example, the tryptophan to melatonin pathway
      differs in plants and animals. It is speculated that the melatonin synthetic
      machinery in eukaryotes was inherited from bacteria as a result of endosymbiosis.
      However, melatonin's synthetic mechanisms in microorganisms are currently
      unknown. Melatonin metabolism is highly complex with these enzymatic processes
      having evolved from cytochrome C. In addition to its enzymatic degradation,
      melatonin is metabolized via pseudoenzymatic and free radical interactive
      processes. The metabolic products of these processes overlap and it is often
      difficult to determine which process is dominant. However, under oxidative
      stress, the free radical interactive pathway may be featured over the others.
      Because of the complexity of the melatonin degradative processes, it is expected
      that additional novel melatonin metabolites will be identified in future
      investigations. The original and primary function of melatonin in early life
      forms such as in unicellular organisms was as a free radical scavenger and
      antioxidant. During evolution, melatonin was selected as a signaling molecule to
      transduce the environmental photoperiodic information into an endocrine message
      in multicellular organisms and for other purposes as well. As an antioxidant,
      melatonin exhibits several unique features which differ from the classic
      antioxidants. These include its cascade reaction with free radicals and its
      capacity to be induced under moderate oxidative stress. These features make
      melatonin a potent endogenously-occurring antioxidant that protects organisms
      from catastrophic oxidative stress. 

PMID- 26501251
TI  - Structure-Activity Relationship of Oligomeric Flavan-3-ols: Importance of the
      Upper-Unit B-ring Hydroxyl Groups in the Dimeric Structure for Strong Activities.
AB  - Proanthocyanidins, which are composed of oligomeric flavan-3-ol units, are
      contained in various foodstuffs (e.g., fruits, vegetables, and drinks) and are
      strongly biologically active compounds. We investigated which element of the
      proanthocyanidin structure is primarily responsible for this functionality. In
      this study, we elucidate the importance of the upper-unit of 4-8 condensed
      dimeric flavan-3-ols for antimicrobial activity against Saccharomyces cerevisiae
      (S. cerevisiae) and cervical epithelioid carcinoma cell line HeLa S3
      proliferation inhibitory activity. To clarify the important constituent unit of
      proanthocyanidin, we synthesized four dimeric compounds, (-)-epigallocatechin
      [4,8]-(+)-catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin-[4,8]-(-)-epigallocatechin, (-)
      epigallocatechin-[4,8]-(-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, and (+)-catechin-[4,8]-(
      )-epigallocatechin and performed structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies.
      In addition to antimicrobial activity against S. cerevisiae and proliferation
      inhibitory activity on HeLa S3 cells, the correlation of 2,2-diphenyl-l
      picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity with the number of phenolic hydroxyl
      groups was low. On the basis of the results of our SAR studies, we concluded that
      B-ring hydroxyl groups of the upper-unit of the dimer are crucially important for
      strong and effective activity. 

PMID- 26501253
TI  - Phytochemicals from Ruta graveolens Activate TAS2R Bitter Taste Receptors and TRP
      Channels Involved in Gustation and Nociception.
AB  - Ruta graveolens (rue) is a spontaneous plant in the Mediterranean area with a
      strong aroma and a very intense bitter taste, used in gastronomy and in folk
      medicine. From the leaves, stems and fruits of rue, we isolated rutin, rutamarin,
      three furanocoumarins, two quinolinic alkaloids, a dicoumarin and two long chain
      ketones. Bitter taste and chemesthetic properties have been evaluated by in vitro
      assays with twenty receptors of the TAS2R family and four TRP ion channels
      involved in gustation and nociception. Among the alkaloids, skimmianine was
      active as a specific agonist of T2R14, whereas kokusaginin did not activate any
      of the tested receptors. The furanocoumarins activates TAS2R10, 14, and 49 with
      different degrees of selectivity, as well as the TRPA1 somatosensory ion channel.
      Rutamarin is an agonist of TRPM5 and TRPV1 and a strong antagonist of TRPM8 ion
      channels. 

PMID- 26501254
TI  - Membrane Interactions of Phytochemicals as Their Molecular Mechanism Applicable
      to the Discovery of Drug Leads from Plants.
AB  - In addition to interacting with functional proteins such as receptors, ion
      channels, and enzymes, a variety of drugs mechanistically act on membrane lipids
      to change the physicochemical properties of biomembranes as reported for
      anesthetic, adrenergic, cholinergic, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, analgesic,
      antitumor, antiplatelet, antimicrobial, and antioxidant drugs. As well as these
      membrane-acting drugs, bioactive plant components, phytochemicals, with
      amphiphilic or hydrophobic structures, are presumed to interact with biological
      membranes and biomimetic membranes prepared with phospholipids and cholesterol,
      resulting in the modification of membrane fluidity, microviscosity, order,
      elasticity, and permeability with the potencies being consistent with their
      pharmacological effects. A novel mechanistic point of view of phytochemicals
      would lead to a better understanding of their bioactivities, an insight into
      their medicinal benefits, and a strategic implication for discovering drug leads
      from plants. This article reviews the membrane interactions of different classes
      of phytochemicals by highlighting their induced changes in membrane property. The
      phytochemicals to be reviewed include membrane-interactive flavonoids,
      terpenoids, stilbenoids, capsaicinoids, phloroglucinols, naphthodianthrones,
      organosulfur compounds, alkaloids, anthraquinonoids, ginsenosides, pentacyclic
      triterpene acids, and curcuminoids. The membrane interaction's applicability to
      the discovery of phytochemical drug leads is also discussed while referring to
      previous screening and isolating studies. 

PMID- 26501255
TI  - Expression of Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) Positively Correlates with Survival of
      Urothelial Bladder Cancer Patients.
AB  - Vitamin D3 shows tumoristatic and anticancer effects by acting through the
      vitamin D receptor (VDR), while hydroxylation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 at position
      1alpha by CYP27B1 is an essential step in its activation. The expression of both
      the VDR and CYP27B1 has been found in many normal and cancer tissues, but there
      is a lack of information about its expression in human bladder cancers. The aim
      of the present research was to examine whether the expression of the VDR and
      CYP27B1 in bladder cancer was related to the prognostic markers and disease
      outcome. We analyzed VDR and CYP27B1 in samples of tumor and normal tissues
      obtained from 71 urinary bladder cancer patients. The highest VDR immunostaining
      was found in normal epithelium and was significantly lower in bladder cancer
      cells (p<0.001 with Mann-Whitney U test). VDR expression was lowest in more
      advanced (pT2b-pT4) (p=0.005 with Mann-Whitney U test) and metastasizing cancers
      (p<0.05 and p=0.004 with Mann-Whitney U test for nuclear and cytoplasmic VDR
      immunostaining, respectively). The lack of cytoplasmic and nuclear VDR was also
      related to shorter overall survival (for cytoplasmic VDR immunolocalization 13.3
      vs. 55.3 months of survival, HR=1.92, p=0.04 and for nuclear VDR immunostaining
      13.5 vs. 55.3 months of survival, HR=2.47, p=0.002 with Mantel-Cox test). In
      cases with the lack of high cytoplasmic VDR staining the non-classic
      differentiations (NDs) was observed in higher percentage of tumor area. CYP27B1
      expression was lower in cancer cells than in normal epithelial cells (p=0.03 with
      Mann-Whitney U test), but its expression did not correlate with tumor stage (pT),
      metastasizing, grade, mitotic activity or overall survival. In conclusion,
      expression of the VDR and CYP27B1 are deregulated in urothelial bladder cancers.
      Although our results showing a relationship between the decreased VDR expression
      and prognostic markers and survival time indicate potential usefulness of VDR as
      a new indicator of a poorer prognosis, further studies are needed in different
      patient cohorts by independent groups to validate this hypothesis. We also
      suggest that vitamin D-based therapies may represent an adjuvant strategy in
      treatment for bladder cancers expressing VDR.

PMID- 26501256
TI  - Comparison of Metabolite Concentrations in the Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal
      Cortex, the Left Frontal White Matter, and the Left Hippocampus in Patients in
      Stable Schizophrenia Treated with Antipsychotics with or without Antidepressants.
      1H-NMR Spectroscopy Study.
AB  - Managing affective, negative, and cognitive symptoms remains the most difficult
      therapeutic problem in stable phase of schizophrenia. Efforts include
      administration of antidepressants. Drugs effects on brain metabolic parameters
      can be evaluated by means of proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR)
      spectroscopy. We compared spectroscopic parameters in the left prefrontal cortex
      (DLPFC), the left frontal white matter (WM) and the left hippocampus and assessed
      the relationship between treatment and the spectroscopic parameters in both
      groups. We recruited 25 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (DSM-IV-TR), with
      dominant negative symptoms and in stable clinical condition, who were treated
      with antipsychotic and antidepressive medication for minimum of three months. A
      group of 25 patients with schizophrenia, who were taking antipsychotic drugs but
      not antidepressants, was matched. We compared metabolic parameters (N
      acetylaspartate (NAA), myo-inositol (mI), glutamatergic parameters (Glx), choline
      (Cho), and creatine (Cr)) between the two groups. All patients were also assessed
      with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Calgary Depression
      Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS). In patients receiving antidepressants we observed
      significantly higher NAA/Cr and NAA/Cho ratios within the DLPFC, as well as
      significantly higher mI/Cr within the frontal WM. Moreover, we noted
      significantly lower values of parameters associated with the glutamatergic
      transmission--Glx/Cr and Glx/Cho in the hippocampus. Doses of antipsychotic drugs
      in the group treated with antidepressants were also significantly lower in the
      patients showing similar severity of psychopathology.

PMID- 26501257
TI  - Microanalysis, Pharmacokinetics and Tissue Distribution of Polysaccharide-Protein
      Complexes from Longan Pulp in Mice.
AB  - A high performance size exclusion-fluorescence detection (HPSEC-FD) method
      combined with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) prelabeling was established for
      the microanalysis of polysaccharide-protein complexes from longan pulp (LPP).
      FITC-labeled LPP (LPPF) was fractionated by gel filtration chromatography. The
      weight-average molecular weight and FITC substitution degree of LPPF were 39.01
      kDa and 0.20%, respectively. The HPSEC-FD calibration curves linear over the
      range of 1-200 ug/mL in mouse plasma, spleen and lung samples with correlation
      coefficients greater than 0.995. The inter-day and intra-day precisions of the
      method were not more than 6.9%, and the relative recovery ranged from 93.7% to
      106.4%. The concentration-time curve of LPPF in plasma following intravenous
      (i.v.) administration at 40 mg/kg body weight well fitted to a two-compartment
      model. LPPF rapidly eliminated from plasma according to the short half-lives
      (t1/2alpha=2.23 min, t1/2beta=39.11 min) and mean retention times (MRT0-t=1.15 h,
      MRT0-infinity=1.39 h). After administration over 5 to 360 min, the concentration
      of LPPF in spleen homogenate decreased from 7.41 to 3.68 ug/mL; the concentration
      in lung homogenate decreased from 9.08 to 3.40 ug/mL. On the other hand, the
      increasing concentration of LPPF fraction with low molecular weight in heart
      homogenate was observed.

PMID- 26501259
TI  - Studies on [5,6]-Fused Bicyclic Scaffolds Derivatives as Potent Dual B
      RafV600E/KDR Inhibitors Using Docking and 3D-QSAR Approaches.
AB  - Research and development of multi-target inhibitors has attracted increasing
      attention as anticancer therapeutics. B-RafV600E synergistically works with
      vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (KDR) to promote the occurrence and
      progression of cancers, and the development of dual-target drugs simultaneously
      against these two kinds of kinase may offer a better treatment advantage. In this
      paper, docking and three-dimensional quantitative structure activity relationship
      (3D-QSAR) studies were performed on a series of dual B-Raf/KDR inhibitors with a
      novel hinge-binding group, [5,6]-fused bicyclic scaffold. Docking studies
      revealed optimal binding conformations of these compounds interacting with both B
      Raf and KDR. Based on these conformations, comparative molecular field analysis
      (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) 3D-QSAR
      models were constructed, and the best CoMFA (q2=0.542, r2=0.989 for B-Raf;
      q2=0.768, r2=0.991 for KDR) and CoMSIA models (q2=0.519, r2=0.992 for B-Raf;
      q2=0.849, r2=0.993 for KDR) were generated. Further external validations
      confirmed their predictability, yielding satisfactory correlation coefficients
      (r2pred=0.764 (CoMFA), r2pred=0.841 (CoMSIA) for B-Raf, r2pred=0.912 (CoMFA),
      r2pred=0.846 (CoMSIA) for KDR, respectively). Through graphical analysis and
      comparison on docking results and 3D-QSAR contour maps, key amino acids that
      affect the ligand-receptor interactions were identified and structural features
      influencing the activities were discussed. New potent derivatives were designed,
      and subjected to preliminary pharmacological evaluation. The study may offer
      useful references for the modification and development of novel dual B-Raf/KDR
      inhibitors.

PMID- 26501258
TI  - In Vitro/In Vivo Toxicity Evaluation and Quantification of Iron Oxide
      Nanoparticles.
AB  - Increasing biomedical applications of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) in
      academic and commercial settings have alarmed the scientific community about the
      safety and assessment of toxicity profiles of IONPs. The great amount of
      diversity found in the cytotoxic measurements of IONPs points toward the
      necessity of careful characterization and quantification of IONPs. The present
      document discusses the major developments related to in vitro and in vivo
      toxicity assessment of IONPs and its relationship with the physicochemical
      parameters of IONPs. Major discussion is included on the current
      spectrophotometric and imaging based techniques used for quantifying, and
      studying the clearance and biodistribution of IONPs. Several invasive and non
      invasive quantification techniques along with the pitfalls are discussed in
      detail. Finally, critical guidelines are provided to optimize the design of IONPs
      to minimize the toxicity. 

PMID- 26501260
TI  - Adding Sarcosine to Antipsychotic Treatment in Patients with Stable Schizophrenia
      Changes the Concentrations of Neuronal and Glial Metabolites in the Left
      Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex.
AB  - The glutamatergic system is a key point in pathogenesis of schizophrenia.
      Sarcosine (N-methylglycine) is an exogenous amino acid that acts as a glycine
      transporter inhibitor. It modulates glutamatergic transmission by increasing
      glycine concentration around NMDA (N-methyl-d-aspartate) receptors. In patients
      with schizophrenia, the function of the glutamatergic system in the prefrontal
      cortex is impaired, which may promote negative and cognitive symptoms. Proton
      nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy is a non-invasive imaging method
      enabling the evaluation of brain metabolite concentration, which can be applied
      to assess pharmacologically induced changes. The aim of the study was to evaluate
      the influence of a six-month course of sarcosine therapy on the concentration of
      metabolites (NAA, N-acetylaspartate; Glx, complex of glutamate, glutamine and
      gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA); mI, myo-inositol; Cr, creatine; Cho, choline) in
      the left dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in patients with stable
      schizophrenia. Fifty patients with schizophrenia, treated with constant
      antipsychotics doses, in stable clinical condition were randomly assigned to
      administration of sarcosine (25 patients) or placebo (25 patients) for six
      months. Metabolite concentrations in DLPFC were assessed with 1.5 Tesla 1H-NMR
      spectroscopy. Clinical symptoms were evaluated with the Positive and Negative
      Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The first spectroscopy revealed no differences in
      metabolite concentrations between groups. After six months, NAA/Cho, mI/Cr and
      mI/Cho ratios in the left DLPFC were significantly higher in the sarcosine than
      the placebo group. In the sarcosine group, NAA/Cr, NAA/Cho, mI/Cr, mI/Cho ratios
      also significantly increased compared to baseline values. In the placebo group,
      only the NAA/Cr ratio increased. The addition of sarcosine to antipsychotic
      therapy for six months increased markers of neurons viability (NAA) and
      neurogilal activity (mI) with simultaneous improvement of clinical symptoms.
      Sarcosine, two grams administered daily, seems to be an effective adjuvant in the
      pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26501261
TI  - Enhanced Bio-Ethanol Production from Industrial Potato Waste by Statistical
      Medium Optimization.
AB  - Industrial wastes are of great interest as a substrate in production of value
      added products to reduce cost, while managing the waste economically and
      environmentally. Bio-ethanol production from industrial wastes has gained
      attention because of its abundance, availability, and rich carbon and nitrogen
      content. In this study, industrial potato waste was used as a carbon source and a
      medium was optimized for ethanol production by using statistical designs. The
      effect of various medium components on ethanol production was evaluated. Yeast
      extract, malt extract, and MgSO4.7H2O showed significantly positive effects,
      whereas KH2PO4 and CaCl2.2H2O had a significantly negative effect (p-value<0.05).
      Using response surface methodology, a medium consisting of 40.4 g/L (dry basis)
      industrial waste potato, 50 g/L malt extract, and 4.84 g/L MgSO4.7H2O was found
      optimal and yielded 24.6 g/L ethanol at 30  degrees C, 150 rpm, and 48 h of
      fermentation. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that industrial potato waste
      can be used effectively to enhance bioethanol production.

PMID- 26501262
TI  - May the Best Molecule Win: Competition ESI Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry has become invaluable in the
      characterization of macromolecular biological systems such as nucleic acids and
      proteins. Recent advances in the field of mass spectrometry and the soft
      conditions characteristic of electrospray ionization allow for the investigation
      of non-covalent interactions among large biomolecules and ligands. Modulation of
      genetic processes through the use of small molecule inhibitors with the DNA minor
      groove is gaining attention as a potential therapeutic approach. In this review,
      we discuss the development of a competition method using electrospray ionization
      mass spectrometry to probe the interactions of multiple DNA sequences with
      libraries of minor groove binding molecules. Such an approach acts as a high
      throughput screening method to determine important information including the
      stoichiometry, binding mode, cooperativity, and relative binding affinity. In
      addition to small molecule-DNA complexes, we highlight other applications in
      which competition mass spectrometry has been used. A competitive approach to
      simultaneously investigate complex interactions promises to be a powerful tool in
      the discovery of small molecule inhibitors with high specificity and for
      specific, important DNA sequences. 

PMID- 26501263
TI  - Small RNAs in Plant Responses to Abiotic Stresses: Regulatory Roles and Study
      Methods.
AB  - To survive under abiotic stresses in the environment, plants trigger a
      reprogramming of gene expression, by transcriptional regulation or translational
      regulation, to turn on protective mechanisms. The current focus of research on
      how plants cope with abiotic stresses has transitioned from transcriptomic
      analyses to small RNA investigations. In this review, we have summarized and
      evaluated the current methodologies used in the identification and validation of
      small RNAs and their targets, in the context of plant responses to abiotic
      stresses. 

PMID- 26501264
TI  - The Mixture of Salvianolic Acids from Salvia miltiorrhiza and Total Flavonoids
      from Anemarrhena asphodeloides Attenuate Sulfur Mustard-Induced Injury.
AB  - Sulfur mustard (SM) is a vesicating chemical warfare agent used in numerous
      military conflicts and remains a potential chemical threat to the present day.
      Exposure to SM causes the depletion of cellular antioxidant thiols, mainly
      glutathione (GSH), which may lead to a series of SM-associated toxic responses.
      MSTF is the mixture of salvianolic acids (SA) of Salvia miltiorrhiza and total
      flavonoids (TFA) of Anemarrhena asphodeloides. SA is the main water-soluble
      phenolic compound in Salvia miltiorrhiza. TFA mainly includes mangiferin,
      isomangiferin and neomangiferin. SA and TFA possess diverse activities, including
      antioxidant and anti-inflammation activities. In this study, we mainly
      investigated the therapeutic effects of MSTF on SM toxicity in Sprague Dawley
      rats. Treatment with MSTF 1 h after subcutaneous injection with 3.5 mg/kg
      (equivalent to 0.7 LD50) SM significantly increased the survival levels of rats
      and attenuated the SM-induced morphological changes in the testis, small
      intestine and liver tissues. Treatment with MSTF at doses of 60 and 120 mg/kg
      caused a significant (p<0.05) reversal in SM-induced GSH depletion. Gene
      expression profiles revealed that treatment with MSTF had a dramatic effect on
      gene expression changes caused by SM. Treatment with MSTF prevented SM-induced
      differential expression of 93.8% (973 genes) of 1037 genes. Pathway enrichment
      analysis indicated that these genes were mainly involved in a total of 36
      pathways, such as the MAPK signaling pathway, pathways in cancer, antigen
      processing and presentation. These data suggest that MSTF attenuates SM-induced
      injury by increasing GSH and targeting multiple pathways, including the MAPK
      signaling pathway, as well as antigen processing and presentation. These results
      suggest that MSTF has the potential to be used as a potential therapeutic agent
      against SM injuries.

PMID- 26501266
TI  - Poly-gamma-glutamate-based Materials for Multiple Infection Prophylaxis
      Possessing Versatile Coating Performance.
AB  - Poly-gamma-glutamate (PGA) possesses a nylon-like backbone and polyacrylate-like
      carboxyl groups, and shows an extraordinary solubility in water. In this study,
      the effective synthesis and structural analysis of some water-insoluble PGA ion
      complexes (PGAICs) using cationic surfactants, hexadecylpyridinium (HDP),
      dodecylpyridinium, benzalkonium and benzetonium, were examined. We demonstrated
      their spontaneous coating performance to the surfaces of different materials
      (i.e., plastics, metals, and ceramics) as potent anti-staphylococcal and anti
      Candida agents. The tests against Staphylococcus aureus revealed that, regardless
      of a variety of materials, PGAICs maintained surface antimicrobial activity, even
      after the water-soaking treatment, whereas those against Candida albicans
      indicated that, among PGAICs, PGA/HDP complex is most useful as an anti-fungal
      agent because of its coating stability. Moreover, the log reduction values
      against Influenza A and B viruses of PGA/HDP-coated surfaces were estimated to be
      5.4 and 3.2, respectively, suggesting that it can be dramatically suppressed the
      infection of influenza. This is to our knowledge the first observation of PGA
      based antiviral coatings. 

PMID- 26501265
TI  - Knockdown of PKM2 Suppresses Tumor Growth and Invasion in Lung Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Accumulating evidence shows that activity of the pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2)
      isoform is closely related to tumorigenesis. In this study, we investigated the
      relationship between PKM2 expression, tumor invasion, and the prognosis of
      patients with lung adenocarcinoma. We retrospectively analyzed 65 cases of
      patients with lung adenocarcinoma who were divided into low and a high expression
      groups based on PKM2 immunohistochemical staining. High PKM2 expression was
      significantly associated with reduced patient survival. We used small interfering
      RNA (siRNA) technology to investigate the effect of targeted PKM2-knockout on
      tumor growth at the cellular level. In vitro, siRNA-mediated PKM2-knockdown
      significantly inhibited the proliferation, glucose uptake (25%), ATP generation
      (20%) and fatty acid synthesis of A549 cells, while the mitochondrial respiratory
      capacity of the cells increased (13%).Western blotting analysis showed that PKM2
      knockout significantly inhibited the expression of the glucose transporter GLUT1
      and ATP citrate lyase, which is critical for fatty acid synthesis. Further
      Western blotting analysis showed that PKM2-knockdown inhibited the expression of
      matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF),
      which are important in degradation of the extracellular matrix and angiogenesis,
      respectively. These observations show that PKM2 activates both glycolysis and
      lipid synthesis, thereby regulating cell proliferation and invasion. This
      information is important in elucidating the mechanisms by which PKM2 influences
      the growth and metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma at the cellular and molecular
      level, thereby providing the basic data required for the development of PKM2
      targeted gene therapy.

PMID- 26501267
TI  - No Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation on Cognition and Mood in
      Individuals with Cognitive Impairment and Probable Alzheimer's Disease: A
      Randomised Controlled Trial.
AB  - Findings from epidemiological and observational studies have indicated that diets
      high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as docosahexaenoic acid
      (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) may reduce the risk of cognitive decline
      and Alzheimer's disease (AD). To determine if increasing intake of DHA and EPA
      through supplementation is beneficial to cognition and mood in individuals with
      cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND) or Alzheimer's disease (AD) a four month,
      randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled study was conducted. Fifty-seven
      participants with CIND and nineteen with AD were randomised to receive either
      omega-3 PUFAs (600 mg EPA and 625 mg DHA per day) or placebo (olive oil) over a
      four month period. Elevating depleted levels of EPA and DHA through
      supplementation in individuals with CIND or AD was found to have negligible
      beneficial effect on their cognition or mood. These findings confirm an overall
      negligible benefit of omega-3 PUFA supplementation for those with cognitive
      impairment and dementia. More intervention studies need to be undertaken with
      longer study durations and larger sample sizes. It may prove fruitful to examine
      effects of different doses as well as effects in other dementia subtypes. 

PMID- 26501268
TI  - Structural Analysis of Crystalline R(+)-alpha-Lipoic Acid-alpha-cyclodextrin
      Complex Based on Microscopic and Spectroscopic Studies.
AB  - R(+)-alpha-lipoic acid (RALA) is a naturally-occurring substance, and its protein
      bound form plays significant role in the energy metabolism in the mitochondria.
      RALA is vulnerable to a variety of physical stimuli, including heat and UV light,
      which prompted us to study the stability of its complexes with cyclodextrins
      (CDs). In this study, we have prepared and purified a crystalline RALA-alphaCD
      complex and evaluated its properties in the solid state. The results of 1H NMR
      and PXRD analyses indicated that the crystalline RALA-alphaCD complex is a
      channel type complex with a molar ratio of 2:3 (RALA:alpha-CD). Attenuated total
      reflection/Fourier transform infrared analysis of the complex showed the shift of
      the C=O stretching vibration of RALA due to the formation of the RALA-alphaCD
      complex. Raman spectroscopic analysis revealed the significant weakness of the S
      S and C-S stretching vibrations of RALA in the RALA-alphaCD complex implying that
      the dithiolane ring of RALA is almost enclosed in glucose ring of alpha-CD.
      Extent of this effect was dependent on the direction of the excitation laser to
      the hexagonal morphology of the crystal. Solid-state NMR analysis allowed for the
      chemical shift of the C=O peak to be precisely determined. These results
      suggested that RALA was positioned in the alpha-CD cavity with its 1,2-dithiolane
      ring orientated perpendicular to the plane of the alpha-CD ring. 

PMID- 26501270
TI  - Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA Growth and Biofilm Formation after Treatment with
      Antibiotics and SeNPs.
AB  - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a dangerous pathogen
      resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics. Due to its resistance, it is difficult to
      manage the infections caused by this strain. We examined this issue in terms of
      observation of the growth properties and ability to form biofilms in sensitive S.
      aureus and MRSA after the application of antibiotics (ATBs)-ampicillin, oxacillin
      and penicillin-and complexes of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) with these ATBs.
      The results suggest the strong inhibition effect of SeNPs in complexes with
      conventional ATBs. Using the impedance method, a higher disruption of biofilms
      was observed after the application of ATB complexes with SeNPs compared to the
      group exposed to ATBs without SeNPs. The biofilm formation was intensely
      inhibited (up to 99%+/-7% for S. aureus and up to 94%+/-4% for MRSA) after
      application of SeNPs in comparison with bacteria without antibacterial compounds
      whereas ATBs without SeNPs inhibited S. aureus up to 79%+/-5% and MRSA up to
      16%+/-2% only. The obtained results provide a basis for the use of SeNPs as a
      tool for the treatment of bacterial infections, which can be complicated because
      of increasing resistance of bacteria to conventional ATB drugs.

PMID- 26501269
TI  - Genetics Underlying Atypical Parkinsonism and Related Neurodegenerative
      Disorders.
AB  - Atypical parkinsonism syndromes, such as dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple
      system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration, are
      neurodegenerative diseases with complex clinical and pathological features.
      Heterogeneity in clinical presentations, possible secondary determinants as well
      as mimic syndromes pose a major challenge to accurately diagnose patients
      suffering from these devastating conditions. Over the last two decades,
      significant advancements in genomic technologies have provided us with increasing
      insights into the molecular pathogenesis of atypical parkinsonism and their
      intriguing relationships to related neurodegenerative diseases, fueling new hopes
      to incorporate molecular knowledge into our diagnostic, prognostic and
      therapeutic approaches towards managing these conditions. In this review article,
      we summarize the current understanding of genetic mechanisms implicated in
      atypical parkinsonism syndromes. We further highlight mimic syndromes relevant to
      differential considerations and possible future directions. 

PMID- 26501272
TI  - Surface-Deacetylated Chitin Nano-Fiber/Hyaluronic Acid Composites as Potential
      Antioxidative Compounds for Use in Extended-Release Matrix Tablets.
AB  - In this study, we examined a possible use of a surface-deacetylated chitin nano
      fiber (SDCH-NF) and hyaluronic acid (HA) interpolymer complex (IPC) tablet as a
      potential antioxidative compound in extended-release matrix tablets. The
      antioxidant properties of untreated chitin (UCH), SDCH-NF, and HA were examined
      using N-centered radicals derived from 1,1'-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and
      2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS). SDCH-NF and HA had
      acceptable scavenging abilities and were relatively efficient radical scavengers,
      but UCH was much less effective. The results suggest that SDCH-NF and HA could
      serve as scavengers of compounds related to the development of oxidative stress.
      An SDCH-NF/HA IPC tablet was prepared and evaluated as an extended-release tablet
      matrix using famotidine (FMT) as a model drug. The release of FMT from the IPC
      tablet (DCF-NF:HA=1:1) was slower than that from a SDCH-NF only tablet. Turbidity
      measurements and X-ray diffraction (XRD) data also indicated that the optimum
      complexation ratio for IPC between SDCH-NF/HA is 1/1, resulting in a good
      relationship between turbidity or XRD of the complex and the release ratio of
      FMT. These results suggest that an SDCH-NF/HA tablet has the potential for use in
      an extended-release IPC tablet with a high antioxidant activity.

PMID- 26501271
TI  - Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity in Different Types of Berries.
AB  - Berries, especially members of several families, such as Rosaceae (strawberry,
      raspberry, blackberry), and Ericaceae (blueberry, cranberry), belong to the best
      dietary sources of bioactive compounds (BAC). They have delicious taste and
      flavor, have economic importance, and because of the antioxidant properties of
      BAC, they are of great interest also for nutritionists and food technologists due
      to the opportunity to use BAC as functional foods ingredients. The bioactive
      compounds in berries contain mainly phenolic compounds (phenolic acids,
      flavonoids, such as anthocyanins and flavonols, and tannins) and ascorbic acid.
      These compounds, either individually or combined, are responsible for various
      health benefits of berries, such as prevention of inflammation disorders,
      cardiovascular diseases, or protective effects to lower the risk of various
      cancers. In this review bioactive compounds of commonly consumed berries are
      described, as well as the factors influencing their antioxidant capacity and
      their health benefits. 

PMID- 26501273
TI  - Biological Screening of Newly Synthesized BIAN N-Heterocyclic Gold Carbene
      Complexes in Zebrafish Embryos.
AB  - N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) metal complexes possess diverse biological
      activities but have yet to be extensively explored as potential chemotherapeutic
      agents. We have previously reported the synthesis of a new class of NHC metal
      complexes N-heterocyclic with acetate [IPr(BIAN)AuOAc] and chloride
      [IPr(BIAN)AuCl] ligands. In the experiments reported herein, the zebrafish
      embryos were exposed to serial dilutions of each of these complexes for 10-12 h.
      One hundred percent mortality was observed at concentrations>=50 uM. At sub
      lethal concentrations (10-30 uM), both compounds influenced zebrafish embryonic
      development. However, quite diverse categories of abnormalities were found in
      exposed embryos with each compound. Severe brain deformation and notochord
      degeneration were evident in the case of [IPr(BIAN)AuOAc]. The zebrafish embryos
      treated with [IPr(BIAN)AuCl] exhibited stunted growth and consequently had
      smaller body sizes. A depletion of 30%-40% glutathione was detected in the
      treated embryos, which could account for one of the possible mechanism of
      neurotoxicity. The fact that these compounds are capable of both affecting the
      growth and also compromising antioxidant systems by elevating intracellular ROS
      production implies that they could play an important role as a new breed of
      therapeutic molecules.

PMID- 26501274
TI  - CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Rapid Generation of Multiple Mouse Lines Identified Ccdc63
      as Essential for Spermiogenesis.
AB  - Spermatozoa are flagellated cells whose role in fertilization is dependent on
      their ability to move towards an oocyte. The structure of the sperm flagella is
      highly conserved across species, and much of what is known about this structure
      is derived from studies utilizing animal models. One group of proteins essential
      for the movement of the flagella are the dyneins. Using the advanced technology
      of CRISPR/Cas9 we have targeted three dynein group members; Dnaic1, Wdr63 and
      Ccdc63 in mice. All three of these genes are expressed strongly in the testis. We
      generated mice with amino acid substitutions in Dnaic1 to analyze two specific
      phosphorylation events at S124 and S127, and generated simple knockouts of Wdr63
      and Ccdc63. We found that the targeted phosphorylation sites in Dnaic1 were not
      essential for male fertility. Similarly, Wdr63 was not essential for male
      fertility; however, Ccdc63 removal resulted in sterile male mice due to shortened
      flagella. This study demonstrates the versatility of the CRISPR/Cas9 system to
      generate animal models of a highly complex system by introducing point mutations
      and simple knockouts in a fast and efficient manner. 

PMID- 26501275
TI  - Minimizing off-Target Mutagenesis Risks Caused by Programmable Nucleases.
AB  - Programmable nucleases, such as zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription
      activator like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspersed
      short palindromic repeats associated protein-9 (CRISPR-Cas9), hold tremendous
      potential for applications in the clinical setting to treat genetic diseases or
      prevent infectious diseases. However, because the accuracy of DNA recognition by
      these nucleases is not always perfect, off-target mutagenesis may result in
      undesirable adverse events in treated patients such as cellular toxicity or
      tumorigenesis. Therefore, designing nucleases and analyzing their activity must
      be carefully evaluated to minimize off-target mutagenesis. Furthermore, rigorous
      genomic testing will be important to ensure the integrity of nuclease modified
      cells. In this review, we provide an overview of available nuclease designing
      platforms, nuclease engineering approaches to minimize off-target activity, and
      methods to evaluate both on- and off-target cleavage of CRISPR-Cas9. 

PMID- 26501276
TI  - Elevated STAT3 Signaling-Mediated Upregulation of MMP-2/9 Confers Enhanced
      Invasion Ability in Multidrug-Resistant Breast Cancer Cells.
AB  - The development of multidrug resistance greatly impedes effective cancer therapy.
      Recent advances in cancer research have demonstrated that acquisition of
      multidrug resistance by cancer cells is usually accompanied by enhanced cell
      invasiveness. Several lines of evidence indicated that cross activation of other
      signaling pathways during development of drug resistance may increase invasive
      potential of multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancer cells. However, the accurate
      mechanism of this process is largely undefined. In this study, to better
      understand the associated molecular pathways responsible for cancer progression
      induced by drug resistance, a MDR human breast cancer cell line SK-BR-3/EPR with
      P-glycoprotein overexpression was established using stepwise long-term exposure
      to increasing concentration of epirubicin. The SK-BR-3/EPR cell line exhibited
      decreased cell proliferative activity, but enhanced cell invasive capacity. We
      showed that the expression of metastasis-related matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)
      2/9 was elevated in SK-BR-3/EPR cells. Moreover, SK-BR-3/EPR cells showed
      elevated activation of STAT3. Activation of STAT3 signaling is responsible for
      enhanced invasiveness of SK-BR-3/EPR cells through upregulation of MMP-2/9. STAT3
      is a well-known oncogene and is frequently implicated in tumorigenesis and
      chemotherapeutic resistance. Our findings augment insight into the mechanism
      underlying the functional association between MDR and cancer invasiveness. 

PMID- 26501277
TI  - Analytical modelling of a refractive index sensor based on an intrinsic micro
      Fabry-Perot interferometer.
AB  - In this work a refractive index sensor based on a combination of the non
      dispersive sensing (NDS) and the Tunable Laser Spectroscopy (TLS) principles is
      presented. Here, in order to have one reference and one measurement channel a
      single-beam dual-path configuration is used for implementing the NDS principle.
      These channels are monitored with a couple of identical optical detectors which
      are correlated to calculate the overall sensor response, called here the depth of
      modulation. It is shown that this is useful to minimize drifting errors due to
      source power variations. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis of a refractive
      index sensing setup, based on an intrinsic micro Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI)
      is described. Here, the changes over the FPI pattern as the exit refractive index
      is varied are analytically modelled by using the characteristic matrix method.
      Additionally, our simulated results are supported by experimental measurements
      which are also provided. Finally it is shown that by using this principle a
      simple refractive index sensor with a resolution in the order of 2.15 * 10(-4)
      RIU can be implemented by using a couple of standard and low cost photodetectors.

PMID- 26501278
TI  - A wireless sensor network for urban traffic characterization and trend
      monitoring.
AB  - Sustainable mobility requires a better management of the available infrastructure
      resources. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to obtain accurate data about
      road usage, in particular in urban areas. Although a variety of sensor alternates
      for urban traffic exist, they usually require extensive investments in the form
      of construction works for installation, processing means, etc. Wireless Sensor
      Networks (WSN) are an alternative to acquire urban traffic data, allowing for
      flexible, easy deployment. Together with the use of the appropriate sensors, like
      Bluetooth identification, and associate processing, WSN can provide the means to
      obtain in real time data like the origin-destination matrix, a key tool for trend
      monitoring which previously required weeks or months to be completed. This paper
      presents a system based on WSN designed to characterize urban traffic,
      particularly traffic trend monitoring through the calculation of the origin
      destination matrix in real time by using Bluetooth identification. Additional
      sensors are also available integrated in different types of nodes. Experiments in
      real conditions have been performed, both for separate sensors (Bluetooth,
      ultrasound and laser), and for the whole system, showing the feasibility of this
      approach. 

PMID- 26501279
TI  - A new model based on adaptation of the external loop to compensate the hysteresis
      of tactile sensors.
AB  - This paper presents a novel method to compensate for hysteresis nonlinearities
      observed in the response of a tactile sensor. The External Loop Adaptation Method
      (ELAM) performs a piecewise linear mapping of the experimentally measured
      external curves of the hysteresis loop to obtain all possible internal cycles.
      The optimal division of the input interval where the curve is approximated is
      provided by the error minimization algorithm. This process is carried out off
      line and provides parameters to compute the split point in real time. A different
      linear transformation is then performed at the left and right of this point and a
      more precise fitting is achieved. The models obtained with the ELAM method are
      compared with those obtained from three other approaches. The results show that
      the ELAM method achieves a more accurate fitting. Moreover, the involved
      mathematical operations are simpler and therefore easier to implement in devices
      such as Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGAs) for real time applications.
      Furthermore, the method needs to identify fewer parameters and requires no
      previous selection process of operators or functions. Finally, the method can be
      applied to other sensors or actuators with complex hysteresis loop shapes. 

PMID- 26501280
TI  - Modified particle filtering algorithm for single acoustic vector sensor DOA
      tracking.
AB  - The conventional direction of arrival (DOA) estimation algorithm with static
      sources assumption usually estimates the source angles of two adjacent moments
      independently and the correlation of the moments is not considered. In this
      article, we focus on the DOA estimation of moving sources and a modified particle
      filtering (MPF) algorithm is proposed with state space model of single acoustic
      vector sensor. Although the particle filtering (PF) algorithm has been introduced
      for acoustic vector sensor applications, it is not suitable for the case that one
      dimension angle of source is estimated with large deviation, the two dimension
      angles (pitch angle and azimuth angle) cannot be simultaneously employed to
      update the state through resampling processing of PF algorithm. To solve the
      problems mentioned above, the MPF algorithm is proposed in which the state
      estimation of previous moment is introduced to the particle sampling of present
      moment to improve the importance function. Moreover, the independent relationship
      of pitch angle and azimuth angle is considered and the two dimension angles are
      sampled and evaluated, respectively. Then, the MUSIC spectrum function is used as
      the "likehood" function of the MPF algorithm, and the modified PF-MUSIC (MPF
      MUSIC) algorithm is proposed to improve the root mean square error (RMSE) and the
      probability of convergence. The theoretical analysis and the simulation results
      validate the effectiveness and feasibility of the two proposed algorithms. 

PMID- 26501281
TI  - Real-time single-frequency GPS/MEMS-IMU attitude determination of lightweight
      UAVs.
AB  - In this paper, a newly-developed direct georeferencing system for the guidance,
      navigation and control of lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), having a
      weight limit of 5 kg and a size limit of 1.5 m, and for UAV-based surveying and
      remote sensing applications is presented. The system is intended to provide
      highly accurate positions and attitudes (better than 5 cm and 0.5 degrees ) in
      real time, using lightweight components. The main focus of this paper is on the
      attitude determination with the system. This attitude determination is based on
      an onboard single-frequency GPS baseline, MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems)
      inertial sensor readings, magnetic field observations and a 3D position
      measurement. All of this information is integrated in a sixteen-state error space
      Kalman filter. Special attention in the algorithm development is paid to the
      carrier phase ambiguity resolution of the single-frequency GPS baseline
      observations. We aim at a reliable and instantaneous ambiguity resolution, since
      the system is used in urban areas, where frequent losses of the GPS signal lock
      occur and the GPS measurement conditions are challenging. Flight tests and a
      comparison to a navigation-grade inertial navigation system illustrate the
      performance of the developed system in dynamic situations. Evaluations show that
      the accuracies of the system are 0.05 degrees  for the roll and the pitch angle
      and 0.2 degrees  for the yaw angle. The ambiguities of the single-frequency GPS
      baseline can be resolved instantaneously in more than 90% of the cases. 

PMID- 26501282
TI  - Protein adsorption in microengraving immunoassays.
AB  - Microengraving is a novel immunoassay for characterizing multiple protein
      secretions from single cells. During the immunoassay, characteristic diffusion
      and kinetic time scales  and  determine the time for molecular diffusion of
      proteins secreted from the activated single lymphocytes and subsequent binding
      onto the glass slide surface respectively. Our results demonstrate that molecular
      diffusion plays important roles in the early stage of protein adsorption dynamics
      which shifts to a kinetic controlled mechanism in the later stage. Similar
      dynamic pathways are observed for protein adsorption with significantly fast
      rates and rapid shifts in transport mechanisms when  is increased a hundred times
      from 0.313 to 31.3. Theoretical adsorption isotherms follow the trend of
      experimentally obtained data. Adsorption isotherms indicate that amount of
      proteins secreted from individual cells and subsequently captured on a clean
      glass slide surface increases monotonically with time. Our study directly
      validates that protein secretion rates can be quantified by the microengraving
      immunoassay. This will enable us to apply microengraving immunoassays to quantify
      secretion rates from 104-105 single cells in parallel, screen antigen-specific
      cells with the highest secretion rate for clonal expansion and quantitatively
      reveal cellular heterogeneity within a small cell sample. 

PMID- 26501283
TI  - PUFKEY: a high-security and high-throughput hardware true random number generator
      for sensor networks.
AB  - Random number generators (RNG) play an important role in many sensor network
      systems and applications, such as those requiring secure and robust
      communications. In this paper, we develop a high-security and high-throughput
      hardware true random number generator, called PUFKEY, which consists of two kinds
      of physical unclonable function (PUF) elements. Combined with a conditioning
      algorithm, true random seeds are extracted from the noise on the start-up pattern
      of SRAM memories. These true random seeds contain full entropy. Then, the true
      random seeds are used as the input for a non-deterministic hardware RNG to
      generate a stream of true random bits with a throughput as high as 803 Mbps. The
      experimental results show that the bitstream generated by the proposed PUFKEY can
      pass all standard national institute of standards and technology (NIST)
      randomness tests and is resilient to a wide range of security attacks. 

PMID- 26501284
TI  - Sparse Bayesian learning for DOA estimation with mutual coupling.
AB  - Sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) has given renewed interest to the problem of
      direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation. It is generally assumed that the
      measurement matrix in SBL is precisely known. Unfortunately, this assumption may
      be invalid in practice due to the imperfect manifold caused by unknown or
      misspecified mutual coupling. This paper describes a modified SBL method for
      joint estimation of DOAs and mutual coupling coefficients with uniform linear
      arrays (ULAs). Unlike the existing method that only uses stationary priors, our
      new approach utilizes a hierarchical form of the Student t prior to enforce the
      sparsity of the unknown signal more heavily. We also provide a distinct Bayesian
      inference for the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm, which can update the
      mutual coupling coefficients more efficiently. Another difference is that our
      method uses an additional singular value decomposition (SVD) to reduce the
      computational complexity of the signal reconstruction process and the sensitivity
      to the measurement noise. 

PMID- 26501286
TI  - Experimental validation of normalized uniform load surface curvature method for
      damage localization.
AB  - In this study, we experimentally validated the normalized uniform load surface
      (NULS) curvature method, which has been developed recently to assess damage
      localization in beam-type structures. The normalization technique allows for the
      accurate assessment of damage localization with greater sensitivity irrespective
      of the damage location. In this study, damage to a simply supported beam was
      numerically and experimentally investigated on the basis of the changes in the
      NULS curvatures, which were estimated from the modal flexibility matrices
      obtained from the acceleration responses under an ambient excitation. Two damage
      scenarios were considered for the single damage case as well as the multiple
      damages case by reducing the bending stiffness (EI) of the affected element(s).
      Numerical simulations were performed using MATLAB as a preliminary step. During
      the validation experiments, a series of tests were performed. It was found that
      the damage locations could be identified successfully without any false-positive
      or false-negative detections using the proposed method. For comparison, the
      damage detection performances were compared with those of two other well-known
      methods based on the modal flexibility matrix, namely, the uniform load surface
      (ULS) method and the ULS curvature method. It was confirmed that the proposed
      method is more effective for investigating the damage locations of simply
      supported beams than the two conventional methods in terms of sensitivity to
      damage under measurement noise. 

PMID- 26501287
TI  - Using polynomials to simplify fixed pattern noise and photometric correction of
      logarithmic CMOS image sensors.
AB  - An important class of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image
      sensors are those where pixel responses are monotonic nonlinear functions of
      light stimuli. This class includes various logarithmic architectures, which are
      easily capable of wide dynamic range imaging, at video rates, but which are
      vulnerable to image quality issues. To minimize fixed pattern noise (FPN) and
      maximize photometric accuracy, pixel responses must be calibrated and corrected
      due to mismatch and process variation during fabrication. Unlike literature
      approaches, which employ circuit-based models of varying complexity, this paper
      introduces a novel approach based on low-degree polynomials. Although each pixel
      may have a highly nonlinear response, an approximately-linear FPN calibration is
      possible by exploiting the monotonic nature of imaging. Moreover, FPN correction
      requires only arithmetic, and an optimal fixed-point implementation is readily
      derived, subject to a user-specified number of bits per pixel. Using a monotonic
      spline, involving cubic polynomials, photometric calibration is also possible
      without a circuit-based model, and fixed-point photometric correction requires
      only a look-up table. The approach is experimentally validated with a logarithmic
      CMOS image sensor and is compared to a leading approach from the literature. The
      novel approach proves effective and efficient. 

PMID- 26501288
TI  - Two-dimensional automatic measurement for nozzle flow distribution using improved
      ultrasonic sensor.
AB  - Spray deposition and distribution are affected by many factors, one of which is
      nozzle flow distribution. A two-dimensional automatic measurement system, which
      consisted of a conveying unit, a system control unit, an ultrasonic sensor, and a
      deposition collecting dish, was designed and developed. The system could
      precisely move an ultrasonic sensor above a pesticide deposition collecting dish
      to measure the nozzle flow distribution. A sensor sleeve with a PVC tube was
      designed for the ultrasonic sensor to limit its beam angle in order to measure
      the liquid level in the small troughs. System performance tests were conducted to
      verify the designed functions and measurement accuracy. A commercial spray nozzle
      was also used to measure its flow distribution. The test results showed that the
      relative error on volume measurement was less than 7.27% when the liquid volume
      was 2 mL in trough, while the error was less than 4.52% when the liquid volume
      was 4 mL or more. The developed system was also used to evaluate the flow
      distribution of a commercial nozzle. It was able to provide the shape and the
      spraying width of the flow distribution accurately. 

PMID- 26501285
TI  - Fluorescent proteins as genetically encoded FRET biosensors in life sciences.
AB  - Fluorescence- or Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a measurable
      physical energy transfer phenomenon between appropriate chromophores, when they
      are in sufficient proximity, usually within 10 nm. This feature has made them
      incredibly useful tools for many biomedical studies on molecular interactions.
      Furthermore, this principle is increasingly exploited for the design of
      biosensors, where two chromophores are linked with a sensory domain controlling
      their distance and thus the degree of FRET. The versatility of these FRET
      biosensors made it possible to assess a vast amount of biological variables in a
      fast and standardized manner, allowing not only high-throughput studies but also
      sub-cellular measurements of biological processes. In this review, we aim at
      giving an overview over the recent advances in genetically encoded, fluorescent
      protein based FRET-biosensors, as these represent the largest and most vividly
      growing group of FRET-based sensors. For easy understanding, we are grouping them
      into four categories, depending on their molecular mechanism. These are based on:
      (a) cleavage; (b) conformational-change; (c) mechanical force and (d) changes in
      the micro-environment. We also address the many issues and considerations that
      come with the development of FRET-based biosensors, as well as the possibilities
      that are available to measure them. 

PMID- 26501289
TI  - Position estimation and local mapping using omnidirectional images and global
      appearance descriptors.
AB  - This work presents some methods to create local maps and to estimate the position
      of a mobile robot, using the global appearance of omnidirectional images. We use
      a robot that carries an omnidirectional vision system on it. Every
      omnidirectional image acquired by the robot is described only with one global
      appearance descriptor, based on the Radon transform. In the work presented in
      this paper, two different possibilities have been considered. In the first one,
      we assume the existence of a map previously built composed of omnidirectional
      images that have been captured from previously-known positions. The purpose in
      this case consists of estimating the nearest position of the map to the current
      position of the robot, making use of the visual information acquired by the robot
      from its current (unknown) position. In the second one, we assume that we have a
      model of the environment composed of omnidirectional images, but with no
      information about the location of where the images were acquired. The purpose in
      this case consists of building a local map and estimating the position of the
      robot within this map. Both methods are tested with different databases
      (including virtual and real images) taking into consideration the changes of the
      position of different objects in the environment, different lighting conditions
      and occlusions. The results show the effectiveness and the robustness of both
      methods. 

PMID- 26501290
TI  - Hardware design and implementation of a wavelet de-noising procedure for medical
      signal preprocessing.
AB  - In this paper, a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) based de-noising with its
      applications into the noise reduction for medical signal preprocessing is
      introduced. This work focuses on the hardware realization of a real-time wavelet
      de-noising procedure. The proposed de-noising circuit mainly consists of three
      modules: a DWT, a thresholding, and an inverse DWT (IDWT) modular circuits. We
      also proposed a novel adaptive thresholding scheme and incorporated it into our
      wavelet de-noising procedure. Performance was then evaluated on both the
      architectural designs of the software and. In addition, the de-noising circuit
      was also implemented by downloading the Verilog codes to a field programmable
      gate array (FPGA) based platform so that its ability in noise reduction may be
      further validated in actual practice. Simulation experiment results produced by
      applying a set of simulated noise-contaminated electrocardiogram (ECG) signals
      into the de-noising circuit showed that the circuit could not only desirably meet
      the requirement of real-time processing, but also achieve satisfactory
      performance for noise reduction, while the sharp features of the ECG signals can
      be well preserved. The proposed de-noising circuit was further synthesized using
      the Synopsys Design Compiler with an Artisan Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing
      Company (TSMC, Hsinchu, Taiwan) 40 nm standard cell library. The integrated
      circuit (IC) synthesis simulation results showed that the proposed design can
      achieve a clock frequency of 200 MHz and the power consumption was only 17.4 mW,
      when operated at 200 MHz. 

PMID- 26501291
TI  - Ammonia gas sensing behavior of tanninsulfonic acid doped polyaniline-TiO2
      composite.
AB  - A highly active tannin doped polyaniline-TiO2 composite ammonia gas sensor was
      developed and the mechanism behind the gas sensing activity was reported for the
      first time. A tanninsulfonic acid doped polyaniline (TANIPANI)-titanium dioxide
      nanocomposite was synthesized by an in situ polymerization of aniline in the
      presence of tanninsulfonic acid and titanium dioxide nanoparticles. X-ray
      diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis were utilized to determine the
      incorporation of TiO2 in TANIPANI matrix. UV-Visible and infrared spectroscopy
      studies provided information about the electronic interactions among tannin,
      polyaniline, and TiO2. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) along with energy
      dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) surface
      analysis techniques were used to investigate the metal oxide dispersions inside
      polyaniline matrix. Gas sensors were prepared by spin coating solutions of
      TANIPANI-TiO2 and TANIPANI composites onto glass slides. Sensors were tested at
      three different concentrations (20 ppm, 40 ppm, and 60 ppm) of ammonia gas at
      ambient temperature conditions by measuring the changes in surface resistivity of
      the films with respect to time. Ammonia gas sensing plots are presented showing
      the response values, response times and recovery times. The TANIPANI-TiO2
      composite exhibited better response and shorter recovery times when compared to
      TANIPANI control and other polyaniline composites that have been reported in the
      literature. For the first time a proposed mechanism of gas sensing basing on the
      polaron band localization and its effects on the gas sensing behavior of
      polyaniline are reported. 

PMID- 26501292
TI  - Development of kinematic 3D laser scanning system for indoor mapping and as-built
      BIM using constrained SLAM.
AB  - The growing interest and use of indoor mapping is driving a demand for improved
      data-acquisition facility, efficiency and productivity in the era of the Building
      Information Model (BIM). The conventional static laser scanning method suffers
      from some limitations on its operability in complex indoor environments, due to
      the presence of occlusions. Full scanning of indoor spaces without loss of
      information requires that surveyors change the scanner position many times, which
      incurs extra work for registration of each scanned point cloud. Alternatively, a
      kinematic 3D laser scanning system, proposed herein, uses line-feature-based
      Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) technique for continuous mapping.
      Moreover, to reduce the uncertainty of line-feature extraction, we incorporated
      constrained adjustment based on an assumption made with respect to typical indoor
      environments: that the main structures are formed of parallel or orthogonal line
      features. The superiority of the proposed constrained adjustment is its reduction
      for uncertainties of the adjusted lines, leading to successful data association
      process. In the present study, kinematic scanning with and without constrained
      adjustment were comparatively evaluated in two test sites, and the results
      confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed system. The accuracy of the 3D
      mapping result was additionally evaluated by comparison with the reference points
      acquired by a total station: the Euclidean average distance error was 0.034 m for
      the seminar room and 0.043 m for the corridor, which satisfied the error
      tolerance for point cloud acquisition (0.051 m) according to the guidelines of
      the General Services Administration for BIM accuracy. 

PMID- 26501293
TI  - Sensor and methodology for dielectric analysis of vegetal oils submitted to
      thermal stress.
AB  - Vegetable oils used in frying food represent a social problem as its destination.
      The residual oil can be recycled and returned to the production line, as
      biodiesel, as soap, or as putty. The state of the residual oil is determined
      according to their physicochemical characteristics whose values define its
      economically viable destination. However, the physicochemical analysis requires
      high costs, time and general cost of transporting. This study presents the use of
      a capacitive sensor and a quick and inexpensive method to correlate the
      physicochemical variables to the dielectric constant of the material undergoing
      oil samples to thermal cycling. The proposed method allows reducing costs in the
      characterization of residual oil and the reduction in analysis time. In addition,
      the method allows an assessment of the quality of the vegetable oil during use.
      The experimental results show the increasing of the dielectric constant with the
      temperature, which facilitates measurement and classification of the dielectric
      constant at considerably higher temperatures. The results also confirm a
      definitive degradation in used oil and a correlation between the dielectric
      constant of the sample with the results of the physicochemical analysis (iodine
      value, acid value, viscosity and refractive index). 

PMID- 26501294
TI  - Tunable micro- and nanomechanical resonators.
AB  - Advances in micro- and nanofabrication technologies have enabled the development
      of novel micro- and nanomechanical resonators which have attracted significant
      attention due to their fascinating physical properties and growing potential
      applications. In this review, we have presented a brief overview of the resonance
      behavior and frequency tuning principles by varying either the mass or the
      stiffness of resonators. The progress in micro- and nanomechanical resonators
      using the tuning electrode, tuning fork, and suspended channel structures and
      made of graphene have been reviewed. We have also highlighted some major
      influencing factors such as large-amplitude effect, surface effect and fluid
      effect on the performances of resonators. More specifically, we have addressed
      the effects of axial stress/strain, residual surface stress and adsorption
      induced surface stress on the sensing and detection applications and discussed
      the current challenges. We have significantly focused on the active and passive
      frequency tuning methods and techniques for micro- and nanomechanical resonator
      applications. On one hand, we have comprehensively evaluated the advantages and
      disadvantages of each strategy, including active methods such as electrothermal,
      electrostatic, piezoelectrical, dielectric, magnetomotive, photothermal, mode
      coupling as well as tension-based tuning mechanisms, and passive techniques such
      as post-fabrication and post-packaging tuning processes. On the other hand, the
      tuning capability and challenges to integrate reliable and customizable frequency
      tuning methods have been addressed. We have additionally concluded with a
      discussion of important future directions for further tunable micro- and
      nanomechanical resonators. 

PMID- 26501296
TI  - Household Air Pollution and Under-Five Mortality in Bangladesh (2004-2011).
AB  - Household air pollution (HAP) is one of the leading causes of respiratory illness
      and deaths among children under five years in Bangladesh. This study investigates
      the association between HAP from cooking fuel and under-five mortality using
      Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) datasets over the period 2004
      2011 (n = 18,308 children), and the extent to which this association differed by
      environmental and behavioral factors affecting level of exposure. The association
      between HAP and neonatal (age between 0-28 days), infant (age between 0 and 11
      months) and under-five (age between 0 and 59 months) mortality was examined using
      multilevel logistic regression models. HAP was not strongly associated with
      overall neonatal (OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.01-2.22, p = 0.043), infant (OR = 1.27,
      95% CI = 0.91-1.77, p = 0.157) or under-five mortality (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 0.83
      1.55, p = 0.422) in the context of overall decreasing trends in under-five
      mortality. The association was stronger for households with an indoor kitchen
      using polluting fuels, and in women who had never breastfed. Reductions in
      exposure to pollution from cooking fuel, given it is a ubiquitous and modifiable
      risk factor, can result in further declines in under-five mortality with
      household design and behavioural interventions. 

PMID- 26501295
TI  - Quantifying and Adjusting for Disease Misclassification Due to Loss to Follow-Up
      in Historical Cohort Mortality Studies.
AB  - The purpose of this analysis was to quantify and adjust for disease
      misclassification from loss to follow-up in a historical cohort mortality study
      of workers where exposure was categorized as a multi-level variable. Disease
      classification parameters were defined using 2008 mortality data for the New
      Zealand population and the proportions of known deaths observed for the cohort.
      The probability distributions for each classification parameter were constructed
      to account for potential differences in mortality due to exposure status, gender,
      and ethnicity. Probabilistic uncertainty analysis (bias analysis), which uses
      Monte Carlo techniques, was then used to sample each parameter distribution
      50,000 times, calculating adjusted odds ratios (ORDM-LTF) that compared the
      mortality of workers with the highest cumulative exposure to those that were
      considered never-exposed. The geometric mean ORDM-LTF ranged between 1.65
      (certainty interval (CI): 0.50-3.88) and 3.33 (CI: 1.21-10.48), and the geometric
      mean of the disease-misclassification error factor (epsilonDM-LTF), which is the
      ratio of the observed odds ratio to the adjusted odds ratio, had a range of 0.91
      (CI: 0.29-2.52) to 1.85 (CI: 0.78-6.07). Only when workers in the highest
      exposure category were more likely than those never-exposed to be misclassified
      as non-cases did the ORDM-LTF frequency distributions shift further away from the
      null. The application of uncertainty analysis to historical cohort mortality
      studies with multi-level exposures can provide valuable insight into the
      magnitude and direction of study error resulting from losses to follow-up.

PMID- 26501297
TI  - Evidence for Public Health Risks of Wastewater and Excreta Management Practices
      in Southeast Asia: A Scoping Review.
AB  - The use of wastewater and excreta in agriculture is a common practice in
      Southeast Asia; however, concerns remain about the potential public health risks
      of this practice. We undertook a scoping review to examine the extent, range, and
      nature of literature, as well as synthesize the evidence for associations between
      wastewater and excreta management practices and public health risks in Southeast
      Asia. Three electronic databases (PubMed, CAB Direct, and Web of Science) were
      searched and a total of 27 relevant studies were included and evaluated. The
      available evidence suggested that possible occupational health risks of
      wastewater and excreta management practices include diarrhea, skin infection,
      parasitic infection, bacterial infection, and epilepsy. Community members can be
      at risk for adverse health outcomes through consuming contaminated fish,
      vegetables, or fruits. Results suggested that practices including handling,
      treatment, and use of waste may be harmful to human health, particularly farmer's
      health. Many studies in this review, however, had limitations including lack of
      gender analyses, exposure assessment, and longitudinal study designs. These
      findings suggest that more studies on identifying, quantitatively assessing, and
      mitigating health risks are needed if sustainable benefits are to be obtained
      from wastewater and excreta reuse in agriculture in Southeast Asia. 

PMID- 26501298
TI  - Planning of Green Space Ecological Network in Urban Areas: An Example of
      Nanchang, China.
AB  - Green space plays an important role in sustainable urban development and ecology
      by virtue of multiple environmental, recreational, and economic benefits.
      Constructing an effective and harmonious urban ecological network and maintaining
      a sustainable living environment in response to rapid urbanization are the key
      issues required to be resolved by landscape planners. In this paper, Nanchang
      City, China was selected as a study area. Based on a series of landscape metrics,
      the landscape pattern analysis of the current (in 2005) and planned (in 2020)
      green space system were, respectively, conducted by using FRAGSTATS 3.3 software.
      Considering the actual situation of the Nanchang urban area, a "one river and two
      banks, north and south twin cities" ecological network was constructed by using
      network analysis. Moreover, the ecological network was assessed by using corridor
      structure analysis, and the improvement of an ecological network on the urban
      landscape was quantitatively assessed through a comparison between the ecological
      network and green space system planning. The results indicated that: (1) compared
      to the green space system in 2005, the planned green space system in 2020 of the
      Nanchang urban area will decline in both districts (Changnan and Changbei
      districts). Meanwhile, an increase in patch density and a decrease in mean patch
      size of green space patches at the landscape level implies the fragmentation of
      the urban green space landscape. In other words, the planned green space system
      does not necessarily improve the present green space system; (2) the ecological
      network of two districts has high corridor density, while Changnan's ecological
      network has higher connectivity, but Changbei's ecological network is more viable
      from an economic point of view, since it has relatively higher cost efficiency;
      (3) decrease in patch density, Euclidean nearest neighbor distance, and an
      increase in mean patch size and connectivity implied that the ecological network
      could improve landscape connectivity greatly, as compared with the planned green
      space system. That is to say, the planned ecological network would reduce
      landscape fragmentation, and increase the shape complexity of green space patches
      and landscape connectivity. As a result, the quality of the urban ecological
      environment would be improved. 

PMID- 26501299
TI  - A Case Study Perspective on Working with ProUCL and a State Environmental Agency
      in Determining Background Threshold Values.
AB  - ProUCL is a software package made available by the Environmental Protection
      Agency (EPA) to provide environmental scientists with better tools with which to
      conduct statistical analyses. ProUCL has been in production for over ten years
      and is in its fifth major version. In time, it has included more sophisticated
      and appropriate analysis tools. However, there is still substantial criticism of
      it among statisticians for its various omissions and even its philosophical
      approach. Due to limited resources, some state agencies have set ProUCL as a
      standard by which all state-mandated environmental analyses are compared, despite
      the EPA's more open acceptance of other software products and methodologies. As
      such, it can be difficult for state-supervised sites to convince the state to
      allow the use of more appropriate methodologies or different software. In the
      current case study, several such instances arose and substantial resources were
      invested to demonstrate the appropriateness of alternative methodologies,
      sometimes without acquiring acceptance by the state despite sound statistical
      demonstration. In particular, efforts were made to address: inappropriate outlier
      detection, upper tolerance limit (UTL) calculations based on gamma distributions
      when non-detects were present, and inappropriate use of nonparametric UTL
      formulas. 

PMID- 26501300
TI  - Association of Exposure to particular matter and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness:
      A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long time exposure to particular matter has been linked to myocardial
      infarction, stroke and blood pressure, but its association with atherosclerosis
      is not clear. This meta-analysis was aimed at assessing whether PM2.5 and PM10
      have an effect on subclinical atherosclerosis measured by carotid intima-media
      thickness (CIMT). METHODS: Pubmed, Ovid Medline, Embase and NICK between 1948 and
      31 March 2015 were searched by combining the keywords about exposure to the
      outcome related words. The random-effects model was applied in computing the
      change of CIMT and their corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI). The
      effect of potential confounding factors was assessed by stratified analysis and
      the impact of traffic proximity was also estimated. RESULTS: Among 56 identified
      studies, 11 articles satisfied the inclusion criteria. In overall analysis
      increments of 10 MUg/m3 in PM2.5 and PM10 were associated with an increase of
      CIMT (16.79 MUm; 95% CI, 4.95-28.63 MUm and 4.13 MUm; 95% CI, -5.79-14.04 MUm,
      respectively). RESULTS shown in subgroup analysis had reference value for
      comparing with those of the overall analysis. The impact of traffic proximity on
      CIMT was uncertain. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to PM2.5 had a significant association
      with CIMT and for women the effect may be more obvious.

PMID- 26501301
TI  - Research Priorities for NCD Prevention and Climate Change: An International
      Delphi Survey.
AB  - Climate change and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are arguably the greatest
      global challenges of the 21st Century. However, the confluence between them
      remains under-examined and there is little evidence of a comprehensive,
      systematic approach to identifying research priorities to mitigate their joint
      impact. Consequently, we: (i) convened a workshop of academics (n = 25) from the
      Worldwide Universities Network to identify priority areas at the interface
      between NCDs and climate change; (ii) conducted a Delphi survey of international
      opinion leaders in public health and relevant other disciplines; and (iii)
      convened an expert panel to review and advise on final priorities. Three research
      areas (water security; transport; conceptualising NCD harms to support policy
      formation) were listed among the top 10 priorities by >90% of Delphi respondents,
      and ranked among the top 12 priorities by >60% of respondents who ranked the
      order of priority. A fourth area (reducing the carbon footprint of cities) was
      ranked highest by the same >60% of respondents. Our results are consistent with
      existing frameworks on health and climate change, and extends them by focusing
      specifically on NCDs. Researching these priorities could progress understanding
      of climate change and NCDs, and inform global and national policy decisions for
      mitigating associated harms. 

PMID- 26501302
TI  - The Effects of Targeted Deliveries of Lovastatin and Tocotrienol on Ossification
      Related Gene Expressions in Fracture Healing in an Osteoporosis Rat Model.
AB  - Osteoporotic drugs are used to prevent fragility fractures, but their role in
      fracture healing still remains unknown. Thus, alternative agents with suitable
      mode of delivery are needed to promote fracture healing. This study was performed
      to investigate the effects of direct deliveries of lovastatin and tocotrienol to
      fracture sites on ossification-related gene expression in fracture healing in a
      postmenopausal osteoporosis model. Forty-eight Sprague Dawley female rats were
      divided into six groups. Group I comprised the sham-operated rats, while Groups
      II-VI were ovariectomized rats. After 8 weeks, the right tibiae of all rats were
      fractured and stabilized. Group I and Group II were given two single injections
      of lovastatin and tocotrienol carriers. Group III was given an estrogen
      preparation at 64.5 ug/kg daily via oral gavages. Group IV was injected with
      lovastatin particles (750 ug/kg), while Group V was injected with tocotrienol
      particles (60 mg/kg). Group VI received two single injections of 750 ug/kg
      lovastatin particles and 60 mg/kg tocotrienol particles. After 4 weeks, the gene
      expressions were measured. Group VI showed significantly higher gene expressions
      of osteocalcin, BMP-2, VEGF-alpha, and RUNX-2 compared to Group II. In
      conclusion, combined treatment of lovastatin and tocotrienol upregulated the
      expression of genes related to fracture healing. 

PMID- 26501303
TI  - Occupational Exposure to Urban Air Pollution and Allergic Diseases.
AB  - Exposure to air pollution is associated with increased morbidity from
      cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer, respiratory and allergic diseases. The aim
      of this study was to investigate allergic diseases in 111 traffic wardens
      compared to a control group of 101 administrative employees. All participating
      subjects underwent a physical examination, in which a complete medical history
      was taken and a dedicated allergological questionnaire administered. Spirometry,
      Specific IgE dosage (RAST) and skin prick tests (SPT) were done. Diagnostic
      investigations such as the nasal cytology, a specific nasal provocation test and
      rhinomanometry were also performed. Statistical analyses were performed using
      STATA version 11. The percentage of subjects with a diagnosis of allergy was
      higher in the exposed workers than in the controls. As regards the clinical
      tests, the positivity was higher for the group of exposed subjects. Among the
      exposed workers, those who worked on foot or motorcycle had a higher positivity
      in clinical trials compared to the traffic wardens who used the car. Our study
      showed a higher percentage of allergic subjects in the group of workers exposed
      to outdoor pollutants than in the controls. These results suggest that
      allergological tests should be included in the health surveillance protocols for
      workers exposed to outdoor pollutants. 

PMID- 26501304
TI  - Changes in Active Commuting to School in Czech Adolescents in Different Types of
      Built Environment across a 10-Year Period.
AB  - Active commuting (AC) to school represents a great opportunity to incorporate
      walking or cycling into adolescents' everyday routine. The objective of the study
      was to describe changes in AC in Czech adolescents across a 10-year period in
      different built environments. Data from the 2001 and 2011 Czech Census of
      Population and Housing were used to examine the mode of transportation taken to
      school in 6236 adolescents. Changes in AC over time were analyzed for low and
      high walkable areas separately in two Czech regional cities, Olomouc and Hradec
      Kralove. Between 2001 and 2011, the proportion of adolescents actively commuting
      to school decreased by 47%, from an absolute rate of 49.1% to 26%. The proportion
      of active commuters fell in low walkable areas by 61% and in high walkable areas
      by 39%. The results indicated that adolescents in 2011 were 2.7 times less (OR =
      0.365, p < 0.001) likely to actively commute than in 2001. The AC behavior in
      Czech adolescents has a negative tendency to replicate travel-to-school patterns
      in adolescents previously described in more developed countries. The findings
      might serve as a recommendation for municipal policy. 

PMID- 26501305
TI  - Relationships between Sleep Behaviors and Unintentional Injury in Southern
      Chinese School-Aged Children: A Population-Based Study.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between sleep behaviors
      and injury occurrence among Chinese school-aged children. Data were collected
      with self-administered questionnaires of a cross-sectional survey which covered
      the school-aged children from southeastern Chinese urban and rural areas in April
      2010. Information was collected on unintentional injury in the past year, sleep
      duration, napping and daytime fatigue, sleeping pill use, and social-demographic
      variables. Multivariable logistic regression analyses, controlling for
      confounding factors, were conducted to assess sleep-related variables that were
      associated with injuries. Students who slept for less than 8 h had a 30%
      increased risk of injury (OR: 1.30; 95%CI: 1.01-1.69) compared with those who
      slept for 8-9 h. Lack of napping, snoring and use of sleeping pills were
      significantly associated with injury. Among different genders, the slight
      difference in sleep behaviors predicted the occurrence of injury. Rural children
      displayed more sleep behaviors associated with injury than urban children. The
      sleep behaviors of primary school students were more negatively correlated with
      injury occurrence than junior/senior high school children. Consideration should
      be given to the prevention of problematic sleep behaviors as a potential risk
      factor in order to decrease injury rates and promote the health of school-aged
      children. 

PMID- 26501306
TI  - Help Received for Perceived Needs Related to Mental Health in a Montreal (Canada)
      Epidemiological Catchment Area.
AB  - This study sought to identify variables associated with help received in terms of
      information, medication, counselling and total help received (including other
      needs) among 571 individuals needing health care services for mental health
      problems. Study participants were randomly selected from an epidemiological
      survey. Data on help received were collected using the Canadian version of the
      Perceived Need for Care Questionnaire (PNCQ), and were analyzed using a
      multinomial logistic regression model. Most help received was in the form of
      counselling, followed by medication and information. Compared with individuals
      who received no help, those who reported receiving help for all their needs were
      more likely to have psychological distress, to be non-verbally aggressive, to
      consult more healthcare professionals, to be men and to be somewhat older.
      Compared with individuals who received no help, those who received partial help
      were more likely to be not addicted to drugs or alcohol, to consult more
      healthcare professionals, and to be older. Healthcare services should prioritize
      strategies (e.g., early detection, outreach, public education on mental and
      addiction disorders) that address barriers to help seeking among youth, as well
      as individuals addicted to drugs and alcohol or those presenting with aggressive
      behavior. 

PMID- 26501307
TI  - Association of Sand Dust Particles with Pulmonary Function and Respiratory
      Symptoms in Adult Patients with Asthma in Western Japan Using Light Detection and
      Ranging: A Panel Study.
AB  - Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) can estimate daily volumes of sand dust
      particles from the East Asian desert to Japan. The objective of this study was to
      investigate the relationship between sand dust particles and pulmonary function,
      and respiratory symptoms in adult patients with asthma. One hundred thirty-seven
      patients were included in the study. From March 2013 to May 2013, the patients
      measured their morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) and kept daily lower
      respiratory symptom diaries. A linear mixed model was used to estimate the
      correlation of the median daily levels of sand dust particles, symptoms scores,
      and PEF. A heavy sand dust day was defined as an hourly concentration of sand
      dust particles of >0.1 km(-1). By this criterion, there were 8 heavy sand dust
      days during the study period. Elevated sand dust particles levels were
      significantly associated with the symptom score (0.04; 95% confidence interval
      (CI); 0.03, 0.05), and this increase persisted for 5 days. There was no
      significant association between PEF and heavy dust exposure (0.01 L/min; 95% CI, 
      0.62, 0.11). The present study found that sand dust particles were significantly
      associated with worsened lower respiratory tract symptoms in adult patients with
      asthma, but not with pulmonary function. 

PMID- 26501308
TI  - Coarse Particulate Air Pollution Associated with Increased Risk of Hospital
      Admissions for Respiratory Diseases in a Tropical City, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
AB  - This study was undertaken to determine whether there was an association between
      coarse particles (PM2.5-10) levels and frequency of hospital admissions for
      respiratory diseases (RD) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Hospital admissions for RD
      including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and pneumonia,
      and ambient air pollution data levels for Kaohsiung were obtained for the period
      from 2006 to 2010. The relative risk of hospital admissions for RD was estimated
      using a case-crossover approach, controlling for weather variables, day of the
      week, seasonality, and long-term time trends. For the single pollutant model
      (without adjustment for other pollutants), increased rate of admissions for RD
      were significantly associated with higher coarse PM levels only on cool days (<25
      degrees C), with a 10 ug/m3 elevation in PM2.5-10 concentrations associated with
      a 3% (95% CI = 1%-5%) rise in COPD admissions, 4% (95% CI = 1%-7%) increase in
      asthma admissions, and 3% (95% CI = 2%-4%) rise in pneumonia admissions. No
      significant associations were found between coarse particle levels and the number
      of hospital admissions for RD on warm days. In the two-pollutant models, PM2.5-10
      levels remained significantly correlated with higher rate of RD admissions even
      controlling for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, or ozone on
      cool days. This study provides evidence that higher levels of PM2.5-10 enhance
      the risk of hospital admissions for RD on cool days.

PMID- 26501309
TI  - Thyroid Disruption in Zebrafish Larvae by Short-Term Exposure to Bisphenol AF.
AB  - Bisphenol AF (BPAF) is extensively used as a raw material in industry, resulting
      in its widespread distribution in the aqueous environment. However, the effect of
      BPAF on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroidal (HPT) axis remains unknown. For
      elucidating the disruptive effects of BPAF on thyroid function and expression of
      the representative genes along the HPT axis in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos,
      whole-body total 3,3',5-triiodothyronine (TT3), total 3,5,3',5'
      tetraiodothyronine (TT4), free 3,3',5-triiodothyronine (FT3) and free 3,5,3',5'
      tetraiodothyronine (FT4) levels were examined following 168 h post-fertilization
      exposure to different BPAF concentrations (0, 5, 50 and 500 MUg/L). The results
      showed that whole-body TT3, TT4, FT3 and FT4 contents decreased significantly
      with the BPAF treatment, indicating an endocrine disruption of thyroid. The
      expression of thyroid-stimulating hormone-beta and thyroglobulin genes increased
      after exposing to 50 MUg/L BPAF in seven-day-old larvae. The expressions of
      thyronine deiodinases type 1, type 2 and transthyretin mRNAs were also
      significantly up-regulated, which were possibly associated with a deterioration
      of thyroid function. However, slc5a5 gene transcription was significantly down
      regulated at 50 MUg/L and 500 MUg/L BPAF exposure. Furthermore, tralpha and
      trbeta genes were down-regulated transcriptionally after BPAF exposure. It
      demonstrates that BPAF exposure triggered thyroid endocrine toxicity by altering
      the whole-body contents of thyroid hormones and changing the transcription of the
      genes involved in the HPT axis in zebrafish larvae. 

PMID- 26501310
TI  - Trace Elements Speciation of Submicron Particulate Matter (PM1) Collected in the
      Surroundings of Power Plants.
AB  - This study reports the concentrations of PM1 trace elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Hg,
      Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb and Se) content in highly mobile (F1), mobile (F2), less mobile
      (F3) and not mobile (F4) fractions in samples that were collected in the
      surroundings of power plants in southern Poland. It also reports source
      identification by enrichment factors (EF) and a principal component analysis
      (PCA). There is limited availability of scientific data concerning the chemical
      composition of dust, including fractionation analyses of trace elements, in the
      surroundings of power plants. The present study offers important results in order
      to fill this data gap. The data collected in this study can be utilized to
      validate air quality models in this rapidly developing area. They are also
      crucial for comparisons with datasets from similar areas all over the world.
      Moreover, the identification of the bioavailability of selected carcinogenic and
      toxic elements in the future might be used as output data for potential
      biological and population research on risk assessment. This is important in the
      context of air pollution being hazardous to human health. 

PMID- 26501311
TI  - A 2,5-Dihydroxybenzoic Acid-Gelatin Conjugate: The Synthesis, Antiviral Activity
      and Mechanism of Antiviral Action Against Two Alphaherpesviruses.
AB  - Various natural and synthetic polyanionic polymers with different chemical
      structures are known to exhibit potent antiviral activity in vitro toward a
      variety of enveloped viruses and may be considered as promising therapeutic
      agents. A water-soluble conjugate of 2,5-dihydroxybezoic acid (2,5-DHBA) with
      gelatin was synthesized by laccase-catalyzed oxidation of 2,5-DHBA in the
      presence of gelatin, and its antiviral activity against pseudorabies virus (PRV)
      and bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BoHV-1), two members of the Alphaherpesvirinae
      subfamily, was studied. The conjugate produced no direct cytotoxic effect on
      cells, and did not inhibit cell growth at concentrations up to 1000 ug/mL. It
      exhibited potent antiviral activity against PRV (IC50, 1.5-15 ug/mL for different
      virus strains) and BoHV-1 (IC50, 0.5-0.7 ug/mL). When present during virus
      adsorption, the conjugate strongly inhibited the attachment of PRV and BoHV-1 to
      cells. The 2,5-DHBA-gelatin conjugate had no direct virucidal effect on the
      viruses and did not influence their penetration into cells, cell-to-cell spread,
      production of infectious virus particles in cells, and expression of PRV
      glycoproteins E and B. The results indicated that the 2,5-DHBA-gelatin conjugate
      strongly inhibits the adsorption of alphaherpesviruses to cells and can be a
      promising synthetic polymer for the development of antiviral formulations against
      alphaherpesvirus infections. 

PMID- 26501312
TI  - Respiratory Syncytial Virus Persistence in Murine Macrophages Impairs IFN-beta
      Response but Not Synthesis.
AB  - Type-I interferon (IFN-I) production is an early response to viral infection and
      pathogenic viruses have evolved multiple strategies to evade this cellular
      defense. Some viruses can establish and maintain persistent infections by
      altering the IFN-I signaling pathway. Here, we studied IFN-I synthesis and
      response in an in vitro model of persistent infection by respiratory syncytial
      virus (RSV) in a murine macrophage-like cell line. In this model, interferon
      regulatory factor 3 was constitutively active and located at nuclei of
      persistently infected cells, inducing expression of IFN-beta mRNA and protein.
      However, persistently infected macrophages did not respond in an autocrine manner
      to the secreted-IFN-beta or to recombinant-IFN-beta, since phosphorylated-STAT1
      was not detected by western blot and transcription of the interferon-stimulated
      genes (ISGs) Mx1 and ISG56 was not induced. Treatment of non-infected macrophages
      with supernatants from persistently infected cells induced STAT1 phosphorylation
      and ISGs expression, mediated by the IFN-I present in the supernatants, because
      blocking the IFN-I receptor inhibited STAT1 phosphorylation. Results suggest that
      the lack of autocrine response to IFN-I by the host cell may be one mechanism for
      maintenance of RSV persistence. Furthermore, STAT1 phosphorylation and ISGs
      expression induced in non-infected cells by supernatants from persistently
      infected macrophages suggest that RSV persistence may trigger a proinflammatory
      phenotype in non-infected cells as part of the pathogenesis of RSV infection. 

PMID- 26501313
TI  - Emerging Roles of Viroporins Encoded by DNA Viruses: Novel Targets for
      Antivirals?
AB  - Studies have highlighted the essential nature of a group of small, highly
      hydrophobic, membrane embedded, channel-forming proteins in the life cycles of a
      growing number of RNA viruses. These viroporins mediate the flow of ions and a
      range of solutes across cellular membranes and are necessary for manipulating a
      myriad of host processes. As such they contribute to all stages of the virus life
      cycle. Recent discoveries have identified proteins encoded by the small DNA tumor
      viruses that display a number of viroporin like properties. This review article
      summarizes the recent developments in our understanding of these novel
      viroporins; describes their roles in the virus life cycles and in pathogenesis
      and speculates on their potential as targets for anti-viral therapeutic
      intervention. 

PMID- 26501314
TI  - Effects of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa Leaf Extract on Staphylococcal Adhesion and
      Invasion in Bovine Udder Epidermal Tissue Model.
AB  - Bovine mastitis is one of the most important infectious diseases in dairy herds,
      and staphylococci are the most important etiologic agents of this disease.
      Antibiotics and chemical agents used in livestock for prevention and cure of the
      disease can accumulate in milk and give rise to food safety concerns. Rhodomyrtus
      tomentosa leaf extract was studied as an alternative approach to reduce the
      bacterial infections. The ethanolic extract of this plant demonstrated
      antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values as low
      as 16-64 MUg/mL against staphylococcal isolates. In addition, the extract had an
      effect on the bacterial cell surface properties by increasing its hydrophobicity
      in a concentration dependent manner. To further extend the antibacterial
      efficacy, silver nanoparticles synthesized with the extract, a pure rhodomyrtone,
      and liposomal encapsulated rhodomyrtone were applied and their inhibitory effects
      on bacterial adhesion and invasion were determined by ex vivo study in a bovine
      udder epidermal tissue model. These agents exerted remarkable antibacterial
      activity against staphylococci and decreased the adhesion of the bacterial cells
      to the tissues. These results supported that R. tomentosa ethanolic extract could
      be applied as an alternative agent for bovine udder care in dairy farms.

PMID- 26501315
TI  - Effects of Dietary Plant Sterols and Stanol Esters with Low- and High-Fat Diets
      in Chronic and Acute Models for Experimental Colitis.
AB  - In this study, we evaluated the effects of dietary plant sterols and stanols as
      their fatty acid esters on the development of experimental colitis. The effects
      were studied both in high- and low-fat diet conditions in two models, one acute
      and another chronic model of experimental colitis that resembles gene expression
      in human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In the first experiments in the high
      fat diet (HFD), we did not observe a beneficial effect of the addition of plant
      sterols and stanols on the development of acute dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)
      colitis. In the chronic CD4CD45RB T cell transfer colitis model, we mainly
      observed an effect of the presence of high fat on the development of colitis. In
      this HFD condition, the presence of plant sterol or stanol did not result in any
      additional effect. In the second experiments with low fat, we could clearly
      observe a beneficial effect of the addition of plant sterols on colitis
      parameters in the T cell transfer model, but not in the DSS model. This positive
      effect was related to the gender of the mice and on Treg presence in the colon.
      This suggests that especially dietary plant sterol esters may improve intestinal
      inflammation in a T cell dependent manner.

PMID- 26501316
TI  - Antidiabetic Effects of Yam (Dioscorea batatas) and Its Active Constituent,
      Allantoin, in a Rat Model of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacies of
      crude yam (Dioscorea batatas) powder (PY), water extract of yam (EY), and
      allantoin (the active constituent of yam) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced
      diabetic rats with respect to glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1),
      C-peptide, glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc), lipid metabolism, and oxidative stress.
      For this purpose, 50 rats were divided into five groups: normal control (NC),
      diabetic control (STZ), and STZ plus treatment groups (STZ + PY, STZ + EY, and
      STZ + allantoin). After treatment for one-month, there was a decrease in blood
      glucose: 385 +/- 7 in STZ, 231 +/- 3 in STZ + PY, 214 +/- 11 in STZ + EY, and 243
      +/- 6 mg/dL in STZ + allantoin, respectively. There were significant statistical
      differences (p < 0.001) compared to STZ (100%): 60% in STZ + PY, 55% in STZ + EY,
      and 63% in STZ + allantoin. With groups in the same order, there were significant
      decreases (p < 0.001) in HbAlc (100% as 24.4 +/- 0.6 ng/mL, 78%, 75%, and 77%),
      total cholesterol (100% as 122 +/- 3 mg/dL, 70%, 67%, and 69%), and low-density
      lipoprotein (100% as 29 +/- 1 mg/dL, 45%, 48%, and 38%). There were also
      significant increases (p < 0.001) in insulin (100% as 0.22 +/- 0.00 ng/mL, 173%,
      209%, and 177%), GLP-1 (100% as 18.4 +/- 0.7 pmol/mL, 160%, 166%, and 162%), and
      C-peptide (100% as 2.56 +/- 0.10 ng/mL, 129%, 132%, and 130%). The treatment
      effectively ameliorated antioxidant stress as shown by a significant decrease (p
      < 0.001) in malondialdehyde (100% as 7.25 +/- 0.11 nmol/mL, 87%, 86%, and 85%)
      together with increases (p < 0.01) in superoxide dismutase (100% as 167 +/- 6
      IU/mL, 147%, 159%, and 145%) and reduced glutathione (100% as 167 +/- 6 nmol/mL,
      123%, 141%, and 140%). The results indicate that yam and allantoin have
      antidiabetic effects by modulating antioxidant activities, lipid profiles and by
      promoting the release of GLP-1, thereby improving the function of beta-cells
      maintaining normal insulin and glucose levels.

PMID- 26501317
TI  - Prevalence and Predictors of Functional Vitamin K Insufficiency in Mothers and
      Newborns in Uganda.
AB  - Vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) in infancy is a serious but preventable
      cause of mortality or permanent disability. Lack of epidemiologic data for VKDB
      in sub-Saharan Africa hinders development and implementation of effective
      prevention strategies. We used convenience sampling to consecutively enroll
      mothers delivering in a southwestern Uganda Hospital. We collected socio
      demographic and dietary information, and paired samples of maternal venous and
      neonatal cord blood for the immunoassay of undercarboxylated prothrombin (PIVKA
      II), a sensitive marker of functional vitamin K (VK) insufficiency. We used
      univariable and multivariable logistic regression models to identify predictors
      of VK insufficiency. We detected PIVKA-II of >=0.2 AU (Arbitrary Units per mL)/mL
      (indicative of VK insufficiency) in 33.3% (47/141) of mothers and 66% (93/141) of
      newborns. Importantly, 22% of babies had PIVKA-II concentrations >=5.0 AU/mL,
      likely to be associated with abnormal coagulation indices. We found no
      significant predictors of newborn VK insufficiency, including infant weight (AOR
      (adjusted odds ratio) 1.85, 95% CI (confidence interval) 0.15-22.49), gender (AOR
      0.54, 95% CI 0.26-1.11), term birth (AOR 0.72, 95% CI 0.20-2.62), maternal VK
      rich diet (AOR 1.13, 95% CI 0.55-2.35) or maternal VK insufficiency (AOR 0.99,
      95% CI 0.47-2.10). VK insufficiency is common among mothers and newborn babies in
      southwestern Uganda, which in one fifth of babies nears overt deficiency. Lack of
      identifiable predictors of newborn VK insufficiency support strategies for
      universal VK prophylaxis to newborns to prevent VKDB.

PMID- 26501319
TI  - Beyond Food Promotion: A Systematic Review on the Influence of the Food Industry
      on Obesity-Related Dietary Behaviour among Children.
AB  - An increased consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor food and beverages as a
      result of a changing obesogenic environment contributes substantially to the
      increasing prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity. This paper reviews the
      nature and extent of food industry influences which expose children to commercial
      influences and thus might affect unhealthy dietary behaviour and finally
      contributes to obesity. A systematic search of nine electronic databases
      (including PubMed, PsycINFO, EconLit) and reference lists of original studies and
      reviews using key search terms identified 1900 articles. Of these only thirty-six
      articles met the inclusion and quality criteria. A narrative synthesis of the
      reviewed studies revealed six key obesogenic environments by which the food
      industry possibly influences obesity-related dietary behaviours in young
      children. These were schools, retailers, mass media "television", mass media
      "internet", home and promotional campaigns. Identifying these obesogenic
      environments is critical for monitoring and controlling the food industry, the
      development of effective environmental-level interventions to prevent childhood
      overweight and obesity and to identify knowledge gaps to be addressed in future
      research to support informed decisions of policy makers.

PMID- 26501318
TI  - The Association of a Mediterranean-Style Diet Pattern with Polycystic Ovary
      Syndrome Status in a Community Cohort Study.
AB  - Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition in reproductive-aged
      women. While lifestyle management is first-line treatment in PCOS, the dietary
      intake of women with PCOS is unclear and there is no research assessing dietary
      patterns of women with and without PCOS. The aim of this study was to examine
      dietary patterns in a large cohort of women with and without PCOS. Data were from
      7569 participants in the 1973-1978 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on
      Women's Health population assessed at 2009 (Survey 5) (n = 414 PCOS, n = 7155 non
      PCOS). Dietary patterns were evaluated using factor analysis and multiple
      logistic regressions assessed their associations with PCOS status. Three dietary
      patterns were identified that explained 27% of the variance in food intake
      between women with and without PCOS: Non-core foods; Meats and take-away and
      Mediterranean-style. The Mediterranean-style dietary pattern was independently
      associated with PCOS status. On adjusted analysis for each 1 SD increase in the
      Mediterranean-style dietary pattern, there was a 26% greater likelihood that
      women had PCOS. This may indicate an improvement in the quality of dietary intake
      following a diagnosis of PCOS. Future research should examine the contribution of
      dietary patterns to the incidence and severity of PCOS and the potential for
      modification of dietary patterns in the lifestyle management of PCOS.

PMID- 26501320
TI  - EDIN-B Promotes the Translocation of Staphylococcus aureus to the Bloodstream in
      the Course of Pneumonia.
AB  - It is crucial to define risk factors that contribute to host invasion by
      Staphylococcus aureus. Here, we demonstrate that the chromosomally encoded EDIN-B
      isoform from S. aureus contributes to the onset of bacteremia during the course
      of pneumonia. Deletion of edinB in a European lineage community-acquired
      methicillin resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) strain (ST80-MRSA-IV) dramatically
      decreased the frequency and magnitude of bacteremia in mice suffering from
      pneumonia. This deletion had no effect on the bacterial burden in both blood
      circulation and lung tissues. Re-expression of wild-type EDIN-B, unlike the
      catalytically inactive mutant EDIN-R185E, restored the invasive characteristics
      of ST80-MRSA-IV. 

PMID- 26501321
TI  - The Inhibitory Effect of Botulinum Toxin Type A on Rat Pyloric Smooth Muscle
      Contractile Response to Substance P In Vitro.
AB  - A decrease in pyloric myoelectrical activity and pyloric substance P (SP) content
      following intrasphincteric injection of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) in free
      move rats have been demonstrated in our previous studies. The aim of the present
      study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of BTX-A on rat pyloric muscle
      contractile response to SP in vitro and the distributions of SP and neurokinin 1
      receptor (NK1R) immunoreactive (IR) cells and fibers within pylorus. After
      treatment with atropine, BTX-A (10 U/mL), similar to [D-Arg1, D-Phe5, D-Trp(7,9),
      Leu(11)]-SP (APTL-SP, 1 MUmol/L) which is an NK1R antagonist, decreased electric
      field stimulation (EFS)-induced contractile tension and frequency, whereas,
      subsequent administration of APTL-SP did not act on contractility. Incubation
      with BTX-A at 4 and 10 U/mL for 4 h respectively decreased SP (1 MUmol/L)-induced
      contractions by 26.64% +/- 5.12% and 74.92% +/- 3.62%. SP-IR fibers and NK1R-IR
      cells both located within pylorus including mucosa and circular muscle layer.
      However, fewer SP-fibers were observed in pylorus treated with BTX-A (10 U/mL).
      In conclusion, BTX-A inhibits SP release from enteric terminals in pylorus and
      EFS-induced contractile responses when muscarinic cholinergic receptors are
      blocked by atropine. In addition, BTX-A concentration- and time-dependently
      directly inhibits SP-induced pyloric smooth muscle contractility. 

PMID- 26501322
TI  - Risk Assessment on Dietary Exposure to Aflatoxin B1 in Post-Harvest Peanuts in
      the Yangtze River Ecological Region.
AB  - Based on the 2983 peanut samples from 122 counties in six provinces of China's
      Yangtze River ecological region collected between 2009-2014, along with the
      dietary consumption data in Chinese resident nutrition and health survey reports
      from 2002 and 2004, dietary aflatoxin exposure and percentiles in the
      corresponding statistics were calculated by non-parametric probability
      assessment, Monte Carlo simulation and bootstrap sampling methods. Average
      climatic conditions in the Yangtze River ecological region were calculated based
      on the data from 118 weather stations via the Thiessen polygon method. The survey
      results found that the aflatoxin contamination of peanuts was significantly high
      in 2013. The determination coefficient (R2) of multiple regression reflected by
      the aflatoxin B1 content with average precipitation and mean temperature in
      different periods showed that climatic conditions one month before harvest had
      the strongest impact on aflatoxin B1 contamination, and that Hunan and Jiangxi
      provinces were greatly influenced. The simulated mean aflatoxin B1 intake from
      peanuts at the mean peanut consumption level was 0.777-0.790 and 0.343-0.349
      ng/(kg.d) for children aged 2-6 and standard adults respectively. Moreover, the
      evaluated cancer risks were 0.024 and 0.011/(100,000 persons.year) respectively,
      generally less than China's current liver cancer incidence of 24.6 cases/(100,000
      persons.year). In general, the dietary risk caused by peanut production and
      harvest was low. Further studies would focus on the impacts of peanut circulation
      and storage on aflatoxin B1 contamination risk assessment in order to protect
      peanut consumers' safety and boost international trade. 

PMID- 26501323
TI  - Bioactive Mimetics of Conotoxins and other Venom Peptides.
AB  - Ziconotide (Prialt(r)), a synthetic version of the peptide omega-conotoxin MVIIA
      found in the venom of a fish-hunting marine cone snail Conus magnus, is one of
      very few drugs effective in the treatment of intractable chronic pain. However,
      its intrathecal mode of delivery and narrow therapeutic window cause
      complications for patients. This review will summarize progress in the
      development of small molecule, non-peptidic mimics of Conotoxins and a small
      number of other venom peptides. This will include a description of how some of
      the initially designed mimics have been modified to improve their drug-like
      properties. 

PMID- 26501325
TI  - Photoreceptor Sensory Cilium: Traversing the Ciliary Gate.
AB  - Cilia are antenna-like extensions of the plasma membrane found in nearly all cell
      types. In the retina of the eye, photoreceptors develop unique sensory cilia. Not
      much was known about the mechanisms underlying the formation and function of
      photoreceptor cilia, largely because of technical limitations and the specific
      structural and functional modifications that cannot be modeled in vitro. With
      recent advances in microscopy techniques and molecular and biochemical
      approaches, we are now beginning to understand the molecular basis of
      photoreceptor ciliary architecture, ciliary function and its involvement in human
      diseases. Here, I will discuss the studies that have revealed new knowledge of
      how photoreceptor cilia regulate their identity and function while coping with
      high metabolic and trafficking demands associated with processing light signal. 

PMID- 26501324
TI  - Development, Maintenance, and Reversal of Multiple Drug Resistance: At the
      Crossroads of TFPI1, ABC Transporters, and HIF1.
AB  - Early detection and improved therapies for many cancers are enhancing survival
      rates. Although many cytotoxic therapies are approved for aggressive or
      metastatic cancer; response rates are low and acquisition of de novo resistance
      is virtually universal. For decades; chemotherapeutic treatments for cancer have
      included anthracyclines such as Doxorubicin (DOX); and its use in aggressive
      tumors appears to remain a viable option; but drug resistance arises against DOX;
      as for all other classes of compounds. Our recent work suggests the anticoagulant
      protein Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor 1alpha (TFPI1alpha) plays a role in
      driving the development of multiple drug resistance (MDR); but not maintenance;
      of the MDR state. Other factors; such as the ABC transporter drug efflux pumps
      MDR-1/P-gp (ABCB1) and BCRP (ABCG2); are required for MDR maintenance; as well as
      development. The patient population struggling with therapeutic resistance
      specifically requires novel treatment options to resensitize these tumor cells to
      therapy. In this review we discuss the development, maintenance, and reversal of
      MDR as three distinct phases of cancer biology. Possible means to exploit these
      stages to reverse MDR will be explored. Early molecular detection of MDRcancers
      before clinical failure has the potential to offer new approaches to
      fightingMDRcancer. 

PMID- 26501327
TI  - A Synthetic Virus-Like Particle Streptococcal Vaccine Candidate Using B-Cell
      Epitopes from the Proline-Rich Region of Pneumococcal Surface Protein A.
AB  - Alternatives to the well-established capsular polysaccharide-based vaccines
      against Streptococcus pneumoniae that circumvent limitations arising from limited
      serotype coverage and the emergence of resistance due to capsule switching
      (serotype replacement) are being widely pursued. Much attention is now focused on
      the development of recombinant subunit vaccines based on highly conserved
      pneumococcal surface proteins and virulence factors. A further step might involve
      focusing the host humoral immune response onto protective protein epitopes using
      as immunogens structurally optimized epitope mimetics. One approach to deliver
      such epitope mimetics to the immune system is through the use of synthetic virus
      like particles (SVLPs). SVLPs are made from synthetic coiled-coil lipopeptides
      that are designed to spontaneously self-assemble into 20-30 nm diameter
      nanoparticles in aqueous buffer. Multivalent display of epitope mimetics on the
      surface of SVLPs generates highly immunogenic nanoparticles that elicit strong
      epitope-specific humoral immune responses without the need for external
      adjuvants. Here, we set out to demonstrate that this approach can yield vaccine
      candidates able to elicit a protective immune response, using epitopes derived
      from the proline-rich region of pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA). These
      streptococcal SVLP-based vaccine candidates are shown to elicit strong humoral
      immune responses in mice. Following active immunization and challenge with lethal
      doses of streptococcus, SVLP-based immunogens are able to elicit significant
      protection in mice. Furthermore, a mimetic-specific monoclonal antibody is shown
      to mediate partial protection upon passive immunization. The results show that
      SVLPs combined with synthetic epitope mimetics may have potential for the
      development of an effective vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae. 

PMID- 26501326
TI  - Caffeine Consuming Children and Adolescents Show Altered Sleep Behavior and Deep
      Sleep.
AB  - Caffeine is the most commonly ingested psychoactive drug worldwide with
      increasing consumption rates among young individuals. While caffeine leads to
      decreased sleep quality in adults, studies investigating how caffeine consumption
      affects children's and adolescents' sleep remain scarce. We explored the effects
      of regular caffeine consumption on sleep behavior and the sleep
      electroencephalogram (EEG) in children and adolescents (10-16 years). While later
      habitual bedtimes (Caffeine 23:14 +/- 11.4, Controls 22:17 +/- 15.4) and less
      time in bed were found in caffeine consumers compared to the control group
      (Caffeine 08:10 +/- 13.3, Controls 09:03 +/- 16.1), morning tiredness was
      unaffected. Furthermore, caffeine consumers exhibited reduced sleep EEG slow-wave
      activity (SWA, 1-4.5 Hz) at the beginning of the night compared to controls (20%
      +/- 9% average reduction across all electrodes and subjects). Comparable
      reductions were found for alpha activity (8.25-9.75 Hz). These effects, however,
      disappeared in the morning hours. Our findings suggest that caffeine consumption
      in adolescents may lead to later bedtimes and reduced SWA, a well-established
      marker of sleep depth. Because deep sleep is involved in recovery processes
      during sleep, further research is needed to understand whether a caffeine-induced
      loss of sleep depth interacts with neuronal network refinement processes that
      occur during the sensitive period of adolescent development. 

PMID- 26501329
TI  - Enhanced Fermentative Hydrogen and Methane Production from an Inhibitory Fruit
      Flavored Medium with Membrane-Encapsulated Cells.
AB  - This study focused on the possibility of improving fermentative hydrogen and
      methane production from an inhibitory fruit-flavored medium using polyvinylidene
      fluoride (PVDF) membrane-encapsulated cells. Hexanal, myrcene, and octanol, which
      are naturally produced in fruits such as apple, grape, mango, orange, strawberry,
      and plum, were investigated. Batch and semi-continuous fermentation processes at
      55  degrees C were carried out. Presence of 5 g/L of myrcene, octanol, and
      hexanal resulted in no methane formation by fermenting bacteria, while
      encapsulated cells in the membranes resulted in successful fermentation with 182,
      111, and 150 mL/g COD of methane, respectively. The flavor inhibitions were not
      serious on hydrogen-producing bacteria. With free cells in the presence of 5 g/L
      (final concentration) of hexanal-, myrcene-, and octanol-flavored media, average
      daily yields of 68, 133, and 88 mL/g COD of hydrogen, respectively, were
      obtained. However, cell encapsulation further improved these hydrogen yields to
      189, 179, and 198 mL/g COD. The results from this study indicate that the yields
      of fermentative hydrogen and methane productions from an inhibitory medium could
      be improved using encapsulated cells. 

PMID- 26501330
TI  - Bio-Environment-Induced Degradation and Failure of Internal Fixation Implants.
AB  - Internal fixations provide fast healing but their failure remains problematic to
      patients. Here, we report an experimental study in failure of three typical cases
      of metals: a bent intramedullary stainless steel nail, a broken exterior pure Ti
      plate, and a broken intramedullary stainless steel nail. Characterization of the
      bent nail indicates that those metals are vulnerable to corrosion with the
      evidence of increased surface roughness and embrittlement. Depredated surface of
      the Ti plate resulted debris particles in the surrounding tissue of 15.2 +/- 6.5
      MUm in size. Nanoparticles were observed in transmission electron microscope. The
      electron diffraction pattern of the debris indicates a combination of
      nanocrystalline and amorphous phases. The failure mode of the broken nail made of
      stainless steel was found to be fatigue initiated from the surface. This study
      clearly shows the biological-attack induced surface degradation resulting in
      debris and fatigue. Future design and selection of implant materials should
      consider such factors for improvement. 

PMID- 26501328
TI  - Membrane Binding and Modulation of the PDZ Domain of PICK1.
AB  - Scaffolding proteins serve to assemble protein complexes in dynamic processes by
      means of specific protein-protein and protein-lipid binding domains. Many of
      these domains bind either proteins or lipids exclusively; however, it has become
      increasingly evident that certain domains are capable of binding both.
      Especially, many PDZ domains, which are highly abundant protein-protein binding
      domains, bind lipids and membranes. Here we provide an overview of recent large
      scale studies trying to generalize and rationalize the binding patterns as well
      as specificity of PDZ domains towards membrane lipids. Moreover, we review how
      these PDZ-membrane interactions are regulated in the case of the synaptic
      scaffolding protein PICK1 and how this might affect cellular localization and
      function. 

PMID- 26501331
TI  - The Tribology of Explanted Hip Resurfacings Following Early Fracture of the
      Femur.
AB  - A recognized issue related to metal-on-metal hip resurfacings is early fracture
      of the femur. Most theories regarding the cause of fracture relate to clinical
      factors but an engineering analysis of failed hip resurfacings has not previously
      been reported. The objective of this work was to determine the wear volumes and
      surface roughness values of a cohort of retrieved hip resurfacings which were
      removed due to early femoral fracture, infection and avascular necrosis (AVN).
      Nine resurfacing femoral heads were obtained following early fracture of the
      femur, a further five were retrieved due to infection and AVN. All fourteen were
      measured for volumetric wear using a co-ordinate measuring machine. Wear rates
      were then calculated and regions of the articulating surface were divided into
      "worn" and "unworn". Roughness values in these regions were measured using a non
      contacting profilometer. The mean time to fracture was 3.7 months compared with
      44.4 months for retrieval due to infection and AVN. Average wear rates in the
      early fracture heads were 64 times greater than those in the infection and AVN
      retrievals. Given the high wear rates of the early fracture components, such wear
      may be linked to an increased risk of femoral neck fracture. 

PMID- 26501332
TI  - Design Principles as a Guide for Constraint Based and Dynamic Modeling: Towards
      an Integrative Workflow.
AB  - During the last 10 years, systems biology has matured from a fuzzy concept
      combining omics, mathematical modeling and computers into a scientific field on
      its own right. In spite of its incredible potential, the multilevel complexity of
      its objects of study makes it very difficult to establish a reliable connection
      between data and models. The great number of degrees of freedom often results in
      situations, where many different models can explain/fit all available datasets.
      This has resulted in a shift of paradigm from the initially dominant, maybe
      naive, idea of inferring the system out of a number of datasets to the
      application of different techniques that reduce the degrees of freedom before any
      data set is analyzed. There is a wide variety of techniques available, each of
      them can contribute a piece of the puzzle and include different kinds of
      experimental information. But the challenge that remains is their meaningful
      integration. Here we show some theoretical results that enable some of the main
      modeling approaches to be applied sequentially in a complementary manner, and how
      this workflow can benefit from evolutionary reasoning to keep the complexity of
      the problem in check. As a proof of concept, we show how the synergies between
      these modeling techniques can provide insight into some well studied problems:
      Ammonia assimilation in bacteria and an unbranched linear pathway with end
      product inhibition. 

PMID- 26501333
TI  - Two-Dimensional N-Glycan Distribution Mapping of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tissues
      by MALDI-Imaging Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - A new mass spectrometry imaging approach to simultaneously map the two
      dimensional distribution of N-glycans in tissues has been recently developed. The
      method uses Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Imaging Mass Spectrometry
      (MALDI-IMS) to spatially profile the location and distribution of multiple N
      linked glycan species released by peptide N-glycosidase F in frozen or formalin
      fixed tissues. Multiple formalin-fixed human hepatocellular carcinoma tissues
      were evaluated with this method, resulting in a panel of over 30 N-glycans
      detected. An ethylation reaction of extracted N-glycans released from adjacent
      slides was done to stabilize sialic acid containing glycans, and these structures
      were compared to N-glycans detected directly from tissue profiling. In addition,
      the distribution of singly fucosylated N-glycans detected in tumor tissue
      microarray cores were compared to the histochemistry staining pattern of a core
      fucose binding lectin. As this MALDI-IMS workflow has the potential to be applied
      to any formalin-fixed tissue block or tissue microarray, the advantages and
      limitations of the technique in context with other glycomic methods are also
      summarized. 

PMID- 26501334
TI  - Alcohol and the Intestine.
AB  - Alcohol abuse is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease and
      can lead to tissue damage and organ dysfunction in a subset of alcoholics.
      However, a subset of alcoholics without any of these predisposing factors can
      develop alcohol-mediated organ injury. The gastrointestinal tract (GI) could be
      an important source of inflammation in alcohol-mediated organ damage. The purpose
      of review was to evaluate mechanisms of alcohol-induced endotoxemia (including
      dysbiosis and gut leakiness), and highlight the predisposing factors for alcohol
      induced dysbiosis and gut leakiness to endotoxins. Barriers, including
      immunologic, physical, and biochemical can regulate the passage of toxins into
      the portal and systemic circulation. In addition, a host of environmental
      interactions including those influenced by circadian rhythms can impact alcohol
      induced organ pathology. There appears to be a role for therapeutic measures to
      mitigate alcohol-induced organ damage by normalizing intestinal dysbiosis and/or
      improving intestinal barrier integrity. Ultimately, the inflammatory process that
      drives progression into organ damage from alcohol appears to be multifactorial.
      Understanding the role of the intestine in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver
      disease can pose further avenues for pathogenic and treatment approaches. 

PMID- 26501335
TI  - Hsp90: A New Player in DNA Repair?
AB  - Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is an evolutionary conserved molecular chaperone
      that, together with Hsp70 and co-chaperones makes up the Hsp90 chaperone
      machinery, stabilizing and activating more than 200 proteins, involved in protein
      homeostasis (i.e., proteostasis), transcriptional regulation, chromatin
      remodeling, and DNA repair. Cells respond to DNA damage by activating complex DNA
      damage response (DDR) pathways that include: (i) cell cycle arrest; (ii)
      transcriptional and post-translational activation of a subset of genes, including
      those associated with DNA repair; and (iii) triggering of programmed cell death.
      The efficacy of the DDR pathways is influenced by the nuclear levels of DNA
      repair proteins, which are regulated by balancing between protein synthesis and
      degradation as well as by nuclear import and export. The inability to respond
      properly to either DNA damage or to DNA repair leads to genetic instability,
      which in turn may enhance the rate of cancer development. Multiple components of
      the DNA double strand breaks repair machinery, including BRCA1, BRCA2, CHK1, DNA
      PKcs, FANCA, and the MRE11/RAD50/NBN complex, have been described to be client
      proteins of Hsp90, which acts as a regulator of the diverse DDR pathways.
      Inhibition of Hsp90 actions leads to the altered localization and stabilization
      of DDR proteins after DNA damage and may represent a cell-specific and tumor
      selective radiosensibilizer. Here, the role of Hsp90-dependent molecular
      mechanisms involved in cancer onset and in the maintenance of the genome
      integrity is discussed and highlighted. 

PMID- 26501337
TI  - Modulation of Intestinal Barrier and Bacterial Endotoxin Production Contributes
      to the Beneficial Effect of Nicotinic Acid on Alcohol-Induced Endotoxemia and
      Hepatic Inflammation in Rats.
AB  - Alcohol consumption causes nicotinic acid deficiency. The present study was
      undertaken to determine whether dietary nicotinic acid supplementation provides
      beneficial effects on alcohol-induced endotoxin signaling and the possible
      mechanisms at the gut-liver axis. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were pair-fed the
      Lieber-DeCarli liquid diets containing ethanol or isocaloric maltose dextrin for
      eight weeks, with or without dietary supplementation with 750 mg/liter nicotinic
      acid. Chronic alcohol feeding elevated the plasma endotoxin level and activated
      hepatic endotoxin signaling cascade, which were attenuated by nicotinic acid
      supplementation. Alcohol consumption remarkably decreased the mRNA levels of
      claudin-1, claudin-5, and ZO-1 in the distal intestine, whereas nicotinic acid
      significantly up-regulated these genes. The concentrations of endotoxin, ethanol,
      and acetaldehyde in the intestinal contents were increased by alcohol exposure,
      and niacin supplementation reduced the intestinal endotoxin and acetaldehyde
      levels. Nicotinic acid supplementation upregulated the intestinal genes involved
      in aldehyde detoxification via transcriptional regulation. These results
      demonstrate that modulation of the intestinal barrier function and bacterial
      endotoxin production accounts for the inhibitory effects of nicotinic acid on
      alcohol-induced endotoxemia and hepatic inflammation. 

PMID- 26501336
TI  - A Mechanistic Review of Mitophagy and Its Role in Protection against Alcoholic
      Liver Disease.
AB  - Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a major health problem worldwide, and alcohol is
      well-known to cause mitochondrial damage, which exacerbates alcohol-induced liver
      injury and steatosis. No successful treatments are currently available for
      treating ALD. Therefore, a better understanding of mechanisms involved in
      regulation of mitochondrial homeostasis in the liver and how these mechanisms may
      protect against alcohol-induced liver disease is needed for future development of
      better therapeutic options for ALD. Mitophagy is a key mechanism for maintaining
      mitochondrial homeostasis by removing damaged mitochondria, and mitophagy
      protects against alcohol-induced liver injury. Parkin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is
      well-known to induce mitophagy in in vitro models although Parkin-independent
      mechanisms for mitophagy induction also exist. In this review, we discuss the
      roles of Parkin and mitophagy in protection against alcohol-induced liver injury
      and steatosis. We also discuss Parkin-independent mechanisms for mitophagy
      induction, which have not yet been evaluated in the liver but may also
      potentially have a protective role against ALD. In addition to mitophagy,
      mitochondrial spheroid formation may also provide a novel mechanism of protection
      against ALD, but the role of mitochondrial spheroids in protection against ALD
      progression needs to be further explored. Targeting removal of damaged
      mitochondria by mitophagy or inducing formation of mitochondrial spheroids may be
      promising therapeutic options for treatment of ALD. 

PMID- 26501338
TI  - Autophagy Protects against CYP2E1/Chronic Ethanol-Induced Hepatotoxicity.
AB  - Autophagy is an intracellular pathway by which lysosomes degrade and recycle long
      lived proteins and cellular organelles. The effects of ethanol on autophagy are
      complex but recent studies have shown that autophagy serves a protective function
      against ethanol-induced liver injury. Autophagy was found to also be protective
      against CYP2E1-dependent toxicity in vitro in HepG2 cells which express CYP2E1
      and in vivo in an acute alcohol/CYPE1-dependent liver injury model. The goal of
      the current report was to extend the previous in vitro and acute in vivo
      experiments to a chronic ethanol model to evaluate whether autophagy is also
      protective against CYP2E1-dependent liver injury in a chronic ethanol-fed mouse
      model. Wild type (WT), CYP2E1 knockout (KO) or CYP2E1 humanized transgenic
      knockin (KI), mice were fed an ethanol liquid diet or control dextrose diet for
      four weeks. In the last week, some mice received either saline or 3-methyladenine
      (3-MA), an inhibitor of autophagy, or rapamycin, which stimulates autophagy.
      Inhibition of autophagy by 3-MA potentiated the ethanol-induced increases in
      serum transaminase and triglyceride levels in the WT and KI mice but not KO mice,
      while rapamycin prevented the ethanol liver injury. Treatment with 3-MA enhanced
      the ethanol-induced fat accumulation in WT mice and caused necrosis in the KI
      mice; little or no effect was found in the ethanol-fed KO mice or any of the
      dextrose-fed mice. 3-MA treatment further lowered the ethanol-decrease in hepatic
      GSH levels and further increased formation of TBARS in WT and KI mice, whereas
      rapamycin blunted these effects of ethanol. Neither 3-MA nor rapamycin treatment
      affected CYP2E1 catalytic activity or content or the induction CYP2E1 by ethanol.
      The 3-MA treatment decreased levels of Beclin-1 and Atg 7 but increased levels of
      p62 in the ethanol-fed WT and KI mice whereas rapamycin had the opposite effects,
      validating inhibition and stimulation of autophagy, respectively. These results
      suggest that autophagy is protective against CYP2E1-dependent liver injury in a
      chronic ethanol-fed mouse model. We speculate that autophagy-dependent processes
      such as mitophagy and lipophagy help to minimize ethanol-induced CYP2E1-dependent
      oxidative stress and therefore the subsequent liver injury and steatosis.
      Attempts to stimulate autophagy may be helpful in lowering ethanol and CYP2E1
      dependent liver toxicity. 

PMID- 26501339
TI  - Alphalpha-Synuclein as a Mediator in the Interplay between Aging and Parkinson's
      Disease.
AB  - Accumulation and misfolding of the alpha-synuclein protein are core mechanisms in
      the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. While the normal function of alpha
      synuclein is mainly related to the control of vesicular neurotransmission, its
      pathogenic effects are linked to various cellular functions, which include
      mitochondrial activity, as well as proteasome and autophagic degradation of
      proteins. Remarkably, these functions are also affected when the renewal of
      macromolecules and organelles becomes impaired during the normal aging process.
      As aging is considered a major risk factor for Parkinson's disease, it is
      critical to explore its molecular and cellular implications in the context of the
      alpha-synuclein pathology. Here, we discuss similarities and differences between
      normal brain aging and Parkinson's disease, with a particular emphasis on the
      nigral dopaminergic neurons, which appear to be selectively vulnerable to the
      combined effects of alpha-synuclein and aging. 

PMID- 26501340
TI  - The La-Related Proteins, a Family with Connections to Cancer.
AB  - The evolutionarily-conserved La-related protein (LARP) family currently comprises
      Genuine La, LARP1, LARP1b, LARP4, LARP4b, LARP6 and LARP7. Emerging evidence
      suggests each LARP has a distinct role in transcription and/or mRNA translation
      that is attributable to subtle sequence variations within their La modules and
      specific C-terminal domains. As emerging research uncovers the function of each
      LARP, it is evident that La, LARP1, LARP6, LARP7 and possibly LARP4a and 4b are
      dysregulated in cancer. Of these, LARP1 is the first to be demonstrated to drive
      oncogenesis. Here, we review the role of each LARP and the evidence linking it to
      malignancy. We discuss a future strategy of targeting members of this protein
      family as cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26501342
TI  - Global N-linked Glycosylation is Not Significantly Impaired in Myoblasts in
      Congenital Myasthenic Syndromes Caused by Defective Glutamine-Fructose-6
      Phosphate Transaminase 1 (GFPT1).
AB  - Glutamine-fructose-6-phosphate transaminase 1 (GFPT1) is the first enzyme of the
      hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. It transfers an amino group from glutamine to
      fructose-6-phosphate to yield glucosamine-6-phosphate, thus providing the
      precursor for uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) synthesis. UDP
      GlcNAc is an essential substrate for all mammalian glycosylation biosynthetic
      pathways and N-glycan branching is especially sensitive to alterations in the
      concentration of this sugar nucleotide. It has been reported that GFPT1 mutations
      lead to a distinct sub-class of congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) termed
      "limb-girdle CMS with tubular aggregates". CMS are hereditary neuromuscular
      transmission disorders in which neuromuscular junctions are impaired. To
      investigate whether alterations in protein glycosylation at the neuromuscular
      junction might be involved in this impairment, we have employed mass
      spectrometric strategies to study the N-glycomes of myoblasts and myotubes
      derived from two healthy controls, three GFPT1 patients, and four patients with
      other muscular diseases, namely CMS caused by mutations in DOK7, myopathy caused
      by mutations in MTND5, limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A (LGMD2A), and Pompe
      disease. A comparison of the relative abundances of bi-, tri-, and tetra
      antennary N-glycans in each of the cell preparations revealed that all samples
      exhibited broadly similar levels of branching. Moreover, although some
      differences were observed in the relative abundances of some of the N-glycan
      constituents, these variations were modest and were not confined to the GFPT1
      samples. Therefore, GFPT1 mutations in CMS patients do not appear to compromise
      global N-glycosylation in muscle cells. 

PMID- 26501344
TI  - Delays in Surgery for Patients With Coronary Stents Placed After Diagnosis of
      Colorectal Cancer.

PMID- 26501341
TI  - The Role of the Transcriptional Regulation of Stromal Cells in Chronic
      Inflammation.
AB  - Chronic inflammation is a common process connecting pathologies that vary in
      their etiology and pathogenesis such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, and
      infections. The response of the immune system to tissue damage involves a
      carefully choreographed series of cellular interactions between immune and non
      immune cells. In recent years, it has become clear that stromal resident cells
      have an essential role perpetuating the inflammatory environment and dictating in
      many cases the outcome of inflammatory based pathologies. Signal transduction
      pathways remain the main focus of study to understand how stimuli contribute to
      perpetuating the inflammatory response, mainly due to their potential role as
      therapeutic targets. However, molecular events orchestrated in the nucleus by
      transcription factors add additional levels of complexity and may be equally
      important for understanding the phenotypic differences of activated stromal
      components during the chronic inflammatory process. In this review, we focus on
      the contribution of transcription factors to the selective regulation of
      inducible proinflammatory genes, with special attention given to the regulation
      of the stromal fibroblastic cell function and response. 

PMID- 26501343
TI  - Molecular Mechanisms of Transcription Initiation at gal Promoters and their Multi
      Level Regulation by GalR, CRP and DNA Loop.
AB  - Studying the regulation of transcription of the gal operon that encodes the
      amphibolic pathway of d-galactose metabolism in Escherichia coli discerned a
      plethora of principles that operate in prokaryotic gene regulatory processes. In
      this chapter, we have reviewed some of the more recent findings in gal that
      continues to reveal unexpected but important mechanistic details. Since the
      operon is transcribed from two overlapping promoters, P1 and P2, regulated by
      common regulatory factors, each genetic or biochemical experiment allowed
      simultaneous discernment of two promoters. Recent studies range from genetic,
      biochemical through biophysical experiments providing explanations at
      physiological, mechanistic and single molecule levels. The salient observations
      highlighted here are: the axiom of determining transcription start points,
      discovery of a new promoter element different from the known ones that influences
      promoter strength, occurrence of an intrinsic DNA sequence element that overrides
      the transcription elongation pause created by a DNA-bound protein roadblock,
      first observation of a DNA loop and determination its trajectory, and
      piggybacking proteins and delivering to their DNA target. 

PMID- 26501345
TI  - The effect of post-resistance exercise alcohol ingestion   on lipopolysaccharide
      stimulated cytokines.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the effect of post-resistance exercise alcohol ingestion on
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated production of IFNgamma, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta,
      IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10. METHODS: Recreationally resistance-trained men (n = 10, 25
      +/- 3 year, 177 +/- 7 cm, 83.8 +/- 15.7 kg, 14.8 +/- 8.5% body fat) and women (n
      = 8, 23 +/- 2 year, 161 +/- 3 cm, 59.5 +/- 6.0 kg, 26.5 +/- 3.0% body fat)
      completed two identical heavy back squat sessions (6 * 10 at 80% 1 repetition
      maximum) followed by ingestion of either an alcohol (ALC; 1.09 g ethanol . kg fat
      free mass(-1)) or water (PLA) drink. Blood samples were collected before exercise
      (PRE), and at 3 h (3 h), and 5 h (5 h) after exercise, stimulated with LPS, and
      analyzed for IFNgamma, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 concentrations.
      RESULTS: There were no drink conditions by time effects for IFNgamma, TNF-alpha,
      IL-1beta, or IL-10. Regardless of condition, resistance exercise induce an
      increase in IFNgamma, TNF-alpha, and IL-1beta at 5 h compared to PRE but a
      decrease in IL-10 at 3 and 5 h compared to PRE. For ALC, IL-8 was reduced at 5 h
      compared to PLA. From PRE to 3 h, IL-6 was reduced for ALC but increased for PLA;
      resistance exercise induced an increase in IL-6 for both conditions at 5 h.
      CONCLUSIONS: Heavy resistance exercise increased production of IFNgamma, TNF
      alpha, IL-1beta, and Il-6 and decreased production of IL-10. Alcohol ingestion
      after resistance exercise affected aspects of inflammatory capacity (IL-6 and IL
      8 production). It appears that some of the effects previously observed for
      alcohol ingestion alone on the LPS-stimulated cytokine production were
      overwhelmed by the response to resistance exercise.

PMID- 26501346
TI  - Pilot Enhancement of the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program with a Healthy
      Aging Program.
AB  - Older adults with arthritis or joint pain were targeted for a pilot program
      enhancing the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program with the 10 KeysTM to Healthy
      Aging Program. Using a one-group, pre-post design, feasibility was examined and
      improvements in preventive behaviors, arthritis outcomes, and cardiometabolic
      outcomes were explored. A 10-week program was developed, instructors were
      recruited and trained, and four sites and 51 participants were recruited.
      Measures included attendance, adherence, satisfaction, preventive behaviors,
      Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (pain and
      stiffness), glucose, and cholesterol. Three fourths of participants attended >50%
      of the sessions. At 6 and 12 months, more than one half performed the exercises 1
      to 2 days per week, whereas 28% and 14% exercised 3 to 7 days per week,
      respectively. Participants (92%) rated the program as excellent/very good.
      Nonsignificant changes were observed in expected directions. Effect sizes were
      small for arthritis and cardiometabolic outcomes. This program engaged community
      partners, demonstrated feasibility, and showed improvements in some preventive
      behaviors and health risk profiles. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2016; 9(3):123-132.].

PMID- 26501347
TI  - Achieving a National Sample of Nursing Homes: Balancing Probability Techniques
      and Practicalities.
AB  - Sampling design is critical to the quality of quantitative research, yet it does
      not always receive appropriate attention in nursing research. The current article
      details how balancing probability techniques with practical considerations
      produced a representative sample of Australian nursing homes (NHs). Budgetary,
      logistical, and statistical constraints were managed by excluding some NHs (e.g.,
      those too difficult to access) from the sampling frame; a stratified, random
      sampling methodology yielded a final sample of 53 NHs from a population of 2,774.
      In testing the adequacy of representation of the study population, chi-square
      tests for goodness of fit generated nonsignificant results for distribution by
      distance from major city and type of organization. A significant result for
      state/territory was expected and easily corrected for by the application of
      weights. The current article provides recommendations for conducting high
      quality, probability-based samples and stresses the importance of testing the
      representativeness of achieved samples.

PMID- 26501348
TI  - Toward Assessment of Dementia Caregiver Activation for Health Care: An
      Integrative Review of Related Constructs and Measures.
AB  - The purpose of this integrative literature review was to establish the rationale
      for a new measure of dementia caregiver activation for health care. Little is
      known about how caregivers form working partnerships with clinicians to manage
      the health of individuals who, because of cognitive impairment and functional
      limitations, can no longer actively manage their own health. Building on three
      sources-the construct of patient activation, an empirical health care framework
      for individuals living with dementia, and a set of dementia care quality
      indicators-the construct of dementia caregiver activation for health care was
      defined and initial relevant domains were specified. An integrative literature
      review was performed to identify related constructs and assess currently
      available measures with respect to their inclusion of these key health care
      domains. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
      guidelines, 647 citations were reviewed and reduced to 17 studies, which were
      included in the analysis and qualitative synthesis. No existing measure was found
      that captures all of the domains required for caregiver-clinician partnership,
      establishing the need for a novel measure of caregiver activation focused on the
      health care of individuals living with dementia. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2016;
      9(3):145-155.].

PMID- 26501349
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26501350
TI  - Health Behavior Change after Blood Pressure Feedback.
AB  - Better understanding is needed for antihypertensive medication initiation and
      lifestyle modification among younger populations with elevated blood pressure.
      This study aimed to assess health behavior change after receiving a report of
      elevated blood pressure among African Americans and Caucasians younger than 50
      years old. We used the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA)
      repository dataset. By examination year twenty, 424 out of 2,478 Caucasian and
      2,637 African American participants had received feedback from the CARDIA study
      due to elevated blood pressure readings. Blood pressure was measured by trained
      CARDIA researchers at the participant's home and was repeatedly recorded at seven
      examinations over twenty years. A feedback/referral letter was sent to
      participants with an elevated blood pressure reading. On average, participants
      first had an elevated blood pressure reading at the age of 34. After receiving
      the feedback letter, 44% of the previously undiagnosed participants received a
      formal diagnosis. In addition, 23% initiated the use of antihypertensive
      medication if they had not received medication treatment before. Among the
      participants with at-risk lifestyle behaviors, 40% reduced alcohol consumption,
      14% increased exercise level, 11% stopped smoking, and 8% reached normal weight.
      While none of the studied patient factors were associated with lifestyle
      modification, age had a positive impact on antihypertensive medication initiation
      (p<0.05). We found no evidence of differences in health behavior change between
      African American and Caucasian participants after receiving the feedback letter.
      This research is one of the first to study what followed after receiving a
      feedback letter about elevated blood pressure outside of healthcare settings.
      Although additional referral care and behavior interventions are needed to
      facilitate medication initiation and lifestyle modification, our observations
      suggest that providing blood pressure feedback may have promise as part of a
      multi-method approach involving blood pressure screening and follow up. 

PMID- 26501351
TI  - Do Predictors of Career Success Differ between Swedish Women and Men? Data from
      the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH).
AB  - The aim of this prospective study was to explore predictors of objective career
      success among Swedish women and men, focussing on gender differences. Data were
      drawn from the 2008 and 2010 waves of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational
      Survey of Health (SLOSH) with a total of 3670 female and 2773 male participants.
      Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for job promotion and an above-average
      salary increase between 2008 and 2010 were obtained through binary logistic
      regression analyses. Individual and organisational factors measured in 2008 were
      used as predictors in analyses stratified by sex. Mutual adjustment was performed
      for these variables, as well as for labour market sector and staff category at
      baseline. In both sexes, younger age predicted both job promotion and an above
      average salary increase. Job promotion was also in both sexes predicted by being
      part of decision-making processes, having conflicts with superiors, and being
      eager to advance. Furthermore, promotion was predicted by, among men, being
      educated to post-graduate level and having an open coping strategy and, among
      women, working >60 hours/week. An above-average salary increase was predicted in
      both sexes by having a university education. Postgraduate education, having
      children living at home, and being very motivated to advance predicted an above
      average salary increase among women, as did working 51-60 hours/week and being
      part of decision-making processes in men. Gender differences were seen in several
      predictors. In conclusion, the results support previous findings of gender
      differences in predictors of career success. A high level of education,
      motivation to advance, and procedural justice appear to be more important
      predictors of career success among women, while open coping was a more important
      predictor among men. 

PMID- 26501352
TI  - Effect of Some Psychoactive Drugs Used as 'Legal Highs' on Brain
      Neurotransmitters.
AB  - New psychoactive "designer drugs" are synthetic compounds developed to provide
      similar effects to illicit drugs of abuse, but not subjected to legal control.
      The rapidly changing legal status of novel psychoactive drugs triggers the
      development of new compounds, analogs of well-known amphetamine or mescaline. New
      designer drugs used as substitutes in ecstasy pills are the least investigated
      and can cause life-threatening effects on users. The aim of our research was to
      examine the effects of acute administration of 4-methoxyamphetamine (PMA, 5 and
      10 mg/kg), 4-methoxy-N-methylamphetamine (PMMA, 5 and 10 mg/kg), and mephedrone
      (MEPH, 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg) on extracellular and tissue level of dopamine (DA), 5
      hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and their metabolites in rat brain, by microdialysis
      method in freely moving animals and HPLC. Similarly to 3,4
      methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 5 and 10 mg/kg) PMA, PMMA and MEPH enhanced
      the release of DA and 5-HT in rat striatum, nucleus accumbens, and frontal
      cortex. DA tissue content was increased by MEPH and PMMA in striatum, by MEPH,
      PMA, and PMMA in nucleus accumbens, and by PMA in frontal cortex. Instead,
      cortical DA level was decreased by MEPH and PMMA. MEPH did not influence 5-HT
      tissue level in striatum and nucleus accumbens, but decreased its level in
      frontal cortex. PMMA increased 5-HT content in striatum, while PMA enhanced it in
      nucleus accumbens and frontal cortex. Observed changes in brain monoamines and
      their metabolites by new psychoactive drugs suggest that these drugs may be
      capable of development of dependence. Further experiments are needed to fully
      investigate the neurotoxic and abuse potential of those drugs. 

PMID- 26501353
TI  - Loss of Nek11 Prevents G2/M Arrest and Promotes Cell Death in HCT116 Colorectal
      Cancer Cells Exposed to Therapeutic DNA Damaging Agents.
AB  - The Nek11 kinase is a potential mediator of the DNA damage response whose
      expression is upregulated in early stage colorectal cancers (CRCs). Here, using
      RNAi-mediated depletion, we examined the role of Nek11 in HCT116 WT and p53-null
      CRC cells exposed to ionizing radiation (IR) or the chemotherapeutic drug,
      irinotecan. We demonstrate that depletion of Nek11 prevents the G2/M arrest
      induced by these genotoxic agents and promotes p53-dependent apoptosis both in
      the presence and absence of DNA damage. Interestingly, Nek11 depletion also led
      to long-term loss of cell viability that was independent of p53 and exacerbated
      following IR exposure. CRC cells express four splice variants of Nek11 (L/S/C/D).
      These are predominantly cytoplasmic, but undergo nucleocytoplasmic shuttling
      mediated through adjacent nuclear import and export signals in the C-terminal non
      catalytic domain. In HCT116 cells, Nek11S in particular has an important role in
      the DNA damage response. These data provide strong evidence that Nek11
      contributes to the response of CRC cells to genotoxic agents and is essential for
      survival either with or without exposure to DNA damage. 

PMID- 26501355
TI  - Dependence of the Rate of LiF Ion-Pairing on the Description of Molecular
      Interaction.
AB  - We present an analysis of the dynamics of ion-pairing of lithium fluoride (LiF)
      in aqueous solvent using both detailed molecular simulation as well as reduced
      models within a generalized Langevin equation (GLE) framework. We explored the
      sensitivity of the ion-pairing phenomena to the details of descriptions of
      molecular interaction, comparing two empirical potentials to explicit quantum
      based density functional theory. We find quantitative differences in the
      potentials of mean force for ion-pairing as well as time dependent frictions that
      lead to variations in the rate constant and reactive flux correlation functions.
      These details reflect differences in solvent response to ion-pairing between
      different representations of molecular interaction and influence anharmonicity of
      the dynamic response. We find that the short-time anharmonic response is
      recovered with a GLE parametrization. Recovery of the details of long time
      response may require extensions to the reduced model. We show that the utility of
      using a reduced model leads to a straightforward application of variational
      transition state theory concepts to the condensed phase system. The significance
      of this is reflected in the analysis of committor distributions and the variation
      of planar hypersurfaces, leading to an improved understanding of factors that
      determine the rate of LiF ion-pairing. 

PMID- 26501354
TI  - A Copper-Mediated Disulfiram-Loaded pH-Triggered PEG-Shedding TAT Peptide
      Modified Lipid Nanocapsules for Use in Tumor Therapy.
AB  - Disulfiram, which exhibits marked tumor inhibition mediated by copper, was
      encapsulated in lipid nanocapsules modified with TAT peptide (TATp) and pH
      triggered sheddable PEG to target cancer cells on the basis of tumor
      environmental specificity. PEG-shedding lipid nanocapsules (S-LNCs) were
      fabricated from LNCs by decorating short PEG chains with TATp (HS-PEG(1k)-TATp)
      to form TATp-LNCs and then covered by pH-sensitive graft copolymers of long PEG
      chains (PGA-g-PEG(2k)). The DSF-S-LNCs had sizes in the range of 60-90 nm and
      were stable in the presence of 50% plasma. DSF-S-LNCs exhibited higher
      intracellular uptake and antitumor activity at pH 6.5 than at pH 7.4. The
      preincubation of Cu showed that the DSF cytotoxicity was based on the
      accumulation of Cu in Hep G2 cells. Pharmacokinetic studies showed the markedly
      improved pharmacokinetic profiles of DSF-S-LNCs (AUC= 3921.391 MUg/L.h, t(1/2z) =
      1.294 h) compared with free DSF (AUC = 907.724 MUg/L.h, t(1/2z) = 0.252 h). The
      in vivo distribution of S-LNCs was investigated using Cy5.5 as a fluorescent
      probe. In tumor-bearing mice, the delivery efficiency of S-LNCs was found to be
      496.5% higher than that of free Cy5.5 and 74.5% higher than that of LNCs in
      tumors. In conclusion, DSF-S-LNCs increased both the stability and tumor
      internalization and further increased the cytotoxicity because of the higher
      copper content.

PMID- 26501356
TI  - Highly Sensitive, Encapsulated MoS2 Photodetector with Gate Controllable Gain and
      Speed.
AB  - Semiconducting, two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is considered a
      promising new material for highly sensitive photodetection, because of its
      atomically thin profile and favorable bandgap. However, reported photodetectors
      to date show strong variation in performance due to the detrimental and
      uncontrollable effects of environmental adsorbates on devices due to large
      surface to volume ratio. Here, we report on highly stable and high-performance
      monolayer and bilayer MoS2 photodetectors encapsulated with atomic layer
      deposited hafnium oxide. The protected devices show enhanced electronic
      properties by isolating them from the ambience as strong n-type doping, vanishing
      hysteresis, and reduced device resistance. By controlling the gate voltage the
      responsivity and temporal response can be tuned by several orders of magnitude
      with R ~ 10-10(4) A/W and t ~ 10 ms to 10 s. At strong negative gate voltage, the
      detector is operated at higher speed and simultaneously exhibits a low-bound,
      record sensitivity of D* >= 7.7 * 10(11) Jones. Our results lead the way for
      future application of ultrathin, flexible, and high-performance MoS2 detectors
      and prompt for further investigation in encapsulated transition metal
      dichalcogenide optoelectronics. 

PMID- 26501357
TI  - Lithium Aluminate Complexes and Alumoles from 1,4-Dilithio-1,3-Butadienes and
      AlEt2Cl.
AB  - A series of lithium aluminate complexes and alumoles were synthesized from 1,4
      dilithio-1,3-butadienes 1 and AlEt2Cl. Their structures were characterized using
      single-crystal X-ray structural analysis and NMR spectroscopy. The structure of
      the lithium aluminate complex 2-TMEDA showed that the Al atom adopted a tetra
      coordinated mode bonded with two butadienyl Csp2 atoms and two ethyl Csp3 atoms.
      The lithium cation was located above the alumole ring. The structure of 3a
      revealed a dimeric 1-ethylalumole in the solid state. Diffusion ordered
      spectroscopy NMR spectra showed that 3a was also a dimer in C6D6 solvent.
      However, in tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution, the dimeric 3a dissociated into the 1
      ethylalumole-THF adduct. The lithium aluminate complex 2 transformed into 3a-THF
      when treated with 1.0 equiv of AlEt2Cl. Preliminary reaction chemistry and
      synthetic applications of the lithium aluminate complex were also investigated. 

PMID- 26501358
TI  - Evaluation of Controlled-Release Property and Phytotoxicity Effect of Insect
      Pheromone Zinc-Layered Hydroxide Nanohybrid Intercalated with Hexenoic Acid.
AB  - A controlled release formulation for the insect pheromone hexenoic acid (HE) was
      successfully developed using zinc-layered hydroxide (ZLH) as host material
      through a simple coprecipitation technique, resulting in the formation of
      inorganic-organic nanolayered material with sustained release properties. The
      release of HE from its nanohybrid was found to occur in a controlled manner,
      governed by a pseudo-second order kinetics model. The maximum amount of HE
      released from the nanocomposite into solutions at pH 4, 6.5, and 8 was found to
      be 84, 73, and 83% for 1100 min, respectively. The hexenoate zinc-layered
      hydroxide nanomaterial (HEN) was found to be nontoxic for plants when green beans
      and wheat seeds were successfully germinated in all HEN concentrations tested in
      the experiment, with higher percentage of seed germination and higher radical
      seed growth as compared to its counter anion, HE. ZLH can be a promising carrier
      for insect pheromone toward a new generation of environmentally safe pesticide
      nanomaterial for crop protection. 

PMID- 26501359
TI  - gem-Difluoroolefination of Diazo Compounds with TMSCF3 or TMSCF2Br: Transition
      Metal-Free Cross-Coupling of Two Carbene Precursors.
AB  - A new olefination protocol for transition-metal-free cross-coupling of two
      carbene fragments arising from two different sources, namely, a nonfluorinated
      carbene fragment resulting from a diazo compound and a difluorocarbene fragment
      derived from Ruppert-Prakash reagent (TMSCF3) or TMSCF2Br, has been developed.
      This gem-difluoroolefination proceeds through the direct nucleophilic addition of
      diazo compounds to difluorocarbene followed by elimination of N2. Compared to
      previously reported Cu-catalyzed gem-difluoroolefination of diazo compounds with
      TMSCF3, which possesses a narrow substrate scope due to a demanding requirement
      on the reactivity of diazo compounds and in-situ-generated CuCF3, this transition
      metal-free protocol affords a general and efficient approach to various
      disubstituted 1,1-difluoroalkenes, including difluoroacrylates,
      diaryldifluoroolefins, as well as arylalkyldifluoroolefins. In view of the ready
      availability of diazo compounds and difluorocarbene reagents and versatile
      transformations of 1,1-difluoroalkenes, this new gem-difluoroolefination method
      is expected to find wide applications in organic synthesis. 

PMID- 26501360
TI  - Novel iterative reconstruction method with optimal dose usage for partially
      redundant CT-acquisition.
AB  - In CT imaging, a variety of applications exist which are strongly SNR limited.
      However, in some cases redundant data of the same body region provide additional
      quanta. Examples in dual energy CT, the spatial resolution has to be compromised
      to provide good SNR for material decomposition. However, the respective spectral
      dataset of the same body region provides additional quanta which might be
      utilized to improve SNR of each spectral component. Perfusion CT is a high dose
      application, and dose reduction is highly desirable. However, a meaningful
      evaluation of perfusion parameters might be impaired by noisy time frames. On the
      other hand, the SNR of the average of all time frames is extremely high.In
      redundant CT acquisitions, multiple image datasets can be reconstructed and
      averaged to composite image data. These composite image data, however, might be
      compromised with respect to contrast resolution and/or spatial resolution and/or
      temporal resolution. These observations bring us to the idea of transferring high
      SNR of composite image data to low SNR 'source' image data, while maintaining
      their resolution.It has been shown that the noise characteristics of CT image
      data can be improved by iterative reconstruction (Popescu et al 2012 Book of
      Abstracts, 2nd CT Meeting (Salt Lake City, UT) p 148). In case of data dependent
      Gaussian noise it can be modelled with image-based iterative reconstruction at
      least in an approximate manner (Bruder et al 2011 Proc. SPIE 7961 79610J). We
      present a generalized update equation in image space, consisting of a linear
      combination of the previous update, a correction term which is constrained by the
      source image data, and a regularization prior, which is initialized by the
      composite image data. This iterative reconstruction approach we call bimodal
      reconstruction (BMR). Based on simulation data it is shown that BMR can improve
      low contrast detectability, substantially reduces the noise power and has the
      potential to recover spatial resolution of the source image data.For different CT
      applications: dual energy imaging, liver imaging, spiral imaging, cardiac
      imaging, we show that SNR can efficiently be transferred from the composite image
      to the source image data at constant patient dose, while maintaining resolution
      properties of the source data.

PMID- 26501361
TI  - Toxicological and hematological effect of Terminalia arjuna bark extract on a
      freshwater catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis.
AB  - Increasing demand for eco-friendly botanical piscicides and pesticides as
      replacements for harmful synthetic chemicals has led to investigation of new
      sources of plant materials. Stem bark of Terminalia arjuna, which has been used
      as a popular folk medicine since ancient time, was examined for its piscicidal
      activity. This study aims to determine toxicity of ethanol extract of T. arjuna
      bark on fresh water stinging catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis), along with
      evaluation of changes in hematological parameters of the fishes exposed to a
      lethal concentration. The percent mortality of fishes varied significantly in
      response to concentrations of the extract and exposure times (between exposure
      time F = 36.57, p < 0.001; between concentrations F = 39.93, p < 0.001). The
      lethal concentrations (LC50) of ethanol extract were found to be 12.7, 8.94, 5.63
      and 4.71 mg/l for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h, respectively. During acute toxicity test,
      blood samples of treatment fishes showed significant decreases in the red blood
      cells count, hematocrit content, hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular
      hemoglobin concentration and plasma protein level when compared to those of the
      control group, while there were significant increases in the mean corpuscular
      volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, white blood cells count and plasma glucose
      concentration. These results suggest that T. arjuna bark extract could be
      considered as a potent piscicide due to its toxic effect on fish, particularly
      fish hematology.

PMID- 26501362
TI  - Development and Validation of a High-Throughput Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid
      Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Approach for Screening of Oxylipins and Their
      Precursors.
AB  - Lipid mediators, highly bioactive compounds synthesized from polyunsaturated
      fatty acids (PUFAs), have a fundamental role in the initiation and signaling of
      the inflammatory response. Although extensively studied in isolation, only a
      limited number of analytical methods offer a comprehensive coverage of the
      oxylipin synthetic cascade applicable to a wide range of human biofluids. We
      report the development of an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography
      electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) assay to
      quantify oxylipins and their PUFA precursors in 100 MUL of human serum, plasma,
      urine, and cell culture supernatant. A single 15 min UHPLC run enables the
      quantification of 43 oxylipins and 5 PUFAs, covering pro and anti-inflammatory
      lipid mediators synthesized across the cyclooxygenase (COX), lipoxygenase (LOX),
      and cytochrome P450 (CYP450) pathways. The method was validated in multiple
      biofluid matrixes (serum, plasma, urine, and cell supernatant) and suppliers,
      ensuring its suitability for large scale metabonomic studies. The approach is
      accurate, precise, and reproducible (RSD < 15%) over multiple days and
      concentrations. Very high sensitivity is achieved with limits of quantification
      inferior to picograms for the majority of analytes (0.05-125 pg) and linear range
      spanning up to 5 orders of magnitude. This enabled the quantification of the
      great majority of these analytes at their low endogenous level in human
      biofluids. We successfully applied the procedure to individuals undergoing a
      fasting intervention; oxylipin profiles highlighted significantly altered PUFA
      and inflammatory profiles in accordance with previously published studies as well
      as offered new insight on the modulation of the biosynthetic cascade responsible
      for the regulation of oxylipins. 

PMID- 26501364
TI  - Models for Copper Dynamic Behavior in Doped Cadmium dl-Histidine Crystals:
      Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Crystallographic Analysis.
AB  - Electron paramagnetic resonance and crystallographic studies of copper-doped
      cadmium dl-histidine, abbreviated as CdDLHis, were undertaken to gain further
      understanding on the relationship between site structure and dynamic behavior in
      biological model complexes. X-ray diffraction measurements determined the crystal
      structure of CdDLHis at 100 and 298 K. CdDLHis crystallizes in the monoclinic
      space group P21/c with two cadmium complexes per asymmetric unit. In each
      complex, the Cd is hexacoordinated to two histidine molecules. Both histidines
      are l in one complex and d in the other. Additionally, each complex contains
      multiple waters of varying disorder. Single crystal EPR spectroscopic splitting
      (g) and copper hyperfine (A(Cu)) tensors at room temperature (principal values: g
      = 2.249, 2.089, 2.050; A(Cu) = -453, -30.5, -0.08 MHz) were determined from
      rotational experiments. Alignments of the tensor directions with the host
      structure were used to position the copper unpaired dx(2)-y(2) orbital in an
      approximate plane made by four proposed ligand atoms: the N-imidazole and N-amino
      of one histidine, and the N-amino and O-carboxyl of the other. Each complex has
      two such planes related by noncrystallographic symmetry, which make an angle of
      65 degrees  and have a 1.56 A distance between their midpoints. These findings
      are consistent with three interpretations that can adequately explain previous
      temperature-dependent EPR powder spectra of this system: (1) a local structural
      distortion (static strain) at the copper site has a temperature dependence
      significant enough to affect the EPR pattern, (2) the copper can hop between the
      two sites in each complex at high temperature, and (3) there exists a dynamic
      Jahn-Teller effect involving the copper ligands. 

PMID- 26501363
TI  - Visceral adiposity is a predictor of parathyroid hormone levels in healthy
      adults.
AB  - PURPOSE: Parathyroid hormone (PTH) has been shown to correlate positively with
      fat mass, however there are no studies that have investigated whether this
      association is a result of, or is modified by, body fat distribution. The aim of
      this study was to investigate the association of PTH with several body
      composition indices, namely visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous adiposity (SCAT) as
      well as with lean mass and with serum leptin, which has been reported to increase
      PTH. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which PTH was measured by
      chemiluminescent assay; body fat and lean mass by dual-energy X-ray
      absorptiometry (DXA) and abdominal fat by ultrasonography in 714 healthy adults
      aged 18-65 years. Serum leptin was measured by ELISA. RESULTS: In a multivariate
      linear regression model that included height, age, gender, ethnicity, serum 25
      hydroxyvitamin D, leptin levels, calcium, magnesium and phosphate concentrations,
      glomerular filtration rate, smoking status, and calcium and vitamin D
      supplementation as independent variables and PTH as the dependent variable, VAT
      (beta = 0.094, p = 0.035) correlated significantly with PTH levels but SCAT (beta
      = -0.045, p = 0.386) and body fat mass (beta = 0.098, p = 0.126) did not. Leptin
      did not correlate with PTH (beta = 0.013, p = 0.832) in this regression model.
      CONCLUSIONS: Plasma PTH is significantly associated with VAT in healthy adults.
      In view of the association of PTH with increased cardiovascular mortality, it is
      important to investigate this association further.

PMID- 26501365
TI  - Genetics in Retinal Diseases.
AB  - The phenotypic presentation of retinal diseases is typically underpinned by the
      presence of genetic variation represented by either polymorphic changes,
      mutations, copy number variations or epigenetic changes. Retinal dystrophies can
      broadly be divided into two forms, either monogenic (single-gene) or complex
      (multifactorial) diseases. Recent advances in molecular techniques such as genome
      wide association studies and next-generation sequencing have revolutionized the
      discovery of genetic variants associated with different retinal disorders,
      including retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.
      Understanding the genetic profile of the disease not only helps in diagnostics
      but also in gene therapy, as recently shown for Leber's congenital amaurosis.
      Following the elucidation of many genetic features of retinal diseases, the task
      is now to make sense of this large amount of data to better understand as well as
      experimentally prove the physiological process of the retinal disease genes and
      the mechanisms behind the diseases. This in turn will lead to improved gene-based
      therapies and personalize treatments for patients.

PMID- 26501366
TI  - Sensitive electrochemical immunoassay with signal enhancement based on nanogold
      encapsulated poly(amidoamine) dendrimer-stimulated hydrogen evolution reaction.
AB  - A new electrochemical immunosensor with signal enhancement was designed for
      sensitive detection of disease-related protein (human carbohydrate antigen 19-9,
      CA 19-9 used in this case). The assay was carried out on a capture antibody
      modified screen-printed carbon electrode with a sandwich-type mode by using
      detection antibody-functionalized nanogold-encapsulated poly(amidoamine)
      dendrimer (AuNP-PAAD). The AuNP-PAAD was first synthesized through the in situ
      reduction method and functionalized with the polyclonal rabbit anti-human CA 19-9
      antibody. Upon target CA 19-9 introduction, a sandwiched immunocomplex could be
      formed between the capture antibody and detection antibody. Accompanying the AuNP
      PAAD, the electrocatalytic activity of the carried gold nanoparticles toward the
      hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) allowed the rapid quantification of the target
      analyte on the electrode. The amplified electrochemical signal mainly derived
      from AuNP-catalyzed HER in an acidic medium. Under optimal conditions, the immuno
      HER assay displayed a wide dynamic concentration range from 0.01 to 300 U mL(-1)
      toward target CA 19-9 with a detection limit (LOD) of 6.3 mU mL(-1). The
      reproducibility, precision, specificity and stability of our strategy were
      acceptable. Additionally, the system was further validated by assaying 13 human
      serum specimens, giving well matched results obtained from the commercialized
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. 

PMID- 26501367
TI  - Selective synthesis of functionalized pyrroles from 3-aza-1,5-enynes.
AB  - 2-Trifluoromethyl-5-(arylsulfonyl)methyl pyrroles and 2-trifluoromethyl-4
      (arylsulfonyl)methyl pyrroles were selectively synthesized from trifluoromethyl
      substituted 3-aza-1,5-enynes via a cyclization/sulfonyl group migration cascade
      catalyzed by AgOOCCF3 and CsOPiv, respectively. Alkylvinyl-substituted pyrroles
      were generated from seven-atom skeleton 3-aza-1,5-enynes via aryl sulfinic acid
      elimination in the presence of Cs2CO3. Two ion-pair intermediates were proposed
      and a key intermediate, aza-diene-yne, was successfully isolated in the
      mechanistic studies. 

PMID- 26501368
TI  - Immunomodulatory Therapy in Uveitis.
AB  - Corticosteroids are the cornerstone of treating intraocular inflammation, but may
      be inadequate in controlling the disease, or related side effects preclude long
      term treatment. Additional immunosuppressive drugs are used in these cases to
      augment the effect of corticosteroids and allow for their reduction to safe
      levels while maintaining control of the ocular inflammation. Here we review the
      different classes of immunosuppressive drugs and discuss their effect on ocular
      inflammation.

PMID- 26501369
TI  - Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania infantum chagasi Infection in Wild Mammals from
      Maranhao State, Brazil.
AB  - Trypanosoma and Leishmania are obligate parasites that cause important diseases
      in human and domestic animals. Wild mammals are the natural reservoirs of these
      parasites, which are transmitted by hematophagous arthropods. The present study
      aimed to detect the natural occurrence of trypanosomatids through serological
      diagnosis, PCR of whole blood and blood culture (hemoculture), and phylogenetic
      relationships using small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA), cytochrome b, and
      glycosomal glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gGAPDH) genes. Samples from
      131 wild animals, including rodents, marsupials, and bats, were sampled in six
      areas in the state of Maranhao, in a transition zone of semiarid climates
      northeast of the equatorial humid Amazon. Serological analysis for Leishmania
      (Leishmania) infantum chagasi was performed in opossums by indirect fluorescent
      antibody test (IFAT), and all animals were serologically negative. Nine positive
      hemocultures (6.77%) were isolated and cryopreserved and from mammals of the
      Didelphimorphia and Chiroptera orders and positioned in phylogenies on the basis
      of sequences from different genes with reference strains of Trypanosoma cruzi
      marinkellei and T. cruzi. From primary samples (blood and tissues) only one bat,
      Pteronotus parnellii, was positive to SSU rDNA and gGAPDH genes and grouped with
      the L. infantum chagasi branch. The studies conducted in Maranhao State provide
      knowledge of parasite diversity. It is important to determine the presence of
      trypanosomatids in wild mammals with synanthropic habits. 

PMID- 26501370
TI  - Emotional Intelligence: A Novel Outcome Associated with Wellbeing and Self
      Management in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
AB  - RATIONALE: Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often
      struggle with diminished autonomy and quality of life. Emotional factors play a
      crucial role in the well-being of patients with COPD; they are independently
      associated with critical outcomes such as dyspnea, quality of life, and health
      care use. Emotional intelligence is the capacity to understand and manage
      personal thoughts and feelings, as well as to positively influence interpersonal
      communication and social well-being. Emotional intelligence is a trainable skill
      that is extensively used in corporate business to improve well-being and
      performance, and it may also be significant in the self-management of emotions in
      patients with chronic disease. Importantly, research supports the proposition
      that emotional intelligence may be developed and learned at any time or any age,
      and training programs have been associated with increased well-being and better
      emotional regulation in patients with chronic disease. However, to date, no
      research has been done to investigate its value in patients with COPD.
      OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the association between emotional
      intelligence and two meaningful outcomes in COPD: quality of life and self
      management abilities. METHODS: Participants with moderate to severe COPD
      completed a disease-specific quality of life tool (Chronic Respiratory
      Questionnaire), the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire, the Self
      Management Abilities Scale, the modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale,
      and pulmonary function tests, and also provided information about living
      conditions and self-reported health care use. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A
      total of 310 patients with COPD (mean age, 69 +/- 9 yr; 40% female; mean FEV1%,
      42.4 +/- 15.8) participated in the study. Emotional intelligence was
      significantly and independently associated with self-management abilities (P <
      0.0001) and all domains of quality of life assessed (dyspnea, fatigue, emotions,
      and mastery; P < 0.0001) after adjusting for age, degree of bronchial
      obstruction, breathlessness, and other significant confounders. CONCLUSIONS:
      Emotional intelligence may represent an important attribute in COPD, as it is
      associated with self-management abilities and all domains of quality of life,
      regardless of age or disease severity. Emotional intelligence can be learned and
      may complement existing rehabilitation efforts. Attention to it may address the
      current gap that exists in the treatment of emotional components of COPD
      responsible for decreased quality of life and increased health care use.

PMID- 26501371
TI  - Gap Analysis between Perceptions and Expectations of Medical-Surgical Patients in
      a Public Hospital in Saudi Arabia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate patients' satisfaction with nursing care by measuring
      the gap between patients' expectations of care and perceptions of the actual care
      provided and to identify the areas of nursing care that need improvement.
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among patients who
      were admitted to the Departments of Medicine and Surgery at King Saud Medical
      City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A modified Service Quality (SERVQUAL) instrument was
      adapted to collect information from a convenience sample of 432 patients from
      November 25, 2012, to February 3, 2013. The instrument comprised 22 pairs of
      questions assessing 5 dimensions of the nursing care provided to patients during
      hospitalizations. The mean patient expectations and perceptions as well as the
      gap score values for each dimension of nursing service were tested for
      differences between the mean scores of the sample at a level of significance of
      0.05 using a t test. RESULTS: The gap score for all of the 5 dimensions of
      nursing services were: responsiveness, -1.71; reliability, -1.48; tangibles, 
      1.36; assurance, -1.26, and empathy, -0.96. Service quality across the dimensions
      of responsiveness and reliability was statistically significant (p < 0.05). This
      result indicated that patients were not satisfied with the nursing service
      quality in relation to all dimensions. CONCLUSION: Our study showed negative gaps
      for the 5 nursing service quality dimensions evaluated. This could provide nurses
      with information about the aspects of nursing care that promote more positive
      patient outcomes and satisfaction.

PMID- 26501372
TI  - Pilot study on the efficacy of combined intraoral and extraoral low-level laser
      therapy for prevention of oral mucositis in pediatric patients undergoing
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND DATA: Studies suggest that intraoral low-level laser
      therapy (LLLT) can ameliorate oral mucositis in adult patients receiving high
      dose chemotherapy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of a
      combined protocol of intraoral and extraoral LLLT in children undergoing
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). METHODS: Twelve children
      undergoing HSCT were treated four times a week with a combined protocol of
      intraoral and extraoral LLLT, for a mean duration of 22 days. Clinical and
      functional mucositis scores were assessed using the National Cancer Institute
      Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE). These scores were
      compared with a matched retrospective control group of 12 children who did not
      receive LLLT during HSCT. RESULTS: Clinical mucositis scores were significantly
      lower in the LLLT group than in the control group (p = 0.004). Incidence of
      ulcerative oral mucositis was also significantly lower in the LLLT group (p =
      0.027). Functional limitation associated with diet/swallowing was less severe in
      the LLLT group; however, this was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study indicates that a combined protocol of intraoral and extraoral
      application of LLLT can reduce the severity of oral mucositis in pediatric
      patients undergoing HSCT. Randomized double-blind clinical trials with a larger
      number of subjects are needed to further test such combined protocols.

PMID- 26501373
TI  - A facile synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted oxazoles via a copper-catalyzed cascade
      reaction of alkenes with azides.
AB  - A novel and efficient approach to the synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted oxazoles is
      developed via a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition/ring cleavage/1,2-H
      migration/denitrogenation/copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidative dehydrogenative
      cyclization cascade. The desired products can be obtained from readily available
      aromatic terminal alkenes and azides employing air as the oxidant under mild
      conditions, and it offers an attractive alternative method for the synthesis of
      oxazole derivatives. 

PMID- 26501374
TI  - Comparative analysis of oncogenes identified by microarray and RNA-sequencing as
      biomarkers for clinical prognosis.
AB  - AIMS: Although RNA-sequencing has been widely used to identify the differentially
      expressed genes (DEGs) as biomarkers to guide the therapeutic treatment, it is
      necessary to investigate the concordance of DEGs identified by microarray and RNA
      sequencing for the clinical prognosis. MATERIAL & METHODS: By using The Cancer
      Genome Atlas data sets, we thoroughly investigated the concordance of DEGs
      identified from microarray and RNA-sequencing data and their molecular functions.
      RESULTS: The DEGs identified by both technologies averaged ~98.6% overlap. The
      cancer-related gene sets were significantly enriched with the DEGs and consistent
      between two technologies. CONCLUSIONS: The highly consistency of DEGs in their
      regulation directionality and molecular functions indicated the good
      reproducibility between microarray and RNA-sequencing in identifying potential
      oncogenes for clinical prognosis.

PMID- 26501375
TI  - Retinal Detachment and Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy.
AB  - In normal eyes, retinal detachment (RD) occurs at a rate of approximately 5 per
      100,000 people per year and the frequency of proliferative vitreoretinopathy
      (PVR) remains largely unchanged in primary RD, with the incidence ranging from
      5.1 to 11.7%. PVR is the most common cause of failed repair of rhegmatogenous RD,
      and risk factors for PVR are related to several well-known pre-, intra-, and
      postoperative clinical situations. Current methods of surgical management of RD
      and PVR are pneumatic retinopexy, scleral buckling, and pars plana vitrectomy
      (PPV). Surgical success rates for PVR have improved as techniques and instruments
      of vitrectomy evolved. However, despite these advances, more than one fourth of
      initially successful cases results in redetachment due to recurrent vitreoretinal
      traction. Retinal pigment epithelial cells are the key factor in triggering PVR
      development. In addition, soluble mediators and the extracellular matrix
      components play a critical role in cellular events, including proliferation and
      tissue contraction which occur in PVR. Although PPV remains a critical component
      of the treatment in RD and PVR, ongoing efforts seek to identify adjuvant
      therapies that might inhibit PVR development. Recent studies have therefore been
      directed toward pharmacologic inhibition of cellular proliferation and membrane
      contraction with drugs such as daunorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, and heparin. More
      detailed understanding of the pathophysiology underlying PVR may lead to the
      development of effective prophylactic and/or adjunctive therapies. Further work
      is necessary to identify optimal adjunctive therapies for the management of RD
      and PVR.

PMID- 26501376
TI  - Temporal and spatial expression of Drosophila Neurexin during the life cycle
      visualized using a DNRX-Gal4/UAS-reporter.
AB  - Drosophila neurexin (DNRX) plays a critical role in proper architecture
      development and synaptic function in vivo. However, the temporal and spatial
      expression pattern of DNRX still remains unclear. For this study, we generated a
      novel Drosophila transgenic strain termed the DNRX-Gal4 transgenic line, with
      characteristic features in agreement with the endogenous DNRX expression pattern.
      DNRX expression was examined by driving the expression of a GFP reporter (nuclear
      localized and membrane- localized GFP) using the DNRX-Gal4 promoter. We found
      that DNRX was expressed preferentially in central and motor neurons in embryos,
      larvae and adults, but not in glial cells. DNRX was expressed in pre- and post
      synaptic areas in third instar larvae neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). Reporter
      expression was also observed in the salivary glands, guts, wings and legs of
      adult flies. In the adult brain, reporter expression was observed throughout
      several brain regions, including the mushroom body (MBs), antennal lobe (AL) and
      optic lobe neurons, which is consistent with endogenous DNRX expression via
      antibody staining. Interestingly, DNRX was also expressed in clock neurons.
      Meanwhile, we found that DNRX expression in the MBs was required for olfactory
      learning and memory. 

PMID- 26501377
TI  - Artemisinin (Qinghaosu): a mesmerizing drug that still puzzles.

PMID- 26501378
TI  - A significant carbon sink in temperate forests in Beijing: based on   20-year
      field measurements in three stands.
AB  - Numerous efforts have been made to characterize forest carbon (C) cycles and
      stocks in various ecosystems. However, long-term observation on each component of
      the forest C cycle is still lacking. We measured C stocks and fluxes in three
      permanent temperate forest plots (birch, oak and pine forest) during 2011-2014,
      and calculated the changes of the components of the C cycle related to the
      measurements during 1992-1994 at Mt. Dongling, Beijing, China. Forest net primary
      production in birch, oak, and pine plots was 5.32, 4.53, and 6.73 Mg C ha-1 a-1,
      respectively. Corresponding net ecosystem production was 0.12, 0.43, and 3.53 Mg
      C ha-1 a-1. The C stocks and fluxes in 2011-2014 were significantly larger than
      those in 1992-1994 in which the biomass C densities in birch, oak, and pine plots
      increased from 50.0, 37.7, and 54.0 Mg C ha-1 in 1994 to 101.5, 77.3, and 110.9
      Mg C ha-1 in 2014; soil organic C densities increased from 207.0, 239.1, and
      231.7 Mg C ha-1 to 214.8, 241.7, and 238.4 Mg C ha-1; and soil heterotrophic
      respiration increased from 2.78, 3.49, and 1.81 Mg C ha-1 a-1 to 5.20, 4.10, and
      3.20 Mg C ha-1 a-1. These results suggest that the mountainous temperate forest
      ecosystems in Beijing have served as a carbon sink in the last two decades. These
      observations of C stocks and fluxes provided field-based data for a long-term
      study of C cycling in temperate forest ecosystems.

PMID- 26501379
TI  - The role of apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans  neuronal differentiation.

PMID- 26501380
TI  - Interventions for smokeless tobacco use cessation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Use of smokeless tobacco (ST) can lead to tobacco dependence and long
      term use can lead to health problems including periodontal disease, cancer, and
      cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of
      behavioural and pharmacologic interventions for the treatment of ST use. SEARCH
      METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group specialised register in
      June 2015. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized trials of behavioural or
      pharmacological interventions to help users of ST to quit with follow-up of at
      least six months. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used standard methodological
      procedures as expected by the Cochrane Collaboration. We summarised outcomes as
      risk ratios (RRs). For subgroups of trials with similar types of intervention and
      without substantial statistical heterogeneity, we estimated pooled effects using
      a Mantel-Haenszel fixed-effect method. MAIN RESULTS: We identified 34 trials that
      met the inclusion criteria, of which nine were new for this update, representing
      over 16,000 participants. There was moderate quality evidence from two studies
      suggesting that varenicline increases ST abstinence rates (risk ratio [RR] 1.34,
      95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08 to 1.68, 507 participants). Pooled results from
      two trials of bupropion did not detect a benefit of treatment at six months or
      longer (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.54 to 1.44, 293 participants) but the confidence
      interval was wide. Neither nicotine patch (five trials, RR 1.13, 95% CI 0.93 to
      1.37, 1083 participants) nor nicotine gum (two trials, RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.68 to
      1.43, 310 participants) increased abstinence. Pooling five studies of nicotine
      lozenges did increase tobacco abstinence (RR 1.36, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.59, 1529
      participants) but confidence in this estimate is low as the result is sensitive
      to the exclusion of three trials which did not use a placebo control.Statistical
      heterogeneity was evident among the 17 trials of behavioural interventions: eight
      of them reported statistically and clinically significant benefits; six suggested
      benefit but with wide CIs and no statistical significance; and three had similar
      intervention and control quit rates and relatively narrow CIs. Heterogeneity was
      not explained by study design (individual or cluster randomization), whether
      participants were selected for interest in quitting, or specific intervention
      components. In a post hoc subgroup analysis, trials of behavioural interventions
      incorporating telephone support, with or without oral examination and feedback,
      were associated with larger effect sizes, but oral examination and feedback alone
      were not associated with benefit.In one trial an interactive website increased
      abstinence more than a static website. One trial comparing immediate cessation
      using nicotine patch versus a reduction approach using either nicotine lozenge or
      brand switching showed greater success for the abrupt cessation group. AUTHORS'
      CONCLUSIONS: Varenicline, nicotine lozenges and behavioural interventions may
      help ST users to quit. Confidence in results for nicotine lozenges is limited.
      Confidence in the size of effect from behavioural interventions is limited
      because the components of behavioural interventions that contribute to their
      impact are not clear.

PMID- 26501381
TI  - Galangin Prevents Acute Hepatorenal Toxicity in Novel Propacetamol-Induced
      Acetaminophen-Overdosed Mice.
AB  - Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose causes severe liver and kidney damage. APAP-induced
      liver injury (AILI) represents the most frequent cause of drug-induced liver
      failure. APAP is relatively insoluble and can only be taken orally; however, its
      prodrug, propacetamol, is water soluble and usually injected directly. In this
      study, we examined the time-dependent effects of AILI after propacetamol
      injection in mice. After analyses of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate
      aminotransferase activities and liver histopathology, we demonstrated that a
      novel AILI mouse model can be established by single propacetamol injection.
      Furthermore, we compared the protective and therapeutic effects of galangin with
      a known liver protective extract, silymarin, and the only clinical agent for
      treating APAP toxicity, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), at the same dose in the model
      mice. We observed that galangin and silymarin were more effective than NAC for
      protecting against AILI. However, only NAC greatly improved both the survival
      time and rate consequent to a lethal dose of propacetamol. To decipher the
      hepatic protective mechanism(s) of galangin, galangin pretreatment significantly
      decreased the hepatic oxidative stress, increased hepatic glutathione level, and
      decreased hepatic microsomal CYP2E1 levels induced by propacetamol injection. In
      addition, propacetamol injection also reproduced the probability of APAP-induced
      kidney injury (AIKI), appearing similar to a clinical APAP overdose. Only
      galangin pretreatment showed the protective effect of AIKI. Thus, we have
      established a novel mouse model for AILI and AIKI using a single propacetamol
      injection. We also demonstrated that galangin provides significant protection
      against AILI and AIKI in this mouse model.

PMID- 26501382
TI  - A Standardized Extract of Rhus verniciflua Stokes Protects Wistar Rats Against
      Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Inflammation.
AB  - Rhus verniciflua stokes (RVS) (Anacardiaceae) has been traditionally used as a
      folk remedy for gastritis, several cancers, and various metabolic diseases. The
      present study evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of RVS extract standardized
      to fustin content using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated rats. The rats were
      randomly divided into six groups and intragastrically administered 0, 100, 250,
      or 500 mg/kg body weight (bw) of RVS or 15 mg/kg bw of fustin for 14 days. LPS
      was intraperitoneally injected 18 h before sacrifice. The nitric oxide levels of
      RVS extract in either the serum or liver were significantly decreased compared to
      the LPS-treated rats (P<.05). The treatment with the RVS extract also blunted the
      rise of malondialdehyde levels in the liver (P<.05). The administration of RVS
      extract and fustin significantly prevented the elevation of interleukin 6
      cytokine, iNOS, and COX-2 mRNA expression in the liver. Inflammatory cell
      infiltration was also significantly attenuated by the RVS extract or fustin
      supplementation. These results suggest that our standardized RVS extract has
      preventive effects on inflammatory reactions.

PMID- 26501383
TI  - Milk Collected at Night Induces Sedative and Anxiolytic-Like Effects and Augments
      Pentobarbital-Induced Sleeping Behavior in Mice.
AB  - Milk has long been known and used to promote sleep. The sleep-promoting effect of
      milk has been attributed to its psychological associations (i.e., the memory of a
      mother giving milk at bedtime) and its rich store of sleep-promoting constituents
      (e.g., tryptophan). Studies have shown that milk harvested at night (Night milk)
      contains exceptionally high amounts of tryptophan and melatonin. In the present
      study, we evaluated the psychopharmacological properties of Night milk,
      particularly its probable sleep-promoting/enhancing, and anxiolytic effects.
      Night milk was orally administered to ICR mice at various concentrations (100,
      200, or 300 mg/kg). An hour after administration, assessment of its sedative
      (open-field and rotarod tests) and sedative sleep-potentiating effects
      (pentobarbital-induced sleeping test) was conducted. For comparison, the effects
      of Day milk (daytime milking) were also assessed. In addition, the effects of
      Night milk on anxiety behavior (elevated plus maze [EPM] test) and
      electroencephalographic (EEG) waves were evaluated. Night milk-treated animals
      exhibited decreased spontaneous locomotion (open-field test) and impaired motor
      balance and coordination (rotarod test). Furthermore, Night milk shortened the
      sleep onset and prolonged the sleep duration induced by pentobarbital sodium.
      These effects were comparable to that of diazepam. In addition, Night milk
      significantly increased the percentage of time spent and entries into the open
      arms of the EPM, indicating that it also has anxiolytic effects. No significant
      changes in EEG waves were observed. Altogether, these findings suggest that Night
      milk is a promising natural aid for sleep- and anxiety-related disturbances.

PMID- 26501384
TI  - Investigation of the Viability, Adhesion, and Migration of Human Fibroblasts in a
      Hyaluronic Acid/Gelatin Microgel-Reinforced Composite Hydrogel for Vocal Fold
      Tissue Regeneration.
AB  - The potential use of a novel scaffold biomaterial consisting of cross-linked
      hyaluronic acid (HA)-gelatin (Ge) composite microgels is investigated for use in
      treating vocal fold injury and scarring. Cell adhesion integrins and kinematics
      of cell motion are investigated in 2D and 3D culture conditions, respectively.
      Human vocal fold fibroblast (hVFF) cells are seeded on HA-Ge microgels attached
      to a HA hydrogel thin film. The results show that hVFF cells establish effective
      adhesion to HA-Ge microgels through the ubiquitous expression of beta1 integrin
      in the cell membrane. The microgels are then encapsulated in a 3D HA hydrogel for
      the study of cell migration. The cells within the HA-Ge microgel-reinforced
      composite hydrogel (MRCH) scaffold have an average motility speed of 0.24 +/-
      0.08 MUm min(-1) . The recorded microscopic images reveal features that are
      presumably associated with lobopodial and lamellipodial cell migration modes
      within the MRCH scaffold. Average cell speed during lobopodial migration is
      greater than that during lamellipodial migration. The cells move faster in the
      MRCH than in the HA-Ge gel without microgels. These findings support the
      hypothesis that HA-Ge MRCH promotes cell adhesion and migration; thereby they
      constitute a promising biomaterial for vocal fold repair. 

PMID- 26501385
TI  - Evaluation of Perioperative Medication Errors and Adverse Drug Events.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to assess the rates of perioperative
      medication errors (MEs) and adverse drug events (ADEs) as percentages of
      medication administrations, to evaluate their root causes, and to formulate
      targeted solutions to prevent them. METHODS: In this prospective observational
      study, anesthesia-trained study staff (anesthesiologists/nurse anesthetists)
      observed randomly selected operations at a 1,046-bed tertiary care academic
      medical center to identify MEs and ADEs over 8 months. Retrospective chart
      abstraction was performed to flag events that were missed by observation. All
      events subsequently underwent review by two independent reviewers. Primary
      outcomes were the incidence of MEs and ADEs. RESULTS: A total of 277 operations
      were observed with 3,671 medication administrations of which 193 (5.3%; 95% CI,
      4.5 to 6.0) involved a ME and/or ADE. Of these, 153 (79.3%) were preventable and
      40 (20.7%) were nonpreventable. The events included 153 (79.3%) errors and 91
      (47.2%) ADEs. Although 32 (20.9%) of the errors had little potential for harm, 51
      (33.3%) led to an observed ADE and an additional 70 (45.8%) had the potential for
      patient harm. Of the 153 errors, 99 (64.7%) were serious, 51 (33.3%) were
      significant, and 3 (2.0%) were life-threatening. CONCLUSIONS: One in 20
      perioperative medication administrations included an ME and/or ADE. More than one
      third of the MEs led to observed ADEs, and the remaining two thirds had the
      potential for harm. These rates are markedly higher than those reported by
      retrospective surveys. Specific solutions exist that have the potential to
      decrease the incidence of perioperative MEs.

PMID- 26501386
TI  - Methylprednisolone Does Not Reduce Persistent Pain after Cardiac Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Persistent incisional pain is common after cardiac surgery and is
      believed to be in part related to inflammation and poorly controlled acute pain.
      Methylprednisolone is a corticosteroid with substantial antiinflammatory and
      analgesic properties and is thus likely to ameliorate persistent surgical pain.
      Therefore, the authors tested the primary hypothesis that patients randomized to
      methylprednisolone have less persistent incisional pain than those given placebo.
      METHODS: One thousand forty-three patients having cardiopulmonary bypass for
      cardiac surgery via a median sternotomy were included in this substudy of
      Steroids in Cardiac Surgery (SIRS) trial. Patients were randomized to 500 mg
      intraoperative methylprednisolone or placebo. Incisional pain was assessed at 30
      days and 6 months after surgery, and the potential risk factors were also
      evaluated. RESULTS: Methylprednisolone administration did not reduce pain at 30
      days or persistent incisional pain at 6 months, which occurred in 78 of 520
      patients (15.7%) in the methylprednisolone group and in 88 of 523 patients
      (17.8%) in the placebo group. The odds ratio for methylprednisolone was 0.93 (95%
      CI, 0.79 to 1.09, P = 0.37). Furthermore, there was no difference in worst pain
      and average pain in the last 24 h, pain interference with daily life, or use of
      pain medicine at 6 months. Younger age, female sex, and surgical infections were
      associated with the development of persistent incisional pain. CONCLUSIONS:
      Intraoperative methylprednisolone administration does not reduce persistent
      incisional pain at 6 months in patients recovering from cardiac surgery.

PMID- 26501387
TI  - Nitrous Oxide and Serious Long-term Morbidity and Mortality in the Evaluation of
      Nitrous Oxide in the Gas Mixture for Anaesthesia (ENIGMA)-II Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Evaluation of Nitrous Oxide in the Gas Mixture for Anaesthesia
      (ENIGMA)-II trial randomly assigned 7,112 noncardiac surgery patients at risk of
      perioperative cardiovascular events to 70% N2O or 70% N2 groups. The aim of this
      follow-up study was to determine the effect of nitrous oxide on a composite
      primary outcome of death and major cardiovascular events at 1 yr after surgery.
      METHODS: One-year follow-up was conducted via a medical record review and
      telephone interview. Disability was defined as a Katz index of independence in
      activities of daily living score less than 8. Adjusted odds ratios and hazard
      ratios were calculated as appropriate for primary and secondary outcomes.
      RESULTS: Among 5,844 patients evaluated at 1 yr, 435 (7.4%) had died, 206 (3.5%)
      had disability, 514 (8.8%) had a fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction, and 111
      (1.9%) had a fatal or nonfatal stroke during the 1-yr follow-up period. Exposure
      to nitrous oxide did not increase the risk of the primary outcome (odds ratio,
      1.08; 95% CI, 0.94 to 1.25; P = 0.27), disability or death (odds ratio, 1.07; 95%
      CI, 0.90 to 1.27; P = 0.44), death (hazard ratio, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.97 to 1.43; P =
      0.10), myocardial infarction (odds ratio, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.81 to 1.17; P = 0.78),
      or stroke (odds ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.58; P = 0.70). CONCLUSION: These
      results support the long-term safety of nitrous oxide administration in
      noncardiac surgical patients with known or suspected cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 26501388
TI  - Perioperative Medication Errors: Building Safer Systems.

PMID- 26501389
TI  - Value of Sequels: Is It Safe to Include Nitrous Oxide in Your Anesthetic?

PMID- 26501390
TI  - Multifunctional Hybrid Porous Micro-/Nanocomposite Materials.
AB  - Multifunctional hybrid porous micro-/nanocomposite materials with hierarchical
      structures of soft silicone nanofilaments on hard porous glass microbeads are
      designed and synthesized. Such materials display selective super
      antiwetting/superwetting properties with unique mechanical, chemical, and thermal
      stabilities, as well as excellent antifouling properties. They are ideal
      materials for highly efficient separation of oil/water mixtures and emulsions,
      and display great advantages as carriers for organocatalysts. 

PMID- 26501391
TI  - TRANSLATING RESEARCH TO PRACTICE: TOO MUCH RESEARCH, NOT ENOUGH PRACTICE?

PMID- 26501392
TI  - Involvement of cytokines in the modulation and progression of renal fibrosis
      induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction in C57BL/6 mice: effects of
      thalidomide and dexamethasone.
AB  - This study investigated the kinetics of cytokines that are involved in the
      development of interstitial fibrosis in mice that were subjected to UUO, the
      interstitial type I and III collagen deposition, and the effects of Thalido and
      Dexa treatment on these parameters. Inbred C57BL/6 mice were divided into the
      groups: Normal (not submitted surgery), Sham (sham surgery), Control (UUO treated
      with 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose), Thalido (UUO treated with 5 mg/kg
      thalidomide), and Dexa (UUO treated with 1 mg/kg dexamethasone). The treatments
      began the day before surgery and were administered once daily by gavage for 1, 7,
      or 14 days. At the end of each treatment period, blood samples were collected for
      the determination of creatinine, urea, cytokines. The Control group exhibited a
      increase in creatinine concentration compared with the Normal and Sham groups
      within the first 24 h after UUO, which remained high until days 7 and 14. The
      urea concentration was higher on days 7 and 14 in the Control group compared with
      the Sham group. In the Thalido and Dexa groups, a reduction of serum creatinine
      concentration was seen on day 14. Treatment with Dexa reduced the serum
      concentration of urea on day 7. The serum concentrations of cytokines (TNF-alpha,
      IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-17) and chemokines (KC, MIG, bFGF) increased in UUO
      mice at all of the sampling times. The Dexa and Thalido groups exhibited
      alterations in the concentrations of these cytokines, suggesting the involvement
      of anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory mechanisms that may have modified the
      fibrosis framework. 

PMID- 26501393
TI  - Scanning for oscillations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Oscillations are an important aspect of brain activity, but they often
      have a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) due to source-to-electrode mixing with
      competing brain activity and noise. Filtering can improve the SNR of narrowband
      signals, but it introduces ringing effects that may masquerade as genuine
      oscillations, leading to uncertainty as to the true oscillatory nature of the
      phenomena. Likewise, time-frequency analysis kernels have a temporal extent that
      blurs the time course of narrowband activity, introducing uncertainty as to
      timing and causal relations between events and/or frequency bands. APPROACH:
      Here, we propose a methodology that reveals narrowband activity within
      multichannel data such as electroencephalography, magnetoencephalography,
      electrocorticography or local field potential. The method exploits the between
      channel correlation structure of the data to suppress competing sources by joint
      diagonalization of the covariance matrices of narrowband filtered and unfiltered
      data. MAIN RESULTS: Applied to synthetic and real data, the method effectively
      extracts narrowband components at unfavorable SNR. SIGNIFICANCE: Oscillatory
      components of brain activity, including weak sources that are hard or impossible
      to observe using standard methods, can be detected and their time course plotted
      accurately. The method avoids the temporal artifacts of standard filtering and
      time-frequency analysis methods with which it remains complementary.

PMID- 26501395
TI  - Health Professions Education Research and the Institutional Review Board.
AB  - The growth in health professions education (HPE) and a desire on the part of
      nurse and medical educators to disseminate their work have raised important
      questions about the ethical conduct of education research. At the center of the
      debate is the institutional review board (IRB) and its proper role in the
      oversight of HPE research. This article examines the IRB process and types of
      reviews for education research and presents an Education Project Summary Template
      to use for IRB reviews.

PMID- 26501396
TI  - Reliability and agreement in student ratings of the class environment.
AB  - The current study estimated the reliability and agreement of student ratings of
      the classroom environment obtained using the Responsive Environmental Assessment
      for Classroom Teaching (REACT; Christ, Nelson, & Demers, 2012; Nelson, Demers, &
      Christ, 2014). Coefficient alpha, class-level reliability, and class agreement
      indices were evaluated as each index provides important information for different
      interpretations and uses of student rating scale data. Data for 84 classes across
      29 teachers in a suburban middle school were sampled to derive reliability and
      agreement indices for the REACT subscales across 4 class sizes: 25, 20, 15, and
      10. All participating teachers were White and a larger number of 6th-grade
      classes were included (42%) relative to 7th- (33%) or 8th- (23%) grade classes.
      Teachers were responsible for a variety of content areas, including language arts
      (26%), science (26%), math (20%), social studies (19%), communications (6%), and
      Spanish (3%). Coefficient alpha estimates were generally high across all
      subscales and class sizes (alpha = .70-.95); class-mean estimates were greatly
      impacted by the number of students sampled from each class, with class-level
      reliability values generally falling below .70 when class size was reduced from
      25 to 20. Further, within-class student agreement varied widely across the REACT
      subscales (mean agreement = .41-.80). Although coefficient alpha and test-retest
      reliability are commonly reported in research with student rating scales, class
      level reliability and agreement are not. The observed differences across
      coefficient alpha, class-level reliability, and agreement indices provide
      evidence for evaluating students' ratings of the class environment according to
      their intended use (e.g., differentiating between classes, class-level
      instructional decisions). (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26501394
TI  - Gene-diet interaction of a common FADS1 variant with marine polyunsaturated fatty
      acids for fatty acid composition in plasma and erythrocytes among men.
AB  - SCOPE: Limited information exists on how the relationship between dietary intake
      of fat and fatty acids in erythrocytes and plasma is modulated by polymorphisms
      in the FADS gene cluster. We examined gene-diet interaction of total marine PUFA
      intake with a known gene encoding Delta-5 desaturase enzyme (FADS1) variant
      (rs174550) for fatty acids in erythrocyte membranes and plasma phospholipids
      (PL), cholesteryl esters (CE), and triglycerides (TG). METHODS AND RESULTS: In
      this cross-sectional study, fatty acid compositions were measured using GC, and
      total intake of polyunsaturated fat from fish and fish oil was estimated using a
      food frequency questionnaire in a subsample (n = 962) of the Metabolic Syndrome
      in Men Study. We found nominally significant gene-diet interactions for
      eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) in erythrocytes (pinteraction = 0.032) and
      for EPA in plasma PL (pinteraction = 0.062), CE (pinteraction = 0.035), and TG
      (pinteraction = 0.035), as well as for docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-3) in PL
      (pinteraction = 0.007). After excluding omega-3 supplement users, we found a
      significant gene-diet interaction for EPA in erythrocytes (pinteraction < 0.003).
      In a separate cohort of the Kuopio Obesity Surgery Study, the same locus was
      strongly associated with hepatic mRNA expression of FADS1 (p = 1.5 * 10(-10) ).
      CONCLUSION: FADS1 variants may modulate the relationship between marine fatty
      acid intake and circulating levels of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.

PMID- 26501397
TI  - Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Inhibitors: A Potential Therapeutic Approach for
      Ocular Neovascularization.
AB  - Retinochoroidal vascular diseases are the leading causes of blindness in the
      developed world. They include diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion,
      retinopathy of prematurity, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and
      pathological myopia, among many others. Several different therapies are currently
      under consideration for the aforementioned disorders. In the following section,
      agents targeting platelet-derived growth factors (PDGF) are discussed as a
      potential therapeutic option for retinochoroidal vascular diseases. PDGF play an
      important role in the angiogenesis cascade that is activated in retinochoroidal
      vascular diseases. The mechanism of action, side effects, efficacy, and the
      potential synergistic role of these agents in combination with other treatment
      options is discussed. The future of treatment of retinochoroidal vascular
      diseases, particularly neovascular AMD, has become more exciting due to agents
      like PDGF antagonists.

PMID- 26501398
TI  - Differences in Morphology and Traction Generation of Cell Lines Representing
      Different Stages of Osteogenesis.
AB  - Osteogenesis is the process by which mesenchymal stem cells differentiate to
      osteoblasts and form bone. The morphology and root mean squared (RMS) traction of
      four cell types representing different stages of osteogenesis were quantified.
      Undifferentiated D1, differentiated D1, MC3T3-E1, and MLO-A5 cell types were
      evaluated using both automated image analysis of cells stained for F-actin and by
      traction force microscopy (TFM). Undifferentiated mesenchymal stem cell lines
      were small, spindly, and exerted low traction, while differentiated osteoblasts
      were large, had multiple processes, and exerted higher traction. Size, shape, and
      traction all correlated with the differentiation stage. Thus, cell morphology
      evolved and RMS traction increased with differentiation. The results provide a
      foundation for further work with these cell lines to study the mechanobiology of
      bone formation. 

PMID- 26501399
TI  - A Thalamocortical Mechanism for the Absence of Overt Motor Behavior in Covertly
      Aware Patients.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: It is well accepted that a significant number of patients in a
      vegetative state are covertly aware and capable of following commands by
      modulating their neural responses in motor imagery tasks despite remaining
      nonresponsive behaviorally. To date, there have been few attempts to explain this
      dissociation between preserved covert motor behavior and absent overt motor
      behavior. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the differential neural substrates of overt
      and covert motor behavior and assess the structural integrity of the underlying
      networks in behaviorally nonresponsive patients. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: A case-control study was conducted at an academic center between
      February 7, 2012, and November 6, 2014. Data analysis was performed between March
      2014 and June 2015. Participants included a convenience sample of 2 patients with
      severe brain injury: a paradigmatic patient who fulfilled all clinical criteria
      for the vegetative state but produced repeated evidence of covert awareness
      (patient 1) and, as a control case, a patient with similar clinical variables but
      capable of behavioral command following (patient 2). Fifteen volunteers
      participated in the study as a healthy control group. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:
      We used dynamic causal modeling of functional magnetic resonance imaging to
      compare voluntary motor imagery and motor execution. We then used fiber
      tractography to assess the structural integrity of the fibers that our functional
      magnetic resonance imaging study revealed as essential for successful motor
      execution. RESULTS: The functional magnetic resonance imaging study revealed
      that, in contrast to mental imagery, motor execution was associated with an
      excitatory coupling between the thalamus and primary motor cortex (Bayesian model
      selection; winning model Bayes factors >17). Moreover, we detected a selective
      structural disruption in the fibers connecting these 2 regions in patient 1
      (fractional anisotropy, 0.294; P = .047) but not in patient 2 (fractional
      anisotropy, 0.413; P = .35). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These results suggest a
      possible biomarker for the absence of intentional movement in covertly aware
      patients (ie, specific damage to motor thalamocortical fibers), highlight the
      importance of the thalamus for the execution of intentional movements, and may
      provide a target for restorative therapies in behaviorally nonresponsive
      patients.

PMID- 26501400
TI  - Detection Accuracy of Collective Intelligence Assessments for Skin Cancer
      Diagnosis.
AB  - Importance: Incidence rates of skin cancer are increasing globally, and the
      correct classification of skin lesions (SLs) into benign and malignant tissue
      remains a continuous challenge. A collective intelligence approach to skin cancer
      detection may improve accuracy. Objective: To evaluate the performance of 2 well
      known collective intelligence rules (majority rule and quorum rule) that combine
      the independent conclusions of multiple decision makers into a single decision.
      Design, Setting, and Participants: Evaluations were obtained from 2 large and
      independent data sets. The first data set consisted of 40 experienced
      dermoscopists, each of whom independently evaluated 108 images of SLs during the
      Consensus Net Meeting of 2000. The second data set consisted of 82 medical
      professionals with varying degrees of dermatology experience, each of whom
      evaluated a minimum of 110 SLs. All SLs were evaluated via the Internet. Image
      selection of SLs was based on high image quality and the presence of
      histopathologic information. Data were collected from July through October 2000
      for study 1 and from February 2003 through January 2004 for study 2 and evaluated
      from January 5 through August 7, 2015. Main Outcomes and Measures: For both
      collective intelligence rules, we determined the true-positive rate (ie, the hit
      rate or specificity) and the false-positive rate (ie, the false-alarm rate or 1 -
      sensitivity) and compared these rates with the performance of single decision
      makers. Furthermore, we evaluated the effect of group size on true- and false
      positive rates. Results: One hundred twenty-two medical professionals performed
      16 029 evaluations. Use of either collective intelligence rule consistently
      outperformed single decision makers. The groups achieved an increased true
      positive rate and a decreased false-positive rate. For example, individual
      decision makers in study 1, using the pattern analysis as diagnostic algorithm,
      achieved a true-positive rate of 0.83 and a false-positive rate of 0.17. Groups
      of 3 individuals achieved a true-positive rate of 0.91 and a false-positive rate
      of 0.14. These improvements increased with increasing group size. Conclusions and
      Relevance: Collective intelligence might be a viable approach to increase
      diagnostic accuracy in skin cancer and reduce skin cancer-related mortality.

PMID- 26501401
TI  - Thrombolysis-Related Hemorrhage: Can We Make Thrombolysis Safer?

PMID- 26501402
TI  - The Value of the History and Physical Examination--Sailing Through Medicine With
      Modern Tools: A Teachable Moment.

PMID- 26501403
TI  - Aortic root volume is associated with contained rupture of the aortic annulus in
      balloon-expandable transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aortic annulus rupture is a rare, but potentially fatal complication
      of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), especially when it occurs by
      balloon-expandable devices. In order to improve the predictability of procedures
      and avoid ruptures we investigated whether or not the aortic root volume measures
      is a useful indicator of risk, and if it could be useful for the prosthesis size
      selection. METHODS AND RESULTS: From a retrospective series of 172 TAVR patients,
      seven experienced contained aortic annulus ruptures. The receiver operating
      curves were used to illustrate sensitivity and specificity of the different
      aortic annulus size and aortic root volume measures. The annulus area oversizing
      of >=20% resulted in a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 55.76%, and positive
      predictive value (PPV) of 8.75%. In patients receiving 26 mm prostheses, the
      aortic root volume (ARV <13600 mm(3)) provided a better specificity and PPV
      (79.63 and 18.52%, respectively). A two-step testing procedure considering the
      area derived average annulus diameter (Darea <23 mm) as a first separating
      parameter and then the ARV (<13,600 mm(3)) as a further indicator showed the most
      promising results with the PPV of 31.25%. Regardless of the procedure steps no
      false negative results were predicted. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that the ARV
      provides a better predictive value for correct prosthesis sizing than established
      annulus measurements, especially in 'borderline' annuli. We suggest a two-step
      testing procedure for prostheses size selection, considering Darea and ARV to
      minimize the risk of annulus rupture. Prospective studies and examination of
      larger datasets are warranted to confirm these findings.

PMID- 26501405
TI  - Linking perceptual learning with identical stimuli to imagery perceptual
      learning.
AB  - Perceptual learning is usually thought to be exclusively driven by the stimuli
      presented during training (and the underlying synaptic learning rules). In some
      way, we are slaves of our visual experiences. However, learning can occur even
      when no stimuli are presented at all. For example, Gabor contrast detection
      improves when only a blank screen is presented and observers are asked to imagine
      Gabor patches. Likewise, performance improves when observers are asked to imagine
      the nonexisting central line of a bisection stimulus to be offset either to the
      right or left. Hence, performance can improve without stimulus presentation. As
      shown in the auditory domain, performance can also improve when the very same
      stimulus is presented in all learning trials and observers were asked to
      discriminate differences which do not exist (observers were not told about the
      set up). Classic models of perceptual learning cannot handle these situations
      since they need proper stimulus presentation, i.e., variance in the stimuli, such
      as a left versus right offset in the bisection stimulus. Here, we show that
      perceptual learning with identical stimuli occurs in the visual domain, too.
      Second, we linked the two paradigms by telling observers that only the very same
      bisection stimulus was presented in all trials and asked them to imagine the
      central line to be offset either to the left or right. As in imagery learning,
      performance improved. 

PMID- 26501404
TI  - Perceptual learning improves neural processing in myopic vision.
AB  - Visual performance is jointly determined by the quality of optical transmission
      of the eye and neural processing in the visual system. An open question is: Can
      effects of optical defects be compensated by perceptual learning in neural
      processing? To address this question, we conducted a perceptual learning study on
      23 observers with myopic vision, targeting high frequency deficits by training
      them in a monocular grating detection task in the non-dominant eye near their
      individual cutoff spatial frequencies. The contrast sensitivity function and
      visual acuity in both eyes (without optical correction) were assessed for all the
      observers in the training group before and after training, and for all the
      observers in the control group twice with a 10-day interval between the tests. In
      addition, the threshold versus external noise contrast function was measured for
      five observers in the training group before and after training. We found that (a)
      training significantly improved contrast sensitivity at the trained spatial
      frequency, visual acuity, and contrast sensitivity over a wide range of spatial
      frequencies in both eyes; (b) training did not lead to any significant refractive
      changes; (c) the mechanism of improvements was a combination of internal additive
      noise reduction and external noise exclusion; and (d) the improvements in visual
      acuity and contrast sensitivity were almost fully retained for at least four
      months in the three observers tested. These results suggest that perceptual
      learning may provide a potential noninvasive procedure to compensate for optical
      defects in mild to modest myopia. 

PMID- 26501406
TI  - Markers, Models, and Measurement Error: Exploring the Links Between Attention
      Deficits and Language Impairments.
AB  - PURPOSE: The empirical record regarding the expected co-occurrence of attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and specific language impairment is
      confusing and contradictory. A research plan is presented that has the potential
      to untangle links between these 2 common neurodevelopmental disorders. METHOD:
      Data from completed and ongoing research projects examining the relative value of
      different clinical markers for separating cases of specific language impairment
      from ADHD are presented. RESULTS: The best option for measuring core language
      impairments in a manner that does not potentially penalize individuals with ADHD
      is to focus assessment on key grammatical and verbal memory skills. Likewise,
      assessment of ADHD symptoms through standardized informant rating scales is
      optimized when they are adjusted for overlapping language and academic symptoms.
      CONCLUSION: As a collection, these clinical metrics set the stage for further
      examination of potential linkages between attention deficits and language
      impairments.

PMID- 26501407
TI  - Synergy temporal sequences and topography in the spinal cord: evidence for a
      traveling wave in frog locomotion.
AB  - Locomotion is produced by a central pattern generator. Its spinal cord
      organization is generally considered to be distributed, with more rhythmogenic
      rostral lumbar segments. While this produces a rostrocaudally traveling wave in
      undulating species, this is not thought to occur in limbed vertebrates, with the
      exception of the interneuronal traveling wave demonstrated in fictive cat
      scratching (Cuellar et al. J Neurosci 29:798-810, 2009). Here, we reexamine this
      hypothesis in the frog, using the seven muscle synergies A to G previously
      identified with intraspinal NMDA (Saltiel et al. J Neurophysiol 85:605-619,
      2001). We find that locomotion consists of a sequence of synergy activations (A-B
      G-A-F-E-G). The same sequence is observed when focal NMDA iontophoresis in the
      spinal cord elicits a caudal extension-lateral force-flexion cycle (flexion onset
      without the C synergy). Examining the early NMDA-evoked motor output at 110 sites
      reveals a rostrocaudal topographic organization of synergy encoding by the lumbar
      cord. Each synergy is preferentially activated from distinct regions, which may
      be multiple, and partially overlap between different synergies. Comparing the
      sequence of synergy activation in locomotion with their spinal cord topography
      suggests that the locomotor output is achieved by a rostrocaudally traveling wave
      of activation in the swing-stance cycle. A two-layer circuitry model, based on
      this topography and a traveling wave reproduces this output and explores its
      possible modifications under different afferent inputs. Our results and
      simulations suggest that a rostrocaudally traveling wave of excitation takes
      advantage of the topography of interneuronal regions encoding synergies, to
      activate them in the proper sequence for locomotion.

PMID- 26501409
TI  - Quantification of structural changes in acute inflammation by fractal dimension,
      angular second moment and correlation.
AB  - The aim of the study was to examine alteration and possible application of
      fractal dimension, angular second moment, and correlation for quantification of
      structural changes in acutely inflamed tissue. Acute inflammation was induced by
      injection of turpentine oil into the right and left hind limb muscles of mice,
      whereas control animals received intramuscular saline injection. After 12 h,
      animals were anesthetised and treated muscles collected. The tissue was stained
      by hematoxylin and eosin, digital micrographs produced, enabling determination of
      fractal dimension of the cells, angular second moment and correlation of studied
      tissue. Histopathological analysis showed presence of inflammatory infiltrate and
      tissue damage in inflammatory group, whereas tissue structure in control group
      was preserved, devoid of inflammatory infiltrate. Fractal dimension of the cells,
      angular second moment and correlation of treated tissue in inflammatory group
      decreased in comparison to the control group. In this study, we were first to
      observe and report that fractal dimension of the cells, angular second moment,
      and correlation were reduced in acutely inflamed tissue, indicating loss of
      overall complexity of the cells in the tissue, the tissue uniformity and
      structure regularity. Fractal dimension, angular second moment and correlation
      could be useful methods for quantification of structural changes in acute
      inflammation.

PMID- 26501410
TI  - The predicament of comparative effectiveness research using observational data.

PMID- 26501408
TI  - Expression and distribution of peroxiredoxins in the retina and optic nerve.
AB  - Oxidative stress is implicated in various pathological conditions of the retina
      and optic nerve. Peroxiredoxins (Prdxs) comprise a recently characterized family
      of antioxidant enzymes. To date, little information exists regarding the
      distribution of Prdxs in the eye. Herein, we employed a combination of qRT-PCR,
      immunohistochemistry and Western blotting to determine the level of expression
      and distribution of the six Prdx isoforms in the retina and optic nerve of the
      rat. In addition, we performed some parallel analyses on the common marmoset
      (Callithrix Jacchus). In the rat, all of the Prdx transcripts were expressed in
      relatively high amounts in both retina and optic nerve, with abundances ranging
      from approximately 3-50 % of the level of the housekeeping gene cyclophilin. With
      regard to protein expression, each isoform was detected in the retina and optic
      nerve by either Western blotting and/or immunohistochemistry. Excepting Prdx4,
      there was a good correspondence between the rodent and primate results. In the
      retina, Prdx1 and Prdx2 were principally localized to neurons in the inner
      nuclear layer and cone photoreceptors, Prdx3 and Prdx5 displayed characteristic
      mitochondrial immunolabeling, while Prdx6 was associated with astrocytes and
      Muller cells. In the optic nerve, Prdx1 was robustly expressed by
      oligodendrocytes, Prdx3 and Prdx5 were observed in axons, and Prdx6 was
      restricted to astrocytes. The present findings augment our understanding of the
      distribution and expression of the Prdxs in the retina and optic nerve of rodents
      and primates and lay the foundation for subsequent analysis of their involvement
      in relevant blinding diseases.

PMID- 26501411
TI  - Hemodynamic Thresholds for Precapillary Pulmonary Hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemodynamic differentiation between pulmonary arterial hypertension
      (PAH) and postcapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) is important because
      treatment options are strikingly different for the two disease subsets. Whereas
      patients with PAH can be treated effectively with targeted therapies, their use
      in postcapillary PH is currently not recommended. Our aim was to establish an
      algorithm to identify patients who are likely to experience a significant
      hemodynamic treatment response. METHODS: We determined hemodynamic cutoffs to
      discriminate between idiopathic PAH and postcapillary PH in a large database of
      4,363 stable patients undergoing first diagnostic right and left heart
      catheterizations. In a second step, we performed a patient-level pooled analysis
      of four randomized, placebo-controlled trials including 541 patients with PAH who
      received treprostinil or placebo, to validate hemodynamic cutoffs with regard to
      treatment response. RESULTS: Receiver operating characteristic analysis
      identified mean pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (mPAWP) < 12 mm Hg and
      diastolic pulmonary vascular pressure gradient (DPG) >= 7 mm Hg as the best
      hemodynamic discriminators between idiopathic PAH and postcapillary PH. In our
      treatment study, only patients with mPAWP < 12 mm Hg, DPG > 20 mm Hg or a
      combination of both had a significant placebo-corrected improvement in
      hemodynamics. CONCLUSIONS: mPAWP < 12 mm Hg and DPG > 20 mm Hg identify patients
      with PAH who are likely to have significant hemodynamic improvement with
      prostacyclin treatment.

PMID- 26501412
TI  - Towards a calcium-based rechargeable battery.
AB  - The development of a rechargeable battery technology using light electropositive
      metal anodes would result in a breakthrough in energy density. For multivalent
      charge carriers (M(n+)), the number of ions that must react to achieve a certain
      electrochemical capacity is diminished by two (n = 2) or three (n = 3) when
      compared with Li(+) (ref. ). Whereas proof of concept has been achieved for
      magnesium, the electrodeposition of calcium has so far been thought to be
      impossible and research has been restricted to non-rechargeable systems. Here we
      demonstrate the feasibility of calcium plating at moderate temperatures using
      conventional organic electrolytes, such as those used for the Li-ion technology.
      The reversibility of the process on cycling has been ascertained and thus the
      results presented here constitute the first step towards the development of a new
      rechargeable battery technology using calcium anodes. 

PMID- 26501413
TI  - Mechanics of fire ant aggregations.
AB  - Fire ants link their bodies to form aggregations; these can adopt a variety of
      structures, they can drip and spread, or withstand applied loads. Here, by using
      oscillatory rheology, we show that fire ant aggregations are viscoelastic. We
      find that, at the lowest ant densities probed and in the linear regime, the
      elastic and viscous moduli are essentially identical over the spanned frequency
      range, which highlights the absence of a dominant mode of structural relaxation.
      As ant density increases, the elastic modulus rises, which we interpret by
      alluding to ant crowding and subsequent jamming. When deformed beyond the linear
      regime, the aggregation flows, exhibiting shear-thinning behaviour with a stress
      load that is comparable to the maximum load the aggregation can withstand before
      individual ants are torn apart. Our findings illustrate the rich, collective
      mechanical behaviour that can arise in aggregations of active, interacting
      building blocks. 

PMID- 26501414
TI  - Reducing Language Barriers in Health Care: Is Technology the Answer?

PMID- 26501415
TI  - Rare Variants in the Functional Domains of Complement Factor H Are Associated
      With Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has a substantial genetic risk
      component, as evidenced by the risk from common genetic variants uncovered in the
      first genome-wide association studies. More recently, it has become apparent that
      rare genetic variants also play an independent role in AMD risk. We sought to
      determine if rare variants in complement factor H (CFH) played a role in AMD
      risk. METHODS: We had previously collected DNA from a large population of
      patients with advanced age-related macular degeneration (A-AMD) and controls for
      targeted deep sequencing of candidate AMD risk genes. In this analysis, we tested
      for an increased burden of rare variants in CFH in 1665 cases and 752 controls
      from this cohort. RESULTS: We identified 65 missense, nonsense, or splice-site
      mutations with a minor allele frequency <= 1%. Rare variants with minor allele
      frequency <= 1% (odds ratio [OR] = 1.5, P = 4.4 * 10-2), 0.5% (OR = 1.6, P = 2.6
      * 10-2), and all singletons (OR = 2.3, P = 3.3 * 10-2) were enriched in A-AMD
      cases. Moreover, we observed loss-of-function rare variants (nonsense, splice
      site, and loss of a conserved cysteine) in 10 cases and serum levels of FH were
      decreased in all 5 with an available sample (haploinsufficiency). Further, rare
      variants in the major functional domains of CFH were increased in cases (OR =
      3.2; P = 1.4 * 10-3) and the magnitude of the effect correlated with the
      disruptive nature of the variant, location in an active site, and inversely with
      minor allele frequency. CONCLUSIONS: In this large A-AMD cohort, rare variants in
      the CFH gene were enriched and tended to be located in functional sites or led to
      low serum levels. These data, combined with those indicating a similar, but even
      more striking, increase in rare variants found in CFI, strongly implicate
      complement activation in A-AMD etiopathogenesis as CFH and CFI interact to
      inhibit the alternative pathway.

PMID- 26501416
TI  - Structural Measurements for Monitoring Change in Glaucoma: Comparing Retinal
      Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness With Minimum Rim Width and Area.
AB  - PURPOSE: Minimum rim width (MRW) and area (MRA) have been introduced as
      anatomically defensible measures of neuroretinal rim tissue observable using
      spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT). They have been reported to
      change earlier than retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) in glaucoma. This
      study sought to determine which is better to distinguish subsequent change from
      variability, using the previously described longitudinal signal-to-noise ratio
      (LSNR). METHODS: Data from 157 eyes of 157 participants with high-risk ocular
      hypertension or non-end-stage glaucoma (mean deviation [MD] from -22 to +3 dB)
      were used. Participants were tested approximately every 6 months for at least six
      visits. For each eye, MRW, MRA, and RNFLT were regressed linearly against time.
      Longitudinal signal-to-noise ratio for each eye was defined as the rate of change
      over time (signal) divided by the standard deviation of residuals from this trend
      (noise). These were compared between parameters using a Wilcoxon signed rank
      test. RESULTS: The median LSNRs were -0.58y-1 for RNFLT (bootstrapped 95%
      confidence interval -0.69 to -0.48y-1); -0.44y-1 (-0.59 to -0.32y-1) for MRW; and
      -0.23y-1 (-0.32 to -0.08y-1) for MRA. Longitudinal signal-to-noise ratios were
      significantly more negative for RNFLT than for MRW (P = 0.025) or for MRA (P <
      0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measured by SDOCT had a
      better LSNR than MRW or MRA. Although MRW and MRA may be more sensitive for early
      detection of glaucomatous damage, these data suggest that RNFLT may be preferable
      for monitoring change.

PMID- 26501418
TI  - A new chapter.

PMID- 26501417
TI  - Helmet Use and Injury Patterns in Motorcycle-Related Trauma.

PMID- 26501419
TI  - Gate-Bias Stability Behavior Tailored by Dielectric Polymer Stereostructure in
      Organic Transistors.
AB  - Understanding charge trapping in a polymer dielectric is critical to the design
      of high-performance organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). We investigated the
      OFET stability as a function of the dielectric polymer stereostructure under a
      gate bias stress and during long-term operation. To this end, iso-, syn-, and
      atactic poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) polymers with identical molecular
      weights and polydispersity indices were selected. The PMMA stereostructure was
      found to significantly influence the charge trapping behavior and trap formation
      in the polymer dielectrics. This influence was especially strong in the bulk
      region rather than in the surface region. The regular configurational
      arrangements (isotactic > syntactic > atactic) of the pendant groups on the PMMA
      backbone chain facilitated closer packing between the polymer interchains and led
      to a higher crystallinity of the polymer dielectric, which caused a reduction in
      the free volumes that act as sites for charge trapping and air molecule
      absorption. The PMMA dielectrics with regular stereostructures (iso- and syn
      stereoisomers) exhibited more stable OFET operation under bias stress compared to
      devices prepared using irregular a-PMMA in both vacuum and air. 

PMID- 26501420
TI  - The Relationship between Native American Ancestry, Body Mass Index and Diabetes
      Risk among Mexican-Americans.
AB  - Higher body mass index (BMI) is a well-established risk factor for type 2
      diabetes, and rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes are substantially higher among
      Mexican-Americans relative to non-Hispanic European Americans. Mexican-Americans
      are genetically diverse, with a highly variable distribution of Native American,
      European, and African ancestries. Here, we evaluate the role of Native American
      ancestry on BMI and diabetes risk in a well-defined Mexican-American population.
      Participants were randomly selected among individuals residing in the Houston
      area who are enrolled in the Mexican-American Cohort study. Using a custom
      Illumina GoldenGate Panel, we genotyped DNA from 4,662 cohort participants for 87
      Ancestry-Informative Markers. On average, the participants were of 50.2% Native
      American ancestry, 42.7% European ancestry and 7.1% African ancestry. Using
      multivariate linear regression, we found BMI and Native American ancestry were
      inversely correlated; individuals with <20% Native American ancestry were 2.5
      times more likely to be severely obese compared to those with >80% Native
      American ancestry. Furthermore, we demonstrated an interaction between BMI and
      Native American ancestry in diabetes risk among women; Native American ancestry
      was a strong risk factor for diabetes only among overweight and obese women (OR =
      1.190 for each 10% increase in Native American ancestry). This study offers new
      insight into the complex relationship between obesity, genetic ancestry, and
      their respective effects on diabetes risk. Findings from this study may improve
      the diabetes risk prediction among Mexican-American individuals thereby
      facilitating targeted prevention strategies. 

PMID- 26501421
TI  - Combined Treatments Reduce Chilling Injury and Maintain Fruit Quality in Avocado
      Fruit during Cold Quarantine.
AB  - Quarantine treatment enables export of avocado fruit (Persea americana) to parts
      of the world that enforce quarantine against fruit fly. The recommended cold
      based quarantine treatment (storage at 1.1 degrees C for 14 days) was studied
      with two commercial avocado cultivars 'Hass' and 'Ettinger' for 2 years. Chilling
      injuries (CIs) are prevalent in the avocado fruit after cold-quarantine
      treatment. Hence, we examined the effect of integrating several treatments:
      modified atmosphere (MA; fruit covered with perforated polyethylene bags), methyl
      jasmonate (MJ; fruit dipped in 2.5 MUM MJ for Hass or 10 MUM MJ for Ettinger for
      30 s), 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP; fruit treated with 300 ppb 1-MCP for 18 h)
      and low-temperature conditioning (LTC; a gradual decrease in temperature over 3
      days) on CI reduction during cold quarantine. Avocado fruit stored at 1 degrees C
      suffered from severe CI, lipid peroxidation, and increased expression of chilling
      responsive genes of fruit peel. The combined therapeutic treatments alleviated CI
      in cold-quarantined fruit to the level in fruit stored at commercial temperature
      (5 degrees C). A successful therapeutic treatment was developed to protect 'Hass'
      and 'Ettinger' avocado fruit during cold quarantine against fruit fly, while
      maintaining fruit quality. Subsequently, treated fruit stored at 1 degrees C had
      a longer shelf life and less decay than the fruit stored at 5 degrees C. This
      therapeutic treatment could potentially enable the export of avocado fruit to all
      quarantine-enforcing countries. Similar methods might be applicable to other
      types of fruit that require cold quarantine. 

PMID- 26501422
TI  - NFATC1 promotes cell growth and tumorigenesis in ovarian cancer up-regulating c
      Myc through ERK1/2/p38 MAPK signal pathway.
AB  - It has been reported that nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFATC1) was up
      regulated in cancers mediating malignant behaviors. However, the role of NFATC1
      in ovarian cancer has not been elucidated. In the present study, we undertook to
      explore the clinicopathological significance of NFATC1 expression and the
      mechanism by which NFATC1 works in ovarian cancer. Expression status of NFATC1
      was examined using immunohistochemistry. Both knockdown and re-expression of
      NFATC1 on ovarian cancer cells were employed to observe the effect overgrowth. It
      was found that NFATC1 was significantly overexpressed in ovarian cancer tissues
      in comparison with paired normal control tissues and that overexpression of
      NFATC1 was significantly associated with metastasis and poor prognosis on
      clinical tissue level. In in vitro ovarian cancer cell lines, we found that
      NFATC1 can promote proliferation up-regulating c-myc through activation of
      ERK1/2/p38/MAPK signal pathway. Together, the results we obtained demonstrated
      that NFATC1 played oncogenic role in ovarian cancer. Mechanistically, NFATC1
      promoted growth of ovarian cancer cells up-regulating c-myc through activation of
      ERK1/2/p38/MAPK signal pathway, suggesting that NFATC1 might be used as a
      therapeutic target for ovarian cancer. 

PMID- 26501423
TI  - CCL15/CCR1 axis is involved in hepatocellular carcinoma cells migration and
      invasion.
AB  - The identification of new biomarkers for the early detection of hepatocellular
      carcinoma is critical in the development of tumor-targeted therapy, which is
      possibly advantageous on the prognosis of this disease. Results from our previous
      study indicated that CCL15 can be a specific proteomic biomarker of
      hepatocellular carcinoma, which plays an important role in tumorigenesis and
      tumor invasion. In this study, we found that CCL15 can induce hepatocellular
      carcinoma cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, CCR1, the receptor of CCL15,
      was demonstrated to play a critical role in metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma.
      CCR1 short hairpin RNA significantly inhibited CCL15-induced chemotaxis and
      invasion of HepG2 cells. Moreover, CCR1 knockdown significantly limited the
      activity and expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9. These
      findings suggest that CCR1 plays critical roles in hepatocellular carcinoma
      metastasis, which indicates that CCR1 may be a potential molecular target in
      hepatocellular carcinoma therapy. 

PMID- 26501426
TI  - A Review of Hard Palate Fracture Repair Techniques.
AB  - PURPOSE: Hard palate trauma is a relatively infrequent occurrence compared with
      other craniofacial injuries. Several techniques of hard palate fracture repair
      have been described. To date, there is no consensus on the optimal management of
      this type of fracture. The purpose of this study was to compile and analyze
      studies describing hard palate fracture repair techniques with outcomes data.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review of the Medline, Scopus, and Web of
      Science databases was performed for articles describing hard palate fracture
      repair techniques. RESULTS: Eight articles were ultimately included in the
      review. Of the collective 310 fractures reported, postoperative malocclusion
      occurred in 21 of 235 cases (8.9%) and other complications occurred in 13 of 299
      cases (4.3%). The most important variability in technique was the method of
      palatal vault stabilization. Three studies described wiring techniques, 3
      described internal fixation techniques, and 2 described external fixation
      techniques. Studies describing internal fixation techniques reported higher rates
      of wound complications. Proponents of rigid internal fixation believe that this
      technique provides better fracture reduction. External fixation techniques appear
      to impart low rates of wound complications, but their overall effectiveness
      remains in question. CONCLUSIONS: Hard palate fractures are associated with high
      rates of malocclusion and wound complications. The most established methods of
      palatal vault stabilization are closed reduction with wiring and internal plate
      fixation. Depending on the fracture type, patient comorbidities, and associated
      injuries, either technique might be preferable in a given circumstance.

PMID- 26501425
TI  - Effects of Antiseptic Solutions Commonly Used in Dentistry on Bone Viability,
      Bone Morphology, and Release of Growth Factors.
AB  - PURPOSE: Antiseptic solutions are commonly used in dentistry for a number of
      sterilization procedures, including harvesting of bone chips, irrigation of
      extraction sockets, and sterilization of osteonecrotic bone. Despite its
      widespread use, little information is available regarding the effects of various
      antiseptic solutions on bone cell viability, morphology, and the release of
      growth factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The antiseptic solutions included 1) 0.5%
      povidone iodine (PI), 2) 0.2% chlorhexidine diguluconate (CHX), 3) 1% hydrogen
      peroxide (H2O2), and 4) 0.25% sodium hypochlorite (HYP). Bone samples collected
      from porcine mandibular cortical bone were rinsed in the antiseptic solutions for
      10 minutes and assessed for cell viability using an MTS assay and protein release
      of transforming growth factor (TGF-beta1), bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2),
      vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin (IL)-1beta, and receptor
      activator of nuclear factor kappaB ligand (RANKL) using an enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay at 15 minutes and 4 hours after rinsing. RESULTS: After
      antiseptic rinsing, changes to the surface protein content showed marked
      alterations, with an abundant protein layer remaining on CHX-rinsed bone samples.
      The amount of surface protein content gradually decreased in the following order:
      CHX, H2O2, PI, and HYP. A similar trend was also observed for the relative cell
      viability from within bone samples after rinsing, with up to 6 times more viable
      cells found in the CHX-rinsed bone samples than in the HYP- and PI-rinsed
      samples. An analysis of the growth factors found that both HYP and PI had
      significantly lower VEGF and TGF-beta1 protein release from bone samples at 15
      minutes and 4 hours after rinsing compared with CHX and H2O2. A similar trend was
      observed for RANKL and IL-1beta protein release, although no change was observed
      for BMP2. CONCLUSIONS: The results from the present study have demonstrated that
      antiseptic solutions present with very different effects on bone samples after 10
      minutes of rinsing. Rinsing with CHX maintained significantly higher cell
      viability and protein release of growth factors potent to the bone remodeling
      cycle.

PMID- 26501427
TI  - Telemedicine Consultations in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: A Follow-Up Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to follow up on the previous study in
      evaluating the efficiency and reliability of telemedicine consultations for
      preoperative assessment of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study
      of 335 patients over a 6-year period was performed to evaluate success rates of
      telemedicine consultations in adequately assessing patients for surgical
      treatment under anesthesia. Success or failure of the telemedicine consultation
      was measured by the ability to triage patients appropriately for the hospital
      operating room versus the clinic, to provide an accurate diagnosis and treatment
      plan, and to provide a sufficient medical and physical assessment for planned
      anesthesia. Data gathered from the average distance traveled and data from a
      previous telemedicine study performed by the National Institute of Justice were
      used to estimate the cost savings of using telemedicine consultations over the 6
      year period. RESULTS: Practitioners performing the consultation were successful
      92.2% of the time in using the data collected to make a diagnosis and treatment
      plan. Patients were triaged correctly 99.6% of the time for the clinic or
      hospital operating room. Most patients (98.0%) were given sufficient medical and
      physical assessment and were able to undergo surgery with anesthesia as planned
      at the clinic appointment immediately after telemedicine consultation. Most
      patients (95.9%) were given an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. The
      estimated amount saved by providing consultation by telemedicine and eliminating
      in-office consultation was substantial at $134,640. CONCLUSION: This study
      confirms the findings from previous studies that telemedicine consultations are
      as reliable as those performed by traditional methods.

PMID- 26501424
TI  - HIV-Infected Spleens Present Altered Follicular Helper T Cell (Tfh) Subsets and
      Skewed B Cell Maturation.
AB  - Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells within secondary lymphoid organs control multiple
      steps of B cell maturation and antibody (Ab) production. HIV-1 infection is
      associated with an altered B cell differentiation and Tfh isolated from lymph
      nodes of HIV-infected (HIV+) individuals provide inadequate B cell help in vitro.
      However, the mechanisms underlying this impairment of Tfh function are not fully
      defined. Using a unique collection of splenocytes, we compared the frequency,
      phenotype and transcriptome of Tfh subsets in spleens from HIV negative (HIV-)
      and HIV+ subjects. We observed an increase of CXCR5+PD-1highCD57-Tfh and germinal
      center (GC) CD57+ Tfh in HIV+ spleens. Both subsets showed a reduced mRNA
      expression of the transcription factor STAT-3, co-stimulatory, regulatory and
      signal transduction molecules as compared to HIV- spleens. Similarly, Foxp3
      expressing follicular regulatory T (Tfr) cells were increased, suggesting
      sustained GC reactions in chronically HIV+ spleens. As a consequence, GC B cell
      populations were expanded, however, complete maturation into memory B cells was
      reduced in HIV+ spleens where we evidenced a compromised production of B cell
      activating cytokines such as IL-4 and IL-10. Collectively our data indicate that,
      although Tfh proliferation and GC reactions seem to be ongoing in HIV-infected
      spleens, Tfh "differentiation" and expression of costimulatory molecules is
      skewed with a profound effect on B cell maturation. 

PMID- 26501429
TI  - Mechanically Self-Assembled, Three-Dimensional Graphene-Gold Hybrid
      Nanostructures for Advanced Nanoplasmonic Sensors.
AB  - Hybrid structures of graphene and metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been actively
      investigated as higher quality surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)
      substrates. Compared with SERS substrates, which only contain metal NPs, the
      additional graphene layer provides structural, chemical, and optical advantages.
      However, the two-dimensional (2D) nature of graphene limits the fabrication of
      the hybrid structure of graphene and NPs to 2D. Introducing three-dimensionality
      to the hybrid structure would allow higher detection sensitivity of target
      analytes by utilizing the three-dimensional (3D) focal volume. Here, we report a
      mechanical self-assembly strategy to enable a new class of 3D crumpled graphene
      gold (Au) NPs hybrid nanoplasmonic structures for SERS applications. We achieve a
      3D crumpled graphene-Au NPs hybrid structure by the delamination and buckling of
      graphene on a thermally activated, shrinking polymer substrate. We also show the
      precise control and optimization of the size and spacing of integrated Au NPs on
      crumpled graphene and demonstrate the optimized NPs' size and spacing for higher
      SERS enhancement. The 3D crumpled graphene-Au NPs exhibits at least 1 order of
      magnitude higher SERS detection sensitivity than that of conventional, flat
      graphene-Au NPs. The hybrid structure is further adapted to arbitrary curvilinear
      structures for advanced, in situ, nonconventional, nanoplasmonic sensing
      applications. We believe that our approach shows a promising material platform
      for universally adaptable SERS substrate with high sensitivity. 

PMID- 26501430
TI  - Spatiotemporal Characterization of Ambient PM2.5 Concentrations in Shandong
      Province (China).
AB  - China experiences severe particulate matter (PM) pollution problems closely
      linked to its rapid economic growth. Advancing the understanding and
      characterization of spatiotemporal air pollution distribution is an area where
      improved quantitative methods are of great benefit to risk assessment and
      environmental policy. This work uses the Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) method to
      assess the space-time variability of PM2.5 concentrations and predict their
      distribution in the Shandong province, China. Daily PM2.5 concentrations obtained
      at air quality monitoring sites during 2014 were used. On the basis of the space
      time PM2.5 distributions generated by BME, we performed three kinds of querying
      analysis to reveal the main distribution features. The results showed that the
      entire region of interest is seriously polluted (BME maps identified heavy
      pollution clusters during 2014). Quantitative characterization of pollution
      severity included both pollution level and duration. The number of days during
      which regional PM2.5 exceeded 75, 115, 150, and 250 MUg m(-3) varied: 43-253, 13
      128, 4-66, and 0-15 days, respectively. The PM2.5 pattern exhibited an increasing
      trend from east to west, with the western part of Shandong being a heavily
      polluted area (PM2.5 exceeded 150 MUg m(-3) during long time periods). Pollution
      was much more serious during winter than during other seasons. Site indicators of
      PM2.5 pollution intensity and space-time variation were used to assess regional
      uncertainties and risks with their interpretation depending on the pollutant
      threshold. The observed PM2.5 concentrations exceeding a specified threshold
      increased almost linearly with increasing threshold value, whereas the relative
      probability of excess pollution decreased sharply with increasing threshold. 

PMID- 26501431
TI  - An Ab Initio QM/MM-Based Approach to Efficiently Evaluate Vertical Excitation
      Energies in Condensed Phases Including the Nonequilibrium Solvation Effect.
AB  - An efficient quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics-based approach is presented
      to calculate a vertical excitation energy of a chromophore in condensed phases
      including the nonequilibrium solvation effect. The electronic polarization of a
      medium and the related nonequilibrium solvation effect associated with the
      vertical excitation are described using a polarizable solvent model. By virtue of
      the mean-field approximation, the target energy can be completely separated into
      classical and quantum mechanical parts, which enables us to efficiently evaluate
      the vertical excitation energy with a high-level quantum mechanical method. The
      method is applied to N,N-dimethyl-4-nitroaniline in a variety of solutions at the
      MRMP2/CASSCF level, showing quantitative agreement with the experimental reports.
      The observed large bathochromic shifts are analyzed by focusing on the induction
      effects of the solvents. 

PMID- 26501432
TI  - Correction to Magnetic Mn and Co Complexes with a Large Polycyclic Aromatic
      Substituted Nitronylnitroxide.

PMID- 26501428
TI  - Serum Markers of Bone Turnover and Angiogenesis in Patients With Bisphosphonate
      Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw After Discontinuation of Long-Term Intravenous
      Bisphosphonate Therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze serum markers of bone turnover, angiogenesis, endocrine
      function, and inflammation in patients with bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis
      of the jaw (BRONJ) who discontinued long-term intravenous bisphosphonate (BP)
      therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Serum samples were obtained from 25 BRONJ patients
      who had discontinued long-term intravenous BP therapy for an average of 11.4 +/-
      8.7 months and 48 non-BRONJ controls who continued receiving intravenous BP
      therapy. Samples were analyzed for total alkaline phosphatase, bone-specific
      alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, C-telopeptide, vascular endothelial growth
      factor, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, 25
      hydroxyvitamin D, and C-reactive protein. RESULTS: The mean number of BP
      infusions was significantly higher in BRONJ patients compared with controls (38.4
      +/- 26.3 infusions vs 18.8 +/- 7.2 infusions, P < .0001); however, the duration
      of BP therapy was not significantly different between the groups (P = .23).
      Overall, there were no significant differences in any of the markers between
      BRONJ patients and controls (all P values >= .16). In a subgroup analysis that
      matched BRONJ patients and controls according to mean age and number of BP
      infusions (10 BRONJ patients and 48 controls), log10 vascular endothelial growth
      factor (2.9 +/- 0.4 pg/mL vs 2.4 +/- 0.4 pg/mL, P < .001) and C-reactive protein
      (34 +/- 26 mg/L vs 13 +/- 8 mg/L, P < .01) levels were significantly higher in
      BRONJ patients compared with controls. Within BRONJ patients, none of the serum
      markers were correlated with duration of BP discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: Levels
      of bone turnover and endocrine markers in BRONJ patients who discontinue long
      term intravenous BP therapy are similar to those in non-BRONJ controls receiving
      intravenous BP therapy. However, levels of angiogenesis and inflammation markers
      are higher in BRONJ patients who discontinue long-term intravenous BP therapy.
      The prolonged skeletal half-life of BPs may suppress bone turnover markers in
      BRONJ patients for several years after discontinuation of intravenous BP therapy,
      suggesting an extended effect on bone homeostasis.

PMID- 26501433
TI  - Determination of five folate monoglutamates in rodent diets.
AB  - A method for the quantitative determination of folates in rodent diets is very
      important for correct interpretation of folate intake during feeding trials,
      given the possible discrepancy between the actual folate concentration in the
      diet and that mentioned on the product sheet. Liquid chromatography tandem-mass
      spectrometry is the method of choice to differentiate and quantify the individual
      folate species present. This discrepancy may be accounted for by, e.g.,
      inaccurate folic acid supplementation and/or the presence of endogenous reduced
      and substituted folates. We developed a method, validated based on FDA
      guidelines, that allows the measurement of added and endogenous folates by
      quantitative determination of 5 folate monoglutamates with linear ranges from 8
      MUg to 2 mg/kg feed. This information, combined with feed intake data, allows
      insight into the actual folate intake in animal feeding studies. The relevance of
      this method was illustrated by the analysis of several feed samples of varying
      composition, by the investigation of the effect of casein incorporation, and by
      evaluating the variability of the folate content between pellets and production
      batches. 

PMID- 26501434
TI  - Influence of the geometrical detail in the description of DNA and the scoring
      method of ionization clustering on nanodosimetric parameters of track structure:
      a Monte Carlo study using Geant4-DNA.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the geometrical detail of
      the DNA on nanodosimetric parameters of track structure induced by protons and
      alpha particles of different energies (LET values ranging from 1 to 162.5 keV um
      1) as calculated by Geant4-DNA Monte Carlo simulations.The first geometry
      considered consisted of a well-structured placement of a realistic description of
      the DNA double helix wrapped around cylindrical histones (GeomHist) forming a 18
      kbp-long chromatin fiber. In the second geometry considered, the DNA was modeled
      as a total of 1800 ten bp-long homogeneous cylinders (2.3 nm diameter and 3.4 nm
      height) placed in random positions and orientations (GeomCyl). As for GeomHist,
      GeomCyl contained a DNA material equivalent to 18 kbp. Geant4-DNA track structure
      simulations were performed and ionizations were counted in the scoring volumes.
      For GeomCyl, clusters were defined as the number of ionizations (nu) scored in
      each 10 bp-long cylinder. For GeomHist, clusters of ionizations scored in the
      sugar-phosphate groups of the double-helix were revealed by the DBSCAN clustering
      algorithm according to a proximity criteria among ionizations separated by less
      than 10 bp. The topology of the ionization clusters formed using GeomHist and
      GeomCyl geometries were compared in terms of biologically relevant nanodosimetric
      quantities.The discontinuous modeling of the DNA for GeomCyl led to smaller
      cluster sizes than for GeomHist. The continuous modeling of the DNA molecule for
      GeomHist allowed the merging of ionization points by the DBSCAN algorithm giving
      rise to larger clusters, which were not detectable within the GeomCyl geometry.
      Mean cluster size (m1) was found to be of the order of 10% higher for GeomHist
      compared to GeomCyl for LET < 15 keV um-1. For higher LETs, the difference
      increased with LET similarly for protons and alpha particles. Both geometries
      showed the same relationship between m1 and the cumulative relative frequency of
      clusters with v>=3 (f3) within statistical variations, independently of particle
      type. In order to obtain ionization cluster size distributions relevant for
      biological DNA lesions, the complex DNA geometry and a scoring method without
      fixed boundaries should be preferred to the simple cylindrical geometry with a
      fixed scoring volume.

PMID- 26501435
TI  - miR-30d Blocked Transforming Growth Factor beta1-Induced Epithelial-Mesenchymal
      Transition by Targeting Snail in Ovarian Cancer Cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: MicroRNAs (miRs) are essential regulators of gene expression by
      suppressing translation or causing degradation of target mRNA. Growing evidence
      sheds light on the crucial roles of miR dysregulation in cancer development and
      progression. In this study, we focused on the role of miR-30d in transforming
      growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1)-initiated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)
      in ovarian cancer cells. METHODS: Transforming growth factor beta1 (10 ng/mL) was
      used to initiate EMT in SKOV3 and 3AO cells. The expression of miR-30 family
      members was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.
      Messenger RNA and protein levels of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin, and Snail
      were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western
      blot, respectively. Cell migration and invasion capacities were evaluated by
      Transwell chamber assay. Luciferase activity assay was performed to verify the
      direct inhibition of Snail by miR-30d. RESULTS: MiR-30b, MiR-30c, and MiR-30d
      were down-regulated during TGF-beta1-induced EMT in SKOV3 and 3AO ovarian cancer
      cells. Restoration of miR-30d by miR-30d mimic reversed TGF-beta1-induced EMT
      phenotypes including the morphological changes, expression pattern of molecular
      markers (E-cadherin, N-cadherin), and migratory and invasive capabilities in
      ovarian cancer cells. Furthermore, Snail was identified as the direct target of
      miR-30d. CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed that miR-30d functioned as a
      suppressor of ovarian cancer progression by decreasing Snail expression and thus
      blocking TGF-beta1-induced EMT process, suggesting the potentiality of miR-30d
      analogs to be used as therapeutics for ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26501436
TI  - HE4 as an Early Detection Biomarker of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Investigations
      in Prediagnostic Specimens From the Janus Serumbank.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Epithelial ovarian cancer is characterized by nonspecific signs and
      clinical symptoms arising at late stages. Early detection is therefore important
      and may significantly improve the survival rate. Cancer antigen 125 (CA125) has
      been the most extensively studied serum biomarker in epithelial ovarian cancer,
      but low specificity limits its usefulness. A relatively novel biomarker, human
      epididymis protein 4 (HE4), has shown promise in early detection of the disease.
      The aim of this study was to investigate how early the tumor marker increases
      before diagnosis. METHODS/MATERIALS: A nested case-control design was used to
      evaluate the performance of HE4 and CA125 in prediagnostic serum samples from the
      Janus Serumbank. Serial specimens from 120 women with invasive epithelial ovarian
      cancer were compared with healthy controls. Serum level of CA125, HE4, and
      cotinine was measured. Spearman correlation and multiple linear regression
      analyses were used to investigate impact of smoking, age, storage time, and lag
      time (time from sampling until date of diagnosis). RESULTS: Spearman correlation
      showed a strong positive correlation between HE4 and smoking in both cases and
      controls. Multiple linear regression analyses for pairwise differences between
      case and control showed that serum level of HE4 and CA125 was significantly
      increased (P = 0.002 and P < 0.001, respectively) 2 years before diagnosis and
      that CA125 also was significantly increased up to 4 years before diagnosis (P =
      0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that a difference between cases and
      controls in serum concentration of HE4 seemed to be increased 2 years before
      diagnosis and that CA125 was increased until 4 years before diagnosis.

PMID- 26501437
TI  - Oncologists' Perceptions of Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Patients' Preference for
      Participation in Treatment Decision Making and Strategies for When and How to
      Involve Patients in This Process.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The treatment decision-making (TDM) process in the medical encounter
      in ovarian cancer (OC) is directed by oncologists. There is little information on
      oncologists' perceptions of this process. Our objectives were to explore
      oncologists' perceptions concerning (1) patients' preference for involvement in
      TDM, (2) factors that affect when to introduce this discussion, and (3)
      strategies used for engaging women in TDM. METHODS: We adopted a qualitative
      descriptive approach. Individual in-person interviews were used to collect data;
      themes were identified. RESULTS: Fifteen gynecologic and 5 medical oncologists
      from Ontario, Canada, participated. We found that oncologists made the assumption
      that women with recurrent OC were interested in being involved in TDM but rarely
      reported attempting to validate this assumption. The oncologists timed the
      initiation of the TDM discussion based on their degree of certainty of recurrent
      OC and their perception of the patient's readiness to be involved in TDM.
      Oncologists reported using strategies to engage women such as getting the women
      to take ownership of the decision, verbalize their priorities, lead the
      discussions, and giving the opportunity to gather information. CONCLUSIONS:
      Oncologists need to listen to each patient rather than make assumptions about the
      person based on her disease.

PMID- 26501439
TI  - Engineering a Polyketide Synthase for In Vitro Production of Adipic Acid.
AB  - Polyketides have enormous structural diversity, yet polyketide synthases (PKSs)
      have thus far been engineered to produce only drug candidates or derivatives
      thereof. Thousands of other molecules, including commodity and specialty
      chemicals, could be synthesized using PKSs if composing hybrid PKSs from well
      characterized parts derived from natural PKSs was more efficient. Here, using
      modern mass spectrometry techniques as an essential part of the design-build-test
      cycle, we engineered a chimeric PKS to enable production one of the most widely
      used commodity chemicals, adipic acid. To accomplish this, we introduced
      heterologous reductive domains from various PKS clusters into the borrelidin PKS'
      first extension module, which we previously showed produces a 3-hydroxy-adipoyl
      intermediate when coincubated with the loading module and a succinyl-CoA starter
      unit. Acyl-ACP intermediate analysis revealed an unexpected bottleneck at the
      dehydration step, which was overcome by introduction of a carboxyacyl-processing
      dehydratase domain. Appending a thioesterase to the hybrid PKS enabled the
      production of free adipic acid. Using acyl-intermediate based techniques to
      "debug" PKSs as described here, it should one day be possible to engineer
      chimeric PKSs to produce a variety of existing commodity and specialty chemicals,
      as well as thousands of chemicals that are difficult to produce from petroleum
      feedstocks using traditional synthetic chemistry. 

PMID- 26501438
TI  - Clinical Neuropathology mini-review 6-2015: PD-L1: emerging biomarker in
      glioblastoma?
AB  - Programmed death 1 (PD-1, CD279) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1, CD274) are
      involved in generating tumor-associated immunosuppression by suppression of T
      cell proliferation and interleukin 2 (IL-2) production and immune checkpoint
      inhibitors targeting these molecules are showing compelling activity against a
      variety of human cancers. PD-L1 expression has shown a positive association with
      response to PD-1 inhibition in noncentral nervous system (CNS) tumors, e.g.,
      melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer, and is discussed as a potential
      predictive biomarker for patient selection in these tumor types. This review
      summarizes current knowledge and potential clinical implications of PD-L1
      expression in glioblastoma. At present, the following conclusions are drawn: (a)
      functional data support a role for PD-1/PD-L1 in tumor-associated
      immunosuppression in glioblastoma; (b) the incidence of PD-L1-expressing
      glioblastomas seems to be relatively high in comparison to other tumor types,
      however, the reported rates of glioblastomas with PD-L1 protein expression vary
      and range from 61 to 88%; (c) there is considerable variability in the
      methodology of PD-L1 assessment in glioblastoma across studies with heterogeneity
      in utilized antibodies, tissue sampling strategies, immunohistochemical staining
      protocols, cut-off definitions, and evaluated staining patterns; (d) there are
      conflicting data on the prognostic role and so far no data on the predictive role
      of PD-L1 gene and protein expression in glioblastoma. In summary, the ongoing
      clinical studies evaluating the activity of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in glioblastoma
      need to be complemented with well designed and stringently executed studies to
      understand the influence of PD-1/PD-L1 expression on therapy response or failure
      and to develop robust means of PD-L1 assessment for meaningful biomarker
      development. 

PMID- 26501440
TI  - Noble Gas Inserted Protonated Silicon Monoxide Cations: HNgOSi(+) (Ng = He, Ne,
      Ar, Kr, and Xe).
AB  - The existence of noble gas containing protonated silicon monoxide complexes have
      been predicted theoretically through ab initio quantum chemical methods. The
      predicted HNgOSi(+) ions are obtained by insertion of a noble gas atom (Ng = He,
      Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) between the H and O atoms in SiOH(+) ion. The structural
      parameters, energetics, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and charge
      distributions have been analyzed by optimizing the minima and the transition
      state structures using second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2),
      density functional theory (DFT), and coupled-cluster theory (CCSD(T)) based
      techniques. The predicted HNgOSi(+) ions are found to be stable with respect to
      all possible 2-body and 3-body dissociation channels, except the dissociation
      path leading to the respective global minimum products. However, these ions are
      found to be kinetically stable with respect to the global minimum dissociation
      process as revealed from the finite barrier heights, which in turn can prevent
      the transformation of these metastable species to the global minimum products.
      Furthermore, the computed bond lengths, vibrational frequencies, and force
      constant values suggest that a strong covalent bond exists between the H and Ng
      atoms in HNgOSi(+) ions while the Ng and O atoms share a strong van der Waals
      kind of interaction. Charge distributions and bonding analysis indicate that
      HNgOSi(+) ions can be best represented as strong complexes between the [HNg](+)
      ions and OSi molecule. All the computational results suggest that the predicted
      species, HNgOSi(+), may be prepared and characterized by suitable experimental
      technique at cryogenic temperature. 

PMID- 26501442
TI  - DNA bases ring-expanded with a cyclopentadiene free radical: a theoretical
      investigation of building blocks with diradical character.
AB  - In this work, we computationally design radical nucleobases which possess
      improved electronic properties, especially diradical properties through
      introducing a cyclopentadiene radical. We predict that the detailed
      electromagnetic features of base assemblies are based on the orientation of the
      extra five-membered cyclopentadiene ring. Broken symmetry DFT calculations take
      into account the relevant structures and properties. Our results reveal that both
      the radicalized DNA bases and the base pairs formed when they combine with their
      counterparts remain stable and display larger spin delocalization. The mode of
      embedding the cyclopentadiene free radical in the structures has some influence
      on the degree of pi-conjugation, which results in various diradical
      characteristics. Single-layered radical base pairs all have an open-shell singlet
      ground state, but the energy difference between singlet and triplet is not
      significant. For two-layered radical base pairs, the situation is more complex.
      All of them have an open-shell state as their ground state, including an open
      shell singlet state and an open-shell triplet state. That is, the majority of
      radical base pairs possess anti-ferromagnetic or ferromagnetic characteristics.
      We present here a more in-depth discussion and analyses to study the magnetic
      characteristics of radical bases and base pairs. As an important factor, two
      layered radical base pairs also have been carefully analyzed. We hope that all
      the measurements and results presented here will stimulate further detailed
      insights into the related mechanisms in modified DNA bases and the design of
      better ring-expanded DNA magnetic materials. 

PMID- 26501443
TI  - EJNMMI Physics - an editor's perspective.

PMID- 26501444
TI  - The contribution of Medical Physics to Nuclear Medicine: looking back - a
      physicist's perspective.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This paper is the first in a series of invited perspectives by four
      pioneers of Nuclear Medicine imaging and physics. A medical physicist and a
      Nuclear Medicine clinical specialist each take a backward look and a forward look
      at the contributions of Medical Physics to Nuclear Medicine. DISCUSSION:
      Contributions of Medical Physics are presented from the early discovery of
      radioactivity, development of first imaging devices, computers and emission
      tomography to recent development of hybrid imaging. There is evidence of
      significant contribution of Medical Physics throughout the development of Nuclear
      Medicine.

PMID- 26501445
TI  - The contribution of medical physics to nuclear medicine: a physician's
      perspective.
AB  - This paper is the second in a series of invited perspectives by four pioneers of
      nuclear medicine imaging and physics. A medical physicist and a nuclear medicine
      clinical specialist each take a backward look and a forward look at the
      contributions of physics to nuclear medicine. Here is a backward look from a
      nuclear medicine physician's perspective. 

PMID- 26501446
TI  - Thirty years from now: future physics contributions in nuclear medicine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This paper is the first in a series of invited perspectives by
      pioneers of nuclear medicine imaging and physics. A medical physicist and a
      nuclear medicine physician each take a backward and a forward look at the
      contributions of physics to nuclear medicine. Here, we provide a forward look
      from the medical physicist's perspective. DISCUSSION: The author examines a
      number of developments in nuclear medicine and discusses the ways in which
      physics has contributed to these. Future developments are postulated in the
      context of an increasingly personalised approach to medical diagnostics and
      therapies. CONCLUSIONS: A skill set for the next generation of medical physicists
      in nuclear medicine is proposed in the context of the increasing complexity of
      'Molecular Imaging' in the next three decades. The author sees a shift away from
      'traditional' roles in instrumentation QA to more innovative approaches in
      understanding radiobiology and human disease.

PMID- 26501447
TI  - The contribution of physics to Nuclear Medicine: physicians' perspective on
      future directions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advances in Nuclear Medicine physics enabled the specialty of Nuclear
      Medicine and directed research in other aspects of radiotracer imaging,
      ultimately leading to Nuclear Medicine's emergence as an important component of
      current medical practice. DISCUSSION: Nuclear Medicine's unique ability to
      characterize in vivo biology without perturbing it will assure its ongoing role
      in a practice of medicine increasingly driven by molecular biology. However, in
      the future, it is likely that advances in molecular biology and
      radiopharmaceutical chemistry will increasingly direct future developments in
      Nuclear Medicine physics, rather than relying on physics as the primary driver of
      advances in Nuclear Medicine. Working hand-in-hand with clinicians, chemists, and
      biologists, Nuclear Medicine physicists can greatly enhance the specialty by
      creating more sensitive and robust imaging devices, by enabling more facile and
      sophisticated image analysis to yield quantitative measures of regional in vivo
      biology, and by combining the strengths of radiotracer imaging with other imaging
      modalities in hybrid devices, with the overall goal to enhance Nuclear Medicine's
      ability to characterize regional in vivo biology.

PMID- 26501448
TI  - The dynamics of physics in PET.
AB  - From a technical perspective, there are fundamentally two forces driving the
      evolution of instrumentation in positron emission tomography (PET) and nuclear
      medicine generally: clinical needs and technical innovation. This essay considers
      some of the dynamics of these forces as they act on physics-related developments
      in PET and suggests that progress will be greatest if these differing motivations
      are kept in balance as the field evolves. 

PMID- 26501449
TI  - Cluster-based segmentation of dual-echo ultra-short echo time images for PET/MR
      bone localization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance (MR)-based attenuation correction is a critical
      component of integrated positron emission tomography (PET)/MR scanners. It is
      generally achieved by segmenting MR images into tissue classes with known
      attenuation properties (e.g., bone, fat, soft tissue, lung, air). Ultra-short
      echo time (UTE) have been proposed in the past to locate bone tissue. In this
      study, tri-modality computed tomography data was used to develop an improved
      algorithm for the localization of bone in the head and neck. METHODS: Twenty
      patients were scanned using a tri-modality setup. A UTE acquisition with 22-cm
      transaxial and 24-cm axial field of view was acquired, with a resolution of 1.5 *
      1.5 * 2.0 mm(3). The sequence consisted of two echoes (30 MUs, 1.7 ms) with a
      flip angle of 10 degrees  and 125-kHz bandwidth. The CT images of all patients
      were classified by thresholding and used to compute maps of the posterior
      probability of each tissue class, given a pair of UTE echo values. The Jaccard
      distance was used to compare with CT the bone masks obtained when using this
      information to segment the UTE datasets. RESULTS: The results show the desired
      bony structures as a cluster pattern in the space of dual-echo measurements. The
      clusters obtained for the tissue classes are strongly overlapped, indicating that
      the MR data will not, regardless of the chosen space partition, be able to
      completely differentiate the bony and soft structures. The classification
      obtained by maximizing the posterior probability compared well to previously
      published methods, providing a more intuitive and robust choice of the final
      classification threshold. The distance between MR- and CT-based bone masks was
      59% on average (0% being a perfect match), compared to 76% and 69% for two
      previously published methods. CONCLUSIONS: The study of tri-modality datasets
      shows that improved bone tissue classification can be achieved by estimating maps
      of the posterior probability of voxels belonging to a particular tissue class,
      given a measured pair of UTE echoes.

PMID- 26501450
TI  - On transcending the impasse of respiratory motion correction applications in
      routine clinical imaging - a consideration of a fully automated data driven
      motion control framework.
AB  - Positron emission tomography (PET) is increasingly used for the detection,
      characterization, and follow-up of tumors located in the thorax. However, patient
      respiratory motion presents a unique limitation that hinders the application of
      high-resolution PET technology for this type of imaging. Efforts to transcend
      this limitation have been underway for more than a decade, yet PET remains for
      practical considerations a modality vulnerable to motion-induced image
      degradation. Respiratory motion control is not employed in routine clinical
      operations. In this article, we take an opportunity to highlight some of the
      recent advancements in data-driven motion control strategies and how they may
      form an underpinning for what we are presenting as a fully automated data-driven
      motion control framework. This framework represents an alternative direction for
      future endeavors in motion control and can conceptually connect individual
      focused studies with a strategy for addressing big picture challenges and goals. 

PMID- 26501451
TI  - Effective dose to adult patients from 338 radiopharmaceuticals estimated using
      ICRP biokinetic data, ICRP/ICRU computational reference phantoms and ICRP 2007
      tissue weighting factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Effective dose represents the potential risk to a population of
      stochastic effects of ionizing radiation (mainly lethal cancer). In recent years,
      there have been a number of revisions and updates influencing the way to estimate
      the effective dose. The aim of this work was to recalculate the effective dose
      values for the 338 different radiopharmaceuticals previously published by the
      International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). METHOD: The new
      estimations are based on information on the cumulated activities per unit
      administered activity in various organs and tissues and for the various
      radiopharmaceuticals obtained from the ICRP publications 53, 80 and 106. The
      effective dose for adults was calculated using the new ICRP/International
      Commission on Radiation Units (ICRU) reference voxel phantoms and decay data from
      the ICRP publication 107. The ICRP human alimentary tract model has also been
      applied at the recalculations. The effective dose was calculated using the new
      tissue weighting factors from ICRP publications 103 and the prior factors from
      ICRP publication 60. The results of the new calculations were compared with the
      effective dose values published by the ICRP, which were generated with the
      Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) adult phantom and the tissue weighting
      factors from ICRP publication 60. RESULTS: For 79% of the radiopharmaceuticals,
      the new calculations gave a lower effective dose per unit administered activity
      than earlier estimated. As a mean for all radiopharmaceuticals, the effective
      dose was 25% lower. The use of the new adult computational voxel phantoms has a
      larger impact on the change of effective doses than the change to new tissue
      weighting factors. CONCLUSION: The use of the new computational voxel phantoms
      and the new weighting factors has generated new effective dose estimations. These
      are supposed to result in more realistic estimations of the radiation risk to a
      population undergoing nuclear medicine investigations than hitherto available
      values.

PMID- 26501452
TI  - Missing head and color banding in low-count SPECT reconstructions.
AB  - Due to low counts in an (111)In single photon emission computed tomography
      (SPECT) scan, a large part of the head was missing in the reconstructed images on
      Philips Extended Brilliance Workspace (EBW) and IntelliSpace Portal (ISP)
      workstations. This problem occurred for the ordered subsets expectation
      maximization (OSEM) algorithm with and without resolution recovery (Astonish),
      but not for filtered backprojection (FBP) or maximum likelihood expectation
      maximization (MLEM). There were also underflow problems because the images are
      stored as integers resulting in a loss of intensity resolution and color
      banding.Philips EBW2.0 and ISP5.02 workstations upscale low-count images, but the
      result is not always optimal, for example, in the case of low counts in one part
      and more counts in another part of an image. On these workstations, the missing
      head artefact problem could be resolved by applying a Hann pre-filter (with a
      cutoff at the Nyquist frequency, which only influences the filtering) in the
      reconstruction process. Upscaling of the projection data prior to reconstruction
      did not recover the head in the images, neither did limiting the reconstructed
      volume to the low-count part of interest.Underflow problems were partially solved
      by the new version 2.0 of the Philips EBW and ISP stations, although situations
      could arise where underflow still poses a problem. A solution for the underflow
      problems is to upscale the raw projection data before reconstruction. While this
      results in a pure upscaling of the FBP reconstruction, the effect in iterative
      statistical reconstruction is not only upscaling of the intensities because the
      assumption of Poisson statistics of the data is violated. However, the influence
      of this last matter seems limited.Reconstruction of studies with low counts in
      relevant areas should be performed with care. Reconstruction artefacts and
      scaling issues can easily arise. 

PMID- 26501453
TI  - New prospects for PET in prostate cancer imaging: a physicist's viewpoint.
AB  - Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer among men. Early
      diagnosis, correct staging, accurate detection of metastasis, and monitoring of
      the therapy are the key tasks that could greatly benefit from medical imaging.
      After a review of the main developments in the field of positron emission
      tomography (PET) tracers for prostate cancer, the impact of improved PET
      instrumentation with good spatial resolution and high sensitivity is discussed,
      together with the latest development in PET technology: lutetium oxy-ortho
      silicate (LSO) and lutetium-yttrium oxy-ortho-silicate (LYSO) scintillators,
      resolution recovery, and time-of-flight reconstruction. New directions and
      multiple approaches in PET instrumentation for prostate cancer are presented and
      discussed. In particular, improved hardware and noise suppressing reconstruction
      algorithms allow for higher detectability of small lesions and better spatial
      resolution in PET/computerized tomography (CT) and PET/magnetic resonance (MR).
      This can be beneficial for guiding biopsy and surgery and for accurate therapy
      monitoring. 

PMID- 26501454
TI  - The influence of different signal-to-background ratios on spatial resolution and
      F18-FDG-PET quantification using point spread function and time-of-flight
      reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: F18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography (FDG-PET)
      reconstruction algorithms can have substantial influence on quantitative image
      data used, e.g., for therapy planning or monitoring in oncology. We analyzed
      radial activity concentration profiles of differently reconstructed FDG-PET
      images to determine the influence of varying signal-to-background ratios (SBRs)
      on the respective spatial resolution, activity concentration distribution, and
      quantification (standardized uptake value [SUV], metabolic tumor volume [MTV]).
      METHODS: Measurements were performed on a Siemens Biograph mCT 64 using a
      cylindrical phantom containing four spheres (diameter, 30 to 70 mm) filled with
      F18-FDG applying three SBRs (SBR1, 16:1; SBR2, 6:1; SBR3, 2:1). Images were
      reconstructed employing six algorithms (filtered backprojection [FBP], FBP + time
      of-flight analysis [FBP + TOF], 3D-ordered subset expectation maximization [3D
      OSEM], 3D-OSEM + TOF, point spread function [PSF], PSF + TOF). Spatial resolution
      was determined by fitting the convolution of the object geometry with a Gaussian
      point spread function to radial activity concentration profiles. MTV delineation
      was performed using fixed thresholds and semiautomatic background-adapted
      thresholding (ROVER, ABX, Radeberg, Germany). RESULTS: The pairwise Wilcoxon test
      revealed significantly higher spatial resolutions for PSF + TOF (up to 4.0 mm)
      compared to PSF, FBP, FBP + TOF, 3D-OSEM, and 3D-OSEM + TOF at all SBRs (each P <
      0.05) with the highest differences for SBR1 decreasing to the lowest for SBR3.
      Edge elevations in radial activity profiles (Gibbs artifacts) were highest for
      PSF and PSF + TOF declining with decreasing SBR (PSF + TOF largest sphere; SBR1,
      6.3%; SBR3, 2.7%). These artifacts induce substantial SUVmax overestimation
      compared to the reference SUV for PSF algorithms at SBR1 and SBR2 leading to
      substantial MTV underestimation in threshold-based segmentation. In contrast,
      both PSF algorithms provided the lowest deviation of SUVmean from reference SUV
      at SBR1 and SBR2. CONCLUSIONS: At high contrast, the PSF algorithms provided the
      highest spatial resolution and lowest SUVmean deviation from the reference SUV.
      In contrast, both algorithms showed the highest deviations in SUVmax and
      threshold-based MTV definition. At low contrast, all investigated reconstruction
      algorithms performed approximately equally. The use of PSF algorithms for
      quantitative PET data, e.g., for target volume definition or in serial PET
      studies, should be performed with caution - especially if comparing SUV of
      lesions with high and low contrasts.

PMID- 26501455
TI  - The effect of object size on the sensitivity of single photon emission computed
      tomography: comparison of two CZT cardiac cameras and an Anger scintillation
      camera.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heart sizes vary greatly across the spectrum of patients referred for
      myocardial perfusion imaging. We therefore performed a phantom study to explore
      under controlled circumstances how count rates change when different volumes
      containing the same amount of activity are scanned. Two dedicated cadmium-zinc
      telluride cameras, the D-SPECT (Spectrum Dynamics, Caesarea, Israel) and
      Discovery 530c (D530c, GE Healthcare, Haifa, Israel), and the conventional SPECT
      Anger (A-SPECT, GE Healthcare, Haifa, Israel) camera are included in the study.
      METHODS: Different heart sizes were represented by syringes of various column
      heights mimicking a range of cardiac diameters. Syringes with fixed activity were
      scanned at five different volumes by successively adding non-radioactive water to
      the syringes. This procedure was repeated five times on each of the three
      cameras. Raw count rates were recorded for each scan to determine whether count
      rates changed with syringe column height. RESULTS: Using mixed-effect regression
      modeling, a linear relationship was found between count rate and water column
      height. For the D-SPECT, D530c, and A-SPECT, the changes in count rate for each
      centimeter increase in water column height were -1.75, +0.28, and -0.022
      kilocounts per min per MBq, respectively (95% confidence intervals -1.89 to 
      1.61, 0.19 to 0.36, and -0.035 to -0.009); all effects are significantly
      different from each other and significantly different from zero. Average
      coefficients of variation were 0.080, 0.028, and 0.009. CONCLUSIONS: The D-SPECT
      demonstrated a significant progressive increase in count rate related to
      decreasing size of the imaged object. D530c count rate increased slightly with
      increasing column height. The Anger SPECT showed minimally increased count rates
      with decreasing column height, an order of magnitude smaller than the D-SPECT
      based on their relative coefficients of variation.

PMID- 26501456
TI  - Unconstrained image reconstruction with resolution modelling does not have a
      unique solution.
AB  - Positron emission tomography systems have a finite spatial resolution. When the
      system point spread function (PSF) is taken into account, the unconstrained
      reconstruction problem does not have a unique solution. As a result, the solution
      obtained with the maximum likelihood reconstruction algorithm typically suffers
      from Gibbs artefacts, which can have an adverse effect on tracer uptake
      quantification in small lesions. To deal with this problem, some assumptions
      about the undetected image features have to be introduced, either implicitly or
      explicitly. If one is willing to sacrifice resolution, the improvement of the PSF
      model can be used to suppress noise and at the same time impose a predefined
      (suboptimal) spatial resolution, facilitating pooled analysis of multicentre
      data. 

PMID- 26501457
TI  - Impact of point spread function modelling and time of flight on FDG uptake
      measurements in lung lesions using alternative filtering strategies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax) is commonplace
      in oncology positron emission tomography (PET). Point spread function (PSF)
      modelling and time-of-flight (TOF) reconstructions have a significant impact on
      SUVmax, presenting a challenge for centres with defined protocols for lesion
      classification based on SUVmax thresholds. This has perhaps led to the slow
      adoption of these reconstructions. This work evaluated the impact of PSF and/or
      TOF reconstructions on SUVmax, SUVpeak and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) under
      two different schemes of post-filtering. METHODS: Post-filters to match voxel
      variance or SUVmax were determined using a NEMA NU-2 phantom. Images from 68
      consecutive lung cancer patients were reconstructed with the standard iterative
      algorithm along with TOF; PSF modelling - Siemens HD.PET (HD); and combined PSF
      modelling and TOF - Siemens ultraHD.PET (UHD) with the two post-filter sets.
      SUVmax, SUVpeak, TLG and signal-to-noise ratio of tumour relative to liver (SNR(T
      L)) were measured in 74 lesions for each reconstruction. Relative differences in
      uptake measures were calculated, and the clinical impact of any changes was
      assessed using published guidelines and local practice. RESULTS: When matching
      voxel variance, SUVmax increased substantially (mean increase +32% and +49% for
      HD and UHD, respectively), potentially impacting outcome in the majority of
      patients. Increases in SUVpeak were less notable (mean increase +17% and +23% for
      HD and UHD, respectively). Increases with TOF alone were far less for both
      measures. Mean changes to TLG were <10% for all algorithms for either set of post
      filters. SNR(T-L) were greater than ordered subset expectation maximisation
      (OSEM) in all reconstructions using both post-filtering sets. CONCLUSIONS:
      Matching image voxel variance with PSF and/or TOF reconstructions, particularly
      with PSF modelling and in small lesions, resulted in considerable increases in
      SUVmax, inhibiting the use of defined protocols for lesion classification based
      on SUVmax. However, reduced partial volume effects may increase lesion
      detectability. Matching SUVmax in phantoms translated well to patient studies for
      PSF reconstruction but less well with TOF, where a small positive bias was
      observed in patient images. Matching SUVmax significantly reduced voxel variance
      and potential variability of uptake measures. Finally, TLG may be less sensitive
      to reconstruction methods compared with either SUVmax or SUVpeak.

PMID- 26501458
TI  - Chewing-gum stimulation did not reduce the absorbed dose to salivary glands
      during radioiodine treatment of thyroid cancer as inferred from pre-therapy
      (124)I PET/CT imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The goal of this prospective study was to estimate the absorbed
      (radiation) doses to salivary glands in radioiodine therapy of thyroid cancer
      under chewing-gum stimulation using (124)I positron emission tomography
      (PET)/computed tomography (CT) imaging. METHODS: Duplex ultrasonography was
      conducted in three test persons for visual comparison of the glandular blood flow
      with three different stimulation types (no stimulation, chewing tasteless gum
      base, sucking on lemon slices). Ten patients with newly diagnosed differentiated
      thyroid cancer received (124)I PET/CT dosimetry after thyroidectomy and prior to
      radioiodine therapy. Patients underwent a series of three (124)I PET/CT scans (4,
      24, and >=96 h after administration of 23 MBq (124)I). They were instructed to
      chew gum base (tasteless) approximately 20 min after ingesting the (124)I
      containing capsule in the course of the first day. Absorbed doses per
      administered (131)I activity to the salivary glands were calculated and compared
      with the previously published results of the lemon-juice stimulation and non
      stimulation groups. RESULTS: The sonograms in the three test persons showed that
      glandular blood perfusion by lemon-juice stimulation was clearly increased
      compared with non-stimulation or chewing of gum base. The sonogram comparison
      between the chewing-gum stimulation and non-stimulation demonstrated a minor
      increase of blood flow for the gum base-stimulated salivary glands. The mean +/-
      standard deviation of the absorbed dose per activity under chewing-gum
      stimulation for the submandibular and parotid glands (within parentheses) was
      0.22 +/- 0.09 Gy/GBq (0.22 +/- 0.08 Gy/GBq). Compared with the absorbed doses of
      the non-stimulation group, 0.24 +/- 0.08 Gy/GBq (0.21 +/- 0.05 Gy/GBq), those of
      the chewing-gum stimulation group showed no significant change (P > 0.60), but
      the absorbed doses of the lemon-juice stimulation group, 0.35 +/- 0.14 Gy/GBq
      (0.33 +/- 0.09 Gy/GBq), were significantly higher (P < 0.04) than those of the
      chewing-gum stimulation group. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that salivary
      flow induced by chewing gum base does not cause a significant reduction of the
      salivary gland absorbed dose compared with that in the non-stimulation group. The
      increased blood flow appears to be a decisive factor causing the increased (131)I
      absorbed doses in the lemon-juice stimulation group.

PMID- 26501459
TI  - Impact of incorrect tissue classification in Dixon-based MR-AC: fat-water tissue
      inversion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current MR-based attenuation correction (AC) used in combined
      PET/MR systems computes a Dixon attenuation map (MR-ACDixon) based on fat and
      water images derived from in- and opposed-phase MRI. We observed an occasional
      fat/water inversion in MR-ACDixon. The aim of our study was to estimate the
      prevalence of this phenomenon in a large patient cohort and assess the possible
      bias on PET data. METHODS: PET/MRI was performed on a Siemens Biograph mMR
      (Siemens AG, Erlangen, Germany). We visually inspected attenuation maps of 283
      brain or head/neck (H/N) patients, classified them as non-inverted or inverted,
      and calculated the fat/water tissue fraction. We selected ten FDG-PET brain
      patients with non-inverted attenuation maps for further analysis. Tissue
      inversion was simulated, and PET images were reconstructed using both original
      and inverted attenuation maps. The FDG-PET images of the ten brain patients were
      analyzed using 11 concentric annulus regions of 5 mm width placed over a central
      transaxial image plane traversing PETDixon. RESULTS: Out of the 283 patients, a
      fat/water inversion in 23 patients (8.1%) was observed. The average fraction of
      fat in the correct MR-ACDixon was 13% for brain and 17% for H/N patients. In the
      inverted cases, we found an average fat fraction of 56% for the brain patients
      and 41% for the H/N patients. The effect of the simulated tissue inversion in the
      brain studies was clearly seen on AC-PET images. The percent-difference image
      revealed a radial error where the largest difference was at the ventricles (30%
      +/- 3%) and smallest at the cortical region (10% +/- 2%). CONCLUSIONS: Tissue
      inversion in Dixon MRI is well known and can occur when there is an error in the
      off-resonance correction method. Tissue inversion needs to be considered if,
      based on Dixon-AC, the construction of normal PET databases is performed or any
      quantitative physiological parameters are fitted. Visual inspection is needed if
      Dixon-AC is to be used in clinical routine.

PMID- 26501460
TI  - Metal artifact reduction in patients with dental implants using multispectral
      three-dimensional data acquisition for hybrid PET/MRI.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hybrid positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging
      (PET/MRI) shows high potential for patients with oropharyngeal cancer. Dental
      implants can cause substantial artifacts in the oral cavity impairing diagnostic
      accuracy. Therefore, we evaluated new MRI sequences with multi-acquisition
      variable-resonance image combination (MAVRIC SL) in comparison to conventional
      high-bandwidth techniques and in a second step showed the effect of artifact size
      on MRI-based attenuation correction (AC) with a simulation study. METHODS: Twenty
      five patients with dental implants prospectively underwent a trimodality
      PET/CT/MRI examination after informed consent was obtained under the approval of
      the local ethics committee. A conventional 3D gradient-echo sequence (LAVA-Flex)
      commonly used for MRI-based AC of PET (acquisition time of 14 s), a T1w fast spin
      echo sequence with high bandwidth (acquisition time of 3.2 min), as well as
      MAVRIC SL sequence without and with increased phase acceleration (MAVRIC,
      acquisition time of 6 min; MAVRIC-fast, acquisition time of 3.5 min) were
      applied. The absolute and relative reduction of the signal void artifact was
      calculated for each implant and tested for statistical significance using the
      Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The effect of artifact size on PET AC was simulated in
      one case with a large tumor in the oral cavity. The relative difference of the
      maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in the tumor was calculated for
      increasing artifact sizes centered over the second molar. RESULTS: The absolute
      reduction of signal void from LAVA-Flex sequences to the T1-weighted fast spin
      echo (FSE) sequences was 416 mm(2) (range 4 to 2,010 mm(2)) to MAVRIC 481 mm(2)
      (range 12 to 2,288 mm(2)) and to MAVRIC-fast 486 mm(2) (range 39 to 2,209 mm(2)).
      The relative reduction in signal void was significantly improved for both MAVRIC
      and MAVRIC-fast compared to T1 FSE (-75%/-78% vs. -62%, p < 0.001 for both). The
      relative error for SUVmax was negligible for artifacts of 0.5-cm diameter (
      0.1%), but substantial for artifacts of 5.2-cm diameter (-33%). CONCLUSIONS:
      MAVRIC-fast could become useful for artifact reduction in PET/MR for patients
      with dental implants. This might improve diagnostic accuracy especially for
      patients with tumors in the oropharynx and substantially improve accuracy of PET
      quantification.

PMID- 26501461
TI  - Clinical image quality perception and its relation to NECR measurements in PET.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to describe a clinical relation of noise
      equivalent count rate (NECR) - an objective measurement of positron emission
      tomography (PET) systems - measured in a large number of patients, to clinical
      image quality of PET and their relation to 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG)
      activity and patient's weight. METHODS: A total of 71 consecutive patients were
      evaluated in this retrospective study. All data was automatically analysed using
      Matlab to estimate the noise equivalent count rate. Then, image quality was
      evaluated according to two subjective scores: the IQ local score was a 3-point
      scale assigned to each bed position in all patients and the IQ global score was a
      10-point scale assigned after evaluating the coronal whole-body PET. Patient data
      was also analysed concerning weight, body mass index, FDG dose at the start of
      acquisition (D Acq), presence of bowel uptake and presence of FDG-positive
      pathologic lesions. Two additional parameters were defined for each patient: the
      ratio between D Acq and patient weight (R DW) and the ratio between D Acq and
      patient BMI (R DBMI). RESULTS: Clinically perceived image quality in PET has a
      significant positive correlation with NECR measured in patients, R DW, R DBMI and
      presence of pathologic lesions. Clinical image quality furthermore has
      significant negative correlation with weight, body mass index (BMI) and presence
      of bowel uptake. Thresholds of R DW and R DBMI in which clinical IQ is good to
      excellent in more than 90% of the patients were 2.6 and 8.0, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Clinically perceived image quality in PET systems is positively and
      significantly related to NECR measured in patients. An optimal threshold for the
      R DW and R DBMI was defined in which clinical IQ is good to excellent in more
      than 90% of patients. With this data, it is possible to extrapolate technical as
      well as clinical image quality to other PET system and to predict clinical image
      perception.

PMID- 26501462
TI  - Routes for Drug Delivery to the Eye and Retina: Intravitreal Injections.
AB  - The advantage of intravitreal injections is an immediate and increased
      therapeutic effect in the intended retinal tissue. The accuracy, precision and
      reproducibility of the delivered volume depend on the size of the syringe and the
      physician's manual experience. The eyelids and eyelashes are usually disinfected
      using a povidone-iodine solution (10%); a sterile speculum is placed and drops of
      povidone-iodine (5%) are applied. The use of adequate anesthetic topical
      lidocaine 2% is required. The injection site should be located 3.5-4 mm posterior
      to the limbus. The angle of the incision through the sclera may be directed in an
      oblique fashion of 30 degrees . The diameter of the needle should be smaller than
      25 G, and the injected volume should be limited to 0.15 ml without a routine
      paracentesis. The incidence of lens injury is 0.006% (2/32,318) and 0.013%
      (5/35,942) for rhegmatogenous retinal detachments. The rate of suspected
      endophthalmitis is 0.018% after bevacizumab and 0.027% after ranibizumab
      injections. Sterile inflammations have been observed after Avastin injections.
      The concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors decline in a
      monoexponential fashion. The half-life of unbound bevacizumab is 9.82 days and
      that of ranibizumab 7.19 days.

PMID- 26501463
TI  - Molecular Detection of Candidatus Bartonella hemsundetiensis in Bats.
AB  - Although bats have been implicated as reservoir hosts for a number of zoonotic
      and life-threatening viruses, the bat bacterial flora and its zoonotic threat
      remain elusive. However, members of the vector-borne bacterial genera Bartonella
      causing various human as well as animal diseases have recently been isolated or
      detected from bats and their ectoparasites. In this study, we sampled 124
      insectivorous microbats (Daubenton's bat, Myotis daubentonii) for peripheral
      blood in southwestern Finland in 2010. A Bartonella-specific PCR targeting rpoB
      (RNA polymerase beta-subunit) was positive with blood samples from 46 bats
      (prevalence 37%). Scaled mass indexes of the infected and noninfected bats did
      not differ (p = 0.057). One rpoB sequence was identical with the rpoB sequence of
      B. naantaliensis strain 2574/1, previously isolated from bats in Finland. The
      rest of the sequences were highly similar to each other with nucleotide identity
      scores of 96% or higher. Nucleotide identity scores to the previously described
      type strain sequences of Bartonella or other database entries were no higher than
      87%. Sequence analyses of another gene, gltA (citrate synthase), gave no higher
      than 90% nucleotide identity scores. On the basis of the conventional 95%
      sequence similarity cutoff in bacterial species delineation, a novel species of
      Bartonella was detected. We propose a species name Candidatus B. hemsundetiensis.
      Phylogenetic analyses based on rpoB and gltA sequences indicate that Candidatus
      B. hemsundetiensis clusters in a deep-branching position close to the ancestral
      species B. tamiae and B. bacilliformis. Our study reinforces the importance of
      bats as reservoirs of Bartonella.

PMID- 26501465
TI  - Synthesis of Au@UiO-66(NH2) structures by small molecule-assisted nucleation for
      plasmon-enhanced photocatalytic activity.
AB  - We have provided a small molecule-assisted heterogeneous nucleation of MOF route
      to successfully synthesize Au@UiO-66(NH2) heterostructures. UiO-66(NH2) with a
      localized electronic state that was characterized by C-AFM exhibited higher
      photocatalytic activity in the heterostructures via a plasmonic sensitization
      process. 

PMID- 26501466
TI  - Ethanol Lock Therapy for the Treatment of Intravenous Catheter Infections That
      Have Failed Standard Treatment.
AB  - This study used ethanol lock therapy (ELT) to treat intravenous catheter
      infections that had failed standard intravenous antimicrobial treatment. Of 15
      patients enrolled, 13 were successfully treated with ELT. Twenty-one organisms
      were identified: 12 bacteria, 9 fungi. Eight of the 9 fungi were eradicated, and
      no patient became hemodynamically unstable on treatment.

PMID- 26501467
TI  - Pediatric Neglected Tropical Diseases in a Major Metropolitan Children's Hospital
      in the United States, 2004-2013.
AB  - We conducted a retrospective study of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)
      diagnosed at Texas Children's Hospital between 2004 and 2013. Forty-three
      patients with an NTD were identified; 47% had never traveled outside of the
      United States. The results of this study highlight the importance of physician
      awareness of NTDs in children in the United States.

PMID- 26501464
TI  - Prognostic Significance of Biomarkers in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.
AB  - RATIONALE: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare progressive disease of
      the pulmonary vasculature that is characterized by endothelial dysfunction,
      inflammation, and right ventricular dysfunction. OBJECTIVES: The main objective
      was to determine whether endothelial, inflammatory, and cardiac biomarkers would
      be associated with the World Health Organization functional assessment and
      survival in patients with PAH. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study
      of patients with PAH enrolled in the Randomized Clinical Trial of Aspirin and
      Simvastatin for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (ASA-STAT). Biomarkers (N
      terminal fragment of pro-BNP [NT-pro-BNP], von Willebrand factor [vWF], soluble P
      selectin, C-reactive protein, total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol,
      triglycerides, tumor necrosis factor, IL-6, beta-thromboglobulin, and thromboxane
      B2) were measured at baseline. Patients from the study were followed until lung
      transplantation, death, or August 1, 2013. Ordinal logistic regression and Cox
      regression analyses were performed. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Sixty-five
      patients with PAH were enrolled. The mean age was 51 years, and 86% were women.
      Higher vWF activity, lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and higher
      thromboxane B2 levels were associated with worse World Health Organization
      functional class after adjustment for age, sex, and etiology of PAH. Higher NT
      pro-BNP levels, lower vWF activity, and lower total cholesterol were associated
      with an increased risk of death or lung transplant after adjustment for age, sex,
      etiology of PAH, and 6-minute-walk distance. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with PAH,
      lower vWF activity and cholesterol levels and higher NT-pro-BNP levels at
      baseline were associated with an increased risk of death or transplantation.
      Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00384865).

PMID- 26501468
TI  - Type 19 Pneumococcal Meningitis: A Patient With 75-Year Clinical and Serologic
      Follow Up, With a Review of the Evolution of Therapy From Antiserum to
      Sulfonamides to Penicillin.

PMID- 26501469
TI  - Boiling Over: The Antimicrobial Stewardship Stew May Finally Be Ready.

PMID- 26501470
TI  - The Health Burden of Invasive Meningococcal Disease: A Systematic Review.
AB  - OF KEY POINTS: Although relatively rare, invasive meningococcal disease continues
      to be a health concern, especially in young children. This systematic review
      clearly delineates both the near- and long-term morbidities that can occur after,
      and persist beyond, the period of acute illness. BACKGROUND: Although rare,
      invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) continues to be a health concern in high
      income countries because of its severe morbidity and relatively high case
      fatality rate, especially in young children. However, studies measuring sequelae
      of IMD across the spectrum of invasive syndromes have not been systematically
      reviewed. We conducted a systematic review of sequelae attributable to IMD and
      quality of life (QoL) in IMD survivors in high-income countries. METHODS: We
      searched Medline, Embase, and HealthSTAR for primary studies that assessed
      sequelae or QoL in individuals of any age with and without IMD. Two independent
      reviewers screened articles, abstracted data, and performed quality appraisal.
      The findings were summarized qualitatively. RESULTS: Of 1884 citations screened,
      17 studies were included. The most commonly assessed sequelae were hearing
      impairment, cognitive impairment, and psychological problems. In general,
      children with IMD had a greater incidence of hearing loss and psychological
      disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. However, its
      effects on intelligence in children remain unclear. No statistical differences in
      overall cognitive function in adults were reported. The odds of death were
      significantly increased with IMD at hospital discharge and up to 30 years after
      disease. Lower overall QoL was observed in those who had IMD versus controls.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of this systematic review delineate both the short- and
      long-term morbidities that can occur after, and persist beyond, the period of
      acute illness. A better understanding of the full spectrum of IMD sequelae is
      critical for assessing the burden of IMD and supporting healthcare planning and
      decision making in light of new vaccines.

PMID- 26501471
TI  - A Blinded Comparison of Injection Pain With Quadrivalent Human Papilloma Virus
      Vaccine Versus Other Vaccines.

PMID- 26501472
TI  - Risk Factors for Late-Onset Group B Streptococcal Disease Before and After
      Implementation of Universal Screening and Intrapartum Antibiotic Prophylaxis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether risk factors for late-onset Group B
      Streptococcus disease (LOD) have changed since the introduction of universal
      screening and treatment in 2002. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study using
      linked birth certificates and hospital discharge records. All infants born in
      Washington State from 1992 to 2011 and hospitalized between 7 and 89 days of life
      with a Group B Streptococcus (GBS)-related International Classification of
      Diseases (ICD)-9 code were included. Controls were matched 4:1 by birth year.
      Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between
      clinical characteristics and LOD. We compared differences in the effect of risk
      factors on LOD between infants born before and after 2002 using likelihood ratio
      tests. RESULTS: We identified 138 cases of LOD. In multivariate analyses,
      prematurity and young maternal age were significantly associated with risk of LOD
      throughout the study period; positive GBS screen was associated with LOD from
      2003 to 2011. Each week of decreasing gestation was associated with a 1.24 (95%
      confidence interval: 1.15-1.35) times greater likelihood of LOD. We did not
      detect differences in the association between prematurity or young maternal age
      and LOD comparing infants born before and after 2002. Compared with infants of
      non-Hispanic white mothers, risk of LOD among infants of non-Hispanic black
      mothers decreased after 2002 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.74 vs 0.64;
      pinteraction = 0.02), whereas risk of LOD among infants of Hispanic mothers
      increased (aOR = 0.80 vs 2.23; pinteraction <= 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      confirm studies conducted before 2002, which found that prematurity and young
      maternal age were associated with increased risk of LOD. Ethnicity-associated LOD
      risk differed before and after 2002, which may be related to healthcare access.

PMID- 26501474
TI  - Linezolid-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Children With Cystic Fibrosis.

PMID- 26501473
TI  - Outcomes Among Children Who Received a Kidney Transplant in the United States
      From a Hepatitis B Core Antibody-Positive Donor, 1995-2010.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accepting kidneys for transplant from donors with a history of
      hepatitis B virus infection may increase the availability of organs for those
      with end-stage kidney disease. In adult recipients, kidney transplants from
      hepatitis B virus core antibody-positive donors have resulted in favorable graft
      and patient survival rates. However, pediatric organ transplant recipients have
      developing immune systems and a higher risk of infectious complications than
      adults. Accordingly, little is known about the outcomes of children who have
      received a kidney transplant from a hepatitis B virus core antibody-positive
      donor. METHODS: We included 11 898 children <=18 years of age who received a
      first kidney transplant in the United States between January 1, 1995, and
      December 31, 2010, and who were recorded in the Scientific Registry of Transplant
      Recipients. We examined differences in graft and patient survival rates among
      children who received a kidney transplant from a hepatitis B virus core antibody
      positive donor. RESULTS: There were 199 children (1.7%) who received a kidney
      transplant from a hepatitis B virus core antibody-positive donor. More than 80%
      of these transplants occurred in recipients who were hepatitis B virus core
      antibody and surface antigen negative. After a median follow-up of 7.9 years,
      there were no significant differences in the adjusted graft (hazard ratio [HR],
      1.03 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.80-1.31]) or patient (HR, 1.12 [95% CI,
      0.73-1.73]) survival rates according to donor core antibody status. CONCLUSIONS:
      It may be acceptable, on a case-by-case basis, to consider hepatitis B virus core
      antibody-positive donors for kidney transplants to seroprotected children with
      end-stage kidney disease.

PMID- 26501475
TI  - Manifestation of West Nile Encephalitis in Infancy.

PMID- 26501476
TI  - The Protein Kinase C Inhibitor: Ruboxistaurin.
AB  - The isozyme protein kinase C (PKC) beta is involved in several processes that are
      deregulated in different retinal cell types by hyperglycemia. This family of
      serine/threonine-specific protein kinases comprises several different members,
      which differ in their structure, cofactor requirement and substrate specificity.
      Therefore, PKCbeta was considered a valuable target for therapeutic intervention.
      However, there is now evidence that even inhibition of different PKC isozymes is
      not sufficient to normalize vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced
      barrier damage of retinal endothelial cells. On the other hand, PKCbeta
      inhibition prevents hyperglycemia-induced VEGF expression in retinal pericytes,
      suggesting that PKC inhibitors should be administered before increased VEGF
      expression is established in the diabetic retina. Although initial studies have
      indicated that the treatment of diabetic patients with ruboxistaurin, a specific
      inhibitor of PKCbeta, may reduce visual loss in patients with diabetic
      retinopathy, the overall benefit seems to be small.

PMID- 26501477
TI  - NETBAGs: a network-based clustering approach with gene signatures for cancer
      subtyping analysis.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate gene signature and network-based approach for cancer subtyping
      and classification. MATERIALS & METHODS: Here we introduced NETwork Based
      clustering Approach with Gene signatures (NETBAGs) algorithm, which clustered
      samples based on gene signatures and identified molecular markers based on their
      significantly expressed gene network profiles. RESULTS: Applying NETBAGs to
      multiple independent breast cancer datasets, we demonstrated that the clustering
      results were highly associated with the clinical subtypes and clearly revealed
      the genomic diversity of breast cancer samples. CONCLUSION: NETBAGs algorithm is
      able to classify samples by their genomic signatures into clinically significant
      phenotypes so that potential biomarkers can be identified. The approach may
      contribute to cancer research and clinical study of complex diseases.

PMID- 26501478
TI  - Epilepsy in Punjab (India): A Population-Based Epidemiologic Study.
AB  - AIMS: To assess the prevalence of epilepsy in a rural area adjoining a city.
      METHODS: A door-to-door, cross-sectional epidemiological survey was carried out
      covering an entire rural population of 103,693 people. RESULTS: Crude period and
      point prevalence rates for active epilepsy were 7.67 and 7.44 per 1,000
      respectively. Crude incidence rate was 60.76 per 100,000 during the year 2007.
      Mean, SD, median and variance were 17.2, 16, 13 and 257.6 years respectively for
      age at onset of active epilepsy patients. The overall prevalence patterns among
      males and females were not significantly different. Active epilepsy cases (n =
      795) included electro-clinical syndromes and constellations (n = 117, 14.7%),
      symptomatic epilepsy (n = 153, 19.2%), epilepsy due to unknown cause (n = 513,
      64.5%) and dual diagnosis (n = 12, 1.5%). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed
      that the prevalence rate, in the rural area adjoining a city, was comparable to
      that of the urban area and significantly less than that of the remote rural area
      as described by another study. Age- and sex-specific prevalence and incidence
      rates were similar to the rates reported by other studies. The reason for a lower
      number of symptomatic cases to be reported, per this study, may be due to lack of
      neuroimaging.

PMID- 26501479
TI  - Molecular marker development and genetic diversity exploration by RNA-seq in
      Platycodon grandiflorum.
AB  - Platycodon grandiflorum, generally known as the bellflower or balloon flower, is
      the only species in the genus Platycodon of the family Campanulaceae. Platycodon
      plants have been traditionally used as a medicinal crop in East Asia for their
      antiphlogistic, antitussive, and expectorant properties. Despite these practical
      uses, marker-assisted selection and molecular breeding in platycodons have lagged
      due to the lack of genetic information on this genus. In this study, we performed
      RNA-seq analysis of three platycodon accessions to develop molecular markers and
      explore genetic diversity. First, genic simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were
      retrieved and compared; dinucleotide motifs were the most abundant repeats (39%
      40%) followed by trinucleotide (25%-31%), tetranucleotide (1.5%-1.9%), and
      pentanucleotide (0.3%-1.0%) repeats. The result of in silico SSR analysis, three
      SSR markers were detected and showed possibility to distinguish three platycodon
      accessions. After several filtering procedures, 180 single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) were used to design 40 cleaved amplified polymorphic
      sequence (CAPS) markers. Twelve of these PCR-based markers were validated as
      highly polymorphic and utilized to investigate genetic diversity in 21 platycodon
      accessions collected from various regions of South Korea. Collectively, the 12
      markers yielded 35 alleles, with an average of 3 alleles per locus. Polymorphism
      information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.087 to 0.693, averaging 0.373 per
      locus. Since platycodon genetics have not been actively studied, the sequence
      information and the DNA markers generated from our research have the potential to
      contribute to further genetic improvements, genomic studies, and gene discovery
      in this genus. 

PMID- 26501480
TI  - Semiparametric methods to contrast gap time survival functions: Application to
      repeat kidney transplantation.
AB  - Times between successive events (i.e., gap times) are of great importance in
      survival analysis. Although many methods exist for estimating covariate effects
      on gap times, very few existing methods allow for comparisons between gap times
      themselves. Motivated by the comparison of primary and repeat transplantation,
      our interest is specifically in contrasting the gap time survival functions and
      their integration (restricted mean gap time). Two major challenges in gap time
      analysis are non-identifiability of the marginal distributions and the existence
      of dependent censoring (for all but the first gap time). We use Cox regression to
      estimate the (conditional) survival distributions of each gap time (given the
      previous gap times). Combining fitted survival functions based on those models,
      along with multiple imputation applied to censored gap times, we then contrast
      the first and second gap times with respect to average survival and restricted
      mean lifetime. Large-sample properties are derived, with simulation studies
      carried out to evaluate finite-sample performance. We apply the proposed methods
      to kidney transplant data obtained from a national organ transplant registry.
      Mean 10-year graft survival of the primary transplant is significantly greater
      than that of the repeat transplant, by 3.9 months (p=0.023), a result that may
      lack clinical importance.

PMID- 26501481
TI  - Fusion Proteins: Aflibercept (VEGF Trap-Eye).
AB  - Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors currently used to treat eye
      diseases have included monoclonal antibodies, antibody fragments, and an aptamer.
      A different method of achieving VEGF blockade in retinal diseases includes the
      concept of a cytokine trap. Cytokine traps are being evaluated for the treatment
      of various diseases that are driven by excessive cytokine levels. Traps, such as
      VEGF Trap, consist of two extracellular cytokine receptor domains fused together
      to form a human IgG. Aflibercept (VEGF Trap-Eye) is a soluble fusion protein
      which combines ligand-binding elements taken from the extracellular components of
      VEGF receptor (VEGFR)-1 and VEGFR-2 fused to the Fc portion of IgG. This protein
      contains all human amino-acid sequences, which minimizes the potential for
      immunogenicity in human patients. The chapter will summarize the chemical
      properties of aflibercept and the various studies that have demonstrated a role
      of aflibercept in the management of retinal vascular diseases such as neovascular
      age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, and
      retinal vein occlusion.

PMID- 26501482
TI  - Successful Right Hemihepatectomy for a Patient with Right-Sided Round Ligament.
AB  - Right-sided round ligament (RSRL) is a rare congenital anomaly that is strongly
      associated with a number of intrahepatic vascular anomalies. Here, we report a 77
      year-old male case of hepatolithiasis associated with RSRL for which resection
      was performed using right hemi-hepatectomy (RHH). Intraoperative ultrasonography
      revealed that the portal branch of segment 4 ramified from the right anterior
      portal branch, and the patient was diagnosed as having RSRL. To decide the
      resection line, the portal branch of segment 4 was punctured and stained with
      indigo carmine under ultrasonographic guidance, clearly demonstrating the
      demarcation line between the right and left hemiliver. RHH was then carried out
      successfully without injuring the portal branch of segment 4.

PMID- 26501483
TI  - Self-Expanding Metallic Stents for the Management of Emergency Malignant Large
      Bowel Obstruction: a Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This paper evaluates the safety and effectiveness of self-expanding
      metallic stents (SEMS) for the management of emergency malignant colorectal
      obstruction in patients otherwise requiring multi-stage surgery. No systematic
      review has been conducted comparing SEMS to only multi-stage surgery. METHODS:
      Bibliographic databases, including Cochrane, PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL, were
      searched in September 2011 and repeated in November 2013. A pre-determined
      protocol outlined the study inclusion and appraisal. RESULTS: Forty articles were
      included, seven compared SEMS to multi-stage surgery. Included studies were of
      low to moderate quality. Bowel perforation was the most severe stent-related
      complication, while tumor- and stent-related events occurred most frequently. No
      significant differences in rates of obstruction relief were reported between
      treatments, and results regarding relative quality of life were inconclusive.
      SEMS recipients progressed to elective surgery sooner and required shorter post
      procedural hospital stays, but commonly required re-intervention. SEMS provided
      enduring palliative relief of obstruction, with comparable survival longevity
      between treatments. Conclusion: SEMS placement is a viable alternative to multi
      stage surgery, providing patients with benefits as a bridge-to-surgery and relief
      of obstruction in a palliative context, with minimal differences in clinical
      success and safety compared to multi-stage surgery.

PMID- 26501484
TI  - An Independent Evaluation of a Novel Peptide Mimetic, Brilacidin (PMX30063), for
      Ocular Anti-infective.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Brilacidin (BRI), a novel defensin mimetic, was evaluated as an ocular
      anti-infective. METHODS: In vitro: Potency based on MIC90s was compared for 50
      Staphylococcus aureus (SA), 50 Staphylococcus epidermidis (SE), and 25 each of
      Streptococcus pneumonia (SP), Streptococcus viridans (SV), Moraxella (MS),
      Haemophilus influenzae (HI), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), and Serratia marcescens
      (SM). In vivo: Using established methods, ocular toxicity was graded with Draize
      testing. For efficacy testing, both corneas of 24 rabbits were infected with
      methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), whereas the corneal epithelium was
      removed in the left eye. After 4 h, 21 topical drops over 5 h were administered
      to 4 groups: BRI 0.5%, vancomycin (VAN) 5%, saline, and no treatment. The eyes
      were clinically graded and the corneas were harvested for colony counts. RESULTS:
      In vitro: Both SA and SE had the lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations among
      the bacterial groups. The MIC90s to BRI for SP, SV, MS, HI, PA, and SM were 4,
      32, 256, 32, 16, and 128-fold higher, respectively, than SA and SE. In vivo:
      Draize testing determined BRI 0.5% to be minimally irritating. For abraded
      corneas, BRI was not statistically different from VAN for reducing MRSA. BRI was
      bactericidal. For intact corneas, VAN reduced more CFU than BRI. BRI reduced CFU
      in abraded corneas more than intact corneas suggesting poor corneal penetration.
      CONCLUSIONS: BRI has Gram-positive in vitro activity; topical BRI 0.5% was
      minimally irritating; and BRI 0.5% was equally efficacious as VAN in a MRSA
      keratitis model when the corneal epithelium was removed.

PMID- 26501485
TI  - The Role of Follicular Helper T Cell Molecules and Environmental Influences in
      Autoantibody Production and Progression to Inflammatory Arthritis in Mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Antibody-mediated autoimmunity involves cognate interactions between
      self-reactive T cells and B cells during germinal center (GC) reactions. The aim
      of this study was to determine the role of essential follicular helper T (Tfh)
      cell molecules (CXCR5, signaling lymphocytic activation molecule-associated
      protein) on autoreactive CD4+ cells and the role of certain environmental
      influences that may determine GC-driven autoantibody production and arthritis
      development. METHODS: We transferred self-reactive CD4+ cells from KRN-Tg mice
      into recipient mice, which induced autoantibodies and autoinflammatory arthritis.
      This model allowed manipulation of environmental effects, such as inflammation,
      and use of transferred cells that were genetically deficient in important Tfh
      cell-associated molecules. RESULTS: A deficiency of signaling lymphocytic
      activation molecule-associated protein (SAP) in CD4+ cells from KRN-Tg mice
      completely protected against arthritis, indicating that stable T cell-B cell
      interactions are required for GC formation, autoantibody production, and
      arthritis induction. In contrast, a CXCR5 deficiency in CD4+ cells from KRN-Tg
      mice still induced disease when these cells were transferred into wild-type mice,
      suggesting that T cell help for B cells could rely on other migration mechanisms.
      However, various manipulations influenced this system, including elimination of
      bystander effects through use of CD28(-/-) recipient mice (reduced disease) or
      use of inflammation-inducing Freund's complete adjuvant (progression to
      arthritis). We also examined the capacity of preexisting GCs with a nonautoimmune
      specificity to co-opt autoimmune T cells and observed no evidence for any
      influence. CONCLUSION: In addition to the quality and quantity of cognate CD4+
      cell help, external factors such as inflammation and noncognate CD4+ cell
      bystander activation trigger autoimmunity by shaping events within autoimmune GC
      responses. SAP is an essential molecule for autoimmune antibody production,
      whereas the importance of CXCR5 varies depending on the circumstances.

PMID- 26501486
TI  - Ivabradine in Combination with Metoprolol Improves Symptoms and Quality of Life
      in Patients with Stable Angina Pectoris: A post hoc Analysis from the ADDITIONS
      Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Elevated heart rate can increase myocardial oxygen demand and reduce
      myocardial perfusion, provoking myocardial ischemia and angina symptoms. We
      evaluated adding ivabradine to the therapy of patients on metoprolol. METHODS:
      ADDITIONS (prActical Daily efficacy anD safety of Procoralan(r) In combinaTION
      with betablockerS) was a multicenter, 4-month, noninterventional, prospective,
      open-label trial that involved stable-angina patients. Along with metoprolol,
      patients received ivabradine (5 or 7.5 mg, b.i.d.). We investigated the effect of
      ivabradine on heart rate, angina attacks, nitrate consumption, quality of life
      (QoL) and tolerability as well as the influence of baseline heart rate. RESULTS:
      Heart rate fell by 19.7 +/- 11.2 bpm, with an 8-fold decrease in weekly angina
      attacks (1.7 +/- 2.2 to 0.2 +/- 0.7) and nitrate consumption (2.4 +/- 3.4 to 0.3
      +/- 0.9). Patient numbers in Canadian Cardiovascular Society class I more than
      doubled (i.e. from 29 to 65%) and QoL improved (the EQ-5D index and visual analog
      scale scores rose from 0.68 +/- 0.27 to 0.84 +/- 0.20 and 58.1 +/- 18.4 to 72.2
      +/- 15.5 mm, respectively). The effect of ivabradine was greater in patients with
      a baseline heart rate >=70 bpm (mean reduction in heart rate -21.2 +/- 10.4 bpm,
      with a relative reduction in angina attacks and short-acting nitrate consumption
      of 87.1 and 87.2%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Ivabradine combined with
      metoprolol safely and effectively reduces heart rate, angina attacks and nitrate
      use, and improves QoL in stable-angina patients.

PMID- 26501487
TI  - Role of EFNB2/EPHB4 signaling in spiral artery development during pregnancy: An
      appraisal.
AB  - EFNB2 and EPHB4, which belong to a large tyrosine kinase receptor superfamily,
      are molecular markers of arterial and venous blood vessels, respectively.
      EFNB2/EPHB4 signaling plays an important role in physiological and pathological
      angiogenesis, and its role in tumor vessel development has been extensively
      studied. Pregnancy and tumors share similar features, including continuous cell
      proliferation and increased demand for a blood supply. Our previous studies
      showed that Efnb2 and Ephb4 were expressed dynamically in the spiral arteries,
      uterine natural killer cells, and trophoblasts during mouse gestation Days 6.5
      12.5. Moreover, uterine natural killer cells and trophoblasts are required for
      the modification of spiral arteries. Oxygen tension within the pregnant uterus,
      which contributes to the vascular development, also affects EFNB2 and EPHB4
      expression. Considering the role of EFNB2/EPHB4 signaling in embryonic and tumor
      vascular development, and its dynamic expression in the decidua and placenta, we
      hypothesize that EFNB2 and EPHB4 are involved in the regulation of spiral artery
      remodeling. Investigating this hypothesis will help clarify the mechanisms of
      pathological pregnancy that may underlie abnormal spiral artery development.

PMID- 26501488
TI  - Inconsistent Data Resources Weaken the Quality of Research Results.

PMID- 26501489
TI  - New 3-Tiered Circumferential Resection Margin Criteria in Esophageal Squamous
      Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the optimal cutoff value of circumferential
      resection margin (CRM) of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in patients
      who underwent radical esophagectomy. BACKGROUND: Tumor involvement of a CRM in
      ESCC has not been clearly defined. METHODS: We reviewed 479 pT3 ESCC patients to
      find the optimal cutoff point of distance from CRM in addition to 0 MUm for
      discriminating survival time. RESULTS: The partitions at and near the 500 MUm
      distance from CRM generated the largest log-rank statistics (P = 0.0086).
      Therefore, we added 500 MUm as an additional cutoff value for a positive CRM.
      Compared to patients with CRM greater than 500 MUm, patients with CRM 0 MUm
      showed worse overall survival (P < 0.001) and progression-free survival (P <
      0.001), followed by patients with 0 to 500 MUm (P = 0.008 and 0.066,
      respectively). In multivariable analyses, overall survival differences remained
      significant [0 < CRM <= 500 MUm vs CRM > 500 MUm, hazards ratio (HR) = 1.875,
      97.5% CI: 1.243-2.829, P = 0.002; CRM = 0 MUm vs CRM > 500 MUm, HR = 2.666, 97.5%
      CI: 1.745-4.076, P < 0.001]. In comparison of criteria from the College of
      American Pathologists, the Royal College of Pathologists, and this study, HRs of
      positive CRM (95% CI, P-value) were 1.969 (1.501-2.584, P < 0.001), 1.384 (1.039
      1.844, P = 0.027), and 1.696 (1.342-2.143, P < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      In patients with ESCC, we developed new, 3-tiered CRM criteria providing more
      detailed prognostic information than the 2-tiered criteria.

PMID- 26501490
TI  - Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Perioperative Outcomes of Major Procedures: Results
      From the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between race/ethnicity and perioperative
      outcomes in individuals undergoing major oncologic and nononcologic surgical
      procedures in the United States. BACKGROUND: Prior work has shown that there are
      significant racial/ethnic disparities in perioperative outcomes after several
      types of major cardiac, general, vascular, orthopedic, and cancer surgical
      procedures. However, recent evidence suggests attenuation of these racial/ethnic
      differences, particularly at academic institutions. METHODS: We utilized the
      American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program
      database to identify 142,344 patients undergoing one of the 16 major cancer and
      noncancer surgical procedures between 2005 and 2011. RESULTS: Eighty-five percent
      of the cohort was white, with black and Hispanic individuals comprising 8% and
      4%, respectively. In multivariable analyses, black patients had greater odds of
      experiencing prolonged length of stay after 10 of the 16 procedures studied (all
      P < 0.05), though there was no disparity in odds of 30-day mortality after any
      surgery. Hispanics were more likely to experience prolonged length of stay after
      5 surgical procedures (all P < 0.04), and were at greater odds of dying within 30
      days after colectomy, heart valve repair/replacement, or abdominal aortic
      aneurysm repair (all P < 0.03). Fewer disparities were observed for Hispanics,
      than for black patients, and also for cancer, than for noncancer surgical
      procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Important racial/ethnic disparities in perioperative
      outcomes were observed among patients undergoing major cancer and noncancer
      surgical procedures at American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality
      Improvement Program institutions. There were fewer disparities among individuals
      undergoing cancer surgery, though black patients, in particular, were more likely
      to experience prolonged length of stay.

PMID- 26501491
TI  - A Cofacially Stacked Electron-Deficient Small Molecule with a High Electron
      Mobility of over 10 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) in Air.
AB  - A strong, electron-deficient small molecule, F4 -BDOPV, has a lowest unoccupied
      molecular orbital (LUMO) level down to -4.44 eV and exhibits cofacial packing in
      single crystals. These features provide F4 -BDOPV with good ambient stability and
      large charge-transfer integrals for electrons, leading to a high electron
      mobility of up to 12.6 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) in air. 

PMID- 26501492
TI  - THE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE (IOM) SETS A FRAMEWORK FOR EVIDENCE-BASED STANDARDS FOR
      PSYCHOTHERAPY.

PMID- 26501493
TI  - Immunohistochemical determination of the extracellular matrix modulation in a rat
      model of choline-deprived myocardium: the effects of carnitine.
AB  - Choline has been identified as an essential nutrient with crucial role in many
      vital biological functions. Recent studies have demonstrated that heart
      dysfunction can develop in the setting of choline deprivation even in the absence
      of underlying heart disease. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are responsible for
      extracellular matrix degradation, and the dysregulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 has
      been involved in the pathogenesis of various cardiovascular disorders. The aim of
      the study was to investigate the role of MMPs and their inhibitors (TIMPs), in
      the pathogenesis of choline deficiency-induced cardiomyopathy, and the way they
      are affected by carnitine supplementation. Male Wistar Albino adult rats were
      divided into four groups and received standard or choline-deficient diet with or
      without L-carnitine in drinking water (0.15% w/v) for 1 month. Heart tissue
      immunohistochemistry for MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 was performed. Choline
      deficiency was associated with suppressed immunohistochemical expression of MMP-2
      and an increased expression of TIMP-2 compared to control, while it had no impact
      on TIMP-1. MMP-9 expression was decreased without, however, reaching statistical
      significance. Carnitine did not affect MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1 or TIMP-2 expression.
      The pattern of TIMP and MMP modulation observed in a choline deficiency setting
      appears to promote fibrosis. Carnitine, although shown to suppress fibrosis, does
      not seem to affect MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1 or TIMP-2 expression. Further studies
      will be required to identify the mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of
      carnitine. 

PMID- 26501495
TI  - Can model Hamiltonians describe the electron-electron interaction in pi
      conjugated systems? PAH and graphene.
AB  - Model Hamiltonians have been, and still are, a valuable tool for investigating
      the electronic structure of systems for which mean field theories work poorly.
      This review will concentrate on the application of Pariser-Parr-Pople (PPP) and
      Hubbard Hamiltonians to investigate some relevant properties of polycyclic
      aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and graphene. When presenting these two Hamiltonians
      we will resort to second quantisation which, although not the way chosen in its
      original proposal of the former, is much clearer. We will not attempt to be
      comprehensive, but rather our objective will be to try to provide the reader with
      information on what kinds of problems they will encounter and what tools they
      will need to solve them. One of the key issues concerning model Hamiltonians that
      will be treated in detail is the choice of model parameters. Although model
      Hamiltonians reduce the complexity of the original Hamiltonian, they cannot be
      solved in most cases exactly. So, we shall first consider the Hartree-Fock
      approximation, still the only tool for handling large systems, besides density
      functional theory (DFT) approaches. We proceed by discussing to what extent one
      may exactly solve model Hamiltonians and the Lanczos approach. We shall describe
      the configuration interaction (CI) method, a common technology in quantum
      chemistry but one rarely used to solve model Hamiltonians. In particular, we
      propose a variant of the Lanczos method, inspired by CI, that has the novelty of
      using as the seed of the Lanczos process a mean field (Hartree-Fock) determinant
      (the method will be named LCI). Two questions of interest related to model
      Hamiltonians will be discussed: (i) when including long-range interactions, how
      crucial is including in the Hamiltonian the electronic charge that compensates
      ion charges? (ii) Is it possible to reduce a Hamiltonian incorporating Coulomb
      interactions (PPP) to an 'effective' Hamiltonian including only on-site
      interactions (Hubbard)? The performance of CI will be checked on small molecules.
      The electronic structure of azulene and fused azulene will be used to illustrate
      several aspects of the method. As regards graphene, several questions will be
      considered: (i) paramagnetic versus antiferromagnetic solutions, (ii) forbidden
      gap versus dot size, (iii) graphene nano-ribbons, and (iv) optical properties. 

PMID- 26501494
TI  - Employment and income losses among cancer survivors: Estimates from a national
      longitudinal survey of American families.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer presents a substantial hardship for patients and their
      families in multiple domains beyond health and survival. Relatively little is
      known about the economic impact of cancer. The authors present estimates of the
      aggregate effects of a cancer diagnosis on employment and income in a
      prospective, nationally representative sample of US adults. METHODS: The authors
      used data from the 1990 through 2009 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics,
      a nationally representative, prospective, population-based observational study
      with high-quality individual and family-level economic information. Age-adjusted,
      sex-stratified, individual fixed-effects regression models were used to derive
      estimates of the impact of cancer on employment, hours worked, individual income,
      and total family income. RESULTS: Significant effects of cancer on all 4 outcomes
      were observed. The probability of a cancer patient being employed dropped by
      almost 10 percentage points, and hours worked declined by up to 200 hours in the
      first year after diagnosis. Annual labor-market earnings dropped almost 40%
      within 2 years after diagnosis and remained low, whereas total family income
      declined by 20%, although it recovered within 4 years after the diagnosis. These
      economic impacts on survivors were driven by effects among men; the effects among
      women largely were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: A cancer diagnosis
      has substantial effects on the economic well-being of affected adults and their
      families. With the increasing number of cancer survivors in the US population,
      there is a growing need for examining the long-term implications for economic
      well-being and ways to mitigate the economic hardship associated with cancer.

PMID- 26501496
TI  - Evaluation of a school-based treatment program for young adolescents with ADHD.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study compared 2 school-based training interventions for
      adolescents with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): the Challenging
      Horizons Program-after school version (CHP-AS) and Challenging Horizons Program
      mentoring version (CHP-M) with each other and with a community care (CC)
      condition. METHOD: Participants were 326 students (sixth through eighth grade)
      diagnosed with ADHD. Interventions were conducted for 1 academic year. CHP-AS
      occurred twice weekly and included organization, social functioning, and academic
      study skills interventions. In CHP-M, students were paired with a mentor (e.g.,
      teacher) who was trained by a consultant and delivered a subset of the CHP-AS
      interventions during school. No direct intervention was provided in CC.
      Participants were assessed at pretreatment, 4 occasions during the intervention
      year, posttreatment, and at a 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: Intent-to-treatment
      analyses using hierarchical linear modeling to compare outcomes between the 3
      conditions indicate participation in the CHP-AS intervention is associated with
      moderate effect size improvements in parent-rated organization and time
      management skills, homework problems, and ADHD symptoms of inattention, and with
      small improvements in overall academic functioning and grade point average (GPA).
      These improvements were in comparison to CC and to CHP-M. Gains were sustained
      into the next school year and even increased in magnitude for several of the
      measures. CONCLUSIONS: The CHP-AS program leads to significant benefits for
      adolescents with ADHD compared with the services provided in the CHP-M and CC.
      The persistence of improvements over time supports the use of training
      interventions that teach skills for adolescents.

PMID- 26501497
TI  - Effects of relationship education on couple communication and satisfaction: A
      randomized controlled trial with low-income couples.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although preventive educational interventions for couples have been
      examined in more than 100 experimental studies, the value of this work is limited
      by reliance on economically advantaged populations and by an absence of data on
      proposed mediators and moderators. Data from the Supporting Healthy Marriage
      Project-a randomized, controlled trial of relationship education for couples
      living with low incomes-were therefore analyzed to test whether intervention
      effects on relationship satisfaction would be mediated by observational
      assessments of relationship communication and whether any such effects would be
      moderated by couples' pretreatment risk. METHOD: Within the larger sample of
      Supporting Healthy Marriage Project couples randomized to a relationship
      education or no-treatment control condition, the present analyses focus on the
      1,034 couples who provided (a) data on sociodemographic risk at baseline, (b)
      observational data on couple communication 12 months after randomization, and (c)
      reports of relationship satisfaction 30 months after randomization. RESULTS:
      Intervention couples reported higher satisfaction at 30 months than control
      couples, regardless of their level of pretreatment risk. Among higher risk
      couples, the intervention improved observed communication as well. Contrary to
      prediction, treatment effects on satisfaction were not mediated by improvements
      in communication, and improvements in communication did not translate into
      greater satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Relationship education programs produce small
      improvements in relationship satisfaction and communication, particularly for
      couples at elevated sociodemographic risk. The absence of behavioral effects on
      satisfaction indicates, however, that the mechanisms by which couples may benefit
      from relationship education are not yet well understood.

PMID- 26501498
TI  - Partner accommodation moderates treatment outcomes for couple therapy for
      posttraumatic stress disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Partner accommodation of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms
      (i.e., altering one's own behaviors to minimize patient distress and/or
      relationship conflict due to patients' PTSD symptoms) has been shown to be
      positively associated with patient and partner psychopathology and negatively
      associated with patient and partner relationship satisfaction cross-sectionally.
      However, the prognostic value of partner accommodation in treatment outcomes is
      unknown. The goals of the present study were to determine if partner
      accommodation decreases as a function of couple therapy for PTSD and if
      pretreatment partner accommodation moderates the efficacy of couple therapy for
      PTSD. METHOD: Thirty-nine patients with PTSD and their intimate partners (n = 39)
      were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of cognitive-behavioral conjoint
      therapy (CBCT) for PTSD (Monson & Fredman, 2012) and received CBCT for PTSD
      immediately or after 3 months of waiting. Blinded assessors determined clinician
      rated PTSD symptoms and patient-rated PTSD and depressive symptoms and
      relationship satisfaction at baseline, midtreatment/4 weeks of waiting, and
      posttreatment/12 weeks of waiting. RESULTS: Contrary to expectation, partner
      accommodation levels did not change over time for either treatment condition.
      However, baseline partner accommodation significantly moderated treatment
      outcomes. Higher levels of partner accommodation were associated with greater
      improvements in PTSD, depressive symptoms, and relationship satisfaction among
      patients receiving CBCT for PTSD compared with waiting list. At lower levels of
      partner accommodation, patients in both groups improved or remained at low levels
      of these outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with PTSD who have more accommodating
      partners may be particularly well-suited for couple therapy for PTSD.

PMID- 26501502
TI  - When does the test-study-test sequence optimize learning and retention?
AB  - In educational learning contexts, unlike typical contemporary laboratory
      paradigms, students have repeated opportunities to study and learn target
      material, thereby potentially allowing different sequences of testing and
      studying. We investigated learning and retention after several plausible
      sequences that were patterned on a classic memory paradigm. After initially
      reading a research methods text, 2 days later in 1 condition participants
      repeatedly restudied the material 3 times (SSS), in another condition they
      engaged in a test-restudy-test sequence (TST), and in a third condition
      participants repeatedly tested on the studied material (3 times: TTT).
      Participants received a final test 5 days later. In Experiment 1, both TST and
      TTT produced better final performance than did SSS; however, TST was not better
      than TTT. In Experiment 2 the TST condition was altered so that after the first
      test, correct/incorrect feedback was provided and the test and feedback were
      available during the study phase. With this protocol, TST produced better
      learning and retention than did TTT or SSS. These findings suggest possible
      critical aspects regarding test feedback and the availability of previous tests
      for helping students to optimize their restudy efforts after low- or no-stakes
      quizzes.

PMID- 26501499
TI  - A brief manualized treatment for problematic caffeine use: A randomized control
      trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal of the present investigation was to develop and test a brief
      therapist-guided manualized treatment for problematic caffeine use, including
      cognitive-behavioral strategies and 5 weeks of progressively decreased
      consumption. METHOD: Individuals seeking treatment for problematic caffeine use
      (mean daily caffeine consumption of 666 mg at baseline) were randomized using a
      waitlist-control design to receive immediate treatment (N = 33) or delayed
      treatment (~6 weeks later; N = 34). A 1-hr treatment session designed to help
      individuals quit or reduce caffeine consumption was provided by a trained
      counselor along with a take-home booklet. After the treatment session,
      participants completed daily diaries of caffeine consumption for 5 weeks. They
      returned for follow-up assessments at 6, 12, and 26 weeks and had a telephone
      interview at 52-weeks posttreatment. RESULTS: Treatment resulted in a significant
      reduction in self-reported caffeine use and salivary caffeine levels. No
      significant posttreatment increases in caffeine use were observed for up to 1
      year follow-up. Comparisons to the waitlist-control condition revealed that
      reductions in caffeine consumption were due to treatment and not the passing of
      time, with a treatment effect size of R2 = .35 for the model. CONCLUSION: A brief
      1-session manualized intervention with follow-up was efficacious at reducing
      caffeine consumption. Future researchers should replicate and extend these
      findings, as well as consider factors affecting dissemination of treatment for
      problematic caffeine use to those in need.

PMID- 26501503
TI  - The effects of timing of exposure to principles and procedural instruction
      specificity on learning an electrical troubleshooting skill.
AB  - Domain principles provided in task instructions are assumed to help performance
      as learners can later apply this knowledge when faced with new tasks. The goal of
      the research was to investigate whether the timing of the exposure to principles
      studying the principles before or while completing training tasks-and the
      specificity in the accompanying step-by-step procedural instructions would
      influence learning to troubleshoot a simulated electrical circuit. The results of
      a pilot study suggested that timing of principle exposure and specificity might
      interact. This was investigated by comparing the performance of 4 groups of
      participants (n = 24) who received either general or detailed procedural
      instructions and were either exposed to the principles before or during the
      training. The results showed that studying the principles before training
      benefited test task performance when the procedural instructions were detailed
      but not when they were general. The results also showed that using general
      procedural instructions benefited test task performance while using detailed
      procedural instructions benefited training task performance. Overall the results
      reveal how the learning situation as a whole must be considered when determining
      the efficacy of instructional materials, and how conditions can be created where
      principles enhance learning.

PMID- 26501505
TI  - Cartilage Strain Distributions Are Different Under the Same Load in the Central
      and Peripheral Tibial Plateau Regions.
AB  - There is increasing evidence that the regional spatial variations in the
      biological and mechanical properties of articular cartilage are an important
      consideration in the pathogenesis of knee osteoarthritis (OA) following kinematic
      changes at the knee due to joint destabilizing events (such as an anterior
      cruciate ligament (ACL) injury). Thus, given the sensitivity of chondrocytes to
      the mechanical environment, understanding the internal mechanical strains in knee
      articular cartilage under macroscopic loads is an important element in
      understanding knee OA. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that
      cartilage from the central and peripheral regions of the tibial plateau has
      different internal strain distributions under the same applied load. The internal
      matrix strain distribution for each specimen was measured on osteochondral blocks
      from the tibial plateau of mature ovine stifle joints. Each specimen was loaded
      cyclically for 20 min, after which the specimen was cryofixed in its deformed
      position and freeze fractured. The internal matrix was viewed in a scanning
      electron microscope (SEM) and internal strains were measured by quantifying the
      deformation of the collagen fiber network. The peak surface tensile strain,
      maximum principal strain, and maximum shear strain were compared between the
      regions. The results demonstrated significantly different internal mechanical
      strain distributions between the central and peripheral regions of tibial plateau
      articular cartilage under both the same applied load and same applied nominal
      strain. These differences in the above strain measures were due to differences in
      the deformation patterns of the collagen network between the central and
      peripheral regions. Taken together with previous studies demonstrating
      differences in the biochemical response of chondrocytes from the central and
      peripheral regions of the tibial plateau to mechanical load, the differences in
      collagen network deformation observed in this study help to provide a fundamental
      basis for understanding the association between altered knee joint kinematics and
      premature knee OA. 

PMID- 26501507
TI  - Cognitive Biases in Clinical Decision Making: A Primer for the Practicing
      Dermatologist.

PMID- 26501506
TI  - Attitudes of Research Participants and the General Public Regarding Disclosure of
      Alzheimer Disease Research Results.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Results of Alzheimer disease (AD) research assessments typically are
      not disclosed to participants. Recent research has suggested interest in
      disclosure, but, to our knowledge, few studies have accounted for awareness of
      potential benefits and limitations of disclosure. OBJECTIVE: To determine the
      attitudes of cognitively normal research participants and members of the general
      public regarding disclosure of AD research results. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: Participants in a longitudinal aging study (Alzheimer Disease
      Research Center [ADRC]) were given preintervention and postintervention surveys
      about disclosure attitudes. In a general public sample (The American Panel
      Survey), participants responded to a similar survey about disclosure attitudes.
      INTERVENTIONS: Participants in the ADRC sample were randomly assigned to a group
      (n = 119) that read an education intervention about the usefulness of AD
      biomarkers or to a placebo group (n = 100) that read as its intervention general
      information about the ADRC. Participants in the general public sample read a
      brief vignette describing participation in a longitudinal AD study. MAIN OUTCOME
      AND MEASURE: Interest in disclosure of AD research results. RESULTS: Cognitively
      normal ADRC participants (n = 219) were 60.7% (n = 133) female, 83.6% (n = 183)
      of white race, and reported a mean of 15.91 years of education. Twenty-nine
      individuals refused participation. The American Panel Survey participants (n =
      1418) indicated they did not have AD and were 50.5% (n = 716) female, 76.7% (n =
      1087) of white race, and reported a mean of 13.85 years of education. Overall,
      77.6% of eligible participants (1583 of 2041) completed the survey in July 2014.
      Interest in disclosure was high among the ADRC participants (55.1% [119 of 216]
      were "extremely interested"). Viewing the education intervention predicted lower
      interest in disclosure (odds ratio, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.15-3.53; P = .02). High
      subjective risk of AD, a family history of AD, and minimal attendance at research
      meetings were associated with high interest after the intervention. In the
      general public, interest was lower overall (12.5% [174 of 1389] were "extremely
      interested"), but the subset of participants most likely to join an AD research
      study reported higher interest (43.5% [40 of 92] were extremely interested).
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Experience with AD appears to increase interest in
      disclosure of AD research results. Learning about potential limitations of
      disclosure somewhat tempered interest. These findings should inform the
      development of disclosure policies for asymptomatic individuals in AD studies.

PMID- 26501508
TI  - Cerebral Straight Sinus Thrombosis: An Unusual Cause of Confusion.

PMID- 26501509
TI  - Treating Influenza With Neuraminidase Inhibitors: What Is the Evidence?

PMID- 26501510
TI  - Emixustat and Lampalizumab: Potential Therapeutic Options for Geographic Atrophy.
AB  - Two novel classes of medications are currently under extensive investigation for
      the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Emixustat, an orally
      administered visual cycle inhibitor, and lampalizumab, an intravitreally
      administered monoclonal body directed against complement factor D, have shown
      promise in phase 2 clinical trials in the treatment of nonneovascular (dry) AMD.
      Lampalizumab is currently being evaluated in a large, multicenter, phase 3
      clinical trial for dry AMD - geographic atrophy.

PMID- 26501511
TI  - Voice Disorder Management Competencies: A Survey of School-Based Speech-Language
      Pathologists in Nebraska.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this survey was to determine the self-perceived
      competence levels in voice disorders of practicing school-based speech-language
      pathologists (SLPs) and identify correlated variables. METHOD: Participants were
      153 master's level, school-based SLPs with a Nebraska teaching certificate and/or
      licensure who completed a survey, including demographic information and a 25-item
      voice disorders competency checklist. RESULTS: Findings indicated school-based
      SLPs did not feel particularly competent in their ability to assess and treat
      students with voice disorders. Only 1 response mean was higher than a "moderately
      competent" level. All other item means were at or below this level. Four
      correlations indicated positive associations with SLPs' overall self-perceived
      competence levels: number of continuing education activities related to voice
      disorders, number of clients with voice disorders in the last 3 months,
      percentage of time spent with clients who have voice disorders, and feelings of
      preparation in the area of voice disorders immediately after academic program
      completion. Informal comparisons to medically based SLP respondents (n = 22) were
      included. CONCLUSION: School-based SLPs' competence perceptions with voice
      disorders are consistent with the minimal levels of competence reported for other
      underserved or low-incidence populations. Pursuing continuing education in voice
      disorders is recommended at the same time as access to the population becomes
      available.

PMID- 26501512
TI  - Diabetes screening by telecentric digital holographic microscopy.
AB  - Diabetes is currently the world's fastest growing chronic disease and it is
      caused by deficient production of insulin by the endocrine pancreas or by
      abnormal insulin action in peripheral tissues. This results in persistent
      hyperglycaemia that over time may produce chronic diabetic complications.
      Determination of glycated haemoglobin level is currently the gold standard method
      to evaluate and control sustained hyperglycaemia in diabetic people. This
      measurement is currently made by high-performance liquid chromatography, which is
      a complex chemical process that requires the extraction of blood from the
      antecubital vein. To reduce the complexity of that measurement, we propose a
      fully-optical technique that is based in the fact that there are changes in the
      optical properties of erythrocytes due to the presence of glucose-derived adducts
      in the haemoglobin molecule. To evaluate these changes, we propose to perform
      quantitative phase maps of erythrocytes by using telecentric digital holographic
      microscopy. Our experiments show that telecentric digital holographic microscopy
      allows detecting, almost in real time and from a single drop of blood,
      significant differences between erythrocytes of diabetic patients and healthy
      patients. Besides, our phase measurements are well correlated with the values of
      glycated haemoglobin and the blood glucose values. 

PMID- 26501513
TI  - Screening for Abnormal Blood Glucose and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: U.S.
      Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.
AB  - DESCRIPTION: Update of the 2008 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
      recommendation on screening for diabetes in asymptomatic adults. METHODS: The
      USPSTF reviewed the evidence on screening for impaired fasting glucose, impaired
      glucose tolerance, and type 2 diabetes in asymptomatic, nonpregnant adults who
      are at average or high risk for diabetes and its complications. POPULATION: This
      recommendation applies to adults aged 40 to 70 years seen in primary care
      settings who do not have symptoms of diabetes and are overweight or obese.
      RECOMMENDATION: The USPSTF recommends screening for abnormal blood glucose as
      part of cardiovascular risk assessment in adults aged 40 to 70 years who are
      overweight or obese. Clinicians should offer or refer patients with abnormal
      blood glucose to intensive behavioral counseling interventions to promote a
      healthful diet and physical activity. (B recommendation).

PMID- 26501514
TI  - Associations Between Different Sedatives and Ventilator-Associated Events, Length
      of Stay, and Mortality in Patients Who Were Mechanically Ventilated.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current sedation guidelines recommend avoiding benzodiazepines but
      express no preference for propofol vs dexmedetomidine. In addition, few data
      exist on whether randomized controlled trials of sedatives can be successfully
      generalized to routine practice, in which conditions tend to be more varied and
      complex. METHODS: Data regarding daily sedative exposure were gathered from all
      patients undergoing mechanical ventilation for >= 3 days over a 7-year period in
      a large academic medical center. Hazard ratios (HRs) were compared for ventilator
      associated events (VAEs), extubation, hospital discharge, and hospital death
      among patients receiving benzodiazepines, propofol, and dexmedetomidine.
      Proportional subdistribution hazard models with competing risks were used for
      analysis. All analyses were adjusted for ICU type, demographic characteristics,
      comorbidities, procedures, severity of illness, hypotension, oxygenation, renal
      function, opioids, neuroleptic agents, neuromuscular blockers, awakening and
      breathing trials, and calendar year. RESULTS: A total of 9,603 consecutive
      episodes of mechanical ventilation were evaluated. Benzodiazepines and propofol
      were associated with increased VAE risk, whereas dexmedetomidine was not.
      Propofol was associated with less time to extubation compared with
      benzodiazepines (HR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.3-1.5). Dexmedetomidine was associated with
      less time to extubation compared with benzodiazepines (HR, 2.3; 95% CI, 2.0-2.7)
      and propofol (HR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.4-2.0), but relatively few dexmedetomidine
      exposures were available for analysis. There were no differences between any two
      agents in HRs for hospital discharge or mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In this large,
      real-world cohort, propofol and dexmedetomidine were associated with less time to
      extubation compared with benzodiazepines, but dexmedetomidine was also associated
      with less time to extubation vs propofol. These possible differences merit
      further study.

PMID- 26501515
TI  - Whole-animal functional and developmental imaging with isotropic spatial
      resolution.
AB  - Imaging fast cellular dynamics across large specimens requires high resolution in
      all dimensions, high imaging speeds, good physical coverage and low photo-damage.
      To meet these requirements, we developed isotropic multiview (IsoView) light
      sheet microscopy, which rapidly images large specimens via simultaneous light
      sheet illumination and fluorescence detection along four orthogonal directions.
      Combining these four views by means of high-throughput multiview deconvolution
      yields images with high resolution in all three dimensions. We demonstrate whole
      animal functional imaging of Drosophila larvae at a spatial resolution of 1.1-2.5
      MUm and temporal resolution of 2 Hz for several hours. We also present spatially
      isotropic whole-brain functional imaging in Danio rerio larvae and spatially
      isotropic multicolor imaging of fast cellular dynamics across gastrulating
      Drosophila embryos. Compared with conventional light-sheet microscopy, IsoView
      microscopy improves spatial resolution at least sevenfold and decreases
      resolution anisotropy at least threefold. Compared with existing high-resolution
      light-sheet techniques, IsoView microscopy effectively doubles the penetration
      depth and provides subsecond temporal resolution for specimens 400-fold larger
      than could previously be imaged. 

PMID- 26501516
TI  - xTract: software for characterizing conformational changes of protein complexes
      by quantitative cross-linking mass spectrometry.
AB  - Chemical cross-linking in combination with mass spectrometry generates distance
      restraints of amino acid pairs in close proximity on the surface of native
      proteins and protein complexes. In this study we used quantitative mass
      spectrometry and chemical cross-linking to quantify differences in cross-linked
      peptides obtained from complexes in spatially discrete states. We describe a
      generic computational pipeline for quantitative cross-linking mass spectrometry
      consisting of modules for quantitative data extraction and statistical assessment
      of the obtained results. We used the method to detect conformational changes in
      two model systems: firefly luciferase and the bovine TRiC complex. Our method
      discovers and explains the structural heterogeneity of protein complexes using
      only sparse structural information. 

PMID- 26501518
TI  - Challenges in Prevention of Abusive Head Trauma.

PMID- 26501521
TI  - Aurora Borealis: Frederic Edwin Church.

PMID- 26501517
TI  - Highly specific epigenome editing by CRISPR-Cas9 repressors for silencing of
      distal regulatory elements.
AB  - Epigenome editing with the CRISPR (clustered, regularly interspaced, short
      palindromic repeats)-Cas9 platform is a promising technology for modulating gene
      expression to direct cell phenotype and to dissect the causal epigenetic
      mechanisms of gene regulation. Fusions of nuclease-inactive dCas9 to the Kruppel
      associated box (KRAB) repressor (dCas9-KRAB) can silence target gene expression,
      but the genome-wide specificity and the extent of heterochromatin formation
      catalyzed by dCas9-KRAB are not known. We targeted dCas9-KRAB to the HS2
      enhancer, a distal regulatory element that orchestrates the expression of
      multiple globin genes, and observed highly specific induction of H3K9
      trimethylation (H3K9me3) at the enhancer and decreased chromatin accessibility of
      both the enhancer and its promoter targets. Targeted epigenetic modification of
      HS2 silenced the expression of multiple globin genes, with minimal off-target
      changes in global gene expression. These results demonstrate that repression
      mediated by dCas9-KRAB is sufficiently specific to disrupt the activity of
      individual enhancers via local modification of the epigenome. 

PMID- 26501530
TI  - Pilot Studies: A Critical but Potentially Misused Component of Interventional
      Research.

PMID- 26501531
TI  - A PIECE OF MY MIND. When Accommodation Gets Complicated.

PMID- 26501532
TI  - New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening in US Women.

PMID- 26501533
TI  - Naproxen With Cyclobenzaprine, Oxycodone/Acetaminophen, or Placebo for Treating
      Acute Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Low back pain (LBP) is responsible for more than 2.5 million visits
      to US emergency departments (EDs) annually. These patients are usually treated
      with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, opioids, or skeletal
      muscle relaxants, often in combination. OBJECTIVE: To compare functional outcomes
      and pain at 1 week and 3 months after an ED visit for acute LBP among patients
      randomized to a 10-day course of (1) naproxen + placebo; (2) naproxen +
      cyclobenzaprine; or (3) naproxen + oxycodone/acetaminophen. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: This randomized, double-blind, 3-group study was conducted at one
      urban ED in the Bronx, New York City. Patients who presented with nontraumatic,
      nonradicular LBP of 2 weeks' duration or less were eligible for enrollment upon
      ED discharge if they had a score greater than 5 on the Roland-Morris Disability
      Questionnaire (RMDQ). The RMDQ is a 24-item questionnaire commonly used to
      measure LBP and related functional impairment on which 0 indicates no functional
      impairment and 24 indicates maximum impairment. Beginning in April 2012, a total
      of 2588 patients were approached for enrollment. Of the 323 deemed eligible for
      participation, 107 were randomized to receive placebo and 108 each to
      cyclobenzaprine and to oxycodone/acetaminophen. Follow-up was completed in
      December 2014. INTERVENTIONS: All participants were given 20 tablets of naproxen,
      500 mg, to be taken twice a day. They were randomized to receive either 60
      tablets of placebo; cyclobenzaprine, 5 mg; or oxycodone, 5 mg/acetaminophen, 325
      mg. Participants were instructed to take 1 or 2 of these tablets every 8 hours,
      as needed for LBP. They also received a standardized 10-minute LBP educational
      session prior to discharge. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was
      improvement in RMDQ between ED discharge and 1 week later. RESULTS: Demographic
      characteristics were comparable among the 3 groups. At baseline, median RMDQ
      score in the placebo group was 20 (interquartile range [IQR],17-21), in the
      cyclobenzaprine group 19 (IQR,17-21), and in the oxycodone/acetaminophen group 20
      (IQR,17-22). At 1-week follow-up, the mean RMDQ improvement was 9.8 in the
      placebo group, 10.1 in the cyclobenzaprine group, and 11.1 in the
      oxycodone/acetaminophen group. Between-group difference in mean RMDQ improvement
      for cyclobenzaprine vs placebo was 0.3 (98.3% CI, -2.6 to 3.2; P = .77), for
      oxycodone/acetaminophen vs placebo, 1.3 (98.3% CI, -1.5 to 4.1; P = .28), and for
      oxycodone/acetaminophen vs cyclobenzaprine, 0.9 (98.3% CI, -2.1 to 3.9; P = .45).
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among patients with acute, nontraumatic, nonradicular
      LBP presenting to the ED, adding cyclobenzaprine or oxycodone/acetaminophen to
      naproxen alone did not improve functional outcomes or pain at 1-week follow-up.
      These findings do not support use of these additional medications in this
      setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01587274.

PMID- 26501534
TI  - Association of Tdap Vaccination With Acute Events and Adverse Birth Outcomes
      Among Pregnant Women With Prior Tetanus-Containing Immunizations.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends
      the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine for pregnant
      women during each pregnancy, regardless of prior immunization status. However,
      safety data on repeated Tdap vaccination in pregnancy is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To
      determine whether receipt of Tdap vaccine during pregnancy administered in close
      intervals from prior tetanus-containing vaccinations is associated with acute
      adverse events in mothers and adverse birth outcomes in neonates. DESIGN,
      SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective cohort study in 29,155 pregnant women
      aged 14 through 49 years from January 1, 2007, through November 15, 2013, using
      data from 7 Vaccine Safety Datalink sites in California, Colorado, Minnesota,
      Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. EXPOSURES: Women who received Tdap in
      pregnancy following a prior tetanus-containing vaccine less than 2 years before,
      2 to 5 years before, and more than 5 years before. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:
      Acute adverse events (fever, allergy, and local reactions) and adverse birth
      outcomes (small for gestational age, preterm delivery, and low birth weight) were
      evaluated. Women who were vaccinated with Tdap in pregnancy and had a prior
      tetanus-containing vaccine more than 5 years before served as controls. RESULTS:
      There were no statistically significant differences in rates of medically
      attended acute adverse events or adverse birth outcomes related to timing since
      prior tetanus-containing vaccination. [table: see text]. CONCLUSIONS AND
      RELEVANCE: Among women who received Tdap vaccination during pregnancy, there was
      no increased risk of acute adverse events or adverse birth outcomes for those who
      had been previously vaccinated less than 2 years before or 2 to 5 years before
      compared with those who had been vaccinated more than 5 years before. These
      findings suggest that relatively recent receipt of a prior tetanus-containing
      vaccination does not increase risk after Tdap vaccination in pregnancy.

PMID- 26501535
TI  - Association Between Preeclampsia and Congenital Heart Defects.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: The risk of congenital heart defects in infants of women who had
      preeclampsia during pregnancy is poorly understood, despite shared angiogenic
      pathways in both conditions. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of congenital
      heart defects in offspring of women with preeclampsia. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: Population-level analysis of live births before discharge, 1989
      2012, was conducted for the entire province of Quebec, comprising a quarter of
      Canada's population. All women who delivered an infant with or without heart
      defects in any Quebec hospital were included (N = 1,942,072 neonates). EXPOSURES:
      Preeclampsia or eclampsia with onset before or after 34 weeks of gestation. MAIN
      OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Presence of any critical or noncritical congenital heart
      defect detected in infants at birth, comparing prevalence in those exposed and
      not exposed to preeclampsia. RESULTS: The absolute prevalence of congenital heart
      defects was higher for infants of women with preeclampsia than those without it.
      Infants of women with preeclampsia had no increased prevalence of critical heart
      defects but did have an increased prevalence of noncritical heart defects
      compared with infants of nonpreeclamptic women. [table: see text]. Among specific
      defects, prevalence was greatest for septal defects. Compared with infants of
      women with late-onset preeclampsia, those with early onset (<34 weeks) had
      greater prevalence of critical heart defects (364.4/100,000 [20/5488]; prevalence
      ratio, 2.78; 95% CI, 1.71-4.50; prevalence difference, 249.6/100,000; 95%CI, 89.7
      409.6) and noncritical heart defects (7306.9/100,000 [401/5488]; prevalence
      ratio, 5.55; 95%CI, 4.98-6.19; prevalence difference, 6089.2/100,000; 95%CI,
      5350.0-6828.3). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this population-based study,
      preeclampsia was significantly associated with noncritical heart defects in
      offspring, and preeclampsia before 34 weeks was associated with critical heart
      defects. However, the absolute risk of congenital heart defects was low.

PMID- 26501537
TI  - Benefits and Harms of Breast Cancer Screening: A Systematic Review.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Patients need to consider both benefits and harms of breast cancer
      screening. OBJECTIVE: To systematically synthesize available evidence on the
      association of mammographic screening and clinical breast examination (CBE) at
      different ages and intervals with breast cancer mortality, overdiagnosis, false
      positive biopsy findings, life expectancy, and quality-adjusted life expectancy.
      EVIDENCE REVIEW: We searched PubMed (to March 6, 2014), CINAHL (to September 10,
      2013), and PsycINFO (to September 10, 2013) for systematic reviews, randomized
      clinical trials (RCTs) (with no limit to publication date), and observational and
      modeling studies published after January 1, 2000, as well as systematic reviews
      of all study designs. Included studies (7 reviews, 10 RCTs, 72 observational, 1
      modeling) provided evidence on the association between screening with
      mammography, CBE, or both and prespecified critical outcomes among women at
      average risk of breast cancer (no known genetic susceptibility, family history,
      previous breast neoplasia, or chest irradiation). We used summary estimates from
      existing reviews, supplemented by qualitative synthesis of studies not included
      in those reviews. FINDINGS: Across all ages of women at average risk, pooled
      estimates of association between mammography screening and mortality reduction
      after 13 years of follow-up were similar for 3 meta-analyses of clinical trials
      (UK Independent Panel: relative risk [RR], 0.80 [95% CI, 0.73-0.89]; Canadian
      Task Force: RR, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.74-0.94]; Cochrane: RR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.74
      0.87]); were greater in a meta-analysis of cohort studies (RR, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.69
      to 0.81]); and were comparable in a modeling study (CISNET; median RR equivalent
      among 7 models, 0.85 [range, 0.77-0.93]). Uncertainty remains about the magnitude
      of associated mortality reduction in the entire US population, among women 40 to
      49 years, and with annual screening compared with biennial screening. There is
      uncertainty about the magnitude of overdiagnosis associated with different
      screening strategies, attributable in part to lack of consensus on methods of
      estimation and the importance of ductal carcinoma in situ in overdiagnosis. For
      women with a first mammography screening at age 40 years, estimated 10-year
      cumulative risk of a false-positive biopsy result was higher (7.0% [95% CI, 6.1%
      7.8%]) for annual compared with biennial (4.8% [95% CI, 4.4%-5.2%]) screening.
      Although 10-year probabilities of false-positive biopsy results were similar for
      women beginning screening at age 50 years, indirect estimates of lifetime
      probability of false-positive results were lower. Evidence for the relationship
      between screening and life expectancy and quality-adjusted life expectancy was
      low in quality. There was no direct evidence for any additional mortality benefit
      associated with the addition of CBE to mammography, but observational evidence
      from the United States and Canada suggested an increase in false-positive
      findings compared with mammography alone, with both studies finding an estimated
      55 additional false-positive findings per extra breast cancer detected with the
      addition of CBE. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: For women of all ages at average
      risk, screening was associated with a reduction in breast cancer mortality of
      approximately 20%, although there was uncertainty about quantitative estimates of
      outcomes for different breast cancer screening strategies in the United States.
      These findings and the related uncertainty should be considered when making
      recommendations based on judgments about the balance of benefits and harms of
      breast cancer screening.

PMID- 26501538
TI  - Optimizing Mammography Screening Intervals.

PMID- 26501536
TI  - Breast Cancer Screening for Women at Average Risk: 2015 Guideline Update From the
      American Cancer Society.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Breast cancer is a leading cause of premature mortality among US
      women. Early detection has been shown to be associated with reduced breast cancer
      morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: To update the American Cancer Society (ACS)
      2003 breast cancer screening guideline for women at average risk for breast
      cancer. PROCESS: The ACS commissioned a systematic evidence review of the breast
      cancer screening literature to inform the update and a supplemental analysis of
      mammography registry data to address questions related to the screening interval.
      Formulation of recommendations was based on the quality of the evidence and
      judgment (incorporating values and preferences) about the balance of benefits and
      harms. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Screening mammography in women aged 40 to 69 years is
      associated with a reduction in breast cancer deaths across a range of study
      designs, and inferential evidence supports breast cancer screening for women 70
      years and older who are in good health. Estimates of the cumulative lifetime risk
      of false-positive examination results are greater if screening begins at younger
      ages because of the greater number of mammograms, as well as the higher recall
      rate in younger women. The quality of the evidence for overdiagnosis is not
      sufficient to estimate a lifetime risk with confidence. Analysis examining the
      screening interval demonstrates more favorable tumor characteristics when
      premenopausal women are screened annually vs biennially. Evidence does not
      support routine clinical breast examination as a screening method for women at
      average risk. RECOMMENDATIONS: The ACS recommends that women with an average risk
      of breast cancer should undergo regular screening mammography starting at age 45
      years (strong recommendation). Women aged 45 to 54 years should be screened
      annually (qualified recommendation). Women 55 years and older should transition
      to biennial screening or have the opportunity to continue screening annually
      (qualified recommendation). Women should have the opportunity to begin annual
      screening between the ages of 40 and 44 years (qualified recommendation). Women
      should continue screening mammography as long as their overall health is good and
      they have a life expectancy of 10 years or longer (qualified recommendation). The
      ACS does not recommend clinical breast examination for breast cancer screening
      among average-risk women at any age (qualified recommendation). CONCLUSIONS AND
      RELEVANCE: These updated ACS guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations
      for breast cancer screening for women at average risk of breast cancer. These
      recommendations should be considered by physicians and women in discussions about
      breast cancer screening.

PMID- 26501539
TI  - The Propensity Score.

PMID- 26501540
TI  - Red Blood Cell Concentrate Storage and Survival After Cardiac Surgery.

PMID- 26501541
TI  - Trends in Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.

PMID- 26501542
TI  - Trends in Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury--Reply.

PMID- 26501543
TI  - High-Flow Nasal Oxygen Therapy for Postextubation Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory
      Failure.

PMID- 26501544
TI  - High-Flow Nasal Oxygen Therapy for Postextubation Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory
      Failure--Reply.

PMID- 26501545
TI  - Organ Donation After Circulatory Death.

PMID- 26501546
TI  - Organ Donation After Circulatory Death.

PMID- 26501547
TI  - Organ Donation After Circulatory Death--Reply.

PMID- 26501548
TI  - Incorrect Data in the Abstract and Conclusion.

PMID- 26501550
TI  - Transfusion of Blood.

PMID- 26501551
TI  - JAMA PATIENT PAGE. Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines in the United States.

PMID- 26501553
TI  - Misclassification of Acceptable Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Leading to
      Flawed Inferences and Recommendations Regarding Prevention Efforts.

PMID- 26501552
TI  - Hypermethylation of p15 gene associated with an inferior poor long-term outcome
      in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To quantitate methylation of the CpG island of the promoter region of
      the p15 gene in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and explore its
      effect on prognosis. METHODS: We assessed methylation of the CpG island on the
      p15 gene in bone marrow mononuclear cells in 93 ALL cases and in a control group
      of 20 children with idiopathic thrombocytopenia (ITP) by restriction enzyme
      Eco52I digestion combined with polymerase chain reaction techniques. We explored
      the effect of varying levels of methylation on event-free survival (EFS).
      RESULTS: The mean methylation level was 25 % in de novo ALL and significantly
      higher than the control group 2 %, P < 0.01). Forty-two percent of cases (39/93)
      had hypermethylation (level over 10 %). Fifty-seven percent (12/21) and 38 %
      (27/72) T- and precursor-B ALL patients had hypermethylation (not significant).
      For all patients, the 8-year EFS was (83 +/- 4) %, standard risk (91 +/- 4) %,
      intermediate risk (IR) (82 +/- 5) %, and high risk (HR) (43 +/- 19) % (chi(2) =
      11.58, P < 0.01). Hypermethylation was associated with a lower 8-year EFS (71 +/-
      7 vs. 91 +/- 4 %, P = 0.02) in univariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Children with
      ALL have higher levels of p15 CpG island methylation than a control group of
      children with ITP. Among children with ALL, hypermethylation was associated with
      inferior EFS. Higher levels of p15 CpG island methylation may be a poor
      prognostic marker in childhood ALL.

PMID- 26501554
TI  - Nanotextured Polymer Substrate for Flexible and Mechanically Robust Metal
      Electrodes by Nanoimprint Lithography.
AB  - Metal thin film electrodes on flexible polymer substrates are inherently unstable
      against humidity and mechanical stresses because of their poor adhesion
      properties. We introduce a novel approach for improving the adhesion
      characteristics of metal-polymer interface based on the nanostructuring of the
      polymer substrate by using nanoimprint lithography. The adhesion characteristics
      of metal-polymer interface were measured by accelerated test, cyclic bending test
      and double cantilever beam (DCB) test. The interface of Au/Ti dual layer thin
      film and nanoimprinted PMMA substrate shows over 2.03 and 1.95 times higher
      adhesion energy (G(c)) than that of Au/Ti dual layer thin film and plane PMMA
      substrate in air and wet environments, respectively. The adhesion energy between
      metal thin film and polymer substrate was dramatically improved by the increased
      surface roughness and mechanical interlocking effect of numerous nanoscale
      anchors at the edges of nanoimprinted surface, which was verified by both
      experiment and numerical analysis.

PMID- 26501555
TI  - Serum VEGF Predicts Worse Clinical Outcome of Patients with Coronary Heart
      Disease After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an effective treatment
      for coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. However, patients after PCI treatment
      often have ischemic events that result in poor prognosis. Our study aimed to
      investigate the effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level on the
      prognosis of CHD patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We enrolled 114 CHD patients in
      the study. Serum VEGF level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA). Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and
      Hs-CRP were also tested in patients. The patients were divided into 2 groups
      according to the level of VEGF. Kaplan-Meier curve was used to observe the
      differences in survival situation of patients of the 2 groups. Cox regression
      analysis was conducted to judge whether VEGF was an independent biomarker for
      prognosis in CHD. RESULTS: We included 104 patients for survival analysis. VEGF
      level in CHD patients was significantly lower than that of healthy individuals
      (P<0.05). In the analysis of basic information, we found differences in sex
      distribution and hypertension between groups (P<0.05 for both). Kaplan-Meier
      curve indicated that patients with low expression of VEGF presented with poor
      prognosis. The mortality rate of the low-expression group was 37.71%, higher than
      that of the high-expression group (14.3%). Cox analysis suggested that VEGF could
      serve as a biomarker for prognosis in CHD (HR: 3.014, P: 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: Low
      level of VEGF may predict poor clinical outcome of CHD patients after PCI
      treatment.

PMID- 26501556
TI  - Simultaneous bilateral atypical femoral fracture in a patient receiving
      denosumab: case report and literature review.
AB  - Osteoporosis remains a chronic and common disease associated with high medical
      costs. Pharmacological therapy has shown to be a good strategy to significantly
      reduce fracture risk. While literary evidence for bone protection in the short
      and medium term is strongly in it's favor, there are concerns about long-term
      treatment with antiresorptive drugs. Increased risk of atypical femoral fractures
      (AFFs) have been demonstrated in several studies following the long-term use of
      bisphosphonate. Denosumab offers an alternative approach to the treatment of
      osteoporosis, however, it is also an antiresorptive drug. We present a case of
      simultaneous bilateral atypical femoral fractures in a patient with denosumab
      treatment. These findings highlight the need to reevaluate the optimal
      antiresorptive therapy duration, as well as the safety of transition from
      bisphosphonates to denosumab and the need for continued monitoring in the
      prevention of AFFs.

PMID- 26501557
TI  - Meta-analysis of diabetes mellitus and risk of hip fractures: small-study effect.

PMID- 26501559
TI  - Sacroiliitis or insufficiency fracture?
AB  - Sacral stress fracture and sacroiliitis are two conditions that present with
      pain. Sacral stress fractures are a rare cause of lumbar and hip pain. Sacral
      insufficiency fractures are a type of sacral stress fractures. Sacroiliitis
      represents inflammation of the sacroiliac joints. Coexistence of sacroiliitis and
      sacral insufficiency fracture (SIF) has not been reported before. Case 1: A 39
      year-old woman reporting inflammatory back pain. Imaging revealed bilateral
      chronic sacroiliitis and bilateral SIF. Case 2: A 31-year-old woman presenting
      with left hip and inguinal pain. Imaging revealed left sacroiliitis and
      ipsilateral SIF. Calcium and vitamin D supplementation together with nonsteroidal
      anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) treatment were given. Sulfasalazine was added to
      the treatment of the second patient who developed peripheral arthritis during
      follow-ups. Early diagnosis is best made with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      since roentgenograms may be negative initially. Furthermore, MRI findings of both
      entities share common features leading to a diagnostic dilemma. Interpretation of
      radiological findings assisted by detailed history and clinical findings is
      crucial for diagnosis and treatment.

PMID- 26501560
TI  - Palladium-Catalyzed Intermolecular Carbene Insertion Prior to Intramolecular Heck
      Cyclization: Synthesis of 2-Arylidene-3-aryl-1-indanones.
AB  - A domino process that converges the migratory insertion of carbene with a Heck
      reaction has been established as a versatile tool for the synthesis of 2
      arylidene-3-aryl-1-indanones from very stable and easily accessible N
      tosylhydrazones and 2'-iodochalcones. The reaction selectively proceeds through 5
      exo-trig cyclization and delivers the products selectively with the E
      configuration of the double bond in excellent yields. The one-pot synthesis of 2
      arylidene-3-aryl-1-indanones involving in situ synthesis of both 2'-iodochalcones
      and N-tosylhydrazones has also been demonstrated. 

PMID- 26501558
TI  - Impaired skeletal health and neuromuscular function among amphetamine users in
      clinical treatment.
AB  - SUMMARY: This study examined musculoskeletal health in amphetamine users,
      compared with healthy age-matched controls. We show that amphetamine users have
      reduced bone mass at several skeletal sites and attenuated maximal muscle
      strength and force development capacity in the lower extremities. INTRODUCTION:
      Amphetamine use may cause poor bone quality and elevated risk of osteoporosis.
      The purpose of this study was to investigate whether amphetamine users exhibit
      reduced regional and whole body bone mineral density (BMD), altered bone
      metabolism, and how muscle function may relate to the patient groups' skeletal
      health. METHODS: We assessed hip, lumbar spine and whole body BMD, and trabecular
      bone score (TBS) by dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and bone metabolism markers
      in serum and maximal strength and force development capacity in 36 amphetamine
      users (25 men, 30 +/- 7 years; 11 women 35 +/- 10 years) and in 37 healthy
      controls (23 men, 31 +/- 9 years; 14 women, 35 +/- 7 years). RESULTS: Whole body
      BMD was lower in amphetamine users (8% in males and 7% females, p < 0.01), as
      were BMD at the total hip and sub-regions of the hip (9-11% in men and 10-11 % in
      women, p < 0.05). Male users had 4% lower TBS (p < 0.05) and higher serum level
      of type 1 collagen amino-terminal propeptide (p < 0.01). This coincided with
      reduced lower extremity maximal strength of 30% (males, p < 0.001) and 25%
      (females, p < 0.05) and 27% slower muscular force development in males compared
      to controls (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that amphetamine
      users suffer from a generalized reduction in bone mass, which was associated with
      attenuated maximal muscle strength and force development capacity in the lower
      extremities.

PMID- 26501561
TI  - Abolishing Fees at Health Centers in the Context of Community Case Management of
      Malaria: What Effects on Treatment-Seeking Practices for Febrile Children in
      Rural Burkina Faso?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Burkina Faso started nationwide community case management of
      malaria (CCMm) in 2010. In 2011, health center user fees for children under five
      were abolished in some districts. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of concurrent
      implementation of CCMm and user fees abolition on treatment-seeking practices for
      febrile children. METHODS: This is a natural experiment conducted in the
      districts of Kaya (CCMm plus user fees abolition) and Zorgho (CCMm only).
      Registry data from 2005 to 2014 on visits for malaria were collected from all
      eight rural health centers in the study area. Annual household surveys were
      administered during malaria transmission season in 2011 and 2012 in 1,035
      randomly selected rural households. Interrupted time series models were fitted
      for registry data and Fine and Gray's competing risks models for survey data.
      RESULTS: User fees abolition in Kaya significantly increased health center use by
      eligible children with malaria (incidence rate ratio for intercept change = 2.1,
      p <0.001). In 2011, in Kaya, likelihood of health center use for febrile children
      was three times higher and CHW use three times lower when caregivers knew
      services were free. Among the 421 children with fever in 2012, the delay before
      visiting a health center was significantly shorter in Kaya than in Zorgho (1.46
      versus 1.79 days, p <0.05). Likelihood of visiting a health center on the first
      day of fever among households <2.5 km or <5 km from a health center was two and
      three times higher in Kaya than in Zorgho, respectively (p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      User fees abolition reduced visit delay for febrile children living close to
      health centers. It also increased demand for and use of health center for
      children with malaria. Concurrently, demand for CHWs' services diminished. User
      fees abolition and CCMm should be coordinated to maximize prompt access to
      treatment in rural areas.

PMID- 26501563
TI  - MafG, A Novel Target of FXR that Regulates Bile Acid Homeostasis.

PMID- 26501562
TI  - Resistance versus Balance Training to Improve Postural Control in Parkinson's
      Disease: A Randomized Rater Blinded Controlled Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reduced muscle strength is an independent risk factor for falls and
      related to postural instability in individuals with Parkinson's disease. The
      ability of resistance training to improve postural control still remains unclear.
      OBJECTIVE: To compare resistance training with balance training to improve
      postural control in people with Parkinson's disease. METHODS: 40 patients with
      idiopathic Parkinson's disease (Hoehn&Yahr: 2.5-3.0) were randomly assigned into
      resistance or balance training (2x/week for 7 weeks). Assessments were performed
      at baseline, 8- and 12-weeks follow-up: primary outcome: Fullerton Advanced
      Balance (FAB) scale; secondary outcomes: center of mass analysis during surface
      perturbations, Timed-up-and-go-test, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale,
      Clinical Global Impression, gait analysis, maximal isometric leg strength, PDQ
      39, Beck Depression Inventory. Clinical tests were videotaped and analysed by a
      second rater, blind to group allocation and assessment time. RESULTS: 32
      participants (resistance training: n = 17, balance training: n = 15; 8 drop-outs)
      were analyzed at 8-weeks follow-up. No significant difference was found in the
      FAB scale when comparing the effects of the two training types (p = 0.14; effect
      size (Cohen's d) = -0.59). Participants from the resistance training group, but
      not from the balance training group significantly improved on the FAB scale
      (resistance training: +2.4 points, Cohen's d = -0.46; balance training: +0.3
      points, Cohen's d = -0.08). Within the resistance training group, improvements of
      the FAB scale were significantly correlated with improvements of rate of force
      development and stride time variability. No significant differences were found in
      the secondary outcome measures when comparing the training effects of both
      training types. CONCLUSIONS: The difference between resistance and balance
      training to improve postural control in people with Parkinson's disease was small
      and not significant with this sample size. There was weak evidence that freely
      coordinated resistance training might be more effective than balance training.
      Our results indicate a relationship between the enhancement of rate of force
      development and the improvement of postural control. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02253563.

PMID- 26501564
TI  - Direct Energy Consumption Associated Emissions by Rural-to-Urban Migrants in
      Beijing.
AB  - Hundreds of millions of rural residents have migrated to cities in China in
      recent years. Different lifestyles and living conditions lead to substantial
      changes in their household energy. Here, we present the result of a survey on
      direct household energy use of low-skilled rural-to-urban migrants in Beijing.
      The migrants moved up the energy ladder immediately after arriving in the city by
      replacing biomass fuels with coal, electricity, and liquefied petroleum gas.
      After the original shift, pattern of household energy use by the migrants has not
      changed much over decades, likely due to the long-existing household registration
      system (Hukou). As a result, the mix of energy types used by the rural-to-urban
      migrants were different from those by long-term urban residents, although total
      quantities were similar. Shifting from biomass fuels to coal, the migrants
      emitted 2.4 times more non-neutral CO2 than rural residents and 14% more than
      urban residents. The migration also resulted in significant increase in emissions
      of SO2 and mercury but dramatic decreases in some incomplete combustion products
      including particulate matter. All these changes have significant implication on
      air quality, health, and climate considering the scale of urbanization in China. 

PMID- 26501566
TI  - Extension of Hopfield's Electron Transfer Model To Accommodate Site-Site
      Correlation.
AB  - Extension of the Forster analogue for the ET rate constant (based on virtual
      intermediate electron detachment or attachment states) with inclusion of site
      site correlation due to coulomb terms associated with solvent reorganization
      energy and the driving force, has been developed and illustrated for a simple
      three-state, two-mode model. The model is applicable to charge separation (CS),
      recombination (CR), and shift (CSh) ET processes, with or without an intervening
      bridge. The model provides a unified perspective on the role of virtual
      intermediate states in accounting for the thermal Franck-Condon weighted density
      of states (FCWD), the gaps controlling superexchange coupling, and mean absolute
      redox potentials, with full accommodation of site-site coulomb interactions. Two
      types of correlation have been analyzed: aside from the site-site correlation due
      to coulomb interactions, we have emphasized the intrinsic "nonorthogonality"
      which generally pertains to reaction coordinates (RCs) for different ET processes
      involving multiple electronic states, as may be expressed by suitably defined
      direction cosines (cos(theta)). A pair of RCs may be nonorthogonal even when the
      site-site coulomb correlations are absent. While different RCs are linearly
      independent in the mathematical sense for all theta ? 0 degrees , they are
      independent in the sense of being "uncorrelated" only in the limit of
      orthogonality (theta = 90 degrees ). Application to more than two coordinates is
      straightforward and may include both discrete and continuum contributions. 

PMID- 26501567
TI  - Nonradiative Deactivation of Lanthanoid Excited States by Inner-Sphere
      Carboxylates.
AB  - The vibrational deactivation of metal-centered excited states is one of the
      fundamental processes that governs the luminescence of inorganic luminophores. In
      molecular lanthanoid luminescence, the most reliable way to modulate and
      systematically investigate these processes is deuteration of X-H stretching modes
      (X = O, N, C). Apart from the effect of these high-energy vibrational motifs,
      very little is known about the impact of other oscillator fragments present in
      lanthanoid complexes. We have developed a synthetic protocol to efficiently and
      selectively label the popular chelator motif "pyridine-2-carboxylic acid" with
      stable (13)C/(18)O isotope at the carboxylate group. The corresponding
      isotopologic lanthanoid complexes (Ln = Sm, Eu, Ho) show a decrease of the local
      mode carbonyl stretching frequency of up to 5% after isotopic substitution. While
      this does not seems to have any effect on the luminescence of lanthanoids with
      medium- to high-energy gaps (Sm and Eu), we have found the first example of a
      quantifiable luminescence isotope effect for one of the near-IR transitions of
      holmium ((3)K8 -> (5)I5) that only involves the isotopic editing of the
      vibrational environment at the four carbonyl oscillators. 

PMID- 26501565
TI  - High Lysyl Oxidase (LOX) in the Non-Malignant Prostate Epithelium Predicts a Poor
      Outcome in Prostate Cancer Patient Managed by Watchful Waiting.
AB  - Lysyl oxidase (LOX) has been shown to both promote and suppress tumor
      progression, but its role in prostate cancer is largely unknown. LOX
      immunoreactivity was scored in prostate tumor epithelium, tumor stroma and in the
      tumor-adjacent non-malignant prostate epithelium and stroma. LOX scores in tumor
      and non-malignant prostate tissues were then examined for possible associations
      with clinical characteristics and survival in a historical cohort of men that
      were diagnosed with prostate cancer at transurethral resection and followed by
      watchful waiting. Men with a low LOX score in the non-malignant prostate
      epithelium had significantly longer cancer specific survival than men with a high
      score. Furthermore, LOX score in non-malignant prostate epithelium remained
      prognostic in a multivariable analysis including Gleason score. LOX score in
      prostate tumor epithelium positively correlated to Gleason score and metastases
      but was not associated with cancer survival. LOX score in tumor and non-malignant
      prostate stroma appeared unrelated to these tumor characteristics. In radical
      prostatectomy specimens, LOX immune-staining corresponded to LOX in-situ
      hybridization and LOX mRNA levels were found to be similar between tumor and
      adjacent non-malignant areas, but significantly increased in bone metastases
      samples. LOX levels both in tumors and in the surrounding tumor-bearing organ are
      apparently related to prostate cancer aggressiveness. 

PMID- 26501568
TI  - Discovery of 2-Acylaminothiophene-3-Carboxamides as Multitarget Inhibitors for
      BCR-ABL Kinase and Microtubules.
AB  - The emergence of drug resistance of the BCR-ABL kinase inhibitor imatinib,
      especially toward the T315I gatekeeper mutation, poses a great challenge to
      targeted therapy in treating chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. To discover
      novel inhibitors against drug-resistant CML bearing T315I mutation, we applied a
      physics-based hierarchical virtual screening approach to dock a large chemical
      library against ATP binding pockets of both wild-type (WT) and T315I mutant ABL
      kinases in a combinatorial fashion. This strategy automatically resulted in 87
      compounds satisfying structural and energetic criteria of both WT and T315I
      mutant kinases. Among them, nine compounds, which share a common thiophene-based
      scaffold and adopt similar binding poses, were chosen for experimental testing
      and one of them was shown to have low micromolar inhibition activities against
      both WT and mutant ABL kinases. Structure-activity relationship analysis with a
      series of structural modifications based on 2-acylaminothiophene-3-carboxamide
      scaffold supports our predicted binding mode. Interestingly, the same chemical
      scaffold was also enriched in our previous virtual screening campaign against
      colchicine site of microtubules using the same computational protocol, which
      suggests our virtual screening strategy is capable of discovering small-molecule
      ligands targeting distinct protein binding sites without sharing any sequential
      and structural similarity. Furthermore, the multitarget inhibition activity of
      this class of compounds was assessed in cellular experiments. We expect that the
      2-acylaminothiophene-3-carboxamide scaffold may serve as a promising starting
      point for developing multitarget inhibitors in cancer treatment by targeting both
      kinases and microtubules. 

PMID- 26501569
TI  - Characterization and validation of a Monte Carlo code for independent dose
      calculation in proton therapy treatments with pencil beam scanning.
AB  - We propose a method of creating and validating a Monte Carlo (MC) model of a
      proton Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS) machine using only commissioning measurements
      and avoiding the nozzle modeling. Measurements with a scintillating screen
      coupled with a CCD camera, ionization chamber and a Faraday Cup were used to
      model the beam in TOPAS without using any machine parameter information but the
      virtual source distance from the isocenter. Then the model was validated on
      simple Spread Out Bragg Peaks (SOBP) delivered in water phantom and with six
      realistic clinical plans (many involving 3 or more fields) on an anthropomorphic
      phantom. In particular the behavior of the moveable Range Shifter (RS) feature
      was investigated and its modeling has been proposed. The gamma analysis (3%,3 mm)
      was used to compare MC, TPS (XiO-ELEKTA) and measured 2D dose distributions
      (using radiochromic film). The MC modeling proposed here shows good results in
      the validation phase, both for simple irradiation geometry (SOBP in water) and
      for modulated treatment fields (on anthropomorphic phantoms). In particular head
      lesions were investigated and both MC and TPS data were compared with
      measurements. Treatment plans with no RS always showed a very good agreement with
      both of them (gamma-Passing Rate (PR)  >  95%). Treatment plans in which the RS
      was needed were also tested and validated. For these treatment plans MC results
      showed better agreement with measurements (gamma-PR  >  93%) than the one coming
      from TPS (gamma-PR  <  88%). This work shows how to simplify the MC modeling of a
      PBS machine for proton therapy treatments without accounting for any hardware
      components and proposes a more reliable RS modeling than the one implemented in
      our TPS. The validation process has shown how this code is a valid candidate for
      a completely independent treatment plan dose calculation algorithm. This makes
      the code an important future tool for the patient specific QA verification
      process.

PMID- 26501571
TI  - Intangible successes.

PMID- 26501572
TI  - Handcuffs.

PMID- 26501573
TI  - Mirabegron: A new option in treating overactive bladder.
AB  - Antimuscarinic medications have long been the mainstay of drug treatment for
      overactive bladder. This article describes mirabegron, one of a new class of
      agents that relaxes the detrusor muscle directly via a beta3 adrenoceptor
      agonist. Mirabegron's efficacy on frequency, urgency, and urge incontinence was
      tested in several trials before its wide clinical introduction. However, caution
      is still needed as data are lacking on the drug's efficacy and safety in frail
      older adults and for long-term therapy. 

PMID- 26501574
TI  - A hyperpigmented periorbital patch.

PMID- 26501576
TI  - A fast-growing, painless, solid scrotal mass.
AB  - The history and physical examination of an adolescent male are critical to early
      detection of scrotal abnormalities. Although rare, paratesticular
      rhabdomyosarcoma grows quickly and can be life-threatening. This article focuses
      on the importance of prompt recognition, diagnosis, and appropriate management of
      paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma in an adolescent. 

PMID- 26501575
TI  - New oral anticoagulants for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.
AB  - Four new oral anticoagulants have been approved for reducing stroke risk in
      patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Compared with warfarin, these
      agents offer a more predictable dose response with fewer food and drug
      interactions and no regular blood monitoring, although some of the drugs have an
      increased risk of major gastrointestinal bleeding. This article reviews the new
      drugs. 

PMID- 26501577
TI  - Recognizing and treating Raynaud phenomenon.
AB  - Raynaud phenomenon is an episodic ischemia caused by cold, emotional stimuli, or
      rheumatologic disorders, and is more common in women than men. This article
      describes the clinical presentation of Raynaud phenomenon and how to diagnose and
      appropriately treat patients and prevent complications. Research on the use of
      different pharmacologic interventions for Raynaud phenomenon is ongoing and
      treatment options are expanding. 

PMID- 26501578
TI  - Veterans as physician assistants.
AB  - The physician assistant (PA) profession emerged nearly 50 years ago to leverage
      the healthcare experience of Vietnam-era military trained medics and corpsmen to
      fill workforce shortages in medical care. In 2009, the American Recovery and
      Reinvestment Act Primary Care Training and Enhancement program was established to
      improve access to primary care. Training military veterans as PAs was again
      identified as a strategy to meet provider access shortages. However, fewer than
      4% of veterans with military healthcare training are likely to apply to PA school
      and little is known regarding the factors that predict acceptance to training. In
      2012, we surveyed all veteran applicants and a stratified random sample of
      nonveterans applying to PA training. We compare the similarities and differences
      between veteran and nonveteran applicants, application barriers, and the factors
      predicting acceptance. We conclude with a discussion of the link between modern
      veterans and the PA profession. 

PMID- 26501579
TI  - Slipped capital femoral epiphysis.

PMID- 26501580
TI  - Bedside ultrasound to evaluate abdominal pain.

PMID- 26501581
TI  - Inhaled technosphere regular insulin powder.
AB  - The lungs are an effective way to deliver insulin for patients with diabetes, but
      an initial inhaled insulin product was withdrawn from the market because of high
      cost and inconsistent dosing. This article describes a recently approved inhaled
      insulin that appears to control blood glucose as well as rapid-acting injectable
      insulin. 

PMID- 26501583
TI  - A painful, hard mass on the ankle.

PMID- 26501584
TI  - On the brink.

PMID- 26501585
TI  - Carbocation Stability in H-ZSM5 at High Temperature.
AB  - Zeolites are common catalysts for multiple industrial applications, including
      alcohol dehydration to produce olefins, and given their commercial importance,
      reaction mechanisms in zeolites have long been proposed and studied. Some
      proposed reaction mechanisms for alcohol dehydration exhibit noncyclic
      carbocation intermediates or transition states that resemble carbocations, and
      several previous studies suggest that the tert-butyl cation is the only noncyclic
      cation more stable than the corresponding chemisorbed species with the
      hydrocarbon bound to the framework oxygen (i.e., an alkoxide). To determine if
      carbocations can exist at high temperatures in zeolites, where these catalysts
      are finding new applications for biomass vapor-phase upgrading (~500  degrees C),
      the stability of carbocations and the corresponding alkoxides were calculated
      with two ONIOM embedding methods (M06-2X/6-311G(d,p):M06-2X/3-21G) and (PBE-D3/6
      311G(d,p):PBE-D3/3-21G) and plane-wave density functional theory (DFT) using the
      PBE functional corrected with entropic and Tkatchenko-Scheffler van der Waals
      corrections. The embedding methods tested are unreliable at finding minima for
      primary carbocations, and only secondary or higher carbocations can be described
      with embedding methods consistent with the periodic DFT results. The relative
      energy between the carbocations and alkoxides differs significantly between the
      embedding and the periodic DFT methods. The difference is between ~0.23 and 14.30
      kcal/mol depending on the molecule, the model, and the functional chosen for the
      embedding method. At high temperatures, the pw-DFT calculations predict that the
      allyl, isopropyl, and sec-butyl cations exhibit negligible populations while
      acetyl and tert-butyl cations exhibit significant populations (>10%). Moreover,
      the periodic DFT results indicate that mechanisms including secondary and
      tertiary carbocations intermediates or carbocations stabilized by adjacent oxygen
      or double bonds are possible at high temperatures relevant to some industrial
      uses of zeolite catalysts, although as the minority species in most cases. 

PMID- 26501586
TI  - Label-free microfluidic free-flow isoelectric focusing, pH gradient sensing and
      near real-time isoelectric point determination of biomolecules and blood plasma
      fractions.
AB  - We demonstrate the fabrication, characterization and application of microfluidic
      chips capable of continuous electrophoretic separation via free flow isoelectric
      focussing (FFIEF). By integration of a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent pH sensor
      layer under the whole separation bed, on-line observation of the pH gradient and
      determination of biomolecular isoelectric points (pI) was achieved within a few
      seconds. Using an optical setup for imaging of the intrinsic fluorescence of
      biomolecules at 266 nm excitation, labelling steps could be avoided and the
      native biomolecules could be separated, collected and analysed for their pI. The
      fabricated microchip was successfully used for the monitoring of the separation
      and simultaneous observation of the pH gradient during the isoelectric focussing
      of the proteins alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin, blood plasma proteins
      and the antibiotics ampicillin and ofloxacin. The obtained pIs are in good
      agreement with literature data, demonstrating the applicability of the system.
      Mass spectra from the separated antibiotics taken after 15 minutes of continuous
      separation from different fractions at the end of the microchip validated the
      separation via microfluidic isoelectric focussing and indicate the possibility of
      further on- or off-chip processing steps. 

PMID- 26501587
TI  - Intellectually disabled and impaired people serving sentences in conventional
      correctional facilities: some considerations.

PMID- 26501588
TI  - Influence of burnout on the health of prison workers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study investigates differences in health (Somatic Symptoms,
      Anxiety / Insomnia, Social Dysfunction and Severe Depression) relating to
      professional burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal
      fulfillment) suffered by prison staff, taking into account the workplace where
      they perform their activities (therapeutic vs. non therapeutic modules). METHODS:
      The participants consisted of 222 workers of both sexes, with ages ranging from
      18 to 60 years, working in different prisons in Spain (Educational and
      Therapeutic Modules, N = 1001; Non Educational and Therapeutic Modules = 121).
      The tools used were the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) of Goldberg and
      Hillier (1979) and the burnout Inventory of Maslach and Jackson (1981). A mean
      comparison was performed using Student?s t test along with a linear regression
      analysis, differentiating between Educational and Therapeutic Modules and Non
      Educational and Therapeutic Modules. RESULTS: Significant differences were found
      between both clusters and predictive values of burnout factors for the different
      health levels in both prison models were identified. Possible explanations for
      the findings and the implications for intervention are discussed.

PMID- 26501589
TI  - [Health care in the prisons of the Kingdom. General Royal Ordinance of prisons of
      1834].
AB  - In the 19th century, the concept of "prison health" began to make an appearance
      in Spanish legislation as an integral part of prison management. Thanks to a
      series of ideological and progressive principles in the same century, laws were
      decreed and regulated to address the need for adequate medical care for prisoners
      in Africa, Spain and the overseas territories. The most important of these was
      the Royal Ordinance of Prisoners of the Kingdom of 1834, and subsequent
      Regulation of 1844. 

PMID- 26501590
TI  - A review of the regulatory and functional aspects of prison health care and
      nursing staff.
AB  - The aim of this study of prison health care staff in Prison Health Care and
      Nursing Units is twofold. The first one is to consider those aspects of the legal
      system applicable to them as government employees of the General State
      Administration at the service of Prisons, highlighting the peculiarities of the
      legal regulations that can be applied as a result of providing said service. The
      second, based on the general regulations on prison health contained in Organic
      Law 1/1979, of 26 September, General Penitentiary Law and the implementing
      regulations thereof, approved by Royal Decree 190/1966, of 9 February, sets out
      to provide a critical analysis of the obligatory and functional framework for
      health care and nursing staff established in the old Penitentiary Regulations of
      1981, to determine from a legal perspective if it is possible to impede or brake
      so that the Prison Administration may develop or carry out the functions for
      which it is responsible in terms of planning, organization and management of
      activities geared towards maintaining and improving hygiene and health in the
      prison environment. 

PMID- 26501591
TI  - Subcultural manifestations of self-injury in correctional settings.

PMID- 26501592
TI  - 3-Trimethylsilylcycloalkylidenes. gamma-Silyl vs gamma-Hydrogen Migration to
      Carbene Centers.
AB  - A series of gamma-trimethylsilyl-substituted carbenes have been studied
      experimentally and by computational methods. In an acyclic system, 1,3
      trimethylsilyl migration successfully competes with 1,3-hydrogen migration to the
      carbene center. The behavior of cyclic 3-trimethylsilyl-substituted carbenes
      contrasts with that of the acyclic system. Only 1,2-hydrogen migration processes
      are observed in the five-membered ring due to the high barrier to 1,3-hydrogen
      migration. In the cyclohexyl system, a small amount of a cyclopropane derived
      from 1,3-hydrogen migration occurs, as shown by a labeling study. In the
      cycloheptyl carbene system, a labeling study again showed that 1,3-hydrogen
      migration to the carbene center leads to the major product. Computational studies
      suggest that the cyclic carbenes all have lower energy conformations where the
      trimethylsilyl group is in a pseudo equatorial conformation where it cannot
      migrate to the carbene center. Computational studies also suggest that cyclohexyl
      and cycloheptyl carbene systems are slightly stabilized by a rear lobe
      interaction of the Si-C bond with the carbene center. 

PMID- 26501593
TI  - Prevalence of Chlamydia psittaci and Other Chlamydia Species in Wild Birds in
      Poland.
AB  - Avian chlamydiosis is a zoonotic disease occurring in humans, poultry, and exotic
      birds. It has been suggested that some wild bird species play an important role
      as reservoirs for Chlamydia, especially Chlamydia psittaci. Whereas C. psittaci
      is the predominant chlamydial agent in birds, in the present study we have
      determined the prevalence of different species of Chlamydia among selected wild
      bird species in Poland using a rapid and sensitive real-time PCR method. In
      total, 369 free-living birds from 35 bird species and 15 orders were examined.
      Samples from 27 birds (7.3%) were positive for chlamydial DNA in the PCR; 22
      positive samples (81.5%) belonged to C. psittaci, three to Chlamydia trachomatis
      (11.1%), and two (7.4%) classified only to the genus Chlamydia. Most of C.
      psittaci-positive samples belonged to five orders: Anseriformes, Columbiformes,
      Gruiformes, Phasianiformes, and Passeriformes. All C. trachomatis samples were
      obtained from Eurasian coots (Gruiformes). Two Chlamydia-positive samples not
      classified to any Chlamydia species were obtained from a common wood pigeon
      (Columbiformes) and a common buzzard (Accipitriformes). Detection of C. psittaci
      and C. trachomatis in free-living bird populations force to think on significance
      of birds as reservoir of varied Chlamydia species and their epidemiological
      importance. 

PMID- 26501594
TI  - Proceedings of the 3rd PSMR Conference on PET/MR and SPECT/MR.

PMID- 26501595
TI  - Scintillation properties of Ca co-doped L(Y)SO:Ce between 193 K and 373 K for TOF
      PET/MRI.

PMID- 26501596
TI  - Updates from the SPADnet project (fully digital, scalable and networked photonic
      component for Time-of-Flight PET applications).

PMID- 26501597
TI  - Analog electro-optical readout of SiPMs for compact, low power ToF PET/MRI.

PMID- 26501598
TI  - Preliminary evaluation of a brain PET insertable to MRI.

PMID- 26501599
TI  - Characterization of linearly graded position-sensitive silicon photomultipliers.

PMID- 26501600
TI  - Hybrid PET/MRI insert: B0 field optimization by applying active and passive
      shimming on PET detector level.

PMID- 26501601
TI  - Track-based detector alignment for PET scanners.

PMID- 26501602
TI  - MRI compatible detector design: experience from the development of a digital SiPM
      based detector stack for simultaneous PET/MRI.

PMID- 26501603
TI  - Effects of multiple photon scattering on maximum likelihood positioning in PET.

PMID- 26501604
TI  - Minimization of border effects in monolithic scintillators using neural networks,
      based on MR-compatible SiPM arrays.

PMID- 26501605
TI  - MR-compatibility study of a preclinical digital PET/MRI insert.

PMID- 26501606
TI  - ToF performance evaluation of a PET insert with Digital Silicon Photomultiplier
      technology during MR operation.

PMID- 26501607
TI  - Collimator design for a clinical brain SPECT/MRI insert.

PMID- 26501608
TI  - Temporal analysis of Z-Gradient coil eddy currents in tungsten collimator with
      different resistivities for SPECT/MRI.

PMID- 26501609
TI  - Influence of temperature on digital photon counter performance for SPECT.

PMID- 26501610
TI  - Development of a high-resolution detection module for the INSERT SPECT/MRI
      system.

PMID- 26501611
TI  - Susceptibility phantom for compatibility testing of SPECT components for a
      SPECT/MR hybrid system.

PMID- 26501612
TI  - Joint reconstruction of simultaneously acquired MR-PET data with multi sensor
      compressed sensing based on a joint sparsity constraint.

PMID- 26501613
TI  - 4-D PET joint image reconstruction/non-rigid motion estimation with limited MRI
      prior information.

PMID- 26501614
TI  - Blind source separation analysis of PET dynamic data: a simple method with
      exciting MR-PET applications.

PMID- 26501615
TI  - New SPM8-based MRAC method for simultaneous PET/MR brain images: comparison with
      state-of-the-art non-rigid registration methods.

PMID- 26501616
TI  - PET performance evaluation of a preclinical digital PET/MRI insert.

PMID- 26501617
TI  - Image derived input function applied in CBF Studies with [15O]water PET in an
      integrated MR-PET.

PMID- 26501618
TI  - Optimization of transmission-scan time for the FixER method: a MR-based PET
      attenuation correction with a weak fixed-position external radiation source.

PMID- 26501619
TI  - GPU-accelerated Monte Carlo based scatter correction in brain PET/MR.

PMID- 26501621
TI  - Towards using scattered PET emission data for reconstruction of attenuation map
      in PET/MRI.

PMID- 26501620
TI  - Preliminary evaluation of the MLAA algorithm with the Philips Ingenuity PET/MR.

PMID- 26501622
TI  - MR-based attenuation correction in brain PET based on UTE sequences.

PMID- 26501623
TI  - Sparsely sampled MR navigators as a practical tool for quality control and
      correction of head motion in simultaneous PET/MR.

PMID- 26501624
TI  - A 3D MR-acquisition scheme for non-rigid bulk motion correction in simultaneous
      PET-MR.

PMID- 26501625
TI  - Combined MR-assisted motion and partial volume effects corrections - impact on
      PET data quantification.

PMID- 26501626
TI  - Motion estimation in PET-MRI based on dual registration: preliminary results for
      human data.

PMID- 26501627
TI  - PET/MR synchronization by detection of switching gradients.

PMID- 26501628
TI  - Initial evaluation of a practical PET respiratory motion correction method in
      clinical simultaneous PET/MRI.

PMID- 26501629
TI  - Preliminary evaluation of image quality in a new clinical ToF-PET/MR scanner.

PMID- 26501630
TI  - Iterative reconstruction incorporating positron range correction within STIR
      framework.

PMID- 26501631
TI  - Incorporation of MRI-AIF information for improved kinetic modelling of dynamic
      PET data.

PMID- 26501632
TI  - Image reconstruction of mMR PET data using the open source software STIR.

PMID- 26501633
TI  - Highly accelerated Point-Spread Function mapping based on Finite Rate of
      Innovation for EPI distortion correction.

PMID- 26501634
TI  - Effects of regularisation priors on dynamic PET Data.

PMID- 26501635
TI  - Comparison template-based with CT-based attenuation correction for hybrid MR/PET
      scanners.

PMID- 26501636
TI  - A fully automated and reproducible level-set segmentation approach for generation
      of MR-based attenuation correction map of PET images in the brain employing
      single STE-MR imaging modality.

PMID- 26501637
TI  - A robust MR-based attenuation map generation in short-TE MR images of the head
      employing hybrid spatial fuzzy C-means clustering and intensity inhomogeneity
      correction.

PMID- 26501638
TI  - RF-Penetrable PET insert for simultaneous PET/MR imaging.

PMID- 26501639
TI  - Effect of the magnetic field on positron range using GATE for PET-MR.

PMID- 26501640
TI  - High-resolution, quantitative 3D PET image reconstruction for the Siemens hybrid
      3T MR/BrainPET scanner using the PET reconstruction software toolkit (PRESTO).

PMID- 26501641
TI  - Attenuation correction synthesis for hybrid PET-MR scanners: validation for brain
      study applications.

PMID- 26501642
TI  - PET motion correction using MR-derived motion parameters.

PMID- 26501643
TI  - Modelling the impact of injection time on the bolus shapes in PET-MRI AIF
      Conversion.

PMID- 26501644
TI  - MR constrained simultaneous reconstruction of activity and attenuation maps in
      brain TOF-PET/MR imaging.

PMID- 26501645
TI  - Dynamic analysis of MR-PET data on brain tumors.

PMID- 26501646
TI  - Masamune: a tool for automatic dynamic PET data processing, image reconstruction
      and integrated PET/MRI data analysis.

PMID- 26501647
TI  - Fast 2D MRI acquisitions for motion correction in PET-MRI.

PMID- 26501648
TI  - PET motion correction using PRESTO with ITK motion estimation.

PMID- 26501649
TI  - Combined (1)H MRI, PET and Multinuclear MRS hybrid imaging system.

PMID- 26501650
TI  - Optimisation of PET framing sequences.

PMID- 26501651
TI  - Multimodal imaging brain connectivity analysis (MIBCA) toolbox: preliminary
      application to Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26501652
TI  - Quantitative evaluation of PET respiratory motion correction using real- time
      PET/MR simulated data.

PMID- 26501653
TI  - Numerical modeling of MR angiography for validation of image-driven quantitative
      diagnosis of intracranial aneurysm and carotid stenosis.

PMID- 26501654
TI  - Adapting MR-BrainPET scans for comparison with conventional PET: experiences with
      dynamic FET-PET in brain tumours.

PMID- 26501655
TI  - Effect of inherent misalignment and head motion in neurological PET/MR with the
      Philips Ingenuity TF - phantom and patient study.

PMID- 26501656
TI  - Progress report on the MindView brain PET detector module based on large area
      SiPMs arrays.

PMID- 26501657
TI  - PET/MR imaging of sarcomas: effect of PET quantification by classification of
      tissue.

PMID- 26501658
TI  - Identification and characterization of human brown adipose tissue (BAT) content
      and metabolism in adults using [(18)F]-FDG PET/MR - a pilot study.

PMID- 26501659
TI  - Quantification and accuracy of clinical [11C]-PiB PET/MRI: the effect of MR-based
      attenuation correction.

PMID- 26501660
TI  - In-line high resolution PET and 3T MRI hybrid device for preclinical multimodal
      imaging.

PMID- 26501661
TI  - Quantitative carotid MR/PET imaging: comprehensive comparison of MRAC and CTAC
      attenuation maps in MR/PET emission data and PET/CT.

PMID- 26501662
TI  - Wavelet-based partial volume effect correction for simultaneous MR/PET of the
      carotid arteries.

PMID- 26501663
TI  - Performance of a high sensitivity time-of-flight PET ring operating
      simultaneously within a 3T MR system.

PMID- 26501664
TI  - Non rigid respiratory motion correction in whole body PET/MR imaging.

PMID- 26501665
TI  - Generation of pseudo-CT from a single MRI for PET/MR attenuation correction
      purposes.

PMID- 26501666
TI  - Dynamic comparison of PET imaging performance between state-of-the-art ToF-PET/CT
      and ToF-PET/MR scanners.

PMID- 26501667
TI  - Geometric distortions of diffusion weighted imaging of the head/neck in combined
      PET/MR: optimization of image acquisition and post-processing correction for
      oncology applications.

PMID- 26501668
TI  - A hybrid method for generation of attenuation map for MR-based attenuation
      correction of PET data in prostate PET/MR imaging.

PMID- 26501669
TI  - Whole body MR-PET: a new internal dosimetry method for radiation transport
      calculation from biokinetic model data.

PMID- 26501670
TI  - Towards authentically labelled bi-modal PET (SPECT)/MR-probes.

PMID- 26501671
TI  - Development of PET insert for simultaneous PET/MR imaging of human brain.

PMID- 26501672
TI  - Innovative multimodal DOTA/NODA nanoparticles for MRI and PET imaging for tumor
      detection.

PMID- 26501673
TI  - New imaging agents targeting chemokine receptor CXCR4 for PET/SPECT and MRI.

PMID- 26501674
TI  - Preliminary in vitro and in vivo evaluation of liposomal nanoparticles for
      passive and active tumour targeting by scintigraphic and MRI imaging.

PMID- 26501675
TI  - Characterization of sensitivity encoded silicon photomultiplier (SeSP) with 1
      dimensional and 2-dimensional encoding for high resolution PET/MR.

PMID- 26501676
TI  - Combining MRI with PET for partial volume correction improves image-derived input
      functions in mice.

PMID- 26501678
TI  - Automated body-lung-air material map segmentation from pre-clinical MRI images
      for PET attenuation correction in Tera-Tomo 3D PET reconstruction engine of
      nanoScan PET/MRI system.

PMID- 26501677
TI  - Direct evaluation of MR-derived attenuation correction maps for PET/MR of the
      mouse myocardium.

PMID- 26501679
TI  - RESCUE - reduction of MR-SNR-degradation by using an MR-synchronous low
      interfering PET acquisition technique.

PMID- 26501680
TI  - Use of a clinical PET/MR scanner for preclinical research with first results.

PMID- 26501681
TI  - Distortion correction of MR data in whole-body small animal PET-MR using 3D thin
      plate splines.

PMID- 26501682
TI  - A fully digital approach for MR compatible Time-of-Flight PET techniques.

PMID- 26501684
TI  - Correction: The invertible electrochemical properties and thermal response of a
      series of gel-type ionic liquids based on polyoxometalates.
AB  - Correction for 'The invertible electrochemical properties and thermal response of
      a series of gel-type ionic liquids based on polyoxometalates' by Xuefei Wu et
      al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2014, 16, 24598-24603. 

PMID- 26501685
TI  - Routes for Drug Delivery to the Retina: Topical, Transscleral, Suprachoroidal and
      Intravitreal Gas Phase Delivery.
AB  - Local drug delivery to the posterior segment, particularly the macula, represents
      a significant challenge. In this chapter, we review current challenges, barriers
      and limitations. Due to the local drug delivery to the retina and macula,
      systemic side effects are limited. In this chapter, we also discuss the
      historical approaches, key aspects of ideal drug delivery systems, the use of
      animal models to study pharmacokinetics, and the principles of transscleral,
      suprachoroidal and gas phase drug delivery.

PMID- 26501683
TI  - Physiological and perceptual responses to incremental exercise testing in healthy
      men: effect of exercise test modality.
AB  - In a randomized cross-over study of 15 healthy men aged 20-30 years, we compared
      physiological and perceptual responses during treadmill and cycle exercise test
      protocols matched for increments in work rate - the source of increased locomotor
      muscle metabolic and contractile demands. The rates of O2 consumption and CO2
      production were higher at the peak of treadmill versus cycle testing (p <= 0.05).
      Nevertheless, work rate, minute ventilation, tidal volume (VT), breathing
      frequency (fR), inspiratory capacity (IC), inspiratory reserve volume (IRV),
      tidal esophageal (Pes,tidal) and transdiaphragmatic pressure swings (Pdi,tidal),
      peak expiratory gastric pressures (Pga,peak), the root mean square of the
      diaphragm electromyogram (EMGdi,rms) expressed as a percentage of maximum
      EMGdi,rms (EMGdi,rms%max), and dyspnea ratings were similar at the peak of
      treadmill versus cycle testing (p > 0.05). Ratings of leg discomfort were higher
      at the peak of cycle versus treadmill exercise (p <= 0.05), even though peak O2
      consumption was lower during cycling. Oxygen consumption, CO2 production, minute
      ventilation, fR, Pes,tidal, Pdi,tidal and Pga,peak were higher (p <= 0.05), while
      VT, IC, IRV, EMGdi,rms%max, and ratings of dyspnea and leg discomfort were
      similar (p > 0.05) at all or most submaximal work rates during treadmill versus
      cycle exercise. Our findings highlight important differences (and similarities)
      in physiological and perceptual responses at maximal and submaximal work rates
      during incremental treadmill and cycle exercise testing protocols. The lack of
      effect of exercise test modality on peak work rate advocates for the use of this
      readily available parameter to optimize training intensity determination,
      regardless of exercise training mode. 

PMID- 26501686
TI  - Transcriptomics: a sword to cut the Gordian knot of traditional Chinese medicine.
AB  - The systemic effects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) seem to be a Gordian
      knot, impossible to untie for decades. With the advent of transcriptomics, a
      useful sword is provided to cut the knot and shed some light on complex
      bioprocesses and intrinsic connections among them. Here, we revisit studies on
      TCM ZHENGs using this approach, highlight its applications on elucidating the
      potential scientific basis of ZHENG and investigating mechanisms of action for
      the TCM formula, and demonstrating its unique role in novel TCM drug design and
      discovery through active ingredient detection from TCM and compatibility theory
      study of TCM. The limitations and future perspectives of transcriptomics
      approaches to TCM study are also discussed. 

PMID- 26501688
TI  - Value-Based Medicine and Pharmacoeconomics.
AB  - Pharmacoeconomics is assuming increasing importance in the pharmaceutical field
      since it is entering the public policy arena in many countries. Among the
      variants of pharmacoeconomic analysis are cost-minimization, cost-benefit, cost
      effectiveness and cost-utility analyses. The latter is the most versatile and
      sophisticated in that it integrates the patient benefit (patient value) conferred
      by a drug in terms of improvement in length and/or quality of life. It also
      incorporates the costs expended for that benefit, as well as the dollars returned
      to patients and society from the use of a drug (financial value). Unfortunately,
      one cost-utility analysis in the literature is generally not comparable to
      another because of the lack of standardized formats and standardized input
      variables (costs, cost perspective, quality-of-life measurement instruments,
      quality-of-life respondents, discounting and so forth). Thus, millions of
      variants can be used. Value-based medicine(r) (VBM) cost-utility analysis
      standardizes these variants so that one VBM analysis is comparable to another.
      This system provides a highly rational methodology that allows providers and
      patients to quantify and compare the patient value and financial value gains
      associated with the use of pharmaceutical agents for example.

PMID- 26501687
TI  - A Bayesian hierarchical framework for modeling brain connectivity for
      neuroimaging data.
AB  - We propose a novel Bayesian hierarchical model for brain imaging data that
      unifies voxel-level (the most localized unit of measure) and region-level brain
      connectivity analyses, and yields population-level inferences. Functional
      connectivity generally refers to associations in brain activity between distinct
      locations. The first level of our model summarizes brain connectivity for cross
      region voxel pairs using a two-component mixture model consisting of connected
      and nonconnected voxels. We use the proportion of connected voxel pairs to define
      a new measure of connectivity strength, which reflects the breadth of between
      region connectivity. Furthermore, we evaluate the impact of clinical covariates
      on connectivity between region-pairs at a population level. We perform parameter
      estimation using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques, which can be
      executed quickly relative to the number of model parameters. We apply our method
      to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 32
      subjects with major depression and simulated data to demonstrate the properties
      of our method.

PMID- 26501689
TI  - Atypical mitochondrial inheritance patterns in eukaryotes.
AB  - Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is predominantly maternally inherited in eukaryotes.
      Diverse molecular mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of strict maternal
      inheritance (SMI) of mtDNA have been described, but the evolutionary forces
      responsible for its predominance in eukaryotes remain to be elucidated.
      Exceptions to SMI have been reported in diverse eukaryotic taxa, leading to the
      prediction that several distinct molecular mechanisms controlling mtDNA
      transmission are present among the eukaryotes. We propose that these mechanisms
      will be better understood by studying the deviations from the predominating
      pattern of SMI. This minireview summarizes studies on eukaryote species with
      unusual or rare mitochondrial inheritance patterns, i.e., other than the
      predominant SMI pattern, such as maternal inheritance of stable heteroplasmy,
      paternal leakage of mtDNA, biparental and strictly paternal inheritance, and
      doubly uniparental inheritance of mtDNA. The potential genes and mechanisms
      involved in controlling mitochondrial inheritance in these organisms are
      discussed. The linkage between mitochondrial inheritance and sex determination is
      also discussed, given that the atypical systems of mtDNA inheritance examined in
      this minireview are frequently found in organisms with uncommon sexual systems
      such as gynodioecy, monoecy, or andromonoecy. The potential of deviations from
      SMI for facilitating a better understanding of a number of fundamental questions
      in biology, such as the evolution of mtDNA inheritance, the coevolution of
      nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, and, perhaps, the role of mitochondria in sex
      determination, is considerable. 

PMID- 26501690
TI  - U.S. Women's Intended Sources for Reproductive Health Care.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The current sociopolitical climate and context of the Affordable
      Care Act have led some to question the future role of family planning clinics in
      reproductive health care. We explored where women plan to get their future
      contraception, pelvic exam/pap smears, and sexually transmitted infection
      testing, with a focus on the role of family planning clinics. METHODS: Data were
      drawn from a study of United States adults conducted in January 2013 from a
      national online panel. We focused on English-literate women aged 18-45 years who
      answered items on intended sources of care (private office/health maintenance
      organization [HMO], family planning clinic, other, would not get care) for
      reproductive health services. We used Rao-Scott F tests to compare intended
      sources across sociodemographic groups, and logistic regression to model odds of
      intending to use family planning clinics. Probability weights were used to adjust
      for the complex sampling design. RESULTS: The response rate was 61% (n = 2,182).
      Of the 723 respondents who met the inclusion criteria, approximately half
      intended to use private offices/HMOs. Among some subgroups, including less
      educated (less than high school), lower annual incomes (<$25,000) and uninsured
      women, the proportion intending to use family planning clinics was higher than
      the proportion intending to use private office/HMO in unadjusted analyses. Across
      all service types, unmarried and uninsured status were associated with intention
      to use family planning clinics in multivariable models. CONCLUSIONS: While many
      women intend to use private offices/HMOs for their reproductive health care,
      family planning clinics continue to play an important role, particularly for
      socially disadvantaged women.

PMID- 26501691
TI  - Early Life Epidemiology of Alzheimer's Disease--A Critical Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As adult brain structure is primarily established in early life,
      genetic and environmental exposures in infancy and childhood influence the risk
      for Alzheimer disease (AD). In this systematic review, we identified several
      early life risk factors and discussed the evidence and underlying mechanism for
      each. SUMMARY: Early risk factors for AD may alter brain anatomy, causing
      vulnerability to AD-related dementia later in life. In the perinatal period, both
      genes and learning disabilities have been associated with the development of
      distinct AD phenotypes. During early childhood, education and intellect, as well
      as body growth, may predispose to AD through alterations in cognitive and brain
      reserve, though the specific mediators of neural injury are disputed. Childhood
      socioeconomic status (SES) may predispose to AD by influencing adult SES and
      cognition. Association of these risk factors with underlying AD pathology (rather
      than just clinical diagnosis) has not been sufficiently examined. KEY MESSAGES:
      Factors that impede or alter brain growth during early life could render certain
      brain regions or networks selectively vulnerable to the onset, accumulation or
      spread of AD-related pathology during later life. Careful life-course
      epidemiology could provide clues as to why the brain systematically degenerates
      during AD.

PMID- 26501692
TI  - Clinical presentation and treatment strategies for ulcerative colitis: A
      retrospective study of 247 inpatients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Complementary and alternative medicine, particularly herbal therapy,
      is widely used by patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), but controlled data are
      limited. To describe the clinical presentation and treatment strategies for UC in
      inpatients from Shanghai, China and to improve the therapeutic outcomes for
      patients with UC. METHODS: Medical records from 247 patients with UC who were
      admitted to Longhua Hospital Affifiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional
      Chinese Medicine between January 2008 and June 2013 were analyzed for gender,
      age, course of the disease, clinical type, extent and severity of the disease,
      treatment strategies, and therapeutic outcomes. RESULTS: Gender ratios and
      disease onset of inpatients with UC in the Shanghai area were consistent with
      other reports in the literature. In contrast to previous studies, most patients
      exhibited disease of the left colon, over half of the patients had problems of
      the rectum or sigmoid colon, and most patients had either mild or moderate UC.
      Comparison of Sutherland Disease Actirity Index scores for patients treated with
      Chinese medicine (CM) and those treated with integrated CM and Western medicine
      revealed signifificant reductions in scores for both groups after treatment
      (P<0.01), with no signifificant difference in therapeutic effects between groups
      (P=0.938). CONCLUSIONS: Herbal medicine has been widely used in patients with
      mild to moderate disease and as adjunct therapy in patients with moderate to
      severe disease. Therefore, the strategy was proposed for the treatment of UC with
      CM therapy based on 2 steps according to the stage of the disease, even in the
      clinical setting.

PMID- 26501693
TI  - Integrative treatment for low back pain: An exploratory systematic review and
      meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Low back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal condition often
      treated using integrative medicine (IM). Most reviews have focused on a single
      complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy for LBP rather than
      evaluating wider integrative approaches. This exploratory systematic review aimed
      to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and provide evidence on the
      effectiveness, cost effectiveness and adverse effects of integrative treatment
      for LBP. METHODS: A literature search was conducted in 12 English and Chinese
      databases. RCTs evaluating an integrative treatment for musculoskeletal related
      LBP were included. Reporting, methodological quality and relevant clinical
      characteristics were assessed and appraised. Metaanalyses were performed for
      outcomes where trials were sufficiently homogenous. RESULTS: Fifty-six RCTs were
      identified evaluating integrative treatment for LBP. Although reporting and
      methodological qualities were poor, meta-analysis showed a favourable effect for
      integrative treatment over conventional and CAM treatment for back pain and
      function at 3 months or less follow-up. Two trials investigated costs, reporting
      L 5332 per quality adjusted life years with 6 Alexander technique lessons plus
      exercise at 12 months follow-up; and an increased total costs of $244 when giving
      an additional up to 15 sessions of CAM package of care at 12 weeks. Sixteen
      trials mentioned safety; no severe adverse effects were reported. CONCLUSION:
      Integrative treatment that combines CAM with conventional therapies appeared to
      have beneficial effects on pain and function. However, evidence is limited due to
      heterogeneity, the relatively small numbers available for subgroup analyses and
      the low methodological quality of the included trials. Identification of studies
      of true IM was not possible due to lack of reporting of the intervention details
      (registration No. CRD42013003916).

PMID- 26501694
TI  - Future Perspectives: Agents on the Horizon.
AB  - As demonstrated in the previous chapters of this textbook, retinal
      pharmacotherapeutics is a rapidly developing area. The enormous burden of disease
      in an aging population will hopefully be met by significant improvements in our
      understanding and treatment of disease processes such as age-related macular
      degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy. This chapter will provide
      perspectives on select anti-angiogenic drugs currently in development, as well as
      therapies directed against the complement cascade for the treatment of AMD, and
      an anti-inflammatory monoclonal antibody for the treatment of diabetic macular
      edema, among others, that have not been discussed elsewhere in this book. The
      mechanism of action of a number of drugs under discussion differs enough to have
      the potential to control neovascularization in several different ways,
      potentially allowing for more effective management of this process with fewer
      treatments.

PMID- 26501696
TI  - Isolated Pulmonary Valve Endocarditis.
AB  - Endocarditis of only the pulmonary valve is a very rare finding and is often
      missed during echocardiographic evaluation due to limited views of the pulmonary
      valve and a low index of suspicion. We report 2 cases of pulmonary valve
      endocarditis (PVE), highlighting the importance of echocardiography in the
      assessment of the infected pulmonary valve. In addition, we review the published
      case reports of isolated PVE from 1979 to 2013 in order to study the role of
      echocardiography in the diagnosis of pulmonary valve masses. 

PMID- 26501695
TI  - Effect of ICD Therapies on Mortality in the OMNI Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Analyses from primary prevention trials on implantable cardioverter
      defibrillator (ICD) therapy have shown an association between shocks and
      increased mortality. Recent data suggest a similar association with
      antitachycardia pacing (ATP). OBJECTIVE: The OMNI study is an observational study
      of pacemaker and ICD use. We aim to examine associations between ICD therapies
      and mortality in this setting. METHODS: A total of 2,255 OMNI patients with ICDs
      were included. Treated episodes were classified as appropriate or inappropriate.
      Patients were assigned into 1 of 3 groups depending on whether the episode
      required ATP only, single shock, or multiple shocks, and then followed for all
      cause mortality. Additionally, we aimed to determine the frequency with which
      inappropriate ATP precipitated ventricular arrhythmias that led to shock, since
      this has been suggested as a mechanism of harm. RESULTS: Over a mean follow-up of
      39 +/- 19 months, there were a total of 470 deaths (21%). Compared to patients
      with no treated episodes, patients with appropriate therapy had greater risk of
      death. Hazard ratios were 1.46 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-2.02; P =
      0.023) for the ATP-only group, 2.11 (95% CI 1.51-2.96; P < 0.001) for the single
      shock group, and 2.55 (95% CI 1.43-4.57; P = 0.002) for the multishock group.
      There was no significant association between any type of inappropriate therapy
      and increased mortality. We identified only 7 instances of inappropriate ATP
      precipitating ventricular arrhythmia resulting in shock. CONCLUSIONS: Patients
      receiving appropriate therapy of all types had increased mortality compared to
      those with no episodes. Furthermore, inappropriate ATP rarely precipitates
      ventricular arrhythmias.

PMID- 26501697
TI  - Alvimopan Provides Additional Improvement in Outcomes and Cost Savings in
      Enhanced Recovery Colorectal Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of alvimopan on outcomes and costs in a rigorous
      enhanced recovery colorectal surgery protocol. BACKGROUND: Postoperative ileus
      remains a major source of morbidity and costs in colorectal surgery. Alvimopan
      has been shown to reduce incidence of postoperative ileus in enhanced recovery
      colorectal surgery; however, data are equivocal regarding its benefit in reducing
      length of stay and costs. METHODS: Patients undergoing major elective enhanced
      recovery colorectal surgery were identified from a prospectively-collected
      database (2010-2013). Multivariable analyses were employed to compare outcomes
      and hospital costs among patients who had alvimopan versus no alvimopan by
      adjusting for demographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics. RESULTS: A
      total of 660 patients were included; 197 patients received alvimopan and 463
      patients had no alvimopan. In unadjusted analysis, the alvimopan group had a
      faster return of bowel function, shorter length of stay, and lower rates of
      ileus, Foley re-insertion, and urinary tract infection (all P < 0.01). After
      adjustment, alvimopan was associated with a faster return of bowel function by
      0.6 day (P = 0.0006), and lower incidence of postoperative ileus (odds ratio
      0.23, P = 0.0002). With adjustment, alvimopan was associated with a shorter
      length of stay by 1.6 days (P = 0.002), and a hospital cost savings of $1492 per
      patient (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Alvimopan administration as an element of
      enhanced recovery colorectal surgery is associated with faster return of bowel
      function, lower incidence of postoperative ileus, shorter hospitalization, and a
      significant cost savings. These results suggest that alvimopan is cost-effective
      in the setting of enhanced recovery colorectal surgery protocols, and should
      therefore be considered in these programs.

PMID- 26501698
TI  - Increased Patient Enrollment to a Randomized Surgical Trial Through Equipoise
      Polling of an Expert Surgeon Panel.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether patients who learned the views of an expert
      surgeons' panel's assessment of equipoise between 2 alternative operative
      treatments had increased likelihood of consenting to randomization. BACKGROUND:
      Difficulty obtaining patient consent to randomization is an important barrier to
      conducting surgical randomized clinical trials, the gold standard for generating
      clinical evidence. METHODS: Observational study of the rate of patient acceptance
      of randomization within a 5-center randomized clinical trial comparing lumbar
      spinal decompression versus lumbar spinal decompression plus instrumented fusion
      for patients with symptomatic grade I degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis with
      spinal stenosis. Eligible patients were enrolled in the trial and then asked to
      accept randomization. A panel of 10 expert spine surgeons was formed to review
      clinical information and images for individual patients to provide an assessment
      of suitability for randomization. The expert panel vote was disclosed to the
      patient by the patient's surgeon before the patient decided whether to accept
      randomization or not. RESULTS: Randomization acceptance among eligible patients
      without expert panel review was 40% (19/48) compared with 81% (47/58) among
      patients undergoing expert panel review (P < 0.001). Among expert-reviewed
      patients, randomization acceptance was 95% when all experts or all except 1 voted
      for randomization, 75% when 2 experts voted against randomization, and 20% with 3
      or 4 votes against (P < 0.001 for trend). CONCLUSIONS: Patients provided with an
      expert panel's assessment of their own suitability for randomization were twice
      as likely to agree to randomization compared with patients receiving only their
      own surgeon's recommendation.

PMID- 26501699
TI  - Long-term Quality of Life After Distal Subtotal and Total Gastrectomy: Symptom-
      and Behavior-oriented Consequences.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study assessed long-term quality of life (QoL) after subtotal
      gastrectomy (STG) and total gastrectomy (TG) by comparing groups matched by a set
      of patient factors at and beyond postoperative 5 years. The cause of QoL gaps
      based on symptomatic and behavioral consequences of surgery were investigated.
      BACKGROUND: Survivors after STG and TG were matched by a set of patient factors
      (age, sex, stage, chemotherapy, and postoperative period). QoL data were obtained
      from 53 and 36 pairs of survivors at and beyond postoperative 5 years,
      respectively. METHODS: The European Organization for Research and Treatment of
      Cancer QoL Questionnaire (QLQ)-C30 and QLQ-STO22 were used to assess QoL. QoL
      comparisons between STG and TG groups were made for 5-year survivors and long
      term survivors. RESULTS: Five-year survivors after TG showed significantly worse
      QoL in social functioning, nausea and vomiting, eating restrictions, and taste.
      For long-term survivors, QoL inferiority of the TG group was observed only in
      eating restrictions. Among 4 items constituting eating restrictions, the TG group
      tended to exhibit worse QoL in 2 items (enjoyable meals and social meals).
      CONCLUSIONS: Although 5-year survivors after TG still suffer from QoL inferiority
      from symptomatic and behavioral consequences of surgery, inferiority from
      behavioral consequences will persist even after symptomatic inferiority to STG
      survivors is no longer valid. Efforts to ameliorate persistent QoL inferiority in
      TG survivors should be directed toward restoring dietary behaviors, where TG
      survivors are prevented from enjoyable meals and social meals.

PMID- 26501701
TI  - Surgeon Volume and Cancer Esophagectomy, Gastrectomy, and Pancreatectomy: A
      Population-based Study in England.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess whether there is a proficiency
      curve-like relationship between surgeon volume and operative mortality and
      determine the minimum surgeon volume for optimum operative mortality. BACKGROUND:
      The inverse relationship between hospital volume and operative mortality is well
      established for esophageal, gastric, and pancreatic cancer. The recommended
      minimum surgeon volumes are however uncertain. METHODS: We retrieved data on
      esophagectomies, gastrectomies, and pancreatectomies for cancer from the NHS
      Hospital Episodes Statistics database from April 2000 to March 2010. We defined
      mortality as in-hospital death within 30 days of surgery. We determined whether
      there was a proficiency curve relationship by inspecting surgeon volume-mortality
      graphs after adjusting for patient age, sex, socioeconomic, and comorbidity
      indices. We then statistically determined the minimum surgeon volume that
      produced a mortality rate insignificantly different from the optimum of the
      curve. RESULTS: Sixteen thousand five hundred seventy-two esophagectomies, 12,622
      gastrectomies, and 9116 pancreatectomies were examined. Surgeon volume ranged
      from 2 to 29 esophagectomies, from 1 to 14 gastrectomies, and from 2 to 31
      pancreatectomies per surgeon per year. We demonstrated a proficiency relationship
      between surgeon volume and mortality in esophageal, gastric, and pancreatic
      cancer surgery. Each additional case of esophagectomy, gastrectomy, and
      pancreatectomy would reduce 30-day mortality odds by 3.4%, 7.2%, and 4.1%,
      respectively. However, as surgeon volume increased, mortality rate continued to
      improve. Therefore, we were unable to recommend minimum surgeon volume.
      CONCLUSIONS: Mortality after resections for esophageal, gastric, and pancreatic
      cancer falls as surgeon volume rises up to 30 cases. Within this range, we did
      not demonstrate any statistical threshold that could be recommended as a minimum
      volume target.

PMID- 26501702
TI  - Minimally Invasive Versus Open Low Anterior Resection: Equivalent Survival in a
      National Analysis of 14,033 Patients With Rectal Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine survival of patients who underwent minimally invasive
      versus open low anterior resection (LAR) for rectal cancer. BACKGROUND:
      Utilization of laparoscopic and robotic LAR for rectal cancer has steadily
      increased. Short-term outcomes between these techniques and open surgery have
      shown equivalent results; however, survival outcomes are unknown. METHODS: Adults
      from the National Cancer Data Base undergoing LAR for rectal adenocarcinoma were
      identified. Patients were stratified by intent-to-treat into open (OLAR) or
      minimally invasive LAR (MI-LAR). Multivariable modeling was used to compare short
      term outcomes and survival between MI-LAR and OLAR and between laparoscopic
      (LLAR) and robotic LAR (RLAR). RESULTS: Among 14,033 patients included, 57.8%
      underwent OLAR and 42.2% MI-LAR. After adjustment, MI-LAR was associated with
      shorter length of stay (P < 0.001), but similar rates of positive margins, 30-day
      readmission, 30-day mortality, and use of adjuvant therapies (all P > 0.05). At
      36 months, there was no difference in adjusted risk of mortality between MI-LAR
      and OLAR (hazard ratio [HR] 0.88, P = 0.089). In a subgroup analysis of LLAR
      versus RLAR, there were no differences in lymph node harvest, margin positivity,
      length of stay, readmission rate, 30-day mortality, or overall survival after
      adjustment (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive LAR for rectal cancer
      is associated with similar overall survival with the benefit of shorter
      hospitalization. Although the conversion rate is lower, robotic LAR is not
      associated with superior oncologic outcomes compared to laparoscopic LAR. Our
      findings support the ongoing adoption of minimally invasive techniques for rectal
      adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 26501700
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Glutamine-supplemented Parenteral Nutrition in Surgical
      ICU Patients: An American Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether glutamine (GLN)-supplemented parenteral nutrition
      (PN) improves clinical outcomes in surgical intensive care unit (SICU) patients.
      SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: GLN requirements may increase with critical illness. GLN
      supplemented PN may improve clinical outcomes in SICU patients. METHODS: A
      parallel-group, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial
      in 150 adults after gastrointestinal, vascular, or cardiac surgery requiring PN
      and SICU care. Patients were without significant renal or hepatic failure or
      shock at entry. All received isonitrogenous, isocaloric PN [1.5 g/kg/d amino
      acids (AAs) and energy at 1.3* estimated basal energy expenditure]. Controls (n =
      75) received standard GLN-free PN (STD-PN); the GLN group (n = 75) received PN
      containing alanyl-GLN dipeptide (0.5 g/kg/d), proportionally replacing AA in PN
      (GLN-PN). Enteral nutrition (EN) was advanced and PN weaned as indicated.
      Hospital mortality and infections were primary endpoints. RESULTS: Baseline
      characteristics, days on study PN and daily macronutrient intakes via PN and EN,
      were similar between groups. There were 11 hospital deaths (14.7%) in the GLN-PN
      group and 13 deaths in the STD-PN group (17.3%; difference, -2.6%; 95% confidence
      interval, -14.6% to 9.3%; P = 0.66). The 6-month cumulative mortality was 31.4%
      in the GLN-PN group and 29.7% in the STD-PN group (P = 0.88). Incident
      bloodstream infection rate was 9.6 and 8.4 per 1000 hospital days in the GLN-PN
      and STD-PN groups, respectively (P = 0.73). Other clinical outcomes and adverse
      events were similar. CONCLUSIONS: PN supplemented with GLN dipeptide was safe,
      but did not alter clinical outcomes among SICU patients.

PMID- 26501704
TI  - The Conflicting Evidence of Three-dimensional Displays in Laparoscopy: A Review
      of Systems Old and New.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe studies evaluating 3 generations of three-dimensional (3D)
      displays over the course of 20 years. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Most previous
      studies have analyzed performance differences during 3D and two-dimensional (2D)
      laparoscopy without using appropriate controls that equated conditions in all
      respects except for 3D or 2D viewing. METHODS: Databases search consisted of
      MEDLINE and PubMed. The reference lists for all relevant articles were also
      reviewed for additional articles. The search strategy employed the use of
      keywords "3D," "Laparoscopic," "Laparoscopy," "Performance," "Education,"
      "Learning," and "Surgery" in appropriate combinations. RESULTS: Our current
      understanding of the performance metrics between 3D and 2D laparoscopy is mostly
      from the research with flawed study designs. This review has been written in a
      qualitative style to explain in detail how prior research has underestimated the
      potential benefit of 3D displays and the improvements that must be made in future
      experiments comparing 3D and 2D displays to better determine any advantage of
      using one display or the other. CONCLUSIONS: Individual laparoscopic performance
      in 3D may be affected by a multitude of factors. It is crucial for studies to
      measure participant stereoscopic ability, control for system crosstalk, and use
      validated measures of performance.

PMID- 26501703
TI  - Development and Validation of the Air Medical Prehospital Triage Score for
      Helicopter Transport of Trauma Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop and internally validate a triage
      score that can identify trauma patients at the scene who would potentially
      benefit from helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS). SUMMARY BACKGROUND
      DATA: Although survival benefits have been shown at the population level,
      identification of patients most likely to benefit from HEMS transport is
      imperative to justify the risks and cost of this intervention. METHODS:
      Retrospective cohort study of subjects undergoing scene HEMS or ground emergency
      medical services (GEMS) in the National Trauma Databank (2007-2012). Data were
      split into training and validation sets. Subjects were grouped by triage criteria
      in the training set and regression used to determine which criteria had a
      survival benefit associated with HEMS. Points were assigned to these criteria to
      develop the Air Medical Prehospital Triage (AMPT) score. The score was applied in
      the validation set to determine whether subjects triaged to HEMS had a survival
      benefit when actually transported by helicopter. RESULTS: There were 2,086,137
      subjects included. Criteria identified for inclusion in the AMPT score included
      GCS <14, respiratory rate <10 or >29, flail chest, hemo/pneumothorax, paralysis,
      and multisystem trauma. The optimal cutoff for triage to HEMS was >=2 points. In
      subjects triaged to HEMS, actual transport by HEMS was associated with an
      increased odds of survival (AOR 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21-1.36, P <
      0.01). In subjects triaged to GEMS, actual transport mode was not associated with
      survival (AOR 1.04; 95% CI 0.97-1.11, P = 0.20). CONCLUSIONS: The AMPT score
      identifies patients with improved survival following HEMS transport and should be
      considered in air medical triage protocols.

PMID- 26501705
TI  - Rethinking Priorities: Cost of Complications After Elective Colectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare incremental costs associated with complications of elective
      colectomy using nationally representative data among patients undergoing
      laparoscopic/open resections for the 4 most frequent diagnoses. SUMMARY
      BACKGROUND DATA: Rising healthcare costs have led to increasing focus on the need
      to achieve a better understanding of the association between costs and quality.
      Among elective colectomies, a focus of surgical quality-improvement initiatives,
      interpretable evidence to support existing approaches is lacking. METHODS: The
      2009 to 2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) data were queried for adult (>=18
      years) patients undergoing elective colectomy. Patients with primary diagnoses
      for colon cancer, diverticular disease, benign colonic neoplasm, and ulcerative
      colitis/regional enteritis were included. Based on system-based complications
      considered relevant to long-term treatment of elective colectomy, stratified
      differences in risk-adjusted incremental hospital costs and complications
      probabilities were compared. RESULTS: A total of 68,462 patients were included,
      weighted to represent 337,887 patients nationwide. A total of 16.4% experienced
      complications. Annual risk-adjusted incremental costs amounted to >$150 million.
      Magnitudes of complication prevalences/costs varied by primary diagnosis,
      operative technique, and complication group. Infectious complications contributed
      the most ($55 million), followed by gastrointestinal ($53 million), pulmonary
      ($22 million), and cardiovascular ($11 million) complications. Total annual costs
      for elective colectomies amounted to >$1.7 billion: 11.3% was due to
      complications [1.9% due to current Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
      (CMS) complications]. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight a need to consider the
      varied/broad impact of complications, offering a stratified paradigm for priority
      setting in surgery. As we move forward in the development of novel/adaptation of
      existing interventions, it will be essential to weigh the cost of complications
      in an evidence-based way.

PMID- 26501707
TI  - Factors Associated With Treatment Failure of Infected Pressure Sores.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this study, we assess interdisciplinary surgical and medical
      parameters associated to recurrences of infected pressure ulcers. BACKGROUND:
      There is a little in the published literature regarding factors associated with
      the outcome of treatment of infected pressure ulcers. METHODS: We undertook a
      single-center review of spinal injured adults hospitalized for an infected
      pressure ulcer or implant-free osteomyelitis and reviewed the literature on this
      topic from 1990-2015. RESULTS: We found 70 lesions in 31 patients (52 with
      osteomyelitis) who had a median follow-up of 2.7 years (range, 4 months to 19
      years). The median duration of antibiotic therapy was 6 weeks, of which 1 week
      was parenteral. Clinical recurrence after treatment was noted in 44 infected
      ulcers (63%), after a median interval of 1 year. In 86% of these recurrences,
      cultures yielded a different organism than the preceding episode. By multivariate
      analyses, the following factors were not significantly related to recurrence:
      number of surgical interventions (hazard ratio 0.9, 95% confidence interval 0.5
      1.5); osteomyelitis (hazard ratio 1.5; 0.7-3.1); immune suppression; prior sacral
      infections, and duration of total (or just parenteral) antibiotic sue. Patients
      with antibiotic treatment for <6 weeks had the same failure rate as those with as
      >12 weeks (chi test; P = 0.90). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with infected pressure
      ulcers, clinical recurrence occurs in almost two-thirds of lesions, but in only
      14% with the same pathogen(s). The number of surgical debridements, flap use, or
      duration of antibiotic therapy was not associated with recurrence, suggesting
      recurrences are caused by reinfections caused by other extrahospital factors.

PMID- 26501706
TI  - Impact of Hospital Characteristics on Failure to Rescue Following Major Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of hospital characteristics on failure to
      rescue after high-risk surgery in Medicare beneficiaries. SUMMARY BACKGROUND
      DATA: Reducing failure to rescue events is a common quality target for US
      hospitals. Little is known about which hospital characteristics influence this
      phenomenon and more importantly by how much. METHODS: We identified 1,945,802
      Medicare beneficiaries undergoing 1 of six high-risk general or vascular
      operations between 2007 and 2010. Using multilevel mixed-effects logistic
      regression modeling, we evaluated how failure to rescue rates were influenced by
      specific hospital characteristics previously associated with postsurgical
      outcomes. We used variance partitioning to determine the relative influence of
      patient and hospital characteristics on the between-hospital variability in
      failure to rescue rates. RESULTS: Failure to rescue rates varied up to 11-fold
      between very high and very low mortality hospitals. Comparing the highest and
      lowest mortality hospitals, we observed that teaching status (range: odds ratio
      [OR] 1.08-1.54), high hospital technology (range: OR 1.08-1.58), increasing nurse
      to-patient ratio (range: OR 1.02-1.14), and presence of >20 intensive care unit
      (ICU) beds (range: OR 1.09-1.62) significantly influenced failure to rescue rates
      for all procedures. When taken together, hospital and patient characteristics
      accounted for 12% (lower extremity revascularization) to 57% (esophagectomy) of
      the observed variation in failure to rescue rates across hospitals. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although several hospital characteristics are associated with lower failure to
      rescue rates, these macrosystem factors explain a small proportion of the
      variability between hospitals. This suggests that microsystem characteristics,
      such as hospital culture and safety climate, may play a larger role in improving
      a hospital's ability to manage postoperative complications.

PMID- 26501708
TI  - A Nightlight for Adults? A Commentary on "Identifying Ureters In Situ Under
      Fluorescence During Laparoscopic and Open Colorectal Surgery".

PMID- 26501709
TI  - Metastatic Spread Emerging From Liver Metastases of Colorectal Cancer: Does the
      Seed Leave the Soil Again?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether liver metastases contribute to metastatic
      spread of colorectal cancer (CRC) by shedding intact tumor cells. BACKGROUND:
      Metastases represent the primary cause of death in CRC. Understanding the
      metastatic activity of metastases and which patients are at high risk for tumor
      cell dissemination may, therefore, have significant influence on cancer care in
      the future. METHODS: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) were detected in the hepatic
      inflow (portal venous blood [PVB]) and outflow compartment (hepatic venous blood
      [HVB]) of a training (n = 55) and validation (n = 50) set using the CellSearch
      system. Isolated CTC from the HVB were subjected to gene expression analyses by
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: CTC detection rate (37.2% vs
      19.6%; P = 0.04) and count (mean: 12.7, SEM: +/- 5.9 vs 1.9; +/- 1.2; P = 0.01)
      were significantly higher in HVB compared to PVB. The increased CTC detection
      rate (54% vs 11.4%; P < 0.001) and CTC count (14.7 +/- 5.1 vs 1.1 +/- 0.6; P <
      0.001) in the HVB compared to the PVB compartment was confirmed in the validation
      cohort. Expression of epithelial markers and genes involved in cell-to-cell and
      cell-to-matrix adhesion was reduced in CTC compared to tumor cells in liver
      metastases. Metastasis size greater than 5 cm was associated with CTC shedding
      from established liver metastases in the training and validation cohorts.
      CONCLUSIONS: Colorectal liver metastases shed intact tumor cells with an invasive
      phenotype. Metastasis size serves as a surrogate marker for metastatic activity
      of colorectal liver metastases.

PMID- 26501711
TI  - Body Mass Index and Perioperative Complications After Esophagectomy for Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given the increasing rate of obesity, the effects of excessive body
      weight on surgical outcomes constitute a relevant quality of care concern. Our
      aim was to determine the relationship between preoperative body mass index (BMI)
      on perioperative complications after esophagectomy for cancer. METHODS: From our
      comprehensive esophageal cancer database consisting of 510 patients, we
      identified 166 obese (BMI >=30), 176 overweight (BMI 25-29), and 148 normal
      weight (BMI 20-24) patients. Malnourished patients (BMI of <20) were excluded.
      Incidence of preoperative risk factors and perioperative complications in each
      group were analyzed. RESULTS: The patient group consists of 420 men and 70 women
      with a mean age at time of surgery were 64 years (range 28-86 years). The
      categories of patients (obese, overweight, and normal-weight) were similar in
      terms of demographics and comorbidities, with the exception of a younger age
      (62.5 years vs 66.2 years vs 65.3 years, P = 0.002), and a higher incidence of
      diabetes (23.5% vs 11.4% vs 10.1%, P = 0.001) and hiatal hernia (28.3% vs 14.8%
      vs 20.3%, P = 0.01) for obese patients. More patients with BMI >24 were found
      with adenocarcinoma, compared with the normal-weight group (90.8% vs 90.9% vs
      82.5%, P = 0.03). Despite similar preoperative stage, obese patients were less
      likely to receive neoadjuvant treatment (47.6% vs 54.5% vs 66.2%, P = 0.004). The
      type of surgery performed, overall blood loss, extent of lymphadenectomy, rate of
      resections with negative margins, and postoperative complications were not
      influenced by BMI on univariate and multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In our
      experience, BMI did not affect number of harvested lymph-nodes, rates of negative
      margins, and morbidity and mortality after esophagectomy for cancer. In our
      experience, esophagectomy could be performed safely and efficiently in mildly
      obese patients.

PMID- 26501712
TI  - Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Current Experience in Treating IPNB:
      Clinical and Pathological Correlates.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To systematically review studies reporting clinicopathological
      features of intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) to provide
      evidence-based guidance for management. BACKGROUND: IPNB is a rare tumor type.
      Management decisions are currently based upon anecdotal evidence and small case
      series. To data, there has been no systematic review of IPNB literature. METHODS:
      MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched
      and data were extracted from relevant studies. Meta-analysis was used to pool
      study estimates. Evidence of association was determined by comparing pooled crude
      odds ratios (OR) derived from abstracted data. RESULTS: Fifty-seven retrospective
      case series were included. At least 43% of 476 specimens contained invasive
      disease. Invasive tumors were found at significantly higher frequency in
      pancreaticobiliary than intestinal, gastric or oncocytic-type IPNB [pooled OR
      2.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5-4.2, P < 0.001]. A significantly higher
      proportion of pancreaticobiliary tumors compared with intestinal tumors expressed
      MUC-1 [86.4% (95% CI 75.1%-94.7%) vs 13.2% (95% CI 4.6%-25.2%), respectively P <
      0.001]. IPNB identified in centers from Asia were more likely to be intrahepatic
      and were less frequently invasive compared with those from Western centers.
      Pooled estimates of absolute survival after IPNB resection were 96% (95% CI 93%
      99%) at 1 year, 79% (95% CI 69%-88%) at 3 years, and 65% (95% CI 46%-76%) at 5
      years. CONCLUSIONS: Early surgery is advisable for radiologically suspected IPNB
      as it is frequently invasive. The pathobiology of IPNB demonstrates geographic
      variation. Pancreaticobiliary IPNB expresses MUC1 and is more frequently
      associated with invasive disease than other IPNB subtypes.

PMID- 26501713
TI  - Outcomes From Minimal Access Retroperitoneal and Open Pancreatic Necrosectomy in
      394 Patients With Necrotizing Pancreatitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the outcomes from minimal access retroperitoneal pancreatic
      necrosectomy (MARPN) and open pancreatic necrosectomy (OPN) for severe
      necrotizing pancreatitis in a single center. BACKGROUND: The optimal management
      of severe pancreatic necrosis is evolving with a few large center single series.
      METHODS: Between 1997 and 2013, patients with necrotizing pancreatitis at the
      Liverpool Pancreas Center were reviewed. Outcome measures were retrospectively
      analyzed by intention to treat. RESULTS: There were 394 patients who had either
      MARPN (274, 69.5%) or OPN (120, 30.5%). Complications occurred in 174 MARPN
      patients (63.5%) and 98 (81.7%) OPN patients (P < 0.001). OPN was associated with
      increased postoperative multiorgan failure [42 (35%) vs 56 (20.4%), P = 0.001]
      and median (inter-quartile range) Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation
      II score 9 (6-11.5) vs 8 (5-11), P < 0.001] with intensive care required less
      frequently in MARPN patients [40.9% (112) vs 75% (90), P < 0.001]. The mortality
      rate was 42 (15.3%) in MARPNs and 28 (23.3%) in OPNs (P = 0.064). Both the
      mortality and the overall complication rates decreased between 1997-2008 and 2008
      2013 [49 (23.8%) vs 21 (11.2%) P = 0.001, respectively; and 151 (73.3%) vs 121
      (64.4%), P = 0.080, respectively). Increased mortality was independently
      associated with age (P < 0.001), preoperative intensive care stay (P = 0.014),
      and multiple organ failure (P < 0.001); operation before 2008 (P < 0.001) and
      conversion to OPN (P = 0.035). MARPN independently reduced mortality odds risk
      (odds ratio = 0.27; 95% confidence interval = 0.12-0.57; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Increasing experience and advances in perioperative care have led to improvement
      in outcomes. The role of MARPN in reducing complications and deaths within a
      multimodality approach remains substantial and should be used initially if
      feasible.

PMID- 26501714
TI  - Antireflux Surgery and Risk of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: A Systematic Review and
      Meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the preventive effect of antireflux surgery against
      esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) compared with medical treatment of
      gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and to the background population.
      BACKGROUND: GERD is causally associated with EAC. Effective symptomatic treatment
      can be achieved with medication and antireflux surgery; however the possible
      preventive effect on EAC development remains unclear. METHODS: This systematic
      review identified 10 studies comparing EAC risk after antireflux surgery with
      nonoperated GERD patients, including 7 studies of patients with Barrett's
      esophagus, and 2 studies comparing EAC risk after antireflux surgery to the
      background population. A fixed-effects Poisson meta-analysis was conducted to
      calculate pooled incidence rate ratios (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
      RESULTS: The pooled IRR in patients after antireflux surgery was 0.76 (95% CI
      0.42-1.39) compared with medically treated GERD patients. In patients with
      Barrett's esophagus, the corresponding IRR was 0.46 (95% CI 0.20-1.08), and 0.26
      (95% CI 0.09-0.79) when restricted to publications after 2000. There was no
      difference in EAC risk between antireflux surgery and medical treatment in GERD
      patients without known Barrett's esophagus (IRR 0.98, 95% CI 0.72-1.33). The EAC
      risk remained elevated in patients after antireflux surgery compared with the
      background population (IRR 10.78, 95% CI 8.48-13.71). Although the clinical
      heterogeneity of the included studies was high, the statistical heterogeneity was
      low. CONCLUSIONS: Antireflux surgery may prevent EAC better than medical therapy
      in patients with Barrett's esophagus. The EAC risk after antireflux surgery does
      not seem to revert to that of the background population.

PMID- 26501715
TI  - Safety of the Use of Blood Salvage and Autotransfusion During Liver
      Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether autotransfusion of red blood cells (RBCs)
      salvaged during liver transplantation is associated with the recurrence of
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). BACKGROUND: Blood salvage is widely used during
      liver transplantation to reinfuse salvaged autologous RBCs and reduce allogeneic
      transfusion. However, the reintroduction of cancer cells via autotransfusion is a
      major concern in HCC patients. METHODS: Among 397 patients who underwent living
      donor liver transplantation for HCC, 97 of 114 recipients without intraoperative
      autotransfusion were matched with 222 of 283 recipients with intraoperative
      autotransfusion with unfixed matching ratio using the propensity score based on
      age, sex, allogeneic transfusion, immunosuppression, tumor biology, and others.
      Competing risks Cox regression was used to compare HCC recurrence risk of the 2
      paired groups. RESULTS: Recipients in autotransfusion group received 1177 +/-
      1318 mL of salvaged RBCs during surgery. A leukocyte depletion filter was used
      for all autotransfused RBCs. Cumulative HCC recurrence rate at 1, 2, and 5 years
      after transplantation were 10.4% (5.3%-17.6%), 19.1% (11.6%-28.0%), and 24.1%
      (15.2%-34.0%) for nonautotransfusion group and 10.8% (7.2%-15.4%), 14.9% (10.5%
      20.0%), and 20.3% (14.9%-26.4%) for autotransfusion group, respectively.
      Autotransfusion versus nonautotransfusion group was not significantly different
      in overall recurrence [hazard ratio (HR) 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.47
      1.53, P = 0.579] and intrahepatic recurrence (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.36-1.56) or
      extrahepatic recurrence (HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.49-2.04). CONCLUSIONS: We found no
      evidence of a significant impact of autotransfusion on posttransplant HCC
      recurrence. Thus, salvaged and filtered RBCs could be used in HCC patients
      undergoing liver transplantation with potential benefits from avoiding allogeneic
      RBCs transfusion and its complications.

PMID- 26501718
TI  - Design of a Metal Oxide-Organic Framework (MoOF) Foam Microreactor: Solar-Induced
      Direct Pollutant Degradation and Hydrogen Generation.
AB  - A macroporous carbon network combined with mesoporous catalyst immobilization by
      a template method gives a metal-oxide-organic framework (MoOF) foam microreactor
      that readily soaks up pollutants and localizes solar energy in itself, leading to
      effective degradation of water pollutants (e.g., methyl orange (MO) and also
      hydrogen generation. The cleaned-up water can be removed from the microreactor
      simply by compression, and the microreactor used repeatedly. 

PMID- 26501719
TI  - IOM REPORT ON PSYCHOSOCIAL TREATMENTS: CBT PERSPECTIVE.

PMID- 26501720
TI  - EDUCATION AND IMAGING. Gastrointestinal: Not just a simple pneumothorax.

PMID- 26501721
TI  - Economic recovery: A measure of the quality of cancer treatment and survivorship?

PMID- 26501722
TI  - Vortex domain wall propagation in periodically modulated diameter FeCoCu nanowire
      as determined by the magneto-optical Kerr effect.
AB  - Control over the magnetization reversal process of nanowires is essential to
      current advances in modern spintronic media and magnetic data storage. Much
      effort has been devoted to permalloy nanostrips with rectangular cross section
      and vanishing crystalline anisotropy. Our aim was to unveil and control the
      reversal process in FeCoCu nanowires with significant anisotropy and circular
      cross section with tailored periodical modulations in diameter. Magneto-optical
      Kerr effect measurements and their angular dependence performed on individual
      nanowires together with their analysis allow us to conclude that the
      demagnetization process takes place due to the propagation of a single vortex
      domain wall which is eventually pinned at given modulations with slightly higher
      energy barrier. In addition these results create new expectations for further
      controlling of the propagation of single and multiple domain walls. 

PMID- 26501723
TI  - Developing concepts of ordinary and extraordinary communication.
AB  - We examine how understandings of ordinary and extraordinary communication
      develop. Three- to 10-year-old children and adults (N = 183) were given scenarios
      in which a protagonist wanted help from a human (their parent) or from God.
      Scenarios varied in whether protagonists expressed their desires aloud (by
      asking) or silently (by hoping), whether (for human scenarios) parents were
      nearby or far away, and whether (for God scenarios) protagonists expressed
      desires through ordinary means (asking or hoping) or more extraordinary means
      (praying). Following each scenario, participants were asked whether the recipient
      (either the parent or God) was aware of the protagonist's desire. Children as
      young as 3 to 4 years old understood that both loudness and distance limit the
      effectiveness of human communication, reporting that humans would most likely be
      aware of desires when they were expressed both aloud and nearby. As well, by this
      age children reported that God would more often be aware of desires than would
      humans, but children of all ages often reported that God (like humans) would be
      more aware of desires expressed aloud (rather than silently). These concepts of
      ordinary and extraordinary communication continued to be refined through middle
      childhood. Children's performance on standard theory-of-mind tasks and
      participants' religious background predicted whether they attributed awareness to
      God. (PsycINFO Database Record 

PMID- 26501724
TI  - Is greater improvement in early self-regulation associated with fewer behavioral
      problems later in childhood?
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine whether the extent of improvement in self
      regulation achieved between ages 4 and 6 years is associated with the level of
      behavioral problems later in childhood. Participants were 4-year-old children (n
      = 510) attending preschools in South Australia. Children's level of self
      regulation was assessed using the parent-completed Devereux Early Childhood
      Assessment when children were aged 4, 5, and 6. Children's level of behavioral
      problems was assessed using total, internalizing, and externalizing scores on
      parent- and teacher-rated Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQs) when
      children were 6 years old. Random effects regression was used to describe the
      changes to children's self-regulation between 4 and 6 years. Linear regression
      models were then used to determine the strength of the association between the
      extent of self-regulation improvement and level of behavioral problems. Greater
      improvement in self-regulation, adjusted for family characteristics and baseline
      self-regulation scores, was associated with lower levels of parent- (B = -3.57,
      95% confidence interval [CI] [-4.49, -2.65]) and teacher-rated SDQ total
      difficulties scores at 6 years (B = -2.42, 95% CI [-3.50, -1.34]). These effects
      remained after adjustment for level of parent-rated behavioral problems at 4
      years. Similar effects were found for internalizing and externalizing scores at
      age 6 years. The results highlight the importance of improvements in self
      regulation from 4-6 years for childhood behavioral problems during the early
      school years. Children with lower levels of improvement in self-regulation early
      in life are at risk for higher levels of behavioral problems both at home and at
      school.

PMID- 26501725
TI  - Who mothers mommy? Factors that contribute to mothers' well-being.
AB  - Developmental science is replete with studies on the impact of mothers on their
      children, but little is known about what might best help caregivers to function
      well themselves. In an initial effort to address this gap, we conducted an
      Internet-based study of over 2,000 mostly well-educated mothers, seeking to
      illuminate salient risk and protective processes associated with their personal
      well-being. When women's feelings in the parenting role were considered along
      with dimensions of personal support as predictors, the latter set explained at
      least as much variance-and often much more-across dimensions of mothers' personal
      well-being. Within the latter set of personal support predictors, findings showed
      that 4 had particularly robust links with mothers' personal adjustment: their
      feeling unconditionally loved, feeling comforted when in distress, authenticity
      in relationships, and satisfaction with friendships. Partner satisfaction had
      some associations with personal adjustment outcomes, but being married in itself
      had negligible effects. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for
      future research, and for interventions aimed at fostering resilience among
      mothers facing high level of stress in their role as parents. (PsycINFO Database
      Record 

PMID- 26501726
TI  - A longitudinal study of coordination in mother-infant vocal interaction from age
      4 to 10 months.
AB  - This is a longitudinal study of development in coordinated mother-infant vocal
      interaction from 4 to 10 months (N = 41) focusing on the development of turn
      taking patterns and time spent in coordinated vocal interaction. Data analyses
      were carried out using multistate analysis. Both mothers and infants were found
      to coordinate their own vocalizations with their partners' vocalizations. The
      infants had a predominant pattern of covocalizing, whereas the mothers had a
      predominant turn-taking pattern at all ages (4, 7, and 10 months). However, a
      significant reduction in the duration of covocalization was found between 4 and 7
      months, due to less covocalizing compared to turn-taking from the infants. In
      addition, time spent in coordinated vocal interaction increased significantly
      between 4 and 7 months and a development for the infants was found from repeated
      vocalizations toward single vocalizations between maternal turns. Taken together,
      these findings indicate a developmental process of fine-tuning and increasing the
      turn-taking format for vocal communication, characterizing adult communication,
      before the development of speech. In addition, our results indicate that this
      development starts earlier and is more prolonged than has been hypothesized from
      previous research. (PsycINFO Database Record 

PMID- 26501727
TI  - What it feels like to be a mother: Variations by children's developmental stages.
AB  - The central question we addressed was whether mothers' adjustment might vary
      systematically by the developmental stages of their children. In an Internet
      based study of over 2,200 mostly well-educated mothers with children ranging from
      infants to adults, we examined multiple aspects of mothers' personal well-being,
      parenting, and perceptions of their children. Uniformly, adjustment indices
      showed curvilinear patterns across children's developmental stages, with mothers
      of middle-schoolers faring the most poorly, and mothers of adult children and
      infants faring the best. Findings based on children in mutually exclusive age
      groups-for example, mothers with only (1 or more) infants, preschoolers, and so
      forth-had larger effect sizes than those based on the age of the mothers' oldest
      child. In contrast to the recurrent findings based on children's developmental
      stages, mothers' adjustment dimensions showed few variations by their children's
      gender. Collectively, results of this study suggest that there is value in
      preventive interventions involving mothers not just in their children's infancy
      and preschool years, but also as their children traverse the developmentally
      challenging years surrounding puberty. (PsycINFO Database Record 

PMID- 26501728
TI  - Older adults have difficulty in decoding sarcasm.
AB  - Younger and older adults differ in performance on a range of social-cognitive
      skills, with older adults having difficulties in decoding nonverbal cues to
      emotion and intentions. Such skills are likely to be important when deciding
      whether someone is being sarcastic. In the current study we investigated in a
      life span sample whether there are age-related differences in the interpretation
      of sarcastic statements. Using both video and verbal materials, 116 participants
      aged between 18 and 86 completed judgments about whether statements should be
      interpreted literally or sarcastically. For the verbal stories task, older adults
      were poorer at understanding sarcastic intent compared with younger and middle
      aged participants, but there was no age difference in interpreting control
      stories. For the video task, older adults showed poorer understanding of
      sarcastic exchanges compared with younger and middle-aged counterparts, but there
      was no age difference in understanding the meaning of sincere interactions. For
      the videos task, the age differences were mediated by the ability to perceive
      facial expressions of emotion. Age effects could not be explained in terms of
      variance in working memory. These results indicate that increased age is
      associated with specific difficulties in using nonverbal and contextual cues to
      understand sarcastic intent. (PsycINFO Database Record 

PMID- 26501729
TI  - Perceived discrimination and personality development in adulthood.
AB  - Perceived discrimination is common and a significant source of stress that may
      have implications for personality development across adulthood. In this study, we
      examined whether experiences with discrimination were associated with maladaptive
      changes in the 5 major dimensions of personality using 2 longitudinal samples
      that differed in age and follow-up interval. In the Health and Retirement Study,
      participants who perceived discrimination increased in their tendency to
      experience negative emotions (neuroticism), decreased in their tendency to be
      trusting (agreeableness), and decreased in their tendency to be organized and
      disciplined (conscientiousness). These associations replicated using participants
      from the Midlife in the United States study. The findings indicate that social
      pathways, in addition to biological and developmental tasks, are important for
      adult personality development. (PsycINFO Database Record 

PMID- 26501730
TI  - Romance, risk, and replication: Can consumer choices and risk-taking be primed by
      mating motives?
AB  - Interventions aimed at influencing spending behavior and risk-taking have
      considerable practical importance. A number of studies motivated by the costly
      signaling theory within evolutionary psychology have reported that priming
      inductions (such as looking at pictures of attractive opposite sex members)
      designed to trigger mating motives increase males' stated willingness to purchase
      conspicuous consumption items and to engage in risk-taking behaviors, and reduce
      loss aversion. However, a meta-analysis of this literature reveals strong
      evidence of either publication bias or p-hacking (or both). We then report 8
      studies with a total sample of over 1,600 participants which sought to reproduce
      these effects. None of the studies, including one that was fully preregistered,
      was successful. The results question the claim that romantic primes can influence
      risk-taking and other potentially harmful behaviors.

PMID- 26501731
TI  - Bedside to Bench Well Illustrated in Myopia.

PMID- 26501733
TI  - Driving with Glaucoma: Task Performance and Gaze Movements.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this pilot study was to assess the driving performance and
      the visual search behavior, that is, eye and head movements, of patients with
      glaucoma in comparison to healthy-sighted subjects during a simulated driving
      test. METHODS: Driving performance and gaze behavior of six glaucoma patients and
      eight healthy-sighted age- and sex-matched control subjects were compared in an
      advanced driving simulator. All subjects underwent a 40-minute driving test
      including nine hazardous situations on city and rural roads. Fitness to drive was
      assessed by a masked driving instructor according to the requirements of the
      official German driving test. Several driving performance measures were
      investigated: lane position, time to line crossing, and speed. Additionally, eye
      and head movements were tracked and analyzed. RESULTS: Three out of six glaucoma
      patients passed the driving test and their driving performance was
      indistinguishable from that of the control group. Patients who passed the test
      showed an increased visual exploration in comparison to patients who failed; that
      is, they showed increased number of head and gaze movements toward eccentric
      regions. Furthermore, patients who failed the test showed a rightward bias in
      average lane position, probably in an attempt to maximize the safety margin to
      oncoming traffic. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that a considerable subgroup of
      subjects with binocular glaucomatous visual field loss shows a safe driving
      behavior in a virtual reality environment, because they adapt their viewing
      behavior by increasing their visual scanning. Hence, binocular visual field loss
      does not necessarily influence driving safety. We recommend that more
      individualized driving assessments, which will take into account the patient's
      ability to compensate, are required.

PMID- 26501735
TI  - Who Says There's Nothing New under the Sun?
AB  - The time since our first publication in 2007 describing time spent outdoors as
      protective for juvenile myopia onset to clinical trials incorporating outdoor
      light interventions has been short. The time outdoors/myopia example highlights
      the incorporation of clinical or epidemiologic evidence to translational research
      that may eventually change clinical practice and/or behavior.

PMID- 26501737
TI  - A 2-year multicentre, open-label, randomized, controlled study of growth hormone
      (Genotropin(r)) treatment in very young children born small for gestational age:
      Early Growth and Neurodevelopment (EGN) Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In Europe, growth hormone (GH) treatment for children born small for
      gestational age (SGA) can only be initiated after 4 years of age. However,
      younger age at treatment initiation is a predictor of favourable response. To
      assess the effect of GH treatment on early growth and cognitive functioning in
      very young (<30 months), short-stature children born SGA. DESIGN: A 2-year,
      randomized controlled, multicentre study (NCT00627523; EGN study), in which
      patients received either GH treatment or no treatment for 24 months. PATIENTS:
      Children aged 19-29 months diagnosed as SGA at birth, and for whom sufficient
      early growth data were available, were eligible. Patients were randomized (1:1)
      to GH treatment (Genotropin(r), Pfizer Inc.) at a dose of 0.035 mg/kg/day by
      subcutaneous injection, or no treatment. MEASUREMENTS: The primary objective was
      to assess the change from baseline in height standard deviation score (SDS) after
      24 months of GH treatment. RESULTS: Change from baseline in height SDS was
      significantly greater in the GH treatment vs control group at both month 12 (1.03
      vs 0.14) and month 24 (1.63 vs 0.43; both P < 0.001). Growth velocity SDS was
      significantly higher in the GH treatment vs control group at 12 months (P <
      0.001), but not at 24 months. There was no significant difference in mental or
      psychomotor development indices between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: GH treatment
      for 24 months in very young short-stature children born SGA resulted in a
      significant increase in height SDS compared with no treatment.

PMID- 26501738
TI  - Improving Accuracy in Arrhenius Models of Cell Death: Adding a Temperature
      Dependent Time Delay.
AB  - The Arrhenius formulation for single-step irreversible unimolecular reactions has
      been used for many decades to describe the thermal damage and cell death
      processes. Arrhenius predictions are acceptably accurate for structural proteins,
      for some cell death assays, and for cell death at higher temperatures in most
      cell lines, above about 55  degrees C. However, in many cases--and particularly
      at hyperthermic temperatures, between about 43 and 55  degrees C--the particular
      intrinsic cell death or damage process under study exhibits a significant
      "shoulder" region that constant-rate Arrhenius models are unable to represent
      with acceptable accuracy. The primary limitation is that Arrhenius calculations
      always overestimate the cell death fraction, which leads to severely
      overoptimistic predictions of heating effectiveness in tumor treatment. Several
      more sophisticated mathematical model approaches have been suggested and show
      much-improved performance. But simpler models that have adequate accuracy would
      provide useful and practical alternatives to intricate biochemical analyses.
      Typical transient intrinsic cell death processes at hyperthermic temperatures
      consist of a slowly developing shoulder region followed by an essentially
      constant-rate region. The shoulder regions have been demonstrated to arise
      chiefly from complex functional protein signaling cascades that generate delays
      in the onset of the constant-rate region, but may involve heat shock protein
      activity as well. This paper shows that acceptably accurate and much-improved
      predictions in the simpler Arrhenius models can be obtained by adding a
      temperature-dependent time delay. Kinetic coefficients and the appropriate time
      delay are obtained from the constant-rate regions of the measured survival
      curves. The resulting predictions are seen to provide acceptably accurate results
      while not overestimating cell death. The method can be relatively easily
      incorporated into numerical models. Additionally, evidence is presented to
      support the application of compensation law behavior to the cell death processes-
      that is, the strong correlation between the kinetic coefficients, ln{A} and E(a),
      is confirmed.

PMID- 26501739
TI  - Measuring the Effectiveness of Mammography.

PMID- 26501740
TI  - Persistent Language Delay Versus Late Language Emergence in Children With Early
      Cochlear Implantation.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the present investigation is to differentiate children
      using cochlear implants (CIs) who did or did not achieve age-appropriate language
      scores by midelementary grades and to identify risk factors for persistent
      language delay following early cochlear implantation. MATERIALS AND METHOD:
      Children receiving unilateral CIs at young ages (12-38 months) were tested
      longitudinally and classified with normal language emergence (n = 19), late
      language emergence (n = 22), or persistent language delay (n = 19) on the basis
      of their test scores at 4.5 and 10.5 years of age. Relative effects of
      demographic, audiological, linguistic, and academic characteristics on language
      emergence were determined. RESULTS: Age at CI was associated with normal language
      emergence but did not differentiate late emergence from persistent delay.
      Children with persistent delay were more likely to use left-ear implants and
      older speech processor technology. They experienced higher aided thresholds and
      lower speech perception scores. Persistent delay was foreshadowed by low
      morphosyntactic and phonological diversity in preschool. Logistic regression
      analysis predicted normal language emergence with 84% accuracy and persistent
      language delay with 74% accuracy. CONCLUSION: CI characteristics had a strong
      effect on persistent versus resolving language delay, suggesting that right-ear
      (or bilateral) devices, technology upgrades, and improved audibility may
      positively influence long-term language outcomes.

PMID- 26501742
TI  - Development of new ecological long-lasting dispensers of semiochemicals for the
      control of Bactrocera oleae (Rossi).

PMID- 26501741
TI  - Treatment and Outcome of Thrombolysis-Related Hemorrhage: A Multicenter
      Retrospective Study.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Treatments for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) are based
      on expert opinion, with limited data available on efficacy. OBJECTIVE: To better
      understand the natural history of thrombolysis-related sICH, with a focus on the
      efficacy of various treatments used. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:
      Multicenter retrospective study between January 1, 2009, and April 30, 2014, at
      10 primary and comprehensive stroke centers across the United States.
      Participants were all patients with sICH, using the definition by the Safe
      Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Monitoring Study (SITS-MOST), which
      included a parenchymal hematoma type 2 and at least a 4-point increase in the
      National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The
      primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, and the secondary outcome was hematoma
      expansion, defined as a 33% increase in the hematoma volume on follow-up imaging.
      RESULTS: Of 3894 patients treated with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen
      activator (rtPA) within 41/2 hours after symptom onset of ischemic stroke, 128
      (3.3%) had sICH. The median time from initiation of rtPA therapy to sICH
      diagnosis was 470 minutes (range, 30-2572 minutes), and the median time from
      diagnosis to treatment of sICH was 112 minutes (range, 12-628 minutes). The in
      hospital mortality rate was 52.3% (67 of 128), and 26.8% (22 of 82) had hematoma
      expansion. In the multivariable models, code status change to comfort measures
      after sICH diagnosis was the sole factor associated with increased in-hospital
      mortality (odds ratio, 3.6; 95% CI, 1.2-10.6). Severe hypofibrinogenemia
      (fibrinogen level, <150 mg/dL) was associated with hematoma expansion, occurring
      in 36.3% (8 of 22) of patients without hematoma expansion vs in 25.0% (15 of 60)
      of patients with hematoma expansion (P = .01), highlighting a role for
      cryoprecipitate in reversing rtPA coagulopathy. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In
      this study, treatment of postthrombolysis sICH did not significantly reduce the
      likelihood of in-hospital mortality or hematoma expansion. Shortening the time to
      diagnosis and treatment may be a key variable in improving outcomes of patients
      with sICH.

PMID- 26501743
TI  - Cancer Hallmark-Based Gene Sets and Personalized Medicine for Patients With Stage
      II Colon Cancer.

PMID- 26501744
TI  - Strain mapping accuracy improvement using super-resolution techniques.
AB  - Super-resolution (SR) software-based techniques aim at generating a final image
      by combining several noisy frames with lower resolution from the same scene. A
      comparative study on high-resolution high-angle annular dark field images of
      InAs/GaAs QDs has been carried out in order to evaluate the performance of the SR
      technique. The obtained SR images present enhanced resolution and higher signal
      to-noise (SNR) ratio and sharpness regarding the experimental images. In
      addition, SR is also applied in the field of strain analysis using digital image
      processing applications such as geometrical phase analysis and peak pairs
      analysis. The precision of the strain mappings can be improved when SR
      methodologies are applied to experimental images. 

PMID- 26501745
TI  - Potentially inappropriate anticholinergic medication use in older adults with
      dementia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence and predictors of potentially inappropriate
      anticholinergic medication use in older adults with dementia. DESIGN: A cross
      sectional study. SETTING: United States, 2009-2010. PARTICIPANTS: Medical
      Expenditure Panel Survey household component participants aged 65 years or older
      identified as having dementia and using potentially inappropriate anticholinergic
      medication. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence and predictors of potentially
      inappropriate anticholinergic medication use as per the updated 2012 American
      Geriatrics Society Beers criteria. RESULTS: A total of 3.78 million older adult
      patients (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.17 million to 4.38 million) were
      identified as having dementia, for an overall prevalence of 4.81%. Of those
      patients, an estimated 1.02 million (95% CI 0.70 million to 1.30 million) were
      reported to use potentially inappropriate anticholinergic medications, for an
      overall prevalence of 26.95% (95% CI 20.10% to 33.79%). The most frequently
      prescribed drugs were oxybutynin, solifenacin, paroxetine, tolterodine,
      promethazine, and cyclobenzaprine. Multivariable logistic analysis revealed that
      those patients with the need characteristics of self-reported anxiety, mood
      disorders, and "fair/poor" general health status had increased odds of
      potentially inappropriate anticholinergic use, while patients with the
      predisposing characteristic of being aged 75-84 years had decreased odds of
      potentially inappropriate anticholinergic use. CONCLUSION: More than one in four
      older adults with dementia were found to use potentially inappropriate
      anticholinergics. Given the adverse cognitive effects of these medications, there
      is a strong need to monitor and optimize their use in older adult patients with
      dementia.

PMID- 26501746
TI  - Summaries for Patients. Screening for Abnormal Blood Glucose and Type 2 Diabetes:
      U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation.

PMID- 26501748
TI  - Chemotherapy for Malignant Intraocular Tumors.
AB  - Chemotherapeutic approaches, including chemoreduction (CRD), chemothermotherapy,
      as well as periocular, intravitreal, and intra-arterial chemotherapy, are
      effective tools in managing different types of ocular tumors. Treatments are
      often individualized to patient and tumor types to yield best possible outcomes.
      Due to space limitations, this chapter will focus on CRD and intra-arterial
      chemotherapy for retinoblastoma. 

PMID- 26501747
TI  - Pulmonary Artery Enlargement Is Associated With Cardiac Injury During Severe
      Exacerbations of COPD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Relative pulmonary arterial enlargement, defined by a pulmonary
      artery to aorta (PA/A) ratio > 1 on CT scanning, predicts hospitalization for
      acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD). However, it is unclear how AECOPD affect
      the PA/A ratio. We hypothesized that the PA/A ratio would increase at the time of
      AECOPD and that a ratio > 1 would be associated with worse clinical outcomes.
      METHODS: Patients discharged with an International Classification of Diseases,
      Ninth Revision, diagnosis of AECOPD from a single center over a 5-year period
      were identified. Patients were included who had a CT scan performed during the
      stable period prior to the index AECOPD episode as well as a CT scan at the time
      of hospitalization. A subset of patients also underwent postexacerbation CT
      scans. The pulmonary arterial diameter, ascending aortic diameter, and the PA/A
      ratio were measured on CT scans. Demographic data, comorbidities, troponin level,
      and hospital outcome data were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 134 patients were
      included in the study. They had a mean age of 65 +/- 10 years, 47% were male, and
      69% were white; overall, patients had a mean FEV1 of 47% +/- 19%. The PA/A ratio
      increased from baseline at the time of exacerbation (0.97 +/- 0.15 from 0.91 +/-
      0.17; P < .001). Younger age and known pulmonary hypertension were independently
      associated with an exacerbation PA/A ratio > 1. Patients with PA/A ratio > 1 had
      higher troponin values. Those with a PA/A ratio > 1 and troponin levels > 0.01
      ng/mL had increased acute respiratory failure, ICU admission, or inpatient
      mortality compared with those without both factors (P = .0028). The PA/A ratio
      returned to baseline values following AECOPD. CONCLUSIONS: The PA/A ratio
      increased at the time of severe AECOPD and a ratio > 1 predicted cardiac injury
      and a more severe hospital course.

PMID- 26501749
TI  - 2D materials: Single photons at room temperature.

PMID- 26501750
TI  - Macromolecular crowding creates heterogeneous environments of gene expression in
      picolitre droplets.
AB  - Understanding the dynamics of complex enzymatic reactions in highly crowded small
      volumes is crucial for the development of synthetic minimal cells.
      Compartmentalized biochemical reactions in cell-sized containers exhibit a degree
      of randomness due to the small number of molecules involved. However, it is
      unknown how the physical environment contributes to the stochastic nature of
      multistep enzymatic processes. Here, we present a robust method to quantify gene
      expression noise in vitro using droplet microfluidics. We study the changes in
      stochasticity in the cell-free gene expression of two genes compartmentalized
      within droplets as a function of DNA copy number and macromolecular crowding. We
      find that decreased diffusion caused by a crowded environment leads to the
      spontaneous formation of heterogeneous microenvironments of mRNA as local
      production rates exceed the diffusion rates of macromolecules. This heterogeneity
      leads to a higher probability of the molecular machinery staying in the same
      microenvironment, directly increasing the system's stochasticity. 

PMID- 26501751
TI  - Quantum emission from hexagonal boron nitride monolayers.
AB  - Artificial atomic systems in solids are widely considered the leading physical
      system for a variety of quantum technologies, including quantum communications,
      computing and metrology. To date, however, room-temperature quantum emitters have
      only been observed in wide-bandgap semiconductors such as diamond and silicon
      carbide, nanocrystal quantum dots, and most recently in carbon nanotubes. Single
      photon emission from two-dimensional materials has been reported, but only at
      cryogenic temperatures. Here, we demonstrate room-temperature, polarized and
      ultrabright single-photon emission from a colour centre in two-dimensional
      hexagonal boron nitride. Density functional theory calculations indicate that
      vacancy-related defects are a probable source of the emission. Our results
      demonstrate the unprecedented potential of van der Waals crystals for large-scale
      nanophotonics and quantum information processing. 

PMID- 26501752
TI  - Non-Boolean computing with nanomagnets for computer vision applications.
AB  - The field of nanomagnetism has recently attracted tremendous attention as it can
      potentially deliver low-power, high-speed and dense non-volatile memories. It is
      now possible to engineer the size, shape, spacing, orientation and composition of
      sub-100 nm magnetic structures. This has spurred the exploration of nanomagnets
      for unconventional computing paradigms. Here, we harness the energy-minimization
      nature of nanomagnetic systems to solve the quadratic optimization problems that
      arise in computer vision applications, which are computationally expensive. By
      exploiting the magnetization states of nanomagnetic disks as state
      representations of a vortex and single domain, we develop a magnetic Hamiltonian
      and implement it in a magnetic system that can identify the salient features of a
      given image with more than 85% true positive rate. These results show the
      potential of this alternative computing method to develop a magnetic coprocessor
      that might solve complex problems in fewer clock cycles than traditional
      processors. 

PMID- 26501753
TI  - Intern and Resident Workflow Patterns on Pediatric Inpatient Units: A Multicenter
      Time-Motion Study.

PMID- 26501754
TI  - Utility of Evidence-Based Medicine in the Medical Profession.

PMID- 26501755
TI  - Landmark Article Supports Osteopathic Medicine.

PMID- 26501756
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26501757
TI  - Feasibility of Using Ultrasonography to Establish Relationships Among Sacral Base
      Position, Sacral Sulcus Depth, Body Mass Index, and Sex.
AB  - CONTEXT: Identifying relationships among anatomical structures is key in
      diagnosing somatic dysfunction. Ultrasonography can be used to visualize
      anatomical structures, identify sacroiliac landmarks, and validate anatomical
      findings and measurements in relation to somatic dysfunction. As part of the
      osteopathic manipulative medicine course at A.T. Still University-Kirksville
      College of Osteopathic Medicine, first-year students are trained to use
      ultrasonography to establish relationships among musculoskeletal structures.
      OBJECTIVES: To determine the ability of first-year osteopathic medical students
      to establish sacral base position (SBP) and sacral sulcus depth (SSD) using
      ultrasonography and to identify the relationship of SBP and SSD to body mass
      index (BMI) and sex. METHODS: Students used ultrasonography to obtain the
      distance between the skin and the sacral base (the SBP) and the distance between
      the skin and the tip of the posterior superior iliac spine bilaterally. Next,
      students calculated the SSD (the distance between the tip of the posterior
      superior iliac spine and the SBP). Data were analyzed with respect to side of the
      body, BMI, sex, and age. The BMI data were subdivided into normal (18-25 mg/kg)
      and overweight (25-30 mg/kg) groups. RESULTS: Ultrasound images of 211 students
      were included in the study. The SBP was not significantly different between the
      left and right sides (36.5 mm vs 36.5 mm; P=.95) but was significantly different
      between normal and overweight BMI categories (33.0 mm vs 40.0 mm; P<.001) and
      between men and women (34.1 mm vs 39.0 mm; P<.001). The SSD was not significantly
      different between left and right sides (18.9 mm vs 19.8 mm; P=.08), normal and
      overweight BMI categories (18.9 mm vs 19.7 mm, P=.21), or men and women (19.7 mm
      vs 19.0 mm; P=.24). No significant relationship was identified between age and
      SBP (P=.46) or SSD (P=.39); however, the age range was narrow (21-33 years).
      CONCLUSION: The study yielded repeatable and reproducible results when
      establishing SBP and SSD using ultrasonography. The statistically significant
      relationship between SBP and higher BMI and between SBP and female sex may point
      to more soft tissue overlaying the sacrum in these groups. Further research is
      needed on the use of ultrasonography to establish criteria for somatic
      dysfunction.

PMID- 26501758
TI  - Incidence of Somatic Dysfunction in Healthy Newborns.
AB  - CONTEXT: Recent evidence suggests that osteopathic manipulative treatment of
      somatic dysfunction in newborns may decrease complications and hospital length of
      stay. Such dysfunction may result from external forces related to the birth
      process, but its incidence is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To identify the incidence and
      patterns of somatic dysfunction in healthy newborns at least 6 hours after birth
      and to correlate those findings with maternal and labor history, gestational age,
      and findings of the initial newborn assessment performed immediately after birth.
      METHODS: Healthy newborns aged 6 to 72 hours were physically examined and
      assessed for somatic dysfunction, including asymmetry and motion restriction of
      the cranial, cervical, lumbar, and sacral regions. The total somatic dysfunction
      identified was summarized in a somatic dysfunction severity score (SDSS),
      calculated by assigning 1 point for each identified finding; the SDSS could range
      from 0 (no somatic dysfunction) to 34 (all somatic dysfunctions assessed
      present). Findings were correlated with maternal and newborn characteristics and
      labor history. Descriptive analyses were performed, and findings were compared
      between the initial newborn assessment and the research examination. RESULTS: One
      hundred newborns were examined (mean gestational age, 38.5 weeks). In 99 newborns
      (99%), at least 1 sphenobasilar synchondrosis strain pattern was present, with
      sidebending rotations being the most common (present in 63 newborns [63%]).
      Condylar compression was found in 95 newborns (95%), temporal bone restrictions
      in 85 (85%), motion restriction of at least 1 cervical vertebral segment in 91
      (91%) and at least 1 lumbar vertebral segment in 94 (94%), and a posterior sacral
      base in 80 (80%). The SDSS was not associated with mode of delivery or labor
      augmentation (P=.49 and P=.54, respectively), but it was positively associated
      with the duration of labor; each 1-hour increase in labor increased the predicted
      SDSS by 0.12 points (P=.04). CONCLUSION: Somatic dysfunction of the cranial,
      cervical, lumbar, and sacral regions was common in healthy newborns, and the
      total somatic dysfunction (SDSS) was related to the length of labor.
      (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01496872).

PMID- 26501759
TI  - Pigmented Skin Lesion Biopsies After Computer-Aided Multispectral Digital Skin
      Lesion Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of melanoma has been rising over the past century. With
      37% of patients presenting to their primary care physician with at least 1 skin
      problem, primary care physicians and other nondermatologist practitioners have
      substantial opportunity to make an impact at the forefront of the disease
      process. New diagnostic aids have been developed to augment physician analysis of
      suspicious pigmented skin lesions (PSLs). OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of
      computer-aided multispectral digital skin lesion analysis (MSDSLA) on
      dermatologists' and nondermatologist clinicians' decisions to biopsy suspicious
      PSLs after clinical and dermatoscopic evaluation. METHODS: Participants were
      shown 6 images of PSLs. For each PSL, participants were asked 3 times if they
      would biopsy the lesion: first after reviewing a clinical image of the PSL, again
      after reviewing a high-resolution dermatoscopic image, and again after reviewing
      MSDSLA probability findings. An answer was right if a melanoma or high-risk
      lesion was selected for biopsy or a low-risk lesion was not selected for biopsy.
      An answer was wrong if a melanoma or high-risk lesion was not selected for biopsy
      or a low-risk lesion was selected for biopsy. Clinicians' decisions to biopsy
      were evaluated using chi2 analysis for proportions. RESULTS: Data were analyzed
      from a total of 212 participants, 177 of whom were dermatologists. Overall,
      sensitivity of clinical image review was 63%; dermatoscopic image review, 5%; and
      MSDSLA, 83%. Specificity of clinical image review was 59%; dermatoscopic image
      review, 40%; and MSDSLA, 76%. Biopsy decision accuracy was 61% after review of
      clinical images, 52% after review of dermatoscopic images, and 80% after review
      of MSDSLA findings. The number of lesions participants indicated that they would
      biopsy increased significantly, from 52% after reviewing clinical images to 63%
      after reviewing dermatoscopic images (P<.001). However, the overall number of
      specimens that participants indicated they would biopsy did not change
      significantly after they reviewed MSDSLA findings (53%). CONCLUSION: Sensitivity,
      specificity, and biopsy decision accuracy increased after clinicians reviewed
      MSDSLA findings. The use of objective, computer-based diagnostic aids such as
      MSDSLA during clinical evaluations of ambiguous PSLs could aid clinicians'
      decisions to biopsy such lesions.

PMID- 26501760
TI  - Achilles Tendon Disorders.
AB  - Disorders of the Achilles tendon, the largest tendon in the human body, are
      common and occur in both active and sedentary persons. A thorough history and
      physical examination allow primary care physicians to make an accurate diagnosis
      and to initiate appropriate management. Mismanaged or neglected injuries markedly
      decrease a patient's quality of life. A growing body of related literature is the
      basis for current therapeutic regimens, which use a multimodal conservative
      approach, including osteopathic manipulative treatment. Although primary care
      physicians can manage most cases of Achilles tendon disorders, specialty care may
      be needed in certain instances. Procedural intervention should consider any
      comorbid conditions in addition to patients' lifestyle to help guide decision
      making. When appropriately managed, Achilles tendon disorders generally carry a
      favorable prognosis. 

PMID- 26501761
TI  - Learning With Reflection: Practices in an Osteopathic Surgery Clinical Clerkship
      Through an Online Module.
AB  - CONTEXT: The value of reflective practices has gained momentum in osteopathic
      medical education. However, the use of reflective pedagogies has not been
      explored in the larger context of medical course delivery and design, to the
      authors' knowledge. OBJECTIVE: To determine the types of reflection demonstrated
      by osteopathic medical students on an online discussion board and to explore
      differences in discussion engagement caused by the use of a reflective learning
      self-assessment tool. METHODS: Using a mixed-method approach, reflection
      processes in an osteopathic surgery clinical clerkship online module were
      investigated in third-year osteopathic medical students. Discussion board
      messages were captured and coded. Both manual coding techniques and automated
      interrogation using NVivo9 (a computer program) for qualitative data were
      applied. Correlations of scores across 4 case-based discussion tasks and scores
      for self-reflection were computed as quantitative data. RESULTS: Twenty-eight
      students were included. Four main types of reflection (ie, content, contextual,
      dialogic, and personal) along with corresponding differentiated subthemes for
      each type of case-based discussion board group message were identified. Group
      collaboration revealed insights about the reflection process itself and also
      about the evidence of collective efforts, group engagements, and intragroup
      support among students. Student preparation revealed that students' metacognition
      was triggered when they judged their own contributions to group work. Challenges
      in completing readings and meeting deadlines were related to the students' long
      work hours. CONCLUSION: Reflective practices are essential to the practice of
      osteopathic medicine and medical education. Curricula can promote the development
      of reflective skills by integrating these deliberate practices in educational
      activities.

PMID- 26501762
TI  - Killian-Jamieson Diverticulum.

PMID- 26501763
TI  - Development of Peer Tutoring Services to Support Osteopathic Medical Students'
      Academic Success.
AB  - CONTEXT: Peer tutoring can benefit both tutors and tutored students, but
      information is lacking regarding establishing and measuring outcomes of such a
      program at new medical schools. OBJECTIVE: To examine the outcomes of a pilot
      peer tutoring initiative and explore the implications for long-term program
      development. METHODS: Fifty-one osteopathic medical students who participated in
      a pilot peer tutoring program during the 2013-2014 academic year were surveyed
      regarding satisfaction with the program. Course grade means for the tutors (all
      courses) and tutored students (specific courses) were analyzed before and after
      participating in the tutoring experience. Data analyses were performed using
      frequency distributions, t tests, and qualitative assessment of emergent themes.
      RESULTS: The survey had a 76% response rate (39 of 51 students). Both tutored
      students and tutors were satisfied with the tutoring program. Statistically
      significant changes in course grades for the tutored courses were noted at 3 to 4
      and 8 to 9 months among the tutored students who were most at risk for failure
      (P=.001). Tutor course grades showed no significant changes for any of the
      courses in which they were enrolled (P=.445). CONCLUSION: Learning gains were
      realized by the students at greatest academic risk. Additional research is needed
      to evaluate long-term outcomes.

PMID- 26501764
TI  - Misclassification of Acceptable Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Leading to
      Flawed Inferences and Recommendations Regarding Prevention Efforts--Reply.

PMID- 26501765
TI  - Template Synthesis of Shape-Tailorable NiS2 Hollow Prisms as High-Performance
      Supercapacitor Materials.
AB  - Uniform NiS2 hollow nanoprisms have been controllably synthesized by a facial
      sacrificial template method including two-step refluxed reactions. The morphology
      of the hollow NiS2 prisms can be easily tailored by the low cost nickel complex
      template. With unique hollow structure, efficient electron, and ion transport
      pathway as well as single crystal structure, the NiS2 hollow prisms electrode
      exhibits excellent pseudocapacitive performance in LiOH electrolyte. It can
      deliver a specific capacitance of 1725 F g(-1) at a current density of 5 A g(-1)
      and 1193 F g(-1) even at a current density of 40 A g(-1). Furthermore, the
      materials also present an amazing cycling stability, that is, the specific
      capacitance can increase from 1367 F g(-1) to 1680 F g(-1) after 10,000 cycles of
      charge-discharge at the current density of 20 A g(-1).

PMID- 26501767
TI  - Control of hepatitis B virus infection in hematopoietic stem cell recipients
      after receiving grafts from vaccinated donors.

PMID- 26501766
TI  - Minor histocompatibility Ags: identification strategies, clinical results and
      translational perspectives.
AB  - Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) and donor lymphocyte infusion are
      effective treatment modalities for various hematological malignancies. Their
      therapeutic effect, the graft-versus-tumor (GvT) effect, is based mainly on an
      alloimmune response of donor T cells directed at tumor cells, in which
      differences in the expression of minor histocompatibility Ags (mHags) on the
      cells of the patient and donor have a crucial role. However, these differences
      are also responsible for induction of sometimes detrimental GvHD. As relapse and
      development of GvHD pose major threats for a large proportion of allotransplanted
      patients, additional therapeutic strategies are required. To augment the GvT
      response without increasing the risk of GvHD, specific mHag-directed
      immunotherapeutic strategies have been developed. Over the past years, much
      effort has been put into the identification of therapeutically relevant mHags to
      enable these strategies for a substantial proportion of patients. Currently, the
      concept of mHag-directed immunotherapy is tested in clinical trials on
      feasibility, safety and efficacy. In this review, we will summarize the recent
      developments in mHag identification and the clinical data on mHag-specific immune
      responses and mHag-directed therapies in patients with hematological
      malignancies. Finally, we will outline the current challenges and future
      prospectives in the field.

PMID- 26501768
TI  - Unmanipulated haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation with post
      transplant cyclophosphamide in a patient with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria
      and secondary aplastic anemia.

PMID- 26501769
TI  - Influence of pre-existing invasive aspergillosis on allo-HSCT outcome: a
      retrospective EBMT analysis by the Infectious Diseases and Acute Leukemia Working
      Parties.
AB  - Historically, invasive aspergillosis (IA) has been a major barrier for allogeneic
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The influence of invasive IA
      on long-term survival and on transplant-related complications has not been
      investigated in a larger patient cohort under current conditions. Our aim was to
      analyze the long-term outcome of patients undergoing allo-HSCT with a history of
      prior IA. We used European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation database
      data of first allo-HSCTs performed between 2005 and 2010 in patients with acute
      leukemia. One thousand one hundred and fifty patients with data on IA before allo
      HSCT were included in the analysis. The median follow-up time was 52.1 months. We
      found no significant impact of IA on major transplant outcome variables such as
      overall survival, relapse-free survival, non-relapse mortality, cumulative
      incidence of acute GvHD grade II-IV, chronic GvHD, pulmonary complications and
      leukemia relapse. However, we found a trend toward lower overall survival
      (P=0.078, hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 1.16 (0.98, 1.36))
      and higher non-relapse mortality (P=0.150, HR (95% CI): 1.19 (0.94, 1.50)) in
      allo-HSCT recipients with pre-existing IA. Our data suggest that a history of IA
      should not generally be a contraindication when considering the performance of
      allo-HSCT in patients with acute leukemia. 

PMID- 26501770
TI  - Palladium-Catalyzed Enantioselective Decarboxylative Allylic Alkylation of
      Cyclopentanones.
AB  - The first general method for the enantioselective construction of all-carbon
      quaternary centers on cyclopentanones by enantioselective palladium-catalyzed
      decarboxylative allylic alkylation is described. Employing the electronically
      modified (S)-(p-CF3)3-t-BuPHOX ligand, alpha-quaternary cyclopentanones were
      isolated in yields up to >99% with ee's up to 94%. Additionally, in order to
      facilitate large-scale application of this method, a low catalyst loading
      protocol was employed, using as little as 0.15 mol % Pd, furnishing the product
      without any loss in ee. 

PMID- 26501771
TI  - In silico and wet-lab study revealed cadmium is the potent inhibitor of HupL in
      Anabaena sp. PC C 7120.
AB  - The hupL of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 encodes the large subunit of uptake hydrogenase
      found in all diazotrophic cyanobacteria and boosts up the nitrogen-fixing
      potential by catalyzing the removal of the molecular hydrogen produced as a by
      product of dinitrogen fixation. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that HupL from
      Anabaena sp. PCC7120 is a 60.2 kDa, thermostable, glycine-rich protein having
      highest structural similarity with NiFeSe hydrogenase of Desulfomicrobium
      baculatumis. Toxicity of selected abiotic stresses like arsenic, cadmium, copper,
      and salt with HupL was further reconciled by wet-lab approaches like qRT-PCR,
      hydrogenase and nitrogenase activity assay as hydrogenases unintendedly affect
      the nitrogenase activity in Anabaena. Down-regulated transcript along with highly
      inhibited hydrogenase and nitrogenase activities under cadmium stress revealed
      that cadmium is a potent inhibitor of hydrogenases in Anabaena which indirectly
      affects its nitrogen-fixing capabilities

PMID- 26501772
TI  - Top predators affect the composition of naive protist communities, but only in
      their early-successional stage.
AB  - Introduced top predators have the potential to disrupt community dynamics when
      prey species are naive to predation. The impact of introduced predators may also
      vary depending on the stage of community development. Early-succession
      communities are likely to have small-bodied and fast-growing species, but are not
      necessarily good at defending against predators. In contrast, late-succession
      communities are typically composed of larger-bodied species that are more
      predator resistant relative to small-bodied species. Yet, these aspects are
      greatly neglected in invasion studies. We therefore tested the effect of top
      predator presence on early- and late-succession communities that were either
      naive or non-naive to top predators. We used the aquatic community held within
      the leaves of Sarracenia purpurea. In North America, communities have experienced
      the S. purpurea top predator and are therefore non-naive. In Europe, this
      predator is not present and its niche has not been filled, making these
      communities top-predator naive. We collected early- and late-succession
      communities from two non-naive and two naive sites, which are climatically
      similar. We then conducted a common-garden experiment, with and without the
      presence of the top predator, in which we recorded changes in community
      composition, body size spectra, bacterial density, and respiration. We found that
      the top predator had no statistical effect on global measures of community
      structure and functioning. However, it significantly altered protist composition,
      but only in naive, early-succession communities, highlighting that the state of
      community development is important for understanding the impact of invasion.

PMID- 26501773
TI  - Neighborhood-Scale Spatial Models of Diesel Exhaust Concentration Profile Using 1
      Nitropyrene and Other Nitroarenes.
AB  - With emerging evidence that diesel exhaust exposure poses distinct risks to human
      health, the need for fine-scale models of diesel exhaust pollutants is growing.
      We modeled the spatial distribution of several nitrated polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons (NPAHs) to identify fine-scale gradients in diesel exhaust pollution
      in two Seattle, WA neighborhoods. Our modeling approach fused land-use
      regression, meteorological dispersion modeling, and pollutant monitoring from
      both fixed and mobile platforms. We applied these modeling techniques to
      concentrations of 1-nitropyrene (1-NP), a highly specific diesel exhaust marker,
      at the neighborhood scale. We developed models of two additional nitroarenes
      present in secondary organic aerosol: 2-nitropyrene and 2-nitrofluoranthene.
      Summer predictors of 1-NP, including distance to railroad, truck emissions, and
      mobile black carbon measurements, showed a greater specificity to diesel sources
      than predictors of other NPAHs. Winter sampling results did not yield stable
      models, likely due to regional mixing of pollutants in turbulent weather
      conditions. The model of summer 1-NP had an R(2) of 0.87 and cross-validated R(2)
      of 0.73. The synthesis of high-density sampling and hybrid modeling was
      successful in predicting diesel exhaust pollution at a very fine scale and
      identifying clear gradients in NPAH concentrations within urban neighborhoods. 

PMID- 26501774
TI  - 23Na Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Lower Leg of Acute Heart Failure Patients
      during Diuretic Treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Na+ can be stored in muscle and skin without commensurate water
      accumulation. The aim of this study was to assess Na+ and H2O in muscle and skin
      with MRI in acute heart failure patients before and after diuretic treatment and
      in a healthy cohort. METHODS: Nine patients (mean age 78 years; range 58-87) and
      nine age and gender-matched controls were studied. They underwent 23Na/1H-MRI at
      the calf with a custom-made knee coil. Patients were studied before and after
      diuretic therapy. 23Na-MRI gray-scale measurements of Na+-phantoms served to
      quantify Na+-concentrations. A fat-suppressed inversion recovery sequence was
      used to quantify H2O content. RESULTS: Plasma Na+-levels did not change during
      therapy. Mean Na+-concentrations in muscle and skin decreased after furosemide
      therapy (before therapy: 30.7+/-6.4 and 43.5+/-14.5 mmol/L; after therapy: 24.2+/
      6.1 and 32.2+/-12.0 mmol/L; p?0.05 and p?0.01). Water content measurements did
      not differ significantly before and after furosemide therapy in muscle (p = 0.17)
      and only tended to be reduced in skin (p = 0.06). Na+-concentrations in calf
      muscle and skin of patients before and after diuretic therapy were significantly
      higher than in healthy subjects (18.3+/-2.5 and 21.1+/-2.3 mmol/L). CONCLUSIONS:
      23Na-MRI shows accumulation of Na+ in muscle and skin in patients with acute
      heart failure. Diuretic treatment can mobilize this Na+-deposition; however,
      contrary to expectations, water and Na+-mobilization are poorly correlated.

PMID- 26501775
TI  - A Modified BFGS Formula Using a Trust Region Model for Nonsmooth Convex
      Minimizations.
AB  - This paper proposes a modified BFGS formula using a trust region model for
      solving nonsmooth convex minimizations by using the Moreau-Yosida regularization
      (smoothing) approach and a new secant equation with a BFGS update formula. Our
      algorithm uses the function value information and gradient value information to
      compute the Hessian. The Hessian matrix is updated by the BFGS formula rather
      than using second-order information of the function, thus decreasing the workload
      and time involved in the computation. Under suitable conditions, the algorithm
      converges globally to an optimal solution. Numerical results show that this
      algorithm can successfully solve nonsmooth unconstrained convex problems. 

PMID- 26501776
TI  - Photoinduced Bimolecular Electron Transfer from Cyano Anions in Ionic Liquids.
AB  - Ionic liquids with electron-donating anions are used to investigate rates and
      mechanisms of photoinduced bimolecular electron transfer to the photoexcited
      acceptor 9,10-dicyanoanthracene (9,10-DCNA). The set of five cyano anion ILs
      studied comprises the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium cation paired with each of
      these five anions: selenocyanate, thiocyanate, dicyanamide, tricyanomethanide,
      and tetracyanoborate. Measurements with these anions dilute in acetonitrile and 1
      ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide show that the
      selenocyanate and tricyanomethanide anions are strong quenchers of the 9,10-DCNA
      fluorescence, thiocyanate is a moderately strong quencher, dicyanamide is a weak
      quencher, and no quenching is observed for tetracyanoborate. Quenching rates are
      obtained from both time-resolved fluorescence transients and time-integrated
      spectra. Application of a Smoluchowski diffusion-and-reaction model showed that
      the complex kinetics observed can be fit using only two adjustable parameters, D
      and V0, where D is the relative diffusion coefficient between donor and acceptor
      and V0 is the value of the electronic coupling at donor-acceptor contact. 

PMID- 26501777
TI  - Nonlinear Fano-Resonant Dielectric Metasurfaces.
AB  - Strong nonlinear light-matter interaction is highly sought-after for a variety of
      applications including lasing and all-optical light modulation. Recently,
      resonant plasmonic structures have been considered promising candidates for
      enhancing nonlinear optical processes due to their ability to greatly enhance the
      optical near-field; however, their small mode volumes prevent the inherently
      large nonlinear susceptibility of the metal from being efficiently exploited.
      Here, we present an alternative approach that utilizes a Fano-resonant silicon
      metasurface. The metasurface results in strong near-field enhancement within the
      volume of the silicon resonator while minimizing two photon absorption. We
      measure a third harmonic generation enhancement factor of 1.5 * 10(5) with
      respect to an unpatterned silicon film and an absolute conversion efficiency of
      1.2 * 10(-6) with a peak pump intensity of 3.2 GW cm(-2). The enhanced
      nonlinearity, combined with a sharp linear transmittance spectrum, results in
      transmission modulation with a modulation depth of 36%. The modulation mechanism
      is studied by pump-probe experiments. 

PMID- 26501778
TI  - 2nd International Conference on Progressive Multifocal  Leukoencephalopathy (PML)
      2015: JCV virology, progressive  multifocal leukoencephalopathy pathogenesis,
      diagnosis and risk  stratification, and new approaches to prevention and
      treatment.

PMID- 26501779
TI  - Reactivation of HSV-1 following explant of tree shrew brain.
AB  - Herpes Simplex Virus type I (HSV-1) latently infects peripheral nervous system
      (PNS) sensory neurons, and its reactivation leads to recurring cold sores. The
      reactivated HSV-1 can travel retrograde from the PNS into the central nervous
      system (CNS) and is known to be causative of Herpes Simplex viral encephalitis.
      HSV-1 infection in the PNS is well documented, but little is known on the fate of
      HSV-1 once it enters the CNS. In the murine model, HSV-1 genome persists in the
      CNS once infected through an ocular route. To gain more details of HSV-1
      infection in the CNS, we characterized HSV-1 infection of the tree shrew (Tupaia
      belangeri chinensis) brain following ocular inoculation. Here, we report that HSV
      1 enters the tree shrew brain following ocular inoculation and HSV-1 transcripts,
      ICP0, ICP4, and LAT can be detected at 5 days post-infection (p.i.), peaking at
      10 days p.i. After 2 weeks, ICP4 and ICP0 transcripts are reduced to a basal
      level, but the LAT intron region continues to be expressed. Live virus could be
      recovered from the olfactory bulb and brain stem tissue. Viral proteins could be
      detected using anti-HSV-1 antibodies and anti-ICP4 antibody, during the acute
      stage but not beyond. In situ hybridization could detect LAT during acute
      infection in most brain regions and in olfactory bulb and brain stem tissue well
      beyond the acute stage. Using a homogenate from these tissues' post-acute
      infection, we did not recover live HSV-1 virus, supporting a latent infection,
      but using a modified explant cocultivation technique, we were able to recover
      reactivated virus from these tissues, suggesting that the HSV-1 virus latently
      infects the tree shrew CNS. Compared to mouse, the CNS acute infection of the
      tree shrew is delayed and the olfactory bulb contains most latent virus. During
      the acute stage, a portion of the infected tree shrews exhibit symptoms similar
      to human viral encephalitis. These findings, together with the fact that tree
      shrews are closely related to primates, provided a valuable alternative model to
      study HSV-1 infection and pathogenesis in the CNS.

PMID- 26501781
TI  - Matched Peptides: Tuning Matched Molecular Pair Analysis for Biopharmaceutical
      Applications.
AB  - Biopharmaceuticals hold great promise for the future of drug discovery.
      Nevertheless, rational drug design strategies are mainly focused on the discovery
      of small synthetic molecules. Herein we present matched peptides, an innovative
      analysis technique for biological data related to peptide and protein sequences.
      It represents an extension of matched molecular pair analysis toward
      macromolecular sequence data and allows quantitative predictions of the effect of
      single amino acid substitutions on the basis of statistical data on known
      transformations. We demonstrate the application of matched peptides to a data set
      of major histocompatibility complex class II peptide ligands and discuss the
      trends captured with respect to classical quantitative structure-activity
      relationship approaches as well as structural aspects of the investigated protein
      peptide interface. We expect our novel readily interpretable tool at the
      interface of cheminformatics and bioinformatics to support the rational design of
      biopharmaceuticals and give directions for further development of the presented
      methodology. 

PMID- 26501780
TI  - HIV-1 transgenic rats display an increase in [(3)H]dopamine uptake in the
      prefrontal cortex and striatum.
AB  - HIV viral proteins within the central nervous system are associated with the
      development of neurocognitive impairments in HIV-infected individuals. Dopamine
      transporter (DAT)-mediated dopamine transport is critical for normal dopamine
      homeostasis. Abnormal dopaminergic transmission has been implicated as a risk
      determinant of HIV-induced neurocognitive impairments. Our published work has
      demonstrated that transactivator of transcription (Tat)-induced inhibition of DAT
      is mediated by allosteric binding site(s) on DAT, not the interaction with the
      dopamine uptake site. The present study investigated whether impaired DAT
      function induced by Tat exposure in vitro can be documented in HIV-1 transgenic
      (HIV-1Tg) rats. We assessed kinetic analyses of [(3)H]dopamine uptake into
      prefrontal and striatal synaptosomes of HIV-1Tg and Fisher 344 rats. Compared
      with Fisher 344 rats, the capacity of dopamine transport in the prefrontal cortex
      (PFC) and striatum of HIV-1Tg rats was increased by 34 and 32 %, respectively.
      Assessment of surface biotinylation indicated that DAT expression in the plasma
      membrane was reduced in PFC and enhanced in striatum, respectively, of HIV-1Tg
      rats. While the maximal binding sites (B max) of [(3)H]WIN 35,428 was decreased
      in striatum of HIV-1Tg rats, an increase in DAT turnover proportion was found,
      relative to Fisher 344 rats. Together, these findings suggest that neuroadaptive
      changes in DAT function are evidenced in the HIV-1Tg rats, perhaps compensating
      for viral-protein-induced abnormal dopaminergic transmission. Thus, our study
      provides novel insights into understanding mechanism underlying neurocognitive
      impairment evident in neuroAIDS.

PMID- 26501783
TI  - Photothermally Induced Optical Property Changes of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)
      Microgel-Based Etalons.
AB  - Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgel-based optical devices were designed such
      that they can be stimulated to change their optical properties in response to
      light produced by a light-emitting diode (LED). The devices were fabricated by
      sandwiching the synthesized microgels between two Cr/Au layers all supported on a
      glass coverslip with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) deposited. Here, we found that
      these devices can be stimulated to change their optical properties when exposed
      to green LED light, which excites the AuNPs and increases the local temperature,
      causing the thermoresponsive microgels to decrease in diameter, resulting in a
      change in the devices' optical properties. We also found that the sensitivity of
      the devices to light was more pronounced as the environmental temperature
      approached the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) for the microgels,
      although the sensitivity of the devices to light exposure dropped off
      dramatically as the environmental temperature was increased above the LCST. This
      was a direct result of the microgels already being in their collapsed state and
      therefore unable to decrease in diameter any further due to light exposure.
      Finally, we found that the sensitivity of the devices to light exposure increased
      with increasing number of AuNP layers in the devices. We anticipate that these
      devices could be used for drug delivery applications; by using light to stimulate
      microgel collapse, the microgel-based devices can be stimulated to release small
      molecules on demand. 

PMID- 26501782
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide, and Ethambutol in Newly Diagnosed
      Pulmonary TB Patients in Tanzania.
AB  - Exposure to lower-than-therapeutic levels of anti-tuberculosis drugs is likely to
      cause selection of resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and treatment
      failure. The first-line anti-tuberculosis (TB) regimen consists of rifampicin,
      isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol, and correct management reduces risk of
      TB relapse and development of drug resistance. In this study we aimed to
      investigate the effect of standard of care plus nutritional supplementation
      versus standard care on the pharmacokinetics of isoniazid, pyrazinamide and
      ethambutol among sputum smear positive TB patients with and without HIV. In a
      clinical trial in 100 Tanzanian TB patients, with or without HIV infection, drug
      concentrations were determined at 1 week and 2 months post initiation of anti-TB
      medication. Data was analysed using population pharmacokinetic modelling. The
      effect of body size was described using allometric scaling, and the effects of
      nutritional supplementation, HIV, age, sex, CD4+ count, weight-adjusted dose,
      NAT2 genotype, and time on TB treatment were investigated. The kinetics of all
      drugs was well characterised using first-order elimination and transit
      compartment absorption, with isoniazid and ethambutol described by two
      compartment disposition models, and pyrazinamide by a one-compartment model.
      Patients with a slow NAT2 genotype had higher isoniazid exposure and a lower
      estimate of oral clearance (15.5 L/h) than rapid/intermediate NAT2 genotype (26.1
      L/h). Pyrazinamide clearance had an estimated typical value of 3.32 L/h, and it
      was found to increase with time on treatment, with a 16.3% increase after the
      first 2 months of anti-TB treatment. The typical clearance of ethambutol was
      estimated to be 40.7 L/h, and was found to decrease with age, at a rate of 1.41%
      per year. Neither HIV status nor nutritional supplementations were found to
      affect the pharmacokinetics of these drugs in our cohort of patients. 

PMID- 26501784
TI  - Comment on 'Monte Carlo calculated microdosimetric spread for cell nucleus-sized
      targets exposed to brachytherapy (125)I and (192)Ir sources and (60)Co cell
      irradiation'.
AB  - The relative standard deviation, sigmar,D, of calculated multi-event
      distributions of specific energy for (60)Co Upsilon rays was reported by the
      authors F Villegas, N Tilly and A Ahnesjo (Phys. Med. Biol. 58 6149-62). The
      calculations were made with an upgraded version of the Monte Carlo code PENELOPE.
      When the results were compared to results derived from experiments with the
      variance method and simulated tissue equivalent volumes in the micrometre range a
      difference of about 50% was found. Villegas et al suggest wall-effects as the
      likely explanation for the difference. In this comment we review some
      publications on wall-effects and conclude that wall-effects are not a likely
      explanation. 

PMID- 26501785
TI  - Comparison of 2 Measures of HIV Sexual Risk Behavior in Women in Outpatient Drug
      Treatment Programs.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: HIV/STD sexual risk behavior is common among women who use drugs. To
      effectively implement interventions in busy drug treatment programs, it is
      important to have a rapid and accurate measure of sexual risk. This study
      compared 2 dichotomous ratings of unprotected sex among women in substance abuse
      treatment who participated in a HIV sexual risk reduction clinical trial: (1) any
      unprotected vaginal/anal sex occasions in the last 3 months, versus (2)
      unprotected vaginal/anal sex at last sexual occasion (LSO). METHODS: Sexually
      active women from 12 methadone maintenance or psychosocial outpatient programs
      who had a main (n = 363) or other male partner(s) (n = 117) were assessed at
      baseline for unprotected sex in the last 3 months and at LSO. These 2 measures
      were compared for congruence. RESULTS: Participants who reported unprotected sex
      at LSO consistently reported at least 1 unprotected sex occasion in the last 3
      months: 99.1% for main male partner sex and 93.8% for other male partner sex.
      Participants who reported using a condom at LSO were less consistent of those
      reporting condom use at LSO; only 30.3% reported protected sex at all sex
      occasions in the last 3 months with main male partner and only 67.6% for other
      male partner(s). CONCLUSIONS: Use of one question about condom protected sex at
      LSO appears to be a partially useful tool. It can be useful for detecting sexual
      risk in clinical or research settings wherein the central focus is not on sexual
      behavior or when time is limited.

PMID- 26501787
TI  - A Simplified Protocol for the Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate a novel simplified tool for
      symptom-triggered treatment of alcohol withdrawal. METHODS: This retrospective
      cohort study involved inpatients in a county hospital with an International
      Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification discharge
      diagnosis of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) or delirium tremens between
      January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2008. The study used the Highland Alcohol
      Withdrawal Protocol (HAWP)-a simplified derivative of the Revised Clinical
      Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol. Multivariable regression analysis
      was performed to compare severity of withdrawal to hospital length of stay, total
      dose of sedative given, and risk of complications. RESULTS: The study identified
      442 patients with a primary diagnosis of AWS or delirium tremens, and those with
      another primary medical diagnosis complicated by alcohol withdrawal. After
      adjusting for demographic variables, each one-point increase in the initial and
      maximum HAWP scores correlated with an increase in the hospital length of stay of
      0.3 days [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.17 to 0.43 days] and 0.45 days (95%
      CI, 0.32-0.57 days), and a 15.8 mg (95% CI, 6.6-25.1 mg) and 19.8 mg (95% CI,
      11.1-28.5 mg) increase in the total dose of lorazepam given, respectively. The
      complication rate of seizures, intubations, pneumonia, and death was 13.1%,
      12.9%, 6.1% and 0.9%, respectively; a composite endpoint of these outcomes also
      correlated with initial and maximum HAWP scores (odds ratio 1.09, 95% CI, 1.03%
      1.14%). CONCLUSIONS: The HAWP correlates with medication received and
      complications, and as such appears to give an indication of AWS severity. It is
      feasible and shorter than prior scales, and merits further study to confirm its
      effectiveness as part of symptom-triggered protocols to manage alcohol withdrawal
      in the hospital.

PMID- 26501786
TI  - Substance Use, Depression and Sociodemographic Determinants of HIV Sexual Risk
      Behavior in Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The NIDA Clinical Trials Network trial of rapid HIV
      testing/counseling in 1281 patients was a unique opportunity to examine
      relationships among substance use, depressive symptoms, and sex risk behavior.
      METHODS: Past 6-month substance use; substance use severity (Drug Abuse Screening
      Test - 10); depressive symptoms (Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology);
      and three types of sex risk behavior (unprotected sex occasions [USOs] with
      primary partners; USOs with nonprimary partners; and USOs while high/drunk) were
      assessed. Zero-inflated negative binomial analyses provided: probability and rate
      of sex risk behavior (in risk behavior subsample). RESULTS: Levels of sexual risk
      behavior were high, while variable across the three types of sex risk behaviors.
      Among the patients, 50.4% had engaged in USOs with primary partners, 42% in sex
      while drunk or high, and 23.8% in USOs with nonprimary partners. Similar factors
      were significantly associated with all three types of sex risk behaviors. For all
      types, problem drinking, cocaine use, and substance use severity had an
      exacerbating effect. Older age was associated with lower risk behavior; other
      relationship categories (eg, married, separated/divorced, cohabitating) were
      associated with greater risk behavior than was single status. Depressive symptoms
      were associated with decreased likelihood of USOs with a primary partner.
      CONCLUSIONS: Sexual risk behavior is common among individuals in outpatient
      substance abuse treatment. Results highlight problem drinking (eg, up to three
      fold) and cocaine (eg, up to twice) in increasing sex risk behavior. They
      demonstrate the utility of distinguishing between partner types and
      presence/absence of alcohol/drugs during sex. Findings argue for the need to
      integrate sex risk reduction into drug treatment.

PMID- 26501789
TI  - A Simple Kinetic Model for Description of the Iodate-Arsenous Acid Reaction:
      Experimental Evidence of the Direct Reaction.
AB  - The autocatalytic iodate-arsenous acid reaction was investigated by a stopped
      flow instrument under strongly acidic medium (pH <= 1) by monitoring the
      absorbance-time profiles at 468 nm. The kinetic traces were found to exhibit a
      perfect sigmoidal shape in stoichiometric excess of iodate with a well-defined
      and reproducible induction period that depends on the initial concentration of
      the reactants as well as on the pH. All the experimental curves can be globally
      fitted by a simple kinetic model involving the direct reaction between the
      reactants to produce iodide ion, the Dushman and the Roebuck reactions, and two
      rapid equilibria. Our measurements along with simultaneous evaluation of the
      kinetic traces clearly support that indeed the initiation reaction exists at
      strongly acidic conditions and contributes to the overall kinetics. The measured
      traces cannot be described adequately by the iodide ion impurity-driven Dushman
      and Roebuck reactions with assuming no direct reaction at all. 

PMID- 26501788
TI  - Effects of Prereactivation Propranolol on Cocaine Craving Elicited by Imagery
      Script/Cue Sets in Opioid-dependent Polydrug Users: A Randomized Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Relapse to drug misuse may follow exposure to drug cues that elicit
      craving. The learned associations, or "emotional memories," that underlie
      responses to cues may be attenuated or erased by the beta-adrenergic antagonist
      propranolol during a "reconsolidation window" shortly after the memories are
      reactivated by cues. METHODS: We evaluated the effects of propranolol on cue
      induced drug cravings in healthy opioid-dependent individuals who used cocaine
      while receiving methadone maintenance (n = 33). Participants were asked to recall
      specific cocaine use and neutral events in an interview; these events were used
      to develop personalized auditory script/cue sets. Approximately 1 week later,
      propranolol (40 mg) or placebo (random assignment, double blind) was administered
      orally before presentation of the script/cue sets; the presentation of the
      script/cue sets were tested 1 week and 5 weeks after the propranolol/placebo
      session. Ongoing drug use was monitored via urine screens and self-report in
      twice-weekly visits. RESULTS: Cue reactivity, as assessed by craving scales and
      physiological responses, was unexpectedly greater in the propranolol group than
      in the placebo group. This counterhypothesized group difference was present
      acutely during propranolol administration and seemed to persist (without reaching
      statistical significance) during the subsequent test sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results do not support the use of propranolol for cue-induced cocaine craving in
      opioid-maintained patients.

PMID- 26501790
TI  - Inconsistency in Missing Cases in Derivation Data and Validation Data.

PMID- 26501791
TI  - Modular Preparation of 5-Halomethyl-2-oxazolines via PhI(OAc)2-Promoted
      Intramolecular Halooxygenation of N-Allylcarboxamides.
AB  - A new method for the construction of oxazoline moiety was detailed. Using
      (diacetoxyiodo)benzene (PIDA) as the reaction promoter and halotrimethylsilane as
      the halogen source, intramolecular halooxygenation and halothionation of N
      allylcarboxamides/N-allylcarbothioamides proceeded readily, leading to the
      corresponding 5-halomethyloxazolines/5-halomethylthiazolines in good to excellent
      isolated yields. The 5-halomethyl products could be converted to different
      derivatives via conventional nucleophilic substitution methods. The reactions
      were carried out using easily available starting materials, and did not need
      harsh reaction conditions. All these features made this reaction a viable method
      for the construction of different oxazoline and thiazoline structures. 

PMID- 26501792
TI  - Regulatory T Cells Are Critical for Clearing Influenza A Virus in Neonatal Mice.
AB  - We previously reported that neonatal mice infected with influenza A virus (IAV)
      develop interstitial pneumonia characterized by reduced lung cytokine and
      chemokine responses. The failure of T cells to infiltrate the airways of neonates
      correlated with delayed clearance of sublethal IAV infections compared to adults.
      We hypothesized that negative regulators in the neonatal lungs such as cytokines
      or T regulatory (Treg) cells are responsible for these differences. Neonates
      either deficient in interleukin-10 (IL-10) or with T cells unresponsive to
      transforming growth factor-beta signaling due to absence of SMAD family member 4
      (Smad4) had similar IAV clearance kinetics to wild-type pups and no difference in
      T-cell responses. In contrast, functional depletion of Treg cells with anti-CD25
      monoclonal antibody resulted in increased proportions of activated CD4(+) T cells
      in the lungs, but failure to clear IAV. Similarly, scurfy pups (mutation in
      forkhead box P3 [Foxp3] rendering them deficient in Treg cells) had increased
      proportions of activated T cells in the lungs compared to littermate controls.
      Scurfy pups also had increased proportions of IL-13-producing CD4(+) T cells.
      Interestingly, like anti-CD25-treated pups, scurfy pups had significantly
      elevated viral loads compared to controls. Based on these data, we conclude that
      Tregs are critical for clearance of IAV in neonatal mice. 

PMID- 26501793
TI  - A combined experimental and computational study of novel nanocage-based metal
      organic frameworks for drug delivery.
AB  - Three new metal organic frameworks (MOFs) with chemical formulae [(CH3)2NH2]
      [Sm3(L1)2(HCOO)2(DMF)2(H2O)].2DMF.18H2O (1), [Cu2(L2)(H2O)2].2.22DMA (2) and
      [Zn2(L1)(DMA)].1.75DMA were synthesized and structurally characterized. 1 and 2
      show a classical NbO-like topology and have two types of interconnected cages. 3
      exhibits an uncommon zzz topology and has two types of interconnected cages.
      These MOFs can adsorb large amounts of the drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and release
      it in a progressive way. 5-FU was incorporated into desolvated 1, 2 and 3 with
      loadings of 0.40, 0.42, and 0.45 g g(-1), respectively. The drug release rates
      were 72%, 96% and 79% of the drug after 96 hours in 1, 120 hours in 2 and 96
      hours in 3, respectively. Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations were
      performed to investigate the molecular interactions during 5-FU adsorption to the
      three novel materials. The GCMC simulations reproduced the experimental trend
      with respect to the drug loading capacity of each material. They also provided a
      structural description of drug packing within the frameworks, helping to explain
      the load capacity and controlled release characteristics of the materials. 5-FU
      binding preferences to 1, 2 and 3 reflect the diversity in pore types, chemistry
      and sizes. The calculated drug load is more related to the molecular properties
      of accessible volume Vacc than to the pore size.

PMID- 26501794
TI  - Antibiotic Use after Free Tissue Reconstruction of Head and Neck Defects: Short
      Course vs. Long Course.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Free tissue reconstruction has become the standard of care for most
      major defects in the head and neck. Surgical site infection (SSI) can lead to
      vessel thrombosis and eventual flap loss. The use of antibiotics after free
      tissue reconstruction has not been studied in the current environment of
      heightened bacterial antibiotic resistance. We compared the use of short-term and
      longer-term antibiotics in a series of patients receiving free tissue
      reconstructions. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of 147 patients
      receiving 149 free flaps who were treated with either short-course (<=2 d; n =
      149 [43%]) or long-course (>2 d; n = 85 [57%])) post-operative antibiotics from
      2009 to 2014. The outcomes examined were infection, return to the operating room,
      length of hospital stay, and patient death up to six weeks post-surgery. In
      addition, risk factors associated with SSI were explored. RESULTS: Surgical site
      infection, flap dehiscence, flap loss, and length of stay were not different in
      the two groups. However, those receiving long-course antibiotics had a
      significantly higher rate of pneumonia (24.7% vs. 10.9%; p = 0.03), although they
      had a lower rate of urinary tract infection (0.0% vs 9.4%, respectively; p =
      0.01). Body mass index remained a statistically significant risk factor in the
      multivariable analysis (p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Prolonged antibiotic use after
      free flap reconstruction of head and neck defects does not appear to prevent SSI
      better than short-course treatment in this population. Moreover, long-course
      antibiotic use was associated with a higher risk of pneumonia.

PMID- 26501799
TI  - Opening doors to participation of youth with physical disabilities: An
      intervention study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While participation in leisure activities is beneficial to youth's
      health, little is known about effective intervention strategies to promote
      participation. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of
      environment-based interventions on participation of youth with physical
      disabilities. METHOD: Six adolescents ages 14 to 17 years participated in a 12
      week intervention aimed at removing environmental barriers and coaching parents.
      An interrupted time series design was employed and a systematic replication of
      the intervention effect was examined across three individualized participation
      goals and across participants (17 goals overall). Goal performance was measured
      repeatedly using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and analyzed using
      visual inspection and a celeration line approach. FINDINGS: A clinically
      significant improvement in performance scores (M = 4.5, SD = 1.77) was observed
      across all 17 goals, and a statistically significant treatment effect was
      replicated in 13 goals (76%). IMPLICATIONS: Findings support the effectiveness of
      environment-based interventions in promoting youth participation, but larger
      studies are required.

PMID- 26501800
TI  - Morphology and aggregation of RADA-16-I peptide Studied by AFM, NMR and molecular
      dynamics simulations.
AB  - RADA-16-I is a self-assembling peptide which forms biocompatible fibrils and
      hydrogels. We used molecular dynamics simulations, atomic-force microscopy, NMR
      spectroscopy, and thioflavin T binding assay to examine size, structure, and
      morphology of RADA-16-I aggregates. We used the native form of RADA-16-I (H
      (ArgAlaAspAla)4 -OH) rather than the acetylated one commonly used in the previous
      studies. At neutral pH, RADA-16-I is mainly in the fibrillar form, the fibrils
      consist of an even number of stacked beta-sheets. At acidic pH, RADA-16-I fibrils
      disassemble into monomers, which form an amorphous monolayer on graphite and
      monolayer lamellae on mica. RADA-16-I fibrils were compared with the fibrils of a
      similar peptide RLDL-16-I. Thickness of beta-sheets measured by AFM was in
      excellent agreement with the molecular dynamics simulations. A pair of RLDL-16-I
      beta-sheets was thicker (2.3 +/- 0.4 nm) than a pair of RADA-16-I beta-sheets
      (1.9 +/- 0.1 nm) due to the volume difference between alanine and leucine
      residues.

PMID- 26501801
TI  - Insight into human protease activated receptor-1 as anticancer target by
      molecular modelling.
AB  - Protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1) has been established as a promising target
      in many diseases, including various cancers. Strong evidence also suggests its
      role in metastasis. It is proved experimentally that PAR1 can induce numerous
      cell phenotypes, i.e. proliferation and differentiation. A strong link between
      PAR1 gene overexpression and high levels of beta-catenin was suggested by a study
      of the PAR1-Galpha(13)-DVL axis in beta-catenin stabilization in cancers. An in
      vitro study was carried out to analyze PAR1 expression by flow cytometry on
      CD38+138+ plasma cells obtained from patients either at diagnosis (n: 46) (newly
      diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM)) or at relapse (n: 45) (relapsed/refractory
      multiple myeloma (RRMM)) and compared with the controls. Our previously
      synthesized benzoxazole (XT2B) and benzamide (XT5) derivatives were tested with
      in vitro 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT)
      assays, which revealed significant inhibitory activity on PAR1. We provide
      docking studies using Autodock Vina of these newly tested compounds to compare
      with the known PAR1 inhibitors in order to examine the binding mechanisms. In
      addition, the docking results are validated using HYDE binding assessment and a
      neural network (NN) scoring function.

PMID- 26501802
TI  - Choroidal Neovascularization Secondary to Myopia, Infection and Inflammation.
AB  - Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is a significant cause of vision loss in all
      age groups. The most common cause of CNV is age-related macular degeneration
      (AMD). However, CNV can also occur as a secondary manifestation of various
      inherited and acquired conditions, including pathologic myopia, presumed ocular
      histoplasmosis syndrome, angioid streaks, and various hereditary, traumatic or
      inflammatory disorders. Fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography
      are useful tools in the diagnosis and evaluation of CNV. Treatment options are
      similar to those for CNV secondary to AMD, specifically anti-angiogenic therapy,
      but including laser photocoagulation, photodynamic therapy and surgery. Anti
      angiogenic therapy has been associated with better visual outcomes than other
      treatment modalities and is now advocated as the first-line therapy for CNV
      secondary to myopia, infection and inflammation. 

PMID- 26501795
TI  - microRNAs as pharmacogenomic biomarkers for drug efficacy and drug safety
      assessment.
AB  - Much evidence has documented that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in
      the modulation of interindividual variability in the production of drug
      metabolizing enzymes and transporters (DMETs) and nuclear receptors (NRs) through
      multidirectional interactions involving environmental stimuli/stressors, the
      expression of miRNA molecules and genetic polymorphisms. MiRNA expression has
      been reported to be affected by drugs and miRNAs themselves may affect drug
      metabolism and toxicity. In cancer research, miRNA biomarkers have been
      identified to mediate intrinsic and acquired resistance to cancer therapies. In
      drug safety assessment, miRNAs have been found associated with cardiotoxicity,
      hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. This review article summarizes published
      studies to show that miRNAs can serve as early biomarkers for the evaluation of
      drug efficacy and drug safety. 

PMID- 26501803
TI  - Development and performance test of an online blood sampling system for
      determination of the arterial input function in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For positron emission tomography (PET) kinetic modelling, an accurate
      determination of the arterial input function is required. In this study, a blood
      sampling system was developed and tested using different radiotracers in rats.
      METHODS: The detector consists of pairs of lutetium yttrium oxyorthosilicate
      (LYSO) detectors, photomultiplier tubes and lead shield assembled within a steel
      casing working in coincidence mode. Rats were cannulated with microtubes in the
      femoral artery and vein for arterial blood sampling as well as administration of
      the PET tracers. Connected PTFE microtubes were centred between the LYSO crystals
      using a special holder. To enhance sensitivity, three layers with two coils were
      used. A flexible tube pump was used to ensure a constant blood flow. Performance
      of the detector was assessed with [(18)F]fludeoxyglucose (FDG),
      [(18)F]ciprofloxacin, (R)-[(11)C]verapamil, [(11)C]tariquidar,
      [(11)C]mephobarbital and [(11)C]MC113. Obtained input function curves were
      compared with manual samples drawn every 5 s during the first 3 min and further
      on at 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 min after radiotracer injection. After manual
      sampling, an arterio/venous shunt was established. Shape and area-under-the-curve
      (AUC; Bq/MUl*h) of the input functions were evaluated. RESULTS: The developed
      detector system provided an absolute sensitivity of 6.5%. Maximum peak values
      agreed well between manual samples and the detector with a mean difference of 
      0.4% +/- 7.0% (max 12.0%, min -9.9%). AUC values also exhibited an excellent
      correlation (R = 0.996) between manual sampling and detector measurements with a
      mean difference of 9.3% +/- 9.7% (max 24.1%, min -3.2%). The system was able to
      measure peak blood activity concentration levels of 110 to 2,000 Bq/MUl which
      corresponds to injected activities from 5.5 to 100 MBq depending on the used
      radiotracer, applied volume and weight of the animal. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      demonstrates that the developed blood sampling system can be used for in vivo
      small animal PET studies in rats in a reliable way. The usage of the systems
      enhances the accuracy of the input curve as handling of small blood samples
      especially with low activity (as for C-11) is prone to measurement errors.
      Additionally, the radiation dose of the experimenters can be reduced, as it is
      not required anymore to continuously draw samples where the personal is in close
      contact to the radioactive animals and blood.

PMID- 26501804
TI  - Evaluation of inter-departmental variability of ejection fraction and cardiac
      volumes in myocardial perfusion scintigraphy using simulated data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) is a clinically useful
      noninvasive imaging modality for diagnosing patients with suspected coronary
      artery disease. By utilizing gated MPS, the end diastolic volume (EDV) and end
      systolic volume (ESV) can be measured and the ejection fraction (EF) calculated,
      which gives incremental prognostic value compared with assessment of perfusion
      only. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inter-departmental variability of
      EF, ESV, and EDV during gated MPS in Sweden. METHODS: Seventeen departments were
      included in the study. The SIMIND Monte Carlo (MC) program together with the XCAT
      phantom was used to simulate three patient cases with different EDV, ESV, and EF.
      Individual simulations were performed for each department, corresponding to their
      specific method of performing MPS. Images were then sent to each department and
      were evaluated according to clinical routine. EDV, ESV, and EF were reported
      back. RESULTS: There was a large underestimation of EDV and ESV for all three
      cases. Mean underestimation for EDV varied between 26% and 52% and for ESV
      between 15% and 60%. EF was more accurately measured, but mean bias still varied
      between an underestimation of 24% to an overestimation of 14%. In general, the
      intra-departmental variability for EDV, ESV, and EF was small, whereas inter
      departmental variability was larger. CONCLUSIONS: Left ventricular volumes were
      generally underestimated, whereas EF was more accurately estimated. There was,
      however, large inter-departmental variability.

PMID- 26501805
TI  - Intravenous contrast-enhanced CT can be used for CT-based attenuation correction
      in clinical (111)In-octreotide SPECT/CT.
AB  - BACKGROUND: CT-based attenuation correction (CT-AC) using contrast-enhancement CT
      impacts (111)In-SPECT image quality and quantification. In this study we assessed
      and evaluated the effect. METHODS: A phantom (5.15 L) was filled with an aqueous
      solution of In-111. Three SPECT/CT scans were performed: (A) no IV contrast, (B)
      with 100-mL IV contrast, and (C) with 200-mL IV contrast added. Scan protocol
      included a localization CT, a low-dose CT (LD), and a full-dose CT (FD). Phantom,
      LD and FD scan series were performed at 90, 120, and 140 kVp. Phantom data were
      evaluated looking at mean counts in a central volume. Ten patients referred for
      (111)In-octreotide scintigraphy were scanned according to our clinical (111)In
      SPECT/CT protocol including a topogram, a LD (140 kVp), and a FD (120 kVp). The
      FD/contrast-enhanced CT was acquired in both arterial (FDAP) and venous phase
      (FDVP) following a mono-phasic IV injection of 125-mL Optiray (4.5 mL/s). For
      patient data, we report image quality, Krenning scores, and mean/max values for
      liver and tumor regions. RESULTS: Phantoms: in uncorrected emission data, mean
      counts (average +/- SD) decreased with increasing IV concentration: (A) 119 +/-
      9, (B) 113 +/- 8, and (C) 110 +/- 9. For all attenuation correction (AC) scans,
      the mean values increased with increasing iodine concentration. PATIENTS: there
      were no visible artifacts in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)
      following CT-AC with contrast-enhanced CT. The average score of image quality was
      4.1 +/- 0.3, 3.8 +/- 0.4, and 4.2 +/- 0.4 for LD, arterial phase, and venous
      phase, respectively. A total of 16 lesions were detected. The Krenning scores of
      13/16 lesions were identical across all scan series. The max pixel values for the
      16 lesions showed generally lower values for LD than for contrast-enhanced CT.
      CONCLUSIONS: In (111)In-SPECT/CT imaging of phantoms and patients, the use of IV
      CT contrast did neither degrade the SPECT image quality nor affect the clinical
      Krenning score. Reconstructed counts in healthy liver tissues were unaffected,
      and there was a generally lower count value in lesions following CT-AC based on
      the LD non-enhanced images. Overall, for clinical interpretation, no separate low
      dose CT is required for CT-AC in (111)In-SPECT/CT.

PMID- 26501806
TI  - Clinical evaluation of respiration-induced attenuation uncertainties in pulmonary
      3D PET/CT.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In contemporary positron emission tomography (PET)/computed
      tomography (CT) scanners, PET attenuation correction is performed by means of a
      CT-based attenuation map. Respiratory motion can however induce offsets between
      the PET and CT data. Studies have demonstrated that these offsets can cause
      errors in quantitative PET measures. The purpose of this study is to quantify the
      effects of respiration-induced CT differences on the attenuation correction of
      pulmonary 18-fluordeoxyglucose (FDG) 3D PET/CT in a patient population and to
      investigate contributing factors. METHODS: For 32 lung cancer patients, 3D-CT, 4D
      PET and 4D-CT data were acquired. The 4D FDG PET data were attenuation corrected
      (AC) using a free-breathing 3D-CT (3D-AC), the end-inspiration CT (EI-AC), the
      end-expiration CT (EE-AC) or phase-by-phase (P-AC). After reconstruction and AC,
      the 4D-PET data were averaged. In the 4Davg data, we measured maximum tumour
      standardised uptake value (SUV)max in the tumour, SUVmean in a lung volume of
      interest (VOI) and average SUV (SUVmean) in a muscle VOI. On the 4D-CT, we
      measured the lung volume differences and CT number changes between inhale and
      exhale in the lung VOI. RESULTS: Compared to P-AC, we found -2.3% (range -9.7% to
      1.2%) lower tumour SUVmax in EI-AC and 2.0% (range -0.9% to 9.5%) higher SUVmax
      in EE-AC. No differences in the muscle SUV were found. The use of 3D-AC led to
      respiration-induced SUVmax differences up to 20% compared to the use of P-AC.
      SUVmean differences in the lung VOI between EI-AC and EE-AC correlated to average
      CT differences in this region (rho = 0.83). SUVmax differences in the tumour
      correlated to the volume changes of the lungs (rho = -0.55) and the motion
      amplitude of the tumour (rho = 0.53), both as measured on the 4D-CT. CONCLUSIONS:
      Respiration-induced CT variations in clinical data can in extreme cases lead to
      SUV effects larger than 10% on PET attenuation correction. These differences were
      case specific and correlated to differences in CT number in the lungs.

PMID- 26501807
TI  - Tumor and red bone marrow dosimetry: comparison of methods for prospective
      treatment planning in pretargeted radioimmunotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Red bone marrow (RBM) toxicity is dose-limiting in (pretargeted)
      radioimmunotherapy (RIT). Previous blood-based and two-dimensional (2D) image
      based methods have failed to show a clear dose-response relationship. We
      developed a three-dimensional (3D) image-based RBM dosimetry approach using the
      Monte Carlo-based 3D radiobiological dosimetry (3D-RD) software and determined
      its additional value for predicting RBM toxicity. METHODS: RBM doses were
      calculated for 13 colorectal cancer patients after pretargeted RIT with the two
      step administration of an anti-CEA * anti-HSG bispecific monoclonal antibody and
      a (177)Lu-labeled di-HSG-peptide. 3D-RD RBM dosimetry was based on the lumbar
      vertebrae, delineated on single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans
      acquired directly, 3, 24, and 72 h after (177)Lu administration. RBM doses were
      correlated to hematologic effects, according to NCI-CTC v3 and compared with
      conventional 2D cranium-based and blood-based dosimetry results. Tumor doses were
      calculated with 3D-RD, which has not been possible with 2D dosimetry. Tumor-to
      RBM dose ratios were calculated and compared for (177)Lu-based pretargeted RIT
      and simulated pretargeted RIT with (90)Y. RESULTS: 3D-RD RBM doses of all seven
      patients who developed thrombocytopenia were higher (range 0.43 to 0.97 Gy) than
      that of the six patients without thrombocytopenia (range 0.12 to 0.39 Gy), except
      in one patient (0.47 Gy) without thrombocytopenia but with grade 2 leucopenia.
      Blood and 2D image-based RBM doses for patients with grade 1 to 2
      thrombocytopenia were in the same range as in patients without thrombocytopenia
      (0.14 to 0.29 and 0.11 to 0.26 Gy, respectively). Blood-based RBM doses for two
      grade 3 to 4 patients were higher (0.66 and 0.51 Gy, respectively) than the
      others, and the cranium-based dose of only the grade 4 patient was higher (0.34
      Gy). Tumor-to-RBM dose ratios would increase by 25% on average when treating with
      (90)Y instead of (177)Lu. CONCLUSIONS: 3D dosimetry identifies patients at risk
      of developing any grade of RBM toxicity more accurately than blood- or 2D image
      based methods. It has the added value to enable calculation of tumor-to-RBM dose
      ratios.

PMID- 26501808
TI  - Effects of ferumoxytol on quantitative PET measurements in simultaneous PET/MR
      whole-body imaging: a pilot study in a baboon model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Simultaneous PET/MR imaging depends on MR-derived attenuation maps
      (mu-maps) for accurate attenuation correction of PET data. Currently, these maps
      are derived from gradient-echo-based MR sequences, which are sensitive to
      susceptibility changes. Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles have been used in the
      measurement of blood volume, tumor microvasculature, tumor-associated
      macrophages, and characterizing lymph nodes. Our aim in this study was to assess
      whether the susceptibility effects associated with iron oxide nanoparticles can
      potentially affect measured (18)F-FDG PET standardized uptake values (SUV)
      through effects on MR-derived attenuation maps. METHODS: The study protocol was
      approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Using a Siemens
      Biograph mMR PET/MR scanner, we evaluated the effects of increasing
      concentrations of ferumoxytol and ferumoxytol aggregates on MR-derived mu-maps
      using an agarose phantom. In addition, we performed a baboon experiment
      evaluating the effects of a single i.v. ferumoxytol dose (10 mg/kg) on the liver,
      spleen, and pancreas (18)F-FDG SUV at baseline (ferumoxytol-naive), within the
      first hour and at 1, 3, 5, and 11 weeks. RESULTS: Phantom experiments showed mu
      map artifacts starting at ferumoxytol aggregate concentrations of 10 to 20 mg/kg.
      The in vivo baboon data demonstrated a 53% decrease of observed (18)F-FDG SUV
      compared to baseline within the first hour in the liver, persisting at least 11
      weeks. CONCLUSIONS: A single ferumoxytol dose can affect measured SUV for at
      least 3 months, which should be taken into account when administrating
      ferumoxytol in patients needing sequential PET/MR scans. Advances in knowledge 1.
      Ferumoxytol aggregates, but not ferumoxytol alone, produce significant artifacts
      in MR-derived attenuation correction maps at approximate clinical dose levels of
      10 mg/kg. 2. When performing simultaneous whole-body (18)F-FDG PET/MR, a single
      dose of ferumoxytol can result in observed SUV decreases up to 53%, depending on
      the amount of ferumoxytol aggregates in the studied tissue. Implications for
      patient care Administration of a single, clinically relevant, dose of ferumoxytol
      can potentially result in changes in observed SUV for a prolonged period of time
      in the setting of simultaneous PET/MR. These potential changes should be
      considered in particular when administering ferumoxytol to patients with expected
      future PET/MR studies, as ferumoxytol-induced SUV changes might interfere with
      therapy assessment.

PMID- 26501809
TI  - Impact of injection dose, post-reconstruction filtering, and collimator choice on
      image quality of myocardial perfusion SPECT using cadmium-zinc telluride
      detectors in the rat.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate the impact of injection
      dose, post-reconstruction filtering, and collimator choice on image quality of
      myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using
      cadmium-zinc telluride (CZT) detectors and (2) to determine how these factors
      affect measured infarct size in the in vivo rat. METHODS: Twenty-four healthy and
      eight myocardial infarct (MI) rats underwent myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging
      after injection of various doses (25 to 200 MBq) of (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin using a
      standard (STD) five-pinhole collimator and high-sensitivity (HS) five-pinhole
      collimator. Image quality score, contrast-to-noise ratio, sharpness index,
      coefficient of variation (CV), and measured defect size were assessed as measures
      of image quality. RESULTS: The image quality score increased and CV decreased as
      a function of injection dose. The contrast-to-noise ratio increased and sharpness
      index decreased as a function of Gaussian kernel size. When STD and HS were
      compared, HS tended to show higher image quality score and lower CV than STD. The
      use of post-reconstruction filter significantly improved image quality score and
      lessened CV. The reproducibility of defect size measurements, as assessed by
      intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), between the collimators was poor-to
      moderate (ICC = -0.31~0.57) with low (25 MBq) injection dose and with no or light
      (1.5-mm kernel size) filtering, whereas it was good-to-excellent (ICC =
      0.75~0.97) with high (200 MBq) dose or low dose with heavy (2.5-mm kernel size)
      filtering. The filtering-related reproducibility was poor (ICC = -0.18~0.17) for
      STD with low injection dose, whereas it was good-to-excellent (ICC = 0.79~0.89)
      for HS. Furthermore, there was a filtering-related underestimation of defect size
      particularly with the use of heavy smoothing. CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate imaging
      setting is important to obtain high quality images and thereby reliable
      measurements using a preclinical myocardial SPECT in the rat. When only a low
      injection dose (25 MBq) is allowed, we would recommend to use HS with light (1.5
      mm kernel size) filtering.

PMID- 26501810
TI  - Dental artifacts in the head and neck region: implications for Dixon-based
      attenuation correction in PET/MR.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the absence of CT or traditional transmission sources in combined
      clinical positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) systems, MR
      images are used for MR-based attenuation correction (MR-AC). The susceptibility
      effects due to metal implants challenge MR-AC in the neck region of patients with
      dental implants. The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency and
      magnitude of subsequent PET image distortions following MR-AC. METHODS: A total
      of 148 PET/MR patients with clear visual signal voids on the attenuation map in
      the dental region were included in this study. Patients were injected with
      [(18)F]-FDG, [(11)C]-PiB, [(18)F]-FET, or [(64)Cu]-DOTATATE. The PET/MR data were
      acquired over a single-bed position of 25.8 cm covering the head and neck. MR-AC
      was based on either standard MR-ACDIXON or MR-ACINPAINTED where the
      susceptibility-induced signal voids were substituted with soft tissue
      information. Our inpainting algorithm delineates the outer contour of signal
      voids breaching the anatomical volume using the non-attenuation-corrected PET
      image and classifies the inner air regions based on an aligned template of likely
      dental artifact areas. The reconstructed PET images were evaluated visually and
      quantitatively using regions of interests in reference regions. The volume of the
      artifacts and the computed relative differences in mean and max standardized
      uptake value (SUV) between the two PET images are reported. RESULTS: The MR-based
      volume of the susceptibility-induced signal voids on the MR-AC attenuation maps
      was between 1.6 and 520.8 mL. The corresponding/resulting bias of the
      reconstructed tracer distribution was localized mainly in the area of the signal
      void. The mean and maximum SUVs averaged across all patients increased after
      inpainting by 52% (+/- 11%) and 28% (+/- 11%), respectively, in the corrected
      region. SUV underestimation decreased with the distance to the signal void and
      correlated with the volume of the susceptibility artifact on the MR-AC
      attenuation map. CONCLUSIONS: Metallic dental work may cause severe MR signal
      voids. The resulting PET/MR artifacts may exceed the actual volume of the dental
      fillings. The subsequent bias in PET is severe in regions in and near the signal
      voids and may affect the conspicuity of lesions in the mandibular region.

PMID- 26501811
TI  - PET image segmentation using a Gaussian mixture model and Markov random fields.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Classification algorithms for positron emission tomography (PET)
      images support computational treatment planning in radiotherapy. Common clinical
      practice is based on manual delineation and fixed or iterative threshold methods,
      the latter of which requires regression curves dependent on many parameters.
      METHODS: An improved statistical approach using a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) is
      proposed to obtain initial estimates of a target volume, followed by a correction
      step based on a Markov random field (MRF) and a Gibbs distribution to account for
      dependencies among neighboring voxels. In order to evaluate the proposed
      algorithm, phantom measurements of spherical and non-spherical objects with the
      smallest diameter being 8 mm were performed at signal-to-background ratios (SBRs)
      between 2.06 and 9.39. Additionally (68)Ga-PET data from patients with lesions in
      the liver and lymph nodes were evaluated. RESULTS: The proposed algorithm
      produces stable results for different reconstruction algorithms and different
      lesion shapes. Furthermore, it outperforms all threshold methods regarding
      detection rate, determines the spheres' volumes more accurately than fixed
      threshold methods, and produces similar values as iterative thresholding. In a
      comparison with other statistical approaches, the algorithm performs equally well
      for larger volumes and even shows improvements for small volumes and SBRs. The
      comparison with experts' manual delineations on the clinical data shows the same
      qualitative behavior as for the phantom measurements. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion,
      a generic probabilistic approach that does not require data measured beforehand
      is presented whose performance, robustness, and swiftness make it a feasible
      choice for PET segmentation.

PMID- 26501812
TI  - Increased absorbed liver dose in Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT)
      correlates with increased sphere-cluster frequency and absorbed dose
      inhomogeneity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The higher tolerated mean absorbed dose for selective internal
      radiation therapy (SIRT) with intra-arterially infused (90)Y microspheres
      compared to external beam therapy is speculated to be caused by absorbed dose
      inhomogeneity, which allows for liver regeneration. However, the complex liver
      microanatomy and rheology makes modelling less valuable if the tolerance doses
      are not based on the actual microsphere distribution. The present study
      demonstrates the sphere distribution and small-scale absorbed dose inhomogeneity
      and its correlation with the mean absorbed dose in liver tissue resected after
      SIRT. METHODS: A patient with marginally resectable cholangiocarcinoma underwent
      SIRT 9 days prior to resection including adjacent normal liver tissue. The
      resected specimen was formalin-fixed and sliced into 1 to 2-mm sections. Forty
      one normal liver biopsies 6-8 mm in diameter were punched from these sections and
      the radioactivity measured. Sixteen biopsies were further processed for detailed
      analyses by consecutive serial sectioning of 15 30-MUm sections per biopsy,
      mounted and stained with haematoxylin-eosin. All sections were scrutinised for
      isolated or conglomerate spheres. Small-scale dose distributions were obtained by
      applying a (90)Y-dose point kernel to the microsphere distributions. RESULTS: A
      total of 3888 spheres were found in the 240 sections. Clusters were frequently
      found as strings in the arterioles and as conglomerates in small arteries, with
      the largest cluster comprising 453 spheres. An increased mean absorbed dose in
      the punch biopsies correlated with large clusters and a greater coefficient of
      variation. In simulations the absorbed dose was 5-1240 Gy; 90% were 10-97 Gy and
      45% were <30 Gy, the assumed tolerance in external beam therapy. CONCLUSIONS:
      Sphere clusters were located in both arterioles and small arteries and increased
      in size with increasing sphere concentration, resulting in increased absorbed
      dose inhomogeneity, which contradicts earlier modelling studies.

PMID- 26501813
TI  - Applicability of emission-based attenuation map for rapid CBF, OEF, and CMRO2
      measurements using gaseous (15)O-labeled compounds.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cerebral blood flow (CBF), oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), and
      cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) images have facilitated understanding
      of the pathophysiological basis of cerebrovascular disorders. Such parametric
      images can be rapidly, measured within around 15 min, using positron emission
      tomography (PET) with sequentially administered (15)O-labeled oxygen and water.
      For further shortening, one option is to eliminate the transmission scan by
      applying an emission-based attenuation correction. METHODS: The validity of the
      present method was tested by comparing parametric values with emission-based
      attenuation correction to those with transmission-based correction. This was
      applied to 27 subjects who were diagnosed with or without cerebrovascular
      disorders. All subjects received the rapid CBF/OEF/CMRO2 PET measurements. An
      emission-based attenuation map was generated by estimating the edge of the brain
      tissue contour on an obtained sinogram and by assuming the uniform tissue
      coefficient to be 0.1 cm(-1). Then images were reconstructed, and parametric
      images were computed. RESULTS: No difference was apparent between the emission-
      and transmission-based methods. Paired t-test showed no significant differences
      in CBF, OEF, or CMRO2 values between the emission- and transmission-based
      methods, except in the parietal and occipital and cerebellum and occipital
      regions, and the differences were less than 10%. The regression analysis showed a
      close correlation of r = 0.89 to 0.99. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed
      that the attenuation correction can be performed by the emission-based estimation
      method and clinical PET duration can be shortened for the CBF, OEF, and CMRO2 gas
      study.

PMID- 26501814
TI  - A novel phantom technique for evaluating the performance of PET auto-segmentation
      methods in delineating heterogeneous and irregular lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Positron Emission Tomography (PET)-based automatic segmentation (PET
      AS) methods can improve tumour delineation for radiotherapy treatment planning,
      particularly for Head and Neck (H&N) cancer. Thorough validation of PET-AS on
      relevant data is currently needed. Printed subresolution sandwich (SS) phantoms
      allow modelling heterogeneous and irregular tracer uptake, while providing
      reference uptake data. This work aimed to demonstrate the usefulness of the
      printed SS phantom technique in recreating complex realistic H&N radiotracer
      uptake for evaluating several PET-AS methods. METHODS: Ten SS phantoms were built
      from printouts representing 2mm-spaced slices of modelled H&N uptake, printed
      using black ink mixed with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose, and stacked between 2mm thick
      plastic sheets. Spherical lesions were modelled for two contrasted uptake levels,
      and irregular and spheroidal tumours were modelled for homogeneous, and
      heterogeneous uptake including necrotic patterns. The PET scans acquired were
      segmented with ten custom PET-AS methods: adaptive iterative thresholding (AT),
      region growing, clustering applied to 2 to 8 clusters, and watershed transform
      based segmentation. The difference between the resulting contours and the ground
      truth from the image template was evaluated using the Dice Similarity Coefficient
      (DSC), Sensitivity and Positive Predictive value. RESULTS: Realistic H&N images
      were obtained within 90 min of preparation. The sensitivity of binary PET-AS and
      clustering using small numbers of clusters dropped for highly heterogeneous
      spheres. The accuracy of PET-AS methods dropped between 4% and 68% for irregular
      lesions compared to spheres of the same volume. For each geometry and uptake
      modelled with the SS phantoms, we report the number of clusters resulting in
      optimal segmentation. Radioisotope distributions representing necrotic uptakes
      proved most challenging for most methods. Two PET-AS methods did not include the
      necrotic region in the segmented volume. CONCLUSIONS: Printed SS phantoms allowed
      identifying advantages and drawbacks of the different methods, determining the
      most robust PET-AS for the segmentation of heterogeneities and complex
      geometries, and quantifying differences across methods in the delineation of
      necrotic lesions. The printed SS phantom technique provides key advantages in the
      development and evaluation of PET segmentation methods and has a future in the
      field of radioisotope imaging.

PMID- 26501815
TI  - Motion correction in simultaneous PET/MR brain imaging using sparsely sampled MR
      navigators: a clinically feasible tool.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We present a study performing motion correction (MC) of PET using MR
      navigators sampled between other protocolled MR sequences during simultaneous
      PET/MR brain scanning with the purpose of evaluating its clinical feasibility and
      the potential improvement of image quality. FINDINGS: Twenty-nine human subjects
      had a 30-min [(11)C]-PiB PET scan with simultaneous MR including 3D navigators
      sampled at six time points, which were used to correct the PET image for rigid
      head motion. Five subjects with motion greater than 4 mm were reconstructed into
      six frames (one for each navigator) which were averaged to one image after MC.
      The average maximum motion magnitude observed was 3.9 +/- 2.4 mm (1 to 11 mm).
      Visual evaluation by a nuclear medicine physician of the five subjects' motion
      corrected rated three of the five images blurred before motion correction, while
      no images were rated blurred after. The image quality was scored on a scale of 1
      5, 5 being best. The score changed from an average of 3.4 before motion
      correction to 4.0 after. There was no correlation between maximum motion
      magnitude and rating. Quantitative SUVr scoring did not change markedly with
      motion correction. CONCLUSIONS: Sparsely sampled navigators can be used for
      characterization and correction of head motion. A slight, overall decrease in
      blurring and an increase in image quality with MC was found, but without impact
      on clinical interpretation. In future studies with noteworthy motion artifacts,
      our method is an important and simple-to-use tool to have available for motion
      correction.

PMID- 26501816
TI  - Impact of image-based motion correction on dopamine D3/D2 receptor occupancy
      comparison of groupwise and frame-by-frame registration approaches.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Image registration algorithms are frequently used to align the
      reconstructed brain PET frames to remove subject head motion. However, in
      occupancy studies, this is a challenging task where competitive binding of a drug
      can further reduce the available signal for registration. The purpose of this
      study is to evaluate two kinds of algorithms-a conventional frame-by-frame (FBF)
      registration and a recently introduced groupwise image registration (GIR), for
      motion correction of a dopamine D3/D2 receptor occupancy study. METHODS: The FBF
      method co-registers all the PET frames to a common reference based on normalised
      mutual information as the spatial similarity. The GIR method incorporates a
      pharmacokinetic model and conducts motion correction by maximising a likelihood
      function iteratively on tracer kinetics and subject motion. Data from eight
      healthy volunteers scanned with [11C]-(+)-PHNO pre- and post-administration of a
      range of doses of the D3 antagonist GSK618334 were used to compare the motion
      correction performance. RESULTS: The groupwise registration achieved improved
      motion correction results, both by visual inspection of the dynamic PET data and
      by the reduction of the variability in the outcome measures, and required no
      additional steps to exclude unsuccessfully realigned PET data for occupancy
      modelling as compared to frame-by-frame registration. Furthermore, for the
      groupwise method, the resultant binding potential estimates had reduced variation
      and bias for individual scans and improved half maximal effective concentration
      (EC50) estimates were obtained for the study as a whole. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results indicate that the groupwise registration approach can provide improved
      motion correction of dynamic brain PET data as compared to frame-by-frame
      registration approaches for receptor occupancy studies.

PMID- 26501817
TI  - Comparing voxel-based absorbed dosimetry methods in tumors, liver, lung, and at
      the liver-lung interface for (90)Y microsphere selective internal radiation
      therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To assess differences between four different voxel-based dosimetry
      methods (VBDM) for tumor, liver, and lung absorbed doses following (90)Y
      microsphere selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) based on (90)Y
      bremsstrahlung SPECT/CT, a secondary objective was to estimate the sensitivity of
      liver and lung absorbed doses due to differences in organ segmentation near the
      liver-lung interface. METHODS: Investigated VBDM were Monte Carlo (MC), soft
      tissue kernel with density correction (SKD), soft-tissue kernel (SK), and local
      deposition (LD). Seventeen SIRT cases were analyzed. Mean absorbed doses
      ([Formula: see text]) were calculated for tumor, non-tumoral liver (NL), and
      right lung (RL). Simulations with various SPECT spatial resolutions (FHWMs) and
      multiple lung shunt fractions (LSs) estimated the accuracy of VBDM at the liver
      lung interface. Sensitivity of patient RL and NL [Formula: see text] on
      segmentation near the interface was assessed by excluding portions near the
      interface. RESULTS: SKD, SK, and LD were within 5 % of MC for tumor and NL
      [Formula: see text]. LD and SKD overestimated RL [Formula: see text] compared to
      MC on average by 17 and 20 %, respectively; SK underestimated RL [Formula: see
      text] on average by -60 %. Simulations (20 mm FWHM, 20 % LS) showed that SKD, LD,
      and MC were within 10 % of the truth deep (>39 mm) in the lung; SK significantly
      underestimated the absorbed dose deep in the lung by approximately -70 %. All
      VBDM were within 10 % of truth deep (>12 mm) in the liver. Excluding 1, 2, and 3
      cm of RL near the interface changed the resulting RL [Formula: see text] by -22, 
      38, and -48 %, respectively, for all VBDM. An average change of -7 % in the NL
      [Formula: see text] was realized when excluding 3 cm of NL from the interface.
      [Formula: see text] was realized when excluding 3 cm of NL from the interface.
      CONCLUSIONS: SKD, SK, and LD are equivalent to MC for tumor and NL [Formula: see
      text]. SK underestimates RL [Formula: see text] relative to MC whereas LD and SKD
      overestimate. RL [Formula: see text] is strongly influenced by the liver-lung
      interface.

PMID- 26501818
TI  - Reliability and advantages of using non-uniform Chang's attenuation correction
      method using a CT-based attenuation coefficient map in (99m)Tc-GSA SPECT/CT
      hepatic imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Generally, attenuation correction is made by incorporating a linear
      attenuation coefficient, which is based on the attenuation coefficient map (mu
      map) created from a computed tomography scan, into the ordered subsets
      expectation maximization reconstruction method in non-uniform domains. A non
      uniform Chang's attenuation correction method that uses the mu-map created from a
      computed tomography image that was made after reconstruction has been performed
      is currently available. The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness
      of the non-uniform Chang's attenuation correction method in (99m)Tc-galactosyl
      human serum albumin diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid single photon emission
      computed tomography/computed tomography imaging. METHODS: Single photon emission
      computed tomography/computed tomography imaging was performed in phantoms with
      (99m)Tc water solutions and in a clinical study of 20 donors in living liver
      tissue transplantation. Attenuation correction was then performed in the
      reconstructed single photon emission computed tomography images with the non
      uniform Chang's method and ordered subsets-expectation maximization attenuation
      correction methods with triple energy window scatter correction. Root mean square
      error values were used for assessment of the image uniformity, and we evaluated
      the absolute radioactivity in liver parts in the phantoms and those in the donors
      who had a normal liver function. RESULTS: The values of root mean square error on
      the non-uniform Chang's attenuation correction images were lower than those on
      ordered subsets-expectation maximization attenuation correction images for both
      the phantoms and the 20 donors. The difference between the true and estimated
      radioactivity in the non-uniform Chang's attenuation correction method was
      smaller than that in the ordered subsets-expectation maximization attenuation
      correction methods in the phantom study. CONCLUSIONS: The non-uniform Chang's
      attenuation correction is considered to be superior to the ordered subsets
      expectation maximization attenuation correction in the assessment of absolute
      liver radioactivity and liver image uniformity on (99m)Tc-galactosyl human serum
      albumin diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid single photon emission computed
      tomography/computed tomography imaging.

PMID- 26501819
TI  - NEMA image quality phantom measurements and attenuation correction in integrated
      PET/MR hybrid imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In integrated PET/MR hybrid imaging the evaluation of PET performance
      characteristics according to the NEMA standard NU 2-2007 is challenging because
      of incomplete MR-based attenuation correction (AC) for phantom imaging. In this
      study, a strategy for CT-based AC of the NEMA image quality (IQ) phantom is
      assessed. The method is systematically evaluated in NEMA IQ phantom measurements
      on an integrated PET/MR system. METHODS: NEMA IQ measurements were performed on
      the integrated 3.0 Tesla PET/MR hybrid system (Biograph mMR, Siemens Healthcare).
      AC of the NEMA IQ phantom was realized by an MR-based and by a CT-based method.
      The suggested CT-based AC uses a template MU-map of the NEMA IQ phantom and a
      phantom holder for exact repositioning of the phantom on the systems patient
      table. The PET image quality parameters contrast recovery, background
      variability, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were determined and compared for
      both phantom AC methods. Reconstruction parameters of an iterative 3D OP-OSEM
      reconstruction were optimized for highest lesion SNR in NEMA IQ phantom imaging.
      RESULTS: Using a CT-based NEMA IQ phantom MU-map on the PET/MR system is
      straightforward and allowed performing accurate NEMA IQ measurements on the
      hybrid system. MR-based AC was determined to be insufficient for PET
      quantification in the tested NEMA IQ phantom because only photon attenuation
      caused by the MR-visible phantom filling but not the phantom housing is
      considered. Using the suggested CT-based AC, the highest SNR in this phantom
      experiment for small lesions (<= 13 mm) was obtained with 3 iterations, 21
      subsets and 4 mm Gaussian filtering. CONCLUSION: This study suggests CT-based AC
      for the NEMA IQ phantom when performing PET NEMA IQ measurements on an integrated
      PET/MR hybrid system. The superiority of CT-based AC for this phantom is
      demonstrated by comparison to measurements using MR-based AC. Furthermore,
      optimized PET image reconstruction parameters are provided for the highest lesion
      SNR in NEMA IQ phantom measurements.

PMID- 26501820
TI  - A method for comparing intra-tumoural radioactivity uptake heterogeneity in
      preclinical positron emission tomography studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-uniformity influences the interpretation of nuclear medicine
      based images and consequently their use in treatment planning and monitoring.
      However, no standardised method for evaluating and ranking heterogeneity exists.
      Here, we have developed a general algorithm that provides a ranking and a
      visualisation of the heterogeneity in small animal positron emission tomography
      (PET) images. METHODS: The code of the algorithm was written using the Matrix
      Laboratory software (MATLAB). Parameters known to influence the heterogeneity
      (distances between deviating peaks, gradients and size compensations) were
      incorporated into the algorithm. All data matrices were mathematically
      constructed in the same format with the aim of maintaining overview and control.
      Histograms visualising the spread and frequency of contributions to the
      heterogeneity were also generated. The construction of the algorithm was tested
      using mathematically generated matrices and by varying post-processing
      parameters. It was subsequently applied in comparisons of radiotracer uptake in
      preclinical images in human head and neck carcinoma and endothelial and ovarian
      carcinoma xenografts. RESULTS: Using the developed algorithm, entire tissue
      volumes could be assessed and gradients could be handled in an indirect manner.
      Similar-sized volumes could be compared without modifying the algorithm. Analyses
      of the distribution of different tracers gave results that were generally in
      accordance with single plane preclinical images, indicating that it could
      appropriately handle comparisons of targeting vs. non-targeting tracers and also
      for different target levels. Altering the reconstruction algorithm, pixel size,
      tumour ROI volumes and lower cut-off limits affected the calculated heterogeneity
      factors in expected directions but did not reverse conclusions about which tumour
      was more or less heterogeneous. CONCLUSIONS: The algorithm constructed is an
      objective and potentially user-friendly tool for one-to-one comparisons of
      heterogeneity in whole similar-sized tumour volumes in PET imaging.

PMID- 26501821
TI  - In vivo quantification of (177)Lu with planar whole-body and SPECT/CT gamma
      camera imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advances in gamma camera technology and the emergence of a number of
      new theranostic radiopharmaceutical pairings have re-awakened interest in in vivo
      quantification with single-photon-emitting radionuclides. We have implemented and
      validated methodology to provide quantitative imaging of (177)Lu for 2D whole
      body planar studies and for 3D tomographic imaging with single-photon emission
      computed tomography (SPECT)/CT. METHODS: Whole-body planar scans were performed
      on subjects to whom a known amount of [(177)Lu]-DOTA-octreotate had been
      administered for therapy. The total radioactivity estimated from the images was
      compared with the known amount of the radionuclide therapy administered. In
      separate studies, venous blood samples were withdrawn from subjects after
      administration of [(177)Lu]-DOTA-octreotate while a SPECT acquisition was in
      progress and the concentration of the radionuclide in the venous blood sample
      compared with that estimated from large blood pool structures in the SPECT
      reconstruction. The total radioactivity contained within an internal SPECT
      calibration standard was also assessed. RESULTS: In the whole-body planar scans
      (n = 28), the estimated total body radioactivity was accurate to within +4.6 +/-
      5.9 % (range -17.1 to +11.2 %) of the correct value. In the SPECT reconstructions
      (n = 12), the radioactivity concentration in the cardiac blood pool was accurate
      to within -4.0 +/- 7.8 % (range -16.1 to +7.5 %) of the true value and the
      internal standard measurements (n = 89) were within 2.0 +/- 8.5 % (range -16.3 to
      +24.2 %) of the known amount of radioactivity contained. CONCLUSIONS: In our
      hands, state-of-the-art hybrid SPECT/CT gamma cameras were able to provide
      accurate estimates of in vivo radioactivity to better than, on average, +/-10 %
      for use in biodistribution and radionuclide dosimetry calculations.

PMID- 26501822
TI  - Correcting for respiratory motion in liver PET/MRI: preliminary evaluation of the
      utility of bellows and navigated hepatobiliary phase imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of bellows
      based respiratory compensation and navigated hepatobiliary phase imaging to
      correct for respiratory motion in the setting of dedicated liver PET/MRI.
      METHODS: Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained.
      Six patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumor were imaged using Ga-68 DOTA
      TOC PET/MRI. Whole body imaging and a dedicated 15-min liver PET acquisition was
      performed, in addition to navigated and breath-held hepatobiliary phase (HBP)
      MRI. Liver PET data was reconstructed three ways: the entire data set (liver
      PET), gated using respiratory bellows (RC-liver PET), and a non-gated data set
      reconstructed using the same amount of data used in the RC-liver PET (shortened
      liver PET). Liver lesions were evaluated using SUVmax, SUVpeak, SUVmean, and
      Volisocontour. Additionally, the displacement of each lesion between the RC-liver
      PET images and the navigated and breath-held HBP images was calculated. RESULTS:
      Respiratory compensation resulted in a 43 % increase in SUVs compared to ungated
      data (liver vs RC-liver PET SUVmax 26.0 vs 37.3, p < 0.001) and a 25 % increase
      compared to a non-gated reconstruction using the same amount of data (RC-liver vs
      shortened liver PET SUVmax 26.0 vs 32.6, p < 0.001). Lesion displacement was
      minimized using navigated HBP MRI (1.3 +/- 1.0 mm) compared to breath-held HBP
      MRI (23.3 +/- 1.0 mm). CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory bellows can provide accurate
      respiratory compensation when imaging liver lesions using PET/MRI, and results in
      increased SUVs due to a combination of increased image noise and reduced
      respiratory blurring. Additionally, navigated HBP MRI accurately aligns with
      respiratory compensated PET data.

PMID- 26501823
TI  - Erratum to: Effective dose to adult patients from 338 radiopharmaceuticals
      estimated using ICRP biokinetic data, ICRP/ICRU computational reference phantoms
      and ICRP 2007 tissue weighting factors.

PMID- 26501824
TI  - Erratum to: Motion correction in simultaneous PET/MR brain imaging using sparsely
      sampled MR navigators: a clinically feasible tool.

PMID- 26501825
TI  - Method dependence, observer variability and kidney volumes in radiation dosimetry
      of (177)Lu-DOTATATE therapy in patients with neuroendocrine tumours.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Radionuclide therapy can be individualized by performing dosimetry.
      To determine absorbed organ doses in (177)Lu-DOTATATE therapy, three methods
      based on activity concentrations are currently in use: the small volume of
      interest (sVOI) method, and two methods based on large VOIs either on anatomical
      CT (aVOI) or on thresholds on functional images (tVOI). The main aim of the
      present work was to validate the sVOI in comparison to the other two methods
      regarding agreement and time efficiency. Secondary aims were to investigate inter
      observer variability for the sVOI and the change of functional organ volumes
      following therapy. METHODS: Thirty patients diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumours
      undergoing therapy with (177)Lu-DOTATATE were included. Each patient underwent
      three SPECT/CT scans at 1, 4 and 7 days after the treatment. Three independent
      observers calculated absorbed doses to the right and left kidney and the spleen
      using sVOI and one observer used aVOI. For tVOI, the absorbed doses were
      calculated based on automatically drawn isocontours around the organs at
      different thresholds (42, 50, 60 and 70 %). The inter-observer difference between
      the calculated absorbed doses for sVOI was calculated, and the differences
      between the three methods were computed. Ratios of organ volumes acquired at days
      1, 4 and 7 versus the volume at day 1 were calculated for the tVOI method.
      RESULTS: The differences in results of the absorbed dose calculations using all
      the sVOI and tVOI were small (<5 %). Absorbed dose calculations using aVOI
      differed slightly more from these results but were still below 10 %. The
      differences between the three dose calculation methods varied between <5 and 10
      %. The organ volumes derived from the tVOI were independent of time for the
      spleen while they decreased with time for the kidneys. The fastest analysis was
      performed with the sVOI method. CONCLUSIONS: All three dose calculation methods
      rendered comparable results with small inter-observer differences for sVOI.
      Unlike the spleen, the functional volume of the kidneys decreased over time
      during therapy, which suggests that the absorbed dose calculation for the kidneys
      on activity concentrations should be performed for each time point. The sVOI is
      the preferred method for calculating absorbed doses in solid organs.

PMID- 26501826
TI  - Automatic extraction of forward stroke volume using dynamic PET/CT: a dual-tracer
      and dual-scanner validation in patients with heart valve disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to develop and validate an automated method
      for extracting forward stroke volume (FSV) using indicator dilution theory
      directly from dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) studies for two
      different tracers and scanners. METHODS: 35 subjects underwent a dynamic (11)C
      acetate PET scan on a Siemens Biograph TruePoint-64 PET/CT (scanner I). In
      addition, 10 subjects underwent both dynamic (15)O-water PET and (11)C-acetate
      PET scans on a GE Discovery-ST PET/CT (scanner II). The left ventricular (LV)
      aortic time-activity curve (TAC) was extracted automatically from PET data using
      cluster analysis. The first-pass peak was isolated by automatic extrapolation of
      the downslope of the TAC. FSV was calculated as the injected dose divided by the
      product of heart rate and the area under the curve of the first-pass peak. Gold
      standard FSV was measured using phase-contrast cardiovascular magnetic resonance
      (CMR). RESULTS: FSVPET correlated highly with FSVCMR (r = 0.87, slope = 0.90 for
      scanner I, r = 0.87, slope = 1.65, and r = 0.85, slope = 1.69 for scanner II for
      (15)O-water and (11)C-acetate, respectively) although a systematic bias was
      observed for both scanners (p < 0.001 for all). FSV based on (11)C-acetate and
      (15)O-water correlated highly (r = 0.99, slope = 1.03) with no significant
      difference between FSV estimates (p = 0.14). CONCLUSIONS: FSV can be obtained
      automatically using dynamic PET/CT and cluster analysis. Results are almost
      identical for (11)C-acetate and (15)O-water. A scanner-dependent bias was
      observed, and a scanner calibration factor is required for multi-scanner studies.
      Generalization of the method to other tracers and scanners requires further
      validation.

PMID- 26501827
TI  - Performance evaluation of the Biograph mCT Flow PET/CT system according to the
      NEMA NU2-2012 standard.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the physical performance of a
      Biograph mCT Flow 64-4R PET/CT system (Siemens Healthcare, Germany) and to
      compare clinical image quality in step-and-shoot (SS) and continuous table motion
      (CTM) acquisitions. METHODS: The spatial resolution, sensitivity, count rate
      curves, and Image Quality (IQ) parameters following the National Electrical
      Manufactures Association (NEMA) NU2-2012 standard were evaluated. For resolution
      measurements, an (18)F point source inside a glass capillary tube was used.
      Sensitivity measurements were based on a 70-cm-long polyethylene tube, filled
      with 4.5 MBq of FDG. Scatter fraction and count rates were measured using a 70-cm
      long polyethylene cylinder with a diameter of 20 cm and a line source (1.04 GBq
      of FDG) inserted axially into the cylinder 4.5 cm off-centered. A NEMA IQ phantom
      containing six spheres (10- to 37-mm diameter) was used for the evaluation of the
      image quality. First, a single-bed scan was acquired (NEMA standard), followed by
      a two-bed scan (4 min each) of the IQ phantom with the image plane containing the
      spheres centered in the overlap region of the two bed positions. In addition, a
      scan of the same region in CTM mode was performed with a table speed of 0.6 mm/s.
      Furthermore, two patient scans were performed in CTM and SS mode. Image contrasts
      and patient images were compared between SS and CTM acquisitions. RESULTS: Full
      Width Half Maximum (FWHM) of the spatial resolution ranged from 4.3 to 7.8 mm
      (radial distance 1 to 20 cm). The measured sensitivity was 9.6 kcps/MBq, both at
      the center of the FOV and 10 cm off-center. The measured noise equivalent count
      rate (NECR) peak was 185 kcps at 29.0 kBq/ml. The scatter fraction was 33.5 %.
      Image contrast recovery values (sphere-to-background of 8:1) were between 42 %
      (10-mm sphere) to 79 % (37-mm sphere). The background variability was between 2.1
      and 5.3 % (SS) and between 2.4 and 6.9 % (CTM). No significant difference in
      image quality was observed between SS and CTM mode. CONCLUSIONS: The spatial
      resolution, sensitivity, scatter fraction, and count rates were in concordance
      with the published values for the predecessor system, the Biograph mCT. Contrast
      recovery values as well as image quality obtained in SS and CTM acquisition modes
      were similar.

PMID- 26501828
TI  - Treatment for Macular Telangiectasia Type 2.
AB  - Macular telangiectasia (MacTel) type 2 is a bilateral disease of unknown cause
      with localized retinal degeneration and characteristic changes of the retinal
      vasculature. Funduscopic findings include reduced retinal transparency,
      crystalline deposits, ectatic capillaries, blunted venules, retinal pigment
      plaques, foveal atrophy and neovascular complexes. Leakage of telangiectatic
      macular capillaries is a characteristic finding on fluorescein angiography, and
      neurosensory atrophy may be present on optical coherence tomography images.
      Furthermore, there is a specific depletion of macular pigment in the central
      retina. Depending on the development of neovascular membranes, a nonproliferative
      and a proliferative (neovascular) disease stage may be distinguished. To date,
      there is no evidence for an effective treatment of nonproliferative MacTel type
      2. Patients with proliferative MacTel type 2 and hence decreasing visual function
      may benefit from intravitreal application of vascular endothelial growth factor
      inhibitors. Early treatment and a small size of the neovascular membrane might be
      predictive factors for visual function outcome.

PMID- 26501829
TI  - The medial prefrontal cortex-lateral entorhinal cortex circuit is essential for
      episodic-like memory and associative object-recognition.
AB  - The prefrontal cortex directly projects to the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC),
      an important substrate for engaging item-associated information and relaying the
      information to the hippocampus. Here we ask to what extent the communication
      between the prefrontal cortex and LEC is critically involved in the processing of
      episodic-like memory. We applied a disconnection procedure to test whether the
      interaction between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and LEC is essential for
      the expression of recognition memory. It was found that male rats that received
      unilateral NMDA lesions of the mPFC and LEC in the same hemisphere, exhibited
      intact episodic-like (what-where-when) and object-recognition memories. When
      these lesions were placed in the opposite hemispheres (disconnection), episodic
      like and associative memories for object identity, location and context were
      impaired. However, the disconnection did not impair the components of episodic
      memory, namely memory for novel object (what), object place (where) and temporal
      order (when), per se. Thus, the present findings suggest that the mPFC and LEC
      are a critical part of a neural circuit that underlies episodic-like and
      associative object-recognition memory.

PMID- 26501830
TI  - Short Sitting Height and Low Relative Sitting Height Are Associated with Severe
      Cognitive Impairment among Older Women in an Urban Community in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anthropometric indexes are powerful indicators of the environment and
      the plasticity of the human body. This study aimed at exploring the
      anthropometric indexes that are associated with late-life cognition impairment
      among the elderly Chinese in the Shanghai Aging Study. METHODS: The height,
      weight, and sitting height of 3,741 participants were measured. Participants were
      diagnosed with 'dementia', 'mild cognitive impairment', or 'cognitive normal' by
      neurologists using DSM-IV and Petersen criteria. Logistic regression was used to
      evaluate the association between height, sitting height, leg length or relative
      sitting height and cognitive function. RESULTS: Participants with dementia had
      the shortest body height (mean 157.2 cm, SD 9.1), the shortest sitting height
      (mean 81.8 cm, SD 5.6), and the lowest relative sitting height (mean 52.0 cm, SD
      1.9). After adjustment for age, gender, education, lifestyles, medical history,
      apolipoprotein genotype and weight, shorter sitting height (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01
      1.16 per cm), longer leg length (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.88-0.99 per cm), and lower
      relative sitting height (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.04-1.31 per 1%) were found to be
      significantly associated with dementia in older women. CONCLUSIONS: The potential
      risks for late-life severe cognitive impairment may be related to health problems
      in childhood and slow growth during puberty in women.

PMID- 26501831
TI  - The Effect of Systemic Magnesium on Postsurgical Pain in Children Undergoing
      Tonsillectomies: A Double-Blinded, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tonsillectomy is a frequently performed surgical procedure in
      children; however, few multimodal analgesic strategies have been shown to improve
      postsurgical pain in this patient population. Systemic magnesium infusions have
      been shown to reliably improve postoperative pain in adults, but their effects in
      pediatric surgical patients remain to be determined. In the current
      investigation, our main objective was to evaluate the use of systemic magnesium
      to improve postoperative pain in pediatric patients undergoing tonsillectomy. We
      hypothesized that children who received systemic magnesium infusions would have
      less post-tonsillectomy pain than the children who received saline infusions.
      METHODS: The study was a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, clinical trial.
      Subjects were randomly assigned using a computer-generated table of random
      numbers to 1 of the 2 intervention groups: systemic magnesium infusion (initial
      loading dose 30 mg/kg given over 15 minutes followed by a continuous magnesium
      infusion 10 mg/kg/h) and the same volume of saline. The primary outcome was pain
      scores in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) measured by FLACC (Face, Legs,
      Activity, Cry, Consolability) pain scores. Pain reduction was measured by the
      decrement in the area under the pain scale versus 90-minute postoperative time
      curve using the trapezoidal method. Secondary outcomes included opioid
      consumption in the PACU, emergence delirium scores (measured by the pediatric
      anesthesia emergence delirium scale), and parent satisfaction. RESULTS: Sixty
      subjects were randomly assigned and 60 completed the study. The area under pain
      scores (up to 90 minutes) was not different between the study groups, median
      (interquartile range [IQR]) of 30 (0-120) score * min and 45 (0-135) score * min
      for the magnesium and control groups, respectively (P = 0.74). Similarly, there
      was no clinically significant difference in the morphine consumption in the PACU
      between the magnesium group, median (IQR) of 2.0 (0-4.44) mg IV morphine,
      compared with the control, median (IQR) of 2.5 (0-4.99) mg IV morphine (P =
      0.25). The serum level of magnesium was significantly lower in the control group
      than in the treatment group at the end of the surgery (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Despite a large number of studies demonstrating the efficacy of systemic
      magnesium for preventing postsurgical pain in adults, we could not find evidence
      for a significant clinical benefit of systemic magnesium infusion in children
      undergoing tonsillectomies. Our findings reiterate the importance of validating
      multimodal analgesic strategies in children that have been demonstrated to be
      effective in the adult population.

PMID- 26501832
TI  - Conductance Quantization in Resistive Random Access Memory.
AB  - The intrinsic scaling-down ability, simple metal-insulator-metal (MIM) sandwich
      structure, excellent performances, and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor
      (CMOS) technology-compatible fabrication processes make resistive random access
      memory (RRAM) one of the most promising candidates for the next-generation
      memory. The RRAM device also exhibits rich electrical, thermal, magnetic, and
      optical effects, in close correlation with the abundant resistive switching (RS)
      materials, metal-oxide interface, and multiple RS mechanisms including the
      formation/rupture of nanoscale to atomic-sized conductive filament (CF)
      incorporated in RS layer. Conductance quantization effect has been observed in
      the atomic-sized CF in RRAM, which provides a good opportunity to deeply
      investigate the RS mechanism in mesoscopic dimension. In this review paper, the
      operating principles of RRAM are introduced first, followed by the summarization
      of the basic conductance quantization phenomenon in RRAM and the related RS
      mechanisms, device structures, and material system. Then, we discuss the theory
      and modeling of quantum transport in RRAM. Finally, we present the opportunities
      and challenges in quantized RRAM devices and our views on the future prospects. 

PMID- 26501833
TI  - In Situ SR-XPS Observation of Ni-Assisted Low-Temperature Formation of Epitaxial
      Graphene on 3C-SiC/Si.
AB  - Low-temperature (~1073 K) formation of graphene was performed on Si substrates by
      using an ultrathin (2 nm) Ni layer deposited on a 3C-SiC thin film
      heteroepitaxially grown on a Si substrate. Angle-resolved, synchrotron-radiation
      X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (SR-XPS) results show that the stacking order
      is, from the surface to the bulk, Ni carbides(Ni3C/NiCx)/graphene/Ni/Ni silicides
      (Ni2Si/NiSi)/3C-SiC/Si. In situ SR-XPS during the graphitization annealing
      clarified that graphene is formed during the cooling stage. We conclude that Ni
      silicide and Ni carbide formation play an essential role in the formation of
      graphene. 

PMID- 26501834
TI  - Effect of Intrinsic Ripples on Elasticity of the Graphene Monolayer.
AB  - The effect of intrinsic ripples on the mechanical response of the graphene
      monolayer is investigated under uniaxial loading using molecular dynamics (MD)
      simulations with a focus on nonlinear behavior at a small strain. The calculated
      stress-strain response shows a nonlinear relation through the entire range
      without constant slopes as a result of the competition between ripple softening
      and bond stretching hardening. For a small strain, entropic contribution is
      dominant due to intrinsic ripples, leading to elasticity softening. As the
      ripples flatten at increasing strain, the energetic term due to C-C bonds
      stretching competes with the entropic contribution, followed by energetic
      dominant deformation. Elasticity softening is enhanced at increased temperature
      as the ripple amplitude increases. The study shows that the intrinsic ripple of
      graphene affects elasticity. This result suggests that a change of ripple
      amplitudes due to various environmental conditions such as temperature, and
      substrate interactions can lead to a change of the mechanical properties of
      graphene. The understanding of the rippling effect on the mechanical behavior of
      2D materials is useful for strain-based ripple manipulation for their engineering
      applications. 

PMID- 26501835
TI  - Ontogenetic Change in the Regional Distribution of Dehydroepiandrosterone
      Synthesizing Enzyme and the Glucocorticoid Receptor in the Brain of the Spiny
      Mouse (Acomys cahirinus).
AB  - The androgen dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has trophic and anti-glucocorticoid
      actions on brain growth. The adrenal gland of the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus)
      synthesizes DHEA. The aim of this study was to determine whether the brain of
      this precocial species is also able to produce DHEA de novo during fetal,
      neonatal and adult life. The expression of P450c17 and cytochrome b5 (Cytb5), the
      enzyme and accessory protein responsible for the synthesis of DHEA, was
      determined in fetal, neonatal and adult brains by immunocytochemistry, and
      P450c17 bioactivity was determined by the conversion of pregnenolone to DHEA.
      Homogenates of fetal brain produced significantly more DHEA after 48 h in culture
      (22.46 +/- 2.0 ng/mg tissue) than adult brain homogenates (5.04 +/- 2.0 ng/mg
      tissue; p < 0.0001). P450c17 and Cytb5 were co-expressed in fetal neurons but
      predominantly in oligodendrocytes and white matter tracts in the adult brain.
      Because DHEA modulates glucocorticoids actions, the expression of the
      glucocorticoid receptor (GR) was also determined. In the brainstem, medulla,
      midbrain, and cerebellum, the predominant GR localization changed from neurons in
      the fetal brain to oligodendrocytes and white matter tracts in the adult brain.
      The change of expression of P450c17, Cytb5 and GR proteins with cell type, brain
      region and developmental age indicates that DHEA is an endogenous neurosteroid in
      this species that may have important trophic and stress-modifying actions during
      both prenatal and postnatal life. 

PMID- 26501836
TI  - Adsorption Behavior of Cellulose and Its Derivatives toward Ag(I) in Aqueous
      Medium: An AFM, Spectroscopic, and DFT Study.
AB  - The aim of this study was to develop a fundamental understanding of the
      adsorption behavior of metal ions on cellulose surfaces using experimental
      techniques supported by computational modeling, taking Ag(I) as an example. Force
      interactions among three types of cellulose microspheres (native cellulose and
      its derivatives with sulfate and phosphate groups) and the silica surface in
      AgNO3 solution were studied with atomic force microscopy (AFM) using the
      colloidal probe technique. The adhesion force between phosphate cellulose
      microspheres (PCM) and the silica surface in the aqueous AgNO3 medium increased
      significantly with increasing pH while the adhesion force slightly decreased for
      sulfate cellulose microspheres (SCM), and no clear adhesion force was observed
      for native cellulose microspheres (CM). The stronger adhesion enhancement for the
      PCM system is mainly attributed to the electrostatic attraction between Ag(I) and
      the negative silica surface. The observed force trends were in good agreement
      with the measured zeta potentials. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray
      photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier
      transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analyses confirmed the presence of
      silver on the surface of cellulose microspheres after adsorption. This study
      showed that PCM with a high content of phosphate groups exhibited a larger amount
      of adsorbed Ag(I) than CM and SCM and possible clustering of Ag(I) to
      nanoparticles. The presence of the phosphate group and a wavenumber shift of the
      P-OH vibration caused by the adsorption of silver ions on the phosphate groups
      were further confirmed with computational studies using density functional theory
      (DFT), which gives support to the above findings regarding the adsorption and
      clustering of Ag(I) on the cellulose surface decorated with phosphate groups as
      well as IR spectra. 

PMID- 26501837
TI  - IOM REPORT ON PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS: COMMENTARY FROM A DBT PERSPECTIVE.

PMID- 26501839
TI  - The impact of word prevalence on lexical decision times: Evidence from the Dutch
      Lexicon Project 2.
AB  - Keuleers, Stevens, Mandera, and Brysbaert (2015) presented a new variable, word
      prevalence, defined as word knowledge in the population. Some words are known to
      more people than other. This is particularly true for low-frequency words (e.g.,
      screenshot vs. scourage). In the present study, we examined the impact of the
      measure by collecting lexical decision times for 30,000 Dutch word lemmas of
      various lengths (the Dutch Lexicon Project 2). Word prevalence had the second
      highest correlation with lexical decision times (after word frequency): Words
      known by everyone in the population were responded to 100 ms faster than words
      known to only half of the population, even after controlling for word frequency,
      word length, age of acquisition, similarity to other words, and concreteness.
      Because word prevalence has rather low correlations with the existing measures
      (including word frequency), the unique variance it contributes to lexical
      decision times is higher than that of the other variables. We consider the
      reasons why word prevalence has an impact on word processing times and we argue
      that it is likely to be the most important new variable protecting researchers
      against experimenter bias in selecting stimulus materials.

PMID- 26501838
TI  - Regulatory T-cell neutralization in mice during filariasis helps in parasite
      clearance by enhancing T helper type 17-mediated pro-inflammatory response.
AB  - Lymphatic filariasis leads to profound impairment of parasite-specific T helper
      type 1 (Th1) and Th2 immune responses and significantly increases the expression
      of regulatory networks and regulatory effectors like transforming growth factor
      beta, CD25, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4, glucocorticoid-induced tumour
      necrosis factor receptor (GITR) and regulatory T (Treg) cells, which together
      play an important role in immunosuppression. While Treg cells suppress the
      activity of effector cells, monocyte dysfunction, characterized by an
      alternatively activated immunoregulatory phenotype, is one hypothesis that
      explains the lack of an antigen-specific T-cell response in infected individuals.
      In the present study, we administered neutralizing antibodies against the Treg
      cell-associated markers CD25 and GITR and observed its effects on filaria-induced
      immunosuppression. Our results show that administration of anti-CD25 and anti
      GITR in infected animals not only arrested the accumulation of Treg cells and
      reduced arginase activity, but also led to an increase in the percentages of Th17
      cells in the secondary lymphoid organs of mice. Elevated levels of interferon
      gamma and decreased levels of interleukin-10 were also noted in the culture
      supernatants of mouse splenocytes that were treated with neutralizing antibodies.
      Furthermore, treatment with neutralizing antibodies enhanced the expression of
      inducible nitric oxide synthase on host macrophages and CD40 on host dendritic
      cells with concomitant decreased expression of alternative activation markers
      Arg1, Ym1 and Fizz1, which together lead to reduced parasite burden in treated
      animals. In summary, administration of neutralizing antibodies helps in breaking
      the regulatory network in mice and limits parasite-induced immunosuppression at
      the earliest host-parasite interface. 

PMID- 26501840
TI  - The structure of distractor-response bindings: Conditions for configural and
      elemental integration.
AB  - Human action control is influenced by bindings between perceived stimuli and
      responses carried out in their presence. Notably, responses given to a target
      stimulus can also be integrated with additional response-irrelevant distractor
      stimuli that accompany the target (distractor-response binding). Subsequently
      reencountering such a distractor then retrieves the associated response. Although
      a large body of evidence supports the existence of this effect, the specific
      structure of distractor-response bindings is still unclear. Here, we test the
      predictions derived from 2 possible assumptions about the structure of bindings
      between distractors and responses. According to a configural approach, the entire
      distractor object is integrated with a response, and only upon repetition of the
      entire distractor object the associated response would be retrieved. According to
      an elemental approach, one would predict integration of individual distractor
      features with the response and retrieval due to the repetition of an individual
      distractor feature. Four experiments indicate that both, configural and elemental
      bindings exist and specify boundary conditions for each type of binding. These
      findings provide detailed insights into the architecture of bindings between
      response-irrelevant stimuli and actions and thus allow for specifying how
      distractor stimuli influence human behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record 

PMID- 26501841
TI  - Conductive polycrystalline diamond probes for local anodic oxidation lithography.
AB  - This is the first report characterizing local anodic oxidation (LAO) lithography
      performed using conductive monolithic polycrystalline diamond (MD) and conductive
      polycrystalline diamond-coated (DC) tips and comparing it to the diamond-like
      carbon-coated and metal-coated silicon tips. The range and the rate of increase
      in the lithographic linewidth and height with tip bias (dw/dV and dh/dV) differed
      based on the tip material. The DC tips resulted in wider and taller lines and a
      higher dw/dV and dh/dV compared to metal-coated tips with a similar force
      constant (k(Avg)). The metal-coated and the DC tips with comparable k(Avg) showed
      comparable threshold voltages, whereas the MD tips with similar k(Avg) showed a
      higher threshold voltage. The MD tips exhibited less than half the height and
      nearly half the dw/dV and dh/dV obtained with the metal-coated tips with similar
      k Avg, thus also resulting in a smaller width at -10 V. The linewidths were found
      to be proportional to the inverse of the log of write speed(v) for all the tips;
      however, the proportionality constant varied with tip material; the DC tips had
      larger values, and the MD and the metal-coated tips had comparable values. When
      varying the speed, the height was found to be a sigmoidal function of width, with
      the MD probes achieving lower height compared to the metal-coated and the DC tips
      with comparable k(Avg). This study expands the application of monolithic
      conductive polycrystalline diamond (PCD) probes with outstanding wear resistance
      to fine LAO lithography.

PMID- 26501842
TI  - Pupil Diameter Changes in High Myopes after Collamer Lens Implantation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To observe the changes in pupil size under photopic and scotopic
      conditions after Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) implantations in eyes with high
      myopia. METHODS: The ICL was implanted in 90 eyes belonging to 45 patients with
      high myopia. Photopic pupil diameters, scotopic pupil diameters, anterior chamber
      depths, and ICL vaults were examined at the preoperative, postoperative 1-month,
      and postoperative 3-month stages. The preoperative and postoperative photopic
      pupil diameters and scotopic pupil diameters were also compared with each other
      to note the differences between them. The correlations between preoperative and
      postoperative pupil diameter changes under different light conditions and
      presurgical refractive error were analyzed alongside patient's age and ICL vault.
      RESULTS: Pupil diameters at both postoperative 1-month and postoperative 3-month
      stages were smaller than those before operation in distinct light environments,
      as well as pupil constriction amplitude. Correlation analysis showed that there
      was a statistically significant correlation between pupil diameter changes under
      different light conditions and presurgical refractive error at 1 month and 3
      months after ICL implantation; pupil diameter decreased more when presurgical
      refractive error powers were less myopic. Statistically significant correlations
      were not found, however, with patient's age and ICL vault. Postoperative 1-month
      and mean postoperative 3-month anterior chamber depths were decreased when
      compared with preoperative anterior chamber depths. Statistically significant
      correlations were found in change in preoperative and postoperative anterior
      chamber depth and ICL vault. No statistically significant difference was found
      between ICL vault at the postoperative 1-month and postoperative 3-month stages.
      CONCLUSIONS: Pupil diameter may decrease at the 1- and 3-month stages after ICL
      implantation under both photopic and scotopic conditions. This indicates that
      reduction of pupil diameter may be caused by mechanical contact between the ICL
      and the posterior iris surface.

PMID- 26501843
TI  - Pituitary dysfunction following cranial radiotherapy for adult-onset nonpituitary
      brain tumours.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There are limited data concerning the evolution of radiation-induced
      hypopituitarism in adult-onset brain tumour (AO-BT) survivors, in part the
      consequence of the limited survival of many of these individuals. We aim to
      characterize the pituitary-related outcomes following cranial radiotherapy (cXRT)
      for adult-onset primary nonpituitary brain tumours. DESIGN: We retrospectively
      analysed longitudinal data of patients with AO-BT who received cXRT within a
      tertiary cancer referral centre. PATIENTS: A total of 107 adults (age 40.0 +/-
      13.1 years) followed for a median duration of 8 years following cXRT.
      MEASUREMENTS: Prevalence of radiotherapy-induced hypopituitarism. RESULTS: 94.4%
      received fractionated photon radiotherapy (median dose 54 Gy), while the
      remaining patients received proton beam or stereotactic radiotherapy. 88.8% of
      patients developed hypopituitarism during follow-up. The frequency of GH,
      gonadotrophin, ACTH and TSH deficiencies was 86.9% (severe GHD 64.5%, partial GHD
      22.4%), 34.6%, 23.4% and 11.2%, respectively. ACTH deficiency was clinically
      significant, necessitating glucocorticoid replacement, in only 10.3% of cases.
      Hyperprolactinaemia developed in 15% of patients, which was persistent in only
      50% of cases. Multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies were present in 47.7% of
      patients, encountered more frequently in patients with tumours in proximity to
      the sella. Longitudinal data analysis revealed accumulation of hormone deficits
      throughout the follow-up period, with incidence of all pituitary hormone
      deficiencies almost doubling between years 2 and 7 of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS:
      Pituitary dysfunction in AO-BT survivors following cXRT is a common, evolving,
      time-dependent phenomenon. It is important that deficits are identified early and
      replacement therapies introduced to optimize quality of life in these
      individuals, where prognosis is often guarded.

PMID- 26501845
TI  - The Development of English as a Second Language With and Without Specific
      Language Impairment: Clinical Implications.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this research forum article is to provide an overview of
      typical and atypical development of English as a second language (L2) and to
      present strategies for clinical assessment with English language learners (ELLs).
      METHOD: A review of studies examining the lexical, morphological, narrative, and
      verbal memory abilities of ELLs is organized around 3 topics: timeframe and
      characteristics of typical English L2 development, comparison of the English L2
      development of children with and without specific language impairment (SLI), and
      strategies for more effective assessment with ELLs. RESULTS: ELLs take longer
      than 3 years to converge on monolingual norms and approach monolingual norms
      asynchronously across linguistic subdomains. Individual variation is predicted by
      age, first language, language learning aptitude, length of exposure to English in
      school, maternal education, and richness of the English environment outside
      school. ELLs with SLI acquire English more slowly than ELLs with typical
      development; their morphological and nonword repetition abilities differentiate
      them the most. Use of strategies such as parent questionnaires on first language
      development and ELL norm referencing can result in accurate discrimination of
      ELLs with SLI. CONCLUSIONS: Variability in the language abilities of ELLs
      presents challenges for clinical practice. Increased knowledge of English
      language learning development with and without SLI together with evidence-based
      alternative assessment strategies can assist in overcoming these challenges.

PMID- 26501846
TI  - Progression in Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia: A Longitudinal Study.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: A gap in the literature exists regarding progression in behavioral
      variant frontotemporal dementia (BVFTD). Guidance is needed concerning markers
      that will enable clinicians to discriminate FTD more effectively from phenocopies
      and to identify factors that determine progression and thereby prognosis.
      OBJECTIVES: To observe longitudinal outcomes and progression in probable and
      possible BVFTD in accordance with international diagnostic criteria and to
      identify features that may aid clinicians to prognosticate better in cases of
      possible BVFTD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Longitudinal cohort study
      performed in a specialist tertiary FTD research clinic. Fifty-eight consecutive
      patients were followed up longitudinally from January 1, 2008, through December
      31, 2013, and classified as having possible, probable, or definite BVFTD at
      presentation and latest review. Final follow-up was completed on December 31,
      2013, and data were analyzed from January 1 to August 1, 2014. MAIN OUTCOMES AND
      MEASURES: Clinical, pathological, genetic, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging
      data were analyzed to categorize patients, to compare differences between groups
      with changed and unchanged diagnoses, to determine rates of progression in BVFTD,
      and to identify prognostic features in possible BVFTD. RESULTS: At presentation,
      38 of the 58 patients fulfilled criteria for probable BVFTD; of these, 36
      continued to satisfy probable criteria or underwent conversion to definite
      criteria over time. The remaining 20 patients satisfied possible criteria only,
      and 11 of these patients changed categories over time to probable or definite
      BVFTD and showed progression on cognitive and functional measures (termed changed
      status). Of these 11 patients, 8 (73%) carried the C9orf72 expansion. A positive
      family history, memory impairment, and clinical abnormalities at presentation
      were key features of progression (P < .05). A continuum of neuropsychological
      scores, progression rates, and atrophy severity emerged across patients in
      probable, possible, changed status, and nonchanged status groups; patients with
      probable BVFTD exhibited the most severe abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS AND
      RELEVANCE: Behavioral variant FTD shows variable progression over time.
      Clinicians can use a detailed neurologic and cognitive assessment to identify key
      predictive features of progression when faced with possible BVFTD, whereas a
      diagnosis of probable BVFTD is accurate in a clinical setting.

PMID- 26501844
TI  - Breast Tumor Prognostic Characteristics and Biennial vs Annual Mammography, Age,
      and Menopausal Status.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Screening mammography intervals remain under debate in the United
      States. OBJECTIVE: To compare the proportion of breast cancers with less vs more
      favorable prognostic characteristics in women screening annually vs biennially by
      age, menopausal status, and postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) use. DESIGN,
      SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a study of a prospective cohort from 1996 to
      2012 at Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium facilities. A total of 15,440 women
      ages 40 to 85 years with breast cancer diagnosed within 1 year of an annual or
      within 2 years of a biennial screening mammogram. EXPOSURES: We updated previous
      analyses by using narrower intervals for defining annual (11-14 months) and
      biennial (23-26 months) screening. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: We defined less
      favorable prognostic characteristics as tumors that were stage IIB or higher,
      size greater than 15 mm, positive nodes, and any 1 or more of these
      characteristics. We used log-binomial regression to model the proportion of
      breast cancers with less favorable characteristics following a biennial vs annual
      screen by 10-year age groups and by menopausal status and current postmenopausal
      HT use. RESULTS: Among 15,440 women with breast cancer, most were 50 years or
      older (13,182 [85.4%]), white (12,063 [78.1%]), and postmenopausal (9823
      [63.6%]). Among 2027 premenopausal women (13.1%), biennial screeners had higher
      proportions of tumors that were stage IIB or higher (relative risk [RR], 1.28
      [95% CI, 1.01-1.63]; P=.04), size greater than 15 mm (RR, 1.21 [95% CI, 1.07
      1.37]; P=.002), and with any less favorable prognostic characteristic (RR, 1.11
      [95% CI, 1.00-1.22]; P=.047) compared with annual screeners. Among women
      currently taking postmenopausal HT, biennial screeners tended to have tumors with
      less favorable prognostic characteristics compared with annual screeners;
      however, 95% CIs were wide, and differences were not statistically significant
      (for stage 2B+, RR, 1.14 [95% CI, 0.89-1.47], P=.29; size>15 mm, RR, 1.13 [95%
      CI, 0.98-1.31], P=.09; node positive, RR, 1.18 [95% CI, 0.98-1.42], P=.09; any
      less favorable characteristic, RR, 1.12 [95% CI, 1.00-1.25], P=.053). The
      proportions of tumors with less favorable prognostic characteristics were not
      significantly larger for biennial vs annual screeners among postmenopausal women
      not taking HT (eg, any characteristic: RR, 1.03 [95% CI, 0.95-1.12]; P=.45),
      postmenopausal HT users after subdividing by type of hormone use (eg, any
      characteristic: estrogen+progestogen users, RR, 1.16 [95% CI, 0.91-1.47]; P=.22;
      estrogen-only users, RR, 1.14 [95% CI, 0.94-1.37]; P=.18), or any 10-year age
      group (eg, any characteristic: ages 40-49 years, RR, .1.04 [95% CI, 0.94-1.14];
      P=.48; ages 50-59 years, RR, 1.03 [95% CI, 0.94-1.12]; P=.58; ages 60-69 years,
      RR, 1.07 [95% CI, 0.97-1.19]; P=.18; ages 70-85 years, RR, 1.05 [95% CI, 0.94
      1.18]; P=.35). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Premenopausal women diagnosed as having
      breast cancer following biennial vs annual screening mammography are more likely
      to have tumors with less favorable prognostic characteristics. Postmenopausal
      women not using HT who are diagnosed as having breast cancer following a biennial
      or annual screen have similar proportions of tumors with less favorable
      prognostic characteristics.

PMID- 26501847
TI  - Forced Migration: The Human Face of a Health Crisis.

PMID- 26501848
TI  - Perspectives on Cost and Value in Cancer Care.

PMID- 26501849
TI  - Evaluation of In-Use Stability of Anticoagulant Drug Products: Warfarin Sodium.
AB  - The objective of the study was to evaluate the stability of warfarin products
      during use by patients or caregivers. For evaluation, three commercial products
      manufactured by different processes were selected and placed at 30 degrees
      C/75%RH to simulate in use condition. Samples were withdrawn up to 12 weeks and
      analyzed for the physicochemical changes. Scanning electron microscopy
      demonstrated increasing holes and craters in the tablets over the timeframe. Near
      infrared chemical imaging and powder X-ray powder diffraction corroborated the
      change arising from conversion of crystalline to amorphous forms of the drug.
      Hardness and disintegration time of the tablets were found to increase
      progressively. With increasing time, moisture contents of the products were found
      to increase and consequent decrease in isopropyl alcohol content of the product.
      Dissolution of the tablets in media at pH 4.5 demonstrated discrimination between
      crystalline and amorphous drug products. Overall, percent drug dissolved in each
      product at 30 min was found to decrease with increasing exposure time.
      Dissolution of drug decreased from 54% to 38% and 82% to 54% for the two products
      while the third product maintained consistently high level of dissolution. These
      results suggest that the drug product quality attributes can change during use.

PMID- 26501850
TI  - Pilot study of patient perception of pharmacists as care providers based on
      health screening encounters with student pharmacists.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess how patient perceptions of the clinical role of pharmacists
      may be affected by use of the AIDET communication tool during student-led health
      fairs, as well as how such events can help promote pharmacy practice. SETTING: 12
      community health fair screenings throughout northeastern Minnesota and
      northwestern Wisconsin, from February to November 2012. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION:
      University of Minnesota-College of Pharmacy students trained in the use of AIDET
      employed the tool's techniques in their communication with health fair patient
      attendees. Project participants were those patients aged 18 years and older who
      successfully completed a health fair survey. PRACTICE INNOVATION: The AIDET
      communication tool is designed to provide consistency in patient encounters
      through the use of key words at key times. AIDET is a mnemonic acronym that
      stands for acknowledge, introduce, duration, explanation, and thank you.
      University of Minnesota-College of Pharmacy students are taught how to use the
      AIDET framework in classroom and laboratory settings prior to their interactions
      with patients at area health fairs. INTERVENTION: Health fair attendees were
      asked to complete a survey to determine their satisfaction level with student
      pharmacist-delivered pharmacy services. EVALUATION: 87 patients were surveyed,
      with a response rate of 22.5% and a completion rate of 91.6%. The average age of
      the patient population for the study cohort was 52 years, with greater than 50%
      being 65 years or older. Patient ages ranged from 24 to 89 years. RESULTS: When
      AIDET techniques were employed in a health fair setting, patients reported high
      levels of satisfaction with pharmacy services and said they felt "happy,
      comfortable, and trusting." CONCLUSION: The AIDET framework provides a consistent
      process for patient-centered care delivery because it places emphasis on patient
      needs and expectations. Use of the technique is capable of enhancing student and
      pharmacist engagement with patients.

PMID- 26501851
TI  - Urinary Biomarkers for Diagnosis of Bladder Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urinary biomarkers may be a useful alternative or adjunct to
      cystoscopy for diagnosis of bladder cancer. PURPOSE: To systematically review the
      evidence on the accuracy of urinary biomarkers for diagnosis of bladder cancer in
      adults who have signs or symptoms of the disease or are undergoing surveillance
      for recurrent disease. DATA SOURCES: Ovid MEDLINE (January 1990 through June
      2015), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of
      Systematic Reviews, and reference lists. STUDY SELECTION: 57 studies that
      evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of quantitative or qualitative nuclear matrix
      protein 22 (NMP22), qualitative or quantitative bladder tumor antigen (BTA),
      fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), fluorescent immunohistochemistry
      (ImmunoCyt [Scimedx]), and Cxbladder (Pacific Edge Diagnostics USA) using
      cystoscopy and histopathology as the reference standard met inclusion criteria.
      Case-control studies were excluded. DATA EXTRACTION: Dual extraction and quality
      assessment of individual studies. Overall strength of evidence (SOE) was also
      assessed. DATA SYNTHESIS: Across biomarkers, sensitivities ranged from 0.57 to
      0.82 and specificities ranged from 0.74 to 0.88. Positive likelihood ratios
      ranged from 2.52 to 5.53, and negative likelihood ratios ranged from 0.21 to 0.48
      (moderate SOE for quantitative NMP22, qualitative BTA, FISH, and ImmunoCyt; low
      SOE for others). For some biomarkers, sensitivity was higher for initial
      diagnosis of bladder cancer than for diagnosis of recurrence. Sensitivity
      increased with higher tumor stage or grade. Studies that directly compared the
      accuracy of quantitative NMP22 and qualitative BTA found no differences in
      diagnostic accuracy (moderate SOE); head-to-head studies of other biomarkers were
      limited. Urinary biomarkers plus cytologic evaluation were more sensitive than
      biomarkers alone but missed about 10% of bladder cancer cases. LIMITATION:
      Restricted to English-language studies; no search for studies published only as
      abstracts; statistical heterogeneity present in most analyses; few studies for
      qualitative NMP22, quantitative BTA, and Cxbladder; and methodological
      shortcomings in almost all studies. CONCLUSION: Urinary biomarkers miss a
      substantial proportion of patients with bladder cancer and are subject to false
      positive results in others. Accuracy is poor for low-stage and low-grade tumors.
      PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (PROSPERO
      registration number: CRD42014013284).

PMID- 26501852
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Corticosteroids for Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Corticosteroids are an option in the treatment of community-acquired
      pneumonia (CAP). However, the benefits and adverse effects of corticosteroids,
      especially in severe CAP, have not been well assessed. METHODS: PubMed, Embase,
      and Cochrane library databases from inception to May 2015 were searched.
      Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies that evaluated use of
      corticosteroids in adult patients with CAP were included. The quality of outcomes
      was evaluated using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and
      Evaluation methodology. The Mantel-Haenszel method with random-effects modeling
      was used to calculate pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs. RESULTS: Nine
      eligible RCTs (1,667 patients) and six cohort studies (4,095 patients) were
      identified. The mean corticosteroid dose and treatment duration were 30 mg/day
      methylprednisolone for 7 days. Corticosteroids did not have a statistically
      significant effect on mortality (RR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.43-1.21; evidence rank, low)
      in patients with CAP and patients with severe CAP (RCTs: RR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.43
      1.21; evidence rank, low; cohort studies: RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.86-1.17 ).
      Corticosteroids treatment was associated with a decreased risk of ARDS (RR, 0.21;
      95% CI, 0.08-0.59) and may reduce lengths of hospital and ICU stay, duration of
      IV antibiotic treatment, and time to clinical stability. Corticosteroids were not
      associated with increased rates of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term
      treatment with corticosteroids is safe and may reduce the risk of ARDS,
      shortening the length of the disease in patients with CAP.

PMID- 26501855
TI  - TIFA, an inflammatory signaling adaptor, is tumor suppressive for liver cancer.
AB  - TIFA (TNF receptor associated factor (TRAF)-interacting protein with a Forkhead
      associated (FHA) domain), also called T2BP, was first identified using a yeast
      two-hybrid screening. TIFA contains a FHA domain, which directly binds
      phosphothreonine and phosphoserine, and a consensus TRAF6-binding motif. TIFA
      mediated oligomerization and poly-ubiquitinylation of TRAF6 mediates signaling
      downstream of the Tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor 1 (TNFaR-I) and
      interleukin-1/Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathways. Examining TIFA expression in
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues microarrays, we noted marked decreases
      TIFA reactivity in tumor versus control samples. In agreement, we found that HCC
      cell lines show reduced TIFA expression levels versus normal liver controls.
      Reconstituting TIFA expression in HCC cell lines promoted two independent
      apoptosis signaling pathways: the induction of p53 and cell cycle arrest, and the
      activation of caspase-8 and caspase-3. In contrast, the expression of a non
      oligomerizing mutant of TIFA impacted cells minimally, and suppression of TIFA
      expression protected cells from apoptosis. Mice bearing TIFA overexpression
      hepatocellular xenografts develop smaller tumors versus TIFA mutant tumors;
      terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling staining
      demonstrates increased cell apoptosis, and decreased proliferation, reflecting
      cell cycle arrest. Interestingly, p53 has a greater role in decreased
      proliferation than cell death, as it appeared dispensable for TIFA-induced cell
      killing. The findings demonstrate a novel suppressive role of TIFA in HCC
      progression via promotion of cell death independent of p53. 

PMID- 26501863
TI  - Systemic Inflammatory Disease and Its Association With Type II Endoleak and Late
      Interventions After Endovascular Aneurysm Repair.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Abdominal aortic aneurysms are associated with chronic inflammation
      within the aortic wall, and previous studies have suggested that chronic
      inflammation may be a consequence of a dysregulated and persistent autoimmune
      response. Persistent aortic remodeling after aneurysm repair could place the
      patient at risk for endoleak or sac rupture. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether
      patients with systemic inflammatory disease and large aneurysms have persistent
      aortic remodeling after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: The records of all patients who underwent EVAR between July 2002
      and June 2011 at the Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System were included
      in this retrospective review. Patients were considered to have a systemic
      inflammatory disease when confirmed by a referring specialist. Post-EVAR
      surveillance was performed by yearly imaging. INTERVENTION: Endovascular aneurysm
      repair. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Significant endoleak, defined as endoleak and
      sac diameter increase of 0.5 cm or greater. RESULTS: A total of 51 of 79 patients
      (65%) had a systemic inflammatory disease. These patients had similar comorbid
      conditions compared with patients without inflammation but significantly greater
      numbers of major postoperative complications after EVAR (23.5% vs 3.6%; P = .02)
      and overall postoperative complications after EVAR (27.5% vs 7.1%; P = .03).
      Patients with a history of systemic inflammatory disease developed more endoleaks
      (45.1% vs 17.9%; P = .02) and late sac expansion (51.0% vs 21.4%; P = .01) and
      required more interventions (21.6% vs 3.6%; P = .03) during long-term follow-up.
      Systemic inflammatory disease was significantly associated with significant
      endoleak (odds ratio, 5.18; 95% CI, 1.56-17.16; P = .007). CONCLUSIONS AND
      RELEVANCE: Patients with systemic inflammatory disease are at high risk for
      postoperative complications, type II endoleak, sac expansion, and additional
      interventions after EVAR. Additional strategies for improving the efficacy of
      EVAR in these patients may be warranted.

PMID- 26501862
TI  - Effect of Telephone vs Video Interpretation on Parent Comprehension,
      Communication, and Utilization in the Pediatric Emergency Department: A
      Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Consistent professional interpretation improves communication with
      patients who have limited English proficiency. Remote modalities (telephone and
      video) have the potential for wide dissemination. OBJECTIVE: To test the effect
      of telephone vs. video interpretation on communication during pediatric emergency
      care. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Randomized trial of telephone vs. video
      interpretation at a free-standing, university-affiliated pediatric emergency
      department (ED). A convenience sample of 290 Spanish-speaking parents of
      pediatric ED patients with limited English proficiency were approached from
      February 24 through August 16, 2014, of whom 249 (85.9%) enrolled; of these, 208
      (83.5%) completed the follow-up survey (91 parents in the telephone arm and 117
      in the video arm). Groups did not differ significantly by consent or survey
      completion rate, ED factors (eg, ED crowding), child factors (eg, triage level,
      medical complexity), or parent factors (eg, birth country, income). Investigators
      were blinded to the interpretation modality during outcome ascertainment.
      Intention-to-treat data were analyzed August 25 to October 20, 2014.
      INTERVENTIONS: Telephone or video interpretation for the ED visit, randomized by
      day. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Parents were surveyed 1 to 7 days after the ED
      visit to assess communication and interpretation quality, frequency of lapses in
      interpreter use, and ability to name the child's diagnosis. Two blinded reviewers
      compared parent-reported and medical record-abstracted diagnoses and classified
      parent-reported diagnoses as correct, incorrect, or vague. RESULTS: Among 208
      parents who completed the survey, those in the video arm were more likely to name
      the child's diagnosis correctly than those in the telephone arm (85 of 114
      [74.6%] vs. 52 of 87 [59.8%]; P = .03) and less likely to report frequent lapses
      in interpreter use (2 of 117 [1.7%] vs. 7 of 91 [7.7%]; P = .04). No differences
      were found between the video and telephone arms in parent-reported quality of
      communication (101 of 116 [87.1%] vs. 74 of 89 [83.1%]; P = .43) or
      interpretation (58 of 116 [50.0%] vs. 42 of 89 [47.2%]; P = .69). Video
      interpretation was more costly (per-patient mean [SD] cost, $61 [$36] vs. $31
      [$20]; P < .001). Parent-reported adherence to the assigned modality was higher
      for the video arm (106 of 114 [93.0%] vs .68 of 86 [79.1%]; P = .004).
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Families with limited English proficiency who received
      video interpretation were more likely to correctly name the child's diagnosis and
      had fewer lapses in interpreter use. Use of video interpretation shows promise
      for improving communication and patient care in this population. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01986179.

PMID- 26501864
TI  - Air-Stable Black Phosphorus Devices for Ion Sensing.
AB  - Black phosphorus (BP) is one of the most attractive graphene analogues, and its
      properties make it a promising nanomaterial for chemical sensing. However, mono-
      and few-layer BP flakes are reported to chemically degrade rapidly upon exposure
      to ambient conditions. Therefore, little is known about the performance and
      sensing mechanism of intrinsic BP, and chemical sensing of intrinsic BP with
      acceptable air stability remains only theoretically explored. Here, we
      experimentally demonstrated the first air-stable high-performance BP sensor using
      ionophore coating. Ionophore-encapsulated BP demonstrated significantly improved
      air stability. Its performance and sensing mechanism for trace ion detection were
      systematically investigated. The BP sensors were able to realize multiplex ion
      detection with superb selectivity, and sensitive to Pb(2+) down to 1 ppb.
      Additionally, the time constant for ion adsorption extracted was only 5 s. The
      detection limit and response rate of BP were both superior to those of graphene
      based sensors. Moreover, heavy metal ions can be effectively detected over a wide
      range of concentration with BP conductance change following the Langmuir isotherm
      for molecules adsorption on surface. The simplicity of this ionophore-encapsulate
      approach provides a route for achieving air-stable intrinsic black phosphorus
      sensors that may stimulate further fundamental research and potential
      applications. 

PMID- 26501865
TI  - Antibiotics.
AB  - The Endophthalmitis Vitrectomy Study (EVS) provided ophthalmologists with
      evidence-based management strategies to deal with endophthalmitis for the first
      time. However, since the completion of the EVS, numerous unresolved issues
      remain. The use of oral antibiotics has important implications for the
      ophthalmologist, particularly in the prophylaxis and/or management of
      postoperative, posttraumatic, or bleb-associated bacterial endophthalmitis. One
      can reasonably conclude that significant intraocular penetration of an antibiotic
      after oral administration may be a property unique to the newer-generation
      fluoroquinolones. Prophylactic use of mupirocin nasal ointment resulted in
      significant reduction of conjunctival flora with or without preoperative topical
      5% povidone-iodine preparation. Ocular fungal infections have traditionally been
      very difficult to treat due to limited therapeutic options both systemically and
      intravitreally. Because of its broad spectrum of coverage, low MIC90 levels for
      the organisms of concern, good tolerability, and excellent bioavailability,
      voriconazole through various routes of administration may be useful to the
      ophthalmologist in the primary treatment of or as an adjunct to the current
      management of ocular fungal infections.

PMID- 26501866
TI  - Transcription factors related to chondrogenesis in pleomorphic adenoma of the
      salivary gland: a mechanism of mesenchymal tissue formation.
AB  - In salivary gland pleomorphic adenoma, expression of extracellular matrix (ECM)
      substances indicates that tumor epithelial cells are becoming chondrogenic and
      will produce cartilage-like mesenchymal tissues. Sox9, the master transcription
      factor of chondrogenesis, is expressed in mouse salivary gland cells. To clarify
      the mechanism behind chondrogenesis in tumor epithelial cells, we examined the
      expression of transcription factors related to chondrogenesis in tumors and
      salivary glands. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR),
      quantitative real-time RT-PCR, and immunostaining were performed on pleomorphic
      adenoma tissues, salivary gland tissues, and human submandibular gland (HSG)
      cells. The mRNAs of essential transcription factors for chondrogenesis-Sox9,
      Sox6, and Sox5-were detected in both tumor and salivary gland tissues. The mRNAs
      of aggrecan and type II collagen-cartilage-specific ECM substances-were detected
      only in tumors. Sox9 and Sox6 proteins were colocalized in many epithelial cells
      in tumors and salivary glands. Tumor epithelial cells also possessed aggrecan
      protein and occasionally type II collagen protein. Moreover, mRNAs for
      transcription repressors of chondrogenesis deltaEF1 and AP-2alpha were detected
      in both tumors and salivary glands, whereas Twist1 mRNA was detected only in
      salivary glands and was at significantly low-to-undetectable levels in tumors.
      Twist1 protein was localized in the Sox9-expressing salivary gland cells. HSG
      cells expressed Sox9, Sox6, and Twist1, but not aggrecan or type II collagen, and
      thus were similar to salivary gland cells. Twist1 depletion by Twist1 siRNA led
      to the upregulation of aggrecan and type II collagen mRNA expression in HSG
      cells. In contrast, forced expression of Twist1, using Twist1 cDNA, resulted in
      the downregulation of both these genes. Taken together, these results indicate
      that salivary gland cells have a potential for chondrogenesis, and Twist1
      depletion concomitant with neoplastic transformation, which would permit tumor
      epithelial cells to produce cartilage-like mesenchymal tissues in salivary gland
      pleomorphic adenoma. 

PMID- 26501867
TI  - IL-12 immunotherapy of Braf(V600E)-induced papillary thyroid cancer in a mouse
      model.
AB  - Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) accounts for >80% thyroid malignancies, and
      BRAF(V600E) mutation is frequently found in >40% PTC. Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a
      proinflammatory heterodimeric cytokine with strong antitumor activity. It is not
      known whether IL-12 immunotherapy is effective against Braf(V600E)-induced PTC.
      In the present study, we investigated the effectiveness of IL-12 immunotherapy
      against Braf(V600E)-induced PTC in LSL-Braf(V600E)/TPO-Cre mice. LSL
      Braf(V600E)/TPO-Cre mice were created for thyroid-specific expression of
      Braf(V600E) under the endogenous Braf promoter, and spontaneous PTC developed at
      about 5 weeks of age. The mice were subjected to two treatment regimens: (1)
      weekly intramuscular injection of 50 MUg plasmid DNA expressing a single-chain IL
      12 fusion protein (scIL-12/CMVpDNA), (2) daily intraperitoneal injection of mouse
      recombinant IL-12 protein (mrIL-12, 100 ng per day). The role of T cells, natural
      killer (NK) cells, and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in IL-12
      mediated antitumor effects was determined by a (51)Cr-release cytotoxicity assay.
      Tumor size and weight were significantly reduced by either weekly intramuscular
      injection of scIL-12/CMVpDNA or daily intraperitoneal injection of mrIL-12, and
      tumor became more localized. Survival was significantly increased when treatment
      started at 1 week of age as compared with that at the 6 weeks of age. Both NK and
      CD8(+) T cells were involved in the cytotoxicity against tumor cells and their
      antitumor activity was significantly reduced in tumor-bearing mice. TGF-beta also
      inhibited the antitumor activity of NK and CD8(+) T cells. The immune suppression
      was completely reversed by IL-12 treatment and partially recovered by anti-TGF
      beta antibody. We conclude that both IL-12 gene therapy and recombinant protein
      therapy are effective against PTC. Given that the immune response is
      significantly suppressed in tumor-bearing mice and can be restored by IL-12, the
      current study raises a possibility of the application of IL-12 as an adjuvant
      therapy for thyroid cancer. 

PMID- 26501869
TI  - Synthesis of the Carbocyclic Core of Massadine.
AB  - The carbocyclic core of massadine has been synthesized relying on a
      stereoselective formal [3 + 2] cycloaddition of lithiumtrimethylsilyldiazomethane
      with alpha,beta-unsaturated esters to form a Delta(2)-pyrazoline moiety followed
      by facile N-N bond cleavage. A unique feature of the current approach is the
      direct installation of the tertiary alpha-amino center and a beta-cyano group in
      a cis arrangement on the resulting cyclopentane framework via a previously
      developed formal aminocyanation protocol. 

PMID- 26501868
TI  - Selective IL-1alpha exposure to the fetal gut, lung, and chorioamnion/skin causes
      intestinal inflammatory and developmental changes in fetal sheep.
AB  - Chorioamnionitis, caused by intra-amniotic exposure to bacteria and their toxic
      components, is associated with fetal gut inflammation and mucosal injury. In a
      translational ovine model, we have shown that these adverse intestinal outcomes
      to chorioamnionitis were the combined result of local gut and pulmonary-driven
      systemic immune responses. Chorioamnionitis-induced gut inflammation and injury
      was largely prevented by inhibiting interleukin-1 (IL-1) signaling. Therefore, we
      investigated whether local (gut-derived) IL-1alpha signaling or systemic IL
      1alpha-driven immune responses (lung or chorioamnion/skin-derived) were
      sufficient for intestinal inflammation and mucosal injury in the course of
      chorioamnionitis. Fetal surgery was performed in sheep to isolate the lung,
      gastrointestinal tract, and chorioamnion/skin, and IL-1alpha or saline was given
      into the trachea, stomach, or amniotic cavity 1 or 6 days before preterm
      delivery. Selective IL-1alpha exposure to the lung, gut, or chorioamnion/skin
      increased the CD3+ cell numbers in the fetal gut. Direct IL-1alpha exposure to
      the gut impaired intestinal zonula occludens protein-1 expression, induced villus
      atrophy, changed the expression pattern of intestinal fatty acid-binding protein
      along the villus, and increased the CD68, IL-1, and TNF-alpha mRNA levels in the
      fetal ileum. With lung or chorioamnion/skin exposure to IL-1alpha, intestinal
      inflammation was associated with increased numbers of blood leukocytes without
      induction of intestinal injury or immaturity. We concluded that local IL-1alpha
      signaling was required for intestinal inflammation, disturbed gut maturation, and
      mucosal injury in the context of chorioamnionitis. 

PMID- 26501870
TI  - Dose-Dependent Early Life Stage Toxicities in Xenopus laevis Exposed In Ovo to
      Selenium.
AB  - Selenium (Se) is a developmental toxicant in oviparous vertebrates. The adverse
      reproductive effects of Se toxicity have been predominantly investigated in
      fishes and birds with only a few studies focusing on amphibians. The objective of
      this study was to determine tissue-based toxicity thresholds for early life stage
      Se toxicities in Xenopus laevis as a consequence of in ovo exposure through
      maternal transfer of dietary Se. Following a 68-day dietary exposure to food
      augmented with l-selenomethionine (SeMet) at measured concentrations of 0.7
      (control), 10.9, 30.4, or 94.2 MUg Se/g dry mass (d.m.), adult female X. laevis
      were bred with untreated males, and resulting embryos were incubated until 5 days
      postfertilization (dpf). The measured Se concentrations in eggs were 1.6, 10.8,
      28.1, and 81.7 MUg Se/g d.m., respectively. No biologically significant effects
      were observed on fertilization success, hatchability, or mortality in offspring.
      Frequency and severity of morphological abnormalities were significantly greater
      in 5 dpf tadpoles from the highest exposure group when compared to the control,
      with eye lens abnormalities being the most prominent of all abnormalities. The
      estimated EC10 value for frequency of total early life stage abnormalities was
      44.9 MUg Se/g egg d.m., which suggests that this amphibian species is less
      sensitive to in ovo Se exposure than most of the fish species studied to date. 

PMID- 26501871
TI  - Activation of ETA Receptor by Endothelin-1 Induces Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell
      Migration and Invasion via ERK1/2 and AKT Signaling Pathways.
AB  - Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a member of endothelins family, binds to ETA receptor (ETAR)
      and ETB receptor to exert its role in multiple cellular processes. Although ET-1
      and its receptors has been reported to be overexpressed in many cancers, and
      overexpression of ET-1 is able to trigger hepatocarcinogenesis in zebrafish, the
      functions of ET-1 and its receptors in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell
      migration and invasion remain unclear. In the present study, we found that ETAR
      was greatly expressed in HCC cells and HCC tissues. ETAR expression as well as ET
      1 expression was associated with vascular invasion and tumor stage in HCC.
      Activation of ETAR by ET-1 dose-dependently promoted cell migration and invasion
      of HCC cells, while silencing of ETAR by siRNA or blocking of ETAR by specific
      inhibitor resulted in significant reduction in ET-1-mediated migration and
      invasion. Furthermore, ET-1 induced activation of ERK1/2 and AKT and increased
      MMP-3 production via ETAR. In addition, using inhibitors of ERK1/2 and AKT, we
      found that ERK1/2 and AKT pathways were both involved in ETAR-mediated migration,
      invasion, and MMP-3 production. Taken together, our findings suggest that
      activation of ETAR by ET-1 promotes HCC cell migration and invasion via
      activating ERK1/2 and AKT signaling pathways and upregulating MMP-3 expression.
      Thus, ETAR may play an important role in the progress of HCC.

PMID- 26501872
TI  - Controlling Nanowire Growth by Light.
AB  - Individual Au catalyst nanoparticles are used for selective laser-induced
      chemical vapor deposition of single germanium nanowires. Dark-field scattering
      reveals in real time the optical signatures of all key constituent growth
      processes. Growth is initially triggered by plasmonic absorption in the Au
      catalyst, while once nucleated the growing Ge nanowire supports magnetic and
      electric resonances that then dominate the laser interactions. This spectroscopic
      understanding allows real-time laser feedback that is crucial toward realizing
      the full potential of controlling nanomaterial growth by light. 

PMID- 26501873
TI  - Temporal Considerations for Stimulating Spiral Ganglion Neurons with Cochlear
      Implants.
AB  - A wealth of knowledge about different types of neural responses to electrical
      stimulation has been developed over the past 100 years. However, the exact forms
      of neural response properties can vary across different types of neurons. In this
      review, we survey four stimulus-response phenomena that in recent years are
      thought to be relevant for cochlear implant stimulation of spiral ganglion
      neurons (SGNs): refractoriness, facilitation, accommodation, and spike rate
      adaptation. Of these four, refractoriness is the most widely known, and many
      perceptual and physiological studies interpret their data in terms of
      refractoriness without incorporating facilitation, accommodation, or spike rate
      adaptation. In reality, several or all of these behaviors are likely involved in
      shaping neural responses, particularly at higher stimulation rates. A better
      understanding of the individual and combined effects of these phenomena could
      assist in developing improved cochlear implant stimulation strategies. We review
      the published physiological data for electrical stimulation of SGNs that explores
      these four different phenomena, as well as some of the recent studies that might
      reveal the biophysical bases of these stimulus-response phenomena.

PMID- 26501874
TI  - Micro Regional Heterogeneity of 64Cu-ATSM and 18F-FDG Uptake in Canine Soft
      Tissue Sarcomas: Relation to Cell Proliferation, Hypoxia and Glycolysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Tumour microenvironment heterogeneity is believed to play a key role
      in cancer progression and therapy resistance. However, little is known about
      micro regional distribution of hypoxia, glycolysis and proliferation in
      spontaneous solid tumours. The overall aim was simultaneous investigation of
      micro regional heterogeneity of 64Cu-ATSM (hypoxia) and 18F-FDG (glycolysis)
      uptake and correlation to endogenous markers of hypoxia, glycolysis,
      proliferation and angiogenesis to better therapeutically target aggressive tumour
      regions and prognosticate outcome. METHODS: Exploiting the different half-lives
      of 64Cu-ATSM (13 h) and 18F-FDG (2 h) enabled simultaneous investigation of micro
      regional distribution of hypoxia and glycolysis in 145 tumour pieces from four
      spontaneous canine soft tissue sarcomas. Pairwise measurements of radioactivity
      and gene expression of endogenous markers of hypoxia (HIF-1alpha, CAIX),
      glycolysis (HK2, GLUT1 and GLUT3), proliferation (Ki-67) and angiogenesis (VEGFA
      and TF) were performed. Dual tracer autoradiography was compared with Ki-67
      immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Micro regional heterogeneity in hypoxia and
      glycolysis within and between tumour sections of each tumour piece was observed.
      The spatial distribution of 64Cu-ATSM and 18F-FDG was rather similar within each
      tumour section as reflected in moderate positive significant correlations between
      the two tracers (rho = 0.3920-0.7807; p = 0.0180 -<0.0001) based on pixel-to
      pixel comparisons of autoradiographies and gamma counting of tumour pieces. 64Cu
      ATSM and 18F-FDG correlated positively with gene expression of GLUT1 and GLUT3,
      but negatively with HIF-1alpha and CAIX. Significant positive correlations were
      seen between Ki-67 gene expression and 64Cu-ATSM (rho = 0.5578, p = 0.0004) and
      18F-FDG (rho = 0.4629-0.7001, p = 0.0001-0.0151). Ki-67 gene expression more
      consistently correlated with 18F-FDG than with 64Cu-ATSM. CONCLUSIONS: Micro
      regional heterogeneity of hypoxia and glycolysis was documented in spontaneous
      canine soft tissue sarcomas. 64Cu-ATSM and 18F-FDG uptakes and distributions
      showed significant moderate correlations at the micro regional level indicating
      overlapping, yet different information from the tracers.18F-FDG better reflected
      cell proliferation as measured by Ki-67 gene expression than 64Cu-ATSM.

PMID- 26501875
TI  - The Humanistic and Economic Burden of Restless Legs Syndrome.
AB  - RLSOBJECTIVES: To evaluate the humanistic and economic burden of a restless legs
      syndrome (RLS) diagnosis with regard to health-related quality of life, work
      productivity loss, healthcare resource use, and direct and indirect costs. STUDY
      DESIGN: Self-reported data came from the 2012 National Health and Wellness Survey
      (NHWS), a large, annual, nationally representative cross-sectional general health
      survey of US adults. METHODS: RLS patients (n = 2,392) were matched on
      demographic and health characteristics to Non-RLS respondents via propensity
      score matching differences between groups were tested with Bivariate and
      multivariable analyses. RESULTS: RLS patients had significantly lower health
      related quality of life scores: Mental Component Summary (44.60 vs. 48.92,
      p<.001), Physical Component Summary (40.57 vs. 46.78, p<.001), Health Utilities
      (.63 vs. .71, p<.001) and higher levels of work productivity loss in the past
      seven days including absenteeism (8.1% vs. 3.9%, p<.001), presenteeism (26.5% vs.
      15.8%, p<.001), and overall productivity loss (30.1% vs. 18.1%, p<.001) as well
      as general activity impairment (46.1% vs. 29.7%, p<.001) [corrected]. RLS
      patients had significantly higher healthcare resource use in the past 6 months
      than non-RLS patients: healthcare provider visits (7.46 vs. 4.42%, p<.001), ER
      visits (0.45 vs. 0.24, p<.001), and hospitalizations (0.24 vs. 0.15, p<.001). RLS
      patients also had higher estimated direct and indirect costs than non-RLS
      patients. Finally, it was found that across outcomes increasing severity is
      associated with increased economic and humanistic burden for RLS patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: RLS patients suffer a greater humanistic and economic burden than
      those without RLS. Moreover as severity increases so does the burden of RLS.

PMID- 26501876
TI  - Controlled Au-Polymer Nanostructures for Multiphoton Imaging, Prodrug Delivery,
      and Chemo-Photothermal Therapy Platforms.
AB  - We have successfully introduced a proton-induced controlled reaction of HAuCl4
      and poly(styrene-alt-maleic acid) (PSMA) sodium salt to prepare triangular and
      multicore Au@polymer nanoparticles (NPs). The interparticle interactions in the
      core gave rise to an absorption band at the near-infrared wavelength. The near
      infrared optical properties of the resulting Au-polymer nanostructures are highly
      stable in a physiological environment, which offered strong photo-to-thermal
      conversion by a moderate continuous-wave 808 nm laser and exhibited multiphoton
      fluorescence for imaging using a 1230 nm light excitation (femtosecond laser).
      Exposure of the carboxylate groups at the polymer shell made the surface
      structure of the Au multicore @polymer NPs directly conjugate Pt(II)-/Pt(IV)
      based drugs, which possessed the elimination of the immediate toxicity over the
      short time and resulted in an anticancer effect after 3 days. A synergistic
      effect of the chemo-photothermal therapy showed a moderate hyperthermia
      assistance (<1 W/cm(2)) and better anticancer performance over time compared with
      the individual treatments. We demonstrated that such PSMA-based methodology not
      only enables a broad range of chemical material synthesis in the kinetic control
      to form Au nano-octahedrons and nanotriangles using Br(-)/I(-) ions additives but
      also could be extended to form Au/Fe3O4@polymer nanocomposites via proton
      assisted PSMA self-assembly. 

PMID- 26501878
TI  - The Impact of Smoking on Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

PMID- 26501877
TI  - Quality of Life in Screen-detected Celiac Disease Patients in the United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Celiac disease (CD) is increasingly diagnosed through
      screening of at-risk groups (relatives of individuals and associated autoimmune
      disorders). The impact of diagnosis and treatment on screen-detected CD patients
      is poorly studied, particularly in the United States. We therefore compared the
      quality of life (QOL) between screen-detected and symptom-detected CD patients.
      METHODS: Patients with a known diagnosis of CD were invited to complete 3
      validated survey instruments: the CD Quality of Life (CDQOL), the CD Adherence
      Test for dietary adherence and the general Psychological General Well-Being
      index. In addition, demographic details, mode of presentation, and compliance
      with gluten-free diet (GFD) were assessed. RESULTS: The overall response rate was
      high at 69%. Of 226 responses received, 211 were eligible for inclusion; the
      median age was 47, and the median duration of GFD was 4 years. One third of the
      sample (71, 34%) was screen detected. Of these, 57 (80%) had a relative diagnosed
      with CD, whereas 14 (20%) had an associated condition. Despite being screen
      detected, 49 (69%) reported symptoms before diagnosis. GFD adherence was
      excellent and did not differ between groups. Overall, there were no significant
      differences between screen-detected and symptom-detected patients with regard to
      CDQOL, CD Adherence Test, and Psychological General Well-Being scores.
      CONCLUSIONS: Screen-detected and symptom-detected CD patients do not differ with
      regard to QOL or disease adherence as measured by validated disease-specific
      instruments. A high proportion of screen-detected patients reported symptoms
      before diagnosis, which often improve with GFD.

PMID- 26501879
TI  - The Clinical Utility of Evaluating the Luminal Upper Gastrointestinal Tract
      During Linear Endoscopic Ultrasonography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The clinical utility of performing esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD)
      before linear endoscopic ultrasonography (L-EUS) to evaluate the luminal upper
      gastrointestinal (GI) tract is not well established. GOALS: The study was aimed
      to determine the prevalence of clinically meaningful luminal abnormalities (any
      luminal finding requiring further evaluation with mucosal biopsy or initiation of
      treatment) in patients undergoing L-EUS. The study also sought to compare the
      ability of the gastroscope and the linear echoendoscope in identifying these
      lesions. STUDY: A prospective, multicenter cohort study enrolled patients
      undergoing L-EUS for nonluminal indications. All patients underwent EGD followed
      by L-EUS by 2 different endoscopists. The second endoscopist was blinded to the
      results of the initial EGD. The identification of clinically meaningful luminal
      lesions and quality of endoscopic visualization of the upper GI tract were
      measured. RESULTS: In the cohort of 175 patients, 52 (29.7%) patients had
      clinically meaningful luminal findings seen in the upper GI tract. There was no
      significant difference in the number of clinically meaningful lesions identified
      on EGD and L-EUS (25.1% vs. 22.9%, P=0.39). No significant difference was found
      in the miss rate of clinically meaningful lesions between the 2 modalities (EGD:
      4.5% vs. EUS: 6.9%, P=0.39). CONCLUSIONS: A substantial minority of patients
      undergoing L-EUS for nonluminal indications will have clinically meaningful
      luminal findings. The endoscopic evaluation of the luminal upper GI tract can be
      adequately achieved using the linear echoendoscope.

PMID- 26501880
TI  - Importance of Patients' Knowledge of Their Prescribed Medication in Improving
      Treatment Adherence in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
AB  - GOALS: To investigate the association between treatment nonadherence and
      patients' knowledge of the prescribed medication among individuals with
      inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and evaluate the impact of nonadherence on
      relapse. BACKGROUND: The patient's knowledge of the prescribed medication has
      been identified as an important predictor of treatment adherence in chronic
      diseases. However, this association has not been examined in IBD. STUDY: In this
      prospective study, at baseline, 138 patients with IBD completed a self-reported
      survey on demographic data, knowledge of the prescribed medication, and candidate
      factors related to the degree of treatment adherence. To investigate the impact
      of nonadherence among patients in remission, relapse was analyzed for 18 months
      after enrollment. RESULTS: Nonadherence was observed in 50 (36.2%) of the 138
      subjects. In multivariate analysis, nonadherence was significantly associated
      with younger age (less than 30 y) at participation [odds ratio (OR), 5.88; 95%
      confidence interval (CI), 1.51-22.94; P=0.011], longer intervals between
      outpatient clinic visits (>=3 mo) (OR, 30.31; 95% CI, 3.06-300.17; P=0.004), and
      limited knowledge of the prescribed medication (OR, 5.61; 95% CI, 1.60-19.67;
      P=0.038). Nonadherent patients had a significantly greater risk of relapse of IBD
      than adherent patients (relative risk, 2.9; 95% CI, 2.25-3.79; P=0.045).
      CONCLUSION: Younger age, longer intervals between outpatient clinic visits, and
      limited knowledge of the prescribed medication tended to be associated with
      nonadherence to treatment, which consequently also affects the risk of relapse.

PMID- 26501881
TI  - Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding in the Setting of Portal Hypertension.

PMID- 26501882
TI  - Does Better Specimen Orientation and a Simplified Grading System Promote More
      Reliable Histologic Interpretation of Serrated Colon Polyps in the Community
      Practice Setting? Results of a Nationwide Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Colonoscopic surveillance guidelines for serrated polyps (SPs) are
      predicated upon the histologic characteristics of the index polyp. However,
      discrimination between SP subtypes [hyperplastic polyps vs. sessile serrated
      adenoma/polyps (SSA/P)] is often unreliable. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied
      the impact of (1) a novel tissue orientation method, performed in the endoscopy
      laboratory, whereby polyps are flattened in a small paper envelope immediately
      after resection (modified protocol); and (2) 2012 consensus-modified criteria (CM
      2012). These interventions were compared with conventional tissue-handling
      protocol (CP) and traditional 2008 World Health Organization criteria (WHO).
      Twenty blinded community pathologists from around the United States scored 100,
      independent, 0.5 to 2.0 cm, proximal colonic SPs randomly selected from a 2-site
      tissue section archive. We compared interobserver agreement and diagnostic
      grading. RESULTS: Interobserver agreement was higher using CM-2012 than WHO
      criteria (absolute agreement: 13% vs. 4%, P<0.01; 75% agreement: 54% vs. 38%,
      P<0.01). Interobserver agreement was higher with the modified protocol than with
      CP (WHO absolute agreement: 6% vs. 2%, P>0.05; WHO 75% agreement: 46% vs. 30%,
      P>0.05, and CM-2012 absolute agreement: 20% vs. 6%, P=0.07; CM-2012 75%
      agreement: 66% vs. 42%, P=0.03). Compared with WHO, use of CM-2012 criteria
      resulted in fewer diagnoses of "indeterminate"; more diagnoses of SSA/P (P<0.01);
      and "upgraded" the diagnosis from hyperplastic polyps to SSA/P in approximately
      7% of cases. These observations were independent of polyp size, patient gender,
      and study site. CONCLUSIONS: Simple enhancements to postresection SP handling and
      diagnostic criteria markedly improve interobserver agreement of SP diagnosis
      among nongastrointestinal community pathologists. This finding, if confirmed, has
      important implications for SP colonoscopy surveillance guidelines.

PMID- 26501883
TI  - Aggregation of a Crown Ether Decorated Zinc-Phthalocyanine by Collision-Induced
      Desolvation of Electrospray Droplets.
AB  - The aggregation of phthalocyanines is well-known in solution but has never before
      been studied in the gas phase. We investigated the tetra-[18]crown-6 ether
      functionalized zinc-phthalocyanine (ZnPcTetCr, M) with electrospray ionization
      mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) in the absence of coordinating metal cations. Apart
      from the molecular ion M(+*), singly and multiply charged aggregates Mn(z(+*))
      were observed, bound together by electrostatic interactions, without alkali metal
      cations inside the crown ethers. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments
      indicate that these clusters consist of stacked neutral M and radical cations
      M(+*). After the oxidation of individual molecules at the electrospray needle,
      the aggregation occurs during desolvation of the charged droplets created in the
      source. Complete evaporation of the solvent and detection of the aggregates was
      found to require an additional acceleration of the droplets in the transfer
      region of the instrument, the resulting collisions with neutral gas assisting the
      desolvation process. 

PMID- 26501884
TI  - Leaf Fluctuating Asymmetry and Herbivory of Tibouchina heteromalla in Restored
      and Natural Environments.
AB  - Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is a parameter to measure developmental stability in
      plants, which can be altered by disturbances, pollution, and biotic factors such
      as herbivory. We evaluated the effects of environmental stress and herbivory on
      the FA levels in individuals of Tibouchina heteromalla (Melastomataceae) that
      occur in natural and undergoing restoration areas in rupestrian grasslands at
      Serra do Cipo, Brasil. Individuals were collected and measured in seven restored
      and five natural areas, totalizing 240 individuals. We found that individuals in
      restored areas had greater leaf area, higher levels of insect herbivory and FA
      compared to individuals that occurred in natural areas. In both environments, the
      proportion of individuals with leaf damage caused by herbivory was higher than
      the proportion of undamaged individuals. In addition, FA was positively
      correlated with herbivory and total leaf area in both restored and natural areas.
      These results suggest that more favorable conditions in the restored areas
      enhanced leaf growth, resulting in higher FA.

PMID- 26501886
TI  - Spreading the Benefits of Infection Prevention in the Neonatal Intensive Care
      Unit.

PMID- 26501885
TI  - The Knowledge of the Role of Papillomavirus-Related Head and Neck Pathologies
      among General Practitioners, Otolaryngologists and Trainees. A Survey-Based
      Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the survey was to introduce knowledge of HPV's role in
      head and neck pathologies to general physicians (GPs), otorhinolaryngologists
      (ENTs) and newly graduated doctors, as well as to promote HPV-related diseases
      prevention. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Self-designed
      questionnaire was sent to 2100 doctors. A total of 404 doctors, including 144
      ENTs, 192 GPs and 68 trainees, responded. RESULTS: The majority of ENTs (86.8%)
      had contact with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) and oropharyngeal
      cancers (OPCs) patients; in contrast, the majority of GPs (55.7%) did not (p =
      0.00). The knowledge of HPV aetiology of cervical cancer versus OPCs and RRP was
      statistically higher. 7% of ENTs, 20% of GPs and 10% of trainees had not heard
      about HPV in oropharyngeal diseases. Women had greater knowledge than men. Both
      in the group of GPs and ENTs, 100% of respondents had heard about the impact of
      vaccination on the reduction of cervical cancer incidence. Only 39.11% of
      respondents had heard about the possibility of using vaccination against HPV in
      RRP-ENT doctors significantly more often than GPs and trainees (p = 0.00). Only
      28.96% of physicians had heard about the potential value of HPV vaccination in
      preventing OPCs, including 44.44% of ENT doctors, 23.44% of GPs and 11.76% of
      trainees (p = 0.00). The doctors from district hospitals showed lower level of
      knowledge compared with clinicians (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The different levels
      of knowledge and awareness of HPV issues highlight the need for targeted
      awareness strategies in Poland with implementation of HPV testing and
      vaccination. The information should be accessible especially to those with lower
      education levels: ENTs from small, provincial wards, GPs from cities of < 200,000
      inhabitants and older physicians. The incorporation of HPV issues into the
      studies curriculum would be fruitful in terms of improving the knowledge of
      trainees.

PMID- 26501887
TI  - Real-time reaction monitoring by ultrafast 2D NMR on a benchtop spectrometer.
AB  - Reaction monitoring is widely used to follow chemical processes in a broad range
      of application fields. Recently, the development of robust benchtop NMR
      spectrometers has brought NMR under the fume hood, making it possible to monitor
      chemical reactions in a safe and accessible environment. However, these low-field
      NMR approaches suffer from limited resolution leading to strong peak overlaps,
      which can limit their application range. Here, we propose an approach capable of
      recording ultrafast 2D NMR spectra on a compact spectrometer and of following in
      real time reactions in the synthetic chemistry laboratory. This approach--whose
      potential is shown here on a Heck-Matsuda reaction--is highly versatile; the
      duration of the measurement can be optimized to follow reactions whose time scale
      ranges from between a few tens of seconds to a few hours. It makes it possible to
      monitor complex reactions in non-deuterated solvents, and to confirm in real time
      the molecular structure of the compounds involved in the reaction while giving
      access to relevant kinetic parameters.

PMID- 26501888
TI  - A Newly Identified Natural Splice Variant ASN Enhances Hepatitis B Virus
      Amplification.
AB  - Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection causes approximately one-third of all
      the cases of liver cirrhosis and more than three-quarters of hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. There are eight different genotypes (A-H) of HBV,
      among which B and C are the major types of HBV in China. There is a positive
      correlation between viral load and level of viral splicing variants and the high
      risk of HCC. The aim of this study was to investigate the splicing variants of
      HBV circulating in HCC patients. Twenty-four carcinoma and adjacent liver tissues
      collected from HCC patients were studied. Using reverse transcription-polymerase
      chain reaction (RT-PCR) and sequencing, we identified a new type of natural
      splice variant with nucleotides 2448-489 and 910-2120 deleted, and we named it
      ASN. We also found that a higher viral load and splicing variant level existed in
      liver carcinoma tissues compared to paracarcinoma tissues. In the investigation
      of our splicing variant, we found its enhancing effect on HBV replication in
      vitro. Although splicing variants are not essential for the replication of HBV,
      they may have an important influence. 

PMID- 26501890
TI  - Novel synthesis of dispersed molybdenum and nickel phosphides from thermal
      carbonization of metal- and phosphorus-containing resins.
AB  - Dispersed pure phases of MoP and Ni2P nanoparticles supported by carbon were
      synthesized by carbonization of metal- and phosphorus-containing resins under an
      inert atmosphere. The solid products and the evolution of gases during the
      carbonization process were investigated by various techniques, including X-ray
      diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), inductively coupled
      plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), N2 adsorption-desorption analysis,
      and mass spectrometry (MS). The resins underwent two carbonization stages: the
      low-temperature carbonization stage (<650  degrees C) and the high-temperature
      carbonization stage (>=650  degrees C). There was an initial reduction of Mo and
      Ni precursors in the low-temperature region. However, the formation of phosphides
      was observed in the high-temperature carbonization stage, in which Mo(Ni) and POx
      species were further reacted with the carbonization products (C, H2 and CH4) to
      yield Mo(Ni) phosphide. Note that compared with the traditional H2-temperature
      programmed reduction (H2-TPR) method, this novel synthesis route produced a large
      amount of CO(x) besides H2O, leading to a lower water vapor pressure. In
      addition, the residual carbon produced from resin can play a role in bonding of
      nanoparticle aggregation. Therefore, the better dispersions and higher surface
      areas of the as-prepared phosphide nanoparticles were attributed to the
      mitigation of hydrothermal sintering and the intimate contact between phosphide
      nanoparticles and carbon species.

PMID- 26501891
TI  - Breastfeeding: The Basis for Normal Infant Development and Societal Well-Being.

PMID- 26501892
TI  - The Sharjah Baby-Friendly Campaign: A Community-Based Model for Breastfeeding
      Promotion, Protection, and Support.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Breastfeeding promotion, protection, and support are one of the
      most cost-effective public health interventions to advance maternal and child
      health. The World Health Organization, the United Nations International
      Children's Emergency Fund, and numerous health organizations have recommended
      exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, which is a key indicator
      of breastfeeding promotion programs worldwide. Despite the recommendations and
      various initiatives to promote breastfeeding, most women do not reach the
      exclusive breastfeeding target in both developed and developing countries. Such
      has been the case in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Therefore, based on the decree for breastfeeding promotion, protection, and
      support by the ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, UAE, H.H. Sheikh Doctor Sultan Al
      Qasimi, a multisectorial, multidirectional breastfeeding campaign--the Sharjah
      Baby-Friendly Campaign--was launched in March 2012 by H.E. Sheikha Bodour Al
      Qasimi, under her patronage. It consisted of four initiatives-namely, Baby
      Friendly Health Facility, Mother-Friendly Workplace, Breastfeeding-Friendly
      Nursery, and Mother-Baby Friendly Public Place. Once an organization met the
      criteria for any of these initiatives, it was awarded the designation or
      accreditation of that initiative. RESULTS: The campaign initiatives worked
      through capacity building of healthcare workers, provided professional support
      and facilitation for the accreditation process, developed breastfeeding education
      content and resources, and organized and conducted breastfeeding promotion
      seminars in health facilities and community, as well as community outreach
      through social media and an innovative mobile mother' room. CONCLUSIONS: The
      positive impact of the campaign on breastfeeding promotion, protection, and
      support is evident by the increased exclusive breastfeeding rate at 6 months and
      decreased bottle feeding rates at both 4 and 6 months.

PMID- 26501889
TI  - Proteoglycans: Potential Agents in Mammographic Density   and the Associated
      Breast Cancer Risk.
AB  - Although increased mammographic density (MD) has been well established as a
      marker for increased breast cancer (BC) risk, its pathobiology is far from
      understood. Altered proteoglycan (PG) composition may underpin the physical
      properties of MD, and may contribute to the associated increase in BC risk.
      Numerous studies have investigated PGs, which are a major stromal matrix
      component, in relation to MD and BC and reported results that are sometimes
      discordant. Our review summarises these results and highlights discrepancies
      between PG associations with BC and MD, thus serving as a guide for identifying
      PGs that warrant further research towards developing chemo-preventive or
      therapeutic agents targeting preinvasive or invasive breast lesions,
      respectively.

PMID- 26501893
TI  - Gatekeeping and its impact on father involvement among Black South Africans in
      rural KwaZulu-Natal.
AB  - Involved and caring fatherhood contributes to the health and wellbeing of
      children, women and men. The corollary is also true - men, women and children are
      affected when fathers are not involved or supportive of their children. Many
      factors affect fathers' involvement, including women's attitudes, the history and
      nature of the relationship between mother and father, and the cultural context.
      This study explores gatekeeping and its impact on father involvement among Black
      South Africans in rural KwaZulu-Natal. Among married couples, gatekeeping occurs
      with respect to childcare and housework through women's attempts to validate
      their maternal identity according to socially and culturally constructed gender
      roles. Among unmarried, non-resident parents, women control father-child contact
      and involvement, with mothers and/or their families either facilitating or
      inhibiting father involvement. In this context, we found that cultural
      gatekeeping had a huge impact on father involvement, with the non-payment of
      inhlawulo or lobola regulating father-child involvement. In a country like South
      Africa, where there is high non-marital fertility and father-child non-residence,
      future research, parenting and family programmes should focus on strategies that
      encourage positive paternal involvement as well as maternal and cultural support
      for father involvement, regardless of parental relationship and residence status.

PMID- 26501894
TI  - Biomarker identification from next-generation sequencing data for pathogen
      bacteria characterization and surveillance.
AB  - AIM: The purpose was to develop an analytical pipeline for specific gene analysis
      and biomarker discovery from next generation sequencing (NGS) data. MATERIALS &
      METHODS: As a test case, the fliC gene reference sequences of 24 Salmonella
      enterica strains of 13 serotypes and NGS reads of 32 serovar Newport, 48
      Montevideo and 115 Enteritidis outbreak isolates were retrieved from the National
      Center for Biotechnology Information database. RESULTS: Establishment of an
      analytical pipeline consisting of four steps: reference sequences retrieval and
      template sequence determination; NGS sequence reads retrieval; multiple sequence
      alignments and phylogenetic analysis; data mining and biomarker discovery.
      CONCLUSION: The pipeline developed provides an effective bioinformatics tool for
      genetic diversity clarification and marker sequences discovery for pathogen
      characterization and surveillance.

PMID- 26501895
TI  - Cell differentiation on disk- and string-shaped hydrogels fabricated from Ca(2+) 
      responsive self-assembling peptides.
AB  - We recently developed a self-assembling peptide, E1Y9, that self-assembles into
      nanofibers and forms a hydrogel in the presence of Ca(2+) . E1Y9 derivatives
      conjugated with functional peptide sequences derived from extracellular matrices
      (ECMs) reportedly self-assemble into peptide nanofibers that enhance cell
      adhesion and differentiation. In this study, E1Y9/E1Y9-IKVAV-mixed hydrogels were
      constructed to serve as artificial ECMs that promote cell differentiation. E1Y9
      and E1Y9-IKVAV co-assembled into networked nanofibers, and hydrogels with disk
      and string shapes were formed in response to Ca(2+) treatment. The neuronal
      differentiation of PC12 cells was facilitated on hydrogels of both shapes that
      contained the IKVAV motifs. Moreover, long neurites extended along the long axis
      of the string-shaped gel, suggesting that the structure of hydrogels of this
      shape can affect cellular orientation. Thus, E1Y9 hydrogels can potentially be
      used as artificial ECMs with desirable bioactivities and shapes that could be
      useful in tissue engineering applications. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
      Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 106: 476-483, 2016. 

PMID- 26501896
TI  - Marked and sustained improvement on nerve conduction study of anti-myelin
      associated glycoprotein neuropathy following rituximab therapy.

PMID- 26501898
TI  - HTRF Kinase Assay Development and Methods in Inhibitor Characterization.
AB  - Due to their important roles in cellular signaling and their dysfunctions being
      linked to diseases, kinases have become a class of proteins being actively
      pursued as potential drug targets. Biochemical assays for kinases have been
      developed in various formats to facilitate inhibitor screening and selectivity
      profiling. Here, we focus on one such technology: homogeneous time-resolved
      fluorescence (HTRF). In this chapter, we describe the methods of developing an
      HTRF kinase assay using mutant EGFR enzyme as an example. We show how to
      determine the kinetic parameter of the enzyme (ATP K m), as well as how to study
      the inhibitor mechanism of action (MoA) exemplified by inhibitors of different
      MoAs. All methods described here can be readily applied to other kinases with
      minor modifications. 

PMID- 26501899
TI  - Application of Eukaryotic Elongation Factor-2 Kinase (eEF-2K) for Cancer Therapy:
      Expression, Purification, and High-Throughput Inhibitor Screening.
AB  - Protein kinases have emerged as an important class of therapeutic targets, as
      they are known to be involved in pathological pathways linked to numerous human
      disorders. Major efforts to discover kinase inhibitors in both academia and
      pharmaceutical companies have centered on the development of robust assays and
      cost-effective approaches to isolate them. Drug discovery procedures often start
      with hit identification for lead development, by screening a library of chemicals
      using an appropriate assay in a high-throughput manner. Considering limitations
      unique to each assay technique and screening capability, intelligent integration
      of various assay schemes and level of throughput, in addition to the choice of
      chemical libraries, is the key to success of this initial step. Here, we describe
      the purification of the protein kinase, eEF-2K, and the utilization of three
      biochemical assays in the course of identifying small molecules that block its
      enzymatic reaction. 

PMID- 26501900
TI  - Recombinant Kinase Production and Fragment Screening by NMR Spectroscopy.
AB  - During the past decade fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has rapidly evolved
      and several drugs or drug candidates developed by FBDD approach are clinically in
      use or in clinical trials. For example, vemurafenib, a V600E mutated BRAF
      inhibitor, was developed by utilizing FBDD approach and approved by FDA in 2011.
      In FBDD, screening of fragments is the starting step for identification of hits
      and lead generation. Fragment screening usually relies on biophysical techniques
      by which the protein-bound small molecules can be detected. NMR spectroscopy has
      been extensively used to study the molecular interaction between the protein and
      the ligand, and has many advantages in fragment screening over other biophysical
      techniques. This chapter describes the practical aspects of fragment screening by
      saturation transfer difference NMR. 

PMID- 26501897
TI  - Ocular Infection: Endophthalmitis.
AB  - Endophthalmitis is characterized by marked inflammation of intraocular fluids and
      tissues. Infective endophthalmitis may be categorized by the cause of the
      infection, which helps predict the underlying etiology and most likely causative
      organisms. The major category remains acute-onset postoperative endophthalmitis.
      Infective endophthalmitis is a clinical diagnosis but is confirmed by evaluation
      of intraocular fluid specimens. The Endophthalmitis Vitrectomy Study offered
      important guidelines for the initial management of endophthalmitis, and these
      guidelines remain relevant to this day. Prompt initiation of empiric broad
      spectrum antimicrobial therapy is important in achieving best outcomes.

PMID- 26501902
TI  - Using Bioluminescent Kinase Profiling Strips to Identify Kinase Inhibitor
      Selectivity and Promiscuity.
AB  - The advancement of a kinase inhibitor throughout drug discovery and development
      is predicated upon its selectivity towards the target of interest. Thus,
      profiling the compound against a broad panel of kinases is important for
      providing a better understanding of its activity and for obviating any off-target
      activities that can result in undesirable consequences. To assess the selectivity
      and potency of an inhibitor against multiple kinases, it is desirable to use a
      universal assay that can monitor the activity of all classes of kinases
      regardless of the nature of their substrates. The luminescent ADP-Glo kinase
      assay is a universal platform that measures kinase activity by quantifying the
      amount of the common kinase reaction product ADP. Here we present a method using
      standardized kinase profiling systems for inhibitor profiling studies based on
      ADP detection by luminescence. The kinase profiling systems are sets of kinases
      organized by family, presented in multi-tube strips containing eight enzymes,
      each with corresponding substrate strips, and standardized for optimal kinase
      activity. We show that using the kinase profiling strips we could quickly and
      easily generate multiple selectivity profiles using small or large kinase panels,
      and identify compound promiscuity within the kinome. 

PMID- 26501901
TI  - Bioluminescence Methods for Assaying Kinases in Quantitative High-Throughput
      Screening (qHTS) Format Applied to Yes1 Tyrosine Kinase, Glucokinase, and
      PI5P4Kalpha Lipid Kinase.
AB  - Assays in which the detection of a biological phenomenon is coupled to the
      production of bioluminescence by luciferase have gained widespread use. As
      firefly luciferases (FLuc) and kinases share a common substrate (ATP), coupling
      of a kinase to FLuc allows for the amount of ATP remaining following a kinase
      reaction to be assessed by quantitating the amount of luminescence produced.
      Alternatively, the amount of ADP produced by the kinase reaction can be coupled
      to FLuc through a two-step process. This chapter describes the bioluminescent
      assays that were developed for three classes of kinases (lipid, protein, and
      metabolic kinases) and miniaturized to 1536-well format, enabling their use for
      quantitative high-throughput (qHTS) of small-molecule libraries. 

PMID- 26501903
TI  - Measuring Activity of Phosphoinositide Lipid Kinases Using a Bioluminescent ADP
      Detecting Assay.
AB  - Phosphatidylinositol (PI) and its phosphorylated derivatives, collectively called
      phosphoinositides, are important second messengers involved in a variety of
      cellular processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, metabolism, and
      migration. These derivatives are generated by a family of kinases called
      phosphoinositide lipid kinases (PIKs). Due to the central role of these kinases
      in signaling pathways, assays for measuring their activity are often used for
      drug development. Lipid kinase substrates are present in unique membrane
      environments in vivo and are insoluble in aqueous solutions. Therefore the most
      important consideration in developing successful lipid kinase assays is the
      physical state of lipid kinase substrates. Here we describe the preparation of
      lipid substrates for two major classes of lipid kinases, phosphatidylinositol 3
      kinases (PI3Ks) and phosphatidylinositol 4-kinases (PI4Ks). Using PI4Ks as an
      example, we also provide a detailed protocol for small-scale kinase expression
      and affinity purification from transiently transfected mammalian cells. For
      measuring lipid kinase activity we apply a universal bioluminescent ADP detection
      approach. The approach is compatible with diverse lipid substrates and can be
      used as a single integrated platform for measuring all classes of lipid and
      protein kinases. 

PMID- 26501904
TI  - A High-Throughput Radiometric Kinase Assay.
AB  - Aberrant kinase signaling has been implicated in a number of diseases. While
      kinases have become attractive drug targets, only a small fraction of human
      protein kinases have validated inhibitors. Screening of libraries of compounds
      against a kinase or kinases of interest is routinely performed during kinase
      inhibitor development to identify promising scaffolds for a particular target and
      to identify kinase targets for compounds of interest. Screening of more focused
      compound libraries may also be conducted in the later stages of inhibitor
      development to improve potency and optimize selectivity. The dot blot kinase
      assay is a robust, high-throughput kinase assay that can be used to screen a
      number of small-molecule compounds against one kinase of interest or several
      kinases. Here, a protocol for a dot blot kinase assay used for measuring insulin
      receptor kinase activity is presented. This protocol can be readily adapted for
      use with other protein kinases. 

PMID- 26501905
TI  - A High-Content Assay to Screen for Modulators of EGFR Function.
AB  - Cell-based assays have the potential and advantage to identify cell-permeable
      modulators of kinase function, and hence provide an alternative to the
      conventional enzymatic activity-driven discovery approaches that rely on purified
      recombinant kinase catalytic domains. Here, we describe a domain-based high
      content biosensor approach to study endogenous EGFR activity whereby EGF-induced
      receptor activation, subsequent trafficking, and internalization are imaged and
      quantified using time-dependent granule formation in cells. This method can
      readily be used to search for EGFR modulators in both chemical and RNAi
      screening; with potential applicability to other receptor tyrosine kinases. 

PMID- 26501906
TI  - Monitoring Protein Kinase Expression and Phosphorylation in Cell Lysates with
      Antibody Microarrays.
AB  - Fuelled by advances in our understanding of the human kinome and phosphoproteome
      and the increasing availability of pan- and phosphosite-specific antibodies,
      antibody microarrays have emerged as powerful tools for interrogating protein
      phosphorylation-mediated signaling systems in ex vivo studies. This economical
      platform permits ultra-sensitive, semiquantitative measurements of the levels of
      hundreds of protein kinases and their substrates along with their phosphorylation
      status simultaneously with minute amounts of specimens. Recent technological
      innovations in the design and fabrication of antibody microarrays and sample
      preparation have permitted further refinements of the technology to yield
      improvements in data quality. In this chapter, we describe a detailed protocol
      that we have developed for tracking the expression and phosphorylation of protein
      kinases and their substrates in crude cell lysate samples using a high-content
      antibody microarray. 

PMID- 26501907
TI  - From Enzyme to Whole Blood: Sequential Screening Procedure for Identification and
      Evaluation of p38 MAPK Inhibitors.
AB  - p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is a pivotal enzyme in the
      biosynthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-1 and TNF. Therefore, the
      success of anti-cytokine therapy for treatment of inflammatory processes
      qualified p38-MAPK as a solid target in drug research concerning chronic
      inflammatory diseases including infectious vascular, neurobiological, and
      autoimmune disorders. However, the discovery of new kinase inhibitors is limited
      by the need for a high biological activity combined with restricted activity to
      the target enzyme or pathway interaction. As a consequence, no p38 MAPK inhibitor
      has been introduced to the market so far, although several p38 inhibitors have
      proceeded into clinical trials. The development of novel inhibitor types and
      optimization of already known structural classes of MAPK inhibitors require
      appropriate testing systems reaching across these crucial parameters. As a new
      approach, we describe the sequential arrangement of three testing systems custom
      tailored to the requirements of drug discovery programs with focus on p38
      inhibition. Integrated analysis of the obtained results enables a concerted step
      by-step selection of tested molecules in order to screen a compound library for
      the most suitable inhibitor. First, evaluation of the inhibitor's activity on the
      isolated p38 MAPK enzyme via an ELISA assay gives a first idea about the
      inhibitory potency of the molecule. Moreover, structure-activity relationships
      can be elucidated when comparing molecules within inhibitor series. Second,
      screening in living cells via a p38 substrate-specific MK2-EGFP translocation
      assay supplies further information about efficacy, but provides also a first
      notion concerning selectivity and toxicity. Third, efficacy is evaluated more
      specifically in vivo in LPS-stimulated human whole blood with regard to in vivo
      parameters, e.g., pharmacokinetic characteristics like plasma protein binding and
      cellular permeability. These three testing systems complement one another
      synergistically by providing a high overlap and predictability. Clear advantages
      of all presented systems are their realizability in an academic environment as
      well as their applicability for high-throughput screenings on a larger scale. 

PMID- 26501908
TI  - Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Indicators to Visualize Protein Phosphorylation
      in Living Cells.
AB  - Protein phosphorylation by intracellular kinases plays one of the most pivotal
      roles in signaling pathways within cells. To reveal the biological processes
      related to the kinase proteins, electrophoresis, immunocytochemistry, and in
      vitro kinase assay have been used. However, these conventional methods do not
      provide enough information about spatial and temporal dynamics of the signal
      transduction based on protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation in living
      cells. To overcome the limitation for investigating the kinase signaling, we
      developed genetically encoded fluorescent indicators for visualizing the protein
      phosphorylation in living cells. Using these indicators, we visualized under a
      fluorescence microscope when, where, and how the protein kinases are activated in
      single living cells. 

PMID- 26501909
TI  - Characterization of an Engineered Src Kinase to Study Src Signaling and Biology.
AB  - Pharmacologic inhibitors of protein kinases comprise the vast majority of
      approved signal transduction inhibitors for cancer treatment. An important facet
      of their clinical development is the identification of the key substrates
      critical for their driver role in cancer. One approach for substrate
      identification involves evaluating the phosphorylation events associated with
      stable expression of an activated protein kinase. Another involves genetic or
      pharmacologic inhibition of protein kinase expression or activity. However, both
      approaches are limited by the dynamic nature of signaling, complicating whether
      phosphorylation changes are primary or secondary activities of kinase function.
      We have developed rapamycin-regulated (RapR) protein kinases as molecular tools
      that allow for the study of spatiotemporal regulation of signaling. Here we
      describe the application of this technology to the Src tyrosine kinase and
      oncoprotein (RapR-Src). We describe how to achieve stable expression of this tool
      in cell lines and how to subsequently activate the tool and determine its
      function in signaling and morphology. 

PMID- 26501910
TI  - Screening One-Bead-One-Compound Peptide Libraries for Optimal Kinase Substrates.
AB  - Protein kinases phosphorylate specific serine, threonine, and/or tyrosine
      residues in their target proteins, resulting in functional changes of the target
      proteins such as enzymatic activity, cellular location, or association with other
      proteins. For many kinases, their in vivo substrate specificity is at least
      partially defined by the amino acid sequence surrounding the phosphorylatable
      residue (or sequence specificity). We report here a robust, high-throughput
      method for profiling the sequence specificity of protein kinases. Up to 10(7)
      different peptides are rapidly synthesized on PEGA beads in the one-bead-one
      compound format and subjected to kinase reaction in the presence of [gamma-S]ATP.
      Positive beads displaying the optimal kinase substrates are identified by
      covalently labeling the thiophosphorylated peptides with a fluorescent dye via a
      disulfide exchange reaction. Finally, the most active hit(s) is identified by the
      partial Edman degradation-mass spectrometry (PED-MS) method. The ability of this
      method to provide individual sequences of the preferred substrates permits the
      identification of sequence contextual effects and non-permissive residues. This
      method is applicable to protein serine, threonine, and tyrosine kinases. 

PMID- 26501911
TI  - Determination of the Substrate Specificity of Protein Kinases with Peptide Micro-
      and Macroarrays.
AB  - Elucidation of the key determinants for the phosphorylation site specificities of
      protein kinases facilitates identification of their physiological substrates, and
      serves to better define their critical roles in the signaling networks that
      underlie a multitude of cellular activities. Albeit with some apparent
      limitations, such as the lack of contextual information for secondary substrate
      binding sites, the synthetic peptide-based approach has been adopted widely for
      the kinase specificity profiling studies, especially when they are used in an
      array format, which permits the screening of large numbers of potential peptide
      substrates in parallel. In this chapter, we present detailed protocols for
      determining protein kinase substrate specificity using an approach that involves
      both peptide microarrays and macroarrays. In particular, SPOT synthesis on
      macroarrays can be used to follow up on in silico predictions of protein kinase
      substrate specificity with predictive algorithms. 

PMID- 26501912
TI  - Rapid Identification of Protein Kinase Phosphorylation Site Motifs Using
      Combinatorial Peptide Libraries.
AB  - Eukaryotic protein kinases phosphorylate substrates at serine, threonine, and
      tyrosine residues that fall within the context of short sequence motifs. Knowing
      the phosphorylation site motif for a protein kinase facilitates designing
      substrates for kinase assays and mapping phosphorylation sites in protein
      substrates. Here, we describe an arrayed peptide library protocol for rapidly
      determining kinase phosphorylation consensus sequences. This method uses a set of
      peptide mixtures in which each of the 20 amino acid residues is systematically
      substituted at nine positions surrounding a central site of phosphorylation.
      Peptide mixtures are arrayed in multiwell plates and analyzed by radiolabel assay
      with the kinase of interest. The preferred sequence is determined from the
      relative rate of phosphorylation of each peptide in the array. Consensus peptides
      based on these sequences typically serve as efficient and specific kinase
      substrates for high-throughput screening or incorporation into biosensors. 

PMID- 26501913
TI  - Routes for Drug Delivery: Sustained-Release Devices.
AB  - Several different technologies exist for sustained-release drug delivery devices,
      including: (1) nonbiodegradable implants; (2) biodegradable implants; (3) micro-
      and nanoparticles; (4) liposomes, and (5) encapsulated cell technology (ECT).
      Currently, the only sustained-release devices approved by the Food and Drug
      Administration are the ganciclovir implant for the treatment of cytomegalovirus
      retinitis, the fluocinolone acetonide implant for the treatment of noninfectious
      posterior uveitis and the dexamethasone implant for the treatment of diabetic
      macular edema or noninfectious posterior uveitis. The first two implants are
      nonbiodegradable and require surgical placement, whereas the dexamethasone
      implant is biodegradable, and can be shaped and injected using a small-gauge
      needle or applicator into the vitreous. ECT, currently in a phase II clinical
      trial, utilizes modified retinal pigment epithelium cells to produce protein drug
      molecules in the vitreous. The microparticle, nanoparticle and liposome
      technology currently in development may offer the most flexibility for prolonged
      drug release and combination therapy for retinal diseases.

PMID- 26501914
TI  - Employing Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Wound Care: Are We There Yet?

PMID- 26501915
TI  - Cardiorespiratory Mechanical Simulator for In Vitro Testing of Impedance Minute
      Ventilation Sensors in Cardiac Pacemakers.
AB  - We developed a cardiorespiratory mechanical simulator (CRMS), a system able to
      reproduce both the cardiac and respiratory movements, intended to be used for in
      vitro testing of impedance minute ventilation (iMV) sensors in cardiac
      pacemakers. The simulator consists of two actuators anchored to a human thorax
      model and a software interface to control the actuators and to acquire/process
      impedance signals. The actuators can be driven separately or simultaneously to
      reproduce the cardiac longitudinal shortening at a programmable heart rate and
      the diaphragm displacement at a programmable respiratory rate (RR). A standard
      bipolar pacing lead moving with the actuators and a pacemaker case fixed to the
      thorax model have been used to measure impedance (Z) variations during the
      simulated cardiorespiratory movements. The software is able to discriminate the
      low-frequency component because of respiration (Z(R)) from the high-frequency
      ripple because of cardiac effect (Z(C)). Impedance minute ventilation is
      continuously calculated from Z(R) and RR. From preliminary tests, the CRMS proved
      to be a reliable simulator for in vitro evaluation of iMV sensors. Respiration
      impedance recordings collected during cardiorespiratory movements reproduced by
      the CRMS were comparable in morphology and amplitude with in vivo assessments of
      transthoracic impedance variations.

PMID- 26501917
TI  - Demikhov's "Mechanical Heart": The Circumstances Surrounding Creation of the
      World's First Implantable Total Artificial Heart in 1937.
AB  - The world's first implantable total artificial heart was designed by Vladimir
      Demikhov as a fourth year biology student in Voronezh, Soviet Union, in 1937. As
      a prototype of his device, Demikhov must have used an apparatus for
      extracorporeal blood circulation invented by Sergei Bryukhonenko of Moscow. The
      device was the size of a dog's native heart and consisted of two diaphragm pumps
      brought into motion by an electric motor. A dog with an implanted device lived
      for 2.5 hours. In addition to having the prototype, the preconditions for
      Demikhov's artificial heart creation were his manual dexterity, expertise in
      animal physiology, and his mechanistic worldview.

PMID- 26501918
TI  - Early Implementation of Video Capsule Enteroscopy in Patients with Left
      Ventricular Assist Devices and Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding.
AB  - Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a frequent challenge encountered in patients
      implanted with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), affecting approximately
      25% of this population. Many patients have no identifiable source of bleeding
      after routine esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy and are labeled as
      obscure GIB (OGIB). Significant costs and invasive procedures are required to
      investigate and stop the source of bleeding in these patients. We performed a
      retrospective analysis at a single tertiary referral center to investigate the
      diagnostic yield and overall effectiveness of video capsule enteroscopy (VCE) in
      this population. Eight patients with LVADs underwent nine VCE studies for OGIB.
      The diagnostic yield was 100%, with intraluminal blood the most common finding.
      The jejunum was the most common location for pathology detected on VCE. Sixty
      seven percent of the studies directly guided further endoscopy with successful
      cessation of bleeding in 100% of these patients. Finally, after an average follow
      up of 46 weeks, the total number of endoscopic procedures and total units of
      transfused packed red blood cells (pRBC) were significantly less after the
      patient underwent the VCE study compared with before. Video capsule enteroscopy
      is a safe and high-yield investigative procedure in this population and should be
      implemented earlier to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs of care.

PMID- 26501916
TI  - Hemodialysis Catheter Heat Transfer for Biofilm Prevention and Treatment.
AB  - Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are not easily treated,
      and many catheters (e.g., hemodialysis catheters) are not easily replaced.
      Biofilms (the source of infection) on catheter surfaces are notoriously difficult
      to eradicate. We have recently demonstrated that modest elevations of temperature
      lead to increased staphylococcal susceptibility to vancomycin and significantly
      soften the biofilm matrix. In this study, using a combination of microbiological,
      computational, and experimental studies, we demonstrate the efficacy,
      feasibility, and safety of using heat as an adjuvant treatment for infected
      hemodialysis catheters. Specifically, we show that treating with heat in the
      presence of antibiotics led to additive killing of Staphylococcus epidermidis
      with similar trends seen for Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The
      magnitude of temperature elevation required is relatively modest (45-50 degrees
      C) and similar to that used as an adjuvant to traditional cancer therapy. Using a
      custom-designed benchtop model of a hemodialysis catheter, positioned with tip in
      the human vena cava as well as computational fluid dynamic simulations, we
      demonstrate that these temperature elevations are likely achievable in situ with
      minimal increased in overall blood temperature. 

PMID- 26501919
TI  - Evaluation of a Self-Administered Computerized Cognitive Battery in an Older
      Population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the utility of the Cogstate self
      administered computerized neuropsychological battery in a large population of
      older men. METHODS: We invited 7,167 men (mean age of 75 years) from the Health
      Professionals Follow-up Study, a prospective cohort of male health professionals.
      We considered individual Cogstate scores and composite scores measuring
      psychomotor speed and attention, learning and working memory and overall
      cognition. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess the association
      between risk factors measured 4 and 28 years prior to cognitive testing and each
      outcome. RESULTS: The 1,866 men who agreed to complete Cogstate testing were
      similar to the 5,301 non-responders. Many expected risk factors were associated
      with Cogstate scores in multivariate adjusted models. Increasing age was
      significantly associated with worse performance on all outcomes (p < 0.001). For
      risk factors measured 4 years prior to testing and overall cognition, a history
      of hypertension was significantly associated with worse performance (mean
      difference of -0.08 standard units (95% CI -0.16, 0.00)) and higher consumption
      of nuts was significantly associated with better performance (>2 servings/week
      vs. <1 serving/month: 0.15 (0.03, 0.27)). CONCLUSIONS: The self-administered
      Cogstate battery showed significant associations with several risk factors known
      to be associated with cognitive function. Future studies of cognitive aging may
      benefit from the numerous advantages of self-administered computerized testing.

PMID- 26501920
TI  - Stereoselective Behavior of the Chiral Herbicides Diclofop-Methyl and Diclofop
      During the Soy Sauce Brewing Process.
AB  - Chiral pesticides are now receiving more and more attention in the food-making
      process. This experiment studied the enantioselective behavior of diclofop-methyl
      (DM) and its main metabolite, diclofop (DC), during the soy sauce brewing
      process. Two kinds of commonly used strains, Aspergillus oryzae and Saccharomyces
      rouxii, were investigated. However, they showed a different degradation ability
      to the enantiomers of DM and DC. It was observed that (-)-(S)-DM was degraded
      much faster than (+)-(R)-DM by Saccharomyces rouxii, while no stereoselective
      degradation was found by Aspergillus oryzae. DC represented a relatively long
      residue period in this fermentation process and both strains showed a weak
      degradation ability to DC, especially Saccharomyces rouxii. There was little DC
      detected in the final product, while most of the DC residues persisted in the
      lees, which were usually used as animal feeds or discarded into the environment
      directly as waste. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the soy sauce
      brewing process concerning pesticide residues both in the final product and
      byproducts.

PMID- 26501924
TI  - Slow Relaxation of Shape and Orientational Texture in Membrane Gel Domains.
AB  - Gel domains in lipid bilayers are structurally more complex than fluid domains.
      Growth dynamics can lead to noncircular domains with a heterogeneous
      orientational texture. Most model membrane studies involving gel domain
      morphology and lateral organization assume the domains to be static. Here we show
      that rosette shaped gel domains, with heterogeneous orientational texture and a
      central topological defect, after early stage growth, undergo slow relaxation. On
      a time scale of days to weeks domains converge to circular shapes and approach
      uniform texture. 1,2-Dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) enriched gel
      domains are grown by cooling 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC):DPPC
      bilayers into the solid-liquid phase coexistence region and are visualized with
      fluorescence microscopy. The relaxation of individual domains is quantified
      through image analysis of time-lapse image series. We find a shape relaxation
      mechanism which is inconsistent with Ostwald ripening and coalescence as observed
      in membrane systems with coexisting liquid phases. Moreover, domain texture
      changes in parallel with the changes in domain shape, and selective melting and
      growth of particular subdomains cause the texture to become more uniform. We
      propose a relaxation mechanism based on relocation of lipids from high-energy
      lattice positions, through evaporation-condensation and edge diffusion, to low
      energy positions. The relaxation process is modified significantly by binding
      Shiga toxin, a bacterial toxin from Shigella dysenteriae, to the membrane
      surface. Binding alters the equilibrium shape of the gel domains from circular to
      eroded rosettes with disjointed subdomains. This observation may be explained by
      edge diffusion while evaporation-condensation is restricted, and it provides
      further support for the proposed overall relaxation mechanism. 

PMID- 26501922
TI  - Uranium from German Nuclear Power Projects of the 1940s--A Nuclear Forensic
      Investigation.
AB  - Here we present a nuclear forensic study of uranium from German nuclear projects
      which used different geometries of metallic uranium fuel. Through measurement of
      the (230)Th/(234)U ratio, we could determine that the material had been produced
      in the period from 1940 to 1943. To determine the geographical origin of the
      uranium, the rare-earth-element content and the (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratio were
      measured. The results provide evidence that the uranium was mined in the Czech
      Republic. Trace amounts of (236)U and (239)Pu were detected at the level of their
      natural abundance, which indicates that the uranium fuel was not exposed to any
      major neutron fluence.

PMID- 26501926
TI  - Erratum to: Adherence to Psychiatric Follow-up Predicts 1-Year BMI Loss in
      Gastric Bypass Surgery Patients.

PMID- 26501925
TI  - DrugTargetInspector: An assistance tool for patient treatment stratification.
AB  - Cancer is a large class of diseases that are characterized by a common set of
      features, known as the Hallmarks of cancer. One of these hallmarks is the
      acquisition of genome instability and mutations. This, combined with high
      proliferation rates and failure of repair mechanisms, leads to clonal evolution
      as well as a high genotypic and phenotypic diversity within the tumor. As a
      consequence, treatment and therapy of malignant tumors is still a grand
      challenge. Moreover, under selective pressure, e.g., caused by chemotherapy,
      resistant subpopulations can emerge that then may lead to relapse. In order to
      minimize the risk of developing multidrug-resistant tumor cell populations,
      optimal (combination) therapies have to be determined on the basis of an in-depth
      characterization of the tumor's genetic and phenotypic makeup, a process that is
      an important aspect of stratified medicine and precision medicine. We present
      DrugTargetInspector (DTI), an interactive assistance tool for treatment
      stratification. DTI analyzes genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic datasets and
      provides information on deregulated drug targets, enriched biological pathways,
      and deregulated subnetworks, as well as mutations and their potential effects on
      putative drug targets and genes of interest. To demonstrate DTI's broad scope of
      applicability, we present case studies on several cancer types and different
      types of input -omics data. DTI's integrative approach allows users to
      characterize the tumor under investigation based on various -omics datasets and
      to elucidate putative treatment options based on clinical decision guidelines,
      but also proposing additional points of intervention that might be neglected
      otherwise. DTI can be freely accessed at http://dti.bioinf.uni-sb.de. 

PMID- 26501927
TI  - Evolving Knowledge in Pharmacologic Treatments of Age-Related Macular
      Degeneration.
AB  - Modern retinal drug therapy is a result of the recent challenges and
      breakthroughs in chemistry, physics, genetics, cell biology and biotechnologies.
      Specific pharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic characteristics of a drug are of
      major importance and contribute to its ability to penetrate targeted ocular
      tissues in order to result in effective therapeutic concentrations. In addition,
      the drugs should maintain a prolonged time of activity and be safe with minimal
      local and systemic toxicity. The transporter vehicle or drug delivery system is
      crucial in order to enhance ocular tissue penetration and establish controlled
      drug release. Administration methods should be local, thereby reducing systemic
      side effects, and, ideally, treatment should be noninvasive. Within the group of
      so-called classic therapies, the use of pharmacologic treatments has become
      widespread for most severe retinal diseases. Thereby, ocular therapy of diseases
      like exudative age-related macular degeneration has improved markedly. Moreover,
      new metabolic pathways have been identified, new molecules have emerged, new
      synthesis technologies have been discovered, and new formulae conceived. These
      developments have opened new avenues for limiting disease progression.

PMID- 26501928
TI  - Head movements encode emotions during speech and song.
AB  - When speaking or singing, vocalists often move their heads in an expressive
      fashion, yet the influence of emotion on vocalists' head motion is unknown. Using
      a comparative speech/song task, we examined whether vocalists' intended emotions
      influence head movements and whether those movements influence the perceived
      emotion. In Experiment 1, vocalists were recorded with motion capture while
      speaking and singing each statement with different emotional intentions (very
      happy, happy, neutral, sad, very sad). Functional data analyses showed that head
      movements differed in translational and rotational displacement across emotional
      intentions, yet were similar across speech and song, transcending differences in
      F0 (varied freely in speech, fixed in song) and lexical variability. Head motion
      specific to emotional state occurred before and after vocalizations, as well as
      during sound production, confirming that some aspects of movement were not simply
      a by-product of sound production. In Experiment 2, observers accurately
      identified vocalists' intended emotion on the basis of silent, face-occluded
      videos of head movements during speech and song. These results provide the first
      evidence that head movements encode a vocalist's emotional intent and that
      observers decode emotional information from these movements. We discuss
      implications for models of head motion during vocalizations and applied outcomes
      in social robotics and automated emotion recognition.

PMID- 26501929
TI  - Forgetting feelings: Opposite biases in reports of the intensity of past emotion
      and mood.
AB  - Memory for feelings is subject to fading and bias over time. In 2 studies, the
      authors examined whether the magnitude and direction of bias depend on the type
      of feeling being recalled: emotion or mood. A few days after the U.S.
      Presidential elections in 2008 and 2012, participants reported how they felt
      about the election outcome (emotion) and how they felt in general (mood). A month
      after the elections, participants recalled their feelings. The intensity of past
      emotion was recalled more accurately than the intensity of past mood.
      Participants underestimated the intensity of emotion but overestimated the
      intensity of mood. Participants' appraisals of the importance of the election,
      which diminished over time, contributed to underestimating the intensity of
      emotion. In contrast, participants' strong emotional response to the election
      contributed to overestimating the intensity of mood. These opposing biases have
      important implications for decision making and clinical assessment.

PMID- 26501930
TI  - The relation between navigation strategy and associative memory: An individual
      differences approach.
AB  - Although the hippocampus is implicated in both spatial navigation and associative
      memory, very little is known about whether individual differences in the 2
      domains covary. People who prefer to navigate using a hippocampal-dependent place
      strategy may show better performance on associative memory tasks than those who
      prefer a caudate-dependent response strategy (Bohbot, Gupta, Banner, & Dahmani,
      2011), but not all studies suggest such an effect (Woollett & Maguire, 2009,
      2012). Here we tested nonexpert young adults and found that preference for a
      place strategy positively correlated with spatial (object-location) associative
      memory performance but did not correlate with nonspatial (face-name) associative
      memory performance. Importantly, these correlations differed from each other,
      indicating that the relation between navigation strategy and associative memory
      is specific to the spatial domain. In addition, the 2 associative memory tasks
      significantly correlated, suggesting that object-location memory taps into
      processes relevant to both hippocampal-dependent navigation and nonspatial
      associative memory. Our findings also suggest that individual differences in
      spatial associative memory may account for some of the variance in navigation
      strategies.

PMID- 26501931
TI  - Permanent reduction of dissipation in nanomechanical Si resonators by chemical
      surface protection.
AB  - We report on mechanical dissipation measurements carried out on thin (~100 nm),
      single-crystal silicon cantilevers with varying chemical surface termination. We
      find that the 1-2 nm-thick native oxide layer of silicon contributes about 85% to
      the friction of the mechanical resonance. We show that the mechanical friction is
      proportional to the thickness of the oxide layer and that it crucially depends on
      oxide formation conditions. We further demonstrate that chemical surface
      protection by nitridation, liquid-phase hydrosilylation, or gas-phase
      hydrosilylation can inhibit rapid oxide formation in air and results in a
      permanent improvement of the mechanical quality factor between three- and five
      fold. This improvement extends to cryogenic temperatures. Presented recipes can
      be directly integrated with standard cleanroom processes and may be especially
      beneficial for ultrasensitive nanomechanical force- and mass sensors, including
      silicon cantilevers, membranes, or nanowires. 

PMID- 26501932
TI  - The identification of raft-derived tau-associated vesicles that are incorporated
      into immature tangles and paired helical filaments.
AB  - AIMS: Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), a cardinal pathological feature of
      neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) are primarily
      composed of hyper-phosphorylated tau protein. Recently, several other molecules,
      including flotillin-1, phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] and
      cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5), have also been revealed as constituents of
      NFTs. Flotillin-1 and PtdIns(4,5)P2 are considered markers of raft microdomains,
      whereas CDK5 is a tau kinase. Therefore, we hypothesized that NFTs have a
      relationship with raft domains and the tau phosphorylation that occurs within
      NFTs. METHODS: We investigated six cases of AD, six cases of other
      neurodegenerative diseases with NFTs and three control cases. We analysed the
      PtdIns(4,5)P2-immunopositive material in detail, using super-resolution
      microscopy and electron microscopy to elucidate its pattern of expression. We
      also investigated the spatial relationship between the PtdIns(4,5)P2
      immunopositive material and tau kinases through double immunofluorescence
      analysis. RESULTS: Pretangles contained either paired helical filaments (PHFs) or
      PtdIns(4,5)P2-immunopositive small vesicles (approximately 1 MUm in diameter)
      with nearly identical topology to granulovacuolar degeneration (GVD) bodies.
      Various combinations of these vesicles and GVD bodies, the latter of which are
      pathological hallmarks observed within the neurons of AD patients, were found
      concurrently in neurons. These vesicles and GVD bodies were both immunopositive
      not only for PtdIns(4,5)P2, but also for several tau kinases such as glycogen
      synthase kinase-3beta and spleen tyrosine kinase. CONCLUSIONS: These observations
      suggest that clusters of raft-derived vesicles that resemble GVD bodies are
      substructures of pretangles other than PHFs. These tau kinase-bearing vesicles
      are likely involved in the modification of tau protein and in NFT formation.

PMID- 26501933
TI  - Man With Blurry Vision and Eye Pain.

PMID- 26501934
TI  - Sentence Recall by Children With SLI Across Two Nonmainstream Dialects of
      English.
AB  - PURPOSE: The inability to accurately recall sentences has proven to be a clinical
      marker of specific language impairment (SLI); this task yields moderate-to-high
      levels of sensitivity and specificity. However, it is not yet known if these
      results hold for speakers of dialects whose nonmainstream grammatical productions
      overlap with those that are produced at high rates by children with SLI. METHOD:
      Using matched groups of 70 African American English speakers and 36 Southern
      White English speakers and dialect-strategic scoring, we examined children's
      sentence recall abilities as a function of their dialect and clinical status (SLI
      vs. typically developing [TD]). RESULTS: For both dialects, the SLI group earned
      lower sentence recall scores than the TD group with sensitivity and specificity
      values ranging from .80 to .94, depending on the analysis. Children with SLI, as
      compared with TD controls, manifested lower levels of verbatim recall, more
      ungrammatical recalls when the recall was not exact, and higher levels of error
      on targeted functional categories, especially those marking tense. CONCLUSION:
      When matched groups are examined and dialect-strategic scoring is used, sentence
      recall yields moderate-to-high levels of diagnostic accuracy to identify SLI
      within speakers of nonmainstream dialects of English.

PMID- 26501935
TI  - "Graft to" Synthesis and Ibuprofen-Loading Performance of pH-Sensitive PMAA
      Silica Hybrid Nanoparticles with Controlled Bimodal Mesopores.
AB  - Bimodal mesoporous silicas (BMMs) have been proved to be a good drug-loaded
      carrier. However, it did not provide stimuli sensitivity or controlled release
      performance yet. In the present work, a "smart" mesoporous silica-based pH
      dependent [poly(methacrylic acid)]-silica hybrid nanoparticles (P/NN-BMMs) drug
      delivery system was developed and evaluated with ibuprofen (IBU) as a model drug.
      P/NN-BMMs were prepared by coating poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) onto amino
      modified surface of BMMs via the "graft to" strategy. The structure and texture
      of resultant hybrid nanoparticles were determined with X-ray diffraction,
      scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform
      infrared, thermogravimetric analysis, N2 sorption isotherms, and elemental
      analysis. The PMAA acts as a molecular switch to achieve controlled drug release
      and the amount of grafted-PMAA can remarkably affect its performance. The drug
      loading rate is decreased markedly with the increasing of the amount of grafted
      PMAA, meanwhile, the drug-loading kinetics on P/NN-BMMs fits Korsmeyer-Peppas
      model. In addition, the drug-release amount from drug-loaded P/NN-BMMs is pH
      dependent, showing an increasing tendency with the increase of pH value.

PMID- 26501936
TI  - Risk-Based Therapy for Localized Osteosarcoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The outcome of localized osteosarcoma has remained constant over the
      past 30 years. Histological response to preoperative chemotherapy is the best
      predictor of outcome. Strategies to alter treatment based on histological
      response have not resulted in increased survival. PROCEDURE: Patients with
      localized osteosarcoma received preoperative chemotherapy with cisplatin,
      doxorubicin, and methotrexate. Patients whose tumors had a good histological
      response (>=90% necrosis) continued with the same treatment postoperatively.
      Patients with poor histological response (<90% necrosis) received three courses
      of melphalan 100 mg/m(2) on day -4, cyclophosphamide 2,000 mg/m(2) on days -3,
      and -2 followed by stem cell infusion. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients were enrolled.
      Median age was 14 years, and 56% of patients were male. The femur was the most
      common site. Forty patients underwent limb salvage surgery and amputation was
      performed in six patients. Forty-eight percent of tumors showed good histological
      response. Forty patients were evaluable for outcome; 18 patients with poor
      histologic response received high-dose chemotherapy. The 5-year event-free
      survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients treated on the high-dose
      chemotherapy arm were 28% (95% confidence interval [CI], 10-49) and 48% (95% CI,
      23-69), respectively. The 5-year EFS and OS for patients treated on the standard
      chemotherapy arm were 62% (95% CI, 36-80) and 74% (95% CI, 44-90), respectively.
      All patients who received high-dose chemotherapy developed grade 3 or higher
      hematological toxicity. There were no treatment-related deaths. CONCLUSIONS:
      Postoperative alkylator intensification with high-dose cyclophosphamide and
      melphalan in patients with localized osteosarcoma with poor histological response
      failed to improve survival.

PMID- 26501937
TI  - Polydioxanone Absorbable Plate for Cartilaginous Grafting in Endonasal
      Rhinoplasty: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: The caudal septal extension (CSE) graft maneuver commonly is used to
      adjust the nasal tip projection. It can, however, be difficult to stabilize and
      straighten the CSE graft, especially when the procedure is performed through an
      endonasal approach. Because the stabilization and correct positioning of the CSE
      graft are vital for achievement of the desired outcome, new approaches must be
      found that facilitate the technical ease of this procedure. OBJECTIVE: To assess
      the safety and efficacy of the polydioxanone (PDS) absorbable plate in CSE graft
      procedures performed via an endonasal approach. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: In an open-label, 2-arm parallel trial, 30 patients who requested a
      surgical nasal correction and required a CSE graft performed via an endonasal
      approach were randomized into 2 groups of 15 patients each. All patients
      underwent endonasal rhinoplasty at a single center from February 17, 2011, to
      December 26, 2013. Depending on their treatment group, patients received a CSE
      graft with or without a PDS plate. Data were collected and evaluated from
      November 24, 2010, to January 19, 2015, when final follow-up occurred. Data were
      analyzed based on an evaluable population. INTERVENTIONS: Endonasal rhinoplasty
      with or without the use of a PDS plate. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Technical
      difficulty assessed using a visual analog scale (range, 0-100; higher scores
      indicate increased difficulty of use), surgeon and blinded evaluator satisfaction
      with the graft assessed using a 4-point categorical scale (1 indicates highly
      satisfied; 4, unsatisfied), change in nasal tip projection, and complications at
      30, 60, 180, and 365 days after surgery. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients (13 in
      the PDS group and 14 in the non-PDS group) completed their 6-month postoperative
      visit, and 19 patients (10 in the PDS group and 9 in the non-PDS group) completed
      the entire study (12 months). The mean (SD; range) surgeon-assessed visual analog
      scale score for ease of use was 46 (13; 25-64) mm for the 15 patients in the non
      PDS treatment group and 17 (10; 7-48) mm for the 15 patients in the PDS group (P
      < .001). The surgeon's satisfaction with the graft did not differ significantly
      between the PDS and the non-PDS groups (P = .34), and the nontreating blinded
      evaluator's assessment of standardized photographs taken at the time of the graft
      placement and at postoperative days 30, 60, 180, and 365 did not establish any
      significant differences between the 2 groups (P > .99). Postoperative change in
      the nasal tip projection at 365 postoperative days compared with 30 postoperative
      days was significantly lower in the PDS group compared with the non-PDS group (
      0.31% vs -6.5%; P = .04), thus increasing the long-term stability of the graft in
      the PDS group. A single incident of infection was observed in each group along
      with no episodes of rejection or extrusion. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this
      study, use of a PDS plate in CSE graft procedures was associated with less
      technical difficulty than CSE graft procedures without use of a PDS plate and
      with reduced long-term variations in the nasal tip projection after the graft
      placement. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov
      Identifier: NCT01225250.

PMID- 26501938
TI  - Brugada Syndrome Presenting as Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia-Ventricular
      Fibrillation Lasting 94 Seconds Recorded on an Ambulatory Monitor.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Cardiac arrhythmias are common causes of syncope. Brugada syndrome is
      an uncommon but serious genetic arrhythmia disorder that can be unmasked by
      medicines causing sodium channel blockade. OBSERVATIONS: This report documents a
      case of Brugada syndrome and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia-ventricular
      fibrillation not initially recognized in a patient taking nortriptyline and
      experiencing syncope. It also illustrates one of the longest episodes of
      ventricular fibrillation recorded on an ambulatory monitor (94 seconds). Although
      the baseline electrocardiogram did not demonstrate a typical appearance for
      Brugada syndrome, provocative testing with flecainide in this patient with
      documented polymorphic ventricular tachycardia revealed a Brugada
      electrocardiogram pattern. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Vigilance should be
      maintained for arrhythmia substrates such as Brugada syndrome in patients with
      typical symptoms when they are prescribed membrane-active medicines. Long-term
      ambulatory rhythm monitors can provide useful information in these cases,
      especially when symptoms are infrequent.

PMID- 26501939
TI  - Mammography Screening and Overdiagnosis.

PMID- 26501940
TI  - Nanoporous Silicon Combustion: Observation of Shock Wave and Flame Synthesis of
      Nanoparticle Silica.
AB  - The persistent hydrogen termination present in nanoporous silicon (nPS) is unique
      compared to other forms of nanoscale silicon (Si) which typically readily form a
      silicon dioxide passivation layer. The hydrogen terminated surface combined with
      the extremely high surface area of nPS yields a material capable of powerful
      exothermic reactions when combined with strong oxidizers. Here, a galvanic
      etching mechanism is used to produce nPS both in bulk Si wafers as well as in
      patterned regions of Si wafers with microfabricated ignition wires. An explosive
      composite is generated by filling the pores with sodium perchlorate (NaClO4).
      Using high-speed video including Schlieren photography, a shock wave is observed
      to propagate through air at 1127 +/- 116 m/s. Additionally, a fireball is
      observed above the region of nPS combustion which persists for nearly 3* as long
      when reacted in air compared to N2, indicating that highly reactive species are
      generated that can further combust with excess oxygen. Finally, reaction products
      from either nPS-NaClO4 composites or nPS alone combusted with only high pressure
      O2 (400 psig) gas as an oxidizer are captured in a calorimeter bomb. The products
      in both cases are similar and verified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
      to include nano- to micrometer scale SiOx particles. This work highlights the
      complex oxidation mechanism of nPS composites and demonstrates the ability to use
      a solid state reaction to create a secondary gas phase combustion. 

PMID- 26501941
TI  - Practice-Based Research: Another Pathway for Closing the Research-Practice Gap.
AB  - PURPOSE: Practice-based research is proposed as an additional way to bridge the
      divide between research and practice. METHOD: The article compares the
      traditional, laboratory-based research with research that is generated from
      practice: practice-based research. The defining features of each are described,
      with an emphasis on contrasting internal and external validity. Retrospective and
      prospective practice-based studies are described. Guidelines for designing a
      retrospective study are provided along with a specific example from practice
      focusing on social communication learning. Last, the authors discuss the value of
      information generated from practice-based research for contributing to the
      knowledge base of not only a practice, but also a discipline. CONCLUSION: The
      argument is made that approaching research from more than one perspective is
      necessary for ultimately improving the quality of client and patient care.
      Practice-based research acknowledges the value of understanding clinical decision
      making in everyday contexts as an important complement to evidence generated in
      laboratories. This article is intended to invigorate interest in the uniqueness
      of practice-based research as a way of encouraging the talents of researchers and
      practitioners as they work together to gather evidence for improving the lives of
      individuals with communication disorders.

PMID- 26501942
TI  - Measuring the Efficacy and Value of Urothelial Cancer Urinary Biomarkers.

PMID- 26501943
TI  - Evaluation of Occupational and Environmental Factors in the Assessment of Chronic
      Cough in Adults: A Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several recent cough guidelines have advised consideration of
      occupational or environmental causes for chronic cough, but it is unclear how
      frequently this recommendation has been routinely applied. Therefore, we
      undertook a systematic review to address this aspect. METHODS: Cough guidelines
      and protocols were reviewed to identify recommendations for assessment of
      occupational and environmental aspects of chronic cough. The systematic search
      previously used to identify intervention fidelity to the use of protocols for
      diagnosis and management of chronic cough in adults was used for this review
      after extension to June 2015. PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were
      searched using the same search terms and inclusion criteria as previously. Papers
      that met our criteria were then reviewed to identify methods used to assess
      occupational and environmental aspects of chronic cough and the outcomes of these
      assessments. RESULTS: Among the 10 general chronic cough guidelines and protocols
      identified, only the three published since 2006 included details advising
      detailed occupational and environmental assessments. One additional cough
      statement focused entirely on occupational cough. Of the 28 cohort studies of
      patients with chronic cough that specifically noted that they followed guidelines
      or protocols, none provided details of occupational and environmental
      assessments. CONCLUSIONS: Despite published recommendations, it is not apparent
      that occupational and environmental causes for chronic cough are addressed in
      detail during assessments of patients with chronic cough. This leaves open to
      speculation whether lack of recognition of an occupational cause may delay
      important preventive measures, put additional workers at risk, and/or be the
      reason why a chronic cough may remain unexplained.

PMID- 26501944
TI  - Use of Protamine for Anticoagulation During Carotid Endarterectomy: A Meta
      analysis.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Protamine sulfate can be administered at the conclusion of carotid
      endarterectomy (CEA) to reverse the anticoagulant effects of heparin and to limit
      the risk for postoperative bleeding. Protamine use remains controversial owing to
      concern for increased thrombotic complications with its use. OBJECTIVE: To review
      the evidence for and against protamine use, both in its association with
      increased thrombotic complications and with decreased bleeding. DATA SOURCES: We
      searched Medline (1946-2014), EMBASE (1966-2014), Cochrane Library (1972-2014),
      clinical trial registries (World Health Organization International Clinical
      Trials Registry and clinicaltrials.gov), and abstracts from conferences of the
      Society of Vascular Surgery (2002-2014) and American Heart Association Scientific
      Sessions (1980-2014) in November 2014. No language restrictions were applied.
      STUDY SELECTION: We included clinical trials and observational studies comparing
      reversal of heparin with protamine sulfate vs no reversal in patients undergoing
      carotid revascularization and reporting stroke during hospitalization. Of 360
      records screened, 12 studies (3%) of CEA were eligible for data pooling. DATA
      EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two reviewers extracted data and assessed quality.
      Random-effects models were used to summarize relative risks (RRs). MAIN OUTCOME
      AND MEASURE: Stroke after CEA. RESULTS: We included 12 observational studies
      involving 10,621 patients in the meta-analysis. Event rates did not differ
      significantly between patients who received protamine vs those who did not for
      the following outcomes: stroke (RR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.55-1.29; I(2) = 15%; 9
      studies), myocardial infarction (RR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.53-1.51; I(2) = 0%; 3
      studies), or mortality (RR, 0.9, 95% CI, 0.62-1.29; I(2) = 0%; 7 studies). The
      use of protamine was associated with a significant decrease in major bleeding
      complications requiring reoperation (RR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.39-0.84; I(2) = 32%; 10
      studies). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Based on available evidence, the use of
      protamine following CEA is associated with a reduction in bleeding complications,
      without increasing major thrombotic outcomes, including stroke, myocardial
      infarction, or death.

PMID- 26501945
TI  - Effectiveness of a Statewide Abusive Head Trauma Prevention Program in North
      Carolina.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Abusive head trauma (AHT) is a serious condition, with an incidence
      of approximately 30 cases per 100,000 person-years in the first year of life.
      OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a statewide universal AHT prevention
      program. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In total, 88.29% of parents of
      newborns (n = 405 060) in North Carolina received the intervention (June 1, 2009,
      to September 30, 2012). A comparison of preintervention and postintervention was
      performed using nurse advice line telephone calls regarding infant crying
      (January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2010). A difference-in-difference analysis
      compared AHT rates in the prevention program state with those of other states
      before and after the implementation of the program (January 1, 2000, to December
      31, 2011). INTERVENTION: The Period of PURPLE Crying intervention, developed by
      the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, was delivered by nurse-provided
      education, a DVD, and a booklet, with reinforcement by primary care practices and
      a media campaign. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Changes in proportions of telephone
      calls for crying concerns to a nurse advice line and in AHT rates per 100,000
      infants after the intervention (June 1, 2009, to September 30, 2011) in the first
      year of life using hospital discharge data for January 1, 2000, to December 31,
      2011. RESULTS: In the 2 years after implementation of the intervention, parental
      telephone calls to the nurse advice line for crying declined by 20% for children
      younger than 3 months (rate ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.73-0.87; P < .001) and by 12%
      for children 3 to 12 months old (rate ratio, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.78-0.99; P = .03).
      No reduction in state-level AHT rates was observed, with mean rates of 34.01
      person-years before the intervention and 36.04 person-years after the
      intervention. A difference-in-difference analysis from January 1, 2000, to
      December 31, 2011, controlling for economic indicators, indicated that the
      intervention did not have a statistically significant effect on AHT rates (beta
      coefficient, -1.42; 95% CI, -13.31 to 10.45). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The
      Period of PURPLE Crying intervention was associated with a reduction in telephone
      calls to a nurse advice line. The study found no reduction in AHT rates over time
      in North Carolina relative to other states. Consequently, while this
      observational study was feasible and supported the program effectiveness in part,
      further programmatic efforts and evaluation are needed to demonstrate an effect
      on AHT rates.

PMID- 26501951
TI  - A comparison of genetically matched cell lines reveals the equivalence of human
      iPSCs and ESCs.
AB  - The equivalence of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and human
      embryonic stem cells (hESCs) remains controversial. Here we use genetically
      matched hESC and hiPSC lines to assess the contribution of cellular origin (hESC
      vs. hiPSC), the Sendai virus (SeV) reprogramming method and genetic background to
      transcriptional and DNA methylation patterns while controlling for cell line
      clonality and sex. We find that transcriptional and epigenetic variation
      originating from genetic background dominates over variation due to cellular
      origin or SeV infection. Moreover, the 49 differentially expressed genes we
      detect between genetically matched hESCs and hiPSCs neither predict functional
      outcome nor distinguish an independently derived, larger set of unmatched hESC
      and hiPSC lines. We conclude that hESCs and hiPSCs are molecularly and
      functionally equivalent and cannot be distinguished by a consistent gene
      expression signature. Our data further imply that genetic background variation is
      a major confounding factor for transcriptional and epigenetic comparisons of
      pluripotent cell lines, explaining some of the previously observed differences
      between genetically unmatched hESCs and hiPSCs. 

PMID- 26501952
TI  - A qPCR ScoreCard quantifies the differentiation potential of human pluripotent
      stem cells.
AB  - Research on human pluripotent stem cells has been hampered by the lack of a
      standardized, quantitative, scalable assay of pluripotency. We previously
      described an assay called ScoreCard that used gene expression signatures to
      quantify differentiation efficiency. Here we report an improved version of the
      assay based on qPCR that enables faster, more quantitative assessment of
      functional pluripotency. We provide an in-depth characterization of the revised
      signature panel (commercially available as the TaqMan hPSC Scorecard Assay)
      through embryoid body and directed differentiation experiments as well as a
      detailed comparison to the teratoma assay. We further show that the improved
      ScoreCard enables a wider range of applications, such as screening of small
      molecules, genetic perturbations and assessment of culture conditions. Our
      approach can be extended beyond stem cell applications to characterize and assess
      the utility of other cell types and lineages. 

PMID- 26501953
TI  - Long-term culture and expansion of primary human hepatocytes.
AB  - Hepatocytes have a critical role in metabolism, but their study is limited by the
      inability to expand primary hepatocytes in vitro while maintaining proliferative
      capacity and metabolic function. Here we describe the oncostatin M (OSM)
      dependent expansion of primary human hepatocytes by low expression of the human
      papilloma virus (HPV) genes E6 and E7 coupled with inhibition of epithelial-to
      mesenchymal transition. We show that E6 and E7 expression upregulates the OSM
      receptor gp130 and that OSM stimulation induces hepatocytes to expand for up to
      40 population doublings, producing 1013 to 1016 cells from a single human
      hepatocyte isolate. OSM removal induces differentiation into metabolically
      functional, polarized hepatocytes with functional bile canaliculi. Differentiated
      hepatocytes show transcriptional and toxicity profiles and cytochrome P450
      induction similar to those of primary human hepatocytes. Replication and
      infectivity of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in differentiated hepatocytes are similar
      to those of Huh7.5.1 human hepatoma cells. These results offer a means of
      expanding human hepatocytes of different genetic backgrounds for research,
      clinical applications and pharmaceutical development.

PMID- 26501956
TI  - Lewis Acid Catalyzed Tandem Polycyclization of Internal Alkynols and Vinyl
      Azides.
AB  - A novel Lewis acid catalyzed tandem cyclization reaction of internal alkynols and
      vinyl azides has been achieved to afford a series of products containing a pyran
      based indeno[1,2-c]isochromene scaffold in moderate to high yields. This tandem
      polycyclization protocol provides a straightforward entry to construct the
      complex polycyclic skeleton through cycloisomerization, formal [4 + 2]
      cycloaddition, and an elimination process. 

PMID- 26501954
TI  - In vivo characterization of the physicochemical properties of polymer-linked TLR
      agonists that enhance vaccine immunogenicity.
AB  - The efficacy of vaccine adjuvants such as Toll-like receptor agonists (TLRa) can
      be improved through formulation and delivery approaches. Here, we attached small
      molecule TLR-7/8a to polymer scaffolds (polymer-TLR-7/8a) and evaluated how
      different physicochemical properties of the TLR-7/8a and polymer carrier
      influenced the location, magnitude and duration of innate immune activation in
      vivo. Particle formation by polymer-TLR-7/8a was the most important factor for
      restricting adjuvant distribution and prolonging activity in draining lymph
      nodes. The improved pharmacokinetic profile by particulate polymer-TLR-7/8a was
      also associated with reduced morbidity and enhanced vaccine immunogenicity for
      inducing antibodies and T cell immunity. We extended these findings to the
      development of a modular approach in which protein antigens are site-specifically
      linked to temperature-responsive polymer-TLR-7/8a adjuvants that self-assemble
      into immunogenic particles at physiologic temperatures in vivo. Our findings
      provide a chemical and structural basis for optimizing adjuvant design to elicit
      broad-based antibody and T cell responses with protein antigens. 

PMID- 26501955
TI  - Comprehensive characterization of the Published Kinase Inhibitor Set.
AB  - Despite the success of protein kinase inhibitors as approved therapeutics, drug
      discovery has focused on a small subset of kinase targets. Here we provide a
      thorough characterization of the Published Kinase Inhibitor Set (PKIS), a set of
      367 small-molecule ATP-competitive kinase inhibitors that was recently made
      freely available with the aim of expanding research in this field and as an
      experiment in open-source target validation. We screen the set in activity assays
      with 224 recombinant kinases and 24 G protein-coupled receptors and in cellular
      assays of cancer cell proliferation and angiogenesis. We identify chemical
      starting points for designing new chemical probes of orphan kinases and
      illustrate the utility of these leads by developing a selective inhibitor for the
      previously untargeted kinases LOK and SLK. Our cellular screens reveal compounds
      that modulate cancer cell growth and angiogenesis in vitro. These reagents and
      associated data illustrate an efficient way forward to increasing understanding
      of the historically untargeted kinome. 

PMID- 26501957
TI  - Impact of Heavy Metals on Transcriptional and Physiological Activity of
      Nitrifying Bacteria.
AB  - Heavy metals can inhibit nitrification, a key process for nitrogen removal in
      wastewater treatment. The transcriptional responses of amoA, hao, nirK, and norB
      were measured in conjunction with specific oxygen uptake rate (sOUR) for
      nitrifying enrichment cultures exposed to different metals (Ni(II), Zn(II),
      Cd(II), and Pb(II)). There was significant decrease in sOUR with increasing
      concentrations for Ni(II) (0.03-3 mg/L), Zn(II) (0.1-10 mg/L), and Cd(II) (0.03-1
      mg/L) (p < 0.05). However, no considerable changes in sOUR were observed with
      Pb(II) (1-100 mg/L), except at a dosage of 1000 mg/L causing 84% inhibition.
      Based on RT-qPCR data, the transcript levels of amoA and hao decreased when
      exposed to Ni(II) dosages. Slight up-regulation of amoA, hao, and nirK (0.5-1.5
      fold) occurred after exposure to 0.3-3 mg/L Zn(II), although their expression
      decreased for 10 mg/L Zn(II). With the exception of 1000 mg/L Pb(II), stimulation
      of all genes occurred on Cd(II) and Pb(II) exposure. While overall the results
      show that RNA-based function-specific assays can be used as potential surrogates
      for measuring nitrification activity, the degree of inhibition inferred from sOUR
      and gene transcription is different. We suggest that variations in transcription
      of functional genes may supplement sOUR based assays as early warning indicators
      of upsets in nitrification. 

PMID- 26501959
TI  - Enzymatic Vitrectomy and Pharmacologic Vitreodynamics.
AB  - The field of vitreoretinal surgery has evolved substantially over the last
      several decades. Scientific advances have improved our understanding of disease
      pathophysiology, and new surgical adjuncts and techniques have decreased surgical
      time and improved patient outcomes. Pharmacologic agents have recently been
      developed for intraocular use in order to enhance vitreous removal and even as a
      nonsurgical treatment for pathology due to an abnormal vitreoretinal interface.
      Plasmin can successfully cause vitreous liquefaction and induce a posterior
      vitreous detachment. Additionally, ocriplasmin has been approved for symptomatic
      vitreomacular adhesion and others appear to be promising for pharmacologic
      manipulation of the vitreous. The ability to induce vitreous liquefaction and a
      complete posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) with a single intravitreal injection
      has potential implications for the management of multiple vitreoretinopathies.
      Enzymatic vitrectomy may help to reduce vitreous viscosity, thereby facilitating
      removal during vitrectomy and reducing surgical time, especially when using
      smaller-gauge vitrectomy instruments. The induction of a PVD also has the
      potential to reduce intraoperative complications. As we improve our understanding
      of the molecular flux in the vitreous cavity, pharmacologic vitreodynamics will
      likely become more important as it may allow for improved manipulation of
      intravitreal molecules. 

PMID- 26501958
TI  - Live Fast, Die Young: Experimental Evidence of Population Extinction Risk due to
      Climate Change.
AB  - Evidence has accumulated in recent decades on the drastic impact of climate
      change on biodiversity. Warming temperatures have induced changes in species
      physiology, phenology, and have decreased body size. Such modifications can
      impact population dynamics and could lead to changes in life cycle and
      demography. More specifically, conceptual frameworks predict that global warming
      will severely threaten tropical ectotherms while temperate ectotherms should
      resist or even benefit from higher temperatures. However, experimental studies
      measuring the impacts of future warming trends on temperate ectotherms' life
      cycle and population persistence are lacking. Here we investigate the impacts of
      future climates on a model vertebrate ectotherm species using a large-scale
      warming experiment. We manipulated climatic conditions in 18 seminatural
      populations over two years to obtain a present climate treatment and a warm
      climate treatment matching IPCC predictions for future climate. Warmer
      temperatures caused a faster body growth, an earlier reproductive onset, and an
      increased voltinism, leading to a highly accelerated life cycle but also to a
      decrease in adult survival. A matrix population model predicts that warm climate
      populations in our experiment should go extinct in around 20 y. Comparing our
      experimental climatic conditions to conditions encountered by populations across
      Europe, we suggest that warming climates should threaten a significant number of
      populations at the southern range of the distribution. Our findings stress the
      importance of experimental approaches on the entire life cycle to more accurately
      predict population and species persistence in future climates. 

PMID- 26501960
TI  - Wedding Cake Growth Mechanism in One-Dimensional and Two-Dimensional
      Nanostructure Evolution.
AB  - The kinetic processes and atomistic mechanisms in nanostructure growth are of
      fundamental interest to nanomaterial syntheses with precisely controlled
      morphology and functionality. By programming deposition conditions at time
      domain, we observed the wedding cake growth mechanism in the formation of 1D and
      2D ZnO nanostructures. Within a narrow growth window, the surfaces of the 1D and
      2D structures were covered with a unique concentric terrace feature. This
      mechanism was further validated by comparing the characteristic growth rates to
      the screw dislocation-driven model. An interesting 1D to 2D morphology transition
      was also found during the wedding cake growth, when the adatoms overcome the
      Ehrlich-Schwoebel (ES) barrier along the edge of the top crystal facet triggered
      by lowering the supersaturation. The wedding cake model might be a general growth
      mechanism for flat-tipped nanowires that do not possess any dislocations. This
      study enriches our understanding on the fundamental kinetics of nanostructured
      crystal growth and provides a transformative strategy to achieve rational design
      and control of nanoscale geometry. 

PMID- 26501961
TI  - An unusual variant of the abducens nerve duplication with two nerve trunks
      merging within the orbit: a case report with comments on developmental
      background.
AB  - This study reports the first case of abducens nerve duplication along its entire
      intracranial course, ending within the orbit. A distinct abducens nerve
      duplication reaching the common tendinous ring (annulus of Zinn), as well as
      another split within the intraconal segment of the nerve have been revealed.
      Additionally, two groups (superior and inferior) of abducens nerve sub-branches
      to the lateral rectus muscle were visualised using Sihler's stain. The analysed
      anatomical variation has never been reported before and it seems to be in the
      middle of the spectrum between the cases of duplication occurring only within the
      intracranial segments of the abducens nerve found in the literature and those
      continuing throughout the whole course of the nerve. Abducens nerve duplication
      may be treated as a relic of early stages of ontogenesis. Such a variant might
      result from alternative developmental pathways in which axons of the abducens
      nerve, specific for a given segment of the lateral rectus muscle, run separately
      at some stage, instead of forming a single stem. 

PMID- 26501963
TI  - Enhancing the High-Voltage Cycling Performance of LiNi(0.5)Mn(0.3)Co(0.2)O2 by
      Retarding Its Interfacial Reaction with an Electrolyte by Atomic-Layer-Deposited
      Al2O3.
AB  - High-voltage (>4.3 V) operation of LiNi(x)Mn(y)Co(z)O2 (NMC; 0 <= x, y, z < 1)
      for high capacity has become a new challenge for next-generation lithium-ion
      batteries because of the rapid capacity degradation over cycling. In this work,
      we investigate the performance of LiNi(0.5)Mn(0.3)Co(0.2)O2 (NMC532) electrodes
      with and without an atomic-layer-deposited (ALD) Al2O3 layer for
      charging/discharging in the range from 3.0 to 4.5 V (high voltage). The results
      of the electrochemical measurements show that the cells with ALD Al2O3-coated
      NMC532 electrodes have much enhanced cycling stability. The mechanism was
      investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption
      spectroscopy, and electrochemical methods. We find that the ultrathin ALD Al2O3
      film can reduce the interface resistance of lithium-ion diffusion and enhance the
      surface stability of NMC532 by retarding the reactions at NMC532/electrolyte
      interfaces for preventing the formation of a new microstructure rock-salt phase
      NiO around the NMC532 surfaces.

PMID- 26501962
TI  - DNA methylation of RAMP1 gene in migraine: an exploratory analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Receptor activity modifying protein 1(RAMP1) is a key receptor
      subunit of calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) playing a critical role in
      migraine. But variations in RAMP1 gene have not been found to link with migraine.
      Still it is elusive that DNA methylation at RAMP1 promoter is associated with
      migraine. METHODS: A total of 51 blood DNA samples from 26 patients with migraine
      and 25 matched healthy controls were collected, extracted and treated with
      bisulfate. Subsequently DNA methylation levels at RAMP1 promoter region were
      measured using Sequenom Mass ARRAY systems. RESULTS: Among 13 detected CpG sites
      or units at RAMP1 promoter region, there were no significant differences between
      the migraine and control groups, but indicating a low methylation trend overall
      in migraine group (total average methylation level: 8.41 % +/-1.92 % vs. 9.90 %
      +/- 3.88 %, p = 0.197). Stratification analysis showed that methylation level at
      (+25, +27, +31, related to the transcription start site) CpG unit was higher in
      migraineurs with migraine family history compared to those without (13.92 % +/-
      5.97 % vs. 8.77 % +/- 6.61 %, p = 0.034), and methylation level at (+89, +94,
      +96) CpG unit was lower in migraine female than that in healthy female (2.18 % +/
      1.91 % vs. 5.85 % +/- 5.41 %, p = 0.02). For female with methylation level at
      (+89, +94, +96) CpG unit below 3.50 %, the probability of being a migraine
      patient was significantly higher than those with methylation level above the
      threshold (OR: 7.313; 95%CI: 1.439-37.164). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the
      first evidence that DNA methylation at RAMP1 promoter might play a role in
      migraine. A low methylation trend overall was presented in migraine subjects, and
      two CpG units were observed to link with positive migraine family history and
      female migraine, respectively. Lower methlytion level at (+89, +94, +96) CpG unit
      may be a risk of migraine in females.

PMID- 26501964
TI  - Estimating the Counterfactual Impact of Conservation Programs on Land Cover
      Outcomes: The Role of Matching and Panel Regression Techniques.
AB  - Deforestation and conversion of native habitats continues to be the leading
      driver of biodiversity and ecosystem service loss. A number of conservation
      policies and programs are implemented--from protected areas to payments for
      ecosystem services (PES)--to deter these losses. Currently, empirical evidence on
      whether these approaches stop or slow land cover change is lacking, but there is
      increasing interest in conducting rigorous, counterfactual impact evaluations,
      especially for many new conservation approaches, such as PES and REDD, which
      emphasize additionality. In addition, several new, globally available and free
      high-resolution remote sensing datasets have increased the ease of carrying out
      an impact evaluation on land cover change outcomes. While the number of
      conservation evaluations utilizing 'matching' to construct a valid control group
      is increasing, the majority of these studies use simple differences in means or
      linear cross-sectional regression to estimate the impact of the conservation
      program using this matched sample, with relatively few utilizing fixed effects
      panel methods--an alternative estimation method that relies on temporal variation
      in the data. In this paper we compare the advantages and limitations of (1)
      matching to construct the control group combined with differences in means and
      cross-sectional regression, which control for observable forms of bias in program
      evaluation, to (2) fixed effects panel methods, which control for observable and
      time-invariant unobservable forms of bias, with and without matching to create
      the control group. We then use these four approaches to estimate forest cover
      outcomes for two conservation programs: a PES program in Northeastern Ecuador and
      strict protected areas in European Russia. In the Russia case we find
      statistically significant differences across estimators--due to the presence of
      unobservable bias--that lead to differences in conclusions about effectiveness.
      The Ecuador case illustrates that if time-invariant unobservables are not
      present, matching combined with differences in means or cross-sectional
      regression leads to similar estimates of program effectiveness as matching
      combined with fixed effects panel regression. These results highlight the
      importance of considering observable and unobservable forms of bias and the
      methodological assumptions across estimators when designing an impact evaluation
      of conservation programs.

PMID- 26501965
TI  - Hidden Markov modelling of intra-snore episode behavior of acoustic
      characteristics of obstructive sleep apnea patients.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a breathing disorder that can cause serious
      medical consequences. It is caused by full (apnea) or partial (hypopnea)
      obstructions of the upper airway during sleep. The gold standard for diagnosis of
      OSA is the polysomnography (PSG). The main measure for OSA diagnosis is the apnea
      hypopnea index (AHI). However, the AHI is a time averaged summary measure of vast
      amounts of information gathered in an overnight PSG study. It cannot capture the
      dynamic characteristics associated with apnea/hypopnea events and their overnight
      distribution. The dynamic characteristics of apnea/hypopnea events are affected
      by the structural and functional characteristics of the upper airway. The upper
      airway characteristics also affect the upper airway collapsibility. These effects
      are manifested in snoring sounds generated from the vibrations of upper airway
      structures which are then modified by the upper airway geometric and physical
      characteristics. Hence, it is highly likely that the acoustical behavior of
      snoring is affected by the upper airway structural and functional
      characteristics. In the current work, we propose a novel method to model the
      intra-snore episode behavior of the acoustic characteristics of snoring sounds
      which can indirectly describe the instantaneous and temporal dynamics of the
      upper airway. We model the intra-snore episode acoustical behavior by using
      hidden Markov models (HMMs) with Mel frequency cepstral coefficients. Assuming
      significant differences in the anatomical and physiological upper airway
      configurations between low-AHI and high-AHI subjects, we defined different snorer
      groups with respect to AHI thresholds 15 and 30 and also developed HMM-based
      classifiers to classify snore episodes into those groups. We also define a
      measure called instantaneous apneaness score (IAS) in terms of the log
      likelihoods produced by respective HMMs. IAS indicates the degree of class
      membership of each episode to one of the predefined groups as well as the
      instantaneous OSA severity. We then assigned each patient to an overall AHI band
      based on the majority vote of each episode of snoring. The proposed method has a
      diagnostic sensitivity and specificity between 87-91%. 

PMID- 26501967
TI  - Assessing Patient-Reported Outcomes Following Orthognathic Surgery and Osseous
      Genioplasty.
AB  - Primary outcomes for orthognathic surgery and genioplasty patients include
      satisfaction with appearance, improved motor function, and enhanced quality of
      life. The goal of this study was to assess outcomes among patients undergoing
      these procedures, and to highlight the potential use of FACE-Q instrument for use
      in patients with dentofacial deformities. A total of 56 patients presenting for
      orthognathic surgery and/or osseous genioplasty completed the FACE-Q during
      preoperative and/or at postoperative visits. FACE-Q scores increased following
      surgery in satisfaction with facial appearance overall (+24.5, P < 0.01),
      satisfaction with lower face and jawline (+40.7, P < 0.01), and in all
      satisfaction with chin items (profile, prominence, shape, and overall). Patients
      also demonstrated increased social confidence (+8.9, P = 0.29). There was no
      improvement in psychologic well-being (-0.8, P = 0.92). All 3 surgical groups of
      patients experienced gains in satisfaction with appearance following surgery.
      Patients who underwent orthognathic surgery either alone or in combination with
      genioplasty demonstrated statistically significant improvements in satisfaction
      with facial appearance overall (P < 0.01 for both groups), whereas patients who
      underwent genioplasty alone did not (P = 0.13). In addition, patients who
      underwent orthognathic surgery combined with genioplasty demonstrated greater
      improvement in satisfaction with chin than patients who underwent genioplasty
      alone. In conclusion, patients who underwent orthognathic surgery and/or
      genioplasty demonstrated improvement in appearance and social confidence. The use
      of this model supports the successful outcomes possible for patients undergoing
      these procedures. 

PMID- 26501966
TI  - Genomics Virtual Laboratory: A Practical Bioinformatics Workbench for the Cloud.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Analyzing high throughput genomics data is a complex and compute
      intensive task, generally requiring numerous software tools and large reference
      data sets, tied together in successive stages of data transformation and
      visualisation. A computational platform enabling best practice genomics analysis
      ideally meets a number of requirements, including: a wide range of analysis and
      visualisation tools, closely linked to large user and reference data sets;
      workflow platform(s) enabling accessible, reproducible, portable analyses,
      through a flexible set of interfaces; highly available, scalable computational
      resources; and flexibility and versatility in the use of these resources to meet
      demands and expertise of a variety of users. Access to an appropriate
      computational platform can be a significant barrier to researchers, as
      establishing such a platform requires a large upfront investment in hardware,
      experience, and expertise. RESULTS: We designed and implemented the Genomics
      Virtual Laboratory (GVL) as a middleware layer of machine images, cloud
      management tools, and online services that enable researchers to build
      arbitrarily sized compute clusters on demand, pre-populated with fully configured
      bioinformatics tools, reference datasets and workflow and visualisation options.
      The platform is flexible in that users can conduct analyses through web-based
      (Galaxy, RStudio, IPython Notebook) or command-line interfaces, and add/remove
      compute nodes and data resources as required. Best-practice tutorials and
      protocols provide a path from introductory training to practice. The GVL is
      available on the OpenStack-based Australian Research Cloud (http://nectar.org.au)
      and the Amazon Web Services cloud. The principles, implementation and build
      process are designed to be cloud-agnostic. CONCLUSIONS: This paper provides a
      blueprint for the design and implementation of a cloud-based Genomics Virtual
      Laboratory. We discuss scope, design considerations and technical and logistical
      constraints, and explore the value added to the research community through the
      suite of services and resources provided by our implementation.

PMID- 26501968
TI  - A Study of the Association Between Sleep Bruxism, Low Quality of Sleep, and
      Degenerative Changes of the Temporomandibular Joint.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of degenerative bone changes
      of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in individuals suffering from sleep bruxism
      (SB), associating these characteristics with the quality of sleep. For this, we
      followed the International Classification of Sleep Disorders for the diagnosis of
      SB, in addition to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular
      Disorders (RDC/TMD) for the classification of TMD and cone beam computed
      tomography. It was found that 97.7% of the individuals with bruxism had at least
      1 RDC/TMD group III diagnosis, 75.6% of the subjects considered their sleep
      quality as poor, and the largest group (23%) had centric bruxism. There was no
      significant association between the pattern of sleep quality (P = 0.36), the type
      of SB (P = 0.277), and the presence of degenerative changes of the TMJ.
      Regardless of the quality of sleep and the type of bruxism presented, the
      prevalence of degenerative bone disorders was high (67%) among women with a mean
      age of 46 years and a clinical diagnosis of SB. 

PMID- 26501969
TI  - The Affordable Care Act: Opportunities and Challenges for Physicians.
AB  - The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will affect many aspects of health care across the
      nation, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Physicians who have a solid
      understanding of the recent industry trends and the role they will be playing in
      the post-ACA world will be able to better adapt to the new environment. This
      article analyzes the implications of the health care reform for physicians and
      offers recommendations on how to turn challenges into opportunities. 

PMID- 26501970
TI  - Residents' Perceptions of Plastic Surgeons as Craniofacial Surgery Specialists.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess residents' perceptions of plastic surgeons as craniofacial
      surgery specialists in Brazil. METHODS: Brazilian residents were asked to choose
      1 or 2 specialists that they perceived to be an expert for 14 craniofacial
      surgery-related scenarios. Both an overall analysis (all 14 scenarios) and
      subanalysis (each scenario separately) were performed. Response patterns were
      distributed as "plastic surgeons alone," "plastic surgeons combined with other
      specialists," or "without plastic surgeons." RESULTS: Overall, plastic surgeons
      were chosen more (all P < 0.05) as experts than all other specialists. The
      subanalysis showed that plastic surgeons were chosen more (all P < 0.05) as
      experts than other specialists in 50% of craniofacial surgery-related scenarios
      and also demonstrated that "plastic surgeons alone" and "without plastic
      surgeons" were selected more (all P < 0.05) than other response patterns in
      31.71% and 42.86% of scenarios, respectively. General surgery residents and male
      residents chose more (all P < 0.05) plastic surgeons as experts than their peers.
      CONCLUSION: Residents' perceptions of plastic surgeons as craniofacial surgery
      specialists are limited in Brazil.

PMID- 26501971
TI  - Effects of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children as a Result of Adenoid and/or
      Adenotonsillar Hypertrophy on Maternal Psychologic Status.
AB  - The authors aimed to evaluate the effects of obstructive sleep apnea in children
      as a result of adenoid and/or adenotonsillar hypertrophy on maternal psychologic
      status. The study sample comprised the mothers of 66 children aged 3 to 15 years
      (mean age: 7.55 +/- 2.94 years) who were scheduled to undergo curette
      adenoidectomy or adenotonsillectomy because of airway obstruction. The mothers
      completed the 14-item Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), 20-item State
      Trait Anxiety Inventory-1 (STAI-1), and 20-item State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-2
      (STAI-2) questionnaires before the operation and 10 days afterwards. Mothers who
      were under psychiatric treatment or declined to fill the questionnaires were
      excluded from the study. The results obtained postoperatively by day 10, when all
      the children had considerable improvement in their breathing, were analyzed as
      control data. The mean postoperative HAD-A and HAD-D scores of the mothers were
      significantly lower than the mean preoperative scores (P < 0.001). Mothers' mean
      STAI-1 and STAI-2 scores were also significantly lower postoperatively (P <
      0.001). Pediatric adenoidectomy or adenotonsillectomy to relieve airway
      obstruction has a beneficial effect not only on the health of pediatric patients
      but also on the psychologic status of their mothers. 

PMID- 26501972
TI  - Evaluation of Relationship Between Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Self-Esteem in
      Rhinoplasty Candidates.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the relationship between body dysmorphic syndrome and self
      esteem in rhinoplasty candidates. RESULTS: A negative statistical correlation was
      evident between Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and Body Dysmorphic Disorder
      Examination-Self Report (BDDE-SR) scores. In terms of responses to the first Body
      Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire (BDDQ) question, which focuses on general
      attitude toward body dysmorphic syndrome, the average RSES "YES" score was
      significantly less than the "NO" score. No significant differences appeared
      between RSES scores and scores for the 4th subgroup of BDDQ questions (subgroups
      A, B, and C; these questions explore how much time is spent daily on maintenance
      of bodily appearance). However, significant differences appeared between scores
      for the 4th subgroup of BDDQ questions and BDDE-SR scores. The average BDD-SR
      score of subgroup A (less than 1 hour spent on bodily maintenance) was
      significantly lower than those of group B (1-3 hours) and group C (more than 3
      hours). However, no significant differences appeared in average BDD-SR scores
      between subgroups B and C. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, 56
      patients (31 females and 25 males) were evaluated preoperatively using the BDDQ,
      the BDDE-SR, and the RSES. Patients younger than 15 years and those with
      deformities caused by trauma were excluded. CONCLUSIONS: Rhinoplasty candidates
      had higher levels of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Although patients with low
      RSES scores were more likely to have BDD, rhinoplasty candidates were not notably
      deficient in self-esteem. However, in rhinoplasty candidates with low RSES
      scores, the frequency of BDD was elevated. Therefore, the authors suggest that
      rhinoplasty candidates with low RSES scores should be investigated carefully in
      terms of BDD.

PMID- 26501973
TI  - Microvascular Decompression for Trigeminal Neuralgia: Zone Exploration and
      Decompression Techniques.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to introduce zone exploration of the
      trigeminal nerve and decompression techniques for different types of vasculars.
      METHODS: The trigeminal nerve was sectioned into 5 zones. Zone 1, 2, 3, 4 was
      located at the rostral, caudal, ventral, and dorsal part of the nerve root entry
      zone (REZ) respectively, and zone 5 was located at the distal of the nerve root.
      This study contained 86 patients with trigeminal neuralgia underwent
      microvascular decompression. Every zone was exposed through preoperative imaging.
      During the operation, offending vessels were explored from zone 1 to zone 5, and
      different decompression techniques were used for different types of vessels.
      RESULTS: Through zone exploration, the sensitivity of preoperative imaging was
      96.5% and specificity was 100%. Location of the neurovascular conflict was in the
      zone 1 in 53.5% of the patients, zone 2 in 32.6%, zone 3 in 45.3%, zone 4 in
      29.1%, and zone 5 in 34.9%. In total, 2 zones were both involved in 59.3%, and 3
      zones were involved in 18.6%. All offending arteries were moved away and
      interposed with Teflon sponge. Offending veins of 11 patients were too small to
      interpose, and coagulated and cut was adopted. The other offending veins were
      interposed with wet gelatin and Teflon sponge, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Zone
      exploration is helpful in finding offending vessels and adequate decompression
      can be achieved by choosing different methods according to different types of
      offending vessels.

PMID- 26501974
TI  - Development of Technical Skills: Education, Simulation, and Maintenance of
      Certification.
AB  - The goal of this article is to provide a focused overview of technical skills
      education inside the operating room (OR), opportunities for learning outside of
      the OR (with a focus on simulation), and methods for measuring technical skills.
      In addition, the authors review the role of maintenance of certification in
      continuing education and quality improvement and consider the role that
      simulation plays in this process. The perspectives on teaching in the OR of both
      residents and faculty going into the case affect the learning environment, and
      preoperative interactions between attendings and residents to establish learning
      needs and goals are important. Furthermore, in regards to attending surgeons
      improving their skills, interaction with more experienced peers and feedback
      during and after a procedure can be beneficial. Simulation is increasingly being
      utilized as an education tool outside of the OR. Training in plastic surgery is
      poised to exploit simulation in multiple technical areas. There is potential to
      utilize these simulation environments to collect real-time data, such as motion,
      visual focus, and pressure. How to incorporate technical skill evaluation results
      in ways that are most beneficial for learning should be the focus of future
      research and curriculum development. Finally, simulation could be better utilized
      as a mechanism for both self and peer evaluation and assessment for continuing
      education and quality improvement. Professional development for faculty and
      surgery trainees on how to engage with simulation for teaching and learning and
      how to translate these experiences into improving patient care will be required. 

PMID- 26501975
TI  - Reconstruction of Rare Skull Metastases Using Free Latissimus Dorsi Flap and the
      Role of Preoperative Embolization in Hypervascular Skull Tumors.
AB  - Metastatic tumors are the most common cranial neoplasms in adults. Skull
      metastases from rare primary tumors, such as cholangiocarcinoma or pancreatic
      neuroendocrine tumor, are extremely uncommon and rarely reported. Given the
      scarcity and variation of these rare skull metastases, treatments and outcomes of
      such patients are of interest to treating surgeons. The authors describe the
      treatment algorithm, course, and outcomes of 2 patients with rare
      gastrointestinal skull metastases. The first patient had intrahepatic
      cholangiocarcinoma metastatic to the skull, while the second patient developed a
      solitary skull metastasis secondary to a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. As part
      of this report, the authors include a literature review of rare skull metastases
      as well as the treatment of these 2 patients. Both the patients ultimately
      underwent successful resection of the tumor for relief of their clinical
      symptoms. Wide resections in both patients necessitated reconstruction using a
      free latissimus dorsi muscle flap in both the patients. Preoperative embolization
      of the hypervascular cholangiocarcinoma skull metastasis was performed prior to
      resection in the first patient. To date, there have been only 4 such reports of
      skull metastases from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and limited reported cases
      of isolated skull metastases from a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor.In patients
      with large or numerous skull metastasis from rare primary tumors, surgical
      resection should be considered for symptomatic improvement. In cases of
      hypervascular lesions, preoperative embolization can be considered to decrease
      the intraoperative bleeding. Free tissue transfers using myocutaneous flaps such
      as latissimus dorsi help in obliterating dead space, and creating a healthy soft
      tissue envelope to withstand postoperative radiation treatment. In addition, a
      chimeric flap can be designed to include additional muscle or soft tissue to
      obliterate and exclude the sinus cavities.

PMID- 26501976
TI  - Feedback in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Education: Past, Present, and
      Future.
AB  - Education is to be provided efficiently and effectively according to guidelines
      in the United States by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
      as core competencies and in Canada by the Royal College according to the CanMEDS
      framework. This article defines formative feedback, reviews the currently
      available validated feedback tools, and describes the future use of technology to
      enhance feedback in plastic surgery education. 

PMID- 26501977
TI  - Errors in Derivation Data and Validation Data.

PMID- 26501978
TI  - Management of Thrombocytopenia in Chronic Liver Disease: Focus on
      Pharmacotherapeutic Strategies.
AB  - Thrombocytopenia (platelet count <150 * 10(9)/L) often complicates chronic liver
      disease, impeding optimal management of these patients. The prevalence of this
      manifestation ranges from 6% among non-cirrhotic patients with chronic liver
      disease to 70% among patients with liver cirrhosis. It has also been shown that
      the severity of liver disease is associated with both prevalence and level of
      thrombocytopenia. Its development is often multifactorial, although
      thrombopoietin is thought to be a major factor. The discovery of and ability to
      clone thrombopoietin led to new treatment opportunities for this clinical
      manifestation. This review discusses data on the three most important
      thrombopoietin receptor agonists: eltrombopag, avatrombopag, and romiplostim.
      Currently, only eltrombopag is approved for usage among patients with
      thrombocytopenia and chronic hepatitis C virus infection in order to initiate and
      maintain interferon-based antiviral treatment. Nevertheless, the optimal
      management of hematologic abnormalities among patients with chronic liver
      disease, and its risk for bleeding complications, is still a matter of
      discussion. Thrombocytopenia definitely contributes to hemostatic defects but is
      often counterbalanced by the enhanced presence of procoagulant factors.
      Therefore, a thorough assessment of the patient's risk for thrombotic events is
      essential when the use of thrombopoietin receptor agonists is considered among
      patients with chronic liver disease and thrombocytopenia.

PMID- 26501979
TI  - Intrathecal Analgesia for Chronic Refractory Pain: Current and Future Prospects.
AB  - The intrathecal drug-delivery system (IDDS) is one mode of infusing analgesic
      medications directly into the cerebrospinal fluid in close proximity to their
      site of action. This modality has been employed in patients with refractory pain
      either due to malignant or non-malignant causes for over 30 years. Unfortunately,
      and despite the number of years it has been in use, there is still a scarcity of
      rigorous evidence to guide its integration into clinical practice. Current best
      evidence is inconclusive as to the comparative effectiveness and harms of the
      IDDS relative to routine medical care of patients. There are far more systematic
      reviews than high-quality primary comparative studies of the IDDS vs.
      conventional pain treatment. Existing clinical practice recommendations are best
      viewed as expert opinion with competing interests. This article will review the
      existing literature for indications, contraindications, consensus statements,
      different technologies, and complications of the IDDS. Although approved
      analgesics for IDDS delivery are limited to morphine and ziconotide, many other
      analgesics, alone or in combination, are routinely used in this setting. This
      review will also focus on the pharmacology, clinical efficacy, and safety of
      intrathecal medications extensively used in clinical practice; including agents
      approved, unapproved, and under development.

PMID- 26501982
TI  - Controlled Therapy Interruption Improves Host Immune Control of Chronic Hepatitis
      B Virus Infection in HBeAg-Positive Patients.
AB  - Prolonged viral suppression with oral antiviral drugs allows partial immune
      reconstitution. Controlled therapy interruption (CTI), by leveraging secondary
      immune response, proposes further augmentation in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV)
      infection. Transient treatment interruptions (TIs) at months 0, 1, and 3 during
      otherwise continuous oral antiviral therapy allow viremic bursts, simulating
      autovaccination. Four weekly injections of Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin are given
      before the second and third TI to simulate prime boosting, which specifically
      amplifies the immune response. Fourteen patients (10 males; four controls, four
      HBeAg positive, and six anti-HBe positive) aged 28-46 years were studied. The
      period between TI and reappearance of viremia, time to relapse (TTR) (weeks)
      estimated immune control. The other endpoints included reduction in serum HBsAg
      IU/mL and loss of HBeAg. TTR after the first TI was significantly shorter in
      HBeAg-positive patients, indicating low baseline immunity. TTR increased
      significantly after the second and subsequent TI in all four HBeAg-positive
      patients. One patient persistently lost HBeAg. Mean HBsAg levels fell
      significantly in three of four patients after the second TI. In contrast, in the
      anti-HBe-positive group, TTR was unchanged after all three TI. Furthermore, no
      significant changes in HBsAg levels were detected after the second or subsequent
      TIs. No significant differences in adverse events were noted between groups.
      HBeAg-positive patients have low baseline levels of host immune control against
      HBV. CTI consistently boosts this immunity. CTI did not influence immunity in
      anti-HBe-positive patients. 

PMID- 26501981
TI  - Calreticulin Mutations in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms: Comparison of Three
      Diagnostic Methods.
AB  - Calreticulin (CALR) mutations have recently been reported in 70-84% of JAK2V617F
      negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), and this detection has become
      necessary to improve the diagnosis of MPN. In a large single-centre cohort of 298
      patients suffering from Essential Thrombocythemia (ET), the JAK2V617F, CALR and
      MPL mutations were noted in 179 (60%), 56 (18.5%) and 13 (4.5%) respectively. For
      the detection of the CALR mutations, three methods were compared in parallel:
      high-resolution melting-curve analysis (HRM), product-sizing analysis and Sanger
      sequencing. The sensitivity for the HRM, product-sizing analysis and Sanger
      sequencing was 96.4%, 98.2% and 89.3% respectively, whereas the specificity was
      96.3%, 100% and 100%. In our cohort, the product-sizing analysis was the most
      sensitive method and was the easiest to interpret, while the HRM was sometimes
      difficult to interpret. In contrast, when large series of samples were tested,
      HRM provided results more quickly than did the other methods, which required more
      time. Finally, the sequencing method, which is the reference method, had the
      lowest sensitivity but can be used to describe the type of mutation precisely.
      Altogether, our results suggest that in routine laboratory practice, product
      sizing analysis is globally similar to HRM for the detection of CALR mutations,
      and that both may be used as first-line screening tests. If the results are
      positive, Sanger sequencing can be used to confirm the mutation and to determine
      its type. Product-sizing analysis provides sensitive and specific results,
      moreover, with the quantitative measurement of CALR, which might be useful to
      monitor specific treatments. 

PMID- 26501983
TI  - Formulation and characterization of nanoencapsulated curcumin using sodium
      caseinate and its incorporation in ice cream.
AB  - In the present investigation, the preparation and characterization of a curcumin
      nanoemulsion with milk protein (sodium caseinate) and its incorporation into ice
      cream were undertaken. Among the different combinations, the most stable
      formulation was observed using milk fat (8%), medium chain triglycerides (2%),
      curcumin (0.24%) and sodium caseinate (6%) with a mean particle size of 333.8 +/-
      7.18 nm, a zeta potential of -44.1 +/- 0.72 mV and an encapsulation efficiency of
      96.9 +/- 0.28%. The effect of different processing conditions (heating, pH and
      ionic strength) on the particle size distribution and zeta potential of the
      nanoemulsion was evaluated. During heat treatment, the particle size of the
      nanoemulsion was increased from 333.8 +/- 7.18 to 351.1 +/- 4.04 nm. The
      nanoemulsion was destabilized at pH 4.6 and the particle size increased above and
      below pH 5.0. However, there was a slight increase in the particle size with a
      change in the ionic concentration. The release kinetics data suggested that in
      simulated gastro-intestinal digestion, the nanoemulsion was stable against pepsin
      digestion (a 5.25% release of curcumin), while pancreatic action led to a 16.12%
      release of curcumin from the nanoemulsion. Finally, our formulation was
      successfully incorporated into ice cream and the sensory attributes were
      evaluated. No significant difference was observed in the scores of the sensory
      attributes between the control and ice cream prepared with a curcumin
      nanoemulsion. Moreover, the encapsulation efficiency of the curcumin incorporated
      into the ice cream was 93.7%, which indicates that it can withstand the
      processing conditions. The findings suggest that ice cream is a suitable dairy
      product for the delivery of lipophilic bioactive components (curcumin) which can
      be used for therapeutic purposes. 

PMID- 26501984
TI  - Translating extracellular microRNA into clinical biomarkers for drug-induced
      toxicity: from high-throughput profiling to validation.
AB  - Over the past 5 years, extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) are being vigorously
      explored as injury biomarkers, including drug-induced cardiotoxicity,
      hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Currently, the development of miRNAs as
      clinical biomarkers has been hindered by the lack of standardization. Therefore,
      extracellular miRNA-based biomarkers have not been embraced as diagnostic tools.
      Each platform has its strengths and weaknesses when working with low-input-amount
      RNA samples from body fluids; the selection of a miRNA quantification approach
      should be based on the study design. The following review provides a summary of
      the extracellular miRNA release and stability in body fluids, performances of
      different miRNA quantification platforms, existing clinical gold standards for
      drug-induced tissue damage and translation of the miRNA biomarkers from the
      nonclinical to clinical setting. 

PMID- 26501985
TI  - Preparation of peptide thioesters from naturally occurring sequences using
      reaction sequence consisting of regioselective S-cyanylation and hydrazinolysis.
AB  - The vital roles of peptide/protein thioesters in protein chemistry, including
      chemical or semi-synthesis of proteins, have encouraged studies on the
      development of methods for the preparation of such chemical units. Biochemical
      protocols using intein or sortase have proved to be useful in protein chemistry
      as methods suitable for naturally occurring sequences, including recombinant
      proteins. Although chemical protocols are potential options for thioester
      preparation, only a few are applicable to naturally occurring sequences, because
      standard chemical protocols require an artificial chemical device for producing
      thioesters. In this context, the chemical preparation of thioesters based on a
      reaction sequence consisting of regioselective S-cyanylation and hydrazinolysis
      was investigated. Regioselective S-cyanylation, which is required for cysteine
      containing thioesters, was achieved with the aid of a zinc-complex formation of a
      CCHH-type zinc-finger sequence. Free cysteine residues that are not involved in
      complex formation were selectively protected with a 6-nitroveratryl group
      followed by S-cyanylation of the zinc-binding cysteine. Hydrazinolysis of the
      resulting S-cyanopeptide and subsequent photo-removal of the 6-nitroveratryl
      group yielded the desired peptide hydrazide, which was then converted to the
      corresponding thioester. The generated thioester was successfully used in N-to-C
      directed one-pot/sequential native chemical ligation using an N
      sulfanylethylanilide peptide to give a 64-residue peptide toxin. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 106: 531-546, 2016. 

PMID- 26501986
TI  - Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (TERT) Gene Variations and Susceptibility of
      Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - AIM: Colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related
      mortality. Previous studies demonstrated increased telomerase activity in
      colorectal cancer tissue and suggested a prognostic value for patients with
      colorectal carcinoma. Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), one of the main
      functional subunits of the telomerase, is an important factor in modulating
      telomerase activity, telomere length, and genomic stability. However, there are
      few studies that have addressed the association between genetic variation at TERT
      and the risk of colorectal cancer. METHOD: We evaluated the influence of three
      common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the TERT gene (rs2853669,
      rs2736100, rs2736098) on susceptibility to colorectal cancer in 104 patients and
      135 controls in a Turkish population. RESULTS: We observed that rs2736098 was
      significantly associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer (OR = 2.53; 95%
      CI = 1.26-5.10; p = 0.008). On the other hand, rs2736100 and rs2853669 showed no
      association with colorectal cancer (p >= 0.128). CONCLUSION: These findings are
      the first results of TERT allele distributions in the Turkish population and also
      provide increased understanding with respect to colorectal cancer etiology.

PMID- 26501980
TI  - Recent Advances in the Development of Antineoplastic Agents Derived from Natural
      Products.
AB  - Through years of evolutionary selection pressures, organisms have developed
      potent toxins that coincidentally have marked antineoplastic activity. These
      natural products have been vital for the development of multiagent treatment
      regimens currently employed in cancer chemotherapy, and are used in the treatment
      of a variety of malignancies. Therefore, this review catalogs recent advances in
      natural product-based drug discovery via the examination of mechanisms of action
      and available clinical data to highlight the utility of these novel compounds in
      the burgeoning age of precision medicine. The review also highlights the recent
      development of antibody-drug conjugates and other immunotoxins, which are capable
      of delivering highly cytotoxic agents previously deemed too toxic to elicit
      therapeutic benefit preferentially to neoplastic cells. Finally, the review
      examines natural products not currently used in the clinic that have novel
      mechanisms of action, and may serve to supplement current chemotherapeutic
      protocols. 

PMID- 26501987
TI  - Diagnostic markers of axonal degeneration and demyelination in sensory nerve
      conduction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to formulate diagnostic hallmarks of
      axonal degeneration and demyelination in sensory nerve conduction studies (NCS).
      METHODS: We compared nerve conduction data obtained with surface electrode (SE)
      NCS and on-nerve needle (ONN) NCS in 50 cases of demyelination and 22 cases of
      axonal degeneration as assessed by sural nerve biopsy. RESULTS: The overall
      diagnostic sensitivities of sensory nerve conduction were 26% by SE-NCS and 69%
      by ONN-NCS. The most helpful marker for demyelination was negative-peak nerve
      conduction velocity (NP-NCV), using a 36% decrease from the means in both
      techniques. Dispersion was also helpful in identifying demyelination. Low
      amplitude and absence of compound nerve action potential were indicative of
      general pathology in SE-NCS but of axonal degeneration in ONN-NCS. CONCLUSION:
      Although diagnostic sensitivity is low, NP-NCV and dispersion can be used for
      diagnosis of demyelination in sensory NCS. Muscle Nerve 53: 866-871, 2016.

PMID- 26501988
TI  - I International Congress on Mindfulness, Zaragoza (Spain), 11-14 June 2014.

PMID- 26501990
TI  - Role of Antiplatelet Therapy and Anticoagulation in Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - Heart failure continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality
      throughout the United States. The pathophysiology of heart failure involves the
      activation of complex neurohormonal pathways, many of which mediate not only
      hypertrophy and fibrosis within ventricular myocardium and interstitium, but also
      activation of platelets and alteration of vascular endothelium. Platelet
      activation and vascular endothelial dysfunction may contribute to the observed
      increased risk of thromboembolic events in patients with chronic heart failure.
      However, current data from clinical trials do not support the routine use of
      chronic antiplatelet or oral anticoagulation therapy for ambulatory heart failure
      patients without other indications (atrial fibrillation and/or coronary artery
      disease) as the risk of bleeding seems to outweigh the potential benefit related
      to reduction in thromboembolic events. In this review, we consider the potential
      clinical utility of targeting specific pathophysiological mechanisms of platelet
      and vascular endothelial activation to guide clinical decision making in heart
      failure patients. 

PMID- 26501989
TI  - Neovascular Glaucoma.
AB  - Neovascular glaucoma (NVG) is a secondary ocular pathological condition resulting
      from a myriad of ocular and systemic conditions with retinal ischemia as a
      mediator in over 95% of cases. NVG is caused by the growth of a fibrovascular
      membrane secondary to a local angiogenic stimulus over the trabecular meshwork
      obstructing aqueous outflow. This results in an initial secondary open-angle
      glaucoma stage that may be amenable to intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering
      medications and modulation of the underlying ischemic process, often in
      combination with panretinal photocoagulation and adjunctive use of vascular
      endothelial growth factor inhibitors. In the more advanced stages of
      neovascularization, connective tissue myofibroblasts associated with new vessel
      growth contract causing progressive synechial closure of the anterior-chamber
      angle. Elevation of IOP, once significant secondary angle closure is established,
      tends to be refractory to topical and oral IOP-lowering medications and often
      requires glaucoma surgical interventions.

PMID- 26501991
TI  - Right-Sided Infective Endocarditis and Pulmonary Infiltrates: An Update.
AB  - Sixty years after its initial description, right-sided infective endocarditis
      (RSIE) still poses a challenge to all medical practitioners. Epidemiological data
      reveal a rising incidence attributable to the global surge in the number of
      intravenous drug users and the increased use of central vascular catheters and
      implantable cardiac devices. RSIE differs from left-sided infective endocarditis
      in more than just the location of the involved cardiac valve. They have different
      clinical presentations, diagnostic findings, and prognoses; hence, they require
      different management strategies. Cardiac murmurs and systemic emboli are usually
      absent in RSIE, whereas pulmonary embolism and its related complications dominate
      the clinical picture. Diagnostic delay of RSIE is secondary to the similarity in
      its initial presentation to other entities. Complications may ensue as a result
      of this delay. Diagnosis can be initially confirmed by using transthoracic
      echocardiography, except in patients with implanted cardioverter defibrillator,
      where a transesophageal echocardiogram is necessary. Various factors may increase
      mortality and morbidity in RSIE such as tricuspid valve vegetation size, fungal
      etiology, and low CD4 cell count in HIV patients. Oxacillin and vancomycin had
      been the traditionally used agents for the treatment of methicillin-susceptible
      and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. More recently,
      daptomycin has shown promising results, which has led to its Food and Drug
      Administration (FDA) approval for the treatment of S. aureus bacteremia and
      associated RSIE. The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive update on
      RSIE including epidemiology, pathogenesis, microbiology, diagnosis, management,
      and prognosis. 

PMID- 26501992
TI  - Impact of aging and comorbidity on the efficacy of low-intensity shock wave
      therapy for erectile dysfunction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of low-intensity shock wave therapy and to
      identify the predictive factors of its efficacy in Japanese patients with
      erectile dysfunction. METHODS: The present study included 57 patients with
      erectile dysfunction who satisfied all the following conditions: more than 6
      months history of erectile dysfunction, sexual health inventory for men score of
      <= 12 without phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitor, erection hardness score grade 1
      or 2, mean penile circumferential change by erectometer assessing sleep related
      erection of < 25 mm and non-neurological pathology. Patients were treated by a
      low-energy shock waves generator (ED1000; Medispec, Gaithersburg, MD, USA). A
      total of 12 shock wave treatments were applied. Sexual health inventory for men
      score, erection hardness score with or without phosphodiesterase type-5
      inhibitor, and mean penile circumferential change were assessed at baseline, 1, 3
      and 6 months after the termination of low-intensity shock wave therapy. RESULTS:
      Of 57 patients who were assigned for the low-intensity shock wave therapy trial,
      56 patients were analyzed. Patients had a median age of 64 years. The sexual
      health inventory for men and erection hardness score (with and without
      phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitor) were significantly increased (P < 0.001) at
      each time-point. The mean penile circumferential change was also increased from
      13.1 to 20.2 mm after low-intensity shock wave therapy (P < 0.001). In the
      multivariate analysis, age and the number of concomitant comorbidities were
      statistically significant predictors for the efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Low-intensity
      shock wave therapy seems to be an effective physical therapy for erectile
      dysfunction. Age and comorbidities are negative predictive factors of therapeutic
      response.

PMID- 26501994
TI  - Microspheres and Nanotechnology for Drug Delivery.
AB  - Ocular drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye can be accomplished by
      invasive drug injections into different tissues of the eye and noninvasive
      topical treatment. Invasive treatment involves the risks of surgical trauma and
      infection, and conventional topical treatments are ineffective in delivering
      drugs to the posterior segment of the eye. In recent years, nanotechnology has
      become an ever-increasing part of ocular drug delivery. In the following, we
      briefly review microspheres and nanotechnology for drug delivery to the eye,
      including different forms of nanotechnology such as nanoparticles,
      microparticles, liposomes, microemulsions and micromachines. The permeation
      barriers and anatomical considerations linked to ocular drug delivery are
      discussed and a theoretical overview on drug delivery through biological
      membranes is given. Finally, in vitro, in vivo and human studies of x03B3;
      cyclodextrin nanoparticle eyedrop suspensions are discussed as an example of
      nanotechnology used for drug delivery to the eye.

PMID- 26501993
TI  - Protease receptor antagonism to target blood platelet therapies.
AB  - Platelet activation and thrombus formation play a central role in ischemic
      vascular disease. Thrombin, an especially potent physiologic agonist mediating in
      vivo activation of platelets, acts via a unique family of G-protein-coupled
      receptors called protease-activated receptors (PARs) with a broad tissue
      expression. This review focuses on current antiplatelet therapies as well as
      innovative approaches to targeting PARs in patients with atherothrombotic
      vascular disease. 

PMID- 26501995
TI  - Double pylorus from a chronic gastric ulcer: an interesting and rare case.

PMID- 26501996
TI  - Effect of Ionic Strength and Surface Charge on Convective Deposition.
AB  - Particle-particle and particle-substrate interactions play a crucial role in
      capillary driven convective self-assembly for continuous deposition of particles.
      This systematic study demonstrates the nontrivial effects of varying surface
      charge and ionic strength of monosized silica microspheres in water on the
      quality of the deposited monolayer. Increase in particle surface charge results a
      broader range of parameters that result in monolayer deposition which can be
      explained considering the particle-substrate electrostatic repulsion in solution.
      Resulting changes in the coating morphology and microstructure at different
      solution conditions were observed using confocal microscopy enabling correlation
      of order to disorder transitions with relative particle stability. These results,
      in part, may explain similar results seen by Muangnapoh et al., 2013 in vibration
      assisted convective deposition. 

PMID- 26501998
TI  - Insights on the Early-Life Origins of Alzheimer's Disease: Relevance for Primary
      Prevention?

PMID- 26501997
TI  - A concurrent ultra-fractionated radiation therapy and temozolomide treatment: A
      promising therapy for newly diagnosed, inoperable glioblastoma.
AB  - We report on a phase II clinical trial to determine the effect of a concurrent
      ultra-fractionated radiotherapy and temozolomide treatment in inoperable
      glioblastoma patients. A phase II study opened; patients over 18 years of age who
      were able to give informed consent and had histologically proven, newly diagnosed
      inoperable diagnosed and supratentorial glioblastoma were eligible. Three doses
      of 0.75 Gy spaced apart by at least 4 hr were delivered daily, 5 days a week for
      six consecutive weeks for a total of 67.5 Gy. Chemotherapy was administered
      during the same period, which consisted of temozolomide given at a dose of 75
      mg/m(2) for 7 days a week. After a 4-week break, chemotherapy was resumed for up
      to six cycles of adjuvant temozolomide treatment, given every 28 days, according
      to the standard 5-day regimen. Tolerance and toxicity were the primary endpoints;
      survival and progression-free survival were the secondary endpoints. In total, 40
      patients were enrolled in this study, 29 men and 11 women. The median age was 58
      years, and the median Karnofsky performance status was 80. The concomitant ultra
      fractionated radiotherapy and temozolomide treatment was well tolerated. Complete
      responses were seen in four patients, and partial responses were reported in
      seven patients. The median survival from the initial diagnosis was 16 months.
      Several long-term survivors were noted. Concurrent ultra-fractionated radiation
      therapy and temozolomide treatment are well accepted by the patients. The results
      showed encouraging survival rates for these unfavorable patients. 

PMID- 26501999
TI  - EVIDENCE-BASED PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS: NOVEL CHALLENGES FOR TRAINING AND
      IMPLEMENTATION.

PMID- 26502000
TI  - The Association between Smoking Abstinence and Mortality in the National Lung
      Screening Trial.
AB  - RATIONALE: Smoking is the largest contributor to lung cancer risk, and those who
      continue to smoke after diagnosis have a worse survival. Screening for lung
      cancer with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) reduces mortality in high-risk
      individuals. Smoking cessation is an essential component of a high-quality
      screening program. OBJECTIVES: To quantify the effects of smoking history and
      abstinence on mortality in high-risk individuals who participated in the NLST
      (National Lung Screening Trial). METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a
      randomized controlled trial (NLST). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Measurements
      included self-reported demographics, medical and smoking history, and lung cancer
      specific and all-cause mortality. Cox regression was used to study the
      association of mortality with smoking status and pack-years. Kaplan-Meier
      survival curves were examined for differences in survival based on trial arm and
      smoking status. Current smokers had an increased lung cancer-specific (hazard
      ratio [HR], 2.14-2.29) and all-cause mortality (HR, 1.79-1.85) compared with
      former smokers irrespective of screening arm. Former smokers in the control arm
      abstinent for 7 years had a 20% mortality reduction comparable with the benefit
      reported with LDCT screening in the NLST. The maximum benefit was seen with the
      combination of smoking abstinence at 15 years and LDCT screening, which resulted
      in a 38% reduction in lung cancer-specific mortality (HR, 0.62; 95% confidence
      interval, 0.51-0.76). CONCLUSIONS: Seven years of smoking abstinence reduced lung
      cancer-specific mortality at a magnitude comparable with LDCT screening. This
      reduction was greater when abstinence was combined with screening, highlighting
      the importance of smoking cessation efforts in screening programs.

PMID- 26502001
TI  - The psychology of corporate rights: Perception of corporate versus individual
      rights to religious liberty, privacy, and free speech.
AB  - The U.S. Supreme Court has increasingly expanded the scope of constitutional
      rights granted to corporations and other collective entities. Although this
      tendency receives widespread public and media attention, little empirical
      research examines how people ascribe rights, commonly thought to belong to
      natural persons, to corporations. This article explores this issue in 3 studies
      focusing on different rights (religious liberty, privacy, and free speech). We
      examined participants' willingness to grant a given right while manipulating the
      type of entity at stake (from small businesses, to larger corporations, to for
      profit and nonprofit companies), and the identity of the right holder (from
      employees, to owners, to the company itself as a separate entity). We further
      examined the role of political ideology in perceptions of rights. Results
      indicated a significant decline in the degree of recognition of entities' rights
      (the company itself) in comparison to natural persons' rights (owners and
      employees). Results also demonstrated an effect of the type of entity at stake:
      Larger, for-profit businesses were less likely to be viewed as rights holders
      compared with nonprofit entities. Although both tendencies persisted across the
      ideological spectrum, ideological differences emerged in the relations between
      corporate and individual rights: these were positively related among
      conservatives but negatively related among liberals. Finally, we found that the
      desire to protect citizens (compared with businesses) underlies individuals'
      willingness to grant rights to companies. These findings show that people (rather
      than corporations) are more appropriate recipients of rights, and can explain
      public backlash to judicial expansions of corporate rights.

PMID- 26502003
TI  - Back Cover: Macromol. Biosci. 11/2015.
AB  - Back Cover: The micellar prodrugs of desmethyl anethole dithiolethione (ADT-OH)
      with different hydrolysis rates prepared from block copolymers having ADT-OH
      linked via an ester bond using glycine and isoleucine linkers are presented.
      Micelles having a glycine linker inhibit proliferation of cancer cells. Further
      details can be found in the article by U. Hasegawa, N. Tateishi, H. Uyama, A. J.
      van der Vlies on page 1512. 

PMID- 26502004
TI  - Nano-morphology induced additional surface plasmon resonance enhancement of SERS
      sensitivity in Ag/GaN nanowall network.
AB  - The GaN nanowall network, formed by opening the screw dislocations by kinetically
      controlled MBE growth, possesses a large surface and high conductivity. Sharp
      apexed nanowalls show higher surface electron concentration in the band-tail
      states, in comparison to blunt apexed nanowalls. Uncapped silver nanoparticles
      are vapor deposited on the blunt and sharp GaN nanowall networks to study the
      morphological dependence of band-edge plasmon-coupling. Surface enhanced Raman
      spectroscopy studies performed with a rhodamine 6G analyte on these two
      configurations clearly show that the sharp nanowall morphology with smaller Ag
      nanoparticles shows higher enhancement of the Raman signal. A very large
      enhancement factor of 2.8 * 10(7) and a very low limit of detection of 10(-10) M
      is observed, which is attributed to the surface plasmon resonance owing to the
      high surface electron concentration on the GaN nanowall in addition to that of
      the Ag nanoparticles. The significantly higher sensitivity with same-sized Ag
      nanoparticles confirms the unconventional role of morphology-dependent surface
      charge carrier concentration of GaN nanowalls in the enhancement of Raman
      signals.

PMID- 26502005
TI  - Retinal Biochemistry, Physiology and Cell Biology.
AB  - The vitreous, the vasculature of the retina, macular pigments, phototransduction,
      retinal pigment epithelium, Bruch's membrane and the extracellular matrix, all
      play an important role in the normal function of the retina as well as in
      diseases. Understanding the pathophysiology allows us to target treatment. As
      ocular angiogenesis, immunity and inflammation are covered elsewhere, those
      subjects will not be discussed in this chapter. 

PMID- 26502006
TI  - Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.

PMID- 26502007
TI  - OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY OF TYPE 3 NEOVASCULARIZATION SECONDARY
      TO AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.
AB  - PURPOSE: To characterize the vascular structure of Type 3 neovascularization
      secondary to age-related macular degeneration using optical coherence tomography
      angiography. METHODS: Optical coherence tomography angiography cube scans (3 mm *
      3 mm) were acquired in 29 eyes of 24 patients with Type 3 lesions secondary to
      age-related macular degeneration using the RTVue XR Avanti with AngioVue, Split
      spectrum amplitude-decorrelation, and motion correction technology. Automated
      layer segmentation boundaries were adjusted to best visualize the neovascular
      complex on en face projection images. RESULTS: A distinct neovascular complex
      could be identified in 10 (34%) eyes, all of which were active on optical
      coherence tomography imaging. In all 10 eyes, the neovascular complex appeared as
      a small tuft of bright, high-flow tiny vessels with curvilinear morphology
      located in the outer retinal layers with a feeder vessel communicating with the
      inner retinal circulation (i.e., deep retinal capillary plexus). The mean (SD)
      size of the neovascular complex measured 0.07 (+/- 0.07) mm. CONCLUSION: With
      optical coherence tomography angiography, it is possible to identify small
      intraretinal neovascular complexes communicating with the deep retinal capillary
      plexus in eyes with Type 3 neovascularization secondary to age-related macular
      degeneration. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of Type 3 neovascular
      complexes can be performed using optical coherence tomography angiography.

PMID- 26502008
TI  - CAPILLARY NETWORK ANOMALIES IN BRANCH RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION ON OPTICAL COHERENCE
      TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze the foveal microvasculature features in eyes with branch
      retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) using optical coherence tomography angiography
      based on split spectrum amplitude decorrelation angiography technology. METHODS:
      A total of 10 BRVO eyes (mean age 64.2 +/- 8.02 range between 52 years and 76
      years) were evaluated by optical coherence tomography angiography (XR-Avanti;
      Optovue). The macular angiography scan protocol covered a 3 mm * 3 mm area. The
      focus of angiography analysis were two retinal layers: superficial vascular
      network and deep vascular network. The following vascular morphological
      congestion parameters were assessed in the vein occlusion area in both the
      superficial and deep networks: foveal avascular zone enlargement, capillary non
      perfusion occurrence, microvascular abnormalities appearance, and vascular
      congestion signs. Image analyses were performed by 2 masked observers and
      interobserver agreement of image analyses was 0.90 (kappa = 0.225, P < 0.01).
      RESULTS: In both superficial and deep network of BRVO, a decrease in capillary
      density with foveal avascular zone enlargement, capillary non-perfusion
      occurrence, and microvascular abnormalities appearance was observed (P < 0.01).
      The deep network showed the main vascular congestion at the boundary between
      healthy and nonperfused retina. CONCLUSION: Optical coherence tomography
      angiography in BRVO allows to detect foveal avascular zone enlargement, capillary
      nonperfusion, microvascular abnormalities, and vascular congestion signs both in
      the superficial and deep capillary network in all eyes. Optical coherence
      tomography angiography technology is a potential clinical tool for BRVO diagnosis
      and follow-up, providing stratigraphic vascular details that have not been
      previously observed by standard fluorescein angiography. The normal retinal
      vascular nets and areas of nonperfusion and congestion can be identified at
      various retinal levels. Optical coherence tomography angiography provides
      noninvasive images of the retinal capillaries and vascular networks.

PMID- 26502009
TI  - NONINVASIVE GRADING OF RADIATION RETINOPATHY: The Use of Optical Coherence
      Tomography Angiography.
AB  - PURPOSE: Previous studies have shown that spectral domain optical coherence
      tomography can diagnose radiation retinopathy (RR) before ophthalmoscopic
      findings. Recently, optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) has been
      helpful in seeing vascular findings undetected by spectral domain optical
      coherence tomography. The authors wish to demonstrate the OCT-A grading at
      varying levels of RR. METHODS: The OCT-A, spectral domain optical coherence
      tomography, and ophthalmoscopic findings on 7 patients from December 2014 to
      March 2015 with varying levels of RR are demonstrated. RESULTS: Findings on OCT-A
      could be demonstrated before spectral domain optical coherence tomography
      findings. Patients can be graded on a scale of increasing severity from 0 to 5,
      based on positive or negative clinical findings of RR between OCT-A. Optical
      coherence tomography increased central macular thickness, optical coherence
      tomography evident cysts, and ophthalmoscopy (Grade 0: -,-,-,-; Grade 1: +,-,-,-;
      Grade 2: +,+,-,-; Grade 3: +,+,+,-; Grade 4: ++,+,+,+; Grade 5:
      unreadable,++,++,+). CONCLUSION: The use of OCT-A allows for earlier detection of
      RR; thus, existing grading systems should be modified to include OCT-A.

PMID- 26502010
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 26502011
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25768249.

PMID- 26502012
TI  - Assessing potential risks of treatment with long-term azithromycin in COPD
      patients: long-term oxygen users beware?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Long-term daily azithromycin therapy reduces the frequency of
      exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a randomized
      controlled clinical trial setting. Concerns exist regarding arrhythmic and
      auditory toxicities from chronic use in the real-world setting. We hypothesized
      that risk factors for adverse drug reactions to azithromycin would be more
      frequent than previously reported, that certain specific subgroups would have
      different frequencies of these risk factors and that the whispered voice test
      would be a useful test with which to test for hearing deficits. METHODS:
      Following ethical approval, 47 consecutive hospital-based patients with a mean
      age 69 years +/- 8.2, and with physician-diagnosed COPD (mean FEV1 45.1 +/- 18 %
      predicted), were screened for subjective hearing impairment (screening questions
      and whispered voice test) and by electrocardiogram for prolonged QTc. Other
      potential risk factors and contraindications to long-term daily azithromycin were
      sought. RESULTS: In total, 38 patients (80.9 %) had at least one risk factor or
      contraindication to azithromycin treatment. 19 patients (40.4 % of total) had
      subjective hearing impairment. 17 (36.1 %) had prolonged QTc intervals. 4
      patients (8.51 %) had contraindicating co-morbidities. Those on long-term oxygen
      therapy were significantly more likely to have at least one risk factors or
      contraindications to azithromycin (p = 0.0025). CONCLUSION: In a COPD population
      who would otherwise potentially be candidates for long-term daily azithromycin
      therapy, over 80 % had risk factors for complications from long-term daily
      azithromycin. Preventative treatment with long-term daily azithromycin may be
      appropriate for fewer COPD patients than previously thought, especially in those
      on long-term oxygen therapy.

PMID- 26502014
TI  - Explicating our core competency: A call for global research on occupational
      enablement.

PMID- 26502013
TI  - Lenalidomide in the treatment of Rosai Dorfman disease--a first in use report.

PMID- 26502015
TI  - [Expliciter notre competence premiere et fondamentale: Un appel a une recherche
      mondiale sur l'habilitation a l'occupation].

PMID- 26502016
TI  - Transforming values into action: Advocacy as a professional imperative.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The goal of enabling meaningful occupation for all requires
      occupational therapy to become a more socially and politically responsible
      discipline. PURPOSE: This paper argues that occupational therapy's dominant
      individualist perspective is too narrow to meet this goal. It presents an
      argument for integrating advocacy into occupational therapy identity and
      discusses why we should advocate at political and public levels. KEY ISSUES:
      Although the dominant paradigm and political climate pose challenges, there must
      be a realignment of the balance between helping individuals who are facing
      disruptions in their occupational lives and addressing systems and structures
      that prevent them from moving forward. Adopting a broader sociopolitical approach
      involves engaging in advocacy as a key strategy. Indeed, advocacy is a
      professional imperative for occupational therapy. IMPLICATIONS: Advocacy must
      become part of the process of professional socialization. A new set of
      competencies is needed in our educational programs and in our professional
      development, accompanied by a sense of self-confident idealism.

PMID- 26502017
TI  - Investigating visual attention during scene perception of safe and unsafe
      occupational performance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Occupational therapists routinely use observation for evaluation,
      intervention planning, and prediction of a client's occupational performance
      and/or safety within the environment. Perception of safety contributes to the
      decision-making process for discharge or placement recommendations. PURPOSE: The
      purpose of this study was to determine if differences exist in safety ratings and
      eye movements between occupational therapists and nontrained matched individuals
      while viewing domain-specific versus non-domain-specific images. METHOD: Ten
      licensed occupational therapists and 10 age-, gender-, and education level
      matched participants completed this eye-tracking study. FINDINGS: For all image
      exposure durations, occupational therapists had more polarized safety ratings for
      stroke-related image content but little evidence of differences in eye movements
      between groups. Eye movement group differences did not emerge in the regions of
      interest identified by an independent expert panel. IMPLICATIONS: The results
      point to a complex relationship between decision making and observational
      behaviour in occupational assessment and highlight the need to look beyond image
      features.

PMID- 26502019
TI  - User-perceived utility of the Daily Experiences of Pleasure, Productivity, and
      Restoration Profile.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Awareness of the relationship between everyday occupations and
      subjective experience could help clients make changes that promote health.
      PURPOSE: This study evaluated user-perceived utility of the Daily Experiences of
      Pleasure, Productivity, and Restoration Profile (PPR Profile), a time-use survey
      designed to uncover users' experiences of pleasure, productivity, and restoration
      and to promote awareness of how these experiences are related to daily
      occupations. METHOD: Eighteen participants completed the PPR Profile on 2 days
      within I week and were subsequently interviewed. Content analysis was used to
      uncover themes. FINDINGS: Analysis revealed that completion of the PPR Profile
      requires time and energy, completion more than once is useful, and the PPR
      Profile contributes to awareness. Four subthemes of awareness were identified:
      awareness of the here and now, insights into one's occupations, context matters,
      and what is and what might be. IMPLICATIONS: Results support the utility of the
      PPR Profile to promote users' awareness of their occupations and related
      subjective experiences. This awareness may encourage positive change. Further
      research is recommended to continue to evaluate the PPR Profile's clinical
      utility.

PMID- 26502020
TI  - Sharpening our critical edge: Occupational therapy in the context of marginalized
      populations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An emerging and important area of occupational therapy practice
      involves engaging with various individuals and population groups who live in
      marginalizing conditions that result in health inequities. PURPOSE: This paper
      calls for more critical and intersectional analyses of occupational therapy in
      the context of marginalized populations. KEY ISSUES: Intersectionality has the
      potential to reveal important and complex interactions among social systems that
      create and sustain marginalization and to inform more nuanced, contextualized,
      and socially responsive forms of occupational therapy. Central to this process is
      the co-construction of knowledge with people who experience marginalization.
      Engaging in this work requires occupational therapists to undertake ongoing
      critical reflexivity to attend to our sociohistorical positioning of power and
      privilege in relation to marginalized populations. IMPLICATION: Complicating our
      discourse on marginalized populations is imperative to enacting our critical
      potential in working toward social justice and health equity.

PMID- 26502022
TI  - [The personal digital assistant: A tool for supporting mental health
      rehabilitation].
AB  - BACKGROUND: People living with mental illness may manifest cognitive and social
      emotional difficulties leading to several challenges in their daily lives. Using
      technological aids may help to compensate for some of these difficulties.
      PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to document the effects and issues of
      the use of mobile technology applications (apps) with people with mental illness
      during the rehabilitation process. METHOD: Using an exploratory qualitative
      evaluative approach, 12 participants were engaged in ongoing brief interviews in
      which they discussed their use of a variety of apps that met their rehabilitation
      needs. A thematic analysis (descriptive interpretive) was used to uncover the
      effects and issues of the integration of apps in participants' daily life.
      FINDINGS: The apps helped participants to overcome their cognitive difficulties,
      facilitated the management of their daily tasks and socialization, and prevented
      boredom. However, several issues related to the context, the technology, and the
      person need to be considered. IMPLICATIONS: The findings prompt one to consider
      the therapist's role in the integration of personal digital assistants in
      psychosocial rehabilitation.

PMID- 26502024
TI  - Transformer les valeurs en action: La defense des interets en tant qu'imperatif
      professionnel.

PMID- 26502025
TI  - Stereoscopic Surgical Recording Using GoPro Cameras: A Low-Cost Means for
      Capturing External Eye Surgery.

PMID- 26502027
TI  - Displacement of Drugs From Cyclodextrin Complexes by Bile Salts: A Suggestion of
      an Intestinal Drug-Solubilizing Capacity From an In Vitro Model.
AB  - The dosing of drugs in an aqueous cyclodextrin formulation requires sufficient
      amount of cyclodextrins to fully solubilize the drug, as described by Stella's
      cyclodextrin utility number (UCD). However, this framework does not take
      biopharmaceutical elements into account, such as the displacement of drug from
      the cyclodextrin cavity by bile salts present in the small intestine. As bile
      salts in the intestine are present at concentrations above the critical micelle
      concentration, an understanding of the interaction between cyclodextrins and bile
      salts at such supramicellar concentrations (SMC) is required for a better
      biopharmaceutical understanding of the release mechanism from orally dosed
      cyclodextrin complexes. To address this, experiments were conducted by isothermal
      titration calorimetry to determine how various beta-cyclodextrins and bile salt
      interacts at SMC. Combined analysis of the current results and earlier data
      demonstrated that direct interactions between bile salt micelles and cyclodextrin
      were negligible. From this knowledge, an extended form of the UCD was suggested
      to describe the concentration of cyclodextrins to achieve full drug
      solubilization in the intestine where bile salts are present. Dosing
      cyclodextrins above this limit will diminish the free drug concentration,
      potentially decreasing the amount of drug absorbed.

PMID- 26502026
TI  - Language Impairment in the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Context.
AB  - PURPOSE: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a ubiquitous
      designation that affects the identification, assessment, treatment, and study of
      pediatric language impairments (LIs). METHOD: Current literature is reviewed in 4
      areas: (a) the capacity of psycholinguistic, neuropsychological, and
      socioemotional behavioral indices to differentiate cases of LI from ADHD; (b) the
      impact of co-occurring ADHD on children's LI; (c) cross-etiology comparisons of
      the nonlinguistic abilities of children with ADHD and specific LI (SLI); and (d)
      the extent to which ADHD contributes to educational and health disparities among
      individuals with LI. RESULTS: Evidence is presented demonstrating the value of
      using adjusted parent ratings of ADHD symptoms and targeted assessments of
      children's tense marking, nonword repetition, and sentence recall for
      differential diagnosis and the identification of comorbidity. Reports suggest
      that the presence of ADHD does not aggravate children's LI. The potential value
      of cross-etiology comparisons testing the necessity and sufficiency of proposed
      nonlinguistic contributors to the etiology of SLI is demonstrated through key
      studies. Reports suggest that children with comorbid ADHD+LI receive speech
      language services at a higher rate than children with SLI. CONCLUSION: The ADHD
      context is multifaceted and provides the management and study of LI with both
      opportunities and obstacles.

PMID- 26502028
TI  - Common skin and bleeding disorders that can potentially masquerade as child
      abuse.
AB  - Child abuse and neglect remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among
      children worldwide. Over the last few decades, there has been growing research in
      the field of Child Abuse Pediatrics with greater recognition and research into
      potential diagnostic mimics of inflicted injury. This paper reviews some common
      skin findings and bleeding disorders that have features in common with child
      abuse.

PMID- 26502029
TI  - Association Between Alzheimer Dementia Mortality Rate and Altitude in California
      Counties.

PMID- 26502030
TI  - Targeting Vascular Risk Factors in Older Adults: From Polypill to Personalized
      Prevention.

PMID- 26502031
TI  - Engineering the Electrochemical Capacitive Properties of Microsupercapacitors
      Based on Graphene Quantum Dots/MnO2 Using Ionic Liquid Gel Electrolytes.
AB  - All-solid-state microsupercapacitors (MSCs) have been receiving intense interest
      due to their potential as micro/nanoscale energy storage devices, but their low
      energy density has limited practical applications. It has been reported that gel
      electrolytes based on ionic liquids (ionogels) with large potential windows can
      be used as solid electrolytes to enhance the energy density of MSCs, but a
      systematic study on how to select and evaluate such ionogels for MSCs is rare. In
      this study, we construct a series of all-solid-state asymmetric MSCs on the
      interdigital finger electrodes, using graphene quantum dots (GQDs) as the
      negative electrode, MnO2 nanosheets as the positive electrode, and different
      ionogels as the solid electrolytes. Among them, the MSC using 1-ethyl-3
      methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][NTF2]) with 4 wt %
      fumed SiO2 ionogel exhibited the best electrochemical performance, having
      excellent rate capability with the scan rate up to 2000 V s(-1), ultrafast
      frequency response (tau0 = 206.9 MUs) and high energy density. The outstanding
      performance of this device mainly results from fast ion diffusion, high ion
      conductivity of the ionogel, and ionic liquid-matrix interactions. The results
      presented here provide guidance for picking out appropriate ionogels for use in
      high-performance all-solid-state MSCs to meet the growing requirement of
      micronanoscale energy storage devices. Additionally, the ultrafast frequency
      response of our MSCs suggests potential applications in ac line-filters. 

PMID- 26502032
TI  - The Meaning of Race in Prostate Cancer Treatment.

PMID- 26502033
TI  - Implementation Science: Buzzword or Game Changer?
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this supplement article is to provide a resource of
      pertinent information concerning implementation science for immediate research
      application in communication sciences and disorders. METHOD: Key terminology
      related to implementation science is reviewed. Practical suggestions for the
      application of implementation science theories and methodologies are provided,
      including an overview of hybrid research designs that simultaneously investigate
      clinical effectiveness and implementation as well as an introduction to
      approaches for engaging stakeholders in the research process. A detailed example
      from education is shared to show how implementation science was utilized to move
      an intervention program for autism into routine practice in the public school
      system. In particular, the example highlights the value of strong partnership
      among researchers, policy makers, and frontline practitioners in implementing and
      sustaining new evidence-based practices. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation science is
      not just a buzzword. This is a new field of study that can make a substantive
      contribution in communication sciences and disorders by informing research
      agendas, reducing health and education disparities, improving accountability and
      quality control, increasing clinician satisfaction and competence, and improving
      client outcomes.

PMID- 26502034
TI  - New Orleans Rises Anew: Community Health After Katrina.

PMID- 26502035
TI  - Antimicrobial Peptides and Innate Lung Defenses: Role in Infectious and
      Noninfectious Lung Diseases and Therapeutic Applications.
AB  - Respiratory infections are a major clinical problem, and treatment is
      increasingly complicated by the emergence of microbial antibiotic resistance.
      Development of new antibiotics is notoriously costly and slow; therefore,
      alternative strategies are needed. Antimicrobial peptides, central effector
      molecules of the immune system, are being considered as alternatives to
      conventional antibiotics. These peptides display a range of activities, including
      not only direct antimicrobial activity, but also immunomodulation and wound
      repair. In the lung, airway epithelial cells and neutrophils in particular
      contribute to their synthesis. The relevance of antimicrobial peptides for host
      defense against infection has been demonstrated in animal models and is supported
      by observations in patient studies, showing altered expression and/or unfavorable
      circumstances for their action in a variety of lung diseases. Importantly,
      antimicrobial peptides are active against microorganisms that are resistant
      against conventional antibiotics, including multidrug-resistant bacteria. Several
      strategies have been proposed to use these peptides in the treatment of
      infections, including direct administration of antimicrobial peptides,
      enhancement of their local production, and creation of more favorable
      circumstances for their action. In this review, recent developments in
      antimicrobial peptides research in the lung and clinical applications for novel
      therapies of lung diseases are discussed. 

PMID- 26502036
TI  - Serial Assessment of Trauma Care Capacity in Ghana in 2004 and 2014.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Trauma care capacity assessments in developing countries have
      generated evidence to support advocacy, detailed baseline capabilities, and
      informed targeted interventions. However, serial assessments to determine the
      effect of capacity improvements or changes over time have rarely been performed.
      OBJECTIVE: To compare the availability of trauma care resources in Ghana between
      2004 and 2014 to assess the effects of a decade of change in the trauma care
      landscape and derive recommendations for improvements. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: Capacity assessments were performed using direct inspection and
      structured interviews derived from the World Health Organization's Guidelines for
      Essential Trauma Care. In Ghana, 10 hospitals in 2004 and 32 hospitals in 2014
      were purposively sampled to represent those most likely to care for injuries.
      Clinical staff, administrators, logistic/procurement officers, and
      technicians/biomedical engineers who interacted, directly or indirectly, with
      trauma care resources were interviewed at each hospital. MAIN OUTCOMES AND
      MEASURES: Availability of items for trauma care was rated from 0 (complete
      absence) to 3 (fully available). Factors contributing to deficiency in 2014 were
      determined for items rated lower than 3. Each item rated lower than 3 at a
      specific hospital was defined as a hospital-item deficiency. Scores for total
      number of hospital-item deficiencies were derived for each contributing factor.
      RESULTS: There were significant improvements in mean ratings for trauma care
      resources: district-level (smaller) hospitals had a mean rating of 0.8 for all
      items in 2004 vs 1.3 in 2014 (P = .002); regional (larger) hospitals had a mean
      rating of 1.1 in 2004 vs 1.4 in 2014 (P = .01). However, a number of critical
      deficiencies remain (eg, chest tubes, diagnostics, and orthopedic and
      neurosurgical care; mean ratings <= 2). Leading contributing factors were item
      absence (503 hospital-item deficiencies), lack of training (335 hospital-item
      deficiencies), and stockout of consumables (137 hospital-item deficiencies).
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: There has been significant improvement in trauma care
      capacity during the past decade in Ghana; however, critical deficiencies remain
      and require urgent redress to avert preventable death and disability. Serial
      capacity assessment is a valuable tool for monitoring efforts to strengthen
      trauma care systems, identifying what has been successful, and highlighting
      needs.

PMID- 26502037
TI  - Influence of Ossicular Chain Damage on Hearing After Chronic Otitis Media and
      Cholesteatoma Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Physicians should ideally be able to provide patients with chronic
      otitis media and/or cholesteatoma specific information about postoperative
      hearing outcome, based on their level of preoperative ossicular chain damage
      (OCD). OBJECTIVE: To identify the influence of preoperative OCD on hearing
      outcomes in patients after chronic otitis media and/or cholesteatoma surgery.
      DATA SOURCES: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases were
      systematically searched for available evidence, without any constraints, on
      December 13, 2014, for articles published between January 1, 1975, and December
      13, 2014. STUDY SELECTION: We reviewed the literature for articles assessing the
      prognostic value of OCD on postoperative hearing outcome (air-bone gap [ABG] in
      decibels), using Austin-Kartush criteria or independent OCD classification
      systems. We assessed relevance and validity using a self-designed critical
      appraisal tool based on the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool. DATA
      EXTRACTION: Characteristics of study populations and postoperative ABGs in
      decibels were extracted from all included studies by 4 authors (E.F.B., M.N.G.,
      N.J.K., A.S.H.J.L.). RESULTS: The tested hypothesis was formulated before data
      collection. Primary study outcome was defined as postoperative adult hearing
      outcomes after COM and/or cholesteatoma surgery defined as mean postoperative
      ABG. Our search yielded 5661 articles. Nine articles with high relevance were
      included. Pooled results of studies using the Austin-Kartush criteria showed a
      significant (P < .001) difference in mean ABG in favor of group B, when comparing
      group B (patients with malleus present, stapes absent; 11.1 [95% CI, 10.3-11.8]
      dB) to group C (patients with malleus absent, stapes present; 15.7 [95% CI, 14.6
      16.7] dB) and group B to group D (patients with malleus absent, stapes absent;
      16.5 [95% CI, 15.2-17.9] dB). Three studies using independent OCD classification
      criteria found no influence of stapes structure (intact stapes suprastructure,
      13.5 [95% CI, 10.3-16.7], 15.1 [95% CI, 11.8-18.3], and 21.9 [95% CI, 15.0-28.8]
      dB vs absent stapes structure, 12.8 [95% CI, 9.5-16.1], 19.5 [95% CI, 14.9-24.1],
      and 30.2 [95% CI, 24.7-35.8] dB) on postoperative ABG. One study reported a
      significant (P = .04) difference in mean ABG between patients with present (18.9
      [95% CI, 15.7-22.1] dB) and absent (24.4 [95% CI, 20.2-28.6] dB) malleus.
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Pooled results of Austin-Kartush studies showed that
      in patients with COM, with or without cholesteatoma, the malleus status is a
      significant predictor of postoperative hearing outcome, independent of the stapes
      condition. Studies reporting on individual ossicle status supported this finding
      by showing that only malleus condition influenced postoperative hearing outcome.
      These findings are based on level IV evidence, which indicates the need for
      future high-level evidence studies.

PMID- 26502054
TI  - Atg5-independent autophagy regulates mitochondrial clearance and is essential for
      iPSC reprogramming.
AB  - Successful generation of induced pluripotent stem cells entails a major metabolic
      switch from mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis during the
      reprogramming process. The mechanism of this metabolic reprogramming, however,
      remains elusive. Here, our results suggest that an Atg5-independent autophagic
      process mediates mitochondrial clearance, a characteristic event involved in the
      metabolic switch. We found that blocking such autophagy, but not canonical
      autophagy, inhibits mitochondrial clearance, in turn, preventing iPSC induction.
      Furthermore, AMPK seems to be upstream of this autophagic pathway and can be
      targeted by small molecules to modulate mitochondrial clearance during metabolic
      reprogramming. Our work not only reveals that the Atg5-independent autophagy is
      crucial for establishing pluripotency, but it also suggests that iPSC generation
      and tumorigenesis share a similar metabolic switch. 

PMID- 26502058
TI  - tert-Butyl Sulfoxide as a Starting Point for the Synthesis of Sulfinyl Containing
      Compounds.
AB  - Sulfoxides bearing a tert-butyl group can be activated using N-bromosuccinimide
      (NBS) under acidic conditions and then subsequently treated with a variety of
      nitrogen, carbon, or oxygen nucleophiles to afford a wide range of the
      corresponding sulfinic acid amides, new sulfoxides, and sulfinic acid esters. 

PMID- 26502055
TI  - The RNF138 E3 ligase displaces Ku to promote DNA end resection and regulate DNA
      repair pathway choice.
AB  - DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are repaired mainly by non-homologous end joining
      or homologous recombination (HR). Cell cycle stage and DNA end resection are
      believed to regulate the commitment to HR repair. Here we identify RNF138 as a
      ubiquitin E3 ligase that regulates the HR pathway. RNF138 is recruited to DNA
      damage sites through zinc fingers that have a strong preference for DNA with 5'-
      or 3'-single-stranded overhangs. RNF138 stimulates DNA end resection and promotes
      ATR-dependent signalling and DSB repair by HR, thereby contributing to cell
      survival on exposure to DSB-inducing agents. Finally, we establish that RNF138
      dependent Ku removal from DNA breaks is one mechanism whereby RNF138 can promote
      HR. These results establish RNF138 as an important regulator of DSB repair
      pathway choice. 

PMID- 26502056
TI  - Heterochromatic breaks move to the nuclear periphery to continue recombinational
      repair.
AB  - Heterochromatin mostly comprises repeated sequences prone to harmful ectopic
      recombination during double-strand break (DSB) repair. In Drosophila cells,
      'safe' homologous recombination (HR) repair of heterochromatic breaks relies on a
      specialized pathway that relocalizes damaged sequences away from the
      heterochromatin domain before strand invasion. Here we show that heterochromatic
      DSBs move to the nuclear periphery to continue HR repair. Relocalization depends
      on nuclear pores and inner nuclear membrane proteins (INMPs) that anchor repair
      sites to the nuclear periphery through the Smc5/6-interacting proteins
      STUbL/RENi. Both the initial block to HR progression inside the heterochromatin
      domain, and the targeting of repair sites to the nuclear periphery, rely on SUMO
      and SUMO E3 ligases. This study reveals a critical role for SUMOylation in the
      spatial and temporal regulation of HR repair in heterochromatin, and identifies
      the nuclear periphery as a specialized site for heterochromatin repair in a
      multicellular eukaryote. 

PMID- 26502057
TI  - Systematic E2 screening reveals a UBE2D-RNF138-CtIP axis promoting DNA repair.
AB  - Ubiquitylation is crucial for proper cellular responses to DNA double-strand
      breaks (DSBs). If unrepaired, these highly cytotoxic lesions cause genome
      instability, tumorigenesis, neurodegeneration or premature ageing. Here, we
      conduct a comprehensive, multilayered screen to systematically profile all human
      ubiquitin E2 enzymes for impacts on cellular DSB responses. With a widely
      applicable approach, we use an exemplary E2 family, UBE2Ds, to identify
      ubiquitylation-cascade components downstream of E2s. Thus, we uncover the nuclear
      E3 ligase RNF138 as a key homologous recombination (HR)-promoting factor that
      functions with UBE2Ds in cells. Mechanistically, UBE2Ds and RNF138 accumulate at
      DNA-damage sites and act at early resection stages by promoting CtIP
      ubiquitylation and accrual. This work supplies insights into regulation of DSB
      repair by HR. Moreover, it provides a rich information resource on E2s that can
      be exploited by follow-on studies. 

PMID- 26502059
TI  - Occurrence of Legacy and New Persistent Organic Pollutants in Avian Tissues from
      King George Island, Antarctica.
AB  - Legacy and new persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated
      naphthalenes (PCNs), Dechlorane Plus (DPs) and related compounds (Dechloranes),
      hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and
      organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), were analyzed in avian tissue samples from King
      George Island, Antarctica. The avian species consisted of the Gentoo penguin
      (Pygoscelis papua), the Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), the South polar skua
      (Stercorarius maccormicki), and the Brown skua (Stercorarius antarcticus). HBCDs
      were detected in all samples and ranged from 1.67-713 pg/g-lipid. In the penguin
      samples, the concentrations of PCNs ranged from 0.69-2.07 ng/g-lipid, whereas
      those in the skua samples ranged from 7.41-175 ng/g-lipid. The levels of
      Dechloranes ranged from 0.60-1.30 ng/g-lipid in the penguin samples and from 6.57
      47.4 ng/g-lipid in the skua samples. The concentrations and congener
      distributions of OCPs and PCBs were similar to the results of previous reports.
      The three new POPs were detected in all samples, and this study was one of the
      first reports on the occurrence of these pollutants in the Antarctic biota.
      Because Antarctica is one of the most pristine places on Earth, the detection of
      new POPs in the Antarctic birds, especially penguins, is direct evidence of the
      long-range transport of pollutants. Furthermore, the concentration ratios of the
      penguin to the skua samples (BMFs-p) were greater than 1 in most legacy and new
      POPs, and the BMFs-p values of the new POPs were comparable to those of some
      OCPs, suggesting a possibility of biomagnification. Despite the small sample
      size, the results of this study identified POP contamination of the Antarctic
      avian species and long-range transport and biomagnification of HBCDs,
      Dechloranes, and PCNs. 

PMID- 26502060
TI  - Tandem Solar Cells Using GaAs Nanowires on Si: Design, Fabrication, and
      Observation of Voltage Addition.
AB  - Multijunction solar cells provide us a viable approach to achieve efficiencies
      higher than the Shockley-Queisser limit. Due to their unique optical, electrical,
      and crystallographic features, semiconductor nanowires are good candidates to
      achieve monolithic integration of solar cell materials that are not lattice
      matched. Here, we report the first realization of nanowire-on-Si tandem cells
      with the observation of voltage addition of the GaAs nanowire top cell and the Si
      bottom cell with an open circuit voltage of 0.956 V and an efficiency of 11.4%.
      Our simulation showed that the current-matching condition plays an important role
      in the overall efficiency. Furthermore, we characterized GaAs nanowire arrays
      grown on lattice-mismatched Si substrates and estimated the carrier density using
      photoluminescence. A low-resistance connecting junction was obtained using n(+)
      GaAs/p(+)-Si heterojunction. Finally, we demonstrated tandem solar cells based on
      top GaAs nanowire array solar cells grown on bottom planar Si solar cells. The
      reported nanowire-on-Si tandem cell opens up great opportunities for high
      efficiency, low-cost multijunction solar cells. 

PMID- 26502062
TI  - The Use of Vital Dyes during Vitreoretinal Surgery - Chromovitrectomy.
AB  - The aim of this article is to present the current data with regard to the
      application of vital dyes during vitreoretinal surgery, 'chromovitrectomy', as
      well as to overview the current literature regarding the properties of dyes,
      techniques of application, indications and complications in chromovitrectomy. It
      is well known that indocyanine green is toxic to the retina and consequently not
      the ideal dye for chromovitrectomy. Different vital dyes has been tested for
      chromovitrectomy including trypan blue, patent blue, triamcinolone acetonide,
      infracyanine green, sodium fluorescein and brilliant blue. Brilliant blue seems
      to be the ideal dye for internal limiting membrane due to its afinity, lower
      toxic profile and to reduce the appearance of apoptosis. Besides the dye itself,
      the injection technique is crucial to avoid additional toxicity, slow injection,
      far from the retina and protection of the macular hole are some tips. More
      recently the use of dyes has been applied to stain perfluorcarbon liquids that
      may enhance its visualization during vitrectomy.

PMID- 26502061
TI  - Targeting Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase-Activated Protein Kinase 2 (MAPKAPK2,
      MK2): Medicinal Chemistry Efforts To Lead Small Molecule Inhibitors to Clinical
      Trials.
AB  - The p38/MAPK-activated kinase 2 (MK2) pathway is involved in a series of
      pathological conditions (inflammation diseases and metastasis) and in the
      resistance mechanism to antitumor agents. None of the p38 inhibitors entered
      advanced clinical trials because of their unwanted systemic side effects. For
      this reason, MK2 was identified as an alternative target to block the pathway but
      avoiding the side effects of p38 inhibition. However, ATP-competitive MK2
      inhibitors suffered from low solubility, poor cell permeability, and scarce
      kinase selectivity. Fortunately, non-ATP-competitive inhibitors of MK2 have been
      already discovered that allowed circumventing the selectivity issue. These
      compounds showed the additional advantage to be effective at lower concentrations
      in comparison to the ATP-competitive inhibitors. Therefore, although the
      significant difficulties encountered during the development of these inhibitors,
      MK2 is still considered as an attractive target to treat inflammation and related
      diseases to prevent tumor metastasis and to increase tumor sensitivity to
      chemotherapeutics.

PMID- 26502064
TI  - High Power Efficiency Solution-Processed Blue Phosphorescent Organic Light
      Emitting Diodes Using Exciplex-Type Host with a Turn-on Voltage Approaching the
      Theoretical Limit.
AB  - Three solution-processable exciplex-type host materials were successfully
      designed and characterized by equal molar blending hole transporting molecules
      with a newly synthesized electron transporting material, which possesses high
      thermal stability and good film-forming ability through a spin-coating technique.
      The excited-state dynamics and the structure-property relationships were
      systematically investigated. By gradually deepening the highest occupied
      molecular orbital (HOMO) level of electron-donating components, the triplet
      energy of exciplex hosts were increased from 2.64 to 3.10 eV. Low temperature
      phosphorescence spectra demonstrated that the excessively high triplet energy of
      exciplex would induce a serious energy leakage from the complex state to the
      constituting molecule. Furthermore, the low energy electromer state, which only
      exists under the electroexcitation, was found as another possible channel for
      energy loss in exciplex-based phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes
      (OLEDs). In particular, as quenching of the exciplex-state and the triplet
      exciton were largely eliminated, solution-processed blue phosphorescence OLEDs
      using the exciplex-type host achieved an extremely low turn-on voltage of 2.7 eV
      and record-high power efficiency of 22.5 lm W(-1), which were among the highest
      values in the devices with identical structure. 

PMID- 26502063
TI  - Sensorimotor Model of Obstacle Avoidance in Echolocating Bats.
AB  - Bat echolocation is an ability consisting of many subtasks such as navigation,
      prey detection and object recognition. Understanding the echolocation
      capabilities of bats comes down to isolating the minimal set of acoustic cues
      needed to complete each task. For some tasks, the minimal cues have already been
      identified. However, while a number of possible cues have been suggested, little
      is known about the minimal cues supporting obstacle avoidance in echolocating
      bats. In this paper, we propose that the Interaural Intensity Difference (IID)
      and travel time of the first millisecond of the echo train are sufficient cues
      for obstacle avoidance. We describe a simple control algorithm based on the use
      of these cues in combination with alternating ear positions modeled after the
      constant frequency bat Rhinolophus rouxii. Using spatial simulations (2D and 3D),
      we show that simple phonotaxis can steer a bat clear from obstacles without
      performing a reconstruction of the 3D layout of the scene. As such, this paper
      presents the first computationally explicit explanation for obstacle avoidance
      validated in complex simulated environments. Based on additional simulations
      modelling the FM bat Phyllostomus discolor, we conjecture that the proposed cues
      can be exploited by constant frequency (CF) bats and frequency modulated (FM)
      bats alike. We hypothesize that using a low level yet robust cue for obstacle
      avoidance allows bats to comply with the hard real-time constraints of this basic
      behaviour. 

PMID- 26502066
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26502065
TI  - Developing new predictive alarms based on ECG metrics for bradyasystolic cardiac
      arrest.
AB  - We investigated 17 metrics derived from four leads of electrocardiographic (ECG)
      signals from hospital patient monitors to develop new ECG alarms for predicting
      adult bradyasystolic cardiac arrest events.A retrospective case-control study was
      designed to analyze 17 ECG metrics from 27 adult bradyasystolic and 304 control
      patients. The 17 metrics consisted of PR interval (PR), P-wave duration (Pdur),
      QRS duration (QRSdur), RR interval (RR), QT interval (QT), estimate of serum K  +
      using only frontal leads (SerumK2), T-wave complexity (T Complex), ST segment
      levels for leads I, II, V (ST I, ST II, ST V), and 7 heart rate variability (HRV)
      metrics. These 7 HRV metrics were standard deviation of normal to normal
      intervals (SDNN), total power, very low frequency power, low frequency power,
      high frequency power, normalized low frequency power, and normalized high
      frequency power. Controls were matched by gender, age (+/-5 years), admission to
      the same hospital unit within the same month, and the same major diagnostic
      category. A research ECG analysis software program developed by co-author D M was
      used to automatically extract the metrics. The absolute value for each ECG
      metric, and the duration, terminal value, and slope of the dominant trend for
      each ECG metric, were derived and tested as the alarm conditions. The maximal
      true positive rate (TPR) of detecting cardiac arrest at a prescribed maximal
      false positive rate (FPR) based on the trending conditions was reported. Lead
      time was also recorded as the time between the first time alarm condition was
      triggered and the event of cardiac arrest.While conditions based on the absolute
      values of ECG metrics do not provide discriminative information to predict
      bradyasystolic cardiac arrest, the trending conditions can be useful. For
      example, with a max FPR  =  5.0%, some derived alarms conditions are: trend
      duration of PR  >  2.8 h (TPR  =  48.2%, lead time  =  10.0  +/-  6.6 h), trend
      duration of QRSdur  >  2.7 h (TPR  =  40.7%, lead time  =  8.8  +/-  6.2 h),
      trend duration of RR  >  3.5 h (TPR  =  51.9%, lead time  =  6.4  +/-  5.5 h),
      trend duration of T Complex  >  2.9 h (TPR  =  40.7%, lead time  =  6.8  +/-  5.5
      h), trend duration of ST I  >  3.0 h (TPR of 51.9%, lead time  =  8.4  +/-  8.0
      h), trend duration of SDNN  >  3.6 h (TPR of 40.7%, lead time  =  11.0  +/-  8.6
      h), trend duration of HRV total power  >  3.0 h (TPR of 25.9%, lead time  =  7.5 
      +/-  8.1 h), terminal value of ST I  <  -56 uV (TPR  =  22.2%, lead time  =  12.8
      +/-  8.3 h), and slope of QR  >  19.4 ms h(-1) (TPR  =  25.9%, lead time  =  6.7
      +/-  6.9 h). Eleven trend duration alarms, eight terminal value alarms, and ten
      slope alarms, achieved a positive TPR with zero FPR. Furthermore, these alarms
      conditions with zero PFR can be combined by the 'OR'logic could further improve
      the TPR without increasing the FPR.The trend duration, terminal value, and slope
      of the dominant trend of the ECG metrics considered in this study are able to
      predict a subset of patients with bradyasystolic cardiac arrests with low or even
      zero FPR, which can be used for developing new ECG alarms. 

PMID- 26502067
TI  - Erratum to: Postural change in volunteers: sympathetic tone determines
      microvascular response to cardiac preload and output increases.

PMID- 26502068
TI  - A Model for Hospital Discharge Preparation: From Case Management to Care
      Transition.
AB  - There has been a proliferation of initiatives to improve discharge processes and
      outcomes for the transition from hospital to home and community-based care.
      Operationalization of these processes has varied widely as hospitals have
      customized discharge care into innovative roles and functions. This article
      presents a model for conceptualizing the components of hospital discharge
      preparation to ensure attention to the full range of processes needed for a
      comprehensive strategy for hospital discharge. 

PMID- 26502069
TI  - Evaluation of Authentic Human Caring Professional Practices.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to present an instrument and comparative
      database designed to evaluate patients' perceptions of caring behaviors of
      caregivers. BACKGROUND: Acute care leaders are under pressure to improve publicly
      reported patient satisfaction scores. Some nurse leaders have implemented
      professional practice environments based on human caring theory, whereas others
      have used scripting to standardize communication between staff and patients.
      METHODS: The Watson Caritas Patient Score (WCPS) is collected quarterly from a
      random sample of patients who are admitted to acute care hospital units. RESULTS:
      The WCPS was able to discriminate across unit types and hospitals. Items were
      related to publicly reported nursing communication scores. CONCLUSIONS:
      Participation in research based on human caring theory has given nurse leaders
      the opportunity to evaluate effectiveness of professional practice environments.
      It may provide the opportunity to focus staff communication with patients more
      authentically and in a way that enriches the experience for both.

PMID- 26502070
TI  - CAB-Align: A Flexible Protein Structure Alignment Method Based on the Residue
      Residue Contact Area.
AB  - Proteins are flexible, and this flexibility has an essential functional role.
      Flexibility can be observed in loop regions, rearrangements between secondary
      structure elements, and conformational changes between entire domains. However,
      most protein structure alignment methods treat protein structures as rigid
      bodies. Thus, these methods fail to identify the equivalences of residue pairs in
      regions with flexibility. In this study, we considered that the evolutionary
      relationship between proteins corresponds directly to the residue-residue
      physical contacts rather than the three-dimensional (3D) coordinates of proteins.
      Thus, we developed a new protein structure alignment method, contact area-based
      alignment (CAB-align), which uses the residue-residue contact area to identify
      regions of similarity. The main purpose of CAB-align is to identify homologous
      relationships at the residue level between related protein structures. The CAB
      align procedure comprises two main steps: First, a rigid-body alignment method
      based on local and global 3D structure superposition is employed to generate a
      sufficient number of initial alignments. Then, iterative dynamic programming is
      executed to find the optimal alignment. We evaluated the performance and
      advantages of CAB-align based on four main points: (1) agreement with the gold
      standard alignment, (2) alignment quality based on an evolutionary relationship
      without 3D coordinate superposition, (3) consistency of the multiple alignments,
      and (4) classification agreement with the gold standard classification.
      Comparisons of CAB-align with other state-of-the-art protein structure alignment
      methods (TM-align, FATCAT, and DaliLite) using our benchmark dataset showed that
      CAB-align performed robustly in obtaining high-quality alignments and generating
      consistent multiple alignments with high coverage and accuracy rates, and it
      performed extremely well when discriminating between homologous and nonhomologous
      pairs of proteins in both single and multi-domain comparisons. The CAB-align
      software is freely available to academic users as stand-alone software at
      http://www.pharm.kitasato-u.ac.jp/bmd/bmd/Publications.html. 

PMID- 26502071
TI  - Influence of quasi-specific sites on kinetics of target DNA search by a sequence
      specific DNA-binding protein.
AB  - Functions of transcription factors require formation of specific complexes at
      particular sites in cis-regulatory elements of genes. However, chromosomal DNA
      contains numerous sites that are similar to the target sequences recognized by
      transcription factors. The influence of such "quasi-specific" sites on functions
      of the transcription factors is not well understood at present by experimental
      means. In this work, using fluorescence methods, we have investigated the
      influence of quasi-specific DNA sites on the efficiency of target location by the
      zinc finger DNA-binding domain of the inducible transcription factor Egr-1, which
      recognizes a 9 bp sequence. By stopped-flow assays, we measured the kinetics of
      Egr-1's association with a target site on 143 bp DNA in the presence of various
      competitor DNAs, including nonspecific and quasi-specific sites. The presence of
      quasi-specific sites on competitor DNA significantly decelerated the target
      association by the Egr-1 protein. The impact of the quasi-specific sites depended
      strongly on their affinity, their concentration, and the degree of their binding
      to the protein. To quantitatively describe the kinetic impact of the quasi
      specific sites, we derived an analytical form of the apparent kinetic rate
      constant for the target association and used it for fitting to the experimental
      data. Our kinetic data with calf thymus DNA as a competitor suggested that there
      are millions of high-affinity quasi-specific sites for Egr-1 among the 3 billion
      bp of genomic DNA. This study quantitatively demonstrates that naturally abundant
      quasi-specific sites on DNA can considerably impede the target search processes
      of sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins. 

PMID- 26502075
TI  - Retraction of: Hosseinkhani H, et al.; DOI: 10.1089/ten.2006.0120.

PMID- 26502072
TI  - A Method for Recording Urethral Pressure Profiles in Female Rats.
AB  - AIMS: Urethral pressure profile (UPP) and leak-point pressure (LPP) measurements
      as well as external urethral sphincter (EUS) electromyography (EMG) and
      videourodynamic analyses are the primary methods for evaluating urethral function
      in humans. However, UPP recording in female rats, a widely used animal model, is
      challenging due to their small body sizes. This study reports a novel method for
      recording UPP in female rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen anesthetized
      female rats were studied. LPP data for 14 rats were included. The other 3 rats
      were excluded because of death or abnormal urogenital organs. UPP curves were
      recorded using a modified water-perfusion catheter system, with the lateral hole
      facing the 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-o'clock positions in a randomized sequence. LPP,
      functional urethral length (FUL) and maximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP)
      were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean LPP was 64.39 +/- 20.29 cm H2O. The mean FUL and
      MUCP values at the 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-o'clock positions were 12.90 +/- 1.20,
      16.70 +/- 1.95, 13.90 +/- 2.42, and 11.60 +/- 0.97 mm, respectively, and 38.70 +/
      11.85, 33.90 +/- 11.82, 37.40 +/- 11.95, and 71.90 +/- 23.01 cm H2O,
      respectively. The FUL at the 6-o'clock position and MUCP at the 12-o'clock
      position were significantly greater than those at the other 3 positions. The FUL
      and MUCP of repeated UPP recordings were not significantly different than those
      of the first recordings. CONCLUSIONS: UPP recording using a modified method based
      on a water-perfusion catheter system is feasible and replicable in female rats.
      It produces UPP curves that sensitively and appreciably reflect detailed pressure
      changes at different points within the urethra and thus provides opportunity to
      evaluate urethral structures, especially the urethral sphincter, in detail. These
      results may enhance the utility of female rat models in research of urinary
      sphincter mechanisms.

PMID- 26502076
TI  - Haemoglobin content modulated deformation dynamics of red blood cells on a
      compact disc.
AB  - We investigate the deformation characteristics of red blood cells (RBCs) on a
      rotating compact disc platform. Our study brings out the interplay between
      haemoglobin content and RBC deformability in a centrifugally actuated
      microfluidic environment. We reveal that RBC deformations follow the similar
      trend of principal stress distributed throughout the radial direction, rendering
      an insight into the mechano-physical processes involved. This study can be used
      as a diagnostic marker to determine haematological disorders in diseased blood
      samples tested on compact disc based microfluidic platforms. 

PMID- 26502073
TI  - Burden of Invasive Staphylococcus aureus Infections in Hospitalized Infants.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Staphylococcus aureus is a frequent cause of infection in
      hospitalized infants. These infections are associated with increased mortality
      and morbidity and longer hospital stays, but data on the burden of S aureus
      disease in hospitalized infants are limited. OBJECTIVES: To compare demographics
      and mortality of infants with invasive methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) and
      methicillin-susceptible S aureus (MSSA), to determine the annual proportion of S
      aureus infections that were MRSA, and to contrast the risk of death after an
      invasive MRSA infection with the risk after an invasive MSSA infection. DESIGN,
      SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Multicenter retrospective study of a large, nationally
      representative cohort at 348 neonatal intensive care units managed by the
      Pediatrix Medical Group. Participants were 3888 infants with an invasive S aureus
      infection who were discharged from calendar year 1997 through calendar year 2012.
      EXPOSURE: Invasive S aureus infection. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The incidence
      of invasive S aureus infections, as well as infant characteristics and mortality
      after MRSA or MSSA infection. RESULTS: The 3888 infants had 3978 invasive S
      aureus infections (2868 MSSA and 1110 MRSA). The incidence of invasive S aureus
      infection was 44.8 infections per 10,000 infants. The yearly proportion of
      invasive infections caused by MRSA increased from calendar year 1997 through
      calendar year 2006 and has moderately decreased since then. Infants with invasive
      MRSA or MSSA infections had similar gestational ages and birth weights. Invasive
      MRSA infections occurred more often at a younger postnatal age. For infants with
      available mortality data, more infants with invasive MSSA infections (n = 237)
      died before hospital discharge than infants with invasive MRSA infections (n =
      110). The proportions of infants who died after invasive MSSA and MRSA infections
      were similar at 237 of 2474 (9.6%) and 110 of 926 (11.9%), respectively (P =
      .05). The adjusted risk of death before hospital discharge was similar after
      invasive MSSA and MRSA infections (risk ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.96-1.49). The
      risks of death at 7 and 30 days after invasive infection were similar between
      infants with invasive MSSA infection and infants with invasive MRSA infection.
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Infant mortality after invasive MRSA and MSSA
      infections is similar, but MSSA causes more infections and more deaths in infants
      than MRSA. Measures to prevent S aureus infection should include MSSA in addition
      to MRSA.

PMID- 26502077
TI  - Hodgkin's lymphoma (relapsed or refractory): autologous stem cell therapy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: People with Hodgkin's lymphoma usually present with a lump in the
      neck or upper chest, but a quarter of people also have fever, sweating, weight
      loss, fatigue, and itch. Almost all people with localised disease can be cured
      and, even among people with relapsed advanced disease, almost 50% to 60% survive
      event-free for 4 years or more. However, a proportion of patients with early
      Hodgkin's lymphoma with poor prognostic factors (up to 15%) or with advanced
      disease (40%-50%) still relapses or has refractory disease. METHODS AND OUTCOMES:
      We conducted a systematic overview, aiming to answer the following clinical
      question: What are the effects of high-dose chemotherapy plus autologous stem
      cell therapy for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma? 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: Searching of
      electronic databases retrieved 298 studies. Appraisal of titles and abstracts led
      to the exclusion of 245 studies and the further review of 53 full publications.
      Of the 53 full articles evaluated, one systematic review was added. We performed
      a GRADE evaluation for three PICO combinations. CONCLUSIONS: In this systematic
      overview, we categorised the efficacy for one intervention, based on information
      relating to the effectiveness and safety of high-dose chemotherapy plus
      autologous stem cell therapy (versus conventional chemotherapy).

PMID- 26502078
TI  - A Novel Ribonuclease from Rana Chensinensis and Its Potential for the Treatment
      of Human Breast Cancer.
AB  - Onconase, a member of the pancreatic RNAase A superfamily of ribonucleases, is a
      chemotherapeutic agent, which has demonstrated selective antitumor activity in a
      variety of human malignancies. However, little is known about the mechanisms of
      it's action on human breast cancer cells. To investigate a novel Onconase from
      the frog of Rana chensinensis changbaishanensis on human breast cancer cells and
      the underlying mechanisms, a novel Onconase named Rdchonc from Rana chensinensis
      changbaishanensis was cloned by polymerase chain reaction. SDS-PAGE revealed that
      the Rdchonc had a high heterologous expression in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The
      MTT assay indicated that purified Rdchonc was cytotoxic to human breast cancer
      MCF-7 and MD-MB-231 cells. Treatment with 20 MUg/mL Rdchonc protein significantly
      reduced the invasive capacities of MCF-7 and MD-MB-231 cells. Interestingly, the
      authors found that such inhibitory effort on tumor cell growth induced by Rdchonc
      treatment may be explained by the regulation of proapoptotic Bcl-2 family
      proteins and inhibition of MEK/ERK phosphorylation. 

PMID- 26502079
TI  - Relationship between Blood Myostatin Levels and Kidney Function:Shimane CoHRE
      Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Myostatin (MSTN), a member of TGF-beta superfamily, is produced in
      the skeletal muscle to inhibit myocyte differentiation. MSTN expression is
      increased in the skeletal muscle in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD),
      which may play a role in the pathogenesis of sarcopenia or in the protein energy
      wasting (PEW). This observation implies that the plasma MSTN level may be
      correlated with kidney function. Thus, we conducted a cross-sectional study to
      evaluate the association between the plasma MSTN concentration and the estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Subjects were 781
      participants of a health examination performed in a rural area in Japan. Among
      them, 124 subjects were selected by stratified random sampling according to eGFR.
      Creatinine clearance (ClCr) by the Cockcroft-Gault equation was used as a measure
      of kidney function. Plasma concentration of MSTN was determined by ELISA.
      RESULTS: The plasma MSTN level was not different between men (3.42+/-1.61 ng/mL)
      and women (3.27+/-1.43 ng/mL). In a simple regression analysis, the MSTN level
      was significantly correlated with eGFR (r = -0.25, p<0.01) and ClCr (r = -0.20,
      p<0.05) but not with age and BMI. In a multiple linear regression analysis, the
      MSTN level showed a negative correlation with eGFR (standardized beta = -0.31,
      p<0.01) and ClCr (standardized beta = -0.35, p<0.01) under the adjustment with
      age, sex, BMI and LDL-C. Weak correlation was observed between the MSTN level and
      BMI / the serum LDL-C level. When the subjects were stratified into 4 groups
      according to eGFR, MSTN was significantly greater in the groups with the lowest
      and the 2nd lowest eGFR (3.55+/-1.79 and 3.76+/-1.75 ng/mL, respectively) than
      the level in the group with the highest eGFR (2.77+/-0.85 ng/mL). CONCLUSION:
      Plasma MSTN level was elevated in an early stage of CKD, which could be involved
      in the progression of sarcopenia.

PMID- 26502080
TI  - NIST RM 8398: Standardizing Discoveries.

PMID- 26502081
TI  - Distal acquired demyelinating symmetric neuropathy associated with colorectal
      adenocarcinoma: Should it be termed paraneoplastic?

PMID- 26502082
TI  - Evaluation of Different Thickness, Die Color, and Resin Cement Shade for Veneers
      of Multilayered CAD/CAM Blocks.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of resin cement color on the post-cementation
      shade of thin laminate veneers milled from multilayered glass ceramic blocks for
      each layer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thin slices (N = 180) with two thicknesses (A:
      8 * 8*0.55 mm and B: 8*8*0.8 mm; n = 90/group) were obtained from multilayered
      glass ceramic blocks using a diamond saw. Resin die specimens were prepared (8 *
      8 * 4 mm) (n = 180) and divided into two resin cement colors (D: -3. L: +3) and
      one control group (C: translucent). Each slice was luted to the composite
      specimens using a dual-curing resin cement under a constant load of 250 g and
      light-polymerized for 120 seconds. Specimens were placed on a white background
      and CIELab values for each layer of the blank slices (incisal [In], body [Bo],
      and cervical [Ce]) were recorded using a dental contact spectrophotometer. The
      values were calculated as DeltaE, and the data were statistically analyzed (one
      way ANOVA, Shapiro-Wilk). RESULTS: Mean DeltaE values for A and B were
      significant (p < 0.05) for In (A: 6.2 +/- 1.1; B: 6.6 +/- 1.2), Bo (A: 5.1 +/-
      2.6; B: 3.9 +/- 1), and Ce (A: 5.3 +/- 2.7; B: 3.8 +/- 1.2). Mean DeltaE values
      for In for D and L for A and B groups were significantly higher (6.3 +/- 1.2; 6.6
      +/- 1.2) than Bo and Ce for D (4.4 +/- 2.4; 4.6 +/- 2.6) and L (4.6 +/- 1.4; 4.5
      +/- 1.7) groups (p < 0.05), respectively. Mean differences between Bo and Ce for
      A and B groups were insignificant (p >= 0.05), while for In the differences were
      significant. Mean differences between Bo and Ce for A (5.1 +/- 2.6; 5.3 +/- 2.7)
      and for B (3.9 +/- 1; 3.5 +/- 1.2) groups were insignificant (p >= 0.05), while
      for In the differences were significant (6.2 +/- 1.1 for A and 6.6 +/- 1.2 for
      B). CONCLUSION: The color changes for body and cervical regions of multilayered
      ceramic veneers were not affected by resin color or ceramic thickness, but the
      incisal area was affected. The translucency of each layer in ceramic veneer
      fabricated with multilayered blanks should be considered for clinical situations.

PMID- 26502083
TI  - Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interface for Prostheses Control: Electrode
      Comparison.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study compared epimysial patch electrodes with intramuscular
      hook electrodes using monopolar and bipolar recording configurations. The purpose
      was to determine which strategy transduced muscle signals with better fidelity
      for control of myoelectric prostheses. METHODS: One of the two electrode styles,
      patch (n = 4) or hook (n = 6) was applied to the left extensor digitorum longus
      muscle in rats. Electrodes were evaluated at the time of placement and at monthly
      intervals for 4 months. Evaluations consisted of evoked electromyography signals
      from stimulation pulses applied to the peroneal and tibial nerves in both
      monopolar and bipolar recording configurations. RESULTS: Compared with hook
      electrodes, patch electrodes recorded larger signals of interest and minimized
      muscle tissue injury. A bipolar electrode configuration significantly reduced
      signal noise when compared with a monopolar configuration. CONCLUSION: Epimysial
      patch electrodes outperform intramuscular hook electrodes during chronic skeletal
      muscle implantation.

PMID- 26502085
TI  - Universal Prevention for Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms in Children: A Meta
      analysis of Randomized and Cluster-Randomized Trials.
AB  - Although under-diagnosed, anxiety and depression are among the most prevalent
      psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents, leading to severe impairment,
      increased risk of future psychiatric problems, and a high economic burden to
      society. Universal prevention may be a potent way to address these widespread
      problems. There are several benefits to universal relative to targeted
      interventions because there is limited knowledge as to how to screen for anxiety
      and depression in the general population. Earlier meta-analyses of the prevention
      of depression and anxiety symptoms among children suffer from methodological
      inadequacies such as combining universal, selective, and indicated interventions
      in the same analyses, and comparing cluster-randomized trials with randomized
      trials without any correction for clustering effects. The present meta-analysis
      attempted to determine the effectiveness of universal interventions to prevent
      anxiety and depressive symptoms after correcting for clustering effects. A
      systematic search of randomized studies in PsychINFO, Cochrane Library, and
      Google Scholar resulted in 30 eligible studies meeting inclusion criteria, namely
      peer-reviewed, randomized or cluster-randomized trials of universal interventions
      for anxiety and depressive symptoms in school-aged children. Sixty-three percent
      of the studies reported outcome data regarding anxiety and 87 % reported outcome
      data regarding depression. Seventy percent of the studies used randomization at
      the cluster level. There were small but significant effects regarding anxiety
      (.13) and depressive (.11) symptoms as measured at immediate posttest. At follow
      up, which ranged from 3 to 48 months, effects were significantly larger than zero
      regarding depressive (.07) but not anxiety (.11) symptoms. There was no
      significant moderation effect of the following pre-selected variables: the
      primary aim of the intervention (anxiety or depression), deliverer of the
      intervention, gender distribution, children's age, and length of the
      intervention. Despite small effects, we argue for the possible clinical and
      practical significance of these programs. Future evaluations should carefully
      investigate the moderators and mediators of program effects to identify active
      program components.

PMID- 26502086
TI  - Prognostic factors after salvage radiotherapy alone in patients with biochemical
      recurrence after radical prostatectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the oncological outcome and to assess prognostic factors
      of salvage radiotherapy alone in patients with biochemical recurrence after
      radical prostatectomy. METHODS: We reviewed our single institution, prospectively
      maintained database of 2043 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy between
      September 1995 and December 2011. In this cohort, 149 patients who developed
      biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy and received salvage
      radiotherapy alone after pelvic magnetic resonance imaging were included. Three
      dimensional conformal radiotherapy or intensity-modulated radiotherapy was
      delivered with a median dose of 70.0 Gy (66.0-78.0 Gy) or 67.2 Gy (64.8-70.0 Gy).
      Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were carried out. RESULTS: With a median
      follow up of 82 months (range 20-153 months), 55 patients (36.9%) failed salvage
      radiotherapy. The 5-year salvage radiotherapy failure-free probability was 53.6%.
      On multivariate analysis, pre-salvage radiotherapy prostate-specific- antigen >=
      1.0 ng/mL (P = 0.003, hazard ratio 3.592, 95% confidence interval 1.522-8.579),
      pathological stage >= T3a (P = 0.004, hazard ratio 2.261, 95% confidence interval
      1.290-3.833), pathological Gleason score >= 7 (P = 0.018, hazard ratio 5.501, 95%
      confidence interval 1.577-21.221), prostate-specific antigen doubling time < 12
      months (P = 0.014, hazard ratio 2.243, 95% confidence interval 1.177-4.275) and
      no visible lesion on pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (P = 0.016, hazard ratio
      2.068, 95% confidence interval 1.268-3.501) were independent prognostic factors
      of salvage radiotherapy failure after radical prostatectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Pre
      salvage radiotherapy prostate-specific antigen >= 1.0 ng/mL, pathological stage
      >= T3a, pathological Gleason score >= 7, prostate-specific antigen doubling time
      < 12 months and no visible lesion on pelvic magnetic resonance imaging are
      prognostic factors of salvage radiotherapy failure after radical prostatectomy.
      We should consider additional treatment in patients with these factors for
      favorable outcomes.

PMID- 26502087
TI  - Therapeutic advances in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

PMID- 26502088
TI  - Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in the Treatment of Retinal Diseases.
AB  - Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are an important class of drugs in
      medicine and ophthalmology. Several NSAIDs have been commercially available for
      many years: diclofenac, flurbiprofen, indomethacin, ketorolac and suprofen. The
      purpose of this chapter is to review the clinical use of earlier and newer
      pharmacologic agents of the NSAID class. NSAIDs may have a modulating effect on
      ocular inflammation and pain through the prevention of prostaglandin synthesis
      via cyclooxygenase inhibition. Newer-generation NSAIDs have emerged in recent
      years for the treatment of ocular pain and inflammation. Nepafenac ophthalmic
      suspension 0.1% is a new topical NSAID prodrug that has been approved by the Food
      and Drug Administration for the treatment of pain and inflammation after cataract
      surgery. Preliminary data suggest nepafenac may also provide unique efficacy in
      the posterior segment, since its corneal permeability characteristics are
      superior to those of other NSAIDs. Nevanac, diclofenac, ketorolac and bromfenac
      are some notable NSAID candidates which should be investigated intravitreally or
      topically for retinal pharmacotherapy. In addition, for intraocular surgery,
      NSAIDs can help to prevent intraoperative miosis, reduce ocular pain, decrease
      postoperative inflammation and prevent cystoid macular edema. Retinal, choroidal
      and vitreous diseases may be the target of future nepafenac studies, either as
      monotherapy or as combination treatments.

PMID- 26502089
TI  - Electrodeposition and Screening of Photoelectrochemical Activity in Conjugated
      Polymers Using Scanning Electrochemical Cell Microscopy.
AB  - A number of renewable energy systems require an understanding and correlation of
      material properties and photoelectrochemical activity on the micro to nanoscale.
      Among these, conducting polymer electrodes continue to be important materials. In
      this contribution, an ultrasensitive scanning electrochemical cell microscopy
      (SECCM) platform is used to electrodeposit microscale thin films of poly(3
      hexylthiophene) (P3HT) on an optically transparent gold electrode and to
      correlate the morphology (film thickness and structural order) with
      photoactivity. The electrochemical growth of P3HT begins with a thin ordered film
      up to 10 nm thick, after which a second more disordered film is deposited, as
      revealed by micro-Raman spectroscopy. A decrease in photoactivity for the thicker
      films, measured in situ immediately following film deposition, is attributed to
      an increase in bulk film disorder that limits charge transport. Higher resolution
      ex situ SECCM phototransient measurements, using a smaller diameter probe, show
      local variations in photoactivity within a given deposit. Even after aging,
      thinner, more ordered regions within a deposit exhibit sustained enhanced
      photocurrent densities compared to areas where the film is thicker and more
      disordered. The platform opens up new possibilities for high-throughput
      combinatorial correlation studies, by allowing materials fabrication and high
      spatial resolution probing of processes in photoelectrochemical materials. 

PMID- 26502090
TI  - Rab11-FIP2 promotes the metastasis of gastric cancer cells.
AB  - Rab11-FIP2 can interact with MYO5B and plays an important role in regulating
      plasma membrane recycling. Our previous study has shown that MYO5B is
      epigenetically silenced and associated with c-Met signaling in human gastric
      cancer. However, little is known of the function of Rab11-FIP2 in gastric cancer.
      In this study, we investigated Rab11-FIP2 expression by immunohistochemistry in
      86 patients with gastric cancer. We found that the expression level of Rab11-FIP2
      was significantly increased in gastric cancer tissues and high expression of
      Rab11-FIP2 was closely correlated with nodal metastasis in gastric cancer
      patients. Rab11-FIP2 overexpression promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition
      (EMT) in a manner associated with gastric cancer metastasis in vitro and in vivo.
      We also found that hypoxia could enhance the expression of Rab11-FIP2 through HIF
      1alpha. Inactivation of Rab11-FIP2 dramatically decreased hypoxia-induced
      migration of gastric cancer cells. Suppression of the internalization of EGFR, at
      least in part, plays an important role in EMT induced by overexpression of Rab11
      FIP2 in gastric cancer cells. Finally, we demonstrated that Rab11-FIP2 could
      regulate actin cytoskeleton dynamics. In conclusion, our findings reveal a novel
      mechanism underlying the role of Rab11-FIP2 in gastric cancer dissemination,
      suggesting that Rab11-FIP2 may be a promising candidate target for gastric cancer
      treatment. 

PMID- 26502091
TI  - Thermo-Responsive Hydrogels for Ocular Drug Delivery.
AB  - Hydrogel as an ocular drug delivery platform holds great potential. Hydrogels are
      three-dimensional, hydrophilic, polymeric networks capable of absorbing large
      amounts of water or biological fluids. They have the ability to swell in an
      aqueous solvent system, holding solvents within a cross-linked gel system for
      potential sustained delivery. Through manipulation of permeation and diffusion
      characteristics, they can retain hydrophobic and hydrophilic agents, small
      molecules and macromolecules. In addition, hydrogel can be combined with nano- or
      microspheres to enhance delivery capacity. The aqueous environment of hydrogels
      can also protect cells and pharmacological agents. Depending on the specific
      structure, they can be nondegradable or degradable in their application.

PMID- 26502093
TI  - Trajectories of depressive symptoms in old age: Integrating age-, pathology-, and
      mortality-related changes.
AB  - Late life involves a variety of different challenges to well-being. This study
      extends and qualifies propositions drawn from the paradox of well-being in aging
      using 15-year longitudinal data on depressive symptoms from old and very old
      participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (Baseline N = 2,087;
      Mage = 78.69 years; range: 65-103 years; 49.40% women). We first examined age
      related trajectories in depressive symptoms from young-old to oldest-old, taking
      into account (changes in) relevant correlates, pathology, and mortality; and,
      second, we investigated gender differences in these trajectories. Results
      revealed that age-related trajectories of depressive symptoms were predictive of
      mortality hazards. The unique predictive effects of both level of, and change in,
      depressive symptoms were independent of one another and held after taking into
      account education as well as changes in marital status, living arrangements,
      cognitive function, and illness burden. In addition, results indicated that
      depressive symptoms were elevated among participants suffering from arthritis,
      and increased with age more markedly in men than in women. In particular, the
      significant Age * Gender interaction indicated that the gender gap in depressive
      symptoms reduced from young-old to old-old and reversed in very old age when men
      showed more depressive symptoms than women. Qualifying the paradox of well-being
      in aging, findings demonstrated that depressive symptoms increased from young-old
      to oldest-old and suggest that age-, pathology-, and mortality-related changes
      should be examined in concert to advance our understanding of individual
      differences in depressive symptom trajectories in late life.

PMID- 26502084
TI  - Speciation with gene flow in whiptail lizards from a Neotropical xeric biome.
AB  - Two main hypotheses have been proposed to explain the diversification of the
      Caatinga biota. The riverine barrier hypothesis (RBH) claims that the Sao
      Francisco River (SFR) is a major biogeographic barrier to gene flow. The
      Pleistocene climatic fluctuation hypothesis (PCH) states that gene flow,
      geographic genetic structure and demographic signatures on endemic Caatinga taxa
      were influenced by Quaternary climate fluctuation cycles. Herein, we analyse
      genetic diversity and structure, phylogeographic history, and diversification of
      a widespread Caatinga lizard (Cnemidophorus ocellifer) based on large
      geographical sampling for multiple loci to test the predictions derived from the
      RBH and PCH. We inferred two well-delimited lineages (Northeast and Southwest)
      that have diverged along the Cerrado-Caatinga border during the Mid-Late Miocene
      (6-14 Ma) despite the presence of gene flow. We reject both major hypotheses
      proposed to explain diversification in the Caatinga. Surprisingly, our results
      revealed a striking complex diversification pattern where the Northeast lineage
      originated as a founder effect from a few individuals located along the edge of
      the Southwest lineage that eventually expanded throughout the Caatinga. The
      Southwest lineage is more diverse, older and associated with the Cerrado-Caatinga
      boundaries. Finally, we suggest that C. ocellifer from the Caatinga is composed
      of two distinct species. Our data support speciation in the presence of gene flow
      and highlight the role of environmental gradients in the diversification process.

PMID- 26502095
TI  - Immobilization of silver nanoparticles on exfoliated mica nanosheets to form
      highly conductive nanohybrid films.
AB  - Highly electrically conductive films were prepared by coating organic/inorganic
      nanohybrid solutions with a polymeric dispersant and exfoliated mica nanosheets
      (Mica) on which silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) had been dispersed in various
      components. Transmission electronic microscopy showed that the synthesized AgNPs
      had a narrow size distribution and a diameter of approximately 20 nm.
      Furthermore, a 60 MUm thick film with a sheet resistance as low as 4.5 * 10(-2)
      Omega/sq could be prepared by controlling the heating temperature and by using
      AgNPs/POE-imide/Mica in a weight ratio of 20:20:1. During the heating process,
      the surface color of the hybrid film changed from dark golden to white,
      suggesting the accumulation of the AgNPs through surface migration and their
      melting to form an interconnected network. These nanohybrid films have potential
      for use in various electrically conductive devices.

PMID- 26502094
TI  - Complement Stimulates Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells to Undergo Pro
      Inflammatory Changes.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: We examined the effect of human complement sera (HCS) on retinal
      pigment epithelial (RPE) cells with respect to pro-inflammatory mediators
      relevant in early age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: RPE cells were
      treated with complement-containing HCS or with heat-inactivated (HI) HCS or C7
      deficient HCS as controls. Cells were analysed for C5b-9 using
      immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry. Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and monocyte
      chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were quantified by ELISA and RT-PCR. Tumour
      necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and
      vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), were analysed by Western blotting.
      The intracellular distribution of nuclear factor (NF)-x03BA;B was investigated by
      immunofluorescence. RESULTS: A concentration-dependent increased staining for C5b
      9 but no influence on cell viability was observed after HCS treatment. ELISA and
      RT-PCR analysis revealed elevated secretion and expression of IL-6, IL-8, and MCP
      1. Western blot analysis showed a concentration-dependent increase in ICAM-1,
      VCAM-1, and TNF-alpha in response to HCS, and immunofluorescence staining
      revealed nuclear translocation of NF-x03BA;B. CONCLUSION: This study suggests
      that complement stimulates NF-x03BA;B activation in RPE cells that might further
      create a pro-inflammatory environment. All these factors together may support
      early AMD development.

PMID- 26502096
TI  - Physical constraints, fundamental limits, and optimal locus of operating points
      for an inverted pendulum based actuated dynamic walker.
AB  - The inverted pendulum is a popular model for describing bipedal dynamic walking.
      The operating point of the walker can be specified by the combination of initial
      mid-stance velocity (v0) and step angle (phim) chosen for a given walk. In this
      paper, using basic mechanics, a framework of physical constraints that limit the
      choice of operating points is proposed. The constraint lines thus obtained
      delimit the allowable region of operation of the walker in the v0-phim plane. A
      given average forward velocity vx,avg can be achieved by several combinations of
      v0 and phim. Only one of these combinations results in the minimum mechanical
      power consumption and can be considered the optimum operating point for the given
      vx,avg. This paper proposes a method for obtaining this optimal operating point
      based on tangency of the power and velocity contours. Putting together all such
      operating points for various vx,avg, a family of optimum operating points, called
      the optimal locus, is obtained. For the energy loss and internal energy models
      chosen, the optimal locus obtained has a largely constant step angle with
      increasing speed but tapers off at non-dimensional speeds close to unity.

PMID- 26502092
TI  - Sleep-disordered Breathing and Incident Heart Failure in Older Men.
AB  - RATIONALE: The directionality of the relationship between sleep-disordered
      breathing and heart failure is controversial. OBJECTIVES: We assessed whether
      elevations in the obstructive or central sleep apnea index or the presence of
      Cheyne-Stokes breathing are associated with decompensated and/or incident heart
      failure. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, longitudinal study of 2,865
      participants derived from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study, a prospective
      multicenter observational study of community-dwelling older men. Participants
      underwent baseline polysomnography and were followed for a mean 7.3 years for
      development of incident or decompensated heart failure. Our main exposures were
      the obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), central apnea index (CAI >= 5), and
      Cheyne-Stokes breathing. Covariates included age, race, clinic site,
      comorbidities, physical activity, and alcohol and tobacco use. MEASUREMENTS AND
      MAIN RESULTS: CAI greater than or equal to five and presence of Cheyne-Stokes
      breathing but not obstructive AHI were significant predictors of incident heart
      failure (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16
      2.77 for CAI >= 5) (HR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.45-3.43 for Cheyne-Stokes breathing).
      After excluding those with baseline heart failure, the incident risk of heart
      failure was attenuated for those with CAI greater than or equal to five (HR,
      1.57; 95% CI, 0.92-2.66) but remained significantly elevated for those with
      Cheyne-Stokes breathing (HR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.10-3.30). CONCLUSIONS: An elevated
      CAI/Cheyne-Stokes breathing, but not an elevated obstructive AHI, is
      significantly associated with increased risk of decompensated heart failure
      and/or development of clinical heart failure in a community-based cohort of older
      men.

PMID- 26502097
TI  - The Minimum Clinically Important Difference of the Modified Japanese Orthopaedic
      Association Scale in Patients with Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Analysis of the prospective AOSpine CSM-International and North
      America datasets and survey of AO Spine International. OBJECTIVE: This study aims
      to define the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) of the modified
      Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) in patients with degenerative cervical
      myelopathy (DCM). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The mJOA is the most frequently
      used clinician-administered tool to assess functional status in patients with
      DCM. By defining its MCID, clinicians can better evaluate treatment outcomes for
      this condition. METHODS: Three methods were used to determine the MCID of the
      mJOA: (1) distribution-based, (2) anchor-based and receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) analysis, and (3) professional opinion. Distribution-based
      methods were used to estimate the MCID by computing the half standard deviation
      and standard error of measurement. Using anchor-based methods, mJOA at 12 months
      after surgery was compared between patients who were "slightly improved" on the
      Neck Disability Index (NDI) and those who were "unchanged." ROC analysis was
      performed to compute a discrete integer value for the MCID that yielded the
      smallest difference between sensitivity and specificity. We repeated anchor-based
      methods for patients with mild (mJOA: 15-17), moderate (mJOA: 12-14), and severe
      disease (mJOA <12). RESULTS: The half standard deviation of the baseline mJOA was
      1.36 and the standard error of measurement was 1.21. The difference in mJOA
      between patients who "slightly improved" on the NDI and "unchanged" patients was
      1.11. ROC analysis yielded a value of 2 for the MCID. The survey of 416 spine
      professionals confirmed these estimates: the mean response was 1.65 +/- 0.66. The
      MCID significantly varied depending on myelopathy severity: ROC analysis yielded
      a threshold of 1 for mild, 2 for moderate, and 3 for severe patients. CONCLUSION:
      The MCID of the mJOA is estimated to be between 1 and 2 points and varies with
      myelopathy severity. This knowledge will enable clinicians to identify meaningful
      functional improvements in DCM patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A.

PMID- 26502098
TI  - Effect of Lumbar Disc Degeneration and Low-Back Pain on the Lumbar Lordosis in
      Supine and Standing: A Cross-Sectional MRI Study.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. OBJECTIVE: To examine the influence of low
      back pain (LBP) and lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) on the lumbar lordosis in
      weight-bearing positional magnetic resonance imaging (pMRI). SUMMARY OF
      BACKGROUND DATA: The lumbar lordosis increases with a change of position from
      supine to standing and is known as an essential contributor to dynamic changes.
      However, the lordosis may be affected by disc degeneration and pain. METHODS:
      Patients with LBP >40 on a 0 to 100 mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) both during
      activity and rest and a sex and age-decade matching control group without LBP
      were scanned in the supine and standing position in a 0.25-T open MRI unit. LDD
      was graded using Pfirrmann's grading-scale. Subsequently, the L2-to-S1 lumbar
      lordosis angle (LA) was measured. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients with an average
      VAS of 58 (+/-13.8) mm during rest and 75 (+/-5.0) mm during activities, and 38
      healthy controls were included. MRI findings were common in both groups, whereas,
      the summation of the Pfirrmann's grades (LDD-score) was significantly higher in
      the patients [(MD 1.44; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.80 to 2.10; P < 0.001].
      The patients were less lordotic than the controls in both the supine (MD -6.4
      degrees ; 95% CI -11.4 to -1.3), and standing position (MD -5.6 degrees ; 95% CI 
      10.7 to -0.7); however, the changes between the positions (DeltaLA) were the same
      (MD 0.8 degrees ; 95% CI -1.8 to 3.3). Using generalized linear model the LDD
      score was associated with age (P < 0.001) for both groups. The LDD-score and
      DeltaLA were negatively associated in the control group (P < 0.001), also after
      adjustments for gender and age (beta-coefficient: -2.66; 95% CI -4.3 to -1.0; P =
      0.002). CONCLUSION: Patients may be less lordotic in both the supine and standing
      position, whereas, change in the lordosis between the positions may be
      independent of pain. Decreasing lordosis change seems to be associated with age
      related increasing disc degeneration in healthy individuals. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      2.

PMID- 26502099
TI  - Retraction.

PMID- 26502100
TI  - Prevalence, Comorbidities, and Risk of Perioperative Complications in Human
      Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Patients Undergoing Cervical Spine Surgery.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective database analysis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate outcomes of
      human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive patients after cervical spine
      surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Highly active antiretroviral medications
      have qualitatively altered the natural history of HIV, thus increasing the number
      of HIV-positive patients seeking treatment for chronic degenerative conditions.
      Minimal data exist on HIV patients undergoing degenerative cervical spine
      surgery. METHODS: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was examined from 2002 to 2011.
      Hospitalizations were identified using International Classification of Diseases
      Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) procedural codes for cervical
      spine surgery and diagnoses codes for degenerative conditions of the cervical
      spine, and HIV. Statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate associations
      between HIV status and perioperative complications. RESULTS: A total of 1,602,129
      patients underwent degenerative cervical spine surgery, of which 3700 patients
      (0.23%) had HIV. The prevalence of HIV increased over the study period from 0.19%
      to 0.33% (P < 0.001). Patients with HIV were younger (48.6 yrs vs. 53.4 yrs, P <
      0.001) and more likely to be male (P < 0.001). HIV patients had significantly
      greater odds of having chronic pulmonary disease, liver disease, and drug abuse.
      Unadjusted analysis did not reveal increased rate of acute complications among
      HIV-positive patients compared with negative controls (3.8% vs. 3.7%, P = 0.62).
      Multivariate analysis did not identify HIV as a significant predictor of
      complication (odds ratio = 1.04, P = 0.84). HIV was associated with a 1.5 day
      increased length of stay AND 1.29 fold increase in median costs compared with
      controls ($14,551 vs. 18,846, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HIV
      patients undergoing degenerative cervical spine surgery is increasing. A
      diagnosis of HIV was not associated with an increased risk of perioperative
      complication among patients undergoing degenerative cervical spine surgery.
      Further clinical studies are needed to evaluate predictors of complications among
      HIV patients and long-term outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 26502101
TI  - Efficacy of Erythropoietin-Beta Injections During Autologous Blood Donation
      Before Spinal Deformity Surgery in Children and Teenagers.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective observational study OBJECTIVE.: To clarify the
      efficacy of recombinant human erythropoietin-beta (EPO-beta) injections during
      autologous blood donation (ABD) before spinal deformity surgery in children and
      teenagers. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: ABD is preferred for spinal deformity
      surgery. A few studies have assessed the usefulness of preoperative ABD with EPO
      beta in anemic patients. METHODS: Fifty-six spinal deformity surgery patients (41
      females, 15 males; median age: 15 yrs; range, 5-19 yrs) underwent preoperative
      ABD. ABD was performed weekly according to the patient's body weight with a
      subcutaneous EPO-beta injection (24,000 U). The collected blood volumes were
      compared among the low hemoglobin (low-Hb) (<13 g/dL), mid-Hb (13-13.9 g/dL), and
      high-Hb (>=14 g/dL) groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The effects of EPO-beta
      injection on the Hb levels were estimated using a linear mixed model. RESULTS:
      The patients underwent a median of four ABD collections (range, two to six). The
      median collected volume per ABD was 200 mL (range, 40-400 mL). The median total
      blood collection was 700 mL (range, 160-1,350 mL); the corresponding values were
      700 mL, 700 mL, and 800 mL in the low-Hb, mid-Hb, and high-Hb groups,
      respectively (P = 0.964). The median blood loss was 500 mL (range, 10-2,940 mL);
      53 out of 55 patients (96%) did not require unplanned allogeneic transfusion,
      including 11 out of 12 (92%) cases with blood loss >1,000 mL. The additional
      recovery of Hb levels with one EPO-beta injection was 0.29 +/- 0.14 g/dL (P =
      0.039) after adjusting for confounding factors. CONCLUSION: ABD with an EPO-beta
      injection is useful for avoiding allogeneic transfusion during spinal deformity
      surgery in children and teenagers, and patients in the low-Hb group achieved ABD
      volumes equivalent to those in the high-Hb group. Thus, an additional recovery of
      Hb levels of 0.29 g/dL per injection can be expected after 1 week. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 26502102
TI  - Validation of the Simplified Chinese Version of the Body Image Disturbance
      Questionnaire-Scoliosis.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Body Image
      Disturbance Questionnaire-Scoliosis (BIDQ-S). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study
      was to validate the Chinese version of BIDQ-S (C-BIDQ-S) in adolescent idiopathic
      scoliosis (AIS) patients in Mainland China. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: A
      modified version of the Body Image Disturbance Questionnaire instrument has been
      validated in AIS patients (BIDQ-S) to assess the perception of spinal appearance
      and psychological disturbance. However, there is no culturally adapted, reliable,
      and validated BIDQ-S for the Chinese population. METHOD: The BIDQ-S was
      translated into simplified Chinese, and the cross-cultural adaptation of the
      original BIDQ-S was performed according to international guidelines. A total of
      100 AIS patients were recruited into this study. Validation including
      reliability, internal consistency, and convergent validity was evaluated by
      comparing the C-BIDQ-S with Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)-22 and Spinal
      Appearance Questionnaire (SAQ) instruments. The relationship between C-BIDQ-S
      score and patient characteristics was also assessed. RESULTS: Internal
      consistency for the C-BIDQ-S was satisfactory with a Cronbach alpha value of
      0.877. The construct validity test demonstrated significant correlations between
      the C-BIDQ-S score and all SRS-22 domains as well as between the C-BIDQ-S score
      and most of SAQ domains. Although the C-BIDQ-S score was not correlated with age
      or BMI, patients with Cobb angle >40 degrees  presented a significantly higher
      (poorer) C-BIDQ-S score. CONCLUSION: The Simplified Chinese version of BIDQ-S
      showed good internal consistency, strong psychometric properties, and
      satisfactory reliability. This concise questionnaire is suitable for widespread
      use in Mainland China.

PMID- 26502103
TI  - Should Dynamic Cervical Plates be Used With Interbody Cages?

PMID- 26502104
TI  - Water depth modifies back kinematics of horses during water treadmill exercise.
AB  - REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Water treadmill exercise can be incorporated into
      the rehabilitation programmes of horses recovering from back pathology, yet
      little is known about the effect of this type of exercise on thoracolumbar
      movement ranges. OBJECTIVES: To measure the flexion-extension range of motion (FE
      ROM) of the thoracolumbar spine and pelvic vertical displacement during water
      treadmill walking at 3 water depths and compare these with the control condition.
      STUDY DESIGN: Within-subject trial using a crossover design in healthy horses.
      METHODS: A total of 14 horses walked at 0.8 m/s on a water treadmill for 3 min at
      each of the following depths; hoof (control), metatarsophalangeal joint (low),
      tarsal joint (medium) and femoropatellar joint (high). Skin surface markers on
      T6, T10, T13, T18, L3, L5 and S3 were used to obtain FE ROM and the minimum and
      maximum angular motion pattern values (AMPmin and AMPmax) for T10, T13, T18, L3
      and L5. Markers placed on left and right tuber coxae were used to obtain pelvic
      vertical displacement. Friedman's tests and post hoc Wilcoxon's signed ranks
      tests were used to determine the effects of water depth on measured variables.
      RESULTS: The FE ROM of T10 (8.4 degrees ), T13 (8.1 degrees ), T18 (6.9 degrees )
      and L3 (6.4 degrees ) when walking at high depth was significantly greater than
      control (5.5, 5.7, 5.1 and 5.1 degrees , respectively; P<0.008); T13 AMPmin was
      significantly lower in high water (-3.0 degrees ) than control (0.1 degrees , P =
      0.001) and L3 AMPmax significantly greater in high water (-1.9 degrees ) than
      control (-4.8 degrees , P = 0.001). There was no significant association between
      pelvic vertical displacement and water depth. CONCLUSIONS: Walking in high water
      causes cranial thoracic extension and thoracolumbar flexion when compared with
      walking in water at hoof depth. This postural change should be considered when
      designing rehabilitation programmes for horses with back and/or hindlimb
      pathology.

PMID- 26502105
TI  - Retinal Hereditary and Degenerative/Dystrophic Diseases (Non-Age-Related Macular
      Degeneration).
AB  - The definition of hereditary retinal diseases includes heterogeneous conditions
      leading to significant visual impairment. Great strides are being made in the
      management of many of these dystrophies, with many ongoing trials aiming to
      ascertain if a pharmacological therapy can reverse or at least stop the natural
      course of these disorders. In addition, good results have also been achieved in
      the treatment of typical complications of inherited dystrophies such as cystoid
      macular edema and choroidal neovascularization. 

PMID- 26502106
TI  - What Are the 30-day Readmission Rates Across Orthopaedic Subspecialties?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) now include hip
      and knee replacements in the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program. The 30-day
      readmission rate is an important quality metric; however, the incidence has not
      yet been defined across the numerous orthopaedic subspecialties. Elucidating the
      readmission rate for each subspecialty may indicate that certain services are
      being disincentivized by the CMS reimbursement program. Furthermore, the
      "planned" and "unplanned" definitions of readmission have not been well examined
      to determine their clinical relevance and representation of safe patient care.
      Therefore, reducing the 30-day readmission rate has become a top priority in
      orthopaedic quality assurance. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: (1) What are the 30-day
      readmission rates for the different orthopaedic subspecialties? (2) What are the
      risk factors associated with readmission within 30 days? (3) What are the causes
      of 30-day readmissions? (4) What is the interrater agreement among CMS, hospital,
      and clinician definitions of planned and unplanned readmissions? METHODS: We
      retrospectively examined one tertiary care academic hospital's quality
      improvement database and identified 4792 discharges from the department of
      orthopaedics during a continuous 24-month period. Discharges were divided and
      analyzed according to the subspecialty of orthopaedic care. Demographics and
      comorbidities were extracted from the database and subjected to univariate and
      multivariate analysis to determine risk factors for 30-day readmission. Further
      chart review was conducted on all cases of 30-day readmission to identify causes.
      The authors' determination of planned versus unplanned was compared with two
      other definitions (hospital and CMS) and analyzed for agreement by using Fleiss'
      kappa for multiple rater. RESULTS: The all-cause 30-day readmission rate was 4%
      (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.8-4.8). The unplanned readmission rate was 3%
      (95% CI, 2.8-3.8). After controlling for relevant confounding variables, we found
      that length of stay (odds ratio [OR], 1.10 per day; p < 0.001), American Society
      of Anesthesiologists score (OR, 1.89 per point; p < 0.001), and care under trauma
      (OR, 2.55; p < 0.001) or "other" (OR, 1.65; p = 0.009) as compared with joint
      subspecialty were associated with increased risk of readmission. Of the 160
      unplanned readmissions, 93 (58%) were surgical and 67 (42%) were medical. The
      most common surgical cause was surgical site infection (38% of surgical
      readmissions) and the most common medical causes were gastrointestinal bleed,
      pulmonary embolus, and unrelated trauma (each 9% of medical readmissions). There
      was poor agreement (Fleiss' kappa = 0.120) among the three definitions of planned
      readmission. CONCLUSIONS: There are important differences in the risk of
      readmission by subspecialty across orthopaedics and the CMS-driven disincentives
      may be applied unequally across these subspecialties. This could result in
      hospitals deemphasizing those service lines and could potentially limit access to
      care for the patients most in need. Avenues of readmission reduction should be
      further studied including telephone followup programs and outpatient management
      of threatened wounds. Clinical, hospital, and CMS definitions of planned
      readmission have poor agreement, suggesting that hospitals are being
      unnecessarily penalized. The CMS should develop a more clinically relevant
      definition of 30-day readmission to more accurately evaluate the rate of
      readmissions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, therapeutic study.

PMID- 26502108
TI  - Stereoscopic Surgical Recording Using GoPro Cameras--Reply.

PMID- 26502107
TI  - Objective Structured Assessments of Technical Skills (OSATS) Does Not Assess the
      Quality of the Surgical Result Effectively.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Performance assessment in skills training is ideally based on
      objective, reliable, and clinically relevant indicators of success. The Objective
      Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS) is a reliable and valid tool
      that has been increasingly used in orthopaedic skills training. It uses a global
      rating approach to structure expert evaluation of technical skills with the
      experts working from a list of operative competencies that are each rated on a 5
      point Likert scale anchored by behavioral descriptors. Given the observational
      nature of its scoring, the OSATS might not effectively assess the quality of
      surgical results. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: (1) Does OSATS scoring in an intraarticular
      fracture reduction training exercise correlate with the quality of the reduction?
      (2) Does OSATS scoring in a cadaveric extraarticular fracture fixation exercise
      correlate with the mechanical integrity of the fixation? METHODS: Orthopaedic
      residents at the University of Iowa (six postgraduate year [PGY]-1s) and at the
      University of Minnesota (seven PGY-1s and eight PGY-2s) undertook a skills
      training exercise that involved reducing a simulated intraarticular fracture
      under fluoroscopic guidance. Iowa residents participated three times during 1
      month, and Minnesota residents participated twice with 1 month between their two
      sessions. A fellowship-trained orthopaedic traumatologist rated each performance
      using a modified OSATS scoring scheme. The quality of the articular reduction
      obtained was then directly measured. Regression analysis was performed between
      OSATS scores and two metrics of articular reduction quality: articular surface
      deviation and estimated contact stress. Another skills training exercise involved
      fixing a simulated distal radius fracture in a cadaveric specimen. Thirty
      residents, distributed across four PGY classes (PGY-2 and PGY-3, n = 8 each; PGY
      4 and PGY-5, n = 7 each), simultaneously completed the exercise at individual
      stations. One of three faculty hand surgeons independently scored each
      performance using a validated OSATS scoring system. The mechanical integrity of
      each fixation construct was then assessed in a materials testing machine.
      Regression analysis was performed between OSATS scores and two metrics of
      fixation integrity: stiffness and failure load. RESULTS: In the intraarticular
      fracture model, OSATS scores did not correlate with articular reduction quality
      (maximum surface deviations: R = 0.17, p = 0.25; maximum contact stress: R =
      0.22, p = 0.13). Similarly in the cadaveric extraarticular fracture model, OSATS
      scores did not correlate with the integrity of the mechanical fixation
      (stiffness: R = 0.10, p = 0.60; failure load: R = 0.30, p = 0.10). CONCLUSIONS:
      OSATS scoring methods do not effectively assess the quality of the surgical
      result. Efforts must be made to incorporate assessment metrics that reflect the
      quality of the surgical result. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: New objective, reliable, and
      clinically relevant measures of the quality of the surgical result obtained by a
      trainee are urgently needed. For intraarticular fracture reduction and
      extraarticular fracture fixation, direct physical measurement of reduction
      quality and of mechanical integrity of fixation, respectively, meet this need.

PMID- 26502109
TI  - Rheological Analysis of Polymer Interactions and Ageing of Poly(Methylvinylether
      Co-Maleic Anhydride)/Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Binary Networks and Their Effects on
      Mucoadhesion.
AB  - Polymer blends of poly(vinylalcohol, PVA) and poly(methylvinylether-co-maleic
      anhydride, PMVE/MA) were formulated and their viscoelastic and mucoadhesive
      properties characterised. The viscoelastic and mucoadhesive properties were
      dependent on polymer concentration, molecular weight of PVA and PVA:PMVE/MA
      ratio. Alteration of these properties allowed platforms to be designed to offer
      defined rheological and mucoadhesive properties, properties that could not be
      achieved using monopolymeric platforms. A strong correlation was noted between
      the modulus of the polymeric blends and mucoadhesion. After storage, the
      polymeric blends underwent rheological structuring (ageing) with an attendant
      enhancement of mucoadhesion. In certain blends containing the highest molecular
      weight of PVA (146-186 kDa), storage ultimately resulted in an increase and then
      a significant decrease in the rheological and mucoadhesive properties, the latter
      phenomenon being accredited to polymer recrystallisation. Ageing of the
      rheological and mucoadhesive properties was modelled using an exponential growth
      model, allowing predictions of the storage period associated with the maxima in
      viscoelastic and mucoadhesive properties. These observations highlight the
      possible implications whenever interactive polymeric blends are employed in drug
      delivery. Caution is therefore urged whenever a formulation strategy based on
      interactive polymer blends is employed to ensure that ageing is fully understood
      and mathematically characterised.

PMID- 26502110
TI  - Risk Factors Associated With Language in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Clues to
      Underlying Mechanisms.
AB  - PURPOSE: Identifying risk factors associated with neurodevelopmental disorders is
      an important line of research, as it will lead to earlier identification of
      children who could benefit from interventions that support optimal developmental
      outcomes. The primary goal of this review was to summarize research on risk
      factors associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHOD: The review
      focused on studies of infants who have older siblings with ASD, with particular
      emphasis on risk factors associated with language impairment that affects the
      majority of children with ASD. Findings from this body of work were compared to
      the literature on specific language impairment. RESULTS: A wide range of risk
      factors has been found for ASD, including demographic (e.g., male, family
      history), behavioral (e.g., gesture, motor) and neural risk markers (e.g.,
      atypical lateralization for speech and reduced functional connectivity).
      Environmental factors, such as caregiver interaction, have not been found to
      predict language outcomes. Many of the risk markers for ASD are also found in
      studies of risk for specific language impairment, including demographic,
      behavioral, and neural factors. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant gaps in the
      literature and limitations in the current research that preclude direct cross
      syndrome comparisons. Future research directions are outlined that could address
      these limitations.

PMID- 26502111
TI  - Epigenetics and child abuse: Modern-day Darwinism--The miraculous ability of the
      human genome to adapt, and then adapt again.
AB  - It has long been recognized that early adversity can have life-long consequences,
      and the extent to which this is true is gaining increasing attention. A growing
      body of literature implicates Adverse Childhood Experiences, including physical,
      sexual, and emotional abuse, in a broad range of negative health consequences
      including adult psychopathology, cardiovascular, and immune disease. Increasing
      evidence from animal, clinical, and epidemiological studies highlight the
      critical role of epigenetic programing, such as DNA methylation and histone
      modification, in altering gene expression, brain structure and function, and
      ultimately life-course trajectories. This review outlines our developing insight
      into the interplay between our human biology and our changing environment, and
      explores the growing evidence base for how interventions may prevent and
      ameliorate damage inflicted by toxic stress in early life.

PMID- 26502113
TI  - Appropriate Prescribing for Patients With Diabetes at High Risk for Hypoglycemia:
      National Survey of Veterans Affairs Health Care Professionals.

PMID- 26502112
TI  - Prevalence of Marijuana Use Disorders in the United States Between 2001-2002 and
      2012-2013.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Laws and attitudes toward marijuana in the United States are becoming
      more permissive but little is known about whether the prevalence rates of
      marijuana use and marijuana use disorders have changed in the 21st century.
      OBJECTIVE: To present nationally representative information on the past-year
      prevalence rates of marijuana use, marijuana use disorder, and marijuana use
      disorder among marijuana users in the US adult general population and whether
      this has changed between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: Face-to-face interviews conducted in surveys of 2 nationally
      representative samples of US adults: the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol
      and Related Conditions (data collected April 2001-April 2002; N = 43,093) and the
      National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (data
      collected April 2012-June 2013; N = 36,309). Data were analyzed March through May
      2015. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Past-year marijuana use and DSM-IV marijuana
      use disorder (abuse or dependence). RESULTS: The past-year prevalence of
      marijuana use was 4.1% (SE, 0.15) in 2001-2002 and 9.5% (SE, 0.27) in 2012-2013,
      a significant increase (P < .05). Significant increases were also found across
      demographic subgroups (sex, age, race/ethnicity, education, marital status,
      income, urban/rural, and region). The past-year prevalence of DSM-IV marijuana
      use disorder was 1.5% (0.08) in 2001-2002 and 2.9% (SE, 0.13) in 2012-2013 (P <
      .05). With few exceptions, increases in the prevalence of marijuana use disorder
      between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013 were also statistically significant (P < .05)
      across demographic subgroups. However, the prevalence of marijuana use disorder
      among marijuana users decreased significantly from 2001-2002 (35.6%; SE, 1.37) to
      2012-2013 (30.6%; SE, 1.04). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The prevalence of
      marijuana use more than doubled between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013, and there was a
      large increase in marijuana use disorders during that time. While not all
      marijuana users experience problems, nearly 3 of 10 marijuana users manifested a
      marijuana use disorder in 2012-2013. Because the risk for marijuana use disorder
      did not increase among users, the increase in prevalence of marijuana use
      disorder is owing to an increase in prevalence of users in the US adult
      population. Given changing laws and attitudes toward marijuana, a balanced
      presentation of the likelihood of adverse consequences of marijuana use to policy
      makers, professionals, and the public is needed.

PMID- 26502114
TI  - Transportable, Chemical Genetic Methodology for the Small Molecule-Mediated
      Inhibition of Heat Shock Factor 1.
AB  - Proteostasis in the cytosol is governed by the heat shock response. The master
      regulator of the heat shock response, heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), and key
      chaperones whose levels are HSF1-regulated have emerged as high-profile targets
      for therapeutic applications ranging from protein misfolding-related disorders to
      cancer. Nonetheless, a generally applicable methodology to selectively and
      potently inhibit endogenous HSF1 in a small molecule-dependent manner in disease
      model systems remains elusive. Also problematic, the administration of even
      highly selective chaperone inhibitors often has the side effect of activating
      HSF1 and thereby inducing a compensatory heat shock response. Herein, we report a
      ligand-regulatable, dominant negative version of HSF1 that addresses these
      issues. Our approach, which required engineering a new dominant negative HSF1
      variant, permits dosable inhibition of endogenous HSF1 with a selective small
      molecule in cell-based model systems of interest. The methodology allows us to
      uncouple the pleiotropic effects of chaperone inhibitors and environmental toxins
      from the concomitantly induced compensatory heat shock response. Integration of
      our method with techniques to activate HSF1 enables the creation of cell lines in
      which the cytosolic proteostasis network can be up- or down-regulated by
      orthogonal small molecules. Selective, small molecule-mediated inhibition of HSF1
      has distinctive implications for the proteostasis of both chaperone-dependent
      globular proteins and aggregation-prone intrinsically disordered proteins.
      Altogether, this work provides critical methods for continued exploration of the
      biological roles of HSF1 and the therapeutic potential of heat shock response
      modulation. 

PMID- 26502116
TI  - Comparison of Pedicle Screw Loosening Mechanisms and the Effect on Fixation
      Strength.
AB  - Screw loosening is a common complication in spinal fixation using pedicle screws
      which may lead to loss of correction and revision surgery. The mechanisms of
      pedicle screw loosening are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to
      compare the pedicle screw pullout force and stiffness subsequent or not to
      multidirectional cyclic bending load (toggling). Pedicle screws inserted into
      porcine lumbar vertebrae underwent toggling in craniocaudal (CC), mediolateral
      (ML) directions, and no toggling (NT) before pullout. This study suggests that
      toggling and in particular CC toggling should be included in biomechanical
      evaluation of pedicle screw fixation strength. 

PMID- 26502115
TI  - Racial Differences in the Surgical Care of Medicare Beneficiaries With Localized
      Prostate Cancer.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: There is extensive evidence suggesting that black men with localized
      prostate cancer (PCa) have worse cancer-specific mortality compared with their
      non-Hispanic white counterparts. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate racial disparities in the
      use, quality of care, and outcomes of radical prostatectomy (RP) in elderly men
      (>= 65 years) with nonmetastatic PCa. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This
      retrospective analysis of outcomes stratified according to race (black vs non
      Hispanic white) included 2020 elderly black patients (7.6%) and 24,462 elderly
      non-Hispanic white patients (92.4%) with localized PCa who underwent RP within
      the first year of PCa diagnosis in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End
      Results (SEER)-Medicare database between 1992 and 2009. The study was performed
      in 2014. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Process of care (ie, time to treatment,
      lymph node dissection), as well as outcome measures (ie, complications, emergency
      department visits, readmissions, PCa-specific and all-cause mortality, costs)
      were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression. Multivariable
      conditional logistic regression and quantile regression were used to study the
      association of racial disparities with process of care and outcome measures.
      RESULTS: The proportion of black patients with localized prostate cancer who
      underwent RP within 90 days was 59.4% vs 69.5% of non-Hispanic white patients (P
      <  001). In quantile regression of the top 50% of patients, blacks had a 7-day
      treatment delay compared with non-Hispanic whites. (P <  001). Black patients
      were less likely to undergo lymph node dissection (odds ratio [OR], 0.76 [95% CI,
      0.66-0.80]; P < .001) but had higher odds of postoperative visits to the
      emergency department (within 30 days: OR, 1.48 [95% CI, 1.18-1.86]); after 30
      days or more (OR, 1.45 [95% CI, 1.19-1.76]) and readmissions (within 30 days: OR,
      1.28 [95% CI, 1.02-1.61]); >= 30 days (OR, 1.27 [95% CI, 1.07-1.51]) compared
      with non-Hispanic whites. The surgical treatment of black patients was associated
      with a higher incremental annual cost (the top 50% of blacks spent $1185.50 (95%
      CI , $804.85-1 $1566.10; P < .001) more than the top 50% of non-Hispanic whites).
      There was no difference in PCa-specific mortality (P = .16) or all-cause
      mortality (P = .64) between black and non-Hispanic white men. CONCLUSIONS AND
      RELEVANCE: Blacks treated with RP for localized PCa are more likely to experience
      adverse events and incur higher costs compared with non-Hispanic white men;
      however, this does not translate into a difference in PCa-specific or all-cause
      mortality.

PMID- 26502119
TI  - Celebrating the ACP Centennial: From the Annals Archive-Alcohol and Diabetes.

PMID- 26502120
TI  - A Meeting at Autopsy.

PMID- 26502122
TI  - Risk Assessment and Prevention of Pressure Ulcers.

PMID- 26502117
TI  - Impact of Tobacco Smoke and Nicotine Exposure on Lung Development.
AB  - Tobacco smoke and nicotine exposure during prenatal and postnatal life can impair
      lung development, alter the immune response to viral infections, and increase the
      prevalence of wheezing during childhood. The following review examines recent
      discoveries in the fields of lung development and tobacco and nicotine exposure,
      emphasizing studies published within the last 5 years. In utero tobacco and
      nicotine exposure remains common, occurring in approximately 10% of pregnancies
      within the United States. Exposed neonates are at increased risk for diminished
      lung function, altered central and peripheral respiratory chemoreception, and
      increased asthma symptoms throughout childhood. Recently, genomic and epigenetic
      risk factors, such as alterations in DNA methylation, have been identified that
      may influence the risk for long-term disease. This review examines the impact of
      prenatal tobacco and nicotine exposure on lung development with a particular
      focus on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. In addition, this review examines the
      role of prenatal and postnatal tobacco smoke and nicotine exposure and its
      association with augmenting infection risk, skewing the immune response toward a
      T-helper type 2 bias and increasing risk for developing an allergic phenotype and
      asthmalike symptoms during childhood. Finally, this review outlines the
      respiratory morbidities associated with childhood secondhand smoke and nicotine
      exposure and examines genetic and epigenetic modifiers that may influence
      respiratory health in infants and children exposed to in utero or postnatal
      tobacco smoke.

PMID- 26502123
TI  - Risk Assessment and Prevention of Pressure Ulcers.

PMID- 26502124
TI  - Risk Assessment and Prevention of Pressure Ulcers.

PMID- 26502125
TI  - Treatment of Pressure Ulcers.

PMID- 26502126
TI  - Treatment of Pressure Ulcers.

PMID- 26502127
TI  - Treatment of Pressure Ulcers.

PMID- 26502128
TI  - Treatment of Pressure Ulcers.

PMID- 26502129
TI  - Treatment of Pressure Ulcers.

PMID- 26502130
TI  - Differences Between Early and Late Readmissions Among Patients.

PMID- 26502131
TI  - Differences Between Early and Late Readmissions Among Patients.

PMID- 26502132
TI  - The Roles of Providers and Patients in the Overuse of Prostate-Specific Antigen
      Screening in the United States.

PMID- 26502134
TI  - Web Exclusives. The Consult Guys - Strokes and Surgery: What and When Are the
      Risks?

PMID- 26502135
TI  - ACP Journal Club. Review: Brief screening tests for dementia have pooled
      sensitivity of 76% to 92% and specificity of 81% to 91.

PMID- 26502136
TI  - ACP Journal Club. In atrial fibrillation treated with warfarin, intracranial
      hemorrhage was associated with ischemic events.

PMID- 26502137
TI  - ACP Journal Club. Oral contraceptives or NSAIDs before surgery for a fracture
      distal to the knee were linked to postdischarge VTE.

PMID- 26502138
TI  - ACP Journal Club. A risk calculator based on self-reported information predicted
      5-year mortality in adults in the UK.

PMID- 26502139
TI  - ACP Journal Club. Review: In AF or VTE, direct oral anticoagulants reduce fatal
      bleeding compared with vitamin K antagonists.

PMID- 26502140
TI  - ACP Journal Club. Review: DOACs do not differ from standard anticoagulants for
      recurrent VTE; factor Xa inhibitors reduce bleeding.

PMID- 26502141
TI  - ACP Journal Club. Review: In acute ischemic stroke, adding endovascular therapy
      to t-PA improves functional independence at 90 days.

PMID- 26502142
TI  - ACP Journal Club. Review: In RA, standard- and high-dose biologic drugs increase
      serious infection compared with traditional DMARDs.

PMID- 26502143
TI  - ACP Journal Club. After source control in intraabdominal infections, 4-day and
      longer-duration antibiotics did not differ at 30-days.

PMID- 26502144
TI  - ACP Journal Club. Review: Dutasteride, fesoterodine, and finasteride are
      beneficial for lower urinary tract symptoms in older patients.

PMID- 26502145
TI  - ACP Journal Club. Review: In patients with type 2 diabetes who fast, sitagliptin
      reduces hypoglycemia more than sulfonylurea.

PMID- 26502146
TI  - ACP Journal Club. In adult smokers in the ED, a multicomponent intervention
      increased smoking cessation at 3 months.

PMID- 26502147
TI  - A Surgeon's Guide to Bundled Payment Models for Episodes of Care.

PMID- 26502148
TI  - Algorithm for the Measure of Vitreous Hyperreflective Foci in Optical Coherence
      Tomographic Scans of Patients With Diabetic Macular Edema.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Developing a noninvasive measure of diabetic retinopathy disease
      progression may provide physicians with information needed for patient-specific
      intervention. OBJECTIVE: To develop an algorithm to measure vitreous
      hyperreflective foci (VHRF) from standard, 3-dimensional optical coherence
      tomographic (OCT) images in an unbiased manner. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: We retrospectively analyzed OCT scans from 97 patients who were
      evaluated at the Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan. Patients with
      diabetes mellitus without signs of retinopathy (n =  9) and patients with
      diabetic macular edema (DME) (n = 31) were compared with healthy control
      participants (n = 37). The algorithm was used to determine whether the VHRF score
      is associated with DME and may serve as a noninvasive measure of inflammation.
      The study was conducted from November 14, 2011, to August 5, 2015. Data analysis
      was performed from May 15, 2014, to August 13, 2015. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:
      An algorithm was developed to enhance the vitreous imaging from OCT to allow
      automated quantification of VHRF and calculation of a VHRF score. This score was
      compared between the healthy control, diabetes without retinopathy, and DME
      groups. RESULTS: In the 97 scans evaluated, VHRF scores, reported as mean (SD),
      were increased in patients with DME by 2.95-fold (5.60 [8.65]) compared with
      healthy controls (1.90 [3.42]; 95% CI, 0.75-7.45; P = .012) and by 6.83-fold
      compared with patients with diabetes without retinopathy (0.82 [1.26]; 95% CI,
      1.46-8.82; P = .005). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Scores obtained using the VHRF
      algorithm may be obtained from OCT images that include the vitreous and could
      provide a rapid, noninvasive clinical correlate for ocular inflammation. Higher
      VHRF scores in patients with DME compared with controls and diabetic patients
      without retinopathy warrant further population-based and longitudinal studies to
      help determine the value of the VHRF score in selecting therapeutic intervention.

PMID- 26502156
TI  - Crystal structure of group II intron domain 1 reveals a template for RNA
      assembly.
AB  - Although the importance of large noncoding RNAs is increasingly appreciated, our
      understanding of their structures and architectural dynamics remains limited. In
      particular, we know little about RNA folding intermediates and how they
      facilitate the productive assembly of RNA tertiary structures. Here, we report
      the crystal structure of an obligate intermediate that is required during the
      earliest stages of group II intron folding. Composed of domain 1 from the
      Oceanobacillus iheyensis group II intron (266 nucleotides), this intermediate
      retains native-like features but adopts a compact conformation in which the
      active site cleft is closed. Transition between this closed and the open (native)
      conformation is achieved through discrete rotations of hinge motifs in two
      regions of the molecule. The open state is then stabilized by sequential docking
      of downstream intron domains, suggesting a 'first come, first folded' strategy
      that may represent a generalizable pathway for assembly of large RNA and
      ribonucleoprotein structures. 

PMID- 26502155
TI  - A selective chemical probe for exploring the role of CDK8 and CDK19 in human
      disease.
AB  - There is unmet need for chemical tools to explore the role of the Mediator
      complex in human pathologies ranging from cancer to cardiovascular disease. Here
      we determine that CCT251545, a small-molecule inhibitor of the WNT pathway
      discovered through cell-based screening, is a potent and selective chemical probe
      for the human Mediator complex-associated protein kinases CDK8 and CDK19 with
      >100-fold selectivity over 291 other kinases. X-ray crystallography demonstrates
      a type 1 binding mode involving insertion of the CDK8 C terminus into the ligand
      binding site. In contrast to type II inhibitors of CDK8 and CDK19, CCT251545
      displays potent cell-based activity. We show that CCT251545 and close analogs
      alter WNT pathway-regulated gene expression and other on-target effects of
      modulating CDK8 and CDK19, including expression of genes regulated by STAT1.
      Consistent with this, we find that phosphorylation of STAT1(SER727) is a
      biomarker of CDK8 kinase activity in vitro and in vivo. Finally, we demonstrate
      in vivo activity of CCT251545 in WNT-dependent tumors. 

PMID- 26502157
TI  - Highly Diastereoselective Michael Reactions Using beta-Nitrocarbonyl
      Nucleophiles.
AB  - We have discovered a highly diastereoselective Michael reaction of alpha
      substituted, beta-nitrocarbonyl compounds to deliver highly functionalized
      stereodiads containing fully substituted nitrogen-bearing centers. Good to
      excellent yields and diastereoselectivities are observed. This transformation is
      tolerant of various types of carbonyl groups on the nucleophilic partner, as well
      as a range of unsaturated electrophiles. Mechanistic investigations are
      consistent with internal hydrogen bonding in the nitroalkane tautomer as the
      major factor in the control of diastereoselectivity in these transformations. 

PMID- 26502158
TI  - Cr-Cr Quintuple Bonds: Ligand Topology and Interplay Between Metal-Metal and
      Metal-Ligand Bonding.
AB  - Chromium-chromium quintuple bonds seem to be approaching the lower limit for
      their bond distances, and this computational density functional theory study
      tries to explore the geometrical and electronic factors that determine that
      distance and to find ways to fine-tune it via the ligand choice. While for
      monodentate ligands the Cr-Cr distance is predicted to shorten as the Cr-Cr-L
      bond angle increases, with bridging bidentate ligands the trend is the opposite,
      since those ligands with a larger number of spacers between the donor atoms favor
      larger bond angles and longer bond distances. Compared to Cr-Cr quadruple bonds,
      the quintuple bonding in Cr2L2 compounds (with L a bridging bidentate N-donor
      ligand) involves a sophisticated mechanism that comprises a positive pyramidality
      effect for the sigma and one pi bond, but a negative effect for one of the delta
      bonds. Moreover, the shorter Cr-Cr distances produce a mismatch of the bridging
      ligand lone pairs and the metal acceptor orbitals, which results in a negative
      correlation of the Cr-Cr and Cr-N bond distances in both experimental and
      calculated structures. 

PMID- 26502159
TI  - Nanoparticles at Grain Boundaries Inhibit the Phase Transformation of Perovskite
      Membrane.
AB  - The high-energy nature of grain boundaries makes them a common source of
      undesirable phase transformations in polycrystalline materials. In both metals
      and ceramics, such grain-boundary-induced phase transformation can be a frequent
      cause of performance degradation. Here, we identify a new stabilization mechanism
      that involves inhibiting phase transformations of perovskite materials by
      deliberately introducing nanoparticles at the grain boundaries. The nanoparticles
      act as "roadblocks" that limit the diffusion of metal ions along the grain
      boundaries and inhibit heterogeneous nucleation and new phase formation.
      Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-delta, a high-performance oxygen permeation and fuel cell
      cathode material whose commercial application has so far been impeded by phase
      instability, is used as an example to illustrate the inhibition action of
      nanoparticles toward the phase transformation. We obtain stable oxygen permeation
      flux at 600  degrees C with an unprecedented 10-1000 times increase in
      performance compared to previous investigations. This grain boundary
      stabilization method could potentially be extended to other systems that suffer
      from performance degradation due to a grain-boundary-initiated heterogeneous
      nucleation phase transformations. 

PMID- 26502161
TI  - In Situ AFM Imaging of Solid Electrolyte Interfaces on HOPG with Ethylene
      Carbonate and Fluoroethylene Carbonate-Based Electrolytes.
AB  - Chemical and morphological structure of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) plays
      a vital role in lithium-ion battery (LIB), especially for its cyclability and
      safety. To date, research on SEI is quite limited because of the complexity of
      SEI and lack of effective in situ characterization techniques. Here, we present
      real-time views of SEI morphological evolution using electrochemical atomic force
      microscopy (EC-AFM). Complemented by an ex situ XPS analysis, fundamental
      differences of SEI formation from ethylene carbonate (EC) and fluoroethylene
      carbonate (FEC)-based electrolytes during first lithiation/delithiation cycle on
      HOPG electrode surface were revealed. 

PMID- 26502160
TI  - A Novel Pyrazolopyridine with in Vivo Activity in Plasmodium berghei- and
      Plasmodium falciparum-Infected Mouse Models from Structure-Activity Relationship
      Studies around the Core of Recently Identified Antimalarial Imidazopyridazines.
AB  - Toward improving pharmacokinetics, in vivo efficacy, and selectivity over hERG,
      structure-activity relationship studies around the central core of antimalarial
      imidazopyridazines were conducted. This study led to the identification of potent
      pyrazolopyridines, which showed good in vivo efficacy and pharmacokinetics
      profiles. The lead compounds also proved to be very potent in the parasite liver
      and gametocyte stages, which makes them of high interest. 

PMID- 26502162
TI  - Correcting electrode modelling errors in EIT on realistic 3D head models.
AB  - Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a promising medical imaging technique
      which could aid differentiation of haemorrhagic from ischaemic stroke in an
      ambulance. One challenge in EIT is the ill-posed nature of the image
      reconstruction, i.e., that small measurement or modelling errors can result in
      large image artefacts. It is therefore important that reconstruction algorithms
      are improved with regard to stability to modelling errors. We identify that
      wrongly modelled electrode positions constitute one of the biggest sources of
      image artefacts in head EIT. Therefore, the use of the Frechet derivative on the
      electrode boundaries in a realistic three-dimensional head model is investigated,
      in order to reconstruct electrode movements simultaneously to conductivity
      changes. We show a fast implementation and analyse the performance of electrode
      position reconstructions in time-difference and absolute imaging for simulated
      and experimental voltages. Reconstructing the electrode positions and
      conductivities simultaneously increased the image quality significantly in the
      presence of electrode movement.

PMID- 26502163
TI  - Plummer-Vinson Syndrome in Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Plummer-Vinson syndrome (PVS), also called Kelly-Paterson syndrome,
      is a rare cause of dysphagia in children. This syndrome associates single or
      multiple webs in the upper esophagus with frequent iron deficiency. METHODS: We
      reported 3 pediatric cases of PVS before analyzing all of the cases of PVS in
      children reported in the PubMed and EMBASE databases. RESULTS: Among 17 reported
      PVS cases in children, all of the patients experienced iron-deficiency anemia,
      and no immunological disease was reported. The male/female ratio was 1/1.9, and
      most cases were observed in adolescents. Conversely to adults, endoscopic
      dilation was often necessary because dysphagia resisted iron supplementation. A
      single dilation was usually sufficient. One case of pediatric PVS experienced
      esophageal cancer in adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: In the case of dysphagia in
      children, a swallow barium exploration with lateral incidence should look for
      PVS. Conversely to adults, an endoscopic dilation is frequently necessary to
      control dysphagia in children.

PMID- 26502164
TI  - A Spectroscopic Study of the Aggregation State of the Human Antimicrobial Peptide
      LL-37 in Bacterial versus Host Cell Model Membranes.
AB  - The LL-37 antimicrobial peptide is the only cathelicidin peptide found in humans
      that has antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties. Because it exerts also
      chemotactic and angiogenetic activity, LL-37 is involved in promoting wound
      healing, reducing inflammation, and strengthening the host immune response. The
      key to the effectiveness of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) lies in the different
      compositions of bacterial versus host cell membranes. In this context,
      antimicrobial peptide LL-37 and two variants were studied in the presence of
      model membranes with different lipid compositions and charges. The investigation
      was performed using an experimental strategy that combines the site-directed spin
      labeling-electron paramagnetic resonance technique with circular dichroism and
      fluorescence emission spectroscopies. LL-37 interacts with negatively charged
      membranes forming a stable aggregate, which can likely produce toroidal pores
      until the amount of bound peptide exceeds a critical concentration. At the same
      time, we have clearly detected an aggregate with a higher oligomeric degree for
      interaction of LL-37 with neutral membranes. These data confirm the absence of
      cell selectivity of the peptide and a more complex role in stimulating host
      cells. 

PMID- 26502165
TI  - Regulatory and Economic Considerations of Retinal Drugs.
AB  - The advent of anti-VEGF therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration
      and macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion and diabetes mellitus has
      prevented blindness in tens of thousands of people. However, the costs of these
      drugs are without precedent in ophthalmic drug therapeutics. An analysis of the
      financial implications of retinal drugs and the impact of the Food and Drug
      Administration on treatment of retinal disease must include not only an
      evaluation of the direct costs of the drugs and the costs associated with their
      administration, but also the cost savings which accrue from their clinical
      benefit. This chapter will discuss the financial and regulatory issues associated
      with retinal drugs. 

PMID- 26502166
TI  - Mechanisms of Dihydroartemisinin and Dihydroartemisinin/Holotransferrin
      Cytotoxicity in T-Cell Lymphoma Cells.
AB  - The validated therapeutic effects of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) in solid tumors
      have encouraged us to explore its potential in treating T-cell lymphoma. We found
      that Jurkat cells (a T-cell lyphoma cell line) were sensitive to DHA treatment
      with a IC50 of dihydroartemisinin. The cytotoxic effect of DHA in Jurkat cells
      showed a dose- and time- dependent manner. Interestingly, the cytotoxic effect of
      DHA was further enhanced by holotransferrin (HTF) due to the high expression of
      transferrin receptors in T-cell lymphoma. Mechanistically, DHA significantly
      increased the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species, which led to
      cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The DHA treatment also inhibited the expression
      of protumorgenic factors including VEGF and telomerase catalytic subunit. Our
      results have proved the therapeutic effect of DHA in T-cell lymphoma. Especially
      in combination with HTF, DHA may provide a novel efficient approach in combating
      the deadly disease. 

PMID- 26502168
TI  - [Palsy of CVI caused by ecchordosis physaliphora].
AB  - We report a case of symptomatic ecchordosis physaliphora (EP) in a 34-year-old
      woman who presented with progressive diplopia due to palsy of the left sixth
      cranial nerve. Repeated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disclosed typical
      characteristics of a congenital EP lesion with compression of the left abducens
      nerve presumably because of a secondary herniation of the arachnoid mater. We
      performed an augmenting combined recess resect procedure on the left eye. No
      progression of the lesion was observed over a period of 5 years. For differential
      diagnostics an EP has to be distinguished from skull base tumors, such as
      chordoma and chondrosarcoma. 

PMID- 26502167
TI  - [Adjuvant therapy and interdisciplinary follow-up care of conjunctival melanoma].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite microscopically controlled tumor excision, malignant
      melanomas of the conjunctiva have a propensity for local recurrence, lymphatic
      spread and distant metastases. OBJECTIVES: This review outlines the options of
      adjuvant therapy as well as the structure of interdisciplinary follow-up care for
      patients with conjunctival melanoma. METHODS: The study provides a PubMed
      literature review and own clinical results. RESULTS: In conjunctival melanoma
      complete tumor excision using a minimal touch technique should always be combined
      with adjuvant therapy, such as cryotherapy, radiotherapy, topical chemotherapy
      and/or immunotherapy. For locally circumscribed lesions of the bulbar conjunctiva
      adjuvant brachytherapy can be supplemented and for non-bulbar, extensive, diffuse
      or multilocular tumor growth, complementary adjuvant topical mitomycin C therapy
      or proton radiotherapy can be used. Novel adjuvant approaches include topical
      interferon alpha-2b immunotherapy, topical vascular endothelial growth factor
      (VEGF) inhibitors or in cases of BRAF mutations personalized therapy using
      selective BRAF inhibitors or in combination with mitogen-activated protein kinase
      (MAPK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), MAPK/ERK (MEK)
      inhibitors. All patients should be integrated into an interdisciplinary follow-up
      care program including quarter yearly checkups in the first 5 years and psycho
      oncological healthcare. CONCLUSION: Following microscopically controlled tumor
      excision, adjuvant treatment using cryotherapy, radiotherapy, topical
      chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy as well as interdisciplinary follow-up care are
      mandatory for the modern management of patients with conjunctival melanoma.

PMID- 26502169
TI  - Effect of Diet and Age on Arterial Stiffening Due to Atherosclerosis in ApoE(-/-)
      Mice.
AB  - This work analyzes the progressive stiffening of the aorta due to atherosclerosis
      development of both ApoE(-/-) and C57BL/6J mice fed on a Western (n = 5) and a
      normal (n = 5) chow diet for the ApoE(-/-) group and on a normal chow diet (n =
      5) for the C57BL/6J group. Sets of 5 animals from the three groups were killed
      after 10, 20, 30 and 40 weeks on their respective diets (corresponding to 17, 27,
      37 and 47 weeks of age). Mechanical properties (inflation test and axial residual
      stress measurements) and histological properties were compared for both strains,
      ApoE(-/-) on the hyper-lipidic diet and both ApoE(-/-) and C57BL/6J on the normal
      diet, after the same period and after different periods of diet. The results
      indicated that the aorta stiffness in the ApoE(-/-) and C57BL/6J mice under
      normal diet remained approximately constant irrespective of their age. However,
      the arterial stiffness in the ApoE(-/-) on the hyper-lipidic diet increased over
      time. Statistical differences were found between the group after 10 weeks and the
      groups after 30 and 40 weeks of a hyper-lipidic diet. Comparing the hyper-lipidic
      and normal diet mice, statistical differences were also found between both diets
      in all cases after 40 weeks of diet, frequently after 30 weeks, and in some cases
      after 20 weeks. The early stages of lesion corresponded to the first 2 weeks of
      diet. Advanced lesions were found at 30 weeks and, finally, the aorta was
      completely damaged after 40 weeks of diet. In conclusion, we found substantial
      changes in the mechanical properties of the aorta walls of the ApoE(-/-) mice fed
      with the hyper-lipidic diet compared to the normal chow diet groups for both the
      ApoE(-/-) and C57BL/6J groups. These findings could serve as a reference for the
      study of changes in the arterial wall properties in cases of atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26502170
TI  - Tracking of Drug Release and Material Fate for Naturally Derived Omega-3 Fatty
      Acid Biomaterials.
AB  - In vitro and in vivo studies were conducted on omega-3 fatty acid-derived
      biomaterials to determine their utility as an implantable material for adhesion
      prevention following soft tissue hernia repair and as a means to allow for the
      local delivery of antimicrobial or antibiofilm agents. Naturally derived
      biomaterials offer several advantages over synthetic materials in the field of
      medical device development. These advantages include enhanced biocompatibility,
      elimination of risks posed by the presence of toxic catalysts and chemical
      crosslinking agents, and derivation from renewable resources. Omega-3 fatty acids
      are readily available from fish and plant sources and can be used to create
      implantable biomaterials either as a stand-alone device or as a device coating
      that can be utilized in local drug delivery applications. In-depth
      characterization of material erosion degradation over time using non-destructive
      imaging and chemical characterization techniques provided mechanistic insight
      into material structure: function relationship. This in turn guided rational
      tailoring of the material based on varying fatty acid composition to control
      material residence time and hence drug release. These studies demonstrate the
      utility of omega-3 fatty acid derived biomaterials as an absorbable material for
      soft tissue hernia repair and drug delivery applications. 

PMID- 26502171
TI  - Properties and Mechanobiological Behavior of Bovine Nasal Septum Cartilage.
AB  - Bovine nasal septum (BNS) is a source of non-load bearing hyaline cartilage.
      Little information is available on its mechanical and biological properties. The
      aim of this work was to assess the characteristics of BNS cartilage and
      investigate its behavior in in vitro mechanobiological experiments. Mechanical
      tests, biochemical assays, and microscopic assessment were performed for tissue
      characterization. Compressions tests showed that the tissue is viscoelastic,
      although values of elastic moduli differ from the ones of other cartilaginous
      tissues. Water content was 78 +/- 1.4%; glycosaminoglycans and collagen contents
      measured by spectrophotometric assay and hydroxyproline assay-were 39 +/- 5% and
      25 +/- 2.5% of dry weight, respectively. Goldner's Trichrome staining and
      transmission electron microscopy proved isotropic cells distribution and results
      of earlier cell division. Furthermore, gene expression was measured after
      uniaxial compression, showing variations depending on compression time as well as
      trends depending on equilibration time. In conclusion, BNS has been characterized
      at several levels, revealing that bovine nasal tissue is regionally homogeneous.
      Results suggest that, under certain conditions, BNS could be used to perform in
      vitro cartilage loading experiments.

PMID- 26502172
TI  - Association of a Guardian's Report of a Child Acting Abnormally With Traumatic
      Brain Injury After Minor Blunt Head Trauma.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Increased use of computed tomography (CT) in children is concerning
      owing to the cancer risk from ionizing radiation, particularly in children
      younger than 2 years. A guardian report that a child is acting abnormally is a
      risk factor for clinically important traumatic brain injury (ciTBI) and may be a
      driving factor for CT use in the emergency department. OBJECTIVE: To determine
      the prevalence of ciTBIs and TBIs in children younger than 2 years with minor
      blunt head trauma and a guardian report of acting abnormally with (1) no other
      findings or (2) other concerning findings for TBI. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: Secondary analysis of a large, prospective, multicenter cohort
      study that included 43 399 children younger than 18 years with minor blunt head
      trauma evaluated in 25 emergency departments. The study was conducted on data
      obtained between June 2004 and September 2006. Data analysis was performed
      between August 21, 2014, and March 9, 2015. EXPOSURES: A guardian report that the
      child was acting abnormally after minor blunt head trauma. MAIN OUTCOMES AND
      MEASURES: The prevalence of ciTBI (defined as death, neurosurgery, intubation for
      >24 hours, or hospitalization for >=2 nights in association with TBI on CT
      imaging) and TBI on CT imaging in children with a guardian report of acting
      abnormally with (1) no other findings and (2) other concerning findings for TBI.
      RESULTS: Of 43 399 children in the cohort study, a total of 1297 children had
      reports of acting abnormally, of whom 411 (31.7%) had this report as their only
      finding. Reported as percentage (95% CI), 1 of 411 (0.2% [0-1.3%]) had a ciTBI,
      and 4 TBIs were noted on the CT scans in 185 children who underwent imaging (2.2%
      [0.6%-5.4%]). In children with reports of acting abnormally and other concerning
      findings for TBI, 29 of 886 (3.3% [2.2%-4.7%]) had ciTBIs and 66 of 674 (9.8%
      [7.7%-12.3%]) had TBIs on CT. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Clinically important
      TBIs are very uncommon, and TBIs noted on CT are uncommon in children younger
      than 2 years with minor blunt head trauma and guardian reports of the child
      acting abnormally with no other clinical findings suspicious for TBI. Computed
      tomographic scans are generally not indicated in these children although
      observation in the emergency department may be warranted.

PMID- 26502173
TI  - Extending Protein Domain Boundary Predictors to Detect Discontinuous Domains.
AB  - A variety of protein domain predictors were developed to predict protein domain
      boundaries in recent years, but most of them cannot predict discontinuous
      domains. Considering nearly 40% of multidomain proteins contain one or more
      discontinuous domains, we have developed DomEx to enable domain boundary
      predictors to detect discontinuous domains by assembling the continuous domain
      segments. Discontinuous domains are predicted by matching the sequence profile of
      concatenated continuous domain segments with the profiles from a single-domain
      library derived from SCOP and CATH, and Pfam. Then the matches are filtered by
      similarity to library templates, a symmetric index score and a profile-profile
      alignment score. DomEx recalled 32.3% discontinuous domains with 86.5% precision
      when tested on 97 non-homologous protein chains containing 58 continuous and 99
      discontinuous domains, in which the predicted domain segments are within +/-20
      residues of the boundary definitions in CATH 3.5. Compared with our recently
      developed predictor, ThreaDom, which is the state-of-the-art tool to detect
      discontinuous-domains, DomEx recalled 26.7% discontinuous domains with 72.7%
      precision in a benchmark with 29 discontinuous-domain chains, where ThreaDom
      failed to predict any discontinuous domains. Furthermore, combined with ThreaDom,
      the method ranked number one among 10 predictors. The source code and datasets
      are available at https://github.com/xuezhidong/DomEx. 

PMID- 26502176
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26502175
TI  - Seroprevalence of the Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and Human Immunodeficiency
      Viruses and Treponema pallidum at the Beijing General Hospital from 2010 to 2014:
      A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The hepatitis B, hepatitis C, human immunodeficiency viruses and
      Treponema pallidum are important causes of infectious diseases concern to public
      health. METHODS: Between 2010 and 2014, we used an automated chemiluminescence
      microparticle immunoassay to detect the hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and human
      immunodeficiency viruses as well as Treponema pallidum (the rapid plasma regain
      test was used in 2010-2011). Positive human immunodeficiency virus tests were
      confirmed via western blotting. RESULTS: Among 416,130 subjects, the
      seroprevalences for hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, human immunodeficiency
      virus, and Treponema pallidum were 5.72%, 1.23%, 0.196%, and 0.76%, respectively.
      Among 671 patients with positive human immunodeficiency virus results, 392 cases
      were confirmed via western blotting. Hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus
      infections were more frequent in men (7.78% and 0.26%, respectively) than in
      women (4.45% and 0.021%, respectively). The hepatitis B and C virus
      seroprevalences decreased from 6.21% and 1.58%, respectively, in 2010, to 5.37%
      and 0.988%, respectively, in 2014. The human immunodeficiency virus
      seroprevalence increased from 0.04% in 2010 to 0.17% in 2014, and was elevated in
      the Infectious Disease (2.65%), Emergency (1.71%), and Dermatology and Sexually
      Transmitted Diseases (1.12%) departments. The specificity of the human
      immunodeficiency virus screening was 71.4%. The false positive rates for the
      Treponema pallidum screening tests increased in patients who were 60-70 years
      old. The co-infection rates for the hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency
      viruses were 0.47% in hepatitis C virus-positive patients and 7.33% in human
      immunodeficiency virus-positive patients. CONCLUSIONS: During 2010-2014,
      hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus infections were more frequent
      among men at our institution. Although the seroprevalences of hepatitis B and C
      viruses decreased, the seroprevalence of human immunodeficiency virus infection
      increased (with higher seroprevalences in high-risk departments). Older patients
      were more likely to exhibit false positive findings for syphilis.

PMID- 26502177
TI  - Correction: An integrated slidable and valveless microdevice with solid phase
      extraction, polymerase chain reaction, and immunochromatographic strip parts for
      multiplex colorimetric pathogen detection.
AB  - Correction for 'An integrated slidable and valveless microdevice with solid phase
      extraction, polymerase chain reaction, and immunochromatographic strip parts for
      multiplex colorimetric pathogen detection' by Yong Tae Kim et al., Lab Chip,
      2015, 15, 4148-4155. 

PMID- 26502178
TI  - Cellular properties of extensor carpi radialis brevis and trapezius muscles in
      healthy males and females.
AB  - In this study, we sought to determine whether differences in cellular properties
      associated with energy homeostasis could explain the higher incidence of work
      related myalgia in trapezius (TRAP) compared with extensor carpi radialis brevis
      (ECRB). Tissue samples were obtained from the ECRB (n = 19) and TRAP (n = 17) of
      healthy males and females (age 27.9 +/- 2.2 and 28.1 +/- 1.5 years, respectively;
      mean +/- SE) and analyzed for properties involved in both ATP supply and
      utilization. The concentration of ATP and the maximal activities of creatine
      phosphokinase, phosphorylase, and phosphofructokinase were higher (P < 0.05) in
      ECRB than TRAP. Succinic dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, and cytochrome c
      oxidase were not different between muscles. The ECRB also displayed a higher
      concentration of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase and greater sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)
      release and uptake. No differences existed between muscles for either
      monocarboxylate transporters or glucose transporters. It is concluded that the
      potentials for high-energy phosphate transfer, glycogenolysis, glycolysis, and
      excitation-contraction coupling are higher in ECRB than TRAP. Histochemical
      measurements indicated that the muscle differences are, in part, related to
      differing amounts of type II tissue. Depending on the task demands, the TRAP may
      experience a greater metabolic and excitation-contraction coupling strain than
      the ECRB given the differences observed. 

PMID- 26502179
TI  - An ethical approach to health promotion in physiotherapy practice.
AB  - ISSUE ADDRESSED: With increased emphasis on reducing the global burden of non
      communicable disease, health professionals who traditionally focused on the
      individual are being encouraged to address population-level health problems.
      While physiotherapists are broadening their clinical role to include health
      promotion strategies in their clinical practice, the ethical foundations of this
      practice focus have received less attention. METHODS: We use a physiotherapy
      clinical scenario to highlight different physiotherapeutic approaches and to
      analyse underpinning ethical values and implications for practice. RESULTS: We
      suggest there are potential harms of incorporating health promotion into
      physiotherapy management of individuals if the population-based research does not
      resonate with an individual's particular circumstances, capacity to change or
      view of what counts as important and meaningful. We propose that critical
      reasoning and ethical judgment by the physiotherapist is required to determine
      how health promotion messages applied in primary care settings might work to
      benefit and enhance a client's well being rather than impose burdens or cause
      harm. CONCLUSION: We suggest four ethical reasoning strategies designed to assist
      physiotherapists to frame and understand fundamental ethical principles of
      beneficence, harm, autonomy and justice when implementing health promotion and
      self-management approaches in clinical practice.

PMID- 26502180
TI  - Postoperative nodal irradiation in breast cancer patients with 1 to 3 axillary
      lymph nodes involved: the debate continues....
AB  - Regional lymph node irradiation is usually indicated in patients with positive
      node breast cancer. However, there are some controversies regarding the clinical
      benefits of adding regional nodal irradiation to whole-breast or thoracic-wall
      irradiation after breast surgery especially for patients with 1 to 3 positive
      axillary lymph nodes. More recently, two important studies (NCIC MA.20 and EORTC
      22,922-10925) were published to address this significant issue and some further
      points need to be discussed. 

PMID- 26502181
TI  - Reply: Distal acquired demyelinating symmetric neuropathy associated with
      colorectal adenocarcinoma: should it be termed paraneoplastic?

PMID- 26502182
TI  - Can Impression Procedures Affect Certain Vital Functions of Edentulous Patients?
      A Clinical Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The most suitable treatment conditions and timing for medically unstable
      patients with severe systemic diseases about to undergo invasive dental treatment
      are well documented in the literature; however, no medical guides or
      recommendations identify these conditions for noninvasive dental treatments in
      such patients. The aim of this clinical study was to determine the effect of
      impression procedures on arterial oxygen saturation (AOS) and pulse rates (PRs)
      of edentulous subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 28 Caucasian edentulous
      participants (15 females, 13 males) were included in the study. Pulse oximetry
      recordings (150 seconds) were performed for each participant at three stages;
      recording at rest (CON), during mandibular impressions (MANIs), and maxillary
      impressions (MAXIs). The mean values of PR, AOS, and event scores (ESs)
      indicating desaturation were obtained from the records. The comparisons of mean
      PR and AOS values were performed with the Bonferroni-corrected Wilcoxon-signed
      ranks test. The ESs were analyzed with the McNemar Test. RESULTS: The mean AOS
      values of MANI and MAXI did not display significant changes when compared with
      CON; however, the ESs obtained in both MANI and MAXI were significantly higher
      than those of CON (p = 0.008, p = 0.004). In addition, mean PR values obtained in
      MAXI were significantly higher than CON (p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: According to
      the results of this clinical study, the impression procedures may affect the PR
      values and lead to desaturation events in edentulous patients; however, further
      studies evaluating blood gas levels, which indicate precise AOS values, are
      necessary to support the results of this study.

PMID- 26502184
TI  - Frequency of Oral Mucositis and Local Virus Reactivation in Herpes Simplex Virus
      Seropositive Children with Myelosuppressive Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oral mucositis (OM) is a common chemo- and radiotherapy adverse
      effect in oncological pediatric patients. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection
      can cause a severe clinical course. We hypothesize, that HSV seropositivity is a
      risk factor for local HSV-1 reactivation and increased frequency of OM in
      patients with myelosuppressive therapies. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We evaluated the
      prevalence of seropositivity of HSV-1 between June 2011 and April 2014 in
      patients with potential oncological disease and correlated it to the frequency of
      OM and local viral reactivation in OM under myelosuppressive therapy. RESULTS:
      The overall rate of HSV-seropositivity in our cohort was 22%. 48 patients
      underwent myelosuppressive therapy. Of these, 7 were HSV-1 IgG positive and 41
      negative. All patients with OM under myelosuppressive therapy and positive local
      swab for viral HSV (l-PCR) were HSV-1 IgG positive before the start of therapy
      (100%). The absolute risk for OM in HSV-1 IgG positive patients was increased by
      58.5% (95%CI: 20.0  - 72.2%) corresponding to a relative risk (RR) of 2.4 (95%CI:
      1.7-3.5, P=0.009). The multivariable adjusted OR to suffer 2 or more OM episodes
      in HSV-1 IgG positivity was 8.8 (95%CI: 1.5-95.8, P=0.014). DISCUSSION AND
      CONCLUSION: In HSV-1 IgG positive patients half of the OM episode showed HSV
      reactivation, and the risk for multiple OM episodes was increased. These patients
      should be investigated for HSV-infection in every OM episode. Prophylactic and
      preemptive therapeutic measures should be discussed early, but prospective data
      on HSV prophylaxis and preemptive treatment is required.

PMID- 26502183
TI  - Family-Based Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Enhancing Physical Activity and
      Motor Competence in 4-7-Year-Old Children.
AB  - Little is known of how to involve families in physical activity (PA)
      interventions for children. In this cluster randomized controlled trial, we
      recruited families with four- to seven-year-old children to participate in a year
      long study where parents in the intervention group families (n = 46) received
      tailored counseling to increase children's PA. Structured PA was not served.
      Control group families (n = 45) did not receive any counseling. PA in all
      children (n = 91; mean age 6.16 +/- 1.13 years at the baseline) was measured by
      accelerometers at the baseline and after three, six, nine and 12 months. Motor
      competence (MC) (n = 89) was measured at the baseline and after six and 12 months
      by a KTK (KorperkoordinationsTest fur Kinder) and throwing and catching a ball
      (TCB) protocols. The effect of parental counseling on study outcomes was analyzed
      by a linear mixed-effects model fit by REML and by a Mann-Whitney U test in the
      case of the TCB. As season was hypothesized to affect counseling effect, an
      interaction of season on the study outcomes was examined. The results show
      significant decrease of MVPA in the intervention group when compared to the
      control group (p < .05). The TCB showed a nearly significant improvement at six
      months in the intervention group compared to the controls (p = .051), but not at
      12 months. The intervention group had a steadier development of the KTK when the
      interaction of season was taken into account. In conclusion, more knowledge of
      family constructs associating with the effectiveness of counseling is needed for
      understanding how to enhance PA in children by parents. However, a hypothesis may
      be put forward that family-based counseling during an inactive season rather than
      an active season may provide a more lasting effect on the development of KTK in
      children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN28668090.

PMID- 26502185
TI  - Outcomes After Lumbar Disc Herniation in the National Basketball Association.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Professional basketball players are at risk for lumbar disc
      herniation (LDH), yet the evidence guiding treatment after operative or
      nonoperative management of this condition in the National Basketball Association
      (NBA) is limited. HYPOTHESIS: NBA players with LDH will have different
      performance outcomes based on treatment type. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4. METHODS: Athletes in the NBA with an LDH were
      identified through team injury reports, transaction records, and public sports
      archives. A 1:2 case-control study was performed in which LDH players and players
      without LDH were matched for player variables. Statistical analysis was employed
      to compare pre- and postindex season performance (games played and player
      efficiency rating [PER]) and career longevity between test subjects and controls
      in the operatively treated (OT) and nonoperatively treated (NOT) cohorts.
      RESULTS: A total of 61 NBA players with LDH were included, of whom 34 underwent
      discectomy and 27 were managed nonoperatively. Return-to-play (RTP) rates did not
      differ between NOT and OT players (77.8% vs. 79.4%). When compared with controls,
      OT players played significantly fewer games and had a lower PER than controls
      during the first postoperative season, but no difference was seen 2 and 3 years
      after surgery, with no difference in postoperative career length. In contrast, no
      difference in games played or PER was seen between NOT players and controls,
      although NOT players played significantly fewer postindex seasons. CONCLUSION:
      NBA players have a high RTP rate regardless of type of treatment for LDH;
      however, postindex performance differs between surgically and nonoperatively
      managed patients when compared with players without an LDH. However, further
      studies with a larger sample size are required for more definitive
      recommendations. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: There is a high RTP rate after LDH in the
      NBA, although postindex performance may differ based on operative versus
      nonoperative treatment.

PMID- 26502186
TI  - Traumatic Carpal Axial Instability in a Professional Football Player: A Case
      Report.
AB  - This is a case of traumatic carpal axial instability in a professional football
      player. Traumatic carpal axial instability characteristically involves
      longitudinal separation of the ulnar or radial distal carpal row along with
      intermetacarpal injury. Rarely, pancarpal ligament disruption occurs, as in this
      case. Early diagnosis and treatment of unstable wrist injuries is important in
      achieving a satisfactory outcome. 

PMID- 26502188
TI  - Knee Articular Cartilage Repair and Restoration Techniques: A Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - CONTEXT: Isolated chondral and osteochondral defects of the knee are a difficult
      clinical challenge, particularly in younger patients for whom alternatives such
      as partial or total knee arthroplasty are rarely advised. Numerous surgical
      techniques have been developed to address focal cartilage defects. Cartilage
      treatment strategies are characterized as palliation (eg, chondroplasty and
      debridement), repair (eg, drilling and microfracture [MF]), or restoration (eg,
      autologous chondrocyte implantation [ACI], osteochondral autograft [OAT], and
      osteochondral allograft [OCA]). EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: PubMed was searched for
      treatment articles using the keywords knee, articular cartilage, and
      osteochondral defect, with a focus on articles published in the past 5 years.
      STUDY DESIGN: Clinical review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4. RESULTS: In general,
      smaller lesions (<2 cm(2)) are best treated with MF or OAT. Furthermore, OAT
      shows trends toward greater longevity and durability as well as improved outcomes
      in high-demand patients. Intermediate-size lesions (2-4 cm(2)) have shown fairly
      equivalent treatment results using either OAT or ACI options. For larger lesions
      (>4 cm(2)), ACI or OCA have shown the best results, with OCA being an option for
      large osteochondritis dissecans lesions and posttraumatic defects. CONCLUSION:
      These techniques may improve patient outcomes, though no single technique can
      reproduce normal hyaline cartilage.

PMID- 26502187
TI  - Return-to-Play Recommendations After Cervical, Thoracic, and Lumbar Spine
      Injuries: A Comprehensive Review.
AB  - CONTEXT: Currently, there is a national focus on establishing and disseminating
      standardized guidelines for return to play for athletes at all levels of
      competition. As more data become available, protocols and guidelines are being
      refined and implemented to assist physicians, coaches, trainers, players, and
      parents in making decisions about return to play. To date, no standardized
      criteria for returning to play exist for injuries to the spine. EVIDENCE
      ACQUISITION: Electronic databases including PubMed and MEDLINE and professional
      orthopaedic, neurosurgical, and spine organizational websites were reviewed
      between 1980 and 2015. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4.
      RESULTS: Although clinical guidelines have been published for return to play
      after spine injury, they are almost exclusively derived from expert opinion and
      clinical experience rather than from well-designed studies. Furthermore,
      recommendations differ and vary depending on anatomic location, type of sport,
      and surgery performed. CONCLUSION: Despite a lack of consensus and specific
      recommendations, there is universal agreement that athletes should be pain free,
      completely neurologically intact, and have full strength and range of motion
      before returning to play after spinal injury.

PMID- 26502189
TI  - Evaluation, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Implications of the Infrapatellar Fat
      Pad.
AB  - CONTEXT: The infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) is in the anterior knee compartment and
      may be a major pain generator. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A PubMed database search
      using the terms Hoffas fat pad, anterior interval, and infrapatellar fat pad was
      performed from the years 1970 to 2015. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical review. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Level 5. RESULTS: Limited research exists examining the role of the IFP
      in relation to potential treatment and rehabilitation implications. CONCLUSIONS:
      Alterations in IFP mobility, whether the result of postsurgical scarring or
      faulty movement patterns, result in pain and disability in a variety of patient
      populations. The majority of treatment approaches are driven by the surgical
      technique.

PMID- 26502190
TI  - Ex vivo construction of a novel model of bioengineered bladder mucosa: A
      preliminary study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To generate and to evaluate ex vivo a novel model of bioengineered
      human bladder mucosa based on fibrin-agarose biomaterials. METHODS: We first
      established primary cultures of stromal and epithelial cells from small biopsies
      of the human bladder using enzymatic digestion and selective cell culture media.
      Then, a bioengineered substitute of the bladder lamina propria was generated
      using cultured stromal cells and fibrin-agarose scaffolds, and the epithelial
      cells were then subcultured on top to generate a complete bladder mucosa
      substitute. Evaluation of this substitute was carried out by cell viability and
      histological analyses, immunohistochemistry for key epithelial markers and
      transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: The results show a well-configured
      stroma substitute with a single-layer epithelium on top. This substitute was
      equivalent to the control bladder mucosa. After 7 days of ex vivo development,
      the epithelial layer expressed pancytokeratin, and cytokeratins CK7, CK8 and
      CK13, as well as filaggrin and ZO-2, with negative expression of CK4 and
      uroplakin III. A reduction of the expression of CK8, filaggrin and ZO-2 was found
      at day 14 of development. An immature basement membrane was detected at the
      transition between the epithelium and the lamina propria, with the presence of
      epithelial hemidesmosomes, interdigitations and immature desmosomes. CONCLUSIONS:
      The present results suggest that this model of bioengineered human bladder mucosa
      shared structural and functional similarities with the native bladder mucosa,
      although the epithelial cells were not fully differentiated ex vivo. We
      hypothesize that this bladder mucosa substitute could have potential clinical
      usefulness after in vivo implantation.

PMID- 26502192
TI  - The Effect of Increasing Intracranial Pressure on Ocular Vestibular-Evoked
      Myogenic Potential Frequency Tuning.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs) represent
      extraocular muscle activity in response to vestibular stimulation. The authors
      sought to investigate whether posture-induced increase of the intracranial
      pressure (ICP) modulated oVEMP frequency tuning, that is, the amplitude ratio
      between 500-Hz and 1000-Hz stimuli. DESIGN: Ten healthy subjects were enrolled in
      this study. The subjects were positioned in the horizontal plane (0 degree) and
      in a 30-degree head-downwards position to elevate the ICP. In both positions,
      oVEMPs were recorded using 500-Hz and 1000-Hz air-conducted tone bursts. RESULTS:
      When tilting the subject from the horizontal plane to the 30-degree head-down
      position, oVEMP amplitudes in response to 500-Hz tone bursts distinctly decreased
      (3.40 MUV versus 2.06 MUV; p < 0.001), whereas amplitudes to 1000 Hz were only
      slightly diminished (2.74 MUV versus 2.48 MUV; p = 0.251). Correspondingly, the
      500/1000-Hz amplitude ratio significantly decreased when tilting the subjects
      from 0- to 30-degree inclination (1.59 versus 1.05; p = 0.029). Latencies were
      not modulated by head-down position. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing ICP systematically
      alters oVEMPs in terms of absolute amplitudes and frequency tuning
      characteristics. oVEMPs are therefore in principle suited for noninvasive ICP
      monitoring.

PMID- 26502191
TI  - Electrophysiology and Perception of Speech in Noise in Older Listeners: Effects
      of Hearing Impairment and Age.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Speech perception in background noise is difficult for many
      individuals, and there is considerable performance variability across listeners.
      The combination of physiological and behavioral measures may help to understand
      sources of this variability for individuals and groups and prove useful
      clinically with hard-to-test populations. The purpose of this study was
      threefold: (1) determine the effect of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and signal
      level on cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) and sentence-level
      perception in older normal-hearing (ONH) and older hearing-impaired (OHI)
      individuals, (2) determine the effects of hearing impairment and age on CAEPs and
      perception, and (3) explore how well CAEPs correlate with and predict speech
      perception in noise. DESIGN: Two groups of older participants (15 ONH and 15 OHI)
      were tested using speech-in-noise stimuli to measure CAEPs and sentence-level
      perception of speech. The syllable /ba/, used to evoke CAEPs, and sentences were
      presented in speech-spectrum background noise at four signal levels (50, 60, 70,
      and 80 dB SPL) and up to seven SNRs (-10, -5, 0, 5, 15, 25, and 35 dB). These
      data were compared between groups to reveal the hearing impairment effect and
      then combined with previously published data for 15 young normal-hearing
      individuals to determine the aging effect. RESULTS: Robust effects of SNR were
      found for perception and CAEPs. Small but significant effects of signal level
      were found for perception, primarily at poor SNRs and high signal levels, and in
      some limited instances for CAEPs. Significant effects of age were seen for both
      CAEPs and perception, while hearing impairment effects were only found with
      perception measures. CAEPs correlate well with perception and can predict SNR50s
      to within 2 dB for ONH. However, prediction error is much larger for OHI and
      varies widely (from 6 to 12 dB) depending on the model that was used for
      prediction. CONCLUSIONS: When background noise is present, SNR dominates both
      perception-in-noise testing and cortical electrophysiological testing, with
      smaller and sometimes significant contributions from signal level. A mismatch
      between behavioral and electrophysiological results was found (hearing impairment
      effects were primarily only seen for behavioral data), illustrating the possible
      contributions of higher order cognitive processes on behavior. It is interesting
      that the hearing impairment effect size was more than five times larger than the
      aging effect size for CAEPs and perception. Sentence-level perception can be
      predicted well in normal-hearing individuals; however, additional research is
      needed to explore improved prediction methods for older individuals with hearing
      impairment.

PMID- 26502193
TI  - Emerging monoclonal antibodies as targeted innovative therapeutic approaches to
      asthma.
AB  - Asthma is characterized by discordant responses among cells of the adaptive and
      innate immune systems. This interplay involves a complex pattern of cytokine
      driven processes resulting in cell migration and recruitment, inflammation, and
      proliferative states. The significant majority of asthmatic patients respond well
      to conventional inhaled treatments. However, about 5% of asthmatics have severe
      refractory asthma and account for 50% of the health expenditure on asthma.
      Human(ized) monoclonal antibodies (hMabs) targeting inflammatory pathways are
      promising therapeutic agents in asthma management. The anti-IgE hMab omalizumab
      was the first biologic treatment approved for the treatment of allergic asthma.
      Potential future strategies and targets include interleukin (IL)-5, IL-4, and IL
      13, anti-TSLP, IL-25, and IL-33. hMabs targeting IL-5 have shown great promise in
      severe refractory asthma with a persisting eosinophilia, and clinical trials with
      hMabs against IL-13 and IL4Ralpha have also shown clinical benefit. Studies of
      hMabs against other cytokines in severe asthma are under way. 

PMID- 26502194
TI  - The Relationship Between Immigrant School Composition, Classmate Support and
      Involvement in Physical Fighting and Bullying among Adolescent Immigrants and Non
      immigrants in 11 Countries.
AB  - Increasing numbers of migrant youth around the world mean growing numbers of
      heterogeneous school environments in many countries. Contradictory findings
      regarding the relationship between immigrant school composition (the percentage
      of immigrant versus non-immigrant students in a school) and adolescent peer
      violence necessitate further consideration. The current study examined the
      relationship between immigrant school composition and peer violence, considering
      classmate support as a potential moderator among 51,636 adolescents (50.1%
      female) from 11 countries. The findings showed that a higher percentage of
      immigrant adolescents in a school was related to higher levels of physical
      fighting and bullying perpetration for both immigrant and non-immigrant
      adolescents and lower levels of victimization for immigrants. In environments of
      low classmate support, the positive relationship between immigrant school
      composition and fighting was stronger for non-immigrants than in environments
      with high classmate support. In environments of low classmate support, the
      negative relationship between immigrant school composition and fighting and
      bullying victimization was stronger for immigrant adolescents than in
      environments with high classmate support. In general, the contribution of
      immigrant school composition was modest in comparison to the contribution of
      classmate support. The findings emphasize that it is not just the number of
      immigrants in a class per se, but rather the environment in the classroom which
      influences levels of peer violence. The results highlight a need for school
      intervention programs encouraging positive relations in schools with immigrant
      populations.

PMID- 26502196
TI  - Binding of Capsaicin to the TRPV1 Ion Channel.
AB  - Transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels constitute a notable family of
      cation channels involved in the ability of an organisms to detect noxious
      mechanical, thermal, and chemical stimuli that give rise to the perception of
      pain, taste, and changes in temperature. One of the most experimentally studied
      agonist of TRP channels is capsaicin, which is responsible for the burning
      sensation produced when chili pepper is in contact with organic tissues. Thus,
      understanding how this molecule interacts and regulates TRP channels is essential
      to high impact pharmacological applications, particularly those related to pain
      treatment. The recent publication of a three-dimensional structure of the
      vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) in the absence and presence of capsaicin from single
      particle electron cryomicroscopy experiments provides the opportunity to explore
      these questions at the atomic level. In the present work, molecular docking and
      unbiased and biased molecular dynamics simulations were employed to generate a
      structural model of the capsaicin-channel complex. In addition, the standard free
      energy of binding was estimated using alchemical transformations coupled with
      conformational, translational, and orientational restraints on the ligand. Key
      binding modes consistent with previous experimental data are identified, and
      subtle but essential dynamical features of the binding site are characterized.
      These observations shed some light into how TRPV1 interacts with capsaicin, and
      may help to refine design parameters for new TRPV1 antagonists, and potentially
      guide further developments of TRP channel modulators. 

PMID- 26502195
TI  - Cross-disease comparison of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal muscular
      atrophy reveals conservation of selective vulnerability but differential
      neuromuscular junction pathology.
AB  - Neuromuscular junctions are primary pathological targets in the lethal motor
      neuron diseases spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
      (ALS). Synaptic pathology and denervation of target muscle fibers has been
      reported prior to the appearance of clinical symptoms in mouse models of both
      diseases, suggesting that neuromuscular junctions are highly vulnerable from the
      very early stages, and are a key target for therapeutic intervention. Here we
      examined neuromuscular pathology longitudinally in three clinically relevant
      muscle groups in mouse models of ALS and SMA in order to assess their relative
      vulnerabilities. We show for the first time that neuromuscular junctions of the
      extraocular muscles (responsible for the control of eye movement) were resistant
      to degeneration in endstage SMA mice, as well as in late symptomatic ALS mice.
      Tongue muscle neuromuscular junctions were also spared in both animal models.
      Conversely, neuromuscular junctions of the lumbrical muscles of the hind-paw were
      vulnerable in both SMA and ALS, with a loss of neuronal innervation and shrinkage
      of motor endplates in both diseases. Thus, the pattern of selective vulnerability
      was conserved across these two models of motor neuron disease. However, the first
      evidence of neuromuscular pathology occurred at different timepoints of disease
      progression, with much earlier evidence of presynaptic involvement in ALS,
      progressing to changes on the postsynaptic side. Conversely, in SMA changes
      appeared concomitantly at the neuromuscular junction, suggesting that mechanisms
      of neuromuscular disruption are distinct in these diseases. J. Comp. Neurol.
      524:1424-1442, 2016. (c) 2015 The Authors The Journal of Comparative Neurology
      Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26502197
TI  - REALIZING MISSED OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH CARE QUALITY: BRIDGING
      THE GREAT DIVIDE IN THE DELIVERY OF PSYCHOSOCIAL TREATMENTS.

PMID- 26502198
TI  - Pulmonary Hypertension.

PMID- 26502199
TI  - Reliability and validity of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) Spanish Version.
AB  - Resilience is defined as the ability to recover from stress. However, all
      resilience measures with exception of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) assess
      resources that make resilience possible instead of recovery. The purpose of this
      study was to translate the BRS to Spanish and to analyze the reliability and
      validity of its scores. The psychometric properties of its scores were examined
      in a heterogeneous sample of 620 Spanish adults. Confirmatory factor analyses
      were carried out to study its scores' evidence of structural validity. Besides,
      to study its scores' evidence of convergent, discriminant, and predictive
      validity in relation to other resilience questionnaires (Connor Davidson
      Resilience Scale 10-item version, Situated Subjective Resilience Questionnaire
      for Adults and Resiliency Questionnaire for Adults) and to variables such as
      emotions (Modified Differential Emotions Scale), coping (Person-situation Coping
      Questionnaire for Adults), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and
      Depression Scale), posttraumatic growth (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory),
      perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and posttraumatic stress (Davidson
      Trauma Scale), correlation and regression analyses were conducted. To study its
      sensitivity, we assessed the effect of sociodemographics and the ability of the
      scale to identify high-risk populations by conducting analyses of variance and
      Pearson correlations. The BRS scores showed adequate reliability (alpha = .83;
      intraclass coefficient = .69). Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the
      Spanish version of the BRS is mono-factorial (chi2/df = 2.36; standardized root
      mean square residual = .036; goodness-of-fit index = .980; comparative fit index
      = .984; incremental fit index = .984; root mean square error of approximation =
      .067). They also showed adequate evidence of the scores' convergent, concurrent
      and predictive validity. The Spanish version of the BRS is a reliable and valid
      means to assess resilience as the ability to bounce back. (PsycINFO Database
      Record

PMID- 26502200
TI  - Measuring ability to enhance and suppress emotional expression: The Flexible
      Regulation of Emotional Expression (FREE) Scale.
AB  - Flexibility in self-regulatory behaviors has proved to be an important quality
      for adjusting to stressful life events and requires individuals to have a diverse
      repertoire of emotion regulation abilities. However, the most commonly used
      emotion regulation questionnaires assess frequency of behavior rather than
      ability, with little evidence linking these measures to observable capacity to
      enact a behavior. The aim of the current investigation was to develop and
      validate a Flexible Regulation of Emotional Expression (FREE) Scale that measures
      a person's ability to enhance and suppress displayed emotion across an array of
      hypothetical contexts. In Studies 1 and 2, a series of confirmatory factor
      analyses revealed that the FREE Scale consists of 4 first-order factors divided
      by regulation and emotional valence type that can contribute to 2 higher order
      factors: expressive enhancement ability and suppression ability. In Study 1, we
      also compared the FREE Scale to other commonly used emotion regulation measures,
      which revealed that suppression ability is conceptually distinct from suppression
      frequency. In Study 3, we compared the FREE Scale with a composite of traditional
      frequency-based indices of expressive regulation to predict performance in a
      previously validated emotional modulation paradigm. Participants' enhancement and
      suppression ability scores on the FREE Scale predicted their corresponding
      performance on the laboratory task, even when controlling for baseline
      expressiveness. These studies suggest that the FREE Scale is a valid and flexible
      measure of expressive regulation ability. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26502201
TI  - "The Intolerance of Uncertainty Index: Replication and Extension With an English
      Sample": Correction to Carleton, Gosselin, and Asmundson (2010).
AB  - Reports an error in "The Intolerance of Uncertainty Index: Replication and
      extension with an English sample" by R. Nicholas Carleton, Patrick Gosselin and
      Gordon J. G. Asmundson (Psychological Assessment, 2010[Jun], Vol 22[2], 396-406).
      In the article, the Factor loading of the First sample in Table 2 should have
      begun with Item 2 and the final value in that table should not exist. Factor 1
      should be associated with Items 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 17, 21, and 30; Factor 2
      should be associated with Items 3, 14, 19, 23, and 29; and Factor 3 should be
      associated with Items 4, 10, 18, 24, and 27. (The following abstract of the
      original article appeared in record 2010-10892-019.) Intolerance of uncertainty
      (IU) is related to anxiety, depression, worry, and anxiety sensitivity. Precedent
      IU measures were criticized for psychometric instability and redundancy;
      alternative measures include the novel 45-item measure (Intolerance of
      Uncertainty Index; IUI). The IUI was developed in French with 2 parts, assessing
      general unacceptability of uncertainty (15 items, Part A) and manifestations of
      uncertainty approximating more common anxiety disorder symptoms (30 items, Part
      B). The psychometric stability of the back-translated English items of the IUI as
      well as the incremental variance of Parts A and B remain to be assessed. The
      current study involved 2 samples of English-speaking community participants (n =
      437 and n = 309; 73% women and 27% men) who completed the IUI and several related
      measures. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested a refinement of
      IUI items as well as a unitary structure for Part A and a 3-factor structure for
      Part B. Regression results suggested Parts A and B each provide incremental
      validity in measures of worry, generalized anxiety disorder symptoms, negative
      problem orientation, and depression. Comprehensive results, implications, and
      future research directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record 

PMID- 26502202
TI  - Limitations of a single-item assessment of suicide attempt history: Implications
      for standardized suicide risk assessment.
AB  - Although a suicide attempt history is among the single best predictors of risk
      for eventual death by suicide, little is known about the extent to which
      reporting of suicide attempts may vary by assessment type. The current study
      aimed to investigate the correspondence between suicide attempt history
      information obtained via a single-item self-report survey, multi-item self-report
      survey, and face-to-face clinical interview. Data were collected among a high
      risk sample of undergraduates (N = 100) who endorsed a past attempt on a single
      item prescreening survey. Participants subsequently completed a multi-item self
      report survey, which was followed by a face-to-face clinical interview, both of
      which included additional questions regarding the timing and nature of previous
      attempts. Even though 100% of participants (n = 100) endorsed a suicide attempt
      history on the single-item prescreening survey, only 67% (n = 67) reported having
      made a suicide attempt on the multi-item follow-up survey. After incorporating
      ancillary information from the in-person interview, 60% of participants qualified
      for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-defined suicide attempt.
      Of the 40% who did not qualify for a CDC-defined suicide attempt, 30% instead
      qualified for no attempt, 7% an aborted attempt, and 3% an interrupted attempt.
      These findings suggest that single-item assessments of suicide attempt history
      may result in the misclassification of prior suicidal behaviors. Given that such
      assessments are commonly used in research and clinical practice, these results
      emphasize the importance of utilizing follow-up questions and assessments to
      improve precision in the characterization and assessment of suicide risk.
      (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26502203
TI  - Do the Kaufman tests of cognitive ability and academic achievement display
      construct bias across a representative sample of Black, Hispanic, and Caucasian
      school-age children in grades 1 through 12?
AB  - As the demographic profile in the United States continues to change and becomes
      ethnically more diverse, the need for culturally appropriate test instruments has
      become a national concern among educators, clinicians, and researchers. The
      Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-2nd Edition (KABC-II) and the Kaufman
      Test of Educational Achievement-2nd Edition (KTEA-II) are 2 popular tests of
      intelligence and achievement, known to appeal to an ethnically diverse client
      population. The present study investigated test bias in terms of the test scores'
      construct validity across a nationally representative sample of Caucasian, Black,
      and Hispanic (N = 2,001) children in Grades 1-12. Confirmatory factor analysis
      was used to assess whether increasing sets of equality constraints fit the test
      scores' underlying theoretical model equally well for all 3 ethnic groups.
      Results showed that factorial invariance of the factor structure, based on 7
      Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model broad abilities, was met for all 3 groups.
      Outcomes contribute to a scarce body of literature on ethnic test bias that goes
      beyond the simple comparison of mean score differences. Results of this study
      provide the evidence needed to justify continuous use of the KABC-II and KTEA-II
      in the assessment of minority group children and adolescents. Furthermore,
      findings are generalizable beyond the Kaufman tests to other popular tests of
      intelligence and achievement; this is because this study is based on the CHC
      factor structure, a universal theory of cognition that is used as the theoretical
      underpinning by many well-known tests of intelligence and achievement, including
      the most recent versions of the Wechsler scales. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26502204
TI  - Assessing trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder: Single, open-ended question
      versus list-based inventory.
AB  - Trauma exposure is a precursor to a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder
      (PTSD). A dearth of empirical evidence exists on the impact of different
      measurement practices on estimates of trauma exposure and PTSD within
      representative epidemiological samples. In the present study, we examined
      differences in reported trauma exposure and rates of PTSD using single, open
      ended question versus list-based trauma assessments in a general community
      sample. Using data from the third wave of the Montreal epidemiological catchment
      area study (N = 1029), participants were interviewed in person by a lay
      interviewer about lifetime history of trauma exposure and PTSD. Prevalence rates
      of trauma exposure and PTSD diagnosis using single, open-ended question and list
      based assessment were compared using a within-subject design. A single, open
      ended question versus list-based trauma assessment yielded trauma-exposure rates
      of 61%, 95% CI [57.8, 63.8] and 78%, 95% CI [75.2, 80.3], respectively.
      Conditional rates of lifetime PTSD decreased from 6.7%, 95% CI [5.8, 9.4] to 6%,
      95% CI [4.4, 7.7], respectively. Increases in trauma exposure were more
      pronounced in women (33.7%) than men (21.5%), as well as in the younger stratum
      of study participants (15-24 years old; 36.1%). Underestimation of PTSD using a
      single, open-ended question assessment was minimal, although all missing cases
      were women. Our results lend support to the importance of using comprehensive
      assessments of exposure to potentially traumatic events when conducting
      epidemiological research, especially when reporting conditional rates of PTSD.
      Previous research may have underestimated the prevalence of trauma exposure,
      particularly among young women. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26502205
TI  - Bifactor latent structure of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
      (ADHD)/oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms and first-order latent
      structure of sluggish cognitive tempo symptoms.
AB  - The objective was to determine if the latent structure of attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)
      symptoms is best explained by a general disruptive behavior factor along with
      specific inattention (IN), hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI), and ODD factors (a
      bifactor model) whereas the latent structure of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT)
      symptoms is best explained by a first-order factor independent of the bifactor
      model of ADHD/ODD. Parents' (n = 703) and teachers' (n = 366) ratings of SCT,
      ADHD-IN, ADHD-HI, and ODD symptoms on the Child and Adolescent Disruptive
      Behavior Inventory (CADBI) in a community sample of children (ages 5-13; 55%
      girls) were used to evaluate 4 models of symptom organization. Results indicated
      that a bifactor model of ADHD/ODD symptoms, in conjunction with a separate first
      order SCT factor, was the best model for both parent and teacher ratings. The
      first-order SCT factor showed discriminant validity with the general disruptive
      behavior and specific IN factors in the bifactor model. In addition, higher
      scores on the SCT factor predicted greater academic and social impairment, even
      after controlling for the general disruptive behavior and 3 specific factors.
      Consistent with predictions from the trait-impulsivity etiological model of
      externalizing liability, a single, general disruptive behavior factor accounted
      for nearly all common variance in ADHD/ODD symptoms, whereas SCT symptoms
      represented a factor different from the general disruptive behavior and specific
      IN factor. These results provide additional support for distinguishing between
      SCT and ADHD-IN. The study also demonstrates how etiological models can be used
      to predict specific latent structures of symptom organization. (PsycINFO Database
      Record

PMID- 26502206
TI  - Association of multiple genetic variants with chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease susceptibility in Hainan region.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Recent genome-wide association studies have shown
      associations between variants in loci (4q28.1, 6p21.32, 6p21.1, 6q16.1, 10q22.1
      and 10q22.3) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or smoking
      behaviors. The objective of this study was to look for associations between 16
      single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at these six loci and COPD susceptibility
      in Hainan region. METHODS: A case-control cohort was composed of 200 COPD cases
      and 401 controls that were genotyped and analyzed statistically. Odds ratios (OR)
      and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed by chi-square (chi2 ) test and
      genetic models by unconditional logistic regression. RESULTS: After Hardy
      Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) P value screening, we excluded the SNP rs12220777 with
      P < 0.001. By chi2 test only rs9296092 which located on 6p21.32 was provided the
      strongest evidence of an increasing risk of COPD with an OR of 3.28 (95% CI =
      1.03 - 2.32; P = 0.003) between cases and controls. By genetic models analysis,
      we not only found rs9296092 increased COPD risk, but also found in the over
      dominant model the genotype 'C/T' (OR = 0.55; 95% CI = 0.33 - 0.93; P = 0.023) of
      rs950063 was proved to be associated with decreased COPD risk. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study is the first to provide evidence of importance of rs9296092 and rs950063
      for risk of COPD in Hainan Province. Further studies are needed to characterize
      the functional sequences that cause COPD.

PMID- 26502207
TI  - Corticosteroids: Triamcinolone, Dexamethasone and Fluocinolone.
AB  - Steroids have been extensively used to treat macular edema due to diabetic
      retinopathy, venous occlusive disease, ocular inflammation and, to a lesser
      extent, also in some cases of choroidal neovascularization. The various
      intraocular steroids that have been employed include dexamethasone, triamcinolone
      and fluocinolone. During the past few years, new drug delivery methods for
      corticosteroids have been developed and are now part of our therapeutic
      armamentarium. This chapter provides a brief description of the pharmacology,
      efficacy and adverse effects associated with the use of steroids in various
      retinal diseases.

PMID- 26502208
TI  - PbS nanosculptured thin film for phase retarder, anti-reflective, excellent
      absorber, polarizer and sensor applications.
AB  - Lead-sulphide (PbS) nanosculptured thin film (nSTF) is prepared using a glancing
      angle deposition (GLAD) technique and the physical vapour deposition (PVD)
      process. The morphology of the GLAD films clearly shows that an anisotropic
      structure is obtained and is composed of micro-sheets with sharp top edges (a few
      tens of nanometres tip width). Due to this anisotropy, optical birefringence is
      induced in the nSTF as well as linear dichroism. The structural and optical
      properties of the PbS nSTF have been characterized by scanning electron
      microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and transmission
      measurements. The Raman spectra of PbS nSTF exhibit sharp peaks representative of
      vibrations in nano-crystalline PbS. Due to the absorption of PbS the nSTF is
      found to act as a linear polarizer with good extinction and contrast in the near
      infra-red range. Due to its porosity this nSTF also has the ability to sense
      fluids, which we demonstrate using ethanol-water solution at different
      concentrations. The combination of these effects in PbS nSTF is believed to
      constitute a prime candidate for many desirable device applications in different
      aspects with the low cost of production in large areas. 

PMID- 26502209
TI  - Nonneovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
AB  - The discovery of several genetic variants associated with an increased risk for
      age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has led to a completely new understanding
      of AMD. In addition to the known modifiable risk factors, genetic risk factors
      may also help to assess the risk to progress to nonneovascular AMD. Recently
      published primary studies have indicated that genetic risk analysis may be
      valuable in the selection of the currently available antioxidant therapy. So far,
      the best evidence for preventing progression to nonneovascular AMD comes from the
      Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS) I and II. These studies indicate that
      high doses of antioxidants can reduce the risk of progression to the advanced
      form of the disease. However, the recent evaluation of the addition of either
      lutein and zeaxanthin, or omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, or
      both, to the established AREDS I formulation did not significantly reduce the
      risk of developing advanced AMD. There is clearly a large unmet medical need for
      new therapeutic options for nonneovascular AMD. The modulation of the complement
      cascade is - despite initially disappointing outcomes obtained with blocking
      complement factor 5 - currently the most promising approach to the treatment of
      nonneovascular AMD.

PMID- 26502210
TI  - Analytical model and stability analysis of the leading edge spar of a passively
      morphing ornithopter wing.
AB  - This paper presents the stability analysis of the leading edge spar of a flapping
      wing unmanned air vehicle with a compliant spine inserted in it. The compliant
      spine is a mechanism that was designed to be flexible during the upstroke and
      stiff during the downstroke. Inserting a variable stiffness mechanism into the
      leading edge spar affects its structural stability. The model for the spar-spine
      system was formulated in terms of the well-known Mathieu's equation, in which the
      compliant spine was modeled as a torsional spring with a sinusoidal stiffness
      function. Experimental data was used to validate the model and results show
      agreement within 11%. The structural stability of the leading edge spar-spine
      system was determined analytically and graphically using a phase plane plot and
      Strutt diagrams. Lastly, a torsional viscous damper was added to the leading edge
      spar-spine model to investigate the effect of damping on stability. Results show
      that for the un-damped case, the leading edge spar-spine response was stable and
      bounded; however, there were areas of instability that appear for a range of
      spine upstroke and downstroke stiffnesses. Results also show that there exist a
      damping ratio between 0.2 and 0.5, for which the leading edge spar-spine system
      was stable for all values of spine upstroke and downstroke stiffnesses. 

PMID- 26502211
TI  - Surgical wound assessment by sonography in the prediction of surgical wound
      infections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are important sources of morbidity,
      prolonged hospital stays, and readmissions, so they have become a major economic
      burden. We hypothesized that surgical wound assessment by sonography (SWATS) used
      at the bedside would detect wound fluid collections and that the presence of such
      collections would predict SSI better than standard clinical examination. If so,
      SWATS might be used to indicate early intervention that could prevent SSI
      morbidity. METHODS: A prospective, single-institution observational study was
      conducted on adult inpatients following open abdominal surgery for trauma,
      gastrointestinal pathology, or biliary pathology at high risk (>5%) for SSI using
      traditional wound classifications. After informed consent was obtained, SWATS was
      performed using a smartphone-based ultrasound system on postoperative Day 2 to 4
      and again before discharge or at postoperative Day 30, whichever came first.
      Primary treating physicians delivered standard wound care and were blinded to
      SWATS. SSI was diagnosed if treatment was implemented for suspected or documented
      wound infection by the treating physician. Results were analyzed by chi test and
      two-sample pooled variance t test where appropriate, with significance set at p <
      0.05. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients were studied. Nineteen patients had peri
      incisional fluid collections found by SWATS. Eight of these patients went on to
      develop an SSI. SSI was significantly associated with the presence of fluid
      collections on SWATS (p = 0.009). SWATS had a sensitivity of 72.7% (0.43-0.92), a
      specificity of 71.1% (0.62-0.77), a positive predictive value of 42.1% (0.25
      0.53), and a negative predictive value of 90.0% (0.79-0.97). CONCLUSION: SWATS
      has a high negative predictive value that may allow it be an effective screening
      tool for developing SSI in high-risk surgical wounds. SWATS has the potential to
      be a useful and cost-effective adjunct to the clinician by objectively suggesting
      need for early therapy. Further study with larger sample sizes and randomized,
      SWATS-based interventions are required to validate this small study and determine
      its place in clinical care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic study, level IV.

PMID- 26502212
TI  - Military Acute Concussion Evaluation screen in a civilian population.

PMID- 26502213
TI  - Re: Military Acute Concussion Evaluation screen in a civilian population.

PMID- 26502214
TI  - Cost of specific emergency general surgery diseases and factors associated with
      high-cost patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We have previously shown that overall cost of hospitalization for
      emergency general surgery (EGS) diseases is more than $28 billion annually and
      rising. The purposes of this study were to estimate the costs associated with
      specific EGS diseases and to identify factors associated with high-cost
      hospitalizations. METHODS: The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma
      definition was used to identify hospitalizations of adult EGS patients in the
      2010 National Inpatient Sample data. Cost of each hospitalization was obtained
      using cost-to-charge ratio in National Inpatient Sample. Regression analysis was
      used to estimate the cost for each EGS disease adjusted for patient and hospital
      characteristics. Hospitalizations with cost exceeding 75th percentile for each
      EGS disease were compared with lower-cost hospitalizations to identify factors
      associated with high cost. RESULTS: Thirty-one EGS diseases resulted in 2,602,074
      hospitalizations nationwide in 2010 at an average adjusted cost of $10,110 (95%
      confidence interval, $10,086-$10,134) per hospitalization. Of these, only nine
      diseases constituted 80% of the total volume and 74% of the total cost. Empyema
      chest, colorectal cancer, and small intestine cancer were the most expensive EGS
      diseases with adjusted mean cost per hospitalization exceeding $20,000, while
      breast infection, abdominal pain, and soft tissue infection were the least
      expensive, with mean adjusted costs of less than $7,000 per hospitalization. The
      most important factors associated with high-cost hospitalizations were the number
      and type of procedures performed (76.2% of variance), but a region in Western
      United States (11.3%), Medicare and Medicaid payors (2.6%), and hospital
      ownership by public or not-for-profit entities (5.6%) were also associated with
      high-cost hospitalizations. CONCLUSION: A small number of diseases constitute a
      vast majority of EGS hospitalizations and their cost. Attempts at reducing the
      cost of EGS hospitalization will require controlling the cost of procedures.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Economic analysis, level IV.

PMID- 26502215
TI  - Clinical features and management of equine post operative ileus (POI): Survey of
      Diplomates of the American Colleges of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM),
      Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) and Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC).
AB  - REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: A recent survey of European Colleges (European
      College of Equine Internal Medicine [ECEIM] and European College of Veterinary
      Surgeons [ECVS]) revealed the different strategies implemented by, and some of
      the challenges facing, European clinicians presented with cases of post operative
      ileus (POI). It was concluded that further comparative analysis of opinions,
      canvassed from additional colleges of equine veterinary specialism worldwide,
      would provide valuable additional insight into current POI knowledge on a more
      global scale. OBJECTIVES: To report and compare the current strategies favoured
      by American veterinary specialists when managing POI in horses that underwent
      emergency colic surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. METHODS:
      Electronic invitations were sent to 814 Large Animal specialists, including 3
      colleges: the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM), American
      College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) and the American College of Veterinary
      Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC). RESULTS: The response rate was 14%
      (115/814). The majority of respondents (68%) reported an estimated prevalence
      range of POI of 0-20%. The presence of reflux on nasogastric intubation was the
      main criterion used to define POI. A lesion involving the small intestine was
      considered the main risk factor for POI. Anti-inflammatory drugs, intravenous
      (i.v.) fluids and antimicrobial drugs were the primary strategies used when
      managing POI. Flunixin meglumine and i.v. lidocaine were the drugs most commonly
      used in the treatment of horses with POI. Supplementary management strategies
      targeted mainly the prevention of post operative adhesions, infection and
      inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: There is a lack of consensus on the clinical
      definition of POI. Prospective and objective clinical assessment of the
      effectiveness of the different strategies contained within this and the European
      survey is necessary in order to identify a standardised approach to the
      management of equine POI.

PMID- 26502216
TI  - A Region-of-Interest Approach for Detecting Progression of Glaucomatous Damage
      With Optical Coherence Tomography.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Detecting progression of glaucomatous damage is often challenging.
      OBJECTIVE: To test the feasibility of using frequency-domain optical coherence
      tomography (FD-OCT) and a region-of-interest (ROI) approach to measure
      progressive changes in glaucomatous damage. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:
      Among a group of patients in an institutional glaucoma practice who were likely
      to show glaucoma progression, eyes with a history of an optic disc hemorrhage
      (DH) confirmed by stereophotography were followed up with FD-OCT cube scans of
      the optic disc. All patients underwent FD-OCT scans on at least 2 occasions
      separated by at least 1 year (mean, 3.45 years; range, 1.42-6.39 years). Because
      we were not studying the effects of an optic DH, no constraint was placed on the
      time between the documentation of an optic DH and the first scan used in the
      analysis. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: After en face images of the FD-OCT scan
      were aligned based on the blood vessels, circumpapillary images were derived for
      an annulus 100 um in width, and the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness
      profiles were plotted for the first and last visits. The ROI width associated
      with the optic DH was defined as the region of the RNFL profile below the 1% CI
      based on healthy norms. The change in the ROI width was compared with the change
      in the global RNFL thickness, which was obtained by averaging the circumpapillary
      RNFL thickness. RESULTS: The change in the ROI width (mean [SD], 8.0 degrees 
      [6.4 degrees ]; 95% CI, 4.9 degrees  to 11.1 degrees ; range, -0.7 degrees  to
      19.3 degrees ) was significant (P < .001, 2-tailed t test) while the change in
      the global thickness (mean [SD], 2.40 [5.87] MUm; 95% CI, -0.48 to 5.28 MUm) was
      not significant (P > .12, 2-tailed t test). Although 15 of the 16 ROIs increased
      in width between visits, only 11 showed a decrease in the global RNFL thickness.
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: For detecting progression of local RNFL damage in
      patients with glaucoma, an OCT ROI approach appears superior to the OCT global
      RNFL thickness measure typically used.

PMID- 26502217
TI  - Neuroprotective Effects of 17beta-Estradiol against Thrombin-Induced Apoptosis in
      Primary Cultured Cortical Neurons.
AB  - AIMS: 17beta-estradiol (E2) is a powerful neuroprotective agent in the central
      nervous system; however, little is known about its effects on intracerebral
      hemorrhage. This study examined the effects of E2 on thrombin-induced apoptosis
      in vitro and investigated the potential mechanisms. METHODS: Primary cultured
      cortical neurons were treated with E2 or vehicle and then the cells were exposed
      to thrombin. Neuronal apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. The
      phosphorylated c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), phosphorylated extracellular
      signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (p-ERK1/2), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2
      associated X protein (Bax) and caspase-3 were assayed by western blot. RESULTS:
      Consequently, we found that E2 has significantly reduced the apoptosis in
      thrombin-treated neurons. E2 also exhibited a downregulation in the ratio of
      Bax/Bcl-2, caspase-3 and p-JNK. However, E2 had little effect on p-ERK1/2
      proteins activation. CONCLUSION: Taken together, E2 has shown neuroprotective
      effects on thrombin-induced neuronal apoptosis, and the molecular mechanisms may
      correlate with the inhibition of the JNK signaling pathway.

PMID- 26502218
TI  - Specific Language Impairment, Nonverbal IQ, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
      Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cochlear Implants, Bilingualism, and
      Dialectal Variants: Defining the Boundaries, Clarifying Clinical Conditions, and
      Sorting Out Causes.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this research forum article is to provide an overview of
      a collection of invited articles on the topic "specific language impairment (SLI)
      in children with concomitant health conditions or nonmainstream language
      backgrounds." Topics include SLI, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder,
      autism spectrum disorder, cochlear implants, bilingualism, and dialectal language
      learning contexts. METHOD: The topic is timely due to current debates about the
      diagnosis of SLI. An overarching comparative conceptual framework is provided for
      comparisons of SLI with other clinical conditions. Comparisons of SLI in children
      with low-normal or normal nonverbal IQ illustrate the unexpected outcomes of 2 *
      2 comparison designs. RESULTS: Comparative studies reveal unexpected
      relationships among speech, language, cognitive, and social dimensions of
      children's development as well as precise ways to identify children with SLI who
      are bilingual or dialect speakers. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of SLI is essential
      for elucidating possible causal pathways of language impairments, risks for
      language impairments, assessments for identification of language impairments,
      linguistic dimensions of language impairments, and long-term outcomes. Although
      children's language acquisition is robust under high levels of risk, unexplained
      individual variations in language acquisition lead to persistent language
      impairments.

PMID- 26502219
TI  - Flavored Tobacco Product Use Among US Youth Aged 12-17 Years, 2013-2014.

PMID- 26502221
TI  - Investigation of Specific Binding Proteins to Photoaffinity Linkers for Efficient
      Deconvolution of Target Protein.
AB  - Photoaffinity-based target identification has received recent attention as an
      efficient research tool for chemical biology and drug discovery. The major
      obstacle of photoaffinity-based target identification is the nonspecific
      interaction between target identification probes and nontarget proteins.
      Consequently, the rational design of photoaffinity linkers has been spotlighted
      for successful target identification. These nonspecific interactions have been
      considered as random events, and therefore no systematic investigation has been
      conducted regarding nonspecific interactions between proteins and photoaffinity
      linkers. Herein, we report the protein-labeling analysis of photoaffinity linkers
      containing three photoactivatable moieties: benzophenone, diazirine, and
      arylazide. Each photoaffinity linker binds to a different set of proteins in a
      structure-dependent manner, in contrast to the previous conception. The list of
      proteins labeled by each photoaffinity linker was successfully used to eliminate
      the nonspecific binding proteins from target candidates, thereby increasing the
      success rate of target identification. 

PMID- 26502220
TI  - Rates of Deintensification of Blood Pressure and Glycemic Medication Treatment
      Based on Levels of Control and Life Expectancy in Older Patients With Diabetes
      Mellitus.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Older patients with diabetes mellitus receiving medical treatment
      whose blood pressure (BP) or blood glucose level are potentially dangerously low
      are rarely deintensified. Given the established risks of low blood pressure and
      blood glucose, this is a major opportunity to decrease medication harm.
      OBJECTIVE: To examine the rate of BP- and blood glucose-lowering medicine
      deintensification among older patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus who
      potentially receive overtreatment. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:
      Retrospective cohort study conducted using data from the US Veterans Health
      Administration. Participants included 211 667 patients older than 70 years with
      diabetes mellitus who were receiving active treatment (defined as BP-lowering
      medications other than angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin
      receptor blockers, or glucose-lowering medications other than metformin
      hydrochloride) from January 1 to December 31, 2012. Data analysis was performed
      December 10, 2013, to July 20, 2015. EXPOSURES: Participants were eligible for
      deintensification of treatment if they had low BP or a low hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)
      level in their last measurement in 2012. We defined very low BP as less than
      120/65 mm Hg, moderately low as systolic BP of 120 to 129 mm Hg or diastolic BP
      (DBP) less than 65 mm Hg, very low HbA1c as less than 6.0%, and moderately low
      HbA1c as 6.0% to 6.4%. All other values were not considered low. MAIN OUTCOMES
      AND MEASURES: Medication deintensification, defined as discontinuation or dosage
      decrease within 6 months after the index measurement. RESULTS: The actively
      treated BP cohort included 211,667 participants, more than half of whom had
      moderately or very low BP levels. Of 104,486 patients with BP levels that were
      not low, treatment in 15.1% was deintensified. Of 25,955 patients with moderately
      low BP levels, treatment in 16.0% was deintensified. Among 81,226 patients with
      very low BP levels, 18.8% underwent BP medication deintensification. Of patients
      with very low BP levels whose treatment was not deintensified, only 0.2% had a
      follow-up BP measurement that was elevated (BP >=140/90 mm Hg). The actively
      treated HbA1c cohort included 179,991 participants. Of 143,305 patients with
      HbA1c levels that were not low, treatment in 17.5% was deintensified. Of 23,769
      patients with moderately low HbA1c levels, treatment in 20.9% was deintensified.
      Among 12,917 patients with very low HbA1c levels, 27.0% underwent medication
      deintensification. Of patients with very low HbA1c levels whose treatment was not
      deintensified, fewer than 0.8% had a follow-up HbA1c measurement that was
      elevated (>=7.5%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among older patients whose
      treatment resulted in very low levels of HbA1c or BP, 27% or fewer underwent
      deintensification, representing a lost opportunity to reduce overtreatment. Low
      HbA1c or BP values or low life expectancy had little association with
      deintensification events. Practice guidelines and performance measures should
      place more focus on reducing overtreatment through deintensification.

PMID- 26502222
TI  - Identification and Construction of Combinatory Cancer Hallmark-Based Gene
      Signature Sets to Predict Recurrence and Chemotherapy Benefit in Stage II
      Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Decisions regarding adjuvant therapy in patients with stage II
      colorectal cancer (CRC) have been among the most challenging and controversial in
      oncology over the past 20 years. OBJECTIVE: To develop robust combinatory cancer
      hallmark-based gene signature sets (CSS sets) that more accurately predict
      prognosis and identify a subset of patients with stage II CRC who could gain
      survival benefits from adjuvant chemotherapy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:
      Thirteen retrospective studies of patients with stage II CRC who had clinical
      follow-up and adjuvant chemotherapy were analyzed. Respective totals of 162 and
      843 patients from 2 and 11 independent cohorts were used as the discovery and
      validation cohorts, respectively. A total of 1005 patients with stage II CRC were
      included in the 13 cohorts. Among them, 84 of 416 patients in 3 independent
      cohorts received fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy. MAIN OUTCOMES AND
      MEASURES: Identification of CSS sets to predict relapse-free survival and
      identify a subset of patients with stage II CRC who could gain substantial
      survival benefits from fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy. RESULTS: Eight
      cancer hallmark-based gene signatures (30 genes each) were identified and used to
      construct CSS sets for determining prognosis. The CSS sets were validated in 11
      independent cohorts of 767 patients with stage II CRC who did not receive
      adjuvant chemotherapy. The CSS sets accurately stratified patients into low-,
      intermediate-, and high-risk groups. Five-year relapse-free survival rates were
      94%, 78%, and 45%, respectively, representing 60%, 28%, and 12% of patients with
      stage II disease. The 416 patients with CSS set-defined high-risk stage II CRC
      who received fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy showed a substantial gain
      in survival benefits from the treatment (ie, recurrence reduced by 30%-40% in 5
      years). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The CSS sets substantially outperformed other
      prognostic predictors of stage 2 CRC. They are more accurate and robust for
      prognostic predictions and facilitate the identification of patients with stage
      II disease who could gain survival benefit from fluorouracil-based adjuvant
      chemotherapy.

PMID- 26502223
TI  - Effectiveness of an early versus a conservative invasive treatment strategy in
      acute coronary syndromes: a nationwide cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Randomized clinical trials have found that early invasive strategies
      reduce mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), and rehospitalization compared with
      a conservative invasive approach in acute coronary syndromes (ACSs), but the
      effectiveness of such strategies in real-world settings is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To
      investigate adverse cardiovascular outcomes of an early versus a conservative
      invasive strategy in a national cohort of patients with ACSs. DESIGN:
      Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Administrative health care data on
      hospitalizations, procedures, and outcomes abstracted from the Danish national
      registries and covering all acute invasive procedures in patients presenting with
      an ACS. PATIENTS: 19 704 propensity score-matched patients hospitalized with a
      first ACS between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2011. MEASUREMENTS: Risk for
      cardiac death or rehospitalization for MI within 60 days of hospitalization.
      RESULTS: Compared with a conservative approach, early invasive strategies were
      associated with a lower risk for cardiac death (cumulative incidence, 5.9% vs.
      7.6%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.75 [95% CI, 0.66 to 0.84]; P < 0.001).
      Similar results were found for rehospitalization for MI (cumulative incidence,
      3.4% vs. 5.0%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.67 [CI, 0.58 to 0.77]; P < 0.001) and all
      cause death (cumulative incidence, 7.3% vs. 10.6%; adjusted HR, 0.65 [CI, 0.59 to
      0.72]; P < 0.001). LIMITATION: Potential residual confounding due to lack of core
      clinical variables. CONCLUSION: In this real-world cohort of patients with a
      first hospitalization for an ACS, the use of an early invasive treatment strategy
      was associated with a lower risk for cardiac death and rehospitalization for MI
      compared with a conservative invasive approach. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE:
      Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Gentofte.

PMID- 26502225
TI  - Retinal Anatomy and Pathology.
AB  - Normal retina contains neuroretina and retinal pigment epithelium. The
      neuroretina consists of outer and inner segments of photoreceptors (rods and
      cones), external limiting membrane, outer nuclear layer, outer plexiform layer,
      inner nuclear layer, inner plexiform layer, ganglion cell layer, nerve fiber
      layer and internal limiting membrane. There is a broad spectrum of retinal
      pathology including congenital abnormalities, dystrophies, degenerations (notably
      age-related macular degeneration), retinal vascular diseases, toxicities,
      inflammatory diseases, neoplasms, retinal detachment, trauma and retinal
      involvement of systemic diseases. This chapter presents a few major pathological
      processes in retinal diseases, especially processes that are amenable to
      pharmacotherapeutics.

PMID- 26502227
TI  - Quantitatively differentiating microstructures of tissues by frequency
      distributions of Mueller matrix images.
AB  - We present a new way to extract characteristic features of the Mueller matrix
      images based on their frequency distributions and the central moments. We take
      the backscattering Mueller matrices of tissues with distinctive microstructures,
      and then analyze the frequency distribution histograms (FDHs) of all the matrix
      elements. For anisotropic skeletal muscle and isotropic liver tissues, we find
      that the shapes of the FDHs and their central moment parameters, i.e., variance,
      skewness, and kurtosis, are not sensitive to the sample orientation. Comparisons
      among different tissues further indicate that the frequency distributions of
      Mueller matrix elements and their corresponding central moments can be used as
      indicators for the characteristic microstructural features of tissues. A
      preliminary application to human cervical cancerous tissues shows that the
      distribution curves and central moment parameters may have the potential to give
      quantitative criteria for cancerous tissues detections.

PMID- 26502228
TI  - All-plastic miniature fluorescence microscope for point-of-care readout of bead
      based bioassays.
AB  - A number of new platforms have been developed for multiplexed bioassays that rely
      on imaging targeted fluorescent beads labeled with different fluorescent dyes. We
      developed a compact, low-cost three-dimensional printed fluorescence microscope
      that can be used as a detector for mutiplexed, bead-based assays to support point
      of-care applications. Images obtained with the microscope were analyzed to
      differentiate multiple analytes in a single sample with a comparable limit of
      detection to commercially available macroscopic assay platforms.

PMID- 26502226
TI  - Update on Diffuse Lung Disease in Children.
AB  - Diffuse lung diseases in children, also called children's interstitial lung
      disease, are a diverse group of rare disorders that cause disturbances of gas
      exchange in the lungs. Although individually rare, there are many different forms
      of diffuse lung disease in children, and collectively these disorders are
      associated with significant morbidity and mortality, as well as health-care
      resource utilization. Over the past several years, there have been many
      significant advances in the field, including genetic discoveries and the
      development of clinical practice guidelines. This review summarizes recent
      advances in the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of diffuse lung diseases
      in children.

PMID- 26502224
TI  - Genetic, Epigenetic, and Environmental Factors Influencing Neurovisceral
      Integration of Cardiovascular Modulation: Focus on Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - Thought to be an autoimmune inflammatory CNS disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
      involves multiple pathologies with heterogeneous clinical presentations. An
      impaired neurovisceral integration of cardiovascular modulation, indicated by
      sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction, is
      among common MS clinical presentations. ANS dysfunction could not only enhance MS
      inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes, but can also lead to clinical
      symptoms such as depression, fatigue, sleep disorder, migraine, osteoporosis, and
      cerebral hemodynamic impairments. Therefore, factors influencing ANS functional
      activities, in one way or another, will have a significant impact on MS disease
      course. This review describes the genetic and epigenetic factors, and their
      interactions with a number of environmental factors contributing to the
      neurovisceral integration of cardiovascular modulation, with a focus on MS.
      Future studies should investigate the improvement in cardiovascular ANS function,
      as a strategy for preventing and minimizing MS-related morbidities, and improving
      patients' quality of life. 

PMID- 26502229
TI  - Phase matching of backward second harmonic generation assisted by lattice
      structure in collagen tissues.
AB  - Phase matching of backward second harmonic generation (SHG) in a periodic
      structure of collagen fibrils is investigated through theoretical modeling,
      simulation, and experiments. The lattice structure of collagen fibrils is
      considered to provide a virtual momentum for assisting the phase matching of
      backward SHG. Phase matching over a relatively wide excitation wavelength range
      is achieved by tilting the angle of the fundamental excitation and SHG wave
      vectors. The SHG intensity in the periodic structure is simulated to quantify the
      phase matching effect. The effect of the fundamental excitation and the SHG
      emission angles on the peak excitation wavelength of the SHG excitation spectrum
      is further validated in experiments, where the excitation and emission angles are
      controlled by spatial filtering. It is found that an optimized excitation
      wavelength exists for a certain collagen fibril structure, which shifts toward a
      shorter wavelength when the excitation and emission angles are increased. Our
      results show that the lattice structure of collagen fibrils can assist the phase
      matching, providing a mechanism for generating backward SHG in multiphoton
      microscopy.

PMID- 26502230
TI  - Surgical lighting with contrast enhancement based on spectral reflectance
      comparison and entropy analysis.
AB  - Surgical light is important for helping the surgeon easily identify specific
      tissues during an operation. We propose a spectral reflectance comparison model
      to optimize the light-emitting diode light spectrum in the operating room. An
      entropy evaluation method, meant specifically for surgical situations, was
      developed to evaluate images of biological samples. White light was mixed to
      achieve an optimal spectrum, and images of different tissues under the light were
      captured and analyzed. Results showed that images obtained with light with an
      optimal spectrum had a higher contrast than those obtained with a commercial
      white light of different color temperatures. Optimized surgical light obtained
      using this simple and effective method could replace the traditional surgical
      illumination systems.

PMID- 26502231
TI  - Validating tyrosinase homologue melA as a photoacoustic reporter gene for imaging
      Escherichia coli.
AB  - To understand the pathogenic processes for infectious bacteria, appropriate
      research tools are required for replicating and characterizing infections.
      Fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging have primarily been used to image
      infections in animal models, but optical scattering in tissue significantly
      limits imaging depth and resolution. Photoacoustic imaging, which has improved
      depth-to-resolution ratio compared to conventional optical imaging, could be
      useful for visualizing melA-expressing bacteria since melA is a bacterial
      tyrosinase homologue which produces melanin. Escherichia coli-expressing melA was
      visibly dark in liquid culture. When melA-expressing bacteria in tubes were
      imaged with a VisualSonics Vevo LAZR system, the signal-to-noise ratio of a
      9*dilution sample was 55, suggesting that ~20 bacteria cells could be detected
      with our system. Multispectral (680, 700, 750, 800, 850, and 900 nm) analysis of
      the photoacoustic signal allowed unmixing of melA-expressing bacteria from blood.
      To compare photoacoustic reporter gene melA (using Vevo system) with luminescent
      and fluorescent reporter gene Nano-lantern (using Bruker Xtreme In-Vivo system),
      tubes of bacteria expressing melA or Nano-lantern were submerged 10 mm in 1%
      Intralipid, spaced between <1 and 20 mm apart from each other, and imaged with
      the appropriate imaging modality. Photoacoustic imaging could resolve the two
      tubes of melA-expressing bacteria even when the tubes were less than 1 mm from
      each other, while bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging could not resolve the
      two tubes of Nano-lantern-expressing bacteria even when the tubes were spaced 10
      mm from each other. After injecting 100-MUL of melA-expressing bacteria in the
      back flank of a chicken embryo, photoacoustic imaging allowed visualization of
      melA-expressing bacteria up to 10-mm deep into the embryo. Photoacoustic signal
      from melA could also be separated from deoxy- and oxy-hemoglobin signal observed
      within the embryo and chorioallantoic membrane. Our results suggest that melA is
      a useful photoacoustic reporter gene for visualizing bacteria, and further work
      incorporating photoacoustic reporters into infectious bacterial strains is
      warranted.

PMID- 26502232
TI  - Dual-wavelength laser speckle imaging for monitoring brain metabolic and
      hemodynamic response to closed head traumatic brain injury in mice.
AB  - Abstract. The measurement of dynamic changes in brain hemodynamic and metabolism
      events following head trauma could be valuable for injury prognosis and for
      planning of optimal medical treatment. Specifically, variations in blood flow and
      oxygenation levels serve as important biomarkers of numerous pathophysiological
      processes. We employed the dual-wavelength laser speckle imaging (DW-LSI)
      technique for simultaneous monitoring of changes in brain hemodynamics and
      cerebral blood flow (CBF) at early stages of head trauma in a mouse model of
      intact head injury (n=10). For induction of head injury, we used a weight-drop
      device involving a metal mass (~50  g ) striking the mouse's head in a regulated
      manner from a height of ~90  cm. In comparison to baseline measurements,
      noticeable dynamic variations were revealed immediately and up to 1 h postinjury,
      which indicate the severity of brain damage and highlight the ability of the DW
      LSI arrangement to track brain pathophysiology induced by injury. To validate the
      monitoring of CBF by DW-LSI, measurements with laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) were
      also performed (n=5), which confirmed reduction in CBF following injury. A
      secondary focus of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of hypertonic
      saline as a neuroprotective agent, inhibiting the development of complications
      after brain injury in a subgroup of injured mice (n=5), further demonstrating the
      ability of DW-LSI to monitor the effects upon brain dynamics of drug treatment.
      Overall, our findings further support the use of DW-LSI as a noninvasive, cost
      effective tool to assess changes in hemodynamics under a variety of pathological
      conditions, suggesting its potential contribution to the biomedical field. To the
      best of our knowledge, this work is the first to make use of the DW-LSI modality
      in a small animal model to (1) investigate brain function during the critical
      first hour of closed head injury trauma, (2) correlate between injury parameters
      of LDF measurements, and (3) monitor brain hemodynamic and metabolic response to
      neuroprotective drug treatment.

PMID- 26502233
TI  - Investigating the influence of chromatic aberration and optical illumination
      bandwidth on fundus imaging in rats.
AB  - Abstract. Rodent models are indispensable in studying various retinal diseases.
      Noninvasive, high-resolution retinal imaging of rodent models is highly desired
      for longitudinally investigating the pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies.
      However, due to severe aberrations, the retinal image quality in rodents can be
      much worse than that in humans. We numerically and experimentally investigated
      the influence of chromatic aberration and optical illumination bandwidth on
      retinal imaging. We confirmed that the rat retinal image quality decreased with
      increasing illumination bandwidth. We achieved the retinal image resolution of 10
      MUm using a 19 nm illumination bandwidth centered at 580 nm in a home-built
      fundus camera. Furthermore, we observed higher chromatic aberration in albino rat
      eyes than in pigmented rat eyes. This study provides a design guide for high
      resolution fundus camera for rodents. Our method is also beneficial to dispersion
      compensation in multiwavelength retinal imaging applications.

PMID- 26502234
TI  - Effect of low-level laser therapy on irradiated parotid glands--study in mice.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of low-level laser therapy
      (LLLT) on radiotherapy-induced morphological changes and caspase-3
      immunodetection in parotids of mice. Forty-one Swiss mice were divided into
      control, radiotherapy, 2- and 4-J laser groups. The experimental groups were
      exposed to ionizing radiation in a single session of 10 Gy. In the laser groups,
      a GaAlAs laser (830 nm, 100 mW, 0.028  cm2, 3.57  W/cm2) was used on the region
      corresponding to the parotid glands, with 2-J energy (20 s, 71  J/cm2) or 4 J (40
      s, 135  J/cm2) per point. LLLT was performed immediately before and 24 h after
      radiotherapy. One point was applied in each parotid gland. The animals were
      euthanized 48 h or 7 days after radiotherapy and parotid glands were dissected
      for morphological analysis and immunodetection of caspase-3. There was no
      significant difference between groups in the immunodetection of caspase-3, but
      the laser groups had a lower percentage compared to the radiotherapy group. LLLT
      promoted the preservation of acinar structure, reduced the occurrence of
      vacuolation, and stimulated parotid gland vascularization. Of the two LLLT
      protocols, the one using 4 J of energy showed better results.

PMID- 26502235
TI  - Randomized in vivo evaluation of photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy on
      deciduous carious dentin.
AB  - The aim of this randomized in vivo study was to compare antimicrobial
      chemotherapies in primary carious dentin. Thirty-two participants ages 5 to 7
      years underwent partial caries removal from deep carious dentin lesions in
      primary molars and were subsequently divided into three groups: control
      [chlorhexidine and resin-modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC)], LEDTB
      [photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) with light-emitting diode
      associated with toluidine blue solution and RMGIC], and LMB [PACT with laser
      associated with methylene blue solution and RMGIC]. The participants were
      submitted to initial clinical and radiographic examinations. Demographic features
      and biofilm, gingival, and DMFT/DMFS indexes were evaluated, in addition to
      clinical and radiographic followups at 6 and 12 months after treatments. Carious
      dentin was collected before and after each treatment, and the number of
      Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Lactobacillus casei, Fusobacterium
      nucleatum, Atopobium rimae, and total bacteria was established by quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction. No signs of pain or restoration failure were observed.
      All therapies were effective in reducing the number of microorganisms, except for
      S. sobrinus. No statistical differences were observed among the protocols used.
      All therapies may be considered as effective modern approaches to minimal
      intervention for the management of deep primary caries treatment.

PMID- 26502236
TI  - Inflammation, Endoleaks, and Aortic Remodeling--The Chicken or the Egg.

PMID- 26502259
TI  - Hospital Acquisition of Physician Groups: On the Road to Value-Based or Higher
      Priced Care?

PMID- 26502260
TI  - Trajectory events across hippocampal place cells require previous experience.
AB  - Replay of hippocampal place cell sequences has been proposed as a fundamental
      mechanism of learning and memory. However, the standard interpretation of replay
      has been challenged by reports that similar activity is observed before
      experience ('preplay'). By the preplay account, pre-existing temporal sequences
      are mapped onto new experiences without learning sequential structure. Here we
      employed high density recording methods to monitor hundreds of place cells
      simultaneously while rats explored multiple novel environments. While we observed
      large numbers of synchronous spiking events before experience, they were not
      temporally correlated with subsequent experience. Multiple measures
      differentiated pre-experience and postexperience events that, taken together,
      defined the latter but not the former as trajectory-depicting. The formation of
      events with these properties was prevented by administration of an NMDA-receptor
      antagonist during experience. These results suggest that the sequential structure
      of behavioral episodes is encoded during experience and reexpressed as trajectory
      events. 

PMID- 26502261
TI  - GDF10 is a signal for axonal sprouting and functional recovery after stroke.
AB  - Stroke produces a limited process of neural repair. Axonal sprouting in cortex
      adjacent to the infarct is part of this recovery process, but the signal that
      initiates axonal sprouting is not known. Growth and differentiation factor 10
      (GDF10) is induced in peri-infarct neurons in mice, non-human primates and
      humans. GDF10 promotes axonal outgrowth in vitro in mouse, rat and human neurons
      through TGFbetaRI and TGFbetaRII signaling. Using pharmacogenetic gain- and loss
      of-function studies, we found that GDF10 produced axonal sprouting and enhanced
      functional recovery after stroke; knocking down GDF10 blocked axonal sprouting
      and reduced recovery. RNA sequencing from peri-infarct cortical neurons revealed
      that GDF10 downregulated PTEN, upregulated PI3 kinase signaling and induced
      specific axonal guidance molecules. Using unsupervised genome-wide association
      analysis of the GDF10 transcriptome, we found that it was not related to
      neurodevelopment, but may partially overlap with other CNS injury patterns. Thus,
      GDF10 is a stroke-induced signal for axonal sprouting and functional recovery. 

PMID- 26502262
TI  - Sensory uncertainty decoded from visual cortex predicts behavior.
AB  - Bayesian theories of neural coding propose that sensory uncertainty is
      represented by a probability distribution encoded in neural population activity,
      but direct neural evidence supporting this hypothesis is currently lacking. Using
      fMRI in combination with a generative model-based analysis, we found that
      probability distributions reflecting sensory uncertainty could reliably be
      estimated from human visual cortex and, moreover, that observers appeared to use
      knowledge of this uncertainty in their perceptual decisions. 

PMID- 26502264
TI  - Palladium-Catalyzed Difluoroalkylation of Isocyanides: Access to
      Difluoroalkylated Phenanthridine Derivatives.
AB  - An efficient and general method for the synthesis of difluoroalkylated
      phenanthridine derivatives through palladium-catalyzed reaction of difluoroalkyl
      bromides with isocyanides is described. The reaction can also be extended to
      perfluoroalkyl iodides. Mechanistic studies reveal that a difluoroalkyl radical
      via a single-electron-transfer pathway is involved in the reaction. 

PMID- 26502263
TI  - Distinct recurrent versus afferent dynamics in cortical visual processing.
AB  - How intracortical recurrent circuits in mammalian sensory cortex influence
      dynamics of sensory representation is not understood. Previous methods could not
      distinguish the relative contributions of recurrent circuits and thalamic
      afferents to cortical dynamics. We accomplish this by optogenetically
      manipulating thalamus and cortex. Over the initial 40 ms of visual stimulation,
      excitation from recurrent circuits in visual cortex progressively increased to
      exceed direct thalamocortical excitation. Even when recurrent excitation exceeded
      thalamic excitation, upon silencing thalamus, sensory-evoked activity in cortex
      decayed rapidly, with a time constant of 10 ms, which is similar to a neuron's
      integration time window. In awake mice, this cortical decay function predicted
      the time-locking of cortical activity to thalamic input at frequencies <15 Hz and
      attenuation of the cortical response to higher frequencies. Under anesthesia,
      depression at thalamocortical synapses disrupted the fidelity of sensory
      transmission. Thus, we determine dynamics intrinsic to cortical recurrent
      circuits that transform afferent input in time. 

PMID- 26502265
TI  - Chemical Cleavage of Layered Carbon Nitride with Enhanced Photoluminescent
      Performances and Photoconduction.
AB  - Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and carbon dots (C-dots) have various alluring
      properties and potential applications, but they are often limited by unsatisfied
      optical performance such as low quantum yield, ambiguous fluorescence emission
      mechanism, and narrow emission wavelength. Herein, we report that bulk polymeric
      carbon nitride could be utilized as a layered precursor to prepare carbon nitride
      nanostructures such as nanorods, nanoleaves and quantum dots by chemical
      tailoring. As doped carbon materials, these carbon nitride nanostructures not
      only intrinsically emitted UV lights but also well inherited the explicit
      photoluminescence mechanism of the bulk pristine precursor, both of which were
      rarely reported for GQDs and C-dots. Especially, carbon nitride quantum dots
      (CNQDs) had a photoluminescence quantum yield (QY) up to 46%, among the highest
      QY for metal-free quantum dots so far. As examples, the CNQDs were utilized as a
      photoluminescence probe for rapid detection of Fe(3+) with a detection limit of 1
      MUM in 2 min and a photoconductor in an all-solid-state device. This work would
      open up an avenue for doped nanocarbon in developing photoelectrical devices and
      sensors. 

PMID- 26502266
TI  - A Highly Stable Nanotubular MOF Rotator for Selective Adsorption of Benzene and
      Separation of Xylene Isomers.
AB  - A remarkably stable tubular 3D Zn-MOF with hexagonal channels and a rare ptr
      topology was prepared under solvothermal conditions for liquid and vapor phase
      adsorption and separation of the C6-8 aromatic compounds. The material showed
      preferential affinity for benzene and can effectively separate benzene from its
      organic analogues under ambient conditions in both vapor and liquid phases.
      Furthermore, it exhibited preferable uptake of p-xylene over other C8 xylenes. 

PMID- 26502268
TI  - Systematic Effect for an Ultralong Cycle Lithium-Sulfur Battery.
AB  - Rechargeable lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are attractive candidates for energy
      storage devices because they have five times the theoretical energy storage of
      state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries. The main problems plaguing Li-S batteries are
      poor cycle life and limited rate capability, caused by the insulating nature of S
      and the shuttle effect associated with the dissolution of intermediate lithium
      polysulfides. Here, we report the use of biocell-inspired polydopamine (PD) as a
      coating agent on both the cathode and separator to address these problems (the
      "systematic effects"). The PD-modified cathode and separator play key roles in
      facilitating ion diffusion and keeping the cathode structure stable, leading to
      uniform lithium deposition and a solid electrolyte interphase. As a result, an
      ultralong cycle performance of more than 3000 cycles, with a capacity fade of
      only 0.018% per cycle, was achieved at 2 C. It is believed that the systematic
      modification of the cathode and separator for Li-S batteries is a new strategy
      for practical applications. 

PMID- 26502267
TI  - Gelation Landscape Engineering Using a Multi-Reaction Supramolecular Hydrogelator
      System.
AB  - Simultaneous control of the kinetics and thermodynamics of two different types of
      covalent chemistry allows pathway selectivity in the formation of hydrogelating
      molecules from a complex reaction network. This can lead to a range of hydrogel
      materials with vastly different properties, starting from a set of simple
      starting compounds and reaction conditions. Chemical reaction between a
      trialdehyde and the tuberculosis drug isoniazid can form one, two, or three
      hydrazone connectivity products, meaning kinetic gelation pathways can be
      addressed. Simultaneously, thermodynamics control the formation of either a keto
      or an enol tautomer of the products, again resulting in vastly different
      materials. Overall, this shows that careful navigation of a reaction landscape
      using both kinetic and thermodynamic selectivity can be used to control material
      selection from a complex reaction network. 

PMID- 26502269
TI  - Capacitive Sensing of Intercalated H2O Molecules Using Graphene.
AB  - Understanding the interactions of ambient molecules with graphene and adjacent
      dielectrics is of fundamental importance for a range of graphene-based devices,
      particularly sensors, where such interactions could influence the operation of
      the device. It is well-known that water can be trapped underneath graphene and
      its host substrate; however, the electrical effect of water beneath graphene and
      the dynamics of how the interfacial water changes with different ambient
      conditions has not been quantified. Here, using a metal-oxide-graphene variable
      capacitor (varactor) structure, we show that graphene can be used to capacitively
      sense the intercalation of water between graphene and HfO2 and that this process
      is reversible on a fast time scale. Atomic force microscopy is used to confirm
      the intercalation and quantify the displacement of graphene as a function of
      humidity. Density functional theory simulations are used to quantify the
      displacement of graphene induced by intercalated water and also explain the
      observed Dirac point shifts as being due to the combined effect of water and
      oxygen on the carrier concentration in the graphene. Finally, molecular dynamics
      simulations indicate that a likely mechanism for the intercalation involves
      adsorption and lateral diffusion of water molecules beneath the graphene. 

PMID- 26502270
TI  - Identification of oxygen-19 during in vivo neutron activation analysis of water
      phantoms.
AB  - Hand bone equivalent phantoms (250 ml) carrying selenium in various amounts were
      irradiated and counted for in vivo neutron activation analysis (IVNAA) by
      employing a 4pi NaI(TI) based detection system. During the analysis of counting
      data, a feature at a higher energy than the gamma ray peak from (77m)Se (0.162
      MeV) was observed at 0.197 MeV. Further investigations were made by preparing
      water phantoms containing only de-ionized water in 250 ml and 1034 ml quantities.
      Neutrons were produced by the (7)Li(p,n)(7)Be reaction using the high beam
      current Tandetron accelerator. Phantoms were irradiated at a fixed proton energy
      of 2.3 MeV and proton currents of 400 MUA and 550 MUA for 30 s and 22 s
      respectively. The counting data saved using the 4pi NaI(TI) detection system for
      10 s intervals in anticoincidence, coincidence and singles modes of detection
      were analyzed. Areas under gamma peaks at energies 0.197 MeV and 1.357 MeV were
      computed and half-lives from the number of counts for the two peaks were
      established. It was concluded that during neutron activation of water phantoms,
      oxygen-18 is activated, producing short-lived radioactive 19O having T(1/2)  = 
      26.9 s. Induced activity from 19O may contribute spectral interference in the
      gamma ray spectrum. This effect may need to be taken into account by researchers
      while carrying out IVNAA of biological subjects.

PMID- 26502271
TI  - FMS Scores Change With Performers' Knowledge of the Grading Criteria-Are General
      Whole-Body Movement Screens Capturing "Dysfunction"?
AB  - Deficits in joint mobility and stability could certainly impact individuals'
      Functional Movement Screen (FMS) scores; however, it is also plausible that the
      movement patterns observed are influenced by the performers' knowledge of the
      grading criteria. Twenty-one firefighters volunteered to participate, and their
      FMS scores were graded before and immediately after receiving knowledge of the
      movement patterns required to achieve a perfect score on the FMS. Standardized
      verbal instructions were used to administer both screens, and the participants
      were not provided with any coaching or feedback. Time-synchronized sagittal and
      frontal plane videos were used to grade the FMS. The firefighters significantly
      (p < 0.001) improved their FMS scores from 14.1 (1.8) to 16.7 (1.9) when provided
      with knowledge pertaining to the specific grading criteria. Significant
      improvements (p < 0.05) were also noted in the deep squat (1.4 [0.7]-2.0 [0.6]),
      hurdle step (2.1 [0.4]-2.4 [0.5]), in-line lunge (2.1 [0.4]-2.7 [0.5]), and
      shoulder mobility (1.8 [0.8]-2.4 [0.7]) tests. Because a knowledge of a task's
      grading criteria can alter a general whole-body movement screen score, FMS or
      otherwise, observed changes may not solely reflect "dysfunction." The instant
      that individuals are provided with coaching and feedback regarding their
      performance on a particular task, the task may lose its utility to evaluate the
      transfer of training or predict musculoskeletal injury risk.

PMID- 26502272
TI  - Cold Vs. Heat After Exercise-Is There a Clear Winner for Muscle Soreness.
AB  - Because of the differences in the exercise type, temperature, and timing of the
      use of cold and heat after exercise in different studies, there is no clear
      conclusion as to the efficacy of either modality on reducing delayed onset muscle
      soreness. One hundred subjects at similar fitness levels were examined. They
      accomplished leg squats for 15 minutes and heat and cold were applied after or 24
      hours after exercise using ThermaCare heat or cold wraps. Measurements obtained
      were strength, the force to passively move the knee, analog visual pain scales,
      and blood myoglobin. Control subjects lost 24% strength after exercise. Subjects
      with heat or cold just after exercise only lost 4% strength (p < 0.01). For
      strength recovery, cold applied after 24 hours was better than heat at 24 hours.
      Heat or cold applied after exercise was significantly better to prevent elastic
      tissue damage (p < 0.01), whereas heat and cold immediately after exercise caused
      no loss in muscle myoglobin and heat or cold after 24 hours showed no less muscle
      damage from myoglobin than in control subjects. Myoglobin in the control and heat
      and cold 24-hour groups averaged 135.1% of the baseline data but averaged 106.1%
      of baseline in the immediate heat and cold groups. For reducing pain, control
      subjects showed a significant amount of pain the days after exercise. But cold
      immediately after exercise or 24 hours later was superior to heat in reducing
      pain. In conclusion, both cold and heat appear to be efficacious in reducing
      muscle damage after exercise.

PMID- 26502273
TI  - The Molecular Influence of Graphene and Graphene Oxide on the Immune System Under
      In Vitro and In Vivo Conditions.
AB  - Graphene and graphene oxide (GO), due to their physicochemical properties and
      biocompatibility, can be used as an innovative biomedical material in
      biodetection, drug distribution in the body, treating neoplasms, regenerative
      medicine, and in implant surgery. Research on the biomedical use of graphene and
      GO that has been carried out until now is very promising and shows that carbon
      nanomaterials present high biocompatibility. However, the intolerance of the
      immune system to graphene nanomaterials, however low, may in consequence make it
      impossible to use them in medicine. This paper shows the specific mechanism of
      the molecular influence of graphene and GO on macrophages and lymphocytes under
      in vitro and in vivo conditions and their practical application in medicine.
      Under in vitro conditions graphene and GO cause an increased production of pro
      inflammatory cytokines, mainly IL-1, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-alpha, as a result of
      the activation of Toll-like receptors in macrophages. Graphene activates
      apoptosis in macrophages through the TGFbr/Smad/Bcl-2 pathway and also through
      JNK kinases that are stimulated by an increase of ROS in the cell or through a
      signal received by Smad proteins. Under in vivo conditions, graphene
      nanomaterials induce the development of the local inflammatory reaction and the
      development of granulomas in parenchymal organs. However, there is a huge
      discrepancy between the results obtained by different research groups, which
      requires a detailed analysis. In this work we decided to collect and analyze
      existing research and tried to explain the discrepancies. Understanding the
      precise mechanism of how this nanomaterial influences immune system cells allows
      estimating the potential influence of grapheme and GO on the human body. 

PMID- 26502274
TI  - Preparation of Silicon-Carbon-Based Dots@Dopamine and Its Application in
      Intracellular Ag(+) Detection and Cell Imaging.
AB  - A novel nanocomposite, silicon-carbon-based dots@dopamine (Si-CDs@DA) was
      prepared using (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane, glycerol, and dopamine as raw
      materials via a rapid microwave-assisted irradiation. This type of Si-CDs@DA
      exhibited ultrabright fluorescence emission (quantum yield of 12.4%) and could
      response to Ag(+) selectively and sensitively. Moreover, the obtained Si-CDs@DA
      can be further applied in sensing intracellular Ag(+) and cell imaging, because
      of its photostability, salt stability, and low cytotoxicity. This study provides
      a simple and efficient approach for preparing novel Ag(+) fluorescent probes,
      which could expand the application of carbon nanomaterials in designing related
      biosensors. 

PMID- 26502276
TI  - Posterior Uveitis.
AB  - Posterior uveitis is a major cause of ocular morbidity worldwide. Systemic
      corticosteroids (CS) remain the primary method of treatment for noninfectious
      posterior uveitis; however, CS are associated with many side effects.
      Immunomodulatory therapy (IMT) is recommended when inflammatory control is not
      attained with a tolerable level of systemic CS (<10 mg/day of prednisone). IMT
      agents are associated with several toxicities and limited benefits in some
      patients. Locally administered therapies (e.g. intravitreal CS implants) offer
      the promise of providing therapeutic levels of anti-inflammatory agents while
      avoiding systemic complications. This chapter will briefly discuss common
      posterior uveitis entities that are amenable to retinal pharmacotherapy.

PMID- 26502275
TI  - Annotation of the Staphylococcus aureus Metabolome Using Liquid Chromatography
      Coupled to High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry and Application to the Study of
      Methicillin Resistance.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus can cause a variety of severe disease patterns and can
      readily acquire antibiotic resistance; however, the mechanisms by which this
      commensal becomes a pathogen or develops antibiotic resistance are still poorly
      understood. Here we asked whether metabolomics can be used to distinguish
      bacterial strains with different antibiotic susceptibilities. Thus, an efficient
      and robust method was first thoroughly implemented to measure the intracellular
      metabolites of S. aureus in an unbiased and reproducible manner. We also placed
      special emphasis on metabolome coverage and annotation and used both hydrophilic
      interaction liquid chromatography and pentafluorophenyl-propyl columns coupled to
      high-resolution mass spectrometry in conjunction with our spectral database
      developed in-house to identify with high confidence as many meaningful S. aureus
      metabolites as possible. Overall, we were able to characterize up to 210
      metabolites in S. aureus, which represents a substantial ~50% improvement over
      previously published data. We then preliminarily compared the metabolic profiles
      of 10 clinically relevant methicillin-resistant and susceptible strains harvested
      at different time points during the exponential growth phase (without any
      antibiotic exposure). Interestingly, the resulting data revealed a distinct
      behavior of "slow-growing" resistant strains, which show modified levels of
      several precursors of peptidoglycan and capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis. 

PMID- 26502277
TI  - Doing More vs. Doing Good: Aligning Our Ethical Principles From the Personal to
      the Societal.

PMID- 26502278
TI  - Hydroxyethylamine Based Phthalimides as New Class of Plasmepsin Hits: Design,
      Synthesis and Antimalarial Evaluation.
AB  - A novel class of phthalimides functionalized with privileged scaffolds was
      designed, synthesized and evaluated as potential inhibitors of plasmepsin 2 (Ki:
      0.99 +/- 0.1 MUM for 6u) and plasmepsin 4 (Ki: 3.3 +/- 0.3 MUM for 6t), enzymes
      found in the digestive vacuole of the plasmodium parasite and considered as
      crucial drug targets. Three compounds were identified as potential candidates for
      further development. The listed compounds were also assayed for their
      antimalarial efficacy against chloroquine (CQ) sensitive strain (3D7) of
      Plasmodium falciparum. Assay of twenty seven hydroxyethylamine derivatives
      revealed four (5e, 6j, 6o and 6s) as strongly active, which were further
      evaluated against CQ resistant strain (7GB) of P. falciparum. Compound 5e
      possessing the piperidinopiperidine moiety exhibited promising antimalarial
      activity with an IC50 of 1.16 +/- 0.04 MUM. Further, compounds 5e, 6j, 6o and 6s
      exhibited low cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cell line. Compound 6s possessing C2
      symmetry was identified as the least cytotoxic with significant antimalarial
      activity (IC50: 1.30 +/- 0.03 MUM). The combined presence of hydroxyethylamine
      and cyclic amines (piperazines and piperidines) was observed as crucial for the
      activity. The current studies suggest that hydroxyethylamine based molecules act
      as potent antimalarial agent and may be helpful in drug development. 

PMID- 26502280
TI  - Micronutrient status and intake in omnivores, vegetarians and vegans in
      Switzerland.
AB  - PURPOSE: Vegetarian and vegan diets have gained popularity in Switzerland. The
      nutritional status of individuals who have adopted such diets, however, has not
      been investigated. The aim of this study was to assess the intake and status of
      selected vitamins and minerals among vegetarian and vegan adults living in
      Switzerland. METHODS: Healthy adults [omnivores (OVs), n OV = 100; vegetarians
      (VGs), n VG = 53; vegans (VNs), n VN = 53] aged 18-50 years were recruited, and
      their weight and height were measured. Plasma concentrations of the vitamins A,
      C, E, B1, B2, B6, B12, folic acid, pantothenic acid, niacin, biotin and beta
      carotene and of the minerals Fe, Mg and Zn and urinary iodine concentration were
      determined. Dietary intake was assessed using a three-day weighed food record,
      and questionnaires were issued in order to assess the physical activity and
      lifestyle of the subjects. RESULTS: Omnivores had the lowest intake of Mg,
      vitamin C, vitamin E, niacin and folic acid. Vegans reported low intakes of Ca
      and a marginal consumption of the vitamins D and B12. The highest prevalence for
      vitamin and mineral deficiencies in each group was as follows: in the omnivorous
      group, for folic acid (58 %); in the vegetarian group, for vitamin B6 and niacin
      (58 and 34 %, respectively); and in the vegan group, for Zn (47 %). Despite
      negligible dietary vitamin B12 intake in the vegan group, deficiency of this
      particular vitamin was low in all groups thanks to widespread use of supplements.
      Prevalence of Fe deficiency was comparable across all diet groups. CONCLUSIONS:
      Despite substantial differences in intake and deficiency between groups, our
      results indicate that by consuming a well-balanced diet including supplements or
      fortified products, all three types of diet can potentially fulfill requirements
      for vitamin and mineral consumption.

PMID- 26502281
TI  - Development and regulatory application of microRNA biomarkers.
AB  - MicroRNAs, a class of regulatory small non-coding RNAs, are emerging as promising
      biomarkers for different health outcomes. Due to their tissue specificity,
      stability in extracellular space and high conservation between preclinical test
      species, applications of novel miRNA-based biomarkers for drug safety testing
      regarding hepatotoxicity and cardiotoxicity are investigated. Furthermore, miRNA
      expression is altered by environmental exposure such as cigarette smoke or
      polychlorinated biphenyls. As a consequence, miRNAs potentially influence tumor
      suppressor genes and oncogenes and may influence carcinogenesis. This has raised
      the interest in the use of miRNA profiles for health risk assessment. This review
      summarizes the recent developments in miRNA research with focus on biomarkers for
      drug safety testing and biomarkers for health outcomes related to environmental
      exposures. 

PMID- 26502282
TI  - Penile Strangulation Caused by a Seal Ring.

PMID- 26502283
TI  - An Online Assessment of Personality, Psychological, and Sexuality Trait Variables
      Associated with Self-Reported Hypersexual Behavior.
AB  - "Hypersexual" behavior represents a perceived inability to control one's sexual
      behavior. To investigate hypersexual behavior, an international sample of 510
      self-identified heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual men and women completed an
      anonymous online self-report questionnaire battery. In addition to age and sex
      (male), hypersexual behavior was related to higher scores on measures of sexual
      excitation, sexual inhibition due to the threat of performance failure, trait
      impulsivity, and both depressed mood and anxiety. In contrast, hypersexual
      behavior was related to lower scores on sexual inhibition due to the threat of
      performance consequences. Higher neuroticism and extraversion, as well as lower
      agreeableness and conscientiousness, also predicted hypersexual behavior.
      Interestingly, interactions among the variables assessed did not significantly
      predict hypersexual behavior, suggesting the possible existence of multiple and
      predominantly independent taxa for various persons reporting hypersexual
      behavior. Core personality features may also be present in persons with
      hypersexual behavior. Clinical implications and future research directions are
      discussed.

PMID- 26502284
TI  - E-Cigarette Awareness, Perceptions and Use among Community-Recruited Smokers in
      Hong Kong.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are being increasingly used. We
      examined the correlates associated with e-cigarette awareness, use and perceived
      effectiveness in smoking cessation among Chinese daily smokers in Hong Kong.
      METHODS: Daily smokers (N = 1,307) were recruited to a community-based randomised
      controlled trial ('Quit to Win') in 2014. Socio-demographic characteristics,
      conventional cigarette smoking status, nicotine addiction level, quit attempts,
      quit intention, e-cigarette awareness, use and perceived effectiveness on
      quitting were reported at baseline and 1-week follow-up. Multivariate logistic
      regression was used to identify factors associated with e-cigarette awareness,
      use and perceived effectiveness in quitting. RESULTS: Most smokers (82.6%, 95% CI
      80.2%-84.9%) had heard about e-cigarettes, and 13.3% (11.3%-15.5%) ever used e
      cigarettes. Most users (74.1%) and non-users (91.2%) did not perceive e
      cigarettes as effective in quitting. Being younger and having a larger family
      income were associated with e-cigarette awareness. Being younger, a tertiary
      education and a stronger addiction to nicotine were associated with e-cigarette
      use, which was itself associated with lower levels of intention to quit and had
      no association with attempts to quit (P for trend 0.45). E-cigarette use, the
      last quit attempt being a month earlier, having made a quit attempt lasting 24
      hours or longer and perceiving quitting as important were all associated with the
      perceived effectiveness of e-cigarettes in quitting (all P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      Among community-recruited smokers who intended to quit, awareness of e-cigarettes
      was high, but most did not perceive e-cigarettes as effective in quitting.
      Correlates concerning e-cigarette perceptions and use will help to inform
      prospective studies, public education and policy on controlling e-cigarettes.

PMID- 26502285
TI  - Polyethylenimine-interlayered core-shell-satellite 3D magnetic microspheres as
      versatile SERS substrates.
AB  - Precise fabrication of subtle nanogaps amid individual nanoparticles or between
      adjacent ones to obtain the highest SERS enhancement is still a challenge. Here,
      we reported a novel approach for fabricating core-shell-satellite 3D magnetic
      microspheres (CSSM), that easily form a porous 1.5 nm PEI interlayer to
      accommodate molecules and create sufficient hotspots between the inner Fe3O4@Ag
      core and outer assembled Au@Ag satellites. Experiments and finite-difference time
      domain (FDTD) simulation demonstrated that the enhancement factor (EF) was about
      2.03 * 10(8) and 6.25 * 10(6), respectively. In addition, the micro-scale
      magnetic core endowed the CSSM with a superior magnetic nature, which enabled
      easy separation and further enhanced Raman signals due to enrichment of targeted
      analytes and abundant interparticle hotspots created by magnetism-induced
      aggregation. Our results further demonstrated that the CSSM is expected to be a
      versatile SERS substrate, which has been verified by the detection of the
      adsorbed pesticide thiram and the non-adsorbed pesticide paraquat with a
      detection limit as low as 5 * 10(-12) M and 1 * 10(-10) M, respectively. The
      novel CSSM can overcome the long-standing limitations of SERS for the trace
      characterization of various analytes in different solutions and promises to
      transform SERS into a practical analytical technique. 

PMID- 26502287
TI  - Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion During Pregnancy in Women with
      Complicated Type 1 Diabetes Is Associated with Better Glycemic Control but Not
      with Improvement in Pregnancy Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate maternal and fetal pregnancy
      outcomes of women with type 1 diabetes managed on continuous subcutaneous insulin
      infusion (CSII) compared with multiple daily insulin injections (MDI). SUBJECTS
      AND METHODS: Pregnancy outcomes were assessed retrospectively in women with type
      1 diabetes who were patients of the Diabetes Clinic of North Karelia Hospital
      (Joensuu, Finland) between 2000 and 2012. The medical records of 72 women
      experiencing 135 pregnancies and data of their infants were retrospectively
      reviewed. RESULTS: In total, 48 pregnancies were treated with CSII and 87 with
      MDI. Women on CSII treatment were older and had more diabetes complications
      compared with women on MDI. No significant differences in glycated hemoglobin
      (HbA1c) levels were observed between the CSII and MDI groups before or during
      pregnancy. Maternal or fetal outcomes did not differ between the treatment
      groups. However, among women with complicated diabetes, HbA1c levels were
      significantly lower in the CSII group until the second trimester (prepregnancy,
      7.22% vs. 8.14%, respectively [P = 0.034]; first trimester, 6.85% vs. 7.87% [P <
      0.001]; second trimester, 6.41% vs. 7.03% [P = 0.029]) without an increased rate
      of maternal hypoglycemia. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy outcomes were similar regardless
      of insulin treatment modality. Although using an insulin pump did not result in
      improvement of pregnancy outcomes, it allowed for better glycemic control in
      pregnancies of women with complicated diabetes. Therefore, it is worth
      considering in high-risk T1DM pregnancies, especially if good glycemic control is
      not achieved otherwise.

PMID- 26502286
TI  - Interactions between Hepatitis C Virus and the Human Apolipoprotein H Acute Phase
      Protein: A Tool for a Sensitive Detection of the Virus.
AB  - The Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection exhibits a high global prevalence
      frequently associated with hepatocellular carcinoma, taking years to develop.
      Despite the standardization of highly sensitive HCV quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR)
      detection methods, false-negative diagnoses may be generated with current
      methods, mainly due to the presence of PCR inhibitors and/or low viral loads in
      the patient's sample. These false-negative diagnoses impact both public health
      systems, in developing countries, and an in lesser extent, in developed
      countries, including both the risk of virus transmission during organ
      transplantation and/or blood transfusion and the quality of the antiviral
      treatment monitoring. To adopt an appropriate therapeutic strategy to improve the
      patient's prognosis, it is urgent to increase the HCV detection sensitivity.
      Based upon previous studies on HBV, we worked on the capacity of the scavenger
      acute phase protein, Apolipoprotein H (ApoH) to interact with HCV. Using
      different approaches, including immunoassays, antibody-inhibition, oxidation,
      ultracentrifugation, electron microscopy and RT-PCR analyses, we demonstrated
      specific interactions between HCV particles and ApoH. Moreover, when using a two
      step HCV detection process, including capture of HCV by ApoH-coated nanomagnetic
      beads and a home-made real-time HCV-RT-PCR, we confirmed the presence of HCV for
      all samples from a clinical collection of HCV-seropositive patients exhibiting an
      RT-PCR COBAS(r) TaqMan(r) HCV Test, v2.0 (COBAS)-positive result. In contrast,
      for HCV-seropositive patients with either low HCV-load as determined with COBAS
      or exhibiting HCV-negative COBAS results, the addition of the two-step ApoH-HCV
      capture and HCV-detection process was able to increase the sensitivity of HCV
      detection or more interestingly, detect in a genotype sequence-independent
      manner, a high-proportion (44%) of HCV/RNA-positive among the COBAS HCV-negative
      patients. Thus, the immune interaction between ApoH and HCV could be used as a
      sample preparation tool to enrich and/or cleanse HCV patient's samples to enhance
      the detection sensitivity of HCV and therefore significantly reduce the numbers
      of false-negative HCV diagnosis results. 

PMID- 26502288
TI  - Visceral adiposity index as a predictor of clinical severity and therapeutic
      outcome of PCOS.
AB  - Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine-metabolic disease which
      often accompany with abnormal fat distribution. Visceral adiposity has
      association with abnormal lipid metabolic, pro-inflammatory activity, insulin
      resistance (IR) and hyperandrogenism. Increased visceral adiposity raises the
      risk of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular (CV) events, and
      aggravates ovulatory dysfunction and hyperandrogenism in PCOS women. Visceral
      adiposity index (VAI), a simple surrogate maker of visceral adipose dysfunction
      and visceral adiposity, is a predictor of IR, and link hyperinsulinemia,
      hyperandrogenism and anovulation. This review aims to discuss the visceral
      adiposity situation in PCOS women, and suggests that VAI may be a useful
      predictor of clinical severity and therapeutic outcome of PCOS. 

PMID- 26502289
TI  - Previous and future use of HIV self-testing: a survey of Australian gay and
      bisexual men.
AB  - Background The awareness and previous and intended use of HIV self-testing (HST),
      and the associated factors, among Australian gay and bisexual men (GBM) was
      investigated. METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in
      Australia during 2012. Of 1410 respondents, 559 non-HIV-positive men answered
      questions about HST. RESULTS: Men reported reasons for having avoided or delayed
      HIV testing, most of which could be broadly categorised as: the inconvenience of
      current testing procedures; concerns about privacy; and a belief that they had
      not done anything risky. Over one-third of men (39.7%) were aware that HST was
      available internationally, with 1.6% having accessed HST through online purchase.
      The majority of men in the study indicated that they would be 'likely' (36.5%) or
      'very likely' (34.3%) to use HST if it was available in Australia. Also, 36.7%
      indicated they would test partners they met at sex-on-site venues, and 73.2%
      would test partners with whom they were already acquainted. Nearly half (47.6%)
      indicated that having the capacity to test themselves at home would likely
      increase their testing frequency. Men who had engaged in unprotected anal
      intercourse, who were not gay-identified, and who indicated inconvenience issues
      with using clinic-based HIV testing were more likely to indicate a willingness to
      use HST. Many men indicated they would be likely to offer HST to at least some of
      their sex partners. CONCLUSION: Many GBM who engage in HIV risk behaviours would
      appreciate HST, and may be encouraged to test more often, as it may alleviate
      their concerns about testing.

PMID- 26502290
TI  - IOM REPORT ON PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS FOR MENTAL AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS:
      THE INTERPERSONAL PSYCHOTHERAPY PERSPECTIVE.

PMID- 26502291
TI  - [Functional and Somatoform Disorders in the Mirror of ICD-10 Routine Data].
AB  - The ICD-10 offers the possibility of double coding of diagnoses in functional
      disorders on the one hand, somatoform disorders on the other side. The current S3
      guideline for "dealing with patients with non-specific, functional and somatoform
      physical complaints" states that "[...] in most cases, the specialty of the
      (initial) examiner and not the clinical constellation seems to define how a
      diagnosis is made". Based on selective routine data of the Daimler BKK for the
      years 2008-2010 frequencies of specific functional diagnoses were compared with
      those of somatoform disorders, additional diagnoses analyzed and compared with
      epidemiological data from the Federal Health Monitoring System. The incidence
      found in epidemiological studies of somatoform disorders cannot be found in
      present routine data. Functional disorders were more frequently diagnosed than
      somatoform disorders. Certain additional diagnoses that may provide clues to
      etiological relations are rarely used. As the validity, reliability and purpose
      of ICD-10 invoicing diagnoses is debatable, there seems to be an imbalance
      relevant for the health care system. Non-adherence to the guidelines may prevent
      adequate quality and quantity of patient care. 

PMID- 26502292
TI  - Asymmetric Hearing Loss in Chinese Workers Exposed to Complex Noise.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the audiometric asymmetry in Chinese industrial workers and
      investigate the effects of noise exposure, sex, and binaural average thresholds
      on audiometric asymmetry. DESIGN: Data collected from Chinese industrial workers
      during a cross-sectional study were reanalyzed. Of the 1388 workers, 266 met the
      inclusion criteria for this study. Each subject underwent a physical examination
      and an otologic examination and completed a health-related questionnaire. chi and
      t tests were used to examine the differences between the asymmetric and symmetric
      hearing loss groups. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-one subjects (49.2%) had a
      binaural hearing threshold difference of 15 dB or more for at least one
      frequency, and there was no statistically significant difference between the left
      and right ears. The asymmetric hearing loss group was not exposed to higher
      cumulative noise levels (t = 0.522, p = 0.602), and there was no dose-response
      relation between asymmetry and cumulative noise levels (chi = 6.502, p = 0.165).
      Men were 1.849 times more likely to have asymmetry than women were (95%
      confidence interval, 1.051 to 3.253). Among the workers with higher high
      frequency hearing thresholds, audiometric asymmetry was 1.024 times more
      prevalent than that among those with lower high-frequency hearing thresholds (95%
      confidence interval, 1.004 to 1.044). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that
      occupational noise exposure contributed minimally to asymmetry, whereas sex and
      binaural average thresholds significantly affected audiometric asymmetry. There
      was no evidence that the left ears were worse than the right ears.

PMID- 26502293
TI  - Validation of an educational program balancing surgeon training and surgical
      quality control during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To establish a mentoring program that allows novice surgeons to use
      robotics while maintaining surgical quality during robot-assisted radical
      prostatectomy. METHODS: A total of 242 cases of robot-assisted radical
      prostatectomy for patients with localized prostate cancer were considered for
      this study. Each novice surgeon carried out a step-by-step robot-assisted radical
      prostatectomy procedure by following technical checkpoints and time limits that
      were established on the basis of previous surgical performance by a mentor. If
      technical checkpoints could not be accomplished, or the times were being
      exceeded, a mentor replaced the novice surgeon to finish the operative step or
      the surgery. Furthermore, if total blood loss exceeded 500 mL, a mentor completed
      the surgery. The primary end-point was the number of cases required for a new
      surgeon to successfully complete the entire robot-assisted radical prostatectomy
      procedure. Clinicopathological outcomes and any cases that deviated more than the
      standard deviation were also analyzed. RESULTS: Median patient age, serum
      prostate-specific antigen level (ng/mL), and Gleason score at diagnosis were 68
      years, 7.6 and 7, respectively. Mean console and total operative times were 184
      and 237 min, respectively. Mean perioperative blood loss was 300 mL. Seven out of
      eight new surgeons finished the total procedure after 10.7 cases (range 8-12).
      Four cases (1.7%) exceeded perioperative total blood loss and operative time.
      Positive surgical margin rates for total, T2, and T3 were 22, 9.3 and 47%,
      respectively. Positive surgical margin localized at bladder neck 19%, lateral
      lobe 39%, apex 32% and peripheral fat 9.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Herein we demonstrate an
      institutional mentoring program that effectively balances surgeon robot-assisted
      radical prostatectomy training and surgical quality control.

PMID- 26502295
TI  - Pretransplant renal function according to CKD-EPI cystatin C equation is a
      prognostic factor of death after liver transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: In patients with cirrhosis, cystatin C (CystC) based equations
      may be more accurate indicators of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) than
      creatinine (Pcr) based equations. Renal function before liver transplantation
      (LT) is thought to impact survival after LT. We aimed at assessing pretransplant
      creatinine and CystC based equations with respect to their predictive value on
      long-term survival after LT. METHODS: From 2001 to 2011, CystC was determined at
      pre-LT evaluation in 682 patients together with GFR assessed using MDRD-4, MDRD
      6, CKD-EPI-cystatin C, CKD-EPI-creatinine and CKD-EPI-creatinine-cystatin C
      equations. Patients were classified according to the Kidney Disease Outcomes
      Quality Initiative classification (KDOQI). RESULTS: Median age at LT was 55 [49
      60] years with a median MELD score of 13.5 [8.3-19.2] and a median post
      transplant follow-up of 60 [26-89] months. Using CKD-EPI Cystatin C and the KDOQI
      classification, 21.1% of patients were stage 1, 43.1% stage 2, 29.1% stage 3 and
      6.5% stage 4. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were significantly different
      between KDOQI stages when determined using the CKD-EPI-CystatinC equation. This
      was not the case when using the other equations. At multivariate analysis, GFR
      and KDOQI estimated using the CKD-EPI-CystatinC equation were significantly
      associated with death (HR: 0.992; CI95%: 0.986-0.999 and 1.24; CI95%: 1.02-1.50
      respectively). When assessed using the MDRD-4, MDRD-6, CKD-EPI-Creatinine
      CystatinC and CKD-EPI-Creatinine equations GFR was not significantly associated
      with death. CONCLUSIONS: Estimated pre-LT renal function is predictive of post-LT
      survival only when assessed using the CKD-EPI cystatin C equation. This supports
      the use of Cystatine C and of its related equation for the assessment of renal
      function before liver transplantation.

PMID- 26502294
TI  - Neurobehavioral development of common marmoset monkeys.
AB  - Common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) monkeys are a resource for biomedical
      research and their use is predicted to increase due to the suitability of this
      species for transgenic approaches. Identification of abnormal neurodevelopment
      due to genetic modification relies upon the comparison with validated patterns of
      normal behavior defined by unbiased methods. As scientists unfamiliar with
      nonhuman primate development are interested to apply genomic editing techniques
      in marmosets, it would be beneficial to the field that the investigators use
      validated methods of postnatal evaluation that are age and species appropriate.
      This review aims to analyze current available data on marmoset physical and
      behavioral postnatal development, describe the methods used and discuss next
      steps to better understand and evaluate marmoset normal and abnormal postnatal
      neurodevelopment.

PMID- 26502296
TI  - Direct detection of illicit drugs from biological fluids by desorption/ionization
      mass spectrometry with nanoporous silicon microparticles.
AB  - Surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS) is a
      high throughput analytical technique capable of detecting low molecular weight
      analytes, including illicit drugs, and with potential applications in forensic
      toxicology as well as athlete and workplace testing, particularly for biological
      fluids (oral fluids, urine and blood). However, successful detection of illicit
      drugs using SALDI-MS often requires extraction steps to reduce the inherent
      complexity of biological fluids. Here, we demonstrate an all-in-one extraction
      and analytical system consisting of hydrophobically functionalized porous silicon
      microparticles (pSi-MPs) for affinity SALDI-MS of prescription and illicit drugs.
      This novel approach allows for the analysis of drugs from multiple biological
      fluids without sample preparation protocols. The effect of pSi-MP size, pore
      diameter, pore depth and functionalization on analytical performance is
      investigated. pSi-MPs were optimized for the rapid and high sensitivity detection
      of methadone, cocaine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). This
      optimized system allowed extraction and detection of methadone from spiked saliva
      and clinical urine samples. Furthermore, by detecting oxycodone in additional
      clinical saliva and plasma samples, we were able to demonstrate the versatility
      of the pSi-MP SALDI-MS technique. 

PMID- 26502297
TI  - Early [18F]FET-PET in Gliomas after Surgical Resection: Comparison with MRI and
      Histopathology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The precise definition of the post-operative resection status in high
      grade gliomas (HGG) is crucial for further management. We aimed to assess the
      feasibility of assessment of the resection status with early post-operative
      positron emission tomography (PET) using [18F]O-(2-[18F]-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine
      ([18F]FET). METHODS: 25 patients with the suspicion of primary HGG were enrolled.
      All patients underwent pre-operative [18F]FET-PET and magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI). Intra-operatively, resection status was assessed using 5-aminolevulinic
      acid (5-ALA). Imaging was repeated within 72 h after neurosurgery. Post-operative
      [18F]FET-PET was compared with MRI, intra-operative assessment and clinical
      follow-up. RESULTS: [18F]FET-PET, MRI and intra-operative assessment consistently
      revealed complete resection in 12/25 (48%) patients and incomplete resection in
      6/25 cases (24%). In 7 patients, PET revealed discordant findings. One patient
      was re-resected. 3/7 experienced tumor recurrence, 3/7 died shortly after brain
      surgery. CONCLUSION: Early assessment of the resection status in HGG with
      [18F]FET-PET seems to be feasible.

PMID- 26502298
TI  - Neomycin damage and regeneration of hair cells in both mechanoreceptor and
      electroreceptor lateral line organs of the larval Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser
      baerii).
AB  - The lateral line found in some amphibians and fishes has two distinctive classes
      of sensory organs: mechanoreceptors (neuromasts) and electroreceptors (ampullary
      organs). Hair cells in neuromasts can be damaged by aminoglycoside antibiotics
      and they will regenerate rapidly afterward. Aminoglycoside sensitivity and the
      capacity for regeneration have not been investigated in ampullary organs. We
      treated Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) larvae with neomycin and observed
      loss and regeneration of sensory hair cells in both organs by labeling with
      DASPEI and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The numbers of sensory hair cells
      in both organs were reduced to the lowest levels at 6 hours posttreatment (hpt).
      New sensory hair cells began to appear at 12 hpt and were regenerated completely
      in 7 days. To reveal the possible mechanism for ampullary hair cell regeneration,
      we analyzed cell proliferation and the expression of neural placodal gene eya1
      during regeneration. Both cell proliferation and eya1 expression were
      concentrated in peripheral mantle cells and both increased to the highest level
      at 12 hpt, which is consistent with the time course for regeneration of the
      ampullary hair cells. Furthermore, we used Texas Red-conjugated gentamicin in an
      uptake assay following pretreatment with a cation channel blocker (amiloride) and
      found that entry of the antibiotic was suppressed in both organs. Together, our
      results indicate that ampullary hair cells in Siberian sturgeon larvae can be
      damaged by neomycin exposure and they can regenerate rapidly. We suggest that the
      mechanisms for aminoglycoside uptake and hair cell regeneration are conserved for
      mechanoreceptors and electroreceptors. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:1443-1456, 2016. (c)
      2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26502299
TI  - Combined orthodontic-surgical management of a transmigrated mandibular canine.
AB  - The presence of an impacted mandibular canine is one of the most difficult
      challenges that an orthodontist will meet. Orthodontic treatment is planned on an
      individual basis after thoroughly considering the patient's overall facial and
      dentoskeletal characteristics; the duration, risks, and costs of treatment;
      patient preferences; and the orthodontist's experience. This article reports an
      orthodontic treatment of a boy, age 12.9 years, with an impacted mandibular
      canine in the permanent dentition that was successfully managed. Radiographic
      analysis indicated a transmigration of the mandibular right canine. The
      orthodontic treatment plan included extraction of the deciduous right canine
      followed by surgical exposure and ligation of the permanent canine. Eruption was
      properly guided, and the correct position of the tooth was achieved. This
      challenging treatment approach is described in detail, including the mechanics
      used to align the impacted canine. 

PMID- 26502300
TI  - A behavioral economic analysis of the nonmedical use of prescription drugs among
      young adults.
AB  - The nonmedical use of prescription drugs is a widely recognized public health
      issue, and young adults are particularly vulnerable to their use. Behavioral
      economic drug purchase tasks capture an individual's strength of desire and
      motivation for a particular drug. We examined young adult prescription drug
      purchase and consumption patterns using hypothetical behavioral economic purchase
      tasks for prescription sedatives/tranquilizers, stimulants, and opiate pain
      relievers. We also examined relations between demand, use frequency, and
      Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) substance
      use disorder (SUD) symptoms, and sex differences in these relations.
      Undergraduate students who endorsed past-year prescription drug use (N = 393)
      completed an online questionnaire for course credit. Measures assessed substance
      use frequency and DSM-5 SUD symptoms. Hypothetical purchase tasks for sedatives,
      stimulants, and pain relievers assessed participants' consumption and expenditure
      patterns for these substances across 25 prices. Past-year prescription sedative,
      stimulant, and pain reliever use was endorsed by 138, 258, and 189 participants,
      respectively. Among these users, consumption for their respective substance
      decreased as a function of ascending price, as expected. Demand indices for a
      prescription drug were associated with each other and with use frequency and SUD
      symptoms, with variability across substances but largely not by sex. In addition,
      demand for prescription pain relievers differentially predicted symptoms
      independent of use, with differences for females and males. In conclusion,
      hypothetical consumption and expenditure patterns for prescription drugs were
      generally well described by behavioral economic demand curves, and the observed
      associations with use and SUD symptoms provide support for the utility of
      prescription drug purchase tasks. 

PMID- 26502301
TI  - Cardiac Abnormalities in Adult Patients With Polymyositis or Dermatomyositis as
      Assessed by Noninvasive Modalities.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cardiac events are a major cause of death in patients with idiopathic
      inflammatory myopathies. The study objective was in a controlled setting to
      describe cardiac abnormalities by noninvasive methods in a cohort of patients
      with polymyositis (PM) or dermatomyositis (DM) and to identify predictors for
      cardiac dysfunction. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 76 patients with PM/DM
      and 48 matched healthy controls (HCs) were assessed by serum levels of cardiac
      troponin I, electrocardiography, Holter monitoring, echocardiography with tissue
      Doppler imaging, and quantitative cardiac (99m) Tc-pyrophosphate ((99m) Tc-PYP)
      scintigraphy. RESULTS: Compared to HCs, patients with PM/DM more frequently had
      left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) (12% versus 0%; P = 0.02) and
      longer QRS and QT intervals (P = 0.007 and P < 0.0001, respectively). In
      multivariate analysis, factors associated with LVDD were age (P = 0.001), disease
      duration (P = 0.004), presence of myositis-specific or -associated autoantibodies
      (P = 0.05), and high cardiac (99m) Tc-PYP uptake (P = 0.006). In multivariate
      analysis of the pooled data for patients and HCs, a diagnosis of PM/DM (P <
      0.0001) was associated with LVDD. CONCLUSION: Patients with PM or DM had an
      increased prevalence of cardiac abnormalities compared to HCs. LVDD was a common
      occurrence in PM/DM patients and correlated to disease duration. In addition, the
      association of LVDD with myositis-specific or -associated autoantibodies and high
      cardiac (99m) Tc-PYP uptake supports the notion of underlying autoimmunity and
      myocardial inflammation in patients with PM/DM.

PMID- 26502302
TI  - Direct analytical method of contact position effects on the energy-level
      alignments at organic semiconductor/electrode interfaces using photoemission
      spectroscopy combined with Ar gas cluster ion beam sputtering.
AB  - Poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) polymerized with poly(4
      styrenesulfonate) (PSS) is one of the most widely used conducting organic
      electrodes owing to its outstanding optical/electrical properties and high work
      function. Because its work function depends significantly on the molecular
      arrangements between PEDOT and PSS molecules on the surface, the contact position
      of PEDOT: PSS films on organic semiconductors (OSCs) must also be an essential
      consideration. However, existing analysis methods based on in situ
      deposition/analysis are limited in their ability to accurately investigate the
      electronic structures of the buried interface regions under the solution
      processed electrode or OSC layer in organic devices. Therefore, to overcome such
      limitations, we propose a top-down method based on photoemission spectroscopy
      analysis combined with Ar gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) sputtering. Through this
      method, both energy-level alignments and molecular distributions at various
      OSC/electrode interfaces can be successfully characterized without reference to
      any deposition process.

PMID- 26502303
TI  - Rapid area change in pitch-up manoeuvres of small perching birds.
AB  - Rapid pitch-up has been highlighted as a mechanism to generate large lift and
      drag during landing manoeuvres. However, pitching rates had not been measured
      previously in perching birds, and so the direct applicability of computations and
      experiments to observed behaviour was not known. We measure pitch rates in a
      small, wild bird (the black-capped chickadee; Poecile atricapillus), and show
      that these rates are within the parameter range used in experiments. Pitching
      rates were characterized by the shape change number, a metric comparing the rate
      of frontal area increase to acceleration. Black-capped chickadees increase the
      shape change number during perching in direct proportion to their total kinetic
      and potential energy at the start of the manoeuvre. The linear relationship
      between dissipated energy and shape change number is in accordance with a simple
      analytical model developed for two-dimensional pitching and decelerating
      airfoils. Black-capped chickadees use a wing pitch-up manoeuvre during perching
      to dissipate energy quickly while maintaining lift and drag through rapid area
      change. It is suggested that similar pitch-and-decelerate manoeuvres could be
      used to aid in the controlled, precise landings of small manoeuvrable air
      vehicles. 

PMID- 26502304
TI  - Making the Invisible Visible: Imaging of Traumatic Brain Injury.

PMID- 26502305
TI  - Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Traumatic Brain Injury: Why, When, and How?
AB  - Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and angiography (MRA) provide
      invaluable information in the evaluation of patients with all stages and grades
      of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The information obtained with MRI provides a
      more complete assessment of the patient's brain injury and possible long-term
      sequelae. 

PMID- 26502306
TI  - Diffusion Tensor Imaging of TBI: Potentials and Challenges.
AB  - Neuroimaging plays a critical role in the setting in traumatic brain injury
      (TBI). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is an advanced magnetic resonance imaging
      technique that is capable of providing rich information on the brain's
      neuroanatomic connectome. The purpose of this article is to systematically review
      the role of DTI and advanced diffusion techniques in the setting of TBI,
      including diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), neurite orientation dispersion and
      density imaging, diffusion spectrum imaging, and q-ball imaging. We discuss
      clinical applications of DTI and review the DTI literature as it pertains to TBI.
      Despite the continued advancements in DTI and related diffusion techniques over
      the past 20 years, DTI techniques are sensitive for TBI at the group level only
      and there is insufficient evidence that DTI plays a role at the individual level.
      We conclude by discussing future directions in DTI research in TBI including the
      role of machine learning in the pattern classification of TBI. 

PMID- 26502307
TI  - Evaluating the Role of Reduced Oxygen Saturation and Vascular Damage in Traumatic
      Brain Injury Using Magnetic Resonance Perfusion-Weighted Imaging and
      Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging and Mapping.
AB  - The cerebral vasculature, along with neurons and axons, is vulnerable to
      biomechanical insult during traumatic brain injury (TBI). Trauma-induced vascular
      injury is still an underinvestigated area in TBI research. Cerebral blood flow
      and metabolism could be important future treatment targets in neural critical
      care. Magnetic resonance imaging offers a number of key methods to probe vascular
      injury and its relationship with traumatic hemorrhage, perfusion deficits, venous
      blood oxygen saturation changes, and resultant tissue damage. They make it
      possible to image the hemodynamics of the brain, monitor regional damage, and
      potentially show changes induced in the brain's function not only acutely but
      also longitudinally following treatment. These methods have recently been used to
      show that even mild TBI (mTBI) subjects can have vascular abnormalities, and thus
      they provide a major step forward in better diagnosing mTBI patients. 

PMID- 26502308
TI  - Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) provides a noninvasive tool to assess
      metabolic change in the brain following head injury. Observable metabolites
      reflect neuronal density and viability, glial density, membrane injury, and
      hypoxia or ischemia. MRS has been used in traumatic brain injury (TBI) research
      for nearly 20 years and this article reviews the MRS findings in the adult TBI
      population.Although MRS observations are heterogeneous, there are consistent
      patterns in TBI with the neuronal metabolite N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA)
      significantly reduced in the vast majority of studies, while the membrane related
      choline signal (Cho) is almost equally found to be elevated. The glial
      metabolites myo-inositol is often observed to be increased postinjury and this
      elevation persists into the chronic phase, which is interpreted as revealing
      gliosis. Observation of elevated lactate levels are sporadic and mainly in acute
      studies in severely injured subjects. In general, these spectral changes show a
      dependency on injury severity and acute changes relate to both neuropsychological
      deficits and to long-term outcome. 

PMID- 26502309
TI  - Arterial Spin Labeling Magnetic Resonance Perfusion for Traumatic Brain Injury:
      Technical Challenges and Potentials.
AB  - Traumatic brain injury (TBI), including concussion, is a public health concern,
      as it affects over 1.7 million persons in the United States per year. Yet, the
      diagnosis of TBI, particularly mild TBI (mTBI), can be controversial, as
      neuroimaging findings can be sparse on conventional magnetic resonance and
      computed tomography examinations, and when present, often poorly correlate with
      clinical signs and symptoms. Furthermore, the discussion of TBI, concussion, and
      head impact exposure is immediately complicated by the many differing opinions of
      what constitutes each, their respective severities, and how the underlying
      biomechanics of the inciting head impact might alter the distribution, severity,
      and prognosis of the underlying brain injury. Advanced imaging methodologies hold
      promise in improving the sensitivity and detectability of associated imaging
      biomarkers that might better correlate with patient outcome and prognostication,
      allowing for improved triage and therapeutic guidance in the setting of TBI,
      particularly in mTBI. This work will examine the defining symptom complex
      associated with mTBI and explore changes in cerebral blood flow measured by
      arterial spin labeling, as a potential imaging biomarker for TBI, and briefly
      correlate these observations with findings identified by single photon emission
      computed tomography and positron emission tomography imaging. 

PMID- 26502311
TI  - Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies and Fragments: Bevacizumab.
AB  - Bevacizumab (Avastin) is a recombinant humanized monoclonal immunoglobulin
      antibody that has two antigen-binding domains and blocks all active forms of
      vascular endothelial growth factor-A. It was originally designed and is still in
      use as antitumor agent (for colorectal and non-small cell lung cancers). Besides
      inhibiting vessel growth and neovascularization, the drug promotes the regression
      of existing microvessels and induces 'normalization' of surviving mature
      vasculature, stabilizes vessels and prevents leakage. Its molecular weight is 149
      kDa and its estimated terminal half-life is approximately 20 days for both men
      and women. The effectiveness and safety of bevacizumab was proven in
      retrospective and prospective controlled clinical trials for the treatment of
      neovascular age-related macular degeneration, neovascularization in proliferative
      diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, retinal vein occlusion and
      retinopathy of prematurity, especially for zone I. Uncontrolled trials have shown
      its effectiveness in various other conditions as myopic and uveitic choroidal
      neovascularization and neovascular glaucoma. There are no absolute
      contraindications to intravitreal injection though it is recommended to withhold
      treatment in patients who have recently suffered from a cardiovascular or
      cerebrovascular event and during pregnancy. Ocular complications from
      intravitreal use are usually mild and transient (corneal abrasion, chemosis,
      subconjunctival hemorrhage and vitreous hemorrhage). Bacterial endophthalmitis is
      rare (about 0.1%). New or progressive subretinal hemorrhages, tears of the
      retinal pigment epithelium and an increased incidence of geographic atrophy have
      also been reported.

PMID- 26502310
TI  - A flexible nested sodium and proton coil array with wideband matching for knee
      cartilage MRI at 3T.
AB  - PURPOSE: We describe a 2 * 6 channel sodium/proton array for knee MRI at 3T.
      Multielement coil arrays are desirable because of well-known signal-to-noise
      ratio advantages over volume and single-element coils. However, low tissue-coil
      coupling that is characteristic of coils operating at low frequency can make the
      potential gains from a phased array difficult to realize. METHODS: The issue of
      low tissue-coil coupling in the developed six-channel sodium receive array was
      addressed by implementing 1) a mechanically flexible former to minimize the coil
      to-tissue distance and reduce the overall diameter of the array and 2) a wideband
      matching scheme that counteracts preamplifier noise degradation caused by coil
      coupling and a high-quality factor. The sodium array was complemented with a
      nested proton array to enable standard MRI. RESULTS: The wideband matching scheme
      and tight-fitting mechanical design contributed to >30% central signal-to-noise
      ratio gain on the sodium module over a mononuclear sodium birdcage coil, and the
      performance of the proton module was sufficient for clinical imaging. CONCLUSION:
      We expect the strategies presented in this study to be generally relevant in high
      density receive arrays, particularly in x-nuclei or small animal applications.
      Magn Reson Med 76:1325-1334, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26502312
TI  - Antibiotic Resistance Among Ocular Pathogens in the United States: Five-Year
      Results From the Antibiotic Resistance Monitoring in Ocular Microorganisms
      (ARMOR) Surveillance Study.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: The Antibiotic Resistance Monitoring in Ocular Microorganisms (ARMOR)
      study is the only ongoing nationwide antibiotic resistance surveillance program
      specific to ocular pathogens. OBJECTIVE: To report resistance rates and trends
      among common ocular isolates collected during the first 5 years of the ARMOR
      study. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This antibiotic resistance surveillance
      study was performed at an independent central laboratory. Clinical centers across
      the United States were invited to submit ocular isolates of Staphylococcus
      aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), Streptococcus pneumoniae,
      Haemophilus influenzae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Isolates were collected from
      January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2013, and analyzed from January 16 to May
      15, 2015. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Minimum inhibitory concentrations for
      various antibiotic classes were determined by broth microdilution according to
      the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Minimum
      inhibitory concentrations were interpreted as susceptible, intermediate, or
      resistant based on established break points. RESULTS: A total of 3237 ocular
      isolates (1169 S aureus, 992 CoNS, 330 S pneumoniae, 357 H influenzae, and 389 P
      aeruginosa) were collected from 72 centers. Methicillin resistance was found
      among 493 S aureus isolates (42.2%; 95% CI, 39.3%-45.1%) and 493 CoNS isolates
      (49.7%; 95% CI, 46.5%-52.9%), and methicillin-resistant (MR) isolates had a high
      probability of concurrent resistance to fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, or
      macrolides (P < .001). Multidrug resistance to at least 3 additional antibiotic
      classes was found in 428 MR S aureus isolates (86.8%) and 381 MRCoNS isolates
      (77.3%). All staphylococcal isolates were susceptible to vancomycin. Resistance
      among S pneumoniae isolates was highest for azithromycin (113 isolates [34.2%])
      whereas resistance among P aeruginosa and H influenzae was low against the
      antibiotics tested. Staphylococcal isolates from elderly patients were more
      likely to be MR, as were S aureus isolates obtained from the southern United
      States (P < .001). Methicillin resistance among staphylococci did not increase
      during the 5-year study period (P <= .22), and small decreases in resistance to
      ciprofloxacin among CoNS and MRCoNS and to tobramycin among CoNS (P <= .03) were
      found. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Methicillin resistance was prevalent among
      staphylococcal isolates from ocular infections, with many strains demonstrating
      multidrug resistance. These findings are consistent with resistance trends
      reported for nonocular staphylococcal isolates. Overall ocular resistance did not
      increase during the 5-year study period. Continued surveillance of ocular
      isolates provides critical information to guide selection of topical
      antibacterials used for empirical management of ocular infections.

PMID- 26502313
TI  - Ocular Gene Therapy.
AB  - Ocular gene therapy involves the introduction of an exogenous gene product to a
      host's cellular and genetic machinery for endogenous production of a desired gene
      product. The eye represents an ideal target organ due to its easy visibility and
      accessibility, and several trials have demonstrated proof-of-principle safety and
      efficacy in a subtype of Leber's congenital amaurosis. There are numerous ongoing
      clinical trials exploring gene therapy in other retinal diseases. In autosomal
      recessively inherited retinal degenerations, the introduced gene product replaces
      a known genetically deficient gene product and provides restoration of function.
      In other disease states, such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration,
      the delivered gene product modulates existing proteins within a cell, such as
      vascular endothelial growth factor, for a desired therapeutic effect. This latter
      approach may have broader applications in other diseases such as diabetes and
      other retinal vascular diseases that are as yet unrealized. This review
      summarizes the current state of clinical research in ocular gene therapy focusing
      on those diseases in which the technology has reached clinical trials.

PMID- 26502314
TI  - Fracture Characterization of Human Cortical Bone Under Mode I Loading.
AB  - A miniaturized version of the double cantilever beam (DCB) test is used to
      determine the fracture energy in human cortical bone under pure mode I loading.
      An equivalent crack length based data-reduction scheme is used with remarkable
      advantages relative to classical methods. Digital image correlation (DIC)
      technique is employed to determine crack opening displacement at the crack tip
      being correlated with the evolution of fracture energy. A method is presented to
      obtain the cohesive law (trapezoidal bilinear softening) mimicking the mechanical
      behavior observed in bone. Cohesive zone modeling (CZM) (finite-element method)
      was performed to validate the procedure showing excellent agreement. 

PMID- 26502316
TI  - Factors Influencing Applicants' Ranking of Dermatology Residency Programs in the
      National Resident Matching Program.

PMID- 26502315
TI  - Chemopreventive effect of oleuropein in colitis-associated colorectal cancer in
      c57bl/6 mice.
AB  - SCOPE: The main phenolic secoiridoid oleuropein and active constituent from olive
      tree (Olea europaea, Oleaceae), has demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties in
      intestinal inflammation and anti-tumoral effects in different cancer cells. In
      this study, we evaluated the chemoprevention of oleuropein in a model of
      azoxymethane (AOM)/Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colorectal cancer (CRC)
      in C57BL/6 mice and the modulatory effect on the Th17 response in DSS acute
      colitis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Oleuropein protected from AOM/DSS-induced CRC by
      improving clinical symptoms, disease activity index score as well as suppressed
      the growth and multiplicity of colonic tumors. Treatment with oleuropein reduced
      intestinal IL-6, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and IL-17A concentration, and decreased
      cyclooxygenase-2, Bax and proliferating cell nuclear antigen protein expression.
      Western blot analysis also showed a markedly downregulation of CRC-related
      pathways as nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), Wnt/beta-catenin,
      phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (P3IK)/Akt, and signal transducer and activators of
      transcription (STAT)3. In DSS acute model, oleuropein inhibited Th17 response, by
      decreasing CD4(+) Rorgammat(+) IL-17(+) IFN-gamma(+) T-cell subsets in the lamina
      propria, as well as IL-17A and IFN-gamma expression. CONCLUSION: Oleuropein as a
      dietary supplementation could be a promising protective agent against colitis
      associated CRC.

PMID- 26502317
TI  - Reconsidering Guidelines on the Use of Pneumococcal Vaccines in Adults 65 Years
      or Older.

PMID- 26502318
TI  - Wall teichoic acids prevent antibody binding to epitopes within the cell wall of
      Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive bacterial pathogen that produces a range
      of infections including cellulitis, pneumonia, and septicemia. The principle
      mechanism in antistaphylococcal host defense is opsonization with antibodies and
      complement proteins, followed by phagocytic clearance. Here we use a previously
      developed technique for installing chemical epitopes in the peptidoglycan cell
      wall to show that surface glycopolymers known as wall teichoic acids conceal cell
      wall epitopes, preventing their recognition and opsonization by antibodies. Thus,
      our results reveal a previously unrecognized immunoevasive role for wall teichoic
      acids in S. aureus: repulsion of peptidoglycan-targeted antibodies. 

PMID- 26502319
TI  - Progress Toward Consensus on Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines and Reducing
      Screening Harms.

PMID- 26502320
TI  - The burden of health care costs for patients with dementia in the last 5 years of
      life.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Common diseases, particularly dementia, have large social costs for
      the U.S. population. However, less is known about the end-of-life costs of
      specific diseases and the associated financial risk for individual households.
      OBJECTIVE: To examine social costs and financial risks faced by Medicare
      beneficiaries 5 years before death. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: The
      HRS (Health and Retirement Study). PARTICIPANTS: Medicare fee-for-service
      beneficiaries, aged 70 years or older, who died between 2005 and 2010 (n = 1702),
      stratified into 4 groups: persons with a high probability of dementia or those
      who died because of heart disease, cancer, or other causes. MEASUREMENTS: Total
      social costs and their components, including Medicare, Medicaid, private
      insurance, out-of-pocket spending, and informal care, measured over the last 5
      years of life; and out-of-pocket spending as a proportion of household wealth.
      RESULTS: Average total cost per decedent with dementia ($287 038) was
      significantly greater than that of those who died of heart disease ($175 136),
      cancer ($173 383), or other causes ($197 286) (P < 0.001). Although Medicare
      expenditures were similar across groups, average out-of-pocket spending for
      patients with dementia ($61 522) was 81% higher than that for patients without
      dementia ($34 068); a similar pattern held for informal care. Out-of-pocket
      spending for the dementia group (median, $36 919) represented 32% of wealth
      measured 5 years before death compared with 11% for the nondementia group (P <
      0.001). This proportion was greater for black persons (84%), persons with less
      than a high school education (48%), and unmarried or widowed women (58%).
      LIMITATION: Imputed Medicaid, private insurance, and informal care costs.
      CONCLUSION: Health care expenditures among persons with dementia were
      substantially larger than those for other diseases, and many of the expenses were
      uncovered (uninsured). This places a large financial burden on families, and
      these burdens are particularly pronounced among the demographic groups that are
      least prepared for financial risk. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Institute on
      Aging.

PMID- 26502321
TI  - Navigating Ethical Conflicts Between Advance Directives and Surrogate Decision
      Makers' Interpretations of Patient Wishes.
AB  - There is little guidance on what clinicians should do when advance directives (or
      living wills, specifically) are challenged, particularly when surrogate decision
      makers' interpretations of patients' wishes conflict with the living will. In our
      commentary, we make a controversial argument suggesting that overriding living
      wills can be ethically preferable to the alternative of strictly adhering to
      them. We propose four ethical considerations for determining whether it is
      ethically supportable to override living wills. 

PMID- 26502330
TI  - The Benefit of Heparin Reversal With Protamine During Carotid Endarterectomy.

PMID- 26502322
TI  - Quantitative investigation of red blood cell three-dimensional geometric and
      chemical changes in the storage lesion using digital holographic microscopy.
AB  - Quantitative phase information obtained by digital holographic microscopy (DHM)
      can provide new insight into the functions and morphology of single red blood
      cells (RBCs). Since the functionality of a RBC is related to its three
      dimensional (3-D) shape, quantitative 3-D geometric changes induced by storage
      time can help hematologists realize its optimal functionality period. We
      quantitatively investigate RBC 3-D geometric changes in the storage lesion using
      DHM. Our experimental results show that the substantial geometric transformation
      of the biconcave-shaped RBCs to the spherocyte occurs due to RBC storage lesion.
      This transformation leads to progressive loss of cell surface area, surface-to
      volume ratio, and functionality of RBCs. Furthermore, our quantitative analysis
      shows that there are significant correlations between chemical and morphological
      properties of RBCs.

PMID- 26502331
TI  - Subjective, Objective, and Observed Long-term Survival: A Longitudinal Cohort
      Study.

PMID- 26502332
TI  - Acute onset anterior uveitis after darbepoetin alfa infusion.
AB  - A 79-year-old female with a 2-month history of newly diagnosed myelodysplastic
      syndrome for which she received blood transfusion with darbepoetin alfa presented
      with bilateral anterior uveitis 1 day after her fourth transfusion. On exam,
      visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes with biomicroscopy notable for conjunctival
      injection and anterior chamber cell and flare consistent with anterior uveitis.
      She had no systemic symptoms, no history of eye trauma, and no known infections.
      This case, along with prior reports in the literature, suggests that anterior
      uveitis may be an idiosyncratic complication of darbepoetin alfa therapy. 

PMID- 26502333
TI  - Ocular Angiogenesis: Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Other Factors.
AB  - Systematic study of the mechanisms underlying pathological ocular
      neovascularization has yielded a wealth of knowledge about pro- and anti
      angiogenic factors that modulate diseases such as neovascular age-related macular
      degeneration. The evidence implicating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
      in particular has led to the development of a number of approved anti-VEGF
      therapies. Additional proangiogenic targets that have emerged as potential
      mediators of ocular neovascularization include hypoxia-inducible factor-1,
      angiopoietin-2, platelet-derived growth factor-B and components of the
      alternative complement pathway. As for VEGF, knowledge of these factors has led
      to a product pipeline of many more novel agents that are in various stages of
      clinical development in the setting of ocular neovascularization. These agents
      are represented by a range of drug classes and, in addition to novel small- and
      large-molecule VEGF inhibitors, include gene therapies, small interfering RNA
      agents and tyrosine kinase inhibitors. In addition, combination therapy is
      beginning to emerge as a strategy to improve the efficacy of individual
      therapies. Thus, a variety of agents, whether administered alone or as adjunctive
      therapy with agents targeting VEGF, offer the promise of expanding the range of
      treatments for ocular neovascular diseases.

PMID- 26502335
TI  - Booze cues and attentional narrowing: Neural correlates of virtual alcohol
      myopia.
AB  - Exposure to alcohol cues reduces the breadth of attentional scope, called
      "virtual myopia." Past researchers have suggested approach motivation as a
      possible mechanism that underlies this myopia in response to alcohol cues. We
      expanded on these findings in the current study by identifying the neural
      underpinnings of the relationship between attentional narrowing, approach
      motivation, and exposure to alcohol cues. Participants completed 64 trials that
      consisted of neutral or alcohol-related stimuli followed by a measure of
      attentional narrowing (i.e., Navons letter task). Electroencephalography (EEG)
      was recorded during the experiment to assess greater left frontal hemispheric
      asymmetry, a measure of approach motivation. Results revealed that alcohol cues
      led to greater "virtual myopia" as measured by narrowed attentional scope.
      Greater left frontal activation to alcohol cues related to greater myopia,
      suggesting that approach motivation is associated with virtual myopia. Left
      frontal activation appears to be a neural correlate of cognitive narrowing
      related to approach motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26502334
TI  - Does drinking to cope explain links between emotion-driven impulse control
      difficulties and hazardous drinking? A longitudinal test.
AB  - Difficulty controlling impulsive behaviors when experiencing negative emotions is
      a prominent risk factor for hazardous alcohol use, and prior research suggests
      that drinking to cope may mediate this association. The present study examines
      this possibility prospectively in a sample of 490 young adult women between the
      ages of 18 and 25. Participants completed measures of emotion-driven impulse
      control difficulties, drinking to cope, and hazardous alcohol use at 6 time
      points over the course of approximately 20 months (i.e., 1 assessment every 4
      months). Multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that drinking to cope
      fully mediated the relationship between emotion-driven impulse control
      difficulties and hazardous alcohol use when examining these relationships between
      individuals and partially mediated this relation when examining these
      relationships within individuals. These findings suggest that drinking to cope is
      a key mechanism in the relationship between emotion-driven impulse control
      difficulties and hazardous drinking. Results highlight the importance of
      targeting both emotion dysregulation and drinking to cope when treating young
      women for alcohol use problems.

PMID- 26502336
TI  - Correlates of engaging in drug distribution in a national sample.
AB  - In this study, we examined self-reported behaviors and characteristics of
      individuals involved in drug distribution to identify correlates of engaging in
      drug-distribution behaviors. Correlates of interest included demographic
      characteristics, substance-use patterns, psychological impairment, and criminal
      involvement. Data from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (U.S.
      Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services
      Administration, 2013) were used for analyses (N = 55,108). A logistic regression
      analysis distinguished those who have sold drugs from those who have not sold
      drugs to identify correlates of engaging in drug distribution. Results showed
      that recency of substance use, severity of substance use, criminal activity,
      mental health diagnoses, substance-use treatment, and arrest history were all
      significantly associated with distribution behaviors. Findings indicate the
      importance of accounting for the heterogeneous characteristics of individuals
      involved in distribution behaviors when considering treatment options or criminal
      proceedings.

PMID- 26502337
TI  - Recurrent inactivating RASA2 mutations in melanoma.
AB  - Analysis of 501 melanoma exomes identified RASA2, encoding a RasGAP, as a tumor
      suppressor gene mutated in 5% of melanomas. Recurrent loss-of-function mutations
      in RASA2 were found to increase RAS activation, melanoma cell growth and
      migration. RASA2 expression was lost in >=30% of human melanomas and was
      associated with reduced patient survival. These findings identify RASA2
      inactivation as a melanoma driver and highlight the importance of RasGAPs in
      cancer. 

PMID- 26502340
TI  - Spontaneous Pattern Formation of Surface Nanodroplets from Competitive Growth.
AB  - Nanoscale droplets on a substrate are of great interest because of their
      relevance for droplet-based technologies for light manipulation, lab-on-chip
      devices, miniaturized reactors, encapsulation, and many others. In this work, we
      establish a basic principle for symmetrical arrangements of surface nanodroplets
      during their growth out of oversaturated solution established through solvent
      exchange, which takes place under simple and controlled flow conditions. In our
      model system, nanodroplets nucleate at the rim of spherical cap microstructures
      on a substrate, due to a pulse of oversaturation supplied by a solvent exchange
      process. We find that, while growing at the rim of the microcap, the nanodroplets
      self-organize into highly symmetric arrangements, with respect to position, size,
      and mutual distance. The angle between the neighboring droplets is 4 times the
      ratio between the base radii of the droplets and the spherical caps. We show and
      explain how the nanodroplets acquire the symmetrical spatial arrangement during
      their competitive growth and why and how the competition enhances the overall
      growth rate of the nucleated nanodroplets. This mechanism behind the nanodroplet
      self-organization promises a simple approach to control the location of droplets
      with a volume down to attoliters. 

PMID- 26502341
TI  - Interlayer Communication in Aurivillius Vanadate to Enable Defect Structures and
      Charge Ordering.
AB  - The fluorite-like [Bi2O2](2+) layer is a fundamental building unit in a great
      variety of layered compounds. Here in this contribution, we presented a
      comprehensive study on an unusual Aurivillius phase Bi3.6V2O10 with respect to
      its defect chemistry and polymorphism control as well as implications for fast
      oxide ion transport at lower temperatures. The bismuth oxide layer in Bi4V2O11 is
      found to tolerate a large number of Bi vacancies without breaking the high
      temperature prototype I4/mmm structure (gamma-phase). On cooling, an orthorhombic
      distortion occurs to the gamma-phase, giving rise to a different type of phase (B
      phase) in the intermediate temperature region. Cooling to room temperature causes
      a further transition to an oxygen-vacancy ordered A-phase, which is accompanied
      by the charge ordering of V(4+) and V(5+) cations, providing magnetic (d(1)) and
      nonmagnetic (d(0)) chains along the a axis. This is a novel charge ordering
      transition in terms of the concomitant change of oxygen coordination.
      Interestingly, upon quenching, both the gamma- and B-phase can be kinetically
      trapped, enabling the structural probing of the two phases at ambient
      temperature. Driven by the thermodynamic forces, the oxide anion in the gamma
      phase undergoes an interlayer diffusion process to reshuffle the compositions of
      both Bi-O and V-O layers. 

PMID- 26502338
TI  - Genetic association analyses implicate aberrant regulation of innate and adaptive
      immunity genes in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a genetically complex autoimmune disease
      characterized by loss of immune tolerance to nuclear and cell surface antigens.
      Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) had modest sample sizes, reducing
      their scope and reliability. Our study comprised 7,219 cases and 15,991 controls
      of European ancestry, constituting a new GWAS, a meta-analysis with a published
      GWAS and a replication study. We have mapped 43 susceptibility loci, including
      ten new associations. Assisted by dense genome coverage, imputation provided
      evidence for missense variants underpinning associations in eight genes. Other
      likely causal genes were established by examining associated alleles for cis
      acting eQTL effects in a range of ex vivo immune cells. We found an over
      representation (n = 16) of transcription factors among SLE susceptibility genes.
      This finding supports the view that aberrantly regulated gene expression networks
      in multiple cell types in both the innate and adaptive immune response contribute
      to the risk of developing SLE. 

PMID- 26502339
TI  - Large-scale identification of sequence variants influencing human transcription
      factor occupancy in vivo.
AB  - The function of human regulatory regions depends exquisitely on their local
      genomic environment and on cellular context, complicating experimental analysis
      of common disease- and trait-associated variants that localize within regulatory
      DNA. We use allelically resolved genomic DNase I footprinting data encompassing
      166 individuals and 114 cell types to identify >60,000 common variants that
      directly influence transcription factor occupancy and regulatory DNA
      accessibility in vivo. The unprecedented scale of these data enables systematic
      analysis of the impact of sequence variation on transcription factor occupancy in
      vivo. We leverage this analysis to develop accurate models of variation affecting
      the recognition sites for diverse transcription factors and apply these models to
      discriminate nearly 500,000 common regulatory variants likely to affect
      transcription factor occupancy across the human genome. The approach and results
      provide a new foundation for the analysis and interpretation of noncoding
      variation in complete human genomes and for systems-level investigation of
      disease-associated variants. 

PMID- 26502342
TI  - Determination of Effective Stability Constants of Ion-Carrier Complexes in Ion
      Selective Nanospheres with Charged Solvatochromic Dyes.
AB  - Ionophores are widely used ion carriers in ion selective sensors. The effective
      stability constant (beta) is a key physical parameter providing valuable
      guidelines to the design of ionophores and carrier-based ion selective sensors.
      The beta value of ion-carrier complex in plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)
      membranes and solutions have been determined in the past by various techniques,
      but most of them are difficult to implement at the nanoscale owing to the
      ultrasmall sample volume. A new methodology based on charged solvatochromic dyes
      is introduced here for the first time to determine beta values directly within
      ion selective nanospheres. Four ionophores with different selectivities toward
      Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), and H(+), respectively, are successfully characterized in
      nanospheres composed of triblock copolymer Pluronic F-127 and bis(2-ethylhexyl)
      sebacate. The values determined in the nanospheres are smaller compared with
      those in plasticized PVC membranes, indicating a more polar nanosphere
      microenvironment and possible uneven distribution of the sensing components in
      the interfacial region. 

PMID- 26502343
TI  - Chemomimetic biocatalysis: exploiting the synthetic potential of cofactor
      dependent enzymes to create new catalysts.
AB  - Despite the astonishing breadth of enzymes in nature, no enzymes are known for
      many of the valuable catalytic transformations discovered by chemists. Recent
      work in enzyme design and evolution, however, gives us good reason to think that
      this will change. We describe a chemomimetic biocatalysis approach that draws
      from small-molecule catalysis and synthetic chemistry, enzymology, and molecular
      evolution to discover or create enzymes with non-natural reactivities. We
      illustrate how cofactor-dependent enzymes can be exploited to promote reactions
      first established with related chemical catalysts. The cofactors can be
      biological, or they can be non-biological to further expand catalytic
      possibilities. The ability of enzymes to amplify and precisely control the
      reactivity of their cofactors together with the ability to optimize non-natural
      reactivity by directed evolution promises to yield exceptional catalysts for
      challenging transformations that have no biological counterparts. 

PMID- 26502344
TI  - Graphene Dynamic Synapse with Modulatable Plasticity.
AB  - The synaptic activities in the nervous system is the basis of memory and learning
      behaviors, and the concept of biological synapse has also spurred the development
      of neuromorphic engineering. In recent years, the hardware implementation of the
      biological synapse has been achieved based on CMOS circuits, resistive switching
      memory, and field effect transistors with ionic dielectrics. However, the
      artificial synapse with regulatable plasticity has never been realized of the
      device level. Here, an artificial dynamic synapse based on twisted bilayer
      graphene is demonstrated with tunable plasticity. Due to the ambipolar
      conductance of graphene, both behaviors of the excitatory synapse and the
      inhibitory synapse could be realized in a single device. Moreover, the synaptic
      plasticity could also be modulated by tuning the carrier density of graphene.
      Because the artificial synapse here could be regulated and inverted via changing
      the bottom gate voltage, the whole process of synapse development could be
      imitated. Hence, this work would offer a broad new vista for the 2D material
      electronics and guide the innovation of neuro-electronics fundamentally. 

PMID- 26502345
TI  - Constructing Highly Graphitized Carbon-Wrapped Li3VO4 Nanoparticles with
      Hierarchically Porous Structure as a Long Life and High Capacity Anode for
      Lithium-Ion Batteries.
AB  - Li3VO4 nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in a continuous, highly graphitized carbon
      network with an interconnected hierarchically porous structure (HP-Li3VO4/C) were
      prepared using a facile, green freeze-drying method followed by in situ
      carbonizing. Because of its unique microstructure, the resultant HP-Li3VO4/C
      exhibits excellent lithium storage performance in terms of specific capacity,
      cycling stability, and rate capability when used as an anode material in lithium
      ion batteries (LIBs). Specifically, it delivers an extremely high capacity of 381
      mAh g(-1) for up to 300 cycles at 0.2 A g(-1), and even at a rate as high as 4 A
      g(-1), a high reversible capacity of 275 mAh g(-1) can be retained after testing
      for 500 cycles. This excellent electrochemical performance can be attributed to
      Li3VO4 NPs wrapped with highly graphitized carbon conductive framework and
      hierarchically porous structure. This work may offer a new methodology for the
      preparation of other electrode materials for LIBs. 

PMID- 26502346
TI  - Diffusion-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Differential Diagnosis of
      Benign and Metastatic Malignant Pleural Thickening.
AB  - PURPOSE: Imaging plays a critical role not only in detection but also in
      characterization of pleural thickening as benign or malignant. The aim of the
      study was to investigate the value of diffusion-weighted (DW) imaging in the
      differential diagnosis of benign and metastatic malignant pleural thickening.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-four patients with 64 pleural foci of nodular
      thickening (47 metastatic malignant and 17 benign) were included in this
      prospective study. DW imaging was performed using a breath-hold single-shot spin
      echo echo-planar sequence. Two different apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC1,2)
      maps were obtained with different b factors (ADC1 reconstructed from b factors of
      0 and 650 mm/s and ADC2 reconstructed from b factors of 0 and 1000 mm/s), and
      ADCs were calculated. Quantitatively, ADCs were compared between the groups, and
      the optimal cutoff value was found by using receiver operating characteristic
      curve analysis. RESULTS: Quantitatively, differences in signal intensities on DW
      trace images with b factors of 650 and 1000 mm/s were not statistically
      significant. The ADC1 and ADC2 of the metastatic malignant thickening were
      significantly lower than those of benign ones [mean ADC1 was 1.37+/-0.65*10 mm/s
      for metastatic malignant thickening and 2.11+/-0.69*10 mm/s for benign thickening
      (P=0.045); ADC2 was 1.06+/-0.56*10 mm/s for metastatic malignant thickening and
      1.56+/-0.71*10 mm/s for benign thickening (P=0.038)]. However, because of the ADC
      overlap between malignant and benign disease, a sufficiently discriminative
      cutoff value could not be defined by the receiver operating characteristic curve
      analysis. CONCLUSION: Despite fair sensitivity and specificity, DW imaging may
      serve as a complementary tool that improves the differential diagnosis of pleural
      thickening.

PMID- 26502347
TI  - Safety and Efficacy of Modified Preoperative Lung Nodule Microcoil Localization
      Without Pleural Marking: A Pilot Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy
      of preoperative computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous microcoil lung
      nodule localization without pleural marking compared with the established
      technique with pleural marking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-three consecutive
      patients (66.7% female, mean age 61.6+/-11.4 y) with 64 lung nodules resected
      between October 2008 and January 2014 were retrospectively evaluated. Of the
      nodules, 29.7% (n=19) had microcoil deployment with pleural marking (control
      group) and 70.3% (n=45) had microcoil deployment without pleural marking (pilot
      group). Clinical, pathologic, and imaging characteristics, radiation dose, CT
      procedure and operating room time, and complete resection and complication rates
      were compared between the pilot and control groups. RESULTS: There was no
      significant difference in nodule size (P=0.552) or distance from the pleural
      surface (P=0.222) between the pilot and control groups. However, mean procedure
      duration (53.6+/-18.3 vs. 72.8+/-25.3 min, P=0.001) and total effective radiation
      dose (5.1+/-2.6 vs. 7.1+/-4.9 mSv, P=0.039) were significantly lower in the pilot
      group compared with the control group. CT procedure-related complications
      (P=0.483) [including pneumothoraces (P=0.769) and pulmonary hemorrhage
      (P=1.000)], operating room time (P=0.926), complete resection rates (P=0.520),
      intraoperative complications (P=0.549), and postoperative complications (P=1.000)
      were similar between the pilot and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative CT
      guided lung nodule microcoil localization performed without visceral pleural
      marking appears to decrease the CT procedure time and radiation dose while
      maintaining equivalent complete resection rates and procedural and surgical
      complications, when compared with microcoil localization performed with pleural
      marking.

PMID- 26502348
TI  - Cognitive Motor Dissociation Following Severe Brain Injuries.

PMID- 26502350
TI  - Ultrafast Dynamics of Long Homologues of Carotenoid Zeaxanthin.
AB  - Three zeaxanthin homologues with conjugation lengths N of 15, 19, and 23 denoted
      as Z15, Z19, and Z23 were studied by femtosecond transient absorption
      spectroscopy, and the results were compared to those obtained for zeaxanthin
      (Z11). The energies of S2 decrease from 20 450 cm(-1) (Z11) to 18 280 cm(-1)
      (Z15), 17 095 cm(-1) (Z19), and 16 560 cm(-1) (Z23). Fitting the N dependence of
      the S2 energies allowed the estimation of [Formula: see text], the S2 energy of a
      hypothetical infinite zeaxanthin, to be ~14 000 cm(-1). Exciting the 0-0 band of
      the S2 state produces characteristic S1-Sn spectral profiles in transient
      absorption spectra with maxima at 556 nm (Z11), 630 nm (Z15), 690 nm (Z19), and
      740 nm (Z23). The red shift of the S1-Sn transition with increasing conjugation
      length is caused by a decrease in the S1 state energy, resulting in S1 lifetimes
      of 9 ps (Z11), 0.9 ps (Z15), 0.35 ps (Z19), and 0.19 ps (Z23). Essentially the
      same lifetimes were obtained after excess energy excitation at 400 nm, but S1-Sn
      becomes broader, indicating a larger conformation disorder in the S1 state after
      400 nm excitation compared to excitation into the 0-0 band of the S2 state. An S*
      signal was observed in all samples, but only for Z15, Z19, and Z23 does the S*
      signal decay with a lifetime different from that of the S1 state. The S*
      lifetimes are 2.9 and 1.6 ps for Z15 and Z19, respectively. In Z23 the S* signal
      needs two decay components yielding lifetimes of 0.24 and 2.3 ps. The S* signal
      is more pronounced after 400 nm excitation.

PMID- 26502352
TI  - Trans-Endplate Pedicle Pillar System in Unstable Spinal Burst Fractures: Design,
      Technique, and Mechanical Evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Short-segment pedicle screw instrumentation (SSPI) is used for
      unstable burst fractures to correct deformity and stabilize the spine for fusion.
      However, pedicle screw loosening, pullout, or breakage often occurs due to the
      large moment applied during spine motion, leading to poor outcomes. The purpose
      of this study was to test the ability of a newly designed device, the Trans
      Endplate Pedicle Pillar System (TEPPS), to enhance SSPI rigidity and decrease the
      screw bending moment with a simple posterior approach. METHODS: Six human
      cadaveric spines (T11-L3) were harvested. A burst fracture was created at L1, and
      the SSPI (Moss Miami System) was used for SSPI fixation. Strain gauge sensors
      were mounted on upper pedicle screws to measure screw load bearing. Segmental
      motion (T12-L2) was measured under pure moment of 7.5 Nm. The spine was tested
      sequentially under 4 conditions: intact; first SSPI alone (SSPI-1); SSPI+TEPPS;
      and second SSPI alone (SSPI-2). RESULTS: SSPI+TEPPS increased fixation rigidity
      by 41% in flexion/extension, 28% in lateral bending, and 37% in axial rotation
      compared with SSPI-1 (P<0.001), and it performed even better compared to SSPI-2
      (P<0.001 for all). Importantly, the bending moment on the pedicle screws for
      SSPI+TEPPS was significantly decreased 63% during spine flexion and 47% in
      lateral bending (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: TEPPS provided strong anterior support,
      enhanced SSPI fixation rigidity, and dramatically decreased the load on the
      pedicle screws. Its biomechanical benefits could potentially improve fusion rates
      and decrease SSPI instrumentation failure.

PMID- 26502353
TI  - Standardization efforts enabling next-generation sequencing and microarray based
      biomarkers for precision medicine.
AB  - Microarrays and next-generation sequencing technologies have been increasingly
      employed in biomedical research. However, before they can be reliably used as
      clinical biomarker tests, standardization and quality control measures need to be
      developed to ensure their analytical validity. This review summarizes community
      wide efforts such as the MicroArray and Sequencing Quality Control (MAQC/SEQC)
      project which have identified factors influencing the performance of these
      technologies. Consequently, consensus-based standards and well-documented best
      practices have been developed to improve the quality of scientific research, and
      reference materials and reference datasets have been made available for
      evaluating the technical proficiency in future studies. These efforts have built
      the foundation on which the translational application of genomics based
      technologies can help realize precision medicine. 

PMID- 26502354
TI  - Surveillance for Borrelia burgdorferi in Ixodes Ticks and Small Rodents in
      British Columbia.
AB  - To determine the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in British Columbian ticks,
      fieldwork was conducted over a 2-year period. In all, 893 ticks (Ixodes
      pacificus, I. angustus, I. soricis, Ixodes spp., and Dermacentor andersoni) of
      different life stages were retrieved from 483 small rodents (Peromyscus
      maniculatus, Perognathus parvus, and Reithrodontomys megalotis). B. burgdorferi
      DNA was detected in 5 out of 359 tick pools, and 41 out of 483 mice were
      serologically confirmed to have antibodies against B. burgdorferi. These results
      were consistent with previous studies, data from passive surveillance in British
      Columbia, and data from neighboring states in the Pacific Northwest, suggesting a
      continually low prevalence of B. burgdorferi in British Columbia ticks. 

PMID- 26502355
TI  - The alloying effect and AgCl-directing growth for synthesizing a trimetallic
      nanoring with improved SERS.
AB  - We report the synthesis of high quality trimetallic Au/Ag/Pt nanorings (TAAPNs)
      by using Au/Ag alloy decahedra (AAAD) as templates. The alloying effect and AgCl
      directing growth have been investigated in detail during the formation of TAAPN.
      It was found that the doping of Ag in AAAD changes the surrounding environment of
      Au atoms and decreases the oxidization reduction potential (ORP) of [AuCl(2)](
      )/Au because of the alloying effect, resulting in the dissolved O(2) molecules
      that serve as an effective etchant for oxidizing Au to Au(I). Ascorbic acid (AA)
      and chloroplatinic acid (H(2)PtCl(6)) are weak acids which can accelerate the
      etching by increasing the concentration of H(+). The AgCl selectively absorbs on
      {100} of the decahedra and induces the preferential deposition of H(2)PtCl(6)
      here via their complexing interaction. AA reduces Pt(IV) and Ag(I) to atoms which
      grow on {100} facets. The formed Pt/Ag layer changes the etching direction from
      along [100] to [111] and generates the TAAPN. Besides, it has been noted that the
      TAAPNs exhibit good Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) performance.

PMID- 26502349
TI  - Autophagy in stem and progenitor cells.
AB  - Autophagy is a highly conserved cellular process, responsible for the degradation
      and recycling of damaged and/or outlived proteins and organelles. This is the
      major cellular pathway, acting throughout the formation of cytosolic vesicles,
      called autophagosomes, for the delivering to lysosome. Recycling of cellular
      components through autophagy is a crucial step for cell homeostasis as well as
      for tissue remodelling during development. Impairment of this process has been
      related to the pathogenesis of various diseases, such as cancer and
      neurodegeneration, to the response to bacterial and viral infections, and to
      ageing. The ability of stem cells to self-renew and differentiate into the mature
      cells of the body renders this unique type of cell highly crucial to development
      and tissue renewal, not least in various diseases. During the last two decades,
      extensive knowledge about autophagy roles and regulation in somatic cells has
      been acquired; however, the picture about the role and the regulation of
      autophagy in the different types of stem cells is still largely unknown.
      Autophagy is a major player in the quality control and maintenance of cellular
      homeostasis, both crucial factors for stem cells during an organism's life. In
      this review, we have highlighted the most significant advances in the
      comprehension of autophagy regulation in embryonic and tissue stem cells, as well
      as in cancer stem cells and induced pluripotent cells. 

PMID- 26502356
TI  - Piperazine derivatives as iron chelators: a potential  application in
      neurobiology.
AB  - Polysubstituted piperazine derivatives, designed as new iron chelators, were
      synthesized and fully characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass
      spectroscopy. Their potential to prevent iron-induced neurotoxicity was assessed
      using a cellular model of Parkinson disease. We demonstrated their ability to
      provide sustained neuroprotection to dopaminergic neurons that are vulnerable in
      this pathology. The iron chelating properties of the new compounds were
      determined by spectrophotometric titration illustrating that high affinity for
      iron is not associated with important neuroprotective effects.

PMID- 26502357
TI  - Medical Castration Using the Investigational Oral GnRH Antagonist TAK-385
      (Relugolix): Phase 1 Study in Healthy Males.
AB  - CONTEXT: TAK-385 is a highly selective, oral, nonpeptide GnRH antagonist being
      investigated as a possible prostate cancer treatment. OBJECTIVE: The objectives
      were to evaluate safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of
      TAK-385 on LH and testosterone. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a
      three-part, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1 dose-escalation
      study in 176 healthy male UK volunteers. INTERVENTIONS: Part 1, single doses of
      TAK-385 (0 [placebo], 80, 120, 180, or 360 mg). Part 2, 14-day TAK-385 (0, 20,
      40, 80, or 180 mg) daily. Part 3, 28-day TAK-385 (40 [with loading dose], 60, 80,
      or 160 mg) or placebo daily. Parts 2 and 3 included men aged 40-75 years. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Main outcome measures included plasma concentrations of TAK
      385, LH, and testosterone. RESULTS: Oral TAK-385 was readily absorbed, and steady
      state was reached in <= 14 days. Food reduced TAK-385 systemic exposure by 47
      52%. Mean serum testosterone levels declined <= 6 hours after TAK-385
      administration. Loading doses up to 360 mg on day 1 or 360 mg on day 1 followed
      by 240 mg on day 2 reduced the time to achieve castrate testosterone levels from
      >= 7 to <3 days. TAK-385 doses >= 80 mg/d achieved sustained medical castration
      and trough TAK-385 concentrations >4 ng/mL. After discontinuation of TAK-385 on
      day 28, testosterone levels normalized in most subjects in <= 28 days. Common
      adverse events included bradycardia, headache, and hot flush (all grade <= 2).
      CONCLUSIONS: Oral TAK-385 (40-180 mg/d) was well tolerated and effectively
      lowered testosterone in healthy men. Planned phase 2 doses in men with hormone
      sensitive prostate cancer are 80 and 120 mg/d.

PMID- 26502358
TI  - Reversal of Pathological Features of Graves' Orbitopathy by Activation of
      Forkhead Transcription Factors, FOXOs.
AB  - CONTEXT: Graves' orbitopathy (GO) is a disfiguring/distressing, inflammatory
      autoimmune condition. This intractable problem is caused by expansion of the
      orbital contents around the eye by excessive fat generation (adipogenesis) and
      overproduction of extracellular matrix components, especially hyaluronan (HA)
      from preadipocytes/fibroblasts (PFs). Current immunosuppressive/antiinflammatory
      treatments are largely ineffective and have unpleasant side effects, and a better
      therapeutic strategy through understanding GO-associated pathological features is
      needed. OBJECTIVE: Previously we identified depot-specific HA synthase 2
      regulation (HAS2; major source of HA), which facilitates orbit-specific HA
      accumulation during adipogenesis, and targeting phosphatidylinositol-3
      kinase/mechanistic target of rapamycin-complex-1 pathways blocked both
      pathological features. The current study revealed low expression levels of
      Forkhead box O (FOXOs; critical downstream effectors of phosphatidylinositol-3
      kinase) in orbital PFs through adipogenesis compared with sc levels. We aimed to
      dissect the role of FOXOs in GO pathogenesis to identify nonimmunosuppressive
      targets for GO treatment. DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Human orbital and sc
      primary PFs were treated with small interfering RNA/chemical inhibitor
      (AS1842856) of FOXOs or FOXO enhancer trifluoperazine hydrochloride (TFP; Food
      and Drug Administration approved drug), in serum-free medium for 24 hours, or TFP
      treatment in adipogenic medium for 15 days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Quantitative
      PCR was used to measure HAS2 transcripts and the terminal adipogenesis
      differentiation marker lipoprotein lipase. HA accumulation in the medium was
      measured by an ELISA. RESULTS: Substantially increased or decreased HAS2/HA
      production was observed by inhibiting (small interfering RNA or chemical
      inhibitor) or enhancing (TFP) FOXO expression, respectively. TFP treatment is
      also sufficient to counteract thyrotropin receptor-activated HAS2/HA production
      and block adipogenesis in orbital PFs. CONCLUSIONS: FOXOs play a crucial
      repressor role in the regulation of HAS2/HA production and adipogenesis in
      orbital PFs. Our data reveal for the first time that resetting GO-associated
      pathological features through drug-targeted activation of FOXOs could provide a
      feasible nonimmunosuppressive therapeutic strategy for GO.

PMID- 26502359
TI  - Role of the Entero-Insular Axis in the Pathogenesis of Idiopathic Reactive
      Hypoglycemia: A Pilot Study.
AB  - CONTEXT: Idiopathic reactive hypoglycemia (IRH) is characterized by recurrent
      episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia occurring within 4 hours after meals. The
      underlying mechanisms remain obscure. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate
      the response of the glucoregulatory and gastrointestinal hormones to an oral
      glucose load (OGTT) in individuals with documented IRH. DESIGN AND SETTING: This
      was a cross-sectional study composed of outpatients referred to "Federico II"
      University of Naples. PATIENTS: We enrolled subjects with IRH documented by a
      mixed meal under ordinary life conditions and healthy subjects as controls. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURE: We measured plasma glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide 1
      (GLP-1), GIP, and glucagon response to a 75-g OGTT in cases and controls.
      RESULTS: Ten IRH and eight control subjects were enrolled. During the OGTT, mean
      plasma glucose tended to be lower in IRH than in control subjects, reaching a
      statistically significant difference at 240 minutes (T240) (43 +/- 1.6 vs 72 +/-
      0.3 mg/dL; P = .001). Accordingly, the insulin response was higher in IRH than in
      control subjects (P < .019) with a statistically significant difference (46%) at
      T90 (P = .045) and was associated with significantly lower glucagon levels in the
      late phase of the OGTT: at T120 (P = .031) and T180 (P = .048) in IRH than in
      control subjects. A greater GLP-1 response was found among IRH compared with
      control subjects (P = .005); GLP-1 peak was 2-fold higher in IRH individuals
      (9.77 +/- 2.52 pmol/L) than in the control group (4.19 +/- 0.53 pmol/L; P =
      .041). In the IRH group, GLP-1 peak inversely correlated with the nadir of plasma
      glucose (r = -0.66; P = .039). A multivariate analysis confirmed that GLP-1 peak
      independently predicted the plasma glucose nadir (beta = -0.593; P = .026).
      CONCLUSIONS: GLP-1 may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic
      IRH.

PMID- 26502360
TI  - Liver capsule: Entry and entry inhibition of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis
      delta virus into hepatocytes.

PMID- 26502361
TI  - Photoinduced Cross-Linking of Dynamic Poly(disulfide) Films via Thiol Oxidative
      Coupling.
AB  - Initially developed as an elastomer with an excellent record of barrier and
      chemical resistance properties, poly(disulfide) has experienced a revival linked
      to the dynamic nature of the S-S covalent bond. A novel photobase-catalyzed
      oxidative polymerization of multifunctional thiols to poly(disulfide) network is
      reported. Based solely on air oxidation, the single-step process is triggered by
      the photodecarboxylation of a xanthone acetic acid liberating a strong bicyclic
      guanidine base. Starting with a 1 MUm thick film based on trithiol poly(ethylene
      oxide) oligomer, the UV-mediated oxidation of thiols to disulfides occurs in a
      matter of minutes both selectively, i.e., without overoxidation, and
      quantitatively as assessed by a range of spectroscopic techniques. Thiolate
      formation and film thickness determine the reaction rates and yield. Spatial
      control of the photopolymerization serves to generate robust micropatterns, while
      the reductive cleavage of S-S bridges allows the recycling of 40% of the initial
      thiol groups. 

PMID- 26502362
TI  - Editorial Comment to Validation of active surveillance criteria for
      pathologically insignificant prostate cancer in Asian men.

PMID- 26502363
TI  - Copeptin is an independent prognostic factor for transplant-free survival in
      cirrhosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Copeptin is a stable cleavage product of the arginine
      vasopressin (AVP) precursor and is equimolarly secreted with AVP. Copeptin is
      currently considered a reliable prognostic marker in a wide variety of diseases
      other than cirrhosis. We aimed to investigate the association between severity of
      cirrhosis and copeptin concentrations and to confirm whether copeptin is of
      prognostic significance in cirrhosis. METHODS: One hundred and eighty-four
      cirrhotic patients hospitalized in two tertiary referral centres were studied.
      Serum copeptin was measured in samples obtained at hospital admission.
      Differences in serum copeptin between Child-Pugh classes were evaluated using the
      Kruskal-Wallis test. Cox proportional hazard regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses
      were performed to evaluate associations of copeptin and other possible prognostic
      factors with 6- and 12-month mortality. RESULTS: Median serum copeptin
      (interquartile range) increased significantly through Child-Pugh classes A [5.4
      (3.1-10.7) pmol/L], B [9.6 (6.0-17.3) pmol/L] and C [13.8 (5.8-34.1) pmol/L, P <
      0.01]. Patients with serum copeptin >12.3 pmol/L displayed significantly higher
      mortality rates at 6 and 12 months as compared to those with serum copeptin
      <=12.3 pmol/L (Log-rank test: P < 0.01). Serum copeptin >12.3 pmol/L was
      significantly associated with mortality, particularly at 6 months, independently
      of age, clinical parameters and Model for End stage Liver Disease (MELD), MELD
      sodium and Child-Pugh score. CONCLUSIONS: Serum copeptin concentration increases
      significantly along with the severity of cirrhosis as defined by the Child-Pugh
      classification. A high serum copeptin concentration predicts survival,
      particularly at 6 months, independently of liver-specific scoring systems in a
      heterogeneous population of hospitalized cirrhotic patients.

PMID- 26502364
TI  - Nicking endonuclease-assisted signal amplification of a split molecular aptamer
      beacon for biomolecule detection using graphene oxide as a sensing platform.
AB  - Sensitive and selective detection of ultralow concentrations of specific
      biomolecules is important in early clinical diagnoses and biomedical
      applications. Many types of aptasensors have been developed for the detection of
      various biomolecules, but usually suffer from false positive signals and high
      background signals. In this work, we have developed an amplified fluorescence
      aptasensor platform for ultrasensitive biomolecule detection based on enzyme
      assisted target-recycling signal amplification and graphene oxide. By using a
      split molecular aptamer beacon and a nicking enzyme, the typical problem of false
      positive signals can be effectively resolved. Only in the presence of a target
      biomolecule, the sensor system is able to generate a positive signal, which
      significantly improves the selectivity of the aptasensor. Moreover, using
      graphene oxide as a super-quencher can effectively reduce the high background
      signal of a sensing platform. We select vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
      and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as model analytes in the current proof-of
      concept experiments. It is shown that under optimized conditions, our strategy
      exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity for the quantification of VEGF and ATP
      with a low detection limit (1 pM and 4 nM, respectively). In addition, this
      biosensor has been successfully utilized in the analysis of real biological
      samples. 

PMID- 26502366
TI  - INCREASING SUPPLY OF AND DEMAND FOR EVIDENCE-BASED PSYCHOTHERAPY: NEAR-TERM
      OPTIONS FOR PAYERS AND POLICYMAKERS.

PMID- 26502365
TI  - Heat Transfer during Blanching and Hydrocooling of Broccoli Florets.
AB  - The objective of this work was to simulate heat transfer during blanching (90 
      degrees C) and hydrocooling (5  degrees C) of broccoli florets (Brassica oleracea
      L. Italica) and to evaluate the impact of these processes on the physicochemical
      and nutrimental quality properties. Thermophysical properties (thermal
      conductivity [line heat source], specific heat capacity [differential scanning
      calorimetry], and bulk density [volume displacement]) of stem and inflorescence
      were measured as a function of temperature (5, 10, 20, 40, 60, and 80  degrees
      C). The activation energy and the frequency factor (Arrhenius model) of these
      thermophysical properties were calculated. A 3-dimensional finite element model
      was developed to predict the temperature history at different points inside the
      product. Comparison of the theoretical and experimental temperature histories was
      carried out. Quality parameters (firmness, total color difference, and vitamin C
      content) and peroxidase activity were measured. The satisfactory validation of
      the finite element model allows the prediction of temperature histories and
      profiles under different process conditions, which could lead to an eventual
      optimization aimed to minimize the nutritional and sensorial losses in broccoli
      florets. 

PMID- 26502367
TI  - Walking Speed As a Potential Indicator of Cartilage Breakdown Following Anterior
      Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether or not self-selected walking speed associates
      with serum biomarkers of cartilage (collagen and proteoglycan) breakdown in
      anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed (ACLR) individuals. METHODS: Twenty
      individuals with a history of a primary unilateral ACLR participated in this
      cross-sectional study. Resting blood was collected from each participant prior to
      completing 5 walking gait trials at a self-selected comfortable speed. Walking
      speed was evaluated in a 3-dimensional motion capture laboratory and determined
      from the velocity of the pelvic center of mass. Sera were assessed for collagen
      type II cleavage product (C2C) and proteoglycan (aggrecan) concentrations using
      commercially available specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Pearson's
      product-moment (r) and Spearman's (rho) correlations were used to evaluate
      associations between walking speed and biomarkers of cartilage breakdown
      metabolism. Partial correlations were used to determine whether covariates
      influenced associations between walking speed and biomarkers of cartilage
      breakdown. RESULTS: ACLR individuals with a slower walking speed demonstrated
      higher concentrations of serum C2C (r = -0.52, P = 0.02), while there was no
      significant association between walking speed and aggrecan concentrations (rho = 
      0.29, P = 0.31). After accounting for the variance associated with stance phase
      duration, ACLR individuals with a slower walking speed still demonstrated greater
      serum C2C concentrations (partial r = -0.53, P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: ACLR
      individuals who habitually walk slower may experience a greater degree of
      collagen breakdown, suggesting that walking speed may be a future useful clinical
      indicator for identifying individuals with higher levels of cartilage breakdown
      and preradiographic osteoarthritic joint changes.

PMID- 26502368
TI  - Acute Kidney Disease After Liver and Heart Transplantation.
AB  - After transplantation of nonrenal solid organs, an acute decline in kidney
      function develops in the majority of patients. In addition, a significant number
      of nonrenal solid organ transplant recipients develop chronic kidney disease, and
      some develop end-stage renal disease, requiring renal replacement therapy. The
      incidence varies depending on the transplanted organ. Acute kidney injury after
      nonrenal solid organ transplantation is associated with prolonged length of stay,
      cost, increased risk of death, de novo chronic kidney disease, and end-stage
      renal disease. This overview focuses on the risk factors for posttransplant acute
      kidney injury after liver and heart transplantation, integrating discussion of
      proteinuria and chronic kidney disease with emphasis on pathogenesis,
      histopathology, and management including the use of mechanistic target of
      rapamycin inhibition and costimulatory blockade. 

PMID- 26502370
TI  - Decrease in 1-year Kidney Graft Size Predicts Inferior Outcomes After Deceased
      Donor Kidney Transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Longest bipolar length of the kidney graft is routinely measured for
      ultrasonographic assessment of graft size (GS), although the value of the graft
      length remains unclear. METHODS: In a single-center, observational study
      involving 319 deceased-donor kidney transplant recipients, we assessed variations
      in absolute and adjusted GS (corrected for body surface area) between 1 and 12
      months after transplantation ([INCREMENT]GS1m->12m). We tested whether variations
      in GS during the first year were predictive of the composite outcome of a
      reduction of 50% or more in the estimated glomerular filtration rate or end-stage
      graft failure. RESULTS: At 1 year after transplantation, 121 patients (38%) had a
      decrease in GS ([INCREMENT]GS1m->12m <0), and 198 patients (62%) had an increase
      in GS ([INCREMENT]GS1m->12m >=0). After a median follow-up of 53 months, 41
      patients with a decrease in GS reached the composite outcome as compared with 12
      patients with an increase in GS (34% and 6%, respectively; P < 0.001). Areas
      under the receiver operating characteristics curves of absolute and adjusted
      [INCREMENT]GS1m->12m for composite outcome were 0.81 (95% confidence interval
      [95% CI], 0.74-0.88) and 0.78 (95% CI, 0.70-0.86), respectively. In multivariate
      analysis, the risk of the composite outcome was significantly higher among
      patients with a decrease in GS during the first year after transplantation
      (hazard ratio, 4.55; 95% CI, 2.35-8.81; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A decrease in
      kidney GS during the first year after transplantation, as compared with an
      increase in GS, is a powerful predictor of subsequent graft dysfunction or end
      stage graft failure.

PMID- 26502369
TI  - Calcineurin-inhibition Results in Upregulation of Local Renin and Subsequent
      Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Production in Renal Collecting Ducts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tacrolimus (Tac) and Cyclosporine A (CyA) calcineurin inhibitors
      (CNIs) are 2 effective immunosuppressants which are essential to prevent
      allograft rejection. Calcineurin inhibitors are known to be nephrotoxic. However,
      the precise mechanism of nephrotoxicity is not fully understood. In this study,
      we investigated the in vivo effects of CNIs on the local renal renin-angiotensin
      system in the collecting duct (CD). METHODS: Three-week-old mice were treated
      with either vehicle, CyA (2 mg/kg per day), Tac (0.075 mg/kg per day), CyA +
      Aliskiren (25 mg/kg per day), or Tac + Aliskiren for 3 weeks. Serum creatinine
      was measured. Renin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) contents in CD
      were evaluated with flow cytometry and multiphoton microscopy. The diameter of
      vessels was assessed with multiphoton microscopy, and the amount of renal
      collagen was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Masson
      staining. RESULTS: The elevated level of serum creatinine in CNI groups was
      abolished by Aliskiren. Flow cytometric analysis found elevated renin content in
      principal cells, which was prevented by Aliskiren. This result was further
      confirmed with multiphoton microscopy. The VEGF content in CD correlated with
      reduced capillary diameter and with the formation of fibrotic islands.
      CONCLUSIONS: Calcineurin inhibitors induce production of renin in the CD that may
      contribute to decreased renal blood flow. In turn, CD responds with increased
      VEGF production, resulting in disproportional vessel growth, further worsening
      the local hypoxia and striped fibrosis surrounding the CDs. Aliskiren, a direct
      renin inhibitor blocks these effects and improves CNI-induced nephropathy by
      decreasing renin production in the CDs. Our data suggest that Aliskiren may be
      used for the prevention of CNI nephrotoxicity.

PMID- 26502372
TI  - Simultaneous Nephrectomy and Ipsilateral Dual Kidney Transplantation in Patients
      With Autosomal Polycystic Kidney Disease.

PMID- 26502371
TI  - alpha-Lipoic Acid Protects Against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Simultaneous
      Kidney-Pancreas Transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple factors have been implicated in the process of ischemia
      reperfusion injury (IRI) in organ transplantation. Among these factors, oxidative
      damage seems to initiate the injury. alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a potent
      antioxidant that is used in patients with diabetic polyneuropathy. The aim of the
      present study was to determine the effect of ALA in patients undergoing
      simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplant by evaluating the functional recovery of
      the graft and biochemical markers of IRI. METHODS: Twenty-six patients were
      included in the following groups: (i) untreated control; (ii) donor and recipient
      (DR) ALA-treated, in which ALA was administered both to the deceased donor and to
      the recipients; and (iii) recipient ALA-treated group. The expression of
      inflammatory genes, as observed in biopsies taken at the end of surgery, as well
      as the serum cytokines, secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor, regenerating
      islet-derived protein 3beta/pancreatitis-associated protein, amylase, lipase,
      glucose, and creatinine levels were quantified as markers of organ function.
      RESULTS: The DR group showed high levels of TGFbeta and low levels of C3 and
      TNFalpha in the kidneys, whereas high levels of C3 and heme oxygenase were
      identified in pancreas biopsies. Decreases in serum IL-8, IL-6, secretory
      leukocyte protease inhibitor, and regenerating islet-derived protein 3
      beta/pancreatitis-associated protein were observed after surgery in the DR group.
      Serum lipase and amylase were lower in the DR group than in the control and
      recipient groups. Early kidney dysfunction and clinical pancreatitis were higher
      in the control group than in either treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      show that ALA preconditioning is capable of reducing inflammatory markers while
      decreasing early kidney dysfunction and clinical posttransplant pancreatitis.

PMID- 26502373
TI  - Test-retest reproducibility of neurochemical profiles with short-echo, single
      voxel MR spectroscopy at 3T and 7T.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the test-retest reproducibility of neurochemical
      concentrations obtained with a highly optimized, short-echo, single-voxel proton
      MR spectroscopy (MRS) pulse sequence at 3T and 7T using state-of-the-art
      hardware. METHODS: A semi-LASER sequence (echo time = 26-28 ms) was used to
      acquire spectra from the posterior cingulate and cerebellum at 3T and 7T from six
      healthy volunteers who were scanned four times weekly on both scanners. Spectra
      were quantified with LCModel. RESULTS: More neurochemicals were quantified with
      mean Cramer-Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) <=20% at 7T than at 3T despite comparable
      frequency-domain signal-to-noise ratio. Whereas CRLBs were lower at 7T (P <
      0.05), between-session coefficients of variance (CVs) were comparable at the two
      fields with 64 transients. Five metabolites were quantified with between-session
      CVs <=5% at both fields. Analysis of subspectra showed that a minimum achievable
      CV was reached with a lower number of transients at 7T for multiple metabolites
      and that between-session CVs were lower at 7T than at 3T with fewer than 64
      transients. CONCLUSION: State-of-the-art MRS methodology allows excellent
      reproducibility for many metabolites with 5-min data averaging on clinical 3T
      hardware. Sensitivity and resolution advantages at 7T are important for weakly
      represented metabolites, short acquisitions, and small volumes of interest. Magn
      Reson Med 76:1083-1091, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26502374
TI  - Hyponatremia and Right Maxillary Sinus Mass.

PMID- 26502375
TI  - Graded specialization within and between the anterior temporal lobes.
AB  - Considerable evidence from different methodologies has identified the anterior
      temporal lobes (ATLs) as key regions for the representation of semantic
      knowledge. Research interest is now shifting to investigate the roles of
      different ATL subregions in semantic representation, with particular emphasis on
      the functions of the left versus right ATLs. In this review, we provide evidence
      for graded specializations both between and within the ATLs. We argue (1) that
      multimodal, pan-category semantic representations are supported jointly by both
      left and right ATLs, yet (2) that the ATLs are not homogeneous in their function.
      Instead, subtle functional gradations both between and within the ATLs emerge as
      a consequence of differential connectivity with primary sensory/motor/limbic
      regions. This graded specialization account of semantic representation provides a
      compromise between theories that posit no differences between the functions of
      the left and right ATLs and those that posit that the left and right ATLs are
      entirely segregated in function. Evidence for this graded account comes from
      converging sources, and its benefits have been exemplified in formal
      computational models. We propose that this graded principle is not only a
      defining feature of the ATLs but is also a more general neurocomputational
      principle found throughout the temporal lobes. 

PMID- 26502377
TI  - Fish protein increases circulating levels of trimethylamine-N-oxide and
      accelerates aortic lesion formation in apoE null mice.
AB  - SCOPE: The protective effect of fish consumption on the cardiovascular system has
      primarily been ascribed to n-3 fatty acids, but data investigating the vascular
      effects of fish protein consumption are scarce. This study aimed to investigate
      the vascular impact of fish protein in a mouse model of atherosclerosis. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: Male apoE null mice were fed a Western diet containing 20% fish
      (turbot) protein, casein, or soy protein, for 16 wk. Morphometric analysis of the
      aorta revealed that the atherosclerotic plaque area of fish protein fed mice was
      twofold larger than that in casein- or soy protein-fed mice. The percentage area
      of calcification deposits in plaques of fish protein fed mice was higher (7.57%)
      than that in casein-fed (2.86%) or soy protein-fed (3.46%) mice, and fish protein
      fed mice exhibited higher plaque expression of CD68, CD36, and IL-6 than the
      other two groups. Fish protein intake was accompanied by increased serum
      concentrations of trimethylamine-N-oxide (7.03 +/- 2.83 MUmol/L), as compared
      with casein (0.92 +/- 0.46 MUmol/L) and soy protein (1.32 +/- 0.54 MUmol/L)
      intake. CONCLUSION: The present data indicate adverse effects of fish protein on
      the vascular system, which could be attributable to the high serum trimethylamine
      N-oxide concentrations in these mice.

PMID- 26502376
TI  - Role of Mitral Annulus Diastolic Geometry on Intraventricular Filling Dynamics.
AB  - The mitral valve (MV) is a bileaflet valve positioned between the left atrium and
      ventricle of the heart. The annulus of the MV has been observed to undergo
      geometric changes during the cardiac cycle, transforming from a saddle D-shape
      during systole to a flat (and less eccentric) D-shape during diastole. Prosthetic
      MV devices, including heart valves and annuloplasty rings, are designed based on
      these two configurations, with the circular design of some prosthetic heart
      valves (PHVs) being an approximation of the less eccentric, flat D-shape.
      Characterizing the effects of these geometrical variations on the filling
      efficiency of the left ventricle (LV) is required to understand why the flat D
      shaped annulus is observed in the native MV during diastole in addition to
      optimizing the design of prosthetic devices. We hypothesize that the D-shaped
      annulus reduces energy loss during ventricular filling. An experimental left
      heart simulator (LHS) consisting of a flexible-walled LV physical model was used
      to characterize the filling efficiency of the two mitral annular geometries. The
      strength of the dominant vortical structure formed and the energy dissipation
      rate (EDR) of the measured fields, during the diastolic period of the cardiac
      cycle, were used as metrics to quantify the filling efficiency. Our results
      indicated that the O-shaped annulus generates a stronger (25% relative to the D
      shaped annulus) vortical structure than that of the D-shaped annulus. It was also
      found that the O-shaped annulus resulted in higher EDR values throughout the
      diastolic period of the cardiac cycle. The results support the hypothesis that a
      D-shaped mitral annulus reduces dissipative energy losses in ventricular filling
      during diastole and in turn suggests that a symmetric stent design does not
      provide lower filling efficiency than an equivalent asymmetric design. 

PMID- 26502378
TI  - BRAF Inhibition in a Lung Transplant Recipient With Metastatic Melanoma.

PMID- 26502380
TI  - Medicare, Medicaid, and Mental Health Care: Historical Perspectives on Reforms
      Before the US Congress.

PMID- 26502379
TI  - Pneumococcal Prevention Gets Older and Wiser.

PMID- 26502381
TI  - Health care costs for patients with dementia at the end of life.

PMID- 26502382
TI  - Early Language Intervention Using Distance Video-Teleconferencing: A Pilot Study
      of Young Boys With Fragile X Syndrome and Their Mothers.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of a naturalistic parent-implemented
      language intervention on the use of verbally responsive language by mothers of 6
      young boys with fragile X syndrome. The intervention included parent education
      sessions and clinician coaching delivered onsite and by distance video
      teleconferencing. METHOD: A single-case multiple baseline across participants was
      used to examine intervention effects on maternal use of language support
      strategies. A nonparametric analysis was used to evaluate the relative
      effectiveness of onsite compared with distance coaching sessions. RESULTS:
      Mothers increased their use of utterances that followed into their child's focus
      of attention and prompted child communication acts. Intervention effects were not
      observed for maternal contingent responses to child communication, possibly due
      to the limited number of spontaneous communication acts children produced.
      Children showed moderate increases in the use of prompted communication acts,
      whereas intervention effects on spontaneous communication acts were more modest
      and variable. Comparable increases in maternal strategy use were observed during
      onsite and distance sessions. CONCLUSIONS: No previous study has examined a
      distance-delivered parent-implemented language intervention for young boys with
      fragile X syndrome. Mothers were able to increase their use of verbally
      responsive language. Intervention efficacy might be enhanced by incorporating an
      augmentative and alternative communication device for some children and a more
      concerted focus on increasing the frequency of child communication acts. Findings
      provide preliminary support for the efficacy of the distance delivery format.

PMID- 26502383
TI  - Digital phantoms generated by spectral and spatial light modulators.
AB  - A hyperspectral image projector (HIP) based on liquid crystal on silicon spatial
      light modulators is explained and demonstrated to generate data cubes. The HIP
      constructed data cubes are three-dimensional images of the spatial distribution
      of spectrally resolved abundances of intracellular light-absorbing oxyhemoglobin
      molecules in single erythrocytes. Spectrally and spatially resolved image data
      indistinguishable from the real scene may be used as standard data cubes, so
      called digital phantoms, to calibrate image sensors and validate image analysis
      algorithms for their measurement quality, performance consistency, and
      interlaboratory comparisons for quantitative biomedical imaging applications.

PMID- 26502402
TI  - Surveillance and Data Capture to Assess Trauma Care Capacity in Low- and Middle
      Income Countries.

PMID- 26502403
TI  - Cancer Drugs Approved on the Basis of a Surrogate End Point and Subsequent
      Overall Survival: An Analysis of 5 Years of US Food and Drug Administration
      Approvals.

PMID- 26502404
TI  - A map of the distribution of sphingosine 1-phosphate in the spleen.
AB  - Despite the importance of signaling lipids, many questions remain about their
      function because few tools are available for charting lipid gradients in vivo.
      Here we generated a sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) reporter mouse and used this
      mouse to define the distribution of S1P in the spleen. Unexpectedly, the presence
      of blood did not serve as a predictor of the concentration of signaling-available
      S1P. Large areas of the red pulp had low concentrations of S1P, while S1P was
      sensed by cells inside the white pulp near the marginal sinus. The lipid
      phosphate phosphatase LPP3 maintained low S1P concentrations in the spleen and
      enabled efficient shuttling of marginal zone B cells. The exquisitely tight
      regulation of S1P availability might explain how a single lipid can
      simultaneously orchestrate the movements of many cells of the immune system. 

PMID- 26502405
TI  - Ectopic lymphoid structures function as microniches for tumor progenitor cells in
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Ectopic lymphoid-like structures (ELSs) are often observed in cancer, yet their
      function is obscure. Although ELSs signify good prognosis in certain
      malignancies, we found that hepatic ELSs indicated poor prognosis for
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We studied an HCC mouse model that displayed
      abundant ELSs and found that they constituted immunopathological microniches
      wherein malignant hepatocyte progenitor cells appeared and thrived in a complex
      cellular and cytokine milieu until gaining self-sufficiency. The egress of
      progenitor cells and tumor formation were associated with the autocrine
      production of cytokines previously provided by the niche. ELSs developed via
      cooperation between the innate immune system and adaptive immune system, an event
      facilitated by activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB and abolished by
      depletion of T cells. Such aberrant immunological foci might represent new
      targets for cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26502406
TI  - Long non-coding RNA profiling of human lymphoid progenitor cells reveals
      transcriptional divergence of B cell and T cell lineages.
AB  - To elucidate the transcriptional 'landscape' that regulates human lymphoid
      commitment during postnatal life, we used RNA sequencing to assemble the long non
      coding transcriptome across human bone marrow and thymic progenitor cells
      spanning the earliest stages of B lymphoid and T lymphoid specification. Over
      3,000 genes encoding previously unknown long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were
      revealed through the analysis of these rare populations. Lymphoid commitment was
      characterized by lncRNA expression patterns that were highly stage specific and
      were more lineage specific than those of protein-coding genes. Protein-coding
      genes co-expressed with neighboring lncRNA genes showed enrichment for ontologies
      related to lymphoid differentiation. The exquisite cell-type specificity of
      global lncRNA expression patterns independently revealed new developmental
      relationships among the earliest progenitor cells in the human bone marrow and
      thymus. 

PMID- 26502407
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26502408
TI  - [Acute coronary syndrome in acute stroke].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Elevated troponin levels are commonly found in patients with acute
      stroke and approximately 60 % of stroke patients suffer from an accompanying
      coronary artery disease. Troponin release can be caused either by an acute
      thrombotic myocardial infarction or by insufficient coronary perfusion due to
      neurocardiogenic causes like blood pressure or heart rate variability without
      thrombotic coronary occlusion. Due to the often unclear pathological cause of
      troponin release and the risk of secondary hemorrhage during dual antiplatelet
      therapy, the determination of the best time point for coronary diagnostics and
      therapy in stroke patients is a common challenge in clinical daily routine.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on the current literature, we describe a potential
      diagnostic and therapeutic approach in stroke patients with increased troponin
      levels. RESULTS: First, the probability of an acute thrombotic myocardial
      infarction should be evaluated based on clinical, laboratory, and
      electrocardiographic parameters. In case of suspected myocardial infarction, a
      diagnostic coronary angiography/CT angiography should be performed and dual
      antiplatelet therapy should be given depending on the intracranial bleeding risk.
      In patients with high risk of intracranial bleeding, thrombus aspiration and
      balloon dilatation should be considered. CONCLUSION: In patients with acute
      stroke and elevated troponin levels, a thorough diagnostic workup is necessary to
      estimate the probability for a thrombotic myocardial infarction and to prevent
      cardiac and neurologic complications.

PMID- 26502409
TI  - Two New PRP Conjugate Gradient Algorithms for Minimization Optimization Models.
AB  - Two new PRP conjugate Algorithms are proposed in this paper based on two modified
      PRP conjugate gradient methods: the first algorithm is proposed for solving
      unconstrained optimization problems, and the second algorithm is proposed for
      solving nonlinear equations. The first method contains two aspects of
      information: function value and gradient value. The two methods both possess some
      good properties, as follows: 1) betak >= 0 2) the search direction has the trust
      region property without the use of any line search method 3) the search direction
      has sufficient descent property without the use of any line search method. Under
      some suitable conditions, we establish the global convergence of the two
      algorithms. We conduct numerical experiments to evaluate our algorithms. The
      numerical results indicate that the first algorithm is effective and competitive
      for solving unconstrained optimization problems and that the second algorithm is
      effective for solving large-scale nonlinear equations.

PMID- 26502411
TI  - Hoops News.

PMID- 26502410
TI  - Photodynamic therapy as an effective therapeutic approach in MAME models of
      inflammatory breast cancer.
AB  - Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive, FDA-approved therapy for
      treatment of endobronchial and esophageal cancers that are accessible to light.
      Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an aggressive and highly metastatic form of
      breast cancer that spreads to dermal lymphatics, a site that would be accessible
      to light. IBC patients have a relatively poor survival rate due to lack of
      targeted therapies. The use of PDT is underexplored for breast cancers but has
      been proposed for treatment of subtypes for which a targeted therapy is
      unavailable. We optimized and used a 3D mammary architecture and microenvironment
      engineering (MAME) model of IBC to examine the effects of PDT using two treatment
      protocols. The first protocol used benzoporphyrin derivative monoacid A (BPD)
      activated at doses ranging from 45 to 540 mJ/cm(2). The second PDT protocol used
      two photosensitizers: mono-L-aspartyl chlorin e6 (NPe6) and BPD that were
      sequentially activated. Photokilling by PDT was assessed by live-dead assays.
      Using a MAME model of IBC, we have shown a significant dose-response in
      photokilling by BPD-PDT. Sequential activation of NPe6 followed by BPD is more
      effective in photokilling of tumor cells than BPD alone. Sequential activation at
      light doses of 45 mJ/cm(2) for each agent resulted in >90 % cell death, a
      response only achieved by BPD-PDT at a dose of 360 mJ/cm(2). Our data also show
      that effects of PDT on a volumetric measurement of 3D MAME structures reflect
      efficacy of PDT treatment. Our study is the first to demonstrate the potential of
      PDT for treating IBC. 

PMID- 26502412
TI  - Prevention of Lower Extremity Injuries in Basketball: A Systematic Review and
      Meta-Analysis.
AB  - CONTEXT: Lower extremity injuries are common in basketball, yet it is unclear how
      prophylactic interventions affect lower extremity injury incidence rates.
      OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effectiveness of current lower extremity injury
      prevention programs in basketball athletes, focusing on injury rates of (1)
      general lower extremity injuries, (2) ankle sprains, and (3) anterior cruciate
      ligament (ACL) tears. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and the
      Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials were searched in January 2015. STUDY
      SELECTION: Studies were included if they were randomized controlled or
      prospective cohort trials, contained a population of competitive basketball
      athletes, and reported lower extremity injury incidence rates specific to
      basketball players. In total, 426 individual studies were identified. Of these, 9
      met the inclusion criteria. One other study was found during a hand search of the
      literature, resulting in 10 total studies included in this meta-analysis. STUDY
      DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 2. DATA
      EXTRACTION: Details of the intervention (eg, neuromuscular vs external support),
      size of control and intervention groups, and number of injuries in each group
      were extracted from each study. Injury data were classified into 3 groups based
      on the anatomic diagnosis reported (general lower extremity injury, ankle sprain,
      ACL rupture). RESULTS: Meta-analyses were performed independently for each injury
      classification. Results indicate that prophylactic programs significantly reduced
      the incidence of general lower extremity injuries (odds ratio [OR], 0.69; 95% CI,
      0.57-0.85; P < 0.001) and ankle sprains (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.29-0.69; P < 0.001),
      yet not ACL ruptures (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.36-3.29; P = 0.87) in basketball
      athletes. CONCLUSION: In basketball players, prophylactic programs may be
      effective in reducing the risk of general lower extremity injuries and ankle
      sprains, yet not ACL injuries.

PMID- 26502413
TI  - Weightbearing Versus Nonweightbearing After Meniscus Repair.
AB  - CONTEXT: Optimal rehabilitation after meniscal repair remains controversial.
      OBJECTIVE: To review the current literature on weightbearing status after
      meniscal repairs and to provide evidence-based recommendations for postoperative
      rehabilitation. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (January 1, 1993 to July 1, 2014) and
      Embase (January 1, 1993 to July 1, 2014) were queried with use of the terms
      meniscus OR/AND repair AND rehabilitation. STUDY SELECTION: Included studies were
      those with levels of evidence 1 through 4, with minimum 2 years follow-up and in
      an English publication. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level
      4. DATA EXTRACTION: Demographics and clinical and radiographic outcomes of
      meniscus repair at a minimum of 2 years follow-up were extracted. RESULTS:
      Successful clinical outcomes ranged from 70% to 94% with conservative
      rehabilitation. More recent studies using an accelerated rehabilitation protocol
      with full weightbearing and early range of motion reported 64% to 96% good
      results. CONCLUSION: Outcomes after both conservative (restricted weightbearing)
      protocols and accelerated rehabilitation (immediate weightbearing) yielded
      similar good to excellent results; however, lack of similar objective criteria
      and consistency among surgical techniques and existing studies makes direct
      comparison difficult.

PMID- 26502414
TI  - Reference Values for the Marx Activity Rating Scale in a Young Athletic
      Population: History of Knee Ligament Injury Is Associated With Higher Scores.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Activity-related patient-reported outcome measures are an important
      component of assessment after knee ligament injury in young and physically active
      patients; however, normative data for most activity scales are limited.
      OBJECTIVE: To present reference values by sex for the Marx Activity Rating Scale
      (MARS) within a young and physically active population while accounting for knee
      ligament injury history and sex. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Level 2. METHODS: All incoming freshman entering a US Service Academy
      in June of 2011 were recruited to participate in this study. MARS was
      administered to 1169 incoming freshmen (203 women) who consented to participate
      within the first week of matriculation. All subjects were deemed healthy and
      medically fit for military service on admission. Subjects also completed a
      baseline questionnaire that asked for basic demographic information and injury
      history. We calculated means with standard deviations, medians with interquartile
      ranges, and percentiles for ordinal and continuous variables, and frequencies and
      proportions for dichotomous variables. We also compared median scores by sex and
      history of knee ligament injury using the Kruskal-Wallis test. MARS was the
      primary outcome of interest. RESULTS: The median MARS score was significantly
      higher for men when compared with women (chi(2) = 13.22, df = 1, P < 0.001) with
      no prior history of knee ligament injury. In contrast, there was no significant
      difference in median MARS scores between men and women (chi(2) = 0.47, df = 1, P
      = 0.493) who reported a history of injury. Overall, median MARS scores were
      significantly higher among those who reported a history of knee ligament injury
      when compared with those who did not (chi(2) = 9.06, df = 1, P = 0.003).
      CONCLUSION: Assessing activity as a patient-reported outcome after knee ligament
      injury is important, and reference values for these instruments need to account
      for the influence of prior injury and sex.

PMID- 26502415
TI  - Treatment of Popliteal (Baker) Cysts With Ultrasound-Guided Aspiration,
      Fenestration, and Injection: Long-term Follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of ultrasound
      guided aspiration, fenestration, and injection as a treatment in patients with
      symptomatic popliteal cysts. HYPOTHESIS: Ultrasound-guided aspiration,
      fenestration, and injection (UGAFI) is an effective and safe treatment option for
      symptomatic popliteal cysts. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Level 3. METHODS: Patients who received a UGAFI of popliteal cysts from
      2008 to 2011 were identified. Preaspiration (PA) and follow-up Western Ontario
      and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores, cyst recurrence,
      complications, cyst complexity, and size were obtained and compared for
      statistical significance. UGAFI involved aspiration of fluid through a spinal
      needle, fenestration of the cyst walls and septations, and injection of 1 mL (40
      mg) triamcinolone (Kenalog) and 2 mL 0.5% bupivacaine (Sensorcaine) into the
      decompressed remnant. RESULTS: The mean PA WOMAC score (48.55) improved
      significantly at final follow-up (FFU) to 17.15 (P < 0.0001) for 47 patients.
      Within the WOMAC subcategories, there was also a significant difference in pain
      (PA, 10.68; FFU, 3.94; P < 0.0001), stiffness (PA, 4.51; FFU, 1.77; P < 0.0001),
      and physical function (PA, 31.34; FFU, 12.17; P < 0.0001). There were 6
      reaspirations for recurrence (12.7%), and 1 patient underwent unicompartmental
      knee arthroplasty. There were no infections or other complications. CONCLUSION:
      Significant clinical improvement in patients with symptomatic popliteal cysts can
      be achieved via UGAFI as the sole treatment. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: UGAFI is a safe
      and effective option as the sole treatment modality for symptomatic popliteal
      cysts.

PMID- 26502417
TI  - A Unique Incidental Finding in Two Young Dancers: A Case Series.
AB  - Dancers frequently present to the sports medicine clinic with a variety of lower
      extremity complaints ranging from acute and traumatic injuries to more chronic,
      overuse injuries. This case series depicts a similar and unique incidental
      radiographic finding found in 2 young dancers seen at the same sports medicine
      clinic. While the findings are likely benign and unrelated to both patients'
      initial presentation, the finding of acroosteolysis can be found in more serious
      systemic and genetic processes as well an early finding in repetitive trauma. 

PMID- 26502416
TI  - Patellar Tendinopathy.
AB  - CONTEXT: Patellar tendinopathy is a common condition. There are a wide variety of
      treatment options available, the majority of which are nonoperative. No consensus
      exists on the optimal method of treatment. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: PubMed spanning
      1962-2014. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4. RESULTS:
      The majority of cases resolve with nonoperative therapy: rest, physical therapy
      with eccentric exercises, cryotherapy, anti-inflammatories, corticosteroid
      injections, extracorporeal shockwave therapy, glyceryl trinitrate, platelet-rich
      plasma injections, and ultrasound-guided sclerosis. Refractory cases may require
      either open or arthroscopic debridement of the patellar tendon. Corticosteroid
      injections provide short-term pain relief but increase risk of tendon rupture.
      Anti-inflammatories and injectable agents have shown mixed results. Surgical
      treatment is effective in many refractory cases unresponsive to nonoperative
      modalities. CONCLUSION: Physical therapy with an eccentric exercise program is
      the mainstay of treatment for patellar tendinopathy. Platelet-rich plasma has
      demonstrated mixed results; evidence-based recommendations on its efficacy cannot
      be made. In the event that nonoperative treatment fails, surgical intervention
      has produced good to excellent outcomes in the majority of patients.

PMID- 26502418
TI  - Pattern of Fascicular Involvement in Midportion Achilles Tendinopathy at
      Ultrasound.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Achilles tendon is composed of fascicles from the soleus and
      gastrocnemius muscles, which are identifiable as discrete components at
      anatomical dissection. HYPOTHESIS: The pattern of fascicular involvement in
      Achilles tendinopathy may be characterized at ultrasound, and this
      characterization is reliable between different observers. STUDY DESIGN: Cross
      sectional diagnostic study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3. METHODS: One hundred
      cases of Achilles tendinopathy were retrospectively evaluated by 2 blinded
      musculoskeletal radiologists. Using a short-axis anatomical map, each case was
      categorized as involving the fascicular territories of the medial head of
      gastrocnemius, lateral head of gastrocnemius, soleus, or combinations of these,
      or as indeterminate. RESULTS: Both radiologists agreed on the fascicular
      involvement pattern in 93 of 100 cases; 20 involved only medial gastrocnemius
      territories, 8 lateral gastrocnemius, 15 soleus, 3 medial and lateral
      gastrocnemius, 21 medial gastrocnemius and soleus, 9 soleus and lateral
      gastrocnemius, and 16 the entire tendon, and 1 case was classified as
      indeterminate. In 7 cases, the interpretations were discordant. The kappa value
      was calculated as 0.92 (95% CI, 0.86-0.98) in keeping with a high level of
      interobserver agreement. CONCLUSION: As assessed at ultrasound, most cases of
      Achilles tendinopathy involve the medial head of gastrocnemius and/or soleus
      fascicles. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The provided observational data will increase
      understanding of patterns of Achilles tendinopathy.

PMID- 26502419
TI  - Impact of Femoroacetabular Impingement Morphology on Gait Assessment in
      Symptomatic Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gait is abnormal in patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI).
      To date, studies have not correlated radiographic FAI morphology with gait
      abnormalities. HYPOTHESIS: Gait abnormalities in FAI patients will be associated
      with radiographic FAI morphology. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Level 4. METHODS: Patients with symptomatic FAI (n = 20) underwent
      radiographic and gait analysis. Exclusion criteria included previous injuries or
      surgeries to the lower extremities or lumbar spine as well as bilateral
      symptomatic FAI. The alpha angle (AA) and center-edge angle (CEA) were measured
      on anteroposterior (AP) pelvis, Dunn lateral, and false-profile radiographs, and
      inter- and intraobserver variability was determined. Motion analysis techniques
      were used to obtain gait data including 3-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data.
      Descriptive analysis was performed using Spearman correlations for morphologic
      measurements. A stepwise regression model was used to examine the association of
      gait measures with AA and CEA. RESULTS: Intraobserver agreement for the AA and
      CEA was 0.92 (CI, 0.80-0.97) and 0.90 (CI, 0.76-0.96), while interobserver
      agreement for the angles was 0.96 (CI, 0.89-0.98) and 0.96 (CI, 0.90-0.98),
      respectively. Descriptive analysis suggested correlations between AA and peak
      external hip and knee external rotation moments, maximum ankle flexion angle, and
      ankle range of motion (range, -0.51 to 0.42; P < 0.0001). The CEA correlated with
      stride, peak external ankle eversion and inversion moments, peak external knee
      extension moment, and peak external hip flexion moment (range, -0.44 to 0.51; P <
      0.0001). We found that gait variables accounted for a large amount of variation
      in AA (8 variables accounted for 87% variation) and in CEA (7 variables accounted
      for 82% variation). CONCLUSION: Lower extremity gait parameters correlate highly
      with radiographic FAI morphology in symptomatic FAI patients. CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
      Gait abnormalities are present in FAI patients and may be a useful measure in
      outcome studies.

PMID- 26502420
TI  - Sport Specialization, Part I: Does Early Sports Specialization Increase Negative
      Outcomes and Reduce the Opportunity for Success in Young Athletes?
AB  - CONTEXT: There is increased growth in sports participation across the globe.
      Sports specialization patterns, which include year-round training, participation
      on multiple teams of the same sport, and focused participation in a single sport
      at a young age, are at high levels. The need for this type of early specialized
      training in young athletes is currently under debate. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION:
      Nonsystematic review. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4.
      CONCLUSION: Sports specialization is defined as year-round training (greater than
      8 months per year), choosing a single main sport, and/or quitting all other
      sports to focus on 1 sport. Specialized training in young athletes has risks of
      injury and burnout, while the degree of specialization is positively correlated
      with increased serious overuse injury risk. Risk factors for injury in young
      athletes who specialize in a single sport include year-round single-sport
      training, participation in more competition, decreased age-appropriate play, and
      involvement in individual sports that require the early development of technical
      skills. Adults involved in instruction of youth sports may also put young
      athletes at risk for injury by encouraging increased intensity in organized
      practices and competition rather than self-directed unstructured free play.
      STRENGTH-OF-RECOMMENDATION TAXONOMY SORT: C.

PMID- 26502421
TI  - Test-Retest Reliability of a Computerized Concussion Test: CNS Vital Signs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neurocognitive testing is an important concussion evaluation tool,
      but for neurocognitive tests to be useful, their psychometric properties must be
      well established. Test-retest reliability of computerized neurocognitive tests
      can influence their clinical utility. The reliability for a commonly used
      computerized neurocognitive test, CNS Vital Signs, is not well established. The
      purpose of this study was to examine test-retest reliability and reliable change
      indices for CNS Vital Signs in a healthy, physically active college population.
      HYPOTHESIS: CNS Vital Signs yields acceptable test-retest reliability, with
      greater reliability between the second and third test administration compared
      with between the first and second administration. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3. METHODS: Forty healthy, active volunteers (16 men, 24
      women; mean age, 21.05 +/- 2.17 years) reported to a clinical laboratory for 3
      sessions, 1 week apart. At each session, participants were administered CNS Vital
      Signs. Outcomes included standard scores for the following CNS Vital Signs
      domains: verbal memory, visual memory, psychomotor speed, cognitive flexibility,
      complex attention, processing speed, reaction time, executive functioning, and
      reasoning. RESULTS: Participants performed significantly better on the second
      session and/or third session than they did on the first testing session on 6 of 9
      neurocognitive domains. Pearson r test-retest correlations between sessions
      ranged from 0.11 to 0.87. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.10 to
      0.86. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should consider using reliable change indices to
      account for practice effects, identify meaningful score changes due to pathology,
      and inform clinical decisions. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study highlights the
      importance of clinicians understanding the psychometric properties of
      computerized neurocognitive tests when using them in the management of sport
      related concussion. If CNS Vital Signs is administered twice within a small time
      frame (such as 1 week), athletes should be expected to improve between the first
      and second administration.

PMID- 26502422
TI  - Review of Lacrosse-Related Musculoskeletal Injuries in High School and Collegiate
      Players.
AB  - CONTEXT: Participation in lacrosse has dramatically increased since 2001. Changes
      in the game rules, sport equipment, and athlete characteristics have all
      contributed to the injury patterns in lacrosse over time. OBJECTIVE: A summary of
      lacrosse-related musculoskeletal injuries. DATA SOURCES: Medline, CINAHL, Scopus,
      and Web of Science were searched for articles relating to the epidemiology and
      mechanisms of lacrosse injuries in high school and collegiate lacrosse players.
      STUDY SELECTION: The search strategy used the following keywords: lacrosse,
      injury, musculoskeletal, high school, intercollegiate, knee, shoulder, fracture,
      ankle, foot, concussion, and surveillance. Studies were included if they reported
      injury risk, injury type, or injury mechanism in high school or collegiate
      lacrosse players. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4.
      DATA EXTRACTION: Injury type, frequency, and mechanism as well as population were
      extracted. RESULTS: Thirteen cohort studies and an additional 15 case series and
      reports were included. For all lacrosse players, ankle, knee, and hand/wrist were
      key sites for acute injury. Among collegiate players, preseasonal play elicits
      more injuries than seasonal play. Female players incur more noncontact and
      overuse injuries than male players. Boys have 3 to 5 times the risk for
      sustaining a fracture compared with girls in competition and practice. Women
      experienced fewer concussions but more facial fractures than men. Injuries to the
      foot/ankle, head, face, and wrist/hand more often required surgery in girls than
      in boys. CONCLUSION: Male players incur more injuries than female players.
      However, because of the collisional nature of play, more shoulder, arm, and upper
      leg injuries occur in male players. Fractures to the head and hand occur
      relatively more frequently in female players. Injury risk can be modified with
      appropriate training regimens and by respecting the game rules.

PMID- 26502423
TI  - Suicide in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Athletes: A 9-Year
      Analysis of the NCAA Resolutions Database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has recently
      highlighted mental health concerns in student athletes, though the incidence of
      suicide among NCAA athletes is unclear. The purpose of this study was to
      determine the rate of suicide among NCAA athletes. HYPOTHESIS: The incidence of
      suicide in NCAA athletes differs by sex, race, sport, and division. STUDY DESIGN:
      Retrospective cohort study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3. METHODS: NCAA Memorial
      Resolutions list and published NCAA demographic data were used to identify
      student-athlete deaths and total participant seasons from 2003-2004 through 2011
      2012. Deaths were analyzed by age, sex, race, division, and sport. RESULTS: Over
      the 9-year study period, 35 cases of suicide were identified from a review of 477
      student-athlete deaths during 3,773,309 individual participant seasons. The
      overall suicide rate was 0.93/100,000 per year. Suicide represented 7.3% (35/477)
      of all-cause mortality among NCAA student athletes. The annual incidence of
      suicide in male athletes was 1.35/100,000 and in female athletes was 0.37/100,000
      (relative risk [RR], 3.7; P < 0.01). The incidence in African American athletes
      was 1.22/100,000 and in white athletes was 0.87/100,000 (RR, 1.4; P = 0.45). The
      highest rate of suicide occurred in men's football (2.25/100,000), and football
      athletes had a relative risk of 2.2 (P = 0.03) of committing suicide compared
      with other male, nonfootball athletes. CONCLUSION: The suicide rate in NCAA
      athletes appears to be lower than that of the general and collegiate population
      of similar age. NCAA male athletes have a significantly higher rate of suicide
      compared with female athletes, and football athletes appear to be at greatest
      risk. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Suicide represents a preventable cause of death, and
      development of effective prevention programs is recommended.

PMID- 26502426
TI  - Combating Negative Transfer From Predictive Distribution Differences.
AB  - Domain adaptation (DA), which leverages labeled data from related source domains,
      comes in handy when the label information of the target domain is scarce or
      unavailable. However, as the source data do not come from the same origin as that
      of the target domain, the predictive distributions of the source and target
      domains are likely to differ in reality. At the extreme, the predictive
      distributions of the source domains can differ completely from that of the target
      domain. In such case, using the learned source classifier to assist in the
      prediction of target data can result in prediction performance that is poorer
      than that with the omission of the source data. This phenomenon is established as
      negative transfer with impact known to be more severe in the multiclass context.
      To combat negative transfer due to differing predictive distributions across
      domains, we first introduce the notion of positive transferability for the
      assessment of synergy between the source and target domains in their prediction
      models, and we also propose a criterion to measure the positive transferability
      between sample pairs of different domains in terms of their prediction
      distributions. With the new measure, a predictive distribution matching (PDM)
      regularizer and a PDM framework learn the target classifier by favoring source
      data with large positive transferability while inferring the labels of target
      unlabeled data. Extensive experiments are conducted to validate the performance
      efficacy of the proposed PDM framework using several commonly used multidomain
      benchmark data sets, including Sentiment, Reuters, and Newsgroup, in the context
      of both binary-class and multiclass domains. Subsequently, the PDM framework is
      put to work on a real-world scenario pertaining to water cluster molecule
      identification. The experimental results illustrate the adverse impact of
      negative transfer on several state-of-the-art DA methods, whereas the proposed
      framework exhibits excellent and robust predictive performances. 

PMID- 26502424
TI  - Omohyoid Muscle Syndrome in a Mixed Martial Arts Athlete: A Case Report.
AB  - Omohyoid muscle syndrome is a rare cause of an X-shaped bulging lateral neck mass
      that occurs on swallowing. This is a diagnostic case report of a 22-year-old
      mixed martial arts athlete who acquired this condition. 

PMID- 26502427
TI  - Fuzzy-Rough Simultaneous Attribute Selection and Feature Extraction Algorithm.
AB  - Among the huge number of attributes or features present in real-life data sets,
      only a small fraction of them are effective to represent the data set accurately.
      Prior to analysis of the data set, selecting or extracting relevant and
      significant features is an important preprocessing step used for pattern
      recognition, data mining, and machine learning. In this regard, a novel
      dimensionality reduction method, based on fuzzy-rough sets, that simultaneously
      selects attributes and extracts features using the concept of feature
      significance is presented. The method is based on maximizing both the relevance
      and significance of the reduced feature set, whereby redundancy therein is
      removed. This paper also presents classical and neighborhood rough sets for
      computing the relevance and significance of the feature set and compares their
      performances with that of fuzzy-rough sets based on the predictive accuracy of
      nearest neighbor rule, support vector machine, and decision tree. An important
      finding is that the proposed dimensionality reduction method based on fuzzy-rough
      sets is shown to be more effective for generating a relevant and significant
      feature subset. The effectiveness of the proposed fuzzy-rough-set-based
      dimensionality reduction method, along with a comparison with existing attribute
      selection and feature extraction methods, is demonstrated on real-life data sets.

PMID- 26502429
TI  - Target Localization Using Ensemble Support Vector Regression in Wireless Sensor
      Networks.
AB  - Target localization, whose goal is to estimate the location of an unknown target,
      is one of the key issues in applications of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). With
      recent advances in fabrication technology, deployments of large-scale WSNs have
      become economically feasible. However, there exist issues such as limited
      communication and the curse of dimensionality in applying machine-learning
      algorithms such as support vector regression (SVR) on large-scale WSNs. Here, in
      order to overcome such issues, we propose an ensemble implementation of SVR for
      the problem of target localization. The convergence property of the localization
      algorithm using the ensemble SVR is verified, and the robustness of the proposed
      scheme against measurement noise is analyzed. Furthermore, experimental results
      confirm that the estimation performance of the proposed method is more accurate
      and robust to measurement noise than the conventional SVR predictor. 

PMID- 26502428
TI  - Unbounded Motion Optimization by Developmental Learning.
AB  - An algorithm is presented for autonomous motion development with unbounded
      waveform resolution. Rather than a single optimization in a very large space,
      memory is built to support incremental improvements; therefore, complexity is
      balanced by experience. Analogously, human development manages complexity by
      limiting it during initial learning stages. Motions are represented by cubic
      spline interpolation; therefore, the development technique applies broadly to
      function optimization. Adding a node to the splines allows all previous memory
      samples to transfer to the higher dimension space exactly. The memory-based
      model, which is a locally weighted regression (LWR), predicts the expected
      outcome for a motion and provides gradient information for optimizing the motion.
      Results are compared against bootstrapping a direct optimization (DO) on a
      mathematical problem. Additionally, the method has been implemented to learn
      voltage profiles with the lowest peak current for starting a motor. This method
      shows practical accuracy and scalability. 

PMID- 26502430
TI  - Sound Source Localization for HRI Using FOC-Based Time Difference Feature and
      Spatial Grid Matching.
AB  - In human-robot interaction (HRI), speech sound source localization (SSL) is a
      convenient and efficient way to obtain the relative position between a speaker
      and a robot. However, implementing a SSL system based on TDOA method encounters
      many problems, such as noise of real environments, the solution of nonlinear
      equations, switch between far field and near field. In this paper, fourth-order
      cumulant spectrum is derived, based on which a time delay estimation (TDE)
      algorithm that is available for speech signal and immune to spatially correlated
      Gaussian noise is proposed. Furthermore, time difference feature of sound source
      and its spatial distribution are analyzed, and a spatial grid matching (SGM)
      algorithm is proposed for localization step, which handles some problems that
      geometric positioning method faces effectively. Valid feature detection algorithm
      and a decision tree method are also suggested to improve localization performance
      and reduce computational complexity. Experiments are carried out in real
      environments on a mobile robot platform, in which thousands of sets of speech
      data with noise collected by four microphones are tested in 3D space. The
      effectiveness of our TDE method and SGM algorithm is verified. 

PMID- 26502431
TI  - Direct Adaptive Neural Control for a Class of Uncertain Nonaffine Nonlinear
      Systems Based on Disturbance Observer.
AB  - In this paper, the direct adaptive neural control is proposed for a class of
      uncertain nonaffine nonlinear systems with unknown nonsymmetric input saturation.
      Based on the implicit function theorem and mean value theorem, both state
      feedback and output feedback direct adaptive controls are developed using neural
      networks (NNs) and a disturbance observer. A compounded disturbance is defined to
      take into account of the effect of the unknown external disturbance, the unknown
      nonsymmetric input saturation, and the approximation error of NN. Then, a
      disturbance observer is developed to estimate the unknown compounded disturbance,
      and it is established that the estimate error converges to a compact set if
      appropriate observer design parameters are chosen. Both state feedback and output
      feedback direct adaptive controls can guarantee semiglobal uniform boundedness of
      the closed-loop system signals as rigorously proved by Lyapunov analysis.
      Numerical simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the
      proposed direct adaptive neural control techniques. 

PMID- 26502432
TI  - Inverse Dynamics for Action Recognition.
AB  - Pose-based approaches for human action recognition are attractive owing to their
      accurate use of human motion information. Traditionally, such approaches used
      kinematic features for classification. However, in addition to having high
      dimensions and a small interclass variation, kinematic features do not consider
      the interaction of the environment on human motion. In this paper, we propose a
      method for action recognition using dynamic features, derived by applying inverse
      dynamics to a physics-based representation of the human body. The physics-based
      model is articulated and actuated with muscles and consists of joints with
      variable stiffness. Dynamic features under consideration include the torques from
      the knee and hip joints of both legs and, implicitly, gravity, ground reaction
      forces, and the pose of the remaining body parts. These features are more
      discriminative than kinematic features, resulting in a low-dimensional
      representation for human actions, which preserves much of the information of the
      original high-dimensional pose. This low-dimensional feature achieves good
      classification performance even with a relatively small training data set in a
      simple classification framework such as a hidden Markov model. The effectiveness
      of the proposed method is demonstrated through experiments on the Carnegie Mellon
      University motion capture data set and Osaka University Kinect action data set
      with various actions. 

PMID- 26502433
TI  - Tracking Control of Mobile Robots Localized via Chained Fusion of Discrete and
      Continuous Epipolar Geometry, IMU and Odometry.
AB  - This paper presents a novel navigation and control system for autonomous mobile
      robots that includes path planning, localization, and control. A unique vision
      based pose and velocity estimation scheme utilizing both the continuous and
      discrete forms of the Euclidean homography matrix is fused with inertial and
      optical encoder measurements to estimate the pose, orientation, and velocity of
      the robot and ensure accurate localization and control signals. A depth
      estimation system is integrated in order to overcome the loss of scale inherent
      in vision-based estimation. A path following control system is introduced that is
      capable of guiding the robot along a designated curve. Stability analysis is
      provided for the control system and experimental results are presented that prove
      the combined localization and control system performs with high accuracy. 

PMID- 26502434
TI  - Induced l2 filtering of fuzzy stochastic systems with time-varying delays.
AB  - This paper is concerned with the problem of induced l2 filter design for a class
      of discrete-time Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy Ito stochastic systems with time-varying
      delays. Attention is focused on the design of the desired filter to guarantee an
      induced l2 performance for the filtering error system. A new comparison model is
      proposed by employing a new approximation for the time-varying delay state, and
      then, sufficient conditions for the obtained filtering error system are derived
      by this comparison model. A desired filter is constructed by solving a convex
      optimization problem, which can be efficiently solved by standard numerical
      algorithms. Finally, simulation examples are provided to illustrate the
      effectiveness of the proposed approaches. 

PMID- 26502435
TI  - Efficient Semisupervised MEDLINE Document Clustering With MeSH-Semantic and
      Global-Content Constraints.
AB  - For clustering biomedical documents, we can consider three different types of
      information: the local-content (LC) information from documents, the global
      content (GC) information from the whole MEDLINE collections, and the medical
      subject heading (MeSH)-semantic (MS) information. Previous methods for clustering
      biomedical documents are not necessarily effective for integrating different
      types of information, by which only one or two types of information have been
      used. Recently, the performance of MEDLINE document clustering has been enhanced
      by linearly combining both the LC and MS information. However, the simple linear
      combination could be ineffective because of the limitation of the representation
      space for combining different types of information (similarities) with different
      reliability. To overcome the limitation, we propose a new semisupervised spectral
      clustering method, i.e., SSNCut, for clustering over the LC similarities, with
      two types of constraints: must-link (ML) constraints on document pairs with high
      MS (or GC) similarities and cannot-link (CL) constraints on those with low
      similarities. We empirically demonstrate the performance of SSNCut on MEDLINE
      document clustering, by using 100 data sets of MEDLINE records. Experimental
      results show that SSNCut outperformed a linear combination method and several
      well-known semisupervised clustering methods, being statistically significant.
      Furthermore, the performance of SSNCut with constraints from both MS and GC
      similarities outperformed that from only one type of similarities. Another
      interesting finding was that ML constraints more effectively worked than CL
      constraints, since CL constraints include around 10% incorrect ones, whereas this
      number was only 1% for ML constraints. 

PMID- 26502436
TI  - An Uncertainty Measure for Incomplete Decision Tables and Its Applications.
AB  - Uncertainty measures can supply new viewpoints for analyzing data. They can help
      us in disclosing the substantive characteristics of data. The uncertainty
      measurement issue is also a key topic in the rough-set theory. Although there are
      some measures to evaluate the uncertainty for complete decision systems (also
      called decision tables), they cannot be trivially transplanted into incomplete
      decision systems. There are relatively few studies on uncertainty measurement in
      incomplete decision systems. In this paper, we propose a new form of conditional
      entropy, which can be used to measure the uncertainty in incomplete decision
      systems. Some important properties of the conditional entropy are obtained. In
      particular, two validity theorems guarantee that the proposed conditional entropy
      can be used as a reasonable uncertainty measure for incomplete decision systems.
      Experiments on some real-life data sets are conducted to test and verify the
      validity of the proposed measure. Applications of the proposed uncertainty
      measure in ranking attributes and feature selection are also studied with
      experiments. 

PMID- 26502437
TI  - Robotic Emotional Expression Generation Based on Mood Transition and Personality
      Model.
AB  - This paper presents a method of mood transition design of a robot for autonomous
      emotional interaction with humans. A 2-D emotional model is proposed to combine
      robot emotion, mood, and personality in order to generate emotional expressions.
      In this design, the robot personality is programmed by adjusting the factors of
      the five factor model proposed by psychologists. From Big Five personality
      traits, the influence factors of robot mood transition are determined.
      Furthermore, a method to fuse basic robotic emotional behaviors is proposed in
      order to manifest robotic emotional states via continuous facial expressions. An
      artificial face on a screen is a way to provide a robot with a humanlike
      appearance, which might be useful for human-robot interaction. An artificial face
      simulator has been implemented to show the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
      Questionnaire surveys have been carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the
      proposed method by observing robotic responses to a user's emotional expressions.
      Preliminary experimental results on a robotic head show that the proposed mood
      state transition scheme appropriately responds to a user's emotional changes in a
      continuous manner. 

PMID- 26502438
TI  - Autofocus of Iris Patterns Using a Triangle Aperture.
AB  - This paper shows that, by simply adding a triangle aperture (TA) in front of a
      camera lens, iris autofocus can be easily achieved. Through the TA, the corneal
      reflection of a light source forms a triangle glint on the image plane. The size
      and orientation of the glint can be used to infer the amount and the direction of
      the focus adjustment. A gradient-descent autofocus control law is proposed for
      uncalibrated lenses. Results from theoretical analysis and real experiments show
      that the proposed method is more efficient and accurate than the conventional
      circular aperture approach. 

PMID- 26502439
TI  - Many Thanks!

PMID- 26502440
TI  - Ulnar Collateral Ligament and Elbow Adaptations in High School Baseball Pitchers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Baseball pitchers have adaptive changes in the soft tissues of the
      throwing elbow. HYPOTHESIS: High school baseball pitchers would show adaptive
      changes in the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), such as calcifications and
      hypoechoic foci, thickening, and increased ulnohumeral joint laxity, on dynamic
      ultrasound (DUS). STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level
      3. METHODS: Twenty-two asymptomatic high school pitchers, designated as their
      primary position by their coach, underwent DUS and physical examination of the
      throwing and nonthrowing elbows prior to the start of the season. UCL substance
      consistency and thickness, ulnohumeral joint space widening, and soft tissue
      elbow structures were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean age of the cohort was 16.9
      years. Calcifications of the UCL were similar, being present in 7 of 22 (32%)
      throwing elbows versus 8 of 22 (36%) nonthrowing elbows (P = 0.11). UCL
      hypoechoic foci also were similar between elbows: 2 of 22 (9%) throwing elbows
      versus 0 of 22 nonthrowing elbows (P = 0.11). UCL thickness was also found to be
      similar in both elbows (throwing arm, 6.54 mm vs nonthrowing, 6.71 mm; P = 0.48).
      Ulnohumeral joint laxity unloaded (throwing arm, 3.13 mm vs nonthrowing, 3.17 mm;
      P = 0.835) and loaded (throwing arm, 3.87 mm vs nonthrowing arm, 4.11 mm; P =
      0.30) was similar between elbows. Throwing elbows showed posteromedial olecranon
      spurring in 36%, effusions in 27%, and synovitis in 9%. CONCLUSION: High school
      pitchers show limited adaptive changes in the elbow, including UCL
      calcifications, hypoechoic foci, posteromedial olecranon spurring, and effusions.
      However, these changes are similar to those seen in the nonthrowing elbow, and
      these younger athletes lack findings seen in professional and collegiate pitchers
      such as UCL thickening and increased ulnohumeral joint space laxity. CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: Preseason ultrasound examination of the high school pitching elbow
      lacks the adaptive changes to the elbow as seen in professional pitchers. These
      changes likely occur later in a pitcher's career.

PMID- 26502441
TI  - The Development of Humeral Retrotorsion and Its Relationship to Throwing Sports.
AB  - CONTEXT: Several investigations have noted that throwing athletes exhibit a more
      posteriorly oriented humeral head (humeral retrotorsion) in the dominant arm.
      This asymmetry is believed to represent an adaptive response to the stress of
      throwing that occurs during childhood. The significance of this alteration and
      factors that affect its development are currently not clear. EVIDENCE
      ACQUISITION: Basic science, research studies, and review articles were searched
      through PubMed with search terms including humeral torsion, humeral retrotorsion,
      and with 1 of the following: pediatric, adult, baseball, pitching, shoulder, and
      range of motion. The references from each article were reviewed for further
      inclusion. This review included articles through March 2015. STUDY DESIGN:
      Clinical review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4. RESULTS: The throwing motion creates
      stressors that result in bony adaptations that occur while skeletally immature.
      These osseous changes likely contribute to the observed shift in the arc of
      rotational range of motion noted in throwing athletes and may play a protective
      role against injury. However, too much or too little retrotorsion may predispose
      the shoulder to injury. The degree of "optimal" humeral retrotorsion and factors
      that influence its development are not fully understood. CONCLUSION: Evidence
      supports the assertion that the throwing motion creates stressors that alter bony
      anatomy while young. It is important to determine what specific factors affect
      this adaptation and its relationship to injury.

PMID- 26502442
TI  - Prospective Player-Reported Injuries in Female Youth Fast-Pitch Softball Players.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a scarcity of literature evaluating injuries in youth fast
      pitch softball players. PURPOSE: To perform a descriptive analysis of player
      reported injuries in youth fast-pitch softball position players and pitchers
      during a single select-level season. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observation cohort
      study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3. METHODS: Ninety-eight athletes (48 pitchers,
      50 position players) were followed for a single select fast-pitch softball
      season. Study participants completed web-based surveys every 3 weeks reporting
      injuries related to participation in fast-pitch softball. Injury was defined as
      pain causing cessation of participation in the current game or practice that
      prevents the player's return to that session or any pain that causes cessation of
      a player's customary participation on the day after the day of onset. RESULTS:
      The median age of the study participants was 14 years (range, 9-18 years). There
      were 49 reported injuries in 98 athletes. The average age was 13 years for those
      not injured and 14 years for those who were injured (P < 0.02). There were 31
      injuries that were not related to pitching: 19 occurred in position players and
      12 occurred in pitchers; 70% of these injuries were to the lower extremity. The
      proportion of injuries not related to pitching was significantly greater than the
      proportion of injuries related to pitching (P < 0.02). Eighteen injuries among
      the 48 pitchers (38%) were directly attributed to pitching. Among the 18 pitching
      injuries, 11 (61%) involved the shoulder. The majority (78%) of injuries related
      to pitching occurred in the first 6 weeks of the season. CONCLUSION: There was a
      high incidence of injury in this prospective cohort of youth select-level fast
      pitch softball players. Better off-season and preseason conditioning may be a key
      factor for reducing pitching injuries. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Recognition of injury
      patterns in fast-pitch softball players is critical to developing strategies to
      keep these athletes competing safely.

PMID- 26502443
TI  - A Comparison of Women's Collegiate and Girls' High School Volleyball Injury Data
      Collected Prospectively Over a 4-Year Period.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a relative paucity of research examining the sport-specific
      injury epidemiology of high school and collegiate volleyball athletes. Moreover,
      differences in study methodology frequently limit our ability to compare and
      contrast injury data collected from selected populations. HYPOTHESIS: There are
      differences between the injury patterns characteristic of high school and
      collegiate female volleyball athletes. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective clinical
      review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3. METHODS: We statistically analyzed injury
      incidence and outcome data collected over a 4-year interval (2005-2006 to 2008
      2009) by 2 similar injury surveillance systems, the National Collegiate Athletic
      Association's Injury Surveillance System (NCAA ISS) and the High School Reporting
      Injuries Online (HS RIO). We compared diagnoses, anatomic distribution of
      injuries, mechanisms of injury, and time lost from training or competition
      between high school and collegiate volleyball athletes. RESULTS: The overall
      volleyball-related injury rate was significantly greater among collegiate
      athletes than among high school athletes during both competition (injury rate
      ratio, 2.9; 95% CI, 2.5-3.4) and practice (injury rate ratio, 3.5; 95% CI, 3.1
      3.9). Collegiate athletes had a higher rate of ankle sprain, knee injury, and
      shoulder injury. Concussions represented a relatively high percentage of injuries
      in both populations (5.0% of total NCAA ISS injuries vs 4.8% of total HS RIO
      injuries, respectively). CONCLUSION: The data suggest that although similar,
      there were distinct differences between the injury patterns of the 2 populations.
      Compared with high school volleyball players, collegiate athletes have a higher
      rate of acute time loss injury as well as overuse time loss injury (particularly
      patellar tendinosis). Concussions represented a significant and worrisome
      component of the injury pattern for both study populations. CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
      The injury data suggest that important differences exist in the injury patterns
      of female high school compared with collegiate volleyball athletes. Consideration
      of the specific injury patterns may be helpful in future prevention efforts.

PMID- 26502444
TI  - Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction: Anatomy, Indications, Techniques, and
      Outcomes.
AB  - CONTEXT: Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries lead to pain and loss of
      performance in the thrower's elbow. Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction
      (UCLR) is a reliable treatment option for the symptomatic, deficient UCL. Injury
      to the UCL usually occurs because of chronic accumulation of microtrauma,
      although acute ruptures occur and an acute-on-chronic presentation is also
      common. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Computerized databases, references from pertinent
      articles, and research institutions were searched for all studies using the
      search terms ulnar collateral ligament from 1970 until 2015. STUDY DESIGN:
      Clinical review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 5. RESULTS: All studies reporting
      outcomes for UCLR are level 4. Most modern fixation methodologies appear to be
      biomechanically and clinically equivalent. Viable graft choices include
      ipsilateral palmaris longus tendon autograft, gracilis or semitendinosus
      autograft, and allograft. Clinical studies report excellent outcomes of UCLR for
      both recreational and elite level athletes with regard to return to sport and
      postoperative performance. Complications, although rare, include graft rerupture
      or attenuation, ulnar nerve symptoms, stiffness, pain, and/or weakness leading to
      decreased performance. CONCLUSION: Injuries to the UCL have become commonplace
      among pitchers. Nonoperative treatment should be attempted, but the limited
      studies have not shown promising results. Operative treatment can be performed
      with several techniques, with retrospective studies showing promising results.
      Complications include ulnar neuropathy as well as failure to return to sport.
      Detailed preoperative planning, meticulous surgical technique, and a
      comprehensive rehabilitation program are essential components to achieving a
      satisfactory result.

PMID- 26502445
TI  - Current Concepts in Hip Preservation Surgery: Part I.
AB  - CONTEXT: An evolution in conceptual understanding, coupled with technical
      innovations, has enabled hip preservation surgeons to address complex
      pathomorphologies about the hip joint to reduce pain, optimize function, and
      potentially increase the longevity of the native hip joint. Technical aspects of
      hip preservation surgeries are diverse and range from isolated arthroscopic or
      open procedures to hybrid procedures that combine the advantages of arthroscopy
      with open surgical dislocation, pelvic and/or proximal femoral osteotomy, and
      biologic treatments for cartilage restoration. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: PubMed and
      CINAHL databases were searched to identify relevant scientific and review
      articles from January 1920 to January 2015 using the search terms hip
      preservation, labrum, surgical dislocation, femoroacetabular impingement, peri
      acetabular osteotomy, and rotational osteotomy. Reference lists of included
      articles were reviewed to locate additional references of interest. STUDY DESIGN:
      Clinical review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4. RESULTS: Thoughtful individualized
      surgical procedures are available to optimize the femoroacetabular joint in the
      presence of hip dysfunction. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive understanding of the
      relationship between femoral and pelvic orientation, morphology, and the
      development of intra-articular abnormalities is necessary to formulate a patient
      specific approach to treatment with potential for a successful long-term result.

PMID- 26502446
TI  - Exercise in Pregnancy: A Clinical Review.
AB  - CONTEXT: Health professionals who care for pregnant women should discuss
      potential health benefits and harms of exercise. Although most pregnant women do
      not meet minimal exercise recommendations, there are a growing number of
      physically active women who wish to continue training throughout pregnancy.
      EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A search of the Web of Science database of articles and
      reviews available in English through 2014. The search terms exercise pregnancy,
      strenuous exercise pregnancy, and vigorous exercise pregnancy were used. STUDY
      DESIGN: Clinical review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3. RESULTS: With proper
      attention to risk stratification and surveillance, exercise is safe for the
      mother and fetus. Benefits of exercise in pregnancy include reduction in Cesarean
      section rates, appropriate maternal and fetal weight gain, and managing
      gestational diabetes. Exercise as a means of preventing gestational diabetes,
      preeclampsia, or perinatal depression cannot be reliably supported. Overall, the
      current evidence suffers from a lack of rigorous study design and compliance with
      physical activity interventions. CONCLUSION: Research thus far has been unable to
      consistently demonstrate proposed benefits of exercise in pregnancy, such as
      preventing gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, or perinatal depression. However,
      moderate- and high-intensity exercise in normal pregnancies is safe for the
      developing fetus and clearly has several important benefits. Thus, exercise
      should be encouraged according to the woman's preconception physical activity
      level.

PMID- 26502447
TI  - Evaluation of the Functional Movement Screen as an Injury Prediction Tool Among
      Active Adult Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - CONTEXT: The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is an assessment tool for quality
      of human movement. Research reports a significant difference between FMS scores
      of subjects who later experienced injury and those who remain uninjured.
      OBJECTIVE: To systematically review literature related to predictive validity of
      the FMS. From the aggregated data, a meta-analysis was conducted to determine the
      prognostic accuracy of the FMS. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Ebscohost, Google Scholar,
      and the Cochrane Review databases were searched between 1998 and February 20,
      2014. STUDY SELECTION: Identified studies were reviewed in full detail to
      validate inclusion criteria. Seven of the 11 identified studies were included.
      Articles were reviewed for inclusion criteria, then bias assessment and critical
      analysis were conducted. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: Level 3. DATA EXTRACTION: Extracted data included the following:
      study type, methodology, study subjects, number of subjects, injury
      classification definition, FMS cut score, sensitivity, specificity, odds ratios,
      likelihood ratios (LR), predictive values, receiver operator characteristic (ROC)
      analysis, and area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: Overall bias for the included
      7 studies was low with respect to patient selection. Quality assessment scored 1
      study 5 of a possible 7, 2 studies were scored 3 of 7, and 4 studies were scored
      2 of 7. The meta-analysis indicated the FMS was more specific (85.7%) than
      sensitive (24.7%), with a positive predictive value of 42.8% and a negative
      predictive value of 72.5%. The area under the curve was 0.587 (LR+, 1.7; LR-,
      0.87; 95% CI, 0.6-6.1) and the effect size was 0.68. CONCLUSION: Based on
      analysis of the current literature, findings do not support the predictive
      validity of the FMS. Methodological and statistical limitations identified
      threaten the ability of the research to determine the predictive validity of FMS.

PMID- 26502448
TI  - Rehabilitation Charges Associated With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pre- and postoperative rehabilitation are important to the management
      of patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, but little
      attention has been given to the costs. This study evaluated the pre- and
      postoperative rehabilitation charges in patients with ACL reconstruction in the
      United States. HYPOTHESIS: Patients receive preoperative rehabilitation less
      commonly than postoperative rehabilitation. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective database
      study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4. METHODS: Using the PearlDiver database, we
      identified patients undergoing ACL reconstruction from 2007 through 2011 using
      Current Procedural Terminology codes. The associated rehabilitation charges
      billed to insurance providers for 90 days preoperatively and 6 months
      postoperatively were categorized as physical therapy or as durable medical
      equipment (DME). The charges were examined by year and geographic region and
      represented as per-patient average charges (PPACs). RESULTS: A total of 92,179
      patients were identified in the study period. The PPAC for rehabilitation was
      $241 during the 90-day preoperative period and $1876 for the 6-month
      postoperative period. Patients averaged 2 preoperative sessions for physical
      therapy, with 44% of patients receiving preoperative rehabilitation in contrast
      with an average of 17 postoperative sessions per patient in 93% of patients.
      Rehabilitation charges were greater postoperatively than preoperatively (P <
      0.05). Preoperatively, 24% of patients received a DME, while 35% received a DME
      postoperatively. Preoperative rehabilitation PPACs were highest in the Northeast,
      followed by Midwest, South, and West (P < 0.05). There were no significant
      differences in postoperative rehabilitation PPACs for geographic region (P =
      0.43). CONCLUSION: Preoperative rehabilitation charges were lower than
      postoperative charges. A patient undergoing ACL reconstruction typically received
      9 times more sessions of postoperative physical therapy than preoperative.
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study found that preoperative supervised rehabilitation
      for patients with ACL reconstruction was infrequent across the United States.

PMID- 26502449
TI  - On-Ice Functional Assessment of an Elite Ice Hockey Goaltender After Treatment
      for Femoroacetabular Impingement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a major cause of performance
      inhibition in elite-level athletes. The condition is characterized by pain,
      osseous abnormalities such as an increased alpha angle, and decreased range of
      motion at the affected hip joint. Arthroscopic surgical decompression is useful
      in reshaping the joint to alleviate symptoms. Functional kinematic outcomes of
      sport-specific movements after surgery, however, are presently unknown.
      HYPOTHESIS: The ability of an ice hockey goaltender to execute sport-specific
      movements would improve after arthroscopic surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical
      research. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 5. METHODS: An ice hockey goaltender was
      evaluated after arthroscopic correction of FAI on the symptomatic hip. Passive
      range of motion and radiographic parameters were assessed from a computed
      tomography-derived 3-dimensional model. An on-ice motion capture system was also
      used to determine peak femoral shock and concurrent hip joint postures during the
      butterfly and braking movements. RESULTS: Maximum alpha angles were 47 degrees 
      in the surgical and 61 degrees  in the nonsurgical hip. Internal rotation range
      of motion was, on average, 23 degrees  greater in the surgically corrected hip
      compared with contralateral. Peak shock was lower in the surgical hip by 1.39 g
      and 0.86 g during butterfly and braking, respectively. At peak shock, the
      surgical hip demonstrated increased flexion, adduction, and internal rotation for
      both tasks (butterfly, 6.1 degrees , 12.3 degrees , and 30.8 degrees ; braking,
      14.8 degrees , 19.2 degrees , and 41.4 degrees ). CONCLUSION: On-ice motion
      capture revealed performance differences between hips after arthroscopic surgery
      in a hockey goaltender. Range of motion and the patient's subjective assessment
      of hip function were improved in the surgical hip. While presenting as
      asymptomatic, it was discovered that the contralateral hip displayed measurements
      consistent with FAI. Therefore, consideration of preemptive treatment in a
      presently painless hip may be deemed beneficial for young athletes seeking a long
      career in sport, and future work is needed to determine the costs and benefits of
      such an approach. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Surgical treatment of symptomatic FAI can
      achieve pain relief and improved kinematics of the hip joint with athletic
      activities. Additional studies are necessary to determine whether improved
      kinematics enhance the longevity of the native hip and alter the progression of
      osteoarthritic changes in those with asymptomatic FAI deformity.

PMID- 26502450
TI  - Traumatic Tear of the Latissimus Dorsi Myotendinous Junction: Case Report of a
      CrossFit-Related Injury.
AB  - A case of a latissimus dorsi myotendinous junction strain in an avid CrossFit
      athlete is presented. The patient developed acute onset right axillary burning
      and swelling and subsequent palpable pop with weakness while performing a "muscle
      up." Magnetic resonance imaging examination demonstrated a high-grade tear of the
      right latissimus dorsi myotendinous junction approximately 9 cm proximal to its
      intact humeral insertion. There were no other injuries to the adjacent shoulder
      girdle structures. Isolated strain of the latissimus dorsi myotendinous junction
      is a very rare injury with a scarcity of information available regarding its
      imaging appearance and preferred treatment. This patient was treated
      conservatively and was able to resume active CrossFit training within 3 months.
      At 6 months postinjury, he had only a mild residual functional deficit compared
      with his preinjury level. 

PMID- 26502453
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26502454
TI  - Comparison of Estimated and Measured Muscle Activity During Inclined Walking.
AB  - While inclined walking is a frequent daily activity, muscle forces during this
      activity have rarely been examined. Musculoskeletal models are commonly used to
      estimate internal forces in healthy populations, but these require a priori
      validation. The aim of this study was to compare estimated muscle activity using
      a musculoskeletal model with measured EMG data during inclined walking. Ten
      healthy male participants walked at different inclinations of 0 degrees , +/- 6
      degrees , +/- 12 degrees , and +/- 18 degrees  on a ramp equipped with 2 force
      plates. Kinematics, kinetics, and muscle activity of the musculus (m.) biceps
      femoris, m. rectus femoris, m. vastus lateralis, m. tibialis anterior, and m.
      gastrocnemius lateralis were recorded. Agreement between estimated and measured
      muscle activity was determined via correlation coefficients, mean absolute
      errors, and trend analysis. Correlation coefficients between estimated and
      measured muscle activity for approximately 69% of the conditions were above 0.7.
      Mean absolute errors were rather high with only approximately 38% being <= 30%.
      Trend analysis revealed similar estimated and measured muscle activities for all
      muscles and tasks (uphill and downhill walking), except m. tibialis anterior
      during uphill walking. This model can be used for further analysis in similar
      groups of participants.

PMID- 26502455
TI  - A Global Gait Asymmetry Index.
AB  - High levels of gait asymmetry are associated with many pathologies. Our long-term
      goal is to improve gait symmetry through real-time biofeedback of a symmetry
      index. Symmetry is often reported as a single metric or a collective signature of
      multiple discrete measures. While this is useful for assessment, incorporating
      multiple feedback metrics presents too much information for most subjects to use
      as visual feedback for gait retraining. The aim of this article was to develop a
      global gait asymmetry (GGA) score that could be used as a biofeedback metric for
      gait retraining and to test the effectiveness of the GGA for classifying
      artificially-induced asymmetry. Eighteen participants (11 males; age 26.9 y [SD =
      7.7]; height 1.8 m [SD = 0.1]; body mass 72.7 kg [SD = 8.9]) walked on a
      treadmill in 3 symmetry conditions, induced by wearing custom-made sandals: a
      symmetric condition (identical sandals) and 2 asymmetric conditions (different
      sandals). The GGA score was calculated, based on several joint angles, and
      compared between conditions. Significant differences were found among all
      conditions (P < .001), meaning that the GGA score is sensitive to different
      levels of asymmetry, and may be useful for rehabilitation and assessment. 

PMID- 26502456
TI  - Orthotic Heel Wedges Do Not Alter Hindfoot Kinematics and Achilles Tendon Force
      During Level and Inclined Walking in Healthy Individuals.
AB  - Conservative treatments such as in-shoe orthotic heel wedges to treat
      musculoskeletal injuries are not new. However, weak evidence supporting their use
      in the management of Achilles tendonitis suggests the mechanism by which these
      heel wedges works remains poorly understood. It was the aim of this study to test
      the underlying hypothesis that heel wedges can reduce Achilles tendon load. A
      musculoskeletal modeling approach was used to quantify changes in lower limb
      mechanics when walking due to the introduction of 12-mm orthotic heel wedges.
      Nineteen healthy volunteers walked on an inclinable walkway while optical motion,
      force plate, and plantar pressure data were recorded. Walking with heel wedges
      increased ankle dorsiflexion moments and reduced plantar flexion moments; this
      resulted in increased peak ankle dorsiflexor muscle forces during early stance
      and reduced tibialis posterior and toe flexor muscle forces during late stance.
      Heel wedges did not reduce overall Achilles tendon force during any walking
      condition, but did redistribute load from the medial to lateral triceps surae
      during inclined walking. These results add to the body of clinical evidence
      confirming that heel wedges do not reduce Achilles tendon load and our findings
      provide an explanation as to why this may be the case. 

PMID- 26502457
TI  - The Role of Physical Activity and Physical Function on the Risk of Falls in Older
      Mexican Americans.
AB  - We investigated the relationship between physical activity and physical function
      on the risk of falls over time in a cohort of Mexican-American adults aged 75 and
      older from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the
      Elderly (H-EPESE). Participants were divided into four groups according to their
      level of physical activity and physical function: low physical activity and low
      physical function (n = 453); low physical activity and high physical function (n
      = 54); high physical activity and low physical function (n = 307); and high
      physical activity and high physical function (n = 197). Using generalized linear
      equation estimation, we showed that participants with high physical activity and
      low physical function had a greater fall risk over time, followed by the high
      physical activity and high physical function group. Participants seldom took part
      in activities that improve physical function. To prevent falls, modifications to
      physical activity should be made for older Mexican Americans.

PMID- 26502458
TI  - Acute Physical Exercise Affects Cognitive Functioning in Children With Cerebral
      Palsy.
AB  - Little is known about the effects of acute exercise on the cognitive functioning
      of children with cerebral palsy (CP). Selected cognitive functions were thus
      measured using a pediatric version of the Stroop test before and after maximal,
      locomotor based aerobic exercise in 16 independently ambulatory children (8
      children with CP), 6-15 years old. Intense exercise had: 1) a significant, large,
      positive effect on reaction time (RT) for the CP group (preexercise: 892 +/- 56.5
      ms vs. postexercise: 798 +/- 45.6 ms, p < .002, d = 1.87) with a trend for a
      similar but smaller response for the typically developing (TD) group
      (preexercise: 855 +/- 56.5 ms vs. postexercise: 822 +/- 45.6 ms, p < .08, d =
      0.59), and 2) a significant, medium, negative effect on the interference effect
      for the CP group (preexercise: 4.5 +/- 2.5%RT vs. postexercise: 13 +/- 2.9%RT, p
      < .04, d = 0.77) with no significant effect for the TD group (preexercise: 7.2 +/
      2.5%RT vs. postexercise: 6.9 +/- 2.9%RT, p > .4, d = 0.03). Response accuracy
      was high in both groups pre- and postexercise (>96%). In conclusion, intense
      exercise impacts cognitive functioning in children with CP, both by increasing
      processing speed and decreasing executive function.

PMID- 26502459
TI  - Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation, and
      Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled Exposure
      Study of Green and Conventional Office Environments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The indoor built environment plays a critical role in our overall
      well-being because of both the amount of time we spend indoors (~90%) and the
      ability of buildings to positively or negatively influence our health. The advent
      of sustainable design or green building strategies reinvigorated questions
      regarding the specific factors in buildings that lead to optimized conditions for
      health and productivity. OBJECTIVE: We simulated indoor environmental quality
      (IEQ) conditions in "Green" and "Conventional" buildings and evaluated the
      impacts on an objective measure of human performance: higher-order cognitive
      function. METHODS: Twenty-four participants spent 6 full work days (0900-1700
      hours) in an environmentally controlled office space, blinded to test conditions.
      On different days, they were exposed to IEQ conditions representative of
      Conventional [high concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)] and Green
      (low concentrations of VOCs) office buildings in the United States. Additional
      conditions simulated a Green building with a high outdoor air ventilation rate
      (labeled Green+) and artificially elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) levels
      independent of ventilation. RESULTS: On average, cognitive scores were 61% higher
      on the Green building day and 101% higher on the two Green+ building days than on
      the Conventional building day (p < 0.0001). VOCs and CO2 were independently
      associated with cognitive scores. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive function scores were
      significantly better under Green+ building conditions than in the Conventional
      building conditions for all nine functional domains. These findings have wide
      ranging implications because this study was designed to reflect conditions that
      are commonly encountered every day in many indoor environments. CITATION: Allen
      JG, MacNaughton P, Satish U, Santanam S, Vallarino J, Spengler JD. 2016.
      Associations of cognitive function scores with carbon dioxide, ventilation, and
      volatile organic compound exposures in office workers: a controlled exposure
      study of green and conventional office environments. Environ Health Perspect
      124:805-812; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1510037.

PMID- 26502460
TI  - Epidemiology of angioedema without wheals in an allergy and immunology center.
AB  - We describe the diagnostic epidemiology, the clinical course, the family history
      and the response to treatment of patients with angioedema without wheals (AWW) at
      an Allergy and Immunology Clinical Center. We reviewed the case records of all
      patients at our office from January 1997 to April 2013. We recorded sex, age, age
      at onset of symptoms, family history of angioedema, number of visits to the
      office, type of angioedema, and response to treatment from those patients with
      angioedema without wheals. We classified angioedema according to its
      pathophysiology. We also describe those patients with angioedema mimics. From a
      total of 17,823 new patients, 303 had a presumptive diagnosis of angioedema
      without wheals. Twenty-three patients had an angioedema mimic. Forty percent were
      male and 60% were female. Average age at first visit was 40.6. Average number of
      visits was 2.4. Fifty-seven patients referred a family history. We attributed
      idiopathic angioedema to 55.7% of patients, 24.3% were drug related, 15.7% were
      due to C1 inhibitor deficiency, 2.1% were drug related+idiopathic angioedema,
      1.4% were type III and 0.7% had exercise-induced angioedema. Ninety six percent
      of 53 evaluable idiopathic angioedema patients referred a benefit with anti
      histamine therapy. AWW was a rare cause of consultation. Most of our patients had
      anti H1 responsive idiopathic angioedema and none had allergic angioedema. Women
      cases prevailed over men's. Family history and average age of onset of symptoms
      were different among the different types of angioedema.

PMID- 26502461
TI  - Medium-term glycemic control in diabetics before coronary bypass surgery.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the association between preoperative
      medium-term (60-90 days) glycemic control, as reflected by glycosylated
      hemoglobin levels (HbA1c), and the incidence of major complications
      (mediastinitis, perioperative infarction, heart failure, stroke and kidney
      failure dialysis) and mortality in diabetic patients undergoing elective coronary
      artery by-pass graft surgery (CABG). This study suggests that aggressive glycemic
      control three months before surgery, achieving HbA1c=7% improvement results with
      less postoperative morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 26502462
TI  - [A survey on biomarkers and early diagnosis in Alzheimer's disease].
AB  - Given the potential use of biomarkers in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
      (AD) in early stages, new ethical and communication dilemmas appear in everyday
      clinical practice. The aim of this study was to know the opinion of health
      professionals (HP) and general public (GP) on the implementation of early
      diagnostic techniques in AD and the use of biomarkers for this purpose. A survey
      with multiple choice answers was elaborated in two versions: one for HP and the
      other for GP. Respondents were invited to participate through a system of mass
      mailing e-mail; e-mail addresses were collected from CEMIC database. A total of
      1503 answers were analyzed: 807 HP and 696 GP. Most respondents, 84.7%, preferred
      the option of early diagnosis of AD even knowing the lack of curative treatment.
      Forty five percent of GP and 26.8% of HP replied that there is no ethical dilemma
      in the use of biomarkers and that no communication or ethical dilemma is
      generated to physicians when informing the diagnosis of the disease. The HP group
      showed more divergence in the views than the GP group. These results may indicate
      a change in the physician-patient relationship, showing the GP group with an
      active and supportive position towards the use of biomarkers for early diagnosis
      of AD. 

PMID- 26502463
TI  - [Using descriptors during the implementation of Mini-CEX at pediatric residency].
AB  - The Mini Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX) is an assessment tool, which
      emphasizes the educational value and is based on direct performance observation.
      The objective was to evaluate the reliability and feasibility of Mini-CEX using
      pediatric descriptors during its implementation in two pediatric residency
      programs. The design was observational, exploratory and feasibility in the use of
      this evaluation tool. Based on the original format, descriptors related to the
      pediatric consult for each Mini-CEX dimension's were agreed. Operators were
      trained in the use of this tool by means of descriptors as well as in debriefing
      strategies. Finally, there were two simultaneous and independent evaluations for
      each observation. ANALYSIS: a) Mini-CEX global and dimension score; b)
      Concordance between operators scores (mean differences and 95% CI); c) Non
      evaluable descriptors frequency; d) Duration and satisfaction in use. There were
      80 observations in 40 pediatric consults. Overall score 7.5+/-0.9 (6.4+/-2 to
      8.3+/-1.1 depending on dimension), with no significant differences between the
      two institutions. There was high agreement between observers (Mean, difference
      between 0.1 and 0.3, 95% CI -0.8 to 0.3). The frequency of non evaluable
      descriptors ranged 5-28 (9% to 51%) and it was not associated with the
      implementation stage. The average implementation time was 20 minutes, and
      satisfaction in use was high among both operators and residents. Mini-CEX tool
      using pediatric descriptors showed high reliability. The joint experience was
      satisfactory and simultaneously confirmed the value of debriefing.

PMID- 26502464
TI  - [Sensory neuronopathy. Its recognition and early treatment].
AB  - Sensory neuronopathies or ganglionopathies, or dorsal root ganglion disorders,
      represent a subgroup of peripheral nervous system diseases, frequently associated
      with dysinmune or neoplastic disorders and with toxic agents. A degeneration of
      both central and peripheral sensory proyections is present. Patients typically
      show early ataxia, loss of deep tendon reflexes and positive sensory symptoms
      present both in proximal and distal sites of the body. We retrospectively studied
      10 cases with a final diagnosis of sensory neuronopathy. Sensory neuropathy was
      the presenting symptom and the course was subacute in all cases. Paresthesias in
      upper limbs were a predominant manifestation (100%). Other manifestations
      included: hypoesthesia (10/10), gait ataxia (8/10), autonomic symptoms (3/10) and
      perioral paresthesias (3/10). Electrophysiology showed sensory axonal neuronal
      pattern, with normal motor responses. Final diagnosis was acquired sensory
      neuronopathy in all patients, associated with Sjogren's syndrome in 2, with lupus
      erythematosus in 1, with rheumatoid arthritis in 1, with a cancer in 2
      (paraneoplastic) and idiopathic in 4. In paraneoplastic cases, the tumor was
      small cell lung cancer in 1 (with positive anti-Hu antibodies), and epidermoid
      lung cancer in the other. Eight patients were treated with immunotherapy, high
      dose intravenous methylprednisolone and/or intravenous immunoglobulin; with poor
      response in 4 cases, neurologic improvement in 5, and without any change in 1
      patient. The present work shows the typical clinical and electrophysiological
      pattern of subacute sensory neuronopathy, and the relevance of early treatment. 

PMID- 26502465
TI  - [Low grade parosteal osteosarcoma. Clinical and oncological outcomes].
AB  - The objective of the study was to analyze a group of patients with low grade
      parosteal osteosarcoma treated with limb salvage surgery and reconstructed with
      bone allograft. A retrospective review from our oncologic data base between 1980
      and 2010 was done and all patients with diagnosis of low grade parosteal
      osteosarcoma, treated with limb salvage surgery and reconstructed with allograft
      were included. Twenty-two patients were included for the analysis. The mean age
      was 32+/-11 years (10-59) y the mean follow-up 93+/-69 months (8-237). Ten year
      overall survival of the series was 91% (95% CI: 79-100). Four patients developed
      local recurrence, 2 of them histological classified after the resection
      dedifferentiated parosteal osteosarcoma. Two patients developed distant
      recurrence, being the lung the only site of metastasis. Ten year limb salvage
      reconstruction survival was 65% (95% CI: 44-86). Long term survival rate in low
      grade parosteal osteosarcoma is over 90%. Surgical resection wide margin should
      be the elective treatment and biological limb salvage reconstruction is a good
      alternative.

PMID- 26502466
TI  - [Successful treatment with fondaparinux in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and
      thrombosis].
AB  - Heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an immune-mediated adverse reaction
      characterized by thrombocytopenia and paradoxical arterial or venous thrombosis,
      due to the formation IgG antibodies directed to a multimolecular complex of
      heparin-platelet factor 4 (PF4). Fondaparinux is a selective factor Xa inhibitor
      with little affinity for PF4 and thus less likely to induce an immune response,
      making fondaparinux a potentially useful drug for the treatment of HIT. Herein we
      report the case of a 73 years old woman with HIT associated with arterial and
      venous thrombosis that was successfully treated with fondaparinux, with
      normalization of the platelet countand without progression of thrombosis. 

PMID- 26502467
TI  - [Endoscopic ultrasound-guided choledocho-duodenostomy in advanced pancreatic
      cancer with duodenal obstruction].
AB  - Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is considered the first
      approach for biliary drainage. In cases of ERCP failure, patients are usually
      referred for percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage or surgical biliary
      bypass. In the last decade, the indications of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in the
      management of patients with pancreatic cancer have increased, and numerous cases
      of EUS-guided biliary drainage have been reported in patients with failures
      during the ERCP. Our goal is to report a patient with locally advanced pancreatic
      cancer who presented with painless jaundice and cholestasis with biliary and
      duodenal obstruction. A EUS-guided choledochoduodenostomy was performed by
      placement of a self-expanding metal stent. 

PMID- 26502468
TI  - [Thymic neuroendocrine carcinoma with Pompe's disease of the adult].
AB  - Pompe disease (glycogenosis type II) is an inherited autosomal recessive
      lysosomal storage disease caused by a deficiency of acid alpha-glucosidase.
      Thymic neuroendocrine tumors, are primary thymic neoplasms with neuroendocrine
      differentiation that generally present as a mass within the anterior mediastinum.
      Both diseases are considered rare. To our knowledge the co-existence of Pompe
      disease and thymic neuroendocrine tumor in the same patient has not been
      previously reported. We could not find biological plausibility between both
      diseases. Further studies are needed to confirm the finding and to further
      increase our understanding of this association. Clinical data from
      epidemiological studies, case reports, case series and small formal open or
      controlled clinical trials may define both clinical plausibility and causality
      between the two conditions. 

PMID- 26502469
TI  - [Rituximab and hypogammaglobulinemia].
AB  - Rituximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody against CD20, induces the depletion of
      B lymphocytes. It is used for the treatment of lymphoproliferative and autoimmune
      diseases. Antibody immunodeficiency associated to RTX treatment is a new motif
      for consultation to our service. We decided to study those patients that having
      been treated with RTX, consulted for hypogammaglobulinemia or recurrent
      infections between November 2010 and December 2014. We evaluated eight patients,
      seven female and one male. The average follow up time was 19.3+/-18.8 months,
      range 1 to 54, median 13. Three had a normal electrophoretic proteinogram before
      receiving RTX, three had hypogammaglobulinemia and in two data was not available.
      None of them had a quantitative determination of immunoglobulins before receiving
      RTX. Four received RTX as a treatment of non Hodking lymphoma, two as a treatment
      of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, one for immune thrombocytopenic purpura and
      other for microscopic polyangiitis. Six were diagnosed with hypogammaglobulinemia
      and one with combined IgM, IgA and IgG2 deficiency. Five presented infections,
      four of them with good response to intravenous immunoglobulin. RTX related
      antibody deficiency consultations are increasing. It is important to determine
      the immunoglobulin levels previously to RTX use in order to establish an
      etiologic relationship with RTX and a quick diagnosis of antibody deficiency. The
      substitutive treatment with gammaglobulin seems to be useful in patients with
      severe or recurrent infections.

PMID- 26502470
TI  - [POEMS syndrome. A report of four cases].
AB  - Four cases of a rare paraneoplastic syndrome associated to a plasmatic cell
      disorder with polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy
      and skin lesions (POEMS) are here reported. The purpose of the communication is
      to warn of different forms of presentation of POEMS syndrome to decrease the time
      of diagnosis, because early treatment reduces sequels and improves quality of
      life in the long term, also to remark the importance of classifying the
      hematological disease for specific treatment. 

PMID- 26502472
TI  - [Dyspnea in an old woman with multiple hepatic nodule images].

PMID- 26502471
TI  - [Accidents with caterpillar Lonomia obliqua (Walker, 1855). An emerging problem].
AB  - Lonomia obliqua (Walker, 1855) is a moth from the family Saturniidae, widely
      distributed in tropical rainforests of South America. In its larval stage
      (caterpillar) it is characterized by bristles that cover the animal's body. These
      structures are hard and branched spiny evaginations of the cuticle, underneath
      which a complex mixture of toxic molecules is stored. When spicules are brought
      into contact with the skin of people, toxins enter passively through the injury,
      causing not only local but also systemic poisoning (primarily hemorrhagic
      manifestations). When the whole animal is accidentally crushed, the insect's
      chitinous bristles are broken and the venomous secretions penetrate the human
      skin, reaching the blood circulation. Due to the numerous registered cases of
      erucism in Southern Brazil, the Butantan Institute has produced an antivenom able
      to neutralize the deleterious effects produced by contact with L. obliqua
      caterpillar bristles. In Argentina, these kinds of accidents are rare and
      restricted to the province of Misiones. Taking into account that to date there is
      no report in this country about clinical cases submitted to a specific treatment
      (antivenom), our aim is to communicate here six cases of Lonomia caterpillar
      induced bleeding syndrome that were treated in the Hospital SAMIC of Puerto
      Iguazu (Misiones, Argentina) during 2014 with the antilonomic serum produced in
      Brazil. It is worthy to note that all patients evolved favorably within the first
      few hours, and for this reason, the use of this antivenom is recommended to treat
      the cases of Lonomia erucism in Argentina. 

PMID- 26502473
TI  - [Giant bladder stone].

PMID- 26502474
TI  - [Hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign].

PMID- 26502475
TI  - [Butterflies, quebracho fever and a naturalist].

PMID- 26502476
TI  - [Faraday and "The Chemical History of a Candle". Six historical lectures (and
      without projector)].

PMID- 26502477
TI  - [Symposium's syndrome (Iatrolalic's s., Iatrophonic's s.)].

PMID- 26502479
TI  - Alternative temporal control systems for hypodermal cell differentiation in
      Caenorhabditis elegans.

PMID- 26502478
TI  - The pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension in left heart disease.
AB  - Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by elevated pulmonary arterial
      pressure leading to right-sided heart failure and can arise from a wide range of
      etiologies. The most common cause of PH, termed Group 2 PH, is left-sided heart
      failure and is commonly known as pulmonary hypertension with left heart disease
      (PH-LHD). Importantly, while sharing many clinical features with pulmonary
      arterial hypertension (PAH), PH-LHD differs significantly at the cellular and
      physiological levels. These fundamental pathophysiological differences largely
      account for the poor response to PAH therapies experienced by PH-LHD patients.
      The relatively high prevalence of this disease, coupled with its unique features
      compared with PAH, signal the importance of an in-depth understanding of the
      mechanistic details of PH-LHD. The present review will focus on the current state
      of knowledge regarding the pathomechanisms of PH-LHD, highlighting work carried
      out both in human trials and in preclinical animal models. Adaptive processes at
      the alveolocapillary barrier and in the pulmonary circulation, including
      alterations in alveolar fluid transport, endothelial junctional integrity, and
      vasoactive mediator secretion will be discussed in detail, highlighting the
      aspects that impact the response to, and development of, novel therapeutics. 

PMID- 26502480
TI  - Organ Donation and Transplantation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2014.

PMID- 26502482
TI  - Facing up to hospital-acquired infections.

PMID- 26502481
TI  - Buttonhole Cannulation: Current Prospects and Challenges. Preface.

PMID- 26502483
TI  - National infection prevention and control programmes: Endorsing quality of care.
AB  - Core components Health care-associated infections (HAIs) are a major cause of
      morbidity and mortality. In addition to pain and suffering, HAIs increase the
      cost of health care and generates indirect costs from loss of productivity for
      patients and society as a whole. Since 2005, the Pan American Health Organization
      has provided support to countries for the assessment of their capacities in
      infection prevention and control (IPC). More than 130 hospitals in 18 countries
      were found to have poor IPC programmes. However, in the midst of many competing
      health priorities, IPC programmes are not high on the agenda of ministries of
      health, and the sustainability of national programmes is not viewed as a key
      point in making health care systems more consistent and trustworthy.
      Comprehensive IPC programmes will enable countries to reduce the mobility,
      mortality and cost of HAIs and improve quality of care. This paper addresses the
      relevance of national infection prevention and control (NIPC) programmes in
      promoting, supporting and reinforcing IPC interventions at the level of
      hospitals. A strong commitment from national health authorities in support of
      national IPC programmes is crucial to obtaining a steady decrease of HAIs,
      lowering health costs due to HAIs and ensuring safer care.

PMID- 26502484
TI  - Provoking "Eureka" moments for effective infection control strategies.
AB  - Safety is now a fundamental principle of patient care and a critical component of
      quality management. Health care-associated infection prevention strategies need
      to be constantly revisited and updated to be effective. The "Geneva hand hygiene
      model" is a typical example of a breakthrough innovatory campaign that caught
      fire and went viral worldwide, thanks to its adoption by the World Health
      Organization (WHO) as the First Global Patient Safety Challenge. The campaign
      remains an inspiration for further innovation. To encourage new and disruptive
      technologies with the potential to improve patient safety through the successful
      implementation of the WHO multimodal strategy, the University of Geneva
      Hospitals/WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety, together with the Aesculap
      Academy, have created a series of "Hand Hygiene Excellence Awards" and "Hand
      Hygiene Innovation Awards" worldwide.

PMID- 26502485
TI  - Planning strategies for nosocomial infection control.
AB  - According to the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 99,000
      deaths per year in the United States are caused or impacted on by multiple
      hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), which are roughly estimated to be around 1.7
      million cases. In Europe, there are 25,000 deaths per year from the same cause,
      17.000 of which are linked to nosocomial infections. Patient safety is a core
      issue in today's health care settings. There is a growing consensus, supported by
      scientific investigation, that the role of the built environment is central
      towards minimizing and controlling the level of such infections. The contribution
      of architectural solutions and planning choices becomes crucial at this stage.
      This paper outlines the most common measures to adopt at the architectural and
      planning level, to combat HAI, focusing on the most critical areas of the
      hospital: wards, intensive care units and operating theatres.

PMID- 26502486
TI  - How can emerging disinfection technologies gain a foothold in the current culture
      of hospitals?
AB  - In the United States, more than 90% of hospitals still use only the traditional
      "spray and wipe" disinfection methods initiated over a century ago to protect
      patients from their environment; international adoption of new methods is even
      lower. Innovative approaches like whole room disinfection find an inhospitable
      reception in spite of clearly superior reductions in health care-acquired
      infections. Much of the resistance is due to a lack of true accountability for
      patient safety in hospital organizations and to perverse incentive structures in
      historical reimbursement policies. But all of that may change in the coming years
      as hospitals and doctors become more responsible for the health outcomes of their
      patients.

PMID- 26502487
TI  - Nosocomial infections: Aligning strategy and action from mission to outcomes.
AB  - Outstanding health care institutions around the world lead, in effect, by setting
      an example and keeping hospital-acquired infections to a minimum. Behind the
      apparent simplicity of an indicator hides an enormous complexity. We believe that
      the difficulty in achieving seemingly simple benchmarks stems from the necessity
      to perform optimally at different levels of the organization consistently. This
      challenge can be summarized in a word: alignment. Institutional alignment starts
      with the mission and must be ubiquitous. Achieving the benchmark illustrates the
      elusive trait of institutional coherence. We will describe the dimensions and
      levels at our institution that influence our ability to strive for better
      indicators in the prevention of nosocomial infections, examine some of the
      difficulties and provide a few examples of success.

PMID- 26502488
TI  - The urgent need for infection control programmes in Indian health care.
AB  - The emergence of "superbugs" like carbapenem resistant Enterobactericiae with a
      NDM1 resistance pattern is a serious situation in clinical facilities in present
      times. The risk of health care-associated infections (HCAI) in emerging countries
      is two to 20 times higher than in developed countries; in some countries, the
      proportion can exceed 25% (1). Hospital infection prevention and control is
      fundamental to improving care, reducing the emergence of multidrug-resistant
      organisms and ensuring safety. In India constant efforts are taking place in this
      direction. The Clinical Infectious Diseases Society of India, along with other
      clinical societies, has come up with the Chennai Declaration in 2012. This has
      been adopted by Indian Government Health Departments and necessary steps for
      curtailing indiscriminate antibiotic use have also been taken. Also, it is
      extending the concept of antimicrobial stewardship to the community. Some novel
      ideas tried at Columbia Asia Hospitals in India to improve hospital infection
      control programmes are shared in this article.

PMID- 26502489
TI  - Integrating electronic medical records to improve antimicrobial stewardship at
      the Montpellier Hospital in France.
AB  - Improvements in the optimal use of antibiotics is the cornerstone of the French
      national point-of-care alert for antibiotics (2011-2016). Integrated electronic
      medical records for antibiotic prescriptions have been deployed in the
      Montpellier University Hospital (2,800 beds) since 2012. The present paper
      proposes an overview of integrated electronic medical records for antibiotic
      prescriptions and how telecounselling at the Montpellier Hospital fits with the
      global anti-infection ICT strategy. This management change is fully traceable. A
      review of the results of the project has lead to an improvement in patient care
      via a collaboration between IDS and other hospital members. This project is part
      of the Region Reference site of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and
      Healthy Ageing (MACVIA-LR).

PMID- 26502490
TI  - Business process re-engineering a cardiology department.
AB  - The health care sector is the world's third largest industry and is facing
      several problems such as excessive waiting times for patients, lack of access to
      information, high costs of delivery and medical errors. Health care managers seek
      the help of process re-engineering methods to discover the best processes and to
      re-engineer existing processes to optimize productivity without compromising on
      quality. Business process re-engineering refers to the fundamental rethinking and
      radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in
      critical, contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality and speed.
      The present study is carried out at a tertiary care corporate hospital with 1000
      plus-bed facility. A descriptive study and case study method is used with
      intensive, careful and complete observation of patient flow, delays, short
      comings in patient movement and workflow. Data is collected through observations,
      informal interviews and analyzed by matrix analysis. Flowcharts were drawn for
      the various work activities of the cardiology department including workflow of
      the admission process, workflow in the ward and ICCU, workflow of the patient for
      catheterization laboratory procedure, and in the billing and discharge process.
      The problems of the existing system were studied and necessary suggestions were
      recommended to cardiology department module with an illustrated flowchart.

PMID- 26502491
TI  - [Diagnostic Reference Levels and Their Effects].

PMID- 26502492
TI  - [A Survey Towards Standardization of Dosimetric Verification in Intensity
      modulated Radiation Therapy].
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of the
      implementation of quality assurance (QA) for intensity-modulated radiation
      therapy (IMRT) in Japan using a questionnaire survey. METHODS: The questionnaire
      consisted of seven sections: (1) clinical uses of IMRT, (2) treatment planning
      systems, treatment machines, phantoms for verification and CT scanning, (3)
      absorbed dose verification, (4) dose distribution verification, (5) fluence map
      verification, (6) acceptance criteria for each verification, and (7) comments.
      RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 129 institutions (response rate:
      76.8%). IMRT was performed for prostate cancer in 125 institutions (96.9%),
      followed by head and neck cancer in 83 (64.3%), and brain tumors in 69 (53.5%).
      Although at least three individuals were engaged in IMRT QA in 77.5% of the
      institutions, the number of full-time persons involved in IMRT QA was one or less
      in 94 institutions (72.9%). This indicated that most institutions in Japan have a
      staff shortage. More than 90% of the institutions verified both the absorbed dose
      and dose distribution. The acceptance criterion for the absorbed dose
      verification was set to +/-3% in at least 80% of the institutions. Gafchromic
      film was used for the majority of dose distribution verifications. The acceptance
      criteria for dose distribution verification mainly involved gamma analysis and a
      comparison of dose profiles; however, the judgment of acceptance did not depend
      on the results of the gamma analysis. CONCLUSION: This survey increases our
      understanding of how institutions currently perform IMRT QA analysis. This
      understanding will help to move institutions toward more standardization of IMRT
      QA in Japan.

PMID- 26502493
TI  - [An Easy-to-Understand Risk Communication].
AB  - A new definition of risk is that risk is the product of a measure of the size of
      the hazard and its probability of occurrence. We have some mechanisms that would
      be make too perception of risk in our mind. These mechanisms are including
      information processing of risk, binary judgment, and risk perception of low
      probability area. We are required to have bidirectional communication with other
      person. So, in order to do good risk communication, we have to establish a trust
      relationship with other person.

PMID- 26502494
TI  - [Series: Utilization of Differential Equations and Methods for Solving Them in
      Medical Physics (1)].
AB  - Utilization of differential equations and methods for solving them in medical
      physics are presented. First, the basic concept and the kinds of differential
      equations were overviewed. Second, separable differential equations and well
      known first-order and second-order differential equations were introduced, and
      the methods for solving them were described together with several examples. In
      the next issue, the symbolic and series expansion methods for solving
      differential equations will be mainly introduced.

PMID- 26502495
TI  - [Series: Fundamental Electromagnetics for Beginners (1)].

PMID- 26502496
TI  - [Quality of Life of Patients With Ischemic Heart Disease and Pronounced
      Dysfunction of Left Ventricular Myocardium With Medical and Surgical Treatments].
AB  - We assessed quality of life in 80 patients with ischemic heart disease and
      pronounced dysfunction of left ventricular myocardium. Forty patients underwent
      coronary bypass surgery and 40 patients received only medical therapy. Duration
      of follow-up was 7 years. Baseline quality of life was low in both groups. Degree
      of its lowering was positively related to functional class of angina and heart
      failure and negatively - to exercise tolerance. Incessant drug treatment was
      associated with moderate improvement of quality of life both in groups of
      patients subjected and not subjected to surgery.

PMID- 26502497
TI  - [Influence of Endothelial Dysfunction on Prognosis of Patients With Non ST
      Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome].
AB  - We studied relationship between markers of endothelial dysfunction and multifocal
      atherosclerosis and adverse coronary events in 82 patients with non-ST segment
      elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS). Eighteen patients (21.9%) had
      adverse events during one year of observation. Patients with adverse coronary
      events had impaired vasodilatory, vasoconstrictive, and adhesive endothelial
      function. Predictors of unfavorable prognosis in NSTEACS were signs of impaired
      endothelium-dependent vasodilation during test with reactive hyperemia, high
      soluble platelet selectin and endothelin-1 levels on day 10 of the disease.
      Endothelin-1 and soluble platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 had
      greatest predictive power relative to development of non-fatal myocardial
      infarction.

PMID- 26502498
TI  - [Stiffness of the Arterial Wall and Central Hemodynamics During Long-Term
      Combination Antihypertensive Therapy].
AB  - Aim of the METR study - to assess effect of antihypertensive therapy with fixed
      combination of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor lisinopril (10 mg) and
      calcium antagonist amlodipine (5 mg) on parameters of arterial wall stiffness and
      central hemodynamics in patients with stage I-II essential hypertension (EH) and
      functional class II-III ischemic heart disease. Combination therapy was
      associated with persistent lowering of central arterial pressure, decrease of
      augmentation index and other parameters of arterial wall stiffness, and reduction
      of left ventricular myocardial mass. These changes have a potential to lower risk
      of cardiovascular complications and improve prognosis of patients with EH.

PMID- 26502499
TI  - [Pharmacoeconomic Efficacy of a Fixed Combination of Bisoprolol and Amlodipine].

PMID- 26502500
TI  - [The Use of Dabigatran for Prevention of Thromboembolic Complications in Patients
      Underwent Atrial Fibrillation Catheter Ablation].
AB  - The aim of the study was to estimate the efficacy and safety of dabigatran in
      comparison with warfarin after atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation (CA).
      METHODS: 228 consecutive patients, having undergone AF CA, were enrolled in
      retrospective trial. In group I (n=170) warfarin was administered by modified
      interrupted scheme, in group II (n=58) dabigatran was administered by 150 mg
      twice a day. The main clinical efficacy and safety indicators were evaluated
      during the procedure and within 12 months after the procedure. RESULTS: There was
      no statistically significant difference between patients taking warfarin and
      dabigatran (p>0,1) in all of the investigated parameters, including the amount of
      bleeding and thromboembolic events. Side effects of mild dyspepsia were observed
      in the dabigatran group in 2.7% of the observations and in the warfarin group in
      2.4% (p = 0,589). None of them required discontinuation of the therapy.
      CONCLUSION: Dabigatran can be considered as an alternative to warfarin for
      anticoagulation in patients undergoing AF CA.

PMID- 26502501
TI  - [The Use of Rivaroxaban in Perioperative Period of Pulmonary Vein Antrum
      Isolation in Patients With Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation].
AB  - Results of an observational study. devoted to prevention of thromboembolic
      complications in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing catheter pulmonary
      vein atrium isolation are discussed. Patients (n= 199) were divided into two
      comparable groups depending on the anticoagulant (rivaroxaban or warfarin) used.
      Clinical thromboembolic and/or hemorrhagic complications as well as rate of
      development of asymptomatic cerebral thromboembolisms in various periods after
      procedure were assessed. Main conclusion: rivaroxaban was not inferior to
      warfarin for thromboprophylaxis in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing
      catheter pulmonary vein antrum isolation.

PMID- 26502502
TI  - [Results of Surgical Treatment of Infective Valvular Endocarditis].
AB  - Immediate and long-term results of surgical treatment of infective valvular
      endocarditis (IVE) in 438 patients during the period from 1978 to 2013 are
      presented. Overall hospital mortality was 9.1% (11.2 and 6.7% among patients
      operated in the active stage of IVE and in remission, respectively) Depending on
      the site of infection mortality was: aortic valve (AV) - 7.9, mitral valve (MV)
      10.1, MV and AV 10.7, tricuspid valve (TV) 6 7%. Overall 5 and 10 year survival
      after surgery was 78.6 4.7 and 66.2 3.9%, respectively. The lowest 5 and 10 year
      survival was observed in patients with MV and AV defects (66.3 and 52.7%,
      respectively). Long-term follow-up, the most consistent results are indicated in
      patients undergoing surgery with primary IE: to 1 year after surgery 94.5%
      survived to 5 year - 87%, to 10 - 85.5% of patients. In the group of patients
      with secondary IE to the first, fifth and tenth year observation survived 86.3%,
      77.4%, 70.6%, respectively. The main reason for poor results was increasing heart
      failure, and recurrent infection.

PMID- 26502503
TI  - [Effect of Statins on Development of Early Cognitive Dysfunction After Coronary
      Artery Bypass Grafting].
AB  - We studied the effect of rosuvastatin on the development of early postoperative
      cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in patients after coronary artery bypass grafting
      (CABG). One hundred nine men aged 45-70 year was divided into two groups. Group 1
      comprised 69 patients (mean age 56.8 +/- 5.2 years) who were given 20 mg of
      rosuvastatin for 10-14 days before CABG and until discharge. Patients of group 2
      (n=40, mean age 55.9 +/- 5.3 years) did not take rosuvastatin. It was shown that
      patients of group 2 had better neuropsychological parameters after CABG in
      comparison with the patients of group 2. Patients of group 1 had lower
      concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor
      alpha, high sensitivity C reactive protein, and higher concentrations of IL-10.
      Group 2 patients had worse neuropsychological parameters which were associated
      with higher concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines. These results may
      indicate that preoperative therapy with rosuvastatin had decreased the severity
      of systemic inflammatory response and reduced the development of early POCD after
      CABG.

PMID- 26502505
TI  - [Application of Methods of Assessment of Vascular Wall Stiffness in Clinical
      Practice: Capabilities of Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index].
AB  - This paper contains discussion of application of methods of assessment of
      vascular stiffness in clinical practice, comparison of such parameters as pulse
      wave velocity, ankle-brachial and cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), as well as
      analysis of advantages of cardio-ankle CAVI for diagnosis, evaluation of
      effectiveness of treatment, and prognosis in various cardiovascular diseases.

PMID- 26502504
TI  - [Comparison of Empiric and Pharmacogenetic Approaches in Assessment of Efficacy
      of Anticoagulant Therapy].
AB  - We compared pharmacogenetic (PG) and standard approaches to selection of
      individual dose of warfarin on 2 groups of patients each comprising 17 persons.
      In the group with PG selection we took into consideration the result of
      preliminary genotyping of polymorphisms of VKORC1 and CYP2C9 genes known to be
      associated with individual warfarin dose. Control of warfarin therapy was carried
      out during 6 months, number of measurements of international normalized ratio
      (INR) exceeded 500. Dosing based on knowledge of genotype allowed to achieve
      therapeutic effect 5 days earlier than with traditional selection of individual
      dose (p=0.023). Number of INR values above 3.5 indicative of increased risk of
      bleeding was lower at PG compared with standard approach (3.1 and 7.7%,
      respectively, p=0.03). Carriers of *2 and/or *3 of CYP2C9 associated with
      lowering of activity of this cytochrome had greater lability of INR values during
      course of therapy with warfarin.

PMID- 26502506
TI  - [Effect of Combination Antihypertensive Therapy Central Blood Pressure].

PMID- 26502507
TI  - [The Evolution of Views on Lipoprotein(a): From Biomarker to the Therapeutic
      Target].
AB  - Series of experimental, epidemiological, and genetic studies have demonstrated
      that elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] level is associated with cardiovascular
      disease independently from traditional risk factors of atherosclerosis. This
      review covers the basics of Lp(a) pathogenicity in atherothrombosis and
      scrutinizes the biology of proinflammatory activity of the particle. We describe
      the evidence base around Lp(a) as an independent cardiovascular risk factor by
      giving an update on the results of epidemiological studies and genetic findings.
      We have summarized present evidence of Lp(a) lowering strategies and their impact
      on clinical outcomes in patients with high Lp(a) levels. We highlight a rationale
      for increased investigational efforts to further assess whether targeting Lp(a)
      levels minimizes cardiovascular risk.

PMID- 26502508
TI  - [Congenital Cardiac Conduction Abnormalities].
AB  - Abnormalities in cardiac conduction can occur due to a variety of factors. So
      called "idiopathic", conduction system degeneration develops without evident
      causes and may have hereditary basis. In the majority of cases it has no clinical
      manifestation, do not require treatment and have overall good prognosis. In this
      review we focus on congenital complete atrioventricular block and progressive
      cardiac conduction defect - rare but malignant and potentially lethal conditions
      that can be caused by genetic mutations and may be isolated or associated with
      structural heart disease. Cardiac involvement is relatively common in rare
      hereditary diseases - myodystrophies and mitochondrial cytopathies. Conduction
      abnormalities are among the most severe manifestations that may determine
      prognosis in these rare genetic disorders. These conditions deserve special
      consideration because of rapid progression of conduction defects and high
      prevalence of sudden cardiac death if no appropriate treatment applied.

PMID- 26502509
TI  - [What We Know About Acute Decompensation of Heart Failure?].

PMID- 26502510
TI  - [Azilsartan: Whether it Will Expand Treatment Options for Arterial
      Hypertension?].

PMID- 26502511
TI  - [Capabilities of Multidetector Computed Tomography in Assessment of
      Atherosclerosis of Coronary Arteries].
AB  - The prevalence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) as well as high mortality from its
      exacerbations led to an active search and study of diagnostic methods to predict
      the possible development of acute coronary events. At the moment, it is proved
      that the morphological properties of atherosclerotic plaque largely determine the
      course of IHD. Contemporary multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is the only
      non-invasive method which allows to study the state of coronary arteries. In this
      review we have analyzed capabilities of MDCT in assessing the severity of
      stenosis and calcification in the coronary arteries, as well as the structure of
      atherosclerotic plaques, including signs of "instability".

PMID- 26502512
TI  - [Pulmonary Embolism: Clinical Appearance and Diagnosis in the Light of the new
      Recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology].

PMID- 26502513
TI  - [The Place of Perindopril in the Treatment of Ischemic Heart Disease From
      Positions of Evidence Based Medicine].

PMID- 26502514
TI  - [Clinical evaluation for cervical spinal cord injury].

PMID- 26502515
TI  - [Correlation among prevertebral hyperintensity signal, canal sagittal diameter on
      MRI and neurologic function of patients with cervical vertebral hyperextension
      injury].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation among prevertebral hyperintensity (PVH),
      sagittal canal diameter on MRI and neurologic function of patients after cervical
      vertebral hyperextension injury without fracture and dislocation. METHODS: The
      clinical data of 100 patients with cervical vertebral hyperextension injury
      without fracture and dislocation were retrospectively analyzed from September
      2010 to December 2013. The patients were divided into PVH group and non-PVH group
      according to the presence of PVH on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. There
      were 39 patients in PVH group, including 31 males and 8 females, aged from 21 to
      83 years old with an average of (58.10 +/- 14.78) years; and the other 69
      patients in non-PVH group, including 49 males and 12 females, aged from 32 to 77
      years old with an average of (55.05 +/- 10.36) years. The sagittal disc level
      canal diameters of subaxial cervical spine were measured on mid-sagittal magnetic
      resonance imaging. The age, sex, cause of injury, and the segments of spinal
      stenosis were recorded. American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment
      scale and motor score were used to evaluate the neurological status. RESULTS: The
      ASIA motor score of the group with PVH was 52.56 +/- 31.97 while the ASIA motor
      score was 67.70 +/- 22.83 in non-PVH group (P = 0.013). More patients with
      intramedullary hyperintensity signal on MRI were observed in the PVH group than
      in non-PVH group (P = 0.006). There was a significant positive correlation
      between ASIA motor score and sagittal disc level canal diameter of injury segment
      (P = 0.003). The neurological status was worse in patients with multi-level
      sagittal canal diameters below 8 mm. CONCLUSION: The PVH and the disc-level canal
      sagittal diameter of the injury segment are associated with neurological status.
      The patients with multi-level sagittal canal stenosis are vulnerable to severe
      cervical spinal cord injury.

PMID- 26502516
TI  - [Strategy by stages for preventing respiratory complications of acute cervical
      spinal cord injury].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate clinical effects of strategy by stages for preventing
      respiratory complications of patients with acute cervical spinal cord injury
      (ACSCI). METHODS: From September 2009 to May 2013,the clinical data of 91
      patients with ACSCI underwent surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Among the
      patients, 42 patients were divided into in-stages group, including 30 males and
      12 females with an average age of 50 years old (ranged 28 to 76) which were
      treated with strategy by stages for preventing respiratory complications; others
      49 patients which were not treated with the strategy regarded as control group,
      including 38 males and 11 females with an average age of 47 years old (ranged 30
      to 77). All of them had definite history of trauma, and were admitted to
      orthopaedics within 48 h after trauma. In in-stages group, respiratory muscle
      strength training, high-dose ambroxol using and other treatment were performed to
      prevent respiratory complilcations according to preoperative, intraoperative and
      postoperative stage. While in control group, there were no systematic and
      effective measures utilized. Chi-square test was used to evaluate the difference
      for respiratory complications rate, the rate of tracheostomy or intubation and
      mortality caused by the respiratory complications between two groups. RESULTS:
      Ten patients developed with respiratory complications in in-stages group (7
      patients with pneumonia, 1 with atelectasis and 2 with respiratory failure),
      among which 3 patients underwent tracheostomy or intubation. In control group, 24
      patients developed with respiratory complilcations (15 with pneumonia,3 with
      atelectasis and 6 with respiratory failure), among which 11 patients underwent
      tracheostomy or intubation. There was significant difference between two groups
      (chi2 = 6.12, 4.07; P = 0.013, 0.044). Five patients died because of respiratory
      complications, one case were in in-stages group and 4 in control group. There was
      significant difference between two groups (chi2 = l.39, P = 0.238). CONCLUSION:
      The strategy by stages is an effective method for preventing respiratory
      complications of ACSCI and can reduce the respiratory complications rate and
      improve the prognosis of respiratory complications.

PMID- 26502517
TI  - [Progress on the role of autophagy in spinal cord injury].
AB  - In recent years, the study of autophagy in spinal cord injury (SCI) gradually
      becomes the hot spot. However, the function of autophagy in the injured spinal
      cord is still controversial. In order to further understand the role of autophagy
      after SCI, we summarized the activation of autophagy, autophagic cell death, the
      relationship between autophagy and apoptosis, the function of autophagy in
      promoting the molecular metabolism and the role of autophagy after spinal cord
      injury. We concluded that the role of autophagy after SCI is a double-edged
      sword. Upregulating the level of autophagy appropriately can promote damaged
      proteins metabolism and inhibit apoptosis. However, excessive activation of
      antophagy may induce autophagic cell dealth. So we consider that the proper
      regulation of autophagy will be a new target in the treatment of SCI.

PMID- 26502518
TI  - [Comparison of the prognosis of intertrochanteric fracture with different
      surgical methods in elderly: a retrospective survival analysis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the difference of post-operative mortality between ORIF
      (open reduction internal fixation) and hip replacement for the treatment of
      intertrochanteric fracture in elderly by using survival analysis. METHODS: The
      clinical data of 110 patients above 60 years old who underwent surgical treatment
      (ORIF or hip replacement) for the intertrochanteric fracture between April 2003
      and May 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Among the patients, 83 cases were
      treated with ORIF (ORIF group), there were 32 males and 51 females, aged from
      61.44 to 98.75 years old with an average of (78.52 +/- 7.98) years old; and 27
      cases were treated with hip replacement (arthroplasty group), there were 8 males
      and 19 females, aged from 71.82 to 96.54 years old with an average of (79.99 +/-
      6.11) years old. A survival analysis was performed on the clinical data by using
      SPSS 110 software. The survival rate of 1-year,2-year, 5-year and the mean
      survival time for the total patients, the mortality rate of 1-year, 2-year in
      each group, the survival rate of 1-year, 2-year and mean survival time and
      survival curve in each group were included. RESULTS: All wounds achieved primary
      healing and no deaths were found in stay hospital. All patients were followed up
      from 1 to 125 months with an average of (46.93 +/- 29.53) months. Among all 110
      cases, 31 were dead and 79 survived. The survival rate of 1-year, 2-year and 5
      year was (90.7 +/- 2.8)%, (82.5 +/- 3.9)% and (57.6 +/- 6.5)%, respectively,while
      the ensemble mean survival time was (84.137 +/- 5.902) months. The mortality rate
      of 1-year, 2-year in ORIF group was 7.2% and 12.0%, respectively; and in
      arthroplasty group, there was 14.8% and 25.9%, respectively. There was no
      significant difference in mortality rate of 1-year and 2-year between two groups.
      According to the survival analysis of the ORIF group, the survival rate of 1
      year, 2-year was (92.6 +/- 2.9)%, and (85.8 +/- 4.3)%, respectively, and the mean
      survival time was (87.508 +/- 6.063) months. In arthroplasty group, the survival
      rate of 1-year, 2-year was (85.2 +/- 6.8)% and (73.9 +/- 8.5)%,and the mean
      survival time was (67.294 +/- 11.180) months. There was significant difference in
      mean survival time between two groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: ORIF can achieve a
      better postoperative survival compare with hip replacement in treating
      intertrochanteric fracture in elderly.

PMID- 26502519
TI  - [The relationship between angle of puncture and distribution of bone cement of
      unilateral percutaneous kyphoplasty for the treatment of thoracolumbar
      compression fractures].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship of bone cement distribution and the
      puncture angle in the treatment of thoracolumbar compression fractures with
      unilateral percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP). METHODS: The clinical data of 37
      patients with thoracolumbar osteoporotic compression fractures underwent PKP
      between January 2013 to March 2014 were retrospectively analyzed, all punctures
      were performed unilaterally. There were 6 males, aged from 65 to 78 years old
      with an average of (71.83 +/- 6.15) years; and 31 females, aged from 57 to 89
      years old with an average of (71.06 +/- 7.89) years. Imaging data were analyzed
      and puncture angle and puncture point were measured before operation. According
      to the measured data, the puncture were performeds during the operation.
      Distribution area of bone cement were calculated by X-rays data after operation.
      The effect of bone cement distribution on suitable puncture angle was analyzed;
      VAS score was used to evaluate the clinical effects. RESULTS: The puncture angle
      of thoracic vertebrae in T8-T12 was from 28 degrees  to 33 degrees  with an
      average 30.4 degrees ; and the puncture angle of lumbar vertebrae in L1-L5 was
      from 28 degrees  to 35 degrees  with an average of 31.3 degrees . Postoperative X
      rays showed the area ratios of bilateral bone cement was 0.97 +/- 0.15. Bilateral
      diffuse area were basic equal. Postoperative VAS score decreased significantly
      (1.89 +/- 1.29 vs 7.03 +/- 1.42). CONCLUSION: Through measure imaging data before
      operation with PKP,the puncture point and entry point can be confirmed. According
      the measured data to puncture during operation, unilateral puncture can reach the
      distribution effect of the bilateral puncture in the treatment of thoracolumbar
      compression fractures.

PMID- 26502520
TI  - [Analysis of risk factors of the infection after operation of open tibiofibula
      fractures].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the related factors of the infection after operation of
      open tibiofibula fractures. METHODS: The clinical data of 141 patients with open
      tibiofibula fractures underwent surgical treatment from June 2009 to December
      2012 were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients were male and aged from 18
      to 61 years old with an average of 39.2 years; all the fractures were unilateral.
      According to Gustilo typing of fracure, 5 cases were type I, 44 cases were type
      II, 27 cases were type III a, 56 cases were type III b and 9 cases were type III
      c. These clinical data included patients' age, gender, body mass index (BMI),
      underlying diseases, time of operation, fracture site, fracture type, fixation
      method, postoperative drainage, debridement condition and so on. The
      postoperative infection conditions were recorded, and the correlation between
      above factors and infections were analyzed. Finally, the significant related
      variables were introduced into a Logistic regression model to evaluated their
      risk. RESULTS: Among the 141 patients, 22 cases developed with infection (15.6%).
      The significant relative factors with infection contained fixation method,
      debridement condition, underlying diseases and postoperative drainage (P < 0.05).
      The correlativities were stepped up in order, their odds ratios value was 2.451,
      3.164, 3.414, 5.117, respectively. CONCLUSION: Active treatment for underlying
      diseases before operation, thorough debridement for open wound, suitable fixation
      method for fracture and thorough draining are effective measures in preventing
      postoperative infection.

PMID- 26502521
TI  - [Surgical revision of lumbar vertebrae using transforaminal endoscopic spine
      system].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical effects of transforaminal endoscopic spine
      system in surgical revision of lumbar vertebrae. METHODS: From January 2012 to
      October 2013,14 patients who needed reoperations of lumbar vertebrae were treated
      using transforaminal endoscopic spine system (TESSYS). There were 8 males and 6
      males, aged from 27 to 84 years old with an average of (50.4 +/- 18.9) years.
      Visual analogue scale (VAS) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association Scores (JOA)
      were compared before and after surgical revision. Macnab standard was used to
      assess the clinical effect. RESULTS: All the patients were followed up from 6 to
      27 months with the mean of 18 months. Preoperative VAS score was 6.79 +/- 1.31,
      and in a week,3 months and 6 months after operation were 2.50 +/- 1.29, 2.21 +/-
      1.53, 1.64 +/- 1.08, respectively, which were all much lower (P < 0.01) than
      preoperative score. Preoperative JOA score was 12.43 +/- 1.95, and the above
      corresponding postoperative JOA scores were 21.50 +/- 3.78, 21.93 +/- 4.55, 23.36
      +/- 4.33, respectively, which were all much higher than preoperative score (P <
      0.01). According to the modified Macnab criteria, 5 patients got an excellent
      results, 7 good, 1 fair and 1 poor. The nerve root injury of L5 occurred in 1
      case during paracentesis and no other complications were found. CONCLUSION:
      Selecting the appropriate indications using TESSYS in surgical revision of lumbar
      vertebrae can successfully avoid the operation scar, reduce the surgical
      complications and obtain satisfactory clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26502522
TI  - [Prevention of postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage with absorbable
      hemostatic fluid gelatin].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effectiveness of absorbable hemostatic fluid gelatin in
      preventing postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage. METHODS: The clinical data
      of 17 patients with dura mater tear were retrospectively analyzed from March to
      September in 2003. There were 16 males and 1 female, aged from 16 to 67 years old
      with an average of (39.6 +/- 15.4) years. The injury site was at cervical
      vertebrae in 1 case, thoracic vertebrae in 9 cases, thoracolumbar junction in 4
      cases, lumbar vertebrae in 3 cases. There were burst fracture in 4 cases and
      fracture-dislocation in 13 cases. According to ASIA grade, 12 cases were grade A,
      2 cases were grade B, 2 cases were grade D, 1 case were grade E. Two cases caused
      by traffic accident, 10 by high falling, 4 by heavy parts crash, 1 by stairs fell
      during the earthquake. Absorbable hemostatic fluid gelatins were used to plug the
      dura mater tear,in order to prevent postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage.
      Postoperative drainage were recorded every day. RESULTS: Of 17 patients, 15 cases
      did not develop with cerebrospinal fluid leakage. Two cases develop with
      cerebrospinal fluid leakage after operation and their drainage were removed at 6
      to 7 days after operation. In all cases, no complications related with
      cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurred, such as headache, dizzy, fever,neck
      resistance, rash, incision disunion, incision infection, hematoma, neurologic
      symptoms aggravation. No abnormal phenomena was found on incision surrounding at
      follow-up of 9 months. CONCLUSION: Using absorbable hemostatic fluid gelatin to
      plug the dura mater tear during operation is an effective method in preventing
      postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage.

PMID- 26502523
TI  - [Study on the clinical effect of the massage method of micro-regulating with
      vertical cross pressing lying on one side in treating cervicogenic headache].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effects of the massage method of micro
      regulating with vertical cross pressing lying on one side in treating
      cervicogenic headache (CEH). METHODS: Total 136 patients with CEH were collected
      in the study from August 2012 to April 2014. They were divided randomly into two
      groups according to random digits table. Sixty-nine patients accepted the
      treatment of micro-regulating with vertical cross pressing lying on one side
      (pressing micro-regulating group), including 29 males and 40 females with an
      average age of (50.55 +/- 11.38) years old; 67 patients received the treatment of
      traditional massage (traditional massage group), including 28 males and 39
      females with an average age of (51.20 +/- 11.90) years old. Clinical effect was
      observed according to the standard of curative effect of State Administration of
      Traditional Chinese Medicine; the function of cervical vertebra and all body
      status were evaluated according to NDI score. VAS score, frequency and time of
      headache were recorded and compared before and after treatment. RESULTS: No
      adverse reactions were found after treatment, all patients were followed up from
      1 to 6 months with an average of 3.1 months. In pressing micro-regulating group,
      25 cases got fully recover, 26 excellence, 14 effectiveness and 4 inefficiency;
      and in traditional massage group, the results were 12,21,22, 12;clinical effect
      of pressing micro-regulating group was better than that of traditional massage
      group (P<0.01). NDI score in pressing micro-regulating group decreased from
      preoperative 13.48 +/- 4.83 to postoperative 6.23 +/- 3.76; in traditional
      massage group also decreased from preoperative 13.82 +/- 5.78 to postoperative
      8.25 +/- 4.75; the improvement of the pressing micro-regulating group was
      obviously better than that of traditional massage group (P < 0.01). VAS score in
      pressing micro-regulating group decreased from preoperative 4.75 +/- 0.97 to
      postoperative 1.88 +/- 1.78; and in traditional massage group decreased from pre
      operative 4.78 +/- 0.98 to postoperative 2.84 +/- 1.94; pressing micro-regulating
      group was more notable than that of traditional massage group (P < 0.01). The
      frequency per week,the pain time in pressing micro-regulating group decreased
      from preoperative (5.38 +/- 1.96) times and (6.87 +/- 3.67) hours to
      postoperative (1.71 +/- 2.04) times and (0.97 +/- 1.74) hours,respectively,in
      traditional massage group the above parameters decreased from preoperative (5.22
      +/- 1.81) times and (6.90 +/- 3.79) hours to postoperative (2.81 +/- 2.42) times
      and (1.83 +/- 2.21) hours;pressing micr-regulating group was more notable than
      that of traditional massage group (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Using the
      tuina method of micro-regulating with vertical cross pressing lying on one side
      to treat CEH can improve function of cervical vertebra and all body status,
      lessen the intensity, frequency, duration time of pain, and had advantage of
      higher security, simple operation, and evident effect.

PMID- 26502524
TI  - [Design of the reduction fixator and its clinical application in treating
      fracture of lesser trochanter of femur].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To discuss the clinical significance of the reduction and fixation for
      femoral lesser trochanteric fragment in treating the femoral comminuted
      intertrochanteric fractures. METHODS: From January 2012 to December 2013,32
      patients with intertrochanteric fractures were treated by surgery, and self
      designed reduction fixators were used in the patients for the fixation of lesser
      trochanter of femur. There were 11 males and 21 females, ranging in age from 45
      to 81 years old with an average of 64 years old. According to the Evans typing,
      12 cases were type II, 13 cases were type III and 7 cases were type IV. Simple
      lag screw fixed in 19 cases and steel wire fixed in 13 cases. Hip joint function
      was evaluated according Harris score and the complications such as coxa
      adducta,cutting of femoral head and neck,implants breakage were observed.
      RESULTS: Thirty-two patients were followed up from 9 to 24 months with an average
      of 13 months. Coxa adducta occurred in 1 case,no cutting of femoral head and neck
      occurred and implants breakage were found. The mean Harris score was 91.80 +/-
      3.05 in 32 patients. CONCLUSION: The reconstruction and fixation for the
      posterior medial bone cortex continuity is a key factor on affect the stability
      of femoral intertrochanteric fracture. Self-designed reduction fixators can
      effective reduce and fix the lesser trochanter of femur, it has advantage of fast
      reduction and fixation, and simple operation.

PMID- 26502525
TI  - [Treatment of sternoclavicular joint dislocation with sternoclavicular hook plate
      fixation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the technique and therapeutic effect of sternoclavicular
      hook plate fixation in treating sternoclavicular joint (SCJ) dislocation.
      METHODS: From January 2010 to March 2014,6 patients with SCJ dislocation were
      treated with sternoclavicular hook plate fixation in our hospital. Among the 6
      patients, 5 patients were male and 1 patient was female, and the average age was
      34 years, ranging from 26 to 48 years. The course of the disease ranged from 3 to
      20 days. All the SCJ dislocations were caused by external injury and accompanied
      with the symptoms of swelling pain and obvious shoulder joint activity restricted
      in affected side. All SCJ dislocations were anterior dislocation by the diagnosis
      of X-ray and CT scan. The postoperative curative effect was evaluated according
      to Rockwood score. RESULTS: All the patients' operative incision were healed well
      and in good appearance. X-ray showed that the dislocated SCJ was well reduced and
      the plate was on right position. All the 6 patients were followed up for 4 to 18
      months, with an average of 12 months. The results were evaluated according to
      Rockwood score, 4 got excellent results, 1 good and 1 fair. No fixation
      loosening, redislocation or side injury such as vessel, nerve or pleura injury
      were found. CONCLUSION: With sternoclavicular hook plate fixation, SCJ
      dislocation could be reduced while keeping its amphiarthrodial function and the
      completeness of the cartilage surface. Sternoclavicular hook plate fixation has
      advantages of safety and stabilization in fixation, and patients can begin
      function exercises earlier.

PMID- 26502526
TI  - [Effects of electro-acupuncture on neuronal apoptosis and associative function in
      rats with spinal cord injury].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of electro-acupuncture to improve the bladder
      function after acute spinal cord injury in rats and its possible mechanism.
      METHODS: Sixty healthy adult male SD rats of SPF grade, with body weight of 220
      to 250 g, one week after feeding adaptation, were randomly divided into sham
      operation group, model group, electro-acupuncture group, electro-acupuncture
      control group with 15 rats in each group. Sham operation group underwent no
      stimulation, and the moderate damage model of spinal cord injury were made in
      other three groups according to modified Allens method. The model group were not
      treated, electro-acupuncture group were treated with electro-acupuncture on
      Zhibianxue and Shuidaoxue, and electro-acupuncture control group were treated
      with electro-acupuncture on 0.5 inch next to Zhibianxue and Shuidaoxue. The
      frequency of 2/100 Hz, current of 1 mA, stimulation time of 15 min, once a day,
      left and right alternately stimulate every time, for a total of 7 times. The
      changes of residual urine volume and urine output in rats at the 1st and the 7th
      days after operation were observed. And 7 d later, the rats were sacrificed and
      the injured spinal cord were taken out to observe the apoptosis, and to detect
      the changes of Bcl-2, Bax, Bad content. RESULTS: After modeling,the rats of three
      groups showed different bladder dysfunction. In electro-acupuncture group and
      electro-acupuncture control group, the residual urine volume of the 7th day after
      operation was significant lower than the 1st day after operation (P < 0.001), and
      there was statistically significant difference on the 7th day after operation
      between two groups (P < 0.001). Compared with model group, the urine output of
      electro-acupuncture group and electro-acupuncture control group was significantly
      increased on the 7th day after operation, and there was sig- nificant difference
      between electro-acupuncture group and electro-acupuncture control group (P <
      0.001). Electro-acupuncture can inhibit apoptosis of spinal cord neurons by TUNEL
      detection. Postoperative at 7 d, the rate of nerve cell apoptosis in electro 
      acupuncture group and electro-acupuncture control group was significant increased
      than model group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), and there was significant difference
      between electro-acupuncture group and electro-acupuncture control group (P <
      0.005). Compared with model group, the positive expression rate of Bax, Bad
      decreased (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), and Bcl-2 increased (P < 0.01) in electro
      acupuncture group and electro-acupuncture control group,there was significant
      difference between electro-acupuncture group and electro-acupuncture control
      group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Electro-acupuncture can obviously promote the
      repair of acute spinal cord injury,its mechanism may be through increasing Bcl-2,
      inhibiting the expression of Bax, Bad, which inhibits the apoptosis of spinal
      cord neurons.

PMID- 26502527
TI  - [Application of oil red O staining in spinal cord injury of rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of the application of oil red O staining in
      spinal cord injury (SCI) of rats. METHODS: With simple randomization, 24 Spargue
      Dawley male rats were divided into normal control group including 6, and SCI
      group including 18. Spinal cord was transected at spinal lever T10 to build SCI
      model. Six rats of SCI group were sacrificed randomly at 1, 2, 4 weeks after
      surgery. After the spinal cord tissue sections were made, oil red O staining
      methods were used to observe the changes at the end of transected spinal cord.
      Images were analyzed by Image-Pro Plus 6.0 and SPSS 20.0 software. RESULTS: The
      oil red O staining of normal control group showed that white matter surrounded by
      myelin sheath was clear and obviously distinctive from grey matter. Uneven and
      strengthened staining in oil O was observed in grey matter of SCI group at 1, 2,
      4 weeks post-SCI. CONCLUSION: It is a good method to label the myelin sheath in
      spinal cord and distinct white matter from grey matter by oil red O staining.
      Analysis of the images showed that lipid may become another target for drugs,
      which needs more researches.

PMID- 26502528
TI  - [Treatment of humeral supracondylar fracture in children with external plaster
      fixation on extension position].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effective method of preventing cubitus varus deformity
      in nonoperative treatment of humeral supracondylar fracture in children. METHODS:
      From May 1992 to December 2013,319 patients with hemeral supracondylar fracture
      in children were treated with manual reduction and external plaster fixation in
      extension position. There were 253 males and 66 females, aged from 15 months to
      13 years old with an average of 6.7 years. Among the patients with humeral
      supracondylar fracture, extension type was in 284 cases and inflexion type was in
      35 cases; 167 cases on the left and 152 cases on the right. Injury to treatment
      time was 1 hour to 7 days with a mean of 1.8 days. No included nerve injury and
      operative case in the patients. RESULTS: All patients were followed up from 3
      months to 14 years with an average of 37.3 months. All fractures obtained bone
      healing and healed time was 6 to 8 weeks with an average of 6.9 weeks. No
      complications of serious cubitus varus deformity,vascular nerve injury or
      volkmann contracture were found. In 183 cases, the carrying angle was consistent
      with itself contralateral,ranged from 5 degrees  to 15 degrees ; in 105 cases,
      the carrying angle of uninjuryed side was decreased. During the reset, the
      carrying angle of 26 patients with ulnar deviation angle was for -5 degrees  to 0
      degrees ; and 5 patients with radial deviation angle was for 15 degrees  to 18
      degrees , basically does not affect the appearance. The activities of all elbow
      joint were normal. CONCLUSION: External plaster fixation in extension position
      has some value to preventing cubitus varus deformity in nonoperative treatment of
      humeral supracondylar fracture in children and hope that more scholars to do
      further study.

PMID- 26502529
TI  - [Osteochondroma of cervical lamellar bone: a case report].

PMID- 26502530
TI  - [Posterior spinal transpedicular wedge osteotomy for kyphosis due to delayed
      osteoporotic vertebral fracture in elderly].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effects of posterior spinal transpedicular
      wedge osteotomy for kyphosis due to delayed osteoporotic vertebral fracture in
      elderly. METHODS: From July 2009 to February 2014,26 patients with kyphosis
      caused by delayed osteoporotic vertebral fracture were treated with
      transpedicular wedge osteotomy. There were 10 males and 16 females,aged from 55
      to 75 years old with an average of 67 years. There were 1 osteotomy in thoracic
      vertebra,21 osteotomies in thoracolumbar vertebrae and 4 in lumbar vertebrae.
      Total 29 vertebrae were involved, 23 cases with single vertebral fracture and 3
      cases with double vertebral fractures. Preoperative Cobb angles were 32 degrees
      ~51 degrees  with the mean of (42.00 +/- 4.75)  degrees  and VAS scores were 6 to
      9 points with an average of (8.40 +/- 0.75) points. According to the Frankel
      grade of spinal cord function, 4 cases were grade D and 22 cases were grade E.
      Intraoperative bleeding, operation time and perioperative complications were
      recorded, and improvements of Cobb angle were evaluated by X-rays. VAS score and
      Frankel grade were respectively used to evaluate the pain and nerve function.
      RESULTS: The average operation time were 155 min (ranged, 120 to 175) and the
      mean intraoperative bleeding were 1 100 ml (ranged,800 to 1 500). Postoperative
      at 2 days, Cobb angle and VAS score were (9.60 +/- 2.50)  degrees  and (4.00 +/-
      1.00) points, respectively, ranged from 5 degrees  to 15 degrees  and 1 to 5
      points. VAS score and Cobb angle improved obviously compared with preoperative (P
      < 0.05), and the improvement rate of Cobb angle was 76%. Frankel grade of 1 case
      changed from grade E to C, and the others did not become worse. The follow-up
      period ranged from 3 to 24 months with an average of 16.4 months. At the final
      follow-up, Cobb angles and VAS score were (11.00 +/- 3.50) degrees  and (4.40 +/-
      1.25) points, respectively, ranged from 5 degrees  to 19 degrees  and 1 to 6
      points. The patient whose Frankel grade E changed to C at 2 days after surgery
      and changed to grade D at the latest follow-up. Vertebral body fracture below the
      fusion level happened in 1 case at 3 months after surgery, vertebral body
      fracture above the fusion level happened in 1 case at 5 months after surgery, and
      their chest pain symptoms were relieved after symptomatic treatment and anti
      osteoporosis treatment. All osteotomy levels obtained fusion which confirmed by X
      ray and no internal fixation loosening and breakage were found. CONCLUSION: The
      clinical effect of posterior transpedicular wedge osteotomy for kyphosis due to
      delayed osteoporotic vertebral fracture was satisfactory, but manipulation during
      the operation should be cautious and prevent adjacent vertebral body fracture
      should be pay attention to prevent.

PMID- 26502531
TI  - [Application of internal fixation combined with external fixator for unstable
      pelvic fracture].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To invesitigate the clinical effects of percutaneous closed reduction
      and cannulated screw internal fixation combined with external fixation in the
      treatment of unstable pelvic fractures. METHODS: From April 2006 to May 2009,29
      patients with pelvic fractures of rotatory instability were treated with closed
      reduction and screw internal fixation combined with external fixation. There were
      19 males and 10 females with an average age of 31 years old (ranged from 19 to 53
      years). Based on the Tile classification,17 cases were type CI and 12 case were
      type C2. Tornetta standard and Majeed score were used to evaluated the clinical
      effect after operation. RESULTS: All patients were followed up from 10 to 24
      months with an average of 16 months. There were no nerve injuries and other organ
      injuries, only one case of infection was found and it was cured with wound
      dressing. Time of fracture union was from 14 to 18 weeks with the mean of 16.2
      weeks. No loosening, slippage or breakage of the screw were found. According to
      the Tornetta standards,14 cases obtained excellent results, 10 good, 4 fair and 1
      poor. The Majeed score was 87.2 +/- 11.3, 16 cases got excellent results, 9 good
      and 4 fair. CONCLUSION: Closed reduction and screw internal fixation combined
      with external fixation is an effective way to treat unstable pelvic fractures
      with Tile type C1 and Tile type C2.

PMID- 26502532
TI  - [Minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis versus open reduction and
      internal fixation for distal tibial fractures in adults: a meta-analysis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To perform a meta-analysis on clinical outcomes of minimally invasive
      percutaneous plate osteosynthesis (MIPPO) or open reduction and internal fixation
      (ORIF) for distal tibial fractures in adults. METHODS: Pubmed database (from 1968
      to March 2014), Cochrane library and CNKI database (from 1998 to March 2014) were
      searched. Case-control study on minimally invasive percutaneous plate
      osteosynthesis (MIPPO) or open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for distal
      tibial fractures in adults were chosen,and postoperative infection, operative
      time, blood loss, fracture nonunion rate, delayed union,fracture malunion rate
      were seen as evaluation index for meta analysis. The system review was performed
      using the method recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration. RESULTS: Totally 5
      studies (366 patients) were enrolled. Meta-analysis showed that there were
      significant meaning in postoperative infection between MIPPO and ORIF [OR =
      0.23,95% CI (0.06,0.92), P = 0.04]; fracture nonunion rate in MIPPO was lower
      than in ORIF group [OR = 0.16, 95% CI (0.03,0.76), P = 0.02]; operative time in
      MIPPO was shorter than in ORIF group, and had significant difference [MD = 
      14.42, 95% CI (-27.79, -1.05), P < 0.05]; blood loss in MIPPO was less than in
      ORIF group [MD= -87.17,95%CI (-99.20, -75.15), P < 0.05]; there was no obviously
      meaning in delayed union between two groups. CONCLUSION: For distal tibial
      fractures in adults, MIPPO has, advantages of short operative time, less blood
      loss, lower incidence of infection and fracture non-uniom, but with high fracture
      malunion rate. MIPPO for distal tibial fractures in adults is better than ORIF,
      and the best treatment should choose according to patient's condition.

PMID- 26502533
TI  - [Complications of percutaneous kyphoplasty non-related with bone leakage in
      treating osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral compression fractures].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the complications of percutaneous kyphoplasty except bone
      leakge for the treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral compression
      fractures. METHODS: From October 2008 to October 2012,178 patients with 224
      osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures were treated with percutaneous
      kyphoplasty under local anethsia. There were 72 males and 106 females,ranging in
      age from 58 to 92 years old,with an average of 75.3 years,including 93 thoracic
      vertebrae and 131 lumbar vertebrae. The complications except bone cement leakage
      were analyzed during operation and after operation. RESULTS: All operations were
      successful and all patients were followed up from 12 to 60 months with an average
      of 26.2 months. No death was found. Bone cement leakage occurred in 27 cases,
      about 15.1% in 178 cases; and complications except bone cement leakage occurred
      in 15 cases. There was 1 case with cardiac arrest,was completely recovery by
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) immediately; and 1 case with temporary
      absence of breathing,was recovery after treatment. There were 3 cases with fall
      of blood pressure and slower of heart rate; 1 case with intestinal obstruction; 2
      cases with local hematoma and 1 case with intercostal neuralgia. Vertebral body
      fractures of 2 cases were split by bone cement and the fractures of adjacent body
      occurred in 4 cases. CONCLUSION: It's uncommon complication except bone cement
      leakge in treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral compression fractures
      with percutaneous kyphoplasty. The complication of cardiopulmonary system is a
      high risk in surgery; and cytotoxicity of bone cement,nervous reflex,fat embolism
      and alteration of intravertebral pressure may be main reasons.

PMID- 26502534
TI  - [Percutaneous needle break end expanding new and autologous bone marrow
      transplantation for bone nonunion: a case report].

PMID- 26502535
TI  - [Progress on cervical muscle strength and soft tissue stiffness testing].
AB  - Biomechanical evaluation of neck muscles has important significance in the
      diagnosis and treatment for cervical spondylosis, the neck muscle strength and
      soft tissue stiffness test is two aspects of biomechanical testing. Isometric
      muscle testing operation is relatively simple, the cost is lower, which can
      evaluate the muscle force below grade 3. However, isokinetic muscle strength
      testing can assess the muscle strength of joint motion in any position. It is
      hard to distinguish stiffness difference in different soft tissues when the load
      displacement curve is used to evaluate the local soft tissue stiffness.
      Elasticity imaging technique can not only show the elastic differences of
      different tissues by images, but also quantify the elastic modulus of
      subcutaneous tissues and muscles respectively. Nevertheless, it is difficult to
      observe the flexibility of the cervical spine by means of the analysis of the
      whole neck stiffness. In a word, a variety of test method will conduce not only
      the biomechanical evaluation of neck muscles, but also making an effective
      biomechanics mathematical model of neck muscles. Besides, isokinetic muscle
      testing and the elasticity imaging technology still need further validation and
      optimization before they are better applied to neck muscles biomechanical
      testing.

PMID- 26502536
TI  - [Progress on preparation methods of animal model of deep venous thrombosis].
AB  - Deep venous thrombosis is a common and serious complication after orthopedics
      operation, with the characteristics of high incidence rate and death rate, its
      formation mechanism and the treatment is becoming more and more attention of
      scholars. Establishment of animal model of deep venous thrombosis can further
      explore the pathological process of thrombosis or dissolution, is an important
      means to research of thrombosis mechanism and evaluation of therapeutic method.
      This review discussed the basic principle of deep venous thrombosis, the
      selection of experimental animals and making method of animal models.

PMID- 26502538
TI  - [Effects of Acupuncture Intervention on Levels of T Lymphocyte Subsets in Plasma
      and Thymus in Stress-induced Anxiety Rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) intervention on the
      levels of CD 4+ and CD 8+ lymphocytes in the plasma and thymus in anxiety
      disorder rats, so as to explore its mechanism underlying favorable regulation of
      immune function. METHODS: Thirty-four SD rats were randomly divided into control
      (n = 10) , model (n = 12) and EA (n = 12) groups. The anxiety model was
      established by using chronic unpredictable emotional stress stimulation (fasting,
      water-deprivation, shaking, tail-clamping, forced warm- and cool-water swimming,
      electrical shock stimulation, etc.) for 15 days. EA (15 Hz/ 25 Hz) was applied to
      "Neiguan" (PC 6) and "Shenmen" (HT 7) for 15 min, once every other day for 15
      days. The anxiety-like behavior was measured by elevated plus maze test. Anxiety
      reduction in the plus-maze is indicated by an increase in the proportion of time
      spent in the open arms (time in open arms/total time in open or closed arms) ,
      and an increase in the proportion of entries into the open arms (entries into
      open arms/total entries into open or closed arms). While the contents and
      expression of CD 4+ and CD 8+ in the plasma and thymus tissues were measured by
      ELISA and immunohistochemistry, respectively. RESULTS: The values of proportions
      of open-arm entries (OE%) and the content of plasma CD 4+ lymphocytes were
      obviously lower in the model group than in the control group (P < 0.05), and were
      significantly higher in the EA group than in the model group (P < 0.05). Whereas,
      the content of plasma CD 8+ lymphocytes was obviously higher in the model group
      than in the control group (P < 0.05) and markedly down-regulated in the EA group
      after the treatment (P < 0.05). The ratio of CD 4+/CD 8+ was decreased in the
      model group in comparison with the control group (P = 0.054), and was
      significantly up-regulated in the EA group after EA stimulation (P < 0.01).
      Compared with the control group, the expression levels (optical density, OD
      values) of CD 4+ and CD 8+ lymphocytes in the thymus tissue were obviously
      decreased in the model group (P < 0.01). After EA, the expression levels of
      thymus CD 4+ and CD 8+ were remarkably up-regulated in the EA group (P < 0.05).
      No significant changes were found in proportion of open-arm time (OT%, P > 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: EA can effectively relieve anxiety disorder in anxiety rats, which
      may be related to its effects in up-regulating plasma CD 4+ , thymus CD 4+ and CD
      8' levels as well as CD 4+/CD 8+ ratio, and down-regulating plasma CD 8+ content.

PMID- 26502537
TI  - [Effect of Electroacupuncture on 26 S Proteasome and Nuclear Factor kappa B in
      Substantia Nigra of Rats with Rotenone-induced Parkinson's Disease].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of 26 S proteasome and nuclear factor kappa B
      (NFkappaB) in substantia nigra in the management of Parkinson's disease (PD) by
      acupuncture. METHODS: Forty-eight male SD rats were randomly divided into normal,
      sham operation, model and electroacupuncture (EA) groups (12 rats/group).. The PD
      model was established by 40-day consecutive subcutaneous injection of rotenone (1
      mg/kg dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide and normal saline) at the back shoulder.
      The rats in the sham operation group were treated by subcutaneous injection of
      dose of saline. "Fengfu" (GV 16) and "Taichong" (LR 3) acupoints were stimulated
      with EA at 2 Hz, 1 mA, 20 min of duration in each treatment, and daily for 28
      consecutive days. The behavioral changes of rats in each group were measured and
      scored at 40th day and 68th day, respectively. Immunohistochemistry was used to
      determine the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) used to detect the
      expression of 26 S proteasome and NFkappaB and TH were measured by Western blot.
      RESULTS: In comparison with the normal and sham operation groups, the behavioral
      scores of rats in the model group were elevated, which were significantly
      decreased by EA intervention (P < 0.05). The expression of TH and 26 S proteasome
      decreased whereas the NFkappaB increased in the rats of model group (P < 0.05);
      and EA intervention reversed these changes (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: EA
      intervention can improve PD rats' behavioral changes, which is pobably related to
      its effects in reducing loss of TH-positive neurons, down-regulating NFkappaB
      protein expression, and up- regulating 26 S proteasome protein expression in the
      substantia nigra.

PMID- 26502539
TI  - [Effect of "Kidney-reinforcing and Govenor Vessel-regulating" of Acupuncture plus
      Moxibustion on Mitochondrial Dynamics-related Proteins in Hippocampal Neurons of
      Rats with Alzheimer's Disease].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture plus moxibustion on mitochondrial
      dynamics-related proteins (OPA 1, Fis 1) of hippocampal neurons in rat with
      Alzheimer's disease (AD) , and to explore the potential mechanism underlying
      acupuncture for the protection of hippocampal neuronal mitochondria. METHODS:
      Eighty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal, sham-operation, model
      and acu-moxibustion groups. AD model was made by injecting Abeta1-42 into the
      hippocampus. "Baihui" (GV 20) and "Shenshu" (BL 23) acupoints were stimulated by
      manual acupuncture (15 min) in combination with moxibustion (15 min) for two
      sessions of treatment, with seven consecutive treatments for one session and one
      day break between the two sessions. The expression of hippocampal OPA 1 and Fis 1
      was assessed by means of Western blot and immunofluorescence technique. RESULTS:
      The expression level of OPA 1 and Fis 1 of rats in the model group was
      significantly lower and higher, respectively, than those of the normal and sham
      operation groups (P < 0.01). Acupuncture plus moxibustion intervention notably
      increased OPA 1 and decreased Fis 1 expression levels in the acu-moxibustion
      group compared to those of the model group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture
      combined with moxibustion produce benefit to hippocampal neurons in AD rats
      probably via the regulation of the mitochondrial dynamics (imbalance between
      fission and fusion proteins) and improvement of the mitochondrial damage of
      hippocampus.

PMID- 26502540
TI  - [Effect of Acupotome Relaxing on Expression of Type I and II Collagens of
      Degenerative Cervical Inter- vertebral Discs in Rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupotome relaxing at cervical acupoints on
      type I and II collagens of degenerated cervical intervertebral discs in rats, so
      as to explore its potential mechanism underlying anti-degeneration of
      intervertebral discs. METHODS: Rats were randomly divided into control, model,
      Jiaji acupoints, cervical acupoints and medication groups (n = 15 in each group).
      The rat model of cervical intervertebral disc degeneration due to static-dynamic
      imbalance was made as previously specified. The Jiaji acupoints were those
      located along the cervical vertebra 2-7. The cervical acupoints included
      bilateral "Naokong"(GB 19) , "Naohu" (GV 17) , "Dazhui"(GV 14) , bilateral
      "Quyuan" (SI 13) and bilateral "Tianzong" (SI 11). Acupoints were treated
      according to the procedures of acupotome for 3 times in ten days with five days'
      break between every two treatment sessions. Rats of the medication group were
      intragastrically administered with Jing Fu Kang Granules and ibuprofen daily for
      ten days. Twenty days after the end of treatment, all rats were sacrificed for
      further examination of morphological changes of the intervertebral disc tissue.
      Immunoactivity of protein and mRNA expression levels of collagen type I and II of
      the intervertebral discs were measured by means of immunohistochemistry and RT
      PCR, respectively. RESULTS: In comparison with the control group, the
      immunoactivity and mRNA expression levels of collagen type I and II of the
      intervertebral discs were significantly elevated or reduced in rats of the model
      group, respectively (P < 0.05). After acupotome intervention and medication, the
      increased and decreased expression levels of type I and II collagen proteins and
      genes were markedly reversed (P < 0.05). The effects of acupotome relaxing of
      both cervical and Jiaji acupoints were significantly superior to those of
      medication in down-regulating expression of type I collagen protein and mRNA, and
      in up-regulating that of type II collagen protein and mRNA (P < 0.05). No
      significant differences were found between the cervical acupoints and Jiaji
      acupoints groups in the above- mentioned outcomes (P > 0.05) . The degree of
      severity of the degenerated intervertebral discs was the worst in the model
      group, followed by the medication group, then the Jiaji acupoints group and
      cervical acupoints group, and the control group the least. CONCLUSION: Acupotome
      at neck acupoints can regulate the extracellular matrix of the intervertebral
      disc via inhibiting the transformation between type I and type II collagens,
      which may contribute to its effect in delaying the degenerative process of the
      cervical intervertebral discs.

PMID- 26502541
TI  - [Effect of Electroacupuncture Stimulation of "Baihui" (GV 20) , etc. on Changes
      of Behavior and Plasma Ghrelin Content in Depression Rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of
      "Baihui" (GV 20) + "Anmian" (EX-HN 16) and "Baihui" (GV 20) + "Zusanli" (ST 36)
      on behavior reactions and plasma ghrelin level in depression rats, so as to
      explore the correlation between its antidepressant effect and plasma ghrelin
      level. METHODS: A total of 45 SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: normal
      control, model, Baihui (GV 20) + Anmian (EX-HN 16), Baihui (GV 20) + Zusanli (ST
      36) and medication (clomipramine) groups, with 9 rats in each group. The
      depression model (unpredictable chronic mild stresses, UC-MS) was established by
      giving the animals with higher temperature environment (45  degrees C, 5 min),
      forced ice-water swimming (0- 4  degrees C, 5 min) , day and night reversal
      environment (12 h), stroboflash stimulation (12 h), noisy stimulation (12 h),
      rocking-bed movement (30 min) and damp pad dwelling (6-24 h), etc. for 4 weeks.
      EA was applied to GV 20-EX-HN 16, and GV 20-ST 36 for 30 min once every other day
      for 4 weeks after modeling. For rats of the medication group, clomipramine (5
      mg/kg) was given (i. p. ) once a day for 4 weeks after modeling. The forced
      swimming test, sucrose preference test and open field test were used to evaluate
      the rats depressive-like behavior. Plasma ghrelin content was assayed by ELISA.
      RESULTS: After exposure to UCMS for 4 weeks, the immobility time was
      significantly increased, and the struggling time was significantly decreased in
      the model group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). In comparison with the model group, the
      immobility time levels were obviously decreased, while the struggling time and
      sucrose preference were markedly increased in the Baihui (GV 20) + Anmian (EX-HN
      16) , Baihui (GV 20) + Zusanli (ST 36) and medication groups (P < 0.05, P <
      0.01). No significant changes were found in the rearing times and total distance
      of open-field test (locomotor activity) and plasma ghrelin content among the 5
      groups among all the groups (P > 0.05). No significant differences were found
      among the two EA and medication groups in the decreased immobility time and the
      increased struggling times and sucrose preference levels (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION:
      EA intervention can improve the depression rats' hopeless behavior of forced
      swimming test and anhedonia behavior (sucrose preference test) , which may be not
      correlated to plasma ghrelin level at the late-stages and the antidepressant
      effect of EA intervention.

PMID- 26502542
TI  - [Effect of Electroacupuncture at "Zusanli" (ST 36), etc. on Gastrointestinal
      Motility and Expression of Ghrelin mRNA and Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor
      mRNA in Diabetic Gastroparesis Rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of
      "Zusanli" (ST 36), "Liangmen" (ST 21) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) on gastrointestinal
      motility and expression of ghrelin and growth hormone secretagogue receptor
      (GHSR) mRNA in diabetic gastroparesis (diabetic gastroparesis, DGP) rats, so as
      to explore its mechanism underlying improvement of diabetic gastroparesis.
      METHODS: Sixty SD rats were randomly and equally divided into normal control,
      model, EA acupoint, EA non-acupoint, medication (metoclopramide) groups (n = 12
      rat/group). The DGP model was established by intraperitoneal injection of
      streptozotocin (STZ, 55 mg/kg, 2%) and raised by high-sugar and high-fat fodder
      irregularly for 8 weeks. EA was applied to "Zusanli" (ST 36), "Liangmen" (ST 21)
      and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6), and non-acupoints (about 5 mm lateral to the 3
      acupoints, respectively). Those rats of the medication group were given with
      metoclopramide (1 mL/100 g). The blood sugar level was measured by glucometer,
      and the urine sugar level measured by Tes-Tape [urine glucose test paper]. The
      intestinal propulsion rate (IPR) was identified as ratio of the
      phenolsulfonphthalein promoting distance and the total length of the small
      intestine, and the gastric emptying rate (GER) was assessed by gavage of a liquid
      test meal (1.5 mL) containing a nonabsorbable marker (0. 5 mg/mL of phenol red in
      5% glucose solution) and identification after being sacrificed 72 h after
      modeling. The expression levels of ghrelin mRNA and GHSR mRNA of gastric antrum
      tissue were examined by Quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: In comparison with
      the normal control group, the blood sugar and urine sugar levels of the model
      group was significantly increased in the model group (P < 0.01), while the GER
      and IPR and the expression level of ghrelin mRNA and GHSR mRNA in the gastric
      antrum were significantly decreased in the model group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05).
      Following EA stimulation of acupoint, the blood sugar and urine sugar levels were
      obviously down-regulated (P < 0.05), both GER and IPR, and ghrelin mRNA and GHSR
      mRNA expression levels in the EA-acupoint group were significantly up-regulated
      (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). No significant changes were found in both blood sugar and
      urine sugar levels, in both GER and IPR, and ghrelin mRNA and GHSR mRNA
      expression levels of both EA non-acupoint and medication groups after the
      intervention (P > 0.05). The GER and IPR were significantly higher in the EA
      acupoint group than in the EA non-acupoint group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).
      CONCLUSION: EA stimulation of ST 36, ST 21 and SP 6 can promote the
      gastrointestinal motility of DGP rats, which may be closely associated with its
      effects in up-regulating the expression level of ghrelin mRNA and GHSR mRNA in
      gastric antrum.

PMID- 26502543
TI  - [The Impact of Electroacupuncture Intervention on Expression of 5-HTR 1 B/2 C
      Genes in Mice under Radiation Stimulation from Mobile Phone].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of
      "Yifen" (TE 17), "Shenshu" (BL 23) on the expression of 5-hydroxytryptamine
      receptor 1 B (5-HTR 1 B) mRNA and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2 C (5-HTR 2 C)
      mRNA in the cochlear nucleus tissue in mice experiencing radiation from mobile
      phone, so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of tinnitus.
      METHODS: Thirty Kunming mice were randomly divided into control group (n = 6) and
      modeling group (n = 24). The tinnitus model was established by giving the mice
      with mobile phone-radiation for 1 h in the morning and 1 h in the afternoon,
      continuously for 40 days. EA stimulation was applied to "Yifeng" (TE 17) group (n
      = 6) and "Shenshu" (BL 23) group (n = 6) for 20 min, once a day for 7 days. The
      expression of 5-THR 1 B/2 C mRNA in the cochlear nucleus was assayed by
      fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (real time-PCR). RESULTS: The
      expression level of 5-HTR 1 B was significantly lower in the model group than in
      the control group (P < 0.05), while that of 5-HTR 2 C mRNA significantly
      increased (P < 0.01). TE 17 group received a significant acupoint intervention
      effect (P < 0.01). Compared with TE 17 group, BL 23 group received a weaker
      effect (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: EA of TE 17 can up-regulate expression level of 5
      HTR 1 B and down-regulate expression level of 5-HTR 2 C in the cochlear nucleus
      in mice experiencing mobile-phone radiation.

PMID- 26502544
TI  - [Effect of Acupuncture plus Different Frequency Shock-wave Interventions on Pain
      Reactions and Motor Function in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture plus shock-wave (SW)
      intervention for osteoarthritis (WA), so as to explore its practicability in
      clinical practice. METHODS: A total of 120 cases of knee OA patients were
      randomly divided into 4 groups, namely acupuncture (acupunct) + LFSW, acupunct +
      MFSW, acupunct + HFSW and routine acupunct groups, with 30 cases in each group.
      Xuehai (SP 10) , Liangqiu (ST 34), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Xiyan (ST 35) and Ashi
      point were punctured with filiform needles which were manipulated with uniform
      reinforcing-reducing techniques for 15-20 min, once every other day for 7 times.
      In addition, these acupoints were also respectively stimulated with shock
      waves(10 Hz, 14 Hz and 18 Hz, pressure: 1-4 bar) delivered from a DolorClastEMS
      therapeutic apparatus for 600 times in 3 acupunct+ SW groups. The patients' pain
      response changes of the knee-joint were assessed by using visual analog scale
      (VAS) and the motility was evaluated by using a 0-3 grade scale. RESULTS After 7
      times of treatment, the patients' VAS scores and motility scores were
      significantly decreased in the acupunct+ LFSW, acupunct+ MFSW, acupunct+ HFSW and
      routine acupunct groups compared with their own basic values before treatment (P
      < 0.01), and the therapeutic effect of the acupunct+ MFSW group was significantly
      superior to those of the other 3 groups in reducing both VAS and motility scores
      (P < 0.05). Correspondingly, the Deqi sensation score of the acupunct+ MFSW group
      was markedly higher than those of the other 3 groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION:
      Shock wave acu-puncture treatment is effective in relieving OA patients' knee
      joint pain and functional activity, and the therapeutic effect of acu- punct + 14
      Hz-SW is better, which is closely with Deqi-sensation.

PMID- 26502545
TI  - [Clinical Observation on Therapeutic Effect of Red-hot Needle Therapy for Spastic
      Hemiplegia in Stroke Patients].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the curative effect of fire needle treatment on spastic
      hemiplegia in patients with stroke. METHODS: A total of 80 stroke patients with
      spastic hemiplegia who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into
      routine acupuncture (control) group and red-hot needle group (n = 40 cases in
      each group). Patients of the red-hot needle group were treated by pricking
      unilateral Jianyu (LI 15), Binao (LI 14), Quchi (LI 11), Shousanli (LI 10),
      Yinlingquan (SP 9), Xuehai (SP 10) , etc. with a cauterized needle, once every
      other day for 30 days; while those of the control group were treated by
      acupuncture stimulation of unilateral Jianyu (LI 15), Quchi (LI 11), Shousanli
      (LI 10), Huantiao (GB 30), Fengshi (GB 31), Yanglingquan (GB 34), etc. with
      filiform needles, once daily for 30 days. The muscular tension was evaluated
      using modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and, the limb motor function evaluated using
      Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale (FMA). RESULTS: After the treatment, the muscular
      tension of both upper and lower limbs in the red-hot needle and routine
      acupuncture groups was significantly reduced (P < 0.05), exhibiting an appearance
      of the stroke patients with MAS grade 0 (upper and lower limbs: 7 and 6 cases, 15
      and 12 cases in the control and red-hot needle groups). The FMA scores of both
      upper and lower limbs were remarkably increased in both control and red-hot
      needle groups after the treatment (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), suggesting an improvement
      of the patients' motor function. The improvement of the muscular tension and
      motor function of upper limbs in the red-hot needle group was superior to that in
      the routine acupuncture group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). No significant differences
      were found between the two groups in both MAS grades and FMA scores of lower
      limbs after the treatment (P > 0.05). Of the two 40 cases in the control and red
      hot needle groups, 5 and 13 were basically cured, 11 and 8 had marked
      improvement, 10 and 14 were improved, 14 and 5 ineffective, with the effective
      rates being 65.0% and 87.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Red-hot needle therapy is
      effective in reducing muscular tension and improving motor function of the limbs
      in hemiplegia patients.

PMID- 26502546
TI  - [Effects of Electroacupuncture Stimulation of Zhongwan (CV 12) on Skin
      Microcirculatory Blood Perfusion Levels along the Conception Vessel in Yin
      deficiency Constitution Volunteers].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation at
      Zhongwan (CV 12) on the skin microcirculatory blood flow along the Conception
      Vessel (CV) in yin-deficiency constitution volunteers. METHODS: A total of 16 yin
      deficiency constitution volunteers (9 woman and 6 men) from 200 students of
      Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine finished a body constitution
      questionnaire and showed a yin-deficiency constitution. Skin microcirculatory
      blood perfusion units (MBPU) at Danzhong (CV 17), Xiawan (CV 10) , and Qihai (CV
      6) of the CV were measured by using a Laser Doppler Flowmetry (Peri Flux 5000) in
      normal constitution, before and after EA stimulation of Zhongwan (CV 12) for 20
      min. RESULTS: Under normal condition, the cutaneous MBPU values were
      significantly lower in the Qihai (CV 6) than in both Danzhong (CV 17) and Xiawan
      (CV 10) (P < 0.01). After EA stimulation of CV 12 for 20 min, the MBPU values
      were significantly decreased in the CV 17 and CV 6 acupoint regions compared with
      pre-stimulation (P < 0.05). No significant changes of skin MBPU were found in
      Xiawan (CV 10) after EA stimulation of CV 12 (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: EA at
      Zhongwan (CV 12) can reduce the skin MBPU values of CV 6 and CV 17 of the
      Conception Vessel in yin-deficiency constitution volunteers.

PMID- 26502547
TI  - [Development of Researches on Mechanisms of Acupoint Combination for Some
      Disorders in Nerve-humoral-immunological Modulation].
AB  - Proper combination of acupoints is one of the core issues of acupuncturology, and
      is also one of the factors affecting clinical outcomes. In the present paper, the
      authors make a review on the development of researches on the underlying
      mechanisms of acupoint combination for some clinical disorders from nerve system,
      humoral factors and immunological regulation. The neural mechanism involves both
      the peripheral nervous system (mainly the segmental innervation) and central
      nervous system (spinal cord, brainstem, hypothalamus, cerebral cortex and
      cerebellum) , while the humoral factors chiefly contain neurotransmitters and
      hormones of the endocrine system. The immunological mechanisms involve
      immunocytes and cytokines. Generally speaking, following acupuncture stimulation
      of different combined-acupoints or acupoint groups, some synergistic effects may
      be produced. In fact, the relatively specific clinical effect may be easy to be
      obtained at the peripheral segmental innervations level.

PMID- 26502548
TI  - [A Meta-analysis on Acupuncture Treatment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
      Disorder].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in treating attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children. METHODS: A literature search was
      conducted to retrieve randomized cotrolled clinical trials of acupuncture in
      treating ADHD covering the period of the years of establishment of the databases
      to January 2014 from database of CBM, CNKI, PubMed, Cochrane Library by using key
      words "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder" "hyperactivity""minimal brain
      dysfunction" "acupuncture". Two independent researchers extracted data from
      located articles in a pre-defined structured way, and consulted the third
      researcher if necessary. RESULTS: Thirteen original trials including 1 304 cases
      of children with ADHD were obtained in this study according to our included
      criteria and excluded criteria. In these trials, acupuncture intervention alone,
      or acupuncture plus pharmacotherapy (methylphenidate, haloperidol) or acupuncture
      plus behavioral therapy were compared with simple pharmacotherapy or behavioral
      therapy alone. Results of Meta-analysis indicated that the total effective rate
      and Conners' index of hyperactivity (CIH) score-reduction rate in the acupuncture
      group were significantly superior to those of the other treatment groups [OR =
      2.22, 95% CI (1.65, 3.00), Z = 5.22, P < 0.00001] [SMD = -0.94, 95% CI (-1.41, 
      0.47), Z = 3.89, P < 0.0001]. Acupuncture treatment is more effective than
      haloperidol in reducing the score of Conners' Rating Scale for ADHD [SMD = -7.28,
      95% CI (-8.32, -6.23), Z = 13.62, P < 0.00001]. Acupuncture is similarly
      effective as Methylphenidate (Ritalin) in improving the Chinese medicine syndrome
      (liver-kidney yin hypoactivity) of children with ADHD [SMD = -1.14, 95% CI (
      2.53, 0.25), Z = 1.60, P = 0.11]. Less severe adverse effects were reported with
      acupuncture therapy than the pharmacotherapy (poor appetite, dry mouth, nausea
      and constipation). These effects were not likely due to publication bias
      (approximately symmetry funnel plot, Egger's test P > 0.1). CONCLUSION:
      Acupuncture is an effective and safe therapy in treating ADHD, combined
      administration of acupuncture and pharmacotherapy or behavioral therapy is more
      effective than the pharmacotherapy or behavioral therapy alone. However, more
      rigorously designed and high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm the above
      conclusion.

PMID- 26502549
TI  - [Principles and Methods for Formulating National Standards of "Regulations of
      Acupuncture-nee- dle Manipulating techniques"].
AB  - The national standard of "Regulations of Acupuncture-needle Manipulating
      Techniques" is one of the national Criteria of Acupuncturology for which a total
      of 22 items have been already established. In the process of formulation, a
      series of common and specific problems have been met. In the present paper, the
      authors expound these problems from 3 aspects, namely principles for formulation,
      methods for formulating criteria, and considerations about some problems. The
      formulating principles include selection and regulations of principles for
      technique classification and technique-related key factors. The main methods for
      formulating criteria are 1) taking the literature as the theoretical foundation,
      2) taking the clinical practice as the supporting evidence, and 3) taking the
      expounded suggestions or conclusions through peer review.

PMID- 26502550
TI  - [Methods for Accurately Locating "Feishu" (BL 13) in Rats].
AB  - "Feishu" (BL 13) is a commonly used acupoint in experimental study,'but its
      definite position has not been described in current books about acupoints. In
      the'present paper, the authors introduced three methods for determining the
      anatomical location of "Feishu" (BL 13) acupoint in rats. The Wistar rats (200 +/
      20) g were anesthetized with 10% chloral hydrate first, and then, fixed at the
      prone position. The highest point of the spinous process of the second thoracic
      vertebra was used as the marker for positioning the spinal vertebra. The point, 7
      mm lateral to the site below the spinous process of the 3rd thoracic vertebra is
      just the "Feishu" (BL 13). In order to determine the 3rd thoracic vertebra, three
      methods are recommended to be adopted: 1) finding the 5th thoracic vertebra
      process parallel to the inferior angle of the scapula first, then going upwards
      to find the 3rd thoracic vertebra , 2) finding the 1st thoracic vertebra along
      the 1st rib, then going downward to find the 3rd thoracic vertebra, and 3) taking
      the 6th lumbar vertebra (parallel to the hip-joint) as the bone-marker and going
      upward to find the 3rd thoracic vertebra. When "Feishu" (BL 13) punctured, a
      filiform needle was straight inserted into the skin, then downward to the
      subcutaneous tissue, muscular layer (including the trunk cutaneous muscle,
      trapezius muscle, broadest muscle of back, serratus muscle of back, atalanto
      longest muscle, longest muscle of neck, longest muscle of thorax, lumbar longest
      muscle, the medial part of the longest muscle, cervico-spinal muscle of back-,
      semispinal muscle of neck, biventer cervicis, and multifidus muscles) about 6 mm
      in depth.

PMID- 26502551
TI  - [Potential Mechanisms Underlying Acupuncture Regulation on Hypertensive
      Myocardial Hypertrophy and Cardiac Function Damage].
AB  - Long-lasting hypertension results in ventricular remodeling characteristic of
      myocardial hypertrophy including myocyte hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis, a
      pathological process failed to be blocked by the current biomedical means and
      could eventually lead to heart failure. It has been shown that acupuncture can
      excite the parasympathetic nerve to counter the overtonic activity of sympathetic
      nerve, elicit antihypertensive effect and produce cardioprotection via the
      regulation of calcium signaling-related proteins in myocytes, suggesting its
      potential role in the management of these disorders. In this paper, the authors
      review relevant studies and propose, with respect to the autonomic nerve,
      endocrine system, cytokines and intracellular calcium signaling pathways, several
      novel ideas concerning the treatment of hypertensive myocardial hypertrophy and
      cardiac malfunction by acupuncture.

PMID- 26502552
TI  - [Professor MA Ji-xing and Acupuncture Scientification at the Primary Stage of
      Establishment of the People's Republic of China].
AB  - In the initial stage (1950s) of the establishment of the People's Republic of
      China, the Pavlov's theory played an important influence on Chinese biology and
      medical science fields. At that time, many schools or colleges of traditional
      Chinese medicine were set up one after another, the first edition of teaching
      materials or textbook was complete, and a lot of advanced training courses and
      training classes were developed. In that specific period of "acupuncture
      scientification", Mr. MA Ji-xing, a professor from China Academy of Traditional
      Chinese Medicine, is a representative scholar who employed Pavlov's theory to
      make a scientific explanation about the underlying physiological mechanisms of
      acupuncture-moxibustion therapy. For example, he employed nerve network or nerve
      system to explain topical acupuncture stimulation and distal stimulation to
      induce local effect or distal curative effect, employed the cutaneous-visceral
      reflex to explain the therapeutic effect of acu-moxibustion for visceral
      disorders, used the viscera-cutaneous reflex to explain the tender point
      (sensitized region) or Ashi-point, used the "predominant factor mechanism" or
      excitation transfer of the stimulated non-sensitized cutaneous region close to
      the diseased locus to explain the pain-relief of acupuncture stimulation, used
      the stimulation strength, duration, frequency and distance (to the locus) to
      explain the needling reinforcing or reducing effect, and so on and so forth. He
      wrote many articles and books about acupuncturology, one of which was named
      Jianyao Zhenjiu Xue (Concise Acupuncturology), a well-known demonstration
      teaching material for advanced training courses, inducing a significant influence
      on the acu-moxibustion field in both academic field and clinical practice.
      Looking back this period of history may provide a helpful reference for current
      research on academic development of acupuncturology.

PMID- 26502553
TI  - Considering the Importance of Theories in Relation to Defined Populations.

PMID- 26502554
TI  - Testing a Theoretical Model of Immigration Transition and Physical Activity.
AB  - The purposes of the study were to develop a theoretical model to explain the
      relationships between immigration transition and midlife women's physical
      activity and test the relationships among the major variables of the model. A
      theoretical model, which was developed based on transitions theory and the
      midlife women's attitudes toward physical activity theory, consists of 4 major
      variables, including length of stay in the United States, country of birth, level
      of acculturation, and midlife women's physical activity. To test the theoretical
      model, a secondary analysis with data from 127 Hispanic women and 123 non
      Hispanic (NH) Asian women in a national Internet study was used. Among the major
      variables of the model, length of stay in the United States was negatively
      associated with physical activity in Hispanic women. Level of acculturation in NH
      Asian women was positively correlated with women's physical activity. Country of
      birth and level of acculturation were significant factors that influenced
      physical activity in both Hispanic and NH Asian women. The findings support the
      theoretical model that was developed to examine relationships between immigration
      transition and physical activity; it shows that immigration transition can play
      an essential role in influencing health behaviors of immigrant populations in the
      United States. The NH theoretical model can be widely used in nursing practice
      and research that focus on immigrant women and their health behaviors. Health
      care providers need to consider the influences of immigration transition to
      promote immigrant women's physical activity.

PMID- 26502555
TI  - Predictors of Breastfeeding Attitudes Among College-Educated African Americans.
AB  - Breastfeeding initiation among African American women has reached 60%; however,
      it is the lowest rate among all races. This racial disparity is a public health
      concern considering the impact of breastfeeding on infant morbidity and
      mortality. The purpose of this study was to explore breastfeeding exposure and
      determinants of breastfeeding attitudes among African Americans. The theory of
      planned behavior guided this study focusing on the impact of background factors
      on determinants of breastfeeding attitudes. This secondary analysis included 348
      African American college students with a mean age of 22 years with no children.
      The Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale and a demographic questionnaire were used
      to collect data. A significant association between knowing someone who breastfed
      her infant and being breastfed as an infant (p < .001) was observed. Although
      gender, education, and breastfeeding exposure explained 15% of the variance in
      breastfeeding attitudes, being breastfed as an infant had no significant (p =
      .611) contribution. Breastfeeding exposure to someone who has breastfed her
      infant is a modifiable factor that influenced positive breastfeeding attitudes.
      Therefore, it is essential to identify strategies in practice to increase
      breastfeeding exposure for vulnerable populations in efforts to improve
      breastfeeding attitudes, intentions, and initiation.

PMID- 26502556
TI  - Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to Explain Women's Role in Prostate
      Cancer Screening.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test the suitability of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) for
      explaining Italian women's role in prostatic cancer screening promotion.
      DESIGN/METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional, online self-report survey was
      conducted with a convenience sample of 235 Italian women. Variables included
      attitudes women's role, perceived behavioral control, subjective norm, behavioral
      intention, and prostate cancer screening promotion behavior. A survey composed of
      the Eastland Prostate Cancer Survey subscales that were consistent with the TPB
      was distributed via e-mail to potential participants. The survey was live for 12
      weeks (March 2013 to May 2013). Responses were collated with eSurv.org. Data were
      analyzed using latent path analysis and structural equation modeling. RESULTS:
      Behavioral intentions in promoting prostate cancer screening significantly
      predicted the likelihood of the Italian women to adopt self-reported prostate
      cancer screening promotion behaviors. In addition, the exclusive direct impact of
      the intentions explained 39% of the variance in self-reported behaviors.
      CONCLUSIONS: The TPB could represent a good framework to explain the role of
      Italian women in prevention behaviors related to the prostatic screening domain.
      Consistent with literature findings in social and nursing sciences, the intention
      to promote prostate cancer screening was a powerful "predictor" of the behavior
      itself.

PMID- 26502557
TI  - The Key Role of Nurse Researchers in the Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Models
      of Practice.
AB  - The Nurse Practitioner-Aged Care Models of Practice Program involved diverse
      models of practice comprising multiple stakeholders located in more than 30
      locations across Australia, in remote, rural, urban, and metropolitan settings.
      Funded by the Australian government, the aims of the program included supporting
      development of effective, economically viable, and sustainable aged care nurse
      practitioner models of practice; and enabling improvements in access to primary
      health care for people aged older than 65 years. This article describes the
      process by which a framework was developed to support the evaluation of this
      program. A particular challenge for the nurse researchers involved in the
      evaluation was to ensure the unique values of the nursing profession were upheld
      alongside economic, biomedical, and empirical imperatives in the diverse
      processes involved in collecting and interpreting data. The evaluation framework
      developed provides an important means of enabling research teams who undertake
      complex evaluations of diverse nursing models of practice to maintain a common
      goal--to unify the various stakeholders involved, while at the same time
      upholding what is most important to the profession of nursing. This article
      highlights how nurses can play an influential role when involved in the
      multidisciplinary evaluation of new andinnovative approaches to practice.

PMID- 26502558
TI  - Job Satisfaction of Nurses and Its Moderating Effects on the Relationship Between
      Organizational Commitment and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors.
AB  - Because nurses deliver care to patients on behalf of hospitals, hospitals should
      enhance the spontaneous organizational citizenship behaviors of front-line nurses
      to increase patient satisfaction and, hence, to increase the competitiveness of
      the hospital. However, a major gap in the literature is the lack of evidence
      based studies of the correlations among job satisfaction, organizational
      commitment, and organizational citizenship behaviors in nursing personnel.
      Therefore, this study performed a cross-sectional survey of nurses in 1 large
      hospital in Taiwan; out of 400 questionnaires distributed, 386 valid
      questionnaires were collected, which was a valid response rate of 96.50%. The
      survey results revealed that organizational commitment has a significant positive
      effect on organizational citizenship behaviors (gamma11 = 0.57, p < .01) and that
      job satisfaction has a significant positive moderating effect on the relationship
      between organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviors
      (Deltachi2 = 26.397, p < .01). Therefore, hospitals can improve the job
      satisfaction of their nursing staff by improving perceived working satisfaction,
      interpersonal satisfaction, and remunerative satisfaction, which would then
      improve organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviors.

PMID- 26502559
TI  - On the Shoulders of Giants.

PMID- 26502560
TI  - Characterization of "Hydrocarbon" Dry Cleaning in King County, Washington.
AB  - In King County, Washington, the most frequently used alternative solvent to
      perchloroethylene is a hydrotreated petroleum hydrocarbon. The objectives of the
      authors' study were to 1) determine the frequency of use of process chemicals
      used in "hydrocarbon" dry cleaning and gather other operational information; 2)
      chemically characterize the process chemicals; 3) characterize the still bottoms
      and separator water wastes according to dangerous waste and wastewater discharge
      regulations; 4) identify linkages between work practices, process chemicals, and
      the chemical composition of the waste streams; and 5) evaluate the aquatic
      toxicity of the hydrocarbon solvent and detergent. Many hydrocarbon dry cleaners
      are using process chemicals that contain hazardous substances, including
      trichloroethylene. One sample of separator water contained 13,000 ug/L
      trichloroethylene. This sample was determined to be federal hazardous waste,
      state-only dangerous waste (i.e., according to Washington state-specific
      regulations), and failed wastewater discharge thresholds. All still bottoms were
      determined to be state-only dangerous wastes. Efforts should be directed towards
      replacing hazardous spot cleaning chemicals with safer alternatives and ensuring
      that wastes are disposed of appropriately.

PMID- 26502561
TI  - Methyl Iodide Fumigation of Bacillus anthracis Spores.
AB  - Fumigation techniques such as chlorine dioxide, vaporous hydrogen peroxide, and
      paraformaldehyde previously used to decontaminate items, rooms, and buildings
      following contamination with Bacillus anthracis spores are often incompatible
      with materials (e.g., porous surfaces, organics, and metals), causing damage or
      residue. Alternative fumigation with methyl bromide is subject to U.S. and
      international restrictions due to its ozone-depleting properties. Methyl iodide,
      however, does not pose a risk to the ozone layer and has previously been
      demonstrated as a fumigant for fungi, insects, and nematodes. Until now, methyl
      iodide has not been evaluated against Bacillus anthracis. Sterne strain Bacillus
      anthracis spores were subjected to methyl iodide fumigation at room temperature
      and at 550C. Efficacy was measured on a log-scale with a 6-log reduction in CFUs
      being considered successful compared to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
      biocide standard. Such efficacies were obtained after just one hour at 55 
      degrees C and after 12 hours at room temperature. No detrimental effects were
      observed on glassware, PTFE O-rings, or stainless steel. This is the first
      reported efficacy of methyl iodide in the reduction of Bacillus anthracis spore
      contamination at ambient and elevated temperatures.

PMID- 26502562
TI  - Characteristics of Noncompliant Food Handling Establishments and Factors That
      Inhibit Compliance in a Regional Health Authority, Jamaica.
AB  - The Jamaican food safety regulatory framework is embodied in the Public Health
      Act of 1974 with public health inspectors/ environmental health officers
      (PHIs/EHOs) empowered with its enforcement. The North East Regional Health
      Authority (NERHA) has consistently faced challenges in achieving national
      certification targets for food-handling establishments (FHEs). The aim of the
      authors' study was to identify and describe noncompliant FHEs and to identify
      factors influencing their noncompliance. FHEs (N = 248) were randomly selected
      and each owner/operator targeted for interview. Substantially more FHEs were
      compliant and respondents from compliant FHEs were more likely to have a valid
      food handlers' permit. Urban FHEs were less likely to be compliant than rural.
      The major barriers to compliance were forgetting to apply for a license and lack
      of money to correct infractions. NERHA should encourage FHE owners/operators to
      assume greater responsibility for the certification of their premises and to hold
      PHIs more accountable.

PMID- 26502563
TI  - The 2014 Dallas, Texas, Ebola Incident: Global Implications to All-Hazards
      Preparedness and Health Care Worker Protection.

PMID- 26502564
TI  - Embracing a Unified Brand Builds Capacity for Health Departments.

PMID- 26502565
TI  - The Need for Environmental Public Health Professionals and the Role of EHAC
      Accredited Programs in Increasing the Pool.

PMID- 26502566
TI  - The Navajo Birth Cohort Study.

PMID- 26502567
TI  - Letter Grading and Transparency Promote Restaurant Food Safety in New York City.

PMID- 26502568
TI  - HUD's Healthy Homes Program: Progress and Future Directions.

PMID- 26502569
TI  - Industry-Foodborne Illness Investigation Training and Recall Response (I-FIIT
      RR): A Three-Year Project of Collaboration.

PMID- 26502570
TI  - Go Big or Go Home.

PMID- 26502571
TI  - [Effect of alcohol on vascular function].
AB  - Vascular function is regulated by a balance of vasoconstriction and
      vasorelaxation. Disorder in this balance due to alcohol consumption causes
      various clinical conditions. In this review, we discuss the effects of acute and
      chronic ethanol consumption on vascular responses, including vasoconstriction,
      endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation, and nerve-mediated vasorelaxation. Acute
      ethanol administration induces vasoconstriction in ethanol-naive animals in
      vitro. Furthermore, ethanol can both potentiate and suppress agonist-induced
      Ca(2+)-dependent vasoconstriction. Moreover, ethanol augments Ca(2+)-independent
      vasoconstriction by increasing Ca2+ sensitivity. Endothelium-dependent relaxation
      is mediated by the nitric oxide (NO) pathway and the endothelium-derived
      hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) pathway. Acute ethanol treatment inhibits both NO-
      and EDHF-mediated relaxation. Furthermore, acute ethanol ingestion can also
      potentiate and suppress calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-induced nerve
      mediated relaxation. These opposing effects may be due to differences in species
      or vascular beds. Thus, acute ethanol treatment decreases vasorelaxation, thereby
      shifting the contraction-relaxation balance towards contraction. Combined, these
      effects are one mechanism by which acute heavy alcohol consumption causes
      circulatory disturbances such as vasospasms or ischemic heart disease. In
      contrast, chronic low-dose ethanol has no effect on vasoconstriction, whereas
      chronic high-dose ethanol increases vasoconstriction. Additionally, chronic
      ethanol intake has diminished, unchanged, and even increased effects on nerve
      mediated relaxation; therefore, conclusions on these effects are not possible at
      present. Interestingly, chronic low-dose ethanol administration enhanced
      endothelium-dependent relaxation; however, higher doses inhibited these
      responses. Therefore, regular or light-to-moderate alcohol intake increases
      vasorelaxation and may suppress elevated blood pressure, whereas chronic heavy
      alcohol consumption may raise blood pressure, causing various clinical
      conditions.

PMID- 26502572
TI  - [Behavioral characteristics of nicotine seeking: a role of the nicotine
      conditioned effects and other mechanisms].
AB  - Nicotine dependence and its neural mechanisms have been well documented by
      pharmacological, behavioral and neuroscience studies. In this review, we
      introduce recent new findings in this theme, particularly on the role of nicotine
      -associated stimuli as non-pharmacological factors affecting
      maintaining/reinstating nicotine seeking. By using the techniques of drug self
      administration and conditioned place preference, nicotine's specific property of
      forming seeking/taking behavior is well characterized, and the mechanisms of
      seeking/taking could be partly explained by discrete and/or contextual
      conditioned stimuli (dCS and cCS). After having the repeated Pavlovian
      conditioning in the training/conditioning sessions, CSs begin to play a key role
      for eliciting nicotine seeking behavior, with the activation of mesolimbic
      dopaminergic systems. In our study, intracranial self- stimulation (ICSS) was
      used to assess the mesolimbic dopamine activity. The nicotine-associated cCS also
      activated this neural system, which resulted in decreasing the ICSS threshold
      approximately 20% in the testing session under the cCS presentation. This finding
      would support the evidence of CS-induced incentive motivation for nicotine.
      According to the incentive salience hypothesis, the mesolimbic dopamine reflects
      the motivation elicited by incentives (CSs), and induces the drug seeking
      behavior, which is activated through amygdala--nucleus accumbens--medial
      prefrontal cortex circuit. Additionally, human brain imaging studies have
      revealed that tobacco- associated stimuli activate not only these regions, but
      also right temporo-parietal junction of human cortex, which is relevant to the
      visual attention. In summary, the above evidence shows that nicotine-conditioned
      stimuli might have powerful incentive salience and regulate nicotine
      seeking/taking behavior in animals and humans, though stress and nicotine
      withdrawal could also enhance nicotine taking in the same way as other dependence
      -producing mechanisms.

PMID- 26502573
TI  - The Influence of Drinking Based on Data from Health Check-up.
AB  - A survey of 21,493 patients who visited our Health Check-up Center during the 6
      year period from 2005 to 2010 was conducted for the endpoints of drinking
      situation and various lifestyle-related diseases. Males accounted for 57.2% (mean
      age: 53.2 +/- 11.4) and females accounted for 42.8% (mean age: 52.5 +/- 11.4) of
      patients surveyed. Patients with no drinking habit accounted for 24.8% and 62.9%
      of males and females, respectively, and a large gender difference was seen in
      drinking frequency. When examined by age group, drinking frequency was found to
      increase with age in males, but gradually decreased with age in females. An
      examination of alcohol consumption in males revealed that 23.5% had an ethanol
      conversion rate of 10 g/day, 19.1% had a rate of < 20 g/day, and 18.2% had a rate
      of < 40 g/day. Meanwhile, in females, 22.7% had a rate of <= 10 g/day, 7.6% had a
      rate of <= 20 g/day and 4.6% had a rate of <= 40 g/day. The association between
      lifestyle-related disease endpoints and alcohol consumption was next examined by
      multivariate logistic analysis. The association between drinking and body mass
      index (BMI) revealed an odds ratio of around 0.8 in patients who consumed <= 40
      g/day and a significantly reduced frequency of obesity. The odds ratio of
      hypertension increased in a dose-dependent manner from 1.3 to 1.6 in patients who
      consumed >= 40 g/day. The frequency of high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
      (LDL-C) was reduced in light drinkers and the odds ratio decreased from 0.77 to
      about 0.6 as alcohol consumption increased: The frequency of low high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was similarly reduced in light drinkers, and the
      odds ratio decreased remarkably in a dose-dependent manner from 0.73 to 0.22 as
      alcohol consumption increased. The risk of triglycerides was reduced in light
      drinkers and was conversely significantly enhanced in heavy drinkers. In patients
      who consumed >= 20 g/day, the risk of impaired glucose tolerance increased
      significantly in a dose-dependent manner. Increased risk of hyperuricemia was
      seen even in light drinkers. and the odds ratio increased from 1.2 to 1.8 as
      alcohol consumption increased. The results of this cross-sectional study
      suggested that light drinking has a positive effect on BMI, LDL-C, HDL-C and
      triglycerides. On the other hand, heavy drinking was found to have a positive
      effect on LDL-C and HDL-C, but a negative effect on systolic blood pressure,
      triglycerides, fasting blood glucose and uric acid.

PMID- 26502574
TI  - The Inhibitory Effect of Ethanol on Interleukin-1 beta-Induced Suppression of
      Contractile Response in the Rat Superior Mesenteric Artery.
AB  - Interleukin (IL)-1 beta is a cytokine that is upregulated by the pro-inflammatory
      bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide. This study examined the effect of ethanol
      on IL-1 beta-mediated suppression of phenylephrine-induced contractility and
      inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in the rat superior mesenteric
      artery (SMA). IL-1 beta suppressed the phenylephrine-induced contractile
      response, and this effect was inhibited by ethanol. The IL-1 beta-mediated
      effects were also blocked by cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, as
      well as AMT and 1400W, which are iNOS inhibitors, and PTIO, an NO scavenger.
      However, indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor that promotes NO
      independent vasodilation, did not affect IL-1 beta-mediated suppression of the
      contractile response. Western blot analysis revealed that iNOS levels in SMA were
      upregulated by IL-1 beta and inhibited by ethanol (50 and 100 mM). These results
      indicate that the suppression of the SMA contractile response by IL-1 beta
      requires iNOS activity, but not COX-2. Furthermore, these data suggest that
      ethanol inhibits the effects of IL-1 beta on the contractile response via
      inhibition of iNOS, rather than COX-2.

PMID- 26502575
TI  - [Alcohol withdrawal syndrome showing various progress: A case report].
AB  - We experienced a case showing various psychotic symptoms following cessation of
      alcohol consumption. The symptoms included depressive state, delusion, confusion,
      psychomotor excitement and delirium, all of which disappeared in about two
      months. At first, we regarded all the symptoms as alcoholic hallucinosis, by a
      clinical standpoint, in spite of no auditory hallucination in this case. However,
      taking the overall clinical course into consideration, withdrawal syndrome could
      have been affected by some factors. One of the possibilities is that delusion
      might have been induced by aripiprazole. There still may be some other unknown
      influential factors on withdrawal, which are indicated by previous papers.

PMID- 26502576
TI  - [What about all those non-inferiority trials to demonstrate the cardiovascular
      safety of new antidiabetic drugs?].

PMID- 26502577
TI  - [2015 updated position statement of the management of hyperglycaemia in type 2
      diabetes].
AB  - The strategy for the management ot type 2 diabetes, summarized by a group of
      European and American experts, has been updated early 2015. A patient-centered
      approach is recommended and the first drug choice is metformin combined with
      lifestyle improvement. After failure of metformin monotherapy, the selection of a
      second drug should be based on the efficacy, safety and cost of each
      pharmacological class. When compared to the position statement of 2012, the most
      important changes are the possible addition of a gliptin to a dual oral therapy
      or even to insulin, the commercialization of sodium-glucose cotransporters type 2
      (SGLT2) inhibitors (gliflozins, to be used in dual or triple therapy, even in
      combination with insulin) and the possible combination of a glucagon-like peptide
      I receptor agonist together with a basal insulin.

PMID- 26502578
TI  - [Gliptins, cardiovascular safety and congestive heart failure: state of the art
      after TECOS].
AB  - The cardiovascular safety of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (gliptins) has
      been well studied. Favourable effects of these oral antidiabetic agents have been
      reported in meta-analyses of phase II-III randomised controlled trials. Three
      large prospective trials, which were specifically designed to investigate
      cardiovascular safety, showed non-inferiority of saxagliptin (SAVOR-TIMI 53),
      alogliptin (EXA-MINE) and sitagliptin (TECOS) versus placebo as far as major
      cardiovascular events are concerned, including mortality. The suspected increase
      in the rate of hospitalisation due to congestive heart failure reported in SAVOR
      TIMI 53 was neither found in EXAMINE nor recently confirmed in TECOS. Direct
      comparative trials, evaluating not only safety but also efficacy, with other oral
      antidiabetic medications would be of major interest.

PMID- 26502579
TI  - [Diabetic kidney disease: current management and potential future options].
AB  - The diabetic kidney disease is the most frequent cause of end stage renal disease
      in Western countries. Its detection is obtained by simultaneously measuring
      urinary albumin excretion and estimating glomerular filtration rate through serum
      creatinine dosage. Many type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients can present decreased
      glomerular filtration rate before the occurrence of increased urinary albumin.
      While waiting for promising new pharmacological approaches currently evaluated in
      clinical trials, the best approach to stop the epidemic of diabetic nephropathy
      remains an early and individual multifactorial approach controlling the glucose
      level (without inducing hypoglycaemia), blood pressure (using a renin-angiotensin
      blocker), dyslipidaemia and over-weight.

PMID- 26502580
TI  - [Evolution in the therapeutic strategy of localized resectable pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma].
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is characterized by a high rate of early
      metastatic relapse. Surgical resection is still recognized as the cornerstone
      upfront therapy. However, reported 5 years survival rates are inferior to 20-25%
      even when surgery is followed by chemotherapy. Margins involvement on the
      surgical specimen (50 to 85%) and lymph node involvement (around 70%) both
      strongly impact survival. Median survivals are close to those of locally advanced
      diseases treated by chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy, 15 to 16 months. This
      review focuses on adverse prognostic factors, post-operative outcomes and their
      impact on multimodality therapy completion rates and survivals in patients
      undergoing upfront surgery. Current data and emerging results from neoadjuvant
      series could lead to a change in the therapeutic strategy.

PMID- 26502581
TI  - [Current management of marginal zone lymphomas].
AB  - Marginal zone lymphomas (MZL) encompass three sub-types: MALT (Mucosae Associated
      Lymphoid Tissue) MZL, nodal MZL and splenic MZL. Immunophenotyping is essential
      for accurate diagnosis. Helicobacter Pylori is frequently associated with gastric
      localizations and its eradication can be sufficient for cure. Treatment of nodal
      MZL is similar to that of follicular lymphoma. Eradication of hepatitis C virus,
      frequently associated with splenic MZL development, can be sufficient. Without
      HCV infection, splenectomy constitutes first line therapy. As other indolent
      lymphomas, disseminated MZL are incurable and treatment should be started only in
      symptomatic patients.

PMID- 26502582
TI  - [The diagnostic scores for deep venous thrombosis].
AB  - Seven diagnostic scores for the deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of lower limbs are
      analyzed and compared. Two features make this exer- cise difficult: the problem
      of distal DVT and of their proximal extension and the status of patients, whether
      out- or in-patients. The most popular score is the Wells score (1997), modi- fied
      in 2003. It includes one subjective ele- ment based on clinical judgment. The
      Primary Care score 12005), less known, has similar pro- perties, but uses only
      objective data. The pre- sent trend is to associate clinical scores with the
      dosage of D-Dimers to rule out with a good sensitivity the probability of TVP.
      For the upper limb DVT, the Constans score (2008) is available, which can also be
      coupled with D-Dimers testing (Kleinjan).

PMID- 26502583
TI  - [Male/female medical students conduct research in the community].

PMID- 26502584
TI  - [Sudden death: are we ready to use defibrillators?].

PMID- 26502585
TI  - [Paraplegic on wheelchair in Lausanne: how to make sure that everything goes
      well?].

PMID- 26502586
TI  - [Living with intersexuals: a multidisciplinary approach].

PMID- 26502588
TI  - [The first vaccines against dengue and malaria are advertised on the market].

PMID- 26502587
TI  - [My breasts, my choice - Prophylactic mastectomy].

PMID- 26502589
TI  - [Mus musculus sapiens].

PMID- 26502590
TI  - [August 2015: miscellanea on malaria, alcoholism and road accidents].

PMID- 26502591
TI  - [Infarction with ST segment elevation: room air versus oxygen?].

PMID- 26502592
TI  - [Is the French hospital medicine solvable in foreign money?].

PMID- 26502593
TI  - [The FOPH is launching a website comparing the activity of hospitals].

PMID- 26502594
TI  - [More than two million chronically ill in Switzerland].

PMID- 26502595
TI  - [Will technology make doctors nurses?].

PMID- 26502596
TI  - SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE DENTAL PROFESSION.

PMID- 26502597
TI  - Keratocystic Odontogenic Tumour of the Mandible: a case report of decompression
      with a customised removable tube and review of literature.
AB  - Keratocystic odontogenic tumour (KOT or KCOT) is defined by the WHO to be 'a
      benign uni- or multicystic, intraosseous tumour of odontogenic origin'. In 2005,
      the World Health Organization renamed the lesion; previously known as an
      odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) as the KCOT. WHO recommends the term KCOT as it
      reflects its neoplastic nature. In this case report, a 21-year-old female with a
      histologically proven large parakeratinised KCOT of the right mandible underwent
      treatment that involved a 14-month period of decompression, followed by
      enucleation (with Carnoys application) of the residual cyst. During the period of
      decompression, a custom made removable mandibular chrome-cobalt appliance was
      used to hold the decompression tube in the oral cavity.

PMID- 26502598
TI  - Stress and coping in fourth-year medical and dental students.
AB  - Medicine and dentistry are stressful professions. Dental and medical students
      suffer high levels of stress and may experience adverse psychological symptoms
      and use dysfunctional coping mechanisms. AIM: To investigate levels and sources
      of stress, anger, anxiety and sadness, and associated coping mechanisms, in
      fourth-year dental and medical students. METHODS: A link to an online
      questionnaire was emailed to all fourth-year dental and medical students at the
      University of Otago, in Dunedin (New Zealand). RESULTS: The response rate was
      60.2% (N = 100). The majority of students (58.6%) reported frequently feeling
      stressed. More dental than medical students reported always feeling stressed, but
      a greater proportion of medical students reported not coping well with stress,
      suffering abnormal anxiety, anger and sadness, and having these feelings for
      prolonged periods. Destructive coping mechanisms were more common among dental
      students, while positive coping mechanisms were also used by both groups. Few
      students (13.5%) reported using professional counselling services during their
      undergraduate years. CONCLUSIONS: Mental stability is indispensable for the
      compassionate, professional and competent delivery of care by health
      professionals. The high prevalence of detrimental emotions and adverse mental
      states reported by students before they enter the health workforce is alarming
      and needs to be addressed.

PMID- 26502599
TI  - Interprofessional Education, Dentistry, and the New Zealand experience: a
      commentary.

PMID- 26502600
TI  - Brown tumour of the mandible in primary hyperparathyroidism; a case report.
AB  - We present an uncommon diagnosis in a 34-year-old female with a non-healing
      extraction socket. Incisional biopsy revealed multi-nucleated giant cells
      suggestive of central giant cell granuloma (CGCG). The computed tomography (CT)
      report made incidental note of a parathyroid mass. The parathyroid hormone (PTH)
      level was checked and found to be abnormally high. A diagnosis of brown tumour of
      the mandible was made. The patient was referred to a head and neck surgeon and
      the parathyroid mass was removed. The mandibular lesion was managed
      conservatively and continues to regress post-normalisation of PTH levels. The
      inclusion of the parathyroid region on the CT scan in this case was fortuitous.
      There are a range of pathologies containing multinucleated giant cells that can
      arise from the maxillofacial region; PTH level should, nevertheless, be checked
      in all such jaw lesions. This allows the clinician to exclude brown tumour from
      the diagnostic sieve.

PMID- 26502601
TI  - The role of a bus network in access to primary health care in Metropolitan
      Auckland, New Zealand.
AB  - Background: This study examined the spatial accessibility of the population of
      metropolitan Auckland, New Zealand to the bus network, to connect them to primary
      health providers, in this case doctors (GP) and dentists. Analysis of
      accessibility by ethnic identity and socio-economic status were also carried out,
      because of existing health inequalities along these dimensions. The underlying
      hypothesis was that most people would live within easy reach of primary health
      providers, or easy bus transport to such providers. METHODS: An integrated
      geographic model of bus transport routes and stops, with population and primary
      health providers (medical. and dental practices) was developed and analysed.
      RESULTS: Although the network of buses in metropolitan Auckland is substantial
      and robust it was evident that many people live more than 150 metres from a stop.
      CONCLUSION: Improving the access to bus stops, particularly in areas of high
      primary health care need (doctors and dentists), would certainly be an
      opportunity to enhance spatial access in a growing metropolitan area.

PMID- 26502604
TI  - [Kallikrein-Kinin System. Long History and Present. (To 90th Anniversary of
      Discovery of the System)].
AB  - The kallikrein-kinin system (KKS) is the key proteolytic system participating in
      control of a wide spectrum of physiological functions and the development of many
      pathological conditions. This explains great interest in structures, functions
      and molecular biology of separate components of the system, molecular mechanisms
      of their interaction and relationship with other regulatory systems. The
      information in this field for the last two decades clarifies the role of KKS in
      morphogenesis of cells, regulation of smooth muscular contractility of some
      organs, decrease of blood pressure, increase of vascular permeability, the
      development of inflammation, transformation of cells and the other functions of
      both physiological and pathological processes. Essential progress in
      understanding of functions KKS was made by the discovery and study of bradykinin
      receptors, cloning of kininogen and kallikrein encoding genes, revealing of
      domain structure of kininogen, prekallikrein and some kininases and decoding of
      mechanisms of contact phase of proteolytic system activation in blood plasma.

PMID- 26502603
TI  - [Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Redox Sensors].
AB  - Redox processes play a key role in cells of all.organisms. These processes imply
      directed flows of electrons via so-called redox pairs: substances that exist in
      both reduced and oxidized states simultaneously within the cell. Examples of
      redox pairs are NAD+/NADH, NADP+/NADPH, GSSG/2GSH. Until recently, studies of
      redox processes in the living cells were challenged by the lack of suitable
      methods. Genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors provide a new way to study
      biological processes including redox ones. Biosensors allow real-time detection
      of messengers, metabolites and enzymatic activities in living systems of
      different complexity from cultured cells to transgenic animals. In this review,
      we describe the main types of known redox biosensors with examples of their use.

PMID- 26502605
TI  - [Influence of Different Type of Surfactant on Bacteriolytic Activity of
      Lysozyme].
AB  - The influence ofvarious surfactants (anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS,
      cationic dodecyltrimethylarnmonium bromide, DTAB, and zwitterionic
      cocoamidopropylbetaine, CAPB) on the activity of the chicken egg lysozyme is
      investigated. Lysis of Gram-positive bacteria by the enzyme was carried out at pH
      7.2 and ionic strength of 0.15 M. It was found that at low SDS and DTAB
      concentrations (less than 1 x 10(-5) M) the bacteriolytic activity increases by
      30-140%. At higher concentrations (1 x 10(-5) - 1 x 10(4) M) the activity returns
      to the level observed in the absence of the surfactants. The elevated activity
      correlated with the formation of hydrophobic lysozyme-surfactant complexes.
      Introduction of CAPB at concentrations above 1 x 10(-5) M sig, nificantly
      diminished the bacteriolytic activity due to CAPB induced aggregation of
      lysozyme.

PMID- 26502606
TI  - [Infrared Fluorescent Protein iRFP as an Acceptor for Forster Resonance Energy
      Transfer].
AB  - Bacteriophytochrome-based infrared fluorescent protein iRFP was tested as an
      acceptor for F6rster resonance energy transfer (FRET). Far-red GFP-like
      fluorescent proteins mKate2, eqFP650, and eqFP670 were used as donors; Bacterial
      expression vectors encoding donor and acceptor proteins fused by a 17-amino acid
      linker were.constructed. FRET for purified proteins in vitro was, estimated from
      increase of the donor emission after digestion of the linker. Among the three
      constructs tested, the most efficient FRET (approximately 30%) was detected for
      the eqFP650-iRFP pair.

PMID- 26502607
TI  - [Modulating Effect of Extracellular HSP70 on Generation of Reactive Oxigen
      Species in Populations of Phagocytes].
AB  - Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by phagocytic cells of the innate immune
      system play an important role in the first line of defense protecting the host
      from pathogens. The NADPH oxidase multi-subunit complex is the main source of ROS
      in all types of the phagocytes. Formation of the membrane-associated enzyme
      complex and its activity are dependent on many different factors controlling both
      intensification and suppression of the ROS production rate. However, the
      evidences are emerging in recent years indicating existence of poorly studied
      mechanisms of restriction of ROS generation level in phagocytes directed at
      protection of host tissues in the sites of inflammation from destruction caused
      by the oxygen free radicals. Our previous data and results of other authors
      demonstrate that a mechanism of the limitation of ROS production by phagocytes
      may by connected with immunomodulating activity of extracellular pool. of HSP70.
      In the present work, we used inhibitors of NADPH oxidase and in vitro cultures of
      different phagocytes to study a possible relationship between down-regulating
      effect of exogenous HSP70 on ROS generation and the interaction of the protein
      with the enzyme subunits. Our results confirmed the literature data concerning
      the ability of extracellular HSP70 to modulate NADPH oxidase activity and
      demonstrated for the first time an inhibitory effect of the protein on
      intracellular ROS generation in phagocytes.

PMID- 26502608
TI  - [Neutralizing Monoclonal and Chimeric Antibodies to Human IFN-gamma].
AB  - Autoiminune disorders are chronic diseases characterized by abnormal immune
      response directed against self-antigens that leads to tissue damage and violation
      of its normal functioning. Such diseases often result in disability or even death
      of patients. Nowadays a number of monoclonal antibodies to pro-inflammatory
      cytokines and their receptors are successfully used for the targeted treatment of
      autoimmune diseases. One of the perspective targets in autoimmune disease therapy
      is interferon gamma, a key cytokine in Th1 cells differentiation, activation of
      macrophages, and inflammation. In the present work, 5 monoclonal antibodies to
      human IFN-gamma were obtained. For the development of potential therapeutic
      agent, we have performed neutralizing activity and affinity analysis of the
      antibodies. Based on the data obtained, the monoclonal antibody F1 was selected.
      This antibody has a dissociation constant 1.7 x 10(-9) M and IC90 = 8.9 +/- 2.0
      nM measured upon antibody inhibition of the IFN-gamma-induced HLA-DR expression
      on the surface of U937 cells. We have constructed a bicistronic vector for the
      production of recombinant chimeric Fab fragment F1 chim in E. coli cells. The
      recombinant chimeric Fab fragment Fl chim neutralizes IFN-gamma activity in vitro
      and has a dissociation constant 1.8 x 10(-9) M.

PMID- 26502609
TI  - [The Increase of Oligonucleotides--Gold Nanoparticles Conjugates Stability].
AB  - For today the reagents based on oligonucleotides--gold nanoparticles conjugates
      and used for specific nucleic acids detection are actively being developed. Such
      molecular structures are stabilized through the bonds between thiol group in
      oligonucleotides and gold atoms in nanoparticle. The durability of
      oligonucleotides--gold nanoparticles binding affects directly on the stability of
      conjugates and on the possibility of further manipulations. In this paper, a
      method for the strengthening of oligonucleotides attachment on the gold nano
      particles surface by means of anchor groups with dithiolane residues is proposed.
      A comparative study of the anchors molecular structure influence on the
      conjugates stability at conditions that typical for oligonucleotide probes was
      carried out.

PMID- 26502610
TI  - [Search of (-)-Cytisine Derivatives as Potential Inhibitors of NF-kappaB and
      STAT1].
AB  - Design and synthesis ofnew derivatives of (-)-cytisine with a wide spectrum of
      pharmacological activity, represents the potential therapeutic interest for
      development of drug candidates for neurodegenerative disorders, inflammatory
      diseases, and treatment of nicotine addiction. We used HEK293 cell line
      transiently transfected with N F-kappaB and STATI luciferase reporter constructs
      to screen the (-)-cytisine derivatives for their potency to modulate basal and
      induced NF-kappaB and STAT1 activity. Currently, NF-kappaB, STAT1 and components
      of their signaling pathways are considered as attractive targets for
      pharmacological intervention, primarily in chronic inflammation, cancer,
      autoimmune, neurodegenerative and infectious diseases. The library of compounds
      included the derivatives of (-)-cytisine with amino-, amide-, thio- and
      carboxamide groups at 3, 5 and 12 position of the starting molecule, as well as
      some bimolecular derivatives. Our experimental data revealed compounds with
      moderate activating as well as inhibitory effects for basal NF-kappaB and STATI
      activity (IC50 or EC50 values are mainly in the micromolar range). The structure
      activity relationship analysis demonstrated that the character of activity
      (activation or inhibition of NFkappa-B and STAT1) is determined by the topology
      of the substituents at the (-)-cytisine molecule, whereas the nature of the
      substituents mainly contributes to severity of the effect (introduction of
      aromatic and adamantyl substituents, as well as thionyl or keto groups are of the
      principal importance). When evaluating the effect of (-)-cytisine derivatives on
      activity of NF-kappaB and STATI, induced by specific agents (TNFalpha and
      IFNgamma, respectively) we observed that some compounds inhibited basal and
      stimulated activity of NF-kappaB and STAT1, another compounds showed the dual
      effect (an increase of basal- and a decrease of stimulated NF-kappaB activity)
      and several compounds increase both basal and induced activity of NF-kappaB and
      STAT1. Thus, obtained results suggest that one of the possible mechanisms of
      biological action of (-)-cytisine derivatives is their ability to influence the
      components of NF-kappaB and STAT1-dependent signaling pathways.

PMID- 26502611
TI  - [Synthesis and Anticancer Activity of Betulonic Acid Imidazolides].
AB  - Synthesis of lupane C28-imidazolides, contained 3-oxo-, 3-oximino- and 2-cyano
      2,3-seco-4(23)-en-frag ments in cycle A was carried out. The most antitumor
      activity at. in vitro testing showed 3-oximino-lup- 20(29)-en-28-yl-1H-imidazole
      1-carboxylate; which inhibited the growth or induced apoptosis of non-small lung
      cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, CNS cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer,
      leucosis, melanoma cells. In experiments in mice its moderate antitumor activity
      against grafted breast adenocarcinoma Ca 755 and adenocarcinima of colon was
      observed.

PMID- 26502613
TI  - SYNTHESIS AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF NOVEL COUMARIN DERIVATIVES AS ANTIOXIDANT
      AGENTS.
AB  - Coumarins have been isolated from plants and reported for antioxidant properties.
      In the present study, we report synthesis of new coumarin derivatives as
      prospective therapeutic agents and investigate their antioxidant properties.

PMID- 26502612
TI  - ONE-POT THREE-COMPONENT MICROWAVE-ASSISTED SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL THIAZOLIDINONE
      DERIVATIVES CONTAINING THIENO[d]PYRIMIDINE-4-ONE MOIETY AS POTENTIAL
      ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS.
AB  - New 2-methyl-5-(4-oxo-2-(substituted phenyl)thiazolidin-3-yl)thieno[3,4-d]
      pyrimidin-4-one, 5-(2,7-diphenyl-5-thioxo-5,6,7,7a-tetrahydrothiazolo[4,5
      d]pyrimidin-3(2H)-yl)-2-methylthieno[3,4-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one, and 2-methyl-5-(5
      phenyl-thiazolo[5,4-d]soxazol-6(5H)-yl)thieno[3,4-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one have been
      prepared under microwave-assisted and conventional conditions. The new compounds
      were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activity against two gram-positive
      bacteria (Bacillus subtilis NCI M-2063 and Staphylococcus aureus NCIM-2901), one
      gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli NCIM-2256), and.three fungal strains
      (Candida albicans NCIM-3471, Aspergillusfiavus NCIM-539, and Aspergillus niger
      NCIM-1196) and showed promising biological activity.

PMID- 26502614
TI  - [Protective Effects of Myelopeptides in Neuroblastoma C-1300 Cell Culture].
AB  - The effects of bone marrow regulatory peptides--myelopeptides 1-6--in mouse
      neuroblastoma C-1300 were studied. Cultivation in presence of myelopeptides
      stimulated morphological differentiation of neuroblasts. Neuroprotective
      abilities of myelopeptides were shown on the models of morphine toxity and oxygen
      glucose deprivation in neuroblastoma cell culture.

PMID- 26502616
TI  - [Hepatitis C: 25 years of progress with still major challenges].

PMID- 26502615
TI  - [Novel Water-Soluble Substrate for Silicateins].
AB  - We suggested to use tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl)orthosilicate (THEOS) as a substrate
      for silicateins--an enzyme family playing a key role in formation of skeleton in
      marine sponges. We compared THEOS with tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS)--a commonly
      used substrate for silicateins. These substrates were tested in reaction of
      amorphous silica formation in vitro catalyzed by silicatein Al from sponge
      Latrunculia oparinae. It was found that reaction with THEOS occurs more
      efficiently than with TEOS, probably due to high water solubility and higher
      hydrolysis rate of THEOS.

PMID- 26502617
TI  - [Whipple's disease, when to think about it?].
AB  - Whipple's disease is a chronic, systemic, bacterial infection caused by
      Tropheryma whipplei. Its cardinal symptoms include intermittent and recurrent
      arthralgia or arthritis together with chronic diarrhoea, abdominal pain and
      weight loss. It may mimick many chronic inflammatory diseases, and the diagnosis
      remains a challenge. Salivary and faecal quantitative PCR for T. whipplei should
      be ensued, if positive, by an upper endoscopy for duodenal biopsies. The
      treatment consists of a combination of oral doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine
      for 12 months followed by life-long doxycycline. Whipple's disease, although
      rare, is an entity that should be considered regularly, as its progression may be
      fatal if left untreated.

PMID- 26502618
TI  - [Achalasia: which treatment to choose in 2015?].
AB  - Achalasia is a rare disorder, whose diagnostic Gold standard is high-resolution
      cesophageal manometry. The proposed treatment must take into account the
      patient's health condition and the type of achalasia determined by HRM. Heller's
      laparoscopic myotomy and pneumatic dilation are the first line treatments for
      most of the patients, whereas Botulinum toxin injections and pharmacologic
      therapy are only indicated for patients with a high surgical risk who cannot
      undergo first line treatments. Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a recent and
      promising endoscopic technique reserved for expert endoscopy centers, whose exact
      role is still to be determined by randomized prospective studies. Oesophagectomy
      has only a marginal role in rare patients with extremely advanced achalasia or at
      risk of neoplastic degeneration.

PMID- 26502619
TI  - [Digestive foreign body management].
AB  - Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a frequent reason for gastroenterology consulting.
      Eighty percent of these ingestions are accidental and observed among paediatric
      subjects. However, intentional repetitive ingestions are also observed,
      especially amongst prisoners or psychiatric patients. Most FBs pass throughout
      the digestive tract without any complication and without any need for surgical or
      endoscopic intervention. Nevertheless, around 10-20% of cases require an
      endoscopy examination and 1% will lead to a surgical intervention. Management
      approaches should favor inter-disciplinarity, balance benefits and risks of FB
      removal based on its location, and integrate psychiatric comorbidities into the
      decision process.

PMID- 26502620
TI  - [When should we give albumin in patients with cirrhosis?].
AB  - The beneficial effects of the use of albumin, either alone or combines with other
      treat- ments, have been demonstrated in patients with various complications of
      cirrhosis. Therefore, albumin should be administred in patients with spontaneous
      bacterial peritonitis in association with antibiotics, and in association with
      terlipressin in patients with type 1 hepatorenal syndrome. Albumin use reduces
      the occurrence of paracentesis-related circulatory dysfunction, in patients with
      large ascites undergoing paracentesis. So far, the beneficial effect of albumin
      has not been demonstrated, neither for infections other than spontaneous
      bacterial peritonitis nor for hepatic encephalopathy. This article provides an
      overview of the data evaluating the effects of albumin in patients with
      cirrhosis.

PMID- 26502621
TI  - [Factors influencing development and progression of alcoholic liver disease].
AB  - Only a minority ot excessive drinkers develop cirrhosis. The main cofactors
      implicated in the pathophysiology of alcoholic liver disease are obesity,
      diabetes or the metabolic syndrome. Several genetic polymorphisms have been
      associated with a higher risk of alcoholic cirrhosis. Recent data indicate that
      gut microbiota could play a role in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease.
      The aim of this review is to summarize the factors that influence development and
      progression of alcoholic liver disease.

PMID- 26502622
TI  - [Rethinking the reimbursement policy of direct acting antivirals against chronic
      hepatitis C].
AB  - New direct-acting antivirals (DAA) against hepatitis C virus (HCV) have led to a
      therapeutic revolution in HCV management and virological cure rates approaching
      100% while potentially avoiding significant complications of HCV (first cause of
      liver transplantation). We estimated the price of sustained virological response
      (SVR) depending on treatment strategy and patient profile. Costs of treatment
      with recent DAAs being so high, the accessibility to those drugs for the majority
      of subjects is hitherto limited to advanced stages of hepatitis C. This current
      situation increases the inequity and strengthens the dominant position of
      insurers and pharmaceutical companies with a rationing of care. We suggest herein
      global approaches from a population-level and health-care perspective aiming to
      reduce the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality related to HCV.

PMID- 26502623
TI  - [Management of an infection associated with a prosthetic arthroplasty: the
      necessity of collaboration between surgeon and infectiologist].
AB  - The total number of total knee and hip joint arthroplasties is constinuously
      rising, due to an increasing population of physically active elderly patients.
      For primary elective arthroplasties, the infection risk ranges between I and 2%,
      but equals to a high morbidity, costs and complications for the individual
      infected patient. Diagnosis and management of prosthetic joint infections are
      improving. We review the latest consensus on the diagnosis and management of
      these infections and reveal some insight in still debated issues.

PMID- 26502624
TI  - [Disease management, an old fashion idea?].

PMID- 26502625
TI  - [Louis Pasteur, science and the return of "belief"].

PMID- 26502626
TI  - [Noninvasive screening for trisomy 21].

PMID- 26502627
TI  - [The amazing American go ahead for flibanserin against female sexual apathy].

PMID- 26502628
TI  - [A diagnostic blood test for irritable bowel syndrome: a utopia?].

PMID- 26502629
TI  - [Statins and aggressiveness: unequal effects by sex, age and molecule].

PMID- 26502630
TI  - [Neutral package and electronic cigarette: British anti-smoking revolution].

PMID- 26502631
TI  - [ TarMed: an increasingly confrontational reform].

PMID- 26502632
TI  - [Geneva wants to eliminate the tax deduction of complementary premiums].

PMID- 26502633
TI  - [The usefulness of the useless].

PMID- 26502634
TI  - Metallic Nanomaterials for Bone Tissue Engineering.
AB  - Conventional grafting techniques for bone regeneration are currently being
      replaced by tissue engineering approaches of using 3D biomimetic materials. Of
      these biomaterials, metals have the highest mechanical strength; moreover, they
      play a major role in accelerating bone formation and promoting bone regeneration.
      They act as cofactors for enzymes, serving as a structural component of bone
      forming enzymes and proteins, stimulating angiogenesis, increasing extra-cellular
      matrix synthesis, promoting bone formation, and inhibiting bone resorption.
      Metals have the inherent ability to promote osseointegration and
      osteoconductivity and possess antimicrobial activity. The current developments in
      bone tissue engineering focus on metal surface modifications by physical and
      chemical treatments to improve their bioactivity. Based on the recent literature
      available, this review aims at discussing the biological role of metals, namely
      Zn, Ti, Zr, B, Sr, Mg, Ag, and Cu along with their surface modifications for
      significantly enhanced bone regeneration.

PMID- 26502635
TI  - Non-Biologic Nanodelivery Therapies for Rheumatoid Arthritis.
AB  - Rheumatoid arthritis is a common chronic inflammatory disease characterized by
      progressive bone and cartilage destruction causing severe functional limitations,
      increased morbidity and mortality rate, which results in a strong negative
      socioeconomic impact. Current therapies only slow the progression of the disease
      and try to enhance quality of life. Furthermore, such therapies present several
      drawbacks due to the adverse effects caused by the lack of selectively of the
      drugs and frequent and long-term dosing that lead to patient non-compliance. Drug
      delivery systems based on nanocarriers represent a promising approach to overcome
      the current therapeutic limitations because they can selectively carry drugs to
      inflamed synovium allowing for improved drug efficacy, thereby reducing the
      biodistribution of anti-rheumatic drugs. Additionally, controlled drug release
      can lead to the reduction of drug dosages. The increasing interest and confidence
      that nanocarriers can revolutionize the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has led
      to an increased number of investigations in this field. In this context, the
      present review focuses on drug delivery system strategies for non-biological
      drugs developed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 26502637
TI  - Development and Evaluation of Solid Lipid Nanoparticles of N-6-Furfuryl Adenine
      for Prevention of Photoaging.
AB  - N-6-furfuryl adenine (N6FA) also known as "kinetin" is a biologically active
      natural phytochemical. It belongs to the category of cytokinins, the natural
      plant growth hormones that promote cell division and play role in cell
      differentiation. Overall, N6FA aids in increasing the plant's life span. Human
      cells also contain.small quantities of N6FA. Scientists are trying to understand
      its function in humans. N6FA is being investigated for its properties such as
      antiplatelet, antioxidant, antiproliferative and anti-aging effects on human
      cells. The aim of the present investigation was to prepare solid lipid
      nanoparticle (SLN) based topical formulations of N6FA and to evaluate its
      efficacy against ultraviolet (UV) radiation induced skin photodamage. SLNs were
      prepared by hot microemulsion technique and optimized for the type and
      concentration of lipid and surfactant(s). The optimized SLN formulation was
      characterized in terms of particle size, drug entrapment efficiency, zeta
      potential and pH; evaluated for stability, spreadability, ex-vivo skin permeation
      and photoprotective effects against UV induced skin damage. The cumulative amount
      of drug permeated through mice skin using SLNs was 3 folds higher than from
      conventional cream base. The results of biochemical and histopathological
      investigations of skin treated with N6FA loaded SLNs clearly demonstrated the
      efficacy of optimized formulation in preventing photodamage (lesions, ulcers and
      changes in skin integrity) due to chronic UV exposure. The effects were
      comparable with widely used marketed formulation, Garnier wrinkle lift anti-aging
      cream. Results suggested that N6FA incorporated into SLNs may provide therapeutic
      as well as cosmeceutical benefits.

PMID- 26502638
TI  - Pluronic F-127 Stabilised Docetaxel Nanocrystals Improve Apoptosis by
      Mitochondrial Depolarization in Breast Cancer Cells: Pharmacokinetics and
      Toxicity Assessment.
AB  - Docetaxel (DTX) is favoured option for breast cancer treatment; however its
      marketed formulation (Taxotere) generates therapeutic response at the cost of
      undue toxicity. In order to circumvent such limitations, DTX nanocrystals (DTX
      NCs) were prepared through high pressure homogenization (HPH) technique using
      pluronic F-127 (PF-127) as a stabilizer. DTX-NCs presented higher efficacy
      against MCF-7 breast cancer cells with exposition of 1.75 and 2.13 fold lower
      inhibitory concentration (IC50) compared to free drug and Taxotere, respectively.
      DTX-NCs enhanced the DTX induce G2-M arrest by 1.24 and 1.79 fold compared to
      Taxotere and free DTX whereas highest apoptotic population (54.79%) of MCF-7
      cells was also observed when cells were incubated with DTX-NCs for 24 h in
      comparison to free DTX (9.69%) and Taxotere (12.55%). The claims of improvement
      were substantiated by investigating the modulation in apoptotic mechanism induced
      by the subtle physical state variation of DTX in DTX-NCs. Results revealed that
      DTX-NCs induced apoptosis was linked to altered mitochondrial membrane potential.
      DTX-NCs caused highest (39.53%) depolarization of mitochondria compared to free
      DTX (9.34%) and Taxotere (18.72%). Further, safety of DTX-NCs was ascertained via
      haemolytic testing and in-vivo toxicity studies in mice. Developed formulation
      exhibited acceptable haemolytic potential which suggested its suitability towards
      parenteral administration. Moreover, in-vivo acute toxicity studies demonstrated
      that the developed NCs were safer than marketed Taxotere. These results elicit
      that DTX-NCs would be a viable alternative to commercial formulation for
      treatment of breast cancer.

PMID- 26502639
TI  - Bioreducible Micelles with Endosomal Buffering and Multidrug Resistance-Reversing
      Function Enhance Anti-Tumor Efficacy of Doxorubicin.
AB  - The clinical success of anthracyclines-containing chemotherapy for breast cancer
      is mainly restricted by cardiac damage and the development of multidrug
      resistance (MDR). For efficient reversal of drug resistance, doxorubicin (DOX)
      loaded multifunctional bioreducible micelles were constructed from a new
      amphiphilic copolymer consisting of polyethylene glycol and poly[bis(2
      hydroxylethyl)-disulfide-diacrylate-beta-histamine and characterized. The
      introduction of imidazole group endowed the micelles with endosomal buffering
      capacity and improved the endosomal escape. The reduction-responsiveness of the
      micelles promoted DOX release. The activity of P-glycoprotein, one of the most
      well-described drug-efflux pumps, and glutathione S-transferase, an important
      detoxification enzyme, were also inhibited by the micelles. The accumulation of
      DOX in tumor after intravenous administration of the drug-loading micelles was
      increased in drug resistant tumor-bearing mice. These results indicated that the
      micelle was a promising drug delivery system for MDR cancer therapy.

PMID- 26502636
TI  - Therapeutical Neurotargeting via Magnetic Nanocarrier: Implications to Opiate
      Induced Neuropathogenesis and NeuroAIDS.
AB  - Magnetite (Fe3O4) is the most commonly and extensively explored magnetic
      nanoparticles (MNPs) for drug-targeting and imaging in the field of biomedicine.
      Nevertheless, its potential application as safe and effective drug-carrier for
      CNS (Central Nervous System) anomalies is very limited. Previous studies have
      shown an entangled epidemic of opioid use and HIV infection and increased
      neuropathogenesis. Opiate such as morphine, heroine, etc. are used frequently as
      recreational drugs. Existing treatments to alleviate the action of opioid are
      less effective at CNS level due to impermeability of therapeutic molecules across
      brain barriers. Thus, development of an advanced nanomedicine based approach may
      pave the way for better treatment strategies. We herein report magnetic
      nanoformulation of a highly selective and potent morphine antagonist, CTOP (D-Pen
      Cys-Tyr-DTrp-Orn-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2), which is impenetrable to the brain. MNPs,
      synthesized in size range from 25 to 40 nm, were characterized by Transmission
      electron microscopy and assembly of MNPs-CTOP nanoformulations were confirmed by
      FTIR spectroscopy and fluorescent detection. Flow-cytometry analysis showed that
      biological efficacy of this nanoformulation in prevention of morphine induced
      apoptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells remains equivalent to that of
      free CTOP. Similarly, confocal microscopy reveals comparable efficacy of free and
      MNPs bound CTOP in protecting modulation of neuronal dendrite and spine
      morphology during morphine exposure and morphine-treated HIV infection. Further,
      typical transmigration assay showed increased translocation of MNPs across in
      vitro blood-brain barrier upon exposure of external magnetic force where barrier
      integrity remains unaltered. Thus, the developed nanoformulation could be
      effective in targeting brain by application of external magnetic force to treat
      morphine addiction in HIV patients.

PMID- 26502640
TI  - Delivery of PUMA Apoptosis Gene Using Polyethyleneimine-SMCC-TAT/DNA
      Nanoparticles: Biophysical Characterization and In Vitro Transfection Into
      Malignant Melanoma Cells.
AB  - A synthesized PEI-based gene delivery system, wherein PEI was crosslinked with
      sulfosuccinimidyl-4-(N-maleimidomethyl) cyclohexane-1-carboxylate (Sulfo-SMCC)
      conjugating trans-activating transcriptional activator (TAT), yielding PEI-SMCC
      TAT (PST), a novel non-viral vector for apoptosis-related gene PUMA (p53 up
      regulated modulator of apoptosis), was designed and evaluated. Sulfo-SMCC is a
      commonly used heterobifunctional crosslinker and is soluble in water, making the
      crosslinking easier without organic reagent like DMSO or chloroform. The PST/pDNA
      nanoparticles were 171.9 nm at the optimal N/P ratio (50:1). DNA complexes of all
      the PST conjugation had much lower toxicity and exhibited enhancement in
      transfection efficiency in comparison with single PEI vector. The results also
      showed that the transfection efficiency of PST/pEGFP nanoparticles into malignant
      melanoma A375 cell increased, and PST carrying PUMA gene induced the apoptosis of
      A375 cells. It was suggested that PST could be a promising melanoma tumor
      targeting nanovector, and have a good potential in clinical application.

PMID- 26502641
TI  - Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Activity of Thiol-Ene Carbosilane Dendrimers
      and Their Potential Development as a Topical Microbicide.
AB  - The concept of a "microbicide" was born out of the lack of a vaccine against HIV
      and the difficulty of women in ensuring the use of preventive prophylaxis by
      their partners, especially in developing countries. Approaches using polyanionic
      carbosilane dendrimers have shown promise in the development of new microbicides.
      We have developed and evaluated two anionic carbosilane dendrimers with sulfonate
      and carboxylate terminal groups, G2-STE16 and G2-CTE16. Both dendrimers showed
      high biosafety in human epithelial cell lines derived from the vagina and in
      primary blood human cells (PBMCs). The dendrimers not only have a greater
      capacity to block the entry of different X4- and R5-HIV-1 isolates into
      epithelial cells but also prevent the HIV-1 infection of activated PBMCs. The
      treatment of epithelial cells with different carbosilane dendrimers did not
      produce changes in the activation or proliferation of PBMCs or in the expression
      of CD4, CCR5 or CXCR4. Computational modeling showed significantly higher
      affinities for the complexes G2-STE16/gp120 and G2-CTE16/gp120. Moreover, no
      irritation or vaginal lesions were detected in female BALB/c mice after vaginal
      administration of the dendrimers. Summing up, G2-STE16 and G2-CTE16 are easy to
      synthesize and compatible with functional groups, and the purification steps are
      easy and short. Our results have clearly demonstrated that these dendrimers have
      high potency as a topical microbicide against HIV-1 infection.

PMID- 26502642
TI  - Adventitial Cells and Perictyes Support Chondrogenesis Through Different
      Mechanisms in 3-Dimensional Cultures With or Without Nanoscaffolds.
AB  - In previous studies, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from bone marrow
      and fat tissues were shown to increase proliferation and matrix production of
      chondrocytes (CH) in co-culture. The aim of this study was to investigate the
      roles of pericytes (CD31(neg)CD45(neg)CD146+CD34(neg)) and adventitial cells
      (CD31(neg)CD45(neg)CD146(neg)CD34+) sub-populations of MSCs in supporting
      proliferation and matrix deposition of CH. The MSCs were derived from synovial
      membrane and attaching fat tissue. Then, the pericytes and adventitial cells were
      sorted from total MSCs and co-cultured with articular CH respectively. In pellet
      co-culture model, the pericytes showed more prominent effects on
      glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) production and Collagen II synthesis than the
      adventitial cells which had stronger effects on promoting CH proliferation. In
      addition, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to examine
      the expression of a group of secreted growth factors and co-culture performed on
      electrospun scaffolds based on Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate)
      (P3HB4HB), to verify the trophic effects of different MSC sub-populations in 3
      Dimensional (3D) environment. In conclusion, it was found that the pericytes and
      adventitial cells support CH in different ways; the adventitial cells more
      supporting the proliferation of CH, while pericytes are better in stimulating
      GAGs and collagen production of CH.

PMID- 26502643
TI  - Pharmacological Improvement and Preclinical Evaluation of Methotrexate-Loaded
      Lipid-Core Nanocapsules in a Glioblastoma Model.
AB  - Glioblastoma multiforme is a devastating cerebral tumor with an exceedingly poor
      prognosis. Methotrexate (MTX) is a folic acid analogue that inhibits DNA
      synthesis by binding to dihydrofolate reductase. Biodegradable nanoparticles are
      emerging as a promising system for drug delivery to specific tissues. The aims of
      the current study were pharmacological improvement and preclinical evaluation of
      MTX-loaded lipid-core nanocapsules (MTX-LNCs) in a glioblastoma model. Cell
      viability was assessed using the MTT assay, and the cell cycle was characterized
      by flow cytometry analysis of propidium iodide staining. Apoptosis was measured
      using an AnnexinV kit and by examining active caspase-3 immunocontent. In vivo
      glioma implantation was performed in rats, followed by measurement of the tumor
      size and tumoral apoptosis, BCL-2 immunohistochemistry and analyses of
      toxicological parameters. MTX-LNCs with increased encapsulation efficiency were
      successfully prepared. Our in vitro results showed a decrease in glioma cell
      viability after MTX-LNC treatment that was preceded by cell cycle arrest, leading
      the cells to undergo apoptotic death, as indicated by AnnexinV staining and
      increased active caspase-3 protein levels. In the in vivo glioma model, we
      observed a decrease in the tumor size and an increase in apoptosis in the tumor
      microenvironment (based on the AnnexinV assay and BCL-2 measurement). MTX-LNC
      treatment decreased the leukocyte number but altered neither toxicological tissue
      marker expression nor metabolic parameters. The present results reveal that MTX
      LNCs represented an efficient formulation in a preclinical model of glioma and
      are a potential candidate for clinical trials.

PMID- 26502644
TI  - 6-Month Follow-Up of a Novel Biodegradable Drug-Eluting Stent Composed of Poly-L
      Lactic Acid and Amorphous Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles in Porcine Coronary
      Artery.
AB  - RATIONALE: We reported previously, in porcine coronary arteries, that the novel
      biodegradable PowerStent Absorb paclitaxel-eluting stent had improved and
      sustained structural strength and functional performance at one month post
      implantation. OBJECTIVE: To report the stent performance at 6-month follow-up.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Six PowerStent Absorb and six TAXUS stents were randomly
      implanted in the left anterior descending and right coronary arteries of six
      Tibet miniature pigs. Quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and intravascular
      ultrasound (IVUS) images were obtained at the time of implantation (T0) and at 6
      months (T6). Two animals were sacrificed at T6 for histopathological evaluation.
      At T6, QCA showed that the mean luminal vascular diameter (mLD) between the
      PowerStent and the TAXUS stents were similar (2.36 +/- 0.38 vs. 2.61 +/- 0.31,
      respectively). Based on the IVUS analysis, the mLD and the mean lumen cross
      sectional area (mCSA) in the PowerStent-treated arteries were similar between T0
      and T6 (mLD: 2.74 +/- 0.13 vs. 2.70 +/- 0.20 and mCSA: 6.81 +/- 0.62 mm2 vs. 6.68
      +/- 0.94 mm2). Histopathology showed that the PowerStent stents were well apposed
      to the vessel wall with no recoil, strut fracture and thrombus formation. The
      stents were fully covered with a layer of endothelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: At six
      month post-implantation, the PowerStent Absorb stents maintained their structural
      strength and functional performance. The development of restenosis was
      controlled, no stent thrombosis was observed and the stents were fully re
      endothelialized. These results suggest the PowerStent Absorb stent is safe and
      effective for up to 6 months when implanted in porcine coronary arteries.

PMID- 26502645
TI  - Regulation of Extracellular Matrix Remodeling Proteins by Osteoblasts in Titanium
      Nanoparticle-Induced Aseptic Loosening Model.
AB  - Titanium (Ti)-wear particles, formed at the bone-implant interface, are
      responsible for aseptic loosening, which is a main cause of total joint
      replacement failure. There have been many studies on Ti particle-induced function
      changes in mono-cultured osteoblasts and synovial cells. However, little is known
      on extracellular matrix remodeling displayed by osteoblasts when in coexistence
      with Synovial cells. To further mimic the bone-implant interface environment, we
      firstly established a nanoscaled-Ti particle-induced aseptic loosening system by
      co-culturing osteoblasts and Synovial cells. We then explored the impact of the
      Synovial cells on Ti particle-engulfed osteoblasts in the mimicked flamed niche.
      The matrix metalloproteinases and lysyl oxidases expression levels, two protein
      families which are critical in osseointegration, were examined under induction by
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha. It was found that the co-culture between the
      osteoblasts and Synovial cells markedly increased the migration and proliferation
      of the osteoblasts, even in the Ti-particle engulfed osteoblasts. Importantly,
      the Ti-particle engulfed osteoblasts, induced by TNF-alpha after the co-culture,
      enhanced the release of the matrix metalloproteinases and reduced the expressions
      of lysyl oxidases. The regulation of extracellular matrix remodeling at the
      protein level was further assessed by investigations on gene expression of the
      matrix metalloproteinases and lysyl oxidases, which also suggested that the
      regulation started at the genetic level. Our research work has therefore revealed
      the critical role of multi cell-type interactions in the extracellular matrix
      remodeling within the peri-prosthetic tissues, which provides new insights on
      aseptic loosening and brings new clues about incomplete osseointegration between
      the implantation materials and their surrounding bones.

PMID- 26502646
TI  - Biodistribution, Clearance, and Toxicology of Polymeric Micelles Loaded with 0.9
      or 5 nm Gold Nanoparticles.
AB  - Long-circulating gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have garnered a great deal of
      interest as both imaging and therapeutic agents. However, their protracted
      elimination and long-term persistence within many organ systems remains a concern
      for clinical translation. To improve the excretion of long-circulating
      nanoparticles, we prepared -80 nm biodegradable polymeric micelles with 0.9 nm or
      5 nm AuNPs tightly packed within the hydrophobic core. These gold-loaded
      polymeric micelles (GPMs) were expected to allow for improved excretion of gold,
      compared with single large AuNPs, owing to the smaller size and larger surface-to
      volume ratio of the individual AuNPs within the micelle. Following intravenous
      administration of GPMs, organs were harvested and examined for gold content using
      inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) for up to 3
      months post-injection. While both GPM formulations showed significant clearance
      of gold over time, micelles containing 0.9 nm AuNPs showed a 72% and 67%
      reduction in gold content in the liver and spleen, respectively, between 1 day
      and 3 months post-injection, compared with a 38% and 35% reduction in mice
      receiving 5 nm GPMs. Furthermore, feces and urine analysis revealed approximately
      7.5 and 100 times more gold, respectively, in mice that received 0.9 nm GPMs one
      day after injection. These findings suggest that the excretion profile of
      inorganic nanomaterials may be improved if clusters of small inorganic materials
      are used in favor of single solid particles.

PMID- 26502647
TI  - Co-Delivery of Docetaxel and Berbamine by Chitosan/Sulfobutylether-beta
      Cyclodextrin Nanoparticles for Enhancing Bioavailability and Anticancer
      Activities.
AB  - Novel dual-drug sulfobutylether-beta-cyclodextrin (CD)/chitosan (CS)
      nanoparticles (NPs) containing docetaxel (DTX) and berbamine were developed and
      evaluated in this study. These NPs were prepared using ionic gelation method and
      were characterised for their particle size, polydispersity, zeta potential, drug
      loading percentage and yield. Cytotoxicity was measured through 3-(4,5
      dimethyltiazol-2-ly)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, and the expression of
      survivin mRNA in MCF-7 cells was detected using qRT-PCR. Cellular uptake and
      apoptosis were also analysed. Compared with the other DTX formulations in this
      study, the dual-drug CD/CS NPs showed better release and intestinal transport
      profiles in vitro and had improved pharmacokinetics data. The dual-drug CD/CS NPs
      exhibited higher cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, apoptosis and inhibition with the
      survivin mRNA expression. The relatively improved oral bioavailability and better
      antitumour efficacy indicated that the dual-drug CD/CS NPs developed in our study
      possessed significant advantages and might be a promising strategy for the
      development of drug, delivery systems for cancer chemotherapy.

PMID- 26502648
TI  - [The beginning of the gender equality in the Japanese Society of Child
      Neurology].

PMID- 26502649
TI  - [A 9-month-old boy manifesting generalized hypotonia and tented mouth].

PMID- 26502650
TI  - [Relation between psychological development and respiratory management in
      patients with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome in Japan].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychological development of patients with congenital
      central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS). METHODS: We performed a questionnaire
      based survey of 17 patients with CCHS aged over 7 years and assessed their
      clinical course, respiratory management, and psychological development. RESULTS:
      CCHS was present at birth in 15 patients, of which eight presented with
      respiratory failure with a low Apgar score. Twelve patients required mechanical
      ventilation with intubation, and five received mask ventilation. All patients
      with intubation underwent tracheostomy between 1 and 12 months of age (median 5.5
      months), and most of them had associated conditions such as Hirschsprung disease.
      Four of 12 patients with intubation were eventually switched to mask ventilation
      and one to diaphragm pacing and mask ventilation. The patients undergoing mask
      ventilation had relatively milder disease severity and had fewer complications
      than did the patients with intubation. The psychological development of patients
      who received tracheostomy ranged from normal to severe retardation. Retardation
      was more likely to be severe in patients who received tracheostomy in late
      infancy. All patients who received mask ventilation experienced borderline to
      moderate psychological retardation. This effect could be attributed to poor
      compliance with mask fitting. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the
      psychological development of CCHS patients was influenced by hypoxia;
      tracheostomy and strict respiratory management since the neonatal period were
      needed for neurological protection.

PMID- 26502651
TI  - [Evaluation of quality of life in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
      children without comorbidity].
AB  - OBJECT: Improving quality of life (QOL) is one of the most important therapeutic
      goals for children with attention-deficit hyperactiv- ity disorder (AD/HD). The
      aim of this study was to measure QOL in AD/HD children without comorbidity and to
      examine associations between QOL and clinical symptoms of AD/HD for targeting
      early intervention. METHODS: Twenty-two enrolled patients and their parents
      completed the Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in
      Children (KINDL-R). Patients and teachers completed AD/HD rating scale-IV.
      Associations between QOL and clinical symptoms were assessed using t tests and
      correlations. RESULTS: Mean total score of the self-reported KINDL-R was 70.8. No
      difference in total QOL score was seen between AD/HD children and controls;
      however, the self-esteem subscale rated by AD/HD children was significantly
      higher than that of controls (p < 0.001). Total KINDL-R score correlated
      negatively with AD/HD rating scale-IV rated by teachers (p < 0.05). A difference
      was observed between AD/HD children in a lower QOL group and their parents in a
      subscale regarding QOL at school. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that
      evaluation of QOL in AD/HD children without comorbidity is useful for identifying
      AD/HD children who might benefit from early intervention.

PMID- 26502652
TI  - [Efficacy and tolerability of topiramate, lamotrigine, and levetiracetam in
      children with refractory epilepsy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Topiramate (TPM), lamotrigine (LTG), and levetiracetam (LEV) are three
      new-generation antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) which have recently come into use in
      add-on therapy for refractory childhood epilepsy in Japan. The aim of this study
      was to evaluate their efficacy and tolerability, and to clarify the role of these
      three AEDs in childhood epilepsy therapy. METHODS: Three separate audits were
      conducted between July 2007 and July 2012. All patients studied had epilepsy
      refractory to other AEDs. Efficacy was confirmed if a patient became seizure-free
      or achieved > 50% reduction (50% responder rate: 50% RR) in seizure frequency for
      12 months after starting add-on therapy. RESULTS: A total of 55 children received
      TPM, 44 LTG, and 38 LEV. The 50% RR of partial epilepsy was 31.8% for LTG, 41.8%
      for TPM, and 52.6% for LEV. The 50% RR of generalized epilepsy was 28.6% for LTG,
      26.7% for TPM, and 44.4% for LEV. The incidence of adverse events was 9.1% for
      LTG, 43.6% for TPM, and 15.8% for LEV. CONCLUSION: LEV was the most effective of
      the three add-on therapies in refractory childhood epilepsy with partial and
      generalized onset. Regarding seizure-free, TPM was more effective than the other
      therapies, but it had many side effects. LTG tended to be more effective for
      generalized epilepsy, particularly idiopathic epilepsy, than partial epilepsy. We
      conclude that it is necessary to develop a treatment plan for pediatric
      epilepsies after considering the advantages and disadvantage of these new AEDs.

PMID- 26502653
TI  - [A clinical study of laryngotracheal separation in spinal muscular atrophy type I
      patients].
AB  - Artificial respiration by tracheostomy is necessary for long-term survival in
      spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Type I patients. There are two types of
      tracheostomy: i )simple tracheostomy and ii) tracheostomy plus aspiration
      prevention surgery, including laryngotracheal separation. We experienced three
      cases of SMA type I patients that had good outcomes after undergoing
      laryngotracheal separation. The patients' ages at onset were 14 days, two months
      and one and a half months. Laryngotracheal separation was performed at five
      months, seven months, and 15 years and five months respectively, and the times
      from diagnosis to surgery were a month, three months and 15 years. The aspiration
      pneumonia disappeared in all three cases. This study suggests that
      laryngotracheal separation is an effective surgery to prevent aspiration in SMA
      type I cases, and also contributes to the improved quality of life of patients
      and their families.

PMID- 26502654
TI  - [Cognitive and linguistic abilities of a boy with PVL showing relatively higher
      VIQ compared to PIQ].
AB  - In this study, we investigated the cognitive processing and language abilities of
      a 13-year-old boy with moderate periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), spastic
      diplegia and exotropia who had discrepant scores in the verbal intelligence
      quotient (VIQ) and performance intelligence quotient (PIQ) in the Wechsler
      Intelligence Scale for Children, third edition (VIQ; 82 > PIQ; under 40). In the
      Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children and Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment
      System, his performance was poor at simultaneous processing compared to
      sequential processing. He could not copy three-dimensional figures, and he could
      place only two out of eight blocks correctly in the second level models of Benton
      three-dimensional block construction test, showing visuospatial impairment
      typical of patients with PVL. Despite the relatively high score in VIQ, there was
      a gap among the scores of the subtests in the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic
      Abilities. He tended to get low scores in tests that required visual abilities.
      In addition, there was also an impairment in reading fluency tested by the
      Diagnostic Criteria and Medical Guideline for Specific Developmental Disorders.
      He was much less fluent in reading syllables, words or sentences (6.0 SD or more
      compared to 12-year-old boys). The relatively higher score in VIQ superficially
      suggests adequate language ability. However, in the present study, precise
      investigation revealed some discrepancies even within the field of language.
      Thus, defining stronger and weaker points of a patient is important in order to
      determine optimal medical or educational approaches.

PMID- 26502655
TI  - [Scintigraphic imaging in the diagnosis of failed intrathecal baclofen therapy: a
      case report of a 7-year-old boy with ventriculoperitoneal shunt].
AB  - Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) therapy is popular for the management of intractable
      spasticity. In 2007, the indications of ITB therapy expanded to include
      spasticity of children in Japan. In this report, we assessed the utility of
      radioisotopic scintigraphy in the diagnosis of failed ITB therapy. A 7-year-old
      boy with schizencephaly, hydrocephalus, and spastic quadriplegia had an ITB pump
      implanted. In his infancy, he had undergone ventriculoperitoneal shunt
      implantation. One month after the ITB operation, the ITB therapeutic effect
      diminished. Several examinations confirmed that the pump function was normal and
      catheter failure had not occurred. However, radioisotopic scintigraphy revealed
      that the baclofen had been washed out to blood circulation more rapidly than is
      typically observed. We considered two possible causes for this; obstruction of
      the cerebrospinal space due to kyphosis and excessive washout of celebrospinal
      fluid through the ventriculoperitoneal shunt. The catheter was moved to a more
      caudal site surgically, and his spasticity improved. The use of radioisotopic
      scintigraphy to identify the distribution of baclofen is an effective technique
      for investigation of baclofen pump system malfunction.

PMID- 26502657
TI  - The mutual shaping of life insurance and medicine in Finland.
AB  - This article examines the mutual shaping of medicine and private life insurance
      in Finland before the Second World War. Based on historical texts and archival
      material, it shows the important effects that the involvement of medicine in
      client selection for life insurance companies had on medical knowledge and
      practice. The analysis focuses on the tensions between the main actors in life
      insurance underwriting--candidates, insurance agents, examining physicians and
      the central office--as well as the medical examination as the key site of these
      tensions. The article shows how the introduction of a set of procedural and
      technical innovations reshaped the medical examination and helped to stabilize
      the fraught network of life insurance underwriting. These innovations re-scripted
      medical work. They stressed objective measurable knowledge over the personal
      skill and clinical acumen of the examining physician, propagated the physical
      examination and the use of diagnostic technologies and vital standards,
      multiplied medicine's administrative tasks, and contributed to the introduction
      of a risk factor approach to medicine. Moreover, the social organization of life
      insurance promoted the spread of these objects, practices and tasks to other
      fields of medicine. The case displays how medical innovations are developed
      through the situated interplay of multiple actors that cuts across the science
      society boundary.

PMID- 26502656
TI  - Adjudicating non-knowledge in the Omnibus Autism Proceedings.
AB  - After 5600 families of children diagnosed with autism filed claims with the
      National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program in the United States, the court
      selected 'test' cases consolidated into the Omnibus Autism Proceedings, held from
      2007 to 2008, to examine claims that vaccines caused the development of autism.
      The court found all of the causation theories presented to be untenable and did
      not award damages to any parents. We analyze the Omnibus Autism Proceedings as a
      struggle within the scientific field between the scientific orthodoxy of the
      respondents and the heterodox position taken by the plaintiffs, suggesting that
      the ruling in these cases helped to shore up hegemony on autism causation.
      Drawing on the literature on non-knowledge, we suggest that only the respondents
      had enough scientific capital to strategically direct non-knowledge toward
      genetic research, thereby foreclosing the possibility of environmental causation
      of autism. The plaintiffs, who promote a non-standard ontology of autism, suggest
      that the science on autism remains undone and should not be circumscribed. In
      analyzing the Omnibus Autism Proceedings with field theory, we highlight the way
      in which scientific consensus-building and the setting of research agendas are
      the result of struggle, and we show that the strategic deployment of non
      knowledge becomes a major stake in battles for scientific legitimacy and the
      settling of scientific controversies.

PMID- 26502658
TI  - Making up 'national trauma, in Israel: From collective identity to collective
      vulnerability.
AB  - We sketch a variety of institutional, discursive, professional, and personal
      'vectors', dating back to the 1980s, in order to explain how 'national trauma'
      was able to go from a cultural into a professional category in Israeli mental
      health during the Al-Aqsa Intifada (2000-2005). Our genealogy follows Ian
      Hacking's approach to transient mental illnesses, both illustrating its fertility
      and expanding its horizon. Thus, we also explore the dynamics that developed in
      the Israeli mental health community with the advent of 'national trauma': while
      the vast majority of Israeli psychologists and psychiatrists did not adopt the
      category, they embraced much of its underlying logic, establishing a link between
      Israeli identity and the mental harm said to be caused by Palestinian terror.
      Remarkably, the nexus of national identity and collective psychic vulnerability
      also prompted the cooperation of Jewish and Palestinian-Israeli mental health
      scholars seeking to explore the psychological effect that the minority status of
      Israeli Palestinians had on them during the Al-Aqsa Intifada.

PMID- 26502659
TI  - A controversial idea as a cultural resource: The Lysenko controversy and
      discussions of genetics as a 'democratic' science in postwar Japan.
AB  - The Japanese discussion of the theory of Soviet agronomist Trofim D. Lysenko
      began in the postwar years under the American occupation. Leftists introduced
      Lysenko's theory immediately after the war as part of a postwar scientists'
      movement. Unlike many American geneticists, who sharply criticized the theory,
      Japanese geneticists initially participated in the discussion in an even-handed
      way; their scientific interests in the roles of cytoplasm and the environment in
      heredity shaped their initial sympathetic reaction. As the Cold War divide
      deepened, however, Japanese scientists began expressing sharp anti-Lysenko
      criticisms that resembled the American criticisms. Interestingly, throughout the
      period, Japanese geneticists' overall aim in the discussion remained largely
      unchanged: to effectively reconstruct their discipline and maintain its proper
      image and authority. However, the shift in their reaction occurred due to an
      evolving sociopolitical context, especially the shift in the meaning of
      'democratic' science from a science that employed democratic processes to a
      science of a liberal-democratic state. Regarding Lysenko's idea as a cultural
      resource could help to explain how and why it was treated differently in
      different places, and why a controversy emerged in certain contexts but not in
      others.

PMID- 26502660
TI  - The Pasteurization of Marie Curie: A (meta)biographical experiment.
AB  - Biographies of scientists occupy a liminal space, highly popular with general
      readers but questioned in academia. Nonetheless, in recent years, historians of
      science have not only embraced the genre with more enthusiasm and less guilt,
      they have also turned to the metabiography in order to renew the study and story
      of scientists' roles. This essay focuses on Marie Curie, the world's most famous
      female scientist, in order to unpack some of the theoretical and methodological
      claims of the science biography, and especially to address the sexing mechanisms
      at play in the construction of the biographical subject. Pierre Curie (1923),
      Marie's biography of her husband Pierre, paid tribute to her dead husband and
      collaborator, but also allowed Curie a legitimate outlet to construct her own
      persona and legacy. Categories such as personhood, person, and persona are not
      only central to the biography genre but also are essential to the sense of self
      and self-fashioning of scientists. Looking at how Marie Curie negotiated these
      categories in Pierre Curie not only gives new insight into Curie's self
      fashioning strategies but may also shed some light on the more general analytical
      lacunae of the science biography.

PMID- 26502661
TI  - On conveying and not conveying expertise.
AB  - This article attends to the movement between disclosing and non-disclosing in
      accounts of expertise. While referencing discussions about tacit knowledge
      ('experts know more than they can say') and the politics of non-disclosure
      ('withholding can help as well as harm the credibility of experts'), in the main
      it considers how experts move between conveying and not conveying in order to
      make their proficiencies recognized and accessible to others. The article
      examines this movement through a form that partakes in it, thus drawing attention
      to conventions and tensions in how authors make themselves accountable, and their
      subject matter available, to audiences. It thereby proposes to explore the
      possibilities of careful, and generative, non-disclosure as part of expert
      writing practices.

PMID- 26502662
TI  - Exploration of Alternative Mechanism for MiR-596-mediated Down-regulation of
      LGALS3BP in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate
      gene expression via binding to the 3' -untranslated region (UTR) of transcripts.
      However, recent evidence suggests that miRNA can also bind to the open reading
      frame (ORF) region within transcripts for its down-regulation. On the other hand,
      a previous report demonstrated that miR-596 has a tumor suppressor function by
      targeting LGALS3BP via directly binding to its 3' UTR in oral squamous cell
      carcinoma (OSCC) cells. However, it is not clear whether this miRNA can bind to
      the ORF region of LGALS3BP. In this study, although four putative binding sites
      of miR-596 were included within the ORF region of LGALS3BP, it was found that miR
      596 could not bind to those sites. Instead, the results showed that the
      expression of LGALS3BP might be in part negatively regulated by the proteasome
      system at the protein level. Thus, these findings may help clarify the molecular
      mechanism of the tumor-suppressive effect through down-regulation of LGALS3BP by
      miR-596 in OSCC cells.

PMID- 26502663
TI  - [Outcomes of Infection Control Team Inspections at the Dental Hospital, Tokyo
      Medical and Dental University].
AB  - In the Dental Hospital, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, an infection control
      team (ICT) has been formed to inspect each diagnosis department of clinics and
      wards in order to identify problems regarding nosocomial infection control. In
      this study, we analyzed the inspection reports and highlighted the following
      serious problems: 1) inadequate hygienic hand-washing for out- and in-patient
      treatment, 2) incomplete wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) by dental
      health care workers, 3) necessity of environmental improvement in the clinics,
      and 4) cross-infection risk induced by. the continuous use of treatment devices
      without appropriate disinfection. The ICT provided feedback to the inspected
      departments, suggesting solutions to problems regarding nosocomial infection
      control. In order to enhance infection control in our hospital, dental healthcare
      practitioners must make further efforts on nosocomial infection control and
      prevention, and act according to their position by continuously educating
      students and enlightening hospital staff about the importance of infection
      control.

PMID- 26502664
TI  - Healing the Empire: Indian Hospitals in Britain and France during the First World
      War.
AB  - Desperate for soldiers to stem the German onrush in late 1914, the British
      deployed some 135,000 Indian riflemen--known as sepoys--to the trenches of France
      and Belgium. Between October 1914 and December 1915, these soldiers fought at the
      battles of Ypres, Festubert, Givenchy, Neuve Chapelle, Second Ypres, and Loos,
      suffering some 34,252 casualties. This article looks to the experiences of these
      men at segregated hospitals in France and England from 1914 to 1915. These
      hospitals served many of the same dual purposes facilitated by hospitals for
      English soldiers: namely, they sustained the war-making capacity of the Indian
      battalions. The Indian hospitals also functioned as sites of propaganda,
      reaffirming the ideologies and racial hierarchies of imperial rule for audiences
      at home, abroad, and within the hospital wards. But as this article demonstrates,
      wounded Indian sepoys were rarely, if ever, mere pawns on the imperial
      chessboard. Hospital authorities were committed to two policies: returning sepoys
      to the front and protecting White prestige. Sepoys successfully resisted both. In
      so doing, Indian hospitals became what British hospital administrators hoped they
      would not: spaces where imperial subjects contested and even reshaped some of the
      policies and ideologies of imperial rule.

PMID- 26502665
TI  - Duncan Tanner Essay Prize Winner 2014. Against the 'Sacred Cow': NHS Opposition
      and the Fellowship for Freedom in Medicine, 1948-72.
AB  - This essay recovers organized opposition to the National Health Service (NHS) by
      considering the Fellowship for Freedom in Medicine (FFM), a conservative
      organization of doctors who challenged the 'Sacred Cow' of nationalized
      healthcare in the 1950s and 1960s. While there has been little interest in anti
      NHS politics because of shortcomings in the institution's historiography, this
      study suggests ways a new history of the service can be written. Central to that
      project is taking the broader ideological and emotive quality of the NHS
      seriously, and appreciating the way, for all sides of the political spectrum, as
      well as the general public, the service has always been a contested symbol of
      post-war British identity. This essay argues that two NHS 'crises'--panics over
      costs, and disillusionment within general practice--were not merely disagreements
      over budgets and pay-packets but politically charged moments infused with
      conservative anxieties over Britain's post-war trajectory. The FFM imagined the
      NHS as an economically dangerous bureaucratic machine that crushed medical
      independence and risked pushing the country towards dictatorship. Allies within
      the Conservative Party, private health insurance industry, and free-market 'think
      tanks' worked with the FFM to challenge defences of both the service's operation
      and meaning. To appreciate why the NHS remains 'the closest thing the English
      have to a religion', one must consider the apostates as well as the faithful.

PMID- 26502666
TI  - Painful Times: The Emergence and Campaigning of Parents Against Injustice in
      1980s Britain.
AB  - In July 1985 Steve and Susan Amphlett established Parents Against Injustice
      (PAIN) to support and represent parents falsely accused of child abuse. The
      Amphletts ran the organization from their own home, and struggled to gain
      funding, before closing PAIN in 1999. PAIN was to an extent a reflection of the
      'new politics' of identity and lifestyle, concurrent with the rise of New Social
      Movements, as falsely accused parents utilized communication technologies to make
      their experiences public, and to contact and support one another. At the same
      time, PAIN also sought to exert political influence through relatively
      traditional channels--contributing to public inquiries, encouraging their
      membership to write letters to Members of Parliament, and shaping media critique.
      Despite its small size, PAIN was able to act as an intermediary between parents
      and politicians, social workers, solicitors and physicians. PAIN represented, but
      also collated and shaped, parents' experiences. The case study of PAIN suggests
      that small groups have been able to mediate between 'public' and 'experts',
      effectively working with both groups because of their ability to combine
      experience and professionalism. These groups have brought experiential knowledge
      into social policy, and more broadly shifted the roles and responsibilities
      accorded to children, families and parents.

PMID- 26502667
TI  - [Draft guideline regarding appropriate use of 131I-MIBG radiotherapy for
      neuroendocrine tumors Drafting Committee for Guideline of Radiotherapy with 131I
      MIBG, Committee for Nuclear Oncology and Immunology, The Japanese Society of
      Nuclear Medicine].
AB  - 131I-MIBG radiotherapy has been used for unresectable nueroendocrine tumors
      including malignant pheochromocytomas and neuroblastomas in foreign countries
      since the '80s when clinical therapeutic trials were initiated. In Japan, 131I
      MIBG radiotherapy has not been approved by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare,
      however, personally imported 131I-MIBG is now available in limited institutions
      for therapeutic purpose. This updated guideline draft aims to provide useful
      information concerning 131I-MIBG radiotherapy, to prevent side effects, and to
      protect physicians, nurses, other health care professionals, patients and their
      families from radiation exposure. The committee also provides appendices
      including practical guidance for attending physicians, patient management and
      referring physicians for their conveniences.

PMID- 26502668
TI  - [The 36th Report on Survey of the Adverse Reaction to Radiopharmaceuticals (The
      39th Survey in 2013)].
AB  - This survey was performed in order to investigate the incidence of adverse
      reactions to radiopharmaceuticals in FY2013 in Japan. It was based on responses
      to questionnaires sent to nuclear medicine institutions. The reply was obtained
      from 997 institutions among 1,249 to which the questionnaire had been sent. Eight
      cases of adverse reactions were reported. A total of 1,056,876
      radiopharmaceutical administrations was reported. The incidence of adverse
      reactions per 100,000 cases was 0.8. One case of defect products was reported,
      and the incidence of defect products per 100,000 cases was 0.1.

PMID- 26502669
TI  - [Management of mucopolysaccharidosis type VI in adults].
AB  - Mucopolysaccharidosis type VI (Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome, MPS VI) is a progressive
      multisystemic lysosomal storage disease. Physical symptoms generally include
      growth retardation, and bone dysplasia. Enzyme replacement therapy is the
      treatment of choice and is done with recombinant version of enzyme N
      acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfatase (galsulfase) which is administered intravenously.
      The enzyme replacement therapy should be applied once a week as a life-long
      treatment. Division of metabolic diseases, Department of internal medicine,
      University Hospital Center Zagreb continues with the treatment of MPS VI patients
      after they turn 18 years of life and are not treated any more by the
      pediatricians. The aim of this document is to provide the guidelines for
      diagnosis and management of adult patients with MPS VI which consists not only of
      regular galsulfase adiministration, but also of regular follow up and treatment
      of numerous comorbidities. These guidelines were produced by experts from the
      Division of metabolic diseases, Department of internal medicine, University
      Hospital Center Zagreb which is the Referral center for rare and metabolic
      diseases of the Ministry of Health, Republic of Croatia. The guidelines are
      result of collaboration with pediatricians, radiologists and biochemists without
      whose experience and advices appropriate treatment of these patients would not be
      possible. The guidelines were endorsed by the Croatian society for rare diseases,
      Croatian Medical Association.

PMID- 26502670
TI  - [POMPE DISEASE - GUIDELINES FOR DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF ADULT PATIENTS].
AB  - These guidelines provide a short summary of recommendations on Pompe disease, how
      to diagnose this disease, management of adult patients with this disease, follow
      up of the patients and recommendations on therapy and genetic testing. Early
      diagnosis and management of patients with Pompe disease requires a
      multidisciplinary approach of several different experts. These guidelines were
      produced by the Division of Metabolic Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine,
      University Hospital Center Zagreb which is a Referral expert center for rare and
      metabolic diseases of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia. They
      were endorsed by the Croatian Society for Rare Diseases, Croatian Medical
      Association.These are the first guidelines published in Croatia on diagnosis,
      treatment and follow-up of Pompe disease.

PMID- 26502671
TI  - [INFLUENCE OF NECK DISSECTION ON THE CORRESPONDING MOTOR AND SENSORY NERVES].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Radical neck dissection (RND), utilized for treatment of lymph node
      metastases in patients with head and neck cancers, can result in clinically
      significant functional disturbance secondary to the corresponding nerve damage.
      However, there is only limited data relative to post-operative analysis of impact
      of RND on the cranial and cervical nerves after neck dissection especially
      regarding the technique used such as electroknife or scalpel. STUDY DESIGN: 48
      patients (42 men and 6 women) with intraoral cancer were enrolled. A total of 55
      dissections were performed, including 7 patients who received bilateral
      dissections. Analysis of motor and sensory nerves was conducted seven days and
      three months later with regard whether electroknife or scalpel was used. RESULTS:
      The most frequent post-operative loss of motor function was seen in accessory and
      hypoglossal nerves; within sensory nerves the lingual nerve was most frequently
      dysfunctional. Permanent diaphragm dysfunction was seen in 15% of investigated
      patients. CONCLUSION: We might conclude that routine evaluation of sensoneural
      and motor nerve function of all potentially damaged nerves should be performed
      after RND, especially regarding diaphragm paralysis. There were no differences in
      postoperative nerve function of the examined nerves with regard to the technique
      used (electroknife/scalpel).

PMID- 26502672
TI  - [THE INCIDENCE OF PERIPARTUM HYSTERECTOMY IN FIVE CROATIAN HOSPITALS DURING A
      SIXTEEN-YEAR PERIOD].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Peripartal hysterectomy (PPH) is a life saving surgical procedure
      that is performed when conservative measures fail to control bleeding. According
      to literature data there is an increase in incidence among developed countries.
      AIM: To define the rate of PPH during two eight-year periods in five Croatian
      hospitals in respect to mode of delivery. METHODS: Patients data were collected
      retrospectively from the medical records of the five Croatian hospitals. We
      analyzed data from 1998 to 2013, and divided them in two eight-year periods.
      RESULTS: In 70 cases out of 153,302 deliveries urgent PPH was performed. PPH
      after vaginal deliveries was found in 0.21%o and 0.16%o and PPH after caesarean
      section was 1.91 %o and 2.04%o in the first and second period, respectively.
      DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: There is no increase of PPH rate in the two analyzed
      periods, although there is a statistically significant increase of caesarean
      section rate. Caesarean section presents higher risk for PPH.

PMID- 26502673
TI  - [AWAKE SURGERY FOR A PRIMARY BRAIN TUMOR].
AB  - Awake brain surgery has been approved as a safe and efficaceous operative
      procedure with the goal of maximal tumor resection and preservation of
      neurological function. This case report presents the first full awake primary
      brain tumor surgical procedure performed in Croatia.

PMID- 26502674
TI  - [SUBUNGUAL EXOSTOSIS OF THE THUMB - CASE REPORT IN AN EIGHT YEAR OLD GIRL].
AB  - Subungual exostosis (SE) is a benign osteocartilaginous tumor of the distal
      phalanx of the finger, particularly of the toes. It affects both sexes, the most
      frequently occurring in the second and third decades of life, and very rarely in
      children younger than eight years. We present subungual exostosis (SE) in a eith
      year old female child affecting the terminal phalanx of the right thumb. She
      presented to us with gradually enlarging, painless, subungual hard nodule on the
      right thumb, spherical appearance size of 12 mm in diameter. Roentogram of the
      foot showed bony outgrowth arising from the terminal phalanx of right thumb.
      Lesion was excised with prior ablation of the nail, and sent for
      histopathological examination. Histology showed evidence of SE. No recurrence at
      postoperated site was seen till ten months of follow-up.

PMID- 26502675
TI  - [CORRELATION BETWEEN OBESITY AND PANCREATIC CANCER].
AB  - Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive tumor with a very poor prognosis, lack of
      early diagnostic symptoms and highly resistant to therapy. Its incidence is
      approximately equal to the mortality rate. Even though in recent years progress
      has been made in defining the morphological and key genetic changes, it is still
      unclear which factors trigger its occurrence. Some risk factors are age, gender
      and race, genetic susceptibility, dietary factors, fever, chronic pancreatitis,
      diabetes and physical inactivity. Studies have shown that an increase in BMI
      consequently leads to an increased risk of malignancies, including pancreatic
      cancer. Research based on adipokines and their role in obesity and the occurrence
      of pancreatic cancer are the potential for a possible future therapeutic
      interventions.

PMID- 26502676
TI  - [Which tuberculin skin test hyperreactive child should be treated with -our
      experience].
AB  - Since persons with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) represent a huge
      reservoir of potential tuberculosis (TB) disease, accurate diagnosis and
      treatment of LTBI is essential for TB control and eradication. The aim was to
      assess the diagnostic value of determination of interferon-gamma release assay in
      school children with hyperreactive tuberculin skin test (TST) reaction. A total
      of 120 BCG-vaccinated children were investigated due to a hyperreactive TST
      results. The QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test (QFT-GIT) was performed. Fifteen
      children (12.5%) had positive QFT-GIT and 105 (87.5%) children had negative QFT
      GIT. There was no statistically significant difference in TST reaction (21.5 mm u
      QFT+ vs. 20.9 mm u QFT-group, p=0.458). The children with positive QFT-GIT had a
      statistically higher level of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) than children with
      negative QFT-GIT. There were no statistically significant differences in
      concentrations of IFN-y either basic or upon stimulation with mitogen
      phytohemagglutinin. After isoniazid prophylaxis QFT-GIT remained positive in two
      children (p=0.019). In a difficult procedure for diagnosing LTBI in BCG
      vaccinated children determination of IFN-gamma could be the key factor in making
      decision whether to use preventive therapy or not.

PMID- 26502678
TI  - [Urea cycle disorders - how to prevent severe consequences of late diagnosis].

PMID- 26502677
TI  - [DR ALEKSANDAR DORSNER THE FIRST HOSPITAL OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGIST IN SPLIT AND
      DALMATIA].
AB  - Dr Aleksandar Dorsner (Trebinje, 1892 - Lima, 1967) was the first hospital
      otorhinolaryngologist in Split and Dalmatia. He graduated from the Faculty of
      Medicine in Prague in 1919, and specialized otorhinolaryngology in Graz and
      Vienna. He led and organized otorhinolaryngological service in Split Hospital
      from 1923 to 1934, and he also had a private practice. Temporarily he also worked
      outside Split in Dalmatian hinterland and in Sibenik, Zadar and Dubrovnik. Most
      frequently he performed the following otorhinolaryngological operations:
      tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies and operations of purulent middle ear
      inflammations with mastoiditis, nasal polyps, deviated nasal septum, maxillary
      sinus empyema and otorhinolaryngological trauma. In 1928 he became a member of
      Otorhinolaryngological section of Croatian Medical Chamber. He participated in
      the work of the first otorhinolaryngological congress of the former Yugoslavia in
      1931, taken place in Zagreb. From 1928 he was a member of Oto-Neuro
      Ophthalmological Society. From 1933 to 1937 he was a vice-president of the main
      board of Free Organization of Dalmatian Physicians in Split. In 1938 he left
      Split permanently and continued living with his family in Lima (Peru) where he
      died in 1967. He was an erudite. He lived for his profession which he liked very
      much and dedicated his life to. He is one of the most meritorious doctors in
      Split medical history, whom otorhinolaryngology service in Split Hospital started
      with.

PMID- 26502679
TI  - [Mediastinal tumors].

PMID- 26502680
TI  - [Prof. dr. sc. LUKA KOVACIC (13. 10. 1940.-21. 4. 2015.)].

PMID- 26502681
TI  - A Discussion about Life at the End.

PMID- 26502682
TI  - Risks Associated with Co-Prescribing Opioids and Benzodiazepines and Delaware's
      Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.

PMID- 26502683
TI  - Aggressive Measures to Decrease Door to Balloon Time May Increase the Incidence
      of Unnecessary Cardiac Catheterization and Delay Appropriate Care.
AB  - Door-to-balloon (DTB) time is an important quality measure for ST-segment
      myocardial elevation infarction (STEMI). Aggressive measures to reduce DTB time
      can increase the incidence of false positive-STEMI and may increase mortality in
      that group. Efforts to reduce DTB time should be monitored systematically to
      avoid unnecessary procedures especially in critically ill patients who don't have
      STEMI and may benefit from other appropriate therapies in timely manner. We
      report two cases where trying to achieve an aggressive DTB time may have led to
      unwarranted outcomes.

PMID- 26502684
TI  - Editor's Choice June 2015.

PMID- 26502685
TI  - Current knowledge on Mycobacterium leprae transmission: a systematic literature
      review.
AB  - Summary BACKGROUND: The transmission pathways of Mycobacterium leprae are not
      fully understood. Solid evidence exists for an increased risk for individuals
      living in close contact with leprosy patients but the existence of zoonotic
      leprosy, environmental reservoirs and trauma-related transmission has also been
      established. PURPOSE: To assess the current state of knowledge on M. leprae
      transmission, we conducted a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature
      pertaining to this topic. METHOD: Major electronic bibliographic databases were
      searched for relevant peer-reviewed articles published up to January 2014. No
      restrictions on study types, participants and location were applied, and all
      outcomes demonstrated to contribute to the transmission of M. leprae were
      considered. Included studies were grouped by mode of transmission, namely (i)
      human-to-human via aerosols or direct contact; (ii) direct inoculation (e.g.
      injury); and (iii) transmission to humans from environmental or zoonotic
      reservoirs, and by insects. The importance of the different transmission pathways
      and the strength of the evidence were assessed considering the number of
      publications describing similar findings, the consistency of the findings and the
      methodological quality of the studies. RESULTS: A total of 79 relevant articles
      were retained out of 3,805 hits resulting from the application of the search
      strategy. Solid evidence for transmission among contacts exists, and for zoonotic
      leprosy in the southern States of the USA. Based on the extant evidence, skin-to
      skin contact, aerosols/droplets and shedding of bacteria into the environment and
      subsequent infection, e.g. through dust or small wounds, all remain possible
      options. CONCLUSION: No study has unequivocally demonstrated the mechanisms by
      which M. leprae bacteria travel from one case of leprosy to another.

PMID- 26502686
TI  - Symposium Report: Developing Strategies to Block the Transmission of Leprosy.

PMID- 26502687
TI  - Clinical features of relapse after multidrug therapy for leprosy in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has defined relapse in
      leprosy, it is often difficult to confirm a relapse, especially in paucibacillary
      (PB) patients. OBJECTIVE: To study features of relapse cases in order to
      determine the information needed to allow better management of relapses in the
      leprosy control programme. DESIGN: A retrospective survey by questionnaire was
      carried out at national level at the end of 2012. RESULTS: There were 40 relapsed
      patients on register. The clinical form of leprosy was TT5, BT4, BB5, BL13 and
      LL13. Twenty-eight patients had had a positive skin smear test at the start of
      MDT, with a BI ranging from 0.83 to 6.0. At the time of completing MDT, the skin
      smear test remained positive in seven patients. After completion of MDT, other
      family members of 13 patients were identified as new leprosy patients. All
      relapse cases showed one or more active skin lesions. There were 33 patients with
      a positive skin smear test at the time of relapse. A total of 23 patients had a
      biopsy at the time of relapse, including seven patients with a negative skin
      smear test. The histological features of relapsed BB-LL patients included
      granulomas containing macrophages or epithelioid cells with sparse lymphocytes
      and acid-fast bacilli. The histological features of seven patients with negative
      skin smears showed epithelioid cell granulomas with dense lymphocytes surrounding
      the granuloma, but without distinct edema in the dermis. The average interval
      from completion of MDT to the diagnosis of relapse was 168.5 +/- 92.6 months with
      a range of 21-322 months. During the study, nine patients were tested for
      rifampicin resistance, but none showed any mutation. CONCLUSIONS: Leprosy relapse
      after MDT usually occurred late and all relapse cases had new active skin
      lesions. Most patients relapsed with a positive skin smear after previously
      reaching negative BI status. Relapse with a negative skin smear test should be
      confirmed very cautiously.

PMID- 26502688
TI  - Family motivation card: An innovative tool for increasing case detection in a
      resource poor setting.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease, causing various physical
      disabilities and deformities. Even today, stigma leads to late detection of new
      cases. Household contacts are considered a primary focus for the spread of
      infection. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: To find new cases among household contacts of
      leprosy patients by providing a family motivation card (FMC) to each leprosy
      patient, thereby enabling early diagnosis and treatment leading to a decrease in
      disease and disability burden in the community. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 100
      patients diagnosed with leprosy (both new and old cases) were enrolled in the
      study. All patients were provided with a family motivation card. The purpose of
      giving the card was discussed in detail with each patient. New family contacts
      brought by old patients were examined thoroughly for the presence of leprosy.
      Digital color photographs were taken of all family contacts. Data analysis was
      done. RESULTS: 23 new cases of leprosy (15 (65%) MB and eight (35%) PB cases)
      were detected among family members of primary cases. Most cases belonged to the
      under 15 years (43.47%) and over 60 years (34.78%) age groups. CONCLUSION:
      Adoption of a simple, cheap yet effective strategy such as the FMC could act as a
      bridge between intensive case-finding approaches, such as the Modified Leprosy
      Elimination Campaign (MLEC) and voluntary reporting.

PMID- 26502689
TI  - A case of lepromatous leprosy with co-existing tuberculosis verrucosa cutis
      (TVC).
AB  - The association of leprosy and cutaneous tuberculosis has been reported rarely.
      Though cross-immunity may exist between these two mycobacterial infections,
      tuberculosis can occur throughout the spectrum of leprosy. We report a case of
      lepromatous leprosy with Type II reaction, with tuberculosis verrucosa cutis
      (TVC). The patient presented with multiple skin-coloured tender nodules of
      variable size, involving the upper and lower extremities, nodular enlargement of
      both ear lobes, erythematous plaques on the face and icthyotic patches over both
      lower legs and feet, for 6 months. There was also a slow-growing asymptomatic
      warty plaque over the right lateral malleolus, present for 1 year. Slit skin
      smear examination from ear lobes, forehead and nodules, and histopathology of the
      warty lesion, respectively confirmed the diagnoses of leprosy and tuberculosis.

PMID- 26502690
TI  - Disseminated cutaneous BCG infection following BCG immunotherapy in patients with
      lepromatous leprosy.
AB  - Cutaneous complications of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, especially in
      the form of generalised disease, are uncommon and mostly occur in
      immunocompromised individuals. There is a paucity of data on the cutaneous
      adverse reactions secondary to BCG immunotherapy in leprosy. We report two unique
      cases of disseminated cutaneous BCG infection following immunotherapy in patients
      with lepromatous leprosy. To our knowledge, cutaneous BCG infection presenting as
      widespread lesions after immunotherapy and confirmed by isolation of
      Mycobacterium bovis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has not been described. A
      high index of suspicion is required when leprosy patients who receive BCG
      immunotherapy develop new lesions that cannot be classified as either reaction or
      relapse, and diagnosis may be confirmed on histopathology and PCR.

PMID- 26502692
TI  - Persistent serpentine supravenous hyperpigmented eruption in lepromatous leprosy
      after minocycline.
AB  - Persistent serpentine supravenous hyperpigmented eruption (PSSHE) is a peculiar
      patterned eruption characterised by hyperpigmented streaks following the
      superficial venous network on the skin. Unlike the superficial thrombophlebitis,
      it is characterised by underlying vessels that are patent. It has been described
      most commonly after injection of chemotherapeutic drugs. We describe a 40 year
      old man with lepromatous leprosy who developed PSSHE subsequent to starting
      modified multidrug therapy--multibacillary regimen in the form of minocycline and
      ofloxacin.

PMID- 26502691
TI  - Dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome in a lepromatous leprosy patient--A Case
      Report.
AB  - Dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome (DHS) can be classified as a 'drug reaction
      with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms' (DRESS). It has a variable course, it is
      not dose dependent and may present with different clinical and laboratory
      abnormalities. In some cases it may be fatal. We describe a 31 year old man with
      lepromatous leprosy in whom DHS developed 4 weeks after initiation of World
      Health Organization multibacillary multidrug therapy (dapsone, clofazimine and
      rifampin). He had fever, dehydration, diffuse rash, pain on abdominal palpation
      and inguinal painless lymph nodes. Severe anaemia, abnormal liver function and
      hyperbilirubinaemia were also found. The patient was treated with prednisone 50
      mg daily. There was gradual improvement in the clinical and laboratory signs. We
      encourage health professionals to be aware of the risk of DHS and to have in mind
      the development of investigative studies related to HLA and MHC in these
      patients.

PMID- 26502693
TI  - Leprosy and Lobomycosis: First report from the Amazon Region.
AB  - Leprosy is still a relevant health problem in Brazil with 31 044 new cases
      diagnosed in 2013, of which 781 new cases diagnosed in the State of Amazonas.
      Lobomycosis is a cutaneous-subcutaneous mycosis caused by Lacazia loboi, an in
      vitro uncultivable fungus. Lobomycosis has been mainly reported in the Amazon
      region of Brazil and Colombia affecting mainly male farmers and workers in
      extraction of rubber. Lobomycosis is clinically characterised by keloid-like
      lesions and chronic evolution. Even if lobomycosis does not represent a major
      public health problem, it remains a serious condition for patients due to
      unsatisfactory treatment. We report a case of an old man with lepromatous leprosy
      diagnosed in 1983, treated with multidrug therapy until 1989 and presenting a
      leprosy relapse 15 years after treatment. At this time a lobomycosis was also
      diagnosed in a keloid-like lesion evolving for more than 30 years. This co
      infection has been only rarely reported and this is the first detailed case
      report in the English literature.

PMID- 26502694
TI  - Type 1 reaction masquerading clinically as ENL: A Case Report.
AB  - Attention is drawn to a Type 1 reaction masquerading clinically as ENL. Histology
      showed no evidence of ENL but suggested heightened T-cell activity (CMI), a
      characteristic feature of Type 1 reaction. We present a case of a 29 year old man
      diagnosed as lepromatous leprosy with recurrent Type 2 reaction treated with
      thalidomide for 2 years. The patient was referred to our institute from a
      teaching hospital. Skin biopsies were carried out during two separate eruptive
      episodes 2 months apart. Histopathology showed heightened T-cell activity, but no
      evidence of ENL.

PMID- 26502695
TI  - [BIOLOGICAL AND IMMUNOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF POLYREACTIVE IMMUNOGLOBULINS].
AB  - A previously unknown phenomenon of acquired polyreactivity for serum
      immunoglobulins, which were subjected either to solutions of KSCN (3.0-5.0 M),
      low/high pH (pH 2.2-3.0), or heating to 58-60 degrees C, was described by us in
      1990 year. Much later, eleven years after that, similar data were published by
      others, which completely confirmed our results concerning the influence of either
      chaotropic ions or the drastic shift of pH on immunoglobulins polyreactive
      properties. Our further investigations of polyreactive serum immunoglobulins
      (PRIG) properties have shown that the mechanism of non-specific interaction
      between PRIG and antigens much differs from the mechanism of interaction between
      specific antibodies and corresponding antigens. Later we have shown that the
      increasing of PRIG reactivity could be induced in vivo, and PRIG are one of serum
      components for human or animal sera. Then, it could be suggested that PRIG can
      perform certain biological functions. Studying of PRIG's effect on the
      phagocytosis of microbes by peritoneal cells or the tumor growth have shown that
      PRIG can play a certain role in protecting the body from infections and probably
      can influence on the development of various pathological processes. Recently we
      have also found that PRIG IgG contents significantly increases in aged people.
      These data demonstrate that further investigations of PRIG's immunochemical
      properties and studying of their biological role in organism protection from
      various diseases is very intriguing and important.

PMID- 26502696
TI  - THERMAL STABILITY OF Cryptococcus albidus alpha-L-RHAMNOSIDASE.
AB  - Yeast as well as micromycetes alpha-L-rhamnosidases, currently, are the most
      promising group of enzymes. Improving of the thermal stability of the enzyme
      preparation are especially important studies. Increase in stability and
      efficiency of substrate hydrolysis by alpha-L-rhamnosidase will improve the
      production technology of juices and wines. The aim of our study was to
      investigate the rate of naringin hydrolysis by alpha-L-rhamnosidase from
      Cryptococcus albidus, and also some aspects of the thermal denaturation and
      stabilization of this enzyme. We investigated two forms of alpha-L-rhamnosidase
      from C. albidus, which were obtained by cultivation of the producer on two carbon
      sources--naringin and rhamnose. A comparative study of properties and the process
      of thermal inactivation of alpha-L-rhamnosidases showed that the inducer of
      synthesis had no effect on the efficiency of naringin hydrolysis by the enzyme,
      but modified thermal stability of the protein molecule. Hydrophobic interactions
      and the cysteine residues are involved in maintaining of active conformation of
      the alpha-L-rhamnosidase molecule. Yeast alpha-L-rhamnosidase is also stabilized
      by 0.5% bovine serum albumin and 0.25% glutaraldehyde.

PMID- 26502697
TI  - FURIN INHIBITORS BASED ON THE DERIVATIVES OF CALIX[4]ARENE CX3im.
AB  - The aim of this work was to study antifurin activity of some derivatives of
      calix[4]arenes modified on the upper rim of the macrocycle by positively charged
      or uncharged groups. It was found that calixarene CX3im derivatives containing
      positively charged N-methylimidazolium cycles were indeed able to inhibit furin
      (K(i) = 58.2 MUM). The magnitude of the effects depended also on the
      hydrophobicity of the substituents located on the lower rim of the macrocycle.
      The findings indicated the possibility of creating furin inhibitors of new
      generation based on the calix[4]arene platform.

PMID- 26502698
TI  - [PROPERTIES OF CHICKEN LIVER MEMBRANE-ASSOCIATED THIAMINE TRIPHOSPHATASE].
AB  - The enzymes involved in thiamine triphosphate (ThTP) metabolism in birds are not
      characterized so far. The aim of the present work was to study some properties of
      ThTPase in chicken liver. In liver homogenate, ThTPase activity has been found to
      display a bell-like pH-profile with a maximum of 5.5-6.0. Low activity was
      observed without divalent metal ions, while the addition of Mg2+ or Ca2+, each at
      5 mM concentration, enhanced the rate of ThTP hydrolysis by a factor of 17-20. In
      the presence of 5 mM Mg2+ an apparent K(m) of the enzyme for ThTP was estimated
      by the method of non-linear regression as well as from the Hanes plot to be 1.7
      2.2 mM. Monovalent anions such as I-, SCN-, NO3-, Br-, Cl- (at 150 mM
      concentration) showed inhibitory effect decreasing the rate of ThTPase reaction
      by 20-60%. After the homogenate was centrifuged, more than 85% of ThTPase
      activity was revealed in the fraction of insoluble particles indicating a
      membrane localization of the enzyme. The precipitate treatment with 1% sodium
      deoxycholate caused about 53% solubilization of the activity. During Toyopeal HW
      55 chromatography, ThTPase activity was eluted simultaneously with ATPase and
      ITPase peaks in the void volume of the column. Thus, a non-specific high
      molecular mass protein complex seems to be involved in ThTP hydrolysis in the
      chicken liver. The chicken liver phosphatase is clearly distinguishable from all
      membrane-bound ThTPases reported previously.

PMID- 26502699
TI  - CARBONIC ANHYDRASE ACTIVITY OF INTEGRAL-FUNCTIONAL COMPLEXES OF THYLAKOID
      MEMBRANES OF SPINACH CHLOROPLASTS.
AB  - Isolated thylakoid membranes were disrupted by treatment with nonionic detergents
      digitonin or dodecyl maltoside. Solubilized polypeptide complexes were separated
      by native gel charge shift electrophoresis. The position of ATP-synthase complex
      and its isolated catalytic part (CF1) within gel was determined using the color
      reaction for ATPase activity. Due to the presence of cytochromes, the red band in
      unstained gels corresponded to the cytochrome b6f complex. Localization of the
      cytochrome b6f complex, ATP synthase and coupling CF1 in the native gel was
      confirmed by their subunit composition determined after SDS-electrophoretic
      analysis. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity in polypeptide zones of PS II,
      cytochrome b6f complex, and ATP-synthase CF1 was identified in native gels using
      indicator bromothymol blue. CA activity of isolated CF1 in solution was
      determined by infrared gas analysis as the rate of bicarbonate dehydration. The
      water-soluble acetazolamide, an inhibitor of CA, unlike lipophilic ethoxyzolamide
      inhibited CA activity of CF1 Thus, it was shown for the first time that ATP
      synthase has a component which is capable of catalyzing the interconversion of
      forms of carbonic acid associated with proton exchange. The data obtained suggest
      the presence of multiple forms of carbonic anhydrase in the thylakoid membranes
      of spinach chloroplasts and confirm their involvement in the proton transfer to
      the ATP synthase.

PMID- 26502700
TI  - HISTONE DEACETYLASE ACTIVITY AND REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES CONTENT IN THE TISSUE
      CULTURE OF Arabidopsis thaliana UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS AND DEVELOPMENT OF ACUTE
      OSMOTIC STRESS.
AB  - The possible involvement of histone deacetylase (HDAC) in regulation of ROS
      content in the tissue culture of Arabidopsis thaliana under normal conditions and
      under development of acute osmotic stress was studied by using inhibition assay
      with application of trichostatin A (TSA). It was found that in the tissue culture
      grown under normal conditions a decrease in HDAC activity by means of TSA led to
      increase of the ROS content. Similar but more pronounced alterations occurred
      under stress. At the same time an increase in histone acetyltransferase (HAT)
      activity was also observed. The possible mechanisms of HDAC and HAT participation
      in regulation of ROS content by changes in expression of genes that are
      responsible for ROS production and antioxidant activity are discussed.

PMID- 26502701
TI  - INHIBITOR OF THE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR NF-kappaB, DHMEQ, ENHANCES THE EFFECT OF
      PACLITAXEL ON CELLS OF ANAPLASTIC THYROID CARCINOMA IN VITRO AND IN VIVO.
AB  - Anticancer drug paclitaxel (Ptx) effect on biochemical mechanisms, regulating
      apoptosis in anaplas- tic thyroid carcinoma cells, was studied. It was shown that
      in addition to apoptotic cell death, Ptx induces signaling cascades that ensure
      cell survival. Paclitaxel-induced activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF
      kappaB) leads to an increase of some antiapoptotic proteins expression such as
      survivin, cIAP, XIAP. A novel NF-kappaB inhibitor, dehydroxymethylepoxyquinomicin
      (DHMEQ), was found to enhance cytotoxic effect of Ptx in anaplastic thyroid
      carcinoma cells. An enhancement of caspase-3 and -9 activation and PARP cleavage
      as well as the decreased levels of proteins-inhibitors of apoptosis were observed
      when cells were treated with a combination of both drugs. Mitochondria
      transmembrane potential (Deltapsi (m)) loss was observed at higher concentrations
      of Ptx and DHMEQ. NF-kappaB inhibition also potentiates paclitaxel effect at
      tumors formed by xenotransplantation of FRO cells into mice. Tumor mass
      reduction, significantly different from the effects of each of the compounds
      alone, was observed in animals, treated with paclitaxel and NF-kappaB inhibitor.
      Thus, the combined use of paclitaxel and NF-kappaB inhibitor inhibits biochemical
      processes that contribute to the resistance of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells
      to paclitaxel action.

PMID- 26502702
TI  - VITAMIN D3 CONTRIBUTION TO THE REGULATION OF OXIDATIVE METABOLISM IN THE LIVER OF
      DIABETIC MICE.
AB  - This work is devoted to the study of the features of oxidative metabolism of
      hepatocytes in diabetic mice and those under the vitamin D3 action. We found out
      that a 2.5-fold decrease of 25OHD3 content in the serum was caused by chronic
      hyperglycemia in diabetes. Intensification of the reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      and nitrogen monoxide (NO) production, protein oxidative modifications (detected
      by the contents of carbonyl groups and 3-nitrotyrosine), accumulation of diene
      conjugates and TBA-reactive products of lipid peroxidation, and the decreased
      level of free SH-groups of low molecular weight compounds in the liver were
      accompanied by development of vitamin D3 deficient state. It was shown that there
      was a decrease in the key antioxidant enzymes activity (catalase, SOD), while the
      activity of prooxidant enzymes NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase, xanthine oxidase
      and NAD(P)H oxidase was increased. The identified oxidative metabolism lesions
      caused the elevation of the hepatocytes necrotic death that was tested for the
      ability of their nuclei to accumulate propidium iodide. Prolonged vitamin D3
      administration (during 2 months) at a dose of 20 IU to diabetic mice helps to
      reduce the ROS formation and biomacromolecules oxidative damage, normalizes the
      antioxidant system state in the liver and increases survival of hepatocytes. The
      results suggest that vitamin D3 is a key player in the regulation of the
      oxidative metabolism in diabetes.

PMID- 26502703
TI  - INDICATORS OF HUMORAL IMMUNITY UNDER CHEMICAL BURNS OF ESOPHAGUS IN RATS.
AB  - It is well known that the immune system has been actively involved in the
      regeneration and healing processes of post burn wounds. However, unanswered
      questions remain concerning the role of humoral immunity in the healing
      mechanisms and development of burn wound complications. We have developed an
      experimental model of chemical esophageal burn (CEB) which corresponds to
      esophageal burn in 1-8 years old children. We studied the features of humoral
      immunity upon CEB in rats. A decrease in IgG levels and an increase in levels of
      medium- and low- molecular circulating immune complexes (CIC) on the first day of
      esophageal burns were observed. On the 21st day of burn, we observed an increase
      in the IgG concentration and a tendency to accumulation of medium- and low
      molecular CIC. The studied indicators can be used to differentiate CEB
      development and create a timeline of burn wounds.

PMID- 26502704
TI  - [LEVELS OF SERUM ANTIBODIES TO ENTEROBACTERIAL LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDES AND THEIR
      RELATIONSHIP WITH CONCENTRATION OF C-REACTIVE PROTEIN IN DIABETES MELLITUS
      PATIENTS].
AB  - We examined patients with type 1 (DM 1) and type 2 (DM 2) diabetes mellitus. The
      concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood and levels of serum
      antibodies to different classes of enterobacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) were
      determined by ELISA. Using cluster analysis it was shown that in 40.8% DM-1
      patients the increased concentration of CRP is associated with a decrease in the
      levels of serum anti-LPS-IgA, anti-LPS-IgM and anti-LPS-IgG. In 56.7% of DM-2
      patients with increased concentration of CRP levels of serum anti-LPS-IgA and
      anti-LPS-IgM were not significantly different from the normal values, but the
      levels of serum anti-LPS-IgG were significantly increased. Activation of
      inflammation and increase of concentration of the CRP in the blood of DM-2
      patients is accompanied by a significant increase in the levels of serum anti-LPS
      A and anti-LPS-G, as well as the tendency to reduce the levels of anti-LPS-IgM.
      The results of this study suggest an association between low intensity
      inflammation and immune response to enterobacterial LPS in type 1 and 2 diabetes
      mellitus.

PMID- 26502705
TI  - [DIFFERENTIATION OF NORM AND PATHOLOGY DURING SELECTIVE BIOCHEMICAL SKREENING OF
      LYSOSOMAL STORAGE DISEASES WITH INCREASED EXCRETION OF OLIGOSACCHARIDES].
AB  - Oligosaccharides are a class of polymeric carbohydrates, which are constituents
      of a glycoside portion of glycoprotein and glycolipid molecules. The lysosomal
      hydrolase dysfunction due to lysosomal storage disorders results in partial or
      complete failure of degradation of some glycoproteins and glycolipids, causing
      the accumulation of specific undegraded substrates in the lysosomes of cells, the
      formation of the great number of oligosaccharide chains and their increased
      excretion with urine. Our work was aimed at detailed study of the specificities
      of interpreting the results of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) of urine
      oligosaccharides in healthy persons of different age groups with the purpose of
      further application of these data while differentiating the norm and pathology in
      the course of primary selective screening of lysosomal storage disorders. The
      results obtained demonstrated that TLC plates for the majority of healthy persons
      had insignificant excretion of a number of oligosaccharides (from monosaccharides
      to hexasaccharides) with R(lac) > 0.15, which can be characterized as
      physiological oligosacchariduria, conditioned by the metabolism specificities in
      lysosomes. Therefore while interpreting the urine samples of patients with the
      suspected lysosomal storage disorder it is diagnostically reasonable to examine
      the TLC plates for the presence of both oligosaccharide groups, absent in the
      samples of healthy persons, and all the fractions with R(lac) < 0.15.

PMID- 26502706
TI  - DISTRIBUTION OF GLIAL FIBRILLARY ACIDIC PROTEIN IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE RAT
      BRAIN UNDER CADMIUM EXPOSURE.
AB  - The chronic effects of low doses of cadmium on the distribution of soluble and
      filament forms of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and their polypeptide
      fragments in different parts of the rat brain were investigated. Obtained results
      showed dose-dependent effect of cadmium on the soluble form of GFAP and more
      pronounced effect on the filament form and composition of the polypeptide
      fragments of the protein in the rat brain. Prolonged intoxication by cadmium ions
      in a dose of 1.0 MUg/kg of body weight induced a significant decrease in soluble
      GFAP and an increase in the filament form in the rat brain, pointing to the
      development of reactive astrogliosis and the risk of neurodegeneration.

PMID- 26502707
TI  - [Inventive activity of Maksym Fedotovych Guly, Academician of NAS of Ukraine].

PMID- 26502708
TI  - [A Case of Anorexia Nervosa with Chewing and Spitting Improved by Treatment with
      Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors].
AB  - Chewing and spitting (CHSP) is the symptom of chewing and spitting out food
      without swallowing. CHSP is fairy common among patients with eating disorders,
      but no report has been published on drug treatment for it. We report a patient
      with anorexia nervosa showing extreme weight loss due to CHSP. After admission,
      CHSP was improved by treatment with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors,
      leading to marked recovery of the body weight CHSP may represent a marker for
      illness severity, so its early treatment is critical to prevent the increasing
      severity of eating disorders.

PMID- 26502709
TI  - [A Comprehensive Care System for Children with Anorexia Nervosa in Pediatric
      Practice].
AB  - Against the backdrop of rapid industrialization and westernization after the
      World War II, there has been an ever increasing number of children with anorexia
      nervosa (AN) in pediatric practice, making it one of the most common diseases in
      children. With a severe lack of AN specialists in Japan, pediatricians need to
      face the daunting task of treating AN on their own. Malnutrition overlooked
      during periods of growth and development yields a risk of death, growth
      disturbance and an intractable conditions with secondary disorders of brain
      atrophy, osteoporosis, infertility, maltreatment and childrearing failures,
      mental disorders and others, which can last for life. Prevention is the best and
      a must for AN, and an early detection and treatment need to be in place to
      mitigate its progress and aggravation. It is crucial that an effective care is
      provided in early, treatable stage to assist the patient back to a healthy
      developmental trajectory. In 1993, the Department of Pediatrics, School of
      Medicine, Keio University (hereafter PKU) appointed a child psychiatrist as its
      fulltime staff and has included inpatient treatment of AN as a compulsory item of
      its postgraduate training program. Over the past twenty years, PKU has developed
      a comprehensive treatment system of AN (Scientific Report of Ministry of Welfare
      and Labor 2006). In the primary care of AN, a screening tool using simple
      physical measurement of weight on growth chart combined with pulse proves
      effective. When a weight on growth chart reveals an unhealthy weight loss and is
      combined with bradycardia, it detects AN at sensitivity of 83% and specificity of
      93%. In the secondary care of AN, 40 pediatric institutions affiliated with PKU
      implemented early treatment of AN with the support of the Mental Health Division
      of PKU. In the tertiary care for severely emaciated AN patients, an around-the
      clock intensive treatment program, called Anorexia Nervosa Intensive Care Unit
      (ANICU) was instituted. The gist of ANICU is to enhance the patient's awareness
      of the danger of catabolism and her incentive to overcome AN through active
      commitment to the treatment. This treatment program harbors principles of
      integrity, structure and persistence; starting with a complete bed rest and
      regular small-step provision of nutrition and steady enhancement of daily
      activities, it steadily and systematically converts the body's metabolism from
      catabolism to anabolism. In this treatment program, more than one hundred
      patients' lives were saved without a single fatal case. Trainees in PKU were
      provided with firsthand experience of providing comprehensive care, including
      taking on a role of feeding the AN patients three times a day. Around three
      hundred trainees were trained at PKU over the past twenty years, many of whom now
      treat AN in their affiliated hospitals. This collaborative care, comprised of a
      pediatric team, family and school, supported by a specialist, will become the
      most reliable way of treating AN in the coming days. We hope to decrease the
      sufferings of children with AN through spreading this comprehensive care system
      for children with AN in Japan.

PMID- 26502710
TI  - [Limitations and Problems with Treatment of Eating Disorders in a Psychiatric
      Hospital].
AB  - Treating patients who have eating disorders in psychiatric hospitals is difficult
      for several reasons. The first reason is that there is a shortage of qualified
      psychiatrists. For each psychiatrist, there are approximately thirty hospitalized
      patients. In addition to this limited number of psychiatrists, funding in
      psychiatric hospitals only provides for a limited number of other medical staff
      when compared with funding available for general hospitals. The second reason is
      that there is a problem with the national medical treatment fee system.
      Specifically, in the current system, patients are not permitted to stay in
      hospitals long-term; outpatient treatment is preferred. The third reason is that
      psychiatric hospitals are not equipped to deal with patients who have physical
      illnesses. The following two case studies highlight the problems and limitations
      associated with treating patients who have eating disorders. Ways in which
      psychiatric hospitals can collaborate with other organizations, including low
      enforcement officials, are also considered. Although it is clear that an
      integrated and collaborative approach is necessary, implementation of such a
      system is still a long way from being realized, and greater effort is needed to
      provide patients suffering from eating disorders with the best possible
      treatment.

PMID- 26502711
TI  - [Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa Patients in General Hospitals with Psychiatric
      Wards Current Situation and Establishment of a Treatment System].
AB  - Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) exhibit physical and psychiatric symptoms, in
      addition to their behavioral problems, and often require admission to a general
      hospital with a psychiatric ward. There are only a few general hospitals with
      psychiatric wards available, and patients with AN tend to be concentrated in a
      small number of such institutions. Thus, it is difficult to provide adequate
      support for the treatment of patients with AN. In Kyoto, the number of general
      hospitals with a psychiatric ward is small. Patients with AN tend to be treated
      at the two university hospitals. However, our University Hospital cannot accept
      all patients with AN, especially the emergency admissions. Therefore, with
      respect to the inpatient treatment of AN, we established a cooperation agreement
      with other psychiatric hospitals. We are planning to divide the inpatient
      treatment of AN between our university hospital and other psychiatric hospitals,
      depending on the stage of AN and the severity of the patients' physical
      condition. With respect to the treatment of AN, it is necessary to establish a
      treatment system with each hospital playing a role.

PMID- 26502712
TI  - [Democratizing the Privileges of Psychiatrists].
AB  - Psychiatrists are endowed with many privileges in their clinical practices. These
      include privileges to engage with personally and socially important disorders,
      those stemming from the role of psychiatrists as medical professionals, and those
      given by their situation in the context of a social psychiatric system. These
      privileges allow psychiatrists to attain profound insight into the significance
      and value of life. Psychiatrists must inculcate a mission to be aware of and to
      make use of these privileges for advances in psychiatry and clinical practices.
      One of the most important privileges of psychiatrists is to share their feeling
      of self-respect obtained by devoting themselves to "the most important medicine
      for humans" with their patients, families, and colleagues.

PMID- 26502713
TI  - [One-carbon Metabolism and Schizophrenia].
AB  - One-carbon metabolism is a process whereby folate transters one-carbon groups in
      a range of biological processes, including DNA methylation and homocysteine
      metabolism. We have focused on and examined the potential roles of this one
      carbon metabolism in the pathology of schizophrenia. Firstly, we revealed that
      aberrant DNA methylation in schizophrenia occurred across the whole genome in
      peripheral leukocytes by conducting genome-wide DNA methylation profiling.
      Secondly, we demonstrated that plasma total homocysteine was associated with DNA
      methylation in patients with schizophrenia at specific genes. Thirdly, we
      demonstrated that blood homocysteine levels were significantly higher in patients
      with schizophrenia than in non-psychiatric controls by conducting meta-analysis
      of previous observational studies. Fourthly, we demonstrated a causal
      relationship between blood homocysteine and schizophrenia by conducting Mendelian
      randomization analysis. Finally, we demonstrated that the
      methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism, which causes
      reduced enzyme activity and higher homocysteine levels, was a risk factor for
      developing schizophrenia in a Japanese population by conducting meta-analysis of
      previous genetic association studies. These results will add new insights into
      the pathology and treatment of schizophrenia.

PMID- 26502714
TI  - Temporal changes in haematocrit following artemisinin-based combination
      treatments of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Artemisinin-based combination treatments (ACTs) or intravenous
      artesunate are used in over 100 countries for uncomplicated or severe falciparum
      malaria. Although intravenous artesunate may cause delayed haemolytic anaemia,
      there is little evaluation of the temporal changes in haematocrit following ACTs.
      METHODS: Clinical and parasitological parameters were measured before and
      following treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in children with
      artesunate-amodiaquine (AA) or artemether-lumefantrine (AL) over 6-weeks. Changes
      in haematocrit were characterized in individual patients based on a haematocrit
      <30 % or >=30 % before and following treatment. Kinetics of the deficit in
      haematocrit from <30 % until attainment of >=30 % were estimated by a non
      compartment model. RESULTS: In 248 of 1180 children eligible for evaluation,
      common temporal patterns were: no change or increase in haematocrit from >= 30 %
      [50 % of patients], haematocrit >30 % at presentation declining to <30 % within 2
      weeks (early monophasic fall) [19 % of patients], and haematocrit <30 % at
      presentation increasing to >= 30 % [23 % of patients]. Haematocrit >30 % at
      presentation declining to <30 %, 3-5 weeks later (late monophasic fall) occurred
      in 7 children (3 %). Fall in haematocrit >=5 units following treatment occurred
      in 57 children [23 %] between 14 and 28 days after treatment began. Baseline
      parasitaemia and proportion with > 100,000MUL(-1) asexual forms were
      significantly higher in children with >=5 units compared to <5 units fall in
      haematocrit 21 or 28 days after treatment began. Irrespective of pattern,
      declines in haematocrit deficit from <30 % were mono-exponential, with similar
      half-times for AA- and AL-treated children (1.32 d versus 1.14 d). Anaemia half
      time correlated significantly positively with anaemia recovery time in the same
      patients (r = 0.55, P < 0.0001). Bland-Altman analysis of 9 or 10 multiples of
      anaemia half-time and anaemia recovery times showed narrow limit of agreement
      with insignificant biases (P = 0.19 or 0.63, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In
      uncomplicated falciparum malaria, increases or falls in haematocrit are common
      following ACTs. Falls in haematocrit >= 5 units are common and may or may not
      result in early or late anaemia. In children who recovered from acute falciparum
      malaria-associated anaemia following ACTs, decline in haematocrit deficit is mono
      exponential. TRIALS REGISTRATION: Pan African Clinical Trial Registry
      PACTR201508001188143 , 3 July 2015; PACTR201508001191898 , 7 July 2015
      http://www.pactr.org .

PMID- 26502715
TI  - Channel-assisted minimally invasive repair of acute Achilles tendon rupture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Percutaneous (minimally invasive) suturing is a promising option for
      Achilles tendon (AT) repair with low rerupture and infection rates. Sural nerve
      lesions are the major problem to avoid with the technique. A new device was
      therefore designed for suturing the AT, resulting in channel-assisted minimally
      invasive repair (CAMIR). The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical
      and functional outcomes of CAMIR with traditional open techniques. METHOD: Eighty
      two patients with AT rupture were included: 41 for CAMIR, 41 for open repair. All
      patients followed a standardized rehabilitation protocol. Follow-ups were at 12
      and 24 months after surgery. Functional evaluation was based on the clinical
      American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society score associated with neurologic
      deficit (sural nerve), calf circumference, range of motion (ROM), and isometric
      testing. RESULTS: There was no difference between groups regarding plantar flexor
      strength, ankle ROM, or calf circumference. CAMIR significantly decreased the
      operative time compared to open repair (17 vs. 56 min, P < 0.0001). Mean scar
      length was greater in the open repair group (10 vs. 2 cm, P < 0.0001). There were
      no wound complications in the CAMIR group but four in the open repair group (P <
      0.0001). No deep vein thrombosis, rerupture, or sural nerve injury occurred.
      CONCLUSION: CAMIR and open repair yielded essentially identical clinical and
      functional outcomes. Sural nerve injuries can be minimized using CAMIR by
      carefully placing the suture channel with a stab incision and special trocar
      based on a modified Bunnell suture technique.

PMID- 26502716
TI  - The clinical features of respiratory infections caused by the Streptococcus
      anginosus group.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Streptococcus anginosus group (SAG) play important roles in
      respiratory infections. It is ordinarily difficult to distinguish them from
      contaminations as the causative pathogens of respiratory infections because they
      are often cultured in respiratory specimens. Therefore, it is important to
      understand the clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of respiratory
      infections caused by the SAG members. The aim of this study is to clarify the
      role of the SAG bacteria in respiratory infections. METHODS: A total of 30
      patients who were diagnosed with respiratory infections which were caused by the
      SAG bacteria between January 2005 and February 2015 were retrospectively
      evaluated. RESULTS: Respiratory infections caused by the SAG were mostly seen in
      male patients with comorbid diseases and were typically complicated with pleural
      effusion. Pleural effusion was observed in 22 (73.3%) patients. Empyema was
      observed in half of the 22 patients with pleural effusion. S. intermedius, S.
      constellatus and S. anginosus were detected in 16 (53.3 %), 11 (36.7 %) and 3
      (10.0 %) patients, respectively. Six patients had mixed-infections. The duration
      from the onset of symptoms to the hospital visit was significantly longer in
      "lung abscess" patients than in "pneumonia" patients among the 24 patients with
      single infections, but not among the six patients with mixed-infection. The
      peripheral white blood cell counts of the "pneumonia" patients were higher than
      those of the "lung abscess" patients and S. intermedius was identified
      significantly more frequently in patients with pulmonary and pleural infections
      (pneumonia and lung abscess) than in patients with bacterial pleurisy only. In
      addition, the patients in whom S. intermedius was cultured were significantly
      older than those in whom S. constellatus was cultured. CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory
      infections caused by the SAG bacteria tended to be observed more frequently in
      male patients with comorbid diseases and to more frequently involve purulent
      formation. In addition, S. intermedius was mainly identified in elderly patients
      with having pulmonary infection complicated with pleural effusion, and the
      aspiration of oral secretions may be a risk factor in the formation of empyema
      thoracis associated with pneumonia due to S. intermedius.

PMID- 26502717
TI  - An evaluation of harvest plots to display results of meta-analyses in overviews
      of reviews: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Harvest plots are used to graphically display evidence from complex
      and diverse studies or results. Overviews of reviews bring together evidence from
      two or more systematic reviews. Our objective was to determine the feasibility of
      using harvest plots to depict complex results of overviews of reviews. METHODS:
      We conducted a survey of 279 members of Cochrane Child Health to determine their
      preferences for graphical display of data, and their understanding of data
      presented in the form of harvest plots. Preferences were rated on a scale of 0
      100 (100 most preferred) and tabulated using descriptive statistics. Knowledge
      and accuracy were assessed by tabulating the number of correctly answered
      questions for harvest plots and traditional data summary tables; t-tests were
      used to compare responses between formats. RESULTS: 53 individuals from 7
      countries completed the survey (19%): 60% were females; the majority had an MD
      (38%), PhD (47%), or equivalent. Respondents had published a median of 3
      systematic reviews (inter-quartile range 1 to 8). There were few differences
      between harvest plots and tables in terms of being: well-suited to summarize and
      display results from meta-analysis (52 vs. 56); easy to understand (53 vs. 51);
      and, intuitive (49 vs. 44). Harvest plots were considered more aesthetically
      pleasing (56 vs. 44, p = 0.03). 40% felt the harvest plots could be used in
      conjunction with tables to display results from meta-analyses; additionally, 45%
      felt the harvest plots could be used with some improvement. There was no
      statistically significant difference in percentage of knowledge questions
      answered correctly for harvest plots compared with tables. When considering both
      types of data display, 21% of knowledge questions were answered incorrectly.
      CONCLUSIONS: Neither harvest plots nor standard summary tables were ranked highly
      in terms of being easy to understand or intuitive, reflecting that neither format
      is ideal to summarize the results of meta-analyses in overviews of reviews.
      Responses to knowledge questions showed some misinterpretation of results of meta
      analyses. Reviewers should ensure that messages are clearly articulated and
      summarized in the text to avoid misinterpretation.

PMID- 26502718
TI  - Hypoxia biomarkers in squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is significant evidence that severe tumor hypoxia may cause
      resistance to chemoradiotherapy and promote metastatic spread in locally advanced
      carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Some clinical investigations have suggested that
      high expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) and/or its target
      gene carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) may be useful biomarkers of tumor hypoxia and
      poor outcome in cervical cancer. Here, we challenged this view by investigating
      possible associations between HIF-1alpha expression, CAIX expression, fraction of
      hypoxic tissue, and lymph node metastasis in experimental human tumors. METHODS:
      Tumors of two cervical carcinoma xenograft lines (CK-160 and TS-415) were
      included in the study. Pimonidazole was used as a hypoxia marker, and tumor
      hypoxia, HIF-1alpha expression, and CAIX expression were detected by
      immunohistochemistry. Metastatic status was assessed by examining external lymph
      nodes in the inguinal, axillary, interscapular, and submandibular regions and
      internal lymph nodes in the abdomen and mediastinum. RESULTS: Tissue regions
      staining positive for pimonidazole, HIF-1alpha, or CAIX were poorly colocalized,
      both in CK-160 and TS-415 tumors. The expression of HIF-1alpha or CAIX did not
      correlate with the fraction of hypoxic tissue in any of the two tumor lines.
      Furthermore, clinically relevant associations between HIF-1alpha or CAIX
      expression and lymph node metastasis were not found. CONCLUSION: Because
      significant associations between HIF-1alpha expression, CAIX expression, fraction
      of hypoxic tissue, and incidence of lymph node metastases could not be detected
      in any of two preclinical models of human cervical cancer, it is not realistic to
      believe that high expression of HIF-1alpha or CAIX can be useful biomarkers of
      tumor hypoxia and poor outcome in a highly heterogeneous disease like cervical
      carcinoma.

PMID- 26502719
TI  - Deciphering the mode of action of a mutant Allium sativum Leaf Agglutinin
      (mASAL), a potent antifungal protein on Rhizoctonia solani.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mutant Allium sativum leaf agglutinin (mASAL) is a potent, biosafe,
      antifungal protein that exhibits fungicidal activity against different
      phytopathogenic fungi, including Rhizoctonia solani. METHODS: The effect of mASAL
      on the morphology of R.solani was monitored primarily by scanning electron and
      light microscopic techniques. Besides different fluorescent probes were used for
      monitoring various intracellular changes associated with mASAL treatment like
      change in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), intracellular accumulation of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induction of programmed cell death (PCD). In
      addition ligand blot followed by LC-MS/MS analyses were performed to detect the
      putative interactors of mASAL. RESULTS: Knowledge on the mode of function for any
      new protein is a prerequisite for its biotechnological application. Detailed
      morphological analysis of mASAL treated R. solani hyphae using different
      microscopic techniques revealed a detrimental effect of mASAL on both the cell
      wall and the plasma membrane. Moreover, exposure to mASAL caused the loss of
      mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and the subsequent intracellular
      accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the target organism. In
      conjunction with this observation, evidence of the induction of programmed cell
      death (PCD) was also noted in the mASAL treated R. solani hyphae. Furthermore, we
      investigated its interacting partners from R. solani. Using ligand blots followed
      by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analyses, we
      identified different binding partners including Actin, HSP70, ATPase and 14-3-3
      protein. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the present study provides insight into the
      probable mode of action of the antifungal protein, mASAL on R. solani which could
      be exploited in future biotechnological applications.

PMID- 26502720
TI  - Suppression of MAPK attenuates neuronal cell death induced by activated glia
      conditioned medium in alpha-synuclein overexpressing SH-SY5Y cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease with
      characteristics and symptoms that are well defined. Nevertheless, its aetiology
      remains unknown. PD is characterized by the presence of Lewy bodies inside
      neurons. alpha-Synuclein (alpha-syn) is a soluble protein present in the pre
      synaptic terminal of neurons. Evidence suggests that alpha-syn has a fundamental
      role in PD pathogenesis, given that it is an important component of Lewy bodies
      localized in the dopaminergic neurons of PD patients. METHODS: In the present
      study, we investigated the influence of wild type (WT) and A30P alpha-syn
      overexpression on neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y toxicity induced by the conditioned
      medium (CM) from primary cultures of glia challenged with lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS) from Escherichia coli. RESULTS: We observed that SH-SY5Y cells transduced
      with alpha-syn (WT or A30P) and treated with CM from LPS-activated glia cells
      show evidence of cell death, which is not reverted by NF-kappaB inhibition by
      sodium salicylate or by blockage of P50 (NF-kappaB subunit). Furthermore, the
      expression of A30P alpha-syn in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y decreases the cell death
      triggered by the CM of activated glia versus WT alpha-syn or control group. This
      effect of A30P alpha-syn may be due to the low MAPK42/44 phosphorylation. This
      finding is substantiated by MEK1 inhibition by PD98059, decreasing LDH release by
      CM in SH-SY5Y cells. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that SH-SY5Y cells
      transduced with alpha-syn (WT or A30P) and treated with CM from LPS-activated
      glia cells show cell death, which is not reverted by NF-kappaB blockage.
      Additionally, the expression of A30P alpha-syn on neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y leads to
      decreased cell death triggered by the CM of activated glia, when compared to WT
      alpha-syn or control group. The mechanism underlying this process remains to be
      completely elucidated, but the present data suggest that MAPK42/44
      phosphorylation plays an important role in this process. TRIAL REGISTRATION: 
      PROSPERO: CRD42015020829.

PMID- 26502721
TI  - Microbiomes of the dust particles collected from the International Space Station
      and Spacecraft Assembly Facilities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The International Space Station (ISS) is a unique built environment
      due to the effects of microgravity, space radiation, elevated carbon dioxide
      levels, and especially continuous human habitation. Understanding the composition
      of the ISS microbial community will facilitate further development of safety and
      maintenance practices. The primary goal of this study was to characterize the
      viable microbiome of the ISS-built environment. A second objective was to
      determine if the built environments of Earth-based cleanrooms associated with
      space exploration are an appropriate model of the ISS environment. RESULTS:
      Samples collected from the ISS and two cleanrooms at the Jet Propulsion
      Laboratory (JPL, Pasadena, CA) were analyzed by traditional cultivation,
      adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and propidium monoazide-quantitative polymerase
      chain reaction (PMA-qPCR) assays to estimate viable microbial populations. The
      16S rRNA gene Illumina iTag sequencing was used to elucidate microbial diversity
      and explore differences between ISS and cleanroom microbiomes. Statistical
      analyses showed that members of the phyla Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and
      Proteobacteria were dominant in the samples examined but varied in abundance.
      Actinobacteria were predominant in the ISS samples whereas Proteobacteria, least
      abundant in the ISS, dominated in the cleanroom samples. The viable bacterial
      populations seen by PMA treatment were greatly decreased. However, the treatment
      did not appear to have an effect on the bacterial composition (diversity)
      associated with each sampling site. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study
      provide strong evidence that specific human skin-associated microorganisms make a
      substantial contribution to the ISS microbiome, which is not the case in Earth
      based cleanrooms. For example, Corynebacterium and Propionibacterium
      (Actinobacteria) but not Staphylococcus (Firmicutes) species are dominant on the
      ISS in terms of viable and total bacterial community composition. The results
      obtained will facilitate future studies to determine how stable the ISS
      environment is over time. The present results also demonstrate the value of
      measuring viable cell diversity and population size at any sampling site. This
      information can be used to identify sites that can be targeted for more stringent
      cleaning. Finally, the results will allow comparisons with other built sites and
      facilitate future improvements on the ISS that will ensure astronaut health.

PMID- 26502722
TI  - Modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors is superior to response
      evaluation criteria in solid tumors for assessment of responses to sorafenib in
      patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (mRECIST) and
      RECIST are used to assess the effect of treatment with targeted agents for
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to determine which set
      of criteria is superior in patients with advanced HCC treated with sorafenib.
      METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study to assess the tumor response and
      patient prognosis of 191 patients with HCC who had been treated with sorafenib
      from May 2009 through December 2011. We analyzed tumor responses as shown by
      contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan images according to RECIST 1.1 and
      mRECIST and compared the findings. RESULTS: The median duration of follow-up was
      9.7 months and median overall survival was 10.8 months. Twenty-five patients
      (13.1 %) were assessed as responders by mRECIST and 15 (7.8 %) by RECIST 1.1.
      There was a significant difference in overall survival (OS) between responders
      and non-responders according to mRECIST (P = 0.0117), but no significant
      difference in OS between responders and non-responders according to RECIST 1.1 (P
      = 0.0722). Sixteen patients (8.4 %) had no measurable enhanced target lesions
      that could be assessed as required by mRECIST; however, these patients could be
      assessed by RECIST 1.1. According to RECIST 1.1, eight of them had stable disease
      (SD) and eight had progressive disease (PD). There was a significant difference
      in OS between these SD and PD patients (P = 0.0312). CONCLUSIONS: Patients
      treated with sorafenib for HCC should be evaluated by mRECIST; RECIST 1.1 is
      preferable only for assessment of patients with lesions that are non-measurable
      according to mRESIST.

PMID- 26502723
TI  - Human papillomavirus prevalence in South African women and men according to age
      and human immunodeficiency virus status.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both cervical cancer and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are major
      public health problems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The objectives of the study were to
      investigate human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence according to age, HIV status
      and gender. METHODS: Participants were 208 HIV-negative women, 278 HIV-positive
      women, 325 HIV-negative men and 161 HIV-positive men between the ages of 18-66
      years. HPV types were determined in cervical and penile cells by Roche Linear
      Array HPV genotyping assay. RESULTS: HPV prevalence was 36.7 % (76/207; 95 %
      confidence intervals (CI): 30.4-43.4 %) in HIV-negative women, with the highest
      prevalence of 61.0 % (25/41; 95 % CI: 45.7-74.4 %) in women aged 18-25 years. HPV
      prevalence was 74.0 % (205/277; 95 % CI: 68.5-78.8 %) in HIV-positive women, with
      the highest prevalence of 86.4 % (38/44; 95 % CI: 72.9-94.0 %) in women aged 18
      25 years. HPV prevalence was found to decrease with increasing age in HIV
      negative women (P = 0.0007), but not in HIV-positive women (P = 0.898). HPV
      prevalence was 50.8 % (159/313; 95 % CI: 45.3-56.3 %) in HIV-negative men, with
      the highest prevalence of 77.0 % (27/35; 95 % CI: 60.7-88.2 %) in men aged 18-25
      years. HPV prevalence was 76.6 % (121/158; 95 % CI: 69.2-82.9 %) in HIV-positive
      men, with the highest prevalence of 87.5 % (7/8; 95 % CI: 50.8-99.9 %) in men 18
      25 years of age. HPV prevalence was found to decrease with increasing age in HIV
      negative men (P = 0.004), but not in HIV-positive men (P = 0.385). HIV-positive
      women had a significantly higher prevalence of one or more HPV type(s) in the
      bivalent (HPV-16/18: 20 % 55/277, 9 % 12/207; P <0.001), quadrivalent (HPV
      6/11/16/18: 26 % 71/277, 12 % 24/207; P = 0.001) and nonavalent vaccine (HPV
      6/11/16/18/31/33/52/56/58: 65 % 181/277, 24 % 50/207; P <0.001) compared to HIV
      negative women. Similar observation were observed in men for bivalent (20 %
      32/158, 10 % 30/313; P = 0.001), quadrivalent (35 % 56/158, 13 % 41/313; P
      <0.001) and nonavalent vaccine (75 % 119/158, 28 % 87/313; P <0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated high HPV prevalence among HIV-positive women
      and men in all age groups. The high prevalence of HPV types found in bivalent,
      quadrivalent and nonavalent vaccines in South African HIV-positive and HIV
      negative women and men demonstrate that this population will greatly benefit from
      current HPV vaccines.

PMID- 26502724
TI  - Interprofessional training for final year healthcare students: a mixed methods
      evaluation of the impact on ward staff and students of a two-week placement and
      of factors affecting sustainability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple care failings in hospitals have led to calls for increased
      interprofessional training in medical education to improve multi-disciplinary
      teamwork. Providing practical interprofessional training has many challenges and
      remains uncommon in medical schools in the UK. Unlike most previous research,
      this evaluation of an interprofessional training placement takes a multi-faceted
      approach focusing not only on the impact on students, but also on clinical staff
      delivering the training and on outcomes for patients. METHODS: We used mixed
      methods to examine the impact of a two-week interprofessional training placement
      undertaken on a medical rehabilitation ward by three cohorts of final year
      medical, nursing and therapy students. We determined the effects on staff, ward
      functioning and participating students. Impact on staff was evaluated using the
      Questionnaire for Psychological and Social factors at work (QPSNordic) and focus
      groups. Ward functioning was inferred from standard measures of care including
      length of stay, complaints, and adverse events. Impact on students was evaluated
      using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Survey (RIPLS) among all
      students plus a placement survey among medical students. RESULTS: Between 2007
      and 2010, 362 medical students and 26 nursing and therapy students completed
      placements working alongside the ward staff to deliver patient care. Staff
      identified benefits including skills recognition and expertise sharing. Ward
      functioning was stable. Students showed significant improvements in the RIPLS
      measures of Teamwork, Professional Identity and Patient-Centred Care. Despite
      small numbers of students from other professions, medical students' rated the
      placement highly. Increasing student numbers and budgetary constraints led to the
      cessation of the placement after three years. CONCLUSIONS: Interprofessional
      training placements can be delivered in a clinical setting without detriment to
      care and with benefits for all participants. While financial support is a
      necessity, it appears that having students from multiple professions is not
      critical for a valuable training experience; staff from different professions and
      students from a single profession can work successfully together. Difficulty in
      aligning the schedules of different student professions is commonly cited as a
      barrier to interprofessional training. Our experience challenges this and should
      encourage provision of authentic interprofessional training experience.

PMID- 26502725
TI  - A Mass Balance-Based Semiparametric Approach to Evaluate Neonatal Erythropoiesis.
AB  - Postnatal hemoglobin (Hb) production in anemic preterm infants is determined by
      several factors including the endogenous erythropoietin levels, allogeneic RBC
      transfusions administered to treat anemia, and developmental age. As a result,
      their postnatal Hb production rate can vary considerably. This work introduces a
      novel Hb mass balance-based semiparametric approach that utilizes infant blood
      concentrations of Hb from the first 30 postnatal days to estimate the amount of
      Hb produced and the erythropoiesis rate in newborn infants. The proposed method
      has the advantage of not relying on specific structural pharmacodynamic model
      assumptions to describe the Hb production, but instead utilizes simple mass
      balance principles and nonparametric regression analysis. The developed method
      was applied to the Hb data from 79 critically ill anemic very low birth weight
      preterm infants to evaluate the dynamic changes in erythropoiesis during the
      first month of life and to determine the inter-subject variability in Hb
      production. The estimated mean (+/-SD) cumulative amount of Hb produced by the
      infants over the first month of life was 6.6 +/- 3.4 g (mean body weight, 0.768
      kg), and the mean estimated body weight-scaled Hb production rate over the same
      period was 0.23 +/- 0.12 g/day/kg. A significant positive correlation was
      observed between infant gestational age and the mean body weight-scaled Hb
      production rate over the first month of life (P < 0.05). We conclude that the
      proposed mathematical approach and its implementation provide a flexible
      framework to evaluate postnatal erythropoiesis in newborn infants. 

PMID- 26502726
TI  - Variation in Populus euphratica foliar carbon isotope composition and osmotic
      solute for different groundwater depths in an arid region of China.
AB  - Water use efficiency (WUE) is an important trait associated with plant
      acclimation caused by water deficits, and delta13C is a good surrogate of WUE
      under conditions of water deficits. Water deficiency also enhances the
      accumulation of compatible solutes in the leaves. In this study, variations in
      foliar delta(13)C values and main osmotic solutes were investigated. Those
      included total soluble sugar (TSS), sucrose, free proline, glycine betaine (GB),
      and inorganic ionic (K+, Ca2+, and Cl-) content of Populus euphratica for
      different groundwater depths in a Ejina desert riparian forest, China. Results
      indicated that foliar delta13C values in the P. euphratica for different
      groundwater depths ranged from -29.14+/-0.06 to -25.84+/-0.04 0/00. Foliar
      delta13C signatures became richer as groundwater levels declined. TSS, sucrose,
      free proline, GB, and K+ were accumulated in P. euphratica foliage with
      developing plant growth and increasing groundwater depth. Ca2+ and Cl- content
      increased under stronger P. euphratica transpiration rates for shallower
      groundwater depths (1-2.5 m) and decreased for deeper groundwater depths (greater
      than 3.0 m). Moreover, correlations between delta13C, osmotic solutes, and
      groundwater depths showed that the primary osmotic solutes were TSS, sucrose,
      proline, GB, and K+. Correlations also showed that delta13C was not only a useful
      measure for P. euphratica-integrated WUE but also could be used as an indicator
      reflecting some physiological osmotic indexes.

PMID- 26502727
TI  - Residues, dissipation, and risk assessment of spinosad in cowpea under open field
      conditions.
AB  - The dissipation and residues of an eco-friendly bio-pesticide, spinosad, in
      cowpea under field conditions were studied using ultra-performance liquid
      chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MSMS) after Quick, Easy,
      Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) extraction. The method exhibited
      good linearity with respect to spinosyn A and spinosyn D in solvent or blank
      cowpea matrix with correlation coefficients>0.99. Additionally, matrix effects
      were not significant in the range 0.987-1.014, and the average recoveries at
      three concentration levels were 75.1-91.1 and 79.4-90.5% for spinosyn A and
      spinosyn D, respectively. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations
      were 2.5-9.3 and 7.8-9.8% for spinosyn A, respectively, and 4.1-7.9 and 6.6-8.3%
      for spinosyn D, respectively. The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of
      quantification (LOQs) were 0.005 and 0.01 mg kg(-1), respectively, for spinosyn
      A, and 0.002 and 0.005 mg kg(-1), respectively, for spinosyn D. The dissipation
      of spinosad (sum of spinosyn A and spinosyn D) fitted well to first-order
      kinetics with half-lives of 0.9-1.5 days. The highest residue (HR) at pre-harvest
      interval (PHI) of 12 h was 0.321 mg kg(-1). Compared with the maximum residue
      limit (MRL) set by Codex, a PHI of at least 24 h was recommended. The estimated
      daily chronic intake of spinosad from cowpea was less than 0.14% of the
      acceptable daily intake (ADI). Therefore, the risk of consuming cowpea sprayed
      with spinosad under recommended field conditions was considered acceptable for
      the Chinese population.

PMID- 26502728
TI  - Relative effects of nutrient emission from intensive cage aquaculture on the
      semiarid reservoir water quality.
AB  - The effects of cage aquaculture on freshwater ecosystems are determined by
      multiple farming and environmental variables, and thus, the assessment of a wide
      range of abiotic and biotic variables enables better understanding of the impacts
      generated by this nutrient source. This study was carried out at Castanhao
      reservoir located in the State of Ceara, which is the largest Brazilian producer
      of Nile tilapia in cage systems, wherein about 8000 reservoirs provide a vast
      area to expand not only this important socio-economic but also pollution-prone
      activity. Nutrient mass budget, water quality monitoring, hydrodynamic
      characterization, and elemental/stable isotopic composition of end-member
      products were measured in cage aquaculture and other reservoir areas in order to
      determine the relative effects on reservoir conditions. Nutrient budgets showed
      that 34% of the artificial feed was lost to the water column but water quality
      monitoring and isotopic composition analysis suggested that the cages were not
      extensively impacting the water quality probably because of the physiographic and
      hydrodynamic features of the cage site.

PMID- 26502729
TI  - Apathy: a practical guide for neurologists.
AB  - Apathy is an under-recognised and underestimated problem for people with chronic
      neurological disorders. Despite being common and disabling, it is seldom
      volunteered as a symptom by patients or even their caregivers. Yet apathy
      undoubtedly has an important impact on caregiver stress, functional disability
      and quality of life. A detailed clinical assessment can distinguish apathy from
      depression and allow clinicians to make practical suggestions to reduce the
      impact of symptoms on individual patients and their families. Pharmacological
      approaches to treatment include cholinesterase inhibitors, dopamine agonists and
      stimulants. CASE 1A 66-year-old man with progressive supranuclear palsy returned
      to clinic for review. His wife was upset and finding it difficult to cope. She
      described him as 'completely lazy', as he just sat in his chair all day watching
      television, even though he could still do things for himself. She felt that he
      could not be bothered to speak to her anymore because he was 'obsessed with TV'.
      He did not seem to engage with the visits to the grandchildren that she arranged.
      He said that he felt fine apart from the problems with his walking.The
      neurologist was confident that the patient was not depressed, and that the wife's
      concerns reflected the apathy that is often very pronounced in progressive
      supranuclear palsy. By explaining to the man's wife that these problems were due
      to his disease, their relationship improved and she felt more able to cope with
      caring for him. CASE 2A 75-year-old man attended clinic with his wife. She had
      worried about him for over a year, as he had become increasingly withdrawn. He
      used to enjoy going to the local pub but now stayed at home all day. He seemed
      less concerned about his personal appearance, about which he used to be
      meticulous. More recently, she had noticed that he had become forgetful. On
      examination, he had a mild episodic memory deficit but no impairments in other
      domains.He was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment but the presence of
      apathy suggested a high risk of him developing Alzheimer's disease. He did not
      improve with a trial of antidepressant treatment but had useful input from an
      occupational therapist. His apathy improved after he started a cholinesterase
      inhibitor a year later, when his cognitive symptoms had progressed. 

PMID- 26502730
TI  - Engineering an efficient and tight D-amino acid-inducible gene expression system
      in Rhodosporidium/Rhodotorula species.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rhodosporidium and Rhodotorula are two genera of oleaginous red yeast
      with great potential for industrial biotechnology. To date, there is no effective
      method for inducible expression of proteins and RNAs in these hosts. RESULTS: We
      have developed a luciferase gene reporter assay based on a new codon-optimized
      LUC2 reporter gene (RtLUC2), which is flanked with CAR2 homology arms and can be
      integrated into the CAR2 locus in the nuclear genome at >90 % efficiency. We
      characterized the upstream DNA sequence of a D-amino acid oxidase gene (DAO1)
      from R. toruloides ATCC 10657 by nested deletions. By comparing the upstream DNA
      sequences of several putative DAO1 homologs of Basidiomycetous fungi, we
      identified a conserved DNA motif with a consensus sequence of
      AGGXXGXAGX11GAXGAXGG within a 0.2 kb region from the mRNA translation initiation
      site. Deletion of this motif led to strong mRNA transcription under non-inducing
      conditions. Interestingly, DAO1 promoter activity was enhanced about fivefold
      when the 108 bp intron 1 was included in the reporter construct. We identified a
      conserved CT-rich motif in the intron with a consensus sequence of
      TYTCCCYCTCCYCCCCACWYCCGA, deletion or point mutations of which drastically
      reduced promoter strength under both inducing and non-inducing conditions.
      Additionally, we created a selection marker-free DAO1-null mutant (?dao1e) which
      displayed greatly improved inducible gene expression, particularly when both
      glucose and nitrogen were present in high levels. To avoid adding unwanted
      peptide to proteins to be expressed, we converted the original translation
      initiation codon to ATC and re-created a translation initiation codon at the
      start of exon 2. This promoter, named P DAO1-in1m1 , showed very similar
      luciferase activity to the wild-type promoter upon induction with D-alanine. The
      inducible system was tunable by adjusting the levels of inducers, carbon source
      and nitrogen source. CONCLUSION: The intron 1-containing DAO1 promoters coupled
      with a DAO1 null mutant makes an efficient and tight D-amino acid-inducible gene
      expression system in Rhodosporidium and Rhodotorula genera. The system will be a
      valuable tool for metabolic engineering and enzyme expression in these yeast
      hosts.

PMID- 26502731
TI  - Integrated analysis of genome-wide DNA methylation, gene expression and protein
      expression profiles in molecular subtypes of WHO II-IV gliomas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glioma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor among adults,
      among which glioblastoma (GBM) exhibits the highest malignancy. Despite current
      standard chemoradiation, glioma is still invariably fatal. A further insight into
      the molecular background of glioma is required to improve patient outcomes.
      METHOD: Previous studies evaluated molecular genetic differences through
      comparing different grades of glioma. Here, we integrated DNA methylation, RNA
      sequencing and protein expression data sets of WHO grade II to IV gliomas, to
      screen for dysregulated genes in subtypes during malignant progression of glioma.
      RESULTS: We propose a list of universal genes (UG) as novel glioma biomarkers:
      977 up-regulated genes and 114 down-regulated genes, who involved in cell cycle,
      Wnt receptor signaling pathway and fatty acid metabolic process. Poorer survival
      was associated significantly with the high expression of 977 up-regulated genes
      and low expression of 114 down-regulated in UG (P <0.001). CONCLUSION: To our
      knowledge, this was the first study that focused on subtypes to detect
      dysregulated genes that could contribute to malignant progression. Furthermore,
      the differentially expressed genes profile may lead to the identification of new
      therapeutic targets for glioma patients.

PMID- 26502732
TI  - Improvement of Natamycin Production by Cholesterol Oxidase Overexpression in
      Streptomyces gilvosporeus.
AB  - Natamycin is a widely used antifungal antibiotic. For natamycin biosynthesis, the
      gene pimE encodes cholesterol oxidase, which acts as a signalling protein. To
      confirm the positive effect of the gene pimE on natamycin biosynthesis, an
      additional copy of the gene pimE was inserted into the genome of Streptomyces
      gilvosporeus 712 under the control of the ermE* promoter (permE*) using
      intergeneric conjugation. Overexpression of the target protein engendered 72% and
      81% increases in the natamycin production and cell productivity, respectively,
      compared with the control strain. Further improvement in the antibiotic
      production was achieved in a 1 L fermenter to 7.0 g/l, which was a 153%
      improvement after 120 h cultivation. Exconjugants highly expressing pimE and pimM
      were constructed to investigate the effects of both genes on the increase of
      natamycin production. However, the co-effect of pimE and pimM did not enhance the
      antibiotic production obviously, compared with the exconjugants highly expressing
      pimE only. These results suggest not only a new application of cholesterol
      oxidase but also a useful strategy to genetically engineer natamycin production. 

PMID- 26502733
TI  - Improvement of FK506 Production in the High-Yielding Strain Streptomyces sp.
      RM7011 by Engineering the Supply of Allylmalonyl-CoA Through a Combination of
      Genetic and Chemical Approach.
AB  - FK506, a widely used immunosuppressant, is a 23-membered polyketide macrolide
      that is produced by several Streptomyces species. FK506 high-yielding strain
      Streptomyces sp. RM7011 was developed from the discovered Streptomyces sp. KCCM
      11116P by random mutagenesis in our previous study. The results of transcript
      expression analysis showed that the transcription levels of tcsA, B, C, and D
      were increased in Streptomyces sp. RM7011 by 2.1-, 3.1-, 3.3-, and 4.1- fold,
      respectively, compared with Streptomyces sp. KCCM 11116P. The overexpression of
      tcsABCD genes in Streptomyces sp. RM7011 gave rise to approximately 2.5-fold
      (238.1 MUg/ml) increase in the level of FK506 production compared with that of
      Streptomyces sp. RM7011. When vinyl pentanoate was added into the culture broth
      of Streptomyces sp. RM7011, the level of FK506 production was approximately 2.2
      fold (207.7 MUg/ml) higher than that of the unsupplemented fermentation.
      Furthermore, supplementing the culture broth of Streptomyces sp. RM7011
      expressing tcsABCD genes with vinyl pentanoate resulted in an additional 1.7-fold
      improvement in the FK506 titer (498.1 MUg/ml) compared with that observed under
      nonsupplemented condition. Overall, the level of FK506 production was increased
      approximately 5.2-fold by engineering the supply of allylmalonyl-CoA in the high
      yielding strain Streptomyces sp. RM7011, using a combination of overexpressing
      tcsABCD genes and adding vinyl pentanoate, as compared with Streptomyces sp.
      RM7011 (95.3 MUg/ml). Moreover, among the three precursors analyzed, pentanoate
      was the most effective precursor, supporting the highest titer of FK506 in the
      FK506 high-yielding strain Streptomyces sp. RM7011.

PMID- 26502734
TI  - Development and Characterization of PCE-to-Ethene Dechlorinating Microcosms with
      Contaminated River Sediment.
AB  - An industrial complex in Wonju, contaminated with trichloroethene (TCE), was one
      of the most problematic sites in Korea. Despite repeated remedial trials for
      decades, chlorinated ethenes remained as sources of down-gradient groundwater
      contamination. Recent efforts were being made to remove the contaminants of the
      area, but knowledge of the indigenous microbial communities and their
      dechlorination abilities were unknown. Thus, the objectives of the present study
      were (i) to evaluate the dechlorination abilities of indigenous microbes at the
      contaminated site, (ii) to characterize which microbes and reductive dehalogenase
      genes were responsible for the dechlorination reactions, and (iii) to develop a
      PCE-to-ethene dechlorinating microbial consortium. An enrichment culture that
      dechlorinates PCE to ethene was obtained from Wonju stream, nearby a
      trichloroethene (TCE)-contaminated industrial complex. The community profiling
      revealed that known organohalide-respiring microbes, such as Geobacter,
      Desulfuromonas, and Dehalococcoides grew during the incubation with chlorinated
      ethenes. Although Chloroflexi populations (i.e., Longilinea and Bellilinea) were
      the most enriched in the sediment microcosms, those were not found in the
      transfer cultures. Based upon the results from pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene
      amplicons and qPCR using TaqMan chemistry, close relatives of Dehalococcoides
      mccartyi strains FL2 and GT seemed to be dominant and responsible for the
      complete detoxification of chlorinated ethenes in the transfer cultures. This
      study also demonstrated that the contaminated site harbors indigenous microbes
      that can convert PCE to ethene, and the developed consortium can be an important
      resource for future bioremediation efforts. 

PMID- 26502735
TI  - CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Re-Sensitization of Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia coli
      Harboring Extended-Spectrum beta-Lactamases.
AB  - Recently, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)
      associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system, a genome editing technology, was shown
      to be versatile in treating several antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In the present
      study, we applied the CRISPR/ Cas9 technology to kill extended-spectrum beta
      lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli. ESBL bacteria are mostly multidrug
      resistant (MDR), and have plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance genes that can
      be easily transferred to other members of the bacterial community by horizontal
      gene transfer. To restore sensitivity to antibiotics in these bacteria, we
      searched for a CRISPR/Cas9 target sequence that was conserved among >1,000 ESBL
      mutants. There was only one target sequence for each TEM- and SHV-type ESBL, with
      each of these sequences found in ~200 ESBL strains of each type. Furthermore, we
      showed that these target sequences can be exploited to re-sensitize MDR cells in
      which resistance is mediated by genes that are not the target of the CRISPR/Cas9
      system, but by genes that are present on the same plasmid as target genes. We
      believe our Re-Sensitization to Antibiotics from Resistance (ReSAFR) technology,
      which enhances the practical value of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, will be an
      effective method of treatment against plasmid-carrying MDR bacteria. 

PMID- 26502736
TI  - Characterization of a Novel Alkaline Family VIII Esterase with S-Enantiomer
      Preference from a Compost Metagenomic Library.
AB  - A novel esterase gene, est7K, was isolated from a compost metagenomic library.
      The gene encoded a protein of 411 amino acids and the molecular mass of the Est7K
      was estimated to be 44,969 Da with no signal peptide. Est7K showed the highest
      identity of 57% to EstA3, which is an esterase from a drinking water metagenome,
      when compared with the enzymes with reported properties. Est7K had three motifs,
      SMTK, YSV, and WGG, which correspond to the typical motifs of family VIII
      esterases, SxxK, Yxx, and WGG, respectively. Est7K did not have the GxSxG motif
      in most lipolytic enzymes. Three additional motifs, LxxxPGxxW, PLGMxDTxF, and
      GGxG, were found to be conserved in family VIII enzymes. The results of the
      phylogenetic analysis and the alignment study suggest that family VIII enzymes
      could be classified into two subfamilies, VIII.1 and VIII.2. The purified Est7K
      was optimally active at 40 degrees C and pH 10.0. It was activated to exhibit a
      2.1-fold higher activity by the presence of 30% methanol. It preferred short
      length p-nitrophenyl esters, particularly p-nitrophenyl butyrate, and efficiently
      hydrolyzed glyceryl tributyrate. It did not hydrolyze beta-lactamase substrates,
      tertiary alcohol esters, glyceryl trioleate, fish oil, and olive oil. Est7K
      preferred an Senantiomer, such as (S)-methyl-3-hydroxy-2-methylpropionate, as the
      substrate. The tolerance to methanol and the substrate specificity may provide
      potential advantage in the use of the enzyme in pharmaceutical and other
      biotechnological processes.

PMID- 26502737
TI  - Investigation of the Properties of Sand Tubules, a Biomineralization Product, and
      their Microbial Community.
AB  - Sand tubules, made up of sand grains cemented by microbe-induced calcium
      carbonate precipitation, have been found in China's Ningxia Province. Sand
      tubules grow like a tree's roots about 40-60 cm below the surface. The properties
      of sand tubules and their bacterial community were examined. X-Ray diffraction
      analysis revealed that the sand tubules were associated with crystalline calcite.
      Scanning electron microscopy showed that the crystalline solid had a lamellar
      structure and lacked the presence of cells, suggesting that no bacteria acted as
      nucleation sites, nor that the crystalline solid was formed by the aggregation of
      bacteria. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis showed 11 of the 12
      detectable bands were uncultured bacteria by BLAST analysis in the GenBank
      database, and the rest were closely related to Paenibacillus sp. (100% identity).
      By cultivation techniques, the only strain isolated from the sand tubule was
      suggested to be related to Paenibacillus sp.; no archaea were found. Furthermore,
      Paenibacillus sp. was demonstrated to induce calcium carbonate precipitation in
      vitro. 

PMID- 26502738
TI  - Structural Insight into Dihydrodipicolinate Reductase from Corybebacterium
      glutamicum for Lysine Biosynthesis.
AB  - Dihydrodipicolinate reductase is an enzyme that converts dihydrodipicolinate to
      tetrahydrodipicolinate using an NAD(P)H cofactor in L-lysine biosynthesis. To
      increase the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of lysine biosynthesis, we
      determined the crystal structure of dihydrodipicolinate reductase from
      Corynebacterium glutamicum (CgDapB). CgDapB functions as a tetramer, and each
      protomer is composed of two domains, an Nterminal domain and a C-terminal domain.
      The N-terminal domain mainly contributes to nucleotide binding, whereas the C
      terminal domain is involved in substrate binding. We elucidated the mode of
      cofactor binding to CgDapB by determining the crystal structure of the enzyme in
      complex with NADP(+) and found that CgDapB utilizes both NADH and NADPH as
      cofactors. Moreover, we determined the substrate binding mode of the enzyme based
      on the coordination mode of two sulfate ions in our structure. Compared with
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis DapB in complex with its cofactor and inhibitor, we
      propose that the domain movement for active site constitution occurs when both
      cofactor and substrate bind to the enzyme.

PMID- 26502740
TI  - The influence of genetic constitution on migraine drug responses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Specific acute treatments of migraine are 5HT1B/D receptor agonists;
      triptans and ergotamine, but only two-thirds of patients respond well without
      side effects. No migraine-prophylactic drugs are specific to migraine.
      Prophylactic drugs are selected by time-consuming "trial and error." Personalized
      treatment is therefore much needed. The objective of this study was to test the
      effect of 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with
      migraine on migraine drug responses. METHODS: Semi-structured migraine interviews
      including questions on drug responses, blood samples and genotyping were
      performed on 1806 unrelated migraine cases recruited from the Danish Headache
      Center. Association analyses were carried out using logistic regression, assuming
      an additive model for the genetic effect. The effect on drug responses was tested
      for a combined genetic score and for each of the 12 SNPs. Significant findings
      were subsequently tested in an independent replication sample of 392 unrelated
      Danish migraine cases. RESULTS: A single risk variant, rs2651899 in PRDM16, was
      significantly associated with efficacy of triptans with an odds ratio (OR) of
      treatment success of 1.3, and a higher combined genetic score was significantly
      associated with efficacy of triptans with an OR of success of up to 2.6. A number
      of SNPs showed nominal preferential association with the efficacy of triptans and
      others with prophylactic drugs. Analyses of triptans and ergotamine complemented
      each other and gave a stronger signal when analyzed together. The associations
      between response to triptans and genetic load and rs2651899 were partially
      confirmed in the independent sample. CONCLUSION: We show for the first time an
      association between genetic constitution and migraine drug response. This is a
      first step toward future individualized medicine.

PMID- 26502741
TI  - Treatment of Substance Use Disorders in Older Adults: Implications for Care
      Delivery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare substance use treatment differences of individuals aged 65
      and older with that of those younger than 65 by analyzing smaller age groupings.
      DESIGN: A retrospective analysis using Kruskal-Wallis chi-square and chi-square
      tests of association. Covariates were entered into an adjusted logistic
      regression to predict successful treatment completion. SETTING: Iowa substance
      use disorder treatment centers. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 30 to 96 admitted
      to substance use treatment in Iowa between 2010 and 2013 (N = 57,591).
      MEASUREMENTS: Successful treatment completion, program length of stay, primary
      problem substance, referral source, and client demographic characteristics were
      analyzed to explore differences between age groupings in those aged 65 and older
      and between those aged 65 and older and those younger than 65. RESULTS: Findings
      demonstrated that individuals aged 65 to 69 were more likely to complete
      treatment successfully than those aged 75 and older (2 log likelihood chi(2) =
      102.06, degrees of freedom = 6, P < .001), and treatment referrals were
      increasingly more likely to occur from a primary care setting with increasing
      age. The eldest group reported significantly more hospitalizations because of
      their substance use (Wald z = 3.05, P < .002). Finally, referrals for driving
      under the influence were more likely in those aged 70 and older. CONCLUSION:
      Excluding the oldest group (7,596), older age was associated with greater
      successful treatment completion. Overall, greater screening and earlier detection
      may be a critically important means of enhancing safety for older persons with
      substance use disorders.

PMID- 26502739
TI  - Tobacco smoke exposure and respiratory morbidity in young children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Secondhand smoke exposure is a potentially preventable cause of
      significant respiratory morbidity in young children. Our study aimed to quantify
      respiratory morbidity in young children exposed to secondhand smoke to identify
      potentially modifiable factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was embedded in
      a prospective birth cohort study of pregnant women and their children from fetal
      life onwards in Singapore (Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes, or
      GUSTO). Data on prenatal, antenatal and postnatal active and secondhand tobacco
      smoke exposure were obtained by an investigator-administered questionnaire for
      the periods before pregnancy, at 26-28 weeks' gestation and 24 months after
      delivery. Data on respiratory morbidity (wheezing episodes, croupy cough,
      nebuliser use, snoring) and other morbidity (fever, hospitalisation, ear
      infection) of the child was collected at week 3 and at months 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18
      and 24 after delivery. Information on parental atopy and potential confounders
      such as socioeconomic status and maternal educational level were also obtained.
      Statistical analysis of the data was performed to quantify any significant
      differences in incidence of respiratory morbidity in children exposed to tobacco
      smoke in utero and postdelivery, compared with those in smoke-free environments.
      RESULTS: Women who smoked regularly prior to pregnancy comprised 12.5% (n=155) of
      the study population; this number fell to 2.3% (n=29) during pregnancy. Mothers
      exposed to secondhand smoke in the household before pregnancy comprised 35.7% of
      the study population (n=441) and 31.5% (n=389) were exposed during pregnancy.
      Postnatally, the prevalence of secondhand tobacco smoke exposure from birth to 2
      years of age was 29% (n=359). Participants of Malay ethnicity (p<0.001), mothers
      with no or primary level education (p<0.001) and mothers with low socioeconomic
      status (p<0.001) had the highest exposure to tobacco smoke. Offspring secondhand
      smoke exposure at home by 12 months and by 24 months of age was associated with
      an increase in hospital admissions due to respiratory disease (RR 1.89, 95% CI
      1.02 to 3.50, p=0.04 by 12 months and RR 1.64, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.55, p=0.03 by 24
      months) as well as all-cause hospitalisation (RR 1.57, 95% CI 1.14 to 2.17,
      p=0.01 by 12 months and RR 1.49, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.90, p=0.001 by 24 months),
      adjusting for parental atopy and child atopic dermatitis. Participants exposed to
      secondhand smoke by 12 months postdelivery had a significantly increased risk of
      having at least one wheezing episode (RR 1.71, 95% CI 1.38 to 2.11, p<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Secondhand smoke exposure during the prenatal and postnatal periods
      is associated with increased respiratory morbidity in children. Opportunistic
      screening and targeted smoking cessation counselling for parents at child
      hospital admissions and well-child outpatient visits, as well as preconception
      smoking cessation counselling for future pregnancies, may be beneficial to
      protect the child from negative health impacts.

PMID- 26502742
TI  - Ray transfer for triplicate digit.

PMID- 26502743
TI  - Margaret McCartney: Flibanserin for low sexual desire is not feminism.

PMID- 26502744
TI  - Prescription opioids, abuse and public health in Canada: is fentanyl the new
      centre of the opioid crisis?

PMID- 26502745
TI  - Exogenous Attention Enables Perceptual Learning.
AB  - Practice can improve visual perception, and these improvements are considered to
      be a form of brain plasticity. Training-induced learning is time-consuming and
      requires hundreds of trials across multiple days. The process of learning
      acquisition is understudied. Can learning acquisition be potentiated by
      manipulating visual attentional cues? We developed a protocol in which we used
      task-irrelevant cues for between-groups manipulation of attention during
      training. We found that training with exogenous attention can enable the
      acquisition of learning. Remarkably, this learning was maintained even when
      observers were subsequently tested under neutral conditions, which indicates that
      a change in perception was involved. Our study is the first to isolate the
      effects of exogenous attention and to demonstrate its efficacy to enable
      learning. We propose that exogenous attention boosts perceptual learning by
      enhancing stimulus encoding. 

PMID- 26502746
TI  - Infectious Cognition: Risk Perception Affects Socially Shared Retrieval-Induced
      Forgetting of Medical Information.
AB  - When speakers selectively retrieve previously learned information, listeners
      often concurrently, and covertly, retrieve their memories of that information.
      This concurrent retrieval typically enhances memory for mentioned information
      (the rehearsal effect) and impairs memory for unmentioned but related information
      (socially shared retrieval-induced forgetting, SSRIF), relative to memory for
      unmentioned and unrelated information. Building on research showing that anxiety
      leads to increased attention to threat-relevant information, we explored whether
      concurrent retrieval is facilitated in high-anxiety real-world contexts.
      Participants first learned category-exemplar facts about meningococcal disease.
      Following a manipulation of perceived risk of infection (low vs. high risk), they
      listened to a mock radio show in which some of the facts were selectively
      practiced. Final recall tests showed that the rehearsal effect was equivalent
      between the two risk conditions, but SSRIF was significantly larger in the high
      risk than in the low-risk condition. Thus, the tendency to exaggerate
      consequences of news events was found to have deleterious consequences. 

PMID- 26502747
TI  - Nodular pulmonary light chain deposition disease: an entity associated with
      Sjogren syndrome or marginal zone lymphoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Light chain deposition disease (LCDD) is usually a systemic disorder
      characterised by non-amyloid monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain deposition in
      tissues. Localised nodular pulmonary (NP) LCDD is a rare and poorly characterised
      entity and, owing to the difficulties in diagnosis, limited data are available.
      METHODS: We investigated the clinical, radiological and pathological
      characteristics of a series of six confidently diagnosed cases of NPLCDD.
      RESULTS: There were three men and three women with ages ranging from 33 to 74
      years. In all cases there were single or multiple pulmonary nodules, in one case
      associated with cysts. Two patients had no previous history of a
      lymphoproliferative or autoimmune disorder, two had Sjogren syndrome (SS) and two
      had extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT
      lymphoma). Lung biopsies led to diagnoses of MALT lymphoma in four patients,
      including both of those with a previous history of lymphoma and one with SS. In
      five cases the diagnosis was confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and in one by electron microscopy. There was no evidence
      of systemic LCDD in any of the cases. Five patients had an indolent course in
      spite of limited therapeutic intervention while, in the patient who died, the
      cause of death was related to the spread of the lymphoma and was not due to the
      pulmonary lesions. CONCLUSIONS: NPLCDD is an indolent disease, in most cases
      associated with MALT lymphoma or autoimmune disease.

PMID- 26502748
TI  - miR-19a and SOCS-1 expression in the differential diagnosis of laryngeal
      (glottic) verrucous squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laryngeal verrucous squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) is a highly
      differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the diagnosis of which can meet
      with many pitfalls: benign hyperplastic lesions and conventional SCC are the most
      important differential diagnoses. The microRNA miR-19a is overexpressed in many
      solid tumours and regulates the suppressor of cytokine signalling-1 (SOCS-1)
      expression. AIMS: The main endpoints were to assess miR-19a and SOCS-1 expression
      in glottic VSCC, and the former's potential role in differentiating between
      glottic VSCC, conventional SCC and hyperplastic lesions. METHODS: The expression
      of MiR-19a (by reverse transcription and quantitative real-time PCR) and SOCS-1
      (by immunohistochemistry, rabbit polyclonal anti-SOCS-1 antibody) was assessed in
      11 consecutive cases of glottic VSCC, 20 of papillary hyperplasia and 42 cases of
      conventional SCC. RESULTS: Mean miR-19a expression was significantly higher (p =
      0.000) in malignant glottic lesions (conventional SCC/VSCC) than in benign
      conditions. Significant differences in mean miR-19a expression also emerged
      between conventional SCC and papillary hyperplasia (p = 0.000), and between
      conventional SCC and VSCC (p = 0.03). miR-19a expression was not statistically
      associated with SOCS-1 immunoreactivity or immunostaining intensity in VSCC,
      conventional SCC or papillary hyperplasia. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary outcomes
      suggest the utility of miR-19a in the challenging differential diagnosis of
      laryngeal VSCC. Although miR-19a has been found to regulate SOCS-1 expression,
      this evidence was not confirmed by this investigation.

PMID- 26502749
TI  - Radioluminescence and photoluminescence of Th:CaF2 crystals.
AB  - We study thorium-doped CaF2 crystals as a possible platform for optical
      spectroscopy of the (229)Th nuclear isomer transition. We anticipate two major
      sources of background signal that might cover the nuclear spectroscopy signal:
      VUV-photoluminescence, caused by the probe light, and radioluminescence, caused
      by the radioactive decay of (229)Th and its daughters. We find a rich
      photoluminescence spectrum at wavelengths above 260 nm, and radioluminescence
      emission above 220 nm. This is very promising, as fluorescence originating from
      the isomer transition, predicted at a wavelength shorter than 200 nm, could be
      filtered spectrally from the crystal luminescence. Furthermore, we investigate
      the temperature-dependent decay time of the luminescence, as well as
      thermoluminescence properties. Our findings allow for an immediate optimization
      of spectroscopy protocols for both the initial search for the nuclear transition
      using synchrotron radiation, as well as future optical clock operation with
      narrow-linewidth lasers. 

PMID- 26502750
TI  - Sub-phonon-period compression of electron pulses for atomic diffraction.
AB  - Visualizing the rearrangement of atoms in a wide range of molecular and condensed
      matter systems requires resolving picometre displacements on a 10-fs timescale,
      which is achievable using pump-probe diffraction, given short enough pulses. Here
      we demonstrate the compression of single-electron pulses with a de Broglie
      wavelength of 0.08 angstrom to a full-width at half-maximum duration of 28 fs or
      equivalently 12-fs root-mean square, substantially shorter than most phonon
      periods and molecular normal modes. Atomic resolution diffraction from a complex
      organic molecule is obtained with good signal-to-noise ratio within a data
      acquisition period of minutes. The electron-laser timing is found to be stable
      within 5 fs (s.d.) over several hours, allowing pump-probe diffraction at
      repetitive excitation. These measurements show the feasibility of laser
      pump/electron-probe scans that can resolve the fastest atomic motions relevant in
      reversible condensed-matter transformations and organic chemistry. 

PMID- 26502751
TI  - Isorhamnetin inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis  in breast cancer
      via Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase signaling pathways.
AB  - Breast cancer is the most common cause of female cancer-associated mortality.
      Although treatment options, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery have
      led to a decline in the mortality rates associated with breast cancer, drug
      resistance remains one of the predominant causes for poor prognosis and high
      recurrence rates. The present study investigated the potential effects of the
      natural product, isorhamnetin on breast cancer, and examined the effects of
      isorhamnetin on the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and the mitogen
      activated protein kinase (MAPK)/MAPK kinase (MEK) signaling cascades, which are
      two important signaling pathways for endocrine therapy resistance in breast
      cancer. The results of the present study indicate that isorhamnetin inhibits cell
      proliferation and induces cell apoptosis. In addition, isorhamnetin was observed
      to inhibit the Akt/mTOR and the MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase
      phosphorylation cascades. The inhibition of these two signaling pathways was
      attenuated by the two Akt and MEK1 inhibitors, but not by the nuclear factor
      kappaB inhibitor. Furthermore, epidermal growth factor inhibited the effects of
      isorhamnetin via activation of the Akt and MEK signaling pathways. These results
      indicate that isorhamnetin exhibits antitumor effects in breast cancer, which are
      mediated by the Akt and MEK signaling pathways.

PMID- 26502752
TI  - Orientation of Anopheles gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae) to Plant-Host Volatiles in
      a Novel Diffusion-Cage Olfactometer.
AB  - A novel diffusion-cage olfactometer tested the responses of Anopheles gambiae
      Giles to plant volatiles. Green-leaf volatiles are often released from cut or
      injured plant tissue and may alter the headspace of plants used in olfactometer
      assays. The diffusion-cage olfactometer is designed for use with whole, intact
      plants, hence giving a more realistic behavioral assay. Its simple plastic
      construction, ease of assembly, and accommodation to whole plants makes it a
      useful tool for measuring mosquito orientation to plant volatiles within large
      enclosures. We compared its performance to that of the more commonly used T-tube
      wind-tunnel olfactometer, by testing the orientation of mosquitoes to volatiles
      of a few prevalent plants of eastern Africa reportedly utilized by An. gambiae
      for sugar: Parthenium hysterophorus (Asteraceae), Ricinus communis
      (Euphorbiaceae), Lantana camara (Verbenaceae), and Senna occidentalis (Fabaceae).
      Results indicate that the diffusion-cage olfactometer is an effective alternative
      to conventional wind-tunnel olfactometers, to test mosquito orientation to plant
      volatiles under seminatural conditions. 

PMID- 26502753
TI  - A Dynamic Population Model to Investigate Effects of Climate and Climate
      Independent Factors on the Lifecycle of Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae).
AB  - The lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, is a disease vector of significance for
      human and animal health throughout much of the eastern United States. To model
      the potential effects of climate change on this tick, a better understanding is
      needed of the relative roles of temperature-dependent and temperature-independent
      (day-length-dependent behavioral or morphogenetic diapause) processes acting on
      the tick lifecycle. In this study, we explored the roles of these processes by
      simulating seasonal activity patterns using models with site-specific temperature
      and day-length-dependent processes. We first modeled the transitions from
      engorged larvae to feeding nymphs, engorged nymphs to feeding adults, and
      engorged adult females to feeding larvae. The simulated seasonal patterns were
      compared against field observations at three locations in United States.
      Simulations suggested that 1) during the larva-to-nymph transition, some larvae
      undergo no diapause while others undergo morphogenetic diapause of engorged
      larvae; 2) molted adults undergo behavioral diapause during the transition from
      nymph-to-adult; and 3) there is no diapause during the adult-to-larva transition.
      A model constructed to simulate the full lifecycle of A. americanum successfully
      predicted observed tick activity at the three U.S. study locations. Some
      differences between observed and simulated seasonality patterns were observed,
      however, identifying the need for research to refine some model parameters. In
      simulations run using temperature data for Montreal, deterministic die-out of A.
      americanum populations did not occur, suggesting the possibility that current
      climate in parts of southern Canada is suitable for survival and reproduction of
      this tick. 

PMID- 26502755
TI  - William S. David, MD, PhD, FAAN, and David A. Chad, MD, FAAN.

PMID- 26502754
TI  - The Siren's Song: Exploitation of Female Flight Tones to Passively Capture Male
      Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).
AB  - The need to capture male mosquitoes has intensified recently as a result of a
      number of male-based sterile insect technique (SIT) and population-modification
      programs focused on Aedes aegypti (L.) having initiated field releases. Here, we
      report the results of the successful exploitation of the attraction of male Ae.
      aegypti to female flight tones to enhance male collections in nonmechanical
      passive (nonbattery powered) Gravid Aedes Traps (GAT). Prior to field studies,
      male attraction to female flight tones of 484 and 560 Hz, as well as to a male
      flight tone of 715 Hz, were assessed in a series of controlled release-recapture
      and semifield trials. These trials determined that a pure tone of 484 Hz was
      significantly more attractive to free-flying males than the other flight tones
      and enabled their collection in sound-baited GATs (ca. 95% capture rate after 2
      h; 484 Hz at 65 dB). In contrast, gravid females were unresponsive to male or
      female flight tones and were evenly distributed among sound-baited and control
      GATs. Importantly, under normal field conditions sound-baited GATs (484 Hz at 70
      dB) captured significantly more male Ae. aegypti per 24-h trap interval (1.3 +/-
      0.37) than controls (0.2 +/- 0.13). Overall, sound-bated GATs captured
      approximately twice as many Ae. aegypti (male and female; 3.0 +/- 0.68 per
      interval, 30 total) than controls (1.5 +/- 0.56 per interval, 15 total). These
      results reveal that sound-baited GATs are a simple and effective surveillance
      tool for Ae. aegypti that would allow current male-based SIT and population
      modification programs to effectively monitor males in their target populations. 

PMID- 26502756
TI  - Neuromuscular Disorders.

PMID- 26502757
TI  - Myasthenia Gravis.
AB  - Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune neuromuscular disease caused by antibodies
      directed against the postsynaptic muscle membrane. The clinical hallmark of the
      disease is fluctuating and fatigable weakness that affects the ocular muscles
      (resulting in diplopia and ptosis), the bulbar muscles (causing dysphagia,
      dysarthria, and dyspnea), and extremity muscles. The diagnosis is most often made
      with serological testing that identifies either acetylcholine receptor antibodies
      or muscle-specific tyrosine kinase antibodies. Electrodiagnostic testing has a
      role in supporting the diagnosis. There are many available treatments that result
      in improvement of function and quality of life. Treatment should be
      individualized after consideration of many factors, including disease
      distribution and severity, patient comorbidities, age, serological status, and
      what is known about the efficacy and safety of the various treatments.

PMID- 26502758
TI  - Presynaptic Disorders: Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome and Botulism.
AB  - Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) and botulism are acquired presynaptic
      nerve terminal disorders of the neuromuscular junction. Lambert-Eaton myasthenic
      syndrome is an idiopathic or paraneoplastic autoimmune syndrome in which
      autoantibodies of the P/Q-type voltage-gated calcium channel play a role in
      decreasing the release of acetylcholine, resulting in clinical symptoms of
      skeletal muscle weakness, diminished reflexes, and autonomic symptoms.
      Paraneoplastic LEMS is most often associated with small cell lung cancer.
      Diagnosis is confirmed by positive serologic testing and electrophysiological
      studies, which display characteristic features of low compound muscle action
      potentials, a decrement at 3Hz repetitive nerve stimulation, and facilitation
      with exercise or high-frequency repetitive stimulation. Treatment involves cancer
      monitoring and treatment, 3,4-diaminopyridine, immunosuppressive medications, and
      acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Botulism is another presynaptic disorder of
      neuromuscular transmission. Clinical features classically involve cranial and
      bulbar palsies followed by descending weakness of the limbs, respiratory failure,
      and autonomic dysfunction. Electrodiagnostic testing is important in the
      evaluation and diagnosis. Treatment is supportive, and administration of
      antitoxin is beneficial in selected cases.

PMID- 26502759
TI  - Clinical Evaluation and Management of Inflammatory Myopathies.
AB  - The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are classified into four distinct
      subtypes: dermatomyositis, polymyositis, inclusion body myositis, and
      immunomediated necrotizing myopathy. These subtypes are clinically,
      histologically, and pathogenically distinct. Dermatomyositis, polymyositis, and
      necrotizing myopathy generally respond to immunotherapy, whereas inclusion body
      myositis does not. In this review, the authors focus on the clinical evaluation
      and management of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and highlight recent
      therapeutic studies and the evolving role of myositis-specific antibodies.

PMID- 26502760
TI  - Myotonic Disorders and Channelopathies.
AB  - Myotonic dystrophies and channelopathies are rare but important causes of muscle
      diseases which may present with myotonia, episodic attacks of weakness, fixed
      muscle weakness, and atrophy or their combination. Here, the authors provide an
      overview of these disorders and describe their clinical and pathophysiological
      features, diagnostic methods, and management.

PMID- 26502761
TI  - Dystrophinopathies.
AB  - The dystrophinopathies fall along a spectrum of muscular dystrophy phenotypes,
      with variable involvement of skeletal and cardiac muscle. The diagnosis of
      dystrophinopathy should be suspected in any patient with a highly elevated
      creatine kinase level beyond the context of rhabdomyolysis secondary to toxic or
      metabolic myopathy. Genetic testing for dystrophinopathy is highly sensitive and
      specific, and identifying a proband will often lead to implications for several
      relatives at risk for cardiomyopathy, weakness, or anesthetic reactions.
      Management of the dystrophinopathies is focused primarily on supportive care,
      although steroid therapy has changed the natural history of Duchenne muscular
      dystrophy and it is now standard-of-care internationally. An exciting and ongoing
      area of investigation of the dystrophinopathies is focused on the potential for
      altering gene expression, as a way of improving muscle health and slowing the
      rate of muscle degeneration.

PMID- 26502762
TI  - Metabolic Myopathies.
AB  - Metabolic myopathies encompass a group of rare disorders arising from defects in
      glycogen breakdown (glycogenolysis), glucose utilization (glycolysis), fatty acid
      transport and oxidation, and energy production along the mitochondrial
      respiratory chain. The authors review the ancillary testing used in the workup of
      metabolic myopathies and provide a detailed discussion of these individual
      disorders and how to approach patients suspected to have such diagnoses.

PMID- 26502763
TI  - Acquired Immunologic Neuropathies.
AB  - The acquired immunologic neuropathies are a collection of neuropathic conditions
      that result from abnormal immune responses that target peripheral nerve myelin,
      Schwann cells, or axons. Although the clinical features and diagnostic data are
      sometimes overlapping, the specific disorders are heterogeneous in pathogenesis,
      treatment, and prognosis. Importantly, there is no consensus as to which
      neuropathies are distinct conditions and which are better considered as variants
      or subtypes. The authors discuss the clinical, electrophysiological,
      histopathological, and treatment features that define the acquired immunomediated
      neuropathies, calling attention to differences that are observed between the
      specific neuropathies as well as the differences in the presumed variants within
      each syndrome.

PMID- 26502764
TI  - Inherited Neuropathies.
AB  - Hereditary neuropathies (HNs) are among the most common inherited neurologic
      disorders and are diverse both clinically and genetically. Recent genetic
      advances have contributed to a rapid expansion of identifiable causes of HN and
      have broadened the phenotypic spectrum associated with many of the causative
      mutations. The underlying molecular pathways of disease have also been better
      delineated, leading to the promise for potential treatments. This chapter reviews
      the clinical and biological aspects of the common causes of HN and addresses the
      challenges of approaching the diagnostic workup of these conditions in a rapidly
      evolving genetic landscape. 

PMID- 26502765
TI  - Diabetic Neuropathies.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus is a common condition and diabetics are prone to develop a
      spectrum of neuropathic complications ranging from symmetric and diffuse to
      asymmetric and focal neuropathies that may be associated with significant
      morbidity. Diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy is the most common of these
      complications, occurring in patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus, as well
      as in those with prediabetes and glucose intolerance. In this review, the authors
      discuss the wide variety of neuropathies that can present in the context of
      diabetes, including the clinical manifestations, diagnostic features, and
      approach to management.

PMID- 26502766
TI  - Neuropathies in Systemic Disease.
AB  - Most peripheral neuropathies result from systemic disease. In this review, the
      authors highlight the main clinical features, electrographic abnormalities,
      histopathological aspects and treatment, as well as the current, but still
      incomplete understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms involved. The
      peripheral neuropathic manifestations of renal failure, gastrointestinal illness,
      bariatric surgery, thyroid dysfunction, connective tissue disease, certain viral
      and bacterial infections, and critical illness are emphasized.

PMID- 26502767
TI  - Toxic Neuropathies.
AB  - Toxic neuropathies are a rare, but important cause of acquired polyneuropathy. In
      this review article, the authors discuss the general principles of toxic
      neuropathies and provide a systematic review of neuropathies related to drugs,
      heavy metals, environmental and industrial agents, and alcoholic neuropathies.

PMID- 26502768
TI  - Autonomic Neuropathy.
AB  - Autonomic nerve fibers are affected in most generalized peripheral neuropathies.
      Although this involvement is often mild or subclinical, there are a group of
      peripheral neuropathies in which the small or unmyelinated fibers are selectively
      or prominently targeted. These include the autonomic neuropathies associated with
      diabetes and amyloid, immune-mediated autonomic neuropathies including those
      associated with a paraneoplastic syndrome, inherited autonomic neuropathies,
      autonomic neuropathies associated with infectious diseases, and toxic autonomic
      neuropathies. The presenting features include impairment of cardiovascular,
      gastrointestinal, urogenital, thermoregulatory, sudomotor, and pupillomotor
      function. The accurate diagnosis of the autonomic neuropathies has been enhanced
      by the availability of physiological tests that measure autonomic function, and
      more recently, structural studies of the autonomic cutaneous innervation. With
      the help of these investigations and the judicious use of laboratory testing,
      many autonomic neuropathies can be accurately diagnosed and their clinical
      progression monitored.

PMID- 26502769
TI  - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Review.
AB  - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease primarily
      affecting the upper and lower motor neurons. The lifetime risk of developing ALS
      is estimated at 1:350 for men and 1:500 for women, higher for those who have
      served in the military. The diagnosis remains clinical with electrodiagnostic
      support. Alternative diagnoses can usually be ruled out by the use of
      neuroimaging studies and laboratory evaluation. Perhaps because ALS is a
      diagnosis of exclusion, there is a substantial delay in diagnosis, upward of 12
      months after the onset of symptoms, and most patients see three or more providers
      in the course of the diagnostic process. Once diagnosed, patients are best
      medically managed in a multidisciplinary care setting, an approach that has been
      shown to prolong survival and improve quality of life. Riluzole is the only
      disease-modifying therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but
      numerous symptomatic therapies exist. In the past 20 years, ALS has become the
      focus of intense investigation by a worldwide community of basic scientists, and
      for clinical investigators the disease is an active area of research, with stem
      cell therapies, gene therapies, and a host of small molecule agents under
      investigation at various stages of clinical and preclinical development.

PMID- 26502770
TI  - Secrets of virtuoso: neuromuscular attributes of motor virtuosity in expert
      musicians.
AB  - Musical performance requires extremely fast and dexterous limb movements. The
      underlying biological mechanisms have been an object of interest among scientists
      and non-scientists for centuries. Numerous studies of musicians and non-musicians
      have demonstrated that neuroplastic adaptations through early and deliberate
      musical training endowed superior motor skill. However, little has been unveiled
      about what makes inter-individual differences in motor skills among musicians.
      Here we determined the attributes of inter-individual differences in the maximum
      rate of repetitive piano keystrokes in twenty-four pianists. Among various
      representative factors of neuromuscular functions, anatomical characteristics,
      and training history, a stepwise multiple regression analysis and generalized
      linear model identified two predominant predictors of the maximum rate of
      repetitive piano keystrokes; finger tapping rate and muscular strength of the
      elbow extensor. These results suggest a non-uniform role of individual limb
      muscles in the production of extremely fast repetitive multi-joint movements.
      Neither age of musical training initiation nor the amount of extensive musical
      training before age twenty was a predictor. Power grip strength was negatively
      related to the maximum rate of piano keystrokes only during the smallest tone
      production. These findings highlight the importance of innate biological nature
      and explicit training for motor virtuosity. 

PMID- 26502771
TI  - Voriconazole-Induced Hepatitis via Simvastatin- and Lansoprazole-Mediated Drug
      Interactions: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
AB  - Therapeutic voriconazole concentrations have a narrow window of effectiveness
      before causing cholestatic hepatitis. After undergoing 1 year of voriconazole
      therapy for pulmonary aspergillosis, a 44-year-old man began treatment with 30 mg
      lansoprazole for gastroesophageal reflux symptoms. Within 5 days of starting
      treatment with lansoprazole, the patient presented with fatigue, jaundice, and
      cholestatic hepatitis. The hepatitis promptly resolved after stopping
      lansoprazole treatment. Sixteen months later, the patient was given simvastatin
      therapy, as recommended by the American Diabetes Association to prevent
      cardiovascular disease for patients with diabetes who are aged >40 years and have
      one additional risk factor. Within 2 weeks of taking simvastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3
      methylglutaryl CoA reductase (statin) therapy, the patient redeveloped fatigue,
      jaundice, and cholestatic hepatitis. He described both episodes of fatigue and
      jaundice similarly in terms of onset and intensity. Voriconazole is metabolized
      by both CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 isoenzymes. Lansoprazole is an inhibitor of the
      CYP2C19 isoenzyme. Competition between voriconazole and lansoprazole likely led
      to increased voriconazole serum concentration and acute cholestatic hepatitis in
      this patient. Simvastatin inhibits the CYP3A4 isoenzyme. After the patient took
      10 mg simvastatin daily for 2 weeks, cholestatic hepatitis occurred. The
      voriconazole concentration remained elevated (4.1 MUg/ml) when measured 15 days
      after stopping simvastatin. The patient's Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction
      Probability Scale score of 7 revealed that the cholestatic hepatitis was probably
      precipitated by lansoprazole. Likewise, the patient's Naranjo score of 9 also
      revealed that cholestatic hepatitis was attributable to a definite adverse drug
      reaction precipitated by the addition of simvastatin to the stable baseline
      regimen of voriconazole. In a single patient, two different inhibitors of the
      cytochrome P450 pathway stimulated voriconazole-induced cholestatic hepatitis.
      Although the major cytochrome P450 pathways for the metabolism and clearance of
      lansoprazole and simvastatin are different, they both likely contributed to the
      reduced hepatic clearance of voriconazole in this patient. 

PMID- 26502772
TI  - Molecular Cloning, Tissue Distribution, and Functional Characterization of
      Marmoset Cytochrome P450 1A1, 1A2, and 1B1.
AB  - The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), a New World monkey, has potential to be
      an animal model for drug metabolism studies. In this study, we identified and
      characterized cytochrome P450 (P450) 1A1 and 1B1 in addition to the known P450
      1A2 in marmosets. Marmoset P450 1A1 and 1B1 cDNA contained open reading frames
      encoding 512 and 543 amino acids, respectively, with high sequence identities
      (90%-93%) to other primate P450 1A1s and 1B1s. A phylogenetic tree based on amino
      acid sequences showed close evolutionary relationships among marmoset, macaque,
      and human P450 1A and 1B enzymes. By mRNA quantification and immunoblot analyses
      in five marmoset tissues, P450 1A1 was mainly expressed in lungs and small
      intestines, and P450 1A2 was expressed predominantly in livers. In contrast, P450
      1B1 was expressed in all tissues tested. Marmoset P450 1A1, 1A2, and 1B1
      heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli catalyzed 7-ethoxyresorufin O
      deethylation, 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation, and phenacetin O-deethylation,
      similar to those of humans and cynomolgus monkeys. Notably, marmoset P450 1A1 and
      1A2 more efficiently catalyzed 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation than those of the
      human homologs, but were comparable to those of the cynomolgus monkey homologs.
      Additionally, marmoset P450 1B1 preferentially catalyzed estradiol 4
      hydroxylation; however, rat P450 1B1 more favorably catalyzed estradiol 2
      hydroxylation, indicating that the estradiol hydroxylation specificity of
      marmoset P450 1B1 was similar to those of human and cynomolgus monkey P450 1B1.
      These results indicated that marmoset P450 1A and 1B enzymes had functional
      characteristics similar to those of humans and cynomolgus monkeys, suggesting
      that P450 1A and 1B-dependent metabolism was similar among marmosets, cynomolgus
      monkeys, and humans. 

PMID- 26502773
TI  - Analysis of the Metabolic Pathway of Bosentan and of the Cytotoxicity of Bosentan
      Metabolites Based on a Quantitative Modeling of Metabolism and Transport in
      Sandwich-Cultured Human Hepatocytes.
AB  - To quantitatively understand the events in the human liver, we modeled a hepatic
      disposition of bosentan and its three known metabolites (Ro 48-5033, Ro 47-8634,
      and Ro 64-1056) in sandwich-cultured human hepatocytes based on the known
      metabolic pathway. In addition, the hepatotoxicity of Ro 47-8634 and Ro 64-1056
      was investigated because bosentan is well known as a hepatotoxic drug. A model
      illustrating the hepatic disposition of bosentan and its three metabolites
      suggested the presence of a novel metabolic pathway(s) from the three
      metabolites. By performing in vitro metabolism studies on human liver microsomes,
      a novel metabolite (M4) was identified in Ro 47-8634 metabolism, and its
      structure was determined. Moreover, by incorporating the metabolic pathway of Ro
      47-8634 to M4 into the model, the hepatic disposition of bosentan and its three
      metabolites was successfully estimated. In hepatocyte toxicity studies, the cell
      viability of human hepatocytes decreased after exposure to Ro 47-8634, and the
      observed hepatotoxicity was diminished by pretreatment with tienilic acid (CYP2C9
      specific inactivator). Pretreatment with 1-aminobenzotriazole (broad cytochrome
      P450 inactivator) also tended to maintain the cell viability. Furthermore, Ro 64
      1056 showed hepatotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner. These results
      suggest that Ro 64-1056 is directly involved in bosentan-induced liver injury
      partly because CYP2C9 specifically mediates hydroxylation of the t-butyl group of
      Ro 47-8634. Our findings demonstrate the usefulness of a quantitative modeling of
      hepatic disposition of drugs and metabolites in sandwich-cultured hepatocytes. In
      addition, the newly identified metabolic pathway may be an alternative route that
      can avoid Ro 64-1056-induced liver injury. 

PMID- 26502775
TI  - Aromatic Sulfonium Polyoxomolybdates: Solid-State Photochromic Materials with
      Tunable Properties.
AB  - A new aromatic sulfonium counter-ion motif for polyoxometalate (POM) clusters
      with potential for structural and electronic fine-tuning has been designed. Its
      two derivatives 4-hydroxyphenyl dimethylsulfonium triflate (HPDST) and 4
      (allyloxy)phenyl dimethylsulfonium triflate (APDST) exhibit ionic liquid
      behaviors under ambient conditions. HPDST and APDST are used to develop a series
      of aromatic sulfonium POM hybrids (HPDS/APDS)n[XMo12 O40] (HPDS and APDS are the
      cations of HPDST and APDST, respectively; X=P or Si; n=3 or 4), which are tested
      for photochromic behavior. On exposure to UV light, these POM hybrids undergo
      color change from yellow to green/blue. The coloration kinetics half lives (t1/2)
      are less for APDS-based hybrids than for HPDS-based hybrids, suggesting that
      alkyl substitution on the phenolic group helps to fine-tune the electron
      availability on the sulfonium moiety and hence to control the photochromic
      behavior of the POM hybrids. The t1/2 values of these hybrids are considerably
      lower than those of the reported aliphatic sulfonium POM hybrids. We have also
      demonstrated the application of photoreduced POM hybrids as catalysts for the
      reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol.

PMID- 26502774
TI  - Stereochemical Assignment of Strigolactone Analogues Confirms Their Selective
      Biological Activity.
AB  - Strigolactones (SLs) are new plant hormones with various developmental functions.
      They are also soil signaling chemicals that are required for establishing
      beneficial mycorrhizal plant/fungus symbiosis. In addition, SLs play an essential
      role in inducing seed germination in root-parasitic weeds, which are one of the
      seven most serious biological threats to food security. There are around 20
      natural SLs that are produced by plants in very low quantities. Therefore, most
      of the knowledge on SL signal transduction and associated molecular events is
      based on the application of synthetic analogues. Stereochemistry plays a crucial
      role in the structure-activity relationship of SLs, as compounds with an
      unnatural D-ring configuration may induce biological effects that are unrelated
      to SLs. We have synthesized a series of strigolactone analogues, whose absolute
      configuration has been elucidated and related with their biological activity,
      thus confirming the high specificity of the response. Analogues bearing the R
      configured butenolide moiety showed enhanced biological activity, which
      highlights the importance of this stereochemical motif. 

PMID- 26502776
TI  - Absence of WASp Enhances Hematopoietic and Megakaryocytic Differentiation in a
      Human Embryonic Stem Cell Model.
AB  - The Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is an X-linked primary immunodeficiency caused
      by mutations in the WAS gene and characterized by severe thrombocytopenia.
      Although the role of WASp in terminally differentiated lymphocytes and myeloid
      cells is well characterized, its role in early hematopoietic differentiation and
      in platelets (Plts) biology is poorly understood. In the present manuscript, we
      have used zinc finger nucleases targeted to the WAS locus for the development of
      two isogenic WAS knockout (WASKO) human embryonic stem cell lines (hESCs). Upon
      hematopoietic differentiation, hESCs-WASKO generated increased ratios of
      CD34(+)CD45(+) progenitors with altered responses to stem cell factor compared to
      hESCs-WT. When differentiated toward the megakaryocytic linage, hESCs-WASKO
      produced increased numbers of CD34(+)CD41(+) progenitors, megakaryocytes (MKs),
      and Plts. hESCs-WASKO-derived MKs and Plts showed altered phenotype as well as
      defective responses to agonist, mimicking WAS patients MKs and Plts defects.
      Interestingly, the defects were more evident in WASp-deficient MKs than in WASp
      deficient Plts. Importantly, ectopic WAS expression using lentiviral vectors
      restored normal Plts development and MKs responses. These data validate the AND
      1_WASKO cell lines as a human cellular model for basic research and for
      preclinical studies for WAS. 

PMID- 26502777
TI  - Virus-mediated EpoR76E Therapy Slows Optic Nerve Axonopathy in Experimental
      Glaucoma.
AB  - Glaucoma, a common cause of blindness, is currently treated by intraocular
      pressure (IOP)-lowering interventions. However, this approach is insufficient to
      completely prevent vision loss. Here, we evaluate an IOP-independent gene therapy
      strategy using a modified erythropoietin, EPO-R76E, which has reduced
      erythropoietic function. We used two models of glaucoma, the murine microbead
      occlusion model and the DBA/2J mouse. Systemic recombinant adeno-associated virus
      mediated gene delivery of EpoR76E (rAAV.EpoR76E) was performed concurrent with
      elevation of IOP. Axon structure and active anterograde transport were preserved
      in both models. Vision, as determined by the flash visual evoked potential, was
      preserved in the DBA/2J. These results show that systemic EpoR76E gene therapy
      protects retinal ganglion cells from glaucomatous degeneration in two different
      models. This suggests that EPO targets a component of the neurodegenerative
      pathway that is common to both models. The efficacy of rAAV.EpoR76E delivered at
      onset of IOP elevation supports clinical relevance of this treatment. 

PMID- 26502780
TI  - Bereavement After Suicide: Disentangling Clues to Better Help Bereaved
      Adolescents.

PMID- 26502779
TI  - Effects of conventional tobacco smoke and nicotine-free cigarette smoke on airway
      inflammation, airway remodelling and lung function in a triple allergen model of
      severe asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with asthma who smoke have reduced lung function, increased
      exacerbation rates and increased steroid resistance compared to non-smoking
      asthmatics. In mice, cigarette smoke has been reported to have both pro- and anti
      Th2 response effects. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that combining tobacco cigarette
      smoke (tCS) with allergen exposure increases inflammation, airway remodelling and
      lung function in mice. To test this hypothesis, we combined a severe triple
      allergen model with tCS exposure and investigated whether effects were due to
      Toll-like receptor 4 signalling and/or nicotine and also observed when nicotine
      free cigarettes were used. METHODS: Mice were sensitized with ovalbumin,
      cockroach and house dust mite allergen in alum followed by intratracheal
      challenges with allergen twice a week for 6 weeks or additionally exposed to tCS
      during the allergen challenge period. Nicotine or nicotine-free herbal cigarette
      smoke was also applied to allergen challenged mice. RESULTS: tCS significantly
      reduced eosinophil numbers, IL-4 and IL-5 concentrations in the lung, total and
      allergen-specific IgE in serum, improved lung function and reduced collagen I
      levels. With the exception of collagen I all parameters reduced by tobacco
      cigarette smoke were also reduced in Toll-like receptor 4-deficient mice.
      Nicotine-free cigarette smoke also had significant anti-inflammatory effects on
      eosinophils, IL-4 and IL-5 concentrations in the lung and reduced airway
      hyperreactivity, albeit weaker than tobacco smoke. Applying nicotine alone also
      reduced Th2 cytokine levels and eosinophil numbers in the airways. CONCLUSION:
      Our experiments show that tCS exposure reduces allergen-induced Th2 response in
      the lung and associated collagen I production and development of airway
      hyperreactivity. With the exception on collagen I formation, these effects were
      not dependent on Toll-like receptor 4. The observed anti-Th2 effects of both
      nicotine and nicotine-free herbal cigarette smoke together suggests that tCS
      reduces the Th2 responses through nicotine and other products released by burning
      tobacco.

PMID- 26502778
TI  - Evaluation of TCR Gene Editing Achieved by TALENs, CRISPR/Cas9, and megaTAL
      Nucleases.
AB  - Present adoptive immunotherapy strategies are based on the re-targeting of
      autologous T-cells to recognize tumor antigens. As T-cell properties may vary
      significantly between patients, this approach can result in significant
      variability in cell potency that may affect therapeutic outcome. More consistent
      results could be achieved by generating allogeneic cells from healthy donors. An
      impediment to such an approach is the endogenous T-cell receptors present on T
      cells, which have the potential to direct dangerous off-tumor antihost
      reactivity. To address these limitations, we assessed the ability of three
      different TCR-alpha-targeted nucleases to disrupt T-cell receptor expression in
      primary human T-cells. We optimized the conditions for the delivery of each
      reagent and assessed off-target cleavage. The megaTAL and CRISPR/Cas9 reagents
      exhibited the highest disruption efficiency combined with low levels of toxicity
      and off-target cleavage, and we used them for a translatable manufacturing
      process to produce safe cellular substrates for next-generation immunotherapies. 

PMID- 26502781
TI  - Root Cause Analyses of Suicides of Mental Health Clients: Identifying Systematic
      Processes and Service-Level Prevention Strategies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ability to predict imminent risk of suicide is limited,
      particularly among mental health clients. Root cause analysis (RCA) can be used
      by health services to identify service-wide approaches to suicide prevention.
      AIMS: To (a) develop a standardized taxonomy for RCAs; (b) to quantitate service
      related factors associated with suicides; and (c) to identify service-related
      suicide prevention strategies. METHOD: The RCAs of all people who died by suicide
      within 1 week of contact with the mental health service over 5 years were
      thematically analyzed using a data collection tool. RESULTS: Data were derived
      from RCAs of all 64 people who died by suicide between 2008 and 2012. Major
      themes were categorized as individual, situational, and care-related factors. The
      most common factor was that clients had recently denied suicidality. Reliance on
      carers, recent changes in medication, communication problems, and problems in
      follow-through were also commonly identified. CONCLUSION: Given the difficulty in
      predicting suicide in people whose expressions of suicidal ideation change so
      rapidly, services may consider the use of strategies aimed at improving the
      individual, stressor, support, and care factors identified in this study.

PMID- 26502782
TI  - Searching for Suicide Methods: Accessibility of Information About Helium as a
      Method of Suicide on the Internet.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Helium gas suicides have increased in England and Wales; easy-to
      access descriptions of this method on the Internet may have contributed to this
      rise. AIMS: To investigate the availability of information on using helium as a
      method of suicide and trends in searching about this method on the Internet.
      METHOD: We analyzed trends in (a) Google searching (2004-2014) and (b) hits on a
      Wikipedia article describing helium as a method of suicide (2013-2014). We also
      investigated the extent to which helium was described as a method of suicide on
      web pages and discussion forums identified via Google. RESULTS: We found no
      evidence of rises in Internet searching about suicide using helium. News stories
      about helium suicides were associated with increased search activity. The
      Wikipedia article may have been temporarily altered to increase awareness of
      suicide using helium around the time of a celebrity suicide. Approximately one
      third of the links retrieved using Google searches for suicide methods mentioned
      helium. CONCLUSION: Information about helium as a suicide method is readily
      available on the Internet; the Wikipedia article describing its use was highly
      accessed following celebrity suicides. Availability of online information about
      this method may contribute to rises in helium suicides.

PMID- 26502783
TI  - Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict College Students' Intention to
      Intervene With a Suicidal Individual.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Suicide among college students is an issue of serious concern.
      College peers may effectively intervene with at-risk persons due to their regular
      contact and close personal relationships with others in this population of
      significantly enhanced risk. AIMS: The current study was designed to investigate
      whether the theory of planned behavior constructs predicted intention to
      intervene when a college peer is suicidal. METHOD: Undergraduate students (n =
      367) completed an on-line questionnaire; they answered questions about their
      attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control regarding suicide and
      suicide intervention, as well as their intention to intervene when someone is
      suicidal. The data were analyzed using multiple regression. RESULTS: The
      statistical significance of this cross-sectional study indicates that the theory
      of planned behavior constructs predicts self-reported intention to intervene with
      a suicidal individual. CONCLUSION: Theory of planned behavior is an effective
      framework for understanding peers' intention to intervene with a suicidal
      individual.

PMID- 26502784
TI  - Perceptions of the Functions of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in a College Sample.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rates of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) are particularly high on
      college campuses. Commonly endorsed reasons for NSSI include interpersonal (e.g.,
      seeking support) and intrapersonal (e.g., affect regulation) functions. AIMS:
      This study compared college students with and without a history of NSSI on their
      views of NSSI functions in order to inform gatekeeper intervention/prevention
      programs targeting NSSI. METHOD: The Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury,
      which assessed NSSI behavior and functions of NSSI, was completed by 367 college
      students (73% female, 95% white). RESULTS: Ninety-eight participants endorsed
      lifetime moderate/severe NSSI, 109 endorsed minor NSSI, and 160 denied any
      history of NSSI. Noninjuring participants' views of NSSI functions were compared
      with the views held by participants with histories of NSSI. The groups did not
      differ in their views of the relevance of intrapersonal functions, although
      noninjuring individuals appeared to stress some interpersonal factors (e.g.,
      influence) slightly more than individuals with a history of NSSI did. CONCLUSION:
      These results suggest that college students generally hold similar perceptions of
      the functions of NSSI. Our findings suggest intervention/prevention efforts may
      consider broadening the selection of gatekeepers (e.g., peers with no history of
      NSSI) in schools and colleges to identify at-risk students and encourage help
      seeking behaviors.

PMID- 26502785
TI  - Telephone Management Program for Patients Discharged From an Emergency Department
      After a Suicide Attempt: A 5-Year Follow-Up Study in a Spanish Population.
AB  - AIM: In a previous controlled study, the authors reported on the significant
      beneficial effects of a telephone intervention program for prevention of suicide
      attempts by patients for up to 1 year. This study reports the 5-year follow-up
      data. Outcomes were number of recurrences and time to recurrence. METHOD: The
      intervention was carried out on patients discharged from the emergency room (ER)
      following attempted suicide (Sabadell). It consisted of a systematic, 1-year
      telephone follow-up program: after 1 week, and thereafter at 1-, 3-, 6-, 9-, and
      12-month intervals to assess the risk of suicide and encourage adherence to
      treatment. The population in the control group (Terrassa) received treatment as
      usual after discharge, without additional telephone contact. RESULTS: The effect
      of reattempt prevention observed in the first year was not maintained over the
      long term. CONCLUSION: A telephone management program for patients discharged
      from an ER after attempted suicide could be considered a useful strategy in
      delaying further suicide attempts and reducing the rate of reattempts in the
      first year. However, results showed that the beneficial effects were not
      maintained at the 5-year follow-up.

PMID- 26502786
TI  - Clinical and Psychosocial Profiles of Asian Immigrants Who Repeatedly Attempt
      Suicide: A Mixed-Method Study of Risk and Protective Factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Persons who repeatedly attempt suicide comprise a highly distressed
      population that warrants the understanding of risk and protective factors in
      assessment and treatment. There is a dearth of literature on Asian immigrants'
      suicidal behavior. AIMS: The study aimed to capture the clinical and psychosocial
      profiles of Asian immigrants who made repeated suicide attempts. METHOD: We
      utilized retrospective chart reviews (n = 44) and in-person interviews (n = 12)
      in two urban public hospitals. RESULTS: The study samples shared major suicide
      risk factors identified in studies of other populations. Participants of the
      interview sample suffered from a pervasive sense of hopelessness stemming from
      social isolation, self-stigma, feelings of failure in their life roles, and
      perceptions of rejection by their families. Conversely, psychological well-being-
      feeling cared for and able to reciprocate care for others--appeared to be a
      protective factor for participants who improved in their functioning and
      recovery. CONCLUSION: The study lays the groundwork for further research on
      suicide risk and protective factors.

PMID- 26502787
TI  - Frontal Motor Cortex Activity During Reactive Control Is Associated With Past
      Suicidal Behavior in Recent-Onset Schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Suicide is prevalent in schizophrenia (SZ), yet the neural system
      functions that confer suicide risk remain obscure. Circuits operated by the
      prefrontal cortex (PFC) are altered in SZ, including those that support reactive
      control, and PFC changes are observed in postmortem studies of heterogeneous
      suicide victims. AIMS: We tested whether history of suicide attempt is associated
      with altered frontal motor cortex activity during reactive control processes.
      METHOD: We evaluated 17 patients with recent onset of DSM-IV-TR-defined SZ using
      the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale and functional magnetic resonance
      imaging during Stroop task performance. Group-level regression models relating
      past suicidal behavior to frontal activation controlled for depression,
      psychosis, and impulsivity. RESULTS: Past suicidal behavior was associated with
      relatively higher activation in the left-hemisphere supplementary motor area
      (SMA), pre-SMA, premotor cortex, and dorsolateral PFC, all ipsilateral to the
      active primary motor cortex. CONCLUSION: This study provides unique evidence that
      suicidal behavior in patients with recent-onset SZ directly relates to frontal
      motor cortex activity during reactive control, in a pattern reciprocal to the
      relationship with proactive control found previously. Further work should address
      how frontal-based control functions change with risk over time, and their
      potential utility as a biomarker for interventions to mitigate suicide risk in
      SZ.

PMID- 26502788
TI  - Perspectives of Suicidal Veterans on Safety Planning: Findings From a Pilot
      Study.
AB  - AIMS: Individual interviews were conducted and analyzed to learn about the
      engagement of suicidal veterans in safety planning. METHOD: Twenty suicidal
      veterans who had recently constructed safety plans were recruited at two VA
      hospitals. In semistructured interviews, they discussed how they felt about
      constructing and using the plan and suggested changes in plan content and format
      that might increase engagement. RESULTS: The veterans' experiences varied widely,
      from reviewing plans often and noting symptom improvement to not using them at
      all and doubting that they would think of doing so when deeply depressed.
      CONCLUSION: The veterans suggested ways to enrich safety planning encounters and
      identified barriers to plan use. Their ideas were specific and practical. Safety
      planning was most meaningful and helpful to them when they experienced the
      clinician as a partner in exploring their concerns (e.g., fear of discussing and
      attending to warning signs) and collaborating with them to devise solutions.

PMID- 26502790
TI  - Evaluation of the protective effect of chemical additives in the oxidation of
      phenolic compounds catalysed by peroxidase.
AB  - The use of oxidoredutive enzymes in removing organic pollutants has been the
      subject of much research. The oxidation of phenolic compounds in the presence of
      chemical additives has been the focus of this study. In this investigation, the
      influence of the additives polyethylene glycol and Triton X-100 was evaluated in
      the phenol oxidation, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid and total phenolic compounds
      present in coffee processing wastewater (CPW) at different pH values, performed
      by turnip peroxidase and peroxidase extracted from soybean seed hulls. The
      influence of these additives was observed only in the oxidation of phenol and
      caffeic acid. In the oxidation of other studied phenolic compounds, the
      percentage of oxidation remained unchanged in the presence of these chemical
      additives. In the oxidation of CPW in the presence of additives, no change in the
      oxidation of phenolic compounds was observed. Although several studies show the
      importance of evaluating the influence of additives on the behaviour of enzymes,
      this study found a positive response from the economic point of view for the
      treatment of real wastewater, since the addition of these substances showed no
      influence on the oxidation of phenolic compounds, which makes the process less
      costly. 

PMID- 26502791
TI  - A water-stable metal-organic framework of a zwitterionic carboxylate with
      dysprosium: a sensing platform for Ebolavirus RNA sequences.
AB  - We herein report a water-stable 3D dysprosium-based metal-organic framework (MOF)
      that can non-covalently interact with probe ss-DNA. The formed system can serve
      as an effective fluorescence sensing platform for the detection of complementary
      Ebolavirus RNA sequences with the detection limit of 160 pM. 

PMID- 26502792
TI  - Multiple Goals and Homework Involvement in Elementary School Students.
AB  - This work arises from the need to investigate the role of motivational variables
      in homework involvement and academic achievement of elementary school students.
      The aims of this study are twofold: identifying the different combinations of
      student academic goals and analyzing the differences in homework involvement and
      academic achievement. The sample was composed of 535 fourth-, fifth- and sixth
      grade elementary school students, between the ages of 9 and 13 years old.
      Findings showed three groups with different motivational profiles: a group of
      students with high multiple goals, another group with a learning goal orientation
      and a third group defined by a low multiple goals profile. Focusing on the
      differences between groups, it was observed that the amount of time doing
      homework was not associated with any motivational profile. Nevertheless, the
      differences were statistically significant between the motivational groups in the
      amount of homework (F(2, 530) = 42.59; p < .001; etap 2 = .138), in the
      management of time spent on homework (F(2, 530) = 33.08; p < .001; etap 2 =
      .111), and in academic achievement (F(2, 530) = 33.99; p < .001; etap 2 = .114).
      The effect size was large for the amount of homework performed and was also
      relatively large in the case of management of time and academic achievement.

PMID- 26502794
TI  - Thermal conductivity of a two-dimensional phosphorene sheet: a comparative study
      with graphene.
AB  - A recently discovered two-dimensional (2D) layered material phosphorene has
      attracted considerable interest as a promising p-type semiconducting material. In
      this work, thermal conductivity (kappa) of monolayer phosphorene is calculated
      using large-scale classical non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD)
      simulations. The predicted thermal conductivities for infinite length armchair
      and zigzag phosphorene sheets are 63.6 and 110.7 W m(-1) K(-1) respectively. The
      strong anisotropic thermal transport is attributed to the distinct atomic
      structures at altered chiral directions and direction-dependent group velocities.
      Thermal conductivities of 2D graphene sheets with the same dimensions are also
      computed for comparison. The extrapolated kappa of the 2D graphene sheet are
      1008.5(+37.6)(-37.6) and 1086.9(+59.1)(-59.1) W m(-1) K(-1) in the armchair and
      zigzag directions, respectively, which are an order of magnitude higher than
      those of phosphorene. The overall and decomposed phonon density of states (PDOS)
      are calculated in both structures to elucidate their thermal conductivity
      differences. In comparison with graphene, the vibrational frequencies that can be
      excited in phosphorene are severely limited. The temperature effect on the
      thermal conductivity of phosphorene and graphene sheets is investigated, which
      reveals a monotonic decreasing trend for both structures.

PMID- 26502795
TI  - Diagnosis of vertebral artery dissection in childhood posterior circulation
      arterial ischaemic stroke.
AB  - AIM: Review a series of children with posterior circulation arterial ischaemic
      stroke (PCAIS) to identify diagnostic modality and associations in cases of
      vertebral artery dissection (VAD). METHOD: Retrospective analysis of 30 cases of
      childhood PCAIS identified from two tertiary centres over 11 years. Clinical and
      demographic details were recorded. Brain and cerebrovascular imaging were
      reviewed. Aetiology was classified using the Childhood Arterial Ischaemic Stroke
      Standardized Classification and Diagnostic Evaluation criteria. Outcome was
      evaluated using standardized paediatric stroke outcome scores. Logistic
      regression was used to explore variables associated with diagnosis. RESULTS:
      Twenty-three patients were male (77%) and 7 were female (23%). VAD was the most
      commonly identified aetiology, in 15 cases (50%). Aetiology was undetermined in
      12 (40%), probable cardioembolism in two, and reversible cerebral
      vasoconstriction syndrome in one. In those with VAD, diagnosis was made on
      initial magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in six (40%). Further cases of VAD
      were diagnosed with catheter angiography (n=6), computed tomographic angiography
      (n=1), or follow-up MRA (n=2). Presence of multiple infarcts was associated with
      a diagnosis of VAD. INTERPRETATION: Endoluminal cerebrovascular imaging increases
      the rate of diagnosis of VAD in childhood PCAIS and should especially be
      considered if there are multiple infarcts.

PMID- 26502797
TI  - Sexual violence, weight perception, and eating disorder indicators in college
      females.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships between sexual violence experiences,
      inaccurate body weight perceptions, and the presence of eating disorder (ED)
      indicators in a sample of female US college students. PARTICIPANTS: Participants
      were 6,090 college females 25 years of age and younger. METHODS: A secondary
      analysis of National College Health Assessment data gathered annually at one
      institution from 2004 to 2013 was utilized. A model predicting ED indicators was
      tested using logistic regression analyses with multiple categorical variables
      representing severity of sexual violence, accuracy of body weight perception, and
      an interaction between the two. RESULTS: Sexual violence and inaccurate body
      weight perception significantly predicted ED indicators; sexual violence was the
      strongest predictor of purging behavior, whereas inaccurate body weight
      perception was best predicted by underweight status. CONCLUSIONS: Findings
      provide support to the relationship between purging behavior and severity of
      sexual violence and also to the link between inaccurate body weight perception
      and being underweight.

PMID- 26502796
TI  - Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Dysregulation Results in Diabetic Retinopathy.
AB  - Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) acts as a defense against a variety of bone
      marrow (BM) stressors. We hypothesized that ATM loss in BM-hematopoietic stem
      cells (HSCs) would be detrimental to both HSC function and microvascular repair
      while sustained ATM would be beneficial in disease models of diabetes. Chronic
      diabetes represents a condition associated with HSC depletion and inadequate
      vascular repair. Gender mismatched chimeras of ATM(-/-) on wild type background
      were generated and a cohort were made diabetic using streptozotocin (STZ). HSCs
      from the STZ-ATM(-/-) chimeras showed (a) reduced self-renewal; (b) decreased
      long-term repopulation; (c) depletion from the primitive endosteal niche; (d)
      myeloid bias; and (e) accelerated diabetic retinopathy (DR). To further test the
      significance of ATM in hematopoiesis and diabetes, we performed microarrays on
      circulating angiogenic cells, CD34(+) cells, obtained from a unique cohort of
      human subjects with long-standing (>40 years duration) poorly controlled diabetes
      that were free of DR. Pathway analysis of microarrays in these individuals
      revealed DNA repair and cell-cycle regulation as the top networks with marked
      upregulation of ATM mRNA compared with CD34(+) cells from diabetics with DR. In
      conclusion, our study highlights using rodent models and human subjects, the
      critical role of ATM in microvascular repair in DR.

PMID- 26502798
TI  - Connective tissue diseases: New low disease activity target defined in SLE.

PMID- 26502800
TI  - A template-free solvent-mediated synthesis of high surface area boron nitride
      nanosheets for aerobic oxidative desulfurization.
AB  - Hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (h-BNNs) with rather high specific surface
      area (SSA) are important two-dimensional layer-structured materials. Here, a
      solvent-mediated synthesis of h-BNNs revealed a template-free lattice plane
      control strategy that induced high SSA nanoporous structured h-BNNs with
      outstanding aerobic oxidative desulfurization performance. 

PMID- 26502799
TI  - Propiverine increases urethral wall catecholamine levels and bladder leak point
      pressure in rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether propiverine has a noradrenaline re-uptake
      inhibitor and whether it acts on the lumbosacral cord or the urethral wall. In
      addition, we aimed to examine the effect of propiverine on leak point pressure in
      rats. METHODS: A total of 72 female and 30 male rats were used to examine the
      following: (i) the change of leak point pressure caused by intravenous agents in
      rats with vaginal distention; (ii) the change of leak point pressure caused by
      intrathecal agents in rats with vaginal distention; (iii) the noradrenaline re
      uptake inhibitor action of propiverine; and (iv) catecholamine levels in the
      bladder wall, urethral wall, cerebrospinal fluid and plasma after oral
      administration of propiverine. RESULTS: Intravenous injection of propiverine,
      imipramine and duloxetine increased the leak point pressure in rats with vaginal
      distention. Intrathecal naftopidil decreased the leak point pressure, whereas
      subsequent intravenous propiverine restored the leak point pressure to the level
      before intrathecal naftopidil in rats with vaginal distention. Propiverine acted
      like a noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitor, increasing noradrenaline and/or
      dopamine levels in the plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, and urethral wall perfusion
      fluid. CONCLUSION: Propiverine inhibits noradrenaline re-uptake, as well as
      having antimuscarinic and Ca-antagonist actions. The inhibition of noradrenaline
      re-uptake by propiverine mainly occurs at the urethral level and partially in the
      central nervous system, and might stimulate the smooth muscle of the bladder neck
      and proximal urethra through alpha1-adrenergic receptors, as well as stimulating
      the striated muscle of the urethra and pelvic floor by activation of spinal
      motoneurons. Therefore, propiverine might be effective for both stress and urge
      incontinence.

PMID- 26502801
TI  - Incorporation of Jahn-Teller Cu(2+) Ions into Magnetoelectric Multiferroic MnWO4:
      Structural, Magnetic, and Dielectric Permittivity Properties of Mn1-xCuxWO4 (x <=
      0.25).
AB  - Polycrystalline samples of Mn1-xCuxWO4 (x <= 0.5) have been prepared by a solid
      state synthesis as well as from a citrate synthesis at moderate temperature (850 
      degrees C). The goal is to study changes in the structural, magnetic, and
      dielectric properties of magnetoelectric type-II multiferroic MnWO4 caused by
      replacing Jahn-Teller-inactive Mn(2+) (d(5), S = 5/2) ions with Jahn-Teller
      active Cu(2+) (d(9), S = 1/2) ions. Combination of techniques including scanning
      electron microscopy, powder X-ray and neutron diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy
      demonstrates that the polycrystalline samples with low copper content 0 <= x <=
      0.25 are solid solution that forms in the monoclinic P2/c space group. Rietveld
      analyses indicate that Cu atoms substitutes for Mn atoms at the Mn
      crystallographic site of the MnWO4 structure and suggest random distributions of
      Jahn-Teller-distorted CuO6 octahedra in the solid solution. Magnetic
      susceptibility reveals that only 5% of Cu substitution suppresses the nonpolar
      collinear AF1 antiferromagnetic structure observed in pure MnWO4. Type-II
      multiferroicity survives a weak Cu substitution rate (x < 0.15). Multiferroic
      transition temperature and Neel temperature increase as the amount of Cu
      increases. New trends in some of the magnetic properties and in dielectric
      behaviors are observed for x = 0.20 and 0.25. Careful analysis of the magnetic
      susceptibility reveals that the incorporation of Cu into MnWO4 strengthens the
      overall antiferromagnetic interaction and reduces the magnetic frustration. 

PMID- 26502802
TI  - Towards the realization of clinical extracellular vesicle diagnostics: challenges
      and opportunities.
AB  - Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been intensively researched in the last decade.
      As a result, many reports have revealed that disease-associated EVs can indeed be
      used as novel diagnostic tools to serve as a noninvasive 'liquid biopsy'. EVs are
      multi-molecular complexes and each molecule can be targeted for diagnostics. An
      increasing number of targetable molecules in EVs, such as miRNAs or proteins,
      have been identified and the accumulation of evidence will likely result in the
      identification of consensus EV markers. Also highlighted here are some advanced
      technologies that can be used as next generation assays. These technologies may
      overcome several challenges that continue to hinder the clinical use of EV
      diagnostics. A perspective is outlined for the potential contribution of EV
      research to develop diagnostic technologies for cancer and various other
      diseases. 

PMID- 26502803
TI  - Induction of interferon-lambda contributes to TLR3 and RIG-I activation-mediated
      inhibition of herpes simplex virus type 2 replication in human cervical
      epithelial cells.
AB  - STUDY HYPOTHESIS: Is it possible to immunologically activate human cervical
      epithelial cells to produce antiviral factors that inhibit herpes simplex virus
      type 2 (HSV-2) replication? STUDY FINDING: Our results indicate that human
      cervical epithelial cells possess a functional TLR3/RIG-I signaling system, the
      activation of which can mount an Interferon-lambda (IFN-lambda)-mediated anti-HSV
      2 response. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: There is limited information about the role of
      cervical epithelial cells in genital innate immunity against HSV-2 infection.
      STUDY DESIGN, SAMPLES/MATERIALS, METHODS: We examined the expression of toll-like
      receptors (TLRs) and retinoic acid-inducible I (RIG-I) in End1/E6E7 cells by real
      time PCR. The IFN-lambda induced by TLR3 and RIG-I activation of End1/E6E7 cells
      was also examined by real-time PCR and ELISA. HSV-2 infection of End1/E6E7 cells
      was evaluated by the real-time PCR detection of HSV-2 gD expression. The antibody
      to IL-10Rbeta was used to determine whether IFN-lambda contributes to TLR3/RIG-I
      mediated HSV-2 inhibition. Expression of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3),
      IRF7, IFN-stimulated gene 56 (ISG56), 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase I (OAS-1)
      and myxovirus resistance A (MxA) were determined by the real-time PCR and western
      blot. End1/E6E7 cells were transfected with shRNA to knockdown the IRF3, IRF7 or
      RIG-I expression. Student's t-test and post Newman-Keuls test were used to
      analyze stabilized differences in the immunological parameters above between
      TLR3/RIG-I-activated cells and control cells. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF
      CHANCE: Human cervical epithelial cells expressed functional TLR3 and RIG-I,
      which could be activated by poly I:C and 5'ppp double-strand RNAs (5'ppp dsRNA),
      resulting in the induction of endogenous interferon lambda (IFN-lambda). The
      induced IFN-lambda contributed to TLR3/RIG-I-mediated inhibition of HSV-2
      replication in human cervical epithelial cells, as an antibody to IL-10Rbeta, an
      IFN-lambda receptor subunit, could compromise TLR3/RIG-I-mediated inhibition of
      HSV-2. Further studies showed that TLR3/RIG-I signaling in the cervical
      epithelial cells by dsRNA induced the expression of the IFN-stimulated genes
      (ISGs), ISG56, 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase I (OAS-1) and myxovirus resistance
      A (MxA), the key antiviral elements in the IFN signaling pathway. In addition, we
      observed that the topical treatment of genital mucosa with poly I:C could protect
      mice from genital HSV-2 infection. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Future
      prospective studies with primary cells and suitable animal models are needed in
      order to confirm these outcomes. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The findings
      provide direct and compelling evidence that there is intracellular expression and
      regulation of IFN-lambda in human cervical epithelial cells, which may have a key
      role in the innate genital protection against viral infections. LARGE SCALE DATA:
      Not applicable. STUDY FUNDING AND COMPETING INTERESTS: This work was supported by
      the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81301428 to L.Z. and 81271334
      to W.-Z.H.), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
      (2042015kf0188 to L.Z.), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2013M531745
      to L.Z.), the Development Program of China ('973', 2012CB518900 to W.-Z.H.) from
      the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, grants
      (DA12815 and DA022177 to W.-Z.H.) from the National Institute on Drug Abuse
      (NIDA) and the open project of Hubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese
      Medicine Research (WDCM005 to M.S.). The authors declare no competing financial
      interests.

PMID- 26502804
TI  - Trophoblast cells primed with vasoactive intestinal peptide enhance monocyte
      migration and apoptotic cell clearance through alphavbeta3 integrin portal
      formation in a model of maternal-placental interaction.
AB  - STUDY HYPOTHESIS: Is apoptotic cell phagocytosis by monocytes modulated by
      pathways elicited by vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) action on trophoblast?
      STUDY FINDING: Targeting trophoblast cells with VIP induces monocyte migration,
      polarization to anti-inflammatory phenotypes and apoptotic trophoblast cell
      clearance which involves increased alphavbeta3 integrin expression on phagocytic
      cells and binding to thrombospondin 1. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Monocytes recruited
      to the maternal-placental interface interact with trophoblast cells and
      differentiate to alternatively activated macrophages involved in the silent
      clearance of apoptotic cells. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is an
      immunomodulatory polypeptide synthesized at the human placenta that can target
      both trophoblast cells and monocytes/macrophages. Integrin alphavbeta3 and
      thrombospondin 1 are involved in the formation of a phagocytic portal for the
      immunosuppressant clearance of apoptotic cells. STUDY DESIGN, SAMPLES/MATERIALS,
      METHODS: This is a laboratory-based study studying monocytes isolated from
      peripheral blood of healthy women (n = 33) and their interaction in vitro with
      first trimester trophoblast cell lines. Peripheral blood monocytes were isolated
      from healthy volunteers by Percoll gradient and tested in co-culture settings
      with first trimester trophoblast cell lines (Swan 71 and HTR8) or with
      trophoblast cell conditioned media obtained in the presence or absence of 10 or
      100 nM VIP. The effect of VIP-conditioned media on monocyte migration was
      assessed through transwell systems and monocyte/macrophage phenotype was
      determined by flow cytometry. Phagocytosis of apoptotic cells and the mechanisms
      involved in phagocytic portal formation were assessed by flow cytometry, confocal
      microscopy, immunological blockade and RT-PCR. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF
      CHANCE: Exposing cells to 100 nM VIP increased the migration of monocytes toward
      trophoblast cell conditioned media (VIP conditioned medium) (P < 0.05 versus
      conditioned media from cells not exposed to VIP) and contributed to the monocytes
      acquiring an anti-inflammatory profile with increased CD39 and IL-10 expression
      (P < 0.05). Phagocytosis of apoptotic trophoblast cells by monocytes and monocyte
      differentiated macrophages was increased by VIP conditioned medium (P < 0.05
      versus media conditioned in the absence of VIP or direct addition of 100 nM VIP).
      The boosting effect of VIP conditioned medium on phagocytosis involved increased
      expression and re-localization of alphavbeta3 integrin on phagocytic cells along
      with enhanced expression of thrombospondin 1 on trophoblast cells. LIMITATIONS,
      REASONS FOR CAUTION: The conclusions are based on in vitro experiments with
      monocytes drawn from peripheral blood of healthy individuals and trophoblast cell
      lines and we were unable to ascertain that these mechanisms operate similarly in
      vivo. We cannot rule out a differential behavior of either trophoblast cells
      targeted in vivo with VIP, or primary cultures of first trimester trophoblast
      cells assayed in vitro. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The results presented
      provide new clues for immune and trophoblast cell pharmacological targeting in
      pregnancy complications of immunopathologic nature. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING
      INTERESTS: This work was funded by the National Agency of Sciences and Technology
      ANPCyT (PICT 2011-0144), National Research Council CONICET (PIP 602/2012) and
      University of Buenos Aires (UBACyT 20020130100040BA) to C.P.L. The authors have
      no conflicts of interest to disclose.

PMID- 26502806
TI  - Mitochondrial dysfunction rather than mtDNA sequence  mutation is responsible for
      the multi-drug resistance  of small cell lung cancer.
AB  - Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for ~15% of all lung cancer cases, and
      chemotherapy has dramatically improved the survival rate of SCLC patients. Yet,
      the long-term survival rate of this cancer has not improved since multi-drug
      resistance (MDR) may emerge after chemotherapy. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
      mutation-related biological processes, such as energy metabolism and reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) production, have been considered to be associated with
      tumorigenesis and drug resistance. It was hypothesized and demonstrated, in the
      present study, that mitochondrial dysfunction is the reason for the occurrence
      and progression of SCLC. mtDNA from drug sensitive and drug insensitive cell
      lines (H446 and H446/CDDP) was sequenced and compared with the revised Cambridge
      reference sequence (rCRS). The results revealed that there was no difference in
      the mtDNA sequence from H446 and H446/CDDP cells, but several spot mutations were
      observed according to that of rCRs. Further evaluation on mitochondrial function
      revealed that H446 cells synthesized and secreted more lactic acid and ROS
      compared with that of H446/CDDP cells when challenged by the same dose of
      cisplatin (P>0.05). In addition, examination of the mitochondrial apoptotic
      pathway indicated that more Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9 were
      expressed in H446 cells compared with that of H446/CDDP cells when stimulated by
      the same dose of cisplatin (P>0.05). In conclusion, the results of the present
      study revealed that mtDNA mutations were responsible for the tumorigenesis of
      SLCL, but not associated with the drug sensitivity of SCLC cell lines. On the
      other hand, varied mitochondrium content-related mitochondrial dysfunction
      participated in the MDR of SCLC possibly by affecting the ROS-mediated
      mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

PMID- 26502807
TI  - Educational interventions to improve quality of life in people with chronic
      inflammatory skin diseases: systematic reviews of clinical effectiveness and cost
      effectiveness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inflammatory skin diseases include a broad range of disorders. For
      some people, these conditions lead to psychological comorbidities and reduced
      quality of life (QoL). Patient education is recommended in the management of
      these conditions and may improve QoL. OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical
      effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of educational interventions to improve
      health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with chronic inflammatory skin
      diseases. DATA SOURCES: Twelve electronic bibliographic databases, including The
      Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and EMBASE, were searched to July 2014. Bibliographies
      of retrieved papers were searched and an Advisory Group contacted. REVIEW
      METHODS: Systematic reviews were conducted following standard methodologies.
      Clinical effectiveness studies were included if they were undertaken in people
      with a chronic inflammatory skin condition. Educational interventions that aimed
      to, or could, improve HRQoL were eligible. Studies were required to measure
      HRQoL, and other outcomes such as disease severity were also included. Randomised
      controlled trials (RCTs) or controlled clinical trials were eligible. For the
      review of cost-effectiveness, studies were eligible if they were full economic
      evaluations, cost-consequence or cost analyses. RESULTS: Seven RCTs were included
      in the review of clinical effectiveness. Two RCTs focused on children with eczema
      and their carers. Five RCTs were in adults. Of these, two were of people with
      psoriasis, one was of people with acne and two were of people with a range of
      conditions. There were few similarities in the interventions (e.g. the delivery
      mode, the topics covered, the duration of the education), which precluded any
      quantitative synthesis. Follow-up ranged from 4 weeks to 12 months, samples sizes
      were generally small and, overall, the study quality was poor. There appeared to
      be positive effects on HRQoL in participants with psoriasis in one trial, but no
      difference between groups in another trial in which participants had less severe
      psoriasis. Carers of children in one RCT of eczema showed improvement in HRQoL;
      however, in a RCT evaluating a website intervention there were no demonstrable
      effects on HRQoL. Neither the RCT in those adults with acne nor the RCT in those
      adults with mixed skin conditions demonstrated an effect on HRQoL. One RCT
      reported subgroups with atopic dermatitis or psoriasis and education was
      effective for psoriasis only. Other outcomes also showed mixed results. It is
      unclear how clinically meaningful any of the observed improvements are. Three
      studies of cost-effectiveness were included. The interventions, comparators and
      populations varied across the studies and, overall, the studies provided limited
      information on cost-effectiveness. The studies did provide detailed information
      on resources and costs that could be useful to inform a future cost-effectiveness
      evaluation in this area. LIMITATIONS: The application of the inclusion criterion
      around whether the interventions were aimed at improving HRQoL or the inference
      that they could improve HRQoL was difficult as information was rarely reported.
      CONCLUSIONS: There is uncertainty regarding whether educational interventions
      addressing issues that could improve HRQoL in people with chronic skin conditions
      are effective. Tentative conclusions about the best approach to delivering these
      kinds of interventions are that face-to-face, group, sessions may be beneficial;
      however, text messages may also be effective. Delivery over a period of time and
      by a multidisciplinary team may also be associated with positive outcomes. There
      is uncertainty over whether or not educational interventions are cost-effective.
      STUDY REGISTRATION: This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42014007426. FUNDING:
      The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment
      programme.

PMID- 26502805
TI  - Polygenic inheritance of cryptorchidism susceptibility in the LE/orl rat.
AB  - STUDY HYPOTHESIS: Susceptibility to inherited cryptorchidism in the LE/orl rat
      may be associated with genetic loci that influence developmental patterning of
      the gubernaculum by the fetal testis. STUDY FINDING: Cryptorchidism in the LE/orl
      rat is associated with a unique combination of homozygous minor alleles at
      multiple loci, and the encoded proteins are co-localized with androgen receptor
      (AR) and Leydig cells in fetal gubernaculum and testis, respectively. WHAT IS
      KNOWN ALREADY: Prior studies have shown aberrant perinatal gubernacular
      migration, muscle patterning defects and reduced fetal testicular testosterone in
      the LE/orl strain. In addition, altered expression of androgen-responsive,
      cytoskeletal and muscle-related transcripts in the LE/orl fetal gubernaculum
      suggest a role for defective AR signaling in cryptorchidism susceptibility. STUDY
      DESIGN, SAMPLES/MATERIALS, METHODS: The long-term LE/orl colony and short-term
      colonies of outbred Crl:LE and Crl:SD, and inbred WKY/Ncrl rats were maintained
      for studies. Animals were intercrossed (LE/orl X WKY/Ncrl), and obligate
      heterozygotes were reciprocally backcrossed to LE/orl rats to generate 54 F2
      males used for genotyping and/or linkage analysis. At least five fetuses per
      gestational time point from two or more litters were used for quantitative real
      time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and freshly harvested embryonic (E) day 17 gubernaculum was
      used to generate conditionally immortalized cell lines. We completed genotyping
      and gene expression analyses using genome-wide microsatellite markers and single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays, PCR amplification, direct sequencing,
      restriction enzyme digest with fragment analysis, whole genome sequencing (WGS),
      and qRT-PCR. Linkage analysis was performed in Haploview with multiple testing
      correction, and qRT-PCR data were analyzed using ANOVA after log transformation.
      Imaging was performed using custom and commercial antibodies directed at
      candidate proteins in gubernaculum and testis tissues, and gubernaculum cell
      lines. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: LE/orl rats showed reduced fertility
      and fecundity, and higher risk of perinatal death as compared with Crl:LE rats,
      but there were no differences in breeding outcomes between normal and
      unilaterally cryptorchid males. Linkage analysis identified multiple peaks, and
      with selective breeding of outbred Crl:LE and Crl:SD strains for alleles within
      two of the most significant (P < 0.003) peaks on chromosomes 6 and 16, we were
      able to generate a non-LE/orl cryptorchid rat. Associated loci contain
      potentially functional minor alleles (0.25-0.36 in tested rat strains) including
      an exonic deletion in Syne2, a large intronic insertion in Ncoa4 (an AR
      coactivator) and potentially deleterious variants in Solh/Capn15, Ankrd28, and
      Hsd17b2. Existing WGS data indicate that homozygosity for these combined alleles
      does not occur in any other sequenced rat strain. We observed a modifying effect
      of the Syne2(del) allele on expression of other candidate genes, particularly
      Ncoa4, and for muscle and hormone-responsive transcripts. The selected candidate
      genes/proteins are highly expressed, androgen-responsive and/or co-localized with
      developing muscle and AR in fetal gubernaculum, and co-localized with Leydig
      cells in fetal testis. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The present study
      identified multiple cryptorchidism-associated linkage peaks in the LE/orl rat,
      containing potentially causal alleles. These are strong candidate susceptibility
      loci, but further studies are needed to demonstrate functional relevance to the
      phenotype. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Association data from both human
      and rat models of spontaneous, nonsyndromic cryptorchidism support a polygenic
      etiology of the disease. Both the present study and a human genome-wide
      association study suggest that common variants with weak effects contribute to
      susceptibility, and may exist in genes encoding proteins that participate in AR
      signaling in the developing gubernaculum. These findings have potential
      implications for the gene-environment interaction in the etiology of
      cryptorchidism. LARGE SCALE DATA: Sequences were deposited in the Rat Genome
      Database (RGD, http://rgd.mcw.edu/). STUDY FUNDING AND COMPETING INTERESTS: This
      work was supported by: R01HD060769 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National
      Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), 2P20GM103446 and
      P20GM103464 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), and
      Nemours Biomedical Research. The authors have no competing interests to declare.

PMID- 26502808
TI  - Acute S100B in serum is associated with cognitive symptoms and memory performance
      4 months after paediatric mild traumatic brain injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study explored whether acute serum marker S100B is related with
      post-concussive symptoms (PCS) and neuropsychological performance 4 months after
      paediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This
      prospective short-term longitudinal study investigated children (aged 6-16 years)
      with mTBI (n = 36, 16 males) and children with orthopaedic injuries (OI, n = 27,
      18 males) as a control group. S100B in serum was measured during the acute phase
      and was correlated with parent-rated PCS and neuropsychological performance 4
      months after the injury. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The results revealed no
      between-group difference regarding acute S100B serum concentration. In children
      after mTBI, group-specific significant Spearman correlations were found between
      S100B and post-acute cognitive PCS (r = 0.54, p = 0.001) as well as S100B and
      verbal memory performance (r = -0.47, p = 0.006). In children after OI, there
      were insignificant positive relations between S100B and post-acute somatic PCS.
      In addition, insignificant positive correlations were found between
      neuropsychological outcome and S100B in children after OI. CONCLUSIONS: S100B was
      not specific for mild brain injuries and may also be elevated after OI. The group
      specific association between S100B and ongoing cognitive PCS in children after
      mTBI should motivate to examine further the role of S100B as a diagnostic
      biomarker in paediatric mTBI.

PMID- 26502809
TI  - What do consumers want to know about antibiotics? Analysis of a medicines call
      centre database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Australia is one of the highest users of antibiotics in the developed
      world. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify consumer antibiotic information
      needs to improve targeting of medicines information. METHODS: We conducted a
      retrospective, mixed-method study of consumers' antibiotic-related calls to
      Australia's National Prescribing Service (NPS) Medicines Line from September 2002
      to June 2010. Demographic and question data were analysed, and the most common
      enquiry type in each age group was explored for key narrative themes. Relative
      antibiotic call frequencies were determined by comparing number of calls to
      antibiotic utilization in Australian Statistics on Medicines (ASM) data. RESULTS:
      Between 2002 and 2010, consumers made 8696 antibiotic calls to Medicines Line.
      The most common reason was questions about the role of their medicine (22.4%).
      Patient age groups differed in enquiry pattern, with more questions about
      lactation in the 0- to 4-year age group (33.6%), administration (5-14 years:
      32.4%), interactions (15-24 years: 33.4% and 25-54 years: 23.3%) and role of the
      medicine (55 years and over: 26.6%). Key themes were identified for each age
      group. Relative to use in the community, antibiotics most likely to attract
      consumer calls were ciprofloxacin (18.0 calls/100,000 ASM prescriptions) and
      metronidazole (12.9 calls/100,000 ASM prescriptions), with higher call rates than
      the most commonly prescribed antibiotic amoxicillin (3.9 calls/100,000 ASM
      prescriptions). CONCLUSIONS: Consumers' knowledge gaps and concerns about
      antibiotics vary with age, and certain antibiotics generate greater concern
      relative to their usage. Clinicians should target medicines information to
      proactively address consumer concerns.

PMID- 26502810
TI  - Medical engagement and organizational characteristics in general practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical engagement is a mutual concept of the active and positive
      contribution of doctors to maintaining and enhancing the performance of their
      health care organization, which itself recognizes this commitment in supporting
      and encouraging high quality care. A Medical Engagement Scale (MES) was developed
      by Applied Research Ltd (2008) on the basis of emerging evidence that medical
      engagement is critical for implementing radical improvements. OBJECTIVES: To
      study the importance of medical engagement in general practice and to analyse
      patterns of association with individual and organizational characteristics.
      DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional study using a sampled survey questionnaire
      and the official register from the Danish General Practitioners' Organization
      comprising all registered Danish GPs. METHOD: The Danish version of the MES
      Questionnaire was distributed and the survey results were analysed in conjunction
      with the GP register data. RESULTS: Statistically adjusted analyses revealed that
      the GPs' medical engagement varied substantially. GPs working in collaboration
      with colleagues were more engaged than GPs from single-handed practices, older
      GPs were less engaged than younger GPs and female GPs had higher medical
      engagement than their male colleagues. Furthermore, GPs participating in
      vocational training of junior doctors were more engaged than GPs not
      participating in vocational training. CONCLUSION: Medical engagement in general
      practice varies a great deal and this is determined by a complex interaction
      between both individual and organizational characteristics. Working in
      collaboration, having staff and being engaged in vocational training of junior
      doctors are all associated with enhanced levels of medical engagement among GPs.

PMID- 26502811
TI  - The evolution of pharmaceutical care for drug misusers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the last 20 years, pharmaceutical care has evolved as a modus
      operandi for community pharmacy. This article tracks the development of
      pharmaceutical care for drug misusers since 1995 and considers the implications
      for pharmacy engagement with the wider care team. OBJECTIVE: To survey current
      community pharmacy service provision for drug misusers, past training and future
      training needs and compare with data from previous years (1995, 2000 and 2006).
      METHOD: A cross-sectional postal questionnaire of pharmacy managers in Scotland
      (n = 1246), and telephone interviews with non-respondents. Results were compared
      with previous surveys. RESULTS: The response rate was 70% (873) including 13.2%
      (164) by telephone. More pharmacies dispensed methadone in 2014 (88.5%) than
      previously, a significant increase across all time points (1995, 2000 and 2006)
      (P < 0.001). Most pharmacies (88.1%) had some drug misusers registered for the
      minor ailment scheme. In 2014, 43.4% of pharmacists always reported a drug
      misuser's non-attendance for opiate replacement treatment (ORT) to the prescriber
      (36.6% in 2006). If patient intoxication was suspected, medication was always
      withheld by 47.9% (27.5% in 2006). Pharmacists undertaking training in drug
      misuse and blood-borne diseases increased significantly since 1995, to 78.6% and
      48.7%, respectively, in 2014 (P < 0.001). The preferred topic for future training
      was communication/engagement with other services. CONCLUSION: Pharmaceutical care
      for drug misusers has evolved from ORT supply to a more clinical approach.
      Pharmacists actively monitored ORT patients, managed their minor ailments and
      increasingly engaged with the wider care team.

PMID- 26502812
TI  - Abeta1-40 and Abeta1-42 Plasmatic Levels In Stroke: Influence of Pre-Existing
      Cognitive Status and Stroke Characteristics.
AB  - Many stroke patients have pre-existing cognitive impairment. Plasma amyloid beta
      peptides (Abeta) - possible biomarkers of Alzheimer's pathology - induce vascular
      dysfunction. Our objective was to evaluate factors influencing plasma Abeta1-40
      and Abeta1-42 peptides in a cohort of stroke patients. In the Biostroke study
      (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00763217), we collected vascular risk factors,
      neuroimaging features and biological tests including Abeta1-40 and Abeta1-42. We
      used the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) to
      systematically assess the pre-existing cognitive status. Of 403 patients (371
      ischemia), 25 met criteria for pre-existing dementia, 142 for pre-existing
      cognitive decline-no-dementia, and 236 had no PCoI. Abeta1-42 was independently
      associated with PCoI (odds ratio 0.973; 95% confidence interval: 0.950-0.996;
      p=0.024). Factors associated with plasma Abeta1- 40 were age, smoking and
      diabetes mellitus. After exclusion of hemorrhagic strokes, the results remained
      unchanged, but blood samples taken less than 12 hours after onset were associated
      with lower plasma Abeta1-40. Our results support a dissociated response of the 2
      plasma Abeta peptides in stroke patients, plasma Abeta1-40 being involved in
      vascular aspects whereas Abeta1-42 might be involved in neurodegenerative
      processes.

PMID- 26502813
TI  - Rhein-Huprine Derivatives Reduce Cognitive Impairment, Synaptic Failure and
      Amyloid Pathology in AbetaPPswe/PS-1 Mice of Different Ages.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder in which the amyloid
      beta (Abeta) peptide plays a key role in synaptic impairment and memory decline
      associated with neuronal dysfunction and intra-neuronal accumulation of
      hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Two novel enantiopure rhein-huprine hybrids ((+)
      1 and (-)-1) exhibit potent inhibitory effects against human acetylcholinesterase
      (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), BACE-1 and both Abeta and tau
      antiaggregation activity in vitro and reduction on the amyloid precursor protein
      (APP) processing in vivo. Interestingly, in this work, we observed beneficial
      effects with both (+)- and (-)-1 in the reversion of the neuropathology presented
      in the AbetaPPswe/PS-1 Alzheimer's model, including a reduction in the Abeta
      levels, tau phosphorylation and memory impairment with both treatments. Also, in
      young transgenic mice that present early symptoms of synaptic failure and memory
      loss, we found a protection of cognitive functions, including long-term
      potentiation (LTP) and a reduction of the neuro-inflammation by both (+)- and (-)
      1. Furthermore, animals with an advanced disease (11month-old) present an
      exacerbate neurodegeneration that is reversed only with the dextrorotatory
      enantiomer. These studies indicated that rhein-huprine derivatives with multiple
      properties might have interesting therapeutic potential for AD.

PMID- 26502814
TI  - Aberrant Neuronal Activity and Dysfunctional Connectivity in Abeta1-42- mediated
      Memory Deficits in Rats.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that gradually induces
      cognitive deficit. Working memory deficits have been previously reported in AD
      and Amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta) is regarded as a causative factor for the
      impairments. Accumulating evidence has identified that neuronal ensemble activity
      as well as functional connectivity among neurons encode and process information
      in normal brain. How Abeta contributes to the abnormal neuronal ensemble activity
      and corresponding functional connectivity which, in turn, leads to the cognitive
      deficits? To address the issue, we simultaneously recorded neuronal activity from
      medial prefrontal cortex of rats (control and Abeta injected group) when the rats
      performed a Y-maze working memory task, to investigate the properties of neuronal
      ensemble activity and functional connectivity. In the control group, a group of
      neurons were collectively activated and the connectivity among the neurons
      strengthened during the working memory task. However, in the Abeta group, the
      neuronal activity and connectivity never experience significant change. Our
      results indicate that the dysfunction of neuronal activity and connectivity may
      provide insight for the Abeta-induced working memory deficits. 

PMID- 26502815
TI  - The Possible Involvement of HLA Class III Haplotype (RAGE, HSP70 and TNF Genes)
      in Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - In the central nervous system Hsp70s seems to have a protective role in repair
      and removal of cellular proteins damaged by stress conditions. A protective role
      of Hsp70 was also shown in Alzheimer Disease. The HSP70-1 +190 G/C polymorphism
      is located in the gene 5'UTR region and it is implicated in alteration of the
      transcription binding factor; HSP70-2 +1267 A/G causes a silent mutation in the
      coding region and it seems to influence the mechanism of mRNA translation; HSP70
      hom +2437 A/G causes a substitution Met -> The (M493T) in the coding region and
      it seems to influence the bond with the substrate and therefore on the chaperone
      activity of hsp70. The aim of our study will be to investigate Alzheimer
      susceptibility to Hsp70 polymorphisms, taking into account our previous findings
      on HLA class III region, and to hypothesize a role of HLA class III haplotype
      configuration based on the variants of three genes: RAGE, HSP70 and TNF. We
      studied these polymorphisms with PCR-RFLP and PCR-TSP. We investigated 173 AD
      patients and 211 control subjects. Our results have shown a statistically
      significant decrease of the C allele frequency of the HSP70-1 +190 G/C
      polymorphism in AD patients vs controls (P value = 0,018), as well as the G
      allele of HSP70-2 +1267 G/A (p value = 0,02). We focalized our attention on
      haplotype reconstruction. We have observed a significant statistically decrease
      of GGT haplotype frequency (empirical p-value=0.0133 ); GAT haplotype was
      statistically significant increase in AD patients compared with control
      (empirical p-value=0.007). The total HLA class III haplotype are reconstructed.
      The causative haplotypes are the following ones: TTGATGGG ( p value =0,005;
      empirical p =0,0042); TTGATAGG (p value =0,45; empirical p =0,034). Patients with
      these haplotypes may show an earlier onset of the disease than patients with
      TTGGTGGG (p value=0,0138; empirical p =0,0102); TTCGTGGG (p value=0,021;
      empirical p =0,017); TTCGTGGA (p value =0,058; empirical p =0,043) haplotypes.
      The overall variation of the haplotypes formed by the RAGE and TNF and HSP70
      variants influenced the presence of the AD phenotype (omnibus association LR test
      p-value 0.00185), HSP701 and HSP702 showed independent effect on AD risk after
      adjusting for the effect of the entire haplotype (conditional LR test p
      value=0.0114 and p-value=0.0044 respectively). These data confirm the involvement
      of HLA class III in AD. 

PMID- 26502816
TI  - Lipid-Based Diets Improve Muscarinic Neurotransmission in the Hippocampus of
      Transgenic APPswe/PS1dE9 Mice.
AB  - Transgenic APPswe/PS1dE9 mice modeling Alzheimer's disease demonstrate ongoing
      accumulation of beta-amyloid fragments resulting in formation of amyloid plaques
      that starts at the age of 4-5 months. Buildup of beta-amyloid fragments is
      accompanied by impairment of muscarinic transmission that becomes detectable at
      this age, well before the appearance of cognitive deficits that manifest around
      the age of 12 months. We have recently demonstrated that long-term feeding of
      trangenic mice with specific isocaloric fish oil-based diets improves specific
      behavioral parameters. Now we report on the influence of short-term feeding (3
      weeks) of three isocaloric diets supplemented with Fortasyn (containing fish oil
      and ingredients supporting membrane renewal), the plant sterol stigmasterol
      together with fish oil, and stigmasterol alone on markers of cholinergic
      neurotransmission in the hippocampus of 5-month-old transgenic mice and their
      wild-type littermates. Transgenic mice fed normal diet demostrated increase in
      ChAT activity and attenuation of carbachol-stimulated GTP-gamma(35)S binding
      compared to wild-type mice. None of the tested diets compared to control diet
      influenced the activities of ChAT, AChE, BuChE, muscarinic receptor density or
      carbachol-stimulated GTP-gamma(35)S binding in wild-type mice. In contrast, all
      experimental diets increased the potency of carbachol in stimulating GTP
      gamma(35)S binding in trangenic mice to the level found in wild-type animals.
      Only the Fortasyn diet increased markers of cholinergic synapses in transgenic
      mice. Our data demonstrate that even short-term feeding of transgenic mice with
      chow containing specific lipid-based dietary supplements can influence markers of
      cholinergic synapses and rectify impaired muscarinic signal transduction that
      develops in transgenic mice. 

PMID- 26502817
TI  - Hypertension Impairs Cerebral Blood Flow in a Mouse Model for Alzheimer's
      Disease.
AB  - AIMS: Hypertension, a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), is a treatable
      condition, which offers possibilities for prevention of AD. Elevated angiotensin
      II (AngII) is an important cause of essential hypertension. AngII has deleterious
      effects on endothelial function and cerebral blood flow (CBF), which may
      contribute to AD. AngII blocking agents can thus provide potential candidates to
      reduce AD risk factors in hypertensive patients. METHODS: We studied the effect
      of 2 months induced hypertension (AngII-infusion via osmotic micropumps) on
      systolic blood pressure (SBP) and CBF in 10 months-old wild-type (WT) C57bl/6j
      and AbetaPPswe/PS1DeltaE9 (AbetaPP/PS1) mice, and treatment with two different
      antihypertensives, 1) eprosartan mesylate (EM, 0.35mg/kg) or 2)
      hydrochlorotiazide (HCT, 7.5mg/kg), after 1 month of induced-hypertension. SBP
      was monitored twice each month via tail cuff plethysmography. CBF was measured
      with MR by flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery. RESULTS: Chronic AngII
      infusion induced an increase in SBP in both AbetaPP/PS1 and WT mice accompanied
      by a decrease in hippocampal and thalamic CBF only in the AbetaPP/PS1 mice. An
      additional difference between the AbetaPP/PS1 mice and WT mice was that SBP was
      much higher in AbetaPP/PS1 mice in both hypertensive and normotensive conditions.
      Moreover, both antihypertensives were less effective in reducing AngII-induced
      hypertension to normal levels in AbetaPP/PS1 mice, while being effective in WT
      mice. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that AngII-induced elevated SBP results in
      impaired CBF and a decreased response to blood pressure lowering treatment in a
      transgenic model of AD. Our findings suggest a relation between midlife
      hypertension and decreased CBF in an AD mouse model, similar to the relation
      which has been found in AD patients. This translational mouse model could be used
      to investigate possible prevention and treatment strategies for AD.

PMID- 26502818
TI  - Neurodegeneration in Amygdala Precedes Hippocampus in the APPswe/ PS1dE9 Mouse
      Model of Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Both the hippocampus and amygdala are early vulnerable brain regions in the
      development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, previous studies mainly focused
      on characterizing the hippocampus in the pathophysiology of AD, leaving the
      amygdala less explored. Here, we characterized the structures and functions of
      neurons in the hippocampus and amygdala of young (2, 3 and 4 months of age)
      APP/PS1 double transgenic (Tg) mice, a widely used AD mouse model. Compared to
      wild-type littermates (Wt ), Tg mice performed worse in amygdala-dominant memory
      at all three ages, while hippocampus-dominant memory remained intact until 4
      month-old. Likewise, the dendritic arbors of neurons in the basolateral amygdala
      were reduced in Tg mice as early as 2-months-old, while the dendritic arbors of
      neurons in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions were relatively intact. BDNF
      signaling pathways (e.g. AKT and PKC) were reduced in the amygdala, but not in
      the hippocampus, of young Tg mice. Furthermore, reduction of 5-HT and elevation
      of Abeta levels also occurred earlier in the amygdala and were more pronounced
      than those in the hippocampus. Negative correlations between the levels of 5-HT
      and Abeta were evident in the amygdala, but not in the hippocampus. Taken
      together, these results suggest that neurodegeneration occurs earlier in the
      amygdala than in the hippocampus. We suggest that amygdala function should be
      incorporated into the cognitive screening tool for the diagnosis of mild
      cognitive impairment due to AD. 

PMID- 26502819
TI  - Alterations of the X Chromosome in Lymphocytes of Alzheimer's Disease Patients.
AB  - Chromosomal alterations as a sign of genetic instability are a feature of
      Alzheimer's disease (AD). Assessment of the genetic instability of non-neuronal
      cells of AD patients may provide a method to diagnose or monitor prognosis of the
      disease. Considering the importance of X chromosome alterations in the possible
      etiology of AD females, we used fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) for the
      centromere region of the X chromosome to determine aneuploidy, for a possible
      correlation with premature centromere division (PCD, X) in lymphocytes of AD
      females and age-matched controls. In AD patients, our results showed a marked and
      significant increase in the frequency of the X chromosome aneuploidy comparing
      with age matched controls (p<0.001). Also, a significant difference was detected
      in the PCD, X frequency between AD females when compared with age matched
      controls (p<0.001). In addition, a strong (R2=0.97, n=20) and significant
      (p<0.001) correlation was found between the frequency of aneuploidy and PCD, X in
      the AD group. Our results support the view that AD is a generalized systematic
      disease where PCD is to be considered as a stable sign of disease leading to
      aneuploidy. 

PMID- 26502821
TI  - In Vivo Longitudinal Monitoring of Changes in the Corpus Callosum Integrity
      During Disease Progression in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - The corpus callosum is the largest commissural fiber connecting left and right
      hemisphere of the brain. Emerging evidence suggests that a variety of
      abnormalities detected in the microstructure of this white matter fiber can be an
      early event in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. However, little is known about
      tissue characteristics of these abnormalities and how these abnormalities evolve
      during AD progression. In this study, we measured in vivo magnetic resonance
      transverse relaxation times (T2) to longitudinally monitor changes in tissue
      integrity and abnormalities related to myelination and demyelination processes in
      corpus callosum of AD mouse models. The most striking finding of our study was a
      significant elongation of T2 values in the corpus callosum at 10, 14, 16 and 18
      months of age compared to age-matched wild-type mice. In contrast, the gray
      matter regions surrounding the corpus callosum, such as the cortex and
      hippocampus, showed a significant T2 decrease compared to wild-type mice.
      Histological analyses clearly revealed demyelination, gliosis and amyloid-plaque
      deposition in the corpus callosum. Our results suggest that demyelinating and
      inflammatory pathology may result in prolonged relaxation time during AD
      progression. To our knowledge, this is the first in vivo T2 study assessing the
      microstructural changes with age in the corpus callosum of the Tg2576 mouse model
      and it demonstrates the application of T2 measurement to noninvasively detect
      tissue integrity of the corpus callosum, which can be an early event in disease
      progression. 

PMID- 26502820
TI  - Differential Expression of Ribosomal Genes in Brain and Blood of Alzheimer's
      Disease Patients.
AB  - Changes in rRNA and rDNA expression have been associated with cellular and
      organism aging and have been linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. In
      this study, we investigated the mRNA expression of ribosomal genes (28S/18S) and
      beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) in different post mortem brain tissue
      regions (the entorhinal and auditory cortices and the hippocampus) of AD patients
      and elderly control subjects and also evaluated the extent of expression in
      peripheral blood from young, healthy, elderly, and Alzheimer's disease patients
      in order to investigate whether these individuals experienced the effects of
      aging. The comparative threshold cycle (CT) method via Real Time Polymerase Chain
      Reaction and the Polymerase Chain Reaction- Restriction Fragment Length
      Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) were used to analyze gene expression and the
      Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype, respectively. When the brain areas were
      analyzed collectively, we observed a significant decrease in APP expression and a
      significant increase in levels of mRNA of 18S and 28S in Alzheimer's disease
      patients compared to healthy elderly individuals. Furthermore, there was a
      significant upregulation of 28SrRNA in the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus, but
      not in the auditory cortex of patients with AD. On the other hand, tests of blood
      samples verified a decreased expression of 28S rRNA in patients with AD. These
      results support the hypothesis that changes in rRNA are present in AD patients,
      are tissue-specific, and seem to occur independently and differently in each
      tissue. However, the next challenge is to discover the mechanisms responsible for
      the differences in expression observed in the blood and the brain in both healthy
      elderly individuals and Alzheimer's disease patients, as well as the impact of
      these genes on AD pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26502822
TI  - Enhanced Hippocampal Neurogenesis in APP/Ps1 Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease
      After Implantation of VEGF-loaded PLGA Nanospheres.
AB  - During adult life, hippocampus is an important brain region involved in
      neurogenesis. The generation and cell death of newly generated neuronal cells in
      this region have critical roles in brain maintenance and alterations in these
      processes are seen in Alzheimer's disease (AD). For the purpose of carrying out a
      neuroregenerative strategy, we propose a novel approach based on the
      encapsulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in poly (lactic co
      glycolic acid) (PLGA) biodegradable nanospheres (NS) administered by craniotomy
      to stimulate the proliferation of neuronal precursors in a transgenic mouse model
      of AD. VEGF loaded nanospheres were prepared by double emulsion solvent
      evaporation technique, obtaining 200 nm nanospheres with a biphasic release
      profile. After demonstrating their efficacy in the proliferation and
      differentiation of neuronal cell cultures, in vivo studies were carried out. 3
      months after VEGF-NS were implanted directly into the cerebral cortex of APP/Ps1
      mice, the determination of BrdU(+) cells in the whole hippocampal region and
      specifically in the dentate gyrus, demonstrated a significantly enhanced cellular
      proliferation in VEGF-NS treated group. These results were also confirmed showing
      an increased number of DCX(+) and NeuN(+) cells. Hence, PLGA-VEGF nanospheres may
      be a potential strategy to modulate proliferative neuronal progenitors in the
      hippocampal region, and therefore, provide new insight for future therapeutic
      approaches in AD. 

PMID- 26502824
TI  - Tellurium-Assisted Low-Temperature Synthesis of MoS2 and WS2 Monolayers.
AB  - Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a scalable method able to synthesize MoS2 and
      WS2 monolayers. In this work, we reduced the synthesis temperature by 200 
      degrees C only by introducing tellurium (Te) into the CVD process. The as
      synthesized MoS2 and WS2 monolayers show high phase purity and crystallinity. The
      optical and electrical performance of these materials is comparable to those
      synthesized at higher temperatures. We believe this work will accelerate the
      industrial synthesis of these semiconducting monolayers. 

PMID- 26502823
TI  - Autophagy is upregulated during colorectal carcinogenesis,  and in DNA
      microsatellite stable carcinomas.
AB  - Cancer cells are exposed to a wide range of stress sources, such as nutrient
      deprivation and hypoxia, as well as cytotoxic chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
      Certain forms of stress can also promote survival activating the metabolic
      autophagy pathway in cancer cells. Autophagy is dramatically increased in cancer
      cells. In these conditions, it is becoming evident that autophagy protects cells,
      by providing an alternative energy source and by eliminating dysfunctional
      organelles or proteins. Its role in tumorigenesis is more controversial and both
      the presence and the absence of autophagy have been implicated. Autophagy is
      known to be associated with the poor outcome of patients with various types of
      cancers, and its effectiveness as a prognostic marker in colorectal cancer was
      demonstrated by several studies. The inhibition of autophagy may be a potential
      therapeutic target in colorectal cancer. In vitro experiments have shown that the
      inhibition of autophagy increases 5-FU-induced apoptosis. There are two trials
      currently investigating the addition of chloroquine to 5-FU-based chemotherapy
      and bevacizumab. In the present study, we evaluated the expression of LC3B-II in
      samples of human colorectal microadenomas (i.e., dysplastic aberrant crypt foci)
      and carcinomas compared to normal mucosa. Furthermore, the expression pattern of
      LC3B-II was assessed in carcinomas classified as DNA microsatellite stable (MSS)
      and unstable (MSI). Thus, immunofluorescence techniques coupled with confocal
      microscopy and immunoblot experiments were performed. The results clearly showed
      a significant increase in expression of the autophagic key factor in
      microadenomas and carcinomas with respect to normal mucosa. In MSS carcinomas,
      the level of LC3B-II expression was higher than that in the MSI carcinomas.

PMID- 26502825
TI  - Impaired surface membrane insertion of homo- and heterodimeric human muscle
      chloride channels carrying amino-terminal myotonia-causing mutations.
AB  - Mutations in the muscle chloride channel gene (CLCN1) cause myotonia congenita,
      an inherited condition characterized by muscle stiffness upon sudden forceful
      movement. We here studied the functional consequences of four disease-causing
      mutations that predict amino acid substitutions Q43R, S70L, Y137D and Q160H. Wild
      type (WT) and mutant hClC-1 channels were heterologously expressed as YFP or CFP
      fusion protein in HEK293T cells and analyzed by whole-cell patch clamp and
      fluorescence recordings on individual cells. Q43R, Y137D and Q160H, but not S70L
      reduced macroscopic current amplitudes, but left channel gating and unitary
      current amplitudes unaffected. We developed a novel assay combining
      electrophysiological and fluorescence measurements at the single-cell level in
      order to measure the probability of ion channel surface membrane insertion. With
      the exception of S70L, all tested mutations significantly reduced the relative
      number of homodimeric hClC-1 channels in the surface membrane. The strongest
      effect was seen for Q43R that reduced the surface insertion probability by more
      than 99% in Q43R homodimeric channels and by 92 +/- 3% in heterodimeric WT/Q43R
      channels compared to homodimeric WT channels. The new method offers a sensitive
      approach to investigate mutations that were reported to cause channelopathies,
      but display only minor changes in ion channel function.

PMID- 26502826
TI  - Increases in both temperature means and extremes likely facilitate invasive
      herbivore outbreaks.
AB  - Although increases in mean temperature (MT) and extreme high temperature (EHT)
      can greatly affect population dynamics of insects under global warming, how
      concurrent changes in both MT and EHT affect invasive species is largely unknown.
      We used four thermal regimes to simulate the increases in summer temperature and
      compared their effects on the life-history traits of three geographical
      populations (Chongqing, Wuhan and Shanghai) of an invasive insect, Corythucha
      ciliata, in China. The four thermal regimes were control (i.e., natural or
      ambient), an increase in MT (IMT), an increase in EHT, and a combination of IMT +
      EHT. We found that the three warming regimes significantly increased the
      developmental rate but did not affect the survival, sex ratio, longevity, or
      fecundity of C. ciliata. Consequently, the intrinsic rate of natural increase
      (rm) was enhanced and the number of days required for population doubling (t) was
      reduced by the warming regimes. The demographic parameters did not significantly
      differ among the three populations. These results indicate that population size
      of C. ciliata may be enhanced by increases in both temperature means and
      extremes. The increases in summer temperature associated with climate change,
      therefore, would likely facilitate population outbreaks of some thermophilic
      invasive insects. 

PMID- 26502827
TI  - Impact of Mixed beta-Cyclodextrin Ratios on Pluronic Rotaxanation Efficiency and
      Product Solubility.
AB  - Water-soluble polyrotaxanes have been prepared under heterogeneous conditions
      from mixtures of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD), 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin
      (HP-beta-CD), methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, or 6-monoazido-beta-cyclodextrin with 4
      sulfobutyl ether-beta-cyclodextrin (SBE-beta-CD) and Pluronic L81 copolymer
      modified with cholesterol end caps. Threading reactions gave polyrotaxane
      products in modest chemical yield that were reflective of the beta-CD feed ratios
      in the reaction. Polyrotaxanes containing mixtures of HP-beta-CD and SBE-beta-CD
      were screened and found to be biologically active in an in vitro model of Niemann
      Pick Type C disease where they mobilize aberrantly stored cholesterol similarly
      to monomeric cyclodextrin controls. 

PMID- 26502828
TI  - Design, Synthesis, and Antimycobacterial Activity of Novel Theophylline-7-Acetic
      Acid Derivatives With Amino Acid Moieties.
AB  - The theophylline-7-acetic acid (7-TAA) scaffold is a promising novel lead
      compound for antimycobacterial activity. Here, we derive a model for
      antitubercular activity prediction based on 14 7-TAA derivatives with amino acid
      moieties and their methyl esters. The model is applied to a combinatorial
      library, consisting of 40 amino acid and methyl ester derivatives of 7-TAA. The
      best three predicted compounds are synthesized and tested against Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis H37Rv. All of them are stable, non-toxic against human cells and
      show antimycobacterial activity in the nanomolar range being 60 times more active
      than ethambutol. 

PMID- 26502829
TI  - Associations of prodynorphin sequence variation with alcohol dependence and
      related traits are phenotype-specific and sex-dependent.
AB  - We previously demonstrated that prodynorphin (PDYN) haplotypes and single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2281285 are associated with alcohol dependence
      and the propensity to drink in negative emotional states, and recent studies
      suggest that PDYN gene effects on substance dependence risk may be sex-related.
      We examined sex-dependent associations of PDYN variation with alcohol dependence
      and related phenotypes, including negative craving, time until relapse after
      treatment and the length of sobriety episodes before seeking treatment, in
      discovery and validation cohorts of European ancestry. We found a significant
      haplotype-by-sex interaction (p  =  0.03), suggesting association with alcohol
      dependence in males (p = 1E-4) but not females. The rs2281285 G allele increased
      risk for alcohol dependence in males in the discovery cohort (OR = 1.49, p =
      0.002), with a similar trend in the validation cohort (OR = 1.35, p = 0.086).
      However, rs2281285 showed a trend towards association with increased negative
      craving in females in both the discovery (beta = 10.16, p = 0.045) and validation
      samples (OR = 7.11, p = 0.066). In the discovery cohort, rs2281285 was associated
      with time until relapse after treatment in females (HR = 1.72, p = 0.037); in the
      validation cohort, it was associated with increased length of sobriety episodes
      before treatment in males (beta = 13.49, p = 0.001). Our findings suggest that
      sex-dependent effects of PDYN variants in alcohol dependence are phenotype
      specific.

PMID- 26502830
TI  - G-CSF administration attenuates brain injury in rats following carbon monoxide
      poisoning via different mechanisms.
AB  - Acute severe carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning induces hypoxia that leads to
      cardiovascular and nervous systems disturbances. Different complex mechanisms
      lead to CO neurotoxicity including lipid peroxidation, inflammatory and immune
      mediated reactions, myelin degeneration and finally neuronal apoptosis and
      necrosis. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is considered to be a
      novel neuroprotective agent. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of G-CSF
      therapy on CO neurotoxicity in rats with acute CO poisoning. Rats were exposed to
      3000 ppm CO in air (0.3%) for 1 h, and then different doses (50,100, and 150
      ug/kg) of G-CSF or normal saline were administrated intraperitoneally. Water
      content of brain as an indicator for total edema and blood brain barrier
      integrity (Evans blue extravasation) were evaluated. Malondialydehyde was
      determined in order to evaluate the effect of G-CSF on CO-induced lipid
      peroxidation in brain tissues. Also, the effect of G-CSF on myeloperoxidase
      activity in the brain tissue was evaluated. The effect of G-CSF administration on
      induced apoptosis in the brain was measured using TUNEL method. To evaluate the
      level of MBP, STAT3 and pSTAT3 and HO-1 proteins and the effect of G-CSF on these
      proteins Western blotting was carried out. G-CSF reduced water content of the
      edematous poisoned brains (100 ug/kg) and BBB permeability (100 and 150 ug/kg) (P
      < 0.05). G-CSF (150 ug/kg) reduced the MDA level in the brain tissues (P < 0.05
      as compared to CO poisoned animals). G-CSF did not decrease the MPO activity
      after CO poisoning in any doses. G-CSF significantly reduced the number of
      apoptotic neurons and Caspase 3 protein levels in the brain. Western blotting
      results showed that G-CSF treatment enhanced expression of HO-1 and MBP, STAT3
      and pSTAT3 proteins in the brain tissues. Based on our results, a single dose of
      G-CSF immediately after CO poisoning significantly attenuates CO neurotoxicity
      via different mechanisms. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 37
      47, 2017.

PMID- 26502831
TI  - Evaluation of the Usefulness of Consensus Definitions of Sarcopenia in Older Men:
      Results from the Observational Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the associations between definitions of sarcopenia and
      clinical outcomes and the ability of the definitions to discriminate those with a
      high likelihood of having these outcomes from those with a low likelihood.
      DESIGN: Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study. SETTING: Six clinical centers.
      PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling men aged 65 and older (N = 5,934). MEASUREMENTS:
      Sarcopenia definitions from the International Working Group, European Working
      Group on Sarcopenia in Older Persons, Foundation for the National Institutes of
      Health Sarcopenia Project, Baumgartner, and Newman were evaluated. Recurrent
      falls were defined as two or more self-reported falls in the year after baseline
      (n = 694, 11.9%). Incident hip fractures (n = 207, 3.5%) and deaths (n = 2,003,
      34.1%) were confirmed according to central review of medical records over 9.8
      years. Self-reported functional limitations were assessed at baseline and 4.6
      years later. Logistic regression or proportional hazards models were used to
      estimate associations between sarcopenia and falls, hip fractures, and death. The
      discriminative ability of the sarcopenia definitions (vs reference models) for
      these outcomes was evaluated using area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve or C-statistics. Referent models included age alone for
      falls, functional limitations and mortality, and age and bone mineral density for
      hip fractures. RESULTS: The association between sarcopenia according to the
      various definitions and risk of falls, functional limitations, and hip fractures
      was variable; all definitions were associated with greater risk of death, but
      none of the definitions materially changed discrimination based on the AUC and C
      statistic when compared with reference models (change <=1% in all models).
      CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia definitions as currently constructed did not consistently
      improve prediction of clinical outcomes in relatively healthy older men.

PMID- 26502832
TI  - Transcriptome-wide sequencing provides insights into geocarpy in peanut (Arachis
      hypogaea L.).
AB  - A characteristic feature of peanut is the subterranean fructification, geocarpy,
      in which the gynophore ('peg'), a specialized organ that transitions from upward
      growth habit to downward outgrowth upon fertilization, drives the developing pod
      into the soil for subsequent development underground. As a step towards
      understanding this phenomenon, we explore the developmental dynamics of the
      peanut pod transcriptome at 11 successive stages. We identified 110 217
      transcripts across developmental stages and quantified their abundance along a
      pod developmental gradient in pod wall. We found that the majority of transcripts
      were differentially expressed along the developmental gradient as well as
      identified temporal programs of gene expression, including hundreds of
      transcription factors. Thought to be an adaptation to particularly harsh
      subterranean environments, both up- and down-regulated gene sets in pod wall were
      enriched for response to a broad array of stimuli, like gravity, light and
      subterranean environmental factors. We also identified hundreds of transcripts
      associated with gravitropism and photomorphogenesis, which may be involved in the
      geocarpy. Collectively, this study forms a transcriptional baseline for geocarpy
      in peanut as well as provides a considerable body of evidence that
      transcriptional regulation in peanut aerial and subterranean fruits is complex. 

PMID- 26502833
TI  - Atomic-Level Mechanisms of Nucleation of Pure Liquid Metals during Rapid Cooling.
AB  - To obtain a material with the desired performance, the atomic-level mechanisms of
      nucleation from the liquid to solid phase must be understood. Although this
      transition has been investigated experimentally and theoretically, its atomic
      level mechanisms remain debatable. In this work, the nucleation mechanisms of
      pure Fe under rapid cooling conditions are investigated. The local atomic packing
      stability and liquid-to-solid transition-energy pathways of Fe are studied using
      molecular dynamics simulations and first-principle calculations. The results are
      expressed as functions of cluster size in units of amorphous clusters (ACs) and
      body-centered cubic crystalline clusters (BCC-CCs). We found the prototypes of
      ACs in supercooled liquids and successfully divided these ACs to three categories
      according to their transition-energy pathways. The information obtained in this
      study could contribute to our current understanding of the crystallization of
      metallic melts during rapid cooling. 

PMID- 26502834
TI  - The spatial range of peripheral collinear facilitation.
AB  - Contrast detection thresholds for a central Gabor patch (target) can be modulated
      by the presence of co-oriented and collinear high contrast Gabors flankers. In
      foveal vision collinear facilitation can be observed for target-to-flankers
      relative distances beyond two times the wavelength (lambda) of the Gabor's
      carrier, while for shorter relative distances (<2lambda) there is suppression.
      These modulatory influences seem to disappear after 12lambda. In this study, we
      measured contrast detection thresholds for different spatial frequencies (1, 4
      and 6 cpd) and target-to-flankers relative distances ranging from 6 to 16lambda,
      but with collinear configurations presented in near periphery at 4 degrees  of
      eccentricity. Results showed that in near periphery collinear facilitation
      extends beyond 12lambda for the higher spatial frequencies tested (4 and 6 cpd),
      while it decays already at 10lambda for the lowest spatial frequency used (i.e.,
      1 cpd). In addition, we found that increasing the spatial frequency the peak of
      collinear facilitation shifts towards larger target-to-flankers relative
      distances (expressed as multiples of the stimulus wavelength), an effect never
      reported neither for near peripheral nor for central vision. The results suggest
      that the peak and the spatial extent of collinear facilitation in near periphery
      depend on the spatial frequency of the stimuli used. 

PMID- 26502835
TI  - The Physical and Psychosocial Benefits of Upper-Limb Transplantation: A Case
      Series of 5 Polish Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although upper-limb transplantation is not a life-saving procedure,
      every year more and more patients are ready to undergo this surgery. Conventional
      methods of treatment performed earlier have not brought the expected functional
      and aesthetic results. Patients who have received upper-limb transplantation
      (HTx) enjoy, in addition to the physical benefits associated with good functional
      effect, numerous benefits of a psychological and social nature. Investigation of
      these benefits was the aim of this interdisciplinary research. CASE REPORT: The
      wide spectrum of physical, psychological, and social benefits derived by
      recipients of limb transplantation include: improved physical fitness, recovery
      of the complete body form, corporeal well-being, enhanced self-esteem, recovery
      of self-confidence, a stable feeling of personal and social identity, higher
      integration of the body with performed social roles, greater confidence in the
      ability to act and have control over life, a feeling of greater security, the
      ability to return to work, restoration of social position, and positive
      personality changes. CONCLUSIONS: Potential benefits which may be derived by
      future upper limb recipients are manifested in the good functional effect of the
      transplantation, enhanced life satisfaction, and better functioning in society.
      It does not mean, however, restoration of 100% of fitness or absolutely problem
      free functioning in everyday life, which is extremely important in the context of
      prevention of possible disappointment to future limb recipients.

PMID- 26502836
TI  - Ginsenoside Rh2 attenuates allergic airway inflammation by modulating nuclear
      factor-kappaB activation in a murine model of asthma.
AB  - Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that is regulated by
      coordination of T-helper type 2 cell cytokines and inflammatory signaling
      molecules. Ginsenoside Rh2 (G-Rh2) is an active component of ginseng with anti
      inflammatory and anti-tumor effects. The aim of the present study was to
      determine the inhibitory effects of G-Rh2 on allergic airway inflammation in a
      murine model of asthma, in which mice develop the following pathophysiological
      features of asthma: Increased abundance of inflammatory cells; increased levels
      of interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5 and IL-13; decreased abundance of interferon gamma
      in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue; increased total and
      ovalbumin (OVA)-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in the serum; increased
      airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR); and activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF
      kappaB) in lung tissue. In the asthmatic mice, administration of G-Rh2 markedly
      reduced peribronchiolar inflammation, recruitment of airway inflammatory cells,
      cytokine production, total and OVA-specific IgE levels and AHR. G-Rh2
      administration inhibited NF-kappaB activation and p38 mitogen-activated protein
      kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation induced by OVA inhalation. These results suggested
      that G-Rh2 attenuates allergic airway inflammation by regulating NF-kappaB
      activation and p38 MAPK phosphorylation. The present study identified the
      molecular mechanisms of action of G-Rh2, which supported the potential use of G
      Rh2 to prevent and/or treat asthma and other airway inflammatory disorders.

PMID- 26502837
TI  - Protein folds recognized by an intelligent predictor based-on evolutionary and
      structural information.
AB  - Protein fold recognition is an important and essential step in determining
      tertiary structure of a protein in biological science. In this study, a model
      termed NiRecor is developed for recognizing protein folds based on artificial
      neural networks incorporated in an adaptive heterogeneous particle swarm
      optimizer. The main contribution of NiRecor is that it is a data-driven and
      highly-performing predictor without manually tuning control parameters for
      different data sets. In biological science, since evolutionary- and structure
      based information of amino acid sequences is greatly important in determination
      of tertiary structure of a protein, accordingly, in NiRecor we employ two
      different feature sets, which involve position specific scoring matrix and
      secondary structure prediction matrix, to predict the structural classes of
      protein folds. The experimental results demonstrate the proposed method is
      powerful in predicting protein folds with higher precisions by improvements of
      1.1 ~7.8 percentages on three benchmark datasets by comparing with several
      existing predictors.

PMID- 26502838
TI  - Elective egg freezing: can you really turn back the clock?

PMID- 26502839
TI  - Copeptin levels in OSAS patients: still an unresolved issue.

PMID- 26502840
TI  - Neurotoxicity of general anesthetics: anesthesia and Alzheimer's disease in
      Serbia.

PMID- 26502841
TI  - Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV): it may occur after dental
      implantology. A mini topical review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most
      frequent vestibular disorders. BPPV as a complication of Osteotome Sinus Floor
      Elevation (OSFE) is a complication that rarely occurs. The aim of this paper is
      to better understand the mechanisms underlying the BPPV after SFE with the
      osteotomes. This could be important for all the dental and maxillofacial surgeons
      that should know and manage this clinical occurrence. DISCUSSION: The osteotome
      sinus floor elevation (OSFE), firstly described by Summers requires the use of a
      surgical mallet for striking the bone, until the optimal depth is reached. The
      surgical mallet develops a mechanical trauma, even if the striking is performed
      with a gentle percussion. The recent literature describes an average occurrence
      of OSFE-induced BPPV quite low, but the symptoms show to be unpleasant and
      severe, often able to alter the patient's daily life. CONCLUSIONS: A successful
      remission of BPPV following treatment with a particle repositioning maneuver will
      be necessary and relatively urgent for the surgeons who have experienced this
      clinical complication. The surgeons, therefore, must be aware of these
      complications and about the ways to manage them.

PMID- 26502842
TI  - A post-market surveillance analysis of the safety of hydroxyapatite-derived
      products as bone graft extenders or substitutes for spine fusion.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Iliac crest bone graft (ICBG) is considered the gold standard for
      spine surgical procedures to achieve a successful fusion, because of its known
      osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties. Considering its autogenous origin,
      the use of ICBG has not been associated to an increase of intraoperative or
      postoperative complications directly related to the surgery. However,
      complications related to the harvesting procedure and to the donor site morbidity
      have been largely reported in the literature, favoring the development of a wide
      range of alternative products to be used as bone graft extenders or substitutes
      for spine fusion. The family of ceramic-based bone grafts has been widely used
      and studied during the last years for spine surgical procedures in order to
      reduce the need for iliac crest bone grafting and the consequent morbidity
      associated to the harvesting procedures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We report here the
      results of a post-market surveillance analysis performed on four independent
      cohorts of patients (115 patients) to evaluate the safety of three different
      formulations of hydroxyapatite-derived products used as bone graft
      extenders/substitutes for lumbar arthrodesis. RESULTS: No intraoperative or post
      operative complications related to the use of hydroxyapatite-derived products
      were detected, during medium and long follow up period (minimum 12 months-maximum
      5 years). CONCLUSIONS: This post-market surveillance analysis evidenced the
      safety of ceramic products as bone graft extenders or substitutes for spine
      fusion. Moreover, the evidence of the safety of hydroxyapatite-derived products
      allows to perform clinical studies aimed at evaluating the fusion rates and the
      clinical outcomes of these materials as bone graft extenders/substitutes, in
      order to support their use as an alternative to ICBG for spine fusion.

PMID- 26502843
TI  - Tear function alterations in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Complaints of dry eye are prevalent worldwide and are known to be
      associated with insulin resistance (IR) and hyperandrogenism. However, dry eye is
      often overlooked in the context of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The aim of
      the present study was to evaluate whether or not there is any relation between
      tear functions and PCOS, which is a multifaceted disorder associated with IR or
      hyperandrogenism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 35 women with polycystic ovary
      syndrome (PCOS) were enrolled in this study, along with 27 healthy controls. Body
      mass index (BMI), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH)
      and free testosterone levels on the third day of menstruation were recorded, as
      well as hirsutism score (using the Ferriman Gallwey scoring system), insulin
      resistance (homeostasis model assessment), neutrophil-to- lymphocyte ratios
      (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios (PLR), and mean platelet volumes (MPV). A
      complete ocular examination was followed by administration of the ocular surface
      disease index (OSDI) questionnaire and Schirmer and tear break-up time (TBUT)
      tests. RESULTS: Schirmer and OSDI results were similar between groups, but TBUT
      was significantly lower in the PCOS group (p = 0.002). There were negative
      correlations between FG score and TBUT test (r = -0.406, p = 0.001) and between
      NLR and Schirmer test (r = -0.294, p = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: Although subjective
      dry eye symptoms do not present in all patients, these results confirm that tear
      reduction, which can cause further complications in patients with PCOS, can be
      detected by careful examination and sensitive tests.

PMID- 26502844
TI  - Evaluation of a diagnostic flow chart applying medical thoracoscopy, adenosine
      deaminase and T-SPOT.TB in diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a diagnostic flow chart applying medical thoracoscoy (MT),
      adenosine deaminase (ADA) and T-SPOT.TB in diagnosis of tuberculous pleural
      effusion (TPE) at a high TB burden country. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 136 patients
      with pleural effusion (PE) were enrolled and divided into TPE and Non-TPE group.
      MT (histology), PE ADA and T-SPOT.TB were conducted on all patients. ROC analysis
      was performed for the best cut-off value of PE ADA in detection of TPE. The
      diagnostic flow chart applying MT, ADA and T-SPOT.TB was evaluated for improving
      the limitations of each diagnostic method. RESULTS: ROC analysis showed that the
      best cut-off value of PE ADA was 30U/L. The sensitivity and specificity of these
      tests were calculated respectively to be: 71.4% (58.5%-81.6%) and 100% (95.4
      100.0%) for MT, 92.9% (83.0-97.2%) and 68.8% (57.9-77.9%) for T-SPOT.TB, and
      80.0% (69.6-88.1%) and 92.9% (82.7-98.0%) for PE ADA. The sensitivity,
      specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, positive
      predictive value and negative predictive value of the diagnostic flow chart were
      96.4% (87.9-99.0%), 96.3% (89.6-98.7%), 25.714, 0.037, 97.4 and 94.9,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic flow chart applying MT, ADA and T
      SPOT.TB is an accurate and rapid diagnostic method in detection of TPE.

PMID- 26502845
TI  - Expression of VEGF and its effect on cell proliferation in patients with chronic
      myeloid leukemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the expression of vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the serum of patients with chronic myeloid
      leukemia (CML) and the effect of VEGF on cell proliferation. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Serum VEGF levels in 12 CML patients (7 chronic phase, 5 blast crisis
      phase) were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). VEGF
      expression was interfered by transfection of K562 cells. VEGF mRNA levels in
      transfected K562 cells were determined using RT-PCR and the effect of VEGF on the
      proliferation of transfected K562 cells was investigated. RESULTS: VEGF
      expression levels were significantly higher in CML patients than normal controls
      and significantly increased during blast crisis phase than during chronic phase.
      Compared to controls, the proliferation of the K562 cells was suppressed when
      VEGF expression was inhibited. However, the inhibited proliferation of K562 cells
      after gene silencing of VEGF was partially abolished after introducing exogenous
      VEGF into the cells. CONCLUSIONS: VEGF plays an important role in the initiation
      and development of CML and monitoring serum VEGF assists guiding the treatment
      and predicting the prognosis of CML.

PMID- 26502846
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of three-dimensional CT reconstruction and cephalometry for
      lateral skull base tumors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the diagnostic accuracy of three-dimensional CT
      reconstruction and cephalometry in lateral skull base tumors. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with lateral skull base tumors were randomly
      divided into control group (n = 29, examined with conventional diagnostic
      technique) or study group (n = 29, examined with three-dimensional CT
      reconstruction and cephalometry). The diagnostic accuracy, tumor distribution and
      image characteristics were compared between both patient groups. RESULTS: In
      control group, preoperative tumor diagnosis was consistent with intraoperative
      diagnosis in 20 patients, similar in 7 patients and discrepant in 2 patients. In
      study group, there were 24 consistent, 4 similar, and 1 discrepant diagnoses (p <
      0.05 vs. control group). Frequency of individual tumor types, as revealed by
      either diagnostic method, was comparable. The images obtained with three
      dimensional CT reconstruction were clearer, facilitating an accurate
      demonstration of the tumor, including tumor size and location. CONCLUSIONS: Three
      dimensional CT reconstruction and cephalometry provides accurate diagnosis of
      lateral skull base tumors, which is helpful for subsequent surgical treatment.

PMID- 26502847
TI  - Bioinformatics analysis of miRNA expression profile between primary and recurrent
      glioblastoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant brain tumor with rapid
      relapse. The goal of this study is to identify microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in
      recurrent GBM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: miRNA transcription profile data (GSE32466)
      were downloaded, including 12 primary GBM samples and 12 recurrent GBM samples.
      Then, limma package was utilized to identify differentially expressed miRNAs
      (DEMs) with the criteria of false discovery rate < 0.05 and |log2 fold change| >=
      1. Thereafter, miTarget and TargetScan databases were used to predict the
      potential target genes of DEMs. Regulatory co-expression network was constructed
      based on co-expressed genes and potential miRNA-gene pairs, and then, pathway
      analysis was conducted. Furthermore, database miRWalk was used to screen out
      known GBM-associated miRNAs from the identified DEMs. RESULTS: A total of 71 DEMs
      were identified between primary and recurrent GBM samples, and 2684 potential
      target genes were found. Besides, regulatory co-expression network was
      constructed, including 12 DEMs and 81 potential target genes. These genes
      significantly enriched in ECM-receptor interaction, ribosome, and focal adhesion
      pathways, and DEMs like hsa-miR-320a, hsa-miR-139-5p, has-miR-128, hsa-miR-140
      5p, and hsa-miR-146b-5p had high degree. Notably, 7 DEMs in network were known
      GBM-associated miRNAs recorded in database miRWalk. CONCLUSIONS: DEMs like hsa
      miR-320a, hsa-miR-139-5p, has-miR-128, hsa-miR-146b-5p, hsa-let-7c, hsa-miR-128,
      and hsa-let-7a might participate in recurrent GBM. These results would pave ways
      for further study of recurrent GBM mechanism, and for the prevention and
      treatment of recurrent GBM. However, more experimental verifications are required
      to prove these predictions.

PMID- 26502848
TI  - Induction effect of MicroRNA-449a on glioma cell proliferation and inhibition on
      glioma cell apoptosis by promoting PKCalpha.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the expression of microRNA-449a in
      brain tissue and plasma of patients with glioma and its mechanism of action on
      glioma cell proliferation and apoptosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 30 cases of
      gliomas patients were recruited in the study, 12 cases in which with brain
      tissues excision due to decompression or exposure during the brain surgery were
      selected as the control group. RT-PCR was used to detect the microRNA-449a
      expression in brain tissue and peripheral blood of the two groups. Cell
      proliferation and apoptosis level were further determined after high or low
      expression of microRNA-145 in human glioma cell line U-251. RT-PCR and Western
      blotting were used to detect PKCalphamRNA and protein level in U-251. RESULTS:
      The expression of microRNA-449a in brain tissue or peripheral blood of patients
      with brain glioma was significantly lower than that of normal people, and the
      differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Upon interfering with
      microRNA-449a, the glioma cell proliferation was significantly increased while
      apoptosis was significantly reduced, the PKCalpha protein levels were increased
      significantly and the differences were statistically significant (all p < 0.05);
      after overexpression of microRNA-449a, the glioma cell proliferation was
      significantly decreased while the cell apoptosis was significantly increased, the
      PKCalpha protein levels were decreased significantly and the differences were
      statistically significant (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of microRNA
      449a is low in patients with glioma, which may inhibit the proliferation of
      glioma and promote its cell apoptosis via affecting the expression of PKCalpha.

PMID- 26502849
TI  - Overexpression of miR-98 inhibits cell invasion in glioma cell lines via
      downregulation of IKKepsilon.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) function as negative regulators for the expression
      of genes involved in cancer metastasis. The aim of this study was to investigate
      the potential role of miR-98 in gliomas and validate its regulatory mechanism.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cell viability assays are used to measure proliferation of
      cell. mRNA expression is measured by qRT-PCR. Western blot analysis is used to
      measure protein expression. RESULTS: Functional studies showed that miR-98
      overexpression inhibited glioma migration and invasion, but had no effect on the
      cell viability. An enhanced green fluorescent protein reporter assay,
      quantitative RT-PCR, and a western blot analysis confirmed that miR-98 suppressed
      the expression of IkappaB kinase (IKKepsilon) by directly targeting its 3'
      untranslated region, also, the NF-kappaB p65 nuclear translocation and matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 expression were significantly arrested in glioma cells
      treated with miR-98 mimics. Accordingly, the overexpression of IKKepsilon or NF
      kappaB p65 can restore cell migration and invasion after being inhibited by miR
      98, and can restore NF-kappaB p65 nuclear translocation as well as increase MMP-9
      expression. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrated that miR-98 functions as a
      tumor suppressor in gliomas. Furthermore, miR-98 may act as a potential
      therapeutic biomarker for glioma patients.

PMID- 26502850
TI  - Efficacy and safety of capecitabine as maintenance therapy after capecitabine
      based combination chemotherapy for patients with advanced esophagogastric
      junction adenocarcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy and
      safety of single-agent capecitabine therapy after capecitabine-based combination
      chemotherapy for patients with advanced adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric
      junction (EGJ). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy-two patients with pathologically
      proven advanced EGJ adenocarcinoma underwent 2-6 cycles of capecitabine-based
      first-line combination chemotherapy between January 2010 and October 2014. When
      initial disease control had been achieved, 60 patients were randomly assigned to
      receive the capecitabine treatment (oral capecitabine 1,250 mg/m2 twice daily on
      days 1-14 every 3 weeks) to see whether it is involved in maintenance regimen or
      not, while 12 patients were excluded. The primary endpoint of this study was
      progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS)
      and major adverse events were monitored. RESULTS: The median PFS was 11.0 months
      (95% confidence interval [CI], 0-23.2 months) and OS was 17.0 months (95% CI, 2.1
      31.9 months) for the maintenance group. In contrast, median PFS was 7.0 months
      (95% CI, 5.8-8.2 months) and OS was 11.0 months (95% CI, 2.07-31.9 months) for
      the control group. Compared to controls, patients who received capecitabine
      maintenance therapy showed significantly prolonged PFS and OS. The capecitabine
      related adverse events included leukopenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia, hand
      foot syndrome, nausea/vomiting, neuropathy, and liver dysfunction. Treatment
      related adverse events were tolerable, and there were no significant differences
      in the prevalence of adverse events between patients who received maintenance
      therapy and controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding shows that single-agent
      capecitabine maintenance therapy was effective, well-tolerated and safe after
      first-line capecitabine-based combination chemotherapy in patients with advanced
      EGJ adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 26502851
TI  - Comparison of colorectal neoplastic polyps and adenocarcinoma with regard to NLR
      and PLR.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cancer-related inflammation affects many aspects of malignancy,
      including proliferation and survival of malignant cells, angiogenesis, and
      therapeutic response. Some biomarkers representing the degree of systemic
      inflammation, such as the Glasgow prognostic score, NLR and PLR, have been shown
      to have prognostic value in many kinds of cancer patients. Aim of this study to
      investigate to compare neutrophil/leukocyte (NLR) and platelet/lymphocyte (PLR)
      ratios of the patients with colorectal neoplastic polyps and colorectal cancer
      (CRC) and tried to determine whether this could be used as a biomarker in follow
      up of the patients with neoplastic polyps. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 100
      colorectal polyps, 113 colorectal cancers and 124 healthy controls were included
      in the study. Exculusion criteria were endocrinologic or metabolic diseases,
      acute or chronic diseases, hypertension and atherosclerotic heart diseases, renal
      diseases. Blood count parameters of the patients were measured. The NLR was
      calculated as a simple ratio between the absolute neutrophil and the absolute
      lymphocyte counts. The PLR was defined as the platelet counts to lymphocyte
      ratio. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was not detected between
      Group A and C with regard to NLR and PLR. NLR and PLR were found statistically
      significantly high in Group B (CRC), Group A (colorectal polyp) and Group C
      (healthy individuals) (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001). Our study showed that the
      optimum NLR cut-off point for neoplastic polyps was 2.28 (sensitivity: 68.7%,
      specificity: 42.3%). When the sensitivity and specificity levels of the PLR were
      assessed, they were 68.7% and 46.5% for neoplastic polyps, 80% and 68.9% for
      colorectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: NLR and PLR may be used for follow up conversion
      of colonic and rectal neoplastic polyps to invasive tumor.

PMID- 26502852
TI  - Clinical presentation and outcome of non-AIDS defining cancers, in HIV-infected
      patients in the ART-era: the Italian Cooperative Group on AIDS and tumors
      activity.
AB  - The advent of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has markedly extended the survival
      rates of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), leading to suppression
      even though not eradication of HIV. In HIV infected patients, cancer has become a
      growing problem, representing the first cause of death. A large number of
      worldwide studies have shown that HIV infection raises the risk of many non-AIDS
      defining cancers (NADCs), including squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA),
      testis cancer, lung cancer, cancer of the colon and rectum (CRC), skin (basal
      cell skin carcinoma and melanoma), Hodgkin disease (HD) and hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC). Generally in HIV positive patients NADCs are more aggressive and
      in advanced stage disease than in the general population. In the ART era,
      however, the outcome of HIV positive patients is more similar as in the general
      population. Only about lung cancer the outcome seems different between HIV
      positive and HIV negative patients. The aim of this article is to provide an up
      date on NADCs within the activity of the Italian Cooperative Group on AIDS and
      Tumors (GICAT) to identify clinical prognostic and predicting factors in patients
      with HIV infection included in the GICAT. 

PMID- 26502853
TI  - Identifying the biomarkers of multiple sclerosis based on non-coding RNA
      signature.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: miRNAs are key regulators in multiple sclerosis. To gain a better
      understanding of the molecular mechanisms of multiple sclerosis, differentially
      expressed microRNAs (DE-miRNAs) and genes (DEGs) were analyzed. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The miRNA expression profile GSE43590 including 11 samples of peripheral
      blood T-cells from relapsing-remitting MS patients and 9 normal samples as well
      as gene expression profile GSE52139 including 8 periplaque samples and 8 normal
      samples were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus. Then, DE-miRNAs and DEGs
      were identified using limma. Moreover, the target genes of DE-miRNAs were
      screened. Additionally, the integrated regulatory network of DEGs, DE-miRNAs and
      targets was constructed using Cytoscape. What's more, the functional modules were
      also screened using MINE in Cytoscape. Lastly, the functional annotation of genes
      in modules was conducted using DAVID. RESULTS: A total of 2394 DEGs were screened
      in 8 periplaque samples. Additionally, 296 DE-miRNAs were identified in the 11
      samples of peripheral blood T-cells from relapsing-remitting MS patients.
      Besides, 6 functional modules (A-F) were screened. Among them, has-miR-197 could
      target HNF4A. What's more, HNF4A could interact with CYP3A4. Additionally, has
      miR-125b could target ID1 and ID3. Besides, ID1 could interact with THBS1.
      Furthermore, functional enrichment showed that CYP3A4 was significantly related
      to vitamin metabolic process. For the pathway enrichment, ID1 and ID3 were
      significantly enriched in TGF-beta signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Some important
      DE-miRNAs (such as has-miR-197and has-miR-125b) might be crucial for MS by
      regulating the expressions of their target genes.

PMID- 26502854
TI  - The role of eosinophils in stroke: a pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the factors that may have an impact on the prognosis of
      ischemic stroke. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 973 patients who were
      diagnosed with an ischemic stroke. The patients were divided into 6 groups
      according their eosinophil counts' level and occurred times. All patients were
      supervised by NIHSS score in three months. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics of
      all study groups were comparable. Thirty-four patients in group 2 and group 5 had
      higher eosinophil counts. In addition, the patients experienced impaired function
      on the face, but no impairment of limbs. All patients in these groups recovered
      quicker than the other groups (p < 0.05). Furthermore, 169 patients in both group
      3 and group 6 had lower eosinophil counts. These patients experienced functional
      impairment in limbs and difficulty recovering from the disease. The NIHSS score
      was lower in both group 2 and group 5, compared with group 3 and group 6 (p <
      0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that eosinophil counts may have a
      significant impact on outcomes in stroke patients. The data underscore the
      importance in further investigating eosinophil dysregulation as well as the
      potential relationship between eosinophil dysregulation and organ functions in
      stroke patients.

PMID- 26502855
TI  - The clinical efficacy of laparoscopy combined with choledochoscopy for
      cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare and analyze the clinical efficacy of laparoscopy combined
      with choledochoscopy, and laparoscopy combined with duodenoscopy, for
      cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 105
      patients with cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis from our hospital, from
      January 2014 to January 2015, were enrolled in this study. All patients weren
      given primary treatment. After obtaining consent from our hospital Ethics
      Committee and the patients, all 10529 cases were divided into two groups
      according to their time of admission. The observation group consisted of 59 cases
      and the control group consisted of 46 cases. The control group were treated by
      laparoscopy combined with duodenoscopy (cholecystectomy +ERCP+calculi extraction
      with an endoscope) and the observation group were treated by laparoscopy combined
      with choledochoscopy. We then compared the clinical efficacy between the two
      groups of patients. RESULTS: The success rate of the first surgery in the
      observation group, was higher than that in the control group. The time of surgery
      and intra-operative blood loss of the observation group were less than the
      control group. The differences had statistical significance p < 0.05). When
      compared the post-operative fasting and evacuation time, average hospital stay
      and hospitalization expenses for the observation group were less than those of
      the control group. The difference had statistical significance (p < 0.05). The
      prevalence of post-operative complications and recurrence rate in the observation
      group were statistically significantly (p < 0.05) less than the control group (p
      < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopy combined with choledochoscopy was effective and
      safe for treating cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis. Its treatment outcomes
      might be superior to laparoscopy combined with duodenoscopy.

PMID- 26502856
TI  - Diagnosis accuracy of serum Glypican-3 level in patients with hepatocellular
      carcinoma and liver cirrhosis: a meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The diagnostic value of serum GPC3 levels in patients with
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver cirrhosis remains controversial.
      Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to assess the diagnostic accuracy of
      serum GPC3 for HCC and liver cirrhosis (LC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic
      search was performed for the relevant studies. Sensitivity, specificity and other
      measures regarding the accuracy of serum GPC3 in the diagnosis of HCC were
      performed by random-effects models. Summary receiver operating characteristic
      curve (sROC) analysis was taken to summarize GPC3's performance. RESULTS: 17
      studies were included in our meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity and 95 %
      confidence intervals (95% CIs) for GPC3 were 56% (53%-59%) and 89% (87%-90%) in
      specificity. The pooled positive LR and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for
      GPC3 were 7.82 (3.86-15.85) and 0.48 (0.39-0.59) respectively in negative LR. The
      summary diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and 95% CIs for GPC3 were 26.73 (10.31
      69.26), and the area under sROC (AUC) and 95% CIs for GPC3 were 0.8827 (0.8324
      0.9330). CONCLUSIONS: GPC3 is acceptable as a serum marker for the diagnosis of
      HCC, which can elevate the accuracy of diagnosis.

PMID- 26502857
TI  - Application of clinical indexes in ulcerative colitis patients in regular follow
      up visit: correlation with endoscopic 'mucosal healing' and implication for
      management. Preliminary results.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon
      of unknown etiology. Several clinical indexes have been proposed for UC disease
      activity evaluation, but none have been properly validated. Moreover, the
      reference parameter for the scores and their prognostic value is not clear.
      Mucosal healing has been recently proposed as an important end-point. Aim of the
      present study was to evaluate the correlation of four clinical indexes with
      objective diagnostic tools for UC evaluation, the discriminative ability in
      identifying patients with endoscopic mucosal healing, and to analyze the possible
      prognostic indication for disease course in 1 year of follow-up. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: We analyzed data of 75 patients recorded in regular follow-up visit in
      IBD clinic at S. Andrea Hospital, Rome, between 2007-2011. We recorded clinical
      data and lab tests at the time of the visit, and endoscopic/histological reports
      performed within 1 month. Clinical indexes (Seo' activity index, Simple Clinical
      Colitis Activity Index, partial Mayo score and Endoscopic-Clinical Correlation
      Index) were calculated and correlation to endoscopic and histologic activity, and
      to C-reactive protein increment, was assessed by mean of Spearman's rank
      correlation. Discriminative ability of the indexes for patients with and without
      endoscopic mucosal healing was tested by calculation of area under ROC curve
      (AUC). Patients with low and high clinical scores were compared for number of
      flares and increment of therapy during 1 year of follow-up. RESULTS: Clinical
      indexes had a good correlation with endoscopic activity (mean r = 0.73 +/- 0.06),
      a fair correlation with CRP-increment (mean r = 0.55 +/- 0.01) and a poor one
      with histologic activity (mean r = 0.35 +/- 0.01). The discriminatory ability of
      the indexes for endoscopic mucosal healing was good for all the indexes (mean AUC
      = 0.87 +/- 0.05). Patients with high clinical score had more flares and required
      more frequently increase of therapy at 1 year of follow up compared with patients
      with low score. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical indexes have a good correlation with
      endoscopic activity and can discriminate patients with and without mucosal
      healing. Patients with low and high score have different risk of disease flare
      and of need to increase therapy at 1 year. Clinical indexes may represent a
      useful tool for disease assessment in clinical practice in UC outpatients with
      mild-moderate disease.

PMID- 26502858
TI  - Study on the correlation between the changes in intra-abdominal pressure and
      renal functional in the patients with abdominal compartment syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect on renal function from increased intra-abdominal
      pressure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty patients with abdominal compartment
      syndrome (ACS) were included in this study. Intra-abdominal pressure, mean
      arterial pressure (MAP) and central venous pressure (CVP) were recorded three
      times per day at a fixed time. Meanwhile, blood samples were collected for serum
      creatinine measurement and urine volume per hour was recorded. RESULTS: The urine
      volume gradually decreased with the increasing intra-abdominal pressure, from 92.
      6 +/- 20 ml/h to 27.9 +/- 20 ml/h (p < 0. 05), and the serum creatinine increased
      from 68.4 +/- 39.9 mol/L to 249.4 +/- 111.5 mol/L (p < 0. 05). The CVP increased
      from 0.98 +/- 0.19 kPa to 1.56 +/- 0.31 kPa with the increase or decrease of the
      MAP. The increase in intra-abdominal pressure was negatively related to the urine
      volume (r = -0.193, p < 0.05), and positively related to the serum creatinine (r
      = 0.162, p < 0.05), but not related to the MAP. CONCLUSIONS: The increase of
      intra-abdominal pressure, was closely related to oliguria and increasing serum
      creatinine. The use of fluid resuscitation and diuretics had few effects on the
      recovery of the renal function. When the intra-abdominal pressure had decreased,
      the urine volume increased, and the serum creatinine decreased.

PMID- 26502859
TI  - Conscious sedation with midazolam and dezocine for diagnostic flexible
      bronchoscopy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the benefits and risks of conscious
      sedation with midazolam and dezocine in diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy (FB).
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective case control study enrolled 40 non-sedated
      and 40 sedated subjects who underwent diagnostic FB. All received the standard
      upper airway preparation, while sedated subjects received midazolam and dezocine
      for conscious sedation. Subject discomforts during FB were assessed using the
      verbal analogue score (VAS, 0-10 scale). Willingness to return was assessed as
      five scales to monitor subject's satisfaction level. Safety profiles throughout
      the procedures were also assessed. RESULTS: Anterograde amnesia existed in 75.0%
      sedated subjects. Compared to non-sedated subjects, sedated ones expressed less
      discomfort, with lower VAS scores regarding scope insertion (4 [0-10] vs. 0 [0
      4], p < 0.001), cough (5.5 [0-10] vs. 0 [0-4], p < 0.001), dyspnea (3.5 [0-10]
      vs. 0 [0-4], p<0.001), pain (3 [0-10] vs. 0 [0-5], p < 0.001), and global
      tolerance of the procedures (5.5 [1-10] vs. 0 [0-5], p < 0.001). More sedated
      subjects expressed willingness to return (90.0% vs. 30.0%, p < 0.001). Sedated
      subjects had no more hypoxemic episodes during the procedure (7.5% vs. 5.0%, p >
      0.99), which were all transient and not life-threatening. CONCLUSIONS: Conscious
      sedation with midazolam and dezocine reduces discomforts, improves satisfaction
      level, and carries no significantly risks in subjects undergoing diagnostic FB.

PMID- 26502860
TI  - Risk factors for mortality in severe multiply injury patients with acute
      hypoxemic respiratory failure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors related to mortality in severe
      polytrauma patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF). PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: From December 2011 to December 2014, we identified and intubated 524
      traumatic AHRF patients in a level 1 trauma centers. Amongst those, we enrolled
      seventy-six severe traumatic AHRF patients with an injury severity score (ISS)
      over 16 and need for over 24 hour intra-tracheal mechanical ventilation for our
      study. Patients were followed daily to collect data about demographics, injury
      characteristic, diagnostic, treatment, respiratory parameters, major
      complications, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay, prevalence of
      major complications and 28-days mortality. RESULTS: Of the 76 patients in our
      study, 61 patients were male. Patients' ages were from 15 to 78 years old (43+/
      17) and the predominant source of trauma was road traffic accidents. Before
      ventilation, patients had a mean PaO2/FiO2 ratio of 108+/-63, pH of 7.1+/-0.3,
      PaCO2 of 54+/-24 mmHg, respectively. The PaO2/FiO22 ratios were significantly
      improved by ventilation and the average duration of ventilation was 9.63+/-8.74
      days. There were two peak dying times and the 28-days ICU mortality rate was
      28.9%. Logistic regression analysis revealed the mortality rate to be
      significantly higher in patients with higher APACHE II scores (odds ratio: 1.60,
      p=0.002), shorter intervals between injury and admission (odds ratio: -0.91,
      p=0.03) and between admission and ventilation (odds ratio: -1.85, p=0.012), and
      lower pH (odds ratio: -0.692, p=0.044). The receiver operating characteristic
      (ROC) curves showed that best cut off points for mortality predictors were APACHE
      II scores greater than 25, time interval between injury and admission less than
      2h, time interval between admission and ventilation less than 0.5h, and pH <7.16.
      CONCLUSIONS: Traumatic AHRF patients requiring ventilation support show a high
      rate of early mortality. Greater vigilance for high APACHE II score, short time
      interval between injury and ventilation, low pH in traumatic AHRF patients is
      required.

PMID- 26502861
TI  - A novel association between IL1-Ra (receptor antagonist) gene polymorphism and
      T1DM in Al-Madina Al-Mounawra.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL1-Ra) is initiated to
      terminate the acute pro-inflammatory event and prevent chronic inflammation from
      damaging healthy cells. We aim to draw the attention of IL1-Ra (VNTR) gene
      polymorphism and determine whether IL1-Ra confer susceptibility to type 1
      diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and evaluate the genotype and allele distribution of IL1
      Ra gene in a Saudi population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Case control study included
      (100) T1DM Saudi children, plus 102 healthy unrelated individuals as control
      group. They were evaluated for variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) of IL1-Ra
      gene polymorphism. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of VNTR of 86bp in
      intron 2 of IL1-Ra was performed. RESULTS: A1A1 and A1A2 genotypes with alleles
      A1 and A2 frequency were the most common both in cases and controls (healthy
      population); prevalence (28%, 56% & 57.8%, 39.2% respectively) and (58%, 38% and
      77.5%, 22.5% respectively). In addition IL1-Ra gene polymorphism had higher risk
      significantly different between diabetic children and controls. (A1/A2) genotype
      had higher frequency statistically significant in DM patients than controls [56%
      vs. 39.2%, p < 0.02] and had twice time risk [OR = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.1-3.4, p <
      0.02]. With further stratification, there was strong association between diabetic
      patients carriage IL1-Ra (A2) allele and controls [38% vs. 22.5%, p = 0.001]
      which had higher risk [OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.4-3.2, p = 0.001] for susceptibility
      of diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes a positive association between
      IL1-Ra (VNTR) polymorphism and DM among Saudi children. This may suggest that
      (A2) allele may play important role in disease susceptibility.

PMID- 26502862
TI  - The anti-inflammatory effects of exercise in the syndromic thread of diabetes and
      autoimmunity.
AB  - A unifying thread over the wide spectrum of diabetes might be the triggering of
      innate immunological and inflammatory pathways leading to insulin resistance,
      beta-cell dysfunction and beta-cell destruction: the hybrid features of type 1
      and type 2 diabetes. In fact, hyperglycemia can arise from a deficit in insulin
      action, insulin secretion, or both. Regularly exercising at moderate intensity
      has been shown to efficiently and positively impact upon physiological imbalances
      caused by several morbid conditions. Even in different immunological
      dysfunctions, physical exercise has been prescribed as a complementary
      therapeutic strategy. In fact, as suggested by our observations, there is a
      putative inverse relationship between autoimmunity markers (GAD, IA) and exercise
      derived energy expenditure in type 1 pre-diabetic subjects. Exercise also has
      been shown to maintain muscle mitochondrial function and thus ability to maintain
      fuel metabolism and islet cell function. An additional benefit is the enhancement
      of antioxidant defense system and thus reducing oxidative stress. Therefore, the
      purpose of this review is to address the importance of physical exercise in a
      broad range of metabolic disorders that set out a common milieu in which type 1
      and type 2 diabetes could be identified as one extensive syndrome. 

PMID- 26502863
TI  - Research on rat models of hypobaric hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Rat models of hypobaric hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension are
      commonly used in studies of chronic mountain sickness, while there are few
      researches specially focusing on these rats model. This study aims to exploring
      possible pathogenesis of hypobaric hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension by
      experimenting on hypobaric hypoxia-induced PH rat models at different simulate-
      altitudes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 32 healthy male SD rats were randomly divided
      into six groups of different degree and time period of hypobaric hypoxia. The
      mean pulmonary arterial pressure (m PAP), right ventricular pressure (RVSP), the
      right ventricle (RV), left ventricular (LV), ventricular septal (S), the right
      ventricular hypertrophy index (RVHI) [calculated under the formula of RV / (LV +
      S)], hematoxylin-eosin staining, elastic fibers staining, the ratio of the
      thickness of vascular wall to its outer diameter (MT%), the ratio of the cross
      sectional area of the middle vascular wall to the total vascular cross-sectional
      area (MA%); the alpha-SMA, and the Ki6 expressions were detected to evaluated the
      pulmonary hypertension. RESULTS: There were significant differences of the mPAP,
      RVSP and RVHI value between the hypobaric hypoxia groups and the control group (p
      < 0.05). The mPAP, RVSP, RVHI, MT%, MA%, alpha-SMA, and Ki6 of rats in model
      groups at an altitude of 3KM were higher than those of the control group, which
      raised gradually with the number of weeks increasing. The mPAP, RVSP, RV / (LV +
      S) value, MT%, MA%, alpha-SMA, and Ki67 of the 5KM-4W group were significantly
      higher than those of the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Rat models with
      pulmonary hypertension at different altitudes have been successfully established
      by automatic adjusting hypobaric hypoxia chamber. Exposure to a low oxygen
      environment at a simulate-altitude of 3 km for 8 weeks have caused the
      pathological remodeling of pulmonary vascular walls and pulmonary hypertension,
      and further led to a series of pathological changes, including right ventricular
      hypertrophy. This model is easy to be replicated with good reproducibility and
      provides evidence for clinical trial of drugs.

PMID- 26502864
TI  - Helicobacter pylori and cardiovascular disease.
AB  - Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is one of the most common infections in human.
      The association between H. pylori and gastrointestinal diseases including peptic
      ulcer, chronic gastritis, mucosa associated tissue lymphoma (MALT) and gastric
      cancer is well known. However it was also suggested that H. pylori was linked to
      various extra-gastrointestinal disorders such as diabetes mellitus and coronary
      artery disease. In this review we summarized the association between H. pylori
      and cardiovascular disease. 

PMID- 26502865
TI  - Preparation of solid lipid nanoparticles loaded with garlic oil and evaluation of
      their in vitro and in vivo characteristics.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) are colloidal drug carriers and may be
      suitable for delivery of garlic oil, a nutraceutical with medicinal properties,
      whose use has been limited by its poor solubility. We tested whether poor
      solubility of garlic oil would be overcome by complexing with SLN by high
      pressure homogenization and ultrasound techniques. The effects of lipid phase,
      surfactant mixture and loading concentration of garlic oil on particle size and
      distribution were also investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: High pressure
      homogenization technique was used to prepare SLN, using orthogonal experiment
      method to optimize entrapment efficiency, loading efficiency, and recovery of
      SLN. Pharmacokinetics of garlic oil loaded solid lipid nanoparticles after oral
      administration to rats was studied by using LC/MS/MS method. RESULTS: Mean
      particle size and zeta potential of SLN were, respectively, 106.5 +/- 40.3 nm and
      -30.2 mv. The majority of SLN had a less ordered arrangement of crystals at room
      temperature, which was beneficial for increasing the drug loading capacity. Drug
      entrapment efficiency was > 90 percent and showed a relatively long-term physical
      stability. It was feasible to prepare a lyophilized product with good long-term
      stability. When 10% trehalose and 5% sucrose were used as cryopreservants, SNL
      particle size increased from 106.5 nm prior to lyophilisation to 155.3 nm after
      reconstitution. The garlic oil content in SLN decreased to about 85%
      (respectively, 34.3 vs. 39.4 mg/mL prior to lyophilisation) due to volatility of
      garlic oil. Pharmacokinetic studies in rats demonstrated that distribution and
      elimination of diallyl trisulfide (DATS) and diallyl disulfide (DADS) in garlic
      oil were rapid. Additionally, elimination of garlic oil-SLN complex is faster
      than that of garlic oil alone, probably, due to phagocytosis. CONCLUSIONS: An SLN
      complex with garlic oil exhibits characteristics similar to those of parenteral
      emulsions, even after lyophilization and reconstitution.

PMID- 26502866
TI  - Effect of low-dose cyclophosphamide on endoplasmic reticulum stress and
      inflammatory reaction of acute renal ischemia reperfusion injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of low-dose cyclophosphamide (CP) on endoplasmic
      reticulum stress (ERS) and inflammatory reaction of acute renal ischemia
      reperfusion injury (IRI), providing new ideas for clinical treatment. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Sixty healthy adult male mice were selected and divided randomly
      into sham operation group (n = 20), IRI group (n = 20 cases), and the
      experimental group (n = 20 cases). Mice in the experimental group were pretreated
      with low-dose CP and acute IRI model construction. Intercellular adhesion
      molecule-1 (ICAM-1) immunohistochemical staining was conducted after the 24h and
      the detection of CHOP protein by Western blot method. Postoperative 3h and 7 day
      survival rate, the results of ICAM-1 immunohistochemistry staining and the gray
      values of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) of mice were compared between the three
      groups. RESULTS: The survival rates of mice in the IRI group and the experimental
      group after operation were decreased significantly (p < 0.05). However, the
      survival rates of mice in the experimental group were higher than that in the IRI
      group. The differences were significant (p < 0.05). The expression of ICAM-1 was
      significantly reduced (p < 0.05). The difference was statistically significant.
      The expression of ICAM-1 was significantly reduced (p < 0.05). The gray values of
      mice in the IRI group and the experimental group were significantly increased.
      The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). And the gray value in
      the IRI group increased more than that of the experimental group. The difference
      was statistically significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The pretreatment with low
      dose CP for mice with acute renal IRI can reduce effectively the ERS and
      inflammation, which reduces kidney damage for mice and have good effect on
      prolonging its life. It provides a good way for the guidance of clinical
      research.

PMID- 26502867
TI  - Functional study on Boswellia phytosome as complementary intervention in
      asthmatic patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The combination of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long-acting beta
      agonists (LABAs) is recommended for the treatment of patients with mild-to-severe
      persistent asthma. However, given the lack of definite and safe therapies,
      complementary or alternative medicines are frequently used by asthmatic patients
      in combination with standard treatments. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A group of
      asthmatic subjects have been enrolled in this multicenter study; after having
      verified the compliance to their current medical therapy (ICS + LABAs), the
      subjects have been randomized to receive Casperome(r) 500 mg/day or no additional
      treatment for a period of 4 weeks. They were also asked to keep track of the
      number of inhalations required per day and any adverse events through a daily
      form. RESULTS: A total of 32 subjects were enrolled in the study. Subjects
      receiving Casperome(r) 500 mg/day in addition to the standard ICS + LABAs
      treatment showed a decrease in the number of inhalations needed compared to
      patients who did not receive Casperome(r) therapy. The treatment was well
      tolerated and only mild-moderate adverse events were registered. CONCLUSIONS: The
      use of Casperome(r) 500 mg/day is beneficial for asthmatic patients as it helps
      reduce the need for inhalation therapy with ICS + LABA.

PMID- 26502868
TI  - Losartan improves the distribution and efficacy of doxorubicin in CT26 tumor.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The effectiveness of chemotherapeutic agents is impaired by limited
      delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to the tumor cells. Improving drug
      penetration in tumor tissues is very important. We tested whether losartan, a
      selective antagonist against type 1 angiotensin II receptors (AT1R) with noted
      antifibrotic activity, can enhance the penetration and efficacy of doxorubicin.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: BALB/C mice, which implanted with CT26 tumor cells, were
      divided into four groups: control, doxorubicin alone, losartan alone and
      doxorubicin + losartan combination groups. At day 0, the losartan alone and
      doxorubicin + losartan combination groups received losartan; and at day 8, the
      doxorubicin alone and doxorubicin + losartan combination groups received
      doxorubicin i.v. Tumor growth and intratumoral distribution of doxorubicin were
      evaluated. The mechanism underlying the enhanced anti-tumor effect of the
      combination of doxorubicin and losartan was investigated by immunohistochemical
      analysis. RESULTS: Treatment with losartan alone did not suppress tumor growth;
      In contrast, treatment with doxorubicin alone decreased tumor growth; losartan
      and doxorubicin were administered in combination, had a synergistic effect that
      the tumor growth was much more inhibited. The decreased proliferation as
      indicated by down-regulation of Ki67, and increased apoptosis as indicated by
      TUNEL and caspase-3 staining. The expression of tumor suppressor gene P53
      increased in doxorubicin + losartan combination groups. CONCLUSIONS: Losartan can
      increase the therapeutic effectiveness of doxorubicin, yielding more great
      antitumor benefit. This study provided a rationale for initiating clinical trials
      using losartan in combination with chemotherapeutic agents to increase their
      therapeutic effectiveness.

PMID- 26502869
TI  - Ursodeoxycholic acid and S-adenosylmethionine in the treatment of intrahepatic
      cholestasis of pregnancy: a multi-centered randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a special complication
      of pregnancy characterized by skin pruritus, abnormal liver function tests and
      bile acids. To compare the efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and S
      adenosylmethionine (SAMe) monotherapy with their combined effect on intrahepatic
      cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Singleton pregnancies with
      ICP in five tertiary medical centers were randomly divided into three treatment
      groups: oral UDCA 4*250 mg daily (Group 1, n = 41), intravenous SAMe 1000 mg
      daily (Group 2, n = 38), and a combination of both drugs (Group 3, n = 41) until
      delivery. Paired t test, analysis of covariance and non-parametric test were
      used. RESULTS: All therapies significantly and equally improved pruritus. The
      serum levels of total bile acids (TBA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate
      aminotransferase (AST) and total bilirubin (TB) in each group significantly
      decreased after treatment (p < 0.05). Group 1 was more effective than Group 2 in
      reducing TBA concentration (p < 0.05), Group 1 and Group 3 showed more effective
      than Group 2 in reducing AST and TB concentrations (p < 0.05), and Group 1
      facilitated deliveries at term. No perinatal death or adverse drug reactions were
      observed. CONCLUSIONS: UDCA and SAMe are both effective and safe in the treatment
      of ICP. UDCA monotherapy should be used as the first line therapy for ICP because
      it is more efficacious, cost-effective and convenient.

PMID- 26502870
TI  - Mephedrone related fatalities: a review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Synthetic cathinones are an emerging class of designer drugs abused of
      due to their psychostimulant and hallucinogenic effects, similar to those of
      cocaine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), amphetamines and methamphetamines.
      Mephedrone is a cathinone analogue (4-methyl aromatic analogue of methcathinone)
      that was reported to be implicated in several fatalities in the media across
      Europe, but only a few have actually resulted in mephedrone cited as the cause of
      death. In this paper, we aim to systematically review analytically confirmed
      cases of mephedrone-related fatalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant
      scientific articles were identified from Medline, Cochrane Central, Scopus, Web
      of Science, Science Direct, EMBASE and Google Scholar, through May 2015 using the
      following keywords: "Mephedrone", "fatal intoxication," "fatalities", "acute
      intoxication" and "death". RESULTS: In total, 10 citations met the criteria for
      inclusion, representing 18 fatal cases with analytically confirmed mephedrone in
      biological sample/s of the deceased. The death was attributed to mephedrone
      intoxication in 9 cases (range of post-mortem blood mephedrone concentration:
      1.33-22 mg/L), whereas multiple drug toxicity, involving mephedrone was cited as
      cause of death in 6 cases (range of post-mortem blood mephedrone concentration:
      0.04-1.3 mg/L). CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest that the abuse of mephedrone remains to
      be a public health issue. Mephedrone appears to have a rather narrow therapeutic
      window that makes its use dangerous. Dosages which supposedly fall within
      recreational use limits could also lead to death when combined with other drugs
      in certain circumstances. Forensic Toxicology laboratories must assess their
      testing procedures to ensure they can achieve both an appropriate screening
      regime and targeted quantitative analysis for the detection of mephedrone in
      various biological matrices.

PMID- 26502871
TI  - A case report of successful treatment of pyoderma gangrenosum in a patient with
      autoimmune hepatitis, and review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pyoderma Gangrenosum (PG) is a cutaneous condition, its diagnosis
      suggested by the presence of a painful cutaneous ulcer showing rapid progression.
      Pyoderma gangrenosum is associated with a concomitant systemic disease in 50 to
      70 % of cases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis,
      and lymphoproliferative disorders. Although PG has also been reported with viral
      hepatitis, it is rarely associated with autoimmune hepatitis. CASE PRESENTATION:
      A 19-year-old Caucasian female, with a prior diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis
      (AIH) in remission, presented with bilateral lower limb ulcers 4 years after the
      diagnosis of AIH. She was diagnosed with PG and treated with high-dose
      prednisolone, methotrexate and cyclosporine. One year later she was well, the
      ulcers completely healed, and with the autoimmune hepatitis still in remission.
      CONCLUSION: We report a case of autoimmune hepatitis and the subsequent, rarely
      occurring, extra-hepatic onset of pyoderma gangrenosum, with the AIH in
      remission, strengthening the association between the two conditions. Since both
      the AIH and the PG can present serious diagnostic challenges, thus delaying vital
      therapy, it is important that the development of either prompts us to consider
      the possibility of the other developing in the future or if already present
      facilitate its diagnosis, such considerations making the case for a systematic
      follow up.

PMID- 26502872
TI  - A simple modified Bentall technique for surgical reconstruction of the aortic
      root - short and long term outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Since the first introduction of the Bentall technique, several
      modifications have been proposed to improve patient outcomes and decrease intra-
      and post-operative complications. We describe a simplified modification of the
      technique that tries to lessen the intra-operative time, improve homeostasis and
      miminize early and late complications. Our experience with the technique and
      short- and long-term patient outcomes are reported. METHODS: From August 1996 to
      October 2013, 110 consecutive patients underwent this modified technique. The
      procedure used Dacron composite graft with a mechanical valve (St. Jude
      Medical(r)) for aortic root replacement. To avoid intra-operative complications,
      no mobilization of coronary ostia was done. Additionally, the tubular aorta was
      kept minimally unchanged. RESULTS: Total bleeding after the operation was 450 +/-
      105 mL. The mean duration of intensive care unit and hospital stay were 2 +/- 1
      and 5 +/- 2 days, respectively. Sixty-six patients (60 %) were discharged from
      the surgical intensive care unit on the first postoperative day, 34 patients
      (30.9 %) were discharged on the second day and ten patients (9.1 %) needed more
      time to stay in the intensive care unit due to haemodynamic or respiratory
      problems. At 5-years follow up, survival rate was 97 %. In the three deceased
      patients, causes of death were mediastinitis, sepsis and myocardial infarction.
      No operation-related complications such as anticoagulant-related hemorrhage,
      valve or graft thrombosis, or coronary pseudoaneurysm were occurred during follow
      up. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed modification of the Bentall technique seems to
      minimize late intra-operative blood loss, improves homeostasis, shortens the
      operation time and is associated with excellent long-term outcomes in patients
      undergoing composite graft replacement of the aortic root.

PMID- 26502873
TI  - Do citation trends reflect epidemiologic patterns? Assessing MRSA, emerging and
      re-emerging pathogens, 1963-2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A rapid rise in PubMed citations on methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) occurred after 2000, but the relationship of trends
      in citation to epidemiologic trends for infectious disease is not known. METHODS:
      We queried PubMed(R), for citations to the following: MRSA, HIV/AIDS,
      Staphylococcus aureus, severe acute respiratory syndrome, Lyme disease, avian
      influenza, West Nile virus, Chikungunya, Ebola virus and Middle Eastern
      respiratory syndrome. Incidence or mortality data were tabulated. RESULTS: We
      identified 560,225 citations in 1963-2014. There were two distinct qualitative
      citation patterns. Type I pathogens showed a decade of initial exponential
      growth. Type II pathogens showed a sudden spike in citations in a year or two,
      followed by a relative decline. MRSA most closely resembled a Type I pathogen.
      CONCLUSIONS: The Type I pattern pathogens had varied trends in disease incidence
      in the years following the exponential growth and subsequent decline in the
      number of citations. Their differing epidemiologic patterns did not correlate
      with their pattern of citations. We conclude that citation trends on MRSA cannot
      be used to determine past epidemiologic trends and also that the citation trend
      for MRSA in 1995-2011 most closely resembled that for HIV in 1981-1998.

PMID- 26502874
TI  - Fatty acid kinase A is an important determinant of biofilm formation in
      Staphylococcus aureus USA300.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-USA300 is
      notorious for its ability to cause community- and healthcare-acquired infections,
      which are even more difficult to treat when associated with a biofilm phenotype.
      We aimed to characterize the genetic determinants of biofilm formation in a
      USA300 skin abscess isolate (UAS391) that formed prolific biofilms. METHODS:
      USA300 S. aureus strains, TCH1516 and FPR3757, were found to be closely related
      based on whole genome mapping (ArgusTM Optical Mapping System, Opgen Inc,
      Gaithersburg, USA) to UAS391 (96.3-99.1 % similarity, P=0.0151), however differed
      markedly in biofilm formation (P=0.0001) on a dynamic assay (BioFlux 200, Fluxion
      Biosciences, USA). Comparison of whole genome sequences of these strains
      identified differences in a total of 18 genes. Corresponding Tn (bursa aurealis
      bearing) knockout mutants in these target genes were obtained from a publicly
      available mutant library of the same clonal lineage (USA300-JE2) and were
      characterized phenotypically for biofilm formation. Tn mutants showing
      significant differences in biofilm formation were utilized for transduction into
      a plasmid-cured erythromycin-sensitive derivative of UAS391 and for
      complementation experiments. All strains were tested on the dynamic assay, and
      17h-biofilms were stained (SYTO9, Life Technologies) and fluorescence intensity
      quantified by microscopy (Zeiss, ImageJ). Gene expression levels in Tn and
      transduced mutants were studied by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR
      (StepOnePlusTM, Applied Biosystems(r)). RESULTS: Comparison of the sequenced
      genomes of TCH1516, FPR3757 and UAS391 yielded a limited number of variant genes
      (n=18) that were hypothesized to account for the observed difference in biofilm
      forming capacity. Screening of Tn mutants disrupted in these target genes
      identified one mutant (NE229) bearing a transposon insertion in SAUSA300_1119
      (fakA), which exhibited increased biofilm formation similar to UAS391 (P=0.9320).
      Transduction experiments confirmed that fakA::Tn corresponded to 1.9- to 4.6-fold
      increase in biofilm formation depending on the USA300 strain background
      (P<=0.0007), while complementation of the TCH1516 wild-type fakA allele in UAS391
      resulted in a 4.3-fold reduction in biofilm formation (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS:
      This sequential approach, consisting of strain typing, genome comparison and
      functional genomics, identified fakA, a recently described fatty acid kinase in
      S. aureus that is essential for phospholipid synthesis and also impacts the
      transcription of numerous virulence factors, as a negative regulator of biofilm
      formation in S. aureus USA300.

PMID- 26502875
TI  - Complement receptor 2 is up regulated in the spinal cord following nerve root
      injury and modulates the spinal cord response.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Activation of the complement system has been implicated in both acute
      and chronic states of neurodegeneration. However, a detailed understanding of
      this complex network of interacting components is still lacking. METHODS: Large
      scale global expression profiling in a rat F2(DAxPVG) intercross identified a
      strong cis-regulatory influence on the local expression of complement receptor 2
      (Cr2) in the spinal cord after ventral root avulsion (VRA). Expression of Cr2 in
      the spinal cord was studied in a separate cohort of DA and PVG rats at different
      time-points after VRA, and also following sciatic nerve transection (SNT) in the
      same strains. Consequently, Cr2 (-/-) mice and Wt controls were used to further
      explore the role of Cr2 in the spinal cord following SNT. The in vivo experiments
      were complemented by astrocyte and microglia cell cultures. RESULTS: Expression
      of Cr2 in naive spinal cord was low but strongly up regulated at 5-7 days after
      both VRA and SNT. Levels of Cr2 expression, as well as astrocyte activation, was
      higher in PVG rats than DA rats following both VRA and SNT. Subsequent in vitro
      studies proposed astrocytes as the main source of Cr2 expression. A functional
      role for Cr2 is suggested by the finding that transgenic mice lacking Cr2
      displayed increased loss of synaptic nerve terminals following nerve injury. We
      also detected increased levels of soluble CR2 (sCR2) in the cerebrospinal fluid
      of rats following VRA. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that local
      expression of Cr2 in the central nervous system is part of the axotomy reaction
      and is suggested to modulate subsequent complement mediated effects.

PMID- 26502876
TI  - A prospective pilot study of detection of sentinel lymph nodes in gynaecological
      cancers using a novel near infrared fluorescence imaging system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sentinel Lymph Node (SLN) sampling may significantly reduce surgical
      morbidity by avoiding needless radical lymphadenectomy. In gynaecological
      cancers, the current practice in the UK is testing the accuracy of SLN detection
      using radioactive isotopes within the context of clinical trials. However,
      radioactive tracers pose significant logistic problems. We, therefore, conducted
      a pilot, observational study to assess the feasibility of a novel optical imaging
      device for SLN detection in gynaecological cancers using near infrared (NIR)
      fluorescence. METHODS: A novel, custom-made, optical imaging system was developed
      to enable detection of multiple fluorescence dyes and allow simultaneous bright
      field imaging during open surgery and laparoscopic procedures. We then evaluated
      the performance of the system in a prospective study of 49 women with early stage
      vulval, cervical and endometrial cancer who were scheduled to undergo complete
      lymphadenectomy. Clinically approved fluorescent contrast agents indocyanine
      green (ICG) and methylene blue (MB) were used. The main outcomes of the study
      included SLN mapping detection rates, false negative rates using the NIR
      fluorescence technique and safety of the procedures. We also examined the
      association between injection sites and differential lymphatic drainage in women
      with endometrial cancer by fluorescence imaging of ICG and MB. RESULTS: A total
      of 64 SLNs were detected during both open surgery and laparoscopy. Following dose
      optimisation and the learning phase, SLN detection rate approached 100 % for all
      cancer types with no false negatives detected. Fluorescence from ICG and MB
      detected para-aortic SLNs in women with endometrial cancer following uterine
      injection. Percutaneous SLN detection was also achieved in most women with vulval
      cancer. No adverse reactions associated with the use of either dyes were
      observed. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the successful clinical
      application of a novel NIR fluorescence imaging system for SLN detection across
      different gynaecological cancers. We showcased the first in human imaging, during
      the same procedure, of two fluorescence dyes in women with endometrial cancer.

PMID- 26502878
TI  - Multiplex PCR for detection of the Vibrio genus and five pathogenic Vibrio
      species with primer sets designed using comparative genomics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The genus Vibrio is clinically significant and major pathogenic
      Vibrio species causing human Vibrio infections are V. cholerae, V.
      parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus, V. alginolyticus and V. mimicus. In this study,
      we screened for novel genetic markers using comparative genomics and developed a
      Vibrio multiplex PCR for the reliable diagnosis of the Vibrio genus and the
      associated major pathogenic Vibrio species. METHODS: A total of 30 Vibrio genome
      sequences were subjected to comparative genomics, and specific genes of the
      Vibrio genus and five major pathogenic Vibrio species were screened. The designed
      primer sets from the screened genes were evaluated by single PCR using DNAs from
      various Vibrio spp. and other non-Vibrio bacterial strains. A sextuplet multiplex
      PCR using six primer sets was developed to enable detection of the Vibrio genus
      and five pathogenic Vibrio species. RESULTS: The designed primer sets from the
      screened genes yielded specific diagnostic results for target the Vibrio genus
      and Vibrio species. The specificity of the developed multiplex PCR was confirmed
      with various Vibrio and non-Vibrio strains. This Vibrio multiplex PCR was
      evaluated using 117 Vibrio strains isolated from the south seashore areas in
      Korea and Vibrio isolates were identified as Vibrio spp., V. parahaemolyticus, V.
      vulnificus and V. alginolyticus, demonstrating the specificity and discriminative
      ability of the assay towards Vibrio species. CONCLUSIONS: This novel multiplex
      PCR method could provide reliable and informative identification of the Vibrio
      genus and major pathogenic Vibrio species in the food safety industry and in
      early clinical treatment, thereby protecting humans against Vibrio infection.

PMID- 26502879
TI  - Non-participation in breast cancer screening for women with chronic diseases and
      multimorbidity: a population-based cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic diseases and multimorbidity are common in western countries
      and associated with increased breast cancer mortality. This study aims to
      investigate non-participation in breast cancer screening among women with chronic
      diseases and multimorbidity and the role of time in this association. METHOD:
      This population-based cohort study used regional and national registries. Women
      who were invited to the first breast cancer screening round in the Central
      Denmark Region in 2008-09 were included (n = 149,234). Selected chronic diseases
      and multimorbidity were assessed up to 10 years before the screening date.
      Prevalence ratios (PR) were used as an association measure. RESULTS: The results
      indicated that women with at least one chronic condition were significantly more
      likely not to participate in breast cancer screening. In adjusted analysis, a
      significantly higher likelihood of non-participation was found for women with
      cancer (PR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.40-1.60), mental illness (PR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.42
      1.60), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (PR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.42-1.62),
      neurological disorders (PR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.12-1.37) and kidney disease (PR =
      1.70, 95% CI 1.49-1.94), whereas women with chronic bowel disease (PR = 0.75, 95%
      CI 0.65-0.88) were more likely to participate than women without these disease.
      Multimorbidity was associated with increased non-participation likelihood. E.g.
      having 3 or more diseases was associated with 58% increased non-participation
      likelihood (95% CI: 27-96%). Higher non-participation was also observed for women
      with severe multimorbidity (PR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.23-1.90) and mental-physical
      multimorbidity (PR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.36-1.75). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we
      found a strong association between non-participation in breast cancer screening
      for some chronic diseases and for multimorbidity. The highest propensity not to
      participate was observed for women with hospital contacts related to the chronic
      disease in the period closest to the screening date.

PMID- 26502880
TI  - A novel nasal powder formulation of glucagon: toxicology studies in animal
      models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glucagon nasal powder (GNP), a novel intranasal formulation of
      glucagon being developed to treat insulin-induced severe hypoglycemia, contains
      synthetic glucagon (10% w/w), beta-cyclodextrin, and dodecylphosphocholine. The
      safety of this formulation was evaluated in four studies in animal models.
      METHODS: The first study evaluated 28-day sub-chronic toxicology in rats treated
      intranasally with 1 and 2 mg of GNP/day (0.1 and 0.2 mg glucagon/rat/day). The
      second study evaluated 28-day sub-chronic toxicology in dogs administered 20 and
      40 mg of formulation/dog/day (2 and 4 mg glucagon/dog/day) intranasally. A
      pulmonary insufflation study assessed acute toxicology following intra-tracheal
      administration of 0.5 mg of GNP (0.05 mg glucagon) to rats. Local tolerance to 30
      mg of GNP (equivalent to 3 mg glucagon, the final dose for humans) was tested
      through direct administration into the eyes of rabbits. RESULTS: There were no
      test article-related adverse effects on body weight and/or food consumption,
      ophthalmology, electrocardiography, hematology, coagulation parameters, clinical
      chemistry, urinalysis, or organ weights, and no macroscopic findings at necropsy
      in any study. In rats, direct intra-tracheal insufflation at a dose of 0.5 mg of
      GNP/rat (0.05 mg glucagon/rat) did not result in adverse clinical, macroscopic,
      or microscopic effects. In dogs, the only adverse findings following sub-chronic
      use were transient (<30 s) salivation and sneezing immediately post-treatment and
      mild to moderate reversible histological changes to the nasal mucosa. Daily
      dosing over 28 days in rats resulted in mild to moderate, unilateral or bilateral
      erosion/ulceration of the olfactory epithelium, frequently with minimal to mild,
      acute to sub-acute inflammation of the lamina propria at the dorsal turbinates of
      the nasal cavity in 2/10 males and 3/10 females in the high-dose group (0.2 mg
      glucagon/day). These lesions resolved completely over 14 days. Histological
      examination of tissues from both sub-chronic studies in dogs and rats revealed no
      microscopic findings. In rabbits, clinical observations noted in the GNP-treated
      eye and/or surrounding areas included >=1 of the following: clear discharge, red
      conjunctiva, partial closure, and swelling of the peri-orbital area, which
      correlated with erythema and edema noted during ocular observations and grading.
      DISCUSSION: The studies reported here revealed no safety concerns associated with
      GNP in animal models. Studies published earlier have highlighted the local safety
      profile of intranasally administered cyclodextrins (a component of GNP). The
      choline group, the phosphate group, and the saturated 12-carbon aliphatic chain
      that are present in the dodecylphosphocholine excipient used in GNP are all
      present in the phospholipids and lecithins seen ubiquitously in mammalian cell
      membranes and are unlikely to pose safety concerns; this notion is supported by
      several studies conducted by the authors that revealed no safety concerns. Taken
      together, these results suggest that intranasal delivery of GNP holds promise as
      a future rescue medication for use by caregivers to treat insulin-induced
      hypoglycemic episodes in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSION:
      This novel drug product is well tolerated in animal models.

PMID- 26502877
TI  - Inflammatory mediators in intra-abdominal sepsis or injury - a scoping review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory and protein mediators (cytokine, chemokine, acute
      phase proteins) play an important, but still not completely understood, role in
      the morbidity and mortality of intra-abdominal sepsis/injury. We therefore
      systematically reviewed preclinical and clinical studies of mediators in intra
      abdominal sepsis/injury in order to evaluate their ability to: (1) function as
      diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers; (2) serve as therapeutic targets; and (3)
      illuminate the pathogenesis mechanisms of sepsis or injury-related organ
      dysfunction. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane
      Library. Two investigators independently reviewed all identified abstracts and
      selected articles for full-text review. We included original studies assessing
      mediators in intra-abdominal sepsis/injury. RESULTS: Among 2437 citations, we
      selected 182 studies in the scoping review, including 79 preclinical and 103
      clinical studies. Serum procalcitonin and C-reactive protein appear to be useful
      to rule out infection or monitor therapy; however, the diagnostic and prognostic
      value of mediators for complications/outcomes of sepsis or injury remains to be
      established. Peritoneal mediator levels are substantially higher than systemic
      levels after intra-abdominal infection/trauma. Common limitations of current
      studies included small sample sizes and lack of uniformity in study design and
      outcome measures. To date, targeted therapies against mediators remain
      experimental. CONCLUSIONS: Whereas preclinical data suggests mediators play a
      critical role in intra-abdominal sepsis or injury, there is no consensus on the
      clinical use of mediators in diagnosing or managing intra-abdominal sepsis or
      injury. Measurement of peritoneal mediators should be further investigated as a
      more sensitive determinant of intra-abdominal inflammatory response. High-quality
      clinical trials are needed to better understand the role of inflammatory
      mediators.

PMID- 26502881
TI  - Predictability of epidemic malaria under non-stationary conditions with process
      based models combining epidemiological updates and climate variability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated the feasibility of early-warning
      systems for epidemic malaria informed by climate variability. Whereas modelling
      approaches typically assume stationary conditions, epidemiological systems are
      characterized by changes in intervention measures over time, at scales typically
      longer than inter-epidemic periods. These trends in control efforts preclude
      simple application of early-warning systems validated by retrospective
      surveillance data; their effects are also difficult to distinguish from those of
      climate variability itself. METHODS: Rainfall-driven transmission models for
      falciparum and vivax malaria are fitted to long-term retrospective surveillance
      data from four districts in northwest India. Maximum-likelihood estimates (MLEs)
      of model parameters are obtained for each district via a recently introduced
      iterated filtering method for partially observed Markov processes. The resulting
      MLE model is then used to generate simulated yearly forecasts in two different
      ways, and these forecasts are compared with more recent (out-of-fit) data. In the
      first approach, initial conditions for generating the predictions are repeatedly
      updated on a yearly basis, based on the new epidemiological data and the
      inference method that naturally lends itself to this purpose, given its time
      sequential application. In the second approach, the transmission parameters
      themselves are also updated by refitting the model over a moving window of time.
      RESULTS: Application of these two approaches to examine the predictability of
      epidemic malaria in the different districts reveals differences in the
      effectiveness of intervention for the two parasites, and illustrates how the
      'failure' of predictions can be informative to evaluate and quantify the effect
      of control efforts in the context of climate variability. The first approach
      performs adequately, and sometimes even better than the second one, when the
      climate remains the major driver of malaria dynamics, as found for Plasmodium
      vivax for which an effective clinical intervention is lacking. The second
      approach offers more skillful forecasts when the dynamics shift over time, as is
      the case of Plasmodium falciparum in recent years with declining incidence under
      improved control. CONCLUSIONS: Predictive systems for infectious diseases such as
      malaria, based on process-based models and climate variables, can be informative
      and applicable under non-stationary conditions.

PMID- 26502882
TI  - Is a picture worth a thousand words: an analysis of the difficulty and
      discrimination parameters of illustrated vs. text-alone vignettes in histology
      multiple choice questions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advances in cognitive load theory have led to greater understanding
      of how we process verbal and visual material during learning, but the evidence
      base with regard to the use of images within written assessments is still sparse.
      This study examines whether the inclusion of images within the stimulus format of
      multiple choice questions (MCQs) has a predictable or consistent influence on
      psychometric item properties, such as difficulty or discrimination. METHODS: Item
      analysis data from three consecutive years of histology multiple choice
      examinations were included in this study. All items were reviewed and categorised
      according to whether their stem, or stimulus format, was purely textual or
      included an associated image. RESULTS: A total of 195 MCQs were identified for
      inclusion and analysed using classical test theory; 95 used text alone and 100
      included an image within the question stem. The number of students per
      examination ranged from 277 to 347, with a total of 60,850 student-question
      interactions. We initially examined whether the inclusion of an image within the
      item stem altered the item difficulty using Mann-Whitney U. The median item
      difficulty for images with purely textual stems was 0.77, while that for items
      incorporating an appropriate image was 0.80; this difference was not significant
      (0.77 vs. 0.80; p = 0.862, Mann-Whitney-U = 4818.5). Mean values showed that the
      Item Discrimination Index appeared unaffected by the inclusion of an image within
      the stem, and Item point biserial correlation also showed no difference in means
      between these two groups (Independent samples t-test; 2-tailed). CONCLUSION: We
      demonstrate that the addition of illustrations within undergraduate histology
      Multiple Choice Question stems has no overall influence on item difficulty, or
      measures of item discrimination. We conclude that the use of images in this
      context is statistically uncritical, and suggest that their inclusion within item
      stems should be based upon the principles of constructive alignment. However,
      further research with respect to the effect of images within item stems on
      cognitive processing, particularly with regard to image complexity or type, would
      enable the development of more informed guidelines for their use.

PMID- 26502883
TI  - Coronary artery size and origin imaging in children: a comparative study of MRI
      and trans-thoracic echocardiography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to see how coronary magnetic resonance
      angiography (CMRA) compared to echocardiography for the detection of coronary
      artery origins and to compare CMRA measurements for coronary dimensions in
      children with published echocardiographic reference values. METHODS: Enrolled
      patients underwent dual cardiac phase CMRA and echocardiography under the same
      anesthetic. Echocardiographic measurements of the right coronary artery (RCA),
      left anterior descending (LAD) and left main (LM) were made. CMRA dimensions were
      assessed manually at the same points as the echocardiographic measurements. The
      number of proximal LAD branches imaged was also recorded in order to give an
      estimate of distal coronary tree visualization. RESULTS: Fifty patients (24 boys,
      mean age 4.0 years (range 18 days to 18 years)) underwent dual-phase CMRA.
      Coronary origins were identified in 47/50 cases for CMRA (remaining 3 were
      infants aged 3, 9 and 11 months). In comparison, origins were identified in 41/50
      cases for echo (remaining were all older children). CMRA performed better than
      echocardiography in terms of distal visualization of the coronary tree (median 1
      LAD branch vs. median 0; p = 0.001). Bland-Altman plots show poor agreement
      between echocardiography and CMRA for coronary measurements. CMRA measurements
      did vary according to cardiac phase (systolic mean 1.90, s.d. 0.05 mm vs.
      diastolic mean 1.84, s.d. 0.05 mm; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Dual-phase CMRA has
      an excellent (94 %) success rate for the detection of coronary origins in
      children. Newborn infants remain challenging and echocardiography remains the
      accepted imaging modality for this age group. Echocardiographic reference ranges
      are not applicable to CMRA measurements as agreement was poor between modalities.
      Future coronary reference values, using any imaging modality, should quote the
      phase in which it was measured.

PMID- 26502884
TI  - Idiopathic lung fibrosis and anti myeloperoxidase glomerulonephritis: the tree
      that hides the forest.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies [ANCA] are frequently
      found in patients diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis [IPF], current
      guidance does not recommend serologic testing for vasculitis. CASE PRESENTATION:
      A 71-year old Caucasian male, diagnosed with IPF three years earlier, presented
      with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. ANCA were found both in current and
      historical sera. A kidney biopsy sample was taken, which revealed a pauci-immune
      glomerulonephritis, but also areas of glomerular fibrosis, hence strongly
      suggesting unrecognized flares of an indolent vasculitis in his past. This made
      the diagnosis of "idiopathic" pulmonary fibrosis very unlikely. CONCLUSION: As
      nephrologists, we argue that testing for ANCA should be performed on a systematic
      basis, at least in elderly patients, even in the absence of extra-pulmonary signs
      of vasculitis at presentation.

PMID- 26502885
TI  - Improving Heat Transfer at the Bottom of Vials for Consistent Freeze Drying with
      Unidirectional Structured Ice.
AB  - The quality of lyophilized products is dependent of the ice structure formed
      during the freezing step. Herein, we evaluate the importance of the air gap at
      the bottom of lyophilization vials for consistent nucleation, ice structure, and
      cake appearance. The bottom of lyophilization vials was modified by attaching a
      rectified aluminum disc with an adhesive material. Freezing was studied for
      normal and converted vials, with different volumes of solution, varying initial
      solution temperature (from 5 degrees C to 20 degrees C) and shelf temperature
      (from -20 degrees C to -40 degrees C). The impact of the air gap on the overall
      heat transfer was interpreted with the assistance of a computational fluid
      dynamics model. Converted vials caused nucleation at the bottom and decreased the
      nucleation time up to one order of magnitude. The formation of ice crystals
      unidirectionally structured from bottom to top lead to a honeycomb-structured
      cake after lyophilization of a solution with 4% mannitol. The primary drying time
      was reduced by approximately 35%. Converted vials that were frozen radially
      instead of bottom-up showed similar improvements compared with normal vials but
      very poor cake quality. Overall, the curvature of the bottom of glass vials
      presents a considerable threat to consistency by delaying nucleation and causing
      radial ice growth. Rectifying the vials bottom with an adhesive material revealed
      to be a relatively simple alternative to overcome this inconsistency. 

PMID- 26502887
TI  - Malaria vaccine difficult to roll out because four doses are needed, WHO says.

PMID- 26502886
TI  - Curcumin Affects Phase II Disposition of Resveratrol Through Inhibiting Efflux
      Transporters MRP2 and BCRP.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of curcumin on the disposition of resveratrol
      phase II metabolites in vivo, and explain the observations by performing in vitro
      studies in transporter-overexpressed cells. METHODS: Pharmacokinetic studies of
      resveratrol with and without the co-administration of curcumin were performed in
      both FVB wild-type and Bcrp1 (-/-) mice. Human UGT1A9-overexpressing HeLa cells
      and human MRP2-overexpressing MDCK II-UGT1A1 cells were used as in vitro tools to
      further determine the impact of curcumin as a transporter inhibitor on
      resveratrol metabolites. RESULTS: We observed higher exposure of resveratrol
      conjugates in Bcrp1 (-/-) mice compared to wild-type mice. In wild-type mice,
      curcumin increased the AUC of resveratrol glucuronide by 4-fold compared to the
      mice treated without curcumin. The plasma levels of resveratrol and its sulfate
      conjugate also increased moderately. In Bcrp1 (-/-) mice, there was a further
      increase (6-fold increase) in AUC of resveratrol glucuronide observed when
      curcumin was co-administered compared to AUC values obtained in wild-type mice
      without curcumin treatment. In the presence of 50 nM curcumin, the clearance of
      resveratrol-3-O-glucuronide and resveratrol-3-O-sulfate reduced in both MRP2
      overexpressing MDCKII-UGT1A1 cells and Human UGT1A9-overexpressing HeLa cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that curcumin alters the phase II distribution
      of resveratrol through inhibiting efflux transporters including MRP2 and BCRP.

PMID- 26502888
TI  - [Drug assessment: IQWiG, G-BA, and an international comparison].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Since the Pharmaceutical Market Restructuring Act
      (Arzneimittelmarktneuordnungsgesetz-AMNOG) went into effect on 1 January 2011,
      new medicinal products provided under statutory health insurance have to undergo
      an early benefit assessment, prepared on the basis of scientific dossiers drawn
      up by the German Institute for Quality and Cost Effectiveness in the Health Care
      Sector (Institut fur Qualitat und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen-IQWiG)
      and adopted by the Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss-G-BA).
      These assessments, in which the additional benefit of a product is compared with
      existing standard therapy and ultimately has a bearing on price negotiations with
      the pharmaceutical companies, are carried out on the basis of clinical trial data
      presented by the latter. Results so far, however, show that the IQWIG's and the G
      BA's assessments often vary, although both bodies have the same documentation.
      Such differences can also be observed on an international level. OBJECTIVES:
      Using selected examples, the differences in the assessments of new
      pharmaceuticals are presented and reasons for national and international
      deviations are discussed. CURRENT DATA: As yet, no systematic comparative
      analysis has been made of assessments of medicinal products by the respective
      institutions. For this reason, it was not possible to make a systematic selection
      of pharmaceuticals, and the cases were instead selected according to available
      information. CONCLUSIONS: An overview of the results shows that the diverging
      assessments-both national and international-are not always scientifically
      justifiable, but rather appear to be influenced by the-not always transparent
      framework parameters of the respective health system. Assessments are always
      shaped by certain perspectives on the data and results under scrutiny. It would
      undoubtedly be worthwhile to evaluate these influences to gain a better
      understanding of the reasons for national and international discrepancies in the
      assessment of additional therapeutic value of new pharmaceutical products.

PMID- 26502889
TI  - Hesperetin Liposomes for Cancer Therapy.
AB  - Hesperetin is a compound from citrus fruit that has previously been found to
      exert anticancer activity through a variety of mechanisms. However, the
      application of hesperetin to cancer therapy has been hampered by its
      hydrophobicity, necessitating the use of toxic solubilizing agents. Here, we have
      developed the first liposome-based delivery system for hesperetin. Liposomes were
      fabricated using the thin-layer evaporation technique and physical and
      pharmacological parameters were measured. The liposomes remained stable for
      prolonged periods of time in serum and under storage conditions, and displayed
      anticancer efficacy in both H441 lung cancer cells and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer
      cells. Furthermore, the anticancer activity was not impaired in cells expressing
      the multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR-1). In conclusion, the encapsulation of
      hesperetin in liposomes does not interfere with therapeutic efficacy and provides
      a biocompatible alternative to toxic solubilizing agents, thereby enabling future
      clinical use of this compound for cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26502890
TI  - New Thermoresponsive Eyedrop Formulation Containing Ibuprofen Loaded
      Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLC): Development, Characterization and
      Biocompatibility Studies.
AB  - The low bioavailability and consequently the poor therapeutic response of
      traditional ophthalmic formulations is caused by reduced pre-corneal residence
      time of the formulation in contact with the ocular surface. The use of colloidal
      carrier systems, namely lipid nanoparticles in combination with in situ gelling
      polymers, is an excellent strategy which results in the exponential increase of
      the bioavailability of ophthalmic drugs. In the present study, we have developed
      thermoresponsive eyedrops prepared with nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC)
      dispersions for the controlled delivery of ibuprofen. Lipid solubility studies
      and DSC measurements have proved that the lipids solubilise ibuprofen and present
      a good compatibility. NLC were prepared based on the melt-emulsification and
      ultrasonication technique and lipid nanoparticles with a Z-average of 120-150 nm,
      polydispersity index below 0.3, highly positive zeta potential and an efficacy of
      encapsulation of ~87% were obtained. The cytotoxicity of NLC was evaluated by the
      Alamar Blue reduction assay using the Y-79 human retinoblastoma cell line, and no
      relevant toxicity was observed after exposure to 0-100 MUg/mL NLC for up to 72
      hours. The HET-CAM assay was used to assess the product eye compatibility,
      confirming that the developed product does not exhibit irritant potential. The in
      vitro release studies showed ibuprofen release over several hours. 

PMID- 26502891
TI  - A review of research on direct-care staff data collection regarding the severity
      and function of challenging behavior in individuals with intellectual and
      developmental disabilities.
AB  - In working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
      (IDDs), it is direct care staff who are often required to collect data on
      individuals' behavior which is used as the basis for implementation of
      empirically based approaches for intervention and treatment. Due to limited
      resources, indirect and descriptive measures of challenging behaviors are
      employed to analyze the function of individuals' behaviors in place of the
      preferred method of multimodal assessment, which includes experimental functional
      analysis. To ensure the most effective services and support to individuals with
      IDDs, accurate and consistent data collection is critical. In this article, we
      highlight the importance of accurate data collection practices, conduct a
      comparison of data collection methods, and discuss limitations .... and barriers
      for staff. The article concludes with recommendations for best practices and
      future research. 

PMID- 26502892
TI  - Acetylation dynamics and stoichiometry in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PMID- 26502893
TI  - Recurrent copy number variations as risk factors for neurodevelopmental
      disorders: critical overview and analysis of clinical implications.
AB  - Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs) encompass a spectrum of neuropsychiatric
      manifestations. Chromosomal regions 1q21.1, 3q29, 15q11.2, 15q13.3, 16p11.2,
      16p13.1 and 22q11 harbour rare but recurrent CNVs that have been uncovered as
      being important risk factors for several of these disorders. These rearrangements
      may underlie a broad phenotypical spectrum, ranging from normal development, to
      learning problems, intellectual disability (ID), epilepsy and psychiatric
      diseases, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and schizophrenia (SZ). The
      highly increased risk of developing neurodevelopmental phenotypes associated with
      some of these CNVs makes them an unavoidable element in the clinical context in
      paediatrics, neurology and psychiatry. However, and although finding these risk
      loci has been the goal of neuropsychiatric genetics for many years, the
      translation of this recent knowledge into clinical practice has not been trivial.
      In this article, we will: (1) review the state of the art on recurrent CNVs
      associated with NDs, namely ASD, ID, epilepsy and SZ; (2) discuss the models used
      to dissect the underlying neurobiology of disease, (3) discuss how this knowledge
      can be used in clinical practice. 

PMID- 26502895
TI  - Growth of Hollow Transition Metal (Fe, Co, Ni) Oxide Nanoparticles on Graphene
      Sheets through Kirkendall Effect as Anodes for High-Performance Lithium-Ion
      Batteries.
AB  - A general strategy based on the nanoscale Kirkendall effect has been developed to
      grow hollow transition metal (Fe, Co or Ni) oxide nanoparticles on graphene
      sheets. When applied as lithium-ion battery anodes, these hollow transition metal
      oxide-based composites exhibit excellent electrochemical performance, with high
      reversible capacities and long-term stabilities at a high current density,
      superior to most transition metal oxides reported to date. 

PMID- 26502896
TI  - beta-Asarone inhibits gastric cancer cell proliferation.
AB  - beta-Asarone is the main volatile oil of Chinese herb Rhizoma Acori Tatarinowii.
      It exhibits a wide range of biological activities in many human organs. However,
      few studies have investigated the effect of beta-asarone on gastric cancer. The
      present study investigated the effect of beta-asarone on the proliferation and
      apoptosis of three types of differentiated human gastric cancer cell lines (SGC
      7901, BGC-823 and MKN-28) in vitro as well as the related molecular mechanisms.
      Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay, Annexin V/PI double staining,
      immunofluorescence test and transmission electron microscopy all confirmed that
      beta-asarone had an obvious dose-dependent inhibitive effect on the proliferation
      of human gastric cancer cells and induced apoptosis of the cell lines. Transwell
      invasion, wound-healing and matrix-cell adhesion experiments confirmed that beta
      asarone inhibited the invasion, migration and adhesion of human gastric cancer
      BGC-823 cells. Quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting found that beta
      asarone significantly activated caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, Bax, Bak and
      suppressed Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and survivin activity. Moreover, beta-asarone increased
      the expression of RECK, E-cadherin and decreased the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9,
      MMP-14 and N-cadherin. The present study demonstrated that beta-asarone
      effectively inhibits the proliferation of human gastric cancer cells, induces
      their apoptosis and decreased the invasive, migratory and adhesive abilities.

PMID- 26502897
TI  - "It's natural to look for a source": A qualitative examination of alternative
      beliefs about HIV and AIDS in Cape Town, South Africa.
AB  - This article highlights how African men and women in South Africa account for the
      plausibility of alternative beliefs about the origins of HIV and the existence of
      a cure. This study draws on the notion of a "street-level epistemology of trust"
      knowledge generated by individuals through their everyday observations and
      experiences-to account for individuals' trust or mistrust of official claims
      versus alternative explanations about HIV and AIDS. Focus group respondents
      describe how past experiences, combined with observations about the power of
      scientific developments and perceptions of disjunctures in information, fuel
      their uncertainty and skepticism about official claims. HIV prevention campaigns
      may be strengthened by drawing on experiential aspects of HIV and AIDS to lend
      credibility to scientific claims, while recognizing that some doubts about the
      trustworthiness of scientific evidence are a form of skeptical engagement rather
      than of outright rejection.

PMID- 26502894
TI  - A targeted next-generation sequencing assay for the molecular diagnosis of
      genetic disorders with orodental involvement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Orodental diseases include several clinically and genetically
      heterogeneous disorders that can present in isolation or as part of a genetic
      syndrome. Due to the vast number of genes implicated in these disorders,
      establishing a molecular diagnosis can be challenging. We aimed to develop a
      targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay to diagnose mutations and
      potentially identify novel genes mutated in this group of disorders. METHODS: We
      designed an NGS gene panel that targets 585 known and candidate genes in
      orodental disease. We screened a cohort of 101 unrelated patients without a
      molecular diagnosis referred to the Reference Centre for Oro-Dental
      Manifestations of Rare Diseases, Strasbourg, France, for a variety of orodental
      disorders including isolated and syndromic amelogenesis imperfecta (AI), isolated
      and syndromic selective tooth agenesis (STHAG), isolated and syndromic
      dentinogenesis imperfecta, isolated dentin dysplasia, otodental dysplasia and
      primary failure of tooth eruption. RESULTS: We discovered 21 novel pathogenic
      variants and identified the causative mutation in 39 unrelated patients in known
      genes (overall diagnostic rate: 39%). Among the largest subcohorts of patients
      with isolated AI (50 unrelated patients) and isolated STHAG (21 unrelated
      patients), we had a definitive diagnosis in 14 (27%) and 15 cases (71%),
      respectively. Surprisingly, COL17A1 mutations accounted for the majority of
      autosomal-dominant AI cases. CONCLUSIONS: We have developed a novel targeted NGS
      assay for the efficient molecular diagnosis of a wide variety of orodental
      diseases. Furthermore, our panel will contribute to better understanding the
      contribution of these genes to orodental disease. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS:
      NCT01746121 and NCT02397824.

PMID- 26502898
TI  - Synthesis of Naphthyl-, Quinolin- and Anthracenyl Analogues of Clofibric Acid as
      PPARalpha Agonists.
AB  - PPARalpha is a ligand activated transcription factor belonging to the nuclear
      receptor subfamily, involved in fatty acid metabolism in tissues with high
      oxidative rates such as muscle, heart and liver. PPARalpha activation is
      important in steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis in preclinical models of non
      alcoholic fatty liver disease identifying a new potential therapeutic area. In
      this work, three series of clofibric acid analogues conjugated with naphthyl,
      quinolin, chloroquinolin and anthracenyl scaffolds were synthesized. In an effort
      to obtain new compounds active as PPARalpha agonists, these molecules were
      evaluated for PPARalpha transactivation activity. Naphthyl and quinolin
      derivatives showed a good activation of PPARalpha; noteworthy, optically active
      naphthyl derivatives activated PPARalpha better than corresponding parent
      compound. 

PMID- 26502899
TI  - Efficacy and safety of abacavir-containing combination antiretroviral therapy as
      first-line treatment of HIV infected children and adolescents: a systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Abacavir is one of the recommended nucleoside reverse transcriptase
      inhibitors (NRTIs) for the treatment of HIV infections among children and
      adolescents. However, there are concerns that the antiviral efficacy of abacavir
      might be low when compared to other NRTIs especially among children. There are
      also concerns that abacavir use may lead to serious adverse events such as
      hypersensitivity reactions and has potential predisposition to developing
      cardiovascular diseases METHODS: We searched four electronic databases, four
      conference proceedings and two clinical trial registries in August 2014, without
      language restrictions. Experimental and observational studies with control groups
      that examined the efficacy and safety of abacavir-containing regimens in
      comparison with other NRTIs as first-line treatment for HIV-infected children and
      adolescents aged between one month and eighteen years were eligible. Two authors
      independently screened search results, extracted data and assessed the risk of
      bias of included studies using a pre-specified, standardised data extraction form
      and validated risk of bias tools. We also assessed the quality of evidence per
      outcome with the GRADE tool. RESULTS: We included two randomised controlled
      trials (RCTs) and two analytical cohort studies with a total of 10,595
      participants. Among the RCTs we detected no difference in virologic suppression
      after a mean duration of 48 weeks between abacavir- and stavudine-containing
      regimens (2 trials; n = 326: RR 1.28; 95 % CI 0.67-2.42) with significant
      heterogeneity (P = 0.02; I(2) = 81 %). We also found no significant differences
      between the two groups for adverse events and death. After five years of follow
      up, virologic suppression improved with abacavir (1 trial; n = 69: RR 1.96; 95 %
      CI 1.11-3.44). For cohort studies, we detected that the virologic suppression
      activity of abacavir was less effective than stavudine in both the
      lopinavir/ritonavir (1 study, n = 2165: RR 0.79, 95 % CI 0.67-0.92) and efavirenz
      sub-groups (1 study, n = 3204: RR 0.79, 95 % CI 0.67-0.92) respectively. The
      quality of evidence from RCTs was moderate for virologic suppression but low for
      death and adverse events, while that of cohort studies was low for all three
      these outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Available evidence showed little or no difference
      between abacavir-containing regimen and other NRTIs regarding efficacy and safety
      when given to children and adolescents as a first-line antiretroviral therapy.

PMID- 26502900
TI  - Phosphomannomutase deficiency (PMM2-CDG): ataxia and cerebellar assessment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Phosphomannomutase deficiency (PMM2-CDG) is the most frequent
      congenital disorder of glycosylation. The cerebellum is nearly always affected in
      PMM2-CDG patients, a cerebellar atrophy progression is observed, and cerebellar
      dysfunction is their main daily functional limitation. Different therapeutic
      agents are under development, and clinical evaluation of drug candidates will
      require a standardized score of cerebellar dysfunction. We aim to assess the
      validity of the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) in children
      and adolescents with genetically confirmed PMM2-CDG deficiency. We compare ICARS
      results with the Nijmegen Pediatric CDG Rating Scale (NPCRS), neuroimaging,
      intelligence quotient (IQ) and molecular data. METHODS: Our observational study
      included 13 PMM2-CDG patients and 21 control subjects. Ethical permissions and
      informed consents were obtained. Three independent child neurologists rated PMM2
      CDG patients and control subjects using the ICARS. A single clinician
      administered the NPCRS. All patients underwent brain MRI, and the relative
      diameter of the midsagittal vermis was measured. Psychometric evaluations were
      available in six patients. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare ICARS
      between patients and controls. To evaluate inter-observer agreement in patients'
      ICARS ratings, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated. ICARS
      internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. Spearman's rank
      correlation coefficient test was used to correlate ICARS with NPCRS, midsagittal
      vermis relative diameter and IQ. RESULTS: ICARS and ICARS subscores differed
      between patients and controls (p < 0.001). Interobserver agreement of ICARS was
      "almost perfect" (ICC = 0.99), with a "good" internal reliability (Cronbach's
      alpha = 0.72). ICARS was significantly correlated with the total NPCRS score (rs
      0.90, p < 0.001). However, there was no agreement regarding categories of
      severity. Regarding neuroimaging, inverse correlations between ICARS and
      midsagittal vermis relative diameter (rs -0.85, p = 0.003) and IQ (rs -0.94, p =
      0.005) were found. Patients bearing p.E93A, p.C241S or p.R162W mutations
      presented a milder phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: ICARS is a reliable instrument for
      assessment of PMM2-CDG patients, without significant inter-rater variability.
      Despite our limited sample size, the results show a good correlation between
      functional cerebellar assessment, IQ and neuroimaging. For the first a
      correlation between ICARS, neuroimaging and IQ in PMM2-CDG patients has been
      demonstrated.

PMID- 26502901
TI  - The Perchlorate Reduction Genomic Island: Mechanisms and Pathways of Evolution by
      Horizontal Gene Transfer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Perchlorate is a widely distributed anion that is toxic to humans,
      but serves as a valuable electron acceptor for several lineages of bacteria. The
      ability to utilize perchlorate is conferred by a horizontally transferred piece
      of DNA called the perchlorate reduction genomic island (PRI). METHODS: We
      compared genomes of perchlorate reducers using phylogenomics, SNP mapping, and
      differences in genomic architecture to interrogate the evolutionary history of
      perchlorate respiration. RESULTS: Here we report on the PRI of 13 genomes of
      perchlorate-reducing bacteria from four different classes of Phylum
      Proteobacteria (the Alpha-, Beta-, Gamma- and Epsilonproteobacteria). Among the
      different phylogenetic classes, the island varies considerably in genetic content
      as well as in its putative mechanism and location of integration. However, the
      islands of the densely sampled genera Azospira and Magnetospirillum have striking
      nucleotide identity despite divergent genomes, implying horizontal transfer and
      positive selection within narrow phylogenetic taxa. We also assess the
      phylogenetic origin of accessory genes in the various incarnations of the island,
      which can be traced to chromosomal paralogs from phylogenetically similar
      organisms. CONCLUSION: These observations suggest a complex phylogenetic history
      where the island is rarely transferred at the class level but undergoes frequent
      and continuous transfer within narrow phylogenetic groups. This restricted
      transfer is seen directly by the independent integration of near-identical
      islands within a genus and indirectly due to the acquisition of lineage-specific
      accessory genes. The genomic reversibility of perchlorate reduction may present a
      unique equilibrium for a metabolism that confers a competitive advantage only in
      the presence of an electron acceptor, which although widely distributed, is
      generally present at low concentrations in nature.

PMID- 26502902
TI  - Latent HIV-1 is activated by exosomes from cells infected with either replication
      competent or defective HIV-1.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Completion of HIV life cycle in CD4(+) T lymphocytes needs cell
      activation. We recently reported that treatment of resting CD4(+) T lymphocytes
      with exosomes produced by HIV-1 infected cells induces cell activation and
      susceptibility to HIV replication. Here, we present data regarding the effects of
      these exosomes on cells latently infected with HIV-1. RESULTS: HIV-1 latently
      infecting U937-derived U1 cells was activated upon challenge with exosomes
      purified from the supernatant of U937 cells chronically infected with HIV-1. This
      effect was no more detectable when exosomes from cells infected with HIV-1
      strains either nef-deleted or expressing a functionally defective Nef were used,
      indicating that Nef is the viral determinant of exosome-induced HIV-1 activation.
      Treatment with either TAPI-2, i.e., a specific inhibitor of the pro-TNFalpha
      processing ADAM17 enzyme, or anti-TNFalpha Abs abolished HIV-1 activation. Hence,
      similar to what previously demonstrated for the exosome-mediated activation of
      uninfected CD4(+) T lymphocytes, the Nef-ADAM17-TNFalpha axis is part of the
      mechanism of latent HIV-1 activation. It is noteworthy that these observations
      have been reproduced using: (1) primary CD4(+) T lymphocytes latently infected
      with HIV-1; (2) exosomes from both primary CD4(+) T lymphocytes and macrophages
      acutely infected with HIV-1; (3) co-cultures of HIV-1 acutely infected CD4(+) T
      lymphocytes and autologous lymphocytes latently infected with HIV-1, and (4)
      exosomes from cells expressing a defective HIV-1. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      strongly suggest that latent HIV-1 can be activated by TNFalpha released by cells
      upon ingestion of exosomes released by infected cells, and that this effect
      depends on the activity of exosome-associated ADAM17. These pieces of evidence
      shed new light on the mechanism of HIV reactivation in latent reservoirs, and
      might also be relevant to design new therapeutic interventions focused on HIV
      eradication.

PMID- 26502903
TI  - Interactions of Streptococcus suis serotype 2 with human meningeal cells and
      astrocytes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Streptococcus suis serotype 2 is an important porcine pathogen and
      emerging zoonotic agent responsible for meningitis, of which different sequence
      types predominate worldwide. Though bacterial meningitis is defined as an
      exacerbated inflammation of the meninges, the underlying astrocytes of the glia
      limitans superficialis may also be implicated. However, the interactions between
      this pathogen and human meningeal cells or astrocytes remain unknown.
      Furthermore, the roles of well-described virulence factors (capsular
      polysaccharide, suilysin and cell wall modifications) in these interactions have
      yet to be studied. Consequently, the interactions between S. suis serotype 2 and
      human meningeal cells or astrocytes were evaluated for the first time in order to
      better understand their involvement during meningitis in humans. RESULTS:
      Streptococcus suis serotype 2 adhered to human meningeal cells and astrocytes;
      invasion of meningeal cells was rare however, whereas invasion of astrocytes was
      generally more frequent. Regardless of the interaction or cell type, differences
      were not observed between sequence types. Though the capsular polysaccharide
      modulated the adhesion to and invasion of meningeal cells and astrocytes, the
      suilysin and cell wall modifications only influenced astrocyte invasion.
      Surprising, S. suis serotype 2 induced little or no inflammatory response from
      both cell types, but this absence of inflammatory response was probably not due
      to S. suis-induced cell death. CONCLUSIONS: Though S. suis serotype 2 interacted
      with human meningeal cells and astrocytes, there was no correlation between
      sequence type and interaction. Consequently, the adhesion to and invasion of
      human meningeal cells and astrocytes are strain-specific characteristics. As
      such, the meningeal cells of the leptomeninges and the astrocytes of the glia
      limitans superficialis may not be directly implicated in the inflammatory
      response observed during meningitis in humans.

PMID- 26502904
TI  - Revised algorithm for heparin anticoagulation during continuous renal replacement
      therapy.

PMID- 26502905
TI  - Preferential production of G-CSF by a protein-like Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1
      secretory factor through activating TLR2-dependent signaling events without
      activation of JNKs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Different species and strains of probiotic bacteria confer distinct
      immunological responses on immune cells. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 (GR-1) is a
      probiotic bacterial strain found in both the intestinal and urogenital tracts,
      and has immunomodulatory effects on several cell types including macrophages.
      However, detailed immunological responses and the signaling mechanism involved in
      the response are largely unknown. RESULTS: We examined the production of GR-1
      induced cytokines/chemokines and signaling events in macrophages. Among 84
      cytokines and chemokines examined, GR-1 discretely induced granulocyte colony
      stimulating factor (G-CSF) mRNA at highest levels (>60-fold) without inducing
      other cytokines such as IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha (<5-fold). The
      toll-like receptor (TLR) 2/6-agonist PAM2CSK4, TLR2/1-agonist PAM3CSK4 and TLR4
      agonist lipopolysaccharide induced all of these inflammatory cytokines at high
      levels (>50-fold). The TLR2 ligand lipoteichoic acid activated all mitogen
      activated kinases, Akt and NF-kappaB; whereas, GR-1 selectively activated
      extracellular regulated kinases and p38, NF-kappaB and Akt, but not c-Jun N
      terminal kinases (JNKs) in a TLR2-dependent manner. Using specific inhibitors, we
      demonstrated that lack of JNKs activation by GR-1 caused inefficient production
      of pro-inflammatory cytokines but not G-CSF production. A secreted heat-labile
      protein-like molecule, 30-100 kDa in size, induced the preferential production of
      G-CSF. CONCLUSION: This study elucidated unique signaling events triggered by GR
      1, resulting in selective production of the immunomodulatory cytokine G-CSF in
      macrophages.

PMID- 26502907
TI  - Fimbria-Encoding Gene yadC Has a Pleiotropic Effect on Several Biological
      Characteristics and Plays a Role in Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli
      Pathogenicity.
AB  - The extraintestinal pathogen termed avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is
      known to cause colibacillosis in chickens. The molecular basis of APEC
      pathogenesis is not fully elucidated yet. In this work, we deleted a component of
      the Yad gene cluster (yadC) in order to understand the role of Yad in the
      pathogenicity of the APEC strain SCI-07. In vitro, the transcription level of
      yadC was upregulated at 41 degrees C and downregulated at 22 degrees C. The yadC
      expression in vivo was more pronounced in lungs than in spleen, suggesting a role
      in the early steps of the infection. Chicks infected with the wild-type and
      mutant strains presented, respectively, 80% and 50% mortality rates. The
      DeltayadC strain presented a slightly decreased ability to adhere to HeLa cells
      with or without the d-mannose analog compared with the wild type. Real-time PCR
      (RT-PCR) assays showed that fimH was downregulated (P < 0.05) and csgA and ecpA
      were slightly upregulated in the mutant strain, showing that yadC modulates
      expression of other fimbriae. Bacterial internalization studies showed that the
      DeltayadC strain had a lower number of intracellular bacteria recovered from Hep
      2 cells and HD11 cells than the wild-type strain (P < 0.05). Motility assays in
      soft agar demonstrated that the DeltayadC strain was less motile than the wild
      type (P < 0.01). Curiously, flagellum-associated genes were not dramatically
      downregulated in the DeltayadC strain. Taken together, the results show that the
      fimbrial adhesin Yad contributes to the pathogenicity and modulates different
      biological characteristics of the APEC strain SCI-07. 

PMID- 26502906
TI  - Shiga Toxins Activate the NLRP3 Inflammasome Pathway To Promote Both Production
      of the Proinflammatory Cytokine Interleukin-1beta and Apoptotic Cell Death.
AB  - Shiga toxin (Stx)-mediated immune responses, including the production of the
      proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta
      (IL-1beta), may exacerbate vascular damage and accelerate lethality. However, the
      immune signaling pathway activated in response to Stx is not well understood.
      Here, we demonstrate that enzymatically active Stx, which leads to ribotoxic
      stress, triggers NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent caspase-1 activation and IL-1beta
      secretion in differentiated macrophage-like THP-1 (D-THP-1) cells. The treatment
      of cells with a chemical inhibitor of glycosphingolipid biosynthesis, which
      suppresses the expression of the Stx receptor globotriaosylceramide and
      subsequent endocytosis of the toxin, substantially blocked activation of the
      NLRP3 inflammasome and processing of caspase-1 and IL-1beta. Processing and
      release of both caspase-1 and IL-1beta were significantly reduced or abolished in
      Stx-intoxicated D-THP-1 cells in which the expression of NLRP3 or ASC was stably
      knocked down. Furthermore, Stx mediated the activation of caspases involved in
      apoptosis in an NLRP3- or ASC-dependent manner. In Stx-intoxicated cells, the
      NLRP3 inflammasome triggered the activation of caspase-8/3, leading to the
      initiation of apoptosis, in addition to caspase-1-dependent pyroptotic cell
      death. Taken together, these results suggest that Stxs trigger the NLRP3
      inflammasome pathway to release proinflammatory IL-1beta as well as to promote
      apoptotic cell death. 

PMID- 26502908
TI  - The LasB Elastase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Acts in Concert with Alkaline
      Protease AprA To Prevent Flagellin-Mediated Immune Recognition.
AB  - The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is capable of establishing
      severe and persistent infections in various eukaryotic hosts. It encodes a wide
      array of virulence factors and employs several strategies to evade immune
      detection. In the present study, we screened the Harvard Medical School
      transposon mutant library of P. aeruginosa PA14 for bacterial factors that
      modulate interleukin-8 responses in A549 human airway epithelial cells. We found
      that in addition to the previously identified alkaline protease AprA, the
      elastase LasB is capable of degrading exogenous flagellin under calcium-replete
      conditions and prevents flagellin-mediated immune recognition. Our results
      indicate that the production of two proteases with anti-flagellin activity
      provides a failsafe mechanism for P. aeruginosa to ensure the maintenance of
      protease-dependent immune-modulating functions. 

PMID- 26502909
TI  - Real-Time Imaging of Interactions of Neutrophils with Cryptococcus neoformans
      Demonstrates a Crucial Role of Complement C5a-C5aR Signaling.
AB  - Neutrophils have been shown to efficiently kill Cryptococcus neoformans, a
      causative agent of meningoencephalitis. Here, using live-cell imaging, we
      characterize the dynamic interactions of neutrophils with C. neoformans and the
      underlying mechanisms in real time. Neutrophils were directly seen to chase C.
      neoformans cells and then rapidly internalize them. Complement C5a-C5aR signaling
      guided neutrophils to migrate to the yeast cells, resulting in optimal
      phagocytosis and subsequent killing of the organisms. The addition of recombinant
      complement C5a enhanced neutrophil movement but did not induce chemotaxis,
      suggesting that the C5a gradient is crucial. Incubation with C. neoformans
      resulted in enhanced activation of Erk and p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP)
      kinases (MAPKs) in neutrophils. Inhibition of the p38 MAPK pathway, but not the
      Erk pathway, significantly impaired neutrophil migration and its subsequent
      killing of C. neoformans. Deficiency of CD11b or blocking of CD11b did not affect
      the migration of neutrophils toward C. neoformans but almost completely abolished
      phagocytosis and killing of the organisms by neutrophils. C5a-C5aR signaling
      induced enhanced surface expression of CD11b. Interestingly, the original surface
      expression of CD11b was essential and sufficient for neutrophils to attach to C.
      neoformans but was unable to mediate phagocytosis. In contrast, the enhanced
      surface expression of CD11b induced by C5a-C5aR signaling was essential for
      neutrophil phagocytosis and subsequent killing of yeast cells. Collectively, this
      is the first report of the dynamic interactions of neutrophils with C.
      neoformans, demonstrating a crucial role of C5a-C5aR signaling in neutrophil
      killing of C. neoformans in real time. 

PMID- 26502910
TI  - Skin-Specific Unsaturated Fatty Acids Boost the Staphylococcus aureus Innate
      Immune Response.
AB  - Antimicrobial fatty acids (AFAs) protect the human epidermis against invasion by
      pathogenic bacteria. In this study, we questioned whether human skin fatty acids
      (FAs) can be incorporated into the lipid moiety of lipoproteins and whether such
      incorporation would have an impact on innate immune stimulation in the model
      organism Staphylococcus aureus USA300 JE2. This organism synthesized only
      saturated FAs. However, when feeding USA300 with unsaturated FAs present on human
      skin (C16:1, C18:1, or C18:2), those were taken up, elongated stepwise by two
      carbon units, and finally found in the bacterial (phospho)lipid fraction. They
      were also observed in the lipid moiety of lipoproteins. When USA300 JE2 was fed
      with the unsaturated FAs, the cells and cell lysates showed an increased innate
      immune activation with various immune cells and peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells (PBMCs). Immune activation was highest with linoleic acid (C18:2). There
      are several pieces of evidence that the enhanced immune stimulating effect was
      due to the incorporation of unsaturated FAs in lipoproteins. First, the enhanced
      stimulation was dependent on Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). Second, an lgt mutant,
      unable to carry out lipidation of prolipoproteins, was unable to carry out immune
      stimulation when fed with unsaturated FAs. Third, the supplied FAs did not
      significantly affect growth, protein release, or expression of the model
      lipoprotein Lpl1. Although S. aureus is unable to synthesize unsaturated FAs, it
      incorporates long-chain unsaturated FAs into its lipoproteins, with the effect
      that the cells are better recognized by the innate immune system. This is an
      additional mechanism how our skin controls bacterial colonization and infection. 

PMID- 26502911
TI  - Staphylococcus aureus Strain USA300 Perturbs Acquisition of Lysosomal Enzymes and
      Requires Phagosomal Acidification for Survival inside Macrophages.
AB  - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes invasive, drug
      resistant skin and soft tissue infections. Reports that S. aureus bacteria
      survive inside macrophages suggest that the intramacrophage environment may be a
      niche for persistent infection; however, mechanisms by which the bacteria might
      evade macrophage phagosomal defenses are unclear. We examined the fate of the S.
      aureus-containing phagosome in THP-1 macrophages by evaluating bacterial
      intracellular survival and phagosomal acidification and maturation and by testing
      the impact of phagosomal conditions on bacterial viability. Multiple strains of
      S. aureus survived inside macrophages, and in studies using the MRSA USA300
      clone, the USA300-containing phagosome acidified rapidly and acquired the late
      endosome and lysosome protein LAMP1. However, fewer phagosomes containing live
      USA300 bacteria than those containing dead bacteria associated with the lysosomal
      hydrolases cathepsin D and beta-glucuronidase. Inhibiting lysosomal hydrolase
      activity had no impact on intracellular survival of USA300 or other S. aureus
      strains, suggesting that S. aureus perturbs acquisition of lysosomal enzymes. We
      examined the impact of acidification on S. aureus intramacrophage viability and
      found that inhibitors of phagosomal acidification significantly impaired USA300
      intracellular survival. Inhibition of macrophage phagosomal acidification
      resulted in a 30-fold reduction in USA300 expression of the staphylococcal
      virulence regulator agr but had little effect on expression of sarA, saeR, or
      sigB. Bacterial exposure to acidic pH in vitro increased agr expression.
      Together, these results suggest that S. aureus survives inside macrophages by
      perturbing normal phagolysosome formation and that USA300 may sense phagosomal
      conditions and upregulate expression of a key virulence regulator that enables
      its intracellular survival. 

PMID- 26502912
TI  - Involvement of an Skp-Like Protein, PGN_0300, in the Type IX Secretion System of
      Porphyromonas gingivalis.
AB  - The oral Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis is an
      important pathogen involved in chronic periodontitis. Among its virulence
      factors, the major extracellular proteinases, Arg-gingipain and Lys-gingipain,
      are of interest given their abilities to degrade host proteins and process other
      virulence factors. Gingipains possess C-terminal domains (CTDs) and are
      translocated to the cell surface or into the extracellular milieu by the type IX
      secretion system (T9SS). Gingipains contribute to the colonial pigmentation of
      the bacterium on blood agar. In this study, Omp17, the PGN_0300 gene product, was
      found in the outer membrane fraction. A mutant lacking Omp17 did not show
      pigmentation on blood agar and showed reduced proteolytic activity of the
      gingipains. CTD-containing proteins were released from bacterial cells without
      cleavage of the CTDs in the omp17 mutant. Although synthesis of the anionic
      polysaccharide (A-LPS) was not affected in the omp17 mutant, the processing of
      and A-LPS modification of CTD-containing proteins was defective. PorU, a C
      terminal signal peptidase that cleaves the CTDs of other CTD-containing proteins,
      was not detected in any membrane fraction of the omp17 mutant, suggesting that
      the defective maturation of CTD-containing proteins by impairment of Omp17 is
      partly due to loss of function of PorU. In the mouse subcutaneous infection
      experiment, the omp17 mutant was less virulent than the wild type. These results
      suggested that Omp17 is involved in P. gingivalis virulence. 

PMID- 26502913
TI  - Memory B Cells Encode Neutralizing Antibody Specific for Toxin B from the
      Clostridium difficile Strains VPI 10463 and NAP1/BI/027 but with Superior
      Neutralization of VPI 10463 Toxin B.
AB  - Secreted toxin B (TcdB) substantially contributes to the pathology observed
      during Clostridium difficile infection. To be successfully incorporated into a
      vaccine, TcdB-based immunogens must stimulate the production of neutralizing
      antibody (Ab)-encoding memory B cells (Bmem cells). Despite numerous
      investigations, a clear analysis of Bmem cellular responses following vaccination
      against TcdB is lacking. B6 mice were therefore used to test the ability of a
      nontoxigenic C-terminal domain (CTD) fragment of TcdB to induce Bmem cells that
      encode TcdB-neutralizing antibody. CTD was produced from the historical VPI 10463
      strain (CTD1) and from the hypervirulent strain NAP1/BI/027 (CTD2). It was then
      demonstrated that CTD1 induced strong recall IgG antibody titers, and this led to
      the development of functional Bmem cells that could be adoptively transferred to
      naive recipients. Bmem cell-driven neutralizing Ab responses conferred protection
      against lethal challenge with TcdB1. Further experiments revealed that an
      experimental adjuvant (Imject) and a clinical adjuvant (Alhydrogel) were
      compatible with Bmem cell induction. Reactivity of human Bmem cells to CTD1 was
      also evident in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), suggesting that
      CTD1 could be a good vaccine immunogen. However, CTD2 induced strong Bmem cell
      driven antibody titers, and the CTD2 antibody was neutralizing in vitro, but its
      protection against lethal challenge with TcdB2 was limited to delaying time to
      death. Therefore, CTD from different C. difficile strains may be a good immunogen
      for stimulating B cell memory that encodes in vitro neutralizing Ab but may be
      limited by variable protection against intoxication in vivo. 

PMID- 26502915
TI  - An assessment of adherence to basic ecological principles by payments for
      ecosystem service projects.
AB  - Programs and projects employing payments for ecosystem service (PES)
      interventions achieve their objectives by linking buyers and sellers of ecosystem
      services. Although PES projects are popular conservation and development
      interventions, little is known about their adherence to basic ecological
      principles. We conducted a quantitative assessment of the degree to which a
      global set of PES projects adhered to four ecological principles that are basic
      scientific considerations for any project focused on ecosystem management:
      collection of baseline data, identification of threats to an ecosystem service,
      monitoring, and attention to ecosystem dynamics or the formation of an adaptive
      management plan. We evaluated 118 PES projects in three markets-biodiversity,
      carbon, and water-compiled using websites of major conservation organizations;
      ecology, economic, and climate-change databases; and three scholarly databases
      (ISI Web of Knowledge, Web of Science, and Google Scholar). To assess adherence
      to ecological principles, we constructed two scientific indices (one additive
      [ASI] and one multiplicative [MSI]) based on our four ecological criteria and
      analyzed index scores by relevant project characteristics (e.g., sector, buyer,
      seller). Carbon-sector projects had higher ASI values (P < 0.05) than water
      sector projects and marginally higher ASI scores (P < 0.1) than biodiversity
      sector projects, demonstrating their greater adherence to ecological principles.
      Projects financed by public-private partnerships had significantly higher ASI
      values than projects financed by governments (P < 0.05) and marginally higher ASI
      values than those funded by private entities (P < 0.1). We did not detect
      differences in adherence to ecological principles based on the inclusion of
      cobenefits, the spatial extent of a project, or the size of a project's budget.
      These findings suggest, at this critical phase in the rapid growth of PES
      projects, that fundamental ecological principles should be considered more
      carefully in PES project design and implementation in an effort to ensure PES
      project viability and sustainability.

PMID- 26502917
TI  - Protonation of silylenol ether via excited state proton transfer catalysis.
AB  - We demonstrate the photocatalytic protonation of a silylenol ether using 7-bromo
      2-naphthol as an ESPT catalyst with phenol as the sacrificial proton source.
      Greater than 95% conversion is achieved with 1 mol% catalyst. The reaction cycle
      is dependent on the significantly increased acidity of the catalyst in the
      excited state as well as the long lifetime for the triplet excited state of 7
      bromo-2-naphthol. The reaction does not occur in the absence of light (367 nm)
      and can readily be controlled by light intensity modulation. We also demonstrate
      that a 72% reaction yield can be obtained with unsubstituted naphthol as the
      catalyst by coupling triplet energy transfer, via a visible light absorbing (445
      nm) sensitizer, into the catalytic cycle. These results open the door to an
      entirely new class of sensitized photocatalytic reactions that harness the
      excited state acidity of ESPT dyes. 

PMID- 26502914
TI  - Parabens and Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Ligand Cross-Talk in Breast
      Cancer Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Xenoestrogens are synthetic compounds that mimic endogenous estrogens
      by binding to and activating estrogen receptors. Exposure to estrogens and to
      some xenoestrogens has been associated with cell proliferation and an increased
      risk of breast cancer. Despite evidence of estrogenicity, parabens are among the
      most widely used xenoestrogens in cosmetics and personal-care products and are
      generally considered safe. However, previous cell-based studies with parabens do
      not take into account the signaling cross-talk between estrogen receptor alpha
      (ERalpha) and the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family.
      OBJECTIVES: We investigated the hypothesis that the potency of parabens can be
      increased with HER ligands, such as heregulin (HRG). METHODS: The effects of HER
      ligands on paraben activation of c-Myc expression and cell proliferation were
      determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blots, flow cytometry,
      and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays in ERalpha- and HER2-positive human BT
      474 breast cancer cells. RESULTS: Butylparaben (BP) and HRG produced a
      synergistic increase in c-Myc mRNA and protein levels in BT-474 cells. Estrogen
      receptor antagonists blocked the synergistic increase in c-Myc protein levels.
      The combination of BP and HRG also stimulated proliferation of BT-474 cells
      compared with the effects of BP alone. HRG decreased the dose required for BP
      mediated stimulation of c-Myc mRNA expression and cell proliferation. HRG caused
      the phosphorylation of serine 167 in ERalpha. BP and HRG produced a synergistic
      increase in ERalpha recruitment to the c-Myc gene. CONCLUSION: Our results show
      that HER ligands enhanced the potency of BP to stimulate oncogene expression and
      breast cancer cell proliferation in vitro via ERalpha, suggesting that parabens
      might be active at exposure levels not previously considered toxicologically
      relevant from studies testing their effects in isolation. CITATION: Pan S, Yuan
      C, Tagmount A, Rudel RA, Ackerman JM, Yaswen P, Vulpe CD, Leitman DC. 2016.
      Parabens and human epidermal growth factor receptor ligand cross-talk in breast
      cancer cells. Environ Health Perspect 124:563-569;
      http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409200.

PMID- 26502916
TI  - Physicians' communication styles as correlates of elderly cancer patients'
      satisfaction with their doctors.
AB  - Physician-patient communication style is of utmost importance to patients with
      life-threatening diseases. This study identifies the most desired physician
      communication style by older cancer patients; and examines which of the studied
      communication styles significantly explains cancer patients' satisfaction with
      family physicians. A total of 200 older cancer patients, with average age of 75
      years, participated in the study, yielding a response rate of 42%. Prospective
      respondents were randomly selected from the list of cancer patients in the
      central geographical district of Israel's second largest Health Maintenance
      Organization fund. Respondents rated their satisfaction with physicians as
      relatively high. All three communication styles studied were found to be
      associated with patient's satisfaction. Associations were found between self
      rated health, time since the diagnosis of cancer and satisfaction. Women were
      less satisfied than men with their physicians. Two variables emerged as
      significant predictors of satisfaction: the physician's caring communication
      style and patient's gender. Intervention programmes should focus on elevating
      physicians' awareness of the importance of their communication with cancer
      patients in general, and of the caring communication style in particular.

PMID- 26502918
TI  - CD1c(+) myeloid dendritic cells in myeloid neoplasia.
AB  - We determined the normal level and phenotype of CD1c(+) myeloid dendritic cells
      (MDCs) in blood and bone marrow and evaluated the level of CD1c(+) MDCs in 295
      myeloid neoplasms. CD1c(+) MDCs were increased above the mean level of non
      neoplastic hospital controls in 18.0% (53/295) of myeloid malignancies, increased
      three standard deviations above the control mean in 14.2% (42/295) with a 10-fold
      or more increase compared to mean in 6.8% (20/295). Increased CD1c(+) MDCs were
      associated with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) (12/24, 50%) and acute
      myeloid leukemia (AML) (31/140, 22%) with a strong association with AML with the
      inv(16) cytogenetic abnormality. The cells were not increased in chronic
      myelogenous leukemia (CML) and rarely increased in non-CML myeloproliferative
      neoplasms (MPN) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Immunohistochemical staining
      of cases with increased CD1c(+) MDCs did not reveal clustering of the cells
      unlike that observed with myeloid neoplasms associated with increased
      plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Our findings indicate CD1c(+) MDC elevations are
      not uncommon in myeloid leukemias and are associated with CMML and AML,
      particularly AML with inv(16). (c) 2015 International Clinical Cytometry Society.

PMID- 26502919
TI  - Elevated expression of HSP90 and the antitumor effect of an HSP90 inhibitor via
      inactivation of the Akt/mTOR pathway in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is a heterogeneous tumor
      group, and little is known about molecular target therapy for UPS. Heat shock
      protein 90 (HSP90) is an expressed chaperone that refolds certain denatured
      proteins under stress conditions. One of these proteins is Akt. The disruption of
      Akt signaling plays an important role in tumor progression. The present study's
      purpose was to analyze the HSP90 expression, Akt/mTOR pathway activation and the
      correlation between HSP90 expression and its pathway activation in UPS. METHODS:
      The status of HSP90 and the profiles of the Akt/ mTOR pathway were assessed by
      immunohistochemistry in 79 samples of UPS, and these data were compared with
      clinicopathological and histopathological findings. The expressions of indicated
      proteins were assessed by Western blotting in five frozen samples. After treating
      UPS cells with the HSP90 inhibitor, we assessed the antitumor effect of the
      inhibitor. RESULTS: Immunohistochemically, phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt), p-mTOR, p
      S6RP and p-4EBP were positive in 57.3, 51.9, 54.5 and 57.1% of the UPS samples,
      respectively. The expressions of those phosphorylated proteins were correlated
      with each other. HSP90 expression was elevated in 56.4% of the samples and was
      correlated with p-Akt, p-mTOR and p-S6RP. The immunohistochemical results were
      confirmed by Western blotting. The HSP90 inhibitor led to decreased viability and
      invasiveness of the cells and inactivated the AKT/mTOR pathway in vitro.
      CONCLUSION: Elevated expression of HSP90 is a poor-prognosis factor and is
      involved in the activation of the Akt/mTOR pathway in UPS. HSP90 inhibition is a
      potential treatment option for UPS.

PMID- 26502921
TI  - On the pedagogy of pharmacological communication: a study of final semester
      health science students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a need to improve design in educational programmes for the
      health sciences in general and in pharmacology specifically. The objective of
      this study was to investigate and problematize pharmacological communication in
      educational programmes for the health sciences. METHODS: An interview study was
      carried out where final semester students from programmes for the medical,
      nursing and specialist nursing in primary health care professions were asked to
      discuss the pharmacological aspects of two written case descriptions of the kind
      they would meet in their everyday work. The study focused on the communication
      they envisaged taking place on the concerns the patients were voicing, in terms
      of two features: how communication would take place and what would be the content
      of the communication. A phenomenographic research approach was used. RESULTS: The
      results are presented as outcome spaces, sets of categories that describe the
      variation of ways in which the students voiced their understanding of
      communication in the two case descriptions and showed the qualitatively distinct
      ways in which the features of communication were experienced. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results offer a base of understanding the students' perspectives on communication
      that they will take with them into their professional lives. We indicate that
      there is room for strengthening communication skills in the field of
      pharmacology, integrating them into programmes of education, by more widely
      implementing a problem-based, a case-oriented or role-playing pedagogy where
      final year students work across specialisations and there is a deliberate effort
      to evoke and assess advanced conceptions and skills.

PMID- 26502920
TI  - Use of different transmission metrics to describe malaria epidemiology in the
      highlands of western Kenya.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Monitoring and evaluation of malaria programmes may require a
      combination of approaches to detect any effects of control. This is particularly
      true at lower transmission levels where detecting both infection and exposure to
      infection will provide additional evidence of any change. This paper describes
      use of three transmission metrics to explore the malaria epidemiology in the
      highlands of western Kenya. METHODS: A malariometric survey was conducted in June
      2009 in two highland districts, Kisii and Rachuonyo South, Nyanza Province, Kenya
      using a cluster design. Enumeration areas were used to sample 46 clusters from
      which 12 compounds were randomly sampled. Individuals provided a finger-blood
      sample to assess malaria infection (rapid diagnostic test, PCR) and exposure
      (anti-Plasmodium falciparum MSP-1 antibodies) and a questionnaire was
      administered to record household factors and assess use of vector control
      interventions. RESULTS: Malaria prevalence infection rates were 3.0 % (95 % CI
      2.2-4.2 %) by rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and 8.5 % (95 % CI 7.0-10.4 %) by PCR
      and these ranged from 0-13.1 to 0-14.8 % between clusters for RDT and PCR,
      respectively. Seroprevalence was 36.8 % (95 % CI 33.9-39.8) ranging from 18.6 to
      65.8 %. Both RDT and PCR prevalences were highest in children aged 5-10 years but
      the proportion of infections that were sub-patent was highest in those between 15
      and 20 years of age (78.1 %, 95 % CI 63.0-93.3 %) and those greater than 20 years
      (73.3 %, 95 % CI 64.5-81.9 %). Those reporting both indoor residual spraying
      (IRS) in their home and use of bed nets had lower exposure to malaria compared to
      those who reported using IRS or bed nets alone. CONCLUSIONS: In this highland
      site in western Kenya malaria transmission was low, but highly heterogeneous. To
      accurately characterize the true extent of malaria transmission, more sensitive
      and complementary metrics such as PCR or serology are required in addition to the
      standard microscopy and/or RDTs that are routinely used. This is likely to be the
      case in other low endemicity settings.

PMID- 26502922
TI  - Histone deacetylase (HDAC)-1, -2, -4 and -6 expression in human pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma: associations with clinicopathological parameters, tumor
      proliferative capacity and patients' survival.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Histone deacetylases (HDACs) have been associated with malignant
      tumor development and progression in humans. HDAC inhibitors (HDACIs) are
      currently being explored as anti-cancer agents in clinical trials. The present
      study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of HDAC-1, -2, -4 and -6
      protein expression in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. METHODS: HDAC-1, -2, -4 and -6
      protein expression was assessed immunohistochemically on 70 pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma tissue specimens and was statistically analyzed with
      clinicopathological characteristics and patients' survival. RESULTS: Enhanced
      HDAC-1 expression was significantly associated with increased tumor proliferative
      capacity (p = 0.0238) and borderline with the absence of lymph node metastases (p
      = 0.0632). Elevated HDAC-4 expression was significantly associated with the
      absence of organ metastases (p = 0.0453) and borderline with the absence of lymph
      node metastases (p = 0.0571) and tumor proliferative capacity (p = 0.0576).
      Enhanced HDAC-6 expression was significantly associated with earlier
      histopathological stage (p = 0.0115) and borderline with smaller tumor size (p =
      0.0864). Pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients with enhanced HDAC-1 and -6
      expression showed significantly longer survival times compared to those with low
      expression (p = 0.0022 and p = 0.0113, respectively), while a borderline
      association concerning HDAC-2 expression was noted (p = 0.0634). CONCLUSIONS: The
      present study suggested that HDACs may be implicated in pancreatic malignant
      disease progression, being considered of clinical utility with potential use as
      therapeutic targets.

PMID- 26502923
TI  - Clinicopathological Variation of Lauren Classification in Gastric Cancer.
AB  - The investigation of prognostic factor for gastric cancer is still desirable
      because of dismal prognosis in gastric cancer. Lauren's classification is
      currently a useful histological classification. There are few large series
      evaluating the prognostic significance of Lauren's classification in gastric
      cancer. From January 1987 to December 2013, a total of 3071 patients received
      gastrectomy for gastric cancer. According Lauren's classification, 1423(46.3%)
      patients were intestinal type, 1000 patients (32.6%) were diffuse type, and 648
      patients (21.1%) were mixed type. The clinicopathological characteristics and
      prognosis in Lauren's classification were analyzed in these patients. Our results
      showed that patients with intestinal type gastric cancer (57.7%) had a better 5
      year overall survival than diffuse type (45.6%) and mixed type (43.4%, P <
      0.001). The clinicopathological characteristics showed that gastric cancer
      patients with intestinal type were older (P < 0.001), male predominant (P <
      0.001), smaller tumor size (P < 0.001), distal stomach predominant (P < 0.001),
      relative well differentiated (P < 0.001), less advanced Borrmann type (P <
      0.001), less scirrhous type stromal reaction(P < 0.001), less infiltrating type
      of Ming's histology type(P < 0.001), less tumor invasion depth and less
      lymphovascular invasion (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis with overall survival
      as an endpoint showed that age (P = 0.005), Borrmann classification (P < 0.001),
      pathological T category (P = 0.023), pathological N category (P < 0.001) and
      Lauren's classification (P = 0.003) were significant correlated in gastric
      cancer. Lauren's classification is an independent prognostic factor in gastric
      cancer patient undergoing gastrectomy. Lauren's classification can serve as a
      prognostic marker for gastric cancer patient receiving gastrectomy. The
      clinicopathological appearance and prognosis of mixed type gastric cancer is
      similar to diffuse type gastric cancer.

PMID- 26502924
TI  - Intragenic duplication in the PKHD1 gene in autosomal recessive polycystic kidney
      disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the present study, we report on a couple who underwent prenatal
      genetic diagnosis for autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD). CASE
      PRESENTATION: This healthy couple had previously had a healthy boy but had
      experienced two consecutive neonatal deaths due to respiratory distress resulting
      from pulmonary hypoplasia caused by oligohydramnios. The woman consulted our
      facility after she realized she was pregnant again. We promptly performed a
      carrier test for the PKHD1 gene by target exome sequencing of samples from the
      couple. A pathogenic mutation was identified only in the paternal allele
      (c.9008C>T, p.S3003F). The mutation was confirmed by Sanger sequencing of the DNA
      from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, kidney tissue of the second neonate
      patient and was not found in the healthy sibling. We then performed haplotype
      analyses using microsatellite markers scattered throughout the PKHD1 gene. DNA
      from the amniocentesis was determined to belong to a carrier, and the couple
      decided to continue with the pregnancy, obtaining a healthy newborn. Subsequent
      detailed examination of the exome data suggested higher read depth at exons 45
      and 46. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification allowed identification
      of duplication of these two exons. This case suggests the potential usefulness of
      target exome sequencing in the prenatal diagnosis of the PKHD1 gene in ARPKD.
      CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of intragenic duplication in the PKHD1 gene
      in ARPKD.

PMID- 26502925
TI  - Combination of rosuvastatin and probucol inhibits MMP-9 expression via
      upregulation of miR-497 in cultured HUVECs and apoE knockout mice.
AB  - This study deciphered the molecular mechanisms of the inhibition of MMP-9
      expression using rosuvastatin in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells
      (HUVECs) and apoE knockout mice and whether the combination of rosuvastatin and
      probucol enhanced this effect. The role that microRNA (miR)-497 plays in the
      regulation of MMP-9 expression was evaluated in cultured HUVECs and apoE knockout
      mice using quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
      and Western blotting. First, TNFalpha significantly increased mitogen-activated
      protein kinases/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) signaling and
      MMP-9 levels, and the transfection of miR-497 prevented this increase. The
      converse results were obtained after miR-497 suppression. Second, the
      administration of rosuvastatin or the combination of two drugs decreased MAPK/ERK
      signaling and MMP-9 levels, and the suppression of miR-497 upregulated these
      levels. Third, the administration of rosuvastatin or the combination of two drugs
      increased miR-497 expression levels in the aortas of apoE knockout mice, but the
      levels of serum lipids and plaque areas decreased, which improved plaque
      components and decreased the MAPK/ERK signaling and MMP-9 levels. Finally, the
      combination of the two drugs was more effective than the use of rosuvastatin
      alone. Rosuvastatin inhibits MMP-9 expression by upregulating miR-497 in HUVECs
      and apoE knockout mice, and the combination of rosuvastatin and probucol enhances
      this effect. 

PMID- 26502926
TI  - Thymidylate synthase expression as a predictive biomarker of pemetrexed
      sensitivity in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although it has been suggested that a high level of thymidylate
      synthase (TYMS) gene expression in malignant tumors is related to reduced
      sensitivity to the antifolate drug pemetrexed, no direct evidence for such an
      association has been demonstrated in routine clinical samples from patients
      treated with the drug. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively assess the
      impact of TYMS gene expression in tumor cells as a predictor of the efficacy of
      pemetrexed therapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      treated at our institution. METHODS: Sixty-two NSCLC patients were included in
      this study: 16 patients received platins-pemetrexed as first-line NSCLC, and 46
      pemetrexed in monotherapy as second- or subsequent-line treatment. Total mRNA was
      isolated and the expression of TYMS was analyzed by RT-qPCR. TYMS levels were
      calibrated against expression in normal lung tissue. RESULTS: TYMS overexpression
      was detected in 61 % of patients and low expression in 39 %. The response rate
      for patients with low TYMS expression was 0.29 compared with 0.03 in patients
      with overexpression (P = 0.025). A significant benefit was observed in patients
      with low expression both in time to progression (average TTP = 56 vs. 23 months,
      P = 0.001) and in overall survival (average OS = 60 vs. 25 months, P = 0.002).
      CONCLUSIONS: TYMS overexpression in tumor cells correlated with a reduced
      response to pemetrexed-containing chemotherapy and might be used as a predictive
      biomarker in advanced NSCLC patients.

PMID- 26502927
TI  - Maternal medical conditions during pregnancy and gross motor development up to
      age 24 months in the Upstate KIDS study.
AB  - AIM: We examined whether children of mothers with a medical condition diagnosed
      before or during pregnancy took longer to achieve gross motor milestones up to
      age 24 months. METHOD: We obtained information on medical conditions using self
      reports, birth certificates, and hospital records in 4909 mothers participating
      in Upstate KIDS, a population-based birth cohort. Mothers reported on their
      children's motor milestone achievement at 4, 8, 12, 18, and 24 months of age.
      RESULTS: After adjustment for covariates (including pre-pregnancy body mass
      index), children of mothers with gestational diabetes took longer to achieve
      sitting without support (hazard ratio [HR]=0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI]
      0.75-0.93), walking with assistance (HR=0.88, 95% CI 0.77-0.98), and walking
      alone (HR=0.88, 95% CI 0.77-0.99) than children of females with no gestational
      diabetes. Similar findings emerged for maternal diabetes. Gestational
      hypertension was associated with a longer time to achieve walking with
      assistance. These associations did not change after adjustment for gestational
      age or birthweight. Severe hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were related to a
      longer time to achieve milestones, but not after adjustment for perinatal
      factors. INTERPRETATION: Children exposed to maternal diabetes, gestational or
      pre-gestational, may take longer to achieve motor milestones than non-exposed
      children, independent of maternal obesity.

PMID- 26502929
TI  - School Nurses' Experiences in Dealing With Bullying Situations Among Students.
AB  - School nurses have an important role in helping students to deal with bullying.
      However, most of the previously undertaken studies do not have nurses as the
      subjects, considering their experiences around this theme. This study used a
      qualitative approach through in-depth interviews with 12 school nurses (SNs). The
      thematic analysis was employed and supported by NVivo 10 software. Five main
      themes arose from the analysis: (1) understanding about bullying, (2) how they
      identified bullying, (3) strategies, (4) support at the workplace, and (5) SNs'
      role. SNs have a reasonable knowledge about this issue and are capable of helping
      students through dialogue. However, there is a need to be trained and have more
      time to be able to give proper help to the students, also using other different
      strategies. SNs must work more actively on this issue with schools and be
      supported in terms of staff numbers. 

PMID- 26502928
TI  - Does the Size of the Effect of Adverse Events at High Ages on Daily-Life Physical
      Functioning Depend on the Economic Conditions Around Birth?
AB  - This paper considers determinants of physical functional limitations in daily
      life activities at high ages. Specifically, we quantify the extent to which the
      impact of adverse life events on this outcome is larger in case of exposure to
      adverse economic conditions early in life. Adverse life events include
      bereavement, severe illness in the family, and the onset of chronic diseases. We
      use a longitudinal data set of individuals born in the first decades of the 20th
      century. The business cycle around birth is used as an indicator of economic
      conditions early in life. We find that the extent to which functional limitations
      suffer from the onset of chronic diseases is larger if the individual was born in
      a recession. The long-run effect of economic conditions early in life on
      functional limitations at high ages runs primarily via this life event. Copyright
      (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26502930
TI  - Effect of rutin on spinal cord injury through inhibition of the expression of MIP
      2 and activation of MMP-9,  and downregulation of Akt phosphorylation.
AB  - Rutin has extensive pharmacological activities, including antibacterial and anti
      inflammatory activities, cooling of the blood to inhibit bleeding, reducing
      capillary wall fragility and anti-influenza activities. However, whether rutin
      can ameliorate neuropathic function in spinal cord injury (SCI) in constriction
      induced peripheral nerve injury remains to be elucidated. In the present study,
      the potential protective effects of rutin on SCI rats were investigated.
      Neurological function was examined using the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB)
      scoring system and by measuring the water content of the spinal cord tissue in
      SCI rats. SCI-induced programmed cell death was measured using hematoxylin and
      eosin staining. In addition, the expression of macrophage inflammatory protein-2
      (MIP-2) and the activation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in the SCI rats
      were evaluated using ELISA assay kits and zymographic analysis, respectively. The
      phosphorylation of protein kinase B (p-Akt) was analyzed using a western blot
      assay. The results demonstrated that administrating rutin began to increase BBB
      scores and attenuate the spinal cord water content of the SCI rats.
      Administrating rutin prevented SCI-induced programmed cell death. The SCI rats of
      in the rutin-treated group were found to exhibit lower expression levels of MIP-2
      and p-Akt, reduced MMP-9 activation, compared with the SCI model rats. In
      conclusion, rutin was demonstrated as a potential protective agent in SCI and
      enhances the neurotrophic effect by inhibiting the expression of MIP-2 and
      activation of MMP-9, and downregulating the expression of p-Akt.

PMID- 26502931
TI  - Epidemiology of acute respiratory infections in children - preliminary results of
      a cohort in a rural north Indian community.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite acute respiratory infections being a major cause of death
      among children in developing countries including India, there is a lack of
      community-based studies that document its burden and aetiology. METHODS: A
      dynamic cohort of children aged 0-10 years was established in four villages in a
      north Indian state of Haryana from August 2012 onwards. Trained health workers
      conducted weekly home visits to screen children for acute respiratory infection
      (ARI) defined as one of the following: cough, sore throat, nasal congestion,
      earache/discharge, or breathing difficulty. Nurses clinically assessed these
      children to grade disease severity based on standard age-specific guidelines into
      acute upper or lower respiratory infection (AURI or ALRI) and collected
      nasal/throat swabs for pathogen testing. RESULTS: Our first year results show
      that ARI incidence in 0-10 years of age was 5.9 (5.8-6.0) per child-year with
      minimal gender difference, the ALRI incidence in the under-five age group was
      higher among boys (0.43; 0.39-0.49) as compared to girls (0.31; 0.26-0.35) per
      child year. Boys had 2.4 times higher ARI-related hospitalization rate as
      compared to girls. CONCLUSION: ARI impose a significant burden on the children of
      this cohort. This study platform aims to provide better evidence for prevention
      and control of pneumonia in developing countries.

PMID- 26502932
TI  - A newly discovered Bordetella species carries a transcriptionally active CRISPR
      Cas with a small Cas9 endonuclease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)
      and CRISPR-associated genes (cas) are widely distributed among bacteria. These
      systems provide adaptive immunity against mobile genetic elements specified by
      the spacer sequences stored within the CRISPR. METHODS: The CRISPR-Cas system has
      been identified using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) against other
      sequenced and annotated genomes and confirmed via CRISPRfinder program. Using
      Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR) and Sanger DNA sequencing, we discovered CRISPRs
      in additional bacterial isolates of the same species of Bordetella.
      Transcriptional activity and processing of the CRISPR have been assessed via RT
      PCR. RESULTS: Here we describe a novel Type II-C CRISPR and its associated genes
      cas1, cas2, and cas9-in several isolates of a newly discovered Bordetella
      species. The CRISPR-cas locus, which is absent in all other Bordetella species,
      has a significantly lower GC-content than the genome-wide average, suggesting
      acquisition of this locus via horizontal gene transfer from a currently unknown
      source. The CRISPR array is transcribed and processed into mature CRISPR RNAs
      (crRNA), some of which have homology to prophages found in closely related
      species B. hinzii. CONCLUSIONS: Expression of the CRISPR-Cas system and
      processing of crRNAs with perfect homology to prophages present in closely
      related species, but absent in that containing this CRISPR-Cas system, suggest it
      provides protection against phage predation. The 3,117-bp cas9 endonuclease gene
      from this novel CRISPR-Cas system is 990 bp smaller than that of Streptococcus
      pyogenes, the 4,017-bp allele currently used for genome editing, and which may
      make it a useful tool in various CRISPR-Cas technologies.

PMID- 26502933
TI  - Partial weight support of the arm affects corticomotor selectivity of biceps
      brachii.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Weight support of the arm (WS) can be used in stroke rehabilitation
      to facilitate upper limb therapy, but the neurophysiological effects of this
      technique are not well understood. While an overall reduction in muscle activity
      is expected, the mechanism by which WS may alter the expression of muscle
      synergies has not been examined until now. We explored the neurophysiological
      effect of WS on the selectivity of biceps brachii (BB) activation in healthy
      adults. METHODS: Thirteen participants completed counterbalanced movement tasks
      in a repeated measures design. Three levels of WS (0, 45, and 90 % of full
      support) were provided to the arm using a commercial device (Saebo Mobile Arm
      Support). At each level of WS, participants maintained a flexed shoulder posture
      while performing rhythmic isometric elbow flexion (BB agonist) or forearm
      pronation (BB antagonist). Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation of
      primary motor cortex was used to elicit motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in BB 100
      300 ms before muscle contraction. Baseline muscle activity and MEP amplitude were
      the primary dependent measures. Effects of movement TASK and SUPPORT LEVEL were
      statistically analyzed using linear mixed effects models. RESULTS: As expected,
      with increased support tonic activity was reduced across all muscles. This effect
      was greatest in the anti-gravity muscle anterior deltoid, and evident in biceps
      brachii and pronator teres as well. For BB MEP amplitude, TASK and SUPPORT LEVEL,
      interacted such that for elbow flexion, MEP amplitudes were smaller with
      incrementally greater WS whereas, for forearm pronation MEP amplitudes were
      smaller only at high WS. CONCLUSIONS: Weight support of the arm influences
      corticomotor selectivity of biceps brachii. WS may impact coordination
      independently of a global reduction in muscle activity. The amount of supportive
      force applied to the arm influences the neuromechanical control profile for the
      limb. These findings may inform the application of WS in upper limb stroke
      rehabilitation.

PMID- 26502934
TI  - Ultrafast Photoluminescence from the Core and the Shell in CdSe/CdS Dot-in-Rod
      Heterostructures.
AB  - With an ultrafast time-resolved photoluminescence system utilizing a Kerr gate,
      the time-resolved photoluminescence of core and shell constituents within
      CdSe/CdS dot-in-rod heterostructures is studied as a function of heterostructure
      size. Measurements performed at low excitation fluence generating, on average,
      less than one exciton per nanorod, reveal photoluminescence from direct
      recombination of carriers in the CdS heterostructure rod with lifetime generally
      increasing from 0.4 ps to 1.3 ps as the rod length increases. Decay of the CdS
      rod photoluminescence is accompanied by an increase in emission from the CdSe
      core on comparable time scales, also trending towards larger values as the rod
      length increases. The observed kinetics can be explained without invoking a non
      radiative trapping mechanism. We also present alloying as a mechanism for
      enhancing electron confinement and reducing fluorescence lifetime at nanosecond
      time scales. 

PMID- 26502935
TI  - Highly divergent ancient gene families in metagenomic samples are compatible with
      additional divisions of life.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microbial genetic diversity is often investigated via the comparison
      of relatively similar 16S molecules through multiple alignments between reference
      sequences and novel environmental samples using phylogenetic trees, direct BLAST
      matches, or phylotypes counts. However, are we missing novel lineages in the
      microbial dark universe by relying on standard phylogenetic and BLAST methods? If
      so, how can we probe that universe using alternative approaches? We performed a
      novel type of multi-marker analysis of genetic diversity exploiting the topology
      of inclusive sequence similarity networks. RESULTS: Our protocol identified 86
      ancient gene families, well distributed and rarely transferred across the 3
      domains of life, and retrieved their environmental homologs among 10 million
      predicted ORFs from human gut samples and other metagenomic projects. Numerous
      highly divergent environmental homologs were observed in gut samples, although
      the most divergent genes were over-represented in non-gut environments. In our
      networks, most divergent environmental genes grouped exclusively with uncultured
      relatives, in maximal cliques. Sequences within these groups were under strong
      purifying selection and presented a range of genetic variation comparable to that
      of a prokaryotic domain. CONCLUSIONS: Many genes families included environmental
      homologs that were highly divergent from cultured homologs: in 79 gene families
      (including 18 ribosomal proteins), Bacteria and Archaea were less divergent than
      some groups of environmental sequences were to any cultured or viral homologs.
      Moreover, some groups of environmental homologs branched very deeply in
      phylogenetic trees of life, when they were not too divergent to be aligned. These
      results underline how limited our understanding of the most diverse elements of
      the microbial world remains, and encourage a deeper exploration of natural
      communities and their genetic resources, hinting at the possibility that still
      unknown yet major divisions of life have yet to be discovered.

PMID- 26502936
TI  - Fronto-cerebellar dysfunction and dysconnectivity underlying cognition in
      friedreich ataxia: The IMAGE-FRDA study.
AB  - Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder defined by
      pathology within the cerebellum and spinal tracts. Although FRDA is most readily
      linked to motor and sensory dysfunctions, reported impairments in working memory
      and executive functions indicate that abnormalities may also extend to
      associations regions of the cerebral cortex and/or cerebello-cerebral
      interactions. To test this hypothesis, 29 individuals with genetically confirmed
      FRDA and 34 healthy controls performed a verbal n-back working memory task while
      undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. No significant group
      differences were evident in task performance. However, individuals with FRDA had
      deficits in brain activations both in the lateral cerebellar hemispheres,
      principally encompassing lobule VI, and the prefrontal cortex, including regions
      of the anterior insular and rostrolateral prefrontal cortices. Functional
      connectivity between these brain regions was also impaired, supporting a putative
      link between primary cerebellar dysfunction and subsequent cerebral
      abnormalities. Disease severity and genetic markers of disease liability were
      correlated specifically with cerebellar dysfunction, while correlations between
      behavioural performance and both cerebral activations and cerebello-cerebral
      connectivity were observed in controls, but not in the FRDA cohort. Taken
      together, these findings support a diaschisis model of brain dysfunction, whereby
      primary disease effects in the cerebellum result in functional changes in
      downstream fronto-cerebellar networks. These fronto-cerebellar disturbances
      provide a putative biological basis for the nonmotor symptoms observed in FRDA,
      and reflect the consequence of localized cerebellar pathology to distributed
      brain function underlying higher-order cognition.

PMID- 26502938
TI  - Neuroregenerative Effect of Oxandrolone: A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anabolic steroids have the clinical effect of increasing protein
      synthesis in muscle and other tissues. The brain and spinal cord neurons have
      gonadal steroid receptors and various studies have shown at structural and
      molecular levels that androgenic steroids have a significant trophic effect on
      the brain and spinal cord. CASE REPORT: We evaluated the effect of Oxandrolone
      (an FDA-approved anabolic steroid) at the dose of 20 mg/day for 3 months added to
      concomitant exercise strength training 3 times a week in a patient affected by a
      demyelinating disease, Charcot-Marie-Toot 1 (CMT1). After the treatment, an
      increase in muscular strength and walking capacity was observed. Muscle biopsy
      revealed a significant increase of type grouping of muscle fibers, an expression
      of regeneration and reinnervation processes. CONCLUSIONS: Data ensuing from this
      single case-report suggest that anabolic androgenic steroids have a potential
      neuroregenerative effect, with an inherent improvement in neuromuscular
      efficiency through an increased myelin synthesis at peripheral nervous system
      site.

PMID- 26502939
TI  - Rivaroxaban in secondary cardiogenic stroke prevention: two-year single-centre
      experience based on follow-up of 209 patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The main goal of treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation is to
      counteract the effects of embolisation, considering the relatively high risk of
      cerebral embolic events. AIM: An assessment of the efficacy and safety of
      rivaroxaban in secondary stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial
      fibrillation (NVAF). METHODS: The study concerned 209 NVAF patients (male/female:
      117/92; mean age 65.3 years [41-85]), who used rivaroxaban as secondary
      prevention of cardiogenic stroke. The patients were followed up for 24 months:
      the control visits were performed 12 and 24 months after the onset of the
      inclusion. The following aspects were analysed: the occurrence of recurrent
      stroke and/or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) during rivaroxaban treatment,
      bleeding episodes with their placement and severity assessment, drug tolerance,
      and evaluation of the patient's medical records including laboratory tests (e.g.
      creatinine clearance) and concomitant therapy. All patients underwent physical
      examination as well as neurological assessment. RESULTS: The mean CHA2DS2-VASc in
      the study group was 4.16, and the mean HAS-BLED value was 3.31. During the follow
      up 13 deaths were noted (6.22%), ischaemic stroke was diagnosed in five (2.39%)
      subjects, and TIA in three (1.43%) patients. Bleeding complications were reported
      in 25 (11.96%) patients, two of which were classified as major bleedings (0.95%):
      an intracranial bleeding (1) and a bleeding from the genital tract (1).
      CONCLUSIONS: For patients with NVAF and cerebrovascular events, the use of
      rivaroxaban in a real-world clinical setting results in a highly efficacious
      treatment profile and acceptable safety.

PMID- 26502940
TI  - Outcomes of biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting PROLIM stent in patients with
      coronary artery disease. Results of 12-month follow-up of prospective registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data from clinical trials suggested that biodegradable-polymer-based
      drug-eluting stents (DES) might improve long-term clinical outcomes. PROLIM
      (Balton, Warsaw, Poland) DES is based on a stainless steel platform with a closed
      cell design releasing sirolimus from biodegradable copolymer (lactic and glycolic
      acid) in eight weeks. AIM: In the present study the safety and the efficacy of a
      PROLIM stent was assessed in patients with de novo coronary lesions in 12-month
      clinical follow-up. METHODS: It was a single-centre, observational, prospective
      registry to assess the safety and efficacy of a PROLIM stent implantation in all
      consecutive patients with de novo coronary artery lesions treated with
      percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The primary study endpoint was a
      composite safety (cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction), and the second
      study endpoint was the efficacy of PROLIM implantation-clinically driven target
      vessel revascularisation (TVR) assessed at 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: One
      hundred patients were enrolled into the study and 118 PROLIM stents were
      implanted. Thirty-two (32%) patients had diabetes, 46 (46%) patients were prior
      PCI, and 17 (17%) patients had coronary artery bypass grafting. 67% of stented
      lesions were complex ones (B2/C) and 17% were bifurcations. During the 12-month
      follow-up primary study endpoints occurred in five (5%) patients. Two (2%)
      cardiac deaths were reported and three (3%) TVRs were performed, of which one was
      related to in-PROLIM stent restenosis. CONCLUSIONS: PCI with biodegradable
      polymer PROLIM DES seems to be safe and effective in 12-month follow-up. A larger
      trial is warranted to assess clinical outcomes post PROLIM stent implantation.

PMID- 26502941
TI  - Back to sinus rhythm from atrial flutter or fibrillation: dabigatran is safe
      without transoesophageal control.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: To assess the safety of dabigatran in converting persistent
      atrial fibrillation (PAF) and atrial flutter (AFL) to sinus rhythm (SR) without
      transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) evaluation. METHODS: Consecutive patients
      with PAF or AFL were included between 2012 and 2015. Dabigatran was used for
      three weeks before and six months after cardioversion. Left atrium area (LAA) and
      left atrium volume (LAV) were assessed in all patients. Follow-up visits for
      major cardiac events occurred at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. RESULTS: The study
      included 82 patients (56 male, mean age 63.1 +/- 10.4 years), of which 45 had PAF
      and 37 AFL. In patients with PAF, mean LAA was 30.3 +/- 5.3 cm2 and LAV 114.4 +/-
      31.5 mL; in those with AFL mean LAA was 26.5 +/- 4.2 cm2 and LAV 97 +/- 24.9 mL
      at baseline. Forty-nine patients underwent uncomplicated electric cardioversion
      (38 with PAF and 11 with AFL), 11 patients were pharmacologically converted to SR
      (7 with PAF and 4 with AFL), and 22 patients with AFL underwent successful
      radiofrequency ablation. The mean CHA2DS2-VASc score was 2.96 +/- 1.39 (score >
      3, 58.6%). No major cardiac events occurred during the follow-up period of 19.4
      +/- 9.5 months. CONCLUSIONS: Safe cardioversion using dabigatran was achieved in
      this small group of patients without the need for TEE.

PMID- 26502943
TI  - Parameters associated with one-year mortality and in-hospital adverse events in
      patients after emergency pacemaker implantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Permanent cardiac pacing is the treatment of choice for severe and
      symptomatic bradycardia. Patients undergoing emergency pacemaker implantation are
      stabilised earlier by the insertion of a temporary emergency pacing lead, and
      they experience more comorbidities than with planned admissions. AIM: To identify
      the parameters associated with one-year mortality and in-hospital adverse events
      after emergency permanent pacemaker implantation. METHODS: This retrospective
      study analyses data from 131 consecutive emergency pacemaker implantations
      performed within a single centre. RESULTS: Cox regression analysis revealed the
      independent predictors of death to be: use of a temporary transvenous pacing lead
      (TTPL) (HR = 2.82, 95% CI 1.21-6.58, p = 0.02), age >= 78 years (OR = 3.01, 95%
      CI 1.22-7.42, p = 0.02), longer baseline QRS duration (HR = 1.02, 95% CI 1.00
      1.03, p = 0.03), and history of myocardial infarction (MI) (HR = 2.43, 95% CI
      1.04-5.68, p = 0.04). Twenty-six patients experienced in-hospital adverse events,
      such as: death (n = 6), cardiac arrest (n = 3), surgical complications (lead
      dislocation: n = 4, haematoma: n = 4, microperforation: n = 2), pneumonia or
      respiratory tract disease (n = 7), wound infection treated with antibiotics (n =
      1), and subsequent MI following pacemaker implantation (n = 2). Multivariate
      logistic regression analysis showed that independent parameters associated with
      in-hospital adverse events were history of MI (OR = 5.01, 95% CI 1.88-13.3, p =
      0.001) and stroke (OR = 3.51, 95% CI 1.16-10.55, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results suggest that the most serious risk factors of one-year mortality related
      to the use of TTPL are: age >= 78 years, longer baseline QRS duration, and
      history of MI. The independent parameters associated with in-hospital adverse
      events were the presence of a history of MI and stroke.

PMID- 26502942
TI  - Potassium channel changes of peripheral blood T-lymphocytes from Kazakh
      hypertensive patients in Northwest China and the inhibition effect towards
      potassium channels by telmisartan.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Increasing evidence indicates that chronic inflammation is a
      direct or indirect manifestation of hypertension. Potassium channels are thought
      to be critical for lymphocyte activation, which suggests that hypertension may be
      an inflammatory disease initiated at the ion channel level. METHODS: This study
      investigated changes in interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17, and transforming growth factor
      beta (TGF-b1) expression in the blood of Kazakh hypertensive patients in
      Northwest China using ELISA technology. Whole-cell patch clamp technology was
      used to evaluate current changes associated with Kv1.3 and KCa3.1 in peripheral
      blood T lymphocytes of hypertensive patients, and to investigate current changes
      induced by telmisartan. We also investigated the effects of telmisartan on
      expression of Kv1.3 and KCa3.1 at mRNA and protein levels in peripheral blood T
      lymphocytes using real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis.
      RESULTS: Expression of IL-6, IL-17 and TGF-b1 in the blood of Kazakh hypertensive
      patients in Northwest China was significantly higher than in healthy controls (p
      < 0.05). The current mediated by Kv1.3 and KCa3.1 and the corresponding
      expression at mRNA and protein levels in T lymphocytes were also higher in these
      hypertensive patients than in controls (p < 0.05). Telmisartan intervention for
      24 h and 48 h inhibited the current and expression of Kv1.3 and KCa3.1 at mRNA
      and protein levels (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that the
      increase in functional Kv1.3 and KCa3.1 channels expressed in T lymphocytes of
      Kazakh patients with hypertension was blocked by telmisartan, resulting in a
      reduced inflammatory response. These results provide theoretical support for the
      treatment of hypertension at the cellular ion channel level.

PMID- 26502944
TI  - [Gender and quality of life and coping over one year after myocardial infarction:
      do men really have the upper hand?].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple reports have confirmed that quality of life (QoL) in women
      after myocardial infarction (MI) is worse compared to men of the same age but
      some variation depending on QoL dimension was also reported. A less studied issue
      is coping after MI. AIM: The present study examined whether gender affected the
      level and dynamics of QoL and coping over 1 year after MI. METHODS: This
      questionnaire-based study included 3 stages, at the beginning and the end of a
      rehabilitation programme (n = 222, 163 [73%] men) and 1 year later (n = 140, 98
      [70%] men). The MacNew questionnaire was used for evaluating cardiac patient
      specific QoL in 3 dimensions: physical, emotional and social. Coping was examined
      using a modified COPE scale that allows assessment of seven coping strategies.
      RESULTS: Compared to women, men had higher levels of emotional and physical QoL
      at the first and second stage of the study. At the third stage, men and women did
      not differ in any QoL aspect. Significant gender-time interactions were found for
      physical QoL (F(2.137) = 8.66; p = 0.001, eta2 = 0.07) and for 2 of 7 coping
      strategies: sense of humour (F(2.137) = 4.10; p = 0.02, eta2 = 0.06) and turning
      to religion (F(2.137) = 3.55; p = 0.03, eta2 = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Men
      demonstrated higher levels of physical and emotional QoL during inpatient
      rehabilitation but no gender-related differences in any QoL dimension were seen
      at 1 year. The dynamics of physical QoL changes was related to gender, with
      improvement seen in women and deterioration seen in men. There were also gender
      related differences in the dynamics and levels of certain coping strategies. The
      observed changes in QoL and coping suggest that some of the beneficial effects of
      rehabilitation could not be maintained over 1 year. These unfavourable changes
      are more frequent in men.

PMID- 26502945
TI  - Raised red cell distribution width as a prognostic marker in aortic valve
      replacement surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Several studies have reported that elevated red cell
      distribution width (RDW) is associated with poor outcomes in patients with
      coronary artery disease, chronic heart failure and aortic stenosis following
      transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Their prognostic utility in patients
      undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery is unknown. METHODS: We
      prospectively evaluated the prognostic value of RDW in a group of 191 consecutive
      patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis undergoing AVR. The pre-defined
      primary endpoint at the 30-day follow-up was composed of: all cause mortality,
      perioperative myocardial infarction, perioperative renal failure, prolonged
      mechanical ventilation, stroke, heart failure, successfully resuscitated cardiac
      arrest, the occurrence of multiple-organ failure, and the need for additional
      surgery for any reason. The secondary endpoint was total mortality. RESULTS: The
      composite endpoint occurred in 54 patients. In univariate analysis RDW (p <
      0.0001), haemoglobin level (p = 0.005), haematocrit (p = 0.01), red blood cell
      count (RBC; p = 0.002), glomerular filtration rate (p = 0.003), New York Heart
      Association classification (p = 0.02), atrial fibrillation (p = 0.0044), and
      pulmonary blood pressure (p = 0.004) were associated with the occurrence of the
      composite endpoint. RDW (p = 0.0005), haemoglobin level (p = 0.004), haematocrit
      (p = 0.004), RBC (p = 0.0009) and mean corpuscular volume (p = 0.01) were
      associated with an increased risk of death. In multivariate analysis, RDW (OR
      3.274; 95% CI 1.285-8.344; p = 0.0003) and RBC (OR 0.373; 95% CI 0.176-0.787; p =
      0.0097) remained independent predictors of the composite endpoint. Receiver
      operating characteristic analysis determined a cut-off value of RDW for the
      prediction of the occurrence of the combined endpoint at 14.1%. CONCLUSIONS:
      Elevated RDW is associated with a worse outcome following AVR, independent of
      RBC.

PMID- 26502946
TI  - spargel, the PGC-1alpha homologue, in models of Parkinson disease in Drosophila
      melanogaster.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder
      presenting with symptoms of resting tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, postural
      instability and additional severe cognitive impairment over time. These symptoms
      arise from a decrease of available dopamine in the striatum of the brain
      resulting from the breakdown and death of dopaminergic (DA) neurons. A process
      implicated in the destruction of these neurons is mitochondrial breakdown and
      impairment. Upkeep and repair of mitochondria involves a number of complex and
      key components including Pink1, Parkin, and the PGC family of genes. PGC-1alpha
      has been characterized as a regulator of mitochondria biogenesis, insulin
      receptor signalling and energy metabolism, mutation of this gene has been linked
      to early onset forms of PD. The mammalian PGC family consists of three partially
      redundant genes making the study of full or partial loss of function difficult.
      The sole Drosophila melanogaster homologue of this gene family, spargel (srl),
      has been shown to function in similar pathways of mitochondrial upkeep and
      biogenesis. RESULTS: Directed expression of srl-RNAi in the D. melanogaster eye
      causes abnormal ommatidia and bristle formation while eye specific expression of
      srl-EY does not produce the minor rough eye phenotype associated with high
      temperature GMR-Gal4 expression. Ddc-Gal4 mediated tissue specific expression of
      srl transgene constructs in D. melanogaster DA neurons causes altered lifespan
      and climbing ability. Expression of a srl-RNAi causes an increase in mean
      lifespan but a decrease in overall loco-motor ability while induced expression of
      srl-EY causes a severe decrease in mean lifespan and a decrease in loco-motor
      ability. CONCLUSIONS: The reduced lifespan and climbing ability associated with a
      tissue specific expression of srl in DA neurons provides a new model of PD in D.
      melanogaster which may be used to identify novel therapeutic approaches to human
      disease treatment and prevention.

PMID- 26502947
TI  - The risk of fall and fracture with the initiation of a prostate-selective alpha
      antagonist: a population based cohort study.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Do men starting treatment with prostate-specific alpha
      antagonists have increased risk of fall and fracture? METHODS: Administrative
      datasets from the province of Ontario, Canada, that contain patient level data
      were used to generate a cohort of 147,084 men aged >= 66 years who filled their
      first outpatient prescription for prostate-specific alpha antagonists tamsulosin,
      alfuzosin, or silodosin between June 2003 and December 2013 (exposed men) plus an
      equal sized cohort matched 1:1 (using a propensity score model) who did not
      initiate alpha antagonist therapy. The primary outcome was a hospital emergency
      room visit or inpatient admission for a fall or fracture in the 90 days after
      exposure. STUDY ANSWER AND LIMITATIONS: The men exposed to prostate-specific
      alpha antagonist had significantly increased risks of falling (odds ratio 1.14
      (95% CI 1.07 to 1.21), absolute risk increase 0.17% (0.08 to 0.25%)) and of
      sustaining a fracture (odds ratio 1.16 (1.04 to 1.29), absolute risk increase
      0.06% (0.02 to 0.11%)) compared with the unexposed cohort. This increased risk
      was not observed in the period before alpha antagonist use. Secondary outcomes of
      hypotension and head trauma were also significantly increased in the exposed
      cohort (odds ratios 1.80 (1.59 to 2.03) and 1.15 (1.04 to 1.27) respectively).
      The two cohorts were similar across 98 different covariates including
      demographics, comorbid conditions, medication use, healthcare use, and prior
      medical investigation. Potential unmeasured confounders, such as physical
      deconditioning, mobility impairment, and situational risk factors, may exist. The
      data used to identify the primary outcomes had limited sensitivity, so the
      absolute risks of the outcomes are probably underestimates. The study only
      included men >= 66 years old, and 84% of exposed men were prescribed tamsulosin,
      so results may not be generalizable to younger men, and there may not be
      statistical power to show small differences in outcomes between the drugs. WHAT
      THIS STUDY ADDS: Prostate-specific alpha antagonists are associated with a small
      but significant increased risk of fall, fracture, and head trauma, probably as a
      result of induced hypotension. FUNDING, COMPETING INTERESTS, DATA SHARING: This
      project was conducted at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES)
      Western Site through the Kidney, Dialysis, and Transplantation (KDT) research
      program. BW has received a research grant from Astellas, and L-AF does
      consultancy for Amgen.

PMID- 26502948
TI  - Novel Anticancer Drugs from Nature.

PMID- 26502949
TI  - Flavonoids, Breast Cancer Chemopreventive and/or Chemotherapeutic Agents.
AB  - Flavonoids are secondary metabolites abundantly present in commonly consumed
      fruits and vegetables. They possess diverse properties such as anti-inflammatory,
      anti-oxidant and anti-cancer. Epidemiologic studies suggest that an enrich
      flavonoids diet is linked to a decreased risk of breast cancer. These protective
      properties are due to the alteration of numerous signalling pathways involved in
      cancer-related phenomena such as inflammation and proliferation. Human clinical
      trials examining the effect of supplementation of some flavonoids on disease
      prevention have been conducted. There is no natural flavonoid that has been
      approved for the treatment of breast cancer. However, natural flavonoids served
      as lead compounds in the synthesis of cancer chemopreventive and/or therapeutic
      agents. 

PMID- 26502950
TI  - The Role of Hesperidin in Cell Signal Transduction Pathway for the Prevention or
      Treatment of Cancer.
AB  - During past two decades, plant-derived bioactive compounds have been reported as
      novel therapeutic agents for prevention and/or mitigation of different human
      diseases such as cancer, inflammation, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative
      diseases. Hesperidin is known as one of the most common and bioactive
      constituents of Citrus (C) species which possesses multiple health-promotion
      effects. A plethora of scientific literature reported that hesperidin possesses
      in-vitro and in-vivo anticancer activities. In addition, there are numerous
      scientific evidences regarding the molecular mechanisms of anticancer activities
      of hesperidin and its aglycone, hesperetin. However, in this case, the number of
      comprehensive reviews on molecular mechanisms underlying the anticancer effects
      of hesperidin is sparse. Therefore, in this work we present a critical review of
      the available literature regarding the molecular mechanisms of the anticancer
      effects of hesperidin and its aglycone, hesperetin. 

PMID- 26502951
TI  - The ichneumon fly and the equilibration of British natural economies in the
      eighteenth century.
AB  - The parasitic ichneumon fly, discovered by European natural philosophers in the
      seventeenth century, remained largely unstudied until it captured the attention
      of Enlightenment-era natural historians. Although this sudden surge of interest
      has been explained as an effort to understand the natural 'evil' of parasitism,
      the heyday of ichneumon studies was actually inspired by the political and
      agricultural context of late eighteenth-century Britain. British naturalists were
      captivated by this insect for reasons both philosophical and practical. In the
      providentially self-equilibrating qualities of 'natural' ichneumon economies,
      they saw solutions to political problems of famine, dearth, national wealth,
      governance and excess population, in addition to finding reassurance that
      Enlightened confidence in nature's inherent stability and fruitfulness was not
      unfounded. 

PMID- 26502952
TI  - Tuning Band Alignment Using Interface Dipoles at the Pt/Anatase TiO2 Interface.
AB  - The Schottky barrier heights at the Pt/TiO2 (001) junctions are modulated over
      0.8 eV by inserting <1 nm of LaAlO3. The large electric field in the LaAlO3 is
      stabilized by preserving the continuity of in-plane lattice symmetry at the oxide
      interface. These results greatly expand the application of dipole engineering to
      versatile polycrystalline metal/binary oxide functional interfaces.

PMID- 26502953
TI  - The Effects of Rhodiola rosea L. Extract on Anxiety, Stress, Cognition and Other
      Mood Symptoms.
AB  - This trial evaluated the impact of a Rhodiola rosea L. extract on self-reported
      anxiety, stress, cognition, and other mood symptoms. Eighty mildly anxious
      participants were randomized into two different groups of either Rhodiola rosea L
      (2 * 200 mg dose Vitano(r), 1 tablet taken before breakfast and 1tablet before
      lunch) or a control condition (no treatment). Self-report measures and cognitive
      tests were completed at four testing sessions over a period of 14 days. Relative
      to the controls, the experimental group demonstrated a significant reduction in
      self-reported, anxiety, stress, anger, confusion and depression at 14 days and a
      significant improvements in total mood. No relevant differences in cognitive
      performance between the groups were observed. Rhodiola rosea L (Vitano(r))
      presented a favourable safety tolerability profile. Although this was a non
      placebo controlled trial, it is unlikely that the findings were the result of
      placebo effects as changes appeared gradual and were specific to certain
      psychological measures. However, we cannot determine a causal relationship;
      further investigations are recommended to support the effects of Rhodiola rosea
      L. extract on stress related symptoms.

PMID- 26502954
TI  - Costs and utilization of treatment in patients with hemophilia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although hemophilia has a potentially high economic impact, there are
      no published estimates of healthcare costs for this disease in Portugal. The aim
      of this study was to evaluate costs of treatment and hospital utilization among
      patients with hemophilia A and B, with and without inhibitors, over a 3-year
      period in a Portuguese Comprehensive Care Hemophilia Centre. This is the first
      study on the financial impact of healthcare costs in patients with hemophilia in
      Portugal. METHODS: This retrospective, observational study identified patients
      diagnosed with hemophilia A and B using medical and pharmacy electronic medical
      records and data from Centro Hospitalar Sao Joao, between January 2011 and
      December 2013. Patients with inhibitors were all high responders (>5 Bethesda
      Units [BU]). Severity was classified as mild, moderate or severe based on
      clotting factor levels. Two main outcomes were measured: (1) cost associated with
      hospital pharmacy claims (clotting factor) and (2) number of hospital
      visits/hospitalization. RESULTS: A cohort of 103 patients were identified: 72
      (69.9 %) with hemophilia A and 31 (30.1 %) with hemophilia B. Among these, five
      individuals were classified as patients with inhibitors (four with hemophilia A
      and one with hemophilia B). From the cohort of hemophilia A patients, 36
      individuals (35.0 %) were identified as having severe disease; 20 (19.4 %)
      moderate; and 16 (15.5 %) mild. In the cohort of hemophilia B patients, 14 (13.6
      %) were identified as having severe disease; 14 (13.6 %) moderate; and three (2.9
      %) mild. The total mean aggregate cost per year (including clotting factor and
      hospital utilization) for patients with severe hemophilia B was ?112,469,
      compared with ?793 for mild hemophilia A. Clotting factor concentrate amounted
      for 90 % of total cost in severe cases and hospital utilization was also higher
      in these cases. CONCLUSIONS: Hemophilia treatment is expensive, particularly for
      patients with severe disease and especially if they develop inhibitors to
      replacement clotting factors. In our study, severe hemophilia is associated with
      greater annual total costs in both types of hemophilia (A = ?77,587 and B = ?
      112,469). Patients with inhibitors have costs 3.3 times higher than patients
      without inhibitors. Age was not associated with significantly greater total costs
      (clotting factor and hospital visits/hospitalizations).

PMID- 26502955
TI  - Exploring access to care among older people in the last phase of life using the
      behavioural model of health services use: a qualitative study from the
      perspective of the next of kin of older persons who had died in a nursing home.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is little investigation into what care older people access
      during the last phase of their life and what factors enable access to care in
      this group. Illuminating this from the perspective of the next of kin may provide
      valuable insights into how the health and social care system operates with
      reference to providing care for this vulnerable group. The behavioural model of
      health services use has a wide field of application but has not been tested
      conceptually regarding access to care from the perspective of the next of kin.
      The aim of this study was to explore the care accessed by older people during the
      last phase of their life from the perspective of the next of kin and to
      conceptually test the behavioural model of health services use. METHODS: The data
      collection took place in 2011 by means of qualitative interviews with 14 next of
      kin of older people who had died in a nursing home. The interviews were analysed
      using directed content analysis. The behavioural model of health services use was
      used in deriving the initial coding scheme, including the categories: utilization
      of health services, consumer satisfaction and characteristics of the population
      at risk. RESULTS: Utilization of health services in the last phase of life was
      described in five subcategories named after the type of care accessed i.e.
      admission to a nursing home, primary healthcare, hospital care, dental care and
      informal care. The needs were illuminated in the subcategories: general
      deterioration, medical conditions and acute illness and deterioration when death
      approaches. Factors that enabled access to care were described in three
      subcategories: the organisation of care, next of kin and the older person. These
      factors could also constitute barriers to accessing care. Next of kin's
      satisfaction with care was illuminated in the subcategories: satisfaction,
      dissatisfaction and factors influencing satisfaction. One new category was
      constructed inductively: the situation of the next of kin. CONCLUSIONS: A bed in
      a nursing home was often accessed during what the next of kin regarded as the
      last phase of life. The needs among older people in the last phase of life can be
      regarded as complex and worsening over time. Most enabling factors lied within
      the organisation of care but the next of kin enabled access to care and
      contributed significantly to care quality. More research is needed regarding
      ageism and stigmatic attitudes among professionals and informal caregivers acting
      as a barrier to accessing care for older people in the last phase of their life.
      The behavioural model of health services use was extended with a new category
      showing that the situation of the next of kin must be taken into consideration
      when investigating access to care from their perspective. It may also be
      appropriate to include informal care as part of the concept of access when
      investigating access to care among older people in the last phase of their life.
      The results may not be transferable to older people who have not gained access to
      a bed in a nursing home or to countries where the healthcare system differs
      largely from the Swedish.

PMID- 26502956
TI  - Current opinion on the role of testosterone in the development of prostate
      cancer: a dynamic model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Since the landmark study conducted by Huggins and Hodges in 1941, a
      failure to distinguish between the role of testosterone in prostate cancer
      development and progression has led to the prevailing opinion that high levels of
      testosterone increase the risk of prostate cancer. To date, this claim remains
      unproven. PRESENTATION OF THE HYPOTHESIS: We present a novel dynamic mode of the
      relationship between testosterone and prostate cancer by hypothesizing that the
      magnitude of age-related declines in testosterone, rather than a static level of
      testosterone measured at a single point, may trigger and promote the development
      of prostate cancer. TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS: Although not easily testable
      currently, prospective cohort studies with population-representative samples and
      repeated measurements of testosterone or retrospective cohorts with stored blood
      samples from different ages are warranted in future to test the hypothesis.
      IMPLICATIONS OF THE HYPOTHESIS: Our dynamic model can satisfactorily explain the
      observed age patterns of prostate cancer incidence, the apparent conflicts in
      epidemiological findings on testosterone and risk of prostate cancer, racial
      disparities in prostate cancer incidence, risk factors associated with prostate
      cancer, and the role of testosterone in prostate cancer progression. Our dynamic
      model may also have implications for testosterone replacement therapy.

PMID- 26502957
TI  - Stress responses in Streptococcus species and their effects on the host.
AB  - Streptococci cause a variety of diseases, such as dental caries, pharyngitis,
      meningitis, pneumonia, bacteremia, endocarditis, erysipelas, and necrotizing
      fasciitis. The natural niche of this genus of bacteria ranges from the mouth and
      nasopharynx to the skin, indicating that the bacteria will inevitably be
      subjected to environmental changes during invasion into the host, where it is
      exposed to the host immune system. Thus, the Streptococcus-host interaction
      determines whether bacteria are cleared by the host's defenses or whether they
      survive after invasion to cause serious diseases. If this interaction was to be
      deciphered, it could aid in the development of novel preventive and therapeutic
      agents. Streptococcus species possess many virulent factors, such as peroxidases
      and heat-shock proteins (HSPs), which play key roles in protecting the bacteria
      from hostile host environments. This review will discuss insights into the
      mechanism(s) by which streptococci adapt to host environments. Additionally, we
      will address how streptococcal infections trigger host stress responses; however,
      the mechanism by which bacterial components modulate host stress responses
      remains largely unknown. 

PMID- 26502958
TI  - Spirosoma pulveris sp. nov., a bacterium isolated from a dust sample collected at
      Chungnam province, South Korea.
AB  - Strain JSH 5-14(T), a Gram-negative, non-motile, and curved rod-shaped bacterium,
      was isolated from a dust sample collected at Nonsan, Chungnam province, South
      Korea, and was characterized to determine its taxonomic position. Phylogenetic
      analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain JSH 5-14(T) revealed that
      it belongs to the genus Spirosoma, family Cytophagaceae, class Cytophagia. The
      highest degree of sequence similarities of strain JSH 5-14(T) were found with
      Spirosoma liguale DSM 74(T) (97.8%) and Spirosoma endophyticum EX 36(T) (96.2%).
      The predominant fatty acids were summed feature 3 (composed of C16:1
      omega7c/C16:1 omega6c) and C16:1 omega5c. The major polar lipid was
      phosphatidylethanolamine, and the predominant respiratory quinone was MK-7. Based
      on the phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic, and phenotypic data, we propose the strain
      JSH 5-14(T) (=KCTC 42550(T) =JCM 30688(T) =KEMB 9004-165(T)) should be classified
      as a type strain of a novel species, for which the name Spirosoma pulveris sp.
      nov., is proposed.

PMID- 26502959
TI  - Flavobacterium jejuensis sp. nov., isolated from marine brown alga Ecklonia cava.
AB  - A bacterial strain, designated EC11(T) was isolated from brown alga Ecklonia cava
      collected from Jeju Island, Korea. EC11(T) was identified as a Gram-negative, rod
      shaped and yellow-pigmented bacterial strain. The strain EC11(T) grew over a
      temperature range of 10  degrees C to 30  degrees C (optimally at 25  degrees C),
      and a pH range of 6.0-10.5 (optimally at pH 7.5). Phylogenetic analysis based on
      16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain EC11(T) belongs to the genus
      Flavobacterium. Strain EC11(T) shared close similarity with Flavobacterium
      jumunjinense HME7102(T) (96.4%), Flavobacterium dongtanense LW30(T) (95.8%),
      Flavobacterium haoranii LQY-7(T) (95.3%), and Flavobacterium urocaniciphilum
      (95.1%). The major fatty acids (> 5%) were iso-C17:0 3-OH (22.4%), iso-C15:0 3-OH
      (19.0%), C15:0 (12.4%), summed feature 3 (comprising C16:1 omega7c/ C16:1
      omega6c; 9.78%), iso-C15:1 G (9.6%), and iso-C16:0 3-OH (9.0%). The DNA G+C
      content was 28.1 mol% and the strain contained MK-6 as the predominant
      menaquinone. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, two unknown
      aminolipids and three unknown polar lipids. Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic
      and phylogenetic analysis, strain EC11T represents a novel species of the
      Flavobacterium genus, for which the name Flavobacterium jejuensis sp. nov. is
      proposed. The type strain of F. jejuensis is EC11(T) (=KCTC 42149(T) = JCM
      30735(T)).

PMID- 26502960
TI  - Niabella ginsenosidivorans sp. nov., isolated from compost.
AB  - A Gram-reaction negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile, orange colored, and rod
      shaped bacterium (designated BS26(T)) isolated from compost, was characterized by
      a polyphasic approach to clarify its taxonomic position. Strain BS26(T) was
      observed to grow optimally at 25-30  degrees C and at pH 7.0 on R2A and nutrient
      media. Strain BS26(T) showed beta-glucosidase activity that was responsible for
      its ability to transform ginsenoside Rb1 (one of the active components of
      ginseng) to ginsenoside compound-K (C-K). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA
      gene sequences indicated that strain BS26(T) belongs to the genus Niabella of
      family Chitinophagaceae and was most closely related to Niabella soli DSM
      19437(T) (94.5% similarity), N. yanshanensis CCBAU 05354(T) (94.3%), and N.
      aurantiaca DSM 17617(T) (93.8%). The G+C content of genomic DNA was 47.3 mol%.
      Chemotaxonomic data [predominant isoprenoid quinone-MK-7, major fatty acids-iso
      C15:0, iso-C15:1 G, iso-C17:0 3-OH, and summed feature 3 (comprising C16:1
      omega7c and/or C16:1 omega6c)] supported the affiliation of strain BS26(T) to the
      genus Niabella. However, strain BS26(T) could be differentiated genotypically and
      phenotypically from the recognized species of the genus Niabella. The novel
      isolate therefore represents a novel species, for which the name Niabella
      ginsenosidivorans sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain BS26(T) (=KACC
      16620(T) =JCM 18199(T)).

PMID- 26502961
TI  - Enhanced method for microbial community DNA extraction and purification from
      agricultural yellow loess soil.
AB  - In this study, novel DNA extraction and purification methods were developed to
      obtain high-quantity and reliable quality DNA from the microbial community of
      agricultural yellow loess soil samples. The efficiencies of five different soil
      DNAextraction protocols were evaluated on the basis of DNA yield, quality and DNA
      shearing. Our suggested extraction method, which used CTAB, EDTA and cell
      membrane lytic enzymes in the extraction followed by DNA precipitation using
      isopropanol, yielded a maximum DNA content of 42.28 +/- 5.59 ug/g soil. In
      addition, among the five different purification protocols, the acid-treated
      polyvinyl polypyrrolidone (PVPP) spin column purification method yielded high
      quality DNA and recovered 91% of DNA from the crude DNA. Spectrophotometry
      revealed that the ultraviolet A 260/A 230 and A 260/A 280 absorbance ratios of
      the purified DNA were 1.82 +/- 0.03 and 1.94 +/- 0.05, respectively. PCR-based
      16S rRNA amplification showed clear bands at ~1.5 kb with acid-treated PVPP
      purified DNA templates. In conclusion, our suggested extraction and purification
      protocols can be used to recover high concentration, high purity, and high
      molecular-weight DNA from clay and silica-rich agricultural soil samples. 

PMID- 26502962
TI  - The crystal structure of the D-alanine-D-alanine ligase from Acinetobacter
      baumannii suggests a flexible conformational change in the central domain before
      nucleotide binding.
AB  - Acinetobacter baumannii, which is emerging as a multidrug-resistant nosocomial
      pathogen, causes a number of diseases, including pneumonia, bacteremia,
      meningitis, and skin infections. With ATP hydrolysis, the D-alanine-D-alanine
      ligase (DDL) catalyzes the synthesis of D-alanyl-D-alanine, which is an essential
      component of bacterial peptidoglycan. In this study, we determined the crystal
      structure of DDL from A. baumannii (AbDDL) at a resolution of 2.2 A. The
      asymmetric unit contained six protomers of AbDDL. Five protomers had a closed
      conformation in the central domain, while one protomer had an open conformation
      in the central domain. The central domain with an open conformation did not
      interact with crystallographic symmetry-related protomers and the conformational
      change of the central domain was not due to crystal packing. The central domain
      of AbDDL can have an ensemble of the open and closed conformations before the
      binding of substrate ATP. The conformational change of the central domain is
      important for the catalytic activity and the detail information will be useful
      for the development of inhibitors against AbDDL and putative antibacterial agents
      against A. baumannii. The AbDDL structure was compared with that of other DDLs
      that were in complex with potent inhibitors and the catalytic activity of AbDDL
      was confirmed using enzyme kinetics assays.

PMID- 26502964
TI  - Antiviral effects of Lactobacillus ruminis SPM0211 and Bifidobacterium longum
      SPM1205 and SPM1206 on rotavirus-infected Caco-2 cells and a neonatal mouse
      model.
AB  - Rotavirus is worldwide cause of severe gastroenteritis including severe diarrhea
      and fatal dehydration in infants and young children. There is an available
      vaccination program for preventing rotavirus infection, but it has limits and
      restrictions. Probiotics therapy could be an alternative method of antiviral
      prevention and modulation against rotavirus infection. In this study, we screened
      the antiviral activity of probiotic bacteria such as 3 Lactobacillus spp. and 14
      Bifidobacterium spp. isolated from young Korean. Three of the bacteria,
      Lactobacillus ruminis SPM0211, Bifidobacterium longum SPM1205, and SPM1206,
      inhibited human strain Wa rotavirus infection in Caco-2 cells. Furthermore, these
      bacterial strains inhibited rotavirus replication in a rotavirus-infected
      neonatal mouse model. To clarify the mechanism of inhibition, we investigated
      gene expression of Interferon (IFN)-signaling components and IFN-inducible
      antiviral effectors. All 3 probiotics increased IFN-alpha and IFN-beta levels
      compared with the control. Gene expression of IFNsignaling components and IFN
      inducible antiviral effectors also increased. Overall, these results indicate
      that L. ruminis SPM0211, B. longum SPM1205 and 1206 efficiently inhibit rotavirus
      replication in vitro and in vivo. Especially, the antiviral effect of
      Lactobacillus ruminis SPM0211 is worthy of notice. This is the first report of L.
      ruminis with antiviral activity. Anti-rotaviral effects of the 3 probiotics are
      likely due to their modulation of the immune response through promoting type I
      IFNs, which are key regulators in IFN signaling pathway.

PMID- 26502963
TI  - The Mycobacterium tuberculosis relBE toxin:antitoxin genes are stress-responsive
      modules that regulate growth through translation inhibition.
AB  - Toxin-antitoxin (TA) genes are ubiquitous among bacteria and are associated with
      persistence and dormancy. Following exposure to unfavorable environmental
      stimuli, several species (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Myxococcus
      xanthus) employ toxin proteins such as RelE and MazF to downregulate growth or
      initiate cell death. Mycobacterium tuberculosis possesses three Rel TA modules
      (Rel Mtb ): RelBE Mtb , RelFG Mtb and RelJK Mtb (Rv1246c-Rv1247c, Rv2865-Rv2866,
      and Rv3357-Rv3358, respectively), which inhibit mycobacterial growth when the
      toxin gene (relE, relG, relK) is expressed independently of the antitoxin gene
      (relB, relF, relJ). In the present study, we examined the in vivo mechanism of
      the RelE Mtb toxin protein, the impact of RelE Mtb on M. tuberculosis physiology
      and the environmental conditions that regulate all three rel Mtb modules. RelE
      Mtb negatively impacts growth and the structural integrity of the mycobacterial
      envelope, generating cells with aberrant forms that are prone to extensive
      aggregation. At a time coincident with growth defects, RelE Mtb mediates mRNA
      degradation in vivo resulting in significant changes to the proteome. We
      establish that rel Mtb modules are stress responsive, as all three operons are
      transcriptionally activated following mycobacterial exposure to oxidative stress
      or nitrogen-limiting growth environments. Here we present evidence that the rel
      Mtb toxin:antitoxin family is stress-responsive and, through the degradation of
      mRNA, the RelE Mtb toxin influences the growth, proteome and morphology of
      mycobacterial cells. 

PMID- 26502965
TI  - Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis with predominant IgG2 and IgG3
      deposition in a patient with IgG4-related disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: IgG4-related disease is a novel disease entity characterized by
      elevated serum IgG4 and tissue infiltration by IgG4-positive plasma cells.
      Typical renal pathology is tubulointerstitial nephritis with storiform fibrosis,
      although the co-existence of various glomerular lesions has been described. Here,
      we present the first report of a case of IgG4-related kidney disease and
      membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis showing the discrepancy in IgG
      subclasses between the kidney interstitium and glomeruli. CASE PRESENTATION: A 70
      year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed with membranoproliferative
      glomerulonephritis and focal tubulointerstitial nephritis with IgG4-positive
      plasma cells. Immunofluorescence studies revealed predominant deposition of IgG3
      and IgG2, but not IgG4 in the glomeruli. We administered oral prednisolone at 30
      mg/day, and the abnormalities in urine and blood tests gradually resolved.
      CONCLUSION: In this case, different patterns of IgG subclasses detected in the
      glomeruli and interstitial plasma cells suggest overlapping immunologic
      abnormalities. The favorable clinical course in our patient suggests that steroid
      therapy is promising in cases of IgG4-related kidney disease accompanied by
      glomerulonephritis.

PMID- 26502966
TI  - Comparison between the effects of progesterone versus corticosteroid local
      injections in mild and moderate carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized clinical
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to compare the short-term effects of
      progesterone and corticosteroid local injections in the treatment of female
      patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. METHODS: A randomized clinical trial was
      used for this study, 60 hands with mild and moderate Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
      categorized in two groups were used for this study. Patients were treated with a
      single local injection of triamcinolone acetonide in one group and single local
      injection of 17-alpha hydroxy progesterone in the other group. Variables such as
      pain (based on Visual Analogue Scale), symptom severity and functional status
      (based on Bostone/Levine symptom severity and functional status scale) and nerve
      conduction study were evaluated before and 10 weeks after the treatments.
      RESULTS: Ten weeks after treatment, pain severity and median nerve sensory and
      motor latencies decreased while patients' functional status increased
      meaningfully in both groups. However, there were no meaningful differences
      between two groups regarding mentioned variables. Pain severity was milder and
      duration of post-injection pain was shorter in the corticosteroid group. The
      rates of patient satisfaction were also meaningfully higher in the corticosteroid
      group. CONCLUSIONS: Both treatments were effective in the short-term management
      of mild and moderate disease, clinically and electrophysiologically. There were
      no significant differences in therapeutic effects between two groups. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Current controlled trials IRCT2013101313442N4.

PMID- 26502967
TI  - I am woman - Saving bodies and minds.

PMID- 26502968
TI  - World stroke day proclamation: updated.

PMID- 26502969
TI  - Review and prioritization of stroke research recommendations to address the
      mission of the World Stroke Organization: a call to action from the WSO Research
      Committee.

PMID- 26502972
TI  - Injury of the lower portion of the ascending reticular activating system in a
      patient with intraventricular hemorrhage.

PMID- 26502971
TI  - Effect of magnesium treatment and glucose levels on delayed cerebral ischemia in
      patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage: a substudy of the Magnesium in Aneurysmal
      Subarachnoid Haemorrhage trial (MASH-II).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Magnesium treatment did not improve outcome in patients with
      aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage in the Magnesium in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid
      Haemorrhage II trial. We hypothesized that high glucose levels may have offset a
      potential beneficial effect to prevent delayed cerebral ischemia. We investigated
      if magnesium treatment led to less delayed cerebral ischemia and if glucose
      levels interacted with magnesium treatment in the Magnesium in Aneurysmal
      Subarachnoid Haemorrhage II trial. AIM: To investigate the effect of magnesium
      treatment on occurrence of delayed cerebral ischemia and the interaction between
      glucose levels and magnesium treatment in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients.
      METHODS: The Magnesium in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Haemorrhage was a phase III
      randomized placebo-controlled trial assessing the effect of magnesium sulphate on
      clinical outcome in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients. For the current
      study, we included only the patients admitted to the University Medical Centre
      Utrecht. We calculated hazard ratios for occurrence of delayed cerebral ischemia
      in patients treated with magnesium vs. placebo for the entire study population,
      and separately in the subgroups of patients with high and low mean fasting and
      mean daily glucose levels until onset of delayed cerebral ischemia. We used the
      cross-product of magnesium and glucose in the regression analysis to evaluate
      whether an interaction between magnesium and glucose existed. RESULTS: We
      included 616 patients: 307 received magnesium and 309 placebo; 156 patients had
      delayed cerebral ischemia. Hazard ratio for magnesium on occurrence of delayed
      cerebral ischemia was 1.0 (95% confidence interval: 0.7-1.4). Results were
      similar in patients with low or high fasting or daily glucose levels. We found no
      interactions between magnesium treatment and high fasting (P = 0.54) and daily
      glucose (P = 0.60). CONCLUSIONS: Magnesium treatment did not reduce the risk of
      delayed cerebral ischemia in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage,
      nor was there an interaction with glucose levels. It is therefore unlikely that
      glucose levels explain the failure of magnesium to prevent delayed cerebral
      ischemia and poor outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

PMID- 26502970
TI  - One-year case fatality rate following stroke in the Mashhad Stroke Incidence
      Study: a population-based study of stroke in Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In developing countries, there are few comprehensive studies of
      mortality following stroke. AIMS AND/OR HYPOTHESIS: We aimed to determine the one
      year case fatality rate following stroke and to identify factors associated with
      death in a population-based stroke incidence study in Iran. METHODS: Six hundred
      eighty-four patients who had suffered a stroke between November 21, 2006, and
      November 20, 2007, and were recruited to the Mashhad Stroke Incidence Study were
      followed up at one-year. Most patients were seen in an outpatient visit. When
      patients had died, a verbal autopsy was conducted by telephone with the next of
      kin. RESULTS: A total of 226 (34.3%) patients died during the first year
      following stroke. The cumulative one-year case fatality rate was 30.6% following
      ischemic stroke and 53.0% following hemorrhagic stroke (55.8% after intracerebral
      hemorrhage and 35.7% after subarachnoid hemorrhage). The majority of these deaths
      occurred in the first 28 days after stroke (17.7% with ischemic and 43.0% with
      hemorrhagic stroke). Factors associated with greater mortality at one-year
      (excluding those who died during the first week) were hemorrhagic stroke [hazard
      ratio (HR) 3.99; 95% confidence interval 1.90-8.37], age (HR 1.05; 95% confidence
      interval 1.03-1.08), previous transient ischemic attack (HR 2.45; 95% confidence
      interval 1.00-5.99), and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale on admission
      (HR 1.14; 95% confidence interval 1.10-1.17). CONCLUSION: Despite the younger age
      of stroke occurrence in Iran, the one-year case fatality rate following stroke is
      similar to that reported in developed countries.

PMID- 26502973
TI  - Top 10 research priorities relating to stroke nursing.

PMID- 26502974
TI  - Embolic stroke of unknown source (ESUS) in young patients.

PMID- 26502975
TI  - Management of in-hospital stroke.

PMID- 26502976
TI  - Rivaroxaban for the treatment of cerebral venous thrombosis.

PMID- 26502977
TI  - Analysis of in vivo turnover of tau in a mouse model of tauopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intracellular accumulation of tau as neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs)
      is the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) as well as in other tauopathies. Tau
      is present not only in the cytoplasm but also in the extracellular space such as
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain interstitial fluid (ISF). Although clearance
      is one critical parameter leading to such intracellular/extracellular tau
      accumulation, in vivo turnover of tau has not been well characterized. The
      current study has attempted to precisely determine in vivo turnover rates of tau
      utilizing tet-off regulatable mice. In particular, we assessed intracellular tau
      and extracellular tau, soluble tau, insoluble tau and phosphorylated tau at
      certain sites utilizing a combination of in vivo microdialysis, biochemical
      analysis and specific ELISAs recognizing each species. To examine the effect of a
      tauopathy-associated mutation on tau clearance, half-lives of various tau species
      were compared between the mice with a FTDP-17 mutation that induces beta-sheet
      formation, DeltaK280 mutation (pro-aggregant mice) and control mice with
      additional beta-sheet breaking mutations (anti-aggregant mice). RESULTS: Here we
      report that tau is metabolized at much slower turnover rates in vivo than in cell
      culture. We found that insoluble tau in pro-aggregant mice had a significantly
      slower half-life (t1/2 = ~34.2 days) than soluble tau (t1/2 = ~9.7 days). In
      contrast, soluble tau phosphorylated in the proline rich region was cleared
      faster than total soluble tau. When comparing pro-aggregant mice to anti-agregant
      mice, turnover rates of soluble tau species were not significantly different.
      CONCLUSIONS: The current study provides a comprehensive description of in vivo
      turnover of various tau species present in mice that express human tau. The
      turnover rate of soluble tau was not significantly altered between pro-aggregant
      mice and anti-aggregant mice. This suggests that altered conformation by
      DeltaK280 does not have a major impact on clearance pathways for soluble tau. In
      contrast, different tau species displayed different half-lives. Turnover was
      significantly delayed for insoluble tau whereas it was accelerated for soluble
      tau phosphorylated in the proline rich region. These differences in
      susceptibilities to clearance suggest that aggregation and phosphorylation
      influences tau clearance which may be important in tau pathogenesis.

PMID- 26502979
TI  - Cost and sensitivity of restricted active-space calculations of metal L-edge X
      ray absorption spectra.
AB  - The restricted active-space (RAS) approach can accurately simulate metal L-edge X
      ray absorption spectra of first-row transition metal complexes without the use of
      any fitting parameters. These characteristics provide a unique capability to
      identify unknown chemical species and to analyze their electronic structure. To
      find the best balance between cost and accuracy, the sensitivity of the simulated
      spectra with respect to the method variables has been tested for two models,
      [FeCl6 ](3-) and [Fe(CN)6 ](3-) . For these systems, the reference calculations
      give deviations, when compared with experiment, of <=1 eV in peak positions,
      <=30% for the relative intensity of major peaks, and <=50% for minor peaks. When
      compared with these deviations, the simulated spectra are sensitive to the number
      of final states, the inclusion of dynamical correlation, and the ionization
      potential electron affinity shift, in addition to the selection of the active
      space. The spectra are less sensitive to the quality of the basis set and even a
      double-zeta basis gives reasonable results. The inclusion of dynamical
      correlation through second-order perturbation theory can be done efficiently
      using the state-specific formalism without correlating the core orbitals.
      Although these observations are not directly transferable to other systems, they
      can, together with a cost analysis, aid in the design of RAS models and help to
      extend the use of this powerful approach to a wider range of transition metal
      systems.

PMID- 26502978
TI  - Validity of self-reported height and weight for estimating prevalence of
      overweight among Estonian adolescents: the Health Behaviour in School-aged
      Children study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low to moderate agreement between self-reported and directly measured
      anthropometry is shown in studies for adults and children. However, this issue
      needs further evaluation during puberty, a period marked by several transitions.
      We examined the correspondence of BMI status based on self-reported versus
      measured anthropometric data among Estonian adolescents with a specific focus on
      gender and age differences. METHODS: Self-reported height and weight were
      determined in a national representative sample of Estonian schoolchildren
      collected within the framework of the HBSC (health behaviour of school-aged
      children) survey. Self-reported and directly measured height and weight were
      collected from 3379 students (1071 aged 11, 1133 aged 13 and 1175 aged 15 years).
      The standardized HBSC questionnaire was used for collecting self-reported data;
      direct anthropometric measures were taken after the HBSC questionnaires were
      completed. The accuracy of the self-reported values by age and gender groups were
      determined by comparing mean differences, Bland-Altman plots with limits of
      agreement, Kappa statistics, and by estimation of the sensitivity and positive
      predictive value for detecting overweight. RESULTS: Mean self-reported weight,
      height and body mass index (BMI) values were significantly lower than
      corresponding values obtained using direct measurements. Mean differences between
      self-reported and directly measured weight, height and BMI were largest among 11
      year-olds and smallest among students aged 15 years. Underestimation of
      overweight prevalence (includes obese) showed a graded trend which decreased in
      older age groups; the difference was greater among girls than boys in all age
      groups. The mean underestimation of overweight prevalence based on self-reported
      anthropometry was 3.6 percentage points. The positive predictive value was 72.3 %
      for boys and 63.4 % for girls. CONCLUSION: A distinct age-related pattern in
      underestimation of weight, height and prevalence of overweight was found; the
      bias decreased with increasing age. The mean underestimation of overweight
      prevalence based on self-reports was small, 3.6 %. Self-reported height and
      weight remain the method of choice in large surveys for practical and logistical
      reasons.

PMID- 26502980
TI  - Measurement Uncertainty of Microscopic Laser Triangulation on Technical Surfaces.
AB  - Laser triangulation is widely used to measure three-dimensional structure of
      surfaces. The technique is suitable for macroscopic and microscopic surface
      measurements. In this paper, the measurement uncertainty of laser triangulation
      is investigated on technical surfaces for microscopic measurement applications.
      Properties of technical surfaces are, for example, reflectivity, surface
      roughness, and the presence of scratches and pores. These properties are more
      influential in the microscopic laser triangulation than in the macroscopic one.
      In the Introduction section of this paper, the measurement uncertainty of laser
      triangulation is experimentally investigated for 13 different specimens. The
      measurements were carried out with and without a laser speckle reducer. In the
      Materials and Methods section of this paper, the surfaces of the 13 specimens are
      characterized in order to be able to find correlations between the surface
      properties and the measurement uncertainty. The last section of this paper
      describes simulations of the measurement uncertainty, which allow for the
      calculation of the measurement uncertainty with only one source of uncertainty
      present. The considerations in this paper allow for the assessment of the
      measurement uncertainty of laser triangulation on any technical surface when some
      surface properties, such as roughness, are known.

PMID- 26502982
TI  - Intense PSMA-expression using (68)Ga-PSMA PET/CT in a paravertebral schwannoma
      mimicking prostate cancer metastasis.

PMID- 26502983
TI  - Paget bone disease demonstrated on (68)Ga-PSMA ligand PET/CT.

PMID- 26502984
TI  - Controlling Molecular Growth between Fractals and Crystals on Surfaces.
AB  - Recent studies demonstrate that simple functional molecules, which usually form
      two-dimensional (2D) crystal structures when adsorbed on solid substrates, are
      also able to self-assemble into ordered openwork fractal aggregates. To direct
      and control the growth of such fractal supramolecules, it is necessary to explore
      the conditions under which both fractal and crystalline patterns develop and
      coexist. In this contribution, we study the coexistence of Sierpinski triangle
      (ST) fractals and 2D molecular crystals that were formed by 4,4"-dihydroxy
      1,1':3',1"-terphenyl molecules on Au(111) in ultrahigh vacuum. Growth competition
      between the STs and 2D crystals was realized by tuning substrate and molecular
      surface coverage and changing the functional groups of the molecular building
      block. Density functional theory calculations and Monte Carlo simulations are
      used to characterize the process. Both experimental and theoretical results
      demonstrate the possibility of steering the surface self-assembly to generate
      fractal and nonfractal structures made up of the same molecular building block. 

PMID- 26502985
TI  - A Framework for Prioritizing Research Investments in Precision Medicine.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The adoption of precision medicine (PM) has been limited in
      practice to date, and yet its promise has attracted research investments.
      Developing foundational economic approaches for directing proper use of PM and
      stimulating growth in this area from multiple perspectives is thus quite timely.
      METHODS: Building on our previously developed expected value of individualized
      care (EVIC) framework, we conceptualize new decision-relevant metrics to better
      understand and forecast the expected value of PM. Several aspects of behavior at
      the patient, physician, and payer levels are considered that can inform the rate
      and manner in which PM innovations diffuse throughout the relevant population. We
      illustrate this framework and the methods using a retrospective evaluation of the
      use of OncotypeDx genomic test among breast cancer patients. RESULTS: The
      enriched metrics can help inform many facets of PM decision making, such as
      evaluating alternative reimbursement levels for PM tests, implementation and
      education programs for physicians and patients, and decisions around research
      investments by manufacturers and public entities. We replicated prior published
      results on evaluation of OncotypeDx among breast cancer patients but also
      illustrated that those results are based on assumptions that are often not met in
      practice. Instead, we show how incorporating more practical aspects of behavior
      around PM could lead to drastically different estimates of value. CONCLUSION: We
      believe that the framework and the methods presented can provide decision makers
      with more decision-relevant tools to explore the value of PM. There is a growing
      recognition that data on adoption is important to decision makers. More research
      is needed to develop prediction models for potential diffusion of PM
      technologies.

PMID- 26502986
TI  - Opening the "black box" of nodD3, nodD4 and nodD5 genes of Rhizobium tropici
      strain CIAT 899.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transcription of nodulation genes in rhizobial species is
      orchestrated by the regulatory nodD gene. Rhizobium tropici strain CIAT 899 is an
      intriguing species in possessing features such as broad host range, high
      tolerance of abiotic stresses and, especially, by carrying the highest known
      number of nodD genes--five--and the greatest diversity of Nod factors
      (lipochitooligosaccharides, LCOs). Here we shed light on the roles of the
      multiple nodD genes of CIAT 899 by reporting, for the first time, results
      obtained with nodD3, nodD4 and nodD5 mutants. METHODS: The three nodD mutants
      were built by insertion of Omega interposon. Nod factors were purified and
      identified by LC-MS/MS analyses. In addition, nodD1 and nodC relative gene
      expressions were measured by quantitative RT-PCR in the wt and derivative mutant
      strains. Phenotypic traits such as exopolysaccharide (EPS), lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS), swimming and swarming motilities, biofilm formation and indole acetid acid
      (IAA) production were also perfomed. All these experiments were carried out in
      presence of both inducers of CIAT 899, apigenin and salt. Finally, nodulation
      assays were evaluated in up to six different legumes, including common bean
      (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). RESULTS: Phenotypic and symbiotic properties, Nod
      factors and gene expression of nodD3, nodD4 and nodD5 mutants were compared with
      those of the wild-type (WT) CIAT 899, both in the presence and in the absence of
      the nod-gene-inducing molecule apigenin and of saline stress. No differences
      between the mutants and the WT were observed in exopolysaccharide (EPS) and
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS) profiles, motility, indole acetic acid (IAA) synthesis
      or biofilm production, either in the presence, or in the absence of inducers.
      Nodulation studies demonstrated the most complex regulatory system described so
      far, requiring from one (Leucaena leucocephala, Lotus burtii) to four (Lotus
      japonicus) nodD genes. Up to 38 different structures of Nod factors were
      detected, being higher under salt stress, except for the nodD5 mutant; in
      addition, a high number of structures was synthesized by the nodD4 mutant in the
      absence of any inducer. Probable activator (nodD3 and nodD5) or repressor roles
      (nodD4), possibly via nodD1 and/or nodD2, were attributed to the three nodD
      genes. Expression of nodC, nodD1 and each nodD studied by RT-qPCR confirmed that
      nodD3 is an activator of nodD1, both in the presence of apigenin and salt stress.
      In contrast, nodD4 might be an inducer with apigenin and a repressor under saline
      stress, whereas nodD5 was an inducer under both conditions. CONCLUSIONS: We
      report for R. tropici CIAT 899 the most complex model of regulation of nodulation
      genes described so far. Five nodD genes performed different roles depending on
      the host plant and the inducing environment. Nodulation required from one to four
      nodD genes, depending on the host legume. nodD3 and nodD5 were identified as
      activators of the nodD1 gene, whereas, for the first time, it was shown that a
      regulatory nodD gene-nodD4-might act as repressor or inducer, depending on the
      inducing environment, giving support to the hypothesis that nodD roles go beyond
      nodulation, in terms of responses to abiotic stresses.

PMID- 26502987
TI  - School-based brief psycho-educational intervention to raise adolescent cancer
      awareness and address barriers to medical help-seeking about cancer: a cluster
      randomised controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Raising cancer awareness and addressing barriers to help-seeking may
      improve early diagnosis. The aim was to assess whether a psycho-educational
      intervention increased adolescents' cancer awareness and addressed help-seeking
      barriers. METHODS: This was a cluster randomised controlled trial involving 2173
      adolescents in 20 schools. The intervention was a 50-min presentation delivered
      by a member of Teenage Cancer Trust's (UK charity) education team. Schools were
      stratified by deprivation and roll size and randomly allocated to
      intervention/control conditions within these strata. Outcome measures were the
      number of cancer warning signs and cancer risk factors recognised, help-seeking
      barriers endorsed and cancer communication. Communication self-efficacy and
      intervention fidelity were also assessed. RESULTS: Regression models showed
      significant differences in the number of cancer warning signs and risk factors
      recognised between intervention and control groups. In intervention schools, the
      greatest increases in recognition of cancer warning signs at 6-month follow-up
      were for unexplained weight loss (from 44.2% to 62.0%) and change in the
      appearance of a mole (from 46.3% to 70.7%), up by 17.8% and 24.4%, respectively.
      Greatest increases in recognition of cancer risk factors were for getting
      sunburnt more than once as a child (from 41.0% to 57.6%) and being overweight
      (from 42.7% to 55.5%), up by 16.6% and 12.8%, respectively. Regression models
      showed that adolescents in intervention schools were 2.7 times more likely to
      discuss cancer at 2-week follow-up compared with the control group. No
      differences in endorsement of barriers to help-seeking were observed.
      CONCLUSIONS: School-based brief psycho-educational interventions are easy to
      deliver, require little resource and improve cancer awareness. (c) 2015 The
      Authors. Psycho-Oncology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PMID- 26502989
TI  - Kidney cancer: TKIs associated with stroke risk.

PMID- 26502988
TI  - Efficient self-assembly and protective efficacy of infectious bursal disease
      virus-like particles by a recombinant baculovirus co-expressing precursor
      polyprotein and VP4.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Virus-like particle (VLP) technology is considered one of the most
      promising approaches in animal vaccines, due to the intrinsic immunogenic
      properties as well as high safety profile of VLPs. In this study, we developed a
      VLP vaccine against infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), which causes
      morbidity and mortality in chickens, by expressing a baculovirus in insect cells.
      METHODS: To improve the self-proteolytic processing of precursor polyprotein
      (PP), we constructed a recombinant baculovirus transfer vector that co-expresses
      PP and the VP4 protease gene of IBDV. RESULTS: Expression and VLP assembly of
      recombinant proteins and antigenicity of the VLP were examined by Western
      blotting, ELISA, and transmission electron microscopy. In animal experiments,
      vaccination with the recombinant VLP induced strong and uniform humoral immunity
      and provided complete protection against challenge with very virulent (vv) IBDV
      in SPF chickens (n = 12). As determined by the bursa of Fabricius (BF)/body
      weight (B/BW) ratio, the protection against post-challenge bursal atrophy was
      significantly higher (P < 0.001) in VLP-vaccinated birds than in non-vaccinated
      controls. CONCLUSIONS: Since the protective efficacy of the VLP vaccine was
      comparable to that of a commercially available inactivated vaccine, the
      recombinant VLP merits further investigation as an alternative means of
      protection against vvIBD.

PMID- 26502990
TI  - Science and society: The influence of charities in the field of men's health.

PMID- 26502993
TI  - Heralded high-efficiency quantum repeater with atomic ensembles assisted by
      faithful single-photon transmission.
AB  - Quantum repeater is one of the important building blocks for long distance
      quantum communication network. The previous quantum repeaters based on atomic
      ensembles and linear optical elements can only be performed with a maximal
      success probability of 1/2 during the entanglement creation and entanglement
      swapping procedures. Meanwhile, the polarization noise during the entanglement
      distribution process is harmful to the entangled channel created. Here we
      introduce a general interface between a polarized photon and an atomic ensemble
      trapped in a single-sided optical cavity, and with which we propose a high
      efficiency quantum repeater protocol in which the robust entanglement
      distribution is accomplished by the stable spatial-temporal entanglement and it
      can in principle create the deterministic entanglement between neighboring atomic
      ensembles in a heralded way as a result of cavity quantum electrodynamics.
      Meanwhile, the simplified parity-check gate makes the entanglement swapping be
      completed with unity efficiency, other than 1/2 with linear optics. We detail the
      performance of our protocol with current experimental parameters and show its
      robustness to the imperfections, i.e., detuning and coupling variation, involved
      in the reflection process. These good features make it a useful building block in
      long distance quantum communication. 

PMID- 26502992
TI  - Sequence analysis, expression profiles and function of thioredoxin 2 and
      thioredoxin reductase 1 in resistance to nucleopolyhedrovirus in Helicoverpa
      armigera.
AB  - The thioredoxin system, including NADPH, thioredoxin (Trx), and thioredoxin
      reductase (TrxR), plays significant roles in maintaining intracellular redox
      homeostasis and protecting organisms against oxidative damage. In this study, the
      characteristics and functions of H. armigera HaTrx2 and HaTrxR1 were identified.
      Sequence analysis showed that HaTrx2 and HaTrxR1 were both highly conserved and
      shared high sequence identity with other insect counterparts. The mRNA of HaTrx2
      was expressed the highest in 5th instar 96 h and was mainly detected in heads and
      epidermis. The expression of HaTrxR1 was highly concentrated in 5th instar 72 h
      and 96 h, and higher in malpighian tube, midgut and hemocyte than other examined
      tissues. HaTrx2 and HaTrxR1 were markedly induced by various types of stress.
      HaTrx2- or HaTrxR1-knockdown increased ROS production in hemocytes and also
      increased the lipid damage in NPV infected H. armigera larvae. Furthermore,
      interference with expression of HaTrx2 or HaTrxR1 transcripts in H. armigera
      larvae resulted in increased sensitivity to NPV infection and shortened LT50
      values. Our findings indicated that HaTrx2 and HaTrxR1 contribute to the
      susceptibility of H. armigera to NPV and also provided the theoretical basis for
      the in-depth study of insect thioredoxin system. 

PMID- 26502991
TI  - Advances in understanding and treating premature ejaculation.
AB  - Over the past several years, many advances have been made in our understanding of
      the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management of premature ejaculation. Newly
      developed definitions of premature ejaculation are now available, and our
      perception of the classification, prevalence, aetiological factors, and treatment
      options for premature ejaculation have evolved. Despite ongoing research, there
      remains much to be learned about all aspects of this common sexual disorder, in
      particular effective clinical diagnosis and treatment options.

PMID- 26502995
TI  - Chrysin inhibits human airway smooth muscle cells proliferation through the
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 signaling pathway.
AB  - Asthma is a chronic airway inflammatory disease characterized by an increased
      mass of airway smooth muscle (ASM). Chrysin (5,7-dihydroxyflavone), a natural
      flavonoid, has been shown to exert multiple biological activities, including anti
      inflammatory, anti-proliferative and anti-oxidant effects, as well as the potency
      to ameliorate asthma in animal models. The objective of the present study was to
      identify the underlying mechanism of the therapeutic effects of chrysin. The
      impact of chrysin on basal and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced
      proliferation and apoptosis of human airway smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) was
      investigated. Furthermore, the activation of the extracellular signal-regulated
      protein kinase (ERK) signaling pathway was evaluated in HASMCs. The results
      revealed that chrysin significantly inhibited basal as well as PDGF-induced HASMC
      proliferation, most likely through the suppression of ERK1/2 phosphorylation.
      However, chrysin did not significantly reduce PDGF-induced apoptosis of HASMCs.
      The present study indicated that chrysin may be a promising medication for
      controlling airway remodeling and clinical manifestations of asthma.

PMID- 26502994
TI  - Acid-induced off-response of PKD2L1 channel in Xenopus oocytes and its regulation
      by Ca(2.).
AB  - Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) protein 2 Like 1 (PKD2L1), also called transient
      receptor potential polycystin-3 (TRPP3), regulates Ca(2+)-dependent hedgehog
      signalling in primary cilia, intestinal development and sour tasting but with an
      unclear mechanism. PKD2L1 is a Ca(2+)-permeable cation channel that is activated
      by extracellular Ca(2+) (on-response) in Xenopus oocytes. PKD2L1 co-expressed
      with PKD protein 1 Like 3 (PKD1L3) exhibits extracellular acid-induced activation
      (off-response, i.e., activation following acid removal) but whether PKD1L3
      participates in acid sensing remains unclear. Here we used the two-microelectrode
      voltage-clamp, site directed mutagenesis, Western blotting, reverse transcriptase
      polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunofluorescence, and showed that PKD2L1
      expressed in oocytes exhibits sustained off-response currents in the absence of
      PKD1L3. PKD1L3 co-expression augmented the PKD2L1 plasma membrane localization
      but did not alter the observed properties of the off-response. PKD2L1 off
      response was inhibited by an increase in intracellular Ca(2+). We also identified
      two intra-membrane residues aspartic acid 349 (D349) and glutamic acid 356 (E356)
      in the third transmembrane domain that are critical for PKD2L1 channel function.
      Our study suggests that PKD2L1 may itself sense acids and defines off-response
      properties in the absence of PKD1L3. 

PMID- 26502997
TI  - Self-focused and other-focused resiliency: Plausible mechanisms linking early
      family adversity to health problems in college women.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether self-focused and other-focused resiliency
      help explain how early family adversity relates to perceived stress, subjective
      health, and health behaviors in college women. PARTICIPANTS: Female students (N =
      795) participated between October 2009 and May 2010. METHODS: Participants
      completed self-report measures of early family adversity, self-focused (self
      esteem, personal growth initiative) and other-focused (perceived social support,
      gratitude) resiliency, stress, subjective health, and health behaviors. RESULTS:
      Using structural equation modeling, self-focused resiliency associated with less
      stress, better subjective health, more sleep, less smoking, and less weekend
      alcohol consumption. Other-focused resiliency associated with more exercise,
      greater stress, and more weekend alcohol consumption. Early family adversity was
      indirectly related to all health outcomes, except smoking, via self-focused and
      other-focused resiliency. CONCLUSIONS: Self-focused and other-focused resiliency
      represent plausible mechanisms through which early family adversity relates to
      stress and health in college women. This highlights areas for future research in
      disease prevention and management.

PMID- 26502996
TI  - Croconaine rotaxane for acid activated photothermal heating and ratiometric
      photoacoustic imaging of acidic pH.
AB  - Absorption of 808 nm laser light by liposomes containing a pH sensitive, near
      infrared croconaine rotaxane dye increases dramatically in weak acid. A stealth
      liposome composition permits acid activated, photothermal heating and also acts
      as an effective nanoparticle probe for ratiometric photoacoustic imaging of
      acidic pH in deep sample locations, including a living mouse. 

PMID- 26502998
TI  - Association between GRIN2A promoter polymorphism and recovery from concussion.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine genetic variability within the N-methyl-D-aspartate
      receptor 2A sub-unit (GRIN2A) gene promoter and its association with concussion
      recovery time. The hypothesis tested was that there would be a difference in
      allele and/or genotype distribution between two groups of athletes with normal
      and prolonged recovery. METHODS: DNA was extracted from saliva collected from a
      total of 87 athletes with a physician-diagnosed concussion. The (GT) variable
      number tandem repeats (VNTR) within the promoter region of GRIN2A was genotyped.
      The long (L) allele was an allele with >=25 repeats and the short (S) allele was
      an allele with <25 repeats in the GT tract. Participants' recovery time was
      followed prospectively and was categorized as normal (<=60 days) or prolonged
      (>60 days). RESULTS: LL carriers were 6-times more likely to recover longer than
      60 days following the concussive event (p = 0.0433) when compared to SS carriers.
      Additionally, L allele carriers were found more frequently in the prolonged
      recovery group (p = 0.048). CONCLUSION: Determining genetic influence on
      concussion recovery will aid in future development of genetic counselling. The
      clinical relevance of genotyping athletes could improve management of athletes
      who experience concussion injuries.

PMID- 26502999
TI  - Four-hour delayed memory recall for stories: Theoretical and clinical
      implications of measuring accelerated long-term forgetting.
AB  - It has been noted that clinical neuropsychological assessment is "blind" to
      certain abnormalities of consolidation that occur beyond standard 30-min delay
      intervals. For example, normal forgetting at 30-min delays has been followed by
      enhanced forgetting at longer delays in temporal-lobe epilepsy, termed
      accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF). To evaluate whether ALF could be
      identified in the neuropsychological assessment of a small sample of examinees
      with head injuries or other neurological diagnoses (n = 42), a 4-hr delayed
      recall condition was added to the Logical Memory subtest of the Wechsler Memory
      Scale-Third Edition. A small percentage of examinees (5/42 or 11%), despite
      exhibiting unimpaired story recall immediately and after 30-min delays, showed
      increased forgetting when compared with the average retention of stories (M =
      0.83, SD = 0.17) after a 4-hr delay. Three of these 5 examinees also had impaired
      scores on 20-min delayed recall of the California Verbal Learning Test-Second
      Edition (CVLT-II) and would have been identified as having memory impairment
      without an extended, 4-hr delayed recall. In fact, the highest correlation among
      memory indexes was between 4-hr delayed recall of stories and delayed recall of
      the CVLT-II word list (r = .59, p < .0001), suggesting different consolidation
      rates for relational and nonrelational material. 

PMID- 26503000
TI  - Hyperamylinemia as a risk factor for accelerated cognitive decline in diabetes.
AB  - Type II diabetes increases the risk for cognitive decline via multiple traits.
      Amylin is a pancreatic hormone that has amyloidogenic and cytotoxic properties
      similar to the amyloid-beta peptide. The amylin hormone is overexpressed in
      individuals with pre-diabetic insulin resistance or obesity leading to amylin
      oligomerization and deposition in pancreatic islets. Amylin oligomerization was
      implicated in the apoptosis of the insulin-producing beta-cells. Recent studies
      showed that brain tissue from diabetic patients with cerebrovascular dementia or
      Alzheimer's disease contains significant deposits of oligomerized amylin. It has
      also been reported that the brain amylin deposition reduced exploratory drive,
      recognition memory and vestibulomotor function in a rat model that overexpresses
      human amylin in the pancreas. These novel findings are reviewed here and the
      hypothesis that type II diabetes is linked with cognitive decline by amylin
      accumulation in the brain is proposed. Deciphering the impact of hyperamylinemia
      on the brain is critical for both etiology and treatment of dementia. 

PMID- 26503001
TI  - The venae comitantes clipping test for the evaluation of the venous drainage of
      the radial forearm free flap.
AB  - Risks of failure of the radial forearm free flap (FRFF) are mainly related to
      venous congestion. Two different venous drainage system have been described for
      the FRFF, but the choice of the best one is still controversial. The superficial
      systems have a larger diameter and a thicker wall veins which makes them easier
      to anastomose. The deep system provides most part of the venous outflow if the
      caliber of the venae comitantes (VCs) is adequate. We propose an intra-operative
      method to evaluate the FRFF venous drainage: the VCs clipping test. The test has
      been used in the choice of the vein to anastomose in 12 consecutive patients with
      oral cavity post oncological defects reconstructed with the FRFF. The cephalic
      vein was included in the flap; the VCs were individually clipped with small liga
      clips and divided with the radial artery still patent. The flap was kept with
      arterial inflow and superficial venous outflow till the recipient site was ready.
      If there were no signs of venous stasis, the VCs were kept clipped and the
      cephalic vein anastomosis was made. If clinical signs of venous stasis were
      revealed, the largest of the VCs was anastomosed to a vein of adequate caliber in
      the neck. No signs of flap venous congestion were observed in the postoperative
      period. No flap necrosis occurred. In this small series of patients the venae
      comitantes clipping test showed to be an easy, reliable and reproducible method
      to assess intra-operatively which vein to anastomose. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc. Microsurgery 36:647-650, 2016.

PMID- 26503003
TI  - Less indoor cleaning is associated with poor health and unhappiness in adults:
      Japanese General Social Survey, 2010.
AB  - Indoor environment is important to human health and well-being. The aim of the
      present study was to investigate the relationships among indoor cleaning, rubbish
      disposal and human health and well-being in a national and population-based
      setting. Data was retrieved from the Japanese General Social Survey, 2010.
      Information on demographics, lifestyle factors, frequency of indoor cleaning and
      rubbish disposal and self-reported health and well-being in Japanese adults was
      obtained by household interview. Analysis included chi-square test, logistic and
      multi-nominal regression modelling. Of 5003 Japanese adults (aged 20-89) included
      in the study cohort, 11.4 % (n = 566) never cleaned their living place, 39.1 %
      had occasional cleaning and 49.6 % had frequent cleaning. Moreover, 17.5 % (n =
      869) never disposed rubbish, 24.9 % had occasional rubbish disposal and 57.6 %
      had frequent rubbish disposal. 15.0 % of Japanese adults claimed poor self-rated
      health, and 5.9 % reported unhappiness. Compared to people who frequently cleaned
      the living place, others tended to report poor self-rated health condition
      (relative risk ratios (RRR) 1.52, 95 % confidence intervals (CI) 1.24-1.85, P <
      0.001) and unhappiness (RRR 1.47, 95 % CI 1.10-1.95, P < 0.001). The combined
      effects of never cleaning and never rubbish disposal significantly impacted on
      poor self-rated health (RRR 2.61, 95 % CI 1.40-4.88, P = 0.003) and unhappiness
      (RRR 2.72, 95 % CI 1.72-4.30, P < 0.001). Only half of the Japanese population
      frequently cleaned their living place and disposed rubbish. Less or never
      cleaning and rubbish disposal were associated with poor self-rated health,
      subjective happiness and potentially other health conditions. Public education on
      maintaining clean indoor environments to optimise psychological well-being in
      addition to the known physical health would be suggested.

PMID- 26503002
TI  - PCBs attenuation and abundance of Dehalococcoides spp., bphC, CheA, and flic
      genes in typical polychlorinated biphenyl-polluted soil under floody and dry soil
      conditions.
AB  - This study investigates PCBs attenuation and the abundance of active
      polychlorinated-degrading Dehalococcoides spp. biphenyl dioxygenase (bphC),
      chemotaxis (CheA), and flagellum (flic) genes in floody and dry soil conditions
      polluted with polychlorinated biphenyls. The results revealed that total PCBs,
      high chlorinated PCBs (>4 cl), and less chlorinated PCBs (<4 cl) decreased with
      the passage of time in floody and dry soil conditions. The reduction of total
      PCBs (13.87%) and less chlorinated PCBs (15.39%) was more in dry soil than floody
      soil, while high chlorinated PCBs showed more reduction in floody soil (8.06%)
      than dry soil. Dehaloccoides spp., bphC, CheA, and flic genes indicated temporal
      dynamics in abundance in floody and dry soil conditions. The highest abundance
      was 1.6 * 10(9), 3.7 * 10(4), and 3.6 * 10(2) copies in floody and 1.6 * 10(4)
      copies in dry soil for Dehalococcoides spp., bphC, CheA, and flic, respectively.
      Multivariate statistics (RDA) revealed that Dehaloccoides spp. were positively
      influenced by the higher chlorinated PCBs and soil physical properties, CheA gene
      with floody soil, flic gene with total PCBs and less chlorinated PCBs, and bphC
      gene was affected with moisture contents and less chlorinated PCBs. This study
      provides new insight in the attenuation of PCBs and the abundance of active
      Dehalococcoides spp. and genes in PCBs polluted soil under floody and dry soil
      conditions.

PMID- 26503004
TI  - Genotoxic effects of chromium oxide nanoparticles and microparticles in Wistar
      rats after 28 days of repeated oral exposure.
AB  - The nanotechnology industry has advanced rapidly in the last 10 years giving rise
      to the growth of the nanoparticles (NPs) with great potential in various arenas.
      However, the same properties that make NPs interesting raise concerns because
      their toxicity has not been explored. The in vivo toxicology of chromium oxide
      (Cr2O3)-NPs is not known till date. Therefore, this study investigated the 28-day
      repeated toxicity after 30, 300 and 1000 mg/kg body weight (bw)/day oral
      treatment with Cr2O3-NPs and Cr2O3 microparticles (MPs) in Wistar rats. The mean
      size of Cr2O3-NPs and Cr2O3-MPs was 34.89 +/- 2.65 nm and 3.76 +/- 3.41 MUm,
      respectively. Genotoxicity was assessed using comet, micronucleus and chromosomal
      aberration (CA) assays. The results revealed a significant increase in DNA damage
      in peripheral blood leucocytes and liver, micronuclei and CA in bone marrow after
      exposure of 300 and 1000 mg/kg doses of Cr2O3-NPs and Cr2O3-MPs only at 1000
      mg/kg bw/day. Cr biodistribution was observed in all the tissues in a dose
      dependent manner. The maximum amount of Cr was found in the kidneys and least in
      the brain of the treated rats. More of the Cr was excreted in the faeces than in
      the urine. Furthermore, nanotreated rats displayed much higher absorption and
      tissue accumulation. These findings provide initial data of the probable
      genotoxicity and biodistribution of NPs and MPs of Cr2O3 generated through
      repeated oral treatment.

PMID- 26503005
TI  - Aerobic debromination of BDE-209 by Rhodococcus sp. coupled with zerovalent
      iron/activated carbon.
AB  - In this study, an aerobic strain identified as Rhodococcus sp. was isolated from
      the sediment of a typical electronic waste disassemble site, Taizhou, China. This
      strain could use BDE-209 as the sole carbon and energy source and degrade 65.1%
      of BDE-209 (initial concentration being 50 mg/L) within 144 h. To explore the BDE
      209 degradation properties of this strain with the co-existed electronic donor,
      zerovalent iron/activated carbon (ZVI/AC) was introduced to build a microbial
      chemical coupling system, which was found to promote the degradation of BDE-209
      slightly (74.7% in 144 h). Moreover, the debromination products in both of the
      batch experiments were determined with GC/MS, which showed that lower brominated
      PBDE congeners were produced almost in order of the number of bromine ions,
      ranged from nona- to di-BDEs. In addition, the possible debromination pathways of
      BDE-209 for each system were proposed respectively, which confirmed the microbial
      activity of BDE-209 debromination. Since some of the lower-brominated BDE
      congeners are much toxic than BDE-209, these microbial activities might bring
      potential hazards to the environment with BDE-209 contamination. It is the first
      time to investigate the transformation of BDE-209 with microbial-chemical
      coupling system, which is universal in the nature, thus suggesting that the
      ecological safety of environment exposed to PBDEs should be focused in the
      future.

PMID- 26503006
TI  - Modeling the dynamics of DDT in a remote tropical floodplain: indications of post
      ban use?
AB  - Significant knowledge gaps exist regarding the fate and transport of persistent
      organic pollutants like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in tropical
      environments. In Brazil, indoor residual spraying with DDT to combat malaria and
      leishmaniasis began in the 1950s and was banned in 1998. Nonetheless, high
      concentrations of DDT and its metabolites were recently detected in human breast
      milk in the community of Lake Puruzinho in the Brazilian Amazon. In this work, we
      couple analysis of soils and sediments from 2005 to 2014 at Puruzinho with a
      novel dynamic floodplain model to investigate the movement and distribution of
      DDT and its transformation products (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and
      dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD)) and implications for human exposure. The
      model results are in good agreement with the accumulation pattern observed in the
      measurements, in which DDT, DDE, and DDD (collectively, DDX) accumulate primarily
      in upland soils and sediments. However, a significant increase was observed in
      DDX concentrations in soil samples from 2005 to 2014, coupled with a decrease of
      DDT/DDE ratios, which do not agree with model results assuming a post-ban regime.
      These observations strongly suggest recent use. We used the model to investigate
      possible re-emissions after the ban through two scenarios: one assuming DDT use
      for IRS and the other assuming use against termites and leishmaniasis. Median DDX
      concentrations and p,p'-DDT/p,p'-DDE ratios from both of these scenarios agreed
      with measurements in soils, suggesting that the soil parameterization in our
      model was appropriate. Measured DDX concentrations in sediments were between the
      two re-emission scenarios. Therefore, both soil and sediment comparisons suggest
      re-emissions indeed occurred between 2005 and 2014, but additional measurements
      would be needed to better understand the actual re-emission patterns. Monte Carlo
      analysis revealed model predictions for sediments were very sensitive to highly
      uncertain parameters associated with DDT degradation and partitioning. With this
      model as a tool for understanding inter-media cycling, additional research to
      refine these parameters would improve our understanding of DDX fate and transport
      in tropical sediments. 

PMID- 26503007
TI  - Risk assessment of heavy metals from combustion of pelletized municipal sewage
      sludge.
AB  - Fly ash and slag are important by-products obtained from combustion of municipal
      sewage sludge (MSS) after pelletization. The quantitative environmental impact
      assessment of heavy metals in fly ash and slag, compared to MSS, were performed
      in accordance with bioavailability and eco-toxicity, geo-accumulation index
      (GAI), risk assessment code (RAC), and potential ecological risk index (PERI).
      The results demonstrated that not only direct but also long-term bioavailability
      and eco-toxicity of heavy metals in fly ash and slag decreased except direct
      bioavailability and eco-toxicity of Pb in fly ash. The GAI demonstrated that
      combustion significantly weakened (P < 0.05) the pollution levels of heavy
      metals. PERI indicated that all risks attributed to heavy metals were
      significantly lowered (P < 0.05) from 777.07 (very high risk) in MSS to 288.72
      (moderate risk) and 64.55 (low risk) in fly ash and slag, respectively. In terms
      of the RAC, seven heavy metals had low even no risk to the environments after
      combustion besides As in slag. The environmental risk of heavy metals in fly ash
      and slag was decreased compared with MSS. However, the results of PERI showed
      that fly ash had a moderate risk.

PMID- 26503008
TI  - Seasonal, interannual, and long-term variabilities in biomass burning activity
      over South Asia.
AB  - The seasonal, interannual, and long-term variations in biomass burning activity
      and related emissions are not well studied over South Asia. In this regard,
      active fire location retrievals from the Moderate Resolution Imaging
      Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the retrievals of aerosol optical depth (AOD) from
      MODIS Terra, and tropospheric column NO2 from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)
      are used to understand the effects of biomass burning on the tropospheric
      pollution loadings over South Asia during 2003-2013. Biomass burning emission
      estimates from Global Fire Emission Database (GFED) and Global Fire Assimilation
      System (GFAS) are also used to quantify uncertainties and regional discrepancies
      in the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and black carbon
      (BC) due to biomass burning in South Asia. In the Asian continent, the frequency
      of fire activity is highest over Southeast Asia, followed by South Asia and East
      Asia. The biomass burning activity in South Asia shows a distinct seasonal cycle
      that peaks during February-May with some differences among four (north, central,
      northeast, and south) regions in India. The annual biomass burning activity in
      north, central, and south regions shows an increasing tendency, particularly
      after 2008, while a decrease is seen in northeast region during 2003-2013. The
      increase in fire counts over the north and central regions contributes 24 % of
      the net enhancement in fire counts over South Asia. MODIS AOD and OMI
      tropospheric column NO2 retrievals are classified into high and low fire activity
      periods and show that biomass burning leads to significant enhancement in
      tropospheric pollution loading over both the cropland and forest regions. The
      enhancement is much higher (110-176 %) over the forest region compared to the
      cropland (34-62 %) region. Further efforts are required to understand the
      implications of biomass burning on the regional air quality and climate of South
      Asia.

PMID- 26503009
TI  - Ionic liquid-modified silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles: promising adsorbents
      for ultra-fast extraction of paraquat from aqueous solution.
AB  - In the present study, ionic liquid-modified silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles
      (Fe3O4@SiO2@IL) were synthesized and applied as adsorbents for extraction and
      determination of paraquat (PQ) followed by high-performance liquid
      chromatography. For assurance of the extraction efficiency, the obtained results
      were compared with those obtained by bared magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs).
      Experimental design and response surface methodology were used for optimization
      of different parameters which affect extraction efficiency of paraquat using both
      adsorbents. Under the optimized conditions, extraction recoveries in the range of
      20-25 and 35-40 % with satisfactory repeatability values (RSDs%, n = 4) less than
      5.0 % were obtained for bared MNPs and Fe3O4@SiO2@IL, respectively. The limits of
      detection were 0.1 and 0.25 MUg/L using Fe3O4@SiO2@IL and bared MNPs,
      respectively. The linearity was obtained in the range of 0.25 to 25 MUg/L and 0.5
      to 25 MUg/L for Fe3O4@SiO2@IL and bared MNPs, respectively, with the coefficients
      of determination better than 0.9950. Finally, Fe3O4@SiO2@IL was chosen as
      superior adsorbent due to more dispersion ability, higher extraction recovery,
      lower detection limit, as well as better linearity and repeatability. Calculated
      errors (%) were in the range of 3 to 10 % depicting acceptable accuracy for the
      analysis of PQ by the proposed method. Finally, the method was successfully
      applied for extraction and determination of PQ in some water and countryside soil
      samples.

PMID- 26503010
TI  - Incidence and 1-Year Outcomes of Perioperative Atrial Arrhythmia in Elderly
      Adults After Hip Fracture Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence and 1-year outcomes of an elderly
      population with perioperative atrial arrhythmia (PAA) within 7 days of hip
      fracture surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: The Rochester
      Epidemiology Project (REP). PARTICIPANTS: Elderly adults consecutive undergoing
      hip fracture repair from 1988 to 2002 in Olmsted County, Minnesota (N = 1,088,
      mean age 84.0 +/- 7.4, 80.2% female). MEASUREMENTS: Baseline clinical variables
      were analyzed in relation to survival using Cox proportional hazards methods for
      comparison. RESULTS: Sixty-one participants (5.6%) developed PAA within the first
      7 days. During 1 year of follow-up, 239 (22%) participants died. PAA was
      associated with greater mortality (45% vs 21%; hazard ratio (HR) = 2.8, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) = 1.9-4.2). Other mortality risk factors were male sex
      (HR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.5-2.6), congestive heart failure (HR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.7
      2.8), chronic renal insufficiency (HR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.5-2.8), dementia (HR =
      2.9, 95% CI = 2.2-3.7), and American Society of Anesthesiologists risk Class III,
      IV, or V (HR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.9-5.9). CONCLUSION: Elderly adults undergoing hip
      fracture surgery who develop PAA within 7 days have significantly higher 1-year
      mortality than those who do not. Further studies are indicated to determine
      whether prevention of PAA will reduce mortality in this population.

PMID- 26503011
TI  - Public health impact of strain specific immunity to Borrelia burgdorferi.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common tick
      borne infection in the United States. Although humans can be infected by at least
      16 different strains of B. burgdorferi, the overwhelming majority of infections
      are due to only four strains. It was recently demonstrated that patients who are
      treated for early Lyme disease develop immunity to the specific strain of B.
      burgdorferi that caused their infection. The aim of this study is to estimate the
      reduction in cases of Lyme disease in the United States that may occur as a
      result of type specific immunity. METHODS: The analysis was performed based on
      three analytical models that assessed the effects of type specific immunity.
      Observational data on the frequency with which different B. burgdorferi strains
      cause human infection in culture-confirmed patients with an initial episode of
      erythema migrans diagnosed between 1991 and 2005 in the Northeastern United
      States were used in the analyses. RESULTS: Assuming a reinfection rate of 3 % and
      a total incidence of Lyme disease per year of 300,000, the estimated number of
      averted cases of Lyme disease per year ranges from 319 to 2378 depending on the
      duration of type specific immunity and the model used. CONCLUSION: Given the
      assumptions of the analyses, this analysis suggests that type specific immunity
      is likely to have public health significance in the United States.

PMID- 26503012
TI  - How revascularization on the beating heart with cardiopulmonary bypass compares
      to off-pump? A meta-analysis of observational studies.
AB  - Off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery has been a controversial area of debate
      and the outcome profile of the technique has been thoroughly investigated.
      Scepticism regarding the reported outcomes and the conduct of the randomized
      trials comparing this technique with conventional on-pump coronary artery bypass
      surgery has been widely voiced, and the technique of off-pump surgery remains as
      an infrequently adopted approach to myocardial revascularization worldwide.
      Criticisms of the technique are related to lower rates of complete
      revascularization and its unknown long-term consequences, the significant
      detrimental effects on mortality and major adverse events when emergency
      conversion is required, and the significant lack of long-term survival and
      morbidity data. The hybrid technique of myocardial revascularization on the
      beating heart with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass may theoretically provide
      the beneficial effects of off-pump surgery in terms of myocardial protection and
      organ protection, while providing the safety and stability of on-pump surgery to
      allow complete revascularization. Large randomized comparison to support evidence
      based choices is currently lacking. In this article, we have meta-analysed the
      outcomes of on-pump beating heart surgery in comparison with off-pump surgery
      focusing on major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular adverse events
      (MACCE) including mortality, stroke and myocardial infarction and the degree of
      revascularization and number of bypass grafts performed. It was demonstrated that
      the beating heart on-pump technique allows a significantly higher number of
      bypass grafts to be performed, resulting in significantly higher degree of
      revascularization. We have also demonstrated a slightly higher rate of 30-day
      mortality and MACCE with the technique although not at a statistically
      significant level. These results should be considered alongside the population
      risk profile, where a significantly higher risk cohort had undergone the beating
      heart on-pump technique. Long-term survival and morbidity figures are required to
      assess the impact of these findings in the coronary surgery patient population. 

PMID- 26503013
TI  - Endovascular repair of pseudoaneurysms after open surgery for aortic coarctation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To analyse early and long-term results of thoracic endovascular
      aortic repair (TEVAR) in patients with pseudoaneurysms after open aortic
      coarctation (CoA) repair. METHODS: A total of 11 patients of 418 patients who had
      been treated with TEVAR during the period from January 1998 to April 2015 (8
      males; median age 53 years) were retrospectively analysed. Dacron patch
      aortoplasty was primarily performed in 9 patients and subclavian flap aortoplasty
      in 2 patients. Seven of the 11 patients had asymptomatic pseudoaneurysms (median
      diameter 56 mm, range 20-65 mm) diagnosed by routine screening. Symptomatic
      patients presented with haemoptysis, lower limb ischaemia, haemodynamic collapse
      and back pain and underwent emergency repair (4/11). Adjunctive procedures at the
      proximal landing zone were required in 7/11 patients. The median number of
      implanted endoprostheses per patient was 1 (range: 1-5). The median follow-up was
      60 months (range 6-161 months). RESULTS: Technical success was achieved in 91%
      (10/11; 1 secondary elective open conversion). The 30-day mortality was 0%. The
      stroke rate was 18% (2 non-disabling strokes). In 2 patients (20%), stent-graft
      displacement during deployment was observed. The reintervention rate was 33%
      (Type Ib endoleak, left arm claudication, partial coverage of the left common
      carotid artery). Clinical success during follow-up was achieved in 10/11
      patients. In 9/10 patients, aneurysm sac shrinkage was observed. The Type II
      endoleak rate was 10% (1/10; intercostal artery). The overall mortality rate was
      9% (1 patient died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular
      treatment of post-coarctation pseudoaneurysms is feasible in elective and
      emergency cases, yielding durable results in the long term. Due to anatomical
      specifics, implantation may be challenging and requires careful procedural
      planning. On-site cardiothoracic surgery backup is essential in case open
      conversion is required.

PMID- 26503014
TI  - Aroused with heart: Modulation of heartbeat evoked potential by arousal induction
      and its oscillatory correlates.
AB  - Recent studies showed that the visceral information is constantly processed by
      the brain, thereby potentially influencing cognition. One index of such process
      is the heartbeat evoked potential (HEP), an ERP component related to the cortical
      processing of the heartbeat. The HEP is sensitive to a number of factors such as
      motivation, attention, pain, which are associated with higher levels of arousal.
      However, the role of arousal and its associated brain oscillations on the HEP has
      not been characterized, yet it could underlie the previous findings. Here we
      analysed the effects of high- (HA) and low-arousal (LA) induction on the HEP.
      Further, we investigated the brain oscillations and their role in the HEP in
      response to HA and LA inductions. As compared to LA, HA was associated with a
      higher HEP and lower alpha oscillations. Interestingly, individual differences in
      the HEP modulation by arousal induction were correlated with alpha oscillations.
      In particular, participants with higher alpha power during the arousal inductions
      showed a larger HEP in response to HA compared to LA. In summary, we demonstrated
      that arousal induction affects the cortical processing of heartbeats; and that
      the alpha oscillations may modulate this effect. 

PMID- 26503016
TI  - Prognostic implications of RB1 tumour suppressor gene alterations in the clinical
      outcome of human osteosarcoma: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Primary osteosarcoma is the most frequent malignant bone cancer in children and
      teenagers. Genetic alterations at the retinoblastoma 1 (RB1) gene has been
      implicated in the development and progression of human osteosarcoma. Here, we
      performed a meta-analysis to examine the impact of RB1 mutations on the survival
      of osteosarcoma patients, the risk of metastasis and the histological response of
      osteosarcoma to chemotherapy. A systemic review of the Medline, Embase, Scopus
      and Cochrane Library yielded 12 eligible studies with 491 patients for this
      study. Forest plots resulting from our meta-analyses illustrate that loss of RB1
      function results in a 1.62-fold increase in the mortality rate for osteosarcoma
      patients (RR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.23-2.13; Z = 3.44, P = 0.0006), a significant
      increase in osteosarcoma metastasis (OR = 3.95, 95% CI: 1.86-8.38; Z = 3.57; P =
      0.0004), and a significant reduction in the histological response of osteosarcoma
      to chemotherapy (OR = 0.35; 95% CI: 0.13-0.94; Z = -2.08; P = 0.038).
      Additionally, the nearly symmetrical funnel plot (Egger's test, t = 1.15, P =
      0.288) indicates absence of publication bias regarding the meta-analysis that
      examined the correlation of RB1 alterations with the survival rate for
      osteosarcoma patients. Our findings suggest that RB1 alterations may serve as a
      prognostic marker for the management of osteosarcoma patients.

PMID- 26503015
TI  - Non-neural phenotype of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy: results from a large
      cohort of Italian patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To carry out a deep characterisation of the main androgen-responsive
      tissues involved in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). METHODS: 73
      consecutive Italian patients underwent a full clinical protocol including
      biochemical and hormonal analyses, genitourinary examination, bone metabolism and
      densitometry, cardiological evaluation and muscle pathology. RESULTS: Creatine
      kinase levels were slightly to markedly elevated in almost all cases (68 of the
      73; 94%). 30 (41%) patients had fasting glucose above the reference limit, and
      many patients had total cholesterol (40; 54.7%), low-density lipoproteins
      cholesterol (29; 39.7%) and triglyceride (35; 48%) levels above the recommended
      values. Although testosterone, luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating
      hormone values were generally normal, in one-third of cases we calculated an
      increased Androgen Sensitivity Index reflecting the presence of androgen
      resistance in these patients. According to the International Prostate Symptom
      Score (IPSS), 7/70 (10%) patients reported severe lower urinal tract symptoms
      (IPSS score >19), and 21/73 (30%) patients were moderately symptomatic (IPSS
      score from 8 to 19). In addition, 3 patients were carriers of an indwelling
      bladder catheter. Videourodynamic evaluation indicated that 4 of the 7 patients
      reporting severe urinary symptoms had an overt prostate-unrelated bladder outlet
      obstruction. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan data were consistent with low
      bone mass in 25/61 (41%) patients. Low bone mass was more frequent at the femoral
      than at the lumbar level. Skeletal muscle biopsy was carried out in 20 patients
      and myogenic changes in addition to the neurogenic atrophy were mostly observed.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides evidence of a wide non-neural clinical phenotype
      in SBMA, suggesting the need for comprehensive multidisciplinary protocols for
      these patients.

PMID- 26503018
TI  - The impact of peroxydisulphate and peroxymonosulphate on disintegration and
      settleability of activated sludge.
AB  - Chemical treatment processes have mostly been considered as an efficient way for
      biosolid minimization. The improvement of sludge dewatering was more a welcome
      side-effect of these sequential processes. In this study, heat-activated sodium
      peroxydisulphate (PDS) and potassium peroxymonosulphate (MPS) were applied in
      order to disintegrate waste activated sludge (WAS). PDS and MPS treatment of WAS
      results in the polymer transfer of organic matter from the solid phase to the
      liquid phase. Our research work was done for chemical disintegration of WAS by
      PDS and MPS in doses of 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8% and 1% (169.5, 339.0, 508.5, 678.0
      and 847.5 mg [Formula: see text]) activated at temperatures of 60 degrees C and
      90 degrees C for 30 min. The application of these methods causes the soluble
      chemical oxygen demand value to increase in the supernatant. In addition, there
      was a positive influence on the sludge volume index which decreased for the
      highest doses of PDS of over 63% and 77% and MPS of over 78% and 82% through heat
      activation at temperatures of 60 degrees C and 90 degrees C, respectively.
      Furthermore, MPS was more successful in the floc particle destruction, therefore
      it caused a higher sludge settlement acceleration (sedimentation/compaction
      speed) than PDS. The experimental results demonstrated that the application of
      heat-activated PDS and MPS may become a novel effective way of processing sewage
      sludge. 

PMID- 26503017
TI  - DNA microarray revealed and RNAi plants confirmed key genes conferring low Cd
      accumulation in barley grains.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding the mechanism of low Cd accumulation in crops is
      crucial for sustainable safe food production in Cd-contaminated soils. RESULTS:
      Confocal microscopy, atomic absorption spectrometry, gas exchange and chlorophyll
      fluorescence analyses revealed a distinct difference in Cd accumulation and
      tolerance between the two contrasting barley genotypes: W6nk2 (a low-grain-Cd
      accumulating and Cd-sensitive genotype) and Zhenong8 (a high-grain-Cd
      accumulating and tolerant genotype). A DNA microarray analysis detected large
      scale changes of gene expression in response to Cd stress with a substantial
      difference between the two genotypes. Cd stress led to higher expression of genes
      involved in transport, carbohydrate metabolism and signal transduction in the low
      grain-Cd-accumulating genotype. Novel transporter genes such as zinc transporter
      genes were identified as being associated with low Cd accumulation. Quantitative
      RT-PCR confirmed our microarray data. Furthermore, suppression of the zinc
      transporter genes HvZIP3 and HvZIP8 by RNAi silencing showed increased Cd
      accumulation and reduced Zn and Mn concentrations in barley grains. Thus, HvZIP3
      and HvZIP8 could be candidate genes related to low-grain-Cd-accumulation.
      CONCLUSION: Novel transporter genes such as HvZIP3 and HvZIP8 were identified as
      being associated with low-grain-Cd-accumulation. In addition to advancing
      academic knowledge, our findings may also result in potential economic benefits
      for molecular breeding of low Cd accumulating barley and other crops.

PMID- 26503019
TI  - Expression of ADAM12 is regulated by E2F1  in small cell lung cancer.
AB  - Our previous study reported that ADAM12 was highly expressed in small cell lung
      cancer (SCLC) and could be an effective marker for diagnosis and prognosis. Yet,
      the reason for the high expression of ADAM12 in SCLC requires further
      elucidation. Transcription factor E2F1 has been receiving increasing attention
      due to the complexity and diversity of its function in cancer. In the present
      study, the expression of ADAM12 was significantly decreased following silencing
      of E2F1 expression by siRNA, thus indicating that E2F1 may regulate the
      expression of ADAM12 at the level of transcription. Chromatin immunoprecipitation
      to-sequence analysis identified three binding sites for E2F1 in the locus for
      ADAM12. They were Chr10: 128010444-128011026, located in the intron of ADAM12,
      named seq0; Chr10: 128076927-128078127, located in the promoter of ADAM12, named
      seq1; and Chr10: 128086195-128086876, located in the upstream 20 kb from the
      transcription start site of ADAM12, named: seq2. Dual-luciferase reporter
      experiments revealed that seq1 not seq0 and seq2 was able to promote the
      expression of luciferase. Notably, co-transfection of E2F1 significantly
      increased the activity of seq1 not seq0 and seq2, but quantitative polymerase
      chain reaction results showed that seq0, seq1 and seq2 could recruit E2F1,
      indicating that the influence of E2F1 in regulating the expression of ADAM12 was
      complex. Sequence analysis clarified that seq1 was a part of the ADAM12 promoter,
      yet the functions of seq0 and seq2 were unknown. Fusion fragments containing seq0
      seq1 or seq2-seq1 were analyzed in luciferase constructs. Compared with seq1
      alone, the activities of these fusion fragments were non-significantly reduced.
      The activities of fusion fragments were significantly decreased following co
      transfection with E2F1. Thus, the present findings support the conclusion that
      the E2F1 transcription factor regulates the expression of ADAM12 by binding
      differential cis-acting elements.

PMID- 26503020
TI  - Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale: Development and Preliminary Psychometric
      Properties.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To develop a reliable and valid dementia knowledge scale to address
      limitations of existing measures, support knowledge evaluation in diverse
      populations, and inform educational intervention development. DESIGN: A five
      stage, systematic scale development process was employed to construct and assess
      the psychometric properties of the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS).
      SETTING: Data for the study were generated in an online environment and during
      clinical dementia care placements from Australian (n = 1,321) and international
      respondents (n = 446). PARTICIPANTS: Volunteers from a dementia-related massive
      open online course (n = 1,651), medical students on clinical placement in a
      residential aged care facility (n = 40), and members of the Australian health
      workforce (n = 76). MEASUREMENTS: Psychometric properties of the DKAS were
      established using a literature review to assess the veracity of scale items,
      respondent feedback during pilot testing, a Delphi study with dementia experts,
      construction and review by an expert panel, evaluation of item difficulty, item
      total and interitem correlations. Principal components analysis (PCA) was also
      performed along with measures of test-retest reliability, internal consistency,
      construct validity, and concurrent validity. RESULTS: The pilot DKAS was reduced
      from 40 to 27 items during analysis. PCA identified four distinct and
      interpretable factors. The revised DKAS displays high levels of test-retest
      reliability; internal consistency; and preliminary construct, concurrent, and
      factorial validity. CONCLUSION: The 27-item DKAS is reliable and shows
      preliminary validity for the assessment of knowledge deficiencies and change in
      those who provide care and treatment for people with dementia.

PMID- 26503021
TI  - Cognitive consequences of early versus late antiepileptic drug withdrawal after
      pediatric epilepsy surgery, the TimeToStop (TTS) trial: study protocol for a
      randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The goals of intentional curative pediatric epilepsy surgery are to
      achieve seizure-freedom and antiepileptic drug (AED) freedom. Retrospective
      cohort studies have indicated that early postoperative AED withdrawal unmasks
      incomplete surgical success and AED dependency sooner, but not at the cost of
      long-term seizure outcome. Moreover, AED withdrawal seemed to improve cognitive
      outcome. A randomized trial is needed to confirm these findings. We hypothesized
      that early AED withdrawal in children is not only safe, but also beneficial with
      respect to cognitive functioning. DESIGN: This is a multi-center pragmatic
      randomized clinical trial to investigate whether early AED withdrawal improves
      cognitive function, in terms of attention, executive function and intelligence,
      quality of life and behavior, and to confirm safety in terms of eventual seizure
      freedom, seizure recurrences and "seizure and AED freedom." Patients will be
      randomly allocated in parallel groups (1:1) to either early or late AED
      withdrawal. Randomization will be concealed and stratified for preoperative IQ
      and medical center. In the early withdrawal arm reduction of AEDs will start 4
      months after surgery, while in the late withdrawal arm reduction starts 12 months
      after surgery, with intended complete cessation of drugs after 12 and 20 months
      respectively. Cognitive outcome measurements will be performed preoperatively,
      and at 1 and 2 years following surgery, and consist of assessment of attention
      and executive functioning using the EpiTrack Junior test and intelligence
      expressed as IQ (Wechsler Intelligence Scales). Seizure outcomes will be assessed
      at 24 months after surgery, and at 20 months following start of AED reduction. We
      aim to randomize 180 patients who underwent anticipated curative epilepsy surgery
      below 16 years of age, were able to perform the EpiTrack Junior test
      preoperatively, and have no predictors of poor postoperative seizure prognosis
      (multifocal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities, incomplete resection
      of the lesion, epileptic postoperative electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities,
      or more than three AEDs at the time of surgery). DISCUSSION: Growing experience
      with epilepsy surgery has changed the view towards postoperative medication
      policy. In a European collaboration, we designed a multi-center pragmatic
      randomized clinical trial comparing early with late AED withdrawal to investigate
      benefits and safety of early AED withdrawal. The TTS trial is supported by the
      Dutch Epilepsy Fund (NL 08-10) ISRCTN88423240/ 08/05/2013.

PMID- 26503022
TI  - Processed meats are carcinogenic, says new review of evidence.

PMID- 26503023
TI  - Reduction in Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) Results in an Increased
      Risk of Spontaneous Hemorrhagic Transformation in Patients with Large-artery
      Atherosclerosis Stroke.
AB  - The association between chronic kidney disease and spontaneous hemorrhagic
      transformation (HT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke is seldom reported. We
      performed this study to identify whether reduced estimated glomerular filtration
      rate (eGFR) is associated with spontaneous HT in acute ischemic stroke patients,
      and examine whether the association depends on stroke etiology. Patients
      diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke whose serum creatinine levels at admission
      were available were consecutively and prospectively enrolled in the Chengdu
      Stroke Registry Database. All were analyzed on admission by cranial computed
      tomography (CT) scanning, followed by regular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 2
      3 days later and afterwards CT scan if neurological symptoms deteriorated. HT was
      defined based on the MRI or later CT, and eGFR was calculated using the
      Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. Univariate analysis and
      multivariable logistic regression were performed to determine whether reduced
      eGFR, defined as < 60 ml/min/1.73m2, was associated with spontaneous HT. The
      association was also assessed in subgroups of patients classified according to
      the criteria of the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST). Of the
      1,645 patients enrolled, 123 (7.5%) developed spontaneous HT and 215 (13.1%) had
      reduced eGFR. Reduced eGFR was significantly associated with increased risk of
      spontaneous HT in all ischemic stroke patients (OR 1.821, 95% CI 1.081 to 3.06,
      P=0.024), and in the subgroup of large artery atherosclerosis, not in the cardio
      embolism stroke group (OR 1.588, 95% CI 0.642 to 3.782, P=0.327). Reduced eGFR
      did not increase the risk of symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation (OR 0.937,
      95%CI 0.247 to 3.577, P=0.924). In conclusion, reduced eGFR was significantly
      associated with increased risk of spontaneous HT in all ischemic stroke patients,
      and in large artery atherosclerosis, not in cardio-embolism stroke. Reduced eGFR
      did not increase the risk of symptomatic HT. 

PMID- 26503024
TI  - Cyclooxygenase-2 and Prostaglandin E2 are Associated with Middle Cerebral Artery
      Occlusion and Hemorrhage in Patients with Moyamoya Disease.
AB  - Some inflammatory proteins, such as cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and prostaglandin (PG)
      E2 are hypothesized to be implicated in the development of moyamoya disease
      (MMD). However, the functional roles of COX-2/PGE2 in the pathogenesis of MMD
      remain elusive. In this study, tiny pieces of middle cerebral artery (MCA) and
      superficial temporal artery (STA) were surgically harvested from 18 adult MMD
      patients and 5 surgical control patients. The expression levels of COX-2 and
      microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 (mPGES-1) in the vascular walls were
      immunohistochemically detected. With additional 10 healthy controls, the plasma
      levels of PGE2 were also measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
      Obvious intimal thickening was observed in both STA and MCA of MMD patients, but
      not in the controls. However, the MCA had a thicker intima than the STA (P <
      0.01). Although plasma concentrations of PGE2 had no differences among the MMD
      patients, surgical controls and healthy controls, MCA of most MMD patients
      (15/18, 83.3%) were stained positively for COX-2 and all patients for mPGES-1.
      Staining of both COX-2 and mPGES-1 was more abundant in the MCA of hemorrhagic
      patients than those in their ischemic counterparts (P = 0.001 and 0.029,
      respectively). The expression levels of COX-2 were positively correlated with
      those of mPGES-1 (r = 0.647, P = 0.004). Positive COX-2 and mPGES-1 expressions
      were detected neither in the MCA samples from the surgical controls nor in all
      STA specimens. Our findings indicate that COX-2/PGE2 may be associated with the
      MCA occlusion and the hemorrhagic stroke in patients with MMD. 

PMID- 26503025
TI  - Identification of Inflammatory, Metabolic, and Cell Survival Pathways
      Contributing to Cerebral Small Vessel Disease by Postmortem Gene Expression
      Microarray.
AB  - Cerebral small-vessel disease (SVD) is characterized by periventricular white
      matter (WM) changes and general brain atrophy. SVD is prevalent in elderly
      individuals and is frequently associated with the development of vascular
      dementia (VaD). Studies of the molecular basis of SVD are sparse. We have to gain
      further insight into the pathogenic mechanisms of SVD. Therefore, we compared
      gene expression patterns in the brains of SVD and control patients, in order to
      identify cellular pathways changed in diseased brains. We compared the expression
      of mRNA transcripts in postmortem, macroscopically normal-appearing human brain
      tissues isolated from frontal, temporal and occipital cortical and subcortical
      regions in 5 SVD and 5 non-SVD control patients. Significant expression changes
      were determined by fold change F>1.2 in either direction, and p<0.05. We
      identified 228 genes differentially expressed in cortex (89 up-, 139 down
      regulated) and 555 genes in WM (223 up-, 332 down-regulated) in SVD patients.
      Pathway analyses revealed that upregulated genes were associated with
      inflammation and apoptosis in WM, suggesting active cell death. Downregulated
      genes were associated with coagulation and fatty and amino acids metabolisms. In
      the cortex, down-regulated genes were principally associated with neuronal
      functions. Our data revealed widespread changes in the transcriptome profiles in
      the cortex and WM of human SVD brains, with a predominance of changes in WM. We
      provide for the first time a comprehensive view of the molecular alterations in
      human SVD brains that seem to contribute to the neuropathogenesis of SVD. 

PMID- 26503026
TI  - Assessment of Vascular Geometry for Bilateral Carotid Artery Ligation to Induce
      Early Basilar Terminus Aneurysmal Remodeling in Rats.
AB  - Bilateral common carotid artery (CCA) ligation in rabbits is a model for basilar
      terminus (BT) aneurysm formation. We asked if this model could be replicated in
      rats. Fourteen female Sprague Dawley rats underwent bilateral CCA ligation (n=8)
      or sham surgery (n=6). After 7 days, 5 ligated and 3 sham rats were euthanized
      for histological evaluation of BT aneurysm formation, while the remaining rats
      were imaged with magnetic resonance angiography, euthanized, and subjected to
      corrosion casting of the Circle of Willis (CoW). 3D micro computed tomography
      images of CoW casts were used for flow simulations at the rat BT, and electron
      micrographs of the casts were analyzed for aneurysmal and morphological changes.
      Results from these analyses were compared to rabbit model data (n=10 ligated and
      n=6 sham). Bilateral CCA ligation did not produce aneurysmal damage at the rat
      BT. While the surgical manipulation increased rat basilar artery flow, fluid
      dynamics simulations showed that the initial hemodynamic stress at the rat BT was
      significantly less than in rabbits. Rats also exhibited fewer morphological and
      pathological changes (minor changes only occurred in the posterior CoW) than
      rabbits, which had drastic changes throughout the CoW. A comparison of CoW
      anatomies demonstrated a greater number of branching arteries at the BT, larger
      CoW arteries in relation to basilar artery, and a steeper BT bifurcation angle in
      the rat. These differences could account for the lower hemodynamic stress at the
      BT and in the cerebrovasculature of the rat. In conclusion, bilateral CCA
      ligation in rats does not recapitulate the rabbit model of early flow-induced BT
      aneurysm. We suspect that the different CoW morphology of the rat lessens
      hemodynamic insults, thereby diminishing flow-induced aneurysmal remodeling. 

PMID- 26503027
TI  - PAX4 Defines an Expandable beta-Cell Subpopulation in the Adult Pancreatic Islet.
AB  - PAX4 is a key regulator of pancreatic islet development whilst in adult acute
      overexpression protects beta-cells against stress-induced apoptosis and
      stimulates proliferation. Nonetheless, sustained PAX4 expression promotes beta
      cell dedifferentiation and hyperglycemia, mimicking beta-cell failure in diabetic
      patients. Herein, we study mechanisms that allow stringent PAX4 regulation
      endowing favorable beta-cell adaptation in response to changing environment
      without loss of identity. To this end, PAX4 expression was monitored using a
      mouse bearing the enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP) and cre recombinase
      construct under the control of the islet specific pax4 promoter. GFP was detected
      in 30% of islet cells predominantly composed of PAX4-enriched beta-cells that
      responded to glucose-induced insulin secretion. Lineage tracing demonstrated that
      all islet cells were derived from PAX4(+) progenitor cells but that GFP
      expression was confined to a subpopulation at birth which declined with age
      correlating with reduced replication. However, this GFP(+) subpopulation expanded
      during pregnancy, a state of active beta-cell replication. Accordingly, enhanced
      proliferation was exclusively detected in GFP(+) cells consistent with cell cycle
      genes being stimulated in PAX4-overexpressing islets. Under stress conditions,
      GFP(+) cells were more resistant to apoptosis than their GFP(-) counterparts. Our
      data suggest PAX4 defines an expandable beta-cell sub population within adult
      islets. 

PMID- 26503028
TI  - Oximetry-supported self-management for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease:
      mixed method feasibility pilot project.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulse oximetry could potentially contribute to self-monitoring. NHS
      Lothian's 'Light Touch' service provided COPD patients with a self-management
      plan based on symptoms and oximetry. The service was overseen (though not
      actively monitored) by respiratory-trained community teams who were contactable
      by a telephone helpline. We aimed to assess the feasibility, perceived utility
      and impact of the 'Light Touch' service. METHODS: A before-and-after assessment
      of St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression
      Scale (HADS) and use of healthcare resources during the 6-month feasibility study
      compared to the previous corresponding 6-months. Paired semi-structured
      interviews with patients at baseline and 6-months, interviews with managers and a
      focus group of professionals explored perceptions of the service and self
      management. Transcripts were coded, and analysed thematically. RESULTS: We
      recruited 51 participants (mean age 69.7 years (SD 8.4); 21 (46%) male). 46
      participants completed quantitative follow up (2 died, 2 were unwell, 1 refused).
      SGRQ: 21 (46%) participants improved by 4 or more (the minimum important
      difference); 12 (26%) deteriorated by 4 or more. HADS: more participants had
      normal scores for anxiety (65%) and depression (80%) at 6-months than at baseline
      (51 and 64%). More emergency therapy was prescribed during the study period
      compared to the previous year. Only 18 participants (39%) contacted the Light
      Touch Helpline during the 6-month study. Twenty patients provided a total of 36
      interviews, 8 clinicians contributed to a focus group and 6 managers were
      interviewed. Patients considered that the oximetry readings heightened awareness
      of their condition and gave them confidence to make self-management decisions.
      Healthcare professionals valued oximetry as a tool for teaching people self
      management skills, but were concerned that patients rarely contacted the teams
      for help or advice during the study. CONCLUSIONS: 'Light Touch' shows promise as
      a low-cost strategy for empowering patients' self-management skills and reducing
      reliance on clinical supervision.

PMID- 26503029
TI  - Associations of chronic conditions, APOE4 allele, stress factors, and health
      behaviors with self-rated health.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self-rated health (SRH) has been widely used to measure the overall
      health status of older adults. Research has shown that SRH is determined by a
      large array of factors, such as chronic disease conditions, genetic markers
      (e.g., Apolipoprotein E, APOE, NM_000041), stress factors, and health behaviors.
      However, few studies have incorporated these factors simultaneously in the
      analytic framework of SRH. The aim of this study is to examine the associations
      of these four sets of factors with SRH. METHODS: Using a dataset from a
      population-based, random-cluster survey of 1,005 elderly respondents aged 54-91
      conducted in Taiwan in 2000, we use logistic regressions to examine associations
      of chronic health conditions, the APOE4 allele stress factors, and health
      behaviors with SRH. The four disease conditions include diabetes, heart diseases,
      gastric ulcers, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Stress factors are
      measured by traumatic events (having an earthquake-damaged house) and chronic
      life stress (financial difficulty). Health behaviors include smoking, drinking
      alcohol, vegetable and fruit intake, daily milk intake, and physical exercise.
      RESULTS: Diabetes, heart diseases, gastric ulcers, and chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease are found to be associated with 2.63 (95 % CI: 1.75-3.95), 1.72
      (95 % CI: 1.15-2.58), 1.94 (95 % CI: 1.35-2.80), and 2.54 (95 % CI: 1.66-3.92)
      odds ratios of poor SRH. The APOE4 allele is found to be significantly associated
      with poor SRH with odd ratio of 1.58 (95 % CI: 1.02-2.41). Financial difficulty
      is associated with increased likelihood of poor SRH, with odds ratios of 1.76 (95
      % CI: 1.22-2.54) Doing exercise more than 5 times per week are associated with
      reduced likelihood of poor SRH by 44 % (odds ratio is 0.56, 95 % CI: 0.39-1.82).
      The interaction term between gender and gastric ulcer showed that the impact of
      gastric ulcer on SRH is more pronounced in women than in men, with an odds ratio
      of 2.63 (95 % CI: 1.24-5.58). CONCLUSIONS: Chronic conditions and the APOE4
      allele are significantly associated with increased likelihood of reporting poor
      health, and the associations appear differently among women and men. To better
      understand the mechanism of how people self-assess their overall health, chronic
      conditions and genetic components should be considered together with conventional
      factors such as life stress and health behaviors.

PMID- 26503031
TI  - Extension of oil biosynthesis during the mid-phase of seed development enhances
      oil content in Arabidopsis seeds.
AB  - Regulation of oil biosynthesis in plant seeds has been extensively studied, and
      biotechnological approaches have been designed to increase seed oil content. Oil
      and protein synthesis is negatively correlated in seeds, but the mechanisms
      controlling interactions between these two pathways are unknown. Here, we
      identify the molecular mechanism controlling oil and protein content in seeds. We
      utilized transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing WRINKLED1 (WRI1),
      a master transcription factor regulating seed oil biosynthesis, and knockout
      mutants of major seed storage proteins. Oil and protein biosynthesis in wild-type
      plants was sequentially activated during early and late seed development,
      respectively. The negative correlation between oil and protein contents in seeds
      arises from competition between the pathways. Extension of WRI1 expression during
      mid-phase of seed development significantly enhanced seed oil content. This study
      demonstrates that temporal activation of genes involved in oil or storage protein
      biosynthesis determines the oil/protein ratio in Arabidopsis seeds. These results
      provide novel insights into potential breeding strategies to generate crops with
      high oil contents in seeds. 

PMID- 26503030
TI  - Benzofuroxan derivatives N-Br and N-I induce intrinsic apoptosis in melanoma
      cells by regulating AKT/BIM signaling and display anti metastatic activity in
      vivo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malignant melanoma is an aggressive type of skin cancer, and despite
      recent advances in treatment, the survival rate of the metastatic form remains
      low. Nifuroxazide analogues are drugs based on the substitution of the nitrofuran
      group by benzofuroxan, in view of the pharmacophore similarity of the nitro
      group, improving bioavailability, with higher intrinsic activity and less
      toxicity. Benzofuroxan activity involves the intracellular production of free
      radical species. In the present work, we evaluated the antitumor effects of
      different benzofuroxan derivatives in a murine melanoma model. METHODS: B16F10
      Nex2 melanoma cells were used to investigate the antitumor effects of
      Benzofuroxan derivatives in vitro and in a syngeneic melanoma model in C57Bl/6
      mice. Cytotoxicity, morphological changes and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were
      assessed by a diphenyltetrasolium reagent, optical and fluorescence microscopy,
      respectively. Annexin-V binding and mitochondrial integrity were analyzed by flow
      cytometry. Western blotting and colorimetry identified cell signaling proteins.
      RESULTS: Benzofuroxan N-Br and N-I derivatives were active against murine and
      human tumor cell lines, exerting significant protection against metastatic
      melanoma in a syngeneic model. N-Br and N-I induce apoptosis in melanoma cells,
      evidenced by specific morphological changes, DNA condensation and degradation,
      and phosphatidylserine translocation in the plasma membrane. The intrinsic
      mitochondrial pathway in B16F10-Nex2 cells is suggested owing to reduced outer
      membrane potential in mitochondria, followed by caspase -9, -3 activation and
      cleavage of PARP. The cytotoxicity of N-Br and N-I in B16F10-Nex2 cells is
      mediated by the generation of ROS, inhibited by pre-incubation of the cells with
      N-acetylcysteine (NAC). The induction of ROS by N-Br and N-I resulted in the
      inhibition of AKT activation, an important molecule related to tumor cell
      survival, followed by upregulation of BIM. CONCLUSION: We conclude that N-Br and
      N-I are promising agents aiming at cancer treatment. They may be useful in
      melanoma therapy as inducers of intrinsic apoptosis and by exerting significant
      antitumor activity against metastatic melanoma, as presently shown in syngeneic
      mice.

PMID- 26503032
TI  - Anomalous polarization dependence of Raman scattering and crystallographic
      orientation of black phosphorus.
AB  - We investigated polarization dependence of the Raman modes in black phosphorus
      (BP) using five different excitation wavelengths. The crystallographic
      orientation was determined by comparing polarized optical microscopy with high
      resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis. In polarized Raman
      spectroscopy, the B2g mode shows the same polarization dependence regardless of
      the excitation wavelength or the sample thickness. On the other hand, the Ag(1)
      and Ag(2) modes show a peculiar polarization behavior that depends on the
      excitation wavelength and the sample thickness. The thickness dependence can be
      explained by considering the anisotropic interference effect due to the
      birefringence and dichroism of the BP crystal, but the wavelength dependence
      cannot be explained. We propose a simple and fail-proof procedure to determine
      the orientation of a BP crystal by combining polarized Raman scattering with
      polarized optical microscopy. 

PMID- 26503034
TI  - The Role of Stage at Diagnosis in Colorectal Cancer Black-White Survival
      Disparities: A Counterfactual Causal Inference Approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To date, a counterfactual framework has not been used to study
      determinants of social inequalities in cancer. Considering the case of colorectal
      cancer, for which racial/ethnic differences in stage at diagnosis and survival
      are well documented, we quantify the extent to which black versus white survival
      disparities would be reduced had disparities in stage at diagnosis been
      eliminated in a large patient population. METHODS: We obtained data on colorectal
      cancer patients (diagnosed between 1992 and 2005 and followed until 2010) from US
      SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) cancer registries. We employed
      a counterfactual approach to estimate the mean survival time up to the 60th month
      since diagnosis for black colorectal cancer patients had black-white disparities
      in stage at diagnosis been eliminated. RESULTS: Black patients survive
      approximately 4.0 [confidence interval (CI), 4.6-3.2] months less than white
      patients within five years since diagnosis. Had disparities in stage at diagnosis
      been eliminated, survival disparities decrease to 2.6 (CI, 3.4-1.7) months, an
      approximately 35% reduction. For patients diagnosed after the age of 65 years,
      disparities would be halved, while reduction of approximately 30% is estimated
      for younger patients. Survival disparities would be reduced by approximately 44%
      for women and approximately 26% for men. CONCLUSIONS: Employing a counterfactual
      approach and allowing for heterogeneities in black-white disparities across
      patients' characteristics, we give robust evidence that elimination of
      disparities in stage at diagnosis contributes to a substantial reduction in
      survival disparities in colorectal cancer. IMPACT: We provide the first evidence
      in the SEER population that elimination of inequities in stage at diagnosis might
      lead to larger reductions in survival disparities among elderly and women.

PMID- 26503033
TI  - Impaired prefrontal synaptic gain in people with psychosis and their relatives
      during the mismatch negativity.
AB  - The mismatch negativity (MMN) evoked potential, a preattentive brain response to
      a discriminable change in auditory stimulation, is significantly reduced in
      psychosis. Glutamatergic theories of psychosis propose that hypofunction of NMDA
      receptors (on pyramidal cells and inhibitory interneurons) causes a loss of
      synaptic gain control. We measured changes in neuronal effective connectivity
      underlying the MMN using dynamic causal modeling (DCM), where the gain
      (excitability) of superficial pyramidal cells is explicitly parameterised. EEG
      data were obtained during a MMN task--for 24 patients with psychosis, 25 of their
      first-degree unaffected relatives, and 35 controls--and DCM was used to estimate
      the excitability (modeled as self-inhibition) of (source-specific) superficial
      pyramidal populations. The MMN sources, based on previous research, included
      primary and secondary auditory cortices, and the right inferior frontal gyrus.
      Both patients with psychosis and unaffected relatives (to a lesser degree) showed
      increased excitability in right inferior frontal gyrus across task conditions,
      compared to controls. Furthermore, in the same region, both patients and their
      relatives showed a reversal of the normal response to deviant stimuli; that is, a
      decrease in excitability in comparison to standard conditions. Our results
      suggest that psychosis and genetic risk for the illness are associated with both
      context-dependent (condition-specific) and context-independent abnormalities of
      the excitability of superficial pyramidal cell populations in the MMN paradigm.
      These abnormalities could relate to NMDA receptor hypofunction on both pyramidal
      cells and inhibitory interneurons, and appear to be linked to the genetic
      aetiology of the illness, thereby constituting potential endophenotypes for
      psychosis.

PMID- 26503035
TI  - Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Lung Adenocarcinoma In Situ/Minimally
      Invasive Adenocarcinoma (AIS/MIA).
AB  - The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of exposure to secondhand
      tobacco smoke on the incidence of lung adenocarcinoma in situ/minimally invasive
      adenocarcinoma (AIS/MIA). Data from seven case-control studies participating in
      the International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO) were pooled, resulting in 625
      cases of AIS/MIA and 7,403 controls, of whom 170 cases and 3,035 controls were
      never smokers. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted
      ORs (ORadj) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), controlling for age, sex, race,
      smoking status (ever/never), and pack-years of smoking. Study center was included
      in the models as a random-effects intercept term. Ever versus never exposure to
      secondhand tobacco smoke was positively associated with AIS/MIA incidence in all
      subjects (ORadj = 1.48; 95% CI, 1.14-1.93) and in never smokers (ORadj = 1.45;
      95% CI, 1.00-2.12). There was, however, appreciable heterogeneity of ORadj across
      studies (P = 0.01), and the pooled estimates were largely influenced by one large
      study (40% of all cases and 30% of all controls). These findings provide weak
      evidence for an effect of secondhand tobacco smoke exposure on AIS/MIA incidence.
      Further studies are needed to assess the impact of secondhand tobacco smoke
      exposure using the newly recommended classification of subtypes of lung
      adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 26503036
TI  - A geometric network model of intrinsic grey-matter connectivity of the human
      brain.
AB  - Network science provides a general framework for analysing the large-scale brain
      networks that naturally arise from modern neuroimaging studies, and a key goal in
      theoretical neuroscience is to understand the extent to which these neural
      architectures influence the dynamical processes they sustain. To date, brain
      network modelling has largely been conducted at the macroscale level (i.e. white
      matter tracts), despite growing evidence of the role that local grey matter
      architecture plays in a variety of brain disorders. Here, we present a new model
      of intrinsic grey matter connectivity of the human connectome. Importantly, the
      new model incorporates detailed information on cortical geometry to construct
      'shortcuts' through the thickness of the cortex, thus enabling spatially distant
      brain regions, as measured along the cortical surface, to communicate. Our study
      indicates that structures based on human brain surface information differ
      significantly, both in terms of their topological network characteristics and
      activity propagation properties, when compared against a variety of alternative
      geometries and generative algorithms. In particular, this might help explain
      histological patterns of grey matter connectivity, highlighting that observed
      connection distances may have arisen to maximise information processing ability,
      and that such gains are consistent with (and enhanced by) the presence of short
      cut connections. 

PMID- 26503037
TI  - Cross-Polarization Electron-Nuclear Double Resonance Spectroscopy.
AB  - Magnetic nuclei in the proximity of a paramagnetic center can be polarized
      through electron-nuclear cross-polarization and detected in electron-nuclear
      double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy. This principle is demonstrated in a single
      crystal model sample as well as on a protein, the beta2 subunit of E.coli
      ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), which contains an essential tyrosyl radical.
      ENDOR is a fundamental technique to detect magnetic nuclei coupled to
      paramagnetic centers. It is widely employed in biological and materials sciences.
      Despite its utility, its sensitivity in real samples is about one to two orders
      of magnitude lower than conventional electron paramagnetic resonance, thus
      restricting its application potential. Herein, we report the performance of a
      recently introduced concept to polarize nuclear spins and detect their ENDOR
      spectrum, which is based on electron-nuclear cross polarization (eNCP). A single
      crystal study permits us to disentangle eNCP conditions and CP-ENDOR intensities,
      providing the experimental foundation in agreement with the theoretical
      prediction. The CP-ENDOR performance on a real protein sample is best
      demonstrated with the spectra of the essential tyrosyl radical in the beta2
      subunit of E.coli RNR. 

PMID- 26503038
TI  - Histone H1 couples initiation and amplification of ubiquitin signalling after DNA
      damage.
AB  - DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are highly cytotoxic DNA lesions that trigger non
      proteolytic ubiquitylation of adjacent chromatin areas to generate binding sites
      for DNA repair factors. This depends on the sequential actions of the E3
      ubiquitin ligases RNF8 and RNF168 (refs 1-6), and UBC13 (also known as UBE2N), an
      E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme that specifically generates K63-linked ubiquitin
      chains. Whereas RNF168 is known to catalyse ubiquitylation of H2A-type histones,
      leading to the recruitment of repair factors such as 53BP1 (refs 8-10), the
      critical substrates of RNF8 and K63-linked ubiquitylation remain elusive. Here we
      elucidate how RNF8 and UBC13 promote recruitment of RNF168 and downstream factors
      to DSB sites in human cells. We establish that UBC13-dependent K63-linked
      ubiquitylation at DSB sites is predominantly mediated by RNF8 but not RNF168, and
      that H1-type linker histones, but not core histones, represent major chromatin
      associated targets of this modification. The RNF168 module (UDM1) recognizing
      RNF8-generated ubiquitylations is a high-affinity reader of K63-ubiquitylated H1,
      mechanistically explaining the essential roles of RNF8 and UBC13 in recruiting
      RNF168 to DSBs. Consistently, reduced expression or chromatin association of
      linker histones impair accumulation of K63-linked ubiquitin conjugates and repair
      factors at DSB-flanking chromatin. These results identify histone H1 as a key
      target of RNF8-UBC13 in DSB signalling and expand the concept of the histone code
      by showing that posttranslational modifications of linker histones can serve as
      important marks for recognition by factors involved in genome stability
      maintenance, and possibly beyond.

PMID- 26503039
TI  - An aqueous, polymer-based redox-flow battery using non-corrosive, safe, and low
      cost materials.
AB  - For renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric to be
      effectively used in the grid of the future, flexible and scalable energy-storage
      solutions are necessary to mitigate output fluctuations. Redox-flow batteries
      (RFBs) were first built in the 1940s and are considered a promising large-scale
      energy-storage technology. A limited number of redox-active materials--mainly
      metal salts, corrosive halogens, and low-molar-mass organic compounds--have been
      investigated as active materials, and only a few membrane materials, such as
      Nafion, have been considered for RFBs. However, for systems that are intended for
      both domestic and large-scale use, safety and cost must be taken into account as
      well as energy density and capacity, particularly regarding long-term access to
      metal resources, which places limits on the lithium-ion-based and vanadium-based
      RFB development. Here we describe an affordable, safe, and scalable battery
      system, which uses organic polymers as the charge-storage material in combination
      with inexpensive dialysis membranes, which separate the anode and the cathode by
      the retention of the non-metallic, active (macro-molecular) species, and an
      aqueous sodium chloride solution as the electrolyte. This water- and polymer
      based RFB has an energy density of 10 watt hours per litre, current densities of
      up to 100 milliamperes per square centimetre, and stable long-term cycling
      capability. The polymer-based RFB we present uses an environmentally benign
      sodium chloride solution and cheap, commercially available filter membranes
      instead of highly corrosive acid electrolytes and expensive membrane materials.

PMID- 26503040
TI  - Ion channels enable electrical communication in bacterial communities.
AB  - The study of bacterial ion channels has provided fundamental insights into the
      structural basis of neuronal signalling; however, the native role of ion channels
      in bacteria has remained elusive. Here we show that ion channels conduct long
      range electrical signals within bacterial biofilm communities through spatially
      propagating waves of potassium. These waves result from a positive feedback loop,
      in which a metabolic trigger induces release of intracellular potassium, which in
      turn depolarizes neighbouring cells. Propagating through the biofilm, this wave
      of depolarization coordinates metabolic states among cells in the interior and
      periphery of the biofilm. Deletion of the potassium channel abolishes this
      response. As predicted by a mathematical model, we further show that spatial
      propagation can be hindered by specific genetic perturbations to potassium
      channel gating. Together, these results demonstrate a function for ion channels
      in bacterial biofilms, and provide a prokaryotic paradigm for active, long-range
      electrical signalling in cellular communities. 

PMID- 26503041
TI  - Loophole-free Bell inequality violation using electron spins separated by 1.3
      kilometres.
AB  - More than 50 years ago, John Bell proved that no theory of nature that obeys
      locality and realism can reproduce all the predictions of quantum theory: in any
      local-realist theory, the correlations between outcomes of measurements on
      distant particles satisfy an inequality that can be violated if the particles are
      entangled. Numerous Bell inequality tests have been reported; however, all
      experiments reported so far required additional assumptions to obtain a
      contradiction with local realism, resulting in 'loopholes'. Here we report a Bell
      experiment that is free of any such additional assumption and thus directly tests
      the principles underlying Bell's inequality. We use an event-ready scheme that
      enables the generation of robust entanglement between distant electron spins
      (estimated state fidelity of 0.92 +/- 0.03). Efficient spin read-out avoids the
      fair-sampling assumption (detection loophole), while the use of fast random-basis
      selection and spin read-out combined with a spatial separation of 1.3 kilometres
      ensure the required locality conditions. We performed 245 trials that tested the
      CHSH-Bell inequality S <= 2 and found S = 2.42 +/- 0.20 (where S quantifies the
      correlation between measurement outcomes). A null-hypothesis test yields a
      probability of at most P = 0.039 that a local-realist model for space-like
      separated sites could produce data with a violation at least as large as we
      observe, even when allowing for memory in the devices. Our data hence imply
      statistically significant rejection of the local-realist null hypothesis. This
      conclusion may be further consolidated in future experiments; for instance,
      reaching a value of P = 0.001 would require approximately 700 trials for an
      observed S = 2.4. With improvements, our experiment could be used for testing
      less-conventional theories, and for implementing device-independent quantum
      secure communication and randomness certification. 

PMID- 26503044
TI  - Economics: Higher costs of climate change.

PMID- 26503042
TI  - CMT2D neuropathy is linked to the neomorphic binding activity of glycyl-tRNA
      synthetase.
AB  - Selective neuronal loss is a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases, which,
      counterintuitively, are often caused by mutations in widely expressed genes.
      Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) diseases are the most common hereditary peripheral
      neuropathies, for which there are no effective therapies. A subtype of these
      diseases--CMT type 2D (CMT2D)--is caused by dominant mutations in GARS, encoding
      the ubiquitously expressed enzyme glycyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetase (GlyRS).
      Despite the broad requirement of GlyRS for protein biosynthesis in all cells,
      mutations in this gene cause a selective degeneration of peripheral axons,
      leading to deficits in distal motor function. How mutations in GlyRS
      (GlyRS(CMT2D)) are linked to motor neuron vulnerability has remained elusive.
      Here we report that GlyRS(CMT2D) acquires a neomorphic binding activity that
      directly antagonizes an essential signalling pathway for motor neuron survival.
      We find that CMT2D mutations alter the conformation of GlyRS, enabling
      GlyRS(CMT2D) to bind the neuropilin 1 (Nrp1) receptor. This aberrant interaction
      competitively interferes with the binding of the cognate ligand vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to Nrp1. Genetic reduction of Nrp1 in mice
      worsens CMT2D symptoms, whereas enhanced expression of VEGF improves motor
      function. These findings link the selective pathology of CMT2D to the neomorphic
      binding activity of GlyRS(CMT2D) that antagonizes the VEGF-Nrp1 interaction, and
      indicate that the VEGF-Nrp1 signalling axis is an actionable target for treating
      CMT2D.

PMID- 26503043
TI  - Foreign DNA capture during CRISPR-Cas adaptive immunity.
AB  - Bacteria and archaea generate adaptive immunity against phages and plasmids by
      integrating foreign DNA of specific 30-40-base-pair lengths into clustered
      regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) loci as spacer segments.
      The universally conserved Cas1-Cas2 integrase complex catalyses spacer
      acquisition using a direct nucleophilic integration mechanism similar to
      retroviral integrases and transposases. How the Cas1-Cas2 complex selects foreign
      DNA substrates for integration remains unknown. Here we present X-ray crystal
      structures of the Escherichia coli Cas1-Cas2 complex bound to cognate 33
      nucleotide protospacer DNA substrates. The protein complex creates a curved
      binding surface spanning the length of the DNA and splays the ends of the
      protospacer to allow each terminal nucleophilic 3'-OH to enter a channel leading
      into the Cas1 active sites. Phosphodiester backbone interactions between the
      protospacer and the proteins explain the sequence-nonspecific substrate selection
      observed in vivo. Our results uncover the structural basis for foreign DNA
      capture and the mechanism by which Cas1-Cas2 functions as a molecular ruler to
      dictate the sequence architecture of CRISPR loci. 

PMID- 26503045
TI  - In situ structures of the segmented genome and RNA polymerase complex inside a
      dsRNA virus.
AB  - Viruses in the Reoviridae, like the triple-shelled human rotavirus and the single
      shelled insect cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (CPV), all package a genome of
      segmented double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) inside the viral capsid and carry out
      endogenous messenger RNA synthesis through a transcriptional enzyme complex
      (TEC). By direct electron-counting cryoelectron microscopy and asymmetric
      reconstruction, we have determined the organization of the dsRNA genome inside
      quiescent CPV (q-CPV) and the in situ atomic structures of TEC within CPV in both
      quiescent and transcribing (t-CPV) states. We show that the ten segmented dsRNAs
      in CPV are organized with ten TECs in a specific, non-symmetric manner, with each
      dsRNA segment attached directly to a TEC. The TEC consists of two extensively
      interacting subunits: an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) and an NTPase VP4.
      We find that the bracelet domain of RdRP undergoes marked conformational change
      when q-CPV is converted to t-CPV, leading to formation of the RNA template entry
      channel and access to the polymerase active site. An amino-terminal helix from
      each of two subunits of the capsid shell protein (CSP) interacts with VP4 and
      RdRP. These findings establish the link between sensing of environmental cues by
      the external proteins and activation of endogenous RNA transcription by the TEC
      inside the virus. 

PMID- 26503047
TI  - Deep-time evolution of regeneration and preaxial polarity in tetrapod limb
      development.
AB  - Among extant tetrapods, salamanders are unique in showing a reversed preaxial
      polarity in patterning of the skeletal elements of the limbs, and in displaying
      the highest capacity for regeneration, including full limb and tail regeneration.
      These features are particularly striking as tetrapod limb development has
      otherwise been shown to be a highly conserved process. It remains elusive whether
      the capacity to regenerate limbs in salamanders is mechanistically and
      evolutionarily linked to the aberrant pattern of limb development; both are
      features classically regarded as unique to urodeles. New molecular data suggest
      that salamander-specific orphan genes play a central role in limb regeneration
      and may also be involved in the preaxial patterning during limb development. Here
      we show that preaxial polarity in limb development was present in various groups
      of temnospondyl amphibians of the Carboniferous and Permian periods, including
      the dissorophoids Apateon and Micromelerpeton, as well as the stereospondylomorph
      Sclerocephalus. Limb regeneration has also been reported in Micromelerpeton,
      demonstrating that both features were already present together in antecedents of
      modern salamanders 290 million years ago. Furthermore, data from lepospondyl
      'microsaurs' on the amniote stem indicate that these taxa may have shown some
      capacity for limb regeneration and were capable of tail regeneration, including
      re-patterning of the caudal vertebral column that is otherwise only seen in
      salamander tail regeneration. The data from fossils suggest that salamander-like
      regeneration is an ancient feature of tetrapods that was subsequently lost at
      least once in the lineage leading to amniotes. Salamanders are the only modern
      tetrapods that retained regenerative capacities as well as preaxial polarity in
      limb development. 

PMID- 26503046
TI  - Crystal structure of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from influenza C virus.
AB  - Negative-sense RNA viruses, such as influenza, encode large, multidomain RNA
      dependent RNA polymerases that can both transcribe and replicate the viral RNA
      genome. In influenza virus, the polymerase (FluPol) is composed of three
      polypeptides: PB1, PB2 and PA/P3. PB1 houses the polymerase active site, whereas
      PB2 and PA/P3 contain, respectively, cap-binding and endonuclease domains
      required for transcription initiation by cap-snatching. Replication occurs
      through de novo initiation and involves a complementary RNA intermediate.
      Currently available structures of the influenza A and B virus polymerases include
      promoter RNA (the 5' and 3' termini of viral genome segments), showing FluPol in
      transcription pre-initiation states. Here we report the structure of apo-FluPol
      from an influenza C virus, solved by X-ray crystallography to 3.9 A, revealing a
      new 'closed' conformation. The apo-FluPol forms a compact particle with PB1 at
      its centre, capped on one face by PB2 and clamped between the two globular
      domains of P3. Notably, this structure is radically different from those of
      promoter-bound FluPols. The endonuclease domain of P3 and the domains within the
      carboxy-terminal two-thirds of PB2 are completely rearranged. The cap-binding
      site is occluded by PB2, resulting in a conformation that is incompatible with
      transcription initiation. Thus, our structure captures FluPol in a closed,
      transcription pre-activation state. This reveals the conformation of newly made
      apo-FluPol in an infected cell, but may also apply to FluPol in the context of a
      non-transcribing ribonucleoprotein complex. Comparison of the apo-FluPol
      structure with those of promoter-bound FluPols allows us to propose a mechanism
      for FluPol activation. Our study demonstrates the remarkable flexibility of
      influenza virus RNA polymerase, and aids our understanding of the mechanisms
      controlling transcription and genome replication. 

PMID- 26503048
TI  - Rhodium-catalysed syn-carboamination of alkenes via a transient directing group.
AB  - Alkenes are the most ubiquitous prochiral functional groups--those that can be
      converted from achiral to chiral in a single step--that are accessible to
      synthetic chemists. For this reason, difunctionalization reactions of alkenes
      (whereby two functional groups are added to the same double bond) are
      particularly important, as they can be used to produce highly complex molecular
      architectures. Stereoselective oxidation reactions, including dihydroxylation,
      aminohydroxylation and halogenation, are well established methods for
      functionalizing alkenes. However, the intermolecular incorporation of both carbon
      and nitrogen-based functionalities stereoselectively across an alkene has not
      been reported. Here we describe the rhodium-catalysed carboamination of alkenes
      at the same (syn) face of a double bond, initiated by a carbon-hydrogen
      activation event that uses enoxyphthalimides as the source of both the carbon and
      the nitrogen functionalities. The reaction methodology allows for the
      intermolecular, stereospecific formation of one carbon-carbon and one carbon
      nitrogen bond across an alkene, which is, to our knowledge, unprecedented. The
      reaction design involves the in situ generation of a bidentate directing group
      and the use of a new cyclopentadienyl ligand to control the reactivity of
      rhodium. The results provide a new way of synthesizing functionalized alkenes,
      and should lead to the convergent and stereoselective assembly of amine
      containing acyclic molecules.

PMID- 26503049
TI  - Corrigendum: Whole-genome characterization of chemoresistant ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26503050
TI  - Thalamic control of sensory selection in divided attention.
AB  - How the brain selects appropriate sensory inputs and suppresses distractors is
      unknown. Given the well-established role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in
      executive function, its interactions with sensory cortical areas during attention
      have been hypothesized to control sensory selection. To test this idea and, more
      generally, dissect the circuits underlying sensory selection, we developed a
      cross-modal divided-attention task in mice that allowed genetic access to this
      cognitive process. By optogenetically perturbing PFC function in a temporally
      precise window, the ability of mice to select appropriately between conflicting
      visual and auditory stimuli was diminished. Equivalent sensory thalamocortical
      manipulations showed that behaviour was causally dependent on PFC interactions
      with the sensory thalamus, not sensory cortex. Consistent with this notion, we
      found neurons of the visual thalamic reticular nucleus (visTRN) to exhibit PFC
      dependent changes in firing rate predictive of the modality selected. visTRN
      activity was causal to performance as confirmed by bidirectional optogenetic
      manipulations of this subnetwork. Using a combination of electrophysiology and
      intracellular chloride photometry, we demonstrated that visTRN dynamically
      controls visual thalamic gain through feedforward inhibition. Our experiments
      introduce a new subcortical model of sensory selection, in which the PFC biases
      thalamic reticular subnetworks to control thalamic sensory gain, selecting
      appropriate inputs for further processing. 

PMID- 26503051
TI  - Global non-linear effect of temperature on economic production.
AB  - Growing evidence demonstrates that climatic conditions can have a profound impact
      on the functioning of modern human societies, but effects on economic activity
      appear inconsistent. Fundamental productive elements of modern economies, such as
      workers and crops, exhibit highly non-linear responses to local temperature even
      in wealthy countries. In contrast, aggregate macroeconomic productivity of entire
      wealthy countries is reported not to respond to temperature, while poor countries
      respond only linearly. Resolving this conflict between micro and macro
      observations is critical to understanding the role of wealth in coupled human
      natural systems and to anticipating the global impact of climate change. Here we
      unify these seemingly contradictory results by accounting for non-linearity at
      the macro scale. We show that overall economic productivity is non-linear in
      temperature for all countries, with productivity peaking at an annual average
      temperature of 13  degrees C and declining strongly at higher temperatures. The
      relationship is globally generalizable, unchanged since 1960, and apparent for
      agricultural and non-agricultural activity in both rich and poor countries. These
      results provide the first evidence that economic activity in all regions is
      coupled to the global climate and establish a new empirical foundation for
      modelling economic loss in response to climate change, with important
      implications. If future adaptation mimics past adaptation, unmitigated warming is
      expected to reshape the global economy by reducing average global incomes roughly
      23% by 2100 and widening global income inequality, relative to scenarios without
      climate change. In contrast to prior estimates, expected global losses are
      approximately linear in global mean temperature, with median losses many times
      larger than leading models indicate. 

PMID- 26503052
TI  - Cancer: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

PMID- 26503053
TI  - Yap-dependent reprogramming of Lgr5(+) stem cells drives intestinal regeneration
      and cancer.
AB  - The gut epithelium has remarkable self-renewal capacity that under homeostatic
      conditions is driven by Wnt signalling in Lgr5(+) intestinal stem cells (ISCs).
      However, the mechanisms underlying ISC regeneration after injury remain poorly
      understood. The Hippo signalling pathway mediates tissue growth and is important
      for regeneration. Here we demonstrate in mice that Yap, a downstream
      transcriptional effector of Hippo, is critical for recovery of intestinal
      epithelium after exposure to ionizing radiation. Yap transiently reprograms
      Lgr5(+) ISCs by suppressing Wnt signalling and excessive Paneth cell
      differentiation, while promoting cell survival and inducing a regenerative
      program that includes Egf pathway activation. Accordingly, growth of Yap
      deficient organoids is rescued by the Egfr ligand epiregulin, and we find that
      non-cell-autonomous production of stromal epiregulin may compensate for Yap loss
      in vivo. Consistent with key roles for regenerative signalling in tumorigenesis,
      we further demonstrate that Yap inactivation abolishes adenomas in the Apc(Min)
      mouse model of colon cancer, and that Yap-driven expansion of Apc(-/-) organoids
      requires the Egfr module of the Yap regenerative program. Finally, we show that
      in vivo Yap is required for progression of early Apc mutant tumour-initiating
      cells, suppresses their differentiation into Paneth cells, and induces a
      regenerative program and Egfr signalling. Our studies reveal that upon tissue
      injury, Yap reprograms Lgr5(+) ISCs by inhibiting the Wnt homeostatic program,
      while inducing a regenerative program that includes activation of Egfr
      signalling. Moreover, our findings reveal a key role for the Yap regenerative
      pathway in driving cancer initiation. 

PMID- 26503054
TI  - Quantum physics: Death by experiment for local realism.

PMID- 26503056
TI  - Fungal pathogen uses sex pheromone receptor for chemotropic sensing of host plant
      signals.
AB  - For more than a century, fungal pathogens and symbionts have been known to orient
      hyphal growth towards chemical stimuli from the host plant. However, the nature
      of the plant signals as well as the mechanisms underlying the chemotropic
      response have remained elusive. Here we show that directed growth of the soil
      inhabiting plant pathogen Fusarium oxysporum towards the roots of the host tomato
      (Solanum lycopersicum) is triggered by the catalytic activity of secreted class
      III peroxidases, a family of haem-containing enzymes present in all land plants.
      The chemotropic response requires conserved elements of the fungal cell integrity
      mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade and the seven-pass transmembrane
      protein Ste2, a functional homologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae sex
      pheromone alpha receptor. We further show that directed hyphal growth of F.
      oxysporum towards nutrient sources such as sugars and amino acids is governed by
      a functionally distinct MAPK cascade. These results reveal a potentially
      conserved chemotropic mechanism in root-colonizing fungi, and suggest a new
      function for the fungal pheromone-sensing machinery in locating plant hosts in a
      complex environment such as the soil. 

PMID- 26503055
TI  - Epigenetic silencing of TH1-type chemokines shapes tumour immunity and
      immunotherapy.
AB  - Epigenetic silencing including histone modifications and DNA methylation is an
      important tumorigenic mechanism. However, its role in cancer immunopathology and
      immunotherapy is poorly understood. Using human ovarian cancers as our model,
      here we show that enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2)-mediated histone H3 lysine
      27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) and DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1)-mediated DNA
      methylation repress the tumour production of T helper 1 (TH1)-type chemokines
      CXCL9 and CXCL10, and subsequently determine effector T-cell trafficking to the
      tumour microenvironment. Treatment with epigenetic modulators removes the
      repression and increases effector T-cell tumour infiltration, slows down tumour
      progression, and improves the therapeutic efficacy of programmed death-ligand 1
      (PD-L1; also known as B7-H1) checkpoint blockade and adoptive T-cell transfusion
      in tumour-bearing mice. Moreover, tumour EZH2 and DNMT1 are negatively associated
      with tumour-infiltrating CD8(+) T cells and patient outcome. Thus, epigenetic
      silencing of TH1-type chemokines is a novel immune-evasion mechanism of tumours.
      Selective epigenetic reprogramming alters the T-cell landscape in cancer and may
      enhance the clinical efficacy of cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26503057
TI  - Methane storage in flexible metal-organic frameworks with intrinsic thermal
      management.
AB  - As a cleaner, cheaper, and more globally evenly distributed fuel, natural gas has
      considerable environmental, economic, and political advantages over petroleum as
      a source of energy for the transportation sector. Despite these benefits, its low
      volumetric energy density at ambient temperature and pressure presents
      substantial challenges, particularly for light-duty vehicles with little space
      available for on-board fuel storage. Adsorbed natural gas systems have the
      potential to store high densities of methane (CH4, the principal component of
      natural gas) within a porous material at ambient temperature and moderate
      pressures. Although activated carbons, zeolites, and metal-organic frameworks
      have been investigated extensively for CH4 storage, there are practical
      challenges involved in designing systems with high capacities and in managing the
      thermal fluctuations associated with adsorbing and desorbing gas from the
      adsorbent. Here, we use a reversible phase transition in a metal-organic
      framework to maximize the deliverable capacity of CH4 while also providing
      internal heat management during adsorption and desorption. In particular, the
      flexible compounds Fe(bdp) and Co(bdp) (bdp(2-) = 1,4-benzenedipyrazolate) are
      shown to undergo a structural phase transition in response to specific CH4
      pressures, resulting in adsorption and desorption isotherms that feature a sharp
      'step'. Such behaviour enables greater storage capacities than have been achieved
      for classical adsorbents, while also reducing the amount of heat released during
      adsorption and the impact of cooling during desorption. The pressure and energy
      associated with the phase transition can be tuned either chemically or by
      application of mechanical pressure. 

PMID- 26503058
TI  - Microbiology: Electrical signalling goes bacterial.

PMID- 26503059
TI  - IRAK1 is a therapeutic target that drives breast cancer metastasis and resistance
      to paclitaxel.
AB  - Metastatic tumour recurrence due to failed treatments remains a major challenge
      of breast cancer clinical management. Here we report that interleukin-1 receptor
      associated kinase 1 (IRAK1) is overexpressed in a subset of breast cancers, in
      particular triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), where it acts to drive
      aggressive growth, metastasis and acquired resistance to paclitaxel treatment. We
      show that IRAK1 overexpression confers TNBC growth advantage through NF-kappaB
      related cytokine secretion and metastatic TNBC cells exhibit gain of IRAK1
      dependency, resulting in high susceptibility to genetic and pharmacologic
      inhibition of IRAK1. Importantly, paclitaxel treatment induces strong IRAK1
      phosphorylation, an increase in inflammatory cytokine expression, enrichment of
      cancer stem cells and acquired resistance to paclitaxel treatment. Pharmacologic
      inhibition of IRAK1 is able to reverse paclitaxel resistance by triggering
      massive apoptosis at least in part through inhibiting p38-MCL1 pro-survival
      pathway. Our study thus demonstrates IRAK1 as a promising therapeutic target for
      TNBC metastasis and paclitaxel resistance. 

PMID- 26503060
TI  - Effect of Intermittent Hypoxia and Rimonabant on Glucose Metabolism in Rats:
      Involvement of Expression of GLUT4 in Skeletal Muscle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and its main feature, chronic intermit
      tent hypoxia (IH) during sleep, is closely associated with insulin resistance
      (IR) and diabetes. Rimonabant can regulate glucose metabolism and improve IR. The
      present study aimed to assess the effect of IH and rimonabant on glucose
      metabolism and insulin sensitivity, and to explore the possible mechanisms.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-two rats were randomly assigned into 4 groups:
      Control group, subjected to intermittent air only; IH group, subjected to IH
      only; IH+NS group, subjected to IH and treated with normal saline; and IH+Rim
      group, subjected to IH and treated with 10 mg/kg/day of rimonabant. All rats were
      killed after 28 days of exposure. Then, the blood and skeletal muscle were
      collected. We measured fasting blood glucose levels, fasting blood insulin
      levels, and the expression of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) in both mRNA and
      protein levels in skeletal muscle. RESULTS: IH can slow weight gain, increase
      serum insulin level, and reduce insulin sensitivity in rats. The expressions of
      GLUT4 mRNA, total GLUT4, and plasma membrane protein of GLUT4 (PM GLUT4) in
      skeletal muscle were decreased. Rimonabant treatment was demonstrated to improve
      weight gain and insulin sensitivity of the rats induced by IH. Rimonabant
      significantly upregulated the expression of GLUT4 mRNA, PM GLUT4, and total GLUT4
      in skeletal muscle. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates that IH can cause
      IR and reduced expression of GLUT4 in both mRNA and protein levels in skeletal
      muscle of rats. Rimonabant treatment can improve IH - induced IR, and the
      upregulation of GLUT4 expression may be involved in this process.

PMID- 26503061
TI  - Modulation of Multidrug Resistance Protein 2 Efflux in the Cisplatin Resistance
      Human Ovarian Carcinoma Cells A2780/RCIS by Sesquiterpene Coumarins.
AB  - Recent in vitro studies showed that sesquiterpene coumarins (SCs) can be used as
      chemosensitizers. In this study, 14 SCs were isolated and purified from roots of
      four Ferula species and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic
      methods. The purified SCs were evaluated for multidrug resistance (MDR) reversal
      properties in A2780/RCIS cells (cisplatin-resistant derivatives of the human
      ovarian carcinoma cell line A2780P). Among the tested compounds, mogoltacin,
      mogoltadone, farnesiferol A, farnesiferol B, farnesiferol C, lehmferin,
      conferdione, and samarcandin showed significant MDR reversing effects. The
      combination of nontoxic concentrations of SCs (20 MUM) with cisplatin enhanced
      cisplatin cytotoxicity on A2780/RCIS cells significantly. Flow cytometric efflux
      assay confirmed that the intracellular accumulation of 5-carboxyfluorescein
      diacetate (5-CFDA) was significantly increased in A2780/RCIS cells when treated
      with SCs. Our findings revealed that conferdione and samarcandin possessed the
      highest inhibitory effects on multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 pump
      efflux, and therefore, these compounds could be considered as lead scaffolds for
      further structure modifications.

PMID- 26503062
TI  - Sultones and Sultines via a Julia-Kocienski Reaction of Epoxides.
AB  - The development of the homologous Julia-Kocienski reaction has led to the
      discovery of two new reaction modes of epoxides with sulfones. These pathways
      allow rapid and direct access to a range of gamma-sultones and gamma-sultines. 

PMID- 26503063
TI  - Design, Preparation, and Characterization of Zn and Cu Metallopeptides Based On
      Tetradentate Aminopyridine Ligands Showing Enhanced DNA Cleavage Activity.
AB  - The conjugation of redox-active complexes that can function as chemical nucleases
      to cationic tetrapeptides is pursued in this work in order to explore the
      expected synergistic effect between these two elements in DNA oxidative cleavage.
      Coordination complexes of biologically relevant first row metal ions, such as
      Zn(II) or Cu(II), containing the tetradentate ligands 1,4-dimethyl-7-(2
      pyridylmethyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclononane ((Me2)PyTACN) and (2S,2S')-1,1'-bis(pyrid
      2-ylmethyl)-2,2'-bipyrrolidine ((S,S')-BPBP) have been linked to a cationic LKKL
      tetrapeptide sequence. Solid-phase synthesis of the peptide-tetradentate ligand
      conjugates has been developed, and the preparation and characterization of the
      corresponding metallotetrapeptides is described. The DNA cleavage activity of Cu
      and Zn metallopeptides has been evaluated and compared to their metal binding
      conjugates as well as to the parent complexes and ligands. Very interestingly,
      the oxidative Cu metallopeptides 1Cu and 2Cu show an enhanced activity compared
      to the parent complexes, [Cu(PyTACN)](2+) and [Cu(BPBP)](2+), respectively. Under
      optimized conditions, 1Cu displays an apparent pseudo first-order rate constant
      (kobs) of ~0.16 min(-1) with a supercoiled DNA half-life time (t1/2) of ~4.3 min.
      On the other hand, kobs for 2Cu has been found to be ~0.11 min(-1) with t1/2 ~
      6.4 min. Hence, these results point out that the DNA cleavage activities promoted
      by the metallopeptides 1Cu and 2Cu render ~4-fold and ~23 rate accelerations in
      comparison with their parent Cu complexes. Additional binding assays and
      mechanistic studies demonstrate that the enhanced cleavage activities are
      explained by the presence of the cationic LKKL tetrapeptide sequence, which
      induces an improved binding affinity to the DNA, thus bringing the metal ion,
      which is responsible for cleavage, in close proximity. 

PMID- 26503064
TI  - First objective association between elevated carbohydrate-deficient transferrin
      concentrations and alcohol-related traffic accidents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is a well-recognized highly
      specific marker of chronic alcohol abuse. The association of CDT with alcohol
      related traffic accidents was evaluated to objectively validate the use of this
      marker for certifying the physical fitness for driving license regranting after
      its confiscation for drunk driving. METHODS: The study was carried out on 468
      injured drivers (InjDr), who underwent mandatory blood alcohol concentration
      (BAC) and drug analysis in biological fluids. The InjDr group was divided into 2
      subgroups on the basis of BAC legal limit adopted in Italy (BAC <= 0.5 g/l:
      InjDr1 ; BAC >0.5 g/l: InjDr2 ). The control group (CntDr) included 236 subjects
      holding safety-sensitive job positions and undergoing mandatory toxicological
      analyses. The determination of BAC in blood and CDT in serum were performed using
      validated analytical methods based on head-space gas chromatography and high
      performance liquid chromatography, respectively. RESULTS: The evaluation of CDT
      distribution in the 3 groups (CntDr, InjDr1 , InjDr2 ) showed that CDT
      distribution in the InjDr1 group was similar to that observed in the CntDr group
      (p = 0.159) and different from that observed in the InjDr2 group (p < 0.001).
      Partitioning the CDT data of each group into "CDT positives" and "CDT negatives"
      on the basis of the cut off (1.90%), it was possible to calculate the odds of the
      3 groups and then the odds ratios. The odds ratio of InjDr1 versus CntDr was 4.56
      (p = 0.158), whereas the odds ratio of InjDr2 versus CntDr was 132 (p < 0.001).
      Furthermore, a dose-response effect was found only when comparing InjDr2 with
      CntDr. CONCLUSIONS: The data of the present study strongly support the use of the
      CDT test to evaluate the risk of a subject to be involved in a road accident
      while driving under the influence of alcohol.

PMID- 26503065
TI  - Ethanol produces corticotropin-releasing factor receptor-dependent enhancement of
      spontaneous glutamatergic transmission in the mouse central amygdala.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ethanol (EtOH) modulation of central amygdala (CeA) neurocircuitry
      plays a key role in the development of alcoholism via activation of the
      corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor (CRFR) system. Previous work has
      predominantly focused on EtOH * CRF interactions on the CeA GABA circuitry;
      however, our laboratory recently showed that CRF enhances CeA glutamatergic
      transmission. Therefore, this study sought to determine whether EtOH modulates
      CeA glutamate transmission via activation of CRF signaling. METHODS: The effects
      of EtOH on spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) and basal
      resting membrane potentials were examined via standard electrophysiology methods
      in adult male C57BL/6J mice. Local ablation of CeA CRF neurons (CRF(CeAhDTR) )
      was achieved by targeting the human diphtheria toxin receptor (hDTR) to CeA CRF
      neurons with an adeno-associated virus. Ablation was quantified post hoc with
      confocal microscopy. Genetic targeting of the diphtheria toxin active subunit to
      CRF neurons (CRF(DTA) mice) ablated CRF neurons throughout the central nervous
      system, as assessed by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain
      reaction quantification of CRF mRNA. RESULTS: Acute bath application of EtOH
      significantly increased sEPSC frequency in a concentration-dependent manner in
      CeA neurons, and this effect was blocked by pretreatment of co-applied CRFR1 and
      CRFR2 antagonists. In experiments utilizing a CRF-tomato reporter mouse, EtOH did
      not significantly alter the basal membrane potential of CeA CRF neurons. The
      ability of EtOH to enhance CeA sEPSC frequency was not altered in CRF(CeAhDTR)
      mice despite a ~78% reduction in CeA CRF cell counts. The ability of EtOH to
      enhance CeA sEPSC frequency was also not altered in the CRF(DTA) mice despite a 3
      fold reduction in CRF mRNA levels. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that
      EtOH enhances spontaneous glutamatergic transmission in the CeA via a CRFR
      dependent mechanism. Surprisingly, our data suggest that this action may not
      require endogenous CRF.

PMID- 26503066
TI  - Phosphatidylethanol is superior to carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and gamma
      glutamyltransferase as an alcohol marker and is a reliable estimate of alcohol
      consumption level.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In clinical practice as well as research situations, it is of great
      importance to get reliable information about a patient's alcohol consumption. The
      aim of the study was to investigate the correlation of alcohol biomarkers
      (phosphatidylethanol [PEth], carbohydrate-deficient transferrin [CDT], gamma
      glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase) to
      retrospective as well as diary-based alcohol self-reports and to examine whether
      it is possible to correlate a biomarker result to a more precise level of alcohol
      consumption. METHODS: One hundred and sixty alcohol-dependent patients were
      included in a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of pharmacotherapy
      for alcohol dependence, of which 115 (76 men and 39 women) completed the study.
      Retrospective alcohol consumption data were collected at baseline, and alcohol
      diaries were used during the study. Blood samples for determination of alcohol
      biomarkers were collected on 5 occasions during the study. RESULTS: PEth and CDT
      showed a better correlation with alcohol consumption documented in the diary
      (PEth rs = 0.56 and CDT rs = 0.35) than with retrospective consumption data (PEth
      rs = 0.23 and CDT rs = 0.22). An even higher correlation (rs = 0.63) was seen
      between the 2 alcohol biomarkers PEth and CDT. At all consumption levels, PEth
      had the highest sensitivity of all biomarkers studied. CONCLUSIONS: PEth was the
      biomarker with the best correlation to self-reported alcohol consumption. PEth
      was superior to CDT owing to its substantially higher sensitivity but also due to
      its closer correlation to self-report. PEth values can be translated into an
      approximate level of alcohol consumption and PEth appears to be a more reliable
      measure of alcohol consumption than self-reports.

PMID- 26503067
TI  - Resistance to temptation: the interaction of external and internal control on
      alcohol use during residential treatment for alcohol use disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is evidence that drinking during residential treatment is
      related to various factors, such as patients' general control beliefs and self
      efficacy, as well as to external control of alcohol use by program's staff and
      situations where there is temptation to drink. As alcohol use during treatment
      has been shown to be associated with the resumption of alcohol use after
      discharge from residential treatment, we aimed to investigate how these variables
      are related to alcohol use during abstinence-oriented residential treatment
      programs for alcohol use disorders (AUD). METHODS: In total, 509 patients who
      entered 1 of 2 residential abstinence-oriented treatment programs for AUD were
      included in the study. After detoxification, patients completed a standardized
      diagnostic procedure including interviews and questionnaires. Drinking was
      assessed by patients' self-report of at least 1 standard drink or by positive
      breathalyzer testing. The 2 residential programs were categorized as high or low
      control according to the average number of tests per patient. RESULTS: Regression
      analysis revealed a significant interaction effect between internal and external
      control suggesting that patients with high internal locus of control and high
      frequency of control by staff demonstrated the least alcohol use during treatment
      (16.7%) while patients with low internal locus of control in programs with low
      external control were more likely to use alcohol during treatment (45.9%). No
      effects were found for self-efficacy and temptation. CONCLUSIONS: As alcohol use
      during treatment is most likely associated with poor treatment outcomes, external
      control may improve treatment outcomes and particularly support patients with low
      internal locus of control, who show the highest risk for alcohol use during
      treatment. High external control may complement high internal control to improve
      alcohol use prevention while in treatment.

PMID- 26503068
TI  - Level of response to alcohol as a factor for targeted prevention in college
      students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heavy alcohol consumption and alcohol problems among college students
      are widespread and associated with negative outcomes for individuals and
      communities. Although current methods for prevention and intervention programming
      have some demonstrated efficacy, heavy drinking remains a problem. A previous
      pilot study and a recent large-scale evaluation (Schuckit et al., , ) found that
      a tailored prevention program based on a risk factor for heavy drinking, low
      level of response (low LR) to alcohol, was more effective at reducing heavy
      drinking than a state-of-the-art (SOTA) standard prevention program for
      individuals with the low LR risk factor. METHODS: This study enrolled 231 first
      semester college freshmen with either high or low LR into the same level of
      response-based (LRB) or SOTA online prevention programs as in the previous
      reports (consisting of 4 weeks of video modules), as well as a group of matched
      controls not receiving alcohol prevention, and compared changes in alcohol use
      between these groups across a 6-month period. RESULTS: Individuals in alcohol
      prevention programs had a greater reduction in maximum drinks per occasion and
      alcohol use disorder symptoms than controls. There was limited evidence for
      interactions between LR and prevention group in predicting change in alcohol use
      behaviors; only among participants with strict adherence to the program was there
      an interaction between LR and program in predicting maximum drinks per occasion.
      However, overall, low LR individuals showed greater decreases in drinking
      behaviors, especially risky behaviors (e.g., maximum drinks, frequency of heavy
      drinking) than high LR individuals. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that
      prevention programs, including brief and relatively inexpensive web-based
      programs, may be effective for persons at highest risk for heavier drinking, such
      as those with a low LR. Tailored programs may provide incremental benefits under
      some conditions. Long-term follow-ups and further investigations of tailored
      prevention programs based on other risk factors are needed.

PMID- 26503069
TI  - A metacognitive strategy for reducing disruptive behavior in children with fetal
      alcohol spectrum disorders: GoFAR pilot.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are often characterized by
      disruptive behavior problems and there are few effective interventions available.
      GoFAR is a novel, 3-part intervention designed to improve self-regulation and
      adaptive living skills of children with FASD by improving metacognitive control
      of emotions and arousal. METHODS: The intervention has 3 components: (i) GoFAR: a
      "serious game" designed to teach a metacognitive control strategy in a computer
      game environment; (ii) parent training on child behavioral regulation; and (iii)
      Behavior Analog Therapy (BAT) sessions, a practical application of the
      metacognitive learning methodology by parent and child in the context of learning
      adaptive skills. The learning strategy (FAR) teaches the child to Focus and make
      a plan, Act out the plan, and Reflect back on the plan. Thirty families were
      randomized to 3 groups: (i) GoFAR (n = 10); (ii) FACELAND (n = 10); or (iii)
      CONTROL (n = 10). The 2 intervention groups, GoFAR and FACELAND, used computer
      games to instruct children. Both groups also received 5 sessions of parent
      training followed by 5 sessions of joint parent/child therapy (BAT). Assessment
      of disruptive behavior, including frequency of temper tantrums, frustration
      tolerance, impulsivity, destructiveness, aggression, and maintaining attention
      were carried out before enrollment at Mid-Treatment, when game play and parent
      training were completed, and finally, after completing the BAT sessions. RESULTS:
      Parental report of disruptive behavior overall was significantly reduced in the
      GoFAR group after the first components, game play and parent training, and after
      the BAT sessions in the FACELAND group with no changes in the CONTROL group over
      time. CONCLUSIONS: The GoFAR((r)) game was well received by children and
      effective in teaching the required skills. Mastering the FAR metacognitive
      strategy was associated with a reduction in disruptive behaviors in children with
      FASD suggesting that effective interventions can improve outcomes for this high
      risk group.

PMID- 26503072
TI  - The development of hand preference and dichotic language lateralization in males
      and females with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
AB  - People with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) are exposed to elevated levels
      of androgens in utero due to overproduction by the adrenal cortex. In order to
      test whether high levels of prenatal androgens influence the development of
      handedness preferences and left-hemisphere language representation, we studied 39
      patients with CAH (28 females, 11 males) and 25 unaffected sibling controls (17
      females, 8 males). Hand preference for 15 unimanual activities was evaluated via
      questionnaire and pantomime, and a consonant-vowel dichotic listening test was
      administered. Contemporary theories disagree as to whether high testosterone is
      said to increase or decrease the probability of developing a typical right-hand
      preference. Results showed no significant differences on the handedness
      inventory. Relative to controls, however, patients with CAH showed a
      significantly larger right-ear advantage on the dichotic syllables task,
      indicating stronger left-hemisphere lateralization of language. These results
      support an emerging body of evidence suggesting that high testosterone may bias
      lateralized development toward the population norm, but run counter to the
      Geschwind-Behan-Galaburda model which associates high prenatal testosterone with
      a greater prevalence of left-handedness.

PMID- 26503070
TI  - Validation of a brief screening tool for alcohol-related neuropsychological
      impairments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alcohol-related neuropsychological impairments mainly affect episodic
      memory, working memory, and visuospatial abilities, as well as executive and
      motor functioning. These impairments can prevent alcoholic patients (ALs) early
      in abstinence from benefiting fully from treatment and reduce their ability to
      remain abstinent. A neuropsychological assessment seems essential for making the
      relevant clinical decisions. However, very few alcohol treatment departments have
      the financial and human resources needed to conduct an extensive
      neuropsychological examination of each AL. The goal of this study was therefore
      to assess the validity and the psychometric properties of the Brief Evaluation of
      Alcohol-Related Neuropsychological Impairments (BEARNI), a new screening tool
      especially designed to assess alcohol-related neuropsychological impairments.
      METHODS: A total of 254 healthy controls (HCs) completed the BEARNI, and 58 of
      them also performed an extensive neuropsychological battery. Seventy-three ALs
      underwent both the BEARNI and the neuropsychological battery. This extensive
      neuropsychological battery of proven classification accuracy served as the
      reference (i.e., gold standard) for determining the ALs' cognitive status.
      RESULTS: An exploratory factor analysis validated the BEARNI's underlying
      structure, highlighting 5 factors that reflected visuospatial abilities,
      executive functions, ataxia, verbal episodic memory, and verbal working memory.
      The standardization of each BEARNI subtest and the 2 total scores revealed that
      this test has sufficient diagnostic accuracy for the detection of ALs with
      cognitive and motor impairments. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the
      BEARNI is a useful screening tool in clinical settings for detecting ALs' motor
      and cognitive impairments.

PMID- 26503073
TI  - Design of Enzyme-Encapsulated Protein Containers by In Vivo Crystal Engineering.
AB  - Crystalline protein assemblies of polyhedra crystal (PhC) can be utilized as
      solid enzyme containers for long-term storage of enzymes with retention of their
      enzymatic activity. The enzymes can be released from the crystals at the optimum
      pH for the enzymatic activity by dissolution of the crystals using in vivo
      crystal engineering. 

PMID- 26503075
TI  - Comparison of coronary risk scoring systems to predict the severity of coronary
      artery disease using the SYNTAX score.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reliable risk scoring systems that can predict the severity of
      coronary artery disease (CAD) are necessary to implement effective management
      strategies in high-risk patients. Atherosclerotic vascular disease and with
      cardiovascular morbidity and mortality risk are patients who would benefit most
      from a change in patients at high risk factors. Framingham Risk Score, the
      Prospective Cardiovascular Munster (PROCAM) score and Systematic Coronary Risk
      Evaluation (SCORE) risk scores are used for this purpose. The severity of the CAD
      as detected by coronary angiography can be estimated using the SYNTAX score. In
      this study, it is aimed to assess the relation between SYNTAX score and the
      Framingham, PROCAM and SCORE scores in the context of their utility for the
      determination of the severity of the CAD. METHODS: A total of 205 patients with
      documented CAD who underwent coronary angiography due to a diagnosis of stable
      angina pectoris were included in this study. Coronary risk scores were determined
      for each patient. The relation between the SYNTAX score and the results of
      coronary risk scoring systems were analyzed. RESULTS: A positive relationship
      between the SYNTAX score, which reflects the severity of the CAD and coronary
      risk scores was found. However, Framingham and SCORE were superior, i.e., had
      more predictive value, regarding their ability to predict the SYNTAX score (p =
      0.029, 0.033 and 0.002, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Examination of the
      distribution of SYNTAX score across low, intermediate and high-risk groups showed
      a significantly higher predictive value of SCORE for high-risk patients (p =
      0.005).

PMID- 26503076
TI  - A marked decrease in heart rate variability in Marfan syndrome patients with
      confirmed FBN1 mutations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The studies on heart rate variability (HRV), a key predictor of all
      cause mortality, in Marfan syndrome (MS), up to now have not been reported,
      especially in patients with FBN1 mutations. METHODS: Among 18 MS patients with
      the phenotype of MS meeting inclusion criteria 15 have had a FBN1 gene mutation.
      Short electrocardiography records were taken in the supine position and during
      orthostatic tests. The control group consisted of 30 apparently healthy
      nonathletes matched by age and gender. RESULTS: Heart rates in MS patients with
      the FBN1 mutation were increased in both the supine position and orthostatic test
      (p < 0.001). Most of the time-domain (standard deviation, pNN50) and frequency
      domain (total power, very low, low, and high frequency) parameters of HRV were
      significantly reduced in the MS patients (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A marked
      decrease in HRV, documented in the study, may be an important clinical feature in
      MS patients with confirmed FBN1 gene mutations.

PMID- 26503074
TI  - Beneficial effects of exercise on age-related mitochondrial dysfunction and
      oxidative stress in skeletal muscle.
AB  - Mitochondria are negatively affected by ageing leading to their inability to
      adapt to higher levels of oxidative stress and this ultimately contributes to the
      systemic loss of muscle mass and function termed sarcopenia. Since mitochondria
      are central mediators of muscle health, they have become highly sought-after
      targets of physiological and pharmacological interventions. Exercise is the only
      known strategy to combat sarcopenia and this is largely mediated through
      improvements in mitochondrial plasticity. More recently a critical role for
      mitochondrial turnover in preserving muscle has been postulated. Specifically,
      cellular pathways responsible for the regulation of mitochondrial turnover
      including biogenesis, dynamics and autophagy may become dysregulated during
      ageing resulting in the reduced clearance and accumulation of damaged organelles
      within the cell. When mitochondrial quality is compromised and homeostasis is not
      re-established, myonuclear cell death is activated and muscle atrophy ensues. In
      contrast, acute and chronic exercise attenuates these deficits, restoring
      mitochondrial turnover and promoting a healthier mitochondrial pool that leads to
      the preservation of muscle. Additionally, the magnitude of these exercise-induced
      mitochondrial adaptations is currently debated with several studies reporting a
      lower adaptability of old muscle relative to young, but the processes responsible
      for this diminished training response are unclear. Based on these observations,
      understanding the molecular details of how advancing age and exercise influence
      mitochondria in older muscle will provide invaluable insight into the development
      of exercise protocols that will maximize beneficial adaptations in the elderly.
      This information will also be imperative for future research exploring
      pharmacological targets of mitochondrial plasticity.

PMID- 26503077
TI  - A randomized comparison of 5 versus 12 hours per day of cardiac contractility
      modulation treatment for heart failure patients: A preliminary report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) signals are non-excitatory
      electrical signals delivered during the absolute refractory period intended to
      improve contraction and cardiac function. Clinical trials have shown that CCM
      treatment significantly improves exercise tolerance and quality of life in
      symptomatic heart failure patients. Studies with CCM therapy typically include
      CCM delivery for 3, 5 or 7 h per day, although other configurations are also
      commonly used. Each has been associated with improved outcomes in heart failure,
      but it is not clear whether different application durations are associated with
      the various degrees of benefit. The purpose of the current pilot evaluation study
      was to evaluate the quality of life, exercise tolerance, and cardiac function,
      over a 6-month period when CCM was delivered for 5 h/day vs. 12 h/day. Increasing
      the daily CCM therapy duration is safe and as good as the standard CCM periods of
      application per day. METHODS: This single center pilot evaluation study involved
      19 medically refractory symptomatic patients with heart failure and reduced left
      ventricular function who underwent implantation of an OptimizerTM system (Impulse
      Dynamics, Orangeburg, NY, USA). Patients were randomized into one of two
      treatment groups; 5 h/day CCM treatment or 12 h/day CCM treatment. Subjects and
      evaluating physicians were blinded to the study group. Subjects returned to the
      hospital after 12 and 24 weeks. Efficacy evaluations included changes from
      baseline to 24 weeks in Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire score
      (MLWHFQ), maximal oxygen consumption in the cardio-pulmonary stress test (peak
      VO2), New York Heart Association classification (NYHA), 6-min walk distance
      (6MWD), and ejection fraction (EF). RESULTS: At the end of 24 weeks, clinical
      improvement was observed in the entire cohort in all efficacy measures (mean
      change from baseline of -17.1 in MLWHFQ, -0.86 in NYHA, and improvement trend of
      1.48 mL O2/kg/min in peak VO2, 31.3 m in 6MWD, and 2.25% in EF). There were no
      significant differences, either clinically or statistically, between the groups
      receiving CCM for 5 h/day vs. 12 h/day. Three subjects were voluntarily withdrawn
      before completing the study. One subject died from pneumonia after 125 days, and
      6 serious adverse events were reported, none of which was classified as related
      to either the device or the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Together with previously
      reported experience with CCM, delivery of CCM therapy is equally safe and appears
      similarly effective over the range of shorter (5 h) to longer (12 h) daily
      periods of application. Given the small sample size, further studies are
      warranted.

PMID- 26503078
TI  - Predictive value of admission red cell distribution width-platelet ratio for no
      reflow phenomenon in acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing
      primary percutaneous coronary intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The red cell distribution width-platelet ratio (RPR), a novel
      inflammatory marker is currently used to predict inflammation in chronic
      diseases. It may be associated with adverse outcomes among artery disease but its
      prognostic value in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated
      with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not been fully
      investigated. There is no data regarding the association between RPR and in
      hospital major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). This study evaluated the
      relations between pre-procedural RPR and the in-hospital and long-term outcomes
      in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI. METHODS: This study included 580 STEMI
      patients (77% men, mean age: 59 +/- 12 years). The patients were divided into two
      groups according to thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grades
      after primary PCI. No-reflow was defined as a post-PCI TIMI flow grade of 0, 1 or
      2 (group 1). Angiographic success was defined as TIMI flow grade 3 (group 2).
      RESULTS: Whole blood cell count, neutrophil and lymphocyte percentages, red cell
      distribution width, platecrit, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and RPR values
      were higher among patients with no-reflow. On multivariate analysis, pain to
      balloon time, multivessel disease, TIMI thrombus grade, tirofiban, aspirin,
      previous coronary artery disease, NLR, platecrit and RPR remained independent
      predictors of no-reflow after primary PCI. Patients in no-reflow group tended to
      be higher percent in-hospital MACE, including nonfatal myocardial infarction and
      cardiovascular mortality compared to the reflow patients. CONCLUSIONS: Admission
      NLR, platecrit and RPR are independent correlates of no-reflow and in-hospital
      MACEs among patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI.

PMID- 26503079
TI  - Single spot albumin to creatinine ratio: A simple marker of long-term prognosis
      in non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndromes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microalbuminuria is a known risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity
      and mortality suggesting that it should be a marker of endothelial dysfunction.
      Albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) is an available and rapid test for
      microalbuminuria determination, with a high correlation with the 24-h urine
      collection method. There is no prospective study that evaluates the prognostic
      value of ACR in patients with non ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes
      (NSTE-ACS). The purpose of our study was to detect the long-term prognostic value
      of ACR in patients with NSTE-ACS. METHODS: Albumin to creatinine ratio was
      estimated in 700 patients with NSTE-ACS at admission. Median follow-up time was
      18 months. The best cutoff point of ACR for death or acute myocardial infarction
      was 20 mg/g. Twenty-two percent of patients had elevated ACR. RESULTS: By
      multivariable Cox regression analysis, ACR was an independent predictor of the
      clinical endpoint: odds ratio 5.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2-16), log-rank 2
      p < 0.0001 in a model including age > 65 years, female gender, diabetes mellitus,
      creatinine clearance, glucose levels at admission, elevated cardiac markers
      (troponin T/CK-MB) and ST segment depression. The addition of ACR significantly
      improved GRACE score C-statistics from 0.69 (95% CI 0.59-0.83) to 0.77 (95% CI
      0.65-0.88), SE 0.04, 2 p = 0.03, with a good calibration with both models.
      CONCLUSIONS: Albumin to creatinine ratio is an independent and accessible
      predictor of long-term adverse outcomes in NSTE-ACS, providing additional value
      for risk stratification.

PMID- 26503080
TI  - Paravalvular leak after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI): Short
      term results. Data from Polish national POL-TAVI registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The authors analyzed data from Polish national POL-TAVI registry in
      terms of paravalvular leak (PVL) occurrence after transcatheter aortic valve
      implantation (TAVI) and its impact on clinical outcomes. METHODS: A total of 331
      patients with severe aortic stenosis underwent TAVI (Edwards Sapien, n = 141;
      CoreValve, n = 190). The grade of PVL and survival rate were assessed at6-month
      follow-up. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-one (54.7%) patients developed mild
      PVL, and 22 (6.6%) - moderate PVL after TAVI. No severe PVLs were observed.
      Occurrence of moderate PVL was device dependent and more frequent in the
      CoreValve group (p = 0.02). Larger CoreValve device used correlated with the
      grade of PVL (Spearman: r = 0.19; p = 0.01), but for Edwards Sapien devices this
      correlation was inverted (Spearman: r = -0.62; p = 0.01). Six-month mortality
      rate was not significant between patients with no or mild PVL compared to those
      with moderate PVL (p = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS: The PVL occurrence remains a frequent
      problem after TAVI and is device de-pendent, more common with Edwards 23 mm valve
      and 31 mm CoreValve prosthesis.

PMID- 26503081
TI  - History of diabetes mellitus is associated with elevated cardiac troponin I
      levels in patients with chest pain but no coronary heart disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The factors and the mechanism contributing to an increase in cardiac
      troponin I (cTnI) in patients with chest pain, at least one cardiovascular risk
      factor, and no evidence of coronary heart disease remains elusive. METHODS:
      Excluding patients with acute coronary syndrome and chronic myocardial isch-emia,
      we selected 362 consecutive patients with normal coronary angiography or computed
      tomography coronary angiography results or lesions causing < 50% stenosis in any
      of the coronary arteries from January 2012 to June 2015. Using a cut-off value of
      0.01 ng/mL, patients with cTnI levels >= 0.01 ng/mL (164 patients) were compared
      with those with cTnI levels < 0.01 ng/mL. Logistic regression analysis was used
      to evaluate associations between elevated cTnI and patient characteristics.
      RESULTS: Other than history of diabetes mellitus (DM) (18.90% vs. 8.08%, p =
      0.002), the characteristics of the patients with and without elevated cTnI levels
      were similar. History of DM predicted elevation of cTnI level (OR 3.34, 95% CI
      1.55-7.20, p = 0.002) in logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In total,
      45.30% of patients with chest pain had elevated cTnI levels with a mean level of
      0.07 +/- 0.10 ng/mL. History of DM rather than blood glucose level itself was
      associated with elevated cTnI levels, whereas female gender was protective
      against increases in cTnI levels.

PMID- 26503082
TI  - The impact of emergency department observation units on United States emergency
      department admission rates.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Prior studies suggesting that the presence of emergency department
      (ED) observation units decrease overall ED hospital admissions have been either
      single-center studies or based on model simulations. The objective of this
      preliminary national study is to determine if the presence of ED observation
      units is associated with hospitals having lower ED admission rates. METHODS: We
      conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis using the 2010 National
      Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey and estimated ED risk-standardized hospital
      admission rates (RSHAR) for each center. The following were excluded from the
      study: ages <18 years, leaving prior to completion of ED visit, died in the ED,
      transferred to another facility, and missing disposition. Hospitals with less
      than 30 ED visits or unknown observation unit status were also excluded. We used
      linear regression analysis to determine the association between ED RSHAR and
      presence of observation units. RESULTS: There were 24,232 ED visits in 315
      hospitals in the United States. Of these, 82 (20.6%) hospitals had an ED
      observation unit. The average ED risk-standardized hospital admission rates for
      hospitals with observation units and without hospital observation units were
      13.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.3-16.0) and 16.0% (95% CI: 14.1-17.7),
      respectively. The difference of 2.3% was not statistically significant.
      CONCLUSIONS: In this preliminary study, we did not find an association between
      the presence of observation units and ED hospital admission rates. Further
      studies with larger sample sizes should be performed to further evaluate the
      impact of ED observation units on ED hospital admission rates.

PMID- 26503083
TI  - Emergency department observation units: Less than we bargained for?

PMID- 26503084
TI  - The authors reply "Changes in patient satisfaction related to hospital
      renovation: The experience with a new clinical building".

PMID- 26503085
TI  - In reference to "Changes in patient satisfaction related to hospital renovation:
      The experience with a new clinical building".

PMID- 26503086
TI  - A selective chromofluorogenic chemodosimeter for fluoride ions based on
      distyrylbenzenes derivatives containing dual Si-O groups.
AB  - A new chemodosimeter for fluoride ions based on F(-) triggered dual Si-O bond
      cleavage of distyrylbenzenes derivatives was developed for the first time. Upon
      the addition of F(-) ions, the chemodosimeter (7) displayed apparent color
      changes from colorless to faint yellow, with a dramatic red-shift in the emission
      wavelength (~100 nm), and higher selectivity for fluoride over other common
      anions. With the aid of fluorescence measurements, the limit of detection could
      be as low as 89.8 nm. Using a 'dipstick' approach, chemodosimeter (7) might serve
      as a prototype device for fluorescent detecting F(-) without the need for any
      additional equipment. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 

PMID- 26503087
TI  - Use of Natalizumab in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: 2015 Update.

PMID- 26503088
TI  - A two-photon fluorescent probe for lysosomal zinc ions.
AB  - The selective detection of zinc ions in lysosomes over that in cytosol is
      achieved with a fluorescent probe, which enabled the fluorescence imaging of
      endogenous zinc ions in lysosomes of NIH 3T3 cells as well as mouse hippocampal
      tissues by two-photon microscopy under excitation at 900 nm. 

PMID- 26503089
TI  - The iScore predicts total healthcare costs early after hospitalization for an
      acute ischemic stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ischemic Stroke risk score is a validated prognostic score which
      can be used by clinicians to estimate patient outcomes after the occurrence of an
      acute ischemic stroke. AIM: In this study, we examined the association between
      the ischemic Stroke risk score and patients' 30-day, one-year, and two-year
      healthcare costs from the perspective of a third party healthcare payer. METHODS:
      Patients who had an acute ischemic stroke were identified from the Registry of
      Canadian Stroke Network. The 30-day ischemic Stroke risk score prognostic score
      was determined for each patient. Direct healthcare costs at each time point were
      determined using administrative databases in the province of Ontario. Unadjusted
      mean and the impact of a 10-point increase ischemic Stroke risk score and a
      patient's risk of death or disability on total cost were determined. RESULTS:
      There were 12,686 patients eligible for the study. Total unadjusted mean costs
      were greatest among patients at high risk. When adjusting for patient
      characteristics, a 10-point increase in the ischemic Stroke risk score was
      associated with 8%, 7%, and 4% increase in total costs at 30 days, one-year, and
      two-years. The same increase was found to impact patients at low, medium, and
      high risk differently. When adjusting for patient characteristics, patients in
      the high-risk group had the highest total costs at 30 days, while patients at
      medium risk had the highest costs at both one and two-years. CONCLUSIONS: The
      ischemic Stroke risk score can be useful as a predictor of healthcare utilization
      and costs early after hospitalization for an acute ischemic stroke.

PMID- 26503090
TI  - Port wine stain treated with a combination of pulsed dye laser and topical
      rapamycin ointment.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: A port wine stain (PWS) is a type of capillary vascular
      malformation composed of malformed, dilated blood vessels within the papillary
      and reticular dermis. Currently, pulsed dye laser (PDL) is considered the
      therapeutic gold standard, although greater than 90% of lesions may be refractory
      to treatment. Studies have shown that a delay in treatment results in a higher
      proportion of patients who develop hypertrophy and nodularity within lesions that
      become more resistant to therapy. Therapeutic resistance is multifactorial, but
      is believed to be largely due to revascularization after laser treatment. Oral
      sirolimus and topical imiquimod have shown promise as adjunctive therapies to
      minimize post-laser revascularization, but both have significant side effects. We
      wish to demonstrate the utility of adjunct topical sirolimus to reduce
      revascularization after PDL treatment. STUDY DESIGN/PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is
      a single patient case report of a 56-year-old male patient with an extensive PWS.
      After seeing initial improvement with PDL alone, he began to experience
      thickening and nodularity of his PWS necessitating surgical debulking. Since this
      procedure, topical sirolimus 0.5% ointment has been added to his treatment
      regimen as an adjunct to PDL. The patient is being treated with PDL (Vbeam
      Perfecta, Candela/Syneron, Wayland, MA) every 4-6 weeks at varied settings with
      the following laser parameters: fluence 9-11 J/cm(2), pulse duration 0.45-1.5 ms,
      focal spot size 7 mm, cooling 30/20. Sirolimus 0.5% ointment is applied to the
      area twice daily. RESULTS: The patient showed significant improvement in color
      and texture of his PWS. Compared to the initial therapy of PDL alone, topical
      sirolimus ointment in conjunction with PDL demonstrated greater improvement and
      maintenance of therapeutic results with fewer overall laser treatments.
      CONCLUSION: Topical sirolimus 0.5% ointment is a safe and effective adjunct to
      PDL in the treatment of PWS.

PMID- 26503091
TI  - Significant More Research Required: No Further Progress Without Sound Medical
      Data and Valid Denominators for In-Flight Medical Emergencies.

PMID- 26503092
TI  - Training in Travel Medicine and General Practitioners: A Long-Haul Journey!

PMID- 26503093
TI  - Melioidosis in Travelers: Review of the Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Melioidosis is a bacterial infection endemic essentially in Southeast
      Asia and northern Australia. In temperate areas, the infection is extremely rare
      and is almost always imported by travelers or immigrants. The infection may
      affect almost any organ in the body, with various degrees of severity. METHODS:
      We reviewed the literature on melioidosis in travelers. For this purpose we
      searched PubMed and Google for relevant articles up to July 2015. RESULTS: We
      have identified 72 cases of melioidosis in travelers published in the literature.
      Melioidosis in travelers was acquired mostly in Thailand (46% of cases). The mean
      duration of stay in the endemic area was 36 days (range 7-330 days). Symptoms
      usually started at 23 days (range 1-360 days) after leaving the endemic area. The
      clinical presentation was varied, sepsis being the most common (34%) followed by
      pneumonia (29%) and abscess formation (25%). Melioidosis in travelers was less
      often associated with predisposing risk factors (37.5%), diabetes mellitus being
      the most common (21%), and had lower mortality (17%) than had the infection in
      autochthonous cases in Southeast Asia. CONCLUSIONS: Melioidosis in travelers has
      its own characteristics, which distinguish it from other autochthonous diseases
      in indigenous populations. The possibility of melioidosis should be considered
      not only in patients originating from endemic areas, but also in patients
      returning from travel in those regions.

PMID- 26503094
TI  - Imported Flood-Related Leptospirosis From Palau: Awareness of Risk Factors Leads
      to Early Treatment.
AB  - We describe two Japanese travelers with leptospirosis who visited Palau. Both
      travelers swam in Ngardmau Falls, which was flooded for two days after typhoon
      Phanfone. The diagnoses were confirmed by microscopic agglutination test or
      polymerase chain reaction. This is the first report of leptospirosis in travelers
      who returned from Palau. It should be noted that choosing the appropriate test to
      biologically confirm leptospirosis was highly time-dependent. Awareness of the
      risk factors for leptospirosis, mainly that of the exposure to contaminated fresh
      water after a flooding, would lead to an early and appropriate treatment before
      the confirmed diagnosis. 

PMID- 26503095
TI  - The Final Frontier-What Should the Travel Medicine Practitioner Know About Space
      Flight Participation?

PMID- 26503096
TI  - Total Recall? Testing Immediate Recall Does Not Measure Effectiveness of Pre
      Travel Visits.

PMID- 26503097
TI  - Response to Letter.

PMID- 26503098
TI  - Intranasal Fentanyl Intoxication Leading to Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage.
AB  - CONTEXT: Increasing rates of opioid abuse, particularly fentanyl, may lead to
      more presentations of unusual effects of opioid toxicity. Diffuse alveolar
      hemorrhage is a rare complication of fentanyl overdose. CASE DETAILS: A 45-year
      old male presented in hypoxic respiratory failure secondary to diffuse alveolar
      hemorrhage requiring intubation. Comprehensive drug screening detected fentanyl
      without exposure to cocaine. Further history upon the patient's recovery revealed
      exposure to snorted fentanyl powder immediately prior to presentation.
      DISCUSSION: Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage is a potential, though rare, presentation
      of opioid intoxication. CONCLUSIONS: Recognition of less common complications of
      opioid abuse such as diffuse alveolar hemorrhage is important in proper
      management of overdoses.

PMID- 26503100
TI  - Erratum to: Investigating determinants of catastrophic health spending among
      poorly insured elderly households in urban Nigeria.

PMID- 26503099
TI  - A study of sertraline in dialysis (ASSertID): a protocol for a pilot randomised
      controlled trial of drug treatment for depression in patients undergoing
      haemodialysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of depression in people receiving haemodialysis is
      high with estimates varying between 20 and 40 %. There is little research on the
      effectiveness of antidepressants in dialysis patients with the few clinical
      trials suffering significant methodological issues. We plan to carry out a study
      to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial in
      patients on haemodialysis who have diagnosed Major Depressive Disorder.
      METHODS/DESIGN: The study has two phases, a screening phase and the randomised
      controlled trial. Patients will be screened initially with the Beck Depression
      Inventory to estimate the number of patients who score 16 or above. These
      patients will be invited to an interview with a psychiatrist who will invite
      those with a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder to take part in the trial.
      Consenting patients will be randomised to either Sertraline or placebo. Patients
      will be followed-up for 6 months. Demographic and clinical data will be collected
      at screening interview, baseline interview and 2 weeks, and every month (up to 6
      months) after baseline. The primary outcome is to evaluate the feasibility of
      conducting a randomised, double blind, placebo pilot trial in haemodialysis
      patients with depression. Secondary outcomes include estimation of the
      variability in the outcome measures for the treatment and placebo arms, which
      will allow for a future adequately powered definitive trial. Analysis will
      primarily be descriptive, including the number of patients eligible for the
      trial, drug exposure of Sertraline in haemodialysis patients and the patient
      experience of participating in this trial. DISCUSSION: There is an urgent need
      for this research in the dialysis population because of the dearth of good
      quality and adequately powered studies. Research with renal patients is
      particularly difficult as they often have complex medical needs. This research
      will therefore not only assess the outcome of anti-depressants in haemodialysis
      patients with depression but also the process of running a randomised controlled
      trial in this population. Hence, the outputs of this feasibility study will be
      used to inform the design and methodology of a definitive study, adequately
      powered to determine the efficacy of anti-depressants in patient on haemodialysis
      with depression. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN registry ISRCTN06146268 and EudraCT
      reference: 2012-000547-27.

PMID- 26503101
TI  - Review: Sustainability of crossbreeding in developing countries; definitely not
      like crossing a meadow....
AB  - Crossbreeding, considering either terminal or rotational crossing, synthetic
      breed creation or breed replacement, is often promoted as an efficient strategy
      to increase farmers' income through the improvement of productivity of local
      livestock in developing countries. Sustainability of crossbreeding is however
      frequently challenged by constraints such as poor adaptation to the local
      environment or lack of logistic support. In this review, we investigate factors
      that may influence the long-term success or the failure of crossbreeding
      programs, based on the scientific literature and country reports submitted for
      The Second Report on the State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food
      and Agriculture. Crossbreeding activities vary widely across species and
      countries. Its sustainability is dependent on different prerequisites such as
      continual access to adequate breeding stock (especially after the end of
      externally funded crossbreeding projects), the opportunity of improved livestock
      to express their genetic potential (e.g. through providing proper inputs) and
      integration within a reliable market chain. As formal crossbreeding programs are
      often associated with adoption of other technologies, they can be a catalyst for
      innovation and development for smallholders. Given the increasing global demand
      for animal products, as well as the potential environmental consequences of
      climate change, there is a need for practical research to improve the
      implementation of long-term crossbreeding programs in developing countries. 

PMID- 26503102
TI  - Practice pearl: the effect of canagliflozin on HbA1c and blood pressure in
      patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - Review of: Wilding JPH, Blonde L, Leiter LA, et al. Efficacy and safety of
      canagliflozin by baseline HbA1c and known duration of type 2 diabetes mellitus. J
      Diabetes Complications. 2015;29(3):438-444; and Weir MR, Januszewicz A, Gilbert
      RE, et al. Effect of canagliflozin on blood pressure and adverse events related
      to osmotic diuresis and reduced intravascular volume in patients with type 2
      diabetes mellitus. J Clin Hypertension. 2014;16(12):875-882. Two authors did
      secondary analyses on the original research data for canagliflozin. Wilding et
      al. found that the degree of the lowering of the HbA1c in patients was greater in
      patients with a higher baseline HbA1c. Weir et al. found that the blood pressure
      lowering seen with canagliflozin was greater if the baseline blood pressures were
      higher. This shows that canagliflozin will have increased effects in more
      complicated patients. 

PMID- 26503104
TI  - On the Shoulders of Giants.

PMID- 26503105
TI  - Controlled Doping of Vacancy-Containing Few-Layer MoS2 via Highly Stable Thiol
      Based Molecular Chemisorption.
AB  - MoS2 is considered a promising two-dimensional active channel material for future
      nanoelectronics. However, the development of a facile, reliable, and controllable
      doping methodology is still critical for extending the applicability of MoS2.
      Here, we report surface charge transfer doping via thiol-based binding chemistry
      for modulating the electrical properties of vacancy-containing MoS2 (v-MoS2).
      Although vacancies present in 2D materials are generally regarded as undesirable
      components, we show that the electrical properties of MoS2 can be systematically
      engineered by exploiting the tight binding between the thiol group and sulfur
      vacancies and by choosing different functional groups. For example, we
      demonstrate that NH2-containing thiol molecules with lone electron pairs can
      serve as an n-dopant and achieve a substantial increase of electron density
      (Deltan = 3.7 * 10(12) cm(-2)). On the other hand, fluorine-rich molecules can
      provide a p-doping effect (Deltan = -7.0 * 10(11) cm(-2)) due to its high
      electronegativity. Moreover, the n- and p-doping effects were systematically
      evaluated by photoluminescence (PL), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and
      electrical measurement results. The excellent binding stability of thiol
      molecules and recovery properties by thermal annealing will enable broader
      applicability of ultrathin MoS2 to various devices. 

PMID- 26503103
TI  - The mechanism of action for hyaluronic acid treatment in the osteoarthritic knee:
      a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the leading causes of disability
      within the adult population. Current treatment options for OA of the knee include
      intra-articular (IA) hyaluronic acid (HA), a molecule found intrinsically within
      the knee joint that provides viscoelastic properties to the synovial fluid. A
      variety of mechanisms in which HA is thought to combat knee OA are reported in
      the current basic literature. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive literature
      search to identify currently available primary non-clinical basic science
      articles focussing on the mechanism of action of IA-HA treatment. Included
      articles were assessed and categorized based on the mechanism of action described
      within them. The key findings and conclusions from each included article were
      obtained and analyzed in aggregate with studies of the same categorical
      assignment. RESULTS: Chondroprotection was the most frequent mechanism reported
      within the included articles, followed by proteoglycan and glycosaminoglycan
      synthesis, anti-inflammatory, mechanical, subchondral, and analgesic actions. HA
      cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) receptor binding was the most frequently
      reported biological cause of the mechanisms presented. High molecular weight HA
      was seen to be superior to lower molecular weight HA products. HA derived through
      a biological fermentation process is also described as having favorable safety
      outcomes over avian-derived HA products. CONCLUSIONS: The non-clinical basic
      science literature provides evidence for numerous mechanisms in which HA acts on
      joint structures and function. These actions provide support for the purported
      clinical benefit of IA-HA in OA of the knee. Future research should not only
      focus on the pain relief provided by IA-HA treatment, but the disease
      modification properties that this treatment modality possesses as well.

PMID- 26503106
TI  - Optimization and evaluation of Flexicult(r) Vet for detection, identification and
      antimicrobial susceptibility testing of bacterial uropathogens in small animal
      veterinary practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common reason for antimicrobial
      prescription in dogs and cats. The objective of this study was to optimize and
      evaluate a culture-based point-of-care test for detection, identification and
      antimicrobial susceptibility testing of bacterial uro-pathogens in veterinary
      practice. METHODS: Seventy-two urine samples from dogs and cats with suspected
      UTI presenting to seven veterinary facilities were used by clinical staff and an
      investigator to estimate sensitivity and specificity of Flexicult Vet A compared
      to laboratory reference standards for culture and susceptibility testing.
      Subsequently, the test was modified by inclusion of an oxacillin-containing
      compartment for detection of methicillin-resistant staphylococci. The performance
      of the modified product (Flexicult Vet B) for susceptibility testing was
      evaluated in vitro using a collection of 110 clinical isolates. RESULTS:
      Bacteriuria was reported by the laboratory in 25 (35 %) samples from the field
      study. The sensitivity and specificity of Flexicult Vet A for detection of
      bacteriuria were 83 and 100 %, respectively. Bacterial species were correctly
      identified in 53 and 100 % of the positive samples by clinical staff and the
      investigator, respectively. The susceptibility results were interpreted correctly
      by clinical staff for 70 % of the 94 drug-strain combinations. Higher percentages
      of correct interpretation were observed when the results were interpreted by the
      investigator in both the field (76 %) and the in vitro study (94 %). The most
      frequent errors were false resistance to beta-lactams (ampicillin, amoxicillin
      clavulanate and cephalotin) in Escherichia coli for Flexicult Vet A, and false
      amoxicillin-clavulanate resistance in E. coli and false ampicillin susceptibility
      in Staphylococcus pseudintermedius for Flexicult Vet B. The latter error can be
      prevented by categorizing staphylococcal strains growing in the oxacillin
      compartment as resistant to all beta-lactams. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the
      shortcomings regarding species identification by clinical staff and beta-lactam
      susceptibility testing of E. coli, Flexicult Vet B (commercial name
      Flexicult((r)) Vet) is a time- and cost-effective point-of-care test to guide
      antimicrobial choice and facilitate implementation of antimicrobial use
      guidelines for treatment of UTIs in small animals, provided that clinical staff
      is adequately trained to interpret the results and that clinics meet minimum
      standards to operate in-house culture.

PMID- 26503107
TI  - The need for thorough phase II studies in medicines development for Alzheimer's
      disease.
AB  - An important factor in the universal failure in phase III trials in mild to
      moderate Alzheimer's disease in the past decade is the lack of phase II clinical
      data prior to entering phase III, with common reliance on biomarker results
      alone. Conduction of two learn-confirm cycles according to the Sheiner model
      would allow go/no-go decision making to include reliable clinical efficacy data
      prior to conducting phase III and would likely bring the rate of late stage
      failure more into line with that of other neurological indications. In studies in
      earlier disease stages, combined phase IIB/III adaptive approaches merit
      consideration in view of the long timelines of each study, though advantages and
      disadvantages of this approach versus the classical development pathway still
      need careful assessment. 

PMID- 26503108
TI  - Development and Validation of the Pride in Eating Pathology Scale (PEP-S).
AB  - : There is a growing body of theoretical and clinical literature highlighting the
      role of pride in maintaining eating disordered behaviours. Despite its clinical
      importance, there are no measures to assess feelings of pride associated with
      eating psychopathology. This study describes the development and validation of
      the Pride in Eating Pathology Scale (PEP-S), a self-report questionnaire that
      examines feelings of pride towards eating disordered symptoms (e.g., pride in
      food restriction, thinness and weight loss). Participants were 390 females,
      recruited from university and community populations, whose mean age was 26.99
      years. Respondents rated pride in eating pathology on a 7-point Likert-scale.
      Principal Component Analysis indicated that the 60-item scale comprised a four
      component structure: (1) pride in weight loss, food control and thinness, (2)
      pride in healthy weight and healthy eating, (3) pride in outperforming others and
      social recognition and (4) pride in capturing other people's attention due to
      extreme thinness. These four components explained a total of 65.31% of the
      variance. The PEP-S demonstrated very good internal reliability (alpha ranging
      from 0.88 to 0.98) and very good test-retest reliability over a 3-week time-span
      (r ranging from 0.81 to 0.93). The PEP-S also showed excellent convergent and
      discriminant validity. Furthermore, the scale discriminated between women with
      high and low levels of eating psychopathology. The PEP-S is a psychometrically
      robust measure of pride in eating pathology. It has the potential to advance
      theoretical understanding and may also be clinically useful. Copyright (c) 2015
      John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: The PEP-S is a valid, reliable,
      quick and easy to administer self-report questionnaire that measures pride
      related to eating pathology. The PEP-S assesses four clinically relevant
      dimensions: (1) pride in weight loss, food control and thinness, (2) pride in
      healthy weight and healthy eating, (3) pride in outperforming others and social
      recognition and (4) pride in capturing other people's attention due to extreme
      thinness. The PEP-S has very good internal and test-retest reliability, and very
      good convergent and discriminant validity. The PEP-S distinguishes between women
      with higher and lower levels of eating psychopathology. The PEP-S makes an
      important contribution to understanding pride in eating psychopathology, which is
      essential from both clinical and theoretical perspectives.

PMID- 26503109
TI  - Influence of 1 year of androgen deprivation therapy on lipid and glucose
      metabolism and fat accumulation in Japanese patients with prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We prospectively examined influence of androgen deprivation therapy
      (ADT) on lipid and glucose metabolisms in Japanese patients with prostate cancer.
      METHODS: Patients with prostate cancer who were hormone-naive and scheduled to
      receive long-term ADT were recruited between 2011 and 2013. Body weight,
      abdominal circumference and blood testing associated with lipid and glucose
      metabolism were recorded every 3 months during 1 year of ADT. Computed tomography
      (CT) was performed to measure areas of subcutaneous and visceral fat before and
      after 1 year of ADT. ADT was limited to a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone
      (LHRH) agonist with or without bicalutamide. RESULTS: Of 218 patients registered,
      data were available from 177 patients who completed 1 year of ADT. Of these, CT
      was performed before and after 1 year of ADT in 88 patients. Median age was 75
      years (range, 49-85 years). Median PSA before ADT was 16.7 ng ml(-1) (range, 0.3
      3316). Clinical stage was B (54.2%), C (23.2%) and D (20.9%). Mean increases in
      body weight and abdominal circumference after 1 year of ADT were 2.9 and 3.0%,
      respectively. Mean increases in total, low-density lipoprotein and high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides were 10.6, 14.3, 7.8 and 16.2%,
      respectively. Mean increases in fasting blood sugar and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)
      were 3.9 and 2.7%, respectively. Lipid alterations were noted in patients without
      comorbidities, whereas changes in HbA1c were noted in patients with diabetes
      mellitus at baseline. These lipid and glucose alterations were prominent in the
      early ADT period. Both visceral and subcutaneous fat, as measured by CT,
      increased by >20%. The increase in subcutaneous fat was significantly greater
      than that in visceral fat (P=0.028). CONCLUSIONS: One year of ADT significantly
      changed lipid and glucose metabolism in Japanese patients with prostate cancer.
      Patient characteristics or comorbidities at baseline may be associated with ADT
      induced metabolic changes.

PMID- 26503110
TI  - Clinical prospects of long noncoding RNAs as novel biomarkers and therapeutic
      targets in prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The lack of sensitive and specific biomarkers for prostate cancer
      (PCa) has led to over-diagnosis and overtreatment with uncertain benefit.
      Therefore, biomarkers for early diagnosis that can distinguish aggressive from
      indolent tumors and that can detect metastatic or recurrent disease are needed.
      Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein-coding RNA species. lncRNAs are
      dysregulated in many diseases including PCa and are emerging as major players in
      cancer development. lncRNAs have several features that make then suitable as both
      biomarkers and therapeutics, and lncRNAs regulate critical cancer hallmarks in
      prostate epithelial cells including proliferation and survival. METHODS: The
      PubMed database was searched using the terms 'long noncoding RNA', 'biomarker'
      and 'prostate cancer'. Known lncRNAs implicated as biomarkers and potential
      therapeutic targets in PCa are reviewed. RESULTS: We comprehensively review
      several lncRNAs with potential as biomarkers for PCa. lncRNAs including PCA3,
      PCATs, SChLAP1, SPRY4-IT1 and TRPM2-AS are upregulated in PCa and are cancer
      specific; they are, therefore, attractive lead candidate biomarkers for clinical
      application. Several lncRNA therapeutics are currently being investigated by
      several companies for the treatment of various cancers including PCa. Small
      interfering RNAs, antisense oligonucleotides, ribozymes, deoxyribozymes and
      aptemers are few promising technologies for future lncRNA bases therapeutics.
      CONCLUSION: lncRNA expression is altered in cancer. Aberrant regulation promotes
      tumor formation, progression and metastasis. lncRNAs can use as tumor markers for
      PCa and may be attractive novel therapeutic targets for the diagnosis and
      treatment of PCa.

PMID- 26503111
TI  - Aspirin and NSAID use in association with molecular subtypes of prostate cancer
      defined by TMPRSS2:ERG fusion status.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The TMPRSS2:ERG (T2E) gene fusion is the most common rearrangement in
      prostate cancer (PCa). It is unknown if these molecular subtypes have a different
      etiology. We evaluated aspirin and non-aspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
      drugs (NSAIDs) in association with T2E fusion status. METHODS: Subjects were from
      a population-based case-control study of PCa. T2E fusion status for prostatectomy
      cases (n=346) was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Medication
      use was determined from questionnaires. Logistic regression, controlling for age,
      race, PCa family history and PSA screening, was used to evaluate the association
      of T2E fusion status according to medication use. RESULTS: T2E fusion was present
      in 171 (49%) cases, with younger cases more likely to be fusion positive
      (P<0.01). Current aspirin use was associated with a 37% risk reduction of T2E
      positive tumors (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.63, 95% confidence interval 0.43
      0.93). Aspirin use was not associated with T2E negative PCa (adjusted OR 0.99,
      0.69-1.42). There were no associations between PCa fusion status and use of
      nonaspirin NSAIDs or acetaminophen. CONCLUSIONS: Aspirin was associated with a
      significant reduction in the relative risk of T2E fusion positive, but not T2E
      negative, PCa. As inflammation and androgen pathways are implicated in prostate
      carcinogenesis, additional studies of anti-inflammatory medications in relation
      to these PCa subtypes are warranted.

PMID- 26503113
TI  - Internet-Based Approaches to Building Stakeholder Networks for Conservation and
      Natural Resource Management.
AB  - Social network analysis (SNA) is based on a conceptual network representation of
      social interactions and is an invaluable tool for conservation professionals to
      increase collaboration, improve information flow, and increase efficiency. We
      present two approaches to constructing internet-based social networks, and use an
      existing traditional (survey-based) case study to illustrate in a familiar
      context the deviations in methods and results. Internet-based approaches to SNA
      offer a means to overcome institutional hurdles to conducting survey-based SNA,
      provide unique insight into an institution's web presences, allow for easy
      snowballing (iterative process that incorporates new nodes in the network), and
      afford monitoring of social networks through time. The internet-based approaches
      differ in link definition: hyperlink is based on links on a website that redirect
      to a different website and relatedness links are based on a Google's
      "relatedness" operator that identifies pages "similar" to a URL. All networks
      were initiated with the same start nodes [members of a conservation alliance for
      the Calumet region around Chicago (n = 130)], but the resulting networks vary
      drastically from one another. Interpretation of the resulting networks is highly
      contingent upon how the links were defined. 

PMID- 26503112
TI  - Poly-L-ornithine promotes preferred differentiation of neural stem/progenitor
      cells via ERK signalling pathway.
AB  - Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) replacement therapies are the most
      attractive strategies to restore an injured brain. Key challenges of such
      therapies are enriching NSPCs and directing them differentiation into specific
      neural cell types. Here, three biomaterial substrates Poly-L-ornithine (PO), Poly
      L-lysine (PLL) and fibronectin (FN) were investigated for their effects on
      proliferation and differentiation of rat NSPCs, and the underlying mechanisms
      were also explored. The results showed PO significantly increased NSPCs
      proliferation and induced preferred differentiation, compared with PLL and FN.
      Checking protein markers of several neural cell subtypes, it is showed PO
      significantly induced NSPCs expressing Doublecortin (DCX) and Olig2, one for
      neuroblasts and young neurons and the other for young oligodendrocytes. It is
      suggested the ERK signaling pathway was involving in this process because an ERK
      antagonist U0126 could inhibit PO's effects mentioned above, as well as an ERK
      pathway agonist Ceramide C6 could enhance them. Given that both neurons and
      oligodendrocytes are the most vulnerable cells in many neurological diseases, PO
      induced preferred differentiation into neurons and oligodendrocytes is a
      potential paradigm for NSPCs-based therapies. 

PMID- 26503114
TI  - Suppression of Shear Banding and Transition to Necking and Homogeneous Flow in
      Nanoglass Nanopillars.
AB  - In order to improve the properties of metallic glasses (MG) a new type of MG
      structure, composed of nanoscale grains, referred to as nanoglass (NG), has been
      recently proposed. Here, we use large-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations
      of tensile loading to investigate the deformation and failure mechanisms of
      Cu64Zr36 NG nanopillars with large, experimentally accessible, 50 nm diameter.
      Our results reveal NG ductility and failure by necking below the average glassy
      grain size of 20 nm, in contrast to brittle failure by shear band propagation in
      MG nanopillars. Moreover, the results predict substantially larger ductility in
      NG nanopillars compared with previous predictions of MD simulations of bulk NG
      models with columnar grains. The results, in excellent agreement with
      experimental data, highlight the substantial enhancement of plasticity induced in
      experimentally relevant MG samples by the use of nanoglass architectures and
      point out to exciting novel applications of these materials. 

PMID- 26503116
TI  - Reconstruction of two-dimensional molecular structure with laser-induced electron
      diffraction from laser-aligned polyatomic molecules.
AB  - Imaging the transient process of molecules has been a basic way to investigate
      photochemical reactions and dynamics. Based on laser-induced electron diffraction
      and partial one-dimensional molecular alignment, here we provide two effective
      methods for reconstructing two-dimensional structure of polyatomic molecules. We
      demonstrate that electron diffraction images in both scattering angles and
      broadband energy can be utilized to retrieve complementary structure information,
      including positions of light atoms. With picometre spatial resolution and the
      inherent femtosecond temporal resolution of lasers, laser-induced electron
      diffraction method offers significant opportunities for probing atomic motion in
      a large molecule in a typical pump-probe measurement. 

PMID- 26503117
TI  - Lung ultrasonography for the diagnosis of 11 patients with acute respiratory
      distress syndrome due to bird flu H7N9 infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A novel reassortant avian-origin influenza A (H7N9) virus was found
      to infect three Chinese residents, the first H7N9 infection in humans in Asia.
      Chest computed tomography (CT) for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
      diagnosis is not only expensive but also exposes patients to radiation and might
      cause patients to be at risk of infection during transportation; in addition,
      chest radiography cannot be used to monitor the lung repeatedly in real time.
      Therefore, the routine use of bedside lung ultrasonography for critically ill
      patients with ARDS is especially valuable. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was
      to evaluate the application of ultrasound for lung examination in patients with
      ARDS. METHODS: Eleven patients infected with H7N9 avian influenza who developed
      ARDS were diagnosed by lung ultrasonography. RESULTS: Six patients who had severe
      ARDS showed a diffuse comet tail sign or a consolidation score >= 7 and a lung
      ultrasound score >= 20 points. A diffuse comet tail sign or a consolidation score
      <= 6 and a lung ultrasound score < 25 were observed in four patients. One patient
      showed a diffuse comet tail sign or consolidation area in four lung areas, with
      an ultrasound score of 14. Among all 11 patients studied, 6 patients had thoracic
      puncture and drainage of pleural effusion and 2 patients had pneumothorax
      puncture drainage. CONCLUSIONS: Lung ultrasound could be useful for monitoring
      ARDS caused by the influenza virus A H7N9 strain in clinical applications.

PMID- 26503118
TI  - PBK/TOPK mediates promyelocyte proliferation via  Nrf2-regulated cell cycle
      progression and apoptosis.
AB  - Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a disorder involving hematopoietic stem cells,
      characterized by blockage of hematopoietic cell differentiation and an increase
      in clonal neoplastic proliferation. AML is associated with poor patient outcome.
      PBK/TOPK is a protein kinase derived from PDZ-binding kinase (PBK)/T-lymphokine
      activated killer (T-LAK) cell-originated protein kinase (TOPK). Previous studies
      have shown that PBK/TOPK is expressed in hematologic tumors. In the present
      study, we aimed to investigate the role of PBK/TOPK in promyelocyte proliferation
      and to clarify the molecular mechanism. PBK/TOPK knockdown (KD) significantly
      decreased cell proliferation and viability in the NB4 and HL-60 promyelocytes.
      PBK/TOPK KD resulted in G2/M cell cycle arrest that attributed to a decrease in
      cdc2 and cyclin B expression. In addition, PBK/TOPK KD caused apoptosis, as
      evidenced by activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and an increase in
      TUNEL-positive cells. PBK/TOPK KD induced mitochondrial dysfunction and ROS
      generation, and inhibition of mitochondrial dysfunction and ROS production
      suppressed PBK/TOPK KD-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Moreover,
      PBK/TOPK KD decreased Nrf2 expression and ARE-binding activity. Overexpression of
      Nrf2 inhibited the PBK/TOPK KD-induced decrease in cdc2 and cyclin B expression
      and cell cycle arrest, and blocked ROS production and apoptosis. Based on
      literature and our results, it was demonstrated that Nrf2 may be a crucial
      regulator that mediates PBK/TOPK-exerted promotion of cell proliferation.
      PBK/TOPK stabilizes Nrf2, strictly regulates the ROS level, promotes cell cycle
      progression and inhibits apoptosis, contributing to the proliferation of
      promyelocytes. Our results provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of
      PBK/TOPK-mediated promyelocyte proliferation and shed light on the pathogenesis
      of AML.

PMID- 26503115
TI  - Polymorphisms in early neurodevelopmental genes affect natural variation in
      alcohol sensitivity in adult drosophila.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alcohol abuse and alcoholism are significant public health problems,
      but the genetic basis for individual variation in alcohol sensitivity remains
      poorly understood. Drosophila melanogaster presents a powerful model system for
      dissecting the genetic underpinnings that determine individual variation in
      alcohol-related phenotypes. We performed genome wide association analyses for
      alcohol sensitivity using the sequenced, inbred lines of the D. melanogaster
      Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) together with extreme QTL mapping in an advanced
      intercross population derived from sensitive and resistant DGRP lines. RESULTS:
      The DGRP harbors substantial genetic variation for alcohol sensitivity and
      tolerance. We identified 247 candidate genes affecting alcohol sensitivity in the
      DGRP or the DGRP-derived advanced intercross population, some of which met a
      Bonferroni-corrected significance threshold, while others occurred among the top
      candidate genes associated with variation in alcohol sensitivity in multiple
      analyses. Among these were candidate genes associated with development and
      function of the nervous system, including several genes in the Dopamine
      decarboxylase (Ddc) cluster involved in catecholamine synthesis. We found that 58
      of these genes formed a genetic interaction network. We verified candidate genes
      using mutational analysis, targeted gene disruption through RNAi knock-down and
      transcriptional profiling. Two-thirds of the candidate genes have been implicated
      in previous Drosophila, mouse and human studies of alcohol-related phenotypes.
      CONCLUSIONS: Individual variation in alcohol sensitivity in Drosophila is highly
      polygenic and in part determined by variation in evolutionarily conserved
      signaling pathways that are associated with catecholamine neurotransmitter
      biosynthesis and early development of the nervous system.

PMID- 26503120
TI  - Health attitudes and suicidal ideation among university students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine whether positive health
      attitudes are associated with suicidal ideation among university students after
      accounting for other health risk factors linked to suicidal ideation.
      PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 690 undergraduates from a large midwestern
      university during fall semester 2011. METHODS: Participants reported demographics
      and health characteristics. Regression models compared individuals who reported
      suicidal ideation and those who did not. RESULTS: In unadjusted models, suicidal
      ideation was significantly negatively associated with positive health attitudes,
      and positively associated with depression, drug use problems, sleep problems, and
      being overweight. In adjusted models, more positive health attitudes continued to
      be significantly negatively associated with suicidal ideation. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study suggests a link between positive health attitudes and lower probability of
      suicidal ideation. Additional research is needed to assess enhancing general
      health attitudes as a suicide prevention effort.

PMID- 26503121
TI  - Ultrasound tagged near infrared spectroscopy does not detect hyperventilation
      induced reduction in cerebral blood flow.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Continuous non-invasive monitoring of cerebral blood flow (CBF) may
      be important during anaesthesia and several options are available. We evaluated
      the CerOx monitor that employs ultrasound tagged near infrared spectroscopy to
      estimate changes in a CBF index (CFI). METHODS: Seven healthy males (age 21-26
      years) hyperventilated and were administered phenylephrine to increase mean
      arterial pressure by 20-30 mmHg. Frontal lobe tissue oxygenation (ScO2) and CFI
      were obtained using the CerOx and mean blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral
      artery (MCAv mean) was determined by transcranial Doppler. Blood flow in the
      internal and external carotid artery (ICAf and ECAf) was determined using duplex
      ultrasonography and forehead skin blood flow (SkBF) and oxygenation (S skin O2)
      by laser Doppler and white light spectroscopy. RESULTS: During hyperventilation
      MCAv mean and ICAf decreased by 44% (median; interquartile range 40-49; p =
      0.016) and 46% (40-53; p = 0.03), respectively. Conversely, CFI increased by 9%
      (2-31; p = 0.016), while no significant change was observed in ScO2. SkBF
      increased by 19% (9-53; p = 0.016) and S skin O2 by 6% (1-7; p = 0.047), although
      ECAf was unchanged. Administration of phenylephrine was not associated with any
      changes in MCAv mean, ICAf, ECAf, ScO2, SkBF, S skin O2, or CFI. CONCLUSION: The
      CerOx was able to detect a stable CBF during administration of phenylephrine.
      However, during hyperventilation MCAv mean and ICAf decreased while CFI
      increased, likely due to an increase in superficial tissue oxygenation. Thus, CFI
      does not provide an unbiased evaluation of changes in CBF.

PMID- 26503122
TI  - Association Between Sleep Problems and Symptoms of Attention Deficit
      Hyperactivity Disorder in Adolescence: Results From a Large Population-Based
      Study.
AB  - Sleep problems and symptoms of ADHD are common in adolescence, but detailed
      epidemiological assessment of their association is lacking. Using data from a
      recent population-based study, 9,846 adolescents aged 16 to 19 provided detailed
      information on sleep and symptoms of ADHD. Results confirmed a large overlap
      between self-reported symptoms of ADHD and all sleep variables studied. Symptoms
      of ADHD were linked to shorter sleep duration, longer sleep latency, and
      nocturnal wake time, as well as larger sleep deficiency. ADHD symptoms also
      increased the odds of insomnia and delayed sleep phase syndrome. The associations
      were only partially explained by confounders (mainly depression). The findings
      suggest that sleep problems should be included as a treatment target in efforts
      to reduce symptoms of ADHD in adolescence.

PMID- 26503123
TI  - The influence of processed meat consumption on chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease.
AB  - Although cigarette smoking is the predominant risk factor for chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD), many smokers do not develop COPD. Relatively little
      attention has been paid to other modifiable factors, such as diet, and how they
      might affect COPD risk. Recent studies have suggested that processed meat intake
      may adversely affect lung function and increase risk of developing COPD. However,
      the role of processed meat in the pathogenesis of COPD is largely unknown and
      mechanistic studies are lacking. We discuss several areas of future research that
      would advance our understanding regarding the role of processed meat and, more
      generally of diet, in the onset and in the clinical evolution of COPD. 

PMID- 26503125
TI  - Eco-friendly synthesis of metal dichalcogenides nanosheets and their
      environmental remediation potential driven by visible light.
AB  - Exfoliated transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) such as WS2 and MoS2 have
      shown exciting potential for energy storage, catalysis and optoelectronics. So
      far, solution based methods for scalable production of few-layer TMDs usually
      involve the use of organic solvents or dangerous chemicals. Here, we report an
      eco-friendly method for facile synthesis of few-layer WS2 and MoS2 nanosheets
      using dilute aqueous solution of household detergent. Short time sonication of
      varying amount of bulk samples in soapy water was used to scale up the production
      of nanosheets. Thermal stability, optical absorption and Raman spectra of as
      synthesized WS2 and MoS2 nanosheets are in close agreement with those from other
      synthesis techniques. Efficient photocatalytic activity of TMDs nanosheets was
      demonstrated by decomposing Brilliant Green dye in aqueous solution under visible
      light irradiation. Our study shows the great potential of TMDs nanosheets for
      environmental remediation by degrading toxic industrial chemicals in wastewater
      using sunlight. 

PMID- 26503126
TI  - HER2-positivity rates in breast cancer: no variation over time when
      clinicopathological features and testing are stable.
AB  - HER2 status is essential for breast cancer subtyping and for systemic treatment
      decisions as patients with HER2-positive tumours can benefit from anti-HER2
      targeted therapies. However, few data are available on the current HER2-positive
      breast cancers rate and its evolution across years. Using data from the Cote d'Or
      breast cancer registry, we identified, between 1998 and 2011, 3220 women with
      invasive breast cancer diagnosed in the same laboratory which carries out regular
      internal quality controls and participates in multiannual international quality
      control programmes. Throughout the studied period of time, despite an increase of
      annual breast cancer cases, HER2 positivity rate remained stable (13.1%; P =
      0.495), as did the proportion of tumours with positive hormone receptor status (P
      = 0.467) and the proportion of SBR grade II/III tumours (P = 0.747). Other
      characteristics, less strongly associated with HER2-positive status, showed
      either no annual variation (nodal and metastatic status, tumour size) or an
      annual positive trend (mean age, lobular carcinomas) or an annual negative trend
      (ductal carcinomas). These data reveal that in a population with stable clinical
      and pathological characteristics, and with the use of standardised assays, HER2
      positivity rate remains stable over time. These results also emphasise that
      current HER2 positivity rate is lower than initially reported.

PMID- 26503124
TI  - Use of Renally Inappropriate Medications in Older Veterans: A National Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine how many ambulatory older adults with chronic kidney
      disease receive medications that are contraindicated or dosed excessively given
      their level of renal function. DESIGN: Cross-sectional retrospective study.
      SETTING: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clinics. PARTICIPANTS:
      Individuals aged 65 and older with a creatinine clearance (CrCl) of 15 to 49
      mL/min (N = 83,850; mean age 80; 96% male). MEASUREMENTS: Forty medications that
      require dose adjustment or are contraindicated in people with impaired renal
      function were examined. Medication use and CrCl (calculated using the Cockroft
      Gault equation) were assessed using VA pharmacy, laboratory, and other data
      sources as of October 2007. RESULTS: Thirteen percent of older veterans with a
      CrCl of 30 to 49 mL/min and 32% of those with a CrCl of 15 to 29 mL/min received
      one or more drugs that were contraindicated or prescribed at an excessive dose
      given the individual's level of renal function. The strongest risk factor for
      renally inappropriate prescribing was number of medications used; the risk of
      receiving renally inappropriate medications was 5.5 times as high (95% confidence
      interval = 5.1-5.9) in older adults taking 10 or more medications as in those
      taking one to three medications. Ranitidine, allopurinol, and metformin together
      accounted for 76% of renally misprescribed medications in individuals with a CrCl
      of 30 to 49 mL/min. Glyburide, ranitidine, gemfibrozil, carvedilol, and
      allopurinol accounted for 47% of renally misprescribed drugs for individuals with
      a CrCl of 15 to 29 mL/min. CONCLUSION: Inappropriate prescribing of renally
      cleared medications is common in ambulatory older veterans, with only a few
      medications accounting for most of these prescribing problems.

PMID- 26503128
TI  - Does selective logging change ground-dwelling beetle assemblages in a subtropical
      broad-leafed forest of China?
AB  - Selective logging with natural regeneration is advocated as a near-to-nature
      strategy and has been implemented in many forested systems during the last
      decades. However, the efficiency of such practices for the maintenance of forest
      species are poorly understood. We compared the species richness, abundance and
      composition of ground-dwelling beetles between selectively logged and unlogged
      forests to evaluate the possible effects of selective logging in a subtropical
      broad-leafed forest in southeastern China. Using pitfall traps, beetles were
      sampled in two naturally regenerating stands after clearcuts (ca. 50 years old,
      stem-exclusion stage: selectively logged 20 years ago) and two mature stands (>
      80 years old, understory re-initiation stage: selectively logged 50 years ago)
      during 2009 and 2010. Overall, selective logging had no significant effects on
      total beetle richness and abundance, but saproxylic species group and some
      abundant forest species significantly decreased in abundance in selectively
      logged plots compared with unlogged plots in mature stands. Beetle assemblages
      showed significant differences between selectively logged and unlogged plots in
      mature stands. Some environmental characteristics associated with selective
      logging (e.g., logging strategy, stand age, and cover of shrub and moss layers)
      were the most important variables explaining beetle assemblage structure. Our
      results conclude that selective logging has no significant impacts on overall
      richness and abundance of ground-dwelling beetles. However, the negative effects
      of selective logging on saproxylic species group and some unlogged forest
      specialists highlight the need for large intact forested areas for sustaining the
      existence of forest specialist beetles.

PMID- 26503129
TI  - Translating Evidence Into Practice via Social Media: A Mixed-Methods Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Approximately 80% of research evidence relevant to clinical practice
      never reaches the clinicians delivering patient care. A key barrier for the
      translation of evidence into practice is the limited time and skills clinicians
      have to find and appraise emerging evidence. Social media may provide a bridge
      between health researchers and health service providers. OBJECTIVE: The aim of
      this study was to determine the efficacy of social media as an educational medium
      to effectively translate emerging research evidence into clinical practice.
      METHODS: The study used a mixed-methods approach. Evidence-based practice points
      were delivered via social media platforms. The primary outcomes of attitude,
      knowledge, and behavior change were assessed using a
      preintervention/postintervention evaluation, with qualitative data gathered to
      contextualize the findings. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 317 clinicians from
      multiple health disciplines, predominantly from the United Kingdom, Australia,
      the United States, India, and Malaysia. The participants reported an overall
      improvement in attitudes toward social media for professional development
      (P<.001). The knowledge evaluation demonstrated a significant increase in
      knowledge after the training (P<.001). The majority of respondents (136/194,
      70.1%) indicated that the education they had received via social media had
      changed the way they practice, or intended to practice. Similarly, a large
      proportion of respondents (135/193, 69.9%) indicated that the education they had
      received via social media had increased their use of research evidence within
      their clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS: Social media may be an effective
      educational medium for improving knowledge of health professionals, fostering
      their use of research evidence, and changing their clinical behaviors by
      translating new research evidence into clinical practice.

PMID- 26503130
TI  - Skill-based changes in motor performance from attentional focus manipulations: a
      kinematic analysis.
AB  - In the present paper, expert and novice law enforcement officers performed a
      handgun shooting task under varied attention-demanding conditions; outcome (i.e.
      accuracy, consistency) and movement kinematics were measured (i.e. within and
      between-trial variability (BTV) of forearm and upper arm absolute angle). Using a
      dual-task paradigm, we directed participants' attention towards either a skill
      relevant aspect of movement execution or to a skill-irrelevant distractor and
      compared their data to a single-task control condition. The results showed that
      experts' BTV in their upper arm increased during dual-tasks relative to control,
      but performance was similar across all three conditions. In contrast, novices'
      performance was poorer during both dual-tasks relative to control, but limited
      changes in movement kinematics were observed. This data suggests that attention
      demanding situations trigger experts' ability to adapt their movement pattern to
      maintain end-point control. The data for novices are less clear. Implications for
      future research are discussed. Practitioner Summary: Expert and novice law
      enforcement officials completed a shooting task under baseline and attention
      demanding situations. Experts outperformed novices under all conditions, but
      exhibited increased variability in their upper arm position while shooting during
      attention-demanding compared to baseline conditions. Novices' movement data
      remained variable throughout all conditions. The data suggest that experts are
      able to maintain shooting performance during an attention-demanding situation by
      adopting a functional movement strategy. 

PMID- 26503131
TI  - Cost-effectiveness evaluation of quadrivalent influenza vaccines for seasonal
      influenza prevention: a dynamic modeling study of Canada and the United Kingdom.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The adoption of quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV) to replace
      trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) in immunization programs is growing worldwide,
      thus helping to address the problem of influenza B lineage mismatch. However, the
      price per dose of QIV is higher than that of TIV. In such circumstances, cost
      effectiveness analyses provide important and relevant information to inform
      national health recommendations and implementation decisions. This analysis
      assessed potential vaccine impacts and cost-effectiveness of a country-wide
      switch from TIV to QIV, in Canada and the UK, from a third-party payer
      perspective. METHODS: An age-stratified, dynamic four-strain transmission model
      which incorporates strain interaction, transmission-rate seasonality and age
      specific mixing in the population was used. Model input data were obtained from
      published literature and online databases. In Canada, we evaluated a switch from
      TIV to QIV in the entire population. For the UK, we considered two strategies:
      Children aged 2-17 years who receive the live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV)
      switch to the quadrivalent formulation (QLAIV), while individuals aged > 18 years
      switch from TIV to QIV. Two different vaccination uptake scenarios in children
      (UK1 and UK2, which differ in the vaccine uptake level) were considered. Health
      and cost outcomes for both vaccination strategies, and the cost-effectiveness of
      switching from TIV/LAIV to QIV/QLAIV, were estimated from the payer perspective.
      For Canada and the UK, cost and outcomes were discounted using 5 % and 3.5 % per
      year, respectively. RESULTS: Overall, in an average influenza season, our model
      predicts that a nationwide switch from TIV to QIV would prevent 4.6 % influenza
      cases, 4.9 % general practitioner (GP) visits, 5.7 % each of emergency room (ER)
      visits and hospitalizations, and 6.8 % deaths in Canada. In the UK (UK1/UK2),
      implementing QIV would prevent 1.4 %/1.8 % of influenza cases, 1.6 %/2.0 % each
      of GP and ER visits, 1.5 %/1.9 % of hospitalizations and 4.3 %/4.9 % of deaths.
      Discounted incremental cost-utility ratios of $7,961 and L7,989/L7,234 per
      quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained are estimated for Canada and the UK
      (UK1/UK2), both of which are well within their respective cost-effectiveness
      threshold values. CONCLUSIONS: Switching from TIV to QIV is expected to be a cost
      effective strategy to further reduce the burden of influenza in both countries.

PMID- 26503132
TI  - Long non-coding RNA growth arrest-specific transcript 5  is involved in ovarian
      cancer cell apoptosis through  the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway.
AB  - The present study investigated the underlying role of growth arrest-specific
      transcript 5 (GAS5) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), which is the main cause
      of death in women with malignant tumor of the genital system. In vivo GAS5
      expression in 60 EOC specimens was evaluated by quantitative reverse
      transcription (qRT)-PCR, which was used to study the differences of GAS5
      expression between EOC tissues and normal ovarian epithelium. In vitro GAS5
      overexpression was applied to discover the biological functions in EOC cell
      lines. 3-[4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide and colony
      formation assays were employed to investigate the effect on proliferation. The
      function of apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry, terminal deoxynucleotidyl
      transferase dUTP nick-end labeling, and JC-1 probe staining, and migration and
      invasion were detected by Transwell assay. The data show that no significant
      differences of GAS5 expression were observed between normal ovarian epithelium
      and benign epithelial lesions; however, GAS5 expression was lower in EOC tissues
      compared with normal ovarian epithelial tissues (6.44-fold), which was closely
      related to lymph node metastasis (P=0.025) and tumor node metastasis stage
      (P=0.035). Moreover, exogenous GAS5-inhibited proliferation promoted apoptosis
      and decreased migration and invasion in ovarian cancer cells. Finally, through
      mitochondrial potential and western blot analyses, GAS5 could disrupt
      mitochondrial membrane potential and promote BAX, BAK, cleaved-caspase 3 and
      cleaved-caspase 9 expression. Taken together, the findings of the present study
      revealed that GAS5 is downregulated in EOC specimens, and GAS5 inhibits EOC cell
      proliferation, migration and invasion, and promotes cell apoptosis. GAS5 can
      serve as a novel therapeutic target in patients with EOC.

PMID- 26503134
TI  - Enantioselective Phase-Transfer-Catalyzed Synthesis of Chiral N-Substituted 3,3
      Dinitroazetidines by Aza-Michael Reaction.
AB  - An efficient and highly enantioselective phase-transfer-catalyzed aza-Michael
      reaction of 3,3-dinitroazetidine, as N-centered nucleophile, to alpha,beta
      unsaturated ketones has been achieved using a quinidine-based phase-transfer
      catalyst (0.5-1 mol %), providing chiral N-substituted 3,3-dinitroazetidines in
      good yields (up to 99%) and excellent enantioselectivities (90-95% ee). This is
      the first example of the use of azetidines as N-centered nucleophiles in
      catalytic enantioselective aza-Michael reactions. 

PMID- 26503136
TI  - Effects of Nanoscale Spatial Arrangement of Arginine-Glycine-Aspartate Peptides
      on Dedifferentiation of Chondrocytes.
AB  - Cell dedifferentiation is of much importance in many cases such as the classic
      problem of dedifferentiation of chondrocytes during in vitro culture in cartilage
      tissue engineering. While cell differentiation has been much investigated,
      studies of cell dedifferentiation are limited, and the nanocues of cell
      dedifferentiation have little been reported. Herein, we prepared nanopatterns and
      micro/nanopatterns of cell-adhesive arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) peptides on
      nonfouling poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels to examine the effects of RGD
      nanospacing on adhesion and dedifferentiation of chondrocytes. The relatively
      larger RGD nanospacing above 70 nm was found to enhance the maintainence of the
      chondrocyte phenotype in two-dimensional culture, albeit not beneficial for
      adhesion of chondrocytes. A unique micro/nanopattern was employed to decouple
      cell spreading, cell shape, and cell-cell contact from RGD nanospacing. Under
      given spreading size and shape of single cells, the large RGD nanospacing was
      still in favor of preserving the normal phenotype of chondrocytes. Hence, the
      nanoscale spatial arrangement of cell-adhesive ligands affords a new independent
      regulator of cell dedifferentiation, which should be taken into consideration in
      biomaterial design for regenerative medicine. 

PMID- 26503133
TI  - Prenatal and Early Postnatal Exposure to Cigarette Smoke Decreases BDNF/TrkB
      Signaling and Increases Abnormal Behaviors Later in Life.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoke exposure during prenatal and early postnatal periods
      increases the incidence of a variety of abnormal behaviors later in life. The
      purpose of this study was to identify the possible critical period of
      susceptibility to cigarette smoke exposure and evaluate the possibe effects of
      cigarette smoke during early life on brain-derived neurotrophic
      factor/neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor B signaling in the brain. METHODS:
      Three different age of imprinting control region mice were exposed to cigarette
      smoke or filtered air for 10 consecutive days beginning on either gestational day
      7 by maternal exposure, or postnatal days 2 or 21 by direct inhalation. A series
      of behavioral profiles and neurotrophins in brain were measured 24 hours after
      mice received acute restraint stress for 1 hour on postnatal day 59. RESULTS:
      Cigarette smoke exposure in gestational day 7 and postnatal day 2 produced
      depression-like behaviors as evidenced by significantly increased immobility in
      both tail suspension and forced-swim test. Increased entry latencies, but not
      ambulation in the open field test, were also observed in the gestational day 7
      and postnatal day 2 cigarette smoke exposure groups. Genetic analysis showed that
      gestational day 7 cigarette smoke exposure significantly altered mRNA level of
      brain-derived neurotrophic factor/tyrosine kinase receptor B in the hippocampus.
      However, behavioral profiles and brain-derived neurotrophic factor/tyrosine
      kinase receptor B signaling were not significantly changed in PND21 cigarette
      smoke exposure group compared with FA group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest
      that a critical period of susceptibility to cigarette smoke exposure exists in
      the prenatal and early postnatal period, which results a downregulation in brain
      derived neurotrophic factor/tyrosine kinase receptor B signaling in the
      hippocampus and enhances depression-like behaviors later in life.

PMID- 26503135
TI  - The strigolactone biosynthesis gene DWARF27 is co-opted in rhizobium symbiosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Strigolactones are a class of plant hormones whose biosynthesis is
      activated in response to phosphate starvation. This involves several enzymes,
      including the carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases 7 (CCD7) and CCD8 and the
      carotenoid isomerase DWARF27 (D27). D27 expression is known to be responsive to
      phosphate starvation. In Medicago truncatula and rice (Oryza sativa) this
      transcriptional response requires the GRAS-type proteins NSP1 and NSP2; both
      proteins are essential for rhizobium induced root nodule formation in legumes. In
      line with this, we questioned whether MtNSP1-MtNSP2 dependent MtD27 regulation is
      co-opted in rhizobium symbiosis. RESULTS: We provide evidence that MtD27 is
      involved in strigolactone biosynthesis in M. truncatula roots upon phosphate
      stress. Spatiotemporal expression studies revealed that this gene is also highly
      expressed in nodule primordia and subsequently becomes restricted to the meristem
      and distal infection zone of a mature nodules. A similar expression pattern was
      found for MtCCD7 and MtCCD8. Rhizobium lipo-chitooligosaccharide (LCO)
      application experiments revealed that of these genes MtD27 is most responsive in
      an MtNSP1 and MtNSP2 dependent manner. Symbiotic expression of MtD27 requires
      components of the symbiosis signaling pathway; including MtDMI1, MtDMI2,
      MtDMI3/MtCCaMK and in part MtERN1. This in contrast to MtD27 expression upon
      phosphate starvation, which only requires MtNSP1 and MtNSP2. CONCLUSION: Our data
      show that the phosphate-starvation responsive strigolactone biosynthesis gene
      MtD27 is also rapidly induced by rhizobium LCO signals in an MtNSP1 and MtNSP2
      dependent manner. Additionally, we show that MtD27 is co-expressed with MtCCD7
      and MtCCD8 in nodule primordia and in the infection zone of mature nodules.

PMID- 26503138
TI  - The native ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum, improves the survival of an invasive
      mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis, by defending it from parasitoids.
AB  - Mutualistic ants can protect their partners from natural enemies in nature.
      Aenasius bambawalei is an important parasitoid of the the invasive mealybug
      Phenacoccus solenopsis. We hypothesized that mutualism between native ants and
      mealybugs would favor survival of mealybugs. To test this, we examined effects of
      tending by the native mutualistic ant Tapinoma melanocephalum on growth of P.
      solenopsis colonies on Chinese hibiscus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, in a field
      setting. Ant workers with access to honeydew of mealybugs lived much longer than
      those provisioned only with water in the laboratory, and number of ant workers
      foraging increased significantly with growth of mealybug colonies in the field.
      In later observations, there were significant differences in densities of
      mealybugs between ant-tended and -excluded treatments. Survival rate of mealybugs
      experiencing parasitoid attack was significantly higher on ant-tended plants than
      on ant-excluded plants. When the parasitoid was excluded, there was no difference
      in survival rate of mealybugs between ant-tended and -excluded plants. In most
      cases, ants directly attacked the parasitoid, causing the parasitoid to take
      evasive action. We conclude that native ants such as T. melanocephalum have the
      potential to facilitate invasion and spread of P. solenopsis in China by
      providing them with protection from parasitoids. 

PMID- 26503137
TI  - Cost-Effectiveness of Nutrition Intervention in Long-Term Care.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the cost-effectiveness of two nutrition interventions on
      food, beverage, and supplement intake and body weight. DESIGN: Randomized,
      controlled trial. SETTING: Five skilled nursing home facilities. PARTICIPANTS:
      Long-stay residents with orders for nutrition supplementation (N = 154).
      INTERVENTION: Participants were randomized into a usual care control group, an
      oral liquid nutrition supplement (ONS) intervention group, or a snack
      intervention group. Research staff provided ONS, according to orders or a variety
      of snack foods and beverages twice per day between meals, 5 days per week for 24
      weeks and assistance to promote consumption. MEASUREMENTS: Research staff
      independently weighed residents at baseline and monthly during the 24-week
      intervention. Resident food, beverage and supplement intake and the amount of
      staff time spent providing assistance were assessed for 2 days at baseline and 2
      days per month during the intervention using standardized observation and weighed
      intake procedures. RESULTS: The ONS intervention group took in an average of 265
      calories more per day and the snack intervention group an average of 303 calories
      more per day than the control group. Staff time required to provide each
      intervention averaged 11 and 14 minutes per person per offer for ONS and snacks,
      respectively, and 3 minutes for usual care. Both interventions were cost
      effective in increasing caloric intake, but neither intervention had a
      significant effect on body weight, despite positive trends. CONCLUSION: Oral
      liquid nutrition supplements and snack offers were efficacious in promoting
      caloric intake when coupled with assistance to promote consumption and a variety
      of options, but neither intervention resulted in significant weight gain.

PMID- 26503140
TI  - Imaging Tumor Metastases with Molecular Probes.
AB  - Tumor metastasis is an important prognostic factor regarding long-term survival
      rate of cancer patients. At present, no imaging modality or technique is ideal
      for diagnosis of metastases. Molecular imaging has provided a fantastic tool for
      tumor metastases imaging. Based on the current medical imaging tools such as
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), optical, single-photon emission computed
      tomography (SPECT), and positron emission tomography (PET), various techniques
      and functional molecular probes for molecular imaging of tumor metastases have
      been developed. In this review, we will summarize the current status of nanoprobe
      based molecular imaging metastases in cancer. 

PMID- 26503139
TI  - Fostering emotional, social, physical and educational wellbeing in rural India:
      the methods of a multi-arm randomized controlled trial of Girls First.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are 600 million girls in low and middle income countries
      (LMICs), many of whom are at great risk for poor health and education. There is
      thus great need for programs that can effectively improve wellbeing for these
      girls. Although many interventions have been developed to address these issues,
      most focus on health and education without integrating attention to social and
      emotional factors. This omission is unfortunate, as nascent evidence indicates
      that these factors are closely related to health and education. This paper
      describes the methods of a 4-arm randomized controlled trial among 3,560
      adolescent girls in rural Bihar, India that tested whether adding an intervention
      targeting social-emotional issues (based on a "resilience framework") to an
      adolescent health intervention would improve emotional, social, physical, and
      educational wellbeing to a greater extent than its components and a control
      group. Study arms were: (1) Girls First, a combination of the Girls First
      Resilience Curriculum (RC) and the Girls First Health Curriculum (HC); (2) Girls
      First Resilience Curriculum (RC) alone; (3) Girls First Health Curriculum (HC)
      alone; and (4) a school-as-usual control group (SC). METHODS: Seventy-six schools
      were randomized (19 per condition) and 74 local women with a tenth grade
      education were trained and monitored to facilitate the program. Quantitative data
      were collected from 3,560 girls over 4 assessment points with very low rates of
      participant attrition. Qualitative assessments were conducted with a subset of 99
      girls and 27 facilitators. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In this article, we discuss
      guiding principles that facilitated trial implementation, including integrating
      diverse local and non-local sources of knowledge, focusing on flexibility of
      planning and implementation, prioritizing systematic measurement selection, and
      striking a balance between scientific rigor and real-world feasibility. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02429661 . Registered 24 April 2015.

PMID- 26503141
TI  - Medical devices regulatory aspects: a special focus on polymeric material based
      devices.
AB  - Medical devices form a broad range of appliances from a basic nanoparticle
      coating or surgical gloves to a complicated laser therapy device. These devices
      are designed to support patients, surgeons and healthcare personnel in meeting
      patients' healthcare needs. Regulatory authorities of each country regulate the
      process of approval, manufacturing and sales of these medical devices so as to
      ensure safety and quality to patients or users. Recent recalls of medical devices
      has increased importance of safety, awareness and regulation of the devices.
      Singapore and India have strong presence and national priorities in medical
      devices development and use. Herein we capture the rationale of each of these
      national regulatory bodies and compare them with the medical devices regulatory
      practices of USA and European nations. Apart from the comparison of various
      regulatory aspects, this review will specifically throw light on the polymer
      material based medical devices and their safety. 

PMID- 26503142
TI  - Strategies of overcoming the physiological barriers for tumor-targeted nano-sized
      drug delivery systems.
AB  - Nano drug delivery systems (NDDSs) have been widely used in tumor-targeted
      therapy since they can effectively reduce the side effects of traditional
      antitumor drugs and improve the anti-tumor effect. We divided the in vivo process
      of tumor-targeted NDDSs into seven steps: blood circulation, tumor accumulation,
      tumor tissue penetration, target cells internalization, lysosome escape, drug
      release and drug response. In each step, NDDSs will encounter different types of
      barriers preventing their effective delivery or response. The researchers have
      been making efforts to find different strategies of overcoming the corresponding
      barriers for NDDSs. Hence, we here reviewed the recent progress of NDDSs in
      breaking the physiological barriers for more effective in vivo anti-tumor effect,
      in order to shed a new perspective on the development of tumor-targeted NDDSs. 

PMID- 26503143
TI  - Synthetic and Biological Vesicular Nano-Carriers Designed for Gene Delivery.
AB  - Synthetic and biological vesicular carriers have been recognized as attractive
      and intelligent systems for delivery of a verity of bioactive molecules. The
      importance of such delivery systems can be mostly due to their physicochemical
      properties, i.e. a lipid bilayer surrounding an aqueous core which allows
      encapsulation and protection of active hydrophilic molecules such as nucleic
      acids. Synthetic vesicles such as liposomes have been studied as gene delivery
      systems for decades. However, due to their fast clearance, toxicity and
      immunogenicity which impose restrictions on clinical applications, some other
      natural lipid vesicles such as exosomes have been considered as alternatives.
      Attractive features of nature's own 'nano-vesicles' such as exosomes, virosomes,
      bacterial ghosts and erythrocyte ghosts include efficient cellular entry,
      physicochemical properties and evading immune responses. Nevertheless, there are
      advantages and disadvantages with both synthetic and biological vesicular
      systems. Here, we provide an overview into different vesicle-based gene delivery
      systems and discuss how various modifications in their structure and formulations
      could improve the transfection efficiency and decrease the toxicity. 

PMID- 26503144
TI  - Ceramic Nanoparticles: Fabrication Methods and Applications in Drug Delivery.
AB  - Ceramic nanoparticles are primarily made up of oxides, carbides, phosphates and
      carbonates of metals and metalloids such as calcium, titanium, silicon, etc. They
      have a wide range of applications due to a number of favourable properties, such
      as high heat resistance and chemical inertness. Out of all the areas of ceramic
      nanoparticles applications, biomedical field is the most explored one. In the
      biomedical field, ceramic nanoparticles are considered to be excellent carriers
      for drugs, genes, proteins, imaging agents etc. To be able to act as a good and
      successful drug delivery agent, various characteristics of nanoparticles need to
      be controlled, such as size range, surface properties, porosity, surface area to
      volume ratio, etc. In achieving these properties on the favourable side, the
      method of preparation and a good control over process variables play a key role.
      Choosing a suitable method to prepare nanoparticles, along with loading of
      significant amount of drug(s) leads to development of effective drug delivery
      systems which are being explored to a great extent. Ceramic nanoparticles have
      been successfully used as drug delivery systems against a number of diseases,
      such as bacterial infections, glaucoma, etc., and most widely, against cancer.
      This review gives a detailed account of commonly used methods for synthesising
      nanoparticles of various ceramic materials, along with an overview of their
      recent research status in the field of drug delivery. 

PMID- 26503145
TI  - Design of multifunctional nanocarriers for delivery of anti-cancer therapy.
AB  - Chemotherapy is the major and most widely used therapeutic strategy for the
      treatment of a wide variety of cancers. The non-specific/non-targeted drug
      delivery in chemotherapy leads to undesired side effects in normal and healthy
      tissues, and insufficient dosages to kill cancerous cells. Now-a-days, smart and
      intelligent multifunctional targeted nanomedicines based on various nanocarriers
      (dendrimers, carbon nanotubes, graphene, nanoparticles, quantum dots, self
      emuslifying lipidic systems and carbon nanohorns etc) are being investigated
      promisingly in cancer treatment. In this article, we review the role of smart and
      intellegent multifucntional nanocarriers in delivery of chemotherapeutic agents
      with the aim to develop promising treatment strategy to combat with one of the
      killer of man kind i.e. cancer. 

PMID- 26503146
TI  - Polyethyleneimine-Based Nanocarriers for Gene Delivery.
AB  - There is a tremendous progress in the design and synthesis of nano-scaled, non
      viral carriers in the previous two decades. The nanodelivery systems can
      significantly improve biopharmaceutical features, pharmacokinetic properties and
      therapeutic efficacy of entrapped drugs. Branched polyethylenimine (PEI) is a
      cationic polymer that contains primary, secondary and tertiary amino groups. Such
      type of water-soluble polymer having high density of amines is one of the most
      promising cationic vectors for gene delivery. Hence, constructing nanocarriers
      that contain PEI have attracted much research effort in gene therapy because of
      the synergy effects of PEI molecules for their efficient transfection and the
      multi-functionality of nanoparticles in delivery. In this review, we focus on the
      recent development on the design and synthesis of four types of PEI-based
      nanocarriers: 1) PEI-based polymeric micelles systems; 2) PEI-based polymeric
      nanoparticle system; 3) PEI/silica nanoparticle systems; and 4) PEI/metal
      nanoparticle systems. Their in vitro gene transfaction and in vivo gene therapy
      will be also discussed. Results from these studies have demonstrated that PEI
      based nanocarriers are promising delivery systems because of their efficient gene
      transfection, negligible toxicity, capability to co-deliver nucleic acids and
      chemotherapy drugs, ease of modification with the targeting molecules, and good
      responsiveness to external stimulus. 

PMID- 26503147
TI  - Nanotechnology approaches for pain therapy through transdermal drug delivery.
AB  - The paper focuses on the advances in the field of pain treatment by transdermal
      delivery of specific drugs. Starting from a short description of the skin
      barrier, the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics including absorption,
      distribution, action mechanism, metabolism and toxicity, aspects related to the
      use of pain therapy drugs are further discussed. Most recent results on topical
      anesthetic agents as well as the methods proved to overcome the skin barrier and
      to provide efficient delivery of the drug are also discussed. The present review
      is proposing to summarize the recent literature on the pharmacotherapeutic
      principles of local anesthetics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,
      generally used to alleviate pain but also the drugs as nanoformulations with
      potential applications in transdermal delivery. A special attention is given to
      efficient formulations meant for transdermal penetration enhancement of
      anesthetics where the drug is encapsulated into macrocyclic molecules
      (cyclodextrins, cyclodextrin derivatives), liposomes or polymer nanoparticles and
      hydrogels. 

PMID- 26503148
TI  - Antitumoral-Lipid-Based Nanoparticles: a Platform for Future Application in
      Osteosarcoma therapy.
AB  - Osteosarcoma is the most frequent primary bone tumor in the pediatric age group.
      Its aggressive local growth pattern and its high propensity to metastasize,
      mainly to the lungs, give the disease an unfavorable prognosis that has situated
      this disease as one of the leading causes of pediatric cancer death. Current
      protocols for osteosarcoma treatment are based on neo-adjuvant (pre-operatory)
      chemotherapy followed by surgical resection of the tumor and a new phase of
      adjuvant chemotherapy. Despite the progress that these protocols have made in
      improving the outcome of the disease, the limited access of drugs to bone tumor
      and metastases, their indiscriminate distribution in the organism, the high
      required doses that cause intolerable toxicity and the development of multidrug
      resistance, still represent a major challenge. Nanotechnology has emerged as a
      new strategy to successfully address these problems by the development of
      nanoscaled drug carriers that present the ability to target the drug to the tumor
      cells, achieving high drug concentrations in the tumor area, while decreasing its
      presence in healthy tissues and therefore its potential systemic toxicity. This
      review summarizes the different lipid nanocarriers developed to deliver first and
      second-line anti-osteosarcoma drugs as well as emerging agents in the treatment
      of this disease. Moreover, it also discusses the potential of these nanocarriers
      for the treatment of osteosarcoma. 

PMID- 26503149
TI  - Production of nanosuspensions as a tool to improve drug bioavailability: focus on
      topical delivery.
AB  - Over the past two decades nanosizing technology has become one of the most
      successful formulation approaches for improving the bioavailability of poorly
      soluble drugs, which show a low oral absorption due to low dissolution velocity.
      Nanocrystals are nanoparticles of pure drug, without any matrix material, with an
      average diameter below 1 um (typically in the range of 200-500 nm), which can be
      prepared in both water and non-water media as colloidal nanosuspensions
      stabilized using surfactants or polymers. The reduction of the drug particle
      diameter below 1 um increases the dissolution velocity by increasing the particle
      surface and decreasing the diffusion layer thickness. Nanosuspension production
      processes involve two different approaches such as bottom-up (drug nanocrystal
      precipitation) and top-down (drug particle disintegration) technologies or a
      combination of two. Within these main approaches, a variety of possible
      techniques to achieve particle size reduction have been proposed by different
      research groups from both industry and academia. Even though nanosuspensions
      formulations have been especially studied for oral and parenteral administration,
      nanocrystals have showed a great potential also for topical delivery through
      alternative routes such as dermal, pulmonary and ocular route. The purpose of
      this review is to describe the main technologies used to produce nanosuspensions
      as well as to explore the most significant results and progresses obtained by
      application of drug nanocrystal formulations through topical routes. 

PMID- 26503150
TI  - Micro-/nano-electroporation for active gene delivery.
AB  - Gene delivery, a process of introducing foreign functional nucleic acids into
      target cells, has proven to be a very promising tool for inducing specific gene
      expression in host cells. Many different technologies have been developed for
      efficient gene delivery. Among them, electroporation has been adopted in gene
      delivery for decades, and it is currently widely used for transfection of
      different types of cells. Despite of the success achieved by bulk electroporation
      (BEP) for gene delivery in vitro and in vivo, it has significant drawbacks such
      as unstable transfection efficacy and low cell viability. In recent years, there
      is an emerging interest in understanding how individual cell accepts and responds
      to exogenous gene materials using single cell based micro-/nano-electroporation
      (MEP/NEP) technologies. In this review, the authors provide an overview of the
      recent development of MEP/NEP and their advantages in gene delivery.
      Additionally, the future perspectives of gene delivery with the application of
      electroporation are discussed. 

PMID- 26503151
TI  - Diagnostic and Therapeutic Nanoparticles in Cardiovascular Diseases.
AB  - Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of non-communicable illness in both
      developing and developed nations, representing 30% of global deaths. New
      therapeutic approaches are desperately needed. Nanomedicine represents one such
      approach, and involves using molecular entities on the scale of 10-150
      nanometers, for purposes of diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease. This
      review provides a basic overview of nanotechnology, then reviews specific
      applications of nanotechnology to cardiovascular diseases. Most research has
      focused on diagnosing and treating atherosclerosis using nanoparticles (NPs).
      However, researchers are beginning to study NPs for use in acute coronary
      syndromes, revascularization procedures, and heart failure. Antimicrobial NPs
      directed at biofilms likely have applicability to identifying and treating
      endocarditis. Despite the large disease burden of cardiovascular diseases, there
      are fewer researchers and less funding being applied to this research. Additional
      investment in NP therapies would pay great dividends once these therapies come of
      age. 

PMID- 26503152
TI  - Modern drug delivery systems for targeting the posterior segment of the eye.
AB  - Some of the most dangerous diseases of the eye are related to the posterior
      segment. Diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, cytomegalovirus
      retinitis, diabetic retinopathy, posterior uveitis and retinitis pigmentosa are
      difficult to treat using classical methods because of the many internal barriers
      of the eye which affect the drug efficiency. In this review, we will summarize
      the main research directions in the field of medicamentous treatment of posterior
      eye disorders belonging to the controlled drug delivery concept. The review is
      starting with the most important knowledge regarding anatomy and pathology of the
      posterior segment of the eye and is continuing with the current treatment methods
      of the eye posterior segment illnesses and drawbacks of these methods, the drugs
      administration pathways to the posterior segment of the eye. The last three
      sections present the state of the art regarding the latest discoveries including
      the commercial products in the modern drug delivery systems; the main classes of
      materials treated in the present review are implants, hydrogels and nano-
      microparticulate systems. 

PMID- 26503153
TI  - Functionalized magnetic nanoparticles for biomedical applications.
AB  - Functionalized magnetic nanoparticles followed two main directions in the field
      of biomedical applications: one direction is as image enhancing agents for
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the other is as drugdelivery devices for
      various biologically-active substances. A third field which just emerges in
      nanomedicine is the field of the so-called theranostic devices which combines in
      the same delivery vehicle both the therapeutic agent and the contrast substance.
      The advantages of using nanoparticles instead of larger carriers for delivery of
      both drug and image contrast enhancing agents will be highlighted throughout this
      review article. Despite the ever increasing number of articles reporting both in
      vitro and in vivo studies carried out on functionalized magnetic nanoparticles
      and envisaging their potential biomedical applications, only few formulations
      reached the phase of clinical trials and even fewer became marketed products. The
      perspectives in the field are open, since new drugs require new delivery devices
      and possibly new means of functionalization. At the same time, the field of
      nanomedicine also provides the opportunity to better exploit drugs that are
      already in clinical use by improving their bioavailability through appropriate
      nanoformulations. 

PMID- 26503155
TI  - TiC2: a new two-dimensional sheet beyond MXenes.
AB  - MXenes are attracting attention due to their rich chemistry and intriguing
      properties. Here a new type of metal-carbon-based sheet composed of transition
      metal centers and C2 dimers rather than individual C atom is designed. Taking the
      Ti system as a test case, density functional theory calculations combined with a
      thermodynamic analysis uncover the thermal and dynamic stability of the sheet, as
      well as a metallic band structure, anisotropic Young's modulus and Poisson's
      ratio, a high heat capacity, and a large Debye stiffness. Moreover, the TiC2
      sheet has an excellent Li storage capacity with a small migration barrier, a
      lower mass density compared with standard MXenes, and better chemical stability
      as compared to the MXene Ti2C sheet. When Ti is replaced with other transition
      metal centers, diverse new MC2 sheets containing C=C dimers can be formed, the
      properties of which merit further investigation.

PMID- 26503154
TI  - The cost of illness attributable to diabetic foot and cost-effectiveness of
      secondary prevention in Peru.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is a public health challenge worldwide, and roughly
      25% of patients with diabetes in developing countries will develop at least one
      foot ulcer during their lifetime. The gravest outcome of an ulcerated foot is
      amputation, leading to premature death and larger economic costs. METHODS: This
      study aimed to estimate the economic costs of diabetic foot in high-risk patients
      in Peru in 2012 and to model the cost-effectiveness of a year-long preventive
      strategy for foot ulceration including: sub-optimal care (baseline), standard
      care as recommended by the International Diabetes Federation, and standard care
      plus daily self-monitoring of foot temperature. A decision tree model using a
      population prevalence-based approach was used to calculate the costs and the
      incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Outcome measures were deaths and
      major amputations, uncertainty was tested with a one-way sensitivity analysis.
      RESULTS: The direct costs for prevention and management with sub-optimal care for
      high-risk diabetics is around US$74.5 million dollars in a single year, which
      decreases to US$71.8 million for standard care and increases to US$96.8 million
      for standard care plus temperature monitoring. The implementation of a standard
      care strategy would avert 791 deaths and is cost-saving in comparison to sub
      optimal care. For standard care plus temperature monitoring compared to sub
      optimal care the ICER rises to US$16,124 per death averted and averts 1,385
      deaths. CONCLUSION: Diabetic foot complications are highly costly and largely
      preventable in Peru. The implementation of a standard care strategy would lead to
      net savings and avert deaths over a one-year period. More intensive prevention
      strategies such as incorporating temperature monitoring may also be cost
      effective.

PMID- 26503156
TI  - Expression of retinoic acid-binding proteins and retinoic acid receptors in
      sebaceous cell carcinoma of the eyelids.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sebaceous cell carcinoma of the eyelid is a malignant tumor. However,
      the pathoetiology of sebaceous cell carcinoma is not clear. Retinoic acid (RA)
      signaling is essential for skin epidermal differentiation including the eyelids.
      In this study, we investigate the expression of beta-catenin, RA-binding proteins
      and RA receptors in sebaceous cell carcinoma of the eyelid and try to estimate
      their influence on its pathoetiology. METHODS: Retrospective, noncomparative,
      consecutive interventional case series. Sixteen cases of eyelid sebaceous gland
      carcinoma who received tumor excision at our hospital between 2001 and 2011 were
      included. Immunohistochemical staining for beta-catenin, cellular retinoic acid
      binding protein 1 (CRABP1), cellular retinoic acid binding protein 2 (CRABP2),
      fatty acid-binding protein 5 (FABP5), retinoic acid receptors (RAR-alpha, -beta, 
      gamma), and retinoid X receptors (RXR-alpha, -beta, -gamma) was performed on
      tissue samples obtained from tumor excision. RESULTS: Of the 16 sebaceous cell
      carcinoma cases reviewed, six were male and 10 female. The mean follow-up period
      was 6.7 +/- 3.66 years (range, 0.3-13 years). Of these 16 cases, the expression
      of beta-catenin was significantly increased in sebaceous cell carcinoma cases.
      CRABP1 was similarly expressed in the sebaceous cell carcinoma and control
      groups. CRABP2 and FABP5 were expressed in hair follicles of lid skin in both
      groups, whereas the CRABP2 and FABP5 were aberrantly expressed in the tumor cells
      of the sebaceous glands. Notably, the expression of retinoic acid receptor (RAR
      beta) and retinoid X receptors (RXR-beta, -gamma) was significantly upregulated
      in sebaceous cell carcinoma of the eyelids. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate
      that retinoic acid signaling is related to the pathogenesis of sebaceous cell
      carcinoma of the eyelids.

PMID- 26503157
TI  - Inhibition of motor neuron death in vitro and in vivo by a p75 neurotrophin
      receptor intracellular domain fragment.
AB  - The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR); also known as NGFR) can mediate neuronal
      apoptosis in disease or following trauma, and facilitate survival through
      interactions with Trk receptors. Here we tested the ability of a p75(NTR)-derived
      trophic cell-permeable peptide, c29, to inhibit p75(NTR)-mediated motor neuron
      death. Acute c29 application to axotomized motor neuron axons decreased cell
      death, and systemic c29 treatment of SOD1(G93A) mice, a common model of
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, resulted in increased spinal motor neuron survival
      mid-disease as well as delayed disease onset. Coincident with this, c29 treatment
      of these mice reduced the production of p75(NTR) cleavage products. Although c29
      treatment inhibited mature- and pro-nerve-growth-factor-induced death of cultured
      motor neurons, and these ligands induced the cleavage of p75(NTR) in motor-neuron
      like NSC-34 cells, there was no direct effect of c29 on p75(NTR) cleavage.
      Rather, c29 promoted motor neuron survival in vitro by enhancing the activation
      of TrkB-dependent signaling pathways, provided that low levels of brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were present, an effect that was replicated in vivo in
      SOD1(G93A) mice. We conclude that the c29 peptide facilitates BDNF-dependent
      survival of motor neurons in vitro and in vivo. 

PMID- 26503158
TI  - Luman is involved in osteoclastogenesis through the regulation of DC-STAMP
      expression, stability and localization.
AB  - Luman (also known as CREB3) is a type-II transmembrane transcription factor
      belonging to the OASIS family that localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
      membrane under normal conditions. In response to ER stress, OASIS-family members
      are subjected to regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIP), following which the
      cleaved N-terminal fragments translocate to the nucleus. In this study, we show
      that treatment of bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) with cytokines - macrophage
      colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and RANKL (also known as TNFSF11) - causes a
      time-dependent increase in Luman expression, and that Luman undergoes RIP and
      becomes activated during osteoclast differentiation. Small hairpin (sh)RNA
      mediated knockdown of Luman in BMMs prevented the formation of multinucleated
      osteoclasts, concomitant with the suppression of DC-STAMP, a protein that is
      essential for cell-cell fusion in osteoclastogenesis. The N-terminus of Luman
      facilitates promoter activity of DC-STAMP, resulting in upregulation of DC-STAMP
      expression. Furthermore, Luman interacts with DC-STAMP, and controls its
      stability and localization. These results suggest that Luman regulates the
      multinucleation of osteoclasts by promoting cell fusion of mononuclear
      osteoclasts through DC-STAMP induction and intracellular distribution during
      osteoclastogenesis. 

PMID- 26503159
TI  - Measured outcomes of chronic care programs for older adults: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wagner's Chronic Care Model (CCM), as well as the expanded version
      (ECCM) developed by Barr and colleagues, have been widely adopted as frameworks
      for prevention and management of chronic disease. Given the high prevalence of
      chronic illness in older persons, these frameworks can play a valuable role in
      reorienting the health care system to better serve the needs of seniors. We aimed
      to identify and assess the measured goals of E/CCM interventions in older
      populations. In particular, our objective was to determine the extent to which
      published E/CCM initiatives were evaluated based on population, community, system
      and individual-level outcomes (including clinical, functional and quality of life
      measures). METHODS: We conducted a systematic search of the Science Citation
      Index Web of Knowledge search tool to gather articles published between January
      2003 and July 2014. We included published CCM interventions that cited at least
      one of the fundamental papers that introduced and described the CCM and ECCM.
      Studies retained for review reported evaluations of senior-focused E/CCM
      initiatives in community-based settings, with the topic of "older adults" OR
      senior* OR elder* OR geriatric OR aged. The resulting 619 published articles were
      independently reviewed for inclusion by two researchers. We excluded the
      following: systematic reviews, meta-analyses, descriptions of proposed programs,
      and studies whose populations did not focus on seniors. RESULTS: We identified 14
      articles that met inclusion criteria. Studies used a wide range of measures, with
      little consensus between studies. All of the included studies used the original
      CCM. While a range of system-level and individual patient outcomes have been used
      to evaluate CCM interventions, no studies employed measures of population or
      community health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Future efforts to test E/CCM
      interventions with seniors would be aided by more consistent outcome measures,
      greater attention to outcomes for the caregivers of older persons with chronic
      illness, and a greater focus on population and community impacts.

PMID- 26503160
TI  - Engineered selective plant male sterility through pollen-specific expression of
      the EcoRI restriction endonuclease.
AB  - Unintended gene flow from transgenic plants via pollen, seed and vegetative
      propagation is a regulatory concern because of potential admixture in food and
      crop systems, as well as hybridization and introgression to wild and weedy
      relatives. Bioconfinement of transgenic pollen would help address some of these
      concerns and enable transgenic plant production for several crops where gene flow
      is an issue. Here, we demonstrate the expression of the restriction endonuclease
      EcoRI under the control of the tomato pollen-specific LAT52 promoter is an
      effective method for generating selective male sterility in Nicotiana tabacum
      (tobacco). Of nine transgenic events recovered, four events had very high
      bioconfinement with tightly controlled EcoRI expression in pollen and negligible
      to-no expression other plant tissues. Transgenic plants had normal morphology
      wherein vegetative growth and reproductivity were similar to nontransgenic
      controls. In glasshouse experiments, transgenic lines were hand-crossed to both
      male-sterile and emasculated nontransgenic tobacco varieties. Progeny analysis of
      16 000-40 000 seeds per transgenic line demonstrated five lines approached
      (>99.7%) or attained 100% bioconfinement for one or more generations.
      Bioconfinement was again demonstrated at or near 100% under field conditions
      where four transgenic lines were grown in close proximity to male-sterile
      tobacco, and 900-2100 seeds per male-sterile line were analysed for transgenes.
      Based upon these results, we conclude EcoRI-driven selective male sterility holds
      practical potential as a safe and reliable transgene bioconfinement strategy.
      Given the mechanism of male sterility, this method could be applicable to any
      plant species. 

PMID- 26503162
TI  - Sequential structural transitions with distinct dielectric responses in a layered
      perovskite organic-inorganic hybrid material: [C4H9N]2[PbBr4].
AB  - A novel organic-inorganic hybrid layered perovskite-type compound of the general
      formula A2BX4, bis(IBA)tetrabromolead(II) (1, IBA = isobutyl-ammonium cation),
      has been successfully synthesized and grown as flake-like crystals, and undergoes
      two reversible solid-state phase transitions at 315 K and 250 K, and has been
      systematically characterized using differential scanning calorimetry
      measurements, variable-temperature structural analyses, variable-temperature
      powder X-ray diffraction measurements and dielectric measurements. 1 exhibits a
      remarkable temperature-dependent dielectric behavior, which could be switched
      between high and low dielectric states above room temperature, and a broad peak
      exists below room temperature. The most striking dielectric property is the
      remarkable anisotropy along the various crystallographic axes. All of these
      demonstrate its potential application as a high temperature switchable molecular
      dielectric and low temperature phase transition material.

PMID- 26503163
TI  - Immunomodulatory effect of ghrelin in the intestinal mucosa.
AB  - The gastrointestinal tract is the largest endocrine organ in the body and it
      produces a wide array of hormones and neuropeptides. Ghrelin, a 28-amino acid
      hormone produced mainly by the X/A-like endocrine cells in the gastric mucosa,
      has widespread tissue distribution and diverse physiological functions such as
      hormonal, orexigenic, metabolic, cardiovascular, neurological and immunological
      activities. Recent research has implicated ghrelin in gastrointestinal
      pathological conditions and immune system regulation, but its contribution is
      controversial. Although ghrelin levels are elevated in clinical active
      inflammatory bowel diseases, confirmation of its exact role using experimental
      models remains unclear. This review discusses the conflicting effects of ghrelin
      on intestinal inflammation, through the different possible immune and
      intracellular mechanisms and highlights new findings. 

PMID- 26503161
TI  - Altered memory-related functional connectivity of the anterior and posterior
      hippocampus in older adults at increased genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - The hippocampal complex is affected early in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
      Increasingly, altered functional connectivity of the hippocampus is recognized as
      an important feature of preclinical AD. Carriers of the APOEE4 allele are at an
      increased risk for AD, which could lead to altered hippocampal connectivity even
      in healthy older adults. To test this hypothesis, we used a paired-associates
      memory task to examine differences in task-dependent functional connectivity of
      the anterior and posterior hippocampus in nondemented APOEE4 carriers (n = 34,
      18F) and noncarriers (n = 46, 31F). We examined anterior and posterior portions
      of the hippocampus separately to test the theory that APOEE4-mediated differences
      would be more pronounced in the anterior region, which is affected earlier in the
      AD course. This study is the first to use a psychophysiological interaction
      approach to query the context-dependent connectivity of subregions of the
      hippocampus during a memory task in adults at increased genetic risk for AD.
      During encoding, APOEE4 carriers had lower functional connectivity change
      compared to baseline between the anterior hippocampus and right precuneus,
      anterior insula and cingulate cortex. During retrieval, bilateral supramarginal
      gyrus and right precuneus showed lower functional connectivity change with
      anterior hippocampus in carriers. Also during retrieval, carriers showed lower
      connectivity change in the posterior hippocampus with auditory cortex. In each
      case, APOEE4 carriers showed strong negative connectivity changes compared to
      noncarriers where positive connectivity change was measured. These differences
      may represent prodromal functional changes mediated in part by APOEE4 and are
      consistent with the anterior-to-posterior theory of AD progression in the
      hippocampus.

PMID- 26503164
TI  - Psyllium is not fermented in the human gut.

PMID- 26503165
TI  - Response to letter Dr. McRorie.

PMID- 26503166
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26503167
TI  - Simultaneous demultiplexing and steering of multiple orbital angular momentum
      modes.
AB  - We present a simple scheme to perform simultaneous demultiplexing and steering of
      multiple orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes using a single complex phase mask.
      By designing the phase mask, the propagation directions of demultiplexed beams
      can be arbitrarily steered. System experiments using orthogonal frequency
      division multiplexing 32-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (OFDM-32QAM) signals
      over two OAM modes are carried out by using a two-mode complex phase mask.
      Moreover, demultiplexing of sixteen OAM modes and arbitrary demultiplexed beam
      steering are also demonstrated in the experiment. 

PMID- 26503168
TI  - Australian employer usage of the practice of offering reduced working hours to
      workers close to retirement: Extent and determinants.
AB  - AIM: This study aimed to determine factors associated with the implementation by
      employers of the practice of offering reduced working hours for workers nearing
      retirement. METHODS: Data came from a survey of 2000 employers of more than 50
      employees each (30% response rate). RESULTS: A minority (33%) of employers
      offered reduced working hours to older workers nearing retirement. Factors
      associated with offering reduced working hours were: expecting workforce ageing
      to cause a loss of staff to retirement; being a large employer; being a
      public/not-for-profit sector employer; not experiencing difficulties recruiting
      labourers; having a larger proportion of workers aged over 50; experiencing
      national competition for labour; not experiencing difficulties recruiting
      machinery operators/drivers; not expecting workforce ageing to increase workplace
      injuries; and experiencing difficulties with the quality of candidates.
      CONCLUSION: A minority of employers were found to offer reduced working hours to
      those nearing retirement. Factors associated with their propensity to do so
      included industry sector, size of employer, concerns about labour supply and the
      effects of workforce ageing.

PMID- 26503169
TI  - Numb is required to prevent p53-dependent senescence following skeletal muscle
      injury.
AB  - Regeneration relies on coordinated action of multiple cell types to reconstitute
      the damaged tissue. Here we inactivate the endocytic adaptor protein Numb in
      skeletal muscle stem cells prior to chronic or severe muscle injury in mice. We
      observe two types of senescence in regenerating muscle; a transient senescence in
      non-myogenic cells of control and Numb mutant mice that partly depends on
      INK4a/ARF activity, and a persistent senescence in myogenic cells lacking Numb.
      The senescence levels of Numb-deficient muscle is reduced to wild type levels by
      an anti-oxidant treatment or p53 ablation, resulting in functional rescue of the
      regenerative potential in Numb mutants. Ex vivo experiments suggest that Numb
      deficient senescent cells recruit macrophages to sustain inflammation and drive
      fibrosis, two hallmarks of the impaired muscle regeneration in Numb mutants.
      These findings provide insights into previously reported developmental and
      oncogenic senescence that are also differentially regulated by p53. 

PMID- 26503171
TI  - New tricks from an old dog: Another synaptotoxic fragment from APP.
AB  - In a surprising twist, a hitherto unrecognized cleavage of the amyloid precursor
      protein (APP) by eta-secretase, followed by alpha- or beta-secretase cleavage
      releases a novel APP proteolytic fragment, Aeta, which causes synaptic injury. 

PMID- 26503170
TI  - Biosynthesis of the mycotoxin tenuazonic acid by a fungal NRPS-PKS hybrid enzyme.
AB  - Tenuazonic acid (TeA) is a well-known mycotoxin produced by various plant
      pathogenic fungi. However, its biosynthetic gene has been unknown to date. Here
      we identify the TeA biosynthetic gene from Magnaporthe oryzae by finding two TeA
      inducing conditions of a low-producing strain. We demonstrate that TeA is
      synthesized from isoleucine and acetoacetyl-coenzyme A by TeA synthetase 1
      (TAS1). TAS1 is a unique non-ribosomal peptide synthetase and polyketide synthase
      (NRPS-PKS) hybrid enzyme that begins with an NRPS module. In contrast to other
      NRPS/PKS hybrid enzymes, the PKS portion of TAS1 has only a ketosynthase (KS)
      domain and this domain is indispensable for TAS1 activity. Phylogenetic analysis
      classifies this KS domain as an independent clade close to type I PKS KS domain.
      We demonstrate that the TAS1 KS domain conducts the final cyclization step for
      TeA release. These results indicate that TAS1 is a unique type of NRPS-PKS hybrid
      enzyme. 

PMID- 26503172
TI  - Choline kinase-alpha protein and phosphatidylcholine but not phosphocholine are
      required for breast cancer cell survival.
AB  - High levels of total choline and phosphocholine (PC) are consistently observed in
      aggressive cancers. Choline kinase (Chk) catalyzes choline phosphorylation to
      produce PC in phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) biosynthesis. PtdCho is the most
      abundant phospholipid in eukaryotic cell membranes and plays a dual role as the
      structural component of membranes and as a substrate to produce lipid second
      messengers such as phosphatidic acid and diacylglycerol. Chk-alpha, but not Chk
      beta, is overexpressed in various cancers, and is closely associated with tumor
      progression and invasiveness. We have previously shown that downregulation of
      mRNA using small interfering RNA (siRNA) against Chk-alpha (siRNA-Chk) or Chk
      short hairpin RNA, and the resultant decrease of Chk-alpha protein levels,
      significantly reduced proliferation in breast cancer cells and tumors. A novel
      potent and selective small-molecule Chk-alpha inhibitor, V-11-0711, that inhibits
      the catalytic activity of Chk has recently been developed. Here, we used triple
      negative MDA-MB-231 and SUM149 breast cancer cells to further investigate the
      role of Chk-alpha in cancer, by examining Chk-alpha protein levels, cell
      viability/proliferation, choline phospholipid and lipid metabolism, lipid droplet
      formation, and apoptosis, following treatment with V-11-0711. Under the
      conditions used in this study, treatment with V-11-0711 significantly decreased
      PC levels but did not reduce cell viability as long as Chk-alpha protein and
      PtdCho levels were not reduced, suggesting that Chk-alpha protein and PtdCho, but
      not PC, may be crucial for breast cancer cell survival. These data also support
      the approach of antitumor strategies that destabilize Chk-alpha protein or
      downregulate PtdCho in breast cancer treatment.

PMID- 26503173
TI  - Measurement of Local Sodium Ion Levels near Micelle Surfaces with Fluorescent
      Photoinduced-Electron-Transfer Sensors.
AB  - The Na(+) concentration near membranes controls our nerve signals aside from
      several other crucial bioprocesses. Fluorescent photoinduced electron transfer
      (PET) sensor molecules target Na(+) ions in nanospaces near micellar membranes
      with excellent selectivity against H(+). The Na(+) concentration near anionic
      micelles was found to be higher than that in bulk water by factors of up to 160.
      Sensor molecules that are not held tightly to the micelle surface only detected a
      Na(+) amplification factor of 8. These results were strengthened by the
      employment of control compounds whose PET processes are permanently "on" or
      "off".

PMID- 26503174
TI  - A Zn Metal-Organic Framework with High Stability and Sorption Selectivity for
      CO2.
AB  - A three-dimensional porous Zn metal-organic framework (UPC-12) with high thermal
      and chemical stability was isolated in high yield and purity from a hydrothermal
      reaction. UPC-12 exhibits high selectivity for CO2 due to the formation of
      hydrogen bonds between CO2 molecules and the -COOH groups exposed inside the
      channels and the effective pi-pi interactions between CO2 molecules and the
      pillared bipyridine moieties of the MOF. The adsorption-desorption process was
      studied, for the first time, by both (13)C CP-TOSS NMR spectroscopy and in situ
      DRIFTS. 

PMID- 26503175
TI  - Caregiver insightfulness and young children's violence exposure: testing a
      relational model of risk and resilience.
AB  - This study employed a relational post-traumatic stress frame to explore the co
      contribution of young children's exposure to violence and caregiver
      insightfulness on child behavioral outcomes in a high-risk, non-referred sample
      of caregivers and preschoolers (n = 64; mean age 3.83 years, SD = .77). Caregiver
      insightfulness did not have a main effect on child outcomes but did moderate the
      relation between violence exposure and child behavior across all observed
      outcomes. Violence-exposed children with non-insightful caregivers demonstrated
      higher caregiver-rated internalizing and externalizing behaviors and observer
      rated negative affect than all other groups. Among children not exposed to
      violence, insightfulness was not related to children's behavior problems or
      negative affect, suggesting violence-specific processes. Though cross-sectional,
      results suggest that the effects of violence and caregiver insightfulness on
      child outcomes are contingent on one another and that caregiver insightfulness
      may play a protective role in contexts of violence.

PMID- 26503176
TI  - Preparing the Field for Feasibility Testing of a Parenting Intervention for War
      Affected Mothers in Northern Uganda.
AB  - In this article, we discuss the successful implementation of an adapted evidence
      based parenting intervention for families affected by two decades of war in
      Northern Uganda. The adaptation and adoption of such interventions to support
      mental health and family functioning is widely endorsed by prevention scientists
      and considered a priority in global mental health. The preparation and early
      adoption phases of engaging with a highly vulnerable community affected by war
      trauma are documented in this paper along with a discussion of the steps taken to
      adapt a parenting intervention for cultural and contextual fit. This study is a
      component of an overall program of research aimed at reducing the long-term
      negative effects of war on parenting practices and childhood outcomes, which have
      considerable implications for preventing mental, neurological, and substance-use
      disorders. The processes described here cover a 4-year period culminating in the
      implementation of the nine-session Enhancing Family Connection intervention
      piloted with a group of 14 mothers. The lessons in cultural adaptation have been
      valuable and the feasibility results promising for further testing the
      intervention.

PMID- 26503177
TI  - 3D Study of the Morphology and Dynamics of Zeolite Nucleation.
AB  - The principle aspects and constraints of the dynamics and kinetics of zeolite
      nucleation in hydrogel systems are analyzed on the basis of a model Na-rich
      aluminosilicate system. A detailed time-series EMT-type zeolite crystallization
      study in the model hydrogel system was performed to elucidate the topological and
      temporal aspects of zeolite nucleation. A comprehensive set of analytical tools
      and methods was employed to analyze the gel evolution and complement the primary
      methods of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nuclear magnetic resonance
      (NMR) spectroscopy. TEM tomography reveals that the initial gel particles exhibit
      a core-shell structure. Zeolite nucleation is topologically limited to this shell
      structure and the kinetics of nucleation is controlled by the shell integrity.
      The induction period extends to the moment when the shell is consumed and the
      bulk solution can react with the core of the gel particles. These new findings,
      in particular the importance of the gel particle shell in zeolite nucleation, can
      be used to control the growth process and properties of zeolites formed in
      hydrogels. 

PMID- 26503178
TI  - Fine structure of the dorsal lingual epithelium in Tarentola annularis and
      Crocodylus niloticus.
AB  - The present study examined the morphological features, histological and
      histochemical aspect of the tongue of two reptilian species, Tarentola annularis
      (family: Gekkonidae) and Crocodylus niloticus (family: Crocodylidea), with
      different habitats, feeding patterns and behaviours, by light and scanning
      electron microscope. It was observed, that the bifurcation of the tongue was more
      visible in Tarentola annularis. Conical and filamentous papillae were observed on
      the lingual body of Tarentola annularis, while in Crocodylus niloticus both
      mechanical filiform and gustatory papillae appeared. The lingual mucosa in
      Tarentola annularis is covered by stratified squamous epithelium and keratinised
      but in Crocodylus niloticus it is highly folded and more heavily keratinised in
      the folded region and have a localised thickenings structure resembling taste
      buds. Mucous glands appeared in Tarentola annularis and compound tubular glands
      in Crocodylus niloticus. At scanning electron microscopy, abundant microridges
      and microvilli in both species were exhibited on papillae surface facilitated
      feeding habits. Histochemically, the tongue of two species is strongly positive
      for carbohydrate stain but with variable degree with others stains. In
      conclusion, there is a marked correlation between the structure of the tongue of
      the present reptilian species, habitats and feeding mechanism of the two species.

PMID- 26503179
TI  - Comparison of the craniometric parameters of wild and farm American mink (Mustela
      vison).
AB  - Skulls of 65 American minks from the West Pomeranian Province were examined
      (farm: n = 33, male: n = 16, female: n = 17; wild: n = 32, male: n = 20, female:
      n = 12). Craniometric parameters in the number of 24 were determined and measured
      on each skull. Results were averaged and compared, maintaining the division into
      sex groups. Males were found to have statistically significant differences
      between wild and farm animals in 20 parameters; measurements showing no
      statistically significant differences were: nasal length, postorbital
      constriction, brain case height and greatest height of the mandibular body.
      Females were found to have statistically significant differences between wild and
      farm animals in 6 parameters: condylobasal length, tooth row length, greatest
      length of the mandible, brain case basis length, postorbital length and palatal
      length. The percentage conversion of measurements into the greatest length of the
      skull showed differences in its proportions. Among male skulls, the parameters
      for which the ratio of differences was more than 2% were palatal length,
      zygomatic breadth and brain case height. For female skulls, no craniometric
      parameters showed differences in the skull proportions being greater than 2%. The
      occurrence of measurable changes in the craniometric parameters between domestic
      and farm mink populations may indicate that the domestication process is still
      ongoing and allows distinguishing the population affiliation of an individual
      specimen.

PMID- 26503180
TI  - Comparative anatomy of pectoral girdle and pectoral fin in Russian sturgeon and
      American paddlefish.
AB  - Acipenseriformes occupy an important place in the evolutionary history. Skeleton
      of their pectoral fins has elements related to teleosts, but also to tetrapods.
      This article summarises and compares anatomical structure of the pectoral girdle
      and pectoral fin of Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) and American
      paddlefish (Polyodon spathula). These species possess pectoral fins with some
      distinctive features in their structure. The pectoral girdles are composed of
      both cartilaginous and ossified elements. Unlike sturgeons, American paddlefish
      does not have an interclavicle and suprascapular cartilage. Moreover, its
      cleithrum doesn't form medially directed lamina. The quantity of the proximal
      radials in the investigated fish species are not the same. The dorsal and ventral
      muscles, which act on the pectoral fin of Russian sturgeon and American
      paddlefish, are not equally developed. In our opinion, this is caused by the
      differences in the mode of life, motility of fins, as well as by stabilisation of
      body during swimming.

PMID- 26503181
TI  - Fundamental role for the KCNE4 ancillary subunit in Kv7.4 regulation of arterial
      tone.
AB  - KEY POINTS: KCNE4 alters the biophysical properties and cellular localization of
      voltage-gated potassium channel Kv7.4. KCNE4 is expressed in a variety of
      arteries and, in mesenteric arteries, co-localizes with Kv7.4, which is important
      in the control of vascular contractility. Knockdown of KCNE4 leads to reduced
      Kv7.4 membrane abundance, a depolarized membrane potential and an augmented
      response to vasoconstrictors. KCNE4 is a key regulator of the function and
      expression of Kv7.4 in vascular smooth muscle. ABSTRACT: The KCNE ancillary
      subunits (KCNE1-5) significantly alter the expression and function of voltage
      gated potassium channels; however, their role in the vasculature has yet to be
      determined. The present study aimed to investigate the expression and function of
      the KCNE4 subunit in rat mesenteric arteries and to determine whether it has a
      functional impact on the regulation of arterial tone by Kv7 channels. In HEK
      cells expressing Kv7.4, co-expression of KCNE4 increased the membrane expression
      of Kv7.4 and significantly altered Kv7.4 current properties. Quantitative PCR
      analysis of different rat arteries found that the KCNE4 isoform predominated and
      proximity ligation experiments showed that KCNE4 co-localized with Kv7.4 in
      mesenteric artery myocytes. Morpholino-induced knockdown of KCNE4 depolarized
      mesenteric artery smooth muscle cells and resulted in their increased sensitivity
      to methoxamine being attenuated (mean +/- SEM EC50 decreased from 5.7 +/- 0.63
      MUm to 1.6 +/- 0.23 MUm), which coincided with impaired effects of Kv7
      modulators. When KCNE4 expression was reduced, less Kv7.4 expression was found in
      the membrane of the mesenteric artery myocytes. These data show that KCNE4 is
      consistently expressed in a variety of arteries, and knockdown of the expression
      product leads to reduced Kv7.4 membrane abundance, a depolarized membrane
      potential and an augmented response to vasoconstrictors. The present study is the
      first to demonstrate an integral role of KCNE4 in regulating the function and
      expression of Kv7.4 in vascular smooth muscle.

PMID- 26503186
TI  - Luminescence investigation of novel MgPbAl10O17:Tb3+ green-emitting phosphor for
      solid-state lighting.
AB  - In this work, we studied the luminescence properties of Tb(3+)-doped MgPbAl10O17
      green phosphor. To understand the excitation mechanism and corresponding emission
      of the prepared phosphor, its structural, morphological and photoluminescence
      properties were investigated. In general, for green emission, Tb(3) is used as an
      activator and the obtained excitation and emission spectra indicated that this
      phosphor can be effectively excited by a wavelength of 380 nm, and exhibits
      bright green emission centered at 545 nm corresponding to the f -> f transition
      of trivalent terbium ions. The chromaticity coordinates were (C(x) = 0.263, C(y)
      = 0.723). The impact of Tb(3+) concentration on the relative emission intensity
      was investigated, and the best doping concentration was found to be 2 mol%. This
      study suggests that Tb(3+)-doped MgPbAl10O17 phosphor is a strong candidate for a
      green component in phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes.

PMID- 26503188
TI  - Tumor cell specific and lysosome-targeted delivery of nitric oxide for enhanced
      photodynamic therapy triggered by 808 nm near-infrared light.
AB  - A novel cancer cell lysosome-targetable multifunctional NO-delivery nanoplatform
      (Lyso-Ru-NO@FA@C-TiO2) (1) was developed. It selectively targets folate-receptor
      overexpressed cancer cells and specifically locates within the lysosome organelle
      to which NO and reactive oxygen species are simultaneously released upon 808 nm
      NIR light irradiation. The dual-targeted nanoplatform (1) demonstrated the
      highest anticancer efficacy compared with nontargeted counterparts under NIR
      light sensitization.

PMID- 26503187
TI  - Diabetes and Risk of Surgical Site Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta
      analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE To determine the independent association between diabetes and surgical
      site infection (SSI) across multiple surgical procedures. DESIGN Systematic
      review and meta-analysis. METHODS Studies indexed in PubMed published between
      December 1985 and through July 2015 were identified through the search terms
      "risk factors" or "glucose" and "surgical site infection." A total of 3,631
      abstracts were identified through the initial search terms. Full texts were
      reviewed for 522 articles. Of these, 94 articles met the criteria for inclusion.
      Standardized data collection forms were used to extract study-specific estimates
      for diabetes, blood glucose levels, and body mass index (BMI). A random-effects
      meta-analysis was used to generate pooled estimates, and meta-regression was used
      to evaluate specific hypothesized sources of heterogeneity. RESULTS The primary
      outcome was SSI, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
      surveillance criteria. The overall effect size for the association between
      diabetes and SSI was odds ratio (OR)=1.53 (95% predictive interval [PI], 1.11
      2.12; I2, 57.2%). SSI class, study design, or patient BMI did not significantly
      impact study results in a meta-regression model. The association was higher for
      cardiac surgery 2.03 (95% PI, 1.13-4.05) compared with surgeries of other types
      (P=.001). CONCLUSIONS These results support the consideration of diabetes as an
      independent risk factor for SSIs for multiple surgical procedure types. Continued
      efforts are needed to improve surgical outcomes for diabetic patients. Infect.
      Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2015;37(1):88-99. 

PMID- 26503190
TI  - Beyond bedpans: Celebrating nursing and midwifery.

PMID- 26503191
TI  - Breastfeeding and HIV infection.

PMID- 26503189
TI  - Optical scatter patterns facilitate rapid differentiation of Enterobacteriaceae
      on CHROMagarTM Orientation medium.
AB  - Enterobacteriaceae family comprised pathogens and commensals and has a
      significant impact on food safety and public health. Enterobacteriaceae is often
      enumerated and presumptively identified on chromogenic media, such as
      CHROMagar(TM) Orientation medium based on colony profile; however, classification
      is highly arbitrary, and some could not be differentiated due to similar
      chromogen production. Here, we investigated the ability of the laser optical
      sensor, BARDOT (bacterial rapid detection using optical scattering technology)
      for rapid screening and differentiation of colonies of the major bacterial genera
      from Enterobacteriaceae on CHROMagar(TM) Orientation. A total of 36 strains
      representing 12 genera and 15 species were used to generate colony scatter image
      library that comprised 1683 scatter images. This library was used to
      differentiate mixed cultures of Enterobacteriaceae family - Klebsiella
      pneumoniae, Enterobacter spp., Citrobacter freundii and Serratia marcescens (KECS
      group); Proteus mirabilis, Morganella morganii and Providencia rettgeri (PMP
      group); and non-Enterobacteriaceae family: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter
      spp. and Staphylococcus aureus (PAS group) - and data show high accuracy (83
      100%) for intra-group classification of colonies in 10-22 h or even before
      visible production of chromogens. BARDOT successfully differentiated the major
      genera, including the ones that do not produce visually distinguishable
      chromogens on CHROMagar(TM) Orientation, providing a label-free, real-time on
      plate colony screening tool for Enterobacteriaceae.

PMID- 26503193
TI  - Is Nano a Bubble?

PMID- 26503195
TI  - Probing the Effect of Molecular Nonuniformity in Directed Self-Assembly of
      Diblock Copolymers in Nanoconfined Space.
AB  - Various complex self-assembled morphologies of lamellar- and cylinder-forming
      block copolymers comprising poly(dimethylsiloxane)-b-polylactide (PDMS-b-PLA)
      confined in cylindrical channels were generated. Combining top-down lithography
      with bottom-up block copolymer self-assembly grants access to morphologies that
      are otherwise inaccessible with the bulk materials. Channel diameter (D) was
      systematically varied with four diblock copolymers having different compositions
      and bulk domain spacing (L0), corresponding to a range of frustration ratios
      (D/L0 from 2 to 4). Excessive packing frustration imposed by the channels leads
      to contorted domains. The resulting morphologies depend strongly on both D/L0 and
      copolymer composition. Under several circumstances, mixtures of complex
      morphologies were observed, which hypothetically arise from the severe
      sensitivity to D/L0 combined with the inherent compositional/molar mass
      dispersities associated with the nonuniform synthetic materials and silicon
      templates. Stochastic calculations offer compelling support for the hypothesis,
      and tractable pathways toward solving this apparent conundrum are proposed. The
      materials hold great promise for next-generation nanofabrication to address
      several emerging technologies, offering significantly enhanced versatility to
      basic diblock copolymers as templates for fabricating complex nanoscale objects. 

PMID- 26503192
TI  - Early life nutritional programming of health and disease in The Gambia.
AB  - Exposures during the early life (periconceptional, prenatal and early postnatal)
      period are increasingly recognized as playing an important role in the aetiology
      of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD), including coronary heart disease,
      stroke, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. The 'Developmental
      Origins of Health and Disease' (DOHaD) hypothesis states that these disorders
      originate through unbalanced nutrition early in life and risk is highest when
      there is a 'mismatch' between the early- and later-life environments. Thus, the
      DOHaD hypothesis would predict highest risk in countries where an excess of
      infants are born with low birth weight and where there is a rapid transition to
      nutritional adequacy or excess in adulthood. Here, I will review data from work
      conducted in rural Gambia, West Africa. Using demographic data dating back to the
      1940s, the follow-up of randomized controlled trials of nutritional
      supplementation in pregnancy and the 'experiment of nature' that seasonality in
      this region provides, we have investigated the DOHaD hypothesis in a population
      with high rates of maternal and infant under-nutrition, a high burden from
      infectious disease, and an emerging risk of NCDs. 

PMID- 26503197
TI  - Patchwork.

PMID- 26503198
TI  - Policy Statement on Site-Neutral Payments in Oncology.

PMID- 26503196
TI  - Intermittent High-Dose Intravenous Interferon Alfa-2b for Adjuvant Treatment of
      Stage III Melanoma: Final Analysis of a Randomized Phase III Dermatologic
      Cooperative Oncology Group Trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and quality of life
      (QoL) in patients receiving intravenous, intermittent high-dose interferon alfa
      2b (IFN-alpha-2b [iHDI]) compared with standard high-dose IFN-alpha-2b (HDI).
      PATIENT AND METHODS: Patients with stage III resected lymph node or in-transit
      metastasis from cutaneous malignant melanoma were randomly assigned to receive
      either a standard HDI regimen or three courses of IFN-alpha-2b 20 MIU/m(2)
      administered intravenously 5 days a week for 4 weeks then repeated every 4
      months. Distant metastasis-free survival was the primary end point for efficacy
      analysis. In addition, relapse-free survival, overall survival, safety as
      determined by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events criteria, and QoL
      were secondary end points. RESULTS: Of 649 patients enrolled, 22 patients were
      excluded from the intent-to-treat analysis. The remaining 627 patients were well
      balanced between the arms according to sex, age, and stage. After a median follow
      up of 55 months, a multivariable Cox model revealed no significant differences
      for distant metastasis-free survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.21; P = .12) or
      overall survival (HR, 1.01; P = .85). In contrast, the difference for relapse
      free survival was significant (HR, 1.27; P = .03), favoring standard HDI. Early
      termination of treatment because of adverse events or QoL occurred significantly
      more often with HDI than with iHDI (26.0% v 14.8%; P < .001). CONCLUSION:
      Although the safety and QoL profiles for the intermittent regimen were favorable,
      no significant difference was observed for survival while the HR for relapse with
      iHDI was increased. Therefore, an iHDI regimen, as tested here, cannot be
      recommended as adjuvant treatment for high-risk melanoma.

PMID- 26503199
TI  - Clinical Utility of Metrics Based on Tumor Measurements in Phase II Trials to
      Predict Overall Survival Outcomes in Phase III Trials by Using Resampling
      Methods.
AB  - PURPOSE: Phase II clinical trials inform go/no-go decisions for proceeding to
      phase III trials, and appropriate end points in phase II trials are critical for
      facilitating this decision. Phase II solid tumor trials have traditionally used
      end points such as tumor response defined by Response Evaluation Criteria for
      Solid Tumors (RECIST). We previously reported that absolute and relative changes
      in tumor measurements demonstrated potential, but not convincing, improvement
      over RECIST to predict overall survival (OS). We have evaluated the metrics by
      using additional measures of clinical utility and data from phase III trials.
      METHODS: Resampling methods were used to assess the clinical utility of metrics
      to predict phase III outcomes from simulated phase II trials. In all, 2,000 phase
      II trials were simulated from four actual phase III trials (two positive for OS
      and two negative for OS). Cox models for three metrics landmarked at 12 weeks and
      adjusted for baseline tumor burden were fit for each phase II trial: absolute
      changes, relative changes, and RECIST. Clinical utility was assessed by positive
      predictive value and negative predictive value, that is, the probability of a
      positive or negative phase II trial predicting an effective or ineffective phase
      III conclusion, by prediction error, and by concordance index (c-index). RESULTS:
      Absolute and relative change metrics had higher positive predictive value and
      negative predictive value than RECIST in five of six treatment comparisons and
      lower prediction error curves in all six. However, differences were negligible.
      No statistically significant difference in c-index across metrics was found.
      CONCLUSION: The absolute and relative change metrics are not meaningfully better
      than RECIST in predicting OS.

PMID- 26503200
TI  - Intensive Multiagent Therapy, Including Dose-Compressed Cycles of
      Ifosfamide/Etoposide and Vincristine/Doxorubicin/Cyclophosphamide, Irinotecan,
      and Radiation, in Patients With High-Risk Rhabdomyosarcoma: A Report From the
      Children's Oncology Group.
AB  - PURPOSE: Patients with metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), except those younger
      than 10 years with embryonal RMS, have an estimated long-term event-free survival
      (EFS) of less than 20%. The main goal of this study was to improve outcome of
      patients with metastatic RMS by dose intensification with interval compression,
      use of the most active agents determined in phase II window studies, and use of
      irinotecan as a radiation sensitizer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with
      metastatic RMS received 54 weeks of therapy: blocks of therapy with
      vincristine/irinotecan (weeks 1 to 6, 20 to 25, and 47 to 52), interval
      compression with vincristine/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide alternating with
      etoposide/ifosfamide (weeks 7 to 19 and 26 to 34), and
      vincristine/dactinomycin/cyclophosphamide (weeks 38 to 46). Radiation therapy
      occurred at weeks 20 to 25 (primary) but was also permitted at weeks 1 to 6 (for
      intracranial or paraspinal extension) and weeks 47 to 52 (for extensive
      metastatic sites). RESULTS: One hundred nine eligible patients were enrolled,
      with a median follow-up of surviving patients of 3.8 years (3-year EFS for all
      patients, 38% [95% CI, 29% to 48%]; survival, 56% [95% CI, 46% to 66%]). Patients
      with one or no Oberlin risk factor (age > 10 years or < 1 year, unfavorable
      primary site of disease, >= three metastatic sites, and bone or bone marrow
      involvement) had a 3-year EFS of 69% (95% CI, 52% to 82%); high-risk patients
      with two or more risk factors had a 3-year EFS of 20% (95% CI, 11% to 30%).
      Toxicity was similar to that on prior RMS studies. CONCLUSION: Patients with
      metastatic RMS with one or no Oberlin risk factor had an improved 3-year EFS of
      69% on ARST0431 compared with an historical cohort from pooled European and US
      studies; those with two or more risk factors have a dismal prognosis, and new
      approaches are needed for this very-high-risk group.

PMID- 26503202
TI  - Platinum Antitumor Complexes: 50 Years Since Barnett Rosenberg's Discovery.

PMID- 26503201
TI  - Ablative Radiotherapy Doses Lead to a Substantial Prolongation of Survival in
      Patients With Inoperable Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: A Retrospective Dose
      Response Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Standard therapies for localized inoperable intrahepatic
      cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC) are ineffective. Advances in radiotherapy (RT)
      techniques and image guidance have enabled ablative doses to be delivered to
      large liver tumors. This study evaluated the effects of RT dose escalation in the
      treatment of IHCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy-nine consecutive patients with
      inoperable IHCC were identified and treated with definitive RT from 2002 to 2014.
      At diagnosis, the median tumor size was 7.9 cm (range, 2.2 to 17 cm). Seventy
      patients (89%) received systemic chemotherapy before RT. RT doses were 35 to 100
      Gy (median, 58.05 Gy) in three to 30 fractions for a median biologic equivalent
      dose (BED) of 80.5 Gy (range, 43.75 to 180 Gy). RESULTS: Median follow-up time
      for patients alive at time of analysis was 33 months (range, 11 to 93 months).
      Median overall survival (OS) time after diagnosis was 30 months; 3-year OS rate
      was 44%. Radiation dose was the single most important prognostic factor; higher
      doses correlated with an improved local control (LC) rate and OS. The 3-year OS
      rate for patients receiving BED greater than 80.5 Gy was 73% versus 38% for those
      receiving lower doses (P = .017); 3-year LC rate was significantly higher (78%)
      after a BED greater than 80.5 Gy than after lower doses (45%, P = .04). BED as a
      continuous variable significantly affected LC (P = .009) and OS (P = .004). There
      were no significant treatment-related toxicities. CONCLUSION: Delivery of higher
      doses of RT improves LC and OS in inoperable IHCC. A BED greater than 80.5 Gy
      seems to be an ablative dose of RT for large IHCCs, with long-term survival rates
      that compare favorably with resection.

PMID- 26503205
TI  - Targeting Programmed Cell Death 1 in Ovarian Cancer.

PMID- 26503203
TI  - Body Mass Index Is Prognostic in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Pooled Analysis of
      Patients From First-Line Clinical Trials in the ARCAD Database.
AB  - PURPOSE: In recent retrospective analyses of early-stage colorectal cancer (CRC),
      low and high body mass index (BMI) scores were associated with worsened outcomes.
      Whether BMI is a prognostic or predictive factor in metastatic CRC (mCRC) is
      unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Individual data from 21,149 patients enrolled onto
      25 first-line mCRC trials during 1997 to 2012 were pooled. We assessed both
      prognostic and predictive effects of BMI on overall survival and progression-free
      survival, and we accounted for patient and tumor characteristics and therapy type
      (targeted v nontargeted). RESULTS: BMI was prognostic for overall survival (P <
      .001) and progression-free survival (P < .001), with an L-shaped pattern. That
      is, risk of progression and/or death was greatest for low BMI; risk decreased as
      BMI increased to approximately 28 kg/m(2), and then it plateaued. Relative to
      obese patients, patients with a BMI of 18.5 kg/m(2) had a 27% increased risk of
      having a PFS event (95% CI, 20% to 34%) and a 50% increased risk of death (95%
      CI, 43% to 56%). Low BMI was associated with poorer survival for men than women
      (interaction P < .001). BMI was not predictive of treatment effect. CONCLUSION:
      Low BMI is associated with an increased risk of progression and death among the
      patients enrolled on the mCRC trials, with no increased risk for elevated BMI, in
      contrast to the adjuvant setting. Possible explanations include negative effects
      related to cancer cachexia in patients with low BMI, increased drug delivery or
      selection bias in patients with high BMI, and potential for an interaction
      between BMI and molecular signaling pathways.

PMID- 26503206
TI  - Limited-Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer: An Age Limit for Combined Modality Therapy?

PMID- 26503204
TI  - Correlative Analysis of Genetic Alterations and Everolimus Benefit in Hormone
      Receptor-Positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Negative Advanced
      Breast Cancer: Results From BOLERO-2.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore the genetic landscape of tumors from patients enrolled on the
      BOLERO-2 trial to identify potential correlations between genetic alterations and
      efficacy of everolimus treatment. The BOLERO-2 trial has previously demonstrated
      that the addition of everolimus to exemestane prolonged progression-free survival
      by more than twofold in patients with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal
      growth factor receptor 2-negative, advanced breast cancer previously treated with
      nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Next-generation
      sequencing was used to analyze genetic status of cancer-related genes in 302
      archival tumor specimens from patients representative of the BOLERO-2 study
      population. Correlations between the most common somatic alterations and degree
      of chromosomal instability, and treatment effect of everolimus were investigated.
      RESULTS: Progression-free survival benefit with everolimus was maintained
      regardless of alteration status of PIK3CA, FGFR1, and CCND1 or the pathways of
      which they are components. However, quantitative differences in everolimus
      benefit were observed between patient subgroups defined by the exon-specific
      mutations in PIK3CA (exon 20 v 9) or by different degrees of chromosomal
      instability in the tumor tissues. CONCLUSION: The data from this exploratory
      analysis suggest that the efficacy of everolimus was largely independent of the
      most commonly altered genes or pathways in hormone receptor-positive, human
      epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast cancer. The potential impact
      of chromosomal instabilities and low-frequency genetic alterations on everolimus
      efficacy warrants further investigation.

PMID- 26503207
TI  - One and Done: A Week of Radiotherapy for Glioblastoma.

PMID- 26503208
TI  - Patients Who Receive Androgen Deprivation Therapy Risk Adverse Cognitive Changes.

PMID- 26503209
TI  - Knockdown of miR-221 promotes the cisplatin-inducing apoptosis by targeting the
      BIM-Bax/Bak axis in breast cancer.
AB  - Accumulating evidence shows that microRNAs (miRNAs) have a critical role in the
      initiation and progression of types of human cancer, including breast cancer.
      Recent research indicated that miRNAs are also related with the chemotherapy on
      cancers. In this study, the expression of miR-221 in breast cancer (BC) patients'
      serum and cancer tissues was found to be significantly up-regulated. The results
      of in vitro MTT assay indicated that although the anti-miR-221 oligonucleotide
      alone did not influence the viability of BC cell lines markedly, it significantly
      promoted the cytotoxicity of cisplatin (DDP) to BC cells. Mechanistic studies
      demonstrated that the gene of BIM (Bcl-2 interacting mediator of cell death), a
      pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family protein, was up-regulated by the knockdown of miR-221.
      We found that the synergetic effect of anti-miR-221 on increasing the sensitivity
      of MDA-MB-231 was BIM dependant. Furthermore, results of immunoprecipitation
      showed the up-regulated BIM directly combined with the Bax and Bak, leading to
      mitochondrial dysfunction. Our results suggest the anti-miR-221 could promote the
      cisplatin-inducing apoptosis by targeting the Bim-Bax/Bak axis in breast cancer. 

PMID- 26503210
TI  - Interleukin 10 gene -1082A/G polymorphism is associated with osteosarcoma risk
      and poor outcomes in the Chinese population.
AB  - Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a multifunctional cytokine that participates in the
      development and progression of various malignant tumors. However, data regarding
      the role of IL-10 polymorphisms in osteosarcoma development are not available. A
      case-control study was conducted in 260 patients with osteosarcoma and 260
      healthy controls to investigate the possible association between IL-10
      polymorphisms and the risk of osteosarcoma. Our results indicate the IL-10 
      1082A/G (rs1800896) polymorphism is significantly associated with an increased
      risk of osteosarcoma in all genetic models (AG vs. AA, odds ratio (OR) = 1.56; 95
      % confidence interval (CI) = 1.28-2.32, P = 0.017; GG vs. AA, OR = 1.62, 95 % CI
      1.24-2.61, P = 0.013; AG + GG vs. CC, OR = 1.76, 95 % CI = 1.31-3.01, P = 0.019).
      However, the genotype and allele frequencies of IL-10 -819C/T (rs1800871) and 
      592A/C (rs1800872) polymorphisms in osteosarcoma patients did not significantly
      differ from controls. Further analyses revealed that the IL-10 -1082A/G
      (rs1800896) genotypes were associated with advanced tumor stages and metastasis
      in osteosarcoma patients. Additionally, a statistically significant association
      between the IL-10 -1082A/G (rs1800896) genotype and poor survival in osteosarcoma
      patients was observed. Our results demonstrate that the IL-10 -1082A/G
      (rs1800896) genotype is associated with an increased susceptibility and worse
      outcome for osteosarcoma patients in the Chinese Han population. 

PMID- 26503211
TI  - Increased expression of interleukin-8 is an independent indicator of poor
      prognosis in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - On the basis of aberrant interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression, a crucial angiogenesis
      factor and potential therapeutic target, in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma
      (ccRCC), this study aims to assess the prognostic significance of IL-8 in ccRCC.
      This retrospective study enrolled 271 patients who underwent nephrectomy for
      ccRCC in a single institution. The associations of IL-8 expression with clinical
      and pathological features were assessed using chi-squared tests. The impact on
      cancer-specific survival (CSS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) was analyzed using
      univariable and multivariable Cox regression models. The area under the receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was used as an index of prognostic
      performance. Intratumoral IL-8 was found to be significantly elevated in ccRCC
      tissues compared with peritumor tissue and be predominately localized in the
      cytoplasm. Moreover, high IL-8 expression was positively correlated with Fuhrman
      grade (P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified IL-8 as an
      independent adverse prognostic factor of CSS (P < 0.001) and RFS (P < 0.001),
      which could be incorporated into the traditional TNM staging system to improve
      the prognostic value for CSS and RFS in ccRCC patients. The predictive accuracy
      of traditional TNM stage model was significantly improved when IL-8 expression
      was added. Increased expression of IL-8 is a potential independent adverse
      prognostic biomarker for CSS and RFS in patients with ccRCC after nephrectomy. 

PMID- 26503212
TI  - FAM98A is a novel substrate of PRMT1 required for tumor cell migration, invasion,
      and colony formation.
AB  - Protein arginine methylation, which is mediated by a family of protein arginine
      methyltransferases (PRMTs), is associated with numerous fundamental cellular
      processes. Accumulating studies have revealed that the expression of multiple
      PRMTs promotes cancer progression. In this study, we examined the role of PRMT1
      in ovarian cancer cells. PRMT1 is expressed in multiple ovarian cancer cells, and
      the depletion of its expression suppressed colony formation, in vivo
      proliferation, migration, and invasion. To gain insight into PRMT1-mediated
      cancer progression, we searched for novel substrates of PRMT1. We found that
      FAM98A, whose physiological function is unknown, was arginine-methylated by
      PRMT1. FAM98A is expressed in numerous ovarian cancer cell lines and is important
      for the malignant characteristics of ovarian cancer cells. Our results indicate
      the possible role of the PRMT1-FAM98A pathway in cancer progression. 

PMID- 26503213
TI  - The c.*229C > T gene polymorphism in 3'UTR region of the topoisomerase IIbeta
      binding protein 1 gene and LOH in BRCA1/2 regions and their effect on the risk
      and progression of human laryngeal carcinoma.
AB  - Topoisomerase IIbeta binding protein 1 (TopBP1), a multiple-BRCT-domain, protein
      plays crucial roles in chromosome replication, DNA damage repair, apoptosis, and
      cell cycle checkpoint signalling. The aim of this study was to identify five SNPs
      at loci potentially located in the 3'UTR region of the TopBP1 gene (rs185903567,
      rs116645643, rs115160714, rs116195487, rs112843513), their relationship with the
      risk of squamous cell laryngeal cancer (SCLC), tumor invasiveness, and prognosis.
      Genotyping was performed in 323 genetically unrelated individuals with SCLC and
      418 randomly selected healthy volunteers. Allele-specific TopBP1 mRNA and protein
      expressions were determined by using real-time PCR and Western blotting
      techniques, respectively. LOH in BRCA1/BRCA2 was determined by using
      microsatellite markers. Compared to homozygous common allele carriers,
      heterozygosity for the T variant was associated with increased risk of SCLC
      (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 9.83, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 3.12-22.16, p
      dominant < 0.0001). The presence of risk allele at rs115160714 TopBP1 determined
      a higher incidence of nodal metastases (OR = 7.98, 95 % CI: 3.94-16.00, p =
      0.001) and higher tumor grade (OR = 6.48, 95 % CI: 0.86-48.01, p = 0.03). The
      heterozygotes displayed diffuse tumor growth with no distinct borderline (OR =
      3.10, 95 % Cl: 0.92-10.62, p = 0.049) and higher depth of invasion (OR = 2.66, 95
      % Cl: 0.78-9.03, p = 0.04). Relationships were also identified between TopBP1
      mRNA/protein expression and overall survival (p < 0.0001). The incidence of LOH
      in BRCA1/BRCA2 was significantly related to higher tumor grade and TFG (p <
      0.05). The results of this study suggest that rs115160714 TopBP1 may be a genetic
      marker of etiology and progression in laryngeal cancer. 

PMID- 26503214
TI  - GALNT7, a target of miR-494, participates in the oncogenesis of nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma.
AB  - GalNAc-transferase-7 (GALNT7) is essential for the regulation of cell
      proliferation and has been implicated in tumorigenesis. However, the role of
      GALNT7 in the development and progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC)
      remains unclear. Our previous study showed that GALNT7 was a putative target of
      miR-494, which was confirmed by luciferase reporter assay. In the present study,
      we demonstrated that in vitro knockdown of GALNT7 significantly inhibited the
      proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of NPC-derived cells. In
      vivo tumorigenicity assay showed that miR-494 and GALNT7-small interfering RNA
      (siRNA) reduced tumor growth in nude mice. Taken together, our results provided
      new evidence for an oncogenic role of GALNT7 in NPC. 

PMID- 26503215
TI  - CXCL5 is a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker for bladder cancer
      patients.
AB  - Chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 5 (CXCL5) is critical for bladder cancer growth and
      progression. Our previous study demonstrated that increase of CXCL5 in bladder
      cancer cell lines had an effect on tumor growth and progression. This study aims
      to investigate the expression of CXCL5 in tissue and urine of bladder cancer
      patients, in relation to clinicopathologic parameters, and as a predictive value
      in diagnosing and evaluating bladder cancer. Urothelial bladder cancer tissues
      from 255 patients were profiled for CXCL5 alterations by immunohistochemistry.
      Urine samples collected from patients with bladder cancer and urinary tract
      infections as well as healthy volunteers were analyzed by ELISA. High expression
      of CXCL5 in bladder cancer tissue was correlated with TNM stage (P = 0.012),
      cancer grade (P = 0.001), and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.007). CXCL5
      alterations were associated with overall survival (P = 0.007), progression free
      survival (P = 0.004), and recurrence free survival in muscle invasive bladder
      cancers (P = 0.026). CXCL5 expression in the urine of bladder cancer patients was
      significantly different from urinary tract infection patients (P = 0.001) and
      healthy volunteers. However, urine leukocytes may predict CXCL5 levels (beta =
      0.56, P < 0.001, R (2) = 0.314). CXCL5 expression in urine was also related to
      bladder cancer TNM stage (P = 0.039), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.023), tumor
      size (P = 0.007), and tumor grade (P = 0.005). The sensitivity and specificity
      for CXCL5/creatinine in predicting bladder cancer were 80.4 and 61.3 %,
      respectively. These results suggest increased CXCL5 expression in cancer tissue
      predicts poor survival in bladder cancer patients. CXCL5 expression in urine is
      useful in a minimally invasive modality for bladder cancer diagnosis. However,
      urine leukocytes are significant predictors of CXCL5 levels and may affect its
      result in bladder cancer diagnosis. 

PMID- 26503216
TI  - Interleukin-15-transferred cytokine-induced killer cells elevated anti-tumor
      activity in a gastric tumor-bearing nude mice model.
AB  - Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide.
      Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) for gastric cancer is a novel therapy modality.
      However, the therapeutic effectiveness in vivo is still limited. The objective of
      this study was to assess the value of interleukin-15 (IL-15)-transferred cytokine
      induced killer (CIK) cells in ACT for gastric cancer. IL-15-IRES-TK retroviral
      vector was constructed and transferred into the CIK cells. A gastric tumor
      bearing nude mice model was constructed by subcutaneously injecting gastric
      cancer cells, BGC-823. Gastric tumor-bearing nude mice were randomly divided into
      three groups (five mice each group) and injected with physiological saline, CIK
      cells, and IL-15-IRES-TK-transfected CIK cells for 2 weeks, respectively. IL-15
      IRES-TK-transferred CIK cells were prepared successfully and flow cytometry (FCM)
      analysis indicated that the transfection rate reached 85.7% after 5 days culture.
      In vivo experiment, we found that CIK cells retarded tumor growth by reducing
      tumor volume and tumor weight, as well as increasing tumor inhibition rate.
      Furthermore, IL-15-IRES-TK-transferred CIK cells showed a much stronger
      inhibition on tumor growth than CIK cells alone. Tumor morphology observation and
      growth indexes also showed that IL-15-transfected CIK cells had stronger
      cytotoxicity to tumor tissue than CIK cells. IL-15-IRES-TK transfection could
      elevate the effects of CIK cells to gastric carcinoma. The engineered CIK cells
      carrying IL-15-IRES-TK may be used in the ACT for gastric carcinoma, but prudent
      clinical trial is still indispensable. 

PMID- 26503217
TI  - Allergic rhinitis, rhinoconjunctivitis and hayfever symptoms among children are
      associated with frequency of truck traffic near residences: a cross sectional
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an increasing and common condition
      affecting many people globally, especially children. The aim of the study was to
      investigate the association between the frequency of truck traffic and allergic
      rhinitis symptoms, rhinoconjunctivitis and hayfever among 13 to 14 year old
      school children in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng Province, South
      Africa. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study design, 3764 children from 16
      randomly selected high schools were eligible to participate, 3468 completed the
      International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase I
      questionnaire of which 3424 were suitable for analysis; the overall response rate
      was 92%. Data were analysed using multilevel logistic regression analysis.
      RESULTS: The prevalence of self-reported rhinitis ever, current rhinitis
      rhinoconjunctivitis and hayfever was 52, 40, 21 and 37% respectively. Rhinitis
      ever, current rhinitis and current rhinoconjunctivitis were significantly
      associated with the frequency of trucks passing near residences almost all day on
      weekdays, (OR 1.46 95% CI: 1.16 - 1.84), (OR 1.60 95% CI: 1.24-2.02) and (OR 1.42
      95% CI: 1.09-1.84) respectively. No association was observed between truck
      traffic and hay fever in the multiple analyses. CONCLUSION: The study shows a
      high prevalence of allergic rhinitis symptoms amongst children. The results
      support the hypothesis that traffic related pollution plays a role in the
      prevalence of allergic rhinitis symptoms in children residing in the area.

PMID- 26503218
TI  - Nurses and midwives professional support increases with improved attitudes -
      design and effects of a longitudinal randomized controlled process-oriented
      intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Becoming parents for the first time is challenging. Mothers need both
      social and professional support to handle these challenges. Professionals'
      attitudes affect quality of care and support. So to improve professional support,
      an intervention consisting of a process-oriented training was performed. Due to
      the positive results of the intervention there is a need to illuminate the
      methodological approach further. The overall aim was therefore to describe a
      methodological approach to improve and evaluate health care professionals'
      attitudes toward breastfeeding and parental support in order to improve quality
      of care in childbearing. METHODS: This study was a longitudinal randomized
      control intervention study, in which groups of mothers received care in
      childbearing from midwives and child health nurses. These health professionals
      had gone through a process-oriented training, or not. In order to improve
      attitudes of health professionals the training was based on evidence, practical
      skills and reflective processes (both private and professional experiences) in
      relation to breastfeeding and parental support. Included in the longitudinal
      study were health professionals from five intervention municipalities n = 36 and
      health professionals from five control municipalities n = 45. All mothers who
      fulfilled the inclusion criteria were consecutively identified from the hospital
      register and asked to participate in the study. Mothers who accepted to
      participate were included in the interventions group (n = 206) or control groups
      (n = 162, n = 172 respectively) based on which municipality they belonged to.
      RESULTS: The results of the process-oriented training improved the professionals'
      attitudes toward breastfeeding and parental support. These improved attitudes in
      health professionals increased intervention-group mother's satisfaction with
      professional and social support. Intervention-group mother's relation to and
      feelings for their baby as well as breastfeeding was also improved. CONCLUSION:
      These results stress the importance of professionals' attitude in quality of care
      during childbearing, as well as pointing to the possibility to improve
      professionals' attitudes with a process-oriented training. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), trial registration:
      ACTRN12611000354987 .

PMID- 26503219
TI  - Diagnosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-"Too little, too late?".

PMID- 26503220
TI  - Patients' perception about risks and benefits of antithrombotic treatment for the
      prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after orthopedic surgery: a
      qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 9th edition of the American College of Chest Physicians'
      Antithrombotic Therapy and Prevention of Thrombosis guidelines emphasize the
      importance of considering the risk-benefit ratio of "patient-important" outcomes.
      However, little is known about patients' perception and understanding regarding
      the different outcomes of antithrombotic treatment after orthopedic surgery, and
      the factors that influence their decision to use these treatments. Using a series
      of semi-structured interviews, we explored patients' understanding and perception
      concerning the benefits and risks of antithrombotic treatment for the prevention
      of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after joint replacement surgery. METHODS: A
      series of semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients who had
      undergone knee or hip replacement surgery at a tertiary care hospital (Brigham
      and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA) in 2014. Discussions were recorded and
      transcribed. Two investigators independently coded and analyzed the data to
      identify important themes and concepts using the constant comparative method.
      RESULTS: Of 64 patients who were invited, 12 patients (19 %) completed the
      interviews. The majority of patients (92 %) were aware of the benefits of
      antithrombotic therapy for reducing the risk of blood clots, while less than half
      of them had a clear understanding of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
      While all patients were aware of risk of minor bleeding, only 6 patients (50 %)
      considered the risk of major bleeding as a possible side effect of antithrombotic
      treatment. Overall, patients perceived bleeding as a less important outcome than
      a thrombotic event. The lack of awareness about the risk of major bleeding, the
      assumption that a short-term exposure would not meaningfully affect bleeding
      risk, and the assumption that bleeding is a controllable event influenced their
      perception. Most patients (83 %) stated that their decision to use antithrombotic
      medications was mainly based on the trust in their physician's expertise.
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients perceived thrombotic events as more important outcomes than
      bleeding events. Patients' understanding of thrombotic and bleeding events varies
      and may play a key role in their preferences. The majority of patients stated
      that trust in their physician's expertise had a large influence on their decision
      to use antithrombotic medications.

PMID- 26503221
TI  - Application of diffusion tensor imaging for the diagnosis of segmental level of
      dysfunction in cervical spondylotic myelopathy.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. OBJECTIVES: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
      reflects pathological change in the spinal cord more sensitively than
      conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Electrophysiological examination
      enables quantitative assessment of spinal cord function. Few studies have
      addressed the correlation between intraoperative spinal cord-evoked potentials
      (SCEPs) and DTI. The purpose of this study was to examine whether DTI is an
      objective index for the diagnosis of the segmental level of dysfunction in
      cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). SETTING: Yamaguchi University Graduate
      School of Medicine, Japan. METHODS: Using 3.0-Tesla MRI, DTI values for the
      apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) were measured
      at the disc level C2/C3 through C6/C7 in 11 normal subjects and 10 subjects with
      CSM. Subjects with CSM were divided into two groups based on the extent of
      compression according to conventional MRI: single level (n=3) and multilevel
      (n=7). Intraoperative SCEPs were measured in subjects with CSM. For each group,
      the ADC and FA values were compared with SCEPs with respect to the segmental
      levels of dysfunction. RESULTS: For all three subjects with single-level
      compression and six of seven with multilevel compression, the maximal ADC value
      was observed at the segmental level of dysfunction as per the SCEP. Minimum FA
      values were observed at those sites in two of three patients with single-level
      compression and in only two of seven with multi-level compression. CONCLUSION:
      Our results suggest that ADC might serve as a supplementary diagnostic indicator
      of the segmental levels of dysfunction in CSM.

PMID- 26503222
TI  - Initial experience with the treatment of neurogenic detrusor overactivity with a
      new beta-3 agonist (mirabegron) in patients with spinal cord injury.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: It is a retrospective chart analysis. OBJECTIVES: In patients with
      neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) due to spinal cord injury
      (SCI), neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO) can cause both deterioration of the
      upper urinary tract and urinary incontinence. Antimuscarinic treatment is
      frequently discontinued due to side effects or lack of efficacy, whereas
      injection of onabotulinumtoxin into the detrusor is a minimally invasive
      procedure with risks of urinary retention, infection and haematuria. Mirabegron,
      a new beta-3 agonist, is a potential new agent for treatment of NDO. Aim of the
      study was to evaluate the efficacy of mirabegron in SCI patients with NLUTD.
      SETTING: Swiss Paraplegic Center, Nottwil, Switzerland. METHODS: A retrospective
      chart analysis of SCI patient treated with mirabegron. RESULTS: Fifteen patients
      with NDO were treated with mirabegron for a period of at least 6 weeks.
      Significant reduction of the frequency of bladder evacuation per 24 h (8.1 vs
      6.4, P=0.003), and of incontinence episodes per 24 h (2.9 vs 1.3, P=0.027) was
      observed. Furthermore, we observed improvements in bladder capacity (from 365  to
      419 ml), compliance (from 28 to 45 ml cm(-1) H(2)0) and detrusor pressure during
      storage phase (45.8  vs 30 cm H(2)0). At follow-up, 9/15 patients were satisfied
      with the therapy, 4/15 reported side effects (3 * aggravation of urinary
      incontinence, 1 * constipation). CONCLUSIONS: Mirabegron may evolve as an
      alternative in the treatment of NDO. We observed improvements in urodynamic and
      clinical parameters. Due to the limited number of patients and the retrospective
      nature of the study, prospective, placebo-controlled studies are necessary.

PMID- 26503223
TI  - Heterotopic ossification of the shoulder joint following spinal cord injury: an
      analysis of 21 cases after single-dose radiation therapy.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. OBJECTIVES: Heterotopic ossification
      (HO) affecting the hips is a common complaint of patients suffering traumatic
      spinal cord injury. However, the incidence of HO of the shoulder is considerably
      rare. In this context, we report on our results of 13 patients with a total of 21
      cases of shoulder HO and single-dose radiation therapy. SETTING: Department of
      Spinal Cord Injury and Department of General and Trauma Surgery, BG-University
      Hospital Bergmannsheil Bochum, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. METHODS: The
      study group consists of 12 male and 1 female patient with a mean age of 55.5
      years (range from 24 to 81 years; s.d.=14.5). Primary outcome measures were
      defined as the number of HO relapses and the number of side or adverse effects in
      relation to the radiation therapy. RESULTS: At the time of latest follow-up
      during hospitalization, the mean shoulder flexion was 92.1 degrees  while mean
      abduction was 94.5 degrees . The average external rotation was 26.4 degrees . No
      HO recurrence occurred and none of the patients suffered any adverse effects
      related to radiation therapy. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, single-dose radiation
      therapy in the treatment of shoulder HO due to spinal cord injury is an effective
      and reliable method, although the risk of secondary side effects related to the
      radiation therapy remain unknown.

PMID- 26503224
TI  - Comparative analysis of molecular mechanism of spinal cord injury with time based
      on bioinformatics data.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to explore the molecular mechanisms of spinal
      cord injury (SCI) with time. METHODS: The gene expression profile (GSE45006)
      including four non-injured spinal cord samples as sham-control group and 20
      thoracic transected spinal cords samples as experimental group at different times
      was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database. The time-course changes of
      the SCI-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. In
      addition, time-series expression profile clusters of DEGs were obtained, followed
      by gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analysis of the DEGs. Moreover, the
      transcriptional regulatory network was constructed. RESULTS: There were 1420,
      492, 743, 568 and 533 DEGs respectively at d1, d3, w1, w2 and w8 compared with
      that of sham group. Importantly, 101 overlapped regulated DEGs were identified at
      five time points and 370 collaboratively regulated genes were identified in
      cluster 6. Significant functions of overlapped regulated DEGs were obtained
      including response to wounding and developmental process. In addition, the DEGs,
      such as CD14 molecule (CD14) and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), were
      enriched mostly in the pathways related to tuberculosis, phagosome and NF-kappa B
      signaling pathway. From the transcriptional regulatory network, we identified
      some transription factors (TFs), including member of E26 transformation-specific
      (ETS) oncogene family (ELK1) and zinc finger and BTB domain containing 7A
      (Zbtb7a). CONCLUSION: The DEGs related to immune response during SCI may provide
      underlying targets for treatment of SCI. Moreover, the TFs ZBTB7A and ELK1 and
      their target gene (dual specificity phosphatase 18 (DUSP18)) might be therapeutic
      targets for the treatment of SCI.

PMID- 26503225
TI  - Quantitative micro-elastography: imaging of tissue elasticity using compression
      optical coherence elastography.
AB  - Probing the mechanical properties of tissue on the microscale could aid in the
      identification of diseased tissues that are inadequately detected using palpation
      or current clinical imaging modalities, with potential to guide medical
      procedures such as the excision of breast tumours. Compression optical coherence
      elastography (OCE) maps tissue strain with microscale spatial resolution and can
      delineate microstructural features within breast tissues. However, without a
      measure of the locally applied stress, strain provides only a qualitative
      indication of mechanical properties. To overcome this limitation, we present
      quantitative micro-elastography, which combines compression OCE with a compliant
      stress sensor to image tissue elasticity. The sensor consists of a layer of
      translucent silicone with well-characterized stress-strain behaviour. The
      measured strain in the sensor is used to estimate the two-dimensional stress
      distribution applied to the sample surface. Elasticity is determined by dividing
      the stress by the strain in the sample. We show that quantification of elasticity
      can improve the ability of compression OCE to distinguish between tissues,
      thereby extending the potential for inter-sample comparison and longitudinal
      studies of tissue elasticity. We validate the technique using tissue-mimicking
      phantoms and demonstrate the ability to map elasticity of freshly excised
      malignant and benign human breast tissues. 

PMID- 26503226
TI  - Transcription factor CREB3L1 mediates cAMP and glucocorticoid regulation of
      arginine vasopressin gene transcription in the rat hypothalamus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arginine vasopressin (AVP), a neuropeptide hormone that functions in
      the regulation of water homeostasis by controlling water re-absorption at
      kidneys, is synthesised in supraoptic nucleus and paraventricular nucleus of the
      hypothalamus. An increase in plasma osmolality stimulates secretion of AVP to
      blood circulation and induces AVP synthesis in these nuclei. Although studies on
      mechanism of AVP transcriptional regulation in hypothalamus proposed that cAMP
      and glucocorticoids positively and negatively regulate Avp expression,
      respectively, the molecular mechanisms have remained elusive. Recently, we
      identified CREB3L1 (cAMP-responsive element binding protein 3 like 1) as a
      putative transcription factor of Avp transcription in the rat hypothalamus.
      However the mechanism of how CREB3L1 is regulated in response of hyperosmotic
      stress in the neurons of hypothalamus has never been reported. This study aims to
      investigate effect of previously reported regulators (cAMP and glucocorticoid) of
      Avp transcription on transcription factor CREB3L1 in order to establish a
      molecular explanation for cAMP and glucocorticoids effect on AVP expression.
      RESULTS: The effect of cAMP and glucocorticoid treatment on Creb3l1 was
      investigated in both AtT20 cells and hypothalamic organotypic cultures. The
      expression of Creb3l1 was increased in both mRNA and protein level by treatment
      with forskolin, which raises intracellular cAMP levels. Activation of cAMP by
      forskolin also increased Avp promoter activity in AtT20 cells and this effect was
      blunted by shRNA mediated silencing of Creb3l1. The forskolin induced increase in
      Creb3l1 expression was diminished by combined treatment with dexamethasone, and,
      in vivo, intraperitoneal dexamethasone injection blunted the increase in Creb3l1
      and Avp expression induced by hyperosmotic stress. CONCLUSION: Here we shows that
      cAMP and glucocorticoid positively and negatively regulate Creb3l1 expression in
      the rat hypothalamus, respectively, and regulation of cAMP on AVP expression is
      mediated through CREB3L1. This data provides the connection between CREB3L1, a
      newly identified transcription factor of AVP expression, with the previously
      proposed mechanism of Avp transcription which extends our understanding in
      transcription regulation of Avp in the hypothalamus.

PMID- 26503227
TI  - Genome survey and high-density genetic map construction provide genomic and
      genetic resources for the Pacific White Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei.
AB  - The Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei is the dominant crustacean species
      in global seafood mariculture. Understanding the genome and genetic architecture
      is useful for deciphering complex traits and accelerating the breeding program in
      shrimp. In this study, a genome survey was conducted and a high-density linkage
      map was constructed using a next-generation sequencing approach. The genome
      survey was used to identify preliminary genome characteristics and to generate a
      rough reference for linkage map construction. De novo SNP discovery resulted in
      25,140 polymorphic markers. A total of 6,359 high-quality markers were selected
      for linkage map construction based on marker coverage among individuals and read
      depths. For the linkage map, a total of 6,146 markers spanning 4,271.43 cM were
      mapped to 44 sex-averaged linkage groups, with an average marker distance of 0.7
      cM. An integration analysis linked 5,885 genome scaffolds and 1,504 BAC clones to
      the linkage map. Based on the high-density linkage map, several QTLs for body
      weight and body length were detected. This high-density genetic linkage map
      reveals basic genomic architecture and will be useful for comparative genomics
      research, genome assembly and genetic improvement of L. vannamei and other
      penaeid shrimp species. 

PMID- 26503228
TI  - Microbial responses to southward and northward Cambisol soil transplant.
AB  - Soil transplant serves as a proxy to simulate climate changes. Recently, we have
      shown that southward transplant of black soil and northward transplant of red
      soil altered soil microbial communities and biogeochemical variables. However,
      fundamental differences in soil types have prevented direct comparison between
      southward and northward transplants. To tackle it, herein we report an analysis
      of microbial communities of Cambisol soil in an agriculture field after 4 years
      of adaptation to southward and northward soil transplants over large transects.
      Analysis of bare fallow soils revealed concurrent increase in microbial
      functional diversity and coarse-scale taxonomic diversity at both transplanted
      sites, as detected by GeoChip 3.0 and DGGE, respectively. Furthermore, a
      correlation between microbial functional diversity and taxonomic diversity was
      detected, which was masked in maize cropped soils. Mean annual temperature, soil
      moisture, and nitrate (NO3 --N) showed strong correlations with microbial
      communities. In addition, abundances of ammonium-oxidizing genes (amoA) and
      denitrification genes were correlated with nitrification capacity and NO3 --N
      contents, suggesting that microbial responses to soil transplant could alter
      microbe-mediated biogeochemical cycle at the ecosystem level. 

PMID- 26503229
TI  - Dry pleurisy complicating solitary pulmonary nodules caused by Mycobacterium
      avium: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung disease presenting as a
      solitary pulmonary nodule (MAC-SPN) is often asymptomatic, is more common in
      middle to old age, and mimics lung cancer or tuberculoma. We report herein a case
      of MAC-SPN in an immunocompetent young adult patient, presenting with persistent
      chest pain and a subacutely progressive nodule with high intense (18)F
      fluorodeoxyglucose uptake. Histological examination of resected specimens
      revealed pleurisy, which is a rare finding of MAC-SPN. CASE PRESENTATION: A 36
      year-old Japanese male presented with chest pain and a subacutely progressive
      pulmonary nodule. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography showed high
      intense (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in the nodule. Owing to his continuous
      chest pain and subacutely progressive nodules, wedge resection was performed
      using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Histological examination revealed an
      epithelioid granuloma and pleurisy, and the lung tissue culture was positive for
      mycobacteria identified as M. avium. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of MAC
      SPN occurring with persistent chest pain, suggesting that MAC should be
      considered in the differential diagnosis of a solitary pulmonary nodule, even for
      patients who experience persistent chest pain. As in the present case, surgical
      resection with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is a reasonable approach to
      the diagnosis and treatment of MAC-SPN with possible malignancy, especially as
      MAC can be diagnosed using resected lung tissue culture with histological
      confirmation.

PMID- 26503231
TI  - Study of the tendinous vascularization for the compound radial forearm flap plus
      flexor carpi radialis tendon.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the tendinous vascularization of
      flexor carpi radialis (FCR) and investigate the anatomical basis for harvesting
      the compound radial forearm flap (free or pedicled) with the vascularized tendon
      for the reconstruction of cutaneotendinous defects. METHODS: The area of the
      radial forearm flap was studied in seventeen forearms of fresh cadavers injected
      with red latex. A lozenge-shaped flap about 9 cm long and 4 cm wide was raised
      along the axis of the radial artery. Dissection of the flap was carried out
      subfascially. We searched perforators going into the flap and the nutritive
      branches for the tendon sheath of FCR were dissected up to their origin from the
      radial artery. Their distance from the scaphoid tubercle was recorded. RESULTS:
      We found nutritive branches for all the length of the tendon. The mean number of
      perforators going into the tendon sheath was 9.5 (range 8-12). Constant sizeable
      branches larger than 0.2 mm were identified from the scaphoid tubercle to the
      myotendinous junction; their distance from the scaphoid tubercle ranged between
      0.5 and 12.5 cm. We found an average 0.8 perforators/cm of tendon (range 0.7-1).
      The donor sites were always closed primarily. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrient branches of
      the radial artery for the tendon of FCR were constantly found. Our anatomical
      findings confirm the possibility of raising a compound radial forearm flap
      including a sure vascularized tendon of FCR. Its clinical application provides a
      quick and straightforward single-stage option for the reconstruction of complex
      cutaneotendinous defects.

PMID- 26503230
TI  - Molecular architecture of the Ub-PCNA/Pol eta complex bound to DNA.
AB  - Translesion synthesis (TLS) is the mechanism by which DNA polymerases replicate
      through unrepaired DNA lesions. TLS is activated by monoubiquitination of the
      homotrimeric proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) at lysine-164, followed by
      the switch from replicative to specialized polymerases at DNA damage sites. Pol
      eta belongs to the Y-Family of specialized polymerases that can efficiently
      bypass UV-induced lesions. Like other members of the Y-Family polymerases, its
      recruitment to the damaged sites is mediated by the interaction with
      monoubiquitinated PCNA (Ub-PCNA) via its ubiquitin-binding domain and non
      canonical PCNA-interacting motif in the C-terminal region. The structural
      determinants underlying the direct recognition of Ub-PCNA by Pol eta, or Y-Family
      polymerases in general, remain largely unknown. Here we report a structure of the
      Ub-PCNA/Pol eta complex bound to DNA determined by single-particle electron
      microscopy (EM). The overall obtained structure resembles that of the editing
      PCNA/PolB complex. Analysis of the map revealed the conformation of ubiquitin
      that binds the C-terminal domain of Pol eta. Our present study suggests that the
      Ub-PCNA/Pol eta interaction requires the formation of a structured binding
      interface, which is dictated by the inherent flexibility of Ub-PCNA. 

PMID- 26503232
TI  - Genome-wide analysis of chemically induced mutations in mouse in phenotype-driven
      screens.
AB  - BACKGROUND: N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagen has become the method of choice
      for inducing random mutations for forward genetics applications. However,
      distinguishing induced mutations from sequencing errors or sporadic mutations is
      difficult, which has hampered surveys of potential biases in the methodology in
      the past. Addressing this issue, we created a large cohort of mice with
      biological replicates enabling the confident calling of induced mutations, which
      in turn allowed us to conduct a comprehensive analysis of potential biases in
      mutation properties and genomic location. RESULTS: In the exome sequencing data
      we observe the known preference of ENU to cause A:T=>G:C transitions in longer
      genes. Mutations were frequently clustered and inherited in blocks hampering
      attempts to pinpoint individual causative mutations by genome analysis only.
      Furthermore, ENU mutations were biased towards areas in the genome that are
      accessible in testis, potentially limiting the scope of forward genetic
      approaches to only 1-10% of the genome. CONCLUSION: ENU provides a powerful tool
      for exploring the genome-phenome relationship, however forward genetic
      applications that require the mutation to be passed on through the germ line may
      be limited to explore only genes that are accessible in testis.

PMID- 26503233
TI  - Antiproliferation effect of evodiamine in human colon cancer cells  is associated
      with IGF-1/HIF-1alpha downregulation.
AB  - Colon cancer is one of the most common malignancies. Although the current
      treatment regimes for colon cancer have been well-developed in the past decades,
      the prognosis remains still undesirable. It is still urgent to explore new
      treatment strategies for colon cancer. Natural products is one of the most useful
      sources for anticancer agents, although some of them have serious side-effects.
      Evodiamine (Evo) is an quinolone alkaloid from the traditional herb medicine
      Evodia rutaecarpa. In the present study, we investigated the anticancer effect of
      Evo in human colon cancer cells. We found that Evo exhibits prominent
      antiproliferation and apoptosis inducing effects in LoVo cells. Evo leads to
      apparent downregulation of HIF-1alpha either in vitro or in vivo; exogenous
      expression of HIF-1alpha can attenuate the antiproliferation effect of Evo in
      LoVo cells, while HIF-1alpha knockdown potentiates this effect greatly. Further
      analysis indicated that Evo can also inhibit the phosphorylation of Akt1/2/3 and
      decrease greatly the expression of IGF-1. Thus, our findings strongly suggested
      that the anticancer effect of Evo in human colon cancer may be partly mediated by
      downregulating HIF-1alpha expression, which is initiated by inactivating PI3K/Akt
      signaling transduction though decreasing the expression of IGF-1 in colon cancer
      cells. Therefore, Evo may be used alone or in combination as a potential
      anticancer agent for colon cancer treatment.

PMID- 26503235
TI  - Population pharmacokinetic modelling and simulation of 5-fluorouracil
      incorporating a circadian rhythm in rats.
AB  - 1. The aim of this study was to develop a population pharmacokinetic (PK) model
      for 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and perform simulations to identify the circadian
      rhythm of the PK of 5-FU and the degree of circadian effects on the 5-FU plasma
      concentrations. 2. 5-FU plasma concentrations in rats following administration of
      5-FU at varying time points throughout the day were obtained and used to develop
      the population PK model incorporating a circadian rhythm. The Cosinor method was
      used to describe the circadian variation of 5-FU clearance. 3. Our population PK
      model could successfully characterize the 5-FU disposition and provide reliable
      PK parameter estimates. The mesor, amplitude and acrophase of Cosinor model were
      estimated as 1.93 L/h/kg, 0.10 L/h/kg and 2.02 h, respectively. The peak
      clearance levels were estimated at ~2 Hours After Light Onset (HALO) and the
      trough levels at ~14 HALO. The plasma concentration-time profile of 5-FU after
      continuous infusion of 5-FU in rats successfully simulated the circadian
      variation of steady-state plasma concentrations. 4. The population PK model with
      individual 5-FU plasma concentrations, dose levels and sampling time points could
      be valuable for estimating area under the curve (AUC) levels and determining
      individual 5-FU dose management.

PMID- 26503237
TI  - Spin echo transverse relaxation and atrophy in multiple sclerosis deep gray
      matter: A two-year longitudinal study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deep gray matter (DGM) is affected in relapsing-remitting multiple
      sclerosis (RRMS) and may be studied using short-term longitudinal MRI. OBJECTIVE:
      To investigate two-year changes in spin-echo transverse relaxation rate (R2) and
      atrophy in DGM, and its relationship with disease severity in RRMS patients.
      METHODS: Twenty six RRMS patients and 26 matched controls were imaged at 4.7 T.
      Multiecho spin-echo R2 maps and atrophy measurements were obtained in DGM at
      baseline and two-year follow-up. Differences between MRI measures and
      correlations to disease severity were examined. RESULTS: After two years, mean R2
      values in the globus pallidus and pulvinar increased by ~4% (p<0.001) in patients
      and <1.7% in controls. Two-year changes in R2 showed significant correlation to
      disease severity in the globus pallidus, pulvinar, substantia nigra, and
      thalamus. Multiple regression of the two-year R2 difference using these four DGM
      structures as variables, yielded high correlation with disease severity (r=0.83,
      p<0.001). Two-year changes in volume and R2 showed significant correlation only
      for the globus pallidus in multiple sclerosis (MS) (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Two
      year difference R2 measurements in DGM correlate to disease severity in MS. R2
      mapping and atrophy measurements over two years can be used to identify changes
      in DGM in MS.

PMID- 26503236
TI  - Defining the value of CD56, CK19, Galectin 3 and HBME-1 in diagnosis of
      follicular cell derived lesions of thyroid with systematic review of literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nodular follicular lesions of thyroid gland comprise benign and
      malignant neoplasms, as well as some forms of hyperplasia. "Follicular" refers to
      origin of cells and in the same time to growth pattern - building follicles.
      Nodular follicular thyroid lesions have in common many morphological features,
      therefore attempts were made to define additional criteria for distinction
      between follicular adenoma, follicular carcinoma and follicular variant of
      papillary carcinoma. Increasing number of immunohistochemical markers is in the
      continual process of evaluation. METHODS: Tissue microarrays incorporating, total
      201 cases, out of which 122 malignant and 79 benign follicular lesions, including
      neoplastic and non-neoplastic, were constructed and immunostained with antibodies
      to CD56, CK19, Galectin-3, HBME-1. Tissue cores were exclusively being acquired
      from tumour/lesion on interface with normal thyroid tissue. A systematic review
      of literature was done for period from the year 2001 to present time. RESULTS:
      All analysed markers may make a difference between benign lesions/tumours from
      differentiated thyroid carcinomas (p = <0.01, for all markers). Expression of all
      markers is significantly higher in papillary carcinoma than in follicular adenoma
      (p < 0.01). Statistically significant difference in expression of Galectin-3 and
      CD56 between follicular carcinoma and follicular adenoma was registered (p =
      0.043; p = 0.028, respectively). The only marker which expression showed
      statistically significant difference between adenoma and carcinoma of Hurthle
      cells was Galectin 3 (p = 0.041). CK19 and HBME-1 were significantly expressed
      more in papillary carcinoma as compared to follicular carcinoma. CONCLUSION:
      Galectin 3 is most sensitive marker for malignancy, while loss of expression of
      CD56 is very specific for malignancy. Expected co-expression for combination of
      markers in diagnosis of follicular lesions decreases sensitivity and increases
      specificity for malignancy.

PMID- 26503238
TI  - Are drinking motives associated with sexual "hookups" among college student
      drinkers?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examined associations between drinking motivation, alcohol
      use, and sexual hookups among college students. PARTICIPANTS: Participants (n =
      755 Midwest college student drinkers; 61% female) ranged in age from 18 to 24.
      METHODS: Participants completed online measures of alcohol involvement (use and
      motives) and sexual activity. RESULTS: Alcohol use was positively linked to
      sexual hookups. Social and enhancement motives were positively and indirectly
      associated with sexual hookups via alcohol use. Drinking to cope had a direct
      association with sexual hookups. Social drinking was more strongly associated
      with hookups in men than in women, but both groups exhibited a positive
      association. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to highlight the relationships
      between distinct drinking motives and sexual risk behavior. The results indicate
      that specific motives may increase risk of sexual hookups both indirectly via
      alcohol use, as well as directly, at least among those that drink to cope with
      negative mood.

PMID- 26503240
TI  - Adherence to the novel oral anticoagulants: an unmet need.

PMID- 26503239
TI  - In vivo activity of vancomycin combined with colistin against multidrug-resistant
      strains of Acinetobacter baumannii in a Galleria mellonella model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With increasing antibiotic resistance, the selection of effective
      treatment of A. baumannii infections is particularly challenging. METHODS: This
      study assessed the activities of the combination of vancomycin and colistin
      combination in vitro and in vivo using a Galleria mellonella model against four
      colistin-susceptible or colistin-resistant A. baumannii strains. RESULTS: In
      checkerboard assays, synergy was observed between vancomycin and colistin for all
      four strains tested (0.156 <= Fractional inhibitory concentration indices [FICI]
      <= 0.281). In time-kill assays, the combination showed continued bactericidal
      activity and synergy after 24 h for colistin-susceptible strains. For colistin
      resistant strains, the combination resulted in bactericidal activity within 8 h,
      but sustained bacterial re-growth was then observed. Treatment of G. mellonella
      larvae infected with lethal doses of A. baumannii (except 19606R) resulted in
      significantly increased survival rates when vancomycin was given with colistin
      compared to colistin treatment alone (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      suggest that regimens containing vancomycin may be useful for infections due to
      multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.

PMID- 26503241
TI  - Sleep Environments of Children in an Urban U.S. Setting Exposed to Interpersonal
      Violence.
AB  - This study investigated how violence influences children's sleep environments.
      Sixty-five children ages 8-16 years and a parent or guardian were recruited from
      agencies serving families experiencing violence. At baseline (5 weeks post
      violent event), 6 months, and 12 months postbaseline, study staff collected sleep
      behavior information and conducted systematic, qualitative assessments of sleep
      environments. Child sleep problems were generally frequent and persistent.
      However, 9 children reported improved sleep after the violent event, mainly
      because perpetrators were no longer present. Sleeping environments were dynamic
      via changes in location and modifications to improve safety and sleep.
      Incongruence between children's and parents' perceptions of environmental
      characteristics influencing sleep was common. Families' motivation to improve
      children's sleep represents a foundation to build upon when working with families
      victimized by violence.

PMID- 26503242
TI  - Assessment of oxidative stress biomarkers - neuroprostanes and dihomo
      isoprostanes - in the urine of elite triathletes after two weeks of moderate
      altitude training.
AB  - This randomized and controlled trial investigated whether the increase in elite
      training at different altitudes altered the oxidative stress biomarkers of the
      nervous system. This is the first study to investigate four F4-neuroprostanes (F4
      NeuroPs) and four F2-dihomo-isoprostanes (F2-dihomo-IsoPs) quantified in 24-h
      urine. The quantification was carried out by ultra high pressure liquid
      chromatography-triple quadrupole-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS).
      Sixteen elite triathletes agreed to participate in the project. They were
      randomized in two groups, a group submitted to altitude training (AT, n = 8) and
      a group submitted to sea level training (SLT) (n = 8), with a control group (Cg)
      of non-athletes (n = 8). After the experimental period, the AT group triathletes
      gave significant data: 17-epi-17-F2t-dihomo-IsoP (from 5.2 +/- 1.4 MUg/mL 24 h(
      1) to 6.6 +/- 0.6 MUg/mL 24 h(-1)), ent-7(RS)-7-F2t-dihomo-IsoP (from 6.6 +/- 1.7
      MUg/mL 24 h(-1) to 8.6 +/- 0.9 MUg/mL 24 h(-1)), and ent-7-epi-7-F2t-dihomo-IsoP
      (from 8.4 +/- 2.2 MUg/mL 24 h(-1) to 11.3 +/- 1.8 MUg/mL 24 h(-1)) increased,
      while, of the neuronal degeneration-related compounds, only 10-epi-10-F4t-NeuroP
      (8.4 +/- 1.7 MUg/mL 24 h(-1)) and 10-F4t-NeuroP (5.2 +/- 2.9 MUg/mL 24 h(-1))
      were detected in this group. For the Cg and SLT groups, no significant changes
      had occurred at the end of the two-week experimental period. Therefore, and as
      the main conclusion, the training at moderate altitude increased the F4-NeuroPs-
      and F2-dihomo-isoPs-related oxidative damage of the central nervous system
      compared to similar training at sea level.

PMID- 26503243
TI  - Midlife and Late-Life Smoking and Risk of Dementia in the Community: The Hisayama
      Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To clarify the association between midlife and late-life smoking and
      risk of dementia. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: The Hisayama Study,
      Japan. PARTICIPANTS: Japanese community-dwellers without dementia aged 65 to 84
      (mean age 72) followed for 17 years (1988-2005) (N = 754), 619 of whom had
      participated in a health examination conducted in 1973-74 (mean age, 57) and were
      included in the midlife analysis. MEASUREMENTS: The risk estimates of smoking
      status on the development of dementia were computed using a Cox proportional
      hazards model. RESULTS: During follow-up, 252 subjects developed all-cause
      dementia; 143 had Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 76 had vascular dementia (VaD).
      In late life, the multivariable-adjusted risk of all-cause dementia was
      significantly greater in current smokers than in never smokers; similar
      associations were seen for all-cause dementia, AD, and VaD in midlife current
      smokers. Meanwhile, no significant association was observed between past smoking
      and risk of any type of dementia in late or midlife. Multivariable analysis
      showed that smokers in midlife and late life had significantly greater risks than
      lifelong nonsmokers of all-cause dementia (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 2.28,
      95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.49-3.49), AD (aHR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.09-3.61),
      and VaD (aHR = 2.88, 95% CI = 1.34-6.20). Such associations were not observed for
      midlife smokers who quit smoking in late life. CONCLUSION: Persistent smoking
      from mid- to late life is a significant risk factor for dementia and its subtypes
      in the general Japanese population.

PMID- 26503244
TI  - sRNATarBase 3.0: an updated database for sRNA-target interactions in bacteria.
AB  - Bacterial sRNAs are a class of small regulatory RNAs of about 40-500 nt in
      length; they play multiple biological roles through binding to their target mRNAs
      or proteins. Therefore, elucidating sRNA targets is very important. However, only
      targets of a few sRNAs have been described. To facilitate sRNA functional studies
      such as developing sRNA target prediction models, we updated the sRNATarBase
      database, which was initially developed in 2010. The new version (recently moved
      to http://ccb1.bmi.ac.cn/srnatarbase/) contains 771 sRNA-target entries manually
      collected from 213 papers, and 23 290 and 11 750 predicted targets from
      sRNATarget and sTarPicker, respectively. Among the 771 entries, 475 and 17 were
      involved in validated sRNA-mRNA and sRNA-protein interactions, respectively,
      while 279 had no reported interactions. We also presented detailed information
      for 316 binding regions of sRNA-target mRNA interactions and related mutation
      experiments, as well as new features, including NCBI sequence viewer, sRNA
      regulatory network, target prediction-based GO and pathway annotations, and error
      report system. The new version provides a comprehensive annotation of validated
      sRNA-target interactions, and will be a useful resource for bacterial sRNA
      studies. 

PMID- 26503245
TI  - Tim/Timeless, a member of the replication fork protection complex, operates with
      the Warsaw breakage syndrome DNA helicase DDX11 in the same fork recovery
      pathway.
AB  - We present evidence that Tim establishes a physical and functional interaction
      with DDX11, a super-family 2 iron-sulfur cluster DNA helicase genetically linked
      to the chromosomal instability disorder Warsaw breakage syndrome. Tim stimulates
      DDX11 unwinding activity on forked DNA substrates up to 10-fold and on
      bimolecular anti-parallel G-quadruplex DNA structures and three-stranded D-loop
      approximately 4-5-fold. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that Tim
      enhances DDX11 binding to DNA, suggesting that the observed stimulation derives
      from an improved ability of DDX11 to interact with the nucleic acid substrate.
      Surface plasmon resonance measurements indicate that DDX11 directly interacts
      with Tim. DNA fiber track assays with HeLa cells exposed to hydroxyurea
      demonstrated that Tim or DDX11 depletion significantly reduced replication fork
      progression compared to control cells; whereas no additive effect was observed by
      co-depletion of both proteins. Moreover, Tim and DDX11 are epistatic in promoting
      efficient resumption of stalled DNA replication forks in hydroxyurea-treated
      cells. This is consistent with the finding that association of the two endogenous
      proteins in the cell extract chromatin fraction is considerably increased
      following hydroxyurea exposure. Overall, our studies provide evidence that Tim
      and DDX11 physically and functionally interact and act in concert to preserve
      replication fork progression in perturbed conditions. 

PMID- 26503247
TI  - Mechanism of activation of methyltransferases involved in translation by the
      Trm112 'hub' protein.

PMID- 26503248
TI  - dbMAE: the database of autosomal monoallelic expression.
AB  - Recently, data on 'random' autosomal monoallelic expression has become available
      for the entire genome in multiple human and mouse tissues and cell types,
      creating a need for better access and dissemination. The database of autosomal
      monoallelic expression (dbMAE; https://mae.hms.harvard.edu) incorporates data
      from multiple recent reports of genome-wide analyses. These include transcriptome
      wide analyses of allelic imbalance in clonal cell populations based on sequence
      polymorphisms, as well as indirect identification, based on a specific chromatin
      signature present in MAE gene bodies. Currently, dbMAE contains transcriptome
      wide chromatin identification calls for 8 human and 21 mouse tissues, and
      describes over 16 000 murine and ~ 700 human cases of directly measured biased
      expression, compiled from allele-specific RNA-seq and genotyping array data. All
      data are manually curated. To ensure cross-publication uniformity, we performed
      re-analysis of transcriptome-wide RNA-seq data using the same pipeline. Data are
      accessed through an interface that allows for basic and advanced searches; all
      source references, including raw data, are clearly described and hyperlinked.
      This ensures the utility of the resource as an initial screening tool for those
      interested in investigating the role of monoallelic expression in their specific
      genes and tissues of interest.

PMID- 26503246
TI  - DNA deletion as a mechanism for developmentally programmed centromere loss.
AB  - A hallmark of active centromeres is the presence of the histone H3 variant CenH3
      in the centromeric chromatin, which ensures faithful genome distribution at each
      cell division. A functional centromere can be inactivated, but the molecular
      mechanisms underlying the process of centromere inactivation remain largely
      unknown. Here, we describe the loss of CenH3 protein as part of a developmental
      program leading to the formation of the somatic nucleus in the eukaryote
      Paramecium. We identify two proteins whose depletion prevents developmental loss
      of CenH3: the domesticated transposase Pgm involved in the formation of DNA
      double strand cleavages and the Polycomb-like lysine methyltransferase Ezl1
      necessary for trimethylation of histone H3 on lysine 9 and lysine 27. Taken
      together, our data support a model in which developmentally programmed centromere
      loss is caused by the elimination of DNA sequences associated with CenH3. 

PMID- 26503249
TI  - BDB: biopanning data bank.
AB  - The BDB database (http://immunet.cn/bdb) is an update of the MimoDB database,
      which was previously described in the 2012 Nucleic Acids Research Database issue.
      The rebranded name BDB is short for Biopanning Data Bank, which aims to be a
      portal for biopanning results of the combinatorial peptide library. Last updated
      in July 2015, BDB contains 2904 sets of biopanning data collected from 1322 peer
      reviewed papers. It contains 25,786 peptide sequences, 1704 targets, 492 known
      templates, 447 peptide libraries and 310 crystal structures of target-template or
      target-peptide complexes. All data stored in BDB were revisited, and information
      on peptide affinity, measurement method and procedures was added for 2298
      peptides from 411 sets of biopanning data from 246 published papers. In addition,
      a more professional and user-friendly web interface was implemented, a more
      detailed help system was designed, and a new on-the-fly data visualization tool
      and a series of tools for data analysis were integrated. With these new data and
      tools made available, we expect that the BDB database would become a major
      resource for scholars using phage display, with improved utility for biopanning
      and related scientific communities.

PMID- 26503251
TI  - Assembly and dynamics of the U4/U6 di-snRNP by single-molecule FRET.
AB  - In large ribonucleoprotein machines, such as ribosomes and spliceosomes, RNA
      functions as an assembly scaffold as well as a critical catalytic component.
      Protein binding to the RNA scaffold can induce structural changes, which in turn
      modulate subsequent binding of other components. The spliceosomal U4/U6 di-snRNP
      contains extensively base paired U4 and U6 snRNAs, Snu13, Prp31, Prp3 and Prp4,
      seven Sm and seven LSm proteins. We have studied successive binding of all
      protein components to the snRNA duplex during di-snRNP assembly by
      electrophoretic mobility shift assay and accompanying conformational changes in
      the U4/U6 RNA 3-way junction by single-molecule FRET. Stems I and II of the
      duplex were found to co-axially stack in free RNA and function as a rigid
      scaffold during the entire assembly, but the U4 snRNA 5' stem-loop adopts
      alternative orientations each stabilized by Prp31 and Prp3/4 binding accounting
      for altered Prp3/4 binding affinities in presence of Prp31. 

PMID- 26503250
TI  - Discovery and characterization of Alu repeat sequences via precise local read
      assembly.
AB  - Alu insertions have contributed to >11% of the human genome and ~30-35 Alu
      subfamilies remain actively mobile, yet the characterization of polymorphic Alu
      insertions from short-read data remains a challenge. We build on existing
      computational methods to combine Alu detection and de novo assembly of WGS data
      as a means to reconstruct the full sequence of insertion events from Illumina
      paired end reads. Comparison with published calls obtained using PacBio long
      reads indicates a false discovery rate below 5%, at the cost of reduced
      sensitivity due to the colocation of reference and non-reference repeats. We
      generate a highly accurate call set of 1614 completely assembled Alu variants
      from 53 samples from the Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP) panel. We utilize
      the reconstructed alternative insertion haplotypes to genotype 1010 fully
      assembled insertions, obtaining >99% agreement with genotypes obtained by PCR. In
      our assembled sequences, we find evidence of premature insertion mechanisms and
      observe 5' truncation in 16% of AluYa5 and AluYb8 insertions. The sites of
      truncation coincide with stem-loop structures and SRP9/14 binding sites in the
      Alu RNA, implicating L1 ORF2p pausing in the generation of 5' truncations.
      Additionally, we identified variable AluJ and AluS elements that likely arose due
      to non-retrotransposition mechanisms. 

PMID- 26503253
TI  - rVarBase: an updated database for regulatory features of human variants.
AB  - We present here the rVarBase database (http://rv.psych.ac.cn), an updated version
      of the rSNPBase database, to provide reliable and detailed regulatory annotations
      for known and novel human variants. This update expands the database to include
      additional types of human variants, such as copy number variations (CNVs) and
      novel variants, and include additional types of regulatory features. Now rVarBase
      annotates variants in three dimensions: chromatin states of the surrounding
      regions, overlapped regulatory elements and variants' potential target genes. Two
      new types of regulatory elements (lncRNAs and miRNA target sites) have been
      introduced to provide additional annotation. Detailed information about variants'
      overlapping transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) (often less than 15 bp)
      within experimentally supported TF-binding regions (~ 150 bp) is provided, along
      with the binding motifs of matched TF families. Additional types of extended
      variants and variant-associated phenotypes were also added. In addition to the
      enrichment in data content, an element-centric search module was added, and the
      web interface was refined. In summary, rVarBase hosts more types of human
      variants and includes more types of up-to-date regulatory information to
      facilitate in-depth functional research and to provide practical clues for
      experimental design.

PMID- 26503252
TI  - Recombinational repair of radiation-induced double-strand breaks occurs in the
      absence of extensive resection.
AB  - Recombinational repair provides accurate chromosomal restitution after double
      strand break (DSB) induction. While all DSB recombination repair models include
      5'-3' resection, there are no studies that directly assess the resection needed
      for repair between sister chromatids in G-2 arrested cells of random, radiation
      induced 'dirty' DSBs. Using our Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis-shift approach,
      we determined resection at IR-DSBs in WT and mutants lacking exonuclease1 or Sgs1
      helicase. Lack of either reduced resection length by half, without decreased DSB
      repair or survival. In the exo1Delta sgs1Delta double mutant, resection was
      barely detectable, yet it only took an additional hour to achieve a level of
      repair comparable to WT and there was only a 2-fold dose-modifying effect on
      survival. Results with a Dnl4 deletion strain showed that remaining repair was
      not due to endjoining. Thus, similar to what has been shown for a single, clean
      HO-induced DSB, a severe reduction in resection tract length has only a modest
      effect on repair of multiple, dirty DSBs in G2-arrested cells. Significantly,
      this study provides the first opportunity to directly relate resection length at
      DSBs to the capability for global recombination repair between sister chromatids.

PMID- 26503254
TI  - Digital development: a database of cell lineage differentiation in C. elegans
      with lineage phenotypes, cell-specific gene functions and a multiscale model.
AB  - Developmental systems biology is poised to exploit large-scale data from two
      approaches: genomics and live imaging. The combination of the two offers the
      opportunity to map gene functions and gene networks in vivo at single-cell
      resolution using cell tracking and quantification of cellular phenotypes. Here we
      present Digital Development (http://www.digital-development.org), a database of
      cell lineage differentiation with curated phenotypes, cell-specific gene
      functions and a multiscale model. The database stores data from recent systematic
      studies of cell lineage differentiation in the C. elegans embryo containing ~ 200
      conserved genes, 1400 perturbed cell lineages and 600,000 digitized single cells.
      Users can conveniently browse, search and download four categories of phenotypic
      and functional information from an intuitive web interface. This information
      includes lineage differentiation phenotypes, cell-specific gene functions,
      differentiation landscapes and fate choices, and a multiscale model of lineage
      differentiation. Digital Development provides a comprehensive, curated,
      multidimensional database for developmental biology. The scale, resolution and
      richness of biological information presented here facilitate exploration of gene
      specific and systems-level mechanisms of lineage differentiation in Metazoans.

PMID- 26503255
TI  - A gene network engineering platform for lactic acid bacteria.
AB  - Recent developments in synthetic biology have positioned lactic acid bacteria
      (LAB) as a major class of cellular chassis for applications. To achieve the full
      potential of LAB, one fundamental prerequisite is the capacity for rapid
      engineering of complex gene networks, such as natural biosynthetic pathways and
      multicomponent synthetic circuits, into which cellular functions are encoded.
      Here, we present a synthetic biology platform for rapid construction and
      optimization of large-scale gene networks in LAB. The platform involves a copy
      controlled shuttle for hosting target networks and two associated strategies that
      enable efficient genetic editing and phenotypic validation. By using a nisin
      biosynthesis pathway and its variants as examples, we demonstrated multiplex,
      continuous editing of small DNA parts, such as ribosome-binding sites, as well as
      efficient manipulation of large building blocks such as genes and operons. To
      showcase the platform, we applied it to expand the phenotypic diversity of the
      nisin pathway by quickly generating a library of 63 pathway variants. We further
      demonstrated its utility by altering the regulatory topology of the nisin pathway
      for constitutive bacteriocin biosynthesis. This work demonstrates the feasibility
      of rapid and advanced engineering of gene networks in LAB, fostering their
      applications in biomedicine and other areas. 

PMID- 26503257
TI  - Fourier-transform spectroscopy using an Er-doped fiber femtosecond laser by
      sweeping the pulse repetition rate.
AB  - Femtosecond lasers allow for simultaneous detection of multiple absorption lines
      of a specimen over a broad spectral range of infrared or visible light with a
      single spectroscopic measurement. Here, we present an 8-THz bandwidth, 0.5-GHz
      resolution scheme of Fourier-transform spectroscopy using an Er-doped fiber
      femtosecond laser. A resolving power of 1.6 * 10(4) about a 1560-nm center
      wavelength is achieved by sweeping the pulse repetition rate of the light source
      on a fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer configured to capture interferograms with
      a 0.02-fs temporal sampling accuracy through a well-stabilized 60-m unbalance arm
      length. A dual-servo mechanism is realized by combining a mechanical linear stage
      with an electro-optic modulator (EOM) within the fiber laser cavity, enabling
      stable sweeping control of the pulse repetition rate over a 1.0-MHz scan range
      with 0.4-Hz steps with reference to the Rb clock. Experimental results
      demonstrate that the P-branch lines of the H(13)CN reference cell can be observed
      with a signal-to-noise ratio reaching 350 for the most intense line. 

PMID- 26503258
TI  - The evolution of bat nucleic acid-sensing Toll-like receptors.
AB  - We characterized the nucleic acid-sensing Toll-like receptors (TLR) of a New
      World bat species, the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), and through a
      comparative molecular evolutionary approach searched for general adaptation
      patterns among the nucleic acid-sensing TLRs of eight different bats species
      belonging to three families (Pteropodidae, Vespertilionidae and Phyllostomidae).
      We found that the bat TLRs are evolving slowly and mostly under purifying
      selection and that the divergence pattern of such receptors is overall congruent
      with the species tree, consistent with the evolution of many other mammalian
      nuclear genes. However, the chiropteran TLRs exhibited unique mutations fixed in
      ligand-binding sites, some of which involved nonconservative amino acid changes
      and/or targets of positive selection. Such changes could potentially modify
      protein function and ligand-binding properties, as some changes were predicted to
      alter nucleic acid binding motifs in TLR 9. Moreover, evidence for episodic
      diversifying selection acting specifically upon the bat lineage and sublineages
      was detected. Thus, the long-term adaptation of chiropterans to a wide variety of
      environments and ecological niches with different pathogen profiles is likely to
      have shaped the evolution of the bat TLRs in an order-specific manner. The
      observed evolutionary patterns provide evidence for potential functional
      differences between bat and other mammalian TLRs in terms of resistance to
      specific pathogens or recognition of nucleic acids in general. 

PMID- 26503260
TI  - Cholecystectomy and Liver Disease in Short Bowel Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently, an association has been proposed between cholecystectomy
      and various liver diseases. Our aim was to determine whether cholecystectomy in
      short bowel patients influences the risk of liver disease. METHODS: We reviewed
      422 adults: 182 underwent cholecystectomy prior to short bowel, 102 after
      developing short bowel, and 138 patients still had the gallbladder in place.
      RESULTS: Compared to pre and post short bowel, gallbladder patients were
      significantly less likely to have obesity (18 % and 21 % vs 9 %), central line
      infections (59 % and 69 % vs 46 %), intestine <60 cm (30 % and 39 % vs 26 %), and
      require parenteral nutrition >1 year (72 % and 77 % vs 64 %). The incidence of
      fatty liver was similar (31, 26, and 25 %). Fibrosis/cirrhosis was less common in
      the gallbladder group (26 % and 36 % vs 16 %). Frequency of end-stage liver
      disease was similar (15, 22, and 11 %). On multivariate analysis,
      cholecystectomy, parenteral nutrition >1 year, line infection, and intestine <60
      cm were predictors of fibrosis/cirrhosis. Parenteral nutrition >1 year, line
      infection, and intestine <60 cm were predictors of end-stage liver disease.
      CONCLUSIONS: Cholecystectomy does not appear to increase the incidence of liver
      disease in short bowel patients overall. Fibrosis/cirrhosis occurs significantly
      less frequently in patients with an intact gallbladder.

PMID- 26503259
TI  - Minnelide Overcomes Oxaliplatin Resistance by Downregulating the DNA Repair
      Pathway in Pancreatic Cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oxaliplatin is part of pancreatic cancer therapy in the FOLFIRINOX
      or GEMOX/XELOX regimen. DNA damage repair is one of the factors responsible for
      oxaliplatin resistance that eventually develops in this cancer.
      Triptolide/Minnelide has been shown to be effective against pancreatic cancer in
      preclinical trials. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of combination of
      triptolide and oxaliplatin against pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Highly aggressive
      pancreatic cancer cells (MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1) were treated with oxaliplatin (0
      10 MUM), low-dose triptolide (50 nM), or a combination of both for 24-48 h. Cell
      viability, apoptosis, and DNA damage were evaluated by appropriate methods.
      Nucleotide excision repair pathway components were quantitated using qPCR and
      Western blot. Combination of low doses of Minnelide and oxaliplatin was tested in
      an orthotopic murine model of pancreatic cancer. RESULTS: Proliferation of
      pancreatic cancer cells was markedly inhibited by combination treatment.
      Triptolide potentiated apoptotic cell death induced by oxaliplatin and sensitized
      cancer cells towards oxaliplatin-induced DNA damage by suppressing the
      oxaliplatin-induced DNA damage repair pathway. Combination of low doses of
      Minnelide and oxaliplatin inhibited tumor progression by inducing significant
      apoptotic cell death in these tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Combination of low doses of
      Minnelide and oxaliplatin has immense potential to emerge as a novel therapeutic
      strategy against pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 26503261
TI  - Inter-Observer Variability in the Interpretation of Endoscopic Mucosal Resection
      Specimens of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: Interpretation of ER specimens.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Endoscopic resection (ER) has revolutionized the staging and
      therapy of superficial esophageal adenocarcinoma. Pathologic evaluation allows an
      assessment of the risk of lymph node metastases based on tumor characteristics.
      The aim of this study was to assess the inter-observer variability in pathologic
      assessment of ER specimens of esophageal adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective study on ER specimens of superficial esophageal adenocarcinoma from
      four US institutions. Original endoscopic resection slides were re-reviewed by
      two blinded, experienced (study) gastrointestinal pathologists for the depth of
      tumor invasion, tumor grade, and the presence of lymphovascular invasion (LVI).
      Discordance was considered present only when both study pathologists disagreed
      with the original report. RESULTS: There were 25 ER specimens reviewed for this
      study, and discordance occurred in 12 of the 25 specimens (48%) for the depth of
      tumor invasion. In most cases (83%), the discordance was related to overstaging a
      true T1a lesion. We found that only 38% of true T1a lesions were correctly staged
      for depth of invasion. Less commonly discordance was secondary to understaging a
      true T1b lesion. There was concordance between the two study pathologists in
      22/25 cases (88%) on the depth of invasion. Discordance was present for tumor
      grade in 8/18 cases (44%) and for LVI in 4/16 cases (25%). Concordance between
      the study pathologists was 80% for tumor grade and 88% for LVI. CONCLUSIONS:
      There was an alarmingly high rate of discordance (48%) between the study
      pathologists and the original pathology assessment for the depth of tumor
      invasion in ER specimens. This was particularly common for lesions called T1b on
      the original pathology report. Since critical decisions are made regarding
      esophageal preservation or esophagectomy on the basis of the pathologic
      interpretations of ER specimens, it behooves surgeons to understand the inter
      observer variability. Review of ER specimens by an experienced GI pathologist is
      recommended to ensure that patients receive the appropriate treatment for
      superficial esophageal adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 26503262
TI  - Trends in Receipt and Timing of Multimodality Therapy in Early-Stage Pancreatic
      Cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pancreatic cancer is considered a systemic disease at presentation.
      Therefore, multimodality therapy with surgical resection and chemotherapy is the
      standard of care for locoregional disease. We described treatment patterns and
      time trends with regard to age and treatment center in the receipt of
      multimodality therapy. METHODS: We used the National Cancer Data Base to identify
      patients >=18 years old with stage I and II pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Treatment
      was defined as no treatment, resection only, chemotherapy only, or multimodality
      therapy, which consisted of both chemotherapy (neoadjuvant or adjuvant) and
      resection. Trends in the receipt and type of treatment were compared. RESULTS: Of
      39,441 patients, 22.8% of patients received no treatment, 18.5% received
      chemotherapy only, 23.0% underwent surgical resection alone, and 35.8% of
      patients received multimodality therapy. Receipt of multimodality therapy
      increased from 31.3% in 2004 to 37.9% in 2011 (p < 0.0001). Patients >55 years
      were less likely to receive multimodality therapy (56-64 years: OR 0.83, 95% CI
      0.78-0.89; 65-75: OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.55-0.65; >=76: OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.16-0.19
      compared to patients 18-55). Compared to community hospitals, patients treated at
      an NCI-designated center were more likely to receive multimodality therapy (OR
      1.62, 95% CI 1.46-1.81) and, if they received multimodality therapy, delivery of
      chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant compared to adjuvant setting (OR 2.82, 95% CI
      2.00-3.98). CONCLUSION: Despite increased use of multimodality therapy, it
      remains underutilized in all patients and especially in older patients. Receipt
      of multimodality therapy and neoadjuvant therapy is highly dependent on treatment
      at NCI-designated cancer centers.

PMID- 26503264
TI  - Reduced Hemispheric Asymmetry of Brain Anatomical Networks Is Linked to
      Schizophrenia: A Connectome Study.
AB  - Despite convergent evidence indicating a variety of regional abnormalities of
      hemispheric asymmetry in schizophrenia, patterns of wider neural network
      asymmetry remain to be determined. In this study, we investigated alterations in
      hemispheric white matter topology in schizophrenia and their association with
      clinical manifestations of the illness. Weighted hemispheric brain anatomical
      networks were constructed for each of 116 right-handed patients with
      schizophrenia and 66 matched healthy participants. Graph theoretical approaches
      were then employed to estimate the hemispheric topological properties. We found
      that although small-world properties were preserved in the hemispheric network, a
      significant hemispheric-independent deficit of global integration was found in
      schizophrenia. Furthermore, a significant group-by-hemisphere interaction was
      revealed in the characteristic path length and global efficiency, attributing to
      significantly reduced hemispheric asymmetry of global integration in patients
      compared with healthy controls. Specifically, we found reduced asymmetric nodal
      efficiency in several frontal regions and the hippocampus. Finally, the abnormal
      hemispheric asymmetry of brain anatomical network topology was associated with
      clinical features (duration of illness and psychotic psychopathology) in
      patients. Our findings provide new insights into lateralized nature of
      hemispheric dysconnectivity and highlight the potential for using brain network
      measures of hemispheric asymmetry as neural biomarkers for schizophrenia and its
      clinical features.

PMID- 26503263
TI  - Optogenetic Mapping of Intracortical Circuits Originating from Semilunar Cells in
      the Piriform Cortex.
AB  - Despite its comparatively simple trilaminar architecture, the primary olfactory
      (piriform) cortex of mammals is capable of performing sophisticated sensory
      processing, an ability that is thought to depend critically on its extensive
      associational (intracortical) excitatory circuits. Here, we used a novel
      transgenic mouse model and optogenetics to measure the connectivity of
      associational circuits that originate in semilunar (SL) cells in layer 2a of the
      anterior piriform cortex (aPC). We generated a mouse line (48L) in which
      channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR) could be selectively expressed in a subset of SL cells.
      Light-evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) could be evoked in
      superficial pyramidal cells (17.4% of n = 86 neurons) and deep pyramidal cells
      (33.3%, n = 9) in the aPC, but never in ChR- SL cells (0%, n = 34). Thus, SL
      cells monosynaptically excite pyramidal cells, but not other SL cells. Light
      evoked EPSCs were also selectively elicited in 3 classes of GABAergic
      interneurons in layer 3 of the aPC. Our results show that SL cells are
      specialized for providing feedforward excitation of specific classes of neurons
      in the aPC, confirming that SL cells comprise a functionally distinctive input
      layer.

PMID- 26503266
TI  - Learning-Induced Metaplasticity? Associative Training for Early Odor Preference
      Learning Down-Regulates Synapse-Specific NMDA Receptors via mGluR and Calcineurin
      Activation.
AB  - Rat pups readily form a 24-h associative odor preference after a single trial of
      odor paired with intermittent stroking. Recent evidence shows that this training
      trial, which normally increases AMPA receptor responses in the anterior piriform
      cortex both 3 and 24 h following training, induces a down-regulation of NMDA
      receptors 3 h later followed by NMDA receptor up-regulation at 24 h. When
      retrained with the same odor at 3 h, rat pups unlearn the original odor
      preference. Unlearning can be prevented by blocking NMDA receptors during
      retraining. Here, the mechanisms that initiate NMDA receptor down-regulation are
      assessed. Blocking mGluR receptors or calcineurin during training prevents down
      regulation of NMDA receptors 3 h following training. Blocking NMDA receptors
      during training does not affect NMDA receptor down-regulation. Thus, down
      regulation can be engaged separately from associative learning. When unlearning
      occurs, AMPA and NMDA receptor levels at 24 h are reset to control levels.
      Calcineurin blockade during retraining prevents unlearning consistent with the
      role of NMDA receptor down-regulation. The relationship of these events to the
      metaplasticity and plasticity mechanisms of long-term depression and
      depotentiation is discussed. We suggest a possible functional role of NMDA
      receptor down-regulation in offline stabilization of learned odor
      representations.

PMID- 26503265
TI  - Cortical Layer Inversion and Deregulation of Reelin Signaling in the Absence of
      SOCS6 and SOCS7.
AB  - Mutations of the reelin gene cause severe defects in cerebral cortex development
      and profound intellectual impairment. While many aspects of the reelin signaling
      pathway have been identified, the molecular and ultimate cellular consequences of
      reelin signaling remain unknown. Specifically, it is unclear if termination of
      reelin signaling is as important for normal cortical neuron migration as
      activation of reelin signaling. Using mice that are single or double deficient,
      we discovered that combined loss of the suppressors of cytokine signaling, SOCS6
      and SOCS7, recapitulated the cortical layer inversion seen in mice lacking reelin
      and led to a dramatic increase in the reelin signaling molecule disabled (DAB1)
      in the cortex. The SRC homology domains of SOCS6 and SOCS7 bound DAB1 ex vivo.
      Mutation of DAB1 greatly diminished binding and protected from degradation by
      SOCS6. Phosphorylated DAB1 was elevated in cortical neurons in the absence of
      SOCS6 and SOCS7. Thus, constitutive activation of reelin signaling was observed
      to be equally detrimental as lack of activation. We hypothesize that, by
      terminating reelin signaling, SOCS6 and SOCS7 may allow new cycles of reelin
      signaling to occur and that these may be essential for cortical neuron migration.

PMID- 26503267
TI  - Electrophysiological Responses in the Ventral Temporal Cortex During Reading of
      Numerals and Calculation.
AB  - Recent evidence suggests that specific neuronal populations in the ventral
      temporal cortex show larger electrophysiological responses to visual numerals
      compared with morphologically similar stimuli. This study investigates how these
      responses change from simple reading of numerals to the active use of numerals in
      an arithmetic context. We recorded high-frequency broadband (HFB) signals, a
      reliable measure for local neuronal population activity, while 10 epilepsy
      patients implanted with subdural electrodes performed separate numeral reading
      and calculation tasks. We found that calculation increased activity in the
      posterior inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) with a factor of approximately 1.5 over
      the first 500 ms of calculation, whereas no such increase was noted for reading
      numerals without calculation or reading and judging memory statements. In a
      second experiment conducted in 2 of the same subjects, we show that HFB responses
      increase in a systematic manner when the single numerals were presented
      successively in a calculation context: The HFB response in the ITG, to the second
      and third numerals (i.e., b and c in a + b = c), was approximately 1.5 times
      larger than the responses to the first numeral (a). These results provide
      electrophysiological evidence for modulation of local neuronal population
      responses to visual stimuli based on increasing task demands.

PMID- 26503268
TI  - Neuropeptide S Receptor Gene Variation Differentially Modulates Fronto-Limbic
      Effective Connectivity in Childhood and Adolescence.
AB  - The neuropeptide S (NPS) system contributes to the pathogenesis of anxiety. The
      more active T allele of the functional rs324981 variant in the neuropeptide S
      receptor gene (NPSR1) is associated with panic disorder (PD) and distorted
      cortico-limbic activity during emotion processing in healthy adults and PD
      patients. This study investigated the influence of NPSR1 genotype on fronto
      limbic effective connectivity within the developing brain. Sixty healthy subjects
      (8-21 years) were examined using an emotional go-nogo task and fMRI. Fronto
      limbic connectivity was determined using Dynamic Causal Modeling. In A allele
      carriers, connectivity between the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and the right
      amygdala was higher in older (>=14 years) than that in younger (<14 years)
      probands, whereas TT homozygotes >=14 years showed a reduction of fronto-limbic
      connectivity between the MFG and both the amygdala and the insula. Fronto-limbic
      connectivity varied between NPSR1 genotypes in the developing brain suggesting a
      risk-increasing effect of the NPSR1T allele for anxiety-related traits via
      impaired top-down control of limbic structures emerging during adolescence.
      Provided robust replication in longitudinal studies, these findings may
      constitute valuable biomarkers for early targeted prevention of anxiety
      disorders.

PMID- 26503269
TI  - Multidrug resistant tuberculosis: prevalence and risk factors in districts of
      metema and west armachiho, Northwest Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multi drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is an emerging challenge
      for TB control programs globally. According to World health organization, 2012
      report Ethiopia stands 15(th) out of the 27 high priority countries in the world
      and 3(rd) in Africa. Updated knowledge of the magnitude of MDR-TB is so
      substantial to allocate resources, and to address prevention and control
      measures. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of MDR-TB
      and associated risk factors in West Armachiho and Metema districts of North
      Gondar. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in West Armachiho and
      Metema districts between February 01 and June 25, 2014. A total of 124
      consecutive smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients were included in the
      study. Socio-demographic and possible risk factor data were collected using a
      semi-structured questionnaire. Drug susceptibility testing was first performed
      for rifampicin using GeneXpert MTB/RIF. For those rifampicin resistant strains,
      drug susceptibility testing was performed for both isoniazid and rifampicin to
      identify MDR-TB using the proportional method on LJ media. Data were analyzed
      using statistical Package SPSS version 20; binary logistic regression was used to
      assess the association. P-values < 0.05 were considered as statistically
      significant. RESULTS: Of 124 smear-positive pulmonary TB patients, 117 (94.4 %)
      were susceptible to Rifampicin, while 7 (5.7 %) were confirmed to be resistant to
      Rifampicin and Isoniazid. The overall prevalence of MDR-TB was 5.7 % (2.3 % among
      new cases and 13.9 % among previously treated cases). History of previous
      treatment (OR = 7, P = 0.025) was significantly associated risk factor for MDR
      TB. CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of MDR-TB was 5.7 % among cases at five
      health centers and a history of previous treatment was found to be a risk factor
      for being infected by an MDR-TB strain. Therefore, maximizing early case
      detection and treatment, strengthening TB infection control activities and proper
      implementation of DOTS are recommended to reduce the burden of MDR-TB.

PMID- 26503270
TI  - Expanding Range of Amblyomma americanum and Simultaneous Changes in the
      Epidemiology of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis in the United States.
AB  - Spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia species are etiologic agents of a wide range
      of human infections from asymptomatic or mild infections to severe, life
      threatening disease. In the United States, recent passive surveillance for SFG
      rickettsiosis shows an increased incidence and decreased severity of reported
      cases. The reasons for this are not well understood; however, we hypothesize that
      less pathogenic rickettsiae are causing more human infections, while the
      incidence of disease caused by more pathogenic rickettsiae, particularly
      Rickettsia rickettsii, is relatively stable. During the same period, the range of
      Amblyomma americanum has expanded. Amblyomma americanum is frequently infected
      with "Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii", a SFG Rickettsia of unknown
      pathogenicity. We tested our hypothesis by modeling incidence rates from 1993 to
      2013, hospitalization rates from 1981 to 2013, and case fatality rates from 1981
      to 2013 regressed against the presence of A. americanum, the decade of onset of
      symptoms, and the county of residence. Our results support the hypothesis, and we
      show that the expanding range of A. americanum is associated with changes in
      epidemiology reported through passive surveillance. We believe epidemiological
      and acarological data collected on individual cases from enhanced surveillance
      may further elucidate the reasons for the changing epidemiology of SFG
      rickettsiosis. 

PMID- 26503271
TI  - Factors Influencing the Serological Response in Hepatic Echinococcus granulosus
      Infection.
AB  - Knowledge of variables influencing serology is crucial to evaluate serology
      results for the diagnosis and clinical management of cystic echinococcosis (CE).
      We analyzed retrospectively a cohort of patients with hepatic CE followed in our
      clinic in 2000-2012 to evaluate the influence of several variables on the results
      of commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect
      hemagglutination (IHA) tests. Sera from 171 patients with >= 1 hepatic CE cyst,
      and 90 patients with nonparasitic cysts were analyzed. CE cysts were staged
      according to the WHO-IWGE classification and grouped by activity. A significant
      difference in ELISA optical density (OD) values and percentage of positivity was
      found among CE activity groups and with controls (P < 0.001). The serological
      response was also influenced by age (P < 0.001) and cyst number (P = 0.003). OD
      values and cyst size were positively correlated in active cysts (P = 0.001). IHA
      test showed comparable results. When we analyzed the results of 151 patients
      followed over time, we found that serology results were significantly influenced
      by cyst activity, size, number, and treatment <= 12 months before serum
      collection. In conclusion, serological responses as assessed by commercial tests
      depend on CE cyst activity, size and number, and time from treatment. Clinical
      studies and clinicians in their practice should take this into account. 

PMID- 26503272
TI  - More Progress in Eliminating Transmission of Onchocerca volvulus and Wuchereria
      bancrofti in the Americas: A Portent of Global Eradication.

PMID- 26503273
TI  - Antileishmanial Activity of Compounds Derived from the Medicines for Malaria
      Venture Open Access Box Against Intracellular Leishmania major Amastigotes.
AB  - Leishmaniasis is a complex tropical disease caused by kinetoplastid parasitic
      protozoa of the genus Leishmania and is transmitted by the sand fly insect
      vector. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common form of this disease, and
      CL infections often result in serious skin lesions and scars. CL remains a public
      health problem in many endemic countries worldwide because of the absence of
      effective, safe, and cost-effective drugs for treatment. One of the strategies we
      chose to use to find novel chemical entities worthy of further development as
      antileishmanials involved screening synthetic and natural products libraries. In
      our study, we developed a Leishmania major intracellular amastigote assay that
      uses the activity of luciferase as a measure of parasite proliferation and used
      this assay to screen a collection of 400 compounds obtained from Medicines for
      Malaria Venture (MMV) for their antileishmanial activity. Our results showed that
      14 compounds identified by MMV as antimalarial drugs have antileishmanial
      activity and can potentially be optimized for CL drug development. 

PMID- 26503274
TI  - Development and Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies Directed Against the
      Nucleoprotein of Heartland Virus.
AB  - Heartland virus (HRTV), a phlebovirus first isolated from two Missouri farmers in
      2009, has been proposed to be transmitted to humans by the bite of infected
      Amblyomma americanum ticks. It is closely related to severe fever with
      thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) from China, another previously
      unrecognized phlebovirus that has subsequently been associated with hundreds of
      cases of severe disease in humans. To expand diagnostic capacity to detect HRTV
      infections, 20 hybridoma clones secreting anti-HRTV murine monoclonal antibodies
      (MAbs) were developed using splenocytes from HRTV-inoculated AG129 alpha/beta and
      gamma interferon receptor-deficient mice. Nine of these MAbs were characterized
      herein for inclusion in future HRTV diagnostic assay development. All of the MAbs
      developed were found to be non-neutralizing and reactive to linear epitopes on
      HRTV nucleocapsid protein. MAb 2AF11 was found to be cross-reactive with SFTSV. 

PMID- 26503275
TI  - One Hundred Years After Its Discovery in Guatemala by Rodolfo Robles, Onchocerca
      volvulus Transmission Has Been Eliminated from the Central Endemic Zone.
AB  - We report the elimination of Onchocerca volvulus transmission from the Central
      Endemic Zone (CEZ) of onchocerciasis in Guatemala, the largest focus of this
      disease in the Americas and the first to be discovered in this hemisphere by
      Rodolfo Robles Valverde in 1915. Mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin
      was launched in 1988, with semiannual MDA coverage reaching at least 85% of the
      eligible population in > 95% of treatment rounds during the 12-year period, 2000
      2011. Serial parasitological testing to monitor MDA impact in sentinel villages
      showed a decrease in microfilaria skin prevalence from 70% to 0%, and polymerase
      chain reaction (PCR)-based entomological assessments of the principal vector
      Simulium ochraceum s.l. showed transmission interruption by 2007. These
      assessments, together with a 2010 serological survey in children 9-69 months of
      age that showed Ov16 IgG4 antibody prevalence to be < 0.1%, meeting World Health
      Organization (WHO) guidelines for stopping MDA, and treatment was halted after
      2011. After 3 years an entomological assessment showed no evidence of vector
      infection or recrudescence of transmission. In 2015, 100 years after the
      discovery of its presence, the Ministry of Health of Guatemala declared
      onchocerciasis transmission as having been eliminated from the CEZ. 

PMID- 26503276
TI  - Dengue Knowledge and Preventive Practices in Iquitos, Peru.
AB  - As part of a cluster-randomized trial to evaluate insecticide-treated curtains
      for dengue prevention in Iquitos, Peru, we surveyed 1,333 study participants to
      examine knowledge and reported practices associated with dengue and its
      prevention. Entomological data from 1,133 of these households were linked to the
      survey. Most participants knew that dengue was transmitted by mosquito bite
      (85.6%), but only few (18.6%) knew that dengue vectors bite during daytime. Most
      commonly recognized dengue symptoms were fever (86.6%), headache (76.4%), and
      muscle/joint pain (67.9%). Most commonly reported correct practices for mosquito
      control were cleaning homes (61.6%), using insecticide sprays (23%), and avoiding
      having standing water at home (12.3%). Higher education was associated with
      higher knowledge about dengue, including transmission and vector control. Higher
      socioeconomic status was associated with increased reported use of preventive
      practices requiring money expenditure. We were less likely to find Aedes aegypti
      eggs, larvae, or pupae in households that had < 5-year-old children at home.
      Although dengue has been transmitted in Iquitos since the 1990s and the Regional
      Health Authority routinely fumigates households, treats domestic water containers
      with larvicide, and issues health education messages through mass media,
      knowledge of dengue transmission and household practices for prevention could be
      improved. 

PMID- 26503277
TI  - Incidence of Pneumococcal Pneumonia Among Adults in Rural Thailand, 2006-2011:
      Implications for Pneumococcal Vaccine Considerations.
AB  - The incidence of pneumococcal pneumonia among adults is a key driver for the cost
      effectiveness of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine used among children. We sought to
      obtain more accurate incidence estimates among adults by including results of
      pneumococcal urine antigen testing (UAT) from population-based pneumonia
      surveillance in two Thai provinces. Active surveillance from 2006 to 2011
      identified acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI)-related hospital admissions.
      Adult cases of pneumococcal pneumonia were defined as hospitalized ALRI patients
      aged >= 18 years with isolation of Streptococcus pneumoniae from blood or with
      positive UAT. Among 39,525 adult ALRI patients, we identified 481 pneumococcal
      pneumonia cases (105 by blood culture, 376 by UAT only). Estimated incidence of
      pneumococcal pneumonia hospitalizations was 30.5 cases per 100,000 persons per
      year (2.2 and 28.3 cases per 100,000 persons per year by blood culture and UAT,
      respectively). Incidence varied between 22.7 in 2007 and 43.5 in 2010, and
      increased with age to over 150 per 100,000 persons per year among persons aged >=
      70 years. Viral coinfections including influenza A/B, respiratory syncytial virus
      (RSV), and adenovirus occurred in 11% (44/409) of pneumococcal pneumonia cases
      tested. Use of UAT to identify cases of pneumococcal pneumonia among adults in
      rural Thailand substantially increases estimates of pneumococcal pneumonia
      burden, thereby informing cost-effectiveness analyses and vaccine policy
      decisions. 

PMID- 26503278
TI  - Modeling Combinations of Pre-erythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Vaccines.
AB  - Despite substantial progress in the control of Plasmodium falciparum infection
      due to the widespread deployment of insecticide-treated bed nets and artemisinin
      combination therapies, malaria remains a prolific killer, with over half a
      million deaths estimated to have occurred in 2013 alone. Recent evidence of the
      development of resistance to treatments in both parasites and their mosquito
      vectors has underscored the need for a vaccine. Here, we use a mathematical model
      of the within-host dynamics of P. falciparum infection, fit to data from
      controlled human malaria infection clinical trials, to predict the efficacy of co
      administering the two most promising subunit vaccines, RTS,S/AS01 and ChAd63-MVA
      ME-TRAP. We conclude that currently available technologies could be combined to
      induce very high levels of sterile efficacy, even in immune-naive individuals. 

PMID- 26503279
TI  - Post-Mass Drug Administration Transmission Assessment Survey for Elimination of
      Lymphatic Filariasis in La Cienaga, Dominican Republic.
AB  - The Dominican Republic is one of four remaining countries in the Americas with
      lymphatic filariasis (LF). Annual mass drug administration (MDA) with albendazole
      and diethylcarbamazine was conducted in La Cienaga, an impoverished urban barrio
      in Santo Domingo, from 2004 to 2006. Eight years after the last MDA, a
      transmission assessment survey (TAS) was conducted in November-December 2014 to
      determine if LF transmission remains absent. Of 815 first and second grade
      primary school students (mean age: 6.51 years; range 5-9) tested by
      immunochromatographic test (ICT), zero (0.0%) were positive. This is below the
      TAS critical cutoff of nine, indicating that the area "passed" TAS and that
      transmission remains interrupted in La Cienaga. Importantly, this also provides
      evidence that three rounds of effective (> 65% coverage) MDA, likely aided by
      environmental improvements and periodic school-based albendazole monotherapy MDA,
      achieved interruption of LF transmission from a relatively low-transmission
      setting. 

PMID- 26503280
TI  - Population-Based Multicentric Survey of Hepatitis B Infection and Risk Factors in
      the North, South, and Southeast Regions of Brazil, 10-20 Years After the
      Beginning of Vaccination.
AB  - A population-based hepatitis survey was carried out to estimate the prevalence of
      hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and its predictive factors for the state
      capitals from the north, south, and southeast regions of Brazil. A multistage
      cluster sampling was used to select, successively, census tracts, blocks,
      households, and residents in the age group 10-69 years in each state capital. The
      prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was lower than 1% in the north,
      southeast, and south regions. Socioeconomic condition was associated with HBV
      infection in north and south regions. Variables related to the blood route
      transmission were associated with HBV infection only in the south whereas those
      related to sexual behavior were associated with HBV infection in the north and
      south regions. Drug use was associated in all regions, but the type of drug
      differed. The findings presented herein highlight the diversity of the potential
      transmission routes for hepatitis B transmission in Brazil. In one hand, it
      reinforces the importance of national control strategies of large impact already
      in course (immunization of infants, adolescents, and adults up to 49 years of age
      and blood supply screening). On the other hand, it shows that there is still room
      for further control measures targeted to different groups within each region. 

PMID- 26503281
TI  - Pooled Amplicon Deep Sequencing of Candidate Plasmodium falciparum Transmission
      Blocking Vaccine Antigens.
AB  - Polymorphisms within Plasmodium falciparum vaccine candidate antigens have the
      potential to compromise vaccine efficacy. Understanding the allele frequencies of
      polymorphisms in critical binding regions of antigens can help in the designing
      of strain-transcendent vaccines. Here, we adopt a pooled deep-sequencing
      approach, originally designed to study P. falciparum drug resistance mutations,
      to study the diversity of two leading transmission-blocking vaccine candidates,
      Pfs25 and Pfs48/45. We sequenced 329 P. falciparum field isolates from six
      different geographic regions. Pfs25 showed little diversity, with only one known
      polymorphism identified in the region associated with binding of transmission
      blocking antibodies among our isolates. However, we identified four new mutations
      among eight non-synonymous mutations within the presumed antibody-binding region
      of Pfs48/45. Pooled deep sequencing provides a scalable and cost-effective
      approach for the targeted study of allele frequencies of P. falciparum candidate
      vaccine antigens. 

PMID- 26503283
TI  - Effect of Latitude and Seasonal Variation on Scrub Typhus, South Korea, 2001
      2013.
AB  - In South Korea, scrub typhus is one of the most common rickettsial diseases. The
      number of scrub typhus patients has increased in South Korea, a total of 69,210
      cases were reported from 2001 to 2013. The seasonality and relation of scrub
      typhus cases to latitude were analyzed in this article using data obtained from
      the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System website of the Korea Centers
      for Disease Control and Prevention. The incidence of scrub typhus tended to
      increase in the later months of the year, especially in October-December. In
      general, lower latitudes were associated with a later peak incidence. Our results
      suggest for the first time that the monthly observed incidence tended to increase
      in the later months of the year as the latitude decreased, and on a yearly basis
      in Korea. 

PMID- 26503282
TI  - Hypoglycemia and Risk Factors for Death in 13 Years of Pediatric Admissions in
      Mozambique.
AB  - Hypoglycemia is a life-threatening complication of several diseases in childhood.
      We describe the prevalence and incidence of hypoglycemia among admitted
      Mozambican children, establishing its associated risk factors. We retrospectively
      reviewed clinical data of 13 years collected through an ongoing systematic
      morbidity surveillance in Manhica District Hospital in rural Mozambique. Logistic
      regression was used to identify risk factors for hypoglycemia and death. Minimum
      community-based incidence rates (MCBIRs) for hypoglycemia were calculated using
      data from the demographic surveillance system. Of 49,089 children < 15 years
      hospitalized in Manhica District Hospital, 45,573 (92.8%) had a glycemia
      assessment on admission. A total of 1,478 children (3.2%) presented hypoglycemia
      (< 3 mmol/L), of which about two-thirds (972) were with levels < 2.5 mmol/L.
      Independent risk factors for hypoglycemia on admission and death among
      hypoglycemic children included prostration, unconsciousness, edema, malnutrition,
      and bacteremia. Hypoglycemic children were significantly more likely to die (odds
      ratio [OR] = 7.11; P < 0.001), with an associated case fatality rate (CFR) of
      19.3% (245/1,267). Overall MCBIR of hypoglycemia was 1.57 episodes/1,000 child
      years at risk (CYAR), significantly decreasing throughout the study period.
      Newborns showed the highest incidences (9.47 episodes/1,000 CYAR, P < 0.001).
      Hypoglycemia remains a hazardous condition for African children. Symptoms and
      signs associated to hypoglycemia should trigger the verification of glycemia and
      the implementation of life-saving corrective measures. 

PMID- 26503284
TI  - Colony contact contributes to the diversity of gut bacteria in bumblebees (Bombus
      terrestris).
AB  - Social bees, like honeybees and bumblebees, have a close contact with nest mates
      of different developmental stages and generations. This could enhance bacterial
      transfer between nest mates and offers opportunities for direct transfer of
      symbionts from one generation to the next, resulting in a stable host specific
      gut microbiota. Gut symbionts of honeybees and bumblebees have been suggested to
      contribute in digestion and protection against parasites and pathogens. Here we
      studied the impact of contact with the bumblebee colony on the colonization
      potential of the bacterial families (i.e., Neisseriaceae, Orbaceae,
      Lactobacillaceae and Bifidobacteriaceae) occurring in the gut of adult bumblebees
      (Bombus terrestris). Bacterial profiles of the gut microbiota of B. terrestris
      were determined based on the hypervariable V4 region of the 16S rRNA using paired
      end Illumina sequencing. In our experiments, we created different groups in which
      we gradually reduced the contact with nest mates and hive material. We made 3
      observations: (i) reducing the contact between the colony and the bumblebee
      during adult life resulted in a significant drop in the relative abundance of
      Lactobacillus bombicola and Lactobacillus bombi; (ii) Bifidobacteriaceae required
      contact with nest mates to colonize the gut of B. terrestris and a significant
      lower bacterial diversity was observed in bumblebees that were completely
      excluded from colony contact during the adult life; (iii) Snodgrassella and
      Gilliamella were able to colonize the gut of the adult bumblebee without any
      direct contact with nest mates in the adult life stage. These results indicate
      the impact of the colony life on the diversity of the characteristic bumblebee
      gut bacteria.

PMID- 26503285
TI  - Communicating consequences with costs: a commentary on Corso et al's cost of
      injury.

PMID- 26503286
TI  - Surgical cytoreduction of the primary tumor reduces  metastatic progression in a
      mouse model of prostate cancer.
AB  - Metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) is one of the most prevalent cancers in men
      worldwide. The main cause of death in these patients is androgen-resistant
      metastatic disease. Surgery of the primary tumor has been avoided in these
      patients as there is no strong evidence that supports a beneficial effect. From
      the biological point of view, it appears rational to hypothesize that the primary
      tumor may contribute to the establishment and growth of metastases. Considering
      this, we propose that cytoreductive surgery (CS) in advanced metastatic stage
      slows the progression of metastatic disease. To test this, we used a mouse model
      of resectable orthotopic prostate cancer (PCa) and performed CS. After surgery,
      metastases were smaller and less numerous in the treated mice; an effect that was
      observable until the end of the experiment. These results suggest that CS alone
      delays the progression of metastatic disease and that although this effect may be
      temporary, it may translate to prolonged survival, especially when used with
      adjuvant therapy.

PMID- 26503288
TI  - EphrinB2 sharpens lateral motor column division in the developing spinal cord.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During sensori-motor circuit development, the somas of motoneurons
      (MN) are distributed in a topographic manner in the ventral horn of the neural
      tube. Indeed, their position within the lateral motor columns (LMC) correlates
      with axonal trajectories and identity of target limb muscles. The mechanisms by
      which this topographic distribution is established remains poorly understood. To
      address this issue, we assessed the role of ephrinB2 in MN topographic
      organization in the developing mouse spinal cord. RESULTS: First, we used a
      reporter mouse line to establish the spatio-temporal expression pattern of EfnB2
      in the developing LMC. We show that early in LMC development, ephrinB2 is
      differentially expressed in MN of the lateral versus medial LMC, suggesting a
      possible role in MN sorting and/or migration. We demonstrate that while MN
      specific excision of EfnB2 did not perturb specification or migration of MN,
      conditional loss of ephrinB2 led to the blurring of the LMC divisional boundary
      and to errors in the selection of LMC axon trajectory in the limb. CONCLUSIONS:
      Altogether, our study uncovered a novel cell autonomous role for ephrinB2 in LMC
      MN thus emphasizing the prevalent role of this ephrin member in maintaining cell
      population boundaries.

PMID- 26503287
TI  - Genome-wide survey and expression analysis of the OSCA gene family in rice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reception of and response to exogenous and endogenous osmotic changes
      is important to sustain plant growth and development, as well as reproductive
      formation. Hyperosmolality-gated calcium-permeable channels (OSCA) were first
      characterised as an osmosensor in Arabidopsis and are involved in the perception
      of extracellular changes to trigger hyperosmolality-induced [Ca(2+)]i increases
      (OICI). To explore the potential biological functions of OSCAs in rice, we
      performed a bioinformatics and expression analysis of the OsOSCA gene family.
      RESULTS: A total of 11 OsOSCA genes were identified from the genome database of
      Oryza sativa L. Japonica. Based on their sequence composition and phylogenetic
      relationship, the OsOSCA family was classified into four clades. Gene and protein
      structure analysis indicated that the 11 OsOSCAs shared similar structures with
      their homologs in Oryza sativa L. ssp. Indica, Oryza glaberrima, and Oryza
      brachyantha. Multiple sequence alignment analysis revealed a conserved DUF221
      domain in these members, in which the first three TMs were conserved, while the
      others were not. The expression profiles of OsOSCA genes were analysed at
      different stages of vegetative growth, reproductive development, and under
      osmotic-associated abiotic stresses. We found that four and six OsOSCA genes
      showed a clear correlation between the expression profile and osmotic changes
      during caryopsis development and seed imbibition, respectively. Orchestrated
      transcription of three OsOSCAs was strongly associated with the circadian clock.
      Moreover, osmotic-related abiotic stress differentially induced the expression of
      10 genes. CONCLUSION: The entire OSCA family is characterised by the presence of
      a conserved DUF221 domain, which functions as an osmotic-sensing calcium channel.
      The phylogenetic tree of OSCA genes showed that two subspecies of cultivated
      rice, Oryza sativa L. ssp. Japonica and Oryza sativa L. ssp. Indica, are more
      closely related than wild rice Oryza glaberrima, while Oryza brachyantha was less
      closely related. OsOSCA expression is organ- and tissue-specific and regulated by
      different osmotic-related abiotic stresses in rice. These findings will
      facilitate further research in this gene family and provide potential target
      genes for generation of genetically modified osmotic-stress-resistant plants.

PMID- 26503289
TI  - Health education and factors influencing acceptance of and willingness to pay for
      influenza vaccination among older adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The influenza vaccine is recommended in older population. However the
      immunization coverage varies globally. It has been reported as low as 10-20 % in
      some countries. This study explored the acceptance of and willingness to pay for
      influenza vaccination, comparing acceptance and willingness to pay before and
      after health education. METHODS: The study was conducted with 2693 older people
      in Bangkok, Thailand. Participants were divided into an education group (n =
      1402) and a control group (n = 1291). A validated questionnaire measuring
      acceptance of and willingness to pay for vaccination was administered during semi
      structured interviews before and after education. Data on factors influencing
      acceptance were analyzed. RESULTS: Participants' mean age was 69.5 years, 80 %
      were women and 82.1 % had at least one co-morbidity. Of the participants, 43.5 %
      had previously received vaccination more than once, although 92.8 % expressed
      acceptance of vaccination. Acceptance was associated with a positive attitude
      toward vaccination (OR 2.1, 95 % CI 1.5-2.9) and a history of receiving
      vaccination (OR 4.1, 95 % CI 2.8-6.1). At baseline, there were no differences
      between the education and control groups in terms of work status (p = 0.457), co
      morbidities (p = 0.07), medical status (p = 0.243), and previous vaccination (p =
      0.62), except for educational background (p = 0.004). Acceptance of vaccination
      increased to 95.8 % (p < 0.001) after education and willingness to pay increased
      to 82.1 % (p < 0.001). Education significantly affected those with primary school
      level education and no previous vaccination history, with acceptance increasing
      from 83.3 to 92.6 % (p < 0.001); more than twice as high as the control group (OR
      2.4, 95 % CI 1.2-4.7). Viewing an educational video increased the proportion of
      participants with a high level of knowledge from 29.2 to 49.2 % (p < 0.001), and
      increased the proportion of participants with a positive attitude from 52.4 to
      70.7 % (p <0.001). No significant difference was found in any parameter between
      the first and second assessment in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The strategies
      to increase positive attitudes may enhance the acceptance of vaccination. Health
      education using an educational video demonstrated a significant impact on
      acceptance, willingness to pay, knowledge and attitude in older people. This may
      lead to increased sustainability of the immunization program in older people.

PMID- 26503290
TI  - Small-Animal Molecular Imaging for Preclinical Cancer Research: .&#956;PET and
      &#956;.SPECT.
AB  - Due to different sizes of humans and rodents, the performance of clinical imaging
      devices is not enough for a scientifically reliable evaluation in mice and rats;
      therefore dedicated small-animal systems with a much higher sensitivity and
      spatial resolution, compared to the ones used in humans, are required.
      Smallanimal imaging represents a cutting-edge research method able to approach an
      enormous variety of pathologies in which animal models of disease may be used to
      elucidate the mechanisms underlying the human condition and/or to allow a
      translational pharmacological (or other) evaluation of therapeutic tools.
      Molecular imaging, avoiding animal sacrifice, permits repetitive (i.e.
      longitudinal) studies on the same animal which becomes its own control. In this
      way also the over time evaluation of disease progression or of the treatment
      response is enabled. Many different rodent models have been applied to study
      almost all kind of human pathologies or to experiment a wide series of drugs
      and/or other therapeutic instruments. In particular, relevant information has
      been achieved in oncology by in vivo neoplastic phenotypes, obtained through
      procedures such as subcutaneous tumor grafts, surgical transplantation of solid
      tumor, orthotopic injection of tumor cells into specific organs/sites of
      interest, genetic modification of animals to promote tumor-genesis; in this way
      traditional or innovative treatments, also including gene therapy, of animals
      with a cancer induced by a known carcinogen may be experimented. Each model has
      its own disadvantage but, comparing different studies, it is possible to achieve
      a panoramic and therefore substantially reliable view on the specific subject.
      Small-animal molecular imaging has become an invaluable component of modern
      biomedical research that will gain probably an increasingly important role in the
      next few years. 

PMID- 26503292
TI  - Polysubstituted 2-Aminopyrrole Synthesis via Gold-Catalyzed Intermolecular
      Nitrene Transfer from Vinyl Azide to Ynamide: Reaction Scope and Mechanistic
      Insights.
AB  - A gold-catalyzed intermolecular reaction of vinyl azides and ynamides is
      described. This process presents an efficient and mild approach to
      multisubstituted 2-aminopyrroles in good-to-excellent yields. Control experiments
      were carried out to distinguish the reactivity between vinyl azides and the
      corresponding 2H-azirines. A plausible reaction mechanism was also proposed
      according to previous reports and our preliminary mechanistic studies. 

PMID- 26503291
TI  - Factors associated with depression among adolescents living with HIV in Malawi.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prior research suggests that a high prevalence of depression, with a
      detrimental impact on treatment outcomes exists among HIV-infected youth. Data on
      potential risk factors of depression among HIV-infected youth in sub-Saharan
      Africa are scarce. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify
      contributory/protective factors associated with depression in Malawian
      adolescents 12-18 years old living with HIV. METHODS: Depression was measured by
      a validated Chichewa version of the Beck Depression Inventory version-II (BDI-II)
      and the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R). Data on variables
      thought to potentially be contributory/protective were collected and included:
      socio-demographics, past traumatic events/stressors, behavioural factors/social
      support, and bio-clinical parameters. Chi-square test or two-sample t-test was
      used to explore associations between factors and depression. Additional testing
      via linear/logistic regression, adjusting for age and sex, identified candidate
      variables (p < 0.1). Final regression models included variables with significant
      main effects and interactions. RESULTS: Of the 562 participants enrolled (mean
      age, 14.5 years [SD 2.0]; 56.1% female), the prevalence of depression was 18.9%.
      In multivariate linear regression, the variables significantly associated with
      higher BDI-II score were female gender, fewer years of schooling, death in the
      family/household, failing a school term/class, having a boyfriend/girlfriend, not
      disclosed or not having shared one's HIV status with someone else, more severe
      immunosuppression, and bullied for taking medications. Bullying victimization was
      reported by 11.6% of respondents. We found significant interactions: older
      participants with lower height-for-age z-scores and dissatisfied with their
      physical appearance had higher BDI-II scores. In multivariate logistic
      regression, factors significantly associated with depression were: older age, OR
      1.23 (95% CI 1.07-1.42); fewer years of schooling, OR 3.30 (95% CI 1.54-7.05);
      and bullied for taking medications, (OR 4.20 (95% CI 2.29-7.69). CONCLUSION:
      Having fewer years of schooling and being bullied for taking medications were
      most clearly associated with depression. Programmes to support the mental health
      needs of HIV-infected adolescents that address issues such as disclosure,
      educational support, and, most notably, bullying may improve treatment outcomes
      and are recommended.

PMID- 26503293
TI  - Strongly-coupled plasmas formed from laser-heated solids.
AB  - We present an analysis of ion temperatures in laser-produced plasmas formed from
      solids with different initial lattice structures. We show that the equilibrium
      ion temperature is limited by a mismatch between the initial crystallographic
      configuration and the close-packed configuration of a strongly-coupled plasma,
      similar to experiments in ultracold neutral plasmas. We propose experiments to
      demonstrate and exploit this crystallographic heating in order to produce a
      strongly coupled plasma with a coupling parameter of several hundred. 

PMID- 26503294
TI  - Development and Application of a Multielectron-Accepting Organic Oxidant for the
      Catalytic Transition-Metal-Free Oxidative Homocoupling of Grignard Reagents in
      Air.
AB  - Heptafluorotolyl-substituted perfluorocyclopentene acts as a four-electron
      oxidant for the homocoupling of Grignard reagents. It can also be used for
      catalytic homocoupling with a low catalyst loading (up to 2 mol %) in the
      presence of atmospheric oxygen. The organocatalytic cycle involves the generation
      of an organic radical and a perfluorocyclopentadienyl anion. 

PMID- 26503295
TI  - The renaissance of 2,4,6-tris(2-pyrimidyl)-1,3,5-triazine (TPymT) coordination
      chemistry.
AB  - In this perspective we report on recently accumulated data on the synthesis and
      coordination chemistry of 2,4,6-tris(2-pyrimidyl)-1,3,5-triazine (TPymT).
      Although a highly attractive ligand, owing to the presence of three fused
      terpyridine-like coordination pockets, the coordination chemistry of TPymT has
      something of a chequered past. This can principally be attributed to the
      hydrolysis of the ligand, which readily occurs under mild conditions. Thus, after
      first being synthesised in 1959 it had only been used a handful of times to
      synthesise coordination compounds until we began reinvestigating its chemistry in
      early 2013. Despite the significant challenges associated with its use, our work
      over the past two years has demonstrated that coordination chemistry with TPymT
      is indeed possible. Herein, we describe an overview of this body of work as it
      stands, and discuss its potential impact in a variety of areas including porous
      materials, catalysis and crystal engineering. 

PMID- 26503297
TI  - Effects of long-term treatment on brain volume in patients with obstructive sleep
      apnea syndrome.
AB  - We assessed structural brain damage in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA)
      patients (21 males) and the effects of long-term continuous positive airway
      pressure (CPAP) treatment (18.2 +/- 12.4 months; 8-44 months) on brain structures
      and investigated the relationship between severity of OSA and effects of
      treatment. Using deformation-based morphometry to measure local volume changes,
      we identified widespread neocortical and cerebellar atrophy in untreated patients
      compared to controls (59 males; Cohen's D = 0.6; FDR < 0.05). Analysis of
      longitudinally scanned magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans both before and
      after treatment showed increased brain volume following treatment (FDR < 0.05).
      Volume increase was correlated with longer treatment in the cortical areas that
      largely overlapped with the initial atrophy. The areas overlying the hippocampal
      dentate gyrus and the cerebellar dentate nucleus displayed a volume increase
      after treatment. Patients with very severe OSA (AHI > 64) presented with
      prefrontal atrophy and displayed an additional volume increase in this area
      following treatment. Higher impairment of working memory in patients prior to
      treatment correlated with prefrontal volume increase after treatment. The large
      overlap between the initial brain damage and the extent of recovery after
      treatment suggests partial recovery of nonpermanent structural damage. Volume
      increases in the dentate gyrus and the dentate nucleus possibly likely indicate
      compensatory neurogenesis in response to diminishing oxidative stress. Such
      changes in other brain structures may explain gliosis, dendritic volume increase,
      or inflammation. This study provides neuroimaging evidence that revealed the
      positive effects of long-term CPAP treatment in patients with OSA.

PMID- 26503296
TI  - The Montreal Cognitive Assessment: Creating a Crosswalk with the Mini-Mental
      State Examination.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To establish Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores that
      correspond to well-established cut-points on the Mini-Mental State Examination
      (MMSE). DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. SETTING: General medical
      service of a large teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 75 and older
      (N = 199; mean age 84, 63% female). MEASUREMENTS: The MoCA (range 0-30) and the
      MMSE (range 0-30) were administered within 2 hours of each other. The Abbreviated
      MoCA (A-MoCA; range 0-22) was calculated from the full MoCA. Scores from the
      three tests were analyzed using equipercentile equating, a statistical method for
      determining comparable scores on different tests of a similar construct by
      estimating percentile equivalents. RESULTS: MoCA scores were lower (mean 19.3 +/-
      5.8) than MMSE scored (mean 24.1 +/- 6.6). Traditional MMSE cut-points of 27 for
      mild cognitive impairment and 23 for dementia corresponded to MoCA scores of 23
      and 17, respectively. CONCLUSION: Scores on the full and abbreviated versions of
      the MoCA can be linked directly to the MMSE. The MoCA may be more sensitive to
      changes in cognitive performance at higher levels of functioning.

PMID- 26503298
TI  - Development of a Tool to Measure Youths' Food Allergy Management Facilitators and
      Barriers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study's aims are to identify factors related to allergen
      avoidance and epinephrine carriage among youth with food allergy, develop a tool
      to measure food allergy management facilitators and barriers, and investigate its
      initial reliability and validity.  METHODS: The Food Allergy Management
      Perceptions Questionnaire (FAMPQ) was developed based on focus groups with 19
      adolescents and young adults with food allergy. Additional youth with food
      allergy (N = 92; ages: 13-21 years) completed food allergy clinical history and
      management questionnaires and the FAMPQ.  RESULTS: Internal reliability estimates
      for the FAMPQ Facilitators and Barriers subscales were acceptable to good. Youth
      who were adherent to allergen avoidance and epinephrine carriage had higher
      Facilitator scores. Poor adherence was more likely among youth with higher
      Barrier scores.  CONCLUSIONS: Initial FAMPQ reliability and validity is
      promising. Additional research is needed to develop FAMPQ clinical guidelines.

PMID- 26503300
TI  - Green synthesis of bacterial mediated anti-proliferative gold nanoparticles:
      inducing mitotic arrest (G2/M phase) and apoptosis (intrinsic pathway).
AB  - The physiochemical and biological properties of microbial derived gold
      nanoparticles have potential applications in various biomedical domains as well
      as in cancer therapy. We have fabricated anti-proliferative bacterial mediated
      gold nanoparticles (b-Au NPs) using a culture supernatant of Streptomyces
      clavuligerus and later characterized them by UV-visible, TEM, DLS, XRD and FT-IR
      spectroscopic techniques. The capping agent responsible for the nanoparticle
      formation was characterized based on SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF-MS analyses. They
      were tested for anticancer activity in A549, HeLa and DU145 cell lines. The
      biocompatibility and non-toxic nature of the nanoparticles were tested on normal
      human lung cell line (MRC-5). The b-Au NPs induced the cell cycle arrest in G2/M
      phase and also inhibited the microtubule assembly in DU145 cells. Mechanistic
      studies, such as ROS, MMP, Cyt-c, GSH, caspases 9, 8 and 3 activation and the
      Annexin V-FITC staining, along with the above parameters tested provided
      sufficient evidence that the b-Au NPs induced apoptosis through the intrinsic
      pathway. The results supported the use of b-Au NPs for future therapeutic
      application in cancer therapy and other biomedical applications. 

PMID- 26503299
TI  - Quality of Life Changes and Health Care Charges Among Youth With Epilepsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in health care charges following a pediatric
      epilepsy diagnosis based on changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL).
      METHODS: Billing records were obtained for 171 youth [M (SD) age = 8.9 (4.1)
      years] newly diagnosed with epilepsy. Differences in health care charges among
      HRQOL groups (stable low, declining, improving, or stable high as determined by
      PedsQL(TM) scores at diagnosis and 12 months after diagnosis) were examined.
      RESULTS: Patients with persistently low or declining HRQOL incurred higher total
      health care charges in the year following diagnosis (g = .49, g = .81) than
      patients with stable high HRQOL after controlling for epilepsy etiology, seizure
      occurrence, and insurance type. These relationships remained consistent after
      excluding health care charges for behavioral medicine or neuropsychology services
      (g = .49, g = .80). CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring HRQOL over time may identify youth
      with epilepsy at particular risk for higher health care charges.

PMID- 26503301
TI  - A Balancing Act: Integrating Evidence-Based Knowledge and Cultural Relevance in a
      Program of Prevention Parenting Research with Latino/a Immigrants.
AB  - Family therapists have a unique opportunity to contribute toward the reduction of
      widespread mental health disparities impacting diverse populations by developing
      applied lines of research focused on cultural adaptation. For example, although
      evidence-based prevention parent training (PT) interventions have been found to
      be efficacious with various Euro-American populations, there is a pressing need
      to understand which specific components of PT interventions are perceived by
      ethnic minority parents as having the highest impact on their parenting
      practices. Equally important is to examine the perceived cultural relevance of
      adapted PT interventions. This qualitative investigation had the primary
      objective of comparing and contrasting the perceived relevance of two culturally
      adapted versions of the efficacious parenting intervention known as Parent
      Management Training, the Oregon Model (PMTO). According to feasibility indicators
      provided by 112 Latino/a immigrant parents, as well as findings from a
      qualitative thematic analysis, the core parenting components across both adapted
      interventions were identified by the majority of research participants as
      relevant to their parenting practices. Participants exposed to the culturally
      enhanced intervention, which included culture-specific sessions, also reported
      high satisfaction with components exclusively focused on cultural issues that
      directly impact their parenting practices (e.g., immigration challenges,
      biculturalism). This investigation illustrates the relevant contributions that
      family therapy scholars can offer toward addressing mental health disparities,
      particularly as it refers to developing community-based prevention interventions
      that achieve a balance between evidence-based knowledge and cultural relevance.

PMID- 26503302
TI  - Adequacy of Duodenoscope Reprocessing Methods as Reported by Infectious Disease
      Physicians.

PMID- 26503303
TI  - High omega3-polyunsaturated fatty acids in fat-1 mice prevent streptozotocin
      induced Purkinje cell degeneration through BDNF-mediated autophagy.
AB  - Loss of Purkinje cells has been implicated in the development of diabetic
      neuropathy, and this degeneration is characterized by impairment of autophagic
      processes. We evaluated whether fat-1 transgenic mice, a well-established animal
      model that endogenously synthesizes omega3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega3
      PUFA), are protected from Purkinje cell degeneration in streptozotocin (STZ)
      treated model with fat-1 mice. STZ-treated fat-1 mice did not develop
      hyperglycemia, motor deficits, or Purkinje cell loss. The expression of LC3 I,
      II, Beclin-1 and p62 were increased in the cerebellum of STZ-treated wild-type
      mice, and these expressions were more increased in STZ-treated fat-1 mice, but
      not of p62. Moreover, cerebellar Rab7, Cathepsin D, and ATP6E were increased in
      STZ-treated fat-1 mice. There was also increased BDNF expression in Purkinje
      cells without any changes in TrkB, and phosphorylation of Akt and CREB in the
      cerebellums of fat-1 mice. Collectively, these findings indicate that STZ-treated
      fat-1 mice were protected from Purkinje cell loss and exhibited increased BDNF
      signaling, enhancing autophagic flux activity in cerebellar Purkinje neurons.
      These processes may underlie Purkinje cell survival and may be potential
      therapeutic targets for treatment of motor deficits related to diabetic
      neuropathy. 

PMID- 26503304
TI  - Corticospinal axons make direct synaptic connections with spinal motoneurons
      innervating forearm muscles early during postnatal development in the rat.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Direct connections between corticospinal (CS) axons and motoneurons
      (MNs) appear to be present only in higher primates, where they are essential for
      discrete movement of the digits. Their presence in adult rodents was once claimed
      but is now questioned. We report that MNs innervating forearm muscles in infant
      rats receive monosynaptic input from CS axons, but MNs innervating proximal
      muscles do not, which is a pattern similar to that in primates. Our experiments
      were carefully designed to show monosynaptic connections. This entailed selective
      electrical and optogenetic stimulation of CS axons and recording from MNs
      identified by retrograde labelling from innervated muscles. Morphological
      evidence was also obtained for rigorous identification of CS axons and MNs. These
      connections would be transient and would regress later during development. These
      results shed light on the development and evolution of direct CS-MN connections,
      which serve as the basis for dexterity in humans. Recent evidence suggests there
      is no direct connection between corticospinal (CS) axons and spinal motoneurons
      (MNs) in adult rodents. We previously showed that CS synapses are present
      throughout the spinal cord for a time, but are eliminated from the ventral horn
      during development in rodents. This raises the possibility that CS axons
      transiently make direct connections with MNs located in the ventral horn of the
      spinal cord. This was tested in the present study. Using cervical cord slices
      prepared from rats on postnatal days (P) 7-9, CS axons were stimulated and whole
      cell recordings were made from MNs retrogradely labelled with fluorescent cholera
      toxin B subunit (CTB) injected into selected groups of muscles. To selectively
      activate CS axons, electrical stimulation was carefully limited to the CS tract.
      In addition we employed optogenetic stimulation after injecting an adeno
      associated virus vector encoding channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) into the sensorimotor
      cortex on P0. We were then able to record monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic
      currents from MNs innervating forearm muscles, but not from those innervating
      proximal muscles. We also showed close contacts between CTB-labelled MNs and CS
      axons labelled through introduction of fluorescent protein-conjugated
      synaptophysin or the ChR2 expression system. We confirmed that some of these
      contacts colocalized with postsynaptic density protein 95 in their partner
      dendrites. It is intriguing from both phylogenetic and ontogenetic viewpoints
      that direct and putatively transient CS-MN connections were found only on MNs
      innervating the forearm muscles in infant rats, as this is analogous to the
      connection pattern seen in adult primates.

PMID- 26503305
TI  - Spectral fitting using basis set modified by measured B0 field distribution.
AB  - This study sought to demonstrate and evaluate a novel spectral fitting method to
      improve quantification accuracy in the presence of large magnetic field
      distortion, especially with high fields. MRS experiments were performed using a
      point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS)-type sequence at 7 T. A double-echo gradient
      echo (GRE) sequence was used to acquire B0 maps following MRS experiments. The
      basis set was modified based on the measured B0 distribution within the MRS
      voxel. Quantification results were obtained after fitting the measured MRS data
      using the modified basis set. The proposed method was validated using numerical
      Monte Carlo simulations, phantom measurements, and comparison of occipital lobe
      MRS measurements under homogeneous and inhomogeneous magnetic field conditions.
      In vivo results acquired from voxels placed in thalamus and prefrontal cortex
      regions close to the frontal sinus agreed well with published values. Instead of
      noise-amplifying complex division, the proposed method treats field variations as
      part of the signal model, thereby avoiding inherent statistical bias associated
      with regularization. Simulations and experiments showed that the proposed
      approach reliably quantified results in the presence of relatively large magnetic
      field distortion. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is
      in the public domain in the USA. 

PMID- 26503306
TI  - Titania-Silica Materials for Enhanced Photocatalysis.
AB  - Mesoporous titania-organosilica nanoparticles comprised of anatase nanocrystals
      crosslinked with organosilica moieties have been prepared by direct co
      condensation of a titania precursor, tetrabuthylortotitanate (TBOT), with two
      organosilica precursors, 1,4-bis(triethoxysilyl) benzene (BTEB) and 1,2
      bis(triethoxysilyl) ethane (BTEE), in mild conditions and in the absence of
      surfactant. These hybrid materials show both high surface areas (200-360 m(2)  g(
      1) ) and pore volumes (0.3 cm(3)  g(-1) ) even after calcination, and excellent
      photoactivity in the degradation of rhodamine 6G and in the partial oxidation of
      propene under UV irradiation, especially after the calcination of the samples.
      During calcination, there is a change in the Ti(IV) coordination and an increase
      in the content of Si?O?Ti moieties in comparison with the uncalcined materials,
      which seems to be responsible for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of hybrid
      titania-silica materials as compared to both uncalcined samples and the control
      TiO2 . 

PMID- 26503307
TI  - Metabolic engineering for the production of plant isoquinoline alkaloids.
AB  - Several plant isoquinoline alkaloids (PIAs) possess powerful pharmaceutical and
      biotechnological properties. Thus, PIA metabolism and its fascinating molecules,
      including morphine, colchicine and galanthamine, have attracted the attention of
      both the industry and researchers involved in plant science, biochemistry,
      chemical bioengineering and medicine. Currently, access and availability of high
      value PIAs [commercialized (e.g. galanthamine) or not (e.g. narciclasine)] is
      limited by low concentration in nature, lack of cultivation or geographic access,
      seasonal production and risk of overharvesting wild plant species. Nevertheless,
      most commercial PIAs are still extracted from plant sources. Efforts to improve
      the production of PIA have largely been impaired by the lack of knowledge on PIA
      metabolism. With the development and integration of next-generation sequencing
      technologies, high-throughput proteomics and metabolomics analyses and
      bioinformatics, systems biology was used to unravel metabolic pathways allowing
      the use of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology approaches to increase
      production of valuable PIAs. Metabolic engineering provides opportunity to
      overcome issues related to restricted availability, diversification and
      productivity of plant alkaloids. Engineered plant, plant cells and microbial cell
      cultures can act as biofactories by offering their metabolic machinery for the
      purpose of optimizing the conditions and increasing the productivity of a
      specific alkaloid. In this article, is presented an update on the production of
      PIA in engineered plant, plant cell cultures and heterologous micro-organisms.

PMID- 26503308
TI  - Specificity of Lipoprotein Chaperones for the Characteristic Lipidated Structural
      Motifs of their Cognate Lipoproteins.
AB  - Lipoprotein-binding chaperones mediate intracellular transport of lipidated
      proteins and determine their proper localisation and functioning. Understanding
      of the exact structural parameters that determine recognition and transport by
      different chaperones is of major interest. We have synthesised several lipid
      modified peptides, representative of different lipoprotein classes, and have
      investigated their binding to the relevant chaperones PDEdelta, UNC119a, UNC119b,
      and galectins-1 and -3. Our results demonstrate that PDEdelta recognises S
      isoprenylated C-terminal peptidic structures but not N-myristoylated peptides. In
      contrast, UNC119 proteins bind only mono-N-myristoylated, but do not recognise
      doubly lipidated and S-isoprenylated peptides at the C terminus. For galectins-1
      and -3, neither binding to N-acylated, nor to C-terminally prenylated peptides
      could be determined. These results shed light on the specificity of the chaperone
      mediated cellular lipoprotein transport systems. 

PMID- 26503309
TI  - Environmental distribution and genetic diversity of vegetative compatibility
      groups determine biocontrol strategies to mitigate aflatoxin contamination of
      maize by Aspergillus flavus.
AB  - Maize infected by aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus may become contaminated
      with aflatoxins, and as a result, threaten human health, food security and
      farmers' income in developing countries where maize is a staple. Environmental
      distribution and genetic diversity of A. flavus can influence the effectiveness
      of atoxigenic isolates in mitigating aflatoxin contamination. However, such
      information has not been used to facilitate selection and deployment of
      atoxigenic isolates. A total of 35 isolates of A. flavus isolated from maize
      samples collected from three agro-ecological zones of Nigeria were used in this
      study. Ecophysiological characteristics, distribution and genetic diversity of
      the isolates were determined to identify vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs).
      The generated data were used to inform selection and deployment of native
      atoxigenic isolates to mitigate aflatoxin contamination in maize. In co
      inoculation with toxigenic isolates, atoxigenic isolates reduced aflatoxin
      contamination in grain by > 96%. A total of 25 VCGs were inferred from the
      collected isolates based on complementation tests involving nitrate non-utilizing
      (nit(-)) mutants. To determine genetic diversity and distribution of VCGs across
      agro-ecological zones, 832 nit(-) mutants from 52 locations in 11 administrative
      districts were paired with one self-complementary nitrate auxotroph tester-pair
      for each VCG. Atoxigenic VCGs accounted for 81.1% of the 153 positive
      complementations recorded. Genetic diversity of VCGs was highest in the derived
      savannah agro-ecological zone (H = 2.61) compared with the southern Guinea
      savannah (H = 1.90) and northern Guinea savannah (H = 0.94) zones. Genetic
      richness (H = 2.60) and evenness (E5  = 0.96) of VCGs were high across all agro
      ecological zones. Ten VCGs (40%) had members restricted to the original location
      of isolation, whereas 15 VCGs (60%) had members located between the original
      source of isolation and a distance > 400 km away. The present study identified
      widely distributed VCGs in Nigeria such as AV0222, AV3279, AV3304 and AV16127,
      whose atoxigenic members can be deployed for a region-wide biocontrol of
      toxigenic isolates to reduce aflatoxin contamination in maize.

PMID- 26503310
TI  - Effect of Exercise Training on Striatal Dopamine D2/D3 Receptors in
      Methamphetamine Users during Behavioral Treatment.
AB  - Methamphetamine use disorder is associated with striatal dopaminergic deficits
      that have been linked to poor treatment outcomes, identifying these deficits as
      an important therapeutic target. Exercise attenuates methamphetamine-induced
      neurochemical damage in the rat brain, and a preliminary observation suggests
      that exercise increases striatal D2/D3 receptor availability (measured as
      nondisplaceable binding potential (BPND)) in patients with Parkinson's disease.
      The goal of this study was to evaluate whether adding an exercise training
      program to an inpatient behavioral intervention for methamphetamine use disorder
      reverses deficits in striatal D2/D3 receptors. Participants were adult men and
      women who met DSM-IV criteria for methamphetamine dependence and were enrolled in
      a residential facility, where they maintained abstinence from illicit drugs of
      abuse and received behavioral therapy for their addiction. They were randomized
      to a group that received 1 h supervised exercise training (n=10) or one that
      received equal-time health education training (n=9), 3 days/week for 8 weeks.
      They came to an academic research center for positron emission tomography (PET)
      using [(18)F]fallypride to determine the effects of the 8-week interventions on
      striatal D2/D3 receptor BPND. At baseline, striatal D2/D3 BPND did not differ
      between groups. However, after 8 weeks, participants in the exercise group
      displayed a significant increase in striatal D2/D3 BPND, whereas those in the
      education group did not. There were no changes in D2/D3 BPND in extrastriatal
      regions in either group. These findings suggest that structured exercise training
      can ameliorate striatal D2/D3 receptor deficits in methamphetamine users, and
      warrants further evaluation as an adjunctive treatment for stimulant dependence. 

PMID- 26503311
TI  - Replication of Epigenetic Postpartum Depression Biomarkers and Variation with
      Hormone Levels.
AB  - DNA methylation variation at HP1BP3 and TTC9B is modified by estrogen exposure in
      the rodent hippocampus and was previously shown to be prospectively predictive of
      postpartum depression (PPD) when modeled in antenatal blood. The objective of
      this study was to replicate the predictive efficacy of the previously established
      model in women with and without a previous psychiatric diagnosis and to
      understand the effects of changing hormone levels on PPD biomarker loci. Using a
      statistical model trained on DNA methylation data from N=51 high-risk women, we
      prospectively predicted PPD status in an independent N=51 women using first
      trimester antenatal gene expression levels of HP1BP3 and TTC9B, with an area
      under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.69
      0.92, p<5 * 10(-4)). Modeling DNA methylation of these genes in N=240 women
      without a previous psychiatric diagnosis resulted in a cross-sectional prediction
      of PPD status with an AUC of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.68-0.93, p=0.01). TTC9B and HP1BP3
      DNA methylation at early antenatal time points showed moderate evidence for
      association to the change in estradiol and allopregnanolone over the course of
      pregnancy, suggesting that epigenetic variation at these loci may be important
      for mediating hormonal sensitivity. In addition both loci showed PPD-specific
      trajectories with age, possibly mediated by age-associated hormonal changes. The
      data add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that PPD is mediated by
      differential gene expression and epigenetic sensitivity to pregnancy hormones and
      that modeling proxies of this sensitivity enable accurate prediction of PPD. 

PMID- 26503313
TI  - [Techno-scientific revolution, sustainability of healthcare systems and stress].

PMID- 26503312
TI  - Systemic inflammation and oxidative stress post-lung resection: Effect of
      pretreatment with N-acetylcysteine.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: N-acetylcysteine has been used to treat a variety of
      lung diseases, where is it thought to have an antioxidant effect. In a randomized
      placebo-controlled double-blind study, the effect of N-acetylcysteine on systemic
      inflammation and oxidative damage was examined in patients undergoing lung
      resection, a human model of acute lung injury. METHODS: Eligible adults were
      randomized to receive preoperative infusion of N-acetylcysteine (240 mg/kg over
      12 h) or placebo. Plasma thiols, interleukin-6, 8-isoprostane, ischaemia-modified
      albumin, red blood cell glutathione and exhaled breath condensate pH were
      measured pre- and post-operatively as markers of local and systemic inflammation
      and oxidative stress. RESULTS: Patients undergoing lung resection and one-lung
      ventilation exhibited significant postoperative inflammation and oxidative
      damage. Postoperative plasma thiol concentration was significantly higher in the
      N-acetylcysteine-treated group. However, there was no significant difference in
      any of the measured biomarkers of inflammation or oxidative damage, or in
      clinical outcomes, between N-acetylcysteine and placebo groups. CONCLUSION:
      Preoperative administration of N-acetylcysteine did not attenuate postoperative
      systemic or pulmonary inflammation or oxidative damage after lung resection.
      CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT00655928 at ClinicalTrials.gov.

PMID- 26503314
TI  - [Clinical utility and psychometric properties of Prefrontal Symptoms Inventory
      (PSI) in acquired brain injury and degenerative dementias].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The cognitive, emotional and behavioural alterations secondary to
      acquired brain injury and degenerative dementias can be quantitatively and
      quantitatively appraised by administering self-reports that ask both patients and
      reliable informants about the difficulties patients have in their everyday life.
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The Prefrontal Symptoms Inventory (PSI) and the Modified
      Memory Failures in Everyday Life Questionnaire (MFE-30) were administered to 174
      paired participants: 87 patients with brain damage or degenerative dementias and
      their 87 reliable informants. In addition to the psychometric goodness of the
      tests, the study also explored the clinical usefulness of applying these
      questionnaires to patients and their informants in order to obtain a rate of
      discrepancy in the scores as a measure of anosognosia. RESULTS: The results show
      how applying the PSI-20 (20 items) or the PSI (46 items), whether administered
      together with the MFE-30 (30 items) or not, is a very useful procedure for
      assessing the symptoms in individuals with acquired brain injury or degenerative
      dementias, since it yields a great deal of information about patients'
      difficulties in their daily life. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend that, in addition to
      the compulsory neuropsychological assessment, questionnaires or inventories of
      symptoms like those proposed here should be carried out, due to the fact that
      they offer a number of advantages from the clinical point of view, as well as
      being efficacious and effective in economic terms.

PMID- 26503315
TI  - [Taylor Complex Figure test: administration and correction according to a
      normalization and standardization process in Spanish population].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Taylor Complex Figure (TCF) was created as an alternate form
      for the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure. Although both figures are widely used, to
      date, it has not been carried out the normalization of the TCF for Spanish
      population. AIM: To normalize and standardize the TCF taking into account the
      sociodemographic characteristics of the Spanish population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
      The present study is part of the Normacog Project. Seven hundred participants
      were recruited (18-90 years old), assessing the visuo-constructive ability and
      immediate visual memory by TCF. The effect of age, level of education and gender
      was analyzed on the performance of TCF and percentiles and scalar score for eight
      ranges of age and scalar score adjusted by the level of education. RESULTS:
      Results showed a significant effect of age and level of education on the
      performance in copy and memory of TCF, whereas gender was not significant. Age
      and education explained from 25.3% to 35.7% of the variance of TCF performance.
      The older and less educated, the worse performance shown in TCF. Percentiles,
      scalar score for each range of age and scalar score adjusted by the level of
      education were obtained. CONCLUSION: Administration instructions, scoring and the
      normative data of the TCF are provided taking into account the Spanish
      sociodemographic characteristics for adults in our country.

PMID- 26503316
TI  - Project ES3: attempting to quantify and measure the level of stress.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The WHO has qualified stress as a 'world epidemic' due to its
      increasingly greater incidence on health. The work described in this paper
      represents an attempt to objectively quantify the level of stress. AIM: The aim
      of the method developed here is to measure how close or how far a subject is from
      a situation that can be considered 'normal' in medical and social terms. SUBJECTS
      AND METHODS: The literature on the pathophysiology of stress and its methods of
      study in experiments on both animals and humans was reviewed. Nine prospective
      observational studies were undertaken with different types of subjects and
      stressors covering the different types of stress. RESULTS: The results of the
      literature review made it possible to identify the different types of stress, the
      indicators that yield significant results, the psychometric tests and the well
      documented 'stressors'. This material was then used to design the general method
      and the details of the nine clinical trials. The preliminary results obtained in
      some of the studies were used to validate the indicators as well as the efficacy
      of the techniques used experimentally to diminish stress or to produce it.
      CONCLUSIONS: The early results obtained in the experimental trials show that we
      are on the right path towards defining and validating multivariable markers for
      quantifying levels of stress and also suggest that the method can be applied in a
      similar way to the study of mental disorders.

PMID- 26503317
TI  - [Variability in the clinical presentation of Pompe disease: development following
      enzyme replacement therapy].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pompe disease is a generalized progressive disease caused by a
      deficiency of the lysosome enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA). We present three
      cases with different clinical symptomatology and treated with enzyme replacement
      therapy (ERT) with positive evolution. CASE REPORTS: Case 1: three-month old
      male, with weakness and rejecting meals; mild hepatomegaly, discrete macroglossia
      and muscular hypotony; and increased muscular enzymes. Case 2: five-month old
      male, with delayed motor development, severe neurosensory deafness, and
      respiratory disorder of difficult evolution; muscular hypotony; and mild increase
      in creatine kinase. Case 3: 22-year old male, with progressive dyspnea, with
      history of increased creatine kinase and transaminases, and hypercholesterolemia.
      He suffered from severe respiratory failure requiring endotraqueal intubation
      Muscular biopsy showed glycogen storage suggestive of Pompe disease. In the three
      cases, the EMG showed a characteristic pattern with pseudomyotonic discharges and
      the deficiency in GAA was confirmed in lymphocytes. One single mutation was
      observed in one case and two in the other two cases. Every patient received ERT
      showing a favorable evolution; with disappearance of cardiac disorders in case 1,
      improvement in motor development in both infants and no longer need for
      mechanical ventilation in case 3. CONCLUSION: Pompe disease has a wide
      variability in clinical expression. ERT achieves a good response, especially in
      infant forms of the disease. The survival of treated patients with these Pompe
      disease forms will allow knowing further the course of the disease.

PMID- 26503318
TI  - [Oxytocin in the treatment of the social deficits associated to autism spectrum
      disorders].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The recent involvement of oxytocin in social behavior of animals
      and humans has motivated the study of its effects on the social behavior of
      individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). AIMS: To review the current
      state of oxytocin studies concerning its therapeutic potential in treating social
      deficits of the ASD population, and to establish likely future directions to be
      taken by the studies in this field. DEVELOPMENT: Some studies have linked
      oxytocin to the pathophysiology of autistic disorders. Most studies that have
      administered oxytocin (mainly with intranasal administration of 24 IU) to ASD
      subjects have shown significant improvements in their social performance with
      acceptable safety parameters. However, there is controversial data as the outcome
      measures are widely dispersed, the samples are reduced and heterogeneous, and the
      treatment durations are different. The limitations related to the lack of
      understanding of the oxytocin's action mechanisms and the symptomatic
      heterogeneity of ASD are hampering progress towards the establishment of oxytocin
      as a treatment of ASD patients. Recent studies suggest the investigation of the
      combination of the oxytocin treatment with social skills training, and the
      enhancement of endogenous secretion of oxytocin. CONCLUSION: The effects of
      oxytocin are promising regarding the treatment of social deficits in ASD
      individuals. Future studies should aim to facilitate understanding of the
      oxytocin's ways of action and to establish the optimal treatment regime.

PMID- 26503319
TI  - [Transient neurological deficit secondary to left-side stylocarotid syndrome].

PMID- 26503320
TI  - [The value of ultrasounds in the detection of lingual fasciculations].

PMID- 26503321
TI  - Burning mouth syndrome secondary to pregabaline in a patient with mild frontal
      lobes atrophy.

PMID- 26503323
TI  - A new questionnaire for measuring quality of life - the Stark QoL.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Stark questionnaire measures health-related quality of life (QoL)
      using pictures almost exclusively. It is supplemented by a minimum of words. It
      comprises a mental and a physical health component. METHODS: A German sample of n
      = 500 subjects, age and gender stratified, filled out the Stark Qol questionnaire
      along with various other questionnaires via internet. RESULTS: The physical
      component shows good reliability (Cronbach's alpha = McDonalds Omega = greatest
      lower bound = .93), the mental component can be improved (Cronbach's alpha = .63,
      McDonalds Omega = .72, greatest lower bound = .77). Confirmatory factor analysis
      shows a good fit (Bentlers CFI = .97). Construct validity was proven. CONCLUSION:
      The Stark QoL is a promising new development in measuring QoL, it is a short and
      easy to apply questionnaire. Additionally, it is particularly promising for
      international research.

PMID- 26503324
TI  - Recognition-induced forgetting is not due to category-based set size.
AB  - What are the consequences of accessing a visual long-term memory representation?
      Previous work has shown that accessing a long-term memory representation via
      retrieval improves memory for the targeted item and hurts memory for related
      items, a phenomenon called retrieval-induced forgetting. Recently we found a
      similar forgetting phenomenon with recognition of visual objects. Recognition
      induced forgetting occurs when practice recognizing an object during a two
      alternative forced-choice task, from a group of objects learned at the same time,
      leads to worse memory for objects from that group that were not practiced. An
      alternative explanation of this effect is that category-based set size is
      inducing forgetting, not recognition practice as claimed by some researchers.
      This alternative explanation is possible because during recognition practice
      subjects make old-new judgments in a two-alternative forced-choice task, and are
      thus exposed to more objects from practiced categories, potentially inducing
      forgetting due to set-size. Herein I pitted the category-based set size
      hypothesis against the recognition-induced forgetting hypothesis. To this end, I
      parametrically manipulated the amount of practice objects received in the
      recognition-induced forgetting paradigm. If forgetting is due to category-based
      set size, then the magnitude of forgetting of related objects will increase as
      the number of practice trials increases. If forgetting is recognition induced,
      the set size of exemplars from any given category should not be predictive of
      memory for practiced objects. Consistent with this latter hypothesis, additional
      practice systematically improved memory for practiced objects, but did not
      systematically affect forgetting of related objects. These results firmly
      establish that recognition practice induces forgetting of related memories.
      Future directions and important real-world applications of using recognition to
      access our visual memories of previously encountered objects are discussed. 

PMID- 26503322
TI  - Insulin enhances striatal dopamine release by activating cholinergic interneurons
      and thereby signals reward.
AB  - Insulin activates insulin receptors (InsRs) in the hypothalamus to signal satiety
      after a meal. However, the rising incidence of obesity, which results in
      chronically elevated insulin levels, implies that insulin may also act in brain
      centres that regulate motivation and reward. We report here that insulin can
      amplify action potential-dependent dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens
      (NAc) and caudate-putamen through an indirect mechanism that involves striatal
      cholinergic interneurons that express InsRs. Furthermore, two different chronic
      diet manipulations in rats, food restriction (FR) and an obesogenic (OB) diet,
      oppositely alter the sensitivity of striatal DA release to insulin, with enhanced
      responsiveness in FR, but loss of responsiveness in OB. Behavioural studies show
      that intact insulin levels in the NAc shell are necessary for acquisition of
      preference for the flavour of a paired glucose solution. Together, these data
      imply that striatal insulin signalling enhances DA release to influence food
      choices. 

PMID- 26503325
TI  - E2-EPF UCP regulates stability and functions of missense mutant pVHL via
      ubiquitin mediated proteolysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Missense mutation of VHL gene is frequently detected in type 2 VHL
      diseases and linked to a wide range of pVHL functions and stability. Certain
      mutant pVHLs retain ability to regulate HIFs but lose their function by
      instability. In this case, regulating of degradation of mutant pVHLs, can be
      postulated as therapeutic method. METHOD: The stability and cellular function of
      missense mutant pVHLs were determine in HEK293T transient expressing cell and 786
      O stable cell line. Ubiquitination assay of mutant VHL proteins was performed in
      vitro system. Anticancer effect of adenovirus mediated shUCP expressing was
      evaluated using ex vivo mouse xenograft assay. RESULTS: Three VHL missense
      mutants (V155A, L158Q, and Q164R) are directly ubiquitinated by E2-EPF UCP (UCP)
      in vitro. Mutant pVHLs are more unstable than wild type in cell. Missense mutant
      pVHLs interact with UCP directly in both in vitro and cellular systems. Lacking
      all of lysine residues of pVHL result in resistance to ubiquitination thereby
      increase its stability. Missense mutant pVHLs maintained the function of E3
      ligase to ubiquitinate HIF-1alpha in vitro. In cells expressing mutant pVHLs,
      Glut-1 and VEGF were relatively upregulated compared to their levels in cells
      expressing wild-type. Depletion of UCP restored missense mutant pVHLs levels and
      inhibited cell growth. Adenovirus-mediated shUCP RNA delivery inhibited tumor
      growth in ex vivo mouse xenograft model. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that
      targeting of UCP can be one of therapeutic method in type 2 VHL disease caused by
      unstable but functional missense mutant pVHL.

PMID- 26503326
TI  - Love, faith and hope - a secondary analysis of prostate cancer survivors and
      their partners.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Men's experience of recovery from treatment for prostate cancer has
      been extensively researched with reports highlighting the physical side effects
      of treatments such as erectile dysfunction and incontinence. The psychological,
      emotional and spiritual burden of prostate cancer on men and their partners has
      received far less attention. DESIGN: In this study, a secondary thematic analysis
      of data from a series of separate but related qualitative studies with prostate
      cancer survivors and their partners was conducted to further explore themes of
      love, hope and faith within this population. RESULTS: This study identified
      unresolved needs related to the emotive concepts of love, hope and faith. The
      findings from this study can be employed to refine psychosocial assessments of
      men with prostate cancer, and provide a more comprehensive understanding of
      prostate cancer survivors supportive care needs.

PMID- 26503327
TI  - Vitamin D fortification and seasonality of birth in type 1 diabetic cases: D-tect
      study.
AB  - Fortification of margarine with vitamin D was mandatory in Denmark during 1961
      1985. The aim of the study was to assess whether gestational and early infancy
      exposure to margarine fortification was associated with seasonality of birth in
      Danish type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients. The risks of T1D in Danes born during
      various exposure periods around margarine fortification termination in 1985 were
      analyzed. As expected, the T1D hazards in males unexposed to margarine
      fortification and born in spring were higher than in males born in autumn:
      relevant hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) in various exposure groups
      ranged from 1.74 (1.112/2.708) to 37.43 (1.804/776.558). There were no
      indications of seasonality of birth in males exposed to fortification, nor in
      both exposed and unexposed females. The study suggests that early life exposure
      to low-dose vitamin D from fortified food eliminates seasonality of birth in T1D
      male patients. Further studies are required to investigate the identified gender
      differences. 

PMID- 26503328
TI  - Factors associated with the incidence of revision total knee arthroplasty in
      Korea between 2007 and 2012: an analysis of the National Claim Registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The number of revision total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) in Asian
      countries is projected to increase with the rapid growth of primary TKA. We
      investigated the factors associated with the incidence of revision TKA using a
      nationally representative database. METHODS: Data collected by the Health
      Insurance Review Agency of Korea, from 260,068 TKA patients between 2007 and
      2012, were used to estimate the incidence rate and cumulative incidence of
      revision TKA according to age, gender, and hospital TKA and prosthesis
      manufacturer volume. Age, hospital, and manufacturer volume were categorized into
      three groups. The incidence rates and cumulative incidences of revision TKA were
      computed by combining age and gender, and by combining hospital and prosthesis
      manufacturer volume. RESULTS: Incidence rates per 100,000 person-years were as
      follows: 1) by age: < 65 years, 447.2; 65-74 years, 363.7; >= 75 years, 270.9, 2)
      by gender: male, 537.8; female, 346.1; 3) by hospital volume (procedures/year): <
      20, 536.9; 20-199, 432.3; >= 200, 300.1; and 4) by manufacturer volume
      (prostheses/year): < 1500, 772.3; 1500-3999, 453.9; >= 4000, 345.6. The revision
      TKA incidence rate in young males was significantly higher compared to that in
      elderly females. The difference in cumulative incidence, between hospitals with
      an annual volume of < 20 procedures and those with a volume of 20-199 procedures,
      was reduced for manufacturers with an annual volume of >= 4000. Similarly, the
      difference in cumulative incidence between manufacturers with an annual volume of
      <1500 prostheses and those with a volume of 1500-3999 prostheses was reduced in
      hospitals with an annual volume of >= 200. CONCLUSION: Revision TKA incidence
      varied according to age, gender, and hospital and manufacturer volume. This data
      could inform clinical decisions and healthcare strategies.

PMID- 26503329
TI  - Building a Stronger System for Tracking Nutrition-Sensitive Spending: A
      Methodology and Estimate of Global Spending for Nutrition-Sensitive Foreign Aid.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is growing awareness that the necessary solutions for improving
      nutrition outcomes are multisectorial. As such, investments are increasingly
      directed toward "nutrition-sensitive" approaches that not only address an
      underlying or basic determinant of nutrition but also seek to achieve an explicit
      nutrition goal or outcome. Understanding how and where official development
      assistance (ODA) for nutrition is invested remains an important but complex
      challenge, as development projects components vary in their application to
      nutrition outcomes. Currently, no systematic method exists for tracking nutrition
      sensitive ODA. OBJECTIVE: To develop a methodology for classifying and tracking
      nutrition-sensitive ODA and to produce estimates of the amount of nutrition
      sensitive aid received by countries with a high burden of undernutrition.
      METHODS: We analyzed all financial flows reported to the Organization for
      Economic Co-Operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee Creditor
      Reporting Service in 2010 to estimate these investments. We assessed the
      relationships between national stunting prevalence, stunting burden, under-5
      mortality, and the amount of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive ODA.
      RESULTS: We estimate that, in 2010, a total of $379.4 million (M) US dollars
      (USD) was committed to nutrition-specific projects and programs of which 25
      designated beneficiaries (countries and regions) accounted for nearly 85% ($320
      M). A total of $1.79 billion (B) was committed to nutrition-sensitive spending,
      of which the top 25 countries/regions accounted for $1.4 B (82%). Nine categories
      of development activities accounted for 75% of nutrition-sensitive spending, led
      by Reproductive Health Care (30.4%), Food Aid/Food Security Programs (14.1%),
      Emergency Food Aid (13.2%), and Basic Health Care (5.0%). Multivariate linear
      regression models indicate that the amount of nutrition-sensitive (P = .001) and
      total nutrition ODA was significantly predicted by stunting prevalence (P =
      .001). The size of the total population of stunted children significantly
      predicted the amount of nutrition-specific ODA (P < .001). CONCLUSION: The
      recipient profile of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive ODA is related
      but distinct. Nutrition indicators are associated with the level of nutrition
      related ODA commitments to recipient countries. A reliable estimate of nutrition
      spending is critical for effective planning by both donors and recipients and key
      for success, as the global development community recommits to a new round of
      goals to address the interrelated causes of undernutrition in low-income
      countries.

PMID- 26503330
TI  - Development of porcine tetraploid somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos is
      influenced by oocyte nuclei.
AB  - Cloning efficiency in mammalian systems remains low because reprogramming of
      donor cells is frequently incomplete. Nuclear factors in the oocyte are removed
      by enucleation, and this removal may adversely affect reprogramming efficiency.
      Here, we investigated the role of porcine oocyte nuclear factors during
      reprogramming. We introduced somatic cell nuclei into intact MII oocytes to
      establish tetraploid somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos containing both
      somatic nuclei and oocyte nuclei. We then examined the influence of the oocyte
      nucleus on tetraploid SCNT embryo development by assessing characteristics
      including pronucleus formation, cleavage rate, and blastocyst formation. Overall,
      tetraploid SCNT embryos have a higher developmental competence than do standard
      diploid SCNT embryos. Therefore, we have established an embryonic model in which
      a fetal fibroblast nucleus and an oocyte metaphase II plate coexist. Tetraploid
      SCNT represents a new research platform that is potentially useful for examining
      interactions between donor nuclei and oocyte nuclei. This platform should
      facilitate further understanding of the roles played by nuclear factors during
      reprogramming. 

PMID- 26503331
TI  - Whole Exome Sequencing Identifies Frequent Somatic Mutations in Cell-Cell
      Adhesion Genes in Chinese Patients with Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - Lung squamous cell carcinoma (SQCC) accounts for about 30% of all lung cancer
      cases. Understanding of mutational landscape for this subtype of lung cancer in
      Chinese patients is currently limited. We performed whole exome sequencing in
      samples from 100 patients with lung SQCCs to search for somatic mutations and the
      subsequent target capture sequencing in another 98 samples for validation. We
      identified 20 significantly mutated genes, including TP53, CDH10, NFE2L2 and
      PTEN. Pathways with frequently mutated genes included those of cell-cell
      adhesion/Wnt/Hippo in 76%, oxidative stress response in 21%, and
      phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase in 36% of the tested tumor samples. Mutations of
      Chromatin regulatory factor genes were identified at a lower frequency. In
      functional assays, we observed that knockdown of CDH10 promoted cell
      proliferation, soft-agar colony formation, cell migration and cell invasion, and
      overexpression of CDH10 inhibited cell proliferation. This mutational landscape
      of lung SQCC in Chinese patients improves our current understanding of lung
      carcinogenesis, early diagnosis and personalized therapy. 

PMID- 26503333
TI  - Quantitative iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis of phosphoproteins and ABA-regulated
      phosphoproteins in maize leaves under osmotic stress.
AB  - Abscisic acid (ABA) regulates various developmental processes and stress
      responses in plants. Protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation is a central post
      translational modification (PTM) in ABA signaling. However, the phosphoproteins
      regulated by ABA under osmotic stress remain unknown in maize. In this study,
      maize mutant vp5 (deficient in ABA biosynthesis) and wild-type Vp5 were used to
      identify leaf phosphoproteins regulated by ABA under osmotic stress. Up to 4052
      phosphopeptides, corresponding to 3017 phosphoproteins, were identified by
      Multiplex run iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic and LC-MS/MS methods. The 4052
      phosphopeptides contained 5723 non-redundant phosphosites; 512 phosphopeptides
      (379 in Vp5, 133 in vp5) displayed at least a 1.5-fold change of phosphorylation
      level under osmotic stress, of which 40 shared common in both genotypes and were
      differentially regulated by ABA. Comparing the signaling pathways involved in vp5
      response to osmotic stress and those that in Vp5, indicated that ABA played a
      vital role in regulating these pathways related to mRNA synthesis, protein
      synthesis and photosynthesis. Our results provide a comprehensive dataset of
      phosphopeptides and phosphorylation sites regulated by ABA in maize adaptation to
      osmotic stress. This will be helpful to elucidate the ABA-mediate mechanism of
      maize endurance to drought by triggering phosphorylation or dephosphorylation
      cascades. 

PMID- 26503332
TI  - Retinal oxygen extraction in humans.
AB  - Adequate function of the retina is dependent on proper oxygen supply. In humans,
      the inner retina is oxygenated via the retinal circulation. We present a method
      to calculate total retinal oxygen extraction based on measurement of total
      retinal blood flow using dual-beam bidirectional Doppler optical coherence
      tomography and measurement of oxygen saturation by spectrophotometry. These
      measurements were done on 8 healthy subjects while breathing ambient room air and
      100% oxygen. Total retinal blood flow was 44.3 +/- 9.0 MUl/min during baseline
      and decreased to 18.7 +/- 4.2 MUl/min during 100% oxygen breathing (P < 0.001)
      resulting in a pronounced decrease in retinal oxygen extraction from 2.33 +/-
      0.51 MUl(O2)/min to 0.88 +/- 0.14 MUl(O2)/min during breathing of 100% oxygen.
      The method presented in this paper may have significant potential to study oxygen
      metabolism in hypoxic retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.

PMID- 26503335
TI  - Security of Semi-Device-Independent Random Number Expansion Protocols.
AB  - Semi-device-independent random number expansion (SDI-RNE) protocols require some
      truly random numbers to generate fresh ones, with making no assumptions on the
      internal working of quantum devices except for the dimension of the Hilbert
      space. The generated randomness is certified by non-classical correlation in the
      prepare-and-measure test. Until now, the analytical relations between the amount
      of the generated randomness and the degree of non-classical correlation, which
      are crucial for evaluating the security of SDI-RNE protocols, are not clear under
      both the ideal condition and the practical one. In the paper, first, we give the
      analytical relation between the above two factors under the ideal condition. As
      well, we derive the analytical relation under the practical conditions, where
      devices' behavior is not independent and identical in each round and there exists
      deviation in estimating the non-classical behavior of devices. Furthermore, we
      choose a different randomness extractor (i.e., two-universal random function) and
      give the security proof. 

PMID- 26503334
TI  - NLK functions to maintain proliferation and stemness of NSCLC and is a target of
      metformin.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Nemo-like kinase (NLK) is an evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine
      kinase that regulates the activity of a wide range of signal transduction
      pathways. Metformin, an oral antidiabetic drug, is used for cancer prevention.
      However, the significance and underlying mechanism of NLK and metformin in
      oncogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Here, we investigate a novel role of
      NLK and metformin in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: NLK expression was analyzed in 121 NSCLCs and 92 normal lung tissue
      samples from benign pulmonary disease. Lentivirus vectors with NLK-shRNA were
      used to examine the effect of NLK on cell proliferation and tumorigenesis in
      vitro. Then, tumor xenograft mouse models revealed that NLK knockdown cells had a
      reduced ability for tumor formation compared with the control group in vivo.
      Multiple cell cycle regulator expression patterns induced by NLK silencing were
      examined by western blots in A549 cells. We also employed metformin to study its
      anti-cancer effects and mechanisms. Cancer stem cell property was checked by
      tumor sphere formation and markers including CD133, Nanog, c-Myc, and KLF4.
      RESULTS: Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis revealed that NLK expression was up
      regulated in NSCLC cases (p < 0.001) and correlated with tumor T stage (p <
      0.05). Silencing of NLK suppressed cell proliferation and tumorigenicity
      significantly in vitro and in vivo, which might be modulated by JUN family
      proteins. Furthermore, metformin selectively inhibits NLK expression and
      proliferation in NSCLC cells, but not immortalized noncancerous lung bronchial
      epithelial cells. In addition, both NLK knockdown and metformin treatment reduced
      the tumor sphere formation capacity and percentage of CD133+ cells. Accordingly,
      the expression level of stem cell markers (Nanog, c-Myc, and KLF4) were decreased
      significantly [corrected]. CONCLUSION: NLK is critical for cancer cell cycle
      progression, and tumorigenesis in NSCLC, NLK knockdown, and metformin treatment
      inhibit cancer cell proliferation and stemness. Metformin inhibits NLK expression
      and might be a potential treatment strategy for NSCLC.

PMID- 26503336
TI  - CMTM8 inhibits the carcinogenesis  and progression of bladder cancer.
AB  - Bladder cancer is the most common tumor of the urinary tract. The incidence of
      bladder cancer has increased in the last few decades, thus novel molecular
      markers for early diagnosis and more efficacious treatment are urgently needed.
      Chemokine-like factor (CKLF)-like MARVEL transmembrane domain containing 8
      (CMTM8) is downregulated in several types of cancers and is associated with tumor
      progression. However, CMTM8 expression has been unexplored in bladder cancer to
      date. Our results revealed that the expression of CMTM8 was negative in 46 of 74
      (62.2%) bladder cancer samples via immunohistochemistry assay. CMTM8
      downregulation was associated with advancing tumor stage and tumor grade. CMTM8
      was successfully overexpressed by lentivirus in EJ and T24 cells, and the CCK-8
      and Transwell assays showed that CMTM8 overexpression decreased cell
      proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. In tumor xenografts upregulation
      of CMTM8 inhibited tumor growth and lymph node metastasis in vivo. In conclusion,
      overexpression of CMTM8 in bladder cancer results in reduced malignant cell
      growth, migration and invasion, which could make it a potential therapeutic
      target in the treatment of bladder cancer.

PMID- 26503337
TI  - Enhanced osteogenic potential of mesenchymal stem cells from cortical bone: a
      comparative analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold great promise for regenerative
      therapies in the musculoskeletal system. Although MSCs from bone marrow (BM-MSCs)
      and adipose tissue (AD-MSCs) have been extensively characterized, there is still
      debate as to the ideal source of MSCs for tissue-engineering applications in bone
      repair. METHODS: MSCs were isolated from cortical bone fragments (CBF-MSCs)
      obtained from patients undergoing laminectomy, selected by fluorescence-activated
      cell sorting analysis, and tested for their potential to undergo mesodermic
      differentiation. CBF-MSCs were then compared with BM-MSCs and AD-MSCs for their
      colony-forming unit capability and osteogenic potential in both normoxia and
      hypoxia. After 2 and 4 weeks in inducing media, differentiation was assessed
      qualitatively and quantitatively by the evaluation of alkaline phosphatase (ALP)
      expression and mineral deposition (Von Kossa staining). Transcriptional activity
      of osteoblastogenesis-associated genes (Alp, RUNX2, Spp1, and Bglap) was also
      analyzed. RESULTS: The cortical fraction of the bone contains a subset of cells
      positive for MSC-associated markers and capable of tri-lineage differentiation.
      The hypoxic conditions were generally more effective in inducing osteogenesis for
      the three cell lines. However, at 2 and 4 weeks, greater calcium deposition and
      ALP expression were observed in both hypoxic and normoxic conditions in CBF-MSCs
      compared with AD- and BM-MSCs. These functional observations were further
      corroborated by gene expression analysis, which showed a significant upregulation
      of Bglap, Alp, and Spp1, with a 22.50 (+/-4.55)-, 46.56 (+/-7.4)-, 71.46 (+/
      4.16)-fold increase compared with their uninduced counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: This
      novel population of MSCs retains a greater biosynthetic activity in vitro, which
      was found increased in hypoxic conditions. The present study demonstrates that
      quantitative differences between MSCs retrieved from bone marrow, adipose, and
      the cortical portion of the bone with respect to their osteogenic potential exist
      and suggests the cortical bone as suitable candidate to use for orthopedic tissue
      engineering and regenerative medicine.

PMID- 26503339
TI  - Effect of taurine on intestinal recovery following intestinal ischemia
      reperfusion injury in a rat.
AB  - PURPOSE: Taurine (TAU) is a sulfur-containing amino acid that is involved in a
      diverse array of biological and physiological functions, including bile salt
      conjugation, osmoregulation, membrane stabilization, calcium modulation, anti
      oxidation, and immunomodulation. Several studies have established that treatment
      with TAU significantly protects cerebral, cardiac and testicular injury from
      ischemia-reperfusion (IR). The purpose of the present study was to examine the
      effect of TAU on intestinal recovery and enterocyte turnover after intestinal IR
      injury in rats. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four
      experimental groups: (1) Sham rats that underwent laparotomy, (2) Sham-TAU rats
      that underwent laparotomy and were treated with intraperitoneal (IP) TAU (250
      mg/kg); (3) IR-rats that underwent occlusion of both superior mesenteric artery
      and portal vein for 30 min followed by 48 h of reperfusion, and (4) IR-TAU rats
      that underwent IR and were treated with IP TAU (250 mg/kg) immediately before
      abdominal closure. Intestinal structural changes, Park's injury score, enterocyte
      proliferation and enterocyte apoptosis were determined 24 h following IR. The
      expression of Bax, Bcl-2, p-ERK and caspase-3 in the intestinal mucosa was
      determined using Western blot and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Treatment with
      TAU resulted in a significant decrease in Park's injury score compared to IR
      animals. IR-TAU rats also demonstrated a significant increase in mucosal weight
      in jejunum and ileum, villus height in jejunum and ileum and crypt depth in ileum
      compared to IR animals. IR-TAU rats also experienced significantly lower
      apoptotic indices in jejunum and ileum which was accompanied by a higher Bcl
      2/Bax ratio compared to IR animals. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with taurine prevents
      gut mucosal damage and inhibits intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis following
      intestinal IR in a rat.

PMID- 26503340
TI  - The role of the BMP signaling cascade in regulation of stem cell activity
      following massive small bowel resection in a rat.
AB  - PURPOSE: Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are a group of growth factors that
      are implicated in intestinal growth, morphogenesis, differentiation, and
      homeostasis. The role of the BMP signaling cascade in stimulation of cell
      proliferation after massive small bowel resection is unknown. The purpose of this
      study was to evaluate the role of BMP signaling during intestinal adaptation in a
      rat model of short bowel syndrome (SBS). METHODS: Male rats were divided into two
      groups: Sham rats underwent bowel transection and SBS rats underwent a 75 % bowel
      resection. Parameters of intestinal adaptation, enterocyte proliferation and
      apoptosis were determined 2 weeks after operation. Illumina's Digital Gene
      Expression analysis was used to determine the BMP signaling gene expression
      profiling. BMP-related genes and protein expression were determined using real
      time PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: From the total
      number of 20,000 probes, 8 genes related to BMP signaling were investigated. From
      these genes, five genes were found to be up-regulated in jejunum (BMP1-10 %, BMP2
      twofold increase, BMP3-10 %, BMP2R-12 % and STAT3-28 %) and four genes to be up
      regulated in ileum (BMP1-16 %, BMP2-27 %, BMP3-10 %, and STAT3-20 %) in SBS vs
      sham animals with a relative change in gene expression level of 10 % or more. SBS
      rats also demonstrated a significant increase in BMP2 and STAT3 mRNA and protein
      levels (determined by real-time PCR and Western blot) compared to control
      animals. CONCLUSION: Two weeks following massive bowel resection in rats, the BMP
      signaling pathway is stimulated. BMP signaling may serve as an important mediator
      of reciprocal interactions between the epithelium and the underlying mesenchymal
      stroma during intestinal adaptation following massive bowel resection in a rat.

PMID- 26503341
TI  - Caffeine 7-N-demethylation and C-8-oxidation mediated by liver microsomal
      cytochrome P450 enzymes in common marmosets.
AB  - 1. 3-N-Demethylation of caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) is mediated by human
      cytochrome P450 1A2, whereas 7-N-demethylation and C-8-hydroxylation are
      reportedly catalyzed by monkey P450 2C9 and rat P450 1A2, respectively. 2. Roles
      of marmoset P450 enzymes in caffeine oxidation were investigated using nine
      marmoset liver microsomes and 14 recombinantly expressed marmoset P450 enzymes.
      3. Predominant caffeine 7-N-demethylation and C-8-hydroxylation activities in
      marmoset liver microsomes were moderately (r = 0.78, p < 0.05) and highly (r =
      0.82, p < 0.01) correlated with midazolam 1'-hydroxylation activities,
      respectively, while the former was not strongly affected by ketoconazole or alpha
      naphthoflavone. 4. Caffeine C-8-hydroxylation in liver microsomes was inhibited
      by ketoconazole and activated by alpha-naphthoflavone, suggesting main
      involvements of P450 3As. 5. Recombinant marmoset P450 3As had high Vmax/Km
      values for C-8-hydroxylation, comparable to Km values for marmoset liver
      microsomes. Marmoset P450 1As efficiently mediated caffeine 3-N-demethylation and
      C-8-hydroxylation with apparently lower Km values than those of liver microsomes.
      6. These results collectively suggest highly active marmoset P450 3A enzymes
      toward caffeine 8-hydorxylaiton and involvement of multiple P450 isoforms
      including P450 1A in caffeine 7-N- and 3-N-demethylations in marmoset livers.
      Marmoset P450s have slightly different properties to human or monkey P450s
      regarding caffeine metabolic pathways.

PMID- 26503343
TI  - Continuous Cognitive Tasks Improve Postural Control Compared to Discrete
      Cognitive Tasks.
AB  - Research suggests that postural control synergies are sensitive to cognitive
      manipulations; however, the impact of different types of cognitive tasks on
      postural control remains inconclusive. The authors examined the effect of
      discrete and continuous tasks on postural control. Sixteen healthy young adults
      (M age = 22.7 +/- 2.2 years) stood with feet together on a force platform while
      performing randomly assigned discrete and continuous cognitive tasks. Results
      demonstrated marked improvements in the area of 95% confidence ellipse and the
      standard deviation of the center of pressure in the anterior-posterior and medial
      lateral directions for continuous compared to discrete tasks. This reinforces the
      notion that continuous tasks are sufficient in providing less opportunity to
      consciously attend to postural control, thereby facilitating automatic postural
      control.

PMID- 26503342
TI  - Comparative transcriptomic analysis of immune responses of the migratory locust,
      Locusta migratoria, to challenge by the fungal insect pathogen, Metarhizium
      acridum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The migratory locust, Locusta migratoria manilensis, is an immensely
      destructive agricultural pest that forms a devastating and voracious gregarious
      phase. The fungal insect pathogen, Metarhizium acridum, is a specialized locust
      pathogen that has been used as a potent mycoinsecticide for locust control.
      Little, however, is known about locust immune tissue, i.e. fat body and hemocyte,
      responses to challenge by this fungus. METHODS: RNA-seq (RNA sequencing)
      technology were applied to comparatively examine the different roles of locust
      fat body and hemocytes, the two major contributors to the insect immune response,
      in defense against M. acridum. According to the sequence identity to homologies
      of other species explored immune response genes, immune related unigenes were
      screened in all transcriptome wide range from locust and the differential
      expressed genes were identified in these two tissues, respectively. RESULTS:
      Analysis of differentially expressed locust genes revealed 4660 and 138 up
      regulated, and 1647 and 23 down-regulated transcripts in the fat body and
      hemocytes, respectively after inoculation with M. acridum spores. GO (Gene
      Ontology) enrichment analysis showed membrane biogenesis related proteins and
      effector proteins significantly differentially expressed in hemocytes, while the
      expression of energy metabolism and development related transcripts were enriched
      in the fat body after fungal infection. A total of 470 immune related unigenes
      were identified, including members of the three major insect immune pathways,
      i.e. Toll, Imd (immune deficiency) and JAK/STAT (janus kinase/signal transduction
      and activator of transcription). Of these, 58 and three were differentially
      expressed in the insect fat body or hemocytes after infection, respectively. Of
      differential expressed transcripts post challenge, 43 were found in both the fat
      body and hemocytes, including the LmLys4 lysozyme, representing a microbial cell
      wall targeting enzyme. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that locust fat body and
      hemocytes adopt different strategies in response to M. acridum infection. Fat
      body gene expression after M. acridum challenge appears to function mainly
      through activation of innate immune related genes, energy metabolism and
      development related genes. Hemocyte responses attempt to limit fungal infection
      primarily through regulation of membrane related genes and activation of cellular
      immune responses and release of humoral immune factors.

PMID- 26503344
TI  - Relative Infestation Level and Sensitivity of Grapevine Cultivars to the
      Leafhopper Empoasca vitis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae).
AB  - The leafhopper Empoasca vitis (Gothe) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) feeds on veins of
      grapevine leaves, mainly on the phloem, causing physiological injury, color
      change and drying of leaf margins, yield and sugar content reduction. The
      relative infestation level (i.e., the probability that a plant is attacked by
      herbivores) of E. vitis on different grapevine cultivars and their sensitivity
      (i.e., the incidence of symptoms expression in response to herbivore feeding or
      other stimuli) to this pest were studied over four years in two vineyards located
      in northeastern Italy. Some cultivars (e.g., Carmenere and Sauvignon Blanc) were
      usually more infested than others (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Gris),
      although some differences were observed among years and sites. The sensitivity
      varied among cultivars, i.e., some of them showed more symptoms than expected on
      the basis of infestation levels (e.g., Carmenere and Merlot), in contrast with
      others (e.g., Rhine Riesling and Chardonnay). Information obtained can be used
      within the framework of integrated pest management in vineyards. Action
      thresholds should differ on the basis of sensitivity. Sampling must first be
      carried out on the most susceptible cultivar and, if the action threshold is
      exceeded, it should be extended to the remaining cultivars based on their
      decreasing relative infestation level. 

PMID- 26503345
TI  - Economic Benefit for Cuban Laurel Thrips Biological Control.
AB  - The Cuban laurel thrips, Gynaikothrips ficorum Marchal (Thysanoptera:
      Phlaeothripidae), is a critical insect pest of Ficus microcarpa in California
      urban landscapes and production nurseries. Female thrips feed and oviposit on
      young Ficus leaves, causing the expanding leaves to fold or curl into a
      discolored leaf gall. There have been attempts to establish specialist predator
      natural enemies of the thrips, but no success has been reported. We resampled the
      same areas in 2013-2014 where we had released Montandoniola confusa (= morguesi)
      Streito and Matocq (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) in southern California in 1995 but
      had been unable to recover individuals in 1997-1998. Thrips galls were
      significantly reduced in all three of the locations in the recent samples
      compared with the earlier samples. M. confusa was present in all locations and
      appears to be providing successful biological control. The value of the
      biological control, the difference between street trees in good foliage condition
      and trees with poor foliage, was $58,766,166. If thrips damage reduced the
      foliage to very poor condition, the value of biological control was $73,402,683.
      Total cost for the project was $61,830. The benefit accrued for every dollar
      spent on the biological control of the thrips ranged from $950, if the foliage
      was in poor condition, to $1,187, if the foliage was in very poor condition. The
      value of urban forest is often underappreciated. Economic analyses that clearly
      demonstrate the very substantial rates of return on investment in successful
      biological control in urban forests provide compelling arguments for supporting
      future efforts. 

PMID- 26503346
TI  - Non-O1, non-O139 Vibrio cholerae bacteremic skin and soft tissue infections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-O1, non-O139 Vibrio cholerae can cause sporadic cases of
      gastroenteritis and extra-intestinal invasive infections, following exposure to
      contaminated seawater or freshwater or after consumption of raw seafood.
      Bacteremic infections with skin and soft tissue manifestations are uncommon and
      in most cases are associated with liver cirrhosis, haematologic malignancies,
      diabetes mellitus and other immunosuppressed conditions. METHODS: The medical
      literature was reviewed and we found 47 published cases of non-O1, non-O139
      Vibrio cholerae bacteremic skin and soft tissue infections. A fatal case of
      bacteremia with bullous cellulitis in a 43-year-old patient with liver cirrhosis
      is described, which is the first reported in Greece. RESULTS: From January 1974
      to May 2015, a total of 48 patients with non-O1, non-O139 Vibrio cholerae
      bacteremia with skin and soft tissue infections were reported. Males
      predominated. Liver cirrhosis, chronic liver disease and alcohol abuse were
      common comorbidities. The soft tissue lesions most commonly described were
      localised cellulitis, with or without bullous and haemorrhagic lesions (66.7%),
      while necrotising fasciitis was more rare (29.2%). Of the 48 patients with non
      O1, non-O139 V. cholerae bacteremic skin and soft tissue infections, 20 (41.7%)
      died despite treatment. CONCLUSION: Although rarely encountered, non-O1, non-O139
      Vibrio cholerae should be included in the differential diagnosis of bacteremic
      skin and soft tissue infections in patients with underlying illnesses and
      epidemiologic risk factors. Timely and appropriate antibiotic and surgical
      treatments are important in the management of the infection.

PMID- 26503347
TI  - Efficacy and safety of low-dose SoluMatrix meloxicam in the treatment of
      osteoarthritis pain: a 12-week, phase 3 study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as meloxicam are
      commonly used to treat osteoarthritis (OA) but are associated with potentially
      serious dose-related adverse events (AEs). SoluMatrix meloxicam has been
      developed with the goal of enabling effective treatment at low doses. This phase
      3 study evaluated the efficacy and safety of low-dose SoluMatrix meloxicam
      capsules 5 mg and 10 mg administered once daily for 12 weeks in patients with OA
      related pain. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This randomized, double-blind study
      enrolled patients >=40 years of age with confirmed hip or knee OA (Kellgren
      Lawrence grade II-III) who were chronic users of NSAIDs and/or acetaminophen for
      OA pain and had Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index
      (WOMAC) pain subscale mean scores >=40 mm. Eligible patients experienced an OA
      pain flare (defined as a >=15 mm increase in the WOMAC pain subscale score)
      following discontinuation of NSAIDs/acetaminophen. Patients were randomized to
      receive once-daily SoluMatrix meloxicam 5 mg or 10 mg, or placebo for 12 weeks.
      ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01787188. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary
      outcome measure was the mean change from baseline in WOMAC pain subscale score at
      week 12. RESULTS: Low-dose SoluMatrix meloxicam 5 mg (-36.52 [2.49]; P = 0.0005)
      and 10 mg (-34.41 [2.68]; P = 0.0059) once-daily treatment significantly reduced
      the mean (standard error) WOMAC pain subscale score from baseline at week 12
      compared with placebo (-25.68 [2.64]). Patients treated with SoluMatrix meloxicam
      5 mg or 10 mg reported significantly greater improvements in total WOMAC score
      and in WOMAC stiffness and function subscale scores at 12 weeks compared with
      placebo. The most common AEs in the combined low-dose SoluMatrix meloxicam group
      were headache, diarrhea, nausea, osteoarthritis, and urinary tract infection.
      CONCLUSIONS: Low-dose SoluMatrix meloxicam may have a potential role as a new
      therapeutic option for the management of OA-related pain.

PMID- 26503348
TI  - Discrepancies Between Self-Reported Usual Sleep Duration and Objective Measures
      of Total Sleep Time in Treatment-Seeking Overweight and Obese Individuals.
AB  - To examine the agreement between actigraphy-estimated and self-reported sleep
      duration in obese individuals, we had 63 treatment seeking overweight/obese
      participants complete the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and report sleep
      duration for weekends and weekdays, and compared their reports to 7 days of
      actigraphy. Actigraph total sleep time correlated r = .20-.31 with self-report
      and the absolute discrepancy averaged 51-54 minutes. Only 20 of the 32 subjects
      (62.5%) classified as short sleepers (<7 hours/night) by actigraphy were
      similarly classified by self-report. Poor sleep quality was associated with
      greater absolute discrepancy between actigraphy and self-report. The weak
      correlations between self-report and actigraph should be considered in future
      efforts to increase sleep duration to promote weight loss in obese individuals.

PMID- 26503350
TI  - Mechanism of the anti-hypertensive property of the naturally occurring phenolic,
      malabaricone C in DOCA-salt rats.
AB  - In this study, we studied whether chronic oral administration of the natural
      antioxidant, malabaricone C (mal C) can reduce blood pressure (BP) and attenuate
      cardio-vascular remodeling in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt
      hypertensive rats. The dose of mal C for its anti-hypertensive action was
      optimized by measuring the systolic BP (SBP). DOCA-salt rats showed very high
      SBP, associated with organ hypertrophy, collagen depositions, and inflammatory
      infiltrations in cardiac and aortic sections, reduced plasma total antioxidant
      status and NO level, and increased levels of TBARS, PGI2 as well as
      vasoconstrictors (AVP, Big ET, and ET-1). DOCA-salt also reduced smooth muscle-
      and endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation in rats. Mal C reversed all these
      changes of the DOCA-salt rats and improved their vascular reactivity. Mal C
      exerts anti-hypertensive property in DOCA-salt rats by reducing oxidative stress
      and organ hypertrophy, and improving endothelial and vascular functions. Given
      that mal C has appreciable natural abundance and is non-toxic to rodents, further
      studies would help in establishing its medicinal potential against hypertension. 

PMID- 26503349
TI  - A p16-Ki-67-HMB45 immunohistochemistry scoring system as an ancillary diagnostic
      tool in the diagnosis of melanoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Melanoma is a skin cancer which treatment requires early diagnosis
      and large surgical removal. The histopathological diagnosis of a melanocytic
      tumour is sometimes difficult between a benign nevus and a malignant melanoma. We
      built an immunomarker-based score to differentiate nevi from melanomas. METHODS:
      Two independent sets of 308 (first set) and 62 (validation set) formalin-fixed
      and paraffin embedded tumour samples were studied using p16-Ki-67 and HMB45
      MelanA dual-staining immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In the first set of tumours,
      high Ki-67 index, low to null p16 immunohistochemistry and absence of HMB45
      immunohistochemistry gradient were more frequent in melanomas (156 primary
      tumours and 78 metastases) than in nevi (74 tumours). Nevertheless, none of these
      single parameters was able to differentiate all primary melanomas from all nevi.
      We built a scoring system based on the addition of semi-quantitative scorings of
      Ki-67 (0: <2%; 1:2-5%; 2:6-10%, 3:11-20%; 4:>20%) and p16 (0:>50% stained cells;
      1:11-50%; 2:1-10%; 3:0%) and HMB45 staining (0: gradient present; 1:
      doubtful/inconclusive gradient; 2: gradient absent). A p16-Ki-67-HMB45 total
      score from 0 to 9 permitted to classify nevi (score <4) and primary melanomas
      (score >=4) with a sensitivity of 97.4% and a specificity of 97.3% in the first
      set of tumours. Sensibility and specificity of 100 % were obtained in a second
      set (validation set) of 62 tumours (46 melanomas and 16 nevi). The total scoring
      also allowed analyzing 11 difficult or initially misdiagnosed tumours in our
      files. CONCLUSIONS: We propose a valuable triple p16-Ki-67-HMB45
      immunohistochemistry scoring system to help pathologists in the differential
      diagnosis of melanomas and nevi.

PMID- 26503351
TI  - Newly Developed Chronic Conditions and Changes in Health-Related Quality of Life
      in Postmenopausal Women.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To prospectively assess the effects of newly developed chronic
      conditions on changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in postmenopausal
      women. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Forty clinical centers in the
      United States. PARTICIPANTS: Women aged 50 to 79 enrolled in the Women's Health
      Initiative Observational Study during 1993-98 (N = 75,198). MEASUREMENTS: Onset
      of seven chronic conditions (hypertension, heart disease, stroke, cancer,
      osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, arthritis), HRQoL based on the Medical Outcomes
      Study 36-item Short Form survey (SF-36), and change in HRQoL from baseline to
      Year 3 in scores on the Physical (PCS) and Mental (MCS) Component Summary of the
      SF-36. RESULTS: Each of the seven chronic conditions was statistically
      significantly associated with HRQoL for physical and mental health. Women with
      incident stroke had the greatest decline in HRQoL for physical and mental health
      (PCS: 10.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 8.3-12.1; MCS: 10.4, 95% CI = 8.8
      12.1), which exceeded minimal clinically important differences (MCID). Having
      more new chronic conditions was associated with greater decrease in HRQoL.
      Declines in HRQoL in women with two or more chronic conditions exceeded MCID.
      Those with heart disease and stroke had the largest decline in physical health,
      and those with stroke and arthritis had the greatest decline in mental health.
      For all conditions other than stroke and diabetes mellitus, the more recently a
      condition was diagnosed, the greater the decrease in PCS. For stroke and cancer,
      a similar pattern was observed for MCS. CONCLUSION: The more conditions a woman
      developed, the greater reduction in HRQoL she experienced. Declines in HRQoL in
      women with stroke, cancer, and some combinations exceeded MCID. Findings from
      this study might lead to more-effective patient-centered approaches to health
      care for women with multiple chronic conditions.

PMID- 26503352
TI  - Conscientiousness increases efficiency of multicomponent behavior.
AB  - Many everyday situations require the flexible interruption and changing of
      different actions to achieve a goal. Several strategies can be applied to do so,
      but those requiring high levels of cognitive control seem to confer an efficiency
      (speed) advantage in situations requiring multi-component behavior. However, it
      is elusive in how far personality traits affect performance in such situations.
      Given that top-down control is an important aspect of personality and furthermore
      correlates with conscientiousness, N = 163 participants completed the NEO-FFI and
      performed an experimental (stop-change) paradigm assessing multicomponent
      behavior. Applying mathematical constraints to the behavioral data, we estimated
      the processing strategy of each individual. The results show that multicomponent
      behavior is selectively affected by conscientiousness which explained
      approximately 19% of the measured inter-individual behavioral variance.
      Conscientiousness should hence be seen as a major personality dimension
      modulating multicomponent behavior. Highly conscientious people showed a more
      effective, step-by-step processing strategy of different actions necessary to
      achieve a goal. In situations with simultaneous requirements, this strategy
      equipped them with an efficiency (speed) advantage towards individuals with lower
      conscientiousness. In sum, the results show that strategies and the efficiency
      with which people cope with situations requiring multicomponent behavior are
      strongly influenced by their personality. 

PMID- 26503353
TI  - Complex patterns of cis-regulatory polymorphisms in ebony underlie standing
      pigmentation variation in Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Pigmentation traits in adult Drosophila melanogaster were used in this study to
      investigate how phenotypic variations in continuous ecological traits can be
      maintained in a natural population. First, pigmentation variation in the adult
      female was measured at seven different body positions in 20 strains from the
      Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) originating from a natural
      population in North Carolina. Next, to assess the contributions of cis-regulatory
      polymorphisms of the genes involved in the melanin biosynthesis pathway, allele
      specific expression levels of four genes were quantified by amplicon sequencing
      using a 454 GS Junior. Among those genes, ebony was significantly associated with
      pigmentation intensity of the thoracic segment. Detailed sequence analysis of the
      gene regulatory regions of this gene indicated that many different functional cis
      regulatory alleles are segregating in the population and that variations outside
      the core enhancer element could potentially play important roles in the
      regulation of gene expression. In addition, a slight enrichment of distantly
      associated SNP pairs was observed in the ~10 kb cis-regulatory region of ebony,
      which suggested the presence of interacting elements scattered across the region.
      In contrast, sequence analysis in the core cis-regulatory region of tan indicated
      that SNPs within the region are significantly associated with allele-specific
      expression level of this gene. Collectively, the data suggest that the underlying
      genetic differences in the cis-regulatory regions that control intraspecific
      pigmentation variation can be more complex than those of interspecific
      pigmentation trait differences, where causal genetic changes are typically
      confined to modular enhancer elements.

PMID- 26503354
TI  - Endobronchial neurofibroma.

PMID- 26503355
TI  - Drug-Induced Vasculitis: New Insights and a Changing Lineup of Suspects.
AB  - An increasing number of therapeutic agents have been associated with a vasculitic
      syndrome. This usually involves small vessels, primarily capillaries, venules,
      and arterioles in leukocytoclastic vasculitis, small-vessel disease similar to an
      antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-related vasculitis, or mid-sized muscular
      arteries in a polyarteritis-like picture. Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies
      are present in many cases of vasculitis regardless of the size of the vessel
      involved. Monoclonal antibodies used to treat many autoimmune disorders have
      become the most common agents associated with drug-induced vasculitis. Important
      advances in epigenetics, genetics, and neutrophil apoptosis are providing new
      insights into the pathogenesis of both drug-induced vasculitis and idiopathic
      vasculitis. Although management has not changed significantly in the past few
      years where withdrawal of the offending agent is the primary intervention,
      increasing awareness of drug-induced vasculitis can lead to earlier diagnosis and
      prevention of severe organ damage and fatalities. 

PMID- 26503357
TI  - Using Computational Approaches to Improve Risk-Stratified Patient Management:
      Rationale and Methods.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic diseases affect 52% of Americans and consume 86% of health
      care costs. A small portion of patients consume most health care resources and
      costs. More intensive patient management strategies, such as case management, are
      usually more effective at improving health outcomes, but are also more expensive.
      To use limited resources efficiently, risk stratification is commonly used in
      managing patients with chronic diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease, diabetes, and heart disease. Patients are stratified based on
      predicted risk with patients at higher risk given more intensive care. The
      current risk-stratified patient management approach has 3 limitations resulting
      in many patients not receiving the most appropriate care, unnecessarily increased
      costs, and suboptimal health outcomes. First, using predictive models for health
      outcomes and costs is currently the best method for forecasting individual
      patient's risk. Yet, accuracy of predictive models remains poor causing many
      patients to be misstratified. If an existing model were used to identify
      candidate patients for case management, enrollment would miss more than half of
      those who would benefit most, but include others unlikely to benefit, wasting
      limited resources. Existing models have been developed under the assumption that
      patient characteristics primarily influence outcomes and costs, leaving physician
      characteristics out of the models. In reality, both characteristics have an
      impact. Second, existing models usually give neither an explanation why a
      particular patient is predicted to be at high risk nor suggestions on
      interventions tailored to the patient's specific case. As a result, many high
      risk patients miss some suitable interventions. Third, thresholds for risk strata
      are suboptimal and determined heuristically with no quality guarantee. OBJECTIVE:
      The purpose of this study is to improve risk-stratified patient management so
      that more patients will receive the most appropriate care. METHODS: This study
      will (1) combine patient, physician profile, and environmental variable features
      to improve prediction accuracy of individual patient health outcomes and costs;
      (2) develop the first algorithm to explain prediction results and suggest
      tailored interventions; (3) develop the first algorithm to compute optimal
      thresholds for risk strata; and (4) conduct simulations to estimate outcomes of
      risk-stratified patient management for various configurations. The proposed
      techniques will be demonstrated on a test case of asthma patients. RESULTS: We
      are currently in the process of extracting clinical and administrative data from
      an integrated health care system's enterprise data warehouse. We plan to complete
      this study in approximately 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Methods developed in this study
      will help transform risk-stratified patient management for better clinical
      outcomes, higher patient satisfaction and quality of life, reduced health care
      use, and lower costs.

PMID- 26503358
TI  - Caveolin-1 mediates chemoresistance in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells
      by targeting apoptosis through the Notch-1/Akt/NF-kappaB pathway.
AB  - Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), a family of ubiquitously expressed oligomeric structural
      proteins in many mammalian cells, has been shown to be an effective regulator of
      tumorigenesis. Recent studies have indicated that Cav-1 can promote resistance to
      chemotherapy in a variety of tumors. However, the regulation of Cav-1 on
      chemoresistance in ovarian cancer is still unknown. In the present study, the
      mRNA and protein expression level was investigated by RT-PCR and western blot
      analysis, respectively, and the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) value was
      measured by MTT assay. The protein expression level of P-glycoprotein (P-gp),
      Notch-1, p-Akt and p-NF-kappaB p65 were detected using western blot analysis and
      the apoptotic ratio was determined using the Annexin V-FITC/PI detection kit. The
      results showed that the mRNA and protein expression levels of Cav-1 were
      significantly higher in SKOV3/DDP and A2780/DDP than in SKOV3 and A2780,
      respectively. Knockdown of Cav-1 significantly decreased the IC50 value in
      cisplatin-resistant cells. The protein expression level of P-gp in SKOV3/DDP and
      A2780/DDP was significant higher than SKOV3 and A2780, respectively, and had no
      correlation with the Cav-1 siRNA transfection. The apoptotic ratio induced by
      cisplatin in normal ovarian cancer cells was higher than cisplatin-resistant
      ovarian cancer cells, and knockdown of Cav-1 could significantly enhance
      cisplatin induced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, knockdown of Cav-1 was also able
      to significantly downregulate the protein expression level of Notch-1, p-Akt and
      p-NF-kappaB p65 in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells. Overexpression of
      Cav-1 upregulated the IC50 value, but under the effect of Notch-1 siRNA or
      LY294002 or PDTC, the IC50 value was markedly decreased. Our results suggested
      that Cav-1 can promote the chemoresistance of ovarian cancer by targeting
      apoptosis through the Notch-1/Akt/NF-kappaB pathway.

PMID- 26503359
TI  - Gram-stain-based antimicrobial selection reduces cost and overuse compared with
      Japanese guidelines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Gram stain has been used as an essential tool for antimicrobial
      stewardship in our hospital since the 1970s. The objective of this study was to
      clarify the difference in the targeted therapies selected based on the Gram stain
      and simulated empirical therapies based on the antimicrobial guidelines used in
      Japan. METHODS: A referral-hospital-based prospective descriptive study was
      undertaken between May 2013 and April 2014 in Okinawa, Japan. All enrolled
      patients were adults who had been admitted to the Division of Infectious Diseases
      through the emergency room with suspected bacterial infection at one of three
      sites: respiratory system, urinary tract, or skin and soft tissues. The study
      outcomes were the types and effectiveness of the antibiotics initially selected,
      and their total costs. RESULTS: Two hundred eight patients were enrolled in the
      study. The median age was 80 years. A significantly narrower spectrum of
      antibiotics was selected based on the Gram stain than was selected based on the
      Japanese guidelines. The treatments based on the Gram stain and on the guidelines
      were estimated to be equally highly effective. The total cost of antimicrobials
      after Gram-stain testing was less than half the cost after the guidelines were
      followed. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the Japanese guidelines, the Gram stain
      dramatically reduced the overuse of broad-spectrum antimicrobials without
      affecting the effectiveness of the treatment. Drug costs were reduced by half
      when the Gram stain was used. The Gram stain should be included in all
      antimicrobial stewardship programs.

PMID- 26503360
TI  - Exposure to Schmallenberg virus in Irish sheep in 2013.

PMID- 26503361
TI  - Cerebral oxygen saturation after multiple perioperative influential factors
      predicts the occurrence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a frequent complication
      in elderly patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery, but its etiology is
      still unclear. Cerebral oxygen saturation (ScO2) represents the balance of
      cerebral oxygen supply and demand. The aim of present study was to evaluate the
      relationship between perioperative ScO2 and POCD, and to verify the hypothesis
      that the value of ScO2 after multiple perioperative influential factors could
      predict POCD in elderly patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
      METHODS: Seventy eight Patients aged more than 65 years undergoing elective TKA
      with intrathecal anesthesia were enrolled. Cognitive functions were assessed one
      day before and 6 days after surgery, and POCD were defined according to ISPOCD.
      Demographics were recorded. Perioperative ScO2, blood pressure (BP), blood gas
      analysis and other clinical data were monitored and recorded, then the decrease
      of ScO2, BP and PaO2 after influential factors were calculated. RESULTS: POCD
      occurred in 15 patients (19.2 %). BP decreased after anesthesia induction and
      tourniquet deflation, and PaO2 decreased after cement implantation was higher in
      POCD group. ScO2 of POCD group is significantly lower than non-POCD group (P <
      0.05), and the absolute value and percentage decrease of ScO2 became significant
      between two groups after multiple influential factors. ScO2 after all influential
      factors (anesthesia induction, cement implantation and tourniquet deflation) had
      the best predictive performance for POCD (AUC = 0.742), and the optimal threshold
      was 66.5 %. CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative ScO2 of patients with POCD is lower than
      patients without POCD. ScO2 after multiple perioperative influential factors
      could be an effective predictor for POCD, which reveal an important role of ScO2
      decrease in the development of POCD and provide possible treatment target.

PMID- 26503362
TI  - What are the social and individual factors that are associated with undergoing
      male circumcision as an HIV prevention strategy? A mixed methods study in Malawi.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is compelling evidence that medical male circumcision (MMC)
      decreases transmission of HIV. Nevertheless, the uptake of MMC is generally very
      low. Understanding the characteristics of individuals who choose MMC could inform
      future strategies for scaling-up MMC. The main objective of this study was to
      explore the social and individual characteristics of men that are associated with
      the uptake of circumcision as an HIV prevention strategy. METHODS: A mixed
      methods study, comprising a cross-sectional survey and an exploratory qualitative
      study, was conducted in Malawi. A total number of 1644 men, of at least 18 years
      old, participated in this study. A multistage sampling approach was used in the
      survey while convenience sampling was adopted in the qualitative study.
      Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression
      were performed to analyze the cross-sectional data and thematic content approach
      to analyze the qualitative data. RESULTS: Individuals who chose MMC were more
      likely to be unemployed (AOR=1.65; 95% CI: 1.30-2.11), to be married (AOR=3.16;
      95% CI: 2.21-4.52) and to have had exposure to MMC promotions (AOR=1.81; 95% CI:
      1.41-2.33). They were also more likely to reside in rural areas (AOR=1.85; 95%
      CI: 1.44-2.38), to perceive themselves as more vulnerable to HIV (AOR=1.60; 95%
      CI: 1.19-2.15) and to be more knowledgeable about the benefits of MMC (AOR=1.51;
      95% CI: 1.16-1.97). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that men who had certain
      social and individual characteristics (for example better knowledge of the
      benefits of MMC, greater perceived vulnerability to HIV, married and unemployed)
      were more likely to choose circumcision as a prevention strategy for HIV than
      those who lacked those characteristics. Strategies for increasing MMC take-up
      should recognize the current social/individual landscape of MMC uptake and ensure
      that deliberate efforts targeting marginalized categories of men are available.

PMID- 26503364
TI  - Silver(I)-Catalyzed Enantioselective Desymmetrization of Cyclopentenediones:
      Access to Highly Functionalized Bicyclic Pyrrolidines.
AB  - A highly enantioselective desymmetrization of prochiral cyclopentenediones via
      Ag(I)-catalyzed asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylide has been
      developed successfully. The methodology performs well over a broad scope of
      substrates, which provides facile access to a series of highly functionalized
      bicyclic pyrrolidine/cyclopentane derivatives in good to high yields with
      excellent stereoselectivities. 

PMID- 26503363
TI  - Transmission indices and microfilariae prevalence in human population prior to
      mass drug administration with ivermectin and albendazole in the Gomoa District of
      Ghana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Programme in Ghana involves
      annual mass drug administration (MDA) of ivermectin and albendazole to persons
      living in endemic areas. This is repeated annually for 4-6 years to span across
      the reproductive lifespan of adult worms. In order to stimulate participation of
      community members in the MDA programme, this study was carried out to understand
      local views on transmission, management and prevention of the disease. The study
      also presents baseline transmission indices and microfilariae prevalence in the
      human population in eight endemic communities of coastal Ghana prior to the MDA.
      METHODS: A descriptive survey was carried out to explore perceptions on causes,
      treatment and prevention of lymphatic filariasis. Perceptions on community
      participation in disease control programmes were also assessed. After
      participants were selected by cluster sampling and 100 MUl of blood sampled from
      each individual and examined for mf microfilariae. A similar volume of blood was
      used to determine the presence of circulating filarial antigen. Mosquitoes were
      collected simultaneously at all sites by human landing catches for 4 days per
      month over a six-month period. All Anopheles mosquitoes were dissected and
      examined for the larval stages of the parasite following which molecular
      identification of both vector and parasite was done. RESULTS: Eight hundred and
      four persons were interviewed, of which 284 (32.9%; CI 31.1-34.5) acknowledged
      elephantiasis and hydrocoele as health related issues in the communities. Thirty
      three people (3.8%; CI 2.1-5.5) thought sleeping under bed net could help prevent
      elephantiasis. Microfilariae prevalence was 4.6% (43/941) whiles 8.7% (75/861)
      were positive for circulating filarial antigen. A total of 17,784 mosquitoes were
      collected, majority (55.8%) of which were Anopheles followed by Culex species
      (40%). Monthly biting rates ranged between 311 and 6116 bites/person for all the
      eight communities together. Annual transmission potential values for An. gambiae
      s.s. and An. funestus were 311.35 and 153.50 respectively. CONCLUSION: Even
      though the highest mf density among inhabitants was recorded in a community that
      had the lowest Anopheles density with Culex species constituting 95% of all
      mosquitoes collected, Anopheles gambiae s.s. and An. funestus remained the main
      vectors.

PMID- 26503365
TI  - Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy Imaging of Microtubule Arrays in
      Intact Arabidopsis thaliana Seedling Roots.
AB  - Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy has generated tremendous success in
      revealing detailed subcellular structures in animal cells. However, its
      application to plant cell biology remains extremely limited due to numerous
      technical challenges, including the generally high fluorescence background of
      plant cells and the presence of the cell wall. In the current study, stochastic
      optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) imaging of intact Arabidopsis thaliana
      seedling roots with a spatial resolution of 20-40 nm was demonstrated. Using the
      super-resolution images, the spatial organization of cortical microtubules in
      different parts of a whole Arabidopsis root tip was analyzed quantitatively, and
      the results show the dramatic differences in the density and spatial organization
      of cortical microtubules in cells of different differentiation stages or types.
      The method developed can be applied to plant cell biological processes, including
      imaging of additional elements of the cytoskeleton, organelle substructure, and
      membrane domains. 

PMID- 26503367
TI  - Predicting On-Road Driving Performance and Safety in Cognitively Impaired Older
      Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the ability to predict on-road driving in cognitively
      impaired older drivers. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. SETTING:
      Laboratory tests and on-road assessment. PARTICIPANTS: Drivers with cognitive
      impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination score < 26, N = 43, mean age 74).
      MEASUREMENTS: The Roadwise Review, a hazard perception test (HPT), several vision
      tests, and a standardized 18-km driving assessment. RESULTS: The best prediction
      of passing or failing the on-road test was a combination of the HPT, leg
      strength, visual acuity, visual search and working memory, and number of
      medications taken (Nagelkerke coefficient of determination = 0.40). The
      sensitivity of the model was 71%, and the specificity was 75%. CONCLUSION:
      Further research is required to determine how these tests may be used or combined
      with other data (e.g., medical history) to assess fitness to drive of cognitively
      impaired older drivers.

PMID- 26503366
TI  - Cost-effectiveness analysis of anidulafungin for the treatment of candidaemia and
      other forms of invasive candidiasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Candidaemia and other forms of invasive candidiasis (C/IC) in the
      intensive care unit are challenging conditions that are associated with high
      rates of mortality. New guidelines from the European Society for Clinical
      Microbiology and Infectious Diseases strongly recommend echinocandins for the
      first-line treatment of C/IC. Here, a cost-effectiveness model was developed from
      the United Kingdom perspective to examine the costs and outcomes of antifungal
      treatment for C/IC based on the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and
      Infectious Diseases guidelines. METHODS: Costs and treatment outcomes with the
      echinocandin anidulafungin were compared with those for caspofungin, micafungin
      and fluconazole. The model included non-neutropenic patients aged >=16 years with
      confirmed C/IC who were receiving intravenous first-line treatment. Patients were
      categorised as either a clinical success or failure (patients with
      persistent/breakthrough infection); successfully treated patients switched to
      oral therapy, while patients categorised as clinical failures switched to a
      different antifungal class. Other inputs were all-cause mortality at 6 weeks,
      costs of treatment-related adverse events and other medical resource utilisation
      costs. Resource use was derived from the published literature and from discussion
      with clinical experts. Drug-acquisition/administration costs were taken from
      standard United Kingdom costing sources. RESULTS: The model indicated that first
      line anidulafungin could be considered cost-effective versus fluconazole
      (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio L813 per life-year gained) for the
      treatment of C/IC. Anidulafungin was cost-saving versus caspofungin and
      micafungin due to lower total costs and a higher rate of survival combined with a
      higher probability of clinical success. DISCUSSION: European Society for Clinical
      Microbiology and Infectious Diseases guidelines recommend echinocandins for the
      first-line treatment of C/IC; our model indicated that anidulafungin marries
      clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: From the United
      Kingdom perspective, anidulafungin was cost-effective compared with fluconazole
      for the treatment of C/IC and was cost-saving versus the other echinocandins.

PMID- 26503368
TI  - The shadows of a ghost: a survey of canine leishmaniasis in Presidente Prudente
      and its spatial dispersion in the western region of Sao Paulo state, an emerging
      focus of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Visceral leishmaniasis is an emerging zoonosis and its geographic
      distribution is restricted to tropical and temperate regions. Most of the
      individuals infected in Latin America are in Brazil. Despite the control measures
      that have been adopted, the disease is spreading throughout new regions of the
      country. Domestic dogs are involved in the transmission cycle and are considered
      to be the main epidemiologic reservoir of Leishmania infantum (syn. L. chagasi).
      Our aim was to determine the prevalence of canine leishmaniasis (CL) and
      Ehrlichiosis infection in Presidente Prudente as well as the spatial dispersion
      of the disease in the western region of Sao Paulo state. METHODS: Dogs underwent
      clinical examination and symptoms related to CL were recorded. Anti- Leishmania
      antibodies were detected using ELISA, rK39-immunocromatographic tests (DPP), and
      an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Anti-E. canis antibodies were
      detected by IFAT. A follow-up was conducted in dogs that were positive in the
      ELISA at the baseline study. Data on the spatial distribution of L. longipalpis
      and CL in Sao Paulo state were obtained from Brazilian public health agencies.
      RESULTS: Serum samples from 4547 dogs were analyzed. The seroprevalence of CL was
      11.2% by ELISA and 4.5 % by IFAT. In the follow-up, seroprevalence was 32.9% by
      ELISA, 15.3% by IFAT, 11.8 % by DPP test, and 66.5% for E. canis. There was a
      significant positive association between Leishmania and E. canis infection (P <
      0.0001). In the follow-up, clinical examinations revealed symptoms compatible
      with CL in 33.5% of the dogs. L. longipalpis was found in 24 and CL in 15
      counties of the Presidente Prudente mesoregion. The dispersion route followed the
      west frontier of Sao Paulo state toward Parana state. CONCLUSIONS: Low CL and
      high ehrlichiosis prevalence rates were found in Presidente Prudente city. This
      emerging focus of CL is moving through the western region of Sao Paulo state
      toward the border of Parana state. Integrated actions to fight the vector,
      parasites, infected dogs, and humans are needed to monitor the disease and
      implement strategies for epidemiologic control.

PMID- 26503369
TI  - Cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes of deprotonated N-methylbipyridinium ligands:
      effects of quaternised N centre position on luminescence.
AB  - Six new tricationic Ir(III) complexes of cyclometalating ligands derived from 1
      methyl-2-(2'-pyridyl)pyridinium or 1-methyl-4-(2'-pyridyl)pyridinium are
      described. These complexes of the form [Ir(III)(C^N)2(N^N)](3+) (C^N =
      cyclometalating ligand; N^N = alpha-diimine) have been isolated and characterised
      as their PF6(-) and Cl(-) salts. Four of the PF6(-) salts have been studied by X
      ray crystallography, and structures have been obtained also for two complex salts
      containing MeCN and Cl(-) or two Cl(-) ligands instead of N^N. The influence of
      the position of the quaternised N atom in C^N and the substituents on N^N on the
      electronic/optical properties are compared with those of the analogous complexes
      where C^N derives from 1-methyl-3-(2'-pyridyl)pyridinium (B. J. Coe, et al.,
      Dalton Trans., 2015, 44, 15420). Voltammetric studies reveal one irreversible
      oxidation and multiple reduction processes which are mostly reversible. The new
      complexes show intramolecular charge-transfer absorptions between 350 and 450 nm,
      and exhibit bright green luminescence, with lambdamax values in the range 508-530
      nm in both aqueous and acetonitrile solutions. In order to gain insights into the
      factors that govern the emission properties, density functional theory (DFT) and
      time-dependent DFT calculations have been carried out. The results confirm that
      the emission arises largely from triplet excited states of the C^N ligand
      ((3)LC), with some triplet metal-to-ligand charge-transfer ((3)MLCT)
      contributions. 

PMID- 26503370
TI  - Training community mental health staff in Guangzhou, China: evaluation of the
      effect of a new training model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing numbers of people with mental disorders receive services
      at primary care in China. The aims of this study are to evaluate impact of a new
      training course and supervision for community mental health staff to enhance
      their levels of mental health knowledge and to reduce their stigmatization toward
      people with mental illness. METHODS: A total of 77 community mental health staff
      from eight regions in Guangzhou in China were recruited for the study.4 regions
      were randomly allocated to the new training model group, and 4 to the old
      training model group. Levels of mental health knowledge were measured by purpose
      made assessment schedule and by the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS).
      Stigma was evaluated by the Mental Illness: Clinicians' Attitudes Scale (MICA)
      and the Reported and Intended Behavior Scale (RIBS). Evaluation questionnaires
      were given at the beginning of course, at the end, and at 6 month and at 12 month
      follow-up. RESULTS: After the training period, the 6-month, and the 12-month,
      knowledge scores of the intervention group were higher than the control group. At
      6-month and 12-month follow-up, means scores of MAKS of the intervention group
      increased more than the control group (both p < 0.05) when age, sex, marriage
      status, title and time were controlled for. At 6-month follow-up, means scores of
      MICA of the intervention group decreased more than that of the control group (p <
      0.01). At after-training, at 6-months, and at 12-months, mean scores of RIBS of
      the intervention group increased more than the control (p < 0.01, p < 0.001, p <
      0.001) when age, sex, marriage status, title and time were controlled for.
      CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the traditional training course and supervision, the
      new course improved community mental health staff knowledge of mental disorders,
      improving their attitudes toward people with mental disorder, and increasing
      their willingness to have contact with people with mental disorder.

PMID- 26503371
TI  - CytoSpectre: a tool for spectral analysis of oriented structures on cellular and
      subcellular levels.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Orientation and the degree of isotropy are important in many
      biological systems such as the sarcomeres of cardiomyocytes and other fibrillar
      structures of the cytoskeleton. Image based analysis of such structures is often
      limited to qualitative evaluation by human experts, hampering the throughput,
      repeatability and reliability of the analyses. Software tools are not readily
      available for this purpose and the existing methods typically rely at least
      partly on manual operation. RESULTS: We developed CytoSpectre, an automated tool
      based on spectral analysis, allowing the quantification of orientation and also
      size distributions of structures in microscopy images. CytoSpectre utilizes the
      Fourier transform to estimate the power spectrum of an image and based on the
      spectrum, computes parameter values describing, among others, the mean
      orientation, isotropy and size of target structures. The analysis can be further
      tuned to focus on targets of particular size at cellular or subcellular scales.
      The software can be operated via a graphical user interface without any
      programming expertise. We analyzed the performance of CytoSpectre by extensive
      simulations using artificial images, by benchmarking against FibrilTool and by
      comparisons with manual measurements performed for real images by a panel of
      human experts. The software was found to be tolerant against noise and blurring
      and superior to FibrilTool when analyzing realistic targets with degraded image
      quality. The analysis of real images indicated general good agreement between
      computational and manual results while also revealing notable expert-to-expert
      variation. Moreover, the experiment showed that CytoSpectre can handle images
      obtained of different cell types using different microscopy techniques. Finally,
      we studied the effect of mechanical stretching on cardiomyocytes to demonstrate
      the software in an actual experiment and observed changes in cellular orientation
      in response to stretching. CONCLUSIONS: CytoSpectre, a versatile, easy-to-use
      software tool for spectral analysis of microscopy images was developed. The tool
      is compatible with most 2D images and can be used to analyze targets at different
      scales. We expect the tool to be useful in diverse applications dealing with
      structures whose orientation and size distributions are of interest. While
      designed for the biological field, the software could also be useful in non
      biological applications.

PMID- 26503372
TI  - Hierarchically micro-patterned nanofibrous scaffolds with a nanosized bio-glass
      surface for accelerating wound healing.
AB  - A composite scaffold with a controlled micro-pattern, nano-sized fiber matrix and
      surface-modified nanobioglass component was successfully prepared for skin wound
      healing by combining the patterning electrospinning with pulsed laser deposition
      strategies, and the hierarchical micro/nano structures and nano-sized bioglass in
      the scaffolds could synergistically improve the efficiency and re
      epithelialization of wound healing. 

PMID- 26503374
TI  - Aging-related Increase in Rho Kinase Activity in the Nigral Region Is
      Counteracted by Physical Exercise.
AB  - Abnormal activation of the RhoA/Rho kinase (ROCK) pathway plays a pivotal role in
      neuroinflammatory and pro-oxidative responses, axonal retraction, and apoptosis.
      We observed increased expression of RhoA, ROCK II, and ROCK activity in the brain
      of aged rats, particularly in the substantia nigra. Increased ROCK activity may
      enhance major mechanisms responsible for aging-related neurodegeneration, thus
      representing a major factor in the vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons to
      damage. We also observed that physical exercise decreased ROCK activation in aged
      rats. This suggests that decreased ROCK activation plays an important role in the
      neuroprotective effects of exercise observed in several previous studies.
      Furthermore, the present results suggest that ROCK inhibitors may constitute an
      effective neuroprotective strategy against aging-related risk of dopaminergic
      degeneration and possibly against other aging-related neurodegenerative
      processes.

PMID- 26503375
TI  - Associations of Computed Tomography-Based Trunk Muscle Size and Density With
      Balance and Falls in Older Adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deficits in balance and muscle function are important risk factors
      for falls in older adults. Aging is associated with significant declines in
      muscle size and density, but associations of trunk muscle size and density with
      balance and falls in older adults have not been previously examined. METHODS:
      Trunk muscle size (cross-sectional area) and attenuation (a measure of tissue
      density) were measured in computed tomography scans (at the L2 lumbar level) in a
      cohort of older adults (mean +/- SD age of 81.9+/-6.4) residing in independent
      living communities. Outcome measures were postural sway measured during quiet
      standing and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) at baseline, and falls
      reported by participants for up to 3 years after baseline measurements. RESULTS:
      Higher muscle density was associated with reduced postural sway, particularly
      sway velocities, in both men and women, and better Short Physical Performance
      Battery score in women, but was not associated with falls. Larger muscle size was
      associated with increased postural sway in men and women and with increased
      likelihood of falling in men. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that balance
      depends more on muscle quality than on the size of the muscle. The unexpected
      finding that larger muscle size was associated with increased postural sway and
      increased fall risk requires further investigation, but highlights the importance
      of factors besides muscle size in muscle function in older adults.

PMID- 26503376
TI  - Adherence to Dietary Guidelines and Successful Aging Over 10 Years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to prospectively examine the relationship between overall
      diet quality (reflecting adherence to dietary guidelines) and successful aging in
      a population-based cohort of older adults. METHODS: In this population-based
      cohort study, we analyzed 10-year follow-up data from 1,609 adults aged 49 years
      and older, who were free of cancer, coronary artery disease, and stroke at the
      baseline and who had complete dietary data. Dietary data were collected using a
      semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Total diet scores (TDS) were
      allocated for intake of selected food groups and nutrients for each participant
      as described in the national dietary guidelines. Higher scores indicated closer
      adherence to dietary guidelines. Successful aging was defined as the absence of
      disability, depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment, respiratory symptoms, and
      chronic diseases (cancer, coronary artery disease, and stroke). RESULTS: At 10
      year follow-up, 610 (37.9%) participants had died and 249 (15.5%) participants
      aged successfully. After multivariable adjustment, each 1-unit increase in TDS at
      baseline was associated with a 8% increased odds of successful aging 10 years
      later, odds ratio 1.08 (95% confidence interval 1.00-1.15). Participants in the
      highest (high adherence to dietary guidelines) versus lowest quartile (poor
      adherence to guidelines) of TDS at baseline had 58% higher odds of successful
      aging after 10 years, odds ratio 1.58 (95% confidence interval 1.02-2.46).
      CONCLUSIONS: Greater compliance with recommended national dietary guidelines
      (higher diet quality) was associated with an increased likelihood of successful
      aging, as determined through a multidomain approach.

PMID- 26503378
TI  - Clinical Effectiveness of Mupirocin for Preventing Staphylococcus aureus
      Infections in Nonsurgical Settings: A Meta-analysis.
AB  - A systematic literature review and meta-analysis was performed to identify
      effectiveness of mupirocin decolonization in prevention of Staphylococcus aureus
      infections, among nonsurgical settings. Of the 15 662 unique studies identified
      up to August 2015, 13 randomized controlled trials, 22 quasi-experimental
      studies, and 1 retrospective cohort study met the inclusion criteria. Studies
      were excluded if mupirocin was not used for decolonization, there was no control
      group, or the study was conducted in an outbreak setting. The crude risk ratios
      were pooled (cpRR) using a random-effects model. We observed substantial
      heterogeneity among included studies (I(2) = 80%). Mupirocin was observed to
      reduce the risk for S. aureus infections by 59% (cpRR, 0.41; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], .36-.48) and 40% (cpRR, 0.60; 95% CI, .46-.79) in both dialysis
      and nondialysis settings, respectively. Mupirocin decolonization was protective
      against S. aureus infections among both dialysis and adult intensive care
      patients. Future studies are needed in other settings such as long-term care and
      pediatrics. 

PMID- 26503377
TI  - VU0477573: Partial Negative Allosteric Modulator of the Subtype 5 Metabotropic
      Glutamate Receptor with In Vivo Efficacy.
AB  - Negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype
      5 (mGlu5) have potential applications in the treatment of fragile X syndrome,
      levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, addiction,
      and anxiety; however, clinical and preclinical studies raise concerns that
      complete blockade of mGlu5 and inverse agonist activity of current mGlu5 NAMs
      contribute to adverse effects that limit the therapeutic use of these compounds.
      We report the discovery and characterization of a novel mGlu5 NAM, N,N-diethyl-5
      ((3-fluorophenyl)ethynyl)picolinamide (VU0477573) that binds to the same
      allosteric site as the prototypical mGlu5 NAM MPEP but displays weak negative
      cooperativity. Because of this weak cooperativity, VU0477573 acts as a "partial
      NAM" so that full occupancy of the MPEP site does not completely inhibit maximal
      effects of mGlu5 agonists on intracellular calcium mobilization, inositol
      phosphate (IP) accumulation, or inhibition of synaptic transmission at the
      hippocampal Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapse. Unlike previous mGlu5 NAMs,
      VU0477573 displays no inverse agonist activity assessed using measures of effects
      on basal [(3)H]inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation. VU0477573 acts as a full NAM
      when measuring effects on mGlu5-mediated extracellular signal-related kinases 1/2
      phosphorylation, which may indicate functional bias. VU0477573 exhibits an
      excellent pharmacokinetic profile and good brain penetration in rodents and
      provides dose-dependent full mGlu5 occupancy in the central nervous system (CNS)
      with systemic administration. Interestingly, VU0477573 shows robust efficacy,
      comparable to the mGlu5 NAM MTEP, in models of anxiolytic activity at doses that
      provide full CNS occupancy of mGlu5 and demonstrate an excellent CNS occupancy
      efficacy relationship. VU0477573 provides an exciting new tool to investigate the
      efficacy of partial NAMs in animal models. 

PMID- 26503380
TI  - Strong odd-frequency correlations in fully gapped Zeeman-split superconductors.
AB  - It is now well established that at a superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) interface
      an unconventional superconducting state arises in which the pairing is odd
      frequency. The hallmark signature of this superconducting state is generally
      understood to be an enhancement of the electronic density of states (DoS) at
      subgap energies close to the S/F interface. However, here we show that an odd
      frequency state can be present even if the DoS is fully gapped. As an example, we
      show that this is the case in the pioneering S/FI (where FI is a insulating
      ferromagnet) tunneling experiments of Meservey and Tedrow, and we derive a
      generalized analytical criterium to describe the effect of odd-frequency pairing
      on the DoS. Finally, we propose a simple experiment in which odd-frequency
      pairing in a Zeeman-split superconductor can be unambiguously detected via the
      application of an external magnetic field. 

PMID- 26503379
TI  - Moderate Sustained Virologic Response Rates With 6-Week Combination Directly
      Acting Anti-Hepatitis C Virus Therapy in Patients With Advanced Liver Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment of genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with
      combination directly acting antivirals (DAA) for 8-24 weeks is associated with
      high rates of sustained virologic response (SVR). We previously demonstrated that
      adding a third DAA to ledipasvir and sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) can result in high SVR
      rates in patients without cirrhosis. In this study, we investigated whether a
      similar regimen would yield equivalent rates of cure in patients with advanced
      liver fibrosis. METHODS: Fifty patients were enrolled at the Clinical Research
      Center of the National Institutes of Health and associated healthcare centers.
      Enrollment and follow-up data from April 2014 to June 2015 are reported here.
      Eligible participants were aged >=18 years, had chronic HCV genotype 1 infection
      (serum HCV RNA >=2000 IU/mL), and stage 3-4 liver fibrosis. HCV RNA was measured
      using a reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assay. RESULTS: Of
      patients treated with LDV, SOF, and the NS3/4A protease inhibitor GS-9451 for 6
      weeks, 76% (38 of 50; 95% confidence interval, 60%-85%) had SVR achieved 12 weeks
      after the end of treatment. There was no statistically significant difference in
      treatment efficacy between treatment-naive patients (72%, 18 of 25) and those
      with treatment experience (80%; 20 of 25) (P = .51). Overall, 11 patients (22%)
      experienced virologic relapse, and 1 (2%) was lost to follow-up at 4 weeks after
      treatment. No serious adverse events, discontinuations, or deaths were associated
      with this regimen. CONCLUSIONS: Adding a third DAA to LDV/SOF may result in a
      moderate SVR rate, lower than that observed in patients without cirrhosis.
      Significant liver fibrosis remains an impediment to achieving SVR with short
      duration DAA therapy. CHINESE CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: CT01805882.

PMID- 26503381
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26503382
TI  - How GPs value guidelines applied to patients with multimorbidity: a qualitative
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To explore and describe the value general practitioner (GPs)
      attribute to medical guidelines when they are applied to patients with
      multimorbidity, and to describe which benefits GPs experience from guideline
      adherence in these patients. Also, we aimed to identify limitations from
      guideline adherence in patients with multimorbidity, as perceived by GPs, and to
      describe their empirical solutions to manage these obstacles. DESIGN: Focus group
      study with purposive sampling of participants. Focus groups were guided by an
      experienced moderator who used an interview guide. Interviews were transcribed
      verbatim. Data analysis was performed by two researchers using the constant
      comparison analysis technique and field notes were used in the analysis. Data
      collection proceeded until saturation was reached. SETTING: Primary care, eastern
      part of The Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: Dutch GPs, heterogeneous in age, sex and
      academic involvement. RESULTS: 25 GPs participated in five focus groups. GPs
      valued the guidance that guidelines provide, but experienced shortcomings when
      they were applied to patients with multimorbidity. Taking these patients'
      personal circumstances into account was regarded as important, but it was impeded
      by a consistent focus on guideline adherence. Preventative measures were
      considered less appropriate in (elderly) patients with multimorbidity. Moreover,
      the applicability of guidelines in patients with multimorbidity was questioned.
      GPs' extensive practical experience with managing multimorbidity resulted in
      several empirical solutions, for example, using their 'common sense' to respond
      to the perceived shortcomings. CONCLUSIONS: GPs applying guidelines for patients
      with multimorbidity integrate patient-specific factors in their medical
      decisions, aiming for patient-centred solutions. Such integration of clinical
      experience and best evidence is required to practise evidence-based medicine.
      More flexibility in pay-for-performance systems is needed to facilitate this
      integration. Several improvements in guideline reporting are necessary to enhance
      the applicability of guidelines in patients with multimorbidity.

PMID- 26503383
TI  - Pilot study of a cluster randomised trial of a guided e-learning health promotion
      intervention for managers based on management standards for the improvement of
      employee well-being and reduction of sickness absence: GEM Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the feasibility of recruitment, adherence and likely
      effectiveness of an e-learning intervention for managers to improve employees'
      well-being and reduce sickness absence. METHODS: The GEM Study (guided e-learning
      for managers) was a mixed methods pilot cluster randomised trial. Employees were
      recruited from four mental health services prior to randomising three services to
      the intervention and one to no-intervention control. Intervention managers
      received a facilitated e-learning programme on work-related stress. Main outcomes
      were Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), 12-item GHQ and sickness
      absence <21 days from human resources. 35 in-depth interviews were undertaken
      with key informants, managers and employees, and additional observational data
      collected. RESULTS: 424 of 649 (65%) employees approached consented, of whom 350
      provided WEMWBS at baseline and 284 at follow-up; 41 managers out of 49 were
      recruited from the three intervention clusters and 21 adhered to the
      intervention. WEMWBS scores fell from 50.4-49.0 in the control (n=59) and 51.0
      49.9 in the intervention (n=225), giving an intervention effect of 0.5 (95% CI 
      3.2 to 4.2). 120/225 intervention employees had a manager who was adherent to the
      intervention. HR data on sickness absence (n=393) showed no evidence of effect.
      There were no effects on GHQ score or work characteristics. Online quiz knowledge
      scores increased across the study in adherent managers. Qualitative data provided
      a rich picture of the context within which the intervention took place and
      managers' and employees' experiences of it. CONCLUSIONS: A small benefit from the
      intervention on well-being was explained by the mixed methods approach,
      implicating a low intervention uptake by managers and suggesting that education
      alone may be insufficient. A full trial of the guided e-learning intervention and
      economic evaluation is feasible. Future research should include more active
      encouragement of manager motivation, reflection and behaviour change. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN58661009.

PMID- 26503384
TI  - Prevalence of vestibular dysfunction and associated factors in South Korea.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report the nationwide prevalence of dizziness and vestibular
      dysfunction in the Korean population and determine the associated factors.
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of a nationwide health survey. METHODS: We
      obtained data from the 2009 to 2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition
      Examination Surveys, which were cross-sectional surveys of the South Korean
      civilian, non-institutionalised population aged 40 years and older (N=3267). A
      field survey team performed interviews and physical examinations. Structured
      questionnaires were handed out and balance function tests using the modified
      Romberg test of standing balance on firm and compliant support surfaces were
      performed on participants. Failure on the modified Romberg test was regarded to
      indicate vestibular dysfunction. RESULTS: The prevalence of dizziness during the
      past year was 16.70% (95% CI 14.65% to 18.76%). The presence of vestibular
      dysfunction was noted in 1.84% (95% CI 1.18% to 2.51%). In addition, the
      prevalence of experiencing falls and positional dizziness were 1.46% (95% CI
      0.87% to 2.06%) and 1.73% (95% CI 1.17% to 2.29%), respectively. Multivariable
      analysis revealed that dizziness was associated with increased age, female
      gender, hearing loss and stress. Vestibular dysfunction was associated with
      increased age, history of dizziness and hearing loss. CONCLUSIONS: Vertigo and
      dizziness are the greatest contributors to the burden of disability in the aged
      population. Screening for dizziness and vestibular dysfunction, and management of
      associated factors might be important for improving compromised quality of life
      due to postural imbalance caused by vestibular problems.

PMID- 26503385
TI  - Qualitative analysis of vendor discussions on the procurement of Computerised
      Physician Order Entry and Clinical Decision Support systems in hospitals.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We studied vendor perspectives about potentially transferable lessons
      for implementing organisations and national strategies surrounding the
      procurement of Computerised Physician Order Entry (CPOE)/Clinical Decision
      Support (CDS) systems in English hospitals. SETTING: Data were collected from
      digitally audio-recorded discussions from a series of CPOE/CDS vendor round-table
      discussions held in September 2014 in the UK. PARTICIPANTS: Nine participants,
      representing 6 key vendors operating in the UK, attended. The discussions were
      transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. RESULTS: Vendors reported a range
      of challenges surrounding the procurement and contracting processes of CPOE/CDS
      systems, including hospitals' inability to adequately assess their own needs and
      then select a suitable product, rushed procurement and implementation processes
      that resulted in difficulties in meaningfully engaging with vendors, as well as
      challenges relating to contracting leading to ambiguities in implementation
      roles. Consequently, relationships between system vendors and hospitals were
      often strained, the vendors attributing this to a lack of hospital management's
      appreciation of the complexities associated with implementation efforts. Future
      anticipated challenges included issues surrounding the standardisation of data to
      enable their aggregation across systems for effective secondary uses, and
      implementation of data exchange with providers outside the hospital. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our results indicate that there are significant issues surrounding capacity to
      procure and optimise CPOE/CDS systems among UK hospitals. There is an urgent need
      to encourage more synergistic and collaborative working between providers and
      vendors and for a more centralised support for National Health Service hospitals,
      which draws on a wider body of experience, including a formalised procurement
      framework with value-based product specifications.

PMID- 26503386
TI  - The Malaysian Breast Cancer Survivorship Cohort (MyBCC): a study protocol.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Over recent decades, the burden of breast cancer has been
      increasing at an alarming rate in Asia. Prognostic research findings from Western
      countries may not readily be adapted to Asia, as the outcome of breast cancer
      depends on a multitude of factors ranging from genetic, clinical and histological
      predictors, to lifestyle and social predictors. The primary aim of this study is
      to determine the impact of lifestyle (eg, nutrition, physical activity), mental
      and sociocultural condition, on the overall survival and quality of life (QoL)
      among multiethnic Malaysian women following diagnosis of breast cancer. This
      study aims to advance the evidence on prognostic factors of breast cancer within
      the Asian setting. The findings may guide management of patients with breast
      cancer not only during active treatment but also during the survivorship period.
      METHODS: This hospital-based prospective cohort study will comprise patients with
      breast cancer (18 years and above), managed in the University Malaya Medical
      Centre (UMMC). We aim to recruit 1000 cancer survivors over a 6-year period. Data
      collection will occur at baseline (within 3 months of diagnosis), 6 months, and
      1, 3 and 5 years following diagnosis. The primary outcomes are disease-free
      survival and overall survival, and secondary outcome is QoL. Factors measured are
      demographic and socioeconomic factors, lifestyle factors (eg, dietary intake,
      physical activity), anthropometry measurements (eg, height, weight, waist, hip
      circumference, body fat analysis), psychosocial aspects, and complementary and
      alternative medicine (CAM) usage. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol was
      approved by the UMMC Ethical Committee in January 2012. All participants are
      required to provide written informed consent. The findings from our cohort study
      will be disseminated via scientific publication as well as presentation to
      stakeholders including the patients, clinicians, the public and policymakers, via
      appropriate avenues.

PMID- 26503387
TI  - Long-term ambient air pollution exposure and self-reported morbidity in the
      Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess the effect of long-term exposure to ambient air
      pollution on the prevalence of self-reported health outcomes in Australian women.
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The geocoded residential
      addresses of 26,991 women across 3 age cohorts in the Australian Longitudinal
      Study on Women's Health between 2006 and 2011 were linked to nitrogen dioxide
      (NO2) exposure estimates from a land-use regression model. Annual average NO2
      concentrations and residential proximity to roads were used as proxies of
      exposure to ambient air pollution. OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported disease
      presence for diabetes mellitus, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, asthma,
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and self-reported symptoms of allergies,
      breathing difficulties, chest pain and palpitations. METHODS: Disease prevalence
      was modelled by population-averaged Poisson regression models estimated by
      generalised estimating equations. Associations between symptoms and ambient air
      pollution were modelled by multilevel mixed logistic regression. Spatial
      clustering was accounted for at the postcode level. RESULTS: No associations were
      observed between any of the outcome and exposure variables considered at the 1%
      significance level after adjusting for known risk factors and confounders.
      CONCLUSIONS: Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution was not associated with
      self-reported disease prevalence in Australian women. The observed results may
      have been due to exposure and outcome misclassification, lack of power to detect
      weak associations or an actual absence of associations with self-reported
      outcomes at the relatively low annual average air pollution exposure levels
      across Australia.

PMID- 26503388
TI  - Impact of provision of cardiovascular disease risk estimates to healthcare
      professionals and patients: a systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To systematically review whether the provision of information on
      cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk to healthcare professionals and patients
      impacts their decision-making, behaviour and ultimately patient health. DESIGN: A
      systematic review. DATA SOURCES: An electronic literature search of MEDLINE and
      PubMed from 01/01/2004 to 01/06/2013 with no language restriction and manual
      screening of reference lists of systematic reviews on similar topics and all
      included papers. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: (1) Primary research
      published in a peer-reviewed journal; (2) inclusion of participants with no
      history of CVD; (3) intervention strategy consisted of provision of a CVD risk
      model estimate to either professionals or patients; and (4) the only difference
      between the intervention group and control group (or the only intervention in the
      case of before-after studies) was the provision of a CVD risk model estimate.
      RESULTS: After duplicates were removed, the initial electronic search identified
      9671 papers. We screened 196 papers at title and abstract level and included 17
      studies. The heterogeneity of the studies limited the analysis, but together they
      showed that provision of risk information to patients improved the accuracy of
      risk perception without decreasing quality of life or increasing anxiety, but had
      little effect on lifestyle. Providing risk information to physicians increased
      prescribing of lipid-lowering and blood pressure medication, with greatest
      effects in those with CVD risk >20% (relative risk for change in prescribing 2.13
      (1.02 to 4.63) and 2.38 (1.11 to 5.10) respectively). Overall, there was a trend
      towards reductions in cholesterol and blood pressure and a statistically
      significant reduction in modelled CVD risk (-0.39% (-0.71 to -0.07)) after, on
      average, 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: There seems evidence that providing CVD risk
      model estimates to professionals and patients improves perceived CVD risk and
      medical prescribing, with little evidence of harm on psychological well-being.

PMID- 26503389
TI  - Relationship between cardiovascular health score and year-to-year blood pressure
      variability in China: a prospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: On the basis of cardiovascular health factors and behaviours, the
      American Heart Association proposed the Cardiovascular Health Score (CHS). It has
      been widely used to estimate the cardiovascular health status of individuals. The
      aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between CHS and year-to
      year blood pressure variability (BPV). DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.
      SETTINGS: We stratified participants into two groups by gender: first group,
      female group; second group, male group. The relationship between CHS and year-to
      year blood pressure variability were analysed. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 41,613
      individuals met the inclusion criteria (no history of stroke, transient ischaemic
      attack, myocardial infarction, malignant tumour or atrial fibrillation) and had
      complete blood pressure data. RESULTS: The coefficient of the variation of
      systolic blood pressure (SCV) was 8.33% in the total population and 8.68% and
      8.22% in female and male groups, respectively (p<0.05). Multivariable linear
      regression analysis revealed that higher CHS was inversely associated with
      increasing year-to-year BPV, which persisted after adjusting for baseline
      systolic blood pressure and other risk factors. Each SD increase in CHS could
      lead to a 0.016SD decrease in SCV (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, CHS was
      inversely related to year-to-year BPV, which suggested that a healthy lifestyle
      may contribute to better blood pressure management.

PMID- 26503390
TI  - The impact of electronic prescribing systems on pharmacists' time and workflow:
      protocol for a time-and-motion study in English NHS hospitals.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Electronic prescribing (ePrescribing) systems are rapidly being
      introduced into National Health Systems (NHS) hospitals in England following
      their widespread earlier adoption into primary care settings. Such systems
      require substantial changes in the way pharmacists organise their work and
      perform their roles. There is however as yet limited evidence on the extent to
      which these changes may support or compromise efficient and safe working
      practices by pharmacists. Identifying and quantifying these changes, and their
      effects, is central to informing system and work practice design, as well as
      informing training and implementation processes. This protocol describes a study
      to measure the impact of ePrescribing systems on pharmacists' time and workflow.
      METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A direct observational controlled pre-post implementation
      time-and-motion study will be conducted in six wards at one NHS Trust over two
      observational periods. Pharmacists will be shadowed and details of all work tasks
      performed will be collected and time-stamped. Task distribution, frequency and
      duration will be measured and changes in these measures preimplementation and
      postimplementation, and between control and intervention wards will be measured.
      Interviews with pharmacists will investigate their perceptions of the impact of
      the ePrescribing systems on their work and will be conducted in both periods. The
      extent to which pharmacists' expectations of the impact of the ePrescribing
      systems on their work with postimplementation reports will be qualitatively
      explored, as will any differences between perceptions and results from the time
      and-motion analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Institutional research ethics
      approval has been obtained from The University of Edinburgh. Local approval from
      the participating NHS Trust and informed consent from participating pharmacists
      have been obtained, while also complying with local governance requirements. The
      results of the study will be presented at conferences, published in peer-reviewed
      journals, and shared with members of our Patient and Public Involvement Group, to
      facilitate wider dissemination.

PMID- 26503391
TI  - Acupuncture for treating alopecia areata: a protocol of systematic review of
      randomised clinical trials.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Acupuncture is frequently used in dermatology for treating a number
      of skin disorders. There is no critically appraised evidence of the potential
      benefits and harm of acupuncture for alopecia areata (AA). This review aims to
      systematically evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture for the management of AA in
      randomised clinical trials (RCTs). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: 13 databases will be
      searched from their inception. These include PubMed, AMED, EMBASE, the Cochrane
      Library, 6 Korean medical databases (Koreanstudies Information Service System,
      DBPIA, The Town Society of Science Technology, Research Information Sharing
      Service, KoreaMed and the Korean National Assembly Library), 3 Chinese Databases
      (China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), the Chongqing VIP
      Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP) and the Wanfang
      Database). Only randomised clinical trials (RCTs) using any type of acupuncture
      for AA will be considered. The selection of the studies, data abstraction and
      validation will be performed independently by two researchers. Methodological
      quality will be assessed with Cochrane risk of bias. DISSEMINATION: The
      systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. The review will
      also be disseminated electronically and in print. Updates of the review will be
      conducted to inform and guide the healthcare practice and policy. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO 2015: CRD42015020397.

PMID- 26503392
TI  - Comparative safety and effectiveness of long-acting inhaled agents for treating
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and network meta
      analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the safety and effectiveness of long-acting beta
      antagonists (LABA), long-acting antimuscarinic agents (LAMA) and inhaled
      corticosteroids (ICS) for managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
      SETTING: Systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA). PARTICIPANTS: 208
      randomised clinical trials (RCTs) including 134,692 adults with COPD.
      INTERVENTIONS: LABA, LAMA and/or ICS, alone or in combination, versus each other
      or placebo. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES: The proportion of patients with
      moderate-to-severe exacerbations. The number of patients experiencing mortality,
      pneumonia, serious arrhythmia and cardiovascular-related mortality (CVM) were
      secondary outcomes. RESULTS: NMA was conducted including 20 RCTs for moderate-to
      severe exacerbations for 26,141 patients with an exacerbation in the past year.
      32 treatments were effective versus placebo including: tiotropium,
      budesonide/formoterol, salmeterol, indacaterol, fluticasone/salmeterol,
      indacaterol/glycopyrronium, tiotropium/fluticasone/salmeterol and
      tiotropium/budesonide/formoterol. Tiotropium/budesonide/formoterol was most
      effective (99.2% probability of being the most effective according to the Surface
      Under the Cumulative RAnking (SUCRA) curve). NMA was conducted on mortality (88
      RCTs, 97 526 patients); fluticasone/salmeterol was more effective in reducing
      mortality than placebo, formoterol and fluticasone alone, and was the most
      effective (SUCRA=71%). NMA was conducted on CVM (37 RCTs, 55,156 patients) and
      the following were safest: salmeterol versus each OF placebo, tiotropium and
      tiotropium (Soft Mist Inhaler (SMR)); fluticasone versus tiotropium (SMR); and
      salmeterol/fluticasone versus tiotropium and tiotropium (SMR). Triamcinolone
      acetonide was the most harmful (SUCRA=81%). NMA was conducted on pneumonia
      occurrence (54 RCTs, 61 551 patients). 24 treatments were more harmful, including
      2 that increased risk of pneumonia versus placebo; fluticasone and
      fluticasone/salmeterol. The most harmful agent was fluticasone/salmeterol
      (SUCRA=89%). NMA was conducted for arrhythmia; no statistically significant
      differences between agents were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Many inhaled agents are
      available for COPD, some are safer and more effective than others. Our results
      can be used by patients and physicians to tailor administration of these agents.
      PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO # CRD42013006725.

PMID- 26503393
TI  - The Health and Sport Engagement (HASE) Intervention and Evaluation Project:
      protocol for the design, outcome, process and economic evaluation of a complex
      community sport intervention to increase levels of physical activity.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Sport is being promoted to raise population levels of physical
      activity for health. National sport participation policy focuses on complex
      community provision tailored to diverse local users. Few quality research studies
      exist that examine the role of community sport interventions in raising physical
      activity levels and no research to date has examined the costs and cost
      effectiveness of such provision. This study is a protocol for the design,
      outcome, process and economic evaluation of a complex community sport
      intervention to increase levels of physical activity, the Health and Sport
      Engagement (HASE) project part of the national Get Healthy Get Active programme
      led by Sport England. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The HASE study is a collaborative
      partnership between local community sport deliverers and sport and public health
      researchers. It involves designing, delivering and evaluating community sport
      interventions. The aim is to engage previously inactive people in sustained
      sporting activity for 1*30 min a week and to examine associated health and well
      being outcomes. The study uses mixed methods. Outcomes (physical activity,
      health, well-being costs to individuals) will be measured by a series of self
      report questionnaires and attendance data and evaluated using interrupted time
      series analysis controlling for a range of sociodemographic factors. Resource use
      will be identified and measured using diaries, interviews and records and
      presented alongside effectiveness data as incremental cost-effectiveness ratios
      and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves. A longitudinal process evaluation
      (focus groups, structured observations, in-depth interview methods) will examine
      the efficacy of the project for achieving its aim using the principles of
      thematic analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The results of this study will be
      disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, academic conference
      presentations, Sport England and national public health organisation policy
      conferences, and practice-based case studies. Ethical approval was obtained
      through Brunel University London's research ethics committee (reference number
      RE33-12).

PMID- 26503394
TI  - Multimorbidity in elderly hospitalised patients and risk of Clostridium difficile
      infection: a retrospective study with the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify the role of chronic comorbidities, considered together in
      a literature-validated index (Cumulative Illness Rating Scale, CIRS), and
      antibiotic or proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) treatments as risk factors for hospital
      acquired Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in elderly multimorbid
      hospitalised patients. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Subacute
      hospital geriatric care ward in Italy. PARTICIPANTS: 505 (238 male (M), 268
      female (F)) elderly (age>=65) multimorbid patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The
      relationship between CDI and CIRS Comorbidity Score, number of comorbidities,
      antibiotic, antifungal and PPI treatments, and length of hospital stay was
      assessed through age-adjusted and sex-adjusted and multivariate logistic
      regression models. The CIRS Comorbidity Score was handled after categorisation in
      quartiles. RESULTS: Mean age was 80.7+/-11.3 years. 43 patients (22 M, 21 F)
      developed CDI. The prevalence of CDI increased among quartiles of CIRS
      Comorbidity Score (3.9% first quartile vs 11.1% fourth quartile, age-adjusted and
      sex-adjusted p=0.03). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, patients
      in the highest quartile of CIRS Comorbidity Score (>=17) carried a significantly
      higher risk of CDI (OR 5.07, 95% CI 1.28 to 20.14, p=0.02) than patients in the
      lowest quartile (<9). The only other variable significantly associated with CDI
      was antibiotic therapy (OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.21 to 5.66, p=0.01). PPI treatment was
      not associated with CDI. CONCLUSIONS: Multimorbidity, measured through CIRS
      Comorbidity Score, is independently associated with the risk of CDI in a
      population of elderly patients with prolonged hospital stay.

PMID- 26503396
TI  - The relative importance of perceived doctor's attitude on the decision to consult
      for symptomatic osteoarthritis: a choice-based conjoint analysis study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Some patients spend years with painful osteoarthritis without
      consulting for it, including times when they are experiencing persistent severe
      pain and disability. Beliefs about osteoarthritis and what primary care has to
      offer may influence the decision to consult but their relative importance has
      seldom been quantified. We sought to investigate the relative importance of
      perceived service-related and clinical need attributes in the decision to consult
      a primary care physician for painful osteoarthritis. DESIGN: Partial-profile
      choice-based conjoint analysis study, using a self-complete questionnaire
      containing 10 choice tasks, each presenting two scenarios based on a combination
      of three out of six selected attributes. SETTING: General population.
      PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged 50 years and over with hip, knee or hand pain
      registered with four UK general practices. OUTCOME MEASURES: Relative importance
      of pain characteristics, level of disruption to everyday life, extent of
      comorbidity, assessment, management, perceived general practitioner (GP)
      attitude. RESULTS: 863 (74%) people responded (55% female; mean age 70 years,
      range: 58-93). The most important determinants of the patient's decision to
      consult the GP for joint pain were the extent to which pain disrupted everyday
      life ('most' vs 'none': relative importance 31%) and perceived GP attitude
      ('legitimate problem, requires treatment' vs 'part of the normal ageing process
      that one just has to accept': 24%). Thoroughness of assessment (14%), management
      options offered (13%), comorbidity (13%) and pain characteristics (5%) were less
      strongly associated with the decision to consult. CONCLUSIONS: Anticipating that
      the GP will regard joint pain as 'part of the normal ageing process that one just
      has to accept' is a strong disincentive to seeking help, potentially outweighing
      other aspects of quality of care. Alongside the recognition and management of
      disrupted function, an important goal of each primary care consultation for
      osteoarthritis should be to avoid imparting or reinforcing this perception.

PMID- 26503397
TI  - Classification of Healthcare-Associated Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia:
      Influence of Different Definitions on Prevalence, Patient Characteristics, and
      Outcome.
AB  - We investigated whether different definitions of healthcare-associated infection
      influenced the prevalence, characteristics, and mortality of patients with
      Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. With different definitions, the proportion of
      patients classified as having healthcare-associated S. aureus bacteremia varied
      substantially and the distribution of patient characteristics was influenced,
      whereas 30-day mortality remained robust.

PMID- 26503395
TI  - Protocol for the Care-IS Trial: a randomised controlled trial of a supportive
      educational intervention for carers of patients with high-grade glioma (HGG).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: High-grade glioma (HGG) is a rapidly progressive and debilitating
      disease. Primary carers experience significant levels of distress which impacts
      on their experience of caregiving, the quality of care received and the community
      in terms of the increased reliance on healthcare due to the potential development
      of complicated grief. This paper describes the protocol for testing the efficacy
      and feasibility of an intervention for primary carers of patients with HGG in
      order to improve preparedness to care and reduce carer distress. METHODS:
      Randomised controlled trial. The target population is carers of patients with HGG
      who are undergoing combined chemoradiotherapy. The intervention consists of 4
      components: (1) initial telephone assessment of unmet needs of the carer, (2)
      tailoring of a personalised resource folder, (3) home visit, (4) ongoing monthly
      telephone contact and support for 12 months. The control arm will receive usual
      care. PRIMARY HYPOTHESIS: This intervention will improve preparedness for caring
      and reduce carer psychological distress. SECONDARY HYPOTHESIS: This intervention
      will reduce carer unmet needs. The longer term aim of the intervention is to
      reduce patient healthcare resource utilisation and, by doing so, reduce costs.
      Assessments will be obtained at baseline, 8 weeks post intervention, then 4, 6
      and 12 months. Participants will also complete a healthcare utilisation checklist
      and proxy performance status which will be assessed at baseline and monthly. 240
      carers will be recruited. The sample size is 180. Multilevel mixed effects
      regression models will be applied to test the effect of the intervention. ETHICS:
      Ethics approval has been gained from Curtin University and the participating
      sites. DISSEMINATION: Results will be reported in international peer-reviewed
      journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials
      Registration (ACTRN)12612001147875.

PMID- 26503398
TI  - Comparison of simple screening criteria with the International Caries Detection
      and Assessment System classification in determining restorative treatment need.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Finnish Defence Forces' unique oral health-screening protocol
      (FDFsp) has been in use for decades. In FDFsp, restorative treatment need is
      determined based on the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The aim of this
      study was to compare the outcome of screening restorative treatment need with the
      outcome of using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS)
      classification at both individual and tooth levels. Our hypothesis was that the
      outcome of screening with FDFsp agrees with the outcome of using the ICDAS
      classification. METHODS: In this study, a trained, calibrated examiner estimated,
      in a visual-tactile manner the restorative treatment need of 337 young healthy
      adults using the FDFsp. During the screening, 74 conscripts were selected for a
      thorough inspection. The inclusion criteria for those selected were: having no,
      having one to five, or having six or more caries lesions needing restorative
      treatment. In the thorough inspection, the participants were inspected in a
      visual-tactile manner using the ICDAS classification. The association of the
      outcomes achieved using the two different methods was analysed at individual and
      tooth levels. Sensitivity, specificity, and kappa values were calculated. Wisdom
      teeth were excluded. RESULTS: At the individual level, the agreement between the
      outcomes of using FDFsp and ICDAS >=4 was excellent: sensitivity, 94.1%;
      specificity, 97.5%; and kappa = 0.92. When ICDAS >=3 was used, the values were
      72.7%, 96.7%, and 0.66%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Screening performed by a
      trained examiner using specific criteria is a reliable method for detecting
      individuals with restorative treatment need. The outcome of screening agrees
      strongly with results using the ICDAS classification.

PMID- 26503399
TI  - Each-step activation of oxidative phosphorylation is necessary to explain muscle
      metabolic kinetic responses to exercise and recovery in humans.
AB  - KEY POINTS: The basic control mechanisms of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS)
      and glycolysis during work transitions in human skeletal muscle are still a
      matter of debate. We used simulations of skeletal muscle bioenergetics to
      identify key system features that contribute to this debate, by comparing kinetic
      model outputs with experimental human data, including phosphocreatine, pH,
      pulmonary oxygen uptake and fluxes of ATP production by OXPHOS (vOX), anaerobic
      glycolysis and creatine kinase in moderate and severe intensity exercise
      transitions. We found that each-step activation of particular OXPHOS complexes,
      NADH supply and glycolysis, and strong (third-order) glycolytic inhibition by
      protons was required to reproduce observed phosphocreatine, pH and vOX kinetics
      during exercise. A slow decay of each-step activation during recovery, which was
      slowed further following severe exercise, was necessary to reproduce the
      experimental findings. Well-tested computer models offer new insight in the
      control of the human skeletal muscle bioenergetic system during physical
      exercise. ABSTRACT: To better understand muscle bioenergetic regulation, a
      previously-developed model of the skeletal muscle cell bioenergetic system was
      used to simulate the influence of: (1) each-step activation (ESA) of NADH supply
      (including glycolysis) and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes and (2)
      glycolytic inhibition by protons on the kinetics of ATP synthesis from OXPHOS,
      anaerobic glycolysis and creatine kinase. Simulations were fitted to previously
      published experimental data of ATP production fluxes and metabolite
      concentrations during moderate and severe intensity exercise transitions in
      bilateral knee extension in humans. Overall, the computer simulations agreed well
      with experimental results. Specifically, a large (>5-fold) direct activation of
      all OXPHOS complexes was required to simulate measured phosphocreatine and OXPHOS
      responses to both moderate and severe intensity exercise. In addition, slow decay
      of ESA was required to fit phosphocreatine recovery kinetics, and the time
      constant of ESA decay was slower following severe (180 s) than moderate (90 s)
      exercise. Additionally, a strong inhibition of (anaerobic) glycolysis by protons
      (glycolytic rate inversely proportional to the cube of proton concentration)
      provided the best fit to the experimental pH kinetics, and may contribute to the
      progressive increase in oxidative ATP supply during acidifying contractions.
      During severe-intensity exercise, an 'additional' ATP usage (a 27% increase at 8
      min, above the initial ATP supply) was necessary to explain the observed VO2 slow
      component. Thus, parallel activation of ATP usage and ATP supply (ESA), and a
      strong inhibition of ATP supply by anaerobic glycolysis, were necessary to
      simulate the kinetics of muscle bioenergetics observed in humans.

PMID- 26503400
TI  - Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis for precision gene editing.
AB  - Differences in gene sequences, many of which are single nucleotide polymorphisms,
      underlie some of the most important traits in plants. With humanity facing
      significant challenges to increase global agricultural productivity, there is an
      urgent need to accelerate the development of these traits in plants.
      oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis (ODM), one of the many tools of Cibus' Rapid
      Trait Development System (RTDS(TM) ) technology, offers a rapid, precise and non
      transgenic breeding alternative for trait improvement in agriculture to address
      this urgent need. This review explores the application of ODM as a precision
      genome editing technology, with emphasis on using oligonucleotides to make
      targeted edits in plasmid, episomal and chromosomal DNA of bacterial, fungal,
      mammalian and plant systems. The process of employing ODM by way of RTDS
      technology has been improved in many ways by utilizing a fluorescence conversion
      system wherein a blue fluorescent protein (BFP) can be changed to a green
      fluorescent protein (GFP) by editing a single nucleotide of the BFP gene (CAC
      >TAC; H66 to Y66). For example, dependent on oligonucleotide length, applying
      oligonucleotide-mediated technology to target the BFP transgene in Arabidopsis
      thaliana protoplasts resulted in up to 0.05% precisely edited GFP loci. Here, the
      development of traits in commercially relevant plant varieties to improve crop
      performance by genome editing technologies such as ODM, and by extension RTDS, is
      reviewed. 

PMID- 26503402
TI  - Hormonal contraceptive use in Ireland: trends and co-prescribing practices.
AB  - Hormonal contraceptives are highly prevalent. Currently, little is known about
      Irish hormonal contraceptive trends to date since the 1995 British media
      contraceptive controversy. The aim of this study was to examine recent trends in
      contraceptive use in Ireland and to determine the frequency of co-prescriptions
      with important interacting medications. Approximately 40% of the Irish population
      are prescribed 70% of total medicines under the Irish GMS scheme. Medicines were
      identified using the WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification
      system. Regression analysis was used to examine trends over time. Of all
      contraceptives dispensed in 2013, oral contraceptives were used the most (74%)
      and long acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) the least (7.5%). Fourth
      generation combined oral contraceptives (COCs) predominated, although a slight
      significant decline was shown (P < 0.0001). Second and third generation COCs were
      significantly increasing and decreasing, respectively (P < 0.0001). Progestin
      only pills were significantly increasing (P < 0.0001 across age groups). Low
      rates of contraceptive co-prescribing with important interacting drugs are shown.
      However, 93.6% of those on enzyme-inducing anti-epileptic medications were co
      prescribed ineffective contraception containing <50 MUg oestrogen.Irish
      prescribing trends of second and third generation COCs have remained consistent
      since 1995. The slow decline in fourth generation COC uptake follows new evidence
      of an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) reported in 2011. The low,
      but increasing, uptake of LARCs is consistent with other countries. Co
      prescribing practices involving hormonal contraceptives requires continued
      vigilance. This study emphasizes the need to optimize co-prescribing practices
      involving hormonal contraceptives and anti-epileptic medications and highlights
      the need to address the barriers to the currently low uptake of LARC methods in
      Ireland.

PMID- 26503401
TI  - Fast macromolecular proton fraction mapping of the human liver in vivo for
      quantitative assessment of hepatic fibrosis.
AB  - The macromolecular proton fraction (MPF) is a quantitative MRI parameter
      determining the magnetization transfer (MT) effect in tissues, and is defined as
      the relative amount of immobile macromolecular protons involved in magnetization
      exchange with mobile water protons. MPF has the potential to provide a
      quantitative assessment of fibrous tissue because of the intrinsically high MPF
      specific for collagen. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship
      between histologically determined fibrosis stage and MPF in the liver parenchyma
      measured using a recently developed fast single-point clinically targeted MPF
      mapping method. Optimal saturation parameters for single-point liver MPF
      measurements were determined from the analysis of liver Z spectra in vivo based
      on the error propagation model. Sixteen patients with chronic hepatitis C viral
      infection underwent 3-T MRI using an optimized liver MPF mapping protocol.
      Fourteen patients had prior liver biopsy with histologically staged fibrosis
      (METAVIR scores F0-F3) and two patients had clinically diagnosed cirrhosis (score
      F4 was assigned). The protocol included four breath-hold three-dimensional scans
      with 2 * 3 * 6-mm(3) resolution and 10 transverse sections: dynamic acquisition
      of MT-weighted and reference images; dynamic acquisition of three images for
      variable flip angle T1 mapping; dual-echo B0 map; and actual flip angle imaging
      B1 map. The average liver MPF was determined as the mode of the MPF histograms.
      MPF was significantly increased in patients with clinically significant fibrosis
      (scores F2-F4, n = 6) relative to patients with no or mild fibrosis (scores F0
      F1, n = 10): 6.49 +/- 0.36% versus 5.94 +/- 0.26%, p < 0.01 (Mann-Whitney test).
      MPF and fibrosis scores were strongly positively correlated, with a Spearman's
      rank correlation coefficient of 0.80 (p < 0.001). This study demonstrates the
      feasibility of fast MPF mapping of the human liver in vivo and confirms the
      hypothesis that MPF is increased in hepatic fibrosis and associated with fibrosis
      stage. MPF may be useful as a non-invasive imaging biomarker of hepatic fibrosis.

PMID- 26503403
TI  - Measuring regional and district variations in the incidence of pregnancy-induced
      hypertension in Ghana: challenges, opportunities and implications for maternal
      and newborn health policy and programmes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to assess the quality of health management
      information system (HMIS) data needed for assessment of local area variation in
      pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) incidence and to describe district and
      regional variations in PIH incidence. METHODS: A retrospective review of
      antenatal and delivery records of 2682 pregnant women in 10 district hospitals in
      the Greater Accra and Upper West regions of Ghana was conducted in 2013. Quality
      of HMIS data was assessed by completeness of reporting. The incidence of PIH was
      estimated for each district. RESULTS: Key variables for routine assessment of PIH
      such as blood pressure (BP) at antenatal visits, weight and height were 95-100%
      complete. Fundal height, gestational age and BP at delivery were not consistently
      reported. The incidence of PIH differed significantly between Greater Accra
      region (6.1%) and Upper West region (3.2%). Prevalence of obesity among pregnant
      women in Greater Accra region (13.9%) was significantly higher than that of women
      in Upper West region (2.2%). CONCLUSIONS: More attention needs to be given to
      understanding local area variations in PIH and possible relationships with
      urbanisation and lifestyle changes that promote obesity, to inform maternal and
      newborn health policy. This can be done with good quality routine HMIS data.

PMID- 26503404
TI  - Unwinding DNA and RNA with Synthetic Complexes: On the Way to Artificial
      Helicases.
AB  - Synthetic helicases can be designed on the basis of ligands that bind more
      strongly to single-stranded nucleic acids than to double-stranded nucleic acids.
      This can be achieved with ligands containing phenyl groups, which intercalate
      into single strands, but due to their small size not into double strands.
      Moreover, two phenyl rings are combined with a distance that allows bis
      intercalation with only single strands and not double strands. In this respect,
      such ligands also mimic single-strand binding (SSB) proteins. Exploration with
      more than 23 ligands, mostly newly synthesised, shows that the distance between
      the phenyl rings and between those and the linker influence the DNA unwinding
      efficiency, which can reach a melting point decrease of almost DeltaTm =50 
      degrees C at much lower concentrations than that with any other known artificial
      helicases. Conformational pre-organisation of the ligand plays a decisive role in
      optimal efficiency. Substituents at the phenyl rings have a large effect, and
      increase, for example, in the order of H<F<Cl<Br, which illustrates the strong
      role of dispersive interactions in intercalation. Studies with homopolymers
      revealed significant selectivity: for example, with a ligand concentration of 40
      MUM at 35  degrees C, only GC double strands melt (DeltaTm =48  degrees C),
      whereas the AT strand remains untouched, and with poly(rA)-poly(rU) as an RNA
      model one observes unfolding at 29  degrees C with a concentration of only 30
      MUM. 

PMID- 26503405
TI  - Supramolecular Ligands for Histone Tails by Employing a Multivalent Display of
      Trisulfonated Calix[4]arenes.
AB  - Post-translational modification of histone tails plays critical roles in gene
      regulation. Thus, molecules recognizing histone tails and controlling their
      epigenetic modification are desirable as biochemical tools to elucidate
      regulatory mechanisms. There are, however, only a few synthetic ligands that bind
      to histone tails with substantial affinity. We report CA2 and CA3, which
      exhibited sub-micromolar affinity to histone tails (especially tails with a
      trimethylated lysine). Multivalent display of trisulfonated calix[4]arene was
      important for strong binding. CA2 was applicable not only to synthetic tail
      peptides but also to endogenous histone proteins, and was successfully used to
      pull-down endogenous histones from nuclear extract. These findings indicate the
      utility of these supramolecular ligands as biochemical tools for studying
      chromatin regulator protein and as a targeting motif in ligand-directed catalysis
      to control epigenetic modifications. 

PMID- 26503406
TI  - Thrombosis: Leaflet motion after TAVI or SAVR.

PMID- 26503407
TI  - Cardioprotection: Remote ischaemic preconditioning--no effect on clinical
      outcomes after CABG surgery.

PMID- 26503408
TI  - High cardiovascular mortality in Russia: role of alcohol versus smoking, blood
      pressure, and treatment.

PMID- 26503409
TI  - Cardiovascular mortality trends in Russia: possible mechanisms.

PMID- 26503410
TI  - Pathophysiology of native coronary, vein graft, and in-stent atherosclerosis.
AB  - Plaque rupture, usually of a precursor lesion known as a 'vulnerable plaque' or
      'thin-cap fibroatheroma', is the leading cause of thrombosis. Less-frequent
      aetiologies of coronary thrombosis are erosion, observed with greatest incidence
      in women aged <50 years, and eruptive calcified nodules, which are occasionally
      identified in older individuals. Various treatments for patients with coronary
      artery disease, such as CABG surgery and interventional therapies, have led to
      accelerated atherosclerosis. These processes occur within months to years,
      compared with the decades that it generally takes for native disease to develop.
      Morphological identifiers of accelerated atherosclerosis include macrophage
      derived foam cells, intraplaque haemorrhage, and thin fibrous cap. Foam-cell
      infiltration can be observed within 1 year of a saphenous vein graft
      implantation, with subsequent necrotic core formation and rupture ensuing after 7
      years in over one-third of patients. Neoatherosclerosis occurs early and with
      greater prevalence in drug-eluting stents than in bare-metal stents and, although
      rare, complications of late stent thrombosis from rupture are associated with
      high mortality. Comparison of lesion progression in native atherosclerotic
      disease, atherosclerosis in saphenous vein grafts, and in-stent
      neoatherosclerosis provides insight into the pathogenesis of atheroma formation
      in natural and iatrogenic settings. 

PMID- 26503411
TI  - Autism spectrum quotient, coping with stress and quality of life in a non
      clinical sample - an exploratory report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been shown that autistic traits may be observed both in
      individuals with autism spectrum disorders and to a lesser extent in the general
      population. Since these traits are closely associated with limitations in social
      functioning, they make development of interpersonal relations difficult, and
      therefore may have a negative impact on an individual's quality of life (QoL).
      The purpose of this study was to explore these links, including the mediating
      effects of coping styles. METHODS: A sample of 154 adults aged 19-38 years
      completed three questionnaires: Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Coping Inventory
      for Stressful Situations and World Health Organization Quality of Life--BREF.
      Pearson's r correlation coefficients were analysed, followed by path analysis.
      RESULTS: All domains of QoL (Physical health, Psychological, Relationships and
      Environmental) were negatively correlated with AQ. The correlations were low or
      moderate (from -0.36 to -. 42). AQ was also correlated with two coping styles:
      positively with Emotion-oriented coping and negatively with Social diversion.
      Path analysis models showed the mediating effect of coping styles with respect to
      the relationships between autistic traits and QoL domains. Autistic traits and
      coping styles explained the greatest level of variance for the Psychological
      domain (41 %). CONCLUSIONS: The results confirmed the relationship between
      autistic traits and QoL, mediated by two coping styles. Due to the small sample
      and narrow age range of participants, our findings should be treated as a
      preliminary report.

PMID- 26503412
TI  - Paranormal psychic believers and skeptics: a large-scale test of the cognitive
      differences hypothesis.
AB  - Belief in paranormal psychic phenomena is widespread in the United States, with
      over a third of the population believing in extrasensory perception (ESP). Why do
      some people believe, while others are skeptical? According to the cognitive
      differences hypothesis, individual differences in the way people process
      information about the world can contribute to the creation of psychic beliefs,
      such as differences in memory accuracy (e.g., selectively remembering a fortune
      teller's correct predictions) or analytical thinking (e.g., relying on intuition
      rather than scrutinizing evidence). While this hypothesis is prevalent in the
      literature, few have attempted to empirically test it. Here, we provided the most
      comprehensive test of the cognitive differences hypothesis to date. In 3 studies,
      we used online screening to recruit groups of strong believers and strong
      skeptics, matched on key demographics (age, sex, and years of education). These
      groups were then tested in laboratory and online settings using multiple
      cognitive tasks and other measures. Our cognitive testing showed that there were
      no consistent group differences on tasks of episodic memory distortion,
      autobiographical memory distortion, or working memory capacity, but skeptics
      consistently outperformed believers on several tasks tapping analytical or
      logical thinking as well as vocabulary. These findings demonstrate cognitive
      similarities and differences between these groups and suggest that differences in
      analytical thinking and conceptual knowledge might contribute to the development
      of psychic beliefs. We also found that psychic belief was associated with greater
      life satisfaction, demonstrating benefits associated with psychic beliefs and
      highlighting the role of both cognitive and noncognitive factors in understanding
      these individual differences. 

PMID- 26503413
TI  - Telomere length and survival in IPF patients - Reply.

PMID- 26503414
TI  - Sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for the treatment of patients with chronic genotype 1
      or 6 hepatitis C virus infection in Hong Kong.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Hong Kong, most patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) have either
      genotype 6a or 1b infection. AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of
      sofosbuvir with ribavirin in treatment-naive patients in Hong Kong with HCV
      genotype 1 or 6. METHODS: In an open-label study, patients were randomised to
      sofosbuvir 400 mg once daily plus ribavirin 1000-1200 divided twice daily for 12
      (n = 10), 16 (n = 11) or 24 (n = 10) weeks. The primary endpoint was the
      percentage of patients with HCV RNA < LLOQ (lower limit of quantification, 25
      IU/mL) 12 weeks after cessation of therapy (SVR12). RESULTS: All 31 patients (20
      HCV genotype 1 and 11 genotype 6) had HCV RNA < LLOQ by Week 4 of treatment and
      at their last on-treatment visit. SVR12 rates were high in all treatment groups:
      100% (10/10) for 12 weeks, 100% (11/11) for 16 weeks and 90% (9/10) for 24 weeks
      of therapy. The only patient who did not reach SVR12 had genotype 1 HCV and
      relapsed at post-treatment Week 4. Sofosbuvir with ribavirin was generally well
      tolerated. The most common adverse events were malaise (13%) and upper
      respiratory tract infection (13%), followed by anaemia (10%). No patients
      experienced serious adverse events. One patient discontinued treatment at Week 16
      because of an adverse event. The event, upper respiratory tract infection, was
      not considered treatment related by the investigator. This subject achieved
      SVR12. CONCLUSIONS: The all-oral regimen sofosbuvir plus ribavirin is effective
      in treatment-naive patients in Hong Kong with genotype 1 or 6 HCV. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02021643.

PMID- 26503416
TI  - Processivity, Substrate Positioning, and Binding: The Role of Polar Residues in a
      Family 18 Glycoside Hydrolase.
AB  - The enzymatic degradation of recalcitrant polysaccharides such as cellulose (beta
      1,4-linked glucose) and chitin (beta-1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine) by glycoside
      hydrolases (GHs) is of significant biological and economical importance. In
      nature, depolymerization is primarily accomplished by processive GHs, which
      remain attached to the substrate between subsequent hydrolytic reactions. Recent
      computational efforts have suggested that the processive ability of a GH is
      directly linked to the ligand binding free energy. The contribution of individual
      aromatic residues in the active site of these enzymes has been extensively
      studied. In this study, we offer the first experimental evidence confirming
      correlation of binding free energy and degree of processivity and evidence that
      polar residues are essential for maintaining processive ability. Exchanging
      Thr(276) with Ala in substrate binding subsite -2 in the processive ChiA of
      Serratia marcescens results in a decrease in both the enthalpy (2.6 and 3.8
      kcal/mol) and free energy (0.5 and 2.2 kcal/mol) for the binding to the substrate
      (GlcNAc)6 and the inhibitor allosamidin, respectively, compared to that of the
      wild type. Moreover, the initial apparent processivity as measured by
      [(GlcNAc)2]/[GlcNAc] ratios (17.1 +/- 0.4) and chitin degradation efficiency
      (20%) are greatly reduced for ChiA-T276A versus those of the wild type (30.1 +/-
      1.5 and 75%, respectively). Mutation of Arg(172) to Ala reduces the level of
      recognition and positioning of the substrate into the active site. Molecular
      dynamics simulations indicate ChiA-R172A behaves like the wild type, but the
      dynamics of ChiA-T276A are greatly influenced by mutation, which is reflective of
      their influence on processivity. 

PMID- 26503415
TI  - Lysine-specific demethylase 5C promotes hepatocellular carcinoma cell invasion
      through inhibition BMP7 expression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of tumor and
      is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Patients with HCC
      routinely undergo surgery followed by adjuvant radiation therapy and
      chemotherapy. Despite such aggressive treatment approaches, median survival times
      remain under 1 year in most cases. KDM5C is a member of the family of JmjC domain
      containing proteins that removes methyl residues from methylated lysine 4 on
      histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4). KDM5C has been proposed as an oncogene in many types
      of tumors; however, its role and underlying mechanisms in HCC remain unclear.
      METHODS: Expression level of KDM5C was examined by RT-PCR, and IHC. Forced
      expression of KDM5C was mediated by retroviruses, and KDM5C was downregulated by
      shRNAs expressing lentiviruses. Migration and invasion of HCC cells was measured
      by wound healing, Transwell and Matrigel assays respectively. RESULTS: In this
      study, we report that KDM5C is abundantly expressed in invasive human HCC cells.
      Cellular depletion of KDM5C by shRNA inhibited HCC cell migration, invasion and
      epithelial-mesenchymal transition in vitro, and markedly decreased the metastasis
      capacity of invasive HCC cells in the liver and lung. Furthermore, ectopic
      expression of KDM5C in HCC cells promoted cell migration, invasion and epithelial
      mesenchymal transition via the inactivation of BMP7. Knockdown of BMP7
      significantly promotes shKDM5C-induced cell migration inhibition. CONCLUSIONS:
      Taken together, these data suggest that KDM5C-mediated BMP7 inactivation is
      essential for HCC cell invasion.

PMID- 26503417
TI  - Variation in physician recommendations, knowledge and perceived roles regarding
      provision of end-of-life care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is high variability in end-of-life (EOL) treatments. Some of
      this could be due to differences in physician treatment recommendations, their
      knowledge/attitude regarding palliative care, and their perceived roles in
      treating patients with advanced serious illness (ASI). Thus, the objective of
      this paper was to identify potential variation in physician recommendations,
      their knowledge/attitude regarding palliative care and perceived roles in
      treating ASI patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey consisting of vignettes
      describing patient characteristics that varied by age, expected survival,
      cognitive status and treatment costs and asked physicians whether they would
      recommend life-extending treatments for each scenario, was administered to 285
      physicians who treat ASI patients in Singapore. Physicians were also assessed on
      their knowledge/attitude in palliative care. They were administered a best-worst
      scaling exercise requiring them to select their most and least important role as
      a physician caring for an ASI patient. RESULTS: There was a wide variation in
      physician recommendations for life-extending treatments for patients with similar
      profiles, which can partly be attributed to physician characteristics (years of
      experience and place of training). Only about one-fourth of the physicians
      answered all knowledge/attitude questions correctly. Statements assessing
      knowledge/attitude regarding pain management had the fewest correct responses.
      The most important perceived role regarding provision of EOL care concerned
      symptom management. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that variation in physician
      treatment recommendations may be partly related to their own characteristics,
      raising concerns regarding the EOL care being provided to patients. Efforts
      should be made to better understand this variation and to provide the physicians
      with additional training in key aspects of palliative care management.

PMID- 26503418
TI  - Pharmaceutical screen identifies novel target processes for activation of
      autophagy with a broad translational potential.
AB  - Autophagy is a conserved homeostatic process active in all human cells and
      affecting a spectrum of diseases. Here we use a pharmaceutical screen to discover
      new mechanisms for activation of autophagy. We identify a subset of
      pharmaceuticals inducing autophagic flux with effects in diverse cellular systems
      modelling specific stages of several human diseases such as HIV transmission and
      hyperphosphorylated tau accumulation in Alzheimer's disease. One drug,
      flubendazole, is a potent inducer of autophagy initiation and flux by affecting
      acetylated and dynamic microtubules in a reciprocal way. Disruption of dynamic
      microtubules by flubendazole results in mTOR deactivation and dissociation from
      lysosomes leading to TFEB (transcription factor EB) nuclear translocation and
      activation of autophagy. By inducing microtubule acetylation, flubendazole
      activates JNK1 leading to Bcl-2 phosphorylation, causing release of Beclin1 from
      Bcl-2-Beclin1 complexes for autophagy induction, thus uncovering a new approach
      to inducing autophagic flux that may be applicable in disease treatment. 

PMID- 26503420
TI  - Neuroscience, mental health and the immune system: overcoming the brain-mind-body
      trichotomy.
AB  - Psychiatry is having a great time. Over the last few years, we have seen an
      exceptional explosion in neuroscience knowledge, and especially in our
      understanding of the molecular mechanisms through which environmental and genetic
      factors affect the brain and regulate behaviour, while at the same interacting
      with peripheral ('body') functions. While this explosion, and its translational
      implications, can be seen across a variety of fields, this editorial will focus
      on one particular area where these developments have been more noticeable: the
      interaction between neuroscience, mental health and the immune system. This
      editorial will focus on the broader impact of this discipline as an example of
      successful translational neuroscience overcoming the brain-mind-body trichotomy. 

PMID- 26503421
TI  - Sensitivity of FRAMINGHAM, PROCAM and SCORE models in Turkish people with Type 2
      diabetes: comparison of three cardiovascular risk calculations.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the cardiovascular risk factors according to the
      Framingham, PROCAM and SCORE models, to evaluate the 10-year cardiovascular
      disease (CVD) risk factors, and to compare the suitability of different models in
      Turkish Type 2 diabetes patients. METHODS: Risk factors and the 10-year CVD risk
      in 265 patients were evaluated using three risk models. Measurements included
      blood pressure, weight, height, waist and hip circumferences. Cholesterol,
      triglycerides, fasting and postprandial plasma glucose and HbA1c were measured.
      Low-, moderate- and high-risk groups were determined according to the three risk
      calculations. RESULTS: Hypertension, obesity and no exercise, dyslipidemia and
      high HbA1c in women, and excessive cigarette/alcohol consumption, increased
      weight, dyslipidemia and high HbA1c in men were crucial. Men were in the moderate
      risk group according to three risk models. Women were in the medium-risk group
      according to the Framingham and PROCAM risks and in the low-risk group according
      to the SCORE. CONCLUSION: Results estimating the 10-year CVD according to the
      three risk models were inconsistent. More sensitive CVD risk calculators are
      needed. Discussion and practice implications: Our results could guide diabetes
      specialists in identifying gender-specific risks and designing preventive
      interventions.

PMID- 26503422
TI  - Matrix-based three-dimensional culture of buffalo mammary epithelial cells showed
      higher induction of genes related to milk protein and fatty acid metabolism.
AB  - Demanding transcriptomic studies in livestock animal species could be replaced by
      good in vitro models mimicking the function of mammary gland. Mammary epithelial
      cells (MEC) are the functional unit of the mammary gland. Extracellular matrix is
      known to be a key factor providing normal homeostasis in three-dimensional (3D)
      environment as important signals are lost when cells are cultured in two
      dimensional (2D) environment. The aims of this study were to establish a buffalo
      mammary epithelial cells (BMECs) in 3D culture using extracellular matrix and to
      determine whether such a 3D culture model has different expression pattern than
      2D counterpart. The purified MEC generated after several passages were used to
      establish 3D culture using Geltrex matrix. The expression of milk casein genes
      viz., alpha S1-casein (CSN1S1), alpha S2-casein (CSN1S2), beta-casein (CSN2),
      kappa-casein (CSN3); and fatty acid metabolism genes viz., butyrophilin (BTN1A1),
      glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAM), fatty acid-binding protein 3
      (FABP3), and stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) was assessed in 3D culture in
      comparison to traditional monolayer culture using qRT-PCR. Notable morphological
      differences were observed for BMECs grown in 3D culture in comparison to 2D
      culture. Morphologically, epithelial structures grown in Geltrex matrix (3D)
      environment showed enhanced functional differentiation in comparison to 2D
      culture. In 3D culture, lumen and dome-like structures were formed by day 5,
      whereas polarized acinus-like structure were formed within 15 days of culturing.
      The expression data showed higher mRNA induction of milk casein and fatty acid
      metabolism genes in 10-day-old 3D BMECs culture in comparison to 2D monolayer
      culture. The result suggests that 3D organization of epithelial cells has
      favorable effect on induction of milk and fatty acid metabolism-related genes.
      Therefore, matrix-based 3D culture of MEC that recapitulate the structural and
      functional context of normal tissues could provide a better in vitro model to
      understand the mammary gland functioning of buffaloes. 

PMID- 26503419
TI  - Efficacy and Interaction of Antioxidant Supplements as Adjuvant Therapy in Cancer
      Treatment: A Systematic Review.
AB  - Oxidative stress is a key component in carcinogenesis. Although radiation
      produces reactive oxygen species, some anticancer agents such as alkylating
      agents, platinum and antitumor antibiotics exert cytotoxicity by generating free
      radicals. Nonenzymatic exogenous antioxidants such as vitamins, minerals, and
      polyphenols can quench ROS activity. However, whether antioxidants alter
      antitumor effects during radiotherapy and some types of chemotherapy remains
      unclear. In the present study, we reviewed antioxidants as an adjuvant therapy
      for cancer patients during chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Electronic literature
      searches were performed to select all randomized controlled clinical trials
      (RCTs) in which antioxidants were administered to cancer patients along with
      chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Articles or abstracts written in English were
      included. In total, 399 reports received primary screening. Duplicated articles
      and those meeting the exclusion criteria (not RCT, not human, and no oral
      administration) were excluded. Finally, 49 reports matching the inclusion
      criteria were included. It was difficult to determine whether antioxidants affect
      treatment outcomes or whether antioxidants ameliorate adverse effects induced by
      chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It is desirable to use an evidence-based method to
      select supplements best suited to cancer patients. Although there are many
      opinions about risks or benefits of antioxidant supplementation, we could mostly
      conclude that the harm caused by antioxidant supplementation remains unclear for
      patients during cancer therapy, except for smokers undergoing radiotherapy. 

PMID- 26503424
TI  - Transcriptome profile analysis of cell proliferation molecular processes during
      multicellular trichome formation induced by tomato Wov gene in tobacco.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Trichomes, developing from the epidermis of nearly all terrestrial
      plants, provide good structural resistance against insect herbivores and an
      excellent model for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying cell fate
      determination. Regulation of trichomes in Rosids has been well characterized.
      However, little is known about the cell proliferation molecular processes during
      multicellular trichome formation in Asterids. RESULTS: In this study, we
      identified two point mutations in a novel allele (Wov) at Wo locus. Ectopic
      expression of Wov in tobacco and potato induces much more trichome formation than
      wild type. To gain new insights into the underlying mechanisms during the
      processes of these trichomes formation, we compared the gene expression profiles
      between Wov transgenic and wild-type tobacco by RNA-seq analysis. A total of 544
      co-DEGs were detected between transgenic and wild-type tobacco. Functional
      assignments of the co-DEGs indicated that 33 reliable pathways are altered in
      transgenic tobacco plants. The most noticeable pathways are fatty acid
      metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism, and plant hormone signal
      transduction. Results suggest that these enhanced processes are critical for the
      cell proliferation during multicellular trichome formation in transgenic plants.
      In addition, the transcriptional levels of homologues of trichome regulators in
      Rosids were not significantly changed, whereas homologues of genes (Wo and
      SlCycB2) in Asterids were significantly upregulated in Wov transgenic tobacco
      plants. CONCLUSIONS: This study presents a global picture of the gene expression
      changes induced by Wov-gene in tobacco. And the results provided us new insight
      into the molecular processes controlling multicellular formation in tobacco.
      Furthermore, we inferred that trichomes in solanaceous species might share a
      common network.

PMID- 26503423
TI  - Cardiac Bmi1(+) cells contribute to myocardial renewal in the murine adult heart.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The mammalian adult heart maintains a continuous, low cardiomyocyte
      turnover rate throughout life. Although many cardiac stem cell populations have
      been studied, the natural source for homeostatic repair has not yet been defined.
      The Polycomb protein BMI1 is the most representative marker of mouse adult stem
      cell systems. We have evaluated the relevance and role of cardiac Bmi1 (+) cells
      in cardiac physiological homeostasis. METHODS: Bmi1 (CreER/+);Rosa26 (YFP/+)
      (Bmi1-YFP) mice were used for lineage tracing strategy. After tamoxifen (TM)
      induction, yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) is expressed under the control of
      Rosa26 regulatory sequences in Bmi1 (+) cells. These cells and their progeny were
      tracked by FACS, immunofluorescence and RT-qPCR techniques from 5 days to 1 year.
      RESULTS: FACS analysis of non-cardiomyocyte compartment from TM-induced Bmi1-YFP
      mice showed a Bmi1 (+)-expressing cardiac progenitor cell (Bmi1-CPC: B-CPC)
      population, SCA-1 antigen-positive (95.9 +/- 0.4 %) that expresses some stemness
      associated genes. B-CPC were also able to differentiate in vitro to the three
      main cardiac lineages. Pulse-chase analysis showed that B-CPC remained quite
      stable for extended periods (up to 1 year), which suggests that this Bmi1 (+)
      population contains cardiac progenitors with substantial self-maintenance
      potential. Specific immunostaining of Bmi1-YFP hearts serial sections 5 days post
      TM induction indicated broad distribution of B-CPC, which were detected in
      variably sized clusters, although no YFP(+) cardiomyocytes (CM) were detected at
      this time. Between 2 to 12 months after TM induction, YFP(+) CM were clearly
      identified (3 +/- 0.6 % to 6.7 +/- 1.3 %) by immunohistochemistry of serial
      sections and by flow cytometry of total freshly isolated CM. B-CPC also
      contributed to endothelial and smooth muscle (SM) lineages in vivo. CONCLUSIONS:
      High Bmi1 expression identifies a non-cardiomyocyte resident cardiac population
      (B-CPC) that contributes to the main lineages of the heart in vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 26503426
TI  - Multielement psychosocial interventions for first-episode psychosis are feasible
      and show promise in generic mental health services.

PMID- 26503425
TI  - Calpain-3-mediated regulation of the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger isoform 3.
AB  - Ca(2+) disturbances are observed when Ca(2+)-dependent cysteine proteases
      malfunction, causing muscle weakness and wasting. For example, loss of calpain-3
      (CAPN3) activity leads to limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2A (LGMD2A). In neuronal
      excitotoxicity, the cleavage of the Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger isoform 3 (NCX3) has
      been associated with an increase in activity and elevation of the Ca(2+) content
      in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Since NCX3 is expressed in skeletal muscle, we
      evaluated the cleavage of different NCX3 splice variants by CAPN1 and CAPN3.
      Using Fura-2-based cellular Ca(2+) imaging, we showed for the first time that
      CAPN3 increases NCX3 activity and that only NCX3-AC, the variant predominantly
      expressed in skeletal muscle, is sensitive to calpain. The silencing of the
      endogenous CAPN1 and the expression of the inactive form of CAPN3 (C129S CAPN3)
      confirmed the specificity for CAPN1 and CAPN3. Functional studies revealed that
      cellular Ca(2+) uptake through the reverse mode of NCX3 was significantly
      increased independently of the mode of activation of the exchanger by either a
      rise in intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i) or Na(+) ([Na(+)]i). Subsequently, the
      sensitivity to CAPN1 and CAPN3 could be abrogated by removal of the six residues
      coded in exon C of NCX3-AC. Additionally, mutation of the Leu-600 and Leu-601
      suggested the presence of a cleavage site at Leu-602. The increased Ca(2+) uptake
      of NCX3 might participate in the Ca(2+) refilling of the sarcoplasmic reticulum
      (SR) after the excitation-contraction uncoupling following exercise and therefore
      be implicated in the impaired reticular Ca(2+) storage observed in LGMD2A.

PMID- 26503427
TI  - Activation of the Small G Protein Arf6 by Dynamin2 through Guanine Nucleotide
      Exchange Factors in Endocytosis.
AB  - The small G protein Arf6 and the GTPase dynamin2 (Dyn2) play key roles in
      clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). However, their functional relationship
      remains obscure. Here, we show that Arf6 functions as a downstream molecule of
      Dyn2 in CME. Wild type of Dyn2 overexpressed in HeLa cells markedly activates
      Arf6, while a GTPase-lacking Dyn2 mutant does not. Of the Arf6-specific guanine
      nucleotide exchange factors, EFA6A, EFA6B, and EFA6D specifically interact with
      Dyn2. Furthermore, overexpression of dominant negative mutants or knockdown of
      EFA6B and EFA6D significantly inhibit Dyn2-induced Arf6 activation. Finally,
      overexpression of the binding region peptide of EFA6B for Dyn2 or knockdown of
      EFA6B and EFA6D significantly suppresses clathrin-mediated transferrin uptake.
      These results provide evidence for a novel Arf6 activation mechanism by Dyn2
      through EFA6B and EFA6D in CME in a manner dependent upon the GTPase activity of
      Dyn2. 

PMID- 26503428
TI  - A case report of retiform hemangioendothelioma as pleural nodules with literature
      review.
AB  - Retiform hemangioendothelioma (RH) is a rare low-grade variant of angiosarcoma
      mostly reported on dermis or subcutaneously. A 30-year-old woman suffering from
      dry cough, dyspnea and pleural effusion has been described. Distinctive symptoms
      and lesions on high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan and common
      histological, immunological feature are discussed. Diagnosis was made by
      thoracoscopy as RH. 

PMID- 26503429
TI  - Mechanical versus manual chest compressions for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a
      meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - Recent evidence regarding mechanical chest compressions in out-of-hospital
      cardiac arrest (OHCA) is conflicting. The objective of this study was to perform
      a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare the effect of
      mechanical versus manual chest compressions on resuscitation outcomes in OHCA.
      PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the
      ClinicalTrials.gov registry were searched. In total, five RCTs with 12,510
      participants were included. Compared with manual chest compressions, mechanical
      chest compressions did not significantly improve survival with good neurological
      outcome to hospital discharge (relative risks (RR) 0.80, 95% CI 0.61-1.04, P =
      0.10; I(2) = 65%), return of spontaneous circulation (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.95-1.09,
      P = 0.59; I(2) = 0%), or long-term (>=6 months) survival (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.79
      1.16, P = 0.65; I(2) = 16%). In addition, mechanical chest compressions were
      associated with worse survival to hospital admission (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.89-1.00,
      P = 0.04; I(2) = 0%) and to hospital discharge (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.78-0.99, P =
      0.03; I(2) = 0%). Based on the current evidence, widespread use of mechanical
      devices for chest compressions in OHCA cannot be recommended.

PMID- 26503430
TI  - Upregulation of BTG1 enhances the radiation sensitivity  of human breast cancer
      in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - X-ray-based radiotherapy is one of the most effective therapeutic strategies for
      breast cancer patients. However, radioresistance and side-effects continue to be
      the most challenging issues. B-cell translocation gene 1 (BTG1) is a member of
      the BTG/Tob family, which inhibits cancer growth and promotes apoptosis. We,
      therefore, hypothesized that BTG1 plays an important role in the radiosensitivity
      of breast cancer cells. In the present study, breast cancer cell lines that
      stably overexpressed BTG1 were used to investigate the effects of BTG1 on cell
      radiosensitivity in vitro. We found that overexpression of BTG1 enhanced the
      radiosensitivity both of p53-mutant breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and p53 wild
      type breast cancer MCF-7 cells. We also found that overexpression of BTG1 along
      with irradiation induced cell cycle G2/M phase arrest, promoted the formation of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS), increased the rate of chromosomal aberrations and
      increased cell apoptosis. Further investigation indicated that BTG1
      overexpression along with irradiation was involved in inhibition of the PI3K/Akt
      signaling pathway. Importantly, the finding that BTG1 promoted ionizing
      radiosensitivity of breast cancer cells in vitro was confirmed in an animal
      model. Taken together, our data suggest that BTG1 overexpression combined with
      radiation therapy increases the therapeutic efficacy of breast cancer treatment
      via regulation of the cell cycle and apoptosis-related signaling pathways.

PMID- 26503432
TI  - HPMV: human protein mutation viewer - relating sequence mutations to protein
      sequence architecture and function changes.
AB  - Next-generation sequencing advances are rapidly expanding the number of human
      mutations to be analyzed for causative roles in genetic disorders. Our Human
      Protein Mutation Viewer (HPMV) is intended to explore the biomolecular
      mechanistic significance of non-synonymous human mutations in protein-coding
      genomic regions. The tool helps to assess whether protein mutations affect the
      occurrence of sequence-architectural features (globular domains, targeting
      signals, post-translational modification sites, etc.). As input, HPMV accepts
      protein mutations - as UniProt accessions with mutations (e.g. HGVS
      nomenclature), genome coordinates, or FASTA sequences. As output, HPMV provides
      an interactive cartoon showing the mutations in relation to elements of the
      sequence architecture. A large variety of protein sequence architectural features
      were selected for their particular relevance to mutation interpretation. Clicking
      a sequence feature in the cartoon expands a tree view of additional information
      including multiple sequence alignments of conserved domains and a simple 3D
      viewer mapping the mutation to known PDB structures, if available. The cartoon is
      also correlated with a multiple sequence alignment of similar sequences from
      other organisms. In cases where a mutation is likely to have a straightforward
      interpretation (e.g. a point mutation disrupting a well-understood targeting
      signal), this interpretation is suggested. The interactive cartoon can be
      downloaded as standalone viewer in Java jar format to be saved and viewed later
      with only a standard Java runtime environment. The HPMV website is:
      http://hpmv.bii.a-star.edu.sg/ . 

PMID- 26503431
TI  - Intracellular Ca2+ and related proteins in patients with oral lichen planus.
AB  - Oral lichen planus (OLP) is suggested to be a T cell-mediated chronic
      inflammatory oral mucosal disease. Gene expressed in the oligodendrocyte lineage
      myelin basic proteins (Golli-MBP) and stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) are
      important in the activation and function of T lymphocytes. This study aimed to
      analyze and compare the expression of Golli-MBP and STIM1 between OLP patients
      and healthy controls and to analyze the level of intracellular Ca(2+), which is
      involved in lymphocyte activation. The Ca(2+) fluorescent probe, Fluo-3/AM, was
      used to test the level of intracellular Ca(2+) in patients with OLP and healthy
      controls peripheral blood lymphocytes. Golli-MBP and STIM1 mRNA and protein
      levels were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot,
      respectively. Following lymphocyte activation, the intracellular Ca(2+) in OLP
      patients was markedly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.001). In OLP
      patients, the expression of Golli-MBP mRNA and protein was significantly
      upregulated compared to those of the control group (P < 0.001). Similarly, OLP
      patients showed markedly upregulated levels of STIM1 mRNA expression (P < 0.01)
      and protein compared to healthy controls. The intracellular Ca(2+) of OLP
      patients was markedly lower than that of healthy controls. This evidence may
      indicate that Ca(2+) signaling pathways in OLP patients are abnormal. The
      overexpression of Golli-MBP and STIM1 may play a role in the pathogenesis of OLP.

PMID- 26503433
TI  - ESI-LC-MS Method for Haptoglobin Fucosylation Analysis in Hepatocellular
      Carcinoma and Liver Cirrhosis.
AB  - A method for the detection of fucosylated glycans from haptoglobin in patient
      serum has been developed that provides enhanced sensitivity. The workflow
      involves isolation of the haptoglobin using an HPLC-based affinity column
      followed by glycan removal, extraction, and desialylation. The fucosylated
      glycans are then derivatized by Meladrazine, which significantly enhances the
      detection of the glycans in electrospray ionization. The separation of the
      derivatized glycans in a HILIC column shows that eight glycans from haptoglobin
      can be detected using less than 1 MUL of a serum sample, with excellent
      reproducibility and quantitation, where without derivatization the glycans could
      not be detected. The ratio of the fucosylated peaks to their corresponding
      nonfucosylated forms shows that the fucosylated glycans are upregulated in the
      case of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) samples versus cirrhosis samples, where
      the relatively low abundance bifucosylated tetra-antennary form can be detected
      and may be a particularly good marker for HCC. 

PMID- 26503434
TI  - The potential of a multiplex high-throughput molecular assay for early detection
      of first and second line tuberculosis drug resistance mutations to improve
      infection control and reduce costs: a decision analytical modeling study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Molecular resistance detection (MRD) of resistance to second-line
      anti-tuberculous drugs provides faster results than phenotypic tests, may shorten
      treatment and allow earlier separation among patients with and without second
      line drug resistance. METHODS: In a decision-analytical model we simulated a
      cohort of patients diagnosed with TB in a setting where drug resistant TB is
      highly prevalent and requires initial hospitalization, to explore the potential
      benefits of a high-throughput MRD-assay for reducing potential nosocomial
      transmission of highly resistant strains, and total costs for diagnosis of drug
      resistance, treatment and hospitalization. In the base case scenario first-line
      drug resistance was diagnosed with WHO-endorsed molecular tests, and second-line
      drug resistance with culture and phenotypic methods. Three alternative scenarios
      were explored, each deploying high-throughput MRD allowing either detection of
      second-line mutations in cultured isolates, directly on sputum, or MRD with
      optimized markers. RESULTS: Compared to a base case scenario, deployment of high
      throughput MRD reduced total costs by 17-21 %. The period during which nosocomial
      transmission may take place increased by 15 % compared to the base case if MRD
      had currently reported suboptimal sensitivity and required cultured isolates;
      increased by 7 % if direct sputum analysis were possible including in patients
      with smear-negative TB, and reduced by 24 % if the assay had improved markers,
      but was still performed on cultured isolates. Improved clinical sensitivity of
      the assay (additional markers) by more than 35 % would be needed to avoid
      compromising infection control. CONCLUSIONS: Further development of rapid second
      line resistance testing should prioritize investment in optimizing markers above
      investments in a platform for direct analysis of sputum.

PMID- 26503435
TI  - Massive Dirac Fermion Observed in Lanthanide-Doped Topological Insulator Thin
      Films.
AB  - The breaking of time reversal symmetry (TRS) in three-dimensional (3D)
      topological insulators (TIs), and thus the opening of a 'Dirac-mass gap' in the
      linearly dispersed Dirac surface state, is a prerequisite for unlocking exotic
      physical states. Introducing ferromagnetic long-range order by transition metal
      doping has been shown to break TRS. Here, we present the study of lanthanide (Ln)
      doped Bi2Te3, where the magnetic doping with high-moment lanthanides promises
      large energy gaps. Using molecular beam epitaxy, single-crystalline, rhombohedral
      thin films with Ln concentrations of up to ~35%, substituting on Bi sites, were
      achieved for Dy, Gd, and Ho doping. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy
      shows the characteristic Dirac cone for Gd and Ho doping. In contrast, for Dy
      doping above a critical doping concentration, a gap opening is observed via the
      decreased spectral intensity at the Dirac point, indicating a topological quantum
      phase transition persisting up to room-temperature. 

PMID- 26503436
TI  - Erratum to: Obesity--a risk factor for postoperative complications in general
      surgery?

PMID- 26503438
TI  - Look but ... please don't touch!

PMID- 26503440
TI  - Translation and Validation of the Finnish Version of the Patient-Rated Wrist
      Evaluation Questionnaire (PRWE) in Patients with Acute Distal Radius Fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patient-rated outcome measures have become increasingly
      important in clinical research. They provide research and clinical tools which
      can be utilized in the assessment of patient recovery and treatment efficacy. The
      purpose of our study was to translate and validate the original version of the
      PRWE form into Finnish. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted the translation of the
      PRWE questionnaire according to standardized guidelines. Patients (N = 119) with
      an acute distal radius fracture were recruited, and they completed the PRWE and
      QuickDASH questionnaires at 2 months and 4 months after the wrist injury.
      RESULTS: The mean answering times were 52 days (standard deviation [SD] 9.8 days)
      and 116 days (standard deviation [SD] 14.8 days), respectively. Both the internal
      consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of 0.976 and the intraclass correlation
      coefficient (ICC) of 0.992 (95% CI 0.966-0.998) showed excellent reliability for
      the total PRWE score. The correlation coefficients between the total score, the
      subscales, and for improvement over time for PRWE and QuickDASH were excellent.
      The responsiveness was good with an effect size of 0.83 and a standard response
      mean of 1.22. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that the Finnish version of the PRWE is
      reliable, valid, and responsive for the evaluation of pain and disability after
      distal radius fracture.

PMID- 26503441
TI  - A correlativity study of plasma APL1beta28 and clusterin levels with
      MMSE/MoCA/CASI in aMCI patients.
AB  - Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is a sub-clinical condition
      characterized by memory deficits that are not severe enough to affect daily
      functioning. Here we investigated two potential biomarkers found in the
      cerebrospinal fluid of AD patients, APLP1-derived Abeta-like peptides 28
      (APL1beta28) and clusterin plasma levels, in terms of their relationship to
      cognitive function, as reflected in the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the
      Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Cognitive Assessment Screening
      Instrument (CASI) in aMCI patients. Forty-seven aMCI patients and thirty-five age
      and gender-matched healthy adult controls were recruited for this study. Using
      the ELISA method, we found that the mean concentrations of both APL1beta28 and
      clusterin were not significantly different between the control and aMCI groups.
      The APL1beta28 levels were positively correlated with clusterin and that both
      were negatively correlated with the MMSE scores of the aMCI patients. Clusterin
      levels were negatively correlated with the MoCA and CASI scores of the aMCI
      patients. Using multivariate analysis, the correlation between clusterin and
      MMSE/MoCA/CASI was independent of other AD risk factors including age, education,
      sex, body mass index and ApoE genotype. The data presented here demonstrate that
      plasma clusterin levels reflect cognitive function in aMCI patients. 

PMID- 26503442
TI  - CCR7(lo)PD-1(hi) CXCR5(+) CD4(+) T cells are positively correlated with levels of
      IL-21 in active and transitional cystic echinococcosis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In our study, we investigated whether circulating T follicular helper
      (Tfh) and the related cytokines are involved in human cystic echinococcosis (CE).
      METHODS: A total of 64 patients with CE and 30 healthy controls were enrolled in
      this study. Percentages of CCR7(lo)PD-1(hi) cells within CXCR5(+) CD4(+) T cells
      (circulating Tfh cells) were detected by flow cytometry. Levels of IL-21 and IL-4
      in peripheral blood were detected by cytometric bead array. The mRNA expression
      of IL-21, IL-4, Bcl-6, and Blimp-1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)
      were measured by real-time PCR. Levels of IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4 in the
      patients' sera were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS:
      Percentages of circulating Tfh cells were significantly increased in the CE1,
      CE2, and CE3 groups (p < 0.05). The concentrations of IL-21 and IL-4 in the serum
      were significantly increased in CE1, CE2, and CE3 groups (p < 0.05). IL-21 was
      positively correlated with circulating Tfh cells in CE3 group (r = 0.779, p <
      0.05). The mRNA levels of IL-21, IL-4, and Bcl-6 were increased in CE1, CE2, and
      CE3 groups. Levels of IgG1 and IgG4 in patients' sera were increased in CE1, CE2,
      and CE3 groups. Levels of IgG2 and IgG3 were increased in CE4-5 group.
      Additionally, after stimulation with hydatid fluid in vitro, the levels of
      circulating Tfh cells, IL-21 and IL-4 in PBMCs isolated from CE patients were
      significantly increased (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The levels of circulating Tfh
      and related cytokines were significantly increased in CE patients, suggesting
      that they are involved in human CE.

PMID- 26503444
TI  - Terminal NK cell maturation is controlled by concerted actions of T-bet and Zeb2
      and is essential for melanoma rejection.
AB  - Natural killer (NK) cell maturation is a tightly controlled process that endows
      NK cells with functional competence and the capacity to recognize target cells.
      Here, we found that the transcription factor (TF) Zeb2 was the most highly
      induced TF during NK cell maturation. Zeb2 is known to control epithelial to
      mesenchymal transition, but its role in immune cells is mostly undefined.
      Targeted deletion of Zeb2 resulted in impaired NK cell maturation, survival, and
      exit from the bone marrow. NK cell function was preserved, but mice lacking Zeb2
      in NK cells were more susceptible to B16 melanoma lung metastases. Reciprocally,
      ectopic expression of Zeb2 resulted in a higher frequency of mature NK cells in
      all organs. Moreover, the immature phenotype of Zeb2(-/-) NK cells closely
      resembled that of Tbx21(-/-) NK cells. This was caused by both a dependence of
      Zeb2 expression on T-bet and a probable cooperation of these factors in gene
      regulation. Transgenic expression of Zeb2 in Tbx21(-/-) NK cells partially
      restored a normal maturation, establishing that timely induction of Zeb2 by T-bet
      is an essential event during NK cell differentiation. Finally, this novel
      transcriptional cascade could also operate in human as T-bet and Zeb2 are
      similarly regulated in mouse and human NK cells.

PMID- 26503445
TI  - Transcriptional repressor ZEB2 promotes terminal differentiation of CD8+ effector
      and memory T cell populations during infection.
AB  - ZEB2 is a multi-zinc-finger transcription factor known to play a significant role
      in early neurogenesis and in epithelial-mesenchymal transition-dependent tumor
      metastasis. Although the function of ZEB2 in T lymphocytes is unknown, activity
      of the closely related family member ZEB1 has been implicated in lymphocyte
      development. Here, we find that ZEB2 expression is up-regulated by activated T
      cells, specifically in the KLRG1(hi) effector CD8(+) T cell subset. Loss of ZEB2
      expression results in a significant loss of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells after
      primary and secondary infection with a severe impairment in the generation of the
      KLRG1(hi) effector memory cell population. We show that ZEB2, which can bind DNA
      at tandem, consensus E-box sites, regulates gene expression of several E-protein
      targets and may directly repress Il7r and Il2 in CD8(+) T cells responding to
      infection. Furthermore, we find that T-bet binds to highly conserved T-box sites
      in the Zeb2 gene and that T-bet and ZEB2 regulate similar gene expression
      programs in effector T cells, suggesting that T-bet acts upstream and through
      regulation of ZEB2. Collectively, we place ZEB2 in a larger transcriptional
      network that is responsible for the balance between terminal differentiation and
      formation of memory CD8(+) T cells.

PMID- 26503447
TI  - Poor survival of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on inanimate objects
      in the public spaces.
AB  - We investigated the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus on shopping baskets in
      Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Multilocus sequence typing was performed to determine
      the genotypes of S. aureus isolates, and then a polymerase chain reaction method
      was used to detect staphylococcal enterotoxins and antibiotic resistance genes.
      In addition, desiccation tolerance of S. aureus isolates was evaluated in vitro.
      Forty-six (6.2%) S. aureus isolates were collected from 740 shopping baskets,
      though only one MRSA strain was identified. In multilocus sequence typing
      findings, ten sequence types and 24 singletons were classified, which were
      divided into ten clonal complexes and six singletons. The most frequent
      staphylococcal enterotoxin gene was seg (30.4%). Our in vitro findings
      demonstrated that 70% of the S. aureus isolates, including the MRSA strain,
      became undetectable at 12 h after desiccation at an appropriate cell density,
      while the others remained viable for up to 24 h. Thus, it is difficult for MRSA
      organisms to survive on dry surfaces found in public areas. We speculated that
      inanimate objects in the community are unlikely to be a potential source for
      transmission of MRSA and that S. aureus on such objects outside of hospital
      settings is not a public health threat.

PMID- 26503446
TI  - The transcription factors ZEB2 and T-bet cooperate to program cytotoxic T cell
      terminal differentiation in response to LCMV viral infection.
AB  - The transcription factor T-bet is critical for cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)
      differentiation, but it is unclear how it operates in a graded manner in the
      formation of both terminal effector and memory precursor cells during viral
      infection. We find that, at high concentrations, T-bet induced expression of Zeb2
      mRNA, which then triggered CTLs to adopt terminally differentiated states. ZEB2
      and T-bet cooperate to switch on a terminal CTL differentiation program, while
      simultaneously repressing genes necessary for central memory CTL development.
      Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing showed that a large proportion of these
      genes were bound by T-bet, and this binding was altered by ZEB2 deficiency.
      Furthermore, T-bet overexpression could not fully bypass ZEB2 function. Thus, the
      coordinated actions of T-bet and ZEB2 outline a novel genetic pathway that forces
      commitment of CTLs to terminal differentiation, thereby restricting their memory
      cell potential.

PMID- 26503448
TI  - A self-stabilized coherent phonon source driven by optical forces.
AB  - We report a novel injection scheme that allows for "phonon lasing" in a one
      dimensional opto-mechanical photonic crystal, in a sideband unresolved regime and
      with cooperativity values as low as 10(-2). It extracts energy from a cw infrared
      laser source and is based on the triggering of a thermo-optical/free-carrier
      dispersion self-pulsing limit-cycle, which anharmonically modulates the radiation
      pressure force. The large amplitude of the coherent mechanical motion acts as a
      feedback that stabilizes and entrains the self-pulsing oscillations to simple
      fractions of the mechanical frequency. A manifold of frequency-entrained regions
      with two different mechanical modes (at 54 and 122 MHz) are observed as a result
      of the wide tuneability of the natural frequency of the self-pulsing. The system
      operates at ambient conditions of pressure and temperature in a silicon platform,
      which enables its exploitation in sensing, intra-chip metrology or time-keeping
      applications. 

PMID- 26503449
TI  - Evolution of the highly networked deubiquitinating enzymes USP4, USP15, and
      USP11.
AB  - BACKGROUND: USP4, USP15 and USP11 are paralogous deubiquitinating enzymes as
      evidenced by structural organization and sequence similarity. Based on known
      interactions and substrates it would appear that they have partially redundant
      roles in pathways vital to cell proliferation, development and innate immunity,
      and elevated expression of all three has been reported in various human
      malignancies. The nature and order of duplication events that gave rise to these
      extant genes has not been determined, nor has their functional redundancy been
      established experimentally at the organismal level. METHODS: We have employed
      phylogenetic and syntenic reconstruction methods to determine the chronology of
      the duplication events that generated the three paralogs and have performed
      genetic crosses to evaluate redundancy in mice. RESULTS: Our analyses indicate
      that USP4 and USP15 arose from whole genome duplication prior to the emergence of
      jawed vertebrates. Despite having lower sequence identity USP11 was generated
      later in vertebrate evolution by small-scale duplication of the USP4-encoding
      region. While USP11 was subsequently lost in many vertebrate species, all
      available genomes retain a functional copy of either USP4 or USP15, and through
      genetic crosses of mice with inactivating mutations we have confirmed that
      viability is contingent on a functional copy of USP4 or USP15. Loss of ubiquitin
      exchange regulation, constitutive skipping of the seventh exon and neural
      specific expression patterns are derived states of USP11. Post-translational
      modification sites differ between USP4, USP15 and USP11 throughout evolution.
      CONCLUSIONS: In isolation sequence alignments can generate erroneous USP gene
      phylogenies. Through a combination of methodologies the gene duplication events
      that gave rise to USP4, USP15, and USP11 have been established. Although it
      operates in the same molecular pathways as the other USPs, the rapid divergence
      of the more recently generated USP11 enzyme precludes its functional
      interchangeability with USP4 and USP15. Given their multiplicity of substrates
      the emergence (and in some cases subsequent loss) of these USP paralogs would be
      expected to alter the dynamics of the networks in which they are embedded.

PMID- 26503451
TI  - Back to Work? Not Everyone. Examining the Longitudinal Relationships Between
      Informal Caregiving and Paid Work After Formal Retirement.
AB  - Objectives: Research on unretirement (retirees who re-enter the workforce) is
      burgeoning. However, no longitudinal study has examined how informal care relates
      to unretirement. Utilizing role theory, this study aims to explore the
      heterogeneity of informal care responsibilities in retirement and to examine how
      informal care informs re-entering the workforce in later life. Method: Data were
      drawn from the Health and Retirement Study of fully retired individuals aged 62
      years and older in 1998 (n = 8,334) and followed to 2008. Informal care
      responsibilities included helping a spouse/partner with activities of daily
      living (ADLs) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs); helping
      parent(s) or parent-in-law(s) with ADLs or IADLs; and single or co-occurrence of
      care roles. Covariates included economic and social factors. Cox proportional
      hazard models were utilized. Results: When compared with noncaregivers, helping a
      spouse with ADLs or IADLs reduced the odds of returning-to-work in the subsequent
      wave by 78% and 55%, respectively (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.22, confidence interval
      [CI]: 0.06-0.87; HR: 0.45, CI: 0.21-0.97). There was no statistical difference to
      returning-to-work between noncaregivers and helping parents with ADLs/IADLs or
      multiple caregiving responsibilities. Discussion: Role theory provided a useful
      framework to understand the relationships of informal care and unretirement.
      Aspects of role strain emerged, where, spousal caregivers were less likely to
      come out of retirement. Spousal caregivers may face challenges to working longer,
      and subsequently, opportunities to bolster their retirement security are
      diminished. Research and policy implications are discussed.

PMID- 26503452
TI  - Haemophilus influenzae: a potent perinatal pathogen disproportionately isolated
      from Indigenous women and their neonates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) bacteraemia in pregnant
      women is strongly associated with pregnancy loss and preterm delivery. However,
      the clinical significance of isolation of NTHi from nonsterile sites is unknown.
      AIMS: To examine the hypothesis that isolation of NTHi from any specimen is
      associated with adverse perinatal outcomes and to investigate the impression that
      NTHi is disproportionately isolated from indigenous women and their neonates.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cases where NTHi was isolated from maternal, fetal or
      neonatal specimens during the period from 1 July 1997 to 1 July 2009 were
      identified. Demographic and clinical data were extracted from case notes.
      Histopathological material was re-reviewed by a perinatal pathologist.
      Demographic and clinical features of the affected group were compared with the
      hospital obstetric population. RESULTS: NTHi was isolated from maternal, fetal or
      neonatal specimens in 97 pregnancies. Two women had NTHi isolated during
      different pregnancies. Two mothers and 10 neonates were bacteraemic. Indigenous
      women comprised 28% of pregnancies where NTHi was isolated, compared with 6% of
      the hospital obstetric population (P < 0.001). Pregnancy loss occurred in six
      cases (6%). Median gestation at delivery was 33 weeks. Of 96 liveborn neonates,
      88 (92%) required admission to a neonatal special care unit. Four liveborn
      neonates died (4%). Chorioamnionitis was confirmed by histology in 31/33 (93.9%)
      of placentas examined. CONCLUSIONS: Isolation of NTHi occurred more commonly in
      indigenous women and neonates. Isolation of NTHi from any obstetric or neonatal
      specimen is associated with chorioamnionitis, preterm birth, pregnancy loss,
      early-onset neonatal sepsis and neonatal death.

PMID- 26503450
TI  - Optimization of lipid production with a genome-scale model of Yarrowia
      lipolytica.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Yarrowia lipolytica is a non-conventional yeast that is extensively
      investigated for its ability to excrete citrate or to accumulate large amounts of
      storage lipids, which is of great significance for single cell oil production.
      Both traits are thus of interest for basic research as well as for
      biotechnological applications but they typically occur simultaneously thus
      lowering the respective yields. Therefore, engineering of strains with high lipid
      content relies on novel concepts such as computational simulation to better
      understand the two competing processes and to eliminate citrate excretion.
      RESULTS: Using a genome-scale model (GSM) of baker's yeast as a scaffold, we
      reconstructed the metabolic network of Y. lipolytica and optimized it for use in
      flux balance analysis (FBA), with the aim to simulate growth and lipid production
      phases of this yeast. We validated our model and found the predictions of the
      growth behavior of Y. lipolytica in excellent agreement with experimental data.
      Based on these data, we successfully designed a fed-batch strategy to avoid
      citrate excretion during the lipid production phase. Further analysis of the
      network suggested that the oxygen demand of Y. lipolytica is reduced upon
      induction of lipid synthesis. According to this finding we hypothesized that a
      reduced aeration rate might induce lipid accumulation. This prediction was indeed
      confirmed experimentally. In a fermentation combining these two strategies lipid
      content of the biomass was increased by 80%, and lipid yield was improved more
      than four-fold, compared to standard conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Genome scale
      network reconstructions provide a powerful tool to predict the effects of genetic
      modifications and the metabolic response to environmental conditions. The high
      accuracy and the predictive value of a newly reconstructed GSM of Y. lipolytica
      to optimize growth conditions for lipid accumulation are demonstrated. Based on
      these findings, further strategies for engineering Y. lipolytica towards higher
      efficiency in single cell oil production are discussed.

PMID- 26503453
TI  - Discharge Communication in Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department With
      Chest Pain: Defining the Ideal Content.
AB  - In an emergency department (ED), discharge communication represents a crucial
      step in medical care. In theory, it fosters patient satisfaction and adherence to
      medication, reduces anxiety, and ultimately promotes better outcomes. In
      practice, little is known about the extent to which patients receiving discharge
      information understand their medical condition and are able to memorize and
      retrieve instructions. Even less is known about the ideal content of these
      instructions. Focusing on patients with chest pain, we systematically assessed
      physicians' and patients' informational preferences and created a memory aid to
      support both the provision of information (physicians) and its retrieval
      (patients). In an iterative process, physicians of different specialties (N = 47)
      first chose which of 81 items to include in an ED discharge communication for
      patients with acute chest pain. A condensed list of 34 items was then presented
      to 51 such patients to gauge patients' preferences. Patients' and physicians'
      ratings of importance converged in 32 of the 34 items. Finally, three experts
      grouped the 34 items into five categories: (1) information on diagnosis; (2)
      follow-up suggestions; (3) advice on self-care; (4) red flags; and (5) complete
      treatment, from which we generated the mnemonic acronym "InFARcT." Defining and
      structuring the content of discharge information seems especially important for
      ED physicians and patients, as stress and time constraints jeopardize effective
      communication in this context. Chest pain accounts for up to 10% of all patient
      presentations in emergency departments (EDs) (Konkelberg & Esterman, 2003). The
      majority of these patients will usually be discharged within hours, after
      exclusion of serious conditions such as myocardial infarction (Goodacre et al.,
      2011). A comprehensive workup of low- to intermediate-risk patients is not
      feasible in the ED (Reichlin et al., 2009). Yet many of these patients go on to
      suffer from repeated episodes of chest pain, associated with anxiety and
      uncertainty about diagnosis and outcome (Jones & Mountain, 2009). Effective
      discharge communication, empowering patients to understand and memorize medical
      information, should therefore be an integral part of patient care. It is a likely
      contributor to better outcomes (Bishop, Barlow, Hartley, & William, 1997;
      Kessels, 2003), higher patient satisfaction (Kessels, 2003), better adherence to
      medication (Cameron, 1996; Kessels, 2003), more adequate disease management, and
      reduced anxiety (Galloway et al., 1997; Mossman, Boudioni, & Slevin, 1999).

PMID- 26503454
TI  - An observational study of the effectiveness of alternative care providers in the
      management of obstructive sleep apnea.
AB  - Alternative care providers have been proposed as a substitute for physician-based
      management of obstructive sleep apnea. The purpose of this study was to describe
      the clinical course of patients with a new diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea
      who were treated with continuous positive airway pressure and followed by
      alternative care providers at a tertiary care sleep clinic. It was hypothesized
      that care by alternative care providers would result in improvement of daytime
      sleepiness and satisfactory treatment adherence, and that a specific number of
      follow-up visits could be identified after which clinical outcomes no longer
      improved. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale score was measured for each patient at
      baseline and at each alternative care provider visit. Patients were discharged
      when they demonstrated a significant improvement in sleepiness and were adherent
      to therapy. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale score decreased by 3.9 points from
      baseline to discharge. Patients with three or more visits required more follow-up
      time to achieve the same clinical improvement as those with only two visits.
      Continuous positive airway pressure adherence was comparable to previous studies
      of physician-led care and improved with ongoing alternative care provider follow
      up. The current results suggest that clinical care by alternative care providers
      leads to continued improvements in sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep
      apnea who are treated with continuous positive airway pressure, and that a
      minority of patients require longer follow-up to achieve a satisfactory clinical
      response to therapy. 

PMID- 26503455
TI  - Peptide YY3-36 and glucagon-like peptide-1 in functional dyspepsia. Secretion and
      role in symptom generation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The role of peptide YY3-36 (PYY3-36), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1),
      and glucose homoeostasis in symptom development in functional dyspepsia (FD) is
      unclear. The aim was to investigate postprandial changes in plasma PYY3-36, GLP
      1, glucose and insulin, and the relationship between PYY3-36, GLP-1, dyspeptic
      symptoms, and satiety measurements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six patients
      with functional dyspepsia and 18 healthy controls consumed a liquid meal at two
      occasions. Firstly, a fixed amount of 250 mL (300 kcal) was consumed and gastric
      emptying was assessed using the paracetamol method. Secondly, participants drank
      75 mL (90 kcal) per five min until maximal satiety. PYY3-36, GLP-1, glucose, and
      insulin concentrations were assessed. Satiety measures and dyspeptic symptoms
      were registered using visual analogue scales. RESULTS: Gastric emptying, glucose,
      PYY3-36, and GLP-1 concentrations were similar in patients and controls. Patients
      with epigastric pain syndrome had higher postprandial insulin levels. Patients
      reported more satiety, nausea, and pain. Area under the curve (AUC) for GLP-1
      correlated positively to nausea in patients and negatively to nausea in controls
      during a single meal. AUC for PYY3-36 correlated similarly to sensation of
      fullness in the two groups; however, the correlation was negative for the single
      meal and positive for the satiety test. CONCLUSIONS: In epigastric pain syndrome,
      postprandial insulin secretion seems to be increased. Neither GLP-1 nor PYY3-36
      secretion is altered in functional dyspepsia, but postprandial GLP-1 secretion
      seems to correlate with nausea and PYY3-36 to the sensation of fullness, and
      therefore, these hormones might be involved in symptom generation.

PMID- 26503456
TI  - Erratum to: The association of health literacy with adherence in older adults,
      and its role in interventions: a systematic meta-review.

PMID- 26503457
TI  - Attitudes and perceptions of veterinary paraprofessionals in New Zealand to
      postoperative pain in dogs and cats.
AB  - AIM: To survey the attitudes and perceptions of veterinary paraprofessionals in
      New Zealand to postoperative pain in dogs and cats. METHODS: In December 2011,
      veterinary paraprofessionals (VP) from throughout New Zealand were invited to
      participate in an online survey. Eleven questions, which were divided into five
      sections, were used to determine demographic information, the respondents'
      assessment of pain after commonly performed surgeries in dogs and cats, their
      opinions on provision of analgesia, who had responsibility for pain monitoring
      and the use of any formal pain scoring system in the practice. RESULTS: Data from
      165 respondents were able to be used, and 162 (98%) respondents to the survey
      were female. According to the respondents' estimates, fracture repair in dogs and
      repair of diaphragmatic hernias in cats had the highest pain score following
      surgery. Neutering procedures involving dogs were scored higher than for cats
      (p<0.01). All respondents agreed that animals benefit from perioperative
      analgesia. The veterinary nurse was reported to be predominantly responsible for
      monitoring pain in animals postoperatively by 116/165 (70.3%) respondents. Of 165
      respondents, 154 (93%) considered that their knowledge of pain and assessment of
      pain could be enhanced. CONCLUSIONS: This survey reflects the attitudes and
      perceptions of a sample of VP in New Zealand to postoperative pain in dogs and
      cats. The results indicate that all respondents believe that surgery results in
      sufficient pain to warrant analgesic therapy. Routine neutering surgeries were
      considered to be more painful in dogs than in cats. The current survey also
      provides information to educators on potential areas of focus, given that 93% of
      respondents felt that their knowledge of pain and assessment of pain could be
      enhanced.

PMID- 26503458
TI  - Challenges in the Pharmacological Management of Nursing Home Residents with
      Overactive Bladder or Urinary Incontinence.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the proportion of nursing home (NH) residents (NHR) with
      overactive bladder (OAB) or urinary incontinence (UI) with potential
      pharmacodynamic contraindications to antimuscarinic treatment because of
      concomitant anticholinergic medications or acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
      (AChEIs) and nonpharmacological limitations to antimuscarinic treatment. DESIGN:
      Cross-sectional retrospective analysis. SETTING: U.S. skilled nursing facilities.
      PARTICIPANTS: Nursing home residents with a diagnosis of OAB or UI. MEASUREMENTS:
      Linked and deidentified pharmacy claims and Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 records
      (October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2012). RESULTS: Of NHRs, 71.3% received at
      least one anticholinergic medication. Medications that can cause or worsen UI
      were used commonly. AChEIs and antimuscarinic treatment were prescribed
      concurrently in 24% of NHRs with OAB or UI. NHRs with OAB or UI were more likely
      to have concurrent moderate to severe cognitive impairment (MSCI) (70.1%) than
      those without (29.9%) (P < .001). NHRs with or without OAB or UI and with MSCI
      were more likely to be treated with an anticholinergic medication than those
      without MSCI (P = .001). When NHRs with MSCI, severe mobility impairment (SMI),
      and anticholinergic medication and AChEI use were excluded, only a small
      proportion of NHRs were potential candidates for antimuscarinic treatment (6.6%
      with OAB or UI, 6.2% with UI). CONCLUSIONS: This study advances understanding of
      the challenges in prescribing antimuscarinic treatment safely and appropriately
      in elderly NHRs with a high prevalence of drug interactions, underlying MSCI, and
      SMI.

PMID- 26503459
TI  - New management options for osteoporosis with emphasis on SERMs.
AB  - Albright was the first of many to show that loss of bone mass due to estrogen
      deficiency is an important part of the pathogenesis of postmenopausal
      osteoporosis. This led to the use of estrogen therapy which was shown to prevent
      bone loss at menopause and to reduce the risk of important fragility fractures.
      Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), with salutary estrogen-like
      skeletal effects and with protection from breast cancer, have important roles in
      the management of young postmenopausal women. New members of the SERM family may
      approach the effectiveness of estrogen in preventing bone loss and reducing
      fracture risk. When combined with estrogen, new SERMs prevent endometrial
      hyperplasia, and that combination reduces menopausal symptoms and prevents bone
      loss. Drugs that reduce bone turnover or stimulate bone formation by non-estrogen
      pathways have also been developed to treat osteoporosis. Emerging therapies, with
      unique mechanisms of action, may provide improved efficacy in treating women who
      already have osteoporosis. 

PMID- 26503460
TI  - miR-154 targeting ZEB2 in hepatocellular carcinoma  functions as a potential
      tumor suppressor.
AB  - MicroRNA-154 (miR-154) has been identified as a tumor suppressor in several types
      of human cancers; however, its clinical significance and function in human
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. The aim of the present study was
      to analyze the clinical significance and cellular function of miR-154 in HCC
      patients. The data showed that miR-154 expression was consistently lower in HCC
      tissues and cell lines compared to that in matched tumor-adjacent tissues and a
      normal hepatic cell line, and its expression was negatively correlated with tumor
      differentiation (P<0.01), TNM stage (P<0.01) and lymph node metastasis (P<0.01).
      Restoration of miR-154 expression in HepG2 cells inhibited cell proliferation,
      migration and invasion, and induced apoptosis and cell arrest at the G1 phase in
      vitro, as well as suppressed tumor growth in a nude mouse model. Using a
      luciferase assay, we identified that miR-154 was able to target the 3'
      untranslated region (3'UTR) of ZEB2 mRNA. Then, we revealed that miR-154 was able
      to reduce ZEB2 expression at the levels of mRNA and protein using qRT-PCR and
      western blot analysis. Notably, restoration of expression of ZEB2 weakened miR
      154-mediated suppression of tumor progression. In conclusion, these results
      indicate that miR-154 functions as a tumor suppressor in HCC by suppressing ZEB2,
      suggesting that miR-154 may serve as a potential target for HCC.

PMID- 26503462
TI  - Synthesis and sensor applications of MoS2-based nanocomposites.
AB  - Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a typical layered transition-metal dichalcogenide
      material, which has aroused a great deal of interest in the past few years.
      Recently, more and more attention has been focused on the synthesis and
      applications of MoS2-based nanocomposites. In this review, we aimed to present a
      wider view of the synthesis of various MoS2-based nanocomposites for sensor and
      biosensor applications. We highlighted the potential methods like self-assembly,
      hydrothermal reaction, chemical vapour deposition, electrospinning, as well as
      microwave and laser beam treatments for the successful preparation of MoS2-based
      nanocomposites. On the other hand, three representative types of detection
      devices fabricated by the MoS2-based nanocomposites, field-effect transistor,
      optical, and electrochemical sensors, were introduced in detail and discussed
      fully. The relationships between the sensing performances and the special
      nanostructures within the MoS2-based nanocomposites were presented and discussed.

PMID- 26503461
TI  - Plasmodium berghei ANKA causes intestinal malaria associated with dysbiosis.
AB  - Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal pain and diarrhea, are frequently
      observed in patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria. However, the correlation
      between malaria intestinal pathology and intestinal microbiota has not been
      investigated. In the present study, infection of C57BL/6 mice with P. berghei
      ANKA (PbA) caused intestinal pathological changes, such as detachment of
      epithelia in the small intestines and increased intestinal permeability, which
      correlated with development with experimental cerebral malaria (ECM). Notably, an
      apparent dysbiosis occurred, characterized by a reduction of Firmicutes and an
      increase in Proteobacteria. Furthermore, some genera of microbiota correlated
      with parasite growth and/or ECM development. By contrast, BALB/c mice are
      resistant to ECM and exhibit milder intestinal pathology and dysbiosis. These
      results indicate that the severity of cerebral and intestinal pathology coincides
      with the degree of alteration in microbiota. This is the first report
      demonstrating that malaria affects intestinal microbiota and causes dysbiosis. 

PMID- 26503463
TI  - Early aggregation preceding the nucleation of insulin amyloid fibrils as
      monitored by small angle X-ray scattering.
AB  - The nucleation event of amyloid fibrils is one of the most crucial processes that
      dictate the timing and rate of the pathology of diseases; however, information
      regarding how protein molecules associate to produce fibril nuclei is currently
      limited. In order to explore this issue in more detail, we performed time
      resolved small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements on insulin
      fibrillation, in combination with additional multidirectional analyses of
      thioflavin T fluorescence, FTIR spectroscopy, light scattering, and light
      transmittance, during the fibrillation process of bovine insulin. SAXS monitoring
      revealed that insulin molecules associated into rod-like prefibrillar aggregates
      in the very early stage of the reaction. After the formation of these early
      aggregates, they appeared to further coalesce mutually to form larger clusters,
      and the SAXS profiles subsequently showed the further time evolution of
      conformational development towards mature amyloid fibrils. Distinct types of
      structural units in terms of shape in a nano-scale order, cross-beta content, and
      thioflavin T fluorescence intensity were observed in a manner that was dependent
      on the fibrillation pathways. These results suggest the presence of diverse
      substructures that characterize various fibrillation pathways, and eventually,
      manifest polymorphisms in mature amyloid fibrils. 

PMID- 26503464
TI  - Bioengineering Human Myocardium on Native Extracellular Matrix.
AB  - RATIONALE: More than 25 million individuals have heart failure worldwide, with
      ~4000 patients currently awaiting heart transplantation in the United States.
      Donor organ shortage and allograft rejection remain major limitations with only
      ~2500 hearts transplanted each year. As a theoretical alternative to
      allotransplantation, patient-derived bioartificial myocardium could provide
      functional support and ultimately impact the treatment of heart failure.
      OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to translate previous work to human
      scale and clinically relevant cells for the bioengineering of functional
      myocardial tissue based on the combination of human cardiac matrix and human
      induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. METHODS AND RESULTS: To
      provide a clinically relevant tissue scaffold, we translated perfusion
      decellularization to human scale and obtained biocompatible human acellular
      cardiac scaffolds with preserved extracellular matrix composition, architecture,
      and perfusable coronary vasculature. We then repopulated this native human
      cardiac matrix with cardiomyocytes derived from nontransgenic human induced
      pluripotent stem cells and generated tissues of increasing 3-dimensional
      complexity. We maintained such cardiac tissue constructs in culture for 120 days
      to demonstrate definitive sarcomeric structure, cell and matrix deformation,
      contractile force, and electrical conduction. To show that functional myocardial
      tissue of human scale can be built on this platform, we then partially
      recellularized human whole-heart scaffolds with human induced pluripotent stem
      cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Under biomimetic culture, the seeded constructs
      developed force-generating human myocardial tissue and showed electrical
      conductivity, left ventricular pressure development, and metabolic function.
      CONCLUSIONS: Native cardiac extracellular matrix scaffolds maintain matrix
      components and structure to support the seeding and engraftment of human induced
      pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and enable the bioengineering of
      functional human myocardial-like tissue of multiple complexities.

PMID- 26503465
TI  - Specific inhibition by synthetic analogs of pyruvate reveals that the pyruvate
      dehydrogenase reaction is essential for metabolism and viability of glioblastoma
      cells.
AB  - The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) and its phosphorylation are considered
      essential for oncotransformation, but it is unclear whether cancer cells require
      PDHC to be functional or silenced. We used specific inhibition of PDHC by
      synthetic structural analogs of pyruvate to resolve this question. With isolated
      and intramitochondrial PDHC, acetyl phosphinate (AcPH, KiAcPH = 0.1 MUM) was a
      much more potent competitive inhibitor than the methyl ester of acetyl
      phosphonate (AcPMe, KiAcPMe = 40 MUM). When preincubated with the complex, AcPH
      also irreversibly inactivated PDHC. Pyruvate prevented, but did not reverse the
      inactivation. The pyruvate analogs did not significantly inhibit other 2-oxo acid
      dehydrogenases. Different cell lines were exposed to the inhibitors and a
      membrane-permeable precursor of AcPMe, dimethyl acetyl phosphonate, which did not
      inhibit isolated PDHC. Using an ATP-based assay, dependence of cellular viability
      on the concentration of the pyruvate analogs was followed. The highest toxicity
      of the membrane-permeable precursor suggested that the cellular action of charged
      AcPH and AcPMe requires monocarboxylate transporters. The relevant cell-specific
      transcripts extracted from Gene Expression Omnibus database indicated that cell
      lines with higher expression of monocarboxylate transporters and PDHC components
      were more sensitive to the PDHC inhibitors. Prior to a detectable
      antiproliferative action, AcPH significantly changed metabolic profiles of the
      investigated glioblastoma cell lines. We conclude that catalytic transformation
      of pyruvate by pyruvate dehydrogenase is essential for the metabolism and
      viability of glioblastoma cell lines, although metabolic heterogeneity causes
      different cellular sensitivities and/or abilities to cope with PDHC inhibition. 

PMID- 26503466
TI  - A multi-stage process including transient polyploidization and EMT precedes the
      emergence of chemoresistent ovarian carcinoma cells with a dedifferentiated and
      pro-inflammatory secretory phenotype.
AB  - DNA-damaging drugs induce a plethora of molecular and cellular alterations in
      tumor cells, but their interrelationship is largely obscure. Here, we show that
      carboplatin treatment of human ovarian carcinoma SKOV3 cells triggers an ordered
      sequence of events, which precedes the emergence of mitotic chemoresistant cells.
      The initial phase of cell death after initiation of carboplatin treatment is
      followed around day 14 by the emergence of a mixed cell population consisting of
      cycling, cell cycle-arrested and senescent cells. At this stage, giant cells make
      up >80% of the cell population, p21 (CDKN1A) in strongly induced, and cell
      numbers remain nearly static. Subsequently, cell death decreases, p21 expression
      drops to a low level and cell divisions increase, including regular mitoses of
      giant cells and depolyploidization by multi-daughter divisions. These events are
      accompanied by the upregulation of stemness markers and a pro-inflammatory
      secretory phenotype, peaking after approximately 14 days of treatment. At the
      same time the cells initiate epithelial to mesenchymal transition, which over the
      subsequent weeks continuously increases, concomitantly with the emergence of
      highly proliferative, migratory, dedifferentiated, pro-inflammatory and
      chemoresistant cells (SKOV3-R). These cells are anchorage-independent and grow in
      a 3D collagen matrix, while cells on day 14 do not survive under these
      conditions, indicating that SKOV3-R cells were generated thereafter by the multi
      stage process described above. This process was essentially recapitulated with
      the ovarian carcinoma cell line IGROV-1. Our observations suggest that transitory
      cells characterized by polyploidy, features of stemness and a pro-inflammatory
      secretory phenotype contribute to the acquisition of chemoresistance. 

PMID- 26503468
TI  - Impact of wall shear stress and ligand avidity on binding of anti-CD146-coated
      nanoparticles to murine tumor endothelium under flow.
AB  - The endothelial phenotype of tumor blood vessels differs from the liver and forms
      an important base for endothelium-specific targeting by antibody-coated
      nanoparticles. Although differences of shear stress and ligand avidity can
      modulate the nanoparticle binding to endothelium, these mechanisms are still
      poorly studied. This study analyzed the binding of antibody-coated nanoparticles
      to tumor and liver endothelium under controlled flow conditions and verified this
      binding in tumor models in vivo. Binding of anti-CD146-coated nanoparticles, but
      not of antibody was significantly reduced under increased wall shear stress and
      the degree of nanoparticle binding correlated with the avidity of the coating.
      The intravascular wall shear stress favors nanoparticle binding at the site of
      higher avidity of endothelial epitope which additionally promotes the selectivity
      to tumor endothelium. After intravenous application in vivo, pegylated self
      coated nanoparticles showed specific binding to tumor endothelium, whereas the
      nanoparticle binding to the liver endothelium was very low. This study provides a
      rationale that selective binding of mAb-coated nanoparticles to tumor endothelium
      is achieved by two factors: higher expression of endothelial epitope and higher
      nanoparticle shearing from liver endothelium. The combination of endothelial
      marker targeting and the use of shear stress-controlled nanoparticle capture can
      be used for selective intratumoral drug delivery. 

PMID- 26503467
TI  - Polymorphisms involving gain or loss of CpG sites are significantly enriched in
      trait-associated SNPs.
AB  - Some single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) influence the existence of CpG sites,
      the basis of DNA modification such as methylation and hydroxymethylation. These
      polymorphisms can lead to gain or loss of CpG sites and were defined as CpG site
      related SNPs (cgSNPs) in this study. The cgSNPs change DNA sequence and might
      potentially affect DNA modification such as methylation. However, the functional
      consequence of cgSNPs is poorly understood. We observed that a considerable
      proportion (23.0%) of common variants were cgSNPs in human genome. Mutations
      involving loss of CpG sites were associated with reduced levels of methylation
      (~20.2%) using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data. Using public databases (SCAN
      and seeQTL) of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs), we found that the
      cgSNPs were significantly enriched in eQTLs via logistic regression and
      simulation test. Furthermore, we observed that cgSNPs were more likely to be
      trait-associated loci especially cancers using a catalog of published genome-wide
      association studies (GWAS) recorded by National Human Genome Research Institute
      (NHGRI). Our results indicated that cgSNP might be meaningful as annotation
      either in SNP functional prediction or in screening for trait-associated SNPs. 

PMID- 26503469
TI  - Amphiregulin enhances intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression and promotes
      tumor metastasis in human osteosarcoma.
AB  - Osteosarcoma is a common, high malignant, and metastatic bone cancer.
      Amphiregulin (AREG) has been associated with cancer cellular activities. However,
      the effect of AREG on metastasis activity in human osteosarcoma cells has yet to
      be determined. We determined that AREG increases the expression of intercellular
      adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) through PI3K/Akt signaling pathway via its
      interaction with the epidermal growth factor receptor, thus resulting in the
      enhanced cell migration of osteosarcoma. Furthermore, AREG stimulation increased
      the association of NF-kappaB to ICAM-1 promoter which then up-regulated ICAM-1
      expression. Finally, we observed that shRNA silencing of AREG decreased
      osteosarcoma metastasis in vivo. Our findings revealed a relationship between
      osteosarcoma metastatic potential and AREG expression and the modulating effect
      of AREG on ICAM-1 expression. 

PMID- 26503470
TI  - IDH mutation and MGMT promoter methylation in glioblastoma: results of a
      prospective registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relative contribution of isocitrate dehydrogenase mutations
      (mIDH) and O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase promoter methylation (methMGMT)
      as biomarkers in glioblastoma remain poorly understood. METHODS: We investigated
      the association between methMGMT and mIDH with progression free survival and
      overall survival in a prospectively collected molecular registry of 274
      glioblastoma patients. RESULTS: For glioblastoma patients who underwent
      Temozolomide and Radiation Therapy, OS and PFS was most favorable for those with
      tumors harboring both mIDH and methMGMT (median OS: 35.8 mo, median PFS: 27.5
      mo); patients afflicted glioblastomas with either mIDH or methMGMT exhibited
      intermediate OS and PFS (mOS: 36 and 17.1 mo; mPFS: 12.2 mo and 9.9 mo,
      respectively); poorest OS and PFS was observed in wild type IDH1 (wtIDH1)
      glioblastomas that were MGMT promoter unmethylated (mOS: 15 mo, mPFS: 9.7 mo).
      For patients with wtIDH glioblastomas, TMZ+RT was associated with improved OS and
      PFS relative to patients treated with RT (OS: 15.4 mo v 9.6 mo, p < 0.001; PFS:
      9.9 mo v 6.5 mo, p < 0.001). While TMZ+RT and RT treated mIDH patients exhibited
      improved overall survival relative to those with wtIDH, there were no differences
      between the TMZ+RT or RT group. These results suggest that mIDH1 conferred
      resistance to TMZ. Supporting this hypothesis, exogenous expression of mIDH1 in
      independent astrocytoma/glioblastoma lines resulted in a 3-10 fold increase in
      TMZ resistance after long-term passage. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates IDH
      mutation and MGMT promoter methylation status independently associate with
      favorable outcome in TMZ+RT treated glioblastoma patients. However, these
      biomarkers differentially impact clinical TMZ response.

PMID- 26503471
TI  - CD133 overexpression correlates with clinicopathological features of gastric
      cancer patients and its impact on survival: a systematic review and meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: CD133 is one of the most commonly used markers of cancer stem cells
      (CSCs), which are characterized by their ability for self-renewal and
      tumorigenicity. However, the clinical and prognostic significance of CD133 in
      gastric cancer remains controversial. To clarify a precise determinant of the
      clinical significance of CD133, we conducted a systematic review and meta
      analysis to elucidate the correlation of CD133 overexpression with prognosis and
      clinicopathological features of GC patients. METHODS: A search in the Cochrane
      Library, PubMed, Medline, Web of Knowledge and Chinese CNKI, CBM (up to Jun 30,
      2015) was performed using the following keywords gastric cancer, CD133, AC133,
      prominin-1, etc. Electronic searches were supplemented by hand searching
      reference lists, abstracts and proceedings from meetings. Outcomes included
      overall survival and various clinicopathological features. Two reviewers
      independently screened the literature according to the inclusion and exclusion
      criteria, extracted the data, and assessed the methodological quality of the
      included studies, and then RevMan 5.2.0 software was used for meta-analysis.
      RESULTS: A total of 603 gastric cancer patients from 8 studies were included. The
      results of the meta-analyses showed that, there were significant differences of
      CD133 expression in the following comparisons: gastric cancer tissues vs. normal
      esophageal tissue (OR = 3.49, 95% CI [2.48, 490], P < 0.00001), lymph node
      metastasis vs. non-lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.75, 95% CI [1.99, 3.81], P <
      0.00001), distant metastasis vs. non-distant metastasis (OR = 2.38, 95%CI [1.47,
      3.85], P < 0.0004), clinical stages III~IV vs. clinical stages I~II (OR = 2.83,
      95% CI [2.13, 3.76], P < 0.00001), as well as the accumulative 5-year overall
      survival rates of CD133-positive vs. CD133-negative patients (OR = 0.23, 95% CI
      [0.16, 0.33], P < 0.00001). CONCLUSION: Overexpression of CD133 is associated
      with lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, poor TNM stage. Additionally,
      CD133-positive gastric cancer patients had worse prognosis. Our results indicate
      that CD133 may be involved in the carcinogenesis of gastric cancer. Evaluation of
      cytoplasmic CD133 overexpression in gastric cancer tissue sections may be useful
      in the future as a novel prognostic factor. Nevertheless, due to the poor quality
      and small sample size of included trials, more well-designed multi-center
      randomized controlled trials should be performed.

PMID- 26503472
TI  - Involvement of MBD4 inactivation in mismatch repair-deficient tumorigenesis.
AB  - The DNA glycosylase gene MBD4 safeguards genomic stability at CpG sites and is
      frequently mutated at coding poly-A tracks in mismatch repair (MMR)-defective
      colorectal tumors (CRC). Mbd4 biallelic inactivation in mice provided conflicting
      results as to its role in tumorigenesis. Thus, it is unclear whether MBD4
      alterations are only secondary to MMR defects without functional consequences or
      can contribute to the mutator phenotype. We investigated MBD4 variants in a large
      series of hereditary/familial and sporadic CRC cases. Whereas MBD4 frameshifts
      were only detected in tumors, missense variants were found in both normal and
      tumor DNA. In CRC with double-MBD4/MMR and single-MBD4 variants, transition
      mutation frequency was increased, indicating that MBD4 defects may affect the
      mutational landscape independently of MMR defect. Mbd4-deficient mice showed
      reduced survival when combined with Mlh1-/- genotype. Taken together, these data
      suggest that MBD4 inactivation may contribute to tumorigenesis, acting as a
      modifier of MMR-deficient cancer phenotype. 

PMID- 26503473
TI  - Phase 1b study of lenvatinib (E7080) in combination with temozolomide for
      treatment of advanced melanoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: In this phase 1b study, patients with stage 4 or
      unresectable stage 3 melanoma were treated with escalating doses of lenvatinib
      (once daily) and temozolomide (TMZ) (days 1-5) in 28-day cycles, to determine the
      maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of the combination. Dose Level (DL)1: lenvatinib 20
      mg, TMZ 100 mg/m2; DL2: lenvatinib 24 mg, TMZ 100 mg/m2; DL3: lenvatinib 24 mg,
      TMZ 150 mg/m2. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded and tumor response assessed per
      RECIST 1.0. RESULTS: Dose-limiting toxicity occurred in 1 of 32 treated patients
      (DL1); MTD was not reached. The highest dose administered was lenvatinib 24 mg +
      TMZ 150 mg/m2. Most common treatment-related AEs included fatigue (56.3%),
      hypertension (53.1%), and proteinuria (46.9%). Overall objective response rate
      was 18.8% (6 patients), all partial response; (DL1, n = 1; DL3, n = 5). Stable
      disease (SD) >= 16 weeks was observed in 28.1% of patients (DL1 and DL2, n = 1
      each; DL3, n = 7); 12.5% of patients had SD >= 23 weeks. Single and repeat-dose
      pharmacokinetics of lenvatinib were comparable across cycles and with concomitant
      TMZ administration. CONCLUSIONS: Lenvatinib 24 mg/day + TMZ 150 mg/m2/day (days 1
      5) demonstrated modest clinical activity, an acceptable safety profile, and was
      administered without worsening of either lenvatinib- or TMZ-related toxicities in
      this patient group.

PMID- 26503474
TI  - Serum apolipoprotein A-I is a novel prognostic indicator for non-metastatic
      nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated the value of pretreatment serum apolipoprotein A-I
      (ApoA-I) in complementing TNM staging in the prognosis of non-metastatic
      nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed
      1196 newly diagnosed patients with non-metastatic NPC. Disease-specific survival
      (DSS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and locoregional recurrence-free
      survival (LRFS) rates were compared according to serum ApoA-I level. Multivariate
      analysis was performed to assess the prognostic value of serum ApoA-I. RESULTS:
      The 5-year DSS, DMFS, and LRFS rates for patients with elevated or decreased
      serum ApoA-I were 81.3% versus 69.3% (P < 0.001), 83.4% versus 67.4% (P < 0.001),
      and 80.9% versus 67.3% (P < 0.001), respectively. ApoA-I >= 1.025 g/L was an
      independent prognostic factor for superior DSS, DMFS, and LRFS in multivariate
      analysis. After stratification by clinical stage, serum ApoA-I remained a
      clinically and statistically significant predictor of prognosis. CONCLUSION: Our
      data suggest that the level of ApoA-I at diagnosis is a novel independent
      prognostic marker that could complement clinical staging for risk definition in
      non-metastatic NPC.

PMID- 26503475
TI  - The HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, simvastatin, exhibits anti-metastatic and anti
      tumorigenic effects in ovarian cancer.
AB  - Ovarian cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer death among women in the United
      States. The mevalonate pathway is thought to be a potential oncogenic pathway in
      the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer. Simvastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl
      CoA reductase (HMGCR) inhibitor, is a widely used drug for inhibiting the
      synthesis of cholesterol and may also have anti-tumorigenic activity. Our goal
      was to evaluate the effects of simvastatin on ovarian cancer cell lines, primary
      cultures of ovarian cancer cells and in an orthotopic ovarian cancer mouse model.
      Simvastatin significantly inhibited cellular proliferation, induced cell cycle G1
      arrest and apoptosis, and caused cellular stress via reduction in the enzymatic
      activity of HMGCR and inhibition of the MAPK and mTOR pathways in ovarian cancer
      cells. Furthermore, simvastatin induced DNA damage and reduced cell adhesion and
      invasion. Simvastatin also exerted anti-proliferative effects on primary cell
      cultures of ovarian cancer. Treatment with simvastatin in an orthotopic mouse
      model reduced ovarian tumor growth, coincident with decreased Ki-67, HMGCR,
      phosphorylated-Akt and phosphorylated-p42/44 protein expression. Our findings
      demonstrate that simvastatin may have therapeutic benefit for ovarian cancer
      treatment and be worthy of further exploration in clinical trials. 

PMID- 26503476
TI  - Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) SCNT embryos produced from somatic cells isolated from
      frozen-thawed semen: effect of trichostatin A on the in vitro and in vivo
      developmental potential, quality and epigenetic status.
AB  - This study examined the effects of trichostatin A (TSA) treatment of
      reconstructed buffalo embryos, produced by hand-made cloning using somatic cells
      isolated from over a decade old frozen-thawed semen, on their in vitro and in
      vivo developmental competence, quality and epigenetic status. Following treatment
      of reconstructed embryos with TSA (0, 50 or 75 nM) for 10 h prior to culture, the
      cleavage (100.0 +/- 0, 94.5 +/- 2.3 and 96.1 +/- 1.2%, respectively) and
      blastocyst rate (50.6 +/- 2.3, 48.4 +/- 2.7 and 48.1 +/- 2.6%, respectively),
      total cell number (275 +/- 17.4, 289 +/- 30.1 and 317 +/- 24.2, respectively) and
      apoptotic index (5.6 +/- 0.7, 3.4 +/- 0.9 and 4.5 +/- 1.4, respectively) were not
      significantly different among the three groups. However, TSA treatment increased
      (P < 0.05) the global level of H4K5ac and decreased (P < 0.05) that of H3K27me3
      in blastocysts whereas the global level of H3K18ac was not affected
      significantly. Transfer of embryos treated with 75 nM TSA (n = 10) to recipients
      resulted in two pregnancies (20%), one out of which was aborted in the second and
      the other in the third trimester whereas transfer of control embryos (n = 20) or
      those treated with 50 nM TSA (n = 12) did not result in any pregnancy. In
      conclusion, these results suggest that TSA treatment of cloned buffalo embryos
      produced using somatic cells isolated from frozen-thawed semen improved their
      epigenetic status but not the in vitro developmental potential and offspring
      rate. 

PMID- 26503477
TI  - Controlled Rh-Catalyzed Mono- and Double-decarbonylation of Alkynyl alpha-Diones
      To Form Conjugated Ynones and Disubstituted Alkynes.
AB  - A Rh-catalyzed controlled decarbonylation of alkynyl alpha-diones is described.
      By using different ligand and solvent combinations, mono- and double
      decarbonylation can be selectively achieved to give conjugated ynones and
      disubstituted alkynes, respectively. A fundamental study on catalytic activation
      of unstrained C-C bonds under nonoxidative conditions is presented. 

PMID- 26503478
TI  - The role of plant cell wall encapsulation and porosity in regulating lipolysis
      during the digestion of almond seeds.
AB  - Previous studies have provided evidence that the physical encapsulation of
      intracellular nutrients by cell walls of plant foods (i.e. dietary fibre) plays a
      predominant role in influencing macronutrient bioaccessibility (release) from
      plant foods during human digestion. One unexplored aspect of this is the extent
      to which digestive enzymes can pass through the cell-wall barrier and hydrolyse
      the intracellular lipid in almond seeds. The purpose of the present study was to
      assess the role played by cell walls in influencing the bioaccessibility and
      digestibility of almond lipid using a range of techniques. Digestibility
      experiments were performed on raw and roasted almond cells as well as isolated
      almond oil bodies using in vitro gastric and duodenal digestion models. Residual
      triacylglycerols and lipolysis products were extracted after 1 h of incubation
      and analysed by thin layer chromatography. The lipolysis kinetics of almond cells
      and oil bodies were also investigated using the pH-stat technique. Finally, the
      potential penetration of pancreatic lipase through the cell wall matrix was
      investigated using confocal microscopy. Differences in the rates and extent of
      lipolysis were clearly seen between almond cells and oil bodies, and these
      differences were observed regardless of the lipase(s) used. These results also
      showed that almond cell walls that are completely intact limit lipid
      digestibility, due to an encapsulation mechanism that hinders the diffusion of
      lipase into the intracellular environment and lipolysis products out of the
      cells. 

PMID- 26503479
TI  - Obituary: Remembering Emeritus Professor Lester Mitscher (20 August 1931-8 May
      2015).

PMID- 26503480
TI  - Onset of autumn shapes the timing of birth in Pyrenean chamois more than onset of
      spring.
AB  - In seasonal environments, birth dates are a central component for a species' life
      history, with potential long-term fitness consequences. Yet our understanding of
      selective pressures of environmental changes on birth dates is limited in wild
      mammals due to the difficulty of data collection. In a context of rapid climate
      change, the question of a possible mismatch between plant phenology and birth
      phenology also remains unanswered for most species. We assessed whether and how
      the timing of birth in a mountain mammal (isard, also named Pyrenean chamois,
      Rupicapra pyrenaica pyrenaica) tracked changes in plant growing season,
      accounting for maternal traits, individual heterogeneity and population density.
      We not only focused on spring conditions but also assessed to what extent onset
      of autumn can be a driver of phenological biological events and compared the
      magnitude of the response to the magnitude of the environmental changes. We
      relied on a 22-year study based on intensively monitored marked individuals of
      known age. Births were highly synchronized (80% of kids born within 25 days) and
      highly repeatable (84%; between-female variation of 9.6 days, within-female
      variation of 4.2 days). Individual phenotypic plasticity allows females to
      respond rapidly to interannual changes in plant phenology but did not prevent the
      existence of a mismatch: a 10-day advance in the autumn or spring plant phenology
      led to 3.9 and 1.3 days advance in birth dates, respectively. Our findings
      suggest that plant phenology may act as a cue to induce important stages of the
      reproductive cycle (e.g. conception and gestation length), subsequently affecting
      parturition dates, and stressed the importance of focusing on long-term changes
      during spring for which females may show much lower adaptive potential than
      during autumn. These results also question the extent to which individual
      plasticity along with high heterogeneity among individuals will allow species to
      cope with demographic consequences of climate changes.

PMID- 26503481
TI  - Inquiry-based experiments for large-scale introduction to PCR and restriction
      enzyme digests.
AB  - Polymerase chain reaction and restriction endonuclease digest are important
      techniques that should be included in all Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
      laboratory curriculums. These techniques are frequently taught at an advanced
      level, requiring many hours of student and faculty time. Here we present two
      inquiry-based experiments that are designed for introductory laboratory courses
      and combine both techniques. In both approaches, students must determine the
      identity of an unknown DNA sequence, either a gene sequence or a primer sequence,
      based on a combination of PCR product size and restriction digest pattern. The
      experimental design is flexible, and can be adapted based on available instructor
      preparation time and resources, and both approaches can accommodate large numbers
      of students. We implemented these experiments in our courses with a combined
      total of 584 students and have an 85% success rate. Overall, students
      demonstrated an increase in their understanding of the experimental topics,
      ability to interpret the resulting data, and proficiency in general laboratory
      skills.

PMID- 26503483
TI  - Abstracts of the IPITA-IXA-CTS 2015 Joint Congress November 15-19, 2015,
      Melbourne, Australia.

PMID- 26503484
TI  - The Chemistry of Heterasumanenes.
AB  - Our studies on the synthesis of heterasumanenes, where benzylic carbon atoms of
      the sumanene are replaced by heteroatom functionalities, are summarized. Starting
      from triphenylene, repetitive lithiation at a bay position followed by
      introduction of silylene or germylene units provided the first trisila- and
      trigermasumanenes with no substituents on the skeletal carbon atoms. The
      synthesis of a trisilasumanene bearing six butoxy groups on the skeletal carbon
      atoms was also accomplished by our original sila-Friedel-Crafts reaction. A
      heterasumanene bearing three different heteroatom functionalities was also
      prepared from triphenylenothiophene by a sequential lithiation method, even
      though protecting groups were necessary to prevent lithiation at the alpha-carbon
      atoms of the dibenzothiophene unit. Structural analysis and optical properties of
      the novel heterasumanenes are also described. 

PMID- 26503485
TI  - Quality of antenatal and childbirth care in rural health facilities in Burkina
      Faso, Ghana and Tanzania: an intervention study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of an intervention consisting of a computer
      assisted clinical decision support system and performance-based incentives,
      aiming at improving quality of antenatal and childbirth care. METHODS:
      Intervention study in rural primary healthcare (PHC) facilities in Burkina Faso,
      Ghana and Tanzania. In each country, six intervention and six non-intervention
      PHC facilities, located in one intervention and one non-intervention rural
      districts, were selected. Quality was assessed in each facility by health
      facility surveys, direct observation of antenatal and childbirth care, exit
      interviews, and reviews of patient records and maternal and child health
      registers. Findings of pre- and post-intervention and of intervention and non
      intervention health facility quality assessments were analysed and assessed for
      significant (P < 0.05) quality of care differences. RESULTS: Post-intervention
      quality scores do not show a clear difference to pre-intervention scores and
      scores at non-intervention facilities. Only a few variables had a statistically
      significant better post-intervention quality score and when this is the case this
      is mostly observed in only one study-arm, being pre-/post-intervention or
      intervention/non-intervention. Post-intervention care shows similar deficiencies
      in quality of antenatal and childbirth care and in detection, prevention, and
      management of obstetric complications as at baseline and non-intervention study
      facilities. CONCLUSION: Our intervention study did not show a significant
      improvement in quality of care during the study period. However, the use of new
      technology seems acceptable and feasible in rural PHC facilities in resource
      constrained settings, creating the opportunity to use this technology to improve
      quality of care.

PMID- 26503482
TI  - Ageing-related changes in GABAergic inhibition in mouse auditory cortex, measured
      using in vitro flavoprotein autofluorescence imaging.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Ageing is associated with hearing loss and changes in GABAergic
      signalling in the auditory system. We tested whether GABAergic signalling in an
      isolated forebrain preparation also showed ageing-related changes. A novel
      approach was used, whereby population imaging was coupled to quantitative
      pharmacological sensitivity. Sensitivity to GABAA blockade was inversely
      associated with age and cortical thickness, but hearing loss did not
      independently contribute to the change in GABAA ergic sensitivity. Redox states
      in the auditory cortex of young and aged animals were similar, suggesting that
      the differences in GABAA ergic sensitivity are unlikely to be due to differences
      in slice health. To examine ageing-related changes in the earliest stages of
      auditory cortical processing, population auditory cortical responses to thalamic
      afferent stimulation were studied in brain slices obtained from young and aged
      CBA/CAj mice (up to 28 months of age). Cortical responses were measured using
      flavoprotein autofluorescence imaging, and ageing-related changes in inhibition
      were assessed by measuring the sensitivity of these responses to blockade of
      GABAA receptors using bath-applied SR95531. The maximum auditory cortical
      response to afferent stimulation was not different between young and aged animals
      under control conditions, but responses to afferent stimulation in aged animals
      showed a significantly lower sensitivity to GABA blockade with SR95531. Cortical
      thickness, but not hearing loss, improved the prediction of all imaging variables
      when combined with age, particularly sensitivity to GABA blockade for the maximum
      response. To determine if the observed differences between slices from young and
      aged animals were due to differences in slice health, the redox state in the
      auditory cortex was assessed by measuring the FAD+/NADH ratio using fluorescence
      imaging. We found that this ratio is highly sensitive to known redox stressors
      such as H2 O2 and NaCN; however, no difference was found between young and aged
      animals. By using a new approach to quantitatively assess pharmacological
      sensitivity of population-level cortical responses to afferent stimulation, these
      data demonstrate that auditory cortical inhibition diminishes with ageing.
      Furthermore, these data establish a significant relationship between cortical
      thickness and GABAergic sensitivity, which had not previously been observed in an
      animal model of ageing.

PMID- 26503486
TI  - Substance use disorder and risk of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt and suicide
      death: a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This meta-analysis addressed the association between substance use
      disorder (SUD) and suicide outcomes based on current evidence. METHODS: We
      searched PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus until May 2015. We also searched the
      reference lists of included studies and Psycinfo website. We included
      observational (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional) studies addressing the
      association between SUD and suicide. Our outcomes of interest were suicide
      ideation, suicide attempt and suicide death. For each outcome, we calculated the
      odds ratio (OR) or risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) based on
      the random-effects model. RESULTS: We identified a total of 12 413 references and
      included 43 studies with 870 967 participants. There was a significant
      association between SUD and suicidal ideation: OR 2.04 (95% CI: 1.59, 2.50; I2 =
      88.8%, 16 studies); suicide attempt OR 2.49 (95% CI: 2.00, 2.98; I2 = 94.3%, 24
      studies) and suicide death OR 1.49 (95% CI: 0.97, 2.00; I2 = 82.7%, 7 studies).
      CONCLUSIONS: Based on current evidence, there is a strong association between SUD
      and suicide outcomes. However, evidence based on long-term prospective cohort
      studies is limited and needs further investigation. Moreover, further evidence is
      required to assess and compare the association between suicide outcomes and
      different types of illicit drugs, dose-response relationship and the way they are
      used.

PMID- 26503488
TI  - Feasibility study for assessing liver fibrosis in paediatric and adolescent
      patients using real-time shear wave elastography.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of
      shear wave elastography (SWE), as a non-invasive means of assessing liver
      fibrosis stage in paediatric and adolescent patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Consecutive paediatric and adolescent subjects scheduled for liver biopsy (LB)
      evaluation of known or suspected diffuse liver disease were included after
      informed guardian consent and subject assent in this IRB-approved single
      institution study. Elastograms were acquired prior to liver biopsy, from the
      liver under a breath-hold after normal inspiration when possible. Biopsy
      specimens underwent blinded pathologist review using the METAVIR scoring system.
      RESULTS: Twenty-four patients (M : F = 13:11) with a mean age of 17 years (range:
      1-21 years) underwent liver biopsy. The distribution of fibrosis on pathological
      examination was: F0 = 10, F1 = 9, F2 = 1, F3 = 3, and F4 = 1. Subjects with
      stages F0 and F1 fibrosis had a mean SWE value of 6.93 kPa (95% CI: 6.33-7.44
      kPa) and 8.33 kPa (95% CI: 6.83-10.80 kPa) respectively. The SWE value for the
      one subject with stage F2 fibrosis was 6.36 kPa, whereas for F3 and F4 were 8.86
      (95% CI: 5.70-11.40) and 17.85 kPa respectively. The correlation between SWE
      values and fibrosis grade was strong (r = 0.58, P = 0.003), and the area under
      the ROC curve differentiatiang >=F2 fibrosis was 0.62 (95% CI: 0.26-0.98).
      CONCLUSION: Estimation of liver stiffness using real-time SWE is feasible using
      the SC6-1 ultrasound probe in paediatric and adolescent patients and strongly
      correlates with the stage of fibrosis.

PMID- 26503489
TI  - Evaluation of a 7-Methoxycoumarin-3-carboxylic Acid Ester Derivative as a
      Fluorescent, Cell-Cleavable, Phosphonate Protecting Group.
AB  - Cell-cleavable protecting groups often enhance cellular delivery of species that
      are charged at physiological pH. Although several phosphonate protecting groups
      have achieved clinical success, it remains difficult to use these prodrugs in
      live cells to clarify biological mechanisms. Here, we present a strategy that
      uses a 7-methoxycoumarin-3-carboxylic acid ester as a fluorescent protecting
      group. This strategy was applied to synthesis of an (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2
      enyl diphosphate (HMBPP) analogue to assess cellular uptake and human
      Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cell activation. The fluorescent ester displayed low cellular
      toxicity (IC50 >100 MUm) and strong T cell activation (EC50 =0.018 MUm) relative
      to the unprotected anion (EC50 =23 MUm). The coumarin-derived analogue allowed no
      wash analysis of biological deprotection, which revealed rapid internalization of
      the prodrug. These results demonstrate that fluorescent groups can be applied
      both as functional drug delivery tools and useful biological probes of drug
      uptake.

PMID- 26503490
TI  - Controlled Nanopores in Thin Films of Nonstoichiometrically Supramolecularly
      Assembled Graft Copolymers.
AB  - Herein, nanometer-scale morphologies of graft-copolymer-like supramolecular thin
      films, composed of sulfonic acid terminated polystyrene (SPS) and poly(2
      vinylpyridine) (P2VP), and their application to antireflection coatings were
      investigated. The intermolecular complexes of SPS and P2VP, formed through
      nonstoichiometric multiple hydrogen bonding between the sulfonic acid group of
      SPS and the nitrogen atom in pyridine unit of P2VP, occurring in film deposition
      allowed for the formation of spherical micelles (with SPS and P2VP as the corona
      and core, respectively) in the thin film. Interestingly, the domain size of the
      micelles was tunable from approximately 20 to 90 nm on average by controlling
      either the blend ratio of components or the concentration of polymer solution.
      Furthermore, nanoporous thin films could be easily prepared by removing the core
      of micelle-based nanostructures by using a simple solvent etching process,
      leaving sulfonic acid groups on the surface of nanopores, which can be utilized
      as potential functional sites. Those resultant nanoporous thin films were
      conveniently employed as an antireflection layer on a glass substrate, giving a
      maximum 97.8 % transmittance in the visible wavelength range. 

PMID- 26503491
TI  - Therapy combinations: celebrating more milestones.

PMID- 26503492
TI  - Telomere length and survival in IPF patients.

PMID- 26503493
TI  - Sugar and artificially sweetened beverage consumption and adiposity changes:
      National longitudinal study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In response to increasing policy action and public concern about the
      negative health effects of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), there is increased
      promotion of artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs). These have been linked with
      obesity and diabetes in recent experimental work. This study examined
      associations between SSB and ASB consumption and changes in adiposity in a
      nationally representative sample of UK children. METHODS: We conducted a
      longitudinal study of 13,170 children aged 7-11 years in the UK Millennium Cohort
      Study, collected in 2008 and 2012. Logistic regression was used to assess socio
      demographic and behavioural correlates of weekly SSB and ASB consumption at 11
      years. Linear regression examined associations between SSB/ASB consumption and
      changes in adiposity measures between 7 and 11 years. RESULTS: Boys were more
      likely to consume SSBs weekly (62.3% v 59.1%) than girls at age 11 years. South
      Asian children were more likely to consume SSBs weekly (78.8% v 58.4%) but less
      likely to consume ASBsweekly (51.7% v 66.3%) than White children. Daily SSB
      consumption was associated with increases in percentage body fat between ages 7
      and 11 (+0.57%, 95% confidence intervals 0.30;0.83). Daily ASB consumption was
      associated with increased percentage body fat at age 11 (+1.18 kg/m(2),
      0.81;1.54) and greater increases between ages 7 and 11 (+0.35 kg/m(2),
      0.09;0.61). CONCLUSION: Consumption of SSBs and ASBs was associated with BMI and
      percentage body fat increases in UK children. Obesity prevention strategies which
      encourage the substitution of SSBs with ASBs may not yield the adiposity benefits
      originally intended and this area should be a focus for further research.

PMID- 26503495
TI  - Meta-analysis of the association of brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met
      polymorphism with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in
      neural survival and was proposed to be related to psychiatric disorders. Val66Met
      (also known as rs6265 or G196A), the only known functional polymorphism of the
      BDNF gene, has been widely studied and considered to be associated with risk of
      some psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. However,
      studies evaluating its association with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
      obtained inconsistent results. The purpose of this study was to derive a more
      precise estimation of the association between BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and OCD
      susceptibility by a meta-analysis. METHOD: We carried a structured literature
      search in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and Chinese Biomedical Database up to December
      2014; and retrieved all eligible case-control studies according to the including
      criteria. Meta-analysis was performed for four genetic models: allelic model: Met
      versus Val; additive model: Met/Met versus Val/Val; recessive model: Met/Met
      versus Val/Val+Val/Met; and dominant model: Val/Met+Met/Met versus Val/Val.
      Stratified analyses were performed by ethnicity and gender where appropriate.
      RESULTS: A total of eight articles with nine studies including 1632 OCD cases and
      2417 controls were identified. No significant association was detected in any
      comparison when the whole data were pooled together or stratified by ethnicity or
      gender in all four genetic models (p>0.05 for each comparison). CONCLUSION:
      Despite some limitations, our meta-analysis suggests that no significant
      association exists between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and OCD susceptibility.

PMID- 26503494
TI  - S-nitrosylation-dependent proteasomal degradation restrains Cdk5 activity to
      regulate hippocampal synaptic strength.
AB  - Precise regulation of synaptic strength requires coordinated activity and
      functions of synaptic proteins, which is controlled by a variety of post
      translational modification. Here we report that S-nitrosylation of p35, the
      activator of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5), by nitric oxide (NO) is important
      for the regulation of excitatory synaptic strength. While blockade of NO
      signalling results in structural and functional synaptic deficits as indicated by
      reduced mature dendritic spine density and surface expression of glutamate
      receptor subunits, phosphorylation of numerous synaptic substrates of Cdk5 and
      its activity are aberrantly upregulated following reduced NO production. The
      results show that the NO-induced reduction in Cdk5 activity is mediated by S
      nitrosylation of p35, resulting in its ubiquitination and degradation by the E3
      ligase PJA2. Silencing p35 protein in hippocampal neurons partially rescues the
      NO blockade-induced synaptic deficits. These findings collectively demonstrate
      that p35 S-nitrosylation by NO signalling is critical for regulating hippocampal
      synaptic strength. 

PMID- 26503496
TI  - Heat stroke during treatment with olanzapine, trihexyphenidyl, and trazodone in a
      patient with schizophrenia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Psychiatric patients are
      particularly susceptible to heat stroke. Therefore, awareness and preventive
      measures of heat stroke are important for both clinicians and patients. Case
      description A 49-year-old man with schizophrenia, who was under maintenance
      treatment with olanzapine 20 mg/day, trihexyphenidyl 4 mg/day, and trazodone 50
      mg/day, suffered from heat stroke in a heat wave and required intensive care. He
      recovered with the medical treatment provided. Discussion Several factors could
      have contributed to the impaired thermoregulation and the occurrence of heat
      stroke in this case: schizophrenia, the psychotropic regimen, and lack of
      preventive measures. Possible differential diagnoses of heat stroke in this case
      include infection, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and serotonin syndrome.
      CONCLUSION: Heat stroke can occur during the maintenance treatment of olanzapine,
      trihexyphenidyl, and trazodone for schizophrenia. Clinicians should be proactive
      to reduce the risk of heat stroke in psychiatric patients.

PMID- 26503497
TI  - The postoperative patient-reported quality of recovery in colorectal cancer
      patients under enhanced recovery after surgery using QoR-40.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols may reduce
      postoperative complications and the length of hospital stay. Studies of the
      effectiveness of ERAS should include not only doctor-reported outcomes, but also
      patient-reported outcomes, in order to better estimate their impact on recovery.
      However, patient-reported outcomes are not commonly reported. Thus, it needs to
      be assessed whether early discharge from the hospital is compatible with a better
      outcome from the viewpoint of the patients themselves. METHODS: The 40-item
      quality of recovery score (QoR-40) is a recovery-specific, and patient-rated
      questionnaire, which provides a good measurement of early postoperative recovery.
      Ninety-four colorectal cancer patients undergoing surgery under ERAS protocol
      management were asked to answer QoR-40 questionnaires preoperatively and on post
      operative day (POD) 1, 3, 6 and one month after surgery. RESULTS: The median
      (25th, 75th percentiles) preoperative global QoR-40 scores as an indicator of the
      baseline health status, was 189 (176.75, 197). On POD1 and POD3, the scores had
      decreased significantly to 154 (132.5, 164.25) and 177 (161.75, 190),
      respectively. On POD 6, the score dramatically recovered up to 183.5 (167.9,
      191), which was not significantly different from the baseline level (p = 0.06).
      The scores at 1 month after surgery were 190 (176, 197). Younger patients,
      compared to older patients, and rectal cancer patients, compared to colon cancer
      patients, had significantly lower scores on POD1. CONCLUSION: This study clearly
      demonstrated that the quality of recovery based on patient-reported outcomes is
      in agreement with discharge around POD6 for colorectal cancer patients under
      ERAS.

PMID- 26503498
TI  - Vitamin A supplementation during pregnancy for maternal and newborn outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recommends routine vitamin A
      supplementation during pregnancy or lactation in areas with endemic vitamin A
      deficiency (where night blindness occurs), based on the expectation that
      supplementation will improve maternal and newborn outcomes including mortality,
      morbidity and prevention of anaemia or infection.   OBJECTIVES: To review the
      effects of supplementation of vitamin A, or one of its derivatives, during
      pregnancy, alone or in combination with other vitamins and micronutrients, on
      maternal and newborn clinical outcomes. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane
      Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (30 March 2015) and reference
      lists of retrieved studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised or quasi
      randomised trials, including cluster-randomised trials, evaluating the effect of
      vitamin A supplementation in pregnant women. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two
      review authors independently assessed trials for inclusion and risk of bias,
      extracted data and checked them for accuracy. MAIN RESULTS: We reviewed 106
      reports of 35 trials, published between 1931 and 2015. We included 19 trials
      including over 310,000 women, excluded 15 trials and one is ongoing. Overall,
      seven trials were judged to be of low risk of bias, three were high risk of bias
      and for nine it was unclear. 1) Vitamin A alone versus placebo or no
      treatmentOverall, when trial results are pooled, vitamin A supplementation does
      not affect the risk of maternal mortality (risk ratio (RR) 0.88, 95% confidence
      interval (CI) 0.65 to 1.20; four trials Ghana, Nepal, Bangladesh, UK, high
      quality evidence), perinatal mortality (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.07; one study,
      high quality evidence), neonatal mortality, stillbirth, neonatal anaemia, preterm
      birth (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.01, five studies, high quality evidence), or the
      risk of having a low birthweight baby.Vitamin A supplementation reduces the risk
      of maternal night blindness (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.98; two trials). There is
      evidence that vitamin A supplements may reduce maternal clinical infection (RR
      0.45, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.99, five trials; South Africa, Nepal, Indonesia, Tanzania,
      UK, low quality evidence) and maternal anaemia (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.94;
      three studies, moderate quality evidence). 2) Vitamin A alone versus
      micronutrient supplements without vitamin AVitamin A alone compared to
      micronutrient supplements without vitamin A does not decrease maternal clinical
      infection (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.18, two trials, 591 women). No other primary
      or secondary outcomes were reported 3) Vitamin A with other micronutrients versus
      micronutrient supplements without vitamin AVitamin A supplementation (with other
      micronutrients) does not decrease perinatal mortality (RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.10 to
      2.69; one study, low quality evidence), maternal anaemia (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.68 to
      1.09; three studies, low quality evidence), maternal clinical infection (RR 0.95,
      95% CI 0.80 to 1.13; I2 = 45%, two studies, low quality evidence) or preterm
      birth (RR 0.39, 95% CI 0.08 to 1.93; one study, low quality evidence).In HIV
      positive women vitamin A supplementation given with other micronutrients was
      associated with fewer low birthweight babies (< 2.5 kg) in the supplemented group
      in one study (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.96; one study, 594 women). AUTHORS'
      CONCLUSIONS: The pooled results of three large trials in Nepal, Ghana and
      Bangladesh (with over 153,500 women) do not currently suggest a role for
      antenatal vitamin A supplementation to reduce maternal or perinatal mortality.
      However, the populations studied were probably different with regard to baseline
      vitamin A status and there were problems with follow-up of women. There is good
      evidence that antenatal vitamin A supplementation reduces maternal night
      blindness, maternal anaemia for women who live in areas where vitamin A
      deficiency is common or who are HIV-positive. In addition the available evidence
      suggests a reduction in maternal infection, but these data are not of a high
      quality.

PMID- 26503499
TI  - Are women with complications of an incomplete abortion more likely to be HIV
      infected than women without complications?
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is limited published evidence about the status of HIV among
      women who have had abortions or suffered from abortion complications.
      Understanding this connection is critical for building the evidence base and for
      guiding strategies to manage the sexual and reproductive health needs of women
      living with HIV. The purpose of this study is to determine whether women who
      suffered incomplete abortion complications are more likely to be HIV infected
      than those without complications. We hypothesized that women with incomplete
      abortion complications have higher rates of HIV infection than women who attended
      clinic for other obstetric reasons. METHODS: The analysis used a secondary
      dataset from a published case-control study that enrolled 1) 70 women at
      discharge after receiving in-patient care for complications resulting from
      induced abortion, and 2) 69 women (the comparison group) who visited the same
      hospital during the same time period for other obstetric needs. The primary
      outcome was seeking care for complications of incomplete abortion versus seeking
      care for other obstetric needs (dichotomous). The primary exposure variable was
      self-reported HIV status which was categorized into three groups: HIV positive,
      HIV negative, and HIV unknown. Unadjusted and adjusted associations between being
      in the abortion complications group, HIV status and other selected population
      characteristics were estimated using univariate and multivariate logistic
      regression. RESULTS: Of 139 women enrolled in this study. Seventy (50.4 %) women
      had abortion complications and 69 (49.6 %) did not. Of the total study
      population, 18 (12.9 %) were HIV positive, 50 (36.0 %) were HIV negative, and the
      HIV status of 71 women (51.1 %) was unknown. Compared to women who were HIV
      negative, women who were HIV positive had similar odds of being in the abortion
      complications group in both univariate and multivariate analyses (rho =0.62 and
      rho = 0.76). However, compared to HIV-negative women, those women who did not
      know their HIV status had greater odds of being in the abortion complications
      group (OR = 3.8, 95 % CI, 1.88, 8.20) in univariate analysis. After adjusting for
      potential confounding variables, the odds of being in the abortion complications
      group remained greater among women who did not know their HIV status compared to
      HIV-negative women (adjusted OR = 2.8, 95 % CI, 1.20, 6.54). CONCLUSIONS: This
      study points to the need for targeted interventions aimed at strengthening the
      delivery and coverage of HIV-testing programs for pregnant women and post
      abortion care. In addition, more research is needed to better understand the
      relationships between unsafe abortion, abortion complications and unknown HIV
      status.

PMID- 26503500
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26503503
TI  - The attitudes of general hospital doctors toward patients with comorbid mental
      illness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: What are the attitudes of general hospital doctors toward patients
      with comorbid mental illness? Do certain characteristics of the health
      professional related to attitude valence to patients with comorbid mental
      illness? METHOD: An anonymous questionnaire was sent out to a cohort of doctors
      working in three General Hospitals in South West London. The questionnaire
      included vignettes to assess the respondents' attitudes toward eight patients
      presenting with a physical compliant with different clinical histories, including
      depression, schizophrenia, personality disorder, diabetes, and criminal behavior.
      RESULTS: A total of 52 participants completed the questionnaire; 40 females and
      12 males. Across all domains, the most positive attitudes were held toward
      patients without a diagnosis of mental illness. The least positive attitudes were
      toward patients with schizophrenia, personality disorder, and those classified as
      "criminals," and negative attitudes relating to the unpredictability of patients
      was identified in these categories. There was no statistically significant
      difference in attitudes depending on age or level of training. However, female
      participants tended to endorse more positive attitudinal responses, most clearly
      toward patients with depression and heroin addiction. CONCLUSIONS: Negative
      attitudes of doctors were identified toward certain mental illness diagnoses and
      are likely to contribute the physical health disparity between patients with and
      without a comorbid mental illness. This raises the question as to how these
      attitudes can be changed in order to improve the parity of physical health care
      between patient with and without mental illness.

PMID- 26503504
TI  - MiR-24 functions as a tumor suppressor in nasopharyngeal carcinoma through
      targeting FSCN1.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence indicates that the dysregulation of miRNAs
      expression is involved in the tumorigenesis by acting as tumor suppressors or
      oncogenes. However, no study investigates the function and mechanisms of miR-24
      in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: Quantitative RT-PCR, MTT, colony
      formation, soft-agar, wound healing, Transwell migration and invasion assays, and
      xenograft tumor growth and lung metastasis models were performed to test the
      expression levels and functions of miR-24 in NPC. Luciferase reporter assay,
      quantitative RT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were used to
      identify and verify the target of miR-24. RESULTS: The results showed that MiR-24
      was obviously downregulated in NPC cell lines and tissue samples (P < 0.05).
      Ectopic expression of miR-24 inhibited the cell viability, proliferation,
      migration, and invasion in vitro (all P < 0.05), and suppressed the xenograft
      tumor growth and lung metastasis formation in vivo (all P < 0.05). Fascin
      homologue 1 (FSCN1) was verified as a direct target of miR-24, and silencing
      FSCN1 expression with small interfering RNA inhibited NPC cell proliferation and
      invasion (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, miR-24 acts as a novel tumor
      suppressor in the development and progression of NPC through targeting FSCN1,
      which providing new insight into the mechanisms of NPC carcinogenesis and
      suggesting the possibility of miR-24 as a therapeutic target.

PMID- 26503502
TI  - Multimodal description of whole brain connectivity: A comparison of resting state
      MEG, fMRI, and DWI.
AB  - Structural and functional connectivity (SC and FC) have received much attention
      over the last decade, as they offer unique insight into the coordination of brain
      functioning. They are often assessed independently with three imaging modalities:
      SC using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), FC using functional magnetic resonance
      imaging (fMRI), and magnetoencephalography/electroencephalography (MEG/EEG). DWI
      provides information about white matter organization, allowing the reconstruction
      of fiber bundles. fMRI uses blood-oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast to
      indirectly map neuronal activation. MEG and EEG are direct measures of neuronal
      activity, as they are sensitive to the synchronous inputs in pyramidal neurons.
      Seminal studies have targeted either the electrophysiological substrate of BOLD
      or the anatomical basis of FC. However, multimodal comparisons have been scarcely
      performed, and the relation between SC, fMRI-FC, and MEG-FC is still unclear.
      Here we present a systematic comparison of SC, resting state fMRI-FC, and MEG-FC
      between cortical regions, by evaluating their similarities at three different
      scales: global network, node, and hub distribution. We obtained strong
      similarities between the three modalities, especially for the following pairwise
      combinations: SC and fMRI-FC; SC and MEG-FC at theta, alpha, beta and gamma
      bands; and fMRI-FC and MEG-FC in alpha and beta. Furthermore, highest node
      similarity was found for regions of the default mode network and primary motor
      cortex, which also presented the highest hubness score. Distance was partially
      responsible for these similarities since it biased all three connectivity
      estimates, but not the unique contributor, since similarities remained after
      controlling for distance.

PMID- 26503505
TI  - The fate of systemically administrated allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells in mouse
      femoral fracture healing.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The fate and whereabouts of the allogenic mesenchymal stem cells
      (MSCs) following their transplantation are not well understood. The present study
      investigated the fate of systemically administrated allogeneic MSCs in mouse
      fracture healing by using in vivo imaging and immunohistochemistry methods.
      METHODS: Open femoral fracture with internal fixation was established in 30 FVB
      mice, which were assigned to three groups receiving phosphate-buffered saline
      (PBS) injection, MSC systemic injection, or MSC local injection. Luc-MSCs (5 *
      10(5)) isolated from the luciferase transgenic mice with FVB background were
      injected at 4 days after fracture. All animals were terminated at 5 weeks after
      fracture; examinations included bioluminescence-based in vivo imaging, micro
      computer tomography, mechanical testing, histology, immunohistochemistry, and
      double immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: The bioluminescence signals of the
      Luc-MSCs at the fracture site could be detected for 12-14 days following their
      injection in the Luc-MSC local injection group, whereas in the Luc-MSC systemic
      injection group, Luc-MSCs were initially trapped in lungs for about 8-9 days and
      then gradually redistributed to the fracture site. Bone mineral density, bone
      volume/tissue volume, ultimate load, and E-modulus in the MSC injection groups
      were significantly higher than those in the PBS group. Double immunostaining
      demonstrated that the MSC local injection group had more Luc-positive cells, and
      there was a higher apoptotic rate at the fracture site than the MSC systemic
      injection group. Both Luciferase-positive MSCs and osteoblasts were present in
      the callus in the MSC injection groups at 5 weeks after fracture, suggesting that
      some of allogenic Luc-MSCs contributed to the new bone formation. Only less than
      3 % of injected Luc-MSCs remained at the fracture site in the MSC injection
      groups at 5 weeks following the fracture, and the rest of the injected Luc-MSCs
      disappeared. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that both systemic and local injection
      of allogeneic MSCs promoted fracture healing through enhancing biomechanical
      properties, bone content, and enlarged callus sizes. Immunohistochemistry
      confirmed that the injected MSCs are still present in the fracture site and can
      differentiate into osteoblasts to participate in fracture healing even at 5 weeks
      following the fracture. These findings provide useful information for the use of
      allogenic MSCs for cell therapy applications.

PMID- 26503506
TI  - Spin-glass-like freezing of inner and outer surface layers in hollow gamma-Fe2O3
      nanoparticles.
AB  - Disorder among surface spins is a dominant factor in the magnetic response of
      magnetic nanoparticle systems. In this work, we examine time-dependent
      magnetization in high-quality, monodisperse hollow maghemite nanoparticles (NPs)
      with a 14.8 +/- 0.5 nm outer diameter and enhanced surface-to-volume ratio. The
      nanoparticle ensemble exhibits spin-glass-like signatures in dc magnetic aging
      and memory protocols and ac magnetic susceptibility. The dynamics of the system
      slow near 50 K, and become frozen on experimental time scales below 20 K.
      Remanence curves indicate the development of magnetic irreversibility concurrent
      with the freezing of the spin dynamics. A strong exchange-bias effect and its
      training behavior point to highly frustrated surface spins that rearrange much
      more slowly than interior spins. Monte Carlo simulations of a hollow particle
      corroborate strongly disordered surface layers with complex energy landscapes
      that underlie both glass-like dynamics and magnetic irreversibility. Calculated
      hysteresis loops reveal that magnetic behavior is not identical at the inner and
      outer surfaces, with spins at the outer surface layer of the 15 nm hollow
      particles exhibiting a higher degree of frustration. Our combined experimental
      and simulated results shed light on the origin of spin-glass-like phenomena and
      the important role played by the surface spins in magnetic hollow nanostructures.

PMID- 26503508
TI  - Berberine-induced anticancer activities in FaDu head  and neck squamous cell
      carcinoma cells.
AB  - In the present study, we investigated berberine-induced apoptosis and the
      signaling pathways underlying its activity in FaDu head and neck squamous cell
      carcinoma cells. Berberine did not affect the viability of primary human normal
      oral keratinocytes. In contrast, the cytotoxicity of berberine was significantly
      increased in FaDu cells stimulated with berberine for 24 h. Furthermore,
      berberine increased nuclear condensation and apoptosis rates in FaDu cells than
      those in untreated control cells. Berberine also induced the upregulation of
      apoptotic ligands, such as FasL and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand, and
      triggered the activation of caspase-8, -7 and -3, and poly(ADP ribose)
      polymerase, characteristic of death receptor-dependent extrinsic apoptosis.
      Moreover, berberine activated the mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signaling
      pathway by upregulating pro-apoptotic factors, such as Bax, Bad, Apaf-1, and the
      active form of caspase-9, and downregulating anti-apoptotic factors, such as Bcl
      2 and Bcl-xL. In addition, berberine increased the expression of the tumor
      suppressor p53 in FaDu cells. The pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk suppressed the
      activation of caspase-3 and prevented cytotoxicity in FaDu cells treated with
      berberine. Interestingly, berberine suppressed cell migration through
      downregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, and MMP-9. Moreover, the phosphorylation of
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) and p38, components of the mitogen
      activated protein kinase pathway that are associated with the expression of MMP
      and VEGF, was suppressed in FaDu cells treated with berberine for 24 h.
      Therefore, these data suggested that berberine exerted anticancer effects in FaDu
      cells through induction of apoptosis and suppression of migration. Berberine may
      have potential applications as a chemotherapeutic agent for the management of
      head and neck squamous carcinoma.

PMID- 26503507
TI  - Relationship between gene expression and lung function in Idiopathic Interstitial
      Pneumonias.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs) are a group of
      heterogeneous, somewhat unpredictable diseases characterized by progressive
      scarring of the interstitium. Since lung function is a key determinant of
      survival, we reasoned that the transcriptional profile in IIP lung tissue would
      be associated with measures of lung function, and could enhance prognostic
      approaches to IIPs. RESULTS: Using gene expression profiling of 167 lung tissue
      specimens with IIP diagnosis and 50 control lungs, we identified genes whose
      expression is associated with changes in lung function (% predicted FVC and %
      predicted DLCO) modeled as categorical (severe vs mild disease) or continuous
      variables while adjusting for smoking status and IIP subtype; false discovery
      rate (FDR) approach was used to correct for multiple comparisons. This analysis
      identified 58 transcripts that are associated with mild vs severe disease
      (categorical analysis), including those with established role in fibrosis
      (ADAMTS4, ADAMTS9, AGER, HIF-1alpha, SERPINA3, SERPINE2, and SELE) as well as
      novel IIP candidate genes such as rhotekin 2 (RTKN2) and peptidase inhibitor 15
      (PI15). Protein-protein interactome analysis of 553 genes whose expression is
      significantly associated with lung function when modeled as continuous variables
      demonstrates that more severe presentation of IIPs is characterized by an
      increase in cell cycle progression and apoptosis, increased hypoxia, and dampened
      innate immune response. Our findings were validated in an independent cohort of
      131 IIPs and 40 controls at the mRNA level and for one gene (RTKN2) at the
      protein level by immunohistochemistry in a subset of samples. CONCLUSIONS: We
      identified commonalities and differences in gene expression among different
      subtypes of IIPs. Disease progression, as characterized by lower measures of FVC
      and DLCO, results in marked changes in expression of novel and established genes
      and pathways involved in IIPs. These genes and pathways represent strong
      candidates for biomarker studies and potential therapeutic targets for IIP
      severity.

PMID- 26503509
TI  - Paths to improving engagement among racial and ethnic minorities in addiction
      health services.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Members of racial and ethnic minority groups are most likely to
      experience limited access and poor engagement in addiction treatment. Research
      has been limited on the role of program capacity and delivery of comprehensive
      care in improving access and retention among minorities with drug abuse issues.
      The goal of this study was to examine the extent to which access and retention
      are enhanced when racial and ethnic minorities receive care from high-capacity
      addiction health services (AHS) programs and via coordination with mental health
      and receipt of HIV testing services. METHODS: This multilevel cross-sectional
      analysis involved data from 108 programs merged with client data from 2011 for
      13,478 adults entering AHS. Multilevel negative binomial regression models were
      used to test interactions and indirect relationships between program capacity and
      days to enter treatment (wait time) and days in treatment (retention). RESULTS:
      Compared to low-capacity programs and non-Latino and non-African American
      clients, Latinos and African Americans served in high-capacity programs reported
      shorter wait times to admission, as hypothesized. African Americans also had
      longer treatment retention in high-capacity programs. Receipt of HIV testing and
      program coordination of mental health services played an indirect role in the
      relationship between program capacity and wait time. CONCLUSIONS: Program
      capacity and coordinated services in AHS may reduce disparities in access to
      care. Implications for supporting low-capacity programs to eliminate the
      disparity gap in access to care are discussed.

PMID- 26503510
TI  - Concurrence of oral and genital human papillomavirus infection in healthy men: a
      population-based cross-sectional study in rural China.
AB  - Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, a primary cause of genital cancer, is also
      related to the increasing incidence of oropharyngeal cancer among young men.
      Relatively little is known about the concurrence of oral and genital infection
      among healthy individuals. Oral and genital swab exfoliated cells were collected
      simultaneously from 2566 men in rural China. Using general primer-mediated
      (SPF1/GP6+) PCR and sequencing, HPV testing results were obtained from 2228 men
      with both valid oral and genital specimens (beta-globin-positive). The prevalence
      of HPV infection was 6.7% in the oral cavity and 16.9% for the external
      genitalia. Among 43 men (1.9%, 43/2228) with oral-genital coinfection, 60.5%
      (26/43) harbored an identical HPV type at both sites. The risk of oral HPV
      infection was higher among men with genital infection than among uninfected men
      (11.4% vs. 5.7%, Adjusted OR = 2.3, 95% CI: 1.6-3.4). In addition, having
      multiple lifetime sexual partners was a significant risk for oral-genital HPV
      coinfection (Adjusted OR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.0-7.0; 2 partners vs. 1 partner). These
      findings provide a basis for further understanding the natural history and
      transmission dynamics of oral HPV infection. 

PMID- 26503511
TI  - Hematoma Locations Predicting Delirium Symptoms After Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Delirium symptoms are associated with later worse functional outcomes
      and long-term cognitive impairments, but the neuroanatomical basis for delirium
      symptoms in patients with acute brain injury is currently uncertain. We tested
      the hypothesis that hematoma location is predictive of delirium symptoms in
      patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, a model disease where patients are
      typically not sedated or bacteremic. METHODS: We prospectively identified 90
      patients with intracerebral hemorrhage who underwent routine twice-daily
      screening for delirium symptoms with a validated examination. Voxel-based lesion
      symptom mapping with acute computed tomography was used to identify hematoma
      locations associated with delirium symptoms (N = 89). RESULTS: Acute delirium
      symptoms were predicted by hematoma of right-hemisphere subcortical white matter
      (superior longitudinal fasciculus) and parahippocampal gyrus. Hematoma including
      these locations had an odds ratio for delirium of 13 (95 % CI 3.9-43.3, P <
      0.001). Disruption of large-scale brain networks that normally support attention
      and conscious awareness was thus associated with acute delirium symptoms.
      CONCLUSIONS: Higher odds ratio for delirium was increased due to hematoma
      location. The location of neurological injury could be of high prognostic value
      for predicting delirium symptoms.

PMID- 26503512
TI  - Intracranial Pressure During Pressure Control and Pressure-Regulated Volume
      Control Ventilation in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized
      Crossover trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mechanical ventilation with control of partial arterial CO2
      pressures (PaCO2) is used to treat or stabilize intracranial pressure (ICP) in
      patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Pressure-regulated volume control
      (PRVC) is a ventilator mode where inspiratory pressures are automatically
      adjusted to deliver the patient a pre-set stable tidal volume (TV). This may
      result in a more stable PaCO2 and thus a more stable ICP compared with
      conventional pressure control (PC) ventilation. The aim of this study was to
      compare PC and PRVC ventilation in TBI patients with respect to ICP and PaCO2.
      METHODS: This is a randomized crossover trial including eleven patients with a
      moderate or severe TBI who were mechanically ventilated and had ICP monitoring.
      Each patient was administered alternating 2-h periods of PC and PRVC ventilation.
      The outcome variables were ICP and PaCO2. RESULTS: Fifty-two (26 PC, 26 PRVC)
      study periods were included. Mean ICP was 10.8 mmHg with PC and 10.3 mmHg with
      PRVC ventilation (p = 0.38). Mean PaCO2 was 36.5 mmHg (4.87 kPa) with PC and 36.1
      mmHg (4.81 kPa) with PRVC (p = 0.38). There were less fluctuations in ICP (p =
      0.02) and PaCO2 (p = 0.05) with PRVC ventilation. CONCLUSIONS: Mean ICP and PaCO2
      were similar for PC and PRVC ventilation in TBI patients, but PRVC ventilation
      resulted in less fluctuation in both ICP and PaCO2. We cannot exclude that the
      two ventilatory modes would have impact on ICP in patients with higher ICP
      values; however, the similar PaCO2 observations argue against this.

PMID- 26503513
TI  - Delay in Diagnosis of Basilar Artery Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Basilar artery stroke causes substantial morbidity and mortality.
      Although its unusual clinical presentation potentially contributes to a delay in
      diagnosis, this problem has not been systematically studied. We compared
      intervals between symptom onset, initial presentation, and diagnosis in stroke
      due to basilar artery (BA) versus left middle cerebral artery (LMCA) occlusion to
      determine the presence of and potential reasons for diagnostic delay in BA
      stroke. METHODS: We retrospectively identified 21 consecutive adult patients
      diagnosed with BA stroke between 2009 and 2011 from our hospital's prospective
      stroke registry. Patients were age-, sex-, and race-matched with 21 LMCA stroke
      patients from the same period. All subjects had confirmed clinical and
      radiographic diagnosis of stroke due to occlusion or stenosis of the BA, LMCA, or
      left internal carotid artery. Time to diagnosis was determined independently by
      two investigators through medical record review. The pre-specified primary
      outcome was latency from emergency department (ED) arrival to stroke diagnosis.
      RESULTS: Median time from ED arrival to diagnosis was 8 h 24 min (IQR: 2:43
      26:32) for BA and 1 h 23 min (IQR: 0:41-1:45; p < 0.001) for LMCA. Median time
      from symptom onset to ED arrival was 7 h 44 min (IQR 1:23-21:30) for BA and 1 h 2
      min (IQR 0:36-9:41; p = 0.06) for LMCA. Four of 21 (19 %) BA patients were
      diagnosed within a 4-h time frame to make intravenous thrombolysis possible
      compared to 13 of 21 (62 %) LMCA patients (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      suggest that both pre-hospital and in-hospital processes cause substantial,
      clinically significant delays in the diagnosis of BA stroke.

PMID- 26503514
TI  - FAIMS and Phosphoproteomics of Fibroblast Growth Factor Signaling: Enhanced
      Identification of Multiply Phosphorylated Peptides.
AB  - We have applied liquid chromatography high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility
      spectrometry tandem mass spectrometry (LC-FAIMS-MS/MS) and liquid chromatography
      tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to the investigation of site-specific
      phosphorylation in fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling. We have combined a
      SILAC approach with chemical inhibition by SU5402 (an FGF receptor tyrosine
      kinase inhibitor) and dasatinib (a Src family kinase inhibitor). The results show
      that incorporation of FAIMS within the workflow results in (a) an increase in the
      relative proportion of phosphothreonine and phosphotyrosine sites identified, (b)
      an increase in phosphopeptide identifications from precursors with charge states
      >= +3 (with an associated increase in peptide length), and (c) an increase in the
      identification of multiply phosphorylated peptides. Approximately 20% of the
      phosphorylation sites identified via the FAIMS workflow had not been reported
      previously, and over 80% of those were from multiply phosphorylated peptides.
      Moreover, FAIMS provided access to a distinct set of phosphorylation sites
      regulated in response to SU5402 and dasatinib. The enhanced identification of
      multiply phosphorylated peptides was particularly striking in the case of sites
      regulated by SU5402. In addition to providing a compelling example of the
      complementarity of FAIMS in phosphoproteomics, the results provide a valuable
      resource of phosphorylation sites for further investigation of FGF signaling and
      trafficking. 

PMID- 26503515
TI  - Molecular characterisation of phenylketonuria in a Chinese mainland population
      using next-generation sequencing.
AB  - Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inherited autosomal recessive disorder of
      phenylalanine metabolism, mainly caused by a deficiency of phenylalanine
      hydroxylase (PAH). The incidence of various PAH mutations differs among race and
      ethnicity. Here we report a spectrum of PAH mutations complied from 796 PKU
      patients from mainland China. The all 13 exons and adjacent intronic regions of
      the PAH gene were determined by next-generation sequencing. We identified 194
      different mutations, of which 41 are not reported before. Several mutations
      reoccurred with high frequency including p.R243Q, p.EX6-96A > G, p.V399V,
      p.R241C, p.R111*, p.Y356*, p.R413P, and IVS4-1G > A. 76.33% of mutations were
      localized in exons 3, 6, 7, 11, 12. We further compared the frequency of each
      mutation between populations in northern and southern China, and found
      significant differences in 19 mutations. Furthermore, we identified 101 mutations
      that are not reported before in Chinese population, our study thus broadens the
      mutational spectrum of Chinese PKU patients. Additionally, 41 novel mutations
      will expand and improve PAH mutation database. Finally, our study offers proof
      that NGS is effective, reduces screening times and costs, and facilitates the
      provision of appropriate genetic counseling for PKU patients.

PMID- 26503516
TI  - Soil restoration with organic amendments: linking cellular functionality and
      ecosystem processes.
AB  - A hot topic in recent decades, the application of organic amendments to arid
      degraded soils has been shown to benefit microbially-mediated processes. However,
      despite the importance of soils for global sustainability, a gap has not been
      addressed yet in soil science: is there any connection between ecosystem
      community processes, cellular functionality, and microbial lifestyles (i.e.
      oligotrophy-copiotrophy) in restored soils? Together with classical ecosystem
      indicators (fatty-acids, extracellular-enzyme activities, basal respiration),
      state-of-the-art metaproteomics was applied to fill this gap in a model
      restoration experiment initiated 10-years ago by the addition of sewage-sludge
      and compost. Organic amendment strongly impacted ecosystem processes.
      Furthermore, the type of material used induced differences in the cellular
      functionalities through variations in the percentages of proteins involved in
      translation, transcription, energy production and C-fixation. We conclude that
      the long-term impact of organic restoration goes beyond ecosystem processes and
      affects cellular functionalities and phyla-lifestyles coupled with differences in
      microbial-community structures. 

PMID- 26503517
TI  - Does shared decision making exist in oncologic practice?

PMID- 26503519
TI  - Hepatitis C in the era of direct-acting antivirals: real-world costs of untreated
      chronic hepatitis C; a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent advances in Hepatitis C therapeutics offer the possibility of
      cure but will be expensive. The cost of treatment may be partially offset by the
      avoidance of advanced liver disease. We performed a micro-costing study of the
      ambulatory healthcare utilisation of patients with Hepatitis C supplemented with
      inpatient diagnosis related group costs. METHODS: The staff utilisation costs
      associated with a Hepatitis C ambulatory visit were measured and combined with
      the costs of investigations to establish a mean cost per consultation. An
      annualised estimate of cost was produced by multiplying this by the number of
      consultations accessed, stratified by degree of liver impairment. Inpatient costs
      were established by identifying the number of inpatient episodes and multiplying
      by Irish diagnosis related group costs. Non-parametric bootstrapping was
      performed to derive mean and 95%CI values. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-five
      patients were identified. The cost of an outpatient medical review was ?136
      (?3.60 SD). The cost of a Hepatitis C nursing review was ?128 (?7.30 SD). The
      annual mean costs of care were as follows (95%CI): Mild ?398 (?336, ?482),
      Moderate ?417(?335, ?503), Compensated cirrhosis ?1790 (?990, ?3164),
      Decompensated cirrhosis ?8302 (?3945, ?14,637), Transplantation Year 1 ?137,176
      (?136,024, ?138,306), Transplantation after Year 1 ?5337 (?4942, ?5799),
      Hepatocellular carcinoma ?21,992 (?15,222, ?29,467), Sustained virological
      response ?44 (?16, ?73). CONCLUSIONS: The direct medical cost associated with
      Hepatitis C care in Ireland is substantial and increases exponentially with
      progression of liver disease. The follow-up costs of patients with a sustained
      virological response in this cohort were low in comparison to patients with
      chronic infection.

PMID- 26503525
TI  - Safety of Tioguanine During Pregnancy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Conventional thiopurine [azathioprine and mercaptopurine]
      treatment during pregnancy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] is
      considered to be safe; however data on the safety and teratogenicity of the non
      conventional thiopurine tioguanine [TG] in pregnant IBD patients are lacking. We
      aim to describe the safety and teratogenicity of TG treatment during pregnancy in
      IBD patients. METHODS: This was a retrospective, multicentre descriptive case
      series of female IBD patients using TG during pregnancy. Data on disease and
      medication history, pregnancy complications, pregnancy outcome, mode of delivery,
      preterm birth, birthweight, congenital abnormalities, laboratory signs of
      myelosuppression or hepatotoxicity, and 6-thioguaninenucleotide [6-TGN]
      concentrations in mother and neonate were collected. RESULTS: In all, 13 patients
      [77% Crohn's disease, 23% ulcerative colitis] used TG [median dose 18 g/day]
      during pregnancy; 19 pregnancies, including 1 twin pregnancy, were included.
      Spontaneous abortion occurred in three pregnancies. In 7 of the 16 ongoing
      pregnancies a caesarean section was performed. One neonate had a mild congenital
      abnormality [distal shaft hypospadias]. In the singleton pregnancies, the median
      birthweight was 3410 g at a median of gestational age of 39 weeks. No preterm
      birth [< 37 weeks] or low birthweight [< 2500 g] was observed in the singleton
      newborns. In the twin pregnancy an induction of labour was performed at 35 + 1
      weeks of gestation because of pre-eclampsia. Both neonates had a low birthweight.
      CONCLUSIONS: This relatively small case series supports safe use of TG in
      pregnant IBD patients. Still, consideration should be given to the indication and
      continuation of TG during pregnancy.

PMID- 26503520
TI  - Determinants of outcome in patients with chronic ischemic left ventricular
      dysfunction undergone percutaneous coronary interventions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in patients with ischemic
      systolic left ventricular dysfunction (SLVD) are routinely performed although
      their impact on prognosis remains unclear. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated
      385 consecutive patients (76 % male, 66 +/- 9 years) with SLVD (left ventricular
      ejection fraction [LVEF] <=40 %) due to chronic coronary artery disease, who
      underwent PCI between 1999 and 2009, and explored clinical factors associated
      with higher risk of death or of a composite of death and hospitalization for
      acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). RESULTS: The median follow-up was 28
      months (inter-quartile range 14-46 months). Death and the composite outcome of
      death and hospitalization for ADHF occurred in 80 (21 %) and 109 (28 %) patients
      respectively (8.4 and 11.5 per 100 patient-years of follow-up). Insulin-dependent
      diabetes mellitus (IDDM), multivessel disease, LVEF < 35 %, symptoms of heart
      failure (HF) emerged both as independent predictors of death (adjusted hazard
      ratios [HR] 2.64; 1.92, 1.88 and 1.67 respectively) and composite outcome of
      death and hospitalization for ADHF (adjusted HR 2.22, 1.92, 1.79 and 1.94
      respectively). Furthermore advanced age (HR = 1.03) emerged as independent
      predictors of death and having performed a stress test before PCI correlated with
      reduced number of deaths and ADHF hospitalizations (HR = 0.60). Of note, PCI
      significantly reduced the symptom of angina from 63.2 % at baseline to 16.3 % at
      the last follow up (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: IDDM, symptoms of HF, multivessel
      disease and LVEF < 35 % appear to be associated with worse outcome patients with
      ischemic SLVD undergoing PCI, and may be taken into account for optimal risk
      stratification. On the other hand, performing a stress testing before PCI seems
      to be associated with a more favorable outcome.

PMID- 26503526
TI  - Hyper sensitive protein detection by Tandem-HTRF reveals Cyclin D1 dynamics in
      adult mouse.
AB  - We present here a novel method for the semi-quantitative detection of low
      abundance proteins in solution that is both fast and simple. It is based on
      Homogenous Time Resolved Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (HTRF), between a
      lanthanide labeled donor antibody and a d2 or XL665 labeled acceptor antibody
      that are both raised against different epitopes of the same target. This novel
      approach we termed "Tandem-HTRF", can specifically reveal rare polypeptides from
      only a few microliters of cellular lysate within one hour in a 384-well plate
      format. Using this sensitive approach, we observed surprisingly that the core
      cell cycle regulator Cyclin D1 is sustained in fully developed adult organs and
      harbors an unexpected expression pattern affected by environmental challenge.
      Thus our method, Tandem-HTRF offers a promising way to investigate subtle
      variations in the dynamics of sparse proteins from limited biological material. 

PMID- 26503527
TI  - Why it is important to present all the available facts about bed sharing and
      breastfeeding.

PMID- 26503528
TI  - "Homosexuality/Homophobia Is Un-African"?: Un-Mapping Transnational Discourses in
      the Context of Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill/Act.
AB  - This article un-maps the recent impasse between pro- and antigay mobilization
      around Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA, 2009-2014). Drawing on scholarly and
      social media sources, it summarizes the increasing influence of (U.S.)
      transnational evangelism that has precipitated a state-religious complex of
      "anticipatory political homophobia" in Uganda. If transnational evangelism
      against same-sex sexuality in Uganda has generated a strong reaction from global
      LGBT human-rights advocates, this article critiques this Western
      homotransnationalist response by analyzing its limited terms of operation,
      focusing on the ways in which Uganda is hailed into the biopolitical project of a
      Western queer modernity. The author focuses on the copresence between
      homotransnationalist mobilization and "homophobic anticipatory
      countermobilization" as (re)organizing/suturing a global ordering project that is
      deeply invested in biopolitics and necropolitics. This suggests that the global
      flashpointing of Uganda in the context of the AHA incites further questions
      concerning the transnationality of "gay human rights" discourse under
      neoliberalism. 

PMID- 26503529
TI  - Clinical, molecular and drug sensitivity pattern of mycobacterial isolates from
      extra-pulmonary tuberculosis cases in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In conjunction with the spread of HIV infection, tuberculosis (TB)
      remains a major cause of illness and death worldwide. The Ethiopian national
      report reveals that extra pulmonary tuberculosis is on the rise and that case
      detection rate is exceeding that of smear positive or negative cases in many
      parts of the country. Different studies indicated that host and/or pathogen
      related factors are associated with the rise of extra pulmonary cases. However,
      the reason for this is not clearly known in our setting. METHODS: Specimens were
      taken from clinically suspected extra pulmonary patients and confirmed by
      cytology, histopathology and culture. Deletion typing and Spoligotyping was
      utilized to identify the strains. The isolates were then assigned to lineage
      using conformal Bayesian network (rules model) algorithm and dendrograms were
      drawn using UPGMA methods. In addition, drug sensitivity test was done using the
      indirect proportion and 24 well plate methods. RESULTS: Out of the 200 clinically
      suspected extra pulmonary tuberculosis patients, 106 (53 %) were between 15 and
      35 years of age and 167 (83.5 %) were new while 33 (16.5 %) were retreatment
      cases. The culture yield was 29.5 % (59). Of these only one was M. bovis and 58
      were M. tuberculosis strains with 31 different spoligotype patterns grouped into
      seven clusters. The largest cluster (ST53) comprised 12 (20.3 %) isolates. There
      was higher clustering of CAS isolates in TBLN than in any other form of extra
      pulmonary tuberculosis cases. Resistance to rifampicin was higher (22 %) than
      that for INH, STM and EMB (8.1 %, 5 % and 3 % respectively). Out of the 37
      isolates tested for resistance, only 2 isolates were resistant for both STM and
      INH and no MDR strain was found. CONCLUSIONS: There is an ongoing active recent
      transmission among extra pulmonary tuberculosis in the study areas as shown by
      the presence of clusters. Although no MDR case was observed, there is a risk of
      emergence of MDR as noted from the high proportion of resistance to rifampicin.
      Detailed study at population level is recommended to monitor its trend.

PMID- 26503532
TI  - Avian influenza in Australia: a summary of 5 years of wild bird surveillance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are found worldwide in numerous bird
      species, causing significant disease in gallinaceous poultry and occasionally
      other species. Surveillance of wild bird reservoirs provides an opportunity to
      add to the understanding of the epidemiology of AIVs. METHODS: This study
      examined key findings from the National Avian Influenza Wild Bird Surveillance
      Program over a 5-year period (July 2007-June 2012), the main source of
      information on AIVs circulating in Australia. RESULTS: The overall proportion of
      birds that tested positive for influenza A via PCR was 1.9 +/- 0.1%, with
      evidence of widespread exposure of Australian wild birds to most low pathogenic
      avian influenza (LPAI) subtypes (H1-13, H16). LPAI H5 subtypes were found to be
      dominant and widespread during this 5-year period. CONCLUSION: Given Australia's
      isolation, both geographically and ecologically, it is important for Australia
      not to assume that the epidemiology of AIV from other geographic regions applies
      here. Despite all previous highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in
      Australian poultry being attributed to H7 subtypes, widespread detection of H5
      subtypes in wild birds may represent an ongoing risk to the Australian poultry
      industry.

PMID- 26503530
TI  - Association of physical activity and physical performance with tibial cartilage
      volume and bone area in young adults.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Physical activity has been recommended to patients with knee
      osteoarthritis for improving their symptoms. However, it is still controversial
      if physical activity has effects on joint structures including cartilage volume.
      The aim of this study was to describe the associations between physical activity
      and performance measured 5 years prior and tibial cartilage volume and bone area
      in young adults. METHODS: Subjects broadly representative of the Australian
      population (n = 328, aged 31-41 years, female 47.3 %) were selected from the
      Childhood Determinants of Adult Health study. They underwent T1-weighted fat
      suppressed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of their knees. Tibial bone
      area and cartilage volume were measured from MRI. Physical activity (measured
      using long international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ)) and performance
      measures (long jump, leg muscle strength, physical work capacity (PWC170)) were
      measured 5 years prior. RESULTS: In multivariable analyses, total physical
      activity (min/week) (beta: 0.30 mm(3), 95 % CI: 0.13,0.47), vigorous (beta: 0.54
      mm(3), 95 % CI: 0.13,0.94), moderate (beta: 0.34 mm(3), 95 % CI: 0.01,0.67),
      walking (beta: 0.40 mm(3), 95 % CI: 0.07,0.72) and IPAQ category (beta: 182.9
      mm(3), 95 % CI: 51.8,314.0) were positively associated with total tibial
      cartilage volume but not tibial bone area. PWC170, long jump and leg muscle
      strength were positively and significantly associated with both total tibial
      cartilage volume and total tibial bone area; and the associations with tibial
      cartilage volume decreased in magnitude but remained significant for PWC170 and
      long jump after further adjustment for tibial bone area. CONCLUSION: While tibial
      bone area is affected only by physical performance, total tibial cartilage volume
      can be influenced by both physical activity and performance in younger adults.
      The clinical significance suggests a beneficial effect for cartilage but the bone
      area association was restricted to performance suggesting other factors rather
      than physical activity may be important.

PMID- 26503533
TI  - Cattle movement patterns in Australia: an analysis of the NLIS database 2008
      2012.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify patterns of cattle movement that could influence disease
      spread in the Australian cattle population. METHODS: Records from the National
      Livestock Identification System database for the period January 2008 to December
      2012 were accessed and analysed. Postcodes were used to allocate each individual
      property to one of 12 livestock production regions. National movement patterns
      and the characteristics of each livestock production region were quantified in
      terms of the number of consignments and animals moved, and seasonality of
      movements. RESULTS: The majority of cattle movements remained within a single
      livestock production region, while those that did not, usually remained within
      the same state or territory. Producers were the most common source of cattle, and
      abattoirs and other producers the most common destinations, with approximately
      40% of animals moving via a saleyard. The northern regions generally moved larger
      consignments than the southern regions and were less connected to other regions.
      The eastern and south-eastern regions were very well connected by cattle
      movements. Seasonal patterns were seen for some regions, particularly the
      northern regions where weather patterns strongly influence the ability of
      producers to muster and transport stock. CONCLUSIONS: The movement patterns
      observed provide quantitative support for previous information based on surveys
      and expert opinion, and capture more of the variability in Australian cattle
      production. This information may assist with management of animal disease risks,
      in particular exotic diseases, and in planning surveillance programs.

PMID- 26503535
TI  - Adverse reactions in a population of Sydney pet rabbits vaccinated against rabbit
      calicivirus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the general clinical presentation and incidence of
      adverse reactions to Cylap(r) RCD vaccinations, of a nature serious enough for
      veterinary attention, in a Sydney population of pet rabbits. DESIGN: A
      retrospective survey using hospital databases. METHODS: Nine veterinary hospitals
      in Sydney participated in a database search for the number of rabbits vaccinated
      within a 2-year period. The hospitals involved had an identified interest in
      rabbit medicine and included general, specialist and teaching hospitals. Details
      of the rabbit, vaccination event and any possible reaction were collected and
      analysed. RESULTS: Of 933 events recorded in 705 rabbits, 17 (1.8%) adverse
      reactions were observed. Of the adverse events, local injection site reactions
      (alopecia, abrasions and scabbing) were most common. Other reactions, including
      systemic signs of gastrointestinal tract stasis, lethargy and forelimb lameness,
      were also documented. Overall, rabbits presented for vaccination were mostly male
      (57.7%) and desexed (71.3%), with an average age of 28.1 months (median 19.0,
      range 1.4-149.8 months) and an average weight at first vaccination of 2.12 kg
      (median 2.08 kg, range 0.18-5.6 kg). A significant association between increasing
      age and decreased incidence of adverse events was demonstrated (P value, 0.038).
      CONCLUSIONS: The benefits of vaccination against RCV outweigh the risks of an
      adverse reaction occurring. Data from this study show that adverse reactions
      occur infrequently, are generally mild and self-resolving, and decrease in
      incidence with increasing age. These results are similar to previous field
      research on wild rabbit colonies and reports from government and industry.

PMID- 26503536
TI  - Coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) envenomation of a dog.
AB  - CASE REPORT: An 8-year-old mixed-breed dog was envenomed by a juvenile coastal
      taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus). The dog presented initially with coagulopathy and
      weakness, then developed neuromuscular paralysis and respiratory failure.
      Progressive myopathy peaked 3 days following admission. Taipan antivenom
      administration, mechanical ventilation therapy and supportive patient care
      resulted in complete recovery. Symptoms of neuropathy began to resolve 3 days
      following envenomation, with the dog discharged 6 days following envenomation.
      CONCLUSION: To the author's knowledge, this is the first reported case of coastal
      taipan envenomation of a dog.

PMID- 26503537
TI  - Alopecia in four kittens caused by abnormal maternal licking behaviour.
AB  - CASE REPORT: Abnormal maternal behaviour has been reported in cats, but is
      generally not included among the causes of alopecia in kittens. A litter of four
      kittens, 2 months old, was referred for evaluation of facial alopecia of
      differing severity. The 2-year-old queen was unaffected. Dermatological
      examination of the kittens did not find any infectious cause. Trichograms showed
      broken hair shafts with longitudinal splitting. Congenital alopecia was unlikely
      based on the clinical presentation. A behavioural consultation revealed abnormal
      grooming behaviour by the mother, who chewed and removed the hair from the
      kittens. The kittens were separated from the queen and alopecia resolved within a
      few weeks. CONCLUSION: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of
      alopecia caused by abnormal maternal licking behaviour. Abnormal maternal
      behaviour should be considered in cases of alopecia affecting a litter of
      kittens, when infectious and congenital causes have been ruled out.

PMID- 26503538
TI  - Retrospective analysis of causes of death in mountain pygmy-possums (Burramys
      parvus) at Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria, Australia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identification and characterisation of deaths is important for the
      veterinary management of both wild and captive animals. It is especially
      important as a tool for monitoring health and disease within populations of
      endangered species for which little information on morbidity and mortality is
      known. Investigations into the causes of death and other important necropsy
      findings were made in a captive population of the critically endangered mountain
      pygmy-possum (Burramys parvus). METHODS: Necropsy records from January 2000
      December 2013 were reviewed for all possums that had lived and died at
      Healesville Sanctuary (n = 48). RESULTS: The average age of death of possums in
      this population was 4.7 years. The most common histological change in mountain
      pygmy-possums was varying degrees of chronic progressive kidney disease (n = 17).
      Of these cases, eight animals (47%) had histological changes suggesting the
      kidney disease was the likely cause of death. Other causes of death included
      neoplasia (n = 5), necrotising pancreatitis (n = 4), pneumonia (n = 2),
      reproductive disease (n = 2) and trauma (n = 2). No cause of death was able to be
      identified in 33.3% (n = 16) of cases. Hepatic lipidosis (n = 5), pneumonia (n =
      2) and degenerative joint disease (n = 2) were the most common comorbidities
      found. CONCLUSION: Progressive renal disease, often with secondary metastatic
      mineralisation, appears to be a significant cause of mortality in captive
      mountain pygmy-possums and further investigation into its pathophysiology,
      antemortem diagnosis and treatment is warranted.

PMID- 26503541
TI  - Food as Risk: How Eating Habits and Food Knowledge Affect Reactivity to Pictures
      of Junk and Healthy Foods.
AB  - This study explores how people respond to images of junk versus healthy food as a
      function of their eating habits and food knowledge. The experiment reported here
      proposed and tested the idea that those with unhealthy eating habits but highly
      knowledgeable about healthy eating would feel more positive and also more
      negative toward junk food images compared to images of healthy food because they
      may perceive them as risky--desirable but potentially harmful. The
      psychophysiological data collected from participants during their exposure to
      pictures of junk versus healthy food supported this idea. In addition, unhealthy
      eaters compared to healthy eaters with the same degree of food knowledge
      responded more positively to all food items. The findings are critical from a
      health communication perspective. Because unhealthy eaters produce stronger
      emotional responses to images of junk food, they are more likely to process
      information associated with junk food with more cognitive effort and scrutiny.
      Thus, when targeting this group and using images of junk food, it is important to
      combine these images with strong message claims and relevant arguments;
      otherwise, if the arguments are perceived as irrelevant or weak, the motivational
      activation associated with junk food itself may transfer into an increased desire
      to consume the unhealthy product.

PMID- 26503540
TI  - Sustained enhancement of photosynthesis in coffee trees grown under free-air CO2
      enrichment conditions: disentangling the contributions of stomatal, mesophyll,
      and biochemical limitations.
AB  - Coffee (Coffea spp.), a globally traded commodity, is a slow-growing tropical
      tree species that displays an improved photosynthetic performance when grown
      under elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([CO2]). To investigate the
      mechanisms underlying this response, two commercial coffee cultivars (Catuai and
      Obata) were grown using the first free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) facility in
      Latin America. Measurements were conducted in two contrasting growth seasons,
      which were characterized by the high (February) and low (August) sink demand.
      Elevated [CO2] led to increases in net photosynthetic rates (A) in parallel with
      decreased photorespiration rates, with no photochemical limitations to A. The
      stimulation of A by elevated CO2 supply was more prominent in August (56% on
      average) than in February (40% on average). Overall, the stomatal and mesophyll
      conductances, as well as the leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, were
      unresponsive to the treatments. Photosynthesis was strongly limited by
      diffusional constraints, particularly at the stomata level, and this pattern was
      little, if at all, affected by elevated [CO2]. Relative to February, starch pools
      (but not soluble sugars) increased remarkably (>500%) in August, with no
      detectable alteration in the maximum carboxylation capacity estimated on a
      chloroplast [CO2] basis. Upregulation of A by elevated [CO2] took place with no
      signs of photosynthetic downregulation, even during the period of low sink
      demand, when acclimation would be expected to be greatest. 

PMID- 26503542
TI  - Which medications are suitable for agonist drug maintenance?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: We examine the feasibility of agonist maintenance treatment
      for the major psychoactive drug classes: opioids, nicotine, benzodiazepines,
      cannabis, psychostimulants and alcohol. METHODS: Eight clinical criteria for an
      agonist maintenance drug were assessed for each major drug class. These related
      to pharmacological aspects of the drug (agonist, pharmacological stability, dose
      response, non-toxic) and neurocognitive sequelae (psychiatric, cognitive,
      craving, salience). RESULTS: Opioids and nicotine met all eight criteria for a
      maintenance drug. While nicotine has not been promoted widely or used for
      maintenance, it has the potential to fulfil that role. Cannabis met five criteria
      and has potential, but long-term data on cognitive impairment are required.
      Benzodiazepine maintenance would appear an option for the high-dose chaotic
      abuser, also meeting five criteria, although clinic dosing appears the safest
      option. Psychostimulants (three of eight criteria) and alcohol (one of eight)
      appear poor propositions for maintenance, in terms of both their pharmacological
      and their neurocognitive characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Drug classes have
      properties that distinguish them in their suitability for maintenance treatment.
      Some classes not yet used for maintenance (notably nicotine and cannabis) have
      potential to fulfil such a role. Others, however, by their inherent nature,
      appear unsuitable for such a treatment regimen.

PMID- 26503543
TI  - Genome-wide evolutionary and functional analysis of the Equine Repetitive Element
      1: an insertion in the myostatin promoter affects gene expression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In mammals, an important source of genomic variation is insertion
      polymorphism of retrotransposons. These may acquire a functional role when
      inserted inside genes or in their proximity. The aim of this work was to carry
      out a genome wide analysis of ERE1 retrotransposons in the horse and to analyze
      insertion polymorphism in relation to evolution and function. The effect of an
      ERE1 insertion in the promoter of the myostatin gene, which is involved in muscle
      development, was also investigated. RESULTS: In the horse population, the
      fraction of ERE1 polymorphic loci is related to the degree of similarity to their
      consensus sequence. Through the analysis of ERE1 conservation in seven equid
      species, we established that the level of identity to their consensus is
      indicative of evolutionary age of insertion. The position of ERE1s relative to
      genes suggests that some elements have acquired a functional role. Reporter gene
      assays showed that the ERE1 insertion within the horse myostatin promoter affects
      gene expression. The frequency of this variant promoter correlates with sport
      aptitude and racing performance. CONCLUSIONS: Sequence conservation and insertion
      polymorphism of ERE1 elements are related to the time of their appearance in the
      horse lineage, therefore, ERE1s are a useful tool for evolutionary and population
      studies. Our results suggest that the ERE1 insertion at the myostatin locus has
      been unwittingly selected by breeders to obtain horses with specific racing
      abilities. Although a complex combination of environmental and genetic factors
      contributes to athletic performance, breeding schemes may take into account ERE1
      insertion polymorphism at the myostatin promoter.

PMID- 26503544
TI  - Measures of body adiposity and visceral adiposity index as predictors of
      metabolic syndrome among Thai women with PCOS.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the relationship between measures of body adiposity and visceral
      adiposity index (VAI) and risk of metabolic syndrome (MS) and to identify the
      optimal cut-off points of each measurement in Thai polycystic ovary syndrome
      (PCOS). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was completed physical examination,
      fasting plasma glucose, lipid profiles of 399 PCOS and 42 age-matched normal
      controls. Body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio
      (WHtR) and VAI were calculated. Associations between different measures and MS
      were evaluated and the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was
      performed to determine appropriate cut-off points for identifying MS. RESULTS:
      Percentage of MS in PCOS was 24.6%, whereas none MS in controls. Previously
      recommended cut-off values for body adiposity and VAI were significantly
      associated with MS. ROC curve analysis of the only PCOS showed newly obtained
      optimal cut-off points for BMI and VAI of >=28 kg/m(2) (AUC = 0.90) and >5.6 (AUC
      = 0.94), respectively. Values found to be more accurate than the original ones.
      VAI was the best predictor, followed by BMI and WHtR. CONCLUSION: All body
      adiposity and VAI parameters can predict the risk of MS. Optimal values for Thai
      PCOS were >=28 kg/m(2) for BMI, >=0.85 for WHR, >=0.5 for WHtR and >5.6 for VAI.

PMID- 26503545
TI  - Identification of potential mutations and genomic alterations in the epithelial
      and spindle cell components of biphasic synovial sarcomas using a human exome SNP
      chip.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Synovial sarcoma (SS) is one of the most aggressive soft-tissue
      sarcomas and is noted for late local recurrence and metastasis. It is of
      uncertain histological origin and exhibits a biphasic histopathological form
      involving both the mesenchyme and epithelium. Thus, its diagnosis and therapy
      remain a huge challenge for clinicians and pathologists. This study aimed to
      determine whether differential morphological-associated genomic changes could aid
      in ascertaining the histogenesis of SS and to determine whether these sarcomas
      showed some specific mutated genes between epithelial and spindle cells that
      would promote tumor invasion and metastasis. METHODS: We conducted a
      comprehensive genomic analysis of mesenchymal and epithelial components in 12
      formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biphasic SS samples using the Illumina human
      exon microarray. Exome capture sequencing was performed to validate the single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-chip data, and de novo data were generated using a
      whole-exome chip with the Illumina exon microarray. Fisher's exact test based on
      PLINK analysis of the SNP-chip data. RESULTS: Here, the SNP-chip data showed that
      336 SNPs had association P-values of less than 0.05 by chi-square test. We
      identified 23 significantly mutated genes between epithelial and spindle cell
      regions of SSs. Fifteen gene mutations were specific for the spindle cell
      component (65.2 %) and eight for the epithelial cell component (34.8 %). Most of
      these genes have not been previously reported in SS, and neuroguidin (NGDN), RAS
      protein activator like 3 (RASAL3), KLHL34 and MUM1L1 have not previously been
      linked to cancer; only one gene (EP300) has been reported in SS. Genomic analyses
      suggested that the differential SNPs in genes used for functional enrichment are
      mainly related to the inflammatory response pathway, adhesion, ECM-receptor
      interactions, TGF-beta signaling, JAK-STAT signaling, phenylalanine metabolism,
      the intrinsic pathway and formation of fibrin. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      investigated novel biological markers and tumorigenic pathways that would greatly
      improve therapeutic strategies for SS. The identified pathways may be closely
      correlated with the pathogenic mechanisms underlying SS, and SS development is
      associated with morphological features.

PMID- 26503546
TI  - Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) toxicity in four goats.
AB  - CASE HISTORY: A one-year-old female goat presented with acute onset of
      recumbency, seizures and vocalisation approximately 5 hours after being given
      access to branch trimmings from a neighbour's garden. The plant from which the
      pruned branches came was subsequently identified as wintersweet (Chimonanthus
      praecox). Three other goats kept in the same paddock displayed similar clinical
      signs over a period of 4 hours following the initial presentation. CLINICAL
      FINDINGS: All four goats were ataxic, displayed tetanic seizures and were in
      lateral recumbency; they had dilated pupils and were hyperaesthetic, with
      elevated heart and respiratory rates. After symptomatic treatment, including
      sedation with diazepam, one of the three goats continued to deteriorate and was
      subjected to euthanasia. The remaining three goats recovered over 1-14 days with
      nursing care and physiotherapy. DIAGNOSIS: Toxicity due to ingestion of
      wintersweet, which contains the alkaloid calycanthine. CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
      Calycanthine is a central nervous system toxin, causing convulsions. Wintersweet
      shrubs are present in many New Zealand gardens. Practitioners should be aware
      that the seeds and flowers, and possibly the leaves, of this plant are highly
      toxic with signs of toxicity including ataxia, hyperaesthesia and seizures.

PMID- 26503548
TI  - A Practice Improvement Education Program Using a Mentored Approach to Improve
      Nursing Facility Depression Care-Preliminary Data.
AB  - Depression is common in nursing facility residents. Depression data obtained
      using the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 offer opportunities for improving diagnostic
      accuracy and care quality. How best to integrate MDS 3.0 and other data into
      quality improvement (QI) activity is untested. The objective was to increase
      nursing home (NH) capability in using QI processes and to improve depression
      assessment and management through focused mentorship and team building. This was
      a 6-month intervention with five components: facilitated collection of MDS 3.0
      nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and medication data for diagnostic
      interpretation; education and modeling on QI approaches, team building, and
      nonpharmacological depression care; mentored team meetings; educational webinars;
      and technical assistance. PHQ-9 and medication data were collected at baseline
      and 6 and 9 months. Progress was measured using team participation measures,
      attitude and care process self-appraisal, mentor assessments, and resident
      depression outcomes. Five NHs established interprofessional teams that included
      nursing (44.1%), social work (20.6%), physicians (8.8%), and other disciplines
      (26.5%). Members participated in 61% of eight offered educational meetings (three
      onsite mentored team meetings and five webinars). Competency self-ratings
      improved on four depression care measures (P = .05 to <.001). Mentors observed
      improvement in team process and enthusiasm during team meetings. For 336
      residents with PHQ-9 and medication data, depression scores did not change while
      medication use declined, from 37.2% of residents at baseline to 31.0% at 9 months
      (P < .001). This structured mentoring program improved care processes, achieved
      medication reductions, and was well received. Application to other NH-prevalent
      syndromes is possible. 

PMID- 26503547
TI  - Single-chain antibody-fragment M6P-1 possesses a mannose 6-phosphate
      monosaccharide-specific binding pocket that distinguishes N-glycan
      phosphorylation in a branch-specific manner?.
AB  - The acquisition of mannose 6-phosphate (Man6P) on N-linked glycans of lysosomal
      enzymes is a structural requirement for their transport from the Golgi apparatus
      to lysosomes mediated by the mannose 6-phosphate receptors, 300 kDa cation
      independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (MPR300) and 46 kDa cation-dependent
      mannose 6-phosphate receptor (MPR46). Here we report that the single-chain
      variable domain (scFv) M6P-1 is a unique antibody fragment with specificity for
      Man6P monosaccharide that, through an array-screening approach against a number
      of phosphorylated N-glycans, is shown to bind mono- and diphosphorylated Man6 and
      Man7 glycans that contain terminal alphaMan6P(1 -> 2)alphaMan(1 -> 3)alphaMan. In
      contrast to MPR300, scFv M6P-1 does not bind phosphodiesters, monophosphorylated
      Man8 or mono- or diphosphorylated Man9 structures. Single crystal X-ray
      diffraction analysis to 2.7 A resolution of Fv M6P-1 in complex with Man6P
      reveals that specificity and affinity is achieved via multiple hydrogen bonds to
      the mannose ring and two salt bridges to the phosphate moiety. In common with
      both MPRs, loss of binding was observed for scFv M6P-1 at pH values below the
      second pKa of Man6P (pKa = 6.1). The structures of Fv M6P-1 and the MPRs suggest
      that the change of the ionization state of Man6P is the main driving force for
      the loss of binding at acidic lysosomal pH (e.g. lysosome pH ~ 4.6), which
      provides justification for the evolution of a lysosomal enzyme transport pathway
      based on Man6P recognition. 

PMID- 26503549
TI  - Differences in urinary proteins related to surgical  margin status after radical
      prostatectomy.
AB  - Presented exploratory pilot study was aimed at evaluation of proteins present in
      urinary specimens collected from prostate cancer suffering subjects after radical
      prostatectomy, divided into two experimental cohorts: positive (n=15) and
      negative (n=15) surgical margins (PSM/NSM). The presence of PSM suggests
      inadequate cancer clearance and the possible need for additional treatment.
      Proper identification of these risk-patients is therefore of a paramount
      importance. Total protein profiles were firstly identified by using SDS-PAGE and
      compared by using partial least square discrimination analysis (PLS-DA), which
      revealed differences in molecular weights of 80-99 and 150-235 kDa between the
      experimental groups. For further identification of proteins, comparative
      proteomic technologies were employed. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with
      subsequent identification of protein spots by using MALDI-TOF mass fingerprinting
      revealed differential expression of proteins between NSM/PSM cohorts. Moreover,
      in PSM group, three uniquely identified proteins (cyclin-dependent kinase 6,
      galectin-3-binding protein and L-lactate dehydrogenase C chain) were found, which
      show tight connection with prostate cancer and presence of all of them was
      previously linked to certain aspects of prostate cancer. These proteins may be
      associated with the molecular mechanisms of prostate cancer development; hence,
      their identification may be helpful for the assessment of disease progression
      risk after radical prostatectomy, but also for possible early diagnosis.

PMID- 26503550
TI  - Abnormalities of plasma cytokines and spleen in senile APP/PS1/Tau transgenic
      mouse model.
AB  - The blood-based diagnosis has a potential to provide an alternative approach for
      easy diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with less invasiveness and low-cost.
      However, present blood-based AD diagnosis mainly focuses on measuring the plasma
      Abeta level because no other biomarkers are found to possess evident transport
      mechanisms to pass the blood-brain barrier. In order to avoid diagnosing non
      demented individuals with Abeta abnormality, finding additional biomarkers to
      supplement plasma Abeta is essential. In this study, we introduce potential
      neurodegenerative biomarkers for blood-based diagnosis. We observed severe
      splenomegaly and structural destruction in the spleen with significantly
      decreased B lymphocytes in senile APPswe, PS1M146V and TauP301L transgenic mice.
      We also found that inflammatory cytokines associated with splenic dysfunction
      were altered in the plasma of these mice. These findings suggest potential
      involvement of the splenic dysfunction in AD and the importance of biomarker
      level alterations in the plasma as putative diagnostic targets for AD. 

PMID- 26503552
TI  - Ultrathin PdTe nanowires anchoring reduced graphene oxide cathodes for efficient
      hydrogen evolution reaction.
AB  - The design and synthesis of efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution
      reaction under all pH conditions is extremely desirable but still remains a
      challenge. Here a facile method to decorate PdTe nanowires on reduced graphene
      oxide nanosheets (PdTe NWs/rGO) has been developed. As a robust integrated 2D
      hydrogen-evolving cathode catalyst, the Pd3.02Te NWs/rGO shows a low onset
      potential of -7 mV and maintains its catalytic activity for at least 48 h in
      alkaline media. It requires overpotentials (eta) of 97 and 355 mV to afford
      current densities of 10 and 100 mA cm(-2), respectively. The Pd3.02Te NWs/rGO
      also exhibits a high activity and excellent durability in acidic media. 

PMID- 26503551
TI  - Clinico-epidemiological analysis of Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL)
      cases in India over last two decades: a hospital based retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) are
      considered a reservoir of Leishmania donovani. It is imperative to identify and
      treat them early for control of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a current priority
      in the Indian subcontinent. We explored trends in clinico-epidemiological
      features of PKDL cases over last two decades, for improving management of the
      disease. METHODS: Clinically suspected cases were diagnosed with rK39 strip test
      followed by parasitological confirmation by microscopy and/or PCR/qPCR in skin
      tissue/slit aspirates. Patients were treated with antimonials till 2008 and
      subsequently with miltefosine. RESULTS: The study indicated higher incidence of
      PKDL cases in areas of high endemicity for VL, with 20 % cases reporting no
      history of VL. Approximately 26 % cases of PKDL were initially misdiagnosed at
      primary health centers. Duration between onset of PKDL and diagnosis was above 12
      months in 80 % cases. Diagnostic sensitivity was 32-36 % with microscopy and 96
      100 % with PCR/qPCR. Compliance to treatment was over 85 % with miltefosine while
      15 % with antimonials. Relapse rate with miltefosine was up to 13.2 %.
      CONCLUSIONS: PKDL patients tend to delay reporting and are often misdiagnosed.
      Confirmatory diagnosis using minimally invasive skin slit aspirate samples would
      help overcome such issues. There was a paradigm shift in compliance with
      miltefosine; however, increasing relapse rate indicated the need for newer
      therapies with oral formulations.

PMID- 26503553
TI  - Annual periodicity in planktonic bacterial and archaeal community composition of
      eutrophic Lake Taihu.
AB  - Bacterioplankton plays a key role in nutrient cycling and is closely related to
      water eutrophication and algal bloom. We used high-throughput 16S rRNA gene
      sequencing to profile archaeal and bacterial community compositions in the
      surface water of Lake Taihu. It is one of the largest lakes in China and has
      suffered from recurring cyanobacterial bloom. A total of 81 water samples were
      collected from 9 different sites in 9 different months of 2012. We found that
      temporal variation of the microbial community was significantly greater than
      spatial variation (adonis, n = 9999, P < 1e-4). The composition of bacterial
      community in December was similar to that in January, and so was the archaeal
      community, suggesting potential annual periodicity. Unsupervised K-means
      clustering was used to identify the synchrony of abundance variations between
      different taxa. We found that the cluster consisting mostly of ACK-M1, C111
      (members of acIV), Pelagibacteraceae (alfV-A) and Synechococcaceae showed
      relatively higher abundance in autumn. On the contrary, the cluster of
      Comamonadaceae and Methylophilaceae (members of lineage betI and betIV) had
      higher abundance in spring. The co-occurrence relationships between taxa were
      greatly altered during the cyanobacterial bloom according to our further network
      module analysis.

PMID- 26503554
TI  - Epidemiology of incident chlamydia and gonorrhoea infections and population
      attributable fractions associated with living in the inner-core of Winnipeg,
      Canada.
AB  - Population attributable fractions help to convey public health significance of
      differential disease risk for chlamydia and gonorrhoea. Geographical residence
      serves as a useful proxy for complex processes creating ill health. Using
      population-based data, Poisson regression models were used to examine factors
      associated with chlamydia and gonorrhoea incidence. Population attributable
      fractions due to residency in the Winnipeg Health Region's inner-core were
      determined for chlamydia/gonorrhoea infections among 15-59-year olds (2005-2013),
      stratified by age group. For both chlamydia and gonorrhoea, it was found that the
      15-24-year old age group had the highest incidence rates. There was also a
      stronger association between residency in the inner-core and incidence for
      gonorrhoea, compared to chlamydia. Overall, 24% (95% CI: 12-34%) of chlamydia
      infections were attributable to residency in the inner-core, compared to 46% (95%
      CI: 35-54%) for gonorrhoea ( p < .05). Within chlamydia/gonorrhoea, no
      statistically significant differences in population attributable fraction were
      observed by age group. The conclusion was that a concentration of efforts towards
      inner-core residents with gonorrhoea infections may result in a relatively larger
      decrease in incidence.

PMID- 26503555
TI  - Factors associated with hepatitis B vaccination among men who have sex with men:
      a systematic review of published research.
AB  - This systematic review identified and synthesised evidence from published
      research regarding personal and environmental factors associated with hepatitis B
      virus (HBV) vaccination uptake among gay men and other men who have sex with men
      (MSM) in low prevalence, high-income countries. A systematic literature search
      identified 18 eligible papers that addressed factors potentially associated with
      HBV vaccination uptake among MSM, of which 16 reported research conducted in the
      US. Studies assessed possible associations between HBV vaccination among MSM and
      socio-demographic characteristics, behavioural and social-cognitive factors and
      indicators of health service access. Converging evidence was found for
      associations between HBV vaccination and younger age, gay self-identification,
      and not using alcohol and drugs; evidence suggests a lack of association between
      HBV vaccination and ethnicity. There was converging evidence for associations
      between HBV vaccination and social-cognitive factors, in particular knowledge,
      perceived vulnerability and perceived severity regarding HBV infection, and
      perceived barriers to HBV vaccination. Evidence further supported associations
      between HBV vaccination and indicators of health service access. While research
      regarding factors associated with HBV vaccination among MSM remains limited, the
      identified correlates of HBV vaccination among MSM provide important guidance for
      the development of health promotion interventions to effectively increase
      coverage of HBV vaccination among MSM.

PMID- 26503556
TI  - Routine HIV testing in the Emergency Department: feasible and acceptable?
AB  - Routine HIV testing in non-specialist settings has the potential to significantly
      reduce late diagnosis and delay in treatment. The objective was to determine the
      feasibility and acceptability of HIV testing in an Emergency Department (ED) at a
      busy London teaching hospital. We conducted an observational cross sectional
      study between March-May 2012 where patients aged between 18-65 years attending St
      George's ED having serological tests were offered HIV testing by ED clinical
      staff. Patients were given an information leaflet on HIV, including how to obtain
      results. Data detailing whether the test was offered (feasibility) and whether
      the patient consented to the test (acceptability) were documented. Information
      regarding reasons for not offering HIV testing and reasons why the test was
      declined was also recorded. During the study period, 24,171 patients aged 18-65
      were seen in the ED. Data were collected from 5657 patients. The mean age was 38
      years, 57% were female and 27% identified themselves as white. 48% were offered
      HIV testing, of which 65% accepted. Incapacity to consent to testing was cited by
      clinicians as the commonest reason for not offering an HIV test (76%). 'Recent
      HIV test' was the commonest reason for declining a test (38%). One new HIV
      diagnosis was made. Our experience demonstrates that routine HIV testing in the
      ED is feasible and acceptable. However, to make HIV testing effective and part of
      routine clinical care, considerable clinical leadership, staff training and
      additional resources are required.

PMID- 26503557
TI  - Kit ligand promotes the transition from primordial to primary follicles after in
      vitro culture of ovine ovarian tissue.
AB  - This study evaluated the effects of kit ligand (KL) on the morphology and
      development of ovine preantral follicles (fresh control) and after 7 days of in
      vitro culture in alpha-Minimal Essential Medium (alpha-MEM; control medium) or
      the presence of KL (1, 10, 50, 100 or 200 ng/ml). There was an increase in the
      percentage of primary follicles at the concentration of 100 ng/ml KL, compared
      with the fresh control, control medium (alpha-MEM) and the other KL
      concentrations. Follicle diameter was significantly higher than the control
      medium only at concentrations of 50 and 100 ng/ml KL. In conclusion, 100 ng/ml KL
      promoted the transition from primordial to primary follicles (follicular
      activation) after in vitro culture of ovine ovarian tissue. 

PMID- 26503558
TI  - Cucurbitacins: A Systematic Review of the Phytochemistry and Anticancer Activity.
AB  - Cucurbitacins are highly oxidized tetracyclic triterpenoids that are widely
      present in traditional Chinese medicines (Cucurbitaceae family), possess strong
      anticancer activity, and are divided into 12 classes from A to T with over 200
      derivatives. The eight most active cucurbitacin components against cancer are
      cucurbitacin B, D, E, I, IIa, L glucoside, Q, and R. Their mechanisms of action
      include antiproliferation, inhibition of migration and invasion, proapoptosis,
      and cell cycle arrest promotion. Cucurbitacins are also found to be the
      inhibitors of JAK-STAT3, Wnt, PI3K/Akt, and MAPK signaling pathways, which play
      important roles in the apoptosis and survival of cancer cells. Recently, new
      studies have discovered synergistic anticancer effects by using cucurbitacins
      together with clinically approved chemotherapeutic drugs, such as docetaxel and
      methotrexate. This paper provides a summary of recent research progress on the
      anticancer property of cucurbitacins and the various intracellular signaling
      pathways involved in the regulation of cancer cell proliferation, death,
      invasion, and migration. Therefore, cucurbitacins are a class of promising
      anticancer drugs to be used alone or be intergraded in current chemotherapies and
      radiotherapies to treat many types of cancers. 

PMID- 26503559
TI  - Ursolic Acid Induces Apoptosis of Prostate Cancer Cells via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR
      Pathway.
AB  - Ursolic acid (UA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid, is known to exert antitumor
      activity in breast, lung, liver and colon cancers. Nonetheless, the underlying
      mechanism of ursolic acid in prostate cancer cells still remains unclear. In the
      present study, we report the chemotherapeutic effects of ursolic acid as assessed
      using in vitro and in vivo models. Treatment of human prostate cancer cells
      (LNCaP and PC-3) with UA inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis in
      both cell lines as characterized by the increased Annexin V-binding. The
      induction of apoptosis by UA was associated with a decrease in the levels of Bcl
      2, Bcl-xl, survivin, and activated caspase-3. Treatment with UA also inhibited
      the expression of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K), phosphorylation of Akt
      and mTOR signaling proteins. Further, administration of UA significantly
      inhibited the growth of LNCaP prostate tumor xenografts in athymic nude mice,
      which was associated with inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of
      apoptosis of tumor cells and decreased expression of PI3K downstream factors,
      such as p-Akt and p-mTOR in tumor xenograft tissues. Our study demonstrates that
      UA not only inhibits cell growth but also induces apoptosis through modulation of
      the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in human prostate cancer cells. We suggest that UA may
      be a new chemotherapeutic candidate against prostate cancer. 

PMID- 26503561
TI  - Berberine Increases Doxorubicin Sensitivity by Suppressing STAT3 in Lung Cancer.
AB  - Berberine (BBR), an alkaloid component isolated from Chinese medicinal herb Huang
      Lian, has aroused broad interests for its antitumor effect in recent years. The
      signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), plays critical roles
      in malignant transformation and progression and was found to be constitutively
      activated in a variety of human cancers. In this study, we show that BBR
      inhibited cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, and suppressed tumor spheroid
      formation of lung cancer cell lines. These effects were correlated with BBR
      mediated suppression of both phosphorylated and total levels of STAT3 protein.
      Furthermore, BBR promoted STAT3 degradation by enhancing ubiquitination.
      Importantly, we demonstrated that BBR was able to inhibit doxorubicin (DOX)
      mediated STAT3 activation and sensitize lung cancer cells to the cytotoxic effect
      of DOX treatment. Given that BBR is widely used in clinic with low toxicity, our
      results are potentially important for the development of a novel combinatorial
      therapy with BBR and DOX in the treatment of lung cancer. 

PMID- 26503562
TI  - Anion Photoelectron Spectroscopy and CASSCF/CASPT2/RASSI Study of Lan(-) (n = 1,
      3-7).
AB  - We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of small lanthanum
      clusters. The experimental photoelectron spectra of Lan(-) (n = 1, 3-7) were
      obtained using negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy. Electron affinities for
      these clusters were found to be in a range of 0.49 eV (La) to 1.5 eV (La7). Our
      computational tour de force in exploring the electronic structure and its
      consequences for the lanthanum atom and its anion as well as for lanthanum trimer
      and its anion shows the multiconfigurational method and large basis set with spin
      orbit corrections: CASSCF/CASPT2/RASSI/ANO-RCC-L level of theory is needed to
      reproduce experimental accuracy. The most stable structure for La3(-) was
      established to be an equilateral triangle ((1)A1'). Chemical bonding analysis of
      the La3(-) global minimum reveals that this is the first experimentally observed
      species with d-AO double sigma and pi aromaticity. 

PMID- 26503560
TI  - Effects and Mechanism of Combination of Rhein and Danshensu in the Treatment of
      Chronic Kidney Disease.
AB  - Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a systemic role in disease treatment,
      targeting multiple etiological factors simultaneously. Based on clinical
      experience, rhubarb and Salvia miltiorrhiza are commonly prescribed together for
      the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and have been proven to be very
      effective. However, the rationale of the combination remains unclear. The major
      active ingredients of these two herbs are rhein (RH) and danshensu (DSS),
      respectively. The aim of this paper is to investigate the renoprotective effects
      of RH and DSS in vitro and in vivo, and the underlying mechanism. A total of 5/6
      nephrectomy rats and HK-2 cells were subjected to chronic renal injury. The
      combination of RH and DSS conferred a protective effect, as shown by a
      significant improvement in the renal function, blood supply, and fibrotic degree.
      Proinflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules were suppressed by RH and DSS
      through NK-kappaB signaling. The combination also inhibited apoptosis by up
      regulating Bcl-2 and down-regulating Bax. Inhibiting the TGF-beta/Smad3 pathway
      was at least in part involved in the antifibrotic mechanism of the combination
      treatment of RH and DSS. This study demonstrates for the first time the
      renoprotective effect and the mechanism of RH and DSS combination on chronic
      renal injury. It could provide experimental evidence to support the rationality
      of the combinatorial use of TCM in clinical practices.

PMID- 26503563
TI  - Hepatic hemorrhage as a consequence of rapid response to combined targeted
      therapy in metastatic melanoma.
AB  - A middle-aged female with metastatic melanoma was found to have hemoperitoneum
      after starting systemic therapy with the BRAF and MEK inhibitors dabrafenib and
      trametinib. Etiology proved to be bleeding from a known hepatic metastasis. The
      patient was managed conservatively and eventually resumed systemic therapy with
      ongoing response. This case serves to illustrate the possible deleterious effects
      of rapid tumor response after initiation of targeted systemic therapy in patients
      with metastatic melanoma.

PMID- 26503565
TI  - Corticotropin-releasing factor type-2 receptor and corticotropin-releasing factor
      binding protein coexist in rat ventral tegmental area nerve terminals originated
      in the lateral hypothalamic area.
AB  - There is significant functional evidence showing that corticotropin-releasing
      factor type-2 receptor (CRF2R) and corticotropin-releasing factor-binding protein
      (CRF-BP) regulate glutamatergic synapses onto ventral tegmental area (VTA)
      dopaminergic neurons. It has been shown that CRF requires CRF-BP to potentiate N
      methyl-D-aspartate receptors in dopaminergic neurons through CRF2R, and that
      increases glutamate release in cocaine-treated rats through the activation of
      CRF2R only by agonists with high affinity to CRF-BP. Furthermore, this CRF
      mediated increase in VTA glutamate is responsible for stress-induced relapse to
      cocaine-seeking behaviour. However, there is a lack of anatomical evidence to
      explain the mechanisms of CRF actions in VTA. Thus, it was studied whether CRF2R
      and CRF-BP are expressed in VTA nerve terminals, using a synaptosomal preparation
      devoid of postsynaptic elements. The current results show that both proteins are
      co-expressed in glutamatergic and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic VTA
      synaptosomes. A main glutamatergic input to the VTA that has been associated to
      addictive behaviour is originated in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA). Thus,
      this study was focused in the LHA-VTA input using orexin as a marker of this
      input. The results show that CRF2R and CRF-BP mRNA and protein are expressed in
      the LHA, and that both proteins are present in orexin-positive VTA synaptosomes.
      The results showing that CRF2R and CRF-BP are expressed in the LHA-VTA input give
      anatomical support to suggest that this input plays a role in stress-induced
      relapse to cocaine-seeking behaviour.

PMID- 26503566
TI  - What Is the Next Step after Endoscopic Resection of Superficial Esophageal
      Squamous Cell Carcinoma?

PMID- 26503567
TI  - Understanding Growth Patterns of Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma of the Stomach Is
      Necessary for Successful Endoscopic Resection.

PMID- 26503568
TI  - Initial Steps to Prevent Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug- or Aspirin-Induced
      Enteropathy: Long-Term Outcome Data.

PMID- 26503569
TI  - The Role of Barrier Dysfunction and Change of Claudin Expression in Inflammatory
      Bowel Disease.

PMID- 26503570
TI  - Assessment for Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses in the Field
      of Hepatology.
AB  - A systematic review (SR) provides the best and most objective analysis of the
      existing evidence in a particular field. SRs and derived conclusions are
      essential for evidence-based strategies in medicine and evidence-based guidelines
      in clinical practice. The popularity of SRs has also increased markedly in the
      field of hepatology. However, although SRs are considered to provide a higher
      level of evidence with greater confidence than original articles, there have been
      no reports on the quality of SRs and meta-analyses (MAs) in the field of
      hepatology. Therefore, we performed a quality assessment of 225 SRs and MAs that
      were recently published in the field of hepatology (January 2011 to September
      2014) using A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews (AMSTAR). Using
      AMSTAR, we revealed both a shortage of assessments of the scientific quality of
      individual studies and a publication bias in many SRs and MAs. This review
      addresses the concern that SRs and MAs need to be conducted in a stricter and
      more objective manner to minimize bias and random errors. Thus, SRs and MAs
      should be supported by a multidisciplinary approach that includes clinical
      experts, methodologists, and statisticians. 

PMID- 26503571
TI  - The Expanding Role of Contrast-Enhanced Endoscopic Ultrasound in Pancreatobiliary
      Disease.
AB  - Since its introduction into clinical practice in the 1980s, endoscopic ultrasound
      (EUS) has been described as a good imaging modality for the diagnosis of
      pancreatobiliary diseases. However, differential diagnosis of certain lesions
      based only on B-mode ultrasound images can be challenging. Clinical use of
      ultrasound contrast agents has expanded the utility of EUS from that of detection
      to characterization of pancreatobiliary lesions based on the enhancement features
      of contrast-enhanced EUS (CE-EUS). Current low mechanical index techniques for CE
      EUS using second-generation contrast agents have a number of distinct advantages
      over conventional diagnostic modalities in evaluating pancreatobiliary lesions,
      including real-time assessment of perfusion pattern, availability, and the
      absence of exposure to radiation. This article describes the technical aspects of
      CE-EUS and reviews the expanding indications in pancreatobiliary diseases and
      further development of this technique. 

PMID- 26503573
TI  - Erratum: Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Current Status and Future
      Directions.

PMID- 26503572
TI  - Is Whole Exome Sequencing Clinically Practical in the Management of Pediatric
      Crohn's Disease?
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to identify the profile of rare
      variants associated with Crohn's disease (CD) using whole exome sequencing (WES)
      analysis of Korean children with CD and to evaluate whether genetic profiles
      could provide information during medical decision making. METHODS: DNA samples
      from 18 control individuals and 22 patients with infantile, very-early and early
      onset CD of severe phenotype were used for WES. Genes were filtered using panels
      of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-associated genes and genes of primary
      immunodeficiency (PID) and monogenic IBD. RESULTS: Eighty-one IBD-associated
      variants and 35 variants in PID genes were revealed by WES. The most frequently
      occurring variants were carried by nine (41%) and four (18.2%) CD probands and
      were ATG16L2 (rs11235604) and IL17REL (rs142430606), respectively. Twenty-four
      IBD-associated variants and 10 PID variants were predicted to be deleterious and
      were identified in the heterozygous state. However, their functions were unknown
      with the exception of a novel p.Q111X variant in XIAP (X chromosome) of a male
      proband. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of many rare variants of unknown significance
      limits the clinical applicability of WES for individual CD patients. However, WES
      in children may be beneficial for distinguishing CD secondary to PID.

PMID- 26503575
TI  - Flu vaccinations: a justified pain in the arm?

PMID- 26503574
TI  - Reflections on metabolic syndrome in children.

PMID- 26503576
TI  - Are cholesterol levels being checked and managed appropriately in UK primary care
      type 2 diabetes?

PMID- 26503578
TI  - Dr Alice MacLennan.

PMID- 26503577
TI  - Sources of funding for adult and paediatric CT procedures at a metropolitan
      tertiary hospital: How much do Medicare statistics really cover?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The radiation dose to the Australian paediatric population as a
      result of medical imaging is of growing concern, in particular the dose from CT.
      Estimates of the Australian population dose have largely relied on Medicare
      Australia statistics, which capture only a fraction of those imaging procedures
      actually performed. The fraction not captured has been estimated using a value
      obtained for a survey of the adult population in the mid-1990s. To better
      quantify the fraction of procedures that are not captured by Medicare Australia,
      procedure frequency and funding data for adult and paediatric patients were
      obtained from a metropolitan tertiary teaching and research hospital. METHODS:
      Five calendar years of data were obtained with a financial class specified for
      each individual procedure. The financial classes were grouped to give the
      percentage of Medicare Australia billable procedures for both adult and
      paediatric patients. The data were also grouped to align with the Medicare
      Australia age cohorts. RESULTS: The percentage of CT procedures billable to
      Medicare Australia increased from 16% to 28% between 2008 and 2012. In 2012, the
      percentage billable for adult and paediatric patients was 28% and 33%,
      respectively; however, many adult CT procedures are performed at stand-alone
      clinics, which bulk bill. CONCLUSION: Using Medicare Australia statistics alone,
      the frequency of paediatric CT procedures performed on the Australian paediatric
      population will be grossly under estimated. A correction factor of 4.5 is
      suggested for paediatric procedures and 1.5 for adult procedures. The fraction of
      actual procedures performed that are captured by Medicare Australia will vary
      with time.

PMID- 26503579
TI  - Progress in Understanding the Genetic Information and Biosynthetic Pathways
      behind Amycolatopsis Antibiotics, with Implications for the Continued Discovery
      of Novel Drugs.
AB  - Species of Amycolatopsis, well recognized as producers of both vancomycin and
      rifamycin, are also known for producing other secondary metabolites, with wide
      usage in medicine and agriculture. The molecular genetics of natural antibiotics
      produced by this genus have been well studied. Since the rise of antibiotic
      resistance, finding new drugs to fight infection has become an urgent priority.
      Progress in understanding the biosynthesis of metabolites greatly helps the
      rational manipulation of biosynthetic pathways, and thus to achieve the goal of
      generating novel natural antibiotics. The efforts made in exploiting
      Amycolatopsis genome sequences for the discovery of novel natural products and
      biosynthetic pathways are summarized. 

PMID- 26503580
TI  - Controlled Redox Chemistry at Cerium within a Tripodal Nitroxide Ligand
      Framework.
AB  - Ligand reorganization has been shown to have a profound effect on the outcome of
      cerium redox chemistry. Through the use of a tethered, tripodal, trianionic
      nitroxide ligand, [((2-tBuNOH)C6 H4 CH2 )3 N](3-) (TriNOx (3-) ), controlled
      redox chemistry at cerium was accomplished, and typically reactive complexes of
      tetravalent cerium were isolated. These included rare cationic complexes
      [Ce(TriNOx )thf][BAr(F) 4 ], in which Ar(F) =3,5-(CF3 )2 -C6 H3 , and [Ce(TriNOx
      )py][OTf]. A rare complete Ce-halide series, Ce(TriNOx )X, in which X=F(-) , Cl(
      ) , Br(-) , I(-) , was also synthesized. The solution chemistry of these
      complexes was explored through detailed solution-phase electrochemistry and (1) H
      NMR experiments and showed a unique shift in the ratio of species with inner- and
      outer-sphere anions with size of the anionic X(-) group. DFT calculations on the
      series of calculations corroborated the experimental findings. 

PMID- 26503581
TI  - Effects of a high milk intake during the pre-weaning period on nutrient
      metabolism and growth rate in Japanese Black cattle.
AB  - This study aimed to determine the effects of feeding an increased volume of high
      fat milk during the early post-natal life on metabolite concentrations in the
      blood, the expression of key genes regulating intermediary metabolism in the
      skeletal muscles, and the rate of growth of Japanese Black cattle. All calves
      were fed a high-fat milk replacer (crude protein, 26%; crude fat, 25.5%; total
      dissolved nitrogen, 116%). Control calves (n = 4) were nursed with 500 g milk
      replacer until 3 months of age, whereas calves in the experimental group (n = 4)
      were nursed with 1800 g milk replacer until 3 months, and then the volume was
      gradually reduced until 5 months. Body weight was significantly higher in the
      experimental group than in the control group at 7 months. Plasma glucose
      concentrations were significantly lower in the experimental group. Expression of
      glucose-transporter-4 messenger RNA (mRNA) was lower, whereas that of glucose
      transporter 1, cluster of differentiation 36, and carnitine palmitoyltransferase
      1b mRNA was significantly higher in the Longissimus thoracis of the experimental
      group. Nutritional status during early post-natal life appears to strongly
      influence the growth rate and glucose and lipid metabolism in Japanese Black
      cattle. 

PMID- 26503583
TI  - Osteopetrosis and Chiari type I malformation: a rare association.
AB  - Osteopetrosis (OP) is hereditary X-linked, autosomal recessive (ARO), or
      autosomal dominant (ADO) skeletal disease. ARO has two subtypes, which are
      infantile malignant and intermediate type. ARO and X-linked OP have poor clinical
      outcome. ADO is called adult benign type because of the normal life expectancy,
      which has type I and type II. Here, the authors present an ADO patient with
      Chiari type I. Concomitant ADO with Chiari type I malformation is an extremely
      rare condition. Literature research yielded only one case report to date. 

PMID- 26503582
TI  - Serum WFA(+) -M2BP is a non-invasive liver fibrosis marker that can predict the
      efficacy of direct-acting anti-viral-based triple therapy for chronic hepatitis
      C.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive human Mac-2-binding
      protein (WFA(+) -M2BP) is a new liver fibrosis glycobiomarker with unique
      fibrosis-related glyco-alteration. WFA(+) -M2BP is also a useful surrogate marker
      for the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma and for the liver functional
      reserve. AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic ability of WFA(+) -M2BP for liver
      fibrosis in the clinical setting and the clinical utility of WFA(+) -M2BP for
      predicting the efficacy of direct-acting anti-viral (DAA) treatment for chronic
      hepatitis C patients. METHODS: The study included 159 genotype 1 hepatitis C
      patients who received DAA-based treatment (telaprevir or simeprevir) combined
      with pegylated-interferon alpha plus ribavirin (108 telaprevir- and 51 simeprevir
      based triple treatment). The relation between baseline serum WFA(+) -M2BP and
      treatment efficacy was evaluated. RESULTS: The serum WFA(+) -M2BP level
      significantly increased with the progress of liver fibrosis. Area under the
      receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified 2.17 as the cut-off
      index (COI) for WFA(+) -M2BP for diagnosing advanced fibrosis. The sustained
      virological response (SVR) rate was significantly, negatively correlated with the
      serum WFA(+) -M2BP level. Multiple logistic regression analysis found a low serum
      WFA(+) -M2BP level (<2.17 COI) to be independently associated with SVR (odds
      ratio, 4.35, P = 0.027). Even for prior nonresponders and patients with the
      interleukin-28B minor allele or histological advanced fibrosis, treatment outcome
      was favourable for patients with a low serum WFA(+) -M2BP level. CONCLUSION:
      Serum WFA(+) -M2BP is a non-invasive liver fibrosis marker useful for predicting
      the efficacy of DAA-based triple therapy for chronic hepatitis C patients.

PMID- 26503585
TI  - Prevalence and temporal trends of physical activity counselling in primary health
      care in Germany from 1997-1999 to 2008-2011.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For patients, usually the first and most preferred contact person on
      health issues is still the doctor and most persons see their doctor at least once
      a year. Therefore, physical activity counselling strategies delivered by a
      physician seem to be a promising approach for physical activity improvement. The
      aim of this work is to show prevalence and time trends in physical activity
      counselling by primary health care physicians from 1997-1999 to 2008-2011 in
      Germany. METHODS: Data from two representative cross-sectional health interview
      and examination surveys of the Robert Koch Institute were used. Prevalence
      proportions of physicians' physical activity counselling and patients'
      utilisation of health promotion programmes in relation to physical activity
      counselling were analysed. Strengths of associations were calculated by using
      binary logistic regression models. Overall, 11,907 persons aged 18-64 years were
      included in the analyses. RESULTS: Physical activity counselling prevalence
      decreased from 11.1 to 9.4% in men and from 9.3 to 7.7% in women over ten years.
      Only persons with accumulated health risks (OR 5.33; 95% CI 1.89-15.00) and
      persons with diagnosed diabetes mellitus (OR 3.42; 95% CI 1.68-6.69) showed
      significantly higher counselling proportions in 2008-2011 compared to 1997-1999.
      Men were more often counselled on physical activity than women, but women showed
      significantly higher participation rates in physical activity promotion
      programmes in both surveys. In both sexes significantly higher participation
      rates could be observed in persons who had received some activity counselling by
      a physician. CONCLUSION: Although, evidence underlines the positive health
      effects of regular physical activity; overall, physicians counselling behaviour
      on physical activity decreased over time. However, it is positive to note that a
      trend towards a disease-specific counselling behaviour in terms of a tailored
      intervention could be observed.

PMID- 26503584
TI  - Identification of four new susceptibility loci for testicular germ cell tumour.
AB  - Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified multiple risk loci for
      testicular germ cell tumour (TGCT), revealing a polygenic model of disease
      susceptibility strongly influenced by common variation. To identify additional
      single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with TGCT, we conducted a
      multistage GWAS with a combined data set of >25,000 individuals (6,059 cases and
      19,094 controls). We identified new risk loci for TGCT at 3q23 (rs11705932,
      TFDP2, P=1.5 * 10(-9)), 11q14.1 (rs7107174, GAB2, P=9.7 * 10(-11)), 16p13.13
      (rs4561483, GSPT1, P=1.6 * 10(-8)) and 16q24.2 (rs55637647, ZFPM1, P=3.4 * 10(
      9)). We additionally present detailed functional analysis of these loci,
      identifying a statistically significant relationship between rs4561483 risk
      genotype and increased GSPT1 expression in TGCT patient samples. These findings
      provide additional support for a polygenic model of TGCT risk and further insight
      into the biological basis of disease development. 

PMID- 26503586
TI  - The timing and precision of action prediction in the aging brain.
AB  - Successful social interactions depend on the ability to anticipate other people's
      actions. Current conceptualizations of brain function propose that causes of
      sensory input are inferred through their integration with internal predictions
      generated in the observer's motor system during action observation. Less is known
      concerning how action prediction changes with age. Previously we showed that
      internal action representations are less specific in older compared with younger
      adults at behavioral and neural levels. Here, we characterize how neural activity
      varies while healthy older adults aged 56-71 years predict the time-course of an
      unfolding action as well as the relation to task performance. By using fMRI,
      brain activity was measured while participants observed partly occluded actions
      and judged the temporal coherence of the action continuation that was
      manipulated. We found that neural activity in frontoparietal and occipitotemporal
      regions increased the more an action continuation was shifted backwards in time.
      Action continuations that were shifted towards the future preferentially engaged
      early visual cortices. Increasing age was associated with neural activity that
      extended from posterior to anterior regions in frontal and superior temporal
      cortices. Lower sensitivity in action prediction resulted in activity increases
      in the caudate. These results imply that the neural implementation of predicting
      actions undergoes similar changes as the neural process of executing actions in
      older adults. The comparison between internal predictions and sensory input seems
      to become less precise with age leading to difficulties in anticipating observed
      actions accurately, possibly due to less specific internal action models.

PMID- 26503587
TI  - Respiratory frequency is strongly associated with perceived exertion during time
      trials of different duration.
AB  - In order to provide further insight into the link between respiratory frequency
      (fR) and the rating of perceived exertion (RPE), the present study investigated
      the effect of exercise duration on perceptual and physiological responses during
      self-paced exercise. Nine well-trained competitive male cyclists (23 +/- 3 years)
      performed a preliminary incremental ramp test and three randomised self-paced
      time trials (TTs) differing in exercise duration (10, 20 and 30 min). Both RPE
      and fR increased almost linearly over time, with a less-pronounced rate of
      increase when absolute exercise duration increased. However, when values were
      expressed against relative exercise duration, no between-trial differences were
      found in either RPE or fR. Conversely, between-trial differences were observed
      for minute ventilation (.VE), .VO2 and heart rate (HR), when values were
      expressed against relative exercise duration. Unlike the relationship between RPE
      and both .VE and HR, the relationship between RPE and fR was not affected by
      exercise duration. In conclusion, fR, but not .VE, HR or [.VO2, shows a strong
      relationship to RPE and a similar time course, irrespective of exercise duration.
      These findings indicate that fR is the best correlate of RPE during self-paced
      exercise, at least among the parameters and for the range of durations herein
      investigated.

PMID- 26503588
TI  - Evidence-based guideline: Management of an unprovoked first seizure in adults:
      Report of the Guideline Development Subcommittee of the American Academy of
      Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society.

PMID- 26503589
TI  - Evidence-based guideline: Management of an unprovoked first seizure in adults:
      Report of the Guideline Development Subcommittee of the American Academy of
      Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society.

PMID- 26503590
TI  - Mystery Case: Lafora periodic acid-Schiff inclusion bodies.

PMID- 26503591
TI  - Teaching NeuroImages: MRI findings in X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy.

PMID- 26503592
TI  - Infection, vaccination, and childhood arterial ischemic stroke.

PMID- 26503594
TI  - The role of structural and interpersonal violence in the lives of women: a
      conceptual shift in prevention of gender-based violence.

PMID- 26503593
TI  - Phase II trial of selective internal radiation therapy and systemic chemotherapy
      for liver-predominant metastases from pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This prospective, open-label phase II study assessed the impact of
      liver-directed therapy with selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) and
      systemic chemotherapy on progression-free survival (PFS) in liver-dominant
      metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Patients received yttrium-90
      labelled ((90)Y) resin microspheres (SIR-Spheres; Sirtex Medical Limited, Sydney,
      Australia) as a single procedure on day 2 of the first weekly cycle of 5
      fluorouracil (5FU; 600 mg/m(2)) with the option to switch to gemcitabine (1000
      mg/m(2)) after 8 weeks of 5FU. Statistical analysis was conducted using Microsoft
      Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington, USA). The primary endpoint of
      the study was PFS in the liver, with a median of >= 16 weeks defined as the
      threshold for clinical significance. PFS and overall survival (OS) were
      summarised by the Kaplan-Meier method using non-parametric estimates of the
      survivor function. RESULTS: Fourteen eligible patients were enrolled; ten had
      primary tumour in situ and eight had liver-only metastases. Patients received a
      median (90)Y activity of 1.1 GBq and 8 weekly doses of 5FU; seven patients
      received a median of two doses of gemcitabine. Disease control in the liver was
      93% (two confirmed partial responses [PR], one unconfirmed PR, ten stable
      disease). Median reduction in cancer antigen 19-9 was 72%. Median PFS was 5.2
      months in the liver, which met the primary endpoint of the study, and 4.4 months
      at any site. PFS was prolonged in those with a resected primary compared with
      patients with primary in situ (median 7.8 vs. 3.4 months; p = 0.017). Median OS
      was 5.5 months overall and 13.6 months in patients with a resected primary. Grade
      3/4 adverse events occurred in eight (57%) patients during days 0-60. There was
      one sudden death and another patient who died from possible treatment-related
      liver failure 7.0 months after SIRT. CONCLUSIONS: SIRT and chemotherapy appears
      to be an effective treatment for liver metastases from pancreatic cancer, likely
      to be of most benefit in selected patients with a resected primary tumour and
      liver only disease. Significant toxicity was observed and the safety of this
      approach in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer will need to be confirmed
      in subsequent studies. Further study is warranted with SIRT and modern
      chemotherapies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12606000015549.

PMID- 26503595
TI  - Association between subclinical carotid atherosclerosis, hyperhomocysteinaemia
      and mild cognitive impairment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Evidence suggests that intima-media thickness (IMT) and plasma
      homocysteine (Hcy) levels are associated with one another, and both appear to be
      related to cognitive dysfunction. However, no connection between both factors
      taken together and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been established. This
      study analysed potential relationships between IMT, Hcy and MCI. METHODS: We
      included 105 patients with MCI and 76 controls with no history of vascular
      disease. All participants underwent laboratory analyses, a carotid ultrasound,
      and clinical and neuropsychological assessment. We used the Mantel-Haenszel test
      (MHT), ANCOVA and multiple linear regression models (MLRM) to examine any
      associations between IMT, Hcy and cognitive state. RESULTS: The MHT revealed a
      significant association between IMT and risk of MCI (z = 4.285, P < 0.0001). The
      OR for the upper quartile vs the lower quartile was 5.12 (95% CI: 2.12-12.36).
      MHT also showed a clear association between Hcy levels and risk of MCI (z = 3.01,
      P = 0.003). OR for the upper vs the lower quartile was 3.39 (95% CI: 1.41-8.12).
      Additionally, we found a correlation between IMT and Hcy (r = 0.162, P = 0.032).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that there is a connection between IMT, Hcy
      levels and presence of amnestic MCI in a population with no history of clinically
      manifest atherosclerosis. Furthermore, there is also a connection between the IMT
      and Hcy levels themselves.

PMID- 26503596
TI  - Airline Safety Improvement Through Experience with Near-Misses: A Cautionary
      Tale.
AB  - In recent years, the U.S. commercial airline industry has achieved unprecedented
      levels of safety, with the statistical risk associated with U.S. commercial
      aviation falling to 0.003 fatalities per 100 million passengers. But decades of
      research on organizational learning show that success often breeds complacency
      and failure inspires improvement. With accidents as rare events, can the airline
      industry continue safety advancements? This question is complicated by the
      complex system in which the industry operates where chance combinations of
      multiple factors contribute to what are largely probabilistic (rather than
      deterministic) outcomes. Thus, some apparent successes are realized because of
      good fortune rather than good processes, and this research intends to bring
      attention to these events, the near-misses. The processes that create these near
      misses could pose a threat if multiple contributing factors combine in adverse
      ways without the intervention of good fortune. Yet, near-misses (if recognized as
      such) can, theoretically, offer a mechanism for continuing safety improvements,
      above and beyond learning gleaned from observable failure. We test whether or not
      this learning is apparent in the airline industry. Using data from 1990 to 2007,
      fixed effects Poisson regressions show that airlines learn from accidents (their
      own and others), and from one category of near-misses-those where the possible
      dangers are salient. Unfortunately, airlines do not improve following near-miss
      incidents when the focal event has no clear warnings of significant danger.
      Therefore, while airlines need to and can learn from certain near-misses, we
      conclude with recommendations for improving airline learning from all near
      misses.

PMID- 26503597
TI  - Three-Dimensional Blood-Brain Barrier Model for in vitro Studies of Neurovascular
      Pathology.
AB  - Blood-brain barrier (BBB) pathology leads to neurovascular disorders and is an
      important target for therapies. However, the study of BBB pathology is difficult
      in the absence of models that are simple and relevant. In vivo animal models are
      highly relevant, however they are hampered by complex, multi-cellular
      interactions that are difficult to decouple. In vitro models of BBB are simpler,
      however they have limited functionality and relevance to disease processes. To
      address these limitations, we developed a 3-dimensional (3D) model of BBB on a
      microfluidic platform. We verified the tightness of the BBB by showing its
      ability to reduce the leakage of dyes and to block the transmigration of immune
      cells towards chemoattractants. Moreover, we verified the localization at
      endothelial cell boundaries of ZO-1 and VE-Cadherin, two components of tight and
      adherens junctions. To validate the functionality of the BBB model, we probed its
      disruption by neuro-inflammation mediators and ischemic conditions and measured
      the protective function of antioxidant and ROCK-inhibitor treatments. Overall,
      our 3D BBB model provides a robust platform, adequate for detailed functional
      studies of BBB and for the screening of BBB-targeting drugs in neurological
      diseases. 

PMID- 26503598
TI  - CXCR2-CXCL1 axis is correlated with neutrophil infiltration and predicts a poor
      prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Inflammation is a hallmark of cancer, yet the mechanisms that
      regulate immune cell infiltration into tumors remain poorly characterized. This
      study attempted to characterize the composition, distribution, and prognostic
      value of CXCR2(+) cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to examine the
      CXCR2 ligands that are responsible for local immune infiltration in different
      areas of HCC tumors. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescene were
      used to identify CXCR2(+) cells in HCC tissues. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox
      regression models were applied to estimate recurrence-free survival (RFS) and
      overall survival (OS) for 259 HCC patients. The expression levels of CXCR2
      ligands (CXCL-1, -2, -5, and -8) were measured by real-time PCR and compared with
      local immune cell density. The combined prognostic value of the CXCR2-CXCL1 axis
      was further evaluated. RESULTS: In HCC tissues, CXCR2(+) cells were mainly
      neutrophils that were enriched in the peri-tumoral stroma (PS) region. Kaplan
      Meier survival analysis showed that increased CXCR2(+) PS cells were associated
      with reduced RFS and OS (P = 0.015 for RFS; P = 0.002 for OS). Multivariate Cox
      proportional hazards analysis identified CXCR2(+) PS cell density as an
      independent prognostic factor for OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.737, 95 % confidence
      interval [CI] = 1.167-2.585, P = 0.006). Furthermore, we detected a positive
      correlation between the density of CD15(+) neutrophils and CXCL1 levels in both
      the peri-tumoral stroma and intra-tumoral regions. The combination of CXCR2 and
      CXCL1 expression levels represented a powerful predictor of a poor prognosis for
      patients with HCC. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that the CXCR2(+) cell density
      was an independent prognostic factor for predicting OS for HCC patients. The
      CXCR2-CXCL1 axis can regulate neutrophil infiltration into HCC tumor tissues and
      might represent a useful target for anti-HCC therapies.

PMID- 26503599
TI  - Age-Related Alterations in Blood Biochemical Characterization of Hepatorenal
      Function in the PCK Rat: A Model of Polycystic Kidney Disease.
AB  - PCK rats develop age-related polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and liver disease
      and have been used to investigate pharmacotherapies to ameliorate hepatorenal
      lesions for patients with PKD. The PCK rat may be useful to understand the
      possible susceptibility to hepatotoxicity observed in the patient with PKD having
      hepatic polycystic lesions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to
      investigate the background blood biochemical changes that reflect the hepatorenal
      function of PCK rats as well as the terminal histopathology in order to determine
      whether this model would be suitable for extrapolating the susceptibility of
      hepatotoxicity in patients. The blood biochemical parameters of hepatorenal
      function and histopathology were investigated in PCK rats at ages 5 to 19 weeks
      and compared to those outcomes in the Sprague Dawley (SD) rat. There were notable
      blood biochemical changes possibly due to biliary dysgenesis in the PCK rat as
      early as 5 weeks of age. High levels of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline
      phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, and total bile acids persisted throughout
      the study compared to the SD rat. Increased aspartate aminotransferase, total
      bilirubin, and hyperlipidemia and a decrease in albumin were also evident at 10
      to 19 weeks of age possibly due to progression of cholestatic liver dysfunction
      secondary to age-related liver cystic progression. Increased liver weights
      generally correlated with the severity of biliary and hepatic histopathological
      changes. In male PCK rats, age-related increases in blood urea nitrogen and
      creatinine at 10 to 19 weeks of age were observed, and the cystic progression was
      more severe than that in females. These data indicate that the PCK rat showed
      notable blood biochemical changes reflecting alteration of the liver function
      compared to the SD rat. Also, there was a large individual variation in these
      parameters possibly due to variable progression rate of biliary dysgenesis and
      subsequent liver damages in PCK rats. 

PMID- 26503600
TI  - Overall survival with and without laryngeal function  preservation in 580
      patients with hypopharyngeal  squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - The aims of the present study were to review the experience of different surgical
      reconstruction methods for hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HSCC) and
      compared the survival of patients with and without laryngeal function (LF)
      preservation. The clinical characteristics of 580 patients were retrospectively
      obtained and analyzed. Survival curves were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier
      method for survival and Cox models for hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs). LF was preserved in 403 cases and not preserved in 177 cases.
      The 3- and 5-year survival rates were 70.9 and 52.7%, respectively, in the LF
      preservation group and 48.4 and 30.5%, respectively, in the no LF preservation
      group. Compared with the patients without LF preservation, patients with LF
      preservation had a significantly reduced risk of overall death (HR=0.63, 95% CI:
      0.50-0.80). LF preservation positively affects the prognosis of patients with
      HSCC.

PMID- 26503602
TI  - APOBEC3G Interacts with ssDNA by Two Modes: AFM Studies.
AB  - APOBEC3G (A3G) protein has antiviral activity against HIV and other pathogenic
      retroviruses. A3G has two domains: a catalytic C-terminal domain (CTD) that
      deaminates cytidine, and a N-terminal domain (NTD) that binds to ssDNA. Although
      abundant information exists about the biological activities of A3G protein, the
      interplay between sequence specific deaminase activity and A3G binding to ssDNA
      remains controversial. We used the topographic imaging and force spectroscopy
      modalities of Atomic Force Spectroscopy (AFM) to characterize the interaction of
      A3G protein with deaminase specific and nonspecific ssDNA substrates. AFM imaging
      demonstrated that A3G has elevated affinity for deaminase specific ssDNA than for
      nonspecific ssDNA. AFM force spectroscopy revealed two distinct binding modes by
      which A3G interacts with ssDNA. One mode requires sequence specificity, as
      demonstrated by stronger and more stable complexes with deaminase specific ssDNA
      than with nonspecific ssDNA. Overall these observations enforce prior studies
      suggesting that both domains of A3G contribute to the sequence specific binding
      of ssDNA. 

PMID- 26503603
TI  - Mapping 3' transcript ends in the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus)
      mitochondrial genome with RNA-Seq.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although posttranscriptional modification of mitochondrial (mt)
      transcripts plays key roles in completion of the coding information and in the
      expression of mtDNA-encoded genes, there is little experimental evidence on the
      polyadenylation status and the location of mt gene poly(A) sites for non-human
      mammals. RESULTS: Poly(A)-enriched RNA-Seq reads collected for two wild-caught
      bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) were mapped to the complete mitochondrial
      genome of that species. Transcript polyadenylation was detected as unmapped
      adenine residues at the ends of the mapped reads. Where the tRNA punctuation
      model applied, there was the expected polyadenylation, except for the nad5
      transcript, whose polyadenylated 3' end is at an intergenic sequence/cytochrome b
      boundary. As in human, two pairs of bank vole genes, nad4l/nad4 and atp8/atp6,
      are expressed from bicistronic transcripts. TAA stop codons of four bank vole
      protein-coding genes (nad1, atp6, cox3 and nad4) are incompletely encoded in the
      DNA and are completed by polyadenylation. This is three genes (nad2, nad3 and
      cob) less than in human. The bank vole nad2 gene encodes a full stop codon (TAA
      in one vole and TAG in the other), which is followed by a 2 bp UTR and the gene
      conforms to the tRNA punctuation model. In contrast, the annotations of the
      reference mouse and some other rodent mt genomes in GenBank include complete TAG
      stop codons in both nad1 and nad2, which overlap downstream trnI and trnW,
      respectively. Thus the RNA-Seq data of bank voles provides a model for stop
      codons of mt-encoded genes in mammals comparable to humans, but at odds with some
      of the interpretation based purely on genomic data in mouse and other rodents.
      CONCLUSIONS: This work demonstrates how RNA-Seq data were useful to recover mtDNA
      transcriptome data in a non-model rodent and to shed more light on mammalian
      mtDNA transcriptome and post-transcriptional modification. Even though gene
      content and organisation of mtDNA are strongly conserved among mammals,
      annotations that neglect the transcriptome may be prone to errors in relation to
      the stop codons.

PMID- 26503601
TI  - Enhanced angiogenesis in ischemic skeletal muscle after transplantation of cell
      sheets from baculovirus-transduced adipose-derived stromal cells expressing
      VEGF165.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cell therapy using adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSC) is an
      intensively developing approach to promote angiogenesis and regeneration.
      Administration technique is crucial and among others minimal constructs - cell
      sheets (CS) have certain advantages. Delivery of CS allows transplantation of
      cells along with matrix proteins to facilitate engraftment. Cells' therapeutic
      potential can be also increased by expression of proangiogenic factors by viral
      transduction. In this work we report on therapeutic efficacy of CS from mouse
      ADSC transduced to express human vascular endothelial growth factor 165 a/a
      isoform (VEGF165), which showed potency to restore perfusion and protect tissue
      in a model of limb ischemia. METHODS: Mouse ADSC (mADSC) isolated from C57 male
      mice were expanded for CS formation (10(6)cells per CS). Constructs were
      transduced to express human VEGF165 by baculoviral (BV) system. CS were
      transplanted subcutaneously to mice with surgically induced limb ischemia and
      followed by laser Doppler perfusion measurements. At endpoint animals were
      sacrificed and skeletal muscle was evaluated for necrosis and vessel density; CS
      with underlying muscle was stained for apoptosis, proliferation, monocytes and
      blood vessels. RESULTS: Using BV system and sodium butyrate treatment we
      expressed human VEGF165 in mADSC (production of VEGF165 reached ~ 25-27
      ng/ml/10(5) cells) and optimized conditions to ensure cells' viability after
      transduction. Implantation of mock-transduced CS resulted in significant
      improvement of limb perfusion, increased capillary density and necrosis reduction
      at 2 weeks post-surgery compared to untreated animals. Additional improvement of
      blood flow and angiogenesis was observed after transplantation of VEGF165
      expressing CS indicating enhanced therapeutic potential of genetically modified
      constructs. Moreover, we found delivery of mADSC as CS to be superior to
      equivalent dose of suspended cells in terms of perfusion and angiogenesis.
      Histology analysis of extracted CS detected limited proliferation and
      approximately 10 % prevalence of apoptosis in transplanted mADSC. Significant
      vascularization of CS and infiltration by monocytes were found in both - BV
      transduced and control CS indicating graft and host interaction after
      transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: Delivery of ADSC by subcutaneous transplantation of
      CS is effective for stimulation of angiogenesis and tissue protection in limb
      ischemia with a potential for efficacy improvement by BV transduction to express
      VEGF165.

PMID- 26503605
TI  - Erratum to: omega-Amidase: an underappreciated, but important enzyme in L
      glutamine and L-asparagine metabolism; relevance to sulfur and nitrogen
      metabolism, tumor biology and hyperammonemic diseases.

PMID- 26503604
TI  - Multiplexed, Proteome-Wide Protein Expression Profiling: Yeast Deubiquitylating
      Enzyme Knockout Strains.
AB  - Characterizing a protein's function often requires a description of the cellular
      state in its absence. Multiplexing in mass spectrometry-based proteomics has now
      achieved the ability to globally measure protein expression levels in yeast from
      10 cell states simultaneously. We applied this approach to quantify expression
      differences in wild type and nine deubiquitylating enzyme (DUB) knockout strains
      with the goal of creating "information networks" that might provide deeper,
      mechanistic insights into a protein's biological role. In total, more than 3700
      proteins were quantified with high reproducibility across three biological
      replicates (30 samples in all). DUB mutants demonstrated different proteomics
      profiles, consistent with distinct roles for each family member. These included
      differences in total ubiquitin levels and specific chain linkages. Moreover,
      specific expression changes suggested novel functions for several DUB family
      members. For instance, the ubp3Delta mutant showed large expression changes for
      members of the cytochrome C oxidase complex, consistent with a role for Ubp3 in
      mitochondrial regulation. Several DUBs also showed broad expression changes for
      phosphate transporters as well as other components of the inorganic phosphate
      signaling pathway, suggesting a role for these DUBs in regulating phosphate
      metabolism. These data highlight the potential of multiplexed proteome-wide
      analyses for biological investigation and provide a framework for further study
      of the DUB family. Our methods are readily applicable to the entire collection of
      yeast deletion mutants and may help facilitate systematic analysis of yeast and
      other organisms. 

PMID- 26503606
TI  - An update on transcriptional and post-translational regulation of brain voltage
      gated sodium channels.
AB  - Voltage-gated sodium channels are essential proteins in brain physiology, as they
      generate the sodium currents that initiate neuronal action potentials. Voltage
      gated sodium channels expression, localisation and function are regulated by a
      range of transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms. Here, we review our
      understanding of regulation of brain voltage-gated sodium channels, in particular
      SCN1A (NaV1.1), SCN2A (NaV1.2), SCN3A (NaV1.3) and SCN8A (NaV1.6), by
      transcription factors, by alternative splicing, and by post-translational
      modifications. Our focus is strongly centred on recent research lines, and newly
      generated knowledge.

PMID- 26503607
TI  - Multispectral optical metasurfaces enabled by achromatic phase transition.
AB  - The independent control of electromagnetic waves with different oscillating
      frequencies is critical in the modern electromagnetic techniques, such as
      wireless communications and multispectral imaging. To obtain complete control of
      different light waves with optical materials, the chromatic dispersion should be
      carefully controlled, which is however extremely difficult. In this paper, we
      propose a method to control the behaviors of different light waves through a
      metasurface which is able to generate achromatic geometric phase. Using this
      approach, a doughnut-shaped and a solid light spot were achieved at the same
      focal plane using two light sources with different wavelengths as used in the
      stimulation emission depletion (STED) microscope system. In order to reveal the
      full capacity of such method, tight focusing at multiple wavelengths is also
      represented, where the focal spots of different wavelengths are located at the
      same position. The results provided here may open a new door to the design of
      subminiature optical components and integrated optical system operating at
      multiple wavelengths. 

PMID- 26503608
TI  - Genome-wide association study of 29 morphological traits in Aegilops tauschii.
AB  - Aegilops tauschii is the D-genome progenitor of hexaploid wheat (Triticum
      aestivum). It is considered to be an important source of genetic variation for
      wheat breeding, and its genome is an invaluable reference for wheat genomics. We
      conducted a genome-wide association study using 7,185 single nucleotide
      polymorphism (SNP) markers across 322 diverse accessions of Ae. tauschii that
      were systematically phenotyped for 29 morphological traits in order to identify
      marker-trait associations and candidate genes, assess genetic diversity, and
      classify the accessions based on phenotypic data and genotypic comparison. Using
      the general linear model and mixed linear model, we identified a total of 18 SNPs
      significantly associated with 10 morphological traits. Systematic search of the
      flanking sequences of trait-associated SNPs in public databases identified
      several genes that may be linked to variations in phenotypes. Cluster analysis
      using phenotypic data grouped accessions into four clusters, while accessions in
      the same cluster were not from the same Ae. tauschii subspecies or from the same
      area of origin. This work establishes a fundamental research platform for
      association studies in Ae. tauschii and also provides useful information for
      understanding the genetic mechanism of agronomic traits in wheat. 

PMID- 26503609
TI  - Five-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for single inoperable high-risk non
      small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) brain metastases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Achieving durable local control while limiting normal tissue toxicity
      with definitive radiation therapy in the management of high-risk brain metastases
      remains a radiobiological challenge. The objective of this study was to examine
      the local control and toxicity of a 5-fraction stereotactic radiosurgical
      approach for treatment of patients with inoperable single high-risk NSCLC brain
      metastases. METHODS: This retrospective analysis examines 20 patients who were
      deemed to have "high-risk" brain metastases. High-risk tumors were defined as
      those with a maximum diameter greater than 2 cm and/or those located within an
      eloquent cortex. Patients were evaluated by a neurosurgeon prior to treatment and
      determined to be inoperable due to tumor or patient characteristics. Patients
      were treated using the CyberKnife(r) SRS system in 5 fractions to a total dose of
      30 Gy, 35 Gy, or 40 Gy. RESULTS: Twenty patients with a median age of 65.5 years
      were treated from April 2010 to August 2014 in 5 fractions to a median total dose
      of 35 Gy. At a median follow up of 11.3 months local tumor control was observed
      in 18 of 20 metastases (90 %). Both local failures were observed in patients
      receiving a lower dose of 30 Gy. Median pre-treatment dexamethasone dose was 10
      mg/day and median post-treatment nadir dose was 0 mg/day. Salvage intracranial
      therapy was required in 45 % of patients. Symptomatic radionecrosis was observed
      in 4 of 20 patients (20 %), two of which were treated to 40 Gy and the remainder
      to 35 Gy. Kaplan-Meier 1-year, 2-year, and median survival were calculated to be
      45 %, 20 %, and 13.2 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Five-fraction SRS to a
      total dose of 35 Gy appears to be a safe and effective management strategy for
      single high-risk NSCLC brain metastases, while a total dose of 40 Gy leads to an
      excess risk of neurotoxicity.

PMID- 26503611
TI  - Geometry controlled anomalous diffusion in random fractal geometries: looking
      beyond the infinite cluster.
AB  - We investigate the ergodic properties of a random walker performing (anomalous)
      diffusion on a random fractal geometry. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations of the
      motion of tracer particles on an ensemble of realisations of percolation clusters
      are performed for a wide range of percolation densities. Single trajectories of
      the tracer motion are analysed to quantify the time averaged mean squared
      displacement (MSD) and to compare this with the ensemble averaged MSD of the
      particle motion. Other complementary physical observables associated with
      ergodicity are studied, as well. It turns out that the time averaged MSD of
      individual realisations exhibits non-vanishing fluctuations even in the limit of
      very long observation times as the percolation density approaches the critical
      value. This apparent non-ergodic behaviour concurs with the ergodic behaviour on
      the ensemble averaged level. We demonstrate how the non-vanishing fluctuations in
      single particle trajectories are analytically expressed in terms of the fractal
      dimension and the cluster size distribution of the random geometry, thus being of
      purely geometrical origin. Moreover, we reveal that the convergence scaling law
      to ergodicity, which is known to be inversely proportional to the observation
      time T for ergodic diffusion processes, follows a power-law ~T(-h) with h < 1 due
      to the fractal structure of the accessible space. These results provide useful
      measures for differentiating the subdiffusion on random fractals from an
      otherwise closely related process, namely, fractional Brownian motion.
      Implications of our results on the analysis of single particle tracking
      experiments are provided. 

PMID- 26503610
TI  - Should breathing adapted radiotherapy also be applied for right-sided breast
      irradiation?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Voluntary moderate deep inspiration breath-hold (vmDIBH) is widely
      used for left sided breast cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to
      investigate the usefulness of vmDIBH in local and locoregional radiation therapy
      (RT) of right-sided breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For fourteen right
      sided breast cancer patients, 3D-conformal (3D-CRT) RT plans (i.e., forward IMRT)
      were calculated on free-breathing (FB) 3D-CRT(FB) and vmDIBHCT-scans, for local-
      as well as locoregional breast treatment, with and without internal mammary nodes
      (IMN). Dose volume parameters were compared. RESULTS: For local breast treatment,
      no relevant reduction in mean lung dose (MLD) was found. For locoregional breast
      treatment without IMN, the average MLD reduced from 6.5 to 5.4 Gy (p < 0.005) for
      the total lung and from 11.2 to 9.7 Gy (p < 0.005) for the ipsilateral lung. For
      locoregional breast treatment with IMN, the average MLD reduced from 10.8 to 9.1
      Gy (p < 0.005) for the total lung and from 18.7 to 16.2 Gy (p < 0.005) for the
      ipsilateral lung, whilea small reduction in mean heart dose of 0.4 Gy (p = 0.07)
      was also found. CONCLUSIONS: Breathing adapted radiation therapy in left-sided
      breast cancer patients is becoming widely introduced. As a result of the slight
      reduction in lung dose found for locoregional right-sided breast cancer treatment
      in this study, a slightly lower risk of pneumonitis and secondary lung cancer (in
      ever smoking patients) can be expected.In addition, for some patients the heart
      dose will also be reduced by more than 0.5 up to 2.6 Gy. We therefore suggest to
      also apply breath-hold for locoregional irradiation of right-sided breast cancer
      patients.

PMID- 26503613
TI  - Impurity channels of the long-lived Mossbauer effect.
AB  - Recent reports have suggested that the nuclear resonant absorption of a long
      lived Mossbauer state e.g., (93m)Nb is mediated by an entangled photon pair
      (biphoton) rather than by a single photon. Multipolar nuclear excitation in
      crystals of a single isotope with a natural abundance of 100% spreads in a region
      containing billions of identical nuclei. As a consequence of the delocalisation,
      additional decay channels via the impurities, the crystal defects, and the sample
      boundary, give rise to a density- and temperature-dependent decay. In this letter
      we report our discovery of impurity channels, the intensity of which is
      proportional to the square of the (93m)Nb density. 

PMID- 26503612
TI  - Geographic variation in thermal tolerance and strategies of heat shock protein
      expression in the land snail Theba pisana in relation to genetic structure.
AB  - Land snails are exposed to conditions of high ambient temperature and low
      humidity, and their survival depends on a suite of morphological, behavioral,
      physiological, and molecular adaptations to the specific microhabitat. We tested
      in six populations of the land snail Theba pisana whether adaptations to
      different habitats affect their ability to cope with thermal stress and their
      strategies of heat shock protein (HSP) expression. Levels of Hsp70 and Hsp90 in
      the foot tissue were measured in field-collected snails and after acclimation to
      laboratory conditions. Snails were also exposed to various temperatures (32 up to
      54  degrees C) for 2 h and HSP messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were measured in the
      foot tissue and survival was determined. To test whether the physiological and
      molecular data are related to genetic parameters, we analyzed T. pisana
      populations using partial sequences of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA ribosomal
      RNA genes. We show that populations collected from warmer habitats were more
      thermotolerant and had higher constitutive levels of Hsp70 isoforms in the foot
      tissue. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis indicated
      that hsp70 and hsp90 mRNA levels increased significantly in response to thermal
      stress, although the increase in hsp70 mRNA was larger compared to hsp90 and its
      induction continued up to higher temperatures. Generally, warm-adapted
      populations had higher temperatures of maximal induction of hsp70 mRNA synthesis
      and higher upper thermal limits to HSP mRNA synthesis. Our study suggests that
      Hsp70 in the foot tissue of T. pisana snails may have important roles in
      determining stress resistance, while Hsp90 is more likely implicated in signal
      transduction processes that are activated by stress. In the phylogenetic
      analysis, T. pisana haplotypes were principally divided into two major clades
      largely corresponding to the physiological ability to withstand stress, thus
      pointing to genetically fixed tolerance.

PMID- 26503614
TI  - Children who were treated with oral immunotherapy for cows' milk allergy showed
      long-term desensitisation seven years later.
AB  - AIM: This was a follow-up of 28 schoolchildren with cows' milk allergy (CMA) who
      attended a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled oral immunotherapy (OIT)
      study. In the original study, 26 (92.9%) completed the six-month escalation
      phase, and 25 (89.3%) used milk daily at 12 months and 24 (85.7%) at 36 months.
      This study evaluated the outcome seven years later, with special attention paid
      to milk consumption and symptoms. METHODS: Outcome data were collected through a
      postal questionnaire completed three, four and five years after enrolment and by
      a phone questionnaire after seven years. We asked about the daily dose of milk
      products, any adverse reactions, any medication needed and possible
      discontinuation of daily milk consumption. RESULTS: Data were available at the
      seven-year point for 24 children and 14 (58.3%) of these continued to use milk
      (>=200 mL) or milk products (protein >=6400 mg) daily for seven years. However,
      three (21.4%) of these still reported symptoms associated with milk consumption.
      Of the 10 remaining children, two children used milk products daily but consumed
      less due to symptoms and eight (33.3%) had discontinued milk consumption.
      CONCLUSION: Oral immunotherapy was an effective and safe way of desensitising
      schoolchildren with persistent CMA.

PMID- 26503615
TI  - Montage of a Queering Deferred: Memory, Ownership, and Archival Silencing in the
      Rhetorical Biography of Langston Hughes.
AB  - This article explores the intersection of archival privilege and heteronormative
      bias in the queering of Langston Hughes. Although it has been a common belief in
      LGBTQ communities that Hughes was gay, the battle over how his sexuality is
      defined in various biographical texts involves broader issues of dominant
      representations of sexuality and who gets to speak for those no longer able to
      speak for themselves. As such, the article examines the texts Looking for
      Langston and The Life of Langston Hughes as well as the discourses that
      surrounded both. Through this case study, it is apparent that there are still
      numerous cultural challenges posed to historical queering and that scholars must
      take an inventive approach to overcome them. 

PMID- 26503616
TI  - Recurrent skin and soft tissue infections in HIV-infected patients during a 5
      year period: incidence and risk factors in a retrospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are common in the era of
      community-associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus among HIV
      infected patients. Recurrent infections are frequent. Risk factors for recurrence
      after an initial SSTI have not been well-studied. METHODS: Retrospective cohort
      study, single center, 2005-2009. Paper and electronic medical records were
      reviewed by one of several physicians. Subjects with initial SSTI were followed
      until the time of SSTI recurrence. Standard descriptive statistics were
      calculated to describe the characteristics of subjects who did and did not
      develop a recurrent SSTI. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate the risk of
      recurrent SSTI. A Cox regression model was developed to identify predictors of
      SSTI recurrence. RESULTS: 133 SSTIs occurred in 87 individuals. 85 subjects were
      followed after their initial SSTI, of whom 30 (35.3 %) had a recurrent SSTI in
      118.3 person-years of follow-up, for an incidence of second SSTI of 253.6
      SSTIs/1000 person-years (95 % CI 166.8-385.7). The 1-year Kaplan-Meier estimated
      risk of a second SSTI was 29.2 % (95 % CI 20.3-41.0 %), while the 3-year risk was
      47.0 % (95 % CI 34.4-61.6 %). Risk factors for recurrent SSTI in a multivariable
      Cox regression model were non-hepatitis liver disease (HR 3.44; 95 % CI 1.02
      11.5; p = 0.05), the presence of an intravenous catheter (HR 6.50; 95 % CI 1.47
      28.7; p = 0.01), and a history of intravenous drug use (IVDU) (HR 2.80; 95 % CI
      1.02-7.65; p = 0.05); African-American race was associated with decreased risk of
      recurrent SSTI (HR 0.12; 95 % CI 0.04-0.41; p < 0.01). Some evidence was present
      for HIV viral load >= 1000 copies/mL as an independent risk factor for recurrent
      SSTI (HR 2.21; 95 % CI 0.99-4.94; p = 0.05). Hemodialysis, currently taking
      HAART, CD4+ count, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or azithromycin use, initial
      SSTI type, diabetes mellitus, incision and drainage of the original SSTI, or self
      report of being a man who has sex with men were not associated with recurrence.
      CONCLUSION: Of HIV-infected patients with an SSTI, nearly 1/3 had a recurrent
      SSTI within 1 year. Risk factors for recurrent SSTI were non-hepatitis liver
      disease, intravenous catheter presence, a history of IVDU, and non-African
      American race. Low CD4+ count was not a significant risk factor for recurrence.

PMID- 26503617
TI  - Improved treatment and prognosis after acute myocardial infarction in Estonia:
      cross-sectional study from a high risk country.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to explore trends in short- and long-term
      mortality after hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) over the
      period 2001?2011 in Estonian secondary and tertiary care hospitals while
      adjusting for changes in baseline characteristics. METHODS: In this nationwide
      cross-sectional study random samples of patients hospitalized due to AMI in years
      2001, 2007 and 2011 were identified and followed for 1 year. Trends in 30-day and
      1-year all-cause mortality were analysed using Cox proportional hazards
      regression model. RESULTS: The final analysis included 423, 687 and 665 patients
      in years 2001, 2007 and 2011 respectively. During the study period, the
      prevalence of most comorbidities remained unchanged while the in-hospital and
      outpatient treatment improved significantly. For example, the proportion of
      tertiary care hospital AMI patients who underwent revascularization was almost
      three times higher in 2011 compared to 2001. The proportion of secondary care
      patients who were referred to a tertiary care centre for more advanced care
      increased from 5.8 to 40.1 % (p for trend <0.001). Meanwhile, the 1-year
      mortality rates decreased from 29.5 to 20.2 % (adjusted p = 0.004) in the
      tertiary and from 32.4 to 23.1 % (adjusted p = 0.006) in the secondary care. The
      decrease in the 30-day mortality rates was statistically significant only in the
      secondary care hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: The use of evidence-based treatments in
      Estonian AMI patients improved between 2001 and 2011. At the same time, we
      observed a significant reduction in the long-term mortality rates, both for
      patients primarily hospitalized into secondary as well as into tertiary care
      hospitals.

PMID- 26503619
TI  - Urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (NGAL) and proteinuria predict
      severity of acute kidney injury in Puumala virus infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nephropathia epidemica (NE) is a mild form of hemorrhagic fever with
      renal syndrome (HFRS) that is caused by the Puumala virus. Periodic outbreaks
      have been described in endemic areas, with a substantial number of previously
      healthy individuals developing acute kidney injury (AKI). There is a considerable
      diversity in the clinical course of the disease, and few patients require renal
      replacement therapy. METHODS: We tested whether urinary neutrophil gelatinase
      associated lipocalin (uNGAL), urine albumin/creatinine ratio (uACR), urine
      protein/creatinine ratio (uPCR), urine dipstick protein, C-reactive protein,
      procalcitonin, leukocyte and platelet count, determined on admission to the
      hospital, can predict the severity of AKI. Sixty-one patients were analyzed
      during admission in the emergency department. RESULTS: The variables most
      strongly associated with peak plasma creatinine concentration were uNGAL (beta =
      0.70, p <0.0001), uPCR (beta = 0.64, p = 0.001), uACR (beta = 0.61, p = 0.002),
      and dipstick proteinuria (beta = 0.34, p = 0.008). The highest AUC-ROC to predict
      stage 3 AKI according to the acute kidney injury network's (AKIN) classification
      was seen for uNGAL (0.81, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: uNGAL accurately predicts the
      severity of AKI in NE. This could help emergency room physicians predict disease
      severity and allow for initial risk stratification.

PMID- 26503620
TI  - Assessing satisfaction with social care services among black and minority ethnic
      and white British carers of stroke survivors in England.
AB  - Overall satisfaction levels with social care are usually high but lower levels
      have been reported among black and minority ethnic (BME) service users in
      England. Reasons for this are poorly understood. This qualitative study therefore
      explored satisfaction with services among informal carer participants from five
      different ethnic groups. Fifty-seven carers (black Caribbean, black African,
      Asian Indian, Asian Pakistani and white British) were recruited from voluntary
      sector organisations and a local hospital in England, and took part in semi
      structured interviews using cognitive interviewing and the critical incident
      technique. Interviews took place from summer 2013 to spring 2014. Thematic
      analysis of the interviews showed that participants often struggled to identify
      specific 'incidents', especially satisfactory ones. When describing satisfactory
      services, participants talked mostly about specific individuals and
      relationships. Unsatisfactory experiences centred on services overall. When
      rating services using cognitive interviewing, explicit comparisons with
      expectations or experiences with other services were common. Highest satisfaction
      ratings tended to be justified by positive personal characteristics among
      practitioners, trust and relationships. Lower level ratings were mostly explained
      by inconsistency in services, insufficient or poor care. Lowest level ratings
      were rare. Overall, few differences between ethnic groups were identified,
      although white British participants rated services higher overall giving more top
      ratings. White British participants also frequently took a more overall view of
      services, highlighting some concerns but still giving top ratings, while South
      Asian carers in particular focused on negative aspects of services. Together
      these methods provide insight into what participants mean by satisfactory and
      unsatisfactory services. Cognitive interviewing was more challenging for some BME
      participants, possibly a reflection of the meaningfulness of the concept of
      service satisfaction to them. Future research should include comparisons between
      BME and white participants' understanding of the most positive parts of
      satisfaction scales and should focus on dissatisfied participants.

PMID- 26503621
TI  - Minodronic acid suppresses gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist-induced bone
      remodeling biomarkers: a retrospective pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Estrogen deprivation therapy for myoma/adenomyosis decreases bone
      mineral density and can only be applied in the short term, as temporizing
      measures in the premenopausal woman. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of
      bisphosphonate minodronic acid on markers of bone turnover over a 6-month period
      in women receiving gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa). METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 19 premenopausal patients with
      myoma/adenomyosis, who received GnRHa (leuprolide acetate, 1.88 mg/month or
      buserelin acetate, 900 ug/day) for 6 months from January 2014 to December 2014.
      Eight patients concomitantly received minodronic acid 50 mg every month during
      GnRHa therapy, and 11 treated with GnRHa alone. To compare these data in a case
      controlled study, we analyzed an age-matched group of seven (premature or
      natural) menopausal women treated with minodronic acid. The primary outcome was
      percent changes in bone turnover markers in urine at 6 months. RESULTS: In
      menopausal women group, minodronic acid (50 mg once-monthly) for 6 months
      decreased urinary deoxypyridinoline (DPD) and cross-linked N-telopeptides of type
      1 collagen (NTX). Women receiving a GnRHa had a significant increase in urinary
      DPD and TNX at 6 months while minodronic acid during GnRHa therapy improved
      urinary levels of DPD and NTX to near baseline. CONCLUSION: Minodronic acid
      treatment appears to be promising in women with secondary bone loss receiving
      GnRHa treatment.

PMID- 26503622
TI  - Antigen-induced arthritis in rats is associated with increased growth-associated
      protein 43-positive intraepidermal nerve fibres remote from the joint.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pain in arthritis may be experienced in regions outside the
      affected joint, and hyperalgesia may even be widespread. The spread of pain is
      usually attributed to mechanisms in the central nervous system. We investigated
      whether rats with antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) exhibit peripheral changes in
      skin innervation remote from the inflamed joint. METHODS: After immunization,
      unilateral AIA in the knee joint was induced in rats. Intraepidermal nerve fibre
      density was determined by immunohistochemical staining for protein gene product
      9.5 (PGP 9.5) and for nerve fibres expressing calcitonin gene-related peptide
      (CGRP), substance P (SP), transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1; the
      heat and capsaicin receptor), beta-tubulin, and growth-associated protein 43 (GAP
      43; a marker of regenerating nerve fibres) in paw pad skin and back skin. Cluster
      of differentiation 11b (CD11b)-positive macrophages and CD3-positive T cells were
      quantified in skin, and macrophages were quantified in the lumbar dorsal root
      ganglia. In addition, pain-related behaviour was assessed. RESULTS:
      Intraepidermal nerve fibre density (PGP 9.5) and the numbers of fibres expressing
      CGRP, SP, TRPV1, or beta-tubulin did not show a significant change in the acute
      (3 days) or chronic phase (21 days) of AIA compared with control rats that were
      only immunized. However, paw skin and back skin revealed a significantly higher
      number of nerve fibres expressing GAP-43 at both the acute and chronic stages of
      AIA. The skin of arthritic rats in these regions did not contain a greater
      density of CD11b and CD3 immune cells than the skin of control rats. Enhanced
      expression of GAP-43 in nerve fibres of the skin was not related to hyperalgesia
      in the joint, but it accompanied persistent secondary cutaneous hyperalgesia in
      the skin remote from the inflamed joint. CONCLUSIONS: Although the innervation of
      the skin remote from the joint did not show significant abnormalities of the
      other nerve fibre markers, the rapid and persistent increase of GAP-43 expression
      is conspicuous. The data suggest that immune-mediated arthritis is associated
      with changes in skin innervation remote from the inflamed joint, although the
      skin is not inflamed, which may contribute to symptoms in nonarticular tissue
      remote from the affected joint.

PMID- 26503623
TI  - Clinical Utility of the Trail-Making Test as a Predictor of Driving Performance
      in Older Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical utility of the Trail-Making Tests (TMTs) as
      screens for impaired road-test performance. DESIGN: Secondary analyses of three
      data sets from previously published studies of impaired driving in older adults
      using comparable road test designs and outcome measures. SETTING: Two academic
      driving specialty clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Older drivers (N = 392; 303 with
      cognitive impairment, 89 controls) from Rhode Island and Missouri. MEASUREMENTS:
      Standard operating characteristics were evaluated for the TMT Part A (TMT-A) and
      Part B (TMT-B), as well as optimal upper and lower test cut-points that could be
      useful in defining groups of drivers with indeterminate likelihood of impaired
      driving who would most benefit from further screening or on-road testing.
      RESULTS: Discrimination remained high (>70%) when cut-points for the TMTs derived
      from Rhode Island data were applied to Missouri data, but calibration was poor
      (all P < .01). TMT-A provided the best utility for determining a range of scores
      (68-90 seconds) for which additional road testing would be indicated in general
      practice settings. A high frequency of cognitively impaired participants unable
      to perform the TMT-B test within the allotted time limited the utility of the
      test (>25%). Mere inability to complete the test in a reasonable time frame
      (e.g., TMT-A > 48 seconds or TMT-B > 108 seconds) may still be a useful tool in
      separating unsafe from safe or marginal drivers in such samples. CONCLUSION: The
      TMTs (particularly TMT-A) may be useful as screens for driving impairment in
      older drivers in general practice settings, where most people are still safe
      drivers, but more-precise screening measures need to be analyzed critically in a
      variety of clinical settings for testing cognitively impaired older drivers.

PMID- 26503624
TI  - A test of somatic mosaicism in the androgen receptor gene of Canada lynx (Lynx
      canadensis).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The androgen receptor, an X-linked gene, has been widely studied in
      human populations because it contains highly polymorphic trinucleotide repeat
      motifs that have been associated with a number of adverse human health and
      behavioral effects. A previous study on the androgen receptor gene in carnivores
      reported somatic mosaicism in the tissues of a number of species including
      Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). We investigated this claim in a closely related
      species, Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). The presence of somatic mosaicism in lynx
      tissues could have implications for the future study of exonic trinucleotide
      repeats in landscape genomic studies, in which the accurate reporting of
      genotypes would be highly problematic. METHODS: To determine whether mosaicism
      occurs in Canada lynx, two lynx individuals were sampled for a variety of tissue
      types (lynx 1) and tissue locations (lynx 1 and 2), and 1,672 individuals of
      known sex were genotyped to further rule out mosaicism. RESULTS: We found no
      evidence of mosaicism in tissues from the two necropsied individuals, or any of
      our genotyped samples. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that mosaicism does not
      manifest in Canada lynx. Therefore, the use of hide samples for further work
      involving trinucleotide repeat polymorphisms in Canada lynx is warranted.

PMID- 26503626
TI  - Fellowships: more not less to improve employability and patient outcomes.

PMID- 26503625
TI  - The HRASLS (PLA/AT) subfamily of enzymes.
AB  - The H-RAS-like suppressor (HRASLS) subfamily consists of five enzymes (1-5) in
      humans and three (1, 3, and 5) in mice and rats that share sequence homology with
      lecithin:retinol acyltransferase (LRAT). All HRASLS family members possess in
      vitro phospholipid metabolizing abilities including phospholipase A1/2 (PLA1/2)
      activities and O-acyltransferase activities for the remodeling of
      glycerophospholipid acyl chains, as well as N-acyltransferase activities for the
      production of N-acylphosphatidylethanolamines. The in vivo biological activities
      of the HRASLS enzymes have not yet been fully investigated. Research to date
      indicates involvement of this subfamily in a wide array of biological processes
      and, as a consequence, these five enzymes have undergone extensive rediscovery
      and renaming within different fields of research. This review briefly describes
      the discovery of each of the HRASLS enzymes and their role in cancer, and
      discusses the biochemical function of each enzyme, as well as the biological
      role, if known. Gaps in current understanding are highlighted and suggestions for
      future research directions are discussed.

PMID- 26503627
TI  - The Career Medical Interview: solid selector or just 'impression management'?

PMID- 26503628
TI  - MicroRNA-92b promotes tumor growth and activation of NF-kappaB  signaling via
      regulation of NLK in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - miR-92b has been reported to be dysregulated in many types of human cancers.
      However, the role of miR-92b in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is unknown.
      The aim of the present study was to investigate the function and mechanism of miR
      92b in human OSCC. Using quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), we
      found that the miR-92b level in primary tumors (n=85) was significantly elevated
      compared with that in the adjacent normal tissues (p<0.001). A high level of miR
      92b was significantly associated with a large tumor size (p=0.005), advanced
      tumor stage (p<0.001) and poorer prognosis (p=0.04). Functionally, miR-92b was
      shown to not only promote the proliferation of OSCC cells in MTT and colony
      formation and xenograft assays, but also to inhibit cell apoptosis in a flow
      cytometric assay. In western blotting and luciferase assay, NLK was identified as
      a direct and functional target of miR-92b. We also found that NLK was involved in
      miR-92b-induced cell proliferation, and its protein level was obviously
      downregulated in the miR-92b-overexpressing xenograft tumors. Finally, luciferase
      reporter assay and fluorescent immunostaining revealed that miR-92b activated the
      NF-kappaB signaling pathway, which may be responsible for the effects of miR-92b
      on cell proliferation. Taken together, our results indicate that miR-92b
      upregulation accelerates tumor growth and present a novel mechanism of miRNA
      mediated NF-kappaB activation in OSCC.

PMID- 26503629
TI  - Long-term rice cultivation stabilizes soil organic carbon and promotes soil
      microbial activity in a salt marsh derived soil chronosequence.
AB  - Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration with enhanced stable carbon storage has
      been widely accepted as a very important ecosystem property. Yet, the link
      between carbon stability and bio-activity for ecosystem functioning with OC
      accumulation in field soils has not been characterized. We assessed the changes
      in microbial activity versus carbon stability along a paddy soil chronosequence
      shifting from salt marsh in East China. We used mean weight diameter, normalized
      enzyme activity (NEA) and carbon gain from straw amendment for addressing soil
      aggregation, microbial biochemical activity and potential C sequestration,
      respectively. In addition, a response ratio was employed to infer the changes in
      all analyzed parameters with prolonged rice cultivation. While stable carbon
      pools varied with total SOC accumulation, soil respiration and both bacterial and
      fungal diversity were relatively constant in the rice soils. Bacterial abundance
      and NEA were positively but highly correlated to total SOC accumulation,
      indicating an enhanced bio-activity with carbon stabilization. This could be
      linked to an enhancement of particulate organic carbon pool due to physical
      protection with enhanced soil aggregation in the rice soils under long-term rice
      cultivation. However, the mechanism underpinning these changes should be explored
      in future studies in rice soils where dynamic redox conditions exist. 

PMID- 26503630
TI  - Interplay between tetrel and triel bonds in RC6H4CN?MF3CN?BX3 complexes: A
      combined symmetry-adapted perturbation theory, Moller-Plesset, and quantum theory
      of atoms-in-molecules study.
AB  - Intermolecular ternary complexes composed of: (1) the centrally placed
      trifluoroacetonitrile or its higher analogs with central carbon exchanged by
      silicon or germanium (M = C, Si, Ge), (2) the benzonitrile molecule or its para
      derivatives on one side, and (3) the boron trifluoride of trichloride molecule (X
      = F, Cl) on the opposite side as well as the corresponding intermolecular tetrel-
      and triel-bonded binary complexes, were investigated by symmetry-adapted
      perturbation theory (SAPT) and the supermolecular Moller-Plesset method (MP2) at
      the complete basis set limit for optimized geometries. A character of
      interactions was studied by quantum theory of atoms-in-molecules (QTAIM). A
      comparison of interaction energies and QTAIM bond descriptors for dimers and
      trimers reveals that tetrel and triel bonds increase in their strength if present
      together in the trimer. For the triel-bonded complex, this growth leads to a
      change of the bond character from closed-shell to partly covalent for Si or Ge
      tetrel atoms, so the resulting bonding scheme corresponds to a preliminary stage
      of the SN2 reaction. Limitations of the Lewis theory of acids and bases were
      shown by its failure in predicting the stability order of the triel complexes.
      The necessity of including interaction energy terms beyond the electrostatic
      component for an elucidation of the nature of sigma- and pi-holes was presented
      by a SAPT energy decomposition and by a study of differences in monomer
      electrostatic potentials obtained either from isolated monomer densities, or from
      densities resulting from a perturbation with the effective field of another
      monomer.

PMID- 26503632
TI  - Photoswitchable anticancer activity via trans-cis isomerization of a
      combretastatin A-4 analog.
AB  - Combretastatin A-4 (CA4) is highly potent anticancer drug that acts as an
      inhibitor of tubulin polymerization. The core of the CA4 structure contains a cis
      stilbene, and it is known that the trans isomer is significantly less potent. We
      prepared an azobenzene analog of CA4 (Azo-CA4) that shows 13-35 fold enhancement
      in potency upon illumination. EC50 values in the light were in the mid nM range.
      Due to its ability to thermally revert to less toxic trans form, Azo-CA4 also has
      the ability to automatically turn its activity off with time. Azo-CA4 is less
      potent than CA-4 because it degrades in the presence of glutathione as evidenced
      by UV-Vis spectroscopy and ESI-MS. Nevertheless, Azo-CA4 represents a promising
      strategy for switchable potency for treatment of cancer. 

PMID- 26503633
TI  - Sr9Mg(1.5)(PO4)7:Eu(2+): A Novel Broadband Orange-Yellow-Emitting Phosphor for
      Blue Light-Excited Warm White LEDs.
AB  - A new orange-yellow-emitting Sr9Mg(1.5)(PO4)7:Eu(2+) phosphor was prepared via
      high-temperature solid-state reaction. The structure and optical properties of it
      were studied systematically. Sr9Mg(1.5)(PO4)7:Eu(2+) can be well-excited by 460
      nm blue InGaN chips and exhibit a wide emission band covering from 470 to 850 nm
      with two main peaks centered at 523 and 620 nm, respectively, which originate
      from 5d-4f dipole-allowed transitions of Eu(2+) in different crystallographic
      sites. The sites attribution, concentration quenching, fluorescence decay
      analysis, and temperature-dependent luminescence properties were investigated in
      detail. Furthermore, a warm white LED device was fabricated by combining a 460 nm
      blue InGaN chip with the optimized orange-yellow-emitting
      Sr9Mg(1.5)(PO4)7:Eu(2+). The color coordinate, correlated color temperature and
      color rendering index of the fabricated LED device were (0.393, 0.352), 3437 K,
      and 86.07, respectively. Sr9Mg(1.5)(PO4)7:Eu(2+) has great potential to serve as
      an attractive candidate in the application of blue light-excited warm white LEDs.

PMID- 26503631
TI  - Spectral biomarkers for chemoprevention of colonic neoplasia: a placebo
      controlled double-blinded trial with aspirin.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A major impediment to translating chemoprevention to clinical practice
      has been lack of intermediate biomarkers. We previously reported that rectal
      interrogation with low-coherence enhanced backscattering spectroscopy (LEBS)
      detected microarchitectural manifestations of field carcinogenesis. We now wanted
      to ascertain if reversion of two LEBS markers spectral slope (SPEC) and fractal
      dimension (FRAC) could serve as a marker for chemopreventive efficacy. DESIGN: We
      conducted a multicentre, prospective, randomised, double-blind placebo
      controlled, clinical trial in subjects with a history of colonic neoplasia who
      manifested altered SPEC/FRAC in histologically normal colonic mucosa. Subjects
      (n=79) were randomised to 325 mg aspirin or placebo. The primary endpoint changed
      in FRAC and SPEC spectral markers after 3 months. Mucosal levels of prostaglandin
      E2 (PGE2) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT)1A6 genotypes were planned
      secondary endpoints. RESULTS: At 3 months, the aspirin group manifested
      alterations in SPEC (48.9%, p=0.055) and FRAC (55.4%, p=0.200) with the direction
      towards non-neoplastic status. As a measure of aspirin's pharmacological
      efficacy, we assessed changes in rectal PGE2 levels and noted that it correlated
      with SPEC and FRAC alterations (R=-0.55, p=0.01 and R=0.57, p=0.009,
      respectively) whereas there was no significant correlation in placebo specimens.
      While UGT1A6 subgroup analysis did not achieve statistical significance, the
      changes in SPEC and FRAC to a less neoplastic direction occurred only in the
      variant consonant with epidemiological evidence of chemoprevention. CONCLUSIONS:
      We provide the first proof of concept, albeit somewhat underpowered, that
      spectral markers reversion mirrors antineoplastic efficacy providing a potential
      modality for titration of agent type/dose to optimise chemopreventive strategies
      in clinical practice. TRIAL NUMBER: NCT00468910.

PMID- 26503634
TI  - Dense Helical Electron Bunch Generation in Near-Critical Density Plasmas with
      Ultrarelativistic Laser Intensities.
AB  - The mechanism for emergence of helical electron bunch(HEB) from an
      ultrarelativistic circularly polarized laser pulse propagating in near-critical
      density(NCD) plasma is investigated. Self-consistent three-dimensional(3D)
      Particle-in-Cell(PIC) simulations are performed to model all aspects of the laser
      plasma interaction including laser pulse evolution, electron and ion motions. At
      a laser intensity of 10(22) W/cm(2), the accelerated electrons have a broadband
      spectrum ranging from 300 MeV to 1.3 GeV, with the charge of 22 nano-Coulombs(nC)
      within a solid-angle of 0.14 Sr. Based on the simulation results, a phase-space
      dynamics model is developed to explain the helical density structure and the
      broadband energy spectrum.

PMID- 26503635
TI  - Prevalence of Mycobacterium lentiflavum in cystic fibrosis patients, France.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium lentiflavum is rarely isolated in respiratory tract
      samples from cystic fibrosis patients. We herein describe an unusually high
      prevalence of M. lentiflavum in such patients. METHODS: M. lentiflavum, isolated
      from the respiratory tract of cystic fibrosis patients, was identified using both
      rpoB partial sequencing and detected directly in the sputum by using real-time
      PCR targeting the smpB gene. RESULTS: M. lentiflavum emerged as the third most
      prevalent nontuberculous mycobacterial species isolated in cystic fibrosis
      patients in Marseille, France. Six such patients were all male, and two of them
      may have fulfilled the American Thoracic Society clinical and microbiological
      criteria for M. lentiflavum potential lung infection. CONCLUSIONS: M. lentiflavum
      was the third most common mycobacteria isolated in cystic fibrosis patients,
      particularly in six male patients. M. lentiflavum outbreaks are emerging
      particularly in cystic fibrosis patients.

PMID- 26503637
TI  - Effect of bacterial inoculation of strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Alcaligenes
      feacalis and Bacillus subtilis on germination, growth and heavy metal (Cd, Cr,
      and Ni) uptake of Brassica juncea.
AB  - Bacterial inoculation may influence Brassica juncea growth and heavy metal (Ni,
      Cr, and Cd) accumulation. Three metal tolerant bacterial isolates (BCr3, BCd33,
      and BNi11) recovered from mine tailings, identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      KP717554, Alcaligenes feacalis KP717561, and Bacillus subtilis KP717559 were
      used. The isolates exhibited multiple plant growth beneficial characteristics
      including the production of indole-3-acetic acid, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia,
      insoluble phosphate solubilization together with the potential to protect plants
      against fungal pathogens. Bacterial inoculation improved seeds germination of B.
      juncea plant in the presence of 0.1 mM Cr, Cd, and Ni, as compared to the control
      treatment. Compared with control treatment, soil inoculation with bacterial
      isolates significantly increased the amount of soluble heavy metals in soil by
      51% (Cr), 50% (Cd), and 44% (Ni) respectively. Pot experiment of B. juncea grown
      in soil spiked with 100 mg kg(-1) of NiCl2, 100 mg kg(-1) of CdCl2, and 150 mg
      kg(-1) of K2Cr2O7, revealed that inoculation with metal tolerant bacteria not
      only protected plants against the toxic effects of heavy metals, but also
      increased growth and metal accumulation of plants significantly. These findings
      suggest that such metal tolerant, plant growth promoting bacteria are valuable
      tools which could be used to develop bio-inoculants for enhancing the efficiency
      of phytoextraction.

PMID- 26503636
TI  - Deficiencies in extrusion of the second polar body due to high calcium
      concentrations during in vitro fertilization in inbred C3H/He mice.
AB  - Successful in vitro fertilization (IVF) of all inbred strains of laboratory mice
      has not yet been accomplished. We have previously shown that a high calcium
      concentration improved IVF in various inbred mice. However, we also found that in
      cumulus-free ova of C3H/He mice such IVF conditions significantly increased the
      deficiency of extrusion of the second polar body (PBII) in a dose-dependent
      manner (2% at 1.71 mM and 29% at 6.84 mM, P < 0.05) and that PBII extrusion was
      affected by high calcium levels at 2-3 h post-insemination. While developmental
      competence of ova without PBII extrusion to blastocysts after 96 h culture was
      not affected, a significant reduction in the nuclear number of the inner cell
      mass was observed in blastocyst fertilized under high calcium condition. We also
      examined how high calcium concentration during IVF affects PBII extrusion in
      C3H/He mice. Cumulus cells cultured under high calcium conditions showed a
      significantly alleviated deficient PBII extrusion. This phenomenon is likely to
      be specific to C3H/He ova because deficient PBII extrusion in reciprocal
      fertilization between C3H and BDF1 gametes was observed only in C3H/He ova. Sperm
      factor(s) was still involved in deficient PBII extrusion due to high calcium
      concentrations, as this phenomenon was not observed in ova activated by ethanol.
      The cytoskeletal organization of ova without PBII extrusion showed disturbed
      spindle rotation, incomplete formation of contractile ring and disturbed
      localization of actin, suggesting that high calcium levels affect the anchoring
      machinery of the meiotic spindle. These results indicate that in C3H/He mice high
      calcium levels induce abnormal fertilization, i.e. deficient PBII extrusion by
      affecting the cytoskeletal organization, resulting in disturbed cytokinesis
      during the second meiotic division. Thus, use of high calcium media for IVF
      should be avoided for this strain. 

PMID- 26503638
TI  - Initial Stages of the Pyrolysis of Polyethylene.
AB  - An experimental study of the kinetics of the initial stages of the pyrolysis of
      high-density polyethylene (PE) was performed. Quantitative yields of gas-phase
      products (C1-C8 alkanes and alkenes) and functional groups within the remaining
      polyethylene melt (methyl, vinyl, vinylene, vinylidene, and branching sites) were
      obtained as a function of time (0-20 min) at five temperatures in the 400-440 
      degrees C range. Gas chromatography and NMR ((1)H and (13)C) were used to detect
      the gas- and condensed-phase products, respectively. Modeling of polyethylene
      pyrolysis was performed, with the primary purpose of determining the rate
      constants of several critical reaction types important at the initial pyrolysis
      stages. Detailed chemical mechanisms were created (short and extended mechanisms)
      and used with both the steady-state approximation and numerical integration of
      the differential kinetic equations. Rate constants of critical elementary
      reactions (C-C backbone scission, two kinds of H-atom transfer, radical addition
      to the double bond, and beta-scission of tertiary alkyl radicals) were adjusted,
      resulting in an agreement between the model and the experiment. The values of
      adjusted rate constants are in general agreement with those of cognate reactions
      of small molecules in the gas phase, with the exception of the rate constants of
      the backbone C-C scission, which is found to be approximately 1-2 orders of
      magnitude lower. This observation provides tentative support to the hypothesis
      that congested PE melt molecular environment impedes the tumbling motions of
      separating fragments in C-C bond scission, thus resulting in less "loose"
      transition state and lower rate constant values. Sensitivity of the calculations
      to selected uncertainties in model properties was studied. Values and estimated
      uncertainties of four combinations of rate constants are reported as derived from
      the experimental results via modeling. The dependence of the diffusion-limited
      rate constant for radical recombination on the changing molecular mass of
      polyethylene was explicitly quantified and included in the extended kinetic
      mechanism, which appears critical for the agreement between modeling and
      experiment, particularly the agreement between the experimental and the
      calculated activation energies for product formation rates. Calculations were
      performed to estimate the contribution to the overall rate of radical
      recombination of the "reaction diffusion" phenomenon, where recombination is
      driven not by the actual motion of the recombining radical sites but rather by
      the migration of the radical site through PE melt due to rapid hydrogen transfer;
      this contribution was shown to be negligible for the conditions of the current
      work. 

PMID- 26503639
TI  - Lymphocyte/monocyte ratio in osteoarticular tuberculosis in children: a
      haematological biomarker revisited.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: *Work attributed to Department of Pediatric Orthopaedics, Chacha
      Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, Geeta Colony, Delhi-110031(India)This study tested the
      hypothesis whether the lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (L/M ratio) altered
      significantly during treatment of paediatric osteoarticular tuberculosis (OATB)
      for it to be a useful monitor of the response to therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Thirty immunocompetent paediatric patients with OATB treated with 6 months of
      uninterrupted multidrug anti-tubercular treatment with resultant clinical and
      radiological healing of the lesion were included. Haemoglobin, total leucocyte,
      monocyte and lymphocyte count, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were
      collected at 0, 2 and 6 months, and were analysed. RESULTS: The L/M ratio altered
      from high (11) at the start of treatment towards normalisation (9) at 2 months
      and (7.7) at 6 months. There was no correlation with declining ESR levels.
      CONCLUSIONS: The L/M ratio may have potential as an effective biomarker response.

PMID- 26503640
TI  - Precision chemical heating for diagnostic devices.
AB  - Decoupling nucleic acid amplification assays from infrastructure requirements
      such as grid electricity is critical for providing effective diagnosis and
      treatment at the point of care in low-resource settings. Here, we outline a
      complete strategy for the design of electricity-free precision heaters compatible
      with medical diagnostic applications requiring isothermal conditions, including
      nucleic acid amplification and lysis. Low-cost, highly energy dense components
      with better end-of-life disposal options than conventional batteries are proposed
      as an alternative to conventional heating methods to satisfy the unique needs of
      point of care use. 

PMID- 26503641
TI  - A phosphodiesterase 4B-dependent interplay between tumor cells and the
      microenvironment regulates angiogenesis in B-cell lymphoma.
AB  - Angiogenesis associates with poor outcome in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
      (DLBCL), but the contribution of the lymphoma cells to this process remains
      unclear. Addressing this knowledge gap may uncover unsuspecting proangiogenic
      signaling nodes and highlight alternative antiangiogenic therapies. Here, we
      identify the second messenger cyclic-AMP (cAMP) and the enzyme that terminates
      its activity, phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B), as regulators of B-cell lymphoma
      angiogenesis. We first show that cAMP, in a PDE4B-dependent manner, suppresses
      PI3K/AKT signals to downmodulate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
      secretion and vessel formation in vitro. Next, we create a novel mouse model that
      combines the lymphomagenic Myc transgene with germline deletion of Pde4b. We show
      that lymphomas developing in a Pde4b-null background display significantly lower
      microvessel density (MVD) in association with lower VEGF levels and PI3K/AKT
      activity. We recapitulate these observations by treating lymphoma-bearing mice
      with the FDA-approved PDE4 inhibitor, Roflumilast. Lastly, we show that primary
      human DLBCLs with high PDE4B expression display significantly higher MVD. Here,
      we defined an unsuspected signaling circuitry in which the cAMP generated in
      lymphoma cells downmodulates PI3K/AKT and VEGF secretion to negatively influence
      vessel development in the microenvironment. These data identify PDE4 as an
      actionable antiangiogenic target in DLBCL. 

PMID- 26503642
TI  - Delayed diagnosis leading to accelerated-phase chronic eosinophilic leukemia due
      to a cytogenetically cryptic, imatinib-responsive TNIP1-PDFGRB fusion gene.

PMID- 26503643
TI  - The myelodysplastic syndromes flow cytometric score: a three-parameter prognostic
      flow cytometric scoring system.
AB  - The prognosis of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is currently estimated by using
      the revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R). Several studies
      have shown that further refinement of prognostication for MDS can be achieved by
      adding flow cytometric parameters. However, widespread implementation of flow
      cytometry for the prognosis of MDS is hampered by complexity of the analysis.
      Therefore, the aim of this study was to construct a robust and practical flow
      cytometric score that could be implemented as a routine procedure. To achieve
      this, bone marrow aspirates of 109 MDS patients were analyzed by flow cytometry.
      A second cohort consisting of 103 MDS patients was used to validate the MDS flow
      cytometric score (MFS). The parameters forming the MFS were sideward light
      scatter and CD117 expression of myeloid progenitor cells and CD13 expression on
      monocytes. Three MFS risk categories were formed. Patients with MDS and
      intermediate MFS scores had significantly better overall survival (OS) compared
      with the patients with high MFS scores. The MFS further refined prognostication
      within the IPSS-R low-risk category, by identifying patients with worse OS in
      case of high MFS. In conclusion, a practical three parameter flow cytometric
      prognostic score was constructed enabling further refinement of prognostication
      of MDS. 

PMID- 26503644
TI  - The 18th Nitrogen Workshop: 'The nitrogen challenge - building a blueprint for
      food and future'.

PMID- 26503645
TI  - Improved synthesis and biological evaluation of Tc-99m radiolabeled AMO for miRNA
      imaging in tumor xenografts.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been considered as important biomarkers for malignant
      tumors. In this study, we introduced an improved (99m)Tc labeling method for
      noninvasive visualization of overexpressed miRNAs in tumor-bearing mice. Anti
      miRNA-21 oligonucleotide (AMO) with partial 2'-O-methyl and phosphorothioate
      modification was designed and chemically synthesized. After conjugated with NHS
      MAG3, AMO was labeled with (99m)Tc. Optimization was made to shorten reaction
      time and to improve labeling efficiency. Labeling efficiency was 97%, and
      specific activity was 2.78 MBq/ng. During 12 h, (99m)Tc-AMO showed no significant
      degradation by gel electrophoresis. Its radiochemical purity was stable, between
      95.8% and 99.1%. Further, (99m)Tc-AMO decreased the level of miR-21 and increased
      the expression of PTEN protein at cellular level, shown by qRT-PCR and Western
      blot. Fluorescent protein labeled AMO displayed specific distribution and good
      stability in tumor cells. After the administration in tumor-bearing mice, (99m)Tc
      AMO showed more radioactive uptake in the miR-21 over-expressed tumors than
      scramble control. Biodistribution results further proved the significant
      difference of tumor uptake between (99m)Tc-AMO and (99m)Tc-control. Therefore,
      this study presents an improved method with shorten time to prepare a (99m)Tc
      radiolabeled AMO. In addition, it supports the role of (99m)Tc-AMO for
      noninvasive visualization of miR-21 in malignant tumors.

PMID- 26503647
TI  - Cardiac Effects of Echinocandins in Endotoxemic Rats.
AB  - Echinocandins are known as effective and safe agents for the prophylaxis and
      treatment of different cohorts of patients with fungal infections. Recent studies
      revealed that certain pharmacokinetics of echinocandin antifungals might impact
      clinical efficacy and safety in special patient populations. The aim of our study
      was to evaluate echinocandin-induced aggravation of cardiac impairment in septic
      shock. Using an in vivo endotoxemic shock model in rats, we assessed hemodynamic
      parameters and time to hemodynamic failure (THF) after additional central-venous
      application of anidulafungin (2.5 mg/kg of body weight [BW]), caspofungin (0.875
      mg/kg BW), micafungin (3 mg/kg BW), and control (0.9% sodium chloride). In
      addition, echinocandin-induced cytotoxicity was evaluated in isolated rat cardiac
      myocytes. THF of the animals in the caspofungin group (n = 7) was significantly
      reduced compared to that in the control (n = 6) (136 min versus 180 min; P =
      0.0209). The anidulafungin group (n = 7) also showed a trend of reduced THF (136
      min versus 180 min; log-rank test P = 0.0578). Animals in the micafungin group (n
      = 7) did not show significant differences in THF compared to those in the
      control. Control group animals and also micafungin group animals did not show
      altered cardiac output (CO) during our experiments. In contrast, administration
      of anidulafungin or caspofungin induced a decrease in CO. We also revealed a dose
      dependent increase of cytotoxicity in anidulafungin- and caspofungin-treated
      cardiac myocytes. Treatment with micafungin did not cause significantly increased
      cytotoxicity. Further studies are needed to explore the underlying mechanism.

PMID- 26503648
TI  - Pharmacodynamics of Isavuconazole in a Dynamic In Vitro Model of Invasive
      Pulmonary Aspergillosis.
AB  - Isavuconazonium sulfate is a novel triazole prodrug that has been recently
      approved for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis by the FDA. The active
      moiety (isavuconazole) has a broad spectrum of activity against many pathogenic
      fungi. This study utilized a dynamic in vitro model of the human alveolus to
      describe the pharmacodynamics of isavuconazole against two wild-type and two
      previously defined azole-resistant isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus. A human
      like concentration-time profile for isavuconazole was generated. MICs were
      determined using CLSI and EUCAST methodologies. Galactomannan was used as a
      measure of fungal burden. Target values for the area under the concentration-time
      curve (AUC)/MIC were calculated using a population pharmacokinetics
      pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) mathematical model. Isolates with higher MICs required
      higher AUCs in order to achieve maximal suppression of galactomannan. The AUC/MIC
      targets necessary to achieve 90% probability of galactomannan suppression of <1
      were 11.40 and 11.20 for EUCAST and CLSI, respectively.

PMID- 26503649
TI  - Bioassay for Determining Voriconazole Serum Levels in Patients Receiving
      Combination Therapy with Echinocandins.
AB  - Voriconazole levels were determined with high-performance liquid chromatography
      (HPLC) and a microbiological agar diffusion assay using a Candida parapsilosis
      isolate in 103 serum samples from an HPLC-tested external quality control program
      (n = 39), 21 patients receiving voriconazole monotherapy (n = 39), and 7 patients
      receiving combination therapy (n = 25). The results of the bioassay were
      correlated with the results obtained from the external quality control program
      samples and with the HPLC results in sera from patients on voriconazole
      monotherapy and on combination therapy with an echinocandin (Spearman's rank
      correlation coefficient [rs], > 0.93; mean +/- standard error of the mean [SEM] %
      difference, <12% +/- 3.8%).

PMID- 26503650
TI  - Cadazolid Does Not Promote Intestinal Colonization of Vancomycin-Resistant
      Enterococci in Mice.
AB  - The promotion of colonization with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) is one
      potential side effect during treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated
      diarrhea (CDAD), resulting from disturbances in gut microbiota. Cadazolid (CDZ)
      is an investigational antibiotic with potent in vitro activity against C.
      difficile and against VRE and is currently in clinical development for the
      treatment of CDAD. We report that CDZ treatment did not lead to intestinal VRE
      overgrowth in mice.

PMID- 26503651
TI  - Novobiocin Inhibits the Antimicrobial Resistance Acquired through DNA Damage
      Induced Mutagenesis in Acinetobacter baumannii.
AB  - Acinetobacter baumannii, a worldwide emerging nosocomial pathogen, acquires
      antimicrobial resistances in response to DNA-damaging agents, which increase the
      expression of multiple error-prone DNA polymerase components. Here we show that
      the aminocoumarin novobiocin, which inhibits the DNA damage response in Gram
      positive bacteria, also inhibits the expression of error-prone DNA polymerases in
      this Gram-negative multidrug-resistant pathogen and, consequently, its potential
      acquisition of antimicrobial resistance through DNA damage-induced mutagenesis.

PMID- 26503652
TI  - Emergence of Mutations in the K13 Propeller Gene of Plasmodium falciparum
      Isolates from Dakar, Senegal, in 2013-2014.
AB  - The kelch 13 (K13) propeller gene is associated with artemisinin resistance. In a
      previous work, there were no mutations found in 138 Plasmodium falciparum
      isolates collected in 2012 and 2013 from patients residing in Dakar, Senegal (M.
      Torrentino-Madamet et al., Malar J 13:472, 2014, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1475
      2875-13-472). However, the N554H, Q613H, and V637I mutations were identified in
      the propeller region of K13 in 92 (5.5%) isolates in 2013 and 2014. There were
      five polymorphisms identified in the Plasmodium/Apicomplexa-specific domain
      (K123R, N137S, N142NN/NNN, T149S, and K189T/N).

PMID- 26503653
TI  - In Vivo Synergy of Amphotericin B plus Posaconazole in Murine Aspergillosis.
AB  - Aspergillus fumigatus is the main mold causing invasive fungal infection that
      shows high mortality rates. Therapeutic failure and the increase in drug
      resistance make it necessary to explore alternative treatments for this
      infection. We have evaluated the efficacy of amphotericin B at 0.8 mg/kg or 0.3
      mg/kg of body weight combined with 40 mg/kg of posaconazole against three A.
      fumigatus isolates in a murine model of disseminated infection. The combination
      of the polyene and the azole led to a greater increase in survival and a
      significantly greater reduction in tissue burden than monotherapies.

PMID- 26503654
TI  - Modification of the Host Cell Lipid Metabolism Induced by Hypolipidemic Drugs
      Targeting the Acetyl Coenzyme A Carboxylase Impairs West Nile Virus Replication.
AB  - West Nile virus (WNV) is a neurotropic flavivirus transmitted by the bite of
      mosquitoes that causes meningitis and encephalitis in humans, horses, and birds.
      Several studies have highlighted that flavivirus infection is highly dependent on
      cellular lipids for virus replication and infectious particle biogenesis. The
      first steps of lipid synthesis involve the carboxylation of acetyl coenzyme A
      (acetyl-CoA) to malonyl-CoA that is catalyzed by the acetyl-CoA carboxylase
      (ACC). This makes ACC a key enzyme of lipid synthesis that is currently being
      evaluated as a therapeutic target for different disorders, including cancers,
      obesity, diabetes, and viral infections. We have analyzed the effect of the ACC
      inhibitor 5-(tetradecyloxy)-2-furoic acid (TOFA) on infection by WNV. Lipidomic
      analysis of TOFA-treated cells confirmed that this drug reduced the cellular
      content of multiple lipids, including those directly implicated in the flavivirus
      life cycle (glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, and cholesterol). Treatment with
      TOFA significantly inhibited the multiplication of WNV in a dose-dependent
      manner. Further analysis of the antiviral effect of this drug showed that the
      inhibitory effect was related to a reduction of viral replication. Furthermore,
      treatment with another ACC inhibitor, 3,3,14,14-tetramethylhexadecanedioic acid
      (MEDICA 16), also inhibited WNV infection. Interestingly, TOFA and MEDICA 16 also
      reduced the multiplication of Usutu virus (USUV), a WNV-related flavivirus. These
      results point to the ACC as a druggable cellular target suitable for antiviral
      development against WNV and other flaviviruses.

PMID- 26503655
TI  - Intracellular Activation of Tenofovir Alafenamide and the Effect of Viral and
      Host Protease Inhibitors.
AB  - Tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) is an oral phosphonoamidate prodrug of the
      HIV reverse transcriptase nucleotide inhibitor tenofovir (TFV). Previous studies
      suggested a principal role for the lysosomal serine protease cathepsin A (CatA)
      in the intracellular activation of TAF. Here we further investigated the role of
      CatA and other human hydrolases in the metabolism of TAF. Overexpression of CatA
      or liver carboxylesterase 1 (Ces1) in HEK293T cells increased intracellular TAF
      hydrolysis 2- and 5-fold, respectively. Knockdown of CatA expression with RNA
      interference (RNAi) in HeLa cells reduced intracellular TAF metabolism 5-fold.
      Additionally, the anti-HIV activity and the rate of CatA hydrolysis showed good
      correlation within a large set of TFV phosphonoamidate prodrugs. The covalent
      hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitors (PIs) telaprevir and boceprevir
      potently inhibited CatA-mediated TAF activation (50% inhibitory concentration
      [IC50] = 0.27 and 0.16 MUM, respectively) in vitro and also reduced its anti-HIV
      activity in primary human CD4(+) T lymphocytes (21- and 3-fold, respectively) at
      pharmacologically relevant concentrations. In contrast, there was no inhibition
      of CatA or any significant effect on anti-HIV activity of TAF observed with
      cobicistat, noncovalent HIV and HCV PIs, or various prescribed inhibitors of host
      serine proteases. Collectively, these studies confirm that CatA plays a pivotal
      role in the intracellular metabolism of TAF, whereas the liver esterase Ces1
      likely contributes to the hepatic activation of TAF. Moreover, this work
      demonstrates that a wide range of viral and host PIs, with the exception of
      telaprevir and boceprevir, do not interfere with the antiretroviral activity of
      TAF.

PMID- 26503656
TI  - Contribution of Oxazolidinones to the Efficacy of Novel Regimens Containing
      Bedaquiline and Pretomanid in a Mouse Model of Tuberculosis.
AB  - New regimens based on two or more novel agents are sought to shorten or simplify
      treatment of tuberculosis (TB). Pretomanid (PMD) is a nitroimidazole in phase 3
      trials that has significant bactericidal activity alone and in combination with
      bedaquiline (BDQ) and/or pyrazinamide (PZA). We previously showed that the novel
      combination of BDQ+PMD plus the oxazolidinone sutezolid (SZD) had sterilizing
      activity superior to that of the first-line regimen in a murine model of TB. The
      present experiments compared the activity of different oxazolidinones in
      combination with BDQ+PMD with or without PZA in the same model. The 3-drug
      regimen of BDQ+PMD plus linezolid (LZD) had sterilizing activity approaching that
      of BDQ+PMD+SZD and superior to that of the first-line regimen. The addition of
      PZA further enhanced activity. Reducing the duration of LZD to 1 month did not
      significantly affect the activity of the regimen. Halving the LZD dose or
      replacing LZD with RWJ-416457 modestly reduced activity over the first month but
      not after 2 months. AZD5847 and tedizolid also increased the bactericidal
      activity of BDQ+PMD, but they were less effective than the other oxazolidinones.
      These results provide optimism for safe, short-course oral regimens for drug
      resistant TB that may also be superior to the current first-line regimen for drug
      susceptible TB.

PMID- 26503657
TI  - Neutropenia Associated with Long-Term Ceftaroline Use.
AB  - Ceftaroline is a fifth-generation cephalosporin with potent antimicrobial
      activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. Neutropenia is a rare
      serious adverse event for the class of cephalosporins; however, we observed
      several cases of severe neutropenia in our outpatient infectious disease practice
      believed to be associated with ceftaroline use. The aim of this study was to
      determine the incidence of neutropenia among patients receiving ceftaroline
      therapy for more than 7 days. We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of
      patients admitted to an 800-bed regional medical center between June 2012 and
      December 2014 who received ceftaroline for more than 7 days to assess the
      incidence of developing clinically significant neutropenia. Demographic and
      patient care data points as well as underlying admitting and chronic diagnoses
      were retrospectively collected from the medical record. Clinically significant
      neutropenia was defined as an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) less than 1,500
      cells/mm(3). Analysis was performed to determine the incidence, severity, and
      outcome of neutropenia following ceftaroline administration. A total of 39
      patients were included in the cohort. The median duration of therapy was 27 days.
      Seven patients (18%) developed neutropenia while on ceftaroline therapy. Four
      (10%) of the neutropenic patients had an ANC of <500 cells/mm(3). The median
      first neutropenic day was day 17, with the median ANC nadir of 432 cells/mm(3) on
      day 24. We determined that extended ceftaroline infusion is associated with the
      development of neutropenia. We recommend obtaining a complete blood count (CBC)
      with differential at the onset of therapy and weekly thereafter. Should the ANC
      fall below 2,500 cells/mm(3), then twice-weekly CBCs should be monitored for the
      duration of ceftaroline therapy, and therapy should be discontinued if the ANC
      falls to 1,500 cells/mm(3) or less.

PMID- 26503658
TI  - Gallium Potentiates the Antibacterial Effect of Gentamicin against Francisella
      tularensis.
AB  - The reasons why aminoglycosides are bactericidal have not been not fully
      elucidated, and evidence indicates that the cidal effects are at least partly
      dependent on iron. We demonstrate that availability of iron markedly affects the
      susceptibility of the facultative intracellular bacterium Francisella tularensis
      strain SCHU S4 to the aminoglycoside gentamicin. Specifically, the intracellular
      depots of iron were inversely correlated to gentamicin susceptibility, whereas
      the extracellular iron concentrations were directly correlated to the
      susceptibility. Further proof of the intimate link between iron availability and
      antibiotic susceptibility were the findings that a DeltafslA mutant, which is
      defective for siderophore-dependent uptake of ferric iron, showed enhanced
      gentamicin susceptibility and that a DeltafeoB mutant, which is defective for
      uptake of ferrous iron, displayed complete growth arrest in the presence of
      gentamicin. Based on the aforementioned findings, it was hypothesized that
      gallium could potentiate the effect of gentamicin, since gallium is sequestered
      by iron uptake systems. The ferrozine assay demonstrated that the presence of
      gallium inhibited >70% of the iron uptake. Addition of gentamicin and/or gallium
      to infected bone marrow-derived macrophages showed that both 100 MUM gallium and
      10 MUg/ml of gentamicin inhibited intracellular growth of SCHU S4 and that the
      combined treatment acted synergistically. Moreover, treatment of F. tularensis
      infected mice with gentamicin and gallium showed an additive effect.
      Collectively, the data demonstrate that SCHU S4 is dependent on iron to minimize
      the effects of gentamicin and that gallium, by inhibiting the iron uptake,
      potentiates the bactericidal effect of gentamicin in vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 26503659
TI  - In Vitro Activity of Ceftaroline against Staphylococcus aureus Isolated in 2012
      from Asia-Pacific Countries as Part of the AWARE Surveillance Program.
AB  - Ceftaroline, the active metabolite of the prodrug ceftaroline-fosamil, is an
      advanced-generation cephalosporin with activity against methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This investigation provides in vitro susceptibility
      data for ceftaroline against 1,971 S. aureus isolates collected in 2012 from
      seven countries (26 centers) in the Asia-Pacific region as part of the Assessing
      Worldwide Antimicrobial Resistance and Evaluation (AWARE) program. Broth
      microdilution as recommended by the CLSI was used to determine susceptibility. In
      all, 62% of the isolates studied were MRSA, and the ceftaroline MIC90 for all S.
      aureus isolates was 2 MUg/ml (interpretive criteria: susceptible, <=1 MUg/ml).
      The overall ceftaroline susceptibility rate for S. aureus was 86.9%, with 100% of
      methicillin-sensitive S. aureus isolates and 78.8% of MRSA isolates susceptible
      to this agent. The highest percentages of ceftaroline-nonsusceptible MRSA
      isolates came from China (47.6%), all of which showed intermediate
      susceptibility, and Thailand (37.1%), where over half (52.8%) of isolates were
      resistant to ceftaroline (MIC, 4 MUg/ml). Thirty-eight ceftaroline-nonsusceptible
      isolates (MIC values of 2 to 4 MUg/ml) were selected for molecular
      characterization. Among the isolates analyzed, sequence type 5 (ST-5) was the
      most common sequence type encountered; however, all isolates analyzed from
      Thailand were ST-228. Penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a) substitution patterns
      varied by country, but all isolates from Thailand had the Glu239Lys substitution,
      and 12 of these also carried an additional Glu447Lys substitution. Ceftaroline
      fosamil is a useful addition to the antimicrobial agents that can be used to
      treat S. aureus infections. However, with the capability of this species to
      develop resistance to new agents, it is important to recognize and monitor
      regional differences in trends as they emerge.

PMID- 26503660
TI  - A Two-Year Surveillance in Five Colombian Tertiary Care Hospitals Reveals High
      Frequency of Non-CG258 Clones of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae with
      Distinct Clinical Characteristics.
AB  - The global spread of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-Kp) has been
      largely associated with sequence type 258 (ST258) and its related variants
      (clonal group 258 [CG258]). Here we describe the molecular epidemiology of CR-Kp
      from five tertiary care hospitals in Medellin, the second largest city in
      Colombia. All CR-Kp-infected patients admitted from June 2012 to June 2014 were
      included (n = 193). Patients' clinical information was obtained from medical
      records. Carbapenemase KPC, VIM, IMP, NDM, and OXA-48 genes were detected by PCR.
      A CG258-tonB79 cluster-specific real-time PCR (targeting the multilocus sequence
      type [MLST] tonB79 allele), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and MLST
      analysis were performed for typing. Remarkably, 62.2% (n = 120) of isolates were
      from STs unrelated to CG258 (non-CG258). KPC-3 predominated in CG258 isolates
      (86.3%), while KPC-2 prevailed in non-CG258 isolates (75.5%) (P < 0.001).
      Multidrug resistance (MDR) frequency was significantly higher in CG258 strains
      (91.4% versus 56.1%; P < 0.001). ST512 (a single-locus variant of ST258) is the
      main ST in CG258 (96.3%), and isolates in this group showed closely related
      pulsotype and similar resistance gene profiles, suggesting the clonal spread of
      this strain. In contrast, high heterogeneity of STs (34/54), including eight
      novel STs, was found in non-CG258 isolates. Among non-CG258 isolates, ST14
      (13.3%; n = 16) and ST307 (14.2%; n = 17) were the most frequent, and they showed
      distinct molecular and clinical characteristics in comparison to CG258 isolates.
      Our results suggest that the dissemination of carbapenem resistance in Medellin
      is due to heterogeneous K. pneumoniae clones, likely the result of horizontal
      transmission of KPC in different unrelated lineages, further highlighting the
      challenge in CR-Kp infection control and the need for a multifocal intervention.

PMID- 26503661
TI  - Synthesis, Bioactivity Evaluation, and Toxicity Assessment of Novel
      Salicylanilide Ester Derivatives as Cercaricides against Schistosoma japonicum
      and Molluscicides against Oncomelania hupensis.
AB  - A series of novel salicylanilide ester derivatives were synthesized,
      characterized, and evaluated for cercaricidal potential against Schistosoma
      japonicum and molluscicidal potential against Oncomelania hupensis. Four
      derivatives exhibited remarkable cercaricidal activity superior to that of
      niclosamide. Among them, the most active compound, 4-chloro-2-((2-methoxy-4
      nitrophenyl)carbamoyl)phenyl 4-methoxybenzoate (compound 4c), showed a marked
      minimum effective cercaricidal concentration as low as 0.43 MUM and significant
      molluscicidal activity, with a 50% lethal concentration (LC50) of 0.206 g/m(2).
      Particularly, compound 4c displayed 88-fold decreased fish toxicity on Danio
      rerio and 44-fold reduced cytotoxicity on human kidney HEK293 cells in comparison
      with the toxicity of niclosamide. The results indicated that 4c could serve as a
      promising drug candidate, with environmental safety properties, against
      Schistosoma japonicum at transmission stages. The preliminary molecular mechanism
      of target compounds in Schistosoma japonicum cercariae was also investigated.
      Salicylanilide ester derivatives exhibited an inhibitory effect on nitric oxide
      synthase (NOS) but no effect on lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and
      acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and a strong and significant correlation between NOS
      inhibitory efficacy and cercaricidal activity was observed. In addition, 4c could
      downregulate the expression of NOS in a dose-dependent manner. These results
      suggested that NOS was probably one of the drug targets of salicylanilide esters.

PMID- 26503662
TI  - Within-Host Selection of Drug Resistance in a Mouse Model of Repeated Incomplete
      Malaria Treatment: Comparison between Atovaquone and Pyrimethamine.
AB  - The evolutionary selection of malaria parasites within individual hosts is an
      important factor in the emergence of drug resistance but is still not well
      understood. We have examined the selection process for drug resistance in the
      mouse malaria agent Plasmodium berghei and compared the dynamics of the selection
      for atovaquone and pyrimethamine. Resistance to these drugs has been shown to be
      associated with genetic lesions in the dihydrofolate reductase gene in the case
      of pyrimethamine and in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene for atovaquone. A
      mouse malaria model for the selection of drug resistance, based on repeated
      incomplete treatment (RICT) with a therapeutic dose of antimalarial drugs, was
      established. The number of treatment cycles for the development of stable
      resistance to atovaquone (2.47 +/- 0.70; n = 19) was found to be significantly
      lower than for pyrimethamine (5.44 +/- 1.46; n = 16; P < 0.0001), even when the
      parental P. berghei Leiden strain was cloned prior to the resistance selection.
      Similar results were obtained with P. berghei Edinburgh. Mutational changes
      underlying the resistance were identified to be S110N in dihydrofolate reductase
      for pyrimethamine and Y268N, Y268C, Y268S, L271V-K272R, and G280D in cytochrome b
      for atovaquone. These results are consistent with the rate of mitochondrial DNA
      mutation being higher than that in the nucleus and suggest that mutation leading
      to pyrimethamine resistance is not a rare event.

PMID- 26503663
TI  - Development of an Intracellular Screen for New Compounds Able To Inhibit
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis Growth in Human Macrophages.
AB  - Here we describe the development and validation of an intracellular high
      throughput screening assay for finding new antituberculosis compounds active in
      human macrophages. The assay consists of a luciferase-based primary
      identification assay, followed by a green fluorescent protein-based secondary
      profiling assay. Standard tuberculosis drugs and 158 previously recognized active
      antimycobacterial compounds were used to evaluate assay robustness. Data show
      that the assay developed is a short and valuable tool for the discovery of new
      antimycobacterial compounds.

PMID- 26503665
TI  - Can pathological oligomeric proteins make good biomarkers? (Commentary on
      Williams et al.).

PMID- 26503664
TI  - Activity of Tobramycin against Cystic Fibrosis Isolates of Burkholderia cepacia
      Complex Grown as Biofilms.
AB  - Pulmonary infection with Burkholderia cepacia complex in cystic fibrosis (CF)
      patients is associated with more-rapid lung function decline and earlier death
      than in CF patients without this infection. In this study, we used confocal
      microscopy to visualize the effects of various concentrations of tobramycin,
      achievable with systemic and aerosolized drug administration, on mature B.
      cepacia complex biofilms, both in the presence and absence of CF sputum. After 24
      h of growth, biofilm thickness was significantly reduced by exposure to 2,000
      MUg/ml of tobramycin for Burkholderia cepacia, Burkholderia multivorans, and
      Burkholderia vietnamiensis; 200 MUg/ml of tobramycin was sufficient to reduce the
      thickness of Burkholderia dolosa biofilm. With a more mature 48-h biofilm,
      significant reductions in thickness were seen with tobramycin at concentrations
      of >=100 MUg/ml for all Burkholderia species. In addition, an increased ratio of
      dead to live cells was observed in comparison to control with tobramycin
      concentrations of >=200 MUg/ml for B. cepacia and B. dolosa (24 h) and >=100
      MUg/ml for Burkholderia cenocepacia and B. dolosa (48 h). Although sputum
      significantly increased biofilm thickness, tobramycin concentrations of 1,000
      MUg/ml were still able to significantly reduce biofilm thickness of all B.
      cepacia complex species with the exception of B. vietnamiensis. In the presence
      of sputum, 1,000 MUg/ml of tobramycin significantly increased the dead-to-live
      ratio only for B. multivorans compared to control. In summary, although killing
      is attenuated, high-dose tobramycin can effectively decrease the thickness of B.
      cepacia complex biofilms, even in the presence of sputum, suggesting a possible
      role as a suppressive therapy in CF.

PMID- 26503666
TI  - NLF20: an antimicrobial peptide with therapeutic potential against invasive
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Increasing resistance to antibiotics makes antimicrobial peptides
      interesting as novel therapeutics. Here, we report on studies of the peptide
      NLF20 (NLFRKLTHRLFRRNFGYTLR), corresponding to an epitope of the D helix of
      heparin cofactor II (HCII), a plasma protein mediating bacterial clearance.
      METHODS: Peptide effects were evaluated by a combination of in vitro and in vivo
      methods, including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxicity assays,
      fluorescence and electron microscopy, and experimental models of endotoxin shock
      and Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis. RESULTS: The results showed that NLF20
      displayed potent antimicrobial effects against the Gram-negative bacteria
      Escherichia coli and P. aeruginosa, the Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis and
      Staphylococcus aureus and the fungi Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis.
      Importantly, this antimicrobial effect was retained in human blood, particularly
      for P. aeruginosa. Fluorescence and electron microscopy studies showed that the
      peptide exerted membrane-breaking effects. In an animal model of P. aeruginosa
      sepsis, NLF20 reduced bacterial levels, resulting in improved survival. Reduced
      mortality was also observed in experimental animal models of endotoxin shock,
      which was paralleled with modulated IFN-gamma, IL-10 and coagulation responses.
      CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results indicate that functional epitopes of HCII
      may have therapeutic potential against bacterial infection.

PMID- 26503667
TI  - In vitro activity of ceftaroline against bacterial pathogens isolated from skin
      and soft tissue infections in Europe, Russia and Turkey in 2012: results from the
      Assessing Worldwide Antimicrobial Resistance Evaluation (AWARE) surveillance
      programme.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to analyse antimicrobial
      susceptibility testing data generated by the Assessing Worldwide Antimicrobial
      Resistance Evaluation (AWARE) global surveillance programme for pathogens causing
      skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in European countries in 2012. METHODS:
      Confirmation of pathogen identity by MALDI-TOF and antimicrobial susceptibility
      testing following the CLSI broth microdilution method were performed by a central
      laboratory. RESULTS: Using CLSI breakpoint criteria, ceftaroline was active
      against MSSA (n = 1116; MIC90, 0.25 mg/L; 99.8% susceptible), MRSA (n = 1467;
      MIC90, 1 mg/L; 92.2% susceptible) and Streptococcus pyogenes (n = 312; MIC90,
      0.008 mg/L; 100% susceptible). By CLSI interpretative criteria, two S. aureus
      isolates (2/2583, 0.08%) were ceftaroline resistant (MIC, >=4 mg/L) and 114
      isolates (114/2583, 4.4%) were ceftaroline intermediate (2 mg/L). By EUCAST
      interpretative criteria (MIC, >1 mg/L), 4.5% (116/2583) of S. aureus isolates
      were ceftaroline resistant. Most ceftaroline-non-susceptible isolates (81.0%,
      94/116) were from Russia, Turkey, Italy and Hungary. Ceftaroline susceptibility
      was equal to or exceeded 99% for S. aureus isolates submitted by 7 of 17
      countries. Against Escherichia coli (n = 349), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 215),
      Klebsiella oxytoca (n = 74) and Proteus mirabilis (n = 121), ceftaroline activity
      was dependent upon ESBL production. For ESBL-negative E. coli, K. pneumoniae, K.
      oxytoca and P. mirabilis, 87.5% (MIC90, 1 mg/L), 92.3% (MIC90, 0.5 mg/L), 93.2%
      (MIC90, 0.5 mg/L) and 85.1% (MIC90, 2 mg/L) of isolates were susceptible to
      ceftaroline, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Ceftaroline demonstrated potent in vitro
      activity against a contemporary collection of bacterial pathogens from patients
      with SSTIs in European countries, Russia and Turkey. Surveillance programmes such
      as AWARE are essential to global efforts to improve antimicrobial stewardship.

PMID- 26503668
TI  - A review of chromatographic methods for the determination of water- and fat
      soluble vitamins in biological fluids.
AB  - Vitamins are an essential element of nutrition and thus contribute to human
      health. Vitamins catalyze many biochemical reactions and their lack or excess can
      cause health problems. Therefore, monitoring vitamin concentrations in plasma or
      other biological fluids may be useful in the diagnosis of various disorders as
      well as in the treatment process. Several chromatographic methods have been
      developed for the determination of these compounds in biological samples,
      including high-performance liquid chromatography with UV and fluorescence
      detection. Recently, high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass
      spectrometry methods have been widely used for the determination of vitamins in
      complex matrices because of their high sensitivity and selectivity. This method
      requires preconditioning of samples for analysis, including protein precipitation
      and/or various extraction techniques. The choice of method may depend on the
      desired cost, convenience, turnaround time, specificity, and accuracy of the
      information to be obtained. This article reviews the recently reported
      chromatographic methods used for determination of vitamins in biological fluids.
      Relevant papers published mostly during the last 5 years were identified by an
      extensive PubMed search using appropriate keywords. Particular attention was
      given to the preparation steps and extraction techniques. This report may be
      helpful in the selection of procedures that are appropriate for certain types of
      biological materials and analytes. 

PMID- 26503669
TI  - New formulation of old aspirin for better delivery.
AB  - For better use of cyclooxygenase dependent anti-inflammatory properties and
      mitochondrial activities of aspirin, new hydrophobic analogues of aspirin were
      developed and successfully encapsulated in polymeric nanoparticles (NPs). In vivo
      anti-inflammatory effects of these NPs using a mouse model demonstrated unique
      properties of an optimized aspirin analogue to inhibit production of pro
      inflammatory and enrichment of anti-inflammatory cytokines. 

PMID- 26503671
TI  - Hepatic reaction dose for parenchymal changes on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic
      resonance images after stereotactic body radiation therapy for hepatocellular
      carcinoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The present study evaluated the threshold dose for hepatic
      parenchymal changes on gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid
      (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) images after stereotactic body
      radiation therapy (SBRT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Twenty
      patients with available data of follow-up MR images acquired 2-4 months after
      completion of SBRT were selected among the registered patients. SBRT was
      performed using multiple coplanar and non-coplanar beams with energies of 6 or 15
      MV. All patients were treated with doses of 45 Gy administered in three fractions
      over 3 consecutive days. For image registration between planning computed
      tomography (CT) and MR images, landmark-based rigid body registration was
      performed using MIM software. RESULTS: Seventeen patients were included in the
      analysis. The median discrepancies between planning CT and MR images in the left
      right, anterior-posterior and superior-inferior directions were 1.38 mm, 1.24 mm
      and 1.72 mm, respectively. The median D50 value for the defect in the
      hepatobiliary phase of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MR images after SBRT was 19.8 Gy
      (range, 14.2-28.7 Gy), with R(2) values ranging from 0.76 to 0.99. CONCLUSIONS:
      The threshold dose for parenchymal changes in the hepatobiliary phase of Gd-EOB
      DTPA-enhanced MR images performed 2-4 months after 45 Gy of SBRT in three
      fractions was approximately 20 Gy. Our results provide the basis for further
      research on the functional loss of liver parenchyma after SBRT.

PMID- 26503670
TI  - Heart failure with normal ejection fraction is uncommon in acute myocardial
      infarction settings but associated with poor outcomes: a study of 91,360 patients
      admitted with index myocardial infarction between 1998 and 2010.
AB  - AIM: Data are scant on the incidence and prognosis of heart failure (HF) with
      normal ejection fraction (HFNEF, EF >49%) in an acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
      setting. The aim of this study was to examine incidence and predictors of HFNEF
      during an index acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and its subsequent associations
      with patient outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study analysed 91 360 patients
      with LVEF data from the SWEDEHEART registry on consecutive AMI patients between
      1998 and 2010. Echocardiography or LV angiography was used to assess LVEF. In
      hospital HF diagnoses required presence of crackles, and use of i.v. diuretics or
      inotropic drugs during admission. Among HF patients, the proportion of HFNEF
      patients increased (from 18% to 31%) during the period. Incidence of HFNEF in the
      AMI population remained fairly unchanged (from 7.7% to 8.1%). In contrast, the
      proportion of HF patients with reduced EF (HFREF, EF <=49%) declined (from 47% to
      26%), as did the proportion of REF patients without HF (from 20% to 16%). AMI
      patients with NEF without HF increased (from 25% to 50%). HFREF and HFNEF
      patients showed considerably higher long-term mortality compared with patients
      with no HF, irrespective of EF [the HFREF and HFNEF hazard ratio, compared with
      NEF, was 4.5 (4.4-4-6) and 3.3 (3.1-3.4), respectively, and 1.6 (1.5-1.65) for
      REF]. The adjusted HFNEF hazard ratio, compared with NEF, was 1.9 (1.8-2.0). Age,
      female gender, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, AF, and chronic kidney disease
      were strong predictors of HFNEF (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The proportion of AMI
      patients with HFNEF is constant over time. HFNEF patients have a considerably
      worse long-term prognosis compared with patients without clinical HF,
      irrespective of EF.

PMID- 26503672
TI  - Efficient Domino Hydroformylation/Benzoin Condensation: Highly Selective
      Synthesis of alpha-Hydroxy Ketones.
AB  - An improved domino hydroformylation/benzoin condensation to give alpha-hydroxy
      ketones has been developed. Easily available olefins are smoothly converted into
      the corresponding alpha-hydroxy ketones in high yields with excellent
      regioselectivities. Key to success is the use of a specific catalytic system
      consisting of a rhodium/phosphine complex and the CO2 adduct of an N-heterocyclic
      carbene. 

PMID- 26503673
TI  - Bone: IGFBP1-hepatokine and target for FGF21-mediated bone loss.

PMID- 26503675
TI  - Dyslipidaemia: Lysosomal acid lipase deficiency-a cautious leap forward.
AB  - Lysosomal acid lipase deficiency can lead to liver failure and early death. A
      recently published placebo-controlled trial shows that enzyme-replacement therapy
      improves plasma levels of lipids and aminotransferases, and reduces liver fat
      content. However, the effect on clinical end points and an appropriate indication
      for treatment remain to be established.

PMID- 26503674
TI  - The best of both worlds - managing the cancer, saving the bone.
AB  - In the context of breast cancer, the importance of the skeleton in the regulation
      of primary tumour development and as a site for subsequent metastasis is well
      characterized. Our understanding of the contributions made by the host bone and
      bone marrow cells increasingly demonstrates the extent of the interaction between
      tumour cells and normal host cells. As a result, the need to develop and utilize
      therapies that can impede the growth and/or function of tumour cells while
      sparing normal host bone and bone marrow cells is immense and expanding. The need
      for these new treatments is, however, superimposed on the orthopaedic management
      of patients' quality of life, where pain control and continued locomotion are
      paramount. Indeed, the majority of the anticancer therapies used to date often
      result in direct or indirect damage to bone. Thus, although the bone
      microenvironment regulates tumour cell growth in bone, cells within the bone
      marrow niche also mediate many of the orthopaedic consequences of tumour
      progression as well as resistance to the antitumour effects of existing
      therapies. In this Review, we highlight the effects of existing cancer treatments
      on bone and the bone marrow microenvironment as well as the mechanisms mediating
      these effects and the current utility of modern orthopaedic interventions. 

PMID- 26503677
TI  - Solving the puzzle of collective action through inter-individual differences.
AB  - Models of collective action infrequently account for differences across
      individuals beyond a limited set of strategies, ignoring variation in endowment
      (e.g. physical condition, wealth, knowledge, personality, support), individual
      costs of effort, or expected gains from cooperation. However, behavioural
      research indicates these inter-individual differences can have significant
      effects on the dynamics of collective action. The papers contributed to this
      theme issue evaluate how individual differences affect the propensity to
      cooperate, and how they can catalyse others' likelihood of cooperation (e.g. via
      leadership). Many of the papers emphasize the relationship between individual
      decisions and socio-ecological context, particularly the effect of group size.
      All together, the papers in this theme issue provide a more complete picture of
      collective action, by embracing the reality of inter-individual variation and its
      multiple roles in the success or failure of collective action. 

PMID- 26503678
TI  - Communal range defence in primates as a public goods dilemma.
AB  - Classic socio-ecological theory holds that the occurrence of aggressive range
      defence is primarily driven by ecological incentives, most notably by the
      economic defendability of an area or the resources it contains. While this
      ecological cost-benefit framework has great explanatory power in solitary or pair
      living species, comparative work on group-living primates has always found
      economic defendability to be a necessary, but not sufficient condition to account
      for the distribution of effective range defence across the taxon. This mismatch
      between theory and observation has recently been ascribed to a collective action
      problem among group members in, what is more informatively viewed as, a public
      goods dilemma: mounting effective defence of a communal range against intrusions
      by outgroup conspecifics. We here further develop this framework, and report on
      analyses at three levels of biological organization: across species, across
      populations within a single lineage and across groups and individuals within a
      single population. We find that communal range defence in primates very rarely
      involves collective action sensu stricto and that it is best interpreted as the
      outcome of opportunistic and strategic individual-level decisions. Whether the
      public good of a defended communal range is produced by solitary, joint or
      collective action is thus the outcome of the interplay between the unique
      characteristics of each individual, local and current socio-ecological
      conditions, and fundamental life-history traits of the species. 

PMID- 26503680
TI  - Individual participation in intergroup contests is mediated by numerical
      assessment strategies in black howler and tufted capuchin monkeys.
AB  - Asymmetries in resource-holding potential between opposing groups frequently
      determine outcomes of intergroup contests. Since both numerical superiority and
      high intergroup dominance rank may confer competitive advantages, group members
      should benefit from assessing the relative strength of rivals prior to engaging
      in defensive displays. However, differences in individual assessment may emerge
      when cost-benefit trade-offs differ among group members. We examine the influence
      of numerical superiority and intergroup dominance relationships on individual
      participation in intergroup encounters in black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra)
      and tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus nigritus). Black howlers responded with
      longer vocal displays during encounters with neighbours with an equal number of
      resident males, while tufted capuchins increased their participation with
      increasing relative male group size. Within each species, males and females
      responded similarly to varying numerical odds, suggesting that despite pay-off
      asymmetries between males and females, both sexes were similarly influenced by
      numerical asymmetries in deciding to participate in collective group defence.
      Whereas the outcome of contests among tufted capuchins was determined by relative
      male group size, reflected in a pronounced intergroup dominance hierarchy, the
      absence of dominance relationships among black howler groups may have provoked
      prolonged vocal displays in order to assess rival groups with matching
      competitive abilities. 

PMID- 26503679
TI  - 'Impact hunters' catalyse cooperative hunting in two wild chimpanzee communities.
AB  - Even when hunting in groups is mutually beneficial, it is unclear how communal
      hunts are initiated. If it is costly to be the only hunter, individuals should be
      reluctant to hunt unless others already are. We used 70 years of data from three
      communities to examine how male chimpanzees 'solve' this apparent collective
      action problem. The 'impact hunter' hypothesis proposes that group hunts are
      sometimes catalysed by certain individuals that hunt more readily than others. In
      two communities (Kasekela and Kanyawara), we identified a total of five males
      that exhibited high hunt participation rates for their age, and whose presence at
      an encounter with red colobus monkeys increased group hunting probability.
      Critically, these impact hunters were observed to hunt first more often than
      expected by chance. We argue that by hunting first, these males dilute prey
      defences and create opportunities for previously reluctant participants. This by
      product mutualism can explain variation in group hunting rates within and between
      social groups. Hunting rates declined after the death of impact hunter FG in
      Kasekela and after impact hunter MS stopped hunting frequently in Kanyawara.
      There were no impact hunters in the third, smaller community (Mitumba), where,
      unlike the others, hunting probability increased with the number of females
      present at an encounter with prey. 

PMID- 26503676
TI  - Protein acetylation in metabolism - metabolites and cofactors.
AB  - Reversible acetylation was initially described as an epigenetic mechanism
      regulating DNA accessibility. Since then, this process has emerged as a
      controller of histone and nonhistone acetylation that integrates key
      physiological processes such as metabolism, circadian rhythm and cell cycle,
      along with gene regulation in various organisms. The widespread and reversible
      nature of acetylation also revitalized interest in the mechanisms that regulate
      lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) and deacetylases (KDACs) in health and disease.
      Changes in protein or histone acetylation are especially relevant for many common
      diseases including obesity, diabetes mellitus, neurodegenerative diseases and
      cancer, as well as for some rare diseases such as mitochondrial diseases and
      lipodystrophies. In this Review, we examine the role of reversible acetylation in
      metabolic control and how changes in levels of metabolites or cofactors,
      including nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, nicotinamide, coenzyme A, acetyl
      coenzyme A, zinc and butyrate and/or beta-hydroxybutyrate, directly alter KAT or
      KDAC activity to link energy status to adaptive cellular and organismal
      homeostasis. 

PMID- 26503681
TI  - Skills, division of labour and economies of scale among Amazonian hunters and
      South Indian honey collectors.
AB  - In foraging and other productive activities, individuals make choices regarding
      whether and with whom to cooperate, and in what capacities. The size and
      composition of cooperative groups can be understood as a self-organized outcome
      of these choices, which are made under local ecological and social constraints.
      This article describes a theoretical framework for explaining the size and
      composition of foraging groups based on three principles: (i) the sexual division
      of labour; (ii) the intergenerational division of labour; and (iii) economies of
      scale in production. We test predictions from the theory with data from two field
      contexts: Tsimane' game hunters of lowland Bolivia, and Jenu Kuruba honey
      collectors of South India. In each case, we estimate the impacts of group size
      and individual group members' effort on group success. We characterize
      differences in the skill requirements of different foraging activities and show
      that individuals participate more frequently in activities in which they are more
      efficient. We evaluate returns to scale across different resource types and
      observe higher returns at larger group sizes in foraging activities (such as
      hunting large game) that benefit from coordinated and complementary roles. These
      results inform us that the foraging group size and composition are guided by the
      motivated choice of individuals on the basis of relative efficiency, benefits of
      cooperation, opportunity costs and other social considerations. 

PMID- 26503682
TI  - Multiple reputation domains and cooperative behaviour in two Latin American
      communities.
AB  - Reputations are a ubiquitous feature of human social life, and a large literature
      has been dedicated to explaining the relationship between prosocial reputations
      and cooperation in social dilemmas. However, humans form reputations in domains
      other than prosociality, such as economic competency that could affect
      cooperation. To date, no research has evaluated the relative effects of multiple
      reputation domains on cooperation. To bridge this gap, we analyse how prosocial
      and competency reputations affect cooperation in two Latin American communities
      (Bwa Mawego, Dominica, and Pucucanchita, Peru) across a number of social contexts
      (Dominica: labour contracting, labour exchange and conjugal partnership
      formation; Peru: agricultural and health advice network size). First, we examine
      the behavioural correlates of prosocial and competency reputations. Following, we
      analyse whether prosocial, competency, or both reputation domains explain the
      flow of cooperative benefits within the two communities. Our analyses suggest
      that (i) although some behaviours affect both reputation domains simultaneously,
      each reputation domain has a unique behavioural signature; and (ii) competency
      reputations affect cooperation across a greater number of social contexts
      compared to prosocial reputations. Results are contextualized with reference to
      the social markets in which behaviour is embedded and a call for greater theory
      development is stressed. 

PMID- 26503683
TI  - Leadership solves collective action problems in small-scale societies.
AB  - Observation of leadership in small-scale societies offers unique insights into
      the evolution of human collective action and the origins of sociopolitical
      complexity. Using behavioural data from the Tsimane forager-horticulturalists of
      Bolivia and Nyangatom nomadic pastoralists of Ethiopia, we evaluate the traits of
      leaders and the contexts in which leadership becomes more institutional. We find
      that leaders tend to have more capital, in the form of age-related knowledge,
      body size or social connections. These attributes can reduce the costs leaders
      incur and increase the efficacy of leadership. Leadership becomes more
      institutional in domains of collective action, such as resolution of intragroup
      conflict, where collective action failure threatens group integrity. Together
      these data support the hypothesis that leadership is an important means by which
      collective action problems are overcome in small-scale societies. 

PMID- 26503684
TI  - Interactions between personality and institutions in cooperative behaviour in
      humans.
AB  - Laboratory attempts to identify relationships between personality and cooperative
      behaviour in humans have generated inconsistent results. This may partially stem
      from different practices in psychology and economics laboratories, with both
      hypothetical players and incentives typical only in the former. Another possible
      cause is insufficient consideration of the contexts within which social dilemmas
      occur. Real social dilemmas are often governed by institutions that change the
      payoff structure via rewards and punishments. However, such 'strong situations'
      will not necessarily suppress the effects of personality. On the contrary, they
      may affect some personalities differentially. Extraversion and neuroticism,
      reflecting variation in reward and punishment sensitivity, should predict
      modification of cooperative behaviour following changes to the payoff structure.
      We investigate interactions between personality and a punishment situation via
      two versions of a public goods game. We find that, even in a strong situation,
      personality matters and, moreover, it is related to strategic shifts in
      cooperation. Extraversion is associated with a shift from free-riding to
      cooperation in the presence of punishment, agreeableness is associated with
      initially higher contributions regardless of game, and, contrary to our
      predictions, neuroticism is associated with lower contributions regardless of
      game. Results should lead to new hypotheses that relate variation in biological
      functioning to individual differences in cooperative behaviour and that consider
      three-way interactions among personality, institutional context and sociocultural
      background. 

PMID- 26503685
TI  - When cooperation begets cooperation: the role of key individuals in galvanizing
      support.
AB  - Life abounds with examples of conspecifics actively cooperating to a common end,
      despite conflicts of interest being expected concerning how much each individual
      should contribute. Mathematical models typically find that such conflict can be
      resolved by partial-response strategies, leading investors to contribute
      relatively equitably. Using a case study approach, we show that such model
      expectations can be contradicted in at least four disparate contexts: (i) bi
      parental care; (ii) cooperative breeding; (iii) cooperative hunting; and (iv)
      human cooperation. We highlight that: (a) marked variation in contributions is
      commonplace; and (b) individuals can often respond positively rather than
      negatively to the contributions of others. Existing models have surprisingly
      limited power in explaining these phenomena. Here, we propose that, although
      among-individual variation in cooperative contributions will be influenced by
      differential costs and benefits, there is likely to be a strong genetic or
      epigenetic component. We then suggest that selection can maintain high investors
      (key individuals) when their contributions promote support by increasing the
      benefits and/or reducing the costs for others. Our intentions are to raise
      awareness in--and provide testable hypotheses of--two of the most poorly
      understood, yet integral, questions regarding cooperative ventures: why do
      individuals vary in their contributions and when does cooperation beget
      cooperation?

PMID- 26503686
TI  - The Big Man Mechanism: how prestige fosters cooperation and creates prosocial
      leaders.
AB  - Anthropological evidence from diverse societies suggests that prestige-based
      leadership may provide a foundation for cooperation in many contexts. Here,
      inspired by such ethnographic observations and building on a foundation of
      existing research on the evolution of prestige, we develop a set of formal models
      to explore when an evolved prestige psychology might drive the cultural evolution
      of n-person cooperation, and how such a cultural evolutionary process might
      create novel selection pressures for genes that make prestigious individuals more
      prosocial. Our results reveal (i) how prestige can foster the cultural emergence
      of cooperation by generating correlated behavioural phenotypes, both between
      leaders and followers, and among followers; (ii) why, in the wake of cultural
      evolution, natural selection favours genes that make prestigious leaders more
      prosocial, but only when groups are relatively small; and (iii), why the
      effectiveness of status differences in generating cooperation in large groups
      depends on cultural transmission (and not primarily on deference or coercion).
      Our theoretical framework, and the specific predictions made by these models,
      sketch out an interdisciplinary research programme that cross-cuts anthropology,
      biology, psychology and economics. Some of our predictions find support from
      laboratory work in behavioural economics and are consistent with several real
      world patterns. 

PMID- 26503688
TI  - Genes, psychological traits and civic engagement.
AB  - Civic engagement is a classic example of a collective action problem: while civic
      participation improves life in the community as a whole, it is individually
      costly and thus there is an incentive to free ride on the actions of others. Yet,
      we observe significant inter-individual variation in the degree to which people
      are in fact civically engaged. Early accounts reconciling the theoretical
      prediction with empirical reality focused either on variation in individuals'
      material resources or their attitudes, but recent work has turned to genetic
      differences between individuals. We show an underlying genetic contribution to an
      index of civic engagement (0.41), as well as for the individual acts of
      engagement of volunteering for community or public service activities (0.33),
      regularly contributing to charitable causes (0.28) and voting in elections
      (0.27). There are closer genetic relationships between donating and the other two
      activities; volunteering and voting are not genetically correlated. Further, we
      show that most of the correlation between civic engagement and both positive
      emotionality and verbal IQ can be attributed to genes that affect both traits.
      These results enrich our understanding of the way in which genetic variation may
      influence the wide range of collective action problems that individuals face in
      modern community life. 

PMID- 26503687
TI  - Evolving the neuroendocrine physiology of human and primate cooperation and
      collective action.
AB  - While many hormones play vital roles in facilitating or reinforcing cooperative
      behaviour, the neurohormones underlying competitive and cooperative behaviours
      are largely conserved across all mammals. This raises the question of how
      endocrine mechanisms have been shaped by selection to produce different levels of
      cooperation in different species. Multiple components of endocrine physiology-
      from baseline hormone concentrations, to binding proteins, to the receptor
      sensitivity and specificity--can evolve independently and be impacted by current
      socio-ecological conditions or individual status, thus potentially generating a
      wide range of variation within and between species. Here, we highlight several
      neurohormones and variation in hormone receptor genes associated with
      cooperation, focusing on the role of oxytocin and testosterone in contexts
      ranging from parenting and pair-bonding to reciprocity and territorial defence.
      While the studies reviewed herein describe the current state of the literature
      with regard to hormonal modulators of cooperation and collective action, there is
      still a paucity of research on hormonal mechanisms that help facilitate large
      scale collective action. We end by discussing several potential areas for future
      research.

PMID- 26503689
TI  - Collective action problem in heterogeneous groups.
AB  - I review the theoretical and experimental literature on the collective action
      problem in groups whose members differ in various characteristics affecting
      individual costs, benefits and preferences in collective actions. I focus on
      evolutionary models that predict how individual efforts and fitnesses, group
      efforts and the amount of produced collective goods depend on the group's size
      and heterogeneity, as well as on the benefit and cost functions and parameters. I
      consider collective actions that aim to overcome the challenges from nature or
      win competition with neighbouring groups of co-specifics. I show that the largest
      contributors towards production of collective goods will typically be group
      members with the highest stake in it or for whom the effort is least costly, or
      those who have the largest capability or initial endowment. Under some
      conditions, such group members end up with smaller net pay-offs than the rest of
      the group. That is, they effectively behave as altruists. With weak nonlinearity
      in benefit and cost functions, the group effort typically decreases with group
      size and increases with within-group heterogeneity. With strong nonlinearity in
      benefit and cost functions, these patterns are reversed. I discuss the
      implications of theoretical results for animal behaviour, human origins and
      psychology. 

PMID- 26503690
TI  - Biodegradation of cis-1,2-Dichloroethene in Simulated Underground Thermal Energy
      Storage Systems.
AB  - Underground thermal energy storage (UTES) use has showed a sharp rise in numbers
      in the last decades, with aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) and borehole
      thermal energy storage (BTES) most widely used. In many urban areas with
      contaminated aquifers, there exists a desire for sustainable heating and cooling
      with UTES and a need for remediation. We investigated the potential synergy
      between UTES and bioremediation with batch experiments to simulate the effects of
      changing temperature and liquid exchange that occur in ATES systems, and of only
      temperature change occurring in BTES systems on cis-DCE reductive dechlorination.
      Compared to the natural situation (NS) at a constant temperature of 10  degrees
      C, both UTES systems with 25/5  degrees C for warm and cold well performed
      significantly better in cis-DCE (cis-1,2-dichloroethene) removal. The overall
      removal efficiency under mimicked ATES and BTES conditions were respectively 13
      and 8.6 times higher than in NS. Inoculation with Dehalococcoides revealed that
      their initial presence is a determining factor for the dechlorination process.
      Temperature was the dominating factor when Dehalococcoides abundance was
      sufficient. Stimulated biodegradation was shown to be most effective in the
      mimicked ATES warm well because of the combined effect of suitable temperature,
      sustaining biomass growth, and regular cis-DCE supply. 

PMID- 26503691
TI  - Tumour-associated macrophages act as a slow-release reservoir of nano-therapeutic
      Pt(IV) pro-drug.
AB  - Therapeutic nanoparticles (TNPs) aim to deliver drugs more safely and effectively
      to cancers, yet clinical results have been unpredictable owing to limited in vivo
      understanding. Here we use single-cell imaging of intratumoral TNP
      pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to better comprehend their heterogeneous
      behaviour. Model TNPs comprising a fluorescent platinum(IV) pro-drug and a
      clinically tested polymer platform (PLGA-b-PEG) promote long drug circulation and
      alter accumulation by directing cellular uptake toward tumour-associated
      macrophages (TAMs). Simultaneous imaging of TNP vehicle, its drug payload and
      single-cell DNA damage response reveals that TAMs serve as a local drug depot
      that accumulates significant vehicle from which DNA-damaging Pt payload gradually
      releases to neighbouring tumour cells. Correspondingly, TAM depletion reduces
      intratumoral TNP accumulation and efficacy. Thus, nanotherapeutics co-opt TAMs
      for drug delivery, which has implications for TNP design and for selecting
      patients into trials. 

PMID- 26503693
TI  - Sulfuricaulis limicola gen. nov., sp. nov., a sulfur oxidizer isolated from a
      lake.
AB  - A novel sulfur-oxidizing bacterium, strain HA5T, was isolated from sediment of a
      lake in Japan. The cells were rod-shaped (0.3-0.5 * 1.2-6.0 MUm) and Gram-stain
      negative. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 63 mol%. The major components in
      the cellular fatty acid profile were C16 : 0 and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1omega7c
      and/or C16 : 1omega6c). The strain oxidized thiosulfate, tetrathionate and
      elemental sulfur as electron donors to support autotrophic growth. Growth was
      observed at a temperature range of 8-37  degrees C, with optimum growth at 28-32 
      degrees C. The pH range for growth was pH 6.1-9.2. Optimum growth of the isolate
      was observed in medium without NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene
      sequences indicated that the strain belongs to the family Acidiferrobacteraceae
      in the class Gammaproteobacteria. The closest relative was Sulfurifustis
      variabilis skN76T with the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 93 %. On
      the basis of phylogenetic and phenotypic properties, strain HA5T is proposed to
      represent a novel species of a new genus, Sulfuricaulis limicola gen. nov., sp.
      nov. The type strain of the type species is HA5T ( = DSM 100373T = NBRC 110752T).

PMID- 26503692
TI  - Transcranial alternating current stimulation affects the BOLD signal in a
      frequency and task-dependent manner.
AB  - Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has emerged as a promising
      tool for manipulating ongoing brain oscillations. While previous studies
      demonstrated frequency-specific effects of tACS on diverse cognitive functions,
      its effect on neural activity remains poorly understood. Here we asked how tACS
      modulates regional fMRI blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal as a
      function of frequency, current strength, and task condition. TACS was applied
      over the posterior cortex of healthy human subjects while the BOLD signal was
      measured during rest or task conditions (visual perception, passive video viewing
      and motor task). TACS was applied in a blockwise manner at different frequencies
      (10, 16, 60 and 80 Hz). The strongest tACS effects on BOLD activity were observed
      with stimulation at alpha (10 Hz) and beta (16 Hz) frequency bands, while effects
      of tACS at the gamma range were rather modest. Specifically, we found that tACS
      at 16 Hz induced BOLD activity increase in fronto-parietal areas. Overall, tACS
      effects varied as a function of frequency and task, and were predominantly seen
      in regions that were not activated by the task. Also, the modulated regions were
      poorly predicted by current density modeling studies. Taken together, our results
      suggest that tACS does not necessarily exert its strongest effects in regions
      below the electrodes and that region specificity might be achieved with tACS due
      to varying susceptibility of brain regions to entrain to a given frequency.

PMID- 26503694
TI  - Erratum To: Early pro-inflammatory cytokine elevations in the DBA/2J mouse model
      of glaucoma.

PMID- 26503696
TI  - Chemical Manufacturing and Refining Industry Legitimacy: Reflective Management,
      Trust, Precrisis Communication to Achieve Community Efficacy.
AB  - Calls for emergency right-to-know in the 1980s, and, in the 1990s, risk
      management planning, motivated U.S. chemical manufacturing and refining
      industries to operationalize a three-pronged approach to risk minimization and
      communication: reflective management to increase legitimacy, operational safety
      programs to raise trust, and community engagement designed to facilitate
      citizens' emergency response efficacy. To assess these management, operational,
      and communication initiatives, communities (often through Local Emergency
      Planning Committees) monitored the impact of such programs. In 2012, the fourth
      phase of a quasi-longitudinal study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of
      operational change and community outreach in one bellwether community. This study
      focuses on legitimacy, trust, and response efficacy to suggest that an industry
      can earn legitimacy credits by raising its safety and environmental impact
      standards, by building trust via that change, and by communicating emergency
      response messages to near residents to raise their response efficacy. As part of
      its campaign to demonstrate its concern for community safety through research,
      planning, and implementation of safe operations and viable emergency response
      systems, this industry uses a simple narrative of risk/emergency response-shelter
      in-place-communicated by a spokes-character: Wally Wise Guy.

PMID- 26503695
TI  - The effect of neuropeptide FF in the amygdala kindling model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Neuropeptide FF (NPFF) and its receptors (NPFF1 R and NPFF2 R) are
      differentially distributed throughout the central nervous system. NPFF reduces
      cortical excitability in rats when administered intracerebroventricularly
      (i.c.v.), and both NPFF and NPFF1 R antagonists attenuate pilocarpine-induced
      limbic seizures. In this study, our aim was to determine whether NPFF exerts
      anticonvulsant or anti-epileptogenic effects in the rat amygdala kindling model
      for temporal lobe seizures. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were implanted with a
      recording/stimulation electrode in the right amygdala and a cannula in the left
      lateral ventricle. In a first group of animals, the afterdischarge threshold
      (ADT) was determined after a single i.c.v. infusion of saline (n = 8) or NPFF (1
      nmol/h for 2 h; n = 10). Subsequently, daily infusion of saline (n = 8) or NPFF
      (1 nmol/h for 2 h; i.c.v.; n = 9) was performed, followed by a kindling stimulus
      (ADT+200 MUA). Afterdischarge duration and seizure severity were evaluated after
      every kindling stimulus. A second group of rats (n = 7) were fully kindled, and
      the effect of saline or a high dose of NPFF (10 nmol/h for 2 h, i.c.v.) on ADT
      and the generalized seizure threshold (GST) was subsequently determined. RESULTS:
      In naive rats, NPFF significantly increased the ADT compared to control (435 +/-
      72 MUA vs 131 +/- 23 MUA [P < 0.05]). When rats underwent daily stimulations
      above the ADT, NPFF did not delay or prevent kindling acquisition. Furthermore, a
      high dose of NPFF did not alter ADT or GST in fully kindled rats. CONCLUSIONS:
      I.c.v. administration of NPFF reduced excitability in the amygdala in naive, but
      not in fully kindled rats, and had no effect on kindling acquisition.

PMID- 26503698
TI  - Lapatinib enhances trastuzumab-mediated antibody-dependent  cellular cytotoxicity
      via upregulation of HER2  in malignant mesothelioma cells.
AB  - EGFR/HER2 are frequently expressed in MPM tissues, however, no studies have shown
      the clinical benefit of using EGFR/HER2-targeting drugs in patients with
      malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). It was reported that the tyrosine kinase
      inhibitor (TKI) lapatinib enhanced trastuzumab-mediated antibody-dependent
      cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) in HER2-positive breast cancer, suggesting that this
      combination is a promising strategy for MPM treatment. The aim of the present
      study was to explore the possibility of a TKI combined with trastuzumab to
      enhance ADCC in MPM cells. Five MPM cell lines were used to test the effects of
      TKIs targeting EGFR (gefitinib, afatinib and lapatinib) on cell proliferation and
      the expression of the HER family receptor. The combined effects of TKI with
      trastuzumab on ADCC were evaluated using the LDH release assay. Additionally, MPM
      cells were isolated from patients and evaluated for lapatinib-induced
      upregulation of HER family receptors and trastuzumab- or cetuximab-mediated ADCC.
      In MPM cell lines, HER2 expression was upregulated by lapatinib, downregulated by
      afatinib and unaffected by gefitinib. As expected, more trastuzumab bound to MPM
      cells pretreated with lapatinib than untreated cells, resulting in the
      enhancement of trastuzumab-mediated ADCC in MPM cells. In patient-derived MPM
      cells, both HER2 and EGFR were upregulated by lapatinib, resulting in the
      enhancement of both trastuzumab- and cetuximab-mediated ADCC. Of the three TKIs,
      only lapatinib enhanced trastuzumab-mediated ADCC via the upregulation of HER2
      expression in MPM cells, suggesting that sequential combination of lapatinib and
      trastuzumab may be a promising strategy for MPM treatment.

PMID- 26503697
TI  - Iodine source apportionment in the Malawian diet.
AB  - The aim of this study was to characterise nutritional-I status in Malawi. Dietary
      I intakes were assessed using new datasets of crop, fish, salt and water-I
      concentrations, while I status was assessed for 60 women living on each of
      calcareous and non-calcareous soils as defined by urinary iodine concentration
      (UIC). Iodine concentration in staple foods was low, with median concentrations
      of 0.01 mg kg(-1) in maize grain, 0.008 mg kg(-1) in roots and tubers, but 0.155
      mg kg(-1) in leafy vegetables. Freshwater fish is a good source of dietary-I with
      a median concentration of 0.51 mg kg(-1). Mean Malawian dietary-Iodine intake
      from food, excluding salt, was just 7.8 MUg d(-1) compared to an adult
      requirement of 150 MUg d(-1). Despite low dietary-I intake from food, median UICs
      were 203 MUg L(-1) with only 12% defined as I deficient whilst 21% exhibited
      excessive I intake. Iodised salt is likely to be the main source of dietary I
      intake in Malawi; thus, I nutrition mainly depends on the usage and concentration
      of I in iodised salt. Drinking water could be a significant source of I in some
      areas, providing up to 108 MUg d(-1) based on consumption of 2 L d(-1).

PMID- 26503699
TI  - Gene expression profiling analysis of CRTC1-MAML2 fusion oncogene-induced
      transcriptional program in human mucoepidermoid carcinoma cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) arises from multiple organs and
      accounts for the most common types of salivary gland malignancies. Currently,
      patients with unresectable and metastatic MEC have poor long-term clinical
      outcomes and no targeted therapies are available. The majority of MEC tumors
      contain a t(11;19) chromosomal translocation that fuses two genes, CRTC1 and
      MAML2, to generate the chimeric protein CRTC1-MAML2. CRTC1-MAML2 displays
      transforming activity in vitro and is required for human MEC cell growth and
      survival, partially due to its ability to constitutively activate CREB-mediated
      transcription. Consequently, CRTC1-MAML2 is implicated as a major etiologic
      molecular event and a therapeutic target for MEC. However, the molecular
      mechanisms underlying CRTC1-MAML2 oncogenic action in MEC have not yet been
      systematically analyzed. Elucidation of the CRTC1-MAML2-regulated transcriptional
      program and its underlying mechanisms will provide important insights into MEC
      pathogenesis that are essential for the development of targeted therapeutics.
      METHODS: Transcriptional profiling was performed on human MEC cells with the
      depletion of endogenous CRTC1-MAML2 fusion or its interacting partner CREB via
      shRNA-mediated gene knockdown. A subset of target genes was validated via real
      time RT-PCR assays. CRTC1-MAML2-perturbed molecular pathways in MEC were
      identified through pathway analyses. Finally, comparative analysis of CRTC1-MAML2
      regulated and CREB-regulated transcriptional profiles was carried out to assess
      the contribution of CREB in mediating CRTC1-MAML2-induced transcription. RESULTS:
      A total of 808 differentially expressed genes were identified in human MEC cells
      after CRTC1-MAML2 knockdown and a subset of known and novel fusion target genes
      was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR. Pathway Analysis revealed that CRTC1-MAML2
      regulated genes were associated with network functions that are important for
      cell growth, proliferation, survival, migration, and metabolism. Comparison of
      CRTC1-MAML2-regulated and CREB-regulated transcriptional profiles revealed common
      and distinct genes regulated by CRTC1-MAML2 and CREB, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      This study identified a specific CRTC1-MAML2-induced transcriptional program in
      human MEC cells and demonstrated that CRTC1-MAML2 regulates gene expression in
      CREB-dependent and independent manners. Our data provide the molecular basis
      underlying CRTC1-MAML2 oncogenic functions and lay a foundation for further
      functional investigation of CRTC1-MAML2-induced signaling in MEC initiation and
      maintenance.

PMID- 26503700
TI  - Twenty years and still counting: including women as participants and studying sex
      and gender in biomedical research.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This paper chronicles attempts in the United States over the past 20
      years to fully represent women in clinical trials and ensure the study of sex and
      gender in biomedical research. We maintain that productive science with the aim
      of serving the public health requires examining the influence of sex and gender
      on health outcomes. DISCUSSION: This section provides a historical perspective on
      the changes in recommendations and requirements of both the National Institutes
      of Health - the world's largest single funder of biomedical research - and the
      U.S. Food and Drug Administration - the world's most influential regulator of
      drugs and medical devices - for the acceptable conduct of research as it relates
      to sex and gender. We also cite all reports by the U.S. Institute of Medicine and
      the U.S. Congress' General Accountability Office issued from 1990 to the present
      on the inclusion of sex and gender in research, and selected high-impact
      published studies that illustrate and document the paucity of, yet the need for,
      inclusion of females and consideration of sex and gender in research across an
      array of biomedical disciplines. The key message of this paper is that it has
      been 20 years since the first requirements to include women as well as men in
      clinical trials and analyze results by sex were mandated by a U.S. federal law,
      yet not nearly enough progress has been made. Recent signs of potential change in
      both policy and practice of scientific inquiry suggest much more progress may be
      within reach. However, awaiting a cultural shift to allow the study of sex and
      gender to be embraced is not seen as an effective strategy for change. Rather,
      specific instrumental recommendations are offered for how to include the study of
      sex and gender in research so as to increase our understanding and promotion of
      health for the benefit of all.

PMID- 26503701
TI  - Binding site residues control inhibitor selectivity in the human norepinephrine
      transporter but not in the human dopamine transporter.
AB  - The transporters for norepinephrine and dopamine (NET and DAT, respectively)
      constitute the molecular targets for recreational drugs and therapeutics used in
      the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Despite a strikingly similar amino acid
      sequence and predicted topology between these transporters, some inhibitors
      display a high degree of selectivity between NET and DAT. Here, a systematic
      mutational analysis of non-conserved residues within the extracellular entry
      pathway and the high affinity binding site in NET and DAT was performed to
      examine their role for selective inhibitor recognition. Changing the six
      diverging residues in the central binding site of NET to the complementary
      residues in DAT transferred a DAT-like pharmacology to NET, showing that non
      conserved binding site residues in NET are critical determinants for inhibitor
      selectivity. In contrast, changing the equivalent residues in the central site of
      DAT to the corresponding residues in NET had modest effects on the same
      inhibitors, suggesting that non-conserved binding site residues in DAT play a
      minor role for selective inhibitor recognition. Our data points towards distinct
      structural determinants governing inhibitor selectivity in NET and DAT, and
      provide important new insight into the molecular basis for NET/DAT selectivity of
      therapeutic and recreational drugs. 

PMID- 26503702
TI  - Health economic assessment of universal immunization of toddlers against
      Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) in Mexico.
AB  - Hepatitis A virus (HAV) has shifted from high to intermediate endemicity in
      Mexico, which may increase the risk of clinically significant HAV infections in
      older children, adolescents and adults. The objective of this study was to
      evaluate the cost-utility of single-dose or 2-dose universal infant HAV
      vaccination strategy in Mexico, compared with no vaccination. A previously
      published dynamic model estimated the expected number of HAV cases with each
      strategy, and a decision model was used to estimate the costs and quality
      adjusted life-years (QALYs) expected with each strategy. The time horizon was 25
      years (2012-2036) and the base case analysis was conducted from the perspective
      of the Mexican public health system. Costs and QALYs after the first year were
      discounted at 5% annually. Input data were taken from national databases and
      published sources where available. The single-dose HAV vaccination strategy had
      an incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) of Mexican peso (MXN) 2,270 per QALY
      gained, compared with no vaccination. The two-dose strategy had an ICUR of MXN
      14,961/QALY compared with no vaccination, and an ICUR of MXN 78,280/QALY compared
      with the single-dose strategy. The estimated ICURs were below the threshold of 1
      x Mexican gross domestic product per capita. When indirect costs were included
      (societal perspective), the single-dose HAV vaccination strategy would be
      expected to improve health outcomes and to be cost-saving. This analysis
      indicates that routine vaccination of toddlers against HAV would be cost
      effective in Mexico using either a single-dose or a 2-dose vaccination strategy.
      GSK study identifier: HO-12-12877. 

PMID- 26503704
TI  - Surface protein Esp enhances pro-inflammatory cytokine expression through NF
      kappaB activation during enterococcal infection.
AB  - Enterococcal surface protein (Esp) is encoded on a pathogenicity island in
      Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium and is involved in biofilm formation and
      binding to epithelial cells. In this study, using Esp-expressing E. faecalis
      MMH594 and its isogenic Esp-deficient strain, as well as purified Esp, we show
      that Esp is sufficient for activation of NF-kappaB and the subsequent production
      of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in macrophages in vitro. In
      a mouse peritonitis model, we also show that mice infected with Esp-expressing E.
      faecalis showed comparatively higher levels of cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and
      IL-6 in peritoneal fluid, and IL-6 in serum. Moreover, neutrophil infiltration
      and tissue damage in the liver was higher in the mice infected with the Esp
      expressing strain compared with mice infected with the Esp-deficient mutant.
      These results add Esp to the growing list of enterococcal virulence factors that
      can modulate inflammation during infection and has implications for enterococcal
      pathogenesis.

PMID- 26503706
TI  - Sintering boron carbide ceramics without grain growth by plastic deformation as
      the dominant densification mechanism.
AB  - A new ceramic sintering approach employing plastic deformation as the dominant
      mechanism is proposed, at low temperature close to the onset point of grain
      growth and under high pressure. Based on this route, fully dense boron carbide
      without grain growth can be prepared at 1,675-1,700  degrees C and under pressure
      of (>=) 80 MPa in 5 minutes. The dense boron carbide shows excellent mechanical
      properties, including Vickers hardness of 37.8 GPa, flexural strength of 445.3
      MPa and fracture toughness of 4.7 MPa*m(0.5). Such a process should also
      facilitate the cost-effective preparation of other advanced ceramics for
      practical applications.

PMID- 26503703
TI  - Inhibition of MTA1 by ERalpha contributes to protection hepatocellular carcinoma
      from tumor proliferation and metastasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although expression of MTA1 inversely correlates with the nuclear
      localization of ERalpha, the effect and molecular mechanism of ERalpha regulation
      of MTA1 remain unknown. METHODS: Quantitative real-time PCR and western blot
      analyses were used to measure levels of MTA1. The effect on HCC cell
      proliferation and invasion was assessed by EdU incorporation assays and
      Transwell, respectively. ShRNA and dual-luciferase assays were used to
      investigate the regulatory relationship between MTA1 and ERalpha in cell lines.
      RESULTS: We found that MTA1 gene regulation by ERalpha may be influenced by
      nuclear corepressors. The MTA1 promoter has three functional ER-element half
      sites that lead to decreased MTA1 transcription and expression. ERalpha
      overexpression suppressed the proliferation and invasion of hepatocellular
      carcinoma cells (HCC). In addition, overexpression of MTA1 attenuated ERalpha
      mediated suppression of the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells and tumor
      formation in vivo. These results suggested feedback regulation between ERalpha
      and MTA1. In summary, our results demonstrated that ERalpha suppressed
      proliferation and invasion of human HCC cells through downregulation of MTA1
      transcription. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is an improved description of the
      mechanisms of the suppressive effect of ERalpha on HCCs, adding understanding to
      the gender disparity of HCC progression.

PMID- 26503705
TI  - Medicago truncatula and Glycine max: Different Drought Tolerance and Similar
      Local Response of the Root Nodule Proteome.
AB  - Legume crops present important agronomical and environmental advantages mainly
      due to their capacity to reduce atmospheric N2 to ammonium via symbiotic nitrogen
      fixation (SNF). This process is very sensitive to abiotic stresses such as
      drought, but the mechanism underlying this response is not fully understood. The
      goal of the current work is to compare the drought response of two legumes with
      high economic impact and research importance, Medicago truncatula and Glycine
      max, by characterizing their root nodule proteomes. Our results show that,
      although M. truncatula exhibits lower water potential values under drought
      conditions compared to G. max, SNF declined analogously in the two legumes. Both
      of their nodule proteomes are very similar, and comparable down-regulation
      responses in the diverse protein functional groups were identified (mainly
      proteins related to the metabolism of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur). We suggest
      lipoxygenases and protein turnover as newly recognized players in SNF regulation.
      Partial drought conditions applied to a split-root system resulted in the local
      down-regulation of the entire proteome of drought-stressed nodules in both
      legumes. The high degree of similarity between both legume proteomes suggests
      that the vast amount of research conducted on M. truncatula could be applied to
      economically important legume crops, such as soybean. 

PMID- 26503707
TI  - Novel Monte Carlo approach quantifies data assemblage utility and reveals power
      of integrating molecular and clinical information for cancer prognosis.
AB  - Current clinical practice in cancer stratifies patients based on tumour histology
      to determine prognosis. Molecular profiling has been hailed as the path towards
      personalised care, but molecular data are still typically analysed independently
      of known clinical information. Conventional clinical and histopathological data,
      if used, are added only to improve a molecular prediction, placing a high burden
      upon molecular data to be informative in isolation. Here, we develop a novel
      Monte Carlo analysis to evaluate the usefulness of data assemblages. We applied
      our analysis to varying assemblages of clinical data and molecular data in an
      ovarian cancer dataset, evaluating their ability to discriminate one-year
      progression-free survival (PFS) and three-year overall survival (OS). We found
      that Cox proportional hazard regression models based on both data types together
      provided greater discriminative ability than either alone. In particular, we show
      that proteomics data assemblages that alone were uninformative (p = 0.245 for
      PFS, p = 0.526 for OS) became informative when combined with clinical information
      (p = 0.022 for PFS, p = 0.048 for OS). Thus, concurrent analysis of clinical and
      molecular data enables exploitation of prognosis-relevant information that may
      not be accessible from independent analysis of these data types.

PMID- 26503709
TI  - Flibanserin.

PMID- 26503708
TI  - Language processing of auditory cortex revealed by functional magnetic resonance
      imaging in presbycusis patients.
AB  - CONCLUSION: Contralateral temporal lobe activation decreases with aging,
      regardless of hearing status, with elderly individuals showing reduced right ear
      advantage. BACKGROUND: Aging and hearing loss possibly lead to presbycusis speech
      discrimination decline. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate presbycusis patients' auditory
      cortex activation under verbal stimulation. METHOD: Thirty-six patients were
      enrolled: 10 presbycusis patients (mean age = 64 years, range = 60-70), 10 in the
      healthy aged group (mean age = 66 years, range = 60-70), and 16 young healthy
      volunteers (mean age = 25 years, range = 23-28). These three groups underwent
      simultaneous 1 kHz and 90 dB single-syllable word stimuli and (blood-oxygen-level
      dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging) BOLD fMRI examinations. RESULTS:
      The main activation regions were superior temporal and middle temporal gyrus. For
      all aged subjects, the right region of interest (ROI) activation volume was
      decreased compared with the young group. With left ear stimulation, bilateral ROI
      activation intensity held. With right ear stimulation, the aged group's
      activation intensity was higher. Using monaural stimulation in the young group,
      contralateral temporal lobe activation volume and intensity were higher vs
      ipsilateral, while they were lower in the aged and presbycusis groups. On left
      and right ear auditory tasks, the young group showed right ear advantage, while
      the aged and presbycusis groups showed reduced right ear advantage.

PMID- 26503710
TI  - Physisorption and desorption of H2, HD and D2 on amorphous solid water ice.
      Effect on mixing isotopologue on statistical population of adsorption sites.
AB  - We study the adsorption and desorption of three isotopologues of molecular
      hydrogen mixed on 10 ML of porous amorphous water ice (ASW) deposited at 10 K.
      Thermally programmed desorption (TPD) of H2, D2 and HD adsorbed at 10 K have been
      performed with different mixings. Various coverages of H2, HD and D2 have been
      explored and a model taking into account all species adsorbed on the surface is
      presented in detail. The model we propose allows to extract the parameters
      required to fully reproduce the desorption of H2, HD and D2 for various coverages
      and mixtures in the sub-monolayer regime. The model is based on a statistical
      description of the process in a grand-canonical ensemble where adsorbed molecules
      are described following a Fermi-Dirac distribution. 

PMID- 26503711
TI  - The impact of maternal factors on mortality rates among children under the age of
      five years in a rural Ugandan population between 2002 and 2012.
AB  - AIM: Accurately estimating child mortality in rural communities in Africa with
      poor vital registration is a challenge. We aimed to estimate mortality rates and
      risk factors for children under five years old in rural Uganda. METHODS: Age
      specific mortality rates were estimated using the synthetic cohort life-table
      technique for 10 118 children under the age of five years, between 2002 and 2012.
      Calendar year-specific hazard rates were calculated using five-year moving
      averages, and risk factors were explored by Cox regression. RESULTS: The
      mortality rate was 92 per 1000 newborn infants from birth to five years, based on
      a total of 256 deaths. It was 40 for boys and 23 for girls in the neonatal period
      and 68 for boys and 42 for girls up to the age of one year. A substantial decline
      in mortality from 2002 to 2012 was observed between the ages of 28 days and 11
      months. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that mortality increased with
      decreasing child age, home delivery, human immuno-deficiency virus in the child,
      a birth interval of less than one year, having an unmarried mother and a maternal
      parity of more than four. CONCLUSION: Under-five mortality rates in rural Uganda
      are driven by maternal factors.

PMID- 26503712
TI  - Novel Self-driven Microbial Nutrient Recovery Cell with Simultaneous Wastewater
      Purification.
AB  - Conventional wastewater purification technologies consume large amounts of
      energy, while the abundant chemical energy and nutrient resources contained in
      sewage are wasted in such treatment processes. A microbial nutrient recovery cell
      (MNRC) has been developed to take advantage of the energy contained in
      wastewater, in order to simultaneously purify wastewater and recover nutrient
      ions. When wastewater was circulated between the anode and cathode chambers of
      the MNRC, the organics (COD) were removed by bacteria while ammonium and
      phosphate (NH4(+)-N and PO4(3-)-P) were recovered by the electrical field that
      was produced using in situ energy in the wastewater without additional energy
      input. The removal efficiencies from wastewater were >82% for COD, >96% for
      NH4(+)-N, and >64% for PO4(3-)-P in all the operational cycles. Simultaneously,
      the concentrations of NH4(+) and PO4(3-) in the recovery chamber increased to
      more than 1.5 and 2.2 times, respectively, compared with the initial
      concentrations in wastewater. The MNRC provides proof-of-concept as a
      sustainable, self-driven approach to efficient wastewater purification and
      nutrient recovery in a comprehensive bioelectrochemical system. 

PMID- 26503713
TI  - The Role of Institutional Placement, Family Conflict, and Homosexuality in
      Homelessness Pathways Among Latino LGBT Youth in New York City.
AB  - Despite the overrepresentation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT)
      youth among the homeless, the processes leading to their homelessness are
      understudied. This ethnographic study sought to elucidate the role of sexual
      orientation in the pathway to housing instability among young gay men. Fieldwork
      included 18 months of participant observations in public spaces and at a homeless
      LGBT youth organization in New York City, as well as formal semistructured
      interviews with 14 Latino young men and five staff. Three distinct pathways
      emerged. Some youth became homeless after placement in state systems of care
      disrupted their social support systems, while others became homeless after
      extreme family conflict over sexual orientation. Nonetheless, most youths became
      homeless as a result of long-term processes of family disintegration in which
      normative adolescent development and disclosure of homosexuality exacerbated
      preexisting conflict. These findings suggest the need to examine the accumulation
      of risks before disclosure exacerbates family conflict and increases their risk
      of homelessness.

PMID- 26503714
TI  - Molecular analysis of type II topoisomerases of Aeromonas hydrophila isolated
      from fish and levofloxacin-induced resistant isolates in vitro.
AB  - The mechanisms of resistance to levofloxacin for Aeromonas hydrophila isolated
      from diseased fish and selected in vitro were examined in this study.
      Levofloxacin-resistant mutants were obtained by selection of A. hydrophila in
      vitro. The quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) of the gyrA and parC
      genes were sequenced in Lev(R) strains and reverse mutation strains. All Lev(R)
      strains carried a point mutation at codon 83 (Ser -> Ile), and one strain (25 %)
      harbored a mutation at position 92 (Leu -> Met) in the GyrA-QRDR. After being
      transferred in a levofloxacin-free medium, one strain of the mutants was
      successfully reversed and the reversion was related with mutations of GyrA-QRDR
      at positions 81 (Gly -> Asp) and 83 (Ile -> Ser). No amino acid alteration was
      found in the ParC-QRDR. In addition, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)
      of levofloxacin for the mutants was lower in the presence of reserpine, and all
      mutants were also resistant to some of the other quinolones. It was found that
      the mechanism of levofloxacin resistance of A. hydrophila selected in vitro was
      related to gyrA of type II topoisomerase, and an efflux mechanism was involved in
      the resistance as well. 

PMID- 26503715
TI  - A qualitative exploration of how Canadian informal caregivers in medical tourism
      use experiential resources to cope with providing transnational care.
AB  - Canadians travelling abroad for privately arranged surgeries paid for out-of
      pocket are engaging in what has come to be known as medical tourism. They are
      often accompanied by friends or family members, who we call caregiver-companions.
      Caregiver-companions provide care in and across a variety of formal and informal
      settings, such as in hotels, airplanes and at home. This qualitative study
      examines the experiences of informal caregivers in medical tourism to learn more
      about the lived experiences or 'experiential resources' they draw upon to cope
      with providing care and avoiding caregiver burden. The care-giving literature has
      demonstrated that such burden can negatively impact caregivers' well-being. The
      unique, transnational context of care-giving in medical tourism and recent growth
      in popularity of this practice means that there are few supports or resources
      currently in place to assist informal caregivers. In this article, we report on
      an analysis that sought to detail how caregiver-companions draw upon their
      previous lived experiences to cope with providing transnational care and to
      minimise or avoid the onset of caregiver burden. We conducted semi-structured
      telephone interviews with 20 Canadians who had accompanied their friends or
      family members abroad for surgery between September 2013 and January 2014.
      Thematic analysis revealed the ways that participants had developed practical
      strategies to deal with the challenges they faced in medical tourism. The
      interviews revealed three important experiential resources drawn upon by
      participants: (i) previous experiences of international travel; (ii) previous
      experiences of informal care-giving; and (iii) dimensions of the existing
      relationship with the care recipient. Differences in access to and use of these
      experiential resources related to participants' perspectives on medical tourism
      and the outcomes of the trip. By identifying the experiential resources drawn
      upon by informal caregivers in medical tourism, we can more effectively identify
      supportive interventions.

PMID- 26503717
TI  - Of quirky channels and a fond farewell.

PMID- 26503716
TI  - Windows of Sensitivity to Toxic Chemicals in the Development of Cleft Palates.
AB  - Cleft lip and cleft palate are among the most common birth defects worldwide.
      There is a genetic component to the development of these malformations, as well
      as evidence that environmental exposures and prescription drug use may exacerbate
      or even produce these manifestations. Thus, it is important to understand the
      underlying mechanisms and when these exposures affect development of the growing
      fetus. The purpose of this investigation was to critically review the available
      literature related to orofacial cleft formation following chemical exposure and
      identify specific time frames for windows of sensitivity. Further, an aim was to
      evaluate the potential for predicting effects in humans based on animal studies.
      Evidence indicates that chemical causes of cleft palate development are due to
      dose and timing of exposure, susceptibility of the species (i.e., the genetic
      makeup), and mechanism of action. Several studies demonstrated that dose is a
      crucial factor; however, some investigators argued that even more important than
      dose was timing of exposure. Data show that the window of sensitivity to
      environmental teratogens in the development of cleft palates is quite narrow and
      follows closely the window of palatogenesis in the fetus of any given species. 

PMID- 26503719
TI  - Modal affinities of endplate acetylcholine receptors caused by loop C mutations.
AB  - The time course of the endplate current is determined by the rate and equilibrium
      constants for acetylcholine receptor (AChR) activation. We measured these
      constants in single-channel currents from AChRs with mutations at the
      neurotransmitter-binding sites, in loop C. The main findings are: (a) Almost all
      perturbations of loop C generate heterogeneity in the channel open probability
      ("modes"). (b) Modes are generated by different affinities for ACh that can be
      either higher or lower than in the wild-type receptors. (c) The modes are stable,
      in so far as each receptor maintains its affinity for at least several minutes.
      (d) Different agonists show different degrees of modal activity. With the loop C
      mutation alphaP197A, there are four modes with ACh but only two with partial
      agonists. (e) The affinity variations arise exclusively from the alphadelta
      binding site. (f) Substituting four gamma-subunit residues into the delta subunit
      (three in loop E and one in the beta5-beta5' linker) reduces modal activity. (g)
      At each neurotransmitter-binding site, affinity is determined by a core of five
      aromatic residues. Modes are eliminated by an alanine mutation at deltaW57 but
      not at the other aromatics. (h) Modes are eliminated by a phenylalanine
      substitution at all core aromatics except alphaY93. The results suggest that, at
      the alphadelta agonist site, loop C and the complementary subunit surface can
      each adopt alternative conformations and interact with each other to influence
      the position of deltaW57 with respect to the aromatic core and, hence, affinity. 

PMID- 26503718
TI  - Bimodal regulation of an Elk subfamily K+ channel by phosphatidylinositol 4,5
      bisphosphate.
AB  - Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) regulates Shaker K+ channels and
      voltage-gated Ca2+ channels in a bimodal fashion by inhibiting voltage activation
      while stabilizing open channels. Bimodal regulation is conserved in
      hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels, but voltage
      activation is enhanced while the open channel state is destabilized. The proposed
      sites of PIP2 regulation in these channels include the voltage-sensor domain
      (VSD) and conserved regions of the proximal cytoplasmic C terminus. Relatively
      little is known about PIP2 regulation of Ether-a-go-go (EAG) channels, a metazoan
      specific family of K+ channels that includes three gene subfamilies, Eag (Kv10),
      Erg (Kv11), and Elk (Kv12). We examined PIP2 regulation of the Elk subfamily
      potassium channel human Elk1 to determine whether bimodal regulation is conserved
      within the EAG K+ channel family. Open-state stabilization by PIP2 has been
      observed in human Erg1, but the proposed site of regulation in the distal C
      terminus is not conserved among EAG family channels. We show that PIP2 strongly
      inhibits voltage activation of Elk1 but also stabilizes the open state. This
      stabilization produces slow deactivation and a mode shift in voltage gating after
      activation. However, removal of PIP2 has the net effect of enhancing Elk1
      activation. R347 in the linker between the VSD and pore (S4-S5 linker) and R479
      near the S6 activation gate are required for PIP2 to inhibit voltage activation.
      The ability of PIP2 to stabilize the open state also requires these residues,
      suggesting an overlap in sites central to the opposing effects of PIP2 on channel
      gating. Open-state stabilization in Elk1 requires the N-terminal eag domain (PAS
      domain + Cap), and PIP2-dependent stabilization is enhanced by a conserved basic
      residue (K5) in the Cap. Our data shows that PIP2 can bimodally regulate voltage
      gating in EAG family channels, as has been proposed for Shaker and HCN channels.
      PIP2 regulation appears fundamentally different for Elk and KCNQ channels,
      suggesting that, although both channel types can regulate action potential
      threshold in neurons, they are not functionally redundant.

PMID- 26503720
TI  - Altered conductance and permeability of Cx40 mutations associated with atrial
      fibrillation.
AB  - Gap junctions ensure the rapid propagation of the action potential throughout the
      myocardium. Three mutant forms of connexin40 (Cx40; A96S, M163V, and G38D), the
      primary component of the atrial gap junction channel, are associated with atrial
      fibrillation and retain the ability to form functional channels. We determined
      the biophysical properties of these mutant gap junctions in transiently
      transfected HeLa and N2A cells. All three mutants showed macroscopic junctional
      conductances over the range of 0.5 to 40 nS, and voltage dependences comparable
      to those of wild-type (WT) Cx40. However, the unitary conductance of G38D
      channels was ~1.6-fold higher than that of WT Cx40 channels (~220 vs. ~135 pS),
      whereas the unitary conductances of the A96S and M163V mutants were similar to
      that of WT Cx40. Furthermore, the M163V and G38D channels exhibited approximately
      two- and approximately fivefold higher permeability to the anionic dye Lucifer
      yellow (LY) relative to K+ (LY/K+) compared with that of WT Cx40, whereas A96S LY
      transfer was similar to that of WT (G38D > M163V > A96S ~ Cx40WT). In contrast,
      G38D channels were almost impermeable to cationic ethidium bromide (EtBr),
      suggesting that G38D alters channel selectivity. Conversely, A96S and M163V
      channels showed enhanced EtBr permeability relative to WT Cx40, with the
      following permeability order: M163V > A96S > Cx40WT > G38D. Altered conductive
      and permeability properties of mutant channels suggest an essential role for Cx40
      mediated biochemical and electrical coupling in cardiac tissues. The altered
      properties of the three single-base substitution mutants may play a role in
      mechanisms of reentry arrhythmias.

PMID- 26503721
TI  - A novel epileptic encephalopathy mutation in KCNB1 disrupts Kv2.1 ion
      selectivity, expression, and localization.
AB  - The epileptic encephalopathies are a group of highly heterogeneous genetic
      disorders. The majority of disease-causing mutations alter genes encoding voltage
      gated ion channels, neurotransmitter receptors, or synaptic proteins. We have
      identified a novel de novo pathogenic K+ channel variant in an idiopathic
      epileptic encephalopathy family. Here, we report the effects of this mutation on
      channel function and heterologous expression in cell lines. We present a case
      report of infantile epileptic encephalopathy in a young girl, and trio-exome
      sequencing to determine the genetic etiology of her disorder. The patient was
      heterozygous for a de novo missense variant in the coding region of the KCNB1
      gene, c.1133T>C. The variant encodes a V378A mutation in the alpha subunit of the
      Kv2.1 voltage-gated K+ channel, which is expressed at high levels in central
      neurons and is an important regulator of neuronal excitability. We found that
      expression of the V378A variant results in voltage-activated currents that are
      sensitive to the selective Kv2 channel blocker guangxitoxin-1E. These voltage
      activated Kv2.1 V378A currents were nonselective among monovalent cations.
      Striking cell background-dependent differences in expression and subcellular
      localization of the V378A mutation were observed in heterologous cells. Further,
      coexpression of V378A subunits and wild-type Kv2.1 subunits reciprocally affects
      their respective trafficking characteristics. A recent study reported epileptic
      encephalopathy-linked missense variants that render Kv2.1 a tonically activated,
      nonselective cation channel that is not voltage activated. Our findings
      strengthen the correlation between mutations that result in loss of Kv2.1 ion
      selectivity and development of epileptic encephalopathy. However, the strong
      voltage sensitivity of currents from the V378A mutant indicates that the loss of
      voltage-sensitive gating seen in all other reported disease mutants is not
      required for an epileptic encephalopathy phenotype. In addition to
      electrophysiological differences, we suggest that defects in expression and
      subcellular localization of Kv2.1 V378A channels could contribute to the
      pathophysiology of this KCNB1 variant.

PMID- 26503722
TI  - Family resemblances: A common fold for some dimeric ion-coupled secondary
      transporters.
AB  - Membrane transporter proteins catalyze the passage of a broad range of solutes
      across cell membranes, allowing the uptake and efflux of crucial compounds.
      Because of the difficulty of expressing, purifying, and crystallizing integral
      membrane proteins, relatively few transporter structures have been elucidated to
      date. Although every membrane transporter has unique characteristics, structural
      and mechanistic similarities between evolutionarily diverse transporters have
      been identified. Here, we compare two recently reported structures of membrane
      proteins that act as antimicrobial efflux pumps, namely MtrF from Neisseria
      gonorrhoeae and YdaH from Alcanivorax borkumensis, both with each other and with
      the previously published structure of a sodium-dependent dicarboxylate
      transporter from Vibrio cholerae, VcINDY. MtrF and YdaH belong to the p
      aminobenzoyl-glutamate transporter (AbgT) family and have been reported as having
      architectures distinct from those of all other families of transporters. However,
      our comparative analysis reveals a similar structural arrangement in all three
      proteins, with highly conserved secondary structure elements. Despite their
      differences in biological function, the overall "design principle" of MtrF and
      YdaH appears to be almost identical to that of VcINDY, with a dimeric quaternary
      structure, helical hairpins, and clear boundaries between the transport and
      scaffold domains. This observation demonstrates once more that the same secondary
      transporter architecture can be exploited for multiple distinct transport modes,
      including cotransport and antiport. Based on our comparisons, we detected
      conserved motifs in the substrate-binding region and predict specific residues
      likely to be involved in cation or substrate binding. These findings should prove
      useful for the future characterization of the transport mechanisms of these
      families of secondary active transporters. 

PMID- 26503723
TI  - Has the quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials in thoracic surgery
      improved?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials
      (RCTs) in the thoracic surgery literature according to Consolidated Standard for
      Reporting of Trials (CONSORT) and to determine predictors of quality. METHODS:
      All RCTs published in four principal journals between 1998 and 2013 were
      identified in PubMed. Two independent reviewers assessed each trial using the
      CONSORT checklist (1996) with discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer. Mean
      checklist scores were compared between trials published from 1998 to 2005 and
      2006 to 2013. The kappa statistic for inter-rater agreement was calculated.
      Stepwise multivariable linear regression was then performed to identify
      independent predictors of quality. RESULTS: After 2 rounds of review, 203 of the
      2838 identified articles met inclusion criteria. The overall kappa coefficient
      was 0.95 indicating very good agreement between reviewers. The mean CONSORT score
      was significantly higher in 2006-13 [mean 10.8; 95% confidence interval (CI):
      10.3-11.2] than in 1998-2005 (mean 9.3; 95% CI: 8.7-9.6). On multivariable
      analysis, there was strong evidence of an increased mean CONSORT score in studies
      comparing non-surgical interventions, multicentre trials, publications after
      2006, studies with increased number of authors and studies funded by industries.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that the quality of reporting in the thoracic
      surgery literature is improving with time and is predicted by factors including
      number of authors, multicentre trials, type of comparison, time period of
      publication and industry sponsorship. Ongoing efforts should be made to improve
      the quality of reporting in thoracic surgery.

PMID- 26503724
TI  - Cracking the code of arch dissection.

PMID- 26503725
TI  - Decellularized aortic allografts versus pulmonary autografts for aortic valve
      replacement in the growing sheep model: haemodynamic and morphological results at
      20 months after implantation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary autografts (PAs) represent the substitute of choice for
      aortic valve (AV) replacement, especially in children and young adults.
      Similarly, decellularized aortic valve allografts (DAVAs) have shown excellent
      mid-term function when implanted in the systemic circulation. The aim of this
      study was to compare the performance of DAVAs with that of pulmonary autografts
      after a Ross procedure in the growing sheep model. METHODS: AV root replacement
      was performed in female lambs (25 +/- 3.4 kg) using either DAVAs (n = 5) or
      pulmonary autografts (n = 5) as in the Ross procedure. Sheep undergoing the Ross
      procedure received a decellularized pulmonary allograft in place of pulmonary
      valve. Haemodynamics was investigated by echocardiography and magnetic resonance
      imaging. The roots were explanted at 20 months and examined by histology to
      determine the degree of repopulation and quality of the extracellular matrix, and
      by immunohistochemistry to characterize the repopulating cells. RESULTS: The mean
      valve diameter increased from 16 to 21 and from 16 to 25 mm in DAVAs and PAs,
      respectively. At explantation, one PA and one DAVA exhibited moderate
      insufficiency. Significant differences in transvalvular gradient were only found
      in PAs between implantation and prior to explantation. The cusps of all implants
      were soft, pliable and showed no major signs of degeneration. In the
      decellularized allografts, cell repopulation occurred at the wall and cusp level
      with a well-maintained, three-layered cusp structure. Ventricular cusp surface of
      decellularized allografts was more strongly repopulated than the arterial
      surface. Cusps were covered with cells positive for endothelial markers and were
      also repopulated by interstitial cells. CONCLUSIONS: DAVAs and PAs provide
      adequate haemodynamics after AV replacement in the growing sheep. While
      decellularized grafts are repopulated by endothelial and interstitial cells,
      autografts maintain in general their native cell distribution. Maintenance of
      valvular competence during enlargement of the valve ring is, in our opinion,
      representative of the capacity for physiological growth in both graft types.

PMID- 26503726
TI  - Spontaneous fracture and embolization of an inferior vena cava cannula: is it
      possible?
AB  - We present a case of spontaneous fracture and embolization of the distal part of
      a cannula into the left inferior lobar artery. The embolized fragment was
      captured with an angioplasty balloon and extracted through the right atrium
      appendage. No adverse event related to the embolization was observed and the
      patient was discharged with no sequelae. 

PMID- 26503727
TI  - Postaortic left brachiocephalic vein in an adult patient with right upper lung
      cancer?.

PMID- 26503728
TI  - Late leakage from four-branch prosthetic graft after total aortic arch repair.
AB  - We present two cases with late graft leakage of unknown aetiology after open
      total aortic arch repair (TAR). Case 1: a 73-year-old woman underwent TAR for
      arch aneurysm with 24-mm four-branch graft. She had a previous history of
      pacemaker implantation for sick sinus syndrome and warfarin therapy for atrial
      fibrillation. Follow-up computed tomography (CT) revealed increased low-density
      area around the graft 4 years after surgery and blood leakage was shown in
      delayed-phase CT. Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) was performed to
      cover the haematic leakage, and shrinkage of the lesion was achieved 1 month
      after TEVAR. Case 2: a 72-year-old man with diabetes mellitus, hypertension and
      hyperlipidaemia was admitted to our institute for treatment of aortic arch
      aneurysm. TAR was successfully performed; however, leakage from the prosthetic
      graft was noticed by expert radiologists in follow-up delayed-phase CT scan 6
      years after surgery. The leakage was resolved 1 month after TEVAR. Although the
      cause of late leakage was not determined, the slowly expanding haematoma proved
      to be treatable by additional TEVAR. 

PMID- 26503729
TI  - Clinical impact of c-MET expression and mutational status in patients with
      colorectal cancer lung metastases.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The c-MET tyrosine kinase is known to play a key role in tumour
      promotion in a variety of cancers. The prognostic significance of c-MET pathway
      alterations has previously been described in primary colorectal cancer (CRC).
      However, data on the expression and genetic mutational status of c-MET in CRC
      pulmonary metastases (PM) are lacking. We aimed to assess the clinical
      implications of alterations in the c-MET pathway in patients undergoing pulmonary
      metastasectomy. METHODS: From April 2009 to November 2013, all patients with
      complete CRC lung metastasectomy were included in this study and prospectively
      followed up. Tissue samples of 51 PM and 33 paired primary CRCs were stained
      immunohistochemically for c-MET and phosphorylated signal transducer and
      activator of transcription 3 (pSTAT3). Genetic alterations of MET were detected
      using an exome panel on a next generation sequencing (NGS) platform. Serum
      hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) levels were measured in a patient subset (n = 10)
      before and after metastasectomy. RESULTS: c-MET expression was significantly
      higher at the invasive front of metastases compared with central tumour areas (P
      = 0.020) and was associated with nuclear pSTAT3 expression (P = 0.042). pSTAT3
      but not c-MET overexpression in PM was associated with time to tumour recurrence
      after metastasectomy (P = 0.036). Expression levels of neither c-MET nor pSTAT3
      had an impact on time to lung-specific recurrence. However, patients with c-MET
      or pSTAT3 overexpression in PM had a significantly worse overall survival after
      metastasectomy (P = 0.023 and 0.008, respectively). Mutations in the MET gene
      were identified in 20 patients of our cohort by NGS, which failed to be of
      prognostic relevance. Serum HGF did not significantly differ between patients
      with PM and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is
      the first structured evaluation of the c-MET axis in the context of pulmonary
      metastasectomy for CRC. Our results suggest that overexpression of c-MET/pSTAT3
      is associated with an impaired prognosis following complete resection. Moreover,
      this work suggests that the value of c-MET tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the
      treatment of patients with CRC lung metastases should be assessed in clinical
      trials.

PMID- 26503730
TI  - Surgical intervention for bilateral coronary artery fistulas to the pulmonary
      artery.
AB  - A 60-year old female was referred to our institution for surgical intervention to
      treat bilateral coronary artery fistulas to the pulmonary artery (PA).
      Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) imaging showed two tortuous vessels with
      multiple aneurysmal dilatations originating from the right coronary artery and
      left anterior descending artery. Furthermore, oximetry revealed an oxygen step-up
      of 10% between the PA and the right ventricle, consistent with an estimated left
      to-right shunt of 47.1%, indicating that the patient was a candidate for surgery.
      Under heart arrest, the main PA was longitudinally opened and a single efferent
      hole sized 10 mm in diameter located in the anterior sinus of the pulmonary trunk
      was closed. Thereafter, the two afferent vessels were individually ligated at
      their proximal origins. Postoperative MDCT demonstrated no evidence of abnormal
      vessel communication between the coronary arteries and the PA, as well as
      relatively dilated native coronary arteries when compared with the preoperative
      state. At the 6-month follow-up examination, the patient was asymptomatic and
      showed no complications. 

PMID- 26503731
TI  - Intraoperative pulmonary neoplasm identification using near-infrared fluorescence
      imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging provides surgeons with real
      time visual information during surgery. The purpose of this pilot trial was to
      evaluate the safety and feasibility of the intraoperative detection of pulmonary
      neoplasms with NIR fluorescence imaging after low-dose indocyanine green (ICG)
      injection. METHODS: Eleven consecutive patients who were scheduled to undergo
      resection of pulmonary neoplasms were enrolled in this study. ICG (1 mg/kg) was
      administered intravenously 1 day before surgery, and the retrieved surgical
      specimens were examined for fluorescence signalling by using NIR fluorescence
      imaging system on a back table in the operating room. We analysed the
      fluorescence intensity, pathology, size, depth from the pleural surface and
      metabolic activity of the pulmonary neoplasms. RESULTS: Fluorescence signalling
      was detected in all specimens except in one from a patient with primary lung
      cancer. Two false-positive cases that presented no residual tumour with
      obstructive pneumonitis, after concurrent chemoradiation therapy for primary lung
      cancer before the operation, were identified, and their fluorescence intensity
      was 8.6 +/- 0.4. The mean fluorescence intensity of the eight pulmonary tumours
      was 3.4 +/- 1.9, and these tumours did not differ in pathology, size, depth from
      the pleural surface or metabolic activity. CONCLUSIONS: NIR fluorescence imaging
      could safely identify pulmonary neoplasms after the systemic injection of ICG. In
      addition, low-dose ICG is sufficient for NIR fluorescence imaging of pulmonary
      neoplasms. However, because the passive accumulation of ICG could not be used to
      discriminate tumours with inflammation, tumour-targeted fluorescence should be
      developed to solve this problem in the future.

PMID- 26503732
TI  - Self-Reported Hearing Loss Predicts 5-Year Decline in Higher-Level Functional
      Capacity in High-Functioning Elderly Adults: The Fujiwara-Kyo Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To clarify the relationship between self-reported hearing loss (HL)
      and 5-year decline in higher-level functional capacity in high-functioning
      elderly adults. DESIGN: Population-based, prospective cohort study. SETTING: The
      Fujiwara-Kyo Study, Nara, Japan. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling individuals
      aged 65 and older with a perfect baseline and valid follow-up instrumental
      activity of daily living (IADL) (n = 3,267), intellectual activity (IA) (n =
      2,925), and social role (SR) (n = 2,698) scores. MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported HL
      was evaluated using a single question: "Do you feel you have hearing loss?"
      IADLs, IA, and SR were measured using the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of
      Gerontology Index of Competence (TMIG-IC) subscales. Geriatric syndromes
      (depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment, sleep disturbance, falls, urinary
      incontinence, visual impairment) were self-reported at baseline. Blood tests were
      performed to measure cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS: During 5-year follow
      up, new declines developed for 213 participants in IADLs, 272 in IA, and 327 in
      SR. After adjustment for all covariates, including geriatric syndromes, using
      multiple logistic regression analysis, self-reported HL at baseline was
      associated with a decline in IA (odds ratio (OR) = 1.39, 95% confidence interval
      (CI) = 1.04-1.86) and SR (OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.02-1.76) but not IADLs (OR =
      1.07, 95% CI = 0.76-1.48). CONCLUSION: Self-reported HL was found to be a
      significant predictor of decline in IA and SR. Preventive intervention against
      age-related HL may contribute to maintaining high-level functional capacity in
      independent elderly adults.

PMID- 26503733
TI  - The significance of regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation values and limb-to-arm
      ratios of near-infrared spectroscopy to detect critical limb ischemia.
AB  - This study examines the application of near-infrared spectroscopy to
      noninvasively detect critical limb ischemia using regional hemoglobin oxygen
      saturation in percentage values and regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation limb-to
      arm ratios. The regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation values and regional
      hemoglobin oxygen saturation limb-to-arm ratios were calculated in 61 patients
      with critical limb ischemia (group A). Measurements were performed in rest at
      four fixed spots at the most affected lower limb and at a reference spot at both
      upper arms. Similar measurements were performed in the left lower limb of 30 age
      matched control patients without peripheral arterial disease (group B). The
      regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation values and regional hemoglobin oxygen
      saturation limb-to-arm ratios were significantly different at all measured spots
      between the groups (all p < 0.001), except for the regional hemoglobin oxygen
      saturation limb-to-arm ratios of the distal vastus lateralis (p = 0.056).
      However, a broad overlap of individual regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation
      values and regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation limb-to-arm ratios was found in
      both groups, which resulted in poor discriminative predictive value of single
      measurements. Single measurements of regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation values
      and regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation limb-to-arm ratios at all measured
      spots have poor discriminative predictive value in detection of critical limb
      ischemia. Measurement of regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation values and
      regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation limb-to-arm ratios at any of the
      measurement spots has no added value in detecting lower limb ischemia in
      individuals compared with current diagnostic modalities. 

PMID- 26503734
TI  - Knockdown of Cul4A increases chemosensitivity to gemcitabine  through
      upregulation of TGFBI in lung cancer cells.
AB  - Cullin 4A (Cul4A) promotes oncogenesis through overexpression and then
      ubiquitination-mediated proteolysis of tumor suppressors in various types of
      cancers. Transforming growth factor beta-induced (TGFBI) has been implicated as a
      tumor suppressor, which enhances gemcitabine chemosensitivity in lung cancer
      cells. The present study aimed to investigate the association of TGFBI and Cul4A
      and the mechanism by which Cul4A regulates TGFBI. In addition, we also evaluated
      the therapeutic value of Cul4A RNAi using adenoviral transfection of Cul4A RNAi
      in nude mouse xenograft models. We observed that knockdown of Cul4A was
      associated with increased sensitivity to gemcitabine through upregulation of
      TGFBI in lung cancer cells. Cul4A regulated TGFBI through direct interaction and
      then ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation. In the nude mouse xenograft models,
      adenoviral transfection of Cul4A RNAi in combination with gemcitabine
      chemotherapy inhibited lung cancer tumor growth. As the result, combination of
      Cul4A RNAi with chemotherapy may provide a new approach to lung cancer treatment.

PMID- 26503736
TI  - Lysozyme in breast milk is a selection factor for bifidobacterial colonisation in
      the infant intestine.
AB  - The objective of this work was to study the residential characteristics of
      bifidobacteria, which can be classified as either human-residential
      bifidobacteria (HRB) or non-HRB. We investigated the growth of different strains
      of HRB and non-HRB in human breast milk with the aim of understanding the
      mechanisms involved in the unique habitation of each taxon. The growth of 37
      strains of different bifidobacterial species or subspecies in breast milk was
      investigated by incubating each under anaerobic conditions at 37  degrees C. The
      tolerance of each strain to either egg white or human lysozyme was compared.
      Among the infant-type HRB strains, all strains of Bifidobacterium longum subsp.
      infantis and Bifidobacterium breve grew well in breast milk, but the growth
      characteristics of B. longum subsp. longum and B. bifidum were strain-dependent.
      In contrast, the tested strains of adult-type HRB and non-HRB generally failed to
      grow and died after incubation in breast milk. Most infant-type HRB strains were
      tolerant to high concentrations of lysozyme, while adult-type HRB strains
      possessed intermediate tolerance to lysozyme, and non-HRB strains were
      susceptible to lysozymes of egg white or human origin. These data suggest that
      breast milk lysozyme content plays a central role in the exclusion of non-HRB,
      while other factors, together with lysozyme content, are involved in the growth
      inhibition of adult-type strains in human milk. Our results suggest that infant
      type HRB strains would be suitable candidates for use as infant probiotics.

PMID- 26503735
TI  - Do Socioeconomic Risk Factors for Cigarette Smoking Extend to Smokeless Tobacco
      Use?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Individuals with lower socioeconomic status (SES) are at increased
      risk for cigarette smoking. Less research has been conducted characterizing the
      relationship between SES and risk of using of other tobacco products. The present
      study examined SES as a risk factor for smokeless tobacco (ST) use in a US
      nationally representative sample, utilizing data from the 2012 National Survey on
      Drug Use and Health. METHODS: Odds were generated for current cigarette smoking
      and ST use among adults (>=18 years) based on SES markers (educational
      attainment, income, blue-collar employment, and unemployment) after controlling
      for the influence of demographics and other substance dependence. RESULTS: Odds
      of current cigarette smoking increased as a graded, inverse function of
      educational attainment as well as lower income and being unemployed. Odds of
      current ST use also increased as a function of lower educational attainment,
      although not in the linear manner seen with cigarette smoking. Odds of ST use but
      not cigarette smoking also increased with blue-collar employment. In contrast to
      patterns seen with cigarette smoking, ST use did not change in relation to income
      or unemployment. CONCLUSIONS: Markers of SES are significantly associated with
      odds of cigarette smoking and ST use, but which indicators are predictive and the
      shape of their relationship to use differs across the two tobacco products.

PMID- 26503737
TI  - Calcium phosphate supplementation increases faecal Lactobacillus spp. in a
      randomised trial of young adults.
AB  - The aim of the studies was to determine the effects of calcium carbonate and
      calcium phosphate supplementation on faecal Lactobacillus spp., with and without
      a probiotic supplement, in healthy adults. Study 1 comprised of a randomised,
      double-blind, crossover design; participants (n=15) received 2 capsules/d of 250
      mg elemental calcium as calcium carbonate (Ca1) and calcium phosphate (Ca2) each
      for 2-week periods, with 2-week baseline and washout periods. Study 2 was a
      randomised, double-blind, crossover design; participants (n=17) received 2
      capsules/d of Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011
      (probiotic) alone, the probiotic with 2 capsules/d of Ca1, and probiotic with 2
      capsules/d of Ca2 each for 2-week periods with 2-week baseline and washout
      periods. In both studies, stools were collected during the baseline, intervention
      and washout periods for Lactobacillus spp. quantification and qPCR analyses.
      Participants completed daily questionnaires of stool frequency and compliance. In
      Study 1, neither calcium supplement influenced viable counts of resident
      Lactobacillus spp., genome equivalents of lactic acid bacteria or stool
      frequency. In Study 2, faecal Lactobacillus spp. counts were significantly
      enhanced from baseline when the probiotic was administered with Ca2 (4.83+/-0.30,
      5.79+/-0.31) (P=0.02), but not with Ca1 (4.98+/-0.31) or with the probiotic alone
      (5.36+/-0.31, 5.55+/-0.29) (not significant). Detection of L. helveticus R0052
      and L. rhamnosus R0011 was significantly increased with all treatments, but did
      not differ among treatments. There were no changes in weekly stool frequency.
      Calcium phosphate co-administration may increase gastrointestinal survival of
      orally-administered Lactobacillus spp.

PMID- 26503738
TI  - Kefir-isolated bacteria and yeasts inhibit Shigella flexneri invasion and
      modulate pro-inflammatory response on intestinal epithelial cells.
AB  - The aim of this work was to evaluate the ability of a kefir-isolated microbial
      mixture containing three bacterial and two yeast strains (MM) to protect
      intestinal epithelial cells against Shigella flexneri invasion, as well as to
      analyse the effect on pro-inflammatory response elicited by this pathogen. A
      significant decrease in S. flexneri strain 72 invasion was observed on both HT-29
      and Caco-2 cells pre-incubated with MM. Pre-incubation with the individual
      strains Saccharomyces cerevisiae CIDCA 8112 or Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis
      CIDCA 8221 also reduced the internalisation of S. flexneri into HT-29 cells
      although in a lesser extent than MM. Interestingly, Lactobacillus plantarum CIDCA
      83114 exerted a protective effect on the invasion of Caco-2 and HT-29 cells by S.
      flexneri. Regarding the pro-inflammatory response on HT-29 cells, S. flexneri
      infection induced a significant activation of the expression of interleukin 8 (IL
      8), chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 20 (CCL20) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF
      alpha) encoding genes (P<0.05), whereas incubation of cells with MM did not
      induce the expression of any of the mediators assessed. Interestingly, pre
      incubation of HT-29 monolayer with MM produced an inhibition of S. flexneri
      induced IL-8, CCL20 and TNF-alpha mRNA expression. In order to gain insight on
      the effect of MM (or the individual strains) on this pro-inflammatory response, a
      series of experiments using a HT-29-NF-kappaB-hrGFP reporter system were
      performed. Pre-incubation of HT-29-NF-kappaB-hrGFP cells with MM significantly
      dampened Shigella-induced activation. Our results showed that the contribution of
      yeast strain Kluyveromyces marxianus CIDCA 8154 seems to be crucial in the
      observed effect. In conclusion, results presented in this study demonstrate that
      pre-treatment with a microbial mixture containing bacteria and yeasts isolated
      from kefir, resulted in inhibition of S. flexneri internalisation into human
      intestinal epithelial cells, along with the inhibition of the signalling via NF
      kappaB that in turn led to the attenuation of the inflammatory response.

PMID- 26503739
TI  - Spin-orbit ZORA and four-component Dirac-Coulomb estimation of relativistic
      corrections to isotropic nuclear shieldings and chemical shifts of noble gas
      dimers.
AB  - Hartree-Fock and density functional theory with the hybrid B3LYP and general
      gradient KT2 exchange-correlation functionals were used for nonrelativistic and
      relativistic nuclear magnetic shielding calculations of helium, neon, argon,
      krypton, and xenon dimers and free atoms. Relativistic corrections were
      calculated with the scalar and spin-orbit zeroth-order regular approximation
      Hamiltonian in combination with the large Slater-type basis set QZ4P as well as
      with the four-component Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian using Dyall's acv4z basis sets.
      The relativistic corrections to the nuclear magnetic shieldings and chemical
      shifts are combined with nonrelativistic coupled cluster singles and doubles with
      noniterative triple excitations [CCSD(T)] calculations using the very large
      polarization-consistent basis sets aug-pcSseg-4 for He, Ne and Ar, aug-pcSseg-3
      for Kr, and the AQZP basis set for Xe. For the dimers also, zero-point
      vibrational (ZPV) corrections are obtained at the CCSD(T) level with the same
      basis sets were added. Best estimates of the dimer chemical shifts are generated
      from these nuclear magnetic shieldings and the relative importance of electron
      correlation, ZPV, and relativistic corrections for the shieldings and chemical
      shifts is analyzed.

PMID- 26503740
TI  - Photonic Sintering of Copper through the Controlled Reduction of Printed CuO
      Nanocrystals.
AB  - The ability to control chemical reactions using ultrafast light exposure has the
      potential to dramatically advance materials and their processing toward device
      integration. In this study, we show how intense pulsed light (IPL) can be used to
      trigger and modulate the chemical transformations of printed copper oxide
      features into metallic copper. By varying the energy of the IPL, CuO films
      deposited from nanocrystal inks can be reduced to metallic Cu via a Cu2O
      intermediate using single light flashes of 2 ms duration. Moreover, the
      morphological transformation from isolated Cu nanoparticles to fully sintered Cu
      films can also be controlled by selecting the appropriate light intensity. The
      control over such transformations enables for the fabrication of sintered Cu
      electrodes that show excellent electrical and mechanical properties, good
      environmental stability, and applications in a variety of flexible devices. 

PMID- 26503741
TI  - Local distortion energy and coarse-grained elasticity of the twist-bend nematic
      phase.
AB  - The recently discovered twist-bend nematic phase of achiral bent-shaped
      molecules, NTB, has a doubly degenerate ground-state with a periodically
      modulated heliconical structure and unusual distortion elasticity, the
      theoretical description of which is still debated. We show that the NTB phase has
      the same macroscopic symmetry as another periodic mesophase, the chiral smectic
      A, SmA*. Based on this NTB/SmA* analogy, we develop a coarse-grained elastic
      model for the NTB phase. Adopting one of the existing microscopic NTB elastic
      models, we calculate the coarse-grained elastic constants, coherence and
      penetration lengths in terms of a few Frank-like nematic elastic coefficients
      that can be measured in macroscopic experiments. The same coarse-grained
      approach, applied to different local elastic models, may provide an efficient
      experimental test of their validity. We show that the anisotropy of the NTB
      coarse-grained elasticity is opposite to that of the SmA*, leading probably to
      different configurations of some of the defects of the "layered" NTB structure.
      Moreover, we argue that the intrinsic chiral frustration of the NTB phase may be
      resolved by penetration of the twist field into the bulk through a network of
      screw dislocations of the NTB pseudo-layers, resulting in a twist-bend analogue
      of the twist grain boundary phase TGBA. 

PMID- 26503742
TI  - Antidiabetic and Antihyperlipidemic Properties of a Triterpenoid Compound,
      Dehydroeburicoic Acid, from Antrodia camphorata in Vitro and in Streptozotocin
      Induced Mice.
AB  - The aim of this study was to examine the effects of dehydroeburicoic acid (TT) on
      type 1 diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced
      diabetic mice. STZ-induced diabetic mice were randomly divided into six groups
      and given orally by gavage TT (at three dosages), metformin (Metf), fenfibrate
      (Feno), or vehicle for 4 weeks. STZ-induced diabetic mice showed elevations in
      blood glucose levels (P < 0.001). TT treatment markedly decreased blood glucose
      levels by 42.6-46.5%. Moreover, STZ-induced diabetic mice displayed an increase
      in circulating triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) levels (P < 0.001 and
      P < 0.01, respectively) but a decrease in blood insulin and adiponectin levels (P
      < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). These substances are also reversed by TT
      treatment, indicating TT ameliorated diabetes and dyslipidemia. Membrane skeletal
      muscular expression levels of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) and expression levels
      of AMPK phosphorylation (phospho-AMPK) in both liver and skeletal muscle were
      reduced in STZ-induced diabetic mice, which normalized upon TT treatment and
      correction of hyperglycemia accompanied with a decrease in mRNA levels of
      phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6 Pase),
      which was related to the inhibition of hepatic glucose production and attenuating
      diabetic state. In addition, TT also showed hypolipidemic effect by increasing
      hepatic expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha
      (PPARalpha) and mRNA levels of carnitine palmitoyl transferase Ia (CPT-1a) but
      decreasing expression levels of fatty acid synthase (FAS), which further
      contributed to a decrease in circulating TG levels. TT-treated mice displayed
      decreased SREBP2 mRNA levels and reduced blood TC levels. These findings strongly
      support that TT prevents diabetic and dyslipidemic states in STZ-induced diabetic
      mice evidenced by regulation of GLUT4, PPARalpha, FAS, and phosphorylation of
      AMPK.

PMID- 26503744
TI  - Complementarity among plant growth promoting traits in rhizospheric bacterial
      communities promotes plant growth.
AB  - An assessment of roles of rhizospheric microbial diversity in plant growth is
      helpful in understanding plant-microbe interactions. Using random combinations of
      rhizospheric bacterial species at different richness levels, we analysed the
      contribution of species richness, compositions, interactions and identity on soil
      microbial respiration and plant biomass. We showed that bacterial inoculation in
      plant rhizosphere enhanced microbial respiration and plant biomass with
      complementary relationships among bacterial species. Plant growth was found to
      increase linearly with inoculation of rhizospheric bacterial communities with
      increasing levels of species or plant growth promoting trait diversity. However,
      inoculation of diverse bacterial communities having single plant growth promoting
      trait, i.e., nitrogen fixation could not enhance plant growth over inoculation of
      single bacteria. Our results indicate that bacterial diversity in rhizosphere
      affect ecosystem functioning through complementary relationship among plant
      growth promoting traits and may play significant roles in delivering microbial
      services to plants. 

PMID- 26503743
TI  - Generation of integration-free induced hepatocyte-like cells from mouse
      fibroblasts.
AB  - The ability to generate integration-free induced hepatocyte-like cells (iHeps)
      from somatic fibroblasts has the potential to advance their clinical application.
      Here, we have generated integration-free, functional, and expandable iHeps from
      mouse somatic fibroblasts. To elicit this direct conversion, we took advantage of
      an oriP/EBNA1-based episomal system to deliver a set of transcription factors,
      Gata4, Hnf1a, and Foxa3, to the fibroblasts. The established iHeps exhibit
      similar morphology, marker expression, and functional properties to primary
      hepatocytes. Furthermore, integration-free iHeps prolong the survival of
      fumarylacetoacetate-hydrolase-deficient (Fah(-/-)) mice after cell
      transplantation. Our study provides a novel concept for generating functional and
      expandable iHeps using a non-viral, non-integrating, plasmid-based system that
      could facilitate their pharmaceutical and biomedical application. 

PMID- 26503745
TI  - Interaction of Methanol Spray and Water-Deficit Stress on Photosynthesis and
      Biochemical Characteristics of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Sadry.
AB  - This study was a factorial experiment with a completely randomized design and
      three replications. The four levels of methanol spraying were used. Spraying was
      carried out three times during the growing season at 10-day intervals beginning
      at 4 weeks after sowing. The spraying of solution continued until saturation of
      droplets on the leaves was achieved. The levels of water-deficit stress applied
      were nonstress, moderate water stress and severe water stress. The results showed
      that there was a significant difference (P <= 0.05) between the methanol and
      water-deficit stress treatments for chlorophyll (Chl) a and Chl b, carotenoid,
      total chlorophyll, net photosynthesis (PN ), intercellular CO2 (Ci ), maximal
      quantum yield of photosystem II photochemistry (Fv /Fm ), leaf moisture, water
      use efficiency and relative water content. The application of foliar methanol at
      all levels of water-deficit stress significantly decreased the catalase activity
      of the roots. Under all levels of water-deficit stress, the 30% (v/v) methanol
      treatment significantly decreased peroxidase activity in the roots over that for
      the control. The results suggest that foliar application of methanol can decrease
      the negative effects of water-deficit stress on Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Sadry.

PMID- 26503747
TI  - The dendritic cell high-affinity IgE receptor is overexpressed in both asthma and
      severe COPD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reduction of asthma exacerbations following omalizumab treatment
      has been related to the suppression of the high-affinity IgE receptor
      (FcepsilonRI) on plasmacytoid dendritic cells (DCs). However, the FcepsilonRI
      expression on DCs in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unknown.
      OBJECTIVE: To compare FcepsilonRI expression on DCs in COPD with patients with
      allergic asthma and healthy controls, and to relate the findings to clinical
      parameters, blood eosinophil concentrations and serum immunoglobin E (IgE)
      concentrations. METHODS: Using four-colour flow cytometry, FcepsilonRI expression
      on blood myeloid DCs and plasmacytoid DCs was analyzed in 64 patients with COPD,
      20 patients with allergic asthma, 41 asymptomatic never smokers and 21
      asymptomatic current smokers. RESULTS: As compared with never smokers, current
      smokers displayed an increased expression of the FcepsilonRI on myeloid and
      plasmacytoid DCs. In patients with COPD, the expression of the FcepsilonRI on
      plasmacytoid DCs, but not myeloid DCs, increased from spirometric GOLD stage 2 to
      GOLD stage 4, and was correlated with several lung function parameters. Patients
      with severe COPD and patients with allergic asthma displayed a similar
      FcepsilonRI overexpression on plasmacytoid DCs. In all groups, there was a
      positive correlation between total IgE serum concentrations and the FcepsilonRI
      expression on plasmacytoid DCs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Severe COPD
      and allergic asthma are characterized by a similar overexpression of the high
      affinity IgE receptor on plasmacytoid DCs. In view of the effect of anti-IgE on
      exacerbations in asthma, trials investigating the effect of anti-IgE on
      exacerbations in severe COPD appear to be warranted.

PMID- 26503746
TI  - Variable primary coordination environments of Cd(II) binding to three helix
      bundles provide a pathway for rapid metal exchange.
AB  - Members of the ArsR/SmtB family of transcriptional repressors, such as CadC,
      regulate the intracellular levels of heavy metals like Cd(II), Hg(II), and
      Pb(II). These metal sensing proteins bind their target metals with high
      specificity and affinity, however, a lack of structural information about these
      proteins makes defining the coordination sphere of the target metal difficult.
      Lingering questions as to the identity of Cd(II) coordination in CadC are
      addressed via protein design techniques. Two designed peptides with tetrathiolate
      metal binding sites were prepared and characterized, revealing fast exchange
      between CdS3O and CdS4 coordination spheres. Correlation of (111m)Cd PAC
      spectroscopy and (113)Cd NMR spectroscopy suggests that Cd(II) coordinated to
      CadC is in fast exchange between CdS3O and CdS4 forms, which may provide a
      mechanism for rapid sensing of heavy metal contaminants by this regulatory
      protein.

PMID- 26503748
TI  - Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibition: a new therapeutic
      mechanism for reducing cardiovascular disease risk.
AB  - Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) plays an important role in
      the regulation of cholesterol homeostasis. By binding to hepatic low-density
      lipoprotein (LDL) receptors and promoting their lysosomal degradation, PCSK9
      reduces LDL uptake, leading to an increase in LDL cholesterol concentrations.
      Gain-of-function mutations in PCSK9 associated with high LDL cholesterol and
      premature cardiovascular disease have been causally implicated in the
      pathophysiology of autosomal-dominant familial hypercholesterolemia. In contrast,
      the more commonly expressed loss-of-function mutations in PCSK9 are associated
      with reduced LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular disease risk. The development of
      therapeutic approaches that inhibit PCSK9 function has therefore attracted
      considerable attention from clinicians and the pharmaceutical industry for the
      management of hypercholesterolemia and its associated cardiovascular disease
      risk. This review summarizes the effects of PCSK9 on hepatic and intestinal lipid
      metabolism and the more recently explored functions of PCSK9 in extrahepatic
      tissues. Therapeutic approaches that prevent interaction of PCSK9 with hepatic
      LDL receptors (monoclonal antibodies, mimetic peptides), inhibit PCSK9 synthesis
      in the endoplasmic reticulum (antisense oligonucleotides, siRNAs), and interfere
      with PCSK9 function (small molecules) are also described. Finally, clinical
      trials testing the safety and efficacy of monoclonal antibodies to PCSK9 are
      reviewed. These have shown dose-dependent decreases in LDL cholesterol (44%-65%),
      apolipoprotein B (48%-59%), and lipoprotein(a) (27%-50%) without major adverse
      effects in various high-risk patient categories, including those with statin
      intolerance. Initial reports from 2 of these trials have indicated the expected
      reduction in cardiovascular events. Hence, inhibition of PCSK9 holds considerable
      promise as a therapeutic option for decreasing cardiovascular disease risk. 

PMID- 26503749
TI  - Global and regional patterns in cardiovascular mortality from 1990 to 2013.
AB  - There is a global commitment to reduce premature cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)
      25% by 2025. CVD mortality rates have declined dramatically over the past 2
      decades, yet the number of life years lost to premature CVD deaths is increasing
      in low- and middle-income regions. Ischemic heart disease and stroke remain the
      leading causes of premature death in the world; however, there is wide regional
      variation in these patterns. Some regions, led by Central Asia, face particularly
      high rates of premature death from ischemic heart disease. Sub-Saharan Africa and
      Asia suffer disproportionately from death from stroke. The purpose of the present
      report is to (1) describe global trends and regional variation in premature
      mortality attributable to CVD, (2) review past and current approaches to the
      measurement of these trends, and (3) describe the limitations of existing models
      of epidemiological transitions for explaining the observed distribution and
      trends of CVD mortality. We describe extensive variation both between and within
      regions even while CVD remains a dominant cause of death. Policies and health
      interventions will need to be tailored and scaled for a broad range of local
      conditions to achieve global goals for the improvement of cardiovascular health. 

PMID- 26503750
TI  - ECG response: October 27, 2015.

PMID- 26503751
TI  - Saphenous vein graft aneurysm causing pulmonary artery compression with exercise.

PMID- 26503752
TI  - Complete heart block caused by diffuse pseudotumoral cardiac involvement in
      granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

PMID- 26503753
TI  - Letter by Al-Kindi and Oliveira regarding article "cardiac sarcoidosis:
      epidemiology, characteristics, and outcome over 25 years in a nationwide study".

PMID- 26503754
TI  - Letter by Kruszelnicka et al regarding article, "evidence that links loss of
      cyclooxygenase-2 with increased asymmetric dimethylarginine: novel explanation of
      cardiovascular side effects associated with anti-inflammatory drugs".

PMID- 26503756
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26503755
TI  - Reply to letter regarding article, "evidence that links loss of cyclooxygenase-2
      with increased asymmetric dimethylarginine: novel explanation of cardiovascular
      side effects associated with anti-inflammatory drugs".

PMID- 26503757
TI  - Reversible assembly of pH responsive branched copolymer-stabilised emulsion via
      electrostatic forces.
AB  - The judicious compositional and structural design of a branched co-polymeric
      surfactant allows for the production of highly stable oil in water emulsion
      droplets with reversible electrostatic aggregation behaviour. 

PMID- 26503758
TI  - In vivo dosimetric impact of breast tissue expanders on post-mastectomy
      radiotherapy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Temporary tissue expanders with metallic ports for gradual saline
      injection are increasingly employed to facilitate breast reconstruction after
      post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT). Treatment beams therefore pass through a
      high-density rare-earth magnet. Measurements ex vivo suggest attenuation of dose
      to the skin and chest wall at clinical risk of relapse. The purpose of the study
      was to quantify the resulting dose reduction in vivo, compared with treatment
      planning system (TPS). METHODS: Sixteen patients receiving PMRT had in vivo
      dosimetry prospectively performed with ethics board approval. Port was located
      within the expanded chest wall using the planning CT scan. Strips of radiochromic
      film were laid on the skin surface underneath the bolus. To aid interpretation,
      ex vivo measurements were also performed, including comparison with TPS
      predictions. RESULTS: An average 7% reduction in dose to skin surface was
      measured in 15 of 16 patients. This was reproducibly located in the 'shadow' of
      the magnet, corresponding to each of the paths of the medial and lateral
      tangents. The average area was 1.07 cm(2) (range 0.39 cm(2) to 2.36 cm(2)). Ex
      vivo measurements confirmed attenuation of the beam in the shadow of the port.
      The surface area of the 'cold-spot' varied with angle of the beam relative to the
      metallic port. Dose attenuation in vivo differed from that predicted by the TPS.
      CONCLUSION: Dose is attenuated in the 'shadow' of the tissue expander port in
      patients receiving PMRT. This is likely to be clinically insignificant for most,
      but centres should undertake appropriate measurements before utilising TPS
      predictions.

PMID- 26503759
TI  - Does Gender Moderate the Relationship between Callous-Unemotional Traits and
      Physical Aggression?
AB  - The study investigates the interaction effect of callous-unemotional (CU) traits
      and gender on physical aggression among Nigerian adolescents. Two hundred and
      ninety five (295) senior secondary school students who were between 14-16 years
      of age participated in the study. These participants included boys (152) and
      girls (143). They were selected from a public senior secondary school in Anambra
      a South Eastern State of Nigeria and all the participants were of Igbo ethnic
      group. The raw data for Callous-unemotional traits and Physical Aggression were
      collected using Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU) by Frick (2004) and
      Aggression Scale by Orpinas and Frankowski (2001) respectively. The data were
      analyzed using Pearson correlation, and conditional process analysis (model
      number 1; Hayes, 2013). The results showed that gender correlated significantly
      with uncaring and physical aggression but did not correlate significantly with CU
      and callousness. The results further showed that gender, CU traits, uncaring and
      callousness subscales significantly predicted physical aggression. Gender also
      moderated the effect of CU traits and uncaring on physical aggression, but did
      not moderate the effect of callousness on physical aggression. The discussion
      focused on the ways of helping individuals with high level of CU traits to reduce
      aggression, also the limitations of the study, suggestions for further studies
      and the implications of the finding were highlighted.

PMID- 26503760
TI  - Disrupting astrocyte-neuron lactate transfer persistently reduces conditioned
      responses to cocaine.
AB  - A central problem in the treatment of drug addiction is the high risk of relapse
      often precipitated by drug-associated cues. The transfer of glycogen-derived
      lactate from astrocytes to neurons is required for long-term memory. Whereas
      blockade of drug memory reconsolidation represents a potential therapeutic
      strategy, the role of astrocyte-neuron lactate transport in long-term
      conditioning has received little attention. By infusing an inhibitor of glycogen
      phosphorylase into the basolateral amygdala of rats, we report that disruption of
      astrocyte-derived lactate not only transiently impaired the acquisition of a
      cocaine-induced conditioned place preference but also persistently disrupted an
      established conditioning. The drug memory was rescued by L-Lactate co
      administration through a mechanism requiring the synaptic plasticity-related
      transcription factor Zif268 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)
      signalling pathway but not the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf). The long
      term amnesia induced by glycogenolysis inhibition and the concomitant decreased
      expression of phospho-ERK were both restored with L-Lactate co-administration.
      These findings reveal a critical role for astrocyte-derived lactate in positive
      memory formation and highlight a novel amygdala-dependent reconsolidation
      process, whose disruption may offer a novel therapeutic target to reduce the long
      lasting conditioned responses to cocaine.

PMID- 26503761
TI  - Generation of functional human serotonergic neurons from fibroblasts.
AB  - The brain's serotonergic system centrally regulates several physiological
      processes and its dysfunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of
      several neuropsychiatric disorders. While in the past our understanding of
      serotonergic neurotransmission has come mainly from mouse models, the development
      of pluripotent stem cell and induced fibroblast-to-neuron (iN)
      transdifferentiation technologies has revolutionized our ability to generate
      human neurons in vitro. Utilizing these techniques and a novel lentiviral
      reporter for serotonergic neurons, we identified and overexpressed key
      transcription factors to successfully generate human serotonergic neurons. We
      found that overexpressing the transcription factors NKX2.2, FEV, GATA2 and LMX1B
      in combination with ASCL1 and NGN2 directly and efficiently generated
      serotonergic neurons from human fibroblasts. Induced serotonergic neurons (iSNs)
      showed increased expression of specific serotonergic genes that are known to be
      expressed in raphe nuclei. iSNs displayed spontaneous action potentials, released
      serotonin in vitro and functionally responded to selective serotonin reuptake
      inhibitors (SSRIs). Here, we demonstrate the efficient generation of functional
      human serotonergic neurons from human fibroblasts as a novel tool for studying
      human serotonergic neurotransmission in health and disease. 

PMID- 26503762
TI  - The effect of oxytocin nasal spray on social interaction deficits observed in
      young children with autism: a randomized clinical crossover trial.
AB  - Interventions for autism are limited. The synthetic hormone oxytocin may provide
      a potential treatment to improve core social and behavioral difficulties in
      autism, but its efficacy has yet to be evaluated in young children who
      potentially may benefit to a greater extent. We investigated the efficacy,
      tolerability and safety of oxytocin treatment in young children with autism using
      a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover, clinical trial. Thirty
      one children with autism received 12 International Units (IU) of oxytocin and
      placebo nasal spray morning and night (24 IU per day) for 5 weeks, with a 4-week
      washout period between each treatment. Compared with placebo, oxytocin led to
      significant improvements on the primary outcome of caregiver-rated social
      responsiveness. Overall, nasal spray was well tolerated, and the most common
      reported adverse events were thirst, urination and constipation. This study is
      the first clinical trial to support the potential of oxytocin as an early
      intervention for young children with autism to help improve social interaction
      deficits.

PMID- 26503765
TI  - Formation of colloidal nanocrystal clusters of iron oxide by controlled ligand
      stripping.
AB  - We report a "ligand stripping" method for the creation of secondary structures of
      colloidal nanocrystals. Using iron oxide as an example, we demonstrate that the
      use of diols as "stripping agents" allows the controllable removal of the
      original capping ligands and induces aggregation of nanocrystals into well
      defined clusters. 

PMID- 26503764
TI  - Memory impairment in aged primates is associated with region-specific network
      dysfunction.
AB  - Age-related deficits in episodic memory result, in part, from declines in the
      integrity of medial temporal lobe structures, such as the hippocampus, but are
      not thought to be due to widespread loss of principal neurons. Studies in rodents
      suggest, however, that inhibitory interneurons may be particularly vulnerable in
      advanced age. Optimal encoding and retrieval of information depend on a balance
      of excitatory and inhibitory transmission. It is not known whether a disruption
      of this balance is observed in aging non-human primates, and whether such changes
      affect network function and behavior. To examine this question, we combine large
      scale electrophysiological recordings with cell-type-specific imaging in the
      medial temporal lobe of cognitively assessed, aged rhesus macaques. We found that
      neuron excitability in the hippocampal region CA3 is negatively correlated with
      the density of somatostatin-expressing inhibitory interneurons in the vicinity of
      the recording electrodes in the stratum oriens. By contrast, no hyperexcitability
      or interneuron loss was observed in the perirhinal cortex of these aged, memory
      impaired monkeys. These data provide a link, for the first time, between
      selective increases in principal cell excitability and declines in a molecularly
      defined population of interneurons that regulate network inhibition.

PMID- 26503763
TI  - Genome-wide association study identifies SESTD1 as a novel risk gene for lithium
      responsive bipolar disorder.
AB  - Lithium is the mainstay prophylactic treatment for bipolar disorder (BD), but
      treatment response varies considerably across individuals. Patients who respond
      well to lithium treatment might represent a relatively homogeneous subtype of
      this genetically and phenotypically diverse disorder. Here, we performed genome
      wide association studies (GWAS) to identify (i) specific genetic variations
      influencing lithium response and (ii) genetic variants associated with risk for
      lithium-responsive BD. Patients with BD and controls were recruited from Sweden
      and the United Kingdom. GWAS were performed on 2698 patients with subjectively
      defined (self-reported) lithium response and 1176 patients with objectively
      defined (clinically documented) lithium response. We next conducted GWAS
      comparing lithium responders with healthy controls (1639 subjective responders
      and 8899 controls; 323 objective responders and 6684 controls). Meta-analyses of
      Swedish and UK results revealed no significant associations with lithium response
      within the bipolar subjects. However, when comparing lithium-responsive patients
      with controls, two imputed markers attained genome-wide significant associations,
      among which one was validated in confirmatory genotyping (rs116323614, P=2.74 *
      10(-8)). It is an intronic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on chromosome
      2q31.2 in the gene SEC14 and spectrin domains 1 (SESTD1), which encodes a protein
      involved in regulation of phospholipids. Phospholipids have been strongly
      implicated as lithium treatment targets. Furthermore, we estimated the proportion
      of variance for lithium-responsive BD explained by common variants ('SNP
      heritability') as 0.25 and 0.29 using two definitions of lithium response. Our
      results revealed a genetic variant in SESTD1 associated with risk for lithium
      responsive BD, suggesting that the understanding of BD etiology could be
      furthered by focusing on this subtype of BD.

PMID- 26503767
TI  - Actin, Membrane Trafficking and the Control of Prion Induction, Propagation and
      Transmission in Yeast.
AB  - The model eukaryotic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has proven a useful model
      system in which prion biogenesis and elimination are studied. Several yeast
      prions exist in budding yeast and a number of studies now suggest that these
      alternate protein conformations may play important roles in the cell. During the
      last few years cellular factors affecting prion induction, propagation and
      elimination have been identified. Amongst these, proteins involved in the
      regulation of the actin cytoskeleton and dynamic membrane processes such as
      endocytosis have been found to play a critical role not only in facilitating de
      novo prion formation but also in prion propagation. Here we briefly review prion
      formation and maintenance with special attention given to the cellular processes
      that require the functionality of the actin cytoskeleton. 

PMID- 26503766
TI  - Regulation of Met1-linked polyubiquitin signalling by the deubiquitinase OTULIN.
AB  - Modification of proteins with Met1-linked 'linear' ubiquitin chains has emerged
      as a key regulatory signal to control inflammatory signalling via the master
      regulator, the transcription factor nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB). While the
      assembly machinery, the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC), and
      receptors for this ubiquitin chain type have been known for years, it was less
      clear which deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) hydrolyse Met1 linkages specifically.
      In 2013, two labs reported the previously unannotated protein FAM105B/OTULIN to
      be this missing Met1 linkage-specific DUB. Structural studies have revealed how
      OTULIN achieves its remarkable specificity, employing a mechanism of ubiquitin
      assisted catalysis in which a glutamate residue on the substrate complements the
      active site of the enzyme. The specificity of OTULIN enables it to regulate
      global levels of Met1-linked polyubiquitin in cells. This ability led to
      investigations of NF-kappaB activation from new angles, and also revealed
      involvement of Met1-polyubiquitin in Wnt signalling. Interestingly, OTULIN
      directly interacts with LUBAC, and this interaction is dynamic and can be
      regulated by OTULIN phosphorylation. This provides a new paradigm for how
      individual linkage types can be regulated by dedicated enzyme complexes mediating
      assembly and removal. Here we review what has been learned about OTULIN's
      mechanism, regulation and function, discuss the open questions in the field, and
      discuss how DUBs regulate the NF-kappaB response. 

PMID- 26503768
TI  - Cellulose synthesis genes CESA6 and CSI1 are important for salt stress tolerance
      in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Two salt hypersensitive mutants she1 and she2 were identified through genetic
      screening. SHE1 encodes a cellulose synthase CESA6 while SHE2 encodes a cellulose
      synthase-interactive protein CSI1. Both of them are involved in cellulose
      deposition. Our results demonstrated that the sustained cellulose synthesis is
      important for salt stress tolerance in Arabidopsis. 

PMID- 26503770
TI  - Ichthyotoxicity of the microalga Pseudochattonella farcimen under laboratory and
      field conditions in Danish waters.
AB  - Blooms of the marine dictyochophyte Pseudochattonella farcimen have been
      associated with fish kills, but attempts to verify ichthyotoxicity of this
      microalga under experimental conditions have not been successful. In the early
      spring of 2009 and 2011, P. farcimen bloomed in the inner Danish waters. The
      blooms occurred at a seawater temperature of ~2 degrees C and correlated with
      extensive kills of farmed salmonid fish (2009) and wild populations (2011).
      Several strains of P. farcimen were isolated from the 2009 bloom. However,
      exposure of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss to laboratory-grown P. farcimen
      cultures did not reveal any toxic effects. During the 2011 bloom, fish were
      exposed to bloom water under both laboratory and field conditions. While no
      clinical effect was observed on fish incubated in bloom water in the laboratory
      trial, a remarkable difference was seen in the field trial between rainbow trout
      kept in tanks supplied with a continuous flow of filtered versus non-filtered
      bloom water. Histological examination of the gill tissue revealed karyorrhexis
      and epithelial loosening in the affected fish. Microscopy analysis of algal cell
      morphology suggested that mucocysts detected on the cell surface only in freshly
      sampled bloom water might be associated with ichtyotoxicity. 

PMID- 26503771
TI  - Detection and phylogenetic analysis of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus in
      Chile.
AB  - Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) is the etiological agent of a highly
      contagious disease that is endemic to salmon farming in Chile and causes great
      economic losses to the industry. Here we compared different diagnostic methods to
      detect IPNV in field samples, including 3 real-time reverse transcription PCR
      (qRT-PCR) assays, cell culture isolation, and indirect fluorescent antibody test
      (IFAT). Additionally, we performed a phylogenetic analysis to investigate the
      genogroups prevailing in Chile, as well as their geographic distribution and
      virulence. The 3 qRT-PCR assays used primers that targeted regions of the VP2 and
      VP1 genes of the virus and were tested in 46 samples, presenting a fair agreement
      within their results. All samples were positive for at least 2 of the qRT-PCR
      assays, 29 were positive for cell culture, and 23 for IFAT, showing less
      sensitivity for these latter 2 methods. For the phylogenetic analysis, portions
      of 1180 and 523 bp of the VP2 region of segment A were amplified by RT-PCR,
      sequenced and compared with sequences from reference strains and from isolates
      reported by previous studies carried out in Chile. Most of the sequenced isolates
      belonged to genogroup 5 (European origin), and 5 were classified within genogroup
      1 (American origin). Chilean isolates formed clusters within each of the
      genogroups found, evidencing a clear differentiation from the reference strains.
      To our knowledge, this is the most extensive study completed for IPNV in Chile,
      covering isolates from sea- and freshwater salmon farms and showing a high
      prevalence of this virus in the country. 

PMID- 26503772
TI  - Glugea jazanensis sp. nov. infecting Lutjanus bohar in the Red Sea:
      ultrastructure and phylogeny.
AB  - During a survey of the microsporean fauna of the two-spot red snapper Lutjanus
      bohar Forsskal, 1775, from the Red Sea off Jizan (Saudi Arabia), a species of
      Glugea Thelohan, 1891 was found that did not conform to any known species. The
      species is characterized by the presence of spherical xenomas (ca. 2-5 mm in
      diameter) in the host body cavity. Examination of the lifecycle stages and mature
      spores using light and transmission electron microscopy also revealed
      morphological characteristics typical of species of the genus Glugea. Spores were
      elongated-ovoid with a posterior vacuole surrounded by the polar filament coils.
      Mature spores were 4.5 (4.0-4.8) um long and 2.5 (2.0-2.5) um wide. The polar
      filament was isofilar with 28 to 30 coils, although in most cases 29 coils,
      organized in 3 rows. Phylogenetic study based on the partial sequence of the
      small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene clustered the new microsporidia within the clade
      grouping species of the genus Glugea. The comprehensive analysis of the
      parasite's ultrastructural characteristics, together with molecular data for the
      SSU rDNA gene, suggests that this parasite is a new species of the genus Glugea,
      for which the name Glugea jazanensis sp. nov. is proposed. 

PMID- 26503773
TI  - Immunohistochemical characterization of intestinal neoplasia in zebrafish Danio
      rerio indicates epithelial origin.
AB  - Spontaneous neoplasia of the intestinal tract in sentinel and moribund zebrafish
      Danio rerio is common in some zebrafish facilities. We previously classified
      these tumors as adenocarcinoma, small-cell carcinoma, or carcinoma otherwise
      unspecified based on histomorphologic characteristics. Based on histological
      presentation, the primary differential diagnosis for the intestinal carcinomas
      was tumor of neuroendocrine cells (e.g. carcinoids). To further characterize the
      phenotype of the neoplastic cells, select tissue sections were stained with a
      panel of antibodies directed toward human epithelial (cytokeratin wide spectrum
      screening [WSS], AE1/AE3) or neuroendocrine (S100, chromogranin A) markers. We
      also investigated antibody specificity by Western blot analysis, using a human
      cell line and zebrafish tissues. Nine of the intestinal neoplasms (64%) stained
      for AE1/AE3; 7 (50%) also stained for WSS. None of the intestinal neoplastic
      cells stained for chromogranin A or S100. Endocrine cells of the pituitary gland
      and neurons and axons of peripheral nerves and ganglia stained for chromogranin
      A, whereas perineural and periaxonal cells of peripheral intestinal ganglia, and
      glial and ependymal cells of the brain stained for S100. Immunohistochemistry for
      cytokeratins confirmed the majority of intestinal neoplasms in this cohort of
      zebrafish as carcinomas. 

PMID- 26503774
TI  - Oxalate nephropathy in free-living American bullfrog tadpoles.
AB  - In February 2014, wild American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus tadpoles from an
      artificial pond in the Kyusyu region, Japan, presented with coelomic and
      subcutaneous edema and erythema within the skin. A pathological examination of 57
      tadpoles of American bullfrogs in the region was conducted to evaluate the
      disease. Crystal deposition of varying degrees was found in the kidneys of 35
      tadpoles (61.4%). The crystals were transparent, pleomorphic in shape, highly
      birefringent in polarized light, and arranged in a radial pattern within the
      renal tubular lumen. Using Alizarin Red S stain and liquid chromatography, these
      crystals were identified as calcium oxalate. Severe coelomic and subcutaneous
      edema was observed in 7 of these 35 tadpoles (20.0%). Ammonia levels in coelomic
      fluid were extremely elevated (>1000 ug dl(-1)) in 4 tadpoles examined. These
      findings suggest that oxalate deposition in kidneys causes metabolic disorder
      with renal nephropathy. The source of the oxalate could not be determined;
      however, the presence of calcium oxalates in pond sediments, as revealed by
      liquid chromatography, suggested that the deposition was most likely due to
      ingestion of oxalate materials from the environment. This is the first report of
      oxalate nephropathy in free-living amphibians.

PMID- 26503775
TI  - Salamanders increase their feeding activity when infected with the pathogenic
      chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.
AB  - Immune function is a costly line of defense against parasitism. When infected
      with a parasite, hosts frequently lose mass due to these costs. However, some
      infected hosts (e.g. highly resistant individuals) can clear infections with
      seemingly little fitness losses, but few studies have tested how resistant hosts
      mitigate these costly immune defenses. We explored this topic using eastern red
      backed salamanders Plethodon cinereus and the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium
      dendrobatidis (Bd). Bd is generally lethal for amphibians, and stereotypical
      symptoms of infection include loss in mass and deficits in feeding. However,
      individuals of P. cinereus can clear their Bd infections with seemingly few
      fitness costs. We conducted an experiment in which we repeatedly observed the
      feeding activity of Bd-infected and non-infected salamanders. We found that Bd
      infected salamanders generally increased their feeding activity compared to non
      infected salamanders. The fact that we did not observe any differences in mass
      change between the treatments suggests that increased feeding might help Bd
      infected salamanders minimize the costs of an effective immune response. 

PMID- 26503776
TI  - Histophagous ciliate Pseudocollinia brintoni and bacterial assemblage interaction
      with krill Nyctiphanes simplex. I. Transmission process.
AB  - Histophagous ciliates of the genus Pseudocollinia cause epizootic events that
      kill adult female krill (Euphausiacea), but their mode of transmission is
      unknown. We compared 16S rRNA sequences of bacterial strains isolated from
      stomachs of healthy krill Nyctiphanes simplex specimens with sequences of
      bacterial isolates and sequences of natural bacterial communities from the
      hemocoel of N. simplex specimens infected with P. brintoni to determine possible
      transmission pathways. All P. brintoni endoparasitic life stages and the
      transmission tomite stage (outside the host) were associated with bacterial
      assemblages. 16S rRNA sequences from isolated bacterial strains showed that
      Photobacterium spp. and Pseudoalteromonas spp. were dominant members of the
      bacterial assemblages during all life phases of P. brintoni and potential
      pathobionts. They were apparently unaffected by the krill's immune system or the
      histophagous activity of P. brintoni. However, other bacterial strains were found
      only in certain P. brintoni life phases, indicating that as the infection
      progressed, microhabitat conditions and microbial interactions may have become
      unfavorable for some strains of bacteria. Trophic infection is the most
      parsimonious explanation for how P. brintoni infects krill. We estimated N.
      simplex vulnerability to P. brintoni infection during more than three-fourths of
      their life span, infecting mostly adult females. The ciliates have relatively
      high prevalence levels (albeit at <10% of sampled stations) and a short life
      cycle (estimated <7 d). Histophagous ciliate-krill interactions may occur in
      other krill species, particularly those that form dense swarms and attain high
      population densities that potentially enhance trophic transmission and allow
      completion of the Pseudocollinia spp. life cycle. 

PMID- 26503777
TI  - Histophagous ciliate Pseudocollinia brintoni and bacterial assemblage interaction
      with krill Nyctiphanes simplex. II. Host responses.
AB  - Unlike decapod crustaceans of commercial interest, the krill defense system and
      its response to parasites and pathogens is virtually unknown. Histophagous
      ciliates of the genus Pseudocollinia interact with at least 7 krill species in
      the northeastern Pacific. Although they can cause epizootic events, the
      physiology of the histophagous ciliate-host interaction and krill (host) defenses
      remain unknown. From 1 oceanographic survey along the southwestern coast of the
      Baja California Peninsula near Bahia Magdalena and 2 in the Gulf of California,
      we investigated parasitoid-host physiological responses (fatty acid and oxidative
      stress indicators) of the subtropical krill Nyctiphanes simplex infected with the
      ciliate P. brintoni. All life stages of P. brintoni were associated with
      opportunistic bacterial assemblages that have not been explicitly investigated in
      other Pseudocollinia species (P. beringensis, P. oregonensis, and P. similis).
      Parasitoid ciliates exclusively infected adult females, which showed increased
      lipid content during gonad development. As the infection progressed, omega-3
      eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic fatty acids, which may act as energy sources
      to produce high numbers of ciliate transmission stages, were quickly depleted.
      Antioxidant enzymes, components of the crustacean defense system, varied
      throughout infection, but without inhibiting Pseudocollinia infection, i.e.
      higher levels of lipid oxidative damage were detected in late stages of
      infection. The ineffective response of the krill antioxidant defense system
      against histophagous ciliates and the bacteria associated with the ciliates
      suggests that Pseudocollinia ciliates are functionally analogous to krill
      predators and may have a strong influence on the population dynamics of krill. 

PMID- 26503778
TI  - First report of Brucella ceti-associated meningoencephalitis in a long-finned
      pilot whale Globicephala melas.
AB  - Fatal Brucella ceti infection with histological lesions specific to the central
      nervous system has been described in only 3 species of cetaceans: striped
      dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba, Atlantic white-sided dolphins Lagenorhynchus
      acutus and short-beaked common dolphins Delphinus delphis. This paper describes
      the first report of a B. ceti-associated meningoencephalitis in a long-finned
      pilot whale Globicephala melas, showing the increasing range of species
      susceptibility. Brucella was recovered in larger numbers from cerebrospinal fluid
      than from brain tissue and is the sample of choice for isolation. 

PMID- 26503779
TI  - Analysis of Yersinia ruckeri strains isolated from trout farms in northwest
      Germany.
AB  - Enteric redmouth disease (ERM), caused by Yersinia ruckeri, is among the most
      important infectious diseases in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss aquaculture in
      Europe. Our aim was to analyse the persistence of Y. ruckeri strains in trout
      farms in northwest Germany and their dissemination between farms based on a
      detailed molecular and phenotypical characterisation scheme. The data on
      identification and characterisation of Y. ruckeri strains and examining the
      distribution of these strains in the field could serve as a basis for preventive
      disease monitoring plans. During the observation period from June 2011 until June
      2012, we collected 48 Y. ruckeri isolates from 12 different rainbow trout
      hatcheries. In total, 44 (91.7%) of the isolates were non-motile; in particular,
      all isolates recovered during the sampling period in winter and early spring were
      non-motile. In several trout farms, characteristic farm-specific Y. ruckeri
      isolates from particular typing groups were isolated throughout the year, while
      in other farms, which had a trading relationship between each other, ERM
      outbreaks were caused by Y. ruckeri from the same typing group. Our data indicate
      that in some farms, the causative Y. ruckeri strains persisted in the respective
      trout farm. The presence of Y. ruckeri from the same typing group in farms with a
      trading relationship indicates a dissemination of the infection between the
      farms. 

PMID- 26503780
TI  - Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) outbreaks in Penaeus vannamei and
      P. monodon cultured in the Philippines.
AB  - Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) has recently emerged as a serious
      disease of cultured shrimp. It has also been described as early mortality
      syndrome (EMS) due to mass mortalities occurring within 20 to 30 d after stocking
      of ponds with postlarvae. Here, Penaeus vannamei and Penaeus monodon from shrimp
      farms in the Philippines were examined for the toxin-producing strain of Vibrio
      parahaemolyticus due to AHPND-like symptoms occurring in marketable size shrimp.
      In the P. vannamei, histology revealed typical AHPND pathology, such as sloughing
      of undifferentiated cells in the hepatopancreatic tubule epithelium. Analysis
      using the IQ2000 AHPND/EMS Toxin 1 PCR test generated 218 bp and 432 bp amplicons
      confirmative of the toxin-producing strain of V. parahaemolyticus among shrimp
      sampled from 8 of 9 ponds. In the P. monodon, histology revealed massive
      sloughing of undifferentiated cells of the hepatopancreatic tubule epithelium in
      the absence of basophilic bacterial cells. PCR testing generated the 2 amplicons
      confirmatory for AHPND among shrimp sampled from 5 of 7 ponds. This study
      confirms the presence of AHPND in P. vannamei and P. monodon farmed in the
      Philippines and suggests that the disease can also impact late-stage juvenile
      shrimp. 

PMID- 26503781
TI  - The Catalytic Activity of the Ubp3 Deubiquitinating Protease Is Required for
      Efficient Stress Granule Assembly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - The interior of the eukaryotic cell is a highly compartmentalized space
      containing both membrane-bound organelles and the recently identified
      nonmembranous ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules. This study examines in
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae the assembly of one conserved type of the latter
      compartment, known as the stress granule. Stress granules form in response to
      particular environmental cues and have been linked to a variety of human
      diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. To further our understanding
      of these structures, a candidate genetic screen was employed to identify
      regulators of stress granule assembly in quiescent cells. These studies
      identified a ubiquitin-specific protease, Ubp3, as having an essential role in
      the assembly of these RNP granules. This function was not shared by other members
      of the Ubp protease family and required Ubp3 catalytic activity as well as its
      interaction with the cofactor Bre5. Interestingly, the loss of stress granules
      was correlated with a decrease in the long-term survival of stationary-phase
      cells. This phenotype is similar to that observed in mutants defective for the
      formation of a related RNP complex, the Processing body. Altogether, these
      observations raise the interesting possibility of a general role for these types
      of cytoplasmic RNP granules in the survival of G0-like resting cells.

PMID- 26503782
TI  - Genome-Wide Organization of GATA1 and TAL1 Determined at High Resolution.
AB  - Erythroid development and differentiation from multiprogenitor cells into red
      blood cells requires precise transcriptional regulation. Key erythroid
      transcription factors, GATA1 and TAL1, cooperate, along with other proteins, to
      regulate many aspects of this process. How GATA1 and TAL1 are juxtaposed along
      the DNA and their cognate DNA binding site across the mouse genome remains
      unclear. We applied high-resolution ChIP-exo (chromatin immunoprecipitation
      followed by 5'-to-3' exonuclease treatment and then massively parallel DNA
      sequencing) to GATA1 and TAL1 to study their positional organization across the
      mouse genome during GATA1-dependent maturation. Two complementary methods,
      MultiGPS and peak pairing, were used to determine high-confidence binding
      locations by ChIP-exo. We identified ~10,000 GATA1 and ~15,000 TAL1 locations,
      which were essentially confirmed by ChIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation
      followed by massively parallel DNA sequencing). Of these, ~4,000 locations were
      bound by both GATA1 and TAL1. About three-quarters of them were tightly linked to
      a partial E-box located 7 or 8 bp upstream of a WGATAA motif. Both TAL1 and GATA1
      generated distinct characteristic ChIP-exo peaks around WGATAA motifs that
      reflect their positional arrangement within a complex. We show that TAL1 and
      GATA1 form a precisely organized complex at a compound motif consisting of a TG 7
      or 8 bp upstream of a WGATAA motif across thousands of genomic locations.

PMID- 26503783
TI  - Brown Adipose YY1 Deficiency Activates Expression of Secreted Proteins Linked to
      Energy Expenditure and Prevents Diet-Induced Obesity.
AB  - Mitochondrial oxidative and thermogenic functions in brown and beige adipose
      tissues modulate rates of energy expenditure. It is unclear, however, how beige
      or white adipose tissue contributes to brown fat thermogenic function or
      compensates for partial deficiencies in this tissue and protects against obesity.
      Here, we show that the transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) in brown adipose
      tissue activates the canonical thermogenic and uncoupling gene expression
      program. In contrast, YY1 represses a series of secreted proteins, including
      fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), bone morphogenetic protein 8b (BMP8b),
      growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), angiopoietin-like 6 (Angptl6),
      neuromedin B, and nesfatin, linked to energy expenditure. Despite substantial
      decreases in mitochondrial thermogenic proteins in brown fat, mice lacking YY1 in
      this tissue are strongly protected against diet-induced obesity and exhibit
      increased energy expenditure and oxygen consumption in beige and white fat
      depots. The increased expression of secreted proteins correlates with elevation
      of energy expenditure and promotion of beige and white fat activation. These
      results indicate that YY1 in brown adipose tissue controls antagonistic gene
      expression programs associated with energy balance and maintenance of body
      weight.

PMID- 26503784
TI  - The Insertion in Fingers Domain in Human Telomerase Can Mediate Enzyme
      Processivity and Telomerase Recruitment to Telomeres in a TPP1-Dependent Manner.
AB  - In most human cancer cells, cellular immortalization relies on the activation and
      recruitment of telomerase to telomeres. The telomere-binding protein TPP1 and the
      TEN domain of the telomerase catalytic subunit TERT regulate telomerase
      recruitment. TERT contains a unique domain, called the insertion in fingers
      domain (IFD), located within the conserved reverse transcriptase domain. We
      report the role of specific hTERT IFD residues in the regulation of telomerase
      activity and processivity, recruitment to telomeres, and cell survival. One hTERT
      IFD variant, hTERT-L805A, with reduced activity and processivity showed impaired
      telomere association, which could be partially rescued by overexpression of TPP1
      POT1. Another previously reported hTERT IFD mutant enzyme with similarly low
      levels of activity and processivity, hTERT-V791Y, displayed defects in telomere
      binding and was insensitive to TPP1-POT1 overexpression. Our results provide the
      first evidence that the IFD can mediate enzyme processivity and telomerase
      recruitment to telomeres in a TPP1-dependent manner. Moreover, unlike hTERT
      V791Y, hTERT-V763S, a variant with reduced activity but increased processivity,
      and hTERT-L805A, could both immortalize limited-life-span cells, but cells
      expressing these two mutant enzymes displayed growth defects, increased
      apoptosis, DNA damage at telomeres, and short telomeres. Our results highlight
      the importance of the IFD in maintaining short telomeres and in cell survival.

PMID- 26503785
TI  - A Positive Feedback Loop between Glial Cells Missing 1 and Human Chorionic
      Gonadotropin (hCG) Regulates Placental hCGbeta Expression and Cell
      Differentiation.
AB  - Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is composed of a common alpha subunit and a
      placenta-specific beta subunit. Importantly, hCG is highly expressed in the
      differentiated and multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast, which is formed via
      trophoblast cell fusion and stimulated by cyclic AMP (cAMP). Although the
      ubiquitous activating protein 2 (AP2) transcription factors TFAP2A and TFAP2C may
      regulate hCGbeta expression, it remains unclear how cAMP stimulates placenta
      specific hCGbeta gene expression and trophoblastic differentiation. Here we
      demonstrated that the placental transcription factor glial cells missing 1 (GCM1)
      binds to a highly conserved promoter region in all six hCGbeta paralogues by
      chromatin immunoprecipitation-on-chip (ChIP-chip) analyses. We further showed
      that cAMP stimulates GCM1 and the CBP coactivator to activate the hCGbeta
      promoter through a GCM1-binding site (GBS1), which also constitutes a previously
      identified AP2 site. Given that TFAP2C may compete with GCM1 for GBS1, cAMP
      enhances the association between the hCGbeta promoter and GCM1 but not TFAP2C.
      Indeed, the hCG-cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway also stimulates
      Ser269 and Ser275 phosphorylation of GCM1, which recruits CBP to mediate GCM1
      acetylation and stabilization. Consequently, hCG stimulates the expression of
      GCM1 target genes, including the fusogenic protein syncytin-1, to promote
      placental cell fusion. Our study reveals a positive feedback loop between GCM1
      and hCG regulating placental hCGbeta expression and cell differentiation.

PMID- 26503786
TI  - Recruitment of beta-Arrestin into Neuronal Cilia Modulates Somatostatin Receptor
      Subtype 3 Ciliary Localization.
AB  - Primary cilia are essential sensory and signaling organelles present on nearly
      every mammalian cell type. Defects in primary cilia underlie a class of human
      diseases collectively termed ciliopathies. Primary cilia are restricted
      subcellular compartments, and specialized mechanisms coordinate the localization
      of proteins to cilia. Moreover, trafficking of proteins into and out of cilia is
      required for proper ciliary function, and this process is disrupted in
      ciliopathies. The somatostatin receptor subtype 3 (Sstr3) is selectively targeted
      to primary cilia on neurons in the mammalian brain and is implicated in learning
      and memory. Here, we show that Sstr3 localization to cilia is dynamic and
      decreases in response to somatostatin treatment. We further show that
      somatostatin treatment stimulates beta-arrestin recruitment into Sstr3-positive
      cilia and this recruitment can be blocked by mutations in Sstr3 that impact
      agonist binding or phosphorylation. Importantly, somatostatin treatment fails to
      decrease Sstr3 ciliary localization in neurons lacking beta-arrestin 2. Together,
      our results implicate beta-arrestin in the modulation of Sstr3 ciliary
      localization and further suggest a role for beta-arrestin in the mediation of
      Sstr3 ciliary signaling.

PMID- 26503787
TI  - High Fractional Occupancy of a Tandem Maf Recognition Element and Its Role in
      Long-Range beta-Globin Gene Regulation.
AB  - Enhancers and promoters assemble protein complexes that ultimately regulate the
      recruitment and activity of RNA polymerases. Previous work has shown that at
      least some enhancers form stable protein complexes, leading to the formation of
      enhanceosomes. We analyzed protein-DNA interactions in the murine beta-globin
      gene locus using the methyltransferase accessibility protocol for individual
      templates (MAPit). The data show that a tandem Maf recognition element (MARE) in
      locus control region (LCR) hypersensitive site 2 (HS2) reveals a remarkably high
      degree of occupancy during differentiation of mouse erythroleukemia cells. Most
      of the other transcription factor binding sites in LCR HS2 or in the adult beta
      globin gene promoter regions exhibit low fractional occupancy, suggesting highly
      dynamic protein-DNA interactions. Targeting of an artificial zinc finger DNA
      binding domain (ZF-DBD) to the HS2 tandem MARE caused a reduction in the
      association of MARE-binding proteins and transcription complexes at LCR HS2 and
      the adult betamajor-globin gene promoter but did not affect expression of the
      betaminor-globin gene. The data demonstrate that a stable MARE-associated
      footprint in LCR HS2 is important for the recruitment of transcription complexes
      to the adult betamajor-globin gene promoter during erythroid cell
      differentiation. 

PMID- 26503788
TI  - Physical Connectivity Mapping by Circular Permutation of Human Telomerase RNA
      Reveals New Regions Critical for Activity and Processivity.
AB  - Telomerase is a specialized ribonucleoprotein complex that extends the 3' ends of
      chromosomes to counteract telomere shortening. However, increased telomerase
      activity is associated with ~90% of human cancers. The telomerase enzyme
      minimally requires an RNA (hTR) and a specialized reverse transcriptase protein
      (TERT) for activity in vitro. Understanding the structure-function relationships
      within hTR has important implications for human disease. For the first time, we
      have tested the physical-connectivity requirements in the 451-nucleotide hTR RNA
      using circular permutations, which reposition the 5' and 3' ends. Our extensive
      in vitro analysis identified three classes of hTR circular permutants with
      altered function. First, circularly permuting 3' of the template causes specific
      defects in repeat-addition processivity, revealing that the template recognition
      element found in ciliates is conserved in human telomerase RNA. Second, seven
      circular permutations residing within the catalytically important core and CR4/5
      domains completely abolish telomerase activity, unveiling mechanistically
      critical portions of these domains. Third, several circular permutations between
      the core and CR4/5 significantly increase telomerase activity. Our extensive
      circular permutation results provide insights into the architecture and
      coordination of human telomerase RNA and highlight where the RNA could be
      targeted for the development of antiaging and anticancer therapeutics. 

PMID- 26503789
TI  - Acute recreational drug and new psychoactive substance toxicity in Europe: 12
      months data collection from the European Drug Emergencies Network (Euro-DEN).
AB  - CONTEXT: Despite the potential for recreational drugs and new psychoactive
      substances (NPSs) to cause significant morbidity and mortality, there is limited
      collection of systematic data on acute drug/NPS toxicity in Europe. OBJECTIVE: To
      report data on acute drug/NPS toxicity collected by a network of sentinel centres
      across Europe with a specialist clinical and research interest in the acute
      toxicity of recreational drugs and NPS to address this knowledge gap. METHODS:
      Sixteen sentinel centres in 10 European countries (Denmark, Estonia, France,
      Germany, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and the UK) collected data
      on all acute drug toxicity presentations to their Emergency Rooms (ERs) for 12
      months (October 2013-September 2014); information on the drug(s) involved in the
      presentations was on the basis of patient self-reporting. RESULTS: Data were
      collected on a total of 5529 presentations involving 8709 drugs (median
      (interquartile range [IQR]): 1 (1-2) drugs per presentation), a median of 0.3% of
      all ER attendances. Classical recreational drugs were most common (64.6%)
      followed by prescription drugs (26.5%) and NPS (5.6%). The 'top five' drugs
      recorded were heroin (1345 reports), cocaine (957), cannabis (904), GHB/GBL (711)
      and amphetamine (593). 69.5% of individuals went to hospital by ambulance (peak
      time between 19:00 and 02:00 at weekends); the median (IQR) age was 31 (24-39)
      years and 75.4% were male. Although serious clinical features were not seen in
      most presentations and 56.9% were medically discharged from the ER (median length
      of stay: 4.6 hours), a significant number (26.5%) was agitated, in 10.5% the GCS
      was 8 or less and 35 presented in cardiac arrest. There were 27 fatalities with
      opioids implicated in 13. CONCLUSION: The Euro-DEN dataset provides a unique
      insight into the drugs involved in and clinical pattern of toxicity/outcome of
      acute recreational drug toxicity presentations to hospitals around Europe. This
      is complimentary to other indicators of drug-related harm and helps to build a
      fuller picture of the public health implications of drug use in Europe.

PMID- 26503790
TI  - Abuse, misuse, and suicidal substance use by children on school property.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to characterize the epidemiological
      trends associated with substances used in intentional exposures among children
      while on school property reported to the U.S. National Poison Data System (NPDS).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: NPDS was queried for intentional (abuse, misuse, suspected
      suicide, and unknown intentional) exposures reported to occur on school property
      between calendar years 2004 and 2013. Records were restricted to children 6-18
      years of age. Demographic, exposure, and clinical characteristics were assessed.
      RESULTS: A total of 56,882 substances were intentionally used on school property
      by 50,379 children, of which 39.8% were females (n = 20,070), 57.7% were males (n
      = 29,084), and 2.4% were unknown gender (n = 1,225). The most frequent
      pharmaceutical exposures reported included sedatives (n = 4,096; 8.1%),
      analgesics (n = 4,022; 8.0%), and cough and cold preparations (n = 3,529; 7.0%).
      The majority of exposures were managed on site (n = 21,464; 42.6%), followed by
      care at a healthcare facility (n = 20,048; 39.7%). Serious outcomes (moderate or
      major effects and death) accounted for nine percent of all reported exposures.
      Compared to reference groups, female gender, teenagers 17-18 years, and
      pharmaceutical substances (Prevalence Ratios = 4.6, 9.4, and 9.9, respectively)
      were associated with suspected suicides when compared with other intentional
      exposures. CONCLUSIONS: Along with other national data about behaviors in the
      adolescent and teenage population, additional trends in risky behavior may be
      gleaned by surveillance through poison centers. With over 5,000 annual reports to
      the poison centers about intentional exposures on school property, school
      personnel and parents/guardians must be vigilant about the range of
      pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical substances that are used for abuse, misuse,
      or suicide.

PMID- 26503791
TI  - Reply to Isbister and Page: Further discussion of an illuminated case of presumed
      brown snake (Pseudonaja spp.) envenoming.

PMID- 26503792
TI  - Biotransformation of Furanic and Phenolic Compounds with Hydrogen Gas Production
      in a Microbial Electrolysis Cell.
AB  - Furanic and phenolic compounds are problematic byproducts resulting from the
      breakdown of lignocellulosic biomass during biofuel production. The capacity of a
      microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) to produce hydrogen gas (H2) using a mixture of
      two furanic (furfural, FF; 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, HMF) and three phenolic
      (syringic acid, SA; vanillic acid, VA; and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, HBA) compounds
      as the substrate in the bioanode was assessed. The rate and extent of
      biotransformation of the five compounds and efficiency of H2 production, as well
      as the structure of the anode microbial community, were investigated. The five
      compounds were completely transformed within 7-day batch runs and their
      biotransformation rate increased with increasing initial concentration. At an
      initial concentration of 1200 mg/L (8.7 mM) of the mixture of the five compounds,
      their biotransformation rate ranged from 0.85 to 2.34 mM/d. The anode Coulombic
      efficiency was 44-69%, which is comparable to that of wastewater-fed MECs. The H2
      yield varied from 0.26 to 0.42 g H2-COD/g COD removed in the anode, and the
      bioanode volume-normalized H2 production rate was 0.07-0.1 L/L-d. The
      biotransformation of the five compounds took place via fermentation followed by
      exoelectrogenesis. The major identified fermentation products that did not
      transform further were catechol and phenol. Acetate was the direct substrate for
      exoelectrogenesis. Current and H2 production were inhibited at an initial
      substrate concentration of 1200 mg/L, resulting in acetate accumulation at a much
      higher level than that measured in other batch runs conducted with a lower
      initial concentration of the five compounds. The anode microbial community
      consisted of exoelectrogens, putative degraders of the five compounds, and
      syntrophic partners of exoelectrogens. The MEC H2 production demonstrated in this
      study is an alternative to the currently used process of reforming natural gas to
      supply H2 needed to upgrade bio-oils to stable hydrocarbon fuels. 

PMID- 26503793
TI  - Miravirsen dosing in chronic hepatitis C patients results in decreased microRNA
      122 levels without affecting other microRNAs in plasma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MicroRNA-122 (miR-122) is an important host factor for hepatitis C
      virus replication. Administration of miravirsen, an anti-miR-122 oligonucleotide,
      resulted in a dose dependent and prolonged decrease in HCV RNA levels in chronic
      hepatitis C patients. AIM: To assess the plasma level of various miRNAs in
      patients dosed with miravirsen. METHODS: We included 16 of 36 chronic hepatitis C
      patients who received five injections of either 3 mg/kg (n = 4), 5 mg/kg (n = 4),
      7 mg/kg (n = 4) miravirsen or placebo (n = 4) over a 4-week period in a double
      blind, randomised phase 2a study. Plasma levels of 179 miRNAs were determined by
      qPCR and compared between patients dosed with miravirsen or placebo. RESULTS:
      Median plasma miR-122 level at baseline in patients receiving miravirsen was 3.9
      * 10(3) compared to 1.3 * 10(4) copies/4 MUL in placebo-dosed patients (P =
      0.68). At week 1, 4, 6 and 10/12, patients dosed with miravirsen had respectively
      a median 72-fold, 174-fold, 1109-fold and 552-fold lower expression of miR-122
      than at baseline (P = 0.001, as compared to patients receiving placebo). At week
      4 of dosing, miRNA-profiling demonstrated a significant lower expression of miR
      210 and miR-532-5p compared to baseline (3.0 and 4.7-fold lower respectively).
      However, subsequent longitudinal analysis showed no significant differences in
      miR-210 and miR-532-5p plasma levels throughout the study period. CONCLUSIONS: We
      demonstrated a substantial and prolonged decrease in plasma miR-122 levels in
      patients dosed with miravirsen. Plasma levels of other miRNAs were not
      significantly affected by antagonising miR-122.

PMID- 26503794
TI  - Technology: Dropping in on single-cell epigenetic profiles.

PMID- 26503797
TI  - Functional genomics: The genetic essence of human cells.

PMID- 26503796
TI  - Protective alleles and modifier variants in human health and disease.
AB  - The combination of next-generation sequencing technologies and high-throughput
      genotyping platforms has revolutionized the pursuit of genetic variants that
      contribute towards disease. Furthermore, these technologies have provided
      invaluable insight into the genetic factors that prevent individuals from
      developing disease. Exploiting the evolutionary mechanisms that were designed by
      nature to help prevent disease is an attractive line of enquiry. Such efforts
      have the potential to generate a therapeutic target roadmap and rejuvenate the
      current drug-discovery pathway. By delineating the genomic factors that are
      protective against disease, there is potential to derive highly effective,
      genomically anchored medicines that assist in maintaining health. 

PMID- 26503798
TI  - Evolution: Mix and re-match.

PMID- 26503799
TI  - Small-Sized Tungsten Nitride Particles Strongly Anchored on Carbon Nanotubes and
      their Use as Supports for Pt for Methanol Electro-oxidation.
AB  - The anchoring of small-sized WN (tungsten nitride) nanoparticles (NPs) with good
      dispersion on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) offers an effective means of obtaining
      promising materials for use in electrocatalysis. Herein, an effective method
      based on grinding treatment followed by a nitridation process is proposed to
      realize this goal. In the synthesis, a solution containing H4 [SiO4 (W3 O9 )4 ]
      (SiW12 ) and CNTs modified with polyethylenimine (PEI-CNTs) was ground to
      dryness. Small-sized WN NPs were anchored onto the CNTs with good dispersion
      after calcination under NH3 . Under hydrothermal assembly conditions (absence of
      grinding), WN particles of larger size and with inferior dispersion were
      obtained, demonstrating the important role of the grinding process. The benefit
      of the small-sized WN has been demonstrated by using WN/CNTs as a support for Pt
      to catalyze the methanol electro-oxidation reaction. The mass activity of Pt
      WN/CNTs-G-70 (where G denotes the grinding treatment, and 70 is the loading
      amount (%) of WN in the WN/CNTs) was evaluated as about 817 mA mg(-1) Pt , better
      that those of commercial Pt/C (340 mA mg(-1) Pt ) and Pt/CNTs (162 mA mg(-1) Pt
      ). The Pt-WN/CNTs-G also displayed good CO tolerance. In contrast, Pt-WN/CNTs
      prepared without the grinding process displayed an activity of 344 mA mg(-1) Pt ,
      verifying the key role of grinding treatment in the preparation of WN/CNTs with
      good co-catalytic effect. 

PMID- 26503795
TI  - Genetic studies in intellectual disability and related disorders.
AB  - Genetic factors play a major part in intellectual disability (ID), but genetic
      studies have been complicated for a long time by the extreme clinical and genetic
      heterogeneity. Recently, progress has been made using different next-generation
      sequencing approaches in combination with new functional readout systems. This
      approach has provided novel insights into the biological pathways underlying ID,
      improved the diagnostic process and offered new targets for therapy. In this
      Review, we highlight the insights obtained from recent studies on the role of
      genetics in ID and its impact on diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. We also
      discuss the future directions of genetics research for ID and related
      neurodevelopmental disorders. 

PMID- 26503800
TI  - Survival probabilities with time-dependent treatment indicator: quantities and
      non-parametric estimators.
AB  - The 'landmark' and 'Simon and Makuch' non-parametric estimators of the survival
      function are commonly used to contrast the survival experience of time-dependent
      treatment groups in applications such as stem cell transplant versus chemotherapy
      in leukemia. However, the theoretical survival functions corresponding to the
      second approach were not clearly defined in the literature, and the use of the
      'Simon and Makuch' estimator was criticized in the biostatistical community.
      Here, we review the 'landmark' approach, showing that it focuses on the average
      survival of patients conditional on being failure free and on the treatment
      status assessed at the landmark time. We argue that the 'Simon and Makuch'
      approach represents counterfactual survival probabilities where treatment status
      is forced to be fixed: the patient is thought as under chemotherapy without
      possibility to switch treatment or as under transplant since the beginning of the
      follow-up. We argue that the 'Simon and Makuch' estimator leads to valid
      estimates only under the Markov assumption, which is however less likely to occur
      in practical applications. This motivates the development of a novel approach
      based on time rescaling, which leads to suitable estimates of the counterfactual
      probabilities in a semi-Markov process. The method is also extended to deal with
      a fixed landmark time of interest.

PMID- 26503801
TI  - Ocean acidification increases the accumulation of toxic phenolic compounds across
      trophic levels.
AB  - Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations are causing ocean acidification (OA),
      altering carbonate chemistry with consequences for marine organisms. Here we show
      that OA increases by 46-212% the production of phenolic compounds in
      phytoplankton grown under the elevated CO2 concentrations projected for the end
      of this century, compared with the ambient CO2 level. At the same time,
      mitochondrial respiration rate is enhanced under elevated CO2 concentrations by
      130-160% in a single species or mixed phytoplankton assemblage. When fed with
      phytoplankton cells grown under OA, zooplankton assemblages have significantly
      higher phenolic compound content, by about 28-48%. The functional consequences of
      the increased accumulation of toxic phenolic compounds in primary and secondary
      producers have the potential to have profound consequences for marine ecosystem
      and seafood quality, with the possibility that fishery industries could be
      influenced as a result of progressive ocean changes. 

PMID- 26503802
TI  - Body Fluid Interferon-gamma Release Assay for Diagnosis of Extrapulmonary
      Tuberculosis in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - The diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) is difficult. In recent
      years, T-cell interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) are widely used in
      diagnosing tuberculosis. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the
      diagnostic accuracy of body fluid IGRAs in diagnosing EPTB. The PubMed, EMBASE,
      Web of Science, and Cochrane bibliographies were searched for English language
      articles. 22 studies met the inclusion criteria. The pooled sensitivity and
      specificity of body fluid IGRAs for diagnosing EPTB were 0.87 [95% confidence
      interval (CI): 0.83-0.92] and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.79-0.90), respectively. For the
      fluid T-SPOT.TB, the pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.92 (95% CI: 0.88
      0.95) and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.78-0.91), respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR)
      of the fluid T-SPOT.TB was 46.99 (95% CI: 13.69-161.28) for tuberculosis
      pleurisy, 26.46 (95% CI: 11.38-61.56) for tuberculosis peritonitis, and 97.86
      (95% CI: 25.31-378.45) for tuberculosis meningitis. The application of T-SPOT. TB
      in the diagnosis of EPTB performed better in the body fluid than in the blood.
      The diagnostic values of the fluid T-SPOT.TB varied for different fluid
      categories. However, the utility of T-SPOT.TB was limited due to its suboptimal
      accuracy and higher cost compared with conventional tests. 

PMID- 26503804
TI  - Enhancement of the blue photoluminescence intensity for the porous silicon with
      HfO2 filling into microcavities.
AB  - With HfO2 filled into the microcavities of the porous single-crystal silicon, the
      blue photoluminescence was greatly enhanced at room temperature. On one hand,
      HfO2 contributes to the light emission with the transitions of the defect levels
      for oxygen vacancy. On the other hand, the special filling-into-microcavities
      structure of HfO2 leads to the presence of ferroelectricity, which greatly
      enhances the blue emission from porous silicon. Since both HfO2 and Si are highly
      compatible with Si-based electronic industry, combined the low-cost and
      convenient process, the HfO2-filled porous Si shows a promising application
      prospect. 

PMID- 26503803
TI  - Secreted Factors from Colorectal and Prostate Cancer Cells Skew the Immune
      Response in Opposite Directions.
AB  - Macrophage infiltration has been associated with an improved prognosis in
      patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), but a poor prognosis in prostate cancer
      (PC) patients. In this study, the distribution and prognostic value of
      proinflammatory M1 macrophages (NOS2(+)) and immunosuppressive M2 macrophages
      (CD163(+)) was evaluated in a cohort of 234 PC patients. We found that
      macrophages infiltrating PC were mainly of an M2 type and correlated with a more
      aggressive tumor and poor patient prognosis. Furthermore, the M1/M2 ratio was
      significantly decreased in PC compared to CRC. Using in vitro cell culture
      experiments, we could show that factors secreted from CRC and PC cells induced
      macrophages of a proinflammatory or immunosuppressive phenotype, respectively.
      These macrophages differentially affected autologous T lymphocyte proliferation
      and activation. Consistent with this, CRC specimens were found to have higher
      degrees of infiltrating T-helper 1 cells and active cytotoxic T lymphocytes,
      while PC specimens displayed functionally inactive T cells. In conclusion, our
      results imply that tumour-secreted factors from cancers of different origin can
      drive macrophage differentiation in opposite directions and thereby regulate the
      organization of the anti-tumour immune response. Our findings suggest that
      reprogramming of macrophages could be an important tool in the development of new
      immunotherapeutic strategies. 

PMID- 26503805
TI  - Pediatric Ependymoma.
AB  - Over the past 150 years since Virchow's initial characterization of ependymoma,
      incredible efforts have been made in the classification of these tumors and in
      the care of pediatric patients with this disease. While the advent of modern
      neurosurgery and the optimization of radiation have provided significant gains, a
      more complex but incomplete picture of pediatric ependymomas has begun to form
      through a combination of international collaborations and detailed genetic and
      histologic characterizations. This review includes and synthesizes the clinical
      understanding of pediatric ependymoma and their developing molecular insight into
      what is truly a family of malignancies in which distinct members require
      different surgical approaches, radiation plans, and targeted therapies.

PMID- 26503806
TI  - Real-life assessment of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) toxicity in Head
      and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) treatment.
AB  - CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates the feasibility of VMAT in association
      with platin or cetuximab in HNSCC and reports VMAT-related acute and late
      toxicities for the first time. OBJECTIVES: New radiotherapy techniques, such as
      Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) were developed to lower RT-related
      toxicity. The aim of the present study was to investigate acute and late
      toxicities of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients treated
      using VMAT. METHODS: This study investigated retrospectively all patients with
      HNSCC who received VMAT in curative intent. RESULTS: From 2010-2013, 150 patients
      were treated. Seventy-five patients (50%) received concurrent chemotherapy with
      VMAT, 51 patients (34%) received VMAT alone and 24 patients (16%) received
      concurrent cetuximab with VMAT. Mean delivered dose to planning target volume
      tumor (PTV T), high risk nodes (PTV HNR), low risk nodes (PTV LNR) and
      prophylactic nodes (PTV PN) were: 65.2 Gy, 62.9 Gy, 55.4 Gy, and 51.5 Gy,
      respectively. PTV mean coverages were higher than 96.5%. Most common grade 3/4
      acute infield toxicities were mucosis (n = 28, 19%), dysphagia (n = 24, 16%), and
      dermatitis (n = 24, 16%). With a median follow-up of 16.0 months, most common
      late toxicities were dysphagia (n = 30, 20%), xerostomia (n = 28, 19%), larynx
      stiff (n = 17, 11%), and skin fibrosis (n = 14, 9%).

PMID- 26503807
TI  - Reactivity in the periphery of functionalised multiple bonds of heavier group 14
      elements.
AB  - Heavier group 14 multiple bonds have intrigued chemists since more than a
      century. The synthesis of stable compounds with double and triple bonds with
      silicon, germanium, tin and lead had considerable impact on modern ideas of
      chemical bonding. These developments were made possible by the use of bulky
      substituents that provide kinetic and thermodynamic protection. Since about a
      decade the compatibility of heavier multiple bonds with various functional groups
      has moved into focus. This review covers multiply bonded group 14 species with at
      least one additional reactive site. The vinylic functionalities of groups 1 and
      17, resulting in nucleophilic and electrophilic disila vinyl groups,
      respectively, are the most prevalent and well-studied. They have been employed
      repeatedly for the transfer of heavier multiple bonds to yield low-valent group
      14 compounds with novel structural motifs. Vinylic functionalities of groups 2 to
      16 and a few sigma-bonded transition metal complexes are experimentally known,
      but their reactivity has been studied to a lesser extent. Donor-coordinated
      multiple bonds are a relatively new field of research, but the large degree of
      unsaturation as isomers of alkynes (as well as residual functionality in some
      cases) offers considerable possibility for further manipulation, e.g. for the
      incorporation into more extended systems. Heavier allyl halides constitute the
      major part of heavier multiple bonds with a functional group in allylic position
      and some examples of successful transformations are given. At present, remote
      functionalities are basically limited to para-phenylene functionalised disilenes.
      The reported use of the latter for further derivatisation might encourage
      investigations in this direction. In summary, the study of peripherally
      functionalised multiple bonds with heavier group 14 elements is already well
      beyond its infancy and may be an instrumental factor in awakening the potential
      of group 14 chemistry for applications in polymers and other materials. 

PMID- 26503809
TI  - Positive impact of ABCB1 polymorphisms in overall survival and complete remission
      in acute myeloid leukemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PMID- 26503808
TI  - Amino acid positions subject to multiple coevolutionary constraints can be
      robustly identified by their eigenvector network centrality scores.
AB  - As proteins evolve, amino acid positions key to protein structure or function are
      subject to mutational constraints. These positions can be detected by analyzing
      sequence families for amino acid conservation or for coevolution between pairs of
      positions. Coevolutionary scores are usually rank-ordered and thresholded to
      reveal the top pairwise scores, but they also can be treated as weighted
      networks. Here, we used network analyses to bypass a major complication of
      coevolution studies: For a given sequence alignment, alternative algorithms
      usually identify different, top pairwise scores. We reconciled results from five
      commonly-used, mathematically divergent algorithms (ELSC, McBASC, OMES, SCA, and
      ZNMI), using the LacI/GalR and 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase protein families as
      models. Calculations used unthresholded coevolution scores from which column
      specific properties such as sequence entropy and random noise were subtracted;
      "central" positions were identified by calculating various network centrality
      scores. When compared among algorithms, network centrality methods, particularly
      eigenvector centrality, showed markedly better agreement than comparisons of the
      top pairwise scores. Positions with large centrality scores occurred at key
      structural locations and/or were functionally sensitive to mutations. Further,
      the top central positions often differed from those with top pairwise coevolution
      scores: instead of a few strong scores, central positions often had multiple,
      moderate scores. We conclude that eigenvector centrality calculations reveal a
      robust evolutionary pattern of constraints-detectable by divergent algorithms-
      that occur at key protein locations. Finally, we discuss the fact that multiple
      patterns coexist in evolutionary data that, together, give rise to emergent
      protein functions.

PMID- 26503810
TI  - NAT2 gene diversity and its evolutionary trajectory in the Americas.
AB  - N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) is responsible for metabolizing xenobiotics; NAT2
      polymorphisms lead to three phenotypes: rapid, intermediate and slow acetylators.
      We aimed to investigate NAT2 diversity in Native Americans. NAT2 exon 2 was
      sequenced for 286 individuals from 21 populations (Native American and American
      Mestizos). Excluding the basal/rapid haplotype NAT2*4, the most frequent
      haplotypes are NAT2*5B (35.95%) in hunter-gatherers and NAT2*7B (20.61%) and
      NAT2*5B (19.08%) in agriculturalists that were related to the slow phenotype. A
      new haplotype was identified in two Amerindians. Data from the ~44 kb region
      surrounding NAT2 in 819 individuals from Africa, East-Asia, Europe and America
      were used in additional analyses. No significant differences in the acetylator
      NAT2 haplotype and phenotype distributions were found between Native American
      populations practicing farming and/or herding and those practicing hunting and
      gathering, probably because of the absence or weakness of selection pressures and
      presence of demographic and random processes preventing detection of any
      selection signal.

PMID- 26503811
TI  - Effect of summer daylight exposure and genetic background on growth in growth
      hormone-deficient children.
AB  - The response to growth hormone in humans is dependent on phenotypic, genetic and
      environmental factors. The present study in children with growth hormone
      deficiency (GHD) collected worldwide characterised gene-environment interactions
      on growth response to recombinant human growth hormone (r-hGH). Growth responses
      in children are linked to latitude, and we found that a correlate of latitude,
      summer daylight exposure (SDE), was a key environmental factor related to growth
      response to r-hGH. In turn growth response was determined by an interaction
      between both SDE and genes known to affect growth response to r-hGH. In addition,
      analysis of associated networks of gene expression implicated a role for
      circadian clock pathways and specifically the developmental transcription factor
      NANOG. This work provides the first observation of gene-environment interactions
      in children treated with r-hGH.

PMID- 26503812
TI  - Predictive markers in elderly patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast
      cancer treated with aromatase inhibitors: an array-based pharmacogenetic study.
AB  - So far, no reliable predictive clinicopathological markers of response to
      aromatase inhibitors (AIs) have been identified, and little is known regarding
      the role played by host genetics. To identify constitutive predictive markers, an
      array-based association study was performed in a cohort of 55 elderly hormone
      dependent breast cancer (BC) patients treated with third-generation AIs. The
      array used in this study interrogates variants in 225 drug metabolism and
      disposition genes with documented functional significance. Six variants emerged
      as associated with response to AIs: three located in ABCG1, UGT2A1, SLCO3A1 with
      a good response, two in SLCO3A1 and one in ABCC4 with a poor response. Variants
      in the AI target CYP19A1 resulted associated with a favourable response only as
      haplotype; haplotypes with increased response association were also detected for
      ABCG1 and SLCO3A1. These results highlight the relevance of host genetics in the
      response to AIs and represent a first step toward precision medicine for elderly
      BC patients.

PMID- 26503813
TI  - NUDT15 gene polymorphism related to mercaptopurine intolerance in Taiwan Chinese
      children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - A recent study identified a variant of the NUDT15 gene (rs116855232 C>T)
      associated with intolerance to thiopurine in Korean patients with Crohn's
      disease. This study prompted us to substantiate the finding in a Taiwanese
      population. Four hundred and four children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
      (ALL), and 100 adults with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura or localized
      lymphoma having normal bone marrow were examined. Two candidate gene approaches,
      pyrosequencing for NUDT15 and TaqMan assay for thiopurine methyltransferase
      (TPMT) genotyping (rs1142345 A>G), were performed. We showed a risk allele
      frequency of NUDT15 of 11.6% in children with ALL and 15.5% in adults. By
      contrast, the risk allele frequency of TPMT was only 1.6% in children with ALL
      and 0.5% in adults. The high frequency of risk variant for NUDT15, but not the
      very low frequency of risk variant for TPMT, was closely associated with the
      intolerance to mercaptopurine in children with ALL in Taiwan, contrast to that of
      European descent. In regard to NUDT15 polymorphism, the maximal tolerable daily
      doses of mercaptopurine in homozygotes, heterozygotes and wild-type groups were
      9.4 mg m-2, 30.7 mg m-2 and 44.1 mg m-2, respectively. The outcomes did not
      differ significantly among the different genotypes.

PMID- 26503815
TI  - Pharmacogenetic comparison of CYP2D6 predictive and measured phenotypes in a
      South African cohort.
AB  - The relationship between genetic variation in CYP2D6 and variable drug response
      represents a potentially powerful pharmacogenetic tool. However, little is known
      regarding this relationship in the genetically diverse South African population.
      The aim was therefore to evaluate the relationship between predicted and measured
      CYP2D6 phenotype. An XL-PCR+Sequencing approach was used to determine CYP2D6
      genotype in 100 healthy volunteers and phenotype was predicted using activity
      scores. With dextromethorphan as the probe drug, metabolic ratios served as a
      surrogate measure of in vivo CYP2D6 activity. Three-hour plasma metabolic ratios
      of dextrorphan/dextromethorphan were measured simultaneously using semi-automated
      online solid phase extraction coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Partial
      adaptation of the activity score system demonstrated a strong association between
      genotype and phenotype, as illustrated by a kappa value of 0.792, inter-rater
      discrepancy of 0.051 and sensitivity of 72.7%. Predicted phenotype frequencies
      using the modified activity score were 1.3% for poor metabolisers (PM), 7.6% for
      intermediate metabolisers (IM) and 87.3% for extensive metabolisers (EM).
      Measured phenotype frequencies were 1.3% for PM, 13.9% for IM and 84.8% for EM.
      Comprehensive CYP2D6 genotyping reliably predicts CYP2D6 activity in this South
      African cohort and can be utilised as a valuable pharmacogenetic tool.

PMID- 26503816
TI  - Computational discovery of transcription factors associated with drug response.
AB  - This study integrates gene expression, genotype and drug response data in
      lymphoblastoid cell lines with transcription factor (TF)-binding sites from
      ENCODE (Encyclopedia of Genomic Elements) in a novel methodology that elucidates
      regulatory contexts associated with cytotoxicity. The method, GENMi (Gene
      Expression iN the Middle), postulates that single-nucleotide polymorphisms within
      TF-binding sites putatively modulate its regulatory activity, and the resulting
      variation in gene expression leads to variation in drug response. Analysis of 161
      TFs and 24 treatments revealed 334 significantly associated TF-treatment pairs.
      Investigation of 20 selected pairs yielded literature support for 13 of these
      associations, often from studies where perturbation of the TF expression changes
      drug response. Experimental validation of significant GENMi associations in
      taxanes and anthracyclines across two triple-negative breast cancer cell lines
      corroborates our findings. The method is shown to be more sensitive than an
      alternative, genome-wide association study-based approach that does not use gene
      expression. These results demonstrate the utility of GENMi in identifying TFs
      that influence drug response and provide a number of candidates for further
      testing.

PMID- 26503817
TI  - Gene copy number variation analysis reveals dosage-insensitive expression of
      CYP2E1.
AB  - Gene copy number variants (CNVs) of CYP2E1 have been described but not
      functionally characterized. Here we investigated effects of CNVs on hepatic and
      lymphoblastoid CYP2E1 expression. Using available single-nuleotide polymorphism
      microarray data and quantitative PCR, CYP2E1 gene duplication and deletion
      carriers were identified. CYP2E1 mRNA, protein and enzyme activity (chlorzoxazone
      6-hydroxylation) phenotypes of CYP2E1 were not associated with gene copy number.
      Analysis of gene expression in lymphoblastoid cell lines in relation to CNV
      confirmed this finding in an extrahepatic tissue and for other ethnicities.
      Further analyses identified a linked haplotype cluster with possible influence on
      gene expression. In summary, our data suggest a homeostatic, gene dosage
      insensitive regulation of CYP2E1 expression by unknown gene dosage compensation
      mechanisms. This is in striking contrast to well-known structural variations of
      CYP2A6 and CYP2D6 that have a strong impact on expression and activity. These
      findings are important in the context of pharmacogenetic prediction.

PMID- 26503814
TI  - A genome-wide analysis of the response to inhaled beta2-agonists in chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease.
AB  - Short-acting beta2-agonist bronchodilators are the most common medications used
      in treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Genetic variants
      determining bronchodilator responsiveness (BDR) in COPD have not been identified.
      We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of BDR in 5789 current or
      former smokers with COPD in one African-American and four white populations. BDR
      was defined as the quantitative spirometric response to inhaled beta2-agonists.
      We combined results in a meta-analysis. In the meta-analysis, single-nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes KCNK1 (P=2.02 * 10(-7)) and KCNJ2 (P=1.79 * 10(
      7)) were the top associations with BDR. Among African Americans, SNPs in CDH13
      were significantly associated with BDR (P=5.1 * 10(-9)). A nominal association
      with CDH13 was identified in a gene-based analysis in all subjects. We identified
      suggestive association with BDR among COPD subjects for variants near two
      potassium channel genes (KCNK1 and KCNJ2). SNPs in CDH13 were significantly
      associated with BDR in African Americans.The Pharmacogenomics Journal advance
      online publication, 27 October 2015; doi:10.1038/tpj.2015.65.

PMID- 26503818
TI  - Complement 3 and metabolic syndrome induced by clozapine: a cross-sectional study
      and retrospective cohort analysis.
AB  - Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is considered to be an adverse effect of long-term
      treatment with atypical antipsychotics, particularly clozapine. There is strong
      evidence that the activation of inflammatory pathways interferes with normal
      metabolism and contributes to the development of MetS. C3, which is an
      inflammation molecule, has been reported to be associated with MetS. Because C3
      is a heritable trait, we accordingly hypothesized that the gene encoding C3 (C3)
      would be a candidate gene for inter-individual variation in clozapine-induced
      MetS. We recruited 576 schizophrenia patients taking clozapine and measured the
      serum levels of fasting metabolic parameters. We then examined C3 mRNA and
      genotyped seven polymorphisms in C3. The expression quantitative trait locus
      (eQTL) data available for tissues were extracted by the Genotype-Tissue
      Expression Portal. A total of 105 patients' medical records were retrospectively
      reviewed to obtain the metabolic parameters during the initial 2-year clozapine
      treatment. The relative expression levels of C3 mRNA in patients with MetS were
      significantly higher than in those without MetS (P=0.02). C3 single-nucleotide
      polymorphism (SNP) rs2277984 was marginally associated with MetS (allelic P=0.06,
      odds ratio=1.36, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-1.72). We found a significant
      association of rs2277984 with fasting triglyceride (TG) levels (P=0.004).
      Further, eQTL analysis revealed that rs2277984 regulates C3 expression in the
      liver (P=0.002). Similar results were found in the retrospective cohort analysis.
      The receiver operating characteristic curve showed a significant effect of the
      rs2277984 G allele on the percentage change of TG levels, with an area under the
      curve of 0.71 (95% CI: 0.60-0.81). C3 is likely to enhance TG accumulation and to
      confer susceptibility to clozapine-induced MetS. The C3 SNP rs2277984 may be a
      potential biomarker for predicting MetS risk in patients receiving clozapine
      treatment.

PMID- 26503819
TI  - Estrogen receptor-beta genetic variations and overall survival in patients with
      locally advanced gastric cancer.
AB  - Estrogen has been shown not only to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer but
      also gastric cancer (GC). Polymorphisms in estrogen receptor beta gene, ESR2,
      correlate with colorectal cancer survival. To better understand the role of ESR2
      in GC, genomic DNA extracted from 169 Japanese patients and 172 patients from Los
      Angeles County (LAC) was analyzed for association of overall survival (OS) with
      three ESR2 polymorphisms, which are of biological significance using
      multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression. ESR2 rs1271572 (C>A) and
      rs3020443 (T>G) had univariate and multivariable associations with OS in the
      Japanese cohort, whereas the C allele of ESR2 rs2978381 (T>C) predicted favorable
      OS in the Japanese cohort but worse OS in the LAC cohort. The interaction term of
      the ESR2 rs2978381 and cohort group reached statistical significance. Our study
      provides evidence that genetic variations in ESR2 gene are significantly
      associated with survival in patients with locally advanced GC.

PMID- 26503821
TI  - Latticed pentamode acoustic cloak.
AB  - We report in this work a practical design of pentamode acoustic cloak with
      microstructure. The proposed cloak is assembled by pentamode lattice made of a
      single-phase solid material. The function of rerouting acoustic wave round an
      obstacle has been demonstrated numerically. It is also revealed that shear
      related resonance due to weak shear resistance in practical pentamode lattices
      punctures broadband feature predicted based on ideal pentamode cloak. As a
      consequence, the latticed pentamode cloak can only conceal the obstacle in
      segmented frequency ranges. We have also shown that the shear resonance can be
      largely reduced by introducing material damping, and an improved broadband
      performance can be achieved. These works pave the way for experimental
      demonstration of pentamode acoustic cloak. 

PMID- 26503822
TI  - Predictive validity of the body adiposity index in costa rican students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To verify the validity of the body adiposity index (BAI) in a sample
      of Costa Rican students. METHODS: Volunteers were 93 females (mean age = 18.6 +/-
      2.4 years) and 106 males (mean age = 19.2 +/- 2.8 years). Dual-energy X-ray
      absorptiometry (DXA) was used as the "gold standard" to determine body fat
      percentage (BF%). Pearson's correlation coefficient and paired samples t-test
      studied the association and mean differences between BAI and DXA BF%. Concordance
      between BAI and DXA BF% was determined by the Lin's concordance correlation
      coefficient and the Bland-Altman agreement analysis. RESULTS: Significant
      correlations between BAI and DXA BF% were found for females (r = 0.74) and males
      (r = 0.53) (P < 0.001). Differences between methods were found for females (BAI =
      29.3 +/- 4.1% vs. DXA = 36.5 +/- 7.9%) and males (BAI = 24.8 +/- 3.7% vs. DXA =
      21.9 +/- 8.6%; P < 0.001). Concordance was poor in females and males. Bland
      Altman plots showed BAI underestimating and overestimating BF% in relation to the
      "gold standard" in females and males, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: BAI presented
      low agreement with BF% measured by DXA; therefore, BAI is not recommended for BF%
      prediction in this Central American sample studied. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:394-397,
      2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26503823
TI  - Optineurin mutations in patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in
      China.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency of optineurin (OPTN)
      mutation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients from mainland China, as
      well as to characterize the relationship between OPTN mutation and clinical
      phenotypes. We examined the coding region of OPTN in 511 unrelated Chinese
      sporadic ALS (SALS) subjects and 204 healthy controls using a PCR direct
      sequencing strategy. Nine OPTN variants were identified, of which four were novel
      missense mutations: c.407C > T (p.A136V), c.1184A > G (p.K395R), c.1352T > C
      (p.I451T), and c.1546G > C (p.E516Q) (all heterozygous). The remaining five
      variants were already present in single nucleotide polymorphism databases.
      Patients with OPTN mutations were characterized by spinal onset, although they
      showed differences in disease progression. In conclusion, this study provides a
      genetic epidemiological characterization of OPTN mutations in Chinese patients,
      and our results are consistent with the proposition that such mutations are
      common in Asian populations. 

PMID- 26503820
TI  - Interethnic variation of CYP2C19 alleles, 'predicted' phenotypes and 'measured'
      metabolic phenotypes across world populations.
AB  - The present study evaluates the worldwide frequency distribution of CYP2C19
      alleles and CYP2C19 metabolic phenotypes ('predicted' from genotypes and
      'measured' with a probe drug) among healthy volunteers from different ethnic
      groups and geographic regions, as well as the relationship between the
      'predicted' and 'measured' CYP2C19 metabolic phenotypes. A total of 52 181
      healthy volunteers were studied within 138 selected original research papers.
      CYP2C19*17 was 42- and 24-fold more frequent in Mediterranean-South Europeans and
      Middle Easterns than in East Asians (P<0.001, in both cases). Contrarily,
      CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*3 alleles were more frequent in East Asians (30.26% and
      6.89%, respectively), and even a twofold higher frequency of these alleles was
      found in Native populations from Oceania (61.30% and 14.42%, respectively;
      P<0.001, in all cases), which may be a consequence of genetic drift process in
      the Pacific Islands. Regarding CYP2C19 metabolic phenotype, poor metabolizers
      (PMs) were more frequent among Asians than in Europeans, contrarily to the
      phenomenon reported for CYP2D6. A correlation has been found between the
      frequencies of CYP2C19 poor metabolism 'predicted' from CYP2C19 genotypes (gPMs)
      and the poor metabolic phenotype 'measured' with a probe drug (mPMs) when
      subjects are either classified by ethnicity (r=0.94, P<0.001) or geographic
      region (r=0.99, P=0.002). Nevertheless, further research is needed in African and
      Asian populations, which are under-represented, and additional CYP2C19 variants
      and the 'measured' phenotype should be studied. 

PMID- 26503824
TI  - Topical treatment for scalp psoriasis: Comparison of patient preference, quality
      of life and efficacy for non-alcoholic mometasone emulsion versus
      calcipotriol/betamethasone gel in daily clinical practice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patients' assessment of therapy, efficacy, quality of life
      and treatment adherence in patients with scalp psoriasis treated with non
      alcoholic mometasone emulsion or calcipotriol/betamethasone gel. METHODS:
      Prospective, open-label, multicentre, non-interventional study. Patients with non
      severe scalp psoriasis were treated with mometasone emulsion or
      calcipotriol/betamethasone gel. Evaluations included patient's global assessment
      of treatment, physician's global assessment of disease severity, quality of life
      (Dermatology Life Quality Index), physician's subjective evaluation of therapy,
      treatment adherence and adverse events. RESULTS: Ninety-five patients treated
      with mometasone emulsion and 88 treated with calcipotriol/betamethasone gel were
      included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Patients' global assessment of
      treatment favoured mometasone emulsion over calcipotriol/betamethasone gel (p =
      0.008), with treatment rated as good/very good by 91% versus 82.5%. Patients were
      less likely to report irritation of fingers' skin with mometasone than with
      calcipotriol/betamethasone (p = 0.0015). Severity of scalp psoriasis and quality
      of life improved in both groups. Adherence to treatment was similar in both
      groups. Physicians' perception of efficacy, tolerability and compliance was
      better for mometasone emulsion. CONCLUSION: Non-alcoholic mometasone emulsion
      achieved greater acceptability to patients and physicians than
      calcipotriol/betamethasone gel for the treatment of scalp psoriasis. Both topical
      treatments were similarly effective in terms of disease severity and quality of
      life.

PMID- 26503825
TI  - GACD: Integrated Software for Genetic Analysis in Clonal F1 and Double Cross
      Populations.
AB  - Clonal species are common among plants. Clonal F1 progenies are derived from the
      hybridization between 2 heterozygous clones. In self- and cross-pollinated
      species, double crosses can be made from 4 inbred lines. A clonal F1 population
      can be viewed as a double cross population when the linkage phase is determined.
      The software package GACD (Genetic Analysis of Clonal F1 and Double cross) is
      freely available public software, capable of building high-density linkage maps
      and mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) in clonal F1 and double cross
      populations. Three functionalities are integrated in GACD version 1.0: binning of
      redundant markers (BIN); linkage map construction (CDM); and QTL mapping (CDQ).
      Output of BIN can be directly used as input of CDM. After adding the phenotypic
      data, the output of CDM can be used as input of CDQ. Thus, GACD acts as a
      pipeline for genetic analysis. GACD and example datasets are freely available
      from www.isbreeding.net. 

PMID- 26503826
TI  - Lower Protein Intake Mediates Association Between Lower Occlusal Force and Slower
      Walking Speed: From the Septuagenarians, Octogenarians, Nonagenarians
      Investigation with Centenarians Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between lower extremity motor function
      and occlusion in older adults and to examine the possibility of dietary intake of
      protein mediating the association. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, population-based
      study. SETTING: Urban and rural area in Japan. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling
      septuagenarians (N = 655) and octogenarians (N = 629). MEASUREMENTS: Information
      was collected on occlusal force, protein intake, grip strength, walking speed,
      sociodemographic characteristics, and medical history. Multivariable logistic
      regression analysis was used to investigate the association between walking
      speed, occlusal force, and protein intake, and structural equation modeling
      analysis and mediation analysis were performed to investigate the validity of the
      hypothesized model and identify the indirect effect of protein intake in occlusal
      force and walking speed. RESULTS: The proportion of participants whose walking
      speed was 0.8 m/s or slower (slow walking speed) was 27.7%. Logistic regression
      analyses showed that slower walking speed was associated with occlusal force
      (odds ratio = 1.57, P = .001) after adjusting for medical history, body mass
      index, grip strength, and protein intake. The fit of the hypothesized model that
      walking speed was associated with occlusal force through protein intake was good,
      and the indirect effect was significant. CONCLUSION: Slower walking speed was
      associated with lower occlusal force. Lower protein intake mediated the
      association between walking speed and occlusal force. Maintaining occlusal force
      might prevent insufficient nutrition intake and further deterioration of motor
      function in older people.

PMID- 26503827
TI  - Monitoring Genotoxicity Potential in the Mumbuca Stream, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
AB  - Rivers are sites for water catchment to supply metropolitan areas but also serve
      as receptors for discharge of urban sewage, wastewater, and agri-industrial
      effluents. Bioindicators or sentinel organisms are widely used as markers of
      pollution in various environments. The objective of this study was to evaluate
      the genotoxic potential and consequent quality of the water from the Mumbuca
      stream, which supplies the city of Monte Carmelo, located in the Minas Triangle
      region, Minas Gerais, Brazil. This was achieved using two variable response
      bioindicators (Rhamdia quelen and Geophagus brasiliensis), the micronucleus (MN)
      test, and determining the presence of metals by flame atomic absorption
      spectrometry. Results showed that site 3 water (region of residential flow and
      intense industrial pottery activity) presented a greater possibility for
      induction of genotoxic activity, as evidenced by the increase in the MN frequency
      in Rhamdia quelen and Geophagus brasiliensis in comparison with the reference
      site water. The water of the Mumbuca stream was influenced by genotoxic agents,
      especially lead and chromium, assessed by the rise in MN rate. Data suggested
      that discharge of industrial effluents in a specific stretch of the stream
      interfered with biota functions. 

PMID- 26503828
TI  - Phloretin induces apoptosis of non-small cell lung carcinoma  A549 cells via
      JNK1/2 and p38 MAPK pathways.
AB  - Phloretin (Ph) existing in apples, pears and various vegetables is known to have
      antitumor activities in several cancer cell lines. However, little is known about
      its effect on human lung cancer cells. The aim of the present study was to see
      whether Ph could induce apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells,
      and explore the possible underlying mechanism of action. We found that Ph
      markedly induced cell apoptosis of NSCLC cell line A549, and inhibited the
      migration of A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The expression level of BAX,
      cleaved caspase-3 and -9, and degraded form of PARP was increased and Bcl-2 was
      decreased after Ph treatment. In addition, the phosphorylation of P38 MAPK,
      ERK1/2 and JNK1/2 was increased in a dose-dependent manner in parallel with Ph
      treatment. Inhibition of P38 MAPK and JNK1/2 by specific inhibitors significantly
      abolished the Ph-induced activation of the caspase-3 and -9. In vivo tumor
      suppression assay further indicated that Ph (20 mg/kg) displayed a more
      significant inhibitory effect on A549 xenografts in tumor growth. All these
      findings indicate that Ph is able to inhibit NSCLC A549 cell growth by inducing
      apoptosis through P38 MAPK and JNK1/2 pathways, and therefore may prove to be an
      adjuvant to the treatment of NSCLC.

PMID- 26503829
TI  - Protein:Ligand binding free energies: A stringent test for computational protein
      design.
AB  - A computational protein design method is extended to allow Monte Carlo
      simulations where two ligands are titrated into a protein binding pocket,
      yielding binding free energy differences. These provide a stringent test of the
      physical model, including the energy surface and sidechain rotamer definition. As
      a test, we consider tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (TyrRS), which has been extensively
      redesigned experimentally. We consider its specificity for its substrate l
      tyrosine (l-Tyr), compared to the analogs d-Tyr, p-acetyl-, and p-azido
      phenylalanine (ac-Phe, az-Phe). We simulate l- and d-Tyr binding to TyrRS and six
      mutants, and compare the structures and binding free energies to a more rigorous
      "MD/GBSA" procedure: molecular dynamics with explicit solvent for structures and
      a Generalized Born + Surface Area model for binding free energies. Next, we
      consider l-Tyr, ac- and az-Phe binding to six other TyrRS variants. The titration
      results are sensitive to the precise rotamer definition, which involves a short
      energy minimization for each sidechain pair to help relax bad contacts induced by
      the discrete rotamer set. However, when designed mutant structures are rescored
      with a standard GBSA energy model, results agree well with the more rigorous
      MD/GBSA. As a third test, we redesign three amino acid positions in the substrate
      coordination sphere, with either l-Tyr or d-Tyr as the ligand. For two, we obtain
      good agreement with experiment, recovering the wildtype residue when l-Tyr is the
      ligand and a d-Tyr specific mutant when d-Tyr is the ligand. For the third, we
      recover His with either ligand, instead of wildtype Gln.

PMID- 26503830
TI  - Developing xylem-preferential expression of PdGA20ox1, a gibberellin 20-oxidase 1
      from Pinus densiflora, improves woody biomass production in a hybrid poplar.
AB  - Woody biomass has gained popularity as an environmentally friendly, renewable and
      sustainable resource for liquid fuel production. Here, we demonstrate
      biotechnological improvement of the quantity and quality of woody biomass by
      employing developing xylem (DX)-preferential production of gibberellin (GA), a
      phytohormone that positively regulates stem growth. First, for the proof of
      concept experiment, we produced transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing GA20
      oxidase, a key enzyme in the production of bioactive GAs, from Pinus densiflora
      (PdGA20ox1) under the control of either a constitutive 35S promoter, designated
      35S::PdGA20ox1, or a DX-specific promoter (originated from poplar), designated
      DX15::PdGA20ox1. As we hypothesized, both transgenic Arabidopsis plants
      (35S::PdGA20ox1 and DX15::PdGA20ox1) exhibited an accelerated stem growth that
      resulted in a large increase of biomass, up to 300% compared to wild-type control
      plants, together with increased secondary wall thickening and elongation of fibre
      cells. Next, we applied our concept to the production of transgenic poplar trees.
      Both transgenic poplar trees (35S::PdGA20ox1 and DX15::PdGA20ox1) showed dramatic
      increases in biomass, up to 300%, with accelerated stem growth and xylem
      differentiation. Cell wall monosaccharide composition analysis revealed that in
      both Arabidopsis and poplar, glucose and xylose contents were significantly
      increased. However, undesirable phenotypes of 35S::PdGA20ox1 poplar, including
      poor root growth and leaf development, were found. Interestingly, DX15::PdGA20ox1
      poplar resulted in a reduction of undesirable phenotypes. Our results indicate
      that the controlled production of GAs through a tissue-specific promoter can be
      utilized as an efficient biotechnological tool for producing enhanced plant
      biomass, minimizing unwanted effects.

PMID- 26503831
TI  - Vaccination of chickens decreased Newcastle disease virus contamination in eggs.
AB  - Newcastle disease is an important health issue of poultry causing major economic
      losses and inhibits trade worldwide. Vaccination is used as a control measure,
      but it is unknown whether vaccination will prevent virus contamination of eggs.
      In this study, hens were sham-vaccinated or received one or two doses of
      inactivated LaSota vaccine, followed three weeks later by virulent Newcastle
      disease virus (NDV) challenge. Eggs were collected daily and shell, albumen and
      yolk were subjected to virus isolation, as were oral and cloacal swabs at 2 and 4
      days post-challenge (dpc). A second experiment evaluated the distribution of the
      virus in the reproductive tract of non-vaccinates. All vaccinated chickens
      survived challenge, and the levels of virus shed from cloacal swabs were
      decreased significantly when compared to shams. In non-vaccinated hens, virus was
      detected in the ovary and all segments of the oviduct. Yolk, albumen and eggshell
      surface from eggs laid at day 4 and 5 post-infection by sham-vaccinated hens were
      positive for NDV, but eggs from LaSota vaccinated hens lacked virus in internal
      egg components (i.e. yolk and albumen) and had reduction in the number of
      positive eggshell surfaces. These results indicate virulent NDV can replicate in
      the reproductive tract of hens and contaminate internal components of eggs and
      eggshell surface, but vaccination was able to prevent internal egg contamination,
      reducing eggshell surface contamination, and reducing shedding from digestive and
      respiratory tracts in virulent NDV challenged hens. 

PMID- 26503832
TI  - Comparison of FDG and FDG-labeled leukocytes PET/CT in diagnosis of infection.
AB  - The aim of this study is to compare FDG and FDG-labeled leukocyte (WBC) PET/CT in
      the diagnosis of infection using different SUV and visual thresholds for
      interpretation. Patients, material, method: 49 consecutive patients (27 men, 22
      women, mean age: 55.7 years, range: 16-89 years) with suspected musculoskeletal
      infection (n = 34), vascular graft infection (n = 5), aortitis (n =1 ),
      endocarditis (n = 1), mass lesion which is suspicious for infection or malignity
      (n = 6), and fever of unknown origin (n = 2) underwent both FDG and WBC-PET/CT.
      Images were evaluated by both visual analysis (grade 1-3) according to uptake
      intensity and quantitative grading (grade 1-3) based on lesion to background
      SUVmax values. Final diagnosis was made by histopathological, microbiological
      analysis or clinical-radiological work-up. RESULTS: The diagnosis of infection
      was made in total 24 patients, of whom 14 were diagnosed by histopathological and
      the rest by clinical-radiological work-up. WBC-PET/CT imaging with the visual
      threshold of 1b as infection positivity (for truncal lesions uptake equivalent to
      liver or lumbar vertebrae uptake; for extremity lesions uptake significantly
      higher than neighbouring soft tissue uptake or higher than neighbouring bone
      marrow uptake) was found to have the highest diagnostic accuracy (AUC: 0.874, CI:
      0.771-0.997, p < 0.001). The optimal SUV threshold was found to be 8.8 (p =
      0.006; sensitivity: 72.7%, specificity: 82.8) and 5.3 (p < 0.001; sensitivity:
      81.8%, specificity: 79.3%) for FDG and WBC-PET/CT, respectively by ROC curve
      analysis. CONCLUSION: WBC-PET/CT is more valuable than FDG PET/CT in the imaging
      of infection. Visual threshold of >1b seems to be more suitable for detection of
      infection.

PMID- 26503833
TI  - Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Natural Killer Cells for Treatment of
      Ovarian Cancer.
AB  - Natural killer (NK) cells can provide effective immunotherapy for ovarian cancer.
      Here, we evaluated the ability of NK cells isolated from peripheral blood (PB)
      and NK cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) to mediate killing
      of ovarian cancer cells in a mouse xenograft model. A mouse xenograft model was
      used to evaluate the intraperitoneal delivery of three different NK cell
      populations: iPSC-derived NK cells, PB-NK cells that had been activated and
      expanded in long-term culture, and overnight activated PB-NK cells that were
      isolated through CD3/CD19 depletion of PB B and T cells. Bioluminescent imaging
      was used to monitor tumor burden of luciferase expressing tumor lines. Tumors
      were allowed to establish prior to administering NK cells via intraperitoneal
      injection. These studies demonstrate a single dose of any of the three NK cell
      populations significantly reduced tumor burden. When mice were given three doses
      of either iPSC-NK cells or expanded PB-NK cells, the median survival improved
      from 73 days in mice untreated to 98 and 97 days for treated mice, respectively.
      From these studies, we conclude iPSC-derived NK cells mediate antiovarian cancer
      killing at least as well as PB-NK cells, making these cells a viable resource for
      immunotherapy for ovarian cancer. Due to their ability to be easily
      differentiated into NK cells and their long-term expansion potential, iPSCs can
      be used to produce large numbers of well-defined NK cells that can be banked and
      used to treat a large number of patients including treatment with multiple doses
      if necessary.

PMID- 26503834
TI  - Encrypted Three-dimensional Dynamic Imaging using Snapshot Time-of-flight
      Compressed Ultrafast Photography.
AB  - Compressed ultrafast photography (CUP), a computational imaging technique, is
      synchronized with short-pulsed laser illumination to enable dynamic three
      dimensional (3D) imaging. By leveraging the time-of-flight (ToF) information of
      pulsed light backscattered by the object, ToF-CUP can reconstruct a volumetric
      image from a single camera snapshot. In addition, the approach unites the
      encryption of depth data with the compressed acquisition of 3D data in a single
      snapshot measurement, thereby allowing efficient and secure data storage and
      transmission. We demonstrated high-speed 3D videography of moving objects at up
      to 75 volumes per second. The ToF-CUP camera was applied to track the 3D position
      of a live comet goldfish. We have also imaged a moving object obscured by a
      scattering medium. 

PMID- 26503835
TI  - Direct Observation of 4-Phenoxyphenylnitrenium Ion: A Transient Absorption and
      Transient Resonance Raman Study.
AB  - Femtosecond (fs) and nanosecond (ns) transient absorption (TA) and single pulse
      transient resonance Raman spectroscopic investigation of the intermediates after
      laser photolysis of 4-phenoxyphenyl azide in acetonitrile and mixed aqueous
      solution is reported. fs-TA results show that the singlet 4-phenoxyphenylnitrene
      was produced immediately after photolysis of the azide. Then, the singlet nitrene
      underwent intersystem crossing (ISC) and ring expansion to generate triplet
      nitrene and ketenimine in acetonitrile with t = 346 ps or protonation in mixed
      aqueous solution with t = 37 ps, respectively, a little slower than the
      counterparts of the methoxy one (108 and 5.4 ps for ISC and protonation
      processes, respectively). The transient Raman spectrum combined density
      functional theory (DFT) calculation predicting the structure and vibrational
      frequencies suggested that phenoxyphenylnitrenium ion has a comparable quinoidal
      character to that of methoxy- and ethoxy-phenylnitrenium ions. All of these
      results indicated that the phenoxy substitution has some impact on the reactivity
      of phenylnitrene but a slight influence on the structure of phenylnitrenium ion. 

PMID- 26503837
TI  - Differential Uptake Mechanisms of Fluorescent Substrates into Stem-Cell-Derived
      Serotonergic Neurons.
AB  - The actions of the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine are
      partly terminated by diffusion and in part by their uptake into neurons via the
      selective, high-affinity transporters for serotonin (SERT), dopamine (DAT), and
      norepinephrine (NET), respectively. There is also growing evidence that all three
      monoamines are taken up into neurons by low-affinity, high-capacity organic
      cation transporters (OCT) and the plasma membrane monoamine transporter (PMAT).
      Pharmacological characterization of these low-affinity recombinant transporter
      proteins in heterologous expression systems has revealed that they are not
      antagonized by classical inhibitors of SERT, DAT, or NET but that decynium-22
      (D22) antagonizes OCT3 and PMAT, whereas corticosterone and progesterone
      selectively inhibit OCT3. Here, we show that SERT, PMAT, and OCT3, but not OCT1
      and OCT2, are coexpressed in murine stem cell-derived serotonergic neurons. Using
      selective antagonists, we provide evidence that uptake of the fluorescent
      substrates FFN511, ASP+, and 5-HT into stem cell-derived serotonergic neurons is
      mediated differentially by these transporters and also involves an as yet unknown
      transport mechanism. 

PMID- 26503838
TI  - Dynamic, six-axis stiffness matrix characteristics of the intact intervertebral
      disc and a disc replacement.
AB  - Thorough pre-testing is critical in assessing the likely in vivo performance of
      spinal devices prior to clinical use. However, there is a lack of data available
      concerning the dynamic testing of lumbar (porcine model) total disc replacements
      in all six axes under preload conditions. The aim of this study was to provide
      new data comparing porcine lumbar spinal specimen stiffness between the intact
      state and after the implantation of an unconstrained total disc replacement, in 6
      degrees of freedom. The dynamic, stiffness matrix testing of six porcine lumbar
      isolated disc specimens was completed using triangle waves at a test frequency of
      0.1 Hz. An axial preload of 500 N was applied during all testing. Specimens were
      tested both in the intact condition and after the implantation of the total disc
      replacement. Sixteen key stiffness terms were identified for the comparison of
      the intact and total disc replacement specimens, comprising the 6 principal
      stiffness terms and 10 key off-axis stiffness terms. The total disc replacement
      specimens were significantly different to the intact specimens in 12 of these key
      terms including all six principal stiffness terms. The implantation of the total
      disc replacement resulted in a mean reduction in the principal stiffness terms of
      100%, 91%, and 98% in lateral bending, flexion-extension, and axial rotation,
      respectively. The novel findings of this study have demonstrated that the
      unconstrained, low-friction total disc replacement does not replicate the
      stiffness of the intact specimens. It is likely that other low-friction total
      disc replacements would produce similar results due to stiffness being actively
      minimised as part of the design of low-friction devices, without the introduction
      of stiffening elements or mechanisms to more accurately replicate the mechanical
      properties of the natural intervertebral disc. This study has demonstrated, for
      the first time, a method for the quantitative comparative mechanical function
      testing of total disc replacements and provides baseline data for the development
      of future devices. 

PMID- 26503839
TI  - Biomechanical comparison of unilateral semi-rigid and dynamic stabilization on
      ovine vertebrae.
AB  - Using the unilateral pedicle screw fixation was thought to decrease the stiffness
      of the fixed segments. Various prospective, randomized studies were performed to
      determine whether unilateral pedicle screw fixation provides the necessities of
      bilateral fixation in one- or two-segment lumbar spinal fusion. In this study,
      four different unilateral pedicle screw fixation systems were evaluated to
      determine which one best approximated an intact spine with respect to
      biomechanics and kinematics. The four groups included an intact group, a
      unilateral facetectomy group with no fixation, a unilateral semi-rigid pedicle
      screw fixation group with a poly-ether-ether-ketone rod, and a unilateral dynamic
      pedicle screw fixation group. The bone mineral densities of all specimens were
      measured and specimens were matched with groups randomly. Flexion, lateral
      bending, and axial rotation tests were performed to compare the groups. For the
      flexion, lateral bending, and axial rotation tests, the best biomechanical
      outcomes were in the control group. The unilateral facetectomy group had the
      poorest performance and was not stable enough, compared with the control group.
      The dynamic and semi-rigid groups showed performance closer to that of the
      control group. The biomechanical responses of these two groups were also in good
      agreement, showing no significant statistical differences. Based on these test
      results, it is concluded that the unilateral dynamic and semi-rigid pedicle screw
      fixations can be used to provide stability to the vertebrae. 

PMID- 26503840
TI  - Pullout performance comparison of pedicle screws based on cement application and
      design parameters.
AB  - Pedicle screws are the main fixation devices for certain surgeries. Pedicle screw
      loosening is a common problem especially for osteoporotic incidents. Cannulated
      screws with cement augmentation are widely used for that kind of cases. Dual lead
      dual cored pedicle screw has already given promising pullout values without
      augmentation. This study concentrates on the usage of dual lead dual core with
      cement augmentation as an alternative to cannulated and standard pedicle screws
      with cement augmentation. Five groups (dual lead dual core, normal pedicle screw
      and cannulated pedicle screw with augmentation, normal pedicle screw, dual lead
      dual cored pedicle screw) were designed for this study. Healthy bovine vertebrae
      and synthetic polyurethane foams (grade 20) were used as embedding test medium.
      Test samples were prepared in accordance with surgical guidelines and ASTM F543
      standard testing protocols. Pullout tests were conducted with Instron 3300
      testing frame. Load versus displacement values were recorded and maximum pullout
      loads were stated. The dual lead dual cored pedicle screw with poly-methyl
      methacrylate augmentation exhibited the highest pullout values, while dual lead
      dual cored pedicle screw demonstrated similar pullout strength as cannulated
      pedicle screw and normal pedicle screw with poly-methyl methacrylate
      augmentation. The dual lead dual cored pedicle screw with poly-methyl
      methacrylate augmentation can be used for osteoporotic and/or severe osteoporotic
      patients according to its promising results on animal cadaver and synthetic
      foams. 

PMID- 26503841
TI  - Lessons from retrievals: Retrievals help understand the reason for revision of
      coated hip arthroplasties.
AB  - Coatings have been applied to all surfaces of hip implants with the majority
      performing well in the laboratory, but there are few reports of their performance
      in humans. The rationale for coating the metal-on-metal bearing surfaces includes
      a reduction in metal ion release and risk of adverse reaction to metal debris;
      yet there are no reports of retrieved coated metal-on-metal hip implants despite
      the concern that they may delaminate. The aim of this study was to better
      understand the performance of coated hip implants in humans through findings of
      three coated metal-on-metal hip resurfacings, retrieved after failure for
      unexplained pain. Analysis of these implants included quantification of the
      amount and mechanism of coating loss which was correlated with clinical, imaging
      and blood data. In all cases, there were large areas of complete coating loss in
      which the metal substrate was exposed and found to be rougher than the coated
      areas. The coating loss gave rise to third body abrasive wear of the coating and
      the exposed metal, the latter of which led to high blood levels of cobalt and
      chromium. Coating of the bearing surfaces of metal-on-metal hip resurfacings,
      therefore, do not prevent metal ion release when implanted into humans. This is
      an example of a need for increased retrieval analysis of newly introduced
      implants and expansion of laboratory testing regulations to better reflect the
      clinical environment. 

PMID- 26503842
TI  - Global and segmental kinematic changes following sequential resection of
      posterior osteoligamentous structures in the lumbar spine: An in vitro
      biomechanical investigation using pure moment testing protocols.
AB  - Lumbar spinal surgeries may compromise the integrity of posterior
      osteoligamentous structures implicating mechanical stability. Circumstances
      necessitating a concomitant surgery to achieve restabilisation are not well
      understood. The main objective of this in vitro study was to quantify global and
      segmental (index and adjacent levels) kinematic changes in the lumbar spine
      following sequential resection of the posterior osteoligamentous structures using
      pure moment testing protocols. Six fresh frozen cadaveric kangaroo lumbar spines
      (T12-S1) were tested under a bending moment in flexion-extension, bilateral
      bending, and axial torsion in a 6-degree-of-freedom Kinematic Spine Simulator.
      Specimens were tested in the following order: intact state (D0), after
      interspinous and supraspinous ligaments transection between L4 and L5 (D1),
      further after a total bilateral facetectomy between L4 and L5 (D2). Segmental
      motions at the cephalad, damaged, and caudal levels were recorded using an
      infrared-based motion tracking device. Following D1, no significant change in the
      global range of motion was observed in any of the bending planes. Following D2, a
      significant increase in the global range of motion from the baseline (D0) was
      observed in axial torsion (median normalised change +20%). At the damaged level,
      D2 resulted in a significant increase in the segmental range of motion in flexion
      extension (+77%) and axial torsion (+492%). Additionally, a significant decrease
      in the segmental range of motion in axial torsion (-35%) was observed at the
      caudal level following D2. These results suggest that a multi-segment lumbar
      spine acts as a mechanism for transmitting motions, and that a compromised joint
      may significantly alter motion transfer to adjacent segments. We conclude that
      the interspinous and supraspinous ligaments play a modest role in restricting
      global spinal motions within physiologic limits. Following interspinous and
      supraspinous ligaments transection, a total bilateral facetectomy resulted in a
      significant increase in axial torsion motion, both at global and damaged levels,
      accompanied with a compensatory decrease in motion at the caudal level. 

PMID- 26503843
TI  - The effects of DASH diet on weight loss and metabolic status in adults with non
      alcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: This study was designed to determine the effects of the
      Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on weight loss and metabolic
      status in overweight patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
      METHODS: This randomized controlled clinical trial was done among 60 overweight
      and obese patients with NAFLD. Patients were randomly allocated to consume either
      the control (n = 30) or the DASH eating pattern (n = 30) for 8 weeks. Both diets
      were designed to be calorie-restricted. Both diets were consisted of 52-55%
      carbohydrates, 16-18% proteins and 30% total fats; however, the DASH diet was
      designed to be rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy
      products and low in saturated fats, cholesterol and refined grains. RESULTS:
      Adherence to the DASH eating pattern, compared to the control diet, weight (P =
      0.006), BMI (P = 0.01), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (P = 0.02), alkalin
      phosphatase (ALP) (P = 0.001), insulin levels (P = 0.01), homoeostasis model of
      assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (P = 0.01) significantly
      decreased and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) (P = 0.004)
      significantly increased. Compared with the control diet, the DASH diet has
      resulted in significant reductions in serum triglycerides (P = 0.04) and total
      /HDL-cholesterol ratio (P = 0.01). Finally, decreased concentrations of serum
      high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (P = 0.03), malondialdehyde (MDA) (P
      = 0.04), increased levels of nitric oxide (NO) (P = 0.01) and glutathione (GSH)
      (P = 0.009) were found in the DASH group compared with the control group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of DASH diet for 8 weeks among patients with NAFLD had
      beneficial effects on weight, BMI, ALT, ALP, triglycerides, markers of insulin
      metabolism, inflammatory markers, GSH and MDA.

PMID- 26503845
TI  - MECHANISMS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY: MicroRNA in diagnostics and therapy of thyroid
      cancer.
AB  - MicroRNAs, short non-coding regulators of the gene expression, are subjects of
      numerous investigations assessing their potential use in the diagnostics and
      management of human diseases. In this review, we focus on studies that analyze
      the utility of microRNAs as novel diagnostic and therapeutic tools in follicular
      cell-derived thyroid carcinomas. This very interesting and promising field brings
      new insight into future strategies for personalized medicine. 

PMID- 26503844
TI  - CETP/LPL/LIPC gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to age-related macular
      degeneration.
AB  - Three high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-related loci have been reported to be
      associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but the results were
      inconsistent. In this study, the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP)
      rs3764261 variant was significantly associated with an increased risk of AMD
      (odds ratio [OR] = 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-1.21, P < 0.001), and
      the hepatic lipase (LIPC) rs10468017 variant was associated with a significantly
      decreased risk of AMD (OR = 0.81, CI: 0.76-0.86, P < 0.001). Individuals carrying
      the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) rs12678919 polymorphism (A -> G) had no significant
      change in the risk of developing AMD (OR = 1.01, CI: 0.92-1.10, P = 0.17). After
      adjusting for the complement factor H (CFH) gene, both CETP and LPL conferred a
      significantly increased AMD risk (ORCETP = 1.17, CI: 1.08-1.26, P < 0.001; ORLPL
      = 1.11, CI: 1.01-1.22, P = 0.02). Subgroup analysis based on ethnicity revealed a
      significant association between the CETP variant and AMD in both Americans (OR =
      1.12, CI: 1.02-1.23, P = 0.01) and Europeans (OR = 1.10, CI: 1.01-1.19, P =
      0.011). This meta-analysis revealed that both CETP rs3764261 and LIPC rs10468017
      polymorphisms were significantly associated with AMD risk. After adjustment for
      the CFH gene, CETP/LPL conferred a significantly increased susceptibility to the
      disease, indicating potential interactions among genes in the complement system
      and the lipid metabolism pathway.

PMID- 26503846
TI  - Genetic vasopressin 1b receptor variance in overweight and diabetes mellitus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recently, imbalance in the vasopressin (AVP) system, measured as
      elevated levels of copeptin (the C-terminal part of the AVP pro-hormone) in
      plasma, was linked to the development of abdominal obesity and diabetes mellitus
      (DM). Here, we aim to investigate if the genetic variation of the human AVP
      receptor 1b gene (AVPR1B) is associated with measures of obesity and DM. DESIGN:
      Malmo Diet and Cancer study (MDC) is a population-based prospective cohort
      examined 1991-1996. METHODS: Four tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs:
      rs35810727, rs28373064, rs35439639, rs35608965) of AVPR1B were genotyped in the
      cardiovascular cohort (n=6103) of MDC (MDC-CC) and associated with measures of
      obesity and DM. Significant SNPs were replicated in another 24 344 MDC
      individuals (MDC replication cohort). RESULTS: In MDC-CC, the major allele of
      rs35810727 was associated with elevated BMI (beta-coefficient +/- s.e.m.; 0.30 +/
      0.14, P=0.03) and waist (0.78 +/- 0.36, P=0.03) after age and gender adjustment.
      The association with BMI was replicated in the MDC replication cohort (0.21 +/-
      0.07, P=0.003), whereas that with waist was not significant. In MDC-CC there was
      no association between the major allele of rs35810727 and DM, but in the complete
      MDC cohort (n=30 447) the major allele of rs35810727 was associated with DM (OR
      (95% CI); 1.10 (1.00-1.20), P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Genetic variance of AVPR1B
      contributes to overweight. Furthermore, our data indicate a link between AVPR1B
      variance and DM development. Our data point at a relationship between the
      disturbance of the pharmacologically modifiable AVP system and the body weight
      regulation.

PMID- 26503847
TI  - Functional Analysis of Genes Involved in the Biosynthesis of Enterocin NKR-5-3B,
      a Novel Circular Bacteriocin.
AB  - A putative biosynthetic gene cluster of the enterocin NKR-5-3B (Ent53B), a novel
      circular bacteriocin, was analyzed by sequencing the flanking regions around
      enkB, the Ent53B structural gene, using a fosmid library. A region approximately
      9 kb in length was obtained, and the enkB1, enkB2, enkB3, and enkB4 genes,
      encoding putative biosynthetic proteins involved in the production, maturation,
      and secretion of Ent53B, were identified. We also determined the identity of
      proteins mediating self-immunity against the effects of Ent53B. Heterologous
      expression systems in various heterologous hosts, such as Enterococcus faecalis
      and Lactococcus lactis strains, were successfully established. The production and
      secretion of the mature Ent53B required the cooperative functions of five genes.
      Ent53B was produced only by those heterologous hosts that expressed protein
      products of the enkB, enkB1, enkB2, enkB3, and enkB4 genes. Moreover, self
      immunity against the antimicrobial action of Ent53B was conferred by at least two
      independent mechanisms. Heterologous hosts harboring the intact enkB4 gene and/or
      a combination of intact enkB1 and enkB3 genes were immune to the inhibitory
      action of Ent53B. IMPORTANCE: In addition to their potential application as food
      preservatives, circular bacteriocins are now considered possible alternatives to
      therapeutic antibiotics due to the exceptional stability conferred by their
      circular structure. The successful practical application of circular bacteriocins
      will become possible only if the molecular details of their biosynthesis are
      fully understood. The results of the present study offer a new perspective on the
      possible mechanism of circular bacteriocin biosynthesis. In addition, since some
      enterococcal strains are associated with pathogenicity, virulence, and drug
      resistance, the establishment of the first multigenus host heterologous
      production of Ent53B has very high practical significance, as it widens the scope
      of possible Ent53B applications.

PMID- 26503848
TI  - Gliding Direction of Mycoplasma mobile.
AB  - Mycoplasma mobile glides in the direction of its cell pole by a unique mechanism
      in which hundreds of legs, each protruding from its own gliding unit, catch,
      pull, and release sialylated oligosaccharides fixed on a solid surface. In this
      study, we found that 77% of cells glided to the left with a change in direction
      of 8.4 degrees  +/- 17.6 degrees  MUm(-1) displacement. The cell body did not
      roll around the cell axis, and elongated, thinner cells also glided while tracing
      a curved trajectory to the left. Under viscous conditions, the range of deviation
      of the gliding direction decreased. In the presence of 250 MUM free
      sialyllactose, in which the binding of the legs (i.e., the catching of sialylated
      oligosaccharides) was reduced, 70% and 30% of cells glided to the left and the
      right, respectively, with changes in direction of ~30 degrees  MUm(-1). The
      gliding ghosts, in which a cell was permeabilized by Triton X-100 and reactivated
      by ATP, glided more straightly. These results can be explained by the following
      assumptions based on the suggested gliding machinery and mechanism: (i) the units
      of gliding machinery may be aligned helically around the cell, (ii) the legs
      extend via the process of thermal fluctuation and catch the sialylated
      oligosaccharides, and (iii) the legs generate a propulsion force that is tilted
      from the cell axis to the left in 70% and to the right in 30% of cells.
      IMPORTANCE: Mycoplasmas are bacteria that are generally parasitic to animals and
      plants. Some Mycoplasma species form a protrusion at a pole, bind to solid
      surfaces, and glide. Although these species appear to consistently glide in the
      direction of the protrusion, their exact gliding direction has not been examined.
      This study analyzed the gliding direction in detail under various conditions and,
      based on the results, suggested features of the machinery and the mechanism of
      gliding.

PMID- 26503849
TI  - Effect of LexA on Chromosomal Integration of CTXphi in Vibrio cholerae.
AB  - The genesis of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae involves acquisition of CTXphi, a single
      stranded DNA (ssDNA) filamentous phage that encodes cholera toxin (CT). The phage
      exploits host-encoded tyrosine recombinases (XerC and XerD) for chromosomal
      integration and lysogenic conversion. The replicative genome of CTXphi produces
      ssDNA by rolling-circle replication, which may be used either for virion
      production or for integration into host chromosome. Fine-tuning of different
      ssDNA binding protein (Ssb) levels in the host cell is crucial for cellular
      functioning and important for CTXphi integration. In this study, we mutated the
      master regulator gene of SOS induction, lexA, of V. cholerae because of its known
      role in controlling levels of Ssb proteins in other bacteria. CTXphi integration
      decreased in cells with a DeltalexA mutation and increased in cells with an SOS
      noninducing mutation, lexA (Ind(-)). We also observed that overexpression of host
      encoded Ssb (VC0397) decreased integration of CTXphi. We propose that LexA helps
      CTXphi integration, possibly by fine-tuning levels of host- and phage-encoded
      Ssbs. IMPORTANCE: Cholera toxin is the principal virulence factor responsible for
      the acute diarrheal disease cholera. CT is encoded in the genome of a lysogenic
      filamentous phage, CTXphi. Vibrio cholerae has a bipartite genome and harbors
      single or multiple copies of CTXphi prophage in one or both chromosomes. Two host
      encoded tyrosine recombinases (XerC and XerD) recognize the folded ssDNA genome
      of CTXphi and catalyze its integration at the dimer resolution site of either one
      or both chromosomes. Fine-tuning of ssDNA binding proteins in host cells is
      crucial for CTXphi integration. We engineered the V. cholerae genome and created
      several reporter strains carrying DeltalexA or lexA (Ind(-)) alleles. Using the
      reporter strains, the importance of LexA control of Ssb expression in the
      integration efficiency of CTXphi was demonstrated.

PMID- 26503850
TI  - The C-Terminal Zwitterionic Sequence of CotB1 Is Essential for Biosilicification
      of the Bacillus cereus Spore Coat.
AB  - Silica is deposited in and around the spore coat layer of Bacillus cereus, and
      enhances the spore's acid resistance. Several peptides and proteins, including
      diatom silaffin and silacidin peptides, are involved in eukaryotic silica
      biomineralization (biosilicification). Homologous sequence search revealed a
      silacidin-like sequence in the C-terminal region of CotB1, a spore coat protein
      of B. cereus. The negatively charged silacidin-like sequence is followed by a
      positively charged arginine-rich sequence of 14 amino acids, which is remarkably
      similar to the silaffins. These sequences impart a zwitterionic character to the
      C terminus of CotB1. Interestingly, the cotB1 gene appears to form a bicistronic
      operon with its paralog, cotB2, the product of which, however, lacks the C
      terminal zwitterionic sequence. A DeltacotB1B2 mutant strain grew as fast and
      formed spores at the same rate as wild-type bacteria but did not show
      biosilicification. Complementation analysis showed that CotB1, but neither CotB2
      nor C-terminally truncated mutants of CotB1, could restore the biosilicification
      activity in the DeltacotB1B2 mutant, suggesting that the C-terminal zwitterionic
      sequence of CotB1 is essential for the process. We found that the kinetics of
      CotB1 expression, as well as its localization, correlated well with the time
      course of biosilicification and the location of the deposited silica. To our
      knowledge, this is the first report of a protein directly involved in prokaryotic
      biosilicification. IMPORTANCE: Biosilicification is the process by which
      organisms incorporate soluble silicate in the form of insoluble silica. Although
      the mechanisms underlying eukaryotic biosilicification have been intensively
      investigated, prokaryotic biosilicification was not studied until recently. We
      previously demonstrated that biosilicification occurs in Bacillus cereus and its
      close relatives, and that silica is deposited in and around a spore coat layer as
      a protective coating against acid. The present study reveals that a B. cereus
      spore coat protein, CotB1, which carried a C-terminal zwitterionic sequence, is
      essential for biosilicification. Our results provide the first insight into
      mechanisms required for biosilicification in prokaryotes.

PMID- 26503851
TI  - The Journal of Bacteriology Is 100.

PMID- 26503853
TI  - PRACTICAL METROLOGICAL ASPECTS OF NEUTRON PERSONAL DOSIMETRY.
AB  - This article addresses practical issues as being faced in the process of testing,
      verification and calibration of passive and active personal neutron dosemeters.
      Namely, a limited choice of neutron sources and geometric limitations occurring
      when ISO water phantom is used. The requirements of international standards for
      personal neutron dosemeters and the possibilities to fulfil them are discussed
      briefly. 

PMID- 26503852
TI  - Sarcosine Catabolism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Is Transcriptionally Regulated by
      SouR.
AB  - Sarcosine (N-methylglycine) is present in many environments inhabited by
      pseudomonads and is likely most often encountered as an intermediate in the
      metabolism of choline, carnitine, creatine, and glyphosate. While the enzymology
      of sarcosine metabolism has been relatively well studied in bacteria, the
      regulatory mechanisms governing catabolism have remained largely unknown. We
      previously determined that the sarcosine-catabolic (sox) operon of Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa is induced by the AraC family regulator GbdR in response to glycine
      betaine and dimethylglycine. However, induction of these genes was still observed
      in response to sarcosine in a gbdR deletion mutant, indicating that an
      independent sarcosine-responsive transcription factor also acted at this locus.
      Our goal in this study was to identify and characterize this regulator. Using a
      transposon-based genetic screen, we identified PA4184, or SouR (sarcosine
      oxidation and utilization regulator), as the sarcosine-responsive regulator of
      the sox operon, with tight induction specificity for sarcosine. The souR gene is
      required for appreciable growth on sarcosine as a carbon and nitrogen source. We
      also characterized the transcriptome response to sarcosine governed by SouR using
      microarray analyses and performed electrophoretic mobility shift assays to
      identify promoters directly regulated by the transcription factor. Finally, we
      characterized PA3630, or GfnR (glutathione-dependent formaldehyde neutralization
      regulator), as the regulator of the glutathione-dependent formaldehyde
      detoxification system in P. aeruginosa that is expressed in response to
      formaldehyde released during the catabolism of sarcosine. This study expands our
      understanding of sarcosine metabolic regulation in bacteria through the
      identification and characterization of the first known sarcosine-responsive
      transcriptional regulator. IMPORTANCE: The Pseudomonas aeruginosa genome encodes
      many diverse metabolic pathways, yet the specific transcription regulators
      controlling their expression remain mostly unknown. Here, we used a genetic
      screen to identify the sarcosine-specific regulator of the sarcosine oxidase
      operon, which we have named SouR. SouR is the first bacterial regulator shown to
      respond to sarcosine, and it is required for growth on sarcosine. Sarcosine is
      found in its free form and is also an intermediate in the catabolic pathways of
      glycine betaine, carnitine, creatine, and glyphosate. The similarity of SouR to
      the regulators of carnitine and glycine betaine catabolism suggests evolutionary
      diversification within this regulatory family to allow response to structurally
      similar but physiologically distinct ligands.

PMID- 26503856
TI  - SPACE DOSIMETRY MEASUREMENTS IN THE STRATOSPHERE USING DIFFERENT ACTIVE AND
      PASSIVE DOSIMETRY SYSTEMS.
AB  - Several measurements have been performed on the cosmic radiation field from the
      surface of the Earth up to the maximum altitudes of research aeroplanes. However,
      there is only limited information about that between 15 and 30 km altitudes. In
      order to study the radiation environment in the stratosphere, an experiment was
      built by students from Hungarian universities that flew on board the BEXUS
      (Balloon Experiments for University Students) stratospheric balloon in Northern
      Sweden, from the ESRANGE Space Center. The main technical goals of the experiment
      were to test at the first time the TRITEL 3D silicon detector telescope system in
      close to space conditions and to develop a balloon technology platform for
      advanced cosmic radiation and dosimetric measurements. The main scientific goals
      were to give an assessment of the cosmic radiation field at the altitude of the
      BEXUS balloons, to use the TRITEL system to determine dosimetric and radiation
      quantities during the balloon flight and to intercompare the TRITEL and Pille
      results to provide a correction factor for the Pille measurements. To fulfil the
      scientific and technological objectives, several different dosimeter systems were
      included in the experiment: an advanced version of the TRITEL silicon detector
      telescope, Geiger-Muller (GM) counters and Pille thermoluminescent dosimeters.
      The float altitude of the BEXUS balloon was ~28.6 km; the total flight time was
      ~4 h. Measurement data from the active instruments were received in real time by
      the ground team during the mission. There were no failures in the operation of
      the system; everything worked as expected. This article presents the scientific
      goals and results in detail. From the TRITEL measurements, the linear energy
      transfer spectra, the average quality factor of the cosmic radiation as well as
      the absorbed dose and the dose equivalent were determined. Estimations for the
      uncertainty in the TRITEL measurements were given. The deposited energy spectra
      measured with the TRITEL instrument were compared with the count rates measured
      with the GM counters. The experiences and results gained in the frame of the
      project will be used in the evaluation of TRITEL data from measurements on board
      the International Space Station. As an outlook a short overview is given of the
      planned rocket radiation experiments based on the system used in the BEXUS
      programme.

PMID- 26503854
TI  - SECOND LATIN AMERICAN INTERCOMPARISON ON INTERNAL DOSE ASSESSMENT.
AB  - Internal dosimetry intercomparisons are essential for the verification of applied
      models and the consistency of results'. To that aim, the First Regional
      Intercomparison was organised in 2005, and that results led to the Second
      Regional Intercomparison Exercise in 2013, which was organised in the frame of
      the RLA 9/066 and coordinated by Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear of Argentina. Four
      simulated cases covering intakes of (131)I, (137)Cs and Tritium were proposed.
      Ninteen centres from thirteen different countries participated in this exercise.
      This paper analyses the participants' results in this second exercise in order to
      test their skills and acquired knowledge, particularly in the application of the
      IDEAS Guidelines. It is important to highlight the increased number of countries
      that participated in this exercise compared with the first one and, furthermore,
      the improvement in the overall performance. The impact of the International
      Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Projects since 2003 has led to a significant
      enhancement of internal dosimetry capabilities that strengthen the radiation
      protection of workers. 

PMID- 26503855
TI  - ASSESSMENT OF THE LOCAL EXPOSURE OF SKIN ON HANDS OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE WORKERS
      HANDLING 18F-LABELLED RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS: PRELIMINARY CZECH STUDY.
AB  - The article summarises some preliminary results of the assessment of the exposure
      of hands of workers manipulating 18F-labelled radiopharmaceuticals based on
      personal monitoring at two nuclear medicine clinics in the Czech Republic. The
      measurements were carried out using special thermoluminescence dosemeters the
      readings of which could be interpreted in terms of the personal dose equivalent
      Hp(0.07) approximating the equivalent dose to the skin at various locations on
      the surface of both hands. The results have shown that out of 21 workers
      monitored, ~43 % (preparation and applications of radiopharmaceuticals) may reach
      an exposure equal to three-tenth of the annual dose limit to the skin. At the
      same time, it can also be concluded that in ~10 % cases of workers, the relevant
      dose limit may be exceeded.

PMID- 26503857
TI  - FADING EFFECT OF LiF:Mg,Ti AND LiF:Mg,Cu,P Ext-Rad AND WHOLE-BODY DETECTORS.
AB  - Thermoluminescence dosemeters are widely used in individual and environmental
      monitoring. The aim of this work was to compare the thermal stability of
      dosemeters of the Ext-Rad and whole-body card types with LiF:Mg,Ti and
      LiF:Mg,Cu,P detectors stored at different temperatures and periods. The
      dosemeters were stored at 0 degrees C, room temperature and 40 degrees C for
      periods that lasted 8, 30, 45, 90 and 120 d. In general, TLD-100H detectors
      present higher TL signal stability than TLD-100 detectors. The intensity of the
      signal remained constant for both materials for storage periods at 0 degrees C.
      At RT the same results was observed for TLD-100H. For TLD-100 detectors, a
      maximum variation of 22 % was registered for the longest period. At 40 degrees C
      the TL signal decreased with storage time for both detectors. The TL signal of
      TLD-100H detectors presented maximum variations of 12 % whereas for TLD-100
      detectors, larger variations of 25 % were observed. 

PMID- 26503858
TI  - Loading of Vesicles into Soft Amphiphilic Nanotubes using Osmosis.
AB  - The facile assembly of higher-order nanoarchitectures from simple building blocks
      is demonstrated by the loading of vesicles into soft amphiphilic nanotubes using
      osmosis. The nanotubes are constructed from rigid interdigitated bilayers which
      are capped with vesicles comprising phospholipid-based flexible bilayers. When a
      hyperosmotic gradient is applied to these vesicle-capped nanotubes, the closed
      system loses water and the more flexible vesicle bilayer is pulled inwards. This
      leads to inclusion of vesicles inside the nanotubes without affecting the tube
      structure, showing controlled reorganization of the self-assembled multicomponent
      system upon a simple osmotic stimulus. 

PMID- 26503859
TI  - Facilitating Change: A Process of Renewal for Women Who Have Used Force in Their
      Intimate Heterosexual Relationships.
AB  - The authors highlight a community's response to women's use of force, detail
      aspects of intervention strategies, and introduce a conceptual model representing
      the women's change process. In doing so, they encourage community partnerships,
      continued intervention innovation, and further research. Their observations
      suggest an intervention philosophy and approach that women have described as one
      of personal "renewal." The community's experiences are notable in light of
      national efforts to effectively meet the needs of female survivors of intimate
      partner violence who have used force.

PMID- 26503860
TI  - Prevalence and Factors Associated With Severe Physical Intimate Partner Violence
      Among U.S. Black Women: A Comparison of African American and Caribbean Blacks.
AB  - This study explored prevalence rates and factors associated with lifetime severe
      physical intimate partner violence among U.S. Black women. Data from the National
      Survey of American Life were examined. Rates of severe physical intimate partner
      violence were higher among African American women compared with U.S. Caribbean
      Black women. Risk factors associated with reported abuse were similar to those
      found in earlier studies but differed by ethnic backgrounds. Demographic,
      resource, and situational factors were associated with severe physical intimate
      partner violence among U.S. Black women in general but made unique contributions
      by ethnic group. Implications and suggestions for future studies were discussed. 

PMID- 26503862
TI  - Edaphobacter dinghuensis sp. nov., an acidobacterium isolated from lower
      subtropical forest soil.
AB  - An aerobic bacterium, designated DHF9T, was isolated from a soil sample collected
      from the lower subtropical forest of Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve, Guangdong
      Province, PR China. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, short rods that
      multiplied by binary division. Strain DHF9T was an obligately acidophilic,
      mesophilic bacterium capable of growth at pH 3.5-5.5 (optimum pH 4.0) and at 10
      33  degrees C (optimum 28-33  degrees C). Growth was inhibited at NaCl
      concentrations above 2.0 % (w/v). The major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, C16 : 0
      and C16 : 1omega7c. The polar lipids consist of phosphatidylethanolamine, two
      unidentified aminolipids, two unidentified phospholipids, two unidentified polar
      lipids and an unidentified glycolipid. The DNA G+C content was 57.7 mol%.
      Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the strain
      belongs to the genus Edaphobacter in subdivision 1 of the phylum Acidobacteria,
      with the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 97.0 % to Edaphobacter
      modestus Jbg-1T. Based on phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic and physiological
      analyses, it is proposed that strain DHF9T represents a novel species of the
      genus Edaphobacter, named Edaphobacter dinghuensis sp. nov. The type strain is
      DHF9T ( = DSM 29920T = CGMCC 1.12997T). 

PMID- 26503863
TI  - [The role of gastro-intestinal tract in the calcium absorption].
AB  - Calcium is associated with various functions of clinical importance. Its unique
      distribution;low intracellular and high extracellular concentration, is crucial
      for the neuro-muscular function. Calcium is also indispensable for the vascular
      contraction and blood coagulation. Thus, circulating calcium concentration must
      be strictly maintained within a narrow range, for which parathyroid hormone(PTH),
      vitamin D, and calcitonin contribute. Food-derived protein-bound calcium must be
      first released in the acidic condition. Thus, gastric acid is essential for the
      effective calcium absorption. Intestinal calcium absorption occurs via both
      active transport and passive transport. For the former, such molecules as
      transient receptor potential vanilloid type 6(TRPV6), calbindin 9k, and Ca2+
      ATPase contribute. In the adult, calcium absorption rate is approximately 30%
      under the ordinary condition. Lower calcium intake is associated with increased
      calcium absorption and decreased urinary excretion. In the Dietary Reference
      Intakes for Japanese, calcium requirement is determined based on factorial
      method. Recommended Dietary Allowance(RDA)for calcium ranges from 600-800 mg/day
      for adult. However, the average calcium intake is far lower than Estimated
      Average Requirement(EAR). Thus, an effort to increase the calcium intake, rather
      than considering the detailed calcium absorption rate, is most essential in
      Japan.

PMID- 26503864
TI  - [The role of the liver in vitamin D metabolism].
AB  - Vitamin D3is generated in the skin, and subsequently metabolized to 25OHD3in the
      liver and then to 1alpha,25(OH)2D3in the kidney, and thereafter,
      1alpha,25(OH)2D3exerts its biological functions by regulating gene transcription
      via binding to nuclear receptor, VDR in target cells. 1alpha,25(OH)2D3plays a
      critical role in this vitamin D endocrine system. However, it has become obvious
      in the recent years that plasma concentrations of 25OHD3but not 1alpha,25(OH)2D3,
      significantly associate with the incident risk of life style-related diseases
      such as osteoporosis and diabetes. Moreover, it appears that 25OHD3itself acts as
      a ligand for VDR. Based on the findings that liver is not only the major
      productive organ for 25OHD3but also the sole productive organ for DBP which
      serves to deliver 25OHD3to tissues and stores 25OHD3in the blood circulation, it
      is believed that liver plays important roles in vitamin D metabolism and vitamin
      D functions. The roles of the liver in vitamin D metabolism including the
      regulatory mechanism of the expression and activation of a 25OHD3biosynthetic
      enzyme, CYP2R1, remain largely unsolved.

PMID- 26503865
TI  - [Bone complications in chronic liver disease(hepatic osteodystrophy)].
AB  - Bone complication occurs in patients with alcoholic hepatitis, chronic hepatitis
      C, primary biliary cirrhosis(PBC), primary sclerosing cholangitis(PSC)or post
      liver transplant. Prevalence of osteoporosis and fracture risk is high in these
      diseases. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)and non-alcoholic
      steatohepatitis(NASH)is increasing in prevalence. Relation of NAFLD/NASH with
      osteoporosis, however, is not well known, and further investigation is needed. 

PMID- 26503866
TI  - [Bone metabolic disorder after gastrectomy].
AB  - Bone metabolic disorder after gastrectomy is a silent complication, and has
      potential of severely disturbing quality of life. However, the awareness of this
      complication is not enough in clinicians. We examined the influence of
      gastrectomy on bone metabolism using the investigation of clinical cases and
      experiments with rat surgical models. We discussed the influence of the volume of
      resected stomach and the reconstructed route of food passage. Bone metabolic
      disorders were observed in 30% of patients after gastrectomy. They were milder in
      cases after proximal gastrectomy compared with total gastrectomy(p=0.110), and
      segmental/local gastrectomy compared with distal gastrectomy(p=0.080), in cases
      with physiological route of foods passing compared with non- physiological
      route(p=0.091). Similar results were observed in the experiments with rat
      surgical models. Both of the volume of the remnant stomach and the reconstructed
      food passing route are correlated with bone metabolic disorders after
      gastrectomy. 

PMID- 26503867
TI  - [Bone disease in primary biliary cirrhosis].
AB  - Primary biliary cirrhosis(PBC)is a chronic autoimmune cholestatic liver disease.
      Metabolic bone disease is recognized in a complication of chronic liver disease,
      particularly in PBC. Bone disease in PBC includes osteoporosis and, osteomalacia
      which is more frequent in advanced liver disease. It is important that PBC occurs
      mainly in middle-aged women who are highest risk group in primary osteoporosis.
      In patients with PBC, the dysfunction in enterohepatic circulation of bile acids
      is associated with the impaired absorption of fats and fat soluble vitamins.
      Vitamin D and K deficiency leads to osteoporosis resulting in increased risk of
      bone fracture. This article describes the characteristic and molecular mechanism
      in bone disease of PBC. 

PMID- 26503868
TI  - [Inflammatory bowel disease and bone decreased bone mineral density].
AB  - Metabolic bone diseases such as osteopenia and osteoporosis increase the risk of
      bone fracture that negatively affects quality of life of individuals. Patients
      with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD), including ulcerative colitis(UC)and Crohn's
      disease(CD), have been shown to be at increased risk of decreased bone mineral
      density, however frequency of metabolic bone disease in IBD and identified risk
      factors are varied among reports. 

PMID- 26503869
TI  - [Hepatocellular carcinoma and vitamin K2].
AB  - Despite recent progress in diagnosis and therapy, hepatocellular
      carcinoma(HCC)remains among the cancers with the poorest prognoses. Vitamin
      Ks(VKs)have been shown to suppress the growth of HCC cells. Long-term
      administration of VK2 has established its clinical safety, but it does not appear
      to exhibit marked anti-tumor effects when administered alone. For more effective
      use of VK2 against HCC, co-administration of VK2 with other proven anticancer
      agents or development of a new VK preparation with a modified side-chain should
      be investigated in the future. 

PMID- 26503870
TI  - [Interferon and bone].
AB  - Interferon(IFN)alpha, beta and gamma were identified, and demonstrated played a
      crucial role in regulating immune system. Expression of IFN alpha and beta are
      both promoted by viral infection, and these factors have been utilized to treat
      the patients with hepatitis C. Meanwhile, IFN gamma is expressed in activated T
      cells, such as Th1 cells, and also plays a crucial role in immune system. Beside
      the immune roles, IFNs were demonstrated to regulate bone homeostasis via
      osteoclasts, osteoblasts or both. In this review, I will discuss the roles of
      IFNs in bone system. 

PMID- 26503871
TI  - [Trabecular bone changes in the spine after transarterial chemoembolization
      therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma].
AB  - The number of computed tomography(CT)-guided interventional procedures has
      increased because they are less invasive and more cost-effective than open
      surgery. Transarterial chemoembolization(TACE)is a method in which
      chemotherapeutic drugs are injected into the artery that supplies the tumor. It
      is also well known that multidetector-CT has tremendously advanced our diagnostic
      capabilities broadly throughout medicine. These diagnostic benefits have combined
      with the widespread availability and rapidity of scanning to marked increases in
      CT use, for example, dynamic contrast-enhanced CT, CT perfusion imaging, and CT
      during angiography. However, rapidly increasing use of CT has heightened concerns
      about the high levels of cumulative exposure that may occur in patients
      undergoing recurrent imaging for chronic conditions such as chronic hepatitis or
      hepatocellular carcinomas. So far, bone toxicity associated with CT has received
      little attention. The prevalence of osteoporosis and trabecular microstructural
      changes using clinical MDCT-based microstructural analysis in patients after TACE
      with the interventional-CT system to treat hepatocellular carcinoma have been
      demonstrated here. 

PMID- 26503872
TI  - [Proton pump inhibitor and bone complications].
AB  - Many observational studies indicated a significant association between PPI use
      and increased risk of hip and vertebral fractures, but no evidence of duration
      effect was founded by meta-analysis. However, observational studies cannot
      clarify whether the observed epidemiologic association is a causal effect or a
      result of unmeasured/residual confounding. Furthermore, a mechanism through which
      PPI increase the risk of fracture has not been proven. Overall, PPI use dose not
      interfere with calcium absorption in most instances and, therefore, it is
      unlikely that PPI influence fracture risk through interfering with absorption of
      dietary calcium. There is no consistent effect of PPI on bone mineral density as
      assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry testing. Thus, randomized controlled
      studies are required to confirm of refute these results. At this time, the author
      does not recommend discontinuing PPI in patients with a history of fracture or
      those at increased risk of fracture. However, clinicians should still endeavor to
      avoid using PPI in situations where benefits are minimal or clinical indication
      are lacking. 

PMID- 26503873
TI  - [Clinical guidelines for bone disease in primary biliary cirrhosis].
AB  - Primary biliary cirrhosis(PBC)is a chronic cholestatic liver disease and the
      association of osteoporosis is high. In this paper, the practical guidelines for
      PBC of Japan as well as those of America(AASLD)and Europe(EASL)are mentioned.
      Description of each guideline is essentially the same;taking sufficient
      calcium(1,000~1,200 mg/day)with vitamin D and weight-bearing exercise, and
      thereafter medication such as alendronate is recommended. 

PMID- 26503874
TI  - [Treatment of bone disease caused by gastrectomy].
AB  - Gastrectomy is undergone mainly in patients with gastric cancer. Bone
      diseases(osteoporosis and osteomalacia)caused by gastractomy are associated with
      weight loss, calcium and vitamin D inadequancy, and malnutrition. Most patients
      after gastrectomy have multile risk factors of bone diseases and subsequently are
      at a higher risk for fractures. In particular, sex hormone deficiency and aging
      enhance the risk for fractures. The management of bone diseases caused by
      gastraectomy include adequet intake of calcium, vitamin D and protein, sunlight
      exposure, and regular weight-bearing exercise, as well as non-smoking and
      avoiding excess alcohol drinking. The patients at a high risk for fractures shoud
      be treated with bisphosphonates. 

PMID- 26503875
TI  - [Treatment for hepatic osteodystrophy].
AB  - Chronic liver diseases, including liver cirrhosis, are caused by various
      pathogenesis, such as viral hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, autoimmune
      hepatitis and steatohepatitis. There have not been enough clinical evidence about
      the treatment of hepatic osteodystrophy at the present time. Several reports
      suggested that bisphosphonates, such as alendronate, are effective for an
      increase in bone mineral density in patients with chronic liver disease. Vitamin
      D treatment might be useful for the frequent prevalence of vitamin D deficiency
      in the pathogenesis of hepatic oseodystrophy. The use of estrogens will be
      limited for the risk of liver dysfunction and hepatocellular carcinoma. 

PMID- 26503876
TI  - [Phosphate homeostasis and oral diseases].
AB  - FGF23 produced mainly by osteocytes plays a central role in phosphate homeostasis
      by increasing the renal phosphate excretion and suppressing the vitamin D
      activation. Mutations in FGF23 and its regulatory molecules such as PHEX, DMP1,
      and FAM20C have been shown to be responsible for hereditary hypophosphatemic
      diseases. Patients and animal models of these hypophosphatemic conditions often
      manifest dental defects, whose etiology may include hypophosphatemia and impaired
      vitamin D action. In addition, the mechanisms specific to each responsible gene
      such as accumulated ASARM peptides in PHEX deficiency and the reduced DSPP
      expression in DMP1 deficiency are also involved in the pathogenesis of these
      dental problems. 

PMID- 26503877
TI  - Panobinostat for the treatment of relapsed or relapsed/refractory multiple
      myeloma: pharmacology and clinical outcomes.
AB  - Recently, outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma have improved dramatically
      due to improved and innovative therapies. However, most patients will either
      relapse or become refractory to current therapy. Thus, a significant unmet need
      remains for novel agents to treat this patient population. Panobinostat, a potent
      pan-deacetylase inhibitor with a unique mechanism of action targeting both
      epigenetic regulation of gene expression and protein metabolism, has preclinical
      synergy with a number of agents, including the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib.
      In a phase 3 trial of panobinostat with bortezomib and dexamethasone, addition of
      panobinostat significantly prolonged the median progression-free survival of
      patients with relapsed or relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. This review
      focuses on clinical development of panobinostat, with particular emphasis on
      pharmacokinetics and adverse event management. 

PMID- 26503878
TI  - On the Energetics of Ions in Carbon and Gold Nanotubes.
AB  - We investigate the insertion of halide and alkali atoms into narrow single-walled
      carbon nanotubes with diameters <9 A by density functional theory; both chiral
      and non-chiral tubes are considered. The atoms are stored in the form of ions;
      the concomitant charge transfer affects the band structure and makes originally
      semiconducting tubes conducting. The electrostatic interaction between a charge
      and the walls of the tube is explicitly calculated. The insertion energies and
      the positions of the ions are determined by a competition between electrostatic
      energy and Pauli repulsion. For comparison, we consider ions in gold nanotubes.
      Alkali ions follow the same principles in gold as in carbon tubes, but chloride
      is specifically adsorbed inside gold tubes. 

PMID- 26503879
TI  - Gendered power dynamics and women's negotiation of family planning in a high HIV
      prevalence setting: a qualitative study of couples in western Kenya.
AB  - In sub-Saharan Africa, high burdens of HIV and unmet need for contraception often
      coexist. Research emphasises the need to engage men and couples in reproductive
      health, yet couples' negotiations around fertility and family planning in the
      context of HIV have been sparsely studied. This study examined the gendered power
      dynamics that frame women's and couples' negotiations of contraceptive use in
      western Kenya. We conducted 76 in-depth interviews with 38 couples, of whom 22
      couples were concordant HIV-positive. Qualitative data were analysed using a
      grounded theory approach. Direct communication around contraception with men was
      often challenging due to perceived or expressed male resistance. A substantial
      minority of women avoided male reproductive decision-making authority through
      covert contraceptive use, with concern for severe consequences when contraceptive
      use was discovered. Many men assumed that family planning use signified female
      promiscuity and that infidelity motivated covert use. Men were more willing to
      use condoms to avoid HIV re-infection or on the recommendation of HIV care
      providers, which allowed some women leverage to insist on condom use. Our
      findings highlight the tension between male dominated reproductive decision
      making and women's agency and point to the need for gender transformative
      approaches seeking to challenge masculinities that negatively impact health. 

PMID- 26503881
TI  - Fruits and Vegetables Get a Golden Halo Once Again: Is There More to the Story?

PMID- 26503880
TI  - Association of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption During Early Adulthood With the
      Prevalence of Coronary Artery Calcium After 20 Years of Follow-Up: The Coronary
      Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between intake of fruits and vegetables (F/V) during
      young adulthood and coronary atherosclerosis later in life is unclear. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: We studied participants of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in
      Young Adults (CARDIA) study, a cohort of young, healthy black and white
      individuals at baseline (1985-1986). Intake of F/V at baseline was assessed using
      a semiquantitative interview administered diet history, and coronary artery
      calcium was measured at year 20 (2005-2006) using computed tomography. We used
      logistic regression to adjust for relevant variables and estimate the adjusted
      odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals across energy-adjusted, sex-specific
      tertiles of total servings of F/V per day. Among our sample (n=2506), the mean
      (SD) age at baseline was 25.3 (3.5) years, and 62.7% were female. After
      adjustment for demographics and lifestyle variables, higher intake of F/V was
      associated with a lower prevalence of coronary artery calcium: odds ratio (95%
      confidence interval) =1.00 (reference), 0.78 (0.59-1.02), and 0.74 (0.56-0.99),
      from the lowest to the highest tertile of F/V, P value for trend <0.001. There
      was attenuation of the association between F/V and coronary artery calcium after
      adjustment for other dietary variables, but the trend remained significant: odds
      ratio (95% confidence interval): 1.00 (reference), 0.84 (0.63-1.11), and 0.92
      (0.67-1.26), P value for trend <0.002]. CONCLUSIONS: In this longitudinal cohort
      study, higher intake of F/V during young adulthood was associated with lower odds
      of prevalent coronary artery calcium after 20 years of follow-up. Our results
      reinforce the importance of establishing a high intake of F/V as part of a
      healthy dietary pattern early in life.

PMID- 26503882
TI  - Role of Reverse Divalent Cation Diffusion in Forward Osmosis Biofouling.
AB  - We investigated the role of reverse divalent cation diffusion in forward osmosis
      (FO) biofouling. FO biofouling by Pseudomonas aeruginosa was simulated using
      pristine and chlorine-treated thin-film composite polyamide membranes with either
      MgCl2 or CaCl2 draw solution. We related FO biofouling behavior-water flux
      decline, biofilm architecture, and biofilm composition-to reverse cation
      diffusion. Experimental results demonstrated that reverse calcium diffusion led
      to significantly more severe water flux decline in comparison with reverse
      magnesium permeation. Unlike magnesium, reverse calcium permeation dramatically
      altered the biofilm architecture and composition, where extracellular polymeric
      substances (EPS) formed a thicker, denser, and more stable biofilm. We propose
      that FO biofouling was enhanced by complexation of calcium ions to bacterial EPS.
      This hypothesis was confirmed by dynamic and static light scattering measurements
      using extracted bacterial EPS with the addition of either MgCl2 or CaCl2
      solution. We observed a dramatic increase in the hydrodynamic radius of bacterial
      EPS with the addition of CaCl2, but no change was observed after addition of
      MgCl2. Static light scattering revealed that the radius of gyration of bacterial
      EPS with addition of CaCl2 was 20 times larger than that with the addition of
      MgCl2. These observations were further confirmed by transmission electron
      microscopy imaging, where bacterial EPS in the presence of calcium ions was
      globular, while that with magnesium ions was rod-shaped. 

PMID- 26503883
TI  - Liver cancer: A model of fibrolamellar carcinoma.

PMID- 26503884
TI  - Therapy: Avoiding treatment failures associated with HCV resistance.

PMID- 26503885
TI  - Transplantation: Allocation of liver transplants-a road to consensus.
AB  - Rationing of livers for transplantation is a difficult problem especially when
      creation of national policies is needed. Italy recently convened a national
      consensus conference to decide who should be first in line.

PMID- 26503886
TI  - A novel nanobiosensor for the detection of paraoxon using chitosan-embedded
      organophosphorus hydrolase immobilized on Au nanoparticles.
AB  - Organophosphorus (OP) compounds are one of the most hazardous chemicals used as
      insecticides/pesticide in agricultural practices. A large variety of OP compounds
      are hydrolyzed by organophosphorus hydrolases (OPH; EC 3.1.8.1). Therefore, OPHs
      are among the most suitable candidates that could be used in designing enzyme
      based sensors for detecting OP compounds. In this work, a novel nanobiosensor for
      the detection of paraoxon was designed and fabricated. More specifically, OPH was
      covalently embedded onto chitosan and the enzyme-chitosan bioconjugate was then
      immobilized on negatively charged gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) electrostatically.
      The enzyme was immobilized on AuNPs without chitosan as well, to compare the two
      systems in terms of detection limit and enzyme stability under different pH and
      temperature conditions. Coumarin 1, a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme, was
      used as a fluorogenic probe. The emission of coumarin 1 was effectively quenched
      by the immobilized Au-NPs when bound to the developed nanobioconjugates. However,
      in the presence of paraoxon, coumarin 1 left the nanobioconjugate, leading to
      enhanced fluorescence intensity. Moreover, compared to the immobilized enzyme
      without chitosan, the chitosan-immobilized enzyme was found to possess decreased
      Km value by more than 50%, and increased Vmax and Kcat values by around 15% and
      74%, respectively. Higher stability within a wider range of pH (2-12) and
      temperature (25-90 degrees C) was also achieved. The method worked in the 0 to
      1050 nM concentration ranges, and had a detection limit as low as 5 * 10(-11) M. 

PMID- 26503887
TI  - Enantioselective Synthesis of alpha-Hydroxy Amides and beta-Amino Alcohols from
      alpha-Keto Amides.
AB  - Synthesis of enantiomerically enriched alpha-hydroxy amides and beta-amino
      alcohols has been accomplished by enantioselective reduction of alpha-keto amides
      with hydrosilanes. A series of alpha-keto amides were reduced in the presence of
      chiral Cu(II)/(S)-DTBM-SEGPHOS catalyst to give the corresponding optically
      active alpha-hydroxy amides with excellent enantioselectivities by using
      (EtO)3SiH as a reducing agent. Furthermore, a one-pot complete reduction of both
      ketone and amide groups of alpha-keto amides has been achieved using the same
      chiral copper catalyst followed by tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride (TBAF) catalyst
      in presence of (EtO)3SiH to afford the corresponding chiral beta-amino alcohol
      derivatives.

PMID- 26503888
TI  - A comparison of methods for construction of fetal reference charts.
AB  - Reference charts for fetal measures are used for early detection of pregnancies
      that should be monitored closely. Construction of reference charts corresponds to
      estimation of quantiles of a distribution as a function of gestational age.
      Existing methods have been developed under various modeling assumptions,
      typically by fitting a polynomial regression to certain functionals of the
      distributions (e.g., mean, standard deviation, and quantiles). We use a large
      dataset to compare various existing methods for construction of reference charts.
      We also relax the assumptions of a parametric polynomial link between the
      distribution parameters and age and consider cubic splines and discretization of
      age in order to compare charts based on more flexible and simpler models,
      respectively. We compare the different methods using various tools and
      demonstrate the importance of considering performance measures calculated from
      age-stratified data. We also examine the question of sample size. We compare our
      charts to similar charts that have been recently published and emphasize that the
      source of an apparent heterogeneity should be investigated. We conclude that the
      choice of which method to use for construction of reference charts should take
      the following into account: available sample size, validity of normality
      assumption, and results of various performance measures.

PMID- 26503890
TI  - A new nanoscale metastable iron phase in carbon steels.
AB  - Metastable omega phase is common in body-centred cubic (bcc) metals and alloys,
      including high-alloying steels. Recent theoretical calculations also suggest that
      the omega structure may act as an intermediate phase for face-centred cubic (fcc)
      to-bcc transformation. Thus far, the role of the omega phase played in fcc-bcc
      martensitic transformation in carbon steels has not been reported. In previous
      investigations on martensitic carbon steels, extra electron diffraction spots
      were frequently observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and these
      spots were historically ascribed to the diffraction arising from either internal
      twins or carbides. In this paper, an intensive TEM investigation revealed that
      the extra spots are in fact attributed to the metastable omega phase in particle
      like morphology with an overall size of several or dozens of nanometres. The
      strict orientation relationships between the omega phase and the ferrite matrix
      are in good agreement with those of the hexagonal (P6/mmm) omega phase in other
      bcc metals and alloys. The identification of the omega phase as well as the extra
      diffraction spots might provide a clue to help understand the physical mechanism
      of martensitic transformation in steels. 

PMID- 26503889
TI  - Lipophilic prodrugs of nucleoside triphosphates as biochemical probes and
      potential antivirals.
AB  - The antiviral activity of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors is often
      limited by ineffective phosphorylation. We report on a nucleoside triphosphate
      (NTP) prodrug approach in which the gamma-phosphate of NTPs is bioreversibly
      modified. A series of TriPPPro-compounds bearing two lipophilic masking units at
      the gamma-phosphate and d4T as a nucleoside analogue are synthesized. Successful
      delivery of d4TTP is demonstrated in human CD4(+) T-lymphocyte cell extracts by
      an enzyme-triggered mechanism with high selectivity. In antiviral assays, the
      compounds are potent inhibitors of HIV-1 and HIV-2 in CD4(+) T-cell (CEM)
      cultures. Highly lipophilic acyl residues lead to higher membrane permeability
      that results in intracellular delivery of phosphorylated metabolites in thymidine
      kinase-deficient CEM/TK(-) cells with higher antiviral activity than the parent
      nucleoside. 

PMID- 26503891
TI  - Integrated Bottom-Up and Top-Down Proteomics of Patient-Derived Breast Tumor
      Xenografts.
AB  - Bottom-up proteomics relies on the use of proteases and is the method of choice
      for identifying thousands of protein groups in complex samples. Top-down
      proteomics has been shown to be robust for direct analysis of small proteins and
      offers a solution to the "peptide-to-protein" inference problem inherent with
      bottom-up approaches. Here, we describe the first large-scale integration of
      genomic, bottom-up and top-down proteomic data for the comparative analysis of
      patient-derived mouse xenograft models of basal and luminal B human breast
      cancer, WHIM2 and WHIM16, respectively. Using these well-characterized xenograft
      models established by the National Cancer Institute's Clinical Proteomic Tumor
      Analysis Consortium, we compared and contrasted the performance of bottom-up and
      top-down proteomics to detect cancer-specific aberrations at the peptide and
      proteoform levels and to measure differential expression of proteins and
      proteoforms. Bottom-up proteomic analysis of the tumor xenografts detected almost
      10 times as many coding nucleotide polymorphisms and peptides resulting from
      novel splice junctions than top-down. For proteins in the range of 0-30 kDa,
      where quantitation was performed using both approaches, bottom-up proteomics
      quantified 3,519 protein groups from 49,185 peptides, while top-down proteomics
      quantified 982 proteoforms mapping to 358 proteins. Examples of both concordant
      and discordant quantitation were found in a ~60:40 ratio, providing a unique
      opportunity for top-down to fill in missing information. The two techniques
      showed complementary performance, with bottom-up yielding eight times more
      identifications of 0-30 kDa proteins in xenograft proteomes, but failing to
      detect differences in certain posttranslational modifications (PTMs), such as
      phosphorylation pattern changes of alpha-endosulfine. This work illustrates the
      potency of a combined bottom-up and top-down proteomics approach to deepen our
      knowledge of cancer biology, especially when genomic data are available. 

PMID- 26503893
TI  - PLK1 blockade enhances therapeutic effects of radiation by inducing cell cycle
      arrest at the mitotic phase.
AB  - The cytotoxicity of ionizing radiation depends on the cell cycle phase;
      therefore, its pharmacological manipulation, especially the induction of cell
      cycle arrest at the radiosensitive mitotic-phase (M-phase), has been attempted
      for effective radiation therapy. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is a serine/threonine
      kinase that functions in mitotic progression, and is now recognized as a
      potential target for radiosensitization. We herein investigated whether PLK1
      blockade enhanced the cytotoxic effects of radiation by modulating cell cycle
      phases of cancer cells using the novel small molecule inhibitor of PLK1, TAK-960.
      The TAK-960 treatment exhibited radiosensitizing effects in vitro, especially
      when it increased the proportion of M-phase cells. TAK-960 did not sensitize
      cancer cells to radiation when an insufficient amount of time was provided to
      induce mitotic arrest. The overexpression of a PLK1 mutant, PLK1-R136G&T210D,
      which was confirmed to cancel the TAK-960-mediated increase in the proportion of
      mitotic cells, abrogated the radiosensitizing effects of TAK-960. A tumor growth
      delay assay also demonstrated that the radiosensitizing effects of TAK-960
      depended on an increase in the proportion of M-phase cells. These results provide
      a rational basis for targeting PLK1 for radiosensitization when considering the
      therapeutic time window for M-phase arrest as the best timing for radiation
      treatments. 

PMID- 26503894
TI  - Expression of Toll-Like Receptors in Chronic Histiocytic Intervillositis of the
      Placenta.
AB  - Chronic histiocytic intervillositis of the placenta (CHI) shows
      monocytic/histiocytic infiltration of the intervillous space. Placental malaria
      has a CHI-like histopathology and induces an aberrant expression of Toll-like
      receptors (TLR) 3, 7-9. We hypothesized that, similar to placental malaria, CHI
      could be associated with increased TLR expression. TLR1-10 and other inflammation
      associated factors were analyzed by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. A
      total of 31 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded placenta samples were evaluated:
      CHI (n = 9), and for control purposes, villitis of unknown etiology (VUE, n = 8)
      and placentas without inflammation (n = 14). CHI shows increased expression of
      monocytic TLR1, a receptor which is involved in bacterial lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS)-induced inflammation. This could indicate a TLR1-mediated immune mechanism
      in the placenta (e.g. triggered by transient, clinically inapparent maternal
      bacteraemia) which leads to massive monocytic/histiocytic accumulation in the
      intervillous space. The increased expression of TLR1 with no increased expression
      of TLR3 and TLR7-9 is different from that in malaria. 

PMID- 26503892
TI  - Temporal Phosphoproteome Dynamics Induced by an ATP Synthase Inhibitor
      Citreoviridin.
AB  - Citreoviridin, one of toxic mycotoxins derived from fungal species, can suppress
      lung cancer cell growth by inhibiting the activity of ectopic ATP synthase, but
      has limited effect on normal cells. However, the mechanism of citreoviridin
      triggering dynamic molecular responses in cancer cells remains unclear. Here, we
      performed temporal phosphoproteomics to elucidate the dynamic changes after
      citreoviridin treatment in cells and xenograft model. We identified a total of
      829 phosphoproteins and demonstrated that citreoviridin treatment affects protein
      folding, cell cycle, and cytoskeleton function. Furthermore, response network
      constructed by mathematical modeling shows the relationship between the
      phosphorylated heat shock protein 90 beta and mitogen-activated protein kinase
      signaling pathway. This work describes that citreoviridin suppresses cancer cell
      growth and mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase
      signaling by site-specific dephosphorylation of HSP90AB1 on Serine 255 and
      provides perspectives in cancer therapeutic strategies. 

PMID- 26503895
TI  - Emerging Treatments for Retinitis Pigmentosa: Genes and stem cells, as well as
      new electronic and medical therapies, are gaining ground.

PMID- 26503896
TI  - A Non-sulfided flower-like Ni-PTA Catalyst that Enhances the Hydrotreatment
      Efficiency of Plant Oil to Produce Green Diesel.
AB  - The development of a novel non-sulfided catalyst with high activity for the
      hydrotreatment processing of plant oils, is of high interest as a way to improve
      the efficient production of renewable diesel. To attempt to develop such a
      catalyst, we first synthesized a high activity flower-like Ni-PTA catalyst used
      in the hydrotreatment processes of plant oils. The obtained catalyst was
      characterized with SEM, EDX, HRTEM, BET, XRD, H2-TPR, XPS and TGA. A probable
      formation mechanism of flower-like Ni(OH)2 is proposed on the basis of a range of
      contrasting experiments. The results of GC showed that the conversion yield of
      Jatropha oil was 98.95%, and the selectivity of C11-C18 alkanes was 70.93% at 360
      degrees C, 3 MPa, and 15 h(-1). The activity of this flower-like Ni-PTA catalyst
      was more than 15 times higher than those of the conventional Ni-PTA/Al2O3
      catalysts. Additionally, the flower-like Ni-PTA catalyst exhibited good stability
      during the process of plant oil hydrotreatment. 

PMID- 26503897
TI  - Radioactive seed localization in breast cancer treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer screening, improved imaging and neoadjuvant systemic
      therapy (NST) have led to increased numbers of non-palpable tumours suitable for
      breast-conserving surgery (BCS). Accurate tumour localization is essential to
      achieve a complete resection in these patients. This study evaluated the role of
      radioactive seed localization (RSL) in improving breast- and axilla-conserving
      surgery in patients with breast cancer with or without NST. METHODS: Patients who
      underwent RSL between 2007 and 2014 were included. Learning curves were analysed
      by the rates of minimally involved (in situ/invasive tumour cells on a length of
      0-4 mm on ink) and positive resection margins (over 4 mm on ink) after BCS, and
      the median resection volume over time. RESULTS: A total of 367 patients with in
      situ carcinomas and 199 with non-palpable invasive breast cancer underwent RSL
      before primary surgery. A further 697 patients had RSL before NST, of whom 206
      also underwent RSL of a histologically verified axillary lymph node metastasis.
      BCS was performed in 93.2 and 87.9 per cent of patients undergoing primary
      surgery for in situ and invasive tumours respectively, and 57.5 per cent of those
      in the NST group. The rate of BCS with positive resection margins was low and
      stable over time in the three groups (9.1, 9.7 and 11.2 per cent respectively).
      The median resection volume decreased significantly with time in the invasive
      cancer and NST groups. CONCLUSION: In the present study of more than 1200
      patients and 7 years of experience, RSL was shown to facilitate breast- and
      axilla-conserving surgery in a diverse patient population. There was a
      significant reduction in resection volume while maintaining low positive
      resection margin rates after BCS.

PMID- 26503898
TI  - Ruptured dissecting PICA aneurysm with spontaneous thrombosis during pregnancy
      with long-term follow-up.

PMID- 26503899
TI  - Drug-Alcohol Interactions in Older U.S. Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To characterize the extent and nature of drug-alcohol interactions in
      older U.S. adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS:
      Nationally representative population-based sample of community-dwelling older
      adults (N = 2,975). MEASUREMENTS: Regular drinkers were defined as respondents
      who consumed alcohol at least weekly. Medication use was defined as the use of a
      prescription or nonprescription medication or dietary supplement at least daily
      or weekly. Micromedex was used to determine drug interactions with alcohol and
      their corresponding severity. RESULTS: One thousand one hundred six (41%) of the
      participants consumed alcohol regularly, and 567 (20%) were at-risk for a drug
      alcohol interaction because they were regular drinkers and concurrently using
      alcohol-interacting medications. More than 90% of these interactions were of
      moderate or major severity. Antidepressants and analgesics were the most commonly
      used alcohol-interacting medications in regular drinkers. Older adult men with
      multiple chronic conditions had the highest prevalence of potential drug-alcohol
      interactions. CONCLUSION: The potential for drug-alcohol interactions in the
      older U.S. adult population may have important clinical implications. Efforts to
      better understand and prevent the use of alcohol-interacting medications by
      regular drinkers, particularly heavy drinkers, are warranted in this population.

PMID- 26503900
TI  - Resilience in eating disorders: A qualitative study.
AB  - The objectives of the authors in this study were two-fold: (1) to explore the
      role of resilience in recovery from eating disorders (EDs), and (2) to develop a
      model of resilience in women with EDs. Semi-structured interviews with ten women
      were conducted in April 2011, along with two focus groups with women who had
      recovered from EDs (n  = 5 women each; conducted in April 2012 at the University
      of Deusto, Spain), one focus group with clinical experts (n = 8; conducted in
      April 2012 at the Foundation Against EDs of Biskay, Spain), and six narratives
      from primary caregivers of ED patients living in Biskay, Spain (conducted in
      November 2012). All data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. All
      female participants acknowledged experiencing resilience in their recovery. The
      analysis resulted in a conceptual model of resilience composed of the following
      categories: deep dissatisfaction with life, turning point, acceptance, hope,
      determination to change, accountability for the ED, active coping, getting social
      support, gaining self-knowledge, getting information about EDs, increase well
      being, trait resilience, initiating new projects and living in the here and now.
      According to the model presented, resilience preceded the experience of recovery
      in women with EDs in this sample and could be a useful asset for future
      interventions.

PMID- 26503904
TI  - Protection provided by Rispens CVI988 vaccine against Marek's disease virus
      isolates of different pathotypes and early prediction of vaccine take and MD
      outcome.
AB  - We tested the level of protection provided by the Rispens CVI988 (Rispens)
      vaccine against challenge with a virulent Marek's disease virus (MDV) pathotype
      (vMDV) and a very virulent pathotype (vvMDV) and the accuracy of a range of
      predictive measures of Marek's disease (MD) incidence and vaccine take.
      Commercial layer chicks (n = 236) were vaccinated (or not) with 4000 plaque
      forming units (pfu) of Rispens vaccine at hatch and challenged (or not) with 500
      pfu of each challenge virus five days post vaccination. The vvMDV pathotype FT158
      induced higher MD incidence (65%) and mortality (33%) when compared with the vMDV
      pathotype MPF57 (39% and 8%, respectively). The protective index provided by the
      Rispens vaccine against FT158 (61%) did not differ significantly from that
      against MPF57 (66%). This provides additional evidence that protection provided
      by the Rispens vaccine is not influenced by pathotype determined in studies using
      vaccines of other Mardivirus species. The challenge viruses did not differ in MDV
      or Rispens viral load in spleen at 14 dpc (days post challenge) determined by
      specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction test. MDV load in peripheral
      blood leucocytes at 7 and 14 dpc, splenocytes at 14 dpc, feather cells at 14 and
      21 dpc and isolator dust at 21 dpc were significant early indicators of
      subsequent MD incidence to 56 dpc. These are potentially useful as the sampling
      can be carried out well before the onset of MD and some measures are non
      invasive. The Rispens viral load in both invasive and non-invasive samples was
      more useful as a measure of vaccine take. 

PMID- 26503902
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Bevacizumab Combined with Chemotherapy for Managing
      Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - Although the FDA revoked metastatic breast cancer (MBC) from bevacizumab (BEV)
      indication in 2011, BEV combined with paclitaxel has been written in the breast
      cancer NCCN guidelines. This systematic assessment was performed to evaluate the
      efficacy and safety of BEV + chemotherapy (CHE) for managing MBC. PubMed and
      EMBASE were searched for original articles written in English and published
      before July, 2015. Progression-free survival was significantly improved in the
      CHE + BEV arms compared to the CHE arms in overall group and in human epidermal
      growth factor receptor 2-negative group (HR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.68-0.84, P < 0.001;
      HR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.69-0.82, P < 0.001). There were no significant improvement in
      overall survival in the CHE + BEV arms compared to the CHE arms. Significantly
      more grade 3 febrile neutropenia, hypertension, proteinuria, and cardiac events
      were observed in the CHE + BEV arm, which are controllable and reversible. Severe
      bleeding occurred more in the BEV + taxane arms and in patients with brain
      metastases. Therefore, CHE + BEV significantly increases progression-free
      survival in patients with MBC, it should be considered as a treatment option for
      these patients under the premise of reasonable selection of target population and
      combined CHE drugs.

PMID- 26503903
TI  - Secondhand tobacco smoke exposure and susceptibility to smoking, perceived
      addiction, and psychobehavioral symptoms among college students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure with
      susceptibility to smoking, perceived addiction, and psychobehavioral effects of
      exposure among never- and ever-smoking college students. PARTICIPANTS:
      Participants were 665 college students at a large, southeastern university in the
      United States. METHODS: This study is a secondary analysis of online cross
      sectional survey data from randomly selected students in April 2013. RESULTS:
      Thirty-eight percent of the sample had moderate to high SHS exposure. Among never
      smokers, SHS exposure was associated with increased susceptibility to initiating
      smoking. Among ever-smokers, SHS exposure was not associated with their perceived
      addiction to tobacco. In the total sample, SHS exposure was associated with
      greater psychobehavioral symptoms of exposure. CONCLUSIONS: SHS exposure may the
      increase risk of smoking, especially among never-smoking college students. This
      study strengthens the need for prevention strategies that limit SHS exposure in
      college environments.

PMID- 26503905
TI  - Tacrine-Trolox Hybrids: A Novel Class of Centrally Active, Nonhepatotoxic Multi
      Target-Directed Ligands Exerting Anticholinesterase and Antioxidant Activities
      with Low In Vivo Toxicity.
AB  - Coupling of two distinct pharmacophores, tacrine and trolox, endowed with
      different biological properties, afforded 21 hybrid compounds as novel
      multifunctional candidates against Alzheimer's disease. Several of them showed
      improved inhibitory properties toward acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in relation to
      tacrine. These hybrids also scavenged free radicals. Molecular modeling studies
      in tandem with kinetic analysis exhibited that these hybrids target both
      catalytic active site as well as peripheral anionic site of AChE. In addition,
      incorporation of the moiety bearing antioxidant abilities displayed negligible
      toxicity on human hepatic cells. This striking effect was explained by formation
      of nontoxic metabolites after 1 h incubation in human liver microsomes system.
      Finally, tacrine-trolox hybrids exhibited low in vivo toxicity after im
      administration in rats and potential to penetrate across blood-brain barrier. All
      of these outstanding in vitro results in combination with promising in vivo
      outcomes highlighted derivative 7u as the lead structure worthy of further
      investigation. 

PMID- 26503906
TI  - Keto-Enol Tautomeric Equilibrium of Acetylacetone Solution Confined in Extended
      Nanospaces.
AB  - We aim to clarify the effects of size confinement, solvent, and deuterium
      substitution on keto-enol tautomerization of acetylacetone (AcAc) in solutions
      confined in 10-100 nm spaces (i.e., extended nanospaces) using (1)H NMR
      spectroscopy. The keto-enol equilibrium constants of AcAc (K(EQ) = [keto]/[enol])
      in various solvents confined in extended nanospaces of 200-3000 nm were examined
      using the area ratios of -CH3 peaks in keto to enol forms. The results showed
      that the keto form of AcAc in hydrogen-bonded solvents such as water and ethanol
      increased drastically with decreasing space sizes below about 500 nm, but the
      size confinement did not induce equilibrium shifts in aprotic solvents such as
      DMSO. The magnitudes of K(EQ) enhancement were well correlated with solvent
      proton donicity. It followed from the determination of thermodynamic parameters
      that the stabilization of intermolecular interactions between protons in water
      and carbonyl oxygen (C?O) in the keto form of AcAc were promoted by size
      confinement, and that the keto form could be energetically and structurally
      favored in extended nanospaces vis-a-vis the bulk space. Furthermore, the
      measurements of deuterium dependence of the K(EQ) values verified that the
      nanoconfinement-induced shifts of keto-enol tautomerization of AcAc are
      attributable to high proton mobility via a proton hopping mechanism of the
      confined water.

PMID- 26503907
TI  - Multifunctional Single-Phase Photocatalysts: Extended Near Infrared Photoactivity
      and Reliable Magnetic Recyclability.
AB  - A practical photocatalyst should be able to integrate together various functions
      including the extended solar conversion, a feasible and economic recyclability,
      and above the room temperature operation potential, et al., in order to fulfill
      the spreading application needs in nowadays. In this report, a multifunctional
      single-phase photocatalyst which possesses a high photoactivity extended into the
      near infrared region, an easy magnetic recyclability and the high temperature
      stability was developed by doping Co into a new layer-structured Bi7Fe3Ti3O21
      material. Light absorption and photocatalytic activity of the resulted Bi7Fe(3
      x)CoxTi3O21 photocatalyst were extended to the long wavelength as far as 800 nm.
      Its strong ferromagnetism above the room temperature enables the nanopowders
      fully recyclable in viscous solutions simply with a magnet bar in an experimental
      demonstration. Furthermore, such photoactivity and magnetic recyclability were
      heavily tested under high-temperature and high-viscosity conditions, which was
      intended to simulate the actual industrial environments. This work brings the
      bright light to a full availability of a new multifunctional photocatalyst, via
      integrating the much enhanced ferromagnetic, ferroelectric, optoelectronic
      properties, most importantly, into a single-phase structure.

PMID- 26503908
TI  - Destruction of amyloid fibrils by graphene through penetration and extraction of
      peptides.
AB  - Current therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) can provide a moderate symptomatic
      reduction or delay progression at various stages of the disease, but such
      treatments ultimately do not arrest the advancement of AD. As such, novel
      approaches for AD treatment and prevention are urgently needed. We here provide
      both experimental and computational evidence that pristine graphene and graphene
      oxide nanosheets can inhibit Abeta peptide monomer fibrillation and clear mature
      amyloid fibrils, thus impacting the central molecular superstructures correlated
      with AD pathogenesis. Our molecular dynamics simulations for the first time
      reveal that graphene nanosheets can penetrate and extract a large number of
      peptides from pre-formed amyloid fibrils; these effects seem to be related to
      exceptionally strong dispersion interactions between peptides and graphene that
      are further enhanced by strong pi-pi stacking between the aromatic residues of
      extracted Abeta peptides and the graphene surface. Atomic force microscopy images
      confirm these predictions by demonstrating that mature amyloid fibrils can be cut
      into pieces and cleared by graphene oxides. Thioflavin fluorescence assays
      further illustrate the detailed dynamic processes by which graphene induces
      inhibition of monomer aggregation and clearance of mature amyloid fibrils,
      respectively. Cell viability and ROS assays indicate that graphene oxide can
      indeed mitigate cytotoxicity of Abeta peptide amyloids. Our findings provide new
      insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms that define graphene-amyloid
      interaction and suggest that further research on nanotherapies for Alzheimer's
      and other protein aggregation-related diseases is warranted. 

PMID- 26503909
TI  - DNA methylation patterns of protein-coding genes and long non-coding RNAs in
      males with schizophrenia.
AB  - Schizophrenia (SCZ) is one of the most complex mental illnesses affecting ~1% of
      the population worldwide. SCZ pathogenesis is considered to be a result of
      genetic as well as epigenetic alterations. Previous studies have aimed to
      identify the causative genes of SCZ. However, DNA methylation of long non-coding
      RNAs (lncRNAs) involved in SCZ has not been fully elucidated. In the present
      study, a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation was conducted
      using samples from two male patients with paranoid and undifferentiated SCZ,
      respectively. Methyl-CpG binding domain protein-enriched genome sequencing was
      used. In the two patients with paranoid and undifferentiated SCZ, 1,397 and 1,437
      peaks were identified, respectively. Bioinformatic analysis demonstrated that
      peaks were enriched in protein-coding genes, which exhibited nervous system and
      brain functions. A number of these peaks in gene promoter regions may affect gene
      expression and, therefore, influence SCZ-associated pathways. Furthermore, 7 and
      20 lncRNAs, respectively, in the Refseq database were hypermethylated. According
      to the lncRNA dataset in the NONCODE database, ~30% of intergenic peaks
      overlapped with novel lncRNA loci. The results of the present study demonstrated
      that aberrant hypermethylation of lncRNA genes may be an important epigenetic
      factor associated with SCZ. However, further studies using larger sample sizes
      are required.

PMID- 26503910
TI  - Post-ablation des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin level predicts prognosis in hepatitis
      B-related hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: We investigated whether pre- or post-ablation serum alpha
      foetoprotein (AFP) and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) levels can predict
      prognosis in patients with curative radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for hepatitis B
      virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: We retrospectively
      analysed 412 patients with HBV-related single HCC treated with percutaneous RFA
      between January 2004 and December 2013. AFP and DCP levels were measured before
      (pre-ablation) and 1 month after treatment (post-ablation). We assessed
      predictive factors for overall and recurrence-free survival. RESULTS: On
      univariate analysis, Child-Pugh score, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD)
      score, platelet count, tumour size, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage,
      and pre- and post-ablation DCP were significant for overall survival; and age,
      Child-Pugh score, MELD score, platelet count, tumour size, Cancer of the Liver
      Italian Program (CLIP) score, BCLC stage, and pre- and post-ablation AFP and DCP
      were significant for recurrence-free survival. Multivariate analysis revealed
      significant differences in overall survival by MELD score and tumour size and in
      recurrence-free survival by BCLC stage. Among the tumour markers, post-ablation
      DCP was an independent prognostic factor for overall and recurrence-free survival
      [hazard ratio (HR), 3.438; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.331-8.877; P = 0.011
      and HR, 4.934; 95% CI, 2.761-8.816; P < 0.001 respectively]. Post-ablation AFP
      was associated with recurrence-free survival (HR, 1.995; 95% CI, 1.476-2.697; P <
      0.001) but not overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with HBV-related HCC,
      post-ablation serum DCP is a useful biomarker for predicting survival and
      recurrence after curative RFA.

PMID- 26503911
TI  - Glass transition of aqueous solutions involving annealing-induced ice
      recrystallization resolves liquid-liquid transition puzzle of water.
AB  - Liquid-liquid transition of water is an important concept in condensed-matter
      physics. Recently, it was claimed to have been confirmed in aqueous solutions
      based on annealing-induced upshift of glass-liquid transition temperature, T(g) .
      Here we report a universal water-content, X(aqu) , dependence of T(g) for aqueous
      solutions. Solutions with X(aqu)>X(cr)(aqu)vitrify/devitrify at a constant
      temperature, ~T(g) , referring to freeze-concentrated phase with X(aqu)left
      behind ice crystallization. Those solutions with X(aqu)<X(aqu)<X(cr)(aqu) totally
      vitrify at Tg<Tg under conventional cooling/heating process though, Tg of the
      samples annealed at temperatures   to effectively evoke ice recrystallization is
      stabilized at . Experiments on aqueous glycerol and 1,2,4-butanetriol solutions
      in literature were repeated, and the same samples subject to other annealing
      treatments equally reproduce the result. The upshift of T(g) by annealing is
      attributable to freeze-concentrated phase of solutions instead of 'liquid II
      phase of water'. Our work also provides a reliable method to determine hydration
      formula and to scrutinize solute-solvent interaction in solution.

PMID- 26503912
TI  - Conditional TNF-alpha Overexpression in the Tooth and Alveolar Bone Results in
      Painful Pulpitis and Osteitis.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a proalgesic cytokine that is commonly
      expressed following tissue injury. TNF-alpha expression not only promotes
      inflammation but can also lead to pain hypersensitivity in nociceptors. With the
      established link between TNF-alpha and inflammatory pain, we identified its
      increased expression in the teeth of patients affected with caries and pulpitis.
      We generated a transgenic mouse model (TNF-alpha(glo)) that could be used to
      conditionally overexpress TNF-alpha. These mice were bred with a dentin matrix
      protein 1 (DMP1)-Cre line for overexpression of TNF-alpha in both the tooth pulp
      and bone to study oral pain that would result from subsequent development of
      pulpitis and bone loss. The resulting DMP1/TNF-alpha(glo) mice show inflammation
      in the tooth pulp that resembles pulpitis while also displaying periodontal bone
      loss. Inflammatory infiltrates and enlarged blood vessels were observed in the
      tooth pulp. Pulpitis and osteitis affected the nociceptive neurons innervating
      the orofacial region by causing increased expression of inflammatory cytokines
      within the trigeminal ganglia. With this new mouse model morphologically
      mimicking pulpitis and osteitis, we tested it for signs of oral pain with an oral
      function assay (dolognawmeter). This assay/device records the time required by a
      mouse to complete a discrete gnawing task. The duration of gnawing required by
      the DMP1/TNF-alpha(glo) mice to complete the task was greater than that for the
      controls; extended gnaw time in a dolognawmeter indicates reduced orofacial
      function. With the DMP1/TNF-alpha(glo) mice, we have shown that TNF-alpha
      expression alone can produce inflammation similar to pulpitis and osteitis and
      that this mouse model can be used to study dental inflammatory pain. 

PMID- 26503914
TI  - New Methodology for Investigating Ejaculation Dysfunction: Measuring Intraluminal
      Seminal Vesicle Pressure in Rats with a Telemetric Device.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ejaculation dysfunction is one of the most common male sexual
      disorders. Despite its prevalence and adverse impact on patients, little
      attention has been given to investigating ejaculation dysfunction. AIM: We
      introduce a new method for evaluating ejaculation dysfunction in rats with a
      telemetric device. METHODS: A pressure transducer was surgically implanted in the
      seminal vesicles of 7-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats. One week later, the rats
      were subcutaneously administered tamsulosin 3 MUg/kg, and intra-seminal vesicle
      pressure (ISVP) was recorded in freely moving rats after an injection of
      apomorphine (80 MUg/kg). Same rats repeated experiment with tamsulosin 10 MUg/kg,
      silodosin 1 mg/kg, and normal saline with 3-day intervals. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:
      Sexual events were visually identified and recorded. Ejaculation was confirmed by
      visualization of a copulatory plug in the tip of the penis. We compared the
      maximal ISVP and area under the curve (AUC) of the ISVP. RESULTS: Adequate ISVP
      data were easily recorded and available in 66.6% rats (10/15) over a 6-week
      telemetric recording period (12 recordings). The mean number of ejaculations
      during an inspection time of 30 minutes was 1.5 +/- 0.1. The maximal ISVP values
      in rats receiving 3 MUg/kg (30.0 +/- 5.2 mm Hg) and 10 MUg/kg tamsulosin (15.1 +/
      1.6 mm Hg) and 1 mg/kg silodosin (12.9 +/- 2.2 mm Hg) were significantly lower
      than that in control rats (61.4 +/- 13.4 mm Hg, P < 0.05). The AUC values in rats
      receiving 3 MUg/kg (72.7 +/- 18.9 mm Hg * s) and 10 MUg/kg tamsulosin (23.5 +/-
      6.1 mm Hg) and 1 mg/kg silodosin (23.9 +/- 8.0 mm Hg) were also lower than that
      of control rats (162.6 +/- 34.3 mm Hg, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Telemetric ISVP
      assessment is reliable and feasible for investigating apomorphine-induced
      ejaculation in rats. Tamsulosin (3 MUg/kg and 10 MUg/kg) and silodosin 1 mg/kg
      decreased the ISVP during ejaculation.

PMID- 26503915
TI  - Thermally Tunable Hydrogels Displaying Angle-Independent Structural Colors.
AB  - We report the preparation of thermally tunable hydrogels displaying angle
      independent structural colors. The porous structures were formed with short-range
      order using colloidal amorphous array templates and a small amount of carbon
      black (CB). The resultant porous hydrogels prepared using colloidal amorphous
      arrays without CB appeared white, whereas the hydrogels with CB revealed bright
      structural colors. The brightly colored hydrogels rapidly changed hues in a
      reversible manner, and the hues varied widely depending on the water temperature.
      Moreover, the structural colors were angle-independent under diffusive lighting
      because of the isotropic nanostructure generated from the colloidal amorphous
      arrays. 

PMID- 26503913
TI  - DSPP Is Essential for Normal Development of the Dental-Craniofacial Complex.
AB  - The craniofacial skeleton is derived from both neural crest cells and mesodermal
      cells; however, the majority of the bone, cartilage, and connective tissue is
      derived from the neural crest. Dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) is a precursor
      protein that is expressed by the connective tissues of the craniofacial skeleton,
      namely, bone and dentin with high expression levels in the dentin matrix. Gene
      ablation studies have shown severe dental defects in DSPP-null mutant mice.
      Therefore, to elucidate the role of DSPP on the developing dental-craniofacial
      complex, we evaluated phenotypic changes in the structure of intramembranous bone
      and dentin mineralization using 3 different age groups of DSPP-null and wild-type
      mice. Results from micro-computed tomographic, radiographic, and optical
      microscopic analyses showed defective dentin, alveolar and calvarial bones, and
      sutures during development. The impaired mineralization of the cranial bone
      correlated well with low expression levels of Runx2, Col1, and OPN identified
      using calvarial cells from DSPP-null and wild-type mice in an in vitro culture
      system. However, the upregulation of MMP9, MMP2, FN, and BSP was observed.
      Interestingly, the null mice also displayed low serum phosphate levels, while
      calcium levels remained unchanged. Alizarin red and von Kossa staining confirmed
      the dysfunction in the terminal differentiation of osteoblasts obtained from the
      developing calvaria of DSPP-null mice. Immunohistochemical analysis of the
      developing molars showed changes in Runx2, Gli1, Numb, and Notch expression in
      the dental pulp cells and odontoblasts of DSPP-null mice when compared with wild
      type mice. Overall, these observations provide insight into the role of DSPP in
      the normal development of the calvaria, alveolar bone, and dentin-pulp complex. 

PMID- 26503916
TI  - Gottfried Schatz (1936-2015)-mitochondrial pioneer and ambassador for science.

PMID- 26503917
TI  - Apremilast for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis.
AB  - Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the joints that
      occurs in patients with psoriasis. The spectrum of PsA includes arthritis,
      dactylitis, enthesitis, axial involvement, and skin lesions. Non-biologic disease
      modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) such as methotrexate and leflunomide, and
      biologic DMARDs such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists and ustekinumab,
      have been used to treat PsA. Apremilast is a novel therapy that inhibits
      phosphodiesterase 4, increases intracellular cAMP levels, and modulates
      expression of inflammatory mediators in favor of anti-inflammatory activity. It
      decreases the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-17, and IL-23
      and increases the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 under certain conditions. One
      phase II and four phase III clinical trials as well as long-term extension
      studies showed significant and sustained clinical efficacy and an adequate safety
      profile for apremilast in patients with active psoriatic arthritis. 

PMID- 26503918
TI  - Changing attitudes and beliefs towards a woman's right to protect against HIV
      risk in Malawi.
AB  - Female empowerment and positive attitudes towards women's rights in sexual
      relationships have been found to be key elements of successful behaviour-based
      HIV prevention programmes. However, HIV prevention programmes that do not
      specifically engage with gender issues may also affect attitudes and beliefs
      towards women's rights within sexual relationships. Using data from the Malawi
      Longitudinal Study of Families and Health we compare measures of female
      empowerment and changing gender norms between intervention participants and non
      participants. Results suggest that female intervention participants were more
      likely than non-participants to believe that: (1) women have more rights within
      sexual relationships in general and (2) women have the right to protect
      themselves against HIV risk (indicating possible increases in female self
      efficacy in making HIV prevention decisions). Male intervention participants
      showed no substantial positive change in attitudes towards women's rights. These
      results highlight an important positive effect of HIV prevention programmes on
      women's attitudes towards their own rights. 

PMID- 26503919
TI  - Extracorporeal life support in cardiovascular patients with observed refractory
      in-hospital cardiac arrest is associated with favourable short and long-term
      outcomes: A propensity-matched analysis.
AB  - AIMS: Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) has shown encouraging survival rates in
      patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest; however, its routine use is still
      controversial. We compared the survival of patients with in-hospital cardiac
      arrest receiving conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCPR) to that of
      patients with ECLS as an adjunct to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR).
      METHODS: A total of 353 patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest (272 CCPR and 52
      ECPR) were included in this retrospective, propensity score-adjusted (1:1
      matched), single-centre study. Primary endpoints were survival at 30 days, long
      term survival and neurological outcome defined by the cerebral performance
      categories score. RESULTS: In the unmatched groups patients undergoing ECPR
      initially had significantly higher APACHE II scores ( P=0.03), increased
      norepinephrine dosages ( P=0.03) and elevated levels of creatine kinase (
      P<0.0001), creatinine ( P=0.04) and lactate ( P=0.02) before cardiopulmonary
      resuscitation compared with those undergoing CCPR. After equalising these
      parameters significant differences were observed in short and long-term survival,
      favouring ECPR over CCPR (27% vs. 17%; P=0.01 (short-term) and 23.1% vs. 11.5%;
      P=0.008 (long-term); median follow-up duration after discharge 1136 days
      (interquartile range 823-1416)). There was no significant difference in the
      incidence of a cerebral performance categories score of 1 or 2 between the
      matched groups (CCPR 66.7% vs. ECPR 83.3%; P=0.77). ECLS implantation was the
      only significant and independent predictor of mortality in multivariate Cox
      regression analysis (hazard ratio 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.35-0.90;
      P=0.02). CONCLUSION: In our cohort of cardiovascular patients ECPR was associated
      with better short- and long-term survival over CCPR, with a good neurological
      outcome in the majority of the patients with refractory in-hospital cardiac
      arrest.

PMID- 26503920
TI  - Palliative Care Problem Severity Score: Reliability and acceptability in a
      national study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Palliative Care Problem Severity Score is a clinician-rated tool
      to assess problem severity in four palliative care domains (pain, other symptoms,
      psychological/spiritual, family/carer problems) using a 4-point categorical scale
      (absent, mild, moderate, severe). AIM: To test the reliability and acceptability
      of the Palliative Care Problem Severity Score. DESIGN: Multi-centre, cross
      sectional study involving pairs of clinicians independently rating problem
      severity using the tool. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Clinicians from 10 Australian
      palliative care services: 9 inpatient units and 1 mixed inpatient/community-based
      service. RESULTS: A total of 102 clinicians participated, with almost 600 paired
      assessments completed for each domain, involving 420 patients. A total of 91% of
      paired assessments were undertaken within 2 h. Strength of agreement for three of
      the four domains was moderate: pain (Kappa = 0.42, 95% confidence interval = 0.36
      to 0.49); psychological/spiritual (Kappa = 0.48, 95% confidence interval = 0.42
      to 0.54); family/carer (Kappa = 0.45, 95% confidence interval = 0.40 to 0.52).
      Strength of agreement for the remaining domain (other symptoms) was fair (Kappa =
      0.38, 95% confidence interval = 0.32 to 0.45). CONCLUSION: The Palliative Care
      Problem Severity Score is an acceptable measure, with moderate reliability across
      three domains. Variability in inter-rater reliability across sites and
      participant feedback indicate that ongoing education is required to ensure that
      clinicians understand the purpose of the tool and each of its domains. Raters
      familiar with the patient they were assessing found it easier to assign problem
      severity, but this did not improve inter-rater reliability.

PMID- 26503922
TI  - Neurology--the next 10 years.
AB  - Since the launch of our journal as Nature Clinical Practice Neurology in 2005, we
      have seen remarkable progress in many areas of neurology research, but what does
      the future hold? Will advances in basic research be translated into effective
      disease-modifying therapies, and will personalized medicine finally become a
      reality? For this special Viewpoint article, we invited a panel of Advisory Board
      members and other journal contributors to outline their research priorities and
      predictions in neurology for the next 10 years.

PMID- 26503926
TI  - Decade in review-multiple sclerosis: new drugs and personalized medicine for
      multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 26503927
TI  - Decade in review-migraine: incredible progress for an era of better migraine
      care.

PMID- 26503929
TI  - Decade in review-CNS infections: major advances against a moving target of CNS
      infections.

PMID- 26503923
TI  - Pathogenesis of Parkinson disease--the gut-brain axis and environmental factors.
AB  - Parkinson disease (PD) follows a defined clinical pattern, and a range of
      nonmotor symptoms precede the motor phase. The predominant early nonmotor
      manifestations are olfactory impairment and constipation. The pathology that
      accompanies these symptoms is consistent with the Braak staging system: alpha
      synuclein in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve, the olfactory bulb, the
      enteric nervous system (ENS) and the submandibular gland, each of which is a
      gateway to the environment. The neuropathological process that leads to PD seems
      to start in the ENS or the olfactory bulb and spreads via rostrocranial
      transmission to the substantia nigra and further into the CNS, raising the
      intriguing possibility that environmental substances can trigger pathogenesis.
      Evidence from epidemiological studies and animal models supports this hypothesis.
      For example, in mice, intragastric administration of the pesticide rotenone can
      almost completely reproduce the typical pathological and clinical features of PD.
      In this Review, we present clinical and pathological evidence to support the
      hypothesis that PD starts in the gut and spreads via trans-synaptic cell-to-cell
      transfer of pathology through the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
      to the substantia nigra and the CNS. We also consider how environmental factors
      might trigger pathogenesis, and the potential for therapeutically targeting the
      mechanisms of these initial stages. 

PMID- 26503930
TI  - Decade in review-movement disorders: tracking the pathogenesis of movement
      disorders.

PMID- 26503936
TI  - Brain. Editorial.

PMID- 26503935
TI  - The gamma-tubulin-specific inhibitor gatastatin reveals temporal requirements of
      microtubule nucleation during the cell cycle.
AB  - Inhibitors of microtubule (MT) assembly or dynamics that target alpha/beta
      tubulin are widely exploited in cancer therapy and biological research. However,
      specific inhibitors of the MT nucleator gamma-tubulin that would allow testing
      temporal functions of gamma-tubulin during the cell cycle are yet to be
      identified. By evolving beta-tubulin-binding drugs we now find that the
      glaziovianin A derivative gatastatin is a gamma-tubulin-specific inhibitor.
      Gatastatin decreased interphase MT dynamics of human cells without affecting MT
      number. Gatastatin inhibited assembly of the mitotic spindle in prometaphase.
      Addition of gatastatin to preformed metaphase spindles altered MT dynamics,
      reduced the number of growing MTs and shortened spindle length. Furthermore,
      gatastatin prolonged anaphase duration by affecting anaphase spindle structure,
      indicating the continuous requirement of MT nucleation during mitosis. Thus,
      gatastatin facilitates the dissection of the role of gamma-tubulin during the
      cell cycle and reveals the sustained role of gamma-tubulin. 

PMID- 26503937
TI  - Blocking bad.

PMID- 26503938
TI  - Cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy: a demyelinating disease that leaves the door wide
      open.

PMID- 26503939
TI  - Let's be certain about sartans (and other potential new therapies for CNS
      injury).

PMID- 26503940
TI  - Does degeneration of the subthalamic nucleus prevent parkinsonism in
      spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 and type 3?

PMID- 26503941
TI  - Genetic Determinism and Evolutionary Reconstruction of a Host Jump in a Plant
      Virus.
AB  - In spite of their widespread occurrence, only few host jumps by plant viruses
      have been evidenced and the molecular bases of even fewer have been determined. A
      combination of three independent approaches, 1) experimental evolution followed
      by reverse genetics analysis, 2) positive selection analysis, and 3) locus-by
      locus analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) allowed reconstructing the Potato
      virus Y (PVY; genus Potyvirus, family Potyviridae) jump to pepper (Capsicum
      annuum), probably from other solanaceous plants. Synthetic chimeras between
      infectious cDNA clones of two PVY isolates with contrasted levels of adaptation
      to C. annuum showed that the P3 and, to a lower extent, the CI cistron played
      important roles in infectivity toward C. annuum. The three analytical approaches
      pinpointed a single nonsynonymous substitution in the P3 and P3N-PIPO cistrons
      that evolved several times independently and conferred adaptation to C. annuum.
      In addition to increasing our knowledge of host jumps in plant viruses, this
      study illustrates also the efficiency of locus-by-locus AMOVA and combined
      approaches to identify adaptive mutations in the genome of RNA viruses. 

PMID- 26503943
TI  - LV remodelling after renal transplantation: future directions.

PMID- 26503945
TI  - Triple-Negative versus Non-Triple-Negative Breast Cancers in High-Risk Women:
      Phenotype Features and Survival from the HIBCRIT-1 MRI-Including Screening Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare phenotype features and survival of triple-negative breast
      cancers (TNBC) versus non-TNBCs detected during a multimodal annual screening of
      high-risk women. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Analysis of data from asymptomatic high
      risk women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during the HIBCRIT-1 study with
      median 9.7-year follow-up. RESULTS: Of 501 enrolled women with BRCA1/2 mutation
      or strong family history (SFH), 44 were diagnosed with invasive breast cancers:
      20 BRCA1 (45%), 9 BRCA2 (21%), 15 SFH (34%). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      sensitivity (90%) outperformed that of mammography (43%, P < 0.001) and
      ultrasonography (61%, P = 0.004). The 44 cases (41 screen-detected; 3 BRCA1
      associated interval TNBCs) comprised 14 TNBCs (32%) and 30 non-TNBCs (68%),
      without significant differences for age at diagnosis, menopausal status,
      prophylactic oophorectomy, or previous breast cancer. Of 14 TNBC patients, 11
      (79%) were BRCA1; of the 20 BRCA1 patients, 11 (55%) had TNBC; and of 15 SFH
      patients, 14 (93%) had non-TNBCs (P = 0.007). Invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC)
      were 86% for TNBCs versus 43% for non-TNBCs (P = 0.010), G3 IDCs 71% versus 23%
      (P = 0.006), size 16 +/- 5 mm versus 12 +/- 6 mm (P = 0.007). TNBC patients had
      more frequent ipsilateral mastectomy (79% vs. 43% for non-TNBCs, P = 0.050),
      contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (43% vs. 10%, P = 0.019), and adjuvant
      chemotherapy (100% vs. 44%, P < 0.001). The 5-year overall survival was 86% +/-
      9% for TNBCs versus 93% +/- 5% (P = 0.946) for non-TNBCs; 5-year disease-free
      survival was 77% +/- 12% versus 76% +/- 8% (P = 0.216). CONCLUSIONS: In high-risk
      women, by combining an MRI-including annual screening with adequate treatment,
      the usual reported gap in outcome between TNBCs and non-TNBCs could be reduced.

PMID- 26503944
TI  - Secondary tricuspid valve regurgitation: a forgotten entity.

PMID- 26503946
TI  - Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase as a Cancer Target in Pediatric Malignancies.
AB  - In this era of more rational therapies, substantial efforts are being made to
      identify optimal targets. The discovery of translocations involving the
      anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) receptor tyrosine kinase in a subset of non
      small cell lung cancers has become a paradigm for precision medicine. Notably,
      ALK was initially discovered as the fusion gene in anaplastic large cell non
      Hodgkin lymphoma, a disease predominantly of childhood. The discovery of
      activating kinase domain mutations of the full-length ALK receptor as the major
      cause of hereditary neuroblastoma, and that somatically acquired mutations and
      amplification events often drive the malignant process in a subset of sporadic
      tumors, has established ALK as a tractable molecular target across histologically
      diverse tumors in which ALK is a critical mediator of oncogenesis. We are now
      uncovering the reexpression of this developmentally regulated protein in a
      broader subset of pediatric cancers, providing therapeutic targeting
      opportunities for diseases with shared molecular etiology. This review focuses on
      the role of ALK in pediatric malignancies, alongside the prospects and challenges
      associated with the development of effective ALK-inhibition strategies.

PMID- 26503947
TI  - Pathological T0 Following Cisplatin-Based Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Muscle
      Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Network Meta-analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To systematically assess and compare the relationship between various
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens and pCR in patients with muscle-invasive
      bladder cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We performed a literature search of PubMed,
      Embase, and the Cochrane Library for all articles published before March 2015 and
      according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta
      analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. There were 17 articles that met the study
      eligibility criteria and were selected for the final analysis. A direct pair-wise
      meta-analysis was performed for studies that compared the same regimen. Finally,
      a Bayesian network meta-analysis was used to indirectly compare the regimens.
      RESULTS: In a pair-wise meta-analysis, the
      methotrexate/vinblastine/Adriamycin/cisplatin [MVAC; OR, 4.36; 95% confidence
      interval (CI), 2.71-7.02] and gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC) regimens (OR, 4.92; 95%
      CI, 2.93-8.24) were significantly associated with a better pCR than RC alone. In
      a network meta-analysis, there was no significant difference in terms of pCR
      achievement between the GC and MVAC regimens (OR, 1.14; 95% CI; 0.85-1.70).
      However, in a subgroup network meta-analysis that only included prospective
      randomized trials, the MVAC regimen was significantly correlated with a higher
      rate of pCR (OR, 5.75; 95% CI, 1.96-24.18). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this meta
      analysis suggest that a GC regimen was associated with a pCR rate that was
      similar to that of a MVAC regimen based on retrospective data, but only the MVAC
      regimen was proven to achieve pCR in prospective randomized trials. Additional
      prospective randomized trials comparing both regimens will be necessary to
      establish the optimal neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen.

PMID- 26503948
TI  - Heritability of mandibular cephalometric variables in twins with completed
      craniofacial growth.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine genetic and environmental impact on mandibular
      morphology using lateral cephalometric analysis of twins with completed
      mandibular growth and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) based zygosity determination.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The 39 cephalometric variables of 141 same gender adult
      pair of twins were analysed. Zygosity was determined using 15 specific DNA
      markers and cervical vertebral maturation method was used to assess completion of
      the mandibular growth. A genetic analysis was performed using maximum likelihood
      genetic structural equation modelling (GSEM). RESULTS: The genetic heritability
      estimates of angular variables describing horizontal mandibular position in
      relationship to cranial base and maxilla were considerably higher than in those
      describing vertical position. The mandibular skeletal cephalometric variables
      also showed high heritability estimates with angular measurements being
      considerably higher than linear ones. Results of this study indicate that the
      angular measurements representing mandibular skeletal morphology (mandibular
      form) have greater genetic determination than the linear measurements (mandibular
      size). CONCLUSIONS: The shape and sagittal position of the mandible is under
      stronger genetic control, than is its size and vertical relationship to cranial
      base.

PMID- 26503949
TI  - Impact of cardiac surgery on the expression of CD40, CD80, CD86 and HLA-DR on B
      cells and monocytes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We measured and compared changes in the percentage of cells expressing
      CD80, CD86, CD40, HLA-DR and the expression of these molecules on B cells and
      monocytes of patients who underwent either on-pump, mini on-pump or off-pump
      cardiac surgery. METHODS: Blood samples from patients who underwent either on
      pump, mini on-pump or off-pump cardiac surgery were collected before surgery,
      instantly after surgery and on the 1(st), 3(rd) and 7(th) days after surgery.
      Surface expression of CD80, CD86, CD40 and HLA-DR molecules was determined by
      flow cytometry. RESULTS: Our results show that all three surgical techniques
      altered the expression of these molecules, as well as the percentage relative
      number of specific cell populations. We identified statistically significant
      differences when comparing different surgical techniques. On-pump surgery
      revealed a more pronounced impact on the phenotype of immune system cells than
      the other techniques. Therefore, it is likely that the function of immune cells
      is changed the most by on-pump surgery. We found a lower decrease in the number
      of CD80(+) monocytes and a lower drop in the CD40 expression on monocytes in off
      pump patients in comparison with on-pump patients. CONCLUSION: All the types of
      cardiac surgical techniques, off-pump, on-pump and modified mini-invasive on
      pump, are associated with changes in CD80, CD86, CD40 and HLA-DR expression. We
      found several significant differences in the expression of the selected molecules
      when we compared all three groups of patients.

PMID- 26503950
TI  - Aire Expression Is Inherent to Most Medullary Thymic Epithelial Cells during
      Their Differentiation Program.
AB  - Aire in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) plays an important role in the
      establishment of self-tolerance. Because Aire(+) mTECs appear to be a limited
      subset, they may constitute a unique lineage(s) among mTECs. An alternative
      possibility is that all mTECs are committed to express Aire in principle, but
      Aire expression by individual mTECs is conditional. To investigate this issue, we
      established a novel Aire reporter strain in which endogenous Aire is replaced by
      the human AIRE-GFP-Flag tag (Aire/hAGF-knockin) fusion gene. The hAGF reporter
      protein was produced and retained very efficiently within mTECs as authentic Aire
      nuclear dot protein. Remarkably, snapshot analysis revealed that mTECs expressing
      hAGF accounted for >95% of mature mTECs, suggesting that Aire expression does not
      represent a particular mTEC lineage(s). We confirmed this by generating
      Aire/diphtheria toxin receptor-knockin mice in which long-term ablation of
      Aire(+) mTECs by diphtheria toxin treatment resulted in the loss of most mature
      mTECs beyond the proportion of those apparently expressing Aire. These results
      suggest that Aire expression is inherent to all mTECs but may occur at particular
      stage(s) and/or cellular states during their differentiation, thus accounting for
      the broad impact of Aire on the promiscuous gene expression of mTECs. 

PMID- 26503951
TI  - Impact of Notch1 Deletion in Macrophages on Proinflammatory Cytokine Production
      and the Outcome of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.
AB  - Notch signaling is involved in regulating TLR-mediated responses in activated
      macrophages. In this study, we investigated the impact of Notch signaling in
      macrophages in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model. To
      examine the impact of deficiency in Notch signaling in activated macrophages in
      EAE, an adoptive transfer of activated macrophages derived from Notch1(fl/fl) *
      Mx1cre(+/-) (Notch1 knockout [N1KO]) or CSL/Rbp-jkappa(fl/fl) * Mx1cre(+/-)
      (CSL/RBP-Jkappa KO) mice was performed prior to induction of EAE. Mice receiving
      activated N1KO macrophages showed decreased severity of EAE compared with mice
      receiving wild-type or CSL/RBP-Jkappa KO macrophages. In vitro restimulation of
      splenocytes by myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 peptide from these mice
      revealed that cells from mice receiving N1KO macrophages produced significantly
      less IL-17 compared with the control mice, whereas IFN-gamma production was
      similar in both groups. We found that activated N1KO, but not CSL/RBP-Jkappa KO,
      macrophages produced less IL-6 and had lower CD80 expression compared with wild
      type and did not exhibit any defect in IL-12p40/70 production, whereas activated
      macrophages from CSL/RBP-Jkappa KO mice phenocopied gamma-secretase inhibitor
      treatment for reduced IL-12p40/70 production. Furthermore, the nuclear
      translocation of the NF-kappaB subunit c-Rel was compromised in gamma-secretase
      inhibitor-treated and CSL/RBP-Jkappa KO but not N1KO macrophages. These results
      suggest that Notch1 and CSL/RBP-Jkappa in macrophages may affect the severity of
      EAE differently, possibly through modulating IL-6 and CD80 expression, which is
      involved in the Th17 but not Th1 response. 

PMID- 26503952
TI  - MicroRNA-26b Modulates the NF-kappaB Pathway in Alveolar Macrophages by
      Regulating PTEN.
AB  - NF-kappaB is one of the best-characterized transcription factors, providing the
      link between early membrane-proximal signaling events and changes in many
      inflammatory genes. MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene
      expression at the posttranscriptional level. In this study, we evaluated the role
      of miR-26b in the LPS-induced inflammatory response in bovine alveolar
      macrophages (bAMs). LPS stimulation of bAMs upregulated miR-26b at 1 h and
      downregulated it at 6 and 36 h. Overexpression of miR-26b in bAMs enhanced the
      LPS-induced mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines,
      including TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-8, and IL-10, but it directly inhibited that of
      IL-6. A similar trend was observed for the release of these cytokines and
      chemokines from bAMs. miR-26b directly bound the 3'-untranslated region of PTEN,
      leading to the reduction of PTEN protein in bAMs. miR-26b also enhanced the LPS
      induced NF-kappaB signaling pathway, as revealed by increased NF-kappaB
      transcriptional activity and phosphorylation of p65, IkappaBalpha, IkappaB
      kinase, and Akt. Moreover, PTEN silencing increased the LPS-induced mRNA
      expression of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 and upregulated the NF
      kappaB pathway. Taken together, we conclude that miR-26b participates in the
      inflammatory response of LPS-stimulated bAMs by modulating the NF-kappaB pathway
      through targeting PTEN. 

PMID- 26503953
TI  - Igs as Substrates for Transglutaminase 2: Implications for Autoantibody
      Production in Celiac Disease.
AB  - Autoantibodies specific for the enzyme transglutaminase 2 (TG2) are a hallmark of
      the gluten-sensitive enteropathy celiac disease. Production of the Abs is
      strictly dependent on exposure to dietary gluten proteins, thus raising the
      question how a foreign Ag (gluten) can induce an autoimmune response. It has been
      suggested that TG2-reactive B cells are activated by gluten-reactive T cells
      following receptor-mediated uptake of TG2-gluten complexes. In this study, we
      propose a revised model that is based on the ability of the BCR to serve as a
      substrate to TG2 and become cross-linked to gluten-derived peptides. We show that
      TG2-specific IgD molecules are preferred in the reaction and that binding of TG2
      via a common epitope targeted by cells using the IgH variable gene segment
      (IGHV)5-51 results in more efficient cross-linking. Based on these findings we
      hypothesize that IgD-expressing B cells using IGHV5-51 are preferentially
      activated, and we suggest that this property can explain the previously reported
      low number of somatic mutations as well as the overrepresentation of IGHV5-51
      among TG2-specific plasma cells in the celiac lesion. The model also couples
      gluten peptide uptake by TG2-reactive B cells directly to peptide deamidation,
      which is necessary for the activation of gluten-reactive T cells. It thereby
      provides a link between gluten deamidation, T cell activation, and the production
      of TG2-specific Abs. These are all key events in the development of celiac
      disease, and by connecting them the model may explain why the same enzyme that
      catalyzes gluten deamidation is also an autoantigen, something that is hardly
      coincidental. 

PMID- 26503954
TI  - Tripartite Motif (TRIM) 12c, a Mouse Homolog of TRIM5, Is a Ubiquitin Ligase That
      Stimulates Type I IFN and NF-kappaB Pathways along with TNFR-Associated Factor 6.
AB  - Tripartite motif (TRIM) protein TRIM5 of the primate species restricts
      replication of HIV and other retroviruses. Whereas primates have a single TRIM5
      gene, the corresponding locus in the mouse has expanded during evolution, now
      containing more than eight related genes. Owing to the complexity of the genomic
      organization, a mouse homolog of TRIM5 has not been fully studied thus far. In
      the present study, we report that Trim12c (formerly Trim12-2) encodes a TRIM5
      like protein with a ubiquitin ligase activity. Similar to the primate TRIM5,
      TRIM12c is expressed in the cytoplasm as a punctate structure and induced upon
      IFN and pathogen stimulation in macrophages and dendritic cells. We show that
      TRIM12c interacts with TRAF6, a key protein in the pathogen recognition receptor
      signaling, and reciprocally enhances their ubiquitination, leading to cooperative
      activation of IFN and NF-kappaB pathways. This study identifies TRIM12c as a
      mouse TRIM5 equivalent, critical for host innate immunity. 

PMID- 26503955
TI  - Identification of Cell Surface Straight Chain Poly-N-Acetyl-Lactosamine Bearing
      Protein Ligands for VH4-34-Encoded Natural IgM Antibodies.
AB  - B cell binding and cytotoxicity by human VH4-34-encoded Abs of the IgM isotype
      has been well documented. A VH4-34-IgM has recently shown a favorable early
      response in a phase 1 trial for treatment of B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
      Although its B cell ligand has been identified as straight chain poly-N-acetyl
      lactosamine (SC-PNAL), the carrier of the sugar moiety has not been identified.
      Using nanoelectrospray ionization mass spectrometry, we identify the metabolic
      activation related protein complex of CD147-CD98 as a major carrier of poly-N
      acetyl-lactosamine (SC-PNAL) on human pre-B cell line Nalm-6. Previous studies
      have suggested CD45 as the SC-PNAL carrier for VH4-34-encoded IgG Abs. Because
      Nalm-6 is CD45 negative, human peripheral blood B lymphocytes and human B cell
      line, Reh, with high CD45 expression, were examined for SC-PNAL carrier proteins.
      Western blot analysis shows that the CD147-98 complex is indeed
      immunoprecipitated by VH4-34-encoded IgMs from human peripheral blood B
      lymphocytes and human B cell lines, Reh, OCI-Ly8, and Nalm-6. However, CD45 is
      immunoprecipitated only from peripheral B lymphocytes, but not from Reh despite
      the high expression of CD45. These results suggest that human B cells retain SC
      PNAL on the CD147-98 complex, but modulate the sugar moiety on CD45. Because the
      carbohydrate moiety may act as a selecting Ag for VH4-34 autoantibody repertoire,
      its differential expression on proteins may provide a clue to the intricate
      atypical regulation of the VH4-34 gene. 

PMID- 26503957
TI  - Fair play: social norm compliance failures in behavioural variant frontotemporal
      dementia.
AB  - Adherence to social norms is compromised in a variety of neuropsychiatric
      conditions. Functional neuroimaging studies have investigated social norm
      compliance in healthy individuals, leading to the identification of a network of
      fronto-subcortical regions that underpins this ability. However, there is a lack
      of corroborative evidence from human lesion models investigating the structural
      anatomy of norm compliance across this fronto-subcortical network. To address
      this, we developed a neuroeconomic task to investigate social norm compliance in
      a neurodegenerative lesion model: behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, a
      condition characterized by gross social dysfunction. The task assessed norm
      compliance across three behaviours that are well-studied in the neuroeconomics
      literature: fairness, prosocial and punishing behaviours. We administered our
      novel version of the Ultimatum Game in 22 patients with behavioural variant
      frontotemporal dementia and 22 age-matched controls, to assess how decision
      making behaviour was modulated in response to (i) fairness of monetary offers;
      and (ii) social context of monetary offers designed to produce either prosocial
      or punishing behaviours. Voxel-based morphometry was used to characterize
      patterns of grey matter atrophy associated with task performance. Acceptance
      rates between patients and controls were equivalent when only fairness was
      manipulated. However, patients were impaired in modulating their decisions in
      response to social contextual information. Patients' performance in the
      punishment condition was consistent with a reduced tendency to engage in
      punishment; this was associated with decreased grey matter volume in the anterior
      cingulate, orbitofrontal cortex, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right
      inferior frontal gyrus. In the prosocial condition, patients' performance
      suggested a reduced expression of prosocial behaviour, associated with decreased
      grey matter in the anterior insula, lateral orbitofrontal cortex, anterior
      cingulate and dorsal striatum. Acceptance rates in the Ultimatum Game were also
      significantly related to impairments in the everyday expression of empathic
      concern. In conclusion, we demonstrate that compliance to basic social norms
      (fairness) can be maintained in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia;
      however, more complex normative behaviours (prosociality, punishment) that
      require integration of social contextual information are disrupted in association
      with atrophy in key fronto-striatal regions. These results suggest that the
      integration of social contextual information to guide normative behaviour is
      uniquely impaired in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, and may explain
      other common features of the condition including gullibility and impaired
      empathy. Our findings also converge with previous functional neuroimaging
      investigations in healthy individuals and provide the first description of the
      structural anatomy of social norm compliance in a neurodegenerative lesion model.

PMID- 26503956
TI  - A Truncated Variant of ASCC1, a Novel Inhibitor of NF-kappaB, Is Associated with
      Disease Severity in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
AB  - Loss of the regulatory mechanisms that avoid excessive or constitutive activation
      of NF-kappaB may be associated with chronic inflammatory disorders, including
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA). After massive sequencing of 158 regulators of the NF
      kappaB pathway in RA patients, we focused on a scarcely known gene, ASCC1, and
      showed that it potently inhibits the expression of NF-kappaB target genes (TRAIL,
      TNF-alpha, cIAP-1, IL8) and blocks activation of a NF-kappaB-luciferase reporter
      construct in five different human cell lines. Therefore, ASCC1 may contribute to
      avoiding a pathologic activation of this transcription factor. A truncated
      variant of ASCC1 (p.S78*) was found in RA patients and control individuals.
      Functional in vitro studies revealed that truncation abrogated the NF-kappaB
      inhibition capacity of ASCC1. In contrast with full-length protein, truncated
      ASCC1 did not reduce the transcriptional activation of NF-kappaB and the
      secretion of TNF-alpha in response to inflammatory stimuli. We analyzed the
      clinical impact of p.S78* variant in 433 patients with RA and found that
      heterozygous carriers of this variant needed more disease-modifying antirheumatic
      drugs, and more patients with this genotype needed treatment with corticoids and
      biologic agents. Moreover, the truncated allele-carrier group had lower rates of
      remission compared with the full-length variant carriers. Overall, our findings
      show for the first time, to our knowledge, that ASCC1 inhibits NF-kappaB
      activation and that a truncated and inactive variant of ASCC1 is associated with
      a more severe disease, which could have clinical value for assessing the
      progression and prognosis of RA. 

PMID- 26503958
TI  - Virtual stenting of intracranial aneurysms: application of hemodynamic
      modification analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Practical application of hemodynamic modification analysis based on
      computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in intracranial aneurysms is still under
      study. PURPOSE: To determine the clinical applicability of virtual stenting of
      aneurysms by comparing the simulated results with clinical outcome of real
      stenting. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three-dimensional (3D) digital subtraction
      angiography (DSA) images were imported to a dedicated integrated prototypic CFD
      platform (Siemens Healthcare GmbH) which allows all necessary steps of 3D models
      for CFD analysis. The results of CFD simulation with virtual implantation of a
      stent can be visualized in the same platform for qualitative comparisons on a
      color-coded volume visualization window. Five small intracranial aneurysms with
      and without virtual stenting were analyzed and assessed on a qualitative level.
      Expert rating were performed for evaluating the simulated results, and comparing
      those to the long-term follow-up outcomes of real stenting. RESULTS: CFD
      simulation after virtual stenting was feasible in five differently located
      aneurysms and corresponded to the long-term changes of stented aneurysms by
      showing alteration in flow pattern. There was no significant difference (P = 0.5)
      between the simulated hemodynamic changes after virtual stenting and the
      angiographic changes after stenting in four aneurysms except one. There was good
      agreement regarding the assessment of the changes by two raters (kappa = 0.657).
      CONCLUSION: CFD analysis using patient-specific virtual stenting of the CFD
      platform may be used as a simple and less time-consuming test tool predicting the
      involution of aneurysms after stent placement by analyzing the vector
      visualization of the flow changes.

PMID- 26503959
TI  - The number of optic neuritis attacks is a potential confounder when comparing
      patients with NMO vs. controls by voxel-based neuroimaging analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Voxel-based morphometric (VBM) studies in neuromyelitis optica (NMO)
      have shown limited reproducibility. A previous study suggests that the number of
      optic neuritis (ON) attacks may be a confounding factor when comparing NMO
      patients with controls if it is not taken into account during VBM analysis.
      PURPOSE: To investigate the potential confounding effect of the number of ON
      attacks, for both tissue volumes and perfusion by voxel-based statistical
      analysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and
      perfusion SPECT were obtained from 15 controls and two patient subgroups:
      subgroup I was composed of nine patients with one or two ON attacks; and subgroup
      II of six patients with three or four ON attacks. We performed non-parametric
      voxel-based comparison of tissue volumes and perfusion between controls versus
      the two patient subgroups and for the whole patient group. RESULTS: Subgroup I
      presented no volume reductions, contrary to subgroup II that showed unequivocal
      reduction. We also found hypoperfusion in different brain regions in different
      subgroups. The results were quite different for the whole patient group.
      CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the confounding effect of the number of ON
      attacks, providing a new methodological insight that could explain the limited
      reproducibility of previous VBM studies in NMO.

PMID- 26503960
TI  - NEDD4-mediated HSF1 degradation underlies alpha-synucleinopathy.
AB  - Cellular protein homeostasis is achieved by a delicate network of molecular
      chaperones and various proteolytic processes such as ubiquitin-proteasome system
      (UPS) to avoid a build-up of misfolded protein aggregates. The latter is a common
      denominator of neurodegeneration. Neurons are found to be particularly vulnerable
      to toxic stress from aggregation-prone proteins such as alpha-synuclein.
      Induction of heat-shock proteins (HSPs), such as through activated heat shock
      transcription factor 1 (HSF1) via Hsp90 inhibition, is being investigated as a
      therapeutic option for proteinopathic diseases. HSF1 is a master stress
      protective transcription factor which activates genes encoding protein chaperones
      (e.g. iHsp70) and anti-apoptotic proteins. However, whether and how HSF1 is
      dysregulated during neurodegeneration has not been studied. Here, we discover
      aberrant HSF1 degradation by aggregated alpha-synuclein (or alpha-synuclein
      induced proteotoxic stress) in transfected neuroblastoma cells. HSF1
      dysregulation via alpha-synuclein was confirmed by in vivo assessment of mouse
      and in situ studies of human specimens with alpha-synucleinopathy. We demonstrate
      that elevated NEDD4 is implicated as the responsible ubiquitin E3 ligase for HSF1
      degradation through UPS. Furthermore, pharmacologically induced SIRT1-mediated
      deacetylation can attenuate aberrant NEDD4-mediated HSF1 degradation. Indeed, we
      define the acetylation status of the Lys 80 residue located in the DNA-binding
      domain of HSF1 as a critical factor in modulating HSF1 protein stability in
      addition to its previously identified role in the transcriptional activity.
      Together with the finding that preserving HSF1 can alleviate alpha-synuclein
      toxicity, this study strongly suggests that aberrant HSF1 degradation is a key
      neurodegenerative mechanism underlying alpha-synucleinopathy. 

PMID- 26503961
TI  - Gene suppression strategies for dominantly inherited neurodegenerative diseases:
      lessons from Huntington's disease and spinocerebellar ataxia.
AB  - RNA-targeting approaches are emerging as viable therapeutics that offer an
      alternative method to modulate traditionally 'undrugable' targets. In the case of
      dominantly inherited neurodegenerative diseases, gene suppression strategies can
      target the underlying cause of these intractable disorders. Polyglutamine
      diseases are caused by CAG expansions in discrete genes, making them ideal
      candidates for gene suppression therapies. Here, we discuss the current state of
      gene suppression approaches for Huntington's disease and the spinocerebellar
      ataxias, including the use of antisense oligonucleotides, short-interfering RNAs,
      as well as viral vector-mediated delivery of short hairpin RNAs and artificial
      microRNAs. We focus on lessons learned from preclinical studies investigating
      gene suppression therapies for these disorders, particularly in rodent models of
      disease and in non-human primates. In animal models, recent advances in gene
      suppression technologies have not only prevented disease progression in a number
      of cases, but have also reversed existing disease, providing evidence that
      reducing the expression of disease-causing genes may be of benefit in symptomatic
      patients. Both allele- and non-allele-specific approaches to gene suppression
      have made great strides over the past decade, showing efficacy and safety in both
      small and large animal models. Advances in delivery techniques allow for broad
      and durable suppression of target genes, have been validated in non-human
      primates and in some cases, are currently being evaluated in human patients.
      Finally, we discuss the challenges of developing and delivering gene suppression
      constructs into the CNS and recent advances of potential therapeutics into the
      clinic. 

PMID- 26503963
TI  - Low postoperative nonstimulated thyroglobulin as a criterion to spare radioiodine
      ablation.
AB  - This study evaluated the recurrence rate in patients with papillary thyroid
      carcinoma (PTC) who had low nonstimulated thyroglobulin (Tg), measured with a
      second-generation assay, after total thyroidectomy and who were not submitted to
      ablation with (131)I. The objective was to define whether low postoperative
      nonstimulated Tg can be used as a criterion to spare patients with PTC from
      therapy with (131)I. This was a prospective study including 222 patients with PTC
      (except for microcarcinoma restricted to the thyroid and tumor with extensive
      extrathyroid invasion (pT4), aggressive histology, extensive lymph node (LN)
      involvement, or known residual disease). After thyroidectomy, all patients had
      nonstimulated Tg<0.3 ng/ml, negative antithyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) and neck
      ultrasonography (US) showing no anomalies. Because of this finding, the patients
      were not submitted to ablation with (131)I. The time of follow-up ranged from 15
      to 102 months (median 62 months). Of the 222 patients, 217 (97.7%) continued to
      have nonstimulated Tg <0.3 ng/ml and negative US. Tg was undetectable in the last
      assessment in 185 of these patients and detectable in 32. Five patients (2.2%)
      exhibited an increase in Tg, and LN metastases were detected in 4 (structural
      recurrence). One patient progressed to an increase in Tg, but disease was not
      detected by the imaging methods (biochemical recurrence). The results obtained
      here suggest that patients with PTC who have low nonstimulated Tg (measured with
      a second-generation assay and in the absence of TgAb) and negative neck US after
      thyroidectomy do not require ablation with (131)I. 

PMID- 26503964
TI  - Improving Quality of Life With Nabilone During Radiotherapy Treatments for Head
      and Neck Cancers: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Patients treated for head and neck carcinomas experience a
      significant deterioration of their quality of life during treatments because of
      severe side effects. Nabilone has many properties that could alleviate symptoms
      caused by radiotherapy and improve patients' quality of life. The aim of the
      present study was to compare the effects of nabilone versus placebo on the
      quality of life and side effects during radiotherapy for head and neck
      carcinomas. METHODS: Fifty-six patients were randomized to nabilone or placebo.
      Patients filled the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer
      (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and the EORTC QLQ-H&N35; three independent questionnaires
      assessing appetite, nausea, and toxicity; and a visual analog scale for pain.
      These data were collected before radiotherapy, each week during radiotherapy, and
      4 weeks after radiotherapy. Patients were weighed every week. RESULTS: Nabilone
      did not lengthen the time necessary for a 15% deterioration of quality of life (P
      = .4279), and it was not better than placebo for relieving symptoms like pain (P
      = .6048), nausea (P = .7105), loss of appetite (P = .3295), weight (P = .1454),
      mood (P = .3214), and sleep (P = .4438). CONCLUSION: At the dosage used, nabilone
      was not potent enough to improve the patients' quality of life over placebo.

PMID- 26503962
TI  - Mesothelin-Targeted CARs: Driving T Cells to Solid Tumors.
AB  - Chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) are synthetic receptors that target T cells to
      cell-surface antigens and augment T-cell function and persistence. Mesothelin is
      a cell-surface antigen implicated in tumor invasion, which is highly expressed in
      mesothelioma and lung, pancreas, breast, ovarian, and other cancers. Its low
      level expression in mesothelia, however, commands thoughtful therapeutic
      interventions. Encouragingly, recent clinical trials evaluating active
      immunization or immunoconjugates in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma or
      mesothelioma have shown responses without toxicity. Altogether, these findings
      and preclinical CAR therapy models using either systemic or regional T-cell
      delivery argue favorably for mesothelin CAR therapy in multiple solid tumors.
      SIGNIFICANCE: Recent success obtained with adoptive transfer of CAR T cells
      targeting CD19 in patients with refractory hematologic malignancies has generated
      much enthusiasm for T-cell engineering and raises the prospect of implementing
      similar strategies for solid tumors. Mesothelin is expressed in a wide range and
      a high percentage of solid tumors, which we review here in detail. Mesothelin CAR
      therapy has the potential to treat multiple solid malignancies.

PMID- 26503965
TI  - Comparison of 7 Published LC-MS/MS Methods for the Simultaneous Measurement of
      Testosterone, Androstenedione, and Dehydroepiandrosterone in Serum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently, LC-MS/MS was stated to be the method of choice to measure
      sex steroids. Because information on the mutual agreement of LC-MS/MS methods is
      scarce, we compared 7 published LC-MS/MS methods for the simultaneous measurement
      of testosterone, androstenedione, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). METHODS: We
      used 7 published LC-MS/MS methods to analyze in duplicate 55 random samples from
      both men and women. We performed Passing-Bablok regression analysis and
      calculated Pearson correlation coefficients to assess the agreement of the
      methods investigated with the median concentration measured by all methods, and
      we calculated the intraassay CV of each method derived from duplicate results and
      the CVs between the methods. RESULTS: Median concentrations of testosterone were
      0.22-1.36 nmol/L for women and 8.27-27.98 nmol/L for men. Androstenedione and
      DHEA concentrations were 0.05-5.53 and 0.58-18.04 nmol/L, respectively.
      Intraassay CVs were 2.9%-10%, 1.2%-8.8%, 2.7%-13%, and 4.3%-16% for testosterone
      in women, testosterone in men, androstenedione, and DHEA. Slopes of the
      regression lines calculated by Passing-Bablok regression analysis were 0.92-1.08,
      0.92-1.08, 0.90-1.13, and 0.91-1.41 for all testosterone values, testosterone in
      women, androstenedione, and DHEA. Intermethod CVs were 14%, 8%, 30%, and 22% for
      testosterone in women, testosterone in men, androstenedione, and DHEA.
      CONCLUSIONS: In general, the LC-MS/MS methods investigated show reasonable
      agreement. However, some of the assays show differences in standardization, and
      others show high variation.

PMID- 26503966
TI  - Total Short-term Variability in Biomarkers of Hyperglycemia in Older Adults.

PMID- 26503967
TI  - In Search of the 1-Hour Rule-Out for Acute Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - Old habits die hard. The study by Hillinger et al. provides a framework for
      several observations regarding the current state of ADPs for rapid rule-out of
      ACS. ADPs that incorporate serial assessments of high-sensitivity cardiac
      troponin appear to provide a viable approach to rule out ACS with sampling over 3
      h with a high NPV. The actual interval (1, 2, or 3 h) and optimal thresholds are
      issues still to be refined for each assay. A dual-marker strategy using copeptin
      does not provide incremental clinical information beyond high-sensitivity cardiac
      troponin, and it seems unlikely that other biomarkers will substantially improve
      the NPV achieved with serial high-sensitivity cardiac troponin testing alone.

PMID- 26503968
TI  - Dickkopf-3 regulates prostate epithelial cell acinar morphogenesis and prostate
      cancer cell invasion by limiting TGF-beta-dependent activation of matrix
      metalloproteases.
AB  - Dickkopf-3 (Dkk-3) is a secreted protein whose expression is downregulated in
      many types of cancer. Endogenous Dkk-3 is required for formation of acini in 3D
      cultures of prostate epithelial cells, where it inhibits transforming growth
      factor (TGF)-beta/Smad signaling. Here, we examined the effects of Dkk-3 on the
      expression and activity of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs), which mediate the
      effects of TGF-beta on extracellular matrix disassembly during tissue
      morphogenesis and promote invasion of tumor cells. Silencing of Dkk-3 in prostate
      epithelial cells resulted in increased expression and enzyme activity of MMP-2
      and MMP-9. Inhibition of MMP-9 partially restored normal acinar morphogenesis in
      Dkk-3-silenced RWPE-1 prostate epithelial cells. In PC3 prostate cancer cells,
      Dkk-3 inhibited TGF-beta-dependent migration and invasion. Inhibition was
      mediated by the Dkk-3 C-terminal cysteine-rich domain (Cys2), which also
      inhibited TGF-beta-induced expression of MMP9 and MMP13. In contrast, Dkk-3, but
      not Cys2, increased formation of normal acini in Dkk-3-silenced prostate
      epithelial cells. These observations highlight a role for Dkk-3 in modulating TGF
      beta/MMP signals in the prostate, and suggest that the Dkk-3 Cys2 domain can be
      used as a basis for therapies that target the tumor promoting effects of TGF-beta
      signaling in advanced prostate cancer. 

PMID- 26503969
TI  - 'Welcoming the Other': psychodrama in an acute inpatient unit.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this article, the author uses the leitmotifs inherent in a
      critically acclaimed film and in the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas as a backdrop
      for discussion around how we encounter the humanity in the Other and its
      particular relevance for psychiatry. She proceeds to describe the existential
      underpinnings of psychodrama and demonstrates how she has been directing a
      psychodrama group, 'Theatre of Life', which has been operating for well over a
      decade within a public mental health system, acute inpatient unit. Through the
      ensuing discussion, she illustrates how the humanistic ethic of 'welcoming the
      Other' is actualised in the 'here-and now' of the psychodrama group psychotherapy
      process. CONCLUSIONS: A thematic analysis derived from group-members' evaluation
      of each session illuminates their felt sense depicting the ethic in action.

PMID- 26503970
TI  - Downregulation of Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-Related Factor and Associated
      Antioxidant Genes Contributes to Redox-Sensitive Vascular Dysfunction in
      Hypertension.
AB  - Oxidative stress is implicated in vascular dysfunction in hypertension. Although
      mechanisms regulating vascular pro-oxidants are emerging, there is a paucity of
      information on antioxidant systems, particularly nuclear factor erythroid 2
      related factor (Nrf2), a master regulator of antioxidants enzymes. We evaluated
      the vascular regulatory role of Nrf2 in hypertension and examined molecular
      mechanisms, whereby Nrf2 influences redox signaling in small arteries and
      vascular smooth muscle cells from Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and stroke-prone
      spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). Cells were stimulated with angiotensin
      II in the absence/presence of Nrf2 activators (bardoxolone/L-sulforaphane).
      Increased vascular reactive oxygen species production (chemiluminescence and
      amplex red) was associated with reduced Nrf2 activity in arteries (18%) and
      vascular smooth muscle cells (48%) in SHRSP (P<0.05 versus WKY). Expression of
      antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase-1 (64%), catalase (60%),
      peroxiredoxin 1 (75%), and glutathione peroxidase (54%), was reduced in SHRSP. L
      sulforaphane reversed these effects. Angiotensin II increased nuclear
      accumulation of Nrf2 in vascular smooth muscle cells from WKY (197% versus
      vehicle), with blunted effects in SHRSP (44% versus vehicle). These responses
      were associated with increased antioxidant expression (superoxide dismutase-1,
      32%; catalase, 42%; thioredoxin, 71%; peroxiredoxin, 1%-90%; quinone
      oxidoreductase, 84%; P<0.05 versus vehicle) and increased activity of superoxide
      dismutase-1, catalase, and thioredoxin in WKY but not in SHRSP, which exhibited
      increased Bach1 expression. Nrf2 activators blocked angiotensin II-induced
      reactive oxygen species generation. Vascular function demonstrated increased
      contractility (Emax WKY 113.4+/-5.6 versus SHRSP 159.0+/-8.3) and decreased
      endothelial-dependent relaxation (Emax WKY 88.6+/-3.1 versus SHRSP 74.6+/-3.2,
      P<0.05) in SHRSP, effects corrected by L-sulforaphane. Our findings suggest that
      Nrf2 downregulation contributes to redox-sensitive vascular dysfunction in
      hypertension. 

PMID- 26503971
TI  - Hypertensive Target Organ Damage and Longitudinal Changes in Brain Structure and
      Function: The Second Manifestations of Arterial Disease-Magnetic Resonance Study.
AB  - Hypertension has been related to structural and functional brain changes. In high
      risk populations, hypertensive target organ damage might better represent
      exposure to high blood pressure than the blood pressure measurement itself. We
      examined the association of hypertensive target organ damage with longitudinal
      changes in brain structure and function within the Second Manifestations of
      Arterial Disease-Magnetic Resonance (SMART-MR) study. Renal function,
      albuminuria, and left ventricular hypertrophy on electrocardiography were
      measured in 663 patients with manifest arterial disease (mean age, 57+/-9 years;
      81% men). Automated brain segmentation was used to quantify progression of global
      brain atrophy (change in brain parenchymal fraction) and progression of cerebral
      small vessel disease on 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging, and memory and executive
      functioning were assessed at baseline and after on average 3.9 years of follow
      up. Regression analyses showed that an increasing number of signs of target organ
      damage was associated with more progression of global brain atrophy and more
      rapid decline in memory performance. Compared with no target organ damage, mean
      differences in change in brain parenchymal fraction (95% confidence interval) for
      1 and >=2 signs of organ damage were -0.12 (-0.30; 0.06) and -0.41 (-0.77; -0.05)
      % intracranial volume, and mean (95% confidence interval) differences in change
      in memory performance (z score) were -0.15 (-0.29; -0.00) and -0.27 (-0.54; 
      0.01). Results were independent of blood pressure, antihypertensive treatment,
      and other confounders. Hypertension target organ damage was not associated with
      progression of cerebral small vessel disease or change in executive functioning.
      Routinely assessed signs of hypertensive target organ damage, and in particular
      impaired renal function, could be used to identify patients at the highest risk
      of cognitive decline. 

PMID- 26503973
TI  - Fifty years ago: 'Emery Pneumoconiosis'.

PMID- 26503974
TI  - Finding 'new' occupational diseases and trends in 'old' ones.

PMID- 26503975
TI  - Solvent-induced encephalopathy in the Netherlands and Finland.

PMID- 26503976
TI  - Sentinel surveillance and occupational disease.

PMID- 26503977
TI  - The utility of information collected by occupational disease surveillance
      systems.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Health and Occupation Research (THOR) network in the UK and the
      Republic of Ireland (ROI) is an integrated system of surveillance schemes
      collecting work-related ill-health (WRIH) data since 1989. In addition to
      providing information about disease incidence, trends in incidence and the
      identification of new hazards, THOR also operates an ad hoc data enquiry service
      enabling interested parties to request information about cases of WRIH reported
      to THOR. AIMS: To examine requests for information made to a network of
      surveillance schemes for WRIH in the UK. METHODS: Analysis via SPSS of data
      requests received by THOR between 2002 and 2014. RESULTS: A total of 631 requests
      were received by THOR between 2002 and 2014. Requests were predominantly
      submitted by participating THOR physicians (34%) and the main THOR funder-the UK
      Health & Safety Executive (HSE) (31%). The majority (67%) of requests were for
      information about work-related respiratory or skin disease with relatively few
      requests for other diagnoses, such as musculoskeletal or mental ill-health.
      Requests frequently related to a specific industry and/or occupation (42%) and/or
      a specific causal agent (58%). CONCLUSIONS: Data collected by occupational
      disease surveillance systems such as THOR are an extremely useful source of
      information, the use of which extends beyond informing government on disease
      incidence and trends in incidence. The data collected provide a framework that
      can assist a wide range of enquirers with clinical diagnoses, identification of
      suspected causative agents/exposures and to highlight growing risks in particular
      industrial and occupational sectors.

PMID- 26503979
TI  - Which way is up?

PMID- 26503978
TI  - The surveillance of occupational diseases in Italy: the MALPROF system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Occupational diseases data can guide efforts to improve worker's
      health and safety. AIMS: To describe MALPROF, the Italian system for surveillance
      of work-related diseases collected by the subregional Department of Prevention.
      METHODS: The MALPROF system started in 1999 with contributions from Lombardy and
      Tuscany and spread in the following years to collect contributions from 14 out of
      the 20 Italian regions. MALPROF data were explored to follow-up work-related
      diseases and to detect emerging occupational health risks by calculating
      proportional reporting ratio (PRR), as in pharmacosurveillance. It classified
      work-related diseases according to economic sector and job activity in which the
      exposure occurred. Occupational physicians of the Italian National Health Service
      evaluate the possible causal relationship with occupational exposures and store
      the data in a centralized database. RESULTS: From 1999 to 2012, the MALPROF
      system collected about 112000 cases of workers' diseases. In 2010, more than
      13000 cases of occupational diseases were reported. The most frequently reported
      diseases were hearing loss (n = 4378, 32%), spine disorders (n = 2394, 17%) and
      carpal tunnel syndrome (n = 1560, 11%). The PRR calculated for cervical disc
      herniation, a disease whose occupational origin has to be studied, in 1999-2010
      was 2.47 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.76-3.47] for drivers and 36.64 (95% CI
      22.03-60.93) for air transport workers. CONCLUSIONS: MALPROF is a sensitive
      system for identifying possible associations between occupational risks and
      diseases, it can contribute to the development of preventive measures, to
      evaluate the effectiveness of preventive interventions and to stimulate research
      on new occupational risks and diseases.

PMID- 26503980
TI  - Data warehouse for detection of occupational diseases in OHS data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Occupational health and safety (OHS) services collect a wide range of
      data during health surveillance. AIMS: To build a 'data warehouse' to make OHS
      data available for research and to investigate sector-specific health problems.
      METHODS: Medical data were extracted, transformed and loaded into the data
      warehouse. After validation, data on lifestyle, categorized medication use, ICD-9
      CM encoded sickness absences and health complaints, collected between 2010 and
      2014, were analysed with logistic regression to compare proportions between
      employment sectors, taking into account age, gender, body mass index (BMI) and
      year of examination. RESULTS: The data set comprised 585000 employees. Average
      age and employment seniority were 39 +/- 12 and 8 +/- 9 years, respectively. BMI
      was 26 +/- 5 kg/m(2). Health complaints, medication use and sickness absence
      significantly increased with BMI and age. The proportion of employees with health
      problems was highest in health care (64%), government (61%) and manufacturing
      (60%) and lowest in the service sector. In all sectors, 10% of workers reported
      locomotor health problems, apart from the service sector (8%) with similar
      results for medication consumption. Neuropsychological drugs were more frequently
      used by health care workers (8%). The transport sector contained the highest
      proportion of cardiological medication users (12%). Finally, 30-59% of employees
      reported at least one sickness absence episode. Sickness absence due to locomotor
      issues was highest in manufacturing (11%) and health care (10%), followed by
      government (9%) and construction (9%). CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences in
      indices of workers' health were observed between sectors. This information is now
      being used in the implementation of a sector-oriented health surveillance
      programme.

PMID- 26503981
TI  - Use of GIS in visualization of work-related health problems.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Occupational health and safety (OHS) information is often complex,
      diverse and unstructured and suffers from a lack of integration which usually
      precludes any systemic insight of the situation. AIMS: To analyse to what extent
      the use of geographical information systems (GISs) can help to integrate, analyse
      and present OHS data in a comprehensive and communicable way relevant for
      surveillance purposes. METHODS: We first developed a 'macro-approach' (from
      national to local level), mapping data related to economic activity (denominator
      of active workers displayed by activity sectors), as well as work-related ill
      health (numerators of workers suffering from work-related ill-health). The latter
      data are composed of compensated occupational diseases on the one hand and work
      related diseases investigated by specialized clinics on the other hand. Then, a
      'micro-approach' was worked out, integrating at a plant level, using computer
      aided drawing, occupational risks data and OHS surveillance data (e.g. use of
      medication and sickness absence data). RESULTS: At the macro-level,
      microelectronics companies and workers were mapped at different scales. For the
      first time, we were able to compare, up to the enterprise level, complementary
      data showing different pictures of work-related ill-health, allowing a better
      understanding of OH issues in this sector. At the micro-level, new information
      arose from the integration of risk assessment data and medical data. CONCLUSIONS:
      This work illustrates to what extent GIS is a promising tool in the OHS field,
      and discusses related challenges (technical, ethical, biases and interpretation)
      and research perspectives.

PMID- 26503982
TI  - Verapamil-Sensitive Transport of Quinacrine and Methylene Blue via the Plasmodium
      falciparum Chloroquine Resistance Transporter Reduces the Parasite's
      Susceptibility to these Tricyclic Drugs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is becoming increasingly apparent that certain mutations in the
      Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT) alter the
      parasite's susceptibility to diverse compounds. Here we investigated the
      interaction of PfCRT with 3 tricyclic compounds that have been used to treat
      malaria (quinacrine [QC] and methylene blue [MB]) or to study P. falciparum
      (acridine orange [AO]). METHODS: We measured the antiplasmodial activities of QC,
      MB, and AO against chloroquine-resistant and chloroquine-sensitive P. falciparum
      and determined whether QC and AO affect the accumulation and activity of
      chloroquine in these parasites. We also assessed the ability of mutant
      (PfCRT(Dd2)) and wild-type (PfCRT(D10)) variants of the protein to transport QC,
      MB, and AO when expressed at the surface of Xenopus laevis oocytes. RESULTS:
      Chloroquine resistance-conferring isoforms of PfCRT reduced the susceptibility of
      the parasite to QC, MB, and AO. In chloroquine-resistant (but not chloroquine
      sensitive) parasites, AO and QC increased the parasite's accumulation of, and
      susceptibility to, chloroquine. All 3 compounds were shown to bind to PfCRT(Dd2),
      and the transport of QC and MB via this protein was saturable and inhibited by
      the chloroquine resistance-reverser verapamil. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal
      that the PfCRT(Dd2)-mediated transport of tricyclic antimalarials reduces the
      parasite's susceptibility to these drugs.

PMID- 26503983
TI  - Reversion From Methicillin Susceptibility to Methicillin Resistance in
      Staphylococcus aureus During Treatment of Bacteremia.
AB  - Approximately 3% of Staphylococcus aureus strains that, according to results of
      conventional phenotypic methods, are highly susceptible to methicillin-like
      antibiotics also have polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results positive for mecA.
      The genetic nature of these mecA-positive methicillin-susceptible S. aureus
      (MSSA) strains has not been investigated. We report the first clearly defined
      case of reversion from methicillin susceptibility to methicillin resistance among
      mecA-positive MSSA within a patient during antibiotic therapy. We describe the
      mechanism of reversion for this strain and for a second clinical isolate that
      reverts at a similar frequency. The rates of reversion are of the same order of
      magnitude as spontaneous resistance to drugs like rifampicin. When mecA is
      detected by PCR in the clinical laboratory, current guidelines recommend that
      these strains be reported as resistant. Because combination therapy using both a
      beta-lactam and a second antibiotic suppressing the small revertant population
      may be superior to alternatives such as vancomycin, the benefits of
      distinguishing between mecA-positive MSSA and MRSA in clinical reports should be
      evaluated. 

PMID- 26503984
TI  - Interferon-Mediated Cytokine Induction Determines Sustained Virus Control in
      Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease and
      associated complications such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
      Interferons (IFNs) are crucial for HCV clearance and a sustained virological
      response (SVR), but a significant proportion of patients do not respond to
      IFNalpha. The underlying mechanisms of an insufficient IFN response remain
      largely unknown. In this study, we found that patients responding to IFNalpha
      with viral clearance had significantly higher serum levels of TNF-related
      apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL), compared with patients who failed to control
      HCV. In addition, upon direct IFNalpha exposure, peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells (PBMCs) from patients with SVR upregulated TRAIL, as well as IFN-gamma and
      the chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10, much more strongly than cells from patients with
      antiviral treatment failure. As a possible mechanism of the stronger IFNalpha
      induced cytokine response, we identified higher levels of expression and
      phosphorylation of the transcription factor STAT1 in PBMCs from patients with
      SVR. Increased TRAIL expression additionally involved the NF-kappaB and JNK
      signaling pathways. Thus, SVR in chronic HCV infection is associated with a
      strong IFNalpha-induced cytokine response, which might allow for the early
      prediction of treatment efficacy in HCV infection. 

PMID- 26503985
TI  - Pivotal role of miR-448 in the development of ROS-induced cardiomyopathy.
AB  - AIMS: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidases (NOXs) are important
      contributors to cellular oxidative stress in the cardiovascular system. The NOX2
      isoform is upregulated in numerous disorders, including dystrophic
      cardiomyopathy, where it drives the progression of the disease. However,
      mechanisms underlying NOX2 overexpression are still unknown. We investigated the
      role of microRNAs (miRs) in the regulation of NOX2 expression. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) was used as a model of cardiomyopathy.
      After screening with miRNA target prediction databases and following qRT-PCR
      analysis, we found drastic downregulation of miR-448-3p in hearts of mdx mice, an
      animal model of DMD. The downregulation correlated with overexpression of the
      Ncf1 gene, encoding the NOX2 regulatory subunit p47(phox). Specificity of Ncf1
      targeting by miR-448-3p was validated by luciferase reporter assay. Silencing of
      miR-448-3p in wild-type mice had a dramatic effect on cellular and functional
      properties of cardiac muscle as assessed by western blotting, qRT-PCR, confocal
      imaging, echocardiography, and histology. Acute treatment of mice with LNA-miR
      448 inhibitors led to increased Ncf1 expression, abnormally elevated reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) production and exacerbated Ca(2+) signalling in
      cardiomyocytes, reminiscent of features previously observed in dystrophic cardiac
      cells. In addition, chronic inhibition of miR-448-3p resulted in dilated
      cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia, hallmarks of dystrophic cardiomyopathy.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our studies suggest that downregulation of miR-448-3p leads to the
      increase in the expression of Ncf1 gene and p47(phox) protein, as well as to the
      substantial increase in NOX2-derived ROS production. Cellular oxidative stress
      subsequently triggers events that finally culminate in cardiac tissue damage and
      development of cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26503987
TI  - Neuregulin-1 improves right ventricular function and attenuates experimental
      pulmonary arterial hypertension.
AB  - AIMS: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a serious disease that affects
      both the pulmonary vasculature and the right ventricle (RV). Current treatment
      options are insufficient. The cardiac neuregulin (NRG)-1/ErbB system is
      deregulated during heart failure, and treatment with recombinant human NRG-1
      (rhNRG-1) has been shown to be beneficial in animal models and in patients with
      left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of
      rhNRG-1 in RV function and pulmonary vasculature in monocrotaline (MCT)-induced
      PAH and RV hypertrophy (RVH). METHODS AND RESULTS: Male wistar rats (7- to 8
      weeks old, n = 78) were injected with MCT (60 mg/kg, s.c.) or saline and treated
      with rhNRG-1 (40 ug/kg/day) or vehicle for 1 week, starting 2 weeks after MCT
      administration. Another set of animals was submitted to pulmonary artery banding
      (PAB) or sham surgery, and followed the same protocol. MCT administration
      resulted in the development of PAH, pulmonary arterial and RV remodelling, and
      dysfunction, and increased RV markers of cardiac damage. Treatment with rhNRG-1
      attenuated RVH, improved RV function, and decreased RV expression of disease
      markers. Moreover, rhNRG-1 decreased pulmonary vascular remodelling and
      attenuated MCT-induced endothelial dysfunction. The anti-remodelling effects of
      rhNRG-1 were confirmed in the PAB model, where rhNRG-1 treatment was able to
      attenuate PAB-induced RVH. CONCLUSION: rhNRG-1 treatment attenuates pulmonary
      arterial and RV remodelling, and dysfunction in a rat model of MCT-induced PAH
      and has direct anti-remodelling effects on the pressure-overloaded RV.

PMID- 26503988
TI  - Children with autism spectrum disorder have an exceptional explanatory drive.
AB  - An "explanatory drive" motivates children to explain ambiguity. Individuals with
      autism spectrum disorders are interested in how systems work, but it is unknown
      whether they have an explanatory drive. We presented children with and without
      autism spectrum disorder unsolvable problems in a physical and in a social
      context and evaluated problem-solving and explanation-seeking responses. In the
      physical context (but not the social context), the children with autism spectrum
      disorder showed a stronger explanatory drive than controls. Importantly, the
      number of explanatory behaviors made by children with autism spectrum disorder in
      the social context was independent of social and communicative impairments.
      Children with autism spectrum disorder did not show an exceptional explanatory
      drive in the social domain. These results suggest that children with autism
      spectrum disorder have an explanatory drive and that the explanatory drive may be
      domain specific.

PMID- 26503986
TI  - HIF-2alpha-mediated induction of pulmonary thrombospondin-1 contributes to
      hypoxia-driven vascular remodelling and vasoconstriction.
AB  - AIMS: Hypoxic conditions stimulate pulmonary vasoconstriction and vascular
      remodelling, both pathognomonic changes in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
      The secreted protein thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) is involved in the maintenance of
      lung homeostasis. New work identified a role for TSP1 in promoting PAH.
      Nonetheless, it is largely unknown how hypoxia regulates TSP1 in the lung and
      whether this contributes to pathological events during PAH. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      In cell and animal experiments, we found that hypoxia induces TSP1 in lungs,
      pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, and pulmonary
      fibroblasts. Using a murine model of constitutive hypoxia, gene silencing, and
      luciferase reporter experiments, we found that hypoxia-mediated induction of
      pulmonary TSP1 is a hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-2alpha-dependent process.
      Additionally, hypoxic tsp1(-/-) pulmonary fibroblasts and pulmonary artery smooth
      muscle cell displayed decreased migration compared with wild-type (WT) cells.
      Furthermore, hypoxia-mediated induction of TSP1 destabilized endothelial cell
      cell interactions. This provides genetic evidence that TSP1 contributes to
      vascular remodelling during PAH. Expanding cell data to whole tissues, we found
      that, under hypoxia, pulmonary arteries (PAs) from WT mice had significantly
      decreased sensitivity to acetylcholine (Ach)-stimulated endothelial-dependent
      vasodilation. In contrast, hypoxic tsp1(-/-) PAs retained sensitivity to Ach,
      mediated in part by TSP1 regulation of pulmonary Kv channels. Translating these
      preclinical studies, we find in the lungs from individuals with end-stage PAH,
      both TSP1 and HIF-2alpha protein expression increased in the pulmonary
      vasculature compared with non-PAH controls. CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      demonstrate that HIF-2alpha is clearly implicated in the TSP1 pulmonary
      regulation and provide new insights on its contribution to PAH-driven vascular
      remodelling and vasoconstriction.

PMID- 26503989
TI  - Early deictic but not other gestures predict later vocabulary in both typical
      development and autism.
AB  - Research with typically developing children suggests a strong positive relation
      between early gesture use and subsequent vocabulary development. In this study,
      we ask whether gesture production plays a similar role for children with autism
      spectrum disorder. We observed 23 18-month-old typically developing children and
      23 30-month-old children with autism spectrum disorder interact with their
      caregivers (Communication Play Protocol) and coded types of gestures children
      produced (deictic, give, conventional, and iconic) in two communicative contexts
      (commenting and requesting). One year later, we assessed children's expressive
      vocabulary, using Expressive Vocabulary Test. Children with autism spectrum
      disorder showed significant deficits in gesture production, particularly in
      deictic gestures (i.e. gestures that indicate objects by pointing at them or by
      holding them up). Importantly, deictic gestures-but not other gestures-predicted
      children's vocabulary 1 year later regardless of communicative context, a pattern
      also found in typical development. We conclude that the production of deictic
      gestures serves as a stepping-stone for vocabulary development.

PMID- 26503991
TI  - Quilting a Field Pattern Portrait Using Butcher's Methodology.
AB  - The nursing profession acknowledges Martha Rogers to the foundation of nursing
      theory as a true visionary. Butcher developed a method that ensures scientific
      rigor in the application of Rogerian theory, unitary field pattern portrait
      (UFPP), which was used to explore new phenomenon of inquiry resulting in insights
      into Rogerian pandimensionality. In this intervention, an American Indian
      tradition, quilting, became a culturally appropriate way for a nurse to
      facilitate healing through the application of Rogerian theory. In Rogers's theory
      of the science of unitary human beings, pattern unfolding becomes a way of
      knowing through expansion, evolving, blossoming, revealing, and openness.
      Rogers's theory was used to encourage healing as an American Indian mother and
      deeply depressed daughter created a quilting story based on Rogerian principles:
      resonancy, helicy, and integrality. This aesthetic field patterning modality
      using Butcher's UFPP captured the intervention as clients were engaged in health
      patterning through the American Indian tradition of quilting. Field notes with
      reflective journaling as recommended by Butcher assisted in the crystallization
      of a UFPP drawn from Rogerian nursing theory. 

PMID- 26503990
TI  - A trial of an iPadTM intervention targeting social communication skills in
      children with autism.
AB  - This study evaluated a technology-based early intervention for social
      communication skills in pre-schoolers in a randomised controlled trial.
      Participants were 54 children aged under 6 years with a diagnosis of autism,
      assigned to either intervention or control conditions. The app engaged children,
      who played consistently, regardless of developmental level, and was rated highly
      by parents. There were no significant group differences in parent-report measures
      post-intervention, nor in a measure of parent-child play at follow-up. Therefore,
      this intervention did not have an observable impact on real-world social
      communication skills and caution is recommended about the potential usefulness of
      iPad(TM) apps for amelioration of difficulties in interaction. However, positive
      attitudes among participants, lack of harms and the potential of apps to deliver
      therapeutic content at low economic cost suggest this approach is worth pursuing
      further, perhaps targeting other skill domains.

PMID- 26503992
TI  - Association of Complementary and Alternative Therapies With Mental Health
      Outcomes in Pregnant Women Living in a Postdisaster Recovery Environment.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to determine if complementary and
      alternative medicine therapies are associated with mental health in postdisaster
      environments. DESIGN: Pregnant women (N = 402) were interviewed between 2010 and
      2012 as part of a larger cross-sectional study on hurricane recovery and models
      of prenatal care. METHODS: Symptoms of depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression
      Screen), prenatal anxiety (Revised Prenatal Distress Questionnaire),
      posttraumatic stress (PCL-S), and perceived stress (PSS) were examined. Logistic
      regression was used to adjust for income, race, education, parity, and age. The
      most commonly reported therapies were prayer, music, multivitamins, massage, and
      aromatherapy. FINDINGS: Mental illness symptoms were common (30.7% had likely
      depression, 17.4% had anxiety, and 9.0% had posttraumatic stress). Massage was
      protective for depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Index [EDSI] >8;
      adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.3-0.9), while
      use of aromatherapy (aOR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.1-3.2) and keeping a journal (aOR =
      1.9, 95% CI = 1.1-3.2) were associated with increased odds of depression.
      Aromatherapy was associated with symptoms of pregnancy-related anxiety (aOR =
      2.0, 95% CI = 1.1-3.8). CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms of mental illness persist after
      disaster, when untreated. Nurses should consider assessing for complementary and
      alternative medicine utilization in pregnancy as a potentially protective factor
      for mental health symptoms.

PMID- 26503993
TI  - Atypical Fibroxanthoma - Histological Diagnosis, Immunohistochemical Markers and
      Concepts of Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX) is an uncommon, rapidly growing
      cutaneous neoplasm of uncertain histogenesis. Thus far, there are no guidelines
      for diagnosis and therapy of this tumor. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included 18
      patients with 21 AFX, and 2,912 patients with a total of 2,939 AFX cited in the
      literature between 1962 and 2014. RESULTS: In our cohort, excision with safety
      margin was performed in 100% of primary tumors. Local recurrences were observed
      in 25% of primary tumors and parotid metastases in 5%. Ten-year disease-specific
      survival was 100%. The literature research yielded 280 relevant publications.
      Over 90% of the reported cases were negative for cytokeratins, S100, desmin and
      human melanoma black 45 (HMB-45). Recurrent AFX was reported in 7.6% and
      metastasizing AFX in 2.75% cases. No significant differences in the recurrence
      and survival rates following wide local excision versus Mohs microsurgery were
      observed. Twenty-year disease-specific survival rate was 97.8%. CONCLUSION: A
      well-selected panel of immunohistochemical markers is necessary to establish AFX
      diagnosis with sufficient certainty. Adequately treated, AFX has an excellent
      prognosis, but long-term follow-up is recommended due to the potential for
      aggressive behavior.

PMID- 26503994
TI  - Molecular Targeted Therapies in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Past, Present and
      Future.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive tumor and the sixth most common
      form of cancer worldwide. Surgery is the gold-standard treatment for local
      disease and often complemented by radiofrequency ablation or transarterial
      chemoembolization. In advanced disease, therapy options are limited and relapse
      and metastasis are common. Systemic therapy with cytotoxic drugs such as
      doxorubicin and cisplatin achieves low objective response rates (typically <10%)
      and even sorafenib, an orally administered tyrosine kinase inhibitor considered a
      breakthrough when introduced, prolongs median survival by little more than a
      year. Sorafenib blocks platelet-derived growth factor, vascular endothelial
      growth factor, c-KIT and rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma signaling, and belongs
      to a new class of targeted drugs. It has become standard treatment for advanced
      stage HCC in recent years. To date, no other agent has been shown to be more
      effective than sorafenib in the clinical setting, which highlights the need for
      ongoing research to address this important clinical challenge. The current review
      focuses on recent advances in molecular targeted therapy for HCC. We explore the
      current status of evidence, identify areas of pressing experimental need, and
      provide an outline of promising future therapeutic options. 

PMID- 26503995
TI  - Immunotherapies for NSCLC: Are We Cutting the Gordian Helix?
AB  - Chemotherapy is currently the standard-of-care for non-oncogene-driven advanced
      non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Due to improvements in chemotherapeutic
      choices and supportive care, patients currently typically undergo multiple lines
      of chemotherapy as their disease progresses. Although treatments have improved
      over recent years, limited benefits are seen, especially in patients receiving
      later-line chemotherapy, as response rates can be low, response duration short
      and survival poor. Molecular-targeted therapies have provided improvement in
      outcomes. However, these treatments only offer a clear benefit in subsets of
      tumors harbouring the appropriate genomic alteration (mutation, amplification,
      translocation). Recent advances in immunotherapy have highlighted the potential
      of immuno-oncology-based treatments for NSCLC, offering the potential to provide
      durable responses and outcomes regardless of histology or mutation status.
      Blocking inhibitory pathways such as the cytotoxic lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4)
      and programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) checkpoint pathways with monoclonal antibodies
      has generated antitumor immune responses that are transforming cancer
      therapeutics. PD-1 and programmed cell death ligand-1(PD-L1) antibodies have
      shown durable responses in NSCLC, with a favourable safety profile and manageable
      side-effects. The activity of immune checkpoint inhibitors is currently been
      assessed in treatment-naive patients with PD-L1-positive advanced NSCLC.
      Combinatorial approaches with other immune checkpoint inhibitors, chemotherapy,
      or targeted-agents are being explored in ongoing clinical trials, and may improve
      outcome in NSCLC. The emerging data not only offer the hope of a better cancer
      therapy but also provide evidence that changes our understanding on how the host
      immune system interacts with human cancer. It is therefore conceivable that
      agents blocking the CTLA-4/PD-1/PD-L1 axis will provide valuable additions to the
      growing armamentarium of targeted-agents. 

PMID- 26503996
TI  - Can Imatinib Be Safely Withdrawn in Patients with Surgically Resected Metastatic
      GIST?
AB  - Patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are currently
      recommended for treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in a life-long
      sequence. The standard first-line treatment is imatinib mesylate (IM), which is
      switched to other drugs at progression or if the patient does not tolerate IM.
      This strategy has served many patients well as patients with advanced GIST now
      live for a median of approximately 5 years, compared to 18 months prior the TKI
      era. The prevailing hypothesis is that IM and other TKIs fail to completely
      eradicate metastatic GIST and that progression is inevitable if IM treatment is
      discontinued. Following a response to IM and surgery of metastatic lesions
      harbouring foci responsible for drug resistance and subsequent clinical relapse,
      we hypothesize that this may lead to a cure and the justification to stop IM in
      selected patients. We suggest that this novel strategy, a priori, warrants
      further investigation. We reviewed the available literature, present three
      clinical cases and put forward for discussion a treatment algorithm that needs
      confirmation within the context of a prospective clinical study. 

PMID- 26503997
TI  - Therapeutic Potential of Thalidomide and Its Analogues in the Treatment of
      Cancer.
AB  - Thalidomide was synthesised and launched several decades ago as a drug against
      respiratory infections and was administered to pregnant women for relief of
      morning sickness. The drug was withdrawn when its teratogenic effects came to
      light. Thalidomide and its analogues suppressed cell proliferation and
      angiogenesis and controlled invasion and metastasis of tumours in pre-clinical
      studies. With the recognition of its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory,
      properties, thalidomide may have found a place in the treatment of many forms of
      cancer and autoimmune conditions. Herein the signalling pathways modulated by
      thalidomides via the mediation of vascular endothelial growth factor,
      phosphoinositide-kinase/protein kinase B and nuclear factor kappa B, and
      mammalian target of rapamycin, which integrates these signalling systems, are
      discussed. The mode of action of thalidomides and their strategic utility in
      therapy are evaluated in the context of potential clinical benefits.
      Notwithstanding the perceived benefits, the side-effects of thalidomides need to
      be taken into account; they do exert teratogenic effects in animal models,
      although being effective at lower doses, the drugs seem to show comparatively
      manageable and reduced toxicity. Combination therapy of thalidomides and
      modulators of signaling that they influence may further reduce the severity of
      the side-effects by delivering inhibitory effects at reduced drug dosages. Pre
      clinical evaluations of this kind seem warranted. 

PMID- 26503998
TI  - Natural Products That Target Cancer Stem Cells.
AB  - The cancer stem cell model suggests that tumor initiation is governed by a small
      subset of distinct cells with stem-like character termed cancer stem cells
      (CSCs). CSCs possess properties of self-renewal and intrinsic survival mechanisms
      that contribute to resistance of tumors to most chemotherapeutic drugs. The
      failure to eradicate CSCs during the course of therapy is postulated to be the
      driving force for tumor recurrence and metastasis. Recent studies have focused on
      understanding the unique phenotypic properties of CSCs from various tumor types,
      as well as the signaling pathways that underlie self-renewal and drug resistance.
      Natural products (NPs) such as those derived from botanicals and food sources may
      modulate vital signaling pathways involved in the maintenance of CSC phenotype.
      The Wingless/Integrated (WNT), Hedgehog, Notch and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways have
      all been associated with quiescence and self-renewal of CSCs, as well as
      execution of CSC function including differentiation, multidrug resistance and
      metastasis. Recent studies evaluating NPs against CSC support the epidemiological
      evidence linking plant-based diets with reduced malignancy rates. This review
      covers the key aspects of NPs as modulators of CSC fate. 

PMID- 26503999
TI  - Relationship Between Metabolic Reprogramming and Mitochondrial Activity in Cancer
      Cells. Understanding The Anticancer Effect of Metformin and Its Clinical
      Implications.
AB  - Metabolic reprogramming refers to the ability of cancer cells to alter their
      metabolism in order to support the increased energy request due to continuous
      growth, rapid proliferation, and other characteristics typical of neoplastic
      cells. This adaptation comprises of some important bioenergetic changes that, in
      contrary to conventional and outdated concepts, require an unchanged
      mitochondrial activity for their efficacy. This review highlights the
      characteristics of metabolic reprogramming, the role of mitochondrial activity in
      this particular setting, and the therapeutic possibility of targeting pathways of
      energy metabolism in cancer cells, with particular emphasis on metformin efficacy
      and its relationship with mitochondria metabolism. 

PMID- 26504000
TI  - Brain Metastases in NSCLC - are TKIs Changing the Treatment Strategy?
AB  - Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ranks as a leading cause of cancer-related
      death globally. Brain metastases are a frequent complication of NSCLC, with 25
      40% of patients developing brain metastases during the course of the disease,
      often within the first 2 years after diagnosis of the primary tumor. Improvements
      in neurological symptoms and performance status have been reported with whole
      brain radiation therapy (WBRT) in combination with steroid therapy in NSCLC
      patients. In addition, a survival benefit has been reported for patients with a
      single brain metastasis treated with stereotactic radiosurgery, while the
      clinical outcome is improved with surgery followed by WBRT versus WBRT alone.
      However, due to their poor performance status, many patients with brain
      metastases are not eligible for surgery or radiosurgery. Furthermore, the role of
      systemic chemotherapy for the treatment of brain metastases is controversial due
      to the impenetrable nature of the blood brain barrier (BBB), with reported
      response rates to chemotherapy ranging from 15-30% (overall survival [OS] 6-8
      months). Response rates of brain metastases to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor
      (TKI) treatment (e.g. gefitinib, erlotinib, afatinib) in patients with NSCLC
      harboring EGFR mutations reach 60-80%, with a complete response rate as high as
      40%. Median OS is 15-20 months, and progression-free survival in the brain
      reaches 6.6-11.7 months, demonstrating an improved clinical outcome. Metastatic
      involvement of the CNS appears to be a relatively common complication in patients
      with ALK-positive NSCLC and the CNS represents a dominant site of progression in
      ALK-positive patients treated with the ALK TKI crizotinib. In addition, CNS
      progression on crizotinib contributes substantially to the high levels of
      morbidity and mortality observed among patients with ALK-rearrangements, a
      finding that is consistent with low CNS penetration of the drug. Second
      generation ALK inhibitors (ceritinib, alectinib) are well-tolerated and
      demonstrate excellent intracranial activity. The various reports of dramatic and
      prolonged responses in brain metastases patients treated with EGFR and ALK TKIs
      suggest that these agents may be a valid treatment option for patients with
      asymptomatic brain metastases from NSCLC, especially for those with EGFR
      activating mutations or harboring ALK rearrangement. However, larger phase III
      studies are required to fully define the activity of these agents and their place
      in the therapeutic armamentarium of brain metastases. 

PMID- 26504001
TI  - Primary Breast Cancer with Synchronous Metastatic Disease - Indications for Local
      Radiotherapy to the Breast and Chest Wall.
AB  - AIM: To review literature on local therapy in patients with primary metastatic
      breast cancer with focus on local radiotherapy (RT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A
      Medline search using the key words "metastatic breast cancer", "primary
      resection/radiotherapy", "local therapy", "local radiotherapy" was carried out.
      All original studies in the English language were included in the present review.
      RESULTS: A total of 27 original studies including more than 33,000 patients with
      metastatic breast cancer were identified, including two large database analyses
      (n=25,757). All studies were retrospective in nature. Most studies showed a
      survival benefit with the addition of local therapy in a metastatic situation.
      The majority of studies focused on the role of surgery. Fourteen studies (52%)
      mentioned radiotherapy (RT) in 0.3% to 100% of patients. Six of these studies
      analyzed the effect of RT separately and five found an additional benefit of RT.
      Two studies showed best outcomes when RT and surgery were combined. CONCLUSION:
      Most retrospective studies showed a survival benefit for local therapy in
      patients with breast cancer with distant metastases. The role of RT remains
      unclear. Some reports showed improved outcome with the combination of surgery and
      RT. This approach should be considered in patients with good survival prognosis
      in whom local control is important. There are several prognostic factors to aid
      decision-making. Results of prospective randomized studies are pending.

PMID- 26504002
TI  - Electrochemotherapy - Evidence for Cell-type Selectivity In Vitro.
AB  - AIM: Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a new cancer treatment modality that uses
      electroporation to potentiate chemotherapeutic agents, especially bleomycin. ECT
      causes both a direct toxic effect and an anti-vascular effect. The aim of the
      present study was to investigate a possible selective effect of ECT on the
      survival of fibroblasts, endothelial cells (HUVEC) and two squamous cell
      carcinoma cell lines (CAL-27 and SCC-4). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cells were
      electroporated using two bleomycin concentrations. The survival rate was assessed
      1, 2, 3 and 4 days after treatment, by two different assays. RESULTS: The
      survival rate of the fibroblasts was statistically significantly higher than the
      other cell lines at day 4. The HUVEC survival rate was statistically
      significantly lower than the other cell types at day 1 after electroporation
      alone. CONCLUSION: A selective survival effect after ECT was observed in vitro,
      supporting the anti-vascular effect seen in vivo.

PMID- 26504003
TI  - Recruitment of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts and Blood Vessels by Orthotopic
      Liver Tumors Imaged in Red Fluorescent Protein (RFP) Transgenic Nude Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: The tumor microenvironment (TME) is critical for tumor growth and
      progression. We report here an imageable model of the TME of orthotopic liver
      cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The transgenic red fluorescent protein (RFP)
      expressing nude mouse was used as the host. The RFP nude mouse expresses RFP in
      all organs. Non-colored Huh-7 human hepatoma cells were injected in the spleen of
      RFP nude mice to establish an orthotopic liver cancer model. TME formation
      resulting from the orthotopic liver tumor was observed using the Olympus OV100
      small animal fluorescence imaging system. RESULTS: Non-colored liver cancer cells
      formed tumor colonies in the liver 28 days after cell transplantation to the
      spleen. RFP-expressing host cells and blood vessels were recruited by the liver
      tumors as visualized by fluorescence imaging. A desmin- and sirus-red-positive
      area increased around and within the liver tumor over time. CONCLUSION: These
      results indicate cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) were recruited by the liver
      tumors suggesting that CAFs, along with the angiogenic tumor blood vessels, were
      necessary for liver-tumor growth and could serve as visible therapeutic targets.

PMID- 26504004
TI  - Inhibiting Heat Shock Proteins Can Potentiate the Cytotoxic Effect of Cannabidiol
      in Human Glioma Cells.
AB  - Cannabinoids possess a number of characteristics that make them putative
      anticancer drugs, and their value as such is currently being explored in a number
      of clinical studies. To further understand the roles that cannabinoids may have,
      we performed gene expression profiling in glioma cell lines cultured with
      cannabidiol (CBD) and/or Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and pursued targets
      identified by this screening. Results showed that a large number of genes
      belonging to the heat shock protein (HSP) super-family were up-regulated
      following treatment, specifically with CBD. Increases were observed both at the
      gene and protein levels and arose as a consequence of increased generation of ROS
      by CBD, and correlated with an increase in a number of HSP client proteins.
      Furthermore, increases impeded the cytotoxic effect of CBD; an effect that was
      improved by co-culture with pharmacalogical inhibitors of HSPs. Similarly,
      culturing glioma cells with CBD and HSP inhibitors increased radiosensitivity
      when compared to CBD-alone. Taken together, these data indicate that the
      cytotoxic effects of CBD can be diminished by HSPs that indirectly rise as a
      result of CBD use, and that the inclusion of HSP inhibitors in CBD treatment
      regimens can enhance the overall effect. 

PMID- 26504005
TI  - Up-regulation of Toll-like Receptor 9 in Osteosarcoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence has shown that Toll-like receptors (TLRs), key
      receptors in innate immunity, play a role in cancer development and progression.
      The present study aimed to elucidate the role of TLR expression in osteosarcoma
      cancer cells and patient specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the
      expression of all of human TLRs in osteosarcoma MG-63 cells by real-time
      quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. We then further
      explored whether the up-regulation of TLR9 expression is common in patients with
      osteosarcoma by examining TLR9 protein levels in 80 osteosarcoma specimens and 28
      normal controls by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: We found that among TLR family
      members, TLR9 was predominately expressed in osteosarcoma cells, and up
      regulation of TLR9 expression was found in 72 out of 80 (90%) patients with
      osteosarcoma but in none of 28 normal controls. Furthermore, high expression of
      TLR9 appeared to be associated with osteosarcoma progression. CONCLUSION: TLR9 is
      up-regulated in the majority of osteosarcomas, which appears to play an important
      role in osteosarcoma development and progression. Therefore, TLR9 may serve as a
      novel therapeutic target for human osteosarcoma therapy.

PMID- 26504006
TI  - Breast Cancer Cell Lines Exhibit Differential Sensitivities to Microtubule
      targeting Drugs Independent of Doubling Time.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) are a mainstay in breast cancer
      treatment, yet patient responses differ. The underlying mechanisms of these
      differences are unknown. While MTAs are mitotic inhibitors, recent evidence
      highlights that non-mitotic effects of these drugs can contribute to their
      anticancer effects. It is critical to identify the non-mitotic mechanisms that
      could contribute to differences among MTAs. However, it is not clear whether
      rapidly dividing cells in culture are optimal tools to address these mechanistic
      questions in interphase cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Detailed concentration
      response curves for five MTAs in a panel of diverse breast cancer cell lines were
      generated. RESULTS: Substantial differences among both drugs and cell lines,
      consistent with the clinical scenario, were observed. Importantly, these
      differences do not correlate with cell doubling time. CONCLUSION: The interphase
      actions of MTAs are critical to the full spectrum of their effects in cancer
      cells, even in cell culture models.

PMID- 26504007
TI  - A Theoretical Model for the Hormetic Dose-response Curve for Anticancer Agents.
AB  - In the present article, we quantitatively evaluated the dose-response
      relationship of hormetic reactions of anticancer agents in vitro. Serial
      dilutions of gemcitabine, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, vinorelbine, and paclitaxel
      were administered to the A549 non-small-cell lung cancer cell line. The bi-phasic
      sigmoidal curve with hormetic and cytotoxic effects is given by the formula y=(a
      b/(1+exp(c(*)log(x)-d)))/(1+exp(e(*)log(x)-f)), that was used to perform a non
      linear least square regression. The dose-responses of the five anticancer agents
      were fitted to this equation. Gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil, which had the
      lowest ED50 for their hormetic reaction, had the most pronounced promotive
      effects out of the five anticancer agents tested. The hormetic reaction
      progressed exponentially with culturing time. Our theoretical model will be
      useful in predicting how hormetic reactions affect patients with malignant
      tumors. 

PMID- 26504008
TI  - Microcystin LR Shows Cytotoxic Activity Against Pancreatic Cancer Cells
      Expressing the Membrane OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 Transporters.
AB  - Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is a cyanobacterial cyclopeptide, known for its unique
      ability to cause acute liver injury. Its cellular uptake is facilitated by
      specific transmembrane organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATPs)
      specifically OATP1B1 and 1B3. The objective of the present study was to
      investigate the expression of OATPs 1A2, 1B1 and 1B3 in pancreatic cancer cell
      lines BxPC-3 and MIA PACA-2 and assess their role in MC-LR-mediated cytotoxicity
      by using the novel xCELLigence system and flow cytometry. OATP1B1 and 1B3 were
      found to be expressed in both cell lines at both the mRNA and protein levels. The
      cytotoxic effects of MC-LR were proportionally related to the expression of these
      transporters. Moreover the cytotoxic potency of MC-LR was found superior to
      gemcitabine. Based on the expression of the organic anion transporting
      polypeptides 1B1 and 1B3 in pancreatic carcinoma tissue and cell lines and the
      potent cytotoxicity induced by MC-LR in vitro, we propose that this molecule
      could be held as structural basis for the development of novel targeted-compounds
      against pancreatic cancer. 

PMID- 26504009
TI  - Expression of Estrogen Receptors in OSCC in Relation to Histopathological Grade.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Estrogen receptor (ER)-mediated pathways are involved in the
      pathogenesis of several tumors. Preliminary studies have demonstrated a
      significant effect of ER agonists and antagonists on oral squamous cell carcinoma
      (OSCC) cell lines. Recent results suggest that ER subtype-specific expression
      patterns might depend on the grade of differentiation of OSCC. Therefore, the aim
      of the present study was to evaluate the expression of ERalpha and ERbeta in OSCC
      and its correlation to histological tumor grade and gender. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Tumor sections of 25 patients (13 males and 12 females) retrieved from
      OSCC databases with two different histological gradings (well-differentiated,
      poorly differentiated) were evaluated. The detection of ERalpha and ERbeta
      expression in tumor cells and corresponding healthy mucosa adjacent to tumor was
      performed using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Well-differentiated OSCC showed no
      significant difference between the expression of ERbeta in tumor cells and
      corresponding mucosa. In poorly-differentiated OSCC the expression of ERbeta was
      significantly higher in tumor cells than in corresponding mucosa. In patients
      without regular alcohol and/or nicotine abuse, there was no significant
      difference of ERbeta expression in OSCC compared to corresponding healthy mucosa
      in contrast to patients having these risk factors. Expression of ERalpha was
      found in one tumor. CONCLUSION: ERbeta is the predominant ER sub-type expressed
      significantly higher in poorly-differentiated OSCC tumors compared to healthy
      mucosa adjacent to the tumor. Different expression patterns in relation to
      histological grade might suggest an influential role of ERbeta in tumor (de-)
      differentiation of OSCC.

PMID- 26504010
TI  - The FGFR Inhibitor NVP-BGJ398 Induces NSCLC Cell Death by Activating Caspase
      dependent Pathways as well as Caspase-independent Apoptosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fibroblast growth factor receptors are expressed in diverse cell
      types. They play a critical role in tumor development. Their activation promotes
      cell-cycle progression, angiogenesis, and cell survival by induction/suppression
      of the expression of proteins involved. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Non-small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC) cells (line H1581) were treated with NVP-BGJ398 to evaluate
      effects on growth by western blot, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5
      diphenyltetrazoliumbromide assay and cell-cycle analysis. RESULTS: NVP-BGJ398
      induced cell death in H1581 cells by activating caspase-dependent mitochondrial
      and non-mitochondrial pathways. Caspase-independent apoptosis was also activated.
      Cells were found to be arrested in the G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, the expression
      of the tumor-suppressor gene programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) was up-regulated
      with suppression of angiopoietin 2 (ANG2). This represents an additional
      mechanism by which NVP-BGJ389 inhibits tumor growth. CONCLUSION: Various pathways
      induce apoptosis in NSCLC cells by employing NVP-BGJ398. These data reflect the
      potential of cancer treatment utilizing small FGFR inhibitors.

PMID- 26504011
TI  - Oxidative Stress Activates Membrane Ion Channels in Human Biliary Epithelial
      Cancer Cells (Mz-Cha-1).
AB  - Oxidative stress is known to contribute to cell damage. In several cell types,
      one of the earliest effects of oxidative stress is a rapid and substantial
      decrease in cell volume, which in turn regulates a broad range of cell functions,
      including development of apoptosis. Since volume regulation is closely coupled to
      membrane ion permeability, activation of ion channels may play an important role
      in oxidative stress-related cell injury. Oxidative stress plays a major role in a
      variety of liver diseases and bile duct epithelia cells (BDE) represent an
      important site of injury. We, therefore, investigated the functional interactions
      of oxidative stress, cell volume and ion permeability in a BDE model. Whole-cell
      patch clamp studies were performed in the human Mz-Cha 1 cell line. Oxidative
      stress was produced by addition of H2O2 to the bath solution. Changes of
      intracellular Ca(2+) concentration and of crosssectional area (for calculating
      cell volume) were monitored by laser scanning microscopy. Exposure of Mz-Cha 1
      cells to H2O2 resulted in cell shrinkage and increase of the intracellular Ca(2+)
      concentration. Patch-clamp studies revealed that exposure to H2O2 also resulted
      in the activation of ion currents with a threshold of 10(-6) M H2O2. Ion
      substitution studies and blocker experiments identified the currents as
      representing an increase in membrane K(+) and Cl-permeability. Interestingly both
      ion channel activation and cell shrinkage had a close relationship to the applied
      H2O2 concentration and were significantly inhibited by intracellular Ca(2+)
      chelation. These data imply that in a BDE model, oxidative stress leads to cell
      shrinkage through activation of Ca(2+)-dependent K(+) and Cl(-) currents. Since
      cell shrinkage has been associated with increased cell damage, the opening of
      these ion channels might contribute to the high susceptibility of biliary
      epithelial cancer cells to oxidative stress.

PMID- 26504012
TI  - Inhibition of Growth of Bladder Cancer Cells by 3-(3-Pyridinyl)-1-(4-pyridinyl)-2
      propen-1-one in Combination with Other Compounds Affecting Glucose Metabolism.
AB  - In seven out of eight human bladder cell lines that were examined herein, growth
      was more dependent on the presence in the incubation medium of glucose rather
      than glutamine. The exception was the slowly growing RT4 cells that were more
      glutamine-dependent. Growth of all the cell lines was reduced by an inhibitor of
      6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/2,6-bisphosphatase 3, namely 3-(3-pyridinyl)-1-(4
      pyridinyl)-2-propen-1-one (3PO). Growth was also reduced by three compounds that
      reduce the conversion of glucose to lactate: namely 2-deoxyglucose, butyrate and
      dichloroacetate. Additive effects were seen when these molecules were combined
      with 3PO. Treatment of bladder cancer cells with phenformin resulted in growth
      inhibition that was frequently accompanied by increased glucose uptake and
      acidification of the medium that was blocked by co-incubation with 3PO. The
      actions of 3PO suggest that inhibitors of PFKB3 merit further investigation in
      the treatment of bladder cancer and they may be useful agents in combination with
      other drugs that inhibit cancer cell proliferation. 

PMID- 26504013
TI  - HER2 Codon 655 (Ile/Val) Polymorphism and Breast Cancer in Austrian Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The overexpression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
      (HER2) in breast cancer (BC) is associated with impaired prognosis. Data
      concerning the HER2 codon 655 polymorphism (Ile/Val) and BC risk are conflicting.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied the HER2 codon 655 (rs1136201) polymorphism in
      80 Austrian patients with BC and 100 healthy volunteers by pyrosequencing and
      polymerase chain reaction. Associations between codon 655 allelic variants and
      clinicopathological variables (e.g. age, stage of disease, tumor type, grading,
      and receptor status) were studied with 2*2 tables. RESULTS: The genotypic
      distributions in patients with BC (AA: 63.75%, AG: 32.5%, GG: 3.75%) and controls
      (AA: 63%, AG: 34%, GG: 3.7%) were virtually identical (odds ratio=1.03, 95%
      confidence interval=0.56-1.90). A non-significant link between carrying at least
      one G allele and more aggressive tumor type (estrogen receptor-negative p=0.08,
      G3 tumor p=0.19) was observed. CONCLUSION: Genotypic variation within the codon
      655 of HER2 does not alter the BC risk in Caucasian Austrian women. The
      association between the G allele and more aggressive tumor types requires further
      investigation.

PMID- 26504014
TI  - Core Needle Biopsy Wash Optimization: Enabling Specimen Integrity for both
      Cytological and Histological Evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The recovery of cells after washing core needle biopsies represents
      an under-utilized approach to extend the diagnostic capacity of these diminutive
      specimens. Recovery of these cells can be dedicated for molecular studies so that
      the biopsy itself can be used apropos for its intended purpose, diagnosis. Non
      enzymatic and enzymatic reagents have the potential to increase the number of
      cells dissociating from the tissue core, but can also negatively impact the
      quality of the tissue itself. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three different means
      (phosphate-buffered saline, a non-enzymatic and an enzymatic solution) were used
      to wash core needle biopsies. The washed cells were recovered by traditional
      preparatory methods and evaluated for cellularity and cytomorphology. The post
      washed cores were processed by formalin fixation, paraffin embedding and
      evaluated for integrity and morphological quality. RESULTS: The enzymatic
      solution damaged both the cytological and tissue specimens, while the saline and
      non-enzymatic process allowed for the comparable recovery of cells and tissue for
      evaluation. CONCLUSION: Adequate numbers of cells are dissociated from the tissue
      core when needle biopsies are washed. The recovery and preservation of cells and
      tissue for morphological interpretation was optimal when solutions devoid of
      enzymes were used for washing.

PMID- 26504015
TI  - Fluorinated beta-Diketo Phosphorus Ylides Are Novel Inhibitors of the ABCB1
      Efflux Pump of Cancer Cells.
AB  - Efflux pump inhibitors are attractive compounds that reverse multidrug resistance
      (MDR) in cancer cells. In the present study, 10 phosphorus ylides (P-ylides) were
      compared based on their MDR-reverting activity in human ATP-binding cassette sub
      family B member 1 (ABCB1; P-glycoprotein) gene-transfected L5178Y mouse T
      lymphoma cells. Among them, three P-ylides, Ph3P=C(COCF3)COPh, Ph3P=C(COC2F5)COPh
      and Ph3P=C(COC3F7)COPh were identified as selectively modulating the ABCB1 pump.
      These compounds, with low cytotoxicity against mouse T-lymphoma cells, exhibited
      more potency than the positive control ABCB1 inhibitor verapamil. 

PMID- 26504016
TI  - In Vitro Efficacy of Naftifine Against Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Multiple myeloma is still an incurable hematological malignancy
      of monoclonal B-lymphocytes. While standard chemotherapy regimens have been used
      for years, novel agents like lenalidomide and bortezomib have become an essential
      part of today's therapies and significantly improve therapeutic efficacy.
      Nevertheless, new therapeutic strategies are still indispensable. Aberrant
      activation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling promotes development of several cancers.
      Recently, it has been demonstrated that the Wnt pathway is activated in both
      lymphoma and myeloma. Thus, Wnt signaling molecules are attractive candidates for
      the development of new targeted-therapies. Naftifine was used in the present
      study since it has chemical features similar to those of other known WNT
      inhibitors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The anti-tumor apoptotic effect of naftifine
      at doses ranging from 0.1-200 MUM was investigated on two human and one murine
      lymphoma, as well as in one murine and three human myeloma cell lines, and
      determinded by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium-bromide
      (MTT) assay. RESULTS: Naftifine significantly reduced cell viability in all
      tested myeloma and lymphoma cell lines in a dose-dependent manner, while healthy
      cells were only slightly affected. CONCLUSION: Naftifine exhibits toxicity to
      hematological neoplasms in vitro.

PMID- 26504017
TI  - Intercellular HOCl-mediated Apoptosis Induction in Malignant Cells: Interplay
      Between NOX1-Dependent Superoxide Anion Generation and DUOX-related HOCl
      generating Peroxidase Activity.
AB  - Intercellular apoptosis-inducing HOCl signaling is discussed as a control step
      during oncogenesis. It is defined as a sophisticated interplay between
      transformed target cells and non-transformed or transformed effector cells. In
      this study, transformed target cells were seeded as clumps of high local cell
      density, but low total cell number. They were surrounded by large numbers of
      effector cells, seeded at low local density. This spatially defined experimental
      arrangement allowed study of the impact of siRNA-mediated knockdown of NADPH
      oxidase 1 (NOX1) or dual oxidase 1 (DUOX1) on intercellular HOCl signaling. Our
      data show that the target function of transformed cells is defined as expression
      of NOX1 and subsequent extracellular superoxide anion generation. The NOX domain
      of DUOX1 does not contribute to the target function. The peroxidase domain of
      DUOX1 is released from transforming growth factor beta1-treated non-transformed
      and transformed cells and acts in trans as HOCl-synthesizing peroxidase. These
      findings clarify the biochemical source of HOCl during HOCl-mediated signaling. 

PMID- 26504018
TI  - Evaluation of 111In-labeled Anginex as Potential SPECT Tracer for Imaging of
      Tumor Angiogenesis.
AB  - Angiogenesis is a prerequisite for solid tumors to grow and metastasize,
      providing oxygen and nutrients to the tumor site. The protein galectin-1 has been
      identified to be overexpressed on tumor vasculature and represents an interesting
      target for anti-angiogenic therapy, as well as in molecular imaging. Therefore,
      the galectin-1-binding peptide Anginex was modified for radiolabeling using
      (111)In. In vitro, (111)In-Ax showed significantly more binding to galectin-1
      positive EC-RF24 and MDA-MB-231-LITG cells than to galectin-1-negative LS174T
      cells and association with EC-RF24 cells was reduced in the presence of excess
      native Anginex. However, ex vivo biodistribution profiles showed little tumor
      uptake of (111)In-Ax and extensive accumulation in non-target organs. Although
      this study shows the ease of modification of the therapeutic peptide Anginex and
      favorable characteristics in vitro, in vivo assessment of the tracer revealed
      negligible tumor targeting. Hence, the strategy we employed lends little support
      for successful non-invasive imaging of tumor angiogenesis using this peptide. 

PMID- 26504019
TI  - Site-specific Effects of DUOX1-Related Peroxidase on Intercellular Apoptosis
      Signaling.
AB  - Intercellular apoptosis-inducing HOCl signaling is known as an interplay between
      superoxide anions/H2O2 of transformed target cells and dual oxidase 1 (DUOX1)
      related peroxidase that is released from neighboring non-transformed or
      transformed effector cells. Effector cells are dispensable when the release of
      the peroxidase domain of DUOX1 from target cells is prevented through inhibition
      of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity. Membrane-associated peroxidase is
      then co-localized to NADPH oxidase 1 (NOX1) and establishes HOCl signaling
      specifically in transformed cells, using the same biochemical pathways as
      classical intercellular HOCl signaling. Membrane-associated peroxidase protects
      against exogenous HOCl through reversal of the peroxidase reaction. In addition,
      membrane-associated peroxidase protects against NO/peroxynitrite signaling as it
      oxidates NO and decomposes peroxynitrite. The protective function of membrane
      associated peroxidase (in the absence of MMP) is analogous to that of catalase,
      whereas the destructive effect of the enzyme, i.e. the synthesis of HOCl, is
      independent of its localization and of MMP activity.

PMID- 26504020
TI  - Crizotinib Fails to Enhance the Effect of Radiation in Head and Neck Squamous
      Cell Carcinoma Xenografts.
AB  - AIM: Mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (MET), a receptor tyrosine kinase,
      is expressed in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) and is involved in
      tumor progression and associated with poor prognosis. MET can be inhibited by
      crizotinib, a potent ATP-competitive kinase inhibitor. We examined the effects of
      combining crizotinib and radiation in a pre-clinical HNSCC model. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Nine HNSCC cell lines were screened for MET expression, copy-number
      amplification and mutational status. The in vitro effects of crizotinib and
      radiation were assessed with clonogenic survival assays. MET signaling proteins
      were assessed with western blot and receptor tyrosine kinase array. Tumor growth
      delay experiments with UT-SCC-14 and UT-SCC-15 oral tongue xenografts were used
      to assess in vivo tumor radiosensitivity. RESULTS: All nine HNSCC cell lines
      showed a varying degree of MET protein and RNA expression. Increased MET copy
      number was not present. MET was expressed after irradiation both in vitro and in
      vivo. Crizotinib alone inhibited phosphorylation of MET and inhibited cell growth
      in vitro but did not inhibit phosphorylation of downstream signaling proteins:
      MAPK, AKT or c-SRC. When combined with radiation in vitro, crizotinib
      demonstrated radiation enhancement in only one cell line. Crizotinib did not
      enhance the effect of radiation in either UT-SCC-14 or UT-SCC-15 tumors grown as
      xenografts. CONCLUSION: MET is overexpressed in HNSCC cell lines, however,
      crizotinib failed to enhance the radiation response and failed to inhibit MET
      downstream signaling proteins in this HNSCC model.

PMID- 26504021
TI  - Synergistic Effect of SN-38 in Combination with Cetuximab on Angiogenesis and
      Cancer Cell Invasion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The combination of irinotecan, a topoisomerase I inhibitor with
      cetuximab, an antibody against epidermal growth factor receptor, produces
      synergistic and beneficial effects in patients with irinotecan-refractory
      colorectal cancer. Our hypothesis was that synergistic effects could be due to
      anti-angiogenesis and anti-invasion, but not to cytotoxicity. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Cytotoxicity was assessed by viability test and flow cytometry. Anti
      angiogenesis, anti-invasion were studied by the endothelial cell capillary-like
      network formation and transmigration through an extracellular matrix. Protein
      kinase B (PKB, frequently cited as AKT), and extracellular signal-regulated
      kinases (ERK) activation was assayed by cell-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Combinations of SN-38 (the active of irinotecan) and
      cetuximab did not induce any synergistic cytotoxicity confirmed by viability test
      and cell-cycle analyses. Interestingly, their combination produced synergistic
      anti-angiogenesis and anti-invasion activities revealed by endothelial cell
      capillary-like network formation and cell invasion tests. Subsequently, their
      combination attenuated either expression or phosphorylation of AKT and ERK1/2
      using cell-based ELISA. CONCLUSION: SN-38/cetuximab combination has synergistic
      anti-angiogenesis and anti-invasion activities mediated by down-regulation of
      phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases/AKT and mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK
      pathways.

PMID- 26504022
TI  - Identification of the Critical Site of Calponin 1 for Suppression of Ovarian
      Cancer Properties.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although several studies have demonstrated the tumor suppressive
      function of CNN1 (calponin 1), no studies have performed a site-specific analysis
      of CNN1 on tumor cell activities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We herein studied the
      site-specific effects of CNN1 in ovarian cancer cells using full-length CNN1
      (fCNN1), three CNN1 repeats (3CNRs), or the first CNN1 repeat (CNR1) expression
      vectors. Ovarian cancer cells stably expressing each construct were analyzed for
      in vitro proliferation, cell motility, invasion, and soft agar assays. An in
      vitro model of pleural dissemination was also established. RESULTS: Cell
      proliferation, anchorage-independent colony formation, cell motility, and cell
      invasion were all suppressed in fCNN1, 3CNRs, and CNR1-stably-expressing cells.
      CNN1 expression in mesothelial cells suppressed cancer cell invasion into a
      monolayer of mesothelial cells. CONCLUSION: CNR1 showed similar suppressive
      effects as fCNN1. Results suggest CNR1 as a potential small synthetic peptide
      candidate for therapeutic strategies against ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26504023
TI  - Antitumor Activity of 3-Indolylmethanamines 31B and PS121912.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the in vivo effects of 3-indolylmethanamines 31B and PS121912
      in treating ovarian cancer and leukemia, respectively. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) and western
      blotting were applied to demonstrate the induction of apoptosis. Xenografted mice
      were investigated to show the antitumor effects of 3-indolylmethanamines. (13)C
      Nuclear magnetic resource (NMR) and western blotting were used to demonstrate
      inhibition of glucose metabolism. RESULTS: 31B inhibited ovarian cancer cell
      proliferation and activated caspase-3, cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1
      (PARP1), and phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), JUN N
      terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK) and p38. 31B reduced
      ovarian cancer xenograft tumor growth and PS121912 inhibited the growth of HL-60
      derived xenografts without any sign of toxicity. Compound 31B inhibited de novo
      glycolysis and lipogenesis mediated by the reduction of fatty acid synthase and
      lactate dehydrogenase-A expression. CONCLUSION: 3-Indolylmethanamines represent a
      new class of antitumor agents. We have shown for the first time the in vivo
      anticancer effects of 3-indolylmethanamines 31B and PS121912.

PMID- 26504024
TI  - Plasminogen Activation System in Rectal Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to determine the extent of
      expression of proteins that are the elements of the plasminogen activation
      system, i.e. urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), receptor of uPA (uPAR),
      plasminogen activating inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)
      in the primary site of rectal adenocarcinoma, as well as in lymph node
      metastases, and their correlation with clinical and pathological data. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The study material consisted of archival paraffin blocks from 108
      patients with confirmed oncological diagnosis, treated in 2002 and 2003 in the
      Lower Silesian Oncology Centre in Wroclaw. This material was used for
      immunohistochemical reactions with antibodies against uPA, uPAR, PAI-1 and tPA.
      The extent of expression was evaluated semi-quantitatively based on the
      immunoreactive score according to Remmele and Stegner. The obtained results were
      correlated with clinical and pathological data: stage of the disease (modified
      Dukes' classification of Astler and Coller), grade of histological malignancy,
      event-free survival and overall survival. RESULTS: It was found that cytoplasmic
      expression of uPA, uPAR, PAI-1 and tPA was higher in cells of tumor and
      metastases of perienteric lymph nodes in comparison to normal rectal tissues.
      Positive correlation was shown between expression of PAI-1 and tPA, uPA and uPAR,
      as well uPA and PAI-1 (r=0.70, r=0.77 and r=0.34, respectively; p<0.05 for all).
      Additionally, in patients with low and moderate expression of uPA and uPAR, the
      overall survival rate was higher in comparison to patients with high expression
      of the studied markers. CONCLUSION: The intensity of expression of uPA and uPAR
      might be a prognostic factor of survival time for patients with primary rectal
      adenocarcinomas.

PMID- 26504025
TI  - Expression of MCM-3 and MCM-7 in Primary Cutaneous T-cell Lymphomas.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Primary cutaneous T-cell lymphomas is a group of rare non-Hodgkin
      lymphomas, originally affecting the skin. Increased proliferation activity is a
      hallmark of diverse tumors and the proliferation rate, measured by the expression
      of various markers has a predictive value regarding the malignancy course. The
      aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic value and the potential
      correlation between the expression of proliferation markers Ki-67, MCM-3 and MCM
      7, and clinicopathological data for different types of primary cutaneous T-cell
      lymphomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical reactions were performed on
      paraffin blocks obtained from 90 patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) and 21
      patients with other CTCL (oCTCL), in comparison to 19 patients with benign
      inflammatory dermatosis (lichen planus, eczema), serving as control. RESULTS:
      Statistically significant differences in the expression of Ki-67, MCM-3 and MCM-7
      were observed between oCTCL vs. the control group (29% vs. 5%; 17% vs. 5%; 13%
      vs. 1.5%, respectively, ANOVA with Scheffe post-hoc test: p<0.01). In both, MF
      and oCTCL Ki-67 expression highly correlated with the expression of MCM-3
      (r=0.83; p<0.001 and r=0.91; p<0.001, respectively) and MCM-7 (r=0.84; p<0.001
      and r=0.87; p<0.01, respectively; Pearson correlation test). Similarly, a strong
      positive correlation was observed between MCM-3 and MCM-7 (r=0.81, p<0.001 and
      r=0.85, p<0.001). Regarding the MF group, Ki-67 and MCM-3 expression was
      significantly higher in advanced compared to early stages (11% vs. 3% and 15.5%
      vs. 5.0%, respectively, Student's t-test: p<0.05). Advanced MF had also
      significantly higher labeling indexes for Ki-67, MCM-3 and MCM-7 compared to
      benign inflammatory dermatoses (Student's t-test: p<0.01, p<0.001 and p=0.02,
      respectively). Considering skin involvement in MF, T1b had a significantly higher
      expression of Ki-67, MCM-3 and MCM-7 than T1a (p<0.001 for all comparisons) with
      similar observations between T2b and T2a (p=0.02; p<0.01; p=0.01, respectively,
      Student's t-test test). Regarding extracutaneous involvement, only MCM-3
      expression in MF showed a positive relationship with both nodal and distant
      metastases (ANOVA with Scheffe post hoc test: p<0.01, p<0.01, respectively).
      Higher Ki-67 and MCM-3 expression correlated with shorter survival in MF,
      although the latter did not reach statistical significance (10-year survival 0.38
      vs. 0.82, p=0.02, and 0.46 vs. 0.81, p=0.06, respectively; log rank test).
      CONCLUSION: All studied proliferation markers may had predictive values regarding
      the disease severity and prognosis. Further studies are required to analyze their
      implementation into patient stratification and treatment process such that will
      improve prognosis in CTCL.

PMID- 26504026
TI  - Combination of Genistein and Cisplatin with Two Designed Monofunctional Platinum
      Agents in Human Ovarian Tumour Models.
AB  - A great amount of research effort has been directed at platinum compounds that
      bind with DNA differently from cisplatin with the idea that the difference may
      translate into an altered spectrum of activity. Recently research has also been
      directed at applying combinations of platinum agents with tumour-active
      phytochemicals with the aim of providing a means of overcoming platinum
      resistance in ovarian cancer. Herein we report the synthesis of monofunctional
      platinum tris(3-hydroxypyridine)chloroplatinum(II) chloride (coded as LH1) and
      tris(imidazole)chloroplatinum(II) chloride (coded as LH2), and their activity
      alone and in combination with genistein and cisplatin against human ovarian
      A2780, cisplatin-resistant A2780(cisR) and picoplatin-resistant A2780(ZD0473R)
      cancer cell lines. Although both LH1 and LH2 were found to be less active than
      cisplatin against the tumour models, they produced synergistic outcomes in
      combination with genistein. Both the level of cellular accumulation of Pt and of
      Pt-DNA binding resulting from the combination were greater in the A2780(cisR)
      cell line than in the parental A2780 cell line, irrespective of the sequence of
      administration. Absence of association between activity of LH1 and LH2 and the
      level of Pt-DNA binding indicates that the cell death induced by LH1 and LH2 may
      not be limited to the effect of their binding with DNA. 

PMID- 26504027
TI  - Effects of Vitamin K3 and K5 on Daunorubicin-resistant Human T Lymphoblastoid
      Leukemia Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Anticancer efficacy of vitamin K derivatives on multidrug
      resistant cancer cells has been scarcely investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      effects of vitamins K3 and K5 on proliferation of human leukemia MOLT-4 cells and
      on daunorubicin-resistant MOLT-4/DNR cells were estimated by a WST assay.
      Apoptotic cells were detected by Annexin V and propidium iodide staining,
      followed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Vitamins K3 and K5 significantly inhibited
      proliferation of leukemic cells at 10 and 100 MUM (p<0.05), and these effects
      were almost equally observed in both MOLT-4 and MOLT/DNR drug-resistant cells.
      Vitamin K3 induced cell apoptosis at 10 and 100 MUM in both MOLT-4 and MOLT-4/DNR
      cells (p<0.05). Vitamin K5 also increased apoptotic cells, while rather inducing
      necrotic cell death. CONCLUSION: Vitamins K3 and K5 suppress MOLT-4 and MOLT
      4/DNR cell-proliferation partially through induction of apoptosis, and these
      vitamin derivatives can overcome drug resistance due to P-glycoprotein
      expression.

PMID- 26504028
TI  - Increased Expression of MuRF1 Is Associated with Radiation-induced Laryngeal
      Muscle Atrophy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laryngeal muscles play an important role in breathing, sound
      production and trachea protection against food. Laryngeal dysfunctions during
      radiotherapy for head and neck cancers are common. In the present study, we aimed
      to investigate the early effect of radiation on the laryngeal muscles in vivo and
      possible mechanisms involved in this process. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight-week
      old female C57bl/ mice received neck irradiation with a single dose of 25 Gy and
      bilateral thyroarytenoid (TA) muscles of mice were collected at day 3, 7 and 10
      post-irradiation for evaluating muscle size, myosins, myosin heavy chain (MyHC)
      composition and MuRF1 protein levels. RESULTS: A significant reduction in the
      size of muscle fibers and myosins in the TA muscles were observed at days 3, 7,
      10 after radiation (p<0.05). The loss of IIB myosin was more severe than that of
      IIA/X myosins at day 7 post-irradiation (75% vs. 64%). MuRF1 protein level was
      markedly increased at day 7 and 10 after radiation (p<0.05). CONCLUSION:
      Radiation induced an acute muscle fiber atrophy and myosin loss in the intrinsic
      laryngeal muscles. MuRF1 may play an important role in the radiation-induced
      protein degradation in the laryngeal muscles and warrants further investigation.

PMID- 26504029
TI  - Investigation of Interleukin-1beta Polymorphisms in Prostate Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cytokine-mediated immune and inflammatory responses are considered to
      play an important role in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer. The present study
      investigated certain interleukin-1beta (IL1beta) polymorphisms and their
      association with prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Genotyping of the IL1B
      31(rs 1143627 G>A) and IL1B-511(rs 16944 A<G) polymorphisms were performed using
      real-time polymerase chain reaction for blood samples from a group of patients
      with prostate cancer (n=71) and controls (n=76). RESULTS: The frequency of the
      IL1B-31(rs1143627) AG heterozygote genotype was found to be significantly lower
      in patients compared to controls (odds ratio=0.648, 95% confidence interval=0.463
      0.908; p=0.036). The genotypic frequencies of IL1B-511(rs16944) between prostate
      cancer patients and controls were statistically significantly different
      (p=0.001). The frequency of AG genotype for IL1B-511(rs16944) was 0.5-fold lower
      in patients with prostate cancer than in the controls (odds ratio=0.546; 95%
      confidence interval=0.377-0.791; p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Our data show that
      individuals carrying the IL1B-31(rs1143627) and IL1B-511(rs16944) AG genotypes
      had a decreased risk for developing prostate cancer. Out of all the possible
      combinations analyzed, IL1B-31(rs1143627) G with IL1B-511(rs16944) G combination
      had a protective association with prostate cancer.

PMID- 26504030
TI  - Active Hexose-correlated Compound Down-regulates Heat Shock Factor 1, a
      Transcription Factor for HSP27, in Gemcitabine-resistant Human Pancreatic Cancer
      Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Active hexose-correlated compound (AHCC) is an extract of a
      basidiomycete mushroom that enhances the therapeutic effects and reduces the side
      effects of chemotherapy. Our previous studies demonstrated that heat-shock
      protein 27 (HSP27) was involved in gemcitabine-resistance of pancreatic cancer
      cells and it was down-regulated by AHCC-treatment. However, how AHCC down
      regulated HSP27 is unknown. In the present study, we focused on two transcription
      factors reported to induce HSP27, heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) and high-mobility
      group box 1 (HMGB1) and investigated the effect of AHCC on their expression.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: KLM1-R cells were treated with AHCC and the protein
      expression of HSF1 and HMGB1 were analyzed by western blotting. RESULTS: The
      protein expression of HSF1 in KLM1-R was down-regulated by AHCC treatment. On the
      other hand, the protein expression of HMGB1 was not reduced in KLM1-R cells after
      AHCC treatment. CONCLUSION: The possibility that AHCC down-regulated HSP27
      through down-regulation of the HSF1, was herein shown.

PMID- 26504031
TI  - Cell Membrane Perforation with Photosensitizer and a Brush-shaped Soft-polymer
      Sheet Using a Malignant Glioma Cell Line.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transduction of foreign molecules into cells is an important
      technique to investigate the functions of corresponding molecules and/or targets.
      Recently, a mass-producible nanoprinting perforator was devised enabling for
      large-scale, high-performance drug or nucleic-acid transfer into cells without
      cell damage. Since little is known on the performance of the system, we
      investigated its effects on a malignant glioma cell line. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Photosensitization was performed by the Cell Stamper CP-01. The malignant U373MG
      glioma cell line was used for transduction. RESULTS: Photosensitization
      transduced FITC-conjugated albumin into cells. Trypan blue inclusion test
      demonstrated membrane disintegration by the procedure and scanning electron
      microscopy disclosed perforation of the cell membrane. CONCLUSION: Local
      oxidation reaction during the nanoprinting caused reversible membrane
      perforation. Morphological findings from the current study support the above
      mechanism, therefore the specific printing system might be convenient for
      transduction of foreign molecules into malignant glioma cells.

PMID- 26504032
TI  - Bis(phenylidenebenzeneamine)-1-disulfide Derivatives Induce Autophagy in Melanoma
      Cells Through a Mitochondria-mediated Pathway.
AB  - We have previously reported the efficient synthesis of
      bis(phenylidenebenzeneamine)-1-disulfide derivatives 1-8. In the present article,
      we delineated the signaling pathways involved in the anticancer effects of
      compound 2 on melanoma cells. The treatment of melanoma cells with compound 2
      resulted in ROS generation, a decrease in DeltaPsimt, ATP, and protein expression
      of mitochondrial respiratory chain subunits. In addition, no significant
      apoptotic or necrotic effect was seen following compound 2 treatment using an
      annexin V and propidium iodide (PI) double-staining. Nevertheless, autophagy
      related proteins LC3 and Beclin 1 were enhanced by compound 2. Furthermore,
      compound 2 was also shown to reduce murine melanoma size in a mouse model. We
      revealed a novel bio-evaluation of bis(phenylidenebenzeneamine)-1-disulfide
      derivatives anti-tumor proliferation mechanism and suggest that these agents may
      have potential chemotherapeutic activity for melanoma cells.

PMID- 26504033
TI  - Negative and Positive Consequences of Cancer Treatment Experienced by Long-term
      Osteosarcoma Survivors: A Qualitative Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our study aimed to explore how survivors of osteosarcoma of the lower
      extremity experience physical and psychosocial late effects several years after
      undergoing arduous treatment. A qualitative, phenomenological and hermeneutic
      approach was applied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Osteosarcoma survivors (n=8)
      previously treated at the Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital,
      participated in the study. In-depth and semi-structured interviews were
      conducted. The interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.
      RESULTS: Three to ten years after diagnosis, the majority of participants had
      experienced both negative and positive consequences following treatment. Changes
      in activity and exclusion from participation in different areas were the most
      challenging consequences. Several of their experiences are similar to those
      described by people with disabilities. CONCLUSION: It is important to understand
      osteosarcoma survivors' own experiences in order to assist those who struggle to
      reorient in life and to construct a new identity for themselves.

PMID- 26504034
TI  - Dosimetric and Radiobiological Evaluation of Hybrid Inverse Planning and
      Optimization for Cervical Cancer Brachytherapy.
AB  - AIM: To compare manual graphical optimization (GrO) with hybrid inverse planning
      optimization (HIPO) of cervical cancer brachytherapy treatment plans using
      physical and radiobiological tools. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten patients suffering
      from cervical cancer, treated with pulsed brachytherapy using GrO plans, were
      included in the study. For each patient, four different HIPO class solutions with
      different dose objectives to the target and constraints to the organs at risk
      (OAR) produced four optimized plans, that were each compared to the corresponding
      GrO plan. Class solution in HIPO is a set of parameters consisting of dose
      constraints and penalty weights, which are used for optimization. The comparison
      was based on the following dosimetric parameters: conformity index (COIN),
      minimum dose received by 98% and 90% of the high-risk clinical target volume
      (represented by D98 and D90, respectively), and the minimum dose imparted to 2
      cm(3) (D2cm(3)) of the most exposed OAR i.e. bladder, sigmoid colon or rectum.
      The HIPO class solution which produced plans with overall better dosimetric
      parameters was selected and its plans were compared with manual GrO plans from a
      radiobiological viewpoint based on the calculated complication-free tumour
      control probability, P+. RESULTS: The average COIN for the GrO and the selected
      HIPO plans were 0.22 and 0.30, respectively. The median COIN of the GrO and the
      HIPO plans were not statistically different (p>0.05, Wilcoxon test). The relative
      percentage difference of the averaged P(+) values between the HIPO and GrO plans
      evaluated together with the external beam radiation therapy plans was 0.01%,
      0.37% and 0.98% for the bladder, sigmoid colon and rectum, respectively. The
      lowest P+ value for all the plans was 98.44% for sigmoid colon. CONCLUSION: HIPO
      presented comparable results in relation to manual planning with respect to
      dosimetric and radiobiological parameters.

PMID- 26504035
TI  - Incisional Recurrences After Endometrial Cancer Surgery.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the present study was to estimate the incisional recurrence (IR)
      rate after endometrial cancer (EC) staging surgery and analyze characteristics of
      affected patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively searched for patients
      with EC at 2 institutions and analyzed the occurrence of IR after open,
      laparoscopic, or robotic surgery. Additionally, a review of the literature was
      performed. RESULTS: Out of 2,636 patients with EC, 1,732 (65.7%), 461 (17.5%),
      and 443 (16.8%) had open, laparoscopic, and robotic surgery, respectively. Only 3
      patients (0.11%) had IR, all after open surgery. Additionally, 38 cases of IR
      were identified from the literature. Patients with non-isolated IR had worse
      overall survival than patients with isolated IR (p=0.04). Among this latter
      group, combined treatments may be associated with improved survival outcome.
      CONCLUSION: IR after EC surgery is rare and may occur after minimally-invasive or
      open operations. Combination of local and systemic treatments may provide
      favorable outcomes for patients with isolated IR.

PMID- 26504036
TI  - Laparoendoscopic Single-site Surgery (LESS) for Prophylactic Salpingo
      oophorectomy Improves Cosmetic Satisfaction Compared to Standard Laparoscopy.
AB  - AIM: Less invasive prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (PBSO) may
      diminish the general consequences of surgery for BRCA mutation carriers. The
      objective of the present study was to compare the psychological impact and
      satisfaction following minimal-invasive laparoendoscopic single-site surgery
      (LESS) versus that observed with the standard procedure. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      This prospective longitudinal study was proposed to all consecutive patients who
      underwent ambulatory PBSO between January 2012 and January 2014 at our Center.
      The psychological impact and esthetic satisfaction were prospectively studied.
      Patients rated their satisfaction using the 4-grade Likert scale. Their emotional
      state and postoperative pain were explored respectively with validated
      questionnaires (IES-R, PANAS) and the Verbal Numerical Rating Scale (VNRS).
      Operative outcomes were also analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty patients underwent LESS
      PBSO and 10 patients had the standard laparoscopic (SL) PBSO. The mean
      satisfaction scores were significantly higher in the LESS group one month and six
      months after surgery. Both groups reported a reduction of intrusive thoughts and
      negative affects after surgery. Postoperative pain and operative outcomes were
      similar. CONCLUSION: A significant improvement of cosmetic satisfaction after
      LESS compared to SL could help patients accept PBSO. The emotional impact of PBSO
      is not modified by ambulatory LESS.

PMID- 26504037
TI  - Tumor Budding, EMT and Cancer Stem Cells in T1-2/N0 Oral Squamous Cell
      Carcinomas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early oral carcinomas have a high recurrence rate despite surgery
      with clear margins. In an attempt to classify the risk of recurrence of oral
      squamous cell carcinomas, we explored the significance of tumor budding,
      epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and certain cancer stem cell markers
      (CSC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tumor budding (single cells or clusters of <=5
      cells in the tumor front, divided into high- and low-budding tumors), EMT and CSC
      markers were studied in 62 immunohistochemically stained slides of T1/2N0M0 oral
      squamous cell carcinomas. Tissues and records of follow-up were obtained from the
      Oslo University Hospital, Norway. Tumor budding, EMT and CSC markers were scored
      and analyzed. RESULTS: The only significant prognostic marker was tumor budding
      (p=0.043). Expression of the EMT marker E-cadherin was lost from the invasive
      front and tended to be a prognostic factor (p=0.17), and up-regulation of
      vimentin in tumor cells in the invasive front was found; this indicates that EMT
      had occurred. CSC markers were not associated with recurrence rate in the present
      study. CONCLUSION: A high budding index was related to poor prognosis in patients
      with oral cancer. Budding was associated with EMT-like changes. CSC factors were
      detected but reflected differentiation rather than stemness. Scoring of buds in
      patients with oral cancer may help discriminate invasive tumors prone to relapse,
      and thus, provide an indication for adjuvant therapy.

PMID- 26504038
TI  - Electrochemotherapy of a Multirecurrent Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans of the
      Orbital Margin: A Case Report.
AB  - Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is an uncommon cutaneous sarcoma with high
      recurrence rate. Radical surgery is the treatment of choice, although in
      cosmetically-sensitive areas such as the head and neck, this option is often not
      pursued. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a minimal invasive anti-tumor modality
      which is increasingly being used to treat skin metastases from different
      malignancies. A 31-year-old woman presented with subcutaneous local
      multirecurring DFSP located at the proximal end of the left eyebrow. ECT was
      offered as a palliative treatment to avoid radical disfiguring surgery. Two days
      following ECT, the patient was discharged in good general health. Partial tumor
      regression was appreciable at two months' follow-up by ultrasound and magnetic
      resonance imaging. At six months, residual fibrotic tissue was observed; at three
      years, no evidence of the tumour was detected. In our case, ECT achieved good
      local tumor control with excellent cosmetic results, preserving the patient's
      quality of life. 

PMID- 26504039
TI  - Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors is Linked to
      Clinicopathological Parameters and Possible Epigenetic Regulations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is a highly-conserved cellular
      defense mechanism in response to perturbations of ER function. The role of ER
      stress in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET) still remains unclear.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the protein expression pattern of the four key
      players of ER stress, (chaperone binding imunoglobluin protein (BiP), C/EBP
      homologous protein (CHOP), activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and caspase
      4) as well as histone deacetylases (HDACs) by a tissue microarray (TMA) of 49
      human pNET resected between 1997 and 2013 following, extensive
      clinicopathological characterization. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical profiling
      revealed a significant up-regulation of BiP, ATF4, CHOP and caspase 4 in pNET
      cases compared to normal controls. Correlated to clinicopathological parameters
      especially BiP expression could be linked to higher grading and proliferation as
      well as to lower survival probability. Finally, expression of ER stress markers
      correlated with HDAC expression in situ and pharmalogical inhibition by
      panobinostat significantly reduced cell viability in vitro. CONCLUSION: Up
      regulation of ER stress in pNET indicates the presence and engagement of ER
      stress signaling in this tumor entity demonstrating another possible anticancer
      therapy option in pNET.

PMID- 26504040
TI  - Low Serum Testosterone But Not Obesity Predicts High Gleason Score at Biopsy
      Diagnosed as Prostate Cancer in Patients with Serum PSA Lower than 20 ng/ml.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: The impact of testosterone or obesity on the pathological grade
      of prostate cancer remains controversial. Therefore, in this study, we
      investigated the relationship of serum testosterone and body mass index (BMI) to
      Gleason score at biopsy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study included 128 Japanese
      patients diagnosed with prostate cancer from 2000 through 2012 whose serum
      testosterone level and BMI were measured before treatment. Associations between
      clinical parameters, including pre-treatment serum testosterone level and BMI,
      and Gleason score at biopsy were examined. RESULTS: The median serum testosterone
      and BMI were 434 ng/dl (interquartile range=362-542 ng/dl) and 23.5 kg/m(2)
      (interquartile range=21.7-25.4 kg/m(2)), respectively. Gleason score at biopsy
      was <7, 7 and >7 for 58 patients (45.3%), 52 patients (40.6%) and 18 patients
      (14.1%), respectively. On univariate analysis, positive finding at digital rectal
      examination (DRE), high prostate-specific antigen level at diagnosis and low
      serum testosterone level, but not BMI, were correlated with high Gleason score at
      biopsy. Multivariate analysis identified positive finding at DRE and low serum
      testosterone level as significant predictors of a high Gleason score at prostate
      biopsy. By combining these parameters, the predictive ability of a high Gleason
      score was improved. CONCLUSION: This study showed that positive finding at DRE
      and a low pre-treatment serum testosterone level, but not obesity, may be factors
      predictive of aggressive prostate cancer, indicating the diagnostic value of
      serum testosterone, as well as DRE findings, in risk assessment.

PMID- 26504041
TI  - Long-term Follow-up After Interstitial Laser Thermotherapy of Breast Cancer.
AB  - AIM: To review the effect of immunological changes induced by interstitial laser
      thermotherapy (ILT) on long-term outcome of patients with breast cancer. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: Twenty-four patients with invasive breast cancer were treated with
      ILT followed by standard surgical excision. Immunohistological reactions on
      immunocompetent cells were performed on specimens obtained before and after ILT.
      Follow-up time was 116 (range=91-136) months. RESULTS: Significant prognostic
      factors were histologically-positive axillary lymph nodes and Ki67 positivity.
      ILT increased cytotoxic T (CD8(+)) lymphocytes within the tumor and mature
      dendritic cells (CD83(+)) and reduced the number of T-regulatory cells (Treg)
      CD25(+)/Forkhead box p3(+) (FOXP3(+)) lymphocytes in regional lymph nodes. These
      changes did not correlate with prognosis. The number of CD8(+) cells within the
      tumor, both before and after treatment, was significantly higher in patients with
      recurrence than in those without recurrence (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively).
      Patients with recurrent disease had a lower number of CD57(+) cells in tumor-free
      lymph nodes than did patients without recurrence (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: ILT did
      not have any long-term adverse effects. The clinical impact of the supposedly
      favourable immune changes after ILT should be examined in a larger patient
      population.

PMID- 26504042
TI  - Gene Expression of Col11A1 Is a Marker Not only for Pancreas Carcinoma But also
      for Adenocarcinoma of the Papilla of Vater, Discriminating Between Carcinoma and
      Chronic Pancreatitis.
AB  - AIM: For tumors of the periampullary region clinical differentiation between
      primary and tumor-associated pancreatitis might be difficult. Early diagnosis of
      these malignancies is essential, as they present with early invasion of
      surrounding tissue thus limiting therapeutic options. Using molecular markers,
      the preoperative diagnosis (EUS-guided needle biopsy, brush biopsy pancreatic
      duct) could be optimized and surgical therapy potentially adapted. Alpha1 (XI)
      collagen Col11A1 is essential for the extracellular matrix and normal skeletal
      development and has been associated with carcinogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Forty-three patients with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, 11 with adenocarcinoma
      of the papilla of Vater and 23 patients with chronic pancreatitis were included
      in the study. For all patients mRNA expression of Col11A1 was quantified by
      TaqMan RT-PCR in tumor or pancreatitis specimen, as well as in the corresponding
      normal uninvolved tissue and correlated with diagnosis of cancer and chronic
      pancreatitis. RESULTS: Col11A1 mRNA expression was 5.25-fold higher in
      adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (p=0.006) and 8.25-fold in the papilla of Vater
      (p=0.002) compared to that of chronic pancreatitis specimen. CONCLUSION:
      Differential mRNA expression of Col11A1 may be applied to preoperatively
      differentiate between tumors of the periampullary region and chronic pancreatitis
      and this may potentially have a positive effect on patient survival.

PMID- 26504043
TI  - Four Synchronous Primary Malignancies of the Breast, Lung, Colon and Esophagus.
AB  - The literature contains few reports of patients with four more or more
      synchronous primary malignancies. We report the case of a 74-year-old woman who
      presented with synchronous primary malignant neoplasms of the breast (metaplastic
      carcinoma), lung (squamous cell carcinoma), esophagus (adenocarcinoma), and colon
      (adenocarcinoma). She was treated with multimodality therapy and demonstrated a
      favorable response at early follow-up. To our knowledge, this combination of
      synchronous primary malignancies has not been previously reported. The management
      of patients with multiple synchronous primary malignancies introduces a number of
      unique challenges which necessitate highly individualized treatment plans that
      may not strictly adhere to standard practices in the setting of a single
      malignancy. 

PMID- 26504044
TI  - Tumor-like Chronic Pancreatitis Is Often Autoimmune Pancreatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Distinguishing between pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis
      (CP) is often difficult. Certain (5-6%) CP cases are autoimmune in nature, and
      these patients respond to corticosteroid treatment, making surgery avoidable. Our
      aim was to evaluate the incidence of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) among patients
      operated on for a pancreatic mass with a final histology of CP. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: A total of 33 patients were operated on at the Tampere or Helsinki
      University Hospital for suspicion of cancer, but with final histopathological
      diagnosis of CP. The median age was 58 (31-81) years; 26 patients (79%) were
      male. There were 28 pancreaticoduodenectomes and five left pancreatic resections.
      Surgical specimens were re-evaluated by experienced pathologists, with
      representative samples chosen for immunohistochemistry Each sample was scored as
      positive or negative for immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) independently by two
      pathologists. Honolulu consensus criteria served for AIP sub-typing. RESULTS: Out
      of the 33 specimens, 10 (30%) were positive for IgG4. Histopathological re
      evaluation of these revealed all to be type 1 AIP. CONCLUSION: The proportion of
      AIP, according to IgG4-positive immunohistochemistry and histological re
      evaluation, was much higher than expected. This suggests that by focusing on
      diagnosis of AIP preoperatively, certain patients might be treated with
      corticosteroids and possibly avoid unnecessary surgery.

PMID- 26504045
TI  - Translocation (1;5) in a Glomus Tumor.
AB  - Glomus tumor is a rare perivascular neoplasm that usually occurs in the distal
      extremities of young adults. Recent molecular studies have identified microRNA
      143-NOTCH fusions or NOTCH1-3 rearrangements in benign and malignant glomus
      tumors. Herein, we describe the cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic findings of
      a glomus tumor arising in the left wrist of a 45-year-old man. Physical
      examination showed a 1.3-cm, blue-red, tender nodule. Magnetic resonance imaging
      demonstrated a subcutaneous, well-circumscribed mass with low signal intensity on
      T1-weighted sequences and high signal intensity on T2-weighted sequences.
      Contrast-enhanced fat-suppressed T1-weighted sequences showed a homogeneous,
      strong enhancement. A marginal excision was performed and histopathological
      examination confirmed the diagnosis of a glomus tumor. Cytogenetic and spectral
      karyotypic analyses showed a novel rearrangement involving chromosome bands 1p13
      and 5q32. There has been no evidence of local recurrence four months after
      surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of sporadic glomus
      tumor with t(1;5). 

PMID- 26504046
TI  - Extraskeletal Myxoid Chondrosarcoma Presenting as a Plantar Fibroma: Case Report
      and Review of the Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma is a rare tumor with an indolent
      course, high propensity for local recurrence, metastases, and propensity for the
      proximal extremities of middle-aged males. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a
      44-year-old man with an extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma in the plantar fascia
      of the medial arch initially thought to be a plantar fibroma. Magnetic resonance
      imaging of the lesion demonstrated a lobulated subcutaneous mass plantar to the
      tarsal bones and inseparable from the fascia. Microscopic examination revealed a
      lobulated lesion composed of cords and nests of round to spindled malignant cells
      in a blue-gray myxoid matrix surrounded by fibrous septae. The malignant cells
      displayed variable positivity for S-100. CONCLUSION: Plantar extraskeletal myxoid
      chondrosarcoma is a rare occurrence. It should always be considered in the
      differential diagnosis of masses arising in the plantar fascia of the foot.

PMID- 26504047
TI  - Prophylactic Effect of Oral Minocycline in Combination with Topical Steroid and
      Skin Care Against Panitumumab-induced Acneiform Rash in Metastatic Colorectal
      Cancer Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody panitumumab is effective
      in treating colorectal cancer, the occurrence of severe skin disorders often
      discontinues therapy. Herein, we investigated by a retrospective chart review the
      effect of prophylactic oral minocycline in combination with skin treatment using
      moisturizer on the incidence of skin disorders and tumor response in metastatic
      colorectal cancer patients who received panitumumab. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a
      total of 55 patients, 38 patients were eligible, consisting the pre-emptive group
      (N=25) and reactive group (N=13). Acneiform rash and other adverse events were
      graded according to the CTCAE v4.0. RESULTS: The occurrence of acneiform rash
      (grade >=2) was significantly lower in pre-emptive group than in reactive group
      (44.0% vs. 84.6%, p=0.04). No significant differences in the occurrence of other
      adverse events were observed between the two groups. Tumor response was not
      significantly different between the two groups (36.0% vs. 7.7%, OR, 6.75; 95%
      confidence interval (CI)=0.75-60.76, p=0.12). Mean time to treatment failure was
      149.7 days and 110.2 days in the pre-emptive group and reactive treatment group,
      respectively (HR=0.58; 95% CI= 0.26-1.28, p=0.18). CONCLUSION: Prophylactic oral
      minocycline combined with skin care reduced panitumumab-induced acneiform rash
      without a significant influence on tumor response.

PMID- 26504048
TI  - Risk Factors for Recurrence After Curative Conversion Surgery for Unresectable
      Gastric Cancer.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the recurrence risk after curative conversion surgery following
      chemotherapy for initially unresectable gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed clinicopathological and postoperative recurrence-free
      survival (RFS) data for 34 patients who underwent curative conversion surgery.
      RESULTS: Recurrence was observed in 17 (50%) patients, with a median time to
      recurrence of 22 months (range=1-98 months). In nine (53%) patients with
      recurrence, the pattern was consistent with their initial metastatic disease.
      According to multivariate Cox regression analysis, initial clinical T4b disease
      (cT4b; odds ratio=6.44, 95% confidence interval=1.59-23.9; p=0.01) was the only
      significant independent risk factor affecting RFS. Pathological T4a or T4b
      disease was recorded in five-out of six (83%) patients with cT4b. CONCLUSION:
      Initial cT4b disease appears to predict recurrence in patients with initially
      unresectable gastric cancer treated with curative conversion surgery. Effective
      use of additional chemotherapy may be required for patients with this risk
      factor.

PMID- 26504049
TI  - Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression: A Survival Score Particularly Developed for
      Elderly Prostate Cancer Patients.
AB  - AIM: Metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) is an oncological emergency. Many
      elderly patients cannot tolerate intensive treatment and need individual
      approaches accounting for a patient's remaining lifetime. The goal of the present
      study was to develop a survival score for elderly prostate cancer patients with
      MSCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nine characteristics were analyzed in 243 patients:
      age, performance status, interval from prostate cancer diagnosis until MSCC,
      affected vertebrae, ambulatory status, further bone lesions, visceral metastases,
      time developing motor deficits, fractionation schedule. RESULTS: Pre-radiotherapy
      ambulatory status (p<0.001), visceral metastases (p<0.001) and time developing
      motor deficits (p<0.001) were significant for survival on Cox regression analysis
      and included in the survival score. Four groups were defined: 9-12, 13-16, 17-19
      and 21-23 points. Six-month survival rates were 7%, 28%, 71% and 95%,
      respectively (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The present study identified four groups with
      different survival probabilities that require treatment strategies with different
      priorities ranging from symptom control to prolongation of life.

PMID- 26504050
TI  - Fluctuation in Plasma 5-Fluorouracil Concentration During Continuous 5
      Fluorouracil Infusion for Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: It is generally believed that the plasma concentration of 5
      fluorouracil (5-FU) is constant when 5-FU is continually administered for
      chemotherapy. The aim of the present study was to verify whether this is true.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nine patients with colorectal cancer were enrolled in this
      study. All patients received chemotherapy; four patients received FOLFIRI
      (leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan) and five received FOLFOX (leucovorin, 5
      fluorouracil, oxaliplatin). 5-FU was administered continuously (2400 mg/m(2)) for
      46 h. Serum was collected at 12 points after the start of administration. The
      concentration of 5-FU was evaluated using a new immunoassay method and gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometric (GC/MS) method. RESULTS: The concentrations of
      5-FU fluctuated dramatically over time, with greater than 3-fold changes in each
      individual, and the pattern was not constant. CONCLUSION: Because the serum
      concentration of 5-FU fluctuates and displays various patterns, the dosage should
      not be based on body surface area. A new individualized method for determining
      the 5-FU dosage should be developed.

PMID- 26504051
TI  - Visualization of the Stomach's Arterial Networks During Esophageal Surgery Using
      the HyperEye Medical System.
AB  - AIM: The present study investigated the visualization of the arterial networks in
      the stomach (ANS) during gastric tube (GT) creation using indocyanine green
      fluorescence and the HyperEye Medical System (HEMS), and the feasibility of the
      HEMS-line-marking method (LMM). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed 51 consecutive
      patients who had undergone esophageal surgery with GT reconstruction. Patients
      for whom the HEMS was deployed after GT creation to confirm the anastomosed
      area's blood supply formed the control group (n=28). Patients for whom the HEMS
      was deployed before GT creation to confirm and mark the ANS border comprised the
      HEMS-LMM group (n=23). RESULTS: The HEMS-LMM visualized the ANS border, and the
      leakage rate decreased from 17.9% to 4.4% (p=0.204). CONCLUSION: The HEMS-LMM is
      safe and feasible for visualizing the blood supply border of the right
      gastroepiploic artery and the ANS before GT creation during esophageal surgery,
      and it might reduce leakage in esophageal surgery.

PMID- 26504052
TI  - Number of Lymph Node Metastases May Indicate the Regimen for Adjuvant
      Chemotherapy in Patients with Stage III Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) may prevent recurrence in patients with
      stage III colorectal cancer (CRC). However, only 10% of patients benefit from ACT
      and no effective indicators exist to predict which patients are likely to
      benefit. The present study validated metastatic lymph node (MLN) number as a new
      indicator for ACT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 173 patients
      with stage III CRC, who were classified by Union for International Cancer Control
      (UICC) stage or N category, and analyzed their overall survival (OS) and disease
      free survival (DFS) according to stage, number of MLNs and ACT use. RESULTS:
      Among 173 patients, we found 65 with only one MLN (N1a). For N1a patients treated
      with ACT, the 5-year OS rate was 100%; the 3-year DFS rate was 92.7% for those
      treated with oral ACT. CONCLUSION: The number of MLNs is a simple indicator for
      ACT in patients with stage III CRC. For patients with only one MLN, oral
      chemotherapy is a good option.

PMID- 26504053
TI  - Adult Pleomorphic Rhabdomyosarcoma: A Multicentre Retrospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a rare sub-type of RMS. Optimal
      treatment remains undefined. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1995 and 2014, 45
      patients were diagnosed and treated in three tertiary sarcoma Centers (United
      Kingdom, Switzerland and Germany). Treatment characteristics and outcomes were
      analyzed. RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis was 71.5 years (range=28.4-92.8
      years). Median survival for those with localised (n=32, 71.1%) and metastatic
      disease (n=13, 28.9%) were 12.8 months (95% confidence interval=8.2-34.4) and 7.1
      months (95% confidence interval=3.8-11.3) respectively. The relapse rate was
      53.8% (four local and 10 distant relapses). In total, 14 (31.1%) patients
      received first line palliative chemotherapy including multi-agent paediatric
      chemotherapy schedules (n=3), ifosfamide-doxorubicin (n=4) and single-agent
      doxorubicin (n=7). Response to chemotherapy was poor (one partial remission with
      vincristine-actinomycin D-cyclophosphamide and six cases with stable disease).
      Median progression-free survival was 2.3 (range=1.2-7.3) months. CONCLUSION:
      Pleomorphic RMS is an aggressive neoplasm mainly affecting older patients,
      associated with a high relapse rate, a poor and short-lived response to standard
      chemotherapy and an overall poor prognosis for both localised and metastatic
      disease.

PMID- 26504054
TI  - A Tool to Estimate Survival of Elderly Patients Presenting with Metastatic
      Epidural Spinal Cord Compression (MESCC) from Cancer of Unknown Primary.
AB  - AIM: Cancers of unknown primary (CUP) account for about 10% in elderly patients
      with MESCC. Immediate treatment is indicated. Personalizing treatment for MESCC
      requires for clear understanding of the patients' survival prognosis. In this
      case, a tool for estimating survival would be valuable. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In
      104 elderly CUP patients, nine factors were investigated: age, gender,
      performance score, number of affected vertebrae, ability to walk at presentation
      for radiotherapy, additional bone metastases, visceral metastases, time
      developing motor weakness, radiotherapy program. RESULTS: In multivariate
      analysis, the ability to walk (p=0.011) and visceral metastases (p<0.001) were
      associated with survival. The following scores were assigned: unable to walk=0,
      able to walk=1, visceral metastases=0, no visceral metastases=1. Three groups
      were formed (0, 1 and 2 points) with 6-month survival rates of 7%, 18% and 73%
      (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: This specific tool assists the physician to estimate
      survival and select for the most suitable radiotherapy program in elderly CUP
      patients with MESCC.

PMID- 26504055
TI  - Methylation-associated Silencing of microRNA-126 and its Host Gene EGFL7 in
      Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: We recently reported that miR-126 is down-regulated in malignant
      pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and can be combined into a 4-microRNA-classifier that
      can accurately diagnose MPM with high sensitivity and specificity. Herein we
      analyzed the epigenetic regulation of miR-126 and its host gene EGF-like domain,
      multiple 7 (EGFL7). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Resected formalin-fixed paraffin
      embedded MPM tissues from 29 patients, 14 patient-matched non-neoplastic pleura
      (NNP) specimens, 5 MPM diagnostic biopsies (DB), and 5 samples of pneumothorax
      induced benign reactive mesothelial proliferation (PTHX) were analyzed. miR-126
      and EGFL7 mRNA were quantified by RT-qPCR. CpG-islands' methylation in the EGFL7
      promoter was analyzed using methylation-specific PCR and in the MIR126-containing
      intron 7 was quantified by pyrosequencing. RESULTS: Relative to NNP, EGFL7 was
      under-expressed more than 4-fold in MPM (p<0.001). EGFL7 mRNA and miR-126 levels
      correlated in MPM (p<0.01) and NNP (p<0.001). The EGFL7 promoter region was
      hypermethylated in 69% of MPM and 80% of DB samples, but not in NNP and PTHX
      samples. EGFL7 promoter hypermethylation was associated with epithelioid
      histology (p<0.05) and reduced patient-survival (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: In MPM, DNA
      hypermethylation down-regulates miR-126 and its host gene EGFL7, therefore is a
      poor prognostic factor, and may represent a future therapeutic target for de
      methylating strategies re-establishing EGFL7 and miR-126 expression.

PMID- 26504056
TI  - Postoperative External Irradiation of Patients with Primary Biliary Tract Cancer:
      A Multicenter Retrospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: The aim of the present study was to assess clinical outcomes of
      postoperative radiotherapy for biliary tract cancer patients. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Clinical results of 187 patients treated with external irradiation in 31
      Japanese Institutions between 2000 and 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. The
      median radiation dose was 50.4 Gy in fractions of 1.8-2 Gy. RESULTS: Two-year
      actuarial overall survival and locoregional control (LCs) rates were 56% and 68%,
      respectively. In multivariate analysis, macroscopic residual tumor (R2) and
      irradiated doses <54 Gy were significant indicators of poor LC prognosis. For
      patients with complete resection (R0) or microscopic residual tumor (R1), 2-year
      LCs were 71% for <54 Gy and 83% for >=54 Gy; doses >=54 Gy were associated with
      high long-term LCs. There was no significant difference in acute adverse event
      rates between <54 Gy and >=54 Gy. CONCLUSION: Postoperative irradiation doses of
      approximately 54 Gy are safe and effective for R0 or R1 resection patients.

PMID- 26504057
TI  - Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) in Pulmonary
      Oligometastatic/Oligorecurrent Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients: A New
      Therapeutic Approach.
AB  - AIM: Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is characterized by poor
      prognosis. Palliative chemotherapy and/or best supportive care are considered
      standard treatment. Nevertheless, for patients with limited distant metastases (1
      5 metastases), called oligometastatic disease, better prognosis has been
      observed. We evaluated response rate, survival, time to progression and toxicity
      in oligometastatic/oligorecurrent NSCLC patients treated with stereotactic body
      radiotherapy (SBRT) delivered to all active sites in the lung. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Twenty-nine lung metastases in 22 patients affected by
      oligometastatic/oligorecurrent NSCLC were treated with SBRT to all active sites
      of disease. Inclusion criteria were: controlled primary tumor with complete
      response or stable disease after surgery/radiotherapy/combined therapy; <=4
      synchronous or metachronous lung metastases at the time of treatment; no other
      active sites of distant metastases. RESULTS: Response to treatment was as
      follows: complete response in 21% of lesions, partial response in 69% of
      metastases, stable disease in 10%. Ninenty-one percent of patients had complete
      metabolic response, and 9% had a partial metabolic response. Median follow-up was
      18 months. The 1-year and 2-year OS was 86% and 49%, respectively. The 1-year and
      2-year PFS was 79% and 40%, respectively. Median time to progression and median
      OS were 18 months and 24 months, respectively. Local control was 93% at 1 year
      and 64% at 2 years. Overall, acute toxicity occurred in 18% (4/22) of patients;
      two patients experienced grade 2 pneumonitis. Grade <=2 late toxicity occurred in
      50% of patients. No grade >=3 toxicities were recorded. CONCLUSION: Aggressive
      stereotactic radiotherapy is a feasible and well-tolerated treatment for
      oligometastatic/oligorrecurrent NSCLC patients with lung metastases offering
      longer survival. Ablative radio therapy has a potential role in the management of
      well-selected stage IV NSCLC patients while increasing their quality of life and
      survival.

PMID- 26504058
TI  - Induction Chemotherapy and Sequential Concomitant Chemo-radiation in Locally
      Advanced Head and Neck Cancers: How Induction-phase Intensity and Treatment
      Breaks May Impact on Clinical Outcomes.
AB  - AIM: The purpose of the study was to assess outcomes of locally advanced head and
      neck (LAHNC) treated with induction chemotherapy (ICT) and subsequent concurrent
      chemo-radiation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 71 LAHNC patients were treated
      with 2-3 cycles of docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil as induction
      chemotherapy and subsequent concurrent chemoradiation with weekly cisplatin or
      carboplatin. Definitive radiotherapy was delivered with intensity-modulated
      radiation and a simultaneous integrated boost approach up to a total dose of 70
      Gy in 35 fractions to the macroscopic primary and nodal disease. RESULTS:
      Actuarial 2-year OS, CSS, DFS, MFS, LC were 55.3% (95%CI=39.3-68.6), 58.6%
      (95%CI=41.9-72), 60.5% (95%CI=47.3-71.4), 87.3% (95%CI=76.2-93.5) and 74.7%
      (95%CI=61.5-83.9), respectively. On multivariate analysis undergoing to 3 vs. 2
      cycles of TPF (HR=22.31; 95%CI=2.68-185.66; p=0.004) and radiotherapy treatment
      break >4 days (HR=1.28; 95%CI=1.06-1.55; p=0.01) negatively affected cancer
      specific survival (CSS) with statistical significance. Achieving complete
      remission after ICT had a statistically significant impact on CSS (HR=0.9;
      95%CI=0.01-0.54; p=0.009). Patients undergoing ICT with 3 cycles had more
      frequently treatment breaks compared to those submitted to 2 cycles (HR=1.36;
      95%CI=1.06-1.73; p=0.01), and had statistically significant longer treatment
      break time (5.9+1.8 vs. 3+0.36; p=0.02). CONCLUSION: A shorter ICT phase may be a
      better option enhancing patients' tolerance during concurrent chemoradiation and
      affecting clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26504059
TI  - Platinum-Vinorelbine Induction Chemotherapy plus Bevacizumab With and Without
      Pemetrexed Switch Maintenance in Advanced NSCLC.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little information is available until today regarding the effect of
      platinum-doublet chemotherapy with bevacizumab followed by pemetrexed as a sole
      maintenance treatment. Original data concerns different induction regimens plus
      bevacizumab with bevacizumab maintenance to progression in advanced non-squamous
      non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two consecutive groups
      of patients with advanced non-squamous NSCLC received carboplatin, vinorelbine
      and bevacizumab for four cycles. Group A (2010-2012) did not receive any
      maintenance therapy, whereas group B (2012-2013) received pemetrexed switch
      maintenance (500 mg/m(2)) every three weeks until disease progression. RESULTS:
      The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.4 months and 7.3 months
      (p<0.001) and one-year survival was 42% and 52% for Group A (n=20) and B (n=22)
      patients, respectively. Disease control rates were 65% and 86% (p=0.104). Deep
      venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism occurred in three (15%) and seven (32%)
      patients in group A and B, respectively. CONCLUSION: The inferior PFS (p<0.001)
      without maintenance suggests that induction treatment including bevacizumab
      should not be planned without subsequent maintenance treatment. Whether it is
      better to use pemetrexed or bevacizumab, or a combination of both, as maintenance
      therapy is not yet established.

PMID- 26504060
TI  - Second-line Chemotherapy for Patients with Small Cell Lung Cancer and
      Interstitial Lung Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy of second-line chemotherapy for treating
      patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and interstitial lung disease (ILD)
      have not been elucidated to date. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 2005 and
      September 2013, we analyzed 23 patients with SCLC and ILD who received second
      line chemotherapy. Pre-existing ILD was diagnosed according to clinical features
      and pretreatment chest high-resolution computed tomography results. RESULTS: The
      overall objective response rates and disease control rates were 22% and 52%,
      respectively. The median respective durations of progression-free survival and
      overall survival were 2.1 months (95% confidence interval (CI)=2.0-3.0 months)
      and 7.1 months (95% CI=3.6-11.3 months), respectively. Three patients with
      unusual interstitial pneumonia pattern (13%) developed chemotherapy-related
      pneumonitis. CONCLUSION: Second-line treatment may be an effective and safe
      option for SCLC patients with ILD after sufficient evaluation of risks and
      benefits.

PMID- 26504061
TI  - MR Spectroscopic Profile of an Angiocentric Glioma.
AB  - A 2-year-old female with focal motor seizures was referred to our Center for
      brain MRI. Imaging revealed a non-enhancing, demarcated, cortically-based mass
      lesion in the right superior frontal gyrus and cingulate gyrus. Single voxel MR
      spectroscopy through the tumor showed markedly elevated myoinositol and/or
      glycine, mildly elevated choline, and moderately decreased N-acetyl aspartate.
      Histological assessment of the lesion following gross total resection was
      diagnostic of an angiocentric glioma. Herein, we present the first illustration
      of MR spectroscopic findings from a typical angiocentric glioma. 

PMID- 26504062
TI  - Development and Validation of a Novel Plasma Protein Signature for Breast Cancer
      Diagnosis by Using Multiple Reaction Monitoring-based Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - AIM: We aimed to develop a plasma protein signature for breast cancer diagnosis
      by using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-based mass spectrometry. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Based on our previous studies, we selected 124 proteins for MRM.
      Plasma samples from 80 patients with breast cancer and 80 healthy women were used
      to develop a plasma proteomic signature by an MRM approach. The proteomic
      signature was then validated in plasma samples from 100 patients with breast
      cancer and 100 healthy women. RESULTS: A total of 56 proteins were optimized for
      MRM. In the verification cohort, 11 proteins exhibited significantly differential
      expression in plasma from patients with breast cancer. Three proteins (neural
      cell adhesion molecule L1-like protein, apolipoprotein C-1 and carbonic anhydrase
      1) with highest statistical significance which gave consistent results for
      patients of stage I and II breast cancer were selected and a 3-protein signature
      was developed using binary logistic regression analysis [area under the curve
      (AUC)=0.851, sensitivity=80.6%]. The 3-protein signature showed similar
      performance in an independent validation cohort with an AUC of 0.797 and
      sensitivity of 77.2% for detection of stage I and II breast cancer. CONCLUSION:
      We developed a distinct plasma protein signature for breast cancer diagnosis
      based on an MRM-based approach, and the clinical value of the 3-protein signature
      was validated in an independent cohort.

PMID- 26504063
TI  - Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients with Bone Metastases and Multiple
      Myeloma.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Breast and prostate cancer are amongst the most prevalent
      malignancies globally and up to 40% of patients will develop metastatic disease,
      particularly to the skeleton. Multiple myeloma is the most common cancer to
      affect bone with up to 90% of patients developing bone lesions. Although several
      studies demonstrated that endocrine changes such as vitamin D deficiency promote
      secondary cancer growth in bone, relatively few have reported its prevalence. For
      this reason, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of
      hypovitaminosis D in patients with bone metastases and multiple myeloma. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: Serum 25-OH-D levels of patients with metastatic bone disease were
      measured on admission. Statistical analyses was performed to evaluate for
      possible confounders of hypo-vitaminosis D. RESULTS: We found a widespread and
      alarming rate of vitamin D deficiency in patients with metastatic bone disease
      and multiple myeloma. Of note, patients with bone metastases due to breast
      cancer, prostate cancer and multiple myeloma rarely reached sufficient serum 25
      OH-D levels. CONCLUSION: It is of utmost clinical importance to assess vitamin D
      levels in cancer patients, especially in those with, or at high risk of
      developing metastatic bone disease.

PMID- 26504064
TI  - Induction of Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Idarubicin, Cytarabine and Cladribine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Daunorubicin and cytarabine has been the standard-of-care for
      induction therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Adding cladribine to
      daunorubicin (60 mg/m(2)) and cytarabine has increased complete remission (CR)
      rates and median overall survival (OS). However, the efficacy of adding
      cladribine to 7+3 with other anthracyclines is unknown. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We
      retrospectively evaluated patients with AML receiving induction with idarubicin,
      cytarabine and cladribine (ICC) between 1/1/2010 and 06/30/2015 at the Methodist
      University Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Institutional Review Board approval
      was obtained for the study. Patient, disease characteristics and outcomes were
      analyzed with GraphPad Prism, Microsoft Excel and SPSSv19.0 software. RESULTS:
      Twenty-four patients induced with ICC for AML were identified. Thirteen (54.2%)
      had at least one high-risk feature. Hypoplastic marrow was achieved in all by day
      14; 19 (79.2%) achieved CR. Thirty-day mortality was 8.3%; 33-month OS and
      disease-free survival were 56% and 36%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Induction of
      AML with ICC was associated with a high CR rate and OS in our high-risk
      population.

PMID- 26504065
TI  - Expression of p16/Ki-67 in ASC-US/LSIL or Normal Cytology with Presence of
      Oncogenic HPV DNA.
AB  - AIM: To determine if positive dual staining of p16/Ki-67 in cytology samples from
      women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US), low
      grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) or normal cytological reports with
      presence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), helps in predicting the risk of
      developing high-grade cervical lesions during one-year of follow-up after a
      normal initial colposcopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One-hundred and sixty women
      with ASC-US, LSIL or otherwise normal cytology, but with the presence of high
      risk HPV, were referred to the colposcopy Unit of our Hospital. Cytology and HPV
      testing were repeated and dual staining of p16/Ki-67 performed on a new
      cytological specimen, and subsequently patients were colposcopically assessed and
      prospectively followed-up for one year, after which the colposcopy was repeated.
      An optional intermediate colposcopical assessment after six months was also
      offered. RESULTS: Out of 143/160 women with a normal initial colposcopy, 13 were
      ultimately lost to follow-up. Out of the remaining 130, nine developed
      histologically verified cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or higher grade
      (CIN2+) lesions during the one-year follow-up period. Two thirds of them (6/9)
      were initially p16/Ki-67-positive. CONCLUSION: Biomarker detection may identify
      women at higher risk of CIN2+, and these women may benefit from early colposcopic
      assessment. Women who test negatively for the biomarkers could eventually follow
      a less aggressive protocol.

PMID- 26504066
TI  - Contribution of Interleukin-4 Genotypes to Lung Cancer Risk in Taiwan.
AB  - AIM: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide.
      Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is a typical pleiotropic T helper 2 cytokine involved in
      immunology during carcinogenesis. The present study aimed at evaluating the
      contribution of IL-4 promoter T-1099G (rs2243248), C-589T (rs2243250), C-33T
      (rs2070874) genetic polymorphisms to the risk of lung cancer in Taiwan. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The contributions of the promoter IL-4 polymorphic genotypes to lung
      cancer risk were investigated in 358 lung cancer patients and 716 age- and gender
      matched healthy controls. In addition, the interaction between IL-4 and
      individual smoking status was also evaluated. RESULTS: The percentages of CC, CT
      and TT for IL-4 C-589T genotypes were differentially represented as 69.0%, 26.5%
      and 4.5% in the lung-cancer patient group and 61.3%, 30.4% and 8.3% in the non
      cancer control group, respectively (p=0.0156). The TT genotype carriers were of
      lower risk for lung cancer (odds ratio (OR)=0.48, 95% confidence interval
      (CI)=0.27-0.86, p=0.0106) than the CC genotype carriers. We also analyzed the
      allelic frequency distributions and the results showed that the T allele of IL-4
      C-589T conducted a protective effect on lung cancer susceptibility (p=0.0022). On
      the contrary, there was no difference in the distribution of genotypic or allelic
      frequencies among patients and controls for the IL-4 promoter T-1099G and C-33T.
      CONCLUSION: The TT genotype of IL-4 C-589T compared to the CC wild-type genotype
      may have a protective effect on lung cancer risk in Taiwan and may serve as an
      early detection and prediction marker.

PMID- 26504067
TI  - Long-term Survival with Ipilimumab: Experience from a National Expanded Access
      Program for Patients with Melanoma.
AB  - AIM: Evaluation of efficacy and safety of ipilimumab in patients with advanced,
      refractory melanoma enrolled into a national ipilimumab Expanded Access Program.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Adult patients with advanced/metastatic refractory melanoma
      were eligible for study inclusion. Ipilimumab was administered up to a total of
      four doses. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-six patients were analyzed. Full
      ipilimumab induction was administered to 66.8% of patients. Median overall
      survival (OS) in the entire cohort was 7.5 months. Median OS for patients after
      four doses of ipilimumab was significantly longer than for patients with fewer
      doses (12.3 months vs. 2.0 months respectively; p<0.001). Median OS for patients
      with objective tumor response was 42.3 months. Normal baseline serum lactate
      dehydrogenase (LDH) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and the number of
      affected organs correlated with improved OS. CONCLUSION: The number of affected
      organs and combination of baseline LDH and CRP levels could potentially serve as
      predictors for both treatment response and OS.

PMID- 26504068
TI  - Dietetic and Psychological Mindfulness Workshops for the Management of Cachectic
      Cancer Patients. A Randomized Study.
AB  - AIM: To determine if actively-treated cancer patients developing cachexia could
      benefit from participation to mindfulness workshops. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Subjects developing cachexia signs while treated for cancer were randomized in a
      trial aiming to compare an experimental group that would participate to specific
      workshops based on mindfulness alternating dietetic and psychological approaches,
      and a control group managed in accordance to usual practice. RESULTS: The
      recruitment was difficult (12% of the approached population). Finally 53 patients
      accepted to participate. Despite an unpredictable compliance of workshop
      participants, the final satisfaction score attained 75%. In comparison with the
      control group, patients randomized to the experimental group showed a significant
      benefit with an increase of their body weight and an improvement of their WHO
      status score. They also experienced an improvement of emotional function and
      observation faculty as well as a relief of fatigue and some digestive disorders.
      CONCLUSION: Selected cachectic cancer patients may benefit from this experimental
      approach. This approach may, however, be difficult to implement on a large scale.

PMID- 26504069
TI  - Ureteral Metastasis: Uncommon Manifestation in Prostate Cancer.
AB  - Ureteral metastasis from a primary prostate cancer is a rare event in the initial
      diagnosis and progression of prostate cancer. We report here the case of a 72-
      year-old patient who was treated for castration-resistant metastatic prostate
      cancer involving bone, intra-abdominal lymph nodes, bilateral adrenal glands, and
      a small distal ureteral lesion with left hydronephrosis considered in remission,
      with a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog plus abiraterone acetate (AA)
      and prednisone after initial docetaxel plus prednisone chemotherapy. After an
      episode of acute left flank pain, the previous left distal intraluminal ureteral
      mass appeared increased in volume on computed tomographic scan and was compatible
      with either a metastasis from prostate cancer, transitional cell carcinoma of the
      ureter, or a collision tumor. After left nephroureterectomy (NU), the mass was
      confirmed to be of prostatic origin on histopathological examination and the only
      site of metastatic progression of prostate cancer. Abdominal CT-scan and the
      operative specimen of the NU showed no direct extension of the abdominal lymph
      nodes into the ureteral lesion. We speculate that this unique ureteral prostate
      cancer metastasis was the result of hematogenic spread of prostate cancer,
      although microscopic spread through the lymphatic system could not be excluded.
      The transient anti-tumor effect of AA plus prednisone at the level of ureteral
      metastasis, as far as we are aware of, has never been documented before. 

PMID- 26504070
TI  - Surgical Management of Duodenal Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: A Case Report.
AB  - Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) represent the most common mesenchymal
      tumor entity of the gastrointestinal tract. In fewer than 5% of cases, primary
      GISTs are located in the duodenum. Surgery represents the treatment of choice for
      localized tumor disease and remains challenging in GISTs located at the duodenum.
      The optimal surgical approach is currently discussed controversially in the
      literature due to the fact that extended resections in terms of
      pancreaticoduodenectomy may cause significant postoperative morbidity and
      mortality compared to limited resection. We report on a rare case of GIST located
      in the upper part of the duodenum treated by limited surgical resection.
      Avoidance of postoperative complications may lead to optimal oncological outcome
      in selected patients. 

PMID- 26504071
TI  - Unresectable Middle Mediastinal Biphasic Pulmonary Blastoma.
AB  - We report a case of a young male who presented with an unresectable, centrally
      located classic biphasic pulmonary blastoma (CBPB) involving his bilateral
      mainstem bronchi and esophagus and a synchronous right testicular seminoma. CBPB
      is a rare and aggressive tumor that most commonly presents as a solitary mass in
      the periphery of the lung. Surgical resection is the preferred treatment for
      CBPB, as chemotherapy and radiation have demonstrated limited effectiveness. In
      the current case, four cycles of cisplatin, ifosfamide, and etoposide with
      concurrent radiotherapy resulted in a favorable response at three months.
      Currently he optimal treatment for unresectable pulmonary blastomas remains
      undefined. 

PMID- 26504072
TI  - PDK1 is Expressed in Ovarian Serous Carcinoma and Correlates with Improved
      Survival in High-grade Tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: 3-Phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1) mediates the
      cellular effects of various growth factors. Increased PDK1 expression is present
      in various cancers, suggesting that PDK1 may be a critical oncogene in cancer
      progression. However, only limited data exist on PDK1 expression in ovarian
      serous cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used tissue microarrays to analyze PDK1
      expression in 253 primary ovarian serous carcinoma samples. RESULTS: A
      statistically significant negative correlation between PDK1 expression and tumor
      grade was found. In the high-grade group of ovarian serous carcinomas (n=189),
      there was a statistically significant difference in overall survival between
      cases with positive and negative PDK1 expression (p=0.035); positive cases showed
      longer overall survival. Multivariate analysis confirmed that slight PDK1
      expression was an independent indicator for prolonged overall survival (HR=0.51,
      95% CI=0.28-0.92, p=0.025). CONCLUSION: PDK1 appears to be a prognostic marker
      and a possible therapeutic target in ovarian serous carcinoma.

PMID- 26504073
TI  - Clinical Significance of Multinodularity in Patients with Papillary Thyroid
      Carcinoma.
AB  - Backgroud/Aim: To assess the clinical significance of nodules in multinodular
      thyroid if one nodule is diagnosed as papillary carcinoma (PC), we investigated
      97 patients with a multinodular thyroid and histopathological diagnosis of PC.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: We assessed the following variables: age and gender, fine
      needle aspiration diagnosis, PC nodule size and dominance, intraglandular
      dissemination (ID), regional lymph node (RLN) status, and distribution of
      diagnoses of the other nodules. RESULTS: Among 97 patients with PC, additional
      diagnoses were: nodular goiter (NG) in 64 patients, ID in 28, Hashimoto's
      thyroiditis (HT) in 26, and follicular or Hurthle cell adenoma in seven.
      CONCLUSION: Patients with ID, and without NG or HT more often had RLN metastases.
      Lower rates of RLN metastases in patients with NG and HT are probably due to
      smaller PC nodule sizes found during routine follow-up of these benign diseases.

PMID- 26504075
TI  - Errata.

PMID- 26504076
TI  - Retraction.

PMID- 26504074
TI  - Biparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging as an Adjunct to CA125 and HE4 to Improve
      Characterization of Large Ovarian Masses.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Aim of the present study was to assess the diagnostic value of
      unenhanced biparametric magnetic resonance imaging (Bp-MRI) as adjunct to CA125
      and human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) in the characterization of large ovarian
      masses. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Bp-MRI and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) imaging
      of 53 patients with large ovarian masses were retrospectively analyzed and
      compared to histological diagnosis. The results of Bp-MRI and DCE were assessed
      by two readers in consensus for each technique individually compared to each
      other and then with HE4 and CA125. RESULTS: Sensitivity, specificity, negative
      predictive values and positive predictive values for Bp-MRI and DCE were 92.3%,
      91.4%, 94.1%, 88.9% and 84.6%, 94.3%, 89.2%, 91.7%, respectively. Both Bp-MRI and
      DCE were significant predictors of outcome. Among biomarkers, HE4 was
      significant. Considering the area under receiver operating characteristic curve
      the model including Bp-MRI and HE4 was not significantly different from the model
      including DCE and HE4. CONCLUSION: Bp-MRI in addition to HE4, especially in women
      of pre-menopausal age, could improve the characterization of large ovarian
      masses.

PMID- 26504077
TI  - Kinetically Defined Mechanisms and Positions of Action of Two New Modulators of
      Glucocorticoid Receptor-regulated Gene Induction.
AB  - Most of the steps in, and many of the factors contributing to, glucocorticoid
      receptor (GR)-regulated gene induction are currently unknown. A competition
      assay, based on a validated chemical kinetic model of steroid hormone action, is
      now used to identify two new factors (BRD4 and negative elongation factor (NELF)
      E) and to define their sites and mechanisms of action. BRD4 is a kinase involved
      in numerous initial steps of gene induction. Consistent with its complicated
      biochemistry, BRD4 is shown to alter both the maximal activity (Amax) and the
      steroid concentration required for half-maximal induction (EC50) of GR-mediated
      gene expression by acting at a minimum of three different kinetically defined
      steps. The action at two of these steps is dependent on BRD4 concentration,
      whereas the third step requires the association of BRD4 with P-TEFb. BRD4 is also
      found to bind to NELF-E, a component of the NELF complex. Unexpectedly, NELF-E
      modifies GR induction in a manner that is independent of the NELF complex.
      Several of the kinetically defined steps of BRD4 in this study are proposed to be
      related to its known biochemical actions. However, novel actions of BRD4 and of
      NELF-E in GR-controlled gene induction have been uncovered. The model-based
      competition assay is also unique in being able to order, for the first time, the
      sites of action of the various reaction components: GR < Cdk9 < BRD4 <= induced
      gene < NELF-E. This ability to order factor actions will assist efforts to reduce
      the side effects of steroid treatments. 

PMID- 26504078
TI  - Dual Action of Zn2+ on the Transport Cycle of the Dopamine Transporter.
AB  - The dopamine transporter shapes dopaminergic neurotransmission by clearing
      extracellular dopamine and by replenishing vesicular stores. The dopamine
      transporter carries an endogenous binding site for Zn(2+), but the nature of the
      Zn(2+)-dependent modulation has remained elusive: both, inhibition and
      stimulation of DAT have been reported. Here, we exploited the high time
      resolution of patch-clamp recordings to examine the effects of Zn(2+) on the
      transport cycle of DAT: we recorded peak currents associated with substrate
      translocation and steady-state currents reflecting the forward transport mode of
      DAT. Zn(2+) depressed the peak current but enhanced the steady-state current
      through DAT. The parsimonious explanation is preferential binding of Zn(2+) to
      the outward facing conformation of DAT, which allows for an allosteric activation
      of DAT, in both, the forward transport mode and substrate exchange mode. We
      directly confirmed that Zn(2+) dissociated more rapidly from the inward- than
      from the outward-facing state of DAT. Finally, we formulated a kinetic model for
      the action of Zn(2+) on DAT that emulated all current experimental observations
      and accounted for all previous (in part contradictory) findings. Importantly, the
      model predicts that the intracellular Na(+) concentration determines whether
      substrate uptake by DAT is stimulated or inhibited by Zn(2+). This prediction was
      directly verified. The mechanistic framework provided by the current model is of
      relevance for the rational design of allosteric activators of DAT. These are of
      interest for treating de novo loss-of-function mutations of DAT associated with
      neuropsychiatric disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
      (ADHD). 

PMID- 26504079
TI  - SAS-4 Protein in Trypanosoma brucei Controls Life Cycle Transitions by Modulating
      the Length of the Flagellum Attachment Zone Filament.
AB  - The evolutionarily conserved centriole/basal body protein SAS-4 regulates
      centriole duplication in metazoa and basal body duplication in flagellated and
      ciliated organisms. Here, we report that the SAS-4 homolog in the flagellated
      protozoan Trypanosoma brucei, TbSAS-4, plays an unusual role in controlling life
      cycle transitions by regulating the length of the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ)
      filament, a specialized cytoskeletal structure required for flagellum adhesion
      and cell morphogenesis. TbSAS-4 is concentrated at the distal tip of the FAZ
      filament, and depletion of TbSAS-4 in the trypomastigote form disrupts the
      elongation of the new FAZ filament, generating cells with a shorter FAZ
      associated with a longer unattached flagellum and repositioned kinetoplast and
      basal body, reminiscent of epimastigote-like morphology. Further, we show that
      TbSAS-4 associates with six additional FAZ tip proteins, and depletion of TbSAS-4
      disrupts the enrichment of these FAZ tip proteins at the new FAZ tip, suggesting
      a role of TbSAS-4 in maintaining the integrity of this FAZ tip protein complex.
      Together, these results uncover a novel function of TbSAS-4 in regulating the
      length of the FAZ filament to control basal body positioning and life cycle
      transitions in T. brucei. 

PMID- 26504080
TI  - Mutant B-Raf(V600E) Promotes Melanoma Paracellular Transmigration by Inducing
      Thrombin-mediated Endothelial Junction Breakdown.
AB  - Tumor invasiveness depends on the ability of tumor cells to breach endothelial
      barriers. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which the adhesion of
      melanoma cells to endothelium regulates adherens junction integrity and modulates
      tumor transendothelial migration (TEM) by initiating thrombin generation. We
      found that the B-Raf(V600E) mutation in metastatic melanoma cells up-regulated
      tissue factor (TF) expression on cell membranes and promoted thrombin production.
      Co-culture of endothelial monolayers with metastatic melanoma cells mediated the
      opening of inter-endothelial spaces near melanoma cell contact sites in the
      presence of platelet-free plasma (PFP). By using small interfering RNA (siRNA),
      we demonstrated that B-Raf(V600E) and TF silencing attenuated the focal
      disassembly of adherens junction induced by tumor contact. Vascular endothelial
      cadherin (VE-cadherin) disassembly was dependent on phosphorylation of p120
      catenin on Ser-879 and VE-cadherin on Tyr-658, Tyr-685, and Tyr-731, which can be
      prevented by treatment with the thrombin inhibitor, hirudin, or by silencing the
      thrombin receptor, protease-activated receptor-1, in endothelial cells. We also
      provided strong evidence that tumor-derived thrombin enhanced melanoma TEM by
      inducing ubiquitination-coupled VE-cadherin internalization, focal adhesion
      formation, and actin assembly in endothelium. Confocal microscopic analysis of
      tumor TEM revealed that junctions transiently opened and resealed as tumor cells
      accomplished TEM. In addition, in the presence of PFP, tumor cells preferentially
      transmigrated via paracellular routes. PFP supported melanoma transmigration
      under shear conditions via a B-Raf(V600E)-thrombin-dependent mechanism. We
      concluded that the activation of thrombin generation by cancer cells in plasma is
      an important process regulating melanoma extravasation by disrupting endothelial
      junction integrity. 

PMID- 26504081
TI  - The High Efficiency of Photosystem I in the Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
      Is Maintained after the Antenna Size Is Substantially Increased by the
      Association of Light-harvesting Complexes II.
AB  - Photosystems (PS) I and II activities depend on their light-harvesting capacity
      and trapping efficiency, which vary in different environmental conditions. For
      optimal functioning, these activities need to be balanced. This is achieved by
      redistribution of excitation energy between the two photosystems via the
      association and disassociation of light-harvesting complexes (LHC) II, in a
      process known as state transitions. Here we study the effect of LHCII binding to
      PSI on its absorption properties and trapping efficiency by comparing time
      resolved fluorescence kinetics of PSI-LHCI and PSI-LHCI-LHCII complexes of
      Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. PSI-LHCI-LHCII of C. reinhardtii is the largest PSI
      supercomplex isolated so far and contains seven Lhcbs, in addition to the PSI
      core and the nine Lhcas that compose PSI-LHCI, together binding ~ 320
      chlorophylls. The average decay time for PSI-LHCI-LHCII is ~ 65 ps upon 400 nm
      excitation (15 ps slower than PSI-LHCI) and ~ 78 ps upon 475 nm excitation (27 ps
      slower). The transfer of excitation energy from LHCII to PSI-LHCI occurs in ~ 60
      ps. This relatively slow transfer, as compared with that from LHCI to the PSI
      core, suggests loose connectivity between LHCII and PSI-LHCI. Despite the
      relatively slow transfer, the overall decay time of PSI-LHCI-LHCII remains fast
      enough to assure a 96% trapping efficiency, which is only 1.4% lower than that of
      PSI-LHCI, concomitant with an increase of the absorption cross section of 47%.
      This indicates that, at variance with PSII, the design of PSI allows for a large
      increase of its light-harvesting capacities.

PMID- 26504082
TI  - Structural Dissection of the Maltodextrin Disproportionation Cycle of the
      Arabidopsis Plastidial Disproportionating Enzyme 1 (DPE1).
AB  - The degradation of transitory starch in the chloroplast to provide fuel for the
      plant during the night requires a suite of enzymes that generate a series of
      short chain linear glucans. However, glucans of less than four glucose units are
      no longer substrates for these enzymes, whereas export from the plastid is only
      possible in the form of either maltose or glucose. In order to make use of
      maltotriose, which would otherwise accumulate, disproportionating enzyme 1 (DPE1;
      a 4-alpha-glucanotransferase) converts two molecules of maltotriose to a molecule
      of maltopentaose, which can now be acted on by the degradative enzymes, and one
      molecule of glucose that can be exported. We have determined the structure of the
      Arabidopsis plastidial DPE1 (AtDPE1), and, through ligand soaking experiments, we
      have trapped the enzyme in a variety of conformational states. AtDPE1 forms a
      homodimer with a deep, long, and open-ended active site canyon contained within
      each subunit. The canyon is divided into donor and acceptor sites with the
      catalytic residues at their junction; a number of loops around the active site
      adopt different conformations dependent on the occupancy of these sites. The
      "gate" is the most dynamic loop and appears to play a role in substrate capture,
      in particular in the binding of the acceptor molecule. Subtle changes in the
      configuration of the active site residues may prevent undesirable reactions or
      abortive hydrolysis of the covalently bound enzyme-substrate intermediate.
      Together, these observations allow us to delineate the complete AtDPE1
      disproportionation cycle in structural terms. 

PMID- 26504083
TI  - Hepatic Xbp1 Gene Deletion Promotes Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-induced Liver
      Injury and Apoptosis.
AB  - Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress activates the unfolded protein response (UPR),
      a highly conserved signaling cascade that functions to alleviate stress and
      promote cell survival. If, however, the cell is unable to adapt and restore
      homeostasis, then the UPR activates pathways that promote apoptotic cell death.
      The molecular mechanisms governing the critical transition from adaptation and
      survival to initiation of apoptosis remain poorly understood. We aim to determine
      the role of hepatic Xbp1, a key mediator of the UPR, in controlling the adaptive
      response to ER stress in the liver. Liver-specific Xbp1 knockout mice (Xbp1(LKO))
      and Xbp1(fl/fl) control mice were subjected to varying levels and durations of
      pharmacologic ER stress. Xbp1(LKO) and Xbp1(fl/fl) mice showed robust and equal
      activation of the UPR acutely after induction of ER stress. By 24 h, Xbp1(fl/fl)
      controls showed complete resolution of UPR activation and no liver injury,
      indicating successful adaptation to the stress. Conversely, Xbp1(LKO) mice showed
      ongoing UPR activation associated with progressive liver injury, apoptosis, and,
      ultimately, fibrosis by day 7 after induction of ER stress. These data indicate
      that hepatic XBP1 controls the adaptive response of the UPR and is critical to
      restoring homeostasis in the liver in response to ER stress. 

PMID- 26504084
TI  - Structure-based Discovery of Novel Small Molecule Wnt Signaling Inhibitors by
      Targeting the Cysteine-rich Domain of Frizzled.
AB  - Frizzled is the earliest discovered glycosylated Wnt protein receptor and is
      critical for the initiation of Wnt signaling. Antagonizing Frizzled is effective
      in inhibiting the growth of multiple tumor types. The extracellular N terminus of
      Frizzled contains a conserved cysteine-rich domain that directly interacts with
      Wnt ligands. Structure-based virtual screening and cell-based assays were used to
      identify five small molecules that can inhibit canonical Wnt signaling and have
      low IC50 values in the micromolar range. NMR experiments confirmed that these
      compounds specifically bind to the Wnt binding site on the Frizzled8 cysteine
      rich domain with submicromolar dissociation constants. Our study confirms the
      feasibility of targeting the Frizzled cysteine-rich domain as an effective way of
      regulating canonical Wnt signaling. These small molecules can be further
      optimized into more potent therapeutic agents for regulating abnormal Wnt
      signaling by targeting Frizzled. 

PMID- 26504085
TI  - Selenoprotein S-dependent Selenoprotein K Binding to p97(VCP) Protein Is
      Essential for Endoplasmic Reticulum-associated Degradation.
AB  - Cytosolic valosin-containing protein (p97(VCP)) is translocated to the ER
      membrane by binding to selenoprotein S (SelS), which is an ER membrane protein,
      during endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD). Selenoprotein K
      (SelK) is another known p97(VCP)-binding selenoprotein, and the expression of
      both SelS and SelK is increased under ER stress. To understand the regulatory
      mechanisms of SelS, SelK, and p97(VCP) during ERAD, the interaction of the
      selenoproteins with p97(VCP) was investigated using N2a cells and HEK293 cells.
      Both SelS and SelK co-precipitated with p97(VCP). However, the association
      between SelS and SelK did not occur in the absence of p97(VCP). SelS had the
      ability to recruit p97(VCP) to the ER membrane but SelK did not. The interaction
      between SelK and p97(VCP) did not occur in SelS knockdown cells, whereas SelS
      interacted with p97(VCP) in the presence or absence of SelK. These results
      suggest that p97(VCP) is first translocated to the ER membrane via its
      interaction with SelS, and then SelK associates with the complex on the ER
      membrane. Therefore, the interaction between SelK and p97(VCP) is SelS-dependent,
      and the resulting ERAD complex (SelS-p97(VCP)-SelK) plays an important role in
      ERAD and ER stress. 

PMID- 26504086
TI  - Trpm7 Protein Contributes to Intercellular Junction Formation in Mouse
      Urothelium.
AB  - Trpm7 is a divalent cation-permeable channel that has been reported to be
      involved in magnesium homeostasis as well as cellular adhesion and migration. We
      generated urothelium-specific Trpm7 knock-out (KO) mice to reveal the function of
      Trpm7 in vivo. A Trpm7 KO was induced by tamoxifen and was confirmed by genomic
      PCR and immunohistochemistry. By using patch clamp recordings in primary
      urothelial cells, we observed that Mg(2+)-inhibitable cation currents as well as
      acid-inducible currents were significantly smaller in Trpm7 KO urothelial cells
      than in cells from control mice. Assessment of voiding behavior indicated a
      significantly smaller voided volume in Trpm7 KO mice (mean voided volume 0.28 +/-
      0.08 g in KO mice and 0.36 +/- 0.04 g in control mice, p < 0.05, n = 6-8).
      Histological analysis showed partial but substantial edema in the submucosal
      layer of Trpm7 KO mice, most likely due to inflammation. The expression of
      proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-1beta was significantly higher in
      Trpm7 KO bladders than in controls. In transmission electron microscopic
      analysis, immature intercellular junctions were observed in Trpm7 KO urothelium
      but not in control mice. These results suggest that Trpm7 is involved in the
      formation of intercellular junctions in mouse urothelium. Immature intercellular
      junctions in Trpm7 knock-out mice might lead to a disruption of barrier function
      resulting in inflammation and hypersensitive bladder afferent nerves that may
      affect voiding behavior in vivo. 

PMID- 26504087
TI  - Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Mediate p300-dependent STAT1 Protein Interaction
      with Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor (PPAR)-gamma in CD36 Protein
      Expression and Foam Cell Formation.
AB  - Previously, we have demonstrated that 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetranoic acid (15(S)
      HETE) induces CD36 expression involving STAT1. Many studies have shown that
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma mediates CD36 expression.
      Therefore, we asked the question whether these transcriptional factors interact
      with each other in the regulation of CD36 expression by 15(S)-HETE. Here, we show
      that STAT1 interacts with PPARgamma in the induction of CD36 expression and foam
      cell formation by 15(S)-HETE. In addition, using molecular biological approaches
      such as EMSA, supershift EMSA, ChIP, re-ChIP, and promoter-reporter gene assays,
      we demonstrate that the STAT1 and PPARgamma complex binds to the STAT-binding
      site at -107 nucleotides in the CD36 promoter and enhances its activity.
      Furthermore, the interaction of STAT1 with PPARgamma depends on STAT1
      acetylation, which is mediated by p300. In addition, our findings show that
      reactive oxygen species-dependent Syk and Pyk2 stimulation is required for p300
      tyrosine phosphorylation and activation. Together, these results demonstrate that
      an interaction between STAT1, p300, and peroxisome proliferator-activated
      receptor-gamma is required for 15(S)-HETE-induced CD36 expression, oxidized low
      density lipoprotein uptake, and foam cell formation, critical events underlying
      the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. 

PMID- 26504088
TI  - Mechanisms of Enhancer-mediated Hormonal Control of Vitamin D Receptor Gene
      Expression in Target Cells.
AB  - The biological actions of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) are mediated by
      the vitamin D receptor (VDR), whose expression in bone cells is regulated
      positively by 1,25(OH)2D3, retinoic acid, and parathyroid hormone through both
      intergenic and intronic enhancers. In this report, we used ChIP-sequencing
      analysis to confirm the presence of these Vdr gene enhancers in mesenchyme
      derived bone cells and to describe the epigenetic histone landscape that spans
      the Vdr locus. Using bacterial artificial chromosome-minigene stable cell lines,
      CRISPR/Cas9 enhancer-deleted daughter cell lines, transient
      transfection/mutagenesis analyses, and transgenic mice, we confirmed the
      functionality of these bone cell enhancers in vivo as well as in vitro. We also
      identified VDR-binding sites across the Vdr gene locus in kidney and intestine
      using ChIP-sequencing analysis, revealing that only one of the bone cell-type
      enhancers bound VDR in kidney tissue, and none were occupied by the VDR in the
      intestine, consistent with weak or absent regulation by the 1,25(OH)2D3 hormone
      in these tissues, respectively. However, a number of additional sites of VDR
      binding unique to either kidney or intestine were present further upstream of the
      Vdr gene, suggesting the potential for alternative regulatory loci. Importantly,
      virtually all of these regions retained histone signatures consistent with those
      of enhancers and exhibited unique DNase I hypersensitivity profiles that
      reflected the potential for chromatin access. These studies define mechanisms
      associated with hormonal regulation of the Vdr and hint at the differential
      nature of VDR binding activity at the Vdr gene in different primary target
      tissues in vivo. 

PMID- 26504089
TI  - Forkhead Box P1 (FOXP1) Transcription Factor Regulates Hepatic Glucose
      Homeostasis.
AB  - Dysregulation of hepatic gluconeogenesis contributes to the pathogenesis of
      diabetes, yet the detailed molecular mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated.
      Here we show that FOXP1, a transcriptional repressor, plays a key role in the
      regulation of systemic glucose homeostasis. Hepatic expression levels of FOXP1
      are decreased in diabetic mice. Modest hepatic overexpression of FOXP1 in mice
      inhibited the expression of gluconeogenic genes, such as peroxisome proliferators
      activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha), phosphoenolpyruvate
      carboxykinase (PEPCK), and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6PC), leading to a decrease in
      hepatic glucose production and fasting blood glucose levels in normal mice and
      different mouse models of diabetes, including db/db diabetic and high-fat diet
      induced obese mice. FOXP1 physically interacted with FOXO1 in vivo and competed
      with FOXO1 for binding to the insulin response element in the promoter region of
      gluconeogenic genes, thereby interfering expression of these genes. These results
      identify a previously unrecognized role for FOXP1 in the transcriptional control
      of hepatic glucose homeostasis. 

PMID- 26504090
TI  - Introduction to the Special Issue: Beyond traits: integrating behaviour into
      plant ecology and biology.
AB  - The way that plants are conceptualized in the context of ecological understanding
      is changing. In one direction, a reductionist school is pulling plants apart into
      a list of measured 'traits', from which ecological function and outcomes of
      species interactions may be inferred. This special issue offers an alternative,
      and more holistic, view: that the ecological functions performed by a plant will
      be a consequence not only of their complement of traits but also of the ways in
      which their component parts are used in response to environmental and social
      conditions. This is the realm of behavioural ecology, a field that has greatly
      advanced our understanding of animal biology, ecology and evolution. Included in
      this special issue are 10 articles focussing not on the tried and true metaphor
      that plant growth is similar to animal movement, but instead on how application
      of principles from animal behaviour can improve our ability to understand plant
      biology and ecology. The goals are not to draw false parallels, nor to
      anthropomorphize plant biology, but instead to demonstrate how existing and
      robust theory based on fundamental principles can provide novel understanding for
      plants. Key to this approach is the recognition that behaviour and intelligence
      are not the same. Many organisms display complex behaviours despite a lack of
      cognition (as it is traditionally understood) or any hint of a nervous system.
      The applicability of behavioural concepts to plants is further enhanced with the
      realization that all organisms face the same harsh forces of natural selection in
      the context of finding resources, mates and coping with neighbours. As these
      ecological realities are often highly variable in space and time, it is not
      surprising that all organisms-even plants-exhibit complex behaviours to handle
      this variability. The articles included here address diverse topics in
      behavioural ecology, as applied to plants: general conceptual understanding,
      plant nutrient foraging, root-root interactions, and using and helping others. As
      a group, the articles in this special issue demonstrate how plant ecological
      understanding can be enhanced through incorporation of behavioural ideas and set
      the stage for future research in the emerging discipline of plant behavioural
      ecology. 

PMID- 26504091
TI  - Commentary on: Labia Minora, Labia Majora, and Clitoral Hood Alteration:
      Experience-Based Recommendations.

PMID- 26504092
TI  - Unusual presentations and pitfalls of secondary syphilis: osteitis, pneumonia and
      malignancy.
AB  - Syphilis can show unexpected clinical characteristics rendering its diagnosis
      difficult. We report on two cases of secondary syphilis presenting with atypical
      histories of knee or cervical pain and cough. Both had bone involvement and one,
      pulmonary involvement, documented by MRI, CT scan and PCR. Both responded well to
      therapy with intravenous aqueous penicillin G followed by intramuscular
      benzathine penicillin G, but a pulmonary adenocarcinoma was diagnosed during
      follow-up in one case. 

PMID- 26504093
TI  - Another mistaken case of appendicitis.
AB  - In 2010, when I was 17, I presented to hospital with progressive discomfort and
      pain in the right iliac fossa when eating and moving, associated with mild fever
      and diarrhoea. Appendicitis was suspected but immediate surgery was deferred, as
      the inflammatory markers did not adequately support the clinical diagnosis of
      appendicitis. Further tests, including MRI, were then undertaken. The MRI showed
      evidence of terminal ileitis and a normal appendix. Crohn's disease was
      considered as part of the differential diagnosis. However, a Yersinia
      enterocolitica infection was subsequently confirmed. The episode highlighted
      several learning points including preventing unnecessary surgery and the
      advantages of using a multidisciplinary approach involving imaging the abdomen
      and microbiological input. 

PMID- 26504094
TI  - Pregnancy with a ruptured renal artery aneurysm: management concerns and
      endovascular management.
AB  - Renal artery aneurysm (RAA) affects <0.01% of the general population. Rupture of
      RAA is a rare catastrophe that can complicate pregnancy and is associated with
      high maternal and fetal mortality. Presentation is usually acute with severe
      flank pain, with or without haematuria, and haemodynamic instability requiring
      exploration and nephrectomy. A 26-year-old pregnant woman had sudden onset of
      gross haematuria and on evaluation was found to have a left RAA with an
      intrapelvic rupture and thinned out renal parenchyma. In view of the high risk of
      surgery, she was managed with endovascular placement of an Amplatzer type II
      vascular plug. Immediate and complete occlusion of blood flow was achieved and
      nephrectomy was avoided. Follow-up Doppler ultrasound revealed a reduced 5 cm
      mass in the left renal fossa with no internal flow and plug in position. She is
      currently on follow-up with 3-6 monthly ultrasonography not requiring any
      intervention.

PMID- 26504095
TI  - Use of enoximone in management of anaphylaxis complicated by labetalol use.
AB  - A 42-year-old woman with end-stage renal failure was admitted to the intensive
      care unit following resuscitation from a pulseless electrical activity cardiac
      arrest after intravenous piperacillin/tazobactam. Persistent bradycardia and
      hypotension, unresponsive to epinephrine and norepinephrine, were suspected to
      have been exacerbated by chronic labetalol therapy for resistant arterial
      hypertension. As an alternative, the non-adrenergic inotrope, enoximone, was
      started. This, combined with thrombolysis for possible pulmonary embolism,
      heralded significant haemodynamic improvement, allowing weaning from inotropic
      support. A clear CT pulmonary angiogram 2 days post-arrest and significantly
      raised mast cell tryptase levels confirmed anaphylaxis rather than pulmonary
      embolism as the precipitating cause. We believe this to be the first case report
      of phosphodiesterase-III inhibitor use in the management of anaphylaxis
      complicated by alpha/beta-blockade, and discuss the mechanism behind this effect
      and comparison with the more commonly reported use of glucagon.

PMID- 26504097
TI  - Diagnosis and management of testosterone deficiency syndrome in men: clinical
      practice guideline.

PMID- 26504098
TI  - Scientific misconduct or criminal offence?

PMID- 26504096
TI  - Comparative study of joint analysis of microarray gene expression data in
      survival prediction and risk assessment of breast cancer patients.
AB  - Microarray gene expression data sets are jointly analyzed to increase statistical
      power. They could either be merged together or analyzed by meta-analysis. For a
      given ensemble of data sets, it cannot be foreseen which of these paradigms,
      merging or meta-analysis, works better. In this article, three joint analysis
      methods, Z-score normalization, ComBat and the inverse normal method (meta
      analysis) were selected for survival prognosis and risk assessment of breast
      cancer patients. The methods were applied to eight microarray gene expression
      data sets, totaling 1324 patients with two clinical endpoints, overall survival
      and relapse-free survival. The performance derived from the joint analysis
      methods was evaluated using Cox regression for survival analysis and independent
      validation used as bias estimation. Overall, Z-score normalization had a better
      performance than ComBat and meta-analysis. Higher Area Under the Receiver
      Operating Characteristic curve and hazard ratio were also obtained when
      independent validation was used as bias estimation. With a lower time and memory
      complexity, Z-score normalization is a simple method for joint analysis of
      microarray gene expression data sets. The derived findings suggest further
      assessment of this method in future survival prediction and cancer classification
      applications.

PMID- 26504099
TI  - Hypercalcemia in metastatic breast cancer unrelated to skeletal metastasis.

PMID- 26504100
TI  - Addressing transgender discrimination in health.

PMID- 26504101
TI  - Can a new flu vaccine cure efficacy woes?

PMID- 26504102
TI  - Do clinicians understand the size of treatment effects? A randomized survey
      across 8 countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Meta-analyses of continuous outcomes typically provide enough
      information for decision-makers to evaluate the extent to which chance can
      explain apparent differences between interventions. The interpretation of the
      magnitude of these differences - from trivial to large - can, however, be
      challenging. We investigated clinicians' understanding and perceptions of
      usefulness of 6 statistical formats for presenting continuous outcomes from meta
      analyses (standardized mean difference, minimal important difference units, mean
      difference in natural units, ratio of means, relative risk and risk difference).
      METHODS: We invited 610 staff and trainees in internal medicine and family
      medicine programs in 8 countries to participate. Paper-based, self-administered
      questionnaires presented summary estimates of hypothetical interventions versus
      placebo for chronic pain. The estimates showed either a small or a large effect
      for each of the 6 statistical formats for presenting continuous outcomes.
      Questions addressed participants' understanding of the magnitude of treatment
      effects and their perception of the usefulness of the presentation format. We
      randomly assigned participants 1 of 4 versions of the questionnaire, each with a
      different effect size (large or small) and presentation order for the 6 formats
      (1 to 6, or 6 to 1). RESULTS: Overall, 531 (87.0%) of the clinicians responded.
      Respondents best understood risk difference, followed by relative risk and ratio
      of means. Similarly, they perceived the dichotomous presentation of continuous
      outcomes (relative risk and risk difference) to be most useful. Presenting
      results as a standardized mean difference, the longest standing and most widely
      used approach, was poorly understood and perceived as least useful.
      INTERPRETATION: None of the presentation formats were well understood or
      perceived as extremely useful. Clinicians best understood the dichotomous
      presentations of continuous outcomes and perceived them to be the most useful.
      Further initiatives to help clinicians better grasp the magnitude of the
      treatment effect are needed.

PMID- 26504103
TI  - Cauda equina syndrome from lumbar disc herniation.

PMID- 26504104
TI  - Controversies in the diagnosis and management of testosterone deficiency
      syndrome.

PMID- 26504105
TI  - Differential ligand-signaling network of CCL19/CCL21-CCR7 system.
AB  - Chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 7 (CCR7), a class A subtype G-Protein Coupled
      Receptor (GPCR), is involved in the migration, activation and survival of
      multiple cell types including dendritic cells, T cells, eosinophils, B cells,
      endothelial cells and different cancer cells. Together, CCR7 signaling system has
      been implicated in diverse biological processes such as lymph node homeostasis, T
      cell activation, immune tolerance, inflammatory response and cancer metastasis.
      CCL19 and CCL21, the two well-characterized CCR7 ligands, have been established
      to be differential in their signaling through CCR7 in multiple cell types.
      Although the differential ligand signaling through single receptor have been
      suggested for many receptors including GPCRs, there exists no resource or
      platform to analyse them globally. Here, first of its kind, we present the cell
      type-specific differential signaling network of CCL19/CCL21-CCR7 system for
      effective visualization and differential analysis of chemokine/GPCR signaling.
      Database URL: http:// www. netpath. org/ pathways? path_ id= NetPath_ 46.

PMID- 26504109
TI  - Ischaemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation with chronic kidney disease
      undergoing peritoneal dialysis.
AB  - AIMS: Little is known about the ischaemic stroke risk and benefit of warfarin
      therapy for stroke prevention in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients on
      peritoneal dialysis (PD) with concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF). Our objective
      was to determine the risk of ischaemic stroke in a 'real-world' cohort of PD
      patients with AF, and clinical benefit or harm of aspirin and warfarin. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: This is a single-centred observational study of Chinese patients
      with non-valvular AF. Hospitalizations with ischaemic stroke and intracranial
      haemorrhage (ICH) were recorded. Of 9810 patients from a hospital-based AF
      registry, 271 CKD patients on PD with AF (76.8 +/- 12.5 years, CHA2DS2-VASc: 3.69
      +/- 1.83, and HAS-BLED: 2.07 +/- 0.97) were identified. Amongst these PD
      patients, 24.7% received warfarin; 31.7% received aspirin; and 43.5% received no
      antithrombotic therapy. Amongst patients with no antithrombotic therapy, annual
      incidence of ischaemic stroke in PD patients was comparable with those non-CKD
      counterparts (9.32 vs. 9.30%/year). Similar to non-CKD patients, annual incidence
      of ischaemic stroke increased with increasing CHA2DS2-VASc score (CHA2DS2-VASc =
      0-1: 5.76 vs. 5.70%/year, P = 1.00; and CHA2DS2-VASc >= 2: 10.80 vs. 9.94%/year,
      P = 0.78). Amongst PD patients, warfarin therapy was associated with lower risk
      of ischaemic stroke compared with aspirin [Hazard ratio (HR): 0.16, 95%
      confidence interval (CI): 0.04-0.66, P = 0.01] and no therapy (HR: 0.19, 95% CI:
      0.06-0.65, P = 0.01), but not associated with a higher risk of ICH. CONCLUSION:
      In CKD patients on PD with AF, who had similar ischaemic stroke risk as non-CKD
      counterparts, warfarin therapy is associated with reduction in risk of ischaemic
      stroke without a higher risk of ICH.

PMID- 26504108
TI  - First-line catheter ablation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: outcome of
      radiofrequency vs. cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolation.
AB  - AIMS: First-line ablation prior to antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) therapy is an option
      for symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF); however, the optimal
      ablation technique, radiofrequency (RF), or cryoballoon (CB) has to be
      determined. METHODS AND RESULTS: The FREEZE Cohort Study compares RF and CB
      ablation. Treatment-naive patients were documented in the FREEZEplus Registry.
      Periprocedural data and outcome were analysed. From 2011 to 2014, a total of
      373/4184 (8.9%) patients with PAF naive to AAD were identified. Pulmonary vein
      isolation (PVI) was performed with RF (n = 180) or CB (n = 193). In the RF group,
      patients were older (65 vs. 61 years, P < 0.01) compared with the CB group. The
      procedure time was significantly shorter and radiation exposure higher in the CB
      group. Major adverse events occurred in 1.6% (CB) and 3.7% (RF) of patients (P =
      0.22). AF/atrial tachycardia (AT) recurrence until discharge was 4.5% (RF) and
      8.5% (CB, P = 0.2). Follow-up (FU) >=12 months was available in 99 (RF) and 107
      (CB) patients. After 1.4 years of FU, freedom from AF/atrial tachycardia (AT) was
      61% (RF) and 71% (CB, P = 0.11). In the RF group, more patients underwent
      cardioversion, and a trend for more repeat ablations was observed. Persistent
      phrenic nerve palsy was observed in one patient treated by CB. CONCLUSION: First
      line ablation for PAF is safe and effective with either RF or CB. The procedure
      was faster with the CB, but the radiation exposure was higher. Although there was
      a trend for more recurrences and complications in the RF group, a more favourable
      risk profile in patients undergoing CB ablation might have biased the results.
      CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: NCT01360008.

PMID- 26504110
TI  - Conceptual framework for integrating 'Pregnancy Planning and Prevention' (P3).

PMID- 26504112
TI  - The end of shared rooms in hospitals: a cause for celebration?

PMID- 26504113
TI  - Changes in sedentary behaviours across the retirement transition: a systematic
      review.

PMID- 26504114
TI  - Should guidance for the use of antihypertensive medication in older people with
      frailty be different?

PMID- 26504115
TI  - Changes in sedentary behaviours across the retirement transition: a systematic
      review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prolonged sedentary behaviour has been associated with a number of
      chronic health conditions. This issue is compounded by inactivity increasing with
      age. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to identify evidence regarding
      changes in sedentary behaviours as people move into retirement. SEARCH STRATEGY
      AND SELECTION CRITERIA: Nine databases (Ageline, CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase,
      MEDLINE, ProQuest, PubMed, SportDiscus and Web of Science) were searched in May
      2014. Search terms included retirement, time use and a range of sedentary
      behaviours, with no date limit. Articles were selected and appraised for risk of
      bias by two independent reviewers. Due to the variations in measures used for
      reporting, data synthesis of results was qualitative. RESULTS: Two studies
      measured total sitting time and reported declines across retirement. Several
      studies examined self-reported time spent in specific sedentary leisure
      activities and generally reported increases in duration, prevalence or frequency
      (television: 7/9 studies; reading: 4/6 studies). Few other sedentary behaviours
      were considered. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in sedentary time across retirement are
      currently poorly understood with varying patterns of change identified by
      different study methodologies (total sitting time versus specific leisure
      sedentary activities). Future research that simultaneously investigates changes
      in a comprehensive range of sedentary behaviours across retirement is required.
      To date, findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving the health of
      this population need to be targeted at specific sedentary behaviours to provide
      maximum benefit.

PMID- 26504116
TI  - Blood pressure and 10-year mortality risk in the Milan Geriatrics 75+ Cohort
      Study: role of functional and cognitive status.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Optimal blood pressure targets in older adults are controversial.
      OBJECTIVE: to investigate whether the relation of blood pressure with mortality
      in older adults varies by age, functional and cognitive status. DESIGN:
      longitudinal geriatric outpatient cohort. SETTING: Milan Geriatrics 75+ Cohort
      Study. SUBJECTS: One thousand five hundred and eighty-seven outpatients aged 75
      years and over. METHODS: The relations of systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood
      pressure (DBP) with mortality risk were analysed using Cox proportional hazards
      models. Blood pressure, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Basic Activities
      of Daily Living (ADL) were assessed at baseline. All analyses were adjusted for
      socio-demographic factors, co-morbidities and medications. RESULTS: One thousand
      and forty-six patients died during 10-year follow-up. The relationships of SBP
      and DBP with mortality risk were U-shaped; SBP of 165 mmHg and DBP of 85 mmHg
      were associated with the lowest mortality. Patients with SBP < 120 mmHg and
      patients with SBP 120-139 mmHg had 1.64-fold (95% confidence intervals, CI 1.21
      2.23) and 1.32-fold (95% CI 1.10-1.60) higher mortality risk than patients with
      SBP 160-179 mmHg (P values 0.001 and 0.004, respectively). In patients with SBP
      below 180 mmHg, higher SBP was associated with lower mortality in patients with
      impaired ADL and MMSE but not in those with preserved ADL and/or MMSE (P for
      interaction 0.033). Age did not modify the correlation of SBP with mortality.
      CONCLUSIONS: The correlations of SBP and DBP with mortality were U-shaped. Higher
      SBP is related to lower mortality in subjects with impaired ADL and MMSE. ADL and
      MMSE may identify older subjects who benefit from higher blood pressure.

PMID- 26504117
TI  - Grip strength among community-dwelling older people predicts hospital admission
      during the following decade.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lower grip strength on admission to hospital is known to be
      associated with longer stay, but the link between customary grip and risk of
      future admission is less clear. OBJECTIVE: To compare grip strength with
      subsequent risk of hospital admission among community-dwelling older people in a
      U.K. setting. DESIGN: Cohort study with linked administrative data. SETTING:
      Hertfordshire, U.K. SUBJECTS: A total of 2,997 community-dwelling men and women
      aged 59-73 years at baseline. METHODS: The Hertfordshire Cohort Study (HCS)
      participants completed a baseline assessment between 1998 and 2004, during which
      grip strength was measured. Hospital Episode Statistics and mortality data to
      March 2010 were linked with the HCS database. Statistical models were used to
      investigate the association of grip strength with subsequent elective, emergency
      and long-stay hospitalisation and readmission. RESULTS: There was a statistically
      significant negative association between grip strength and all classes of
      admission in women [unadjusted hazard ratio per standard deviation (SD) decrease
      in grip strength for: any admission/death 1.10 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.14), elective
      admission/death 1.09 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.13), emergency admission/death 1.21 (95%
      CI: 1.13, 1.31), long-stay admission/death 1.22 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.32) and
      unadjusted relative risk per SD decrease in grip strength for 30-day
      readmission/death 1.30 (95% CI: 1.19, 1.43)]. These associations remained
      significant after adjustment for potential confounding factors (age, height,
      weight for height, smoking, alcohol, social class). In men, unadjusted rates for
      emergency admission/death, long-stay admission/death and readmission/death were
      significantly associated with grip strength; associations that similarly
      withstood adjustment. CONCLUSION: This study provides the first evidence that
      grip strength among community-dwelling men and women in the U.K. is associated
      with risk of hospital admission over the following decade.

PMID- 26504118
TI  - Predictive performance of four frailty measures in an older Australian
      population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are several different frailty measures available for
      identifying the frail elderly. However, their predictive performance in an
      Australian population has not been examined. OBJECTIVE: To examine the predictive
      performance of four internationally validated frailty measures in an older
      Australian population. METHODS: A retrospective study in the Australian
      Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ALSA) with 2,087 participants. Frailty was measured
      at baseline using frailty phenotype (FP), simplified frailty phenotype (SFP),
      frailty index (FI) and prognostic frailty score (PFS). Odds ratios (OR) were
      calculated to measure the association between frailty and outcomes at Wave 3
      including mortality, hospitalisation, nursing home admission, fall and a
      combination of all outcomes. Predictive performance was measured by assessing
      sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV)
      and likelihood ratio (LR). Area under the curve (AUC) of dichotomised and the
      multilevel or continuous model of the measures was examined. RESULTS: Prevalence
      of frailty varied from 2% up to 49% between the measures. Frailty was
      significantly associated with an increased risk of any outcome, OR (95%
      confidence interval) for FP: 1.9 (1.4-2.8), SFP: 3.6 (1.5-8.8), FI: 3.4 (2.7-4.3)
      and PFS: 2.3 (1.8-2.8). PFS had high sensitivity across all outcomes
      (sensitivity: 55.2-77.1%). The PPV for any outcome was highest for SFP and FI
      (70.8 and 69.7%, respectively). Only FI had acceptable accuracy in predicting
      outcomes, AUC: 0.59-0.70. CONCLUSIONS: Being identified as frail by any of the
      four measures was associated with an increased risk of outcomes; however, their
      predictive accuracy varied.

PMID- 26504119
TI  - Dementia priority setting partnership with the James Lind Alliance: using patient
      and public involvement and the evidence base to inform the research agenda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The James Lind Alliance (JLA) created an approach to elicit the views
      of those under-represented in research priority exercises. Building on this, the
      JLA Dementia Priority Setting Partnership was set up as an independent and
      evidence-based project to identify and prioritise unanswered questions
      ('uncertainties') about prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care relating to
      dementia. METHODS: A survey was widely disseminated to stakeholders with an
      interest in the needs of the older population. Thematic analysis was used to
      identify themes from the large amount of questions collected from which research
      questions were developed using PICO framework (Population, Intervention,
      Comparator, Outcome). Each question was checked against an extensive evidence
      base of high-quality systematic reviews to verify whether they were true
      uncertainties. FINDINGS: One thousand five hundred and sixty-three questionnaires
      were received, from people with dementia, carers/relatives, and health and care
      professionals; 85 uncertainties were identified from other sources. Questions
      were refined and formatted iteratively into 146 unique uncertainties. An interim
      prioritisation process involving diverse organisations identified the top 25
      ranked questions. At a final face-to-face prioritisation workshop, 18 people
      representing the above constituencies arrived by consensus at the top 10 priority
      questions. The impact of patient and public involvement on the priorities is
      discussed. INTERPRETATION: The long (146 questions) and top 10 lists of dementia
      research priorities provide a focus for researchers, funders and commissioners.
      They highlight a need for more research into care for people with dementia and
      carers, and a need for high-quality effectiveness trials in all aspects of
      dementia research.

PMID- 26504120
TI  - Eating alone and depression in older men and women by cohabitation status: The
      JAGES longitudinal survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Eating by oneself may be a risk factor for mental illness among older
      adults, but may be influenced by cohabitation status. We examined the association
      between eating alone and depression in the context of cohabitation status in
      older adults in Japan. DESIGN: A longitudinal, population-based study. SETTING:
      Data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. SUBJECTS: We analysed 17,612
      men and 19,581 women aged >=65 without depression (Geriatric Depression Scale <5)
      at baseline in 2010. METHODS: Eating status was classified into two categories:
      eating with others and eating alone. The risk of depression onset by 2013 was
      estimated using Poisson regression. RESULTS: After adjusting for socioeconomic
      status, physical health, nutritional status, social support, social
      participation, frequency of meet friends, employment status and marital status,
      the adjusted rate ratio (ARR) for depression onset in men who ate alone compared
      with those who ate with others was 2.36 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.18
      4.71) for those living alone and 1.03 (95% CI: 0.81-1.32) for those living with
      others. Among women, the ARR for depression for those who ate alone compared with
      those who ate with others was 1.31 (95% CI: 1.00-1.72) for those living alone and
      1.21 (95% CI: 1.01-1.44) for those living with others. CONCLUSIONS: Eating alone
      may be a risk factor for depression. Among men, the effect of eating alone on
      depression may be reinforced by living alone, but appears to be broadly
      comparable in women living alone and women living with others.

PMID- 26504121
TI  - Cognition and mortality in older people: the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both cognitive ability and cognitive decline have been shown to
      predict mortality in older people. As dementia, a major form of cognitive
      decline, has an established association with shorter survival, it is unclear the
      extent to which cognitive ability and cognitive decline predict mortality in the
      absence of dementia. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether cognitive ability and
      decline in cognitive ability predict mortality in older individuals without
      dementia. DESIGN: The Sydney Memory and Ageing Study is an observational
      population-based cohort study. Participants completed detailed neuropsychological
      assessments and medical examinations to assess for risk factors such as
      depression, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia, smoking and
      physical activity. Participants were regularly assessed at 2-year intervals over
      8 years. SETTING: A community sample in Sydney, Australia. SUBJECTS: One thousand
      and thirty-seven elderly people without dementia. RESULTS: Overall, 236 (22.8%)
      participants died within 8 years. Both cognitive ability at baseline and decline
      in cognitive ability over 2 years predicted mortality. Decline in cognitive
      ability, but not baseline cognitive ability, was a significant predictor of
      mortality when depression and other medical risk factors were controlled for.
      These relationships also held when excluding incident cases of dementia.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that decline in cognition is a robust
      predictor of mortality in older people without dementia at a population level.
      This relationship is not accounted for by co-morbid depression or other
      established biomedical risk factors.

PMID- 26504122
TI  - The changing epidemiology of oral diseases in the elderly, their growing
      importance for care and how they can be managed.
AB  - This article provides an overview of the changing epidemiology of oral diseases
      and the impacts for the population. Considerable improvements have occurred in
      oral health, and many more people are retaining teeth for longer. However, the
      conditions of teeth and mouth are varied, and all older people are at risk of
      future oral disease. With the increased prevalence of other more general health
      conditions, the risks of poor oral health are increasing. Poor oral health gives
      rise to considerable problems that impact both on an individual's well-being and
      qualities of life as well as increasing the risks of general health issues. To
      ensure that the risks of such adverse impacts are minimised, a more collaborative
      approach involving all care workers is required, addressing the determinants of
      health and ensuring that better care management arrangements for older people are
      developed. 

PMID- 26504123
TI  - Laser Acupuncture for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled
      Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is usually treated with opiate
      derivatives and supported with nonpharmacological treatment. METHODS: This
      prospective, randomized, controlled, blinded, single-center study was carried out
      between March 2009 and November 2014. Newborn infants diagnosed with NAS after
      maternal opioid substitution therapy were eligible for inclusion. Infants were
      randomly allocated to the acupuncture group (combining laser acupuncture and
      pharmacological therapy of morphine and phenobarbital) or control group
      (pharmacological therapy alone). Laser acupuncture was performed with a LABpen
      MED 10 (675 nm/10 mW) at 5 ear and 4 body acupuncture points, bilaterally, and
      sessions were repeated every day. The primary outcome measure was duration of
      oral morphine therapy for NAS. Secondary outcomes included highest single
      Finnegan score, time to highest single Finnegan score, maximum amount of oral
      morphine solution (in milliliters per kilogram and milligrams per kilogram), time
      to maximum amount of oral morphine solution, and length of hospital stay.
      RESULTS: Twenty-eight newborns (14 in each group) were eligible for analysis.
      Duration of oral morphine therapy was significantly reduced in the acupuncture
      group compared with the control group (28 vs 39 days, respectively, P = .019). In
      addition, we observed a significantly reduced length of hospital stay in the
      acupuncture group compared with the control group (35 days [interquartile range
      25 to 47] vs 50 days [36 to 66], P = .048). CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive laser
      acupuncture significantly reduced the duration of morphine therapy in newborns
      with NAS.

PMID- 26504124
TI  - HPV Vaccination Coverage of Male Adolescents in the United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2011, the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP)
      recommended routine use human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for male adolescents.
      METHODS: We used the 2013 National Immunization Survey-Teen data to assess HPV
      vaccine uptake (>=1 dose) and series completion (>=3 doses). Multivariable
      logistic regression analysis and a predictive marginal model were conducted to
      identify independent predictors of vaccination among adolescent males aged 13 to
      17 years. RESULTS: HPV vaccination coverage with >=1 dose was 34.6%, and series
      completion (>=3 doses) was 13.9%. Coverage was significantly higher among non
      Hispanic blacks and Hispanics compared with non-Hispanic white male adolescents.
      Multivariable logistic regression showed that characteristics independently
      associated with a higher likelihood of HPV vaccination (>=1 dose) included being
      non-Hispanic black race or Hispanic ethnicity; having mothers who were widowed,
      divorced, or separated; having 1 to 3 physician contacts in the past 12 months; a
      well-child visit at age 11 to 12 years; having 1 or 2 vaccination providers;
      living in urban or suburban areas; and receiving vaccinations from >1 type of
      facility (P < .05). Having mothers with some college or college education, having
      a higher family income to poverty ratio, living in the South or Midwest, and
      receiving vaccinations from all sexually transmitted diseases/school/teen clinics
      or other facilities were independently associated with a lower likelihood of HPV
      vaccination (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Following recommendations for routine HPV
      vaccination among male adolescents, uptake in 2013 was low in this population.
      Increased efforts are needed to improve vaccination coverage, especially for
      those who are least likely to be vaccinated.

PMID- 26504125
TI  - Sirolimus Therapy in Congenital Hyperinsulinism: A Successful Experience Beyond
      Infancy.
AB  - Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) due to diffuse involvement of the pancreas is a
      challenging and severe illness in children. Its treatment is based on chronic
      therapy with diazoxide and/or octreotide, followed by partial pancreatectomy,
      which is often not resolutive. Sirolimus, a mammalian target of rapamycin
      inhibitor, was reported to be effective in treating CHI in infants. We report
      here the case of an 8-year-old boy affected by a severe form of CHI due to a
      biallelic heterozygous ABCC8 mutation who responded to sirolimus with a dramatic
      improvement in his glucose blood level regulation and quality of life, with no
      serious adverse events after 6 months of follow-up. To the best of our knowledge,
      this is the first report of a successful intervention in an older child. It
      provides a promising basis for further studies comparing sirolimus with other
      treatments, particularly in older children.

PMID- 26504126
TI  - Prescription Opioids in Adolescence and Future Opioid Misuse.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Legitimate opioid use is associated with an increased
      risk of long-term opioid use and possibly misuse in adults. The objective of this
      study was to estimate the risk of future opioid misuse among adolescents who have
      not yet graduated from high school. METHODS: Prospective, panel data come from
      the Monitoring the Future study. The analysis uses a nationally representative
      sample of 6220 individuals surveyed in school in 12th grade and then followed up
      through age 23. Analyses are stratified by predicted future opioid misuse as
      measured in 12th grade on the basis of known risk factors. The main outcome is
      nonmedical use of a prescription opioid at ages 19 to 23. Predictors include use
      of a legitimate prescription by 12th grade, as well as baseline history of drug
      use and baseline attitudes toward illegal drug use. RESULTS: Legitimate opioid
      use before high school graduation is independently associated with a 33% increase
      in the risk of future opioid misuse after high school. This association is
      concentrated among individuals who have little to no history of drug use and, as
      well, strong disapproval of illegal drug use at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Use of
      prescribed opioids before the 12th grade is independently associated with future
      opioid misuse among patients with little drug experience and who disapprove of
      illegal drug use. Clinic-based education and prevention efforts have substantial
      potential to reduce future opioid misuse among these individuals, who begin
      opioid use with strong attitudes against illegal drug use.

PMID- 26504127
TI  - Growth Charts for Children With Down Syndrome in the United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Children with Down syndrome (DS) have lower birth
      weights and grow more slowly than children without DS. Advances in and increased
      access to medical care have improved the health and well-being of individuals
      with DS; however, it is unknown whether their growth has also improved. Our
      objective was to develop new growth charts for children with DS and compare them
      to older charts from the United States and more contemporary charts from the
      United Kingdom. METHODS: The Down Syndrome Growing Up Study (DSGS) enrolled a
      convenience sample of children with DS up to 20 years of age and followed them
      longitudinally. Growth parameters were measured by research anthropometrists. Sex
      specific growth charts were generated for the age ranges birth to 36 months and 2
      to 20 years using the LMS method. Weight-for-length and BMI charts were also
      generated. Comparisons with other curves were presented graphically. RESULTS: New
      DSGS growth charts were developed by using 1520 measurements on 637 participants.
      DSGS growth charts for children <36 months of age showed marked improvements in
      weight compared with older US charts. DSGS charts for 2- to 20-year-olds showed
      that contemporary males are taller than previous charts showed. Generally, the
      DSGS growth charts are similar to the UK charts. CONCLUSIONS: The DSGS growth
      charts can be used as screening tools to assess growth and nutritional status and
      to provide indications of how growth of an individual child compares with peers
      of the same age and sex with DS.

PMID- 26504128
TI  - Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems.
AB  - Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are rapidly growing in popularity
      among youth. ENDS are handheld devices that produce an aerosolized mixture from a
      solution typically containing concentrated nicotine, flavoring chemicals, and
      propylene glycol to be inhaled by the user. ENDS are marketed under a variety of
      names, most commonly electronic cigarettes and e-cigarettes. In 2014, more youth
      reported using ENDS than any other tobacco product. ENDS pose health risks to
      both users and nonusers. Nicotine, the major psychoactive ingredient in ENDS
      solutions, is both highly addictive and toxic. In addition to nicotine, other
      toxicants, carcinogens, and metal particles have been detected in solutions and
      aerosols of ENDS. Nonusers are involuntarily exposed to the emissions of these
      devices with secondhand and thirdhand aerosol. The concentrated and often
      flavored nicotine in ENDS solutions poses a poisoning risk for young children.
      Reports of acute nicotine toxicity from US poison control centers have been
      increasing, with at least 1 child death reported from unintentional exposure to a
      nicotine-containing ENDS solution. With flavors, design, and marketing that
      appeal to youth, ENDS threaten to renormalize and glamorize nicotine and tobacco
      product use. There is a critical need for ENDS regulation, legislative action,
      and counter promotion to protect youth. ENDS have the potential to addict a new
      generation of youth to nicotine and reverse more than 50 years of progress in
      tobacco control.

PMID- 26504129
TI  - Severe Hyperinsulinemic Hypoglycemia in a Neonate: Response to Sirolimus Therapy.
AB  - Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia (HH) is one of the most common causes of persistent
      hypoglycemic episodes in neonates. Current pharmacologic treatment of neonatal HH
      includes diazoxide and octreotide, whereas for diffuse, unresponsive cases a
      subtotal pancreatectomy may be the last resort, with questionable efficacy. Here
      we report a case of congenital diffuse neonatal HH, first suspected when severe
      hypoglycemia presented with extremely high serum insulin levels immediately after
      birth. Functional imaging and genetic tests later confirmed the diagnosis.
      Failure to respond to a sequence of different treatments and to avoid extensive
      surgery with predictable morbidity prompted us to introduce a recently suggested
      alternative therapy with sirolimus, a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor.
      Glucose intake could be reduced gradually while euglycemia was maintained, and we
      were able to achieve exclusively enteral feeding within 6 weeks. Sirolimus was
      found to be effective and well tolerated, with no major adverse side effects
      attributable to its administration.

PMID- 26504130
TI  - Global Climate Change and Children's Health.
AB  - Rising global temperatures are causing major physical, chemical, and ecological
      changes in the planet. There is wide consensus among scientific organizations and
      climatologists that these broad effects, known as "climate change," are the
      result of contemporary human activity. Climate change poses threats to human
      health, safety, and security, and children are uniquely vulnerable to these
      threats. The effects of climate change on child health include: physical and
      psychological sequelae of weather disasters; increased heat stress; decreased air
      quality; altered disease patterns of some climate-sensitive infections; and food,
      water, and nutrient insecurity in vulnerable regions. The social foundations of
      children's mental and physical health are threatened by the specter of far
      reaching effects of unchecked climate change, including community and global
      instability, mass migrations, and increased conflict. Given this knowledge,
      failure to take prompt, substantive action would be an act of injustice to all
      children. A paradigm shift in production and consumption of energy is both a
      necessity and an opportunity for major innovation, job creation, and significant,
      immediate associated health benefits. Pediatricians have a uniquely valuable role
      to play in the societal response to this global challenge. 

PMID- 26504133
TI  - Public Policy to Protect Children From Tobacco, Nicotine, and Tobacco Smoke.
AB  - Tobacco use and tobacco smoke exposure are among the most important health
      threats to children, adolescents, and adults. There is no safe level of tobacco
      smoke exposure. The developing brains of children and adolescents are
      particularly vulnerable to the development of tobacco and nicotine dependence.
      Tobacco is unique among consumer products in that it causes disease and death
      when used exactly as intended. Tobacco continues to be heavily promoted to
      children and young adults. Flavored and alternative tobacco products, including
      little cigars, chewing tobacco, and electronic nicotine delivery systems are
      gaining popularity among youth. This statement describes important evidence-based
      public policy actions that, when implemented, will reduce tobacco product use and
      tobacco smoke exposure among youth and, by doing so, improve the health of
      children and young adults. 

PMID- 26504131
TI  - Physician and Nurse Nighttime Communication and Parents' Hospital Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Night teams of hospital providers have become more
      common in the wake of resident physician duty hour changes. We sought to examine
      relationships between nighttime communication and parents' inpatient experience.
      METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of parents (n = 471) of
      pediatric inpatients (0-17 years) from May 2013 to October 2014. Parents rated
      their overall experience, understanding of the medical plan, quality of nighttime
      doctors' and nurses' communication with them, and quality of nighttime
      communication between doctors and nurses. We tested the reliability of each of
      these 5 constructs (Cronbach's alpha for each >.8). Using logistic regression
      models, we examined rates and predictors of top-rated hospital experience.
      RESULTS: Parents completed 398 surveys (84.5% response rate). A total of 42.5% of
      parents reported a top overall experience construct score. On multivariable
      analysis, top-rated overall experience scores were associated with higher scores
      for communication and experience with nighttime doctors (odds ratio [OR] 1.86;
      95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-3.08), for communication and experience with
      nighttime nurses (OR 6.47; 95% CI, 2.88-14.54), and for nighttime doctor-nurse
      interaction (OR 2.66; 95% CI, 1.26-5.64) (P < .05 for each). Parents provided the
      highest percentage of top ratings for the individual item pertaining to whether
      nurses listened to their concerns (70.5% strongly agreed) and the lowest such
      ratings for regular communication with nighttime doctors (31.4% excellent).
      CONCLUSIONS: Parent communication with nighttime providers and parents'
      perceptions of communication and teamwork between these providers may be
      important drivers of parent experience. As hospitals seek to improve the patient
      centeredness of care, improving nighttime communication and teamwork will be
      valuable to explore.

PMID- 26504134
TI  - Global Climate Change and Children's Health.
AB  - Rising global temperature is causing major physical, chemical, and ecological
      changes across the planet. There is wide consensus among scientific organizations
      and climatologists that these broad effects, known as climate change, are the
      result of contemporary human activity. Climate change poses threats to human
      health, safety, and security. Children are uniquely vulnerable to these threats.
      The effects of climate change on child health include physical and psychological
      sequelae of weather disasters, increased heat stress, decreased air quality,
      altered disease patterns of some climate-sensitive infections, and food, water,
      and nutrient insecurity in vulnerable regions. Prompt implementation of
      mitigation and adaptation strategies will protect children against worsening of
      the problem and its associated health effects. This technical report reviews the
      nature of climate change and its associated child health effects and supports the
      recommendations in the accompanying policy statement on climate change and
      children's health.

PMID- 26504135
TI  - Protecting Children From Tobacco, Nicotine, and Tobacco Smoke.
AB  - This technical report serves to provide the evidence base for the American
      Academy of Pediatrics' policy statements "Clinical Practice Policy to Protect
      Children From Tobacco, Nicotine, and Tobacco Smoke" and "Public Policy to Protect
      Children From Tobacco, Nicotine, and Tobacco Smoke." Tobacco use and involuntary
      exposure are major preventable causes of morbidity and premature mortality in
      adults and children. Tobacco dependence almost always starts in childhood or
      adolescence. Electronic nicotine delivery systems are rapidly gaining popularity
      among youth, and their significant harms are being documented. In utero tobacco
      smoke exposure, in addition to increasing the risk of preterm birth, low birth
      weight, stillbirth, placental abruption, and sudden infant death, has been found
      to increase the risk of obesity and neurodevelopmental disorders. Actions by
      pediatricians can help to reduce children's risk of developing tobacco dependence
      and reduce children's involuntary tobacco smoke exposure. Public policy actions
      to protect children from tobacco are essential to reduce the toll that the
      tobacco epidemic takes on our children.

PMID- 26504136
TI  - Variation in Utilization of Computed Tomography Imaging at Tertiary Pediatric
      Hospitals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent efforts have focused on reducing computed tomography (CT)
      imaging in children. Although published reports show variability in CT scanning
      for specific indications, an assessment of the effects of institutional factors
      (case-mix or hospital volume) on the rate of CT scanning for any indication is
      necessary to better understand variability across pediatric hospitals. METHODS:
      Data from 2009 to 2013 on inpatient, observation, and emergency department (ED)
      encounters were extracted from the Pediatric Health Information System.
      Chronological trends and institutional variability in CT scan rates were examined
      by using negative binomial regression models. Case-mix was adjusted by using All
      Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Groups and severity level. RESULTS: Thirty
      hospitals were included. There were 12 531 184 patient encounters and 701 644 CT
      scans resulting in a mean of 56 scans per 1000 encounters (range: 26-108). The
      most common scan types were head (60.1%) and abdomen/pelvis (19.9%). There was an
      inverse relationship between the CT scan rate and hospital volume (P = .002) and
      a direct relationship between the CT scan rates for inpatient/observation and ED
      encounters (P < .001). The rate of CT imaging decreased from 69.2 to 49.6 scans
      per 1000 encounters during the study period (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The overall
      use of CT imaging is decreasing, and significant variability remains in CT use
      across tertiary pediatric hospitals. Hospital volume and institutional-level
      practices account for a significant portion of the variability. This finding
      suggests an opportunity for standardization through multi-institutional quality
      improvement projects to reduce CT imaging.

PMID- 26504137
TI  - Clinical Practice Policy to Protect Children From Tobacco, Nicotine, and Tobacco
      Smoke.
AB  - Tobacco dependence starts in childhood. Tobacco exposure of children is common
      and causes illness and premature death in children and adults, with adverse
      effects starting in the womb. There is no safe level of tobacco smoke exposure.
      Pediatricians should screen for use of tobacco and other nicotine delivery
      devices and provide anticipatory guidance to prevent smoking initiation and
      reduce tobacco smoke exposure. Pediatricians need to be aware of the different
      nicotine delivery systems marketed and available.Parents and caregivers are
      important sources of children's tobacco smoke exposure. Because tobacco
      dependence is a severe addiction, to protect children's health, caregiver tobacco
      dependence treatment should be offered or referral for treatment should be
      provided (such as referral to the national smoker's quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW).
      If the source of tobacco exposure cannot be eliminated, counseling about reducing
      exposure to children should be provided.Health care delivery systems should
      facilitate the effective prevention, identification, and treatment of tobacco
      dependence in children and adolescents, their parents, and other caregivers.
      Health care facilities should protect children from tobacco smoke exposure and
      tobacco promotion. Tobacco dependence prevention and treatment should be part of
      medical education, with knowledge assessed as part of board certification
      examinations.

PMID- 26504139
TI  - IsoMIF Finder: online detection of binding site molecular interaction field
      similarities.
AB  - IsoMIF Finder is an online server for the identification of molecular interaction
      field (MIF) similarities. User defined binding site MIFs can be compared to
      datasets of pre-calculated MIFs or against a user-defined list of PDB entries.
      The interface can be used for the prediction of function, identification of
      potential cross-reactivity or polypharmacological targets and drug repurposing.
      Detected similarities can be viewed in a browser or within a PyMOL session.
      AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: IsoMIF Finder uses JSMOL (no java plugin
      required), is cross-browser and freely available at bcb.med.usherbrooke.ca/imfi.

PMID- 26504138
TI  - Enhanced Sucrose Loading Improves Rice Yield by Increasing Grain Size.
AB  - Yield in cereals is a function of grain number and size. Sucrose (Suc), the main
      carbohydrate product of photosynthesis in higher plants, is transported long
      distances from source leaves to sink organs such as seeds and roots. Here, we
      report that transgenic rice plants (Oryza sativa) expressing the Arabidopsis
      (Arabidopsis thaliana) phloem-specific Suc transporter (AtSUC2), which loads Suc
      into the phloem under control of the phloem protein2 promoter (pPP2), showed an
      increase in grain yield of up to 16% relative to wild-type plants in field
      trials. Compared with wild-type plants, pPP2::AtSUC2 plants had larger spikelet
      hulls and larger and heavier grains. Grain filling was accelerated in the
      transgenic plants, and more photoassimilate was transported from the leaves to
      the grain. In addition, microarray analyses revealed that carbohydrate, amino
      acid, and lipid metabolism was enhanced in the leaves and grain of pPP2::AtSUC2
      plants. Thus, enhancing Suc loading represents a promising strategy to improve
      rice yield to feed the global population.

PMID- 26504140
TI  - GenoWAP: GWAS signal prioritization through integrated analysis of genomic
      functional annotation.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Genome-wide association study (GWAS) has been a great success in the
      past decade. However, significant challenges still remain in both identifying new
      risk loci and interpreting results. Bonferroni-corrected significance level is
      known to be conservative, leading to insufficient statistical power when the
      effect size is moderate at risk locus. Complex structure of linkage
      disequilibrium also makes it challenging to separate causal variants from
      nonfunctional ones in large haplotype blocks. Under such circumstances, a
      computational approach that may increase signal replication rate and identify
      potential functional sites among correlated markers is urgently needed. RESULTS:
      We describe GenoWAP, a GWAS signal prioritization method that integrates genomic
      functional annotation and GWAS test statistics. The effectiveness of GenoWAP is
      demonstrated through its applications to Crohn's disease and schizophrenia using
      the largest studies available, where highly ranked loci show substantially
      stronger signals in the whole dataset after prioritization based on a subset of
      samples. At the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) level, top ranked SNPs after
      prioritization have both higher replication rates and consistently stronger
      enrichment of eQTLs. Within each risk locus, GenoWAP may be able to distinguish
      functional sites from groups of correlated SNPs. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION:
      GenoWAP is freely available on the web at http://genocanyon.med.yale.edu/GenoWAP.

PMID- 26504141
TI  - MT-HESS: an efficient Bayesian approach for simultaneous association detection in
      OMICS datasets, with application to eQTL mapping in multiple tissues.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Analysing the joint association between a large set of responses and
      predictors is a fundamental statistical task in integrative genomics, exemplified
      by numerous expression Quantitative Trait Loci (eQTL) studies. Of particular
      interest are the so-called ': hotspots ': , important genetic variants that
      regulate the expression of many genes. Recently, attention has focussed on
      whether eQTLs are common to several tissues, cell-types or, more generally,
      conditions or whether they are specific to a particular condition. RESULTS: We
      have implemented MT-HESS, a Bayesian hierarchical model that analyses the
      association between a large set of predictors, e.g. SNPs, and many responses,
      e.g. gene expression, in multiple tissues, cells or conditions. Our Bayesian
      sparse regression algorithm goes beyond ': one-at-a-time ': association tests
      between SNPs and responses and uses a fully multivariate model search across all
      linear combinations of SNPs, coupled with a model of the correlation between
      condition/tissue-specific responses. In addition, we use a hierarchical structure
      to leverage shared information across different genes, thus improving the
      detection of hotspots. We show the increase of power resulting from our new
      approach in an extensive simulation study. Our analysis of two case studies
      highlights new hotspots that would remain undetected by standard approaches and
      shows how greater prediction power can be achieved when several tissues are
      jointly considered. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: C[Formula: see text] source
      code and documentation including compilation instructions are available under GNU
      licence at http://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/software/.

PMID- 26504142
TI  - Pycellerator: an arrow-based reaction-like modelling language for biological
      simulations.
AB  - MOTIVATION: We introduce Pycellerator, a Python library for reading Cellerator
      arrow notation from standard text files, conversion to differential equations,
      generating stand-alone Python solvers, and optionally running and plotting the
      solutions. All of the original Cellerator arrows, which represent reactions
      ranging from mass action, Michales-Menten-Henri (MMH) and Gene-Regulation (GRN)
      to Monod-Wyman-Changeaux (MWC), user defined reactions and enzymatic expansions
      (KMech), were previously represented with the Mathematica extended character set.
      These are now typed as reaction-like commands in ASCII text files that are read
      by Pycellerator, which includes a Python command line interface (CLI), a Python
      application programming interface (API) and an iPython notebook interface.
      RESULTS: Cellerator reaction arrows are now input in text files. The arrows are
      parsed by Pycellerator and translated into differential equations in Python, and
      Python code is automatically generated to solve the system. Time courses are
      produced by executing the auto-generated Python code. Users have full freedom to
      modify the solver and utilize the complete set of standard Python tools. The new
      libraries are completely independent of the old Cellerator software and do not
      require Mathematica. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: All software is available
      (GPL) from the github repository at
      https://github.com/biomathman/pycellerator/releases. Details, including
      installation instructions and a glossary of acronyms and terms, are given in the
      Supplementary information.

PMID- 26504144
TI  - Graphical pan-genome analysis with compressed suffix trees and the Burrows
      Wheeler transform.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Low-cost genome sequencing gives unprecedented complete information
      about the genetic structure of populations, and a population graph captures the
      variations between many individuals of a population. Recently, Marcus et al.
      proposed to use a compressed de Bruijn graph for representing an entire
      population of genomes. They devised an O(n log g) time algorithm called splitMEM
      that constructs this graph directly (i.e. without using the uncompressed de
      Bruijn graph) based on a suffix tree, where n is the total length of the genomes
      and g is the length of the longest genome. Since the applicability of their
      algorithm is limited to rather small datasets, there is a strong need for space
      efficient construction algorithms. RESULTS: We present two algorithms that
      outperform splitMEM in theory and in practice. The first implements a novel
      linear-time suffix tree algorithm by means of a compressed suffix tree. The
      second algorithm uses the Burrows-Wheeler transform to build the compressed de
      Bruijn graph in [Formula: see text] time, where sigma is the size of the
      alphabet. To demonstrate the scalability of the algorithms, we applied it to
      seven human genomes. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: https://www.uni
      ulm.de/in/theo/research/seqana/.

PMID- 26504145
TI  - NMRe: a web server for NMR protein structure refinement with high-quality
      structure validation scores.
AB  - Protein structure refinement is a necessary step for the study of protein
      function. In particular, some nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structures are of
      lower quality than X-ray crystallographic structures. Here, we present NMRe, a
      web-based server for NMR structure refinement. The previously developed knowledge
      based energy function STAP (Statistical Torsion Angle Potential) was used for
      NMRe refinement. With STAP, NMRe provides two refinement protocols using two
      types of distance restraints. If a user provides NOE (Nuclear Overhauser Effect)
      data, the refinement is performed with the NOE distance restraints as a
      conventional NMR structure refinement. Additionally, NMRe generates NOE-like
      distance restraints based on the inter-hydrogen distances derived from the input
      structure. The efficiency of NMRe refinement was validated on 20 NMR structures.
      Most of the quality assessment scores of the refined NMR structures were better
      than those of the original structures. The refinement results are provided as a
      three-dimensional structure view, a secondary structure scheme, and numerical and
      graphical structure validation scores. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: NMRe is
      available at http://psb.kobic.re.kr/nmre/.

PMID- 26504143
TI  - PDID: database of molecular-level putative protein-drug interactions in the
      structural human proteome.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Many drugs interact with numerous proteins besides their intended
      therapeutic targets and a substantial portion of these interactions is yet to be
      elucidated. Protein-Drug Interaction Database (PDID) addresses incompleteness of
      these data by providing access to putative protein-drug interactions that cover
      the entire structural human proteome. RESULTS: PDID covers 9652 structures from
      3746 proteins and houses 16 800 putative interactions generated from close to 1.1
      million accurate, all-atom structure-based predictions for several dozens of
      popular drugs. The predictions were generated with three modern methods: ILbind,
      SMAP and eFindSite. They are accompanied by propensity scores that quantify
      likelihood of interactions and coordinates of the putative location of the
      binding drugs in the corresponding protein structures. PDID complements the
      current databases that focus on the curated interactions and the BioDrugScreen
      database that relies on docking to find putative interactions. Moreover, we also
      include experimentally curated interactions which are linked to their sources:
      DrugBank, BindingDB and Protein Data Bank. Our database can be used to facilitate
      studies related to polypharmacology of drugs including repurposing and explaining
      side effects of drugs. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: PDID database is freely
      available at http://biomine.ece.ualberta.ca/PDID/.

PMID- 26504146
TI  - DARA: a web server for rapid search of structural neighbours using solution small
      angle X-ray scattering data.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is an established method for
      studying biological macromolecules in solution, whereby the experimental
      scattering patterns relate to the quaternary and tertiary structure of the
      macromolecule. Here we present DARA, a web-server, that queries over 150 000
      scattering profiles pre-computed from the high resolution models of
      macromolecules and biological assemblies in the Protein Data Bank, to rapidly
      find nearest neighbours of a given experimental or theoretical SAXS pattern.
      Identification of the best scattering equivalents provides a straightforward and
      automated way of structural assessment of macromolecules based on a SAXS profile.
      DARA results are useful e.g. for fold recognition and finding of biologically
      active oligomers. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: http://dara.embl-hamburg.de/.

PMID- 26504147
TI  - Risk Prediction in Aortic Valve Replacement: Incremental Value of the
      Preoperative Echocardiogram.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Risk prediction is a critical step in patient selection for aortic
      valve replacement (AVR), yet existing risk scores incorporate very few
      echocardiographic parameters. We sought to evaluate the incremental predictive
      value of a complete echocardiogram to identify high-risk surgical candidates
      before AVR. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cohort of patients with severe aortic stenosis
      undergoing surgical AVR with or without coronary bypass was assembled at 2
      tertiary centers. Preoperative echocardiograms were reviewed by independent
      observers to quantify chamber size/function and valve function. Patient databases
      were queried to extract clinical data. The cohort consisted of 432 patients with
      a mean age of 73.5 years and 38.7% females. Multivariable logistic regression
      revealed 3 echocardiographic predictors of in-hospital mortality or major
      morbidity: E/e' ratio reflective of elevated left ventricular (LV) filling
      pressure; myocardial performance index reflective of right ventricular (RV)
      dysfunction; and small LV end-diastolic cavity size. Addition of these
      echocardiographic parameters to the STS risk score led to an integrated
      discrimination improvement of 4.1% (P<0.0001). After a median follow-up of 2
      years, Cox regression revealed 5 echocardiographic predictors of all-cause
      mortality: small LV end-diastolic cavity size; LV mass index; mitral
      regurgitation grade; right atrial area index; and mean aortic gradient <40 mm Hg.
      CONCLUSIONS: Echocardiographic measures of LV diastolic dysfunction and RV
      performance add incremental value to the STS risk score and should be integrated
      in prediction when evaluating the risk of AVR. In addition, findings of small
      hypertrophied LV cavities and/or low mean aortic gradients confer a higher risk
      of 2-year mortality.

PMID- 26504148
TI  - Oxylipid Profile of Low-Dose Aspirin Exposure: A Pharmacometabolomics Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While aspirin is a well-established and generally effective anti
      platelet agent, considerable inter-individual variation in drug response exists,
      for which mechanisms are not completely understood. Metabolomics allows for
      extensive measurement of small molecules in biological samples, enabling detailed
      mapping of pathways involved in drug response. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used a
      mass-spectrometry-based metabolomics platform to investigate the changes in the
      serum oxylipid metabolome induced by an aspirin intervention (14 days, 81 mg/day)
      in healthy subjects (n=156). We observed a global decrease in serum oxylipids in
      response to aspirin (25 metabolites decreased out of 30 measured) regardless of
      sex. This decrease was concomitant with a significant decrease in serum linoleic
      acid levels (-19%, P=1.3*10(-5)), one of the main precursors for oxylipid
      synthesis. Interestingly, several linoleic acid-derived oxylipids were not
      significantly associated with arachidonic-induced ex vivo platelet aggregation, a
      widely accepted marker of aspirin response, but were significantly correlated
      with platelet reactivity in response to collagen. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these
      results suggest that linoleic acid-derived oxylipids may contribute to the non
      COX1 mediated variability in response to aspirin. Pharmacometabolomics allowed
      for more comprehensive interrogation of mechanisms of action of low dose aspirin
      and of variation in aspirin response.

PMID- 26504149
TI  - Long-Term Prognostic Risk in Lower Extremity Peripheral Arterial Disease as a
      Function of the Number of Peripheral Arterial Lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) are known to
      have an increased risk of adverse prognosis, simple techniques to further risk
      stratify PAD patients would be clinically useful. A plausible but unexplored
      factor to predict such risk would be greater disease burden, manifested as
      multiple lower extremity lesions. The aim of this study was to examine the
      association between having multiple versus isolated lower extremity PAD lesions
      and long-term prognosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: A prospective cohort of 756 newly
      diagnosed PAD patients underwent duplex ultrasound testing to determine the
      number of lower extremity lesions. Cox regression models examined the independent
      association of lesion number (>=3 and 2 versus 1) and adverse prognosis (defined
      as a composite end point comprising first occurrence of either lower extremity
      amputation, admission for heart failure, nonfatal stroke, myocardial infarction,
      or unstable angina or mortality), adjusting for demographic and clinical risk
      factors. Analyses were replicated using an advanced Cox-based model for multiple
      events. A total of 173 patients (23%) had >=3 lesions, 197 (26%) had 2 lesions,
      and 386 (51%) had 1 lesion. After a median follow-up of 3.2 years, patients with
      >=3 lesions had an increased risk of experiencing a first adverse event (adjusted
      hazard ratio 1.60, 95% CI 1.08-2.38, P=0.020) and an increased risk of having
      multiple events (adjusted hazard ratio 1.53, 95% CI 1.08-2.18, P=0.018). Patients
      with 2 lesions had a prognosis similar to those with 1 lesion. CONCLUSIONS: Among
      PAD patients, a greater number of lesions is associated with an increased risk of
      an adverse prognosis over 3 years of follow-up. Assessing the number of lower
      extremity lesions might serve as a simple risk-stratification tool at initial PAD
      diagnosis.

PMID- 26504150
TI  - Incidence of Venous Thromboembolism and Benefits and Risks of Thromboprophylaxis
      After Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Optimal thromboprophylaxis after cardiac surgery is uncertain. This
      systematic review aimed to define the incidence and risk factors for deep vein
      thrombosis (DVT), fatal and nonfatal pulmonary embolism (PE), and assess whether
      venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis was effective in reducing VTE without
      complications after cardiac surgery. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two reviewers
      independently searched and assessed the quality and outcomes of randomized,
      controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies on VTE after cardiac surgery
      in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane controlled trial register (1966 to December
      2014). Sixty-eight studies provided data on VTE outcomes or complications related
      to thromboprophylaxis after cardiac surgery. The majority of the studies were
      observational studies (n=49), 16 studies were RCTs, and 3 were meta-analyses. VTE
      prophylaxis was associated with a reduced risk of PE (relative risk [RR], 0.45;
      95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28-0.72; P=0.0008) or symptomatic VTE (RR, 0.44;
      95% CI, 0.28-0.71; P=0.0006) compared to the control without significant
      heterogeneity. Median incidence (interquartile range) of symptomatic DVT, PE, and
      fatal PE were 3.2% (0.6-8.1), 0.6% (0.3-2.9), and 0.3% (0.08-1.7), respectively.
      Previous history of VTE, obesity, left or right ventricular failure, and
      prolonged bed rest, mechanical ventilation, or use of a central venous catheter
      were common risk factors for VTE. Bleeding or cardiac tamponade requiring
      reoperation owing to pharmacological VTE prophylaxis alone, without systemic
      anticoagulation, was not observed. CONCLUSIONS: Unless proven otherwise by
      adequately powered RCTs, initiating pharmacological VTE prophylaxis as soon as
      possible after cardiac surgery for patients who have no active bleeding is highly
      recommended.

PMID- 26504152
TI  - Short- and long-term benefits of lenalidomide treatment in patients with lower
      risk del(5q) myelodysplastic syndromes.
AB  - The treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) begins with
      assessment of karyotype and risk. Lenalidomide is approved for the treatment of
      patients who have transfusion-dependent anemia due to lower-risk MDS with
      chromosome 5q deletion (del(5q)) with or without additional cytogenetic
      abnormalities, and isolated del(5q) only in the European Union. Mounting evidence
      suggests that lenalidomide is effective not only in reducing red blood cell (RBC)
      transfusion burden, but also in modifying the disease natural history by
      suppressing the malignant clone. Data discussed here from the pivotal phase 2
      (MDS-003) and phase 3 (MDS-004) studies of lenalidomide demonstrate that
      lenalidomide treatment was associated with both short- and long-term benefits.
      These clinical benefits included high rates of RBC-transfusion independence (TI)
      with prolonged durations of response, high rates of cytogenetic response (CyR)
      associated with achievement of durable RBC-TI, no significant difference in rates
      of progression to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and improvements in health
      related quality of life (HRQOL). Achievement of RBC-TI and CyR with lenalidomide
      treatment was associated with extended survival and time to AML progression.
      Achievement of RBC-TI and hemoglobin response was additionally associated with
      HRQOL benefits. Recent data describing the impact of TP53 mutations and p53
      expression on the prognosis of patients with del(5q) and the impact on response
      to lenalidomide are also discussed. The authors provide practical recommendations
      for the use of lenalidomide in patients with lower-risk del(5q) MDS. 

PMID- 26504151
TI  - Breastfeeding and breast cancer risk by receptor status--a systematic review and
      meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breastfeeding is inversely associated with overall risk of breast
      cancer. This association may differ in breast cancer subtypes defined by receptor
      status, as they may reflect different mechanisms of carcinogenesis. We conducted
      a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control and prospective cohort
      studies to investigate the association between breastfeeding and breast cancer by
      estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth
      factor receptor 2 (HER2) status. DESIGN: We searched the PubMed and Scopus
      databases and bibliographies of pertinent articles to identify relevant articles
      and used random-effects models to calculate summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: This meta-analysis represents 27 distinct
      studies (8 cohort and 19 case-control), with a total of 36 881 breast cancer
      cases. Among parous women, the risk estimates for the association between ever
      (versus never) breastfeeding and the breast cancers negative for both ER and PR
      were similar in three cohort and three case-control studies when results were
      adjusted for several factors, including the number of full-term pregnancies
      (combined OR 0.90; 95% CI 0.82-0.99), with little heterogeneity and no indication
      of publication bias. In a subset of three adjusted studies that included ER, PR,
      and HER2 status, ever breastfeeding showed a stronger inverse association with
      triple-negative breast cancer (OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.66-0.91) among parous women.
      Overall, cohort studies showed no significant association between breastfeeding
      and ER+/PR+ or ER+ and/or PR+ breast cancers, although one and two studies (out
      of four and seven studies, respectively) showed an inverse association.
      CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis showed a protective effect of ever breastfeeding
      against hormone receptor-negative breast cancers, which are more common in
      younger women and generally have a poorer prognosis than other subtypes of breast
      cancer. The association between breastfeeding and receptor-positive breast
      cancers needs more investigation.

PMID- 26504153
TI  - Abiraterone acetate, exemestane or the combination in postmenopausal patients
      with estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Androgen receptor (AR) signaling and incomplete inhibition of
      estrogen signaling may contribute to metastatic breast cancer (MBC) resistance to
      a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor (NSAI; letrozole or anastrozole). We assessed
      whether combined inhibition of androgen biosynthesis with abiraterone acetate
      plus prednisone and estradiol synthesis with exemestane (E) may be of clinical
      benefit to postmenopausal patients with NSAI-pretreated estrogen receptor
      positive (ER+) MBC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients (N = 297) were stratified by
      the number of prior therapies for metastatic disease (0-1 versus 2) and by prior
      NSAI use (adjuvant versus metastatic), and randomized (1 : 1 : 1) to receive oral
      once daily 1000 mg abiraterone acetate plus 5 mg prednisone (AA) versus AA with
      25 mg E (AAE) versus 25 mg E alone (E). Each treatment arm was well balanced with
      regard to the proportion of patients with AR-positive breast cancer. The primary
      end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary end points included
      overall survival, clinical benefit rate, duration of response, and overall
      response rate. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in PFS with AA versus
      E (3.7 versus 3.7 months; hazard ratio [HR] = 1.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]
      0.82-1.60; P = 0.437) or AAE versus E (4.5 versus 3.7 months; HR = 0.96; 95% CI
      0.70-1.32; P = 0.794). Increased serum progesterone concentrations were observed
      in both arms receiving AA, but not with E. Grade 3 or 4 treatment-emergent
      adverse events associated with AA, including hypokalemia and hypertension, were
      less common in patients in the E (2.0% and 2.9%, respectively) and AA arms (3.4%
      and 1.1%, respectively) than in the AAE arm (5.8% for both). CONCLUSIONS: Adding
      AA to E in NSAI-pretreated ER+ MBC patients did not improve PFS compared with
      treatment with E. An AA-induced progesterone increase may have contributed to
      this lack of clinical activity. CLINICALTRIALSGOV: NCT01381874.

PMID- 26504154
TI  - Reproduction and development in Halocaridina rubra Holthuis, 1963 (Crustacea:
      Atyidae) clarifies larval ecology in the Hawaiian anchialine ecosystem.
AB  - Larvae in aquatic habitats often develop in environments different from those
      they inhabit as adults. Shrimp in the Atyidae exemplify this trend, as larvae of
      many species require salt or brackish water for development, while adults are
      freshwater-adapted. An exception within the Atyidae family is the "anchialine
      clade," which are euryhaline as adults and endemic to habitats with subterranean
      fresh and marine water influences. Although the Hawaiian anchialine atyid
      Halocaridina rubra is a strong osmoregulator, its larvae have never been observed
      in nature. Moreover, larval development in anchialine species is poorly studied.
      Here, reproductive trends in laboratory colonies over a 5-y period are presented
      from seven genetic lineages and one mixed population of H. rubra; larval
      survivorship under varying salinities is also discussed. The presence and number
      of larvae differed significantly among lineages, with the mixed population being
      the most prolific. Statistical differences in reproduction attributable to
      seasonality also were identified. Larval survivorship was lowest (12% settlement
      rate) at a salinity approaching fresh water and significantly higher in brackish
      and seawater (88% and 72%, respectively). Correlated with this finding,
      identifiable gills capable of ion transport did not develop until metamorphosis
      into juveniles. Thus, early life stages of H. rubra are apparently excluded from
      surface waters, which are characterized by lower and fluctuating salinities.
      Instead, these stages are restricted to the subterranean (where there is higher
      and more stable salinity) portion of Hawaii's anchialine habitats due to their
      inability to tolerate low salinities. Taken together, these data contribute to
      the understudied area of larval ecology in the anchialine ecosystem. 

PMID- 26504155
TI  - Ethogram analysis reveals new body patterning behavior of the tropical arrow
      squid Doryteuthis plei off the Sao Paulo Coast.
AB  - Squids can express several body patterns, aided by a variety of visual signals
      that are produced by chromatophore organs. However, for several squid species,
      body patterning behavior during reproductive activity is still not completely
      understood. For example, what are the specific patterning changes and other
      visual signals, how do they appear, and how long do they last? To test the
      hypothesis that distinct chromatic components appear at different durations on
      the skin of the tropical arrow squid Doryteuthis plei in the Southern Hemisphere,
      we identified and described its body patterning behavior. Specimen squids were
      obtained from off the South Brazil Bight, near the coast of the Sao Paulo shelf.
      Animals were maintained and monitored in circular tanks for 62 d over six
      observation periods, from 2011 through 2013. An ethogram was constructed showing
      19 chromatic, 5 locomotor, and 12 postural components, or body patterns,
      associated with reproductive behavior. New chromatic components (i.e., those not
      yet reported in the North Atlantic D. plei species), particularly those linked to
      female sexual maturity, were observed. A postural component, the "J-Posture,"
      linked to defenses and alarm, also was noted. The average time spent for "light"
      components was 32 s. The corresponding "dark" components had an average duration
      of 28 s. Females displayed the chromatic components related to calm behavior
      longer than males. However, males appeared to be more dedicated to disputes over
      resources, and used rapid, miscellaneous visual signaling. In conclusion, new
      basic types of body patterns are described for D. plei. The repertoire of
      chromatic components reported in the ethogram is, to our knowledge, the first
      record for D. plei of the Southern Hemisphere. 

PMID- 26504156
TI  - Tactical decisions for changeable cuttlefish camouflage: visual cues for choosing
      masquerade are relevant from a greater distance than visual cues used for
      background matching.
AB  - Cuttlefish use multiple camouflage tactics to evade their predators. Two common
      tactics are background matching (resembling the background to hinder detection)
      and masquerade (resembling an uninteresting or inanimate object to impede
      detection or recognition). We investigated how the distance and orientation of
      visual stimuli affected the choice of these two camouflage tactics. In the
      current experiments, cuttlefish were presented with three visual cues: 2D
      horizontal floor, 2D vertical wall, and 3D object. Each was placed at several
      distances: directly beneath (in a circle whose diameter was one body length (BL);
      at zero BL [(0BL); i.e., directly beside, but not beneath the cuttlefish]; at
      1BL; and at 2BL. Cuttlefish continued to respond to 3D visual cues from a greater
      distance than to a horizontal or vertical stimulus. It appears that background
      matching is chosen when visual cues are relevant only in the immediate benthic
      surroundings. However, for masquerade, objects located multiple body lengths away
      remained relevant for choice of camouflage. 

PMID- 26504157
TI  - Sound production in the aquatic isopod Cymodoce japonica (Crustacea: Peracarida).
AB  - A vast variety of acoustic behaviors and mechanisms occur in arthropods. Sound
      production, in particular, in insects and decapod crustaceans has been well
      documented. However, except for a brief, anecdotal statement, there has been no
      report on the acoustic behavior of aquatic isopods. We present the first
      empirical evidence in aquatic Isopoda that males of Cymodoce japonica produce
      sound by stridulation, or the rubbing together of body parts. Sound production
      was associated with tail-lifting behavior, suggesting that stridulation occurs on
      thoracic and/or abdominal somites. Acoustic analysis revealed that syllable
      length was similar throughout the stridulation, at a mode of 2500-3000 Hz. With a
      scanning electron microscope, we identified file-like structures on the inner
      surface of the dorsal exoskeleton. Each file consisted of 188 +/- 11.1 ridges at
      about 0.5 MUm intervals; the theoretical frequency (number of ridges per syllable
      length) was estimated to be 2208-3646 Hz. This finding suggests that the
      stridulation sounds arose from these structures. Laboratory observations show
      that stridulation may play a role in the threatening of other males in the
      context of territorial and/or reproductive competitions. 

PMID- 26504158
TI  - Functional consequences of the asymmetric architecture of the ctenophore
      statocyst.
AB  - Ctenophores, or comb jellies, are geotactic with a statocyst that controls the
      activity of the eight ciliary comb rows. If a ctenophore is tilted or displaced
      from a position of vertical balance, it rights itself by asymmetric frequencies
      of beating on the uppermost and lowermost comb rows, turning to swim up or down
      depending on its mood. I recently discovered that the statocyst of ctenophores
      has an asymmetric architecture related to the sagittal and tentacular planes
      along the oral-aboral axis. The four groups of pacemaker balancer cilia are
      arranged in a rectangle along the tentacular plane, and support a
      superellipsoidal statolith elongated in the tentacular plane. By controlled
      tilting of immobilized ctenophores in either body plane with video recording of
      activated comb rows, I found that higher beat frequencies occurred in the
      sagittal than in the tentacular plane at orthogonal orientations. Similar tilting
      experiments on isolated statocyst slices showed that statolith displacement due
      to gravity and the resulting deflection of the mechanoresponsive balancers are
      greater in the sagittal plane. Finally, tilting experiments on a mechanical model
      gave results similar to those of real statocysts, indicating that the geometric
      asymmetries of statolith design are sufficient to account for my findings. The
      asymmetric architecture of the ctenophore statocyst thus has functional
      consequences, but a possible adaptive value is not known. 

PMID- 26504159
TI  - Flexibility of crab chemosensory sensilla enables flicking antennules to sniff.
AB  - The first step in smelling is capture of odorant molecules from the surrounding
      fluid. We used lateral flagella of olfactory antennules of crabs Callinectes
      sapidus to study the physical process of odor capture by antennae bearing dense
      tufts of hair-like chemosensory sensilla (aesthetascs). Fluid flow around and
      through aesthetasc arrays on dynamically scaled models of lateral flagella of C.
      sapidus was measured by particle image velocimetry to determine how antennules
      sample the surrounding water when they flick. Models enabled separate evaluation
      of the effects of flicking speed, aesthetasc spacing, and antennule orientation.
      We found that crab antennules, like those of other malacostracan crustaceans,
      take a discrete water sample during each flick by having a rapid downstroke,
      during which water flows into the aesthetasc array, and a slow recovery stroke,
      when water is trapped in the array and odorants have time to diffuse to
      aesthetascs. However, unlike antennules of crustaceans with sparse aesthetasc
      arrays, crabs enhance sniffing via additional mechanisms: 1) Aesthetascs are
      flexible and splay as a result of the hydrodynamic drag during downstrokes, then
      clump together during return strokes; and 2) antennules flick with aesthetascs on
      the upstream side of the stalk during downstrokes, but are hidden downstream
      during return strokes. Aiming aesthetascs into ambient flow maintains sniffing.
      When gaps between aesthetascs are wide, changes in antennule speed are more
      effective at altering flow through the array than when gaps are narrow.
      Nonetheless, if crabs had fixed gap widths, their ability to take discrete
      samples of their odorant environment would be diminished. 

PMID- 26504160
TI  - Identification of unstimulated constitutive immunocytes, by enzyme
      histochemistry, in the coenenchyme of the octocoral Swiftia exserta.
AB  - Most animals rely on circulating hemocytes as cellular effectors of immunity.
      These cells traditionally have been characterized by morphology, function, and
      cellular contents. Morphological descriptions use granule differences and cell
      shapes; functional descriptions rely on phagocytic ability and oxygen transport;
      and cellular content descriptions include cytochemical features and key enzymes.
      Key enzymes used to identify phagocytes in tissues include hydrolytic enzymes,
      peroxidase, and--in invertebrates--phenoloxidase. Cnidaria such as Swiftia
      exserta lack a circulatory system, thereby complicating the identification of
      immune effector cells. As a first step in identifying immunocytes, this study
      focused on basic enzymes used during phagocytosis and encapsulation; both
      processes have been reported in octocorals such as S. exserta. Earlier work
      suggested that there are two populations of phagocytic cells: a constitutive
      population and an induced population following a trauma-associated challenge. To
      identify the constitutive immune effector cells in S. exserta in a nonactivated
      state, we used cryosections of unstimulated animals and the following enzymes to
      serve as identifying proxies due to their roles in phagocytosis and
      encapsulation: (1) acid phosphatase, (2) alkaline phosphatase, (3) non-specific
      esterase, (4) beta-glucuronidase, (5) peroxidase, and (6) phenoloxidase. Our
      results indicate that in unstimulated animals, two distinct cell populations
      could function as immunocytes. These cell types were differentiated by their
      enzyme reactivity and their location within the mesoglea of S. exserta, and have
      been described as either "oblong granular cells" or "granular amoebocytes." 

PMID- 26504161
TI  - A new species of Protodrilus (Annelida, Protodrilidae), covering bone surfaces
      bright red, in whale-fall ecosystems in the northwest Pacific.
AB  - There are unique ecosystems in the ocean that are driven by chemosynthesis. Whale
      fall communities are one of these reducing habitats, and many unknowns are left
      to be resolved to understand their uniqueness. A new species of the genus
      Protodrilus was discovered on the exposed bones of sperm whale carcasses found in
      the waters off Cape Nomamisaki in the northwest Pacific. Protodrilus puniceus sp.
      nov. was the most abundant annelid to be found on the 2.5-y-old carcasses; the
      exposed bone surfaces appeared bright red due to the coloration of the
      innumerable worms covering them. Closer inspection revealed that this species was
      found in the small pores of both the internal and external surfaces of the bones.
      P. puniceus shows simple morphology; it has paired palps and pygidial lobes, but
      no eyespots, nuchal organs, statocysts, or ciliary rings dorso-anteriorly-an
      exceptional finding in this group. A ventral ciliary band was conspicuous,
      extending over each segment of the animal. The male of the species possessed
      paired, separated lateral organs on segments 6-11; salivary glands were
      inconspicuous. From morphological, biological, and ecological characteristics, P.
      puniceus showed differences from the already known Protodrilus group of shallow
      interstitial inhabitants. P. puniceus is thought to be a unique deposit feeder,
      acquiring nutrients by adhering to organic substances from whale carcasses. This
      is the first description of this group to be found in the organically enriched
      whale-fall environments of the deep sea below 200 m and from Japanese waters.
      Information on a nuclear, 18S ribosomal RNA gene sequence is included. 

PMID- 26504162
TI  - Francesca Peri: Micromanaging the lives of microglia.

PMID- 26504163
TI  - MT1-MMP: Endosomal delivery drives breast cancer metastasis.
AB  - The membrane-tethered membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) mediates
      proteolysis-based invasive tumor growth. In this issue, Marchesin et al. (2015.
      J. Cell Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201506002) describe a tug-of-war
      mechanism regulating dynein and kinesin motors to drive endosome tubulation and
      MT1-MMP delivery to the surface of cancer cells, identifying a crucial regulatory
      axis for tumor metastasis. 

PMID- 26504165
TI  - Stable intronic sequence RNAs have possible regulatory roles in Drosophila
      melanogaster.
AB  - Stable intronic sequence RNAs (sisRNAs) have been found in Xenopus tropicalis,
      human cell lines, and Epstein-Barr virus; however, the biological significance of
      sisRNAs remains poorly understood. We identify sisRNAs in Drosophila melanogaster
      by deep sequencing, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and Northern
      blotting. We characterize a sisRNA (sisR-1) from the regena (rga) locus and show
      that it can be processed from the precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA). We also
      document a cis-natural antisense transcript (ASTR) from the rga locus, which is
      highly expressed in early embryos. During embryogenesis, ASTR promotes robust rga
      pre-mRNA expression. Interestingly, sisR-1 represses ASTR, with consequential
      effects on rga pre-mRNA expression. Our results suggest a model in which sisR-1
      modulates its host gene expression by repressing ASTR during embryogenesis. We
      propose that sisR-1 belongs to a class of sisRNAs with probable regulatory
      activities in Drosophila. 

PMID- 26504164
TI  - Tissue patterning and cellular mechanics.
AB  - In development, cells organize into biological tissues through cell growth,
      migration, and differentiation. Globally, this process is dictated by a
      genetically encoded program in which secreted morphogens and cell-cell
      interactions prompt the adoption of unique cell fates. Yet, at its lowest level,
      development is achieved through the modification of cell-cell adhesion and
      actomyosin-based contractility, which set the level of tension within cells and
      dictate how they pack together into tissues. The regulation of tension within
      individual cells and across large groups of cells is a major driving force of
      tissue organization and the basis of all cell shape change and cell movement in
      development. 

PMID- 26504166
TI  - ERO1-independent production of H2O2 within the endoplasmic reticulum fuels Prdx4
      mediated oxidative protein folding.
AB  - The endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized peroxiredoxin 4 (PRDX4) supports
      disulfide bond formation in eukaryotic cells lacking endoplasmic reticulum
      oxidase 1 (ERO1). The source of peroxide that fuels PRDX4-mediated disulfide bond
      formation has remained a mystery, because ERO1 is believed to be a major producer
      of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the ER lumen. We report on a simple kinetic
      technique to track H2O2 equilibration between cellular compartments, suggesting
      that the ER is relatively isolated from cytosolic or mitochondrial H2O2 pools.
      Furthermore, expression of an ER-adapted catalase to degrade lumenal H2O2
      attenuated PRDX4-mediated disulfide bond formation in cells lacking ERO1, whereas
      depletion of H2O2 in the cytosol or mitochondria had no similar effect. ER
      catalase did not effect the slow residual disulfide bond formation in cells
      lacking both ERO1 and PRDX4. These observations point to exploitation of a
      hitherto unrecognized lumenal source of H2O2 by PRDX4 and a parallel slow H2O2
      independent pathway for disulfide formation. 

PMID- 26504167
TI  - A conserved family of proteins facilitates nascent lipid droplet budding from the
      ER.
AB  - Lipid droplets (LDs) are found in all cells and play critical roles in lipid
      metabolism. De novo LD biogenesis occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) but is
      not well understood. We imaged early stages of LD biogenesis using electron
      microscopy and found that nascent LDs form lens-like structures that are in the
      ER membrane, raising the question of how these nascent LDs bud from the ER as
      they grow. We found that a conserved family of proteins, fat storage-inducing
      transmembrane (FIT) proteins, is required for proper budding of LDs from the ER.
      Elimination or reduction of FIT proteins in yeast and higher eukaryotes causes
      LDs to remain in the ER membrane. Deletion of the single FIT protein in
      Caenorhabditis elegans is lethal, suggesting that LD budding is an essential
      process in this organism. Our findings indicated that FIT proteins are necessary
      to promote budding of nascent LDs from the ER. 

PMID- 26504168
TI  - The periciliary ring in polarized epithelial cells is a hot spot for delivery of
      the apical protein gp135.
AB  - In polarized epithelial cells, newly synthesized cell surface proteins travel in
      carrier vesicles from the trans Golgi network to the apical or basolateral plasma
      membrane. Despite extensive research on polarized trafficking, the sites of
      protein delivery are not fully characterized. Here we use the SNAP tag system to
      examine the site of delivery of the apical glycoprotein gp135. We show that a
      cohort of gp135 is delivered to a ring surrounding the base of the primary
      cilium, followed by microtubule-dependent radial movement away from the cilium.
      Delivery to the periciliary ring was specific to newly synthesized and not
      recycling protein. A subset of this newly delivered protein traverses the
      basolateral membrane en route to the apical membrane. Crumbs3a, another apical
      protein, was not delivered to the periciliary region, instead making its initial
      apical appearance in a pattern that resembled its steady-state distribution. Our
      results demonstrate a surprising "hot spot" for gp135 protein delivery at the
      base of the primary cilium and suggest the existence of a novel microtubule-based
      directed movement of a subset of apical surface proteins. 

PMID- 26504170
TI  - ARF6-JIP3/4 regulate endosomal tubules for MT1-MMP exocytosis in cancer invasion.
AB  - Invasion of cancer cells into collagen-rich extracellular matrix requires
      membrane-tethered membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) as the key
      protease for collagen breakdown. Understanding how MT1-MMP is delivered to the
      surface of tumor cells is essential for cancer cell biology. In this study, we
      identify ARF6 together with c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase-interacting protein 3 and 4
      (JIP3 and JIP4) effectors as critical regulators of this process. Silencing ARF6
      or JIP3/JIP4 in breast tumor cells results in MT1-MMP endosome mispositioning and
      reduces MT1-MMP exocytosis and tumor cell invasion. JIPs are recruited by Wiskott
      Aldrich syndrome protein and scar homologue (WASH) on MT1-MMP endosomes on which
      they recruit dynein-dynactin and kinesin-1. The interaction of plasma membrane
      ARF6 with endosomal JIPs coordinates dynactin-dynein and kinesin-1 activity in a
      tug-of-war mechanism, leading to MT1-MMP endosome tubulation and exocytosis. In
      addition, we find that ARF6, MT1-MMP, and kinesin-1 are up-regulated in high
      grade triple-negative breast cancers. These data identify a critical ARF6-JIP-MT1
      MMP-dynein-dynactin-kinesin-1 axis promoting an invasive phenotype of breast
      cancer cells. 

PMID- 26504169
TI  - Microtubule plus end-associated CLIP-170 initiates HSV-1 retrograde transport in
      primary human cells.
AB  - Dynamic microtubules (MTs) continuously explore the intracellular environment
      and, through specialized plus end-tracking proteins (+TIPs), engage a variety of
      targets. However, the nature of cargoes that require +TIP-mediated capture for
      their movement on MTs remains poorly understood. Using RNA interference and
      dominant-negative approaches, combined with live cell imaging, we show that
      herpes simplex virus particles that have entered primary human cells exploit a
      +TIP complex comprising end-binding protein 1 (EB1), cytoplasmic linker protein
      170 (CLIP-170), and dynactin-1 (DCTN1) to initiate retrograde transport.
      Depletion of these +TIPs completely blocked post-entry long-range transport of
      virus particles and suppressed infection ~5,000-fold, whereas transferrin uptake,
      early endosome organization, and dynein-dependent movement of lysosomes and
      mitochondria remained unaffected. These findings provide the first insights into
      the earliest stages of viral engagement of MTs through specific +TIPs, akin to
      receptors, with therapeutic implications, and identify herpesvirus particles as
      one of a very limited number of cargoes absolutely dependent on CLIP-170-mediated
      capture to initiate transport in primary human cells. 

PMID- 26504171
TI  - The HIV-1 protein Vpr impairs phagosome maturation by controlling microtubule
      dependent trafficking.
AB  - Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) impairs major functions of
      macrophages but the molecular basis for this defect remains poorly characterized.
      Here, we show that macrophages infected with HIV-1 were unable to respond
      efficiently to phagocytic triggers and to clear bacteria. The maturation of
      phagosomes, defined by the presence of late endocytic markers, hydrolases, and
      reactive oxygen species, was perturbed in HIV-1-infected macrophages. We showed
      that maturation arrest occurred at the level of the EHD3/MICAL-L1 endosomal
      sorting machinery. Unexpectedly, we found that the regulatory viral protein (Vpr)
      was crucial to perturb phagosome maturation. Our data reveal that Vpr interacted
      with EB1, p150(Glued), and dynein heavy chain and was sufficient to critically
      alter the microtubule plus end localization of EB1 and p150(Glued), hence
      altering the centripetal movement of phagosomes and their maturation. Thus, we
      identify Vpr as a modulator of the microtubule-dependent endocytic trafficking in
      HIV-1-infected macrophages, leading to strong alterations in phagolysosome
      biogenesis. 

PMID- 26504172
TI  - Quality control of mitochondrial protein synthesis is required for membrane
      integrity and cell fitness.
AB  - Mitochondrial ribosomes synthesize a subset of hydrophobic proteins required for
      assembly of the oxidative phosphorylation complexes. This process requires
      temporal and spatial coordination and regulation, so quality control of
      mitochondrial protein synthesis is paramount to maintain proteostasis. We show
      how impaired turnover of de novo mitochondrial proteins leads to aberrant protein
      accumulation in the mitochondrial inner membrane. This creates a stress in the
      inner membrane that progressively dissipates the mitochondrial membrane
      potential, which in turn stalls mitochondrial protein synthesis and fragments the
      mitochondrial network. The mitochondrial m-AAA protease subunit AFG3L2 is
      critical to this surveillance mechanism that we propose acts as a sensor to
      couple the synthesis of mitochondrial proteins with organelle fitness, thus
      ensuring coordinated assembly of the oxidative phosphorylation complexes from two
      sets of ribosomes. 

PMID- 26504175
TI  - Perkins et al (J Infect Dis 2015; 212:578-84).

PMID- 26504174
TI  - Coordinated niche-associated signals promote germline homeostasis in the
      Drosophila ovary.
AB  - Stem cell niches provide localized signaling molecules to promote stem cell fate
      and to suppress differentiation. The Drosophila melanogaster ovarian niche is
      established by several types of stromal cells, including terminal filament cells,
      cap cells, and escort cells (ECs). Here, we show that, in addition to its well
      known function as a niche factor expressed in cap cells, the Drosophila
      transforming growth factor beta molecule Decapentaplegic (Dpp) is expressed at a
      low level in ECs to maintain a pool of partially differentiated germline cells
      that may dedifferentiate to replenish germline stem cells upon their depletion
      under normal and stress conditions. Our study further reveals that the Dpp level
      in ECs is modulated by Hedgehog (Hh) ligands, which originate from both cap cells
      and ECs. We also demonstrate that Hh signaling exerts its function by suppressing
      Janus kinase/signal transducer activity, which promotes Dpp expression in ECs.
      Collectively, our data suggest a complex interplay of niche-associated signals
      that controls the development of a stem cell lineage. 

PMID- 26504176
TI  - ApoA-I Milano stimulates lipolysis in adipose cells independently of cAMP/PKA
      activation.
AB  - ApoA-I, the main protein component of HDL, is suggested to be involved in
      metabolic homeostasis. We examined the effects of Milano, a naturally occurring
      ApoA-I variant, about which little mechanistic information is available.
      Remarkably, high-fat-fed mice treated with Milano displayed a rapid weight loss
      greater than ApoA-I WT treated mice, and a significantly reduced adipose tissue
      mass, without an inflammatory response. Further, lipolysis in adipose cells
      isolated from mice treated with either WT or Milano was increased. In primary rat
      adipose cells, Milano stimulated cholesterol efflux and increased glycerol
      release, independently of beta-adrenergic stimulation and phosphorylation of
      hormone sensitive lipase (Ser563) and perilipin (Ser522). Stimulation with Milano
      had a significantly greater effect on glycerol release compared with WT but
      similar effect on cholesterol efflux. Pharmacological inhibition or siRNA
      silencing of ABCA1 did not diminish Milano-stimulated lipolysis, although binding
      to the cell surface was decreased, as analyzed by fluorescence microscopy.
      Interestingly, methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, a well-described cholesterol acceptor,
      dose-dependently stimulated lipolysis. Together, these results suggest that
      decreased fat mass and increased lipolysis following Milano treatment in vivo is
      partly explained by a novel mechanism at the adipose cell level comprising
      stimulation of lipolysis independently of the canonical cAMP/protein kinase A
      signaling pathway.

PMID- 26504177
TI  - Predicting complications with pretreatment testing in infantile haemangioma
      treated with oral propranolol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Since 2008, orally administered propranolol has rapidly gained
      acceptance as the preferred therapy for haemangiomas, and is usually initiated by
      ophthalmologists, dermatologists or plastic surgeons who do not routinely use
      propranolol for any other indication. During the initial years when experience
      was limited, most healthcare professionals justifiably adopted a cautious
      approach when initiating and monitoring treatment. A consensus recommendation
      from the American Society of Dermatologists suggests routine observation,
      monitoring and cardiology assessments prior to propranolol initiation. AIM: This
      study aims to analyse treatment initiation in a large tertiary children's
      hospital and investigate the value of pretreatment testing in predicting commonly
      seen adverse reactions of propranolol. METHOD: 104 eligible patients treated
      between January 2009 and July 2012 were included. All patients underwent
      pretesting either with protocol A (administration of test dose with routine
      observations) or protocol B (cardiology clinic assessment, including two
      dimensional echocardiography without test dose). RESULTS: 38.5% (40/104) of
      patients developed adverse reactions during treatment; however, there were no
      severe or life-threatening reactions. Protocol A has a sensitivity of 0 (95% CI 0
      to 0.17) and specificity of 0.95 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.99). Protocol B has a
      sensitivity of 0.07 (95% CI 0 to 0.34) and specificity of 0.86 (95% CI 0.63 to
      0.96). CONCLUSIONS: The predictive values of both protocols for the commonly
      observed adverse reactions are low. In this series, there is no evidence to
      suggest that routine pretreatment testing before propranolol initiation is of any
      value in otherwise healthy children.

PMID- 26504178
TI  - Prevalence and clinical correlates of focal choroidal excavation in eyes with age
      related macular degeneration, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy and central
      serous chorioretinopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the prevalence and clinical characteristics of focal
      choroidal excavation (FCE) in patients with exudative maculopathy due to age
      related macular degeneration with choroidal neovascularisation (AMD-CNV),
      polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) and central serous chorioretinopathy
      (CSC). METHODS: Three hundred and forty-three patients (343 presenting eyes and
      255 fellow unaffected eyes) from consecutive patients presenting with untreated
      AMD-CNV, PCV or CSC are prospectively recruited. Two independent retinal
      specialists masked to the clinical diagnosis graded the presence of FCE by
      examining the findings from spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD
      OCT). The frequency and clinical characteristics of FCE in each of the three
      clinical diagnosis groups were compared. RESULTS: The diagnosis in the presenting
      eye was AMD-CNV in 92 patients, PCV in 149 patients, retinal angiomatous
      proliferation (RAP) in 3 patients and CSC in 99 patients; 255 fellow eyes free of
      clinical diseases were also graded. The prevalence of FCE was 2.3% (total 14
      eyes; 10 presenting eyes, 4 fellow eyes) out of 598 eyes examined. In presenting
      eyes, FCE was most prevalent in PCV (6.0%), followed by AMD-CNV (1.0%) and CSC
      (0%), p=0.02. In fellow eyes, the prevalence of FCE was 2.9%, 0% and 1.2% in
      patients with PCV, AMD-CNV and CSC, respectively. Eyes with FCE had a
      significantly longer axial length (24.93+/-1.65 mm vs 23.49+/-1.10 mm, p<0.001),
      but otherwise, all other characteristics were similar. CONCLUSIONS: FCE is more
      common in PCV than AMD-CNV and CSC. Disturbance in the choroid/retinal pigment
      epithelium/Bruch membrane interface affected by FCE may be linked to the
      pathogenesis of PCV and AMD-CNV.

PMID- 26504173
TI  - Synaptopodin couples epithelial contractility to alpha-actinin-4-dependent
      junction maturation.
AB  - The epithelial junction experiences mechanical force exerted by endogenous
      actomyosin activities and from interactions with neighboring cells. We
      hypothesize that tension generated at cell-cell adhesive contacts contributes to
      the maturation and assembly of the junctional complex. To test our hypothesis, we
      used a hydraulic apparatus that can apply mechanical force to intercellular
      junction in a confluent monolayer of cells. We found that mechanical force
      induces alpha-actinin-4 and actin accumulation at the cell junction in a time-
      and tension-dependent manner during junction development. Intercellular tension
      also induces alpha-actinin-4-dependent recruitment of vinculin to the cell
      junction. In addition, we have identified a tension-sensitive upstream regulator
      of alpha-actinin-4 as synaptopodin. Synaptopodin forms a complex containing alpha
      actinin-4 and beta-catenin and interacts with myosin II, indicating that it can
      physically link adhesion molecules to the cellular contractile apparatus.
      Synaptopodin depletion prevents junctional accumulation of alpha-actinin-4,
      vinculin, and actin. Knockdown of synaptopodin and alpha-actinin-4 decreases the
      strength of cell-cell adhesion, reduces the monolayer permeability barrier, and
      compromises cellular contractility. Our findings underscore the complexity of
      junction development and implicate a control process via tension-induced
      sequential incorporation of junctional components. 

PMID- 26504179
TI  - Correlation between peripapillary retinal thickness and serum level of vascular
      endothelial growth factor in patients with POEMS syndrome.
AB  - AIMS: To determine whether there is a significant correlation between the
      peripapillary retinal thickness (pRT) and the serum level of vascular endothelial
      growth factor (VEGF) in patients with polyneuropathy, organomegaly,
      endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome. METHODS:
      This was a cross-sectional, observational case series. We studied 34 eyes of 17
      treatment-naive patients with POEMS syndrome whose intracranial pressure was
      within the normal range. The spectral-domain optical coherence tomographic (SD
      OCT) examinations consisted of circle scans of 3.45 mm diameter around the optic
      disc. The pRT was automatically measured in the SD-OCT images and was used for
      the statistical analysis. The serum level of VEGF was measured by ELISAs, and the
      correlation between the pRT and the serum level of VEGF was determined.
      Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent
      factors that were correlated with the pRT. RESULTS: There was a significant
      positive correlation between the serum levels of VEGF and the average pRT of the
      two eyes of each patient (r=0.81, p<0.0001). There was a significant correlation
      between the pRT of the right and left eyes with an intraclass correlation
      coefficient of 0.839. Multiple regression analysis showed that the serum levels
      of VEGF were independent contributors to the pRT (standard regression
      coefficient=0.59, p=0.012). CONCLUSIONS: The significant correlation between the
      pRT and the serum level of VEGF suggests that the higher serum level of VEGF
      might be associated with the development of the optic disc oedema in patients
      with POEMS syndrome.

PMID- 26504180
TI  - Biological variation in musculoskeletal injuries: current knowledge, future
      research and practical implications.
AB  - Evidence from familial and genetic association studies have reported that DNA
      sequence variants play an important role, together with non-genetic factors, in
      the aetiology of both exercise-associated and occupational-associated acute and
      chronic musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries. The associated variants, which have
      been identified to date, may contribute to the interindividual variation in the
      structure and, by implication, mechanical properties of the collagen fibril and
      surrounding matrix within musculoskeletal soft tissues, as well as their response
      to mechanical loading and other stimuli. Future work should focus on the
      establishment of multidisciplinary international consortia for the identification
      of biologically relevant variants involved in modulating injury risk. These
      consortia will improve the limitations of the published hypothesis-driven genetic
      association studies, since they will allow resources to be pooled in recruiting
      large well-characterised cohorts required for whole-genome screening. Finally,
      clinicians and coaches need to be aware that many direct-to-consumer companies
      are currently marketing genetic tests directly to athletes without it being
      requested by an appropriately qualified healthcare professional, and without
      interpretation alongside other clinical indicators or lifestyle factors. These
      specific genetic tests are premature and are not necessarily required to evaluate
      susceptibility to musculoskeletal soft tissue injury. Current practice should
      rather consider susceptibility through known risk factors such as a positive
      family history of a specific injury, a history of other tendon and/or ligament
      injuries and participation in activities associated with the specific
      musculoskeletal injuries. Potential susceptible athletes may then be individually
      managed to reduce their risk profile. 

PMID- 26504181
TI  - What is the role of 3 T MRI in sports medicine? Revisiting the marriage after the
      honeymoon.

PMID- 26504182
TI  - Sirolimus is effective in relapsed/refractory autoimmune cytopenias: results of a
      prospective multi-institutional trial.
AB  - Patients with autoimmune multilineage cytopenias are often refractory to standard
      therapies requiring chronic immunosuppression with medications with limited
      efficacy and high toxicity. We present data on 30 patients treated on a
      multicenter prospective clinical trial using sirolimus as monotherapy. All
      children (N = 12) with autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) achieved a
      durable complete response (CR), including rapid improvement in autoimmune
      disease, lymphadenopathy, and splenomegaly within 1 to 3 months of starting
      sirolimus. Double-negative T cells were no longer detectable in most, yet other
      lymphocyte populations were spared, suggesting a targeted effect of sirolimus. We
      also treated 12 patients with multilineage cytopenias secondary to common
      variable immunodeficiency (CVID), Evans syndrome (ES), or systemic lupus
      erythematosus (SLE), and most achieved a CR (N = 8), although the time to CR was
      often slower than was seen in ALPS. Six children with single-lineage autoimmune
      cytopenias were treated and only 2 responded. Sirolimus was well tolerated with
      very few side effects. All of the responding patients have remained on therapy
      for over 1 year (median, 2 years; range, 1 to 4.5 years). In summary, sirolimus
      led to CR and durable responses in a majority of children with refractory
      multilineage autoimmune cytopenias. The responses seen in ALPS patients were
      profound, suggesting that sirolimus should be considered as a first-line, steroid
      sparing treatment of patients needing chronic therapy. The results in other
      multilineage autoimmune cytopenia cohorts were encouraging, and sirolimus should
      be considered in children with SLE, ES, and CVID. This trial was registered at
      www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00392951. 

PMID- 26504184
TI  - Ferric chloride thrombosis model: unraveling the vascular effects of a highly
      corrosive oxidant.

PMID- 26504185
TI  - Doctor manipulated hospital system for four years to abuse boys, investigation
      finds.

PMID- 26504183
TI  - Primary antifungal prophylaxis during curative-intent therapy for acute myeloid
      leukemia.

PMID- 26504186
TI  - Reduction in climate pollutants could save five million lives a year, WHO report
      says.

PMID- 26504187
TI  - REBECA: a phase I study of bevacizumab and whole-brain radiation therapy for the
      treatment of brain metastasis from solid tumours.

PMID- 26504188
TI  - World Stroke Day Proclamation 2015: Call to Preserve Cognitive Vitality.

PMID- 26504189
TI  - Stroke and Potentially Preventable Dementias Proclamation: Updated World Stroke
      Day Proclamation.

PMID- 26504191
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26504192
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26504193
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26504194
TI  - Embracing social media.

PMID- 26504195
TI  - Obese individuals experience wheezing without asthma but not asthma without
      wheezing: a Mendelian randomisation study of 85,437 adults from the Copenhagen
      General Population Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Observational studies suggest that obesity is associated with
      increased risk of asthma. However, it is unknown whether this could be explained
      by wheezing. We tested the hypothesis that high body mass index (BMI)
      observationally and genetically is associated with high risk of wheezing and
      asthma, and that the association between high BMI and asthma is explained by
      wheezing. METHODS: We genotyped 85,437 individuals aged 20-100 years from the
      Copenhagen General Population Study for FTO (rs9939609), MC4R (rs17782313),
      TMEM18 (rs6548238) GNPDA2 (rs10938397) and BDNF (rs10767664); 14,500 individuals
      experienced wheezing and 5406 had asthma. Wheezing was self-reported, and asthma
      was ascertained through self-report, hospital contacts with asthma, and/or
      receiving medication for asthma. BMI was calculated as measured weight divided by
      measured height squared (kg/m2). RESULTS: In observational analyses versus BMI of
      18.5-22.4 kg/m2, ORs for wheezing were 1.23 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.52) for BMI <18.5
      kg/m2, 1.17 (1.10 to 1.25) for 22.5-24.9 kg/m2, 1.44 (1.35 to 1.54) for 25-27.4
      kg/m2, 1.86 (1.73 to 1.99) for 27.5-29.9 kg/m2, 2.48 (2.31 to 2.66) for 30-34.9
      kg/m(2), 3.86 (3.48 to 4.28) for 35-39.9 kg/m2 and 6.05 (5.12 to 7.14) for BMI
      >=40 kg/m2. Corresponding ORs for asthma were 1.28 (0.95 to 1.74), 1.07 (0.97 to
      1.17), 1.14 (1.04 to 1.25), 1.32 (1.20 to 1.46), 1.39 (1.25 to 1.54), 1.54 (1.31
      to 1.81) and 1.99 (1.55 to 2.56), respectively. Compared with BMI allele score 0
      4, scores 5, 6 and 7-10 were associated with 0.22, 0.51 and 0.76 kg/m2 higher
      BMI, respectively. Genetically determined ORs per unit higher BMI were 1.22 (1.15
      to 1.31) for wheezing, 1.18 (1.10 to 1.27) for wheezing without asthma, 1.08
      (0.98 to 1.19) for asthma, and 0.85 (0.73 to 0.99) for asthma without wheezing.
      Corresponding observational ORs were 1.09 (1.09 to 1.10), 1.09 (1.08 to 1.09),
      1.03 (1.03 to 1.04) and 0.99 (0.98 to 1.00), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: High BMI
      was associated with high risk of wheezing without asthma, but not with high risk
      of asthma without wheezing.

PMID- 26504196
TI  - Cryo-EM structures elucidate neutralizing mechanisms of anti-chikungunya human
      monoclonal antibodies with therapeutic activity.
AB  - Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that causes severe
      acute and chronic disease in humans. Although highly inhibitory murine and human
      monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been generated, the structural basis of their
      neutralizing activity remains poorly characterized. Here, we determined the cryo
      EM structures of chikungunya virus-like particles complexed with antibody
      fragments (Fab) of two highly protective human mAbs, 4J21 and 5M16, that block
      virus fusion with host membranes. Both mAbs bind primarily to sites within the A
      and B domains, as well as to the B domain's beta-ribbon connector of the viral
      glycoprotein E2. The footprints of these antibodies on the viral surface were
      consistent with results from loss-of-binding studies using an alanine scanning
      mutagenesis-based epitope mapping approach. The Fab fragments stabilized the
      position of the B domain relative to the virus, particularly for the complex with
      5M16. This finding is consistent with a mechanism of neutralization in which anti
      CHIKV mAbs that bridge the A and B domains impede movement of the B domain away
      from the underlying fusion loop on the E1 glycoprotein and therefore block the
      requisite pH-dependent fusion of viral and host membranes. 

PMID- 26504197
TI  - Virus-mimetic nanovesicles as a versatile antigen-delivery system.
AB  - It is a critically important challenge to rapidly design effective vaccines to
      reduce the morbidity and mortality of unexpected pandemics. Inspired from the way
      that most enveloped viruses hijack a host cell membrane and subsequently release
      by a budding process that requires cell membrane scission, we genetically
      engineered viral antigen to harbor into cell membrane, then form uniform
      spherical virus-mimetic nanovesicles (VMVs) that resemble natural virus in size,
      shape, and specific immunogenicity with the help of surfactants. Incubation of
      major cell membrane vesicles with surfactants generates a large amount of nano
      sized uniform VMVs displaying the native conformational epitopes. With the
      diverse display of epitopes and viral envelope glycoproteins that can be
      functionally anchored onto VMVs, we demonstrate VMVs to be straightforward,
      robust and tunable nanobiotechnology platforms for fabricating antigen delivery
      systems against a wide range of enveloped viruses. 

PMID- 26504198
TI  - Why significant variables aren't automatically good predictors.
AB  - Thus far, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been disappointing in the
      inability of investigators to use the results of identified, statistically
      significant variants in complex diseases to make predictions useful for
      personalized medicine. Why are significant variables not leading to good
      prediction of outcomes? We point out that this problem is prevalent in simple as
      well as complex data, in the sciences as well as the social sciences. We offer a
      brief explanation and some statistical insights on why higher significance cannot
      automatically imply stronger predictivity and illustrate through simulations and
      a real breast cancer example. We also demonstrate that highly predictive
      variables do not necessarily appear as highly significant, thus evading the
      researcher using significance-based methods. We point out that what makes
      variables good for prediction versus significance depends on different properties
      of the underlying distributions. If prediction is the goal, we must lay aside
      significance as the only selection standard. We suggest that progress in
      prediction requires efforts toward a new research agenda of searching for a novel
      criterion to retrieve highly predictive variables rather than highly significant
      variables. We offer an alternative approach that was not designed for
      significance, the partition retention method, which was very effective predicting
      on a long-studied breast cancer data set, by reducing the classification error
      rate from 30% to 8%. 

PMID- 26504199
TI  - Uterine endoplasmic reticulum stress-unfolded protein response regulation of
      gestational length is caspase-3 and -7-dependent.
AB  - We previously identified myometrial caspase-3 (CASP3) as a potential regulator of
      uterine quiescence. We also determined that during pregnancy, the functional
      activation of uterine CASP3 is likely governed by an integrated endoplasmic
      reticulum stress response (ERSR) and is consequently limited by an increased
      unfolded protein response (UPR). The present study examined the functional
      relevance of uterine UPR-ERSR in maintaining myometrial quiescence and regulating
      the timing of parturition. In vitro analysis of the human uterine myocyte hTERT
      HM cell line revealed that tunicamycin (TM)-induced ERSR modified uterine myocyte
      contractile responsiveness. Accordingly, alteration of in vivo uterine UPR-ERSR
      using a pregnant mouse model significantly modified gestational length. We
      determined that "normal" gestational activation of the ERSR-induced CASP3 and
      caspase 7 (CASP7) maintains uterine quiescence through previously unidentified
      proteolytic targeting of the gap junction protein, alpha 1(GJA1); however,
      surprisingly, TM-induced uterine ERSR triggered an exaggerated UPR that
      eliminated uterine CASP3 and 7 tocolytic action precociously. These events
      allowed for a premature increase in myometrial GJA1 levels, elevated contractile
      responsiveness, and the onset of preterm labor. Importantly, a successful
      reversal of the magnified ERSR-induced preterm birth phenotype could be achieved
      by pretreatment with 4-phenylbutrate, a chaperone protein mimic. 

PMID- 26504200
TI  - Novel plasticity rule can explain the development of sensorimotor intelligence.
AB  - Grounding autonomous behavior in the nervous system is a fundamental challenge
      for neuroscience. In particular, self-organized behavioral development provides
      more questions than answers. Are there special functional units for curiosity,
      motivation, and creativity? This paper argues that these features can be grounded
      in synaptic plasticity itself, without requiring any higher-level constructs. We
      propose differential extrinsic plasticity (DEP) as a new synaptic rule for self
      learning systems and apply it to a number of complex robotic systems as a test
      case. Without specifying any purpose or goal, seemingly purposeful and adaptive
      rhythmic behavior is developed, displaying a certain level of sensorimotor
      intelligence. These surprising results require no system-specific modifications
      of the DEP rule. They rather arise from the underlying mechanism of spontaneous
      symmetry breaking, which is due to the tight brain body environment coupling. The
      new synaptic rule is biologically plausible and would be an interesting target
      for neurobiological investigation. We also argue that this neuronal mechanism may
      have been a catalyst in natural evolution. 

PMID- 26504201
TI  - Impacts of high-latitude volcanic eruptions on ENSO and AMOC.
AB  - Large volcanic eruptions can have major impacts on global climate, affecting both
      atmospheric and ocean circulation through changes in atmospheric chemical
      composition and optical properties. The residence time of volcanic aerosol from
      strong eruptions is roughly 2-3 y. Attention has consequently focused on their
      short-term impacts, whereas the long-term, ocean-mediated response has not been
      well studied. Most studies have focused on tropical eruptions; high-latitude
      eruptions have drawn less attention because their impacts are thought to be
      merely hemispheric rather than global. No study to date has investigated the long
      term effects of high-latitude eruptions. Here, we use a climate model to show
      that large summer high-latitude eruptions in the Northern Hemisphere cause strong
      hemispheric cooling, which could induce an El Nino-like anomaly, in the
      equatorial Pacific during the first 8-9 mo after the start of the eruption. The
      hemispherically asymmetric cooling shifts the Intertropical Convergence Zone
      southward, triggering a weakening of the trade winds over the western and central
      equatorial Pacific that favors the development of an El Nino-like anomaly. In the
      model used here, the specified high-latitude eruption also leads to a
      strengthening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) in the
      first 25 y after the eruption, followed by a weakening lasting at least 35 y. The
      long-lived changes in the AMOC strength also alter the variability of the El Nino
      Southern Oscillation (ENSO). 

PMID- 26504202
TI  - College football, elections, and false-positive results in observational
      research.
AB  - A recent, widely cited study [Healy AJ, Malhotra N, Mo CH (2010) Proc Natl Acad
      Sci USA 107(29):12804-12809] finds that college football games influence voting
      behavior. Victories within 2 weeks of an election reportedly increase the success
      of the incumbent party in presidential, senatorial, and gubernatorial elections
      in the home county of the team. We reassess the evidence and conclude that there
      is likely no such effect, despite the fact that Healy et al. followed the best
      practices in social science and used a credible research design. Multiple
      independent sources of evidence suggest that the original finding was spurious
      reflecting bad luck for researchers rather than a shortcoming of American voters.
      We fail to estimate the same effect when we leverage situations where multiple
      elections with differing incumbent parties occur in the same county and year. We
      also find that the purported effect of college football games is stronger in
      counties where people are less interested in college football, just as strong
      when the incumbent candidate does not run for reelection, and just as strong in
      other parts of the state outside the home county of the team. Lastly, we detect
      no effect of National Football League games on elections, despite their greater
      popularity. We conclude with recommendations for evaluating surprising research
      findings and avoiding similar false-positive results. 

PMID- 26504204
TI  - Correction for Liu et al., Direct evidence that suspensor cells have embryogenic
      potential that is suppressed by the embryo proper during normal embryogenesis.

PMID- 26504203
TI  - Semisynthetic protein nanoreactor for single-molecule chemistry.
AB  - The covalent chemistry of individual reactants bound within a protein pore can be
      monitored by observing the ionic current flow through the pore, which acts as a
      nanoreactor responding to bond-making and bond-breaking events. In the present
      work, we incorporated an unnatural amino acid into the alpha-hemolysin (alphaHL)
      pore by using solid-phase peptide synthesis to make the central segment of the
      polypeptide chain, which forms the transmembrane beta-barrel of the assembled
      heptamer. The full-length alphaHL monomer was obtained by native chemical
      ligation of the central synthetic peptide to flanking recombinant polypeptides.
      alphaHL pores with one semisynthetic subunit were then used as nanoreactors for
      single-molecule chemistry. By introducing an amino acid with a terminal alkyne
      group, we were able to visualize click chemistry at the single-molecule level,
      which revealed a long-lived (4.5-s) reaction intermediate. Additional side chains
      might be introduced in a similar fashion, thereby greatly expanding the range of
      single-molecule covalent chemistry that can be investigated by the nanoreactor
      approach. 

PMID- 26504205
TI  - Test of Martin's overkill hypothesis using radiocarbon dates on extinct
      megafauna.
AB  - Following Martin [Martin PS (1973) Science 179:969-974], we propose the
      hypothesis that the timing of human arrival to the New World can be assessed by
      examining the ecological impacts of a small population of people on extinct
      Pleistocene megafauna. To that end, we compiled lists of direct radiocarbon dates
      on paleontological specimens of extinct genera from North and South America with
      the expectation that the initial decline of extinct megafauna should correspond
      in time with the initial evidence for human colonization and that those declines
      should occur first in eastern Beringia, next in the contiguous United States, and
      last in South America. Analyses of spacings and frequency distributions of
      radiocarbon dates for each region support the idea that the extinction event
      first commenced in Beringia, roughly 13,300-15,000 BP. For the United States and
      South America, extinctions commenced considerably later but were closely spaced
      in time. For the contiguous United States, extinction began at ca. 12,900-13,200
      BP, and at ca. 12,600-13,900 BP in South America. For areas south of Beringia,
      these estimates correspond well with the first significant evidence for human
      presence and are consistent with the predictions of the overkill hypothesis. 

PMID- 26504207
TI  - Correction for Song et al., Resolving conflict in eutherian mammal phylogeny
      using phylogenomics and the multispecies coalescent model.

PMID- 26504206
TI  - Effects of pressure on the dynamics of an oligomeric protein from deep-sea
      hyperthermophile.
AB  - Inorganic pyrophosphatase (IPPase) from Thermococcus thioreducens is a large
      oligomeric protein derived from a hyperthermophilic microorganism that is found
      near hydrothermal vents deep under the sea, where the pressure is up to 100 MPa
      (1 kbar). It has attracted great interest in biophysical research because of its
      high activity under extreme conditions in the seabed. In this study, we use the
      quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) technique to investigate the effects of
      pressure on the conformational flexibility and relaxation dynamics of IPPase over
      a wide temperature range. The beta-relaxation dynamics of proteins was studied in
      the time ranges from 2 to 25 ps, and from 100 ps to 2 ns, using two
      spectrometers. Our results indicate that, under a pressure of 100 MPa, close to
      that of the native environment deep under the sea, IPPase displays much faster
      relaxation dynamics than a mesophilic model protein, hen egg white lysozyme
      (HEWL), at all measured temperatures, opposite to what we observed previously
      under ambient pressure. This contradictory observation provides evidence that the
      protein energy landscape is distorted by high pressure, which is significantly
      different for hyperthermophilic (IPPase) and mesophilic (HEWL) proteins. We
      further derive from our observations a schematic denaturation phase diagram
      together with energy landscapes for the two very different proteins, which can be
      used as a general picture to understand the dynamical properties of thermophilic
      proteins under pressure. 

PMID- 26504208
TI  - Interatomic repulsion softness directly controls the fragility of supercooled
      metallic melts.
AB  - We present an analytic scheme to connect the fragility and viscoelasticity of
      metallic glasses to the effective ion-ion interaction in the metal. This is
      achieved by an approximation of the short-range repulsive part of the
      interaction, combined with nonaffine lattice dynamics to obtain analytical
      expressions for the shear modulus, viscosity, and fragility in terms of the ion
      ion interaction. By fitting the theoretical model to experimental data, we are
      able to link the steepness of the interionic repulsion to the Thomas-Fermi
      screened Coulomb repulsion and to the Born-Mayer valence electron overlap
      repulsion for various alloys. The result is a simple closed-form expression for
      the fragility of the supercooled liquid metal in terms of few crucial atomic
      scale interaction and anharmonicity parameters. In particular, a linear
      relationship is found between the fragility and the energy scales of both the
      screened Coulomb and the electron overlap repulsions. This relationship opens up
      opportunities to fabricate alloys with tailored thermoelasticity and fragility by
      rationally tuning the chemical composition of the alloy according to general
      principles. The analysis presented here brings a new way of looking at the link
      between the outer shell electronic structure of metals and metalloids and the
      viscoelasticity and fragility thereof. 

PMID- 26504210
TI  - Atlantic hurricane surge response to geoengineering.
AB  - Devastating floods due to Atlantic hurricanes are relatively rare events.
      However, the frequency of the most intense storms is likely to increase with
      rises in sea surface temperatures. Geoengineering by stratospheric sulfate
      aerosol injection cools the tropics relative to the polar regions, including the
      hurricane Main Development Region in the Atlantic, suggesting that geoengineering
      may mitigate hurricanes. We examine this hypothesis using eight earth system
      model simulations of climate under the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison
      Project (GeoMIP) G3 and G4 schemes that use stratospheric aerosols to reduce the
      radiative forcing under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5
      scenario. Global mean temperature increases are greatly ameliorated by
      geoengineering, and tropical temperature increases are at most half of those
      temperature increases in the RCP4.5. However, sulfate injection would have to
      double (to nearly 10 teragrams of SO2 per year) between 2020 and 2070 to balance
      the RCP4.5, approximately the equivalent of a 1991 Pinatubo eruption every 2 y,
      with consequent implications for stratospheric ozone. We project changes in storm
      frequencies using a temperature-dependent generalized extreme value statistical
      model calibrated by historical storm surges and observed temperatures since 1923.
      The number of storm surge events as big as the one caused by the 2005 Katrina
      hurricane are reduced by about 50% compared with no geoengineering, but this
      reduction is only marginally statistically significant. Nevertheless, when sea
      level rise differences in 2070 between the RCP4.5 and geoengineering are factored
      into coastal flood risk, we find that expected flood levels are reduced by about
      40 cm for 5-y events and about halved for 50-y surges. 

PMID- 26504209
TI  - Global nutrient transport in a world of giants.
AB  - The past was a world of giants, with abundant whales in the sea and large animals
      roaming the land. However, that world came to an end following massive late
      Quaternary megafauna extinctions on land and widespread population reductions in
      great whale populations over the past few centuries. These losses are likely to
      have had important consequences for broad-scale nutrient cycling, because recent
      literature suggests that large animals disproportionately drive nutrient
      movement. We estimate that the capacity of animals to move nutrients away from
      concentration patches has decreased to about 8% of the preextinction value on
      land and about 5% of historic values in oceans. For phosphorus (P), a key
      nutrient, upward movement in the ocean by marine mammals is about 23% of its
      former capacity (previously about 340 million kg of P per year). Movements by
      seabirds and anadromous fish provide important transfer of nutrients from the sea
      to land, totalling ~150 million kg of P per year globally in the past, a transfer
      that has declined to less than 4% of this value as a result of the decimation of
      seabird colonies and anadromous fish populations. We propose that in the past,
      marine mammals, seabirds, anadromous fish, and terrestrial animals likely formed
      an interlinked system recycling nutrients from the ocean depths to the
      continental interiors, with marine mammals moving nutrients from the deep sea to
      surface waters, seabirds and anadromous fish moving nutrients from the ocean to
      land, and large animals moving nutrients away from hotspots into the continental
      interior. 

PMID- 26504211
TI  - Behavioral assessment of sensitivity to intracortical microstimulation of primate
      somatosensory cortex.
AB  - Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) is a powerful tool to investigate the
      functional role of neural circuits and may provide a means to restore sensation
      for patients for whom peripheral stimulation is not an option. In a series of
      psychophysical experiments with nonhuman primates, we investigate how stimulation
      parameters affect behavioral sensitivity to ICMS. Specifically, we deliver ICMS
      to primary somatosensory cortex through chronically implanted electrode arrays
      across a wide range of stimulation regimes. First, we investigate how the
      detectability of ICMS depends on stimulation parameters, including pulse width,
      frequency, amplitude, and pulse train duration. Then, we characterize the degree
      to which ICMS pulse trains that differ in amplitude lead to discriminable
      percepts across the range of perceptible and safe amplitudes. We also investigate
      how discriminability of pulse amplitude is modulated by other stimulation
      parameters-namely, frequency and duration. Perceptual judgments obtained across
      these various conditions will inform the design of stimulation regimes for
      neuroscience and neuroengineering applications. 

PMID- 26504212
TI  - Airborne measurements of organic bromine compounds in the Pacific tropical
      tropopause layer.
AB  - Very short-lived brominated substances (VSLBr) are an important source of
      stratospheric bromine, an effective ozone destruction catalyst. However, the
      accurate estimation of the organic and inorganic partitioning of bromine and the
      input to the stratosphere remains uncertain. Here, we report near-tropopause
      measurements of organic brominated substances found over the tropical Pacific
      during the NASA Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment campaigns. We combine
      aircraft observations and a chemistry-climate model to quantify the total bromine
      loading injected to the stratosphere. Surprisingly, despite differences in
      vertical transport between the Eastern and Western Pacific, VSLBr (organic +
      inorganic) contribute approximately similar amounts of bromine [~6 (4-9) parts
      per trillion] [corrected] to the stratospheric input at the tropical tropopause.
      These levels of bromine cause substantial ozone depletion in the lower
      stratosphere, and any increases in future abundances (e.g., as a result of
      aquaculture) will lead to larger depletions.

PMID- 26504213
TI  - No evidence that polygynous marriage is a harmful cultural practice in northern
      Tanzania.
AB  - Polygyny is cross-culturally common and a topic of considerable academic and
      policy interest, often deemed a harmful cultural practice serving the interests
      of men contrary to those of women and children. Supporting this view, large-scale
      studies of national African demographic surveys consistently demonstrate that
      poor child health outcomes are concentrated in polygynous households. Negative
      population-level associations between polygyny and well-being have also been
      reported, consistent with the hypothesis that modern transitions to socially
      imposed monogamy are driven by cultural group selection. We challenge the
      consensus view that polygyny is harmful, drawing on multilevel data from 56
      ethnically diverse Tanzanian villages. We first demonstrate the vulnerability of
      aggregated data to confounding between ecological and individual determinants of
      health; while across villages polygyny is associated with poor child health and
      low food security, such relationships are absent or reversed within villages,
      particularly when children and fathers are coresident. We then provide data
      indicating that the costs of sharing a husband are offset by greater wealth (land
      and livestock) of polygynous households. These results are consistent with models
      of polygyny based on female choice. Finally, we show that village-level negative
      associations between polygyny prevalence, food security, and child health are
      fully accounted for by underlying differences in ecological vulnerability
      (rainfall) and socioeconomic marginalization (access to education). We highlight
      the need for improved, culturally sensitive measurement tools and appropriate
      scales of analysis in studies of polygyny and other purportedly harmful practices
      and discuss the relevance of our results to theoretical accounts of marriage and
      contemporary population policy. 

PMID- 26504215
TI  - Thermodynamic and achievable efficiencies for solar-driven electrochemical
      reduction of carbon dioxide to transportation fuels.
AB  - Thermodynamic, achievable, and realistic efficiency limits of solar-driven
      electrochemical conversion of water and carbon dioxide to fuels are investigated
      as functions of light-absorber composition and configuration, and catalyst
      composition. The maximum thermodynamic efficiency at 1-sun illumination for
      adiabatic electrochemical synthesis of various solar fuels is in the range of 32
      42%. Single-, double-, and triple-junction light absorbers are found to be
      optimal for electrochemical load ranges of 0-0.9 V, 0.9-1.95 V, and 1.95-3.5 V,
      respectively. Achievable solar-to-fuel (STF) efficiencies are determined using
      ideal double- and triple-junction light absorbers and the electrochemical load
      curves for CO2 reduction on silver and copper cathodes, and water oxidation
      kinetics over iridium oxide. The maximum achievable STF efficiencies for
      synthesis gas (H2 and CO) and Hythane (H2 and CH4) are 18.4% and 20.3%,
      respectively. Whereas the realistic STF efficiency of photoelectrochemical cells
      (PECs) can be as low as 0.8%, tandem PECs and photovoltaic (PV)-electrolyzers can
      operate at 7.2% under identical operating conditions. We show that the
      composition and energy content of solar fuels can also be adjusted by tuning the
      band-gaps of triple-junction light absorbers and/or the ratio of catalyst-to-PV
      area, and that the synthesis of liquid products and C2H4 have high profitability
      indices. 

PMID- 26504214
TI  - Endocannabinoid signaling mediates oxytocin-driven social reward.
AB  - Marijuana exerts profound effects on human social behavior, but the neural
      substrates underlying such effects are unknown. Here we report that social
      contact increases, whereas isolation decreases, the mobilization of the
      endogenous marijuana-like neurotransmitter, anandamide, in the mouse nucleus
      accumbens (NAc), a brain structure that regulates motivated behavior.
      Pharmacological and genetic experiments show that anandamide mobilization and
      consequent activation of CB1 cannabinoid receptors are necessary and sufficient
      to express the rewarding properties of social interactions, assessed using a
      socially conditioned place preference test. We further show that oxytocin, a
      neuropeptide that reinforces parental and social bonding, drives anandamide
      mobilization in the NAc. Pharmacological blockade of oxytocin receptors stops
      this response, whereas chemogenetic, site-selective activation of oxytocin
      neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus stimulates it. Genetic
      or pharmacological interruption of anandamide degradation offsets the effects of
      oxytocin receptor blockade on both social place preference and cFos expression in
      the NAc. The results indicate that anandamide-mediated signaling at CB1
      receptors, driven by oxytocin, controls social reward. Deficits in this signaling
      mechanism may contribute to social impairment in autism spectrum disorders and
      might offer an avenue to treat these conditions. 

PMID- 26504216
TI  - Accurate market price formation model with both supply-demand and trend-following
      for global food prices providing policy recommendations.
AB  - Recent increases in basic food prices are severely affecting vulnerable
      populations worldwide. Proposed causes such as shortages of grain due to adverse
      weather, increasing meat consumption in China and India, conversion of corn to
      ethanol in the United States, and investor speculation on commodity markets lead
      to widely differing implications for policy. A lack of clarity about which
      factors are responsible reinforces policy inaction. Here, for the first time to
      our knowledge, we construct a dynamic model that quantitatively agrees with food
      prices. The results show that the dominant causes of price increases are investor
      speculation and ethanol conversion. Models that just treat supply and demand are
      not consistent with the actual price dynamics. The two sharp peaks in 2007/2008
      and 2010/2011 are specifically due to investor speculation, whereas an underlying
      upward trend is due to increasing demand from ethanol conversion. The model
      includes investor trend following as well as shifting between commodities,
      equities, and bonds to take advantage of increased expected returns. Claims that
      speculators cannot influence grain prices are shown to be invalid by direct
      analysis of price-setting practices of granaries. Both causes of price increase,
      speculative investment and ethanol conversion, are promoted by recent regulatory
      changes-deregulation of the commodity markets, and policies promoting the
      conversion of corn to ethanol. Rapid action is needed to reduce the impacts of
      the price increases on global hunger. 

PMID- 26504217
TI  - Sea otters, kelp forests, and the extinction of Steller's sea cow.
AB  - The late Pleistocene extinction of so many large-bodied vertebrates has been
      variously attributed to two general causes: rapid climate change and the effects
      of humans as they spread from the Old World to previously uninhabited continents
      and islands. Many large-bodied vertebrates, especially large apex predators,
      maintain their associated ecosystems through top-down forcing processes,
      especially trophic cascades, and megaherbivores also exert an array of strong
      indirect effects on their communities. Thus, a third possibility for at least
      some of the Pleistocene extinctions is that they occurred through habitat changes
      resulting from the loss of these other keystone species. Here we explore the
      plausibility of this mechanism, using information on sea otters, kelp forests,
      and the recent extinction of Steller's sea cows from the Commander Islands. Large
      numbers of sea cows occurred in the Commander Islands at the time of their
      discovery by Europeans in 1741. Although extinction of these last remaining sea
      cows during early years of the Pacific maritime fur trade is widely thought to be
      a consequence of direct human overkill, we show that it is also a probable
      consequence of the loss of sea otters and the co-occurring loss of kelp, even if
      not a single sea cow had been killed directly by humans. This example supports
      the hypothesis that the directly caused extinctions of a few large vertebrates in
      the late Pleistocene may have resulted in the coextinction of numerous other
      species. 

PMID- 26504219
TI  - Variable impact of late-Quaternary megafaunal extinction in causing ecological
      state shifts in North and South America.
AB  - Loss of megafauna, an aspect of defaunation, can precipitate many ecological
      changes over short time scales. We examine whether megafauna loss can also
      explain features of lasting ecological state shifts that occurred as the
      Pleistocene gave way to the Holocene. We compare ecological impacts of late
      Quaternary megafauna extinction in five American regions: southwestern Patagonia,
      the Pampas, northeastern United States, northwestern United States, and Beringia.
      We find that major ecological state shifts were consistent with expectations of
      defaunation in North American sites but not in South American ones. The
      differential responses highlight two factors necessary for defaunation to trigger
      lasting ecological state shifts discernable in the fossil record: (i) lost
      megafauna need to have been effective ecosystem engineers, like proboscideans;
      and (ii) historical contingencies must have provided the ecosystem with plant
      species likely to respond to megafaunal loss. These findings help in identifying
      modern ecosystems that are most at risk for disappearing should current pressures
      on the ecosystems' large animals continue and highlight the critical role of both
      individual species ecologies and ecosystem context in predicting the lasting
      impacts of defaunation currently underway. 

PMID- 26504218
TI  - Science for a wilder Anthropocene: Synthesis and future directions for trophic
      rewilding research.
AB  - Trophic rewilding is an ecological restoration strategy that uses species
      introductions to restore top-down trophic interactions and associated trophic
      cascades to promote self-regulating biodiverse ecosystems. Given the importance
      of large animals in trophic cascades and their widespread losses and resulting
      trophic downgrading, it often focuses on restoring functional megafaunas. Trophic
      rewilding is increasingly being implemented for conservation, but remains
      controversial. Here, we provide a synthesis of its current scientific basis,
      highlighting trophic cascades as the key conceptual framework, discussing the
      main lessons learned from ongoing rewilding projects, systematically reviewing
      the current literature, and highlighting unintentional rewilding and spontaneous
      wildlife comebacks as underused sources of information. Together, these lines of
      evidence show that trophic cascades may be restored via species reintroductions
      and ecological replacements. It is clear, however, that megafauna effects may be
      affected by poorly understood trophic complexity effects and interactions with
      landscape settings, human activities, and other factors. Unfortunately, empirical
      research on trophic rewilding is still rare, fragmented, and geographically
      biased, with the literature dominated by essays and opinion pieces. We highlight
      the need for applied programs to include hypothesis testing and science-based
      monitoring, and outline priorities for future research, notably assessing the
      role of trophic complexity, interplay with landscape settings, land use, and
      climate change, as well as developing the global scope for rewilding and tools to
      optimize benefits and reduce human-wildlife conflicts. Finally, we recommend
      developing a decision framework for species selection, building on functional and
      phylogenetic information and with attention to the potential contribution from
      synthetic biology. 

PMID- 26504221
TI  - Correction for Maksymiuk et al., E1 of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase defends
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis against glutamate anaplerosis and nitroxidative
      stress.

PMID- 26504220
TI  - Nanoscale spatial organization of the HoxD gene cluster in distinct
      transcriptional states.
AB  - Chromatin condensation plays an important role in the regulation of gene
      expression. Recently, it was shown that the transcriptional activation of Hoxd
      genes during vertebrate digit development involves modifications in 3D
      interactions within and around the HoxD gene cluster. This reorganization follows
      a global transition from one set of regulatory contacts to another, between two
      topologically associating domains (TADs) located on either side of the HoxD
      locus. Here, we use 3D DNA FISH to assess the spatial organization of chromatin
      at and around the HoxD gene cluster and report that although the two TADs are
      tightly associated, they appear as spatially distinct units. We measured the
      relative position of genes within the cluster and found that they segregate over
      long distances, suggesting that a physical elongation of the HoxD cluster can
      occur. We analyzed this possibility by super-resolution imaging (STORM) and found
      that tissues with distinct transcriptional activity exhibit differing degrees of
      elongation. We also observed that the morphological change of the HoxD cluster in
      developing digits is associated with its position at the boundary between the two
      TADs. Such variations in the fine-scale architecture of the gene cluster suggest
      causal links among its spatial configuration, transcriptional activation, and the
      flanking chromatin context. 

PMID- 26504222
TI  - Determining hydrodynamic forces in bursting bubbles using DNA nanotube mechanics.
AB  - Quantifying the mechanical forces produced by fluid flows within the ocean is
      critical to understanding the ocean's environmental phenomena. Such forces may
      have been instrumental in the origin of life by driving a primitive form of self
      replication through fragmentation. Among the intense sources of hydrodynamic
      shear encountered in the ocean are breaking waves and the bursting bubbles
      produced by such waves. On a microscopic scale, one expects the surface-tension
      driven flows produced during bubble rupture to exhibit particularly high velocity
      gradients due to the small size scales and masses involved. However, little work
      has examined the strength of shear flow rates in commonly encountered ocean
      conditions. By using DNA nanotubes as a novel fluid flow sensor, we investigate
      the elongational rates generated in bursting films within aqueous bubble foams
      using both laboratory buffer and ocean water. To characterize the elongational
      rate distribution associated with a bursting bubble, we introduce the concept of
      a fragmentation volume and measure its form as a function of elongational flow
      rate. We find that substantial volumes experience surprisingly large flow rates:
      during the bursting of a bubble having an air volume of 10 mm(3), elongational
      rates at least as large as [Formula: see text] s(-1) are generated in a
      fragmentation volume of [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]. The
      determination of the elongational strain rate distribution is essential for
      assessing how effectively fluid motion within bursting bubbles at the ocean
      surface can shear microscopic particles and microorganisms, and could have driven
      the self-replication of a protobiont. 

PMID- 26504223
TI  - Combining paleo-data and modern exclosure experiments to assess the impact of
      megafauna extinctions on woody vegetation.
AB  - Until recently in Earth history, very large herbivores (mammoths, ground sloths,
      diprotodons, and many others) occurred in most of the World's terrestrial
      ecosystems, but the majority have gone extinct as part of the late-Quaternary
      extinctions. How has this large-scale removal of large herbivores affected
      landscape structure and ecosystem functioning? In this review, we combine paleo
      data with information from modern exclosure experiments to assess the impact of
      large herbivores (and their disappearance) on woody species, landscape structure,
      and ecosystem functions. In modern landscapes characterized by intense herbivory,
      woody plants can persist by defending themselves or by association with defended
      species, can persist by growing in places that are physically inaccessible to
      herbivores, or can persist where high predator activity limits foraging by
      herbivores. At the landscape scale, different herbivore densities and assemblages
      may result in dynamic gradients in woody cover. The late-Quaternary extinctions
      were natural experiments in large-herbivore removal; the paleoecological record
      shows evidence of widespread changes in community composition and ecosystem
      structure and function, consistent with modern exclosure experiments. We propose
      a conceptual framework that describes the impact of large herbivores on woody
      plant abundance mediated by herbivore diversity and density, predicting that
      herbivore suppression of woody plants is strongest where herbivore diversity is
      high. We conclude that the decline of large herbivores induces major alterations
      in landscape structure and ecosystem functions. 

PMID- 26504224
TI  - The impact of large terrestrial carnivores on Pleistocene ecosystems.
AB  - Large mammalian terrestrial herbivores, such as elephants, have dramatic effects
      on the ecosystems they inhabit and at high population densities their
      environmental impacts can be devastating. Pleistocene terrestrial ecosystems
      included a much greater diversity of megaherbivores (e.g., mammoths, mastodons,
      giant ground sloths) and thus a greater potential for widespread habitat
      degradation if population sizes were not limited. Nevertheless, based on modern
      observations, it is generally believed that populations of megaherbivores (>800
      kg) are largely immune to the effects of predation and this perception has been
      extended into the Pleistocene. However, as shown here, the species richness of
      big carnivores was greater in the Pleistocene and many of them were significantly
      larger than their modern counterparts. Fossil evidence suggests that
      interspecific competition among carnivores was relatively intense and reveals
      that some individuals specialized in consuming megaherbivores. To estimate the
      potential impact of Pleistocene large carnivores, we use both historic and modern
      data on predator-prey body mass relationships to predict size ranges of their
      typical and maximum prey when hunting as individuals and in groups. These prey
      size ranges are then compared with estimates of juvenile and subadult
      proboscidean body sizes derived from extant elephant growth data. Young
      proboscideans at their most vulnerable age fall within the predicted prey size
      ranges of many of the Pleistocene carnivores. Predation on juveniles can have a
      greater impact on megaherbivores because of their long interbirth intervals, and
      consequently, we argue that Pleistocene carnivores had the capacity to, and
      likely did, limit megaherbivore population sizes. 

PMID- 26504225
TI  - Exploring the influence of ancient and historic megaherbivore extirpations on the
      global methane budget.
AB  - Globally, large-bodied wild mammals are in peril. Because "megamammals" have a
      disproportionate influence on vegetation, trophic interactions, and ecosystem
      function, declining populations are of considerable conservation concern.
      However, this is not new; trophic downgrading occurred in the past, including the
      African rinderpest epizootic of the 1890s, the massive Great Plains bison kill
      off in the 1860s, and the terminal Pleistocene extinction of megafauna. Examining
      the consequences of these earlier events yields insights into contemporary
      ecosystem function. Here, we focus on changes in methane emissions, produced as a
      byproduct of enteric fermentation by herbivores. Although methane is ~ 200 times
      less abundant than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the greater efficiency of
      methane in trapping radiation leads to a significant role in radiative forcing of
      climate. Using global datasets of late Quaternary mammals, domestic livestock,
      and human population from the United Nations as well as literature sources, we
      develop a series of allometric regressions relating mammal body mass to
      population density and CH4 production, which allows estimation of methane
      production by wild and domestic herbivores for each historic or ancient time
      period. We find the extirpation of megaherbivores reduced global enteric
      emissions between 2.2-69.6 Tg CH4 y(-1) during the various time periods,
      representing a decrease of 0.8-34.8% of the overall inputs to tropospheric input.
      Our analyses suggest that large-bodied mammals have a greater influence on
      methane emissions than previously appreciated and, further, that changes in the
      source pool from herbivores can influence global biogeochemical cycles and,
      potentially, climate.

PMID- 26504226
TI  - Discovery and functional characterization of a neomorphic PTEN mutation.
AB  - Although a variety of genetic alterations have been found across cancer types,
      the identification and functional characterization of candidate driver genetic
      lesions in an individual patient and their translation into clinically actionable
      strategies remain major hurdles. Here, we use whole genome sequencing of a
      prostate cancer tumor, computational analyses, and experimental validation to
      identify and predict novel oncogenic activity arising from a point mutation in
      the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) tumor suppressor protein. We
      demonstrate that this mutation (p.A126G) produces an enzymatic gain-of-function
      in PTEN, shifting its function from a phosphoinositide (PI) 3-phosphatase to a
      phosphoinositide (PI) 5-phosphatase. Using cellular assays, we demonstrate that
      this gain-of-function activity shifts cellular phosphoinositide levels,
      hyperactivates the PI3K/Akt cell proliferation pathway, and exhibits increased
      cell migration beyond canonical PTEN loss-of-function mutants. These findings
      suggest that mutationally modified PTEN can actively contribute to well-defined
      hallmarks of cancer. Lastly, we demonstrate that these effects can be
      substantially mitigated through chemical PI3K inhibitors. These results
      demonstrate a new dysfunction paradigm for PTEN cancer biology and suggest a
      potential framework for the translation of genomic data into actionable clinical
      strategies for targeted patient therapy. 

PMID- 26504227
TI  - Purkinje cell activity during classical conditioning with different conditional
      stimuli explains central tenet of Rescorla-Wagner model [corrected].
AB  - A central tenet of Rescorla and Wagner's model of associative learning is that
      the reinforcement value of a paired trial diminishes as the associative strength
      between the presented stimuli increases. Despite its fundamental importance to
      behavioral sciences, the neural mechanisms underlying the model have not been
      fully explored. Here, we present findings that, taken together, can explain why a
      stronger association leads to a reduced reinforcement value, within the context
      of eyeblink conditioning. Specifically, we show that learned pause responses in
      Purkinje cells, which trigger adaptively timed conditioned eyeblinks, suppress
      the unconditional stimulus (US) signal in a graded manner. Furthermore, by
      examining how Purkinje cells respond to two distinct conditional stimuli and to a
      compound stimulus, we provide evidence that could potentially help explain the
      somewhat counterintuitive overexpectation phenomenon, which was derived from the
      Rescorla-Wagner model. 

PMID- 26504228
TI  - Topography of social touching depends on emotional bonds between humans.
AB  - Nonhuman primates use social touch for maintenance and reinforcement of social
      structures, yet the role of social touch in human bonding in different
      reproductive, affiliative, and kinship-based relationships remains unresolved.
      Here we reveal quantified, relationship-specific maps of bodily regions where
      social touch is allowed in a large cross-cultural dataset (N = 1,368 from
      Finland, France, Italy, Russia, and the United Kingdom). Participants were shown
      front and back silhouettes of human bodies with a word denoting one member of
      their social network. They were asked to color, on separate trials, the bodily
      regions where each individual in their social network would be allowed to touch
      them. Across all tested cultures, the total bodily area where touching was
      allowed was linearly dependent (mean r(2) = 0.54) on the emotional bond with the
      toucher, but independent of when that person was last encountered. Close
      acquaintances and family members were touched for more reasons than less familiar
      individuals. The bodily area others are allowed to touch thus represented, in a
      parametric fashion, the strength of the relationship-specific emotional bond. We
      propose that the spatial patterns of human social touch reflect an important
      mechanism supporting the maintenance of social bonds. 

PMID- 26504229
TI  - Effects of gendered behavior on testosterone in women and men.
AB  - Testosterone is typically understood to contribute to maleness and masculinity,
      although it also responds to behaviors such as competition. Competition is
      crucial to evolution and may increase testosterone but also is selectively
      discouraged for women and encouraged for men via gender norms. We conducted an
      experiment to test how gender norms might modulate testosterone as mediated by
      two possible gender->testosterone pathways. Using a novel experimental design,
      participants (trained actors) performed a specific type of competition (wielding
      power) in stereotypically masculine vs. feminine ways. We hypothesized in H1
      (stereotyped behavior) that wielding power increases testosterone regardless of
      how it is performed, vs. H2 (stereotyped performance), that wielding power
      performed in masculine but not feminine ways increases testosterone. We found
      that wielding power increased testosterone in women compared with a control,
      regardless of whether it was performed in gender-stereotyped masculine or
      feminine ways. Results supported H1 over H2: stereotyped behavior but not
      performance modulated testosterone. These results also supported theory that
      competition modulates testosterone over masculinity. Our findings thus support a
      gender->testosterone pathway mediated by competitive behavior. Accordingly,
      cultural pushes for men to wield power and women to avoid doing so may partially
      explain, in addition to heritable factors, why testosterone levels tend to be
      higher in men than in women: A lifetime of gender socialization could contribute
      to "sex differences" in testosterone. Our experiment opens up new questions of
      gender->testosterone pathways, highlighting the potential of examining
      nature/nurture interactions and effects of socialization on human biology. 

PMID- 26504230
TI  - Two contemporaneous mitogenomes from terminal Pleistocene burials in eastern
      Beringia.
AB  - Pleistocene residential sites with multiple contemporaneous human burials are
      extremely rare in the Americas. We report mitochondrial genomic variation in the
      first multiple mitochondrial genomes from a single prehistoric population: two
      infant burials (USR1 and USR2) from a common interment at the Upward Sun River
      Site in central Alaska dating to ~11,500 cal B.P. Using a targeted capture method
      and next-generation sequencing, we determined that the USR1 infant possessed
      variants that define mitochondrial lineage C1b, whereas the USR2 genome falls at
      the root of lineage B2, allowing us to refine younger coalescence age estimates
      for these two clades. C1b and B2 are rare to absent in modern populations of
      northern North America. Documentation of these lineages at this location in the
      Late Pleistocene provides evidence for the extent of mitochondrial diversity in
      early Beringian populations, which supports the expectations of the Beringian
      Standstill Model. 

PMID- 26504232
TI  - Transcriptional read-through is not sufficient to induce an epigenetic switch in
      the silencing activity of Polycomb response elements.
AB  - In Drosophila, Polycomb (PcG) and Trithorax (TrxG) group proteins are assembled
      on Polycomb response elements (PREs) to maintain tissue and stage-specific
      patterns of gene expression. Critical to coordinating gene expression with the
      process of differentiation, the activity of PREs can be switched "on" and "off."
      When on, the PRE imposes a silenced state on the genes in the same domain that is
      stably inherited through multiple rounds of cell division. When the PRE is
      switched off, the domain is in a state permissive for gene expression that can be
      stably inherited. Previous studies have suggested that a burst of transcription
      through a PRE sequence displaces PcG proteins and provides a universal mechanism
      for inducing a heritable switch in PRE activity from on to off; however, the
      evidence favoring this model is indirect. Here, we have directly tested the
      transcriptional read-through mechanism. Contrary to previous suggestions, we show
      that transcription through the PRE is not sufficient for inducing an epigenetic
      switch in PRE activity. In fact, even high levels of continuous transcription
      through a PRE fails to dislodge the PcG proteins, nor does it remove repressive
      histone marks. Our results indicate that other mechanisms involving adjacent DNA
      regulatory elements must be implicated in heritable switch of PRE activity. 

PMID- 26504231
TI  - OVO-like 1 regulates progenitor cell fate in human trophoblast development.
AB  - Epithelial barrier integrity is dependent on progenitor cells that either divide
      to replenish themselves or differentiate into a specialized epithelium. This
      paradigm exists in human placenta, where cytotrophoblast cells either propagate
      or undergo a unique differentiation program: fusion into an overlying
      syncytiotrophoblast. Syncytiotrophoblast is the primary barrier regulating the
      exchange of nutrients and gases between maternal and fetal blood and is the
      principal site for synthesizing hormones vital for human pregnancy. How
      trophoblast cells regulate their differentiation into a syncytium is not well
      understood. In this study, we show that the transcription factor OVO-like 1
      (OVOL1), a homolog of Drosophila ovo, regulates the transition from progenitor to
      differentiated trophoblast cells. OVOL1 is expressed in human placenta and was
      robustly induced following stimulation of trophoblast differentiation. Disruption
      of OVOL1 abrogated cytotrophoblast fusion and inhibited the expression of a broad
      set of genes required for trophoblast cell fusion and hormonogenesis. OVOL1 was
      required to suppress genes that maintain cytotrophoblast cells in a progenitor
      state, including MYC, ID1, TP63, and ASCL2, and bound specifically to regions
      upstream of each of these genes. Our results reveal an important function of
      OVOL1 as a regulator of trophoblast progenitor cell fate during human trophoblast
      development. 

PMID- 26504233
TI  - Initiating protease with modular domains interacts with beta-glucan recognition
      protein to trigger innate immune response in insects.
AB  - The autoactivation of an initiating serine protease upon binding of pattern
      recognition proteins to pathogen surfaces is a crucial step in eliciting insect
      immune responses such as the activation of Toll and prophenoloxidase pathways.
      However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for autoactivation of the
      initiating protease remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the
      molecular basis for the autoactivation of hemolymph protease 14 (HP14), an
      initiating protease in hemolymph of Manduca sexta, upon the binding of beta-1,3
      glucan by its recognition protein, betaGRP2. Biochemical analysis using HP14
      zymogen (proHP14), betaGRP2, and the recombinant proteins as truncated forms
      showed that the amino-terminal modular low-density lipoprotein receptor class A
      (LA) domains within HP14 are required for proHP14 autoactivation that is
      stimulated by its interaction with betaGRP2. Consistent with this result,
      recombinant LA domains inhibit the activation of proHP14 and prophenoloxidase,
      likely by competing with the interaction between betaGRP2 and LA domains within
      proHP14. Using surface plasmon resonance, we demonstrated that immobilized LA
      domains directly interact with betaGRP2 in a calcium-dependent manner and that
      high-affinity interaction requires the C-terminal glucanase-like domain of
      betaGRP2. Importantly, the affinity of LA domains for betaGRP2 increases nearly
      100-fold in the presence of beta-1,3-glucan. Taken together, these results
      present the first experimental evidence to our knowledge that LA domains of an
      insect modular protease and glucanase-like domains of a betaGRP mediate their
      interaction, and that this binding is essential for the protease autoactivation.
      Thus, our study provides important insight into the molecular basis underlying
      the initiation of protease cascade in insect immune responses. 

PMID- 26504234
TI  - Liver X receptor beta controls thyroid hormone feedback in the brain and
      regulates browning of subcutaneous white adipose tissue.
AB  - The recent discovery of browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) has raised great
      research interest because of its significant potential in counteracting obesity
      and type 2 diabetes. Browning is the result of the induction in WAT of a newly
      discovered type of adipocyte, the beige cell. When mice are exposed to cold or
      several kinds of hormones or treatments with chemicals, specific depots of WAT
      undergo a browning process, characterized by highly activated mitochondria and
      increased heat production and energy expenditure. However, the mechanisms
      underlying browning are still poorly understood. Liver X receptors (LXRs) are one
      class of nuclear receptors, which play a vital role in regulating cholesterol,
      triglyceride, and glucose metabolism. Following our previous finding that LXRs
      serve as repressors of uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) in classic brown adipose
      tissue in female mice, we found that LXRs, especially LXRbeta, also repress the
      browning process of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) in male rodents fed a
      normal diet. Depletion of LXRs activated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
      releasing hormone (TRH)-positive neurons in the paraventricular nucleus area of
      the hypothalamus and thus stimulated secretion of TSH from the pituitary.
      Consequently, production of thyroid hormones in the thyroid gland and circulating
      thyroid hormone level were increased. Moreover, the activity of thyroid signaling
      in SAT was markedly increased. Together, our findings have uncovered the basis of
      increased energy expenditure in male LXR knockout mice and provided support for
      targeting LXRs in treatment of obesity. 

PMID- 26504235
TI  - Lion (Panthera leo) populations are declining rapidly across Africa, except in
      intensively managed areas.
AB  - We compiled all credible repeated lion surveys and present time series data for
      47 lion (Panthera leo) populations. We used a Bayesian state space model to
      estimate growth rate-lambda for each population and summed these into three
      regional sets to provide conservation-relevant estimates of trends since 1990. We
      found a striking geographical pattern: African lion populations are declining
      everywhere, except in four southern countries (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa,
      and Zimbabwe). Population models indicate a 67% chance that lions in West and
      Central Africa decline by one-half, while estimating a 37% chance that lions in
      East Africa also decline by one-half over two decades. We recommend separate
      regional assessments of the lion in the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List
      of Threatened Species: already recognized as critically endangered in West
      Africa, our analysis supports listing as regionally endangered in Central and
      East Africa and least concern in southern Africa. Almost all lion populations
      that historically exceeded ~ 500 individuals are declining, but lion conservation
      is successful in southern Africa, in part because of the proliferation of
      reintroduced lions in small, fenced, intensively managed, and funded reserves. If
      management budgets for wild lands cannot keep pace with mounting levels of
      threat, the species may rely increasingly on these southern African areas and may
      no longer be a flagship species of the once vast natural ecosystems across the
      rest of the continent.

PMID- 26504236
TI  - Optimal group size in a highly social mammal.
AB  - Group size is an important trait of social animals, affecting how individuals
      allocate time and use space, and influencing both an individual's fitness and the
      collective, cooperative behaviors of the group as a whole. Here we tested
      predictions motivated by the ecological constraints model of group size,
      examining the effects of group size on ranging patterns and adult female
      glucocorticoid (stress hormone) concentrations in five social groups of wild
      baboons (Papio cynocephalus) over an 11-y period. Strikingly, we found evidence
      that intermediate-sized groups have energetically optimal space-use strategies;
      both large and small groups experience ranging disadvantages, in contrast to the
      commonly reported positive linear relationship between group size and home range
      area and daily travel distance, which depict a disadvantage only in large groups.
      Specifically, we observed a U-shaped relationship between group size and home
      range area, average daily distance traveled, evenness of space use within the
      home range, and glucocorticoid concentrations. We propose that a likely
      explanation for these U-shaped patterns is that large, socially dominant groups
      are constrained by within-group competition, whereas small, socially subordinate
      groups are constrained by between-group competition and predation pressures.
      Overall, our results provide testable hypotheses for evaluating group-size
      constraints in other group-living species, in which the costs of intra- and
      intergroup competition vary as a function of group size.

PMID- 26504237
TI  - Battle between influenza A virus and a newly identified antiviral activity of the
      PARP-containing ZAPL protein.
AB  - Previous studies showed that ZAPL (PARP-13.1) exerts its antiviral activity via
      its N-terminal zinc fingers that bind the mRNAs of some viruses, leading to mRNA
      degradation. Here we identify a different antiviral activity of ZAPL that is
      directed against influenza A virus. This ZAPL antiviral activity involves its C
      terminal PARP domain, which binds the viral PB2 and PA polymerase proteins,
      leading to their proteasomal degradation. After the PB2 and PA proteins are
      poly(ADP-ribosylated), they are associated with the region of ZAPL that includes
      both the PARP domain and the adjacent WWE domain that is known to bind poly(ADP
      ribose) chains. These ZAPL-associated PB2 and PA proteins are then ubiquitinated,
      followed by proteasomal degradation. This antiviral activity is counteracted by
      the viral PB1 polymerase protein, which binds close to the PARP domain and causes
      PB2 and PA to dissociate from ZAPL and escape degradation, explaining why ZAPL
      only moderately inhibits influenza A virus replication. Hence influenza A virus
      has partially won the battle against this newly identified ZAPL antiviral
      activity. Eliminating PB1 binding to ZAPL would be expected to substantially
      increase the inhibition of influenza A virus replication, so that the PB1
      interface with ZAPL is a potential target for antiviral development. 

PMID- 26504239
TI  - The incidence and role of negative citations in science.
AB  - Citations to previous literature are extensively used to measure the quality and
      diffusion of knowledge. However, we know little about the different ways in which
      a study can be cited; in particular, are papers cited to point out their merits
      or their flaws? We elaborated a methodology to characterize "negative" citations
      using bibliometric data and natural language processing. We found that negative
      citations concerned higher-quality papers, were focused on a study's findings
      rather than theories or methods, and originated from scholars who were closer to
      the authors of the focal paper in terms of discipline and social distance, but
      not geographically. Receiving a negative citation was also associated with a
      slightly faster decline in citations to the paper in the long run. 

PMID- 26504238
TI  - Cortical entrainment to music and its modulation by expertise.
AB  - Recent studies establish that cortical oscillations track naturalistic speech in
      a remarkably faithful way. Here, we test whether such neural activity,
      particularly low-frequency (<8 Hz; delta-theta) oscillations, similarly entrain
      to music and whether experience modifies such a cortical phenomenon. Music of
      varying tempi was used to test entrainment at different rates. In three
      magnetoencephalography experiments, we recorded from nonmusicians, as well as
      musicians with varying years of experience. Recordings from nonmusicians
      demonstrate cortical entrainment that tracks musical stimuli over a typical range
      of tempi, but not at tempi below 1 note per second. Importantly, the observed
      entrainment correlates with performance on a concurrent pitch-related behavioral
      task. In contrast, the data from musicians show that entrainment is enhanced by
      years of musical training, at all presented tempi. This suggests a bidirectional
      relationship between behavior and cortical entrainment, a phenomenon that has not
      previously been reported. Additional analyses focus on responses in the beta
      range (~15-30 Hz)-often linked to delta activity in the context of temporal
      predictions. Our findings provide evidence that the role of beta in temporal
      predictions scales to the complex hierarchical rhythms in natural music and
      enhances processing of musical content. This study builds on important findings
      on brainstem plasticity and represents a compelling demonstration that cortical
      neural entrainment is tightly coupled to both musical training and task
      performance, further supporting a role for cortical oscillatory activity in music
      perception and cognition. 

PMID- 26504240
TI  - Anatomy of funded research in science.
AB  - Seeking research funding is an essential part of academic life. Funded projects
      are primarily collaborative in nature through internal and external partnerships,
      but what role does funding play in the formulation of these partnerships? Here,
      by examining over 43,000 scientific projects funded over the past three decades
      by one of the major government research agencies in the world, we characterize
      how the funding landscape has changed and its impacts on the underlying
      collaboration networks across different scales. We observed rising inequality in
      the distribution of funding and that its effect was most noticeable at the
      institutional level--the leading universities diversified their collaborations
      and increasingly became the knowledge brokers in the collaboration network.
      Furthermore, it emerged that these leading universities formed a rich club (i.e.,
      a cohesive core through their close ties) and this reliance among them seemed to
      be a determining factor for their research success, with the elites in the core
      overattracting resources but also rewarding in terms of both research breadth and
      depth. Our results reveal how collaboration networks organize in response to
      external driving forces, which can have major ramifications on future research
      strategy and government policy.

PMID- 26504241
TI  - Importance of codon usage for the temporal regulation of viral gene expression.
AB  - The glycoproteins of herpesviruses and of HIV/SIV are made late in the
      replication cycle and are derived from transcripts that use an unusual codon
      usage that is quite different from that of the host cell. Here we show that the
      actions of natural transinducers from these two different families of persistent
      viruses (Rev of SIV and ORF57 of the rhesus monkey rhadinovirus) are dependent on
      the nature of the skewed codon usage. In fact, the transinducibility of
      expression of these glycoproteins by Rev and by ORF57 can be flipped simply by
      changing the nature of the codon usage. Even expression of a luciferase reporter
      could be made Rev dependent or ORF57 dependent by distinctive changes to its
      codon usage. Our findings point to a new general principle in which different
      families of persisting viruses use a poor codon usage that is skewed in a
      distinctive way to temporally regulate late expression of structural gene
      products. 

PMID- 26504243
TI  - Ancient low-molecular-weight organic acids in permafrost fuel rapid carbon
      dioxide production upon thaw.
AB  - Northern permafrost soils store a vast reservoir of carbon, nearly twice that of
      the present atmosphere. Current and projected climate warming threatens
      widespread thaw of these frozen, organic carbon (OC)-rich soils. Upon thaw,
      mobilized permafrost OC in dissolved and particulate forms can enter streams and
      rivers, which are important processors of OC and conduits for carbon dioxide
      (CO2) to the atmosphere. Here, we demonstrate that ancient dissolved organic
      carbon (DOC) leached from 35,800 y B.P. permafrost soils is rapidly mineralized
      to CO2. During 200-h experiments in a novel high-temporal-resolution bioreactor,
      DOC concentration decreased by an average of 53%, fueling a more than sevenfold
      increase in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentration. Eighty-seven percent
      of the DOC loss to microbial uptake was derived from the low-molecular-weight
      (LMW) organic acids acetate and butyrate. To our knowledge, our study is the
      first to directly quantify high CO2 production rates from permafrost-derived LMW
      DOC mineralization. The observed DOC loss rates are among the highest reported
      for permafrost carbon and demonstrate the potential importance of LMW DOC in
      driving the rapid metabolism of Pleistocene-age permafrost carbon upon thaw and
      the outgassing of CO2 to the atmosphere by soils and nearby inland waters. 

PMID- 26504242
TI  - RNAIII of the Staphylococcus aureus agr system activates global regulator MgrA by
      stabilizing mRNA.
AB  - RNAIII, the effector of the agr quorum-sensing system, plays a key role in
      virulence gene regulation in Staphylococcus aureus, but how RNAIII
      transcriptionally regulates its downstream genes is not completely understood.
      Here, we show that RNAIII stabilizes mgrA mRNA, thereby increasing the production
      of MgrA, a global transcriptional regulator that affects the expression of many
      genes. The mgrA gene is transcribed from two promoters, P1 and P2, to produce two
      mRNA transcripts with long 5' UTR. Two adjacent regions of the mgrA mRNA UTR
      transcribed from the upstream P2 promoter, but not the P1 promoter, form a stable
      complex with two regions of RNAIII near the 5' and 3' ends. We further
      demonstrate that the interaction has several biological effects. We propose that
      MgrA can serve as an intermediary regulator through which agr exerts its
      regulatory function. 

PMID- 26504245
TI  - Correction for Lavergne et al., Optimized deep-targeted proteotranscriptomic
      profiling reveals unexplored Conus toxin diversity and novel cysteine frameworks.

PMID- 26504244
TI  - SoxC transcription factors are essential for the development of the inner ear.
AB  - Hair cells, the mechanosensory receptors of the inner ear, underlie the senses of
      hearing and balance. Adult mammals cannot adequately replenish lost hair cells,
      whose loss often results in deafness or balance disorders. To determine the
      molecular basis of this deficiency, we investigated the development of a murine
      vestibular organ, the utricle. Here we show that two members of the SoxC family
      of transcription factors, Sox4 and Sox11, are down-regulated after the epoch of
      hair cell development. Conditional ablation of SoxC genes in vivo results in
      stunted sensory organs of the inner ear and loss of hair cells. Enhanced
      expression of SoxC genes in vitro conversely restores supporting cell
      proliferation and the production of new hair cells in adult sensory epithelia.
      These results imply that SoxC genes govern hair cell production and thus advance
      these genes as targets for the restoration of hearing and balance. 

PMID- 26504247
TI  - Iodine-containing disinfectants in preparation for caesarean section: impact on
      thyroid profile in cord blood.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Iodine-containing disinfectants are widely used for skin preparation
      before caesarean section. Current evidence suggests that maternal exposure to
      these disinfectants results in thyroid dysfunction in the newborns, but its
      extent is not known. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to explain the
      quality of the effect of these disinfectants on the thyroid function of newborns.
      METHODS: This cohort study was performed on all the healthy mothers with a term
      pregnancy who underwent caesarean section in the obstetrics emergency department
      of an educational hospital affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences
      from December 2013 to December 2014. We divided this 12-month period into two
      consecutive 6 months. Povidone-iodine 10% (PVP-I) and chlorhexidine gluconate 4%
      (CHX) were used in the first and second 6 months, respectively, for skin
      preparation before caesarean section and also for umbilical cord disinfection.
      Cord blood thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine (T4) were assayed by
      the ELISA method. RESULTS: We included 326 cases in this study, 153 in the PVP-I
      group and 173 in the CHX group. The incidence of cord blood TSH >= 10 mIU/L and
      T4 <= 7.3 ug/dL was significantly higher in the PVP-I than the CHX group. Cord
      blood TSH concentration showed a significant positive correlation with cord blood
      T4 concentration in the CHX group. Through selection of cases with cord blood T4
      < 13 ug/dL, we found a negative correlation between cord blood TSH and T4
      concentration in the PVP-I group. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that PVP-I has the
      potential to cause false-positive screening-test results and increase recall
      rates, which should be evaluated in further studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:
      Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) number IRCT201204289568N1.

PMID- 26504248
TI  - Acute neurological visual loss in young adults: causes, diagnosis and management.
AB  - Visual loss in the young adult can be caused by demyelinating diseases,
      inflammatory and autoimmune processes, infections, ischaemic events, and
      compressive lesions of the optic nerve. Diagnosis of the aetiologies of visual
      loss is reached by combining data from radiological studies, electrophysiological
      tests, and blood and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. Treatment is primarily aimed
      at decreasing the insult on the optic nerve and eventually controlling the
      primary disorder. The literature discusses separately the different aetiologies
      of visual loss. We present a review of the clinical characteristics of visual
      loss in the young adult, the different diagnostic measures, and the latest
      therapeutic strategies. The aim of this work is to summarise this entity in a
      practical way to guide clinicians in the diagnosis and management of this
      disorder. 

PMID- 26504246
TI  - Tether mutations that restore function and suppress pleiotropic phenotypes of the
      C. elegans isp-1(qm150) Rieske iron-sulfur protein.
AB  - Mitochondria play an important role in numerous diseases as well as normative
      aging. Severe reduction in mitochondrial function contributes to childhood
      disorders such as Leigh Syndrome, whereas mild disruption can extend the lifespan
      of model organisms. The Caenorhabditis elegans isp-1 gene encodes the Rieske iron
      sulfur protein subunit of cytochrome c oxidoreductase (complex III of the
      electron transport chain). The partial loss of function allele, isp-1(qm150),
      leads to several pleiotropic phenotypes. To better understand the molecular
      mechanisms of ISP-1 function, we sought to identify genetic suppressors of the
      delayed development of isp-1(qm150) animals. Here we report a series of
      intragenic suppressors, all located within a highly conserved six amino acid
      tether region of ISP-1. These intragenic mutations suppress all of the evaluated
      isp-1(qm150) phenotypes, including developmental rate, pharyngeal pumping rate,
      brood size, body movement, activation of the mitochondrial unfolded protein
      response reporter, CO2 production, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, and
      lifespan extension. Furthermore, analogous mutations show a similar effect when
      engineered into the budding yeast Rieske iron-sulfur protein Rip1, revealing
      remarkable conservation of the structure-function relationship of these residues
      across highly divergent species. The focus on a single subunit as causal both in
      generation and in suppression of diverse pleiotropic phenotypes points to a
      common underlying molecular mechanism, for which we propose a "spring-loaded"
      model. These observations provide insights into how gating and control processes
      influence the function of ISP-1 in mediating pleiotropic phenotypes including
      developmental rate, movement, sensitivity to stress, and longevity. 

PMID- 26504249
TI  - Enzymes: principles and biotechnological applications.
AB  - Enzymes are biological catalysts (also known as biocatalysts) that speed up
      biochemical reactions in living organisms, and which can be extracted from cells
      and then used to catalyse a wide range of commercially important processes. This
      chapter covers the basic principles of enzymology, such as classification,
      structure, kinetics and inhibition, and also provides an overview of industrial
      applications. In addition, techniques for the purification of enzymes are
      discussed. 

PMID- 26504250
TI  - Biological membranes.
AB  - Biological membranes allow life as we know it to exist. They form cells and
      enable separation between the inside and outside of an organism, controlling by
      means of their selective permeability which substances enter and leave. By
      allowing gradients of ions to be created across them, membranes also enable
      living organisms to generate energy. In addition, they control the flow of
      messages between cells by sending, receiving and processing information in the
      form of chemical and electrical signals. This essay summarizes the structure and
      function of membranes and the proteins within them, and describes their role in
      trafficking and transport, and their involvement in health and disease.
      Techniques for studying membranes are also discussed. 

PMID- 26504251
TI  - Synthesis of F-18 labeled resazurin by direct electrophilic fluorination.
AB  - We present the synthesis and characterization of F18-labeled fluorinated
      derivatives of resazurin, a probe for cell viability. The compounds were prepared
      by direct fluorination of resazurin with diluted [F18]-F2 gas under acidic
      conditions. The fluorination occurs into the ortho-positions to the hydroxyl
      group producing various mono-, di-, and trifluorinated derivatives. The
      properties of the fluorinated resazurins are similar to the parent compound with
      the addition of fluorine leading to decreased pKa values and a bathochromic shift
      of the absorption maxima. The fluorinated resazurin derivatives can be used as
      probes for observation of cell viability in various cells, tissues and organs
      using a combination of positron emission tomography and direct optical imaging of
      Cerenkov luminescence.

PMID- 26504252
TI  - Biodiversity of Klebsormidium (streptophyta) from alpine biological soil crusts
      (alps, tyrol, Austria, and Italy).
AB  - Forty Klebsormidium strains isolated from soil crusts of mountain regions (Alps,
      600-3,000 m elevation) were analyzed. The molecular phylogeny (internal
      transcribed spacer rDNA sequences) showed that these strains belong to clades
      B/C, D, E, and F. Seven main (K. flaccidum, K. elegans, K. crenulatum, K.
      dissectum, K. nitens, K. subtile, and K. fluitans) and four transitional
      morphotypes (K. cf. flaccidum, K. cf. nitens, K. cf. subtile, and K. cf.
      fluitans) were identified. Most strains belong to clade E, which includes
      isolates that prefer humid conditions. One representative of the xerophytic
      lineage (clade F) as well as few isolates characteristic of temperate conditions
      (clades B/C, D) were found. Most strains of clade E were isolated from low/middle
      elevations (<1,800 m above sea level; a.s.l.) in the pine-forest zone. Strains of
      clades B/C, D, and F occurred sporadically at higher elevations (1,548-2,843 m
      a.s.l.), mostly under xerophytic conditions of alpine meadows. Comparison of the
      alpine Klebsormidium assemblage with data from other biogeographic regions
      indicated similarity with soil crusts/biofilms from terrestrial habitats in mixed
      forest in Western Europe, North America, and Asia, as well as walls of buildings
      in Western European cities. The alpine assemblage differed substantially from
      crusts from granite outcrops and sand dunes in Eastern Europe (Ukraine), and
      fundamentally from soil crusts in South African drylands. Epitypification of the
      known species K. flaccidum, K. crenulatum, K. subtile, K. nitens, K. dissectum,
      K. fluitans, K. mucosum, and K. elegans is proposed to establish taxonomic names
      and type material as an aid for practical studies on these algae, as well as for
      unambiguous identification of alpine strains. New combination Klebsormidium
      subtile (Kutzing) Mikhailyuk, Glaser, Holzinger et Karsten comb. nov. is made.

PMID- 26504254
TI  - Policy Development: A Key Factor in Promoting PTD.

PMID- 26504253
TI  - Foreign-Born Status and Geographic Patterns of Tuberculosis Genotypes in Tarrant
      County, Texas.
AB  - Regardless of destination, immigrants arrive with health profiles typical of
      people in their previous surroundings. Thus, immigrants change the
      epidemiological profile of destination communities, and immigrant neighborhoods
      may represent islands of infectious disease. Genotyping has emerged as a useful
      surveillance tool to track the spread of disease at the molecular level. Yet the
      spatial distribution of infectious disease at the molecular level associated with
      migration and immigrant neighborhoods has received little attention. Using
      molecular genotyping to characterize M. tuberculosis isolated from tuberculosis
      cases, this article analyzes spatial variations of unique molecular M.
      tuberculosis strains by zip code in Tarrant County, Texas. The results suggest
      that immigrant neighborhoods have higher rates of unique isolates of tuberculosis
      (suggestive of remote transmission) compared to neighborhoods occupied by the
      native-born. Neighborhoods dominated by the native-born have higher rates of
      clustered isolates (suggestive of recent transmission). Therefore, in addition to
      being culturally distinct, immigrant neighborhoods may also be pathogenically
      distinct from surrounding neighborhoods.

PMID- 26504255
TI  - Inference with interference between units in an fMRI experiment of motor
      inhibition.
AB  - An experimental unit is an opportunity to randomly apply or withhold a treatment.
      There is interference between units if the application of the treatment to one
      unit may also affect other units. In cognitive neuroscience, a common form of
      experiment presents a sequence of stimuli or requests for cognitive activity at
      random to each experimental subject and measures biological aspects of brain
      activity that follow these requests. Each subject is then many experimental
      units, and interference between units within an experimental subject is likely,
      in part because the stimuli follow one another quickly and in part because human
      subjects learn or become experienced or primed or bored as the experiment
      proceeds. We use a recent fMRI experiment concerned with the inhibition of motor
      activity to illustrate and further develop recently proposed methodology for
      inference in the presence of interference. A simulation evaluates the power of
      competing procedures.

PMID- 26504256
TI  - Heterogeneous Households A within-subject test of asymmetric information between
      spouses in Kenya.
AB  - To identify which spouses respond to asymmetric information, I play two dictator
      games with each member of the couple. One decision is kept secret from the
      respondent's spouse, while another choice is public. Most people give the same
      amount in public and secret, while a minority behave opportunistically and give
      more to their spouse in public and less in secret. The types identified in the
      lab also behave differently at home. For those who behave opportunistically in
      the lab, greater knowledge about finances at home is associated with worse
      opportunism in the lab, suggesting that for these couples complete information at
      home is not due to trust but rather is an endogenous response to non-cooperative
      behavior. The paper highlights that allowing for heterogeneous types changes the
      conclusions we draw about appropriate models of the household and suggests that
      laboratory games can be used to identify household types useful in the
      interpretation of field data.

PMID- 26504257
TI  - Race-Ethnic Differences in the Non-marital Fertility Rates in 2006-2010.
AB  - Research in the 1980s pointed to the lower marriage rates of blacks as an
      important factor contributing to race differences in non-marital fertility. Our
      analyses update and extend this prior work to investigate whether cohabitation
      has become an important contributor to this variation. We use data from the 2006
      2010 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) and to identify the relative
      contribution of population composition (i.e. percent sexually active single and
      percent cohabiting) versus rates (pregnancy rates, post-conception marriage
      rates) to race-ethnic variation in non-marital fertility rates (N=7,428). We find
      that the pregnancy rate among single (not cohabiting) women is the biggest
      contributor to race-ethnic variation in the non-marital fertility rate and that
      contraceptive use patterns among racial minorities explains the majority of the
      race-ethnic differences in pregnancy rates.

PMID- 26504258
TI  - Insecticide Transfer Efficiency and Lethal Load in Argentine Ants.
AB  - Trophallaxis between individual worker ants and the toxicant load in dead and
      live Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) in colonies exposed to fipronil and
      hydramethylnon experimental baits were examined using accelerator mass
      spectrometry (AMS). About 50% of the content of the crop containing trace levels
      of 14C-sucrose, 14C-hydramethylnon, and 14C-fipronil was shared between single
      donor and recipient ants. Dead workers and queens contained significantly more
      hydramethylnon (122.7 and 22.4 amol/MUg ant, respectively) than did live workers
      and queens (96.3 and 10.4 amol/MUg ant, respectively). Dead workers had
      significantly more fipronil (420.3 amol/MUg ant) than did live workers (208.5
      amol/MUg ant), but dead and live queens had equal fipronil levels (59.5 and 54.3
      amol/MUg ant, respectively). The distribution of fipronil differed within the
      bodies of dead and live queens; the highest amounts of fipronil were recovered in
      the thorax of dead queens whereas live queens had the highest levels in the head.
      Resurgence of polygynous ant colonies treated with hydramethylnon baits may be
      explained by queen survival resulting from sublethal doses due to a slowing of
      trophallaxis throughout the colony. Bait strategies and dose levels for
      controlling insect pests need to be based on the specific toxicant properties and
      trophic strategies for targeting the entire colony.

PMID- 26504259
TI  - Building an evidence-base for the training of evidence-based treatments in
      community settings: Use of an expert-informed approach.
AB  - In order to make EBTs available to a large number of children and families,
      developers and expert therapists have used their experience and expertise to
      train community-based therapists in EBTs. Understanding current training
      practices of treatment experts may be one method for establishing best practices
      for training community-based therapists prior to comprehensive empirical
      examinations of training practices. A qualitative study was conducted using
      surveys and phone interviews to identify the specific procedures used by
      treatment experts to train and implement an evidence-based treatment in community
      settings. Twenty-three doctoral-level, clinical psychologists were identified to
      participate because of their expertise in conducting and training Parent-Child
      Interaction Therapy. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were completed by
      phone, later transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic coding. The de
      identified data were coded by two independent qualitative data researchers and
      then compared for consistency of interpretation. The themes that emerged
      following the final coding were used to construct a training protocol to be
      empirically tested. The goal of this paper is to not only understand the current
      state of training practices for training therapists in a particular EBT, Parent
      Child Interaction Therapy, but to illustrate the use of expert opinion as the
      best available evidence in preparation for empirical evaluation.

PMID- 26504260
TI  - Impaired Fasting Glucose in Nondiabetic Range: Is It a Marker of Cardiovascular
      Risk Factor Clustering?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) through the nondiabetic range (100-125
      mg/dL) is not considered in the cardiovascular (CV) risk profile. AIM: To compare
      the clustering of CV risk factors (RFs) in nondiabetic subjects with normal
      fasting glucose (NFG) and IFG. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study in
      3739 nondiabetic subjects. Demographics, medical history, and CV risk factors
      were collected and lipid profile, fasting glucose levels (FBG), C-reactive
      protein (hsCRP), blood pressure (BP), anthropometric measurements, and aerobic
      capacity were determined. RESULTS: 559 (15%) subjects had IFG: they had a higher
      mean age, BMI, waist circumference, non-HDL cholesterol, BP, and hsCRP (p <
      0.0001) and lower HDL (p < 0.001) and aerobic capacity (p < 0.001). They also had
      a higher prevalence of hypertension (34% versus 25%; p < 0.001), dyslipidemia
      (79% versus 74%; p < 0.001), and obesity (29% versus 16%; p < 0.001) and a higher
      Framingham risk score (8% versus 6%; p < 0.001). The probability of presenting 3
      or more CV RFs adjusted by age and gender was significantly higher in the top
      quintile of fasting glucose (>=98 mg/dL; OR = 2.02; 1.62-2.51). CONCLUSIONS: IFG
      in the nondiabetic range is associated with increased cardiovascular RF
      clustering.

PMID- 26504262
TI  - Race, Ethnicity, and the Changing Context of Childbearing in the United States.
AB  - In what ways do childbearing patterns in the contemporary United States vary for
      white, black, and Hispanic women? Why do these differences exist? Although
      completed family size is currently similar for white and black women, and only
      modestly larger for Hispanic women, we highlight persistent differences across
      groups with respect to the timing of childbearing, the relationship context of
      childbearing, and the extent to which births are intended. We next evaluate key
      explanations for these differences. Guided by a "proximate determinants"
      approach, we focus here on patterns of sexual activity, contraceptive use, and
      post-conception outcomes such as abortion and changes in mothers' relationship
      status. We find contraceptive use to be a particularly important contributor to
      racial and ethnic differences in childbearing, yet reasons for varying use of
      contraception itself remain insufficiently understood. We end by reflecting on
      promising directions for further research.

PMID- 26504261
TI  - Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Hypermobility Type, Is Linked to Chromosome 8p22-8p21.1
      in an Extended Belgian Family.
AB  - Joint hypermobility is a common, mostly benign, finding in the general
      population. In a subset of individuals, however, it causes a range of clinical
      problems, mainly affecting the musculoskeletal system. Joint hypermobility often
      appears as a familial trait and is shared by several heritable connective tissue
      disorders, including the hypermobility subtype of the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS
      HT) or benign joint hypermobility syndrome (BJHS). These hereditary conditions
      provide unique models for the study of the genetic basis of joint hypermobility.
      Nevertheless, these studies are largely hampered by the great variability in
      clinical presentation and the often vague mode of inheritance in many families.
      Here, we performed a genome-wide linkage scan in a unique three-generation family
      with an autosomal dominant EDS-HT phenotype and identified a linkage interval on
      chromosome 8p22-8p21.1, with a maximum two-point LOD score of 4.73. Subsequent
      whole exome sequencing revealed the presence of a unique missense variant in the
      LZTS1 gene, located within the candidate region. Subsequent analysis of 230 EDS
      HT/BJHS patients resulted in the identification of three additional rare
      variants. This is the first reported genome-wide linkage analysis in an EDS-HT
      family, thereby providing an opportunity to identify a new disease gene for this
      condition. 

PMID- 26504263
TI  - Cultural Mechanisms in Neighborhood Effects Research in the United States.
AB  - This paper discusses the current state of the U.S. literature on cultural
      mechanisms in neighborhood effects research. We first define what we mean by
      neighborhood effects and by cultural mechanisms. We then review and critique two
      theoretical perspectives on the cultural context of disadvantaged neighborhoods
      that are explicitly integrated into recent neighborhood effects literature in the
      U.S.: "deviant subculture" and "cultural heterogeneity." We then draw on other
      related U.S. literatures from urban studies, cultural sociology, and culture and
      inequality to suggest some other conceptualizations that may be useful in
      advancing our understanding of the role of culture in neighborhood effects. We
      discuss the conceptual and methodological issues that will have to be grappled
      with in order to move this literature forward and conclude by offering concrete
      suggestions, both short-term and long-term, for a research agenda.

PMID- 26504264
TI  - Minimally invasive surgical techniques in the management of differentiated
      thyroid cancer.
AB  - Thyroid cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women with approximately 60,220
      expected new cases in the United States in 2013, and the incidence continues to
      increase each year. Fortunately, the majority are well-differentiated thyroid
      cancers with excellent overall prognosis. Controversy persists regarding the
      optimal surgical management of differentiated thyroid cancer in terms of the
      extent of thyroid resection (thyroid lobectomy vs total thyroidectomy) and the
      utility of prophylactic central neck dissection (pCND) in low-risk PTC, and
      papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC, defined as <10 mm). Thyroid surgical
      approaches have progressed from the Kocher open incision to minimally invasive
      techniques that include endoscopic and robotic thyroidectomy. Overall, these
      minimally invasive techniques have been shown to be safe, and appear to be
      associated with improved cosmesis and decreased pain compared to open
      thyroidectomy.

PMID- 26504265
TI  - A survey of big data research.
AB  - Big data create values for business and research, but pose significant challenges
      in terms of networking, storage, management, analytics and ethics.
      Multidisciplinary collaborations from engineers, computer scientists,
      statisticians and social scientists are needed to tackle, discover and understand
      big data. This survey presents an overview of big data initiatives, technologies
      and research in industries and academia, and discusses challenges and potential
      solutions.

PMID- 26504266
TI  - The role of compensatory movements patterns in spontaneous recovery after stroke.
AB  - [Purpose] Post-stroke motor recovery consists of both true recovery and
      compensatory movements. Although compensatory movements are learned more quickly
      early after stroke, the role of compensatory movement patterns in functional
      recovery is controversial. We investigated the role of compensatory movement
      patterns in the long-term functional motor recovery after stroke. [Subjects and
      Methods] Male Wistar rats were subjected to photothrombotic infarction to induce
      motor and sensorimotor cortex lesions. The rats were given task-specific
      training. Behavior tests and analyses of compensatory movement patterns (head
      lift, limb withdrawal impairment, phantom grasps, and pellet chasing) during the
      single-pellet reaching test were performed 2, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days post
      stroke. [Results] Successful retrieval during the single-pellet reaching test was
      significantly correlated with compensatory movement patterns in stroke groups.
      Motor cortex stroke showed significant correlation in limb withdrawal impairment
      and pellet chasing. But, sensorimotor cortex stroke was significant correlation
      in pellet chasing. [Conclusion] The data suggest that compensatory movements
      after stroke are correlated with spontaneous recovery. Since some compensatory
      movement patterns are detrimental to functional recovery, the correct timing of
      training and control of compensatory movement patterns might be important. 

PMID- 26504267
TI  - Electromyography of symmetrical trunk movements and trunk position sense in
      chronic stroke patients.
AB  - [Purpose] To explore the differences in bilateral trunk muscle activation between
      chronic stroke patients and healthy controls, this study investigated the
      symmetry index and cross-correlation of trunk muscles during trunk flexion and
      extension movements. This study also assessed the differences in trunk reposition
      error between groups and the association between trunk reposition error and
      bilateral trunk muscle activation. [Subjects and Methods] Fifteen stroke patients
      and 15 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects participated. Bilateral trunk
      muscle activations were collected by electromyography during trunk flexion and
      extension. Trunk reposition errors in trunk flexion and extension directions were
      recorded by a Qualisys motion capture system. [Results] Compared with the healthy
      controls, the stroke patients presented lower symmetrical muscle activation of
      the bilateral internal oblique and lower cross-correlation of abdominal muscles
      during trunk flexion, and lower symmetry index and cross-correlation of erector
      spinae in trunk extension. They also showed a larger trunk extension reposition
      error. A smaller trunk reposition error was associated with higher cross
      correlation of bilateral trunk muscles during trunk movements in all subjects.
      [Conclusion] Trunk muscle function during symmetrical trunk movements and trunk
      reposition sense were impaired in the chronic stroke patients, and trunk position
      sense was associated with trunk muscle functions. Future studies should pay
      attention to symmetrical trunk movements as well as trunk extension position
      sense for patients with chronic stroke. 

PMID- 26504268
TI  - Study on changes in skin extensibility during the development of joint
      contracture due to joint immobilization in rats.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to elucidate whether skin extensibility
      decreases when a contracture develops as a result of joint immobilization.
      [Subjects] This study was conducted on six female Wistar rats. [Methods] The rats
      were divided into two experimental groups. In the immobilized group, the right
      ankle joints were immobilized in complete plantar flexion by plaster casts for
      two weeks. In the control group, the left ankle joints had no intervention. On
      the final day, skin extensibility was determined from a length-tension curve by
      collecting skin from the posterior aspect of the ankle joint and using a tensile
      strength tester. [Results] Compared with the control group, the immobilized group
      showed a significant decrease in skin extensibility. [Conclusion] The results
      demonstrated that the extensibility of the skin itself decreases when joint
      contracture develops. 

PMID- 26504269
TI  - Correlation between basic physical fitness and pulmonary function in Korean
      children and adolescents: a cross-sectional survey.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to determine whether there was a
      correlation between basic physical fitness and pulmonary function in Korean
      school students, to present an alternative method for improving their pulmonary
      function. [Subjects and Methods] Two hundred forty healthy students aged 6-17
      years performed physical fitness tests of hand-grip strength, sit and reach,
      Sargent jump, single leg stance, and pulmonary function tests of forced vital
      capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) using a Quark
      PFT. [Results] Muscle strength and power of boys improved in the late period of
      elementary school and middle school. Muscle strength of girls improved in the
      late period of elementary school. Analysis of factors affecting pulmonary
      function revealed that height, weight, BMI, and body fat significantly correlated
      with spirometric parameters. Right hand-grip strength, left hand-grip strength,
      and Sargent jump also significantly correlated with FVC and FEV1. [Conclusion] In
      order to improve the pulmonary function of children and adolescents, aerobic
      exercise and an exercise program to increase muscle strength and power is needed,
      and it should start in the late period of elementary school when muscle strength
      and power are rapidly increasing. 

PMID- 26504270
TI  - Effects of 4 weeks preoperative exercise on knee extensor strength after anterior
      cruciate ligament reconstruction.
AB  - [Purpose] After an anterior cruciate ligament injury and subsequent
      reconstruction, quadriceps muscle weakness and disruption of proprioceptive
      function are common. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 4
      weeks preoperative exercise intervention on knee strength power and function post
      surgery. [Subjects and Methods] Eighty male patients (27.8+/-5.7 age), scheduled
      for reconstruction surgery, were randomly assigned to two groups, the
      preoperative exercise group (n=40) and a no preoperative exercise group (n=40).
      The preoperative exercise group participated in a 4-week preoperative and 12-week
      post-operative programs, while the no preoperative exercise group participated
      only in the 12-week postoperative exercise program. Isokinetic measured of
      quadriceps strength were obtained at 4 weeks before and 3 months after surgery.
      [Results] The knee extensor strength deficits measured at 60 degrees /s and 180
      degrees /s was significantly lower in the preoperative exercise group compared
      with the no preoperative exercise group. At 3 months after surgery, the extensor
      strength deficit was 28.5+/-9.0% at 60 degrees /sec and 23.3+/-9.0% at 180
      degrees /sec in the preoperative exercise group, whereas the no preoperative
      exercise group showed extensor strength deficits of 36.5+/-10.7% and 27.9+/-12.6%
      at 60 degrees /sec and 180 degrees /sec, respectively. The preoperative exercise
      group demonstrated significant improvement the single-leg hop distance.
      [Conclusion] Four week preoperative exercise may produce many positive effects
      post reconstruction surgery, including faster recovery of knee extensor strength
      and function, as measured by single-leg hop ability. 

PMID- 26504271
TI  - Relationships between presynaptic inhibition and static postural sway in subjects
      with and without diabetic neuropathy.
AB  - [Purpose] Diabetic peripheral neuropathy can often lead to balance impairment.
      The spinal reflex is a mechanism that is reportedly important for balance, but it
      has not been investigated in diabetic peripheral neuropathy patients. Moreover,
      inhibitory or facilitatory behavior of the spinal reflex-known as presynaptic
      inhibition-is essential for controlling postural sway. The purpose of this study
      was to compare the differences in as presynaptic inhibition and balance in
      subjects with and without diabetic peripheral neuropathy to determine the
      influence of presynaptic inhibition on balance in diabetic peripheral neuropathy
      patients. [Subjects and Methods] Presynaptic inhibition and postural sway were
      tested in eight patients (mean age, 58+/-6 years) and eight normal subjects (mean
      age, 59+/-7 years). The mean percent difference in conditioned reflex amplitude
      relative to the unconditioned reflex amplitude was assessed to calculate as
      presynaptic inhibition. The single-leg balance index was measured using a
      computerized balance-measuring device. [Results] The diabetic peripheral
      neuropathy group showed lower presynaptic inhibition (47+/-30% vs. 75+/-22%) and
      decreased balance (0.65+/-0.24 vs. 0.38+/-0.06) as compared with the normal
      group. No significant correlation was found between as presynaptic inhibition and
      balance score (R=0.37). [Conclusion] Although the decreased as presynaptic
      inhibition observed in diabetic peripheral neuropathy patients may suggest
      central nervous system involvement, further research is necessary to explore the
      role of presynaptic inhibition in decreased balance in diabetic peripheral
      neuropathy patients. 

PMID- 26504272
TI  - Clarification of functional differences between the hallux and lesser toes during
      the single leg stance: immediate effects of conditioning contraction of the toe
      plantar flexion muscles.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine the functional differences
      of the plantar flexion muscles of the hallux and lesser toes during the single
      leg stance by comparing postural sway in different conditioning contraction
      interventions. [Subjects] Thirty-four healthy, young males and females
      participated in this study. [Methods] The front-back and right-left direction
      components of maximal displacement and postural sway velocity during the single
      leg stance were measured in various conditioning contraction interventions for
      the plantar flexion muscles of the hallux or lessor toes. [Results] The main
      findings of this study were as follows: 1) the front-back direction component of
      maximal displacement was reduced by conditioning contraction of the plantar
      flexion muscles of the hallux, and 2) the front-back direction component of the
      postural sway velocity was reduced by conditioning contraction of the plantar
      flexion muscles of the lesser toes during the single leg stance. [Conclusion] The
      plantar flexion muscles of the lesser toes control the postural sway velocity.
      Furthermore, the plantar flexion muscles of the hallux appear to control the
      amplitude of postural sway. 

PMID- 26504273
TI  - Correlation of knee proprioception with muscle strength and spasticity in stroke
      patients.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of knee
      proprioception with muscle strength and spasticity in stroke patients. [Subjects
      and Methods] The subjects were 31 stroke patients. The subjects received an
      explanation of the procedures and methods and provided informed consent before
      the experiment. A measurement board was used to determine the the proprioception
      deficit of the knee as a proprioception test. The proprioception test consisted
      of a passive and active angle reproduction test. A manual muscle test and
      modified Ashworth scale were used to evaluate knee muscle strength and spasticity
      level. The data were analyzed using an independent t-test and Spearman
      correlation. [Results] The results of this study revealed a significant
      difference between the affected side and non-affected side in the passive angle
      reproduction test and a significant difference in the correlation of the
      proprioception level with muscle strength and spasticity level. [Conclusion] This
      study indicates that the knee proprioception level is associated with spasticity
      and muscle strength in stroke patients. 

PMID- 26504274
TI  - The effects of bodyweight-based exercise with blood flow restriction on
      isokinetic knee muscular function and thigh circumference in college students.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of bodyweight
      based exercise with blood flow restriction on isokinetic muscular function and
      thigh circumference in college students. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were
      17 college students who were recruited and randomly assigned to bodyweight-based
      exercise with blood flow restriction and bodyweight-based exercise groups.
      Participants performed front lunges and squats at ratings of perceived exertion
      of 11-13 three times a week during a 6-week training period. The peak torque/
      body weight (%) of the knee flexor and extensor was measured using a HUMAC NORM
      System (Cybex 770-NORM((r)), Cybex International, Medway, MA, USA), and the
      circumference of the thigh was measured. PASW Statistics was used for data
      analysis. [Results] There were significant differences in the peak torque/ body
      weight (%) of the flexors in both thighs (at 180 degrees /sec) after bodyweight
      based exercise with blood flow restriction. In addition, the circumference
      changes in both thighs were significant after bodyweight-based exercise with
      blood flow restriction and between the two groups. [Conclusion] This study
      suggests that bodyweight-based exercise with blood flow restriction may be an
      effective method to improve the muscle power and hypertrophy of the lower
      extremity in a clinical setting. 

PMID- 26504276
TI  - Comparison of trunk and hip muscle activity during different degrees of lumbar
      and hip extension.
AB  - [Purpose] This study compared the activity of trunk and hip muscles during
      different degrees of lumbar and hip extension. [Subjects] The study enrolled 18
      participants. [Methods] Two exercises (hip and lumbar extension) and two ranges
      (180 degrees  and <180 degrees ) were studied. [Results] Differences in degree of
      extension affected the percentage maximal voluntary isometric contraction of the
      lumbar erector spinae and biceps femoris muscles, with significantly higher
      average values at >180 degrees  than at 180 degrees  lumbar extension. No
      significant differences were found in gluteus maximus activity according to
      exercise type or range. [Conclusion] Hip extension may be more effective and
      safer for lumbar rehabilitation than lumbar extension. 

PMID- 26504275
TI  - Maximal lateral reaching distance on the affected side using the multi
      directional reach test in persons with stroke.
AB  - [Purpose] This study aimed to examine the relationship between maximal lateral
      reaching distance on the affected side and weight shifting using the Multi
      directional Reach Test in persons with stoke. [Subjects] Fifty-one chronic stroke
      participants were recruited from two rehabilitation hospitals. This study
      administered the Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up-and-Go, Trunk Impairment Scale,
      Modified Barthel Index and measured different maximal reaching distances.
      [Results] The maximal lateral reaching distance on the affected side was
      correlated with the BBS (r=0.571), TUG (r=-0.478), TIS (r=0.561), and MBI scores
      (r=0.499), the lateral reaching distance in all directions on the non-affected
      side (r=0.785), the maximal backward reaching distance (r=0.723), and the maximal
      forward reaching distance (r=0.673). The maximal reaching distance on the
      affected side was also affected by that on the non-affected side, in addition to
      the maximal backward reaching distance and MBI score. The final step model of
      stepwise multiple regression was explained 69.5%. [Conclusion] Maximal lateral
      reaching distance on the affected side as determined by the Multi-directional
      Reach Test is a good method of assessing functional performance in stroke
      patients. Data regarding maximal reaching distance on the non-affected side can
      be used to measure functional impairment on the affected side in clinical
      settings. 

PMID- 26504277
TI  - The effects of finger extension on shoulder muscle activity.
AB  - [Purpose] This study aims to examine the effects of the extension of the fingers
      (distal upper limb) on the activity of the shoulder muscles (proximal upper
      limb). [Subjects and Methods] This study involved 14 healthy male adults with no
      musculoskeletal disorder or pain related to the shoulders and hands. The subjects
      in a sitting posture abducted the angle of the shoulder joints at 60 degrees  and
      had their palms in the front direction. Electromyography (EMG) was comparatively
      analyzed to look at the activities of the infraspinatus (IS) and rhomboid major
      (RM) when the fingers were extended and relaxed. [Results] The activity of the IS
      was statistically significantly higher when the fingers were extended than when
      they were relaxed. [Conclusion] According to the result of this study, finger
      extension is considered to affect the muscles for connected shoulder joint
      stability. 

PMID- 26504278
TI  - Changes in cervical muscle activity according to the traction force of an air
      inflatable neck traction device.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to analyze cervical muscle activity at
      different traction forces of an air-inflatable neck traction device. [Subjects]
      Eighteen males participated in this study. [Methods] The subjects put on an air
      inflatable neck traction device and the traction forces administered were 40, 80,
      and 120 mmHg. The electromyography (EMG) signals of the splenius capitis, and
      upper trapezius were measured to assess the muscle activity. [Results] The muscle
      activity of the splenius capitis was significantly higher at 80, and 120 mmHg
      compared to 40 mmHg. The muscle activity of the upper trapezius did not show
      significant differences among the traction forces. [Conclusion] Our research
      result showed that the air-inflatable home neck traction device did not meet the
      condition of muscle relaxation. 

PMID- 26504279
TI  - Differences in onset time between the vastus medialis and lateralis during stair
      stepping in individuals with genu varum or valgum.
AB  - [Purpose] We investigated the difference in onset time between the vastus
      medialis and lateralis according to knee alignment during stair ascent and
      descent to examine the effects of knee alignment on the quadriceps during stair
      stepping. [Subjects] Fifty-two adults (20 with genu varum, 12 with genu valgum,
      and 20 controls) were enrolled. Subjects with > 4 cm between the medial
      epicondyles of the knees were placed in the genu varum group, whereas subjects
      with > 4 cm between the medial malleolus of the ankle were placed in the genu
      valgum group. [Methods] Surface electromyography was used to measure the onset
      times of the vastus medialis and vastus lateralis during stair ascent and
      descent. [Results] The vastus lateralis showed more delayed firing than the
      vastus medialis in the genu varum group, whereas vastus medialis firing was more
      delayed than vastus lateralis firing in the genu valgum group. Significant
      differences in onset time were detected between stair ascent and descent in the
      genu varum and valgum groups. [Conclusion] Genu varum and valgum affect
      quadriceps firing during stair stepping. Therefore, selective rehabilitation
      training of the quadriceps femoris should be considered to prevent pain or knee
      malalignment deformities. 

PMID- 26504280
TI  - The effects of horseback riding simulator exercises on the muscle activity of the
      lower extremities according to changes in arm posture.
AB  - [Purpose] This study aimed to determine the effects of horseback riding simulator
      exercise on the muscle activities of the lower extremities according to changes
      in arm posture. [Subjects] The subjects of this study were 30 normal adult males
      and females. [Methods] The horseback riding simulator exercise used a horseback
      riding simulator device; two arm postures were used, posture 1 (holding the
      handle of the device) and posture 2 (crossing both arms, with both hands on the
      shoulders). Electromyography was used to compare the muscle activities of the
      rectus femoris, biceps femoris, and hip adductors in the lower extremities.
      [Results] Posture 2 had significantly higher muscle activity than posture 1.
      [Conclusion] Posture 2, which entailed crossing both arms with both hands on the
      shoulders, was an effective intervention for improved muscle activity in the hip
      adductors. 

PMID- 26504281
TI  - The intra- and inter-rater reliabilities of the Short Form Berg Balance Scale in
      institutionalized elderly people.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the intra- and inter-rater
      reliabilities of the Short Form Berg Balance Scale in institutionalized elderly
      people. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 30 elderly people in a nursing facility
      in Y city, South Korea, participated in this study. Two examiners administered
      the Short Form Berg Balance Scale to one subject to investigate inter-rater
      reliability. After a week, the same examiners administered the Short Form Berg
      Balance Scale once more to investigate intra-rater reliability. [Results] The
      intra-rater reliability was 0.83. The inter-rater reliability was 0.79. Both
      reliabilities were high (more than 0.7). [Conclusion] The Short Form Berg Balance
      Scale is a version of the Berg Balance Scale shortened by reducing the number of
      items, but its reliabilities were not lower than those of the Berg Balance Scale.
      The Short Form Berg Balance Scale can be useful clinically due to its short
      measurement time. 

PMID- 26504282
TI  - Effects of spaced retrieval training with errorless learning in the
      rehabilitation of patients with dementia.
AB  - [Purpose] Among the non-pharmacological interventions for dementia, spaced
      retrieval training (SRT) is a good method for rehabilitating cognition. The
      purpose of this study was to examine effects of SRT with errorless learning (EL)
      in the rehabilitation of patients with dementia. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty
      nine participants with vascular dementia (VD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD)
      participated in the present study. The Korean version of the Consortium to
      Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's disease (CERAD-K) and Modified Barthel Index
      (MBI) were performed to assess the changes in the neuropsychological performance
      and the independent activities of daily living after SRT with EL. All tests were
      administered both before and after SRT with EL. Each SRT with EL intervention was
      performed for 30 minutes per day for 5 weeks. SPSS for Windows version 18.0 was
      used for statistical analysis. [Results] All items of the CERAD-K score of the VD
      group except for constructional praxis increased significantly after the SRT with
      EL intervention, but no significant differences from the AD group were found. The
      Korean version of the geriatric depression scale (GDS-K) of the VD group
      increased significantly after the SRT with EL intervention. The mean MBI scores
      of each group showed no significant difference after the intervention.
      [Conclusion] SRT with EL is an effective intervention for memory training of
      patients with dementia. Future research using sufficient sample sizes will be
      needed to obtain strong evidence for comparing not only the before and after
      intervention data but also between the groups. 

PMID- 26504283
TI  - The influence of horseback riding training on the physical function and
      psychological problems of stroke patients.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of horseback
      riding training on the physical function and psychological problems of stroke
      patients. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty stroke patients were divided evenly into
      an experimental group and a control group. Both groups carried out
      neurodevelopmental treatment. The experimental group additionally performed
      mechanical horseback riding training for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for 6
      weeks. Physical function was evaluated using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the
      Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT). Psychological problems were assessed using the Beck
      Depression Inventory (BDI). In order to compare differences within groups between
      before and after the experiment, the paired t test was conducted. In order to
      compare differences between groups before and after the experiment, the
      independent t test was conducted. [Results] In the experimental group, the BBS,
      TUGT, and BDI showed significant improvements after the intervention. The
      experimental group's BBS, TUGT, and BDI post-intervention changes were
      significantly better than those observed in the control group. [Conclusion]
      According to our results, horseback riding training has a positive effect on the
      physical function and psychological problems of stroke patients. 

PMID- 26504284
TI  - Effect of complete decongestive therapy and a home program for patients with post
      mastectomy lymphedema.
AB  - [Purpose] Post mastectomy lymphedema is common among breast cancer survivors. It
      leads to physical discomfort and functional impairment. Rehabilitation forms the
      mainstay of treatment and is multidisciplinary. [Subjects and Methods] Sixty post
      mastectomy patients were allocated randomly and assigned to either a conventional
      treatment group (n=30) or a complete decongestive therapy (CDT) group (n=30). The
      conventional treatment group received manual lymphatic drainage, wore a low
      elastic compression garment, received glenohumeral mobilization, and performed
      deep breathing exercises, and the complete decongestive therapy group received
      CDT from a trained physiotherapist and a daily home program along with the
      conventional treatment, 5 days a week for 6 weeks. [Results] Arm circumference
      measurements were taken at five levels: the wrist, mid forearm, elbow, mid-upper
      arm, and axilla. The upper extremity function was evaluated using the
      Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire, and pain was
      assessed using the visual analogue scale. Measurements were taken at baseline,
      and at 4th and 6th weeks after the start of intervention. Within and between
      group comparisons showed significant improvements in the CDT group. [Conclusion]
      Complete decongestive therapy and a home program assists breast cancer related
      lymphedema survivors in regaining their lost functions. It also helps to improve
      their independence in daily activities, reduce their need for caregivers, and
      thereby improving their quality of life. Therefore, the results of this study
      showed that the CDT with a home program is an effective treatment for reducing
      post mastectomy lymphedema. 

PMID- 26504285
TI  - The effects of prone bridge exercise on the Oswestry disability index and
      proprioception of patients with chronic low back pain.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of bridge
      exercises on the Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores and proprioception among
      patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). [Subjects and Methods] A total of 38
      patients participated in this study. After eight weeks of bridge exercise, the
      joint position angle of the body trunk was measured and the ODI was used in
      survey form to investigate the intensity of the patients' low back pain.
      [Results] After eight weeks of exercise, the ODI showed significant differences
      in all three groups. Subjects' joint position sense of the trunk in both lumbar
      flexion and extension was also significantly different after completing the
      exercise program; this was true for all three groups. [Conclusion] Performing the
      prone bridge exercise for eight weeks improved proprioceptive function and
      reduced pain and impediment of activity, showing it a more effective exercise
      than other bridge exercises. 

PMID- 26504286
TI  - Effects of exercise intensity on hypertension prevalence in Korean men with high
      sodium intake.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of present study was to investigate the effects of exercise
      intensity on hypertension prevalence in Korean men with high sodium intake.
      [Subjects and Methods] This study was based on the data collected from 2007 to
      2013 in the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey. A total of
      8853 male adults were included in the analysis. The odds ratios for hypertension
      according to exercise groups were assessed by using logistic regression of each
      sodium intake group. [Results] Among the 8853 subjects, 6243 had an eating habit
      of 4000 mg or more sodium consumption per day, and 2619 had less than 4000 mg.
      Among the 2619 subjects with less than 4000 mg sodium consumption, 16.7% subjects
      were diagnosed as having hypertension. In the subjects with 4000 mg or more
      sodium consumption, compared to the no-exercise group, the moderate-exercise
      group showed a lower likelihood of developing hypertension, with an odds ratio of
      0.63 (95% confidence interval, 0.47-0.85) after adjusting for age. In
      multivariate models 1 and 2, odds ratios for the likelihood of developing
      hypertension in the moderate-exercise group decreased to 0.63 (0.43-0.91) and
      0.66 (0.45-0.96), respectively. [Conclusion] Moderate exercise is significantly
      associated with a lower likelihood of developing hypertension in cases of high
      sodium intake. 

PMID- 26504287
TI  - Effect of combination of transcranial direct current stimulation and feedback
      training on visuospatial neglect in patients with subacute stroke: a pilot
      randomized controlled trial.
AB  - [Purpose] To investigate the effects of a combination of transcranial direct
      current stimulation (tDCS) and feedback training (FT) on subacute stroke patients
      with unilateral visuospatial neglect. [Subjects] The subjects were randomly
      assigned to a tDCS + FT group (n=6) and a FT group (n=6). [Methods] Patients in
      the tDCS + FT group received tDCS for 20 minutes and then received FT for 30
      minutes a day, 5 days a week for 3 weeks. The control group received FT for 30
      minutes a day, 5 days a week for 3 weeks. [Results] After the intervention, both
      groups showed significant improvements in the Motor-Free Visual Perception Test
      (MVPT), line bisection test (LBT), and modified Barthel index (MBI) over the
      baseline results. The comparison of the two groups after the intervention
      revealed that the rDCS + FT group showed more significant improvements in MVPT,
      LBT, and MBI. [Conclusion] The results of this study suggest that tDCS combined
      with FT has a positive effect on unilateral visuospatial neglect in patients with
      subacute stroke. 

PMID- 26504288
TI  - Effects of complex manual therapy on PTSD, pain, function, and balance of male
      torture survivors with chronic low back pain.
AB  - [Purpose] This study aimed to identify the impact of physiotherapy using complex
      manual therapy as a part of an integrated treatment for sequelae in the
      musculoskeletal system of torture survivors. [Subjects] This study reviewed 30
      male torture survivors presenting with chronic low back pain. They were randomly
      selected and divided into two groups: an experimental group and a control group.
      [Methods] For the experimental group, complex manual therapy was performed twice
      a week for 8 weeks to improve the physical sequelae of patients. Improvement was
      measured using the PDS-K for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the Visual
      Analog Scale (VAS) for pain examination, the Korean Oswestry Disability Index
      (KODI) for back function assessment, and the Balance System SD as a dynamic
      balance test. The total period of the intervention for both groups was 8 weeks.
      [Results] For the experimental group, PDS-K, VAS, KODI, and the dynamic balance
      test all showed significant improvements after the intervention, which they did
      not for the control group. In the comparison of the groups, PDS-K, VAS, KODI, and
      the dynamic balance test all showed significant differences. [Conclusion] Complex
      manual therapy for torture survivors with chronic low back pain contributes to
      functional recovery by reducing back pain. The treatment can be considered to
      have positive effects on sequelae in the musculoskeletal system of torture
      survivors as they age. 

PMID- 26504289
TI  - Effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on masticatory muscles in elderly
      stroke patients.
AB  - [Purpose] This study aimed to examine the effects of neuromuscular electrical
      stimulation on masticatory muscle activation in elderly stroke patients.
      [Subjects and Methods] The subjects included 20 elderly patients diagnosed with
      stroke and 10 healthy elderly individuals. The neuromuscular electrical
      stimulation group received stimulation on the masseter muscle in the affected
      side for 30 min each day, 3 times per week for 8 weeks. In all the subjects,
      surface electromyography was used to measure activity of the masseter and
      temporal muscles in both sides under resting and clenching conditions. [Results]
      In the neuromuscular electrical stimulation group, after the intervention, an
      increase in the activity of all of the masticatory muscles was observed during
      clenching, with a significant increase in the activity of the masseter muscle in
      the affected side. Significant differences between the groups were not observed
      after the interventions. [Conclusion] The results of this study suggest that
      application of neuromuscular electrical stimulation effectively improves muscle
      activity in elderly stroke patients during clenching, and that this technique can
      be applied particularly for the improvement of the clenching activity of the
      masseter muscle in the affected side. 

PMID- 26504290
TI  - Effects of two different intensities of transcutaneous electrical nerve
      stimulation on pain thresholds of contralateral muscles in healthy subjects.
AB  - [Purpose] This study aimed to investigate the differential effects of high
      intensity and low-intensity transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on the
      contralateral side on the pain threshold in healthy subjects. [Subjects and
      Methods] Twenty-five healthy adults, volunteers received two intensity levels
      (motor-level, 1.5 times the muscle motor threshold; sensory-level, sensory
      threshold of the common peroneal nerve), for 30 s on separate days. Pressure pain
      threshold was recorded on the contralateral tibialis anterior and deltoid muscle
      before, during, and after stimulation. [Results] Motor-level stimulation
      significantly increased the pressure pain threshold at both muscle sites, while
      effects of sensory-level stimulation on pressure pain thresholds were significant
      only at the deltoid site. The percent change in pressure pain thresholds at both
      sites was significantly higher during motor-level stimulation. [Conclusion] Motor
      level stimulation, applied unilaterally to one leg, produced immediate
      contralateral diffuse and segmental analgesic effects. This may be of therapeutic
      benefit in patients for whom transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation cannot
      be directly used at the painful site. 

PMID- 26504291
TI  - Excitability of spinal motor neurons during motor imagery of thenar muscle
      activity under maximal voluntary contractions of 50% and 100.
AB  - [Purpose] We often perform physical therapy using motor imagery of muscle
      contraction to improve motor function for healthy subjects and central nerve
      disorders. This study aimed to determine the differences in the excitability of
      spinal motor neurons during motor imagery of a muscle contraction at different
      contraction strengths. [Subjects] We recorded the F-wave in 15 healthy subjects.
      [Methods] In resting trial, the muscle was relaxed during F-wave recording. For
      motor imagery trial, subjects were instructed to imagine maximal voluntary
      contractions of 50% and 100% while holding the sensor of a pinch meter, and F
      waves were recorded for each contraction. The F-wave was recorded immediately
      after motor imagery. [Results] Persistence and F/M amplitude ratio during motor
      imagery under maximal voluntary contractions of 50% and 100% were significantly
      higher than that at rest. In addition, the relative values of persistence, F/M
      amplitude ratio, and latency were similar during motor imagery under the two
      muscle contraction strengths. [Conclusion] Motor imagery under maximal voluntary
      contractions of 50% and 100% can increase the excitability of spinal motor
      neurons. Differences in the imagined muscle contraction strengths are not
      involved in changes in the excitability of spinal motor neurons. 

PMID- 26504292
TI  - The effect of thoracic region self-mobilization on chest expansion and pulmonary
      function.
AB  - [Purpose] The aim of this study was to determine the effects of thoracic region
      self-mobilization on chest expansion and pulmonary function in healthy adults.
      [Subjects] Nineteen healthy adults were randomly allocated to either an
      intervention group (n = 8) or a control group (n = 11). [Methods] Subjects in the
      intervention group performed self-mobilization of the thoracic region 3 times per
      week for 6 weeks (18 sessions). The outcome measures included chest expansion
      when breathing, pulmonary function, and predicted pulmonary function. [Results]
      There was a significant difference in chest expansion between the intervention
      group and the control group. However, there was no significant difference in
      pulmonary function between the intervention group and the control group.
      [Conclusion] Thoracic region self-mobilization may be beneficial for increasing
      chest expansion in healthy adults. 

PMID- 26504293
TI  - Changes of general fitness and muscle properties following police cadet training.
AB  - [Purpose] This study was performed to examine the relationship between physical
      performance and muscle properties during police cadet training. The study's
      hypothesis was that improved physical performance brought about by training,
      would in turn cause a reduction in muscle flexibility. [Subjects and Methods]
      Fifty-nine police cadets were included in this study. Standard fitness tests and
      quantitative assessments of muscular biomechanical properties were conducted
      before, during and after the 20-week cadet training. [Results] General fitness
      had improved at the end of the police cadet training. There was no significant
      decrease in muscle flexibility as measured by the Sit-and-Reach test. However,
      muscle compliance of the non-dominant leg measured by the relaxation coefficient
      had decreased at the end of the police cadet training. [Conclusion] The increased
      sit-and-reach distance could be due in part to strengthening of the abdominal
      muscles. On the other hand, the biomechanical test, which was specific to muscle
      extensibility, showed a reduction in the relaxation coefficient of the non
      dominant leg. Our data suggests that changes in muscle compliance as a result of
      lower extremity training should be considered. This data may be useful in the
      design of a training protocol that prevents the potential injuries caused by
      reduced muscle flexibility. 

PMID- 26504294
TI  - The effects of cognitive exercise therapy on chronic stroke patients' upper limb
      functions, activities of daily living and quality of life.
AB  - This study aimed to examine the effects of task-oriented exercise therapy and
      cognitive exercise therapy on the recovery of hand function and the quality of
      life in chronic stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 16 patients
      with chronic stroke were selected and divided into two groups. Group I (n = 8)
      received task-oriented exercise therapy and Group II (n = 8) received cognitive
      exercise therapy. This study was conducted for eight weeks. Upper limb function
      was assessed using the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) and manual function test
      (MFT); activities of daily living were assessed using the motor activity log
      (MAL); and the quality of life was assessed using the stroke impact scale (SIS).
      The pre- and post-intervention results of these tests were analyzed. [Results]
      There were significant differences in all areas of upper limb function,
      activities of daily living, and quality of life between the two groups. There
      were significant differences between the two groups in the post-intervention
      upper limb function and quality of life. [Conclusion] Application of cognitive
      exercise therapy was found to effect functional recovery in stroke patients.
      Future research should focus on application of cognitive exercise therapy in
      diverse populations, and assess its clinical utilization. 

PMID- 26504295
TI  - The effects of Juchumseogi and Juchumseo Jireugi motions of taekwondo on muscle
      activation of paraspinal muscles.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of Juchumseogi and
      Juchumseo Jireugi motions on muscle activation of the paraspinal muscles.
      [Subjects] The subjects of this study were 20 healthy male students who listened
      to an explanation of the study methods and the purpose of the experiment, and
      agreed to participate in the study. [Methods] Muscle activation measurements of
      the paraspinal muscles at C3, T7, and L3 were taken while standing still and
      while performing Juchumseogi and Juchumseo Jireugi movements. The Juchumseogi and
      Juchumseo Jireugi motions were performed 3 times, and its mean value was used for
      analysis. [Results] The right and left muscle activation of paraspinal muscles
      induced by Juchumseogi and Juchumseo Jireugi motions in C3 and T7 were
      significantly higher than those induced by just standing. Muscle activation of
      paraspinal muscles induced by Juchumseo Jireugi motions in C3, T7, and L3 were
      significantly higher than those induced by Juchumseogi alone. The right and left
      muscle activation of paraspinal muscles induced by Juchumseo Jireugi motion in
      C3, T7, and L3 were significantly higher than those induced by standing and
      Juchumseogi alone. [Conclusion] This study demonstrated that Juchumseogi and
      Juchumseo Jireugi motions of Taekwondo could increase muscle activation of
      paraspinal muscles, and Juchumseo Jireugi motions were more effective for
      enhancing muscle activation of paraspinal muscles. 

PMID- 26504296
TI  - Scoliosis screening results of primary school students (11-15 years old group) in
      the west side of Istanbul.
AB  - [Purpose] The present study aimed to find out the scoliosis prevalence 11-15
      years old children and to create awareness about scoliosis. [Subjects and
      Methods] All of the children were assessed using the Adams Forward Bendings Test
      and a scoliometer. Sagittal plane changes such as kyphosis, lordosis,
      hypokyphosis, hypolordosis and anterior head tilt were screened. Children with
      trunk rotation angles (ATR) of 4 degrees or more were suspected of having
      scoliosis, and were evaluated for a second time for gibbosity height, arm-trunk
      distance, and ATR. [Results] A total of 2,207 children were screened and the
      evaluation revealed there were 11 girls (0.49%) with a Cobb angle of 10 degrees
      and more. The maximum Cobb angle was 43 degrees  (right thoracic-left lumbar) and
      the maximum ATR was 12 degrees . Two children had kyphosis and lordosis, and one
      had hypokyphosis and was diagnosed as having idiopathic scoliosis. [Conclusion]
      Families should regularly check their children, even if they are not diagnosed as
      having scoliosis in school screenings. It is our opinion that our study increased
      the awareness of the families about scoliosis by screening, brochures and
      posters. In the future, if school screenings were performed as a routine
      procedure and scoliotic students were followed over the long term, the actual
      effectiveness of screening would be able to be detected. 

PMID- 26504297
TI  - Prevalence of and risk factors for low back pain among dentists.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, symptoms of,
      and risk factors for low back pain among dentists as well as to discover the
      possible correlation of these factors with working posture and how to reduce
      their prevalence. [Subjects and Methods] The study was conducted among 60
      dentists (28 male and 32 female) with a mean age of 25.7 years. Dentists were
      evaluated with the self-administered Nordic musculoskeletal evaluation chart,
      postural discomfort chart, and a self-prepared questionnaire. [Results] The data
      showed a 70% incidence of back pain among dentists, with low back pain
      predominating in 47.6% of cases. Most of the subjects (90.5%) had a mild-to
      moderate level of severity, and only 9.5% had a severe level of low back pain.
      The majority of the dentists (57%) treated 1-3 patients per day. Only a few
      dentists (17%) exercised during their rest period even though 57% of them
      reported taking a break during their working hours. Although 63% of the dentists
      were aware of the advantages of assistive tools, only 40% of them used any kind
      of assistive devices. [Conclusion] Dental professionals demonstrate a high
      prevalence of low back pain. 

PMID- 26504298
TI  - Effects of sitting time associated with media consumption on physical activity
      patterns and daily energy expenditure of Saudi school students.
AB  - [Purpose] This study was performed to assess the effect of daily sitting time
      during media consumption on physical fitness, total energy expenditure (TEE), and
      body composition indices of Saudi school children. [Subjects and Methods] A total
      of 180 healthy Saudi school students (8-18 years) were included in this study.
      Sitting time, total energy expenditure, and levels of physical activity were
      evaluated with pre-validated internet based questionnaires. Body composition
      indices were evaluated using anthropometric analysis. [Results] Out of the
      studied participants, only 22.2% of students were physically inactive. Children
      with moderate and active physical scores demonstrated less sedentary behavior (TV
      viewing and computer usage), lower body composition values (BMI, WC, WHtR), and
      higher TEE than sedentary or mild activity level participants. Boys showed higher
      fitness scores and less sedentary behavior than girls. Media sitting time among
      the studied subjects correlated negatively with physical scores and positively
      with body composition. [Conclusion] The data presented here suggests that poor
      physical fitness, lower TEE, and longer sitting times differentially influence
      normal body composition indices among school children which may lead to
      overweight or obese individuals. Thus, decreasing sitting time during media
      consumption and enhancing physical activity may play a pivotal role in preventing
      obesity in young children. 

PMID- 26504299
TI  - Development of an algorithm to predict comfort of wheelchair fit based on
      clinical measures.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to develop an algorithm to predict the
      comfort of a subject seated in a wheelchair, based on common clinical
      measurements and without depending on verbal communication. [Subjects] Twenty
      healthy males (mean age: 21.5 +/- 2 years; height: 171 +/- 4.3 cm; weight: 56 +/-
      12.3 kg) participated in this study. [Methods] Each experimental session lasted
      for 60 min. The clinical measurements were obtained under 4 conditions (good
      posture, with and without a cushion; bad posture, with and without a cushion).
      Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between
      a visual analogue scale and exercise physiology parameters (respiratory and
      metabolism), autonomic nervous parameters (heart rate, blood pressure, and
      salivary amylase level), and 3D-coordinate posture parameters (good or bad
      posture). [Results] For the equation (algorithm) to predict the visual analogue
      scale score, the adjusted multiple correlation coefficient was 0.72, the residual
      standard deviation was 1.2, and the prediction error was 12%. [Conclusion] The
      algorithm developed in this study could predict the comfort of healthy male
      seated in a wheelchair with 72% accuracy. 

PMID- 26504300
TI  - Effect of neck and trunk rotation speeds on cerebral cortex activity and standing
      postural stability: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.
AB  - [Purpose] The aim of the present study was to determine whether different neck
      and trunk rotation speeds influence standing postural stability or frontal and
      temporal cortical activity during rotation in healthy young adults. [Subjects and
      Methods] Twelve healthy volunteers participated in this study. A custom turn
      table operated by one of the experimenters was placed on a platform to assess
      postural perturbation. Subjects were asked to stand barefoot on the turn-table in
      an upright position with their feet together, and measurements were obtained
      during high- and low-speed rotations. Postural stability was tested using a force
      platform and a head sensor. Cerebral cortex activity was measured using
      functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Brain activity, center of pressure, and
      head perturbation were measured simultaneously for each subject. [Results]
      Significant differences were found in the center of pressure and the head angular
      velocity between high- and low-speed rotations. However, compared to baseline,
      oxygenated hemoglobin levels were not significantly different during high- or low
      speed rotations. [Conclusion] Automatic postural responses to neck and trunk
      rotation while standing did not significantly activate the cerebral cortex.
      Therefore, the response to stimuli from the feet may be controlled by the spinal
      reflex rather than the cerebral cortex. 

PMID- 26504301
TI  - Effect of stretch on improvement of muscular contractures in rats.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate how a stretching torque
      affects muscular contractures. [Subjects] The subjects of this study were 48 male
      Wistar rats. [Methods] Subjects were divided into 4 groups as follows: Group 1
      was the control; Group 2 had muscles in continuous fixation; Group 3 had muscles
      stretched in the direction of dorsiflexion by a spring balancer set at a torque
      of 0.3N for a period of 30 minutes after continuous fixation; and Group 4 had
      muscles stretched in the direction of dorsiflexion by a spring balancer set at a
      torque of 3.0N for a period of 30 minutes after continuous fixation. Joint
      fixation periods were for 2 and 4-weeks. Ankle joint range of motion and soleus
      flexibility were analyzed. [Results] For the 2-week joint fixation, soleus
      flexibility in Group 4 showed an increase compared with that of Group 3. For both
      fixation periods, range of motion in Group 4 showed an increase compared with
      that of Group 3. [Conclusion] For both fixation periods, stretching improved
      joint range of motion. In the 2-week joint fixation, soleus flexibility improved.
      However, soleus flexibility did not improve in the 4-week joint fixation. 

PMID- 26504302
TI  - Effects of acceleration training 24 weeks after anterior cruciate ligament
      reconstruction on proprioceptive and dynamic balancing functions.
AB  - [Purpose] The present study aimed to investigate whether the effects of
      rehabilitation exercise performed after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
      on proprioceptive sensory and dynamic balancing functions differ between males
      and females. [Subjects and Methods] Eighteen subjects aged between 20-30 years
      enrolled in this study. The ages did not significantly differ between the males
      and females. The rehabilitation exercise program was performed three times per
      week for 12 weeks (3 months), and was initiated immediately after anterior
      cruciate ligament reconstruction. Thereafter, the patients visited the hospital
      once per week to perform rehabilitation exercise during weeks 12-24 (3-6 months),
      and education on self-exercise and assessments were conducted during the visits.
      Self-exercise was performed two times per week according to the determined
      program. [Results] The extension active joint position sense, extension passive
      joint position sense, and flexion passive joint position sense of the affected
      and unaffected knees did not show any interaction effects between the measurement
      periods or between the groups. In the case of the affected knee, the results of
      two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance showed no significant difference
      between the measurement periods or between the groups; moreover, no, interaction
      effects were observed between the measurement periods or between the groups. In
      the case of the unaffected knee, although no significant difference was observed
      between the measurement periods, significant differences were observed between
      the groups. [Conclusion] In conclusion, this study revealed that most knee
      rehabilitation exercise training programs can be applied to both genders during
      the recovery period after ACL reconstruction, except for the knee rotational
      feedback/feedforward function exercise that may exhibit different effects based
      on the gender. 

PMID- 26504303
TI  - Investigation of psychometric properties of the Falls Efficacy Scale using Rasch
      analysis in patients with hemiplegic stroke.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric
      properties of the Falls Efficacy Scale using Rasch analysis in patients with
      hemiplegic stroke. [Subjects] Fifty-five community-dwelling hemiplegic stroke
      patients were selected as participants. [Methods] Data were analyzed using the
      Winsteps program (version 3.62) with the Rasch model to confirm the
      unidimensionality through item fit, reliability, and appropriateness of the
      rating scale. [Results] There were no misfit persons or items. Furthermore, infit
      and outfit statistics appeared adjacent. The person separation value was 3.07,
      and the reliability coefficient was 0.90. The reliability of all items was at an
      acceptable level for patients with hemiplegic stroke. [Conclusion] This was the
      first study to investigate the psychometric properties of the Falls Efficacy
      Scale using Rasch analysis. The results of this study suggest that the 6-point
      Falls Efficacy Scale is an appropriate tool for measuring the self-perceived fear
      of falling in patients with hemiplegic stroke. 

PMID- 26504304
TI  - Plantar pressures in individuals with normal and pronated feet according to
      static squat depths.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to investigate differences in
      plantar pressure between individuals with normal and pronated feet according to 3
      static squat depths. [Subjects and Methods] Study subjects were 10 young adults
      with normal and pronated feet. Plantar pressures were measured in the standing
      position and static squat positions at 45 degrees  (semi-squat) and 90 degrees 
      (half-squat) knee flexion using the F-Mat. Subjects' plantar pressures were
      analyzed by dividing the foot into 4 areas: forefoot medial, forefoot lateral,
      midfoot, and heel. [Results] In the half-squat position, the pronated foot group
      showed a higher foot pressure in the forefoot medial than was seen in the normal
      group, whereas the normal group exhibited a higher foot pressure in the heel than
      was seen in the pronated foot group. [Conclusion] An increase in squat depth led
      to the transfer of plantar pressure to the heel in normal feet and to the
      forefoot medial in pronated feet. 

PMID- 26504305
TI  - The effects of a progressive resistance training program on walking ability in
      patients after stroke: a pilot study.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a progressive
      resistance training (PRT) program on the walking ability of chronic stroke
      patients with hemiparesis following chronic stroke. [Subjects and Methods] The
      participants of this study were fifteen hemiplegic patients. The main outcomes
      measured for this study were the peak torque of the knee extensor; the gait
      ability as measured by electric gait analysis of walking speed, walking cycle,
      affected side stance phase, affected side stride length, symmetry index of stance
      phase, and symmetry index of stride length; and 10-m walking speed; and the Berg
      balance scale test. [Results] Walking speed and affected side stride length
      significantly increased after the PRT program, and 10-m walking time
      significantly decreased after RPT in stroke patients. [Conclusion] These results
      suggest that the progressive resistance training program may, in part, improve
      the stride of the affected side leg of stroke patients after stroke and also
      positively impact walking speed. 

PMID- 26504306
TI  - Electrophysiological characteristics according to activity level of myofascial
      trigger points.
AB  - [Purpose] This study compared the differences in electrophysiological
      characteristics of normal muscles versus muscles with latent or active myofascial
      trigger points, and identified the neuromuscular physiological characteristics of
      muscles with active myofascial trigger points, thereby providing a quantitative
      evaluation of myofascial pain syndrome and clinical foundational data for its
      diagnosis. [Subjects] Ninety adults in their 20s participated in this study.
      Subjects were equally divided into three groups: the active myofascial trigger
      point group, the latent myofascial trigger point group, and the control group.
      [Methods] Maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), endurance, median
      frequency (MDF), and muscle fatigue index were measured in all subjects.
      [Results] No significant differences in MVIC or endurance were revealed among the
      three groups. However, the active trigger point group had significantly different
      MDF and muscle fatigue index compared with the control group. [Conclusion] Given
      that muscles with active myofascial trigger points had an increased MDF and
      suffered muscle fatigue more easily, increased recruitment of motor unit action
      potential of type II fibers was evident. Therefore, electrophysiological analysis
      of these myofascial trigger points can be applied to evaluate the effect of
      physical therapy and provide a quantitative diagnosis of myofascial pain
      syndrome. 

PMID- 26504307
TI  - Changes in stress hormone levels with the application of vibrations before
      resistance exercises at different intensities.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to determine whether vibrations
      should be applied before resistance exercises by examining changes in stress
      hormone levels with vibrations applied before different exercise intensities.
      [Subjects] Eighteen male subjects in their 20s were included, and were randomly
      divided into one-repetition maximum (1RM) 50% group (50% RMG, n = 6), 1RM 70%
      group (70%RMG, n = 6), and 1RM 90% group (90% RMG, n = 6). [Methods] Three sets
      of Smith squats were performed at 1RM 50%, 70%, and 90% according to resistance
      intensities, and vibrations were applied for 1 min at a fixed frequency of 30 Hz
      before each set. Epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine stress hormone levels
      were analyzed. [Results] Epinephrine levels were significantly higher immediately
      after exercise than at rest in the 50%RMG; however, no significant changes were
      noted in the 70%RMG and 90%RMG. Norepinephrine levels were significantly higher
      immediately after exercise than at rest in all three groups. However, no
      significant changes in dopamine levels were noted in the three groups.
      [Conclusion] The application of vibrations at a frequency of 30 Hz before 70%RM
      and 90%RM resistance exercises suppressed increases in the stress hormone
      epinephrine levels immediately after exercise. 

PMID- 26504309
TI  - Analysis of muscle activations in lower extremities muscles at various angles of
      ankle flexion using wedges during static squat exercise.
AB  - [Purpose] This study aimed to investigate changes in activation of the rectus
      femoris, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior, and gastrocnemius muscles during one
      legged squats performed at various angles of ankle flexion. With the use of
      wedges, the muscles were activated at different angles of ankle flexion angles to
      establish the appropriate posture necessary for muscle strengthening and
      rehabilitation. [Subjects and Methods] Healthy adults aged 20-40 years were
      recruited from Good Morning Hospital in Ulsan City. Of the 22 participants, two
      dropped out during the tests, leaving a final sample of 20 participants. The
      wedges were 100 mm wide and 200 mm long and had inclinations of 10 degrees , 30
      degrees , and 50 degrees . EMG Analyzer software was used to measure muscle
      activation. [Results] A significant difference in the activation of the rectus
      femoris muscle at various angles of ankle flexion was seen. The gastrocnemius
      muscle exhibited significant differences in activation among the 0 degrees -30
      degrees , 0 degrees -50 degrees , and 10 degrees -50 degrees  inclinations.
      [Conclusion] Wedge-assisted muscle activation under different ankle flexion
      angles can be introduced as an effective exercise option under clinical
      conditions. 

PMID- 26504308
TI  - Acute cardiovascular responses while playing virtual games simulated by Nintendo
      Wii((r)).
AB  - [Purpose] This investigation evaluated the acute cardiovascular responses that
      occur while playing virtual games (aerobic and balance) emulated by Nintendo
      Wii((r)). [Subjects] Nineteen healthy male volunteers were recruited. [Methods]
      The ergospirometric variables of maximum oxygen consumption, metabolic
      equivalents, and heart rate were obtained during the aerobic (Obstacle Course,
      Hula Hoop, and Free Run) and balance (Soccer Heading, Penguin Slide, and Table
      Tilt) games of Wii Fit Plus((r)) software. To access and analyze the
      ergospirometric information, a VO2000 analyzer was used. Normalized data (using
      maximum oxygen consumption and heart rate) were analyzed using repeated measures
      analysis of variance and Scheffe's test. [Results] Significant differences were
      found among the balance and aerobic games in all variables analyzed. In addition,
      the Wii exercises performed were considered to be of light (balance games) and
      moderate (aerobic games) intensity in accordance with American College Sports
      Medicine exercise stratification. [Conclusion] Physical activity in a virtual
      environment emulated by Nintendo Wii((r)) can change acute cardiovascular
      responses, primarily when Wii aerobic games are performed. These results support
      the use of the Nintendo Wii((r)) in physical activity programs. 

PMID- 26504310
TI  - The effect of non-elastic taping on balance and gait function in patients with
      stroke.
AB  - [Purpose] This study investigated the influence of exercise on balance ability
      and gait function in stroke patients after applying non-elastic tape, which can
      stabilize muscles and joints, to the lower extremities of the affected side.
      [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 30 patients diagnosed with stroke. They
      were divided into an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15).
      The experimental group performed mat and treadmill exercises three times a week
      for six weeks with non-elastic tape applied to the lower extremities of the
      affected side. The control group performed the same exercises but without taping.
      [Results] The intervention significantly improved Berg balance scale scores and
      timed up and go (TUG) test scores as well as reduced stance duration and stride
      duration in the experimental group. In the control group, statistically
      significant improvements were observed in TUG test scores. [Conclusion] Although
      some differences did not reach the level of statistical significance, the
      application of non-elastic tape stabilized the joints of the lower extremities,
      thereby increasing balance and reducing stance duration and one step duration,
      which resulted in a reduction of overall gait duration. 

PMID- 26504311
TI  - Effects of the slow speed-targeting squat exercise on the vastus medialis
      oblique/vastus lateralis muscle ratio.
AB  - [Purpose] This study investigated the effects of the slow speed-targeting squat
      exercise on the vastus medialis oblique/vastus lateralis ratio. [Subjects] Ten
      asymptomatic men were recruited. [Methods] The EMG activities of the vastus
      medialis oblique and vastus lateralis muscles were recorded using surface
      electrodes. The subject performed the squat exercise under 3 different
      conditions. [Results] The vastus medialis oblique/vastus lateralis ratio in
      condition 2 (1.5 +/- 0.7) was significantly higher than that in conditions 1 and
      3 (1.0 +/- 0.5, 1.1 +/- 0.8, respectively) [Conclusion] Therefore, an effectively
      slow movement speed is recommended for selective strengthening of vastus medialis
      oblique using a slow speed-targeting device that provides biofeedback. 

PMID- 26504312
TI  - Cardiovascular effects of Zumba((r)) performed in a virtual environment using
      XBOX Kinect.
AB  - [Purpose] This study evaluated the acute cardiovascular responses during a
      session of Zumba((r)) Fitness in a virtual reality environment. [Subjects]
      Eighteen healthy volunteers were recruited. [Methods] The following
      cardiovascular variables: heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood
      pressure, and double product were assessed before and after the practice of
      virtual Zumba((r)), which was performed as a continuous sequence of five
      choreographed movements lasting for 22 min. The game Zumba Fitness Core((r)),
      with the Kinect-based virtual reality system for the XBOX 360, was used to create
      the virtual environment. Comparisons were made among mean delta values
      (delta=post-Zumba((r)) minus pre-Zumba((r)) values) for systolic and diastolic
      blood pressure, heart rate, and double product using Student's t-test for paired
      samples. [Results] After a single session, a significant increase was noted in
      all the analyzed parameters (Systolic blood pressure=18%; Diastolic blood
      pressure=13%; Heart rate=67%; and Double product=97%). [Conclusion] The results
      support the feasibility of the use of Zumba Fitness Core((r)) with the Kinect
      based virtual reality system for the XBOX 360 in physical activity programs and
      further favor its indication for this purpose. 

PMID- 26504313
TI  - Effect of purposeful action observation on upper extremity function in stroke
      patients.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of purposeful
      action observation on upper extremity function in patients with stroke. [Subjects
      and Methods] Twelve subjects were randomly to either the experimental group or
      control group. The experimental group underwent occupational therapy and a
      purposeful action observation program. The control group underwent occupational
      therapy and placebo treatment in which the subjects performed a purposeful action
      observation program without actually observing the purposeful actions. The Wolf
      Motor Function Test was used to measure upper extremity function before and after
      the intervention in both groups. [Results] Both the experimental and control
      groups demonstrated improved upper extremity function after the intervention, but
      there was no significant difference between groups. Compared with before the
      intervention, the experimental group showed significantly improved upper
      extremity function after the intervention. [Conclusion] Based on these results, a
      purposeful action observation program can improve upper extremity function in
      patients with stroke. In future research, more subjects should be included for
      evaluation of different treatments. 

PMID- 26504314
TI  - Effects of underwater treadmill walking training on the peak torque of the knee
      in hemiplegic patients.
AB  - [Purpose] This study investigated the effects of underwater treadmill walking
      training on the peak torque of the knee in hemiplegic patients. [Subjects and
      Methods] Thirty-two subjects, who were randomly allocated to an experimental
      group (n=16) and a control group (n=16), performed underwater treadmill walking
      training and overground treadmill walking training, respectively, for 30
      minutes/session, 3 sessions/week, for 6 weeks. An isokinetic dynamometer was used
      to assess the peak torque. [Results] The subjects in the experimental group
      showed an increase in the peak knee extension torque compared to the control
      group. [Conclusion] The results suggested that underwater treadmill walking
      training has a greater effect on peak knee extension torque at velocities of 60
      degrees /sec and 120 degrees /sec than overground treadmill walking training. 

PMID- 26504315
TI  - The effects of cognitive rehabilitation on Alzheimer's dementia patients'
      cognitive assessment reference diagnosis system performance based on level of
      cognitive functioning.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study is to apply cognitive rehabilitation
      according to Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients' level of cognitive functioning to
      compare changes in Cognitive Assessment Reference Diagnosis System performance
      and present standards for effective intervention. [Subjects] Subjects were 30
      inpatients diagnosed with AD. Subjects were grouped by Clinical Dementia Rating
      (CDR) class (CDR-0.5, CDR-1, or CDR-2, n = 10 per group), which is based on level
      of cognitive functioning, and cognitive rehabilitation was applied for 50 minutes
      per day, five days per week, for four weeks. [Methods] After cognitive
      rehabilitation intervention, CARDS tests were conducted to evaluate memory.
      [Results] Bonferroni tests comparing the three groups revealed that the CDR-0.5
      and CDR-1 groups showed significant increases in Delayed 10 word-list, Delayed 10
      object-list, Recognition 10 object, and Recent memory performance compared to the
      CDR-2 group. In addition, the CDR-0.5 group showed significant decreases in
      Recognition 10 word performance compared to the CDR-1 group. [Conclusion]
      Cognitive rehabilitation, CDR-0.5 or CDR-1 subjects showed significantly greater
      memory improvements than CDR-2 subjects. Moreover, was not effective for CDR-2
      subjects. 

PMID- 26504316
TI  - The acute effect of neuromuscular activation in resistance exercise on human
      skeletal muscle with the interpolated twitch technique.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to perform a quantitative assessment of
      neuromechanical adaptation in skeletal muscles and to propose the scientific
      underpinnings of the acute effects induced by resistance exercise. [Subjects] The
      subjects in this study were 11 healthy adult men in their 20s who had no
      orthopedic history at the time of the study. To examine any signs of resistance
      exercise-induced changes in the ankle plantar flexor, the subjects were directed
      to perform a standing barbell calf raise routine. [Methods] Subjects were to
      carry a load equal to their weights and to perform five sets of ten repetitions.
      The maximal voluntary isometric contraction torque, resting twitch torque, muscle
      inhibition, root mean square of muscular activation, contraction time, and half
      relaxation time were analyzed by synchronizing a dynamometer, an electrical
      stimulator, and an electromyography system. [Results] The maximal voluntary
      isometric contraction torque appeared to decline, but the change was not
      statistically significant. The decline of resting twitch torque, on the other
      hand, was found to be statistically significant. Muscle inhibition and root mean
      square of muscular activation were both reduced, but both changes were not
      statistically significant. Lastly, contraction time and half relaxation time both
      statistically decreased significantly after resistance exercise. [Conclusion]
      These results indicate that the acute effects of resistance exercise have a
      greater impact on the peripheral mechanical system itself, rather than on
      neurological factors, in terms of the generation of muscle force. 

PMID- 26504317
TI  - The role of visual feedback in respiratory muscle activation and pulmonary
      function.
AB  - [Purpose] It is well known that visual feedback is an important factor
      contributing to balance and postural control. Nevertheless, there has been little
      discussion about the effects of visual feedback on pulmonary function. This study
      was conducted to investigate the role of visual feedback on respiratory muscle
      activation and pulmonary function. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 37
      healthy adults who consented to participate in this study. The study measured the
      muscular activation of the trunk and pulmonary function according to the absence
      or presence of visual feedback. [Results] The results revealed significant
      changes in muscular activation and pulmonary function with the use of visual
      feedback. [Conclusion] These findings suggest that visual feedback may play a
      role in increasing respiratory muscle activity and pulmonary function. 

PMID- 26504318
TI  - The influence of an ankle foot orthosis on the percentage of weight loading
      during standing tasks in stroke patients.
AB  - [Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an ankle foot
      orthosis on weight-bearing abilities of stroke patients by comparing weight
      loading during performance of tasks in various standing positions on the affected
      side. [Subjects and Methods] This study was performed with 16 stroke patients. To
      measure the weight loading value and percentage of weight loading in affected
      lower extremities, 5 standing tasks were performed with and without an ankle foot
      orthosis in random order. [Results] In the rising from a chair, maintaining a
      standing position, and forward weight shifting tasks, the affected lower
      extremities showed a significantly higher percentage of weight loading with an
      ankle foot orthosis. In the tasks requiring weight shifting to one leg, weight
      shifting to the lateral side showed the best weight-bearing ability with or
      without an ankle foot orthosis, followed by the forward and backward weight
      shifting, respectively. There were statistically significant correlations in all
      5 tasks with or without an ankle foot orthosis. [Conclusion] An ankle foot
      orthosis improves the weight-bearing ability, especially when shifting weight
      forward, resulting in increased weight-bearing ability in activities of daily
      living tasks such as quiet standing and rising from a chair. The 5 tasks in this
      study would be a fine assessment tool under clinical conditions to investigate
      the postural stability of the affected side with or without application of an
      ankle foot orthosis. 

PMID- 26504319
TI  - Effects of Nordic walking and walking on spatiotemporal gait parameters and
      ground reaction force.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Nordic
      walking and walking on spatiotemporal gait parameters and ground reaction force.
      [Subjects] The subjects of this study were 30 young adult males, who were divided
      into a Nordic walking group of 15 subjects and a walking group of 15 subjects.
      [Methods] To analyze the spatiotemporal parameters and ground reaction force
      during walking in the two groups, the six-camera Vicon MX motion analysis system
      was used. The subjects were asked to walk 12 meters using the more comfortable
      walking method for them between Nordic walking and walking. After they walked 12
      meters more than 10 times, their most natural walking patterns were chosen three
      times and analyzed. To determine the pole for Nordic walking, each subject's
      height was multiplied by 0.68. We then measured the spatiotemporal gait
      parameters and ground reaction force. [Results] Compared with the walking group,
      the Nordic walking group showed an increase in cadence, stride length, and step
      length, and a decrease in stride time, step time, and vertical ground reaction
      force. [Conclusion] The results of this study indicate that Nordic walking
      increases the stride and can be considered as helping patients with diseases
      affecting their gait. This demonstrates that Nordic walking is more effective in
      improving functional capabilities by promoting effective energy use and reducing
      the lower limb load, because the weight of the upper and lower limbs is dispersed
      during Nordic walking. 

PMID- 26504320
TI  - Passive and active exercises are similarly effective in elderly nursing home
      residents.
AB  - [Purpose] The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of passive motion
      exercise and active motion exercise on functional fitness in elderly nursing home
      residents. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-three (female 22 and male 1) nursing
      home residents (84.8+/-4.3 yr) volunteered for this study. They were divided into
      a passive motion exercise group (n=12) and an active motion exercise group (n=11)
      and performed 30-min sessions of training twice a week for 12 weeks. Functional
      fitness (Arm Curl, Chair Stand, Up & Go, Sit & Reach, Back Scratch, functional
      Reach, and 12-min Walk tests) was evaluated before and after the intervention.
      [Results] No significant baseline difference was noted between the groups in
      measured variables. Following the 12 week intervention, no significant
      interaction (group * time) was noted in functional fitness variables between the
      groups, except for the functional reach scores (active motion exercise 40%,
      passive motion exercise 9%). Significant improvement over time was noted in
      passive motion exercise group in Arm Curl (19%), Chair Stand (15%), Up & Go (6%),
      and 12-min Walk (12%) scores; and in the active motion exercise group in Arm Curl
      (14%), Chair Stand (19%), Up & Go (11%), functional Reach (40%) and 12-min Walk
      (13%) scores. The adherence rates in the passive and active motion exercise
      groups were 95.8% and 93.1% respectively. [Conclusion] Passive motion exercise
      and active motion exercise were found to be similarly effective for improving the
      functional fitness of elderly nursing home residents. 

PMID- 26504321
TI  - Predictive factors for the outcome of multidisciplinary treatments in chronic low
      back pain at the first multidisciplinary pain center of Japan.
AB  - [Purpose] Multidisciplinary treatments are recommended for treatment of chronic
      low back pain. The aim of this study was to show the associations among
      multidisciplinary treatment outcomes, pretreatment psychological factors, self
      reported pain levels, and history of pain in chronic low back pain patients.
      [Subjects and Methods] A total of 221 chronic low back pain patients were chosen
      for the study. The pretreatment scores for the 10-cm Visual Analogue Scale,
      Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Short-Form
      McGill Pain Questionnaire, Pain Disability Assessment Scale, pain drawings, and
      history of pain were collected. The patients were divided into two treatment
      outcome groups a year later: a good outcome group and a poor outcome group.
      [Results] One-hundred eighteen patients were allocated to the good outcome group.
      The scores for the Visual Analogue Scale, Pain Disability Assessment Scale, and
      affective subscale of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire and number of
      nonorganic pain drawings in the good outcome group were significantly lower than
      those in the poor outcome group. Duration of pain in the good outcome group was
      significantly shorter than in the poor outcome group. [Conclusion] These findings
      help better predict the efficacy of multidisciplinary treatments in chronic low
      back pain patients. 

PMID- 26504322
TI  - Postural education and behavior among students in a city in southern Brazil:
      student postural education and behavior.
AB  - [Purpose] The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge of the spine
      and posture among adolescent female students and to determine if they had access
      to postural education in or outside school. [Subjects and Methods] This was an
      epidemiological survey of a representative sample of 495 female students aged 14
      to 18 years attending a regular secondary school in Sao Leopoldo, RS, Brazil.
      Data were collected through a questionnaire. [Results] The results showed that
      16.8% of teens did not know what a spine was, 8.3% had no knowledge of posture,
      and 61% reported receiving no posture education. Posture awareness was associated
      only with posture while using a computer, while having postural education class
      was not associated with any postural behavior. [Conclusion] The results showed
      that, although most students are familiar with the spine and posture, a sizable
      group is not, and over half had no postural education. These findings suggest
      that inclusion of postural education programs in schools should be encouraged in
      order to promote health and prevent diseases related to the spine. 

PMID- 26504323
TI  - The effects of ankle joint taping on gait and balance ability of healthy adults.
AB  - [Purpose] This study examined the effects of the application of elastic taping
      over the ankle joints of healthy subjects on their gait, balance ability, and
      muscle strength. [Subjects] Fifty healthy subjects with no orthopedic history of
      the ankle joint were selected and elastic taping was applied to their ankle
      joints. [Methods] Before and after application of the elastic taping, gait and
      balance ability of the subjects were evaluated. [Results] After the taping
      application, gait velocity significantly increased and there were significant
      differences in all variables of balance ability. [Conclusion] Application of
      elastic taping aimed at improving stability of the ankle joint had a positive
      effect on gait speed and balance ability. 

PMID- 26504324
TI  - Effects of combined exercise on physical fitness and neurotransmitters in
      children with ADHD: a pilot randomized controlled study.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of a jump
      rope and ball combined exercise program on the physical fitness the
      neurotransmitter (epinephrine, serotonin) levels of children with attention
      deficit hyperactivity disorder. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 12 boys
      attending elementary school, whose grade levels ranged from 1-4. The block
      randomization method was used to distribute the participants between the combined
      exercise group (n = 6) and control group (n = 6). The program consisted of a 60
      min exercise (10-min warm-up, 40-min main exercise, and 10-min cool down)
      performed three times a week, for a total of 12 weeks. [Results] The exercise
      group showed a significant improvement in cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle
      strength, muscle endurance and flexibility after 12 weeks. A significant increase
      in the epinephrine level was observed in the exercise group. [Conclusion] The 12
      week combined exercise program in the current study (jump rope and ball
      exercises) had a positive effect on overall fitness level, and neurotransmission
      in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. 

PMID- 26504325
TI  - The effects of computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation on Alzheimer's dementia
      patients memories.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to conduct Computer-Assisted
      Cognitive Rehabilitation (COMCOG) to examine the effects of COMCOG on Alzheimer's
      dementia patients' memories. [Subjects] Thirty-five patients diagnosed with
      Alzheimer's dementia received COMCOG for 30 minutes per day, five days per week
      for four weeks. [Methods] Before and after the COMCOG intervention, subjects'
      cognitive functions were evaluated using the Cognitive Assessment Reference
      Diagnosis System (CARDS) and Mini-Mental State Examination-Korea (MMSE-K) test.
      [Results] According to the results of the evaluation, among the CARDS scores of
      the subjects who received COMCOG, the scores of the delayed 10-word list, delayed
      10-object list, recognition 10-object, and recent memory significantly increased
      while the scores of recognition 10-word significantly decreased after
      intervention compared to before intervention. In addition, among the MMSE-K
      items, the orientation, registration, and recall showed significant increases.
      [Conclusion] Based on these results, delay in the progress of memory
      deterioration can be expected when COMCOG is conducted for Alzheimer's dementia
      patients who show declines in cognitive functions. 

PMID- 26504326
TI  - Effects of sensorimotor foot training on the symmetry of weight distribution on
      the lower extremities of patients in the chronic phase after stroke.
AB  - [Purpose] To assess the effects of sensorimotor foot stimulation on the symmetry
      of weight distribution on the feet of patients in the chronic post-stroke phase.
      [Subjects and Methods] This study was a prospective, single blind, randomized
      controlled trial. In the study we examined patients with chronic stroke (post
      stroke duration > 1 year). They were randomly allocated to the study group (n=8)
      or to the control group (n=12). Both groups completed a standard six-week
      rehabilitation programme. In the study group, the standard rehabilitation
      programme was supplemented with sensorimotor foot stimulation training. Each
      patient underwent two assessments of symmetry of weight distribution on the lower
      extremities with and without visual control, on a treadmill, with stabilometry
      measurements, and under static conditions. [Results] Only the study group
      demonstrated a significant increase in the weight placed on the leg directly
      affected by stroke, and a reduction in asymmetry of weight-bearing on the lower
      extremities. [Conclusion] Sensorimotor stimulation of the feet enhanced of weight
      bearing on the foot on the side of the body directly affected by stroke, and a
      decreased asymmetry of weight distribution on the lower extremities of patients
      in the chronic post-stroke phase. 

PMID- 26504327
TI  - Relationship between physical activity and function in elderly patients
      discharged after surgical treatment for gastrointestinal cancer.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to observe changes in physical
      activity (PA) from before surgery to after discharge among elderly patients with
      gastrointestinal cancer and to examine the relationships between PA, function,
      and physique after discharge in these patients. [Subjects and Methods] The study
      participants were 18 elderly patients who underwent surgical treatment for
      gastrointestinal cancer [10 males and 8 females, aged 71.4 +/- 4.2 years (mean +/
      SD)]. We evaluated patients' PA, function, and physique before surgery and after
      discharge. Calorie consumption as calculated using the International Physical
      Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short version was measured for PA. Isometric knee
      extension force (IKEF), the timed up and go test (TUGT), and the 6-minute walk
      distance (6MWD) were measured for function. The body mass index (BMI) was
      calculated for physique. [Results] Significant declines in PA and BMI were
      observed after discharge among the study participants. In addition, a significant
      correlation between PA and IKEF was observed in the discharge phase. [Conclusion]
      These results suggest that PA after discharge is significantly less than that
      before surgery and related to the functioning of the lower extremities in the
      same period in elderly patients who undergo surgical treatment for
      gastrointestinal cancer. 

PMID- 26504328
TI  - Effects of treadmill training with the eyes closed on gait and balance ability of
      chronic stroke patients.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of treadmill
      walking with the eyes closed and open on the gait and balance abilities of
      chronic stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty patients with chronic
      stroke participated in this study. The treadmill gait training for each group
      lasted 40 minutes, and sessions were held 3 times a week for 4 weeks. Gait
      ability was measured using a Biodex Gait Trainer Treadmill System. Balance
      ability was measured using a Biodex Balance System. [Results] After the treadmill
      training' the treadmill training with eyes closed (TEC) group showed significant
      improvements in walking distance' step length' coefficient of variation' and
      limit of stability (overall' lateral affected' forward lateral unaffected)
      compared to the treadmill training with eyes open (TEO) group. [Conclusion] The
      walking and balance abilities of the TEC participants showed more improvement
      after the treadmill walking sessions than those of the TEO participants.
      Therefore' treadmill walking with visual deprivation may be useful for the
      rehabilitation of patients with chronic stroke. 

PMID- 26504329
TI  - Maximum force and the center of pressure trajectory length according to foot
      angles during stair walking.
AB  - [Purpose] Walking with the feet turned inward or outward often causes issues for
      the people with these walking patterns. The purpose of this study was to examine
      the influence of in-toeing and out-toeing on maximum force and the center of
      pressure (COP) trajectory length during stair walking. [Subjects and Methods] The
      subjects were 30 female university students without orthopedic diseases of the
      foot. The foot angle was divided into three types: in-toeing, normal, and out
      toeing. A plantar pressure measurement instrument was used, and the maximum force
      was obtained by dividing the foot into six regions covering the anterior medial
      lateral, middle medial-lateral, and posterior medial-lateral regions. The COP
      trajectory length was statistically calculated by measuring the medial-lateral,
      anterior-posterior, and total travel distances. [Results] During stair climbing,
      the maximum force was significantly different in the anterior lateral region.
      During stair descending, the maximum force was significantly different in the
      anterior lateral, middle medial, middle lateral, posterior medial, and posterior
      lateral regions. The COP trajectory length showed a statistically significant
      difference in the medio-lateral travel distance. [Conclusion] Walking with
      abnormal foot angles causes deformed foot structures and can result in
      musculoskeletal disabilities in the long term. Therefore, therapeutic
      intervention is required to maintain normal foot angles. 

PMID- 26504330
TI  - Effect of changes in postural alignment on foot pressure and walking ability of
      stroke patients.
AB  - [Purpose] The aims of this study were to determine (1) the significance of
      walking and foot pressure in stroke patients, and (2) the association between
      changes in postural alignment of stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] Foot
      pressure and walking ability based on postural alignment were measured in 50
      stroke patients. Trunk imbalance, trunk rotation, pelvic tilt, kyphosis, lordosis
      were measured using DIERS formetric4D (DIERS International GmbH, Schlangenbad,
      Germany), which anlalyzes 3-dimensional spinal structure in order to measure
      postural alignment. To determine foot pressure, the support rate of weight and,
      average foot pressure were measured using DIERS pedoscan (DIERS International
      GmbH, Schlangenbad, Germany) apparatus as a pressure platform. [Results] DIERS
      formetric 4D, DIERS pedoscan, and a 10 m walking test were utilized to measure
      foot pressure and walking ability relative to changes in postural alignment in
      participating stroke patients. [Conclusion] This study confirmed the significance
      of foot pressure and walking ability as related postural alignment, indicating
      that postural alignment education and a recovery therapy program for functional
      improvement of stroke patients should be provided together. 

PMID- 26504331
TI  - Randomized controlled comparative study on effect of training to improve lower
      limb motor paralysis in convalescent patients with post-stroke hemiplegia.
AB  - [Purpose] The motor paralysis-improving effect on the hemiplegic lower limb was
      compared among mirror therapy, integrated volitional-control electrical
      stimulation, therapeutic electrical stimulation, repetitive facilitative
      exercises, and the standard training method in post-stroke hemiplegia patients.
      [Subjects and Methods] Eighty one stroke patients admitted to a convalescent
      rehabilitation ward were randomly allocated to the above 5 treatment groups. Each
      patient performed functional training of the paralytic lower limb for 20 minutes
      a day for 4 weeks, and changes in the lower limb function were investigated using
      the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set. [Results] The hip and knee joint functions
      did not significantly improve in the standard training control group, but
      significant improvements were observed after 4 weeks in the other intervention
      groups. Significant improvement was noted in the ankle joint function in all
      groups. [Conclusion] Although the results were influenced by spontaneous recovery
      and the standard training in the control group, the hip and knee joints were more
      markedly improved by the interventions in the other 4 groups of patients with
      moderate paralysis, compared to the control group. 

PMID- 26504332
TI  - Chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain in patients with obstructive sleep apnea
      syndrome and the relationship between sleep disorder and pain level, quality of
      life, and disability.
AB  - [Purpose] The aim of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of chronic
      widespread musculoskeletal pain in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
      and to assess the relationship between sleep disorder and pain, quality of life,
      and disability. [Subjects and Methods] Seventy-four patients were included in the
      study and classified as having mild, moderate, or severe obstructive sleep apnea.
      Chronic widespread pain, quality of life, and disability were evaluated.
      [Results] Forty-one patients (55.4%) had chronic widespread pain. Female patients
      had a higher incidence of chronic pain, and female patients with chronic pain had
      higher body mass indexes, pain levels, and disability scores than did male
      patients. Physical component scores of female patients with chronic pain were
      lower than those of male patients. No correlation was observed between the degree
      of sleep disorder and severity of pain, pain duration, disability, or quality of
      life in obstructive sleep apnea patients with pain. [Conclusion] This study
      showed a 55.4% prevalence of chronic widespread pain in patients with obstructive
      sleep apnea and a greater risk of chronic pain in female than in male patients.
      Female patients with obstructive sleep apnea and chronic pain have higher pain
      and disability levels and a lower quality of life. 

PMID- 26504333
TI  - Correlations among trunk impairment, functional performance, and muscle activity
      during forward reaching tasks in patients with chronic stroke.
AB  - [Purpose] This study aimed to investigate the relationships among trunk
      impairment, functional performance, and muscle activity during forward reaching
      tasks in patients with chronic stroke. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-three
      chronic stroke patients participated in this study. Trunk impairment and
      functional performance were evaluated using the Trunk Impairment Scale, Berg
      Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go Test, and 10-Meter Walk Test. All subjects were
      asked to perform 3 different forward reaching tasks (affected side reaching,
      forward reaching, and less-affected side reaching), and measurements were taken
      during these 3 tasks by using surface electromyography. Correlation analyses were
      performed to assess the relationships among trunk impairment, functional
      performance, and muscle activity during the forward reaching tasks. [Results]
      Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a strong, significant correlation
      between the Trunk Impairment Scale and functional performance, that was
      associated with balance and gait ability. During the 3 different forward reaching
      tasks, muscle activities of the less-affected lower extremity were significantly
      correlated with functional performance. [Conclusion] This study revealed the
      correlations among trunk impairment, functional performance, and muscle activity
      during forward reaching tasks in patients with chronic stroke and emphasized the
      importance of trunk rehabilitation. 

PMID- 26504334
TI  - Biomechanical comparison of frontal plane knee joint moment arms during normal
      and Tai Chi walking.
AB  - [Purpose] Medial knee osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, affects
      adults. The external knee adduction moment, a surrogate knee-loading measure, has
      clinical implications for knee osteoarthritis patients. Tai Chi is a promising
      intervention for pain alleviation in knee osteoarthritis; however, the
      characteristics of external knee adduction moment during Tai Chi have not been
      established. [Subjects and Methods] During normal and Tai Chi walking, a gait
      analysis was performed to compare the external knee adduction moment moment-arm
      characteristics and paired t-tests to compare moment-arm magnitudes. [Results] A
      significant difference was observed in the average lateral direction of moment
      arm magnitude during Tai Chi walking (-0.0239 +/- 0.011 m) compared to that
      during normal walking (-0.0057 +/- 0.004 m). No significant difference was found
      between conditions in average medial direction of moment-arm magnitude (normal
      walking: 0.0143 +/- 0.010 m; Tai Chi walking: 0.0098 +/- 0.014 m). [Conclusion]
      Tai Chi walking produced a larger peak lateral moment-arm value than normal
      walking during the stance phase, whereas Tai Chi walking and normal walking peak
      medial moment-arm values were similar, suggesting that medial knee joint loading
      may be avoided during Tai Chi walking. 

PMID- 26504335
TI  - Relationships between problematic behaviors and motor abilities of children with
      cerebral palsy.
AB  - [Purpose] This study aimed to examine whether motor abilities of children with
      cerebral palsy are related to their problematic behaviors. [Subjects] The
      subjects were children with mental retardation who were undergoing physical
      therapy. [Methods] Twenty-one examiners, 13 physical therapists, and 8
      occupational therapists treated and examined the subjects by using the Japanese
      version of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist. The Japanese version of the Aberrant
      Behavior Checklist scores were compared between the Gross Motor Function
      Classification System I to III (12 subjects) and Gross Motor Function
      Classification System IV and V groups (17 subjects). [Results] Lethargy and
      stereotypy scores significantly differed between the groups, proving that
      patients with Gross Motor Function Classification System levels IV and V have
      more severe problematic behaviors. [Conclusion] In this study, only five types of
      problematic behaviors, namely irritability, lethargy, stereotypy, hyperactivity,
      and inappropriate speech, were examined. Despite this limitation, the study
      clarifies that problematic behaviors of children with cerebral palsy, except
      lethargy and stereotypy, have little relationship with their motor abilities. 

PMID- 26504336
TI  - Relationship of visfatin level to pancreatic endocrine hormone level, HOMA-IR
      index, and HOMA beta-cell index in overweight women who performed hydraulic
      resistance exercise.
AB  - [Purpose] This study aimed to examine the correlation of visfatin level to
      pancreatic endocrine hormone level, homeostasis model assessment of insulin
      resistance (HOMA-IR) index, and HOMA beta-cell index in hydraulic resistance
      exercise. Furthermore, it investigated the relationship between visfatin level
      and other variables affected by exercise in overweight women. [Subjects and
      Methods] The exercise group trained for 12 weeks, 70 minutes/day, 5 days/week.
      Visfatin level, pancreatic endocrine hormone level, HOMA-IR index, and HOMA beta
      cell index were measured before and after the intervention. Based on the blood
      insulin and glucose concentrations, HOMA-IR index, the indicator of insulin
      resistance, and HOMA beta-cell index, the indicator of insulin secretion level,
      were assessed. [Results] Interaction effects on visfatin level, insulin level,
      HOMA-IR index, and HOMA beta-cell index were observed. Interaction effects on
      glucagon and glucose levels were not observed between the intervention groups.
      The correlations of visfatin level to insulin, glucagon, and glucose levels, and
      HOMA-IR and HOMA beta-cell indexes were not significant for any of the subjects.
      [Conclusion] Therefore, the 12-week resistance exercise affected body
      composition, visfatin level, insulin level, HOMA-IR index, and HOMA beta-cell
      index. Finally, visfatin was not related to insulin, glucagon, and glucose
      levels, and HOMA-IR and HOMA beta-cell indexes. 

PMID- 26504337
TI  - The effects of ankle joint muscle strengthening and proprioceptive exercise
      programs accompanied by functional electrical stimulation on stroke patients'
      balance.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of ankle
      joint muscle strengthening and proprioceptive exercises accompanied by functional
      electrical stimulation on stroke patients' balance ability. [Methods] For six
      weeks beginning in April 2015, 22 stroke patients receiving physical therapy at K
      Hospital located in Gyeonggi-do were divided into a functional electrical
      stimulation (FES), ankle proprioceptive exercise and ankle joint muscle
      strengthening exercise group (FPS group) of 11 patients and an FES and stretching
      exercise group (FS group) of 11 patients. The stimulation and exercises were
      conducted for 30 min per day, five days per week for six weeks. Balance ability
      was measured using a BioRescue and the Berg balance scale, functional reach test,
      and the timed up-and-go test were also used as clinical evaluation indices.
      Repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to examine differences between before the
      exercises and at three and six weeks after beginning the exercises within each
      group, and the amounts of change between the two groups were compared. [Results]
      In the comparison within each group, both groups showed significant differences
      between before and after the experiment in all the tests and comparison between
      the groups showed that greater improvement was seen in all values in the FPS
      group. [Conclusion] In the present study, implementing FES and stretching
      exercises plus ankle joint muscle strengthening and proprioceptive exercises was
      more effective at improving stroke patients balance ability than implementing
      only FES and stretching exercises. 

PMID- 26504338
TI  - Walking ability after stroke in patients from Argentina: predictive values of two
      tests in subjects with subacute hemiplegia.
AB  - [Purpose] This study aimed to determine the predictive values of the trunk
      control test (TCT) and functional ambulation category (FAC) for independent
      walking up to 6 months post stroke. [Subjects] Twenty-seven subjects with
      hemiplegia secondary to a unilateral hemisphere stroke were included. [Methods]
      The protocol was started at 45 days post stroke, with the TCT and FAC as walking
      predictors. At 90, 120, and 180 days post stroke, the subjects' independent
      walking ability was assessed by using the Wald test. [Results] The TCT was
      identified as an independent predictor of ambulation at 90, 120, and 180 days.
      Subjects who scored >= 49 in the initial test had 93.8% probability of achieving
      independent gait at 6 months. The FAC proved that 100% of the subjects who scored
      2 at 45 days post stroke walked independently at 90 days, 100% of the subjects
      who scored 1 walked independently at 120 days, and only 33.3% of the subjects who
      scored 0 walked independently at 180 days. [Conclusion] The TCT and FAC can
      predict independent walking at 45 days post stroke. In subjects with FAC 0, the
      TCT should be used to predict patients who will be able to walk independently. 

PMID- 26504339
TI  - Alterations of spinal range of motion while sitting in hemiplegic patients with
      or without gait available.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine alterations of spinal range
      of motion while sitting, in hemiplegic patients with or without gait available.
      [Subjects] There was a gait group (GG) of 6 subjects, and a non-gait group (NGG)
      of 6 subjects, both with hemiplegia after a stroke. [Methods] The subjects in
      both groups were given an intervention focusing on ankle dorsi-flexion of the
      affected foot only once for 30 minutes. The Spinal Mouse was used to gain data of
      the spinal range of motion before and after the intervention and 30 minutes later
      for follow-up test. [Results] Only in the gait group, lumbar spinal range of
      motion showed a significant difference when using flexion extension. Sacral hip
      and inclination were both increased gradually when upright flexion and flexion
      extension were used. [Conclusion] Facilitating foot for ankle dorsi-flexion is
      effective on spinal range of motion especially sacrohip, lumbar spine and
      inclination only for the subjects in the gait group. The results suggested that
      ankle dorsi-flexion exercise influences spinal range of motion in a sitting
      position. 

PMID- 26504340
TI  - The effects of patient-centered task-oriented training on balance activities of
      daily living and self-efficacy following stroke.
AB  - [Purpose] This study aimed to determine whether a task-oriented training program
      improved balance, activities of daily living (ADL) performance, and self-efficacy
      in stroke patients. Twenty patients with stroke were recruited from a hospital in
      Cheongju, Korea. [Subjects] Ten of the subjects were assigned to an experimental
      group that participated in the task-oriented training program, and the other 10
      were assigned to a control group that received traditional rehabilitation
      therapy. [Methods] In the two groups, balance was measured with the Berg Balance
      Scale (BBS), ADL performance with the Modified Barthel Index (MBI), and self
      efficacy with the Self-Efficacy Scale (SES), before and after 4 weeks of
      training. [Results] Comparative analysis of the experimental group's pretest and
      post-test results showed statistically significant differences in the BBS, MBI,
      and SES scores. There were also significant between-group differences in the BBS,
      MBI, and SES scores. [Conclusion] The results suggest that a task-oriented
      training program can be an effective intervention to improve balance ability, ADL
      performance, and self-efficacy in stroke patients. 

PMID- 26504341
TI  - Effect of a suspension seat support chair on the trunk flexion angle and gluteal
      pressure during computer work.
AB  - [Purpose] We assessed the effects of a suspension seat support chair on the trunk
      flexion angle and gluteal pressure during computer work. [Subjects] Ten males
      were recruited. [Methods] The suspension seat support was developed to prevent
      abnormal gluteal pressure and a slumped sitting posture during computer work. The
      gluteal pressure was measured with a TekScan system and the trunk flexion angle
      was measured with a video camera, to compare the differences between a general
      chair and the suspension seat support. [Results] The gluteal peak pressures were
      decreased significantly in the suspension seat support versus the general chair.
      The trunk flexion angle was also decreased significantly in the suspension seat
      support compared with the general chair. [Conclusions] This study suggests that
      the suspension seat support chair contributes to preventing abnormal gluteal
      pressure and a slumped sitting posture. 

PMID- 26504342
TI  - Knowledge among nephrologists about the importance of exercise in the
      intradialytic period.
AB  - [Purpose] To assess knowledge among nephrologists at hemodialysis services about
      routine intradialytic therapeutic exercise, in the city of Recife. [Subjects and
      Methods] A cross-sectional study, consisting of 49 nephrologists working in
      public and/or private hemodialysis services, who responded to a semi-structured
      questionnaire about their academic background, medical residency, and knowledge
      about exercise during the intradialytic period. [Results] About 56.3% practiced
      for more than 10 years as nephrologists, 69.4% did not receive information about
      intradialytic physical exercise while in residency, 81.6% considered
      intradialytic exercise to be important, and 53.0% did not prescribe exercise
      during hemodialysis. About 61.2% consider the level of physical activity among
      their patients to be poor. Nephrologists graduating within 2 years were 10 times
      more likely to prescribe exercise, compared to those with more than 2 years since
      graduation. [Conclusion] Our study found that the nephrologists interviewed do
      not usually prescribe intradialytic therapeutic exercise, despite understanding
      its importance as part of the treatment process. It is necessary to update
      doctors about the importance of exercise for patients during the intradialytic
      period, as well as to incorporate this knowledge at the undergraduate level. 

PMID- 26504343
TI  - Effects of push-up exercise on shoulder stabilizer muscle activation according to
      the grip thickness of the push-up bar.
AB  - [Purpose] This study investigated the effects of bar thickness on shoulder
      stabilizer muscle activation during push-up exercise. [Subjects] Twenty-six
      healthy male adults in their twenties. [Methods] The study had four experimental
      conditions (grip thicknesses of 0%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of the subjects' hand
      size). Measurements were conducted from the start to the end of push-up for
      deltoid anterior fiber, deltoid posterior fiber, infraspinatus, serratus
      anterior, and pectoralis major muscle activation. [Results] The deltoid anterior
      fiber muscle activity was 4,852.6 +/- 975.2 in the 0%, 5,787.3 +/- 1,514.1 in the
      50%, 5,635.3 +/- 1,220.1 in the 75%, and 5,032.9 +/- 841.0 in the 100% condition.
      The infraspinatus muscle activity was 1,877.2 +/- 451.3 in the 0%, 2,310.9 +/-
      765.4 in the 50%, 2,353.6 +/- 761.9 in the 75%, and 2,016.8 +/- 347.7 in the 100%
      condition. The pectoralis major muscle activity was 1,675.8 +/- 355.1 in the 0%,
      2,365.5 +/- 1,287.3 in the 50%, 2,125.3 +/- 382.5 in the 75%, and 1,878.8 +/-
      419.7 in the 100% condition, showing significant differences respectively.
      [Conclusion] The use of push-up bars with different thicknesses customized to
      personal characteristics, rather than the conventional standard, could be more
      effective for training and rehabilitation. 

PMID- 26504344
TI  - Virtual reality for cognitive rehabilitation after brain injury: a systematic
      review.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this review was to investigate various types of VR
      programs and their use in cognitive evaluations and interventions for patients
      with brain injury. [Subjects and Methods] PubMed, Cochrane, and OTseeker
      electronic databases were searched with the search terms. At of 350 titles and
      abstracts were retrieved, and 17 articles were selected for this review. Selected
      articles were assessed on the level of evidence using the Physiotherapy Evidence
      Database (PEDro) scale. [Results] Articles assessing the impact of cognitive
      impairments in memory were most commonly found, and VR interventions elicited
      positive effects in patients with brain injury. [Conclusion] VR can be considered
      a new tool for cognitive rehabilitation after brain injury. VR interventions also
      have a number of advantages, e.g. cost-effectiveness, compared to other
      interventions. 

PMID- 26504345
TI  - Patterns in the collaboration of practitioners and researchers in the use of
      electrical stimulation to treat stroke patients: a literature review.
AB  - [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree of
      collaboration between practitioners and researchers through research papers
      related to the implementation of electrical stimulation (ES) for stroke patients.
      [Methods] A systematic review of the literature was conducted to collect data
      from ES studies published before January 7, 2015. Five databases were searched
      for search terms related to stroke and ES. Inclusion criteria were original
      papers that reported on ES of the upper or lower limbs following stroke, after
      the exclusion of case reports, brain stimulation studies, and papers written in
      any languages other than English or Japanese. The outcome was the prevalence of
      research papers that included a practitioner as an author, that included a
      practitioner as an author or in the acknowledgements, and in which the
      practitioner was the first author. [Results] Based on the selection criteria, 165
      papers were included in the final analysis. The prevalence of papers in which a
      practitioner was included as an author was 39%. The prevalence of papers in which
      a practitioner was included as an author or in the acknowledgements was 50%. A
      practitioner was the first author of 34% of the papers. [Conclusion]
      Collaboration on research papers related to ES for stroke patients is limited. 

PMID- 26504346
TI  - The application of sonography in shoulder pain evaluation and injection treatment
      after stroke: a systematic review.
AB  - [Purpose] This review article is designed to expose the application of sonography
      in shoulder pain after stroke. [Methods] A range of databases was searched to
      identify articles that address sonography examination, with or without ultrasound
      guided corticosteroid injection for hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP). The
      electronic databases of PubMed, CENTRAL, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Medline were
      searched. [Results] According to the articles identified in our databases
      research, sonographic technique has potential to provide objective measurements
      in patients with HSP. The main sonography finding of HSP included subacromial
      subdeltoid (SASD) bursal effusion, tendinosis of the supraspinatus and
      subscapularis tendon, long head of biceps tendon sheath effusion, and shoulder
      subluxation. Our analysis also revealed significantly decreased pain score (VAS)
      and increased passive external rotation degree in the steroid injection group
      than control group. [Conclusion] The sonography examination is useful for HSP
      assessment and ultrasound guided technique is recommended for HSP injection
      treatment. 

PMID- 26504347
TI  - Exercise training for non-operative and post-operative patient with cervical
      radiculopathy: a literature review.
AB  - [Purpose] Cervical radiculopathy is a clinical condition associated with pain,
      numbness and/or muscle weaknesses of the upper extremities due to a compression
      or irritation of the cervical nerve roots. It is usually managed conservatively
      but surgical intervention is sometimes required for those who fail to respond
      adequately. This study performed a literature review to determine the effects of
      exercise on non-operative and post-operative cervical radiculopathy patients.
      [Methods] The PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL and Scopus databases were searched to
      identify relevant articles published from January 1997 to May 2014, which
      explicitly stated that an exercise program was employed as an intervention for
      cervical radiculopathy. The therapeutic effectiveness and outcomes were then
      classified based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability
      and Health (ICF) model. [Results] Eleven studies were identified and included in
      the final analysis. In these studies, the main forms of exercise training were
      specific strengthening and general stretching exercises. Levels of evidence were
      graded as either I or II for all studies according to the Oxford Centre for
      Evidence-based Medicine. The PEDro Scale score of these studies ranged from 5 to
      8. [Conclusion] A review of eleven high-level evidence and high-quality studies
      revealed that, based on the ICF model, exercise training is beneficial for
      improving the body function as well as activity participation of cervical
      radiculopathy patients. 

PMID- 26504348
TI  - Correlation between waist and mid-thigh circumference and cardiovascular fitness
      in Korean college students: a case study.
AB  - [Purpose] We investigated whether waist and mid-thigh circumference correlated
      with cardiovascular fitness (VO2max) in a selected sample of Korean college
      students. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 41 college students (25 males,
      16 females; age, > 19 years) who visited the sports medicine laboratory at the
      Korea National University of Transportation in Chungju-si, Republic of Korea, to
      undergo measurements of body composition, cardiovascular fitness, and waist and
      mid-thigh circumference. [Results] VO2max did not correlate with waist
      circumference or mid-thigh circumference in males, whereas VO2max was negatively
      correlated with mid-thigh circumference, but not waist circumference, in females.
      [Conclusion] Mid-thigh circumference was not associated with cardiovascular
      fitness or waist in male college students. However, it was associated with
      cardiovascular fitness in female college students. Well-designed studies are
      needed to investigate this further. 

PMID- 26504349
TI  - Whole-body vibration training improves the walking ability of a moderately
      impaired child with cerebral palsy: a case study.
AB  - [Purpose] Strength training is recommended for children with cerebral palsy.
      However, it is difficult for moderately impaired children with cerebral palsy,
      who require crutches for ambulation, to participate in this type of training. The
      purpose of this study was to investigate whether whole-body vibration training is
      an effective method of strengthening in a moderately impaired child with cerebral
      palsy. [Subject and Methods] This report describes an 8-year-old Japanese boy
      with cerebral palsy, who was ambulatory with crutches. The subject participated
      in physical therapy twice a week for 5 weeks. Whole-body vibration training was
      selected to complement the standing practice. The patient's crutch-walking
      ability, gross motor function, and spasticity were evaluated. [Results] The
      number of steps and walking duration were reduced in a 5-m walk test with
      crutches and gross motor function was improved. Further, the spasticity was
      reduced. [Conclusion] Whole-body vibration training is an effective physical
      therapy intervention in moderately impaired children with cerebral palsy, who are
      unable to walk without crutches. 

PMID- 26504350
TI  - Impact of post-manipulation corrective core exercises on the spinal deformation
      and lumbar strength in golfers: a case study.
AB  - [Purpose] This study examined spinal shape in professional golfers with chronic
      back pain, and analyzed the effects of a 4-week regimen of semi-weekly
      manipulation and corrective core exercises on spinal shape. [Subjects] Two
      golfers with chronic back pain. [Methods] The pelvis and spinal vertebrae were
      corrected using the Thompson "drop" technique. Angle and force were adjusted to
      place the pelvis, lumbar spine, and thoracic vertebrae in neutral position. The
      technique was applied twice weekly after muscle massage in the back and pelvic
      areas. The golfers performed corrective, warmup stretching exercises, followed by
      squats on an unstable surface using the Togu ball. They then used a gym ball for
      repetitions of hip rotation, upper trunk extension, sit-ups, and pelvic anterior
      posterior, pelvic left-right, and trunk flexion-extension exercises. The session
      ended with cycling as a cool-down exercise. Each session lasted 60 minutes.
      [Results] The difference in height was measured on the left and right sides of
      the pelvic bone. The pelvic tilt changed significantly in both participants after
      the 4-week program. [Conclusion] In golfers, core muscles are critical and are
      closely related to spinal deformation. Core strengthening and spinal correction
      play a pivotal role in the correction of spinal deformation. 

PMID- 26504351
TI  - Neurophysiological Indicators of Residual Cognitive Capacity in the Minimally
      Conscious State.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The diagnostic usefulness of electrophysiological methods in
      assessing disorders of consciousness (DoC) remains to be established on an
      individual patient level, and there is need to determine what constitutes robust
      experimental paradigm to elicit electrophysiological indices of covert cognitive
      capacity. OBJECTIVES: Two tasks encompassing active and passive conditions were
      explored in an event-related potentials (ERP) study. The task robustness was
      studied in healthy controls, and their utility to detect covert signs of command
      following on an individual patient level was investigated in patients in a
      minimally conscious state (MCS). METHODS: Twenty healthy controls and 20 MCS
      patients participated. The active tasks included (1) listening for a change of
      pitch in the subject's own name (SON) and (2) counting SON, both contrasted to
      passive conditions. Midline ERPs are reported. RESULTS: A larger P3 response was
      detected in the counting task compared to active listening to pitch change in the
      healthy controls. On an individual level, the counting task revealed a higher
      rate of responders among both healthy subjects and MCS patients. CONCLUSION: ERP
      paradigms involving actively counting SON represent a robust paradigm in probing
      for volitional cognition in minimally conscious patients and add important
      diagnostic information in some patients.

PMID- 26504352
TI  - The Mismatch Negativity: An Indicator of Perception of Regularities in Music.
AB  - This paper reviews music research using Mismatch Negativity (MMN). MMN is a
      deviation-specific component of auditory event-related potential (EPR), which
      detects a deviation between a sound and an internal representation (e.g., memory
      trace). Recent studies have expanded the notion and the paradigms of MMN to
      higher-order music processing such as those involving short melodies, harmony
      chord, and music syntax. In this vein, we firstly reviewed the evolution of MMN
      from sound to music and then mainly compared the differences of MMN features
      between musicians and nonmusicians, followed by the discussion of the potential
      roles of the training effect and the natural exposure in MMN. Since MMN can serve
      as an index of neural plasticity, it thus can be widely used in clinical and
      other applied areas, such as detecting music preference in newborns or assessing
      wholeness of central auditory system of hearing illness. Finally, we pointed out
      some open questions and further directions. Current music perception research
      using MMN has mainly focused on relatively low hierarchical structure of music
      perception. To fully understand the neural substrates underlying processing of
      regularities in music, it is important and beneficial to combine MMN with other
      experimental paradigms such as early right-anterior negativity (ERAN).

PMID- 26504353
TI  - Inferior Frontal Gyrus Activation Underlies the Perception of Emotions, While
      Precuneus Activation Underlies the Feeling of Emotions during Music Listening.
AB  - While music triggers many physiological and psychological reactions, the
      underlying neural basis of perceived and experienced emotions during music
      listening remains poorly understood. Therefore, using functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (fMRI), I conducted a comparative study of the different brain
      areas involved in perceiving and feeling emotions during music listening. I
      measured fMRI signals while participants assessed the emotional expression of
      music (perceived emotion) and their emotional responses to music (felt emotion).
      I found that cortical areas including the prefrontal, auditory, cingulate, and
      posterior parietal cortices were consistently activated by the perceived and felt
      emotional tasks. Moreover, activity in the inferior frontal gyrus increased more
      during the perceived emotion task than during a passive listening task. In
      addition, the precuneus showed greater activity during the felt emotion task than
      during a passive listening task. The findings reveal that the bilateral inferior
      frontal gyri and the precuneus are important areas for the perception of the
      emotional content of music as well as for the emotional response evoked in the
      listener. Furthermore, I propose that the precuneus, a brain region associated
      with self-representation, might be involved in assessing emotional responses.

PMID- 26504354
TI  - Interaction of Musicianship and Aging: A Comparison of Cortical Auditory Evoked
      Potentials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to begin to explore whether the beneficial
      auditory neural effects of early music training persist throughout life and
      influence age-related changes in neurophysiological processing of sound. DESIGN:
      Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) elicited by harmonic tone complexes
      were examined, including P1-N1-P2, mismatch negativity (MMN), and P3a. STUDY
      SAMPLE: Data from older adult musicians (n = 8) and nonmusicians (n = 8) (ages 55
      70 years) were compared to previous data from young adult musicians (n = 40) and
      nonmusicians (n = 20) (ages 18-33 years). RESULTS: P1-N1-P2 amplitudes and
      latencies did not differ between older adult musicians and nonmusicians; however,
      MMN and P3a latencies for harmonic tone deviances were earlier for older
      musicians than older nonmusicians. Comparisons of P1-N1-P2, MMN, and P3a
      components between older and young adult musicians and nonmusicians suggest that
      P1 and P2 latencies are significantly affected by age, but not musicianship,
      while MMN and P3a appear to be more sensitive to effects of musicianship than
      aging. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support beneficial influences of musicianship on
      central auditory function and suggest a positive interaction between aging and
      musicianship on the auditory neural system.

PMID- 26504355
TI  - Modulation of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels by Activation of Tumor Necrosis
      Factor Receptor-1 and Receptor-2 in Small DRG Neurons of Rats.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) alpha is a proinflammatory cytokine involved in the
      development and maintenance of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Its effects are
      mediated by two receptors, TNF receptor-1 (TNFR-1) and TNF receptor-2 (TNFR-2).
      These receptors play a crucial role in the sensitization of voltage-gated sodium
      channels (VGSCs), a key mechanism in the pathogenesis of chronic pain. Using the
      whole-cell patch-clamp technique, we examined the influence of TNFR-1 and TNFR-2
      on VGSCs and TTX-resistant NaV1.8 channels in isolated rat dorsal root ganglion
      neurons by using selective TNFR agonists. The TNFR-1 agonist R32W (10 pg/mL)
      caused an increase in the VGSC current (I(Na(V))) by 27.2 +/- 5.1%, while the
      TNFR-2 agonist D145 (10 pg/mL) increased the current by 44.9 +/- 2.6%. This
      effect was dose dependent. Treating isolated NaV1.8 with R32W (100 pg/mL)
      resulted in an increase in I(NaV(1.8)) by 18.9 +/- 1.6%, while treatment with
      D145 (100 pg/mL) increased the current by 14.5 +/- 3.7%. Based on the current
      voltage relationship, 10 pg of R32W or D145 led to an increase in I(Na(V)) in a
      bell-shaped, voltage-dependent manner with a maximum effect at -30 mV. The
      effects of TNFR activation on VGSCs promote excitation in primary afferent
      neurons and this might explain the sensitization mechanisms associated with
      neuropathic and inflammatory pain.

PMID- 26504356
TI  - Polymorphisms of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha in Moroccan Patients with Gastric
      Pathology: New Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in TNF-alpha(-193) (G/A).
AB  - Polymorphisms in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) gene are emerging as key
      determinants of gastric diseases. The TNF-alpha(-308) (G/A) and TNF-alpha(-238)
      (G/A) single-nucleotide polymorphisms SNPs are the most extensively studied.
      However, all these studies are conducted in Caucasian and Asian populations.
      Thus, for the first time in Africa, we sought to investigate whether
      polymorphisms in TNF-alpha gene were associated with the development of gastric
      pathology in Morocco. Two SNPs located in the promoter region (positions -308 and
      -238) in TNF-alpha gene were genotyped in 244 individuals (170 patients and 74
      healthy controls). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were
      estimated using logistic regression analysis. The TNF-alpha(-238) (G/A) genotype
      was significantly associated with a high risk of gastritis and gastric cancer
      (GC) (P = 0.001 and P = 0.002, resp.). Furthermore, a new polymorphism located in
      the promoter region at position -193 in TNF-alpha gene was identified. The
      distribution of this SNP was markedly different in patients suffering from
      ulcers. The association between TNF-alpha(-193) (G/A) genotype and high risk of
      ulcer was significant (P = 0.03). These results suggest that the TNF-alpha(-193)
      (G/A) allele has a protective function against gastric cancer by developing
      ulcer.

PMID- 26504357
TI  - Lung Epithelial TRPA1 Transduces the Extracellular ROS into Transcriptional
      Regulation of Lung Inflammation Induced by Cigarette Smoke: The Role of Influxed
      Ca2+.
AB  - The mechanism underlying the inflammatory role of TRPA1 in lung epithelial cells
      (LECs) remains unclear. Here, we show that cigarette smoke extract (CSE)
      sequentially induced several events in LECs. The Ca(2+) influx was prevented by
      decreasing extracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) with the scavenger N
      acetyl-cysteine, removing extracellular Ca(2+) with the chelator EGTA, or
      treating with the TRPA1 antagonist HC030031. NADPH oxidase activation was
      abolished by its inhibitor apocynin, EGTA, or HC030031. The increased
      intracellular ROS was halted by apocynin, N-acetyl-cysteine, or HC030031. The
      activation of the MAPKs/NF-kappaB signaling was suppressed by EGTA, N-acetyl
      cysteine, or HC030031. IL-8 induction was inhibited by HC030031 or TRPA1 siRNA.
      Additionally, chronic cigarette smoke (CS) exposure in wild-type mice induced
      TRPA1 expression in LECs and lung tissues. In CS-exposure trpa1 (-/-) mice, the
      increased BALF level of ROS was similar to that of CS-exposure wild-type mice;
      yet lung inflammation was lessened. Thus, in LECs, CSE may initially increase
      extracellular ROS, which activate TRPA1 leading to an increase in Ca(2+) influx.
      The increased intracellular Ca(2+) contributes to activation of NADPH oxidase,
      resulting in increased intracellular ROS, which activate the MAPKs/NF-kappaB
      signaling leading to IL-8 induction. This mechanism may possibly be at work in
      mice chronically exposed to CS. 

PMID- 26504358
TI  - Increased NHC Cells in the Peritoneal Cavity of Plasmacytoma Susceptible BALB/c
      Mouse.
AB  - BALB/c strain mice are unique in that they develop murine plasmacytoma (MPC) as a
      consequence of the inflammation induced by pristane oil injection in the
      peritoneal cavity. In this work the Treg, Th17, B1, B2, and NHC lymphocyte
      populations from the peritoneal environment of BALB/c, the susceptible strain,
      and C57BL/6 mice, which do not develop MPC after oil treatment, were studied.
      Both oil-treated strains showed decreased levels of Th17 lymphocytes, no
      significant variation in Treg lymphocytes, and a drastic decrease of all B
      lymphocyte populations. However, only oil-induced BALB/c showed increased levels
      of natural helper cells (NHC) which could be important in the myeloma induction. 

PMID- 26504359
TI  - Cancer Cachexia and MicroRNAs.
AB  - Cancer cachexia is a paraneoplastic syndrome compromising quality of life and
      survival, mainly characterized by involuntary weight loss, fatigue, and systemic
      inflammation. The syndrome is described as a result of tumor-host interactions
      characterized by an inflammatory response by the host to the presence of the
      tumor. Indeed, systemic inflammation is considered a pivotal feature in cachexia
      progression and maintenance. Cytokines are intimately related to chronic systemic
      inflammation and the mechanisms underlying the release of these factors are not
      totally elucidated, the etiology of cachexia being still not fully understood.
      Therefore, the understanding of cachexia-related mechanisms, as well as the
      establishment of markers for the syndrome, is very relevant. MicroRNAs (miRNAs)
      are a class of noncoding RNAs interfering with gene regulation. Different miRNA
      expression profiles are associated with different diseases and inflammatory
      processes. miRNAs modulate adipose and skeletal muscle tissue metabolism in
      cancer cachexia and also tumor and tissue derived inflammation. Therefore, we
      propose a possible role for miRNAs in the modulation of the host inflammatory
      response during cachexia. Moreover, the establishment of a robust body of
      evidence in regard to miRNAs and the mechanisms underlying cachexia is mandatory,
      and shall contribute to the improvement of its diagnosis and treatment. 

PMID- 26504360
TI  - Increased Risk of Cancer in relation to Gout: A Review of Three Prospective
      Cohort Studies with 50,358 Subjects.
AB  - Gout is a common inflammatory disease characterized by acute arthritis and
      hyperuricemia. A number of epidemiological studies have suggested the critical
      role of gout in carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to estimate the
      association between gout and cancer risk by meta-analysis of all relevant studies
      published to date. A comprehensive literature search in PubMed and Embase
      databases from their inception up to July 1, 2014, was performed to identify
      eligible studies. The strength for relationship between gout and the risk of
      different cancers was evaluated by calculating pooled relative risks (RRs) with
      95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). All analyses were carried out by STATA 12.0
      software. Gout patients were at an increased risk of cancer, particularly
      urological cancers, digestive system cancers, and lung cancer. No such
      significant association between gout and the risk of breast or brain cancers was
      observed. Sensitivity analysis did not materially alter the pooled results. Gout
      is a risk factor of cancer, particularly that of urological cancers, digestive
      system cancers, and lung cancer. The pooled data further support the hypothesis
      of a link between gout and carcinogenesis. 

PMID- 26504361
TI  - Serum Uric Acid Increases Risk of Cancer Incidence and Mortality: A Systematic
      Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - SUA is a potent antioxidant and thus may play a protective role against cancer.
      Many epidemiological studies have investigated this hypothesis but provided
      inconsistent and inconclusive findings. We aimed to precisely elucidate the
      association between SUA levels and cancer by pooling all available publications.
      Totally, 5 independent studies with 456,053 subjects and 12 with 632,472 subjects
      were identified after a comprehensive literature screening from PubMed, Embase,
      and Web of Science. The pooled RRs showed that individuals with high SUA levels
      were at an increased risk of total cancer incidence (RR = 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05,
      P = 0.007). Positive association between high SUA levels and total cancer
      incidence was observed in males but not females (for men: RR = 1.05, 95% CI 1.02
      1.08, P = 0.002; for women, RR = 1.01, 95% CI 0.98-1.04, P = 0.512). Besides,
      high SUA levels were associated with an elevated risk of total cancer mortality
      (RR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.04-1.32, P = 0.010), particularly in females (RR = 1.25, 95%
      CI 1.07-1.45, P = 0.004). The study suggests that high SUA levels increase the
      risk of total cancer incidence and mortality. The data do not support the
      hypothesis of a protective role of SUA in cancer. 

PMID- 26504362
TI  - Contribution of Neuroinflammation to the Pathogenesis of Cancer Cachexia.
AB  - Inflammation characterizes the course of acute and chronic diseases and is
      largely responsible for the metabolic and behavioral changes occurring during the
      clinical journey of patients. Robust data indicate that, during cancer,
      functional modifications within brain areas regulating energy homeostasis
      contribute to the onset of anorexia, reduced food intake, and increased
      catabolism of muscle mass and adipose tissue. In particular, functional changes
      are associated with increased hypothalamic concentration of proinflammatory
      cytokines, which suggests that neuroinflammation may represent the adaptive
      response of the brain to peripheral challenges, including tumor growth. Within
      this conceptual framework, the vagus nerve appears to be involved in conveying
      alert signals to the hypothalamus, whereas hypothalamic serotonin appears to
      contribute to triggering catabolic signals. 

PMID- 26504363
TI  - A Survey of Attitudes towards the Clinical Application of Systemic Inflammation
      Based Prognostic Scores in Cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The systemic inflammatory response (SIR) plays a key role in
      determining nutritional status and survival of patients with cancer. A number of
      objective scoring systems have been shown to have prognostic value; however,
      their application in routine clinical practice is not clear. The aim of the
      present survey was to examine the range of opinions internationally on the
      routine use of these scoring systems. METHODS: An online survey was distributed
      to a target group consisting of individuals worldwide who have reported an
      interest in systemic inflammation in patients with cancer. RESULTS: Of those
      invited by the survey (n = 238), 65% routinely measured the SIR, mainly for
      research and prognostication purposes and clinically for allocation of adjuvant
      therapy or palliative chemotherapy. 40% reported that they currently used the
      Glasgow Prognostic Score/modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS/mGPS) and 81%
      reported that a measure of systemic inflammation should be incorporated into
      clinical guidelines, such as the definition of cachexia. CONCLUSIONS: The
      majority of respondents routinely measured the SIR in patients with cancer,
      mainly using the GPS/mGPS for research and prognostication purposes. The majority
      reported that a measure of the SIR should be adopted into clinical guidelines.

PMID- 26504364
TI  - 25-OH Vitamin D and Interleukin-8: Emerging Biomarkers in Cutaneous Melanoma
      Development and Progression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are several circulatory biomarkers that are involved in
      forecasting the clinical outcome of cutaneous melanoma. Serum/plasma vitamin D
      status is one of the markers intensively studied in this type of cutaneous
      cancer. The combination of validated serum biomarkers (like LDH) with new
      biomarkers such as IL-8, angiogenic factor, and vitamin D is still at the dawn of
      research. Hence, we are aiming to establish the predictive power of inflammatory
      biomarkers, such as IL-8, and metabolic ones, such as vitamin D. These candidate
      biomarkers are intended to aid classical biomarkers, such as LDH, in the
      prognosis of cutaneous melanoma. METHODS: Serum vitamin D and IL-8 were
      quantified in melanoma patients and in matching healthy controls. RESULTS: Median
      serum vitamin D concentrations were significantly lower (p = 0.003) in melanoma
      patients as compared to healthy control subjects, while around 65% of the
      investigated patients have proven a severe circulatory deficiency of this
      vitamin. IL-8 was found increased (p = 0.001) in melanoma patients as compared to
      controls. CONCLUSION: Upregulation of proangiogenic factors associated with
      vitamin D deficiency can prove to be potent future biomarkers candidates,
      enhancing the predictive power of classical LDH.

PMID- 26504365
TI  - Morphology and ultrastructure of Interfilum and Klebsormidium (Klebsormidiales,
      Streptophyta) with special reference to cell division and thallus formation.
AB  - Representatives of the closely related genera, Interfilum and Klebsormidium, are
      characterized by unicells, dyads or packets in Interfilum and contrasting
      uniseriate filaments in Klebsormidium. According to the literature, these
      distinct thallus forms originate by different types of cell division, sporulation
      (cytogony) versus vegetative cell division (cytotomy), but investigations of
      their morphology and ultrastructure show a high degree of similarity. Cell walls
      of both genera are characterized by triangular spaces between cell walls of
      neighbouring cells and the parental wall or central space among the walls of a
      cell packet, exfoliations and projections of the parental wall and cap-like and H
      like fragments of the cell wall. In both genera, each cell has its individual
      cell wall and it also has part of the common parental wall or its remnants.
      Therefore, vegetative cells of Interfilum and Klebsormidium probably divide by
      the same type of cell division (sporulation-like). Various strains representing
      different species of the two genera are characterized by differences in cell wall
      ultrastructure, particularly the level of preservation, rupture or gelatinization
      of the parental wall surrounding the daughter cells. The differing morphologies
      of representatives of various lineages result from features of the parental wall
      during cell separation and detachment. Cell division in three planes (usual in
      Interfilum and a rare event in Klebsormidium) takes place in spherical or short
      cylindrical cells, with the chloroplast positioned perpendicularly or obliquely
      to the filament (dyad) axis. The morphological differences are mainly a
      consequence of differing fates of the parental wall after cell division and
      detachment. The development of different morphologies within the two genera
      mostly depends on characters such as the shape of cells, texture of cell walls,
      mechanical interactions between cells and the influence of environmental
      conditions.

PMID- 26504366
TI  - Community level workers: awareness generation for improving children's health.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Routine immunisation and Vitamin A supplementation are two of many
      services offered by Government of India to reduce child mortality and morbidity.
      The three groups of community level workers (CLWs) i.e. Auxiliary Nurse Midwives
      from health department, Anganwadi Workers from women and child development
      department and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) are responsible for
      raising awareness and demand for these services. OBJECTIVES: The paper assesses
      the knowledge and participation of CLWs in generating awareness about the two
      services namely immunisation and Vitamin A supplementation among eligible
      mothers; and mother's knowledge on these two services. METHODS: The study was
      conducted in 16 villages of two administrative blocks of Udaipur district in
      Rajasthan. Multistage purposive sampling was used for study area selection. Data
      collection was done using mixed methods-1) observations of 16 Maternal and Child
      Health and Nutrition days; 2) questionnaire based survey of 46 CLWs; and 3)
      questionnaire based survey of 321 programme beneficiaries i.e. infant's mothers.
      RESULTS: Limited knowledge of CLWs and their participation in awareness
      generation activities for the two services was noticed, which was also reflected
      in the poor knowledge among mothers on the two services. CONCLUSION: The study
      results may partially explain the poor child immunization in Rajasthan.
      Initiatives to increase CLWs' knowledge of child immunization and Vitamin A
      supplementation; and increasing their participation in awareness generation
      activities need serious consideration by the healthcare system to improve
      immunization coverage.

PMID- 26504368
TI  - Demographic, Economic, Household, and Health Profile of Grandparents Responsible
      for Grandchildren.
AB  - The objective of this brief report was to outline the demographic, economic,
      household, and health profile of "grandparents responsible for grandchildren"
      (GRfGs) in the United States (US). Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) from the
      2009-2011 American Community Survey (ACS) 3-year file was used to investigate
      characteristics of GRfGs by race-ethnic groups and the geographical distribution
      over the US mainland (contiguous states). The 9,177 actual units in the microdata
      are estimated to represent about 306,122 GRfGs. Population profiles are presented
      in tables for GRfGs of any age and the characteristics for those aged 65 and over
      are discussed. Amongst GRfGs aged 65 and over (n=33,168): 27% have ambulatory
      difficulty; 33% own their home free and clear; 77% have resided in their current
      residence for more than four years; 41% care for grandchild(ren) with the parent
      being absent; 61% are married; 36% have a college education; 77% are not in the
      labor force; and the majority (55%) are Non-Latino-Whites. Qualitative
      comparisons from descriptive statistics suggest race-ethnic minority GRfGs may be
      more economically and socially vulnerable than Non-Latino-Whites. Research on
      GRfGs and efforts on understanding how best to assist them should continue.

PMID- 26504367
TI  - Evolution, structure, and synthesis of vertebrate egg-coat proteins.
AB  - All vertebrate eggs are surrounded by an extracellular coat that supports growth
      of oocytes, protects oocytes, eggs, and early embryos, and participates in the
      process of fertilization. In mammals (platypus to human beings) the coat is
      called a zona pellucida (ZP) and in non-mammals (molluscs to birds), a vitelline
      envelope (VE). The ZP and VE are composed of just a few proteins that are related
      to one another and possess a common motif, called the zona pellucida domain
      (ZPD). The ZPD arose more than ~600 million years ago, consists of ~260 amino
      acids, and has 8 conserved Cys residues that participate in 4 intramolecular
      disulfides. It is likely that egg-coat proteins are derived from a common
      ancestral gene. This gene duplicated several times during evolution and gave rise
      to 3-4 genes in fish, 5 genes in amphibians, 6 genes in birds, and 3-4 genes in
      mammals. Some highly divergent sequences, N- and C-terminal to the ZPD, have been
      identified in egg-coat proteins and some of these sequences may be under positive
      Darwinian selection that drives evolution of the proteins. These and other
      aspects of egg-coat proteins, including their structure and synthesis, are
      addressed in this review.

PMID- 26504369
TI  - Factor Validity of a Proactive and Reactive Aggression Rating Scale.
AB  - Aggressive behaviors can be classified into proactive and reactive functions,
      though there is disagreement about whether these are distinct constructs. Data
      suggest that proactive and reactive aggression have different etiologies,
      correlates, and response to treatment. Several rating scales are available to
      characterize aggressive behavior as proactive or reactive; one commonly used
      scale was originally developed for teacher ratings, referred to here as the
      Antisocial Behavior Scale (ABS). However, no data are available on the
      psychometric properties of the ABS for parent ratings. This study examined the
      factor structure and convergent/divergent validity of the parent-rated ABS among
      168 children aged 6-12 years with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, a
      disruptive behavior disorder, and severe aggression enrolled in a randomized
      clinical trial. Multidimensional item response theory was used to confirm the
      original factor structure. The proactive and reactive factors were distinct but
      moderately correlated; the algorithm items exhibited acceptable fit on the
      original factors. The non-algorithm items caused theoretical problems and model
      misfit. Convergent and divergent validity of the scale was explored between the
      ABS and other parent-report measures. Proactive and reactive aggression showed
      differential correlates consistent with expectations for externalizing symptoms.
      The subscales were correlated weakly or not at all with most non-externalizing
      symptoms, with some exceptions. Thus, the original factor structure was supported
      and we found preliminary evidence for the validity of the scale, though the
      results suggest that the constructs measured by the ABS may not be totally
      distinct from general behavior problems in this clinical sample.

PMID- 26504370
TI  - Big Data in Health Care: An Urgent Mandate to CHANGE Nursing EHRs!

PMID- 26504371
TI  - Mixed Brownian alignment and Neel rotations in superparamagnetic iron oxide
      nanoparticle suspensions driven by an ac field.
AB  - Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with highly nonlinear magnetic
      behavior are attractive for biomedical applications like magnetic particle
      imaging and magnetic fluid hyperthermia. Such particles display interesting
      magnetic properties in alternating magnetic fields and here we document
      experiments that show differences between the magnetization dynamics of certain
      particles in frozen and melted states. This effect goes beyond the small
      temperature difference (DeltaT ~ 20  degrees C) and we show the dynamics to be a
      mixture of Brownian alignment of the particles and Neel rotation of their moments
      occurring in liquid particle suspensions. These phenomena can be modeled in a
      stochastic differential equation approach by postulating log-normal distributions
      and partial Brownian alignment of an effective anisotropy axis. We emphasize that
      precise particle-specific characterization through experiments and nonlinear
      simulations is necessary to predict dynamics in solution and optimize their
      behavior for emerging biomedical applications including magnetic particle
      imaging.

PMID- 26504372
TI  - Implementation of a vision-screening program in rural northeastern United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rural populations comprise almost 20% of the US population and face
      unique barriers in receiving health care. We describe the implementation of a
      medical student-run free vision-screening clinic as a strategy to overcome
      barriers in accessing eye care in New Hampshire and Vermont. METHODS: Medical
      students were trained by an ophthalmologist to administer screening eye
      examinations. Patients from New Hampshire and Vermont were enrolled through a
      free community clinic. Screening included a questionnaire, distance and near
      visual acuity, extraocular movements, confrontational visual fields, and Amsler
      grid. Patients who met predetermined screening criteria were referred to an
      ophthalmologist or optometrist for further evaluation. Data including patient
      demographics, appointment attendance, level of education, and diagnoses were
      recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: Of 103 patients (mean age of 45.5+/-12.3 years,
      63% female), 74/103 (72%) were referred for further evaluation, and 66/74 (89%)
      attended their referral appointments. Abnormal ophthalmologic examination
      findings were observed in 58/66 (88%) patients who attended their referral
      appointment. Uncorrected refractive error was the most common primary diagnosis
      in 38% of referred patients. Other diagnoses included glaucoma suspect (21%),
      retinal diseases (8%), amblyopia (8%), cataract (6%), others (6%), and normal
      examination (12%). Of the 8/74 (11%) referred patients who did not attend their
      appointments, reasons included patient cancellation of appointment, work
      conflicts, or forgetfulness. Patients traveled a mean distance of 16.6 miles
      (range: 0-50 miles) to attend screening examinations. Mean time for patients'
      last effort to seek eye care was 7.1 years (range: 1-54 years). CONCLUSION: This
      study underscores the high prevalence of unmet eye care needs in a rural
      population. Furthermore, it demonstrates that using community health centers as a
      patient base for screening can yield a high referral attendance rate for this at
      risk population and facilitate entrance into the eye care system in a rural
      setting.

PMID- 26504374
TI  - Design, synthesis, and antitumor evaluation of histone deacetylase inhibitors
      with L-phenylglycine scaffold.
AB  - In our previous research, a novel series of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors
      with L-phenylglycine scaffold were designed and synthesized, among which amides
      D3 and D7 and ureido D18 were far superior to the positive control
      (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid [SAHA]) in HDAC inhibition, but were only
      comparable to SAHA in antiproliferation on tumor cell lines. Herein, further
      structural derivation of lead compounds D3, D7, and D18 was carried out to
      improve their cellular activities. Most of our newly synthesized compounds
      exhibited more potent HDAC inhibitory activities than the positive control SAHA,
      and several derivatives were even better than their parent compounds. However,
      compared with SAHA and our lead compounds, only secondary amine series compounds
      exhibited improved antiproliferative activities, likely due to their appropriate
      topological polar surface area values and cell permeabilities. In a human
      histiocytic lymphoma (U937) xenograft model, the most potent secondary amine 9d
      exhibited similar in vivo antitumor activity to that of SAHA.

PMID- 26504375
TI  - Patient-reported outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus: patients' and primary care
      physicians' perspectives in the Spanish health care system.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Understanding patients' and physicians' perceptions of type 2 diabetes
      mellitus (T2DM) management and treatment has important implications for diabetes
      care, allowing the identification of clinical practice issues that could be
      improved, leading to patients' better understanding of the illness and,
      consequently, healthier self-management behaviors. The objective of this study
      was to identify differences between physicians' and T2DM patients' perceptions
      related to health status, patient-reported outcomes assessments, and T2DM
      management and treatment, in routine clinical practice in Spain. METHODS: This
      was an observational, cross-sectional study including 1,012 T2DM patients and 974
      physicians from 47 and 52 Spanish provinces, respectively. An electronic
      structured self-administered questionnaire containing 17 questions was designed
      aiming to address both physicians' and patient's perceptions on overall T2DM
      health status and patient-reported outcomes. RESULTS: T2DM patients perceived a
      worse health status (40% reported having a "good" and 38% a "neither good nor
      bad" health status) compared with physicians' perceptions (77% thought patients
      had a "good" health status). Most patients answered being "satisfied" or "neither
      satisfied nor unsatisfied" with the given information, while physicians
      considered that patients were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the
      information for self-monitoring blood glucose and treatment administration. Fifty
      seven percent of patients reported that medical recommendations were "important",
      while 58% of physicians considered it as "very important". Fifty-three percent of
      patients perceived that their current T2DM treatment suited their preferences
      "quite a lot", and this was lower than the proportion of physicians (69%) that
      believed this for their patients. Additionally, a lower percentage of patients
      (53%) than physicians (79%) believed that their treatment improved their health
      related quality of life "quite a lot". All differences between patients and
      physicians were statistically significant (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients and
      physicians demonstrate different views concerning all questions related to T2DM
      health status and diabetes management and treatment (information,
      recommendations, satisfaction, and preferences).

PMID- 26504373
TI  - Neuroprotective potential of ferulic acid in the rotenone model of Parkinson's
      disease.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive, and the second most common
      form of neurodegenerative disorders. In order to explore novel agents for the
      treatment of PD, in the current study, we have evaluated the neuroprotective
      efficacy of ferulic acid (FA) using rotenone (ROT)-induced rat model of PD. ROT
      was administered 2.5 mg/kg body weight to male Wistar rats for 4 weeks to induce
      the PD. Since PD is progressive and chronic in nature, the paradigm for
      evaluating FA was based on chronic administration for 4 weeks at the dose of 50
      mg/kg, 30 minutes prior to ROT administration. ROT administration caused
      significant reduction in endogenous antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase,
      catalase, and glutathione. ROT challenge-induced lipid peroxidation evidenced by
      increased malondialdehyde following perturbation of antioxidant defense. Apart
      from oxidative stress, ROT also activated proinflammatory cytokines and enhanced
      inflammatory mediators such as cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide
      synthase. The immunofluorescence analysis revealed a significant increase in the
      number of activated microglia and astrocytes accompanied by a significant loss of
      dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta area upon ROT
      injection. However, treatment with FA rescued DA neurons in substantia nigra pars
      compacta area and nerve terminals in the striatum from the ROT insult. FA
      treatment also restored antioxidant enzymes, prevented depletion of glutathione,
      and inhibited lipid peroxidation. Following treatment with FA, the inflammatory
      mediators such as cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase and
      proinflammatory cytokines were also reduced. Further, the results were supported
      by a remarkable reduction of Iba-1 and GFAP hyperactivity clearly suggests
      attenuation of microglial and astrocytic activation. Results of our study suggest
      that FA has promising neuroprotective effect against degenerative changes in PD,
      and the protective effects are mediated through its antioxidant and anti
      inflammatory properties. 

PMID- 26504376
TI  - Social representation of hearing aids: cross-cultural study in India, Iran,
      Portugal, and the United Kingdom.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current study was aimed at understanding the social
      representation of hearing aids in India, Iran, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.
      We also compared these results to explore the cross-cultural differences and
      similarities among these countries. METHODS: The study involved a cross-sectional
      design, and the data were collected from four different countries using the
      snowball sampling method. Data were analyzed using a content analysis to identify
      the most-similar categories of responses reported, a co-occurrences analysis to
      see which of these categories are reported commonly, and a chi-square analysis to
      study if there was any association between positive, neutral, and negative
      connotations among participants in different countries. RESULTS: The current
      study revealed four different social representations of hearing aids from India,
      Iran, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, and also a global index. CONCLUSION: The
      study results provide very useful insights into how hearing aids are represented
      in the society. These findings may have important implications for public
      education and also for manufacturers from the viewpoint of designing and
      marketing hearing aids in different countries.

PMID- 26504377
TI  - Wheezing, a significant clinical phenotype of COPD: experience from the Taiwan
      Obstructive Lung Disease Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: COPD is an important public health challenge with significant
      heterogeneity of clinical presentation and disease progression. Clinicians have
      been trying to find phenotypes that may be linked to distinct prognoses and
      different therapeutic choices. Not all patients with COPD present with wheezing,
      a possible clinical phenotype that can help differentiate patient subgroups.
      METHODS: The Taiwan Obstructive Lung Disease study was a retrospective,
      multicenter research study to investigate the treatment patterns of COPD after
      the implementation of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease
      2011 guidelines. Between November 2012 and August 2013, medical records were
      retrieved from patients with COPD aged >=40 years; patients diagnosed with asthma
      were excluded. Demographic data, lung function, symptom scores, and acute
      exacerbation were recorded and analyzed, and the differences between patients
      with and without wheezing were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 1,096 patients with
      COPD, 424 (38.7%) had the wheezing phenotype. The wheezing group had
      significantly higher COPD Assessment Test scores (12.4+/-7.8 versus 10.5+/-6.7,
      P<0.001), higher modified Medical Research Council grade (2.0+/-1.0 versus 1.7+/
      0.9, P<0.001), and more acute exacerbations within the past year (0.9+/-1.3
      versus 0.4+/-0.9, P<0.001) than the nonwheezing group. The postbronchodilator
      forced expiratory volume in 1 second was lower in wheezing patients (1.2+/-0.5 L
      versus 1.5+/-0.6 L, P<0.001). Even in patients with maintenance treatment fitting
      the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease 2011 guidelines, the
      wheezing group still had worse symptom scores and more exacerbations. CONCLUSION:
      Wheezing is an important phenotype in patients with COPD. Patients with COPD
      having the wheezing phenotype are associated with worse symptoms, more
      exacerbations, and worse lung function.

PMID- 26504378
TI  - A longitudinal, retrospective cohort study on the impact of roflumilast on
      exacerbations and economic burden among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      patients in the real world.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Roflumilast is approved in the United States to reduce the risk of
      COPD exacerbations in patients with severe COPD. Exacerbation rates, health care
      resource utilization (HCRU), and costs were compared between roflumilast patients
      and those receiving other COPD maintenance drugs. METHODS: LifeLinkTM Health Plan
      Claims Database was used to identify patients diagnosed with COPD who initiated
      roflumilast (roflumilast group) or >=3 other COPD maintenance drugs (non
      roflumilast group) from May 1, 2011 to December 31, 2012. Patients must have been
      enrolled for 12 months before (baseline) and 3 months after (postindex) the
      initiation date, >=40 years old, not systemic corticosteroid dependent, and
      without asthma diagnosis at baseline. Difference-in-difference models compared
      change from baseline in exacerbations, HCRU (office, emergency visits, and
      hospitalizations), and total costs between groups, adjusting for baseline
      differences. RESULTS: A total of 14,211 patients (roflumilast, n=710; non
      roflumilast, n=13,501) were included. During follow-up, the rate of overall
      exacerbations per patient per month decreased by 11.1% in the roflumilast group
      and increased by 15.9% in the non-roflumilast group (P<0.001). After controlling
      for baseline differences, roflumilast-treated patients experienced a greater
      reduction in exacerbations (0.0160 fewer exacerbations per month, P=0.01),
      numerically greater reductions in hospital admissions (0.003 fewer per month,
      P=0.57), office visits (0.46 fewer per month, P=0.26), and total costs from
      baseline compared with non-roflumilast patients ($116 less per month, P=0.62).
      CONCLUSION: In a real-world setting, patients initiating roflumilast experienced
      reductions in exacerbations versus patients treated with other COPD medications.

PMID- 26504379
TI  - Endoscopic bronchial valve treatment: patient selection and special
      considerations.
AB  - As well as lung volume reduction surgery, different minimally invasive endoscopic
      techniques are available to achieve lung volume reduction in patients with severe
      emphysema and significant hyperinflation. Lung function parameters and
      comorbidities of the patient, as well as the extent and distribution of the
      emphysema are factors to be considered when choosing the patient and the
      intervention. Endoscopic bronchial valve placement with complete occlusion of one
      lobe in patients with heterogeneous emphysema is the preferred technique because
      of its reversibility. The presence of high interlobar collateral ventilation will
      hinder successful treatment; therefore, endoscopic coil placement, polymeric lung
      volume reduction, or bronchoscopic thermal vapor ablation as well as lung volume
      reduction surgery can be used for treating patients with incomplete fissures. The
      effect of endoscopic lung volume reduction in patients with a homogeneous
      distribution of emphysema is still unclear and this subgroup should be treated
      only in clinical trials. Precise patient selection is necessary for interventions
      and to improve the outcome and reduce the risk and possible complications.
      Therefore, the patients should be discussed in a multidisciplinary approach prior
      to determining the most appropriate treatment for lung volume reduction. 

PMID- 26504380
TI  - The effect of dietary antioxidant on the COPD risk: the community-based KoGES
      (Ansan-Anseong) cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dietary antioxidants have been suggested to have protective role
      against chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but few prospective studies
      examined this relationship. The prospective study was conducted to evaluate the
      effect of dietary antioxidants on COPD risk and lung function in the Korean
      population. METHODS: The data were collected from the community-based Korean
      Genome Epidemiology Study (KoGES) cohort. To diagnose COPD, forced expiratory
      volume (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were measured by spirometry. The
      dietary intake of antioxidant vitamins was estimated from validated Food
      Frequency Questionnaire. For the analysis, 325 COPD patients and 6,781 at risk
      subjects were selected from the cohort of 10,038 subjects. Multiple logistic
      regression models were used to examine the odds ratio (OR) after adjusting for
      age, sex, marital status, income, history of asthma, history of tuberculosis, and
      smoking. RESULTS: The risk of COPD was positively associated with aging, low
      education, low household income, lower body mass index, and cigarette smoking.
      The risk of COPD decreased with increase in the dietary vitamin C (ORQ1 vs
      Q5=0.66, P trend=0.03) and vitamin E (ORQ1 vs Q5=0.56, P trend=0.05) intake,
      predominantly, in men (P trend=0.01 and 0.05 for vitamins C and E, respectively).
      In addition, the lung function was significantly improved with increase in
      vitamins C (FEV1, P=0.04; FVC, P=0.03) and E (FEV1, P=0.03; FVC, P=0.04) intake.
      No statistically significant interactions were observed between smoking and
      vitamin C or E intake in relation to COPD risk among men. CONCLUSION: Our results
      suggest the independent beneficial effect of antioxidants, particularly vitamins
      C and E, on COPD risk and lung function in men.

PMID- 26504381
TI  - Sodium-22-radiolabeled silica nanoparticles as new radiotracer for biomedical
      applications: in vivo positron emission tomography imaging, biodistribution, and
      biocompatibility.
AB  - Despite their advantageous chemical properties for nuclear imaging, radioactive
      sodium-22 ((22)Na) tracers have been excluded for biomedical applications because
      of their extremely long lifetime. In the current study, we proposed, for the
      first time, the use of (22)Na radiotracers for pre-clinical applications by
      efficiently loading with silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) and thus offering a new
      life for this radiotracer. Crown-ether-conjugated SiNPs (300 nm; -0.18+/-0.1 mV)
      were successfully loaded with (22)Na with a loading efficacy of 98.1%+/-1.4%.
      Noninvasive positron emission tomography imaging revealed a transient
      accumulation of (22)Na-loaded SiNPs in the liver and to a lower extent in the
      spleen, kidneys, and lung. However, the signal gradually decreased in a time
      dependent manner to become not detectable starting from 2 weeks postinjection.
      These observations were confirmed ex vivo by quantifying (22)Na radioactivity
      using gamma-counter and silicon content using inductively coupled plasma-mass
      spectrometry in the blood and the different organs of interest. Quantification of
      Si content in the urine and feces revealed that SiNPs accumulated in the organs
      were cleared from the body within a period of 2 weeks and completely in 1 month.
      Biocompatibility evaluations performed during the 1-month follow-up study to
      assess the possibility of synthesized nanocarriers to induce oxidative stress or
      DNA damage confirmed their safety for pre-clinical applications. (22)Na-loaded
      nanocarriers can thus provide an innovative diagnostic agent allowing ultra
      sensitive positron emission tomography imaging. On the other hand, with its long
      lifetime, onsite generators or cyclotrons will not be required as (22)Na can be
      easily stored in the nuclear medicine department and be used on-demand. 

PMID- 26504382
TI  - In vivo biocompatibility of new nano-calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite/poly-amino
      acid complex biomaterials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the compatibility of novel nano-calcium-deficient
      hydroxyapatite/poly-amino acid (n-CDHA/PAA) complex biomaterials with muscle and
      bone tissue in an in vivo model. METHODS: Thirty-two New Zealand white rabbits
      were used in this study. Biomaterials were surgically implanted into each rabbit
      in the back erector spinae and in tibia with induced defect. Polyethylene was
      implanted into rabbits in the control group and n-CDHA/PAA into those of the
      experimental group. Animals were examined at four different points in time: 2
      weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks after surgery. They were euthanized after
      embolization. Back erector spinae muscles with the surgical implants were
      examined after hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining at these points in time. Tibia
      bones with the surgical implants were examined by X-ray and scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM) at these points in time to evaluate the interface of the bone
      with the implanted biomaterials. Bone tissues were sectioned and subjected to HE,
      Masson, and toluidine blue staining. RESULTS: HE staining of back erector spinae
      muscles at 4 weeks, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks after implantation of either n
      CDHA/PAA or polyethylene showed disappearance of inflammation and normal
      arrangement in the peripheral tissue of implant biomaterials; no abnormal
      staining was observed. At 2 weeks after implantation, X-ray imaging of bone
      tissue samples in both experimental and control groups showed that the peripheral
      tissues of the implanted biomaterials were continuous and lacked bone osteolysis,
      absorption, necrosis, or osteomyelitis. The connection between implanted
      biomaterials and bone tissue was tight. The results of HE, Masson, toluidine blue
      staining and SEM confirmed that the implanted biomaterials were closely connected
      to the bone defect and that no rejection had taken place. The n-CDHA/PAA
      biomaterials induced differentiation of a large number of chondrocytes. New bone
      trabecula began to form at 4 weeks after implanting n-CDHA/PAA biomaterials, and
      lamellar bone gradually formed at 12 weeks and 24 weeks after implantation.
      Routine blood and kidney function tests showed no significant changes at 2 weeks
      and 24 weeks after implantation of both biomaterials. CONCLUSION: n-CDHA/PAA
      composites showed good compatibility in in vivo model. In this study, n-CDHA/PAA
      were found to be safe, nontoxic, and biologically active in bone repair.

PMID- 26504383
TI  - Combination of glycosphingosomes and liposomal doxorubicin shows increased
      activity against dimethyl-alpha-benzanthracene-induced fibrosarcoma in mice.
AB  - The present study aimed to assess the antitumor effect of glycosphingolipid
      incorporated liposomes (glycosphingosomes) in combination with liposomal
      doxorubicin (Lip-Dox) in a mouse model of fibrosarcoma. Glycosphingosomes were
      prepared by incorporating glycosphingolipids isolated from Sphingomonas
      paucimobilis into the liposomes of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine,
      cholesterol, and cardiolipin. Tumors were induced by administering dimethyl-alpha
      benzanthracene, and tumor-bearing mice were treated with various formulations of
      Dox, including free Dox, Lip-Dox, or glycosphingosomes + Lip-Dox. Mice were
      observed for 90 days to monitor their survival and tumor size. Free Dox, but not
      Lip-Dox or a combination of glycosphingosomes and Lip-Dox, caused the substantial
      depletion of leukocytes and significantly increased the levels of lactate
      dehydrogenase and creatinine kinase in mice. Tumor-bearing mice treated with a
      combination of glycosphingosomes and Lip-Dox showed restricted tumor growth and
      increased survival when compared to those treated with free Dox or Lip-Dox. The
      results of the present study suggest that a combination of glycosphingosomes and
      Lip-Dox may prove to be very effective in the treatment of tumors. 

PMID- 26504384
TI  - Oral administration of encapsulated bovine lactoferrin protein nanocapsules
      against intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii.
AB  - Toxoplasma gondii is a deadly intracellular parasite known to reside in every
      nucleated cell and known to cause severe complications in immunocompromised host.
      Standard drugs are cost effective and cause side effects, therefore, there is a
      necessity for a new drug molecule with immunomodulatory potential. Lactoferrin
      (Lf) is a natural milk protein, which has shown antimicrobial properties in its
      nanoformulation using alginate chitosan calcium phosphate bovine lactoferrin
      nanocapsules (AEC-CCo-CP-bLf-NCs). The present study was aimed to analyze and
      compare the effect of bovine Lf (bLf) in its native as well as nanoformulation
      (AEC-CCo-CP-bLf-NC) against coccidian parasite T. gondii. In vitro analysis has
      shown a significant increase in nitric oxide production and low parasitemia in in
      vitro cell culture model. In vivo BALB/c mice model have been used to develop
      human toxoplasmosis model. After treatment with NCs it has substantially
      increased the bioavailability of the protein and showed comparatively increased
      levels of reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide production, and Th1 cytokine
      which helped in parasite clearance. The mechanism of action of NCs has been
      clarified by immunoreactivity analysis, which showed accumulation of Lf in
      macrophages of various visceral organs, which is the site of parasite
      multiplication. Effect of NCs has significantly decreased (P<0.05) the parasite
      load in various organs and helped survival of mice till day 25 postinfection. Fe
      metabolism inside the mice has been found to be maintained even after
      administration of mono form of Lf, this indicates novelty of Lf protein. From the
      present study we concluded that nanoformulation did not reduce the therapeutic
      potential of Lf protein; however, nanoformulation has enhanced the stability of
      the protein and shown anti-toxoplasmal activity. Our study presents for the first
      time nanoformulation of Lf protein against Toxoplasma, which has advantages over
      the standard drug therapy without any side effects. 

PMID- 26504386
TI  - Preparation, characterization, in vivo pharmacokinetics, and biodistribution of
      polymeric micellar dimethoxycurcumin for tumor targeting.
AB  - Dimethoxycurcumin (DMC) is an analog of curcumin with superior efficacy in
      various disease models. Currently, drug delivery system research on DMC is very
      limited, and it has become a huge challenge to realize further developments and
      clinical applications. In the present study, a kind of amphiphilic block
      copolymer, N-t-butoxycarbonyl-phenylalanine terminated monomethoxyl poly
      (ethylene glycol)-b-poly (epsilon-caprolactone), or mPEG-PCL-Phe(Boc), was
      prepared from monomethoxyl poly (ethylene glycol)-b-poly (epsilon-caprolactone)
      (mPEG-PCL) with its hydroxyl terminal chemically converted into N-t
      butoxycarbonyl-phenylalanine (Boc-Phe). This copolymer was determined to have a
      fairly low critical micelle concentration (2.56*10(-3) mg/mL) and passive
      targeting potential to tumor tissue, and thus was applied to develop a polymeric
      micellar formulation of DMC for the first time. The DMC-loaded micelles prepared
      by thin-film hydration method had typical shell-core structure, with an average
      particle size of 17.9+/-0.4 nm and a polydispersity index of 0.045+/-0.011. The
      drug loading capacity and entrapment efficiency were 9.94%+/-0.15% and 97.22%+/
      0.18%, respectively, indicating a high-affinity interaction between DMC and the
      copolymer. At a concentration of 2 mg/mL, the reconstituted micelle solution
      could be maintained for at least 10 days at room temperature, and displayed a low
      initial burst release followed by a sustained release in vitro. Pharmacokinetic
      study in rats revealed that in vivo drug exposure of DMC was significantly
      increased and prolonged by intravenously administering DMC-loaded micelles when
      compared with the same dose of free DMC dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide.
      Furthermore, in vivo distribution results from tumor-bearing nude mice
      demonstrated that this micellar formulation significantly changed the
      biodistribution profile of DMC and increased drug accumulation in tumors.
      Therefore, the polymeric micellar formulation of DMC, based on the amphiphilic
      block copolymer, mPEG-PCL-Phe(Boc), could provide a desirable method for
      delivering DMC, especially for applications in cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26504387
TI  - Efficacy and safety of generic escitalopram (Lexacure((r))) in patients with
      major depressive disorder: a 6-week multicenter, randomized, rater-blinded,
      escitalopram-comparative, non-inferiority study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of this non-inferiority study was to investigate the
      clinical effectiveness and safety of generic escitalopram (Lexacure((r))) versus
      branded escitalopram (Lexapro((r))) for patients with major depressive disorder
      (MDD). METHODS: The present study included 158 patients, who were randomized
      (1:1) to receive a flexible dose of generic escitalopram (n=78) or branded
      escitalopram (n=80) over a 6-week single-blind treatment period. The clinical
      benefits in the two groups were evaluated using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression
      Rating Scale (MADRS), the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the
      Clinical Global Impressions-Severity scale (CGI-S), and the Clinical Global
      Impressions-Improvement scale (CGI-I) at baseline, week 1, week 2, week 4, and
      week 6. The frequency of adverse events (AEs) was also assessed to determine
      safety at each follow-up visit. RESULTS: During the 6-week study period, 30
      patients (38.5%) from the generic escitalopram group and 28 patients (30.0%) from
      the branded escitalopram group dropped out of the study (P=0.727). The MADRS,
      HDRS, CGI-S, and CGI-I scores significantly decreased in both groups, and there
      were no significant differences between the groups. At week 6, 28 patients
      (57.1%) in the generic escitalopram group and 35 patients (67.3%) in the branded
      escitalopram group had responded to treatment (as indicated by a >=50% decrease
      from the baseline MADRS score; P=0.126), and the remission rates (MADRS score:
      <=10) were 42.9% (n=21) in generic escitalopram group and 53.8% (n=28) in the
      branded escitalopram group (P=0.135). The most frequently reported AEs were
      nausea (17.9%), sleepiness/somnolence (7.7%), weight gain (3.8%), and dry mouth
      (2.6%) in the generic escitalopram group and nausea (20.0%),
      sleepiness/somnolence (3.8%), weight gain (2.5%), and dry mouth (2.5%) in the
      branded escitalopram group. CONCLUSION: The present non-inferiority study
      demonstrated that generic escitalopram is a safe and an effective initial
      treatment for patients with MDD and may also be considered as an additional
      therapeutic option for this population.

PMID- 26504385
TI  - Nanotechnology in dentistry: prevention, diagnosis, and therapy.
AB  - Nanotechnology has rapidly expanded into all areas of science; it offers
      significant alternative ways to solve scientific and medical questions and
      problems. In dentistry, nanotechnology has been exploited in the development of
      restorative materials with some significant success. This review discusses
      nanointerfaces that could compromise the longevity of dental restorations, and
      how nanotechnolgy has been employed to modify them for providing long-term
      successful restorations. It also focuses on some challenging areas in dentistry,
      eg, oral biofilm and cancers, and how nanotechnology overcomes these challenges.
      The recent advances in nanodentistry and innovations in oral health-related
      diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic methods required to maintain and obtain
      perfect oral health, have been discussed. The recent advances in nanotechnology
      could hold promise in bringing a paradigm shift in dental field. Although there
      are numerous complex therapies being developed to treat many diseases, their
      clinical use requires careful consideration of the expense of synthesis and
      implementation. 

PMID- 26504388
TI  - Electroconvulsive therapy treatment in patients with somatic symptom and related
      disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Medically unexplained somatic complaints are highly prevalent, and
      lead to significant impairment and disability. The number of effective treatment
      modalities for somatic symptom and related disorders (SSDs) or somatoform
      disorders (SDs) remains limited. To date, there is no formal indication for
      electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in SSD or SD. We report on the largest case
      series to date regarding the effectiveness of ECT in patients with SSD and SD.
      METHODS: A retrospective chart review of all patients treated with an index
      course of ECT at the Neuropsychiatric Program at the University of British
      Columbia Hospital from 2000 to 2010 was conducted. The primary outcomes consisted
      of changes in pseudoneurologic symptoms, pain symptoms, cardiopulmonary symptoms,
      and gastrointestinal symptoms. Complaints were examined pre- and post-ECT.
      RESULTS: Twenty-eight participants were included in this study. Twenty-one
      participants received right unilateral ECT. Six received bifrontal ECT. One
      received bitemporal ECT. Eighteen of 21 participants reported improvement in
      pseudoneurologic symptoms; eleven of 14 participants reported improvement in pain
      symptoms; one participant reported improvement in cardiopulmonary symptoms; and
      one of two participants reported improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms. This
      paper discusses the putative mechanism of action of ECT in the treatment of
      SD/SSD. CONCLUSION: This retrospective study suggests that ECT could be included
      as part of the existing treatment for refractory SSD and SD, particularly in
      refractory cases with comorbid mood disorders.

PMID- 26504389
TI  - Variation of the default mode network with altered alertness levels induced by
      propofol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The default mode network (DMN) is closely associated with the
      maintenance of alertness and cognitive functions. This study aimed to observe the
      changes in DMN induced by increasing doses of propofol and progressively
      deepening sedation. METHODS: Twelve healthy subjects were selected; they received
      target-controlled infusion of propofol (1.0 and 3.0 MUg/mL of plasma) and
      underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging before sedation and when they
      achieved light and deep sedation states. The average degree, average shortest
      path length, global efficiency, local efficiency, and clustering coefficient of
      DMN were assessed to study the overall and internal changes of DMN with gradual
      changes in alertness level, as well as the relationship between thalamus and DMN.
      Meanwhile, basic vital signs and respiratory inhibition were recorded. RESULTS:
      DMN parameters were gradually inhibited with decreasing level of alertness, the
      differences were significant between light sedation and awake states (all
      P<0.01), but not between deep and light sedation states. However, the shortest
      path lengths of the posterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, and
      lateral parietal cortexes in the DMN were significantly increased under deep
      sedation. CONCLUSION: Overall, DMN is propofol-sensitive. A small dose of
      propofol can significantly inhibit the DMN, affecting the level of alertness. The
      posterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, and lateral parietal
      cortexes in the DMN are less sensitive to propofol, and could be significantly
      inhibited by a higher concentration of propofol, further reducing the level of
      alertness.

PMID- 26504390
TI  - Clinical correlates of complicated grief among individuals with acute coronary
      syndromes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study aimed at exploring bereavement and complicated grief (CG)
      symptoms among subjects without a history of coronary heart disease (CHD) at the
      time of a first acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and to evaluate the relationship of
      CG symptoms and ACS. METHOD: Overall, 149 subjects with ACS (namely, acute
      myocardial infarct with or without ST-segment elevation or unstable angina), with
      no previous history of CHD, admitted to three cardiac intensive care units were
      included and evaluated by the Structured Clinical Interview for Complicated Grief
      (SCI-CG), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and
      the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (MOS-SF-36). RESULTS: Of the total sample of
      149 subjects with ACS, 118 (79.2%) met criteria for DSM-5 persistent complex
      bereavement disorder. Among these, subjects who lost a partner, child, or sibling
      were older (P=0.008), less likely to be working (P=0.032), and more likely to be
      suffering from hypertension (P=0.021), returned higher scores on the SCI-CG
      (P=0.001) and developed the index ACS more frequently between 12 and 48 months
      after the death than those who lost a parent or another relative (P<=0.0001). The
      occurrence of ACS 12-48 months (P=0.019) after the loss was positively correlated
      with SCI-CG scores. An inverse relationship with SCI-CG scores was observed for
      patients who experienced ACS more than 48 months after the loss (P=0.005). The
      SCI-CG scores significantly predicted lower scores on the "general health" domain
      of MOS-SF-36 (P=0.030), as well as lower scores on "emotional well-being" domain
      (P=0.010). CONCLUSION: A great proportion of subjects with ACS report the loss of
      a loved one. Among these, the loss of a close relative and the severity of CG
      symptoms are associated with poorer health status. Our data corroborate previous
      data indicating a strong relationship between CG symptoms and severe cardiac
      problems.

PMID- 26504391
TI  - Effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy integrated with systematic
      desensitization, cognitive behavioral therapy combined with eye movement
      desensitization and reprocessing therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy
      combined with virtual reality exposure therapy methods in the treatment of flight
      anxiety: a randomized trial.
AB  - The purpose of the research was to compare the effectiveness of the following
      treatment methods for fear of flying: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
      integrated with systematic desensitization, CBT combined with eye movement
      desensitization and reprocessing therapy, and CBT combined with virtual reality
      exposure therapy. Overall, our findings have proven the efficacy of all
      interventions in reducing fear of flying in a pre- to post-treatment comparison.
      All groups showed a decrease in flight anxiety, suggesting the efficiency of all
      three treatments in reducing self-report measures of fear of flying. In
      particular, our results indicated significant improvements for the treated
      patients using all the treatment programs, as shown not only by test scores but
      also by participation in the post-treatment flight. Nevertheless, outcome
      measures maintained a significant effect at a 1-year follow-up. In conclusion,
      combining CBT with both the application of eye movement desensitization and
      reprocessing treatment and the virtual stimuli used to expose patients with
      aerophobia seemed as efficient as traditional cognitive behavioral treatments
      integrated with systematic desensitization. 

PMID- 26504392
TI  - Cognitive reserve and Abeta1-42 in mild cognitive impairment (Argentina
      Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between
      cognitive reserve and concentration of Abeta1-42 in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
      of patients with mild cognitive impairment, those with Alzheimer's disease, and
      in control subjects. METHODS: Thirty-three participants from the Argentina
      Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database completed a cognitive
      battery, the Cognitive Reserve Questionnaire (CRQ), and an Argentinian
      accentuation reading test (TAP-BA) as a measure of premorbid intelligence, and
      underwent lumbar puncture for CSF biomarker quantification. RESULTS: The CRQ
      significantly correlated with TAP-BA, education, and Abeta1-42. When considering
      Abeta1-42 levels, significant differences were found in CRQ scores; higher levels
      of CSF Abeta1-42 were associated with higher CRQ scores. CONCLUSION: Reduced
      Abeta1-42 in CSF is considered as evidence of amyloid deposition in the brain.
      Previous results suggest that individuals with higher education, higher
      occupational attainment, and participation in leisure activities (cognitive
      reserve) have a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Our results
      support the notion that enhanced neural activity has a protective role in mild
      cognitive impairment, as evidenced by higher CSF Abeta1-42 levels in individuals
      with more cognitive reserve.

PMID- 26504393
TI  - Predictors of trauma in bank employee robbery victims.
AB  - In the literature, there are many studies that have investigated the
      psychological reactions resulting from traumatic events of varying degrees, such
      as wars, natural disasters, and acts of violence. Few, however, are the searches
      performed on employees who are victims of robbery. We carried out a research to
      assess the psychological reactions of 644 bank employees who had been victims of
      robbery, especially with regard to the possible development of post-traumatic
      stress disorder (PTSD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the variables pre-,
      peri-, and postrobbery trauma in relation to the development of
      psychopathological symptoms. The exploration of the reactions after the robbery
      was carried out on 644 employees of a banking institution, present throughout the
      national territory, through a survey, consisting of a general description of the
      event, the Impact of Event Scale Revised-6 scale, and the General Health
      Questionnaire-12, during the days after the robbery. The analysis showed that the
      development of pretrauma variables is not significant and that peritrauma
      variables are partially significant. In particular, being directly involved in
      the robbery, the thought of being hurt, and the feeling of intense fear are
      associated with posttraumatic symptoms. Finally, among the posttrauma variables,
      anxiety and depression played a major role. Surprisingly, a lower level of self
      confidence seems to be related negatively to the PTSD symptomatology. 

PMID- 26504394
TI  - A case of hypertrophic olivary degeneration after resection of cavernomas of the
      brain stem and review of the literature.
AB  - Hypertrophic olivary degeneration is a transsynaptic form of degeneration, which
      is also a result of primary or secondary lesion and can damage the dento-rubro
      olivary pathway. The dento-rubro-olivary pathway was first described by Guillain
      and Mollaret and is referred to as "the triangle of Guillain and Mollaret".
      Multiple factors can destroy the dento-rubro-olivary pathway, such as surgical
      operation, hemorrhage, tumor, trauma, inflammation, demyelination, degeneration,
      and radiation damage. All of the above factors can result in delayed hypertrophic
      olivary degeneration. Articles related to this disease cover etiology, clinical
      presentation, pathology changes, etc. However, to our knowledge, there has been
      no literature reporting the use of diffusion tensor imaging and diffusion tensor
      tractography to improve the diagnosis of hypertrophic olivary degeneration
      following resection of cavernomas in the brain stem. Herein, we report a case who
      was diagnosed with hypertrophic olivary degeneration following resection of
      cavernomas of the brain stem, verify the significance of diffusion tensor imaging
      and diffusion tensor tractography, and review previous literature. The
      development of imageology promotes and improves hypertrophic olivary degeneration
      diagnosis and differential diagnosis. 

PMID- 26504395
TI  - Cigarette smoke is a risk factor for severity and treatment outcome in patients
      with culture-positive tuberculosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Smoking has been associated with tuberculosis (TB); however, the
      effects of smoking on the effectiveness of TB treatment remain unclear. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Data were retrieved from case notes and interviews of subjects
      registered in the TB-reporting system from 2010 to 2012. Study cases were defined
      as subjects with TB-positive sputum cultures, whereas the controls were defined
      as subjects with non-TB-related pulmonary diseases. Statistical analyses included
      logistic regression and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models.
      RESULTS: A total of 245 cases with cultures positive for TB and 114 controls with
      non-TB-related pulmonary diseases and negative sputum cultures were recruited.
      Current smokers had the highest failure rate (33%) for TB treatment, and they had
      the most severe pulmonary lesions based on chest X-ray grading. Current smokers
      had a 1.36-fold (95% confidence interval 1.03-2.36, P<0.05) higher odds ratio for
      cultures positive for TB compared with nonsmokers. In subjects with TB-positive
      cultures, current smoking was associated with an increase in treatment days
      required for cultures to convert from positive to negative (hazard ratio 1.12,
      95% confidence interval 1.03-1.39; P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Longer periods of
      treatment may be required for TB patients who are current smokers.

PMID- 26504396
TI  - Comparison of efficacy of the intermittent pneumatic compression with a high- and
      low-pressure application in reducing the lower limbs phlebolymphedema.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The primary lymphedema and chronic venous insufficiency present an
      important medical problem, and effective physical therapeutic methods to treat
      this problem are still at the search phase. The aim of this study was to compare
      the efficacy of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) of a high- or low
      pressure level in the treatment of primary phlebolymphedema of the lower limbs.
      METHODS: The study included 81 patients with chronic venous insufficiency and
      primary lymphedema of the lower limbs. Group A consisted of 28 patients who
      underwent a monthly antiedematous therapy including a manual lymphatic drainage,
      multilayer bandaging, and IPC with the output pressure of 120 mmHg. Group B
      consisted of 27 patients who underwent the same basic treatment as group A and
      IPC with the output pressure of 60 mmHg. Group C (control) consisted of 26
      patients who underwent only a basic treatment - without IPC. RESULTS: After
      completion of the study, it was found that the greatest reduction of edema
      occurred in patients who underwent treatment with a pressure of 120 mmHg. The
      comparison of percentage reduction of edema showed a statistically significant
      advantage of the group A over groups B and C, both for the changes in the right
      (P=0.01) and the left limb (P=0.01). Results in patients undergoing intermittent
      compression of the lower pressure (60 mmHg) were similar to those obtained in the
      control group. CONCLUSION: The IPC with the pressure of 120 mmHg inside the
      chambers effectively helps to reduce a phlebolymphedema. Furthermore, it appears
      that the treatments with a pressure of 60 mmHg are ineffective and their
      application becomes useless only in the antiedematous therapy.

PMID- 26504397
TI  - Prognostic nutritional index before adjuvant chemotherapy predicts chemotherapy
      compliance and survival among patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adjuvant chemotherapy after the complete resection of non-small-cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC) is now the standard of care. To improve survival, it is
      important to identify risk factors for the continuation of adjuvant chemotherapy.
      In this study, we analyzed chemotherapy compliance and magnitude of the
      prognostic impact of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) before adjuvant
      chemotherapy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of data from 106
      patients who had received adjuvant chemotherapy. The adjuvant chemotherapy
      consisted of an oral tegafur agent (OT) or platinum-based chemotherapy (PB). The
      correlations between the PNI values and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were then
      evaluated. RESULTS: In the PB group, the percentage of patients who completed the
      four planned cycles of chemotherapy was not correlated with the PNI. In the OT
      group, however, a significant difference was observed in the percentage of
      patients who completed the planned chemotherapy according to the PNI before
      adjuvant chemotherapy. The RFS of patients with a PNI <50 before adjuvant
      chemotherapy was significantly poorer than that of the patients with a PNI >=50.
      A multivariate analysis showed that nodal metastasis and PNI before chemotherapy
      were independent predictors of the RFS. However, PNI before surgery was not a
      predictor of the RFS. In the subgroup analysis, PNI before chemotherapy was
      independent predictor of the RFS in the OT group (P=0.019), but not in the PB
      group (P=0.095). CONCLUSION: The PNI before adjuvant chemotherapy influenced the
      treatment compliance with the planned chemotherapy in the OT group, but not the
      PB group. In addition, a low PNI before adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with
      a poor RFS in a multivariate analysis, especially in the OT group.

PMID- 26504398
TI  - Pharmacologic rationale underlying the therapeutic effects of
      tiotropium/olodaterol in COPD.
AB  - Bronchodilators are the most important drugs used for the treatment of chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In particular, these therapeutic agents are
      mostly long-acting compounds utilized via inhalation, and include LAMA (long
      acting muscarinic receptor antagonists) and LABA (long-acting beta2-adrenoceptor
      agonists). Because LAMA and LABA induce bronchodilation by distinct mechanisms of
      action, LABA/LAMA combinations provide a reciprocal potentiation of the
      pharmacological effects caused by each component. Hence, many COPD patients who
      do not achieve a satisfactory control of their symptoms using a single, either
      LAMA or LABA bronchodilator, can experience relevant benefits with the use of
      LAMA/LABA fixed combinations. Many different LAMA/LABA combinations have been
      recently developed and evaluated in randomized clinical trials. In this context,
      our review focuses on the pharmacological mechanisms underpinning the
      bronchodilation elicited by the LAMA tiotropium bromide and the LABA olodaterol.
      We also discuss the results of the most important clinical studies carried out in
      COPD patients to assess the efficacy and safety of tiotropium/olodaterol
      combinations. 

PMID- 26504399
TI  - Upregulated matrix metalloproteinase-2 and downregulated tissue factor pathway
      inhibitor-2 are risk factors for lymph node metastasis and perineural invasion in
      pancreatic carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dysregulated expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and
      tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI)-2 is closely associated with tumorigenesis
      and tumor progression. The aim of this work was to determine the predictive
      values of MMP-2 and TFPI-2 in identifying lymph node metastasis (LNM) and
      perineural invasion (PNI) in pancreatic carcinoma. METHODS: Formalin-fixed and
      paraffin-embedded tissue samples containing pancreatic carcinoma tissues and
      their corresponding para-carcinoma tissues were obtained from 122 patients with
      pancreatic carcinoma. The expression levels of MMP-2 and TFPI-2 were evaluated by
      immunohistochemistry. The roles of MMP-2 and TFPI-2 in predicting LNM and PNI in
      pancreatic carcinoma were analyzed. RESULTS: The level of MMP-2 expression was
      markedly increased in pancreatic carcinoma tissues (76.9%) compared with para
      carcinoma tissues (29.2%; P<0.05). In contrast, there was obviously decreased
      TFPI-2 expression level in pancreatic carcinoma tissues (29.2%) compared with
      para-carcinoma tissues (77.7%; P<0.001). Additionally, MMP-2 expression was
      significantly positively correlated with LNM (r=0.468, P<0.01) and PNI (r=0.637,
      P<0.01). In contrast, TFPI-2 expression was strongly negatively correlated with
      LNM (r=-0.396, P<0.001) and PNI (r=-0.460, P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis
      showed that high MMP-2 expression and low TFPI-2 expression acted as independent
      predictors for LNM and PNI in pancreatic carcinoma. CONCLUSION: Taken together,
      our findings suggest that upregulated MMP-2 and downregulated TFPI-2 serve as
      useful predictors for a high risk of LNM and PNI. Obtaining information on the
      expression of MMP-2 and TFPI-2 before surgery may predict the occurrence of LNM
      and PNI, thereby permitting reasonable and effective surgical treatment for
      patients with pancreatic carcinoma.

PMID- 26504400
TI  - CXCL12 genetic variants as prognostic markers in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
AB  - The chemokine receptor 4/chemokine ligand 12 (CXCR4/CXCL12) axis plays an
      important role in tumorigenesis, metastasis, and recurrence of tumors. Its single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with patient survival in several
      types of cancer. However, the prognostic value of SNPs in nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma (NPC) has not been fully investigated. This retrospective study
      assessed the relationships between CXCR4 rs2228014 and CXCL12 rs1801157
      polymorphisms and patient outcome in 222 patients newly diagnosed with NPC. The
      analysis found no significant correlation between the presence of both SNPs and
      clinicopathological factors. However, univariate analysis showed that N
      classification, clinical stage, and the CXCL12 rs1801157 polymorphism were
      significantly associated with distant metastasis-free survival (P=0.018, 0.028,
      and 0.013, respectively) and progression-free survival (P=0.007, 0.046, and
      0.021, respectively). After adjusting clinicopathological factors, multivariate
      analysis identified CXCL12 rs1801157 as an independent prognostic factor for
      distant metastasis-free survival and progression-free survival (hazard ratio:
      3.332; 95% confidence interval: 1.597-6.949; P=0.001 and hazard ratio: 2.665 95%
      confidence interval: 1.387-5.119; P=0.003, respectively). Our results suggest
      that CXCL12 rs1801157 AA genotype might serve as a potential prognostic factor in
      patients with NPC. 

PMID- 26504402
TI  - Bias within economic evaluations - the impact of considering the future entry of
      lower-cost generics on currently estimated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios
      of a new drug.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most economic evaluation models compare a new patented drug (NPRx) to
      a generic comparator. Drug costs within these models are usually limited to the
      retail cost of both drugs at the time of model conception. However, the retail
      cost of the NPRx is expected to drop once generic versions of this molecule are
      introduced following the expiration of the NPRx's patent. The objective of this
      study was to examine the impact on the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio
      (ICER) of the future introduction of lower-cost generic versions of the NPRx
      within the model's time horizon. METHODS: We examined the impact of this
      parameter with the use of two approaches: 1) a mathematical proof identifying its
      impact on the NPRx's ICER; and 2) applying this parameter to a previously
      published economic model comparing a NPRx to a generic comparator and identifying
      what would have been the NPRx's ICER had this model considered this parameter.
      RESULTS: As expected, both the mathematical proof and the application to the
      previously published economic model showed that considering the future
      introduction of lower-cost generic versions of the NPRx within the model's time
      horizon lowers the NPRx's ICER. The timing of the future entry of lower-cost
      generic molecules, their relative price compared to that of the patented version,
      and the discount rate applied to future costs all influenced the results.
      CONCLUSION: An ICER estimated within economic evaluations comparing NPRx to
      generic comparators which ignore the future introduction of lower-cost generic
      versions of the NPRx within the model's time horizon will tend to be
      overestimated. Inclusion of this parameter should be considered within future
      economic evaluations.

PMID- 26504401
TI  - Profile of anti-IL-5 mAb mepolizumab in the treatment of severe refractory asthma
      and hypereosinophilic diseases.
AB  - Asthma is a complex disorder frequently associated with a poor symptom control,
      concomitant morbidity, mortality, and significant health care costs due to lack
      of compliance or inadequate therapeutic options. Interleukin-5 (IL-5) plays a key
      role in the pathogenesis of eosinophilic disorders, and in the latest years has
      become a definite target for treatment. Besides asthma, other hypereosinophilic
      disorders include the hypereosinophilic syndrome, eosinophilic granulomatosis
      with polyangiitis, sinonasal polyposis, COPD with eosinophilic airway
      inflammation, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, eosinophilic esophagitis. The
      introduction of mepolizumab, a fully humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to
      IL-5, may represent a useful therapeutic option to control exacerbations and
      improve asthma-related quality of life in a subgroup of patients with persistent
      airway eosinophilia and moderate to severe asthma. Several studies carried out in
      recent years allow, at present, a careful patient selection for appropriate
      individualized treatment in severe asthma. Further research is anyway needed in
      order to better understand the pathogenetic mechanisms of asthma and to find new
      biomarkers. The high costs of biological agents as compared with standard drugs
      may be largely offset by increased clinical efficacy and good safety profile in
      selected patients. 

PMID- 26504403
TI  - Cost-effectiveness analysis of pregabalin for treatment of chronic low back pain
      in patients with accompanying lower limb pain (neuropathic component) in Japan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost-effectiveness of pregabalin for the treatment of
      chronic low back pain with accompanying neuropathic pain (CLBP-NeP) from the
      health care payer and societal perspectives. METHODS: The cost-effectiveness of
      pregabalin versus usual care for treatment of CLBP-NeP was evaluated over a 12
      month time horizon using the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Quality
      adjusted life years (QALYs), derived from the five-dimension, five-level EuroQol
      (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire, was the measure of effectiveness. Medical costs and
      productivity losses were both calculated. Expected costs and outcomes were
      estimated via cohort simulation using a state-transition model, which mimics pain
      state transitions among mild, moderate, and severe pain. Distributions of pain
      severity were obtained from an 8-week noninterventional study. Health care
      resource consumption for estimation of direct medical costs for pain severity
      levels was derived from a physician survey. The ICER per additional QALY gained
      was calculated and sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the robustness
      of the assumptions across a range of values. RESULTS: Direct medical costs and
      hospitalization costs were both lower in the pregabalin arm compared with usual
      care. The estimated ICERs in the base case scenarios were approximately
      Y2,025,000 and Y1,435,000 per QALY gained with pregabalin from the payer and
      societal perspectives, respectively; the latter included indirect costs related
      to lost productivity. Sensitivity analyses using alternate values for
      postsurgical pain scores (0 and 5), initial pain severity levels (either all
      moderate or all severe), and the actual EQ-5D-5L scores from the
      noninterventional study showed robustness of results, with ICERs that were
      similar to the base case. Development of a cost-effectiveness acceptability curve
      showed high probability (>=75%) of pregabalin being cost-effective. CONCLUSION:
      Using data and assumptions from routine clinical practice, pregabalin is cost
      effective for the treatment of CLBP-NeP in Japan.

PMID- 26504404
TI  - Chronic peritoneal dialysis in children.
AB  - The incidence of end-stage renal disease in children is increasing. Peritoneal
      dialysis (PD) is the modality of choice in many European countries and is
      increasingly applied worldwide. PD enables children of all ages to be
      successfully treated while awaiting the ultimate goal of renal transplantation.
      The advantages of PD over other forms of renal replacement therapy are numerous,
      in particular the potential for the child to lead a relatively normal life.
      Indications for commencing PD, the rationale, preparation of family, technical
      aspects, and management of complications are discussed. 

PMID- 26504405
TI  - Changes in saccharin preference behavior as a primary outcome to evaluate pain
      and analgesia in acetic acid-induced visceral pain in mice.
AB  - Reflex-based procedures are important measures in preclinical pain studies that
      evaluate stimulated behaviors. These procedures, however, are insufficient to
      capture the complexity of the pain experience, which is often associated with the
      depression of several innate behaviors. While recent studies have made efforts to
      evidence the suppression of some positively motivated behaviors in certain pain
      models, they are still far from being routinely used as readouts for analgesic
      screening. Here, we characterized and compared the effect of the analgesic
      ibuprofen (Ibu) and the stimulant, caffeine, in assays of acute pain-stimulated
      and pain-depressed behavior. Intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid (AA) served
      as a noxious stimulus to stimulate a writhing response or depress saccharin
      preference and locomotor activity (LMA) in mice. AA injection caused the maximum
      number of writhes between 5 and 20 minutes after administration, and writhing
      almost disappeared 1 hour later. AA-treated mice showed signs of depression-like
      behaviors after writhing resolution, as evidenced by reduced locomotion and
      saccharin preference for at least 4 and 6 hours, respectively. Depression-like
      behaviors resolved within 24 hours after AA administration. A dose of Ibu (40
      mg/kg) - inactive to reduce AA-induced abdominal writhing - administered before
      or after AA injection significantly reverted pain-induced saccharin preference
      deficit. The same dose of Ibu also significantly reverted the AA-depressed LMA,
      but only when it was administered after AA injection. Caffeine restored
      locomotion - but not saccharin preference - in AA-treated mice, thus suggesting
      that the reduction in saccharin preference - but not in locomotion - was
      specifically sensitive to analgesics. In conclusion, AA-induced acute pain
      attenuated saccharin preference and LMA beyond the resolution of writhing
      behavior, and the changes in the expression of hedonic behavior, such as sweet
      taste preference, can be used as a more sensitive and translational model to
      evaluate analgesics. 

PMID- 26504406
TI  - Perspectives on the clinical significance of functional pain syndromes in
      children.
AB  - Functional pain syndromes (FPS) characterize a subset of individuals who
      experience pain and related symptoms and disability without clear structural or
      disease etiology. In the pediatric population, FPS hold high clinical importance
      due to significant prevalence rates and potential to persist into adulthood.
      Although extensive research has been executed to disambiguate FPS, the syndromes
      that fall within its spectrum remain conceptually complex and sometimes ill
      defined. This paper provides an overview of available research on the
      classification and multifaceted etiology of FPS in youth and their effects on
      interpersonal, psychological, and familial function. Vital aspects of a
      successful multidisciplinary approach to treating this population are described;
      however, it is evident that future research requires more longitudinal studies. 

PMID- 26504407
TI  - Efficacy of needle-placement technique in radiofrequency ablation for treatment
      of lumbar facet arthropathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many studies have assessed the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation to
      denervate the facet joint as an interventional means of treating axial low-back
      pain. In these studies, varying procedural techniques were utilized to ablate the
      nerves that innervate the facet joints. To date, no comparison studies have been
      performed to suggest superiority of one technique or even compare the prevalence
      of side effects and complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart
      review was performed on patients who underwent a lumbar facet denervation
      procedure. Each patient's chart was analyzed for treatment technique (early
      versus advanced Australian), preprocedural visual numeric scale (VNS) score,
      postprocedural VNS score, duration of pain relief, and complications. RESULTS:
      Pre- and postprocedural VNS scores and change in VNS score between the two groups
      showed no significant differences. Patient-reported benefit and duration of
      relief was greater in the advanced Australian technique group (P=0.012 and 0.022,
      respectively). The advanced Australian technique group demonstrated a
      significantly greater median duration of relief (4 months versus 1.5 months,
      P=0.022). Male sex and no pain-medication use at baseline were associated with
      decreased postablation VNS scores, while increasing age and higher preablation
      VNS scores were associated with increased postablation VNS scores. Despite
      increasing age being associated with increased postablation VNS scores, age and
      the advanced Australian technique were found to confer greater patient self
      reported treatment benefit. CONCLUSION: The advanced Australian technique
      provides a significant benefit over the early Australian technique for the
      treatment of lumbar facet pain, both in magnitude and duration of pain relief.

PMID- 26504408
TI  - Identifying patients at high risk of breast cancer recurrence: strategies to
      improve patient outcomes.
AB  - Identifying patients at high risk of breast cancer recurrence has important
      implications not only for enabling the ability to provide accurate information to
      patients but also the potential to improve patient outcomes. Patients at high
      recurrence risk can be offered appropriate treatment to improve the overall
      survival. However, the major challenge is identifying patients with early-stage
      breast cancer at lower risk who may be spared potentially toxic therapy. The
      successful integration of molecular assays into clinical practice may address the
      problem of overtreatment and improve overall patient outcomes. 

PMID- 26504409
TI  - A clinical evaluation to determine the safety, pharmacokinetics, and
      pharmacodynamics of an inositol-stabilized arginine silicate dietary supplement
      in healthy adult males.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to characterize the pharmacokinetics (PKs)
      and pharmacodynamics (PDs) of an oral inositol-stabilized arginine silicate
      dietary supplement. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Ten healthy males, 26.7+/-5.4 years,
      took three 500 mg arginine silicate capsules (active product) for 14 days. The
      subjects attended test visits on Days 1 and 14. Fasting blood and saliva
      collections were performed predose and at 0.5 hours, 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours,
      3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours, and 6 hours postdose for plasma arginine, serum
      silicon, and salivary nitric oxide (NO) + nitrite. RESULTS: Day 1 PK parameters
      (adjusted for body weight) for arginine were peak serum concentration (C Max)
      30.06+/-7.80 MUg/mL, time it takes to reach peak serum concentration (t Max)
      1.13+/-0.52 hours, and time required to reach half its original concentration (t
      1/2) 15.93+/-9.55 hours and for silicon were C Max 2.99+/-0.63 MUg/mL, t Max
      2.44+/-2.05 hours, and t 1/2 34.56+/-16.56 hours. After Day 1 dose, arginine
      levels increased at 0.5 hours, 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours, 3 hours, and 5 hours
      (P<0.01) and silicon levels increased at 1 hour and 1.5 hours (P<0.05). After Day
      14 dose, arginine levels increased at 0.5 hours, 1 hour, and 1.5 hours (P<0.05)
      and silicon levels increased at 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours, and 3 hours (P<0.01).
      After 14 days of use, baseline arginine trended toward being higher than baseline
      Day 1 (P=0.0645), and 4-hour postdose plasma arginine was significantly higher
      (P=0.0488) at Day 14 than Day 1. Although not a significant difference, NO, as
      measured as salivary nitrate, increased in four subjects and stayed the same in
      six subjects at 0.5 hours after the first dose (P=0.125). After 14 days of use,
      baseline NO levels increased in six subjects and stayed the same in four
      subjects; this shift was significant (P=0.031). CONCLUSION: The arginine silicate
      dietary supplement increases blood levels of arginine after a single dose within
      30 minutes and blood levels of silicon for up to 1.5 hours. Blood levels of
      arginine, silicon, and NO (salivary nitrite) were elevated consistently after 14
      days of use. The observed increase in baseline salivary nitrite is supporting
      information that there was some improvement in NO production. Further study on
      the effect of this supplement on NO production and the resulting physiological
      effect is warranted. Within the specific protocol of this study, the product was
      found to be safe.

PMID- 26504410
TI  - Panobinostat for the treatment of multiple myeloma: the evidence to date.
AB  - Multiple myeloma is a malignancy involving plasma cell proliferation within the
      bone marrow. Survival of patients diagnosed with myeloma has significantly
      improved in the last decade, following the approval of novel agents. Despite
      great strides achieved in the management of multiple myeloma, it is still
      considered an incurable disease as the majority of patients relapse after
      initiation of therapy. Additionally, the duration of response generally decreases
      with an increasing number of therapy lines. The need to overcome resistance to
      therapy dictates research into more potent agents and those with novel mechanisms
      of action. A therapeutic option for relapsed/refractory myeloma includes histone
      deacetylase inhibition. Various histone deacetylase inhibitors, including the
      newly approved panobinostat, are currently under evaluation in this setting.
      Panobinostat for multiple myeloma is used in combination with other potent
      therapeutic agents, such as proteasome inhibitors and steroids. Ongoing research
      evaluating other panobinostat-containing regimens will provide additional insight
      into its place in myeloma management. 

PMID- 26504411
TI  - A rare cause of acute abdomen in adults: Parasitic infection-related acute
      appendicitis.
AB  - Ascaris lumbricoides is a common parasitic disease all over the world, especially
      in less developed countries. Acute appendicitis related to parasitic infection is
      a rare condition. Parasitic infections should be kept in mind in patients who are
      admitted to the emergency department with acute abdomen, especially in endemic
      areas. 

PMID- 26504412
TI  - Effects of preoperative nutritional support on colonic anastomotic healing in
      malnourished rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: It has been proven that malnutrition increases postoperative morbidity
      and mortality, and it may also negatively affect wound healing in the
      gastrointestinal tract. In the literature, there is only one study evaluating the
      effects of preoperative nutritional support on colonic anastomotic healing under
      malnourished conditions. In order to improve the data on this topic, an
      experimental study was planned to evaluate the effects of preoperative
      nutritional support on colonic anastomotic healing in malnourished rats. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: The study included 18 male Wistar albino rats divided into 3 groups.
      The control (C) group was fed ad libitum for 21 days. The malnutrition (M) group
      and preoperative nutrition (P) group were given 50% of the daily food consumed by
      the rats in Group C for 21 days to induce malnutrition. At the end of 21 days,
      Group P was fed ad libitum for 7 days (preoperative nutritional support). Colonic
      transection and end-to-end anastomosis was performed at 21 days in Group C and
      Group M and at 28 days in Group P. The rats were sacrificed at postoperative 4
      days, anastomotic bursting pressure was measured, and samples were taken to
      analyze tissue hydroxyproline levels. RESULTS: Anastomotic bursting pressure was
      significantly higher in Group C than in Group M and Group P (p<0.05), and it was
      significantly higher in Group P than in Group M (p<0.05). Tissue hydroxyproline
      levels in Group P were found to be significantly higher than those in Group M and
      Group C (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: One week of preoperative nutritional support
      increases collagen synthesis in the colon and positively affects anastomotic
      healing under malnourished conditions.

PMID- 26504413
TI  - Immune profile of asplenic patients following single or double vaccine
      administration: A longitudinal cross-sectional study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Splenectomy poses a lifelong threat for the development of
      uncontrolled sepsis despite vaccination. As it is impractical to measure the
      levels of each antibody against 23 most frequent bacterial serotypes, different
      surrogate markers of immune response should be identified. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Forty-eight patients with benign disorders were vaccinated with Pneumo-23 and Act
      HIB before or at the day of surgery. The immunological response and opsonization
      capacity of the patients after splenectomy was analyzed through the quantitative
      measurement of IgG, IgM, C3, and C4 titers; flow-cytometric analysis of (CD3+) T
      lymphocytes and (CD19+) B-lymphocytes; and isolation of CD27+ B cells by
      immunomagnetic positive selection. Blood samples were drawn at the sixth month
      and 5 and 7 years after surgery. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 98.4
      months. All the patients in this series had normal IgG, C3, C4 levels and a
      normal distribution of CD19+ B-cells and CD8+ T-cells in three follow-up periods.
      Moreover, C3 levels markedly improved to 133.5+/-37.3 mg/dL at 5 years and
      remained stable thereafter. CD19+ B-lymphocyte values have progressively improved
      to the normal range in 98% patients at 7 years. Further, low levels of CD27+ B
      cell population (memory cells) was observed in only 12.5% patients at the last
      follow-up. Adequate seroconversion of IgG, IgM with normal C3, C4, and CD19+ B
      cell levels were accomplished in almost all patients. Early postoperative death
      and late overwhelming infections did not occur. CONCLUSION: Our results are
      indicative of the resumption of the immune function following Pneumo-23 and Act
      HIB administrations, instigated by the probable activation of B cells and
      adequate production of C3, C4, IgG, and IgM antibodies in remote lymphoid
      tissues.

PMID- 26504414
TI  - The impact of weight gain during adjuvant chemotherapy on survival in breast
      cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Weight gain can be detected during adjuvant chemotherapy in breast
      cancer patients, leading to administration of lower drug doses than planned and a
      decrease in long-term survival. In this study, the effect of weight gain on
      survival in breast cancer patients was investigated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Breast
      cancer patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy between May 2002 and May 2003
      were prospectively included in the study. Patients treated with neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy or with chemotherapy for metastatic disease were excluded from the
      study. Data regarding patients' demographic, clinical and pathologic
      characteristics and chemotherapy protocols were recorded. Patients were grouped
      as those with weight gain less than or more than 3 kg, and those with a body mass
      index of less than or more than 30. The impact of weight gain on patients'
      disease-free and overall survival was investigated. Log-rank test and Cox
      regression analyses were utilized for survival analyses. P<0.05 value was
      accepted as statistically significant. RESULTS: Eighty-eight consecutive female
      patients with a median age of 46 (29-71) were included in the study. Patients
      received anthracycline based chemotherapy protocols. Weight gain was detected in
      79 patients (89.8%), with more than 3 kg weight gain detected in 38 patients
      (43.2%). In a median follow-up time of 98 months (62-120), distant metastases
      were detected in 21 patients (23.9%), and 11 patients (12.5%) died. Mean disease
      free survival of patients with a weight gain less than and more than 3 kg during
      chemotherapy was 89.1+/-3.9 and 84.7+/-4.2 months (p=0.007), whereas mean overall
      survival was 95.6+/-2.2 and 92.5+/-2.1 months (p=0.01), respectively. Mean
      disease-free survival of patients with a body mass index less than and more than
      30 was 87.3+/-2.3 and 85.1+/-3.6 months (p=0.4), whereas mean overall survival
      was 94.2+/-2.3 and 92.1+/-1.1 months (p=0.35), respectively. CONCLUSION: Weight
      gain during adjuvant chemotherapy has a negative effect on both disease-free and
      overall survival in patients with breast cancer.

PMID- 26504415
TI  - Does endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography have a negative effect on
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We have observed that patients who had undergone endoscopic retrograde
      cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) had some difficulties with laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy procedures. Through a retrospective study, we planned to compare
      the surgical procedures between patients who had undergone ERCP and those who had
      not in order to clarify this. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The results of 122 patients
      who had undergone ERCP because of choledocholithiasis before undergoing
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedures between 2008 and 2011 were compared to
      the values of 2140 patients operated because of cholelithiasis only within the
      same period. RESULTS: Among the patients who underwent surgical procedures
      following ERCP, 80 (65%) were female and 42 (35%) were male. The average age of
      the patients was 51.9 years (range: 20-83 years). The operation period after the
      procedure was 30.14 days (range: 1-93 days). Although the hospitalization period
      was 4.67 days (range: 1-22 days), the postoperative hospitalization period was
      2.68 days (range: 1-15 days). Regarding the difficulty of operation, adhesion in
      58 (47.5%) patients, bleeding in two (1.6%) patients, and conversion to open
      procedure in 12 (9.8) patients were observed. In two (1.6%) patients, bleeding
      and biliary fistula were the reasons for re-operation. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy is more complicated in patients who underwent ERCP.

PMID- 26504416
TI  - Endoscopic stent placement in the management of malignant colonic obstruction:
      Experiences from two centers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Intestinal obstruction due to colorectal tumors requires immediate
      surgical decompression. Endoscopic stent placement for acute malignant colonic
      obstruction is gaining widespread acceptance as an alternative to emergency
      surgery. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the success and complication rates
      of endoscopic stenting for malignant colonic obstruction. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Patients with acute malignant colonic obstruction who underwent endoscopic
      stenting between 2011-2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Data included
      demographic features, localization of obstruction, endoscopic stenting
      indications, rate of technical and clinical success, complications, morbidity and
      mortality. RESULTS: Endoscopic stent was successfully placed in 77 out of 82
      procedures (93.9%). A colostomy was placed in five cases in which endoscopic
      stent could not be inserted. There were complications in seven patients with
      technically successful stents (9.0%). These included three stent migrations, one
      perforation, and rectal hemorrhage in three patients. There were no stent-related
      deaths. CONCLUSION: The mortality rate of emergency surgery for malignant bowel
      obstruction is relatively high. The use of colonic stents can avoid surgery in
      patients who are not suitable for emergency surgery and may allow adequate time
      for preoperative preparation, counseling and staging for those who are suitable
      for further intervention. We believe that self-expandable metallic stent
      placement is a safe, effective, and minimal invasive alternative treatment method
      for malignant colonic obstruction.

PMID- 26504417
TI  - Cytoreductive surgery (SRC) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC)
      for treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis: Our initial experience and technical
      details.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to present our initial experience in
      peritoneal carcinomatosis treatment and the technical details of cytoreductive
      surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in the light
      of current literature. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data of 27 consecutive patients who
      were treated with CRS and HIPEC for peritoneal carcinomatosis in Medical Park
      Samsun Hospital, between November 2012 and September 2014 were retrospectively
      reviewed. Treatment indication and management were evaluated at the
      multidisciplinary oncology council. All patients underwent CRS and HIPEC with the
      aim of complete cytoreduction. Patients with unresectable disease and/or
      palliative surgery were excluded from analysis. Perioperative complications were
      classified according to Clavien-Dindo classification, and HIPEC-related side
      effects were identified using National Cancer Institute Common Terminology
      Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) criteria. Demographic, clinical and
      histopathological data of the patients were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age was
      54 (32-72). Nineteen patients were female. The origin of peritoneal
      carcinomatosis was colorectal cancer in 12 patients, ovarian cancer in 12
      patients, gastric cancer in 2 patients and pseudomyxoma peritonei in 1 patient.
      The mean Peritoneal Carcinomatosis Index was 12 (3-32), with a mean operative
      time of 420 (300-660) minutes. Perioperative morbidity, HIPEC-related toxicity
      and perioperative mortality were observed in eight (30%), one (3.7%) and four
      patients (14.8%), respectively. During a mean follow up of 13 (1-22) months,
      overall and disease-free survival rates were 95.8% and 82.6%, respectively. Two
      patients with colorectal cancer (after 9 and 12 months) and one patient with
      ovarian cancer (after 11 months) had intra-abdominal recurrence. One patient with
      ovarian cancer had liver metastases 13 months after surgery, and underwent
      resection of segments 6-7. The remaining patients are being followed-up without
      any recurrence. CONCLUSION: Cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC have favorable
      results in the treatment of patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis. Compatible
      with the literature, surgical outcomes of the presented series are encouraging
      for this treatment modality that have been recently popularized in our country.
      Careful perioperative evaluation, proper patient selection and multidisciplinary
      approach are essential for success in curative treatment of peritoneal
      carcinomatosis.

PMID- 26504418
TI  - What has changed in the clinical presentation of breast carcinoma in 15 years?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate if there was a change in time
      in terms of age at diagnosis, menopausal status, pathologic tumor size, lymphatic
      metastasis and pathologic stage in patients with surgical treatment for breast
      carcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The clinical and pathological characteristics of
      1223 patients with breast carcinoma who underwent surgical treatment between
      January 1994 and December 1998, and of 1346 patients who underwent surgical
      treatment with the same diagnosis between January 2004 and December 2008 were
      retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis was 48 (20-78)
      years during the first period, and 50 (20-91) years during the second period.
      While 27% of patients were 40 years of age or younger in the first period, this
      ratio decreased to 20% during the second period (p=0.0001). The rate of
      premenopausal patients was 54% in the first period and 46% in the second period
      (p=0.0001). The median tumor size at diagnosis was 3 cm at the first period, and
      2.5 cm at the second period. The number of patients with tumor size <=2 cm
      increased in time from 391 (32%) to 531 (39%) (p=0.0001). Among young patients
      (aged <=40 years), the number of patients with tumor size 2 cm or smaller were 81
      (24.5%) and 92 (33.8%) at the first and second periods, respectively (p=0.001).
      Lymphatic metastases rate of patients aged <=40 years was higher than patients
      aged >40 years, in both study periods (p=0.0001). The number of patients staged
      as pN1 at the first period increased from 356 (50.8%) to 441 (56.3%) at the
      second interval, while those staged as pN3 decreased from 251 (35.8%) to 175
      (22.3%) (p=0.0001). CONCLUSION: It may be concluded that recently, breast cancer
      is diagnosed at older ages, the rate of young and premenopausal patients and size
      on diagnosis has decreased, and breast-conserving surgery is used more often.

PMID- 26504419
TI  - Diagnostic value of terminal ileum biopsies in patients with abnormal terminal
      ileum mucosal appearance.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the necessity of obtaining routine ileal biopsy during
      colonoscopy in the patients with abnormal terminal ileum mucosal appearance if
      the inflammatory bowel disease is not considered. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A
      retrospective analysis was performed for 57 patients who were referred to a
      private hospital for colonoscopy between January 2008 and February 2009, in whom
      terminal ileum intubation was achieved and an abnormal appearance was observed.
      RESULTS: There were 33 men and 24 women; the mean age was 44.12+/-11.42 years. In
      22 patients, the abnormality was ulcers and/or erosions. In 10 patients, there
      were mucosal nodularity and in 24, the finding was erythema. The time to reach to
      ileum from cecum was 28.78+/-24.30 s. The mean length of the examined ileum was
      12.93+/-6.05 cm. There was no difference between groups according to distance
      covered in the ileum for diagnostic yield, but going further than 2 cm was
      important. CONCLUSION: There should be no need to obtain routine biopsy in
      patients with abnormal terminal ileum mucosa appearance, when inflammatory bowel
      disease is not considered. In these patients, histopathology also reveals non
      specific ileitis. Furthermore, in these patients, the macroscopic pathological
      diagnosis overlaps the histopathology, and it has a low diagnostic yield and
      lower clinical significance.

PMID- 26504420
TI  - Current options in umbilical hernia repair in adult patients.
AB  - Umbilical hernia is a rather common surgical problem. Elective repair after
      diagnosis is advised. Suture repairs have high recurrence rates; therefore, mesh
      reinforcement is recommended. Mesh can be placed through either an open or
      laparoscopic approach with good clinical results. Standard polypropylene mesh is
      suitable for the open onlay technique; however, composite meshes are required for
      laparoscopic repairs. Large seromas and surgical site infection are rather common
      complications that may result in recurrence. Obesity, ascites, and excessive
      weight gain following repair are obviously potential risk factors. Moreover,
      smoking may create a risk for recurrence. 

PMID- 26504421
TI  - Leiomyosarcoma of the retrohepatic vena cava: Report of a case treated with
      resection and reconstruction with polytetrafluoroethylene vascular graft.
AB  - Leiomyosarcoma of the vena cava is a rare malignant tumor. A 61-year-old woman
      was admitted with right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Computed tomography
      revealed a retrohepatic vena cava tumor originating 2 cm below the confluence of
      the hepaic veins and ending 2 cm above the renal veins. The tumor was resected
      with 1 cm clear surgical margins, without requiring liver resection.
      Polytetrafluoroethylene vascular graft was used for reconstruction of the vena
      cava. Now 32 months postoperatively, there has been no recurrence or metastasis.
      Radical resection with negative surgical margins is the best curative therapy for
      leiomyosarcoma. Polytetrafluoroethylene vascular graft can be used in extensive
      tumors located at the vena cava. 

PMID- 26504422
TI  - Lithium-associated primary hyperparathyroidism complicated by nephrogenic
      diabetes insipidus.
AB  - Lithium-associated hyperparathyroidism is the leading cause of hypercalcemia in
      lithium-treated patients. Lithium may lead to exacerbation of pre-existing
      primary hyperparathyroidism or cause an increased set-point of calcium for
      parathyroid hormone suppression, leading to parathyroid hyperplasia. Lithium may
      cause renal tubular concentration defects directly by the development of
      nephrogenic diabetes insipidus or indirectly by the effects of hypercalcemia. In
      this study, we present a female patient on long-term lithium treatment who was
      evaluated for hypercalcemia. Preoperative imaging studies indicated parathyroid
      adenoma and multinodular goiter. Parathyroidectomy and thyroidectomy were
      planned. During the postoperative course, prolonged intubation was necessary
      because of agitation and delirium. During this period, polyuria, severe
      dehydration, and hypernatremia developed, which responded to controlled hypotonic
      fluid infusions and was unresponsive to parenteral desmopressin. A diagnosis of
      nephrogenic diabetes insipidus was apparent. A parathyroid adenoma and multifocal
      papillary thyroid cancer were detected on histopathological examination. It was
      thought that nephrogenic diabetes insipidus was masked by hypercalcemia
      preoperatively. A patient on lithium treatment should be carefully followed up
      during or after surgery to prevent life-threatening complications of previously
      unrecognized nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, and the possibility of renal
      concentrating defects on long-term lithium use should be sought, particularly in
      patients with impaired consciousness. 

PMID- 26504423
TI  - Giant perianal condyloma acuminatum: Reconstruction with bilateral gluteal
      fasciocutaneous V-Y advancement flap.
AB  - Condyloma acuminatum caused by human papilloma virus is the most common sexually
      transmitted infection in the anogenital region. On the other hand, giant
      condyloma acuminatum that is also known as Buschke-Lowenstein tumor is a rare
      disease. Its primary treatment is surgical excision. The purpose of this report
      is to present a case that reached immense dimensions in the perianal region, and
      to emphasize the importance of wide surgical excision. A 17-year-old woman
      presented with a giant mass in the perianal region for 2 years, which
      progressively increased in size. Local examination revealed a large vegetative
      lesion in the perianal area. Wide surgical excision of the involved skin and
      lesion was undertaken. The wound was reconstructed by bilateral gluteal
      fasciocutaneous V-Y advancement flap. Response to various treatments is often
      poor, with a high recurrence rate. In conclusion, surgical treatment with wide
      excision and plastic reconstruction is an effective therapy for giant anal
      condylomas. 

PMID- 26504424
TI  - Acute abdomen due to Meckel's enterolith: Case report and review of the
      literature.
AB  - Meckel's diverticulum is a rare condition with an incidence of 1-3% in general
      population. It is usually asymptomatic and is incidentally detected during
      laparotomy/laparoscopy. Enterolith formation within Meckel's diverticulum is even
      rarer. Herein, we present the diagnosis and management of a 50-year old patient
      with Meckel's diverticulum enterolith and discuss this rare condition based on
      the literature. 

PMID- 26504425
TI  - Primary gastric tuberculosis mimicking gastric cancer.
AB  - A 42-year-old female patient with no previous known diseases who had complaints
      of postprandial epigastric pain and weight loss and who could not be diagnosed by
      endoscopic biopsy, although gastric cancer was suspected radiologically and
      endoscopically, was diagnosed with primary gastric tuberculosis by laparotomy and
      frozen section. Following anti-tuberculosis treatment, a complete clinical,
      radiological, and endoscopic response was achieved. 

PMID- 26504426
TI  - Non-recurrent nerve from the vagus anterio-medially located in the carotid
      sheath.
AB  - Non-recurrent inferior laryngeal nerve (ILN) arising from the vagus nerve is a
      rare anatomic variation. The vagus descends vertically in the cervical
      neurovascular bundle, between and posterior to common carotid artery (CCA) and
      internal jugular vein (IJV). The vagus has also some anatomic variations. We
      present a case of two coincident anatomic variations both ILN and the vagus
      nerve. A patient with multinodular goiter was surgically treated with total
      thyroidectomy. Both two ILNs were identified, fully exposed and preserved along
      their cervical courses. We found that the right non-recurrent ILN directly arises
      from cervical vagal trunk, and enters the larynx at usual point after a short
      transverse course parallel to the inferior thyroid artery. The vagus nerve,
      easily exposed after dissection of the right lobe of the thyroid gland, is
      located medially to the CCA. We discovered the association of non-recurrent ILN
      and medially located vagus nerve in the same patient. Non-recurrent nerve and
      medially located vagus nerve in the cervical neurovascular bundle are two
      different variations. The coincidence of right non-recurrent ILN arising from
      cervical part of the vagus medial to the CCA in the same patient is a very
      interesting feature. The safety of thyroid operations is dependent on proper
      identification, dissection and full exposition of ILN. The safe procedure
      requires complete knowledge on the anatomy of neural structures including all
      their anatomic variations. 

PMID- 26504427
TI  - Development of risk-based nanomaterial groups for occupational exposure control.
AB  - Given the almost limitless variety of nanomaterials, it will be virtually
      impossible to assess the possible occupational health hazard of each nanomaterial
      individually. The development of science-based hazard and risk categories for
      nanomaterials is needed for decision-making about exposure control practices in
      the workplace. A possible strategy would be to select representative (benchmark)
      materials from various mode of action (MOA) classes, evaluate the hazard and
      develop risk estimates, and then apply a systematic comparison of new
      nanomaterials with the benchmark materials in the same MOA class. Poorly soluble
      particles are used here as an example to illustrate quantitative risk assessment
      methods for possible benchmark particles and occupational exposure control
      groups, given mode of action and relative toxicity. Linking such benchmark
      particles to specific exposure control bands would facilitate the translation of
      health hazard and quantitative risk information to the development of effective
      exposure control practices in the workplace. A key challenge is obtaining
      sufficient dose-response data, based on standard testing, to systematically
      evaluate the nanomaterials' physical-chemical factors influencing their
      biological activity. Categorization processes involve both science-based analyses
      and default assumptions in the absence of substance-specific information.
      Utilizing data and information from related materials may facilitate initial
      determinations of exposure control systems for nanomaterials.

PMID- 26504428
TI  - Untapped Resources: Biotechnological Potential of Peptides and Secondary
      Metabolites in Archaea.
AB  - Archaea are an understudied domain of life often found in "extreme" environments
      in terms of temperature, salinity, and a range of other factors. Archaeal
      proteins, such as a wide range of enzymes, have adapted to function under these
      extreme conditions, providing biotechnology with interesting activities to
      exploit. In addition to producing structural and enzymatic proteins, archaea also
      produce a range of small peptide molecules (such as archaeocins) and other novel
      secondary metabolites such as those putatively involved in cell communication
      (acyl homoserine lactones), which can be exploited for biotechnological purposes.
      Due to the wide array of metabolites produced there is a great deal of
      biotechnological potential from antimicrobials such as diketopiperazines and
      archaeocins, as well as roles in the cosmetics and food industry. In this review
      we will discuss the diversity of small molecules, both peptide and nonpeptide,
      produced by archaea and their potential biotechnological applications. 

PMID- 26504429
TI  - Phosphodiesterase 6D, cGMP-specific rod delta.
AB  - Network Map States Transitions Functions Protein Classes Sequence Interactions
      Pathways Domains & Motifs Protein Structure Orthologs Sequence Interactions
      Pathways Domains & Motifs Protein Structure Orthologs Blast Data.

PMID- 26504430
TI  - Phosphodiesterase 6C, cGMP-specific cone alpha'.
AB  - Network Map States Transitions Functions Protein Classes Sequence Interactions
      Pathways Domains & Motifs Protein Structure Orthologs Sequence Interactions
      Pathways Domains & Motifs Protein Structure Orthologs Blast Data.

PMID- 26504431
TI  - Let Me Heal: An Instant Classic.

PMID- 26504432
TI  - A Heartfelt Letter to My Father's Doctor.

PMID- 26504433
TI  - Risk of Bleeding in End-Stage Liver Disease Patients Undergoing Cardiac
      Catheterization.
AB  - Patients with end-stage liver disease frequently have baseline coagulopathies.
      The international normalized ratio is in common use for the estimation of
      bleeding tendency in such patients, especially those undergoing an invasive
      procedure like cardiac catheterization. The practice of international normalized
      ratio measurement-followed by pharmacologic (for example, vitamin K or fresh
      frozen plasma) or nonpharmacologic intervention-is still debatable. The results
      of multiple randomized trials have shown the superiority of the radial approach
      over femoral access in reducing catheterization bleeding. This reduction in
      bleeding in turn decreases the risk and cost of blood-product transfusion.
      However, there is little evidence regarding the use of the radial approach in the
      end-stage liver disease patient population specifically. In this review, we
      summarize the studies that have dealt with cardiac catheterization in patients
      who have end-stage liver disease. We also discuss the role of the current
      measurements that are used to reduce the risk of bleeding in these same patients.

PMID- 26504434
TI  - Present-Day Hospital Readmissions after Left Ventricular Assist Device
      Implantation: A Large Single-Center Study.
AB  - Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy improves survival, hemodynamic
      status, and end-organ perfusion in patients with refractory advanced heart
      failure. Hospital readmission is an important measure of the intensity of LVAD
      support care. We analyzed readmissions of 148 patients (mean age, 53.6 +/- 12.7
      yr; 83% male) who received a HeartMate II LVAD from April 2008 through June 2012.
      The patients had severe heart failure; 60.1% were in Interagency Registry for
      Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support class 1 or 2. All patients were
      observed for at least 12 months, and readmissions were classified as planned or
      unplanned. Descriptive and multivariate regression analyses were used to identify
      predictors of unplanned readmission. Twenty-seven patients (18.2%) had no
      readmissions or 69 planned readmissions, and 121 patients (81.8%) had 460
      unplanned readmissions. The LVAD-related readmissions were for bleeding,
      thrombosis, and anticoagulation (n=103; 49.1%), pump-related infections (n=60;
      28.6%), and neurologic events (n=28; 13.3%). The readmission rate was 2.1 per
      patient-year. Unplanned readmissions were for comorbidities and underlying
      cardiac disease (54.3%) or LVAD-related causes (45.7%). In the unplanned
      readmission rate, there was no significant difference between bridge-to
      transplantation and destination-therapy patients. Unplanned readmissions were
      associated with diabetes mellitus (odds ratio [OR]=3.3; P=0.04) and with shorter
      mileage from residence to hospital (OR=0.998; P=0.046). Unplanned admissions for
      LVAD-related sequelae and ongoing comorbidities were common. Diabetes mellitus
      and shorter distance from residence to hospital were significant predictors of
      readmission. We project that improved management of comorbidities and of
      anticoagulation therapy will reduce unplanned readmissions of LVAD patients in
      the future. 

PMID- 26504435
TI  - Efficacy of Oral Anticoagulation in Stroke Prevention among Sinus-Rhythm Patients
      Who Lack Left Atrial Mechanical Contraction after Cryoablation.
AB  - The customary recommendation is that oral anticoagulation be withdrawn a few
      months after cryoablation for atrial fibrillation, independently of left atrial
      mechanical contraction in patients in sinus rhythm. Recently, a 5-fold increase
      in stroke has been described in sinus-rhythm patients who lack atrial mechanical
      contraction. One aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of oral
      anticoagulation in preventing postoperative stroke in such patients. This
      prospective study divided 154 sinus-rhythm patients into 2 groups, depending on
      the presence (108 patients) or absence (46 patients) of left atrial mechanical
      contraction at 6 months after surgery, and monitored them annually for 5 years.
      Those without left atrial contraction were maintained on acenocumarol. The
      primary endpoint was the occurrence of ischemic stroke. The median follow-up
      period was 29 +/- 16 months; 4 patients (2.5%), all belonging to the group with
      preserved atrial contraction, had ischemic stroke; the group of patients without
      left atrial contraction had no episodes of stroke during follow-up. Logistic
      binary regression analyses showed no evidence of factors independently predictive
      of stroke. Among anticoagulated patients in sinus rhythm without left atrial
      contraction, we found the incidence of stroke to be zero. In a small,
      nonrandomized group such as this, we cannot discount the element of chance, yet
      we suggest that maintaining anticoagulation might lower the incidence of stroke
      in this population. 

PMID- 26504436
TI  - Coronary Interventions before Liver Transplantation Might Not Avert Postoperative
      Cardiovascular Events.
AB  - Percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting may be
      performed before orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) to try to improve the
      condition of patients who have severe ischemic heart disease. However, data
      supporting improved outcomes are lacking. We reviewed the medical records of
      2,010 patients who underwent OLT at our hospital from 2000 through 2010. The 51
      patients who underwent coronary artery angiography within 6 months of
      transplantation were included in this study: 28 had mild coronary artery disease,
      10 had moderate disease, and 13 had severe disease. We compared all-cause and
      cardiac-cause mortality rates. We found a significant difference in cardiac
      deaths between the groups (P <0.001), but none in all-cause death (P=0.624). Of
      the 10 patients who had moderate coronary artery disease, one underwent pre
      transplant coronary artery bypass grafting. Of 13 patients with severe disease, 3
      underwent percutaneous coronary intervention, and 6 underwent coronary artery
      bypass grafting. Overall, 50% of patients who underwent either intervention died
      of cardiac-related causes, whereas no patient died of a cardiac-related cause
      after undergoing neither intervention (P <0.0001). We conclude that, despite
      coronary intervention, mortality rates remain high in OLT patients who have
      severe coronary artery disease. 

PMID- 26504437
TI  - Combined Retrograde/Antegrade Approach to Transcatheter Closure of an Aortic
      Paravalvular Leak.
AB  - New interventional techniques have made transcatheter closure of aortic
      paravalvular leaks a viable therapeutic option to treat the sequelae of these
      defects, including congestive heart failure and hemolysis. We report the
      transcatheter closure of an aortic paravalvular leak via a combined
      retrograde/antegrade approach. This was necessary because of difficulty in
      crossing the defect with a sheath from the retrograde approach. This technique
      might be useful in application to other difficult structural heart interventions.
      To our knowledge, this is the first report of a treated paravalvular leak around
      a Mitroflow((r)) Aortic Pericardial Heart Valve. 

PMID- 26504438
TI  - Evaluation of Previously Cannulated Radial Arteries as Patent Coronary Artery
      Bypass Conduits.
AB  - In coronary artery bypass grafting, good-quality conduits are needed to maximize
      the potential for long-term patency. Revascularization has traditionally been
      achieved with use of the saphenous vein and the internal thoracic arteries. In
      recent years, total arterial revascularization with use of the radial arteries
      has been promoted. Meanwhile, use of the transradial approach for coronary
      angiography has also increased. The long-term effects of previous cannulation in
      radial artery bypass grafts are not known. Therefore, we used multidetector
      computed tomographic angiography to investigate radial-artery graft patency in a
      small series of patients who had undergone transradial angiography. We found a
      high patency rate, and we discuss those findings here. 

PMID- 26504439
TI  - Conservative Management of Cardiac Hemangioma for 11 Years.
AB  - Cardiac hemangiomas are benign tumors with an unpredictable natural history.
      Surgical resection is the treatment of choice; however, conservative management
      can be an alternative in some patients. We report a case of a left-sided cardiac
      hemangioma that we managed conservatively for 11 years without obvious major
      complications in the patient, an adult woman. 

PMID- 26504440
TI  - Cobrahead Deformity in the Right Atrial Disc of a New-Generation Occlutech
      Figulla Flex II Atrial Septal Defect Occluder Device.
AB  - Cobrahead deformity is a known (but uncommon) phenomenon associated with the left
      atrial disc of the Amplatzer or Occlutech Figulla septal occluder device during
      percutaneous transcatheter atrial septal defect closure. It has also been
      postulated that the right atrial disc of the Amplatzer septal occluder device
      might upon occasion exhibit the cobrahead malformation. To date, only one case
      report concerning the cobrahead deformity in the right atrial disc of an
      Amplatzer septal occluder has been published, if we discount a report published
      as a letter to the manufacturer. Here we present the first report (known to us)
      of a cobrahead deformity in the right atrial disc of an Occlutech Figulla Flex II
      atrial septal defect occluder device during transcatheter closure of a complex
      atrial septal defect. 

PMID- 26504441
TI  - Down Syndrome with Complete Atrioventricular Septal Defect, Hypertrophic
      Cardiomyopathy, and Pulmonary Vein Stenosis.
AB  - The prevalence of congenital heart disease in infants with Down syndrome is 40%,
      compared with 0.3% in children who have normal chromosomes. Atrioventricular and
      ventricular septal defects are often associated with chromosomal aberrations,
      such as in trisomy 21, whereas hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is chiefly thought to
      be secondary to specific gene mutations. We found only one reported case of
      congenital hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and atrioventricular septal defect in an
      infant with Down syndrome. Here, we report atrioventricular septal defect,
      hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and pulmonary vein stenosis in a neonate with Down
      syndrome-an apparently unique combination. In addition, we discuss the relevant
      medical literature. 

PMID- 26504442
TI  - Unruptured Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm with Right Ventricular Outflow Tract
      Obstruction and Supracristal Ventricular Septal Defect: A Rare Case.
AB  - Unruptured right sinus of Valsalva aneurysm that causes severe obstruction of the
      right ventricular outflow tract is extremely rare. We describe the case of a 47
      year-old woman who presented with exertional dyspnea. Upon investigation, we
      discovered an unruptured right sinus of Valsalva aneurysm with associated right
      ventricular outflow tract obstruction and a supracristal ventricular septal
      defect. To our knowledge, only 2 such cases have previously been reported in the
      medical literature. Although treatment of unruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm
      remains debatable, surgery should be considered for extremely large aneurysms or
      for progressive enlargement of the aneurysm on serial evaluation. Surgery was
      undertaken in our patient because there was clear evidence of right ventricular
      outflow tract obstruction, right-sided heart dilation, and associated exertional
      dyspnea. 

PMID- 26504443
TI  - Massive Pulmonary Artery Aneurysm Causing Left Main Coronary Artery Compression
      in the Absence of Pulmonary Hypertension.
AB  - We report the case of a 62-year-old woman who presented with classic symptoms of
      stable angina. Cardiac images and catheterization results revealed absent
      pulmonary valve syndrome and compression of the left main coronary artery by a
      massively dilated pulmonary artery aneurysm. The patient's anginal symptoms were
      relieved after pulmonary arterioplasty. Others have described proximal left main
      coronary artery compression in the presence of a dilated and hypertensive
      pulmonary artery. To our knowledge, this is the first case in which a pulmonary
      artery aneurysm caused left main coronary insufficiency in the absence of
      pulmonary hypertension-a clinically important complication of congenital
      pulmonary valve-related pulmonary arteriopathy. 

PMID- 26504444
TI  - Aspergillus Mediastinitis after Orthotopic Heart Transplantation: A Case Report.
AB  - A 55-year-old woman was admitted for orthotopic heart transplantation. Her
      medical history was notable for multiple cardiovascular problems, including
      ischemic cardiomyopathy that necessitated circulatory support with a left
      ventricular assist device. Five weeks after undergoing orthotopic heart
      transplantation, she developed Aspergillus calidoustus mediastinitis, for which
      she underwent a prolonged course of antifungal treatment that comprised (in
      sequence) posaconazole for 11 days, voriconazole for 10 days, and amphotericin B
      for 42 days. During this period, she also underwent repeated mediastinal drainage
      and sternal debridement, followed by sternal wiring and coverage with bilateral
      pectoralis advancement flaps. Four months postoperatively, she was discharged
      from the hospital with a successfully controlled infection and a healed sternum.
      To our knowledge, only 3 previous cases of Aspergillus mediastinitis after
      orthotopic heart transplantation have been reported in the literature, none of
      which was Aspergillus calidoustus. 

PMID- 26504445
TI  - Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation as a Bridge to Surgery for Infective
      Endocarditis Complicated by Aorto-Atrial Fistula and Cardiopulmonary Collapse.
AB  - The timing of surgery for active infective endocarditis is challenging when
      patients exhibit mechanical dysfunction and hemodynamic compromise.
      Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation has been described in treating sepsis but
      not, insofar as we know, in treating the acute mechanical sequelae that arise
      from infective endocarditis. We report perhaps the first case that shows the
      usefulness of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to definitive
      treatment in a 35-year-old man who had infective endocarditis followed by aorto
      atrial fistula and cardiopulmonary collapse. 

PMID- 26504446
TI  - Prompt Recognition of Left Ventricular Free-Wall Rupture Aided by the Use of
      Contrast Echocardiography.
AB  - In the modern period of reperfusion, left ventricular free-wall rupture occurs in
      less than 1% of myocardial infarctions. Typically, acute left ventricular free
      wall rupture leads to sudden death from immediate cardiac tamponade. We present
      the case of a 59-year-old woman who sustained a posterior-wall myocardial
      infarction and subsequent cardiac arrest with pulseless electrical activity. A
      bedside transthoracic echocardiogram showed pericardial effusion with cardiac
      tamponade. Emergency pericardiocentesis yielded 500 mL of blood, and spontaneous
      circulation returned. Contrast-enhanced echocardiograms revealed inferolateral
      akinesis and a new, small myocardial slit with systolic extrusion of contrast
      medium, consistent with left ventricular free-wall rupture. During immediate open
      heart surgery, a small hole in an area of necrotic tissue was discovered and
      repaired. This case highlights the usefulness of bedside contrast-enhanced
      echocardiography in confirming acute left ventricular free-wall rupture and
      enabling rapid surgical treatment. 

PMID- 26504447
TI  - Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection with Cardiac Tamponade.
AB  - Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of acute coronary
      syndrome. Clinical presentation ranges from chest pain alone to ST-segment
      elevation myocardial infarction, ventricular fibrillation, and sudden death. The
      treatment of patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection is challenging
      because the disease pathophysiology is unclear, optimal treatment is unknown, and
      short- and long-term prognostic data are minimal. We report the case of a 70-year
      old woman who presented with an acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction
      secondary to a spontaneous dissection of the left anterior descending coronary
      artery. She was treated conservatively. Cardiac tamponade developed 16 hours
      after presentation. Repeat coronary angiography revealed extension of the
      dissection. Medical therapy was continued after the hemopericardium was
      aspirated. The patient remained asymptomatic 3 years after hospital discharge. To
      our knowledge, this is the first reported case of spontaneous coronary artery
      dissection in association with cardiac tamponade that was treated conservatively
      and had a successful outcome. 

PMID- 26504448
TI  - Successful Prasugrel Therapy for Recurrent Left Main Stent Thrombosis in a
      Clopidogrel Hyporesponder.
AB  - Stent thrombosis is a life-threatening sequela of drug-eluting stent
      implantation. Dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and thienopyridine is
      typically used to prevent this catastrophic event. In terms of stent thrombosis,
      the major concern is the variable response of patients to clopidogrel, and this
      has raised interest in new antiplatelet agents. We present the case of a 64-year
      old woman whom we successfully treated with prasugrel after she had repeated
      episodes of stent thrombosis caused by a poor response to clopidogrel. This case
      highlights the potential role of new antiplatelet agents for patients who are
      undergoing drug-eluting stent implantation. 

PMID- 26504449
TI  - Very Late Stent Thrombosis 11 Years after Implantation of a Drug-Eluting Stent.
AB  - Very late stent thrombosis is an infrequent yet potentially fatal complication
      associated with drug-eluting stents. We report the case of an 88-year-old man who
      sustained an ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction 11 years after initial
      sirolimus-eluting stent implantation. Optical coherence tomograms of the lesion
      showed that the focal incomplete endothelialization of the stent struts was the
      likely cause; neointimal formation, neoatherosclerosis, and late stent
      malapposition might also have contributed. To our knowledge, this is the longest
      reported intervening period between stent insertion and the development of an
      acute coronary event secondary to very late stent thrombosis. The associated
      prognostic and therapeutic implications are considerable, because they illuminate
      the uncertainties surrounding the optimal duration of antiplatelet therapy in
      patients who have drug-eluting stents. Clinicians face challenges in treating
      these patients, particularly when competing medical demands necessitate the
      discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy. In addition to the patient's case, we
      discuss factors that can contribute to very late stent thrombosis. 

PMID- 26504450
TI  - A Reminder of Methylene Blue's Effectiveness in Treating Vasoplegic Syndrome
      after On-Pump Cardiac Surgery.
AB  - The inflammatory response induced by cardiopulmonary bypass decreases vascular
      tone, which in turn can lead to vasoplegic syndrome. Indeed the hypotension
      consequent to on-pump cardiac surgery often necessitates vasopressor and
      intravenous fluid support. Methylene blue counteracts vasoplegic syndrome by
      inhibiting the formation of nitric oxide. We report the use of methylene blue in
      a 75-year-old man who developed vasoplegic syndrome after cardiac surgery. After
      the administration of methylene blue, his hypotension improved to the extent that
      he could be weaned from vasopressors. The use of methylene blue should be
      considered in patients who develop hypotension refractory to standard treatment
      after cardiac surgery. 

PMID- 26504451
TI  - Acute Respiratory Failure Induced by Magnesium Replacement in a 62-Year-Old Woman
      with Myasthenia Gravis.
AB  - Magnesium is known to act at the neuromuscular junction by inhibiting the
      presynaptic release of acetylcholine and desensitizing the postsynaptic membrane.
      Because of these effects, magnesium has been postulated to potentiate
      neuromuscular weakness. We describe the case of a 62-year-old woman with
      myasthenia gravis and a metastatic thymoma who was admitted to our intensive care
      unit for management of a myasthenic crisis. The patient's neuromuscular weakness
      worsened in association with standard intravenous magnesium replacement, and the
      exacerbated respiratory failure necessitated intubation, mechanical ventilation,
      and an extended stay in the intensive care unit. The effect of magnesium
      replacement on myasthenia gravis patients has not been well documented, and we
      present this case to increase awareness and stimulate research. In addition, we
      discuss the relevant medical literature. 

PMID- 26504452
TI  - Platypnea-Orthodeoxia Syndrome: Diagnostic Challenge and the Importance of
      Heightened Clinical Suspicion.
AB  - Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome is an uncommon condition of positional dyspnea and
      hypoxemia; symptoms occur when the patient is upright and resolve with
      recumbency. Causes can be broadly categorized into 4 groups: intracardiac
      shunting, pulmonary shunting, ventilation-perfusion mismatch, or a combination of
      these. Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome should be suspected when normal arterial
      oxygen saturations are recorded while an individual is supine, followed by abrupt
      declines in those saturations when upright. Further investigations with use of
      imaging and cardiac catheterization aid in the evaluation. When platypnea
      orthodeoxia syndrome is due to intracardiac shunting without pulmonary
      hypertension, intracardiac shunt closure can be curative. In this article, we
      report a case of platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome in an 83-year-old woman who was
      successfully treated by means of percutaneous transcatheter closure of an atrial
      septal defect. 

PMID- 26504453
TI  - Atrial Fibrillation in a 35-Year-Old Man with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome.

PMID- 26504454
TI  - Pulmonary Artery Sling Causing Tracheal Stenosis in a Neonate.

PMID- 26504455
TI  - Repair of Bland-White-Garland Syndrome via a Modified Technique.

PMID- 26504456
TI  - Learning verb syntax via listening: New evidence from 22-month-olds.
AB  - Children recruit verb syntax to guide verb interpretation. We asked whether 22
      month-olds spontaneously encode information about a particular novel verb's
      syntactic properties through listening to sentences, retain this information in
      long-term memory over a filled delay, and retrieve it to guide interpretation
      upon hearing the same novel verb again. Children watched dialogues in which
      interlocutors discussed unseen events using a novel verb in transitive (e.g.,
      "Anna blicked the baby") or intransitive sentences ("Anna blicked"). Children
      later heard the verb in isolation ("Find blicking!") while viewing a two
      participant causal action and a one-participant action event. Children who had
      heard transitive dialogues looked longer at the two-participant event than did
      those who heard intransitive dialogues. This effect disappeared if children heard
      a different novel verb at test ("Find kradding!"). These findings implicate a
      role for distributional learning in early verb learning: Syntactic-combinatorial
      information about otherwise unknown words may pervade the toddler's lexicon,
      guiding later word interpretation.

PMID- 26504457
TI  - Absorption and Emission Spectra of a Flexible Dye in Solution: a Computational
      Time-Dependent Approach.
AB  - The spectroscopic properties of the organic chromophore 4-naphthoyloxy-1-methoxy
      2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (NfO-TEMPO-Me) in toluene solution are explored
      through an integrated computational strategy combining a classical dynamic
      sampling with a quantum mechanical description within the framework of the time
      dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) approach. The atomistic simulations
      are based on an accurately parametrized force field, specifically designed to
      represent the conformational behavior of the molecule in its ground and bright
      excited states, whereas TDDFT calculations are performed through a selected
      combination of hybrid functionals and basis sets to obtain optical spectra
      closely matching the experimental findings. Solvent effects, crucial to obtain
      good accuracy, are taken into account through explicit molecules and polarizable
      continuum descriptions. Although, in the case of toluene, specific solvation is
      not fundamental, the detailed conformational sampling in solution has confirmed
      the importance of a dynamic description of the molecular geometry for a reliable
      description of the photophysical properties of the dye. The agreement between
      theoretical and experimental data is established and a robust protocol for the
      prediction of the optical behaviour of flexible fluorophores in solution is set.

PMID- 26504458
TI  - Vertical Electronic Excitations in Solution with the EOM-CCSD Method Combined
      with a Polarizable Explicit/Implicit Solvent Model.
AB  - The accurate calculation of electronic transition energies and properties of
      isolated chromophores is not sufficient to provide a realistic simulation of
      their excited states in solution. In fact, the solvent influences the solute
      geometry, electronic structure, and response to external fields. Therefore, a
      proper description of the solvent effect is fundamental. This can be achieved by
      combining polarizable explicit and implicit representations of the solvent. The
      former provides a realistic description of solvent molecules around the solute,
      while the latter introduces the electrostatic effect of the bulk solution and
      reduces the need of too large a number of explicit solvent molecules. This
      strategy is particularly appealing when an accurate method such as equation of
      motion coupled cluster singles and doubles (EOM-CCSD) is employed for the
      treatment of the chromophore. In this contribution, we present the coupling of
      EOM-CCSD with a fluctuating charges (FQ) model and polarizable continuum model
      (PCM) of solvation for vertical excitations in a state-specific framework. The
      theory, implementation, and prototypical applications of the method are
      presented. Numerical tests on small solute-water clusters show very good
      agreement between full EOM-CCSD and EOM-CCSD-FQ calculations, with and without
      PCM, with differences <= 0.1 eV. Additionally, approximated schemes that further
      reduce the computational cost of the method are introduced and showed to perform
      well compared to the full method (errors <= 0.1 eV).

PMID- 26504459
TI  - A SPECIAL MEETING REVIEW EDITION: Advances in the Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus
      Infection From EASL 2015: The 50th Annual Meeting of the European Association for
      the Study of the Liver * April 22-26, 2015 * Vienna, AustriaSpecial Reporting
      on:* Daclatasvir, Sofosbuvir, and Ribavirin Combination for HCV Patients With
      Advanced Cirrhosis or Posttransplant Recurrence: Phase 3 ALLY-1 Study* Efficacy
      and Safety of Grazoprevir and Elbasvir in Hepatitis C Genotype 1-Infected
      Patients With Child-Pugh Class B Cirrhosis (C-SALT Part A)* Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir
      With Ribavirin Is Safe and Efficacious in Decompensated and Post Liver
      Transplantation Patients With HCV Infection: Preliminary Results of the
      Prospective SOLAR 2 Trial* Retreatment of Patients Who Failed 8 or 12 Weeks of
      Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir-Based Regimens With Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir for 24 Weeks*
      Sofosbuvir + Peginterferon/Ribavirin for 12 Weeks Vs Sofosbuvir + Ribavirin for
      16 or 24 Weeks in Genotype 3 HCV Infected Patients and Treatment-Experienced
      Cirrhotic Patients With Genotype 2 HCV: The BOSON Study* Safety and Efficacy of
      the Combination Daclatasvir-Sofosbuvir in HCV Genotype 1-Mono-Infected Patients
      From the French Observational Cohort ANRS CO22 HEPATHER* C-SWIFT:
      Grazoprevir/Elbasvir + Sofosbuvir in Cirrhotic and Noncirrhotic, Treatment-Naive
      Patients With Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1 Infection for Durations of 4, 6 or 8
      Weeks and Genotype 3 Infection for Durations of 8 or 12 WeeksPLUS Meeting
      Abstract Summaries With Expert Commentary by: Steven L. Flamm, MD Chief, Liver
      Transplantation ProgramProfessor of Medicine and SurgeryNorthwestern University
      Feinberg School of MedicineChicago, Illinois.

PMID- 26504460
TI  - An Efficient Robust Eye Localization by Learning the Convolution Distribution
      Using Eye Template.
AB  - Eye localization is a fundamental process in many facial analyses. In practical
      use, it is often challenged by illumination, head pose, facial expression,
      occlusion, and other factors. It remains great difficulty to achieve high
      accuracy with short prediction time and low training cost at the same time. This
      paper presents a novel eye localization approach which explores only one-layer
      convolution map by eye template using a BP network. Results showed that the
      proposed method is robust to handle many difficult situations. In experiments,
      accuracy of 98% and 96%, respectively, on the BioID and LFPW test sets could be
      achieved in 10 fps prediction rate with only 15-minute training cost. In
      comparison with other robust models, the proposed method could obtain similar
      best results with greatly reduced training time and high prediction speed.

PMID- 26504461
TI  - Budd-Chiari Syndrome in China: A Systematic Analysis of Epidemiological Features
      Based on the Chinese Literature Survey.
AB  - Background. Thousands of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) studies have been published
      in China, and yet no one has explored its incidence or prevalence in the whole
      country. Methods. Three most commonly used Chinese language electronic databases
      were searched, and epidemiological data were extracted from the selected
      articles. Results. By the end of 2013, 20191 BCS cases were reported in China.
      The mean age of BCS patients was 36.29 +/- 1.28 years, and ratio of male to
      female was 150/100. About 80% BCS patients were distributed in Henan, Shandong,
      Beijing, Jiangsu, and Anhui, and all of them except for Beijing were located in
      the downstream areas of Yellow River and the whole Huai River basin. The
      incidence and prevalence of BCS in China with and without the top 5 high
      prevalence areas were estimated to be 0.88/million per year and 7.69/million and
      0.28/million per year and 2.21/million, respectively. Conclusions. Most BCS
      patients in China are distributed in the downstream areas of Yellow River and the
      whole Huai River basin. The incidence and prevalence are comparable to those of
      Western countries without taking into account the top 5 high-prevalence areas. 

PMID- 26504462
TI  - A Retrospective Analysis of the Relationship between Ethnicity, Body Mass Index,
      and the Diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes in Women Attending an Australian
      Antenatal Clinic.
AB  - Purpose. To estimate the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a
      multiethnic population, assess the association between country of birth (COB) and
      GDM, and assess whether the association varies by body mass index (BMI). Methods.
      A retrospective study of 5260 pregnant women attending Sunshine Hospital,
      Australia, between 1st July 2012 and 30th June 2013. We fitted logistic
      regression models to assess the association between COB and GDM. An interaction
      between BMI and COB was assessed by likelihood ratio test. Results. In the 4610
      included in our analysis, most common were women born in Australia or New Zealand
      (ANZ, 1932, 41.9%) and in Southeast Asia (922, 20%). GDM was diagnosed in 606
      (13.2%) women. After adjusting for confounders, women from East Asia were most
      likely to develop GDM (37, 24.0%) and 5-fold more likely than women from ANZ (OR
      = 4.77, 95% CI: 3.12, 7.31, p < 0.001). Women from other Asian countries had a 3
      fold increased risk of GDM compared to women from ANZ. There was no evidence of
      an interaction by BMI (p = 0.24).  Conclusions. Women born in Asia have higher
      risk of GDM compared to women born in ANZ. These data provide support for
      including COB in GDM management policies. 

PMID- 26504463
TI  - Effect of Nd:YAG Low Level Laser Therapy on Human Gingival Fibroblasts.
AB  - Aim. To evaluate the effect of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) on human gingival
      fibroblasts in terms of proliferation and growth factors' secretion (EGF, bFGF,
      and VEGF). Materials and Methods. Primary cultures of keratinized mucosa
      fibroblasts were irradiated by a Nd:YAG laser 1064 nm with the following energy
      densities: 2.6 J/cm(2), 5.3 J/cm(2), 7.9 J/cm(2), and 15.8 J/cm(2). Controls were
      not irradiated. Cultures were examined for cell proliferation and growth factors'
      secretion after 24, 48, and 72 hours. All experimental procedures were performed
      in duplicate. Data were analyzed by Student's t-test (p < 0.05). Results. All
      laser-irradiation doses applied promoted a higher cell proliferation at 48 hours
      in a dose-response relationship compared to controls. This difference reached
      statistical significance for the cultures receiving 15.8 J/cm(2) (p = 0.03).
      Regarding EGF, all laser irradiation doses applied promoted a higher secretion at
      48 hours in a reverse dose-response pattern compared to controls. This difference
      reached statistical significance for the cultures receiving 2.6 J/cm(2) (p =
      0.04). EGF levels at the other time points, bFGF, and VEGF showed a random
      variation between the groups. Conclusion. Within the limits of this study, LLLT
      (Nd:YAG) may induce gingival fibroblasts' proliferation and upregulate the
      secretion of EGF. Further studies are needed to confirm these results. 

PMID- 26504464
TI  - Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Caused by Chromobacterium violaceum in an
      Immunocompetent Adult.
AB  - Because of increasing antimicrobial resistance, the treatment of the asymptomatic
      bacteriuria is not considered except in specific circumstances like during
      pregnancy or before invasive urologic procedures. We are reporting a first case
      of asymptomatic bacteriuria caused by Chromobacterium violaceum in a 16-year-old
      male. With the reporting of the C. violaceum which is notorious for its high
      propensity for hematogenous dissemination causing fatal sepsis (with reported
      mortality rate up to 65-80%) if prompt proper treatment is not given, as
      causative agent of asymptomatic bacteriuria, it is recommended to treat the
      asymptomatic bacteriuria caused by this organism. 

PMID- 26504465
TI  - Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Complicating Dengue and Plasmodium vivax
      Coinfection.
AB  - Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare disorder. Dysfunction of
      cytotoxic T and natural killer (NK) cells causes uncontrolled activity of
      lymphocytes and histiocytes which leads to HLH. Infections, malignancies, and
      autoimmune disorders are associated with development of HLH. Dengue and
      Plasmodium vivax are rare causes of HLH. We report the first ever case of a young
      man who developed fatal HLH that complicated Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) and
      Plasmodium vivax infection. 

PMID- 26504466
TI  - Monoclonal antibody desensitization in a patient with a generalized urticarial
      reaction following denosumab administration.
AB  - Denosumab is a human monoclonal antibody indicated for the treatment of
      osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with a high risk of fractures. To our
      knowledge, no cases of desensitization to this drug have been described in the
      literature. We report the first case of generalized urticarial reaction and
      facial angioedema after therapy with denosumab. A subcutaneous desensitization
      protocol was successfully completed in this patient. Rapid desensitization is a
      promising method for the delivery of denosumab after a hypersensitivity reaction,
      and should be considered in osteoporosis treatment when no acceptable therapeutic
      alternatives are available. 

PMID- 26504467
TI  - Tropomyosin, the major tropical oyster Crassostrea belcheri allergen and effect
      of cooking on its allergenicity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many types of shellfish including oysters are sometime cooked before
      ingestion and it has been demonstrated that cooking may affect the allergenicity
      of food. Therefore, the aim of our present study is to identify major and minor
      allergens of tropical oyster (Crassostrea belcheri) and to investigate the effect
      of different cooking processing on the allergenicity of this oyster. METHODS:
      Raw, boiled, fried and roasted extracts of oyster were prepared. Protein profiles
      were analysed using sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis
      (SDS-PAGE). Major and minor allergens and allergenicity patterns of all extracts
      were then determined by immunoblotting with sera from patients with positive skin
      prick tests (SPT) to the raw oyster extract. Mass-spectrometry was used to
      identify the major allergenic proteins of this oyster. RESULTS: SDS-PAGE of the
      raw extract showed 15 protein bands (20-180 kDa). In contrast, smaller numbers of
      protein bands were demonstrated in the boiled extract, those ranging between 40
      42 and 55-150 kDa were denatured, whereas the protein profiles were altered to a
      similar degree by frying or roasting. The 37 kDa proteins had the highest
      frequency of IgE-binding (95 %), thus identified as the major allergen of this
      tropical oyster. Other minor IgE-binding proteins were observed at various
      molecular weights. Immunoblot of raw extract yielded 11 IgE-binding proteins. The
      cooked extracts showed only a single IgE-binding protein at 37 kDa. Mass
      spectrometry analysis of the 37 kDa major allergen identified this spot as
      tropomyosin. CONCLUSIONS: Cooked extracts produce lower IgE-binding than raw
      extract, which suggest that thermal treatment can be used as a tool in attempting
      to reduce oyster allergenicity by reducing the number of IgE-reactive bands. The
      degree of allergenicity of this oyster was demonstrated in the order raw > boiled
      > fried ~ roasted. A heat-resistent 37 kDa protein, corresponding to tropomyosin,
      was identified as the major allergen of this tropical oyster.

PMID- 26504468
TI  - Association Between TT Virus Infection and Cirrhosis in Liver Transplant
      Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cirrhosis is one of the most severe liver complications, with
      multiple etiologies. The torque teno virus (TTV), also known as transfusion
      transmitted virus, which has a high incidence in the world population, is one of
      the possible increasing risk factors in patients with idiopathic fulminant
      hepatitis and cryptogenic cirrhosis. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to
      evaluate solitary and co-infection with TTV, in patients with cryptogenic and
      determined cause of cirrhosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional
      study, 200 liver transplant patients were consecutively recruited between years
      2007 and 2011. Patients were classified, based on recognition of the etiology of
      cirrhosis to determined (n = 81) and cryptogenic (n = 119) patient groups. The
      existence of TTV infection was analyzed, using a semi-nested polymerase chain
      reaction method. The presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infective markers,
      including HBV DNA, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B e antigen
      (HBeAg), hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb), and hepatitis B e antibody (HBeAb),
      was evaluated using qualitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme linked
      immunosorbent assay protocols, respectively. RESULTS: The TTV infection was found
      in 37 of 200 (18.5%) and 53 of 200 (26.5%) plasma and tissue samples of studied
      liver transplanted patients, respectively. The TTV genomic DNA was found in 32
      (26.9%) and 28 (23.5%) of 119 liver tissue and plasma samples of transplanted
      patients with cryptogenic cirrhosis, respectively. The genomic DNA of TTV was
      also diagnosed in 21 (25.9%) and nine (11.1%) of the 81 liver tissue and plasma
      samples of patients with determined cirrhosis, respectively. Significant
      associations were found between TTV infection with HBV molecular and immunologic
      infective markers, in liver transplanted patients, with determined and
      cryptogenic cirrhosis. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of the high frequency of
      solitary TTV and co-infection with HBV, in both liver transplanted patients with
      cryptogenic and determined cirrhosis, emphasized on the importance of TTV
      infection in the development of cirrhosis, especially in the cases of cryptogenic
      ones, prompting for further studies the confirm this agent in the etiology of
      determined cirrhosis.

PMID- 26504469
TI  - Hyponatremia as the Initial Presentation of Cryptococcal Meningitis After Liver
      Transplantation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Meningoencephalitis is the most common clinical manifestation of
      cryptococcal infection, as the organism has a propensity to invade the CNS.
      Patients often present with elevated intracranial pressure, focal motor deficits,
      altered mentation and internal hydrocephalus. Syndrome of inappropriate
      antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) has been reported as a notable cause of
      euvolemic hyponatremia in immunocompromised patients. CASE PRESENTATION: A 67
      year-old male with liver transplantation due to hepatitis C (HCV) related liver
      cirrhosis developed severe hyponatremia four months after liver transplantation,
      which was discovered during routine clinic visit. Patient was referred to the
      emergency department, treated and discharged with normal serum sodium level. Few
      days later, he presented with dizziness, confusion, ataxia, abnormal muscle
      movements and leg pain. Laboratory investigations were consistent with SIADH and
      revealed a sodium level of 115 mmol/L. Brain MRI showed a leptomeningeal
      enhancement in the superior cerebellar sulci suspicious for infection. Lumbar
      puncture was performed and consistent with Cryptococcus neoformans infection;
      therefore, cryptococcal meningitis was diagnosed. Amphotericin B was started for
      the patient for six weeks followed by fluconazole for one year. His level of
      consciousness improved significantly, and his serum sodium level slowly returned
      to its normal baseline over three weeks after starting amphotericin B.
      CONCLUSIONS: Symptomatic hyponatremia secondary to SIADH remains a rare
      complication of cryptococcal meningitis.

PMID- 26504470
TI  - Efficacy and Tolerability of Peginterferon alpha-2a and Peginterferon alpha-2b in
      Iranian Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nearly 0.5% of Iranians are infected with HCV. Peginterferon-alpha-2a
      and Peginterferon-alpha-2b are the two available types of interferon for the
      treatment of hepatitis C. Comparing the results of these two treatments is still
      a challenge. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the results of
      Peginterferon-alpha-2a and Peginterferon-alpha-2b in Iranian patients with
      chronic hepatitis C. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 289 patients with chronic hepatitis C
      attending Tehran Hepatitis Center (THC) and Hepatitis Clinic of Tehran Blood
      Transfusion Organization (TBTO) from January 2008 to April 2013 and treated with
      combination of Peginterferon-alpha-2a or Peginterferon-alpha-2b plus Ribavirin
      were enrolled in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Treatment response and
      side effects were compared. RESULTS: Among all naive patients, 82.0% achieved
      SVR, 5.4% were resistant to therapy and 11.0% withdrew the treatment. Relapse was
      seen in 12.2% of naive patients who finished the course of treatment. RVR and EVR
      were seen in 67.7% and 90.6% of naive patients, respectively. Patients divided
      into two groups. Group A consists of 247 patients treated with Peginterferon
      alpha-2a and group B 42 patients treated with Peginterferon-alpha-2b. No
      significant difference in treatment response was observed between naive patients
      of the two groups. The rates of arthralgia/myalgia, alopecia, pruritus, insomnia,
      dyspnea and anorexia were higher in group A and the rates of dermal problems,
      coryza and bleeding were higher in group B. In a subgroup analysis, the two kinds
      of Peginterferon-alpha-2a available in Iran were compared. Rapid and early viral
      responses and relapse rates were lower in the one made in Iran and the long-term
      responses were not different. The rates of arthralgia/myalgia, fever, alopecia,
      pruritus, insomnia, dyspnea, anorexia, cough, headache and abdominal pain were
      higher and the rates of irritability and coryza were lower in the one made in
      Iran. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in the efficacy of
      Peginterferon-alpha-2a and Peginterferon-alpha-2b in Iranian patients. Physicians
      might choose the treatment regimen for every individual concerning the
      differences in side effects of Peginterferons.

PMID- 26504471
TI  - Detection of Hepatitis B Virus Covalently Closed Circular DNA in the Plasma of
      Iranian HBeAg-Negative Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is
      a marker of HBV replication in the liver of patients infected with HBV.
      OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the association between the presence
      of cccDNA in the plasma samples of Iranian treatment-naive patients with chronic
      hepatitis B infection and HBV viral load and HBsAg levels. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      From April 2012 to May 2015, 106 treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis
      B infection were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The HBsAg titer was
      measured by the Roche HBsAg II assay on the Cobas e411 system, and HBV DNA
      quantitation was performed using the COBAS TaqMan 48 kit. Real-time polymerase
      chain reaction was performed for the detection of HBV cccDNA. RESULTS: The mean
      (SD) age of the patients was 41.1 +/- 12.4 years (range, 20 - 62 years). From a
      total of 106 study participants, 67 (63.2%) were males. The HBV cccDNA was
      detected in plasma specimens in 19 (17.9%) out of the total 106 patients, and a
      significant relationship was found between the presence of cccDNA in plasma
      sample of males (23.9%) and females (7.7%) (P = 0.039). Also, a significant
      correlation was found between the presence of cccDNA in plasma sample of the
      patients and HBV viral load level (P < 0.0001) and HBsAg titer (P = 0.0043).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that cccDNA can be detected in the plasma specimen
      of 17.9% of Iranian treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis B infection.
      Therefore, designing prospective studies focusing on the detection of cccDNA in
      these patients would provide more information.

PMID- 26504472
TI  - Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activity Determination of One Hundred Kinds of
      Pure Chemical Compounds Using Offline and Online Screening HPLC Assay.
AB  - This study investigated the antioxidant activity of one hundred kinds of pure
      chemical compounds found within a number of natural substances and oriental
      medicinal herbs (OMH). Three different methods were used to evaluate the
      antioxidant activity of DPPH radical-scavenging activity, ABTS radical-scavenging
      activity, and online screening HPLC-ABTS assays. The results indicated that 17
      compounds exhibited better inhibitory activity against ABTS radical than DPPH
      radical. The IC50 rate of a more practical substance is determined, and the ABTS
      assay IC50 values of gallic acid hydrate, (+)-catechin hydrate, caffeic acid,
      rutin hydrate, hyperoside, quercetin, and kaempferol compounds were 1.03 +/-
      0.25, 3.12 +/- 0.51, 1.59 +/- 0.06, 4.68 +/- 1.24, 3.54 +/- 0.39, 1.89 +/- 0.33,
      and 3.70 +/- 0.15 MUg/mL, respectively. The ABTS assay is more sensitive to
      identifying the antioxidant activity since it has faster reaction kinetics and a
      heightened response to antioxidants. In addition, there was a very small margin
      of error between the results of the offline-ABTS assay and those of the online
      screening HPLC-ABTS assay. We also evaluated the effects of 17 compounds on the
      NO secretion in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and also investigated the
      cytotoxicity of 17 compounds using a cell counting kit (CCK) in order to
      determine the optimal concentration that would provide an effective anti
      inflammatory action with minimum toxicity. These results will be compiled into a
      database, and this method can be a powerful preselection tool for compounds
      intended to be studied for their potential bioactivity and antioxidant activity
      related to their radical-scavenging capacity. 

PMID- 26504473
TI  - Toxicopathological Evaluation of Hydroethanol Extract of Dianthus basuticus in
      Wistar Rats.
AB  - Background. Dianthus basuticus is a commonly used medicinal plant in Basotho
      traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes, but there is no report on its
      safety or toxicity. Therefore, we evaluated the toxicity profile of the
      hydroethanol whole plant extract of Dianthus basuticus in Wistar rats. Methods.
      Acute toxicity test was performed with single oral administration of 100-3200
      mg/kg body weight of D. basuticus extract to rats and the animals were observed
      for 14 days for signs of toxicity. The subacute toxicity experiment was conducted
      by oral administration of graded doses (200, 400, and 800 mg/kg) of D. basuticus
      extract daily for 28 days. Behavioural changes as well as haematological,
      biochemical, and histological parameters were then evaluated. Results. There was
      no observable sign of toxicity in the acute toxicity test. There were significant
      decreases (P < 0.05) in the feed and water intake as well as total cholesterol
      and triglycerides of the D. basuticus extract-treated rats in subacute toxicity
      study. There were no treatment related differences in the haematological,
      biochemical, and histopathological evaluations. Conclusions. Administration of
      hydroethanol extract of D. basuticus may be safe at the dosages tested in this
      study but its continuous usage can cause anorexia. 

PMID- 26504474
TI  - Blackcurrant Suppresses Metabolic Syndrome Induced by High-Fructose Diet in Rats.
AB  - Increased fructose ingestion has been linked to obesity, hyperglycemia,
      dyslipidemia, and hypertension associated with metabolic syndrome. Blackcurrant
      (Ribes nigrum; BC) is a horticultural crop in Europe. To induce metabolic
      syndrome, Sprague-Dawley rats were fed 60% high-fructose diet. Treatment with BC
      (100 or 300 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks) significantly suppressed increased liver
      weight, epididymal fat weight, C-reactive protein (CRP), total bilirubin, leptin,
      and insulin in rats with induced metabolic syndrome. BC markedly prevented
      increased adipocyte size and hepatic triglyceride accumulation in rats with
      induced metabolic syndrome. BC suppressed oral glucose tolerance and protein
      expression of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) and phosphorylated AMP
      activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) in muscle. BC significantly suppressed plasma
      total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL content. BC suppressed endothelial
      dysfunction by inducing downregulation of endothelin-1 and adhesion molecules in
      the aorta. Vascular relaxation of thoracic aortic rings by sodium nitroprusside
      and acetylcholine was improved by BC. The present study provides evidence of the
      potential protective effect of BC against metabolic syndrome by demonstrating
      improvements in dyslipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, and obesity in
      vivo. 

PMID- 26504476
TI  - Erchen Decoction Prevents High-Fat Diet Induced Metabolic Disorders in C57BL/6
      Mice.
AB  - Erchen decoction (ECD) is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, which is
      used in the treatment of obesity, hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, diabetes,
      hypertension, and other diseases caused by retention of phlegm dampness. In this
      study we investigated the potential mechanism of ECD, using metabolism-disabled
      mice induced by high-fat diet. Body weight and abdominal circumference were
      detected. OGTT was measured by means of collecting blood samples from the tail
      vein. Blood lipid levels and insulin were measured using biochemical assay kit.
      Real-time PCR was used to measure the CDKAL1 gene expression and western blot was
      used to measure the protein expression. Through the research, it was found that
      ECD showed markedly lower body weight and abdominal circumference than those in
      the HFD group. Consistently, we observed that ECD significantly improved glucose
      tolerance, promoted the secretion of insulin and decreased the level of TG, TC
      level. Meanwhile, we observed significantly increased CDKAL1 mRNA and protein
      level in the ECD group. Therefore, we speculate that the potential molecular
      mechanism of ECD is to promote the CDKAL1 expression, ameliorate islet cell
      function, and raise insulin levels to regulate the metabolic disorder. 

PMID- 26504475
TI  - The Effects of Bikram Yoga on Health: Critical Review and Clinical Trial
      Recommendations.
AB  - Bikram yoga is a style of hatha yoga involving a standarized series of asanas
      performed to an instructional dialogue in a heated environment (40.6 degrees C,
      40% humidity). Several studies evaluating the effect of Bikram yoga on health
      related outcomes have been published over the past decade. However, to date,
      there are no comprehensive reviews of this research and there remains a lack of
      large-scale, robustly-designed randomised controlled trials (RCT) of Bikram yoga
      training. The purpose of this review is to contextualise and summarise trials
      that have evaluated the effects of Bikram yoga on health and to provide
      recommendations for future research. According to published literature, Bikram
      yoga has been shown to improve lower body strength, lower and upper body range of
      motion, and balance in healthy adults. Non-RCTs report that Bikram yoga may, in
      some populations, improve glucose tolerance, bone mineral density, blood lipid
      profile, arterial stiffness, mindfulness, and perceived stress. There is vast
      potential for further, improved research into the effects of Bikram yoga,
      particularly in unhealthy populations, to better understand intervention-related
      adaptations and their influence on the progression of chronic disease. Future
      research should adhere to CONSORT guidelines for better design and reporting to
      improve research quality in this field. 

PMID- 26504477
TI  - Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to Explain Use of Traditional Chinese
      Medicine among Hong Kong Chinese in Britain.
AB  - The UK Chinese are known for their underutilisation of western healthcare
      services. Reasons for this underutilisation are complex. The Theory of Planned
      Behaviour (TPB) is a widely used model of social cognition, which in the present
      study is being applied to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) utilisation and
      satisfaction with TCM services. Two hundred and seventy-two UK Chinese aged
      between 15 and 91 years (M = 46.55; SD = 18.53) enrolled in the study. TCM
      utilisation was associated with gender, age, cultural attachment, and subjective
      norms. TCM users were more likely to be female and older and have a strong
      attachment to Chinese culture, and be influenced by the views of important
      others. Findings highlight the potential of the TPB in exploring TCM utilisation,
      whilst also throwing light on other factors influential in the use of TCM and
      satisfaction with TCM service provision among Chinese in the UK. 

PMID- 26504478
TI  - From Body to Mind and Spirit: Qigong Exercise for Bereaved Persons with Chronic
      Fatigue Syndrome-Like Illness.
AB  - Bereavement may bring negative impacts on the mind, body, and spiritual well
      being of grieving persons. Some bereaved persons with chronic fatigue syndrome-
      (CFS-) illness experience a dual burden of distress. This study investigated the
      effects of bereavement on CFS-like illness by comparing bereaved and nonbereaved
      participants. It also adopted a random group design to investigate the
      effectiveness of Qigong on improving the well-being of bereaved participants. The
      Qigong intervention comprised 10 group sessions delivered twice a week for 5
      weeks and home-practice for at least three times a week lasting 15-30 minutes
      each. The participants' fatigue, anxiety, and depression, quality of life (QoL),
      and spiritual well-being were measured at baseline and 3 months after treatment.
      The bereaved participants experienced significantly greater mental fatigue (16.09
      versus 14.44, p = 0.017) and lower physical QoL (34.02 versus 37.17, p = 0.011)
      than their nonbereaved counterparts. After 3 months, the mental fatigue (-8
      versus -4, p = 0.010) and physical fatigue (-10 versus -5, p = 0.007) experienced
      by intervention group had declined significantly, and improvements on their
      spirituality (14 versus -2, p = 0.013) and psychological QoL (8.91 versus 0.69, p
      = 0.002) scores exceeded those of the control group. 

PMID- 26504479
TI  - Effects of Soothing Liver and Invigorating Spleen Recipes on the IKKbeta-NF
      kappaB Signaling Pathway in Kupffer Cells of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Rats.
AB  - This study investigates the effect of soothing liver and invigorating spleen
      recipes on steatohepatitis examining the IKKbeta-NF-kappaB signaling pathway in
      KCs of NASH rats. SD male rats were randomly divided into 8 groups, and the NASH
      model was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). After 26 weeks, liver tissue was
      examined in H&E stained sections and liver function was monitored biochemically.
      KCs were isolated by Seglen's method, with some modifications. The mRNA and
      protein expression of the IKKbeta-NF-kappaB signaling pathway components was
      examined by quantitative PCR and Western blotting. The results show that the high
      fat diet induced NASH in the rats, and the soothing liver recipe and invigorating
      spleen recipe decreased the levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1, and IL-6 in KCs, as well
      as inhibiting the mRNA and protein expression of the IKKbeta-NF-kappaB signaling
      pathway components. In conclusion, the experiment indicated the importance of the
      IKKbeta-NF-kappaB signaling pathway in KCs for the anti-inflammatory effects of
      the soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes. 

PMID- 26504480
TI  - Muscle Activation of Vastus Medialis Oblique and Vastus Lateralis in Sling-Based
      Exercises in Patients with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: A Cross-Over Study.
AB  - Objectives. To examine what changes are caused in the activity of the vastus
      medialis oblique (VMO) and vastus lateralis (VL) at the time of sling-based
      exercises in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) and compare the
      muscular activations in patients with PFPS among the sling-based exercises.
      Methods. This was a cross-over study. Sling-based open and closed kinetic knee
      extension and hip adduction exercises were designed for PFPS, and
      electromyography was applied to record maximal voluntary contraction during the
      exercises. The VMO and VL activations and VMO : VL ratios for the three exercises
      were analyzed and compared. Results. Thirty male (age = 21.19 +/- 0.68 y) and 30
      female (age = 21.12 +/- 0.74 y) patients with PFPS were recruited. VMO
      activations during the sling-based open and closed kinetic knee extension
      exercises were significantly higher (P = 0.04 and P = 0.001) than those during
      hip adduction exercises and VMO : VL ratio for the sling-based closed kinetic
      knee extension and hip adduction exercises approximated to 1. Conclusions. The
      sling-based closed kinetic knee extension exercise produced the highest VMO
      activation. It also had an appropriate VMO : VL ratio similar to sling-based hip
      adduction exercise and had beneficial effects on PFPS. 

PMID- 26504481
TI  - Efficacy of Compound Kushen Injection in Relieving Cancer-Related Pain: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Despite widespread popular use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)
      therapies, a rigorous evidence based on the efficacy of compound kushen injection
      (CKI) for cancer-related pain is lacking. In this study, we evaluated the
      efficacy and safety of compound kushen injection and provided information for
      current or future research and clinical application. Sixteen trials were
      identified with a total of 1564 patients. The total pain relief rate of CKI plus
      chemotherapy is better than chemotherapy except for colorectal cancer. The
      treatment groups achieved a reduction in the incidences of leukopenia and
      gastrointestinal, hepatic, and renal functional lesion. However, there is paucity
      of multi-institutional RCTs evaluating compound kushen injection for cancer pain
      with adequate power, duration, and sham control. The quantity and quality of RCTs
      are lower so that we still have to boost the research level through scientific
      design and normative report. 

PMID- 26504483
TI  - Altered Impedance of Ear Acupuncture Point MT2 in Breast Cancer Patients: A
      Preliminary Observation.
AB  - Skin impedance at acupuncture points (APs) has been used as a diagnostic aid for
      more than 50 years. In this study, we have a diagnostic tool (JXT-2008) to
      measure the skin impedance of ear APs of 30 breast cancer patients and the
      corresponding skin impedance of ear APs of 30 healthy humans, and then we
      compared these changes in ear AP impedance in breast cancer patients and healthy
      individuals. 

PMID- 26504482
TI  - Innovative Thoughts on Treating Diabetes from the Perspective of Traditional
      Chinese Medicine.
AB  - The rapidly increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is becoming a major
      public health issue. As one of the important parts in complementary and
      alternative therapies, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is promising in
      treating DM. In this review, we summarize new thoughts on treating DM that aim to
      improve the clinical efficacy of TCM from the perspectives of principle, methods,
      formula, herbs, and doses. Our approach is as follows: principle: we use a
      combination of symptoms, syndromes, and diseases as a new mode for treating
      diabetes; methods: emphasizing heat-clearing in the early and middle stage of
      T2DM and invigorating blood circulation throughout the whole process of T2DM are
      two innovative methods to treat T2DM; formulas and herbs: choosing formulas and
      herbs based on the combination of TCM theory and current medicine. We will
      emphasize four strategies to help doctors choose formulas and herbs, including
      treatment based on syndrome differentiation, choosing herbs of bitter and sour
      flavors to counteract sweet flavor, choosing formulas and herbs aimed at main
      symptoms, and using modern pharmacological achievements in clinical practice;
      dose: reasonable drug dose plays an important role in the treatment of DM and a
      close relationship exists between dose and clinical efficacy. 

PMID- 26504484
TI  - Deepure Tea Improves High Fat Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance and Nonalcoholic
      Fatty Liver Disease.
AB  - This study was to explore the protective effects of Deepure tea against insulin
      resistance and hepatic steatosis and elucidate the potential underlying molecular
      mechanisms. C57BL/6 mice were fed with a high fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks to
      induce the metabolic syndrome. In the Deepure tea group, HFD mice were
      administrated with Deepure tea at 160 mg/kg/day by gavage for 14 days. The mice
      in HFD group received water in the same way over the same period. The age-matched
      C57BL/6 mice fed with standard chow were used as normal control. Compared to the
      mice in HFD group, mice that received Deepure tea showed significantly reduced
      plasma insulin and improved insulin sensitivity. Deepure tea increased the
      expression of insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS-2), which plays an important role
      in hepatic insulin signaling pathway. Deepure tea also led to a decrease in
      hepatic fatty acid synthesis and lipid accumulation, which were mediated by the
      downregulation of sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c), fatty
      acid synthesis (FAS), and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) proteins that are involved
      in liver lipogenesis. These results suggest that Deepure tea may be effective for
      protecting against insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis via modulating IRS-2
      and downstream signaling SREBP-1c, FAS, and ACC. 

PMID- 26504485
TI  - Subjective stress, objective heart rate variability-based stress, and recovery on
      workdays among overweight and psychologically distressed individuals: a cross
      sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to investigate how subjective self-reported
      stress is associated with objective heart rate variability (HRV)-based stress and
      recovery on workdays. Another aim was to investigate how physical activity (PA),
      body composition, and age are associated with subjective stress, objective
      stress, and recovery. METHODS: Working-age participants (n = 221; 185 women, 36
      men) in this cross-sectional study were overweight (body mass index, 25.3-40.1
      kg/m(2)) and psychologically distressed (>=3/12 points on the General Health
      Questionnaire). Objective stress and recovery were based on HRV recordings over 1
      3 workdays. Subjective stress was assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale. PA
      level was determined by questionnaire, and body fat percentage was assessed by
      bioelectrical impedance analysis. RESULTS: Subjective stress was directly
      associated with objective stress (P = 0.047) and inversely with objective
      recovery (P = 0.046). These associations persisted after adjustments for sex,
      age, PA, and body fat percentage. Higher PA was associated with lower subjective
      stress (P = 0.037). Older age was associated with higher objective stress (P <
      0.001). After further adjustment for alcohol consumption and regular medication,
      older age was associated with lower subjective stress (P = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS:
      The present results suggest that subjective self-reported stress is associated
      with objective physiological stress, but they are also apparently affected by
      different factors. However, some of the found associations among these overweight
      and psychologically distressed participants with low inter-individual variation
      in PA are rather weak and the clinical value of the present findings should be
      studied further among participants with greater heterogeneity of stress, PA and
      body composition. However, these findings suggest that objective stress
      assessment provides an additional aspect to stress evaluation. Furthermore, the
      results provide valuable information for developing stress assessment methods.

PMID- 26504486
TI  - Identifying New Candidate Genes and Chemicals Related to Prostate Cancer Using a
      Hybrid Network and Shortest Path Approach.
AB  - Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that occurs in the male prostate, a gland in
      the male reproductive system. Because prostate cancer cells may spread to other
      parts of the body and can influence human reproduction, understanding the
      mechanisms underlying this disease is critical for designing effective
      treatments. The identification of as many genes and chemicals related to prostate
      cancer as possible will enhance our understanding of this disease. In this study,
      we proposed a computational method to identify new candidate genes and chemicals
      based on currently known genes and chemicals related to prostate cancer by
      applying a shortest path approach in a hybrid network. The hybrid network was
      constructed according to information concerning chemical-chemical interactions,
      chemical-protein interactions, and protein-protein interactions. Many of the
      obtained genes and chemicals are associated with prostate cancer. 

PMID- 26504487
TI  - Cell Pluripotency Levels Associated with Imprinted Genes in Human.
AB  - Pluripotent stem cells are exhibited similarly in the morphology, gene
      expression, growth properties, and epigenetic modification with embryonic stem
      cells (ESCs). However, it is still controversial that the pluripotency of induced
      pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) is much inferior to ESC, and the differentiation
      capacity of iPSC and ESC can also be separated by transcriptome and epigenetics.
      miRNAs, which act in posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression and are
      involved in many basic cellular processes, may reveal the answer. In this paper,
      we focused on identifying the hidden relationship between miRNAs and imprinted
      genes in cell pluripotency. Total miRNA expression patterns in iPSC and ES cells
      were comprehensively analysed and linked with human imprinted genes, which show a
      global picture of their potential function in pluripotent level. A new CPA4-KLF14
      region which locates in chromosomal homologous segments (CHSs) within mammals and
      include both imprinted genes and significantly expressed miRNAs was first
      identified. Molecular network analysis showed genes interacted with imprinted
      genes closely and enriched in modules such as cancer, cell death and survival,
      and tumor morphology. This imprinted region may provide a new look for those who
      are interested in cell pluripotency of hiPSCs and hESCs. 

PMID- 26504488
TI  - G2LC: Resources Autoscaling for Real Time Bioinformatics Applications in IaaS.
AB  - Cloud computing has started to change the way how bioinformatics research is
      being carried out. Researchers who have taken advantage of this technology can
      process larger amounts of data and speed up scientific discovery. The variability
      in data volume results in variable computing requirements. Therefore,
      bioinformatics researchers are pursuing more reliable and efficient methods for
      conducting sequencing analyses. This paper proposes an automated resource
      provisioning method, G2LC, for bioinformatics applications in IaaS. It enables
      application to output the results in a real time manner. Its main purpose is to
      guarantee applications performance, while improving resource utilization. Real
      sequence searching data of BLAST is used to evaluate the effectiveness of G2LC.
      Experimental results show that G2LC guarantees the application performance, while
      resource is saved up to 20.14%. 

PMID- 26504489
TI  - Global Dynamics of a Virus Dynamical Model with Cell-to-Cell Transmission and
      Cure Rate.
AB  - The cure effect of a virus model with both cell-to-cell transmission and cell-to
      virus transmission is studied. By the method of next generation matrix, the basic
      reproduction number is obtained. The locally asymptotic stability of the virus
      free equilibrium and the endemic equilibrium is considered by investigating the
      characteristic equation of the model. The globally asymptotic stability of the
      virus-free equilibrium is proved by constructing suitable Lyapunov function, and
      the sufficient condition for the globally asymptotic stability of the endemic
      equilibrium is obtained by constructing suitable Lyapunov function and using
      LaSalle invariance principal. 

PMID- 26504491
TI  - A polynomial time algorithm for computing the area under a GDT curve.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Progress in the field of protein three-dimensional structure
      prediction depends on the development of new and improved algorithms for
      measuring the quality of protein models. Perhaps the best descriptor of the
      quality of a protein model is the GDT function that maps each distance cutoff
      theta to the number of atoms in the protein model that can be fit under the
      distance theta from the corresponding atoms in the experimentally determined
      structure. It has long been known that the area under the graph of this function
      (GDT_A) can serve as a reliable, single numerical measure of the model quality.
      Unfortunately, while the well-known GDT_TS metric provides a crude approximation
      of GDT_A, no algorithm currently exists that is capable of computing accurate
      estimates of GDT_A. METHODS: We prove that GDT_A is well defined and that it can
      be approximated by the Riemann sums, using available methods for computing
      accurate (near-optimal) GDT function values. RESULTS: In contrast to the GDT_TS
      metric, GDT_A is neither insensitive to large nor oversensitive to small changes
      in model's coordinates. Moreover, the problem of computing GDT_A is tractable.
      More specifically, GDT_A can be computed in cubic asymptotic time in the size of
      the protein model. CONCLUSIONS: This paper presents the first algorithm capable
      of computing the near-optimal estimates of the area under the GDT function for a
      protein model. We believe that the techniques implemented in our algorithm will
      pave ways for the development of more practical and reliable procedures for
      estimating 3D model quality.

PMID- 26504490
TI  - Multivariate Radiological-Based Models for the Prediction of Future Knee Pain:
      Data from the OAI.
AB  - In this work, the potential of X-ray based multivariate prognostic models to
      predict the onset of chronic knee pain is presented. Using X-rays quantitative
      image assessments of joint-space-width (JSW) and paired semiquantitative central
      X-ray scores from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), a case-control study is
      presented. The pain assessments of the right knee at the baseline and the 60
      month visits were used to screen for case/control subjects. Scores were analyzed
      at the time of pain incidence (T-0), the year prior incidence (T-1), and two
      years before pain incidence (T-2). Multivariate models were created by a cross
      validated elastic-net regularized generalized linear models feature selection
      tool. Univariate differences between cases and controls were reported by AUC, C
      statistics, and ODDs ratios. Univariate analysis indicated that the medial
      osteophytes were significantly more prevalent in cases than controls: C-stat
      0.62, 0.62, and 0.61, at T-0, T-1, and T-2, respectively. The multivariate JSW
      models significantly predicted pain: AUC = 0.695, 0.623, and 0.620, at T-0, T-1,
      and T-2, respectively. Semiquantitative multivariate models predicted paint with
      C-stat = 0.671, 0.648, and 0.645 at T-0, T-1, and T-2, respectively. Multivariate
      models derived from plain X-ray radiography assessments may be used to predict
      subjects that are at risk of developing knee pain. 

PMID- 26504493
TI  - National Library of Medicine report for EAHIL.

PMID- 26504492
TI  - Inconclusive role of human papillomavirus infection in breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have examined the association between human
      papillomavirus (HPV) and breast cancer, but the findings are inconclusive. This
      study aimed to detect the prevalence of HPV in breast cancer tissue in patients
      from northeastern China and define the association between HPV and breast cancer
      using meta-analysis. METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to test
      cutaneous or mucosal HPV DNA sequence in 77 breast cancer samples and 77
      corresponding adjacent normal tissues. The prevalence of HPV in breast cancer was
      estimated by pooling data from 38 studies. A meta-analysis of 16 case-control
      studies was conducted to investigate the association between HPV and breast
      cancer. RESULTS: We did not find HPV DNA sequence in any of the 154 tissue
      specimens we tested. However, our meta-analysis revealed a HPV prevalence of
      30.30 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] = 22.30-38.40 %) among breast cancer
      cases; most of these involved high-risk HPV types (35.50 %, 95 % CI = 25.00-46.10
      %). HPV prevalence in breast cancer varied by geographic region, publication
      period, and PCR detection method. An increased risk of breast cancer was observed
      in association with exposure to HPV (odds ratio [OR] = 3.24, 95 % CI = 1.59
      6.57), which was influenced by geographic region, HPV DNA source, PCR primer
      used, and publication period. CONCLUSIONS: HPV, especially high-risk HPV types,
      may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, and this association
      varies dramatically among geographic regions.

PMID- 26504494
TI  - Sensory modulation disorders in childhood epilepsy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Altered sensory sensitivity is generally linked to seizure
      susceptibility in childhood epilepsy but may also be associated to the highly
      prevalent problems in behavioral adaptation. This association is further
      suggested by the frequent overlap of childhood epilepsy with autism spectrum
      disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conditions in
      which altered behavioral responses to sensory stimuli have been firmly
      established. A continuum of sensory processing defects due to imbalanced neuronal
      inhibition and excitation across these disorders has been hypothesizedthat may
      lead to common symptoms of inadequate modulation of behavioral responses to
      sensory stimuli. Here, we investigated the prevalence of sensory modulation
      disorders among children with epilepsy and their relation with symptomatology of
      neurodevelopmental disorders. METHODS: We used the Sensory Profile questionnaire
      to assess behavioral responses to sensory stimuli and categorize sensory
      modulation disorders in children with active epilepsy (aged 4-17 years). We
      related these outcomes to epilepsy characteristics and tested their association
      with comorbid symptoms of ASD (Social Responsiveness Scale) and ADHD (Strengths
      and Difficulties Questionnaire). RESULTS: Sensory modulation disorders were
      reported in 49 % of the 158 children. Children with epilepsy reported increased
      behavioral responses associated with sensory "sensitivity," "sensory avoidance,"
      and "poor registration" but not "sensory seeking." Comorbidity of ASD and ADHD
      was associated with more severe sensory modulation problems, although 27 % of
      typically developing children with epilepsy also reported a sensory modulation
      disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Sensory modulation disorders are an under-recognized
      problem in children with epilepsy. The extent of the modulation difficulties
      indicates a substantial burden on daily functioning and may explain an important
      part of the behavioral distress associated with childhood epilepsy.

PMID- 26504495
TI  - Semiparametric Contrasts of Cumulative Pre-Treatment Mortality in the Presence of
      Dependent Censoring.
AB  - In clinical settings, the necessity of treatment is often measured in terms of
      the patient's prognosis in the absence of treatment. Along these lines, it is
      often of interest to compare subgroups of patients (e.g., based on underlying
      diagnosis) with respect to pre-treatment survival. Such comparisons may be
      complicated by at least two important issues. First, mortality contrasts by
      subgroup may differ over follow-up time, as opposed to being constant, and may
      follow a form that is difficult to model parametrically. Moreover, in settings
      where the proportional hazards assumption fails, investigators tend to be more
      interested in cumulative (as opposed to instantaneous) effects on mortality.
      Second, pre-treatment death is censored by the receipt of treatment and in
      settings where treatment assignment depends on time-dependent factors that also
      affect mortality, such censoring is likely to be informative. We propose
      semiparametric methods for contrasting subgroup-specific cumulative mortality in
      the presence of dependent censoring. The proposed estimators are based on the
      cumulative hazard function, with pre-treatment mortality assumed to follow a
      stratified Cox model. No functional form is assumed for the nature of the non
      proportionality. Asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators are derived,
      and simulation studies show that the proposed methods are applicable to practical
      sample sizes. The methods are then applied to contrast pre-transplant mortality
      for acute versus chronic End-Stage Liver Disease patients.

PMID- 26504496
TI  - The Net Reclassification Index (NRI): a Misleading Measure of Prediction
      Improvement Even with Independent Test Data Sets.
AB  - The Net Reclassification Index (NRI) is a very popular measure for evaluating the
      improvement in prediction performance gained by adding a marker to a set of
      baseline predictors. However, the statistical properties of this novel measure
      have not been explored in depth. We demonstrate the alarming result that the NRI
      statistic calculated on a large test dataset using risk models derived from a
      training set is likely to be positive even when the new marker has no predictive
      information. A related theoretical example is provided in which an incorrect risk
      function that includes an uninformative marker is proven to erroneously yield a
      positive NRI. Some insight into this phenomenon is provided. Since large values
      for the NRI statistic may simply be due to use of poorly fitting risk models, we
      suggest caution in using the NRI as the basis for marker evaluation. Other
      measures of prediction performance improvement, such as measures derived from the
      ROC curve, the net benefit function and the Brier score, cannot be large due to
      poorly fitting risk functions.

PMID- 26504497
TI  - A gene expression signature identifying transient DNMT1 depletion as a causal
      factor of cancer-germline gene activation in melanoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many human tumors show aberrant activation of a group of germline
      specific genes, termed cancer-germline (CG) genes, several of which appear to
      exert oncogenic functions. Although activation of CG genes in tumors has been
      linked to promoter DNA demethylation, the mechanisms underlying this epigenetic
      alteration remain unclear. Two main processes have been proposed: awaking of a
      gametogenic program directing demethylation of target DNA sequences via specific
      regulators, or general deficiency of DNA methylation activities resulting from
      mis-targeting or down-regulation of the DNMT1 methyltransferase. RESULTS: By the
      analysis of transcriptomic data, we searched to identify gene expression changes
      associated with CG gene activation in melanoma cells. We found no evidence
      linking CG gene activation with differential expression of gametogenic
      regulators. Instead, CG gene activation correlated with decreased expression of a
      set of mitosis/division-related genes (ICCG genes). Interestingly, a similar gene
      expression signature was previously associated with depletion of DNMT1.
      Consistently, analysis of a large set of melanoma tissues revealed that DNMT1
      expression levels were often lower in samples showing activation of multiple CG
      genes. Moreover, by using immortalized melanocytes and fibroblasts carrying an
      inducible anti-DNMT1 small hairpin RNA (shRNA), we demonstrate that transient
      depletion of DNMT1 can lead to long-term activation of CG genes and repression of
      ICCG genes at the same time. For one of the ICCG genes (CDCA7L), we found that
      its down-regulation in melanoma cells was associated with deposition of
      repressive chromatin marks, including H3K27me3. CONCLUSIONS: Together, our
      observations point towards transient DNMT1 depletion as a causal factor of CG
      gene activation in vivo in melanoma.

PMID- 26504498
TI  - Five Facets of Mindfulness and Psychological Health: Evaluating a Psychological
      Model of the Mechanisms of Mindfulness.
AB  - There has been an increasing focus on determining the psychological mechanisms
      underlying the broad effects of mindfulness on psychological health. Mindfulness
      has been posited to be related to the construct of reperceiving or decentering,
      defined as a shift in perspective associated with decreased attachment to one's
      thoughts and emotions. Decentering is proposed to be a meta-mechanism that
      mobilizes four psychological mechanisms (cognitive flexibility, values
      clarification, self-regulation, and exposure), which in turn are associated with
      positive health outcomes. Despite preliminary support for this model, extant
      studies testing this model have not examined distinct facets of mindfulness. The
      present study used a multidimensional measure of mindfulness to examine whether
      this model could account for the associations between ive facets of mindfulness
      and psychological symptoms (depressive symptoms, stress, anxiety symptoms,
      alcohol-related problems) in a sample of college students (N = 944). Our findings
      partially support this model. We found significant double-mediated associations
      in the expected directions for all outcomes (stress, anxiety symptoms, and
      depressive symptoms) except alcohol-related problems, and for each of the facets
      of mindfulness except observing. However, decentering and the specific mechanisms
      did not fully mediate the associations among mindfulness facets and psychological
      health outcomes. Experimental and ecological momentary assessment designs are
      needed to understand the psychological processes that account for the beneficial
      effects of mindfulness.

PMID- 26504499
TI  - Transition Networks in a Cohort of Patients with Congestive Heart Failure: A
      Novel Application of Informatics Methods to Inform Care Coordination.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unnecessary hospital readmissions are one source of escalating costs
      that may be reduced through improved care coordination, but how best to design
      and evaluate coordination programs is poorly understood. Measuring patient flow
      between service visits could support decisions for coordinating care,
      particularly for conditions such as congestive heart failure (CHF) which have
      high morbidity, costs, and hospital readmission rates. OBJECTIVES: To determine
      the feasibility of using network analysis to explore patterns of service delivery
      for patients with CHF in the context of readmissions. METHODS: A retrospective
      cohort study used de-identified records for patients >=18 years with an ICD-9
      diagnosis code 428.0-428.9, and service visits between July 2011 and June 2012.
      Patients were stratified by admission outcome. Traditional and novel network
      analysis techniques were applied to characterize care patterns. RESULTS: Patients
      transitioned between services in different order and frequency depending on
      admission status. Patient-to-service CoUsage networks were diffuse suggesting
      unstructured flow of patients with no obvious coordination hubs. In service-to
      service Transition networks a specialty heart failure service was on the care
      path to the most other services for never admitted patients, evidence of how
      specialist care may prevent hospital admissions for some patients. For patients
      admitted once, transitions expanded for a clinic-based internal medicine service
      which clinical experts identified as a Patient Centered Medical Home implemented
      in the first month for which we obtained data. CONCLUSIONS: We detected valid
      patterns consistent with a targeted care initiative, which experts could
      understand and explain, suggesting the method has utility for understanding
      coordination. The analysis revealed strong but complex patterns that could not be
      demonstrated using traditional linear methods alone. Network analysis supports
      measurement of real world health care service delivery, shows how transitions
      vary between services based on outcome, and with further development has
      potential to inform coordination strategies.

PMID- 26504500
TI  - Retinal venous pressure: the role of endothelin.
AB  - The retinal venous pressure (RVP) can be measured non-invasively. While RVP is
      equal to or slightly above intraocular pressure (IOP) in healthy people, it is
      often markedly increased in patients with eye or systemic diseases. Beside a
      mechanical obstruction, the main cause of such an elevation is a local
      dysregulation of a retinal vein, particularly a constriction induced by
      endothelin-1 (ET-1). A local increase of ET-1 can result from a high plasma
      level, as ET-1 can diffuse from the fenestrated capillaries of the choroid into
      the optic nerve head (ONH), bypassing the blood retinal barrier. A local increase
      can also result from increased local production either by a sick neighboring
      artery or retinal tissue. Generally, the main factors increasing ET-1 are
      inflammations and hypoxia, either locally or in a remote organ. RVP is known to
      be increased in patients with glaucoma, retinal vein occlusion (RVO), diabetic
      retinopathy, high mountain disease, and primary vascular dysregulation (PVD). PVD
      is the major vascular component of Flammer syndrome (FS). An increase of RVP
      decreases perfusion pressure, which heightens the risk for hypoxia. An increase
      of RVP also elevates transmural pressure, which in turn heightens the risk for
      retinal edema. In patients with RVO, a high level of RVP may not only be a
      consequence but also a potential cause of the occlusion; therefore, it risks
      causing a vicious circle. Narrow retinal arteries and particularly dilated
      retinal veins are known risk indicators for future cardiovascular events. As the
      major cause for such a retinal venous dilatation is an increased RVP, RVP may
      likely turn out to be an even stronger predictor. 

PMID- 26504501
TI  - Global Gene Expression Profiling in Omental Adipose Tissue of Morbidly Obese
      Diabetic African Americans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adipose tissues play important role in the pathophysiology of obesity
      related diseases including type 2 diabetes (T2D). To describe gene expression
      patterns and functional pathways in obesity-related T2D, we performed global
      transcript profiling of omental adipose tissue (OAT) in morbidly obese
      individuals with or without T2D. METHODS: Twenty morbidly obese (mean BMI: about
      54 kg/m2) subjects were studied, including 14 morbidly obese individuals with T2D
      (cases) and 6 morbidly obese individuals without T2D (reference group). Gene
      expression profiling was performed using the Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0 human
      genome expression array. Analysis of covariance was performed to identify
      differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Bioinformatics tools including PANTHER and
      Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) were applied to the DEGs to determine biological
      functions, networks and canonical pathways that were overrepresented in these
      individuals. RESULTS: At an absolute fold-change threshold of 2 and false
      discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05, 68 DEGs were identified in cases compared to the
      reference group. Myosin X (MYO10) and transforming growth factor beta regulator 1
      (TBRG1) were upregulated. MYO10 encodes for an actin-based motor protein that has
      been associated with T2D. Telomere extension by telomerase (HNRNPA1, TNKS2), D
      myo-inositol (1, 4, 5)-trisphosphate biosynthesis (PIP5K1A, PIP4K2A), and
      regulation of actin-based motility by Rho (ARPC3) were the most significant
      canonical pathways and overlay with T2D signaling pathway. Upstream regulator
      analysis predicted 5 miRNAs (miR-320b, miR-381-3p, miR-3679-3p, miR-494-3p, and
      miR-141-3p,) as regulators of the expression changes identified. CONCLUSION: This
      study identified a number of transcripts and miRNAs in OAT as candidate novel
      players in the pathophysiology of T2D in African Americans.

PMID- 26504502
TI  - Qualitative Evaluation of a Role Play Bullying Simulation.
AB  - Bullying against nurses is becoming a pervasive problem. In this article, a role
      play simulation designed for undergraduate nursing students is described. In
      addition, the evaluation findings from a subsample of students who participated
      in a role play simulation addressing bullying behaviors are reported. Focus group
      sessions were completed with a subset of eight students who participated in the
      intervention. Sessions were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed
      using Colaizzi's procedural steps for qualitative analysis. Themes derived from
      the data were "The Experience of Being Bullied", "Implementation of the Program",
      "Desired Outcome of the Program", and "Context of Bullying in the Nursing
      Profession". Role play simulation was an effective and active learning strategy
      to diffuse education on bullying in nursing practice. Bullying in nursing was
      identified as a problem worthy of incorporation into the undergraduate nursing
      curriculum. To further enhance the learning experience with role play simulation,
      adequate briefing instructions, opportunity to opt out of the role play, and
      comprehensive debriefing are essential.

PMID- 26504503
TI  - Updates on Psoriasis and Cutaneous Oncology: Proceedings from the 2015 MauiDerm
      Meeting.

PMID- 26504505
TI  - Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration for the diagnosis of
      pancreatic cysts by combined cytopathology and cystic content analysis.
AB  - Recent advances in imaging technology have resulted in an increase in incidental
      discoveries of pancreatic cystic lesions. Pancreatic cysts comprise a wide
      variety of lesions and include non-neoplastic cysts and neoplastic cysts. Because
      some pancreatic cysts have more of a malignant potential than others, it is
      absolutely essential that an accurate diagnosis is rendered so that effective
      care can be given to each patient. In many centers, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)
      guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) has emerged as the modality of choice that
      enables one to distinguish between mucinous and non-mucinous lesion, diagnose
      malignancy and collect cyst fluid for further diagnostic studies, such as
      pancreatic enzyme levels, molecular analysis and other tumor biomarkers. The
      current review will focus on EUS-guided FNA and the cytological diagnosis for
      pancreatic cysts. 

PMID- 26504504
TI  - Oxidative Stress State Is Associated with Left Ventricular Mechanics Changes,
      Measured by Speckle Tracking in Essential Hypertensive Patients.
AB  - The oxidative stress state is characterized by an increase in oxygen reactive
      species that overwhelms the antioxidant defense; we do not know if these
      pathological changes are correlated with alterations in left ventricular
      mechanics. The aim was correlating the oxidative stress state with the left
      ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) and the left ventricular end
      diastolic pressure (LVEDP). Twenty-five patients with essential hypertension and
      25 controls paired by age and gender were studied. All of the participants were
      subjected to echocardiography and biochemical determination of oxidative stress
      markers. The hypertensive patients, compared with control subjects, had
      significantly (p < 0.05) higher levels of oxidized proteins (5.03 +/- 1.05 versus
      4.06 +/- 0.63 nmol/mg), lower levels of extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC
      SOD) activity (0.045 +/- 0.02 versus 0.082 +/- 0.02 U/mg), higher LVEDP (16.2 +/-
      4.5 versus 11.3 +/- 1.6 mm Hg), and lower GLS (-12% versus -16%). Both groups had
      preserved ejection fraction and the results showed a positive correlation of
      oxidized proteins with GLS (r = 0.386, p = 0.006) and LVEDP (r = 0.389, p =
      0.005); we also found a negative correlation of EC-SOD activity with GLS (r = 
      0.404, p = 0.004) and LVEDP (r = -0.347, p = 0.014).

PMID- 26504506
TI  - Imaging of common bile duct by linear endoscopic ultrasound.
AB  - Imaging of common bile duct (CBD) can be done by many techniques. Endoscopic
      retrograde cholangiopancreaticography is considered the gold standard for imaging
      of CBD. A standard technique of imaging of CBD by endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has
      not been specifically described. The available descriptions mention different
      stations of imaging from the stomach and duodenum. The CBD lies closest to
      duodenum and choice of imaging may be restricted to duodenum for many operators.
      Generally most operators prefer multi station imaging during EUS and the choice
      of selecting the initial station varies from operator to operator. Detailed
      evaluation of CBD is frequently the main focus of imaging during EUS and in such
      situations multi station imaging with a high-resolution ultrasound scanner may
      provide useful information. Examination of the CBD is one of the primary
      indications for doing an EUS and it can be done from five stations: (1) the
      fundus of stomach; (2) body of stomach; (3) duodenal bulb; (4) descending
      duodenum; and (5) antrum. Following down the upper 1/3(rd) of CBD can do imaging
      of entire CBD from the liver window and following up the lower 1/3(rd) of CBD can
      do imaging of entire CBD from the pancreatic window. This article aims at
      simplifying the techniques of imaging of CBD by linear EUS. 

PMID- 26504507
TI  - Reality named endoscopic ultrasound biliary drainage.
AB  - Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is used for diagnosis and evaluation of many diseases
      of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In the past, it was used to guide a
      cholangiography, but nowadays it emerges as a powerful therapeutic tool in
      biliary drainage. The aims of this review are: outline the rationale for
      endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EGBD); detail the procedural
      technique; evaluate the clinical outcomes and limitations of the method; and
      provide recommendations for the practicing clinician. In cases of failed
      endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), patients are usually
      referred for either percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) or surgical
      bypass. Both these procedures have high rates of undesirable complications. EGBD
      is an attractive alternative to PTBD or surgery when ERCP fails. EGBD can be
      performed at two locations: transhepatic or extrahepatic, and the stent can be
      inserted in an antegrade or retrograde fashion. The drainage route can be
      transluminal, duodenal or transpapillary, which, again, can be antegrade or
      retrograde [rendezvous (EUS-RV)]. Complications of all techniques combined
      include pneumoperitoneum, bleeding, bile leak/peritonitis and cholangitis. We
      recommend EGBD when bile duct access is not possible because of failed
      cannulation, altered upper GI tract anatomy, gastric outlet obstruction, a
      distorted ampulla or a periampullary diverticulum, as a minimally invasive
      alternative to surgery or radiology. 

PMID- 26504508
TI  - Transgastric endoscopic gastrojejunostomy using holing followed by interrupted
      suture technique in a porcine model.
AB  - AIM: To demonstrate the feasibility and reproducibility of a pure natural orifice
      transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) gastrojejunostomy using holing followed
      by interrupted suture technique using a single endoloop matched with a pair of
      clips in a non-survival porcine model. METHODS: NOTES gastrojejunostomy was
      performed on three female domestic pigs as follows: Gastrostomy, selection and
      retrieval of a free-floating loop of the small bowel into the stomach pouch, hold
      and exposure of the loop in the gastric cavity using a submucosal inflation
      technique, execution of a gastro-jejunal mucosal-seromuscular layer approximation
      using holing followed by interrupted suture technique with endoloop/clips, and
      full-thickness incision of the loop with a Dual knife. RESULTS: Pure NOTES side
      to-side gastrojejunostomy was successfully performed in all three animals. No
      leakage was identified via methylene blue evaluation following surgery.
      CONCLUSION: This novel technique for preforming a gastrointestinal anastomosis
      exclusively by NOTES is technically feasible and reproducible in an animal model
      but warrants further improvement.

PMID- 26504509
TI  - Unsedation colonoscopy can be not that painful: Evaluation of the effect of
      "Lamaze method of colonoscopy".
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the pain relieving effect of intervention with "Lamaze method of
      colonoscopy" in the process of colonoscopy. METHODS: Five hundred and eighty-five
      patients underwent colonoscopy were randomly divided into three groups, Lamaze
      group, anesthetic group and control group. Two hundred and twenty-four patients
      of Lamaze group, the "Lamaze method of colonoscopy" were practiced in the process
      of colonoscopy. The Lamaze method of colonoscopy is modified from the Lamaze
      method of childbirth, which helped patients to relieve pain through effective
      breathing control. One hundred and seventy-eight patients in anesthetic group
      accepted sedation colonoscopy. For 183 patients in control group, colonoscopy was
      performed without any intervention. The satisfactory of colon cleaning,
      intestinal lesions, intubation time, success ratio, pain grading and
      complications were recorded. All data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: There
      were no significant differences at base line of the three groups (P > 0.05).
      Anesthetic group shows advantage in intubation time than the other two groups (P
      < 0.05). Lamaze group shows no advantage in intubation time than that in control
      group (P > 0.05). The anesthetic group showed an apparent advantage in relieving
      pain (P < 0.01). Therefore, the "Lamaze method of colonoscopy" performed in
      colonoscopy could relieve pain effectively comparing with control group (P <
      0.05). The patients in anesthetic group had the highest incidence of
      complications (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The performance of the "Lamaze method of
      colonoscopy" in the process of colonoscopy could relieve patients' pain, minimize
      the incidence of complications, and is worthy promotion in clinical practice.

PMID- 26504510
TI  - Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 (ITS1) based sequence typing reveals
      phylogenetically distinct Ascaris population.
AB  - Taxonomic differentiation among morphologically identical Ascaris species is a
      debatable scientific issue in the context of Ascariasis epidemiology. To explain
      the disease epidemiology and also the taxonomic position of different Ascaris
      species, genome information of infecting strains from endemic areas throughout
      the world is certainly crucial. Ascaris population from human has been
      genetically characterized based on the widely used genetic marker, internal
      transcribed spacer1 (ITS1). Along with previously reported and prevalent genotype
      G1, 8 new sequence variants of ITS1 have been identified. Genotype G1 was
      significantly present among female patients aged between 10 to 15 years.
      Intragenic linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis at target locus within our study
      population has identified an incomplete LD value with potential recombination
      events. A separate cluster of Indian isolates with high bootstrap value indicate
      their distinct phylogenetic position in comparison to the global Ascaris
      population. Genetic shuffling through recombination could be a possible reason
      for high population diversity and frequent emergence of new sequence variants,
      identified in present and other previous studies. This study explores the genetic
      organization of Indian Ascaris population for the first time which certainly
      includes some fundamental information on the molecular epidemiology of
      Ascariasis. 

PMID- 26504511
TI  - A constraint-based modelling approach to metabolic dysfunction in Parkinson's
      disease.
AB  - One of the hallmarks of sporadic Parkinson's disease is degeneration of
      dopaminergic neurons in the pars compacta of the substantia nigra. The
      aetiopathogenesis of this degeneration is still not fully understood, with
      dysfunction of many biochemical pathways in different subsystems suggested to be
      involved. Recent advances in constraint-based modelling approaches hold great
      potential to systematically examine the relative contribution of dysfunction in
      disparate pathways to dopaminergic neuronal degeneration, but few studies have
      employed these methods in Parkinson's disease research. Therefore, this review
      outlines a framework for future constraint-based modelling of dopaminergic
      neuronal metabolism to decipher the multi-factorial mechanisms underlying the
      neuronal pathology of Parkinson's disease. 

PMID- 26504512
TI  - Structure-Activity Relationship Studies of Cyclopropenimines as Enantioselective
      Bronsted Base Catalysts.
AB  - We recently demonstrated that chiral cyclopropenimines are viable Bronsted base
      catalysts in enantioselective Michael and Mannich reactions. Herein, we describe
      a series of structure-activity relationship studies that provide an enhanced
      understanding of the effectiveness of certain cyclopropenimines as
      enantioselective Bronsted base catalysts. These studies underscore the crucial
      importance of dicyclohexylamino substituents in mediating both reaction rate and
      enantioselectivity. In addition, an unusual catalyst CH...O interaction, which
      provides both ground state and transition state organization, is discussed.
      Cyclopropenimine stability studies have led to the identification of new
      catalysts with greatly improved stability. Finally, additional demonstrations of
      substrate scope and current limitations are provided herein.

PMID- 26504513
TI  - Direct Interfacial Y731 Oxidation in alpha2 by a Photobeta2 Subunit of E. coli
      Class Ia Ribonucleotide Reductase.
AB  - Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) is a fundamental mechanism important in a
      wide range of biological processes including the universal reaction catalysed by
      ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) in making de novo, the building blocks required
      for DNA replication and repair. These enzymes catalyse the conversion of
      nucleoside diphosphates (NDPs) to deoxynucleoside diphosphates (dNDPs). In the
      class Ia RNRs, NDP reduction involves a tyrosyl radical mediated oxidation
      occurring over 35 A across the interface of the two required subunits (beta2 and
      alpha2) involving multiple PCET steps and the conserved tyrosine triad
      [Y356(beta2)-Y731(alpha2)-Y730(alpha2)]. We report the synthesis of an active
      photochemical RNR (photoRNR) complex in which a Re(I)-tricarbonyl phenanthroline
      ([Re]) photooxidant is attached site-specifically to the Cys in the Y356C-(beta2)
      subunit and an ionizable, 2,3,5-trifluorotyrosine (2,3,5-F3Y) is incorporated in
      place of Y731 in alpha2. This intersubunit PCET pathway is investigated by ns
      laser spectroscopy on [Re356]-beta2:2,3,5-F3Y731-alpha2 in the presence of
      substrate, CDP, and effector, ATP. This experiment has allowed analysis of the
      photoinjection of a radical into alpha2 from beta2 in the absence of the
      interfacial Y356 residue. The system is competent for light-dependent substrate
      turnover. Time-resolved emission experiments reveal an intimate dependence of the
      rate of radical injection on the protonation state at position Y731(alpha2),
      which in turn highlights the importance of a well-coordinated proton exit channel
      involving the key residues, Y356 and Y731, at the subunit interface.

PMID- 26504514
TI  - Pax3-induced expansion enables the genetic correction of dystrophic satellite
      cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Satellite cells (SCs) are indispensable for muscle regeneration and
      repair; however, due to low frequency in primary muscle and loss of engraftment
      potential after ex vivo expansion, their use in cell therapy is currently
      unfeasible. To date, an alternative to this limitation has been the
      transplantation of SC-derived myogenic progenitor cells (MPCs), although these do
      not hold the same attractive properties of stem cells, such as self-renewal and
      long-term regenerative potential. METHODS: We develop a method to expand wild
      type and dystrophic fresh isolated satellite cells using transient expression of
      Pax3. This approach can be combined with genetic correction of dystrophic
      satellite cells and utilized to promote muscle regeneration when transplanted
      into dystrophic mice. RESULTS: Here, we show that SCs from wild-type and
      dystrophic mice can be expanded in culture through transient expression of Pax3,
      and these expanded activated SCs can regenerate the muscle. We test this approach
      in a gene therapy model by correcting dystrophic SCs from a mouse lacking
      dystrophin using a Sleeping Beauty transposon carrying the human MUDYSTROPHIN
      gene. Transplantation of these expanded corrected cells into immune-deficient,
      dystrophin-deficient mice generated large numbers of dystrophin-expressing
      myofibers and improved contractile strength. Importantly, in vitro expanded SCs
      engrafted the SC compartment and could regenerate muscle after secondary injury.
      CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that Pax3 is able to promote the ex vivo
      expansion of SCs while maintaining their stem cell regenerative properties.

PMID- 26504515
TI  - Convenient methods for ingestion of molecular hydrogen: drinking, injection, and
      inhalation.
AB  - Molecular hydrogen (H2) is clinically administered; however, in some hospitals,
      H2 is given to patients without consideration of its safe use. In the present
      study, we prepared convenient and safe devices for the drinking of super
      saturated H2 water, for intravenous drip infusion of H2-rich saline, and for the
      inhalation of H2 gas. In order to provide useful information for researchers
      using these devices, the changes in H2 concentration were studied. Our
      experimental results should contribute to the advance of non-clinical and
      clinical research in H2 medicine. 

PMID- 26504516
TI  - Design of chiral urea-quaternary ammonium salt hybrid catalysts for asymmetric
      reactions of glycine Schiff bases.
AB  - Bifunctional chiral urea-containing quaternary ammonium salts can be
      straightforwardly synthesised in good yield and with high structural diversity
      via a scalable and operationally simple highly telescoped sequence starting from
      trans-1,2-cyclohexanediamine. These novel hybrid catalysts were systematically
      investigated for their potential to control glycine Schiff bases in asymmetric
      addition reactions. It was found that Michael addition reactions and the herein
      presented aldol-initiated cascade reaction can be carried out to provide
      enantiomeric ratios up to 95 : 5 and good yields under mild conditions at room
      temperature.

PMID- 26504517
TI  - A large and diverse collection of bovine genome sequences from the Canadian
      Cattle Genome Project.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Canadian Cattle Genome Project is a large-scale international
      project that aims to develop genomics-based tools to enhance the efficiency and
      sustainability of beef and dairy production. Obtaining DNA sequence information
      is an important part of achieving this goal as it facilitates efforts to
      associate specific DNA differences with phenotypic variation. These associations
      can be used to guide breeding decisions and provide valuable insight into the
      molecular basis of traits. FINDINGS: We describe a dataset of 379 whole-genome
      sequences, taken primarily from key historic Bos taurus animals, along with the
      analyses that were performed to assess data quality. The sequenced animals
      represent ten populations relevant to beef or dairy production. Animal
      information (name, breed, population), sequence data metrics (mapping rate,
      depth, concordance), and sequence repository identifiers (NCBI BioProject and
      BioSample IDs) are provided to enable others to access and exploit this sequence
      information. CONCLUSIONS: The large number of whole-genome sequences generated as
      a result of this project will contribute to ongoing work aiming to catalogue the
      variation that exists in cattle as well as efforts to improve traits through
      genotype-guided selection. Studies of gene function, population structure, and
      sequence evolution are also likely to benefit from the availability of this
      resource.

PMID- 26504518
TI  - Multidrug resistant Enterobacteriaceae and extended spectrum beta-lactamase
      producing Escherichia coli: a cross-sectional study in National Kidney Center,
      Nepal.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Emergence of antibacterial resistance and production of Extended
      spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) are responsible for the frequently observed
      empirical therapy failures. Most countries have experienced rapid dissemination
      of ESBLs producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates, particularly E. coli and
      Klebsiella pneumoniae. ESBLs are clinically significant and when detected,
      indicate the need for the use of appropriate antibacterial agents. But
      antibacterial choice is often complicated by multi-resistance. METHODS: This
      study was carried from June to November 2014 to study the multidrug resistant
      (MDR) Enterobacteriaceae and ESBL producing E. coli among urine isolates in
      hospital setting. Isolates from urine samples were primarily screened for
      possible ESBL production followed by phenotypic confirmation. Antibiotic
      susceptibility testing (AST) was done by Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method
      following Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) guidelines. RESULTS:
      Out of 450 urine samples processed, 141 significant growths were obtained
      including 95 Enterobacteriaceae isolates with 67 E. coli. Among
      Enterobacteriaceae, 92 (96.84 %) were recorded as MDR and 18 (26.87 %) E. coli
      were confirmed as ESBLs producers. CONCLUSIONS: Using the phenotypic confirmatory
      test forwarded by the CLSI, relatively significant E. coli isolates tested were
      ESBL producers. Also high numbers of MDR organisms were isolated among
      Enterobacteriaceae. Isolates showed significant resistance to the commonly
      prescribed drugs. These findings suggest for further study in this field
      including the consequences of colonization with MDR and ESBL-producing bacteria
      both in the community and in the hospital setting.

PMID- 26504520
TI  - Factors associated with safe child feces disposal practices in Ethiopia: evidence
      from demographic and health survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: According to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for
      water supply and Sanitation definition, safe child feces disposal practices
      include: children defecation into a latrine, disposal of child stools in a
      latrine or burial. Inappropriate disposal of human feces including unsafe child
      feces disposal facilitates the transmission of pathogens. However, the factors
      associated with safe child feces disposal practices have not been yet well
      explored in Ethiopia. This study aimed to identify factors associated with safe
      child feces disposal practices in Ethiopia. METHODS: This study analyzed data
      from Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2011. The practice of child's
      feces disposal was categorized into 'safe' and 'unsafe' based on the WHO/ UNICEF
      JMP for water supply & Sanitation definition. Binary and multivariable logistic
      regression models were employed to identify factors associated with safe child
      feces disposal practices. RESULT: The prevalence of safe child feces disposal was
      33.68 % (95 % CI: 32.82-34.55). In the final multivariable logistic regression
      model, the practice of safe disposal of child feces was significantly associated
      with urban residency (AOR = 1.25, 95 % CI: 1.01-1.55) and having access to an
      improved latrine (AOR = 1.92, 95 % CI: 1.56-2.36). Households found in the
      poorer, middle, richer and richest wealth quintile had (AOR = 2.22, 95 % CI: 1.70
      2.89), (AOR = 2.94, 95 % CI: 2.27-3.81), (AOR = 4.20, 95 % CI: 3.42-5.72) and
      (AOR = 8.06, 95 % CI: 5.91-10.99) times higher odds to practice safe child feces
      disposal respectively as compared households from poorest wealth quintile.
      Mothers/caregivers with primary, secondary and higher educational status had (AOR
      = 1.29, 95 % CI: 1.10-1.50), (AOR = 1. 64, 95 % CI: 1.12-2.41) and (AOR = 2.16,
      95 % CI: 1.25-3.72) times higher odds to practice safe child feces disposal
      respectively than those mothers who had no education. Those mothers/caregivers
      whose child was 48-59 months old had (AOR = 2.21, 95 % CI: 1.82-2.68) times
      higher odds to practice safe child feces disposal as compared to
      mothers/caregivers who had a child with age less than 12 months old. The odds of
      safe child feces disposal among households who had one two and three under five
      years old children were (AOR = 3.11, 95 % CI: 1.87-5.19),(AOR = 2.55, 95 % CI:
      1.53-4.24) and (AOR = 1.92, 95 % CI: 1.13-3.24) times higher respectively than
      households with four and more children of under five years old. CONCLUSION: Only
      one third of the mothers practiced safe child feces disposal in Ethiopia. Being
      an urban resident, having a higher wealth quintile, high levels of maternal
      education, older child age, having a lower number of under five years old
      children, and the presence of an improved latrine were factors associated with
      safe child feces disposal practices. Therefore interventions designed to improve
      safe child feces disposal practices should consider those factors identified.
      Further research is also needed to design intervention that will aim to improve
      safe child feces disposal.

PMID- 26504519
TI  - The associations between Parkinson's disease and cancer: the plot thickens.
AB  - Epidemiological studies support a general inverse association between the risk of
      cancer development and Parkinson's disease (PD). In recent years however,
      increasing amount of eclectic evidence points to a positive association between
      PD and cancers through different temporal analyses and ethnic groups. This
      positive association has been supported by several common genetic mutations in
      SNCA, PARK2, PARK8, ATM, p53, PTEN, and MC1R resulting in cellular changes such
      as mitochondrial dysfunction, aberrant protein aggregation, and cell cycle
      dysregulation. Here, we review the epidemiological and biological advances of the
      past decade in the association between PD and cancers to offer insight on the
      recent and sometimes contradictory findings. 

PMID- 26504521
TI  - Principles and mechanisms of regeneration in the mouse model for wound-induced
      hair follicle neogenesis.
AB  - Wound induced hair follicle neogenesis (WIHN) describes a regenerative phenomenon
      in adult mammalian skin, wherein fully functional hair follicles regenerate de
      novo in the center of large excisional wounds. Originally described in rats,
      rabbits, sheep, and humans in 1940-60, the WIHN phenomenon was reinvestigated in
      mice only recently. The process of de novo hair regeneration largely duplicates
      the morphological and signaling features of normal embryonic hair development.
      Similar to hair development, WIHN critically depends on the activation of
      canonical WNT signaling. However, unlike hair development, WNT activation in WIHN
      is dependent on Fgf9 signaling generated by the immune system's gamma delta
      (gammadelta) T cells. The cellular bases of WIHN remain to be fully
      characterized, however, the available evidence leaves open the possibility for a
      blastema-like mechanism, wherein epidermal and/or dermal wound cells undergo
      epigenetic reprogramming toward a more plastic, embryonic-like state. De novo
      hair follicles do not regenerate from preexisting hair-fated bulge stem cells.
      This suggests that hair neogenesis is not driven by preexisting lineage
      restricted progenitors, as is the case for amputation-induced mouse digit tip
      regeneration, but rather may require a blastema-like mechanism. The WIHN model is
      characterized by several intriguing features, which await further explanation.
      These include: (i) minimum wound size requirement for activating neogenesis, (ii)
      restriction of hair neogenesis to the wound's center, (iii) imperfect patterning
      outcomes, both in terms of neogenic hair positioning within the wound and in
      terms of their orientation. Future inquires into the WIHN process, made possible
      by a wide array of the available skin-specific genetic tools, will undoubtedly
      expand our understanding of the regeneration mechanisms in adult mammals.

PMID- 26504523
TI  - Sea surface temperature and salinity from French research vessels, 2001-2013.
AB  - French Research vessels have been collecting thermo-salinometer (TSG) data since
      1999 to contribute to the Global Ocean Surface Underway Data (GOSUD) programme.
      The instruments are regularly calibrated and continuously monitored. Water
      samples are taken on a daily basis by the crew and later analysed in the
      laboratory. We present here the delayed mode processing of the 2001-2013 dataset
      and an overview of the resulting quality. Salinity measurement error was a few
      hundredths of a unit or less on the practical salinity scale (PSS), due to
      careful calibration and instrument maintenance, complemented with a rigorous
      adjustment on water samples. In a global comparison, these data show excellent
      agreement with an ARGO-based salinity gridded product. The Sea Surface Salinity
      and Temperature from French REsearch SHips (SSST-FRESH) dataset is very valuable
      for the 'calibration and validation' of the new satellite observations delivered
      by the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and Aquarius missions. 

PMID- 26504524
TI  - Effects of krill oil on endothelial function and other cardiovascular risk
      factors in participants with type 2 diabetes, a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the effect of krill oil
      supplementation, a source of omega-3 fatty acids, on cardiovascular disease risk
      factors and blood glucose control among participants with type 2 diabetes.
      RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A randomized, double-blind controlled cross-over
      trial was employed. Outcomes assessed were: endothelial function, blood lipids,
      glucose, glycated hemoglobin, serum antioxidant level, C peptide, and calculated
      Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) scores. Participants
      were randomized to either krill oil or olive oil supplementation for 4 weeks,
      underwent a 2-week washout period, and then crossed to the other supplementation
      for 4 weeks. All participants were then offered an additional 17 weeks of krill
      supplementation. Testing occurred at 3 time points: baseline, after first
      supplementation, and after second supplementation. Testing also occurred after an
      optional 17 weeks of krill oil supplementation. Difference scores were calculated
      for each participant in both sequences (ie, differences in outcome measures in
      the first and second period of the sequence). The mean and SD of the scores in
      the 2 sequence groups were used to test for differences between treatment effects
      at a significance level of p<0.05. RESULTS: A total of 47 participants were
      included in the initial cross-over study. Participants who received krill oil for
      4 weeks had an improvement in their endothelial function and a reduction in blood
      C peptide levels and HOMA scores as compared with the olive oil. A total of 34
      participants completed the additional 17-week supplementation period. When
      compared with their respective baseline measures, these participants had a
      statistically significant improvement in endothelial function and blood high
      density lipoprotein (HDL). CONCLUSIONS: Krill oil may lead to moderate
      improvement of cardiovascular risks, specifically endothelial dysfunction and HDL
      in patients with type 2 diabetes. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Registered with
      ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02091193.

PMID- 26504522
TI  - Test-retest resting-state fMRI in healthy elderly persons with a family history
      of Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - We present a test-retest dataset of resting-state fMRI data obtained in 80
      cognitively normal elderly volunteers enrolled in the "Pre-symptomatic Evaluation
      of Novel or Experimental Treatments for Alzheimer's Disease" (PREVENT-AD) Cohort.
      Subjects with a family history of Alzheimer's disease in first-degree relatives
      were recruited as part of an on-going double blind randomized clinical trial of
      Naproxen or placebo. Two pairs of scans were acquired ~3 months apart, allowing
      the assessment of both intra- and inter-session reliability, with the possible
      caveat of treatment effects as a source of inter-session variation. Using the
      NeuroImaging Analysis Kit (NIAK), we report on the standard quality of co
      registration and motion parameters of the data, and assess their validity based
      on the spatial distribution of seed-based connectivity maps as well as intra- and
      inter-session reliability metrics in the default-mode network. This resource,
      released publicly as sample UM1 of the Consortium for Reliability and
      Reproducibility (CoRR), will benefit future studies focusing on the preclinical
      period preceding the appearance of dementia in Alzheimer's disease. 

PMID- 26504525
TI  - Secreted factors from dental pulp stem cells improve glucose intolerance in
      streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice by increasing pancreatic beta-cell function.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Many studies have reported that stem cell transplantation promotes
      propagation and protection of pancreatic beta-cells in streptozotocin (STZ)
      induced diabetic mice without the differentiation of transplanted cells into
      pancreatic beta-cells, suggesting that the improvement is due to a paracrine
      effect of the transplanted cells. We investigated the effects of factors secreted
      by dental pulp stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) on beta
      cell function and survival. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Conditioned medium from
      SHED (SHED-CM) was collected 48 h after culturing in serum-free Dulbecco's
      modified Eagle's medium (DMEM). The insulin levels in SHED-CM and serum-free
      conditioned media from human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-CM)
      were undetectable. STZ-induced diabetic male C57B/6J mice were injected with DMEM
      as a control, SHED-CM, exendin-4 (Ex-4), or BM-CM for 14 days. Mouse pancreatic
      beta-cell line MIN6 cells were incubated with different concentrations of STZ
      with SHED-CM, DMEM, Ex-4, or BM-CM for 6 h. RESULTS: Administration of 1 mL of
      SHED-CM twice a day improved glucose intolerance in STZ-induced diabetic mice and
      the effect continued for 20 days after the end of treatment. SHED-CM treatment
      increased pancreatic insulin content and beta-cell mass through proliferation and
      an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test revealed enhanced insulin secretion.
      Incubation of MIN6 cells (a mouse pancreatic beta-cell line) with SHED-CM
      enhanced insulin secretion in a glucose concentration-dependent manner and
      reduced STZ-induced cell death, indicating that the amelioration of hyperglycemia
      was caused by the direct effects of SHED-CM on beta-cell function and survival.
      These effects were more pronounced than with the use of Ex-4, a conventional
      incretin-based drug, and BM-CM, which is a medium derived from other stem cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that SHED-CM provides direct protection and
      encourages the propagation of beta-cells, and has potential as a novel strategy
      for treatment of diabetes.

PMID- 26504526
TI  - Predictors of the antibody response to influenza vaccination in older adults with
      type 2 diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most prevalent chronic
      inflammatory diseases of the elderly. Its development is related to the
      alteration of the immune system with aging characterized by immunosenescence and
      inflamm-aging. In turn, T2DM also alters the immune response. As a consequence,
      older people with T2DM are more susceptible to influenza and to its complications
      as compared with healthy controls. Vaccination against influenza has shown poor
      efficacy in the older population and even less efficacy in patients with
      diabetes. We studied here the antibody response to vaccination in healthy and
      diabetic elderly participants. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In 2 groups of
      elderly participants (healthy N=119 and T2DM N=102), we measured the
      immunogenicity of influenza vaccine by hemagglutination inhibition assays. We
      assessed several blood and functional parameters as potential predictors of the
      vaccine efficacy. RESULTS: We found no difference between antibody responses in
      diabetic elderly compared with healthy elderly. Among the biological and
      functional determinants, the cytomegalovirus (CMV) serostatus played a more
      prominent role in determining the magnitude of response. We concluded that in
      addition to age and diabetic status, immunological history such as CMV status
      should be taken into account. None of the other biological or functional
      parameters studied could be reliably linked to the vaccine antibody response in
      older adults who are not frail including those with well-controlled diabetes.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our data strongly suggest that influenza vaccine should be
      administered to elderly patients with T2DM; however, the immune determinants of
      the antibody response to influenza vaccination should be further investigated.

PMID- 26504528
TI  - A rapid dehydration leaf assay reveals stomatal response differences in grapevine
      genotypes.
AB  - A simple and reliable way of phenotyping plant responses to dehydration was
      developed. Fully-developed leaves were detached and placed in a closed plastic
      box containing a salt solution to control the atmospheric water potential in the
      container. Three hours of dehydration (weight loss of the leaf) was optimal for
      measuring changes in stomatal response to dehydration. Application of the plant
      hormone abscisic acid (ABA) prior to leaf detachment decreased the amount of
      water loss, indicating that the assay was able to detect differences based on a
      stomatal response to dehydration. Five different Vitis genotypes (V. riparia, V.
      champinii, V. vinifera cv. Shiraz, V. vinifera cv. Grenache and V. vinifera cv.
      Cabernet Sauvignon) with known differences in drought tolerance were screened for
      their dehydration response and the results obtained corresponded to previous
      reports of stomatal responses in the vineyard. Significant differences in
      stomatal density along with differences in the amount and rate of water lost
      indicate differences in dehydration sensitivity among the genotypes screened.
      Differences in stomatal response to ABA were also detected. Shiraz had the lowest
      stomatal density and the highest ABA sensitivity among the genotypes screened,
      yet Shiraz lost the most amount of water, indicating that it was the least
      sensitive to dehydration. Despite having the highest stomatal density and
      intermediate stomatal sensitivity to ABA, V. riparia lost the smallest amount of
      water, indicating that it was the most sensitive to dehydration. The assay
      presented here represents a simple and reliable phenotyping method for plant
      responses to leaf dehydration. 

PMID- 26504527
TI  - Molecular genetics and genomics of the Rosoideae: state of the art and future
      perspectives.
AB  - The Rosoideae is a subfamily of the Rosaceae that contains a number of species of
      economic importance, including the soft fruit species strawberry (Fragaria
      *ananassa), red (Rubus idaeus) and black (Rubus occidentalis) raspberries,
      blackberries (Rubus spp.) and one of the most economically important cut flower
      genera, the roses (Rosa spp.). Molecular genetics and genomics resources for the
      Rosoideae have developed rapidly over the past two decades, beginning with the
      development and application of a number of molecular marker types including
      restriction fragment length polymorphisms, amplified fragment length
      polymorphisms and microsatellites, and culminating in the recent publication of
      the genome sequence of the woodland strawberry, Fragaria vesca, and the
      development of high throughput single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-genotyping
      resources for Fragaria, Rosa and Rubus. These tools have been used to identify
      genes and other functional elements that control traits of economic importance,
      to study the evolution of plant genome structure within the subfamily, and are
      beginning to facilitate genomic-assisted breeding through the development and
      deployment of markers linked to traits such as aspects of fruit quality, disease
      resistance and the timing of flowering. In this review, we report on the
      developments that have been made over the last 20 years in the field of molecular
      genetics and structural genomics within the Rosoideae, comment on how the
      knowledge gained will improve the efficiency of cultivar development and discuss
      how these advances will enhance our understanding of the biological processes
      determining agronomically important traits in all Rosoideae species. 

PMID- 26504529
TI  - Inaugural Editorial.

PMID- 26504530
TI  - Dynamic changes in proteins during apple (Malus x domestica) fruit ripening and
      storage.
AB  - A proteomic study, using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and
      matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight, was
      conducted in apple fruit (cv. 'Golden Delicious') starting at 10 days prior to
      harvest through 50 days in storage. Total protein was extracted using a
      phenol/sodium dodecyl sulfate protocol. More than 400 protein spots were detected
      in each gel and 55 differentially expressed proteins (p<0.05) were subjected to
      matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight
      analysis. Fifty-three of these proteins were finally identified using an apple
      expressed sequence tag database downloaded from Genome Database for Rosaceae and
      placed into six categories. The categories and the percentage of proteins placed
      in each category were stress response and defense (49.0%), energy and metabolism
      (34.0%), fruit ripening and senescence (5.6%), signal transduction (3.8%), cell
      structure (3.8%) and protein synthesis (3.8%). Proteins involved in several
      multiple metabolic pathways, including glycolysis, pentose-phosphate pathway,
      anti-oxidative systems, photosynthesis and cell wall synthesis, were
      downregulated, especially during the climacteric burst in respiration and during
      the senescent stages of fruit development. Proteins classified as allergens or
      involved in cell wall degradation were upregulated during the ripening process.
      Some protein spots exhibited a mixed pattern (increasing to maximal abundance
      followed by a decrease), such as 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase, L
      ascorbate peroxidase and abscisic acid response proteins. The identification of
      differentially expressed proteins associated with physiological processes
      identified in the current study provides a baseline of information for
      understanding the metabolic processes and regulatory mechanisms that occur in
      climacteric apple fruit during ripening and senescence. 

PMID- 26504531
TI  - Sequential light programs shape kale (Brassica napus) sprout appearance and alter
      metabolic and nutrient content.
AB  - Different light wavelengths have specific effects on plant growth and
      development. Narrow-bandwidth light-emitting diode (LED) lighting may be used to
      directionally manipulate size, color and metabolites in high-value fruits and
      vegetables. In this report, Red Russian kale (Brassica napus) seedlings were
      grown under specific light conditions and analyzed for photomorphogenic
      responses, pigment accumulation and nutraceutical content. The results showed
      that this genotype responds predictably to darkness, blue and red light, with
      suppression of hypocotyl elongation, development of pigments and changes in
      specific metabolites. However, these seedlings were relatively hypersensitive to
      far-red light, leading to uncharacteristically short hypocotyls and high pigment
      accumulation, even after growth under very low fluence rates (<1 MUmol m(-2) s(
      1)). General antioxidant levels and aliphatic glucosinolates are elevated by far
      red light treatments. Sequential treatments of darkness, blue light, red light
      and far-red light were applied throughout sprout development to alter final
      product quality. These results indicate that sequential treatment with narrow
      bandwidth light may be used to affect key economically important traits in high
      value crops. 

PMID- 26504532
TI  - Identification of SSRs and differentially expressed genes in two cultivars of
      celery (Apium graveolens L.) by deep transcriptome sequencing.
AB  - Celery (Apium graveolens L.) is one of the most important and widely grown
      vegetables in the Apiaceae family. Due to the lack of comprehensive genomic
      resources, research on celery has mainly utilized physiological and biochemical
      approaches, rather than molecular biology, to study this crop. Transcriptome
      sequencing has become an efficient and economic technology for obtaining
      information on gene expression that can greatly facilitate molecular and genomic
      studies of species for which a sequenced genome is not available. In the present
      study, 15 893 516 and 19 818 161 high-quality sequences were obtained by RNA-seq
      from two celery varieties 'Ventura' and 'Jinnan Shiqin', respectively. The
      obtained reads were assembled into 39 584 and 41 740 unigenes with mean lengths
      of 683 bp and 690 bp, respectively. A total of 1939 simple sequence repeat (SSR)
      markers were identified in 'Ventura' and 2004 SSRs in 'Jinnan Shiqin'. Di
      nucleotide repeats were the most common repeat motif, accounting for 55.49% and
      54.84% in 'Ventura' and 'Jinnan Shiqin', respectively. A comparison of expressed
      genes between the two libraries, identified 338 differentially expressed genes
      (DEGs). Three hundred and three of the DEGs were annotated based on a sequence
      similarity search utilizing eight public databases. Additionally, the expression
      profile of eight annotated DEGs was characterized in response to abiotic
      stresses. The collective data generated in the present research represent a
      valuable resource for further genetic and molecular studies in celery. 

PMID- 26504534
TI  - Genetic and phenological variation of tocochromanol (vitamin E) content in wild
      (Daucus carota L. var. carota) and domesticated carrot (D. carota L. var.
      sativa).
AB  - Carrot roots (Daucus carota L. var. sativa) produce tocochromanol compounds,
      collectively known as vitamin E. However, little is known about their types and
      amounts. Here we determined the range and variation in types and amounts of
      tocochromanols in a variety of cultivated carrot accessions throughout carrot
      postharvest storage and reproductive stages and in wild-type roots (Daucus carota
      L. var. carota). Of eight possible tocochromanol compounds, we detected and
      quantified alpha-, and the combined peak for beta- and gamma- forms of
      tocopherols and tocotrienols. Significant variation in amounts of tocochromanol
      compounds was observed across accessions and over time. Large increases in alpha
      tocopherol were noted during both reproductive growth and the postharvest stages.
      The variation of tocochromanols in carrot root tissue provides useful information
      for future research seeking to understand the role of these compounds in carrot
      root tissue or to breed varieties with increased levels of these compounds. 

PMID- 26504533
TI  - Transcriptional dynamics of the developing sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) fruit:
      sequencing, annotation and expression profiling of exocarp-associated genes.
AB  - The exocarp, or skin, of fleshy fruit is a specialized tissue that protects the
      fruit, attracts seed dispersing fruit eaters, and has large economical relevance
      for fruit quality. Development of the exocarp involves regulated activities of
      many genes. This research analyzed global gene expression in the exocarp of
      developing sweet cherry (Prunus avium L., 'Regina'), a fruit crop species with
      little public genomic resources. A catalog of transcript models (contigs)
      representing expressed genes was constructed from de novo assembled short
      complementary DNA (cDNA) sequences generated from developing fruit between
      flowering and maturity at 14 time points. Expression levels in each sample were
      estimated for 34 695 contigs from numbers of reads mapping to each contig.
      Contigs were annotated functionally based on BLAST, gene ontology and
      InterProScan analyses. Coregulated genes were detected using partitional
      clustering of expression patterns. The results are discussed with emphasis on
      genes putatively involved in cuticle deposition, cell wall metabolism and sugar
      transport. The high temporal resolution of the expression patterns presented here
      reveals finely tuned developmental specialization of individual members of gene
      families. Moreover, the de novo assembled sweet cherry fruit transcriptome with
      7760 full-length protein coding sequences and over 20 000 other, annotated cDNA
      sequences together with their developmental expression patterns is expected to
      accelerate molecular research on this important tree fruit crop. 

PMID- 26504536
TI  - Effects of location within the tree canopy on carbohydrates, organic acids, amino
      acids and phenolic compounds in the fruit peel and flesh from three apple (Malus
      * domestica) cultivars.
AB  - Fruits from three cultivars of apple (Malus * domestica Borkh.)-'McIntosh',
      'Gala' and 'Mutsu'-were harvested from the exterior and interior of the tree
      canopy. Peel and flesh tissues were sampled separately to determine how the
      position of the fruit on the tree might affect the levels of the primary and
      secondary metabolites in the fruit. Fruit from the outer-canopy had a higher
      fresh weight and a higher soluble solids content compared with inner-canopy
      fruit. Both the flesh and peel of the outer-canopy fruit had higher
      concentrations of soluble sugars and sugar alcohols, but lower starch
      concentrations than the inner-canopy fruit. Canopy position did not significantly
      affect malic acid concentrations, except in the peel of 'McIntosh' and the flesh
      of 'Mutsu'. Although levels of ascorbic and succinic acids were higher in the
      peel of the outer-canopy fruit, the responses of other organic acids to canopy
      position depended on tissue type and cultivar. Except for histidine, lysine,
      threonine and glycine, most amino acids accumulated at higher concentrations in
      the inner-canopy fruit. By contrast, levels of phenolic compounds from both the
      peel and flesh were significantly higher in the outer-canopy fruit. The
      significant effects of location within the canopy on both primary metabolites and
      secondary metabolites demonstrate the importance of light exposure on apple fruit
      quality. 

PMID- 26504535
TI  - Genome and transcriptome analysis of the grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) WRKY gene
      family.
AB  - The plant WRKY gene family represents an ancient and complex class of zinc-finger
      transcription factors (TFs) that are involved in the regulation of various
      physiological processes, such as development and senescence, and in plant
      response to many biotic and abiotic stresses. Despite the growing number of
      studies on the genomic organisation of WRKY gene family in different species,
      little information is available about this family in grapevine (Vitis vinifera
      L.). In the present study, a total number of 59 putative grapevine WRKY
      transcription factors (VvWRKYs) were identified based on the analysis of various
      genomic and proteomic grapevine databases. According to their structural and
      phylogentic features, the identified grapevine WRKY transcription factors were
      classified into three main groups. In order to shed light into their regulatory
      roles in growth and development as well as in response to biotic and abiotic
      stress in grapevine, the VvWRKYs expression profiles were examined in publicly
      available microarray data. Bioinformatics analysis of these data revealed
      distinct temporal and spatial expression patterns of VvWRKYs in various tissues,
      organs and developmental stages, as well as in response to biotic and abiotic
      stresses. To also extend our analysis to situations not covered by the arrays and
      to validate our results, the expression profiles of selected VvWRKYs in response
      to drought stress, Erysiphe necator (powdery mildew) infection, and hormone
      treatments (salicilic acid and ethylene), were investigated by quantitative real
      time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). The present study provides a foundation
      for further comparative genomics and functional studies of this important class
      of transcriptional regulators in grapevine. 

PMID- 26504537
TI  - Growth and physiological responses of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera)
      to elevated carbon dioxide concentrations.
AB  - The atmospheric carbon dioxide level has increased and is predicted to continue
      increasing, which may affect various aspects of plant growth. The objective of
      this study was to investigate the effects of doubling the carbon dioxide level on
      the growth and physiological activities of a widely utilized cool-season
      turfgrass species, creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L. 'Penncross').
      'Penncross' plants were established in fritted clay medium and maintained under
      well-irrigated and well-fertilized conditions in growth chambers. The plants were
      exposed to either ambient carbon dioxide concentrations (400+/-10 umol L(-1)) or
      elevated carbon dioxide concentrations (800+/-10 umol L(-1)) for 12 weeks. Plants
      grown under elevated carbon dioxide displayed a significantly faster growth rate
      of their lateral stems (stolons) and increased shoot and root dry weight but a
      reduced specific leaf area compared to those plants at ambient carbon dioxide
      levels. Fast stolon growth is a highly desirable trait for turfgrass
      establishment and recovery from physical damage. The root length and surface area
      were also increased due to the elevated CO2, which may facilitate water uptake
      and serve critical drought-avoidance roles when irrigation water is limited.
      Elevated carbon dioxide caused an increase in the leaf net photosynthetic rate
      but a reduction in the stomatal conductance and transpiration rate, contributing
      to improved water use efficiency in creeping bentgrass. Efficient water use is
      especially important for turfgrass plant survival when irrigation water is
      limited. Our results suggested that cool-season turfgrass species may greatly
      benefit from increasingly elevated carbon dioxide concentrations via growth
      promotion and increasing water use efficiency. 

PMID- 26504538
TI  - Breeding better cultivars, faster: applications of new technologies for the rapid
      deployment of superior horticultural tree crops.
AB  - Woody perennial plants, including trees that produce fruits and nuts of
      horticultural value, typically have long breeding cycles, and development and
      introduction of improved cultivars by plant breeders may require many breeding
      cycles and dozens of years. However, recent advances in biotechnologies and
      genomics have the potential to accelerate cultivar development greatly in all
      crops. This mini-review summarizes approaches to reduce the number and the
      duration of breeding cycles for horticultural tree crops, and outlines the
      challenges that remain to implement these into efficient breeding pipelines. 

PMID- 26504539
TI  - Genome triplication drove the diversification of Brassica plants.
AB  - The genus Brassica belongs to the plant family Brassicaceae, which includes many
      important crop species that are used as oilseed, condiments, or vegetables
      throughout the world. Brassica plants comprise many diverse species, and each
      species contains rich morphotypes showing extreme traits. Brassica species
      experienced an extra whole genome triplication (WGT) event compared with the
      model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Whole genome sequencing of the Brassica species
      Brassica rapa, Brassica oleracea and others demonstrated that WGT plays an
      important role in the speciation and morphotype diversification of Brassica
      plants. Comparative genomic analysis based on the genome sequences of B. rapa and
      A. thaliana clearly identified the WGT event and further demonstrated that the
      translocated Proto-Calepine Karyotype (tPCK, n=7) was the diploid ancestor of the
      three subgenomes in B. rapa. Following WGT, subsequent extensive genome
      fractionation, block reshuffling and chromosome reduction accompanied by
      paleocentromere descent from the three tPCK subgenomes during the
      rediploidization process produced stable diploid species. Genomic rearrangement
      of the diploid species and their hybridization then contributed to Brassica
      speciation. The subgenome dominance effect and biased gene retention, such as the
      over-retention of auxin-related genes after WGT, promoted functional gene
      evolution and thus propelled the expansion of rich morphotypes in the Brassica
      species. In conclusion, the WGT event initiated subsequent genomic and gene-level
      evolution, which further drove Brassica speciation and created rich morphotypes
      in each species. 

PMID- 26504540
TI  - An optimized procedure for plant recovery from somatic embryos significantly
      facilitates the genetic improvement of Vitis.
AB  - Plant regeneration from grapevine (Vitis spp.) via somatic embryogenesis
      typically is poor. Recovery of plants from Vitis rotundifolia Michx. (muscadine
      grape) is particularly problematic due to extremely low efficiency, including
      extended culture durations required for embryo-plant conversion. Poor plant
      recovery is an obstacle to the selection of improved genetically modified lines.
      Somatic embryos (SEs) of V. rotundifolia cultivar Delicious (Del-HS) and Vitis
      vinifera L cultivar Thompson Seedless (TS) were used to identify culture media
      and conditions that promoted embryo differentiation and plant conversion; this
      resulted in a two-step culture system. In comparative culture experiments, C2D
      medium containing 6% sucrose was the most effective, among four distinct formulae
      tested, for inducing precocious SE germination and cell differentiation. This
      medium, further supplemented with 4 uM 6-benzylaminopurine (C2D4B), was
      subsequently determined to enhance post-germinative growth of SE. MS medium
      supplemented with 0.5 uM 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (MSN) was then utilized to
      stimulate root and shoot growth of germinated SE. An average of 35% and 80% 'Del
      HS' and 'TS' SE, respectively, developed into plants. All plants developed robust
      root and shoot systems and exhibited excellent survival following transfer to
      soil. Over 150 plants of 'Del-HS' were regenerated and established within 2.5
      months, which is a dramatic reduction from the 6- to 12-month time period
      previously required. Similarly, 88 'TS' plant lines were obtained within the same
      time period. Subsequently, seven out of eight Vitis cultivars exhibited
      significantly increased plant conversion percentages, demonstrating broad
      application of the two-step culture system to produce the large numbers of
      independent plant lines needed for selection of desired traits. 

PMID- 26504541
TI  - Fundamental aspects of postharvest heat treatments.
AB  - Heat treatments have been investigated for use in many aspects of postharvest
      storage. They have been developed for insect control, prevention of fungal
      development and prevention of postharvest storage disorders including chilling
      injury. The treatment times and temperature range vary widely, from days at 35 
      degrees C to 39  degrees C in hot air, to up to 63  degrees C for less than a
      minute in hot water. Much of the research has been performed to develop solutions
      to a particular problem, and less investigation has been conducted on the
      responses of the commodity to the treatment. However, since the turn of the
      century, a number of groups have been active in examining the molecular responses
      and changes that occur in commodities during and after the heat treatment. This
      review examines the changes at the level of transcriptome, proteome and
      metabolome that occur in response to the different heat treatments. 

PMID- 26504542
TI  - Maintenance of water uptake and reduced water loss contribute to water stress
      tolerance of Spiraea alba Du Roi and Spiraea tomentosa L.
AB  - Two primarily eastern US native shrubs, Spiraea alba Du Roi and Spiraea tomentosa
      L., are typically found growing in wet areas, often with standing water. Both
      species have potential for use in the landscape, but little is known of their
      environmental requirements, including their adaptation to water stress. Two
      geographic accessions of each species were evaluated for their response to water
      stress under greenhouse conditions. Above-ground biomass, water relations and gas
      exchange were measured in well-watered and water stress treatments. In both
      species, water stress resulted in reduced growth, transpiration and pre-dawn
      water potential. However, both species also exhibited the ability to osmotically
      adjust to lower soil water content, resulting in maintained midday leaf turgor
      potential in all accessions. Net CO2 assimilation was reduced only in one
      accession of S. alba, primarily due to large reductions in stomatal conductance.
      S. tomentosa lost a larger proportion of leaves than S. alba in response to water
      stress. The primary water stress tolerance strategies of S. alba and S. tomentosa
      appear to be the maintenance of water uptake and reduced water loss. 

PMID- 26504543
TI  - Understanding development and ripening of fruit crops in an 'omics' era.
AB  - Next generation sequencing has revolutionized plant biology. Not only has our
      understanding of plant metabolism advanced using model systems and modern
      chromatography, but application of 'omics'-based technology has been widely
      extended to non-model systems as costs have plummeted and efficiency increased.
      As a result, important fundamental questions relating to important horticultural
      crops are being answered, and novel approaches with application to industry are
      in progress. Here we review recent research advances on development and ripening
      of fruit crops, how next generation sequencing approaches are driving this
      advance and the emerging future landscape. 

PMID- 26504544
TI  - Varietal identification of tea (Camellia sinensis) using nanofluidic array of
      single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers.
AB  - Apart from water, tea is the world's most widely consumed beverage. Tea is
      produced in more than 50 countries with an annual production of approximately 4.7
      million tons. The market segment for specialty tea has been expanding rapidly
      owing to increased demand, resulting in higher revenues and profits for tea
      growers and the industry. Accurate varietal identification is critically
      important to ensure traceability and authentication of premium tea products,
      which in turn contribute to on-farm conservation of tea genetic diversity. Using
      a set of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers developed from the
      expressed sequence tag (EST) database of Camilla senensis, we genotyped
      deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) samples extracted from a diverse group of tea
      varieties, including both fresh and processed commercial loose-leaf teas. The
      validation led to the designation of 60 SNPs that unambiguously identified all 40
      tested tea varieties with high statistical rigor (p<0.0001). Varietal
      authenticity and genetic relationships among the analyzed cultivars were further
      characterized by ordination and Bayesian clustering analysis. These SNP markers,
      in combination with a high-throughput genotyping protocol, effectively
      established and verified specific DNA fingerprints for all tested tea varieties.
      This method provides a powerful tool for variety authentication and quality
      control for the tea industry. It is also highly useful for the management of tea
      genetic resources and breeding, where accurate and efficient genotype
      identification is essential. 

PMID- 26504545
TI  - Dynamic changes in the date palm fruit proteome during development and ripening.
AB  - Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is an economically important fruit tree in the
      Middle East and North Africa and is characterized by large cultivar diversity,
      making it a good model for studies on fruit development and other important
      traits. Here in gel comparative proteomics combined with tandem mass spectrometry
      were used to study date fruit development and ripening. Total proteins were
      extracted using a phenol-based protocol. A total of 189 protein spots were
      differentially regulated (p<=0.05). The identified proteins were classified into
      14 functional categories. The categories with the most proteins were 'disease and
      defense' (16.5%) and 'metabolism' (15.4%). Twenty-nine proteins have not
      previously been identified in other fleshy fruits and 64 showed contrasting
      expression patterns in other fruits. Abundance of most proteins with a role in
      abiotic stress responses increased during ripening with the exception of heat
      shock proteins. Proteins with a role in anthocyanin biosynthesis, glycolysis,
      tricarboxylic acid cycle and cell wall degradation were upregulated particularly
      from the onset of ripening and during ripening. In contrast, expression of
      pentose phosphate- and photosynthesis-related proteins decreased during fruit
      maturation. Although date palm is considered a climacteric species, the analysis
      revealed downregulation of two enzymes involved in ethylene biosynthesis,
      suggesting an ethylene-independent ripening of 'Barhi' fruits. In summary, this
      proteomics study provides insights into physiological processes during date fruit
      development and ripening at the systems level and offers a reference proteome for
      the study of regulatory mechanisms that can inform molecular and biotechnological
      approaches to further improvements of horticultural traits including fruit
      quality and yield. 

PMID- 26504546
TI  - Construction and validation of a gene co-expression network in grapevine (Vitis
      vinifera. L.).
AB  - Gene co-expression analysis has been widely used for predicting gene functions
      because genes within modules of a co-expression network may be involved in
      similar biological processes and exhibit similar biological functions. To detect
      gene relationships in the grapevine genome, we constructed a grapevine gene co
      expression network (GGCN) by compiling a total of 374 publically available
      grapevine microarray datasets. The GGCN consisted of 557 modules containing a
      total of 3834 nodes with 13 479 edges. The functions of the subnetwork modules
      were inferred by Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis. In 127 of the 557
      modules containing two or more GO terms, 38 modules exhibited the most
      significantly enriched GO terms, including 'protein catabolism process',
      'photosynthesis', 'cell biosynthesis process', 'biosynthesis of plant cell wall',
      'stress response' and other important biological processes. The 'response to
      heat' GO term was highly represented in module 17, which is composed of many heat
      shock proteins. To further determine the potential functions of genes in module
      17, we performed a Pearson correlation coefficient test, analyzed orthologous
      relationships with Arabidopsis genes and established gene expression correlations
      with real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR). Our results
      indicated that many genes in module 17 were upregulated during the heat shock and
      recovery processes and downregulated in response to low temperature. Furthermore,
      two putative genes, Vit_07s0185g00040 and Vit_02s0025g04060, were highly
      expressed in response to heat shock and recovery. This study provides insight
      into GGCN gene modules and offers important references for gene functions and the
      discovery of new genes at the module level. 

PMID- 26504547
TI  - Elucidating the molecular responses of apple rootstock resistant to ARD
      pathogens: challenges and opportunities for development of genomics-assisted
      breeding tools.
AB  - Apple replant disease (ARD) is a major limitation to the establishment of
      economically viable orchards on replant sites due to the buildup and long-term
      survival of pathogen inoculum. Several soilborne necrotrophic fungi and oomycetes
      are primarily responsible for ARD, and symptoms range from serious inhibition of
      growth to the death of young trees. Chemical fumigation has been the primary
      method used for control of ARD, and manipulating soil microbial ecology to reduce
      pathogen density and aggressiveness is being investigated. To date, innate
      resistance of apple rootstocks as a means to control this disease has not been
      carefully explored, partly due to the complex etiology and the difficulty in
      phenotyping the disease resistance. Molecular defense responses of plant roots to
      soilborne necrotrophic pathogens are largely elusive, although considerable
      progress has been achieved using foliar disease systems. Plant defense responses
      to necrotrophic pathogens consist of several interacting modules and operate as a
      network. Upon pathogen detection by plants, cellular signals such as the
      oscillation of Ca(2+) concentration, reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst and
      protein kinase activity, lead to plant hormone biosynthesis and signaling.
      Jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET) are known to be fundamental to the induction
      and regulation of defense mechanisms toward invading necrotrophic pathogens.
      Complicated hormone crosstalk modulates the fine-tuning of transcriptional
      reprogramming and metabolic redirection, resulting in production of antimicrobial
      metabolites, enzyme inhibitors and cell wall refortification to restrict further
      pathogenesis. Transcriptome profiling of apple roots in response to inoculation
      with Pythium ultimum demonstrated that there is a high degree of conservation
      regarding the molecular framework of defense responses compared with those
      observed with foliar tissues. It is conceivable that the timing and intensity of
      genotype-specific defense responses may lead to different outcomes between
      rootstocks in response to invasion by necrotrophic pathogens. Elucidation of host
      defense mechanisms is critical in developing molecular tools for genomics
      assisted breeding of resistant apple rootstocks. Due to their perennial nature,
      use of resistant rootstocks as a component for disease management might offer a
      durable and cost-effective benefit to tree performance than the standard practice
      of soil fumigation for control of ARD. 

PMID- 26504548
TI  - Genomic variants of genes associated with three horticultural traits in apple
      revealed by genome re-sequencing.
AB  - The apple (Malus * domestica Borkh.) cultivar 'Su Shuai' exhibits greater disease
      resistance, shorter internodes and lighter fruit flavor compared with its parents
      'Golden Delicious' and 'Indo'. To obtain a comprehensive overview of the sequence
      variation in these three horticultural traits, the genomes of 'Su Shuai' and
      'Indo' were resequenced using next-generation sequencing and compared to the
      genome of 'Golden Delicious'. A wide range of genetic variations were detected,
      including 2 454 406 and 18 749 349 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and 59
      547 and 50 143 structural variants (SVs) in the 'Indo' and 'Su Shuai' genomes,
      respectively. Among the SVs in 'Su Shuai', 17 genes related to disease
      resistance, 10 genes related to Gibberellin (GA) and 19 genes associated with
      fruit flavor were identified. The expression patterns of eight of the SV genes
      were examined using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction
      (RT-qPCR). The results of this study illustrate the genomic variation in these
      cultivars and provide evidence for a genetic basis for the horticultural traits
      of disease resistance, short internodes and lighter flavor exhibited in these
      cultivars. These results provide a genetic basis for the phenotypic
      characteristics of 'Su Shuai' and, as such, these SVs could serve as gene
      specific molecular markers in maker-assisted breeding of apples. 

PMID- 26504549
TI  - Genetic and environmental control of fruit maturation, dry matter and firmness in
      apple (Malus * domestica Borkh.).
AB  - For any given genotype, the environment in which an apple is grown can influence
      the properties of the fruit considerably. While there has been extensive research
      on the mechanism of the genetic control of fruit quality traits, less effort has
      been made to investigate the way that these genetic mechanisms interact with the
      environment. To address this issue, we employed a large 'Royal Gala' * 'Braeburn'
      population of 572 seedlings replicated over sites in three climatically diverse
      apple-growing regions in New Zealand. Phenotyping for traits including fruit
      maturation timing, firmness and dry matter content was performed at each of these
      three sites for a single growing season (2011), and at two sites (Motueka and
      Hawke's Bay) for two seasons (2009 and 2010). The phenotype data collected over 2
      years at two sites enabled the detection of 190 quantitative trait loci (QTL)
      that controlled these traits regardless of year or growing location, as well as
      some chromosomal loci that influenced the traits in a single given environment or
      year. For those loci that were environmentally stable over three sites, there was
      an interdependency of fruit maturation date, dry matter content and storage
      potential within this population, with two regions on Linkage Groups (LGs) 10 and
      16 strongly contributing. If these loci were used in a marker-assisted selection
      programme to select for progeny bearing firmer fruit, this would have the
      unintentional consequence of selecting, high dry matter content, later maturing
      apples. In addition, a further 113 new QTLs with a smaller effect were
      identified, some of which were exhibited only in a single growing environment,
      demonstrating the underlying complexity of control of traits determining fruit
      quality, in addition to the need for being aware of environmental effects when
      developing new apple varieties. 

PMID- 26504551
TI  - Transcriptome of Erysiphe necator-infected Vitis pseudoreticulata leaves provides
      insight into grapevine resistance to powdery mildew.
AB  - Powdery mildew (PM), which is caused by the pathogen Erysiphe necator (Schw.)
      Burr., is the single most damaging disease of cultivated grapes (Vitis vinifera)
      worldwide. However, little is known about the transcriptional response of grapes
      to infection with PM. RNA-seq analysis was used for deep sequencing of the leaf
      transcriptome to study PM resistance in Chinese wild grapes (V. pseudoreticulata
      Baihe 35-1) to better understand the interaction between host and pathogen.
      Greater than 100 million (M) 90-nt cDNA reads were sequenced from a cDNA library
      derived from PM-infected leaves. Among the sequences obtained, 6541 genes were
      differentially expressed (DEG) and were annotated with Gene Ontology terms and by
      pathway enrichment. The significant categories that were identified included the
      following: defense, salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) responses;
      systemic acquired resistance (SAR); hypersensitive response; plant-pathogen
      interaction; flavonoid biosynthesis; and plant hormone signal transduction.
      Various putative secretory proteins were identified, indicating potential defense
      responses to PM infection. In all, 318 putative R-genes and 183 putative secreted
      proteins were identified, including the defense-related R-genes BAK1, MRH1 and
      MLO3 and the defense-related secreted proteins GLP and PR5. The expression
      patterns of 16 genes were further illuminated by RT-qPCR. The present study
      identified several candidate genes and pathways that may contribute to PM
      resistance in grapes and illustrated that RNA-seq is a powerful tool for studying
      gene expression. The RT-qPCR results reveal that effective resistance responses
      of grapes to PM include enhancement of JA and SAR responses and accumulation of
      phytoalexins. 

PMID- 26504552
TI  - Transcriptional regulation of ethylene and jasmonate mediated defense response in
      apple (Malus domestica) root during Pythium ultimum infection.
AB  - Apple replant disease (ARD) is a significant economic restraint to the successful
      re-establishment of new apple orchards on sites previously planted to the same
      crop. Pythium ultimum, an oomycete, is a significant component of the ARD
      pathogen complex. Although ethylene (ET)- and jasmonic acid (JA)-mediated defense
      responses are intensively studied in the foliar pathosystem, the transferability
      of this knowledge to the interaction between a perennial root system and
      soilborne pathogens is unknown. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis
      that the ET/JA-mediated defense response is conserved in roots of tree crops in
      response to infection by P. ultimum. Apple genes with the annotated function of
      ET/JA biosynthesis, MdERF (ethylene response factor) for signaling transduction
      and a gene encoding a pathogenesis-related (PR) protein (beta-chitinase, the
      target of ERF) were identified from the apple genome sequences. The
      transcriptional profiles of these genes during P. ultimum infection and after
      exogenous ET and/or JA treatment were characterized using qRT-PCR. Several genes
      showed a 10- to 60-fold upregulation in apple root tissue 24-48 h post
      inoculation (hpi). Exogenous ET and JA treatment exhibited either a positive or
      negative influence on expression of ET or JA biosynthesis genes, depending upon
      gene isoforms and the tissue types, while the expression of MdERF and the PR
      protein encoding gene was upregulated by both ET and JA treatment. Our data are
      consistent with the hypothesis that ET/JA-mediated defense pathways are
      functional in the root system of perennial tree species defending soilborne
      pathogens. 

PMID- 26504553
TI  - Commonalities and differences between Brassica and Arabidopsis self
      incompatibility.
AB  - In higher plants, the self-incompatibility mechanism is important for inhibition
      of self-fertilization and facilitation of out-crossing. In Brassicaceae, the self
      incompatibility response is mediated by allele-specific interaction of the stigma
      localized S-locus receptor kinase (SRK) with the pollen coat-localized ligand
      (SCR/SP11). All self-incompatible Brassicaceae plants analyzed have been found to
      have the SRK and SCR/SP11 genes in the S-locus region. Although Arabidopsis
      thaliana is self-compatible, transformation with functional SRK-SCR genes from
      self-incompatible Arabidopsis species confers the self-incompatibility phenotype
      to A. thaliana. The allele-specific interaction between SRK and SCR activates the
      downstream signaling cascade of self-incompatibility. Yeast two-hybrid analysis
      with a kinase domain of SRK as bait and genetic analysis suggested several
      candidate components of self-incompatibility signaling in Brassica. Recently, A.
      thaliana genes orthologous to the identified genes for Brassica self
      incompatibility signaling were evaluated by using a self-incompatible transgenic
      A. thaliana plant and these orthologous genes were found not to be involved in
      self-incompatibility signaling in the transgenic A. thaliana. In this review, we
      describe common and different aspects of S-locus genomic regions and self
      incompatibility signaling between Brassica and Arabidopsis. 

PMID- 26504550
TI  - Temporal and spatial control of gene expression in horticultural crops.
AB  - Biotechnology provides plant breeders an additional tool to improve various
      traits desired by growers and consumers of horticultural crops. It also provides
      genetic solutions to major problems affecting horticultural crops and can be a
      means for rapid improvement of a cultivar. With the availability of a number of
      horticultural genome sequences, it has become relatively easier to utilize these
      resources to identify DNA sequences for both basic and applied research.
      Promoters play a key role in plant gene expression and the regulation of gene
      expression. In recent years, rapid progress has been made on the isolation and
      evaluation of plant-derived promoters and their use in horticultural crops, as
      more and more species become amenable to genetic transformation. Our
      understanding of the tools and techniques of horticultural plant biotechnology
      has now evolved from a discovery phase to an implementation phase. The
      availability of a large number of promoters derived from horticultural plants
      opens up the field for utilization of native sequences and improving crops using
      precision breeding. In this review, we look at the temporal and spatial control
      of gene expression in horticultural crops and the usage of a variety of promoters
      either isolated from horticultural crops or used in horticultural crop
      improvement. 

PMID- 26504554
TI  - Functional analysis of tomato calmodulin gene family during fruit development and
      ripening.
AB  - Calmodulin is a ubiquitous calcium sensor to recognize the different
      developmental and/or stimulus-triggered calcium changes and regulate plant growth
      and development. However, the function of calmodulin remains elusive for fleshy
      fruit development. We performed expression studies of a family of six calmodulin
      genes (SlCaMs) in tomato fruit. All calmodulins showed a double peak expression
      pattern. The first flat peak appeared at 10-30 days after anthesis, but their
      expression rapidly declined at mature green and breaker. Then a sharp and even
      higher peak came at turning/pink stages. Among six calmodulins, SlCaM1 had the
      highest expression during fruit enlargement, whereas SlCaM2 was the major
      calmodulin during fruit ripening. However, SlCaMs showed different patterns in
      three ripening mutants rin, Nor and Nr. In particular, at the stages
      corresponding to mature green and breaker, the expression levels of SlCaMs in
      those mutants were significantly higher than wild-type. Furthermore, SlCaMs,
      especially SlCaM2 were upregulated by ethylene. Transiently overexpressing SlCaM2
      in mature green fruit delayed ripening, while reducing SlCaM2 expression
      accelerated ripening. Our results suggest that SlCaMs play double roles to
      regulate fruit ripening. Prior to the ethylene burst, the ethylene-independent
      repression of SlCaMs might be critical for fruit to initiate the ripening
      process. After the ethylene burst, SlCaMs could participate in the ethylene
      coordinated rapid ripening. 

PMID- 26504556
TI  - Controlling plant architecture by manipulation of gibberellic acid signalling in
      petunia.
AB  - Since stem elongation is a gibberellic acid (GA) response, GA inhibitors are
      commonly used to control plant height in the production of potted ornamentals and
      bedding plants. In this study, we investigated interfering with GA signaling by
      using molecular techniques as an alternative approach. We isolated three putative
      GID1 genes (PhGID1A, PhGID1B and PhGID1C) encoding GA receptors from petunia.
      Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of these genes results in stunted growth,
      dark-green leaves and late-flowering. We also isolated the gai mutant gene (gai
      1) from Arabidopsis. We have generated transgenic petunia plants in which the gai
      mutant protein is over-expressed under the control of a dexamethasone-inducible
      promoter. This system permits induction of the dominant Arabidopsis gai mutant
      gene at a desired stage of plant development in petunia plants by the application
      of dexamethasone (Dex). The induction of gai in Dex-treated T1 petunia seedlings
      caused dramatic growth retardation with short internodes. 

PMID- 26504555
TI  - A molecular framework for seasonal growth-dormancy regulation in perennial
      plants.
AB  - The timing of the onset and release of dormancy impacts the survival,
      productivity and spatial distribution of temperate horticultural and forestry
      perennials and is mediated by at least three main regulatory programs involving
      signal perception and processing by phytochromes (PHYs) and PHY-interacting
      transcription factors (PIFs). PIF4 functions as a key regulator of plant growth
      in response to both external and internal signals. In poplar, the expression of
      PIF4 and PIF3-LIKE1 is upregulated in response to short days, while PHYA and PHYB
      are not regulated at the transcriptional level. Integration of light and
      environmental signals is achieved by gating the expression and transcriptional
      activity of PIF4. During this annual cycle, auxin promotes the degradation of
      Aux/IAA transcriptional repressors through the SKP-Cullin-F-boxTIR1 complex,
      relieving the repression of auxin-responsive genes by allowing auxin response
      factors (ARFs) to activate the transcription of auxin-responsive genes involved
      in growth responses. Analyses of transcriptome changes during dormancy
      transitions have identified MADS-box transcription factors associated with
      endodormancy induction. Previous studies show that poplar dormancy-associated
      MADS-box (DAM) genes PtMADS7 and PtMADS21 are differentially regulated during the
      growth-dormancy cycle. Endodormancy may be regulated by internal factors, which
      are specifically localized in buds. PtMADS7/PtMADS21 may function as an internal
      regulator in poplar. The control of flowering time shares certain regulatory
      hierarchies with control of the dormancy/growth cycle. However, the
      particularities of different stages of the dormancy/growth cycle warrant
      comprehensive approaches to identify the causative genes for the entire cycle. A
      growing body of knowledge also indicates epigenetic regulation plays a role in
      these processes in perennial horticultural and forestry plants. The increased
      knowledge contributes to better understanding of the dormancy process and
      consequently to precise manipulation of dormancy-related horticultural traits,
      such as flowering time. 

PMID- 26504557
TI  - BcRISP1, isolated from non-heading Chinese cabbage, decreases the seed set of
      transgenic Arabidopsis.
AB  - Mitochondria are the energy sources of plant cells and are involved in regulating
      cell development. Ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase iron-sulfur protein, which is
      necessary for mitochondrial respiration, is a subunit of mitochondrial electron
      transport chain multimeric enzyme complexes. To better understand the biological
      function of the ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase iron-sulfur protein, the full
      length cDNA of BcRISP1 was cloned; it was found to contain 810 base pairs and
      encode 269 amino acids. Unusually, high expression of the BcRISP1 gene in the
      archesporial cell stages was determined by quantitative reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis of cytoplasmic male sterile lines
      and maintainer lines. The seed set was affected by the overexpression of BcRISP1,
      and shorter siliques with lower seed sets were observed in 35S::BcRISP1
      Arabidopsis plants. These characteristics may have resulted from the reduced
      formation of pollen and impaired pollen tube growth. qRT-PCR results revealed
      that in 35S::BcRISP1 plants, the expression levels of the mitochondrial
      respiratory chain-related genes, COX10 and RIP1, were enhanced, whereas the
      expression levels of QCR7 and SDH2-1 were reduced. This result implies that
      overexpression of BcRISP1 in transgenic Arabidopsis plants may disrupt the
      mitochondrial electron transport chain by affecting the expression of
      mitochondrial respiratory chain-related genes and therefore, reducing the seed
      set. 

PMID- 26504558
TI  - The inheritance of resistance to bacterial leaf spot of lettuce caused by
      Xanthomonas campestris pv. vitians in three lettuce cultivars.
AB  - Lettuce yields can be reduced by the disease bacterial leaf spot (BLS) caused by
      the pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. vitians (Xcv) and host resistance is the
      most feasible method to reduce disease losses. The cultivars La Brillante, Pavane
      and Little Gem express an incompatible host-pathogen interaction as a
      hypersensitive response (HR) to California strains of Xcv resulting in
      resistance. Little was known about the inheritance of resistance; however,
      resistance to other lettuce pathogens is often determined by resistance gene
      candidates (RGCs) encoding nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR)
      proteins. Therefore, we determined the inheritance of BLS resistance in the
      cultivars La Brillante, Little Gem and Pavane and mapped it relative to RGCs. The
      reaction to Xcv was analyzed in nine F1, F2 and recombinant inbred line
      populations of lettuce from HR*compatible or HR*HR crosses. The HR in La
      Brillante, Pavane and Little Gem is conditioned by single dominant genes, which
      are either allelic or closely linked genes. The resistance gene in La Brillante
      was designated Xanthomonas resistance 1 (Xar1) and mapped to lettuce linkage
      group 2. Xar1 is present in a genomic region that contains numerous NB-LRR
      encoding RGCs and functional pathogen resistance loci in the RGC2 family. The
      Xar1 gene confers a high level of BLS resistance in the greenhouse and field that
      can be introgressed into commercial lettuce cultivars to reduce BLS losses using
      molecular markers. 

PMID- 26504559
TI  - Developing single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers from transcriptome
      sequences for identification of longan (Dimocarpus longan) germplasm.
AB  - Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) is an important tropical fruit tree crop.
      Accurate varietal identification is essential for germplasm management and
      breeding. Using longan transcriptome sequences from public databases, we
      developed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers; validated 60 SNPs in 50
      longan germplasm accessions, including cultivated varieties and wild germplasm;
      and designated 25 SNP markers that unambiguously identified all tested longan
      varieties with high statistical rigor (P<0.0001). Multiple trees from the same
      clone were verified and off-type trees were identified. Diversity analysis
      revealed genetic relationships among analyzed accessions. Cultivated varieties
      differed significantly from wild populations (F st=0.300; P<0.001), demonstrating
      untapped genetic diversity for germplasm conservation and utilization. Within
      cultivated varieties, apparent differences between varieties from China and those
      from Thailand and Hawaii indicated geographic patterns of genetic
      differentiation. These SNP markers provide a powerful tool to manage longan
      genetic resources and breeding, with accurate and efficient genotype
      identification. 

PMID- 26504560
TI  - State of the science and challenges of breeding landscape plants with ecological
      function.
AB  - Exotic plants dominate esthetically-managed landscapes, which cover 30-40 million
      hectares in the United States alone. Recent ecological studies have found that
      landscaping with exotic plant species can reduce biodiversity on multiple trophic
      levels. To support biodiversity in urbanized areas, the increased use of native
      landscaping plants has been advocated by conservation groups and US federal and
      state agencies. A major challenge to scaling up the use of native species in
      landscaping is providing ornamental plants that are both ecologically functional
      and economically viable. Depending on ecological and economic constraints,
      accelerated breeding approaches could be applied to ornamental trait development
      in native plants. This review examines the impact of landscaping choices on
      biodiversity, the current status of breeding and selection of native ornamental
      plants, and the interdisciplinary research needed to scale up landscaping plants
      that can support native biodiversity. 

PMID- 26504561
TI  - An acorn squash (Cucurbita pepo ssp. ovifera) fruit and seed transcriptome as a
      resource for the study of fruit traits in Cucurbita.
AB  - Acorn squash (Cucurbita pepo) is an iconic fall vegetable in the United States,
      known for its unique fruit shape and also prized for its culinary properties.
      Little is known about the metabolism that underlies the development of fruit
      quality attributes such as color, sweetness, texture and nutritional qualities in
      acorn squash, or any other winter squash grown worldwide. To provide insight into
      winter squash fruit and seed development and add to the genomic resources in the
      Cucurbita genus, RNA sequencing was used to generate an acorn squash fruit and
      seed transcriptome from the cultivar Sweet REBA at critical points throughout
      fruit development. 141 838 600 high-quality paired-end Illumina reads were
      assembled into 55 949 unigenes. 85% of unigenes with predicted open reading
      frames had homology with previously identified genes and over 62% could be
      functionally annotated. Comparison with the watermelon and cucumber genomes
      provided confirmation that the unigenes are full-length and comprehensive,
      covering an average of 90% of the coding sequence of their homologs and 72% of
      the cucumber and watermelon exomes. Key candidate genes associated with
      carotenoid and carbohydrate metabolism were identified toward a resource for
      winter squash fruit quality trait dissection. This transcriptome represents a
      major advance in C. pepo genomics, providing significant new sequence information
      and revealing the repertoire of genes expressed throughout winter squash fruit
      and seed development. Future studies on the genetic basis of fruit quality and
      future breeding efforts will be enhanced by tools and insights developed from
      this resource. 

PMID- 26504562
TI  - Two quantitative trait loci, Dw1 and Dw2, are primarily responsible for rootstock
      induced dwarfing in apple.
AB  - The apple dwarfing rootstock 'Malling9' ('M9') has been used worldwide both to
      reduce scion vigour and as a genetic source for breeding new rootstocks. Progeny
      of 'M9' segregate for rootstock-induced dwarfing of the scion, indicating that
      this trait is controlled by one or more genetic factors. A quantitative trait
      locus (QTL) analysis of a rootstock population derived from the cross between
      'M9' * 'Robusta5' (non-dwarfing) and grafted with 'Braeburn' scions identified a
      major QTL (Dw1) on linkage group (LG) 5, which exhibits a significant influence
      on dwarfing of the scion. A smaller-effect QTL affecting dwarfing (Dw2) was
      identified on LG11, and four minor-effect QTLs were found on LG6, LG9, LG10 and
      LG12. Phenotypic analysis indicates that the combination of Dw1 and Dw2 has the
      strongest influence on rootstock-induced dwarfing, and that Dw1 has a stronger
      effect than Dw2. Genetic markers linked to Dw1 and Dw2 were screened over 41
      rootstock accessions that confer a range of effects on scion growth. The majority
      of the dwarfing and semi-dwarfing rootstock accessions screened carried marker
      alleles linked to Dw1 and Dw2. This suggests that most apple dwarfing rootstocks
      have been derived from the same genetic source. 

PMID- 26504563
TI  - Assessing temporal flux of plant hormones in stored processing potatoes using
      high definition accurate mass spectrometry.
AB  - Plant hormones are important molecules which at low concentration can regulate
      various physiological processes. Mass spectrometry has become a powerful
      technique for the quantification of multiple classes of plant hormones because of
      its high sensitivity and selectivity. We developed a new ultrahigh pressure
      liquid chromatography-full-scan high-definition accurate mass spectrometry
      method, for simultaneous determination of abscisic acid and four metabolites
      phaseic acid, dihydrophaseic acid, 7'-hydroxy-abscisic acid and abscisic acid
      glucose ester, cytokinins zeatin, zeatin riboside, gibberellins (GA1, GA3, GA4
      and GA7) and indole-3-acetyl-L-aspartic acid. We measured the amount of plant
      hormones in the flesh and skin of two processing potato cvs. Sylvana and Russet
      Burbank stored for up to 30 weeks at 6  degrees C under ambient air conditions.
      Herein, we report for the first time that abscisic acid glucose ester seems to
      accumulate in the skin of potato tubers throughout storage time. The method
      achieved a lowest limit of detection of 0.22 ng g(-1) of dry weight and a limit
      of quantification of 0.74 ng g(-1) dry weight (zeatin riboside), and was able to
      recover, detect and quantify a total of 12 plant hormones spiked on flesh and
      skin of potato tubers. In addition, the mass accuracy for all compounds (<5 ppm)
      was evaluated. 

PMID- 26504564
TI  - A dual positional specific lipoxygenase functions in the generation of flavor
      compounds during climacteric ripening of apple.
AB  - Lipoxygenase (LOX) is an important contributor to the formation of aroma-active
      C6 aldehydes in apple (Malus * domestica) fruit upon tissue disruption but little
      is known about its role in autonomously produced aroma volatiles from intact
      tissue. We explored the expression of 22 putative LOX genes in apple throughout
      ripening, but only six LOXs were expressed in a ripening-dependent manner.
      Recombinant LOX1:Md:1a, LOX1:Md:1c, LOX2:Md:2a and LOX2:Md:2b proteins showed
      13/9-LOX, 9-LOX, 13/9-LOX and 13-LOX activity with linoleic acid, respectively.
      While products of LOX1:Md:1c and LOX2:Md:2b were S-configured, LOX1:Md:1a and
      LOX2:Md:2a formed 13(R)-hydroperoxides as major products. Site-directed
      mutagenesis of Gly567 to an alanine converted the dual positional specific
      LOX1:Md:1a to an enzyme with a high specificity for 9(S)-hydroperoxide formation.
      The high expression level of the corresponding MdLOX1a gene in stored apple
      fruit, the genetic association with a quantitative trait locus for fruit ester
      and the remarkable agreement in regio- and stereoselectivity of the LOX1:Md:1a
      reaction with the overall LOX activity found in mature apple fruits, suggest a
      major physiological function of LOX1:Md:1a during climacteric ripening of apples.
      While LOX1:Md:1c, LOX2:Md:2a and LOX2:Md:2b may contribute to aldehyde production
      in immature fruit upon cell disruption our results furnish additional evidence
      that LOX1:Md:1a probably regulates the availability of precursors for ester
      production in intact fruit tissue. 

PMID- 26504565
TI  - Mapping QTL associated with Verticillium dahliae resistance in the cultivated
      strawberry (Fragaria * ananassa).
AB  - A biparental cross of octoploid strawberry segregating for resistance to
      Verticillium dahliae, the causative agent of Verticillium wilt, was screened
      under field conditions for three seasons. Average wilt scores were significantly
      associated with multiple QTL, which were mostly significant across all years.
      Markers significantly associated with the traits were used to screen material
      with known wilt resistance and susceptibility phenotypes. A clear and
      statistically significant relationship was observed between resistant, tolerant
      and susceptible material and the total number of markers present in the different
      resistance classes. In field situations resistance QTL appear to behave in an
      additive manner. These markers are abundant in the cultivated strawberry
      germplasm indicating that, despite the large number of markers, clear genetic
      gain is possible through marker-assisted breeding. 

PMID- 26504566
TI  - Relationship between gene expression and the accumulation of catechin during
      spring and autumn in tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.).
AB  - The tea plant (Camellia sinensis L.) is an important commercial crop with
      remarkably high catechin concentrations. Tea is popular worldwide given the
      plant's health benefits. Catechins are the main astringent substance in tea and
      are synthesized mainly via the phenylpropanoid pathway. In this study, eight
      cultivars of tea plants harvested both in spring and autumn were used to
      investigate differences in catechin concentrations by using high-performance
      liquid chromatography. The expression levels of genes associated with catechin
      biosynthesis were investigated using reverse transcription-quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction. The results indicated that the total catechin (TC)
      concentrations were significantly higher in tea plants harvested in autumn than
      in those harvested in spring, based on higher concentrations of epigallocatechin
      (EGC) in autumn tea (P<0.01). The expression of the genes phenylalanine ammonia
      lyase (PAL), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase (F3'5'H),
      dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR), and anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) is closely
      related to the TC content of tea plants in both spring and autumn. Positive
      correlations between PAL, cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H), F3H, and DFR expression
      and EGC accumulation in autumn tea were identified, with correlation coefficients
      of 0.710, 0.763, 0.884, and 0.707, respectively. A negative correlation between
      ANS expression level and EGC concentrations in tea plants harvested in spring was
      noted (r=-0.732). Additionally, negative correlations between F3H and ANS
      expression levels and the catechin content were identified in spring tea, whereas
      the correlations were positive in autumn tea. Significant differences in the F3H
      and ANS expression levels between spring and autumn tea indicate that F3H and ANS
      are potentially key genes affecting catechin accumulation in tea plants. 

PMID- 26504568
TI  - Overexpression of an ABA biosynthesis gene using a stress-inducible promoter
      enhances drought resistance in petunia.
AB  - The response of plants to drought stress includes reduced transpiration as
      stomates close in response to increased abscisic acid (ABA) concentrations.
      Constitutive overexpression of 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED), a key
      enzyme in ABA biosynthesis, increases drought resistance, but causes negative
      pleiotropic effects on plant growth and development. We overexpressed the tomato
      NCED (LeNCED1) in petunia plants under the control of a stress-inducible
      promoter, rd29A. Under water stress, the transgenic plants had increased
      transcripts of NCED mRNA, elevated leaf ABA concentrations, increased
      concentrations of proline, and a significant increase in drought resistance. The
      transgenic plants also displayed the expected decreases in stomatal conductance,
      transpiration, and photosynthesis. After 14 days without water, the control
      plants were dead, but the transgenic plants, though wilted, recovered fully when
      re-watered. Well-watered transgenic plants grew like non-transformed control
      plants and there was no effect of the transgene on seed dormancy. 

PMID- 26504567
TI  - Water limitation and rootstock genotype interact to alter grape berry metabolism
      through transcriptome reprogramming.
AB  - Grapevine is a perennial crop often cultivated by grafting a scion cultivar on a
      suitable rootstock. Rootstocks influence scions, particularly with regard to
      water uptake and vigor. Therefore, one of the possibilities to adapt viticulture
      to the extended drought stress periods is to select rootstocks conferring
      increased tolerance to drought. However, the molecular mechanisms associated with
      the ability of rootstock/scion combination to influence grape berry metabolism
      under drought stress are still poorly understood. The transcriptomic changes
      induced by drought stress in grape berries (cv. Pinot noir) from vines grafted on
      either 110R (drought-tolerant) or 125AA (drought-sensitive) rootstock were
      compared. The experiments were conducted in the vineyard for two years and two
      grape berry developmental stages (50% and 100% veraison). The genome-wide
      microarray approach showed that water stress strongly impacts gene expression in
      the berries, through ontology categories that cover cell wall metabolism, primary
      and secondary metabolism, signaling, stress, and hormones, and that some of these
      effects strongly depend on the rootstock genotype. Indeed, under drought stress,
      berries from vines grafted on 110R displayed a different transcriptional response
      compared to 125AA-concerning genes related to jasmonate (JA), phenylpropanoid
      metabolism, and pathogenesis-related proteins. The data also suggest a link
      between JA and secondary metabolism in water-stressed berries. Overall, genes
      related to secondary metabolism and JA are more induced and/or less repressed by
      drought stress in the berries grafted on the drought-sensitive rootstock 125AA.
      These rootstock-dependent gene expression changes are relevant for berry
      composition and sensory properties. 

PMID- 26504569
TI  - High-density mapping suggests cytoplasmic male sterility with two restorer genes
      in almond * peach progenies.
AB  - Peach (Prunus persica) and almond (Prunus dulcis) are two sexually compatible
      species that produce fertile offspring. Almond, a highly polymorphic species, is
      a potential source of new genes for peach that has a strongly eroded gene pool.
      Here we describe the genetics of a male sterile phenotype that segregated in two
      almond ('Texas') * peach ('Earlygold') progenies: an F2 (T*E) and a backcross one
      (T1E) to the 'Earlygold' parent. High-density maps were developed using a 9k
      peach SNP chip and 135 simple-sequence repeats. Three highly syntenic and
      collinear maps were obtained: one for the F2 (T*E) and two for the backcross, T1E
      (for the hybrid) and E (for 'Earlygold'). A major reduction of recombination was
      observed in the interspecific maps (T*E and T1E) compared to the intraspecific
      parent (E). The E map also had extensive monomorphic genomic regions suggesting
      the presence of large DNA fragments identical by descent. Our data for the male
      sterility character were consistent with the existence of cytoplasmic male
      sterility, where individuals having the almond cytoplasm required the almond
      allele in at least one of two independent restorer genes, Rf1 and Rf2, to be
      fertile. The restorer genes were located in a 3.4 Mbp fragment of linkage group 2
      (Rf1) and 1.4 Mbp of linkage group 6 (Rf2). Both fragments contained several
      genes coding for pentatricopeptide proteins, demonstrated to be responsible for
      restoring fertility in other species. The implications of these results for using
      almond as a source of novel variability in peach are discussed. 

PMID- 26504570
TI  - Genome-editing technologies and their potential application in horticultural crop
      breeding.
AB  - Plant breeding, one of the oldest agricultural activities, parallels human
      civilization. Many crops have been domesticated to satisfy human's food and
      aesthetical needs, including numerous specialty horticultural crops such as
      fruits, vegetables, ornamental flowers, shrubs, and trees. Crop varieties
      originated through selection during early human civilization. Other technologies,
      such as various forms of hybridization, mutation, and transgenics, have also been
      invented and applied to crop breeding over the past centuries. The progress made
      in these breeding technologies, especially the modern biotechnology-based
      breeding technologies, has had a great impact on crop breeding as well as on our
      lives. Here, we first review the developmental process and applications of these
      technologies in horticultural crop breeding. Then, we mainly describe the
      principles of the latest genome-editing technologies and discuss their potential
      applications in the genetic improvement of horticultural crops. The advantages
      and challenges of genome-editing technologies in horticultural crop breeding are
      also discussed. 

PMID- 26504571
TI  - Current understanding of grapevine defense mechanisms against the biotrophic
      fungus (Erysiphe necator), the causal agent of powdery mildew disease.
AB  - The most economically important disease of cultivated grapevines worldwide is
      powdery mildew (PM) caused by the ascomycete fungus Erysiphe necator. The
      majority of grapevine cultivars used for wine, table grape, and dried fruit
      production are derived from the Eurasian grape species Vitis vinifera because of
      its superior aroma and flavor characteristics. However, this species has little
      genetic resistance against E. necator meaning that grape production is highly
      dependent on the frequent use of fungicides. The integration of effective genetic
      resistance into cultivated grapevines would lead to significant financial and
      environmental benefits and represents a major challenge for viticultural
      industries and researchers worldwide. This review will outline the strategies
      being used to increase our understanding of the molecular basis of V. vinifera
      susceptibility to this fungal pathogen. It will summarize our current knowledge
      of different resistance loci/genes that have evolved in wild grapevine species to
      restrict PM infection and assess the potential application of these defense genes
      in the generation of PM-resistant grapevine germplasm. Finally, it addresses
      future research priorities which will be important in the rapid identification,
      evaluation, and deployment of new PM resistance genes which are capable of
      conferring effective and durable resistance in the vineyard. 

PMID- 26504572
TI  - Amplicon-based metagenomics identified candidate organisms in soils that caused
      yield decline in strawberry.
AB  - A phenomenon of yield decline due to weak plant growth in strawberry was recently
      observed in non-chemo-fumigated soils, which was not associated with the soil
      fungal pathogen Verticillium dahliae, the main target of fumigation. Amplicon
      based metagenomics was used to profile soil microbiota in order to identify
      microbial organisms that may have caused the yield decline. A total of 36 soil
      samples were obtained in 2013 and 2014 from four sites for metagenomic studies;
      two of the four sites had a yield-decline problem, the other two did not. More
      than 2000 fungal or bacterial operational taxonomy units (OTUs) were found in
      these samples. Relative abundance of individual OTUs was statistically compared
      for differences between samples from sites with or without yield decline. A total
      of 721 individual comparisons were statistically significant - involving 366
      unique bacterial and 44 unique fungal OTUs. Based on further selection criteria,
      we focused on 34 bacterial and 17 fungal OTUs and found that yield decline
      resulted probably from one or more of the following four factors: (1) low
      abundance of Bacillus and Pseudomonas populations, which are well known for their
      ability of supressing pathogen development and/or promoting plant growth; (2)
      lack of the nematophagous fungus (Paecilomyces species); (3) a high level of two
      non-specific fungal root rot pathogens; and (4) wet soil conditions. This study
      demonstrated the usefulness of an amplicon-based metagenomics approach to profile
      soil microbiota and to detect differential abundance in microbes. 

PMID- 26504573
TI  - Construction of citrus gene coexpression networks from microarray data using
      random matrix theory.
AB  - After the sequencing of citrus genomes, gene function annotation is becoming a
      new challenge. Gene coexpression analysis can be employed for function annotation
      using publicly available microarray data sets. In this study, 230 sweet orange
      (Citrus sinensis) microarrays were used to construct seven coexpression networks,
      including one condition-independent and six condition-dependent (Citrus canker,
      Huanglongbing, leaves, flavedo, albedo, and flesh) networks. In total, these
      networks contain 37 633 edges among 6256 nodes (genes), which accounts for 52.11%
      measurable genes of the citrus microarray. Then, these networks were partitioned
      into functional modules using the Markov Cluster Algorithm. Significantly
      enriched Gene Ontology biological process terms and KEGG pathway terms were
      detected for 343 and 60 modules, respectively. Finally, independent verification
      of these networks was performed using another expression data of 371 genes. This
      study provides new targets for further functional analyses in citrus. 

PMID- 26504574
TI  - Morphological characteristics, anatomical structure, and gene expression: novel
      insights into gibberellin biosynthesis and perception during carrot growth and
      development.
AB  - Gibberellins (GAs) are considered potentially important regulators of cell
      elongation and expansion in plants. Carrot undergoes significant alteration in
      organ size during its growth and development. However, the molecular mechanisms
      underlying gibberellin accumulation and perception during carrot growth and
      development remain unclear. In this study, five stages of carrot growth and
      development were investigated using morphological and anatomical structural
      techniques. Gibberellin levels in leaf, petiole, and taproot tissues were also
      investigated for all five stages. Gibberellin levels in the roots initially
      increased and then decreased, but these levels were lower than those in the
      petioles and leaves. Genes involved in gibberellin biosynthesis and signaling
      were identified from the carrotDB, and their expression was analyzed. All of the
      genes were evidently responsive to carrot growth and development, and some of
      them showed tissue-specific expression. The results suggested that gibberellin
      level may play a vital role in carrot elongation and expansion. The relative
      transcription levels of gibberellin pathway-related genes may be the main cause
      of the different bioactive GAs levels, thus exerting influences on gibberellin
      perception and signals. Carrot growth and development may be regulated by
      modification of the genes involved in gibberellin biosynthesis, catabolism, and
      perception. 

PMID- 26504575
TI  - Diversity in global gene expression and morphology across a watercress
      (Nasturtium officinale R. Br.) germplasm collection: first steps to breeding.
AB  - Watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. Br.) is a nutrient intense, leafy crop that
      is consumed raw or in soups across the globe, but for which, currently no genomic
      resources or breeding programme exists. Promising morphological, biochemical and
      functional genomic variation was identified for the first time in a newly
      established watercress germplasm collection, consisting of 48 watercress
      accessions sourced from contrasting global locations. Stem length, stem diameter
      and anti-oxidant (AO) potential varied across the accessions. This variation was
      used to identify three extreme contrasting accessions for further analysis.
      Variation in global gene expression was investigated using an Affymetrix
      Arabidopsis ATH1 microarray gene chip, using the commercial control (C), an
      accession selected for dwarf phenotype with a high AO potential (dwarfAO, called
      'Boldrewood') and one with high AO potential alone. A set of transcripts
      significantly differentially expressed between these three accessions, were
      identified, including transcripts involved in the regulation of growth and
      development and those involved in secondary metabolism. In particular, when
      differential gene expression was compared between C and dwarfAO, the dwarfAO was
      characterised by increased expression of genes encoding glucosinolates, which are
      known precursors of phenethyl isothiocyanate, linked to the anti-carcinogenic
      effects well-documented in watercress. This study provides the first analysis of
      natural variation across the watercress genome and has identified important
      underpinning information for future breeding for enhanced anti-carcinogenic
      properties and morphology traits in this nutrient-intense crop. 

PMID- 26504576
TI  - Subfunctionalization of cation/proton antiporter 1 genes in grapevine in response
      to salt stress in different organs.
AB  - Cation/proton antiporter 1 (CPA1) proteins function as regulators of monovalent
      ions, pH homeostasis, and other developmental processes in plants. Better
      understanding of the expression and regulation of CPA1 in plant responses to
      salinity would help the development of scientific practices in crops worldwide.
      In this report, we characterized all seven CPA1 family genes in grapevine (Vitis
      vinifera) in response to short-term osmotic and NaCl stresses. We found that two
      of the seven genes have subfunctionalized to be differentially expressed in
      response to NaCl stress in the early stage in different organs, whereas the other
      five members seem to play little or no role in this response. Specifically,
      VIT_19s0090g01480 may control Na(+) compartmentalization in grapevine roots; and
      VIT_05s0020g01960 may influence Na(+) transfer in stems. Based on the dynamics of
      ion concentrations, electrolyte leakage rates, and CPA1 gene expression in root,
      stem, and leaf tissues under osmotic and NaCl stresses, we suggest how grapevine
      responds physiologically and molecularly to the osmotic and ion toxicity of NaCl
      stress in the short term. This work lays a foundation for future research on the
      CPA1 gene family regarding its evolutionary history and biological functions for
      modulating salt responses in grapevine. 

PMID- 26504577
TI  - Transcriptomic analysis reveals numerous diverse protein kinases and
      transcription factors involved in desiccation tolerance in the resurrection plant
      Myrothamnus flabellifolia.
AB  - The woody resurrection plant Myrothamnus flabellifolia has remarkable tolerance
      to desiccation. Pyro-sequencing technology permitted us to analyze the
      transcriptome of M. flabellifolia during both dehydration and rehydration. We
      identified a total of 8287 and 8542 differentially transcribed genes during
      dehydration and rehydration treatments respectively. Approximately 295
      transcription factors (TFs) and 484 protein kinases (PKs) were up- or down
      regulated in response to desiccation stress. Among these, the transcript levels
      of 53 TFs and 91 PKs increased rapidly and peaked early during dehydration. These
      regulators transduce signal cascades of molecular pathways, including the up
      regulation of ABA-dependent and independent drought stress pathways and the
      activation of protective mechanisms for coping with oxidative damage. Antioxidant
      systems are up-regulated, and the photosynthetic system is modified to reduce ROS
      generation. Secondary metabolism may participate in the desiccation tolerance of
      M. flabellifolia as indicated by increases in transcript abundance of genes
      involved in isopentenyl diphosphate biosynthesis. Up-regulation of genes encoding
      late embryogenesis abundant proteins and sucrose phosphate synthase is also
      associated with increased tolerance to desiccation. During rehydration, the
      transcriptome is also enriched in transcripts of genes encoding TFs and PKs, as
      well as genes involved in photosynthesis, and protein synthesis. The data
      reported here contribute comprehensive insights into the molecular mechanisms of
      desiccation tolerance in M. flabellifolia. 

PMID- 26504578
TI  - Carotenoid metabolism and regulation in horticultural crops.
AB  - Carotenoids are a diverse group of pigments widely distributed in nature. The
      vivid yellow, orange, and red colors of many horticultural crops are attributed
      to the overaccumulation of carotenoids, which contribute to a critical agronomic
      trait for flowers and an important quality trait for fruits and vegetables. Not
      only do carotenoids give horticultural crops their visual appeal, they also
      enhance nutritional value and health benefits for humans. As a result, carotenoid
      research in horticultural crops has grown exponentially over the last decade.
      These investigations have advanced our fundamental understanding of carotenoid
      metabolism and regulation in plants. In this review, we provide an overview of
      carotenoid biosynthesis, degradation, and accumulation in horticultural crops and
      highlight recent achievements in our understanding of carotenoid metabolic
      regulation in vegetables, fruits, and flowers. 

PMID- 26504579
TI  - Comparative transcriptomics of Central Asian Vitis vinifera accessions reveals
      distinct defense strategies against powdery mildew.
AB  - Grape powdery mildew (PM), caused by the biotrophic ascomycete Erysiphe necator,
      is a devastating fungal disease that affects most Vitis vinifera cultivars. We
      have previously identified a panel of V. vinifera accessions from Central Asia
      with partial resistance to PM that possess a Ren1-like local haplotype. In this
      study, we show that in addition to the typical Ren1-associated late post
      penetration resistance, these accessions display a range of different levels of
      disease development suggesting that alternative alleles or additional genes
      contribute to determining the outcome of the interaction with the pathogen. To
      identify potential Ren1-dependent transcriptional responses and functions
      associated with the different levels of resistance, we sequenced and analyzed the
      transcriptomes of these Central Asian accessions at two time points of PM
      infection. Transcriptomes were compared to identify constitutive differences and
      PM-inducible responses that may underlie their disease resistant phenotype.
      Responses to E. necator in all resistant accessions were characterized by an
      early up-regulation of 13 genes, most encoding putative defense functions, and a
      late down-regulation of 32 genes, enriched in transcriptional regulators and
      protein kinases. Potential Ren1-dependent responses included a hotspot of co
      regulated genes on chromosome 18. We also identified 81 genes whose expression
      levels and dynamics correlated with the phenotypic differences between the most
      resistant accessions 'Karadzhandahal', DVIT3351.27, and O34-16 and the other
      genotypes. This study provides a first exploration of the functions associated
      with varying levels of partial resistance to PM in V. vinifera accessions that
      can be exploited as sources of genetic resistance in grape breeding programs. 

PMID- 26504580
TI  - Ethylene resistance in flowering ornamental plants - improvements and future
      perspectives.
AB  - Various strategies of plant breeding have been attempted in order to improve the
      ethylene resistance of flowering ornamental plants. These approaches span from
      conventional techniques such as simple cross-pollination to new breeding
      techniques which modify the plants genetically such as precise genome-editing.
      The main strategies target the ethylene pathway directly; others focus on
      changing the ethylene pathway indirectly via pathways that are known to be
      antagonistic to the ethylene pathway, e.g. increasing cytokinin levels. Many of
      the known elements of the ethylene pathway have been addressed experimentally
      with the aim of modulating the overall response of the plant to ethylene.
      Elements of the ethylene pathway that appear particularly promising in this
      respect include ethylene receptors as ETR1, and transcription factors such as
      EIN3. Both direct and indirect approaches seem to be successful, nevertheless,
      although genetic transformation using recombinant DNA has the ability to save
      much time in the breeding process, they are not readily used by breeders yet.
      This is primarily due to legislative issues, economic issues, difficulties of
      implementing this technology in some ornamental plants, as well as how these
      techniques are publically perceived, particularly in Europe. Recently, newer and
      more precise genome-editing techniques have become available and they are already
      being implemented in some crops. New breeding techniques may help change the
      current situation and pave the way toward a legal and public acceptance if
      products of these technologies are indistinguishable from plants obtained by
      conventional techniques. 

PMID- 26504581
TI  - Rapid screening for citrus canker resistance employing pathogen-associated
      molecular pattern-triggered immunity responses.
AB  - Citrus canker, caused by the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri
      (Xcc), has been attributed to millions of dollars in loss or damage to commercial
      citrus crops in subtropical production areas of the world. Since identification
      of resistant plants is one of the most effective methods of disease management,
      the ability to screen for resistant seedlings plays a key role in the production
      of a long-term solution to canker. Here, an inverse correlation between reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) production by the plant and the ability of Xcc to grow and
      form lesions on infected plants is reported. Based on this information, a novel
      screening method that can rapidly identify citrus seedlings that are less
      susceptible to early infection by Xcc was devised by measuring ROS accumulation
      triggered by a 22-amino acid sequence of the conserved N-terminal part of
      flagellin (flg22) from X. citri ssp. citri (Xcc-flg22). In addition to limiting
      disease symptoms, ROS production was also correlated with the expression of basal
      defense-related genes such as the pattern recognition receptors LRR8 and FLS2,
      the leucine-rich repeat receptor-like protein RLP12, and the defense-related gene
      PR1, indicating an important role for pathogen-associated molecular pattern
      triggered immunity (PTI) in determining resistance to citrus canker. Moreover,
      the differential expression patterns observed amongst the citrus seedlings
      demonstrated the existence of genetic variations in the PTI response among citrus
      species/varieties. 

PMID- 26504582
TI  - Redox proteomics of tomato in response to Pseudomonas syringae infection.
AB  - Unlike mammals with adaptive immunity, plants rely on their innate immunity based
      on pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI) for
      pathogen defense. Reactive oxygen species, known to play crucial roles in PTI and
      ETI, can perturb cellular redox homeostasis and lead to changes of redox
      sensitive proteins through modification of cysteine sulfhydryl groups. Although
      redox regulation of protein functions has emerged as an important mechanism in
      several biological processes, little is known about redox proteins and how they
      function in PTI and ETI. In this study, cysTMT proteomics technology was used to
      identify similarities and differences of protein redox modifications in tomato
      resistant (PtoR) and susceptible (prf3) genotypes in response to Pseudomonas
      syringae pv tomato (Pst) infection. In addition, the results of the redox changes
      were compared and corrected with the protein level changes. A total of 90
      potential redox-regulated proteins were identified with functions in carbohydrate
      and energy metabolism, biosynthesis of cysteine, sucrose and brassinosteroid,
      cell wall biogenesis, polysaccharide/starch biosynthesis, cuticle development,
      lipid metabolism, proteolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, protein targeting to
      vacuole, and oxidation-reduction. This inventory of previously unknown protein
      redox switches in tomato pathogen defense lays a foundation for future research
      toward understanding the biological significance of protein redox modifications
      in plant defense responses. 

PMID- 26504583
TI  - Metabolic changes upon flower bud break in Japanese apricot are enhanced by
      exogenous GA4.
AB  - Gibberellin (GA4) has a significant effect on promoting dormancy release in
      flower buds of Japanese apricot (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc). The transcriptomic
      and proteomic changes that occur after GA4 treatment have been reported
      previously; however, the metabolic changes brought about by GA4 remain unknown.
      The present study was undertaken to assess changes in metabolites in response to
      GA4 treatment, as determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and
      principal component analysis. Fifty-five metabolites that exhibited more than two
      fold differences in abundance (P < 0.05) between samples collected over time
      after a given treatment or between samples exposed to different treatments were
      studied further. These metabolites were categorized into six main groups: amino
      acids and their isoforms (10), amino acid derivatives (7), sugars and polyols
      (14), organic acids (12), fatty acids (4), and others (8). All of these groups
      are involved in various metabolic pathways, in particular galactose metabolism,
      glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, and starch and sucrose metabolism. These
      results suggested that energy metabolism is important at the metabolic level in
      dormancy release following GA4 treatment. We also found that more than 10-fold
      differences in abundance were observed for many metabolites, including sucrose,
      proline, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid, which might play important roles
      during the dormancy process. The current research extends our understanding of
      the mechanisms involved in budburst and dormancy release in response to GA4 and
      provides a theoretical basis for applying GA4 to release dormancy. 

PMID- 26504584
TI  - Variations in zonal fruit starch concentrations of apples - a developmental
      phenomenon or an indication of ripening?
AB  - Patterns of starch hydrolysis in stem, equatorial, and calyx zones of
      'Honeycrisp' and 'Empire' apples (Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill var. domestica
      (Borkh.) Mansf.) during maturation and ripening, and in 'Gala' apples in response
      to propylene or 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatments after harvest, were
      studied. Differences in zonal starch concentrations were found for 'Empire' and
      'Gala' fruits, but not for 'Honeycrisp'. During maturation and ripening of
      'Empire', the concentration of starch was highest in the calyx end and lowest in
      the stem region.</title> Differences in rates of starch hydrolysis among zones
      were not detected. 'Honeycrisp' and 'Empire' had the highest concentration of
      sorbitol in the calyx region, whereas it was highest in the stem-end region in
      'Gala'. The distribution differences of glucose, fructose, and sucrose were
      similar in all three cultivars; higher fructose and glucose concentrations in the
      stem region, and higher sucrose concentrations in the calyx end of the fruit.
      Postharvest treatment of 'Gala' with propylene did not affect the internal
      ethylene concentration of the fruit but 1-MCP markedly inhibited it. Starch
      concentrations were highest in the calyx end but gradients of starch among zones
      were not changed by postharvest treatment. The rate of hydrolysis was slowed by 1
      MCP treatment, but was unaffected by propylene. Postharvest treatments influenced
      sorbitol, glucose, and fructose concentrations. Patterns of starch concentration
      among the zones did not confirm differences in ripening, but reflected its uneven
      distribution throughout the fruit during development. Therefore, measured
      differences in zonal starch are most likely related to starch accumulation during
      fruit development, rather than differences in rates of starch degradation during
      ripening. 

PMID- 26504585
TI  - Catheter detachment.

PMID- 26504587
TI  - A specific objective supplemental factor in evaluating acute mountain sickness:
      DeltaHR in combination with SaO2.
AB  - BACKGROUND: So far, there have been no measurements confirmed useful in
      diagnosing acute mountain sickness (AMS). The aim of this study was to determine
      the role of heart rate (HR) difference (DeltaHR) and oxygen saturation ( SaO2) as
      objective risk factors in aiding the diagnosis of AMS. METHODS: A total of 1,019
      participants were assigned to either the acute exposure group (AEG): from 500 m
      to 3,700 m by flight within 2.5 h (n = 752); or the pre-acclimatization group
      (PAG): ascended to 4,400 m from 3,650 m within three hours by car after adapting
      33 days at 3,650 m (n = 267). The questionnaires or measurements of resting SaO2
      (oxygen saturation) and HR were completed between 18 and 24 h before departure
      and after arrival. RESULTS: Incidence of AMS was 61.3 % (461) in AEG, with 46.1 %
      (347) mild cases and 15.2 % (114) severe cases. In PAG, the incidence was 38.9 %
      (104), with 30.7 % (82) mild cases and 8.2 % (22) severe cases. The AMS subjects
      showed a significant increase in HR and a decrease in SaO2 levels compared with
      the non-AMS subjects in both groups. DeltaHR and post-exposure SaO2 were
      significantly correlated with the Lake Louise Score (LLS) in both groups.
      Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed the DeltaHR >25 and SaO2 < 88 % in
      AEG as well as DeltaHR >15 and SaO2 < 86 % in PAG to be independent risk factors
      of AMS. Combining these two measurements could specifically indicate participants
      with AMS, which showed a positive predictive value of 89 % and specificity of 97
      % in AEG as well as 85 % and 98 % in PAG. CONCLUSION: DeltaHR or SaO2, as
      objective measurements, correlate with AMS. Combination of these two measurements
      may be useful as an additional specific and objective factor to further confirm
      the diagnosis of AMS.

PMID- 26504586
TI  - Primary prevention of posttraumatic stress disorder: drugs and implications.
AB  - Because posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly debilitating condition,
      prevention is an important research topic. This article reviews possible
      prevention approaches that involve the administration of drugs before the
      traumatic event takes place. The considered approaches include drugs that address
      the sympathetic nervous system, drugs that interfere with the hypothalamic
      pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, narcotics and other psychoactive drugs, as well as
      modulators of protein synthesis. Furthermore, some thoughts on potential ethical
      implications of the use of drugs for the primary prevention of PTDS are
      presented. While there are many barriers to overcome in this field of study, this
      paper concludes with a call for additional research, as there are currently no
      approaches that are well-suited for regular use. 

PMID- 26504588
TI  - Preparation and investigation of hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile as a preliminary
      biomedical hydrogel.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile (HPAN) has attracted much attention as a
      hydrogel for a broad range of biomedical applications. Therefore, in this study,
      we prepared HPAN derivatives with controllable compositions by the radical
      polymerization of acrylonitrile (AN), methacrylic acid (MAA) and N
      isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) monomers. RESULTS: The prepared poly(AN-co-MAA-co
      NIPAM) copolymers had different ratios of AN, MAA, and NIPAM and molecular
      weights ranging from 2000 to 50,000. The copolymers were prepared as films to
      examine their properties. The prepared copolymer films showed different
      solubilities, contact angles, and swelling ratios. The properties of the
      copolymer films were affected by the hydrophobic PAN segments and the hydrophilic
      PMAA or PNIPAM segments. CONCLUSION: Thus, we conclude that introducing PMAA and
      PNIPAM segments with different ratios and lengths into PAN segments could
      represent a method of controlling the hydrogel properties of copolymers.

PMID- 26504589
TI  - Encapsulation of pancreatic islet with HMGB1 fragment for attenuating
      inflammation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pancreatic islet encapsulation is one way to address the
      disadvantages of islet transplantation. Not only does encapsulation involve
      bidirectional diffusion of nutrients, oxygen, and glucose, but also it protects
      the graft from the recipient's immune reaction. The high mobility group box 1
      (HMGB1), one of higher expression proteins in islet, can be secreted from
      transplanted islets and induce the inflammation. Therefore, the regulation of
      HMGB1-mediated inflammation is very important for successful islet
      transplantation. In this study, we used the HMGB1 A box, an antagonist of HMGB1
      receptor in the immune cells, in the encapsulation of isolated islets as a new
      strategy. RESULT: For co-encapsulation of HMGB1 A box protein with islets, we
      evaluated the distribution of alginate bead diameter. The average diameter of
      empty alginate bead was similar to that of alginate bead with islets. When
      different concentrations of HMGB1 A box protein was co-encapsulated with islets,
      it did not affect the viability and insulin secretion function of the islets.
      When the alginate beads with islets plus HMGB1 A box protein were cultured with
      macrophage, the amount of TNF-alpha secreted from the macrophages was
      significantly attenuated when compared to cultivation of unencapsulated islets or
      encapsulated islets. When the alginate beads with islets plus HMGB1 A box protein
      were intraperitoneally xenotransplanted into the diabetic mice, the survival rate
      of the islets was strongly improved with 2-fold. CONCLUSION: Collectively, these
      results suggested that the encapsulation of HMGB1 A box protein might offer a
      protective effect in islet transplantation.

PMID- 26504590
TI  - Small-Gauge Pars Plana Vitrectomy for the Management of Symptomatic Posterior
      Vitreous Detachment after Phacoemulsification and Multifocal Intraocular Lens
      Implantation: A Pilot Study from the Pan-American Collaborative Retina Study
      Group.
AB  - Purpose. To determine the efficacy of 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for
      symptomatic posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) on visual acuity (VA) and quality
      after multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs). Methods. In this prospective case
      series, patients who developed symptomatic PVD and were not satisfied with visual
      quality due to floaters and halos after multifocal IOL implantation underwent
      PPV. Examinations included LogMAR uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), intraocular
      pressure, biomicroscopy, and indirect ophthalmoscopy at baseline and 1, 7, 30,
      and 180 days postoperatively. Ultrasonography and aberrometry were performed. The
      Visual Functioning Questionnaire 25 (VFQ-25) was administered preoperatively and
      at 30 days postoperatively. Both the postoperative UCVA and questionnaire results
      were compared to preoperative findings using the Wilcoxon test. Results. Sixteen
      eyes of 8 patients were included. VA significantly improved from 0.17 to 0.09
      postoperatively (P = 0.017). All patients reported improvement of halos, glare,
      and floaters. VFQ-25 scores significantly improved in general vision (P = 0.023),
      near activities (P = 0.043), distance activities (P = 0.041), mental health (P =
      0.011), role difficulties (P = 0.042), and driving (P = 0.016). Conclusion. PPV
      may increase UCVA and quality of vision in patients with bilateral multifocal
      IOLs and symptomatic PVD. Larger studies are advised. 

PMID- 26504591
TI  - Responses of Multipotent Retinal Stem Cells to IL-1beta, IL-18, or IL-17.
AB  - Purpose. To investigate how multipotent retinal stem cells (RSCs) isolated from
      mice respond to the proinflammatory signaling molecules, IL-1beta, IL-18, and IL
      17A. Materials and Methods. RSCs were cultured in a specific culture medium and
      were treated with these cytokines. Cell viability was detected by MTT assay;
      ultrastructure was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy; expression of
      IL-17rc and proapoptotic proteins was detected by immunocytochemistry and
      expression of Il-6 and Il-17a was detected by quantitative RT-PCR. As a
      comparison, primary mouse retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells were also
      treated with IL-1beta, IL-18, or IL-17A and analyzed for the expression of Il-6
      and Il-17rc. Results. Treatment with IL-1beta, IL-18, or IL-17A decreased RSC
      viability in a dose-dependent fashion and led to damage in cellular
      ultrastructure including pyroptotic and/or necroptotic cells. IL-1beta and IL-18
      could induce proapoptotic protein expression. All treatments induced
      significantly higher expression of Il-6 and Il-17rc in both cells. However,
      neither IL-1beta nor IL-18 could induce Il-17a expression in RSCs. Conclusions.
      IL-1beta, IL-18, and IL-17A induce retinal cell death via pyroptosis/necroptosis
      and apoptosis. They also provoke proinflammatory responses in RSCs. Though IL
      1beta and IL-18 could not induce Il-17a expression in RSCs, they both increase Il
      17rc expression, which may mediate the effect of Il-17a. 

PMID- 26504592
TI  - Human Serum Eye Drops in Eye Alterations: An Insight and a Critical Analysis.
AB  - Human serum contains a physiological plethora of bioactive elements naturally
      released by activated platelets which might have a significant effect on the
      regeneration of corneal layers by stimulating the cell growth. This mechanism
      supported the use of human serum eye drops in some ocular diseases associated
      with dystrophic changes and alterations of the tear film, such as persistent
      corneal epithelial defects and dry eye syndrome. We focused our effort on
      potential benefits and limitations of the use of human serum eye drops when
      conventional therapies failed. We reviewed the recent literature by reporting
      published studies from 2010 to 2014. Despite the limited evaluated study
      populations, most of the clinical studies have confirmed that serum eye drop
      therapy is effective in corneal healing by reducing ocular symptom, particularly
      during the short-term follow-up. In addition, three recent published studies have
      shown the efficacy of the serum eye drop therapy in comparison to traditional
      ones in intractable patients. Besides, reported ongoing clinical studies
      confirmed the open debate regarding the use of biologic tools for cornea
      regeneration. Results from these studies might open novel challenges and
      perspectives in the therapy of such refractory patients. 

PMID- 26504593
TI  - Acute-Onset Vitreous Hemorrhage of Unknown Origin before Vitrectomy: Causes and
      Prognosis.
AB  - Purpose. To analyze causes and prognosis of acute-onset preoperatively unknown
      origin vitreous hemorrhage (VH). Methods. This study included patients who
      underwent vitrectomy for acute-onset preoperatively unknown origin VH. The
      underlying causes of VH, which were identified after vitrectomy, were analyzed.
      And overall visual prognosis of unknown origin VH was analyzed. Risk scoring
      system was developed to predict visual prognosis after vitrectomy. Results. 169
      eyes were included. Among these, retinal vein occlusion (RVO), retinal break, and
      age-related macular degeneration (AMD) were identified in 74 (43.8%), 50 (29.6%),
      and 21 (12.4%) patients, respectively. After vitrectomy, logMAR BCVA
      significantly improved from 1.93 +/- 0.59 to 0.47 +/- 0.71. However,
      postoperative BCVA in AMD eyes were significantly poorer than others. Poor visual
      prognosis after vitrectomy was associated with old age, poor preoperative vision
      in both eyes, and drusen in the fellow eye. Conclusions. RVO, retinal break, and
      AMD are the most common causes of acute-onset preoperatively unknown origin VH
      and the most common causes of VH change with age. The visual prognosis of unknown
      origin VH is relatively good, except among AMD patients. Older patients with poor
      preoperative BCVA in both eyes and patients with AMD in the fellow eye are at a
      higher risk of poor visual prognosis following vitrectomy. 

PMID- 26504594
TI  - Lutein Leads to a Decrease of Factor D Secretion by Cultured Mature Human
      Adipocytes.
AB  - Purpose. Complement plays an important role in the pathogenesis of age related
      macular degeneration (AMD) and trials are currently being conducted to
      investigate the effect of complement inhibition on AMD progression. We previously
      found that the plasma level of factor D (FD), which is the rate limiting enzyme
      of the complement alternative pathway, was significantly decreased following
      lutein supplementation. FD is synthesized by adipose tissue, which is also the
      main storage site of lutein. In view of these findings we tested the hypothesis
      whether lutein could affect FD synthesis by adipocytes. Methods. A cell line of
      mature human adipocytes was incubated with 50 MUg/mL lutein for 24 and 48 h,
      whereafter FD mRNA and protein expression were measured. Results. Lutein
      significantly inhibited adipocyte FD mRNA expression and FD protein release into
      adipocyte culture supernatants. Conclusions. Our earlier observations showing
      that a daily lutein supplement in individuals with early signs of AMD lowered the
      level of circulating FD might be caused by blocking adipocyte FD production. 

PMID- 26504595
TI  - Wavefront-Guided Photorefractive Keratectomy with the Use of a New Hartmann-Shack
      Aberrometer in Patients with Myopia and Compound Myopic Astigmatism.
AB  - Purpose. To assess refractive and visual outcomes and patient satisfaction of
      wavefront-guided photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in eyes with myopia and
      compound myopic astigmatism, with the ablation profile derived from a new
      Hartmann-Shack aberrometer. Methods. In this retrospective study, 662 eyes that
      underwent wavefront-guided PRK with a treatment profile derived from a new
      generation Hartmann-Shack aberrometer (iDesign aberrometer, Abbott Medical
      Optics, Inc., Santa Ana, CA) were analyzed. The preoperative manifest sphere
      ranged from -0.25 to -10.75 D, and preoperative manifest cylinder was between
      0.00 and -5.25 D. Refractive and visual outcomes, vector analysis of the change
      in refractive cylinder, and patient satisfaction were evaluated. Results. At 3
      months, 91.1% of eyes had manifest spherical equivalent within 0.50 D. The
      percentage of eyes achieving uncorrected distance visual acuity 20/20 or better
      was 89.4% monocularly and 96.5% binocularly. The mean correction ratio of
      refractive cylinder was 1.02 +/- 0.43, and the mean error of angle was 0.00 +/-
      14.86 degrees  at 3 months postoperatively. Self-reported scores for optical side
      effects, such as starburst, glare, halo, ghosting, and double vision, were low.
      Conclusion. The use of a new Hartmann-Shack aberrometer for wavefront-guided
      photorefractive keratectomy resulted in high predictability, efficacy, and
      patient satisfaction. 

PMID- 26504596
TI  - Choroidal Thickness in Eyes with Unilateral Ocular Ischemic Syndrome.
AB  - Aim. To analyze the subfoveal choroid thickness and choroidal volume in
      unilateral ocular ischemic syndrome (OIS). Methods. A retrospective review was
      conducted for all patients with unilateral OIS from October 2010 through June
      2014. The subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFChT) and choroidal volume of both eyes
      were compared. Results. 19 unilateral OIS patients were included in this study.
      The mean SFChT of OIS eyes was significantly lower than that of fellow eyes (OIS
      eyes: 208.89 +/- 82.62 MUm and fellow eyes: 265.31 +/- 82.77 MUm, P < 0.001). The
      choroidal volume of OIS eyes was significantly smaller than that of fellow eyes
      (OIS eyes: 0.16 +/- 0.05 mm(3) and fellow eyes: 0.21 +/- 0.05 mm(3), P < 0.001).
      Conclusion. The choroidal thickness and volume of OIS eyes were smaller than
      those of unaffected fellow eyes. Decreased choroidal circulation caused by
      carotid artery stenosis might affect the discordance of choroidal thickness and
      choroidal volume. 

PMID- 26504597
TI  - Determination of a New Parameter, Elevated Epiretinal Membrane, by En Face OCT as
      a Prognostic Factor for Pars Plana Vitrectomy and Safer Epiretinal Membrane
      Peeling.
AB  - Purpose. To evaluate the significance of the area of epiretinal membrane (EM)
      that is not in contact with the retinal structure as a preoperative parameter for
      safer grasping of the EM and a prognostic factor for visual improvement/outcome.
      Methods. This prospective observational study included 73 consecutive patients
      (80 eyes) who underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and EM peeling. Corrected
      distance visual acuity (CDVA) and central foveal thickness (CFT) were evaluated
      preoperatively and at 12 months postoperatively. The number of initial peeling
      grasps was recorded in the operation protocol. The elevated EM portion was
      identified by en face optical coherence tomography (OCT) and processed digitally
      to calculate its area. Results. Surgery was found to significantly improve CDVA
      and decrease CFT. CDVA improvement correlated with elevated EM, preoperative CFT,
      and the number of grasping attempts. Conclusion. The detection of elevated EM via
      en face OCT could assist safer grasping of the EM and indicate the potential for
      visual outcome improvement after PPV and EM peeling. 

PMID- 26504598
TI  - Clinical Outcome of Hypertensive Uveitis.
AB  - Purpose. To review the clinical outcome of patients with hypertensive uveitis.
      Methods. Retrospective review of uveitis patients with elevated intraocular
      pressure (IOP) > 25 mmHg and >1-year follow-up. Data are uveitis type, etiology,
      viral (VU) and nonviral uveitis (NVU), IOP, and medical and/or surgical
      treatment. Results. In 61 patients, IOP values are first 32.9 mmHg (SD: 9.0),
      highest 36.6 mmHg (SD: 9.9), 3 months after the first episode 19.54 mmHg (SD:
      9.16), and end of follow-up 15.5 mmHg (SD: 6.24). Patients with VU (n = 25) were
      older (50.6 y/35.7 y, p = 0.014) and had more unilateral disease (100%/72.22%  p
      = 0.004) than those with NVU (n = 36). Thirty patients (49.2%) had an elevated
      IOP before topical corticosteroid treatment. Patients with viral uveitis might
      have higher first elevated IOP (36.0/27.5 mmHg, p = 0,008) and maximal IOP
      (40.28/34.06 mmHg, p = 0.0148) but this was not significant when limited to the
      measurements before the use of topical corticosteroids (p = 0.260 and 0.160).
      Glaucoma occurred in 15 patients (24.59%) and was suspected in 11 (18.03%)
      without difference in viral and nonviral groups (p = 0.774). Conclusion. Patients
      with VU were older and had more unilateral hypertensive uveitis. Glaucoma
      frequently complicates hypertensive uveitis. Half of the patients had an elevated
      IOP before topical corticosteroid treatment. 

PMID- 26504599
TI  - Does the Primary Care Experience Influence the Cancer Diagnostic Process?
AB  - Objective. To analyze the impact of patients' experience of care at their usual
      source of primary care on their choice of point of entry into cancer
      investigation process, time to diagnosis, and presence of metastatic cancer at
      time of diagnosis. Method. A questionnaire was administered to 438 patients with
      cancer (breast, lung, and colorectal) between 2011 and 2013 in four oncology
      clinics of Quebec (Canada). Multiple regression analyses (logistic and Cox
      models) were conducted. Results. Among patients with symptoms leading to
      investigation of cancer (n = 307), 47% used their usual source of primary care as
      the point of entry for investigation. Greater comprehensiveness of care was
      associated with the decision to use this source as point of entry (OR = 1.25; CI
      90% = 1.06-1.46), as well as with shorter times between first symptoms and
      investigation (HR = 1.11; p = 0.05), while greater accessibility was associated
      with shorter times between investigation and diagnosis (HR = 1.13; p < 0.01). 
      Conclusion. Experience of care at the usual source of primary care has a slight
      influence on the choice of point of entry for cancer investigation and on time to
      diagnosis. This influence appears to be more related to patients' perceptions of
      the accessibility and comprehensiveness of their usual source of primary care. 

PMID- 26504600
TI  - Elevated Circulating Levels of Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Acute
      Coronary Syndrome.
AB  - Objective. We evaluated inflammatory cytokines and chemokine in peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients with either acute coronary syndrome (ACS)
      or stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods. We enrolled 20 ACS patients and
      50 stable CAD patients without previous history of ACS who underwent cardiac
      catheterization. Patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate of <=30
      mL/min/1.73 m(2) and C-reactive protein of >=1.0 mg/dL were excluded. Blood
      samples were collected from the patients just before catheterization, and PBMCs
      were isolated from the whole blood. The levels of inflammatory cytokines and
      chemokine were measured by using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction
      and immunoassays. Results. The expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF
      alpha), interleukin- (IL-) 6, IL-10, IL-23A, IL-27, and IL-37 was significantly
      higher in the ACS group than in the CAD group (P < 0.05). In contrast, the
      expression of IL-33 was significantly lower in the ACS group than in the CAD
      group (P < 0.05). The ACS patients had higher plasma levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6,
      and IL-10 in the ACS group than in the CAD group. Conclusion. Circulating levels
      of pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-23A, IL-27, IL-33, and IL-37,
      may be associated with the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in ACS patients. 

PMID- 26504601
TI  - Perspectives of Cosmesis following Breast Conservation for Multifocal and
      Multicentric Breast Cancers.
AB  - Background. Contemporary data suggest that breast conservation treatment (BCT)
      for multifocal and multicentric breast cancer (MFMCBC) may be appropriate with
      noninferior local control rates. However, there is a paucity of data to evaluate
      patient's satisfaction with cosmetic outcomes after BCT for MFMCBC. This study
      was performed to bridge this information gap. Methods. All patients treated at
      the authors' healthcare facility were included in the study. Patients with MFMCBC
      who were assessed to be eligible for BCT underwent tumour resection using
      standard surgical techniques with direct parenchymal closure through a single
      incision. After at least three years of follow-up, they were invited to
      participate in a survey regarding their cosmetic outcomes. Results. Of a total of
      160 patients, 40 had MFMCBC, of whom 34 (85%) underwent successful BCT. Five-year
      cancer-specific survival and disease-free survival were 95.7%. Twenty of the 34
      patients responded to the survey. No patient rated her cosmetic outcome as
      "poor." Analysis indicated low agreement between patients' self-assessment and
      clinician-directed evaluation of aesthetic results. Conclusion. BCT for MFMCBC is
      feasible with acceptable survival and cosmetic outcomes. However, there appears
      to be a disparity between patient and clinician-directed evaluation of cosmetic
      results which warrant further research. 

PMID- 26504603
TI  - Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Lepromatous Leprosy Coinfection.
AB  - Simultaneous occurrence of leprosy and pulmonary tuberculosis is reported
      infrequently in the modern era. We report a case of pulmonary tuberculosis
      diagnosed in patient being treated with glucocorticoids for complications of
      leprosy (type II reaction). Physicians should recognize that the leprosy patients
      treated with glucocorticoid may develop tuberculosis. 

PMID- 26504602
TI  - Spinal Cord Hemisection Facilitates Aromatic L-Amino Acid Decarboxylase Cells to
      Produce Serotonin in the Subchronic but Not the Chronic Phase.
AB  - Neuromodulators, such as serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) and noradrenalin,
      play an essential role in regulating the motor and sensory functions in the
      spinal cord. We have previously shown that in the rat spinal cord the activity of
      aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) cells to produce 5-HT from its
      precursor (5-hydroxytryptophan, 5-HTP) is dramatically increased following
      complete spinal cord transection. In this study, we investigated whether a
      partial loss of 5-HT innervation could similarly increase AADC activity. Adult
      rats with spinal cord hemisected at thoracic level (T11/T12) were used with a
      postoperation interval at 5 days or 60 days. Using immunohistochemistry, first,
      we observed a significant reduction in the density of 5-HT-immunoreactive fibers
      in the spinal cord below the lesion on the injured side for both groups. Second,
      we found that the AADC cells were similarly expressed on both injured and
      uninjured sides in both groups. Third, increased production of 5-HT in AADC cells
      following 5-HTP was seen in 5-day but not in 60-day postinjury group. These
      results suggest that plastic changes of the 5-HT system might happen primarily in
      the subchronic phase and for longer period its function could be compensated by
      plastic changes of other intrinsic and/or supraspinal modulation systems. 

PMID- 26504604
TI  - Damage Control Surgery for Hepatocellular Cancer Rupture in an Elderly Patient:
      Survival and Quality of Life.
AB  - Spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare emergency
      condition with high mortality rate. Successful management depends on patients'
      hemodynamic condition upon presentation and comorbidities, correct diagnosis, HCC
      status, liver function, and future liver remnant, as well as available sources.
      There is still a debate in the literature concerning the best approach in this
      devastating complication. Nevertheless, the primary goal should be a definitive
      bleeding arrest. In most cases, patients with spontaneous rupture of HCC present
      with hemodynamic instability, due to hemoperitoneum, necessitating an emergency
      treatment modality. In such cases, transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE)
      should be the treatment of choice. Emergency liver resection is an option when
      TAE fails or in cases with preserved liver function and limited tumors.
      Otherwise, damage control strategies, as in liver trauma, are a reasonable
      alternative. We report a case of an elderly patient with hemoperitoneum and
      hypovolemic shock from spontaneous rupture of undiagnosed HCC, who was treated
      successfully by emergency surgery and damage control approach. 

PMID- 26504605
TI  - Combination Trimodality Therapy Using Vismodegib for Basal Cell Carcinoma of the
      Face.
AB  - Background. For large basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) of the head and neck,
      definitive surgery often requires extensive resection and reconstruction that may
      result in prolonged recovery and limited cosmesis. Vismodegib, a small-molecule
      inhibitor of the hedgehog pathway, is approved for advanced and metastatic BCCs.
      We present a case of advanced BCC treated with combination of vismodegib,
      radiotherapy, and local excision resulting in excellent response and cosmesis.
      Case Presentation. A 64-year-old gentleman presented with a 5-year history of a 7
      cm enlarging right cheek mass, with extensive vascularization, central
      ulceration, and skin, soft tissue, and buccal mucosa involvement. Biopsy revealed
      BCC, nodular type. Up-front surgical option involved a large resection and
      reconstruction. After multidisciplinary discussion, we recommended and he opted
      for combined modality of vismodegib, radiotherapy, and local excision. The
      patient tolerated vismodegib well and his right cheek lesion decreased
      significantly in size. He was then treated with radiotherapy followed by local
      excision that revealed only focal residual BCC. Currently, he is without evidence
      of disease and has excellent cosmesis. Conclusions. We report a case of locally
      advanced BCC treated with trimodality therapy with vismodegib, radiotherapy, and
      local excision, resulting in excellent outcome and facial cosmesis, without
      requiring extensive resection or reconstructive surgery. 

PMID- 26504606
TI  - A Huge Capital Drop with Compression of Femoral Vessels Associated with Hip
      Osteoarthritis.
AB  - A capital drop is a type of osteophyte at the inferomedial portion of the femoral
      head commonly observed in hip osteoarthritis (OA), secondary to developmental
      dysplasia. Capital drop itself is typically asymptomatic; however, symptoms can
      appear secondary to impinge against the acetabulum or to irritation of the
      surrounding tissues, such as nerves, vessels, and tendons. We present here a case
      of unilateral leg edema in a patient with hip OA, caused by a huge bone mass
      occurring at the inferomedial portion of the femoral head that compressed the
      femoral vessels. We diagnosed this bone mass as a capital drop secondary to hip
      OA after confirming that the mass occurred at least after the age of 63 years
      based on a previous X-ray. We performed early resection and total hip
      arthroplasty since the patient's hip pain was due to both advanced hip OA and
      compression of the femoral vessels; moreover, we aimed to prevent venous
      thrombosis secondary to vascular compression considering the advanced age and the
      potent risk of thrombosis in the patient. A large capital drop should be
      considered as a cause of vascular compression in cases of unilateral leg edema in
      OA patients. 

PMID- 26504607
TI  - Hepatic Tuberculosis Mimicking Biliary Cystadenoma: A Radiological Dilemma.
AB  - Primary involvement of liver in tuberculosis is a rare entity. It is difficult to
      diagnose in absence of previous history of tuberculosis or concurrent pulmonary
      involvement. It is usually misdiagnosed as neoplastic liver lesion, which
      misdirects the treatment protocol and delays proper treatment. Here we are
      presenting a case of 36-year-old male patient with vague right upper quadrant
      abdominal pain. All the laboratory values were within normal limits. Radiological
      investigations were in favor of biliary cystadenoma but final diagnosis was
      primary focal involvement of liver in tuberculosis which was histopathologically
      proven to be tuberculous granulomas on biopsy of the resected mass. 

PMID- 26504608
TI  - Gastrotracheal Fistula as a Result of Transhiatal Esophagectomy for Esophageal
      Cancer: An Unusual Complication.
AB  - Gastrotracheal fistula following open transhiatal esophagectomy (Orringer's
      technique) for esophageal cancer is an unusual but lethal complication. Surgical
      intervention with resection of the fistula tract and primary interrupted suturing
      of gastric and tracheal orifices using a muscle flap interposition has proved to
      be a successful method. We report the case of a 73-year-old male with an
      adenocarcinoma of the distal part of the esophagus, who underwent open
      transhiatal esophagectomy (Orringer's technique) with gastric tube reconstruction
      and cervical anastomosis. The patient did not receive induction chemoradiotherapy
      before the esophagectomy. Two attempts of surgical repair of fistula failed and
      the patient died. Being aware of warning signs such as dyspnea and respiratory
      distress accompanied by bilious content in the tracheal tube is helpful in the
      early detection and treatment of this type of fistula. 

PMID- 26504609
TI  - Risk Factors Associated with Unsafe Injection Practices at the First Injection
      Episode among Intravenous Drug Users in France: Results from PrimInject, an
      Internet Survey.
AB  - Background. New drug use patterns may increase the risk of human immunodeficiency
      virus and hepatitis infections. In France, new injection patterns among youths
      with diverse social backgrounds have emerged, which may explain the persistently
      high rates of hepatitis C virus infection. This study explores factors associated
      with injection risk behaviours at first injection among users who began injecting
      in the post-2000 era. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on the
      Internet from October 2010 to March 2011, through an online questionnaire.
      Multivariate logistic regression identified the independent correlates of needle
      sharing and equipment (cooker/cotton filter) sharing. Results. Among the 262
      respondents (mean age 25 years), 65% were male. Both risk behaviours were
      positively associated with initiation before 18 years of age (aOR 3.7 CI 95% 1.3
      10.6 and aOR 3.0 CI 95% 1.3-7.0) and being injected by another person (aOR 3.1 CI
      95% 1.0-9.9 and aOR 3.0 CI 95% 1.3-7.1). Initiation at a party was an independent
      correlate of equipment sharing (aOR 2.6 95% CI 1.0-6.8). CONCLUSIONS: Results
      suggest a need for innovative harm reduction programmes targeting a variety of
      settings and populations, including youths and diverse party scenes. Education of
      current injectors to protect both themselves and those they might initiate into
      injection is critically important.

PMID- 26504610
TI  - Restless Legs Syndrome and Leg Motor Restlessness in Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - Sleep disturbances are important nonmotor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD)
      that are associated with a negative impact on quality of life. Restless legs
      syndrome (RLS), which is characterized by an urge to move the legs accompanied by
      abnormal leg sensations, can coexist with PD, although the pathophysiology of
      these disorders appears to be different. RLS and PD both respond favorably to
      dopaminergic treatment, and several investigators have reported a significant
      relationship between RLS and PD. Sensory symptoms, pain, motor restlessness,
      akathisia, and the wearing-off phenomenon observed in PD should be differentiated
      from RLS. RLS in PD may be confounded by chronic dopaminergic treatment; thus,
      more studies are needed to investigate RLS in drug-naive patients with PD.
      Recently, leg motor restlessness (LMR), which is characterized by an urge to move
      the legs that does not fulfill the diagnostic criteria for RLS, has been reported
      to be observed more frequently in de novo patients with PD than in age-matched
      healthy controls, suggesting that LMR may be a part of sensorimotor symptoms
      intrinsic to PD. In this paper, we provide an overview of RLS, LMR, and PD and of
      the relationships among these disorders. 

PMID- 26504611
TI  - Balance Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease: The Role of Posturography in
      Developing a Rehabilitation Program.
AB  - Balance dysfunction (BD) in Parkinson's disease (PD) is a disabling symptom,
      difficult to treat and predisposing to falls. The dopaminergic drugs or deep
      brain stimulation does not always provide significant improvements of BD and
      rehabilitative approaches have also failed to restore this condition. In this
      study, we investigated the suitability of quantitative posturographic indicators
      to early identify patients that could develop disabling BD. Parkinsonian patients
      not complaining of a subjective BD and controls were tested using a
      posturographic platform (PP) with open eyes (OE) and performing a simple
      cognitive task [counting (OEC)]. We found that patients show higher values of
      total standard deviation (SD) of body sway and along the medio-lateral (ML) axis
      during OE condition. Furthermore, total and ML SD of body sway during OE
      condition and total SD of body sway with OEC were higher than controls also in a
      subgroup of patients with normal Berg Balance Scale. We conclude that BD in
      Parkinsonian patients can be discovered before its appearance using a PP and that
      these data may allow developing specific rehabilitative treatment to prevent or
      delay their onset. 

PMID- 26504612
TI  - A Polysomnographic Study of Parkinson's Disease Sleep Architecture.
AB  - Sleep disturbance is a common nonmotor phenomenon in Parkinson's disease (PD)
      affecting patient's quality of life. In this study, we examined the association
      between clinical characteristics with sleep disorders and sleep architecture
      patterns in a PD cohort. Patients underwent a standardized polysomnography study
      (PSG) in their "on medication" state. We observed that male gender and disease
      duration were independently associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Only
      lower levodopa equivalent dose (LED) was associated with periodic limb movement
      disorders (PLMD). REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) was more common among older
      patients, with higher MDS-UPDRS III scores, and LED. None of the investigated
      variables were associated with the awakenings/arousals (A/A). Sleep efficiency
      was predicted by amantadine usage and age, while sleep stage 1 was predicted by
      dopamine agonists and Hoehn & Yahr severity. The use of MAO-B inhibitors and MDS
      UPDRS part III were predictors of sleep stages 2 and 3. Age was the only
      predictor of REM sleep stage and gender for total sleep time. We conclude that
      sleep disorders and architecture are poorly predictable by clinical PD
      characteristics and other disease related factors must also be contributing to
      these sleep disturbances. 

PMID- 26504613
TI  - Detection of Gelatin Adulteration in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Analysis of
      Deer-Horn Glue by Rapid-Resolution Liquid Chromatography-Triple Quadrupole Mass
      Spectrometry.
AB  - Simultaneous identification of donkey-hide gelatin and bovine-hide gelatin in
      deer-horn glue was established by rapid-resolution liquid chromatography-triple
      quadrupole mass spectrometry. Water containing 1% NH4HCO3 was used for sample
      dissolution and trypsin was used for hydrolysis of the gelatins. After separation
      by a SB-C18 reversed-phase analytical column, collagen marker peptides were
      detected by mass spectrometry in positive electrospray ionization mode with
      multiple reaction monitoring. The method was specific, precise and reliable, and
      suitable for detection of adulterants derived from donkey-hide gelatin and bovine
      hide gelatin in deer-horn glue. 

PMID- 26504614
TI  - Protective Effects of Intralipid and Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester on
      Nephrotoxicity Caused by Dichlorvos in Rats.
AB  - The protective effects of Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester (CAPE) and intralipid (IL)
      on nephrotoxicity caused by acute Dichlorvos (D) toxicity were investigated in
      this study. Forty-eight Wistar Albino rats were divided into 7 groups as follows:
      Control, D, CAPE, intralipid, D + CAPE, D + IL, and D + CAPE + IL. When compared
      to D group, the oxidative stress index (OSI) values were significantly lower in
      Control, CAPE, and D + IL + CAPE groups. When compared to D + IL + CAPE group,
      the TOS and OSI values were significantly higher in D group (P < 0.05). When
      mitotic cell counts were assessed in the renal tissues, it was found that mitotic
      cell count was significantly higher in the D group while it was lower in the D +
      CAPE, D + IL, and D + IL + CAPE groups when compared to the control group (P <
      0.05). Also, immune reactivity showed increased apoptosis in D group and low
      profile of apoptosis in the D + CAPE group when compared to the Control group.
      The apoptosis level was significantly lower in D + IL + CAPE compared to D group
      (P < 0.05) in the kidneys. As a result, we concluded that Dichlorvos can be used
      either alone or in combination with CAPE and IL as supportive therapy or as
      facilitator for the therapeutic effect of the routine treatment in the patients
      presenting with pesticide poisoning. 

PMID- 26504615
TI  - A Virtual Instrument System for Determining Sugar Degree of Honey.
AB  - This study established a LabVIEW-based virtual instrument system to measure
      optical activity through the communication of conventional optical instrument
      with computer via RS232 port. This system realized the functions for automatic
      acquisition, real-time display, data processing, results playback, and so forth.
      Therefore, it improved accuracy of the measurement results by avoiding the
      artificial operation, cumbersome data processing, and the artificial error in
      optical activity measurement. The system was applied to the analysis of the batch
      inspection on the sugar degree of honey. The results obtained were satisfying.
      Moreover, it showed advantages such as friendly man-machine dialogue, simple
      operation, and easily expanded functions. 

PMID- 26504616
TI  - Analysis of Reaction between alpha-Lipoic Acid and 2-Chloro-1-methylquinolinium
      Tetrafluoroborate Used as a Precolumn Derivatization Technique in Chromatographic
      Determination of alpha-Lipoic Acid.
AB  - The present study offers results of analysis concerning the course of reaction
      between reduced alpha-lipoic acid (LA) and 2-chloro-1-methylquinolinium
      tetrafluoroborate (CMQT). In water environments, the reaction between CMQT and
      hydrophilic thiols proceeds very rapidly and the resultant products are stable.
      For the described analysis, optimum reaction conditions, such as concentration of
      the reducing agent, environment pH, and concentration of the reagent were
      carefully selected. The spectrophotometric assay was carried out measuring
      absorbance at lambda = 348 nm (i.e., the spectral band of the obtained reaction
      product). Furthermore, the calibration curve of lipoic acid was registered. It
      was concluded that the Lambert-Beer law was observed within the range 1-10 MUmol
      L(-1). Later, the reaction between LA and CMQT was used as precolumn
      derivatization in a chromatographic determination of the lipoic acid in the range
      2.5-50 MUmol L(-1). Practical applicability of the designed methods was evaluated
      by determining lipoic acid in Revitanerv pharmaceutical preparation which
      contains 300 mg LA in a single capsule. The error of the determination did not
      exceed 0.5% in relation to the declared value. 

PMID- 26504617
TI  - Categorical and Dimensional Definitions and Evaluations of Symptoms of ADHD:
      History of the SNAP and the SWAN Rating Scales.
AB  - An earlier version of this article was originally submitted for publication in
      early 2000 to introduce a new dimensional of concept of Attention Deficit
      Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) provided by the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD
      symptoms and Normal-behavior (SWAN) rating scale. The SWAN was developed to
      correct some obvious deficiencies of the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham (SNAP) rating
      scale that was based on the categorical concept of ADHD. The first submission was
      not accepted for publication, so a draft of the article was posted on a website
      (www.ADHD.net). The SWAN scale was published as a table in a review article
      (Swanson et al, 2001) to make it available to those interested in this
      dimensional approach to assessment of ADHD. Despite its relative inaccessibility,
      the SWAN has been used in several genetic studies of ADHD (e.g., Hay, Bennett,
      Levy, Sergeant, & Swanson, 2005; Cornish et al, 2005) and has been translated
      into several languages for European studies of ADHD (e.g., Lubke et al, 2006;
      Polderman et al, 2010) and into Spanish for studies in the United States (e.g.,
      Lakes, Swanson, & Riggs, 2011; Kudo et al., this issue). Recently, invitations to
      include the SWAN in the PhenX Toolkit (www.phenx.org) for genomic studies
      (Hamilton et al, 2011) and to describe thedimensional approach of the SWAN for
      discussion of diagnostic (Swanson, Wigal, & Lakes, 2009) and ethical (Swanson,
      Wigal, Lakes, &Volkow, 2011) issues has convinced us that the unpublished article
      is still relevant after more than a decade, so it is presented here with some
      minor updates. We use examples (a) to document some consequences (e.g., over
      identification of extreme cases) of using statistical cutoffs based on the
      assumption for a distribution of SNAP ratings that is highly skewed and (b) to
      show how the SWAN corrects the skewness of the SNAP by rewording the items on the
      scale and using a wider range of rating alternatives, which corrects the tendency
      to over-identify extreme cases.

PMID- 26504619
TI  - Time-shared optical tweezers with a microlens array for dynamic microbead arrays.
AB  - Dynamic arrays of microbeads and cells offer great flexibility and potential as
      platforms for sensing and manipulation applications in various scientific fields,
      especially biology and medicine. Here, we present a simple method for assembling
      and manipulating dense dynamic arrays based on time-shared scanning optical
      tweezers with a microlens array. Three typical examples, including the dynamic
      and simultaneous bonding of microbeads in real-time, are demonstrated. The
      optical design and the hardware setup for our approach are also described. 

PMID- 26504618
TI  - Bone health in HIV-infected children, adolescents and young adults: a systematic
      review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children and adolescents, who either acquire HIV infection
      perinatally, from contaminated blood products or via sexual transmission early in
      life, have the greatest cumulative exposure to the negative direct and indirect
      effects of HIV infection and ART on bone, which may lead to increased lifetime
      risk for osteoporosis and fracture. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate
      the literature on bone health in children and adolescents with HIV. METHODS: We
      performed a comprehensive search of the Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane Library
      databases (up to April 1, 2014) for studies that reported on bone imaging or bone
      fractures in HIV-infected children, adolescents, or young adults. RESULTS: A
      total of 32 publications met our inclusion criteria. Seventeen studies were cross
      sectional and 15 were longitudinal. The majority of studies were conducted in
      high-income countries, three in middle-income countries and none in low-income
      countries. Overall, the studies we reviewed indicate that measures of bone mass
      are reduced, with increased prevalence of low BMD in children and adolescents
      with HIV. However, the studies are highly variable with respect to comparison
      sources, measurement methods, adjustment techniques for body size or growth
      retardation, and highlighted risk factors, including aspects related to
      medication exposures as well as the effects of HIV infection per se. CONCLUSION:
      HIV infection appears to be associated with decreased bone accrual throughout
      childhood and adolescence. Initial studies indicate that sub-optimal bone accrual
      may be persistent and result in reduced peak bone mass, an important determinant
      of future risk of osteoporosis and fracture. Important areas for future research
      include evaluation of bone mass, bone quality and fracture risk across the life
      course among those with early-life infection with HIV, particularly in resource
      limited settings where the majority of children with HIV live.

PMID- 26504620
TI  - Method to quantify accuracy of position feedback signals of a three-dimensional
      two-photon laser-scanning microscope.
AB  - Two-photon laser-scanning microscopy enables to record neuronal network activity
      in three-dimensional space while maintaining single-cellular resolution. One of
      the proposed approaches combines galvanometric x-y scanning with piezo-driven
      objective movements and employs hardware feedback signals for position
      monitoring. However, readily applicable methods to quantify the accuracy of those
      feedback signals are currently lacking. Here we provide techniques based on
      contact-free laser reflection and laser triangulation for the quantification of
      positioning accuracy of each spatial axis. We found that the lateral feedback
      signals are sufficiently accurate (defined as <2.5 um) for a wide range of scan
      trajectories and frequencies. We further show that axial positioning accuracy
      does not only depend on objective acceleration and mass but also its geometry. We
      conclude that the introduced methods allow a reliable quantification of position
      feedback signals in a cost-efficient, easy-to-install manner and should be
      applicable for a wide range of two-photon laser scanning microscopes. 

PMID- 26504621
TI  - Second harmonic generation microscopy investigation of the crystalline
      ultrastructure of three barley starch lines affected by hydration.
AB  - Second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy is employed to study changes in
      crystalline organization due to altered gene expression and hydration in barley
      starch granules. SHG intensity and susceptibility ratio values (R'SHG ) are
      obtained using reduced Stokes-Mueller polarimetric microscopy. The maximum R'SHG
      values occur at moderate moisture indicating the narrowest orientation
      distribution of nonlinear dipoles from the cylindrical axis of glucan helices.
      The maximum SHG intensity occurs at the highest moisture and amylopectin content.
      These results support the hypothesis that SHG is caused by ordered hydrogen and
      hydroxyl bond networks which increase with hydration of starch granules. 

PMID- 26504622
TI  - Human retinal imaging using visible-light optical coherence tomography guided by
      scanning laser ophthalmoscopy.
AB  - We achieved human retinal imaging using visible-light optical coherence
      tomography (vis-OCT) guided by an integrated scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO).
      We adapted a spectral domain OCT configuration and used a supercontinuum laser as
      the illumating source. The center wavelength was 564 nm and the bandwidth was 115
      nm, which provided a 0.97 um axial resolution measured in air. We characterized
      the sensitivity to be 86 dB with 226 uW incidence power on the pupil. We also
      integrated an SLO that shared the same optical path of the vis-OCT sample arm for
      alignment purposes. We demonstrated the retinal imaging from both systems
      centered at the fovea and optic nerve head with 20 degrees  * 20 degrees  and 10
      degrees  * 10 degrees  field of view. We observed similar anatomical structures
      in vis-OCT and NIR-OCT. The contrast appeared different from vis-OCT to NIR-OCT,
      including slightly weaker signal from intra-retinal layers, and increased
      visibility and contrast of anatomical layers in the outer retina. 

PMID- 26504623
TI  - In vivo multiplexed molecular imaging of esophageal cancer via spectral endoscopy
      of topically applied SERS nanoparticles.
AB  - The biological investigation and detection of esophageal cancers could be
      facilitated with an endoscopic technology to screen for the molecular changes
      that precede and accompany the onset of cancer. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering
      (SERS) nanoparticles (NPs) have the potential to improve cancer detection and
      investigation through the sensitive and multiplexed detection of cell-surface
      biomarkers. Here, we demonstrate that the topical application and endoscopic
      imaging of a multiplexed cocktail of receptor-targeted SERS NPs enables the rapid
      detection of tumors in an orthotopic rat model of esophageal cancer. Antibody
      conjugated SERS NPs were topically applied on the lumenal surface of the rat
      esophagus to target EGFR and HER2, and a miniature spectral endoscope featuring
      rotational scanning and axial pull-back was employed to comprehensively image the
      NPs bound on the lumen of the esophagus. Ratiometric analyses of specific vs.
      nonspecific binding enabled the visualization of tumor locations and the
      quantification of biomarker expression in agreement with immunohistochemistry and
      flow cytometry validation data. 

PMID- 26504624
TI  - Handheld imaging photonic crystal biosensor for multiplexed, label-free protein
      detection.
AB  - We present a handheld biosensor system for the label-free and specific
      multiplexed detection of several biomarkers employing a spectrometer-free imaging
      measurement system. A photonic crystal surface functionalized with multiple
      specific ligands forms the optical transducer. The photonic crystal slab is
      fabricated on a glass substrate by replicating a periodic grating master stamp
      with a period of 370 nm into a photoresist via nanoimprint lithography and
      deposition of a 70-nm titanium dioxide layer. Capture molecules are coupled
      covalently and drop-wise to the photonic crystal surface. With a simple camera
      and imaging optics the surface-normal transmission is detected. In the
      transmission spectrum guided-mode resonances are observed that shift due to
      protein binding. This shift is observed as an intensity change in the green color
      channel of the camera. Non-functionalized image sections are used for continuous
      elimination of background drift. In a first experiment we demonstrate the
      specific and time-resolved detection of 90.0 nm CD40 ligand antibody, 90.0 nM EGF
      antibody, and 500 nM streptavidin in parallel on one sensor chip. In a second
      experiment, aptamers with two different spacer lengths are used as receptor. The
      binding kinetics with association and dissociation of 250 nM thrombin and
      regeneration of the sensor surface with acidic tris-HCl-buffer (pH 5.0) is
      presented for two measurement cycles. 

PMID- 26504625
TI  - High-speed multifocal array scanning using refractive window tilting.
AB  - Confocal microscopy has several advantages over wide-field microscopy, such as
      out-of-focus light suppression, 3D sectioning, and compatibility with specialized
      detectors. While wide-field microscopy is a faster approach, multiplexed confocal
      schemes can be used to make confocal microscopy more suitable for high-throughput
      applications, such as high-content screening (HCS) commonly used in drug
      discovery. An increasingly powerful modality in HCS is fluorescence lifetime
      imaging microscopy (FLIM), which can be used to measure protein-protein
      interactions through Forster resonant energy transfer (FRET). FLIM-FRET for HCS
      combines the requirements of high throughput, high resolution and specialized
      time-resolving detectors, making it difficult to implement using wide-field and
      spinning disk confocal approaches. We developed a novel foci array scan method
      that can achieve uniform multiplex confocal acquisition using stationary lenslet
      arrays for high resolution and high throughput FLIM. Unlike traditional mirror
      galvanometers, which work in Fourier space between scan lenses, this scan method
      uses optical flats to steer a 2-dimension foci array through refraction. After
      integrating this scanning scheme in a multiplexing confocal FLIM system, we
      demonstrate it offers clear benefits over traditional mirror galvanometer
      scanners in scan linearity, uniformity, cost and complexity. 

PMID- 26504626
TI  - In vivo cell characteristic extraction and identification by photoacoustic flow
      cytography.
AB  - We present a photoacoustic flow cytography with fast cross-sectional (B-scan)
      imaging to precisely identify specific cells in vivo. The B-scan imaging speed of
      the system is up to 200 frame/s with a lateral resolution of 1.5 MUm, which
      allows to dynamically image the flowing cells within the microvascular. The
      shape, size and photoacoustic intensity of the target cells are extracted from
      streaming images and integrated into a standard pattern to distinguish cell
      types. Circulating red blood cells and melanoma cells in blood vessels are
      simultaneously identified on melanoma-bearing mouse model. The results
      demonstrate that in vivo photoacoustic flow cytography can provide cells
      characteristics analysis and cell type's visual identification, which will be
      applied for noninvasively monitoring circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and analyzing
      hematologic diseases. 

PMID- 26504627
TI  - Bubble wrap for optical trapping and cell culturing.
AB  - In this paper, we demonstrate that the bubbles of bubble wrap make ideal trapping
      chambers for integration with low-cost optical manipulation. The interior of the
      bubbles is sterile and gas permeable, allowing for the bubbles to be used to
      store and culture cells, while the flat side of the bubble wrap is of sufficient
      optical quality to allow for optical trapping inside the bubbles. Through the use
      of a 100 W bulb to cure hanging droplets of PDMS, a low-cost optical trapping
      system was constructed. Effector T cells were cultured in bubble wrap for 8 days
      and then trapped with the PDMS droplet based optical manipulation. These
      techniques further demonstrate the opportunities for biophysical analysis
      afforded through repurposing common materials in resource-limited settings. 

PMID- 26504628
TI  - Review of fluorescence guided surgery visualization and overlay techniques.
AB  - In fluorescence guided surgery, data visualization represents a critical step
      between signal capture and display needed for clinical decisions informed by that
      signal. The diversity of methods for displaying surgical images are reviewed, and
      a particular focus is placed on electronically detected and visualized signals,
      as required for near-infrared or low concentration tracers. Factors driving the
      choices such as human perception, the need for rapid decision making in a
      surgical environment, and biases induced by display choices are outlined. Five
      practical suggestions are outlined for optimal display orientation, color map,
      transparency/alpha function, dynamic range compression, and color perception
      check. 

PMID- 26504629
TI  - Red emissive AIE nanodots with high two-photon absorption efficiency at 1040 nm
      for deep-tissue in vivo imaging.
AB  - Deep-tissue penetration is highly required in in vivo optical bioimaging. We
      synthesized a type of red emissive fluorophore BT with aggregation-induced
      emission (AIE) property. BT molecules were then encapsulated with amphiphilic
      polymers to form nanodots, and a large two-photon absorption (2PA) cross-section
      of 2.9 * 10(6) GM at 1040 nm was observed from each BT nanodot, which was much
      larger than those at the wavelengths of 770 to 860 nm. In addition, 1040 nm light
      was found to have better penetration and focusing capability than 800 nm light in
      biological tissue, according to the Monte Carlo simulation. The toxicity and
      tissue distribution of BT nanodots were studied, and they were found to have good
      biocompatibility. BT nanodots were then utilized for in vivo imaging of mouse ear
      and brain, and an imaging depth of 700 MUm was obtained with the femtosecond (fs)
      excitation of 1040 nm. The red emissive AIE nanodots with high 2PA efficiency at
      1040 nm would be useful for deep-tissue functional bioimaging in the future. 

PMID- 26504631
TI  - Correlating optical coherence elastography based strain measurements with
      collagen content of the human ovarian tissue.
AB  - In this manuscript, the initial feasibility of a catheter based phase stabilized
      swept source optical coherence tomography (OCT) system was studied for
      characterization of the strain inside different human ovarian tissue groups. The
      ovarian tissue samples were periodically compressed with 500 Hz square wave
      signal along the axial direction between the surface of an unfocused transducer
      and a glass cover slide. The displacement and corresponding strain were
      calculated during loading from different locations for each tissue sample. A
      total of 27 ex vivo ovaries from 16 patients were investigated. Statistically
      significant difference (p < 0.001) was observed between the average displacement
      and strain of the normal and malignant tissue groups. A sensitivity of 93.2% and
      a specificity of 83% were achieved using 25 microstrain (MUepsilon) as the
      threshold. The collagen content of the tissues was quantified from the Sirius Red
      stained histological sections. The average collagen area fraction (CAF) obtained
      from the tissue groups were found to have a strong negative correlation (R = 
      0.75, p < 0.0001) with the amount of strain inside the tissue. This indicates
      much softer and degenerated tissue structure for the malignant ovaries as
      compared to the dense, collagen rich structure of the normal ovarian tissue. The
      initial results indicate that the swept source OCT system can be useful for
      estimating the elasticity of the human ovarian tissue. 

PMID- 26504632
TI  - Stability and instability for low refractive-index-contrast particle trapping in
      a dual-beam optical trap.
AB  - A dual-beam optical trap is used to trap and manipulate dielectric particles.
      When the refractive index of these particles is comparable to that of the
      surrounding medium, equilibrium trapping locations within the system shift from
      stable to unstable depending on fiber separation and particle size. This is due
      to to the relationship between gradient and scattering forces. We experimentally
      and computationally study the transitions between stable and unstable trapping of
      poly(methyl methacrylate) beads for a range of parameters relevant to
      experimental setups involving giant unilamellar vesicles. We present stability
      maps for various fiber separations and particle sizes, and find that careful
      attention to particle size and configuration is necessary to obtain reproducible
      quantitative results for soft matter stretching experiments. 

PMID- 26504630
TI  - Precancerous esophageal epithelia are associated with significantly increased
      scattering coefficients.
AB  - The progression of epithelial precancers into cancer is accompanied by changes of
      tissue and cellular structures in the epithelium. Correlations between the
      structural changes and scattering coefficients of esophageal epithelia were
      investigated using quantitative phase images and the scattering-phase theorem. An
      ex vivo study of 14 patients demonstrated that the average scattering coefficient
      of precancerous epithelia was 37.8% higher than that of normal epithelia from the
      same patient. The scattering coefficients were highly correlated with
      morphological features including the cell density and the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic
      ratio. A high interpatient variability in scattering coefficients was observed
      and suggests identifying precancerous lesions based on the relative change in
      scattering coefficients. 

PMID- 26504633
TI  - Anti-confocal versus confocal assessment of the middle ear simulated by Monte
      Carlo methods.
AB  - The ability to monitor the inflammatory state of the middle ear mucosa would
      provide clinical utility. To enable spectral measurements on the mucosa whilst
      rejecting background signal from the eardrum an anti-confocal system is
      investigated. In contrast to the central pinhole in a confocal system the anti
      confocal system uses a central stop to reject light from the in-focus plane, the
      eardrum, with all other light detected. Monte Carlo simulations of this system
      show an increase in detected signal and improved signal-to-background ratio
      compared to a conventional confocal set-up used to image the middle ear mucosa.
      System parameters are varied in the simulation and their influence on the level
      of background rejection are presented. 

PMID- 26504634
TI  - Image restoration for three-dimensional fluorescence microscopy using an
      orthonormal basis for efficient representation of depth-variant point-spread
      functions.
AB  - A depth-variant (DV) image restoration algorithm for wide field fluorescence
      microscopy, using an orthonormal basis decomposition of DV point-spread functions
      (PSFs), is investigated in this study. The efficient PSF representation is based
      on a previously developed principal component analysis (PCA), which is
      computationally intensive. We present an approach developed to reduce the number
      of DV PSFs required for the PCA computation, thereby making the PCA-based
      approach computationally tractable for thick samples. Restoration results from
      both synthetic and experimental images show consistency and that the proposed
      algorithm addresses efficiently depth-induced aberration using a small number of
      principal components. Comparison of the PCA-based algorithm with a previously
      developed strata-based DV restoration algorithm demonstrates that the proposed
      method improves performance by 50% in terms of accuracy and simultaneously
      reduces the processing time by 64% using comparable computational resources. 

PMID- 26504636
TI  - 28 MHz swept source at 1.0 MUm for ultrafast quantitative phase imaging.
AB  - Emerging high-throughput optical imaging modalities, in particular those
      providing phase information, necessitate a demanding speed regime (e.g. megahertz
      sweep rate) for those conventional swept sources; while an effective solution is
      yet to be demonstrated. We demonstrate a stable breathing laser as inertia-free
      swept source (BLISS) operating at a wavelength sweep rate of 28 MHz, particularly
      for the ultrafast interferometric imaging modality at 1.0 MUm. Leveraging a
      tunable dispersion compensation element inside the laser cavity, the wavelength
      sweep range of BLISS can be tuned from ~10 nm to ~63 nm. It exhibits a good
      intensity stability, which is quantified by the ratio of standard deviation to
      the mean of the pulse intensity, i.e. 1.6%. Its excellent wavelength
      repeatability, <0.05% per sweep, enables the single-shot imaging at an ultrafast
      line-scan rate without averaging. To showcase its potential applications, it is
      applied to the ultrafast (28-MHz line-scan rate) interferometric time-stretch
      (iTS) microscope to provide quantitative morphological information on a
      biological specimen at a lateral resolution of 1.2 MUm. This fiber-based inertia
      free swept source is demonstrated to be robust and broadband, and can be applied
      to other established imaging modalities, such as optical coherence tomography
      (OCT), of which an axial resolution better than 12 MUm can be achieved. 

PMID- 26504635
TI  - Simultaneous FRAP, FLIM and FAIM for measurements of protein mobility and
      interaction in living cells.
AB  - We present a novel integrated multimodal fluorescence microscopy technique for
      simultaneous fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), fluorescence
      lifetime imaging (FLIM) and fluorescence anisotropy imaging (FAIM). This approach
      captures a series of polarization-resolved fluorescence lifetime images during a
      FRAP recovery, maximizing the information available from a limited photon budget.
      We have applied this method to analyse the behaviour of GFP-labelled
      coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) in living human epithelial cells.
      Our data reveal that CAR exists in oligomeric states throughout the cell, and
      that these complexes occur in conjunction with high immobile fractions of the
      receptor at cell-cell junctions. These findings shed light on previously unknown
      molecular associations between CAR receptors in intact cells and demonstrate the
      power of combined FRAP, FLIM and FAIM microscopy as a robust method to analyse
      complex multi-component dynamics in living cells. 

PMID- 26504637
TI  - Label-free characterization of white blood cells by measuring 3D refractive index
      maps.
AB  - The characterization of white blood cells (WBCs) is crucial for blood analyses
      and disease diagnoses. However, current standard techniques rely on cell
      labeling, a process which imposes significant limitations. Here we present three
      dimensional (3D) optical measurements and the label-free characterization of
      mouse WBCs using optical diffraction tomography. 3D refractive index (RI)
      tomograms of individual WBCs are constructed from multiple two-dimensional
      quantitative phase images of samples illuminated at various angles of incidence.
      Measurements of the 3D RI tomogram of WBCs enable the separation of heterogeneous
      populations of WBCs using quantitative morphological and biochemical information.
      Time-lapse tomographic measurements also provide the 3D trajectory of micrometer
      sized beads ingested by WBCs. These results demonstrate that optical diffraction
      tomography can be a useful and versatile tool for the study of WBCs. 

PMID- 26504638
TI  - Methodology for diagnosing of skin cancer on images of dermatologic spots by
      spectral analysis.
AB  - In this paper a new methodology for the diagnosing of skin cancer on images of
      dermatologic spots using image processing is presented. Currently skin cancer is
      one of the most frequent diseases in humans. This methodology is based on Fourier
      spectral analysis by using filters such as the classic, inverse and k-law
      nonlinear. The sample images were obtained by a medical specialist and a new
      spectral technique is developed to obtain a quantitative measurement of the
      complex pattern found in cancerous skin spots. Finally a spectral index is
      calculated to obtain a range of spectral indices defined for skin cancer. Our
      results show a confidence level of 95.4%. 

PMID- 26504639
TI  - Wide-field Raman imaging for bone detection in tissue.
AB  - Inappropriate bone growth in soft tissue can occur after trauma to a limb and can
      cause a disruption to the healing process. This is known as Heterotopic
      Ossification (HO) in which regions in the tissue start to mineralize and form
      microscopic bone-like structures. These structures continue to calcify and
      develop into large, non-functional bony masses that cause pain, limit limb
      movement, and expose the tissue to reoccurring infections; in the case of open
      wounds this can lead to amputation as a result of a failed wound. Both Magnetic
      Resonance Imaging (MRI) and X-ray imaging have poor sensitivity and specificity
      for the detection of HO, thus delaying therapy and leading to poor patient
      outcomes. We present a low-power, fast (1 frame per second) optical Raman imaging
      system with a large field of view (1 cm(2)) that can differentiate bone tissue
      from soft tissue without spectroscopy, this in contrast to conventional Raman
      microscopy systems. This capability may allow for the development of
      instrumentation which permits bedside diagnosis of HO. 

PMID- 26504640
TI  - Encapsulation efficiency of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots by liposomes determined by
      thermal lens microscopy.
AB  - In this study the encapsulation of core shell carboxyl CdSe/ZnS quantum dots
      (QDs) by phospholipids liposome complexes is presented. It makes the quantum dots
      water soluble and photo-stable. Fluorescence self-quenching of the QDs inside the
      liposomes was observed. Therefore, the thermal lens microscopy (TLM) was found to
      be an useful tool for measuring the encapsulation efficiency of the QDs by the
      liposomes, for which an optimum value of 36% was determined. The obtained limit
      of detection (LOD) for determining QDs concentration by TLM was 0.13 nM.
      Moreover, the encapsulated QDs showed no prominent cytotoxicity toward Breast
      cancer cells line MDA-MB-231. This study was supported by UV-visible
      spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and
      dynamic light scattering measurements (DLS). 

PMID- 26504641
TI  - Development of a combined broadband near-infrared and diffusion correlation
      system for monitoring cerebral blood flow and oxidative metabolism in preterm
      infants.
AB  - Neonatal neuromonitoring is a major clinical focus of near-infrared spectroscopy
      (NIRS) and there is an increasing interest in measuring cerebral blood flow (CBF)
      and oxidative metabolism (CMRO2) in addition to the classic tissue oxygenation
      saturation (StO2). The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of
      broadband NIRS combined with diffusion correlation spectroscopy (DCS) to measured
      changes in StO2, CBF and CMRO2 in preterm infants undergoing pharmaceutical
      treatment of patent ductus arteriosus. CBF was measured by both DCS and contrast
      enhanced NIRS for comparison. No significant difference in the treatment-induced
      CBF decrease was found between DCS (27.9 +/- 2.2%) and NIRS (26.5 +/- 4.3%). A
      reduction in StO2 (70.5 +/- 2.4% to 63.7 +/- 2.9%) was measured by broadband
      NIRS, reflecting the increase in oxygen extraction required to maintain CMRO2.
      This study demonstrates the applicability of broadband NIRS combined with DCS for
      neuromonitoring in this patient population. 

PMID- 26504642
TI  - Multi-channel fiber photometry for population neuronal activity recording.
AB  - Fiber photometry has become increasingly popular among neuroscientists as a
      convenient tool for the recording of genetically defined neuronal population in
      behaving animals. Here, we report the development of the multi-channel fiber
      photometry system to simultaneously monitor neural activities in several brain
      areas of an animal or in different animals. In this system, a galvano-mirror
      modulates and cyclically couples the excitation light to individual multimode
      optical fiber bundles. A single photodetector collects excited light and the
      configuration of fiber bundle assembly and the scanner determines the total
      channel number. We demonstrated that the system exhibited negligible crosstalk
      between channels and optical signals could be sampled simultaneously with a
      sample rate of at least 100 Hz for each channel, which is sufficient for
      recording calcium signals. Using this system, we successfully recorded GCaMP6
      fluorescent signals from the bilateral barrel cortices of a head-restrained mouse
      in a dual-channel mode, and the orbitofrontal cortices of multiple freely moving
      mice in a triple-channel mode. The multi-channel fiber photometry system would be
      a valuable tool for simultaneous recordings of population activities in different
      brain areas of a given animal and different interacting individuals. 

PMID- 26504643
TI  - In vivo three-dimensional characterization of the adult zebrafish brain using a
      1325 nm spectral-domain optical coherence tomography system with the 27 frame/s
      video rate.
AB  - In this study, a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) system was
      used for noninvasive imaging of the adult zebrafish brain. Based on a 1325 nm
      light source and two high-speed galvo mirrors, our SD-OCT system can offer a
      large field of view of brain morphology with high resolution (12 MUm axial and 13
      MUm lateral) at video rate (27 frame/s). In vivo imaging of both the control and
      injured brain was performed using adult zebrafish model. The recovered results
      revealed that olfactory bulb, optic commissure, telencephalon, tectum opticum,
      cerebellum, medulla, preglomerular complex and posterior tuberculum could be
      clearly identified in the cross-sectional SD-OCT images of the adult zebrafish
      brain. The reconstructed results also suggested that SD-OCT can be used for
      diagnosis and monitoring of traumatic brain injury. In particular, we found the
      reconstructed volumetric SD-OCT images enable a comprehensive three-dimensional
      characterization of the control or injured brain in the intact zebrafish. 

PMID- 26504645
TI  - Full-field transmission-type angle-deviation optical microscope with reflectivity
      height transformation.
AB  - This full-field transmission-type three-dimensional (3D) optical microscope is
      constructed based on the angle deviation method (ADM) and the algorithm of
      reflectivity-height transformation (RHT). The surface height is proportional to
      the deviation angle of light passing through the object. The angle deviation and
      surface height can be measured based on the reflectivity closed to the critical
      angle using a parallelogram prism and two CCDs. 

PMID- 26504644
TI  - Cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) assessed by combined Doppler and
      spectroscopic OCT.
AB  - A method of measuring cortical oxygen metabolism in the mouse brain that uses
      independent quantitative measurements of three key parameters: cerebral blood
      flow (CBF), arteriovenous oxygen extraction (OE), and hemoglobin concentration
      ([HbT]) is presented. Measurements were performed using a single visible light
      spectral/Fourier domain OCT microscope, with Doppler and spectroscopic
      capabilities, through a thinned-skull cranial window in the mouse brain. Baseline
      metabolic measurements in mice are shown to be consistent with literature values.
      Oxygen consumption, as measured by this method, did not change substantially
      during minor changes either in the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) or in the
      fraction of inspired carbon dioxide (FiCO2), in spite of larger variations in
      oxygen saturations. This set of experiments supports, but does not prove, the
      validity of the proposed method of measuring brain oxygen metabolism. 

PMID- 26504646
TI  - In vivo longitudinal cellular imaging of small intestine by side-view
      endomicroscopy.
AB  - Visualization of cellular dynamics in the gastrointestinal tract of living mouse
      model to investigate the pathophysiology has been a long-pursuing goal.
      Especially, for chronic disease such as Crohn's disease, a longitudinal
      observation of the luminal surface of the small intestine in the single mouse is
      highly desirable to investigate the complex pathogenesis in sequential time
      points. In this work, by utilizing a micro-GRIN lens based side-view
      endomicroscope integrated into a video-rate confocal microscopy system, we
      successfully performed minimally-invasive in vivo cellular-level visualization of
      various fluorescent cells and microvasculature in the small intestinal villi.
      Also, with a transgenic mouse universally expressing photoconvertible protein,
      Kaede, we demonstrated repetitive cellular-level confocal endoscopic
      visualization of same area in the small intestinal lumen of a single mouse, which
      revealed the continuous homeostatic renewal of the small intestinal epithelium. 

PMID- 26504647
TI  - Limitations of the commonly used simplified laterally uniform optical fiber probe
      tissue interface in Monte Carlo simulations of diffuse reflectance.
AB  - Light propagation models often simplify the interface between the optical fiber
      probe tip and tissue to a laterally uniform boundary with mismatched refractive
      indices. Such simplification neglects the precise optical properties of the
      commonly used probe tip materials, e.g. stainless steel or black epoxy. In this
      paper, we investigate the limitations of the laterally uniform probe-tissue
      interface in Monte Carlo simulations of diffuse reflectance. In comparison to a
      realistic probe-tissue interface that accounts for the layout and properties of
      the probe tip materials, the simplified laterally uniform interface is shown to
      introduce significant errors into the simulated diffuse reflectance. 

PMID- 26504648
TI  - Validating a bimodal intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and near-infrared
      fluorescence (NIRF) catheter for atherosclerotic plaque detection in rabbits.
AB  - Coronary artery disease is characterized by atherosclerotic plaque formation.
      Despite impressive advances in intravascular imaging modalities, in vivo
      molecular plaque characterization remains challenging, and different
      multimodality imaging systems have been proposed. We validated an engineered
      bimodal intravascular ultrasound imaging (IVUS) / near-infrared fluorescence
      (NIRF) imaging catheter in vivo using a balloon injury atherosclerosis rabbit
      model. Rabbit aortas and right iliac arteries were scanned in vivo after
      indocyanine green (ICG) injection, and compared to corresponding ex vivo
      fluorescence and white light images. Areas of ICG accumulation were colocalized
      with macroscopic atherosclerotic plaque formation. In vivo imaging was performed
      with the bimodal catheter integrating ICG-induced fluorescence signals into cross
      sectional IVUS imaging. In vivo ICG accumulation corresponded to ex vivo
      fluorescence signal intensity and IVUS identified plaques. 

PMID- 26504649
TI  - Ultrafast transient absorption of eumelanin suspensions: the role of inverse
      Raman scattering.
AB  - An ultrafast investigation is carried out on synthetic eumelanin suspended either
      in water or in DMSO-methanol. Upon photoexcitation by visible femtosecond pulses,
      the transient absorption (TA) dynamics of the suspensions are probed in a broad
      visible spectral range, showing clear nonlinearities. The latter arise from pump
      probe interactions that induce the inverse Raman scattering (IRS) effect. We show
      how eumelanin TA dynamics are modified in proximity of the solvent Stokes and
      anti-Stokes scattering peaks, demonstrating that IRS affects the sign of TA but
      not the relaxation times. We compare the results obtained in both suspensions,
      unveiling the role of the surrounding environment. Eventually, the intrinsic
      response of synthetic eumelanin to ultrafast photoexcitation is evaluated. 

PMID- 26504650
TI  - Modal demultiplexing properties of tapered and nanostructured optical fibers for
      in vivo optogenetic control of neural activity.
AB  - Optogenetic approaches to manipulate neural activity have revolutionized the
      ability of neuroscientists to uncover the functional connectivity underlying
      brain function. At the same time, the increasing complexity of in vivo
      optogenetic experiments has increased the demand for new techniques to precisely
      deliver light into the brain, in particular to illuminate selected portions of
      the neural tissue. Tapered and nanopatterned gold-coated optical fibers were
      recently proposed as minimally invasive multipoint light delivery devices,
      allowing for site-selective optogenetic stimulation in the mammalian brain
      [Pisanello , Neuron82, 1245 (2014)]. Here we demonstrate that the working
      principle behind these devices is based on the mode-selective photonic properties
      of the fiber taper. Using analytical and ray tracing models we model the finite
      conductance of the metal coating, and show that single or multiple optical
      windows located at specific taper sections can outcouple only specific subsets of
      guided modes injected into the fiber. 

PMID- 26504651
TI  - Improved two-photon imaging of living neurons in brain tissue through temporal
      gating.
AB  - We optimize two-photon imaging of living neurons in brain tissue by temporally
      gating an incident laser to reduce the photon flux while optimizing the maximum
      fluorescence signal from the acquired images. Temporal gating produces a bunch of
      ~10 femtosecond pulses and the fluorescence signal is improved by increasing the
      bunch-pulse energy. Gating is achieved using an acousto-optic modulator with a
      variable gating frequency determined as integral multiples of the imaging
      sampling frequency. We hypothesize that reducing the photon flux minimizes the
      photo-damage to the cells. Our results, however, show that despite producing a
      high fluorescence signal, cell viability is compromised when the gating and
      sampling frequencies are equal (or effectively one bunch-pulse per pixel). We
      found an optimum gating frequency range that maintains the viability of the cells
      while preserving a pre-set fluorescence signal of the acquired two-photon images.
      The neurons are imaged while under whole-cell patch, and the cell viability is
      monitored as a change in the membrane's input resistance. 

PMID- 26504652
TI  - Application of full field optical studies for pulsatile flow in a carotid artery
      phantom.
AB  - A preliminary comparative measurement between particle imaging velocimetry (PIV)
      and laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA) to study pulsatile flow using
      ventricular assist device in a patient-specific carotid artery phantom is
      reported. These full-field optical techniques have both been used to study flow
      and extract complementary parameters. We use the high spatial resolution of PIV
      to generate a full velocity map of the flow field and the high temporal
      resolution of LASCA to extract the detailed frequency spectrum of the fluid
      pulses. Using this combination of techniques a complete study of complex
      pulsatile flow in an intricate flow network can be studied. 

PMID- 26504653
TI  - Real-time, profile-corrected single snapshot imaging of optical properties.
AB  - A novel acquisition and processing method that enables real-time, single snapshot
      of optical properties (SSOP) and 3-dimensional (3D) profile measurements in the
      spatial frequency domain is described. This method makes use of a dual sinusoidal
      wave projection pattern permitting to extract the DC and AC components in the
      frequency domain to recover optical properties as well as the phase for measuring
      the 3D profile. In this method, the 3D profile is used to correct for the effect
      of sample's height and angle and directly obtain profile-corrected absorption and
      reduced scattering maps from a single acquired image. In this manuscript, the 3D
      SSOP method is described and validated on tissue-mimicking phantoms as well as in
      vivo, in comparison with the standard profile-corrected SFDI (3D-SFDI) method. On
      average, in comparison with 3D-SFDI method, the 3D-SSOP method allows to recover
      the profile within 1.2mm and profile-corrected optical properties within 12% for
      absorption and 6% for reduced scattering over a large field-of-view and in real
      time. 

PMID- 26504654
TI  - Passive BCI based on drowsiness detection: an fNIRS study.
AB  - We use functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to discriminate the alert
      and drowsy states for a passive brain-computer interface (BCI). The passive brain
      signals for the drowsy state are acquired from the prefrontal and dorsolateral
      prefrontal cortex. The experiment is performed on 13 healthy subjects using a
      driving simulator, and their brain activity is recorded using a continuous-wave
      fNIRS system. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is employed for training and
      testing, using the data from the prefrontal, left- and right-dorsolateral
      prefrontal regions. For classification, eight features are tested: mean
      oxyhemoglobin, mean deoxyhemoglobin, skewness, kurtosis, signal slope, number of
      peaks, sum of peaks, and signal peak, in 0~5, 0~10, and 0~15 second time windows,
      respectively. The results show that the best performance for classification is
      achieved using mean oxyhemoglobin, the signal peak, and the sum of peaks as
      features. The average accuracies in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
      (83.1, 83.4 and 84.9% in the 0~5, 0~10 and 0~15 second time windows,
      respectively) show that the proposed method has an effective utility for
      detection of drowsiness for a passive BCI. 

PMID- 26504655
TI  - Trapping and manipulation of microparticles using laser-induced convection
      currents and photophoresis.
AB  - In this work we demonstrate optical trapping and manipulation of microparticles
      suspended in water due to laser-induced convection currents. Convection currents
      are generated due to laser light absorption in an hydrogenated amorphous silicon
      (a:Si-H) thin film. The particles are dragged towards the beam's center by the
      convection currents (Stokes drag force) allowing trapping with powers as low as
      0.8 mW. However, for powers >3 mW trapped particles form a ring around the beam
      due to two competing forces: Stokes drag and thermo-photophoretic forces.
      Additionally, we show that dynamic beam shaping can be used to trap and
      manipulate multiple particles by photophotophoresis without the need of
      lithographically created resistive heaters. 

PMID- 26504657
TI  - Photophysical characterization of sickle cell disease hemoglobin by multi-photon
      microscopy.
AB  - The photophysical properties of human sickle cell disease (SCD) Hemoglobin (Hb)
      is characterized by multi-photon microscopy (MPM). The intrinsic two-photon
      excited fluorescence (TPEF) signal associated with extracted hemoglobin was
      investigated and the solidified SCD variant (HbS) was found to demonstrate broad
      emission peaking around 510 nm when excited at 800 nm. MPM is used to dynamically
      induce and image HbS gelling by photolysis of deoxygenated HbS. For comparison,
      photolysis conditions were applied to a healthy variant of human hemoglobin (HbA)
      and found to remain in solution not forming fibers. The use of this signal to
      study the mechanism of HbS polymerization associated with the sickling of SCD
      erythrocytes is discussed. 

PMID- 26504656
TI  - Optical monitoring of stress-related changes in the brain tissues and vessels
      associated with hemorrhagic stroke in newborn rats.
AB  - Stress is a major factor for a risk of cerebrovascular catastrophes. Studying of
      mechanisms underlying stress-related brain-injures in neonates is crucial for
      development of strategy to prevent of neonatal stroke. Here, using a model of
      sound-stress-induced intracranial hemorrhages in newborn rats and optical
      methods, we found that cerebral veins are more sensitive to the deleterious
      effect of stress than arteries and microvessels. The development of venous
      insufficiency with decreased blood outflow from the brain accompanied by hypoxia,
      reduction of complexity of venous blood flow and high production of beta-arrestin
      1 are possible mechanisms responsible for a risk of neonatal hemorrhagic stroke. 

PMID- 26504658
TI  - Rhodamine B as an optical thermometer in cells focally exposed to infrared laser
      light or nanosecond pulsed electric fields.
AB  - The temperature-dependent fluorescence property of Rhodamine B was used to
      measure changes in temperature at the cellular level induced by either infrared
      laser light exposure or high intensity, ultrashort pulsed electric fields. The
      thermal impact of these stimuli were demonstrated at the cellular level in time
      and contrasted with the change in temperature observed in the extracellular bath.
      The method takes advantage of the temperature sensitivity of the fluorescent dye
      Rhodamine B which has a quantum yield linearly dependent on temperature. The
      thermal effects of different temporal pulse applications of infrared laser light
      exposure and of nanosecond pulsed electric fields were investigated. The
      temperature increase due to the application of nanosecond pulsed electric fields
      was demonstrated at the cellular level. 

PMID- 26504659
TI  - Performance characterization of low-cost, high-speed, portable pulsed laser diode
      photoacoustic tomography (PLD-PAT) system.
AB  - Photoacoustic tomography systems that uses Q-switched Nd:YAG/OPO pulsed lasers
      are expensive, bulky, and hence limits its use in clinical applications. The low
      pulse repetition rate of these lasers makes it unsuitable for real-time imaging
      when used with single-element ultrasound detector. In this work, we present a
      pulsed laser diode photoacoustic tomography (PLD-PAT) system that integrates a
      compact PLD inside a single-detector circular scanning geometry. We compared its
      performance against the traditional Nd:YAG/OPO based PAT system in terms of
      imaging depth, resolution, imaging time etc. The PLD provides near-infrared
      pulses at ~803 nm wavelength with pulse energy ~1.4 mJ/pulse at 7 kHz repetition
      rate. The PLD-PAT system is capable of providing 2D image in scan time as small
      as 3 sec with a signal-to-noise ratio ~30. High-speed and deep-tissue imaging is
      demonstrated on phantoms and biological samples. The PLD-PAT system is
      inexpensive, portable, allows high-speed PAT imaging, and its performance is as
      good as traditional expensive OPO based PAT system. Therefore, it holds promises
      for future translational biomedical imaging applications. 

PMID- 26504660
TI  - Minimizing projection artifacts for accurate presentation of choroidal
      neovascularization in OCT micro-angiography.
AB  - Current optical coherence tomography (OCT) based micro-angiography is prone to a
      projection (or tailing) effect due to the high scattering property of blood
      within overlying patent vessels, creating artifacts that interfere with the
      interpretation of retinal angiographic results. In this work, the projection
      effect in OCT micro-angiography is examined and its causality is explained by
      strong light scattering and photon propagation within blood. A simple practical
      approach is then introduced to minimize these artifacts presented in the outer
      retinal avascular space, especially useful for examining clinical cases with
      choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Demonstrated through in-vivo human posterior
      eye imaging of healthy and CNV subjects, the proposed method is shown effective
      to eliminate the projection artifacts in outer retinal space of OCT micro
      angiography, resulting in better visualization of the pathological
      neovascularization when compared with the current common approaches. In addition,
      it is also shown that the proposed method is applicable to minimize the
      projection artifacts appearing in deep retinal layers. 

PMID- 26504661
TI  - Photonic non-contact estimation of blood lactate level.
AB  - The ability to measure the blood lactate level in a non-invasive, non-contact
      manner is very appealing to the sports industry as well as the home care field.
      That is mainly because this substance level is an imperative parameter in the
      course of devolving a personal workout programs. Moreover, the blood lactate
      level is also a pivotal means in estimation of muscles' performance capability.
      In this manuscript we propose an optical non-contact approach to estimate the
      concentration level of this parameter. Firstly, we introduce the connection
      between the physiological muscle tremor and the lactate blood levels. Secondly,
      we suggest a photonic optical method to estimate the physiological tremor.
      Lastly, we present the results of tests conducted to establish proof of concept
      to this connection. 

PMID- 26504662
TI  - Optical clearing based cellular-level 3D visualization of intact lymph node
      cortex.
AB  - Lymph node (LN) is an important immune organ that controls adaptive immune
      responses against foreign pathogens and abnormal cells. To facilitate efficient
      immune function, LN has highly organized 3D cellular structures, vascular and
      lymphatic system. Unfortunately, conventional histological analysis relying on
      thin-sliced tissue has limitations in 3D cellular analysis due to structural
      disruption and tissue loss in the processes of fixation and tissue slicing.
      Optical sectioning confocal microscopy has been utilized to analyze 3D structure
      of intact LN tissue without physical tissue slicing. However, light scattering
      within biological tissues limits the imaging depth only to superficial portion of
      LN cortex. Recently, optical clearing techniques have shown enhancement of
      imaging depth in various biological tissues, but their efficacy for LN are
      remained to be investigated. In this work, we established optical clearing
      procedure for LN and achieved 3D volumetric visualization of the whole cortex of
      LN. More than 4 times improvement in imaging depth was confirmed by using LN
      obtained from H2B-GFP/actin-DsRed double reporter transgenic mouse. With adoptive
      transfer of GFP expressing B cells and DsRed expressing T cells and fluorescent
      vascular labeling by anti-CD31 and anti-LYVE-1 antibody conjugates, we
      successfully visualized major cellular-level structures such as T-cell zone, B
      cell follicle and germinal center. Further, we visualized the GFP expressing
      metastatic melanoma cell colony, vasculature and lymphatic vessels in the LN
      cortex. 

PMID- 26504663
TI  - Elucidating the temporal dynamics of optical birefringence changes in crustacean
      nerves.
AB  - Intrinsic optical properties, such as optical birefringence, may serve as a tool
      for minimally invasive neuroimaging methods with high spatiotemporal resolution
      to aid in the study of neuronal activation patterns. To facilitate imaging
      neuronal activity by sensing dynamic birefringence, temporal characteristics
      behind the signal must be better understood. We have developed a novel nerve
      chamber to investigate changes in birefringence at the stimulation site, and at
      distances ~4-28 mm from that site. Using crustacean nerves with either
      heterogeneous or homogeneous size distributions of axon diameters, we found that
      the gradual (slow) recovery of the crossed-polarized signal is not explained by
      the arrival times of action potentials in smaller axons. Through studying the
      effects of stimulating current and voltage pulses, we hypothesize that the
      recovery may be caused by a capacitive-like coupling between firing axons and
      adjacent tissue structures, and we report data consistent with this hypothesis.
      This study will aid in the utilization of action-potential-related changes in
      birefringence to study fast changes in neuronal network activity. 

PMID- 26504664
TI  - Intraoperative measurement of bowel oxygen saturation using a multispectral
      imaging laparoscope.
AB  - Intraoperative monitoring of tissue oxygen saturation (StO2 ) has potentially
      important applications in procedures such as organ transplantation or colorectal
      surgery, where successful reperfusion affects the viability and integrity of
      repaired tissues. In this paper a liquid crystal tuneable filter-based
      multispectral imaging (MSI) laparoscope is described. Motion-induced image
      misalignments are reduced, using feature-based registration, before regression of
      the tissue reflectance spectra to calculate relative quantities of oxy- and
      deoxyhaemoglobin. The laparoscope was validated in vivo, during porcine abdominal
      surgery, by making parallel MSI and blood gas measurements of the small bowel
      vasculature. Ischaemic conditions were induced by local occlusion of the
      mesenteric arcade and monitored using the system. The MSI laparoscope was capable
      of measuring StO2 over a wide range (30-100%) with a temporal error of +/- 7.5%.
      The imager showed sensitivity to spatial changes in StO2 during dynamic local
      occlusions, as well as tracking the recovery of tissues post-occlusion. 

PMID- 26504665
TI  - Endoscopic Doppler optical coherence tomography and autofluorescence imaging of
      peripheral pulmonary nodules and vasculature.
AB  - We present the first endoscopic Doppler optical coherence tomography and co
      registered autofluorescence imaging (DOCT-AFI) of peripheral pulmonary nodules
      and vascular networks in vivo using a small 0.9 mm diameter catheter. Using
      exemplary images from volumetric data sets collected from 31 patients during
      flexible bronchoscopy, we demonstrate how DOCT and AFI offer complementary
      information that may increase the ability to locate and characterize pulmonary
      nodules. AFI offers a sensitive visual presentation for the rapid identification
      of suspicious airway sites, while co-registered OCT provides detailed structural
      information to assess the airway morphology. We demonstrate the ability of AFI to
      visualize vascular networks in vivo and validate this finding using Doppler and
      structural OCT. Given the advantages of higher resolution, smaller probe size,
      and ability to visualize vasculature, DOCT-AFI has the potential to increase
      diagnostic accuracy and minimize bleeding to guide biopsy of pulmonary nodules
      compared to radial endobronchial ultrasound, the current standard of care. 

PMID- 26504666
TI  - Dynamics of the near response under natural viewing conditions with an open-view
      sensor.
AB  - We have studied the temporal dynamics of the near response (accommodation,
      convergence and pupil constriction) in healthy subjects when accommodation was
      performed under natural binocular and monocular viewing conditions. A binocular
      open-view multi-sensor based on an invisible infrared Hartmann-Shack sensor was
      used for non-invasive measurements of both eyes simultaneously in real time at
      25Hz. Response times for each process under different conditions were measured.
      The accommodative responses for binocular vision were faster than for monocular
      conditions. When one eye was blocked, accommodation and convergence were
      triggered simultaneously and synchronized, despite the fact that no retinal
      disparity was available. We found that upon the onset of the near target, the
      unblocked eye rapidly changes its line of sight to fix it on the stimulus while
      the blocked eye moves in the same direction, producing the equivalent to a
      saccade, but then converges to the (blocked) target in synchrony with
      accommodation. This open-view instrument could be further used for additional
      experiments with other tasks and conditions. 

PMID- 26504667
TI  - Management of Neuroacanthocytosis Syndromes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The two core neuroacanthocytosis (NA) syndromes, chorea
      acanthocytosis (ChAc) and McLeod syndrome, are progressive neurodegenerative
      disorders that primarily affect the basal ganglia. The characteristic phenotype
      comprises a variety of movement disorders including chorea, dystonia, and
      parkinsonism, as well as psychiatric and cognitive symptoms attributable to basal
      ganglia dysfunction. These disorders are symptomatically managed on a case-by
      case basis, with very few practitioners seeing more than a single case in their
      careers. METHODS: A literature search was performed on PubMed utilizing the terms
      neuroacanthocytosis, chorea-acanthocytosis, and McLeod syndrome, and articles
      were reviewed for mentions of therapies, successful or otherwise. RESULTS: There
      have been no blinded, controlled trials and only one retrospective case series
      describing ChAc. The various therapies that have been used in patients with NA
      syndromes are summarized. DISCUSSION: Management remains at present purely
      symptomatic, which is similar in principle to other more common basal ganglia
      neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's disease (HD) and Parkinson's
      disease (PD). However, there are some specific issues particular to NA syndromes
      that merit attention. An integrated multidisciplinary approach is the ideal
      management strategy for these complex and multifaceted neurodegenerative
      disorders.

PMID- 26504668
TI  - Susceptibility of Snails to Infection with Schistosomes is influenced by
      Temperature and Expression of Heat Shock Proteins.
AB  - The freshwater snail, Biomphalaria glabrata is the obligate intermediate host for
      the transmission of the parasitic trematode, Schistosoma mansoni the causative
      agent of the chronic debilitating neglected tropical disease, schistosomiasis. We
      showed previously that in juvenile snails, early and significant induction of
      stress manifested by the expression of stress proteins, Hsp 70, Hsp 90 and
      reverse transcriptase (RT) of the non- LTR retrotransposon, nimbus, is a
      characteristic feature of juvenile susceptible NMRI but not resistant BS-90
      snails. These latter, however, could be rendered susceptible after mild heat
      shock at 32 degrees C, revealing that resistance in the BS-90 resistant snail to
      schistosomes is a temperature dependent trait. Here we tested the hypothesis that
      maintenance of BS-90 resistant snails at the permissive temperature for several
      generations affects the resistance phenotype displayed at the non-permissive
      temperature of 25 degrees C. The progeny of BS-90 snails bred and maintained
      through several generations (F1 to F4) at 32 degrees C were susceptible to the
      schistosome infection when returned to room temperature, shedding cercariae at
      four weeks post-infection. Moreover, the study of expression levels of the heat
      shock protein (Hsp) 70 protein by ELISA and western blot analysis, showed that
      this protein is also differentially expressed between susceptible and resistant
      snails, with susceptible snails expressing more protein than their resistant
      counterparts after early exposure to wild-type but not to radiation-attenuated
      miracidia. These data suggested that in the face of global warming, the ability
      to sustain a reduction in schistosomiasis by using refractory snails as a
      strategy to block transmission of the disease might prove challenging since non
      lethal elevation in temperature, affects snail susceptibility to S. mansoni.

PMID- 26504669
TI  - Targeted activation of melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5) for
      immunotherapy of pancreatic carcinoma.
AB  - The RIG-I-like helicase melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5) is
      an innate immune receptor for double-stranded viral RNA (dsRNA) that, upon
      activation, induces a Type I interferon (IFN)-driven immune response. In the
      present study, we demonstrate that human und murine pancreatic cancer cells
      express functional MDA5 and are highly sensitive to MDA5-induced cell death.
      Activation of MDA5 by cytosolic delivery of the synthetic dsRNA analog poly(I:C)
      led to phosphorylation of the transcription factor IRF3, IFNbeta production and
      upregulation of MHC-I expression. MDA5 signaling also induced tumor cell
      apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway and sensitized tumor cells toward extrinsic,
      Fas-mediated apoptosis. Systemic treatment of orthotopic pancreatic cancer
      bearing mice with the MDA5 ligand resulted in activated CD8+ T cell tumor
      infiltration, an increased frequency of tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells and
      an immunogenic cytokine milieu in the tumor microenvironment. These effects were
      paralleled by MDA5-induced pronounced tumor cell death in situ and significantly
      prolonged survival in two different mouse models for pancreatic cancer, an
      immunotherapeutic response dependent on CD8+ T cells. Treated mice were further
      protected from subsequent tumor challenge. In summary, we identified MDA5 as a
      novel therapeutic target for overcoming apoptosis resistance and tumor-mediated
      immunosuppression in pancreatic cancer. MDA5 ligands link innate with adaptive
      immune mechanisms for effective tumor control.

PMID- 26504670
TI  - beta3-adrenoreceptor and tumor microenvironment: a new hub.
AB  - The achievement of malignant traits in several cancers is associated with tumor
      microenvironment reactivity. New evidence show that the stress hormone
      noradrenaline enhances melanoma microenvironment reactivity, mainly acting
      through beta3-adrenoreceptors (beta2-ARs), favoring recruitment of cancer
      associated fibroblasts, M2-macrophages, bone marrow-derived precursors, These
      events concur in sustaining a pro-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic milieu, finally
      boosting melanoma malignancy.

PMID- 26504671
TI  - Documenting Nursing and Medical Students' Stereotypes about Hispanic and American
      Indian Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hispanic Americans and American Indians face significant health
      disparities compared with White Americans. Research suggests that stereotyping of
      minority patients by members of the medical community is an important antecedent
      of race and ethnicity-based health disparities. This work has primarily focused
      on physicians' perceptions, however, and little research has examined the
      stereotypes healthcare personnel associate with Hispanic and American Indian
      patients. The present study assesses: 1) the health-related stereotypes both
      nursing and medical students hold about Hispanic and American Indian patients,
      and 2) nursing and medical students' motivation to treat Hispanic and American
      Indian patients in an unbiased manner. DESIGN: Participants completed a
      questionnaire assessing their awareness of stereotypes that healthcare
      professionals associate with Hispanic and American Indian patients then completed
      measures of their motivation to treat Hispanics and American Indians in an
      unbiased manner. RESULTS: Despite being highly motivated to treat Hispanic and
      American Indian individuals fairly, the majority of participants reported
      awareness of stereotypes associating these patient groups with noncompliance,
      risky health behavior, and difficulty understanding and/or communicating health
      related information. CONCLUSION: This research provides direct evidence for
      negative health-related stereotypes associated with two understudied minority
      patient groups-Hispanics and American Indians-among both nursing and medical
      personnel.

PMID- 26504672
TI  - Attentional Control and Suppressing Negative Thought Intrusions in Pathological
      Worry.
AB  - Adaptive behavior relies on the ability to effectively and efficiently ignore
      irrelevant information, an important component of attentional control. The
      current research found that fundamental difficulties in ignoring irrelevant
      material are related to dispositional differences in trait propensity to worry,
      suggesting a core deficit in attentional control in high worriers. The degree of
      deficit in attentional control correlated with the degree of difficulty in
      suppressing negative thought intrusions in a worry assessment task. A cognitive
      training procedure utilizing a flanker task was used in an attempt to improve
      attentional control. Although the cognitive training was largely ineffective,
      improvements in attentional control were associated with improvements in the
      ability to suppress worry-related thought intrusions. Across two studies, the
      findings indicate that the inability to control worry-related negative thought
      intrusions is associated with a general deficiency in attentional control.

PMID- 26504673
TI  - Alcohol and Emotional Contagion: An Examination of the Spreading of Smiles in
      Male and Female Drinking Groups.
AB  - Researchers have hypothesized that men gain greater reward from alcohol than
      women. However, alcohol-administration studies testing participants drinking
      alone have offered weak support for this hypothesis. Research suggests that
      social processes may be implicated in gender differences in drinking patterns. We
      examined the impact of gender and alcohol on "emotional contagion"-a social
      mechanism central to bonding and cohesion. Social drinkers (360 male, 360 female)
      consumed alcohol, placebo, or control beverages in groups of three. Social
      interactions were video recorded, and both Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiling were
      continuously coded using the Facial Action Coding System. Results revealed that
      Duchenne smiling (but not non-Duchenne smiling) contagion correlated with self
      reported reward and typical drinking patterns. Importantly, Duchenne smiles were
      significantly less "infectious" among sober male versus female groups, and
      alcohol eliminated these gender differences in smiling contagion. Findings
      identify new directions for research exploring social-reward processes in the
      etiology of alcohol problems.

PMID- 26504674
TI  - Negative Social Evaluative Fears Produce Social Anxiety, Food Intake, and Body
      Dissatisfaction: Evidence of Similar Mechanisms through Different Pathways.
AB  - Social anxiety and eating disorders are highly comorbid, suggesting there are
      shared vulnerabilities that underlie the development of these disorders. Two
      proposed vulnerabilities are fear of negative evaluation and social appearance
      anxiety (i.e., fear of negative evaluation regarding one's appearance). In the
      current experimental study (N=160 women) we measured these fears: (a) through a
      manipulation comparing fear conditions, (b) with trait fears, and (c) state
      fears. Results indicated that participants in the fear of negative evaluation
      condition increased food consumption, whereas participants in the social
      appearance anxiety condition and high in trait social appearance anxiety
      experienced the highest amounts of body dissatisfaction. Participants in the fear
      of evaluation and social appearance anxiety conditions experienced elevated
      social anxiety. These results support the idea that negative evaluation fears are
      shared vulnerabilities for eating and social anxiety disorders, but that the way
      these variables exert their effects may lead to disorder specific behaviors.

PMID- 26504675
TI  - Mechanisms of Selective Attention in Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
AB  - A well-established literature has identified different selective attentional
      orienting mechanisms underlying anxiety-related attentional bias, such as
      engagement and disengagement of attention. These mechanisms are thought to
      contribute to the onset and maintenance of anxiety disorders. However,
      conclusions to date have relied heavily on experimental work from subclinical
      samples. We therefore investigated individuals with diagnosed generalized anxiety
      disorder (GAD), healthy volunteers, and individuals with high trait anxiety (but
      not meeting GAD diagnostic criteria). Across two experiments we found faster
      disengagement from negative (angry and fearful) faces in GAD groups, an effect
      opposite to that expected on the basis of the subclinical literature. Together
      these data challenge current assumptions that we can generalize, to those with
      GAD, the pattern of selective attentional orienting to threat found in
      subclinical groups. We suggest a decisive two-stage experiment identifying
      stimuli of primary salience in GAD, then using these to reexamine orienting
      mechanisms across groups.

PMID- 26504678
TI  - Characterization and transferability of microsatellite markers developed for
      Carpinus betulus (Betulaceae)(1).
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Carpinus betulus (Betulaceae) is an octoploid, ecologically
      important, common tree species in European woodlands. We established 11 nuclear
      microsatellite loci allowing for detailed analyses of genetic diversity and
      structure. METHODS AND RESULTS: A microsatellite-enriched library was used to
      develop primers for 11 microsatellite loci that revealed high allele numbers and
      genetic diversity in a preliminary study. CONCLUSIONS: All of the loci developed
      here are informative for C. betulus. In addition, the loci are transferable to
      several species within the genus, and almost all loci cross-amplified in species
      of different genera of the Betulaceae.

PMID- 26504677
TI  - A strategy to recover a high-quality, complete plastid sequence from low-coverage
      whole-genome sequencing.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: We developed a bioinformatic strategy to recover and
      assemble a chloroplast genome using data derived from low-coverage 454 GS
      FLX/Roche whole-genome sequencing. METHODS: A comparative genomics approach was
      applied to obtain the complete chloroplast genome from a weedy biotype of rice
      from Uruguay. We also applied appropriate filters to discriminate reads
      representing novel DNA transfer events between the chloroplast and nuclear
      genomes. RESULTS: From a set of 295,159 reads (96 Mb data), we assembled the
      chloroplast genome into two contigs. This weedy rice was classified based on 23
      polymorphic regions identified by comparison with reference chloroplast genomes.
      We detected recent and past events of genetic material transfer between the
      chloroplast and nuclear genomes and estimated their occurrence frequency.
      DISCUSSION: We obtained a high-quality complete chloroplast genome sequence from
      low-coverage sequencing data. Intergenome DNA transfer appears to be more
      frequent than previously thought.

PMID- 26504676
TI  - The Promise of Neurotechnology in Clinical Translational Science.
AB  - Neurotechnology is broadly defined as a set of devices used to understand neural
      processes and applications that can potentially facilitate the brain's ability to
      repair itself. In the past decade, an increasingly explicit understanding of
      basic biological mechanisms of brain-related illnesses has produced applications
      that allow a direct yet noninvasive method to index and manipulate the
      functioning of the human nervous system. Clinical scientists are poised to apply
      this technology to assess, treat, and better understand complex socioemotional
      processes that underlie many forms of psychopathology. In this review, we
      describe the potential benefits and hurdles, both technical and methodological,
      of neurotechnology in the context of clinical dysfunction. We also offer a
      framework for developing and evaluating neurotechnologies that is intended to
      expedite progress at the nexus of clinical science and neural interface designs
      by providing a comprehensive vocabulary to describe the necessary features of
      neurotechnology in the clinic.

PMID- 26504679
TI  - Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in Rehmannia glutinosa
      (Scrophulariaceae), a medicinal herb.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Rehmannia glutinosa (Scrophulariaceae) is used in
      traditional Chinese medicine. Microsatellite primers were developed and
      characterized for this species to evaluate its genetic diversity and population
      genetic structure. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sixteen microsatellite loci were isolated
      from R. glutinosa using an enriched genomic library, and these markers were
      characterized in two wild populations of this species. The number of alleles per
      locus ranged from two to 20. A high genetic diversity was observed in two
      populations, with average observed heterozygosity of 0.812 and 0.794, and average
      expected heterozygosity of 0.802 and 0.814, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Rehmannia
      glutinosa is an important medicinal resource. The genetic markers described in
      our study will be useful for future population genetic studies and molecular
      breeding programs on this species.

PMID- 26504680
TI  - Isolation of nuclear microsatellites in the African timber tree Lophira alata
      (Ochnaceae) and cross-amplification in L. lanceolata.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Microsatellite markers were isolated in the rainforest tree
      Lophira alata (Ochnaceae), an important timber tree from Central Africa, and
      cross-amplified on its savannah counterpart, L. lanceolata. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      From a microsatellite-enriched library sequenced on a 454 GS FLX platform, 13
      primer combinations were identified. Amplification was optimized in two multiplex
      reactions. The primers amplified di- and trinucelotide repeats, with two to seven
      alleles per locus. Eleven primers also amplified in L. lanceolata. CONCLUSIONS:
      Microsatellite primers developed for the genus Lophira displayed sufficient
      variation to investigate hybridization between congeneric species in the
      rainforest-savannah transition.

PMID- 26504681
TI  - Development and characterization of 25 microsatellite primers for Ilex chinensis
      (Aquifoliaceae).
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: To evaluate genetic variation and structure of Ilex
      chinensis (Aquifoliaceae), a dioecious evergreen tree, we developed 25
      microsatellite markers from its nuclear genome. METHODS AND RESULTS: Based on the
      biotin-streptavidin capture method, 10 polymorphic and 15 monomorphic
      microsatellite markers were developed. Ten polymorphic loci were characterized by
      87 individuals sampled from three populations located in Zhejiang Province and
      Shanghai, China. The number of alleles per locus varied from two to 12. The
      observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.0435-0.9032 and 0.3121-0.8343,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These microsatellite markers can be useful for further
      genetic studies of I. chinensis populations, and so contribute to forest
      restoration and management.

PMID- 26504682
TI  - Characterization of 12 polymorphic SSR markers in Veronica subsect. Pentasepalae
      (Plantaginaceae) and cross-amplification in 10 other subgenera.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Microsatellite primers were developed in the perennial
      herbs of the diploid-polyploid complex Veronica subsect. Pentasepalae
      (Plantaginaceae) to investigate the role that hybridization has played in the
      evolution of the group, which includes several endangered species. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Twelve pairs of primers leading to polymorphic and readable markers were
      identified and optimized from V. jacquinii and V. orbiculata using a
      microsatellite-enriched library method and 454 GS-FLX technique. The set of
      primers amplified dinucleotide to pentanucleotide repeats, and the number of
      alleles per locus ranged from one to six, one to 11, and one to nine for V.
      orsiniana, V. javalambrensis, and V. rosea, respectively. Transferability
      analyses were performed in 20 species corresponding to 10 different subgenera.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate the utility of the newly developed
      microsatellites across Veronica subsect. Pentasepalae, which will help in the
      study of gene flow patterns and genetic structure.

PMID- 26504683
TI  - Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers for Jasminum sambac
      (Oleaceae) using Illumina shotgun sequencing.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Microsatellite markers of Jasminum sambac (Oleaceae) were
      isolated to investigate wild germplasm resources and provide markers for
      breeding. METHODS AND RESULTS: Illumina sequencing was used to isolate
      microsatellite markers from the transcriptome of J. sambac. A total of 1322
      microsatellites were identified from 49,772 assembled unigenes. One hundred
      primer pairs were randomly selected to verify primer amplification efficiency.
      Out of these tested primer pairs, 31 were successfully amplified: 18 primer pairs
      yielded a single allele, seven exhibited fixed heterozygosity with two alleles,
      and only six displayed polymorphisms. CONCLUSIONS: This study obtained the first
      set of microsatellite markers for J. sambac, which will be helpful for the
      assessment of wild germplasm resources and the development of molecular marker
      assisted breeding.

PMID- 26504684
TI  - A new technique to prepare hard fruits and seeds for anatomical studies.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: A novel preparation technique was developed to examine
      fruits and seeds of plants with exceptionally hard or brittle tissues that are
      very difficult to prepare using standard histological techniques. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: The method introduced here was modified from a technique employed on
      fossil material and has been adapted for use on fruits and seeds of extant
      plants. A variety of fruits and seeds have been prepared with great success, and
      the technique will be useful for any excessively hard fruits or seeds that are
      not able to be prepared using traditional embedding or sectioning methods.
      CONCLUSIONS: When compared to existing techniques for obtaining anatomical
      features of fruits and seeds, the protocol described here has the potential to
      create high-quality thin sections of materials that are not able to be sectioned
      using traditional histological techniques, which can be produced quickly and
      without the need for harmful chemicals.

PMID- 26504685
TI  - GMS Interdisciplinary Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery DGPW.

PMID- 26504686
TI  - Traumatic diaphragmatic ruptures: clinical presentation, diagnosis and surgical
      approach in adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Traumatic diaphragmatic injuries are rare, but potentially life
      threatening due to herniation of abdominal organs into the pleural cavities. They
      can be easily overlooked on initial diagnostics and a high index of suspicion is
      required. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the clinical
      presentation, diagnostic methods and surgical management of patients with
      diaphragmatic rupture at our institution. METHODS: A retrospective study was
      performed to analyze our experience with patients suffering from traumatic
      diaphragmatic rupture. Charts were reviewed for sex, age, side-location,
      concomitant injuries, time-to-diagnosis, diagnostic methods, surgical approach
      and outcome. RESULTS: Fourteen patients (median age: 46 yrs, range 18-71, 9 male,
      5 female) with diaphragmatic injuries (left side: 10, right side: 4) were treated
      between July 2003 and September 2011. Mechanism of injury was a penetrating
      trauma (14%), blunt trauma (50%) and others (36%). Associated abdominal injuries
      included spleen rupture (n=3), liver laceration (n=2), abdominal wall laceration
      (n=2) and gastric perforation (n=1). Computed tomography was the most sensitive
      diagnostic method. All patients underwent trans-abdominal repair of the
      diaphragmatic defect (direct suture: 10, prosthetic mesh insertion: 4).
      Associated abdominal procedures included splenectomy (n=3), liver packing (n=2),
      abdominal wall reconstruction (n=2) and partial gastric resection (n=1).
      Morbidity and hospital mortality rate were 36% and 0%, respectively. Median
      postoperative hospital stay was 17 days (range: 7-40 days). CONCLUSION: Morbidity
      and mortality of diaphragmatic ruptures are mainly determined by associated
      injuries or complications of diaphragmatic herniation like incarceration of
      viscera or lung failure. Early diagnosis helps to prevent severe complications.
      Spiral CT-scan is the most reliable tool for acute diagnosis of diaphragmatic
      rupture and associated visceral lacerations. Laparotomy is an adequate surgical
      approach for diaphragmatic repair, especially in cases of associated abdominal
      organ injury.

PMID- 26504687
TI  - Gynecomastia in German soldiers: etiology and pathology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We found a high incidence of patients with gynecomastia in the German
      Ministry of Defense Guard Battalion in Berlin. For this reason, we conducted the
      present study to investigate etiological and pathological aspects of this
      condition. METHODS: Within six years, a total of 211 patients underwent surgery
      for gynecomastia. We compared this group of patients with a control group of
      healthy males without signs or symptoms of gynecomastia. The two groups were
      matched for median age. RESULTS: The groups showed significant differences
      (p<0.05) in serum testosterone, free triiodothyronine (fT3), LH (luteinizing
      hormone) and prolactin levels and in body mass index (BMI). In addition, there
      was a highly significant correlation between left-sided gynecomastia and
      membership in the Guard Battalion. CONCLUSIONS: We found differences in hormone
      blood levels between gynecomastia patients and a control group. Moreover,
      gynecomastia was predominantly seen on the left side in guard soldiers. A
      possible explanation is the mechanical impact of the carbine against the left
      side of the body during rifle drills.

PMID- 26504688
TI  - Primary cutaneous adenoid carcinoma of the scalp.
AB  - Primary adenoid carcinoma are rare skin tumors. We present a 75-year-old female
      with this primary cutaneous tumor of the scalp with additional bone involvement.
      Wide scalp excision with bone enclosure, latissimus-dorsi-free-flap defect
      overage, and subsequent radiation slowed down the disease but could not prevent
      further skull infiltration. 

PMID- 26504689
TI  - Panniculus, giant hernias and surgical problems in patients with morbid obesity.
AB  - Prevalence of morbid obesity is rising. Along with it, the adipose associated co
      morbidities increase - included panniculus morbidus, the end stage of obesity of
      the abdominal wall. In the course of time panniculus often develop a herniation
      of bowel. An incarcerated hernia and acute exacerbation of a chronic inflammation
      of the panniculus must be treated immediately and presents a surgical challenge.
      The resection of such massive abdominal panniculus presents several technical
      problems to the surgeon. Preparation of long standing or fixed hernias may
      require demanding adhesiolysis. The wound created is huge and difficult to
      manage, and accompanied by considerable complications at the outset. We provide a
      comprehensive overview of a possible approach for panniculectomy and hernia
      repair and overlook of the existing literature. 

PMID- 26504690
TI  - The role of Nesbit's procedure in surgical reconstruction of penile deviation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We review our results after surgical reconstruction with the Nesbit's
      procedure for congenital or acquired penile deviation. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Etiology of penile deviation, surgical outcome for straightening the penis,
      postoperative patient satisfaction and clinical findings were evaluated for 5
      patients undergoing Nesbit's procedure followed by a Medline review of
      contemporary literature regarding alternative surgical techniques. Follow-up
      included clinical examination, self-photography on erection and a standardized
      interview with erectile dysfunction assessment using IIEF-5 questionnaire.
      RESULTS: Overall patient satisfaction was 100% in two patients, 2 patients were
      partly satisfied and 1 patient reported no satisfaction because of severe penile
      shortening with insufficiency for sexual intercourse postoperatively.
      Preoperative mean angulation of the penis was 42 degrees . Four patients had
      Peyronie's disease and 1 patient's curvature resulted from an untreated penile
      fracture during sexual intercourse. CONCLUSION: The Nesbit technique can give
      satisfactory results for mild and moderate penile curvature. However, each
      technique for the reconstruction of penile deviation has its own advantages and
      disadvantages. Therefore proper patient selection has a major impact on further
      outcome.

PMID- 26504691
TI  - The pediculated gastrocnemius muscle flap as a treatment for soft tissue problems
      of the knee - indication, placement and results.
AB  - With the increase of endoprosthetic knee replacements, there is also an increase
      of critical wounds to the knee due to a high incidence of soft tissue problems
      (ranging from wound healing defects to severe wound infections). The literature
      describes a general rate of soft tissue complications of up to 20% [1], [2], with
      5% [3] involving exposed bone. These complications are an increasingly important
      problem for surgeons. Since sufficient coverage of bones, tendons and prosthetic
      material with soft tissue is a necessity, the use of a pediculated muscle flap is
      the only solution in some cases. The gastrocnemius muscle is very useful for this
      purpose. It is an elaborate procedure which is associated with a high rate of
      complications. However, this procedure can establish a secure coverage with soft
      tissue, and the function of the prosthesis and the patient's extremity can be
      saved. We have treated 23 patients with a gastrocnemius rotation flap after knee
      prosthesis or knee arthrodesis infection with consecutive soft tissue damage at
      our hospital from 8/2004 through 3/2011. The overall rate of healing of the knee
      infections with stable soft tissue status is almost 87%. The revision rate with
      lifting of the flap and revision of the sutures at the point of insertion as well
      as the point of extraction was about 35% with long-term conservative or
      additional surgical treatments. 

PMID- 26504692
TI  - Wound irrigation within the surgical treatment of osteomyelitis.
AB  - The basic treatment of osteomyelitis remains even today the surgical debridement
      in combination with a wound irrigation by lavage systems. Next to a comprehensive
      knowledge of the surgical techniques a profound knowledge of the lavage systems,
      the rinsing solutions used and the philosophies of revision programs are a must.
      In this article the typical hardware of modern lavage systems is analysed, their
      advantages and disadvantages are pointed out. In addition we investigate the
      value of common antiseptic wound irrigation solutions for their use in
      osteomyelitis therapy. Finally the two basic philosophies of wound revision and
      irrigation in the course of osteomyelitis therapy are presented and discussed. 

PMID- 26504693
TI  - Plastic and reconstructive uterus operations by minimally invasive surgery? A
      review on myomectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plastic and reconstructive uterus operations are performed in
      congenital uterine anomalies or benign uterine conditions. Congenital uterine
      anomalies are relatively rare diseases with various approaches for surgical
      treatment. Therefore, to address the question of the usefulness of a minimally
      invasive approach in plastic uterus operations, the most common uterine condition
      which requires reconstructive surgery, namely myomectomy, is discussed. METHOD:
      Searches were conducted in PubMed and The Cochrane Library to identify relevant
      literature. FINDINGS: Compared with myomectomy by laparotomy and minilaparotomy,
      laparoscopic myomectomy is associated with improved short-term outcomes.
      Laparoscopy is further associated with less adhesion formation. Pregnancy rates
      after myomectomy in symptomatic patients might be higher after laparoscopy than
      after laparotomy. Although uterine ruptures following laparoscopic myomectomy are
      described in the literature, it seems to be a rare event. Concerning the
      recurrence, there is evidence that rates are similar after laparoscopy and
      laparotomy. CONCLUSION: Myomectomy by laparoscopy has several advantages over
      abdominal myomectomy (by conventional laparotomy and minilaparotomy) and should
      be the standard procedure. Despite the advantages of laparoscopy, abdominal
      myomectomy is still a frequently performed procedure. Lack of training in
      advanced laparoscopic procedures hampers the wide-spread use of laparoscopic
      myomectomy. Due to the advantages of laparoscopic surgery, efforts should be made
      to implement this procedure into daily practice. To provide the best care,
      physicians should offer patients the opportunity of a laparoscopic treatment of
      myomas.

PMID- 26504694
TI  - Differentiated surgical treatment of rectovaginal fistulae.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Rectovaginal fistulae (RVF) are a serious and debilitating problem for
      patients and a challenge for the treating surgeons. We present our experiences in
      the surgical treatment of these patients. METHODS: Study population consisted of
      22 consecutive patients (range 26-70 years) with RVF treated in our department
      between 2003 and 2009. 13 RVF were observed after colorectal or gynaecological
      surgery, 3 occurred after radiotherapy, 2 due to tumour infiltration, 4 because
      of local inflammation (3x diverticultis, 1x ulcus simplex recti). The RVF was
      classified in all patients before treatment as either 'low' or 'high'. RESULTS:
      Local procedures (transvaginal excision, preanal repair) as initial treatment
      were performed in 9 patients with low fistula. In 13 cases with high fistula an
      abdominal approach was performed to close the fistula. A recurrence was observed
      in 8/22 cases (36%), which were treated by a gracilis flap (n=2), a
      bulbospongiosus composite (n=1), a second abdominal approach (n=4), and a re
      local excision (n=1). Ultimatively, in 19 cases the defect healed but in 3
      patients the RVF persisted. CONCLUSIONS: Most important predictor of
      healing/failure is etiology followed by localization and recurrence of the RVF.
      Local (preanal, transvaginal) procedures are suitable for low RVF, whereas
      abdominal surgery is necessary in high RVF. In recurrent RVF, muscle flaps are
      promising procedures.

PMID- 26504695
TI  - Adult calcaneal osteitis: incidence, etiology, diagnostics and therapy.
AB  - Calcaneal osteomyelitis presents a complicated situation. The specific anatomy of
      the os calcis and its surrounding soft tissues plays an important role in the
      planning and realization of the procedures needed in order to eradicate the
      osteomyelitic focus. The calcaneus represents a spongious bone; a fact that
      supports the developement of an osteomyelitis. It is the strongest bone of the
      foot and is highly important for the biomechanical features of physiological
      walking. The surrounding soft tissues are thin and contain various important
      anatomical structures. These might be damaged during the treatment of the
      osteomyelitis. In addition the vascularization of the os calcis is delicate and
      may be compromized during the surgical osteomyelitis treatment. Calcaneus
      osteomyelitis may be classified based on the routes of infection into exogenous
      and endogenous forms. Additionally from the clinical point of view acute and
      chronic forms may be distinguished from an early and a late infection. Exogenous
      calcaneal osteomyelitis mostly is the result of an infection with S. aureus. The
      treatment is equal to the therapy in other locations and based on: Eradication of
      the bone infectionSanitation of the soft tissue infectionReconstruction of bone
      and soft tissue Especially the preservation and restoration of the soft tissue is
      important. Thus plastic surgical procedures play an essential role. The main
      object of treatment is the preservation of a biomechanical functioning foot. This
      may be impossible due to the local situation. Calcanectomy or even below knee
      amputation may be needed in those cases. 

PMID- 26504696
TI  - Laparoscopic splenectomy of a wandering spleen with coincidental enormous
      splenomegaly.
AB  - Ectopy of the spleen also referred to as wandering spleen is a rare condition and
      preferentially treated by laparoscopic splenopexy. However, in complicated cases
      with torsion and consecutive infarction of the spleen splenectomy is required.
      Performing the splenectomy of a wandering spleen laparoscopically has already
      been reported as a save therapeutic option. However, open splenectomy is usually
      preferred in case of massive splenomegaly for both, wandering and regular
      localized spleen. In this case report we describe a laparoscopic technique as
      alternative for conventional splenectomy in the case of a huge wandering spleen. 

PMID- 26504697
TI  - One stage rescue procedure after capsular contracture of breast implants with
      autologous fat grafts collected by water assisted liposuction ("BEAULI Method").
AB  - With increasing number of patients with silicone implants for breast augmentation
      or reconstruction we are confronted with more and more cases of capsular
      contracture. Not every case is resolved by resection of the capsule and exchange
      of implants. Many patients rather bear the consequences of severe fibrosis than
      to have their implants removed. The one stage procedure of implant removal and
      lipofilling proved to be highly efficient with good to excellent results and high
      patient satisfaction. Between January 2008 and October 2012 a total of 64
      patients (124 breasts) with capsular fibrosis Baker III to IV were treated with
      autologous fat grafts collected with the body-jet((r)) by water-assisted
      liposuction ("BEAULI Method"). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breasts
      was performed in 5 patients preoperatively and 6 month postoperatively, a
      clinical examination and photo documentation of all patients was done on day 1
      and after 4 weeks, 12 weeks and 6 months postoperatively. The procedure included
      implant removal and lipofilling of the subcutaneous and intramuscular space in a
      single procedure by means of the BEAULI Method. The average gross amount of
      grafted fat was 260 ml. The average drainage time was one day. The shape of the
      breast changed to a more natural and ptotic form. Negative side effects like oily
      cysts or infections were not observed. The time of the overall procedure
      including liposuction was 70+/-15 min. Reoccurring capsular contracture is one of
      the hazards in plastic surgery. Until now the treatment of choice after more than
      two failed implant changes combined with resection of the capsule is usually the
      final removal of implants with or without possible additional autologous tissue
      transfer (microvascular flaps). We could add a relatively simple and efficient
      procedure to resolve and improve those cases by autologous fat transfer using
      water-assisted liposuction and the BEAULI Method. 

PMID- 26504699
TI  - Knee arthrodesis - ultima ratio for the treatment of the infected knee.
AB  - The irretrievable destruction of the knee due to trauma, tumor or infection is
      the indication for knee arthrodesis. The main reason for knee arthrodesis in
      terms of infection ist the infected total knee arthroplasty. Central problem is
      the definition of the term "irretrievable". It is based on the subjective opinion
      of the attending physician and depends on his expert knowledge of this specific
      entity. The preservation of a functioning extremity is the main goal. This
      article shows the typical indications and contraindications for knee arthrodesis
      following septic knee diseases. In addition it gives insight into the
      biomechanical and technical considerations to be kept in mind. Finally the
      postoperative care and outcome of different techniques are analysed. 

PMID- 26504698
TI  - Current concepts of ocular adnexal surgery.
AB  - Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is a specialized area of
      ophthalmology that deals with the management of deformities and abnormalities of
      the eyelids, lacrimal system and the orbit. An ophthalmoplastic surgeon is able
      to identify and correct abnormalities of the ocular adnexae such as ectropion,
      lid retraction, conjunctival scarring with severe entropion, that can cause
      secondary ocular surface disorders; manage patients with watering eye, and when
      needed intervene with a dacryocystorhinostomy by external or endonasal approach
      and moreover minimize disfigurement following enucleation or evisceration and
      prevent further corneal damage, alleviate complains of tearing and grittiness,
      but also cosmetic complaints in patients with Graves' orbitopathy. Aim of this
      manuscript was to review current established and recently evolving surgical
      procedures. 

PMID- 26504700
TI  - Laparoscopic intraperitoneal mesh fixation with fibrin sealant of a Spigelian
      hernia.
AB  - Spigelian hernia is a rare clinical entity and has a subtle clinical presentation
      with vague abdominal pain, which can cause an important delay in diagnosis. Given
      the relatively high risk of incarceration the diagnosis of Spigelian hernia is an
      indication for surgical repair. Laparoscopic Spigelian mesh herniorraphy has
      gained recognition as an effective tension-free method and is associated with
      lower recurrence. Appropriate fixation techniques are however required to reduce
      complications such as nerve irritation, hematoma, and postoperative chronic pain.
      In this case report we describe a novel approach in laparoscopic mesh repair of
      Spigelian hernia, securing a lightweight composite mesh with fibrin sealant. This
      fixation seems to be a reasonable, feasible alternative to the standard tissue
      penetrating mesh fixation. 

PMID- 26504701
TI  - BMP-2 shows characteristic extracellular patterns in osteoarthritic cartilage: a
      preliminary report.
AB  - To determine bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 protein and Aggrecan in
      osteoarthritic and healthy cartilage with special regard to localization and
      degree of cartilage damage 95 samples representing osteoarthritic cartilage and
      17 samples out of normal cartilage were graded histological by Mankin Score and
      were studied by immunohistochemistry for the expression of BMP-2 and Aggrecan.
      BMP-2 protein was detected intracellular in normal and in osteoarthritic
      cartilage. Extracellular BMP-2 was detected exclusively in osteoarthritic
      cartilage and exhibits characteristic extracellular patterns: samples with BMP-2
      in the extracellular matrix show BMP-2 negative coronae around BMP-2 positive
      cells. There is a statistically significant increase in the prevalence of
      extracellular BMP-2 with increasing ICRS grade/Mankin grade. Aggrecan was
      detected in the extracellular matrix und exhibited coronas throughout all layers.
      A decline of extracellular Aggrecan with increasing ICRS grade could be observed.
      Normal cartilage shows no intracellular Aggrecan whereas an increase in the
      prevalence of intracellular Aggrecan could be detected in osteoarthritic
      cartilage. The appearance of intracellular Aggrecan is often associated with
      extracellular BMP-2. The detection of BMP-2 protein in normal as well as in
      osteoarthritic cartilage highlights the importance of BMP-2 in tissue homeostasis
      and point to a putative role for maintaining tissue integrity during the
      development of osteoarthritis. The co-appearance of extracellular BMP-2 and
      intracellular Aggrecan indicates a functional relationship. The most interesting
      result is the characteristic distribution of extracellular BMP-2. These coronas
      seem to have an impact during progression of osteoarthritis and need to be
      further investigated. 

PMID- 26504702
TI  - Reconstructive laparoscopic prolapse surgery to avoid mesh erosions.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The objective of the study is to examine the efficacy of the purely
      laparoscopic reconstructive management of cystocele and rectocele with mesh, to
      avoid the risk of erosion by the graft material, a well known complication in
      vaginal mesh surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a prospective, single
      case, non-randomized study in 325 patients who received laparoscopic
      reconstructive management of pelvic organe prolaps with mesh. The study was
      conducted between January 2004 and December 2012 in a private clinic in India.
      The most common prolapse symptoms were reducible vaginal lump, urinary stress
      incontinence, constipation and flatus incontinence, sexual dysfunction and
      dypareunia. The degree e of the prolaps was staged according to POPQ system. The
      approach was purely laparoscopic and involved the use of polypropylene (Prolene)
      or polyurethane with activated regenerated cellulose coating (Parietex) mesh.
      RESULTS: The mean age was 55 (30-80) years and the most of the patients were
      multiparous (272/325). The patients received a plastic correction of the
      rectocele only (138 cases), a cystocele and rectocele (187 cases) with mesh. 132
      patients had a concomitant total hysterectomy; in 2 cases a laparoscopic
      supracervical hysterectomy was performed and 190 patients had a laparoscopic
      colposuspension. The mean operation time was 82.2 (60-210) minutes. The mean
      follow up was 3.4 (3-5) years. Urinary retention developed in 1 case, which
      required a new laparoscopical intervention. Bladder injury, observed in the same
      case was in one session closed with absorbable suture. There were four
      recurrences of the rectocele, receiving a posterior vaginal colporrhaphy.
      Erosions of the mesh were not reported or documented. CONCLUSION: The pure
      laparoscopic reconstructive management of the cystocele and rectocele with mesh
      seems to be a safe and effective surgical procedure potentially avoiding the risk
      of mesh erosions.

PMID- 26504703
TI  - Urgent resection of bleeding congenital mesenchymal chest wall hamartoma in an
      infant.
AB  - We report a case with prenatally diagnosed large cystic-solid mesenchymal chest
      wall hamartoma. An attempt of conservative management was made however repeated
      intralesional hemorrhage led to enlargement and severe anemia which required
      urgent resection at the age of 8 weeks. The infant had an unimpaired development
      over a follow-up of 4 years. 

PMID- 26504704
TI  - Plastic end-to-end treatment of bulbar urethral stricture.
AB  - For bulbar urethral strictures up to 2.5 cm in length, the one-stage urethral
      plastic surgery with stricture excision and direct end-to-end anastomosis remains
      the best procedure to guarantee a high success rate. This retrospective review
      shows the results of 21 patients who underwent bulbar end-to-end anastomosis from
      2010-2013. In 20 cases (95.3%) good results were archived. The criteria of
      success were identified by pre- and postoperative radiological diagnostics and
      uroflowmetry. 

PMID- 26504705
TI  - A modified false vocal fold flap for functional reconstruction after
      frontolateral partial laryngectomy: a comparison with conventional open resection
      and laser cordectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe a modified flap technique (MFT) involving the use of a
      false vocal fold flap for glottic reconstruction and the removal of arytenoid
      cartilage and to compare it with conventional frontolateral partial laryngectomy
      (FLPL) and laser cordectomy (LC). METHODS: Twenty-eight MFT, 13 FLPL and 12 LC
      patients completed a standardised questionnaire for assessing aspiration,
      respiration, quality of life, and subjective voice quality. We analysed vocal
      function in terms of roughness, breathiness and hoarseness, measured voice range
      profiles, and performed videoendoscopy. RESULTS: No patient reported respiratory
      problems. Aspiration occurred in 33.3% (MFT), 41.6% (FLPL) and 16.6% (LC). Voice
      quality was rated as good/satisfactory by 17 MFT patients (62%),
      satisfactory/sufficient by 69% of FLKT patients, and sufficient/poor by 75% of LC
      patients. CONCLUSIONS: The modified false vocal fold flap effectively covers
      defects and creates a neocord that ensures good phonatory rehabilitation and has
      positive effects on postoperative quality of life.

PMID- 26504706
TI  - Quality improvement of fingerprints of decayed corpses by local thanatopractical
      processing (Thanatoprint).
AB  - Thanatopractical processing allows morphological reconstruction of even advanced
      decayed bodies. By extracting fluids from the body's tissue antemortem tenseness
      and volume can be restored. If bodies are partly subject to thanatopractical
      processing in the hand region ("Thanatoprint"), fingerprints of high quality can
      be gathered even in cases of advanced decay. Without this treatment
      fingerprinting can be extremely difficult, if not impossible. Thanatopractical
      processing could be applied successfully in cases of partial to subtotal
      detachment of the epidermis as well. In an interdisciplinary study 400
      fingerprints of bodies in various states of decay were examined after application
      of Thanatoprint. In 76.75% fingerprints were applicable for data entry into AFIS
      (Automated Fingerprint Identification System); another 11.00% of the fingerprints
      could be used for the process of non-elimination. Further advantages of the
      method are low invasivity while maintaining the integrity of the corpse, less
      time- and material requirement as well as its long-lasting effect. 

PMID- 26504707
TI  - The short stem GHEs in total hip replacement - experience after 380
      implantations.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Standard straight stems have been recognized as a gold standard
      implant in the field of hip replacement surgery. However, lately uncemented bone
      preserving short stems started to gain more and more popularity. This was
      reflected in the increasing variety of available models. Up till now, short and
      mid-term results are available. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 2002, the cementless
      short stemmed GHEs was introduced. 380 patients were included in our study
      between 2002 and 2008. Only GHEs short stems were implanted. The clinical and
      radiological evaluations were performed in the Orthopaedic Department, Leipzig
      University Hospitals, on the average of 24 months (3 to 60 months)
      postoperatively. RESULTS: 365 primary implantations and 15 revision implantations
      were carried out. Average age 60 years. Favourable clinical and radiological
      outcome was seen in 361/380 patients (95%). Postoperative complications were seen
      in 19/380 patients (5%): 8 fissures/fractures (2.1%), 5 infections (1.3%), 4
      aseptic loosenings (1.1%), 2 dislocations (0.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Short stem
      implants, including our own experience with GHEs model, are satisfying and
      promising. They represent a valuable supplementation of the treatment modalities
      in hip replacement surgery. However, long term results are still awaited.

PMID- 26504708
TI  - RANK-Ligand inhibitor associated osteonecrosis of the jaw.
AB  - Osteonecrosis of the jaw may be caused by many different triggers. One of them is
      described to be the drug or medication related osteonecrosis of the jaw. Since
      many years bisphosphonates induced the dreaded diagnosis. Recently a drug named
      denosumab is reported to show similar effects on the jaw. In this case report we
      present a RANK-Ligand inhibitor associated osteonecrosis of the lower jaw and
      discuss the lights and shadows of this newly introduced drug. 

PMID- 26504709
TI  - External transpedicular spine fixation in severe spondylodiscitis - salvage
      procedure.
AB  - Specific and non-specific infections of the spine are rare. Due to their
      potential for severe instabilities, deformities and the impairment of
      neurological structures, the treatment is often prolonged and needs an
      interdisciplinary management. The clinical presentation is uncharacteristic,
      therefore diagnosis is often delayed. There are no prospective randomized studies
      for therapy recommendation. The surgical concept includes eradication of the
      infection and the reliable stabilization of involved segments. This concept is
      successful in most cases of endogenous vertebral osteomyelitis. The therapy of
      the exogenous spine infections after macro and micro surgery is more difficult,
      due to the critical wound situation and the involvement of the posterior parts of
      the spine. In these cases, infection-associated instability of the anterior part
      is complicated by critical posterior wound conditions. We present three cases of
      severe exogenous vertebral infections, where temporary external transpedicular
      spine fixation was used for salvage procedure, till soft tissue conditions have
      permitted a definitive internal stabilization. 

PMID- 26504710
TI  - Ultrasonographically supported removal of foreign bodies of the eye lid and
      parapharyngeal space in a 13-year-old boy subjected to shot injuries in early
      childhood.
AB  - BACKGROUND: B-scan ultrasonography is widely used in diagnostics of head and neck
      pathologies. Ultrasonography can be applied intraoperatively to identify foreign
      materials. CASE REPORT: This case report describes the ultrasonographic
      identification of foreign bodies of the eye lid and parapharyngeal space in an
      adolescent who was injured several years ago, obviously a victim of domestic
      violence. B-scan ultrasonography (small part transducer, emission frequency: 7.5
      MHz) proved to be a reliable tool to locate the foreign bodies. Ultrasound
      imaging facilitated the decision-making of the surgical approach and thus reduced
      the surgical exploration time. DISCUSSION: B-scan ultrasonography is a valuable
      tool in oral and maxillofacial surgery. The use of B-scan ultrasonography in the
      head neck region requires the capacity of the surgeon to fuse the
      ultrasonographic picture with the topography of the head and neck. The advantages
      and limitations of B-scan ultrasonography in the head and neck region concerning
      foreign body identification are briefly discussed.

PMID- 26504711
TI  - Improving the quality of life of parotid surgery patients through a modified
      facelift incision and great auricular nerve preservation.
AB  - Postoperative quality of life after parotidectomy depends not only on surgical
      outcomes, such as the complete removal of a tumour, non-recurrence and the
      preservation of facial nerve function, but also on scar satisfaction and the
      degree of sensory dysfunction in the upper cervical area and at the ear lobe.
      Especially young patients and women consider the scar in the infra-auricular area
      and in the neck region to be distressing and even disfiguring. Resection of the
      great auricular nerve leads to paraesthesia and hypoesthesia, which leads to
      discomfort in many patients especially when using the telephone, shaving or
      wearing earrings. A modified approach to the parotid gland via a facelift
      incision and the careful exposure of the great auricular nerve can reduce the
      aforementioned problems considerably and improve postoperative quality of life.
      We present our experiences with the modified approach at our institution. 

PMID- 26504712
TI  - Diagnosis and treatment of extraabdominal desmoid fibromatosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The desmoid fibromatosis is a very rare connective tissue disease
      which is recognized as semimalignant. The aim of this work is to review the
      relevant literature and to analyze the management of our patient collective.
      MATERIAL AND METHOD: Surgery was performed on 7 patients with extraabdominal
      desmoid fibromatosis between August 1998 and May 2007. MRI examination as well as
      biopsy was carried out in all cases. All patients were operated on; the mean
      follow up was 4 years (1-7). Upon follow up, every patient has undergone clinical
      and MRI examination. RESULTS: The results show that we have achieved R0 resection
      in 4 cases and R1 in two cases and Rx in one case. In 4 patients, no recurrence
      was observed after the single surgery performed in our hospital. In 2 patients a
      single revision surgery was performed in each case and yielded no further
      recurrence. In only one case, multiple surgeries (one primary and two revision
      surgeries) were necessary, after which no recurrence was reported. CONCLUSION:
      The early diagnosis of the disease is of utmost importance to the success of the
      outcome. MRI examination and biopsy are mandatory. Surgery is the therapy of
      choice. The recurrence rate is high and is linked to the difficulty of
      recognition of the exact infiltrative extent of the tumour. This necessitates a
      close follow-up.

PMID- 26504713
TI  - Complementary education for healthcare personnel: a strategy to increase hospital
      performance.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The German healthcare system is facing ongoing radical change and
      development. The increasing tendency to urge hospitals and medical staff to work
      in a profit-oriented way constitute among other factors clear present and future
      challenges. Physicians and surgeons in particular increasingly complain of
      increasing stress attributed to measures aiming at cost reduction in hospitals.
      The highest priority must always be patient satisfaction and the delivery of good
      medical and human service. Problem description: The health care market in Germany
      has become an increasingly complex business with uncertain and unpredictable
      future events. Strategic planning has to enable hospitals to quickly and flexibly
      adapt strategies to changes in the environment that become essential to their
      success. The most important task is to develop a strategy that can be applied
      with success in all possible future scenarios. This is known as the core
      strategy. DISCUSSION: The core strategy for hospitals in Germany is complementary
      education of the medical staff as well as top management. Accordingly, courses,
      workshops or even part-time graduate or postgraduate education in business and
      economics are recommended for the medical staff. As far as non-medical hospital
      executives are concerned, there is no better way than to host them in a hospital
      department for a period of 6-12 months. This paves the way for understanding and
      accepting each others' opinion which increases hospital performance. CONCLUSION:
      Proper and complementary education of the medical staff as well as of non-medical
      top executives and managers of hospitals is recommended as the core strategy.
      This harmonizes both professional medical and managerial efforts with a synergy
      effect that allows soundly facing the increasingly challenging environment of the
      health care sector in general and in hospitals in particular.

PMID- 26504714
TI  - Can we still have a clear conscience, routinely offering vaginal mesh operations
      in plastic and reconstructive surgery of the pelvic organ prolapse?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Since many years, plastic and reconstructive surgery in pelvic
      organ prolapse (POP) has been performed by vaginal mesh surgery. Although
      warnings from the scientific societies and the FDA have been published, vaginal
      mesh surgery still remains a routine treatment of genital prolapse in the female.
      BACKGROUND: Many third-degree referral centres in operative gynaecology found a
      high number of severe complications after mesh repair. Compared to the minor
      complications known from the classical non-mesh plastic and reconstructive
      surgery, there is a clear difference concerning the severity of complications.
      Additionally, mesh vaginal surgery was implemented in gynaecological prolapse
      operations because of the relatively high recurrence rate in classical vaginal
      surgery without implants; no major studies however have revealed a lower long
      term recurrence rate with mesh vaginal techniques. DISCUSSION: As the recurrence
      rate could not be lowered evaluating the meta-analysis of the published
      scientific studies, the higher rate of severe complications should emphasise the
      fact that the risk of vaginal mesh surgery is too high for these techniques to be
      implemented in the surgical work of a routine gynaecological operative
      department. CONCLUSION: Vaginal mesh surgery can no longer be a primary plastic
      and reconstructive therapy of pelvic organ prolapse in a routine gynaecological
      operative setting and department, due to the high rate of severe complications.

PMID- 26504715
TI  - Centro-lateral subperiosteal vertical midface lift.
AB  - The use of fiberendoscopic video-assisted technique in facial rejuvenation is one
      of the most advances in aesthetic plastic surgery of the face. It substitutes the
      coronal incision without the necessity of skin resection and allows a vertical
      reposition of the mobile soft tissue of the midface in indicated cases. It can
      easily be done through a small incision of the scalp just behind the coronal
      incision and in the temporal area. 

PMID- 26504716
TI  - Paraffinoma of lips and oral mucosa: Case report and brief review of the
      literature.
AB  - Interstitial application of paraffin in plastic and reconstructive surgery is
      obsolete due to the development of permanent and extensive foreign body
      granulomas at the site of application. These granulomas can cause severe physical
      impairment and develop their own prognostic worth. Furthermore, the disperse oil
      droplets are not a locally stable suspension. Therefore, the desired aesthetic
      aspect can get lost in the course of a potential dislocation of the suspension.
      In addition, the interstitial confluence of non-resorbable droplets to larger oil
      drops causes palpable and sometimes visible indurations of the skin, the
      correlate of chronic inflammation. This case report describes the efforts
      undertaken to release the patient at least temporarily from her paraffin
      granulomas and to improve her appearance. The relevant literature is briefly
      discussed. Furthermore, we present some immunohistochemical findings to specify
      the foreign body reaction associated with paraffin injections into connective
      tissues. 

PMID- 26504717
TI  - Nasal meatus plasty: a contribution to plastic reconstruction of the nasal valve
      during midfacial degloving.
AB  - Midfacial degloving is a proven method for easily accessing the midface, the
      nasal pyramid, the maxillary and ethmoidal sinuses, the orbits, as well as the
      anterior skull base. Indications for this method of access mainly include tumour
      resections in the area of the midface, the septum, the maxillary sinus, the
      paranasal to the sphenoidal sinus as well as the clivus. In addition, this method
      of access allows for the exposure of the bony structures of the midface in the
      event of extensive fractures. In general, this method of access combines an
      incision in the oral vestibule and circular incisions in the nasal vestibule area
      in order to release the nasal pyramid. After removing the facial wall of the
      maxillary sinus, extensive exposure of the surgical site is possible. One
      disadvantage of this method of access is the difficult reconstruction of the
      nasal valve area, which often leads to cicatricial stenoses and difficulties with
      breathing through the nose. Furthermore, wound healing problems and
      osteoradionecrosis in the area of the lateral margin of the anterior nasal
      aperture after replantation of the facial wall of the maxillary sinus have been
      described, because in this area sufficient soft tissue coverage cannot be ensured
      when a conventional technique is used. We describe a soft tissue flap pedicled in
      the cranial and caudal directions in the nasal valve area which makes both the
      reconstruction of the nasal vestibule and sufficient soft tissue coverage of the
      anterior nasal aperture possible. 

PMID- 26504718
TI  - The history of the management of sternal osteomyelitis and mediastinitis - from
      Hippocrates until today.
AB  - Even during the time of Hippocrates, Galen and their colleagues recognized
      mediastinal affections. However, they were not considered with the surgical
      treatment. First progress in the treatment options of this severe disease, still
      denoted as 'terra incognita', over to today's gold standard are pictured. The
      mediastinitis-registry which was founded by the German Society for Thoracic and
      Cardiovascular Surgery (DGTHG) in 2011 and the recent establishment of the study
      group to adopt a guideline 'diagnosis and therapy of postoperative
      mediastinitis/sternal osteomyelitis following cardiac surgery' are attempts to a
      standardization of the treatment. Substantial advancement in the treatment of
      postoperative mediastinitis could be achieved in the past. The mortality dropped
      as low as less than 10%. With these implementations more benefit for the
      patients' outcome can be expected. 

PMID- 26504719
TI  - Histopathological Osteomyelitis Evaluation Score (HOES) - an innovative approach
      to histopathological diagnostics and scoring of osteomyelitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment and diagnosis of osteomyelitis are still a challenging
      problem for surgeons, microbiologists and histopathologists. A direct
      microbiological detection of bacteria in tissues is still gold standard, but it
      is not always successful for example in chronic osteomyelitis and/or when an
      antibiotic treatment has already been started or in cases of low virulent
      bacteria. The goal of this study was to define diagnostic criteria of
      osteomyelitis, the inflammatory regression of osteomyelitis ("osteomyelitis
      score") under specific therapy by the correlation of histopathological and
      microbiological and clinical standard tests. METHODS: In this retrospective
      analysis patients with medical history and clinically clear signs of bacterial
      infection and osteomyelitis underwent surgery between 01.01.2013 and 31.12.2012.
      Their formal consent was given. Tissue samples were taken during surgery
      according to defined criteria including surgical interventions. Histopathological
      diagnosis was carried out by conventional techniques based on defined criteria of
      bacterial infection in connective tissue, peri-implant membrane and bone. These
      results were carried out in tables by numbers representing the histopathological
      criteria of acute osteomyelitis (A1 to A3) as well as the chronic criteria (C1
      and C2) in a semiquantitative way (scale 0 to 3). On the other hand a notational,
      graduated histopathological report was performed. Preoperative clinical
      diagnosis, perioperative macroscopic diagnosis, histopathological and
      microbiological findings were correlated. RESULTS: Histopathological samples of
      52 surgical interventions based on the preoperative diagnosis "osteomyelitis"
      (AOM, ECOM or COM) were included. 37 times preoperatively signs of a chronic
      osteomyelitis (COM), 10 times preoperatively acute osteomyelitis (AOM) was
      diagnosed. Another 5 patients were preoperatively diagnosed as acute exacerbated
      osteomyelitis (ECOM). The correlation of the histopathological infection
      including the inflammatory activity and microbiological detection of bacteria was
      57%. The correlation between preoperative diagnosis and histopathological
      findings was 68%. CONCLUSION: The relatively small 68% correlation between
      clinical preoperative and histopathological diagnosis and 57% correlation between
      preoperative clinical diagnosis and microbiological findings indicates: Clinical
      findings are not sufficient for the diagnosis "osteomyelitis".Clinical findings
      are not sufficient for the differentiation between AOM, ECOM and
      COM.Histopathological analysis is the critical factor for the diagnosis
      ("osteomyelitis") and differential diagnosis (AOM vs. COM).Histopathological
      analysis represents the basis for further treatment.HOES facilitates the
      classification of the histopathological findings.HOES is a sufficient tool for
      the treating physician in order to define the further treatment.

PMID- 26504720
TI  - Massive gastric dilatation caused by eating binges demanding surgical
      intervention: a case report.
AB  - The clinical picture of an acute abdomen is frequently encountered in emergency
      medicine. In most cases abdominal pathologies underlie this condition, however,
      also extra-abdominal diseases may present or cause an acute abdomen. The fact
      that this condition is potentially life-threatening highlights the importance of
      instant action. Here, we report on the case of a young woman that presented with
      an acute abdomen in our clinic. Imaging revealed a massively distended stomach
      reaching the lesser pelvis. Initially, the etiology for the gastric dilatation
      remained unsolved. On the same day we performed an explorative laparotomy in
      which massive amounts of clotted, undigested food was recovered via a gastrotomy.
      Postoperatively, upon psychiatric consultation, an eating disorder with daily
      eating binges could be revealed as being the cause for the acute and dramatic
      gastric dilatation. The patient fully recovered from surgery and psychiatric co
      treatment was initiated. This unique case report demonstrates how a psychiatric
      condition may lead to an acute abdomen, however, it also emphasizes the
      importance of prompt diagnosis and adequate therapy to avoid complications and
      allowing for full recovery. 

PMID- 26504721
TI  - Treatment of scaphoid waist fractures with the HCS screw.
AB  - The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical results of the Headless
      Compression Screw (HCS, Synthes) when used for treatment of acute scaphoid waist
      fractures. The new screw design generates interfragmentary compression with use
      of a compression sleeve. Twenty-one patients were treated for acute scaphoid
      waist fractures type B2 with HCS screws. The average time to the final follow-up
      examination was 12.8 months. All 21 fractures united after a mean time of 7.2
      weeks. The mean DASH score was 7.1. The average motion of the wrist in extension
      was 61 degrees , flexion was 46 degrees , radial abduction reached 25 degrees 
      and the ulnar abduction was 31 degrees . The maximally achieved grip strength was
      86% compared to the uninjured side. Treatment of type B2 scaphoid fractures with
      the Headless Compression Screw showed good functional and radiographic results.
      The results are similar to those identified using other screw fixation systems. 

PMID- 26504722
TI  - Concentration of platelets and growth factors in platelet-rich plasma from
      Goettingen minipigs.
AB  - In minipigs little is known about the concentration of growth factors in plasma,
      despite their major role in several patho-physiological processes such as healing
      of fractures. This prompted us to study the concentration of platelets and
      selected growth factors in plasma and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) preparation of
      sixteen Goettingen minipigs. Platelet concentrations increased significantly in
      PRP in comparison to native blood plasma. Generally, significant increase in the
      concentration of all growth factors tested was observed in the PRP in comparison
      to the corresponding plasma or serum. Five of the plasma samples examined
      contained detectable levels of bone morphogenic protein 2 (BMP-2) whereas eleven
      of the plasma or serum samples contained minimal amounts of vascular endothelial
      growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-bb) respectively.
      On the other hand variable concentrations of bone morphogenic protein 7 (BMP-7)
      and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) were measured in all plasma
      samples. In contrast, all PRP samples contained significantly increased amounts
      of growth factors. The level of BMP-2, BMP-7, TGF-beta1, VEGF and PDGF-bb
      increased by 17.6, 1.5, 7.1, 7.2 and 103.3 fold, in comparison to the
      corresponding non-enriched preparations. Moreover significant positive
      correlations were found between platelet count and the concentrations of BMP-2
      (r=0.62, p<0.001), TGF-beta1 (r=0.85, p<0.001), VEGF (r=0.46, p<0.01) and PDGF-bb
      (r=0.9, p<0.001). Our results demonstrate that selected growth factors are
      present in the platelet-rich plasma of minipigs which might thus serve as a
      source of autologous growth factors. 

PMID- 26504723
TI  - Rhinophyma in tuberous sclerosis complex: case report with brief review of
      literature.
AB  - Tuberous sclerosis or tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant
      inherited disease characterized by the triad epilepsy, hamartomas (angiofibroma)
      and reduced intellectual capacity. Phenotype can vary considerably. Almost all
      patients with TSC have at least one characteristic dermatologic feature. Facial
      angiofibroma can cause severe disfigurement. It may involve the cheeks, perioral
      region and nose, resulting in thick layers of nodular and pustular skin.
      Aesthetic surgery of the face comprises an individually adapted ablation of the
      affected skin regions in order to improve physical appearance. Reports on the
      subject of surgery for nasal angiofibroma confirm the homogenous transformation
      of the connective tissues by this hamartoma. Hitherto there is only one report in
      the literature describing the typical epithelial alterations of the nasal skin
      compatible with a rhinophyma and adjacent angiofibroma. Here we report the
      successful electrosurgical treatment of a patient with TSC and extensive
      sebaceous glands giving rise to a rhinophyma in close association with
      angiofibroma. 

PMID- 26504724
TI  - Efficacy risks of the minimal-invasive plastic and reconstructive neovagina
      Vecchietti technique in Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome is a congenital
      disorder clinically defined by primary amenorrhea and infertility, congenital
      aplasia of the uterus and upper vagina. The patients with MRKH-syndrome have a
      female karyotype (46, XX), normally functioning ovaries and regular development
      of secondary sexual characters. Generally, the initial clinical sign of the
      syndrome is the failure to begin the menstrual cycle. Even though the
      psychological impact of the disease may be overwhelming, its physiological
      disorder can be successfully treated, after the surgical intervention the
      patients being able to have a normal sexual function. Reproduction may also be
      possible with assisted techniques. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to
      evaluate the efficacy risks of the traditional laparoscopic Vecchietti method in
      the plastic and reconstructive treatment of vaginal agenesis, documenting
      complications, as well as anatomical and functional results by means of a
      prospective, single center, single arm study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between 2003
      and 2011, 53 patients with MRKH-syndrome were treated in the gynecological clinic
      of the Kochi's Lakshmi Hospital, Kerala, India. All the patients suffered from
      primary amenorrhea and the karyotype was (46, XX). The clinical suspicion was
      confirmed sonographically and intraoperatively, showing an absent uterus or the
      presence of rudimentary uterine horns, with normal ovaries. All the patients
      received a plastic laparoscopic neovagina construction, in order to achieve a
      satisfactory sexual function. We adopted a combined strategy: the patients were
      prepared by a psychological counselling, followed by the surgical intervention
      and a postoperative follow-up. The surgical procedure used in this series was a
      laparoscopic modified Vecchietti's technique. All the patients were dismissed
      with the obligation to have intercourse and/or vaginal dilation 3 times a week
      for 6 months. RESULTS: The patients' ages varied between 13 and 40 years, with a
      mean age of 25 years. The mean operation time was 42.3 minutes, with a range
      between 36 and 63 minutes. In 2 cases, an intraoperative bladder injury occurred.
      A good qualitative vaginal tissue was clinically achieved in all the patients.
      The mean follow up period of the patients was 4 years ranging from 1 to 5 years.
      The anatomic success was observed in 94% of the cases and functional success in
      79%. CONCLUSION: The anatomical failures in 6% were in women not having regular
      intercourse or not performing vaginal dilatation postoperatively. The
      psychological impact of the disease in combination with the performed surgery
      seems responsible for the difference of 15% of the cases where the anatomical
      result was good, but no regular intercourse could be achieved. The minimal
      invasive plastic and reconstructive neovagina Vecchietti technique in MRKH
      syndrome has a high success rate. In case of an intraoperative urinary bladder
      injury, the repair can be performed laparoscopically during the same session.
      Qualitatively good vaginal tissue and anatomical reconstruction can easily be
      achieved. In one patient desiring assisted reproductive medicine, a transvaginal
      oocyte retrieval was achieved.

PMID- 26504725
TI  - Antispastic therapy with botulinum toxin type A in patients with traumatic spinal
      cord lesion.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of botulinum
      toxin injections for the treatment of spasticity after traumatic spinal cord
      injury. METHODS: 9 patients were included in this prospective designed study,
      with a follow-up of at least 2 years. All patients suffered from a massive
      spasticity after traumatic spinal cord lesion. Conservative treatment options did
      not show satisfying results. All patients were injected a maximal dose of 2,000
      units of botulinum toxin A in no more than 6 skeletal muscle groups. Clinical
      control examinations were performed after 2 weeks and after at least 2 years.
      RESULTS: 6 patients reported a good or very good result. One patient offered
      increasing difficulty in walking for a short time after injection. 2 patients
      showed no beneficial effects. One patient experienced a modest temporary general
      weakness for 3 days. After 2 years, 3 patients showed improved function with
      persistent reduction of spasticity. In the other cases, the beneficial effect
      lasted for an average of 9 months. CONCLUSION: Botulinum toxin A injection seems
      to be an effective complementary therapy option in the treatment of spasticity of
      paraplegic patients with complete deficit of their motor function (ASIA A and B)
      and a spastic distribution pattern, effecting only a limited number of muscle
      groups. Caution has to be recommended for incomplete paretic patients, who are
      able to walk.

PMID- 26504726
TI  - Reconstructive surgery for male stress urinary incontinence: Experiences using
      the ATOMS((r)) system at a single center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To propose possible success-driven solutions for problem and
      complication rates encountered with the ATOMS((r)) sling system, based on first
      hand experience; and to provide possible actual alternative scenarios for the
      treatment of male stress urinary incontinence (SUI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: During
      the defined period (between 4/2010 and 04/2014), 36 patients received ATOMS((r))
      system implants at our clinic. We collected pre- and post-operative evaluation
      data using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short
      Form (ICIQ SF). As an expansion of the questionnaire, we added questions about
      post-operative perineal pain, the general satisfaction with the results of the
      intervention and willingness to recommend the operation to a best friend.
      RESULTS: Our data shows a relatively high explantation rate, but a surprisingly
      high patient satisfaction rate. Explantation was required mainly due to late
      onset infections or other symptomatic factors. Compared to other studies early
      onset infections were rare. CONCLUSION: A non-invasive, uncomplicated adjustable
      system to alleviate male stress urinary incontinence remains a challenge.
      Although there are various systems available for the treatment of male stress
      urinary incontinence, it seems that despite the advantages of the ATOMS((r))
      system, an artificial sphincter system may pose more advantages based on our
      experience, understanding and knowledge of its well-documented long-term
      solutions and problems.

PMID- 26504727
TI  - Chondroid hamartoma of the liver.
AB  - A 60-year-old patient presented with a solitary mass within the right hepatic
      lobe. Diagnostic imaging revealed a solid tumor on the diameter of 3 cm. In
      absence of any extrahepatic manifestation and based on FNAC findings the lesion
      was classisfied a primary hepatic chondroid sarcoma. However, after right
      hemihepatectomy histologic assessment resulted the final diagnosis of a benign
      chondroid hamartoma. Our findings add another variant to the versatile phenotype
      of liver hamartoma. 

PMID- 26504728
TI  - Prone position in balloon kyphoplasty leads to no secondary vertebral compression
      fractures in osteoporotic spine - a MRI study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Vertebral compression fractures are the most common fractures in the
      elderly. Long lasting pain and deformity is responsible for consecutive
      impairment with markedly reduced life quality, increased morbidity and mortality.
      The beneficial effects of balloon kyphoplasty are verified in many studies.
      Subsequent fracture risk is not finally clarified, cement related risks and
      deformity related risks are discussed. There is less knowledge about the risk of
      bone marrow edema and new fractures during balloon kyphoplasty procedure. The
      goal of this study is to examine, if prone position during kyphoplasty is an
      independent risk factor for new fractures in the osteoporotic spine. METHODS:
      Consecutive MRI study of 20 patients with fresh, non-traumatic thoracolumbar
      vertebral compression fractures and balloon kyphoplasty treatment. MRI Scans of
      the thoracolumbar spine were obtained after surgery, before patients have been
      mobilized. Specific MRI changes like new bone marrow edema, signal intensity
      changes in adjacent and remote segments and new fractures were assessed by
      specialized neuro-radiologist. RESULTS: 20 MR images were examined within 48
      hours after balloon kyphoplasty procedure. 85% did not show bone marrow edema
      extent changes after kyphoplasty. We found minor increase of bone marrow edema
      within the augmented vertebral body in 3 cases. We did not find any new bone
      marrow edema and no new fractures in adjacent and remote segments after balloon
      kyphoplasty treatment. CONCLUSION: Prone position leads to no new bone marrow
      edema and no new fractures in the osteoporotic spine. Accordingly, prone position
      has no risk for adjacent level fractures in osteoporotic spines.

PMID- 26504729
TI  - Subperiosteal preparation using a new piezoelectric device: a histological
      examination.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Subperiosteal preparation using a periosteal elevator leads to
      disturbances of local immunohistochemistry and periosteal histology due to a
      microtrauma. Usually soft-tissue damage can be considerably reduced by using
      piezoelectric technology. For this reason, the effects of a novel piezoelectric
      device on immunohistochemistry and periosteal histology were examined and
      compared to conventional preparation of the periosteum using a periosteal
      elevator. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Lewis rats were randomly assigned to one of five
      groups (n=50). Subperiosteal preparation was performed using either a
      piezoelectric device or a periosteal elevator. Immunohistochemical and
      histological analyses were performed immediately after preparation as well as
      three and eight days postoperatively. A statistical analysis of the histological
      colouring was performed offline using analysis of variance (ANOVA) on ranks
      (p<0.05). RESULTS: At all times, immunohistochemical and histological analysis
      demonstrated a significantly more homogenous tissue structure in the group of
      rats that underwent piezosurgery than in the group of rats that underwent
      treatment with a periosteal elevator. CONCLUSION: The use of a piezoelectric
      device for subperiosteal preparation is associated with more harmonious
      immunohistochemical and histological results for the periosteum than the use of a
      conventional periosteal elevator. As a result, piezoelectric devices can be
      expected to have a positive effect primarily on soft tissue, in particular of the
      periosteal as well as on surrounding tissues.

PMID- 26504730
TI  - Free temporal fascia flap to cover soft tissue defects of the foot: a case
      report.
AB  - Severe soft tissue defects as a result of lye contamination remain a huge
      challenge in the interdisciplinary approach of trauma surgeons and plastic
      surgeons. Free tissue transfer is a suitable surgical option for successful
      reconstruction of form and function of defects in the distal parts of the lower
      extremities. We report the successful two-stage reconstruction of a full
      thickness lye contamination at the dorsum of the foot with a free temporoparietal
      fascia flap covered with a split-thickness skin graft from the thigh. The
      described method is a suitable operative alternative to anterolateral thigh flaps
      or other thin fascia flaps regarding flap harvest and donor site morbidity and
      should be considered in the portfolio of the plastic surgeon. 

PMID- 26504731
TI  - Sinus pilonidalis in patients of German military hospitals: a review.
AB  - Pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) most commonly presents in young men when hair
      follicles enter through damaged epithelium and cause an inflammatory reaction.
      This results in the formation of fistular tracts. We reviewed studies based on a
      shared cohort of patients who presented at German military hospitals with PSD.
      The effect of the morphology of the sinus, perioperative protocol, and aftercare
      of the surgical treatment on the recurrence of PSD were evaluated. The drainage
      of acute abscesses before surgery, the application of methylene blue during
      surgery and open wound treatment were generally found to reduce the recurrence
      rate. A positive family history, postoperative epilation and primary suture as
      the healing method were found to elevate the recurrence rate. Long-term follow up
      of over 15 years was found to be a vital component of patient care as only 60% of
      the overall recurrences recorded had taken place by year 5 postoperatively. 

PMID- 26504732
TI  - Perioperative management of patients with severe pulmonary hypertension in major
      orthopedic surgery: experience-based recommendations.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It is known that pulmonary hypertension is associated with worse
      outcome in both cardiac and non-cardiac surgery. The aims of our retrospective
      analysis were to evaluate the outcomes of our patients with pulmonary
      hypertension undergoing major orthopedic surgery and to give experience-based
      recommendations for the perioperative management. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From 92
      patients with pulmonary hypertension undergoing different kinds of surgical
      procedures from 2011-2014 in a tertiary academic hospital we evaluated 16
      patients with major orthopedic surgery for perioperative morbidity and mortality.
      RESULTS: Regarding the in-hospital morbidity and mortality, one patient died
      postoperatively due to pulmonary infection and right heart failure (6.25%) and 6
      patients suffered significant postoperative complications (37.5%; bleeding = 1,
      infection = 1, wound healing deficits = 3; dysrhythmia = 1). CONCLUSION: Our data
      show that major orthopedic surgery is feasible with satisfactory outcome even in
      cases of severe pulmonary hypertension by an individualized, disease-adapted
      interdisciplinary treatment concept.

PMID- 26504733
TI  - Intracorporeal knotting of a femoral nerve catheter.
AB  - Peripheral nerve catheters are effective and well-established tools to provide
      postoperative analgesia to patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. The
      performance of these techniques is usually considered safe. However, placement of
      nerve catheters may be associated with a considerable number of side effects and
      major complications have repeatedly been published. In this work, we report on a
      patient who underwent total knee replacement with spinal anesthesia and
      preoperative insertion of femoral and sciatic nerve catheters for postoperative
      analgesia. During insertion of the femoral catheter, significant resistance was
      encountered upon retracting the catheter. This occurred due to knotting of the
      catheter. The catheter had to be removed by operative intervention which has to
      be considered a major complication. The postoperative course was uneventful. The
      principles for removal of entrapped peripheral catheters are not well
      established, may differ from those for neuroaxial catheters, and range from
      cautious manipulation up to surgical intervention. 

PMID- 26504734
TI  - Free anterolateral thigh flaps for upper extremity soft tissue reconstruction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Limb-threatening wounds of the upper extremity pose a challenge to
      the micro vascular surgeon. The aim of this study is to analyze the outcome of
      free anterolateral thigh flaps for upper extremity soft tissue reconstruction.
      METHODS: A retrospective review of patients undergoing this procedure from 2005
      to 2012 was performed. Case note analysis was performed to determine demographic
      and perioperative factors, and complications and outcomes. RESULTS: Thirty-two
      patients with a mean age of 53 years (9-84 yrs) underwent upper extremity
      reconstruction with an anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap. There were 24 (75%) males
      and 8 (25%) females. The etiology of the soft tissue defects was: infection
      (44.6%); post-tumor ablation (40%); and trauma (15.6%). The defect site was most
      commonly in the forearm (53.1%), followed by the elbow (12.5 %), arm (12.5%) and
      hand (21.9%). The mean timing of free flap transfer was 6.8 days after admission
      to our institution (minimum 1 days, maximum 9 days). Mean operative time of
      surgery was 4 h 39 min (minimum 3 h 2 min, maximum 6 h 20 min). The mean
      hospitalization was 24.8 days (minimum 5, maximum 85). The ALT success rate was
      at 92.3%. Partial flap necrosis was documented in five cases (15.6%). Complete
      flap loss occurred in two post-traumatic cases who both lost their limbs.
      DISCUSSION: This flap, in the hands of experienced surgeons, provides reliable
      coverage of upper extremity defects.

PMID- 26504735
TI  - Management strategies in hospitals: scenario planning.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Instead of waiting for challenges to confront hospital management,
      doctors and managers should act in advance to optimize and sustain value-based
      health. This work highlights the importance of scenario planning in hospitals,
      proposes an elaborated definition of the stakeholders of a hospital and defines
      the influence factors to which hospitals are exposed to. METHODOLOGY: Based on
      literature analysis as well as on personal interviews with stakeholders we
      propose an elaborated definition of stakeholders and designed a questionnaire
      that integrated the following influence factors, which have relevant impact on
      hospital management: political/legal, economic, social, technological and
      environmental forces. These influence factors are examined to develop the so
      called critical uncertainties. Thorough identification of uncertainties was based
      on a "Stakeholder Feedback". RESULTS: Two key uncertainties were identified and
      considered in this study: the development of workload for the medical staff the
      profit oriented performance of the medical staff. According to the developed
      scenarios, complementary education of the medical staff as well as of non-medical
      top executives and managers of hospitals was the recommended core strategy.
      Complementary scenario-specific strategic options should be considered whenever
      needed to optimize dealing with a specific future development of the health care
      environment. CONCLUSION: Strategic planning in hospitals is essential to ensure
      sustainable success. It considers multiple situations and integrates internal and
      external insights and perspectives in addition to identifying weak signals and
      "blind spots". This flows into a sound planning for multiple strategic options.
      It is a state of the art tool that allows dealing with the increasing challenges
      facing hospital management.

PMID- 26504737
TI  - Angiogenesis, cell differentiation and cell survival in tissue engineering and
      cancer research.
AB  - Recent medical advances lead to a growing demand for tissue engineering and
      regenerative medicine in the future. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
      aim to create substitute tissue or restore lost or impaired tissue by combining
      biological science with engineering techniques, whereas cancer research faces the
      challenge to identify and hinder aberrant and uncontrolled cell growth. These two
      seemingly opposing fields of research share fundamental communalities. This
      review focuses on the shared underlying biological processes. Exploring these
      mechanisms of tissue growth and homeostasis from different angles will allow for
      creative novel approaches for both areas of research. 

PMID- 26504736
TI  - A new variant of scaphoid reconstruction: Treatment of scaphoid non-union with
      avascular bone interponate and high compression screw (Synthes((r))).
AB  - Scaphoid fractures as frequently overseen injuries often result in scaphoid non
      unions, that need to be treated to prevent carpal collapse and secondary
      cartilage damage. Vital bone tissue and compression of fracture and bone graft
      ends seem to be crucial in for ossification and final bone healing. In the
      present study we compare our results using a high compression screw (HCS
      Synthes((r))) to results in the literature using different kinds of internal
      fixation including compression screws of various types. We present 22 patients
      with scaphoid non-unions treated with a bone graft and a HCS Synthes((r)). We
      evaluated our post-operative results. The Manchester-Modified Disability of the
      Shoulder, Arm and Hand-Score (M-Dash) imposed with an average of 29.8 points
      (MD=29 / SD=9.46 / MIN=18 / MAX=48). None of the re-evaluated patients sorrowed
      for pain in rest. Five patients stated pain (ranging from 4 to 8 on numeric
      analogue scale) after heavy burden (e.g. boxing, weight lifting).In exploring the
      range of motion of the operated hand we deliver the following results: dorsal
      extension: average 72.73 degrees  (MD=80 degrees  / SD=17.23 degrees  / MIN=30
      degrees  / MAX=85 degrees ), flexion: average 73.64 degrees  (MD=80 degrees  /
      SD=8.97 degrees  / MIN=60 degrees  / MAX=80 degrees ), ulnar deviation: average
      39.09 degrees , (MD=40 degrees  / SD=2.02 degrees  / MIN=35 degrees  / MAX=40
      degrees ), radial deviation: average 29.09 degrees , (MD=30 degrees  / SD=3.01
      degrees  / MIN=20 degrees  / MAX=30 degrees ). Additionally a performance testing
      was conducted: fist clenching sign: complete without pain in 100%, pinch grip:
      complete in 100%, moderate pain in n=1 (8.33%), opposition digitus manus I-V
      complete in 100%, moderate pain n=2 (16.67%). Three patients with persisting
      fracture gap had a scaphoid bone fractured in the proximal third; one patient
      even with a very small proximal fragment. One persisting non-union was localized
      in the middle third (period between injury and operation = 5 years). In
      conclusion, our patients showed better healing rates compared to results
      presented in the literature. Non-unions localized in the proximal third of the
      scaphoid did not seem to benefit using this technique. 

PMID- 26504738
TI  - Comment on "Why and When 'Flawed' Social Network Analyses Still Yield Valid Tests
      of no Contagion".
AB  - VanderWeele et al.'s paper is a useful contribution to the on-going scientific
      conversation about the detection of contagion from purely observational data. It
      is especially helpful as a corrective to some of the more extreme statements of
      Lyons (2011). Unfortunately, this paper, too, goes too far in some places, and so
      needs some correction itself.

PMID- 26504739
TI  - A novel method to analyze 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in CpG sequences using
      maintenance DNA methyltransferase, DNMT1.
AB  - Hydroxymethylcytosine has been shown to be involved in DNA demethylation and gene
      expression. Although methods to determine the position of hydroxymethylcytosine
      at single-base resolution have been reported, these methods involve some
      difficulties. Here, we report a simple method to analyze hydroxymethylcytosine in
      the CpG sequence utilizing the maintenance DNA methylation activity of DNMT1,
      which selectively methylates hemi-methylated but not hemi-hydroxymethylated CpG
      sequences. The method enables monitoring of the dynamics of the
      hydroxymethylation state of a specific genome site. 

PMID- 26504740
TI  - In vivo assay to monitor flavonoid uptake across plant cell membranes.
AB  - Flavonoids represent one of the most important molecules of plant secondary
      metabolism, playing many different biochemical and physiological roles. Although
      their essential role in plant life and human health has been elucidated by many
      studies, their subcellular transport and accumulation in plant tissues remains
      unclear. This is due to the absence of a convenient and simple method to monitor
      their transport. In the present work, we suggest an assay able to follow in vivo
      transport of quercetin, the most abundant flavonoid in plant tissues. This uptake
      was monitored using 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (DPBA), a fluorescent probe, in
      non-pigmented Vitis vinifera cell cultures. 

PMID- 26504741
TI  - FHL1 activates myostatin signalling in skeletal muscle and promotes atrophy.
AB  - Myostatin is a TGFbeta family ligand that reduces muscle mass. In cancer cells,
      TGFbeta signalling is increased by the protein FHL1. Consequently, FHL1 may
      promote signalling by myostatin. We therefore tested the ability of FHL1 to
      regulate myostatin function. FHL1 increased the myostatin activity on a SMAD
      reporter and increased myostatin dependent myotube wasting. In mice, independent
      expression of myostatin reduced fibre diameter whereas FHL1 increased fibre
      diameter, both consistent with previously identified effects of these proteins.
      However, co-expression of FHL1 and myostatin reduced fibre diameter to a greater
      extent than myostatin alone. Together, these data suggest that the expression of
      FHL1 may exacerbate muscle wasting under the appropriate conditions. 

PMID- 26504742
TI  - Gastric Volvulus Following Left Pneumonectomy in an Adolescent Patient.
AB  - Gastric volvulus is a rare post-pneumonectomy complication. Although it has been
      described previously, published cases are limited to an older patient population.
      We report the youngest case of postpneumonectomy gastric volvulus to date,
      occurring in an 18-year-old male with a history of inflammatory myofibroblastic
      pseudotumor who underwent left intrapericardial pneumonectomy, and presented 13
      years later with chronic intermittent mesenteroaxial gastric volvulus. While
      postpneumonectomy gastric volvulus is a rare occurrence, it should remain in the
      differential diagnosis in postoperative thoracic surgical patients presenting
      with chest pain.

PMID- 26504743
TI  - ATM rs189037 (G > A) polymorphism and risk of lung cancer and head and neck
      cancer: A meta-analysis.
AB  - A number of different epidemiological studies have measured the association
      between the risk of different cancers and polymorphism at promoter region of 5'
      untranslated region (5'-UTR) of the Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene.
      However the results were contentious rather than conclusive. The current study
      was aimed at evaluating the association between the SNP (rs189037 G>A) and the
      risk of head and neck cancer and lung cancer by conducting a meta-analysis. A
      total of 9 case-control studies were considered for this quantitative analysis.
      Stats Direct Statistical software (version 2.7.2) was used to evaluate the crude
      odds ratio (OR) with their 95% confidence interval (CI). The dominant model (GG
      vs. GA + AA) showed no heterogeneity and the fixed effects pooled OR was found to
      be significant (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.05-1.25) at p = 0.003. The pooled OR for
      fixed effects of heterozygote and homozygote mutant allele (GA vs. AA) model was
      significant (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.04-1.30, p = 0.006) and no heterogeneity was
      observed for this model. The current meta-analysis manifested that ATM rs189037
      G>A genetic polymorphism may contribute increased risk of head and neck and lung
      cancer. Moreover, the AA mutant allele was found to be related significantly with
      the prognosis of lung cancer and head and neck cancer. 

PMID- 26504744
TI  - Frequency of rs731236 (Taql), rs2228570 (Fok1) of Vitamin-D Receptor (VDR) gene
      in Emirati healthy population.
AB  - Vitamin D is getting more attention everyday due to its importance in maintaining
      bone and calcium homeostasis, cellular proliferation, differentiation and immune
      response. Vitamin D is derived from diet or elicited in the skin by the
      activation of 7-dehydrocholesterol, which is an inert molecule that must be
      activated by ultraviolet light to form pre-vitamin D3. Recent studies connected
      the gene encoding for vitamin D (VDR) to the genetic control of bone mass and
      other diseases. As VDR SNPs have been associated with several disorders and
      diseases, it's important to investigate the allelic and genotypic distribution
      among populations. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of
      rs731236 (Taq1) and rs2228570 (Fok1) variants in healthy Emirati individuals and
      compare their genotype and allele distribution with other populations. In this
      study 282 (female, 187; male, 95) unrelated healthy UAE nationals were involved.
      Two hundreds and eight two DNA samples been collected to genotype rs731236 (Taq1)
      and rs2228570 (Fok1) VDR SNPs. Our results indicate that the distribution of the
      alleles and genotypes of rs731236 (Taq1) and rs2228570 (Fok1) vary considerably
      in different populations. In the Emirati population the distribution of rs731236
      (Taq1) and rs2228570 (Fok1) were AA 38%, AG 42%, GG 20% and AA 27%, AG 42%, GG
      31% respectively. The Emirati population genotype and allele distribution of
      rs731236 (Taq1) and rs2228570 (Fok1) had no difference with Caucasians from USA
      and France. However, there was significant difference with Asian populations. 

PMID- 26504745
TI  - TGF-beta1 gene - 509C > T promoter polymorphism modulates TGF-beta1 levels in
      hepatitis E patients.
AB  - Elevated levels of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and its positive
      correlation with Foxp3 expression in hepatitis E patients have indicated
      involvement of TGF-beta1 in hepatitis E pathogenesis. The current study
      determined polymorphisms in TGF-beta1 gene, plasma TGF-beta1 levels and T
      effector (Teff) cell proliferation and explored their association in a case
      control study. Polymorphisms in three selected sites (- 509C > T, + 869T > C and
      + 915G > C) of TGF-beta1 gene by PCR & restriction fragment length polymorphism
      methods, plasma TGF-beta1 quantitation by ELISA and Teff (CD4 + CD25 -) cell
      proliferation by CFSE method were carried out in 277 hepatitis E patients (HE)
      with self-limiting infection and 233 ethnically matched healthy controls (HCs)
      from western India. Frequency of CT genotype of - 509C > T site was significantly
      higher in hepatitis E patients compared to healthy controls (p = 0.017; OR 1.53,
      95% CI 1.07-2.17). Plasma TGF-beta1 levels were significantly higher in HE
      compared to HCs. TGF-beta1 level of patient group having CT genotype of - 509C >
      T site was significantly higher compared to those having CC or TT genotypes. Teff
      cell proliferation was negatively correlated with plasma TGF-beta1 levels in HE
      patients (r = - 0.568; p = 0.014). Influence of TGF-beta1 promoter (- 509C > T)
      polymorphism on plasma TGF-beta1 levels and inverse correlation of Teff cell
      proliferation with plasma TGF-beta1 levels in self-limiting hepatitis E patients
      suggest key role of TGF-beta1 in augmentation of reported T regulatory cell
      mediated pathogenesis in hepatitis E. 

PMID- 26504746
TI  - Association between glutathione S-transferase P1 Ile (105) Val gene polymorphism
      and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A meta-analysis based on seventeen
      case-control studies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have shown that glutathione S-transferase P1
      (GSTP1) was associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
      However, the association between GSTP1 Ile (105) Val gene polymorphism and COPD
      remains controversial. To drive a more precise estimation, we performed a meta
      analysis based on published case-control studies. METHODS: An electronic search
      of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, Web of Science and China Knowledge Resource
      Integrated (CNKI) Database for papers on GSTP1 Ile (105) Val gene polymorphism
      and COPD risk was performed. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of association in the homozygote
      model, heterozygote model, dominant model, recessive model and an additive mode.
      Statistical heterogeneity, test of publication bias and sensitivity analysis was
      performed. The software STATA (Version 13.0) was used data analysis. RESULTS:
      Overall, seventeen studies with 1892 cases and 2012 controls were included in
      this meta-analysis. The GSTP1 Ile (105) Val polymorphism showed pooled odds
      ratios for the homozygote comparison (OR = 1.501, 95%CI [0.862, 2.614]),
      heterozygote comparison (OR = 0.924, 95%CI [0.733, 1.165]), dominant model (OR =
      1.003, 95%CI [0.756, 1.331]), recessive model (OR = 1.510, 95%CI [0.934, 2.439]),
      and an additive model (OR = 1.072, 95%CI [0.822, 1.398]). CONCLUSIONS: In
      conclusion, the current meta-analysis, based on the most updated information,
      showed no significant association between GSTP1 Ile (105) Val gene polymorphism
      and COPD risk in any genetic models. The results of subgroup analysis also showed
      no significant association between GSTP1 Ile (105) Val gene polymorphism and COPD
      risk in Asian population and Caucasian population. Further studies involving
      large populations and careful control with age, sex, ethnicity, and cigarette
      smoking are greatly needed.

PMID- 26504747
TI  - Absence of somatic mutations of the mTOR gene in differentiated thyroid cancer.
AB  - Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy with increasing incidence.
      Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is an important downstream mediator of
      phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K/Akt) signaling and regulates cell growth,
      apoptosis and metabolism. The mTOR gene is frequently mutated in human cancers.
      Although PI3K/Akt pathway and its component genes were extensively studied in
      thyroid cancer, it is not known whether mTOR gene is somatically mutated and play
      a role in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). To determine the status of mTOR
      mutations in 53 DTC, we extensively examined 19 selected exons of mTOR gene which
      were reported to be frequently mutated in other human cancers. Unlike in other
      human cancers, we did not find common somatic mutations in the mTOR gene in
      differentiated thyroid cancer, except for some synonymous single nucleotide
      polymorphisms. Our results suggest that mTOR mutation is very rare and may not
      play a significant role in DTC. 

PMID- 26504748
TI  - Efficacy of combination treatment modalities for intermediate and advanced
      hepatocellular carcinoma: intra-arterial therapies, sorafenib and novel small
      molecules.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a growing epidemic with a high mortality rate
      and clear need for improved therapies. In patients with Barcelona-Clinic Liver
      Cancer (BCLC) B and C, treatment with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has
      been the gold standard in therapy as it delays progression; however, recurrence
      proves common. In the US, transarterial bead embolization (TABE) has uniformly
      replaced TACE. With this limited armamentarium, there is need for a shift to
      novel strategies combining different modalities to further improve patient
      outcomes. Historically, HCC drug discovery concentrated on common features of HCC
      including its highly vascular nature and dependence on growth factors (GFs). The
      multikinase inhibitor sorafenib acts on angiogenesis via modulation of vascular
      endothelial GF expression and was the first step toward systemic targeted therapy
      against HCC. Sorafenib has provided clinicians with a tool to modestly improve
      survival by 2-6 months or longer. Despite the progress in survival provided by
      TACE, TABE and sorafenib independently, rigorous combination clinical trials do
      not consistently show significant improvement over TACE/TABE monotherapy. Other
      novel small molecules targeting angiogenesis such as brivanib, linifanib and
      everolimus have failed or are in development. Anti-HCV treatment became more
      feasible with the novel direct-acting antiviral agents; with the much higher and
      more durable treatment responses that they provide, the risk of HCC progression
      may be reduced. The most effective strategies in developing combination therapies
      are hampered by the complexities of FDA testing along with intellectual property
      and economic issues. To achieve significant progress, more basic science studies
      are necessary to help understand which novel molecules demonstrate the greatest
      synergy. Individual patient genomic profiling and biomarkers may help guide
      therapy and improve the clinician's ability to tailor treatment and to know when
      it could be appropriate to combine systemic therapy with transarterial
      embolization. Most importantly, partnerships that facilitate testing of novel
      therapies in intelligently designed trials based on preclinical pharmacokinetics
      must be established.

PMID- 26504749
TI  - Methods of Liver Stem Cell Therapy in Rodents as Models of Human Liver
      Regeneration in Hepatic Failure.
AB  - Cell therapy is a promising intervention for treating liver diseases and liver
      failure. Different animal models of human liver cell therapy have been developed
      in recent years. Rats and mice are the most commonly used liver failure models.
      In fact, rodent models of hepatic failure have shown significant improvement in
      liver function after cell infusion. With the advent of stem-cell technologies, it
      is now possible to re-programme adult somatic cells such as skin or hair-follicle
      cells from individual patients to stem-like cells and differentiate them into
      liver cells. Such regenerative stem cells are highly promising in the
      personalization of cell therapy. The present review article will summarize
      current approaches to liver stem cell therapy with rodent models. In addition, we
      discuss common cell tracking techniques and how tracking data help to direct
      liver cell therapy research in animal models of hepatic failure. 

PMID- 26504750
TI  - The Impact of Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Differentiation of Hematopoietic Stem
      Cells.
AB  - Bone marrow microenvironment contains cellular and acellular compartments. The
      cellular compartment includes hematopoietic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells
      and some other stromal cell types, while the acellular compartment is composed of
      scaffold proteins known as the extra cellular matrix. Direct cell-cell contact as
      well as cytokines secreted by mesenchymal stem cells during coculture of
      hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells play a critical role in
      hematopoiesis, and determines the fate of hematopoietic stem cells. Several
      studies have demonstrated the impact of mesenchymal stem cells on self-renewal,
      expansion, proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells in
      vitro, which have shown different and contradictory results. In this paper, we
      will investigate the effect of mesenchymal stem cells on differentiation of
      hematopoietic stem cells in vitro. 

PMID- 26504751
TI  - Solid Lipid Nanoparticles and Nanostructured Lipid Carriers: Structure,
      Preparation and Application.
AB  - Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have attracted special interest during last few
      decades. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and nanostructured lipid carriers
      (NLCs) are two major types of Lipid-based nanoparticles. SLNs were developed to
      overcome the limitations of other colloidal carriers, such as emulsions,
      liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles because they have advantages like good
      release profile and targeted drug delivery with excellent physical stability. In
      the next generation of the lipid nanoparticle, NLCs are modified SLNs which
      improve the stability and capacity loading. Three structural models of NLCs have
      been proposed. These LNPs have potential applications in drug delivery field,
      research, cosmetics, clinical medicine, etc. This article focuses on features,
      structure and innovation of LNPs and presents a wide discussion about preparation
      methods, advantages, disadvantages and applications of LNPs by focusing on SLNs
      and NLCs. 

PMID- 26504752
TI  - Ghrelin Decreases Angiogenesis, HIF-1alpha and VEGF Protein Levels in Chronic
      Hypoxia in Lung Tissue of Male Rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: Hypoxia is a condition of decreased availability of oxygen. When cells
      are exposed to a low oxygen environment, they impel the hypoxia responses to
      adapt to new situation. The hypoxia response leads to the activation of various
      cellular signaling pathways. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of
      ghrelin on angiogenesis, Hypoxia-Inducible-Factor-1alpha (HIF-1) and Vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in normobaric hypoxia situation. METHODS:
      Twenty four animals were divided into 4 groups (n=6): control (C), ghrelin (Gh),
      hypoxia (H), and hypoxic animals that received ghrelin (H+Gh). Hypoxia (11%) was
      induced by an Environmental Chamber System GO2 Altitude. Animals in ghrelin
      groups received a subcutaneous injection of ghrelin (150 MUg/kg/day) for 14 days.
      RESULTS: Our results showed that hypoxia significantly (p<0.05) increased
      angiogenesis without any significant changes on HIF-1 and VEGF levels, whereas
      ghrelin significantly (p<0.05) decreased angiogenesis, expression of HIF-1 and
      VEGF in this condition. Ghrelin administration did not show any significant
      changes in normal conditions. CONCLUSION: Ghrelin had no effect on angiogenesis,
      expression of HIF-1 and VEGF in normal oxygen conditions but it reduced
      angiogenesis process in lung tissue with reducing the level of HIF and VEGF in
      hypoxic condition. Therefore, effect of ghrelin on angiogenesis could be related
      to blood oxygen level.

PMID- 26504753
TI  - Involvement of Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3beta and Oxidation Status in the Loss of
      Cardioprotection by Postconditioning in Chronic Diabetic Male Rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: Diabetes mellitus as a main risk-factor of ischemic heart disease may
      interfere with postconditioning'scardioprotective effects. This study aimed to
      investigate the involvement of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) and
      oxidation status in chronic diabetes-induced loss of cardioprotective effect of
      ischemic-postconditioning (IPostC) in Wistar rats. METHODS: After 8 weeks of
      induction of diabetes by streptozotocin (50mg/kg), hearts of control and diabetic
      rats were isolated and mounted on a constant-pressure Langendorff system. All
      hearts were subjected to 30min regional ischemia followed by 60min reperfusion
      (by occluding and re-opening of left anterior descending coronary artery,
      respectively). IPostC was applied immediately at the onset of reperfusion. At the
      end of reperfusion, the infarct size of myocardium was measured via computerized
      planimetry. Myocardial contents of malondealdehyde and glutathione as indices of
      oxidative status were assayed spectrophotometrically and the total and
      phosphorylated forms of myocardial GSK-3beta were quantified through western
      blotting. RESULTS: IPostC reduced the infarct size of control hearts from 41+/
      2.9% to 28+/-1.9% (P<0.05), whereas it could not induce significant changes in
      infarct size of diabetic animals (35+/-1.8% vs. 39+/-3.1%). IPostC-induced
      reduction in malondealdehyde and elevation in glutathione contents were
      significant only in control not in diabetic hearts. The total forms of GSK-3beta
      were similar in all groups; however, the phosphorylation of GSK-3beta (at Ser9)
      by IPostC was greater in control hearts than diabetics (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The
      failure of cardioprotection by IPostC in diabetic hearts may be attributed to the
      loss of phosphorylation of GSK-3beta and thereby increase in oxidative stress in
      diabetic states.

PMID- 26504754
TI  - Cytoprotective Effects of Melatonin Against Amitriptyline-Induced Toxicity in
      Isolated Rat Hepatocytes.
AB  - PURPOSE: Amitriptyline, one of the commonly used tricyclic antidepressants,
      caused rare but severe hepatotoxicity in patients who received it continuously.
      Previous findings showed that the intermediate metabolites of amitriptyline
      produced by CYP450 are involved in hepatic injury. Melatonin is an antiaging and
      antioxidant hormone synthesized from pineal gland. The aim of present study was
      to evaluate the protective role of melatonin in an in vitro model of isolated rat
      hepatocytes. METHODS: Markers such as cell viability, reactive oxygen species
      formation, lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial membrane potential, and hepatocytes
      glutathione content were evaluated every 60 minutes for 180 minutes. RESULTS:
      Present results indicated that administration of 1mM of melatonin effectively
      reduced the cell death, ROS formation and lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial
      membrane potential collapse, and reduced cellular glutathione content caused by
      amitriptyline. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that melatonin is an effective
      antioxidant in preventing amitriptyline-induced hepatotoxicity. We recommend
      further in vivo animal and clinical trial studies on the hepatoprotective effects
      of melatonin in patients receiving amitriptyline.

PMID- 26504755
TI  - Carriage of Class 1 and 2 Integrons in Quinolone, Extended-Spectrum-beta
      Lactamase-Producing and Multi Drug Resistant E.coli and K.pneumoniae: High Burden
      of Antibiotic Resistance.
AB  - PURPOSE: The study aimed at assessing any association between quinolone
      resistance, MDR and ESBL production and their relation with the presence of
      integrons in Esherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. METHODS: E.coli and
      K.pneumoniae isolated from various clinical infections were fully identified and
      analyzed for being quinolone resistant. These isolates were further tested for
      ESBL production, multi drug resistance and carriage of integrons. RESULTS: In
      total, 135 isolates were confirmed as quinolone resistant. K.pneumoniae was
      observed as potent ESBL producer in comparison to E.coli. Ciprofloxacin
      resistance in both organisms was related significantly with the presence of
      integron class 1, co-presence of class 1 and 2 as well as to the presence of ESBL
      production (p< 0.001). However, nalidixic acid resistance was related
      significantly (p< 0.01) with only integron class 1 and to the presence of ESBL
      production. Class 1 and 2 integrons were found in 73.5% of MDR isolates with
      13.2% of them possessing both intI1 and intI2 genes. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of
      quinolone resistance together with ESBL production and MDR in E.coli and
      K.pneumoniae has contributed to the emergence of antibacterial resistance burden.
      The higher integron prevalence in our isolates advocates the potentiality of
      these isolates as a source for dissemination of resistance determinants.

PMID- 26504756
TI  - Formation and Characterization of Beclomethasone Dipropionate Nanoparticles Using
      Rapid Expansion of Supercritical Solution.
AB  - PURPOSE: Particle size of Beclometasone Dipropionate (BDP) was reduced by the
      rapid expansion of supercritical solution (RESS) process, using CO2 as
      supercritical solvent. Also, the effect of RESS parameters such as extraction
      pressure, pre-expansion temperature, and weight fraction of co-solvent on the
      size and distribution of BDP particles were investigated. METHODS: The effects of
      extraction pressure (200-260 bar), pre-expansion temperature (70-110  degrees C)
      and weight fraction of menthol as a co-solvent on mean particle size (MPS) of BDP
      were investigated by design of experiment (DOE). Particles were characterized
      using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS).
      RESULTS: The average sizes of precipitated BDP were between 64.1 and 294 nm.
      Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that extraction pressure was the most
      significant parameter and a higher extraction pressure caused production of
      smaller particles. Also, it was found that higher temperature and weight fraction
      of co-solvent increased the MPS. The interaction effects of extraction pressure
      pre-expansion temperature and pre-expansion temperature-co-solvent ratio were
      significant through the analysis of variance. It was observed that the MPS of
      precipitated particles was mostly influenced by pressure. CONCLUSION: The
      smallest MPS of BDP obtained from the RESS process was 65 nm that revealed a
      significant size reduction from its original MPS of 9 MUm. Moreover, a slight
      change was observed for precipitated particles of BDP into spherical form while
      the original particles were irregular in shape. RESS process showed as a
      promising method for production of BDP nanoparticles that may results in
      improvement of drug's physicochemical properties.

PMID- 26504758
TI  - Preparation, Evaluation and Optimization of Multiparticulate System of
      Mebendazole for Colon Targeted Drug Delivery by Using Natural Polysaccharides.
AB  - PURPOSE: A Multiparticulate system of Mebendazole was developed for colon
      targeted drug delivery by using natural polysaccharides like Chitosan and Sodium
      alginate beads. METHODS: Chitosan microspheres were formulated by using Emulsion
      crosslinking method using Glutaraldehyde as crosslinking agent. Sodium-alginate
      beads were formulated by using Calcium chloride as gelling agent. Optimization
      for Chitosan microspheres was carried out by using 2(3) full factorial design.
      3(2) full factorial design was used for the optimization of Sodium-alginate
      beads. The formulated batches were evaluated for percentage yield, particle size
      measurement, flow properties, percent entrapment efficiency, Swelling studies.
      The formulations were subjected to Stability studies and In-vitro release study
      (with and without rat caecal content). Release kinetics data was subjected to
      different dissolution models. RESULTS: The formulated batches showed acceptable
      particle size range as well as excellent flow properties. Entrapment efficiency
      for optimized batches of Chitosan microspheres and sodium alginate beads was
      found to be 74.18% and 88.48% respectively. In-vitro release of drug for the
      optimized batches was found to be increased in presence of rat caecal content.
      The best-fit models were koresmeyer-peppas for Chitosan microspheres and zero
      order for sodium-alginate beads. CONCLUSION: Chitosan and Sodium-alginate was
      used successfully for the formulation of Colon targeted Multiparticulate system.

PMID- 26504757
TI  - Doxorubicin Changes Bax /Bcl-xL Ratio, Caspase-8 and 9 in Breast Cancer Cells.
AB  - PURPOSE: Doxorubicin is administrated as a single agent in first-line therapy of
      breast cancer to induce apoptosis in tumor cells. Bax, Bcl-xL, Caspase-8 and 9
      proteins are involved in induction of apoptosis. The present study describes Bax,
      Bcl-xL gene expression and Caspase-8 and 9 protein levels in MCF-7 cells
      incubated with doxorubicin at different doses an incubation times. METHODS: The
      cytotoxic effects of doxorubicin were studied using MTT assay. MCF-7 cells were
      treated with three concentrations of doxorubicin (0.1, 0.5, 1 MUM) and incubated
      for 24, 48 and 72 hours then expression levels of Bax and Bcl-xL genes were
      elucidated by Real-time RT-PCR technique and protein levels of caspase-8 and
      caspase-9 proteins were measured using ELISA method. Morphological modifications
      of the cells were also monitored via light microscopic images. RESULTS:
      Doxorubicin decreased the anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL and increased pro-apoptotic Bax
      mRNA levels. Doxorubicin induced a significant increase in Bax /Bcl-xL ratio in
      all doses and incubation times (p<0.05). Highest (more than 10 fold) increase in
      Bax /Bcl-xL ratio was revealed after 48 h incubation of the cells with in all
      doses of doxorubicin. Doxorubicin also increased caspase-9 level in a time and
      dose-dependent manner, while caspase-8 level didn't follow time and dose
      dependency pattern. CONCLUSION: Our results confirm that doxorubicin induces
      mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis by down-regulation of Bcl-xL and up- regulation
      of Bax and caspase-9 expressions.

PMID- 26504759
TI  - Aberrant Wnt/beta-Catenin Signaling Pathway in Testis of Azoospermic Men.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Importance and key role of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway in
      spermatogenesis is known. Abnormalities of this pathway in Sertoli and germ cells
      leads to infertility. Leydig cells play an important role in spermatogenesis and
      male reproduction. As of now, exact position of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling
      pathway disorders in the tissue and possible involvement of Leydig cells has not
      been investigated. METHODS: Samples of our previous study were used for common Y
      chromosome microdeletions screening and common CFTR gene mutations.1 beta-catenin
      gene expression were evaluated and compared between testicular tissue obtained by
      testicular sperm extraction (TESE) in two groups of obstructive (n=10) and non
      obstructive (n=10) azoospermic infertile men. Location of beta-catenin
      accumulation was detected by immunofluorescence technic and quantitatively
      compared in the tissue followed by counterstaining with anti-vimentin antibody.
      It was used as specific marker of leydig cells to determine and confirm the cells
      in which this gathering was occurred. RESULTS: beta-catenin gene expression does
      not have a significant difference between the obstructive azoospermia (0.998) and
      non-obstructive azoospermia group (0.891). beta-catenin was abnormally aggregated
      in leydig cell of non-obstructive azoospermic men. CONCLUSION: Gathering beta
      catenin in cytoplasm of leydig cells can disrupt spermatogenesis and cause
      infertility in men.

PMID- 26504761
TI  - New Validated Stability-Indicating Rp-HPLC Method for Simultaneous Estimation of
      Atorvastatin and Ezetimibe in Human Plasma by Using PDA Detector.
AB  - PURPOSE: This paper describes a simple, precise and accurate RP-HPLC method for
      simultaneous estimation of atorvastatin and ezetimibe in plasma. METHODS: The
      chromatographic separation of the drugs were performed on an X-Terra C8 (4.6 x
      150 mm, 3.5 mm), with phosphate buffer [pH 3.5 with Ortho Phosphoric Acid] -
      acetonitrile 40:60 (v/v) as mobile phase. The detection was performed at 235 nm.
      The flow rate was maintained at 1.2 mL/min. The run time was 8.0 min. RESULTS:
      The accuracy and reliability of the method was assessed by evaluation of
      linearity (5-25 ug/mL for both atorvastatin calcium and ezetimibe), precision
      (intra-day RSD 0.57 % and inter-day RSD 0.02 % for atorvastatin calcium and intra
      day RSD 0.56 % and inter-day RSD 0.1 % for ezetimibe), accuracy (100.08- 100.84 %
      for atorvastatin calcium and 100.56- 101.00 % for ezetimibe), and specificity, in
      accordance with ICH guidelines. The LLOQ obtained by the proposed method were
      1.294 and 1.384 ug/mL for atorvastatin and ezetimibe respectively. CONCLUSION:
      Overall the proposed method was found to be suitable and accurate for the
      quantitative determination in plasma. The method was effectively separated the
      drug from plasma.

PMID- 26504760
TI  - Swim Training Improves HOMA-IR in Type 2 Diabetes Induced by High Fat Diet and
      Low Dose of Streptozotocin in Male Rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: Insulin resistance plays a key role in the onset and development of type
      2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its complications. In this study, we evaluated the
      effect of swim training on insulin resistance in diabetic rats. METHODS: Forty
      male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=10): sedentary control
      (Con), sedentary diabetic (Dia), swim trained control (Exe) and swim trained
      diabetic (Dia+Exe) rats. Diabetes was induced by high fat diet (HFD) and a low
      dose of streptozotocin (35 mg/kg, i.p). In trained groups, one week after the
      induction of diabetes, animals were subjected to swimming (60 min/5 days a week)
      for 10 weeks. At the end of training, fasting blood sugar (FBS), oral glucose
      tolerance test (OGTT), fasting/basal insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c)
      levels, insulin resistance index, homeostasis model assessment method (HOMA-IR),
      triglycerides (TG,) total cholesterol (TCh), and high density lipoprotein (HDL)
      levels in blood were measured. RESULTS: Swimming significantly improved OGTT
      (P<0.01) and HOMA-IR (P<0.01). Swim training also significantly decreased FBS
      (p<0.01), fasting/basal insulin (P<0.01), HbA1C (p<0.01), TG (P<0.05), and TCh
      (P<0.05) levels. It also significantly increased HDL (p<0.05) level. CONCLUSION:
      Our findings indicate that swim training improved glycemic control and insulin
      sensitivity in type 2 diabetes caused by high fat diet in male rats.

PMID- 26504762
TI  - Efficient Inactivation of Multi-Antibiotics Resistant Nosocomial Enterococci by
      Purified Hiracin Bacteriocin.
AB  - PURPOSE: Because of the emergence of multi-antibiotic resistant bacteria, a
      number of infectious diseases have become a major concern to treat in health care
      services worldwide. This situation is worsened by the fact that very limited
      progress has been made in developing new and potent antibiotics in recent years.
      In this context antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent new potential therapeutic
      compounds with bactericidal or bacteriostatic activity against closely related
      bacterial strains. METHODS: In this study, a collection of enterococci (n=170)
      from clinical sources were investigated for their potential to inhibit
      multiresistant nosocomial enterococci from Iranian hospitals. RESULTS: Four
      isolates produced antimicrobial peptides that inhibited all the antibiotic
      resistant enterococci. This included three Enterococcus faecium isolates
      producing combinations of enterocin A, B and L50 AB. The most potent antagonism
      was produced by E. faecalis HO91. Purification and subsequent characterization by
      MALDI-TOF MS, Edman degradation and DNA-sequencing revealed that the
      antimicrobial compound was Hiracin. The purified Hiracin was evaluated for
      antibacterial activity against 12 multiresistant enterococcal isolates from
      clinical samples. The results demonstrated that Hiracin is highly effective
      towards enterococci which were resistant even to antibiotics from four distinct
      classes. CONCLUSION: The present research addresses Hiracin as a promising
      alternative to conventional antibiotics in treatment of multiresistant
      enterococcal infections.

PMID- 26504763
TI  - Furosemide Loaded Silica-Lipid Hybrid Microparticles: Formulation Development, in
      vitro and ex vivo Evaluation.
AB  - PURPOSE: The main objective of the current research work was to formulate and
      evaluate furosemide loaded silica lipid hybrid microparticles for improved oral
      delivery. A novel silica-lipid hybrid microparticulate system is used for
      enhancing the oral absorption of low solubility and low permeability of (BCS
      Class IV) drugs. Silica-lipid hybrid microparticles include the drug solubilising
      effect of dispersed lipids and stabilizing effect of hydrophilic silica particles
      to increase drug solubilisation, which leads to enhanced oral bioavailability.
      METHODS: The slica lipid hybrid (SLH) microparticles were composed of poorly
      soluble drug (furosemide), dispersion of oil phase (Soya bean oil and miglyol) in
      lecithin (Phospholipoid 90H), non-ionic surfactant (Polysorbate 80) and adsorbent
      (Aerosol 380). Saturation solubility studies were performed in different oils and
      surfactants with increased concentration of drug revealed increased solubility of
      furosemide. RESULTS: In vitro dissolution studies conducted under simulated
      gastric medium revealed 2-4 fold increase in dissolution efficiencies for SLH
      microparticles compared to that of pure drug (furosemide) and marketed
      formulation Lasix(r). Ex vivo studies showed enhanced lipid digestibility, which
      improved drug permeability. Solid-state characterization of SLH microparticles by
      X-ray powder diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis
      confirmed non-crystalline nature and more compatibility of furosemide in silica
      lipid hybrid microparticles. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that the role of
      lipids and hydrophilic silica based carrier highlighted in enhancing solubility
      and permeability, and hence the oral bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs.

PMID- 26504764
TI  - The Relationship between Solubility and Transdermal Absorption of Tadalafil.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to find a relationship between drug solubility
      and its transdermal permeation and find the best vehicle composition to improve
      transdermal permeation of Tadalafil. METHODS: Pure or binary mixtures of commonly
      used solvents in pharmaceutical sciences including ethanol, glycerin, N-methyl
      pyrrolidone (NMP), polyethylene glycol (PEG) 400 and propylene glycol (PG) were
      evaluated for drug solubility and transdermal delivery through the exercised rat
      skin employing Franz diffusion cells. RESULTS: Tadalafil showed higher solubility
      in NMP compared to the other solvents. The amount of Tadalafil permeation from
      the pure vehicles was ranked as follow: Ethanol >glycerin >NMP>PEG 400 >PG.
      Furthermore, the solubility and transdermal delivery from binary mixtures of NMP
      and PG were higher than that obtained from pure PG, and accordingly, both
      increased with increasing NMP concentration in the binary solvent mixtures. The
      Flux values were determined as following order for Ethanol>NMP>glycerin>PG>PEG
      400. CONCLUSION: Generally, increase in Tadalafil solubility resulted in a
      decrease in its skin penetration rate and amount. However, NMP exhibited
      substantial drug skin penetration rate and amount accompanying with appropriate
      drug solvency. In conclusion, the results of this study introduced NMP as a
      solvent suitable for application in the formulation of topically applied drug
      delivery systems.

PMID- 26504765
TI  - Citrus Bioflavonoids Ameliorate Hyperoxaluria Induced Renal Injury and Calcium
      Oxalate Crystal Deposition in Wistar Rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: Citrus is considered as a medically important plant from ancient times
      and the bioflavonoids of different variety of citrus fruits were well explored
      for their biological activities. The study aim was to explore the effect of
      citrus bioflavonoids (CB) to prevent and cure hyperoxaluria induced urolithiasis.
      METHODS: Twenty four Wistar rats were segregated into 4 Groups. Group 1: Control;
      Group 2: Urolithic (EG-0.75%); Group 3: Preventive study (EG+CB, day 1-50); Group
      4: Curative study (EG+CB, day 30-50). Animals received CB orally (20mg/kg body
      weight) after performing a toxicity study. RESULTS: Urinary risk factors and
      serum renal function parameters were significantly reduced by CB administration
      in both preventive and curative study (p<0.001). Hematoxylin & Eosin and von
      Kossa staining demonstrated that renal protection was offered by CB against EG
      insult. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed over expression and abnormal
      localization of THP and NF-kappaB in urolithic rats, while it was effectively
      regulated by CB supplementation. CONCLUSION: CB prevented and significantly
      controlled lithogenic factors and CaOx deposition in rats. We propose CB as a
      potential therapy in management of urolithiasis.

PMID- 26504766
TI  - Construction and Characterization of Recombinant HEK Cell Over Expressing alpha4
      Integrin.
AB  - PURPOSE: Integrins are heterodimeric membrane proteins, which are exposed to post
      translational modifications in eukaryotic cells in contrast to prokaryotic cells.
      These modifications provide advantages for production of proper nanobody, mono
      and polyclonal antibody against this surface protein and also in aptamer
      selection process. Since the majority of diagnostic and therapeutic antibodies,
      target the surface epitopes, eukaryotic membrane proteins provide an appropriate
      model for further investigation on therapeutic agents. METHODS: Escherichia coli
      strain top 10, was used as host for ITGA-4 expression vector encoding the human
      integrin alpha4. The plasmid was extracted and consequently, ITGA-4 vector was
      digested to make a linear plasmid. Human Embryonic Kidney-293 (HEK-293) cell
      transfected with linear plasmid and subsequently screened for stable ITGA-4
      expressing Cells. Three separated clones were isolated twenty one days after
      transfection. Chromosomal DNA was extracted from ITGA-4-transfected cells. The
      presence of ITGA-4 gene in HEK-293 genome was confirmed by PCR. The expression
      level of ITGA-4 on HEK-293 cells was also analyzed by Flow cytometry. RESULTS:
      Flow cytometric analysis showed that HEK-293 cells have no expression of integrin
      alpha4 on their surface while 95% of transfected HEK-293 cells with ITGA4,
      expressed different levels of integrin alpha4 on their surfaces which correlates
      well with genomic DNA PCR amplification results. CONCLUSION: The results suggest
      that we have successfully constructed the integrin alpha4 expressing HEK293 cell,
      which will facilitate further research into the production of antibody, nanobody
      and aptamer against alpha4 integrin.

PMID- 26504767
TI  - The Effect of Tween 20, 60, and 80 on Dissolution Behavior of Sprionolactone in
      Solid Dispersions Prepared by PEG 6000.
AB  - PURPOSE: Solid dispersions have been efficient in improving the dissolution rate
      and bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs. The aim of the present study was
      enhancement of the dissolution profile of Spironolactone using solid dispersion.
      METHODS: Spironolactone solid dispersions (1:1, 1:2 and 2:1 drug: carrier weight
      ratio) were prepared by polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 as a carrier by hot melt
      method. The influence of several amounts of Tween 20, 60, and 80 were also
      studied. The dissolution profile was evaluated by USP Apparatus II. RESULTS: The
      results showed that solid dispersions were efficacious to enhance the dissolution
      rate of Spironolactone in water; and the procedure indicated that there was an
      increase in dissolution rate for solid dispersions containing the surfactant
      Tweens. The solid dispersions were evaluated using Fourier-transform infrared
      (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Differential Scanning
      Calorimetry (DSC) studies; and the results showed no complex formation or change
      in crystal shape of drug. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that solid dispersion
      technique can be successfully used for improvement of dissolution of
      Spironolactone.

PMID- 26504768
TI  - Apoptosis Cell Death Effect of Scrophularia Variegata on Breast Cancer Cells via
      Mitochondrial Intrinsic Pathway.
AB  - PURPOSE: Scrophularia variegata M. Beib. (Scrophulariaceae) is an Iranian
      medicinal plant which is used for various inflammatory disorders in traditional
      medicine. In this study we evaluated the anti-cancer and cytotoxic effects of the
      Scrophularia variegata (S. variegata) ethanolic extract on the human breast
      cancer cell line. METHODS: The cytotoxicity effect of the extract on MCF-7 cells
      was evaluated by MTT assay. In addition, Caspase activity, DNA ladder and Cell
      death were evaluated by ELISA, gel electrophoresis and Annexin V-FITC/PI
      staining, respectively. RESULTS: The S. variegata extract showed significant
      effect cytotoxicity on MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. Treatment with the
      extract induced apoptosis on the breast cancer cells by cell cycle arrest in G2/M
      phase. The results indicated that cytotoxicity activity was associated with an
      increase of apoptosis as demonstrated by DNA fragmentation as well as an increase
      of the amount of caspase 3 and caspase 9. In addition, the phytochemical assay
      showed that the extract had antioxidant capacity and also flavonoids, phenolic
      compounds and phenyl propanoids were presented in the extract. CONCLUSION: Our
      findings indicated that S. variegata extract induced apoptosis via mitochondrial
      intrinsic pathway on breast cancer by cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase and an
      increase of caspase 3 and caspase 9. However future studies are needed.

PMID- 26504769
TI  - Role of a clinical pharmacist in managing diabetic nephropathy: an approach of
      pharmaceutical care plan.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the effect of low-protein diet on renal function in patient with
      diabetic nephropathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a case of a 57-year-old
      obese patient who is a known case of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, benign
      prostate hypertrophy and chronic kidney disease 4(th) stage presented with the
      complaints of weakness, dyspnea, arthralgia, neuropathic pains and pedal edema
      which are prominent symptoms of Chronic kidney disease. Our healthcare team had
      visited patient's home and analyzed the available reports on kidney profile,
      fasting sugar, post prandial sugar, HbA1c, lipid profile test and prescriptions
      which was found to be high. The glomerular filtration rate, serum creatinine and
      blood urea were 24 ml/min, 3.4 mg/dL and 90 mg/dL, fasting blood sugar, post
      prandial blood sugar and HbA1c were 226, 305 and 7.4 %, and total cholesterol and
      triglycerides were 145 & 95 respectively. Further discussion on diet, it came to
      know that the patient was on high carbohydrate diet. By considering the objective
      and subjective data, our team had done the assessment and come to a conclusion
      that high amount of carbohydrate diet with poor medication adherence had led to
      the hyperglycemia which developed diabetic nephropathy. We have recommended low
      protein, unsaturated fat, multivitamins, antioxidants and moderate carbohydrate
      diet. Two dietary assessment tools had been used in order to monitor patient's
      adherence to the diet i.e. dietary record book and food frequency questionnaire.
      RESULTS: We have carefully monitored the serum creatinine, glomerular filtration
      rate and blood urea for 12 months initially with an interval of 30 days for 3
      months and later trimonthly up-to 12 months. Glomerular filtration rate was
      calculated by using the formula CKD-EPI creatinine equation. The values trend for
      first three months of serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate were 2.8
      mg/dL, 2.6 mg/dL,1.5 mg/dL and 24 ml/min, 26 ml/min, 51 ml/min respectively.
      Further, results has shown a significant improvement in the 6th, 9th and 12th
      month. The values of serum creatinine in the 6th, 9th and 12th month were 1.3
      mg/dL, 1.1 mg/dL and 0.9 mg/dL, whereas golmerular filtration rate in the 6th,
      9th and 12th month were 61 ml/min, 74 ml/min and 94 ml/min. CONCLUSION: The
      present study has demonstrated the protein diet restriction in-order to control
      the progression of renal failure. The dietary intervention on diabetic
      nephropathy plays a significant role in controlling the kidney failures. This is
      the first study, to our knowledge, to demonstrate the impact of pharmacist role
      in managing diabetic nephropathy by providing pharmaceutical care. Pharmaceutical
      care services should be encouraged in the community and hospital pharmacy which
      definitely plays a major impact in reaching the definite outcomes and providing
      higher quality of life.

PMID- 26504770
TI  - Characterization and Development of EST-SSRs by Deep Transcriptome Sequencing in
      Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis).
AB  - Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are among the most important markers for
      population analysis and have been widely used in plant genetic mapping and
      molecular breeding. Expressed sequence tag-SSR (EST-SSR) markers, located in the
      coding regions, are potentially more efficient for QTL mapping, gene targeting,
      and marker-assisted breeding. In this study, we investigated 51,694 nonredundant
      unigenes, assembled from clean reads from deep transcriptome sequencing with a
      Solexa/Illumina platform, for identification and development of EST-SSRs in
      Chinese cabbage. In total, 10,420 EST-SSRs with over 12 bp were identified and
      characterized, among which 2744 EST-SSRs are new and 2317 are known ones showing
      polymorphism with previously reported SSRs. A total of 7877 PCR primer pairs for
      1561 EST-SSR loci were designed, and primer pairs for twenty-four EST-SSRs were
      selected for primer evaluation. In nineteen EST-SSR loci (79.2%), amplicons were
      successfully generated with high quality. Seventeen (89.5%) showed polymorphism
      in twenty-four cultivars of Chinese cabbage. The polymorphic alleles of each
      polymorphic locus were sequenced, and the results showed that most polymorphisms
      were due to variations of SSR repeat motifs. The EST-SSRs identified and
      characterized in this study have important implications for developing new tools
      for genetics and molecular breeding in Chinese cabbage. 

PMID- 26504771
TI  - Response of Spatial Patterns of Denitrifying Bacteria Communities to Water
      Properties in the Stream Inlets at Dianchi Lake, China.
AB  - Streams are an important sink for anthropogenic N owing to their hydrological
      connections with terrestrial systems, but main factors influencing the community
      structure and abundance of denitrifiers in stream water remain unclear. To
      elucidate the potential impact of varying water properties of different streams
      on denitrifiers, the abundance and community of three denitrifying genes coding
      for nitrite (nirK, nirS) and nitrous oxide (nosZ) reductase were investigated in
      11 streams inlets at the north part of Dianchi Lake. The DGGE results showed the
      significant pairwise differences in community structure of nirK, nirS, and nosZ
      genes among different streams. The results of redundancy analysis (RDA) confirmed
      that nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, pH, and temperature in waters were
      the main environmental factors leading to a significant alteration in the
      community structure of denitrifiers among different streams. The denitrifying
      community size was assessed by quantitative PCR (qPCR) of the nirS, nirK, and
      nosZ genes. The abundance of nirK, nirS, and nosZ was positively associated with
      concentrations of total N (TN) and PO4 (3-) (p < 0.001). The difference in
      spatial patterns between nirK and nirS community diversity, in combination with
      the spatial distribution of the nirS/nirK ratio, indicated the occurrence of
      habitat selection for these two types of denitrifiers in the different streams.
      The results indicated that the varying of N species and PO4 (3-) together with pH
      and temperature would be the main factors shaping the community structure of
      denitrifiers. Meanwhile, the levels of N in water, together with PO4 (3-), tend
      to affect the abundance of denitrifiers. 

PMID- 26504772
TI  - The SsDREB Transcription Factor from the Succulent Halophyte Suaeda salsa
      Enhances Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Transgenic Tobacco.
AB  - Dehydration-responsive element-binding (DREB) transcription factor (TF) plays a
      key role for abiotic stress tolerance in plants. In this study, a novel cDNA
      encoding DREB transcription factor, designated SsDREB, was isolated from
      succulent halophyte Suaeda salsa. This protein was classified in the A-6 group of
      DREB subfamily based on multiple sequence alignments and phylogenetic
      characterization. Yeast one-hybrid assays showed that SsDREB protein specifically
      binds to the DRE sequence and could activate the expression of reporter genes in
      yeast, suggesting that the SsDREB protein was a CBF/DREB transcription factor.
      Real-time RT-PCR showed that SsDREB was significantly induced under salinity and
      drought stress. Overexpression of SsDREB cDNA in transgenic tobacco plants
      exhibited an improved salt and drought stress tolerance in comparison to the
      nontransformed controls. The transgenic plants revealed better growth, higher
      chlorophyll content, and net photosynthesis rate, as well as higher level of
      proline and soluble sugars. The semiquantitative PCR of transgenics showed higher
      expression of stress-responsive genes. These data suggest that the SsDREB
      transcription factor is involved in the regulation of salt stress tolerance in
      tobacco by the activation of different downstream gene expression. 

PMID- 26504773
TI  - New Insights into Orphan Nuclear Receptor SHP in Liver Cancer.
AB  - Small heterodimer partner (SHP; NR0B2) is a unique orphan nuclear receptor (NR)
      that contains a putative ligand-binding domain but lacks a DNA-binding domain.
      SHP is a transcriptional corepressor affecting diverse metabolic processes
      including bile acid synthesis, cholesterol and lipid metabolism, glucose and
      energy homeostasis, and reproductive biology via interaction with multiple NRs
      and transcriptional factors (TFs). Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the
      most deadly human cancers worldwide with few therapeutic options and poor
      prognosis. Recently, it is becoming clear that SHP plays an antitumor role in the
      development of liver cancer. In this review, we summarize the most recent
      findings regarding the new SHP interaction partners, new structural insights into
      SHP's gene repressing activity, and SHP protein posttranslational modifications
      by bile acids. We also discuss the pleiotropic role of SHP in regulating cell
      proliferation, apoptosis, DNA methylation, and inflammation that are related to
      antitumor role of SHP in HCC. Improving our understanding of SHP's antitumor role
      in the development of liver cancer will provide new insights into developing
      novel treatments or prevention strategies. Future research will focus on
      developing more efficacious and specific synthetic SHP ligands for pharmaceutical
      applications in liver cancer and several metabolic diseases such as
      hypercholesterolemia, obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease.

PMID- 26504774
TI  - In Vitro Evaluation of Scaffolds for the Delivery of Mesenchymal Stem Cells to
      Wounds.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to improve tissue regeneration in
      several preclinical and clinical trials. These cells have been used in
      combination with three-dimensional scaffolds as a promising approach in the field
      of regenerative medicine. We compare the behavior of human adipose-derived MSCs
      (AdMSCs) on four different biomaterials that are awaiting or have already
      received FDA approval to determine a suitable regenerative scaffold for
      delivering these cells to dermal wounds and increasing healing potential. AdMSCs
      were isolated, characterized, and seeded onto scaffolds based on chitosan,
      fibrin, bovine collagen, and decellularized porcine dermis. In vitro results
      demonstrated that the scaffolds strongly influence key parameters, such as
      seeding efficiency, cellular distribution, attachment, survival, metabolic
      activity, and paracrine release. Chick chorioallantoic membrane assays revealed
      that the scaffold composition similarly influences the angiogenic potential of
      AdMSCs in vivo. The wound healing potential of scaffolds increases by means of a
      synergistic relationship between AdMSCs and biomaterial resulting in the release
      of proangiogenic and cytokine factors, which is currently lacking when a scaffold
      alone is utilized. Furthermore, the methods used herein can be utilized to test
      other scaffold materials to increase their wound healing potential with AdMSCs. 

PMID- 26504775
TI  - Detecting Blood Flow Response to Stimulation of the Human Eye.
AB  - Retinal blood supply is tightly regulated under a variety of hemodynamic
      considerations in order to satisfy a high metabolic need and maintain both vessel
      structure and function. Simulation of the human eye can induce hemodynamics
      alterations, and attempt to assess the vascular reactivity response has been well
      documented in the scientific literature. Advancements in noninvasive imaging
      technologies have led to the characterization of magnitude and time course in
      retinal blood flow response to stimuli. This allowed for a better understanding
      of the mechanism in which blood flow is regulated, as well as identifying
      functional impairments in the diseased eye. Clinically, the ability to detect
      retinal blood flow reactivity during stimulation of the eye offers potential for
      the detection, differentiation, and diagnosis of diseases. 

PMID- 26504776
TI  - Titanium-Based Hip Stems with Drug Delivery Functionality through Additive
      Manufacturing.
AB  - Postoperative infections are a major concern in patients that receive implants.
      These infections generally occur in areas with poor blood flow and pathogens do
      not always respond to antibiotic treatment. With the latest developments in
      nanotechnology, the incorporation of antibiotics into prosthetic implants may
      soon become a standard procedure. The success will, however, depend on the
      ability to control the release of antibiotics at concentrations high enough to
      prevent the development of antibiotic-resistant strains. Through additive
      manufacturing, antibiotics can be incorporated into cementless femoral stems to
      produce prosthetic devices with antimicrobial properties. With the emerging
      increase in resistance to antibiotics, the incorporation of antimicrobial
      compounds other than antibiotics, preferably drugs with a broader spectrum of
      antimicrobial activity, will have to be explored. This review highlights the
      microorganisms associated with total hip arthroplasty (THA), discusses the
      advantages and disadvantages of the latest materials used in hip implants,
      compares different antimicrobial agents that could be incorporated, and addresses
      novel ideas for future research. 

PMID- 26504778
TI  - Worksite Tobacco Prevention: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Adoption,
      Dissemination Strategies, and Aggregated Health-Related Outcomes across
      Companies.
AB  - Evidence based public health requires knowledge about successful dissemination of
      public health measures. This study analyses (a) the changes in worksite tobacco
      prevention (TP) in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, between 2007 and 2009; (b1)
      the results of a multistep versus a "brochure only" dissemination strategy; (b2)
      the results of a monothematic versus a comprehensive dissemination strategy that
      aim to get companies to adopt TP measures; and (c) whether worksite TP is
      associated with health-related outcomes. A longitudinal design with randomized
      control groups was applied. Data on worksite TP and health-related outcomes were
      gathered by a written questionnaire (baseline n = 1627; follow-up n = 1452) and
      analysed using descriptive statistics, nonparametric procedures, and ordinal
      regression models. TP measures at worksites improved slightly between 2007 and
      2009. The multistep dissemination was superior to the "brochure only" condition.
      No significant differences between the monothematic and the comprehensive
      dissemination strategies were observed. However, improvements in TP measures at
      worksites were associated with improvements in health-related outcomes. Although
      dissemination was approached at a mass scale, little change in the advocated
      adoption of TP measures was observed, suggesting the need for even more
      aggressive outreach or an acceptance that these channels do not seem to be
      sufficiently effective. 

PMID- 26504777
TI  - Comparative Study of the Accuracy of Different Techniques for the Laboratory
      Diagnosis of Schistosomiasis Mansoni in Areas of Low Endemicity in Barra Mansa
      City, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.
AB  - Schistosomiasis constitutes a major public health problem, with an estimated 200
      million people infected worldwide. Many areas of Brazil show low endemicity of
      schistosomiasis, and the current standard parasitological techniques are not
      sufficiently sensitive to detect the low-level helminth infections common in
      areas of low endemicity (ALEs). This study compared the Kato-Katz (KK); Hoffman,
      Pons, and Janer (HH); enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay- (ELISA-) IgG and ELISA
      IgM; indirect immunofluorescence technique (IFT-IgM); and qPCR techniques for
      schistosomiasis detection in serum and fecal samples, using the circumoval
      precipitin test (COPT) as reference. An epidemiological survey was conducted in a
      randomized sample of residents from five neighborhoods of Barra Mansa, RJ, with
      610 fecal and 612 serum samples. ELISA-IgM (21.4%) showed the highest positivity
      and HH and KK techniques were the least sensitive (0.8%). All techniques except
      qPCR-serum showed high accuracy (82-95.5%), differed significantly from COPT in
      positivity (P < 0.05), and showed poor agreement with COPT. Medium agreement was
      seen with ELISA-IgG (Kappa = 0.377) and IFA (Kappa = 0.347). Parasitological
      techniques showed much lower positivity rates than those by other techniques. We
      suggest the possibility of using a combination of laboratory tools for the
      diagnosis of schistosomiasis in ALEs. 

PMID- 26504779
TI  - Challenges and Opportunities for Exploring Patient-Level Data.
AB  - The proper exploration of patient-level data will pave the way towards
      personalised medicine. To better assess the state of the art in this field we
      identify the challenges and uncover the opportunities for the exploration of
      patient-level data through the review of well-known initiatives and projects
      focusing on the exploration of patient-level data. These cover a broad array of
      topics, from genomics to patient registries up to rare diseases research, among
      others. For each, we identified basic goals, involved partners, defined
      strategies and key technological and scientific outcomes, establishing the
      foundation for our analysis framework with four pillars: control, sustainability,
      technology, and science. Substantial research outcomes have been produced towards
      the exploration of patient-level data. The potential behind these data will be
      essential to realise the personalised medicine premise in upcoming years. Hence,
      relevant stakeholders continually push forward new developments in this domain,
      bringing novel opportunities that are ripe for exploration. Despite last decade's
      translational research advances, personalised medicine is still far from being a
      reality. Patients' data underlying potential goes beyond daily clinical practice.
      There are miscellaneous challenges and opportunities open for the exploration of
      these data by academia and business stakeholders.

PMID- 26504780
TI  - Prognostic Value of Cancer Stem Cells Markers in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.
AB  - Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a significant clinical relevance of
      being associated with a shorter median time to relapse and death and does not
      respond to endocrine therapy or other available targeted agents. Increased
      aggressiveness of this tumor, as well as resistance to standard drug therapies,
      may be associated with the presence of stem cell populations within the tumor.
      Several stemness markers have been described for the various histological
      subtypes of breast cancer, such as CD44, CD24, CD133, ALDH1, and ABCG2. The role
      of these markers in breast cancer is not clear yet and above all there are
      conflicting opinions about their real prognostic value. To investigate the role
      of CSCs markers in TNBC cancerogenesis and tumor progression, we selected 160
      TNBCs samples on which we detected protein expression of CD44, CD24, CD133,
      ALDH1, and ABCG2 by immunohistochemistry. Our results highlighted a real
      prognostic role only for CD44 in TNBCs. All other CSCs markers do not appear to
      be related to the survival of TNBC patients. In conclusion, despite the fact that
      the presence of the cancer stem cells in the tumor provides important information
      on its potential aggressiveness, today their detection by immunohistochemistry is
      not sufficient to confirm their role in carcinogenesis, because specific markers
      probably are not yet identified. 

PMID- 26504781
TI  - Pressure Overload by Transverse Aortic Constriction Induces Maladaptive
      Hypertrophy in a Titin-Truncated Mouse Model.
AB  - Mutations in the giant sarcomeric protein titin (TTN) are a major cause for
      inherited forms of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We have previously developed a
      mouse model that imitates a TTN truncation mutation we found in a large pedigree
      with DCM. While heterozygous Ttn knock-in mice do not display signs of heart
      failure under sedentary conditions, they recapitulate the human phenotype when
      exposed to the pharmacological stressor angiotensin II or isoproterenol. In this
      study we investigated the effects of pressure overload by transverse aortic
      constriction (TAC) in heterozygous (Het) Ttn knock-in mice. Two weeks after TAC,
      Het mice developed marked impairment of left ventricular ejection fraction (p <
      0.05), while wild-type (WT) TAC mice did not. Het mice also trended toward
      increased ventricular end diastolic pressure and volume compared to WT
      littermates. We found an increase in histologically diffuse cardiac fibrosis in
      Het compared to WT in TAC mice. This study shows that a pattern of DCM can be
      induced by TAC-mediated pressure overload in a TTN-truncated mouse model. This
      model enlarges our arsenal of cardiac disease models, adding a valuable tool to
      understand cardiac pathophysiological remodeling processes and to develop
      therapeutic approaches to combat heart failure. 

PMID- 26504782
TI  - Social Cognitive Mediators of Sociodemographic Differences in Colorectal Cancer
      Screening Uptake.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study examined if and how sociodemographic differences in
      colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake can be explained by social cognitive
      factors. METHODS: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with individuals aged 60
      70 years (n = 1309) living in England as part of a population-based omnibus
      survey. RESULTS: There were differences in screening uptake by SES, marital
      status, ethnicity, and age but not by gender. Perceived barriers (stand. b = 
      0.40, p < 0.001), social norms (stand. b = 0.33, p < 0.001), and screening
      knowledge (stand. b = 0.17, p < 0.001) had independent associations with uptake.
      SES differences in uptake were mediated through knowledge, social norms, and
      perceived barriers. Ethnic differences were mediated through knowledge.
      Differences in uptake by marital status were primarily mediated through social
      norms and to a lesser extent through knowledge. Age differences were largely
      unmediated, except for a small mediated effect via social norms. CONCLUSIONS:
      Sociodemographic differences in CRC screening uptake were largely mediated
      through social cognitive factors. Impact. Our findings suggest that multifaceted
      interventions might be needed to reduce socioeconomic inequalities. Ethnic
      differences might be reduced through improved screening knowledge. Normative
      interventions could emphasise screening as an activity endorsed by important
      others outside the immediate family to appeal to a wider audience.

PMID- 26504783
TI  - Potential of Newborn and Adult Stem Cells for the Production of Vascular
      Constructs Using the Living Tissue Sheet Approach.
AB  - Bypass surgeries using native vessels rely on the availability of autologous
      veins and arteries. An alternative to those vessels could be tissue-engineered
      vascular constructs made by self-organized tissue sheets. This paper intends to
      evaluate the potential use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from two
      different sources: (1) bone marrow-derived MSCs and (2) umbilical cord blood
      derived MSCs. When cultured in vitro, a proportion of those cells differentiated
      into smooth muscle cell- (SMC-) like cells and expressed contraction associated
      proteins. Moreover, these cells assembled into manipulable tissue sheets when
      cultured in presence of ascorbic acid. Tubular vessels were then produced by
      rolling those tissue sheets on a mandrel. The architecture, contractility, and
      mechanical resistance of reconstructed vessels were compared with tissue
      engineered media and adventitia produced from SMCs and dermal fibroblasts,
      respectively. Histology revealed a collagenous extracellular matrix and the
      contractile responses measured for these vessels were stronger than dermal
      fibroblasts derived constructs although weaker than SMCs-derived constructs. The
      burst pressure of bone marrow-derived vessels was higher than SMCs-derived ones.
      These results reinforce the versatility of the self-organization approach since
      they demonstrate that it is possible to recapitulate a contractile media layer
      from MSCs without the need of exogenous scaffolding material. 

PMID- 26504784
TI  - Alginate/Poly(gamma-glutamic Acid) Base Biocompatible Gel for Bone Tissue
      Engineering.
AB  - A technique for synthesizing biocompatible hydrogels by cross-linking calcium
      form poly(gamma-glutamic acid), alginate sodium, and Pluronic F-127 was created,
      in which alginate can be cross-linked by Ca(2+) from Ca-gamma-PGA directly and
      gamma-PGA molecules introduced into the alginate matrix to provide pH sensitivity
      and hemostasis. Mechanical properties, swelling behavior, and blood compatibility
      were investigated for each hydrogel compared with alginate and for gamma-PGA
      hydrogel with the sodium form only. Adding F-127 improves mechanical properties
      efficiently and influences the temperature-sensitive swelling of the hydrogels
      but also has a minor effect on pH-sensitive swelling and promotes
      anticoagulation. MG-63 cells were used to test biocompatibility. Gelation
      occurred gradually through change in the elastic modulus as the release of
      calcium ions increased over time and caused ionic cross-linking, which promotes
      the elasticity of gel. In addition, the growth of MG-63 cells in the gel
      reflected nontoxicity. These results showed that this biocompatible scaffold has
      potential for application in bone materials. 

PMID- 26504785
TI  - MicroRNAs as Important Players and Biomarkers in Oral Carcinogenesis.
AB  - Oral cancer, represented mainly by oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), is the
      eighth most common type of human cancer worldwide. The number of new OSCC cases
      is increasing worldwide, especially in the low-income countries, and the
      prognosis remains poor in spite of recent advances in the diagnostic and
      therapeutic modalities. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), 18-25 nucleotides long noncoding RNA
      molecules, have recently gained significant attention as potential regulators and
      biomarkers for carcinogenesis. Recent data show that several miRNAs are
      deregulated in OSCC, and they have either a tumor suppressive or an oncogenic
      role in oral carcinogenesis. This review summarizes current knowledge on the role
      of miRNAs as tumor promotors or tumor suppressors in OSCC development and
      discusses their potential value as diagnostic and prognostic markers in OSCC. 

PMID- 26504786
TI  - Beyond the Limits: Clinical Utility of Novel Cardiac Biomarkers.
AB  - Preoperative assessment of cardiovascular risk is essential when it comes to
      extensive noncardiac surgery procedures. Therefore, accurate and timely diagnosis
      of myocyte damage is vital. In modern medical practice it is believed that the so
      called "multimarker" approach is the most appropriate and most accurate, but new
      research points out that there are novel biomarkers which could be used
      independently. Studies that evaluate miRNA, H-FABP, and MR-PAMP give encouraging
      results. When it comes to miRNA clinical studies show high statistical
      significance, especially in the case of acute myocardial infarction (P = 0.001).
      Statistical significance of P = 0.007 was found in acute coronary syndrome, when
      H-FABP was measured. Biochemical marker MR-PAMP showed statistical significance
      of P < 0.0001 in most clinical studies. 

PMID- 26504787
TI  - Decolorization of Distillery Spent Wash Using Biopolymer Synthesized by
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Tannery Effluent.
AB  - A bacterial strain was isolated from tannery effluent which can tolerate high
      concentrations of potassium dichromate up to 1000 ppm. The isolated microorganism
      was identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa by performing biochemical tests and
      molecular characterization. In the presence of excess of carbohydrate source,
      which is a physiological stress, this strain produces Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB).
      This intracellular polymer, which is synthesized, is primarily a product of
      carbon assimilation and is employed by microorganisms as an energy storage
      molecule to be metabolized when other common energy sources are limitedly
      available. Efforts were taken to check whether the PHB has any positive effect on
      spent wash decolorization. When a combination of PHB and the isolated bacterial
      culture was added to spent wash, a maximum color removal of 92.77% was found
      which was comparatively higher than the color removed when the spent wash was
      treated individually with the PHB and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. PHB behaved as a
      support material for the bacteria to bind to it and thus develops biofilm, which
      is one of the natural physiological growth forms of microorganisms. The bacterial
      growth in the biofilm and the polymer together acted in synergy, adsorbing and
      coagulating the pollutants in the form of color pigments. 

PMID- 26504788
TI  - Do Italian Companies Manage Work-Related Stress Effectively? A Process Evaluation
      in Implementing the INAIL Methodology.
AB  - Studies on Intervention Process Evaluation are attracting growing attention in
      the literature on interventions linked to stress and the wellbeing of workers.
      There is evidence that some elements relating to the process and content of an
      intervention may have a decisive role in implementing it by facilitating or
      hindering the effectiveness of the results. This study aimed to provide a process
      evaluation on interventions to assess and manage risks related to work-related
      stress using a methodological path offered by INAIL. The final sample is composed
      of 124 companies participating to an interview on aspects relating to each phase
      of the INAIL methodological path put in place to implement the intervention.
      INAIL methodology has been defined as useful in the process of assessing and
      managing the risks related to work-related stress. Some factors related to the
      process (e.g., implementation of a preliminary phase, workers' involvement, and
      use of external consultants) showed a role in significant differences that
      emerged in the levels of risk, particularly in relation to findings from the
      preliminary assessment. Main findings provide information on the key aspects of
      process and content that are useful in implementing an intervention for assessing
      and managing risks related to work-related stress. 

PMID- 26504790
TI  - Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Implementation of an Adapted Evidence-Based
      Mammography Intervention for African American Women.
AB  - Breast cancer mortality disparities continue, particularly for uninsured and
      minority women. A number of effective evidence-based interventions (EBIs) exist
      for addressing barriers to mammography screening; however, their uptake and use
      in community has been limited. Few cancer-specific studies have evaluated adapted
      EBIs in new contexts, and fewer still have considered implementation. This study
      sought to (1) evaluate the effectiveness of an adapted mammography EBI in
      improving appointment keeping in African American women and (2) describe
      processes of implementation in a new practice setting. We used the type 1 hybrid
      design to test effectiveness and implementation using a quasi-experimental
      design. Logistic regression and intent-to-treat analysis were used to evaluate
      mammography appointment attendance. The no-show rate was 44% (comparison) versus
      19% (intervention). The adjusted odds of a woman in the intervention group
      attending her appointment were 3.88 (p < 0.001). The adjusted odds of a woman
      attending her appointment in the intent-to-treat analysis were 2.31 (p < 0.05).
      Adapted EBI effectiveness was 3.88 (adjusted OR) versus 2.10 (OR) for the
      original program, indicating enhanced program effect. A number of implementation
      barriers and facilitators were identified. Our findings support previous studies
      noting that sequentially measuring EBI efficacy and effectiveness, followed by
      implementation, may be missing important contextual information. 

PMID- 26504789
TI  - Genomic and Histopathological Tissue Biomarkers That Predict Radiotherapy
      Response in Localised Prostate Cancer.
AB  - Localised prostate cancer, in particular, intermediate risk disease, has varied
      survival outcomes that cannot be predicted accurately using current clinical risk
      factors. External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is one of the standard curative
      treatment options for localised disease and its efficacy is related to wide
      ranging aspects of tumour biology. Histopathological techniques including
      immunohistochemistry and a variety of genomic assays have been used to identify
      biomarkers of tumour proliferation, cell cycle checkpoints, hypoxia, DNA repair,
      apoptosis, and androgen synthesis, which predict response to radiotherapy. Global
      measures of genomic instability also show exciting capacity to predict survival
      outcomes following EBRT. There is also an urgent clinical need for biomarkers to
      predict the radiotherapy fraction sensitivity of different prostate tumours and
      preclinical studies point to possible candidates. Finally, the increased
      resolution of next generation sequencing (NGS) is likely to enable yet more
      precise molecular predictions of radiotherapy response and fraction sensitivity. 

PMID- 26504791
TI  - Fungal Antagonism Assessment of Predatory Species and Producers Metabolites and
      Their Effectiveness on Haemonchus contortus Infective Larvae.
AB  - The objective of this study was to assess antagonism of nematophagous fungi and
      species producers metabolites and their effectiveness on Haemonchus contortus
      infective larvae (L3). Assay A assesses the synergistic, additive, or
      antagonistic effect on the production of spores of fungal isolates of the species
      Duddingtonia flagrans, Clonostachys rosea, Trichoderma esau, and Arthrobotrys
      musiformis; Assay B evaluates in vitro the effect of intercropping of these
      isolates grown in 2% water-agar (2% WA) on L3 of H. contortus. D. flagrans (Assay
      A) produced 5.3 * 10(6) spores and associated with T. esau, A. musiformis, or C.
      rosea reduced its production by 60.37, 45.28, and 49.05%, respectively. T. esau
      produced 7.9 * 10(7) conidia and associated with D. flagrans, A. musiformis, or
      C. rosea reduced its production by 39.24, 82.27, and 96.96%, respectively. A.
      musiformis produced 7.3 * 10(9) spores and associated with D. flagrans, T. esau,
      or C. rosea reduced its production by 99.98, 99.99, and 99.98%, respectively. C.
      rosea produced 7.3 * 10(8) conidia and associated with D. flagrans, T. esau, or
      A. musiformis reduced its production by 95.20, 96.84, and 93.56%, respectively.
      These results show evidence of antagonism in the production of spores between
      predators fungi.

PMID- 26504792
TI  - Cutaneous and Labyrinthine Tolerance of Bioactive Glass S53P4 in Mastoid and
      Epitympanic Obliteration Surgery: Prospective Clinical Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cutaneous and the inner ear tolerance of bioactive
      glass S53P4 when used in the mastoid and epitympanic obliteration for chronic
      otitis surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-one cases have been included in this
      prospective study. Cutaneous tolerance was clinically evaluated 1 week, 1 month,
      and 3 months after surgery with a physical examination of the retroauricular and
      external auditory canal (EAC) skin and the presence of otalgia; the inner ear
      tolerance was assessed by bone-conduction hearing threshold 1 day after surgery
      and by the presence of vertigo or imbalance. RESULTS: All surgeries but 1 were
      uneventful: all patients maintained the preoperative bone-conduction hearing
      threshold except for one case in which the round window membrane was opened
      during the dissection of the cholesteatoma in the hypotympanum and this led to a
      dead ear. No dizziness or vertigo was reported. Three months after surgery,
      healing was achieved in all cases with a healthy painless skin. No cases of
      revision surgery for removal of the granules occurred in this study. CONCLUSION:
      The bioactive glass S53P4 is a well-tolerated biomaterial for primary or revision
      chronic otitis surgery, as shown by the local skin reaction which lasted less
      than 3 months and by the absence of labyrinthine complications.

PMID- 26504793
TI  - Working Atmosphere and Job Satisfaction of Health Care Staff in Kenya: An
      Exploratory Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Job satisfaction and working atmosphere are important for optimal
      health care delivery. The study aimed to document working atmosphere and job
      satisfaction of health care professionals in Kenya and to explore associations
      between job satisfaction, staff characteristics, and working atmosphere. METHODS:
      Data from the integrated quality management system (IQMS) for the health sector
      in Kenya were used. Job satisfaction was measured with 10 items and with
      additional 5 items adapted to job situation in Kenya. Working atmosphere was
      measured with 13 item questionnaire. A stepwise linear regression analysis was
      performed with overall job satisfaction and working atmosphere, aspects of job
      satisfaction, and individual characteristics. RESULTS: Out of 832 questionnaires
      handed out, 435 questionnaires were completed (response rate: 52.3%). Health care
      staff indicated high commitment to provide quality services and low levels
      regarding the adequacy and functionality of equipment at their work station. The
      aspect "support of the ministry of health" (beta = 0.577) showed the highest
      score of explained variance (32.9%) regarding overall job satisfaction.
      CONCLUSIONS: IQMS which also evaluates job satisfaction and working atmosphere of
      health care staff provides a good opportunity for strengthening the recruitment
      and retention of health care staff as well as improving the provision of good
      quality of care.

PMID- 26504794
TI  - Osteoprotegerin and TRAIL in Acute Onset of Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a growing amount of evidence that inflammatory processes are
      involved in the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) and its complications. We
      decided to investigate the behavior of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and TNF-related
      apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) in terms of acute onset of AF. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: We included 60 patients with acute onset of AF, candidates for
      pharmacological cardioversion. The presence of cardiovascular comorbidities was
      connected with higher concentration of OPG and lower level of TRAIL right from
      the first hours of AF paroxysm. The initial TRAIL level correlated also
      positively with left ventricle ejection fraction and negatively with left atrium
      diameter. We found subsequent increase of OPG in subgroups selected on the basis
      of CHA2DS2-VASc scoring. Although basal concentrations of studied markers did not
      allow prediction of the restoration of sinus rhythm, we observed important
      increase of TRAIL concentration in subgroup with sinus rhythm maintenance (94.11
      +/- 29.46 versus 111.39 +/- 30.23 pg/mL; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: OPG and TRAIL
      are associated with the underlying cardiovascular damage in AF, but their balance
      is modulated by the fact of sinus rhythm restoration. Determining the suitability
      of OPG and TRAIL as predictive markers in AF requires further prospective
      studies.

PMID- 26504795
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Root Extract in Improving
      Sexual Function in Women: A Pilot Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many women experience sexual dysfunction where there are orgasm
      disorders and sexual difficulties. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a herb
      known to improve the body's physical and psychological condition. OBJECTIVE: The
      purpose of the study was to determine the efficacy and safety of a high
      concentration ashwagandha root extract (HCARE) supplementation for improving
      sexual function in healthy females. METHODS: In this pilot study, 50 study
      subjects were randomized to either (i) HCARE-treated group or (ii) placebo-
      (starch-) treated group. The subjects consumed either HCARE or placebo capsules
      of 300mg twice daily for 8 weeks. Sexual function was assessed using two
      psychometric scales, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) Questionnaire and
      the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS), and by the number of total and
      successful sexual encounters. RESULTS: The analysis indicates that treatment with
      HCARE leads to significantly higher improvement, relative to placebo, in the FSFI
      Total score (p < 0.001), FSFI domain score for "arousal" (p < 0.001),
      "lubrication" (p < 0.001), "orgasm" (p = 0.004), and "satisfaction" (p < 0.001),
      and also FSDS score (p < 0.001) and the number of successful sexual encounters (p
      < 0.001) at the end of the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that
      oral administration of HCARE may improve sexual function in healthy women. The
      present study is registered in the Clinical Trial Registry, Government of India,
      with a number CTRI/2015/07/006045.

PMID- 26504796
TI  - Missed Opportunities for the Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine patient and medical characteristics which predict a missed
      diagnostic opportunity (MDO) for colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: The sample
      consisted of 252 patients diagnosed with Stages 1-4 CRC who were diagnosed in the
      prior six months, had experienced symptoms prior to diagnosis, and were not
      diagnosed through routine screening. Systematic review of all medical records
      prior to patients' diagnosis was conducted. An MDO was defined as a clinical
      encounter where, even in the presence of presumptive CRC symptoms, the CRC
      diagnostic process is not started. RESULTS: 92 patients (36.5%) experienced an
      MDO. Almost 80% of alternate diagnoses were other GI-GU diseases, including
      hemorrhoids and diverticulitis. Stomach pain, anemia, and constipation were the
      most common symptoms experienced by the MDO group. These symptoms, and weight
      loss and vomiting, were more likely to be noted in the charts of the MDO patients
      (P < 0.04). Independent risk factors for MDO included age (<50) [OR = 2.29 (1.14
      4.60), P = 0.02] and female sex [OR = 2.19 (1.16-4.16), P = 0.03]. Each
      additional physician seen, more than doubled the MDO risk [OR = 2.05 (1.53-2.74),
      P < 0.001]. CONCLUSIONS: Females, younger patients, and those consulting more
      physicians were all more likely to experience an MDO. Continued increased
      training of physicians to enhance knowledge of who is vulnerable to CRC is needed
      in addition to an increased focus to adherence to screening recommendations.

PMID- 26504797
TI  - A Genetic Algorithm Based Support Vector Machine Model for Blood-Brain Barrier
      Penetration Prediction.
AB  - Blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a highly complex physical barrier determining what
      substances are allowed to enter the brain. Support vector machine (SVM) is a
      kernel-based machine learning method that is widely used in QSAR study. For a
      successful SVM model, the kernel parameters for SVM and feature subset selection
      are the most important factors affecting prediction accuracy. In most studies,
      they are treated as two independent problems, but it has been proven that they
      could affect each other. We designed and implemented genetic algorithm (GA) to
      optimize kernel parameters and feature subset selection for SVM regression and
      applied it to the BBB penetration prediction. The results show that our GA/SVM
      model is more accurate than other currently available log BB models. Therefore,
      to optimize both SVM parameters and feature subset simultaneously with genetic
      algorithm is a better approach than other methods that treat the two problems
      separately. Analysis of our log BB model suggests that carboxylic acid group,
      polar surface area (PSA)/hydrogen-bonding ability, lipophilicity, and molecular
      charge play important role in BBB penetration. Among those properties relevant to
      BBB penetration, lipophilicity could enhance the BBB penetration while all the
      others are negatively correlated with BBB penetration. 

PMID- 26504798
TI  - Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis and Bovine Leukemia Virus
      Seroprevalence and Associated Risk Factors in Commercial Dairy and Beef Cattle in
      Northern and Northeastern China.
AB  - Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) and bovine leukemia virus
      (BLV) are important pathogens, commonly responsible for economical loss to cattle
      farms all over the world, yet their epidemiology in commercial dairy and beef
      cattle in China is still unknown. Thus, from September 2013 to December 2014, a
      large-scale seroprevalence study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence
      and identify herd-level risk factors associated with MAP and BLV infection. The
      source sample was 3674 cattle from 113 herds in northern and northeastern China.
      Antibodies against MAP and BLV were detected using ELISA tests. At animal-level,
      the seroprevalence of antibodies against MAP and BLV was 11.79% (433/3674) and
      18.29% (672/3674), respectively. At herd-level, the seroprevalence of antibodies
      against MAP and BLV was 20.35% and 21.24% (24/113), respectively. Herd size was
      identified to be associated with MAP infection while herd size and presence of
      cattle introduced from other farms were significantly associated with BLV
      infection. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and improve the
      knowledge of the epidemiology of these two pathogens in these regions and
      elsewhere in China. 

PMID- 26504800
TI  - In Vivo Osseointegration Performance of Titanium Dioxide Coating Modified
      Polyetheretherketone Using Arc Ion Plating for Spinal Implant Application.
AB  - Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), which has biomechanical performance similar to that
      of human cancellous bone, is used widely as a spinal implant material. However,
      its bioinertness and hydrophobic surface properties result in poor
      osseointegration. This study applies a novel modification method, arc ion plating
      (AIP), that produces a highly osteoblast compatible titanium dioxide (TiO2)
      coatings on a PEEK substrate. This PEEK with TiO2 coating (TiO2/PEEK) was
      implanted into the femurs of New Zealand white male rabbits to evaluate its in
      vivo performance by the push-out test and histological observation. Analytical
      results show that AIP can prepare TiO2 coatings on bullet-shaped PEEK substrates
      as implant materials. After prolonged implantation in rabbits, no signs of
      inflammation existed. Newly regenerated bone formed more prominently with the
      TiO2/PEEK implant by histological observation. The shear strength of the
      bone/implant interface increases as implantation period increases. Most
      importantly, bone bonding performance of the TiO2/PEEK implant was superior to
      that of bare PEEK. The rutile-TiO2 coatings achieved better osseointegration than
      the anatase-TiO2 coatings. Therefore, AIP-TiO2 can serve as a novel surface
      modification method on PEEK for spinal interbody fusion cages. 

PMID- 26504799
TI  - Developments in Screening Tests and Strategies for Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Worldwide, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in
      men and second most common in women. It is the fourth most common cause of cancer
      mortality. In the United States, CRC is the third most common cause of cancer and
      second most common cause of cancer mortality. Incidence and mortality rates have
      steadily fallen, primarily due to widespread screening. METHODS: We conducted
      keyword searches on PubMed in four categories of CRC screening: stool,
      endoscopic, radiologic, and serum, as well as news searches in Medscape and
      Google News. RESULTS: Colonoscopy is the gold standard for CRC screening and the
      most common method in the United States. Technological improvements continue to
      be made, including the promising "third-eye retroscope." Fecal occult blood
      remains widely used, particularly outside the United States. The first at-home
      screen, a fecal DNA screen, has also recently been approved. Radiological methods
      are effective but seldom used due to cost and other factors. Serum tests are
      largely experimental, although at least one is moving closer to market.
      CONCLUSIONS: Colonoscopy is likely to remain the most popular screening modality
      for the immediate future, although its shortcomings will continue to spur
      innovation in a variety of modalities.

PMID- 26504801
TI  - Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction at Non
      PCI Capable Hospitals in 2007 and in 2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is little known about whether characteristics and outcomes of
      patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have changed over the years in
      non-PCI capable hospitals in real-life. Our aim was to assess them between 2007
      and 2014. METHODS: It was a retrospective cohort study. Characteristics and in
      hospital mortality (standardized in cases of different characteristics between
      the groups by original simple method) were assessed for all patients with non-ST
      elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and ST elevation myocardial infarction
      (STEMI) at two non-PCI capable hospitals: one in 2007 (n = 104) and another in
      2014 (n = 58). RESULTS: In 2014, females were older than in 2007 (80.18 +/- 7.54
      versus 76.15 +/- 8.77, p = 0.011), males were younger (71.61 +/- 11.22 versus
      79.20 +/- 7.63, p = 0.019), less had renal failure (RF) (19% versus 34.6%, p <
      0.0001) and reinfarction (13.8% versus 35.6%, p < 0.0001), and the proportion of
      males (31% versus 43.3%, p = 0.001) and the proportion of NSTEMI (60.3 versus
      69.2, p < 0.0001) decreased. In cases of STEMI there were no differences in
      patient characteristics. STEMI (18.8% versus 21.7%) and standardized mortalities
      by gender, RF, and reinfarction NSTEMI (19.47%, 15.34%, and 17.5%, resp., versus
      17.1%) showed no differences between 2007 and 2014. CONCLUSIONS: There were some
      differences in patient characteristics but not in mortality for AMI at non-PCI
      capable hospitals between 2007 and 2014.

PMID- 26504802
TI  - Prognostic Value of Homotypic Cell Internalization by Nonprofessional Phagocytic
      Cancer Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this study, we investigated the prognostic role of homotypic tumor
      cell cannibalism in different cancer types. METHODS: The phenomenon of one cell
      being internalized into another, which we refer to as "cell-in-cell event," was
      assessed in 416 cases from five head and neck cancer cohorts, as well as one anal
      and one rectal cancer cohort. The samples were processed into tissue microarrays
      and immunohistochemically stained for E-cadherin and cleaved caspase-3 to
      visualize cell membranes and apoptotic cell death. RESULTS: Cell-in-cell events
      were found in all of the cohorts. The frequency ranged from 0.7 to 17.3 cell-in
      cell events per mm(2). Hardly any apoptotic cells were found within the cell-in
      cell structures, although apoptotic cell rates were about 1.6 to two times as
      high as cell-in-cell rates of the same tissue sample. High numbers of cell-in
      cell events showed adverse effects on patients' survival in the head and neck and
      in the rectal cancer cohorts. In multivariate analysis, high frequency was an
      adverse prognostic factor for overall survival in patients with head and neck
      cancer (p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Cell-in-cell events were found to predict patient
      outcomes in various types of cancer better than apoptosis and proliferation and
      might therefore be used to guide treatment strategies.

PMID- 26504803
TI  - miR-125b Suppresses Proliferation and Invasion by Targeting MCL1 in Gastric
      Cancer.
AB  - Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying gastric cancer progression
      contributes to the development of novel targeted therapies. In this study, we
      found that the expression levels of miR-125b were strongly downregulated in
      gastric cancer and associated with clinical stage and the presence of lymph node
      metastases. Additionally, miR-125b could independently predict OS and DFS in
      gastric cancer. We further found that upregulation of miR-125b inhibited the
      proliferation and metastasis of gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. miR
      125b elicits these responses by directly targeting MCL1 (myeloid cell leukemia
      1), which results in a marked reduction in MCL1 expression. Transfection of miR
      125b sensitizes gastric cancer cells to 5-FU-induced apoptosis. By understanding
      the function and molecular mechanisms of miR-125b in gastric cancer, we may learn
      that miR-125b has the therapeutic potential to suppress gastric cancer
      progression and increase drug sensitivity to gastric cancer. 

PMID- 26504804
TI  - Short-Term Effects of Verapamil and Diltiazem in the Treatment of No Reflow
      Phenomenon: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - Currently, there is still a lack of an optimal treatment for no reflow phenomenon
      (NRP). We analyzed the efficacy and safety of using nondihydropyridine calcium
      channel antagonists (NDHP, verapamil/diltiazem) in patients suffering from NRP.
      Eight RCTs with 494 participants were eligible for analysis. The pooling analysis
      showed that intracoronary verapamil/diltiazem injection significantly decreased
      the occurrence of the coronary NRP (RR: 0.3, 95% CI: 0.16-0.57; P = 0.0002) and
      reduced corrected thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame Count (WMD =
      -9.24, 95% CI -13.91-4.57; P = 0.0001) in patients with NRP. Moreover,
      verapamil/diltiazem treatment showed superiority in reducing wall motion index
      (WMI) compared to the control at day 1 (WMD = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.02-0.20; P = 0.02)
      (P < 0.05). There was also a significantly greater decline at occurrence of the
      major adverse cardiac events between verapamil/diltiazem and control groups (WMD:
      0.4, 95% CI: 0.19-0.84; P = 0.02). However, using verapamil/diltiazem did not
      provide additional improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction post
      procedure (at 7 days, WMD, 0.1; 95% CI, -2.43-2.63; P = 0.94; at 30 days, WMD,
      0.42; 95% CI, -2.09-2.92; P = 0.75). NDHP use is beneficial in attenuating NRP
      and reducing 6-month MACEs in patients with NRP. 

PMID- 26504805
TI  - Serological Diagnosis and Follow-Up of Human Cystic Echinococcosis: A New Hope
      for the Future?
AB  - Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is an important helminthic zoonotic disease caused by
      the Echinococcus granulosus complex. In humans, CE is a chronic disease driven by
      the growth of echinococcal cysts in different organs. Prognosis of this disease
      depends on multiple factors, including location, number, size, and stage of the
      cysts, making CE a disease of complex management. CE is usually asymptomatic for
      years and attracts limited attention from funding organizations and health
      authorities. For this reason, only experts' recommendations are available but no
      evidence-based conclusions have been drawn for CE clinical management. One of
      those pitfalls refers to the lack of evidence to support the use of serological
      tools for the diagnosis and follow-up of CE patients. In this respect, crude
      antigens are used to detect specific antibodies in patients, giving rise to false
      positive results. The advent of molecular techniques allowing the production of
      recombinant proteins has provided a number of candidate antigens that could
      overcome the problems associated with the use of crude parasite extracts in the
      serological assays. In this review, we present the last advances in this field,
      proposing the use of serology to support cyst stage-specific diagnosis and follow
      up. 

PMID- 26504806
TI  - The Prevalence of Skilled Birth Attendant Utilization and Its Correlates in North
      West Ethiopia.
AB  - The low utilization of skilled birth attendants sustained high maternal
      mortality. The aim of this study was to assess its magnitude and correlates in
      Northwest Ethiopia. A study was conducted on 373 randomly selected women who gave
      birth in the 12 months preceding the survey. Correlates were identified using
      binary logistic regression. Skilled birth attendance was 18.8%. Inability to
      perform cultural practices in health facilities (65.5%), expecting smooth
      delivery (63.4%), and far distance (62%) were the main barriers. Women with urban
      residence (AOR = 5.46: 95% CI [2.21-13.49]), primary (AOR = 2.10: 95% CI [0.71
      6.16]) and secondary-plus (AOR = 6.12: [1.39-26.92]) educational level, four-plus
      ANC visits (AOR = 17.33: 95% CI [4.22-71.29]), and proximity to health centers
      (AOR = 5.67: 95% CI [1.47-25.67]) had higher odds of using skilled birth
      attendants though women with no labor complications had lower odds (AOR = 0.02:
      95% CI [0.01-0.05]). Skilled birth attendance use was low. Urban residence,
      primary-plus level of education, frequent ANC visits, living nearby the health
      centers, and a problem during labor were positively correlated with skilled birth
      attendance utilization. Stakeholders should enhance girls' education beyond
      primary level and ANC services and shorten distances to health facilities. 

PMID- 26504807
TI  - Effects of rhBMP-2 on Sandblasted and Acid Etched Titanium Implant Surfaces on
      Bone Regeneration and Osseointegration: Spilt-Mouth Designed Pilot Study.
AB  - This study was conducted to evaluate effects of rhBMP-2 applied at different
      concentrations to sandblasted and acid etched (SLA) implants on osseointegration
      and bone regeneration in a bone defect of beagle dogs as pilot study using split
      mouth design. Methods. For experimental groups, SLA implants were coated with
      different concentrations of rhBMP-2 (0.1, 0.5, and 1 mg/mL). After assessment of
      surface characteristics and rhBMP-2 releasing profile, the experimental groups
      and untreated control groups (n = 6 in each group, two animals in each group)
      were placed in split-mouth designed animal models with buccal open defect. At 8
      weeks after implant placement, implant stability quotients (ISQ) values were
      recorded and vertical bone height (VBH, mm), bone-to-implant contact ratio (BIC,
      %), and bone volume (BV, %) in the upper 3 mm defect areas were measured.
      Results. The ISQ values were highest in the 1.0 group. Mean values of VBH (mm),
      BIC (%), and BV (%) were greater in the 0.5 mg/mL and 1.0 mg/mL groups than those
      in 0.1 and control groups in buccal defect areas. Conclusion. In the open defect
      area surrounding the SLA implant, coating with 0.5 and 1.0 mg/mL concentrations
      of rhBMP-2 was more effective, compared with untreated group, in promoting bone
      regeneration and osseointegration.

PMID- 26504809
TI  - Efficacy of Clonostachys rosea and Duddingtonia flagrans in Reducing the
      Haemonchus contortus Infective Larvae.
AB  - The biocontrol is proven effective in reducing in vitro and in situ free-living
      stages of major gastrointestinal helminths, allowing progress in reducing losses
      by parasitism, maximizing production, and productivity. This study aimed at
      evaluating the predatory activity of fungal isolates of Duddingtonia flagrans and
      Clonostachys rosea species and its association on infective larvae (L3) of H.
      contortus in microplots formed by grasses and maintained in a protected
      environment. All groups were added with 10 mL of an aqueous suspension with 618
      H. contortus L3 approximately. Group 1 was used as control and only received the
      infective larvae. Groups 2 and 3 received D. flagrans chlamydospores and C. rosea
      conidia at doses of 5 * 10(6). Group 4 received the combination of 5 * 10(6) D.
      flagrans chlamydospores + 5 * 10(6) C. rosea conidia. D. flagrans and C. rosea
      showed nematicidal effectiveness reducing by 91.5 and 88.9%, respectively, the
      population of H. contortus L3. However, when used in combination efficiency
      decreased to 74.5% predation of H. contortus L3. These results demonstrate the
      need for further studies to determine the existence of additive effects,
      synergistic or antagonistic, between these species. 

PMID- 26504808
TI  - The Relationship between Neighborhood Immigrant Composition, Limited English
      Proficiency, and Late-Stage Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis in California.
AB  - Despite the availability of effective early detection technologies, more than
      half (61%) of colorectal cancers in the United States and 55% in California are
      identified at an advanced stage. Data on colorectal cancer patients (N = 35,030)
      diagnosed from 2005 to 2007 were obtained from the California Cancer Registry.
      Multivariate analyses found a relationship among neighborhood concentration of
      recent immigrants, neighborhood rates of limited English proficiency, and late
      stage colorectal cancer diagnosis. Hispanics living in neighborhoods with a
      greater percentage of recent immigrants (compared to the lowest percentage) had
      greater odds (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.22, 2.02) of late-stage diagnosis whereas
      Hispanics living in neighborhoods with the highest percentage of limited English
      proficiency (compared to the lowest percentage) had lower odds (OR .71, 95% CI
      .51, .99) of late-stage diagnosis. These relationships were not observed for
      other ethnic groups. Results highlight the complex relationship among
      race/ethnicity, neighborhood characteristics, and colorectal cancer stage at
      diagnosis. 

PMID- 26504810
TI  - Neonatal Death and Heart Failure in Mouse with Transgenic HSP60 Expression.
AB  - Mitochondrial heat shock proteins, such as HSP60, are chaperones responsible for
      the folding, transport, and quality control of mitochondrial matrix proteins and
      are essential for maintaining life. Both prosurvival and proapoptotic roles have
      been proposed for HSP60, and HSP60 is reportedly involved in the initiation of
      autoimmune, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases. The role of HSP60 in
      pathogenesis of these diseases remains unclear, partly because of the lack of
      mouse models expressing HSP60. In this study we generated HSP60 conditional
      transgenic mice suitable for investigating in vivo outcomes by expressing HSP60
      at the targeted organ in disease models. Ubiquitous HSP60 induction in the
      embryonic stage caused neonatal death in mice at postnatal day 1. A high
      incidence of atrial septal defects was observed in HSP60-expressing mice, with
      increased apoptosis and myocyte degeneration that possibly contributed to massive
      hemorrhage and sponge-like cardiac muscles. Our results showed that neonatal
      heart failure through HSP60 induction likely involves developmental defects and
      excessive apoptosis. The conditional HSP60 mouse model is useful for studying
      crucial biological questions concerning HSP60. 

PMID- 26504811
TI  - Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Genetic Traits in Metabolically Healthy and
      Unhealthy Obese Individuals.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess prevalence of metabolically healthy individuals among
      patients with abdominal obesity (AO) and to determine phenotype and potential
      genetic traits associated with a benign metabolic status. METHODS: 503 AO
      patients without cardiovascular diseases were examined. Waist circumference (WC),
      BMI, blood pressure, plasma glucose and serum insulin levels, HOMA-IR, lipid
      profile, and adiponectin (AN) and leptin (LEP) concentrations in serum were
      measured. Polymorphisms A19G and Q223R of the LEP and LEP receptor gene, and
      G276T and T45G of the AN gene were investigated. RESULTS: 91.3% of patients were
      metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO), and 8.7% metabolically healthy obese (MHO).
      MHO patients were younger, and had lesser BMI and WC, while duration of obesity,
      frequency, and duration of physical training were greater than MUO patients (p <
      0.05). In MHO and MUO patients distribution of the G19G, G19A, and A19A genotypes
      of the LEP gene and G276G, G276T, and T276T genotypes of AN gene did not differ.
      The T45T genotype was associated with increase of metabolic disorders' risk for
      patients with AO (OR = 2.331; 95%  CI = 1.121 / 5.132). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence
      of MHO individuals among patients with AO is low. Benign metabolic status was
      associated with younger age, lower waist circumference, and higher physical
      activity, shorter duration of obesity, and G45G adiponectin genotype carriage.

PMID- 26504812
TI  - Collagen/Beta-Tricalcium Phosphate Based Synthetic Bone Grafts via Dehydrothermal
      Processing.
AB  - Millions of patients worldwide remain inadequately treated for bone defects
      related to factors such as disease or trauma. The drawbacks of metallic implant
      and autograft/allograft use have steered therapeutic approaches towards tissue
      engineering solutions involving tissue regeneration scaffolds. This study
      proposes a composite scaffold with properties tailored to address the macro- and
      microenvironmental conditions deemed necessary for successful regeneration of
      bone in defect areas. The biodegradable scaffold composed of porous beta
      tricalcium phosphate particles and collagen type I fibers is prepared from a
      mixture of collagen type-I and beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) particles via
      lyophilization, followed by dehydrothermal (DHT) processing. The effects of both
      sterilization via gamma radiation and the use of DHT processing to achieve cross
      linking were investigated. The impact of the chosen fabrication methods on
      scaffold microstructure and beta-TCP particle-collagen fiber combinations were
      analyzed using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM),
      Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry
      (DSC), and microcomputerized tomography (u-CT). Electron spinning resonance (ESR)
      analysis was used to investigate free radicals formation following sterilization.
      Results revealed that the highly porous (65% porosity at an average of 100 um
      pore size), mechanically adequate, and biocompatible scaffolds can be utilized
      for bone defect repairs. 

PMID- 26504813
TI  - Histological Comparison in Rats between Carbonate Apatite Fabricated from Gypsum
      and Sintered Hydroxyapatite on Bone Remodeling.
AB  - Carbonate apatite (CO3Ap), the form of apatite found in bone, has recently
      attracted attention. The purpose of the present study was to histologically
      evaluate the tissue/cellular response toward the low-crystalline CO3Ap fabricated
      using a dissolution-precipitation reaction with set gypsum as a precursor. When
      set gypsum was immersed in a 100 degrees C 1 mol/L Na3PO4 aqueous solution for 24
      h, the set gypsum transformed into CO3Ap. Both CO3Ap and sintered hydroxyapatite
      (s-HAp), which was used as a control, were implanted into surgically created
      tibial bone defects of rats for histological evaluation. Two and 4 weeks after
      the implantation, histological sections were created and observed using light
      microscopy. The CO3Ap granules revealed both direct apposition of the bone matrix
      by osteoblasts and osteoclastic resorption. In contrast, the s-HAp granules
      maintained their contour even after 4 weeks following implantation which implied
      that there was a lack of replacement into the bone. The s-HAp granules were
      sometimes encapsulated with fibrous tissue, and macrophage polykaryon was
      occasionally observed directly apposed to the implanted granules. From the
      viewpoint of bone remodeling, the CO3Ap granules mimicked the bone matrix,
      suggesting that CO3Ap may be an appropriate bone substitute.

PMID- 26504814
TI  - Magnet-Facilitated Selection of Electrogenic Bacteria from Marine Sediment.
AB  - Some bacteria can carry out anaerobic respiration by depositing electrons on
      external materials, such as electrodes, thereby creating an electrical current.
      Into the anode chamber of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) having abiotic air-cathodes
      we inoculated microorganisms cultured from a magnetic particle-enriched portion
      of a marine tidal sediment, reasoning that since some external electron acceptors
      are ferromagnetic, electrogenic bacteria should be found in their vicinity. Two
      MFCs, one inoculated with a mixed bacterial culture and the other with an axenic
      culture of a helical bacterium isolated from the magnetic particle enrichment,
      termed strain HJ, were operated for 65 d. Both MFCs produced power, with
      production from the mixed culture MFC exceeding that of strain HJ. Strain HJ was
      identified as a Thalassospira sp. by transmission electron microscopic analysis
      and 16S rRNA gene comparisons. An MFC inoculated with strain HJ and operated in
      open circuit produced 47% and 57% of the maximal power produced from MFCs
      inoculated with the known electrogen Geobacter daltonii and the magnetotactic
      bacterium Desulfamplus magnetomortis, respectively. Further investigation will be
      needed to determine whether bacterial populations associated with magnetic
      particles within marine sediments are enriched for electrogens. 

PMID- 26504815
TI  - Overview of the Diagnostic Methods Used in the Field for Human African
      Trypanosomiasis: What Could Change in the Next Years?
AB  - Sleeping sickness is a parasitic infection caused by two species of trypanosomes
      (Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and rhodesiense), transmitted by the tsetse fly.
      The disease eventually affects the central nervous system, resulting in severe
      neurological symptoms. Without treatment, death is inevitable. During the first
      stage of the disease, infected patients are mildly symptomatic and early
      detection of infection allows safer treatment (administered on an outpatient
      basis) which can avoid death; routine screening of the exposed population is
      necessary, especially in areas of high endemicity. The current therapeutic
      treatment of this disease, especially in stage 2, can cause complications and
      requires a clinical surveillance for several days. A good stage diagnosis of the
      disease is the cornerstone for delivering the adequate treatment. The task faced
      by the medical personnel is further complicated by the lack of support from local
      health infrastructure, which is at best weak, but often nonexistent. Therefore it
      is crucial to look for new more efficient technics for the diagnosis of stage
      which are also best suited to use in the field, in areas not possessing high
      level health facilities. This review, after an overview of the disease,
      summarizes the current diagnosis procedures and presents the advances in the
      field. 

PMID- 26504816
TI  - Endothelial Expression of Scavenger Receptor Class B, Type I Protects against
      Development of Atherosclerosis in Mice.
AB  - The role of scavenger receptor class B, type I (SR-BI) in endothelial cells (EC)
      was examined in several novel transgenic mouse models expressing SR-BI in
      endothelium of mice with normal C57Bl6/N, apoE-KO, or Scarb1-KO backgrounds. Mice
      were also created expressing SR-BI exclusively in endothelium and liver.
      Endothelial expression of the Tie2-Scarb1 transgene had no significant effect on
      plasma lipoprotein levels in mice on a normal chow diet but on an atherogenic
      diet, significantly decreased plasma cholesterol levels, increased plasma HDL
      cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, and protected mice against atherosclerosis. In 8
      month-old apoE-KO mice fed a normal chow diet, the Tie2-Scarb1 transgene
      decreased aortic lesions by 24%. Mice expressing SR-BI only in EC and liver had a
      1.5 +/- 0.1-fold increase in plasma cholesterol compared to mice synthesizing SR
      BI only in liver. This elevation was due mostly to increased HDL-C. In EC culture
      studies, SR-BI was found to be present in both basolateral and apical membranes
      but greater cellular uptake of cholesterol from HDL was found in the basolateral
      compartment. In summary, enhanced expression of SR-BI in EC resulted in a less
      atherogenic lipoprotein profile and decreased atherosclerosis, suggesting a
      possible role for endothelial SR-BI in the flux of cholesterol across EC. 

PMID- 26504817
TI  - Smoke-Free Workplaces Are Associated with Protection from Second-Hand Smoke at
      Homes in Nigeria: Evidence for Population-Level Decisions.
AB  - The evidence suggests that smoke-free workplace policies may change social norms
      towards exposing others to second-hand smoke at home. The aim of the study was to
      assess whether being employed in a smoke-free workplace (SFWP) is associated with
      living in a smoke-free home (SFH). We used the data from the Global Adult Tobacco
      Survey conducted in Nigeria in 2012, in which 9,765 individuals were interviewed
      including 1,856 persons who worked indoors. The percentage of Nigerians employed
      in SFWP that reported living in a SFH was higher compared to those employed in a
      workplace where smoking occurred (95% versus 73%). Working in a SFWP was
      associated with a significantly higher likelihood of living in a SFH (OR = 5.3; p
      < 0.001). Urban inhabitants indicated more frequently that they lived in SFH
      compared to rural residents (OR = 2.0; p = 0.006). The odds of living in a SFH
      were significantly higher among nonsmokers and nonsmokeless tobacco users
      compared to smokers and smokeless tobacco users (OR = 28.8; p < 0.001; OR = 7.0;
      p < 0.001). These findings support the need for implementation of comprehensive
      smoke-free policies in Nigeria that result in substantial health benefits. 

PMID- 26504818
TI  - Single-Fraction Radiotherapy for CD30(+) Lymphoproliferative Disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: CD30(+) lymphoproliferative disorder is a rare variant of cutaneous T
      cell lymphoma. Sustained complete response following first-line treatments is
      rare. This retrospective review evaluates the response of refractory or recurrent
      lesions to palliative radiation therapy. METHODS: The records of 6 patients with
      12 lesions, treated with radiation therapy, were reviewed. All patients received
      previous first-line treatments. Patients with clinical and pathological evidence
      of symptomatic CD30(+) lymphoproliferative disorder, with no history of other
      cutaneous T-cell lymphoma variants, and with no prior radiation therapy to the
      index site were included. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 50.5 years
      (range, 15-83 years). Median size of the treated lesions was 2.5 cm (range, 2-7
      cm). Four sites were treated with a single fraction of 750-800 cGy (n = 3) and 8
      sites were treated with 4000-4500 cGy in 200-250 cGy fractions (n = 3). Radiation
      therapy was administered with electrons and bolus. Median follow-up was 113
      months (range, 16-147 months). For all sites, there was 100% complete response
      with acute grade 1-2 dermatitis. CONCLUSIONS: For recurrent and symptomatic
      radiation-naive CD30(+) lymphoproliferative disorder lesions, palliative
      radiation therapy shows excellent response. A single fraction of 750-800 cGy is
      as effective as a multifractionated course and more convenient.

PMID- 26504819
TI  - Vascular Damage in Resistant Hypertension: TNF-Alpha Inhibition Effects on
      Endothelial Cells.
AB  - Inflammatory cytokines have been associated with the pathophysiology of
      hypertension and target organ damage (TOD). Resistant hypertensive patients
      (RHTN) are characterized by poor blood pressure control and higher prevalence of
      TOD. This study evaluated the relationship between plasma levels of TNF-alpha and
      arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity-PWV) in 32 RHTN and 19 normotensive
      subjects. Moreover, we investigated the effect of TNF-alpha inhibition on human
      endothelial cells (HUVECs) incubated with serum from RHTN and normotensive
      subjects. HUVECs containing serum obtained from normotensive (n = 8) and
      hypertensive (n = 8) individuals were treated with TNF-alpha inhibitor
      (infliximab). Cell suspensions were used for measurement of DNA fragmentation and
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) content. RHTN patients showed higher levels of TNF
      alpha compared to normotensive subjects, as well as higher PWV. Positive
      correlation was found between TNF-alpha levels and PWV measures in the whole
      group. HUVECs incubated with serum from RHTN showed increased cell apoptosis and
      higher ROS content compared to normotensive subjects. Infliximab attenuated the
      apoptosis of HUVECs incubated with serum from RHTN, but no effect in ROS
      production was observed. Our findings suggest that TNF-alpha might mediate, at
      least in part, vascular damage in resistant hypertension. 

PMID- 26504820
TI  - Is Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 a Link between Inflammation and
      Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), a marker of
      vascular inflammation, is associated with cardiovascular disease. This
      prospective study of an inception cohort aimed to investigate whether the level
      of Lp-PLA2 is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Patients from northern Sweden diagnosed with
      early RA were consecutively recruited into an ongoing prospective study. From
      these, all patients <=60 years (n = 71) were included for measurements of
      subclinical atherosclerosis at inclusion (T0) and five years later (T5). Forty
      age- and sex-matched controls were included. The patients were clinically
      assessed, SCORE, Reynolds Risk Score, and Larsen score were calculated, and blood
      samples were drawn from all individuals at T0 and T5. RESULTS: There was no
      significant difference in the level of Lp-PLA2 between patients with RA and
      controls (p > 0.05). In simple linear regression models among patients with RA,
      Lp-PLA2 at T0 was significantly associated with intima media thickness (IMT) at
      T0 and T5, flow mediated dilation (FMD) at T0 and T5, ever smoking, male sex, HDL
      cholesterol (inversely), non-HDL-cholesterol, SCORE, Reynolds Risk Score, and
      Larsen score (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION. In this cohort of patients with early RA,
      the concentration of Lp-PLA2 was associated with both subclinical atherosclerosis
      and disease severity.

PMID- 26504821
TI  - Clinical Applications of S53P4 Bioactive Glass in Bone Healing and Osteomyelitic
      Treatment: A Literature Review.
AB  - Nowadays, S53P4 bioactive glass is indicated as a bone graft substitute in
      various clinical applications. This review provides an overview of the current
      published clinical results on indications such as craniofacial procedures,
      grafting of benign bone tumour defects, instrumental spondylodesis, and the
      treatment of osteomyelitis. Given the reported results that are based on
      examinations, such as clinical examinations by the surgeons, radiographs, CT, and
      MRI images, S53P4 bioactive glass may be beneficial in the various reported
      applications. Especially in craniofacial reconstructions like mastoid
      obliteration and orbital floor reconstructions, in grafting bone tumour defects,
      and in the treatment of osteomyelitis very promising results are obtained.
      Randomized clinical trials need to be performed in order to determine whether
      bioactive glass would be able to replace the current golden standard of
      autologous bone usage or with the use of antibiotic containing PMMA beads (in the
      case of osteomyelitis). 

PMID- 26504822
TI  - Protective Effects of Cilastatin against Vancomycin-Induced Nephrotoxicity.
AB  - Vancomycin is a very effective antibiotic for treatment of severe infections.
      However, its use in clinical practice is limited by nephrotoxicity. Cilastatin is
      a dehydropeptidase I inhibitor that acts on the brush border membrane of the
      proximal tubule to prevent accumulation of imipenem and toxicity. The aim of this
      study was to investigate the potential protective effect of cilastatin on
      vancomycin-induced apoptosis and toxicity in cultured renal proximal tubular
      epithelial cells (RPTECs). Porcine RPTECs were cultured in the presence of
      vancomycin with and without cilastatin. Vancomycin induced dose-dependent
      apoptosis in cultured RPTECs, with DNA fragmentation, cell detachment, and a
      significant decrease in mitochondrial activity. Cilastatin prevented apoptotic
      events and diminished the antiproliferative effect and severe morphological
      changes induced by vancomycin. Cilastatin also improved the long-term recovery
      and survival of RPTECs exposed to vancomycin and partially attenuated vancomycin
      uptake by RPTECs. On the other hand, cilastatin had no effects on vancomycin
      induced necrosis or the bactericidal effect of the antibiotic. This study
      indicates that cilastatin protects against vancomycin-induced proximal tubule
      apoptosis and increases cell viability, without compromising the antimicrobial
      effect of vancomycin. The beneficial effect could be attributed, at least in
      part, to decreased accumulation of vancomycin in RPTECs. 

PMID- 26504823
TI  - Public Concern about the Sale of High-Caffeine Drinks to Children 12 Years or
      Younger: An Australian Regulatory Perspective.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dietary exposure to high caffeine is a health risk for children.
      Governments are considering measures to restrict the sale of formulated
      caffeinated beverages (FCB) to children. Objectives. To investigate community
      concern about sales of high-caffeine drinks to children among Western Australian
      adults and describe Australian and New Zealand regulatory processes regarding
      FCB. METHODS: Data from the 2009 and 2012 Department of Health's Nutrition
      Monitoring Survey Series of 2,832 Western Australians aged 18-64 years was pooled
      with descriptive and ordinal logistic regression analysis performed. Current
      regulatory processes for FCB are reported. RESULTS: Most (85%) participants were
      concerned about the sale of high-caffeine drinks to children; 77.4% were very
      concerned in 2012 compared to 66.5% in 2009, p < .008. Females and those living
      with children had higher concern (odds ratio (OR) 2.11; 95% confidence interval
      (CI) 1.44-3.10; OR 2.16; 95% CI 1.51-3.09, resp., p < .001). Concern increased
      with each year of age (OR 1.04; 95% CI 1.02, 1.05, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Community concern regarding sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children is
      high and increasing. Being female and living with children were associated with
      greater concern. These findings support the Australian and New Zealand regulatory
      controls of FCB, including labelling, promotion, and advertising to children.

PMID- 26504824
TI  - Biosorption of Pb(II) Ions by Klebsiella sp. 3S1 Isolated from a Wastewater
      Treatment Plant: Kinetics and Mechanisms Studies.
AB  - Lead biosorption by Klebsiella sp. 3S1 isolated from a wastewater treatment plant
      was investigated through a Rotatable Central Composite Experimental Design. The
      optimisation study indicated the following optimal values of operating variables:
      0.4 g/L of biosorbent dosage, pH 5, and 34 degrees C. According to the results of
      the kinetic studies, the biosorption process can be described by a two-step
      process, one rapid, almost instantaneous, and one slower, both contributing
      significantly to the overall biosorption; the model that best fits the
      experimental results was pseudo-second order. The equilibrium studies showed a
      maximum lead uptake value of 140.19 mg/g according to the Langmuir model. The
      mechanism study revealed that lead ions were bioaccumulated into the cytoplasm
      and adsorbed on the cell surface. The bacterium  Klebsiella sp. 3S1 has a good
      potential in the bioremoval of lead in an inexpensive and effective process.

PMID- 26504826
TI  - SAMHD1 Gene Mutations Are Associated with Cerebral Large-Artery Atherosclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate whether one or more SAMHD1 gene mutations are
      associated with cerebrovascular disease in the general population using a Chinese
      stroke cohort. METHODS: Patients with a Chinese Han background (N = 300)
      diagnosed with either cerebral large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA, n = 100),
      cerebral small vessel disease (SVD, n = 100), or other stroke-free neurological
      disorders (control, n = 100) were recruited. Genomic DNA from the whole blood of
      each patient was isolated, and direct sequencing of the SAMHD1 gene was
      performed. Both wild type and mutant SAMHD1 proteins identified from the patients
      were expressed in E. coli and purified; then their dNTPase activities and ability
      to form stable tetramers were analysed in vitro. RESULTS: Three heterozygous
      mutations, including two missense mutations c.64C>T (P22S) and c.841G>A (p.E281K)
      and one splice site mutation c.696+2T>A, were identified in the LAA group with a
      prevalence of 3%. No mutations were found in the patients with SVD or the
      controls (p = 0.05). The mutant SAMHD1 proteins were functionally impaired in
      terms of their catalytic activity as a dNTPase and ability to assemble stable
      tetramers. CONCLUSIONS: Heterozygous SAMHD1 gene mutations might cause genetic
      predispositions that interact with other risk factors, resulting in increased
      vulnerability to stroke.

PMID- 26504825
TI  - A Comparison of the Process of Remodeling of Hydroxyapatite/Poly-D/L-Lactide and
      Beta-Tricalcium Phosphate in a Loading Site.
AB  - Currently, the most commonly used bioresorbable scaffold is made of beta
      tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP); it is hoped that scaffolds made of a mixture of
      hydroxyapatite (HA) and poly-D/L-lactide (PDLLA) will be able to act as novel
      bioresorbable scaffolds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of a
      HA/PDLLA scaffold compared to beta-TCP, at a loading site. Dogs underwent surgery
      to replace a section of tibial bone with a bioresorbable scaffold. After the
      follow-up period, the scaffold was subjected to histological analysis. The
      HA/PDLLA scaffold showed similar bone formation and superior cell and tissue
      infiltration compared to the beta-TCP scaffold, as seen after Villanueva Goldner
      staining. Moreover, silver staining and immunohistochemistry for Von Willebrand
      factor and cathepsin K demonstrated better cell infiltration in the HA/PDLLA
      scaffold. The fibrous tissue and cells that had infiltrated into the HA/PDLLA
      scaffold tested positive for collagen type I and RUNX2, respectively, indicating
      that the tissue and cells that had infiltrated into the HA/PDLLA scaffold had the
      potential to differentiate into bone. The HA/PDLLA scaffold is therefore likely
      to find clinical application as a new bioresorbable scaffold. 

PMID- 26504827
TI  - Novel Model of Pulmonary Artery Banding Leading to Right Heart Failure in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Congenital heart diseases often involve chronic pressure overload of
      the right ventricle (RV) which is a major cause of RV dysfunction. Pulmonary
      artery (PA) banding has been used to produce animal models of RV dysfunction. We
      have devised a new and easier method of constricting the PA and compared it
      directly with the partial ligation method. METHODS: Eight-week-old male Sprague
      Dawley rats (240-260 g) were divided into three groups: sham operation, partial
      pulmonary artery ligation (PAL) procedure, and pulmonary artery half-closed clip
      (PAC) procedure. RV function and remodeling were determined by echocardiography
      and histomorphometry. RESULTS: Surgical mortality was significantly lower in the
      PAC group while echocardiography revealed significantly more signs of RV
      dysfunction. At the 8th week after surgery RV fibrosis rate was significantly
      higher in the PAC group. CONCLUSIONS: This procedure of pulmonary artery banding
      in rats is easier and more efficient than partial ligation.

PMID- 26504828
TI  - A Pyrosequencing Assay for the Quantitative Methylation Analysis of GALR1 in
      Endometrial Samples: Preliminary Results.
AB  - Endometrial cancer is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract
      while aberrant DNA methylation seems to play a critical role in endometrial
      carcinogenesis. Galanin's expression has been involved in many cancers. We
      developed a new pyrosequencing assay that quantifies DNA methylation of galanin's
      receptor-1 (GALR1). In this study, the preliminary results indicate that
      pyrosequencing methylation analysis of GALR1 promoter can be a useful ancillary
      marker to cytology as the histological status can successfully predict. This
      marker has the potential to lead towards better management of women with
      endometrial lesions and eventually reduce unnecessary interventions. In addition
      it can provide early warning for women with negative cytological result. 

PMID- 26504829
TI  - Extracellular Calcium-Dependent Modulation of Endothelium Relaxation in Rat
      Mesenteric Small Artery: The Role of Potassium Signaling.
AB  - The nature of NO- and COX-independent endothelial hyperpolarization (EDH) is not
      fully understood but activation of small- and intermittent-conductance Ca(2+)
      activated K(+) channels (SKCa and IKCa) is important. Previous studies have
      suggested that the significance of IKCa depends on [Ca(2+)]out. Also it has been
      suggested that K(+) is important through localized [K(+)]out signaling causing
      activation of the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and inward-rectifying K(+) channels (Kir).
      Here we tested the hypothesis that the modulating effect of [Ca(2+)]out on the
      EDH-like response depends on [K(+)]out. We addressed this possibility using
      isometric myography of rat mesenteric small arteries. When [K(+)]out was 4.2 mM,
      relaxation to acetylcholine (ACh) was stronger at 2.5 mM [Ca(2+)]out than at 1 mM
      [Ca(2+)]out. Inhibition of IKCa with TRAM34 suppressed the relaxations but did
      not change the relation between the relaxations at the low and high [Ca(2+)]out.
      This [Ca(2+)]out-dependence disappeared at 5.9 mM [K(+)]out and in the presence
      of ouabain or BaCl2. Our results suggest that IKCa are involved in the localized
      [K(+)]out signaling which acts through the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and Kir channels and
      that the significance of this endothelium-dependent pathway is modulated by
      [Ca(2+)]out. 

PMID- 26504830
TI  - Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor Induces Endothelial Barrier Dysfunction via
      p38/MAPK Phosphorylation.
AB  - Endothelial barrier dysfunction, which is a serious problem that occurs in
      various inflammatory conditions, permits extravasation of serum components into
      the surrounding tissues, leading to edema formation and organ failure. Pigment
      epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), which is a major endogenous antagonist, has
      been implicated in diverse biological process, but its role in endothelial
      barrier dysfunction has not been defined. To assess the role of PEDF in the
      vasculature, we evaluated the effects of exogenous PEDF using human umbilical
      vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro. Our results demonstrated that exogenous
      PEDF activated p38/MAPK signalling pathway in a dose- and time-dependent manner
      and induced vascular hyperpermeability as measured by the markedly increased FITC
      dextran leakage and the decreased transendothelial electrical resistance (TER)
      across the monolayer cells, which was accompanied by microtubules (MTs)
      disassembly and F-actin rearrangement. However, the aforementioned alterations
      can be arrested by the application of low concentration of p38/MAPK inhibitor
      SB203580. These results reveal a novel role for PEDF as a potential vasoactive
      substance in inducing hyperpermeability. Furthermore, our results suggest that
      PEDF and p38/MAPK may serve as therapeutic targets for maintaining vascular
      integrity. 

PMID- 26504831
TI  - Expression of Stem Cell Markers in Preinvasive Tubal Lesions of Ovarian
      Carcinoma.
AB  - In order to better understand the ovarian serous carcinogenic process with tubal
      origin, we investigated the expression of stem cell markers in premalignant tubal
      lesions (serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma or STIC). We found an increased
      stem cell marker density in the normal fallopian tube followed by a high CD117
      and a low ALDH and CD44 expression in STICs raising the question of the role of
      the stem cell markers in the serous carcinogenic process. 

PMID- 26504832
TI  - Health Impacts of Increased Physical Activity from Changes in Transportation
      Infrastructure: Quantitative Estimates for Three Communities.
AB  - Recently, two quantitative tools have emerged for predicting the health impacts
      of projects that change population physical activity: the Health Economic
      Assessment Tool (HEAT) and Dynamic Modeling for Health Impact Assessment (DYNAMO
      HIA). HEAT has been used to support health impact assessments of transportation
      infrastructure projects, but DYNAMO-HIA has not been previously employed for this
      purpose nor have the two tools been compared. To demonstrate the use of DYNAMO
      HIA for supporting health impact assessments of transportation infrastructure
      projects, we employed the model in three communities (urban, suburban, and rural)
      in North Carolina. We also compared DYNAMO-HIA and HEAT predictions in the urban
      community. Using DYNAMO-HIA, we estimated benefit-cost ratios of 20.2 (95% C.I.:
      8.7-30.6), 0.6 (0.3-0.9), and 4.7 (2.1-7.1) for the urban, suburban, and rural
      projects, respectively. For a 40-year time period, the HEAT predictions of deaths
      avoided by the urban infrastructure project were three times as high as DYNAMO
      HIA's predictions due to HEAT's inability to account for changing population
      health characteristics over time. Quantitative health impact assessment coupled
      with economic valuation is a powerful tool for integrating health considerations
      into transportation decision-making. However, to avoid overestimating benefits,
      such quantitative HIAs should use dynamic, rather than static, approaches. 

PMID- 26504833
TI  - Chitosan and Its Potential Use as a Scaffold for Tissue Engineering in
      Regenerative Medicine.
AB  - Tissue engineering is an important therapeutic strategy to be used in
      regenerative medicine in the present and in the future. Functional biomaterials
      research is focused on the development and improvement of scaffolding, which can
      be used to repair or regenerate an organ or tissue. Scaffolds are one of the
      crucial factors for tissue engineering. Scaffolds consisting of natural polymers
      have recently been developed more quickly and have gained more popularity. These
      include chitosan, a copolymer derived from the alkaline deacetylation of chitin.
      Expectations for use of these scaffolds are increasing as the knowledge regarding
      their chemical and biological properties expands, and new biomedical applications
      are investigated. Due to their different biological properties such as being
      biocompatible, biodegradable, and bioactive, they have given the pattern for use
      in tissue engineering for repair and/or regeneration of different tissues
      including skin, bone, cartilage, nerves, liver, and muscle. In this review, we
      focus on the intrinsic properties offered by chitosan and its use in tissue
      engineering, considering it as a promising alternative for regenerative medicine
      as a bioactive polymer. 

PMID- 26504834
TI  - Renin-Angiotensin Activation and Oxidative Stress in Early Heart Failure with
      Preserved Ejection Fraction.
AB  - Animal models have suggested a role of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) activation
      and subsequent cardiac oxidation in heart failure with preserved ejection
      fraction (HFpEF). Nevertheless, RAS blockade has failed to show efficacy in
      treatment of HFpEF. We evaluated the role of RAS activation and subsequent
      systemic oxidation in HFpEF. Oxidative stress markers were compared in 50
      subjects with and without early HFpEF. Derivatives of reactive oxidative
      metabolites (DROMs), F2-isoprostanes (IsoPs), and ratios of oxidized to reduced
      glutathione (E h GSH) and cysteine (E h CyS) were measured. Angiotensin
      converting enzyme (ACE) levels and activity were measured. On univariate
      analysis, HFpEF was associated with male sex (p = 0.04), higher body mass index
      (BMI) (p = 0.003), less oxidized E h CyS (p = 0.001), lower DROMs (p = 0.02), and
      lower IsoP (p = 0.03). Higher BMI (OR: 1.3; 95% CI: 1.1-1.6) and less oxidized E
      h CyS (OR: 1.2; 95% CI: 1.1-1.4) maintained associations with HFpEF on
      multivariate analysis. Though ACE levels were higher in early HFpEF (OR: 1.09;
      95% CI: 1.01-1.05), ACE activity was similar to that in controls. HFpEF is not
      associated with significant systemic RAS activation or oxidative stress. This may
      explain the failure of RAS inhibitors to alter outcomes in HFpEF. 

PMID- 26504835
TI  - Presence of Periodontopathic Bacteria DNA in Atheromatous Plaques from Coronary
      and Carotid Arteries.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Interest in periodontitis as a potential risk factor for
      atherosclerosis and its complications resulted from the fact that the global
      prevalence of periodontal diseases is significant and periodontitis may induce a
      chronic inflammatory response. Many studies have analyzed the potential impact of
      the Porphyromonas gingivalis, major pathogen of periodontitis, on general health.
      The purpose of this study was to find the presence of the Porphyromonas
      gingivalis DNA in the atherosclerotic plaques of coronary and carotid arteries
      and in the periodontal pockets in patients with chronic periodontitis, who
      underwent surgery because of vascular diseases. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study
      population consisted of 91 patients with coronary artery disease or scheduled for
      carotid endarterectomy. The presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis DNA in
      atheromatous plaques and in subgingival samples was determined by PCR. Bacterial
      DNA was found in 21 of 91 (23%) samples taken from vessels and in 47 of 63
      (74.6%) samples from periodontal pockets. CONCLUSIONS: Porphyromonas gingivalis
      DNA is frequently found in atheromatous plaques of patients with periodontitis.
      That is why more research should be conducted to prove if this periopathogen may
      have an impact on endothelium of patients at risk of atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26504836
TI  - Space-Time Analysis to Identify Areas at Risk of Mortality from Cardiovascular
      Disease.
AB  - This study aimed at identifying areas that were at risk of mortality due to
      cardiovascular disease in residents aged 45 years or older of the cities of
      Cuiaba and Varzea Grande between 2009 and 2011. We conducted an ecological study
      of mortality rates related to cardiovascular disease. Mortality rates were
      calculated for each census tract by the Local Empirical Bayes estimator. High-
      and low-risk clusters were identified by retrospective space-time scans for each
      year using the Poisson probability model. We defined the year and month as the
      temporal analysis unit and the census tracts as the spatial analysis units
      adjusted by age and sex. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the
      socioeconomic and environmental variables by risk classification. High-risk
      clusters showed higher income ratios than low-risk clusters, as did temperature
      range and atmospheric particulate matter. Low-risk clusters showed higher
      humidity than high-risk clusters. The Eastern region of Varzea Grande and the
      central region of Cuiaba were identified as areas at risk of mortality due to
      cardiovascular disease in individuals aged 45 years or older. High mortality risk
      was associated with socioeconomic and environmental factors. More high-risk
      clusters were observed at the end of the dry season. 

PMID- 26504837
TI  - Monitoring Microcirculatory Blood Flow with a New Sublingual Tonometer in a
      Porcine Model of Hemorrhagic Shock.
AB  - Tissue capnometry may be suitable for the indirect evaluation of regional
      hypoperfusion. We tested the performance of a new sublingual capillary tonometer
      in experimental hemorrhage. Thirty-six anesthetized, ventilated mini pigs were
      divided into sham-operated (n = 9) and shock groups (n = 27). Hemorrhagic shock
      was induced by reducing mean arterial pressure (MAP) to 40 mmHg for 60 min, after
      which fluid resuscitation started aiming to increase MAP to 75% of the baseline
      value (60-180 min). Sublingual carbon-dioxide partial pressure was measured by
      tonometry, using a specially coiled silicone rubber tube. Mucosal red blood cell
      velocity (RBCV) and capillary perfusion rate (CPR) were assessed by orthogonal
      polarization spectral (OPS) imaging. In the 60 min shock phase a significant drop
      in cardiac index was accompanied by reduction in sublingual RBCV and CPR and
      significant increase in the sublingual mucosal-to-arterial PCO2 gap (PSLCO2 gap),
      which significantly improved during the 120 min resuscitation phase. There was
      significant correlation between PSLCO2 gap and sublingual RBCV (r = -0.65, p <
      0.0001), CPR (r = -0.64, p < 0.0001), central venous oxygen saturation (r = 
      0.50, p < 0.0001), and central venous-to-arterial PCO2 difference (r = 0.62, p <
      0.0001). This new sublingual tonometer may be an appropriate tool for the
      indirect evaluation of circulatory changes in shock.

PMID- 26504838
TI  - Resting Heart Rate and Auditory Evoked Potential.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between rest heart
      rate (HR) and the components of the auditory evoked-related potentials (ERPs) at
      rest in women. We investigated 21 healthy female university students between 18
      and 24 years old. We performed complete audiological evaluation and measurement
      of heart rate for 10 minutes at rest (heart rate monitor Polar RS800CX) and
      performed ERPs analysis (discrepancy in frequency and duration). There was a
      moderate negative correlation of the N1 and P3a with rest HR and a strong
      positive correlation of the P2 and N2 components with rest HR. Larger components
      of the ERP are associated with higher rest HR. 

PMID- 26504840
TI  - Hypoglycaemia, Abnormal Lipids, and Cardiovascular Disease among Chinese with
      Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - We recruited a group of 6713 consecutive Chinese patients with T2D but normal
      renal and liver function who were admitted to one of 81 top tertiary care
      hospitals in China. Mild hypoglycaemia was defined as having symptomatic
      hypoglycaemia in one month before hospitalization. Severe hypoglycaemia was
      defined as having hypoglycaemia that needed assistance from other people in three
      months before hospitalization. Prior cardiovascular disease (CVD) was defined as
      having coronary heart disease, stroke, or peripheral arterial disease. Of 6713
      patients, 80 and 304 had severe and mild hypoglycaemia episodes, respectively,
      and 561 had CVD. Patients with severe and mild hypoglycaemia episodes were more
      likely to have prior CVD (32.5% versus 16.5% versus 7.7%, P < 0.0001). Both mild
      and severe hypoglycaemia were associated with increased risk of CVD (adjusted
      odds ratios (ORs): 2.64, 95% CI: 1.85-3.76 for mild hypoglycaemia; 6.59, 95% CI:
      3.79-11.45 for sever hypoglycaemia) than those patients free of hypoglycaemia.
      Further adjustment for lipid profile did not change these two ORs. In the same
      way, the ORs of lipid profile for CVD were similar before and after adjustment
      for hypoglycaemia. We concluded that hypoglycaemia and lipid profile were
      independently associated with increased risk of CVD. 

PMID- 26504839
TI  - Microstereolithography-Based Fabrication of Anatomically Shaped Beta-Tricalcium
      Phosphate Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering.
AB  - Porous ceramic scaffolds with shapes matching the bone defects may result in more
      efficient grafting and healing than the ones with simple geometries. Using
      computer-assisted microstereolithography (MSTL), we have developed a novel
      gelcasting indirect MSTL technology and successfully fabricated two scaffolds
      according to CT images of rabbit femur. Negative resin molds with outer 3D
      dimensions conforming to the femur and an internal structure consisting of
      stacked meshes with uniform interconnecting struts, 0.5 mm in diameter, were
      fabricated by MSTL. The second mold type was designed for cortical bone
      formation. A ceramic slurry of beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) with room
      temperature vulcanization (RTV) silicone as binder was cast into the molds. After
      the RTV silicone was completely cured, the composite was sintered at 1500 degrees
      C for 5 h. Both gross anatomical shape and the interpenetrating internal network
      were preserved after sintering. Even cortical structure could be introduced into
      the customized scaffolds, which resulted in enhanced strength. Biocompatibility
      was confirmed by vital staining of rabbit bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells
      cultured on the customized scaffolds for 5 days. This fabrication method could be
      useful for constructing bone substitutes specifically designed according to local
      anatomical defects. 

PMID- 26504841
TI  - Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification for Detection of Trypanosoma brucei
      gambiense in Urine and Saliva Samples in Nonhuman Primate Model.
AB  - Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a vector-borne parasitic zoonotic disease.
      The disease caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense is the most prevalent in
      Africa. Early diagnosis is hampered by lack of sensitive diagnostic techniques.
      This study explored the potential of loop mediated isothermal amplification
      (LAMP) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the detection of T. b. gambiense
      infection in a vervet monkey HAT model. Six vervet monkeys were experimentally
      infected with T. b. gambiense IL3253 and monitored for 180 days after infection.
      Parasitaemia was scored daily. Blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), saliva, and
      urine samples were collected weekly. PCR and LAMP were performed on serum, CSF,
      saliva, and urine samples. The detection by LAMP was significantly higher than
      that of parasitological methods and PCR in all the samples. The performance of
      LAMP varied between the samples and was better in serum followed by saliva and
      then urine samples. In the saliva samples, LAMP had 100% detection between 21 and
      77 dpi, whereas in urine the detection it was slightly lower, but there was over
      80% detection between 28 and 91 dpi. However, LAMP could not detect trypanosomes
      in either saliva or urine after 140 and 126 dpi, respectively. The findings of
      this study emphasize the importance of LAMP in diagnosis of HAT using saliva and
      urine samples.

PMID- 26504842
TI  - Awareness of Lifestyle and Colorectal Cancer Risk: Findings from the BeWEL Study.
AB  - It is estimated that 47% of colorectal cancers (CRC) could be prevented by
      appropriate lifestyles. This study aimed to identify awareness of the causes of
      CRC in patients who had been diagnosed with a colorectal adenoma through the
      Scottish Bowel Screening Programme and subsequently enrolled in an intervention
      trial (using diet and physical activity education and behavioural change
      techniques) (BeWEL). At baseline and 12-month follow-up, participants answered an
      open-ended question on factors influencing CRC development. Of the 329
      participants at baseline, 40 (12%) reported that they did not know any risk
      factors and 36 (11%) failed to identify specific factors related to diet and
      activity. From a potential knowledge score of 1 to 6, the mean score was 1.5 (SD
      1.1, range 0 to 5) with no difference between intervention and control groups. At
      follow-up, the intervention group had a significantly greater knowledge score and
      better weight loss, diet, and physical activity measures than the control group.
      Awareness of relevant lifestyle factors for CRC remains low in people at
      increased risk of the disease. Opportunities within routine NHS screening to aid
      the capability (including knowledge of risk factors) of individuals to make
      behavioural changes to reduce CRC risk deserve exploration. 

PMID- 26504843
TI  - Comparative Analysis of Methods to Induce Myocardial Infarction in a Closed-Chest
      Rabbit Model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop a rabbit model of closed-chest catheter-induced myocardial
      infarction. Background. Limitations of rodent and large animal models justify the
      search for clinically relevant alternatives. METHODS: Microcatheterization of the
      heart was performed in 47 anesthetized 3-4 kg New Zealand rabbits to test five
      techniques of myocardial ischemia: free coils (n = 4), interlocking coils (n =
      4), thrombogenic gelatin sponge (n = 4), balloon occlusion (n = 4), and alcohol
      injection (n = 8). In order to limit ventricular fibrillation, an antiarrhythmic
      protocol was implemented, with beta-blockers/amiodarone before and xylocaine
      infusion during the procedure. Clinical, angiographic, and echographic data were
      gathered. End points included demonstration of vessel occlusion (TIMI flow grades
      0 and 1 on the angiogram), impairment of left ventricular function at 2 weeks
      after procedure (by echocardiography), and pathologically confirmed myocardial
      infarction. RESULTS: The best arterial access was determined to be through the
      right carotid artery. The internal mammary guiding catheter 4-Fr was selected as
      the optimal device for selective intracoronary injection. Free coils deployed
      prematurely and tended to prolapse into the aorta. Interlocking coils did not
      deploy completely and failed to provide reliable results. Gelatin sponge was
      difficult to handle, adhered to the catheter, and could not be clearly visualized
      by fluoroscopy. Balloon occlusion yielded inconsistent results. Alcohol injection
      was the most efficient and reproducible method for inducing myocardial infarction
      (4 out of 6 animals), the extent of which could be fine-tuned by using a coaxial
      balloon catheter as a microcatheter (0.52 mm) to achieve a superselective
      injection of 0.2 mL of alcohol. This approach resulted in a 20% decrease in LVEF
      and infarcted myocardium was confirmed histologically. CONCLUSIONS: By following
      a stepwise approach, a minimally invasive, effective, and reproducible rabbit
      model of catheter-induced myocardial infarction has been developed which
      addresses the limitations of rodent experiments while avoiding the logistical and
      cost issues associated with large animal models.

PMID- 26504844
TI  - MicroRNAs-mRNAs Expression Profile and Their Potential Role in Malignant
      Transformation of Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells Induced by Cadmium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our study was designed to elucidate whether there were miRNA and mRNA
      aberrantly expression profiles and potential role in malignant transformation of
      16HBE induced by Cd. METHODS: mRNA and miRNA expression profiles were determined
      in 35th Cd-induced 16HBE and untreated 16HBE by microarray. A series of
      bioinformatics analyses such as predicting targets, GO, KEGG were performed to
      find DEGs, coexpressing networks between miRNAs and mRNAs and its functions.
      RESULTS: 498 DEGs were found. 8 Cd-responsive novel miRNAs predicted previously
      were identified, and 5 of them were downregulated. 214 target genes were
      predicted for the Cd-responsive miRNAs, many of which appeared to regulate gene
      networks. Target gene CCM2 was showed reciprocal effect by miRNAs. According to
      the combination analysis, hsa-miR-27b-3p regulated most of the mRNAs, especially
      upregulated expression genes. The differentially expressed miRNAs are involved in
      the biological processes and channels, and these GO and KEGG enrichment analyses
      result were significantly enriched in the Cd-responsive. DISCUSSION: These
      results provided a tight link for the miRNA-mRNA integrated network and implied
      the role of novel miRNAs in malignant transformation of 16HBE induced by Cadmium.
      It is better to understand the novel molecular mechanism of cadmium-induced
      tumorigenesis.

PMID- 26504845
TI  - The Impact of Thrombocytopenia on Outcome in Patients with Acute Coronary
      Syndromes: A Single Center Retrospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In acute coronary syndromes (ACS), treated by combined antithrombotic
      therapy and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), thrombocytopenia may
      occur. Our aim was to evaluate predictors and the impact of thrombocytopenia on
      mortality in high-risk ACS patients. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated high
      risk ACS patients. Thrombocytopenia was defined as platelet count <140.000/mL or
      a drop in platelet count of >50% during in-hospital stay. We compared
      demographic, laboratory, clinical, and mortality data between nonthrombocytopenic
      and thrombocytopenic ACS patients and evaluated independent predictors of
      thrombocytopenia. RESULTS: In 371 ACS patients, thrombocytopenia was observed in
      21.3%. Thrombocytopenic patients were significantly older and, less likely
      treated by PCIs (72.1% versus 89.7%, p < 0.001) and combined antithrombotic
      therapy, with increased incidence of in-hospital complications and the use of
      additional treatments, but with increased mortality at 30 days (27.8% versus
      10.2%, p < 0.001) and 6 months (35.4% versus 13.6%, p < 0.001) when compared to
      nonthrombocytopenic patients. The use of antibiotics, transfusions, insertion of
      intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), and prior stroke independently predicted
      thrombocytopenia. CONCLUSIONS: Thrombocytopenia, observed in about 20% of high
      risk ACS patients, was associated significantly with in-hospital complications
      and mortality. Predictors of thrombocytopenia were the use of antibiotics,
      transfusions, insertion of IABP, and prior stroke.

PMID- 26504847
TI  - Two-Step Pseudomaximum Amplitude-Based Confidence Interval Estimation for
      Oscillometric Blood Pressure Measurements.
AB  - Blood pressure (BP) is an important vital sign to determine the health of an
      individual. Although the estimation of average arterial blood pressure using
      oscillometric methods is possible, there are no established methods for obtaining
      confidence intervals (CIs) for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood
      pressure (DBP). In this paper, we propose a two-step pseudomaximum amplitude
      (TSPMA) as a novel approach to obtain improved CIs of SBP and DBP using a double
      bootstrap approach. The weighted median (WM) filter is employed to reduce
      impulsive and Gaussian noises in the step of preprocessing. Application of the
      proposed method provides tighter CIs and smaller standard deviation of CIs than
      the pseudomaximum amplitude-envelope and maximum amplitude algorithms with
      Student's t-method. 

PMID- 26504846
TI  - Phytochemical Compounds and Protection from Cardiovascular Diseases: A State of
      the Art.
AB  - Cardiovascular diseases represent a worldwide relevant socioeconomical problem.
      Cardiovascular disease prevention relies also on lifestyle changes, including
      dietary habits. The cardioprotective effects of several foods and dietary
      supplements in both animal models and in humans have been explored. It was found
      that beneficial effects are mainly dependent on antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
      properties, also involving modulation of mitochondrial function. Resveratrol is
      one of the most studied phytochemical compounds and it is provided with several
      benefits in cardiovascular diseases as well as in other pathological conditions
      (such as cancer). Other relevant compounds are Brassica oleracea, curcumin, and
      berberine, and they all exert beneficial effects in several diseases. In the
      attempt to provide a comprehensive reference tool for both researchers and
      clinicians, we summarized in the present paper the existing literature on both
      preclinical and clinical cardioprotective effects of each mentioned
      phytochemical. We structured the discussion of each compound by analyzing, first,
      its cellular molecular targets of action, subsequently focusing on results from
      applications in both ex vivo and in vivo models, finally discussing the relevance
      of the compound in the context of human diseases. 

PMID- 26504848
TI  - Predictive Biomarkers to Chemoradiation in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.
AB  - There has been a high local recurrence rate in rectal cancer. Besides
      improvements in surgical techniques, both neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy
      and long-course chemoradiation improve oncological results. Approximately 40-60%
      of rectal cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation achieve some
      degree of pathologic response. However, there is no effective method of
      predicting which patients will respond to neoadjuvant treatment. Recent studies
      have evaluated the potential of genetic biomarkers to predict outcome in locally
      advanced rectal adenocarcinoma treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation. The
      articles produced by the PubMed search were reviewed for those specifically
      addressing a genetic profile's ability to predict response to neoadjuvant
      treatment in rectal cancer. Although tissue gene microarray profiling has led to
      promising data in cancer, to date, none of the identified signatures or molecular
      markers in locally advanced rectal cancer has been successfully validated as a
      diagnostic or prognostic tool applicable to routine clinical practice. 

PMID- 26504849
TI  - Antimicrobial Activity Evaluation on Silver Doped
      Hydroxyapatite/Polydimethylsiloxane Composite Layer.
AB  - The goal of this study was the preparation, physicochemical characterization, and
      microbiological evaluation of novel hydroxyapatite doped with
      silver/polydimethylsiloxane (Ag:HAp-PDMS) composite layers. In the first stage,
      the deposition of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer layer on commercially pure
      Si disks has been produced in atmospheric pressure corona discharges. Finally,
      the new silver doped hydroxyapatite/polydimethylsiloxane composite layer has been
      obtained by the thermal evaporation technique. The Ag:HAp-PDMS composite layers
      were characterized by various techniques, such as Scanning Electron Microscopy
      (SEM), Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GDOES), and X-ray
      photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The antimicrobial activity of the Ag:HAp-PDMS
      composite layer was assessed against Candida albicans ATCC 10231 (ATCC-American
      Type Culture Collection) by culture based and confirmed by SEM and Confocal Laser
      Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) methods. This is the first study reporting the
      antimicrobial effect of the Ag:HAp-PDMS composite layer, which proved to be
      active against Candida albicans biofilm embedded cells. 

PMID- 26504850
TI  - MicroRNAs Based Therapy of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: The Road Traveled So Far.
AB  - Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized
      by variable expressivity, age penetrance, and a high heterogeneity. The
      transcriptional profile (miRNAs, mRNAs), epigenetic modifications, and
      posttranslational modifications seem to be highly relevant for the onset of the
      disease. miRNAs, small noncoding RNAs with 22 nucleotides, have been implicated
      in the regulation of cardiomyocyte function, being differentially expressed in
      several heart diseases, including HCM. Moreover, a different miRNA expression
      profile in the various stages of HCM development is also observed. This review
      summarizes the current knowledge of the profile of miRNAs characteristic of
      asymptomatic to overt HCM patients, discussing alongside their potential use for
      diagnosis and therapy. Indeed, the stability and specificity of miRNAs make them
      suitable targets for use as biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis and as
      therapeutical targets. 

PMID- 26504851
TI  - The Expansion of CD25 high IL-10 high FoxP3 high B Regulatory Cells Is in
      Association with SLE Disease Activity.
AB  - B regulatory cells (Bregs) belong to a subgroup of activated B cells tasked with
      maintaining self-tolerance and preventing autoimmunity. While sharing similar
      regulatory mechanisms such as IL-10 dependency, they also defer in exhibiting
      their suppressive effects by expressing Fas-Ligand, TGF-beta, and PDL-1. In this
      study we show, for the first time, the expansion of CD25(high)FoxP3(high) Bregs
      in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients compared to healthy individuals
      (18.5 +/- 3.052% versus 11.0 +/- 1.654%, p < 0.001, resp.). This expansion was
      also shown to correlate with SLE disease activity (r = 0.75). In addition,
      CD25(high)FoxP3(high) Bregs were also IL-10(high) expressing and further expanded
      when stimulated with semaphorin 3A. In sum we show that CD25(high)FoxP3(high) are
      an additional subtype of Bregs, involved in regulating SLE disease activity.
      Being IL-10 expressing, we may assume that they are one of the sources of
      increased serum IL-10 in SLE patients. Further studies are required in order to
      assess the relation between high serum IL-10 and CD25(high)FoxP3(high) Breg
      cells. 

PMID- 26504852
TI  - Mesenchymal Stem Cells Immunosuppressed IL-22 in Patients with Immune
      Thrombocytopenia via Soluble Cellular Factors.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells are immunoregulation cells. IL-22 plays an important role
      in the pathogenesis of immune thrombocytopenia. However, the effects of
      mesenchymal stem cells on IL-22 production in patients with immune
      thrombocytopenia remain unclear. Flow cytometry analyzed immunophenotypes of
      mesenchymal stem cells; differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells was observed by
      oil red O and Alizarin red S staining; cell proliferation suppression was
      measured with MTS; IL-22 levels of cell-free supernatants were determined by
      ELISA. Mesenchymal stem cells inhibited the proliferation of activated CD4(+)T
      cells; moreover, mesenchymal stem cells immunosuppressed IL-22 by soluble
      cellular factors but not PGE2. These results suggest that mesenchymal stem cells
      may be a therapeutic strategy for patients with immune thrombocytopenia. 

PMID- 26504853
TI  - FluKB: A Knowledge-Based System for Influenza Vaccine Target Discovery and
      Analysis of the Immunological Properties of Influenza Viruses.
AB  - FluKB is a knowledge-based system focusing on data and analytical tools for
      influenza vaccine discovery. The main goal of FluKB is to provide access to
      curated influenza sequence and epitope data and enhance the analysis of influenza
      sequence diversity and the analysis of targets of immune responses. FluKB
      consists of more than 400,000 influenza protein sequences, known epitope data
      (357 verified T-cell epitopes, 685 HLA binders, and 16 naturally processed MHC
      ligands), and a collection of 28 influenza antibodies and their structurally
      defined B-cell epitopes. FluKB was built using a modular framework allowing the
      implementation of analytical workflows and includes standard search tools, such
      as keyword search and sequence similarity queries, as well as advanced tools for
      the analysis of sequence variability. The advanced analytical tools for vaccine
      discovery include visual mapping of T- and B-cell vaccine targets and assessment
      of neutralizing antibody coverage. FluKB supports the discovery of vaccine
      targets and the analysis of viral diversity and its implications for vaccine
      discovery as well as potential T-cell breadth and antibody cross neutralization
      involving multiple strains. FluKB is representation of a new generation of
      databases that integrates data, analytical tools, and analytical workflows that
      enable comprehensive analysis and automatic generation of analysis reports. 

PMID- 26504854
TI  - Impaired Fas-Fas Ligand Interactions Result in Greater Recurrent Herpetic Stromal
      Keratitis in Mice.
AB  - Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) infection of the cornea leads to a potentially
      blinding condition termed herpetic stromal keratitis (HSK). Clinical studies have
      indicated that disease is primarily associated with recurrent HSK following
      reactivation of a latent viral infection of the trigeminal ganglia. One of the
      key factors that limit inflammation of the cornea is the expression of Fas ligand
      (FasL). We demonstrate that infection of the cornea with HSV-1 results in
      increased functional expression of FasL and that mice expressing mutations in Fas
      (lpr) and FasL (gld) display increased recurrent HSK following reactivation
      compared to wild-type mice. Furthermore, both gld and lpr mice took longer to
      clear their corneas of infectious virus and the reactivation rate for these
      strains was significantly greater than that seen with wild-type mice.
      Collectively, these findings indicate that the interaction of Fas with FasL in
      the cornea restricts the development of recurrent HSK. 

PMID- 26504856
TI  - Liver Expression of Sulphotransferase 2A1 Enzyme Is Impaired in Patients with
      Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: Lack of the Response to Enhanced Expression of
      PXR.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Sulphotransferase 2A1 (SULT2A1) exerts hepatoprotective effects.
      Transcription of SULT2A1 gene is induced by pregnane-X-receptor (PXR) and can be
      repressed by miR-378a-5p. We studied the PXR/SULT2A1 axis in chronic cholestatic
      conditions: primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and primary biliary cirrhosis
      (PBC). MATERIALS/METHODS: Western-blot/PCRs for SULT2A1/PXR were performed in PSC
      (n = 11), PBC (n = 19), and control liver tissues (n = 19). PXR and SULT2A1 mRNA
      was analyzed in intestinal tissues from 22 PSC patients. Genomic DNA was isolated
      from blood of PSC patients (n = 120) and an equal number of healthy volunteers.
      Liver miRNA expression was evaluated using Affymetrix-Gene-Chip miRNA4.0.
      RESULTS: Increased PXR protein was observed in both PSC and PBC compared to
      controls and was accompanied by a significant increase of SULT2A1 in PBC but not
      in PSC. Decreased expression of SULT2A1 mRNA was also seen in ileum of patients
      with PSC. Unlike PBC, miRNA analysis in PSC has shown a substantial increase in
      liver miR-378a-5p. CONCLUSIONS: PSC is characterized by disease-specific
      impairment of SULT2A1 expression following PXR activation, a phenomenon which is
      not noted in PBC, and may account for the impaired hepatoprotection in PSC. miRNA
      analysis suggests that SULT2A1 expression in PSC may be regulated by miR-378a-5p,
      connoting its pathogenic role.

PMID- 26504855
TI  - Autoimmune Conditions in 235 Hemochromatosis Probands with HFE C282Y Homozygosity
      and Their First-Degree Relatives.
AB  - We performed a retrospective study of autoimmune conditions (ACs) in 235
      hemochromatosis probands at diagnosis by analyzing age, sex, ACs, history of
      first-degree family members with ACs (FH), diabetes, heavy ethanol consumption,
      elevated serum ALT/AST, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis,
      cirrhosis, iron removed to achieve iron depletion (QFe), and positivity for human
      leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes A (*) 01, B (*) 08; A (*) 02, B (*) 44; A (*)
      03, B (*) 07; A (*) 03, B (*) 14; and A (*) 29, B (*) 44. There were 138 men
      (58.7%). Median followup was 19.6 y. One or more of 19 ACs were diagnosed in each
      of 35 probands (14.9%). Prevalences of Hashimoto's thyroiditis, rheumatoid
      arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis were 8.1% (95% CI: [5.1, 12.5]), 1.7% [0.6,
      4.6], and 0.0085 [0.0015, 0.0337], respectively. Eighteen probands (7.7%) had a
      FH. Eight probands with ACs had 9 family members with ACs. In a logistic
      regression, ACs were less likely in men (odds ratio (OR) 0.3 [0.1, 0.6]) and more
      likely in probands with a FH (OR 4.1 [1.4, 11.8]). Overall ACs risk was not
      significantly associated with QFe or HLA haplotypes. Estimated survival of
      probands with and without ACs did not differ significantly. We conclude that ACs
      are common in hemochromatosis probands, especially women and probands with a FH.

PMID- 26504857
TI  - Automated Classification of Circulating Tumor Cells and the Impact of
      Interobsever Variability on Classifier Training and Performance.
AB  - Application of personalized medicine requires integration of different data to
      determine each patient's unique clinical constitution. The automated analysis of
      medical data is a growing field where different machine learning techniques are
      used to minimize the time-consuming task of manual analysis. The evaluation, and
      often training, of automated classifiers requires manually labelled data as
      ground truth. In many cases such labelling is not perfect, either because of the
      data being ambiguous even for a trained expert or because of mistakes. Here we
      investigated the interobserver variability of image data comprising fluorescently
      stained circulating tumor cells and its effect on the performance of two
      automated classifiers, a random forest and a support vector machine. We found
      that uncertainty in annotation between observers limited the performance of the
      automated classifiers, especially when it was included in the test set on which
      classifier performance was measured. The random forest classifier turned out to
      be resilient to uncertainty in the training data while the support vector
      machine's performance is highly dependent on the amount of uncertainty in the
      training data. We finally introduced the consensus data set as a possible
      solution for evaluation of automated classifiers that minimizes the penalty of
      interobserver variability. 

PMID- 26504860
TI  - Finding the Right "Balance" for the Trainee.

PMID- 26504861
TI  - Cylindrical Batteries in the Stomach: Should We Wait 48 Hours for Removal?

PMID- 26504858
TI  - Genetic Predictors of Poor Prognosis in Portuguese Patients with Juvenile
      Idiopathic Arthritis: Data from Reuma.pt.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess the genetic determinants of poor outcome
      in Portuguese patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). METHODS: Our
      study was conducted in Reuma.pt, the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Register,
      which includes patients with JIA. We collected prospectively patient and disease
      characteristics and a blood sample for DNA analysis. Poor prognosis was defined
      as CHAQ/HAQ >0.75 at the last visit and/or the treatment with biological therapy.
      A selected panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with
      susceptibility was studied to verify if there was association with poor
      prognosis. RESULTS: Of the 812 patients with JIA registered in Reuma.pt, 267 had
      a blood sample and registered information used to define "poor prognosis." In
      univariate analysis, we found significant associations with poor prognosis for
      allele A of TNFA1P3/20 rs6920220, allele G of TRAF1/C5 rs3761847, and allele G of
      PTPN2 rs7234029. In multivariate models, the associations with TRAF1/C5 (1.96
      [1.17-3.3]) remained significant at the 5% level, while TNFA1P3/20 and PTPN2 were
      no longer significant. Nevertheless, none of associations found was significant
      after the Bonferroni correction was applied. CONCLUSION: Our study does not
      confirm the association between a panel of selected SNP and poor prognosis in
      Portuguese patients with JIA.

PMID- 26504859
TI  - The Interplay between Zinc, Vitamin D and, IL-17 in Patients with Chronic
      Hepatitis C Liver Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess zinc (Zn) and vitamin D (Vit. D) status in chronic
      Hepatitis C virus- (HCV) infected patients and their relationship to interleukin-
      (IL-) 17 and disease severity and then investigate whether Zn and Vit. D3
      modulate IL-17 expression in chronic HCV patients. METHODS: Seventy patients and
      fifty healthy subjects were investigated. Serum levels of Zn, Vit. D, and IL-17
      were assessed in the patients group and subgroups. Patients lymphocytes were
      activated in vitro in the presence or absence of Zn or Vit. D3 and then
      intracellular IL-17 production was assessed using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Zn and
      Vit. D were significantly decreased in HCV patients. Increasing disease severity
      leads to more reduction in Zn level opposed by increasing IL-17 level. Zn
      potently reduced IL-17 production in a dose-related fashion; however it did not
      exert any toxic effects. Although Vit. D apparently increases IL17 expression, it
      is unclear whether it is due to its toxic effect on cell count or lack of
      definite association between Vit. D and both IL-17 and disease severity.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that Zn modulates IL-17 expression and
      provides a rationale for evaluating this compound as a supplementary agent in the
      treatment of chronic HCV.

PMID- 26504862
TI  - Over-the-Scope Clip for Control of a Recurrent Diverticular Bleed.

PMID- 26504863
TI  - The Lost Buckyballs.

PMID- 26504864
TI  - Intrathoracic Stomach and Partial Transverse Colon with Gastric Volvulus.

PMID- 26504865
TI  - A Preponderance of Polyps: Sequelae of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis.

PMID- 26504866
TI  - Who Turned Out the Lights? An Impressive Case of Melanosis Coli.

PMID- 26504867
TI  - Acute Abdomen Due to Cecal Volvulus Associated With Chilaiditi Syndrome.

PMID- 26504868
TI  - Acute Esophageal Necrosis Presenting With Henoch-Schonlein Purpura.
AB  - A 63-year-old woman with abdominal pain and melena developed a palpable, purpuric
      rash and acute kidney injury. Skin and kidney biopsy confirmed Henoch-Schonlein
      purpura. Upper endoscopy revealed diffuse, circumferential, black-appearing
      mucosa of the esophagus consistent with acute esophageal necrosis (AEN), also
      known as black esophagus. AEN is a very rare cause of gastrointestinal hemorrhage
      with a high mortality risk. To our knowledge, there have been no prior reports of
      AEN associated with Henoch-Schonlein purpura or other vasculitis. 

PMID- 26504869
TI  - Deglutition Syncope: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
AB  - Deglutition syncope (DS) is a rare, neurally-mediated syncopal syndrome arising
      from an aberrant vagotonic reflex during swallow-associated esophageal dilation.
      Its association with gastroesophageal disorders often prompts gastroenterology
      consultation. An 89-year-old man with recent dysphagia and otalgia was admitted
      after a syncopal episode occurred while eating. Esophageal imaging and endoscopy
      demonstrated no causative abnormalities. Maxillofacial imaging revealed chronic
      sinusitis and mastoiditis. Telemetry monitoring demonstrated high-grade
      atrioventricular block and pause associated with swallowing. His symptoms and
      swallow-associated arrhythmia resolved after dual chamber pacemaker implantation.
      DS is highly treatable once identified and multidisciplinary coordination is
      helpful in optimizing outcomes and avoiding superfluous testing. 

PMID- 26504870
TI  - Lower Esophageal Thickening Due to a Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band.
AB  - Laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) is a surgical device to treat obesity
      that is widely used and generally considered to be safe. We report an adverse
      event related to the physiological and mechanical changes that occur after LAGB
      placement, namely chronic obstruction resulting in marked lower esophageal
      thickening. 

PMID- 26504871
TI  - Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Dysplasia and Early Carcinoma Detected After
      Remote Esophagectomy for Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - We present a case of squamous dysplasia and early squamous carcinoma of the
      esophagus after esophagectomy for esophageal adenocarcinoma. We briefly discuss
      mucosectomy and ablative therapy as potential treatment options. 

PMID- 26504872
TI  - Spontaneous Paraesophageal Hematoma.
AB  - Spontaneous paraesophageal hematoma (SPH) likely shares a common etiology with
      spontaneous intramural esophageal hematoma (IEH). Patients with IEH typically
      present with hematemesis or melena leading to early detection and management, but
      patients with SPH do not have overt gastrointestinal bleeding on presentation.
      Management depends on the correction of the underlying causative factor. We
      present the first case of a spontaneous paraesophageal hematoma in a patient with
      hemophilia B. Awareness of this complication of hemophilia, its clinical
      manifestations, and imaging findings, allows for a timely diagnosis and
      appropriate management. 

PMID- 26504873
TI  - Ethanol Ablation of a Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Presenting as a Small Bowel
      Obstruction.
AB  - Ethanol has historically been used as an ablative agent for a variety of lesions.
      One of the more common applications of this technique is celiac plexus
      neurolysis; however, recent reports have suggested a role for the endoscopic
      alcohol ablation of a variety of solid and cystic lesions. We report a novel case
      of endoscopic ethanol ablation of a peripheral nerve sheath tumor presenting as a
      small bowel obstruction. 

PMID- 26504874
TI  - A Tailgut Cyst Diagnosed by Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration.
AB  - Tailgut cysts are rare developmental cysts. Surgery has been the primary method
      of diagnosis and treatment of these cysts, but endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has
      recently been used to establish diagnosis. Only 2 cases of tailgut cyst diagnosed
      by EUS-guided FNA have been reported. We present a woman in her fourth decade who
      presented for evaluation of perirectal mass. EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration
      (FNA) helped establish the diagnosis of tailgut cyst. The patient opted for
      observation rather than surgery. 

PMID- 26504875
TI  - Metastatic Testicular Choriocarcinoma: A Rare Cause of Upper GI Bleeding.
AB  - We present a case of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in an otherwise healthy 18
      year-old man who presented with melena. Endoscopy revealed an ulcerated mass in
      the stomach and pathology confirmed this to be a malignant, poorly differentiated
      choriocarcinoma. Further imaging showed a left testicular mass with evidence of
      pulmonary, gastric, and brain metastases, and blood tests revealed an hCG level
      of 32,219 U/L. He was diagnosed with advanced metastatic testicular
      choriocarcinoma and underwent intensive induction chemotherapy and an
      orchidectomy. Metastatic testicular choriocarcinoma is a rare cause of
      gastrointestinal bleeding. 

PMID- 26504876
TI  - Mesenteric Panniculitis Associated With Vibrio cholerae Infection.
AB  - We report the first case of acute Vibrio cholerae infection with computed
      tomography (CT) changes consistent with mesenteric panniculitis (MP). A 78-year
      old Indian man returned from overseas travel with progressively severe nausea,
      vomiting, abdominal pain, and watery diarrhea. His stool tested positive twice
      for Vibrio cholerae. CT revealed prominent lymph nodes and a hazy mesentery
      consistent with MP. Antibiotic treatment resulted in complete resolution of MP on
      follow-up CT 8 months later. In the setting of Vibrio cholerae infection, the CT
      finding of MP appears to be the result of a immunologically mediated reactive
      inflammatory disorder of the mesentery. 

PMID- 26504877
TI  - Colitis Following Initiation of Sofosbuvir and Simeprevir for Genotype 1
      Hepatitis C.
AB  - Sofosbuvir and simeprevir are used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (HCV)
      genotype 1. Both drugs have been well-tolerated, with diarrhea noted in 6% cases
      with sofosbuvir, 16% with sofosbuvir plus simeprevir, and 0% with simeprevir. No
      prior reports exist of colitis secondary to either drug or their combination. We
      report a patient with no prior history of inflammatory bowel disease who
      developed significant bloody diarrhea within 2 weeks of sofosbuvir/simeprevir
      initiation. Colonoscopy and biopsy confirmed pancolitis, which responded to
      mesalamine and completion of sofosbuvir/simeprevir. 

PMID- 26504878
TI  - Disseminated Tuberculosis in a Patient Taking Anti-TNF Therapy for Crohn's
      Disease.
AB  - A man in his sixth decade with Crohn's colitis and who had been taking infliximab
      for 18 months presented with fever and weight loss. Chest CT showed numerous
      nodules in both lungs, and sputum culture grew Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
      Colonoscopy showed circumferential ulcerations from the cecum to the descending
      colon, and biopsies showed extensive granulomas with central necrosis, positive
      for acid-fast bacteria. Brain MRI revealed a thalamic ring-enhanced mass with
      edema, consistent with tuberculoma. Clinicians should be aware of the appropriate
      screening and close monitoring of tuberculosis before and during anti-tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF) therapy. 

PMID- 26504879
TI  - Two Cases of Type Va Extrahepatic Bile Duct Duplication With Distal Klatskin
      Tumor Surgically Treated with Whipple Procedure and Hepaticojejunostomy.
AB  - We describe the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of a type Va extrahepatic
      bile duct duplication coexistent with distally located hilar cholangiocarcinoma
      (Klatskin tumor). We present 2 cases that were diagnosed preoperatively and
      treated with a modified surgical technique of a combined pylorus-preserving
      Whipple procedure and hepaticojejunostomy. 

PMID- 26504880
TI  - Acute Pancreatitis-Induced Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy in an African American Male.
AB  - Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is triggered by multiple physical and
      psychological stressors and frequently mimics acute coronary syndrome. Acute
      pancreatitis as a trigger for TCM has rarely been reported. We report a 55-year
      old African American man with hypertension and alcohol abuse history, who
      presented with epigastric and sub-sternal pain and electrocardiogram
      demonstrating ischemic changes. Laboratory parameters revealed elevated troponin
      I, amylase, lipase, and metabolic acidosis. He was diagnosed with acute
      pancreatitis and ACS. Coronary angiogram was unrevealing for coronary
      atherosclerosis and he was managed conservatively for acute pancreatitis and
      heart failure from TCM. 

PMID- 26504881
TI  - Xanthogranulomatous Cholecystitis Mimicking Biliary Tract Cancer.
AB  - We present a 42-year-old man with a 1-month history of painless jaundice, dark
      urine, clay-colored stools, and a 13.5-kg weight loss. Laboratory tests revealed
      elevated liver enzymes and CA19-9. Imaging showed dilation of both the intra- and
      extrahepatic bile ducts, narrowing of the bile duct at the junction of the common
      bile duct and common hepatic duct, and a hypoechoic mass involving the neck of
      the gallbladder and the muscularis propria of the duodenum. Examination of the
      resected gallbladder and perihilar nodes ruled out malignancy and revealed a
      diffuse inflammatory infiltrate of giant histiocytes with clear, lipid-containing
      cytoplasm (xanthoma cells), consistent with xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis. 

PMID- 26504882
TI  - Bilhemia: A Rare Complication of Transjugular Intraheptic Portosytemic Shunt.
AB  - A 56-year-old woman with cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis C underwent emergent
      transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) due to a ruptured esophageal
      varix during esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Following TIPS, the patient experienced
      a rapid rise in serum bilirubin with no evidence of biliary obstruction or
      hepatic injury. She was determined to have bilhemia, a rare but serious
      complication of TIPS. 

PMID- 26504883
TI  - Eosinophilic Liver Infiltration.
AB  - Eosinophilic liver infiltration is a commonly encountered focal eosinophil
      related inflammation with or without necrosis, which can be seen on computed
      tomography (CT) in the presence of peripheral eosinophilia. Although this entity
      has a relatively benign course, it is related to numerable conditions for which
      diagnosis may be challenging and requires substantial diagnostic work-up for
      proper management and care of the underlying disease. We report a case of a 60
      year-old man who presented with a 1-week history of right upper quadrant
      abdominal pain with multiple ill-defined liver hypodensities associated with
      significant eosinophilia. 

PMID- 26504884
TI  - Acute Hepatocellular Drug-Induced Liver Injury From Bupropion and Doxycycline.
AB  - The management and diagnosis of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is often
      challenging, particularly when patients are taking multiple medications. We
      present a 29-year-old African American man who presented with jaundice and
      malaise after starting bupropion and doxycycline 2 weeks prior. He was found to
      have acute hepatocellular drug-induced liver injury with autoimmune features, and
      made a complete recovery with prednisone. Although bupropion and doxycycline are
      both known to cause liver toxicity, a closer inspection of the signature of liver
      injury and a review of prior related DILI cases assigns causality more to
      bupropion than doxycycline. 

PMID- 26504885
TI  - Lymphoma Remission by Interferon-Free HCV Eradication Without Chemotherapy.
AB  - Epidemiologic studies have suggested an association between hepatitis C virus
      (HCV) infection and antigendriven lymphoproliferative disorders, in particular
      marginal zone lymphomas. Antiviral therapy has been shown to exert an anti
      lymphoma effect in these indolent B-cell lymphoproliferations, with survival
      gains observed. However, these protocols have traditionally incorporated
      interferon. We describe a patient with chronic hepatitis C, immune
      thrombocytopenia, and splenic marginal zone lymphoma who, after eradication of
      HCV with sofosbuvir and ribavirin, exhibited complete remission of both
      hematologic conditions. With the numerous new potent drugs currently available,
      the future looks positive with highly efficacious interferon-free regimens for
      HCV therapy. 

PMID- 26504886
TI  - Peritoneal Mesothelioma: An Unusual Cause of High-Protein Ascites.
AB  - We present a case illustrating the workup and diagnosis of peritoneal sarcomatous
      mesothelioma as an unusual etiology of intestinal obstruction and high-protein
      ascites in an otherwise healthy man. This rare disorder is diagnosed based on
      immunohistochemistry, which is necessary to differentiate it from other rare
      sarcomatous carcinomas. In many cases, localized disease can be treated to cure
      with surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Advanced disease is often treated
      for palliation of symptoms. 

PMID- 26504888
TI  - Causal Control of Biological Systems with Light.

PMID- 26504887
TI  - Deciphering hepatocellular responses to metabolic and oncogenic stress.
AB  - Each cell type responds uniquely to stress and fractionally contributes to global
      and tissue-specific stress responses. Hepatocytes, liver macrophages (MPhi), and
      sinusoidal endothelial cells (SEC) play functionally important and interdependent
      roles in adaptive processes such as obesity and tumor growth. Although these cell
      types demonstrate significant phenotypic and functional heterogeneity, their
      distinctions enabling disease-specific responses remain understudied. We
      developed a strategy for the simultaneous isolation and quantification of these
      liver cell types based on antigenic cell surface marker expression. To
      demonstrate the utility and applicability of this technique, we quantified liver
      cell-specific responses to high-fat diet (HFD) or diethylnitrosamine (DEN), a
      liver-specific carcinogen, and found that while there was only a marginal
      increase in hepatocyte number, MPhi and SEC populations were quantitatively
      increased. Global gene expression profiling of hepatocytes, MPhi and SEC
      identified characteristic gene signatures that define each cell type in their
      distinct physiological or pathological states. Integration of hepatic gene
      signatures with available human obesity and liver cancer microarray data provides
      further insight into the cell-specific responses to metabolic or oncogenic
      stress. Our data reveal unique gene expression patterns that serve as molecular
      "fingerprints" for the cell-centric responses to pathologic stimuli in the
      distinct microenvironment of the liver. The technical advance highlighted in this
      study provides an essential resource for assessing hepatic cell-specific
      contributions to metabolic and oncogenic stress, information that could unveil
      previously unappreciated molecular mechanisms for the cellular crosstalk that
      underlies the continuum from metabolic disruption to obesity and ultimately
      hepatic cancer.

PMID- 26504889
TI  - Neighborhood Integration and Connectivity Predict Cognitive Performance and
      Decline.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Neighborhood characteristics may be important for promoting walking,
      but little research has focused on older adults, especially those with cognitive
      impairment. We evaluated the role of neighborhood characteristics on cognitive
      function and decline over a 2-year period adjusting for measures of walking.
      METHOD: In a study of 64 older adults with and without mild Alzheimer's disease
      (AD), we evaluated neighborhood integration and connectivity using geographical
      information systems data and space syntax analysis. In multiple regression
      analyses, we used these characteristics to predict 2-year declines in factor
      analytically derived cognitive scores (attention, verbal memory, mental status)
      adjusting for age, sex, education, and self-reported walking. RESULTS:
      Neighborhood integration and connectivity predicted cognitive performance at
      baseline, and changes in cognitive performance over 2 years. The relationships
      between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive performance were not fully
      explained by self-reported walking. DISCUSSION: Clearer definitions of specific
      neighborhood characteristics associated with walkability are needed to better
      understand the mechanisms by which neighborhoods may impact cognitive outcomes.
      These results have implications for measuring neighborhood characteristics,
      design and maintenance of living spaces, and interventions to increase walking
      among older adults. We offer suggestions for future research measuring
      neighborhood characteristics and cognitive function.

PMID- 26504890
TI  - Compiled data set of exact NOE distance limits, residual dipolar couplings and
      scalar couplings for the protein GB3.
AB  - We compiled an NMR data set consisting of exact nuclear Overhauser enhancement
      (eNOE) distance limits, residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) and scalar (J)
      couplings for GB3, which forms one of the largest and most diverse data set for
      structural characterization of a protein to date. All data have small
      experimental errors, which are carefully estimated. We use the data in the
      research article Vogeli et al., 2015, Complementarity and congruence between
      exact NOEs and traditional NMR probes for spatial decoding of protein dynamics,
      J. Struct. Biol., 191, 3, 306-317, doi:10.1016/j.jsb.2015.07.008 [1] for cross
      validation in multiple-state structural ensemble calculation. We advocate this
      set to be an ideal test case for molecular dynamics simulations and structure
      calculations. 

PMID- 26504891
TI  - Mapping the topographic epitope landscape on the urokinase plasminogen activator
      receptor (uPAR) by surface plasmon resonance and X-ray crystallography.
AB  - The urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR or CD87) is a glycolipid
      anchored membrane protein often expressed in the microenvironment of invasive
      solid cancers and high levels are generally associated with poor patient
      prognosis (Kriegbaum et al., 2011 [1]). uPAR is organized as a dynamic modular
      protein structure composed of three homologous Ly6/uPAR domains (LU).This
      internally flexible protein structure of uPAR enables an allosteric regulation of
      the interactions with its two principal ligands: the serine protease urokinase
      type plasminogen activator (uPA) and the provisional matrix protein vitronectin
      (Vn) (Mertens et al., 2012; Gardsvoll et al., 2011; Madsen et al., 2007 [2-4]).
      The data presented here relates to the non-covalent trapping of one of these
      biologically relevant uPAR-conformations by a novel class of monoclonal
      antibodies (Zhao et al., 2015 [5]) and to the general mapping of the topographic
      epitope landscape on uPAR. The methods required to achieve these data include:
      (1) recombinant expression and purification of a uPAR-hybrid protein trapped in
      the desired conformation [patent; WO 2013/020898 A12013]; (2) developing
      monoclonal antibodies with unique specificities using this protein as antigen;
      (3) mapping the functional epitope on uPAR for these mAbs by surface plasmon
      resonance with a complete library of purified single-site uPAR mutants (Zhao et
      al., 2015; Gardsvoll et al., 2006 [5,6]); and finally (4) solving the three
      dimensional structures for one of these mAbs by X-ray crystallography alone and
      in complex with uPAR [deposited in the PDB database as 4QTH and 4QTI,
      respectively]. 

PMID- 26504892
TI  - Data for the effects of ER and Golgi stresses on the ER-Golgi SNARE Syntaxin5
      expression and on the betaAPP processing in cultured hippocampal neurons.
AB  - This paper reports the data for the effects of organelle stresses on the ER-Golgi
      soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor-attachment protein receptors (ER-Golgi
      SNAREs) syntaxin 5 (Syx5) in neuronal cells. Quantitative as well as qualitative
      data are presented here to verify the upregulation of Syntaxin 5 (Syx5) under ER
      and Golgi stresses in hippocampal neurons. Changes in the processing of beta
      amyloid precursor protein (betaAPP) under ER stress were analyzed by
      immunological assays. In addition, our data shows the specific increase of Syx5
      expression under ER and Golgi stresses. Interpretation of our data and further
      extensive insights into the role of Syx5 in betaAPP processing under organelle
      stress can be found in "ER and Golgi stresses increase ER-Golgi SNARE Syntaxin5:
      Implications for organelle stress and betaAPP processing" [1]. 

PMID- 26504893
TI  - Quantitative analysis of mouse corpus callosum from electron microscopy images.
AB  - This article provides morphometric analysis of 72 electron microscopy images from
      control (n=4) and hypomyelinated (n=2) mouse corpus callosum. Measures of axon
      diameter and g-ratio were tabulated across all brains from two regions of the
      corpus callosum and a non-linear relationship between axon diameter and g-ratio
      was observed. These data are related to the accompanying research article
      comparing multiple methods of measuring g-ratio entitled 'A revised model for
      estimating g-ratio from MRI' (West et al., NeuroImage, 2015). 

PMID- 26504894
TI  - An Automatic Web Service Composition Framework Using QoS-Based Web Service
      Ranking Algorithm.
AB  - Web service has become the technology of choice for service oriented computing to
      meet the interoperability demands in web applications. In the Internet era, the
      exponential addition of web services nominates the "quality of service" as
      essential parameter in discriminating the web services. In this paper, a user
      preference based web service ranking (UPWSR) algorithm is proposed to rank web
      services based on user preferences and QoS aspect of the web service. When the
      user's request cannot be fulfilled by a single atomic service, several existing
      services should be composed and delivered as a composition. The proposed
      framework allows the user to specify the local and global constraints for
      composite web services which improves flexibility. UPWSR algorithm identifies
      best fit services for each task in the user request and, by choosing the number
      of candidate services for each task, reduces the time to generate the composition
      plans. To tackle the problem of web service composition, QoS aware automatic web
      service composition (QAWSC) algorithm proposed in this paper is based on the QoS
      aspects of the web services and user preferences. The proposed framework allows
      user to provide feedback about the composite service which improves the
      reputation of the services. 

PMID- 26504895
TI  - MATLAB Simulation of UPQC for Power Quality Mitigation Using an Ant Colony Based
      Fuzzy Control Technique.
AB  - This paper proposes a fuzzy logic based new control scheme for the Unified Power
      Quality Conditioner (UPQC) for minimizing the voltage sag and total harmonic
      distortion in the distribution system consequently to improve the power quality.
      UPQC is a recent power electronic module which guarantees better power quality
      mitigation as it has both series-active and shunt-active power filters (APFs).
      The fuzzy logic controller has recently attracted a great deal of attention and
      possesses conceptually the quality of the simplicity by tackling complex systems
      with vagueness and ambiguity. In this research, the fuzzy logic controller is
      utilized for the generation of reference signal controlling the UPQC. To enable
      this, a systematic approach for creating the fuzzy membership functions is
      carried out by using an ant colony optimization technique for optimal fuzzy logic
      control. An exhaustive simulation study using the MATLAB/Simulink is carried out
      to investigate and demonstrate the performance of the proposed fuzzy logic
      controller and the simulation results are compared with the PI controller in
      terms of its performance in improving the power quality by minimizing the voltage
      sag and total harmonic distortion. 

PMID- 26504896
TI  - Effects of 5-Amyno-4-(1,3-benzothyazol-2-yn)-1-(3-methoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-3H
      pyrrol-3-one Intake on Digestive System in a Rat Model of Colon Cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pyrrol derivate 5-amyno-4-(1,3-benzothyazol-2-yn)-1-(3
      methoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydro-3H-pyrrol-3-one (D1) has shown antiproliferative
      activities in vitro, so investigation of the impact of D1 intake on gut organs in
      rats that experienced colon cancer seems to be necessary. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      D1 at the dose of 2.3 mg/kg was administered per os daily for 27 (from the 1st
      day of experiment) or 7 (from the 21st week of experiment) weeks to rats that
      experienced 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced colon cancer for 20 weeks. 5
      Fluorouracil (5FU) was chosen as reference drug and was administered
      intraperitoneally weekly for 7 weeks (from the 21st week of experiment) at the
      dose of 45 mg/kg. RESULTS: Antitumor activity of D1 comparable with the 5FU one
      against DMH-induced colon cancer in rats was observed (decrease of tumor number
      and tumor total area up to 46%). D1 attenuated the inflammation of colon, gastric
      and jejunal mucosa, and the liver, caused by DMH, unlike 5FU, aggravating the
      latter. In addition, D1 partially normalized mucosa morphometric parameters
      suggesting its functional restore. CONCLUSIONS: D1 possesses, comparable with 5
      fluorouracil antitumor efficacy, less damaging effects on the tissues beyond
      cancerous areas and contributes to partial morphological and functional gut
      organs recovery.

PMID- 26504897
TI  - An Ensemble Learning Based Framework for Traditional Chinese Medicine Data
      Analysis with ICD-10 Labels.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to establish a model to analyze clinical experience of
      TCM veteran doctors. We propose an ensemble learning based framework to analyze
      clinical records with ICD-10 labels information for effective diagnosis and
      acupoints recommendation. METHODS: We propose an ensemble learning framework for
      the analysis task. A set of base learners composed of decision tree (DT) and
      support vector machine (SVM) are trained by bootstrapping the training dataset.
      The base learners are sorted by accuracy and diversity through nondominated sort
      (NDS) algorithm and combined through a deep ensemble learning strategy. RESULTS:
      We evaluate the proposed method with comparison to two currently successful
      methods on a clinical diagnosis dataset with manually labeled ICD-10 information.
      ICD-10 label annotation and acupoints recommendation are evaluated for three
      methods. The proposed method achieves an accuracy rate of 88.2% +/- 2.8% measured
      by zero-one loss for the first evaluation session and 79.6% +/- 3.6% measured by
      Hamming loss, which are superior to the other two methods. CONCLUSION: The
      proposed ensemble model can effectively model the implied knowledge and
      experience in historic clinical data records. The computational cost of training
      a set of base learners is relatively low.

PMID- 26504898
TI  - Priority Based Congestion Control Dynamic Clustering Protocol in Mobile Wireless
      Sensor Networks.
AB  - Wireless sensor network is widely used to monitor natural phenomena because
      natural disaster has globally increased which causes significant loss of life,
      economic setback, and social development. Saving energy in a wireless sensor
      network (WSN) is a critical factor to be considered. The sensor nodes are
      deployed to sense, compute, and communicate alerts in a WSN which are used to
      prevent natural hazards. Generally communication consumes more energy than
      sensing and computing; hence cluster based protocol is preferred. Even with
      clustering, multiclass traffic creates congested hotspots in the cluster, thereby
      causing packet loss and delay. In order to conserve energy and to avoid
      congestion during multiclass traffic a novel Priority Based Congestion Control
      Dynamic Clustering (PCCDC) protocol is developed. PCCDC is designed with mobile
      nodes which are organized dynamically into clusters to provide complete coverage
      and connectivity. PCCDC computes congestion at intra- and intercluster level
      using linear and binary feedback method. Each mobile node within the cluster has
      an appropriate queue model for scheduling prioritized packet during congestion
      without drop or delay. Simulation results have proven that packet drop, control
      overhead, and end-to-end delay are much lower in PCCDC which in turn
      significantly increases packet delivery ratio, network lifetime, and residual
      energy when compared with PASCC protocol. 

PMID- 26504899
TI  - Information Retrieval and Graph Analysis Approaches for Book Recommendation.
AB  - A combination of multiple information retrieval approaches is proposed for the
      purpose of book recommendation. In this paper, book recommendation is based on
      complex user's query. We used different theoretical retrieval models:
      probabilistic as InL2 (Divergence from Randomness model) and language model and
      tested their interpolated combination. Graph analysis algorithms such as PageRank
      have been successful in Web environments. We consider the application of this
      algorithm in a new retrieval approach to related document network comprised of
      social links. We called Directed Graph of Documents (DGD) a network constructed
      with documents and social information provided from each one of them.
      Specifically, this work tackles the problem of book recommendation in the context
      of INEX (Initiative for the Evaluation of XML retrieval) Social Book Search
      track. A series of reranking experiments demonstrate that combining retrieval
      models yields significant improvements in terms of standard ranked retrieval
      metrics. These results extend the applicability of link analysis algorithms to
      different environments. 

PMID- 26504900
TI  - Long-Term Outcomes of Sacrococcygeal Germ Cell Tumors in Infancy and Childhood.
AB  - Purpose. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term outcomes of
      sacrococcygeal germ cell tumors (SC-GCTs) over a 15-year period. Materials and
      Methods. A retrospective review was conducted of all pediatric patients treated
      for SC-GCTs at our hospital from 1998 to 2012. Results. Fifty-seven patients were
      treated for SC-GCTs with the most common in Altman's classification type I. Age
      at surgery ranged from one day to 5.6 years. Tumor resection and coccygectomy
      were primarily performed in about 84% of the cases. Pathology revealed mature,
      immature, malignant sacrococcygeal teratomas (SCTs), and endodermal sinus tumors
      (ESTs) in 41 (72%), 4 (77%), 6 (10.5%), and 6 (10.5%), respectively. Recurrence
      of discase occurred in 3 of 41 patients with mature teratomas (7.3%); 2
      recurrences with mature teratomas and one recurrence with EST. Five of 6
      malignant SCTs and 3 of 6 ESTs responded well to the treatment. Alpha-fetoprotein
      (AFP) level was elevated in both malignant teratomas and ESTs. No immediate
      patient death was noted in any of the 57 cases, but 4 patients with malignant
      tumors and distant metastasis succumbed at home within 2 years of the initial
      treatment. Conclusion. Benign SCTs have a significant recurrence rate of
      approximately 7%. Close follow-up with serial AFP level monitoring should be done
      for 5 years after initial tumor resection and coccygectomy. The survival rate for
      malignant SC-GCTs with distant metastasis was unfavorable in the present study. 

PMID- 26504903
TI  - On Relationships Between Fixation Identification Algorithms and Fractal Box
      Counting Methods.
AB  - Fixation identification algorithms facilitate data comprehension and provide
      analytical convenience in eye-tracking analysis. However, current fixation
      algorithms for eye-tracking analysis are heavily dependent on parameter choices,
      leading to instabilities in results and incompleteness in reporting. This work
      examines the nature of human scanning patterns during complex scene viewing. We
      show that standard implementations of the commonly used distance-dispersion
      algorithm for fixation identification are functionally equivalent to greedy
      spatiotemporal tiling. We show that modeling the number of fixations as a
      function of tiling size leads to a measure of fractal dimensionality through box
      counting. We apply this technique to examine scale-free gaze behaviors in
      toddlers and adults looking at images of faces and blocks, as well as large
      number of adults looking at movies or static images. The distributional aspects
      of the number of fixations may suggest a fractal structure to gaze patterns in
      free scanning and imply that the incompleteness of standard algorithms may be due
      to the scale-free behaviors of the underlying scanning distributions. We discuss
      the nature of this hypothesis, its limitations, and offer directions for future
      work.

PMID- 26504901
TI  - An updated h-index measures both the primary and total scientific output of a
      researcher.
AB  - The growing interest in scientometry stems from ethical concerns related to the
      proper evaluation of scientific contributions of an author working in a hard
      science. In the absence of a consensus, institutions may use arbitrary methods
      for evaluating scientists for employment and promotion. There are several indices
      in use that attempt to establish the most appropriate and suggestive position of
      any scientist in the field he/she works in. A scientist's Hirsch-index (h-index)
      quantifies their total effective published output, but h-index summarizes the
      total value of their published work without regard to their contribution to each
      publication. Consequently, articles where the author was a primary contributor
      carry the same weight as articles where the author played a minor role. Thus, we
      propose an updated h-index named Hirsch(p,t)-index that informs about both total
      scientific output and output where the author played a primary role. Our measure,
      h(p,t) = h(p),h(t), is composed of the h-index h(t) and the h-index calculated
      for articles where the author was a key contributor; i.e. first/shared first or
      senior or corresponding author. Thus, a h(p,t) = 5,10 would mean that the author
      has 5 articles as first, shared first, senior or corresponding author with at
      least 5 citations each, and 10 total articles with at least 10 citations each.
      This index can be applied in biomedical disciplines and in all areas where the
      first and last position on an article are the most important. Although other
      indexes, such as r- and w-indexes, were proposed for measuring the authors output
      based on the position of researchers within the published articles, our simpler
      strategy uses the already established algorithms for h-index calculation and may
      be more practical to implement.

PMID- 26504904
TI  - Topical sulfasalazine for unresponsive oral lichen planus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of topical
      sulfasalazine in the treatment of oral lichen planus (OLP) resistant to
      corticosteroid therapy. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Twenty-one unresponsive OLP
      patients were treated with topical sulfasalazine 3 times a day for 4 weeks. Each
      patient's symptoms and lesion size were evaluated at the beginning of therapy,
      and then after 4 weeks to determine the efficacy of topical sulfasalazine.
      Inflammatory cytokines levels in saliva were measured by ELISA. RESULTS:
      Seventeen patients (81%) reported improvement of discomfort and 12 patients (57%)
      had lesions decrease in size over 50%. Patients who had higher levels of IL-1beta
      and IL-8 were more responsive to topical sulfasalazine therapy. CONCLUSION:
      Topical sulfasalazine should be considered when OLP does not respond to
      corticosteroid therapy. Furthermore, high concentrations of IL-1beta and IL-8 in
      the saliva are useful indicators for the application of topical sulfasalazine in
      OLP patients refractory to steroid treatment.

PMID- 26504902
TI  - Prefrontal inputs to the amygdala instruct fear extinction memory formation.
AB  - Persistent anxiety after a psychological trauma is a hallmark of many anxiety
      disorders. However, the neural circuits mediating the extinction of traumatic
      fear memories remain incompletely understood. We show that selective, in vivo
      stimulation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)-amygdala pathway
      facilitated extinction memory formation, but not retrieval. Conversely, silencing
      the vmPFC-amygdala pathway impaired extinction formation and reduced extinction
      induced amygdala activity. Our data demonstrate a critical instructional role for
      the vmPFC-amygdala circuit in the formation of extinction memories. These
      findings advance our understanding of the neural basis of persistent fear, with
      implications for posttraumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders.

PMID- 26504905
TI  - A novel technique for guided bone regeneration using platelet-rich plasma and
      osteogenic progenitor cells: Literature-based rationale and case report.
AB  - Achieving predictable guided bone regeneration in critical size defects for
      future endosseous dental implant therapy poses a great challenge to clinicians. A
      novel technique utilizing autogenous osteogenic progenitor cells, calcium sulfate
      activated platelet-rich plasma in addition to particulate allograft was
      successfully used to augment a severely deficient maxillary anterior edentulous
      ridge. After 6 months of healing, satisfactory radiographic and clinical bone
      gain was noted with significant increase in alveolar ridge width. Endosseous
      implants were placed and restored successfully. The techniques with underlying
      clinical and biologic rationales are presented and discussed in this report. 

PMID- 26504906
TI  - Evaluation of lower facial heights as related to different anthropometric
      measurements in dentate and completely edentulous subjects.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim was to compare two measurements of lower facial height (base
      of chin-subnasale and base of chin- tip of the nose) as related to different
      anthropometric measurements in dentate and completely edentulous subjects. METHOD
      AND MATERIALS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 132 male subjects
      (group 1 [G1], 120 dentate subjects; and group 2 [G2], 12 completely edentulous
      subjects). Base of chin-subnasale measurement (FM1), base of chin-tip of the nose
      measurement (FM2), Willis' measurement (FM3), glabella-subnasale measurement
      (FM4), length of the index finger measurement (AM1), and tip of thumb-tip of
      index finger measurement (AM2) of subjects of G1 and G2 were measured by using a
      modified caliper while the subjects in G1 closed in centric occlusion, and the
      subjects of G2 were asked to close the maxillary and mandibular complete dentures
      in centric relation. Statistical analysis was carried out by using paired t test,
      Pearson's correlation (PC), and regression analysis. RESULTS: There were no
      significant differences between G1FM1 and G1FM3, G1FM1 and G1FM4, G1FM1 and G1AM2
      (P > .05), and PCs were R = 0.74, R = -0.35, and R = -0.32 respectively. However,
      there were significant differences between G1FM2 and G1FM3, G1FM2 and G1FM4,
      G1FM2 and G1AM2 (P <= .05), and there were significant differences between G2FM2
      and different measurements of G2 (P <= .05). CONCLUSION: The use of the linear
      equation to predict the possible base of chin-subnasale measurement through the
      Willis' measurement was recommended and could be used as a guide during
      restoration of the vertical dimension of occlusion when it has been lost.

PMID- 26504907
TI  - The effectiveness of computerized anesthesia in primary mandibular molar
      pulpotomy: A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The technique of local anesthetic administration is an important
      consideration in the behavior guidance of a pediatric patient. The study
      hypothesized that there is no difference in the pain effectiveness in the
      experimental subjects with the use of single tooth anesthesia and the controls
      with the use of conventional technique (traditional inferior alveolar nerve block
      [IANB]).The purpose of this study was to compare the anesthesia effectiveness of
      traditional IANB; IANB using a computer-controlled local anesthetic delivery
      system (CCLAD); and intraligamental anesthesia (ILA) using CCLAD in pulpotomy of
      the primary mandibular second molars. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Ninety-one healthy 5-
      to 9-year-old children underwent pulpotomy of the mandibular second molars. They
      were randomly assigned into Group A (traditional IANB), Group B (IANB using
      CCLAD), or Group C (ILA injection using CCLAD). The effectiveness of anesthesia
      was measured during different steps of pulpotomy using the sounds, eyes, and
      motor (SEM) scale. The postoperative complications were recorded after 24 hours.
      RESULTS: For all five pulpotomy steps, the anesthesia effectiveness was similar
      among the three anesthesia techniques. Anesthesia effectiveness was not
      significantly different (based on SEM scores) between the three groups during
      clamp application, drilling of the tooth, entering the pulp, pulp extirpation,
      and removal of the clamp (P = .635, P = .996, P = .630, P = .945, and P = .101,
      respectively). There was no significant difference in postoperative complications
      between the three groups. CONCLUSION: The IANB anesthesia using CCLAD and
      periodontal ligament anesthesia using CCLAD were as effective as traditional IANB
      in anesthetizing the primary mandibular molars during pulpotomy.

PMID- 26504908
TI  - A comparison of temperature increases produced by "premium" and "standard"
      diamond burs: An in-vitro study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Vital tooth preparations may cause irreversible thermal damage to the
      pulp. The manufacturing techniques of dental burs may decrease heat production
      and minimize the risk of overheating and trauma to the dental pulp. Strauss
      (Raanana, Israel) has introduced "premium" diamond burs, claiming superior
      efficiency and longevity. We sought to determine the safest preparation methods
      by performing a comparison of intrapulpal temperature increases caused with
      "standard" and "premium" burs. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Three types of diamond burs
      (F1R, F21R, and K2) were tested on extracted human teeth (n = 8 teeth per bur
      type). Premium and standard manufacturing techniques were compared for each bur
      type (n = 24 teeth per group; total 48 teeth). An intrapulpal thermocouple was
      used to measure the temperature during the procedure. Comparisons were analyzed
      with the t test and one-way ANOVA. P <= .05 was considered significant. RESULTS:
      All premium burs demonstrated lower temperature increases compared to the
      standard burs (P <= .001 for F21R and K2, P = .086 for F1R). The temperature
      increases with premium burs were similar for different bur shapes, but the
      temperature increases with standard burs depended on the bur shape (P < .001).
      CONCLUSION: Using premium diamond burs for tooth preparation may reduce the risk
      of pulp tissue damage, and thus reduce postoperative pulp-associated
      complications.

PMID- 26504909
TI  - Necrotizing sialometaplasia related to vomiting and silastic ring vertical
      gastroplasty.
AB  - Necrotizing sialometaplasia (NS) is a self-limiting, ulcerated, benign process,
      affecting minor salivary glands most commonly in the palate. The comorbidity of
      eating disorders with NS is rare. We present a patient with bilateral NS who
      suffered from frequent episodes of vomiting. Review of the literature revealed a
      handful of such cases. The possible role of vomiting in the pathogenesis of NS is
      argued. 

PMID- 26504910
TI  - Adverse pregnancy outcomes and periodontitis: A systematic review and meta
      analysis exploring potential association.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The correlation between periodontal status and systemic conditions,
      among them pregnancy, is widely described in the scientific literature. The aim
      of the present systematic review of the literature was to evaluate periodontal
      diseases as an independent risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes. DATA: Case
      control studies reporting pregnancy outcomes and periodontal status of the
      subjects were included. Risk of bias evaluation was performed using a tool
      developed by the Cochrane Bias Methods Group. After risk of bias evaluation of
      included studies, a meta-analysis was performed computing the Risk Ratio (RR) for
      each pregnancy outcome. SOURCES: Electronic databases (MedLine, Embase, Cochrane
      Central) were searched after preparation of an appropriate search string. STUDY
      SELECTION: The search resulted in 422 entries that were screened. After
      application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 22 studies were
      included in the review accounting for a total of 17,053 subjects. The computed RR
      for periodontitis was 1.61 for preterm birth evaluated in 16 studies (P < .001),
      1.65 for low birthweight evaluated in 10 studies (P < .001), and 3.44 for preterm
      low birthweight evaluated in four studies. CONCLUSION: The present systematic
      review reported a low but existing association between periodontitis and adverse
      pregnancy outcomes. This assumption is the result of proper corrections of biased
      methodologies and of heterogeneity of studies. (.

PMID- 26504911
TI  - Copper ion-induced fluorescence band shift of CdTe quantum dots: a highly
      specific strategy for visual detection of Cu(2+) with a portable UV lamp.
AB  - We have developed a new colorimetric strategy that allows visual detection of
      Cu(2+) under the irradiation of a UV lamp with high specificity based on the
      phenomenon that copper ions may lead to a fluorescence band shift of CdTe quantum
      dots (QDs) while other concomitant ions will not. 

PMID- 26504912
TI  - [Reply: We have focus on the field of general practice].

PMID- 26504913
TI  - [Acute PCI in Roskilde].

PMID- 26504914
TI  - [Reply: The National Board of Health: The documentation is solid].

PMID- 26504915
TI  - [Reply: Mads Koch Hansen: It's not just about distance].

PMID- 26504916
TI  - [Substandard or cheating? What about the readers?].

PMID- 26504917
TI  - [Psychiatric research ought to be central to long-term plans for psychiatry].

PMID- 26504918
TI  - Gordon A. Mclorie. May 2, 1945-February 2, 2015.

PMID- 26504919
TI  - [Let us create the best medical education].

PMID- 26504920
TI  - [Medical education must be rethought].

PMID- 26504921
TI  - [Better protection of research subjects].

PMID- 26504922
TI  - [Open letter to the Medical Association: Take responsibility for ensuring
      physician coverage throughout Denmark].

PMID- 26504923
TI  - [Washington DC vs. Copenhagen].

PMID- 26504924
TI  - [Pro medicine or pro pharma?].

PMID- 26504925
TI  - [Non registered indications are clarified].

PMID- 26504926
TI  - [Medicin.dk is careful].

PMID- 26504927
TI  - [Withdraw Gardasil].

PMID- 26504928
TI  - [Reply: Benefits outweigh possible drawbacks].

PMID- 26504929
TI  - [Physicians must not contribute to hysteria].

PMID- 26504930
TI  - [Yes to more eggs!].

PMID- 26504931
TI  - [Faith in the future of general practice?].

PMID- 26504932
TI  - Glucose Addiction in Cancer Therapy: Advances and Drawbacks.
AB  - While normal differentiated cells primarily use mitochondrial respiration to
      generate the required energy for cellular processes, most cancer cells rely on
      glycolysis, even in sufficient oxygen conditions. This phenomenon is known as the
      "Warburg effect" or aerobic glycolysis and the metabolic reprogramming of cancer
      cells towards this altered energy metabolism is currently recognized as one of
      the "hallmarks of cancer". Aerobic glycolysis underlies the rapid growth of tumor
      cells, with high rates of glucose consumption and lactic acid production, leading
      to cellular acidosis. Metabolic reprogramming renders cancer cells dependent on
      specific metabolic enzymes or pathways that could be exploited in cancer therapy.
      The development of treatments that target tumor glucose metabolism is receiving
      renewed attention, with several drugs targeting metabolic pathways currently in
      clinical trials. The search for suitable targets, however, is limited by the high
      plasticity of the metabolic network that can induce compensatory routes.
      Deregulated glucose metabolism is a prominent feature associated with resistance
      to classical chemotherapy or oncogene-targeted therapies, strengthening the
      clinical potential of combining these therapies with glycolysis inhibitors. The
      aim of this review is to compare the advances of different therapeutic strategies
      targeting the glucose "addiction" of tumor cells, highlighting their potential as
      effective weapons against cancer. We further discuss recent evidence for the
      involvement of glucose metabolism as a compensatory response to the use of drugs
      that target different signaling pathways, where the combination with glycolysis
      inhibitors could prove extraordinarily useful.

PMID- 26504933
TI  - [Considerations behind the Capital Region medication reviews].

PMID- 26504934
TI  - [The screening program is not outdated].

PMID- 26504935
TI  - [Is the screening program for colorectal cancer outdated before it has begun?].

PMID- 26504936
TI  - [Rectal cancer. More or less radiation?].

PMID- 26504937
TI  - [Dear patients in the capital region].

PMID- 26504938
TI  - [What is a good physician?].

PMID- 26504939
TI  - [DCSD is an independent body].

PMID- 26504940
TI  - [DCSD plays a central role].

PMID- 26504941
TI  - Midwife Laborists Provide High-Quality Care.

PMID- 26504942
TI  - [Should the announcement of scientific dishonesty be revised yet again?].

PMID- 26504943
TI  - Antibiotic use in Pregnancy may be Associated with Childhood Obesity.

PMID- 26504944
TI  - Exercise Reduces Gestational Diabetes Risk.

PMID- 26504945
TI  - Omega-3 Fatty Acids do not Appear to Prevent Preterm Birth.

PMID- 26504946
TI  - Chest X-ray quiz.

PMID- 26504947
TI  - A Special Section on Analytical Aspects of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

PMID- 26504948
TI  - Gold and Magnetic Nanoparticles-Based Electrochemical Biosensors for Cancer
      Biomarker Determination.
AB  - Detecting cancer at early stage is one of the most important factors associated
      with the increase of the survival rate of the patients. Cancer biomarkers are
      able to detect a specific disease early and help to provide treatments before it
      becomes incurable in later stages. Biomarkers can also be used to determine the
      recurrence of the disease and to evaluate the follow-up of the patients after a
      chemio- or radio-therapy and surgery treatments. Electrochemical biosensors are
      successfully applied for the detection of cancer biomarkers due to their high
      sensibility, rapid response and low cost. In recent years, the advance in
      nanotechnology has led to the discovery and the employment of a great number of
      new materials in nanoscale dimensions. Due to their particular properties, the
      development of nanostructured biosensors (in particular using gold and magnetic
      nanoparticles) with high analytical performances increases constantly. In this
      review recent different strategies for the development of gold and magnetic
      nanoparticles-based electrochemical biosensors for cancer biomarkers detection
      were presented.

PMID- 26504949
TI  - Photoelectrochemical Biosensors for Nucleic Acid Detection.
AB  - A biosensor for detection of nucleic acids employs, as the sensing element, an
      oligonucleotide, with a known sequence of bases that can be used to detect
      specific DNA/RNA sequences through the hybridization reaction (this kind of
      biosensor is also called a genosensor). Many different transducers can be used in
      the development of a genosensor. Recently, with the emergence of novel
      photoelectrochemically active species and new detection schemes,
      photoelectrochemistry has received increasing attention in the field of
      biosensors. Advances in the development and applications of photoelectrochemical
      genosensors are reviewed in this article.

PMID- 26504950
TI  - Nanotechnologies for Removal of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products from
      Water and Wastewater. A Review.
AB  - The occurrence of pharmaceuticals and other hazardous substances in surface
      waters and drinking water and the long-term exposure may represent a potential
      risk for both the environment and human health. Many studies have evidenced that
      conventional technologies used for wastewater treatment do not completely remove
      pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) residues, which can be
      detected in receiving waters at concentrations ranging from few ng L(-1) until
      more than MUg L(-1). Nanomaterials are of fundamental importance in the current
      research efforts to develop more efficient water treatment and remediation
      systems in place of conventional technologies. This review provides a
      comprehensive overview of the most relevant works available in literature
      reporting the use of nanosorbents (nanotubes and zeolites), nanofiltration (NF)
      and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for the removal of PPCPs compounds from
      water and wastewater. The literature review of laboratory- and pilot-scale
      studies have shown that nanomaterials are promising tools in environmental
      cleaning processes and water purification, even if more researches are necessary.

PMID- 26504951
TI  - Thin Film Nanocrystalline TiO2 Electrodes: Dependence of Flat Band Potential on
      pH and Anion Adsorption.
AB  - Thin nanocrystalline TiO2 films were produced on ITO conductive glass by dip
      coating of a sol-gel TiO2 precursor. The transparent films were characterized
      from the optical and structural point of view with UV-Vis, Spectroscopic
      Ellipsometry, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, the roughness of the
      coating by AFM. The changes in the electrochemical properties features of
      ITO/TiO2 electrodes were evaluated in the presence of different electrolytes
      (KCI, Na2SO4 and phosphate buffer) with the aim to clarify the role of the ion
      adsorption on the structure of the electrical double layer. Electrochemical tests
      (Cyclic Voltammetry, CV, and Impedance Electrochemical Spectroscopy, EIS) showed
      a strong influence of the electrolyte properties on the semiconductor band edge
      position in the electrochemical scale and on band bending. The CV profiles
      recorded can be explained by considering that the interface capacity is due to
      the charging of surface states (e.g., Ti(IV) surface sites coordinated by oxygen
      atoms, =Ti-OH or Ti-O-Ti). The surface charge is strongly affected also by the
      density and nature of adsorbed ions and by dissociation of surficial OH. Of
      interest the fact that for the produced nanocrystalline electrodes the flat band
      potential, measured from the Mott-Schottky analysis of the space charge layer
      capacity obtained with EIS, showed a non Nernstian behavior with the pH probably
      caused by a change in the surface acidity as a consequence of specific anion
      adsorption. The modulation of flat band potential with adsorbed ions is of
      interest for many applications, in particular for photocatalysis (change in the
      redox potential of photogenerated carriers) and for photovoltaic applications
      like DSSC (change in the photopotentials).

PMID- 26504952
TI  - Surface Modeling of Nanopatterned Polymer Films Obtained by Colloidal Templated
      Electropolymerization.
AB  - Nanostructured polypyrrole surfaces are fabricated by a one step colloidal
      templating approach, involving simultaneous polystyrene bead deposition with the
      electropolymerization of the pyrrole monomer. Using response surface modeling,
      the influence of several experimental parameters was studied, following as
      response the resulted film's thickness and the nanopattern's surface density.
      Polystyrene beads of 100 nm were immobilized by the electropolymerization of
      pyrrole and the spheres were dissolved in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature.
      The obtained nanostructures were analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and
      the results served to build the mathematical model (central composite face
      centered design, quadratic model) best describing the correlations between
      variables and responses. The obtained response surface model revealed the
      specific influence of each of the studied variables over the followed responses
      and it also allowed the controlled fabrication of nanopatterned surfaces.

PMID- 26504953
TI  - Polycyclodextrin and Carbon Nanotubes as Composite for Tyrosinase Immobilization
      and Its Superior Electrocatalytic Activity Towards Butylparaben an Endocrine
      Disruptor.
AB  - We developed a protocol for the immobilization of tyrosinase (Tyr) on the
      composite of polycyclodextrin polymer (CDP) and carbon nanotubes for the
      detection of an endocrine disruptor, i.e., butylparaben (BP). The formation of
      the CDP polymer was characterized by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The conducting
      film of cross-linked CDP and carbon nanotubes, displays excellent matrix
      capabilities for Tyr immobilization. The host-guest chemical reaction ability of
      CD and the pi-pi stacking interaction assure the bioactivity of Tyr towards
      butylparaben. The developed biosensor was characterized electrochemically by
      electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The enzyme-substrate kinetic parameters
      such as the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K(M)(app)) was measured under
      saturated substrate concentration. The determination of butylparaben was carried
      out by using square wave voltammetry over the concentration range of 2.1 to 35.4
      MUM with a detection limit of 0.1 MUM. The fabricated biosensor was successfully
      applied in real-life cosmetic samples with good recovery ranging from 98.5 to
      102.8%.

PMID- 26504954
TI  - Cholesterol Oxidase Functionalised Polyaniline/Carbon Nanotube Hybrids for an
      Amperometric Biosensor.
AB  - Functional carbon nanotubes (CNT) have attracted much attention for analytical
      and biomedical applications. This paper describes the fabrication of a
      cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) immobilised polyaniline (PANI)/CNT composite electrode
      for the amperometric detection of cholesterol. The prepared ChOx/PANI/CNT/Au
      bioelectrode bound ChOx via the available functionalties of PANI (-NH2) and CNT (
      COOH). Moreover, the CNT creates a network inside the matrix that strengthens the
      mechanical property of the bioelectrode. The multifunctional matrix is presumed
      to provide a 3D-mesoporous surface, which substantially enhances enzyme activity.
      The linear range of the biosensor for cholesterol oleate was 30-280 MUM with a
      response time of 10 sec.

PMID- 26504955
TI  - Alkaline-Phosphatase-Based Nanostructure Assemblies for Electrochemical Detection
      of microRNAs.
AB  - Different nanoarchitectures, rich in enzyme labels, are herein investigated for
      signal amplification in the electrochemical detection of nucleic acids and in
      particular of microRNAs. Dendritic amplification, accomplished by the use of
      streptavidin and biotinylated alkaline phosphatase, and enzyme-decorated
      liposomes are used as labels to amplify the microRNA-sensing, by their
      association to the probe-microRNA hybrid generated onto a gold transducer.
      Differential pulse voltammetry and faradaic impedance spectroscopy were employed
      to characterize these different amplification routes.

PMID- 26504956
TI  - Electrochemical Impedance Studies on Single and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes-
      Polymer Nanocomposites for Biosensors Development.
AB  - Advances in nanoscience have allowed scientists to incorporate new nanomaterials
      in biosensing platforms. Carbon nanotubes are nanomaterials that facilitate the
      charge transfer between the bioelement and the transducer. Electrochemical
      impedance spectroscopy is a useful technique for the modified surface
      characterization. In the present approach electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
      was used to characterize the electrodes modified with different types of carbon
      nanotubes (single and multi-wall) according to their morphology and
      electrochemical behavior. By using Nyquist and Bode diagrams it was possible to
      assign the appropriate circuit considering all possible contributors. The charge
      transfer resistances as well as the time constants were calculated for all five
      types of investigated carbon nanotubes.

PMID- 26504957
TI  - A Novel Electrochemical Genosensor Based on Banana and Nano-Gold Modified
      Electrode Using Tyrosinase Enzyme as Indicator.
AB  - The electrochemical behavior of the tyrosinase enzyme at the surface of two
      electrodes, carbon paste electrode (CPE) and nano-gold modified carbon paste
      electrode (NGCPE), has been studied by cyclic voltammetry. Tyrosinase showed one
      oxidation peak (around +0.85 V) and one reduction peak at + 0.40 V versus
      Ag?AgCl?KCl (3 M). To calculate the values of a and k(s), the effect of potential
      scan rate on the electrochemical properties of tyrosinase was investigated.
      Cyclic voltammetry and UV-vis absorption techniques were used for the study of
      interaction between DNA and tyrosinase. The cyclic voltammogram of tyrosinase was
      obtained in the presence of different types of DNA bases for the study of
      tyrosinase-DNA binding. The results showed that the hydrogen binding and
      electrostatic interactions were important interaction mode. Moreover, a variation
      in tyrosinase signals intensity regarding the interaction to ssDNA and dsDNA was
      observed. The selectivity of the biosensor was studied using noncomplementary
      oligonucleotides. Finally, banana modified carbon paste electrode was also
      prepared to investigate the interaction of banana's tyrosinase with DNA. The
      limit of detection for DNA probe was calculated 0.33 pM by using the oxidation
      signal of accumulated tyrosinase in NGCPE.

PMID- 26504958
TI  - Effect of Electrophoresis on the Efficiency of Graphite-Nano-TiO2 Modified Silica
      Sol-Gel Electrode.
AB  - Electrophoresis treatment was used to improve the function of a nano-TiO2
      modified sol-gel electrode. Electrodes were prepared using TiO2 nanoparticles and
      fine graphite powder and then treated by electrophoresis. The developed electrode
      was employed for the detection of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) by following the
      decrease in the immobilised lactate peak current due to its LDH-mediated
      enzymatic oxidation. Detection was realised using square wave voltammetry (SWV).
      Experiments showed that the positive and negative heads of the electrophoresis
      treated electrode displayed different activities, with the positive head response
      being remarkably improved. Parameters affecting the electrode response, such as
      applied potential value, electrophoresis time and percentage of TiO2, were
      investigated and optimised. The improved performance was dependent on TiO2
      concentration as well as electrophoresis voltage and time. The prepared sensor,
      under optimised conditions, displayed a detection limit of 0.0073 U/MUl for LDH.

PMID- 26504959
TI  - A DNA Aptasensor for Electrochemical Detection of Vascular Endothelial Growth
      Factor.
AB  - Electrochemical aptasensors can detect different cancer biomarkers to provide
      point-of-care diagnosis that is low cost, rapid, specific and sensitive. In this
      work, we described the development of an electrochemical single-use aptasensor
      for detection and analysis of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Gold
      nanostructured graphite screen-printed electrodes were firstly modified with a
      mixed monolayer of a primary thiolated DNA aptamer and a spacer thiol, 6-mercapto
      1-hexanol. VEGF protein was then incubated with the aptasensor. An enzyme
      amplified detection scheme, based on the coupling of a streptavidin-alkaline
      phosphatase conjugate and secondary biotinylated aptamer was then applied. The
      enzyme catalyzed the hydrolysis of the electroinactive 1 -naphthyl-phosphate to 1
      -naphthol; this product is electroactive and has been detected by means of
      differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The aptasensor response was found to be
      linearly related to the target concentration between 0 and 250 nmol L(-1); the
      detection limit was 30 nmol L(-1). The performance of the immunoassay in terms of
      reproducibility and selectivity has been also studied.

PMID- 26504960
TI  - Ensembles-of Gold Nanowires for the Anodic Stripping Voltammetric Determination
      of Inorganic Arsenic.
AB  - 3D-ensembles of gold nanowires electrodes (3D-NEEs) are produced by electroless
      gold deposition in track-etched polycarbonate (PC) membranes, followed by partial
      etching (plama or chemical) of the polymeric membrane. These electrodes are
      applied to the anodic stripping voltammetric determination of inorganic As. The
      controlled etching of the PC template increased the gold surface area, widening
      the linear range of the analytical response with respect to ensembles of gold
      nanodisk electrodes (2D-NEEs). 3D-NEEs prepared using a chemical etching time of
      10 s allows the anodic stripping determination of As(III) with a detection limit
      of 0.08 MUg/L and a linear range extended up to 20 MUg/L. The speciation of
      inorganic As (As(III) and (As(V)) in river water is possible by difference
      between As(III) and total inorganic As, determined after reduction of As(V) with
      cysteine. The proposed method is successfully validated by comparison with lCP-MS
      determination.

PMID- 26504961
TI  - Development of Carbon-Based Nano-Composite Materials for Direct Electron Transfer
      Based Biosensors.
AB  - Nafion, an ion exchange polymer that is very resistant to chemical attack, even
      by strong oxidant at high temperatures, has found great increasing use as a film
      material; however, its use as immobilizing agent in third-generation biosensors
      is hindered due to the low rate of charge transfer in the pure Nafion film. In
      this work we showed that the use of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes
      Nafion/MWCNTs composite film for modification of the carbon-based electrode
      surfaces would increase the charge transfer rate greatly; the composite has
      proven to efficiently immobilize two different heme proteins (catalase and
      cytochrome c) and to enhance the electrochemical performances of several carbon
      electrode materials (glassy carbon, mesoporous graphite, graphite and graphene)
      either used as classical electrodes or screen printed ones. The electrochemical
      signal of both redox proteins becomes more reversible and the electron transfer
      kinetic constant increases. At the same time the biological activity is
      maintained indicating that the immobilization procedure allows the proteins to
      retain a native-like structure.

PMID- 26504962
TI  - A Voltammetric Sensor Based on Modified Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for N
      Acetyl-L-Cysteine Determination in the Presence of Tryptophan Using 4
      Chlorocatechol as a Homogenous Electrochemical Catalyst.
AB  - Simultaneous determination of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and Tryptophan (Trp) has
      been studied at the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with multi
      walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in the presence of 4-chlorocatechol as
      homogenous electrochemical catalyst in aqueous media. The electrocatalytic
      properties of GCE modified with MWCNTs in the presence of 4-chlorocatechol toward
      the electrocatalytic oxidation of NAC and Trp was studied using cyclic
      voltammetry (CV), double-step potential chronoamperometry and differential pulse
      voltammetry (DPV). The results has shown that NAC participates in Michael type
      addition reaction with electrogenerated quinone from electrooxidation of 4
      chlorocatechol at MWCNT/GCE to form the corresponding thioquinone derivative. The
      reoxidation of the adduct leads to increase in the oxidative current which is
      proportional to the concentration of NAC. Differential pulse voltammogram peak
      currents of NAC and Trp increased linearly with their concentration at the ranges
      of 5-60 MUM and 5-50 MUM, respectively and the detection limits for NAC and Trp
      were sequentially 3.427 MUM and 2.494 MUM. The proposed method was successfully
      used for the determination of NAC in pharmaceutical samples and the obtained
      results were found to be reasonable.

PMID- 26504963
TI  - Detection of DNA Hybridization by Methylene Blue Electrochemistry at Activated
      Nanoelectrode Ensembles.
AB  - Nanoelectrode ensembles (NEEs) obtained by electroless gold deposition in track
      etched poly-carbonate (PC) membranes are functionalized and applied for DNA
      hybridization detection, using methylene blue (MB) as electroactive probe. To
      this aim, an amine terminated (ss)DNA probe is immobilized on the PC surface of
      the NEE by reaction via carbodiimide and N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide. In order to
      increase the number of carboxylic groups present on PC and suitable for the
      functionalization, the surface of NEEs is oxidized with potassium permanganate.
      The presence of carboxylic functionalities is verified by spectrochemical
      titration with thionin acetate (THA) and the effect of the activation treatment
      on the electrode performances is evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). After
      activation and functionalization with the probes, the NEE-based sensor is
      hybridized with complementary target sequences. The effect of the
      functionalization of the NEEs both with the (ss)DNA probe alone and after
      hybridization with the target, is studied by measuring the changes in the MB
      reduction signal by square wave voltammetry (SWV), after incubation in a suitable
      MB solution, rinsing and transfer to the measurement cell. It was observed that
      this peak signal decreases significantly after hybridization of the probe with
      the complementary target. Experimental evidences suggest that the interaction
      between MB and the guanines of (ss)DNA and (ds)DNA is at the basis of the
      development of the here observed analytical signal. The proposed approach allows
      the easy preparation and testing of NEE-based sensors for the electrochemical DNA
      hybridization detection.

PMID- 26504964
TI  - A Special Section on Nanoparticles in Liquid Media for Material Processing,
      Environment and Industrial Applications.

PMID- 26504965
TI  - Radiation-Engineered Functional Nanoparticles in Aqueous Systems.
AB  - Controlled synthesis of nanoscalar and nanostructured materials enables the
      development of novel functional materials with fine-tuned optical, mechanical,
      electronic, magnetic, conductive and catalytic properties that are of use in
      numerous applications. These materials have also found their potential use in
      medicine as vehicles for drug delivery, in diagnostics or in combinations
      thereof. In principle, nanoparticles can be divided into two broad categories,
      organic and inorganic nanoparticles. For both types of nanoparticles there are
      numerous possible synthetic routes. Considering the large difference in nature of
      these materials and the elementary reactions involved in the synthetic routes,
      most manufacturing techniques are complex and only suitable for one type of
      particle. Interestingly, radiation chemistry, i.e., the use of ionizing radiation
      from radioisotopes and accelerators to induce nanomaterials or chemical changes
      in materials, has proven to be a versatile tool for controlled manufacturing of
      both organic and inorganic nanoparticles. The advantages of using radiation
      chemistry for this purpose are many, such as low energy consumption, minimal use
      of potentially harmful chemicals and simple production schemes. For medical
      applications one more advantage is that the material can be sterile as
      manufactured. Radiation-induced synthesis can be carried out in aqueous systems,
      which minimizes the use of organic solvents and the need for separation and
      purification of the final product. The radiation chemistry of water is well
      known, as are the various ways of fine-tuning the reactivity of the system
      towards a desired target by adding different solutes. This, in combination with
      the controllable and adjustable irradiation process parameters, makes the
      technique superior to most other chemical methods. In this review, we discuss the
      fundamentals of radiation chemistry and radiation-induced synthesis of
      nanoparticles in aqueous solutions. The impact of dose and dose rate as well as
      of controlled addition of various solutes on the final particle composition, size
      and size distribution are described in detail and discussed in terms of reaction
      mechanism and kinetics.

PMID- 26504966
TI  - The Interaction Between Like-Charged Nanoparticles Mediated by Rod-Like Ions.
AB  - We present a brief review of recent studies of the interaction between charged
      nanoparticles immersed in a solution of oppositely charged rod-like counterions.
      To analyze these systems, we extend and employ an approximate field theory for
      point charges that has been shown to be accurate from the weak to the
      intermediate through to the strong coupling regimes. The resulting theory
      compares well with simulation data. We find that in the weak coupling limit, the
      interactions between the plates in the rod system are only repulsive. In the
      intermediate coupling regime, the multivalent rod-like counterions can mediate
      attractive interactions between the nanoparticles through two mechanisms. Charge
      correlations between different counterion rods lead to attractions between the
      plates, as in the case for the point charge counterions. For sufficiently long
      rods, however, bridging contributes to the attractive interaction, where the
      correlation of the charges within the rods is important. In the strong coupling
      limit, the inter-ionic charge correlations dominate the attractive interactions
      at short separations between the charged nanoparticles.

PMID- 26504967
TI  - Nanosized and Nanostructured Particles in Pulmonary Drug Delivery.
AB  - Nanosized objects can be used as the drug carriers with specific functionalities
      which are introduced to the body via the respiratory system, i.e., by inhalation.
      They can be carried in as aerosol nanoparticles (NPs), nanostructured particles
      (NSPs) or components of nanosuspensions atomized into micrometer-sized droplets.
      In the first part of the paper physical factors required for the effective
      inhalation of nanocarriers are discussed, including the flow dynamics of NPs and
      NSPs in the respiratory tract. Selected problems related to designing of the
      required properties of inhalable drug carriers are also addressed. In the next
      part of the paper, the importance of direct physicochemical interactions between
      deposited nanoparticles and pulmonary fluids (pulmonary surfactant and bronchial
      mucus) is emphasized. This perspective allows for a more rational definition of
      the efficient strategies of the delivery of nanoparticle drug carriers via
      inhalation.

PMID- 26504968
TI  - Carbon-Nanohorn Based Nanofluids for a Direct Absorption Solar Collector for
      Civil Application.
AB  - Direct solar absorption has been often considered in the past as a possible
      solution for solar thermal collectors for residential and small commercial
      applications. A direct absorption could indeed improve the performance of solar
      collectors by skipping one step of the heat transfer mechanism in standard
      devices and having a more convenient temperature distribution inside the
      collector. Classical solar thermal collectors have a metal sheet as absorber,
      designed such that water has the minimum temperature in each transversal section,
      in order to collect as much solar thermal energy as possible. On the other hand,
      in a direct configuration, the hottest part of the system is the operating fluid
      and this allows to have a more efficient conversion. Nanofluids, i.e., fluids
      with a suspension of nanoparticles, such as carbon nanohorns, could be a good and
      innovative family of absorbing fluids owing to their higher absorption
      coefficient compared to the base fluid and stability under moderate temperature
      gradients. Moreover, carbon nanohorns offer the remarkable advantage of a reduced
      toxicity over other carbon nanoparticles. In this work, a three-dimensional model
      of the absorption phenomena in nanofluids within a cylindrical tube is coupled
      with a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of the flow and temperature
      field. Measured optical properties of nanofluids at different concentrations have
      been implemented in the model. Heat losses due to conduction, convection and
      radiation at the boundaries are considered as well.

PMID- 26504969
TI  - A Comparative Study of the Dispersion of Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes Made by Arc
      Discharge and Chemical Vapour Deposition.
AB  - A method has been developed to characterize the dispersion of multi-wall carbon
      nanotubes in water using a disc centrifuge for the detection of individual carbon
      nanotubes, residual aggregates, and contaminants. Carbon nanotubes produced by
      arc-discharge have been measured and compared with carbon nanotubes produced by
      chemical vapour deposition. Studies performed on both pristine (see text) arc
      discharge nanotubes is rather strong and that high ultra-sound intensity is
      required to achieve complete dispersion of carbon nanotube bundles. The logarithm
      of the mode of the particle size distribution of the arc-discharge carbon
      nanotubes was found to be a linear function of the logarithm of the total
      ultrasonic energy input in the dispersion process.

PMID- 26504970
TI  - Iron/Magnetite Nanoparticles as Magnetic Delivery Systems for Antitumor Drugs.
AB  - In this study we investigate on the possible use of a new kind of magnetic
      nanostructures as drug delivery systems for anticancer drugs. The starting
      particles are formed by an inner core of iron, coated by magnetite as a
      stabilizing, magnetic layer. These units are further coated by a
      poly(ethylenglycol) (PEG) layer to make them less prone to the attack by
      macrophages and to favour longer stays in the blood stream. The resulting
      particles consist of several magnetic cores encapsulated by a polymer layer
      around 5 nm thick. The crystal structure of the designed nanostructures, as
      determined by X-ray powder diffraction, is compatible with a crystalline
      magnetite component, whereas the magnetization hysteresis data indicate a
      superparamagnetic behavior. Both the initial susceptibility and the saturation
      magnetization are lower than for the bare magnetic cores, but still significant.
      Drug adsorption and release tests were performed on two anticancer drugs, namely
      5-fluorouracil and doxorubicin. Both are found to adsorb on the particles, but
      only the latter appears to be released at a reasonable rate, which is found to be
      very slow for 5-fluorouracil.

PMID- 26504971
TI  - Modeling of the Multiscale Dispersion of Nanoparticles in a Hematite Coating.
AB  - Images of a hematite-based epoxy coating are obtained by scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM). At the scale of a few micrometers, they show aggregates of
      hematite nano-particles organized along thin curved channels. We first segment
      the images and analyze them using mathematical morphology. The heterogeneous
      dispersion of particles is quantified using the correlation function and the
      granulometry of the embedding (epoxy) phase. Second, a two-scales, 3D random
      microstructure model with exclusion zones is proposed to simulate the spatial
      distribution of particles. This simple model is parametrized by four geometrical
      parameters related to the exclusion zones solely. The microstructure is
      numerically optimized, in the space of morphological parameters, on the
      granulometry of the embedding epoxy phase and on the microstructure correlation
      function, by standard gradient-descent methods. Excellent agreement is found
      between the SEM images and our optimized model. Finally, the size of the
      representative volume element associated to the optimized microstructure model is
      compared with that of the SEM images.

PMID- 26504972
TI  - Bimetallic Wiregauze Supported Pt-Ru Nanocatalysts for Hydrogen Mitigation.
AB  - Passive autocatalytic recombiner (PAR) is one of the most suitable devices for
      mitigation of hydrogen, generated in nuclear power plant under accidental
      conditions. For this purpose we report development of stainless steel wire gauze
      supported Pt-Ru nanoparticles as catalysts. Simultaneous electroless deposition
      has been employed for the synthesis of the catalysts. Pt-Ru based bimetallic
      catalysts were characterized for their rate of coating kinetics, noble metal
      loading, phase purity by XRD and surface morphology by SEM, TEM and elemental
      analysis by SIMS. Developed catalysts were found to be active for efficient
      recombination of hydrogen and oxygen in air as well as in presence of various
      prospective poisons like CO2, CH4, CO and relative humidity. Pt-Ru based
      bimetallic catalyst with 0.9% loading was found to be active for CO poisoning up
      to 400 ppm of CO.

PMID- 26504973
TI  - One-Pot Polyol Synthesis of Pt/CeO2 and Au/CeO2 Nanopowders as Catalysts for CO
      Oxidation.
AB  - The facile one-pot synthesis of CeO2-based catalysts has been developed to
      prepare a relatively large amount of nanopowders with relevant catalytic activity
      towards CO oxidation. The method consists of a two-steps process carried out in
      ethylene glycol: in the first step, 5 nm well-crystallized pure CeO2 is prepared.
      In a subsequent second step, a salt of a noble metal is added to the CeO2
      suspension and the deposition of the noble metal on the nanocrystalline CeO2 is
      induced by heating. Two catalysts were prepared: Pt/CeO2 and Au/CeO2. The as
      prepared catalysts, the thermally treated catalysts, as well as the pure CeO2,
      are characterized by XRD, TGA, XPS, FTIR, HR-TEM, STEM, particle size
      distribution, and N2-physisorption. In spite of the identical preparation
      protocol, Au and Pt behave in a completely different way: Au forms rather large
      particles, most of them with triangular shape, easily identifiable and dispersed
      in the CeO2 matrix. In contrast, Pt was not identified as isolated particles. The
      high resolution X-ray diffraction carried out on the Pt/CeO2 thermally treated
      sample (500 degrees C for 1 h) shows a significant CeO2 lattice shrinkage, which
      can be interpreted as an at least partial incorporation of Pt into the CeO2
      crystal lattice. Moreover, only Pt2+ and Pt4+ species were identified by XPS. In
      literature, the incorporation of Pt into the CeO2 lattice is supported by first
      principle calculations and experimentally demonstrated only by combustion
      synthesis methods. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report where
      ionically dispersed Pt into the CeO2 lattice is obtained via a liquid synthesis
      method. The thermally treated Pt/CeO2 sample revealed good activity with 50% CO
      conversion at almost room temperature.

PMID- 26504974
TI  - Photo-Physical Behaviour of CdSe Nanocrystals/Bis(dithiocarbamate) Linker
      Multilayered Hybrid Systems.
AB  - Multilayered films composed by CdSe Nanocrystals (NCs) interlinked by ethylene
      1,2-bis(dithiocarbamate) or adipate anions were prepared on ITO glass via layer
      by-layer alternation. The films were analyzed by UV-vis, TEM, Photoluminescence
      (PL) emission and Pump-Probe spectroscopy. While the PL emission of the two
      samples present no differences, femtosecond Pump-probe experiments reveal an
      higher charge generation efficiency in bis(dithiocarbamate) based films than in
      dicarboxylate ones.

PMID- 26504975
TI  - A General Technique to Investigate the Aggregation of Nanoparticles by
      Transmission Electron Microscopy.
AB  - The aggregation state of nanoparticles (NPs) must be precisely known in order to
      study the structure-property relationship and to evaluate the exploitability of
      NPs dispersion for a given application. Here we report a general technique for
      sample preparation to investigate with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) the
      state of aggregation of NPs dispersed in liquid solution. Following a simple
      procedure which requires few minutes, the aggregates of NPs are "frozen" in a
      polymeric matrix simultaneously to their deposition on a TEM grid. Our technique
      is of general applicability and it avoids the use of cryo-TEM, which is more
      expensive, more time consuming and less common than ordinary TEM. Compared to the
      investigation of NPs aggregation in the liquid phase with dynamic light
      scattering, our approach avoids the problem of shielding by large aggregates and
      it allows the full exploitation of TEM advantages, primarily the reliable
      determination of shape and size of each aggregate and the precise evaluation of
      the number of single NPs forming each cluster. As an example, we demonstrate the
      use of our technique to study two frequent topics related to aggregation: the
      plasmon properties of gold NPs aggregates and the stability of iron oxide NPs in
      physiological environment. The methodology described here will be useful to
      advance the knowledge about how aggregation influences the physical-chemical
      properties of NPs.

PMID- 26504976
TI  - Ceramic Ink-Jet Printing for Digital Decoration: Physical Constraints for Ink
      Design.
AB  - In the last decade, the drop-on-demand (DOD) ink-jet printing has become the
      leading technology for the decoration of ceramic tiles. The inks employed for
      such application are colloidal suspensions of oxide particles (0.3 MUm) whose
      stability (against agglomeration and over time) is fundamental to get
      successfully the tile decoration. Jettability from the DOD print heads is a key
      requirement along with proper colour after sintering. This means that a careful
      set up of inks properties (viscosity, density, surface tension) is required. The
      phenomena involved in the different stages of the ink-jet printing process (drop
      ejection from the nozzles, impact and spreading on the substrates) are described
      through dimensionless numbers as Reynolds, Weber, and Bond numbers, or their
      combinations. In literature physical constraints, obtained with a semi
      theoretical approach on the basis of experimental evidences on other systems,
      allow to define a reference region in the space of the dimensionless numbers
      (here called "printable fluid region," PFR) where the inks should be suitable for
      the application. In this paper, 26 inks currently used for ceramic tile
      decoration were characterized and mapped in the space of dimensionless numbers
      for several printing conditions. For typical nozzle diameters (20-50 gm) and drop
      velocities (6-8 m/s), it has been found that they fall in the region identified
      by 3 < Re < 30, 27 < We < 160, and 0.6 < 1/Oh < 2.5, where Re, We, and Oh, are
      the Reynolds, Weber and Ohnesorge numbers, respectively. Such experimental region
      can be taken as reference to tune the colloidal interactions in proper way,
      though the thresholds delimiting the PFR should be better defined.

PMID- 26504977
TI  - Infiltration of Metal Substrates with Nanostructured CeO2 by a Room-Temperature
      Wet Process.
AB  - A room-temperature infiltration procedure for the deposition of CeO2 nanopowders
      on Ni-based foams employing stable CeO2 suspensions in water has been developed.
      It consists of a two-steps dipping process, the first in nanopowder suspension at
      pH 6.5 followed by further dipping into a NH3OH solution at pH 12. The pH shift
      represents a key factor to improve the homogeneity and dispersion of infiltrated
      powder by avoiding coalescence during the drying step. Water-based suspensions
      have been prepared starting from a commercial nanostructured CeO2. Powder was
      characterized by X-ray diffraction, particle size and specific surface area
      measurements, transmission electron microscopy. Stability of suspensions was
      studied by zeta potential measurements at low concentration, while sedimentation
      tests were carried out on highly concentrated suspensions as a function of pH,
      CeO2 amount and surfactant presence. Effect of CeO2 concentration, surfactant
      addition, pH value, substrate composition and microstructure were taken in
      account. Under best conditions, very homogeneous infiltrations could be obtained
      without any preferential orientation or agglomerates. Thermal stability of the
      composites infiltrated materials was also tested. The technique seems to be very
      promising in advanced nanostructured decorations and coating preparation.

PMID- 26504978
TI  - Optical Properties of Mixed Nanofluids Containing Carbon Nanohorns and Silver
      Nanoparticles for Solar Energy Applications.
AB  - Different kinds of nanofluids show peculiar characteristics. In this work, a
      mixed nanofluid consisting of single-wall carbon nanohorns and silver
      nanoparticles aqueous suspensions is prepared and optically characterized, in the
      perspective to merge the favorable optical characteristics of carbon nanohorn
      based nanofluids to the good thermal properties of silver-nanofluids. For the
      samples, both the spectral extinction and the scattering albedo at discrete
      wavelengths have been investigated. The silver nanoparticle plasmonic peak in the
      visible range further improves the overall nanofluid sunlight absorption
      properties, opening interesting perspectives for using such mixed nanofluids as
      solar absorber and heat transfer media in solar thermal collectors.

PMID- 26504979
TI  - Charge Stabilized Silver Nanoparticles Applied as Antibacterial Agents.
AB  - Monodisperse silver nanoparticle sols were synthesized via chemical reduction
      processes in aqueous environment without using polymeric stabilizing agents or
      surfactants. The sols obtained using various reducing agents; inorganic cell
      permeabilizers and organic phenolic compounds; inter alia gallic acid (GA) and
      tannin (TA) were thoroughly characterized by various physicochemical methods such
      as TEM, SEM, AFM, DLS and micro-electrophoresis. The antibacterial activity of
      the sols against two E. coli strains was characterized via the determination of
      the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC). All sols exhibited a pronounced
      bactericidal effect against the standard K12 strain, especially the GA and TA
      sols showing MBC concentration as low as 1-5 mg L(-1). In the case of the
      antibiotic resistant strain the highest activity (MBC of 10 mg L(-1)) was
      observed for the sol synthesized using sodium hypophosphate and sodium
      tripolyphosphate. Additionally, interactions of silver nanoparticles with
      bacteria cell were studied using TEM and AFM imaging. It was shown that the
      silver particles attach to the bacteria surface inducing disintegration, which
      enables their penetration inside the bacteria. Our measurements confirmed that
      the surface chemistry of silver nanoparticles can play a decisive role.

PMID- 26504980
TI  - Permeability of Soft Particles at Electrical Fields.
AB  - The influence of the charge on the permeability of microgel particles is studied
      in the presence of electric fields. Electrophoresis experiments performed on pH
      ionizable pNIPAM-AA microgels show that particles behave as permeable spheres
      when the network is ionized. However, they keep non-permeable in the absence of
      charge. The ionic nature of the network thus controls the permeability of the
      soft particles. A salt-dependent local viscosity explains these permeability
      changes. This is confirmed by NMR as alternative independent technique. Strongly
      hydrated counterions located around fixed charges on the network are considered
      responsible for the local viscosity variations.

PMID- 26504981
TI  - Influence of Cu, TiO2 Nanoparticles and Carbon Nano-Horns on Tribological
      Properties of Engine Oil.
AB  - The addition of nanoparticles in lubricating oils recently demonstrated to reduce
      the coefficient of friction and to increase the load-carrying capability of
      lubricant in coupled surfaces. In this work, different kinds of nanoparticles
      were tested as additives to engine oil to improve lubrication: copper and
      titanium oxide nanoparticles and single walled carbon nanohorns (SWCNHs). Two
      nanoparticle sizes were also tested in case of copper. The tribological
      properties of these nanofluids were evaluated by Stribeck tests, in order to
      compare the effect of nanoparticles on friction coefficient and electric contact
      resistance in different lubrication regimes. Stribeck curves showed that the
      coefficient of friction was reduced, compared to raw oil, by the action of Cu
      nanoparticles having 130 nm diameter, leading to a mean decrease of about 17%,
      and by SWCNHs, with a mean decrease of about 12%. Conversely, no significant
      changes were detected in presence of Cu nanoparticles having 50 nm diameter or of
      TiO2. The suspension viscosity and stability were also tested. Wear tests were
      also carried out, showing a reduction of wear rate up to nearly 50% for Cu
      nanoparticles (150 nm diameter) and around 30% for SWCNHs. The measurements
      showed that nanoparticles having size comparable to the mean roughness of coupled
      surfaces significantly improved the tribological properties of bare oil. An
      explanation of nanoparticle action is proposed.

PMID- 26504982
TI  - Characterization and Simulation of the Heat Transfer Behaviour of Water-Based ZnO
      Nanofluids.
AB  - This paper deals with the characterization and modelling of water-based
      nanofluids containing zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles in concentrations ranging
      between 1 and 10 wt%. Low concentrations were chosen to reduce fouling and
      excessive pressure drops. First of all, the stability was verified by means of an
      instrument, based on the dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique, measuring mean
      nanoparticle diameters and Zeta potential. Moreover, nanofluids pH was measured.
      Then, thermal conductivities and dynamic viscosities were measured, analysing
      their dependence on temperature and nanoparticle concentration. Thermal
      conductivity was measured by means of a hot disk apparatus in the temperature
      range between 10 and 70 degrees C, while viscosity was measured by a magnetic
      suspension rheometer in the same range of temperatures. Finally, the heat
      transfer capability of these fluids was studied measuring their heat transfer
      coefficients in a dedicated apparatus between 18 and 40 degrees C. Heat transfer
      coefficient was evaluated at different Reynolds number, in turbulent flow regime.
      Reynolds and Nusselt numbers were deduced by using previously measured thermal
      conductivity and viscosity values. Moreover, numerical simulations in two
      dimensional turbulent and steady state flow were carried out. No increase in heat
      transfer coefficient in the temperature range between 18 and 40 degrees C was
      found. Comparison between experimental and numerical simulation data, in terms of
      wall temperature profiles, showed a good agreement.

PMID- 26504983
TI  - Effect of Nanoparticle Surface Chemistry on Adsorption and Fluid Phase
      Partitioning in Aqueous/Toluene and Cellular Systems.
AB  - Copolymers of di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (x = MeO2MA) and
      oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (y = OEGMA) display lower
      critical solution phenomena in aqueous systems that are tunable by the copolymer
      ratio (x:y), ionic strength, and temperature. These properties enable tuning the
      hydrophobicity of macromolecular systems by variation of (x:y). For nanoparticles
      stabilized with these macromolecules, this provides a systematic approach to
      understanding the impact of surface chemistry, specifically hydrophobicity, on
      the equilibrium and transport properties of nanomaterials in biphasic systems. We
      synthesized a homologous series of gold nanoparticles capped by these copolymers,
      Au@(MeO2MA(x)-co-OEGMA(y)). By varying the copolymer 95:5 < (x:y) < 80:20 ratio,
      we studied the effect of surface hydrophobicity on the nanoparticle equilibrium
      adsorption isotherm and phase transfer at the aqueous-toluene interface. The
      increase in hydrophobicity from (x:y) = 80:20 to (x:y) = 95:5 is accompanied by
      an increase in the fractional coverage of the aqueous-toluene interface from f =
      0.3 to f > 1, or multilayer adsorption and an increase in the characteristic
      adsorption timescale from tau(D) = 31 to tau(D) = 450 seconds. The equilibrium
      partition coefficient for the aqueous/toluene systems, K(T/W) is also a strong
      function of (x:y), increasing from K(T/W) (80:20) = 0.7 to K(T/W) (95:5) = 9.8.
      We also observed an increase in cellular uptake for increasing (x:y) suggesting
      that surface chemistry alone plays a significant role in intercellular transport
      processes.

PMID- 26504984
TI  - Carbon Soot-Ionic Surfactant Mixed Layers at Water/Air Interfaces.
AB  - An experimental study is here presented on the properties of aqueous dispersions
      containing carbon nanoparticles and different ionic surfactants which can modify
      the degree of hydrophobicity/philicity of particles favoring their transfer from
      the dispersion bulk to the interfacial layer. Aim of this work is to understand
      the particle-surfactant and particle-fluid interface interactions and their
      effect on those macroscopic surface properties of the mixed systems which are
      expected related to the stability and structure of the respective particle
      stabilized foams. To this purpose a systematic characterization of dispersions
      have been carried out, based on surface tension measurement against the
      surfactant concentration, using a drop Profile Analysis Tensiometer (PAT). These
      results have been crossed with the characterization of the bulk dispersion by
      Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and zeta-potential measurements to check the
      effects of surfactant on the particle aggregation and on the particle surface
      charge, respectively. The stability of the foams obtained with the same
      compositions has been also investigated and correlated to the other surface and
      bulk properties.

PMID- 26504985
TI  - Proton Conducting Ceramic Powder Synthesis by a Low Temperature Method.
AB  - Molten salt synthesis (MSS) is a simple method for the preparation of ceramic
      powders with specific morphology. The main role of the molten salts is to
      increase the reaction rate and lower the reaction temperature. It occurs because
      of much higher mobility of reactants in the liquid medium than in the solid
      state. In this work the molten salt synthesis was applied to produce ceramic
      powders of La0.995Ca0.005NbO4 and BaCe(0.9-x)Zr(x)Y0.1O3. Single-phase lanthanum
      niobate formed in all studied conditions of the synthesis, whereas in the case of
      barium cerate-zirconate MSS led to forming two crystalline phases: barium cerate
      and barium zirconate. The heating temperature and time as well as the salt
      content most strongly influenced the shape and size of particles. The influence
      of other parameters on the powder morphology was weaker. Despite differences in
      size and morphology, all groups of the La0.995Ca0.005NbO4 powder obtained with
      the MSS method pressed into pellets and sintered gave a dense ceramic material.
      On the other hand in the case of barium cerate-zirconate regardless of synthesis
      and sintering conditions the ceramics were porous.

PMID- 26504986
TI  - Role of Different Solvents on the Purification of As-Synthesized Nano-Ce(1
      x)Gd(x)O(2-d) Powders.
AB  - Ceria and rare earth-doped ceria powders have important applications in
      catalysis, gas sensoring, and electronics. Even if many authors report different
      methods for the synthesis of nano-sized doped-ceria only few of them give
      information about the necessary washing processes for the powder purification.
      The organics adsorbed on the as-synthesized particles surface strongly affect, in
      fact, the properties of the powder. In this work, CeO2 and Ce(1-x)Gd(x)O(2-d) (x
      = 0.10, 0.20, 0.30) solid solutions were produced by polyol microwave assisted
      method. The amount of synthesis residues adsorbed on the as-synthesized powders
      was firstly evaluated. The purification ability of different solvents on the as
      synthesized Ce0.80Gd0.20O190 was, then, accurately studied in order to obtain a
      clean powder without the need of any thermal treatments. The study shows that
      water purification allows to reduce the amount of the residues of synthesis
      leading to the production of nano-particles with a mono-dispersed distribution of
      dimensions.

PMID- 26504987
TI  - Role of Fillers on Dispersion of MWCNT/Fluoroelastomeric Composites for High
      Performance Dielectric Energy Storage Application.
AB  - Halloysite nanotube (HNT) and clay are introduced into multi-walled carbon
      nanotube (MWCNT)/fluoroelastomer (FKM) composites to improve electrical
      conductivity without harming mechanical and thermal properties. Hence, it has
      been achieved by combining the fillers (HNT and clay) with MWCNT which restricts
      the agglomeration of MWCNT in the matrix and allows the uniform dispersion. With
      just 2 wt% HNT and Clay, electrical conductivity is increased by more than four
      orders of magnitude (from 10(-8) to 10(-4) S/cm). Furthermore, the percolation
      threshold of these nanocomposites is reduced with the addition of 2 wt% HNT and
      clay. MWCNTs appear to have an affinity for clay that causes them to become more
      exfoliated in these composites. This HNT/clay-nanotube synergy may make these
      composites better suited for high electrical properties along with high
      mechanical and thermal applications.

PMID- 26504988
TI  - Enhanced Performance of Organic Thin Film Transistor Devices Using Hydroxyethyl
      Terminated P3HT as the Active Layer.
AB  - Hydroxyethyl-terminated poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT-OH) have been synthesized
      via a catalyst-transfer polycondensation using Grignard metathesis mediated by a
      nickel-based catalyst. This hydrophilic P3HT-OH is compared against the
      hydrophobic P3HT when used as an active layer on silicon dioxide (SiO2) wafer for
      organic thin-film-transistor (OTFT) fabrication. Hydroxyl groups at a 7.5% weight
      content lead to more chain regularity when polymer is bonded to SiO2 wafer
      surface and thus enhance the performance of OTFT Device, such as an 114.2%
      increase in ON/OFF ratio, an 12.4% increase in mobility, a 23.3% decrease in
      threshold voltage and a 30.1% decrease in surface roughness. Analysis and
      measurements reported in this paper have illustrated for the first time the
      feasibility of imparting hydrophilicity to the active layer for improving the
      OTFT performance.

PMID- 26504989
TI  - Enhanced Activity and Durability of Nanosized Pt-SnO2/IrO2/CNTs Catalyst for
      Methanol Electrooxidation.
AB  - Pt-SnO2/IrO2/CNTs anode catalyst for direct methanol fuel cell was designed and
      prepared with IrO2/CNTs as support for the subsequent immobilization of Pt and
      SnO2 at the same time. The structure of the catalysts and their catalytic
      performance in methanol electrooxidation were investigated and the roles of IrO2
      and SnO2 in methanol electrooxidation were discussed as well. Results show that
      Pt-SnO2/IrO2/CNTs catalyst exhibits the best activity and durability for methanol
      electrooxidation when compared with Pt/CNTs, Pt/IrO2/CNTs and Pt-SnO2/CNTs.
      According to the results of electrochemical tests and physicochemical
      characterizations, the enhancements of Pt-SnO2/IrO2/CNTs were attributed to the
      special properties of IrO2 and SnO2, in which IrO2 mainly increases the methanol
      oxidation activity and SnO2 mainly improves the CO oxidation ability and
      durability. Therefore, Pt-SnO2/IrO2/CNTs exhibits excellent performance for
      methanol oxidation with higher electrocatalytic activity (I(f) of 1054 A g(Pt(
      1)) and powerful anti-poisoning ability (the onset potential for CO oxidation of
      0.3 V) and outstanding durability (the sustained time t in CP of 617 s),
      revealing a suitable anode catalyst for DMFCs.

PMID- 26504990
TI  - Shape Dependent Thermal Conductivity of TiO2-Deionized Water and Ethylene Glycol
      Dispersion.
AB  - This paper presents the importance of different shapes and crystal phases of TiO2
      nanostructures such as TiO2 P-25 (70:30 anatase and rutile), as-prepared nanorods
      (pure anatase) and sodium titanate nanotubes (orthorhombic Na2Ti2O5 x H2O
      crystal) on the thermal conductivity of de-ionized water and ethylene glycol. It
      revealed that TiO2 nanorods (L x W = 81-134 nm x 8-13 nm and surface area = 79 m2
      g(-1)) showed always higher thermal conductivity than porous nanotubes (L x W =
      85-115 nm x 9-12 nm and surface area = 176 m2 g(-1)) and commercial TiO2 P-25 (30
      55 nm surface area = 56 m2 g(-1)), which was explained by their differences in
      crystallinity, crystal phases, compactness, surface exposed atoms, surface area
      and much greater mean free path of longitudinal phonon vibrations along its
      lateral dimensions. The subsequent effect of sonication time from 5-10 h results
      into the breakdown of TiO2 nanorods cluster (42 to 28 nm) with the instantaneous
      increase in negative zeta potential values from -31 to -45 mV, respectively,
      seems to be an additional cause for enhancement in its thermal conductivity.

PMID- 26504991
TI  - A Molecular Dynamics of Cold Neutral Atoms Captured by Carbon Nanotube Under
      Electric Field and Thermal Effect as a Selective Atoms Sensor.
AB  - Here we analyzed several physical behaviors through computational simulation of
      systems consisting of a zig-zag type carbon nanotube and relaxed cold atoms (Rb,
      Au, Si and Ar). These atoms were chosen due to their different chemical
      properties. The atoms individually were relaxed on the outside of the nanotube
      during the simulations. Each system was found under the influence of a uniform
      electric field parallel to the carbon nanotube and under the thermal effect of
      the initial temperature at the simulations. Because of the electric field, the
      cold atoms orbited the carbon nanotube while increasing the initial temperature
      allowed the variation of the radius of the orbiting atoms. We calculated the
      following quantities: kinetic energy, potential energy and total energy and in
      situ temperature, molar entropy variation and average radius of the orbit of the
      atoms. Our data suggest that only the action of electric field is enough to
      generate the attractive potential and this system could be used as a selected
      atoms sensor.

PMID- 26504992
TI  - Synthesis and Evaluation of Self-Assembled Azido Monolayer as a Novel Dielectric
      Layer for Fabricating Pentacene-Based Organic Thin Film Transistors.
AB  - Self-assembled 3-azidopropyltriethoxysilane monolayer (SAM) is used as a
      dielectric layer to modify the interface between the silicon dioxide wafer and
      the pentacene semiconductor layer in an organic thin film transistor (OTFT),
      Au/pentacene/3-azidopropyltriethoxysilane/SiO2/Si. Compared to the commonly used
      alkyl siliane C18 dielectric, 3-azidopropyltriethoxysilane which possesses stable
      formal charges is far more effective in increasing the ON/OFF ratio of OTFT
      device with an improvement of nearly three orders of magnitude. Analysis and
      measurements reported in this paper have illustrated for the first time the
      improvement of OTFT performance by a SAM compound with stable formal charges.

PMID- 26504993
TI  - Photophysical Properties of Zinc Tetracarboxy Phthalocyanines Conjugated to
      Magnetic Nanoparticles.
AB  - Magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesised by the co-precipitation method
      and coated with amino functional groups which allowed for amide bond formation
      with the carboxylic acid groups on zinc tetra- or octa-carboxyphthalocyanine
      (ZnTCPc or ZnOCPc respectively). The absorption spectra of ZnTCPc linked to MNPs
      showed a reduction in aggregation, while the photophysical parameters (Phi(T),
      tau(T) and Phi(Delta) of ZnTCPc or ZnOCPc increased upon linking with the MNPs.

PMID- 26504994
TI  - RGB Recombination Zone Tuning to Improve Optical Characteristics of White Organic
      Light-Emitting Diodes.
AB  - White organic light emitting diodes (WOLEDs) were fabricated using blue, green
      and red emitting layers (EMLs). The device has a structure of
      ITO/NPB/EML/Alq3/Liq/Al. Here, to control the white color balance, the location
      of the blue EML in the WOLEDs was fixed and only the thickness of blue EML was
      changed while both thickness and position of the green and red EMLs were
      adjusted. When adjusting the thickness of blue EML, the occurrence area of
      recombination zone was changed to influence the green luminescence. When
      adjusting the location and thickness of red EML, it could be found that the
      current density is more sensitive to the location of red EML than its thickness.
      Furthermore, it was discovered that light was emitted due to the Forster energy
      transfer even if it was apart from the recombination zone. WOLEDs with a maximum
      luminance of 17,740 cd/m,2 an external quantum efficiency of 2.12% at 100 cd/m,2
      CIE coordinates of (0.328,0.301) and a color temperature of 6,185 K were
      obtained.

PMID- 26504995
TI  - Synthesis of Hollow Carbon Nano-Onions Using the Pulsed Plasma in Liquid.
AB  - We synthesized carbon nano-onions (CNOs) using a low-voltage spark discharge in a
      liquid and studied the effects of liquid type and pulse duration. By the pulsed
      electric discharge between two graphite rods of 120 mm length and 6 mm diameter
      submerged into a 200 ml toluene or ethanol, hollow CNOs with diameters ranging
      from 10 to 30 nm were produced. CNOs produced using toluene grew more carbon
      shells than does the sample produced using ethanol. The sample that was
      synthesized using pulsed plasma with pulse duration of 5 MUs showed more carbon
      shells (10-30) than the sample prepared by 12 MUs (2 to 10). High performance
      liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy
      analyses confirmed that the sample produced at 12 MUs pulsed plasma contains
      fullerene C60, while the sample prepared at 5 MUs does not.

PMID- 26504996
TI  - Biocompatibility Assessment of Polyethylene Glycol-Poly L-Lysine-Poly Lactic-Co
      Glycolic Acid Nanoparticles In Vitro and In Vivo.
AB  - The present study was designed to evaluate the biocompatibility of nanoparticles
      polyethylene glycol (PEG)-poly L-lysine (PLL)-poly lactic-co-glycolic acid
      copolymer (PLGA) (PEG-PLL-PLGA) before clinical application. We applied some
      tests to assess the safety of PEG-PLL-PLGA nanoparticles (NPs). There was low
      cytotoxicity of PEG-PLL-PLGA NPs in vitro as detected by MTT assay. Cell
      apoptosis and intracellular accumulation of PEG-PLL-PLGA were determined by FCM
      assay. The apoptotic rate induced by nanoparticles and the fluorescence intensity
      of intracellular daunorubicin (DNR) demonstrated that DNR-PEG-PLL-PLGA could be
      taken up by the mouse fibroblast cells (L929 cells). Hemolysis test and
      micronucleus (MN) assay demonstrated that the nanoparticles have no obviously
      blood toxicity and genotoxicity. DNR-PEG-PLL-PLGA NPs were injected into mice
      through tail vein to calculate the median lethal dose (LD50), the results showed
      that they had a wide safe scale. Blood was taken by removing the eyeball of mice
      to study the influence of DNR-PEG-PLL-PLGA in hepatic and renal functions. The
      results revealed that there was no significant difference as compared with the
      control group. Interestingly, the pathologic changes of heart, liver, spleen,
      lung and kidney were observed in nanoparticles treated mice. Thus, this study
      demonstrates that PEG-PLL-PLGA NPs appear to be highly biocompatible and safe
      nanoparticles that can be suitable for further application in the treatment of
      tumor.

PMID- 26504997
TI  - Fluorescent CdS Quantum Dots: Synthesis, Characterization, Mechanism and
      Interaction with Gold Nanoparticles.
AB  - CdS quantum dot (QD) is a typical kind of II-IV nanoparticles, which plays an
      important role in the common type of core-shell QDs. It is of great practical
      significance to synthesize the water-soluble CdS QDs used in multicolor
      biomarkers and prepare core-shell QDs. In our case, we came up with a novel green
      method to manufacture CdS QDs with high quality, different size, and adopted UV
      vis absorption, fluorescence, FTIR, XPS, HRTEM, SAED and STEM-EDX to discuss
      their growth mechanism. We successfully constructed fluorescence resonance energy
      transfer (FRET) system between CdS QDs and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), then
      comprehensively and systematically studied the interaction between them.

PMID- 26504998
TI  - A Nanoscale-Localized Ion Damage Josephson Junction Using Focused Ion Beam and
      Ion Implanter.
AB  - High-T(c) Josephson junctions were fabricated by nanolithography using focused
      ion beam (FIB) milling and ion implantation. The junctions were formed in a
      YBa2Cu3O7-x, thin film in regions defined using a gold-film mask with 50-nm-wide
      (top) slits, engraved by FIB. The focused ion beam system parameters for dwell
      time and passes were set to remove gold up to a precise depth. 150 keV oxygen
      ions were implanted at a nominal dose of up to 5 x 10(13) ions/cm2 into YBa2Cu3O7
      x microbridges through the nanoscale slits. The current-voltage curves of the ion
      implantation junctions exhibit resistive-shunted-junction-like behavior at 77 K.
      The junction had an approximately linear temperature dependence of critical
      current. Shapiro steps were observed under microwave irradiation. A 50-nm-wide
      slit and 0-20-nm-thick buffer layers were chosen in order to make Josephson
      junctions due to the V-shape of the FIB-milled trench.

PMID- 26504999
TI  - Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(N-vinylcarbazole)/Graphene Nanocomposites.
AB  - The present work describes the dual role of graphene as an initiator and filler
      for polymerization of N-vinylcarbazole and formation of poly(N
      vinylcarbazole)/graphene (PVK/Gr) nanocomposites. Fourier transformation infrared
      (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed the formation of PVK as well
      its graphene nanocomposites. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) and transmission
      electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the graphene platelets are dispersed in the
      matrix of spherical PVK. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) also revealed
      formation of PVK and presence of interaction between PVK and graphene.
      Thermograivmetric analysis (TGA) have shown that the thermal stability of
      PVK/graphene (0.5 wt%) is maximum improved by -76 degrees C compared to neat PVK,
      when 20 wt% weight loss is taken as a point of comparison. Ultraviolet (UV) and
      photoluminescence (PL) studies established the charge transfer from polymer
      chains to the graphene platelets. Dielectric measurements have shown the maximum
      improvement (87%) in dielectric constant (epsilon) with 1 wt% graphene loading.
      The variation of ac conductivity (sigma) with frequency (psi) confirmed the
      insulating behavior of PVK/graphene nanocomposites possessing high dielectric
      constant.

PMID- 26505000
TI  - Synthesis of Bimetallic Ni-Cr Nano-Oxides as Catalysts for Methanol Oxidation in
      NaOH Solution.
AB  - Bimetallic Ni-Cr nano-oxide catalysts were synthesized by thermal decomposition
      method and were investigated as the anode electrocatalysts for the oxidation of
      methanol. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission
      electron microscopy. The electroactivity of the catalysts towards methanol
      oxidation in a solution containing 0.25 M NaOH and 1.0 M MeOH was examined using
      cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The results indicate that a mixture of
      rhombohedral-structured NiO and Cr2O3 nanocrystals generated at the calcination
      temperature of 500-700 degrees C while octahedral-structured spinel NiCr2O4
      formed at higher temperature. The influence of metallic molar ratio on the
      electrocatalytic performance of the catalysts was studied. The Ni-Cr nano-oxides
      prepared at comparatively low temperature displayed significantly higher
      catalytic activity and durability in alkaline solution toward electrooxidation of
      methanol compared with the pure nano NiO. The results indicate a synergy effect
      between NiO and Cr2O3 enhancing the electrocatalytic properties of the bimetallic
      Ni-Cr nano-oxide catalysts. Meanwhile, NiCr2O4 hardly increased the activity and
      durability of the catalyst. In addition, the Ni-Cr catalyst also exhibited
      excellent stability and good reproducibility. Therefore, Ni-Cr nano-oxide
      catalyst may be a suitable and cheap electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation in
      alkaline medium.

PMID- 26505001
TI  - TiO2 Fibers: Tunable Polymorphic Phase Transformation and Electrochemical
      Properties.
AB  - A series of one-dimensional (1 D) nanoparticle-assembled TiO2 fibers with tunable
      polymorphs were prepared via a novel and large scale ForceSpinning process of
      titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) precursor fibers
      followed with a thermal treatment at various calcination temperatures. The
      thermal and structural transformations were characterized by thermogravimetric
      analysis/differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and X
      ray diffraction. The influence of polymorphic phase of the TiO2 fibers on the
      electrochemical performance in neutral aqueous 1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte was
      investigated. The polymorphic amorphous/anatase/rutile TiO2 fibers prepared at
      450 degrees C achieved a highest capacitance of 21.2 F g(-1) (6.61 mF cm(-2)) at
      a current density of 200 mA g(-1), for which the improved electronic conductivity
      and activated pseudocapacitance mechanism may be responsible. This work helps
      bridge the gap between nanoscience and manufacturing. It also makes polymorphism
      control of functional materials a potential strategy for further improving
      supercapacitive output of metal oxides.

PMID- 26505002
TI  - Synthesis of LiNbO3 Nanoparticles by Citrate Gel Method.
AB  - We present investigations on the preparation of nearly stoichiometric lithium
      niobate (LiNbO3) nanoparticles using citrate gel method. Citric acid is used as a
      chelating agent and ethylene glycol is added for polyestarification between the
      chelates. In addition to the main lithium niobate phase, the secondary phase of
      lithium niobate, LiNb3O8, and an unreacted phase of Nb2O5 were also observed in
      the resultant product. The appearance of unwanted phases is a serious problem in
      citrate gel method. We have observed that the synthesis parameters such as molar
      ratio of citric acid to metal ions (R1), pH, molar ratio of ethylene glycol to
      citric acid (R2) and calcination temperature strongly influence the presence of
      the unwanted phases and these parameters are optimized to remove these phases.
      Evolution of the phase was investigated by powder XRD whereas TG/DTA was done to
      find out the crystallization temperature. It was observed that nearly
      stoichiometric and pure LiNbO3 nanoparticles can be obtained with the optimized
      parameters, R1 = 3, pH = 8, R2 >= 2 and calcination temperature = 700 degrees C.
      The stoichiometry of the synthesized LiNbO3 nanoparticles was investigated using
      Raman spectroscopy.

PMID- 26505003
TI  - Characterizing the Stress Intensity Factor of Graphene Sheet with Central Crack.
AB  - This paper aims to characterize the stress intensity factor (SIF) of atomistic
      graphene sheet with central crack subjected to uniaxial loading. The equilibrium
      configuration of the defective graphene sheet with missing covalent bonds was
      generated through molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Subsequently, the local
      stress distribution near the crack tip of atomistic structure was evaluated using
      the Hardy stress formulation as well as the non-local elasticity theory. Based on
      the local stress distributions, the SIF of the atomistic graphene sheet was
      determined through the projection process. In comparison, the graphene sheet was
      also treated as a continuum solid, and the stress distribution near the crack tip
      as well as the SIF were evaluated from the finite element method (FEM). In an
      attempt to understand the crack size effect, the crack length was assumed to vary
      from 3 lattice distance to around 80 lattice distance. Results revealed that the
      SIF calculated based on the nonlocal elasticity theory in conjunction with the
      projection process is quite sensitive to the selection of the projection point.
      However, for the Hardy stress distribution, when the projection position is 1
      lattice distance away from the crack tip, the SIF is quite consistent and the
      result is compatible to that obtained from the FEM analysis. Moreover, the
      agreement is better as the crack size is increasing. Therefore, the SIF
      calculated based on the Hardy stress formulation together with the projection
      approach could be a physical quantity correlating the defective atomistic
      graphene sheet with its continuum counterpart.

PMID- 26505004
TI  - A Facile Way for Fabricating PEGylated Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles and
      Their Drug Delivery Application.
AB  - PEGylated hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSN-PEG) were successfully
      fabricated by only one simple step through hydrothermal treatment in Na2CO3
      solution. HMSN-PEG nanoparticles were transformed from conventional PEG-modified
      mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN-PEG). The as-synthesized HMSN-PEG
      nanoparticles exhibited higher loading capacity of anticancer drug (Doxorubicin)
      and better sustained release property than MSN and MSN-PEG particles. In vitro
      cell viability of HMSN-PEG nanoparticles to Hep-G2 cells was evaluated. HMSN-PEG
      nanoparticles have little in vitro cytotoxicity up to a concentration of 500
      MUg/ml. Furthermore, the DOX-loaded HMSN-PEG nanoparticles exhibited higher
      cytotoxicity than the DOX-loaded MSN and MSN-PEG nanoparticles against Hep-G2
      cells. Therefore, the HMSN-PEG nanoparticle that generated in this PEG protecting
      etching strategy is a promising nanocarrier toward its potential application for
      cancer therapy.

PMID- 26505005
TI  - Preparation of Polyimide/MWCNT Nanocomposites via Solid State Shearing
      Pulverization (S3P) Processing.
AB  - Polyimide/multiwall carbon nanotube (PI/MWCNT) nanocomposite films with
      homogeneous MWCNTs dispersion were prepared via a solid state shearing
      pulverization (S3P) approach. Polyimide precursor, viz., poly(amic acid) (PAA),
      was synthesized from 4,4'-oxydianiline (ODA) and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA).
      Then, 3,3',4,4'-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) was mixed with the
      PAA powder and acid functionalized MWCNTs (acid-MWCNTs) by solid state shearing
      pulverization (S3P) approach. Finally, PI/MWCNT nanocomposite films were prepared
      by thermal imidization at elevated temperatures. Using such an approach not only
      the MWCNTs are well-dispersed but also the mechanical and thermal properties of
      PI are improved. The tensile strength of PI was enhanced by 74% and the
      elongation at break decreased to 10.35% with 5.0 wt% acid- MWCNT loading. And the
      glass transition temperature of PI was increased to 341 degrees C from 303
      degrees C because of the strong interfacial bonding between PI and acid-MWCNTs.
      The solid state shearing pulverization (S3P) approach developed in this study
      provides a novel method to prepare various polymer composites with desired
      particle dispersion.

PMID- 26505006
TI  - Liposomes Encapsulating 10-Hydroxycamptothecin-Cyclodextrin Complexes and Their
      In Vitro Anti-Tumor Activities.
AB  - Manufacturing and characterizing hydroxycamptothecin inclusion liposomes,
      establishing their quality standard and testing their in vitro anti-tumor
      activity is of significance for potential application. The neutralization
      agitation method was used to prepare hydroxycamptothecin inclusion and film
      evaporation method was utilized to manufacture hydroxycamptothecin inclusion
      liposomes. The phase solubility method, differential scanning calorimetry and
      infrared spectroscopy were used to identify the prepared inclusion complex. The
      hydroxycamptothecin inclusion liposomes were characterized for particle
      morphology, size, in vitro release and stability. The hepatoma (HepG-2), lung
      cancer (A549), and gastric cancer (SGC-7901) cell lines were used as models for
      preliminary evaluation of anti-cancer effect from the hydroxycamptothecin
      inclusion liposomes, done by MTT colorimetry, cytometer experiments, and
      apoptosis staining. The anti-cancer evaluation was compared with commercially
      available hydroxycamptothecin. The results showed the hydroxycamptothecin
      inclusion was successfully prepared by neutralization agitation method. Phase
      solubility method, differential scanning calorimetry and infrared spectroscopy
      proved the formation of the hydroxycamptothecin inclusion. The
      hydroxycamptothecin inclusion liposomes were successfully prepared by film
      evaporation method. (2) The inclusions were found to be spherical, with average
      particle size of 119.7 nm, zeta potential of - 45.6 mV, average inclusion rate of
      70.55%, and drug-loading was 14.60%. The inclusions were also found to have a
      sustained release effect, when compared to the commercially available
      hydroxyccamptothecine. The hydroxyccamptothecine inclusion liposomes had better
      stability at 4 degrees. (3) The hydroxycamptothecin inclusion liposomes also
      exhibited better inhibition effect for the three kinds of cancer cell lines
      above, when compared to the commercially available hydroxycamptothecin the anti
      cancer effect being at a dose-dependent manner. Neutralization agitation and thin
      film evaporation methods can be used to manufacture hydroxycamptothecin inclusion
      liposomes with better encapsulation efficiency, drug-loading content, stability,
      sustained-release effect and stronger anti-cancer activity.

PMID- 26505007
TI  - Effect of Ag Thin Films on the Photoluminescence of ZnO Films.
AB  - The Ag-coated ZnO films were deposited on glass substrates using magnetron
      sputtering technique. Atomic Force Microscopy was employed to characterize the
      surface and the profile roughness of Ag-coated ZnO films. X-ray diffraction and X
      ray photoelectron were used respectively to analyze the crystalline and chemical
      state of survey samples. The influence of capping Ag on the photoluminescence
      intensities of ZnO films has been investigated. The photoluminescence spectra
      were found to change as the deposited Ag varied with different deposition times
      and annealing temperatures. Relationships between the fabrication,
      characterization and performance of Ag-coated ZnO films are established. The
      results indicate that the diffusion of Ag into ZnO films and the upward bending
      of the energy band near the interface of ZnO/Ag led to the decrease of
      ultraviolet intensities of Ag-coated ZnO films. Due to the density of surface
      states on the bending of energy band, it is crucial to control the surface
      morphology of metal/ZnO for the enhancement of light emission.

PMID- 26505008
TI  - Facile Synthesis of Vanadium-Pentoxide Nanoparticles and Study on Their
      Electrochemical, Photocatalytic Properties.
AB  - Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanoparticles were synthesized via an anionic, cationic
      and non-ionic surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method. The synthesized
      nanoparticles were characterized by using powder X-ray diffractometer, Scanning
      Electron Microscope, High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope and UV-Vis
      spectroscopy. The experimental results confirm the formation of vanadium
      pentoxide nanoparticles. Vanadium pentoxide crystalline nanoparticles were
      prepared from various surfactants named Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS), Cetyl
      Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) and Triton-X, resulting the crystallite size of
      61.6 nm, 27.5 nm and 46 nm respectively. From the electrochemical studies, it is
      found that vanadium pentoxide prepared with CTAB exhibit good cycle stability
      when compared with other two samples. Also the ionic-conducting behavior of the
      materials was investigated by using impedance analysis. In addition, the
      photocatalytic studies were performed and found better photocatalytic efficiency
      in V2O5 prepared with SDS, obtained through the degradation of MO dye under UV
      light irradiation. Our results show that Vanadium pentoxide can be a suitable
      candidate for photocatalytic application and as electrode in development of
      futuristic supercapacitors. Also this can be employed in various environmental
      eco-friendly applications.

PMID- 26505009
TI  - Optical and Magnetic Properties of ZnO Nanoparticles Doped with Co, Ni and Mn and
      Synthesized at Low Temperature.
AB  - Zinc oxide nanomaterials were synthesized with small amounts of magnetic ions to
      create dilute magnetic semiconductors (DMS), by using a low temperature sol-gel
      method. Conditions were controlled such that a range of amounts of Co, Ni and Mn
      were incorporated. The incorporation could be tracked by color changes in the
      powders to blue for Co, green for Ni and yellow for Mn. XRD measurements showed
      the ZnO has the wurtzite structure with crystallites 8-12 nm in diameter.
      Nanoparticles were observed by SEM and TEM and TEM showed that the lattice
      fringes of different nanoparticles align. Nanoparticle alignment was disrupted
      when high concentrations of metal dopants were incorporated. Magnetic
      measurements showed a change in behavior from diamagnetic to paramagnetic with
      increasing concentration of metal dopants.

PMID- 26505010
TI  - Effect of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles on the Growth Potential of Hepatoma Cells
      in Nude Mice.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the activity of hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanoparticles against the
      proliferation of hepatoma cells. METHODS: HAP nanoparticles were prepared by
      homogeneous precipitation. The size distribution and morphology of these
      nanoparticles were determined by laser particle analysis and transmission
      electron microscopy, respectively. Xenograft tumor models of human hepatoma cells
      (Bel-7402) implanted in nude mice under the right scruff skin were established
      and divided into two groups: treatment and control. Once the xenograft tumor grew
      to a diameter of 0.8 cm, 0.2 ml HAP nanoparticle suspension was injected into the
      tumor every day for 2 weeks. The long and short diameters of the tumors were
      measured before and after HAP injection, and the inhibition rate of tumor growth
      was calculated. Paraffin tissue sections were prepared from xenograft tumors
      treated as above for 2 weeks, histologically stained for DNA and agyrophilic
      nucleolar organizer region (AgNORs), and immuno-histologically stained for
      proliferating cell nuclear antigens (PCNAs). The stained sections were examined
      by microscopy. Images of these sections were recorded and analyzed by image
      analysis system and relevant software for DNA content, AgNOR intensity, and PCNA
      expression in the nucleus, nucleoli, and hepatoma cells, respectively. RESULTS:
      The HAP nanoparticles were uniformly distributed, with a size of 44.6 nm to 86.8
      nm. Upon the local injection of the tumor with the HAP nanoparticles, the average
      volumes of the tumors were significantly reduced compared with those of the
      control group, which had a tumor inhibition rate of 51.32%. The DNA content,
      AgNOR intensity, and PCNA expression in the hepatoma cells were all significantly
      reduced (P < 0.01) compared with those in the control group. CONCLUSION: HAP
      nanoparticles inhibit the proliferation of hepatoma cells in vivo.

PMID- 26505011
TI  - Construction of Novel Thermosensitive Magnetic Cationic Liposomes as a Drug and
      Gene Co-Delivery System.
AB  - This study aimed to develop a novel system for co-delivery of both drugs and
      genes to the same cells. We described the construction of thermosensitive
      magnetic cationic liposomes (TSMCLs). Liposomes were prepared by thin film
      hydration method, then calcein release assay and DSC were used to determine the
      thermosensitivity of liposomes, and gel retardation experiment was performed to
      monitor the formation of Lipoplex (Liposomes and pDNA complex), finally the in
      vitro transfection experiments were performed to evaluate the transfection
      efficiency of the liposomes. The results showed that TSMCLs combined the features
      of physical targeting under magnetic guidance and hyperthermia triggered drug
      release upon the application of alternating magnetic field. Thus TSMCLs could be
      used for the co-delivery of drugs and genes and have potential application in
      combined chemotherapy and gene therapy for cancer.

PMID- 26505012
TI  - Quantitatively Understanding Cellular Uptake of Gold Nanoparticles via
      Radioactivity Analysis.
AB  - The development of multifunctional gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) underwent an
      explosion in the last two decades. However, many questions regarding detailed
      surface chemistry and how they are affecting the behaviors of AuNPs in vivo and
      in vitro still need to be addressed before AuNPs can be widely adapted into
      clinical settings. In this work, radioactivity analysis was employed for
      quantitative evaluation of I-125 radiolabeled AuNPs uptakes by cancer cells.
      Facilitated with this new method, we have conducted initial bioevaluation of
      surfactant-free AuNPs produced by femtosecond laser ablation. Cellular uptake of
      AuNPs as a function of the RGD density on the AuNP surface, as well as a function
      of time, has been quantified. The radioactivity analysis may shed light on the
      dynamic interactions of AuNPs with cancer cells, and help achieve optimized
      designs of AuNPs for future clinical applications.

PMID- 26505013
TI  - Antibacterial Properties of ZnO/Calcium Alginate Composite and Its Application in
      Wastewater Treatment.
AB  - In this study, the antibacterial activities of ZnO with various morphologies were
      evaluated. A possible mechanism of antibacterial activities of dumbbell like ZnO
      was proposed based on the microscopic studies of the interaction between
      bacterial and dumbbell like ZnO, and also based on the antibacterial activity of
      ZnO enveloped with semi permeable membrane. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) wastewater
      and soy sauce wastewater were treated by M. purpureus using ZnO/calcium alginate
      carrier. The attached and suspended biomass in MSG wastewater reached to 228 mg/g
      and 74 mg/g, while, the attached and suspended biomass in soy sauce wastewater
      was 130 mg/g and 66 mg/g, respectively. The levels of chemical oxide demand
      (COD), biological oxide demand (BOD5), SO4(2-) and NH3-N in the treated MSG
      wastewater were distinctive lower than those detected in the raw wastewater. This
      ZnO/calcium alginate carrier method could be utilized as an alternative to the
      traditional anaerobic/aerobic methods in the application of food processing
      wastewater treatment.

PMID- 26505014
TI  - High Field Emission Current Density from Patterned Carbon Nanotube Field Emitter
      Arrays with Random Growth.
AB  - High field emission (FE) current density from carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays grown
      on lithographically patterned silicon substrates is reported. A typical patterned
      field emitter array consists of bundles of nanotubes separated by a fixed gap and
      spread over the entire emission area. Emission performance from such an array
      having randomly oriented nanotube growth within each bundle is reported for
      different bundle sizes and separations. One typical sample with aligned CNTs
      within the bundle is also examined for comparison. It is seen that the current
      density from an array having random nanotube growth within the bundles is
      appreciably higher as compared to its aligned counterpart. The influence of
      structure on FE current densities as revealed by Raman spectroscopy is also seen.
      It is also observed that current density depends on edge length and increases
      with the same for all samples under study. Highest current density of -100 mA cm(
      2) at an applied field of 5 V/MUm is achieved from the random growth patterned
      sample with a bundle size of 2 MUm and spacing of 4 MUm between the bundles.

PMID- 26505015
TI  - Reconstruction of Acetogenesis Pathway Using Short-Read Sequencing of Clostridium
      aceticum Genome.
AB  - Clostridium aceticum is an anaerobic homoacetogen, able to reduce CO2 to multi
      carbon products using the reductive acetyl-CoA pathway. This unique ability to
      use CO2 or CO makes the microbe a potential platform for the biotech industry.
      However, the development of genetically engineered homoacetogen for the large
      scale production of commodity chemicals is hampered by the limited amount of
      their genetic and metabolic information. Here we exploited next-generation
      sequencing to reveal C. aceticum genome. The short-read sequencing produced
      44,871,196 high quality reads with an average length of 248 bases. Following
      sequence trimming step, 30,256,976 reads were assembled into 12,563 contigs with
      168-fold coverage and 1,971 bases in length using de Bruijn graph algorithm.
      Since the k-mer hash length in the algorithm is an important factor for the
      quality of output contigs, a window of k-mers (k-51 to k-201) was tested to
      obtain high quality contigs. In addition to the assembly metrics, the functional
      annotation of the contigs was investigated to select the k-mer optimum. Metabolic
      pathway mapping using the functional annotation identified the majority of
      central metabolic pathways, such as the glycolysis and TCA cycle. Further, these
      analyses elucidated the enzymes consisting of Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, in which
      CO2 is fixed into acetyl-CoA. Thus, the metabolic reconstruction based on the
      draft genome assembly provides a foundation for the functional genomics required
      to engineer C. aceticum.

PMID- 26505016
TI  - Preparation and Growth of N-Doped Hollow Carbon Nanospheres and Their Application
      as Catalyst Support in Direct Borohydride Fuel Cell.
AB  - N-doped hollow carbon nanospheres (HCNSs) were prepared by electric arc discharge
      method in N2 atmosphere. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis shows
      that their nitrogen content reaches up to 4.9 atom%. Both the low thermal
      conductivity of N2 and the doping of nitrogen atom make carbon unit bend to form
      hollow nanosphere structure. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy
      (HRTEM) and X-ray diffusion (XRD) analysis prove the presence of detected defects
      and a poor crystallinity on the HCNSs shell. Moreover, annealing treatment of
      HCNSs was carried out at 1100 degrees C/10 h and 1400 degrees C/2 h to research
      their fracture extension. It is found that HCNSs could grow into closed-tubes
      even with a shell at high annealing temperature. HCNSs were applied in direct
      borohydride fuel cell (DBFC) to evaluate their catalytic performance. The
      electrochemical results show that pure HCNSs doesn't have any catalysis effect,
      but they can greatly promote the catalytic performance of CoO, and the largest
      polarization current density of which achieves 1.845 A x cm(-2) at -0.7 V (vs.
      Hg/HgO electrode).

PMID- 26505017
TI  - Tuning the Magnetic Properties of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles by a Room-Temperature
      Air-Atmosphere (RTAA) Co-Precipitation Method.
AB  - The ability of a room-temperature air-atmosphere (RTAA) co-precipitation method
      to tune the magnetic properties of iron oxide nanoparticles was investigated. It
      was demonstrated that superparamagnetic nanoparticles with different particle
      sizes ranging from 7 to 25 nm and magnetic properties with saturation
      magnetization between 2 to 75 emu g(-1) can be synthesized by simply controlling
      the molar ratio of ferrous to ferric ions and the concentration of ammonium
      solution, without heat treatment or oxygen-level control. It was revealed that
      the tuning of the magnetic properties was associated with the compositional
      control between magnetite and maghemite. Ammonium concentration was also an
      important factor to obtain dispersed superparamagnetic (SPM) or ferrimagnetic
      (FM) nanoparticles.

PMID- 26505018
TI  - Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Decorated with Polypyrrole-TiO2 Nanocomposites.
AB  - Nanomaterials decorated with polypyrrole were synthesized using two types of
      oxidants by chemical oxidative polymerization method. The interaction and
      influence of the addition of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and titanium
      dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles in polypyrrole (PPy) were studied using Fourier
      transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Thermal stability has
      been observed by using thermogravimetric analysis. Electrochemical properties
      were calculated by using Cyclic Voltammetry to study comparative analysis between
      samples. Particle size measurements and morphology were determined by Field
      emission transmission electron microscopy. All the nanocomposites exhibit better
      thermal and electrochemical properties than native polymer. The size of the
      polypyrrole particles were in the range of 50 nm to 60 nm.

PMID- 26505019
TI  - The Electrochemical Behavior of TiN/316LSS Material in Simulated Body Fluid
      Solution.
AB  - We report on the fabrication and the electrochemical behavior of TiN film on the
      316L stainless steel (316LSS) material in simulated body fluid (SBF) solution for
      implant application. The characterization results indicate that the coated TiN is
      completely crystalline with (111) crystal orientation. Electrochemical results of
      316LSS and TiN/316LSS material after 21 days of immersion in SBF show that the
      durability of the TiN/316LSS is much higher than that of 316LSS, which registers
      a very low corrosion current density (about tens of nA cm(-2)). The formation of
      hydroxyapatite on the surface of the TiN/316LSS is also confirmed by SEM, EDX, X
      ray and IR spectroscopy.

PMID- 26505020
TI  - Effects of Different Lengths of Ti Nanorods Topography on Mesenchymal Stem Cell
      Growth and Proliferation.
AB  - Total hip and knee arthroplasty have being successfully performed in world-wide
      in recent years. However, poor osseointegration between implant (polish surface)
      and host bone tissue is one of the main causes for aseptic loosening in Ti-based
      materials and result in failure. Fabricating nanotopography is a promising method
      to improve cell behaviors and promote osseointegration. Ti nanorods array of vary
      lengths have been produced via selective corrosion of Ti substrate using
      electrochemical anodization technique on titanium surface. In this study, we
      investigated the murine bone mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) behaviors in response to
      these different lengths of nanorods. The result showed that the nanorod of 100 nm
      length increased MSCs adhesion and proliferation. Increased elongation of
      cytoskeleton actin was also observed on 100 nm height, which resulted in
      substantially up-regulation of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, suggesting
      greater bone-forming ability than control Ti. The Ti nanorods of 100 nm length
      may be a promising implant surface to improve the osseointegration.

PMID- 26505021
TI  - The Fate of Polyol-Made ZnO and CdS Nanoparticles in Seine River Water (Paris,
      France).
AB  - This study aims to characterize nanoparticles with different compositions and
      structures as well as seeing their evolutions over time in a natural environment
      such as Seine river water (Paris, France). Face centered cubic (fcc) and
      hexagonal (hcp) CdS as well as hexagonal (hcp) ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized
      by the Polyol method. CdS nanoparticles (i) cfc structure: are agglomerated,
      present 100 nm length with heterogeneous diameter and 10 m2 g(-1) specific
      surface area (S(g)) from Brunauer Emett and Teller (BET) measurements; (ii) hcp
      structure: 20 nm and S(g) = 67 m2 g(-1). ZnO hcp nanoparticles presents 50 nm
      length and 15 nm diameter and S(g) = 54 m2 g(-1). These results are in agreement
      with X-ray diffraction (XRD), and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXs). After 48 h
      interaction with Seine river water, cryo-TEM analysis showed that ZnO
      nanoparticles form spherical agglomerates with 300 nm diameter; CdS nanoparticles
      (fcc) are agglomerated presenting large diameters (> 500 nm); and CdS
      nanoparticles (hcp) are not agglomerated and present the same characteristics of
      the starting material. After 168h of contact with Seine river water, CdS (fcc)
      presents only 14% of dissolution, CdS (hcp) presents both 60% dissolution and 30%
      reprecipitation in a cadmium carbonate form and finally almost 90% of ZnO
      nanoparticles are dissolved.

PMID- 26505022
TI  - Preparation of Au Nanoparticles Immobilized Cross-Linked Poly(4-vinylpyridine)
      Nanofibers and Their Catalytic Application for the Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol.
AB  - Catalytic nanofibers are prepared by the immobilization of Au nanoparticles
      (AuNPs) onto the surface of cross-linked electrospun poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP)
      nanofibers. The crosslinking of the P4VP nanofibers by 1,4-diiodobutane via
      quaternization reaction greatly enhances the stability of the nanofibers against
      the solvent dissolution, which can then be used as promising platform for the
      immobilization of catalytic metal nanoparticles. The AuNPs immobilized cross
      linked P4VP nanofibers have shown a good catalytic activity for the reduction of
      4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP).

PMID- 26505023
TI  - Nanoparticle Capture During Directional Solidification of Nano-Sized SiC Particle
      Reinforced AZ91D Composites.
AB  - The capture/push behavior of a particle in front of a solidification interface
      was analyzed theoretically and experimentally in this work. Van der Waals force,
      viscous force, and force due to interfacial energy played important roles in the
      particle capture/push process. Directional solidification experiments were
      conducted with nano-sized SiC particle-reinforced AZ91D composites to observe the
      distribution of nanoparticles in different solidification morphologies under
      varied cooling rates. When the composite solidified with plane manner, the
      nanoparticles could be captured by the solidification front and distributed
      uniformly in the matrix. When solidified with columnar or equiaxial manners, the
      nanoparticles could be captured by the solidification front but distributed
      uniformly only in the grain boundary as a result of the difference in interfacial
      energy and wettability between SiC/alpha-Mg and SiC/eutectic phase. Theoretical
      prediction of particle capture was in agreement with the experiment results.

PMID- 26505024
TI  - Morphological Control of Cells on 3-Dimensional Multi-Layer Nanotopographic
      Structures.
AB  - The extracellular matrix (ECM) environment is known to play an important role in
      the process of various cell regulatory mechanisms. We have investigated the
      ability of 3-dimensional ECM geometries to induce morphological changes in cells.
      Bi-layer polymeric structures with submicron scale stripe patterns were
      fabricated using a two-step nano-imprinting technique, and the orientation angle
      (theta(alpha)) of the upper layer was controlled by changing its alignment with
      respect to the orientation of the bottom layer. When cells were grown on the mono
      layer stripe structure with a single orientation, they elongated along the
      direction of the stripe pattern. On bi-layer polymer structures, the cell
      morphologies gradually changed and became rounded, with an increase of thetaalpha
      up to 90 degrees, but the polarities of these cells were still aligned along the
      orientation of the upper layer. As a result, we show that the polarity and the
      roundness of cells can be independently regulated by adjusting the orientation of
      3-dimensional hierarchical ECM topography.

PMID- 26505025
TI  - A Novel Osteoblast/Osteocyte Selection Method in Primary Isolated Chick Bone
      Cells by Atomic Force Microscopy.
AB  - Selection of bone cells, particularly osteoblasts and osteocytes, for analysis of
      cellular processes and differentiation is a very important issue because bone
      remodeling is a highly complex and harmonized process, which includes molecular
      and cellular interactions and communications. In this study, we introduce a novel
      osteoblast and osteocyte selection method that uses atomic force microscopy and
      OB7.3, an antibody of Phex, which is a specific protein marker expressed on the
      surface of osteocytes. The elasticity and Phex expression levels were
      simultaneously detected by force spectroscopy using the OB7.3-modified atomic
      force microscopy probe on the bone cell surface. The elastic modulus was
      different between osteoblasts and osteocytes. Phex expression level was analyzed
      by the distribution of Phex-OB7.3 rupturing.

PMID- 26505026
TI  - Growth of CdS Nanorods and Deposition of Silver Nanoparticles.
AB  - Systematic investigations have been done to deposit silver nanoparticles on
      seeded CdS nanorods. The CdS nanorods were synthesized by using CdS nanocrystals
      as seeds being indexed to the cubic structure (zinc-blende) and
      tetradecylphosphonic acid as surfactants to enable preferential growth on the
      reactive {001} facets. Ostwald ripening process occurred during the growth of CdS
      nanorods. Ag/CdS heterostructures were obtained through a facile method in which
      oleylamine was employed as reducing agents under an elevated temperature.
      Exposing CdS nanorods to Ag+ ions resulted in Ag domains depositing on the tips
      of the nanorods or defected sites embedding in the nanorod surfaces. Ag domains
      formed separate nuclei and grew quickly at a high concentration of AgNO3
      solution. We further focused on discussing the morphology formation mechanism and
      optical properties of the heterostructures and the nanorods. The as-synthesized
      Ag/CdS heterostructures can facilitate charge separation at the metal
      semiconductor interface. Herein, it opens up an application possibility of
      enhancing photocatalytic processes and other devices.

PMID- 26505027
TI  - Charge Carrier Transport Mechanism Based on Stable Low Voltage Organic Bistable
      Memory Device.
AB  - A solution processed two terminal organic bistable memory device was fabricated
      utilizing films of polymethyl methacrylate PMMA/ZnO/PMMA on top of ITO coated
      glass. Electrical characterization of the device structure showed that the two
      terminal device exhibited favorable switching characteristics with an ON/OFF
      ratio greater than 1 x 10(4) when the voltage was swept between - 2 V and +3 V.
      The device maintained its state after removal of the bias voltage. The device did
      not show degradation after a 1-h retention test at 120 degrees C. The memory
      functionality was consistent even after fifty cycles of operation. The charge
      transport switching mechanism is discussed on the basis of carrier transport
      mechanism and our analysis of the data shows that the charge carrier trans- port
      mechanism of the device during the writing process can be explained by thermionic
      emission (TE) and space-charge-limited-current (SCLC) mechanism models while
      erasing process could be explained by the FN tunneling mechanism. This
      demonstration provides a class of memory devices with the potential for low-cost,
      low-power consumption applications, such as a digital memory cell.

PMID- 26505028
TI  - A Nanoscale Mutation-Sensitive On/Off Switch Based Assays for the Detection of
      Hepatitis B Virus Lamivudine-Resistant Mutations.
AB  - Long-term usage of lamivudine in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV)
      infection induces the emergence of drug resistance. Sensitive and specific
      methods aimed at detecting the mutants are clinically useful and required. The
      purpose of this study was to develop methods for detecting the mutations of YMDD,
      rtL180M, and rtV173L by nanoscale mutation-sensitive switch consisting of high
      fidelity polymerase and phosphorothioate-modified allele specific primers. Four
      assays for these hotspot mutations have been developed with the sensitivity of
      100 copies and specificity of at least three log scales for matched templates
      over mismatched templates. In the condition of multiplex PCR, the sensitivities
      of these assays are approximately 1000 copies and specificities with two log
      scales in discrimination of mutant alleles over wild type sequences. These newly
      developed assays are rapid, accurate, and cost-efficient in detection of
      lamivudine-related HBV mutants.

PMID- 26505030
TI  - Band Gap Tailoring of TiO2 Nanowires by Nitrogen Doping Under N2/Ar Plasma
      Environment.
AB  - Glancing angle deposited TiO2 nanowires (NWs) were doped with nitrogen (N) using
      plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition technique, under the treatment of
      N2/Ar plasma. A red shift (- 0.51 eV) in the main band transition and oxygen
      defect related transition (-2.1 eV) was observed for the N doped TiO2 nanowires.
      The interstitial nitrogen introduces mid-gap levels N (2P) above the O (2P) in
      the TiO2 forbidden gap. The photoluminescence measurement revealed a small red
      shift of -7 nm of anatase band gap from N doped TiO2 nanowires due to radiative
      recombination of carriers from conduction band to the N (2P) trap state. The low
      frequency Raman peaks at 304 cm(-1) (acoustical phonons with LA mode), 618 cm(-1)
      (optical phonons with LO modes) and the high frequency peak at 832 cm(-1) was
      observed from Ti-O-N due to the partial replacement of oxygen molecules by
      nitrogen into TiO2, during the doping process.

PMID- 26505029
TI  - Observation of Room Temperature Photoluminescence from Asymmetric
      CuGaO2/ZnO/ZnMgO Multiple Quantum Well Structures.
AB  - Asymmetric (CuGaO2/ZnO/ZnMgO) and symmetric (ZnMgO/ZnO/ZnMgO) multiple quantum
      well (MQW) structures were successfully fabricated using pulsed laser deposition
      (PLD) and their comparison were made. Efficient room temperature photoluminescent
      (PL) emission was observed from these MQWs and temperature dependent luminescence
      of asymmetric and symmetric MQWs can be explained using the existing theories. A
      systematic blue shift was observed in both MQWs with decrease in the confinement
      layer thickness which could be attributed to the quantum confinement effects. The
      PL emission from asymmetric and symmetric MQW structures were blue shifted
      compared to 150 nm thick ZnO thin film grown by PLD due to quantum confinement
      effects.

PMID- 26505031
TI  - Fabrication and Characterization of Field Effect Transistor Based on High-Aspect
      Ratio Sulfur-Doped ZnO Nanowires.
AB  - Well-crystalline sulfur (S) doped ZnO nanowires have been grown via a simple
      thermal evaporation process on Si substrate using high purity zinc and sulfur
      powders in presence of oxygen. The as-grown S:ZnO nanowires were characterized in
      terms of their morphological structural, compositional and optical properties
      using several techniques such as FESEM, TEM, XRD, EDS and PL. The morphological
      characterizations revealed that the as-grown nanowires had diameters in the range
      of 60-100 nm with lengths 5-15 MUm. The details structural properties confirmed
      the well-crystallinity and wurtzite hexagonal phase for the prepared nanowires.
      Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum showed a strong green band with
      a suppressed UV emission. The electrical properties of single S:ZnO nanowire was
      examined by fabricating single nanowire based field effect transistors (FETs).
      The detailed electrical transport results showed that S:ZnO nanowires possess n
      type semiconducting behavior and exhibited an electron mobility of -67.7 cm2 V(
      1) s(-1) and a carrier concentration of 2 x 10(17) cm(-3), respectively.

PMID- 26505032
TI  - An On-Line Platform for the Analysis of Permethylated Oligosaccharides Using
      Capillary Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Permethylation is one of the most practical modifications for mass spectrometric
      analysis of carbohydrates. In this study, we showed a facile platform for the on
      line permethylation and analysis of acidic N-glycans using capillary liquid
      chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry to elucidate the
      N-glycan structures derived from glycoprotein samples. Two capillaries,
      individually packed with NaOH and C18 powder, were coupled to electrospray ion
      trap mass spectrometer. Prior to mass spectrometry, oligosaccharides were
      permethylated in NaOH-packed capillary by methyl iodide, and the permethylated
      glycans were consequently extracted from residual reagents, such as NaOH and
      methyl iodide, in C18-capillary, instead of using conventional chloroform
      extraction. After permethylation and purification, the permethylated glycans were
      released from C18 capillary by acetonitrile, and sprayed into mass spectrometer.
      Using this on-line strategy, a picomolar range of sialylated N-glycans from
      bovine fetuin were analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry.

PMID- 26505033
TI  - Fluoride Release from Hollow Silica Microsphere-Containing Dental Restorative
      Acrylate Resin.
AB  - Hollow silica microspheres with mesoporous shells were prepared by the
      sacrificial template method. Hollow silica microsphere-containing acrylate resin
      based dental restoration materials were prepared by using hollow silica
      microspheres as NaF reservoirs. Fluoride release performances from naked hollow
      silica microspheres, acrylate resin, and hollow silica microsphere-containing
      acrylate resin-based dental restorative materials in an artificial saliva were
      investigated. The results showed that hollow silica microsphere-containing
      acrylate resin-based dental restorative materials had higher cumulative fluoride
      release quantities and sustained fluoride release rates than traditional acrylate
      resin-based dental restorative materials. Fluoride release could be tuned by
      changing the mesoporous shell thickness of hollow silica microsphere.

PMID- 26505034
TI  - Solvothermal Synthesis of Indium Telluride Nanowires and Its Photoelectrical
      Property.
AB  - In this paper, 1D In2Te3 nanowires were synthesizes through a simple solvothermal
      approach. The morphology was first studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
      and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). From the results, the nanowires have
      a diameter from 100 to 200 nm and a length of dozens of microns. X-ray
      Diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectrum were
      used to study the composition, crystal structures, and optical property. Based on
      the typical nanowire sample, experiment factors were changed to synthsize other
      samples in order to study the influence factors. A possible growth mechanism of
      the nanowires was proposed based on a series of experimental results. This
      material has a broad light detection range covering the UV-visible-NIR region
      from the photoelectrical test, which makes it potential for applications in
      photodetectors and solar cells.

PMID- 26505035
TI  - The Fabrication of Carbon Nanofibers Paper Supported CoO4 Nanocomposite and Their
      Electrochemical Properties.
AB  - A hierarchical network architecture consisting of Co3O4 nanoflakes network
      (nanonet) coats on a carbon fiber paper. For this 3 dimension (3D) architecture,
      the electrode shows ideal pseudocapacitive behavior and the maximum specific
      capacitance of 210 F/g can be reached at the constant current density of 1 A/g in
      1 M KOH electrolyte, still retaining 85% of the initial capacitance after 1000
      cycles of repeating charge-discharge. The improved capacity may be attributed to
      the unique hierarchical network structures, which improve electron/ion transport,
      enhancing the kinetics of redox reactions and facilitate facile stress relaxation
      during cycling.

PMID- 26505036
TI  - Effective Hotspot Arrays Based on Non-Close-Packed Gold Nanoshells in Microporous
      Polystyrene Film on Acupuncture Needles.
AB  - To constructing effective hotspot arrays in SERS substrates, gold nanoshells
      (GNSs) were assembled layer by layer on acupuncture needles by covalent
      absorption of bifunctional chemicals; three dimensional structures of the GNSs
      were locked by polystyrene (PS) coating; effective hotspots were obtained by
      removing bifunctional chemicals on surface of the GNSs, and the spacing between
      GNSs was enlarged by corroding gold shell layers of the GNSs partly. The
      strongest SERS signal was obtained from the SERS-active substrate with two-layer
      GNSs. After effective hotspot arrays were constructed in the SERS-active
      substrate with two-layer GNSs, its enhancement factor was higher about two to
      three orders of magnitude than that of the monolayer of close-packed GNSs. The
      hotspot arrays integrated on acupuncture needles would be used to detect low
      concentration of biomolecules in vivo.

PMID- 26505037
TI  - In Situ Growth of Nanowires and Fabrication of Nanogap Electrode Pairs by
      Selective Chemical Deposition with the Assistance of an External Magnetic Field.
AB  - We have successfully had nanowires in situ grow on the tip of an electrode by
      selective chemical deposition with the assistance of an external magnetic field.
      The nanowires are a few microns in length and just a few hundred nanometers in
      diameter. At the same time, the lateral extent of electrode was not increased
      obviously. This method combined the lithography technique, self-assembly
      monolayer (SAM), chemical deposition and the external magnetic field to get
      nanowires in situ grow on the tip of an electrode. So we can control the growth
      direction of nanowires along the specified direction at desired locations.
      Finally, we have fabricated the nanogap electrode pairs by means of the
      properties of nanowires with grown on the tip of elelctrode in magnetic field.

PMID- 26505038
TI  - Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone-Assisted Solvothermal Synthesis of Fe3O4 Vesicular
      Nanospheres.
AB  - Monodispersed Fe3O4 vesicular nanospheres with a diameter of 160 nm have been
      fabricated solvothermally in the mixed solution of ethylene glycol (EG) and
      ethylenediamine (en) with the surfactant polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP). The
      microstructure and magnetic properties of the products were characterized by XRD,
      Raman, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, N2 adsorption-desorption and SQUID techniques. The HRTEM
      result shows that spherical Fe3O4 nanoparticles are structurally uniform with a
      distinct lattice spacing of 2.6 A, which can be assigned to the (311) crystal
      facet of cubic Fe3O4. Besides, the as-obtained Fe3O4 vesicular nanospheres are
      ferromagnetic with a saturation magnetization of 86.9 emu/g as high as its bulk
      counterpart, demonstrating its promising applications in advanced magnetic
      materials and biomedicine.

PMID- 26505039
TI  - Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Paper for Monitoring Chemical Vapors.
AB  - The multi-walled carbon nanotube paper is prepared by vacuum filtration of pure
      nanotubes and their functionalized forms prepared by KMnO4 and H2O2 oxidation or
      by grafting with Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polypyrrole to form sensory
      nanotubes layer for detection of volatile organic compounds in air. The selected
      compounds for experimentation (acetone, diethyl ether, isopentane, methanol,
      tetrahydrofuran) have different polarities and volume fractions of saturated
      vapors. The sensing is measured by electrical resistance of the paper, which
      increases when exposed to vapors. A reversible reaction is observed when the
      paper is removed from the vapors. The functionalized nanotubes differ in their
      sensitivity to selected organics solvents. For example, KMnO4 oxidized paper has
      differentiated response to all used vapors, so the measured data may indicate
      clearly the type of the vapor. On the other hand, the MWCNT/PMMA composite has
      nearly the same response to acetone, diethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran and
      different response to isopentane and methanol. The investigation can lead to
      construction of sensory unit which could be capable of detecting and identifying
      different vapors in the air.

PMID- 26505041
TI  - 4 Ways to Support Emerging Physician Leaders.

PMID- 26505040
TI  - Top Organizations Share Similar Characteristics.

PMID- 26505042
TI  - From Micromanagement to Abdication Management.

PMID- 26505044
TI  - Accountability: The Winning Strategy for Healthcare Today.

PMID- 26505043
TI  - ACHE IN 2014 AND BEYOND.

PMID- 26505045
TI  - Tips for Building an Entrepreneurial Culture.

PMID- 26505046
TI  - Erratum to: Diminutive polyp cancers and the DISCARD strategy: Much ado about
      nothing or the end of the affair?

PMID- 26505047
TI  - Looking at Beijing's skyline.

PMID- 26505049
TI  - Fanfare for the Uncommon Neuro-Ophthalmologist:  A Tribute to Irma Miller
      Lessell.

PMID- 26505048
TI  - BIOFILMS:   Oscillations relieve the siege.

PMID- 26505050
TI  - Martin Lubow, MD (1931-2015).

PMID- 26505051
TI  - Author Response.

PMID- 26505052
TI  - Author Response.

PMID- 26505053
TI  - Imaging metals in biology: balancing sensitivity,  selectivity and spatial
      resolution.
AB  - Metal biochemistry drives a diverse range of cellular processes associated with
      development, health and disease. Determining metal distribution, concentration
      and flux defines our understanding of these fundamental processes. A
      comprehensive analysis of biological systems requires a balance of analytical
      techniques that inform on metal quantity (sensitivity), chemical state
      (selectivity) and location (spatial resolution) with a high degree of certainty.
      A number of approaches are available for imaging metals from whole tissues down
      to subcellular organelles, as well as mapping metal turnover, protein association
      and redox state within these structures. Technological advances in micro- and
      nano-scale imaging are striving to achieve multi-dimensional and in vivo measures
      of metals while maintaining the native biochemical environment and physiological
      state. This Tutorial Review discusses state-of-the-art imaging technology as a
      guide to obtaining novel insight into the biology of metals, with sensitivity,
      selectivity and spatial resolution in focus.

PMID- 26505054
TI  - Tuning interionic interaction for highly selective  in vivo analysis.
AB  - The development of highly selective methodologies to enable in vivo recording of
      chemical signals is of great importance for studying brain functions and brain
      activity mapping. However, the complexity of cerebral systems presents a great
      challenge in the development of chem/(bio)sensors that are capable of directly
      and selectively recording bioactive molecules involved in brain functions. As one
      of the most important and popular interactions in nature, interionic interaction
      constitutes the chemical essence of high specificity in natural systems, which
      inspires us to develop highly selective chem/(bio)sensors for in vivo analysis by
      precisely engineering interionic interaction in the in vivo sensing system. In
      this tutorial review, we focus on the recent progress in the tuning of interionic
      interaction to improve the selectivity of biosensors for in vivo analysis. The
      type and property of the interionic interaction is first introduced and several
      strategies to improve the selectivity of the biosensors, including enzyme-based
      electrochemical biosensors, aptamer-based electrochemical biosensors, and the
      strategies to recruit recognition molecules are reviewed. We also present an
      overview of the potential applications of the biosensors for in vivo analysis and
      thereby for physiological investigations. Finally, we present the major
      challenges and opportunities regarding the high selectivity of in vivo analysis
      based on tuning interionic interaction. We believe that this tutorial review
      provides critical insights for highly selective in vivo analysis and offers new
      concepts and strategies to understand brain chemistry.

PMID- 26505055
TI  - Porous polymer catalysts with  hierarchical structures.
AB  - The emergence of porous organic polymers (POPs) has provided great opportunities
      for new applications in heterogeneous catalysis owing to their unprecedented
      intrinsic structural features such as high surface areas, extraordinary framework
      stabilities and chemically adjustable compositions. In this tutorial review,
      representative recent developments in the POPs-based catalysts with
      hierarchically porous structures are presented. Various strategies for the
      syntheses of hierarchically porous polymers including hard-templating, soft
      templating and template-free approaches and the design of catalytically active
      porous polymers including post-modification, co-polymerization and self
      polymerization have been discussed. In addition, their catalytic properties are
      compared. Finally, we emphasize the importance of the synthesis of hierarchically
      porous polymer based heterogeneous catalysts using sustainable routes under
      template-free and metal-free conditions.

PMID- 26505056
TI  - Advances in single chain technology.
AB  - The recent ability to manipulate and visualize single atoms at atomic level has
      given rise to modern bottom-up nanotechnology. Similar exquisite degree of
      control at the individual polymeric chain level for producing functional soft
      nanoentities is expected to become a reality in the next few years through the
      full development of so-called "single chain technology". Ultra-small unimolecular
      soft nano-objects endowed with useful, autonomous and smart functions are the
      expected, long-term valuable output of single chain technology. This review
      covers the recent advances in single chain technology for the construction of
      soft nano-objects via chain compaction, with an emphasis in dynamic, letter
      shaped and compositionally unsymmetrical single rings, complex multi-ring
      systems, single chain nanoparticles, tadpoles, dumbbells and hairpins, as well as
      the potential end-use applications of individual soft nano-objects endowed with
      useful functions in catalysis, sensing, drug delivery and other uses.

PMID- 26505057
TI  - Stimuli-responsive nanogel composites and their  application in nanomedicine.
AB  - Nanogels are nanosized crosslinked polymer networks capable of absorbing large
      quantities of water. Specifically, smart nanogels are interesting because of
      their ability to respond to biomedically relevant changes like pH, temperature,
      etc. In the last few decades, hybrid nanogels or composites have been developed
      to overcome the ever increasing demand for new materials in this field. In this
      context, a hybrid refers to nanogels combined with different polymers and/or with
      nanoparticles such as plasmonic, magnetic, and carbonaceous nanoparticles, among
      others. Research activities are focused nowadays on using multifunctional hybrid
      nanogels in nanomedicine, not only as drug carriers but also as imaging and
      theranostic agents. In this review, we will describe nanogels, particularly in
      the form of composites or hybrids applied in nanomedicine.

PMID- 26505058
TI  - Emerging translational research on magnetic  nanoparticles for regenerative
      medicine.
AB  - Regenerative medicine, which replaces or regenerates human cells, tissues or
      organs, to restore or establish normal function, is one of the fastest-evolving
      interdisciplinary fields in healthcare. Over 200 regenerative medicine products,
      including cell-based therapies, tissue-engineered biomaterials, scaffolds and
      implantable devices, have been used in clinical development for diseases such as
      diabetes and inflammatory and immune diseases. To facilitate the translation of
      regenerative medicine from research to clinic, nanotechnology, especially
      magnetic nanoparticles have attracted extensive attention due to their unique
      optical, electrical, and magnetic properties and specific dimensions. In this
      review paper, we intend to summarize current advances, challenges, and future
      opportunities of magnetic nanoparticles for regenerative medicine.

PMID- 26505059
TI  - Efficacy and adverse effects of medical marijuana for chronic noncancer pain:
      Systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine if medical marijuana provides pain relief for patients
      with chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) and to determine the therapeutic dose, adverse
      effects, and specific indications. DATA SOURCES: In April 2014, MEDLINE and
      EMBASE searches were conducted using the terms chronic noncancer pain, smoked
      marijuana or cannabinoids, placebo and pain relief, or side effects or adverse
      events. STUDY SELECTION: An article was selected for inclusion if it evaluated
      the effect of smoked or vaporized cannabinoids (nonsynthetic) for CNCP; it was
      designed as a controlled study involving a comparison group, either concurrently
      or historically; and it was published in English in a peer-review journal.
      Outcome data on pain, function, dose, and adverse effects were collected, if
      available. All articles that were only available in abstract form were excluded.
      Synthesis A total of 6 randomized controlled trials (N = 226 patients) were
      included in this review; 5 of them assessed the use of medical marijuana in
      neuropathic pain as an adjunct to other concomitant analgesics including opioids
      and anticonvulsants. The 5 trials were considered to be of high quality; however,
      all of them had challenges with masking. Data could not be pooled owing to
      heterogeneity in delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol potency by dried weight, differing
      frequency and duration of treatment, and variability in assessing outcomes. All
      experimental sessions in the studies were of short duration (maximum of 5 days)
      and reported statistically significant pain relief with nonserious side effects.
      CONCLUSION: There is evidence for the use of low-dose medical marijuana in
      refractory neuropathic pain in conjunction with traditional analgesics. However,
      trials were limited by short duration, variability in dosing and strength of
      delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and lack of functional outcomes. Although well
      tolerated in the short term, the long-term effects of psychoactive and
      neurocognitive effects of medical marijuana remain unknown. Generalizing the use
      of medical marijuana to all CNCP conditions does not appear to be supported by
      existing evidence. Clinicians should exercise caution when prescribing medical
      marijuana for patients, especially in those with nonneuropathic CNCP.

PMID- 26505060
TI  - Strategies for improved French-language health services: Perspectives of family
      physicians in northeastern Ontario.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify strategies to improve the quality of health services for
      Francophone patients. DESIGN: A series of semistructured key informant
      interviews. SETTING: Northeastern Ontario. Participants A total of 18 physicians
      were interviewed. Ten physicians were interviewed in French, 7 physicians were
      women, and 10 physicians were located in urban communities. METHODS: Purposive
      and snowball sampling strategies were used to conduct a series of semistructured
      key informant interviews with family physicians practising in communities with a
      large Francophone population. Principles of grounded theory were applied, guided
      by a framework for patient-professional communication. Results were inductively
      derived following an iterative data collection-data analysis process and were
      analyzed using a detailed thematic approach. MAIN FINDINGS: Respondents
      identified several strategies for providing high-quality French-language health
      services. Some were unique to non-French-speaking physicians (eg, using
      appropriate interpreter services), some were unique to French-speaking physicians
      (eg, using a flexible dialect), and some strategies were common to all physicians
      serving French populations (eg, hiring bilingual staff or having pamphlets and
      posters in both French and English). CONCLUSION: Physicians interviewed for this
      study provided high-quality health care by attributing substantial importance to
      effective communication. While linguistic patient-to-physician concordance is
      ideal, it might not always be possible. Thus, conscious efforts to attenuate
      communication barriers are necessary, and several effective strategies exist.

PMID- 26505061
TI  - Proximity and emergency department use: Multilevel analysis using administrative
      data from patients with cardiovascular risk factors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine if geographic proximity to an emergency department (ED)
      is related to ED use in a metropolitan population of patients with cardiovascular
      risk factors. DESIGN: Population-based, retrospective cohort study. SETTING: The
      census metropolitan area of Montreal, Que. PARTICIPANTS: Cohort of 99 400
      patients with diabetes, hypertension, or dyslipidemia in 2007 without a history
      of cardiovascular disease. Each patient was spatially referred to 1 of 5857
      dissemination areas (DAs). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Annual number of visits to an
      ED with respect to the distance between the centroid of a patient's DA and the
      closest ED, controlling for age, sex, comorbidities, and neighbourhood
      immigration, social, and material characteristics. Multilevel logistic and
      negative binomial regressions were used to determine if the proximity to the
      closest ED was related to ED use, frequent ED use (>= 4 visits in a year), and
      number of ED visits. RESULTS: A total of 25 889 (26.0%) patients in the cohort
      visited an ED at least once during a 1-year period, among which 4563 (4.6%) were
      frequent users with at least 4 visits. These frequent users were responsible for
      28 249 (45.5%) of all 62 021 visits to EDs. The distance between a DA and its
      closest ED was significantly and negatively correlated with ED use (P < .001),
      even after controlling for confounding variables. Patients living in a DA close
      to an ED were also more likely to be frequent users, but the extent of use among
      them (range from 4 to 82 ED visits) was not related to the distance to the
      closest ED. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that patients at risk of
      cardiovascular disease living in a metropolitan area are more likely to seek a
      medical encounter at the ED if they live closer to it.

PMID- 26505062
TI  - Measuring head circumference: Update on infant microcephaly.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide an evidence-based update emphasizing the importance of
      measuring head circumference (HC) in infants, with a focus on microcephaly.
      QUALITY OF EVIDENCE: PubMed and EMBASE (OvidSP) were searched. Search terms used
      were head circumference and infants and measurement; microcephaly and infants and
      measurement; idiopathic microcephaly and infants; and congenital microcephaly and
      infants. Most of the references for this review were published in 2000 or later.
      Most evidence is level II. MAIN MESSAGE: Serial measurement of HC should be
      incorporated into routine well-child care. Measure the distance around the back
      of the child's head with a nonelastic tape measure held above the eyebrows and
      ears, and plot the measurement on an age- and sex-appropriate growth chart.
      Microcephaly is HC more than 2 SD below the mean. The most common disability
      associated with microcephaly is intellectual delay; other common concomitant
      conditions include epilepsy, cerebral palsy, language delay, strabismus,
      ophthalmologic disorders, and cardiac, renal, urinary tract, and skeletal
      anomalies. An interdisciplinary approach to microcephaly is warranted. Although
      there are no specific interventions to enhance brain growth, dietary or surgical
      interventions might be helpful in some cases. Infants with microcephaly who show
      developmental delays might benefit from early intervention programs or
      developmental physical and occupational therapy. CONCLUSION: Early identification
      of HC concerns by family physicians can be a critical first step in identifying
      disorders such as microcephaly, leading to referral to pediatric specialists and,
      as needed, provision of family-centred early intervention services.

PMID- 26505064
TI  - Fluconazole exposure during pregnancy.
AB  - QUESTION: One of my patients has just learned that she is 8 weeks pregnant. She
      took a 150-mg dose of fluconazole 2 weeks ago for the treatment of vaginal
      candidiasis and she is worried about the effect on her child and pregnancy. Can I
      reassure her? ANSWER: Short-term and low-dose fluconazole exposure, such as that
      indicated in the treatment of vaginal candidiasis, is not expected to increase
      the overall risk of major congenital malformations.

PMID- 26505066
TI  - VEGF Signaling: Methods and Protocols. Preface.

PMID- 26505065
TI  - Diagnosis and management of eosinophilic esophagitis in children.
AB  - QUESTION: After a few years of difficulty swallowing solids and feeling like food
      was getting stuck, a 13-year-old boy in my practice with peanut allergy and
      asthma was recently diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). What is EoE
      and how is it diagnosed and managed? ANSWER: Eosinophilic esophagitis is an
      immune-mediated disease resulting in inflammation of the esophagus. It is
      increasing in prevalence and incidence in countries like Canada, and frequently
      occurs in children with other allergic conditions. Unexplained feeding
      difficulties, vomiting, and solid-food dysphagia, especially in boys with atopy,
      supports the possibility of having EoE. A formal diagnosis is obtained by
      reviewing esophageal biopsies obtained through upper endoscopy performed while
      the patient is taking a proton pump inhibitor. Once EoE has been established,
      management should involve working collaboratively with gastroenterology and
      allergy specialists. Medical or dietary treatments are acceptable therapeutic
      approaches.

PMID- 26505067
TI  - My son the slippery octopus.

PMID- 26505068
TI  - Orthodontics at Any Age.

PMID- 26505069
TI  - HPV A to Z and the ... New Epidemic of Oropharyngeal Cancer.

PMID- 26505070
TI  - Can a Periodontal Infection in an Pregnant Woman Affect Her Newborn?

PMID- 26505071
TI  - What Exactly is Florida's Action for Dental Health?

PMID- 26505073
TI  - An overview of advanced technologies for selection of probiotics and their
      expediency: A review.
AB  - It has become easy to identify and select an appropriate microorganism with the
      advancement in various molecular biology and analytical techniques. The majority
      of the novel techniques are being implemented for the identification and
      characterization of microorganisms used for probiotic application. Standard
      microbial techniques such as biochemical testing and culture techniques routinely
      used for probiotic microbes screening, identification and selection. However,
      these standard techniques may not give complete information on the microbes that
      can be used for probiotic production. Furthermore, alternative molecular and
      analytical techniques such as 16S and 23S ribosomal DNA sequencing, RNA analysis
      by reverse transcriptase (RT-PCR), fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH),
      quantitative analysis by real time PCR (RT-PCR or qPCR) and fluorescent activated
      cell sorting (FACS) are potentially used to confirm and select all types of
      lactic acid microorganism. All these approaches can be employed in the screening
      and selection of appropriate lactic acid bacteria which can be potentially used
      for the production of human use probiotics in large scale fermentation. This
      review mainly focuses on various tools and techniques used for effective
      screening and selection of a better candidate bacterium for probiotic
      applications.

PMID- 26505072
TI  - Conversion of a Single Polypharmacological Agent into Selective Bivalent
      Inhibitors of Intracellular Kinase Activity.
AB  - Loss-of-function studies are valuable for elucidating kinase function and the
      validation of new drug targets. While genetic techniques, such as RNAi and
      genetic knockouts, are highly specific and easy to implement, in many cases post
      translational perturbation of kinase activity, specifically pharmacological
      inhibition, is preferable. However, due to the high degree of structural
      similarity between kinase active sites and the large size of the kinome,
      identification of pharmacological agents that are sufficiently selective to probe
      the function of a specific kinase of interest is challenging, and there is
      currently no systematic method for accomplishing this goal. Here, we present a
      modular chemical genetic strategy that uses antibody mimetics as highly selective
      targeting components of bivalent kinase inhibitors. We demonstrate that it is
      possible to confer high kinase selectivity to a promiscuous ATP-competitive
      inhibitor by tethering it to an antibody mimetic fused to the self-labeling
      protein SNAPtag. With this approach, a potent bivalent inhibitor of the tyrosine
      kinase Abl was generated. Profiling in complex cell lysates, with competition
      based quantitative chemical proteomics, revealed that this bivalent inhibitor
      possesses greatly enhanced selectivity for its target, BCR-Abl, in K562 cells.
      Importantly, we show that both components of the bivalent inhibitor can be
      assembled in K562 cells to block the ability of BCR-Abl to phosphorylate a direct
      cellular substrate. Finally, we demonstrate the generality of using antibody
      mimetics as components of bivalent inhibitors by generating a reagent that is
      selective for the activated state of the serine/threonine kinase ERK2. 

PMID- 26505074
TI  - Chikungunya infection in DoD healthcare beneficiaries following the 2013
      introduction of the virus into the Western Hemisphere, 1 January 2014 to 28
      February 2015.
AB  - The introduction and rapid spread of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) into the Western
      Hemisphere after December 2013 pose a potentially significant risk to Department
      of Defense (DoD) personnel, operations, and the military healthcare system. This
      report describes the DoD experience with CHIKV between January 2014 and February
      2015 using case reports in the Defense Medical Surveillance System's (DMSS)
      Reportable Medical Events database and the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health
      Center's laboratory test results database. Case finding identified 157 confirmed
      cases; of these, 118 (75.2%) were either active or reserve component service
      members and 39 (24.8%) were other beneficiaries. Exposure locations were known
      for 117 (74.5%) of all cases, and of these, 113 (96.6%) reported likely exposures
      in the Western Hemisphere; 85 (75.2%) of those cases occurred in Puerto Rico.
      Although historical data on CHIKV in DoD populations are scant, introduction of
      CHIKV into the Western Hemisphere with ongoing transmission appears to have
      resulted in a significant increase in the number of cases among DoD healthcare
      beneficiary populations. 

PMID- 26505075
TI  - Update: Cold weather injuries, active and reserve components, U.S. Armed Forces,
      July 2010-June 2015.
AB  - From July 2014 through June 2015, the number of active and reserve component
      service members treated for cold injuries (n=603) was much lower than the 719
      cases diagnosed during the previous, unusually cold winter of 2013- 2014. Army
      personnel accounted for the majority (51%) of cold injuries. Frostbite was the
      most common type of cold injury in each of the services except the Marine Corps
      for which immersion foot was unusually common. Consistent with trends from
      previous cold seasons, service members who were female, younger than 20 years
      old, or of black, non-Hispanic race/ethnicity tended to have higher cold injury
      rates than their respective counterparts. Numbers of cases in the combat zone
      have decreased in the past 3 years, most likely the result of declining numbers
      of personnel exposed and the changing nature of operations. It is important that
      awareness, policies, and procedures continue to be emphasized to reduce the toll
      of cold injuries among U.S. service members. 

PMID- 26505076
TI  - Surveillance snapshot: Influenza immunization among U.S. Armed Forces healthcare
      workers, August 2010-April 2015.

PMID- 26505077
TI  - Strong Surface Treatment Effects on Reinforcement Efficiency in Biocomposites
      Based on Cellulose Nanocrystals in Poly(vinyl acetate) Matrix.
AB  - In this work, the problem to disperse cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) in hydrophobic
      polymer matrices has been addressed through application of an environmentally
      friendly chemical modification approach inspired by clay chemistry. The objective
      is to compare the effects of unmodified CNC and modified CNC (modCNC)
      reinforcement, where degree of CNC dispersion is of interest. Hydrophobic
      functionalization made it possible to disperse wood-based modCNC in organic
      solvent and cast well-dispersed nanocomposite films of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc)
      with 1-20 wt % CNC. Composite films were studied by infrared spectroscopy (FT
      IR), UV-vis spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), tensile
      testing, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Strongly
      increased mechanical properties were observed for modCNC nanocomposites. The
      reinforcement efficiency was much lower in unmodified CNC composites, and
      specific mechanisms causing the differences are discussed. 

PMID- 26505078
TI  - Quantum Calculations of Electron Tunneling in Respiratory Complex III.
AB  - The most detailed and comprehensive to date study of electron transfer reactions
      in the respiratory complex III of aerobic cells, also known as bc1 complex, is
      reported. In the framework of the tunneling current theory, electron tunneling
      rates and atomistic tunneling pathways between different redox centers were
      investigated for all electron transfer reactions comprising different stages of
      the proton-motive Q-cycle. The calculations reveal that complex III is a smart
      nanomachine, which under certain conditions undergoes conformational changes
      gating electron transfer, or channeling electrons to specific pathways. One
      electron tunneling approximation was adopted in the tunneling calculations, which
      were performed using hybrid Broken-Symmetry (BS) unrestricted DFT/ZINDO levels of
      theory. The tunneling orbitals were determined using an exact biorthogonalization
      scheme that uniquely separates pairs of tunneling orbitals with small overlaps
      out of the remaining Franck-Condon orbitals with significant overlap. Electron
      transfer rates in different redox pairs show exponential distance dependence, in
      agreement with the reported experimental data; some reactions involve coupled
      proton transfer. Proper treatment of a concerted two-electron bifurcated
      tunneling reaction at the Q(o) site is given.

PMID- 26505079
TI  - Quality of palliative care: are things improving?

PMID- 26505080
TI  - Making sense of life and death from a death tree.

PMID- 26505081
TI  - Comparing the effectiveness of intranasal fentanyl spray with oral transmucosal
      fentanyl citrate in breakthrough pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breakthrough cancer pain (BTCP) is complex and severe, affecting
      quality of life and increasing hospitalisation. BTCP has a rapid onset that
      requires fast acting medication with minimal side effects. AIM: This article
      compares the effectiveness of intranasal fentanyl spray (INFS) and oral
      transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) and their alleviation of BTCP within 10
      minutes of administration. METHOD: The article considers pharmacokinetic and
      bioavailability studies demonstrating the efficacy of the route of
      administration, time-based effects of pain relief as well as patient preference.
      CONCLUSION: The data collected indicates that INFS is more effective than OTFC
      for BTCP.

PMID- 26505082
TI  - Nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards pain assessment for people with dementia
      in a nursing home setting.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to determine nurses' knowledge and attitudes
      towards pain assessment for people with dementia in a nursing home setting.
      BACKGROUND: Pain is highly prevalent among older people, yet is often under
      recognised and undertreated in people with dementia. People with dementia can
      lose the ability to report pain and it is the role of the nurse to identify and
      appropriately assess pain, to provide effective treatment. This requires nurses
      to have sufficient knowledge and training in the assessment and management of
      pain in residents with dementia; however, research suggests deficits in this
      area. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was used to determine nurses'
      knowledge and attitudes to pain assessment in dementia. A questionnaire
      comprising three sections was distributed to 96 registered nurses across 17
      nursing homes in a health-care trust in a UK region. RESULTS: A total of 32
      responses were obtained (response rate 33%). The majority of nurses had a good
      knowledge in relation to the assessment and management of pain in residents with
      dementia. There was, however, some uncertainty among nurses over analgesic
      choice, the safety of opioid use in dementia, and the use of dementia-specific
      pain assessment tools for residents with no cognitive impairment. The main
      barriers to effective pain assessment for older people with dementia were
      workload pressures, poor staffing and lack of medical support. CONCLUSION: This
      study highlights the need to develop pain education programmes and clear guidance
      specifically designed for nurses caring for older people with dementia. It also
      emphasises the need for better communication and co-ordination of pain treatment
      for nursing home residents with dementia.

PMID- 26505083
TI  - Uncertainties experienced by family members when one parent is dying.
AB  - PURPOSE: This research examined uncertainty as a salient theme for families in
      which a parent was dying while receiving hospice care. METHODS: Interviews were
      conducted with 61 participants from 26 families in the parent study to explore
      the strategies used by adolescents with a parent in a hospice. Second interviews
      were conducted with 15 original participants after the death of their parent.
      Conventional content analysis was used to analyse data. RESULTS: Uncertainty was
      a prevalent and salient theme in the participants' stories revealing patterns
      about the causes, barriers, effects and strategies used to manage uncertainty.
      CONCLUSION: Uncertainties associated with the end of life can be problematic for
      some people, requiring attention by health professionals.

PMID- 26505085
TI  - Nurses' resilience and nurturance of the self.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the losses experienced by nurses in their role in palliative
      care, they wish to continue working in this environment. This is described as
      resilience, which enhances coping in dealing with death and grief. AIM: To
      explore the nature of nurses' resilience and the way it is developed. DESIGN: A
      qualitative research design using grounded theory methods was employed. With
      theoretical sampling, 18 interviews were conducted and theoretical saturation was
      achieved. RESULTS: Self-nurturing was evident as the way nurses developed
      resilience, which included knowledge of self, coping adaptively, valuing care and
      accepting limitations. DISCUSSION: All participants spoke of the characteristics
      of resilience from the blend of individual responsibility for self and the
      support provided by others. However, none had educational pathways to build
      greater resilience. CONCLUSION: Integrating support and education to foster
      nurses' resilience is important to enable self-protection, as well as the
      provision of high quality care.

PMID- 26505084
TI  - Registered nurses' involvement in advance care planning: an integrative review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Even though registered nurses are uniquely positioned to have end-of
      life conversations with their patients, there is limited engagement in such
      discussions between patients and health-care providers. Consequently, few
      patients are adequately prepared to make in-the-moment treatment decisions about
      goals of care. OBJECTIVES: The guiding question for this integrative review was
      what factors influence registered nurses' involvement in advance care planning
      (ACP) conversations with their patients in acute care settings? METHODS: Based on
      integrative review guidelines, databases from CINAHL, Medline, Ovid, and ProQuest
      were searched from 1990-2014, yielding nine articles. RESULTS: There were four
      patterns found in the literature: (1) Nurses' involvement in ACP, (2) Nurses'
      perceptions of their roles in ACP, (3) Barriers to ACP discussions, and (4)
      Facilitators of ACP discussions. DISCUSSION: Additional educational opportunities
      related to ACP are necessary to promote integration of ACP into daily nursing
      care. Further research should focus on exploring operant mechanisms shaping
      nurses' ACP practice in acute care settings.

PMID- 26505087
TI  - Research roundup.
AB  - Synopses of a selection of recently published research articles of relevance to
      palliative care. 

PMID- 26505088
TI  - Politics and palliative care: Trinidad and Tobago.
AB  - Dion Smyth's review of the internet for palliative nursing. 

PMID- 26505089
TI  - Ablation of the transcription factors E2F1-2 limits neuroinflammation and
      associated neurological deficits after contusive spinal cord injury.
AB  - Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) induces cell cycle activation (CCA) that
      contributes to secondary injury and related functional impairments such as motor
      deficits and hyperpathia. E2F1 and E2F2 are members of the activator sub-family
      of E2F transcription factors that play an important role in proliferating cells
      and in cell cycle-related neuronal death, but no comprehensive study have been
      performed in SCI to determine the relative importance of these factors. Here we
      examined the temporal distribution and cell-type specificity of E2F1 and E2F2
      expression following mouse SCI, as well as the effects of genetic deletion of
      E2F1-2 on neuronal cell death, neuroinflammation and associated neurological
      dysfunction. SCI significantly increased E2F1 and E2F2 expression in active
      caspase-3(+) neurons/oligodendrocytes as well as in activated
      microglia/astrocytes. Injury-induced up-regulation of cell cycle-related genes
      and protein was significantly reduced by intrathecal injection of high
      specificity E2F decoy oligodeoxynucleotides against the E2F-binding site or in
      E2F1-2 null mice. Combined E2F1+2 siRNA treatment show greater neuroprotection in
      vivo than E2F1 or E2F2 single siRNA treatment. Knockout of both E2F1 and E2F2
      genes (E2Fdko) significantly reduced neuronal death, neuroinflammation, and
      tissue damage, as well as limiting motor dysfunction and hyperpathia after SCI.
      Both CCA reduction and functional improvement in E2Fdko mice were greater than
      those in E2F2ko model. These studies demonstrate that SCI-induced activation of
      E2F1-2 mediates CCA, contributing to gliopathy and neuronal/tissue loss
      associated with motor impairments and post-traumatic hyperesthesia. Thus, E2F1-2
      provide a therapeutic target for decreasing secondary tissue damage and promoting
      recovery of function after SCI. 

PMID- 26505090
TI  - Environmental Stresses Increase Photosynthetic Disruption by Metal Oxide
      Nanomaterials in a Soil-Grown Plant.
AB  - Despite an increasing number of studies over the past decade examining the
      interactions between plants and engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), very few have
      investigated the influence of environmental conditions on ENM uptake and
      toxicity, particularly throughout the entire plant life cycle. In this study,
      soil-grown herbaceous annual plants (Clarkia unguiculata) were exposed to TiO2,
      CeO2, or Cu(OH)2 ENMs at different concentrations under distinct light and
      nutrient levels for 8 weeks. Biweekly fluorescence and gas exchange measurements
      were recorded, and tissue samples from mature plants were analyzed for metal
      content. During peak growth, exposure to TiO2 and CeO2 decreased photosynthetic
      rate and CO2 assimilation efficiency of plants grown under high light and
      nutrient conditions, possibly by disrupting energy transfer from photosystem II
      (PSII) to the Calvin cycle. Exposure Cu(OH)2 particles also disrupted
      photosynthesis but only in plants grown under the most stressful conditions (high
      light, limited nutrient) likely by preventing the oxidation of a primary PSII
      reaction center. TiO2 and CeO2 followed similar uptake and distribution patterns
      with concentrations being highest in roots followed by leaves then stems, while
      Cu(OH)2 was present at highest concentrations in leaves, likely as ionic Cu. ENM
      accumulation was highly dependent on both light and nutrient levels and a
      predictive regression model was developed from these data. These results show
      that abiotic conditions play an important role in mediating the uptake and
      physiological impacts of ENMs in terrestrial plants. 

PMID- 26505091
TI  - The identification of hypoxia biomarkers from exhaled breath under normobaric
      conditions.
AB  - Pilots have reported experiencing in-flight hypoxic-like symptoms since the
      inception of high-altitude aviation. As a result, the need to monitor pilots, in
      flight, for the onset of hypoxic conditions is of great interest to the aviation
      community. We propose that exhaled breath is an appropriate non-invasive medium
      for monitoring pilot hypoxic risk through volatile organic compound (VOC)
      analysis. To identify changes in the exhaled breath VOCs produced during periods
      of reduced O2 levels, volunteers were exposed to simulated flight profiles, i.e.
      sea level for 5 min, O2 levels found at elevated altitudes for 5 min or placebo
      and 5 min at 100% O2 recovery gas, using a modified flight mask interfaced with a
      reduced O2 breathing device. During the course of these test events, time series
      breath samples from the flight mask and pre/post bag samples were collected and
      analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Seven compounds
      (pentanal, 4-butyrolactone, 2-pentanone, 2-hexanone, 2-cyclopenten-1-one, 3
      methylheptane and 2-heptanone) were found to significantly change in response to
      hypoxic conditions. Additionally, the isoprene, 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, was found
      to increase following the overall exposure profile. This study establishes an
      experimental means for monitoring changes in VOCs in response to hypoxic
      conditions, a computational workflow for compound analysis via the Metabolite
      Differentiation and Discovery Lab and MatLab((c)) software and identifies
      potential volatile organic compound biomarkers of hypoxia exposure. 

PMID- 26505092
TI  - Revealing Brown Carbon Chromophores Produced in Reactions of Methylglyoxal with
      Ammonium Sulfate.
AB  - Atmospheric brown carbon (BrC) is an important contributor to light absorption
      and climate forcing by aerosols. Reactions between small water-soluble carbonyls
      and ammonia or amines have been identified as one of the potential pathways of
      BrC formation. However, detailed chemical characterization of BrC chromophores
      has been challenging and their formation mechanisms are still poorly understood.
      Understanding BrC formation is impeded by the lack of suitable methods which can
      unravel the variability and complexity of BrC mixtures. This study applies high
      performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to photodiode array (PDA)
      detector and high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) to investigate optical
      properties and chemical composition of individual BrC components produced through
      reactions of methylglyoxal (MG) and ammonium sulfate (AS), both of which are
      abundant in the atmospheric environment. A direct relationship between optical
      properties and chemical composition of 30 major BrC chromophores is established.
      Nearly all of these chromophores are nitrogen-containing compounds that account
      for >70% of the overall light absorption by the MG+AS system in the 300-500 nm
      range. These results suggest that reduced-nitrogen organic compounds formed in
      reactions between atmospheric carbonyls and ammonia/amines are important BrC
      chromophores. It is also demonstrated that improved separation of BrC
      chromophores by HPLC will significantly advance understanding of BrC chemistry. 

PMID- 26505093
TI  - Prevalence, Supplementation, and Impact of Vitamin D Deficiency in Multiple
      Myeloma Patients.
AB  - Here, we studied 83 unselected multiple myeloma patients from December 2007
      through December 2014. Lower 25(OH) D levels (<10 ng/mL) were associated with
      higher number of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Supplementation of vitamin D
      was accompanied with a significant increase in hemoglobin (11.8 to 12.3 p =
      .039), leukocyte (4.9 to 5.8 p = .011), and erythrocyte (3.8 to 4.0 p = .004)
      levels, while thrombocytes (200.5 to 175.2 p = .036) decreased. In conclusion,
      the present study found a high incidence of vitamin D deficiency and
      insufficiency in MM patients. In myeloma patients, vitamin D levels and
      supplementation should be more widely taken into account.

PMID- 26505094
TI  - Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the Community in Luanda, Angola:
      Blurred Boundaries with the Hospital Setting.
AB  - Although the nosocomial prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
      (MRSA) in Angola is over 60% and one of the highest in Africa, the extent of MRSA
      in the community is unknown. To fill this gap, we conducted a hospital-based
      study in which 158 children attending the emergency ward and ambulatory services
      of a pediatric hospital in Luanda, the capital of Angola, were screened for S.
      aureus nasal colonization. Overall, 70 (44.3%) individuals were colonized with S.
      aureus, of which 20 (28.6%) carried MRSA, resulting in a prevalence of 12.7%
      (20/158) of MRSA in the population screened. Molecular characterization by pulsed
      field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), spa typing, multilocus sequence typing, and
      SCCmec typing distributed the isolates into two major MRSA clones and one
      dominant methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) lineage, corresponding to the
      main clones circulating in hospitals in Luanda. The MRSA isolates mainly belonged
      to clones A (PFGE type A, spa type t105, ST5-IVa-65%) and B (PFGE B, t3869, ST88
      IVa-30%), while MSSA isolates mainly belonged to clone L (PFGE type L, t861,
      ST508-42%). S. aureus isolates showed resistance to penicillin (96%), rifampin
      (87%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (21%). In conclusion, the prevalence of
      MRSA among children in the community in Luanda is high and seems to originate
      from hospitals, warranting continuous monitoring and implementation of additional
      infection control measures. 

PMID- 26505095
TI  - Considering Research Outcomes as Essential Tools for Medical Education Decision
      Making.
AB  - As medical educators face the challenge of incorporating new content, learning
      methods, and assessment techniques into the curriculum, the need for rigorous
      medical education research to guide efficient and effective instructional
      planning increases. When done properly, well-designed education research can
      provide guidance for complex education decision making. In this Commentary, the
      authors consider the 2015 Research in Medical Education (RIME) research and
      review articles in terms of the critical areas in teaching and learning that they
      address. The broad categories include (1) assessment (the largest collection of
      RIME articles, including both feedback from learners and instructors and the
      reliability of learner assessment), (2) the institution's impact on the learning
      environment, (3) what can be learned from program evaluation, and (4) emerging
      issues in faculty development. While the articles in this issue are broad in
      scope and potential impact, the RIME committee noted few studies of sufficient
      rigor focusing on areas of diversity and diverse learners. Although challenging
      to investigate, the authors encourage continuing innovation in research focused
      on these important areas. 

PMID- 26505097
TI  - A Methodological Review of the Assessment of Humanism in Medical Students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Humanism is a complex construct that defies simplistic measurement.
      How educators measure humanism shapes understanding and implications for
      learners. This systematic review sought to address the following questions: How
      do medical educators assess humanism in medical students, and how does the
      measurement impact the understanding of humanism in undergraduate medical
      education (UME)? METHOD: Using the IECARES (integrity, excellence, compassion,
      altruism, respect, empathy, and service) Gold Foundation framework, a search of
      English literature databases from 2000 to 2013 on assessment of humanism in
      medical students revealed more than 900 articles, of which 155 met criteria for
      analysis. Using descriptive statistics, articles and assessments were analyzed
      for construct measured, study design, assessment method, instrument type,
      perspective/source of assessment, student level, validity evidence, and national
      context. RESULTS: Of 202 assessments reported in 155 articles, 162 (80%) used
      surveys; 164 (81%) used student self-reports. One hundred nine articles (70%)
      included only one humanism construct. Empathy was the most prevalent construct
      present in 96 (62%); 49 (51%) of those used a single instrument. One hundred
      fifteen (74%) used exclusively quantitative data; only 48 (31%) used a
      longitudinal design. Construct underrepresentation was identified as a threat to
      validity in half of the assessments. Articles included 34 countries; 87 (56%)
      were from North America. CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of humanism in UME incorporates
      a limited scope of a complex construct, often relying on single quantitative
      measures from self-reported survey instruments. This highlights the need for
      multiple methods, perspectives, and longitudinal designs to strengthen the
      validity of humanism assessments.

PMID- 26505098
TI  - Validity of Cognitive Load Measures in Simulation-Based Training: A Systematic
      Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive load theory (CLT) provides a rich framework to inform
      instructional design. Despite the applicability of CLT to simulation-based
      medical training, findings from multimedia learning have not been consistently
      replicated in this context. This lack of transferability may be related to issues
      in measuring cognitive load (CL) during simulation. The authors conducted a
      review of CLT studies across simulation training contexts to assess the validity
      evidence for different CL measures. METHOD: PRISMA standards were followed. For
      48 studies selected from a search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and ERIC
      databases, information was extracted about study aims, methods, validity evidence
      of measures, and findings. Studies were categorized on the basis of findings and
      prevalence of validity evidence collected, and statistical comparisons between
      measurement types and research domains were pursued. RESULTS: CL during
      simulation training has been measured in diverse populations including medical
      trainees, pilots, and university students. Most studies (71%; 34) used self
      report measures; others included secondary task performance, physiological
      indices, and observer ratings. Correlations between CL and learning varied from
      positive to negative. Overall validity evidence for CL measures was low (mean
      score 1.55/5). Studies reporting greater validity evidence were more likely to
      report that high CL impaired learning. CONCLUSIONS: The authors found evidence
      that inconsistent correlations between CL and learning may be related to issues
      of validity in CL measures. Further research would benefit from rigorous
      documentation of validity and from triangulating measures of CL. This can better
      inform CLT instructional design for simulation-based medical training.

PMID- 26505099
TI  - Readiness for Residency: A Survey to Evaluate Undergraduate Medical Education
      Programs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health professions programs continue to search for meaningful and
      efficient ways to evaluate the quality of education they provide and support
      ongoing program improvement. Despite flaws inherent in self-assessment, recent
      research suggests that aggregated self-assessments reliably rank aspects of
      competence attained during preclerkship MD training. Given the novelty of those
      observations, the purpose of this study was to test their generalizability by
      evaluating an MD program as a whole. METHOD: The Readiness for Residency Survey
      (RfR) was developed and aligned with the published Readiness for Clerkship Survey
      (RfC), but focused on the competencies expected to be achieved at graduation. The
      RfC and RfR were administered electronically four months after the start of
      clerkship and six months after the start of residency, respectively.
      Generalizability and decision studies examined the extent to which specific
      competencies were achieved relative to one another. RESULTS: The reliability of
      scores assigned by a single resident was G = 0.32. However, a reliability of G =
      0.80 could be obtained by averaging over as few as nine residents. Whereas highly
      rated competencies in the RfC resided within the CanMEDS domains of professional,
      communicator, and collaborator, five additional medical expert competencies
      emerged as strengths when the program was evaluated after completion by
      residents. CONCLUSIONS: Aggregated resident self-assessments obtained using the
      RfR reliably differentiate aspects of competence attained over four years of
      undergraduate training. The RfR and RfC together can be used as evaluation tools
      to identify areas of strength and weakness in an undergraduate medical education
      program.

PMID- 26505100
TI  - Four-Year Educational and Patient Care Outcomes of a Team-Based Primary Care
      Longitudinal Clerkship.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Longitudinal clerkships show promise in improving undergraduate
      primary care education. This study examines the Education-Centered Medical Home
      (ECMH), a longitudinal clerkship embedding teams of students across all four
      years into primary care clinics to provide patient care and serve as health
      coaches for high-risk patients. METHOD: All students graduating in 2015 were
      surveyed to assess attitudes, experiences, and preferences regarding primary care
      education. ECMH students were compared with students receiving their primary care
      training in a traditional curriculum (TC) using paired measures of comparison. To
      assess the impact of the ECMH on patient care quality, authors performed a
      detailed chart review at one site. RESULTS: Seventy-six percent of eligible
      students participated in the study. ECMH students (n = 69) and TC students (n =
      68) had similar baseline academic performance and career interests. ECMH students
      reported more continuity-of-care experiences, higher satisfaction with their
      primary care learning climate (86% versus 61% in the EMCH and TC cohorts,
      respectively), more confidence in their quality improvement skills, and scored
      higher on measures of perceived patient centeredness. Students from both groups
      recommended the ECMH (91% and 57%, respectively). Student involvement at one ECMH
      site was correlated with increased patient contacts and improved delivery of
      recommended preventive care. CONCLUSIONS: Incorporating students longitudinally
      into primary care clinics is highly rated by students. The ECMH model led to
      improved continuity, improved perceptions of the learning climate, and higher
      patient centeredness. Preliminary data suggest that students add value and
      improve patient outcomes during longitudinal clinical experiences.

PMID- 26505101
TI  - Humanism, the Hidden Curriculum, and Educational Reform: A Scoping Review and
      Thematic Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical educators have used the hidden curriculum concept for over
      three decades to make visible the effects of tacit learning, including how
      culture, structures, and institutions influence professional identity formation.
      In response to calls to see more humanistic-oriented training in medicine, the
      authors examined how the hidden curriculum construct has been applied in the
      English language medical education literature with a particular (and centering)
      look at its use within literature pertaining to humanism. They also explored the
      ends to which the hidden curriculum construct has been used in educational reform
      efforts (at the individual, organizational, and/or systems levels) related to
      nurturing and/or increasing humanism in health care. METHOD: The authors
      conducted a scoping review and thematic analysis that draws from the tradition of
      critical discourse analysis. They identified 1,887 texts in the literature
      search, of which 200 met inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The analysis documents a
      strong preoccupation with negative effects of the hidden curriculum, particularly
      the moral erosion of physicians and the perceived undermining of humanistic
      values in health care. A conflation between professionalism and humanism was
      noted. Proposals for reform largely target medical students and medical school
      faculty, with very little consideration for how organizations, institutions, and
      sociopolitical relations more broadly contribute to problematic behaviors.
      CONCLUSIONS: The authors argue that there is a need to transcend
      conceptualizations of the hidden curriculum as antithetical to humanism and offer
      suggestions for future research that explores the necessity and value of humanism
      and the hidden curriculum in medical education and training.

PMID- 26505102
TI  - Seeing Things Differently or Seeing Different Things? Exploring Raters'
      Associations of Noncognitive Attributes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Raters represent a significant source of unexplained, and often
      undesired, variance in performance-based assessments. To better understand rater
      variance, this study investigated how various raters, observing the same
      performance, perceived relationships amongst different noncognitive attributes
      measured in performance assessments. METHOD: Medical admissions data from a
      Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) used at one Canadian medical school were collected
      and subsequently analyzed using the Many Facet Rasch Model (MFRM) and
      hierarchical clustering. This particular MMI consisted of eight stations. At each
      station a faculty member and an upper-year medical student rated applicants on
      various noncognitive attributes including communication, critical thinking,
      effectiveness, empathy, integrity, maturity, professionalism, and resolution.
      RESULTS: The Rasch analyses revealed differences between faculty and student
      raters across the eight different MMI stations. These analyses also identified
      that, at times, raters were unable to distinguish between the various
      noncognitive attributes. Hierarchical clustering highlighted differences in how
      faculty and student raters observed the various noncognitive attributes.
      Differences in how individual raters associated the various attributes within a
      station were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: The MFRM and hierarchical clustering
      helped to explain some of the variability associated with raters in a way that
      other measurement models are unable to capture. These findings highlight that
      differences in ratings may result from raters possessing different
      interpretations of an observed performance. This study has implications for
      developing more purposeful rater selection and rater profiling in performance
      based assessments.

PMID- 26505103
TI  - Characteristics and Implications of Diagnostic Justification Scores Based on the
      New Patient Note Format of the USMLE Step 2 CS Exam.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To determine the psychometric characteristics of diagnostic
      justification scores based on the patient note format of the United States
      Medical Licensing Examination Step 2 Clinical Skills exam, which requires
      students to document history and physical findings, differential diagnoses,
      diagnostic justification, and plan for immediate workup. METHOD: End-of-third
      year medical students at one institution wrote notes for five standardized
      patient cases in May 2013 (n = 180) and 2014 (n = 177). Each case was scored
      using a four-point rubric to rate each of the four note components. Descriptive
      statistics and item analyses were computed and a generalizability study done.
      RESULTS: Across cases, 10% to 48% provided no diagnostic justification or had
      several missing or incorrect links between history and physical findings and
      diagnoses. The average intercase correlation for justification scores ranged from
      0.06 to 0.16; internal consistency reliability of justification scores
      (coefficient alpha across cases) was 0.38. Overall, justification scores had the
      highest mean item discrimination across cases. The generalizability study showed
      that person-case interaction (12%) and task-case interaction (13%) had the
      largest variance components, indicating substantial case specificity.
      CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic justification task provides unique information about
      student achievement and curricular gaps. Students struggled to correctly justify
      their diagnoses; performance was highly case specific. Diagnostic justification
      was the most discriminating element of the patient note and had the greatest
      variability in student performance across cases. The curriculum should provide a
      wide range of clinical cases and emphasize recognition and interpretation of
      clinically discriminating findings to promote the development of clinical
      reasoning skills.

PMID- 26505104
TI  - Cause and Effect: Testing a Mechanism and Method for the Cognitive Integration of
      Basic Science.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methods of integrating basic science with clinical knowledge are
      still debated in medical training. One possibility is increasing the spatial and
      temporal proximity of clinical content to basic science. An alternative model
      argues that teaching must purposefully expose relationships between the domains.
      The authors compared different methods of integrating basic science: causal
      explanations linking basic science to clinical features, presenting both domains
      separately but in proximity, and simply presenting clinical features METHOD:
      First-year undergraduate health professions students were randomized to four
      conditions: (1) science-causal explanations (SC), (2) basic science before
      clinical concepts (BC), (3) clinical concepts before basic science (CB), and (4)
      clinical features list only (FL). Based on assigned conditions, participants were
      given explanations for four disorders in neurology or rheumatology followed by a
      memory quiz and diagnostic test consisting of 12 cases which were repeated after
      one week. RESULTS: Ninety-four participants completed the study. No difference
      was found on memory test performance, but on the diagnostic test, a condition by
      time interaction was found (F[3,88] = 3.05, P < .03, etap = 0.10). Although all
      groups had similar immediate performance, the SC group had a minimal decrease in
      performance on delayed testing; the CB and FL groups had the greatest decreases.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that creating proximity between basic science
      and clinical concepts may not guarantee cognitive integration. Although cause-and
      effect explanations may not be possible for all domains, making explicit and
      specific connections between domains will likely facilitate the benefits of
      integration for learners.

PMID- 26505105
TI  - Thresholds of Principle and Preference: Exploring Procedural Variation in
      Postgraduate Surgical Education.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Expert physicians develop their own ways of doing things. The
      influence of such practice variation in clinical learning is insufficiently
      understood. Our grounded theory study explored how residents make sense of, and
      behave in relation to, the procedural variations of faculty surgeons. METHOD: We
      sampled senior postgraduate surgical residents to construct a theoretical
      framework for how residents make sense of procedural variations. Using a
      constructivist grounded theory approach, we used marginal participant observation
      in the operating room across 56 surgical cases (146 hours), field interviews
      (38), and formal interviews (6) to develop a theoretical framework for residents'
      ways of dealing with procedural variations. Data analysis used constant
      comparison to iteratively refine the framework and data collection until
      theoretical saturation was reached. RESULTS: The core category of the constructed
      theory was called thresholds of principle and preference and it captured how
      faculty members position some procedural variations as negotiable and others not.
      The term thresholding was coined to describe residents' daily experiences of
      spotting, mapping, and negotiating their faculty members' thresholds and
      defending their own emerging thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: Thresholds of principle and
      preference play a key role in workplace-based medical education. Postgraduate
      medical learners are occupied on a day-to-day level with thresholding and
      attempting to make sense of the procedural variations of faculty. Workplace-based
      teaching and assessment should include an understanding of the integral role of
      thresholding in shaping learners' development. Future research should explore the
      nature and impact of thresholding in workplace-based learning beyond the surgical
      context.

PMID- 26505106
TI  - Institution and Specialty Contribute to Resident Satisfaction With Their Learning
      Environment and Workload.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This large, multi-institutional study examines the relative
      contribution of residency specialty and institution to resident satisfaction with
      their learning environment and workload. METHOD: Survey responses from 798
      residents were linked to institution (N = 20) and specialty (N = 10) and to
      characteristics of individual residency programs (N = 126) derived from the
      FREIDA Online database. Hierar chical linear modeling was used to estimate
      relative contributions of these factors to resident satisfaction with workload
      and learning environment. RESULTS: Institution had greater influence than
      specialty on resident ratings of satisfaction with their workload and learning
      environment. Institution and specialty accounted for more variance in
      satisfaction with workload than with the learning environment. There is evidence
      that characteristics of a given residency program in a given institution have
      additional impact beyond these main effects. However, characteristics of
      institutions or programs, such as program selectivity, off-duty periods, or
      number of faculty, did not explain statistically significant amounts of variance
      in resident satisfaction ratings. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to
      quantify the degree to which institution and specialty contribute to differences
      in resident perceptions of their learning environment and workload. Although
      organizational and institutional cultures are presumed to influence the learning
      environment, estimating the size of these influences requires a multi
      institutional and multispecialty dataset, such as this one. These results suggest
      that there is empirical justification for institutional interventions to improve
      the learning environment.

PMID- 26505107
TI  - Perceptions of Leaders and Clinician Educators on the Impact of International
      Accreditation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Graduate medical education (GME) is responding to calls for reform by
      adopting competency-based frameworks and, in some countries, by rapidly
      implementing external accreditation systems. The Accreditation Council for
      Graduate Medical Education International (ACGME-I) began accrediting institutions
      in 2009. This study aimed to describe ACGME-I-accredited institutions and explore
      perceptions of their leaders and clinician educators (CEs) regarding
      preparedness, challenges, and initial impact of accreditation. METHOD: Cross
      sectional surveys of all ACGME-I-accredited institutions' leaders and CEs were
      conducted from June 2013 to June 2014. Eligible participants were identified
      through institution Web sites and GME offices. Combinations of Web- and paper
      based surveys were employed. RESULTS: Completed surveys were received from 24
      (70.6%) of 34 institutional leaders and 274 (76.3%) of 359 CEs, representing 3
      countries, 8 academic medical centers, 2 affiliated teaching hospitals, and 47
      residency programs. Leaders and CEs felt prepared in the domains of knowledge and
      implementation of the competencies. Top challenges were excessive "demands on
      faculty time" and "bureaucratic procedures." The majority of both groups
      perceived a positive impact of accreditation on all learner, faculty,
      institution, and patient outcomes; most perceived no impact on patient
      satisfaction. Overall, 79.2% of leaders and 75.8% of CEs agreed or strongly
      agreed that seeking ACGME-I accreditation was worthwhile. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      indicates that despite the challenges identified, initial perceptions of the
      impact of ACGME-I accreditation are positive. Findings from this study may be
      useful to institutions and countries considering similar GME reform, though long
      term outcome data are needed.

PMID- 26505108
TI  - From Cheerleader to Coach: The Developmental Progression of Bedside Teachers in
      Giving Feedback to Early Learners.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical students learn clinical skills at the bedside from teaching
      clinicians, who often learn to teach by teaching. Little is known about the
      process of becoming an effective clinical teacher. Understanding how teaching
      skills and approaches change with experience may help tailor faculty development
      for new teachers. Focusing on giving feedback to early learners, the authors
      asked: What is the developmental progression of clinician-teachers as they learn
      to give clinical skills feedback to medical students? METHOD: This qualitative
      study included longitudinal interviews with clinician-teachers over five years in
      a new clinical skills teaching program for preclinical medical students.
      Techniques derived from grounded theory were used for initial analyses. The
      current study focused on one theme identified in initial analyses: giving
      feedback to students. Transcript passages were organized by interview year,
      coded, and discussed in year clusters; thematic codes were compared and emergent
      codes developed. RESULTS: Themes related to giving feedback demonstrated a dyadic
      structure: characteristic of less experienced teachers versus characteristic of
      experienced teachers. Seven dominant dyadic themes emerged, including teacher as
      cheerleader versus coach, concern about student fragility versus understanding
      resilience, and focus on creating a safe environment versus challenging students
      within a safe environment. CONCLUSIONS: With consistent teaching, clinical
      teachers demonstrated progress in giving feedback to students in multiple areas,
      including understanding students' developmental trajectory and needs, developing
      tools and strategies, and adopting a dynamic, challenging, inclusive team
      approach. Ongoing teaching opportunities with targeted faculty development may
      help improve clinician-teachers' feedback skills and approaches.

PMID- 26505109
TI  - How Do Surgery Students Use Written Language to Say What They See? A Framework to
      Understand Medical Students' Written Evaluations of Their Teachers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There remains debate regarding the value of the written comments that
      medical students are traditionally asked to provide to evaluate the teaching they
      receive. The purpose of this study was to examine written teaching evaluations to
      understand how medical students conceptualize teachers' behaviors and
      performance. METHOD: All written comments collected from medical students about
      teachers in the two surgery clerkships at the University of Alberta in 2009-2010
      and 2010-2011 were collated and anonymized. A grounded theory approach was used
      for analysis, with iterative reading and open coding to identify recurring
      themes. A framework capturing variations observed in the data was generated until
      data saturation was achieved. Domains and subdomains were named using an in situ
      coding approach. RESULTS: The conceptual framework contained three main domains:
      "Physician as Teacher," "Physician as Person," and "Physician as Physician."
      Under "Physician as Teacher," students commented on specific acts of teaching and
      subjective perceptions of an educator's teaching values. Under the "Physician as
      Physician" domain, students commented on elements of their educator's
      physicianship, including communication and collaborative skills, medical
      expertise, professionalism, and role modeling. Under "Physician as Person,"
      students commented on how both positive and negative personality traits impacted
      their learning. CONCLUSIONS: This framework describes how medical students
      perceive their teachers and how they use written language to attach meaning to
      the behaviors they observe. Such a framework can be used to help students provide
      more constructive feedback to teachers and to assist in faculty development
      efforts aimed at improving teaching performance.

PMID- 26505110
TI  - Foreword: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same.

PMID- 26505113
TI  - Elasto-Inertial Pinched Flow Fractionation for Continuous Shape-Based Particle
      Separation.
AB  - Shape is an important passive marker in label-free particle and cell separation
      for chemical, biomedical, and environmental applications. We demonstrate herein a
      continuous-flow shape-based separation of spherical and peanut-shaped rigid
      particles of equal volume (or equivalent spherical diameter) via elasto-inertial
      pinched flow fractionation (eiPFF). This microfluidic technique exploits the
      shape dependence of the flow-induced elasto-inertial lift (and hence the cross
      stream migration) in viscoelastic fluids to increase the displacement of a sheath
      flow-focused particle mixture for a high-purity separation. The parametric
      effects on this shape-based particle separation via eiPFF are systematically
      investigated in terms of five dimensionless numbers. It is found that the
      separation is strongly affected by the flow rate, fluid elasticity, and channel
      aspect ratio. Interestingly, the elasto-inertial deflection of the peanut
      particles can be either greater or smaller than that of equally volumed spherical
      particles. This phenomenon is speculated to correlate with the rotational effects
      of peanut particles. 

PMID- 26505114
TI  - Intraislet Pancreatic Ducts Can Give Rise to Insulin-Positive Cells.
AB  - A key question in diabetes research is whether new beta-cells can be derived from
      endogenous, nonendocrine cells. The potential for pancreatic ductal cells to
      convert into beta-cells is a highly debated issue. To date, it remains unclear
      what anatomical process would result in duct-derived cells coming to exist within
      preexisting islets. We used a whole-mount technique to directly visualize the
      pancreatic ductal network in young wild-type mice, young humans, and wild-type
      and transgenic mice after partial pancreatectomy. Pancreatic ductal networks,
      originating from the main ductal tree, were found to reside deep within islets in
      young mice and humans but not in mature mice or humans. These networks were also
      not present in normal adult mice after partial pancreatectomy, but TGF-beta
      receptor mutant mice demonstrated formation of these intraislet duct structures
      after partial pancreatectomy. Genetic and viral lineage tracings were used to
      determine whether endocrine cells were derived from pancreatic ducts. Lineage
      tracing confirmed that pancreatic ductal cells can typically convert into new
      beta-cells in normal young developing mice as well as in adult TGF-beta signaling
      mutant mice after partial pancreatectomy. Here the direct visual evidence of
      ducts growing into islets, along with lineage tracing, not only represents strong
      evidence for duct cells giving rise to beta-cells in the postnatal pancreas but
      also importantly implicates TGF-beta signaling in this process. 

PMID- 26505115
TI  - Importance of Adult Dmbx1 in Long-Lasting Orexigenic Effect of Agouti-Related
      Peptide.
AB  - Dmbx1 is a brain-specific homeodomain transcription factor expressed primarily
      during embryogenesis, and its systemic disruption (Dmbx1(-/-)) in the ICR mouse
      strain resulted in leanness associated with impaired long-lasting orexigenic
      effect of agouti-related peptide (AgRP). Because spatial and temporal expression
      patterns of Dmbx1 change dramatically during embryogenesis, it remains unknown
      when and where Dmbx1 plays a critical role in energy homeostasis. In the present
      study, the physiological roles of Dmbx1 were examined by its conditional
      disruption (Dmbx1(loxP/loxP)) in the C57BL/6 mouse strain. Although Dmbx1
      disruption in fetal brain resulted in neonatal lethality, its disruption by
      synapsin promoter-driven Cre recombinase, which eliminated Dmbx1 expression
      postnatally, exempted the mice (Syn-Cre;Dmbx1(loxP/loxP) mice) from lethality.
      Syn-Cre;Dmbx1(loxP/loxP) mice show mild leanness and impaired long-lasting
      orexigenic action of AgRP, demonstrating the physiological relevance of Dmbx1 in
      the adult. Visualization of Dmbx1-expressing neurons in adult brain using the
      mice harboring tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase in the Dmbx1 locus
      (Dmbx1(CreERT2/+) mice) revealed Dmbx1 expression in small numbers of neurons in
      restricted regions, including the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPB). Notably, c
      Fos expression in LPB was increased at 48 hours after AgRP administration in
      Dmbx1(loxP/loxP) mice but not in Syn-Cre;Dmbx1(loxP/loxP) mice. These c-Fos
      positive neurons in LPB did not coincide with neurons expressing Dmbx1 or
      melanocortin 4 receptor but did coincide with those expressing calcitonin gene
      related peptide. Accordingly, Dmbx1 in the adult LPB is required for the long
      lasting orexigenic effect of AgRP via the neural circuitry involving calcitonin
      gene-related peptide neurons. 

PMID- 26505116
TI  - Nanoparticles Containing High Loads of Paclitaxel-Silicate Prodrugs: Formulation,
      Drug Release, and Anticancer Efficacy.
AB  - We have investigated particle size, interior structure, drug release kinetics,
      and anticancer efficacy of PEG-b-PLGA-based nanoparticles loaded with a series of
      paclitaxel (PTX)-silicate prodrugs [PTX-Si(OR)3]. Silicate derivatization enabled
      us to adjust the hydrophobicity and hydrolytic lability of the prodrugs by the
      choice of the alkyl group (R) in the silicate derivatives. The greater
      hydrophobicity of these prodrugs allows for the preparation of nanoparticles that
      are stable in aqueous dispersion even when loaded with up to ca. 75 wt % of the
      prodrug. The hydrolytic lability of silicates allows for facile conversion of
      prodrugs back to the parent drug, PTX. A suite of eight PTX-silicate prodrugs was
      investigated; nanoparticles were made by flash nanoprecipitation (FNP) using a
      confined impingement jet mixer with a dilution step (CIJ-D). The resulting
      nanoparticles were 80-150 nm in size with a loading level of 47-74 wt % (wt %) of
      a PTX-silicate, which corresponds to 36-59 effective wt % of free PTX. Cryogenic
      transmission electron microscopy images show that particles are typically
      spherical with a core-shell structure. Prodrug/drug release profiles were
      measured. Release tended to be slower for prodrugs having greater hydrophobicity
      and slower hydrolysis rate. Nanoparticles loaded with PTX-silicate prodrugs that
      hydrolyze most rapidly showed in vitro cytotoxicity similar to that of the parent
      PTX. Nanoparticles loaded with more labile silicates also tended to show greater
      in vivo efficacy. 

PMID- 26505117
TI  - Summary of Notifiable Noninfectious Conditions and Disease Outbreaks: Acute
      Occupational Pesticide-Related Illness and Injury - United States, 2007-2010.

PMID- 26505118
TI  - Bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) proteins regulate biliary-driven liver
      regeneration.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: During liver regeneration, hepatocytes are derived from pre
      existing hepatocytes. However, if hepatocyte proliferation is compromised,
      biliary epithelial cells (BECs) become the source of new hepatocytes. We recently
      reported on a zebrafish liver regeneration model in which BECs extensively
      contribute to hepatocytes. Using this model, we performed a targeted chemical
      screen to identify important factors that regulate BEC-driven liver regeneration,
      the mechanisms of which remain largely unknown. METHODS: Using Tg(fabp10a:CFP
      NTR) zebrafish, we examined the effects of 44 selected compounds on BEC-driven
      liver regeneration. Liver size was assessed by fabp10a:DsRed expression; liver
      marker expression was analyzed by immunostaining, in situ hybridization and
      quantitative PCR. Proliferation and apoptosis were also examined. Moreover, we
      used a mouse liver injury model, choline-deficient, ethionine-supplemented (CDE)
      diet. RESULTS: We identified 10 compounds that affected regenerating liver size.
      Among them, only bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET) inhibitors, JQ1 and
      iBET151, blocked both Prox1 and Hnf4a induction in BECs. BET inhibition during
      hepatocyte ablation blocked BEC dedifferentiation into hepatoblast-like cells (HB
      LCs). Intriguingly, after JQ1 washout, liver regeneration resumed, indicating
      temporal, but not permanent, perturbation of liver regeneration by BET
      inhibition. BET inhibition after hepatocyte ablation suppressed the proliferation
      of newly generated hepatocytes and delayed hepatocyte maturation. Importantly,
      Myca overexpression, in part, rescued the proliferation defect. Furthermore, oval
      cell numbers in mice fed CDE diet were greatly reduced upon JQ1 administration,
      supporting the zebrafish findings. CONCLUSIONS: BET proteins regulate BEC-driven
      liver regeneration at multiple steps: BEC dedifferentiation, HB-LC proliferation,
      the proliferation of newly generated hepatocytes, and hepatocyte maturation.

PMID- 26505119
TI  - Restoration of T cell function in chronic hepatitis B patients upon treatment
      with interferon based combination therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by
      functional impairment of HBV-specific T cells. Understanding the mechanisms
      behind T cell dysfunction and restoration is important for the development of
      optimal treatment strategies. METHODS: In this study we have first analysed the
      phenotype and function of HBV-specific T cells in patients with low viral load
      (HBV DNA <20,000IU/ml) and spontaneous control over the virus. Subsequently, we
      assessed HBV-specific T cells in patients with high viral load (HBV DNA
      >17,182IU/ml) treated with peginterferon/adefovir combination therapy who had
      various treatment outcomes. RESULTS: HBV-specific T cells could be detected
      directly ex vivo in 7/22 patients with low viral load. These showed an early
      differentiated memory phenotype with reduced ability to produce IL-2 and
      cytotoxic molecules such as granzyme B and perforin, but with strong
      proliferative potential. In a cohort of 28 chronic hepatitis B patients with high
      viral load treated with peginterferon and adefovir, HBV-specific T cells could
      not be detected directly ex vivo. However, HBV-specific T cells could be
      selectively expanded in vitro in patients with therapy-induced HBsAg clearance
      (HBsAg loss n=7), but not in patients without HBsAg clearance (n=21). Further
      analysis of HBV-specific T cell function with peptide pools showed broad and
      efficient antiviral responses after therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that
      peginterferon based combination therapy can induce HBV-specific T cell
      restoration. These findings may help to develop novel therapeutic strategies to
      reconstitute antiviral functions and enhance viral clearance.

PMID- 26505120
TI  - Complete removal of the tumor-bearing portal territory decreases local tumor
      recurrence and improves disease-specific survival of patients with hepatocellular
      carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Anatomic resection (AR) of the tumor-bearing portal territory
      has been reported to be associated with a decreased recurrence of hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC). However, because of the heterogeneity of the study populations,
      its oncologic advantage remains controversial. The objective of the present study
      was to determine the clinical advantage of AR for primary HCC, based on the data
      from a large prospective cohort treated under a constant surgical policy.
      METHODS: In 209 Child-Pugh class A patients with primary, solitary HCC measuring
      ?5.0cm in diameter, which was resectable either by AR or limited resection (non
      AR), the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were compared with
      patients in whom complete AR was achieved and those who eventually ended up with
      non-AR after adjustment for the propensity scores to select AR. Advantages of AR
      in disease-specific survival and local recurrence were also evaluated by
      competing-risks regression to clarify the true oncologic impact of AR. RESULTS:
      The AR group showed better DFS than the non-AR group (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.45
      0.99; p=0.046), while no significant difference was observed in OS (hazard ratio
      [HR], 0.82; 95% CI, 0.46-1.48; p=0.511). Competing-risks regression revealed that
      AR significantly decreases local recurrence (HR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.05-0.30;
      p<0.001) and improves disease-specific survival (HR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.28-0.90;
      p=0.020), while the other cause of death was highly influenced by patient age
      (>65years) (HR, 7.51; 95% CI, 2.16-26.04; p=0.002) and not associated with AR.
      CONCLUSION: Complete removal of tumor-bearing portal territory decreases the risk
      of local recurrence and death from HCC.

PMID- 26505122
TI  - Three-coordinate iron(IV) bisimido complexes with aminocarbene ligation:
      synthesis, structure, and reactivity.
AB  - High-valent iron imido species are implicated as reactive intermediates in many
      iron-catalyzed transformations. However, isolable complexes of this type are
      rare, and their reactivity is poorly understood. Herein, we report the synthesis,
      characterization, and reactivity studies on novel three-coordinate iron(IV)
      bisimido complexes with aminocarbene ligation. Using our recently reported
      synthetic method for [LFe(NDipp)2] (L = IMes, 1; Me2-cAAC, 2), four new iron(IV)
      imido complexes, [(IPr)Fe(NDipp)2] (3) and [(Me2-cAAC)Fe(NR)2] (R = Mes, 4; Ad,
      5; CMe2CH2Ph, 6), were prepared from the reactions of three-coordinate iron(0)
      compounds with organic azides. Characterization data acquired from (1)H and (13)C
      NMR spectroscopy, (57)Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction studies
      suggest a low-spin singlet ground state for these iron(IV) complexes and the
      multiple-bond character of their Fe-N bonds. A reactivity study taking the
      reactions of 1 as representative revealed an intramolecular alkane
      dehydrogenation of 1 to produce the iron(II) complex [(IMes)Fe(NHDipp)(NHC6H3-2
      Pr(i)-6-CMe?CH2)] (7), a Si-H bond activation reaction of 1 with PhSiH3 to
      produce the iron(II) complex [(IMes)Fe(NHDipp)(NDippSiPhH2)] (8), and a [2+2]
      addition reaction of 1 with PhNCNPh and p-Pr(i)C6H4NCO to form the corresponding
      open-shell formal iron(IV) monoimido complexes
      [(IMes)Fe(NDipp)(N(Dipp)C(NPh)(?NPh))] (9) and [(IMes)Fe(NDipp)(N(Dipp)C(O)N(p
      Pr(i)C6H4))] (10), as well as [NDipp]-group-transfer reactions with CO and
      Bu(t)NC. Density functional theory calculations suggested that the alkane chain
      dehydrogenation reaction starts with a hydrogen atom abstraction mechanism,
      whereas the Si-H activation reaction proceeds in a [2pi+2sigma]-addition manner.
      Both reactions have the pathways at the triplet potential energy surfaces being
      energetically preferred, and have formal iron(IV) hydride and iron(IV) silyl
      species as intermediates, respectively. The low-coordinate nature and low d
      electron count (d(4)) of iron(IV) imido complexes are thought to be the key
      features endowing their unique reactivity. 

PMID- 26505121
TI  - Novel pH-sensitive multifunctional envelope-type nanodevice for siRNA-based
      treatments for chronic HBV infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Antiviral agents including entecavir (ETV) suppress the
      replication of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome in human hepatocytes, but they
      do not reduce the abundance of viral proteins. The present study focused on
      effectively reducing viral protein levels. METHODS: We designed siRNAs (HBV
      siRNA) that target consensus sequences in HBV genomes. To prevent the emergence
      of escaped mutant virus, we mixed three HBV-siRNAs (HBV-siRNAmix); the mixture
      was encapsulated in a novel pH-sensitive multifunctional envelope-type nanodevice
      (MEND), a hepatocyte-specific drug delivery system. Coagulation factor 7 siRNA
      was used to assess delivery and knockdown efficiencies of MEND/siRNA treatments
      in mice. The potency of MEND/HBV-siRNAmix was evaluated in primary human
      hepatocytes and in chimeric mice with humanized liver persistently infected with
      HBV. RESULTS: Effective knockdown of targets, efficient delivery of siRNA, and
      liver-specific delivery were each observed with MEND. MEND/HBV-siRNA caused
      efficient reduction of HBsAg and HBeAg in vitro and in vivo. However, ETV
      treatment did not efficiently reduce HBsAg or HBeAg when compared with a single
      MEND/HBV-siRNAmix treatment. Furthermore, the suppressive effects of a single
      dose of MEND/HBV-siRNAmix persisted for 14days in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION:
      We demonstrated that MEND/HBV-siRNA controlled HBV more efficiently than did ETV.
      Furthermore, the effect of a single dose of MEND/HBV-siRNA persisted for a long
      time. These results indicated that MEND/HBV-siRNA may be a promising novel HBV
      treatment that is more effective than reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

PMID- 26505123
TI  - Stress-induced adaptation of neutrophilic granulocyte activity in K and R3 carp
      lines.
AB  - Both in mammals and fish, stress induces remarkable changes in the immune
      response. We focused on stress-induced changes in the activity of neutrophilic
      granulocytes in the R3 and K lines of common carp, which showed differential
      stress responses. Our study clearly demonstrates that a prolonged restraint
      stress differentially affects the activity of K and R3 carp neutrophils. In the K
      line, stress decreased the respiratory burst, while in the R3 line it reduced the
      release of extracellular DNA. Surprisingly, the stress-induced changes in ROS
      production and NET formation did not correlate with changes in gene expression of
      the inflammatory mediators and GR receptors. In neutrophilic granulocytes from K
      carp, gene expression of the stress-sensitive cortisol GR1 receptor was
      significantly higher than in neutrophils from R3 fish, which will make these
      cells more sensitive to high levels of cortisol. Moreover, upon stress,
      neutrophilic granulocytes of K carp up-regulated gene expression of the anti
      inflammatory cytokine IL-10 while this was not observed in neutrophilic
      granulocytes of R3 carp. Therefore, we can hypothesize that, in contrast to R3
      neutrophils, the more cortisol sensitive neutrophils from K carp respond to
      stress with up-regulation of IL-10 and consequently reduction of ROS production.
      Most probably the ROS-independent NET formation in K carp is not regulated by
      this anti-inflammatory cytokine. These data may indicate a predominantly ROS
      independent formation of NETs by carp neutrophilic granulocytes. Moreover, they
      underline the important role of IL-10 in stress-induced immunoregulation. 

PMID- 26505124
TI  - A combined CoMFA and CoMSIA 3D-QSAR study of benzamide type antibacterial
      inhibitors of the FtsZ protein in drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - A major problem today is bacterial resistance to antibiotics and the small number
      of new therapeutic agents approved in recent years. The development of new
      antibiotics capable of acting on new targets is urgently required. The
      filamenting temperature-sensitive Z (FtsZ) bacterial protein is a key biomolecule
      for bacterial division and survival. This makes FtsZ an attractive new
      pharmacological target for the development of antibacterial agents. There have
      been several attempts to develop ligands able to inhibit FtsZ. Despite the large
      number of synthesized compounds that inhibit the FtsZ protein, there are no
      quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) that allow for the rational
      design and synthesis of promising new molecules. We present the first 3D-QSAR
      study of a large and diverse set of molecules that are able to inhibit the FtsZ
      bacterial protein. We summarize a set of chemical changes that can be made in the
      steric, electrostatic, hydrophobic and donor/acceptor hydrogen-bonding properties
      of the pharmacophore, to generate new bioactive molecules against FtsZ. These
      results provide a rational guide for the design and synthesis of promising new
      antibacterial agents, supported by the strong statistical parameters obtained
      from CoMFA (r(2)(pred) = 0.974) and CoMSIA (r(2)(pred) = 0.980) analyses.

PMID- 26505125
TI  - Practical Suggestions for the Creation and Use of Meaningful Learning Goals in
      Graduate Medical Education.

PMID- 26505126
TI  - Bioassay of cyanoacrylate tissue adhesives used for intraperitoneal mesh
      fixation.
AB  - AIMS: This study examines the intraperitoneal behavior of two cyanoacrylate
      tissue adhesives: Ifabond(r) and a new, non-marketed octyl cyanoacrylate adhesive
      (OCA) used for the intraperitoneal fixation of a laminar expanded
      polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) mesh. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In 36 New Zealand
      White rabbits, 3 * 3 cm (n = 24) or 1.5 * 3 cm (n = 12) fragments of ePTFE mesh
      (Preclude(r) , Gore, Flagstaff, USA) were fixed to the parietal peritoneum using
      OCA or Ifabond(r) . Peritoneal fluid was obtained at the time of implant and at 2
      weeks postimplant for determination of the cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and
      tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). At 14 or 90 days postsurgery, the
      animals were euthanized and the meshes excised to assess host tissue
      incorporation, the macrophage response, apoptosis and fixation strength (T-peel
      tensiometry). RESULTS: Peritoneal fluid IL-6 and TNF-alpha concentrations were
      similar in the OCA and Ifabond(r) groups. Both adhesives gave rise to adequate
      mesothelialization of the laminar ePTFE. Macrophage counts were similar for the
      two study groups, but a significantly increase in macrophage response was
      observed from 14 to 90 days for Ifabond(r) . At 90 days postimplant, apoptotic
      cell counts was lower for the implants fixed with OCA and a fixation strength was
      significantly lower for OCA. CONCLUSIONS: Despite similar cytokine levels at 2
      weeks and similar host tissue incorporation observed for the meshes fixed with
      the two adhesives, the use of Ifabond(r) gave rise to a greater apoptosis rate,
      although this adhesive provided a stronger fixation bond. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 312-319, 2017.

PMID- 26505127
TI  - Enhanced production of polygalacturonase in solid-state fermentation: selection
      of the process conditions, isolation and partial characterization of the enzyme.
AB  - Polygalacturonase (PG) production by Penicillium chrysogenum during solid-state
      fermentation was accompanied by decomposition of orange peels. A leaching
      procedure was developed through the selection of solvent, time and intensity of
      stirring. A maximum PG activity was observed after 48 h peel inoculation. Further
      cultivation decreased the enzyme activity significantly, up to 60% of the maximum
      PG activity. During fermentation, a rapid acidification of the solid medium which
      inhibited the pectinolytic enzyme, was observed. Buffering agents with different
      pH values and different ionic strengths were examined to identify the most
      suitable medium to avoid this problem. Buffer addition counteracted acidification
      and enhanced active protein production, which was observed for all of the applied
      pH values (6.5-8.0) of the buffering agent. The most satisfactory results were
      obtained when using the highest pH at 8.0. The protein content and PG activity
      increased from 3.5 mg/g and 1.09 U/g to 7.7 mg/g and 7.11 U/g during cultivation,
      with uncontrolled and pH-controlled medium, respectively. Measurements at wide pH
      and temperature ranges indicated an optimum for PG activity at pH 5.0 and 43
      degrees C; however, high thermal stability corresponded to lower temperatures,
      and a temperature of 37 degrees C is thus recommended. Under these conditions,
      the operational stability was determined to be t1/2=570 h. 

PMID- 26505128
TI  - Microbiome impact on metabolism and function of sex, thyroid, growth and
      parathyroid hormones.
AB  - Commensal bacteria and their genes associated with host are known as microbiome.
      In recent years, microbial influence on host endocrine system has been under
      detailed investigation. The role of microbiome in the pathogenesis of insulin
      resistance and obesity, the function of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and
      secretion of hormones regulating appetite is well described in world literature.
      In this article we discuss poorly reviewed issues: the microbiome role in
      modulation of non-peptide (sex and thyroid) and peptide (growth hormone and
      parathyroid hormone) functions. Understanding complex bidirectional relations
      between host endocrine system and bacteria is of fundamental importance to
      understanding microbial impact on host reproduction, risk of endocrine-related
      cancers, pathogenesis of non-thyroidal illness syndrome, growth failure in
      children and hormonal changes during chronic kidney disease. This article also
      highlights effects of dietary compounds on microbiome composition and bacterial
      enzymes activity, and thus host hormonal status. 

PMID- 26505129
TI  - Determination of biodiversity of Coprinus comatus using genotyping and metabolic
      profiling tools.
AB  - Coprinus comatus strains (CCMs) originating from Poland were identified using ITS
      region sequencing. Based on the sequences obtained, the genetic relationship
      between the CCM strains was determined and a clear separation of all strains into
      two main clusters was obtained. The Coprinus strains were also genetically
      characterized for the first time by the AFLP technique. The analysis showed that
      the CCMs separated into four main clusters and a high complication of a UPGMA
      based dendrogram was achieved. C. comatus strains included in the analysis
      displayed an AFLP profile similarity level in the range from 44 to 66%. The
      highest similarity coefficient, 0.490, was found between CCM12 and CCM13, and the
      lowest (0.202) between the CCM2 and CCM5 isolates. Biolog FF MicroPlates were
      applied to obtain data on utilization of 95 carbon sources and mycelial growth.
      The analysis allowed comparison of the functional diversity of the CCM strains
      and revealed a broad variability within the analyzed Coprinus species based on
      substrate utilization profiles. Significant differences (2-48) have been shown in
      the substrate richness values. The Biolog experiments proved to be a good
      profiling technology for studying the diversity in shaggy manes due to metabolic
      differences and demonstrated that all the strains might be considered
      individually. It is evident that the strain metabolic grouping does not correlate
      with the grouping based on the ITS sequences and AFLP profiles, however, some
      similarities may be observed. 

PMID- 26505130
TI  - Antimicrobial, antiadhesive and antibiofilm potential of lipopeptides synthesised
      by Bacillus subtilis, on uropathogenic bacteria.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial effect of lipopeptide
      biosurfactants from surfactin, iturin and fengycin families, synthesised by the
      Bacillus subtilis I'1a strain, on uropathogenic bacteria, including the effects
      on planktonic growth, processes of biofilm formation and dislodging.
      Antimicrobial activity was tested against 32 uropathogenic strains belonging to
      12 different species of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The sensitivity
      of 25 tested bacterial strains to the B. subtilis I'1a filtrate was confirmed by
      an agar diffusion assay. None of the strains seemed to be sensitive to pure
      surfactin at concentrations ranging from 0.1 mg * ml(-1) to 0.4 mg ml(-1). After
      the treatment of uropathogens with B. subtilis lipopeptides, the metabolic
      activity of planktonic cells was inhibited by 88.05+/-3.96% in the case of 21
      studied uropathogens, the process of biofilm formation was reduced by 88.15+/
      4.77% in the case of 24 uropathogens and mature biofilms of 18 strains were
      dislodged by about 81.20+/-4.72%. Ten strains of uropathogenic bacteria were
      selected to study the antimicrobial activity of surfactin (concentrations 0.1,
      0.2 and 0.4 mg * ml(-1)). Surfactin had no influence on the metabolic activity of
      planktonic forms of uropathogens, however, biofilms of 5 tested strains were
      reduced by 64.77+/-9.05% in the presence of this biosurfactant at the
      concentration 0.1 mg * ml(-1). The negative effect of the compound on the biofilm
      formation process was observed at all concentrations used. The above-described
      results were fully confirmed by CLSM. It could suggest that synergistic
      application of biosurfactants could be efficient in uropathogen eradication. 

PMID- 26505131
TI  - Ridge Preservation Techniques in the Anterior Esthetic Zone.
AB  - PURPOSE: Various techniques have been developed to limit resorption of the
      alveolar ridge after tooth extraction, and results from using them have been
      promising. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role and reliability of
      ridge preservation (RP) in the anterior esthetic zone, in anticipation of later
      implant placement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the MEDLINE and PubMed databases,
      searches were performed using combinations of different terms. RESULTS: A total
      of 223 studies were identified, from which 55 articles were further examined. Of
      these, 11 studies were randomized clinical trials, controlled clinical trials, or
      prospective/retrospective studies with a minimum of 5 subjects and at least 3
      months of follow-up. Only human studies of RP for single-rooted tooth or bicuspid
      sites were included. Selection criteria also excluded studies in which primary
      closure was obtained. CONCLUSION: Although a direct comparison of the 11 articles
      was difficult because of the different techniques, materials, and healing time,
      no single graft material seemed to be superior. However, all studies found less
      ridge contraction at grafted than nongrafted sites. Long-term data about the
      outcomes for implants placed in sites where RP was attempted are still needed.

PMID- 26505132
TI  - Comparison of Marginal and Internal Adaptation of CAD/CAM and Conventional Cement
      Retained Implant-Supported Single Crowns.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of marginal and internal adaptation of 2
      computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) and 2 conventionally
      made cement retained implant-supported restorations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An
      abutment and its corresponding fixture analog (Astra Tech) were inserted in left
      central incisor area of a maxillary cast. Four types of implant-supported single
      restorations were fabricated on the abutment (n = 10): e.max CAD (Cerec AC
      system), zirconia-based (Cercon system), IPS e.max Press, and metal-ceramic
      restorations. The internal and marginal gaps of the studied groups were measured
      by replica method and stereomicroscope. Data were subjected to 1-way ANOVA and
      Scheffe post hoc tests (alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: Mean internal gaps of Cercon
      (59.48 +/- 16.49 MUm) and e.max Press (75.62 +/- 26.92 MUm) groups were
      significantly different from e.max CAD (120.29 +/- 16.74 MUm) group, but there
      was no significant difference between metal-ceramic restorations (89.65 +/- 47.84
      MUm) and e.max CAD. The marginal gaps of e.max CAD (32.02 +/- 10.38 MUm) and
      Cercon restorations (34.26 +/- 11.41 MUm) were significantly superior from metal
      ceramics (59.19 +/- 17.81 MUm) and e.max press (74.99 +/- 24.51 MUm). CONCLUSION:
      Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that although the
      marginal and internal gaps of the studied implant-supported restorations were in
      the clinically acceptable range, single crowns made with CAD/CAM technology
      provide better marginal fit.

PMID- 26505134
TI  - Lost in space: design of experiments and scientific exploration in a Hogarth
      Universe.
AB  - A Hogarth, or 'wicked', universe is an irregular environment generating data to
      support erroneous beliefs. Here, we argue that development scientists often work
      in such a universe. We demonstrate that exploring these multidimensional spaces
      using small experiments guided by scientific intuition alone, gives rise to an
      illusion of validity and a misplaced confidence in that scientific intuition. By
      contrast, design of experiments (DOE) permits the efficient mapping of such
      complex, multidimensional spaces. We describe simulation tools that enable
      research scientists to explore these spaces in relative safety. 

PMID- 26505133
TI  - Metformin synergistically sensitizes FLT3-ITD-positive acute myeloid leukemia to
      sorafenib by promoting mTOR-mediated apoptosis and autophagy.
AB  - Mutations of Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3-internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD),
      accounting for approximately 30% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML),
      results in poor therapeutic efficacy and short survival. Sorafenib, an oral
      multikinase inhibitor, can inhibit FLT3 and improve clinical outcome of FLT3
      mutated leukemia. Our current studies have shown that, the antidiabetic drug
      metformin also exerts anti-leukemic effect by activating p-AMPK and
      synergistically sensitizes FLT3 mutated AML to sorafenib. Both agents suppress
      cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner and induce apoptosis via cell cycle
      arrest, but does not obviously modulate autophagy marker, light chain 3 (LC3).
      Mechanistically, in the presence of metformin, the anticancer potential of
      sorafenib, accompanying with increased LC3 levels, is found to be synergistically
      enhanced with the remarkably reduced protein expression of the mTOR/p70S6K/4EBP1
      pathway, while not appreciably altering cell cycle. Overall, these results show
      metformin in aid of sorafenib may represent a promising and attractive strategy
      for the treatment of FLT3-ITD mutated AML. 

PMID- 26505135
TI  - Mathematical model of susceptibility, resistance, and resilience in the within
      host dynamics between a Plasmodium parasite and the immune system.
AB  - We developed a coupled age-structured partial differential equation model to
      capture the disease dynamics during blood-stage malaria. The addition of age
      structure for the parasite population, with respect to previous models, allows us
      to better characterize the interaction between the malaria parasite and red blood
      cells during infection. Here we prove that the system we propose is well-posed
      and there exist at least two global states. We further demonstrate that the
      numerical simulation of the system coincides with clinically observed outcomes of
      primary and secondary malaria infection. The well-posedness of this system
      guarantees that the behavior of the model remains smooth, bounded, and
      continuously dependent on initial conditions; calibration with clinical data will
      constrain domains of parameters and variables to physiological ranges. 

PMID- 26505136
TI  - 'They can't report abuse, they can't move out. They are at the mercy of these
      men': exploring connections between intimate partner violence, gender and HIV in
      South African clinical settings.
AB  - This qualitative study captured South African female health provider perspectives
      of intimate partner violence in female patients, gender norms and consequences
      for patients' health. Findings indicated female patients' health behaviours were
      predicated on sociocultural norms of submission to men's authority and economic
      dependence on their partners. Respondents described how men's preferences and
      health decision-making in clinics affected their patients' health. Adverse gender
      norms and gender inequalities affected women's opportunities to be healthy,
      contributing to HIV risk and undermining effective HIV management in this
      context. Some providers, seeking to deliver a standard of quality healthcare to
      their female patients, demonstrated a willingness to challenge patriarchal gender
      relations. Findings enhance understanding of how socially-sanctioned gender
      norms, intimate partner violence and HIV are synergistic, also reaffirming the
      need for integrated HIV-intimate partner violence responses in multi-sector
      national strategic plans. Health providers' intimate knowledge of the lived
      experiences of female patients with intimate partner violence and/or HIV deepens
      understanding of how adverse gender norms generate health risks for women in ways
      that may inform policy and clinical practice in South Africa and other high-HIV
      prevalence settings. 

PMID- 26505137
TI  - Altered purinergic signaling in the tumor associated immunologic microenvironment
      in metastasized non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Purines are well-known as intracellular sources for energy but they
      also act as extracellular signaling molecules. In the recent years, there has
      been a growing interest in the therapeutic potential of purinergic signaling for
      cancer treatment. This is the first study to analyze lung purine levels and
      purinergic receptors in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: In this prospective clinical trial we enrolled 26 patients with
      NSCLC and 21 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) without
      signs of malignancy. The purine concentrations were analyzed in bronchoalveolar
      lavage fluid (BALF) using fluorescent/luminescent assays. Expression of
      purinergic receptors and ectonucleotidases were analyzed using real time
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). RESULTS: Patients with NSCLC
      have significantly lower ATP and ADP concentrations in BALF than patients with
      COPD (p=0.006 and p=0.009). Expression of the ectonucleotidase CD39 is
      significantly higher in BAL cells from cancer patients compared to COPD (p=0.001)
      as well as in metastasized tumors compared to non-metastasized tumors (p=0.009).
      Receptor-analysis revealed a higher expression of P2X4 (p=0.03), P2X7 (p=0.001)
      and P2Y1 (p=0.003) in BAL cells of tumors with distant metastasis. CONCLUSION:
      Our data suggests a role for CD39 in lung cancer tumor microenvironment,
      influencing tumor invasiveness and metastasization. Potentially the increased
      degradation of ATP and ADP leads to a subversion of their anti-neoplastic
      effects. Furthermore P2Y1, P2X4 and P2X7 receptors are upregulated in BAL cells
      in metastatic disease. Our findings might facilitate the identification of new
      therapeutic targets for cancer immunotherapy.

PMID- 26505138
TI  - Holographic acoustic elements for manipulation of levitated objects.
AB  - Sound can levitate objects of different sizes and materials through air, water
      and tissue. This allows us to manipulate cells, liquids, compounds or living
      things without touching or contaminating them. However, acoustic levitation has
      required the targets to be enclosed with acoustic elements or had limited
      manoeuvrability. Here we optimize the phases used to drive an ultrasonic phased
      array and show that acoustic levitation can be employed to translate, rotate and
      manipulate particles using even a single-sided emitter. Furthermore, we introduce
      the holographic acoustic elements framework that permits the rapid generation of
      traps and provides a bridge between optical and acoustical trapping. Acoustic
      structures shaped as tweezers, twisters or bottles emerge as the optimum
      mechanisms for tractor beams or containerless transportation. Single-beam
      levitation could manipulate particles inside our body for applications in
      targeted drug delivery or acoustically controlled micro-machines that do not
      interfere with magnetic resonance imaging. 

PMID- 26505139
TI  - Individualized real-time fMRI neurofeedback to attenuate craving in nicotine
      dependent smokers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cue-induced craving plays an important role in relapse, and the
      neural correlates of cue-induced craving have been elucidated using fMRI. This
      study examined the utility of real-time fMRI (rtfMRI) neurofeedback to strengthen
      self-regulation of craving-related neural activation and cue-reactivity in
      cigarette smokers. METHODS: Nicotine-dependent smokers were randomized to rtfMRI
      neurofeedback or to a no-feedback control group. Participants completed 3
      neuroimaging visits. Within each visit, an initial run during which smoking
      related cues were used to provoke craving, an individualized craving-related
      region of interest (ROI) in the prefrontal cortex or anterior cingulate cortex
      was identified. In the rtfMRI group, activity from the ROI was fed back via a
      visual display during 3 subsequent runs while participants were instructed to
      reduce craving during cue exposure. The control group had an identical experience
      with no feedback provided. RESULTS: Forty-four nicotine-dependent smokers were
      recruited to participate in our study; data from the 33 participants who
      completed a 1-week follow-up visit were included in the analysis. Subjective
      craving ratings and cue-induced brain activation were lower in the rtfMRI group
      than in the control group. LIMITATIONS: As participants were not seeking
      treatment, clinical outcomes are lacking. CONCLUSION: Nicotine-dependent smokers
      receiving rtfMRI feedback from an individualized ROI attenuated smoking cue
      elicited neural activation and craving, relative to a control group. Further
      studies are needed in treatment-seeking smokers to determine if this intervention
      can translate into a clinically meaningful treatment modality.

PMID- 26505140
TI  - Associations between arterial stiffness, depressive symptoms and cerebral small
      vessel disease: cross-sectional findings from the AGES-Reykjavik Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arterial stiffness may contribute to depression via cerebral
      microvascular damage, but evidence for this is scarce. We therefore investigated
      whether arterial stiffness is associated with depressive symptoms and whether
      cerebral small vessel disease contributes to this association. METHODS: This
      cross-sectional study included a subset of participants from the AGES-Reykjavik
      study second examination round, which was conducted from 2007 to 2011. Arterial
      stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity [CFPWV]), depressive symptoms (15
      item geriatric depression scale [GDS-15]) and cerebral small vessel disease (MRI)
      were determined. Manifestations of cerebral small vessel disease included higher
      white matter hyperintensity volume, subcortical infarcts, cerebral microbleeds,
      Virchow-Robin spaces and lower total brain parenchyma volume. RESULTS: We
      included 2058 participants (mean age 79.6 yr; 59.0% women) in our analyses.
      Higher CFPWV was associated with a higher GDS-15 score, after adjustment for
      potential confounders (beta 0.096, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.005-0.187).
      Additional adjustment for white matter hyperintensity volume or subcortical
      infarcts attenuated the association between CFPWV and the GDS-15 score, which
      became nonsignificant (p > 0.05). Formal mediation tests showed that the
      attenuating effects of white matter hyperintensity volume and subcortical
      infarcts were statistically significant. Virchow-Robin spaces, cerebral
      microbleeds and cerebral atrophy did not explain the association between CFPWV
      and depressive symptoms. LIMITATIONS: Our study was limited by its cross
      sectional design, which precludes any conclusions about causal mediation.
      Depressive symptoms were assessed by a self-report questionnaire. CONCLUSION:
      Greater arterial stiffness is associated with more depressive symptoms; this
      association is partly accounted for by white matter hyperintensity volume and
      subcortical infarcts. This study supports the hypothesis that arterial stiffness
      leads to depression in part via cerebral small vessel disease.

PMID- 26505141
TI  - Identification of segregated regions in the functional brain connectome of
      autistic patients by a combination of fuzzy spectral clustering and entropy
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several neuroimaging studies support the model of abnormal
      development of brain connectivity in patients with autism-spectrum disorders
      (ASD). In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis of reduced functional
      network segregation in autistic patients compared with controls. METHODS:
      Functional MRI data from children acquired under a resting-state protocol (Autism
      Brain Imaging Data Exchange [ABIDE]) were submitted to both fuzzy spectral
      clustering (FSC) with entropy analysis and graph modularity analysis. RESULTS: We
      included data from 814 children in our analysis. We identified 5 regions of
      interest comprising the motor, temporal and occipitotemporal cortices with
      increased entropy (p < 0.05) in the clustering structure (i.e., more segregation
      in the controls). Moreover, we noticed a statistically reduced modularity (p <
      0.001) in the autistic patients compared with the controls. Significantly reduced
      eigenvector centrality values (p < 0.05) in the patients were observed in the
      same regions that were identified in the FSC analysis. LIMITATIONS: There is
      considerable heterogeneity in the fMRI acquisition protocols among the sites that
      contributed to the ABIDE data set (e.g., scanner type, pulse sequence, duration
      of scan and resting-state protocol). Moreover, the sites differed in many
      variables related to sample characterization (e.g., age, IQ and ASD diagnostic
      criteria). Therefore, we cannot rule out the possibility that additional
      differences in functional network organization would be found in a more
      homogeneous data sample of individuals with ASD. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest
      that the organization of the whole-brain functional network in patients with ASD
      is different from that observed in controls, which implies a reduced modularity
      of the brain functional networks involved in sensorimotor, social, affective and
      cognitive processing.

PMID- 26505142
TI  - Structural covariance of neostriatal and limbic regions in patients with
      obsessive-compulsive disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Frontostriatal and frontoamygdalar connectivity alterations in
      patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have been typically described
      in functional neuroimaging studies. However, structural covariance, or volumetric
      correlations across distant brain regions, also provides network-level
      information. Altered structural covariance has been described in patients with
      different psychiatric disorders, including OCD, but to our knowledge, alterations
      within frontostriatal and frontoamygdalar circuits have not been explored.
      METHODS: We performed a mega-analysis pooling structural MRI scans from the
      Obsessive-compulsive Brain Imaging Consortium and assessed whole-brain voxel-wise
      structural covariance of 4 striatal regions (dorsal and ventral caudate nucleus,
      and dorsal-caudal and ventral-rostral putamen) and 2 amygdalar nuclei
      (basolateral and centromedial-superficial). Images were preprocessed with the
      standard pipeline of voxel-based morphometry studies using Statistical Parametric
      Mapping software. RESULTS: Our analyses involved 329 patients with OCD and 316
      healthy controls. Patients showed increased structural covariance between the
      left ventral-rostral putamen and the left inferior frontal gyrus/frontal
      operculum region. This finding had a significant interaction with age; the
      association held only in the subgroup of older participants. Patients with OCD
      also showed increased structural covariance between the right centromedial
      superficial amygdala and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. LIMITATIONS: This
      was a cross-sectional study. Because this is a multisite data set analysis,
      participant recruitment and image acquisition were performed in different
      centres. Most patients were taking medication, and treatment protocols differed
      across centres. CONCLUSION: Our results provide evidence for structural network
      level alterations in patients with OCD involving 2 frontosubcortical circuits of
      relevance for the disorder and indicate that structural covariance contributes to
      fully characterizing brain alterations in patients with psychiatric disorders.

PMID- 26505143
TI  - Selective genetic disruption of dopaminergic, serotonergic and noradrenergic
      neurotransmission: insights into motor, emotional and addictive behaviour.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The monoaminergic transmitters dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NE) and
      serotonin (5-HT) modulate cerebral functions via their extensive effects in the
      brain. Investigating their roles has led to the creation of vesicular
      monoaminergic transporter-2 (VMAT2) knockout (KO) mice. While this mutation
      results in postnatal death, VMAT2-heterozygous (HET) mice are viable and show a
      complex behavioural phenotype. However, the simultaneous alteration of the 3
      systems prevents investigations into their individual functions. METHODS: To
      assess the specific role of NE, 5-HT and DA, we genetically disrupted their
      neurotransmission by creating conditional VMAT2-KO mice with targeted
      recombination. These specific recombinations were obtained by breeding
      VMAT2(lox/lox) mice with DBHcre, SERTcre and DATcre mice, respectively. We
      conducted a complete neurochemical and behavioural characterization of VMAT2-HET
      animals in each system. RESULTS: Conditional VMAT2-KO mice revealed an absence of
      VMAT2 expression, and a specific decrease in the whole brain levels of each
      monoamine. Although NE- and 5-HT-depleted mice are viable into adulthood, DA
      depletion results in postnatal death before weaning. Interestingly, alteration of
      the DA transmission fully accounted for the increased amphetamine response
      formerly observed in the VMAT2-HET mice, whereas alteration of the 5-HT system
      was solely responsible for the increase in cocaine response. LIMITATIONS: We used
      VMAT2-HET mice that displayed a mild phenotype. Because the VMAT2-KO in DA
      neurons is lethal, it precluded a straightforward comparison of the full KOs in
      the 3 systems. CONCLUSION: Given the intermingled functions of NE, 5-HT and DA in
      regulating cognitive and affective functions, this model will enhance
      understanding of their respective roles in the pathophysiology of psychiatric
      disorders.

PMID- 26505145
TI  - Divergence times and the evolution of morphological complexity in an early land
      plant lineage (Marchantiopsida) with a slow molecular rate.
AB  - We present a complete generic-level phylogeny of the complex thalloid liverworts,
      a lineage that includes the model system Marchantia polymorpha. The complex
      thalloids are remarkable for their slow rate of molecular evolution and for being
      the only extant plant lineage to differentiate gas exchange tissues in the
      gametophyte generation. We estimated the divergence times and analyzed the
      evolutionary trends of morphological traits, including air chambers, rhizoids and
      specialized reproductive structures. A multilocus dataset was analyzed using
      maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches. Relative rates were estimated using
      local clocks. Our phylogeny cements the early branching in complex thalloids.
      Marchantia is supported in one of the earliest divergent lineages. The rate of
      evolution in organellar loci is slower than for other liverwort lineages, except
      for two annual lineages. Most genera diverged in the Cretaceous. Marchantia
      polymorpha diversified in the Late Miocene, giving a minimum age estimate for the
      evolution of its sex chromosomes. The complex thalloid ancestor, excluding
      Blasiales, is reconstructed as a plant with a carpocephalum, with filament-less
      air chambers opening via compound pores, and without pegged rhizoids. Our
      comprehensive study of the group provides a temporal framework for the analysis
      of the evolution of critical traits essential for plants during land
      colonization. 

PMID- 26505144
TI  - Serum lipid levels and suicidality: a meta-analysis of 65 epidemiological
      studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the
      association between serum lipid levels and suicidality, as evidence from previous
      studies has been inconsistent. METHODS: We identified relevant studies by
      searching Medline, Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of
      Systematic Reviews (1980 to Dec. 5, 2014). Studies assessing the association
      between serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL
      C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and/or triglycerides (TG) levels
      and suicidality were included. We used a random-effects model to take into
      account heterogeneity among studies. RESULTS: We included 65 studies with a total
      of 510 392 participants in our analysis. Compared with the nonsuicidal patients,
      suicidal patients had significantly lower serum TC (weighted mean difference
      [WMD] -22.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] -27.95 to -16.75), LDL-C (WMD -19.56,
      95% CI -26.13 to -12.99) and TG (WMD -23.40, 95% CI -32.38 to -14.42) levels,
      while compared with the healthy controls, suicidal patients had significantly
      lower TC (WMD -24.75, 95% CI -27.71 to -21.78), HDL-C (WMD -1.75, 95% CI -3.01 to
      -0.48) and LDL-C (WMD -3.85, 95% CI -7.45 to -0.26) levels. Furthermore, compared
      with the highest serum TC level category, a lower serum TC level was associated
      with a 112% (95% CI 40%-220%) higher risk of suicidality, including a 123% (95%
      CI 24%-302%) higher risk of suicide attempt and an 85% (95 CI 7%-221%) higher
      risk of suicide completion. The cut-off values for low and high serum TC level
      were in compliance with the categories reported in the original studies.
      LIMITATIONS: A major limitation of our study is the potential heterogeneity in
      most of the analyses. In addition, the suicidal behaviour was examined using
      different scales or methods across studies, which may further explain
      heterogeneity among the studies. CONCLUSION: We identified an inverse association
      between serum lipid levels and suicidality. More mechanistic studies are needed
      to further explain this association.

PMID- 26505146
TI  - [Long term results of patients implanted with CRT-D: Results of a monocentric
      study].
AB  - Implantable cardiac defibrillators and resynchronization devices (CRT-D) are
      frequently used for heart failure patients. This is a retrospective study which
      included 50 patients with a CRT-D. The objective was to evaluate the prevalence
      of cardiac events (death, hospitalization for acute heart failure, ventricular
      arrhythmias). During 30-month follow-up, 4 patients (8%) died, 10 patients were
      hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure (20%) and 5 patients (10%)
      presented an appropriate choc for a ventricular arrhythmia. In total, 19 patients
      presented at least one cardiac event (38%). An improvement in dyspnea was
      reported in 84% of patients. An improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction
      (LVEF) was reported in 74% of patients and 12% of them have normalized LVEF. In
      this study, the majority of patients implanted with a CRT-D presented an
      improvement of their symptoms. However, residual cardiac events were reported and
      remain unpredictable.

PMID- 26505147
TI  - Endovascular repair of delayed giant iliac pseudoaneurysm following simultaneous
      pancreas-kidney transplantation with preserved allografts function.
AB  - We present a case of endovascular repair of a giant iliac artery pseudoaneurysm
      following simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation. A 64-year-old female
      presented to the emergency room with right flank pain 10 months after kidney and
      pancreas transplantation on the right iliac axis. Investigations revealed a 9.5
      cm pseudoaneurysm originating from the anastomosis between the graft renal artery
      and the external iliac artery. The pseudoaneurysm was successfully excluded
      emergently with a covered stent graft preserving the normal perfusion and
      function of both transplanted organs. Endovascular repair may be a good and low
      invasive option in selected patients with transplant renal artery pseudoaneurysm.

PMID- 26505148
TI  - Optimised transdermal delivery of pravastatin.
AB  - Wiechers' programme "Formulating for Efficacy" initiated a new strategy to
      optimise the oil phase of topical formulations in order to achieve optimal
      transdermal drug delivery. This new approach uses the "Delivery Gap Theory" on
      any active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to test if it could enhance
      transdermal drug delivery. The aim of the study was to formulate six different
      semi-solid formulations (three creams and three emulgels) with 2% pravastatin as
      the API in order to investigate the "Delivery Gap Principle", by determining
      which formulation would deliver pravastatin best to the target-site (system
      circulation). The three cream- and three emulgel formulations had different
      polarities, i.e. a formulation with polarity equal to that of the stratum corneum
      (optimised), a non-polar (lipophilic)- and a polar (hydrophilic)-formulation.
      Franz cell diffusion studies were executed over 12h and the optimised emulgel
      (2.578MUg/cm(2)) had the highest median amount per area obtained. Tape stripping
      followed the diffusion studies and in the stratum corneum-epidermis, the
      hydrophilic emulgel (1.448MUg/ml) contained the highest median pravastatin
      concentration and the epidermis-dermis the optimised emulgel (0.849MUg/ml)
      depicted the highest pravastatin concentration. During this study, it was
      observed that when both emulgel and cream formulations were compared; the
      emulgels enhanced the delivery of pravastatin more than the creams.

PMID- 26505149
TI  - Characterization of smart auto-degradative hydrogel matrix containing alginate
      lyase to enhance levofloxacin delivery against bacterial biofilms.
AB  - The aim of the present work is the characterization of smart auto-degradable
      microspheres composed of calcium alginate/high methoxylated pectin containing an
      alginate lyase (AL) from Sphingobacterium multivorum and levofloxacin.
      Microspheres were prepared by ionotropic gelation containing AL in its inactive
      form at pH 4.0. Incubation of microspheres in Tris-HCl and PBS buffers at pH 7.40
      allowed to establish the effect of ion-chelating phosphate on matrix erodability
      and suggested an intrinsically activation of AL by turning the pH close to
      neutrality. Scanning electron and optical microscopies revealed the presence of
      holes and surface changes in AL containing microspheres. Furthermore,
      texturometric parameters, DSC profiles and swelling properties were showing
      strong changes in microspheres properties. Encapsulation of levofloxacin into
      microspheres containing AL showed 70% efficiency and 35% enhancement of
      antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm. Levofloxacin
      release from microspheres was not changed at acidic pH, but was modified at
      neutral pH in presence of AL. Advantageously, only gel matrix debris were
      detectable after overnight incubation, indicating an autodegradative gel process
      activated by the pH. Absence of matrix cytotoxicity and a reduction of the
      levofloxacin toxicity after encapsulation were observed in mammalian CHO-K1 cell
      cultures. These properties make the system a potent and versatile tool for
      antibiotic oral delivery targeted to intestine, enhancing the drug
      bioavailability to eradicate bacterial biofilm and avoiding possible intestinal
      obstructions.

PMID- 26505150
TI  - Anodal sensory nerve action potentials: From physiological understanding to
      potential clinical applicability.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Low-intensity electrical stimuli of digital nerves may generate a
      double peak potential (DPp), composed of a cathodal (caAP) and an anodal (anAP)
      potential in orthodromic recordings. METHODS: We studied the effects on caAP and
      anAP of stimuli of variable intensity, duration, and frequency. We also applied a
      conditioning stimulus to study potential differences in recovery time. RESULTS:
      The anAP was obtained in 33 of 40 healthy subjects (82.5%) and 4 of 20 patients
      with various types of sensory neuropathies (20%). Changes in stimulus duration
      and intensity had reciprocal effects on the amplitude of the anAP and the caAP.
      There were significant differences in recovery time between caAP and anAP after a
      conditioning stimulus. CONCLUSION: The caAP and anAP are 2 interdependent
      waveforms generated by different effects of the same stimulus over axons at the
      verge of depolarization. Muscle Nerve 53: 897-905, 2016.

PMID- 26505151
TI  - Pulmonary Delivery of Proteins Using Nanocomposite Microcarriers.
AB  - In this study, Taguchi design was used to determine optimal parameters for the
      preparation of bovine serum albumin (BSA)-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) using a
      biodegradable polymer poly(glycerol adipate-co-omega-pentadecalactone) (PGA-co
      PDL). NPs were prepared, using BSA as a model protein, by the double emulsion
      evaporation process followed by spray-drying from leucine to form nanocomposite
      microparticles (NCMPs). The effect of various parameters on NP size and BSA
      loading were investigated and dendritic cell (DC) uptake and toxicity. NCMPs were
      examined for their morphology, yield, aerosolisation, in vitro release behaviour
      and BSA structure. NP size was mainly affected by the polymer mass used and a
      small particle size <=500 nm was achieved. High BSA (43.67 +/- 2.3 MUg/mg)
      loading was influenced by BSA concentration. The spray-drying process produced
      NCMPs (50% yield) with a porous corrugated surface, aerodynamic diameter 1.46 +/-
      141 MUm, fine particle dose 45.0 +/- 4.7 MUg and fine particle fraction 78.57 +/-
      0.1%, and a cumulative BSA release of 38.77 +/- 3.0% after 48 h. The primary and
      secondary structures were maintained as shown by sodium dodecyl sulphate poly
      (acrylamide) gel electrophoresis and circular dichroism. Effective uptake of NPs
      was seen in DCs with >85% cell viability at 5 mg/mL concentration after 4 h.
      These results indicate the optimal process parameters for the preparation of
      protein-loaded PGA-co-PDL NCMPs suitable for inhalation.

PMID- 26505152
TI  - The hypolipidemic effect and antithrombotic activity of Mucuna pruriens protein
      hydrolysates.
AB  - Hydrolysates and peptide fractions (PF) obtained from M. pruriens protein
      concentrates with commercial and digestive enzymatic systems were studied for
      their hypolipidemic and antithrombotic activities. Hydrolysates obtained with
      Pepsin-Pancreatin (PP) and their peptide fractions inhibited cholesterol micellar
      solubility with a maximum value of 1.83% in PP. Wistar rats were used to evaluate
      the hypolipidemic effect of hydrolysates and PF. The higher reductions of
      cholesterol and triglyceride levels were exhibited by PP and both peptide
      fractions <1 kDa obtained from PP and Alcalase(r)-Flavourzyme(r) hydrolysate (AF)
      at a dose of 15 mg kg(-1) of animal weight. PF > 10 kDa from both hydrolysates
      showed the maximum antithrombotic activity with values of 33.33% for PF > 10 kDa
      from AF and 31.72% for PF > 10 kDa from PP. The results suggest that M. pruriens
      bioactive peptides with the hypolipidemic effect and antithrombotic activity
      might be utilized as nutraceuticals. 

PMID- 26505153
TI  - Advanced Use of Electronic Health Records: The Depth of Nursing Notes.

PMID- 26505154
TI  - Effects of Defecation Strain at Various Bed Reclining Angles on Intrarectal
      Pressure and Cardiovascular Responses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is no clear information about the optimal bed reclining angle
      for promoting efficient and safe defecation in bedfast patients. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim of this study was to examine the optimal bed reclining angle for facilitating
      increases in intrarectal pressure without causing marked cardiovascular changes
      in order to develop an efficient and safe defecation position for bedfast
      patients. METHODS: Twelve healthy men participated in this study. The subjects
      were required to strain for 15 seconds at the end stage of inspiration while
      their bed was reclined at 0 degrees  (supine), 15 degrees , 30 degrees , or 60
      degrees . During straining, the subjects were asked to maintain (a) an
      intrarectal pressure of 20 mm Hg or (b) the maximal intrarectal pressure.
      Intrarectal pressure, blood pressure, heart rate, and abdominal muscle activity
      (electromyographic activity) were recorded continuously throughout the study
      period. RESULTS: During straining, intrarectal pressure increased with the
      reclining angle, and a significant linear correlation was detected between the
      sine of the reclining angle of the bed and intrarectal pressure (eta = .57, p <
      .01). When subjects were straining with the aim of maintaining maximal
      intrarectal pressure, the extent of the observed changes (delta) in blood
      pressure and heart rate did not differ significantly across the reclining angles.
      When subjects were straining with the aim of maintaining an intrarectal pressure
      of 20 mm Hg, the delta blood pressure decreased as the reclining angle increased
      0 degrees : M = 23.7, SD = 15.3 mm Hg, 95% CI [11.9, 35.4]; 15 degrees : M =
      25.9, SD = 10.8 mm Hg, 95% CI [17.6, 34.2]; 30 degrees : M = 17.7, SD = 9.4 mm
      Hg, 95% CI [10.4, 24.9]; 60 degrees : M = 15.5, SD = 9.5 mm Hg, 95% CI [8.1,
      22.8]; 15 degrees  versus 30 degrees : p < .05; 15 degrees  versus 60 degrees : p
      < .05. The amount of muscle activity observed during straining decreased as the
      reclining angle increased. DISCUSSION: In bedfast patients, it is suggested that
      higher reclining angles may enable safer and more efficient defecation, because
      it decreases the amount of muscle activity required to increase the intrarectal
      pressure and reduces the potentially deleterious effects of straining on the
      cardiovascular system to develop an efficient and safe defecation position for
      bedfast patients.

PMID- 26505155
TI  - Future Expectations, Attitude Toward Violence, and Bullying Perpetration During
      Early Adolescence: A Mediation Evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hopeful future expectations have been linked to positive
      developmental outcomes in adolescence; however, the association between future
      expectations and bullying perpetration has received less attention. OBJECTIVES:
      We examined the relationship between future expectations and physical and
      relational bullying perpetration and tested a mediation model that linked future
      expectations with bullying through attitude toward violence. METHODS: Structural
      equation modeling was used to examine the relationship between future
      expectations and bullying perpetration (relational and physical) and to test
      whether these relationships were mediated by attitude toward violence in a sample
      of U.S. seventh-grade students (Mage = 12.86 years, N = 196, 60% female, 46%
      African American). RESULTS: Attitude toward violence fully mediated the
      relationship between future expectations and physical bullying (indirect effects
      = -0.08, 95% CI [-0.15, -0.01], R = .17). The relationship between future
      expectations and relational bullying was partially mediated by attitudes toward
      violence (indirect effects = -0.07, 95% CI [-0.14, -0.002], R = .20). DISCUSSION:
      Our findings suggest that future expectations can play a role in reducing
      attitude toward violence and physical and relational bullying perpetration among
      youth. Interventions that help support the development of future goals and
      aspirations could play a vital role in bullying prevention efforts.

PMID- 26505156
TI  - Biopsychosocial Contributors to Metabolic Syndrome: A Secondary Analysis of 2007
      2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a medical disorder that encompasses
      obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance and increases the
      risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. OBJECTIVES: A
      secondary data analysis was conducted using the National Health and Nutrition
      Examination Survey 2007-2010 data to evaluate the association of biopsychosocial
      factors with MetS among U.S. adults. METHODS: Complex samples logistic regression
      models were used to estimate a parsimonious model, including contributions of
      biomedical, biosocial, and psychosocial factors to MetS. RESULTS: According to
      the study's representative sample, more than 47 million Americans had MetS. Using
      the biopsychosocial model, the effects of biosocial and psychosocial variables,
      including education, smoking, low exercise, and depression, were independent
      predictors of MetS after controlling for the contributions of age, gender, and
      race. DISCUSSION: There is a need for large-scale, longitudinal, and
      interventional studies to evaluate and alter these potential risk factors, thus
      reducing MetS.

PMID- 26505157
TI  - Family Typology and Appraisal of Preschoolers' Behavior by Female Caregivers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children with vulnerable caregivers may be at risk for being labeled
      as having behavior problems when typical behaviors are viewed by their caregivers
      as problematic, and therefore, research examining the accuracy of the caregivers'
      perceptions of children's behaviors is needed. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this
      study was to use the resiliency model of family stress, adjustment, and
      adaptation as the theoretical foundation to explore family factors associated
      with the primary female caregiver's appraisal of her child's behavior, the extent
      to which the primary female caregiver's appraisal of her child's behavior may be
      distorted, and the child's level of risk of having a behavioral problem. METHODS:
      A cross-sectional, correlational design was used. Data were collected from female
      caregivers of preschoolers (N = 117). Family factors, demographic
      characteristics, comfort in parenting, appraisal of behaviors, daily stress,
      parenting stress, depressive symptoms, social support, ratings of children's
      behaviors, and distortion in the ratings were measured. Associations were studied
      using ANOVA, ANCOVA, and chi-squared tests. RESULTS: Family typology was not
      associated with the female caregiver's appraisals of her child's behavior (p =
      .31). Distortion of the caregiver's rating of her child's behavior was not
      associated with family hardiness (high or low; p = .20.) but was associated with
      having a child with an elevated risk for behavioral problems (p < .01). Families
      classified as vulnerable were significantly more likely to have a child with
      elevated risks of having behavioral problems than families classified as secure
      or regenerative. DISCUSSION: Findings emphasized the association between family
      factors (hardiness and coherence) and young children's behaviors. Additional
      research is needed into how these factors affect the young child's behavior and
      what causes a caregiver to have a distorted view of her child's behavior.

PMID- 26505158
TI  - Cervical Cancer, Human Papillomavirus, and Vaccination: Knowledge, Awareness, and
      Practices Among Turkish Hospital Nurses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In cancer prevention programs, healthcare professionals are the main
      resource for ensuring community participation in cervical cancer screening as
      well as in enhancing individuals' knowledge and practices regarding cervical
      cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV), and HPV vaccines. AIM: This descriptive,
      cross-sectional study was conducted to determine Turkish hospital nurses'
      knowledge, awareness, and practices in relation to cervical cancer, HPV, and HPV
      vaccination. METHODS: This study was conducted from February 1 to March 30, 2013.
      A total of 464 nurses working in a university hospital located in the central
      Black Sea region in northern Turkey participated. RESULTS: Among participating
      nurses, 13.8% of the nurses underwent cervical cancer screening and 11.6%
      received Pap smear tests. Reasons for not engaging in cervical cancer screening
      included lack of sexual activity, not considering themselves to be at risk, and
      shame (28.2%, 18.3%, and 16.8%, respectively). None of the nurses had received
      the HPV vaccine; reasons included not having sufficient knowledge about the
      vaccine and a belief that the vaccine was not very common (57.3% and 20.7%,
      respectively). Nearly half (44%) stated that they would not recommend the HPV
      vaccine to their patients because they did not believe they had sufficient
      knowledge about it (56%). DISCUSSION: Knowledge about HPV infection and HPV
      vaccines and willingness to be vaccinated were very low among Turkish hospital
      nurses. Effective education strategies are needed to improve knowledge needed to
      support patients to receive effective cervical cancer screening and preventive
      services.

PMID- 26505159
TI  - Clinical Nursing and Midwifery Research Priorities in Eastern and Southern
      African Countries: Results From a Delphi Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Because of the profound shortage of nurse and midwifery researchers
      in many African countries, identification of clinical nursing and midwifery
      research is of highest priority for the region to improve health outcomes.
      OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to gain consensus from experts on the
      priorities of clinical nursing and midwifery research in southern and eastern
      African countries. METHOD: A Delphi survey was conducted among experts in the
      region. Criteria for "expert" included (a) a professional nurse, (b) a bachelor's
      degree or higher in nursing, (c) published research, (d) affiliated with a school
      of nursing with at least a master's level nursing program, and/or (e) identified
      by the African core collaborators as an expert in the region. A list of
      candidates was identified through searches of published and gray literature and
      then vetted by core collaborators in Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa. Core
      collaborators held leadership roles in a nursing school and a doctoral degree in
      nursing, had conducted and published nursing research, and resided in an included
      country. RESULTS: Two rounds of the Delphi survey were required to reach
      consensus. In total, 40 participants completed both rounds, and at least one
      participant from each country completed both rounds; 73% and 85% response rates
      were achieved for each round, respectively. Critical clinical research priorities
      were infectious disease/infection control and midwifery/maternal health topics.
      These included subtopics such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, maternal health and
      mortality, infant mortality, and obstetrical emergencies. Many other topics were
      ranked as important including patient outcomes, noncommunicable diseases, and
      rural health. DISCUSSION: Areas identified as research priorities were consistent
      with gaps identified in current literature. As evidenced by previous research,
      there is a lack of clinical nursing and midwifery research in these areas as well
      as nurses and midwives trained to conduct research; these priorities will help
      direct resources to the most essential research needs.

PMID- 26505160
TI  - Physical Activity in Latin American Immigrant Adults Living in Seville, Spain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self-rated health status of the Latin American immigrant population
      in Spain varies by gender, education and doing physical exercise. Physical
      activity patterns have not been described. OBJECTIVE: The aims are to describe
      self-reported physical activity in adult Latin American immigrants living in
      Seville (Spain) and explore relationships of physical activity with
      sociodemographic and health-related variables. METHOD: A representative sample of
      190 immigrants between the ages of 25 and 44 years who live in Seville responded
      to the Centers for Disease Control's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
      (Spanish-language version) from May 2010 through May 2011. RESULTS: Physical
      activity (PA) was practiced by 66.8% during leisure time, 49.2% had a normal
      weight, and 20.5% were on a diet. The practice of PA was higher in women who had
      a normal weight, a good state of health and a higher education. Older age was
      associated with exercising during free time. DISCUSSION: Population-specific
      strategies are needed to improve the practice of PA among Latin American
      immigrants in Spain. Research focused on other emerging immigrant groups is
      needed.

PMID- 26505162
TI  - Notched environmental sounds: a new hearing aid-supported tinnitus treatment
      evaluated in 20 patients.

PMID- 26505161
TI  - Diabetes Learning in Virtual Environments: Testing the Efficacy of Self
      Management Training and Support in Virtual Environments (Randomized Controlled
      Trial Protocol).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ongoing self-management improves outcomes for those with Type 2
      diabetes (T2D); however, there are many barriers to patients receiving assistance
      in this from the healthcare system and peers. Findings from our pilot study
      showed that a virtual diabetes community on the Internet with real-time
      interaction among peers with T2D-and with healthcare professionals-is feasible
      and has the potential to influence clinical and psychosocial outcomes. OBJECTIVE:
      The purpose of this article is to present the protocol for the Diabetes Learning
      in Virtual Environments (LIVE) trial. PROTOCOL: Diabetes LIVE is a two-group,
      randomized controlled trial to compare effects of a virtual environment and
      traditional Web site on diet and physical activity. Our secondary aims will
      determine the effects on metabolic outcomes; effects of level of engagement and
      social network formation in LIVE on behavioral outcomes; potential mediating
      effects of changes in self-efficacy; and diabetes knowledge, diabetes-related
      distress, and social support on behavior change and metabolic outcomes. We will
      enroll 300 subjects at two sites (Duke University/Raleigh-Durham, NC and New York
      University/New York, NY) who have T2D and do not have serious complications or
      comorbidities. Those randomly assigned to the intervention group have access to
      the LIVE site where they can find information, synchronous classes with diabetes
      educators, and peer support to enhance self-management. Those in the control
      group have access to the same informational and educational content in a
      traditional asynchronous Web format. Measures of self-management, clinical
      outcomes, and psychosocial outcomes are assessed at baseline and 3, 6, 12, and 18
      months. DISCUSSION: Should LIVE prove effective in improved self-management of
      diabetes, similar interventions could be applied to other prevalent chronic
      diseases. Innovative programs such as LIVE have potential for improving
      healthcare access in an easily disseminated alternative model of care that
      potentially improves the reach of self-management training and support.

PMID- 26505164
TI  - Elevated Expression of Hepatoma Up-Regulated Protein Inhibits gamma-Irradiation
      Induced Apoptosis of Prostate Cancer Cells.
AB  - Despite progression in diagnosis and treatment, prostate cancer (PCa) still
      represents the main cause of cancer-related mortality and morbidity in men.
      Although radiation therapy offers clinical benefit over other therapeutic
      modalities, the success of this therapeutic modality is commonly hampered by the
      resistance of advanced tumors. So far, the mechanisms governing tumor resistance
      to radiotherapy are not discussed in detail. Here, we demonstrate for the first
      time that the resistance of PCa to radiation therapy is attributed to elevated
      expression of Hepatoma Up-Regulated Protein (HURP). In PCa cells, the induction
      of HURP expression suppresses gamma-irradiation-induced apoptosis. gamma
      irradiation-induced apoptosis of PCa cells is associated with expression of E2F1,
      p53, p21 proteins together with the phosphorylation of apoptosis signal
      regulating kinase1 (ASK1), c-jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) and Ataxia
      telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and histone family member X (H2AX). Whereas, the
      induction of HURP expression is able to suppress gamma-irradiation-induced
      effects on E2F1, p53, p21, ATM, ASK1, JNK and ATM, and H2AX. Also, inhibition of
      gamma-irradiation-induced- cytochrome c release, cleavage of caspase-9, caspase
      3, PARP, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were noted in PCa cells induced for
      HURP expression. The observed radio-resistance of PCa is thought to be the
      consequence of HURP-mediated destabilization of p53 and ATM proteins that are
      essential for the modulation of gamma-irradiation-induced apoptosis. Thus, based
      on our findings, PCa resistance to radiation therapy results from the
      deregulation of ASK1/ JNK; ATM/ H2AX; ATM/p53 and checkpoint kinase 2 (Chk2)/ E2F
      1 in response to the elevated expression of HURP.

PMID- 26505172
TI  - Double-integrating-sphere system at the National Institute of Standards and
      Technology in support of measurement standards for the determination of optical
      properties of tissue-mimicking phantoms.
AB  - There is a need for a common reference point that will allow for the comparison
      of the optical properties of tissue-mimicking phantoms. After a brief review of
      the methods that have been used to measure the phantoms for a contextual backdrop
      to our approach, this paper reports on the establishment of a standardized double
      integrating-sphere platform to measure absorption and reduced scattering
      coefficients of tissue-mimicking biomedical phantoms. The platform implements a
      user-friendly graphical user interface in which variations of experimental
      configurations and model-based analysis are implemented to compute the
      coefficients based on a modified inverse adding-doubling algorithm allowing a
      complete uncertainty evaluation. Repeatability and validation of the measurement
      results of solid phantoms are demonstrated for three samples of different
      thicknesses, d = 5.08 mm, 7.09 mm, and 9.92 mm, with an absolute error estimate
      of 4.0% to 5.0% for the absorption coefficient and 11% to 12% for the reduced
      scattering coefficient (k = 2). The results are in accordance with those provided
      by the manufacturer. Measurements with different polarization angles of the
      incident light are also presented, and the resulting optical properties were
      determined to be equivalent within the estimated uncertainties.

PMID- 26505171
TI  - Scabrous overexpression in the eye affects R3/R4 cell fate specification and
      inhibits notch signaling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Planar cell polarity (PCP) in the Drosophila eye is generated when
      immature ommatidial preclusters acquire opposite chirality in the dorsal and
      ventral halves of the eye imaginal disc and rotate 90  degrees  toward the
      equator. The scabrous (sca) gene is involved in R8 differentiation and in the
      correct spacing of ommatidial clusters in eye imaginal discs, but it was also
      suggested to be required during ommatidial rotation. However, no clear
      relationships between sca and other genes involved in the process were
      established. RESULTS: To explore the role of Sca in PCP establishment, we
      performed an RNAi-based modifier genetic screen using the rough eye phenotype of
      sca-overexpressing flies. We found that sca overexpression mainly affects R3/R4
      cell specification as it was reported in Notch mutants. Of the 86 modifiers
      identified in the screen, genes encoding components of Notch signaling and
      proteins involved in intracellular transport were of particular interest.
      CONCLUSIONS: These and other results obtained with a reporter line of Notch
      activity indicate that sca overexpression antagonizes Notch signaling in the
      Drosophila eye, and are inconsistent with Sca being an ommatidial rotation
      specific factor. We also found that microtubule motors and other proteins
      involved in intracellular transport are related with Sca function.

PMID- 26505163
TI  - Single dose delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in chronic pancreatitis patients:
      analgesic efficacy, pharmacokinetics and tolerability.
AB  - AIM: We aimed to assess the analgesic efficacy, pharmacokinetics, tolerability
      and safety of a single dose of Delta9-THC in patients with chronic abdominal pain
      resulting from chronic pancreatitis (CP). METHODS: This was a randomized, single
      dose, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, two way crossover study in patients
      suffering from abdominal pain as result of CP (n = 24), post hoc subdivided into
      opioid and non-opioid users. Delta9-THC (8 mg) or active placebo (5 mg/10 mg
      diazepam) was administered orally in a double dummy design. RESULTS: No treatment
      effect was shown for delta VAS pain scores after Delta9-THC compared with
      diazepam. Delta9-THC was well absorbed with a mean tmax of 123 min. No
      significant differences were found between Delta9-THC vs. diazepam for alertness,
      mood, calmness or balance. Feeling anxious and heart rate were significantly
      increased after Delta9-THC compared with diazepam. The most frequently reported
      adverse events (AEs) after Delta9-THC administration were somnolence, dry mouth,
      dizziness and euphoric mood. CONCLUSIONS: A single dose of Delta9-THC was not
      efficacious in reducing chronic pain resulting from CP, but was well tolerated
      with only mild or moderate AEs. The PK results in CP patients showed delayed
      absorption and an increased variability compared with healthy volunteers.

PMID- 26505174
TI  - GATA6 is overexpressed in breast cancer and promotes breast cancer cell
      epithelial-mesenchymal transition by upregulating slug expression.
AB  - Metastasis is the leading cause of death in breast cancer (BC) patients. However,
      until now, the mechanisms of BC metastasis remain elusive. GATA6 is a member of
      the GATA transcription factor family that plays critical regulatory roles in
      tissue development, which has been proposed as an oncogene in many types of
      tumors; however, its role and underlying mechanisms in BC remain unclear. Here we
      show that GATA6 is elevated in BC and its expression level is positively
      correlated with metastasis. In addition Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed
      that high expression of GATA6 was associated with decreased overall survival of
      BC patients. Overexpression of GATA6 in BC cells increased epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition. In contrast, silencing GATA6 in aggressive BC cells inhibited this
      process. Mechanistically, we found GATA6 exerts its function through active slug
      transcription. Slug knockdown blocked the GATA6-driven EMT. Furthermore, slug
      expression in human BC is positively correlated with GATA6 expression. Our
      results, for the first time, portray a pivotal role of GATA6 in regulating
      metastatic behaviors of BC cells, suggesting GATA6 is a potential therapeutic
      target in metastatic BCs. 

PMID- 26505173
TI  - Red and processed meat, nitrite, and heme iron intakes and postmenopausal breast
      cancer risk in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.
AB  - Previous studies have shown inconsistent associations between red and processed
      meat intake and breast cancer risk. N-nitroso compounds and heme iron have been
      hypothesized as contributing factors. We followed 193,742 postmenopausal women in
      the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study and identified 9,305 incident breast cancers
      (1995-2006). Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire at
      baseline. We adjusted daily intakes of meat, nitrite and heme iron for energy
      intake using the nutrient density method. We estimated multivariable-adjusted
      hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by quintiles of dietary
      exposures for all breast cancer, by stage (in-situ, localized, regional/distant)
      and by estrogen/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) status using Cox proportional
      hazards regression. Total red meat intake was positively associated with risk of
      regional/distant cancer (p-trend = 0.02). The risk was 25% higher in the highest
      vs. lowest intake quintile (95% CI = 1.03-1.52). Higher processed red meat intake
      (Q5 vs. Q1) was associated with 27% higher risk of localized breast cancer (95%
      CI = 1.01-1.27, p-trend = 0.03) and a 19% higher risk of regional/distant cancer
      (95% CI = 0.98-1.44, p-trend = 0.10). In addition, higher nitrite intake from
      processed red meat was positively associated with localized cancer (HR for Q5 vs.
      Q1 = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.09-1.39, p-trend < 0.0001). Heme iron intake was positively
      associated with breast cancer risk overall and all cancer stages (p-trend = 0.02
      0.05). No heterogeneity was observed in risk associations by hormone receptor
      status. Our findings suggest that high consumption of red meat and processed meat
      may increase risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Added nitrite and heme iron
      may partly contribute to these observed associations. 

PMID- 26505175
TI  - Diffraction scattering computed tomography: a window into the structures of
      complex nanomaterials.
AB  - Modern functional nanomaterials and devices are increasingly composed of multiple
      phases arranged in three dimensions over several length scales. Therefore there
      is a pressing demand for improved methods for structural characterization of such
      complex materials. An excellent emerging technique that addresses this problem is
      diffraction/scattering computed tomography (DSCT). DSCT combines the merits of
      diffraction and/or small angle scattering with computed tomography to allow
      imaging the interior of materials based on the diffraction or small angle
      scattering signals. This allows, e.g., one to distinguish the distributions of
      polymorphs in complex mixtures. Here we review this technique and give examples
      of how it can shed light on modern nanoscale materials. 

PMID- 26505176
TI  - Valproic acid stimulates proliferation of glial precursors during cortical
      gliogenesis in developing rat.
AB  - Valproic acid (VPA) is a neurotherapeutic drug prescribed for seizures, bipolar
      disorder, and migraine, including women of reproductive age. VPA is a well-known
      teratogen that produces congenital malformations in many organs including the
      nervous system, as well as later neurodevelopmental disorders, including mental
      retardation and autism. In developing brain, few studies have examined VPA
      effects on glial cells, particularly astrocytes. To investigate effects on
      primary glial precursors, we developed new cell culture and in vivo models using
      frontal cerebral cortex of postnatal day (P2) rat. In vitro, VPA exposure
      elicited dose-dependent, biphasic effects on DNA synthesis and proliferation. In
      vivo VPA (300 mg/kg) exposure from P2 to P4 increased both DNA synthesis and cell
      proliferation, affecting primarily astrocyte precursors, as >75% of mitotic cells
      expressed brain lipid-binding protein. Significantly, the consequence of early
      VPA exposure was increased astrocytes, as both S100-beta+ cells and glial
      fibrillary acidic protein were increased in adolescent brain. Molecularly, VPA
      served as an HDAC inhibitor in vitro and in vivo as enhanced proliferation was
      accompanied by increased histone acetylation, whereas it elicited changes in
      culture in cell-cycle regulators, including cyclin D1 and E, and cyclin-dependent
      kinase (CDK) inhibitors, p21 and p27. Collectively, these data suggest clinically
      relevant VPA exposures stimulate glial precursor proliferation, though at higher
      doses can elicit inhibition through differential regulation of CDK inhibitors.
      Because changes in glial cell functions are proposed as mechanisms contributing
      to neuropsychiatric disorders, these observations suggest that VPA teratogenic
      actions may be mediated through changes in astrocyte generation during
      development. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 780-798,
      2016.

PMID- 26505177
TI  - An enhanced role for palliative care in the multidisciplinary approach to high
      risk head and neck cancer.

PMID- 26505178
TI  - [Aftercare in Psychosomatic Rehabilitation].

PMID- 26505179
TI  - [Effectiveness of Telephone and Face-to-Face Aftercare Conversations following
      Inpatient Psychosomatic Rehabilitation].
AB  - AIM OF THE STUDY: The effectiveness of 2 aftercare treatments was examined with
      regard to patients' implementation of health-enhancing recommendations and
      changes in psychological distress, as well as mental and physical health.
      METHODS: Psychosomatic patients were randomly assigned to an intervention group
      (aftercare over the telephone or face-to-face) or to a control group without
      aftercare (n=62) at the end of their treatment. Patients in the intervention
      group (n=139) were offered up to 4 aftercare conversations during the 3 months
      after their rehabilitation. Data were collected at admission (t1), at discharge
      (t2) as well as 3 (t3) and 9 (t4) months after discharge. Patients were asked
      whether they implemented health-enhancing recommendations, recorded in the
      discharge report, at t3 and t4. Psychological distress (SCL-90-R) was measured at
      t1, t2, t3 and t4, mental and physical health (SF-12) at t2, t3 and t4. RESULTS:
      In the intervention group, more participants implemented the recommendations made
      at discharge such as sports and exercises or outpatient psychotherapy as compared
      to the control group. Likewise, participants of the intervention group maintained
      better their physical health. Aftercare over the telephone and face-to-face did
      not differ in their effectiveness; however, less time was required for aftercare
      conversations over the telephone. CONCLUSIONS: Aftercare over the telephone seems
      to be an economical approach to support patients in implementing healthcare
      recommendations made at discharge after inpatient rehabilitation.

PMID- 26505180
TI  - [Application of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and
      Health (ICF) in Psychosomatic Rehabilitation and Addiction Rehabilitation in
      Germany - The Current State].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to gather information on the current state
      of the implementation of the International Classification of Functioning,
      Disability and Health (ICF) in psychosomatic and addiction rehabilitation.
      METHODS: In the summer of 2013, rehabilitation clinics in Germany were surveyed
      online on their ICF utilization. The questionnaire covered scope and purpose of
      ICF use, application of ICF core sets and assessments as well as barriers to the
      use of ICF. RESULTS: Of 359 clinics invited, 104 (30%) participated in the
      survey. Of those surveyed, 60 (61.9%) claimed to have taken measures to implement
      the ICF in their clinic; only 37 (38.5%), however, reported using the ICF in
      their daily work. The main barriers identified were complexity of the ICF, time
      management issues and training deficits. CONCLUSION: Approaches to ICF use are
      not uniform. There is a need for training programs, and guidance from health care
      insurance providers could help towards uniform implementation of the ICF.

PMID- 26505181
TI  - [Preliminary Short-term Results of an All-day Outpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation
      Program in an Acute Hospital on Patients with Mild to Very Severe COPD].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Positive effects of pulmonary rehabilitation on chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD) are well known, and inpatient rehabilitation programs
      are the preferred modality in Germany. In this paper, we report on the recent
      results of a daily outpatient rehabilitation program offered at an acute
      hospital, the first of this kind in Germany. It is not known whether this kind of
      rehabilitation is an effective approach. METHODS: 32 consecutive COPD patients
      GOLD-stage II-IV, phenotype B-D (mean 64.5+/-21.9 years; 18 male, 14 female)
      completed a rehabilitation program of 19 (15-21) days conducted according to the
      recommendations of the National Accociation for Rehabilitation. In this
      prospective observational study, data (walking distance in the 6-MWD, BODE-Index,
      HADS-, BDI/TDI-, CAT-questionnaire) were collected at the beginning (T1) and at
      the end (T2) of the program and the results are presented in a pre- vs. post
      analysis. RESULTS: We found significant positive effects for most of the measured
      parameters, except for body plethysmography, diffusion capacity and blood gas.
      Especially the increase in the 6 min walking distance (6-MWD) was remarkable (T1:
      485.78+/-158.24, T2: 527.97+/-146.75 m, p=0.0212). There were no adverse events
      or complications. All participants were able to complete the program properly.
      CONCLUSION: Most of the measured parameters in COPD patients with stage II or
      worse disease improved significantly during the comprehensive outpatient
      rehabilitation program. A limitation of this study is the small number of cases,
      and further conclusions can only be made after examining a larger sample. The
      setting of this rehabilitation program in an acute hospital seems to be
      meaningful in an organisational and structural sense.

PMID- 26505182
TI  - [Assessment of Work Engagement in Patients with Hematological Malignancies:
      Psychometric Properties of the German Version of the Utrecht Work Engagement
      Scale 9 (UWES-9)].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was the psychometric evaluation of the German version of
      the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9 (UWES-9), a self-assessment tool measuring
      work-related resources consisting of 9 items. METHODS: Based on a sample of 179
      patients with hematological malignancies in in-patient and rehabilitative
      oncological settings, we tested the dimensional structure by confirmatory and
      explorative factor analysis. We further evaluated reliability, item
      characteristics, and construct validity of the UWES-9. RESULTS: The confirmatory
      factor analysis showed acceptable fit for both a 1-dimensional factor structure
      and the original 3-factor model. Based on an explorative principal component
      analysis, we were able to replicate the 1-dimensional factor accounting for 67%
      of the total variance and showing very high internal consistency (alpha=0.94) and
      high factor loads (0.73-0.88). The construct validity was further supported by
      significant positive correlations between work engagement and meaning of work,
      corporate feeling, commitment to the workplace, and job satisfaction. CONCLUSION:
      The German version of the UWES-9 shows good psychometric qualities in measuring
      dedication to work in patients with hematological malignancies in in-patient and
      rehabilitative oncological settings.

PMID- 26505183
TI  - [Collaborative Goal Setting in Rehabilitation (ParZivar II): Evaluation of an
      Intervention in Patients with Chronic Back Pain].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The "ParZivar II" project had 2 aims: optimization of the "ParZivar I"
      intervention by individual coaching of physicians, and evaluation of the
      optimized intervention. METHODS: The intervention was evaluated in a sequential
      control group design in 4 rehabilitation facilities with 3 measurement points. A
      total of n=279 patients with chronic low back pain participated in the study.
      RESULTS: The optimized intervention shows the potential to statistically
      significantly improve proximal outcomes (e. g. goal-centric processes or patient
      physician interaction). Regarding distal outcomes, no statistically significant
      differences were found. CONCLUSION: The "ParZivar" intervention is a suitable
      approach to increase participative goal setting. Due to the complexity of the
      intervention, problems of dissemination and the potential for improvement in
      study design, there is a need for further research.

PMID- 26505184
TI  - [The Impact of 2 Interventions on Implementation Fidelity of a Standardized Back
      School Program in Inpatient Orthopedic Rehabilitation Facilities].
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the effectiveness of 2 implementation
      interventions - train-the-trainer workshops (TTT) and written implementation
      guideline (GL) - in terms of implementation fidelity of a back-training school
      within inpatient orthopedic rehabilitation. METHODS: An implementation trial was
      conducted using a mixed-methods approach for outcome evaluation in 10
      rehabilitation clinics randomly assigned to the interventions. Data were assessed
      by questionnaires and observation forms. RESULTS: Trainers in the TTT condition,
      as compared to trainers in the GL condition, rated both their patient-oriented
      back school practice (d=1.37) and achievement of manual-based educational goals
      (W=0.18) significantly higher. Patients in the TTT condition showed significantly
      higher treatment satisfaction compared to patients in the GL condition (d=0.44).
      There were no significant group effects regarding the observed fidelity.
      CONCLUSIONS: An interactive TTT showed several benefits with regard to subjective
      outcomes compared to a written guideline.

PMID- 26505185
TI  - [(Neuro)psychological Rehabilitation after Stroke: a National Survey of
      Structures and Practice in Inpatient and Outpatient Neurological Rehabilitation].
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: Structures and practice of psychological units in neurological
      rehabilitation centres treating post-stroke patients are described. METHODS: A
      nationwide survey of psychological services in neurological rehabilitation
      centres was conducted. RESULTS: Psychologist-patient ratios differed greatly
      among rehabilitation centres. Post-stroke patients showed a variety of complex
      problems. Psychological interventions mainly comprised diagnostic evaluation as
      well as individual interventions and cognitive training. CONCLUSION: The complex
      and manifold problems of patients in neurological rehabilitation require a
      comprehensive knowledge of (neuro)psychological functioning. In order to support
      appropriate and individual treatment decisions, practice guidelines for
      psychological interventions in the rehabilitation of post-stroke patients are
      necessary. The present survey constitutes the basis for developing such practice
      guidelines.

PMID- 26505186
TI  - [Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (MDRO) in Rehabilitation Clinics in the Rhine-Main
      District, Germany, 2014: Prevalence and Risk Factors].
AB  - BACKGROUND: While a limited number of studies have investigated the prevalence of
      methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in medical rehabilitation
      institutions, almost no data on the colonization of rehabilitation patients with
      multiresistant gram-negative rods is available. Here we report on a large
      multicenter study on the prevalence of MRSA and multiresistant pathogens in
      rehabilitation institutions in the Rhine-Main area in 2014. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Altogether, 21 rehabilitation hospitals participated. For all patients,
      age, gender, previous history of hospitalizations, surgery, previous colonization
      with multidrug-resistant organisms, use of a medical device, current
      antimicrobial therapy, and the current infection status were ascertained. On
      voluntary basis, nare and throat swabs were taken for analysis of MRSA and rectal
      swabs were tested for extended spectrum betalactamase-producing gram-negative
      bacteria (ESBL). RESULTS: 50% of 2 440 patients had a history of hospitalization
      within the previous 6 months while 39% had undergone surgery during the past 30
      days. Approximately a quarter of the patients had been transferred to a
      rehabilitation hospital directly from an acute care hospital, had been under
      antimicrobial therapy with the past three months, or had travelled to a foreign
      country within the previous year. Risk factors such as lesions of the intact skin
      or presence of medical devices were rarely reported (< 5%) within the exception
      of patients undergoing geriatric or neurologic acute care rehabilitation. 0.7%
      (15/2155) of the patients were colonized with MRSA, while 7.7% (110/1434) showed
      a positive result for ESBL. The highest prevalence rates for multiresistant
      organisms were encountered among patients with neurologic rehabilitation (MRSA,
      1.3%, and ESBL, 10.2%) or with geriatric rehabilitation (MRSA, 9.4%, and ESBL,
      22.7%). CONCLUSION: In the rehabilitation patient population, the prevalence
      rates of MRSA and ESBL were found to be in the range of rates encountered in the
      general population (reported rates for MRSA, 0.5%, and ESBL, 6.3%). The known
      risk factors for MRSA such as skin lesions, medical devices and previous history
      for MRSA were also confirmed among this patient population. Direct transfer from
      an acute care hospital, antimicrobial treatment during the past 3 months, and
      wounds proved significant risk factors for ESBL colonization. Patients of
      neurologic rehabilitation and geriatric patients showed the highest rates of risk
      factors and the highest prevalence rates of multidrug-resistant organisms. It
      appears to be of importance for rehabilitation hospitals to be geared to the
      needs of patients with multidrug-resistant organisms, and prevent the
      transmission of these pathogens by appropriate hygiene measures.

PMID- 26505187
TI  - [The User Survey on the Revision of the Classification of Therapeutic
      Procedures].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: An extensive user survey was conducted in the context of updating
      the Classification of Therapeutic Procedures (KTL 2015). This paper reflects the
      results of the user survey and raises critical discussion points. METHODS: The
      user survey was sent to all rehabilitation centers contracted by the German
      pension insurance as well as professional associations. The user survey was
      available both as a paper questionnaire and as an online version. The feedback of
      the user survey provided an important basis for the revision of the KTL. RESULT:
      The survey yielded 1,868 suggestions from 360 users. Most of them related to
      chapters E ("occupational therapy, work therapy, other functional therapy") and C
      ("information, motivation, training"). The change from German diplomas to the
      international Bachelor's and Master's degrees, and the inclusion of diagnostic
      and work-related procedures were the main focus of the user feedback. CONCLUSION:
      For the revision of the KTL, the user survey provided valuable information. Only
      by the inclusion of practitioners can the KTL meet the requirements of realistic
      and comprehensive acquisition of data on therapeutic procedures also in future.

PMID- 26505188
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26505189
TI  - Causes of Death Data in the Global Burden of Disease Estimates for Ischemic and
      Hemorrhagic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stroke mortality estimates in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD)
      study are based on routine mortality statistics and redistribution of ill-defined
      codes that cannot be a cause of death, the so-called 'garbage codes' (GCs). This
      study describes the contribution of these codes to stroke mortality estimates.
      METHODS: All available mortality data were compiled and non-specific cause codes
      were redistributed based on literature review and statistical methods. Ill
      defined codes were redistributed to their specific cause of disease by age, sex,
      country and year. The reassignment was done based on the International
      Classification of Diseases and the pathology behind each code by checking
      multiple causes of death and literature review. RESULTS: Unspecified stroke and
      primary and secondary hypertension are leading contributing 'GCs' to stroke
      mortality estimates for hemorrhagic stroke (HS) and ischemic stroke (IS). There
      were marked differences in the fraction of death assigned to IS and HS for
      unspecified stroke and hypertension between GBD regions and between age groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: A large proportion of stroke fatalities are derived from the
      redistribution of 'unspecified stroke' and 'hypertension' with marked regional
      differences. Future advancements in stroke certification, data collections and
      statistical analyses may improve the estimation of the global stroke burden.

PMID- 26505190
TI  - Peptides Interfering 3A Protein Dimerization Decrease FMDV Multiplication.
AB  - Nonstructural protein 3A is involved in relevant functions in foot-and-mouth
      disease virus (FMDV) replication. FMDV 3A can form homodimers and preservation of
      the two hydrophobic alpha-helices (alpha1 and alpha2) that stabilize the dimer
      interface is essential for virus replication. In this work, small peptides
      mimicking residues involved in the dimer interface were used to interfere with
      dimerization and thus gain insight on its biological function. The dimer
      interface peptides alpha1, alpha2 and that spanning the two hydrophobic alpha
      helices, alpha12, impaired in vitro dimer formation of a peptide containing the
      two alpha-helices, this effect being higher with peptide alpha12. To assess the
      effect of dimer inhibition in cultured cells, the interfering peptides were N
      terminally fused to a heptaarginine (R7) sequence to favor their intracellular
      translocation. Thus, when fused to R7, interference peptides (100 MUM) were able
      to inhibit dimerization of transiently expressed 3A, the higher inhibitions being
      found with peptides alpha1 and alpha12. The 3A dimerization impairment exerted by
      the peptides correlated with significant, specific reductions in the viral yield
      recovered from peptide-treated FMDV infected cells. In this case, alpha2 was the
      only peptide producing significant reductions at concentrations lower than 100
      MUM. Thus, dimer interface peptides constitute a tool to understand the structure
      function relationship of this viral protein and point to 3A dimerization as a
      potential antiviral target. 

PMID- 26505192
TI  - Zebrafish Olfacto-Retinal Centrifugal Axon Projection and Distribution: Effects
      of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone and Dopaminergic Signaling.
AB  - The terminalis neurons (TNs) have been described in teleost species. In
      zebrafish, the TNs are located in the olfactory bulb. The TNs synthesize and
      release gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) as one of the major
      neurotransmitters. The TNs project axons to many brain areas, which include the
      neural retina. In the retina, the TN axons synapse with dopaminergic
      interplexiform cells (DA-IPCs) and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). In this
      research, we examine the role of GnRH and dopaminergic signaling in TN axon
      projection to the retina using the transgenic zebrafish Tg(GnRH-3::GFP). While
      the TNs developed at 34 h postfertilization (hpf), the first TN axons were not
      detected in the retina until 48-50 hpf, when the first DA-IPCs were
      differentiated. In developing embryos, inhibition of retinal GnRH signaling
      pathways severely interrupted the projection of TN axons to the retina. However,
      inhibition of retinal dopaminergic signaling produced little effect on TN axon
      projection. In adult retinas, inactivation of GnRH receptors disrupted the
      patterns of TN axon distribution, and depletion of DA-IPCs abolished the TN
      axons. When DA-IPCs regenerated, the TN axons reappeared. Together, the data
      suggest that in developing zebrafish retinas GnRH signaling is required for TN
      axon projection, whereas in adult retinas activation of GnRH and dopaminergic
      signaling transduction is required for normal distribution of the TN axons.

PMID- 26505194
TI  - Minding the Gap: Narrative Descriptions about Mental States Attenuate Parochial
      Empathy.
AB  - In three experiments, we examine parochial empathy (feeling more empathy for in
      group than out-group members) across novel group boundaries, and test whether we
      can mitigate parochial empathy with brief narrative descriptions. In the absence
      of individuating information, participants consistently report more empathy for
      members of their own assigned group than a competitive out-group. However,
      individualized descriptions of in-group and out-group targets significantly
      reduce parochial empathy by interfering with encoding of targets' group
      membership. Finally, the descriptions that most effectively decrease parochial
      empathy are those that describe targets' mental states. These results support the
      role of individuating information in ameliorating parochial empathy, suggest a
      mechanism for their action, and show that descriptions emphasizing targets'
      mental states are particularly effective. 

PMID- 26505191
TI  - Losartan Treatment Protects Retinal Ganglion Cells and Alters Scleral Remodeling
      in Experimental Glaucoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine if oral losartan treatment decreases the retinal ganglion
      cell (RGC) death caused by experimental intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation in
      mice. METHODS: We produced IOP increase in CD1 mice and performed unilateral
      optic nerve crush. Mice received oral losartan, spironolactone, enalapril, or no
      drug to test effects of inhibiting angiotensin receptors. IOP was monitored by
      Tonolab, and blood pressure was monitored by tail cuff device. RGC loss was
      measured in masked axon counts and RGC bodies by beta-tubulin labeling. Scleral
      changes that could modulate RGC injury were measured including axial length,
      scleral thickness, and retinal layer thicknesses, pressure-strain behavior in
      inflation testing, and study of angiotensin receptors and pathways by reverse
      transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry.
      RESULTS: Losartan treatment prevented significant RGC loss (median loss = 2.5%, p
      = 0.13), while median loss with water, spironolactone, and enalapril treatments
      were 26%, 28% and 43%; p < 0.0001). The lower RGC loss with losartan was
      significantly less than the loss with spironolactone or enalapril (regression
      model p = 0.001; drug treatment group term p = 0.01). Both losartan and enalapril
      significantly lowered blood pressure (p< 0.001), but losartan was protective,
      while enalapril led to worse than water-treated RGC loss. RGC loss after crush
      injury was unaffected by losartan treatment (difference from control p = 0.9).
      Survival of RGC in cell culture was not prolonged by sartan treatment. Axonal
      transport blockade after 3 day IOP elevations was less in losartan-treated than
      in control glaucoma eyes (p = 0.007). Losartan inhibited effects of glaucoma,
      including reduction in extracellular signal-related kinase activity and
      modification of glaucoma-related changes in scleral thickness and creep under
      controlled IOP. CONCLUSIONS: The neuroprotective effect of losartan in mouse
      glaucoma is associated with adaptive changes in the sclera expressed at the optic
      nerve head.

PMID- 26505193
TI  - The TrxG Complex Mediates Cytokine Induced De Novo Enhancer Formation in Islets.
AB  - To better understand how beta-cells respond to proinflammatory cytokines we
      mapped the locations of histone 3 lysine 4 monomethylation (H3K4me1), a post
      translational histone modification enriched at active and poised cis-regulatory
      regions, in IFNgamma, Il-1beta, and TNFalpha treated pancreatic islets. We
      identified 96,721 putative cis-regulatory loci, of which 3,590 were generated de
      novo, 3,204 had increased H3K4me1, and 5,354 had decreased H3K4me1 in IFNgamma,
      Il-1beta, and TNFalpha exposed islets. Roughly 10% of the de novo and increased
      regions were enriched for the repressive histone modification histone 3 lysine 27
      trimethylation (H3K27me3) in untreated cells, and these were frequently
      associated with chemokine genes. We show that IFNgamma, Il-1beta, and TNFalpha
      exposure overcomes this repression and induces chemokine gene activation in as
      little as three hours, and that this expression persists for days in absence of
      continued IFNgamma, Il-1beta, and TNFalpha exposure. We implicate trithorax group
      (TrxG) complexes as likely players in the conversion of these repressed loci to
      an active state. To block the activity of these complexes, we suppressed Wdr5, a
      core component of the TrxG complexes, and used the H3K27me3 demethylase inhibitor
      GSK-J4. We show that GSK-J4 is particularly effective in blunting IFNgamma, Il
      1beta, and TNFalpha-induced chemokine gene expression in beta-cells; however, it
      induced significant islet-cell apoptosis and beta-cell dysfunction. Wdr5
      suppression also reduced IFNgamma, Il-1beta, and TNFalpha induced chemokine gene
      expression in beta-cells without affecting islet-cell survival or beta-cell
      function after 48hrs, but did begin to increase islet-cell apoptosis and beta
      cell dysfunction after four days of treatment. Taken together these data suggest
      that the TrxG complex is potentially a viable target for preventing cytokine
      induced chemokine gene expression in beta-cells.

PMID- 26505195
TI  - Characterization of Fast-Scan Cyclic Voltammetric Electrodes Using Paraffin as an
      Effective Sealant with In Vitro and In Vivo Applications.
AB  - Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) is a powerful technique for measuring sub
      second changes in neurotransmitter levels. A great time-limiting factor in the
      use of FSCV is the production of high-quality recording electrodes; common
      recording electrodes consist of cylindrical carbon fiber encased in borosilicate
      glass. When the borosilicate is heated and pulled, the molten glass ideally forms
      a tight seal around the carbon fiber cylinder. It is often difficult, however, to
      guarantee a perfect seal between the glass and carbon. Indeed, much of the time
      spent creating electrodes is in an effort to find a good seal. Even though epoxy
      resins can be useful in this regard, they are irreversible (seals are permanent),
      wasteful (epoxy cannot be reused once hardener is added), hazardous (hardeners
      are often caustic), and require curing. Herein we characterize paraffin as an
      electrode sealant for FSCV microelectrodes. Paraffin boasts the advantages of
      near-immediate curing times, simplicity in use, long shelf-life and stable
      waterproof seals capable of withstanding extended cycling. Borosilicate electrode
      tips were left intact or broken and dipped in paraffin embedding wax. Excess wax
      was removed from the carbon surface with xyelenes or by repeated cycling at an
      extended waveform (-0.4 to 1.4V, 400 V/s, 60 Hz). Then, the waveform was switched
      to a standard waveform (-0.4 to 1.3V, 400 V/s, 10 Hz) and cycled until stable.
      Wax-sealing does not inhibit electrode sensitivity, as electrodes detected linear
      changes in dopamine before and after wax (then xylenes) exposure. Paraffin seals
      are intact after 11 days of implantation in the mouse, and still capable of
      measuring transient changes in in vivo dopamine. From this it is clear that
      paraffin wax is an effective sealant for FSCV electrodes that provides a
      convenient substitute to epoxy sealants. 

PMID- 26505196
TI  - Simple Modification of the Bladder Outlet Obstruction Index for Better Prediction
      of Endoscopically-Proven Prostatic Obstruction: A Preliminary Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The bladder outlet obstruction index (BOOI), also known as the Abrams
      Griffiths (AG) number, is the most widely used index for predicting BOO. However,
      the obstructed prostatic urethra determined by the BOOI is often inconsistent
      with endoscopically-proven obstruction. We assessed abdominal straining pattern
      as a novel parameter for improving the prediction of BOO. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      We retrospectively reviewed the pressure-flow studies (PFS) and cystourethroscopy
      in 176 BPH/LUTS patients who were unresponsive to medical therapy. During PFS,
      some groups of patients tried to urinate with abdominal straining, which can
      increases intravesical pressure and underestimate BOOI theoretically.
      Accordingly, the modified BOOI was defined as (PdetQmax+DeltaPabd)-2Qmax.
      RESULTS: Ultimately, 130 patients were eligible for the analysis. In PFS,
      DeltaPabd (PabdQmax-initial Pabd) was 11.81+/-13.04 cmH2O, and it was 0-9 cmH2O
      in 75 (57.7%), 10-19 cmH2O in 23 (17.7%) and >=20 cmH2O in 32 (24.6%) patients.
      An endoscopically obstructed prostatic urethra in 92 patients was correctly
      determined in 47 patients (51.1%) by the original BOOI versus 72 patients (78.3%)
      based on the modified BOOI. Meanwhile, an "unobstructed" urethra according to the
      original BOOI was present in 11 patients (12.0%), whereas according to the
      modified BOOI, only 2 (2.1%) would be labeled as "unobstructed". In receiver
      operating characteristic curves, the area under the curve was 0.906 using the
      modified BOOI number versus 0.849 in the original BOOI (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The
      change in abdominal pressure was correlated with endoscopically-proven
      obstruction. Our simple modification of the BOOI on the basis of this finding
      better predicted bladder outlet obstruction and, therefore, should be considered
      when evaluating BOO in patients with LUTS/BPH.

PMID- 26505198
TI  - Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Exploited Groundfish Species Assemblages Faced to
      Environmental and Fishing Forcings: Insights from the Mauritanian Exclusive
      Economic Zone.
AB  - Environmental changes and human activities can have strong impacts on
      biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. This study investigates how, from a
      quantitative point of view, simultaneously both environmental and anthropogenic
      factors affect species composition and abundance of exploited groundfish
      assemblages (i.e. target and non-target species) at large spatio-temporal scales.
      We aim to investigate (1) the spatial and annual stability of groundfish
      assemblages, (2) relationships between these assemblages and structuring factors
      in order to better explain the dynamic of the assemblages' structure. The
      Mauritanian Exclusive Economic Zone (MEEZ) is of particular interest as it embeds
      a productive ecosystem due to upwelling, producing abundant and diverse resources
      which constitute an attractive socio-economic development. We applied the multi
      variate and multi-table STATICO method on a data set consisting of 854 hauls
      collected during 14-years (1997-2010) from scientific trawl surveys (species
      abundance), logbooks of industrial fishery (fishing effort), sea surface
      temperature and chlorophyll a concentration as environmental variables. Our
      results showed that abiotic factors drove four main persistent fish assemblages.
      Overall, chlorophyll a concentration and sea surface temperature mainly
      influenced the structure of assemblages of coastal soft bottoms and those of the
      offshore near rocky bottoms where upwellings held. While highest levels of
      fishing effort were located in the northern permanent upwelling zone, effects of
      this variable on species composition and abundances of assemblages were
      relatively low, even if not negligible in some years and areas. The temporal
      trajectories between environmental and fishing conditions and assemblages did not
      match for all the entire time series analyzed in the MEEZ, but interestingly for
      some specific years and areas. The quantitative approach used in this work may
      provide to stakeholders, scientists and fishers a useful assessment for the
      spatio-temporal dynamics of exploited assemblages under stable or changing
      conditions in fishing and environment. 

PMID- 26505199
TI  - Graphical Aids to the Estimation and Discrimination of Uncertain Numerical Data.
AB  - This research investigates the performance of graphical dot arrays designed to
      make discrimination of relative numerosity as effortless as possible at the same
      time as making absolute (quantitative) numerosity estimation as effortful as
      possible. Comparing regular, random, and hybrid (randomized regular)
      configurations of dots, the results indicate that both random and hybrid
      configurations reduce absolute numerosity estimation precision, when compared
      with regular dots arrays. However, discrimination of relative numerosity is
      significantly more accurate for hybrid dot arrays than for random dot arrays.
      Similarly, human subjects report significantly lower levels of subjective
      confidence in judgments when using hybrid dot configurations as compared with
      regular configurations; and significantly higher levels of subjective confidence
      as compared with random configurations. These results indicate that data graphics
      based on the hybrid, randomized-regular configurations of dots are well-suited to
      applications that require decisions to be based on numerical data in which the
      absolute quantities are less certain than the relative values. Examples of such
      applications include decision-making based on the outputs of empirically-based
      mathematical models, such as health-related policy decisions using data from
      predictive epidemiological models. 

PMID- 26505197
TI  - Structural Refinement of Proteins by Restrained Molecular Dynamics Simulations
      with Non-interacting Molecular Fragments.
AB  - The knowledge of multiple conformational states is a prerequisite to understand
      the function of membrane transport proteins. Unfortunately, the determination of
      detailed atomic structures for all these functionally important conformational
      states with conventional high-resolution approaches is often difficult and
      unsuccessful. In some cases, biophysical and biochemical approaches can provide
      important complementary structural information that can be exploited with the
      help of advanced computational methods to derive structural models of specific
      conformational states. In particular, functional and spectroscopic measurements
      in combination with site-directed mutations constitute one important source of
      information to obtain these mixed-resolution structural models. A very common
      problem with this strategy, however, is the difficulty to simultaneously
      integrate all the information from multiple independent experiments involving
      different mutations or chemical labels to derive a unique structural model
      consistent with the data. To resolve this issue, a novel restrained molecular
      dynamics structural refinement method is developed to simultaneously incorporate
      multiple experimentally determined constraints (e.g., engineered metal bridges or
      spin-labels), each treated as an individual molecular fragment with all atomic
      details. The internal structure of each of the molecular fragments is treated
      realistically, while there is no interaction between different molecular
      fragments to avoid unphysical steric clashes. The information from all the
      molecular fragments is exploited simultaneously to constrain the backbone to
      refine a three-dimensional model of the conformational state of the protein. The
      method is illustrated by refining the structure of the voltage-sensing domain
      (VSD) of the Kv1.2 potassium channel in the resting state and by exploring the
      distance histograms between spin-labels attached to T4 lysozyme. The resulting
      VSD structures are in good agreement with the consensus model of the resting
      state VSD and the spin-spin distance histograms from ESR/DEER experiments on T4
      lysozyme are accurately reproduced. 

PMID- 26505201
TI  - Effects of Yoga on Heart Rate Variability and Mood in Women: A Randomized
      Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of an 8-week yoga program on heart rate
      variability and mood in generally healthy women. DESIGN: Randomized controlled
      trial. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-two healthy women were randomly assigned to a yoga
      group or a control group. INTERVENTIONS: Participants in the yoga group completed
      an 8-week yoga program, which comprised a 60-minute session twice a week. Each
      session consisted of breathing exercises, yoga pose practice, and supine
      meditation/relaxation. The control group was instructed not to engage in any yoga
      practice and to maintain their usual level of physical activity during the study.
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants' heart rate variability, perceived stress,
      depressive symptoms, and state and trait anxiety were assessed at baseline (week
      0) and after the intervention (week 9). RESULTS: No measures of heart rate
      variability changed significantly in either the yoga or control group after
      intervention. State anxiety was reduced significantly in the yoga group but not
      in the control group. No significant changes were noted in perceived stress,
      depression, or trait anxiety in either group. CONCLUSIONS: An 8-week yoga program
      was not sufficient to improve heart rate variability. However, such a program
      appears to be effective in reducing state anxiety in generally healthy women.
      Future research should involve longer periods of yoga training, include heart
      rate variability measures both at rest and during yoga practice, and enroll women
      with higher levels of stress and trait anxiety.

PMID- 26505200
TI  - Robust Selection Algorithm (RSA) for Multi-Omic Biomarker Discovery; Integration
      with Functional Network Analysis to Identify miRNA Regulated Pathways in Multiple
      Cancers.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis
      by regulating the expression of their target genes. As such, the dysregulation of
      miRNA expression has been frequently linked to cancer. With rapidly accumulating
      molecular data linked to patient outcome, the need for identification of robust
      multi-omic molecular markers is critical in order to provide clinical impact.
      While previous bioinformatic tools have been developed to identify potential
      biomarkers in cancer, these methods do not allow for rapid classification of
      oncogenes versus tumor suppressors taking into account robust differential
      expression, cutoffs, p-values and non-normality of the data. Here, we propose a
      methodology, Robust Selection Algorithm (RSA) that addresses these important
      problems in big data omics analysis. The robustness of the survival analysis is
      ensured by identification of optimal cutoff values of omics expression,
      strengthened by p-value computed through intensive random resampling taking into
      account any non-normality in the data and integration into multi-omic functional
      networks. Here we have analyzed pan-cancer miRNA patient data to identify
      functional pathways involved in cancer progression that are associated with
      selected miRNA identified by RSA. Our approach demonstrates the way in which
      existing survival analysis techniques can be integrated with a functional network
      analysis framework to efficiently identify promising biomarkers and novel
      therapeutic candidates across diseases. 

PMID- 26505202
TI  - Efficacy of Electrocuting Devices to Catch Tsetse Flies (Glossinidae) and Other
      Diptera.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The behaviour of insect vectors has an important bearing on the
      epidemiology of the diseases they transmit, and on the opportunities for vector
      control. Two sorts of electrocuting device have been particularly useful for
      studying the behaviour of tsetse flies (Glossina spp), the vectors of the
      trypanosomes that cause sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in livestock. Such
      devices consist of grids on netting (E-net) to catch tsetse in flight, or on
      cloth (E-cloth) to catch alighting flies. Catches are most meaningful when the
      devices catch as many as possible of the flies potentially available to them, and
      when the proportion caught is known. There have been conflicting indications for
      the catching efficiency, depending on whether the assessments were made by the
      naked eye or assisted by video recordings. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using
      grids of 0.5m2 in Zimbabwe, we developed catch methods of studying the efficiency
      of E-nets and E-cloth for tsetse, using improved transformers to supply the grids
      with electrical pulses of ~40kV. At energies per pulse of 35-215mJ, the
      efficiency was enhanced by reducing the pulse interval from 3200 to 1ms.
      Efficiency was low at 35mJ per pulse, but there seemed no benefit of increasing
      the energy beyond 70mJ. Catches at E-nets declined when the fine netting normally
      used became either coarser or much finer, and increased when the grid frame was
      moved from 2.5cm to 27.5cm from the grid. Data for muscoids and tabanids were
      roughly comparable to those for tsetse. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The catch method
      of studying efficiency is useful for supplementing and extending video methods.
      Specifications are suggested for E-nets and E-cloth that are ~95% efficient and
      suitable for estimating the absolute numbers of available flies. Grids that are
      less efficient, but more economical, are recommended for studies of relative
      numbers available to various baits.

PMID- 26505203
TI  - Multi-scale Visualization of Molecular Architecture Using Real-Time Ambient
      Occlusion in Sculptor.
AB  - The modeling of large biomolecular assemblies relies on an efficient rendering of
      their hierarchical architecture across a wide range of spatial level of detail.
      We describe a paradigm shift currently under way in computer graphics towards the
      use of more realistic global illumination models, and we apply the so-called
      ambient occlusion approach to our open-source multi-scale modeling program,
      Sculptor. While there are many other higher quality global illumination
      approaches going all the way up to full GPU-accelerated ray tracing, they do not
      provide size-specificity of the features they shade. Ambient occlusion is an
      aspect of global lighting that offers great visual benefits and powerful user
      customization. By estimating how other molecular shape features affect the
      reception of light at some surface point, it effectively simulates indirect
      shadowing. This effect occurs between molecular surfaces that are close to each
      other, or in pockets such as protein or ligand binding sites. By adding ambient
      occlusion, large macromolecular systems look much more natural, and the
      perception of characteristic surface features is strongly enhanced. In this work,
      we present a real-time implementation of screen space ambient occlusion that
      delivers realistic cues about tunable spatial scale characteristics of
      macromolecular architecture. Heretofore, the visualization of large biomolecular
      systems, comprising e.g. hundreds of thousands of atoms or Mega-Dalton size
      electron microscopy maps, did not take into account the length scales of interest
      or the spatial resolution of the data. Our approach has been uniquely customized
      with shading that is tuned for pockets and cavities of a user-defined size,
      making it useful for visualizing molecular features at multiple scales of
      interest. This is a feature that none of the conventional ambient occlusion
      approaches provide. Actual Sculptor screen shots illustrate how our
      implementation supports the size-dependent rendering of molecular surface
      features. 

PMID- 26505205
TI  - Ab Initio Studies of Calcium Carbonate Hydration.
AB  - Ab initio simulations of large hydrated calcium carbonate clusters are
      challenging due to the existence of multiple local energy minima. Extensive
      conformational searches around hydrated calcium carbonate clusters (CaCO3.nH2O
      for n = 1-18) were performed to find low-energy hydration structures using an
      efficient combination of Monte Carlo searches, density-functional tight binding
      (DFTB+) method, and density-functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP level, or Moller
      Plesset perturbation theory at the MP2 level. This multilevel optimization yields
      several low-energy structures for hydrated calcium carbonate. Structural and
      energetics analysis of the hydration of these clusters revealed a first hydration
      shell composed of 12 water molecules. Bond-length and charge densities were also
      determined for different cluster sizes. The solvation of calcium carbonate in
      bulk water was investigated by placing the explicitly solvated CaCO3.nH2O
      clusters in a polarizable continuum model (PCM). The findings of this study
      provide new insights into the energetics and structure of hydrated calcium
      carbonate and contribute to the understanding of mechanisms where calcium
      carbonate formation or dissolution is of relevance. 

PMID- 26505204
TI  - Radiological impact of surface water and sediment near uranium mining sites.
AB  - The aim of this study is to assess the radiological impact of surface water and
      sediment around uranium mining sites 20 years after their closing. The areas
      under observations are 31 former classical underground uranium mining and
      exploratory sites in Bulgaria, named as objects. The extraction and processing of
      uranium ores in the Republic of Bulgaria were ended in 1992. To assess the
      radiological impact of radionuclides field expeditions were performed to sample
      water and bottom sediment. The migration of uranium through surface water was
      examined as one of the major pathways for contamination spread. The range of
      uranium concentration in water flowing from the mining sites was from 0.012 to
      6.8 mgU l(-1) with a geometric mean of 0.192 mgU l(-1). The uranium
      concentrations in water downstream the mining sites were approximately 3 times
      higher than the background value (upstream). The concentrations of Unat, (226)Ra,
      (210)Pb, and (232)Th in the sediment of downstream river were higher than those
      upstream by 3.4, 2.6, 2, and 1.7 times, respectively. The distribution
      coefficient of uranium reflects its high mobility in most of the sites. In order
      to evaluate the impact on people as well as site prioritization for more detailed
      assessment and water management, screening dose assessments were done. 

PMID- 26505206
TI  - Flux of Total Mercury and Methylmercury to the Northern Gulf of Mexico from U.S.
      Estuaries.
AB  - To better understand the source of elevated methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations
      in Gulf of Mexico (GOM) fish, we quantified fluxes of total Hg and MeHg from 11
      rivers in the southeastern United States, including the 10 largest rivers
      discharging to the GOM. Filtered water and suspended particles were collected
      across estuarine salinity gradients in Spring and Fall 2012 to estimate fluxes
      from rivers to estuaries and from estuaries to coastal waters. Fluxes of total Hg
      and MeHg from rivers to estuaries varied as much as 100-fold among rivers. The
      Mississippi River accounted for 59% of the total Hg flux and 49% of the fluvial
      MeHg flux into GOM estuaries. While some estuaries were sources of Hg, the
      combined estimated fluxes of total Hg (~5200 mol y(-1)) and MeHg (~120 mol y(-1))
      from the estuaries to the GOM were less than those from rivers to estuaries,
      suggesting an overall estuarine sink. Fluxes of total Hg from the estuaries to
      coastal waters of the northern GOM are approximately an order of magnitude less
      than from atmospheric deposition. However, fluxes from rivers are significant
      sources of MeHg to estuaries and coastal regions of the northern GOM.

PMID- 26505207
TI  - Density Functional Theory and Electrochemical Studies: Structure-Efficiency
      Relationship on Corrosion Inhibition.
AB  - The relationship between structure and corrosion inhibition of a series of 30
      imidazol, benzimidazol, and pyridine derivatives has been established through the
      investigation of quantum descriptors calculated with PBE/6-311++G**. A
      quantitative structure-property relationship model was obtained by examination of
      these descriptors using a genetic functional approximation method based on a
      multiple linear regression analysis. Our results indicate that the efficiency of
      corrosion inhibitors is strongly associated with aromaticity, electron donor
      ability, and molecular volume descriptors. In order to calibrate and validate the
      proposed model, we performed electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies
      on imidazole, 2-methylimidazole, benzimidazole, 2-chloromethylbenzimidazole,
      pyridine, and 2-aminopyridine compounds. The experimental values for efficiency
      of corrosion inhibition are in good agreement with the estimated values obtained
      by our model, thus confirming that our approach represents a promising and
      suitable tool to predict the inhibition of corrosion attributes of nitrogen
      containing heterocyclic compounds. The adsorption behavior of imidazole or
      benzimidazole heterocyclic molecules on the Fe(110) surface was also studied to
      elucidate the inhibition mechanism; the aromaticity played an important role in
      the adsorbate-surface complex. 

PMID- 26505208
TI  - Ab Initio Simulations and Electronic Structure of Lithium-Doped Ionic Liquids:
      Structure, Transport, and Electrochemical Stability.
AB  - Density functional theory (DFT), density functional theory molecular dynamics
      (DFT-MD), and classical molecular dynamics using polarizable force fields (PFF
      MD) are employed to evaluate the influence of Li(+) on the structure, transport,
      and electrochemical stability of three potential ionic liquid electrolytes: N
      methyl-N-butylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([pyr14][TFSI]), N
      methyl-N-propylpyrrolidinium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide ([pyr13][FSI]), and 1-ethyl
      3-methylimidazolium boron tetrafluoride ([EMIM][BF4]). We characterize the Li(+)
      solvation shell through DFT computations of [Li(Anion)n]((n-1)-) clusters, DFT-MD
      simulations of isolated Li(+) in small ionic liquid systems, and PFF-MD
      simulations with high Li-doping levels in large ionic liquid systems. At low
      levels of Li-salt doping, highly stable solvation shells having two to three
      anions are seen in both [pyr14][TFSI] and [pyr13][FSI], whereas solvation shells
      with four anions dominate in [EMIM][BF4]. At higher levels of doping, we find the
      formation of complex Li-network structures that increase the frequency of four
      anion-coordinated solvation shells. A comparison of computational and
      experimental Raman spectra for a wide range of [Li(Anion)n]((n-1)-) clusters
      shows that our proposed structures are consistent with experiment. We then
      compute the ion diffusion coefficients and find measures from small-cell DFT-MD
      simulations to be the correct order of magnitude, but influenced by small system
      size and short simulation length. Correcting for these errors with complementary
      PFF-MD simulations, we find DFT-MD measures to be in close agreement with
      experiment. Finally, we compute electrochemical windows from DFT computations on
      isolated ions, interacting cation/anion pairs, and liquid-phase systems with Li
      doping. For the molecular-level computations, we generally find the difference
      between ionization energy and electron affinity from isolated ions and
      interacting cation/anion pairs to provide upper and lower bounds, respectively,
      to experiment. In the liquid phase, we find the difference between the lowest
      unoccupied and highest occupied electronic levels in pure and hybrid functionals
      to provide lower and upper bounds, respectively, to experiment. Li-doping in the
      liquid-phase systems results in electrochemical windows little changed from the
      neat systems. 

PMID- 26505209
TI  - Coassemblies of the Anionic Polypeptide gamma-PGA and Cationic beta-Sheet
      Peptides for Drug Delivery to Mitochondria.
AB  - The effectiveness of a drug may be highly dependent on its delivery to its target
      organ and even to specific intracellular organelles. In this study we developed
      nanoparticles (NPs) composed of the anionic polypeptide poly-gamma-glutamic acid
      (gamma-PGA), and a designed amphiphilic and cationic beta-sheet peptide (PFK),
      which tends to form fibril bilayer assemblies. These peptide assemblies generate
      hydrophobic niches within the NPs, which enhance the NPs' capacity to deliver
      amphiphilic drugs. NPs created by coassembly of gamma-PGA and PFK, and further
      coated with PFK, had a positive zeta-potential and were attracted to
      mitochondria. When applied to the human osteosarcoma cell line Saos2, the NP
      encapsulated lonidamin drug proved to be 300 times more cytotoxic than the free
      drug. 

PMID- 26505210
TI  - Single-Cell Quantification of Cytosine Modifications by Hyperspectral Dark-Field
      Imaging.
AB  - Epigenetic modifications on DNA, especially on cytosine, play a critical role in
      regulating gene expression and genome stability. It is known that the levels of
      different cytosine derivatives are highly dynamic and are regulated by a variety
      of factors that act on the chromatin. Here we report an optical methodology based
      on hyperspectral dark-field imaging (HSDFI) using plasmonic nanoprobes to
      quantify the recently identified cytosine modifications on DNA in single cells.
      Gold (Au) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized with specific
      antibodies were used as contrast-generating agents due to their strong local
      surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties. With this powerful platform we have
      revealed the spatial distribution and quantity of 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC) at
      the different stages in cell cycle and demonstrated that 5caC was a stably
      inherited epigenetic mark. We have also shown that the regional density of 5caC
      on a single chromosome can be mapped due to the spectral sensitivity of the
      nanoprobes in relation to the interparticle distance. Notably, HSDFI enables an
      efficient removal of the scattering noises from nonspecifically aggregated
      nanoprobes, to improve accuracy in the quantification of different cytosine
      modifications in single cells. Further, by separating the LSPR fingerprints of
      AuNPs and AgNPs, multiplex detection of two cytosine modifications was also
      performed. Our results demonstrate HSDFI as a versatile platform for spatial and
      spectroscopic characterization of plasmonic nanoprobe-labeled nuclear targets at
      the single-cell level for quantitative epigenetic screening. 

PMID- 26505211
TI  - Switching the Regioselectivity of a Cyclohexanone Monooxygenase toward (+)-trans
      Dihydrocarvone by Rational Protein Design.
AB  - The regioselectivity of the Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase-catalyzed oxidation is
      governed mostly by electronic effects leading to the migration of the higher
      substituted residue. However, in some cases, substrate binding occurs in a way
      that the less substituted residue lies in an antiperiplanar orientation to the
      peroxy bond in the Criegee intermediate yielding in the formation of the
      "abnormal" lactone product. We are the first to demonstrate a complete switch in
      the regioselectivity of the BVMO from Arthrobacter sp. (CHMOArthro) as
      exemplified for (+)-trans-dihydrocarvone by redesigning the active site of the
      enzyme. In the designed triple mutant, the substrate binds in an inverted
      orientation leading to a ratio of 99:1 in favor of the normal lactone instead of
      exclusive formation of the abnormal lactone in case of the wild type enzyme. In
      order to validate our computational study, the beneficial mutations were
      successfully transferred to the CHMO from Acinetobacter sp. (CHMOAcineto), again
      yielding in a complete switch of regioselectivity. 

PMID- 26505212
TI  - Entropy Beacon: A Hairpin-Free DNA Amplification Strategy for Efficient Detection
      of Nucleic Acids.
AB  - Here, we propose an efficient strategy for enzyme- and hairpin-free nucleic acid
      detection called an entropy beacon (abbreviated as Ebeacon). Different from
      previously reported DNA hybridization/displacement-based strategies, Ebeacon is
      driven forward by increases in the entropy of the system, instead of free energy
      released from new base-pair formation. Ebeacon shows high sensitivity, with a
      detection limit of 5 pM target DNA in buffer and 50 pM in cellular homogenate.
      Ebeacon also benefits from the hairpin-free amplification strategy and zero
      background, excellent thermostability from 20  degrees C to 50  degrees C, as
      well as good resistance to complex environments. In particular, based on the huge
      difference between the breathing rate of a single base pair and two adjacent base
      pairs, Ebeacon also shows high selectivity toward base mutations, such as
      substitution, insertion, and deletion and, therefore, is an efficient nucleic
      acid detection method, comparable to most reported enzyme-free strategies. 

PMID- 26505213
TI  - Overcoming Akt Induced Therapeutic Resistance in Breast Cancer through siRNA and
      Thymoquinone Encapsulated Multilamellar Gold Niosomes.
AB  - Akt overexpression in cancer causes resistance to traditional chemotherapeutics.
      Silencing Akt through siRNA provides new therapeutic options; however, poor in
      vivo siRNA pharmacokinetics impede translation. We demonstrate that acidic milieu
      sensitive multilamellar gold niosomes (Nio-Au) permit targeted delivery of both
      Akt-siRNA and thymoquinone (TQ) in tamoxifen-resistant and Akt-overexpressing
      MCF7 breast cancer cells. Octadecylamine groups of functionalized gold
      nanoparticles impart cationic attribute to niosomes, stabilized through
      polyethylene glycol. TQ's aqueous insolubility renders its encapsulation within
      hydrophobic core, and negatively charged siRNA binds in hydrophilic region of
      cationic niosomes. These niosomes were exploited to effectively knockdown Akt,
      thereby sensitizing cells to TQ. Immunoblot studies revealed enhanced apoptosis
      by inducing p53 and inhibiting MDM2 expression, which was consistent with in vivo
      xenograft studies. This innovative strategy, using Nio-Au to simultaneously
      deliver siRNA (devoid of any chemical modification) and therapeutic drug,
      provides an efficacious approach for treating therapy-resistant cancers with
      significant translational potential. 

PMID- 26505214
TI  - Phytochemicals in Food and Nutrition.
AB  - The International Symposium on Phytochemicals in Medicine and Food (ISPMF2015)
      was held from June 26 to 29, 2015, in Shanghai, China. It is for the first time
      that a Phytochemical Society of Europe conference took place in China, which
      provided an opportunity for 270 scientists from 48 countries to communicate their
      up-to-date knowledge on phytochemicals. ISPMF2015 comprised exciting and various
      programs with 16 sessions, including 12 plenary lectures, 20 invited talks, 55
      short oral presentations, and more than 130 posters. With the help of Prof.
      Fergus M. Clydesdale, a special issue of Critical Reviews in Food Science and
      Nutrition containing 11 reviews from scientists was presented in this conference.
      In this special issue, bioactive flavonoids and polysaccharides for human health
      received significant attention. 

PMID- 26505216
TI  - Elite-adapted wheelchair sports performance: a systematic review.
AB  - PURPOSE: Elite-adapted sports performance has considerably improved over the last
      decades and winning or losing races at Paralympic Games is often a matter of a
      split second. In other words, every single detail counts, which underlines the
      necessity of optimizing training interventions and equipment for athletes in
      order to achieve top-class performance. However, to date, studies which include
      Paralympic elite athletes are scarce. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search
      was performed to identify potential strategies and interventions in order to
      optimize elite-adapted wheelchair sports performance, whereas the focus lay on
      respiratory muscle training (RMT), cooling (CI) and nutritional interventions
      (NI) as well as on individual equipment adaptations (IEA). RESULTS: The total
      number of studies identified for the final analysis was six for RMT, two for CI,
      three for NI and seven for IEA, respectively. Results point predominantly towards
      performance enhancing benefits for CI and IEA, whereas NI and RMT provided
      inhomogenous findings. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison to the able-bodied population,
      research in the field of Paralympic elite sport is scarce. CI and IEA seem to
      have significant performance enhancing benefits, whereas NI and RMT revealed
      controversial findings. However, due to the limited number of elite athletes with
      a spinal cord injury available to participate in scientific studies, general
      conclusions are difficult to make at this stage and in daily practice
      recommendations are still given mainly on an individual basis or based on
      personal experiences of coaches, athletes and scientists. Implications for
      Rehabilitaton Based on the knowledge gained in elite sports, wheelchair equipment
      could be optimized also for daily use. Elite sports performance could inspire
      wheelchair users to achieve their personal fitness goals.

PMID- 26505215
TI  - Rap1 induces cytokine production in pro-inflammatory macrophages through NFkappaB
      signaling and is highly expressed in human atherosclerotic lesions.
AB  - Repressor activator protein 1 (Rap1) is essential for maintaining telomere length
      and structural integrity, but it also exerts other non-telomeric functions. The
      present study tested the hypothesis that Rap1 is released into the cytoplasm and
      induces production of pro-inflammatory cytokines via nuclear factor kappa B
      (NFkappaB) signaling in macrophages, a cell type involved in the development and
      progression of atherosclerotic lesions. Western blotting analysis confirmed that
      Rap1 was present in the cytoplasm of differentiated human monocytic leukemia
      cells (THP-1, a macrophage-like cell line). Co-immunoprecipitation assay revealed
      a direct interaction between Rap1 and I kappa B kinase (IKK). Knockdown of Rap1
      suppressed lipopolysaccharide-mediated activation of NFkappaB, and
      phosphorylation of inhibitor of kappa B alpha (IkappaBalpha) and p65 in THP-1
      macrophages. The reduction of NFkappaB activity was paralleled by a decreased
      production of NFkappaB-dependent pro-inflammatory cytokines and an increased
      expression of IkappaBalpha (native NFkappaB inhibitor) in various macrophage
      models with pro-inflammatory phenotype, including THP-1, mouse peritoneal
      macrophages and bone marrow-derived M1 macrophages. These changes were observed
      selectively in pro-inflammatory macrophages but not in bone marrow-derived M2
      macrophages (with an anti-inflammatory phenotype), mouse lung endothelial cells,
      human umbilical vein endothelial cells or human aortic smooth muscle cells.
      Immunostaining revealed that Rap1 was localized mainly in macrophage-rich areas
      in human atherosclerotic plaques and that the presence of Rap1 was positively
      correlated with the advancement of the disease process. In pro-inflammatory
      macrophages, Rap1 promotes cytokine production via NFkappaB activation favoring a
      pro-inflammatory environment which may contribute to the development and
      progression of atherosclerosis. 

PMID- 26505217
TI  - Dysthyroid Orbitopathy Presenting with Gaze-Evoked Amaurosis: Case Report and
      Review of the Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gaze-evoked amaurosis (GEA) describes visual loss associated with
      eccentric gaze that recovers when the eye is returned to primary position. Here
      we describe an unusual case of bilateral GEA as the presenting feature of
      dysthyroid orbitopathy. This is only the third such case to be reported in the
      literature and the first to feature bilateral GEA in all positions of gaze
      without accompanying proptosis or ophthalmoplegia. CASE PRESENTATION: A 50-year
      old man who had recently commenced treatment for thyrotoxicosis presented with a
      3-week history of typical GEA in both eyes in all positions of gaze. He
      subsequently developed a bilateral compressive optic neuropathy which was only
      partially responsive to high dose steroid therapy. CONCLUSION: Although an
      uncommon presenting feature of dysthyroid orbitopathy, GEA is an ominous symptom
      that may precede sight-threatening optic nerve compromise. When present, early
      immunosuppressive and/or decompressive treatment should be considered.

PMID- 26505218
TI  - Novel CARM1-Interacting Protein, DZIP3, Is a Transcriptional Coactivator of
      Estrogen Receptor-alpha.
AB  - Coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) is known to promote
      estrogen receptor (ER)alpha-mediated transcription in breast cancer cells. To
      further characterize the regulation of ERalpha-mediated transcription by CARM1,
      we screened CARM1-interacting proteins by yeast two-hybrid. Here, we have
      identified an E3 ubiquitin ligase, DAZ (deleted in azoospermia)-interacting
      protein 3 (DZIP3), as a novel CARM1-binding protein. DZIP3-dependent
      ubiquitination of histone H2A has been associated with repression of
      transcription. However, ERalpha reporter gene assays demonstrated that DZIP3
      enhanced ERalpha-mediated transcription and cooperated synergistically with
      CARM1. Interaction with CARM1 was observed with the E3 ligase RING domain of
      DZIP3. The methyltransferase activity of CARM1 partially contributed to the
      synergy with DZIP3 for transcription activation, but the E3 ubiquitin ligase
      activity of DZIP3 was dispensable. DZIP3 also interacted with the C-terminal
      activation domain 2 of glucocorticoid receptor-interacting protein 1 (GRIP1) and
      enhanced the interaction between GRIP1 and CARM1. Depletion of DZIP3 by small
      interfering RNA in MCF7 cells reduced estradiol-induced gene expression of
      ERalpha target genes, GREB1 and pS2, and DZIP3 was recruited to the estrogen
      response elements of the same ERalpha target genes. These results indicate that
      DZIP3 is a novel coactivator of ERalpha target gene expression. 

PMID- 26505220
TI  - Summary of Notifiable Noninfectious Conditions and Disease Outbreaks: Childhood
      Blood Lead Levels - United States, 2007-2012.

PMID- 26505219
TI  - FXR Primes the Liver for Intestinal FGF15 Signaling by Transient Induction of
      beta-Klotho.
AB  - The bile acid (BA)-sensing nuclear receptor, farnesoid X receptor (FXR),
      regulates postprandial metabolic responses, including inhibition of BA synthesis,
      by inducing the intestinal hormone, fibroblast growth factor (FGF)15 (FGF19 in
      human). In this study, we tested a novel hypothesis that FXR not only induces
      intestinal FGF15 but also primes the liver for effectively responding to the
      signal by transcriptional induction of the obligate coreceptor for FGF15, beta
      Klotho (betaKL). Activation of FXR by a synthetic agonist, GW4064, in mice
      increased occupancy of FXR and its DNA-binding partner, retinoid X receptor
      alpha, at FGF15-signaling component genes, particularly betaKL, and induced
      expression of these genes. Interestingly, mRNA levels of Fgfr4, the FGF15
      receptor, were not increased by GW4064, but protein levels increased as a result
      of betaKL-dependent increased protein stability. Both FGF receptor 4 and betaKL
      protein levels were substantially decreased in FXR-knockout (KO) mice, and FGF19
      signaling, monitored by phosphorylated ERK, was blunted in FXR-KO mice, FXR-KO
      mouse hepatocytes, and FXR-down-regulated human hepatocytes. Overexpression of
      betaKL in FXR-lacking hepatocytes partially restored FGF19 signaling and
      inhibition by FGF19 of Cyp7a1, which encodes the rate-limiting BA biosynthetic
      enzyme. In mice, transient inductions of intestinal Fgf15 and hepatic betaKL were
      temporally correlated after GW4064 treatment, and pretreatment of hepatocytes
      with GW4064 before FGF19 treatment enhanced FGF19 signaling, which was abolished
      by transcriptional inhibition or betaKL down-regulation. This study identifies
      FXR as a gut-liver metabolic coordinator for FGF15/19 action that orchestrates
      transient induction of hepatic betaKL and intestinal Fgf15/19 in a temporally
      correlated manner. 

PMID- 26505221
TI  - MicroRNA-223 Is Upregulated in Active Tuberculosis Patients and Inhibits
      Apoptosis of Macrophages by Targeting FOXO3.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Macrophage apoptosis is a host innate defense mechanism against
      tuberculosis (TB). AIM: In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of
      microRNA-223 (miR-223) in macrophage apoptosis of TB. METHODS: We analyzed
      apoptosis in peripheral blood macrophages of active TB patients, infected human
      macrophages (TDMs and MDMs) with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strain
      H37Rv, and observed the expression of miR-223 to investigate the relationship
      between miR-223 and macrophage apoptosis induced by Mtb. RESULTS: The apoptosis
      rate of peripheral blood macrophages decreased in active TB patients compared
      with healthy controls, and miR-223 expression increased significantly in
      macrophages after H37Rv infection. Transfection of human macrophages (TDMs and
      MDMs) with miR-223 inhibited macrophage apoptosis. We also demonstrated that miR
      223 directly suppressed forkhead box O3 (FOXO3), and FOXO3 played a critical role
      as a mediator of the biological effects of miR-223 in macrophage apoptosis. The
      overexpression of FOXO3 remarkably reversed the apoptosis inhibitory effect of
      miR-223. CONCLUSION: Our data provide new clues for the essential role of miR-223
      in the regulation of anti-Mtb-directed immune responses, which relies on the
      regulation of FOXO3 expression.

PMID- 26505222
TI  - Nanomaterial-based approaches for the detection and speciation of mercury.
AB  - Mercury is toxic with widespread contamination. Highly sensitive and selective
      approaches for mercury analysis are desired. Although conventional techniques are
      accurate and sensitive in the determination of mercury, these procedures are time
      consuming, labor-intensive and dependent heavily on expensive instrumentation. In
      recent years, nanomaterial-based approaches have been proved to be effective
      alternatives in the detection and speciation of mercury. In this review, the
      development of different nanomaterial-based approaches was summarized, as well as
      their utilization for the detection of mercury in environmental and biological
      samples, such as gold nanomaterials, carbon nanomaterials, quantum dots and so
      on. Moreover, the speciation of mercury using nanomaterials was also reviewed. 

PMID- 26505223
TI  - Physical activity intensity can be accurately monitored by smartphone global
      positioning system 'app'.
AB  - Monitoring physical activity is important to better individualise health and
      fitness benefits. This study assessed the concurrent validity of a smartphone
      global positioning system (GPS) 'app' and a sport-specific GPS device with a
      similar sampling rate, to measure physical activity components of speed and
      distance, compared to a higher sampling sport-specific GPS device. Thirty-eight
      (21 female, 17 male) participants, mean age of 24.68, s = 6.46 years, completed
      two 2.400 km trials around an all-weather athletics track wearing GPSports ProTM
      (PRO), GPSports WiSpiTM (WISPI) and an iPhoneTM with a Motion X GPSTM 'app'
      (MOTIONX). Statistical agreement, assessed using t-tests and Bland-Altman plots,
      indicated an (mean; 95% LOA) underestimation of 2% for average speed (0.126 km.h(
      1); -0.389 to 0.642; p < .001), 1.7% for maximal speed (0.442 km.h(-1); -2.676 to
      3.561; p = .018) and 1.9% for distance (0.045 km; -0.140 to 0.232; p < .001) by
      MOTIONX compared to that measured by PRO. In contrast, compared to PRO, WISPI
      overestimated average speed (0.232 km.h(-1); -0.376 to 0.088; p < .001) and
      distance (0.083 km; -0.129 to -0.038; p < .001) by 3.5% whilst underestimating
      maximal speed by 2.5% (0.474 km.h(-1); -1.152 to 2.099; p < .001). Despite the
      statistically significant difference, the MOTIONX measures intensity of physical
      activity, with a similar error as WISPI, to an acceptable level for population
      based monitoring in unimpeded open-air environments. This presents a low-cost,
      minimal burden opportunity to remotely monitor physical activity participation to
      improve the prescription of exercise as medicine. 

PMID- 26505224
TI  - Cyclotron Production of High-Specific Activity 55Co and In Vivo Evaluation of the
      Stability of 55Co Metal-Chelate-Peptide Complexes.
AB  - This work describes the production of high-specific activity 55Co and the
      evaluation of the stability of 55Co-metal-chelate-peptide complexes in vivo. 55Co
      was produced via the 58Ni(p,alpha)55Co reaction and purified using anion exchange
      chromatography with an average recovery of 92% and an average specific activity
      of 1.96 GBq/MUmol. 55Co-DO3A and 55Co-NO2A peptide complexes were radiolabeled at
      3.7 MBq/MUg and injected into HCT-116 tumor xenografted mice. Positron emission
      tomography (PET) and biodistribution studies were performed at 24 and 48 hours
      postinjection and compared to those of 55CoCl2. Both 55Co-metal-chelate complexes
      demonstrated good in vivo stability by reducing the radiotracers' uptake in the
      liver by sixfold at 24 hours with ~ 1% ID/g and at 48 hours with ~ 0.5% ID/g and
      reducing uptake in the heart by fourfold at 24 hours with ~ 0.7% ID/g and
      sevenfold at 48 hours with ~ 0.35% ID/g. These results support the use of 55Co as
      a promising new radiotracer for PET imaging of cancer and other diseases.

PMID- 26505226
TI  - Melatonin and the future of critically ill patients' outcomes.

PMID- 26505225
TI  - Non-pharmacological interventions to reduce ICU-related psychological distress: a
      systematic review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patients frequently suffer stress in intensive care units (ICUs)
      and many develop serious psychological morbidity after discharge. Little is known
      about the nature and efficacy of interventions to reduce ICU-related distress.
      There is growing evidence that administering sedative drugs can be harmful.
      Therefore we carried out a systematic review of non-pharmacological interventions
      to reduce ICU-related distress. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A systematic search was
      conducted using Medline, Embase, Psychinfo, Cinahl and the Web of Science.
      Included studies evaluated the effect of non-pharmacological interventions to
      reduce ICU stress. Study populations were adults in mixed or general ICUs.
      Outcomes were stress or psychological distress in or after the ICU, using self
      report or physiological measures. No meta-analysis was possible due to
      heterogeneity, therefore studies were arranged according to intervention type,
      and outcomes examined together with risk of bias criteria. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS:
      Twenty-three studies were eligible, including 15 randomized controlled trials.
      Non-pharmacological interventions included music therapy (11 studies), mind-body
      practices (5) and psychological interventions (7). 12 studies showed a beneficial
      effect. However only three of the 12 had a low risk of bias, and many studies in
      the review were under-powered to detect an effect. Only 5 studies measured a
      medium/long term psychological outcome such as PTSD or depression at 2-12 months.
      CONCLUSIONS: Evidence indicates that non-pharmacological approaches to reducing
      ICU distress, in particular psychological interventions, may be beneficial. The
      evidence base would be strengthened by the implementation of fully-powered
      studies using robust designs, that measure longer-term outcomes.

PMID- 26505227
TI  - The Usefulness of Cadaveric Fungi as an Investigation Tool.

PMID- 26505228
TI  - Autopsy in Islam: Considerations for Deceased Muslims and Their Families
      Currently and in the Future.
AB  - Religious beliefs and cultures have influenced treatment of dead bodies in
      different ways by nations throughout history, and attitudes toward the deceased
      individuals have changed across time and so has the role and mechanism of
      autopsy. Islam has been a part of Europe for a long time; therefore, we would
      like to emphasize the important issues for Muslims and their families regarding
      death, autopsy, and funeral and to describe international perspectives of Muslim
      autopsies. Muslims have expressed their views on autopsy publically and
      internationally, and there have been claims of violation of the deceased, delays
      in burial, and nonconsideration of their religious beliefs. In this article, we
      aim to increase awareness and understanding of doctors about the religious and
      ethical issues important to Muslims and their families, so that appropriate
      considerations may be made where possible with regard to respectful treatment of
      deceased loved ones to decrease tensions presently being faced. Forensic medicine
      doctors could assist by undertaking autopsy without delay, in a private room by
      those of the same sex, and covering parts of the body not being worked on at that
      time. 

PMID- 26505229
TI  - Upper Eyelid Fractional CO2 Laser Resurfacing With Incisional Blepharoplasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: Laser resurfacing, performed at the same time as blepharoplasty, has
      most commonly been applied to the lower eyelid skin but can effectively be used
      on the upper eyelid to reduce rhytidosis and improve skin quality. The authors
      evaluate the safety and efficacy of this procedure. METHODS: Fractional CO2 laser
      resurfacing was performed in conjunction with incisional upper blepharoplasty.
      The ultrapulsed laser energy was applied to the sub-brow skin, the upper medial
      canthal skin, and the pretarsal skin in 30 patients. Photos were obtained
      preoperatively and at 3 months. RESULTS: All patients demonstrated reduction in
      upper eyelid rhytidosis without any serious complications. Independent rhytidosis
      grading (0-4) showed a mean improvement of 42%. One patient experienced wound
      dehiscence that satisfactorily resolved without intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Upper
      eyelid laser resurfacing is effective and can be safely performed at the same
      time as upper blepharoplasty. This approach reduces or eliminates the need for
      medial incisions to address medial canthal skin redundancy and rhytidosis and it
      directly treats upper eyelid wrinkles on residual eyelid and infra-brow skin
      during blepharoplasty.

PMID- 26505230
TI  - Safety and Effectiveness of a Small Incision Lateral Eyebrow Ptosis Repair
      Technique Using a Frontalis Muscle Transposition Flap.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a frontalis muscle
      transposition flap for treatment of lateral eyebrow ptosis. METHODS: The charts
      of all patients undergoing frontalis muscle transposition flap eyebrow ptosis
      repair from December 2013 to September 2014 were reviewed. Charts with inadequate
      photographs were excluded. Charts were reviewed for demographics, preoperative
      and postoperative photographs, surgical technique, and complications. The
      following parameters were assessed on preoperative and postoperative photographs:
      corneal diameter, central brow height, and lateral brow height. Measurements were
      normalized to a standard corneal diameter of 11.5 mm. Statistical analysis was
      performed in conjunction with the Cleveland Health Institute Biostatistics
      Department. RESULTS: Forty-six total patients underwent frontalis muscle
      transposition flap eyebrow ptosis repair and the charts of 31 patients (53 cases)
      were reviewed. There were 20 female and 11 male patients. Average age was 69.1 +/
      7.7 years (range: 50 - 86 years). There were 9 unilateral and 22 bilateral
      cases. Concomitant surgeries included upper blepharoplasty (33 cases),
      conjunctival-Mullerectomy blepharoptosis repair (3 cases), and intralesional
      tetracycline injection for festoons (3 cases). Average follow-up interval between
      surgery and the final postoperative photograph was 10.2 weeks (range: 6-26
      weeks). Overall, lateral brow height increased postoperatively by 1.78 mm (p <
      0.05). In patients that underwent frontalis muscle transposition flap alone,
      lateral brow height increased by 2.86 mm (p < 0.05). Scalp hypesthesia was
      documented in 10/31 patients, and resolved in 8/10 patients at last follow up.
      CONCLUSIONS: A frontalis muscle transposition flap effectively addresses lateral
      eyebrow ptosis repair through a small, relatively concealed incision. It produces
      temporary scalp hypesthesia in a significant number of patients, and long-term
      results remain unknown.

PMID- 26505231
TI  - Frontalis Muscle Asymmetry and Lateral Landmarks.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate frontalis muscle asymmetry and characterize its lateral
      interdigitation with the orbicularis oculi muscle. METHODS: After making a mid
      coronal incision and bluntly dissecting to the orbital rim, the frontalis muscle
      was exposed, marked, and photographed. The right and left muscle bellies were
      analyzed and compared in both pixels and cm ratios generated with NIH ImageJ
      software. A ratio of >=1.5 was considered significantly asymmetric. The lateral
      interdigitation of the frontalis and orbicularis oculi muscles was measured from
      the supraorbital notch with a metric ruler. Data were analyzed using 2-sample t
      tests, paired t tests, log scales, and nonparametric tests were performed for
      sensitivity analyses. A p value of <=0.05 was considered statistically
      significant. RESULTS: Fifty-eight hemifaces of 29 Caucasian cadavers were studied
      for muscle belly asymmetry. Thirty-six hemifaces of 18 Caucasian cadavers (9
      males) were dissected for lateral landmarks and average age of these specimens
      was 73 years (range: 35-91 years). Significant asymmetry in muscle belly area was
      found in 6/29 (20%) specimens, with the right muscle belly larger in all 6
      specimens. On average, the right muscle belly area was 1.23 times that of the
      left (p = <0.001). The average frontalis-orbicularis interdigitation occurred 3.4
      cm lateral to the supraorbital notch. CONCLUSIONS: Significant frontalis muscle
      belly asymmetry exists in 20% of Caucasians cadavers. The right muscle belly was
      larger on average and in all cases of significant asymmetry. The frontalis muscle
      interdigitates with the orbicularis oculi on average 3.4 cm lateral to the
      supraorbital notch.

PMID- 26505232
TI  - Nylon Hang Back Sutures in the Repair of Secondary Ptosis Following Overcorrected
      Dysthyroid Upper Eyelid Retraction.
AB  - PURPOSE: Repair of blepharoptosis secondary to surgical overcorrection of thyroid
      related primary upper eyelid retraction (secondary ptosis) can be unpredictable.
      This study describes the long-term results of "hang-back" nylon sutures, for an
      anterior approach surgical repair of secondary ptosis. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective consecutive case note review of patients referred with secondary
      ptosis (after prior upper eyelid lowering for thyroid eye disease), under the
      care of a single surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital & subsequently at Barking
      Havering Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (SSD). In accordance with
      hospital trust policy, this audit was registered and all patient data was
      anonymized, ethical approval was not required. Patients with secondary ptosis
      underwent surgery under local anesthesia through an upper eyelid skin-crease
      incision. The anterior portion of the levator muscle was freed from all scar
      tissues and its action re-established on the superior part of the upper tarsal
      plate, using two 6-0 nylon hang-back sutures placed centrally and medially. The
      margin reflex distance 1 (MRD1), skin crease height, eyelid contour, symmetry of
      eyelid position (difference in margin reflex distance 1 <1 mm in both eyes) and
      degree of lagophthalmos were assessed from clinical notes preoperative and
      postoperatively at 1, 3, and 12 months. RESULTS: Surgery was undertaken in 14
      eyelids in 13 patients (3 males; 23%), with 9/14 (65%) eyelids having undergone
      attempted repair of ptosis prior to referral; in 7 of the 8 (88%) eyelids with
      previous failed ptosis repair, the referring surgeon had used soluble hang-back
      sutures. As compared with an average preoperative margin reflex distance 1 of 0.9
      mm (median 1, range: -1 to 2 mm), the average margin reflex distance 1 at 3
      months was 3.0 mm (median 3, range: 2.5-4 mm; p < 0.0001) and 2.8 mm at 12-month
      follow up (median 3, range: 2-4mm; p < 0.0001). The upper eyelid central skin
      crease height changed from a preoperative mean of 9.8 mm (median 9, range: 5-15
      mm) to 8.7 mm at 3 months (median 8, range: 7-12 mm; p = 0.1412) and 8.9 mm at 12
      month follow up (median 9, range: 7-11 mm; p = 0.2930). Only 3 patients had
      postoperative lagophthalmos (one patient 3 mm and two patients 1 mm) at 3 months
      after surgery, this resolving by the 12-month postoperative visit. Thirteen cases
      (93%) had a good functional, symmetrical, and aesthetic result at 12 month follow
      up, with a late recurrence of ptosis in 1 patient (7%). CONCLUSION: The "hang
      back" semi-permanent suture technique for repair of over-corrected upper eyelid
      lowering in thyroid eye disease appears to provide an excellent and predictable
      long-term result with a low incidence of late recurrence of ptosis.

PMID- 26505233
TI  - Metastatic Embryonal Conjunctival Rhabdomyosarcoma in a 4-Year-Old Boy.
AB  - The authors report the case of a 4-year-old boy who presented with unilateral
      ptosis and a mass lesion of palpebral conjunctiva of the left upper eyelid, that
      had been present for 2 weeks, and had rapidly enlarged. The lesion was salmon
      colored and was easily distinguished from the conjunctiva. There was no obvious
      orbital extension in the MRI studies. Excisional biopsy was performed through a
      conjunctival approach. The histopathology was consistent with embryonal
      rhabdomyosarcoma. Thoracoabdominal CT scans revealed nodules in both lungs,
      indicating stage 4 disease. The patient received chemotheraphy and intensity
      modulated radiation therapy. Rhabdomyosarcoma confined to the conjunctiva and
      distant metastasis without orbital involvement is rare. It should be included in
      the differential diagnosis of any atypical conjunctival mass lesions in children,
      and histopathology is necessary to establish proper treatment. As the case
      indicates, detailed systemic evaluation and careful systemic follow up of these
      patients are mandatory.

PMID- 26505234
TI  - Maxillary Ameloblastoma with Orbital Involvement: An Institutional Experience and
      Literature Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe 8 patients with orbital involvement by ameloblastoma and to
      review the literature on this topic. METHODS: The electronic medical records and
      pathology databases of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania were
      searched to identify all patients with histopathologically confirmed
      ameloblastoma diagnosed between 1990 and 2015. PubMed database was searched for
      all well-documented cases of maxillary ameloblastoma and ameloblastic carcinoma
      ex-ameloblastoma with orbital involvement published in the English literature.
      The information collected on the compiled 23 patients included age, sex, clinical
      presentation, imaging findings, management, tumor histopathologic features, and
      follow up. RESULTS: Review of medical records identified 8 patients with orbital
      involvement by ameloblastoma. Literature search yielded 15 patients with well
      documented orbital involvement by ameloblastoma. Most tumors occurred in men (19
      of 23, M:F = 4-5:1) with an average age of 56 years. The overall rates of
      recurrence, visual compromise, death, and confirmed disease-related mortality
      were 70% (16/23), 26% (6/23), 39% (9/23), and 22% (5/23), respectively. The
      initial surgical approach correlated with prognosis. The rates of recurrence,
      orbital exenteration, and mortality in the cohort managed with conservative
      surgery or partial maxillectomy were 57% (8/14), 29% (4/14), and 50% (7/14),
      respectively. In contrast, the patients initially managed with a radical
      resection had substantially lower frequencies of tumor recurrence (2/7, 29%),
      exenteration (1/7, 14%), and death (1/7, 14%). Malignant transformation to
      ameloblastic carcinoma occurred in the setting of recurrent disease in 3 patients
      and in 1 patient with prolonged duration of symptoms, suggestive of a long
      standing tumor. CONCLUSIONS: Maxillary ameloblastoma can rarely involve the
      orbit, leading to significant ocular morbidity and occasional mortality. Prompt
      radical resection of the tumor has the potential to decrease the likelihood of
      recurrence and visual compromise, and can improve survival.

PMID- 26505235
TI  - Primary Extradural Ectopic Orbital Meningioma.
AB  - The authors describe a rare case of a primary extradural ectopic meningioma
      occurring in a 9-year-old female. A review of the literature with respect to
      clinical presentation, radiographic findings, management, and outcome among
      similar cases is discussed. Common features that may assist with diagnosing this
      unusual tumor include absence of bone or optic nerve sheath involvement,
      presentation at a young age, occurrence in the medial orbit, and sinus asymmetry
      on radiographic imaging. Preferred method of treatment is complete surgical
      excision.

PMID- 26505236
TI  - Extreme Eyelid Lymphedema Associated With Rosacea (Morbihan Disease): Case
      Series, Literature Review, and Therapeutic Considerations.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe severe lymphedema of the eyelids, known as Morbihan disease,
      a previously characterized but infrequently reported and poorly understood entity
      related to rosacea that features solid mid-facial and eyelid lymphedema. METHODS:
      Retrospective chart review, histopathologic and immunohistochemical analysis, and
      pertinent literature consideration. RESULTS: Five cases of Morbihan disease were
      identified. Histopathologic examination revealed pleomorphic perivascular and
      perilymphatic inflammation with profound lymphangiectasis and lymph stasis, thus
      suggesting elements of both rosacea and localized, chronic lymphedema. Multiple
      therapeutic interventions were performed including systemic anti-inflammatory
      therapy, surgical debulking, and corticosteroid injection. CONCLUSIONS: Extreme
      eyelid edema associated with characteristic skin changes and histopathologic
      findings represents an entity known as Morbihan disease which is rare and
      difficult to treat. While multiple modalities have been employed with variable
      results, future therapeutic considerations may include the use of targeted
      biologic agents.

PMID- 26505237
TI  - In vitro starch digestibility and in vivo glycemic response of foxtail millet and
      its products.
AB  - Foxtail millet, as a leading variety in arid and semi-arid areas of Asia and
      Africa, can provide broad potential benefits to human health. However, its
      digestion properties have not been reported. So in this study, the in vitro
      starch digestibilities and in vivo glycemic indices (GI) of foxtail millet and
      pure millet products were investigated. The results showed that starch
      digestibility of the foxtail millet flour is obviously lower than that of wheat
      flour. However, deproteinization and heating significantly increased its rapidly
      digestible starch and decreased its slowly digestible starch and resistant
      starch. The GIs of pure millet products were in the following order: millet
      porridge (93.6 +/- 11.3) > millet steamed bread (89.6 +/- 8.8) > No. 1 millet
      pancake (75.0% millet flour and 25.0% extrusion flour, 83.0 +/- 9.6) > No. 2
      millet pancake (without extrusion flour, 76.2 +/- 10.7) > cooked millet (64.4 +/-
      8.5). They were significantly positively correlated with the rapidly digestible
      starch (r = 0.959), degree of gelatinization (r = 0.967) and estimated glycemic
      index (r = 0.988). Both in vitro and in vivo tests suggested that boiling,
      steaming and extrusion enhanced the formation of digestible starch and
      subsequently increased the GI values. Additionally, the No. 1 millet pancake and
      cooked millet had a relatively gentle stimulation on beta-cell. Therefore,
      foxtail millet, especially the cooked millet, may serve as a potential source of
      nutraceutical and functional food that could delay the development of type 2
      diabetes. 

PMID- 26505238
TI  - Formation constants of copper(I) complexes with cysteine, penicillamine and
      glutathione: implications for copper speciation in the human eye.
AB  - Protonation constants for the biologically-important thioamino acids cysteine
      (CSH), penicillamine (PSH) and glutathione (GSH), and the formation constants of
      their complexes with Cu(I), have been measured at 25  degrees C and an ionic
      strength of 1.00 mol dm(-3) (Na)Cl using glass electrode potentiometry. The first
      successful characterisation of binary Cu(I)-CSH and Cu(I)-GSH species over the
      whole pH range was achieved in this study by the addition of a second thioamino
      acid, which prevented the precipitation that normally occurs. Appropriate
      combinations of binary and ternary (mixed ligand) titration data were used to
      optimise the speciation models and formation constants for the binary species.
      The results obtained differ significantly from literature data with respect to
      the detection and quantification of protonated and polynuclear complexes. The
      present results are thought to be more reliable because of the exceptionally wide
      pH and concentration ranges employed, the excellent reproducibility of the data,
      the close agreement between the calculated and observed formation functions, and
      the low standard deviations and absence of numerical correlation in the
      constants. The present formation constants were incorporated into a large Cu
      speciation model which was used to predict, for the first time, metal-ligand
      equilibria in the biofluids of the human eye. This simulation provided an
      explanation for the precipitation of metallic copper in lens and cornea, which is
      known to occur as a consequence of Wilson's disease.

PMID- 26505239
TI  - Facilitated extracellular electron transfer of Shewanella loihica PV-4 by
      antimony-doped tin oxide nanoparticles as active microelectrodes.
AB  - Dissimilatory metal reducing bacteria are capable of extracellular electron
      transfer (EET) to insoluble metal oxides as external electron acceptors for their
      anaerobic respiration, which is recognized as an important energy-conversion
      process in natural and engineered environments, such as in mineral cycling,
      bioremediation, and microbial fuel/electrolysis cells. However, the low EET
      efficiency remains one of the major bottlenecks for its practical application. We
      report firstly that the microbial current generated by Shewanella loihica PV-4
      (S. loihica PV-4) could be greatly improved that is up to ca. 115 fold, by adding
      antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles in the electrochemical reactor. The
      results demonstrate that the biocompatible, electrically conductive ATO
      nanoparticles acted as active microelectrodes could facilitate the formation of a
      cells/ATO composite biofilm and the reduction of the outer membrane c-type
      cytochromes (OM c-Cyts) that are beneficial for the electron transfer from cells
      to electrode. Meanwhile, a synergistic effect between the participation of OM c
      Cyts and the accelerated EET mediated by cell-secreted flavins may play an
      important role for the enhanced current generation in the presence of ATO
      nanoparticles. Moreover, it is worth noting that the TCA cycle in S. loihica PV-4
      cells is activated by adding ATO nanoparticles, even if the potential is poised
      at +0.2 V, thereby also improving the EET process. The results presented here may
      provide a simple and effective strategy to boost the EET of S. loihica PV-4
      cells, which is conducive to providing potential applications in
      bioelectrochemical systems. 

PMID- 26505240
TI  - The Emerging Baby Boomer Health Care Crisis.

PMID- 26505243
TI  - Helping Individuals With Dementia Live More Fully Through Person-Centered
      Practices.
AB  - Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, is a health condition saddled with
      social stigmas and is widely misunderstood. Person-centered care practices can
      positively improve the psychosocial experience of living with dementia and have
      become the gold standard for care because of the resulting beneficial outcomes.
      The purpose of the current article is to describe four person-centered principles
      that form the foundation for dementia care practice: (a) the idea that
      individuals can and do live fully with dementia; (b) quality of life depends not
      only on the care received but also on the value that others put on their
      abilities and life; (c) being meaningfully engaged and having purpose are vital
      to well-being; and (d) respect, dignity, and choice are not only foundational to
      person-centered care but for basic human rights. Although efforts have been made
      to mandate person-centered practices, challenges remain that can direct future
      research and practice efforts. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 41(11), 9
      14.]. 

PMID- 26505244
TI  - Evidence-Based Practice Guideline: Depression Detection in Older Adults With
      Dementia.
AB  - Depression and dementia are the two most common psychiatric syndromes in the
      older adult population. Depression in older adults with and without dementia
      often goes unrecognized and untreated. The current guideline recommends a three
      step procedure that can be used across health care settings to screen for the
      presence of depressive symptoms. Implementation of the evidence-based guideline
      requires administration of the Mini-Mental State Examination and either the
      Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form or Cornell Scale for Depression in
      Dementia, depending on level of cognitive functioning. The algorithm provided is
      designed to be used by nurses, physicians, and social workers for the purpose of
      depression screening in older adults with dementia. Detection of depression in
      individuals with dementia is hindered by a lack of a validated, brief screening
      tool. More research is needed on the use of such screenings among older adults
      with cognitive impairment.

PMID- 26505245
TI  - Effects of the Evidence-Based Nursing Care Algorithm of Dysphagia for Nursing
      Home Residents.
AB  - HOW TO OBTAIN CONTACT HOURS BY READING THIS ARTICLE INSTRUCTIONS 1.2 contact
      hours will be awarded by Villanova University College of Nursing upon successful
      completion of this activity. A contact hour is a unit of measurement that denotes
      60 minutes of an organized learning activity. This is a learner-based activity.
      Villanova University College of Nursing does not require submission of your
      answers to the quiz. A contact hour certificate will be awarded once you
      register, pay the registration fee, and complete the evaluation form online at
      http://goo.gl/gMfXaf. To obtain contact hours you must: 1. Read the article,
      "Effects of the Evidence-Based Nursing Care Algorithm of Dysphagia for Nursing
      Home Residents" found on pages 30-39, carefully noting any tables and other
      illustrative materials that are included to enhance your knowledge and
      understanding of the content. Be sure to keep track of the amount of time (number
      of minutes) you spend reading the article and completing the quiz. 2. Read and
      answer each question on the quiz. After completing all of the questions, compare
      your answers to those provided within this issue. If you have incorrect answers,
      return to the article for further study. 3. Go to the Villanova website listed
      above to register for contact hour credit. You will be asked to provide your
      name; contact information; and a VISA, MasterCard, or Discover card number for
      payment of the $20.00 fee. Once you complete the online evaluation, a certificate
      will be automatically generated. This activity is valid for continuing education
      credit until October 31, 2018. CONTACT HOURS This activity is co-provided by
      Villanova University College of Nursing and SLACK Incorporated. Villanova
      University College of Nursing is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing
      education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on
      Accreditation. ACTIVITY OBJECTIVES 1. Explain the development and testing of the
      Evidence-Based Nursing Care Algorithm of Dysphagia (ENCAD) in long-term care
      settings. 2. Review the outcome of implementing the ENCAD for dysphagia
      management in a nursing home. DISCLOSURE STATEMENT Neither the planners nor the
      authors have any conflicts of interest to disclose. Standardized nursing care
      protocols for dysphagia management have not been established in nursing home
      settings in Korea. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of
      the Evidence-Based Nursing Care Algorithm of Dysphagia (ENCAD) on risk of
      dysphagia, oral health, and dysphagia-specific quality of life among nursing home
      residents. The ENCAD was administered to 40 residents in one nursing home in
      urban South Korea for 6 months. A control-intervention, time-series design was
      used, under which participants served as their own controls. Oral health, risk of
      aspiration, and dysphagia-specific quality of life were measured at baseline,
      post-control, and post-intervention. Findings showed that risk of aspiration (p <
      0.01) and dysphagia-related quality of life (p < 0.001) improved significantly
      after the ENCAD was applied, whereas oral health status did not change over time
      (p = 0.06). Results suggest that implementing the ENCAD contributed to a
      reduction in the risk of aspiration and an improvement in the quality of life in
      nursing home residents.

PMID- 26505247
TI  - Understanding Elderspeak from the Perspective of Certified Nursing Assistants.
AB  - Elderspeak is a form of patronizing speech that is often used with older adults.
      The current study attempted to learn more about the conditions under which
      elderspeak is used as well as the intent behind using elderspeak. The sample
      comprised 26 certified nursing assistants (CNAs) working with older adults in
      long-term care facilities. Data were collected using semistructured interviews.
      Findings indicated that the intended purposes of elderspeak were to (a) make
      residents feel more comfortable, (b) make caregivers seem friendlier, (c) help
      residents better comprehend verbal communication, and (d) increase the likelihood
      that residents would cooperate during caregiving tasks. In addition, one half of
      the CNAs reported that elderspeak is more appropriate with individuals with
      dementia; many also believed that the use of elderspeak was always inappropriate.
      The current findings may have implications for improving training and education
      programs for CNAs and other professionals working in long-term care facilities.

PMID- 26505249
TI  - 2015 Updated AGS Beers Criteria Offer Guide for Safer Medication Use Among Older
      Adults.

PMID- 26505248
TI  - Nutrition and Cognition in Older Adults With Heart Failure: A Systematic Review.
AB  - Cognitive impairment is commonly observed in older adults with heart failure;
      nutrition is a possible contributing factor. The purpose of the current
      systematic review is to examine the relationship between nutrition and cognition
      in older adults with heart failure. A literature review was performed through
      August 2015 that examined published, peer-reviewed studies from PubMed, PsycINFO,
      CINAHL, and Web of Science. Four articles were selected for inclusion. Findings
      revealed that poorer nutritional habits were associated with poorer attention,
      executive functioning, and memory in older adults with heart failure. Nutritional
      biomarkers, including anemia, hyponatremia, hypokalemia, hyperglycemia, and
      hypoalbuminemia, were also associated with cognitive impairment. More research is
      needed to explore the relationship between nutrition and cognition in this
      population. Descriptive studies will inform scientists as they design and test
      nutritional interventions to optimize cognitive function in older adults with
      heart failure.

PMID- 26505250
TI  - SCNT versus iPSCs: proteins and small molecules in reprogramming.
AB  - Somatic cell nuclear transplantation (SCNT) and induced pluripotent stem cell
      (iPSC) technologies can be employed to change cell fate by reprogramming. The
      discoveries of SCNT and iPSCs were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and
      Medicine in 2012, which reaffirmed the importance of cell fate plasticity.
      However, the low cloning efficiency of SCNT and differences between iPSCs and
      embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are great barriers and may be caused by incomplete or
      aberrant reprogramming. Additionally, the well characterized reprogramming
      factors Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc (OSKM) are not simultaneously expressed at
      high levels in enucleated or early embryonic oocytes, suggesting reprogramming
      may be different in the above two methods. Recent studies have demonstrated that
      small molecules and specific proteins expressed in oocytes and in early embryonic
      development play important roles in reprogramming by replacing transcription
      factors, erasing reprogramming memory and accelerating the speed and extent of
      reprogramming. In this review, we summarize the current state of SCNT and iPSCs
      technologies and discuss the latest advances in the research of proteins and
      small molecules affecting SCNT and iPSCs. This is an area of research in which
      chemical biology and proteomics are combining to facilitate improving cellular
      reprogramming and production of clinical grade iPSCs. 

PMID- 26505251
TI  - Gliolectin positively regulates Notch signalling during wing-vein specification
      in Drosophila.
AB  - Notch signalling is essential for animal development. It integrates multiple
      pathways controlling cell fate and specification. Here we report the genetic
      characterization of Gliolectin, presumably a lectin, a cytoplasmic protein,
      significantly enriched in Golgi bodies. Its expression overlaps with regions
      where Notch is activated. Loss of gliolectin function results in ectopic veins,
      while gain of its function causes loss of wing veins. It positively regulates
      Enhancer of split mbeta, a target of Notch signalling. These observations suggest
      that it is a positive regulator of Notch signalling during wing development in
      Drosophila. 

PMID- 26505252
TI  - Down-regulation of msrb3 and destruction of normal auditory system development
      through hair cell apoptosis in zebrafish.
AB  - Hearing defects can significantly influence quality of life for those who
      experience them. At this time, 177 deafness genes have been cloned, including 134
      non-syndromic hearing-loss genes. The methionine sulfoxide reductase B3 (Ahmed et
      al., 2011) gene (also called DFNB74) is one such newly discovered hearing-loss
      gene. Within this gene c.265 T>G and c.55 T>C mutations are associated with
      autosomal recessive hearing loss. However, the biological role and mechanism
      underlying how it contributes to deafness is unclear. Thus, to better understand
      this mutation, we designed splicing morpholinos for the purpose of down
      regulating msrb3 in zebrafish. Morphants exhibited small, tiny, fused, or
      misplaced otoliths and abnormal numbers of otoliths. Down-regulation of msrb3
      also caused shorter, thinner, and more crowded cilia. Furthermore, L1-8
      neuromasts were reduced and disordered in the lateral line system; hair cells in
      each neuromast underwent apoptosis. Co-injection with human MSRB3 mRNA partially
      rescued auditory system defects, but mutant MSRB3 mRNA could not. Thus, msrb3 is
      instrumental for auditory system development in zebrafish and MSRB3-related
      deafness may be caused by promotion of hair cell apoptosis. 

PMID- 26505253
TI  - Generation and characterization of mice harboring a conditional CXCL12 allele.
AB  - The chemokine CXCL12 has important functions in immune and central nervous
      systems. Moreover, a global disruption of CXCL12 in mice results in perinatal
      lethality. To circumvent this impediment and provide a tool for analyzing CXCL12
      functions in specific organ systems, we have generated a mouse line harboring a
      loxP-site flanked exon 2 of CXCL12. A germ line deleter, beta-actin::cre was used
      to remove a CXCL12 exon 2 and subsequently systemic CXCL12 exon 2 deficient
      embryos were generated. These mutant embryos showed a marked depletion of CXCL12
      transcript. As expected from the global mutant phenotype, our mutants were also
      characterized by highly irregular cerebellar cytoarchitecture of the external
      granule layer as well as altered radial migration of midbrain dopaminergic
      neurons. Importantly, migration of the pontine grey nucleus (PGN) was derailed
      and remarkably resembled the global mutant phenotype of the CXCL12 receptor -
      CXCR4 in this system. Despite the fact that CXCL12 signaling can be mediated
      through receptors other than CXCR4, our results indicate a monogamous
      relationship between the CXCL12 ligand and CXCR4 receptor in controlling PGN
      migration. Our findings further expand on the understanding of CXCL12 function in
      PGN development. Moreover, phenotypic similarities between our mutants and mice
      harboring a global CXCL12 disruption support the validity of our line.
      Importantly, these results strongly suggest that our conditional CXCL12 line can
      be used as a powerful tool to manipulate CXCL12 signaling and function in vivo. 

PMID- 26505254
TI  - 3D culture of ovarian follicles: a system towards their engineering?
AB  - Infertility in women is a health priority. Designing a robust culture protocol
      capable of attaining complete follicle growth is an exciting challenge, for its
      potential clinical applications, but also as a model to observe and closely study
      the sequence of molecular events that lie behind the intricate relationship
      existing between the oocyte and surrounding follicle cells. Here, we describe the
      procedures used to maintain the ovarian follicle 3D architecture employing a
      variety of in vitro systems and several types of matrices. Collagen and alginate
      are the matrices that led to better results, including proof-of-concept of full
      term development. Pioneer in its kind, these studies underlie the drawbacks
      encountered and the need for a culture system that allows more quantitative
      analyses and predictions, projecting the culture of the ovarian follicle into the
      realm of tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26505255
TI  - A simple method of image analysis to estimate CAM vascularization by APERIO
      ImageScope software.
AB  - The chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay is a well-established method to
      test the angiogenic stimulation or inhibition induced by molecules and cells
      administered onto the CAM. The quantification of blood vessels in the CAM assay
      relies on a semi-manual image analysis approach which can be time consuming when
      considering large experimental groups. Therefore we present here a simple and
      fast volumetric method to inspect differences in vascularization between
      experimental conditions related to the stimulation and inhibition of CAM
      angiogenesis based on the Positive Pixel Count algorithm embedded in the APERIO
      ImageScope software. 

PMID- 26505256
TI  - Analysis of AtGUS1 and AtGUS2 in Arabidopsis root apex by a highly sensitive TSA
      MISH method.
AB  - A new highly sensitive whole-mount in situ hybridization method, based on
      tyramide signal amplification (TSA-MISH) was developed and a combined GFP
      detection and TSA-MISH procedure was applied for the first time in plants, to
      precisely define the spatial pattern of AtGUS1 and AtGUS2 expression in the root
      apex. beta-glucuronidases (GUSs) belonging to the glycosyl hydrolases (GHs) 79
      family, are widely distributed in plants, but their functional role has not yet
      been fully investigated. In the model system Arabidopsis Thaliana, three
      different AtGUS genes have been identified which encode proteins with putative
      different fates. Endogenous GUS expression has been detected in different organs
      and tissues, but the cyto-histological domains of gene expression remain unclear.
      The results here reported show co-expression of AtGUS1 and AtGUS2 in different
      functional zones of the root apex (the cap central zone, the root cap meristem,
      the staminal cell niche and the cortical cell layers of the proximal meristem),
      while AtGUS2 is exclusively expressed in the cap peripheral layer and in the
      epidermis in the elongation zone. Interestingly, both genes are not expressed in
      the stelar portion of the proximal meristem. A spatial (cortex vs. stele) and
      temporal (proximal meristem vs. transition zone) regulation of AtGUS1 and AtGUS2
      expression is therefore active in the root apex. This expression pattern,
      although globally consistent with the involvement of GUS activity in both cell
      proliferation and elongation, clearly indicates that AtGUS1 and AtGUS2 could
      control distinct downstream process depending on the developmental context and
      the interaction with other players of root growth control. In the future, the
      newly developed approaches may well be very useful to dissect such interactions. 

PMID- 26505257
TI  - Improving Patient-Centered Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Prior Use and
      Interest in Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches Among Hospitalized
      Oncology Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe cancer inpatients' prior-year use of complementary and
      integrative health (CIH) therapies and interest in receiving CIH therapies while
      in the hospital. DESIGN: Observational, cross-sectional survey of prior-year use
      of 12 different CIH approaches and interest in receiving any of 7 CIH services in
      the hospital. SETTING: Surgical oncology ward of an academic medical center.
      PARTICIPANTS: 166 hospitalized oncology patients, with an average age of 54
      years. RESULTS: The most commonly used CIH approach was vitamins/nutritional
      supplements (67%), followed by use of a special diet (42%) and manual therapies
      (39%). More than 40% of patients expressed interest in each of the therapies if
      it was offered during their hospital stay, and 95% of patients were interested in
      at least one. More than 75% expressed interest in nutritional counseling and in
      massage. CIH use and interest varied somewhat by demographic and clinical
      characteristics. CONCLUSION: Rates of CIH use among patients with cancer were
      high, as were their preferences to have these services available in the inpatient
      setting. Hospitals have the opportunity to provide patient-centered care by
      developing capacity to provide inpatient CIH services.

PMID- 26505258
TI  - Hexahalogenated and their mixed benzene derivatives as prototypes for the
      understanding of halogen...halogen intramolecular interactions: New insights from
      combined DFT, QTAIM-, and RDG-based NCI analyses.
AB  - A large number of fully halogenated benzene derivatives containing the fluorine,
      chlorine, bromine, and iodine atoms have been experimentally synthesized both as
      single- and co-crystals (e.g., Desiraju et al., Chem. Eur. J. 2006, 12, 2222),
      yet the natures of the halogen ... halogen interactions between the vicinal
      halogens in these compounds within the intramolecular domain are undisclosed.
      Given a fundamental understanding of these interactions is incredibly important
      in many areas of chemical, biological, supramolecular, and material sciences, we
      present here our newly discovered theoretical results that delineate whilst the
      nature of an F...F interaction in a pair of two adjacent fluorine atoms in either
      of the hexafluorobenzene and 1,4-dibromotetrafluorobenzene compounds examined is
      almost unclear, each of the latter three hexahalogenated benzene derivatives
      (viz., C6 Cl6 , C6 Br6 , and C6 I6 ), and each of the seven of their fully mixed
      hexahalogenated benzene analogues, are found to be stabilized by means of a
      number of halogen...halogen interactions, each a form of long-range attraction
      within the intramolecular domain. The Molecular Electrostatic Surface Potential
      model was found to be unsurprisingly unsuitable in unraveling any of the
      aforesaid attractions between the halogen atoms. However, such interactions
      successfully enunciated by a set of noncovalent interaction descriptors of
      geometrical, topological, and electrostatic origins. These latter properties were
      extracted combining the results of the Density Functional Theory electronic
      structure calculations with those revealed from Atoms in Molecules, and Reduced
      Density Gradient charge density-based topological calculations, and are expounded
      in detail to formalize the conclusions. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26505259
TI  - DAMQT 2.1.0: A new version of the DAMQT package enabled with the topographical
      analysis of electron density and electrostatic potential in molecules.
AB  - DAMQT-2.1.0 is a new version of DAMQT package which includes topographical
      analysis of molecular electron density (MED) and molecular electrostatic
      potential (MESP), such as mapping of critical points (CPs), creating molecular
      graphs, and atomic basins. Mapping of CPs is assisted with algorithmic
      determination of Euler characteristic in order to provide a necessary condition
      for locating all possible CPs. Apart from the mapping of CPs and determination of
      molecular graphs, the construction of MESP-based atomic basin is a new and
      exclusive feature introduced in DAMQT-2.1.0. The GUI in DAMQT provides a user
      friendly interface to run the code and visualize the final outputs. MPI libraries
      have been implemented for all the tasks to develop the parallel version of the
      software. Almost linear scaling of computational time is achieved with the
      increasing number of processors while performing various aspects of topography. A
      brief discussion of molecular graph and atomic basin is provided in the current
      article highlighting their chemical importance. Appropriate example sets have
      been presented for demonstrating the functions and efficiency of the code.

PMID- 26505263
TI  - Identification of new markers of recurrence in patients with unprovoked deep vein
      thrombosis by gene expression profiling: the retro study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess differences in the gene expression
      profile of peripheral blood cells between patients with early recurrent
      thrombosis vs. patients without recurrent events after withdrawal of
      anticoagulant therapy for a first episode of unprovoked deep vein thrombosis
      (uDVT), to identify novel predictors of recurrence. METHODS: In the discovery
      population (N = 32), a microarray RNA assay followed by RT-PCR confirmation were
      performed. In the validation population (N = 44) a multiple RT-PCR-based strategy
      was applied to assess genes differentially expressed in the discovery population.
      RESULTS: The sex-adjusted Linear Model for Microarray Data analysis showed 102
      genes differentially expressed (P < 0.01) in the discovery population. Nineteen
      of them underwent further confirmation in the validation population. The gene
      encoding for Acyl-CoA Synthetase Family Member 2 (ACSF2) was underexpressed in
      recurrent DVT patients in both, the discovery (P = 0.007) and validation
      populations (P = 0.004). In the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis,
      the areas under the curve of ACSF2 expression were 0.77 and 0.80, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: For the first time an association between ACSF2 expression and the
      risk of recurrent DVT is suggested. Should this association be confirmed in
      larger prospective studies, ACSF2 could become useful for the selection of
      patients requiring extended anticoagulant therapy.

PMID- 26505265
TI  - Integration of Cyanine, Merocyanine and Styryl Dye Motifs with Synthetic
      Bacteriochlorins.
AB  - Understanding the effects of substituents on spectral properties is essential for
      the rational design of tailored bacteriochlorins for light-harvesting and other
      applications. Toward this goal, three new bacteriochlorins containing previously
      unexplored conjugating substituents have been prepared and characterized. The
      conjugating substituents include two positively charged species, 2-(N-ethyl 2
      quinolinium)vinyl- (B-1) and 2-(N-ethyl 4-pyridinium)vinyl- (B-2), and a neutral
      group, acroleinyl- (B-3); the charged species resemble cyanine (or styryl) dye
      motifs whereas the neutral unit resembles a merocyanine dye motif. The three
      bacteriochlorins are examined by static and time-resolved absorption and emission
      spectroscopy and density functional theoretical calculations. B-1 and B-2 have Qy
      absorption bathochromically shifted well into the NIR region (822 and 852 nm),
      farther than B-3 (793 nm) and other 3,13-disubstituted bacteriochlorins studied
      previously. B-1 and B-2 have broad Qy absorption and fluorescence features with
      large peak separation (Stokes shift), low fluorescence yields, and shortened S1
      (Qy ) excited-state lifetimes (~700 ps and ~100 ps). More typical spectra and S1
      lifetime (~2.3 ns) are found for B-3. The combined photophysical and molecular
      orbital characteristics suggest the altered spectra and enhanced nonradiative S1
      decay of B-1 and B-2 derive from excited-state configurations in which electron
      density is shifted between the macrocycle and the substituents. 

PMID- 26505264
TI  - Optimization of singlet oxygen production from photosensitizer-incorporated,
      medically relevant hydrogels.
AB  - Photodynamic therapy and photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy are widely used,
      but despite this, the relationships between fluence, wavelength of irradiation
      and singlet oxygen (1 O2 ) production are poorly understood. To establish the
      relationships between these factors in medically relevant materials, the effect
      of fluence on 1 O2 production from a tetrakis(4-N-methylpyridyl)porphyrin (TMPyP)
      incorporated 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate: methyl methacrylate: methacrylic acid
      (HEMA: MMA:MAA) copolymer, a total energy of 50.48 J/cm2 , was applied at varying
      illumination power, and times. 1 O2 production was characterized using anthracene
      9,10-dipropionic acid, disodium salt (ADPA) using a recently described method.
      Using two light sources, a white LED array and a white halogen source, the LED
      array was found to produce less 1 O2 than the halogen source when the same power
      (over 500 - 600 nm) and time conditions were applied. Importantly, it showed that
      the longest wavelength Q band (590 nm) is primarily responsible for 1 O2
      generation, and that a linear relationship exists between increasing power and
      time and the production of singlet oxygen. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J
      Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 320-326, 2017.

PMID- 26505266
TI  - Analysis of ingested foreign bodies according to age, type and location: a
      retrospective observational study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyse the types and locations of ingested
      foreign bodies according to different age groups, from infants to the elderly.
      DESIGN: A retrospective chart review. SETTING: Tertiary referral centre.
      PARTICIPANTS: A total of 4682 patients who ingested foreign bodies from January
      2006 through February 2014. METHODS: The frequencies of foreign bodies were
      investigated in each age group. The types of foreign bodies were categorised into
      fish bones, chicken bones, seafood, tablets, food, metal, batteries, glass,
      teeth, plastics and others. The anatomic locations of the objects were classified
      as the oral cavity, tongue base, tonsils, oropharynx, hypopharynx, oesophagus,
      stomach and colon. The types, locations and origins of the foreign bodies were
      analysed according to the age groups. RESULTS: The frequency of foreign body
      ingestion was high in patients up to 14 years of age, after which the risk of
      foreign body ingestion markedly decreased. Fish bones were the most commonly
      suspected foreign bodies in all of the age groups. However, non-food-type foreign
      bodies were more common in both the young and elderly groups. The tonsils were
      the most common anatomic site of foreign body impaction except in the group of
      patients older than 65 years. The stomach and oesophagus were also common
      locations of foreign bodies in the groups of patients younger than 10 years
      (10.5%) and older than 65 years (39.4%). CONCLUSION: The frequency of foreign
      body ingestion was highest in young children. However, we observed specific age
      based characteristics that indicate specific precautions to take to avoid foreign
      body ingestion.

PMID- 26505267
TI  - Assessing the Utility of Circular Dichroism and FTIR Spectroscopy in Monoclonal
      Antibody Comparability Studies.
AB  - Protein characterization is a necessary activity during development, technical
      transfers, and licensure. One important aspect of protein characterization is
      higher order structure assessment, which can be accomplished in a variety of
      ways. Circular dichroism (CD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)
      spectroscopies provide global higher order structure and are routinely used to
      measure the overall structure for product characterization; however, their use as
      comparability tools is uncertain because of their insensitivity to local or small
      structure changes. We use a monoclonal antibody (mAb) to explore the usefulness
      of CD and FTIR compared with other indirect methods of structure characterization
      such as size-exclusion and ion-exchange chromatographies (SEC and IEC). A panel
      of degraded samples of a mAb was generated; their higher order structure
      evaluated using CD and FTIR and was found to be largely unchanged. However, the
      SEC and IEC chromatograms of certain degraded samples were found to have
      measurable changes. Based on these studies, we conclude that the application of
      CD and FTIR should be reserved for global higher order structure identification
      or product characterization only. The use of CD or FTIR comparability of mAbs
      should be carefully evaluated, as comparability can be sensitively determined
      using indirect methods based on chromatography.

PMID- 26505268
TI  - Bone Marrow Aspiration: A Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Quality of
      Bone Marrow Specimens Using Slow and Rapid Aspiration Techniques and Evaluating
      Pain Intensity.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Bone marrow aspiration (BMA) is an essential procedure in the
      examination of hematological disorders, but there is limited evidence as to
      whether the aspiration rate affects specimen quality. We aimed to assess the
      specimen quality and pain intensity using slow (S-technique) or rapid (R
      technique) aspiration. METHODS: This was a single-center, prospective, randomized
      patient- and assessor-blinded study of 482 patients scheduled for BMA. Specimen
      quality was evaluated by grading bone marrow (BM) cellularity and counting the
      number of marrow particles. Pain was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS).
      RESULTS: We found a significant difference between the 2 groups with regard to
      the quality of specimens. For cellularity, the odds ratio (OR) for having a poor
      quality aspirate using the S-technique versus the R-technique was 3.05
      [confidence interval (CI) 1.79-5.31]. For BM particles, the quality of specimens
      with the S-technique proved to be poor compared with the R-technique (OR 2.52; CI
      1.51-4.28). We found a statistically significant difference of 1 VAS point (p <
      0.001) of the median pain intensity in favor of the S-technique. CONCLUSION: Even
      though the pain intensity is significantly higher with the R-technique, the
      median difference is relatively small. We propose that the R-technique is
      preferable to the S-technique due to better specimen quality.

PMID- 26505269
TI  - Informed consent conversations and documents: A quantitative comparison.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Informed consent for clinical research includes 2 components:
      informed consent documents (ICDs) and informed consent conversations (ICCs).
      Readability software has been used to help simplify the language of the ICD, but
      to the authors' knowledge is rarely used to assess the language used during the
      ICC, which may influence the quality of informed consent. The current analysis
      was performed to determine whether length and reading levels of transcribed ICCs
      are lower than their corresponding ICDs for selected clinical trials, and to
      assess whether investigator experience affected the use of simpler language and
      comprehensiveness. METHODS: The current study was a prospective study in which
      ICCs were audiorecorded at 6 institutions when families were offered
      participation in pediatric phase I oncology trials. Word count, Flesch-Kincaid
      Grade Level (FKGL), and Flesch Reading Ease score (FRES) of the ICCs were
      compared with corresponding ICDs, including the frequency with which
      investigators addressed 8 prespecified critical consent elements during the ICC.
      RESULTS: Sixty-nine unique physician/protocol pairs were identified. Overall,
      ICCs contained fewer words (4677 vs 6364 words; P = .0016) and had a lower FKGL
      (6 vs 9.7; P <= .0001) and a higher FRES (77.8 vs 56.7; P<.0001) compared with
      their respective ICDs, but were more likely to omit critical consent elements,
      such as voluntariness (55%) and dose-limiting toxicities (26%). Years of
      investigator experience was not correlated with reliably covering critical
      elements or decreased linguistic complexity. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians use more
      understandable language during ICCs than the corresponding ICD, but appear to
      less reliably cover elements critical to fully informed consent. Efforts focused
      at providing communication training for clinician-investigators should be made to
      optimize the synergy between the ICD and the ICC.

PMID- 26505270
TI  - Effects of Condensed-Phase Oxidants on Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation.
AB  - In this study we investigate the hypothesis that oxidants present within
      atmospheric particles can promote the formation of highly oxidized organic
      aerosol (OA) via oxidation reactions in the condensed phase. Secondary organic
      aerosol (SOA) was generated from the ozonolysis of alpha-pinene and isoprene in
      an environmental chamber, with seed particles systematically varied in order to
      assess the effects of condensed-phase oxidant levels on SOA loading and
      composition. The effects of particle phase (aqueous vs dry), condensed-phase
      oxidant source (none vs H2O2 vs Fenton chemistry), and irradiation (none vs UV)
      were all examined. For experiments conducted with aqueous particles but without
      any added oxidants, UV irradiation resulted in a small but measurable enhancement
      in the oxygen-to-carbon ratio (O/C). OA formed in the presence of aqueous
      oxidants was substantially more oxidized, with the highest oxidant concentrations
      leading to OA with an O/C as high as 1.4 for alpha-pinene and 2.0 for isoprene,
      strongly suggesting the formation of oxalate. High aqueous oxidant levels also
      resulted in increased loss of carbon from the condensed phase. This OA was more
      oxidized than in any other ozonolysis experiment reported to date, indicating
      that, when present, aqueous oxidants can have a dramatic effect on SOA formation.
      However, oxidant concentrations within atmospheric aqueous particles remain
      poorly constrained, making it difficult to assess the impacts of aqueous-phase
      oxidation on the loadings and oxidation state of atmospheric OA. 

PMID- 26505271
TI  - Pharmacological treatment of cardiac glycoside poisoning.
AB  - Cardiac glycosides are an important cause of poisoning, reflecting their
      widespread clinical usage and presence in natural sources. Poisoning can manifest
      as varying degrees of toxicity. Predominant clinical features include
      gastrointestinal signs, bradycardia and heart block. Death occurs from
      ventricular fibrillation or tachycardia. A wide range of treatments have been
      used, the more common including activated charcoal, atropine, beta-adrenoceptor
      agonists, temporary pacing, anti-digoxin Fab and magnesium, and more novel agents
      include fructose-1,6-diphosphate (clinical trial in progress) and anticalin.
      However, even in the case of those treatments that have been in use for decades,
      there is debate regarding their efficacy, the indications and dosage that
      optimizes outcomes. This contributes to variability in use across the world.
      Another factor influencing usage is access. Barriers to access include the
      requirement for transfer to a specialized centre (for example, to receive
      temporary pacing) or financial resources (for example, anti-digoxin Fab in
      resource poor countries). Recent data suggest that existing methods for
      calculating the dose of anti-digoxin Fab in digoxin poisoning overstate the dose
      required, and that its efficacy may be minimal in patients with chronic digoxin
      poisoning. Cheaper and effective medicines are required, in particular for the
      treatment of yellow oleander poisoning which is problematic in resource poor
      countries. 

PMID- 26505272
TI  - Low-Dose Actinomycin-D Induces Redistribution of Wild-Type and Mutated
      Nucleophosmin Followed by Cell Death in Leukemic Cells.
AB  - Specific mutations involving C-terminal part of the nucleolar protein
      nucleophosmin (NPM) are associated with better outcome of acute myeloid leukemia
      (AML) therapy, possibly due to aberrant cytoplasmic NPM localization facilitating
      induction of anti-NPM immune response. Actinomycin D (actD) is known to induce
      nucleolar stress leading to redistribution of many nucleolar proteins, including
      NPM. We analyzed the distribution of both wild-type and mutated NPM (NPMmut) in
      human cell lines, before and after low-dose actD treatment, in living cells
      expressing exogenous fluorescently labeled proteins as well as using
      immunofluorescence staining of endogenous proteins in fixed cells. The wild-type
      NPM form is prevalently nucleolar in intact cells and relocalizes mainly to the
      nucleoplasm following actD addition. The mutated NPM form is found both in the
      nucleoli and in the cytoplasm of untreated cells. ActD treatment leads to a
      marked increase in NPMmut amount in the nucleoplasm while a mild decrease is
      observed in the cytoplasm. Cell death was induced by low-dose actD in all the
      studied leukemic cell lines with different p53 and NPM status. In cells
      expressing the tumor suppresor p53 (CML-T1, OCI-AML3), cell cycle arrest in G1/G0
      phase was followed by p53-dependent apoptosis while in p53-null HL60 cells,
      transient G2/M-phase arrest was followed by cell necrosis. We conclude that
      although actD does not increase NPM concentration in the cytoplasm, it could
      improve the effect of standard chemotherapy in leukemias through more general
      mechanisms.

PMID- 26505273
TI  - Massively parallel DNA sequencing from routinely processed cytological smears.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data generated by next-generation sequencing technologies have a
      pivotal role in precision medicine. These high-throughput techniques are
      preferentially performed on fresh tissue, but there is an increasing need for
      protocols adapted to materials derived from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded
      tissue and cytology specimens. METHODS: The aim of this work was to show that
      cytological material collected from archival smears processed for routine
      diagnoses could be used for massively parallel sequencing and array-based genomic
      analysis for further studies. RESULTS: As a proof of concept, data obtained from
      May-Grunwald Giemsa- and Diff-Quik-stained archival smears were shown to be in
      keeping with those obtained from matched frozen controls. CONCLUSIONS: The
      quality of DNA extracted from routinely processed smears is compatible with the
      multitargeted sequencing of a large series of genes of interest with methods such
      as array-based genomic analysis and whole-exome sequencing.

PMID- 26505274
TI  - Molecular Topology and Local Dynamics Govern the Viscosity of Imidazolium-Based
      Ionic Liquids.
AB  - A series of branched ionic liquids (ILs) based on the 1-(iso-alkyl)-3
      methylimidazolium cation from 1-(1-methylethyl)-3-methylimidazolium bistriflimide
      to 1-(5-methylhexyl)-3-methylimidazolium bistriflimide and linear ILs based on
      the 1-(n-alkyl)-3-methylimidazolium cation from 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium
      bistriflimide to 1-heptyl-3-methylimidazolum bistriflimide were recently
      synthesized and their physicochemical properties characterized. For the ILs with
      the same number of carbons in the alkyl chain, the branched IL was found to have
      the same density but higher viscosity than the linear one. In addition, the
      branched IL 1-(2-methylpropyl)-3-methylimidazolium bistriflimide
      ([2mC3C1Im][NTf2]) was found to have an abnormally high viscosity. Motivated by
      these experimental observations, the same ILs were studied using molecular
      dynamics (MD) simulations in the current work. The viscosities of each IL were
      calculated using the equilibrium MD method at 400 K and the nonequilibrium MD
      method at 298 K. The results agree with the experimental trend. The ion pair (IP)
      lifetime, spatial distribution function, and associated potential of mean force,
      cation size and shape, and interaction energy components were calculated from MD
      simulations. A quantitative correlation between the liquid structure and the
      viscosity was observed. Analysis shows that the higher viscosities in the
      branched ILs are due to the relatively more stable packing between the cations
      and anions indicated by the lower minima in the potential of mean force (PMF)
      surface. The abnormal viscosity of [2mC3C1Im][NTf2] was found to be the result of
      the specific side chain length and molecular structure. 

PMID- 26505275
TI  - A case-control study of occupational sunlight exposure and renal cancer risk.
AB  - Epidemiological evidence of a relationship between vitamin D and kidney cancer
      risk has been inconsistent despite experimental data indicating that vitamin D
      and its metabolites may inhibit carcinogenesis. Previously we reported an inverse
      association between renal cell carcinoma (RCC) risk and occupational ultraviolet
      (UV) exposure among European men. In this study, we examined the association
      between occupational UV exposure and RCC risk among US residents and investigated
      whether this association varied by race and sex. Lifetime occupational data for
      1,217 RCC cases and 1,235 controls in a population-based case-control study,
      conducted from 2002 to 2007, were assessed for occupational UV exposure. We
      evaluated exposure metrics in quartiles based on control exposure levels and
      calculated associations between RCC risk and occupational UV exposure using
      unconditional logistic regression adjusted for sex, race, body mass index,
      smoking, hypertension, center, education, family history of cancer and dietary
      vitamin D intake. A general pattern of decreasing RCC risk with increasing UV
      exposure was observed. Cases had significantly lower cumulative occupational UV
      exposure than controls (fourth quartile vs. first: odds ratio = 0.74 [95%
      confidence interval = 0.56-0.99], p-trend = 0.03). Similar results were observed
      for other UV exposure metrics. The association with occupational UV exposure was
      stronger for women than for men, but did not differ by race. Our findings suggest
      an inverse association between occupational UV exposure and RCC, particularly
      among women. Given the sex finding discrepancies in this study versus our
      previous study, additional research is need to clarify whether the protective
      effects of occupational UV exposure and RCC risk are real. 

PMID- 26505276
TI  - Comparative Toxicity of Chlorinated Saline and Freshwater Wastewater Effluents to
      Marine Organisms.
AB  - Toilet flushing with seawater results in saline wastewater, which may contain
      approximately 33-50% seawater. Halogenated disinfection byproducts (DBPs),
      especially brominated and iodinated DBPs, have recently been found in chlorinated
      saline wastewater effluents. With the occurrence of brominated and iodinated
      DBPs, the adverse effects of chlorinated saline wastewater effluents to marine
      ecology have been uncertain. By evaluating the developmental effects in the
      marine polychaete Platynereis dumerilii directly exposed to chlorinated
      saline/freshwater wastewater effluents, we found surprisingly that chlorinated
      saline wastewater effluents were less toxic than a chlorinated freshwater
      wastewater effluent. This was also witnessed by the marine alga Tetraselmis
      marina. The toxicity of a chlorinated wastewater effluent to the marine species
      was dominated by its relatively low salinity compared to the salinity in
      seawater. The organic matter content in a chlorinated wastewater effluent might
      be partially responsible for the toxicity. The adverse effects of halogenated
      DBPs on the marine species were observed pronouncedly only in the "concentrated"
      chlorinated wastewater effluents. pH and ammonia content in a wastewater effluent
      caused no adverse effects on the marine species. The results suggest that using
      seawater to replace freshwater for toilet flushing might mitigate the "direct"
      acute detrimental effect of wastewater to the marine organisms. 

PMID- 26505277
TI  - Topological Motifs in Cyanometallates: From Building Units to Three-Periodic
      Frameworks.
AB  - This review focuses on topological features of three-periodic (framework) p, d,
      and f metal cyano complexes or cyanometallates, i.e. coordination compounds,
      where CN(-) ligands play the main structure-forming role. In addition, molecular,
      one-periodic (chain), and two-periodic (layer) cyanometallates are considered as
      possible building blocks of the three-periodic cyanometallates. All
      cyanometallates are treated as systems of nodes (mononuclear, polynuclear, or
      transitional metal cluster complexes) joined together via CN-containing spacers.
      The most typical nodes and spacers as well as methods of their connection are
      described and systematized. Particular attention is paid to the overall
      structural motifs in the three-periodic cyanometallates, especially to the
      relations between the local coordination (coordination figure) of structural
      units and the entire framework topology. The chemical factors are discussed that
      influence the cyanometallate topological properties due to modification of nodes,
      spacers, or coordination figures. 

PMID- 26505278
TI  - Measurement of Lung Phosphatidylcholines in Exhaled Breath Particles by a
      Convenient Collection Procedure.
AB  - An analytical method based on high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to
      quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the quantitative
      determination of four phosphatidylcholines (PCs) in human exhaled breath
      particles. Analytes were conveniently collected on an electrostatic polymer
      filter and extracted with methanol prior to analysis. Chromatographic separation
      was performed on an ultraperformance liquid chromatographic ethylene bridged
      hybrid phenyl column using a mobile phase consisting of water and methanol
      containing 4 mM ammonium formate and 0.1% ammonia. The mass spectrometer operated
      in positive electrospray ionization and selected reaction monitoring mode.
      Detection limits for PC 16:0/16:0 (dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, DPPC), PC
      16:0/18:1, PC 16:0/18:2, and PC 18:0/18:2 were <0.01 ng/filter. Method recoveries
      at concentration levels of 0.1 and 10 ng/filter were 100-110% and 101-121%,
      respectively. Acceptable precision with coefficients of variation <20% and
      accuracies of 100% +/- 20% were achieved. Identification of the individual PCs
      was performed on the basis of two product ions with correct ion ratios and
      chromatographic retention times. The highest amount in exhaled breath was found
      for DPPC with median concentration 1.14 ng/filter (range 0.6-21 ng/filter), and
      median molar ratios of DPPC/PC (16:0/18:1) of 1.98 (range 0.48-2.75). A different
      pattern with lower molar ratio (~0.15) was found for oral fluid. The most
      significant element of this study was to use a precolumn in the LC system and to
      collecting exhaled particles in an electret polymer filter. Due to
      chromatographic interference by background contamination, an isolator column (PFC
      kit) was installed in between eluent mixer and injector to reduce contamination.
      This is the first LC/MS study where the method was successfully applied to
      analyze PCs in human exhaled breath by using a simple and convenient collection
      procedure. 

PMID- 26505279
TI  - Non-fullerene electron acceptors for use in organic solar cells.
AB  - The active layer in a solution processed organic photovoltaic device comprises a
      light absorbing electron donor semiconductor, typically a polymer, and an
      electron accepting fullerene acceptor. Although there has been huge effort
      targeted to optimize the absorbing, energetic, and transport properties of the
      donor material, fullerenes remain as the exclusive electron acceptor in all high
      performance devices. Very recently, some new non-fullerene acceptors have been
      demonstrated to outperform fullerenes in comparative devices. This Account
      describes this progress, discussing molecular design considerations and the
      structure-property relationships that are emerging. The motivation to replace
      fullerene acceptors stems from their synthetic inflexibility, leading to
      constraints in manipulating frontier energy levels, as well as poor absorption in
      the solar spectrum range, and an inherent tendency to undergo postfabrication
      crystallization, resulting in device instability. New acceptors have to address
      these limitations, providing tunable absorption with high extinction
      coefficients, thus contributing to device photocurrent. The ability to vary and
      optimize the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy level for a
      specific donor polymer is also an important requirement, ensuring minimal energy
      loss on electron transfer and as high an internal voltage as possible. Initially
      perylene diimide acceptors were evaluated as promising acceptor materials. These
      electron deficient aromatic molecules can exhibit good electron transport,
      facilitated by close packed herringbone crystal motifs, and their energy levels
      can be synthetically tuned. The principal drawback of this class of materials,
      their tendency to crystallize on too large a length scale for an optimal
      heterojunction nanostructure, has been shown to be overcome through introduction
      of conformation twisting through steric effects. This has been primarily achieved
      by coupling two units together, forming dimers with a large intramolecular twist,
      which suppresses both nucleation and crystal growth. The generic design concept
      of rotationally symmetrical aromatic small molecules with extended pi orbital
      delocalization, including polyaromatic hydrocarbons, phthalocyanines, etc., has
      also provided some excellent small molecule acceptors. In most cases, additional
      electron withdrawing functionality, such as imide or ester groups, can be
      incorporated to stabilize the LUMO and improve properties. New calamitic
      acceptors have been developed, where molecular orbital hybridization of electron
      rich and poor segments can be judiciously employed to precisely control energy
      levels. Conformation and intermolecular associations can be controlled by
      peripheral functionalization leading to optimization of crystallization length
      scales. In particular, the use of rhodanine end groups, coupled electronically
      through short bridged aromatic chains, has been a successful strategy, with
      promising device efficiencies attributed to high lying LUMO energy levels and
      subsequently large open circuit voltages. 

PMID- 26505280
TI  - Hierarchical Structure Formation of Nanoparticulate Spray-Dried Composite
      Aggregates.
AB  - The design of hierarchically structured nano- and microparticles of different
      sizes, porosities, surface areas, compositions, and internal structures from
      nanoparticle building blocks is important for new or enhanced application
      properties of high-quality products in a variety of industries. Spray-drying
      processes are well-suited for the design of hierarchical structures of
      multicomponent products. This structure design using various nanoparticles as
      building blocks is one of the most important challenges for the future to create
      products with optimized or completely new properties. Furthermore, the transfer
      of designed nanomaterials to large-scale products with favorable handling and
      processing can be achieved. The resultant aggregate structure depends on the
      utilized nanoparticle building blocks as well as on a large number of process and
      formulation parameters. In this study, structure formation and segregation
      phenomena during the spray drying process were investigated to enable the
      synthesis of tailor-made nanostructures with defined properties. Moreover, a
      theoretical model of this segregation and structure formation in nanosuspensions
      is presented using a discrete element method simulation. 

PMID- 26505281
TI  - The Whole Is Other Than the Sum of the Parts.

PMID- 26505282
TI  - Understanding the Statics and Dynamics of the Subaxial Cervical Segments,
      Following C1-C2 Fusion.

PMID- 26505283
TI  - Neurocysticercosis-related mortality in Brazil, 2000-2011: Epidemiology of a
      neglected neurologic cause of death.
AB  - Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is an important cause of severe neurological disease
      mainly in low- and middle-income countries, but data on NCC mortality from
      endemic areas are scarce. Here we analysed the epidemiological patterns of NCC
      related mortality in Brazil. We included all deaths recorded in Brazil between
      2000 and 2011, in which NCC was mentioned on death certificates, either as
      underlying or as associated cause of death. NCC was identified in 1829/12,491,280
      deaths (0.015%), 1130 (61.8%) as underlying cause, and 699 (38.2%) as associated
      cause. Overall age-adjusted mortality rate for the period was 0.97
      deaths/1,000,000 inhabitants (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.83-1.12). The
      highest NCC-related mortality rates were found in males, elderly, white
      race/colour and residents in endemic states/regions. Age-adjusted mortality rates
      at national level decreased significantly over time (annual percent change [APC]:
      -4.7; 95% CI: -6.0 to -3.3), with a decrease in the Southeast, South and Central
      West regions, and a non-significant increasing trend in the North and Northeast
      regions. We identified spatial and spatiotemporal high-risk mortality clusters
      located mainly in NCC-endemic areas. Conditions related to the nervous system
      were the most commonly associated causes of death when NCC was mentioned as an
      underlying cause, and HIV/AIDS was the main underlying cause when NCC was an
      associated cause. NCC is a neglected and preventable cause of severe neurologic
      disease and death with high public health impact in Brazil. There is a clear need
      to strengthen nationwide epidemiological surveillance and control for the
      taeniasis/cysticercosis complex. 

PMID- 26505284
TI  - Performance assessment of MCM-48 ceramic composite membrane by separation of
      AlCl3 from aqueous solution.
AB  - Three dimensional ordered mesoporous MCM-48 membrane was fabricated on a circular
      shaped ceramic support by in-situ hydrothermal method. The synthesized MCM-48
      powder and MCM-48 ceramic composite membrane were characterized by X-ray
      diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and field emission scanning
      electron microscopy (FESEM). The porosity and pore size of the composite membrane
      are reduced considerably by the deposition of MCM-48 on the support. The
      formation of MCM-48 is verified by the XRD analysis. Three stepwise mechanisms
      for surfactant removal are observed by TGA analysis. FESEM images clearly signify
      the deposition of MCM-48 on the ceramic support. The pure water flux of the
      support and MCM-48 composite membrane is found to be 3.63*10-6 and 4.18*10
      8m3/m2skPa, respectively. The above prepared MCM-48 ceramic composite membrane is
      employed for the removal of AlCl3 from aqueous solution and the highest rejection
      of 81% is obtained at an applied pressure of 276kPa with salt concentration of
      250ppm.

PMID- 26505285
TI  - Studies on the interaction of heparin with lysozyme by multi-spectroscopic
      techniques and atomic force microscopy.
AB  - The interaction between heparin (Hep) and lysozyme (Lyso) in vitro was studied by
      fluorescence, UV-vis, circular dichroism (CD), resonance Rayleigh scattering
      (RRS) spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) under normal physiological
      conditions. UV-vis spectra of Lyso showed the absorbance was significantly
      increased with the addition of Hep. Fluorescence studies revealed that the
      emission quenching of Lyso with Hep was initiated by static quenching mechanism.
      CD spectral studies showed that Hep induced conformational changes in the
      secondary structure of Lyso. RRS spectra of Lyso showed the intensity of
      scattering was significantly increased with the addition of Hep and the enhanced
      RRS intensities were proportional to the concentration of Hep in a certain range.
      Thus, a new RRS method using Lyso as a probe could be used for the determination
      of Hep. The detection limit for Hep was 3.9 ng mL(-1). In addition, the shape of
      the complex was characterized by AFM. The possible reaction mechanism and the
      reasons for the enhancement of RRS intensity had been discussed through
      experimental results.

PMID- 26505286
TI  - Binding analysis of carbon nanoparticles to human immunoglobulin G: Elucidation
      of the cytotoxicity of CNPs and perturbation of immunoglobulin conformations.
AB  - The chemical compositions, sizes and fluorescent properties of synthesized carbon
      nanoparticles (CNPs) were characterized. Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells were
      used as a model to study the cytotoxicity of CNPs, and the results of the
      cellular uptake of CNPs yielded excellent results: the CNPs demonstrated good
      biocompatibility and were non-toxic to the growth of the E. coli cells. Moreover,
      to assess the potential toxicity of CNPs to human health, the binding behavior of
      CNPs with human immunoglobulin G (HIgG) was examined by fluorescence quenching
      spectroscopy, synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism
      spectroscopy under physiological conditions. The fluorescence quenching constants
      and parameters for the interaction at different temperatures had been calculated
      according to Scatchard. The thermodynamic parameters, such as enthalpy change
      (DeltaH), entropy change (DeltaS) and free energy change (DeltaG), were
      calculated, and the results indicated strong static quenching and showed that van
      der Waals forces, hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions were the
      predominant intermolecular forces stabilizing the CNP-HIgG complex. Synchronous
      fluorescence and circular dichroism spectra provided information regarding the
      conformational alteration of HIgG in the presence of CNPs. These findings help to
      characterize the interactions between CNPs and HIgG, which may clarify the
      potential risks and undesirable health effects of CNPs, as well as the related
      cellular trafficking and systemic translocation. 

PMID- 26505287
TI  - Biased perception about gene technology: How perceived naturalness and affect
      distort benefit perception.
AB  - In two experiments, the participants showed biased responses when asked to
      evaluate the benefits of gene technology. They evaluated the importance of
      additional yields in corn fields due to a newly introduced variety, which would
      increase a farmer's revenues. In one condition, the newly introduced variety was
      described as a product of traditional breeding; in the other, it was identified
      as genetically modified (GM). The two experiments' findings showed that the same
      benefits were perceived as less important for a farmer when these were the result
      of GM crops compared with traditionally bred crops. Mediation analyses suggest
      that perceived naturalness and the affect associated with the technology per se
      influence the interpretation of the new information. The lack of perceived
      naturalness of gene technology seems to be the reason for the participants'
      perceived lower benefits of a new corn variety in the gene technology condition
      compared with the perceptions of the participants assigned to the traditional
      breeding condition. The strategy to increase the acceptance of gene technology by
      introducing plant varieties that better address consumer and producer needs may
      not work because people discount its associated benefits. 

PMID- 26505288
TI  - Pre-exposure to food temptation reduces subsequent consumption: A test of the
      procedure with a South-African sample.
AB  - It has been suggested that the consumption of unhealthy Westernized diet in a
      context of poverty and resultant food insecurity may have contributed to South
      Africa's status of the third fattest country in the World. Considering that a
      number of South-Africans are reported to have experienced, or are still
      experiencing food insecurity, procedures which have been shown to reduce the
      consumption of unhealthy food in higher income countries may be ineffective in
      South-Africa. We thus tested the robustness of the so called pre-exposure
      procedure in South-Africa. We also tested the moderating role of childhood
      poverty in the pre-exposure procedure. With the pre-exposure procedure, a
      respondent is exposed to a tempting unhealthy food (e.g. candy) in a context that
      is designed such that eating the food interferes with a task goal. The typical
      result is that this procedure spills over and reduces consumption of similar
      tempting food later on. An experimental study conducted in a South-African
      laboratory showed that the pre-exposure effect is robust even with a sample,
      where food insecurity prevails. Childhood poverty did not moderate the effect.
      This study proves that behavioral procedures aimed at reducing the consumption of
      unhealthy food would be valuable in less rich non-Western countries. Further
      testing of the robustness of the pre-exposure effect is however recommended in
      other poorer food insecure countries. 

PMID- 26505289
TI  - A qualitative study of the role of food in family relationships: An insight into
      the families of Brazilian obese adolescents using photo elicitation.
AB  - Obesity in adolescence is a major public health issue in Brazil. The relation
      between food and family plays an important role in both prevention and treatment,
      although its precise effect has not been clearly established. The purpose of this
      study is to investigate the meanings of food for Brazilian obese adolescents and
      their parents. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 individuals from
      two medical centers in Fortaleza-CE, Brazil: seven adolescents with obesity (six
      girls and one boy aged between 12 and 18 years) and their parents (seven mothers,
      four fathers and one grandmother). The researchers used photo elicitation for the
      interview; that is, one photograph taken by each adolescent was used to evoke the
      statements we analyze here, according to Interpretative Phenomenological
      Analysis. The results were categorized into two principal superordinate themes.
      The first described the role of food in the parent-child relationship and the
      second, the organization of the family group. Results show that food reinforces
      the adolescents' dependence on their parents and the conflicts related to
      parental control of their food and what they can eat. The interrelations between
      food and family dynamics must be considered in developing therapeutic strategies
      for Brazilian obese adolescents and their families. These strategies must include
      siblings as well as grandparents. 

PMID- 26505292
TI  - Correction to "Enantioselective Ruthenium-Catalyzed 1,3-Dipolar Cycloadditions
      between C-Carboalkoxy Ketonitrones and Methacrolein: Solvent Effect on Reaction
      Selectivity and Its Rationale".

PMID- 26505290
TI  - Depressive Symptoms in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess depression in children with chronic kidney disease and to
      determine associations with patient characteristics, intellectual and educational
      levels, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). STUDY DESIGN: Subjects aged 6
      17 years from the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children cohort study completed the
      Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), Wechsler Abbreviated Scales of
      Intelligence, Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-II-Abbreviated, and the
      Pediatric Inventory of Quality of Life Core Scales 4.0. Regression analyses
      determined associations of CDI score and depression status with subject
      characteristics, intellectual and educational levels, and HRQoL. A joint linear
      mixed model and Weibull model were used to determine the effects of CDI score on
      longitudinal changes in glomerular filtration rate and time to renal replacement
      therapy. RESULTS: A total of 344 subjects completed the CDI. Eighteen (5%) had
      elevated depressive symptoms, and another 7 (2%) were being treated for
      depression. In adjusted analyses, maternal education beyond high school was
      associated with 5% lower CDI scores (estimate, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92-0.99).
      Depression status was associated with lower IQ (99 vs 88; P = .053), lower
      achievement (95 vs 77.5; P < .05), and lower HRQoL by parent and child reports
      (effect estimates, -15.48; 95% CI, -28.71 to -2.24 and -18.39; 95% CI, -27.81 to 
      8.96, respectively). CDI score was not related to change in glomerular filtration
      rate. CONCLUSION: Children with depression had lower psychoeducational skills and
      worse HRQoL. Identifying and treating depression should be evaluated as a means
      of improving the academic performance and HRQoL of children with chronic kidney
      disease.

PMID- 26505291
TI  - Mental Health Screening Outcomes in a Pediatric Specialty Care Setting.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether a psychosocial screening program that included
      free and flexible access to mental health (MH) consultation resulted in increased
      rate of consultations. STUDY DESIGN: This is a post hoc review of a clinical
      screening program in a pediatric food allergy clinic in New York City. Screening
      was limited to 2 days per week, providing an opportunity to compare screened and
      nonscreened cohorts. Previous results from more than 1000 other families were
      analyzed to create the 1-page screening questionnaire. Participants were children
      with allergies and their parents who sought care at the clinic between March and
      September 2013. Parents were screened for distress and quality of life burden
      related to their child's allergy, and children were screened for anxiety,
      bullying, and quality of life. The predefined primary outcome was the percentage
      of families who received the free MH consultation after screening vs no-screening
      days in the allergy clinic. RESULTS: The 3143 encounters during the study period
      included 1171 on screening days and 1972 on no-screening days. Most (86%)
      eligible families completed the screen. Almost one-half (44%) met the initial
      screening thresholds. A total of 71 families (6.1% of screening days encounters)
      were referred to a MH consultation after a secondary review, but only 11 (1% of
      screening days encounters) scheduled a MH appointment. Eighteen families from the
      no-screening days came to a MH evaluation (1% of no-screening days encounters).
      CONCLUSION: Screening did not lead to enhanced MH follow-up. Resources may be
      better used on ensuring the availability of MH care rather than on screening in
      pediatric specialty clinics.

PMID- 26505293
TI  - Endosomal Toll-Like Receptor Status in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) predisposes to both diabetes and
      cardiovascular disease, and inflammation is pivotal in MetS. The Toll-like
      receptors (TLRs), TLR2 and TLR4, are implicated in both diabetes and
      atherosclerosis, are increased in MetS, and contribute to the inflammatory
      burden. Recent studies also suggest an evolving role of endosomal TLRs in
      diabetic complications. However, there is a paucity of data with regard to the
      expression of endosomal TLRs such as TLR3, 7-9 in MetS. AIM: Thus, in this short
      report, we examine expression of monocytes TLR3 and TLR9 in our cohort of
      subjects with nascent MetS compared to matched controls. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
      Monocytes were isolated from subjects with MetS (n = 45) and matched controls (n
      = 37), respectively, and TLR3 and TLR9 expression was assessed by intracellular
      flow cytometry and correlated with nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB expression.
      RESULTS: We demonstrate increased endosomal TLR9 expression in MetS compared to
      controls that correlate with increased nuclear NF-kappaB expression in the
      monocytes of these subjects, with no change in TLR3 protein. CONCLUSION: Future
      studies are required to confirm these findings and determine the role of TLR9 in
      the increased cardiovascular risk in MetS.

PMID- 26505294
TI  - Three new anti-HBV active constituents from the traditional Chinese herb of Yin
      Chen (Artemisia scoparia).
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Yin-Chen is a famous traditional Chinese medicine
      (TCM) in China for the treatment of acute and chronic hepatitis. Two species,
      namely Artemisia scoparia and Artemisia capillaris, are documented in Chinese
      Pharmacopoeia as the authentic resources for Yin-Chen. Previous investigation has
      proved that chlorogenic acid analogs and phenolic acids are two main types of the
      anti-HBV active constituents of A. capillaris. However, there is no investigation
      concerned with the anti-HBV components of A. scoparia. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim
      of the present study is to recognize the new anti-HBV constituents of A. scoparia
      by detailed LCMS analyses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: LCMS and bioassay-guided
      fractionation on the active part of A. scoparia led to the isolation of three new
      compounds. Their structures were determined by detailed spectroscopic analyses.
      Anti-HBV assay involving inhibition on HBsAg and HBeAg secretions and HBV DNA
      replication were performed in virto on HepG 2.2.15 cell line. RESULTS: The 90%
      ethanol extract of A. scoparia was revealed with anti-HBV activity for the first
      time, which was further separated into several fractions by column
      chromatography. Fr. D-4 was revealed with the highest anti-HBV activity, from
      which three new compounds including one unusual 4-pyridone glucoside (1) and two
      polyacetylene glucosides (2-3) were isolated under the guidance of LCMS analyses.
      Compounds 1-3 exhibited activity against the secretions of HBsAg and HBeAg, and
      HBV DNA replication. In particular, compounds 2 and 3 inhibited HBV DNA
      replication with IC50 values of 0.07 +/- 0.04 and 0.012 +/- 0.05 mM, with SI
      values of 23.6 and 17.1, respectively. Based on the MS/MS experiment, the
      fragmentation pathways of 1 in both positive and negative modes, and 2 and 3 in
      negative mode were proposed. The ion pairs of 388-208 (positive) and 432-206
      (negative) for 1, 503-341 (negative) for 2, and 503-203 (negative) for 3, could
      be recognized as their respective diagnostic ions. CONCLUSIONS: The first time
      investigation on the anti-HBV constituents of A. scoparia yielded three new
      active compounds, which will provide valuable information for understanding the
      ethnopharmacological usage of Yin-Chen, as well as the chemical difference with
      A. capillaris.

PMID- 26505295
TI  - Antidiabetic properties of lyophilized extract of acorn (Quercus brantii Lindl.)
      on experimentally STZ-induced diabetic rats.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Acorn obtained from the Quercus brantii Lindl.
      (QB) tree has been used in Turkish folk medicine. Some studies have reported as
      an antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, antitumoural
      of QB properties previously. however, its effect on the management of type
      diabetic 2 and oxidative stress complications is still unexplored. The aims of
      our study were the evaluation of the protective effect and antioxidant role of
      acorn lyophilized seed plant extract against STZ-induced diabetic complications
      as oxidative stress, hepatotoxicity and nephropathy, lipidemia and serum
      biomarkers of diabetes (SBD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In-vivo studies were
      performed on STZ-induced diabetic rats Experiment was designed as I [Normal
      Control (NC)], II [Diabetes mellitus (DM)], III [DM+Acarbose (20mg/kg b.w) (DM+AC
      20)], IV [DM+QB (100mg/kg b.w) (DM+QB-100)], V [DM+QB (250 mg/kg b.w) (DM+QB
      250)] and VI [DM+QB (500 mg/kg b.w) (DM+QB-500)] groups. RESULTS: This study
      showed that the biochemical analysis showed a considerable increase in the HRDB,
      DB, LP, MDA and fluctuated ADSC in the II group as compared to that of control
      group whereas, AC and the plant lyophilized seed plant extract supplementations
      diet restored the STZ-induced diabetic complications towards the control. alpha
      glycosidase activity in DM group showed statistically significant increase with
      respect to control group in small intestine. Moreover, in accordance with the
      effects of seed extract; in diabetic rat groups to whom acorn seed extract and
      acarbose were given, the levels of almost all the concerned parameters were
      reached to the ones measured at control group. As a result, it was concluded that
      acorn seed extract had certain healing effects on many complications caused by
      diabetes.

PMID- 26505296
TI  - A joint compressed-sensing and super-resolution approach for very high-resolution
      diffusion imaging.
AB  - Diffusion MRI (dMRI) can provide invaluable information about the structure of
      different tissue types in the brain. Standard dMRI acquisitions facilitate a
      proper analysis (e.g. tracing) of medium-to-large white matter bundles. However,
      smaller fiber bundles connecting very small cortical or sub-cortical regions
      cannot be traced accurately in images with large voxel sizes. Yet, the ability to
      trace such fiber bundles is critical for several applications such as deep brain
      stimulation and neurosurgery. In this work, we propose a novel acquisition and
      reconstruction scheme for obtaining high spatial resolution dMRI images using
      multiple low resolution (LR) images, which is effective in reducing acquisition
      time while improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The proposed method called
      compressed-sensing super resolution reconstruction (CS-SRR), uses multiple
      overlapping thick-slice dMRI volumes that are under-sampled in q-space to
      reconstruct diffusion signal with complex orientations. The proposed method
      combines the twin concepts of compressed sensing and super-resolution to model
      the diffusion signal (at a given b-value) in a basis of spherical ridgelets with
      total-variation (TV) regularization to account for signal correlation in
      neighboring voxels. A computationally efficient algorithm based on the
      alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) is introduced for solving the
      CS-SRR problem. The performance of the proposed method is quantitatively
      evaluated on several in-vivo human data sets including a true SRR scenario. Our
      experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can be used for
      reconstructing sub-millimeter super resolution dMRI data with very good data
      fidelity in clinically feasible acquisition time.

PMID- 26505298
TI  - Brain-robot interface driven plasticity: Distributed modulation of corticospinal
      excitability.
AB  - Brain-robot interfaces (BRI) are studied as novel interventions to facilitate
      functional restoration in patients with severe and persistent motor deficits
      following stroke. They bridge the impaired connection in the sensorimotor loop by
      providing brain-state dependent proprioceptive feedback with orthotic devices
      attached to the hand or arm of the patients. The underlying neurophysiology of
      this BRI neuromodulation is still largely unknown. We investigated changes of
      corticospinal excitability with transcranial magnetic stimulation in thirteen
      right-handed healthy subjects who performed 40min of kinesthetic motor imagery
      receiving proprioceptive feedback with a robotic orthosis attached to the left
      hand contingent to event-related desynchronization of the right sensorimotor
      cortex in the beta-band (16-22Hz). Neural correlates of this BRI intervention
      were probed by acquiring the stimulus-response curve (SRC) of both motor evoked
      potential (MEP) peak-to-peak amplitudes and areas under the curve. In addition, a
      motor mapping was obtained. The specificity of the effects was studied by
      comparing two neighboring hand muscles, one BRI-trained and one control muscle.
      Robust changes of MEP amplitude but not MEP area occurred following the BRI
      intervention, but only in the BRI-trained muscle. The steep part of the SRC
      showed an MEP increase, while the plateau of the SRC showed an MEP decrease. MEP
      mapping revealed a distributed pattern with a decrease of excitability in the
      hand area of the primary motor cortex, which controlled the BRI, but an increase
      of excitability in the surrounding somatosensory and premotor cortex. In
      conclusion, the BRI intervention induced a complex pattern of modulated
      corticospinal excitability, which may boost subsequent motor learning during
      physiotherapy.

PMID- 26505299
TI  - Premises of plasticity - And the loneliness of the medial temporal lobe.
AB  - In this perspective paper, we examine possible premises of plasticity in the
      neural substrates underlying cognitive change. We take the special role of the
      medial temporal lobe as an anchoring point, but also investigate characteristics
      throughout the cortex. Specifically, we examine the dimensions of evolutionary
      expansion, heritability, variability of morphometric change, and inter-individual
      variance in myelination with respect to the plastic potential of different brain
      regions. We argue that areas showing less evolutionary expansion, lower
      heritability, greater variability of cortical thickness change through the
      lifespan, and greater inter-individual differences in intracortical myelin
      content have a great extent of plasticity. While different regions of the brain
      show these features to varying extent, analyses converge on the medial temporal
      lobe including the hippocampi as the target of all these premises. We discuss
      implications for effects of training on brain structures, and conditions under
      which plasticity may be evoked.

PMID- 26505297
TI  - Application of neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) to a
      tau pathology model of Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Increased hyperphosphorylated tau and the formation of intracellular
      neurofibrillary tangles are associated with the loss of neurons and cognitive
      decline in Alzheimer's disease, and related neurodegenerative conditions. We
      applied two diffusion models, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and neurite
      orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), to in vivo diffusion magnetic
      resonance images (dMRI) of a mouse model of human tauopathy (rTg4510) at
      8.5months of age. In grey matter regions with the highest degree of tau burden,
      microstructural indices provided by both NODDI and DTI discriminated the rTg4510
      (TG) animals from wild type (WT) controls; however only the neurite density index
      (NDI) (the volume fraction that comprises axons or dendrites) from the NODDI
      model correlated with the histological measurements of the levels of
      hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Reductions in diffusion directionality were
      observed when implementing both models in the white matter region of the corpus
      callosum, with lower fractional anisotropy (DTI) and higher orientation
      dispersion (NODDI) observed in the TG animals. In comparison to DTI, histological
      measures of tau pathology were more closely correlated with NODDI parameters in
      this region. This in vivo dMRI study demonstrates that NODDI identifies potential
      tissue sources contributing to DTI indices and NODDI may provide greater
      specificity to pathology in Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26505300
TI  - Bilingualism at the core of the brain. Structural differences between bilinguals
      and monolinguals revealed by subcortical shape analysis.
AB  - Naturally acquiring a language shapes the human brain through a long-lasting
      learning and practice process. This is supported by previous studies showing that
      managing more than one language from early childhood has an impact on brain
      structure and function. However, to what extent bilingual individuals present
      neuroanatomical peculiarities at the subcortical level with respect to
      monolinguals is yet not well understood, despite the key role of subcortical gray
      matter for a number of language functions, including monitoring of speech
      production and language control - two processes especially solicited by
      bilinguals. Here we addressed this issue by performing a subcortical surface
      based analysis in a sample of monolinguals and simultaneous bilinguals (N=88)
      that only differed in their language experience from birth. This analysis allowed
      us to study with great anatomical precision the potential differences in
      morphology of key subcortical structures, namely, the caudate, accumbens,
      putamen, globus pallidus and thalamus. Vertexwise analyses revealed significantly
      expanded subcortical structures for bilinguals compared to monolinguals,
      localized in bilateral putamen and thalamus, as well as in the left globus
      pallidus and right caudate nucleus. A topographical interpretation of our results
      suggests that a more complex phonological system in bilinguals may lead to a
      greater development of a subcortical brain network involved in monitoring
      articulatory processes.

PMID- 26505301
TI  - Carbon-wire loop based artifact correction outperforms post-processing EEG/fMRI
      corrections--A validation of a real-time simultaneous EEG/fMRI correction method.
AB  - Simultaneous EEG-fMRI combines two powerful neuroimaging techniques, but the EEG
      signal suffers from severe artifacts in the MRI environment that are difficult to
      remove. These are the MR scanning artifact and the blood-pulsation artifact-
      strategies to remove them are a topic of ongoing research. Additionally large,
      unsystematic artifacts are produced across the full frequency spectrum by the
      magnet's helium pump (and ventilator) systems which are notoriously hard to
      remove. As a consequence, experimenters routinely deactivate the helium pump
      during simultaneous EEG-fMRI acquisitions which potentially risks damaging the
      MRI system and necessitates more frequent and expensive helium refills. We
      present a novel correction method addressing both helium pump and ballisto
      cardiac (BCG) artifacts, consisting of carbon-wire loops (CWL) as additional
      sensors to accurately track unpredictable artifacts related to subtle movements
      in the scanner, and an EEGLAB plugin to perform artifact correction. We compare
      signal-to-noise metrics of EEG data, corrected with CWL and three conventional
      correction methods, for helium pump off and on measurements. Because the CWL
      setup records signals in real-time, it fits requirements of applications where
      immediate correction is necessary, such as neuro-feedback applications or
      stimulation time-locked to specific sleep oscillations. The comparison metrics in
      this paper relate to: (1) the EEG signal itself, (2) the "eyes open vs. eyes
      closed" effect, and (3) an assessment of how the artifact corrections impacts the
      ability to perform meaningful correlations between EEG alpha power and the BOLD
      signal. Results show that the CWL correction corrects for He pump artifact and
      also produces EEG data more comparable to EEG obtained outside the magnet than
      conventional post-processing methods.

PMID- 26505302
TI  - Encodings of implied motion for animate and inanimate object categories in the
      two visual pathways.
AB  - Previous research has proposed two separate pathways for visual processing: the
      dorsal pathway for "where" information vs. the ventral pathway for "what"
      information. Interestingly, the middle temporal cortex (MT) in the dorsal pathway
      is involved in representing implied motion from still pictures, suggesting an
      interaction between motion and object related processing. However, the
      relationship between how the brain encodes implied motion and how the brain
      encodes object/scene categories is unclear. To address this question, fMRI was
      used to measure activity along the two pathways corresponding to different
      animate and inanimate categories of still pictures with different levels of
      implied motion speed. In the visual areas of both pathways, activity induced by
      pictures of humans and animals was hardly modulated by the implied motion speed.
      By contrast, activity in these areas correlated with the implied motion speed for
      pictures of inanimate objects and scenes. The interaction between implied motion
      speed and stimuli category was significant, suggesting different encoding
      mechanisms of implied motion for animate-inanimate distinction. Further
      multivariate pattern analysis of activity in the dorsal pathway revealed
      significant effects of stimulus category that are comparable to the ventral
      pathway. Moreover, still pictures of inanimate objects/scenes with higher implied
      motion speed evoked activation patterns that were difficult to differentiate from
      those evoked by pictures of humans and animals, indicating a functional role of
      implied motion in the representation of object categories. These results provide
      novel evidence to support integrated encoding of motion and object categories,
      suggesting a rethink of the relationship between the two visual pathways.

PMID- 26505304
TI  - The European saber-toothed cat (Homotherium latidens) found in the "Spear
      Horizon" at Schoningen (Germany).
AB  - The 300,000 year old Lower Paleolithic site Schoningen 13 II-4 became world
      famous with the discovery of the oldest well-preserved and complete wooden
      spears. Through ongoing excavations, new archaeological discoveries of scientific
      importance are still being made from the same archaeological layer where the
      spears were found. In this context, remains of a rare carnivore species, the
      European saber-toothed cat (Homotherium latidens), were recovered. Here we
      present five teeth and one humerus fragment that are unambiguously from two
      individual saber-toothed cats. The humerus is a unique specimen; it shows
      evidence of hominin impacts and use as a percussor. The Homotherium remains from
      Schoningen are the best documented finds of this species in an archaeological
      setting and they are amongst the youngest specimens of Homotherium in Europe. The
      presence of this species as a carnivore competitor would certainly have impacted
      the lives of late Middle Pleistocene hominins. The discovery illustrates the
      possible day-to-day challenges that the Schoningen hominins would have faced and
      suggests that the wooden spears were not necessarily only used for hunting, but
      possibly also as a weapon for self-defense.

PMID- 26505303
TI  - Brain basis of communicative actions in language.
AB  - Although language is a key tool for communication in social interaction, most
      studies in the neuroscience of language have focused on language structures such
      as words and sentences. Here, the neural correlates of speech acts, that is, the
      actions performed by using language, were investigated with functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants were shown videos, in which the same
      critical utterances were used in different communicative contexts, to Name
      objects, or to Request them from communication partners. Understanding of
      critical utterances as Requests was accompanied by activation in bilateral
      premotor, left inferior frontal and temporo-parietal cortical areas known to
      support action-related and social interactive knowledge. Naming, however,
      activated the left angular gyrus implicated in linking information about word
      forms and related reference objects mentioned in critical utterances. These
      findings show that understanding of utterances as different communicative actions
      is reflected in distinct brain activation patterns, and thus suggest different
      neural substrates for different speech act types.

PMID- 26505305
TI  - Treatment of murine lupus with PD-LIg.
AB  - The binding of programmed death 1 (PD-1) to its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2 on
      antigen-presenting cells has been proven to turn off autoreactive T cells and
      induce peripheral tolerance. In this study, fusion proteins linking the
      extracellular domains of murine PD-1, PD-L1 and PD-L2 to the Fc portion of a
      mouse immunoglobulin G2a monoclonal antibody were generated and characterized.
      Onset of proteinuria was delayed with mice treated with PD-LIg fusion proteins,
      while serum concentrations of anti-dsDNA and anti-histone antibodies were reduced
      by the treatment of PD-LIg without decreasing total IgG with significantly
      improved survival. Importantly, PD-L1Ig treatment was the most efficacious in
      delaying the onset of proteinuria, blocking auto-antibody production, and
      prolonging life time, including a delayed treatment until disease progression.
      These findings indicate that human PD-L1Ig fusion proteins may play an important
      role in conquering humans' autoimmune diseases. 

PMID- 26505306
TI  - Klebsiella pneumoniae O antigen loss alters the outer membrane protein
      composition and the selective packaging of proteins into secreted outer membrane
      vesicles.
AB  - Klebsiella pneumoniae is a nosocomial pathogen which naturally secretes
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and cell envelope associated proteins into the
      environment through the production of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). The loss of
      the LPS O antigen has been demonstrated in other bacterial species to
      significantly alter the composition of OMVs. Therefore, this study aimed to
      comprehensively analyze the impact of O antigen loss on the sub-proteomes of both
      the outer membrane and secreted OMVs from K. pneumoniae. As determined by LC
      MS/MS, OMVs were highly enriched with outer membrane proteins involved in cell
      wall, membrane, and envelope biogenesis as compared to the source cellular outer
      membrane. Deletion of wbbO, the enzyme responsible for O antigen attachment to
      LPS, decreased but did not eliminate this enrichment effect. Additionally, loss
      of O antigen resulted in OMVs with increased numbers of proteins involved in post
      translational modification, protein turnover, and chaperones as compared to
      secreted vesicles from the wild type. This alteration of OMV composition may be a
      compensatory mechanism to deal with envelope stress. This comprehensive analysis
      confirms the highly distinct protein composition of OMVs as compared to their
      source membrane, and provides evidence for a selective sorting mechanism that
      involves LPS polysaccharides. These data support the hypothesis that
      modifications to LPS alters both the mechanics of protein sorting and the
      contents of secreted OMVs and significantly impacts the protein composition of
      the outer membrane. 

PMID- 26505307
TI  - MoARG1, MoARG5,6 and MoARG7 involved in arginine biosynthesis are essential for
      growth, conidiogenesis, sexual reproduction, and pathogenicity in Magnaporthe
      oryzae.
AB  - Arginine is one of the most versatile amino acids in eukaryote cells, which plays
      important roles in a multitude of processes such as protein synthesis, nitrogen
      metabolism, nitric oxide (NO) and urea biosynthesis. The de novo arginine
      biosynthesis pathway is conserved among fungal kingdom, but poorly understood in
      plant pathogenic fungi. Here, we characterized the functions of three synthetic
      enzyme-encoding genes MoARG1, MoARG5,6, and MoARG7, which involved the seventh
      step, second-third step and fifth step of arginine biosynthesis in Magnaporthe
      oryzae, respectively. Deletion of MoARG1 or MoARG5,6, resulted in arginine
      auxotrophic mutants, which had a strict requirement for arginine on minimal
      medium (MM). Both DeltaMoarg1 and DeltaMoarg5,6 severely reduced in aerial hyphal
      growth, pigmentation, conidiogenesis, sexual reproduction and pathogenicity.
      Interestingly, like Saccharomyces cerevisiae, deletion of MoARG7 caused a leaky
      arginine auxotrophy, and attenuated pathogenicity. Limited appressorium-mediated
      penetration and restricted invasive hyphae growth in host cells are responsible
      for the severely attenuated pathogenicity of the Arg(-) mutants. Additionally, we
      monitored the NO generation during conidial germination and appressorial
      formation in both Arg(-) mutants and wild type, and demonstrated that NO
      generation may not occur via arginine-dependent pathway in M. oryzae. In summary,
      MoARG1, MoARG5,6, and MoARG7 are required for growth, conidiogenesis, sexual
      reproduction, and pathogenicity in M. oryzae. 

PMID- 26505308
TI  - Effect of retS gene on antibiotics production in Pseudomonas fluorescens FD6.
AB  - A hybrid sensor kinase termed RetS (regulator of exopolysaccharide and Type III
      secretion) controls expression of numerous genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To
      investigate the function of RetS in P. fluorescens FD6, the retS gene was
      disrupted. Genetic inactivation of retS resulted in enhanced production of 2, 4
      diacetylphloroglucinol, pyrrolnitrin, and pyoluteorin. The retS mutant also
      exhibited significant increase in phlA-lacZ, prnA-lacZ, and pltA-lacZ
      transcription levels, influencing expression levels of the small regulatory RNAs
      RsmX and RsmZ. In the gacSretS double mutant, all the phenotypic changes caused
      by the retS deletion were reversed to the level of gacS single mutant.
      Furthermore, the retS mutation drastically elevated biofilm formation and
      improved the colonization ability of strain FD6 on wheat rhizospheres. Based on
      these results, we proposed that RetS negatively controlled the production of
      antibiotics through the Gac/Rsm pathway in P. fluorescens FD6. 

PMID- 26505309
TI  - Characterization of the biosynthetic gene cluster for maklamicin, a
      spirotetronate-class antibiotic of the endophytic Micromonospora sp. NBRC 110955.
AB  - Maklamicin, which is produced by the endophytic Micromonospora sp. NBRC 110955,
      is a spirotetronate-class antibiotic possessing anti-microbial activity against
      Gram-positive bacteria, and has several unique structural features different from
      other spirotetronates. Here we describe identification and characterization of
      the maklamicin biosynthetic (mak) gene cluster through draft genome sequencing,
      genomic library screening, and gene disruption. Sequence analysis revealed that a
      plausible maklamicin cluster resides in a 152 kb DNA region encoding 46 open
      reading frames, 24 of which can be assigned roles in the biosynthesis of
      polyketide backbone, spirotetronate or peripheral moieties, self-resistance and
      the regulation of maklamicin production. Disruption of the polyketide synthase
      (PKS) genes makA1 or makA4 resulted in a complete loss of maklamicin production,
      indicating that the type I modular PKS system is responsible for the biosynthesis
      of maklamicin. The mak gene cluster contained a set of biosynthetic genes for the
      formation of a tetronate moiety, which were found to be highly conserved in the
      gene clusters for spirotetronate antibiotics. Based on the estimated biosynthetic
      genes, we propose the biosynthetic pathway for maklamicin. Our findings provide
      not only insights on the biosynthetic mechanism of the unique structures in
      maklamicin, but also useful information to facilitate a comparative analysis of
      the spirotetronate biosynthetic pathways to expand the structural repertoire.

PMID- 26505310
TI  - Evaluation of native bacteria and manganese phosphite for alternative control of
      charcoal root rot of soybean.
AB  - Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are potential agents to control plant
      pathogens and their combined use with biopesticides such as phosphites may
      constitute a novel strategy to incorporate in disease management programs. In the
      present study, 11 bacterial isolates were selected on the basis of their
      antagonistic activity against Macrophomina phaseolina in dual-culture tests, and
      their plant growth promoting traits. Selected isolates were characterised on the
      basis of auxin and siderophore production, phosphate solubilisation and rep-PCR
      genomic fingerprinting. Two of these isolates, identified as Pseudomonas
      fluorescens 9 and Bacillus subtilis 54, were further evaluated for their
      inhibitory capacity against M. phaseolina using in vitro (on soybean seeds) and
      in vivo (greenhouse assay) tests. Both bacteria were applied individually as well
      as in combined treatment with manganese phosphite as seed treatments. Damage
      severity on soybean seeds was significantly reduced, compared with the untreated
      control, by both bacterial strains; however, the individual application of
      phosphite showed to be least effective in controlling M. phaseolina.
      Interestingly, the phosphite treatment improved its performance under greenhouse
      conditions compared to the results from the in vitro assays. In the greenhouse
      trials, the greatest reductions in disease severity were achieved when strain P.
      fluorescens 9 was applied singly or when strain B. subtilis 54 was combined with
      manganese phosphite, achieving 82% of control in both cases. This work is the
      first to report the control of M. phaseolina using combined treatment with PGPR
      and phosphite under greenhouse conditions. 

PMID- 26505311
TI  - Analysis of the community compositions of rhizosphere fungi in soybeans
      continuous cropping fields.
AB  - We used rhizosphere soil sampled from one field during zero year and two years of
      continuous cropping of high-protein soybean to analyze the taxonomic community
      compositions of fungi during periods of high-incidence of root rot. Our
      objectives were to identify the dominant pathogens in order to provide a
      theoretical basis for the study of pathogenesis as well as control tactics for
      soybean root rot induced by continuous cropping. A total of 17,801 modified
      internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences were obtained from three different
      soybean rhizosphere soil samples after zero year and 1 or 2 years of continuous
      cropping using 454 high-throughput sequencing. The dominant eumycote fungal were
      identified to be Ascomycota and Basidiomycota in the three soil samples.
      Continuous cropping of soybean affected the diversity of fungi in rhizosphere
      soils and increased the abundance of Thelebolus and Mortierellales significantly.
      Thanatephorus, Fusarium, and Alternaria were identified to be the dominant
      pathogenic fungal genera in rhizosphere soil from continuously cropped soybean
      fields. 

PMID- 26505312
TI  - Transfer of the cloned Salmonella SPI-1 type III secretion system and
      characterization of its expression mechanisms in Gram negative bacteria in
      comparison with cloned SPI-2.
AB  - Cloned type III secretion systems have much potential to be used for bacterial
      engineering purposes involving protein secretion and substrate translocation
      directly into eukaryotic cells. We have previously cloned the SPI-1 and SPI-2
      type III systems from the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium genome using
      plasmid R995 which can conveniently capture large genomic segments for transfer
      between bacterial strains. However, though expressed and functional in Salmonella
      strains, cloned SPI-1 was previously observed to have a serious expression defect
      in other Gram negative bacteria including Escherichia coli. Here we show that
      cloned SPI-1 expression and secretion can be detected in the secretion preps from
      E. coli and Citrobacter indicating the first observation of non-Salmonella SPI-1
      expression. We describe a compatible plasmid system to introduce engineered SPI-1
      substrates into cloned SPI-1 strains. However, a SPI-1 translocation defect is
      still observed in E. coli, and we show that this is likely due to a defect in
      SipB expression/secretion in this species. In addition, we also examined the
      requirement for the hilA and ssrAB regulators in the expression of cloned SPI-1
      and SPI-2, respectively. We found a strict requirement for hilA for full cloned
      SPI-1 expression and secretion. However, though we found that ssrAB is required
      for full cloned SPI-2 expression in a range of media across different bacteria,
      it is not required for cloned SPI-2 expression in MgM8 inducing media in S.
      Typhimurium. This suggests that under SPI-2 inducing conditions in S.
      Typhimurium, other factors can substitute for loss of ssrAB in cloned SPI-2
      expression. The results provide key foundational information for the future use
      of these cloned systems in bacteria. 

PMID- 26505314
TI  - Eyebrow Position Following Upper Blepharoplasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of upper blepharoplasty on eyebrow height,
      accounting for ocular dominance, fat excision, change in MRD1, and degree of
      dermatochalasis. METHODS: Retrospective review of patients undergoing upper
      blepharoplasty between January 2013 and July 2014. Patients with a prior history
      of ocular trauma, disease, and surgery were excluded. Digital photographs were
      analyzed using NIH ImageJ software to measure pre and postoperative eyebrow
      height at the medial, central, and lateral positions, MRD1, and dermatochalasis.
      Univariable comparisons of brow height and MRD1 were performed. A multivariate
      analysis was used to assess for the effect of percentage change in MRD1 and
      dermatochalasis and of ocular dominance and fat excision in mean percentage
      change of eyebrow height. RESULTS: Charts of 19 patients were reviewed. Mean age
      was 73.2 years (SD = 8.86). There were 9 male (47.4%) and 10 female (52.6%)
      patients. There were 11 right eye dominant (57.9%) and 8 left eye dominant
      (42.1%) patients. Then 13 patients (68.4%) underwent fat removal. A univariable
      comparison found insufficient evidence to suggest a significant change from 0
      postoperatively in brow height at all positions. A multivariable comparison found
      insufficient evidence to suggest MRD1, ocular dominance, or dermatochalasis were
      significantly associated with mean percentage change in brow height at all
      positions with or without fat excision. CONCLUSION: Upper blepharoplasty does not
      change eyebrow height at the medial, central, or lateral positions, after
      accounting for any impact of ocular dominance, fat excision, change in MRD1, or
      degree of dermatochalasis.

PMID- 26505313
TI  - Diallyl disulfide enhances carbon ion beams-induced apoptotic cell death in
      cervical cancer cells through regulating Tap73 /DeltaNp73.
AB  - Diallyl disulfide (DADS), extracted from crushed garlic by steam-distillation,
      has been reported to provide the anticancer activity in several cancer types.
      However, the effect of DADS on high-LET carbon beams - induced cell death remains
      unknown. Therefore, we used human cervical cancer cells to elucidate the
      molecular effects of this diallyl sulfide. Radiotherapy remains the mainstay of
      treatment, especially in advanced cervical cancer and there is still space to
      improve the radiosensitivity to reduce radiation dosage. In this study, we found
      that radiation effects evoked by high-LET carbon beam was marked by inhibition of
      cell viability, cell cycle arrest, significant rise of apoptotic cells,
      regulation of transcription factor, such as p73, as well as alterations of
      crucial mediator of the apoptosis pathway. We further demonstrated that
      pretreatment of 10 uM DADS in HeLa cells exposed to radiation resulted in
      decrease in cell viability and increased radiosensitivity. Additionally, cells
      pretreated with DADS obviously inhibited the radiation-induced G2/M phase arrest,
      but promoted radiation-induced apoptosis. Moreover, combination DADS and the
      radiation exacerbated the activation of apoptosis pathways through up-regulated
      ration of pro-apoptotic Tap73 to anti-apoptotic DeltaNp73, and its downstream
      proteins, such as FASLG, and APAF1. Taken together, these results suggest that
      DADS is a potential candidate as radio sensitive agent for cervical cancer.

PMID- 26505315
TI  - Diquafosol promotes corneal epithelial healing via intracellular calcium-mediated
      ERK activation.
AB  - Diquafosol is known as a purinergic P2Y2 receptor (P2Y2R) agonist that stimulates
      water and mucin secretion from conjunctival epithelial cells and goblet cells,
      leading to tear film stability in dry eye. However, its effect on corneal
      epithelial healing has not yet been elucidated. The aim of the present study was
      to evaluate the effect of diquafosol on corneal epithelial healing in vivo and on
      P2Y2R-related downstream signaling pathways in vitro. We administered 3%
      diquafosol ophthalmic solution on 3 mm-diameter epithelial defects made in rat
      corneas and assessed the wound closure over time. Corneal epithelial healing was
      significantly accelerated in diquafosol-treated eyes compared to control eyes at
      12 and 24 h. During wound healing, P2Y2R staining appeared stronger in the re
      epithelized margin near the wound defect. To evaluate whether diquafosol
      stimulates epidermal growth factor receptor/extracellular-signal-regulated kinase
      (EGFR/ERK)-related cell proliferation and migration, simian virus 40-transfected
      human corneal epithelial (THCE) cells were used for in vitro experiments. Cell
      proliferation was accelerated by diquafosol at concentrations from 20 to 200 MUM
      during 48 h, but inhibited at concentrations over 2000 MUM. The intracellular
      calcium ([Ca(2+)]i) elevation was measured in diquafosol (100 MUM)-stimulated
      cells using Fluo-4/AM ([Ca(2+)]i indicator). [Ca(2+)]i elevation was observed in
      diquafosol-stimulated cells regardless of the presence of calcium in media, and
      suramin pretreatment inhibited the calcium response. The effect of diquafosol on
      phosphorylation of EGFR, ERK and Akt, and cell migration was determined by
      western blotting and in vitro cell migration assay. Diquafosol induced
      phosphorylation of EGFR at 2 min post-stimulation, and phosphorylation of ERK at
      5 min post-stimulation. Phosphorylation of ERK was attenuated in cells pretreated
      with suramin or BAPTA/AM ([Ca(2+)]i chelator), and partially with AG1478 (EGFR
      inhibitor). Likewise, diquafosol-treated cells showed acceleration of gap closure
      in cell migration assay, which was inhibited by suramin, BAPTA/AM, AG1478, and
      U0126 (MEK inhibitor). These studies demonstrate that diquafosol is effective in
      promoting corneal epithelial wound healing and that this effect may result from
      ERK-stimulated cell proliferation and migration via P2Y2R-mediated [Ca(2+)]i
      elevation. 

PMID- 26505316
TI  - Surgical options for primary hyperparathyroidism.
AB  - Over the last two decades, surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism has evolved to
      offer a panel of procedures based on improvements in imaging, new technology and,
      consequently, novel surgical techniques. Multiple courses of action are possible,
      consistent with varying degrees of complexity. From the simplest scenario of a
      single adenoma localized by at least two preoperative tests in the context of
      sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism, to revision surgery related to recurrent,
      persistent or multiglandular disease, the surgeon has the opportunity to adapt
      his strategy. However, whatever surgical approach is used, even in the absence of
      formal guidelines, the clinical judgment of an experienced and skilled
      practitioner in endocrine surgery is the real guide and key of success in complex
      situations. 

PMID- 26505317
TI  - Electrocatalytic Alcohol Oxidation with TEMPO and Bicyclic Nitroxyl Derivatives:
      Driving Force Trumps Steric Effects.
AB  - Bicyclic nitroxyl derivatives, such as 2-azaadamantane N-oxyl (AZADO) and 9
      azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane N-oxyl (ABNO), have emerged as highly effective
      alternatives to TEMPO-based catalysts for selective oxidation reactions (TEMPO =
      2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidine N-oxyl). Their efficacy is widely attributed to
      their smaller steric profile; however, electrocatalysis studies described herein
      show that the catalytic activity of nitroxyls is more strongly affected by the
      nitroxyl/oxoammonium redox potential than by steric effects. The inexpensive,
      high-potential TEMPO derivative, 4-acetamido-TEMPO (ACT), exhibits higher
      electrocatalytic activity than AZADO and ABNO for the oxidation of primary and
      secondary alcohols. Mechanistic studies provide insights into the origin of these
      unexpected reactivity trends. The superior activity of ACT is especially
      noteworthy at high pH, where bicyclic nitroxyls are inhibited by formation of an
      oxoammonium hydroxide adduct. 

PMID- 26505318
TI  - Summary of Notifiable Noninfectious Conditions and Disease Outbreaks:
      Surveillance for Silicosis - Michigan and New Jersey, 2003-2010.

PMID- 26505319
TI  - The role of epigenetics in genetic and environmental epidemiology.
AB  - Epidemiology is the branch of science that investigates the causes and
      distribution of disease in populations in order to provide preventative measures
      and promote human health. The fields of genetic and environmental epidemiology
      primarily seek to identify genetic and environmental risk factors for disease,
      respectively. Epigenetics is emerging as an important piece of molecular data to
      include in these studies because it can provide mechanistic insights into genetic
      and environmental risk factors for disease, identify potential intervention
      targets, provide biomarkers of exposure, illuminate gene-environment interactions
      and help localize disease-relevant genomic regions. Here, we describe the
      importance of including epigenetics in genetic and environmental epidemiology
      studies, provide a conceptual framework when considering epigenetic data in
      population-based studies and touch upon the many challenges that lie ahead. 

PMID- 26505320
TI  - Govanoside A, a new steroidal saponin from rhizomes of Trillium govanianum.
AB  - A new spirostane steroidal saponin, govanoside A (1) along with three known
      compounds borassoside E (2) pennogenin (3) and diosgenin (4) were isolated from
      rhizomes of Trillium govanianum. Their structures were elucidated through 1D, 2D
      NMR spectroscopic data analysis and acid hydrolysis. Compound (2) in genus
      Trillium and all compounds (1-4) in T. govanianum are reported herein for the
      first time. Furthermore, compounds 1 &2 exhibited good to moderate activities
      against Aspergillus niger ATCC 16888, Aspergillus flavus ATCC 9643, Candida
      albicans ATCC 18804, and Candida glabrata ATCC 90030. This is a significant
      finding keeping in view the limited antifungal drugs for aspergillosis and
      candidiasis. 

PMID- 26505321
TI  - [The EQ-5D as a measure of health outcomes].

PMID- 26505322
TI  - Red mud (RM)-Induced enhancement of iron plaque formation reduces arsenic and
      metal accumulation in two wetland plant species.
AB  - Human activities have resulted in arsenic (As) and heavy metals accumulation in
      paddy soils in China. Phytoremediation has been suggested as an effective and low
      cost method to clean up contaminated soils. A combined soil-sand pot experiment
      was conducted to investigate the influence of red mud (RM) supply on iron plaque
      formation and As and heavy metal accumulation in two wetland plant species
      (Cyperus alternifolius Rottb., Echinodorus amazonicus Rataj), using As and heavy
      metals polluted paddy soil combined with three rates of RM application (0, 2%,
      5%). The results showed that RM supply significantly decreased As and heavy
      metals accumulation in shoots of the two plants due to the decrease of As and
      heavy metal availability and the enhancement of the formation of iron plaque on
      the root surface and in the rhizosphere. Both wetland plants supplied with RM
      tended to have more Fe plaque, higher As and heavy metals on roots and in their
      rhizospheres, and were more tolerant of As and heavy metal toxicity. The results
      suggest that RM-induced enhancement of the formation of iron plaque on the root
      surface and in the rhizosphere of wetland plants may be significant for
      remediation of soils contaminated with As and heavy metals. 

PMID- 26505323
TI  - Computer-based cognitive rehabilitation: the CoRe system.
AB  - PURPOSE: This work aims at providing a tool for supporting cognitive
      rehabilitation. This is a wide field, that includes a variety of diseases and
      related clinical pictures; for this reason the need arises to have a tool
      available that overcomes the difficulties entailed by what currently is the most
      common approach, that is, the so-called pen and paper rehabilitation. METHODS: We
      first organized a big number of stimuli in an ontology that represents concepts,
      attributes and a set of relationships among concepts. Stimuli may be words,
      sounds, 2D and 3D images. Then, we developed an engine that automatically
      generates exercises by exploiting that ontology. The design of exercises has been
      carried on in synergy with neuropsychologists and speech therapists. Solutions
      have been devised aimed at personalizing the exercises according to both
      patients' preferences and performance. RESULTS: Exercises addressed to
      rehabilitation of executive functions and aphasia-related diseases have been
      implemented. The system has been tested on both healthy volunteers (n = 38) and
      patients (n = 9), obtaining a favourable rating and suggestions for improvements.
      CONCLUSIONS: We created a tool able to automate the execution of cognitive
      rehabilitation tasks. We hope the variety and personalization of exercises will
      allow to increase compliance, particularly from elderly people, usually neither
      familiar with technology nor particularly willing to rely on it. The next step
      involves the creation of a telerehabilitation tool, to allow therapy sessions to
      be undergone from home, thus guaranteeing continuity of care and advantages in
      terms of time and costs for the patients and the National Healthcare System
      (NHS). Implications for rehabilitation Cognitive impairments can greatly impact
      an individual's existence, appreciably reducing his abilities and autonomy, as
      well as sensibly lowering his quality of life. Cognitive rehabilitation can be
      used to restore lost brain function or slow down degenerative diseases.
      Computerization of rehabilitation entails many advantages, but patients -
      especially elderly people - might be less prone to the use of technology and
      consequently reluctant towards this innovative therapeutic approach. Our software
      system, CoRe, supports a therapist during the administration of rehabilitation
      sessions: exercises can be generated dynamically, thus reducing repetitivity, and
      patients' performance trends automatically analysed to facilitate the assessment
      of their progress. Tests performed on both healthy subjects and patients provided
      useful information that allowed us to define an implementation strategy able to
      reduce patients' resistance to computerized rehabilitation as much as possible.

PMID- 26505324
TI  - Development and Validation of a New Molecular Diagnostic Assay for Detection of
      Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is the most common adult form of muscular
      dystrophy, characterized by autosomal dominant progressive myopathy, myotonia,
      and multiorgan involvement. Myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) is caused by a [CCTG]
      expansion in the ZNF9/CNBP gene. The aim of this work was the validation of the
      new molecular diagnostic test Myotonic Dystrophy type 2 kit-FL. RESULTS: A cohort
      of 126 individuals was analyzed. The results show that 126/126 patients were
      correctly identified using the new molecular assay. In particular, 74 were DM2
      positive, 39 were DM2/DM1 negative and 13 DM2 negative/DM1 positive.
      Approximately 9.5% (7/74) of the DM2-positive samples had a single sizeable
      expansion and 85% (63/74) showed multiple bands or smears. Comparative
      fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses, on muscle biopsies, revealed
      that the sensitivity and specificity were very high (>99%). Equivalent analytical
      performances were obtained using different DNA extraction methods. Among affected
      individuals 87.5% (28/32) had electrical myotonia, 69% (22/32) proximal weakness,
      41% (13/32) cataracts, and about 37.5% (12/32) cardiac conduction defects. FISH
      analysis and clinical data were used to support the genetic analysis.

PMID- 26505325
TI  - Direct observations of American eels migrating across the continental shelf to
      the Sargasso Sea.
AB  - Since inferring spawning areas from larval distributions in the Sargasso Sea a
      century ago, the oceanic migration of adult American eels has remained a mystery.
      No adult eel has ever been observed migrating in the open ocean or in the
      spawning area. Here, we track movements of maturing eels equipped with pop-up
      satellite archival tags from the Scotian Shelf (Canada) into the open ocean, with
      one individual migrating 2,400 km to the northern limit of the spawning site in
      the Sargasso Sea. The reconstructed routes suggest a migration in two phases: one
      over the continental shelf and along its edge in shallow waters; the second in
      deeper waters straight south towards the spawning area. This study is the first
      direct evidence of adult Anguilla migrating to the Sargasso Sea and represents an
      important step forward in the understanding of routes and migratory cues.

PMID- 26505326
TI  - Poor precompetitive sleep habits, nutrients' deficiencies, inappropriate body
      composition and athletic performance in elite gymnasts.
AB  - This study aimed to evaluate body composition, sleep, precompetitive anxiety and
      dietary intake on the elite female gymnasts' performance prior to an
      international competition. Sixty-seven rhythmic gymnasts of high performance
      level were evaluated in relation to sport and training practice, body
      composition, sleep duration, daytime sleepiness by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale
      (ESS), sleep quality by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), precompetitive
      anxiety by the Sport Competition Anxiety Test form A (SCAT-A) and detailed
      dietary intake just before an international competition. Most gymnasts (67.2%)
      suffered from mild daytime sleepiness, 77.6% presented poor sleep quality and
      19.4% presented high levels of precompetitive anxiety. The majority of gymnasts
      reported low energy availability (EA) and low intakes of important vitamins
      including folate, vitamins D, E and K; and minerals, including calcium, iron,
      boron and magnesium (p < .05). Gymnasts' performance was positively correlated
      with age (p = .001), sport practice (p = .024), number of daily training hours (p
      = .000), number of hours of training/week (p = .000), waist circumference (WC) (p
      = .008) and sleep duration (p = .005). However, it was negatively correlated with
      WC/hip circumference (p = .000), ESS (p = .000), PSQI (p = .042), SCAT-A (p =
      .002), protein g/kg (p = .028), EA (p = .002) and exercise energy expenditure (p
      = .000). High performance gymnasts presented poor sleep habits with consequences
      upon daytime sleepiness, sleep quality and low energy availability. 

PMID- 26505327
TI  - Pycnogenol(r) and Centella asiatica to prevent asymptomatic atherosclerosis
      progression in clinical events.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the nutritional
      supplements Pycnogenol(r) and Centella asiatica (CA) on atherosclerosis
      progression in low-risk, asymptomatic subjects with carotid or femoral stenosing
      plaques. METHODS: The study included subjects aged 45-60 with stenosing
      atherosclerotic plaques (50-60%) in at least one carotid or common femoral
      bifurcation. Subjects were allocated into 3 groups. In Group 1 (controls),
      management was based on education, exercise, diet and lifestyle changes. This
      same management plan was used in the other two groups: Group 2 used Pycnogenol(r)
      (100 mg/day), while Group 3 used Pycnogenol(r) 100 mg/day plus CA (100 mg/day).
      The follow-up lasted 4 years. Plaque progression was assessed using the
      ultrasonic arterial score based on arterial wall morphology, considering plaque
      characteristics and the number of subjects that had cardiovascular events.
      Oxidative stress was also measured. RESULTS: Of the 413 individuals that were
      admitted, 391 individuals completed 4 years. Group distribution was comparable.
      The rate of progression of ultrasound arterial score was significantly lower in
      the two supplement groups (P<0.05) in comparison with controls suggesting a
      beneficial effect of Pycnogenol(r) with a significant difference in favor of the
      combination (P<0.05). There was a reduction in plaques progression in the
      supplement groups with the best effects obtained by the combination, considering
      maximum plaque thickness and length and echogenicity (grey scale median)
      (P<0.05). Plaques became generally dense (more echogenic) achieving a mixed
      echogenicity. The occurrence of anginal events was less than 3% in the two
      supplement groups (in comparison with 6.25% in controls) (P<0.05) with the best
      results obtained by the combination (P<0.05). The occurrence in myocardial
      infarctions was significantly lower for the combination (P<0.05). Minor transient
      ischemic attacks were also less frequent with the supplements with the best
      results observed with the combination (P<0.05). Events in controls - requiring
      hospital admission - were globally seen in 16.4% of subjects (minor events) in
      comparison with 8.9% of subjects using Pycnogenol(r) and only 3.3% of patients
      using the combination. At 4 years, oxidative stress in the supplement groups was
      lower than in controls (P<0.05, with no significant difference between groups 2
      and 3). CONCLUSIONS: Pycnogenol(r) and the combination of Pycnogenol(r) plus CA
      reduce the progression of arterial plaques and the progression to clinical
      stages. The reduction in plaques and clinical progression was associated with a
      reduction in oxidative stress. The results justify a larger study to define the
      efficacy of the combination of Pycnogenol(r) plus CA as a prophylaxis in
      preclinical atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26505328
TI  - PET Imaging of Steroid Hormone Receptor Expression.
AB  - Steroid hormone receptor (SHR) expression and changes in SHR expression compared
      to basal levels, whether upregulated, downregulated, or mutated, form a
      distinguishing feature of some breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. These
      receptors act to induce tumor proliferation. In the imaging context, total
      expression together with modulation of expression can yield predictive and
      prognostic information. Currently, biopsy for histologic assessment of SHR
      expression is routine for breast and prostate cancer; however, the technique is
      not well suited to the heterogeneous tumor environment and can lead to incorrect
      receptor expression assignment, which precludes effective treatment. The
      development of positron emission tomography (PET) radioligands to image receptor
      expression may overcome the difficulties associated with tumor heterogeneity and
      facilitate the assessment of metastatic disease.

PMID- 26505329
TI  - Readmissions in HIV-Infected Inpatients: A Large Cohort Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hospital readmissions impose considerable physical and psychological
      hardships on patients and represent a high, but possibly preventable, cost for
      insurers and hospitals alike. The objective of this study was to identify patient
      characteristics associated with 30-day readmission among persons living with
      HIV/AIDS (PLWH) using a statewide administrative database and to characterize the
      movement of patients between facilities. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis of
      HIV-infected individuals in New York State using a comprehensive, all-payer
      database. SETTING: All hospitals in New York State. PARTICIPANTS: HIV-infected
      adults admitted to a medical service in 2012. PLWH identified using International
      Classification of Disease (ICD)-9 diagnosis codes 042 and V08. RESULTS: Of 23,544
      index hospitalizations, 21.8% (5121) resulted in readmission. Multivariable
      predictors of readmission included insurance status, housing instability,
      psychoses, multiple comorbid chronic conditions, substance use, and past
      inpatient and emergency department visits. Over 30% of readmissions occurred at a
      different facility than that of the initial hospitalization. CONCLUSION: A number
      of patient characteristics were independently associated with hospital
      readmission within 30 days. Behavioral health disorders and comorbid conditions
      may be the strongest predictors of readmission in PLWH. Readmissions, especially
      those in urban areas, often result in fragmented care which may compromise the
      quality of care and result in harmful discontinuity of medical treatment.

PMID- 26505330
TI  - Impact of Youth and Adolescent Friendly Services on Retention of 10-24-Year-Olds
      in HIV Care and Treatment Programs in Nyanza, Kenya.

PMID- 26505332
TI  - Is Genotype Testing Really Cost-Effective for Primary Resistance in Brazil?

PMID- 26505331
TI  - Comparison of Single-Visit and Multiple-Visit Measures of Retention in Care for
      HIV Monitoring and Evaluation.

PMID- 26505333
TI  - Web Camera Use of Mothers and Fathers When Viewing Their Hospitalized Neonate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mothers and fathers of neonates hospitalized in a neonatal intensive
      care unit (NICU) differ in their experiences related to NICU visitation. PURPOSE:
      To describe the frequency and length of maternal and paternal viewing of their
      hospitalized neonates via a Web camera. METHODS/SEARCH STRATEGY: A total of 219
      mothers and 101 fathers used the Web camera that allows 24/7 NICU viewing from
      September 1, 2010, to December 31, 2012, which included 40 mother and father
      dyads. We conducted a review of the Web camera's Web site log-on records in this
      nonexperimental, descriptive study. FINDINGS/RESULTS: Mothers and fathers had a
      significant difference in the mean number of log-ons to the Web camera system (P
      = .0293). Fathers virtually visited the NICU less often than mothers, but there
      was not a statistical difference between mothers and fathers in terms of the mean
      total number of minutes viewing the neonate (P = .0834) or in the maximum number
      of minutes of viewing in 1 session (P = .6924). Patterns of visitations over time
      were not measured. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Web camera technology could be a
      potential intervention to aid fathers in visiting their neonates. Both parents
      should be offered virtual visits using the Web camera and oriented regarding how
      to use the Web camera. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: These findings are important to
      consider when installing Web cameras in a NICU. Future research should continue
      to explore Web camera use in NICUs.

PMID- 26505335
TI  - Polymorphisms of the bovine MC3R gene and their associations with body
      measurement traits and meat quality traits in Qinchuan cattle.
AB  - The melanocortin 3 receptor (MC3R) gene, which belongs to the rhodopsin-like
      family A of the G protein-coupled receptor family, plays a crucial role in feed
      efficiency and energy homeostasis. The aim of this study was to examine
      associations between bovine MC3R gene polymorphisms and body measurement traits
      (BMTs) and meat quality traits (MQTs). We identified three synonymous mutations
      (T429C, T537C, and T663C) in exon 1 of the MC3R gene in Chinese Qinchuan beef
      cattle (N = 271) by sequencing. D' and r(2) values revealed that these three SNPs
      were in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) (r(2) > 0.33); the T429C and T537C
      SNPs were in complete LD (D' = 1 and r(2) = 1). Association analyses revealed
      that the SNPs were significantly associated with BMTs and MQTs in Qinchuan
      cattle. Individuals with the wild homozygotic genotypes g.TTTT and g.TT had
      significantly higher values of chest depth, heart girth, back fat thickness,
      intramuscular fat content, and loin muscle area than the mutant heterozygotic
      genotypes g.TCTC and g.TC. These results suggest that the MC3R gene affects MQTs
      in Qinchuan cattle, and that it may be a good candidate gene for marker-assisted
      selection.

PMID- 26505336
TI  - Regulation of the expression of zinc finger protein genes by microRNAs enriched
      within acute lymphoblastic leukemia-derived microvesicles.
AB  - Microvesicles (MVs) are submicrometric membrane fragments that can "engulf"
      cytoplasmic contents such as microRNAs (miRNAs) from their cellular origin. The
      study of miRNAs carried within MVs might provide insights into the roles that
      miRNAs play in the underlying pathophysiologic processes of acute lymphoblastic
      leu-kemia (ALL). We identified numerous dysregulated MV miRNAs in patients with B
      and T-cell ALL by using Agilent microarray analysis. Selected miRNAs obtained by
      microarray profiling were validated us-ing quantitative reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction. Us-ing bioinformatic tools, we found that 118 and 116
      miRNAs from B- and T-ALL MVs, respectively, regulated the expression of zinc
      finger protein (ZFP) genes. For example, zinc finger protein 238 (ZNF238), known
      as a tumor suppressor, was regulated by miR-20b over-expres-sion. Conversely,
      ZNF267, a cancer-promoting factor, was mediated by downregulated miR-23a and miR
      23b. Considering that miRNAs are generally believed to repress gene expression,
      antineoplastic ZNF238 was likely inhibited while the level of oncogenic ZNF267
      was likely increased by miRNA dysregulation, leading to modifica-tion of the ALL
      microenvironment. In addition, gene ontology and sig-naling pathway analysis
      demonstrated that a subset of the ZFP genes targeted by altered MV miRNAs are
      involved in cellular biological processes including proliferation,
      differentiation, apoptosis, and cell cycle regulation. These findings indicated
      that cancer-associated MV miRNAs and their target ZFP genes might be novel
      pathogenic factors in ALL. However, the specific roles exerted by MV miRNAs and
      their target ZFP genes on the pathological mechanisms of ALL remain to be further
      understood.

PMID- 26505337
TI  - Inhibition of gap junctions relieves the hepatotoxicity of TNF-alpha.
AB  - The aim of this study was to observe the influence of gap junction (GJ)
      functional changes on the hepatotoxicity of TNF-alpha. Three different methods
      were employed to study functional effects of the GJ inhibition: 1) pretreatment
      with a GJ inhibitor; 2) inoculation of cells at high and low densities; and 3)
      inhibition of the expression of connexin 32 (Cx32) by small inhibitory RNA
      transfection. We then observed the influence of these treatments on
      hepatotoxicity following treatment with different concentrations of TNF-alpha for
      various duration. The hepatotoxicity of TNF-alpha was observed to occur in a dose
      and time-dependent manner; after pretreatment inhibition, the hepatotoxicity of
      TNF-alpha was significantly reduced (P < 0.01). The hepatotoxicity of TNF-alpha
      was also found to be remarkably lower in cells that had been inoculated at low
      density (as measured by the amount of GJ formation among cells) than in those
      inoculated at density (P < 0.01). In addition, following Cx32 inhibition, the
      hepatotoxicity of TNF-alpha was significantly decreased (P < 0.01) as well.
      Together, these results suggest that inhibition of GJ function or of its
      component Cx32 significantly decreases the hepatotoxicity of TNF-alpha, and that
      the expression of Cx32 plays an important role in the hepatotoxicity of TNF
      alpha.

PMID- 26505338
TI  - miR-71b regulation of insulin/IGF-1 signaling during starvation in planarians.
AB  - Planarians, which have a large population of stem cells called neoblasts, are
      molecularly tractable model systems used in the study of regeneration. However,
      planarians have strong resistance to hunger and have developed growth arrest
      strategies. For example, they can change their size and undergo growth regression
      during starvation periods. The results of the current study show that the
      microRNA, miR-71b, and the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway have important
      functions in the development of starvation-induced planarians. We demonstrate
      tissue-specific expression of miR-71b using in situ hybridization. By employing
      real-time polymerase chain reaction, we provide evidence that miR-71b is
      upregulated in starvation-induced planarians. Furthermore, we validate and verify
      the target genes of miR-71b.

PMID- 26505339
TI  - Relationship of EGFR DNA methylation with the severity of non-small cell lung
      cancer.
AB  - The aim of this study was to study the relationship of EGFR DNA methylation with
      the severity of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We enrolled 54 patients with
      NSCLC between March 2013 and June 2014 from Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
      in our hospital. The methylation levels in the promoter region of the EGFR gene
      in cancerous and pericarcinomatous tissue were tested by pyrosequencing. EGFR
      mRNA expression levels were detected by real-time reverse-transcription
      polymerase chain reaction. The SPSS software was used for data analysis. We found
      that EGFR gene methylation levels showed no significant differences among
      patients of different gender, age, or smoking status. EGFR DNA methylation levels
      significantly increased (P < 0.05) following NSCLC malignancy upgrading, and
      showed negative correlation with mRNA expression (P = 0.041). DNA methylation
      levels of cancerous tissues were significantly higher compared to the
      corresponding pericarcinomatous tissues (P < 0.05) at stages I, II, and IIIA. The
      methylation levels at loci 3, 6, 9 among the detected CpG islands were higher in
      the cancer tissues at each stage (P < 0.05). In summary, our results suggest that
      the DNA methylation levels of EGFR can be used as an important indicator for the
      stage of cancer tissue malignancy.

PMID- 26505340
TI  - Characterization and development of chloroplast microsatellite markers for
      Gossypium hirsutum, and cross-species amplification in other Gossypium species.
AB  - Cotton is an important economic crop worldwide; its fiber, commonly known as
      cotton lint, is the main natural source for the textile industry. Sixty
      chloroplast microsatellites were identified and characterized from the complete
      sequence of the Gossypium hirsutum chloroplast genome using a bioinformatic
      approach. Twenty chloroplast microsatellite loci were polymorphic in the 66
      Gossypium germplasm accessions. A total of 85 alleles were detected, with allele
      numbers varying from 2-7 per locus. Polymorphism information content varied from
      0.02-0.66, with a mean of 0.48. Additionally, transferability of the 20
      polymorphic chloroplast microsatellite primers was evaluated in other 31
      Gossypium species. Sixteen markers were successfully amplified across all species
      tested, while the remaining 4 markers cross-amplified in most species tested.
      These polymorphic chloroplast microsatellite markers may be useful tool for
      studies of individual identification, genetic diversity, evolution, conservation
      genetics, and molecular breeding in Gossypium.

PMID- 26505341
TI  - Repairing rabbit radial defects by combining bone marrow stroma stem cells with
      bone scaffold material comprising a core-cladding structure.
AB  - We prepared a bone scaffold material comprising a PLGA/beta-TCP core and a Type I
      collagen cladding, and recombined it with bone marrow stroma stem cells (BMSCs)
      to evaluate its potential for use in bone tissue engineering by in vivo and in
      vitro experiments. PLGA/beta-TCP without a cladding was used for comparison. The
      adherence rate of the BMSCs to the scaffold was determined by cell counting. Cell
      proliferation rate was determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5
      diphenyltetrazolium bromide method. The osteogenic capability was evaluated by
      alkaline phosphatase activity. The scaffold materials were recombined with the
      BMSCs and implanted into a large segmental rabbit radial defect model to evaluate
      defect repair. Osteogenesis was assessed in the scaffold materials by
      histological and double immunofluorescence labeling, etc. The adherence number,
      proliferation number, and alkaline phosphatase expression of the cells on the
      bone scaffold material with core-cladding structure were significantly higher
      than the corresponding values in the PLGA/beta-TCP composite scaffold material (P
      < 0.05). An in vivo test indicated that the bone scaffold material with core
      cladding structure completely degraded at the bone defect site and bone formation
      was completed. The rabbit large sentimental radial defect was successfully
      repaired. The degradation and osteogenesis rates matched well. The bone scaffold
      with core-cladding structure exhibited better osteogenic activity and capacity to
      repair a large segmental bone defect compared to the PLGA/beta-TCP composite
      scaffold. The bone scaffold with core-cladding structure has excellent physical
      properties and biocompatibility. It is an ideal scaffold material for bone tissue
      engineering.

PMID- 26505342
TI  - Interferon-alpha-2b as an adjuvant therapy prolongs survival of patients with
      previously resected oral muscosal melanoma.
AB  - Two major subtypes of melanoma include cutaneous melanoma and mucosal melanoma.
      The latter type is rare and usually occurs in the head and neck region. High-dose
      interferon-alpha-2b (IFN-alpha-2b) has proven effective in the treatment of
      cutaneous melanoma. Recently, a regimen of temozolomide plus cisplatin was
      reported more likely to improve relapse-free survival and overall survival than
      high-dose IFN-alpha-2b for mucosal melanoma. We conducted this study to analyze
      the therapeutic effect of high-dose IFN-alpha-2b for patients with oral mucosal
      melanoma who had received prior chemotherapy. One hundred and seventeen patients
      with stage III-IVa oral mucosal melanoma who had received chemotherapy were
      analyzed. The overall survival and relapse-free survival were compared between
      the patients with/without high-dose IFN-alpha-2b. The results indicate that the
      IFN-alpha-2b treatment group had a longer relapse-free survival rate (P = 0.0169)
      as compared to the control group. However, the overall survival was not
      significant between the two groups (P = 0.096), except in patients in stage IVa,
      whose overall survival increased by 20 months (P = 0.0146). The adverse reactions
      included a drug-induced influenza-like syndrome, gastrointestinal responses,
      myelosuppression, and hepatoxicity, which were predominantly of grade 1-2 and
      reversible. Thus, patients with resected oral mucosal melanoma, even those who
      have received chemotherapy, could benefit from the treatment of high-dose IFN
      alpha-2b.

PMID- 26505343
TI  - Expression of the 2-dehydro-3-deoxyphosphooc-tonate aldolase (KdsA) gene in
      mulberry leaves (Morus alba L.) is down-regulated under high salt and drought
      stress.
AB  - The oligosaccharide 3-deoxy-d-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid (Kdo) is a key component
      of lipopolysaccharide in Gram-negative bacteria, and is also part of the pectic
      polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan (RG-II) of the plant cell wall. The enzyme KDO
      8-phosphate synthase (KDO8Ps), encoded by the 2-dehydro-3-deoxyphosphooctonate
      aldolase (KdsA) gene, catalyzes the first step in the synthesis of Kdo. In this
      study, the complete coding sequence of the KdsA gene from mulberry leaves was
      cloned and the primary structure of KDO8Ps was deduced. Alignment of the amino
      acid sequence of KDO8Ps from mulberry with those of five other plant species
      revealed a high level of evolutionary conservation. A phylogenetic tree analysis
      demonstrated a short genetic distance among KDO8Ps proteins of different species.
      Expression of the KdsA gene was higher in the second leaves than in the eighth
      leaves of mulberry, and was down-regulated under conditions of high salt or
      drought stress. Our results suggest that KdsA expression is important for the
      growth of new plant tissues, and is sensitive to harsh environments.

PMID- 26505344
TI  - Immunological characteristics of outer membrane protein omp31 of goat Brucella
      and its monoclonal antibody.
AB  - We examined the immunological characteristics of outer membrane protein omp31 of
      goat Brucella and its monoclonal antibody. Genomic DNA from the M5 strain of goat
      Brucella was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and cloned into the
      prokaryotic expression vector pGEX-4T-1. The expression and immunological
      characteristics of the fusion protein GST-omp31 were subjected to preliminary
      western blot detection with goat Brucella rabbit immune serum. The Brucella
      immunized BALB/c mouse serum was detected using purified protein. The high
      potency mouse splenocytes and myeloma Sp2/0 cells were fused. Positive clones
      were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to establish a hybridoma cell
      line. Mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with hybridoma cells to prepare
      ascites. The mAb was purified using the n-caprylic acid-ammonium sulfate method.
      The characteristics of mAb were examined using western blotting and enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. A 680-base pair band was observed after polymerase chain
      reaction. Enzyme digestion identification and sequencing showed that the pGEX-4T
      1-omp31 prokaryotic expression vector was successfully established; a target band
      of approximately 57 kDa with an apparent molecular weight consistent with the
      size of the target fusion protein. At 25 degrees C, the expression of soluble
      expression increased significantly; the fusion protein GST-omp31 was detected by
      western blotting. Anti-omp31 protein mAb was obtained from 2 strains of Brucella.
      The antibody showed strong specificity and sensitivity and did not cross-react
      with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis, or Bacillus pyocyaneus. The pGEX-4T-1-omp31 prokaryotic expression
      vector was successfully established and showed good immunogenicity. The antibody
      also showed strong specificity and good sensitivity.

PMID- 26505345
TI  - Genome-wide identification, classification, and expression analysis of sHSP genes
      in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp pekinensis).
AB  - Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are essential for the plant's normal
      development and stress responses, especially the heat stress response. The
      information regarding sHSP genes in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp
      pekinensis) is sparse, hence we performed a genome-wide analysis to identify sHSP
      genes in this species. We identified 26 non-redundant sHSP genes distributed on
      all chromosomes, except chromosome A7, with one additional sHSP gene identified
      from an expressed sequence tag library. Chinese cabbage was found to contain more
      sHSP genes than Arabidopsis. The 27 sHSP genes were classified into 11
      subfamilies. We identified 22 groups of sHSP syntenic orthologous genes between
      Chinese cabbage and Arabidopsis. In addition, eight groups of paralogous genes
      were uncovered in Chinese cabbage. Protein structures of the 27 Chinese cabbage
      sHSPs were modeled using Phyre2, which revealed that all of them contain several
      conserved beta strands across different subfamilies. In general, gene structure
      was conserved within each subfamily between Chinese cabbage and Arabidopsis,
      except for peroxisome sHSP. Analysis of promoter motifs showed that most sHSP
      genes contain heat shock elements or variants. We also found that biased gene
      loss has occurred during the evolution of the sHSP subfamily in Chinese cabbage.
      Expression analysis indicated that the greatest transcript abundance of most
      Chinese cabbage sHSP genes was found in siliques and early cotyledon embryos.
      Thus, genome-wide identification and characterization of sHSP genes is a first
      and important step in the investigation of sHSPs in Chinese cabbage.

PMID- 26505346
TI  - Characterization of OsPM19L1 encoding an AWPM-19-like family protein that is
      dramatically induced by osmotic stress in rice.
AB  - The plant-specific AWPM-19-domain proteins play important roles in plant
      development and stress responses. In the current study, OsPM19L1 encoding Oryza
      sativa AWPM-19-like protein 1 was isolated from rice. Tissue-specific gene
      expression analysis revealed that OsPM19L1 was highly expressed in the leaf
      sheath of rice. Interestingly, expression of OsPM19L1 was high at the early stage
      of panicle development and decreased thereafter. qRT-PCR analysis indicated that
      OsPM19L1 was dramatically induced by 20% PEG stress (>600-fold), exogenous
      abscisic acid (>350-fold), salt and cold stress. Subcellular localization assay
      suggested that the OsPM19L1-GFP (green fluorescent protein) fusion protein was
      localized in the membrane system in rice cells. Moreover, under stress
      conditions, OsPM19L1 expression was enhanced in an ABI5-Like1 (ABL1) deficiency
      rice mutant, abl1, suggesting that ABL1 negatively regulates OsPM19L1 gene
      expression. Thus, OsPM19L1 appears to be closely associated with stress tolerance
      through ABA-dependent pathway in rice.

PMID- 26505347
TI  - AMP-activated protein kinase regulates autophagic protection against cisplatin
      induced tissue injury in the kidney.
AB  - Although the nephrotoxicity of cisplatin has been well documented as a major side
      effect of chemotherapy, the exact mechanism by which prosurvival and apoptotic
      pathways interplay to determine renal pathology remains elusive. Recent studies
      suggested that autophagy might serve as an adaptive mechanism to promote cell
      survival during acute kidney injury (AKI). We have used AKI as a disease model to
      investigate the mechanism regulating the cytoprotective role of autophagy in
      cisplatin-induced tissue damage. Pharmacological inhibitors such as chloroquine
      were used to manipulate autophagy during AKI, and DNA damage was evaluated by
      using the cellular marker gammaH2AX. Cisplatin induced extensive DNA damage
      during AKI. Autophagy activation served as a survival strategy to suppress
      cisplatin-induced DNA damage in the pathology of AKI both in vitro and in vivo.
      Interestingly, in the kidney, cisplatin treatment can activate AMP-activated
      protein kinase (AMPK), a signaling molecule that is also critical for p53
      mediated inactivation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways. As a
      result, inhibition or knockdown of AMPK can lead to repressed autophagy in
      cisplatin-induced AKI, resulting in more DNA damage. Activation of AMPK regulates
      autophagy during cisplatin-induced AKI. Given the fact that p53 can regulate
      autophagy by inactivating mTOR via AMPK, our results suggest that the p53 pathway
      may also play a critical role in the pathogenesis of cisplatin-induced renal
      damage. This study may further our understanding of the physiological roles of
      autophagy in the pathogenesis of renal injuries, and thus may have pathological
      implications in the clinical setting.

PMID- 26505348
TI  - Effect of IL-1beta, IL-8, and IL-10 polymorphisms on the development of
      myocardial infarction.
AB  - Myocardial infarction (MI) is currently a leading cause of death worldwide, and
      is caused by various environmental and genetic factors. We therefore conducted a
      case-control study to investigate the association between polymorphisms in
      interleukins IL-1beta, IL-8, and IL-10 and MI risk. This study recruited 260 MI
      patients and 285 control subjects. Genotyping of IL-1beta +3954C/T, IL-8 -251T/A,
      IL-10 -1082A/G, and IL-10 -819C/T were assessed using the polymerase chain
      reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. By comparing the risk
      factors of MI between the case and control groups, we discovered that MI patients
      were more likely to have smoking and drinking habits, have a history of
      hypertension and diabetes, have higher triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol levels, and a lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (P <
      0.05). Unconditional regression analyses showed that subjects carrying the GG
      genotype of the IL-10 -1082A/G polymorphism were associated with increased risk
      of MI, and the OR (95%CI) was 2.04 (1.15-3.65). Our study found that the IL-10 
      1082A/G polymorphism plays an important role in influencing the development of
      MI.

PMID- 26505349
TI  - Effects of BCL2 transfection on the cell cycle and proliferation of human GES-1
      cells.
AB  - We investigated the effects of BCL2 transfection on the cell cycle and
      proliferation of GES-1 cells. A pcDNA3-BCL2 plasmid was used to transfect GES-1
      cell line human gastric epithelial cells. Clones were obtained by G418 screening.
      BCL2-positive cells were identified by fluorescence immunohistochemistry. The
      pcDNA3-BCL2 vectors carrying the NeoR gene were transfected into GES-1 cells,
      while the empty plasmid was transfected into the same cells as controls. BCL2
      positive clones were screened by neomycin 418 (G418). Flow cytometry was used to
      detect the cell cycle. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining revealed
      morphological changes, and the effects of BCL2 transfection on cell proliferation
      were analyzed by cell counting and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5
      diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The plasmid pcDNA3-BCL2 was identified by
      restriction enzyme digestion. Different degrees of BCL2 gene expression were
      detected in all seven clones. BCL2 was expressed mainly in the cytoplasm and the
      nuclear membrane. There were significantly more S-phase cells in the transfection
      group than in the controls. The morphology did not change after H&E staining.
      Cell growth was faster than in the controls after transfection for 6 days. At 24,
      48, and 72 h after transfection, the A values were 4.15 +/- 0.31, 5.98 +/- 0.56,
      and 8.94 +/- 0.79; those of the controls were 3.01 +/- 0.20, 4.76 +/- 0.52, and
      7.69 +/- 0.84; there was a significant difference between the two groups (P <
      0.05). BCL2 transfection increased GES-1 cells in the S phase; the GES-1 cells
      were stable and BCL2 expression was high, which promoted cell proliferation.

PMID- 26505350
TI  - Molecular cloning and characterization of a proliferating cell nuclear antigen
      gene by chemically induced male sterility in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).
AB  - Although a number of studies have shown that chemical hybridizing agents (CHAs)
      affect anther growth and regulate cell-cycle progression, little is known about
      the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved. Proliferating cell nuclear
      antigen (PCNA) is an essential factor in DNA replication, and in many other
      processes in eukaryotic cells. In this study, the open reading frame of TaPCNA,
      the PCNA in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), was cloned by reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Sequence analysis revealed that this gene was
      792-bp long and encoded a protein with 234 amino acids. Alignment of the TaPCNA
      predicted sequence revealed a high degree of identity with PCNAs from other plant
      species. A subcellular localization assay indicated that TaPCNA was localized in
      the nucleus. The TaPCNA was cloned into the prokaryotic expression plasmid
      pET32a, and the recombinant plasmid was transformed into BL21 (DE3). TaPCNA
      expression was induced by 0.5 mM isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside and
      verified using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and
      western blot assays, which indicated that the fusion protein was successfully
      expressed. The gene involved in the G1-to-S transition, Histone H4, was
      downregulated by 1376- CIMS, which is a chemically induced male sterility line.
      However, a semi-quantitative RT-PCR revealed that TaPCNA expression was
      upregulated in 1376-CIMS. Our results suggest that CHAs (SQ-1) induce DNA damage
      in wheat anthers. DNA damage results in either the delay or arrest of cell-cycle
      progression, which affects anther development. This study will help to elucidate
      the mechanisms of SQ-1-induced male sterility.

PMID- 26505351
TI  - Analysis of the drug-resistant characteristics of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated
      from the respiratory tract and CTX-M ESBL genes.
AB  - The main aim of this study was to understand the relationship between the drug
      resistant characteristics of Klebsiella pneumoniae and CTX-M-type extended
      spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), and to detect the distributions of CTX-M-type
      ESBLs in clinically isolated strains. CTX-M ESBL genes isolated from the clinical
      samples were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and identified by sequence
      analysis; the antibiotic susceptibility of the samples was determined using the
      Kirby-Bauer disc-diffusion method. One hundred and five strains among the 246
      isolated strains of K. pneumoniae tested positive for ESBL production (42.68%);
      92 of these produced CTX-M ESBLs. Of the 92 CTX-M ESBL strains, 81 produced CTX-M
      1 ESBLs and 11 produced CTX-M-25 ESBLs. Fifty-seven of the CTX-M-1 ESBL- and six
      of the CTX-M-25 ESBL-producing bacteria had CTX-M ESBL genes that coexisted in
      the plasmid and chromosome. The Kirby-Bauer antibiotic susceptibility method
      revealed that CTX-M ESBL-positive strains showed a higher rate of resistance to
      cefazolin, cefoxitin, cefuroxime, ceftazidime, cefotaxime, aztreonam,
      levofloxacin, and cotrimoxazole, compared to the CTX-M ESBL-negative strains (P <
      0.05). The CTX-M ESBL genes were commonly observed in the K. pneumoniae isolated
      from respiratory tract samples; these were significantly associated with the drug
      resistant characteristics of K. pneumoniae to beta-lactam antibiotics.

PMID- 26505352
TI  - A putative miR172-targeted CeAPETALA2-like gene is involved in floral patterning
      regulation of the orchid Cymbidium ensifolium.
AB  - APETALA2 plays critical roles in establishing meristem and organ identity during
      plant floral development. In this study, we obtained a CeAP2-like gene by using
      the mRNA differential display technique to analyze the wild type and a multitepal
      mutant of the orchid Cymbidium ensifolium. The full-length cDNA encoding the
      CeAP2-like transcription factor shows significant similarity to the cDNA of AP2
      from Erycina pusilla and contains nucleotides complementary to miR172. Using a
      transient gene expression system of Arabidopsis protoplasts, we found that the
      accumulation of CeAP2-like protein and transcripts was negatively regulated by
      miR172, indicating this gene as a putative target of miR172. Northern blotting
      revealed that CeAP2-like is dominantly expressed in the sepals and petals of the
      wild-type flower, and shows low expression in the gynostemium. In contrast, the
      accumulation of CeAP2-like transcripts decreased significantly, especially in the
      central part of the mutant flower, corresponding to its abnormal petals and the
      absence of the gynostemium. Furthermore, we found an antagonistic expression
      pattern between CeAP2-like and AGAMOUS in the wild type, representing A- and C
      class genes that specify floral organ fate. However, this antagonistic
      distribution was modified in the multitepal mutant, and both genes showed lower
      expression than that in the wild type. This result suggested that the balance
      between CeAP2-like and AGAMOUS activity was important for the regulation of
      floral patterning in C. ensifolium. This study represents the first report on a
      class A gene and its regulatory role for floral development in the orchid C.
      ensifolium.

PMID- 26505353
TI  - Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis in dogs in Brazil: epidemiology, co-infection,
      and clinical aspects.
AB  - Leishmaniasis is an endemic disease present in 98 countries. In Brazil, the
      northeast region accounts for approximately half of the cases in humans, and has
      experienced an increased number of positive cases in dogs. In this study, we
      investigated the epidemiology of canine leishmaniasis in the city of Ilheus,
      Bahia, using serological and molecular techniques and evaluated the possible
      environmental risk factors and associated clinical signs. Blood samples were
      collected from 560 dogs in urban and peri-urban areas in Ilheus, northeastern
      Brazil. Genomic DNA was extracted from the selected animals and subjected to
      molecular analysis using Leishmania species-specific primers and diagnosis of
      Trypanosoma cruzi. A total of 54.72% of dogs were positive for Leishmania
      braziliensis, and animals positive for both Leishmania infantum and T. cruzi were
      not identified. Hematologic variables were not statistically associated with
      cases of L. braziliensis. However, the positive animal group showed lower red
      blood cell and platelet counts and higher levels of urea and serum creatinine.
      Few dogs presented clinical signs compatible with the presence of Leishmania. Age
      of more than 2 years and specific hair colors were associated with positive
      results for L. braziliensis. The geoclimatic characteristics of the region may
      improve parasite survival, reproduction, and vectors. This may explain the higher
      rate of dogs identified as positive in this study.

PMID- 26505354
TI  - CCDC26 rs4295627 polymorphism (8q24.21) and glioma risk: a meta-analysis.
AB  - The association between the CCDC26 rs4295627 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)
      and the glioma risk has been studied previously, but these studies have yielded
      conflicting results. The aim of the present study is to analyze this association
      more vigorously, by means of a meta-analysis. A comprehensive literature search
      was performed in databases PubMed and EMBASE. Six articles including 12 case
      control studies in English with 11,368 controls and 5891 cases were eligible for
      the meta-analysis. We conducted subgroup analyses by the source of controls,
      ethnicity, and country. Our meta-analysis revealed that the rs4295627 SNP was
      associated with the glioma risk in a heterozygote model (TG versus TT: odds ratio
      = 1.35, 95% confidence interval = 1.26-1.45, P = 0.066). Moreover, our results
      suggested that the rs4295627 SNP was associated with a notably increased risk of
      glioma among Caucasians except for Swedes in 4 models (the homozygote model,
      recessive model, dominant model, and additive model). Nonetheless, in Sweden and
      China, the results showed no associations. No evidence of the publication bias
      was uncovered. Thus, our meta-analysis suggests that the rs4295627 SNP is
      associated with an increased risk of glioma. Additional studies are needed to
      derive more precise conclusion.

PMID- 26505355
TI  - Gene expression profiling of somatic and pluripotent cells reveals novel pathways
      involved in reprogramming.
AB  - We investigated gene expression in embryonic stem (ES) cells, induced pluripotent
      stem (iPS) cells, and fibroblasts. Microarray expression data sets obtained from
      the Gene Expression Omnibus were analyzed using the Partek software. Human genes
      from ES cells, iPS cells, and fibroblasts were ranked from low to high according
      to their expression levels. The gene expression mode in iPS cells was much more
      like the mode in ES cells, and the expression levels of fibroblast genes
      fluctuated more dramatically than those of iPS and ES cells. The number of genes
      with significantly different expression was lower in the iPS and ES cells.
      Several genes with the expression levels that were significantly different
      between ES and iPS cells were found, including LEFTY2, DLK1, and NLRP2. Four
      genes belonged to the low expression category in fibroblasts with the high
      expression category occurring in ES cells, i.e., HESRG, PROM1, NTS, and LRRN1.
      Analyzing the expression of these genes is helpful to elucidate the mechanisms of
      cell fate regulation and efficiently obtain iPS cells.

PMID- 26505356
TI  - Distribution and localization of abnormally expressed OPTN proteins in RGC5
      retinal ganglion cells and their effects on subcellular morphology.
AB  - The objectives of this study were to investigate the distributions of abnormally
      expressed optineurin (OPTN) proteins in retinal ganglion cells (RGC5s) of
      transgenic rats and their effects on subcellular morphological structures. Green
      fluorescent protein labeled EGFP wild-type (OPTN(WT)), E50K mutant type
      (OPTN(E50K)), and OPTN siRNA (si-OPTN) eukaryotic expression plasmids were
      constructed and transfected into RGC5s. Intracellular structures were labeled
      with organelle specific fluorescent dyes. Construct localization and cell
      morphologies were visualized by confocal fluorescence microscopy. OPTN(WT) was
      observed to be distributed as fine punctate fluorescent particles in the
      cytoplasm around the nucleus, along with exhibiting nuclear expression. OPTNE50K
      exhibited similar distribution but with non-uniform fluorescence particle size.
      si-OPTN distribution was similar to that of EGFP: uniform across the cytoplasm
      and nucleus. Compared with the negative control group, OPTN(WT), and OPTN(E50K)
      and to a lesser degree pEGFP-transfected cells exhibited fracture and loss of
      myofilament proteins and mitochondrial swelling and cytoplasmic accumulation,
      along with abnormal lysosomal distribution and increased volume, and Golgi
      fragmentation. However, si- OPTN transfected cells exhibited no significant
      damage. Therefore, we demonstrated that the E50K mutation disrupts the uniformity
      of OPTN protein distribution upon exogenous overexpression. Furthermore, these
      results suggested that si-OPTN transfection, and thus potentially OPTN knockdown,
      did not impact subcellular morphology of RGC5 cells, whereas transfection,
      especially when combined with wild-type or mutant OPTN expression, led to
      substantial abnormalities in subcellular morphological structures. These findings
      lay a foundation for further research into the function of the OPTN protein.

PMID- 26505357
TI  - Genetic analyses, phenotypic adaptability and stability in sugarcane genotypes
      for commercial cultivation in Pernambuco.
AB  - In the present study, we assessed the agro-industrial performance of 22 sugarcane
      genotypes adaptable to edaphoclimatic conditions in production microregions in
      the State of Pernambuco, Brazil, and we recommended the commercial cultivation of
      select genotypes. The variables analyzed were as follows: sucrose percentage in
      cane juice, tonnage of saccharose per hectare (TPH), sugarcane tonnage per
      hectare (TCH), fiber, solid soluble contents, total recoverable sugar tonnage
      (ATR), and total recoverable sugar tonnage per hectare (ATR t/ha). A randomized
      block design with 4 repeats was used. Combined variance of the experiments,
      genetic parameter estimates, and environment stratification were analyzed.
      Phenotypic adaptability and stability were analyzed using the Annicchiarico and
      Wricke methods and analysis of variance. Genetic gain was estimated using the
      classic index and sum of ranks. Genotype selection was efficient for TPH, TCH,
      and ATR t/ha. Genotypes presented a great potential for improvement and a similar
      response pattern in Litoral Norte and Mata Sul microregions for TPH and TCH and
      Litoral Norte and Litoral Sul microregions for ATR t/ha. Genotypes SP78-4764,
      RB813804, and SP79-101 showed better productivity and phenotypic adaptability and
      stability, according to the Wricke and Annicchiarico methods. These genotypes can
      be recommended for cultivation in the sugarcane belt in the State of Pernambuco.

PMID- 26505358
TI  - Construction of a hepatocellular carcinoma cell line that stably expresses
      stathmin with a Ser25 phosphorylation site mutation.
AB  - We constructed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells that stably express stathmin
      with a Ser25 phosphorylation site mutation (stathmin S25A). We used the
      polymerase chain reaction for site-directed mutagenesis, constructed a stathmin
      S25A plasmid, and verified the results by restriction enzyme cleavage and
      sequencing technology. Using the liposome transfection method, stathmin wild-type
      and S25A HCCLM6 cells were established, which were identified by western
      blotting. The sequencing report of the stathmin S25A plasmid showed that stathmin
      serine at position 25 had mutated into alanine. Stable cells transfected with
      stathmin wild-type and S25A plasmids were constructed. Using western blotting, we
      confirmed that the expression level of stathmin pS25 in the stathmin S25A cells
      was reduced than that in the stathmin wild-type and HCCLM6 control cells (P <
      0.05). We constructed stathmin S25A HCCLM6 cells, which offer an experimental
      model for further investigation of the molecular mechanism of stathmin
      phosphorylation in hepatocarcinogenesis.

PMID- 26505359
TI  - Molecular cloning and expression analysis of five GhRAXs in upland cotton
      (Gossypium hirsutum L.).
AB  - The formation of axillary meristems in leaf axils is a prerequisite for the
      development of lateral shoots, which largely contribute to plant architecture.
      Several transcription factor-encoding genes, including CUC3, RAX, LAS, LOF1, and
      ROX, have been cloned by screening for axillary meristem mutants in Arabidopsis
      thaliana. These genes will facilitate our understanding of the mechanisms
      underlying axillary meristem development. In this study, we report the cloning of
      five genes from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) that are orthologous to A.
      thaliana REGULATORS OFAXILLARY MERISTEMS (RAX) and tomato Blind (Bl), and they
      are designated GhRAX1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Sequence analyses indicated that all five
      genes shared conserved protein domains with RAX and Bl. Phylogenetic analyses of
      protein sequences revealed that GhRAX2/3/4 were close to RAX1, whereas GhRAX1 and
      GhRAX5 were close to RAX3. Expression patterns of these genes in different
      tissues were also analyzed using real-time PCR.

PMID- 26505360
TI  - Characterization of allele-specific expression of the X-linked gene MAO-A in
      trophectoderm cells of bovine embryos produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer.
AB  - Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) may affect epigenetic mechanisms and alter
      the expression of genes related to embryo development and X chromosome
      inactivation (XCI). We characterized allele-specific expression of the X-linked
      gene monoamine oxidase type A (MAO-A) in the trophectoderm (TF) of embryos
      produced by SCNT. Total RNA was isolated from individual biopsies (N = 25), and
      the allele-specific expression assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain
      reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Both paternal and maternal
      alleles were expressed in the trophectoderm. However, a higher frequency of the
      mono-allelic expression of a specific allele was observed (N = 17; 68%), with the
      remaining samples showing the presence of mRNA from both alleles (N = 8; 32%).
      Considering that MAO-A is subject to XCI in bovine, our results suggest that SCNT
      may influence XCI because neither an imprinted (mono-allelic expression in all
      samples) nor a random (presence of mRNA from both alleles in all samples) pattern
      of XCI was observed in TF. Due to the importance of XCI in mammalian embryo
      development and its sensitivity to in vitro conditions, X-linked genes subject to
      XCI are candidates for use in the development of embryo quality molecular markers
      for assisted reproduction.

PMID- 26505361
TI  - Effect of NB-UVB on levels of MCP-1 and CCR6 mRNA in patients with psoriasis
      vulgaris.
AB  - The aim of this study is to explore the effect of narrow band ultraviolet B (NB
      UVB) on the chemokine receptor CCR6 mRNA levels in patients with psoriasis.
      Psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) values were recorded before and after
      the treatment with NB-UVB phototherapy of 30 psoriasis vulgaris patients. The
      reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method was used to detect the
      expression level of CCR6 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and compared
      with 30 healthy subjects. The PASI value of the 30 psoriasis vulgaris patients
      decreased significantly after 15 iterations of phototherapy treatment (P < 0.01).
      The expression level of CCR6 mRNA in psoriasis patients was significantly higher
      than in the healthy controls (P < 0.01), while the expression level of CCR6 mRNA
      decreased significantly after phototherapy (P < 0.01). Reduction of CCR6 level
      may be one of the mechanisms through which NB-UVB can treat psoriasis. 

PMID- 26505362
TI  - Spermatogenesis and nucleolar behavior in Triatoma vandae and Triatoma williami
      (Hemiptera, Triatominae).
AB  - This study describes spermatogenesis in Triatoma vandae and the nucleolar
      behavior of T. vandae and Triatoma williami, with a cytotaxonomic focus. Analysis
      of mitotic and meiotic metaphases of T.vandae confirms the species karyotype. T.
      vandae presents some characteristics during meiosis that differentiate it from T.
      williami, including the presence of a chromocenter with two sex chromosomes
      individualized during early prophase, and the presence of a bi- or tripartite
      corpuscle inpolyploid nuclei. It was possible to observe the compaction of
      chromatin during prophase resulting in holocentric chromosomes. During
      metaphase,the autosomes presented a ring shape and the sex chromosomes were in
      the center of the ring. These chromosomes were separated in anaphase. Although it
      is common, we did not observe the phenomenon of late migration of the sex
      chromosomes. By means of silver ion impregnation it was possible to describe
      nucleologenesis in T. vandae and T. williami. In both species we observed
      persistence of the nucleolar material duringmeiosis. In addition to the cells in
      meiotic division, we also observed the presence of polyploid nuclei in the
      seminiferous tubule walls that nourish the cells during cell division. The
      nucleolar markings reflect their capacity for synthetic activity. T. vandae and
      T. williami presented only one nucleolar corpuscle, which reflects low synthetic
      activity. This study confirms the karyotype of T. vandae, describes
      characteristics that differentiate T. vandae and T. williami during meiosis, and
      describes the phenomenon of nucleolar persistence in both species.

PMID- 26505363
TI  - Expression patterns of Doppel in differential ovine PRNP genotypes:
      quantification using real-time RT-PCR.
AB  - Doppel is a homologue of cellular prion protein (PrP)-like protein (PrPC).
      Different tissue samples were collected from the central nervous system plus four
      regions of lymphoid system, eleven regions of digestive tract and two
      reproductive organs from four ARR/ARQ and four ARH/ARQ sheep, genotypes of the
      PrP gene. Total RNA was isolated from these samples, and Doppel mRNA was
      quantified by real-time RT-PCR using SYBR Green. Doppel mRNA expression was
      higher in the ovary, hypothalamus and brain than in other tissues, and it
      significantly differed between the two genotypes in brain, ileum, cecum, rectum,
      colon, and uterus. This study demonstrated that Doppel mRNA expression in sheep
      with ARR/ARQ or ARH/ARQ genotypes was very different. These findings could be
      helpful in future studies of the relationship between PrP and Doppel.

PMID- 26505364
TI  - Cloning and sequence analysis of the coding sequence of beta-actin cDNA from the
      Chinese alligator and suitable internal reference primers from the beta-actin
      gene.
AB  - beta-Actin is an essential component of the cytoskeleton and is stably expressed
      in various tissues of animals, thus, it is commonly used as an internal reference
      for gene expression studies. In this study, a 1731-bp fragment of beta-actin cDNA
      from Alligator sinensis was obtained using the homology cloning technique.
      Sequence analysis showed that this fragment contained the complete coding
      sequence of the beta-actin gene (1128 bp), encoding 375 amino acids. The amino
      acid sequence of beta-actin is highly conserved and its nucleotide sequence is
      slightly variable. Multiple alignment analyses showed that the nucleotide
      sequence of the beta-actin gene from A. sinensis is very similar to sequences
      from birds, with 94-95% identity. Ten pairs of primers with different product
      sizes and different annealing temperatures were screened by PCR amplification,
      agarose gel electrophoresis, and DNA sequencing, and could be used as internal
      reference primers in gene expression studies. This study expands our knowledge of
      beta-actin gene phylogenetic evolution and provides a basis for quantitative gene
      expression studies in A. sinensis. 

PMID- 26505366
TI  - Association analysis of IL-17A and IL-17F polymorphisms in Chinese women with
      cervical cancer.
AB  - We selected six tagged single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the interleukin
      17A (IL-17A) and IL-17F genes, and evaluated the relationship between the six
      common SNPs and environmental factors in cervical cancer patients. Polymerase
      chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to detect the IL
      17A (rs2275913, rs3748067, and rs3819025) and IL-17F (rs763780, rs9382084, and
      rs1266828) SNPs. The associations between IL-17A and IL-17F gene polymorphisms
      and risk of cervical cancer were estimated by conditional logistic regression.
      Compared with the control subjects, the cervical cancer patients had a lower age
      at first live birth, a habit of smoking, a family history of cancer, and a
      greater incidence of human papillomavirus-16 or 18 infections. The logistic
      regression analysis showed that the variant AA genotype of rs2275913 was
      associated with a significantly higher risk of cervical cancer than the wild-type
      GG genotype (OR = 1.99, 95%CI = 1.12-3.50). However, no evidence of the
      association was observed between rs3748067, rs3819025, rs763780, rs9382084, and
      rs1266828 polymorphisms and the risk of cervical cancer. We suggest that
      rs2275913 may play a role in the etiology of cervical cancer. These findings
      could be helpful in identifying individuals at increased risk of developing
      cervical cancer.

PMID- 26505365
TI  - Significance of detecting IgH and TCRgamma gene rearrangements in patients with
      hemopoietic maligancies by real-time quantitative PCR.
AB  - The aim of our study was to investigate the association of IgH and TCRgamma gene
      rearrangements in hematological malignancies with the disease and clinical
      application. IgH and TCRgamma gene rearrangements were determined in 69 paraffin
      and bone marrow specimens with SYBR Green I fluorescent dye and RQ-PCR method,
      including 21 paraffin-embedded tissues of the onset cases and 48 bone marrow
      samples, representing 15 ALL and 25 AML cases. After chemotherapy, 8 cases were
      NHL; the 10 cases of the negative control group were healthy people. Among the
      ALL cases, the IgH rearrangement occurred in 80.0%, the TCRgamma rearrangement in
      46.7%, and both gene rearrangements in 46.7%. Among the AML cases, the IgH
      rearrangement occurred in 72.0%, the TCRgamma rearrangement in 68.0%, and both
      gene rearrangements in 60.0%. In the lymphoma cases, the IgH rearrangement
      occurred in 93.1%, the TCRgamma rearrangement in 51.7%, and both gene
      rearrangements in 44.8%. In the negative control group, the 10 cases were all
      negative. There was the phenomenon of "sequence-non-fidelity" in the hematologic
      malignancies; the detection rate of both genes was much higher than that of the
      single gene. The application of the RQ-PCR method in the detection of IgH and
      TCRgamma gene rearrangements in hematologic malignancies has important clinical
      significance in MRD monitoring.

PMID- 26505367
TI  - Assessment of correlation between pre-miRNA-1757 polymorphism and chicken
      performance traits.
AB  - Single nucleotide polymorphism in microRNAs (miRNA) may influence their target
      gene selection and regulation efficiency, leading to animal phenotypic variation.
      The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible effect of single nucleotide
      polymorphisms in the miRNA-1757 gene precursor region (pre-mir-1757) on economic
      related traits in chicken. Genotyping was performed using Sequenom MassArray(r)
      iPLEX GOLD System. Association analysis was performed using SPSS19.0. The data
      showed that the G/C polymorphism was significantly correlated with semi
      evisceration weight, evisceration weight, carcass weight, body weight at 10 weeks
      of age, shank length at 4 weeks of age, pectoral angle at 8 weeks of age, and
      body slanting length and pelvis breadth at 12 weeks of age (P < 0.05), and led to
      the alteration of the RNA secondary structure of pre-mir-1757. Our results
      provide useful information for further annotation studies of miRNA function.

PMID- 26505368
TI  - Association of a miR-34b binding site single nucleotide polymorphism in the 3'
      untranslated region of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene with
      susceptibility to male infertility.
AB  - This study aims to explore the possible associations between a genetic variation
      in the miR-34b binding site in the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of the
      methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene (rs55763075) with male
      infertility in a Chinese population. Genotype distributions of the rs55763075
      single nucleotide polymorphism were investigated by polymerase chain reaction and
      direct sequencing in a Chinese cohort that included 464 infertile men with
      idiopathic azoospermia or oligospermia and 458 controls with normal fertility.
      Overall, no significant differences in the distributions of the genotypes of the
      MTHFR rs55763075 polymorphism were detected between the infertility and control
      groups. A statistically significant increased risk of male infertility was found
      for carriers of the rs55763075 AA genotype when compared with homozygous carriers
      of the rs55763075 GG genotype in the azoospermia subgroup (OR = 1.721; 95% CI =
      1.055-2.807; P = 0.031). Furthermore, we found that rs55763075 was associated
      with folate and homocysteine levels in patients with idiopathic azoospermia. Our
      results indicated that the MTHFR 3'-UTR rs55763075 polymorphism might modify the
      susceptibility to male infertility with idiopathic azoospermia.

PMID- 26505369
TI  - Development of SNP markers and their application for genetic diversity analysis
      in the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis).
AB  - The genetic evaluation of oil palm germplasm collections is required for insight
      into the variability among populations. The information obtained is also useful
      for incorporating new genetic materials into current breeding programs. Single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been widely used in many plant genetic
      studies due to the availability of large numbers of genomic sequences and
      expressed sequence tags. The present study examined 219 oil palms collected from
      two natural Angolan populations, a few hundred kilometers apart. A total of 62
      SNPs were designed from oil palm genomic sequences and converted to cleaved
      amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS). Of these, nine were found to be
      informative across the two populations. The nine informative SNPs revealed mean
      major allele frequency of 0.693. The average expected and observed
      heterozygosities were 0.398 and 0.400, respectively. The mean polymorphism
      information content was 0.315 (ranging between 0.223 and 0.375). None of the loci
      deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and no rare alleles were detected. In
      cluster analysis using unweighted pair group method with arithmetic, the 219 oil
      palms fell into two clusters. This was further supported by the population
      structure analysis result (K = 2), suggesting that the samples were divided into
      two main genetic groups. However, the two groups did not coincide with the
      geographic populations. Analysis of molecular variance indicated that within
      population variation contributed 93% of the total genetic variation. This study
      showed that SNP-based CAPS markers are useful for studying the genetic diversity
      of oil palm and have potential application for marker-trait association studies. 

PMID- 26505370
TI  - Comparison of dimensionality reduction methods to predict genomic breeding values
      for carcass traits in pigs.
AB  - A significant contribution of molecular genetics is the direct use of DNA
      information to identify genetically superior individuals. With this approach,
      genome-wide selection (GWS) can be used for this purpose. GWS consists of
      analyzing a large number of single nucleotide polymorphism markers widely
      distributed in the genome; however, because the number of markers is much larger
      than the number of genotyped individuals, and such markers are highly correlated,
      special statistical methods are widely required. Among these methods, independent
      component regression, principal component regression, partial least squares, and
      partial principal components stand out. Thus, the aim of this study was to
      propose an application of the methods of dimensionality reduction to GWS of
      carcass traits in an F2 (Piau x commercial line) pig population. The results show
      similarities between the principal and the independent component methods and
      provided the most accurate genomic breeding estimates for most carcass traits in
      pigs.

PMID- 26505371
TI  - Phylogenetic analysis of Elymus (Poaceae) in western China.
AB  - Elymus L. is often planted in temperate and subtropical regions as forage.
      Species in the genus have 5 allopolyploid genomes that are found in the grass
      tribe Triticeae. To determine the phylogenetic relationships in Elymus species
      from western China, we estimated phylogenetic trees using sequences from the
      nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer and non-coding chloroplast DNA
      sequences from 56 accessions (871 samples) of 9 polyploid Elymus species and 42
      accessions from GenBank. Tetraploid and hexaploid Elymus species from western
      China had independent origins, and Elymus species from the same area or
      neighboring geographic regions were the most closely related. Based on the
      phylogenetic tree topology, the St- and Y-genomes were not derived from the same
      donor and Y-genome likely originated from the H-genome of Hordeum species, or
      they shared the same origin or underwent introgression. The maternal genome of
      tetraploid and hexaploid Elymus species originated from species of Hordeum or
      Pseudoroegneria. Additionally, Elymus species in western China began diverging 17
      8.5 million years ago, during a period of increased aridification as a
      consequence of the Messinian salinity crisis. Elymus species adapted to drought
      and high salinity may have developed based on the environmental conditions during
      this period. Elymus evolution in western China may have been affected by the
      uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (5 million years ago), when Elymus seeds
      were dispersed by gravity or wind into a newly heterogeneous habitat, resulting
      in isolation.

PMID- 26505372
TI  - Optimization of candidate proteins for serological screening of Chlamydia
      trachomatis infection.
AB  - The aim of this study was to optimize candidate antigen proteins for serological
      screening of Chlamydia trachomatis infection. C. trachomatis positive serum and
      swabs of genital secretions were collected from 50 patients in the Tianjin
      Medical University General Hospital, as well as from 30 patients negative for C.
      trachomatis. Samples were assessed by colloidal gold assay in a sexually
      transmitted disease clinic as follows: serum antibodies for eight kinds of C.
      trachomatis immunodominant proteins (Pgp3, CPAF, CT143, CT101, CT694, CT875,
      CT813, and IncA) were detected, and two traditional gold standards,
      immunofluorescence and C. trachomatis cell culture of genital secretions, were
      used for comparison in order to determine the antigen protein combinations with
      the highest sensitivity and specificity. Of the 50 samples that tested positive
      for C. trachomatis infection by colloidal gold assay, 44 tested positive by micro
      immunofluorescence, whereas 6 tested negative. In contrast, 14 samples tested
      positive by cell culture, whereas 36 tested negative. Serological results of the
      immunodominant protein combination of Pgp3, CT694, and CT875 shared positive
      coincidence rates of 97.73 and 92.86% with C. trachomatis micro
      immunofluorescence and cell culture, respectively. No antibodies of the three
      proteins were detected in the 30 C. trachomatis samples that tested negative by
      colloidal gold assay; these samples also tested negative in C. trachomatis
      genital secretion culture. Overall, the combination of the three immunodominant
      proteins Pgp3, CT694, and CT875 had good sensitivity and specificity for
      serological screening of C. trachomatis infection, and the process was simple and
      easy to apply.

PMID- 26505373
TI  - Protective effect of thymoquinone on cholestatic rats with liver injury.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of thymoquinone
      treatment on cholestatic rats with liver injury. Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats
      were divided randomly into four groups: normal control, bile duct ligation model
      control, low-dose thymoquinone (25 mg/kg), and high-dose thymoquinone (50 mg/kg).
      Thymoquinone gavage was administered continuously 3 days before bile duct
      ligation, and saline, at the same volume, was administered to the control group.
      The rats were sacrificed after 2 weeks of treatment, and the liver tissues were
      obtained and frozen. The contents of hydroxyproline (HP), malondialdehyde (MDA),
      superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the homogenate of
      the liver tissues were determined to evaluate the changes in hepatic tissue
      pathology by fibrosis scoring. The HP and MDA levels were significantly lower and
      the SOD and GPx levels were significantly higher in the thymoquinone-treatment
      group than the corresponding levels in the model control group, and the
      differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05) and dose-dependent. The
      hepatic necrosis areas and hepatic fibrosis scores of the thymoquinone-treatment
      groups were significantly lower than those of the model group (P < 0.05).
      Thymoquinone increased the antioxidative capacity of liver and reduced the
      oxidative stress damage to the liver. Thymoquinone can be used as a liver
      protectant in patients with cholestasis. 

PMID- 26505374
TI  - Lack of an association between matrix metalloproteinase polymorphisms and
      coronary heart disease in a Han Chinese population.
AB  - Coronary heart disease (CHD) has become a leading cause of human deaths
      worldwide. Recent studied showed that polymorphisms of the matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP) genes played important roles in extracellular matrix
      remodeling and contribute to the pathogenesis of vascular diseases. Here, we
      investigated whether these MMP gene polymorphisms were associated with CHD in Han
      Chinese. Our case-control study was involved with 1509 unrelated individuals,
      including 777 CHD cases and 732 controls. We selected a total of five
      polymorphisms whose genotypes were determined using Sequenom iPLEX technology.
      Our results showed there were no significant associations between the five MMP
      gene polymorphisms and CHD risk at either genotype or allele levels (P > 0.05).
      Further subgroup analyses by sex were also unable to reveal any significant
      association (P > 0.05). In conclusion, no significant associations were found
      between the five MMP gene polymorphisms and the risk of CHD in Han Chinese. 

PMID- 26505375
TI  - Intestinal lactic acid bacteria from Muscovy duck as potential probiotics that
      alter adhesion factor gene expression.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to assess the suitability of lactic acid bacteria
      (LABs) isolated from Muscovy duck as a potential probiotic. Isolates were
      identified by targeted polymerase chain reaction and assessed in vitro for
      probiotic characteristics such as autoaggregation; surface-charge;
      hydrophobicity; tolerance to acidic pH, bile salts and protease; and expression
      of genes involved in Caco-2 cell adhesion. The LAB isolates exhibited strong
      resistance to high bile concentration and acidic pH, produced lactic acid, and
      bacteriostatic (P < 0.05) were identified as bacilli compared with LAB isolates
      of cocci. Additionally, the LAB isolates showed high sensitivity to penicillin
      and tetracycline antibiotics, while they were resistant to ofloxacin,
      Macrodantin, and cotrimoxazole. The level of F-actin mRNA increased in the groups
      treated with CM3, Salmonella enterica, and CM3 + S. enterica (P < 0.0001, P <
      0.05 and P < 0.05 ). The level of cell adhesion molecule (CAM) and E-cadherin (E
      cad) mRNA expression was significantly lower in the treatment group (P < 0.05 for
      both) than in the control. The F-actin, CAM, and E-cad mRNA levels were
      significantly lower in the S. enterica and CM3 + S. enterica groups (P < 0.01)
      than in the CM3 group. Among these, RNA levels were higher in the CM3 + S.
      enterica than S. enterica group. These results indicate that the natural duck gut
      microflora is an excellent source for probiotic bacteria and can facilitate the
      establishment of criteria to select probiotic strains for the prevention of
      diarrhea. 

PMID- 26505376
TI  - Haplo-block structure of Southern African village chicken populations inferred
      using genome-wide SNP data.
AB  - This study investigated the haplo-block structure, haplotype sharing, and
      diversity in extensively raised chicken populations of Southern Africa. Two
      hundred ninety village chickens from Malawi (N = 30), South Africa (N = 132), and
      Zimbabwe (N = 128) were included in the study, from which 649, 2104, and 2442
      haplo-blocks were observed, respectively. The majority of haplo-blocks were
      smaller than 25 kb in size and only five blocks were more than 2000 kb in size.
      The low chromosomal coverage of haplo-blocks observed across the genome suggests
      that multiple recombination events fragmented the ancestral haplo-blocks into
      smaller sizes. Haplo-block sharing was observed between populations with 2325
      haplo-blocks common between Zimbabwe and Malawi and 2689 between South Africa and
      Zimbabwe. Haplotype sharing allows transferability of genomic tools between these
      extensively raised chicken populations of Southern Africa. The unique haplo
      blocks could have originated from isolated evolution taking place in specific
      agro-ecological zones. Quantitative trait loci analysis revealed that genes
      related to body composition were spanned by these haplo-blocks. Body composition
      traits are important for village chicken populations, which have to harness poor
      quality feed obtained from the environment to meet their maintenance and
      production needs. 

PMID- 26505377
TI  - Characterization of HSP70 and its expression in tissue: correlation with
      physiological and immune indices in goose (Anser cygnoides) serum.
AB  - We cloned the goose heat shock protein 70 gene (HSP70), to determine its sequence
      variation and elucidate its mRNA expression. We designed primers to amplify the
      entire goose HSP70 sequence. We used 10 commercial Wuzong goslings in a heat
      stress experiment. We collected tissue samples for RNA extraction and
      quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). We analyzed the
      variation in expression of goose HSP70 before and after heat stress. We
      constructed a DNA pool from six different species, for single nucleotide
      polymorphism (SNP) screening. We detected 18 SNPs and selected three of these
      SNPs for correlation analysis with biological and immune traits in 200 Wuzong
      geese. We showed that T+237C was significantly correlated with the serum
      corticosterone level, whereas T+1122C was significantly correlated with the
      heterophil to lymphocyte ratio. Goose HSP70 contained no introns. The results of
      qRT-PCR analysis revealed significant gender differences in the expression of
      goose HSP70 at 40 degrees C but not at 25 degrees C; moreover, in general,
      expression was significantly higher at 40 degrees C than at 25 degrees C. With
      the exception of the leg muscle and cerebellum, HSP70 expression was
      significantly higher in male geese than in female geese. Our results indicate
      that goose HSP70 plays an important role in response to severe heat stress.

PMID- 26505378
TI  - Lack of association between the vitamin D receptor polymorphism rs2228570 and
      chronic periodontitis in a Han Chinese population.
AB  - The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is involved in the immune response and bone
      metabolism, both of which are implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic
      periodontitis (CP). In this study, we investigated the association between the
      VDR single nucleotide polymorphism rs2228570 and CP susceptibility in a Han
      Chinese population consisting of 440 moderate or severe CP patients and 324
      controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from buccal epithelial cells and genotyped
      using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight-mass
      spectrometry. No significant difference in allelic or genotypic frequencies
      distributions for rs2228570 was found between CP patients and controls. In
      conclusion, we found no statistically significant association between rs2228570
      and CP in our population.

PMID- 26505379
TI  - Restriction-ligation-free (RLF) cloning: a high-throughput cloning method by in
      vivo homologous recombination of PCR products.
AB  - In this study, we optimized a restriction-ligation-free (RLF) method to save time
      and cost of constructing multiple plasmids with the same gene insert, and
      examined the efficacy of RLF on high-throughput multi-plasmid cloning. This
      method utilizes the precise DNA repair and recombination systems within
      Escherichia coli, which allows to bypass the in vitro restriction and ligation
      enzyme reactions commonly included in routine cloning procedures. A homologous
      arm is linked to the 5'-end of the forward primer used to amplify both the target
      gene and vector. A different homologous arm is linked to the 5'-end of the
      reverse primer. Therefore, genes can be cloned into the vectors by homologous
      recombination after co-transformation of the amplified target gene and the
      linearized vector, which bear the same homologous arm on either end. More than
      twenty-four different plasmids were generated by this method, which uses two
      simple polymerase chain reaction steps. This method is highly efficient in
      cloning any gene of interest into any vector at any site without sequence
      constraints, as no restriction and ligation reactions are required. 

PMID- 26505380
TI  - Analysis of ITS1 sequences and genetic relationships between populations of
      ridgetail white prawn, Exopalaemon carinicauda, in the East China Sea.
AB  - Internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) sequences from wild-type Exopalaemon
      carinicauda (N = 124) from the East China Sea were amplified and sequenced.
      Sequences were polymorphic and ranged from 388 to 583 bp in length. The average
      content of GC in sequences was significantly higher than that of AT. Altogether,
      604 mutant sites with 123 haplotypes were detected; 46.7% were polymorphic sites.
      The genetic diversity index of population Y was highest, and the lowest was
      population X. Eight microsatellite sequences were detected; the most-repeated
      sequences were (GA)n, (AG)n, (GT)n, (TG)n, (TC)n, and (CT)n. Analysis of
      molecular variance revealed that genetic differentiation among the four
      populations were very weak, or modest. A molecular evolutionary tree was
      constructed using the neighbor-joining method and MEGA 6.0, and the phyletic
      evolutionary relationships among several Palaemonidae species examined. The
      phylogenetic tree showed that individuals of the same species, as well as the
      species of the same genus, clustered together, consistent with morphological
      classifications.

PMID- 26505381
TI  - Gli1 expression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and its clinical
      significance.
AB  - The aim of this study was to explore the correlation between the expression
      levels of Gli1 and p53 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and its
      pathological significance. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was employed to measure the
      expression level of Gli1 and p53 in 85 sets of paraffin-embedded PDAC and
      corresponding para-carcinoma tissue specimens. The relationship between these
      results and the respective patients' clinicopathologic parameters was analyzed.
      IHC staining revealed that the expression levels of Gli1 and p53 in cancer
      tissues were evidently higher than that of para-carcinoma tissues (P < 0.05);
      while Gli1 expression levels correlated with the corresponding TNM stage and
      tumor infiltration depth, p53 expression level correlated with the respective TNM
      stage (P < 0.05). Taken together, this study demonstrates increased expression of
      Gli1 and p53 in PDAC, and proves that Gli1 could be apotential biomarker for
      prognostic judgment.

PMID- 26505382
TI  - APOA5 -1131T/C polymorphism and coronary artery disease susceptibility in Chinese
      population: an updated meta-analysis and review.
AB  - Although many studies have investigated the association of the APOA5 -1131T/C
      polymorphism with coronary artery disease (CAD), definite conclusions have not
      been drawn. To understand the effects of the APOA5 -1131T/C polymorphism on the
      risk of developing CAD, we performed an updated meta-analysis in the Chinese
      population. Relevant studies published till April 2015 were identified from
      databases such as PubMed, Springer Link, Ovid, Chinese Wanfang Data Knowledge
      Service Platform, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chinese Biology
      Medicine. A total of 19 studies including 3983 patients and 4358 controls were
      involved in this meta-analysis. The crude OR with 95%CI was calculated to assess
      the strength of the association. With the pooled data from the studies included
      in this meta-analysis, we found a significant association between the APOA5 
      1131T/C polymorphism and CAD risk in the Chinese population (C vs T: OR = 1.34,
      95%CI = 1.16-1.54; CC vs TT: OR = 1.73, 95%CI = 1.30-2.30; CC vs TT and TC: OR =
      1.51, 95%CI = 1.17-1.95; CC vs TC: OR = 1.30, 95%CI = 1.03-1.65). Stratified
      analyses according to the geographical location and source of controls revealed
      significantly increased risk in South China and in population-based studies. In
      conclusion, our meta-analysis provides substantial evidence that the APOA5 
      1131T/C polymorphism might contribute to CAD development in the Chinese
      population. 

PMID- 26505383
TI  - Genetic variation and genetic structure of the endangered species Sinowilsonia
      henryi Hemsi. (Hamamelidaceae) revealed by amplified fragment length polymorphism
      (AFLP) markers.
AB  - Comprehensive research of genetic variation is crucial in designing conservation
      strategies for endangered and threatened species. Sinowilsonia henryi Hemsi. is a
      tertiary relic with a limited geographical distribution in the central and
      western areas of China. It is endangered because of climate change and habitat
      fragmentation over the last thousands of years. In this study, amplified fragment
      length polymorphism markers were utilized to estimate genetic diversity and
      genetic structure in and among S. henryi. In this study, Nei's genetic diversity
      and Shannon's information index were found to be 0.192 and 0.325 respectively,
      indicating a moderate-to-high genetic diversity in species. According to analysis
      of molecular variation results, 32% of the genetic variation was shown to be
      partitioned among populations, demonstrating a relatively high genetic
      divergence; this was supported by principal coordinate analysis and unweighted
      pair-group method with arithmetic average analysis. Moreover, the Mantel test
      showed that there was no significant correlation between genetic and geographical
      distances. The above results can be explained by the effects of habitat
      fragmentation, history traits, and gene drift. Based on the results, several
      implications were indicated and suggestions proposed for preservation strategies
      for this species.

PMID- 26505384
TI  - Determination of patellar ligament and anterior cruciate ligament geometry using
      MRI.
AB  - Ligament geometry is crucial to surgical treatment success in anterior cruciate
      ligament (ACL) injury. This study aimed to optimize the MRI technique to
      elucidate the geometry of the patellar ligament (PL) and ACL in vivo. A 1.5-T
      superconducting MRI system with a special surface coil and fast spin echo was
      used to acquire high-resolution T1-weighted images (H-T1WI) of the ACL. The
      sagittal plane angle was 10 degrees  to 15 degrees  towards the inner side of the
      vertical line of the tangent line axis of the femoral intercondylar fossa. The H
      T1WI images of the PL were centered at the lower margin of the patella and the
      center of the tibial tuberosity. The lengths of the PL and ACL were measured
      using a Radworks 5.1 workstation. ACL and PL lengths were compared between left
      and right knees and between genders, and left PL length measurements obtained
      separately by three doctors underwent correlation analysis. The quality of the
      images satisfied the clinical measurement requirements. The duration of sagittal
      image acquisition was 2 min and 25 s. The average PL length was 42.20 +/- 4.21
      and 40.15 +/- 4.00 mm, and the average ACL length was 36.98 +/- 4.12 and 35.80 +/
      4.67 mm, in male and female subjects, respectively. The intraclass correlation
      coefficients of the PL lengths obtained by the three specialists were greater
      than 0.997. This MRI technique provides highly stable and repeatable in vivo data
      of PL and ACL geometry relevant to ACL reconstruction surgery with PL grafts.

PMID- 26505385
TI  - Relationship between SPOP mutation and breast cancer in Chinese population.
AB  - SPOP protein has been found to have ubiquitin ligase activity. Mutations in SPOP
      gene have been recently reported in some cancers such as prostate, gastric,
      colorectal cancer. We investigated SPOP DNA mutation in tumor tissues collected
      from 70 Chinese female breast cancer patients in Southwestern China by DNA
      sequencing. The results did not show mutation in our tissue samples, indicating
      that a mutation in the SPOP gene may not be associated with breast cancer,
      particularly in Chinese women. This DNA mutation analysis or DNA genotyping may
      provide useful and important information for genetic counseling and personalized
      medical treatment for different types of cancers. 

PMID- 26505386
TI  - Effects of high intensity exhaustive exercise on SOD, MDA, and NO levels in rats
      with knee osteoarthritis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of high intensity exhaustive
      exercise on nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase
      (SOD) expression in rats with knee osteoarthritis. Sprague Dawley rats were
      randomly divided into control (N = 5) and model (N = 35) groups; the model group
      was further divided into quiet (N = 5), low- (N = 15) and high- (N = 15)
      intensity exhaustive exercise groups. The low- and high-intensity groups were
      randomly divided into pre-exercise (N = 5), immediate post-exercise (N = 5), and
      24-h post-exercise (N = 5) groups according to different time points for
      detection. NO, MDA, and SOD levels were compared between each group. The SOD
      levels in the quiet, low-, and high-intensity exhaustive exercise groups were
      lower than that in the control group, whereas the NO and MDA levels were higher
      in the former groups than in the controls (P < 0.05). The SOD level in the 24-h
      post-low intensity exhaustive exercise group was higher than that in the 24-h
      post-high intensity exhaustive exercise group, whereas the NO and MDA levels were
      lower in the 24-h post-low intensity than in the post-high intensity exercise
      group (P < 0.05). Overall, the results demonstrated that with the increase of
      exercise intensity, the SOD activity in the rats with knee osteoarthritis
      decreased gradually, whereas the MDA and NO levels gradually increased. Thus, the
      greater the exercise intensity, the more serious the impact on knee
      osteoarthritis. 

PMID- 26505387
TI  - Role of salubrinal in protecting cardiomyocytes from doxorubicin-induced
      apoptosis.
AB  - We determined whether salubrinal can protect cardio-myocytes from doxorubicin
      induced apoptosis and explored the related mechanisms to provide experimental
      evidence for exploring novel drug candidates to decrease cardiac toxicity.
      Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were isolated, cultured in vitro, and pretreated with
      salubrinal (10, 20, or 40 MUM) to observe their response to doxorubicin-induced
      cell apoptosis. Lactate dehydrogenase assay, terminal deoxynucleotidyl
      transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end-labeling staining, and
      flow cytometry were used to assess the extent of cardiomyocyte apoptosis.
      Fluorescent probes conjugated with 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate and a
      chemiluminescence assay were used to detect the pro-duction of reactive oxygen
      species. Western blotting was employed to quantify expression levels of cleaved
      caspase-3, cytosolic cytochrome c, and B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xL). The
      mechanisms of salubrinal-related functions were also explored. Salubrinal
      effectively inhibited doxorubicin-induced reactive oxygen species production and
      nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activation, decreased the
      levels of cleaved caspase-3 and cytosol cytochrome c, and increased Bcl-xL
      expression, thereby protecting cardiomyocytes from doxorubicin-induced apoptosis.
      Furthermore, salubrinal was found to protect cardiomyocytes by decreasing the
      dephosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2alpha (eIF2alpha).
      Salubrinal can protect cardiomyocytes from doxorubicin-induced apoptosis through
      its effects on eIF2alpha. It possibly ameliorates cardiac toxicity and can be
      used in clinical practice.

PMID- 26505388
TI  - Resveratrol could reverse the expression of SIRT1 and MMP-1 in vitro.
AB  - Intervertebral disc degeneration is the main cause of lumbago disease, in which
      the extracellular matrix structure and moisture in the nucleus pulposus is lost
      continuously. In this study, we aimed to detect differential expression of
      silence mating type information regulation 2 homolog 1 (SIRT1) and matrix
      metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) in human intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus cells
      and to explore the effects of SIRT1 and MMP-1 on the development of the
      intervertebral disc degeneration. Intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus specimens
      from 41 patients who underwent lumbar protrusion resection at HuiZhou Municipal
      Central Hospital, during the period from October 2011 to December 2013, were
      studied in comparison with 23 control cases from patients who underwent fractured
      lumbar resection. In degenerated human intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus
      cells, the expression of SIRT1 is decreased and MMP-1 is increased compared with
      that of the control cells. Resveratrol could reverse these effects, thereby
      increasing the expression of SIRT1 (0.87 +/- 0.07 vs 0.54 +/- 0.04), Coll2alpha1
      (0.90 +/- 0.08 vs 0.38 +/- 0.01), and aggrecan (0.69 +/- 0.07 vs 0.42 +/- 0.05)
      and decreasing the expression of MMP-1 (0.61 +/- 0.03 vs 0.93 +/- 0.08). These
      results suggest that resveratrol could possibly reverse the process of
      intervertebral disc degeneration and thus could be applied as a potential drug
      for the disease.

PMID- 26505389
TI  - Determination of the potential of induced pluripotent stem cells to differentiate
      into mouse nucleus pulposus cells in vitro.
AB  - We determined the potential for induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to
      differentiate into nucleus pulposus (NP)-like cells in mice. iPS cells were
      generated from tail-tip fibroblasts. We used a pellet culture model with the aim
      of determining the applicability of iPS cell-based therapy to intervertebral disc
      degeneration (IVD). The cell pellet was cultured in an NP cell basal medium
      comprising Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with transforming
      growth factor beta 1, dexamethasone, ascorbate-2-phosphate, and 1% ITS-Premix.
      The pellet was evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain
      reaction, immunohistochemical staining, and biochemical composition. The
      differentiation of iPS cells into NP cells was demonstrated by the protein and
      mRNA expression levels of proteoglycan, collagen II, aggrecan, and CD24.
      Furthermore, increased hydroxyproline content and dimethylmethylene blue staining
      demonstrated that the collagen II and glycosaminoglycan content in the NP cells
      increased with time. We have shown that cultured mouse iPS cells can be induced
      to differentiate into NP cells. Such proof-of-concept opens up the possibility of
      producing patient-specific NP cells in a relatively simple and straightforward
      manner with high efficiency. We are confident that such cells could be
      immediately useful for the study of IVD disease. 

PMID- 26505390
TI  - Cloning and expression of the sucrose transporter gene PsSUT1 from tree peony
      leaf.
AB  - This study reports the cloning of a sucrose transporter gene, PsSUT1, from the
      leaf of tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa Lind. cv 'Huhong'). Expression patterns
      were examined in different organs and at different developmental stages. The full
      length cDNA of PsSUT1 consisted of a 2001-bp sequence containing a 1557-bp open
      reading frame, encoding 519 amino acids with a conserved domain typical of the
      glycoside-pentoside-hexuronide superfamily. The amino acid sequence of PsSUT1 in
      tree peony shared high homology with that of other plants. At different
      developmental stages, PsSUT1 was expressed in roots, stems, leaves, and petals.
      Its expression level in stems was 10.9-fold higher than in petals at the
      flowering stage. Expression of PsSUT1 at the flowering stage was highest during
      flower development. The significant differences in PsSUT1 expression observed
      among developmental stages and organs were closely related to changes in sucrose
      content during flower opening. These results form the basis for further research
      on the molecular mechanisms of carbohydrate metabolism and transport during
      flower development in tree peony.

PMID- 26505391
TI  - Gene annotation and functional analysis of a newly sequenced Synechococcus
      strain.
AB  - Synechococcus sp PCC 7336 represents a newly sequenced strain, and its genome is
      obviously different from that of other Synechococcus strains. In this analysis,
      local alignment and annotation databases were constructed and combined with
      various bioinformatic tools to carry out gene annotation and functional analysis
      of this strain. From this analysis, we identified 5096 protein-coding genes and
      47 RNA genes. Of these, 116 genes that were classified into 9 categories were
      associated with photosynthesis, and type V polymerase proteins that were
      identified are unique for this strain. An additional 107 genes were closely
      related to signal transduction pathways, which primarily comprised parts of two
      component regulatory systems. Gene ontogeny analysis showed that 2377 genes were
      annotated with a total number of 9791 functional categories, and specifically
      that 41 genes distributed in 4 protein complexes were involved in oxidative
      phosphorylation. Clusters of orthologous groups classification showed that there
      were 1463 homologous proteins associated with 17 specific metabolic pathways, and
      that most of the proteins participated in primary metabolic processes such as
      binding and catalysis. The phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA sequences
      indicated that Synechococcus PCC 7336 is highly likely to represent a new branch.

PMID- 26505392
TI  - Effect of Bcl-2-siRNA on proliferation and apoptosis of pediatric acute B
      lymphoblastic leukemia (A-BLL) cells.
AB  - This study analyzed the effect of small interfering RNA specific for the Bcl-2
      gene (siRNA Bcl-2) on the proliferation and chemotherapeutic sensitivity of
      pediatric A-BLL cells. Marrow samples were obtained from sixty newly-diagnosed A
      BLL pediatric patients. The Bcl-2 mRNA expression in these samples was quantified
      by real time polymerase chain reaction. The Bcl-2 mRNA re-expression was analyzed
      by RNA interference using Bcl-2-siRNA. Cellular proliferation was detected using
      the MTT (Thiazolyl Blue Tetrazolium Bromide) assay. The cell apoptosis was
      quantified by flow cytometry. The Bcl-2 mRNA expression was significantly higher
      in the drug-resistance group than in the chemotherapy sensitivity group prior to
      chemotherapy (P < 0.05). In addition, the Bcl-2 mRNA expression in the
      chemotherapy sensitivity group was significantly higher before chemotherapy than
      that after chemotherapy (P < 0.05). The Bcl-2 mRNA expression significantly
      decreased in the leukemic cells of the Bcl-2-siRNA transfection group. We
      observed statistically significant differences in the relative mRNA expression
      levels among the Bcl-2-siRNA transfection, blank control, liposome empty
      transfection, and unrelated sequence oligonucleotide groups (P < 0.05). The rate
      of apoptosis in pediatric A-BLL leukemic cells was observed to increase
      significantly after transfection with Bcl-2-siRNA compared to the control,
      liposome empty transfection, and unrelated sequence oligonucleotide groups (P <
      0.05). Therefore, we concluded that Bcl-2-siRNA can successfully inhibit the
      multiplicative capacity of A-BLL leukemic cells and promote apoptosis.

PMID- 26505393
TI  - Mining topological structures of protein-protein interaction networks for human
      brain-specific genes.
AB  - Compared to other placental mammals, humans have unique thinking and cognitive
      abilities because of their developed cerebral cortex composed of billions of
      neurons and synaptic connections. As the primary effectors of the mechanisms of
      life, proteins and their interactions form the basis of cellular and molecular
      functions in the living body. In this paper, we developed a pipeline for mining
      topological structures, identifying functional modules, and analyzing their
      functions from publically available datasets. A human brain-specific protein
      protein interaction network with 1482 nodes and 3105 edges was built using a
      MapReduce based shortest path algorithm. Within this, 7 functional cliques were
      identified using a network clustering method, 98 hub proteins were obtained by
      the calculation of betweenness and connectivity, and 5 closest relationship to
      clique connector proteins were recognized by the combination scores of
      topological distance and gene ontology similarity. Furthermore, we discovered
      functional modules interacting with TP53 protein, which involves several
      fragmented research study conclusions and might be an important clue for further
      in vivo or in silico experiments to confirm these associations.

PMID- 26505394
TI  - Prognostic significance of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma repair gene
      polymorphism.
AB  - The aims of this study were to analyze the polymorphisms XRCC1 Arg194Trp, XRCC1
      Arg399Gln, XRCC3 Thr241Met, XPC Lys939Gln, ERCC1 Asn118Asn, and RAD51 -98G>C and
      to verify their influence on radiotherapy response and prognosis of patients with
      head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Peripheral blood DNA was extracted
      from 311 patients and analyzed by PCR-RFLP. Our results showed that in irradiated
      oral and oropharyngeal patients, the 939Gln allele increased 6-fold local disease
      relapse risk (OR = 6.04; CI = 1.47-24.88) and over 2-fold the earliness of
      relapse (HR = 2.63; CI = 1.04-6.70). As for the XRCC3 polymorphism, multivariate
      analysis showed that the 241Met allele increases over 33-fold local relapse risk
      (OR = 33.64; CI = 3.23-350.85), over 12-fold earliness of relapse (HR = 12.55; CI
      = 2.47-63.73) and over 3-fold earliness of death (HR = 3.04; CI = 1.08-8.61). For
      polymorphism RAD51 -98, multivariate analysis showed that allele C increases over
      3-fold the risk of relapse (OR = 3.13; CI = 1.12-8.78) and over 2-fold the
      earliness of relapse (HR = 2.84; CI = 1.25-6.47). For polymorphism XRCC1
      Arg399Gln, multivariate analysis showed that the 399Gln allele increased the risk
      of local disease relapse for irradiated oral and oropharyngeal patients (OR =
      3.35; CI = 1.10-10.13) by over 3-fold. Based on these results, we suggest that
      these polymorphisms may be useful markers of prognosis in HNSCC.

PMID- 26505395
TI  - Molecular cloning, characterization and expression analysis of WAG-1 in the
      pistillody line of common wheat.
AB  - Wheat WAG-1 is a C-class MADS-box gene, which is orthologous to AGAMOUS in
      Arabidopsis. In this study, we report the cloning, characterization, and
      expression patterns of WAG-1 in the pistillody mutant HTS-1 and its sib-line
      CSTP. The cDNA of WAG-1 was found to be 765 bp in length, which was equal to the
      length of its open reading frame, encoding 254 amino acids. The location of WAG-1
      revealed that it has three homologous genes from the short arm of chromosome 1A,
      1B, and 1D. Their genomic sequences were determined to be 5864, 6454, and 6447 bp
      long, respectively, and possessed seven exons and six introns. Young spikes from
      HTS-1 contained higher levels of WAG-1 transcript than did those from CSTP, and
      the transcript levels in the young spikes (7-10 mm in length) of HTS-1 increased
      3.3-fold relative to those of the CSTP line. The transcript level in the pistil
      and pistil-like stamens of HTS-1 was over 2-fold higher than that in the stamens
      of CSTP, and expression in the pistil-like stamens of HTS-1 was slightly higher
      than that in its pistils. These data provide a basis for future research into the
      function of WAG-1, and offer further insight into the molecular mechanism of the
      pistillody mutation in common wheat.

PMID- 26505396
TI  - Protective effects of folic acid against central nervous system neurotoxicity
      induced by lead exposure in rat pups.
AB  - Recent studies found folic acid is associated with lower blood lead (Pb) levels,
      and folate deficient children are more susceptible to the negative cognitive
      effects of Pb. This study evaluated the protective effects of folate
      supplementation against Pb exposure in rat pups and the mechanisms of protection.
      A total of 72 rats were used. Thirty were administered Pb only; 30, Pb and folic
      acid at the same time; and 12, only physiological saline. Protective effects of
      folic acid were examined at 14, 21, and 28 days after treatment. Lower blood Pb
      levels were found in all of the samples collected from the rats treated with
      folic acid. Downregulation of Bc1-2 expression and upregulation of Bax expression
      were observed in the neurons of folic acid-treated rats. Significantly more
      hematoxylin and eosin stained neurons were found in the folic acid treatment
      group. Nuclear enrichment and neuron apoptosis were observed by electron
      microscopy in the Pb-treated group. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that
      folic acid supplementation might offer efficient protective effects against Pb
      poisoning in rat pups, which was associated with less neuron damage and lower
      blood levels of Pb. 

PMID- 26505397
TI  - Genetic variations in the UTR of genes related to molting in Eriocheir sinensis.
AB  - Crab grows by periodic molting, which is controlled by molt-inhibiting hormone
      (MIH) and ecdysteroids. Untranslated regions (UTRs) play crucial roles in the
      posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. In this study, using crab
      collected from Changjiang (Yangtze), Huanghe (Yellow), Liaohe, and Yalujiang
      rivers, 33 haplotypes of the 3?-UTR of ecdysteroid-regulated protein (ERP) gene
      were identified, of which 14 haplotypes were observed in more than one
      individual. One hundred and forty clones of haplotype h2 (41.5%) were observed in
      samples from all the 4 rivers. Three haplotypes were observed to be insertions.
      For the whole crab sample, we found a positive Tajima's D value and a negative
      Fu's Fs test (Tajima's D value = 0.98726; Fu's Fs test = -27.382), although the P
      values were not significant (P > 0.10). The network profile of these 33
      haplotypes presented a single core pattern with h2 as the core. In this study, we
      found that the UTR of ERP gene had a considerably high genetic polymorphism among
      crab from regions south to north of China. Furthermore, we observed a relatively
      high genetic divergence among different haplotypes, which would suggest a high
      diversity of the crab gene pool.

PMID- 26505398
TI  - Genetic divergence of physiological-quality traits of seeds in a population of
      peppers.
AB  - Brazil has a great diversity of Capsicum peppers that can be used in breeding
      programs. The objective of this study was to evaluate genetic variation in traits
      related to the physiological quality of seeds of Capsicum annuum L. in a
      segregating F2 population and its parents. A total of 250 seeds produced by
      selfing in the F1 generation resulting from crosses between UFPB 77.3 and UFPB 76
      were used, with 100 seeds of both parents used as additional controls, totaling
      252 genotypes. The seeds were germinated in gerboxes containing substrate
      blotting paper moistened with distilled water. Germination and the following
      vigor tests were evaluated: first count, germination velocity index, and root and
      shoot lengths. Data were subjected to analysis of variance, and means were
      compared by Scott and Knott's method at 1% probability. Tocher's clustering based
      on Mahalanobis distance and canonical variable analysis with graphic dispersion
      of genotypes were performed, and genetic parameters were estimated. All variables
      were found to be significant by the F test (P <= 0.01) and showed high
      heritability and a CVg/CVe ratio higher than 1.0, indicating genetic differences
      among genotypes. Parents (genotypes 1 and 2) formed distinct groups in all
      clustering methods. Genotypes 3, 104, 153, and 232 were found to be the most
      divergent according to Tocher's clustering method, and this was mainly due to
      early germination, which was observed on day 14, and would therefore be selected.
      Understanding the phenotypic variability among these 252 genotypes will serve as
      a basis for continuing the breeding program within this family.

PMID- 26505399
TI  - Association of interleukin gene polymorphisms with the risk of coronary artery
      disease.
AB  - We conducted a case-control study to investigate the genetic variants Interleukin
      1beta(IL-1beta) +3953 C/T (rs1143634), IL-6 -174G/C (rs1800795), IL-8 -251T/A
      (rs4073), and IL-10 -1082A/G (rs1800896) and -819C/T (rs1800871) in the
      development of coronary artery disease (CAD). A total of 410 individuals with CAD
      were enrolled between January 2012 and December 2014. Genotyping of the five gene
      polymorphisms was performed using the polymerase chain reaction combined with
      restriction fragment length polymorphism methodology. By multivariate logistic
      regression analysis, we found that the frequencies of the CC genotype and the C
      allele of IL-6 -174G/C were significantly correlated with a higher risk of CAD;
      the adjusted ORs (95%CIs) were 2.37 (1.37-4.14) and 1.49 (1.19-1.86),
      respectively. In addition, the AG and GG genotypes and the G allele of IL-10 
      1082A/G were also significantly associated with a higher risk of CAD, and the ORs
      (95%CIs) were 1.42 (1.04-1.95), 2.16 (1.42-3.30), and 1.56 (1.27-1.93),
      respectively. However, IL-1beta+3953 C/T, IL-8 -251T/A, and IL-10 -819C/T did not
      significantly correlate with CAD risk. Our study suggests that the IL-6 -174G/C
      (rs1800795) and IL-10 -1082A/G (rs1800896) polymorphisms might be involved in the
      pathogenesis of CAD, and likely contribute to the genetic susceptibility for CAD.

PMID- 26505400
TI  - Genetic polymorphisms in very important pharmacogenomic (VIP) variants in the
      Tibetan population.
AB  - Genetic polymorphisms of very important pharmacogenomic (VIP) variants are
      important for personalized medicine. However, these have not been extensively
      studied in the Tibetan population. In this study, 82 VIP variants were detected
      in the Tibetan and Han (HAN) populations from northwestern China. Subsequently,
      we compared the differences between the Tibetan population and ten populations,
      including the HAN, Japanese in Tokyo (JPT), Mexican ancestry in Los Angeles
      (MEX), Toscans in Italy (TSI), African ancestry in Southwest USA (ASW), Luhya in
      California Webuye, Kenya (LWK), Gujarati Indians in Houston, Texas (GIH), Maasai
      in Kinyawa, Kenya (MKK), Yoruba in Ibadan, Nigeria (YRI), and Utah residents with
      Northern and Western European ancestry from the CEPH collection (CEU). Using the
      chi(2) test, we identified differences in the frequency distribution of 4, 4, 7,
      10, 11, 11, 13, 15, 19, and 20 loci in the Tibetan population, compared to the
      HAN, JPT, MEX, TSI, ASW, LWK, GIH, MKK, YRI, and CEU populations, respectively [P
      < 0.05/(82*10)]. rs2115819, rs9934438, and rs689466, located in the ALOX5
      (arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase), VKORC1 (vitamin K epoxide reductase complex,
      subunit 1) and PTGS2 (prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2) genes, respectively,
      in the Tibetan population were different from those in most of the populations.
      Our results complement the information provided by the database of
      pharmacogenomics on Tibetan people, and provide an avenue for personalized
      treatment in the Tibetan population.

PMID- 26505401
TI  - Alleviation of streptozotocin-induced diabetes in nude mice by stem cells derived
      from human first trimester umbilical cord.
AB  - Cells isolated from human first trimester umbilical cord perivascular layer (hFTM
      PV) tissues display the pluripotent characteristics of stem cells. In this study,
      we examined whether hFTM-PV cells can differentiate into islet-like clusters
      (ILCs) in vitro, and whether transplantation of the hFTM-PV cells with and
      without differentiation in vitro can alleviate diabetes in nude mice. The hFTM-PV
      cells were differentiated into ILCs in vitro through a simple stepwise culture
      protocol. To examine the in vivo effects of the cells, the hFTM-PV cells with and
      without differentiation in vitro were transplanted into the abdominal cavity of
      nude mice with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. Blood glucose levels, body
      weight, and the survival probability of the diabetic nude mice were then
      statistically analyzed. The hFTM-PV cells were successfully induced into ILCs
      that could release insulin in response to elevated concentrations of glucose in
      vitro. In transplantation experiments, we observed that mice transplanted with
      the undifferentiated hFTM-PV cells, embryonic body-like cell aggregations, or
      ILCs all demonstrated normalized hyperglycemia and showed improved survival rate
      compared with those without cell transplantation. The hFTM-PV cells have the
      ability to differentiate into ILCs in vitro and transplantations of
      undifferentiated and differentiated cells can alleviate STZ-induced diabetes in
      nude mice. This may offer a potential cell source for stem cell-based therapy for
      treating diabetes in the future.

PMID- 26505402
TI  - Cuticular signature in the development of Polistes versicolor.
AB  - Wasps belong to societies that are highly complex and diverse, especially
      considering social organization and parental care. They use chemicals in their
      daily communication, and act incisively in recognition of mates and non-nest
      mates, and can even identify individuals of different castes. In this study,
      cuticle composition was examined during the development of Polistes versicolor
      from the egg stage to adulthood, with the aim to assess changes in the chemical
      signature of the species, using gas chromatography. Linear alkanes and branched
      alkanes were identified that were important to distinguish the various
      developmental stages of P. versicolor. The variation in the linear alkanes and
      branched alkanes was quantitative, since most of them are present in all stages,
      with the exception of some linear alkanes that uniquely characterized the egg
      stage. At the egg stage, differences were predominant for linear alkanes C8, C24,
      C27, and C29. For the larval instars, there was a predominance of linear alkanes
      C8, C22 and C24 to C30. In the pre-pupae, pupae and adult stages, C8, C22, C24,
      and C26 to C30 showed a higher abundance during later developmental stages. The
      addition to branched alkanes increased their abundance from the egg (13.52%) to
      adult (22.96%) stages.

PMID- 26505403
TI  - Protein expression and characterization of SEP3 from Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - SEPALLATA (SEP) MADS-box genes play crucial roles in the regulation of floral
      growth and development. They are required for the specification of sepals,
      petals, stamens, and carpels as well as for floral determinacy. SEPs perform
      their functions through the formation of homo- or hetero-polymers, which are the
      molecular basis of floral quartets. In vitro assays indicated that SEP3 forms a
      tetramer after binding to DNA, but it is unclear whether DNA binding induces the
      tetramer, because SEP3 is often reported to form a dimer. Here, we analyzed the
      oligomeric status of SEP3 domains in the absence of the DNA-binding MADS-box
      domain. The truncated SEP3 was constructed as a fusion protein and expressed in
      prokaryotic cells. The purified protein fragment displayed as a tetramer in the
      size exclusion chromatographic column, and a glutaraldehyde cross-linking assay
      demonstrated that the protein contained a dimer unit. Yeast two-hybrid tests
      further verified that the fragments form homologous polymers in vivo, and that
      the K domain is involved in tetramer formation. Current results imply that the
      SEP3 protein regulates the formation of flower meristems using the tetramer as a
      unit, and that the DNA-binding MADS-box is dispensable for polymer formation. The
      C-terminal region does not contribute to homo-tetramer formation, but it may be
      reserved to glue other proteins.

PMID- 26505404
TI  - Comparative analysis of phylogenetic relationships, morphologies, and
      pathogenicities among Curvularia lunata isolates from maize in China.
AB  - To understand the effects of disease-resistant maize varieties and new cropping
      systems on the population of Curvularia lunata, 52 isolates of C. lunata were
      collected in China from 2011 to 2013. The isolates were analyzed in terms of
      phylogenetic relationships, morphology, and pathogenicity. Phylogenetic analysis
      showed that the 52 isolates clustered into 2 distinct clusters with further
      subdivisions, suggesting the emergence of new genetic divergence within C.
      lunata. Results of morphology and pathogenicity analyses demonstrated that there
      were significant differences among these isolates: 27 isolates were classified as
      fast growing, 5 as slow growing, and 20 as moderate growing. Three isolates had
      white-colored colonies, 13 had yellowish green-colored colonies, and the
      remaining isolates had dark green-colored colonies. Furthermore, conidiation
      rates were assessed: 30 isolates were characterized as having low conidiation
      rates, 15 as having medium conidiation rates, and the remaining 7 isolates as
      having high conidiation rates. Eleven of the isolates appeared to be strongly
      pathogenic against maize, 15 isolates proved to be weakly pathogenic against
      maize, and the remaining isolates were regarded to be moderately pathogenic.
      Interestingly, correlation analysis demonstrated a negative correlation between
      the growth rate and the pathogenicity of the isolates, while a positive
      correlation was observed between the conidiation rate and the pathogenicity. No
      correlation was observed between the colony color and the pathogenicity of the
      isolates. 

PMID- 26505405
TI  - Molecular characterization and expression patterns of insulin-like growth factor
      binding protein genes in postnatal Nanjiang brown goats.
AB  - Insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins (IGFBPs) play a key role in
      modulating insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), and are considered candidate genes
      for growth traits in livestock. In this study, we identified the complete coding
      sequences of IGFBP-1 to -6 in the Nanjiang brown goat, and assessed gene tissue
      expression patterns by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Expression of mRNA
      for the six gene targets was detectable in liver, heart, and longissimus dorsi
      (LD) muscle. Expression levels of IGFBP-1, -2 and -5 mRNA were higher in liver
      than in heart and LD muscle (P < 0.01), while IGFBP-6 expression was highest in
      LD muscle, and IGFBP-3 and -4 were predominantly expressed in LD muscle and
      liver. Higher IGFBP-2, -3, -4, and -6 mRNA levels were observed in LD, compared
      to triceps brachii muscle (P < 0.01). Additionally, the target genes had
      different temporal expression profiles during postnatal development. Histological
      assessment of muscle sections revealed a constant increase in muscle fiber
      diameter with aging. These results suggest that IGFBPs may be important for liver
      and skeletal muscle development, and may contribute to the biological function of
      these tissues in goats.

PMID- 26505406
TI  - Differentiated evolutionary relationships among chordates from comparative
      alignments of multiple sequences of MyoD and MyoG myogenic regulatory factors.
AB  - MyoD and MyoG are transcription factors that have essential roles in myogenic
      lineage determination and muscle differentiation. The purpose of this study was
      to compare multiple amino acid sequences of myogenic regulatory proteins to infer
      evolutionary relationships among chordates. Protein sequences from Mus musculus
      (P10085 and P12979), human Homo sapiens (P15172 and P15173), bovine Bos taurus
      (Q7YS82 and Q7YS81), wild pig Sus scrofa (P49811 and P49812), quail Coturnix
      coturnix (P21572 and P34060), chicken Gallus gallus (P16075 and P17920), rat
      Rattus norvegicus (Q02346 and P20428), domestic water buffalo Bubalus bubalis
      (D2SP11 and A7L034), and sheep Ovis aries (Q90477 and D3YKV7) were searched from
      a non-redundant protein sequence database UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot, and subsequently
      analyzed using the Mega6.0 software. MyoD evolutionary analyses revealed the
      presence of three main clusters with all mammals branched in one cluster, members
      of the order Rodentia (mouse and rat) in a second branch linked to the first, and
      birds of the order Galliformes (chicken and quail) remaining isolated in a third.
      MyoG evolutionary analyses aligned sequences in two main clusters, all mammalian
      specimens grouped in different sub-branches, and birds clustered in a second
      branch. These analyses suggest that the evolution of MyoD and MyoG was driven by
      different pathways.

PMID- 26505407
TI  - Association between a functional genetic polymorphism (rs2230199) and age-related
      macular degeneration risk: a meta-analysis.
AB  - The association between the rs2230199 C>G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in
      complement component 3 and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) risk has been
      examined extensively but the results are not consistent among studies. The aim of
      this study was to perform a meta-analysis of all available studies on this SNP in
      relation to AMD. The comprehensive databases of PubMed, Medline, Web of
      Knowledge, CNKI, and Google Scholar were searched for case-control studies
      investigating the association between the rs2230199 polymorphism and AMD
      susceptibility. ORs with 95%CIs were estimated to assess the association.
      Sensitivity analysis, test of heterogeneity, cumulative meta-analysis, and
      assessment of bias were also performed. A total of 15 published studies including
      5593 cases and 5181 controls were used in this meta-analysis. Overall, the
      rs2230299 SNP was significantly associated with the risk of AMD in the overall
      population under the additive model (OR = 1.571, 95%CI = 1.414-1.745, P = 0.000),
      dominant model (OR = 1.681, 95%CI = 1.521-1.858, P = 0.000), and allelic model
      (OR = 1.597, 95%CI = 1.470-1.734, P = 0.000). In the subgroup analysis by
      ethnicity, the same results were found in Caucasian populations, while no
      significant correlations were found in Asian populations for all comparison
      models. In conclusion, our meta-analysis provides evidence that the rs2230199
      polymorphism contributes to the development of AMD. Further large-scale
      multicenter epidemiological studies are warranted to confirm this finding.

PMID- 26505408
TI  - Association between the ERCC2 rs13181 polymorphism and the risk of glioma: a meta
      analysis.
AB  - Several studies have focused on the association between the ERCC2 rs13181
      polymorphism and glioma risk, but the results were inconclusive. We aimed to
      conduct a meta-analysis to investigate the role of ERCC2 rs13181 on the risk of
      glioma. We searched and collated the relevant studies in both Chinese and English
      through the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases
      published through June 1, 2014. A total of 11 studies for ERCC2 rs13181 were
      selected; these included 3456 glioma cases and 4957 controls. Using fixed-effects
      model analysis, we found that no significant difference could be identified
      between the ERCC2 rs13181 polymorphism and the risk of glioma. Subgroup analysis
      showed that the ERCC2 rs13181 GT and TT genotypes were significantly associated
      with an increased risk of glioma in the Chinese population [odds ratio (OR) =
      1.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.17-1.85; and OR = 1.50, 95%CI = 1.02-2.22,
      respectively], but no significant increased risk of glioma was detected with
      these genotypes in the Caucasian populations. No publication bias was identified
      in this meta-analysis. Our meta-analysis strongly suggested that ERCC2 rs13181
      was associated with a higher susceptibility to glioma in the Chinese population.

PMID- 26505409
TI  - Genetic parameters for milk production traits and breeding goals for Gir dairy
      cattle in Brazil.
AB  - To implement an animal breeding program, it is important to define the production
      circumstances of the animals of interest to determine which traits of economic
      interest will be selected for the breeding goal. The present study defined
      breeding goals and proposed selection indices for milk production and quality
      traits of Gir dairy cattle. First, a bioeconomic model was developed to calculate
      economic values. The genetic and phenotypic parameters were estimated based on
      records from 22,468 first-lactation Gir dairy cows and their crosses for which
      calving occurred between 1970 and 2011. Statistical analyses were carried out for
      the animal model, with multitrait analyses using the restricted maximum
      likelihood method. Two situations were created in the present study to define the
      breeding goals: 1) including only milk yield in the breeding goal (HGL1) and 2)
      including fat and protein in addition to the milk yield (HGL2). The heritability
      estimates for milk, protein, and fat production were 0.33 +/- 0.02, 0.26 +/-
      0.02, and 0.24 +/- 0.02, respectively. All phenotypic and genetic correlations
      were highly positive. The economic values for milk, fat, and protein were
      US$0.18, US$0.27, and US$7.04, respectively. The expected economic responses for
      HGL2 and for HGL1 were US$126.30 and US$79.82, respectively. These results
      indicate that milk component traits should be included in a selection index to
      rank animals evaluated in the National Gir Dairy Breeding Program developed in
      Brazil. 

PMID- 26505410
TI  - 1H-MRS before and after resuscitation following selective cerebral ultra-profound
      hypothermic blood flow occlusion in monkeys.
AB  - We investigated the effect of selective cerebral ultra-profound hypothermic blood
      flow occlusion on brain tissue and cell metabolism to ascertain the efficacy and
      safety of selective deep hypothermic technologies using proton magnetic resonance
      spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS). The bilateral carotid artery was blocked at room
      temperature for 10 min. Other neck vessels were then blocked through cold
      perfusion of the internal carotid artery and reflux of the ipsilateral jugular
      vein. Thus, selective cerebral extracorporeal circulation was established. Brain
      temperature was reduced to 15.1 degrees  +/- 0.9 degrees C. After 60 min,
      cerebral blood flow recovered naturally. Routine magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and (1)H-MRS examination of the
      bilateral frontal cortex and basal ganglia were performed prior to surgery and 4,
      24, 72 h, 21 days after recovery. The formants and areas under the curve (AUC) of
      N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), creatine/phosphocreatine (Cr/Cr2) were
      analyzed using 1H-MRS. The pre- and postoperative AUC of NAA and Cho at different
      time points were compared. Conventional MRI and DWI showed no abnormal signal
      changes in the brain parenchyma or right basal ganglia before and after surgery
      (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the ratio between NAA/(Cr+Cr2)
      and Cho/(Cr+Cr2) before and after surgery in the bilateral basal ganglia and
      frontoparietal regions of the cortex (P > 0.05). Quantitative (1)H-MRS showed
      that selective deep cerebral hypothermia significantly improved the brain's
      tolerance to ischemia and hypoxia. Our results could provide a better
      understanding of the efficacy and safety of selective deep hypothermia and blood
      flow occlusion.

PMID- 26505411
TI  - Methylation analysis of CXCR1 in mammary gland tissue of cows with mastitis
      induced by Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - Mastitis is the most important disease in the global dairy industry, and causes
      large economic losses. Staphylococcus aureus is one of most common pathogens that
      cause bovine mastitis. CXCR1 has been implicated as a prospective genetic marker
      for mastitis resistance in dairy cows; CXCR1 expression significantly increases
      when cows have mastitis. To investigate the mechanisms involved in its increased
      expression, bisulfite sequencing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to
      detect the methylation status of CXCR1 CpG island, and quantitative fluorescence
      PCR was used to detect CXCR1 expression in bovine mammary tissue induced with S.
      aureus in three Chinese Holstein cows. No CpG island was found for bovine CXCR1
      in the upstream 2-kb region, whereas one CpG island that contained 13 CpG sites
      was found in exon 1 of CXCR1. All of the CpG sites were under hypermethylation
      from 90 to 100% in the mammary tissues. When the mammary gland mRNA expression of
      CXCR1 was 12.10-fold higher in infected cow quarters than in uninfected quarters,
      the methylation levels of the CpG site at position 519 were significantly lower
      in the infected quarters than in the uninfected quarters. Pearson correlation
      analysis showed that the methylation level at position 519 was significantly
      negatively correlated with the CXCR1 mRNA expression level (P < 0.05). These
      results indicate that the methylation of the CpG site at position 519 may
      regulate CXCR1 expression in cows with mastitis induced by S. aureus, but further
      studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms involved. 

PMID- 26505412
TI  - Genomic selection for slaughter age in pigs using the Cox frailty model.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare genomic selection methodologies using a
      linear mixed model and the Cox survival model. We used data from an F2 population
      of pigs, in which the response variable was the time in days from birth to the
      culling of the animal and the covariates were 238 markers [237 single nucleotide
      polymorphism (SNP) plus the halothane gene]. The data were corrected for fixed
      effects, and the accuracy of the method was determined based on the correlation
      of the ranks of predicted genomic breeding values (GBVs) in both models with the
      corrected phenotypic values. The analysis was repeated with a subset of SNP
      markers with largest absolute effects. The results were in agreement with the GBV
      prediction and the estimation of marker effects for both models for uncensored
      data and for normality. However, when considering censored data, the Cox model
      with a normal random effect (S1) was more appropriate. Since there was no
      agreement between the linear mixed model and the imputed data (L2) for the
      prediction of genomic values and the estimation of marker effects, the model S1
      was considered superior as it took into account the latent variable and the
      censored data. Marker selection increased correlations between the ranks of
      predicted GBVs by the linear and Cox frailty models and the corrected phenotypic
      values, and 120 markers were required to increase the predictive ability for the
      characteristic analyzed. 

PMID- 26505413
TI  - Classification of colon cancer based on the expression of randomly selected
      genes.
AB  - In order to ascertain the relationship between gene expression and colon cancer
      localization, a classification method based on random gene selection and a self
      organizing map network is proposed. Different numbers of genes were selected
      randomly from 54,675 genes of 53 colon cancer patients in stage union for
      international cancer control II. These patients were then divided into two sets:
      a training set of 36 and a validation set of 17 patients. In this study, we
      randomly selected 1000, 100, 50, 30, 10, 5, and 3 genes, 1000 times,
      respectively. The minimum misclassification ratio of each gene group was 3/17 to
      4/17, and the percentage of gene groups that were less than 0.25 was
      approximately 1-7%. Moreover, the misclassification ratio of most gene groups
      (about 82-89%) was lower than 0.4. Through the analysis of these low
      misclassification ratio gene groups, we found that there were few common genes
      between them. This revealed that colon cancer localization is not associated with
      a single gene group but with many gene groups. Furthermore, K-fold cross
      validation was used to test the reliability of the possible informative genes,
      and the results indicated that using gene expression to classify colon tumor
      localization was not feasible. 

PMID- 26505414
TI  - Gene expression profiles in the pituitary glands of Sichuan White geese during
      prelaying and laying periods.
AB  - To better understand the molecular mechanism(s) underlying egg-laying in Sichuan
      white geese, the profiles of genes in the pituitary gland were investigated
      during the prelaying and laying periods. Total RNA was extracted from the
      pituitary glands of geese during prelaying or laying periods and cDNA was
      generated. After sequencing and annotation, 54 upregulated and 84 downregulated
      genes were obtained from gene libraries. These genes were related primarily to
      biosynthetic processes, cellular nitrogen metabolic processes, transport, cell
      differentiation, cellular protein modification processes, signal transduction,
      and small molecule metabolic processes. Eleven genes were selected for further
      analyses using quantitative real-time PCR, and the results were generally
      consistent with the profiling results. Among these genes, levels of gonadotropin
      releasing hormone, gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone, vasoactive intestinal peptide
      and its receptor, follistatin, estrogen receptor beta, and the progesterone
      receptor were differentially overexpressed during the prelaying period compared
      with the laying period. These results provide a solid foundation for elucidating
      the molecular mechanism of egg-laying performance in Sichuan white geese. 

PMID- 26505415
TI  - Variations in WNT3 gene are associated with incidence of non-syndromic cleft lip
      with or without cleft palate in a northeast Chinese population.
AB  - Non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) is a common birth
      defect. Several WNT genes are involved in craniofacial embryogenesis, and
      therefore may play an important role in the etiology of NSCL/P. Two SNPs
      (rs3809857 and rs9890413) in the WNT3 gene were subjected to case-control and
      case-parent analysis by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in 236 unrelated patients with NSCL/P, including 128
      elementary families (185 mothers and 154 fathers), and 400 control individuals
      from northeast China. The rs3809857 SNP, under the assumption of a dominant
      model, was found to induce a 2-fold lower risk of NSCL/P ORGG vs GT + TT = 0.605,
      95%CI = 0.436-0.839, P = 0.003). Moreover, the family-based association test
      revealed an under-transmission for the minor allele T. On the other hand, we
      observed a significant association in the case-control and case-parent analysis
      of the SNP rs9890413. In addition, the P values for the haplotype of rs3809857
      rs9890413 were observed to be statistically significant (P = 0.004). In
      conclusion, our study confirmed the association between the WNT3 variant and
      NSCL/P in the population tested.

PMID- 26505416
TI  - Chromosomal evolution in the pallescens group (Hemiptera, Triatominae).
AB  - Rhodnius colombiensis, in conjunction with R. pallescens and R. ecuadoriensis,
      forms the monophyletic pallescens group. Cytogenetic analyses of these closely
      related species would further our understanding of the taxonomy and evolution of
      this group. In this study, R. colombiensis was cytogenetically analyzed, and the
      results were compared with cytogenetic data from other species of the pallescens
      group, particularly their chromosomal evolution. We found that this triatomine
      has heteropycnotic blocks in five autosomal bivalents at both metaphase I and II.
      The derivation of R. colombiensis from R. pallescens led to significant loss of
      heteropycnotic and heterochromatic regions (approximately 50%). R. ecuadoriensis
      is the most differentiated of the group because it has lost all heterochromatin
      and heteropyknotic blocks in the autosomes. Based on the heteropyknotic and
      heterochromatic pattern of R. colombiensis and the chromosomal evolution analysis
      of the pallescens group, we suggest that the karyotype of R. colombiensis and R.
      ecuadoriensis lost its heteropycnotic and heterochromatic blocks during
      speciation. Furthermore, this loss could be related to adaptation to different
      environments.

PMID- 26505417
TI  - Evaluation of soybean lines and environmental stratification using the AMMI, GGE
      biplot, and factor analysis methods.
AB  - In the final phases of new soybean cultivar development, lines are cultivated in
      several locations across multiple seasons with the intention of identifying and
      selecting superior genotypes for quantitative traits. In this context, this study
      aimed to study the genotype-by-environment interaction for the trait grain yield
      (kg/ha), and to evaluate the adaptability and stability of early-cycle soybean
      genotypes using the additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI)
      analysis, genotype main effects and genotype x environment interaction (GGE)
      biplot, and factor analysis methods. Additionally, the efficiency of these
      methods was compared. The experiments were carried out in five cities in the
      State of Mato Grosso: Alto Taquari, Lucas do Rio Verde, Sinop, Querencia, and
      Rondonopolis, in the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 seasons. Twenty-seven early-cycle
      soybean genotypes were evaluated, consisting of 22 lines developed by
      Universidade Federal de Uberlandia (UFU) soybean breeding program, and five
      controls: UFUS Carajas, MSOY 6101, MSOY 7211, UFUS Guarani, and Riqueza.
      Significant and complex genotype-by-environment interactions were observed. The
      AMMI model presented greater efficiency by retaining most of the variation in the
      first two main components (61.46%), followed by the GGE biplot model (57.90%),
      and factor analysis (54.12%). Environmental clustering among the methodologies
      was similar, and was composed of one environmental group from one location but
      from different seasons. Genotype G5 presented an elevated grain yield, and high
      adaptability and stability as determined by the AMMI, factor analysis, and GGE
      biplot methodologies.

PMID- 26505418
TI  - Evaluation of grain yield in sorghum hybrids under water stress.
AB  - Sorghum grain yield can be significantly affected by climatic changes, especially
      drought and high temperature. The purpose of this study was to evaluate hybrids
      of grain sorghum grown under normal irrigation conditions or water stress in
      order to select those likely to be more tolerant of drought. Forty-nine hybrids
      were grown in a randomized block design experiment, with three replications. The
      plots consisted of four rows of 5 m length. Grain yield, weight of 1000 grains,
      harvest index, days to flowering, and plant height were measured. All of these
      characteristics were affected by water stress; however, grain yield showed the
      largest relative reduction. Comparison of the various genotypes showed that some
      hybrids had an acceptable grain yield under water stress, and maintained a high
      average yield compared to growth without stress. Several hybrids gave better
      grain yield than commercial check cultivars: 1170090, 1170092, 1170064, 1167026,
      1167064, 1170093, 1167008, 1167029, 0009061, 1167092, 1105647, and 1170019 stood
      out for their acceptable plant height, earliness, and higher productivity. 

PMID- 26505419
TI  - Characterization of ESTs from black locust for gene discovery and marker
      development.
AB  - Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) is an ecologically and economically
      important species. However, it has relatively underdeveloped genomic resources,
      and this limits gene discovery and marker-assisted selective breeding. In the
      present study, we obtained large-scale transcriptome data using a next-generation
      sequencing platform to compensate for the lack of black locust genomic
      information. Increasing the amount of transcriptome data for black locust will
      provide a valuable resource for multi-gene phylogenetic analyses and will
      facilitate research on the mechanisms whereby conserved genes and functions are
      maintained in the face of species divergence. We sequenced the black locust
      transcriptome from a cDNA library of multiple tissues and individuals on an
      Illumina platform, and this produced 108,229,352 clean sequence reads. The high
      quality overlapping expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were assembled into 36,533
      unigenes, and 4781 simple sequence repeats were characterized. A large collection
      of high-quality ESTs was obtained, de novo assembled, and characterized. Our
      results markedly expand the previous transcript catalogues of black locust and
      can gradually be applied to black locust breeding programs. Furthermore, our data
      will facilitate future research on the comparative genomics of black locust and
      related species. 

PMID- 26505420
TI  - Induction and identification of Stylosanthes guianensis tetraploids.
AB  - Stylosanthes guianensis is an elite and important forage legume species, which is
      extensively cultivated in tropical areas. Polyploid breeding via exposure to
      colchicine is a conventional and practical method to improve varieties of S.
      guianensis. Terminal buds of S. guianensis Reyan No.5 seedlings were treated with
      different concentrations of colchicine (0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, and 0.25%)
      for 24, 48, and 72 h. Morphological and cytological variants were observed at a
      frequency of <96% among transplanted seedlings. The cytogenetic analysis of young
      leaf cells was conducted on all variants to identify their ploidy levels. The
      most efficient procedure for tetraploid production was the treatment of seedling
      apical buds with 20% colchicine for 48 h, with the tetraploid induction rate
      being 10%. This is a relatively simple and reliable method for the production of
      tetraploidy in S. guianensis.

PMID- 26505421
TI  - Cloning, identification, and bioinformatics analysis of a putative aquaporin
      TsAQP from Trichinella spiralis.
AB  - Vaccination as a preventative strategy against Trichinella spiralis infection is
      an ongoing effort, although no ideal vaccine candidates have been identified
      until now. Identification of more effective antigens that have a role in
      essential life stages of the parasite and that may be effective vaccine
      candidates is therefore of importance. In the present study, we identified a
      novel aquaporin gene (TsAQP) from T. spiralis, and the potential antigenicity of
      TsAQP was evaluated by epitope prediction. A total of 11 post-translational
      modification sites were predicted in the protein and fell into 4 categories: N
      glycosylation; casein kinase II phosphorylation; protein kinase C
      phosphorylation; and N-myristoylation sites. TsAQP is a membrane intrinsic
      protein with high hydrophobicity; the main hydrophobic domains comprised up to
      38.5% of the protein and were distributed at amino acid positions 21-43, 54-71,
      83-91, 107-121, 163-174, 187-200, and 242-261. The protein consisted mainly of
      helices (39.58%) and loops (50%). The advanced structure of TsAQP was predicted
      using homology modeling, which showed that the protein was formed from 6 membrane
      spanning domains connected by 5 loops. Based on these analyses, 6 potential B
      cell epitopes and 4 potential T-cell epitopes were further predicted. These
      results suggest that TsAQP could be a promising antigen candidate for vaccination
      against T. spiralis.

PMID- 26505422
TI  - Cloning and functional analysis of the chitinase gene promoter in peanut.
AB  - Chitinase is an important pathogenesis-related protein in plants, and it can
      accumulate when induced by salicylic acid (SA) or other elicitors. Here, we found
      that chitinase mRNA levels were 4.5-times greater when peanut seedlings were
      sprayed with 1.5 mM SA, as compared to water. The upstream promoter sequence of
      the chitinase gene was cloned by TAIL-PCR and the potential cis-regulatory
      elements in this promoter were predicted by the cis-element databases PLACE and
      plantCARE. Elements in the promoter related to SA induction and disease
      resistance response included AS-1, GT1-motif, GRWAAW, TGTCA, W-box, and WB-box.
      The full-length promoter (P) and a series of 5'-deleted promoters (P1-P5) were
      cloned and then substituted for the 35S promoter of pCAMBIA1301-xylA, which
      carries the xylose isomerase gene as the selectable marker and GUS as the
      reporter gene. Six plant expression vectors (pCAMBIA1301-xylA-P-pCAMBIA1301-xylA
      P5) were obtained. The six expression vectors were then transferred into onion
      epidermal cells and peanut plants by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Both
      the full-length and deleted promoters resulted in GUS staining of the onion
      epidermis cells when induced by SA. In onion epidermis cells, GUS enzyme activity
      was greater after SA induction. In transgenic peanut plants, GUS mRNA levels were
      greater after SA induction. Consideration of the cis-regulatory elements
      predicted by PLACE and plantCARE suggested that AS-1, GRWAAW, and W-box are
      positive regulatory elements in P2 and P3 and that GT1-motif and TGTCA are
      negative regulatory elements between P and P2.

PMID- 26505423
TI  - MC1R, KIT, IGF2, and NR6A1 as markers for genetic differentiation in Thai native,
      wild boars, and Duroc and Chinese Meishan pigs.
AB  - Mutations in melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene and v-kit Hardy-Zuckerman 4
      feline sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KIT) gene have been shown to affect coat
      color patterns in pigs. Additional functional marker genes, such as insulin like
      growth factor-2 (IGF2) and orphan nuclear receptor, germ cell nuclear factor
      (NR6A1), have been described for variations in factors such as fat deposition,
      litter size, and vertebra number in pigs. In this study, we investigated 129 pigs
      representing 4 breeds: Thai indigenous, classified into black (similar to Raad or
      Ka done pig) and black and white (similar to the Hailum and Kwai pig) coat color
      types; wild boar; Duroc; and Chinese Meishan. Mutations of MC1R, KIT, IGF2, and
      NR6A1 were detected using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism. The genotypes variation in MC1R and KIT genes could be used to
      differentiate four groups of coat color: solid black, black and white, red, and
      wild type. For IGF2, the GG genotype was present in wild boar only; for NR6A1 the
      TT genotype was found only in Duroc pigs. We identified novel 14-bp deletions in
      KIT that were associated with black and white coat color in Thai indigenous pigs.
      Insights into variations in genes presented in this study will be useful in
      future developmental breeding programs for the Thai native pig.

PMID- 26505424
TI  - Construction of a cDNA library and preliminary analysis of expressed sequence
      tags in Piper hainanense.
AB  - Black pepper is a perennial climbing vine. It is widely cultivated because its
      berries can be utilized not only as a spice in food but also for medicinal use.
      This study aimed to construct a standardized, high-quality cDNA library to
      facilitated identification of new Piper hainanense transcripts. For this, 262
      unigenes were used to generate raw reads. The average length of these 262
      unigenes was 774.8 bp. Of these, 94 genes (35.9%) were newly identified,
      according to the NCBI protein database. Thus, identification of new genes may
      broaden the molecular knowledge of P. hainanense on the basis of Clusters of
      Orthologous Groups and Gene Ontology categories. In addition, certain basic genes
      linked to physiological processes, which can contribute to disease resistance and
      thereby to the breeding of black pepper. A total of 26 unigenes were found to be
      SSR markers. Dinucleotide SSR was the main repeat motif, accounting for 61.54%,
      followed by trinucleotide SSR (23.07%). Eight primer pairs successfully amplified
      DNA fragments and detected significant amounts of polymorphism among twenty-one
      piper germplasm. These results present a novel sequence information of P.
      hainanense, which can serve as the foundation for further genetic research on
      this species.

PMID- 26505425
TI  - A SNP in the 3'-UTR of HSF1 in dairy cattle affects binding of target bta-miR
      484.
AB  - The heat shock transcription factor 1 gene (HSF1) plays a key role in the heat
      stress response. We previously found a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in
      the 3'-untranslated region (g.4693G>T) of HSF1 that was related to thermo
      tolerance in Chinese Holstein cattle through association analysis. However, it is
      not known whether other SNPs also affect thermo tolerance.In this study a novel
      SNP, g.1451G>T, was identified by DNA sequencing and genotyped using creating
      restriction site-polymerase chain reaction methodology. The g.1451G>T polymorphic
      site met Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P > 0.05). Association analysis demonstrated
      that this SNP had no effect on thermo tolerance traits in Holstein cattle.
      Findings of the study compared to the analysis of g.4693 G>T further indicated
      that g.4693 G>T may play an important role in thermo tolerance, although the
      mechanism is not clear. RNA hybrid and Targetscan prediction showed that the
      minimum free energy hybridization of bta-miR-484 with HSF1 3'-UTR was -31.9
      kcal/mol and g.4693 G>T was in the seed sequence of bovine HSF1 that binds to bta
      miR-484. Analysis by Luciferase assay indicated that HSF1 expression was directly
      targeted by bta-miR-484 in HEK 293T cells, and the Rluc/luc ratio of wildtype
      (GG) was lower than that of the mutant (TT) (P < 0.05). These results suggest
      that g.4693 G>T affects binding of HSF1 to bta-miR-484.

PMID- 26505426
TI  - Expression of aquaporin 1 and 4 in rats with acute hypoxic lung injury and its
      significance.
AB  - Aquaporin (AQP)-1 and AQP-4 expression in lung tissues of SD rats during high
      altitude hypoxic lung injury, and the relationship between AQP-1 and AQP-4
      expression, and acute hypoxic lung injury was analyzed. Thirty six healthy SD
      rats were divided into hypoxia 1d, 2d, 3d, 5d, and 7d groups and control group (N
      = 6). Pathological changes in lung tissue were observed by hematoxylin and eosin
      staining; lung injury was scored, and ultrastructural changes in lung tissue were
      observed by transmission electron microscopy. Changes in moisture content in lung
      tissues were determined by analyzing the wet/dry weight ratio (W/D). Localization
      of AQP-1 and AQP-4 was determined by immunohistochemistry. AQP-1 and AQP-4
      expression were detected by western blot. Lung W/D was lower in hypoxia groups
      than in control group, and the highest in 3d group (P < 0.05). Light microscopy
      revealed a thickening alveolar wall and outstretched and congestive alveolar wall
      in hypoxia group; electron microscopy revealed the presence of abnormal alveolar
      type II epithelial cells, cavitation in cytoplasm, microvillus-like protrusions,
      and a reduced lamellar body. AQP- 1 and AQP-4 were mainly distributed in the
      capillaries and lymphatic and alveolar epithelial cells and airway epithelial
      cells, respectively. AQP-1 protein expression was decreased (western blot) in
      hypoxia 1d group (the lowest in 3d group; P < 0.05); there were no significant
      changes about AQP- 4 expression. Therefore, AQP-1 may be involved in abnormal
      transport of liquid ALI and pathogenesis of lung edema. AQP-4 may not be involved
      in the formation of ALI lung edema. 

PMID- 26505427
TI  - Molecular characterization, expression, polymorphism of NR5A2 and its
      relationship with litter size in Hu sheep.
AB  - NR5A2 has been implicated in processes as diverse as steroidogenesis, cellular
      proliferation, ovarian follicular development, ovulation, and fertility in
      mammals. However, data about the relationship between NR5A2 and prolificacy in
      mammals are lacking. In the present study, we identified and characterized NR5A2
      of Hu sheep, and investigated the correlation between NR5A2 and reproductive
      performance. The full-length coding region was 1488 bp, and the gene was
      conserved in mammals. We found a positive correlation between NR5A2 mRNA levels
      in the ovary and the ovulation rate and litter size of Hu sheep. We detected two
      single nucleotide polymorphisms (T40C and T1419C) in the coding sequence of
      NR5A2. At the third and average parity, litter size of Hu ewes with CC genotype
      at T40C locus was larger than those of ewes with TT or TC genotypes; at the
      T1419C locus, Hu ewes with TT genotype was greater than those of ewes with CC
      genotype at the third parity. Our findings demonstrated that NR5A2 was associated
      with reproductive performance in Hu sheep, a high prolificacy breed.

PMID- 26505428
TI  - Comparative analysis of polygalacturonase in the fruit of strawberry cultivars.
AB  - The role of polygalacturonase (PG) in the development, ripening, and softening of
      fruit from two strawberry cultivars with different flesh firmness and softening
      characteristics was compared. Changes in PG activity and gene expression during
      development, ripening and softening were measured. The PG genes from each
      cultivar were cloned and analyzed, and were classified with other PG genes using
      phylogenetic analysis. In Toyonoka fruit, PG activity increased gradually,
      reaching a peak during the pink stage, and remained at this level during post
      harvest softening. Changes in PG gene expression were consistent with PG activity
      in these softer fruits. In the firmer Sweet Charlie fruits, PG activity was
      detected during the initial development stage, reaching a peak at the white
      stage, thereafter decreasing gradually with ripening and remaining at this lower
      level throughout softening. Changes in PG gene expression and PG activity were
      not consistent in these fruit. For both Toyonoka and Sweet Charlie PG genes
      (FaTPG and FaSCPG, respectively), the open reading frame was 1218 bp, encoding
      405 amino acids. Five different nucleotide sites were observed between the two
      sequences, leading to two amino acid sequence mutations. FaTPG, FaSCPG, and PG
      genes from the Fragaria vesca genome were classified into three clades using
      phylogenetic analysis. The clade containing PG genes involved in fruit softening
      had functional similarity but there were no functional differences between FaTPG
      and FaSCPG. Differences in PG activity, gene sequence, and gene expression may
      have led to different roles of PG during ripening and softening in strawberries
      with different textures.

PMID- 26505429
TI  - Arm-Gal4 inheritance influences development and lifespan in Drosophila
      melanogaster.
AB  - The UAS-Gal4 ectopic expression system is a widely used and highly valued tool
      that allows specific gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster. Yeast
      transcription factor Gal4 can be directed using D. melanogaster transcriptional
      control elements, and is often assumed to have little effect on the organism. By
      evaluation of the consequences of maternal and paternal inheritance of a Gal4
      transgene under the transcriptional regulation of armadillo control elements (arm
      Gal4), we demonstrated that Gal4 expression could be detrimental to development
      and longevity. Male progeny expressing arm-Gal4 in the presence of UAS-lacZ
      transgene had reduced numbers and size of ommatidia, compared to flies expressing
      UAS-lacZ transgene under the control of other Gal4 transgenes. Aged at 25 degrees
      C, the median life span of male flies with maternally inherited elav-Gal4 was 70
      days, without a responding transgene or with UAS-lacZ. The median life span of
      maternally inherited arm-Gal4 male flies without a responding transgene was 48
      days, and 40 days with the UAS-lacZ transgene. A partial rescue of this phenotype
      was observed with the expression of UAS-lacZ under paternal arm-Gal4 control,
      having an average median lifespan of 60 days. This data suggests that arm-Gal4
      has detrimental effects on Drosophila development and lifespan that are directly
      dependent upon parental inheritance, and that the benign responder and reporter
      gene UAS-lacZ may influence D. melanogaster development. These findings should be
      taken into consideration during the design and execution of UAS-Gal4 expression
      experiments.

PMID- 26505430
TI  - Real-time PCR evaluation of cell-free DNA subjected to various storage and
      shipping conditions.
AB  - In this study, we attempted to explore the factors affecting the yield of cell
      free fetal DNA (cffDNA) obtained from maternal blood samples, including the use
      of different types of collection tubes, the interval between sample processing,
      and sample shipping under extreme weather conditions. Blood samples were drawn
      into K3EDTA tubes and cell-stabilizing tubes (Streck blood collection tube, BCT)
      from women pregnant with male fetuses. Real time PCR was used to amplify a beta
      actin gene fragment to measure the total plasma cell-free DNA concentration,
      while an SRY gene fragment was used to quantify the cffDNA. The samples in the
      K3EDTA tubes revealed a decreased quantity of SRY after 5 days of transportation,
      with a median of 25.9 copies/mL (P < 0.01); however, the value remained stable at
      33.4 copies/mL in the BCT tubes. We observed a statistically significant increase
      in stability of the amount of total DNA in the blood samples stored in K3EDTA
      tubes (P < 0.01) and transportated under extreme outdoor temperatures (-20
      degrees -0 degrees C) than that of the control values. These results indicate
      that it could be possible to avoid the presence of excess maternal DNA in samples
      shipped under extreme weather conditions for no more than 2 days, by collecting
      the blood samples in BCT tubes.

PMID- 26505431
TI  - Genetic polymorphisms in beta-defensin II gene in Amazon sheep from Brazil.
AB  - The northern region of Brazil produces a large number of sheep, with Para being
      the largest sheep breeding state in the region. In the Amazon region, livestock
      production is a challenge due to the high diversity of pathogens affecting humans
      and animals. Defensins are antimicrobial peptides acting as a first barrier
      against micro-organisms and present high variation in different organisms. The
      objective of this study was to detect polymorphisms in exon II in beta-defensin
      II in Amazon sheep. The gene was amplified by PCR from DNA extracted from 47
      sheep blood samples from the Santa Ines breed. Products were sequenced, aligned
      and analyzed. Three single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) positions were observed
      with transition substitutions (A<->G) at positions 1643, 1659, and 1750. The 1643
      and 1750 SNPs showed a low variability and significant deviations from Hardy
      Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) (P < 0.05) meanwhile the SNP 1659 showed moderate
      absence of genetic variability and deviation from HWE (P > 0.05). Polymorphisms
      at 1643 and 1659 were predicted to modify amino acids in the peptide chain
      (isoleucine to valine and arginine to lysine, respectively) with no effects on
      protein function. Results from this study suggest that SNPs are important markers
      for beta-defensin II efficiency studies on the immune system of sheep in the
      Brazilian Amazon.

PMID- 26505432
TI  - Molecular characterization, chromosome mapping, and expression profile of porcine
      CDC16.
AB  - Cell division cycle16 (CDC16) is a core component among the eight protein
      subunits of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC). APC is a cyclin degradation
      system that governs the exit of cells from mitosis. Not much information is
      available for CDC16 in pig. In this study, a 2284-bp cDNA of porcine CDC16 was
      obtained by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). Porcine CDC16 was assigned
      to SSC11 q11-17, and was determined to be significantly linked with SW1452 by
      using somatic cell hybrid panel and radiation hybrid panel. One novel A/G SNP
      anchored in intron 7 of the gene was genotyped by restriction enzyme polymerase
      chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism-Csp6I. In five pig
      breeds, Shaziling, Taoyuan, Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire, the A allele
      frequency was dominant. Quantitative PCR revealed that porcine CDC16 was
      expressed in ten selected tissues of 25-day-old Shaziling and Yorkshire piglets,
      and that the mRNA expression of CDC16 in longissimus dorsi muscle of Shaziling
      was higher than that of Yorkshire. Expression levels of CDC16 were highest in
      longissimus dorsi muscle followed by that in pancreas. CDC16 protein was detected
      in longissimus dorsi muscle of 25-day-old Shaziling and Yorkshire piglets by
      immunohistochemistry with abundant protein expression index (P > 0.05). This
      study provides an insight into the role of porcine CDC16 in the formation of
      meat.

PMID- 26505433
TI  - Sex differential marker FD for rapid sex identification of Litsea cubeba.
AB  - Litsea cubeba is an important economic tree in China. Sex identification of the
      species is required to reduce breeding costs. Molecular biology is an ideal
      method to achieve this aim because of the lack of morphological differences
      between male and female plants, especially at the seedling stage. Sequence
      related amplified polymorphism was used to amplify sex-related bands. Following
      sequencing, the amplified fragment Dwas used to create a sequence-characterized
      amplified region (SCAR) marker, FD. The SCAR marker is approximately 750 bp, is
      female-specific, and is expected to be useful for L. cubeba breeding programs.
      Furthermore, the amplified fragment L had homology to sex-determining-related
      genes of other species. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis
      of this fragment during flower bud development identified expression differences
      between male and female plants. 

PMID- 26505434
TI  - Matrilineage differentiation of the genus Tetragonisca using mitochondrial DNA
      markers and the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism technique.
AB  - The Meliponinae are important pollinators of plant species, and one of the most
      managed species is Tetragonisca angustula. Initially, two subspecies were
      identified in T. angustula: T. angustula angustula and T. angustula fiebrigi.
      Subsequently, T. a. fiebrigi was considered a species, based on the coloration of
      its mesepisternum. The objective of the present study was to obtain genetic
      markers that could differentiate the two species by amplifying regions of
      mitochondrial DNA and conducting polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment
      length polymorphism analysis. Worker bees were collected in three Brazilian
      states: Parana (Maringa, Altonia, and Foz do Iguacu), Sao Paulo (Dracena, Sao
      Carlos, and Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo), and Rondonia (Ariquemes). Ten pairs of
      insect heterologous primers were tested and four were used (primer pair 1, ND2
      and COI; primer pair 2, COI; primer pair 8, 16S and 12S; and primer pair 9,
      COII). For the restriction analysis, 13 enzymes were tested: EcoRI, EcoRV,
      HindIII, HinfI, RsaI, PstI, XbaI, HaeIII, ClaI, XhoI, BglII, PvuII, and ScaI.
      Markers were obtained (primer pair 8 cleaved with EcoRV and XbaI and primer pair
      9 cleaved with HaeIII, RsaI, and XbaI) that enabled matrilineage identification
      in the nests studied, which confirmed that hybridization could occur between both
      Tetragonisca species. The beginning of speciation was probably recent, and
      secondary contact has resulted in crosses between T. angustula females and T.
      fiebrigi males. Because of this hybridization, it would be appropriate to
      consider them as two subspecies of T. angustula.

PMID- 26505435
TI  - Effects of MK-801 concentration on cell proliferation in rats with focal cerebral
      ischemia-reperfusion.
AB  - We explored the relationship between MK-801 concentration and neural stem cell
      proliferation in rats with focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (FCIR). A total of
      60 male Sprague Dawley rats were randomized into control (six rats), sham
      operation (six rats), operation (12 rats), and MK-801 groups. The MK-801 group
      comprised 36 rats that were subjected to different doses of MK-801 (0.2, 0.4,
      0.6, 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2 mg/kg). Suture occlusion was used to establish an ischemia
      reperfusion model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO); 30 min before
      establishing the FCIR model, the MK-801 group rats were intraperitoneally
      injected with different doses of MK-801, while the sham-operation and control
      groups were injected with normal saline. Seven days after model establishment,
      bromodeoxyuridine-positive cerebral cortex cells adjacent to the focus of
      infarction were labeled for immunohistochemistry. MK-801 at a concentration of
      0.4 mg/kg prevented endogenous neural stem cell proliferation, and this
      inhibitory effect was strengthened with increasing MK-801 concentration,
      especially at concentrations greater than 0.8 mg/kg. MK-801 inhibits endogenous
      neural stem cell proliferation in rats with FCIR, and the inhibitory effect is
      strengthened with increasing MK-801 concentration.

PMID- 26505436
TI  - Single nucleotide polymorphisms of Delta6-desaturase and Elovl5 segments and
      their associations with common carp (Cyprinus carpio) growth traits.
AB  - Highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) are crucial for the nutritional health,
      physiology, and reproduction of vertebrates. The Delta6-desaturase and Elovl5
      elongase genes produce essential enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway of HUFAs.
      Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis of genes functionally related to
      the growth traits of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio var. Jian) can provide
      useful information for common carp molecular breeding. In this study, we isolated
      two Delta6 Fad genes and two Elovl5 genes from the common carp. Polymerase chain
      reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was performed, and the
      genotypes of three SNPs (Delta6Fad-a intron 10_C73T, Delta6Fad-b intron 10_A56G,
      and Elovl5-a intron 5_C64A) in 712 individuals (383 females and 329 males) were
      detected. Correlation analysis between the genotypes and weight gain revealed
      that intron 10_C73T of Delta6Fad-a, intron 10_A56G of Delta6Fad-b, and intron 5_
      C64A of Elovl5-a were significantly associated with common carp weight gain.
      Weight gain increased with the enrichment of molecular SNP markers, consistent
      with the characteristics of quantitative traits. Our results indicate that
      Delta6Fad and Elovl5 elongase genes could be candidate genes for the molecular
      breeding of the common carp. This study provides useful information for the
      improvement of this species.

PMID- 26505437
TI  - Meiotic behavior of Brachiaria decumbens hybrids.
AB  - Brachiaria decumbens is a forage grass of inestimable value for livestock in
      Brazil due to its production of good quality forage even when planted on acid and
      poor soils, although it is susceptible to pasture spittlebugs. Only one cultivar,
      cv. Basilisk, has been used as the pollen donor in crosses with Brachiaria
      ruziziensis since 1988 at Embrapa Gado de Corte Research Center. Breeding within
      the species only became possible from 2009 when sexual accessions were
      successfully tetraploidized using colchicine. Three sexual genotypes were
      obtained and hybridization within B. decumbens was finally achieved. Here, we
      evaluated microspore tetrads using conventional cytology and found meiotic
      indexes above 78% for all three female genitors (cD24-2, cD24-27, cD24-45), but a
      low meiotic index (<22%) in the natural apomictic genitor D62 (cv. Basilisk) and
      in 49 hybrids. Analysis of the relationship between abnormal tetrad frequency and
      non-viable pollen grains yielded a highly significant Pearson correlation
      coefficient. The t-test proved significant for the progeny of cD24-45 x D62, with
      lower abnormalities and pollen sterility when compared to the other two progenies
      resulting from cD24-2 and cD24-27 crossed to D62, but these two did not differ.
      Apomictic hybrids such as S036 and X030 with low pollen sterility have the
      potential for use in cultivar development, whereas the sexual hybrids T012, X072,
      and X078 might be of use as female genitors in polycross blocks if they display
      good agronomic traits.

PMID- 26505438
TI  - DNA methyltransferase 3B -149C/T polymorphism and the risk of laryngeal squamous
      cell carcinoma: a case-control study.
AB  - A variety of molecular epidemiological studies have been conducted to examine the
      association between the DNMT3B -149C/T polymorphism and cancer susceptibility;
      however, there has been no study investigating the association between the DNMT3B
      -149C/T polymorphism and the risk of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC)
      until now. To determine the role of the DNMT3B -149C/T polymorphism in LSCC, we
      genotyped 113 patients with LSCC and 110 controls from a Chinese population using
      polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The
      chi-square test was used to examine differences in the distributions of genotypes
      studied between patients and controls. The association between the DNMT3B -149C/T
      polymorphism and the risk of LSCC was estimated using ORs and their 95%CIs.
      Genotypic frequencies in the patients with LSCC were not similar to those of the
      controls, with the differences being statistically significant (P = 0.001). When
      the DNMT3B -149 CC genotype was used as the reference group, the CT genotype was
      not associated with LSCC risk (adjusted OR, 2.12; 95%CI = 0.89-5.19; P = 0.07),
      but the TT genotype was associated with significantly increased risk for LSCC
      (adjusted OR = 3.27; 95%CI = 1.79-10.66; P = 0.009). Under the recessive model of
      inheritance, the TT genotype was associated with significantly increased risk for
      LSCC (adjusted OR = 1.98; 95%CI = 1.12-5.95; P = 0.012), compared with other
      genotypes. These results suggested that the DNMT3B -149C/T polymorphism is
      associated with a genetic susceptibility for developing LSCC in a Chinese
      population.

PMID- 26505439
TI  - Differential expression of COX-2 in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - In this study, we investigated the differential expression profiles of
      cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA and proteins in osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA) patients to elucidate the role of COX-2 expression in the
      pathogenesis and development of these diseases and to provide novel drug targets
      for treating arthritis. A total of 60 patients who received arthroscopic
      surgeries for treating OA (N = 30) or RA (N = 30) were examined. Fifteen normal
      synovial tissue samples were included as the control group. Fibroblastic synovial
      cells in all samples were cultured in vitro and COX-2 mRNA, protein expression
      levels, and COX-2 levels were detected in synovial fluids by real-time polymerase
      chain reaction, western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods,
      respectively. The mRNA level of COX-2 was significantly elevated in synovial
      cells from OA and RA patients compared to that in control samples (P < 0.05). COX
      2 mRNA level was significantly higher in synovial cells from OA patients than in
      those from RA patients (P < 0.05). Consistent results were obtained for COX-2
      protein expression levels from patients' synovial samples. In synovial fluids, OA
      (P < 0.05), but not RA (P > 0.05), patients showed significantly higher COX-2
      levels compared to the control group. Elevated synovial COX-2 expression
      facilitates the pathogenesis of OA and RA, and thus this index reflects the
      condition of these 2 diseases. 

PMID- 26505440
TI  - Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) as a potential environmental bioindicator.
AB  - Biomonitoring of air quality using living organisms is a very interesting
      approach to environmental impact assessment. Organisms with a vast distribution,
      such as plants, are widely used for these purposes. The castor bean (Ricinus
      communis L.) is an oleaginous plant that can potentially be used as a
      bioindicator plant owing to its rapid growth and large leaves, which have a wide
      surface area of contact with the air and the pollutants therein. This study
      investigated the the bioindicator potential of the castor bean by performing
      several tests. We observed statistically significant differences in the
      concentrations of chlorophyll a and b in the leaves of plants in polluted areas
      compared to that in the control group plants, which were located in a pollution
      free area. Leaves of plants in the former group had higher peroxidase activity
      and showed a greater buffering ability than those of plants in the control group.
      The pKa values obtained via buffering capacity tests, revealed the presence of
      aminoazobenzene (an industrial dye) in leaves of R. communis. Genotoxicity was
      evaluated through the comet assay technique and revealed that other than some
      differences in DNA fragmentation, there is no statistically significant
      difference in this parameter between places analyzed. Our data indicate that R.
      communis can be a highly useful biological indicator. Further, we hypothesized
      that the castor bean can be a potential candidate for phytoremediation owing its
      physiological buffering capacity when exposed to substantial pollution. 

PMID- 26505441
TI  - Association between polymorphisms in the XRCC1 gene and the risk of non-small
      cell lung cancer.
AB  - Here, we have reported a case-control study investigating the association between
      XRCC1 codons Arg194Trp, Arg280His, and Arg399Gln and the development of NSCLC.
      NSCLC patients (N = 245) and healthy controls (N = 257) were randomly selected
      from the Huaihe Hospital between March 2012 and August 2014. DNA extracted from
      the patient and control blood samples were subjected to polymerase chain reaction
      restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) to assess the genotyping of
      XRCC1 Arg194Trp, Arg280His, and Arg399Gln. Multivariate logistic regression
      analyses revealed an association between the expression of the AA genotype and A
      allele genotypes and a significantly increased risk of NSCLC, compared to the GG
      genotype [95% confidence interval (CI); Odd's ratio (OR) = 2.82 (1.141-5.86) and
      1.67 (1.17-2.37), respectively]. The potential association between the A allele
      of XRCC1 Arg399Gln and the risk of NSCLC was more evident in smokers (95%CI; OR =
      1.70; 1.11- 2.63). In conclusion, the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism was found to
      be associated with increased risk of NSCLC, especially in tobacco smokers.

PMID- 26505442
TI  - Breeding of a target genotype variety based on identified chalkiness marker-QTL
      associations in rice (Oryza sativa L.).
AB  - The aim of this study was to breed a target genotype variety based on the
      identified chalkiness marker-QTL (quantitative trait locus) associations in rice.
      First, a permanent mapping population of rice that consisted of 525 recombinant
      inbred lines (RILs), which were derived from Zhenshan 97/Minghui 63, was used to
      identify QTLs with additive effects for rice quantitative traits and percentage
      of grain chalkiness (PGC). Subsequently, based on the identified QTLs in rice,
      the molecular marker 68923-PGC was selected to screen the low chalkiness rice
      line. Then, using the integration of molecular marker breeding and traditional
      breeding, we analyzed the genotype and phenotype of inbred lines from 525 RILs;
      we identified one rice variety with particularly high yields, good taste, and
      broad adaptability. The new variety was temporarily named RIL10, which was a high
      quality, high yield, and broadly adaptable variety, and it is predominantly a
      feature that has contributed to its geographical adaptability, which would be
      planted from 35 degrees E to 18 degrees E in Chinain China, where 2/3 of rice
      production occurs. RIL10 was a marker-assisted selection breeding achievement for
      producing a high quality, high yield, and broadly adaptable rice variety.

PMID- 26505443
TI  - Serial analysis of gene expression in adenocarcinoma samples and normal colonic
      mucosa in a Chinese population.
AB  - The goal of this study was to identify the differences in gene expression between
      adenocarcinoma samples and colonic normal mucosa of a Chinese population. Gene
      expression libraries of adenocarcinoma and normal colonic mucosa were generated
      by serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE). Expression tags were obtained from
      sequencing results using the SAGE2000 software. Representative genes of tags were
      determined based on the SAGEmap from NCBI. Expressed genes were selected and
      their expression in different libraries was compared using the SPSS 17.0
      software. The expression of 78 tags representing 88 types of genes showed
      significant differences. Compared with normal mucosa, 38 genes showed decreased
      expression in cancer, whereas the expression of the remaining 50 genes showed
      significant up-regulation. Expressed tags in SAGE libraries of normal and
      cancerous tissues were significantly different. Further studies examining these
      genes, which showed different expression levels between the 2 tissues, may be
      used as tumor markers and offer clues for studying the etiopathogenesis of colon
      cancer.

PMID- 26505444
TI  - Association of CRTC2 gene polymorphisms with growth and meat quality traits of
      Qinchuan cattle.
AB  - Growth and meat quality traits play important roles in the evaluation of cattle
      productivity and are influenced by genetic and environmental factors. CRTC2 is a
      recently discovered gene related to obesity that may influence fat deposition.
      The aim of the current study was to detect polymorphisms of bovine CRTC2 and
      explore their relationships to growth and meat quality in Qinchuan cattle. Three
      single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs); g.3001 C>T; g.3034 G>A; and g.3467 T>C,
      were identified from sequencing results of 422 Qinchuan cattle. The genotypic
      distributions of both g.3034 G>A and g.3467 T>C mutations were in agreement with
      Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, (P < 0.05), while the T3001C mutation was not (P >
      0.05), based on chi(2) test analysis. The SNPs g.3001 C>T and g.3034 G>A are
      missense mutations (Ser/Phe and Ser/Thr respectively). Additionally, SNPs g.3034
      G>A and g.3467 T>C showed a medium polymorphism level (0.25 < PIC< 0.50), whereas
      g.3001 C>T showed a low polymorphism level (PIC < 0.25). These three SNPs were
      significantly associated with several growth and meat quality traits in the
      Qinchuan cattle population (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Collectively, these results
      demonstrate that CRTC2 is involved in the regulation of cattle growth and meat
      quality, and suggest that CRTC2 is a potential candidate gene for marker-assisted
      selection in future breeding development programs for Qinchuan cattle. 

PMID- 26505445
TI  - Construction of a full-length cDNA library and preliminary analysis of expressed
      sequence tags from lymphocytes of half-pipe snowboarding athletes.
AB  - The genes of top athletes are a valuable genetic resource for the human race, and
      could be exploited to identify novel genes related to sports ability, as well as
      other functions. We analyzed the expressed sequence tags from top half-pipe
      snowboarding athletes using the SMART complementary DNA (cDNA) library
      construction method to elucidate the characteristics of the athlete genome and
      the differential expression of the genes it contains. Overall, we established a
      full-length cDNA library from the lymphocytes of half-pipe snowboarding athletes
      and analyzed the inserted gene fragments. We also classified those genes
      according to molecular function, biological characteristics, cellular
      composition, protein types, and signal paths. A total of 201 functional genes
      were noted, which were distributed in 27 pathways. TXN, MDH1, ARL1, ARPC3, ACTG1,
      and other genes measured in sequence may be associated with physical ability.
      This suggests that the SMART cDNA library constructed from the genetic material
      from top athletes is an effective tool for preserving genetic sports resources
      and providing genetic markers of physical ability for athlete selection.

PMID- 26505446
TI  - Molecular characterization, tissue expression profile and SNP analysis of porcine
      GLP2R.
AB  - Glucagon-like peptide-2 receptor (GLP2R), a member of the G-protein-coupled
      receptor family, plays an important role in intramuscular fat formation. Little
      is known, however, about porcine GLP2R. In the present study, GLP2R was cloned,
      and its expression in pig muscle characterized. By rapid amplification of cDNA
      ends, gene sequence was obtained from Shaziling pigs. Full-length cDNA was 1868
      bp, including an open reading frame 1665 bp in length, encoding 554 amino acids,
      and 203 bp at the 3' end. The GLP2R homology between porcine and other species
      was performed using bioinformatics techniques to construct a phylogenetic tree.
      Porcine GLP2R was most closely related to those from Orcinus orca and Ovis aries,
      and most distantly related to those from Chrysemys picta, Taeniopygia guttata,
      and Falco peregrinus. Real-time PCR analysis showed expression of porcine GLP2R
      in 10 different tissues from 25-day-old Yorkshire and Shaziling piglets, with
      expression levels being highest in the longissimus dorsi muscle and lowest in
      kidney. For each pig breed, expression level in longissimus dorsi muscle was
      highest among ten tissues (P < 0.05). Between the two breeds, GLP2R expression
      levels were significant in pancreas, the crureus and longissimus dorsi muscles (P
      < 0.05). A single SNP of porcine GLP2R, A343G, was identified, and genotypes were
      determined by PCR-RFLP. This study provides an insight into the function of GLP2R
      in swine.

PMID- 26505447
TI  - Hyperproliferative action of bovine papillomavirus: genetic and histopathological
      aspects.
AB  - The bovine papillomavirus (BPV) causes papillomas that regress spontaneously, but
      can also progress to malignancy. This study evaluated the role of BPV in
      oncogenesis. Twenty-four samples from uninfected calves and the papillomas of BPV
      infected cattle were subjected to molecular diagnosis, as well as
      histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses. The comet assay (CA) was used
      to evaluate the clastogenic potential of BPV. The results confirmed the presence
      of BPV-2, 3, 5, and 9 in infected samples. Histopathological analysis revealed
      acanthosis, koilocytosis, hypergranulosis, hyperkeratosis, and transformed
      fibroblasts.E7 and L1 BPV proteins were detected in the epithelium, as well as in
      the connective tissues, indicating productive infection at different sites. CA
      results showed that BPV-2, 5, and 9 exhibit the same level of clastogenicity.
      These findings support the oncogenic action of BPV in establishing a favorable
      microenvironment for oncogenesis.

PMID- 26505448
TI  - Changes in cFLIP expression in the corpus luteum throughout the estrous cycle of
      Shibagoats.
AB  - Changes in the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein cFLIP (cellular FLICE
      inhibitory protein) were examined in the caprine corpus luteum (CL), during
      development and subsequent maintenance. Corpora lutea at four different stages
      were collected from Shiba goats, to measure the expression of cFLIP mRNA, protein
      and immunolocalization. Expression of short form cFLIP (cFLIPS) mRNA was highest
      at the early CL stage, and decreased during late and regressed stages (P < 0.05).
      In contrast, long form cFLIP (cFLIPL) mRNA expression was high during early, mid
      and late stages, and only decreased at the regressed stage (P< 0.01). Protein
      expression of cFLIPS was highest at the late CL stage, and decreased at the
      regressed stage (P < 0.01). Protein expression of cFLIPL was highest at the early
      and mid CL stages, and decreased by the late and regressed stages (P < 0.01).
      Further expression of cFLIPL was higher at the early CL stage than at the mid
      stage (P < 0.01). cFLIP protein expression was detectable by immunostaining in
      the early, mid and late CL stages, but not at the regressed CL stage. These
      results are consistent with the hypothesis that cFLIP acts as a survival factor
      in the maintenance of CL function in goats.

PMID- 26505449
TI  - Influence of ERCC2 gene polymorphisms on the treatment outcome of osteosarcoma.
AB  - We conducted a prospective study to investigate the role of ERCC2 gene
      polymorphisms on the outcome of cisplatin-based treatment in patients with
      osteosarcoma. A total of 115 patients with osteosarcoma were included in our
      study. Genotyping of ERCC2 Asn312Asp (rs1799793) and Lys751Gln (rs13181) was
      performed using a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry method. Of the 115 patients, 78 showed complete or partial response
      to chemotherapy, with a response rate of 67.85%. Our study suggested that the AA
      genotype of ERCC2 Asn312Asp was associated with a better response to
      chemotherapy, and the related adjusted OR (95%CI) was 4.85 (1.06-42.71). By Cox
      proportional hazards model analysis, we found that the AA genotype of ERCC2
      Asn312Asp was associated with longer overall survival of patients with
      osteosarcoma when compared with the GG genotype, and the hazards ratio (95%CI)
      for the AA genotype was 0.65 (0.27-1.47). In conclusion, our study found that the
      ERCC2 Asn312Asp gene polymorphism likely plays an important role in influencing
      the chemotherapy response and overall survival of patients with osteosarcoma.

PMID- 26505450
TI  - Clinical characteristics of patients with non-small cell lung cancers harboring
      anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangements and primary lung adenocarcinoma
      harboring epidermal growth factor receptor mutations.
AB  - Echinoderm microtubule associated protein like 4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (EML4
      ALK) gene rearrangements and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in
      non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been intensively studied. The objective
      of this study was to determine the clinicopathological characteristics in
      genotype-specific subsets of patients with NSCLC to help ensure the optimal
      identification of patients whose tumors harbor these two driver mutations. The
      incidence of ALK rearrangements was investigated in 763 NSCLC specimens by
      immunohistochemistry using a D5F3 antibody, and EGFR mutations were assessed by
      amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) in 222 patients with lung
      adenocarcinoma. Of these, 73 (9.6%) were detected as being ALK-positive; this
      designation was associated with young age, female gender, never-smokers, lymph
      node metastasis, and poor tumor differentiation, but not with histology. EGFR
      mutations were identified in 102 (45.9%) of 222 adenocarcinoma samples, and were
      more frequent in females and never-smokers. No difference in age was observed.
      Specifically, we identified several cases of complex EGFR mutations, and
      concomitant EGFR mutations and ALK rearrangements. These results suggest that
      young women and never-smokers are at risk for ALK rearrangement. We also
      identified concomitant mutations of EGFR and rearrangements of ALK in this study.

PMID- 26505451
TI  - Association of A-20C polymorphism in the angiotensinogen gene with essential
      hypertension: a meta-analysis.
AB  - The A-20C polymorphism in the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene has been associated with
      increased risk of essential hypertension in several studies; however, these
      studies gave inconsistent results. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to
      assess the association between AGT A-20C polymorphism and essential hypertension.
      Published literature was retrieved from PubMed. Pooled odd's ratio (OR) with 95%
      confidence interval (CI) was calculated using fixed- or random-effect models. A
      total of 10 case-control studies containing 3653 cases and 3457 controls were
      enrolled to this meta-analysis. In a combined analysis, the results showed a
      significant association between the AGT A-20C polymorphism and risk of essential
      hypertension (AA vs CC: OR = 0.62, 95%CI = 0.46-0.84; recessive model: OR = 0.66,
      95%CI = 0.49-0.88). In the subgroup analysis stratified by race, significant
      associations were found between the AGT A-20C polymorphism and essential
      hypertension risk in Asians (AA vs CC: OR = 0.59, 95%CI = 0.43-0.80; recessive
      model: OR = 0.63, 95%CI = 0.46-0.85). In conclusion, the results of this meta
      analysis suggested that the AGT A-20C polymorphism was associated with risk of
      essential hypertension in Asians. 

PMID- 26505452
TI  - Polymorphic variations in manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and endothelial
      nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) genes contribute to the development of type 2
      diabetes mellitus in the Chinese Han population.
AB  - Impaired antioxidant defense increases the oxidative stress and contributes to
      the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). MnSOD and eNOS are important
      antioxidant enzymes. This aim of this study was to verify the association of
      MnSOD and eNOS tagSNPs with T2DM in a Chinese Han population. Four tagSNPs of
      MnSOD and eight tagSNPs of eNOS were detected using TaqMan technology in 1272
      healthy controls and 1234 T2DM patients. All study participants were unrelated
      members of the Han ethnic group in China. In this study, the frequency of the
      rs4880 MnSOD single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) genotype differed
      significantly between T2DM patients and controls [allele: P = 0.03, genotype: P =
      0.04, odd's ratio (OR) = 1.26; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07-1.49]. The A-T
      haplotype and G-T haplotype remained significant in T2DM after Bonferroni
      correction (P = 1.58 x 10(-6) and 8.00 x 10(-4), respectively) with a global p
      value of 7.25 x 10(-8). The rs1799983 and rs891512 SNPs of eNOS differed
      significantly between T2DM patients and controls [rs1799983: corrected allele: P
      = 2.10 x 10(-3), corrected genotype: P = 6.30 x 10(-3), OR = 1.43 (95%CI = 1.18
      1.73); rs891512, corrected allele: P = 3.50 x 10(-3), corrected genotype: P =
      9.10 x 10(-3), OR = 1.70 (95%CI = 1.26-2.30)]. Following Bonferroni correction,
      none of the haplotypes of eNOS were significant in T2DM. These results indicate
      that common variants in MnSOD and eNOS increased the risk of T2DM in the Chinese
      Han population.

PMID- 26505453
TI  - Influence of various quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping methods on the mapping
      accuracy under varying heritability levels.
AB  - The study of quantitative trait effects is of great significance for molecular
      marker-assisted breeding. The accuracy of quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping
      is the key factor affecting marker-assisted breeding, and is extremely
      significant. The effect of different heritability rates (10, 30, 50, 70, and 90%)
      on the accuracy of QTL mapping of five recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were
      analyzed via computer simulation. RILs display additive and epistatic genetic
      effects. The QTLs were analyzed using four different mapping procedures: multiple
      QTL model (MQM), composite interval mapping (CIM), multiple interval mapping
      (MIMR), and inclusive composite interval mapping (ICIM). The results revealed an
      increase in the QTL mapping accuracy and QTL detection power, and a decrease in
      the QTL interval range with the increase in heritability; conversely, an
      irregular number of false positive QTLs were generated. CIM and MQM only screen
      the additive and dominant effects; MIMR and ICIM screen the additive, dominant,
      and epistatic effects. The highest QTL detection power obtained using MQM and CIM
      was only 75%, while MIMR and ICIM showed a detection power of 100%. At
      heritability rates of more than 50 and less than 10%, the detection powers of the
      MIMR and ICIM procedures were >95 and <35%, respectively. QTL mapping has no
      significance at heritability rates <10%. The results of this study suggest that
      QTL mapping has significance at a heritability rate >30% (at least >10%) for
      practical marker-assisted breeding.

PMID- 26505454
TI  - Molecular characterization of twenty polymorphic microsatellite markers in the
      polyploid fruit tree species Syzygium samarangense (Myrtaceae).
AB  - Syzygium samarangense (Blume) Merr. & Perry (wax apple) is an important
      commercial fruit tree in Southeast Asia. Here, microsatellite markers were
      developed to evaluate genetic diversity and distinguish cultivars in this
      species. In total, 161 microsatellite loci with sufficient flanking sequences to
      design primer sets were isolated from wax apple using a magnetic bead-enrichment
      method. Fifty-eight primer sets were designed based on the flanking sequences of
      each single sequence repeat (SSR) locus and were tested using 14 wax apple
      cultivars/lines. Twenty SSR loci were found to be polymorphic and transferable
      across the 14 wax apple cultivars/lines. The number of alleles and effective
      number of alleles detected per locus ranged from 4 to 12 and from 1.697 to 9.800,
      respectively. The expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.150 to 0.595 (mean =
      0.414). Polymorphism information content values ranged from 0.502 to 0.866 (mean
      = 0.763). These new microsatellite loci will be of value for characterization of
      genetic diversity in wax apples and for the identification of cultivars.

PMID- 26505455
TI  - Cloning, molecular characterization, and expression analysis of a nucleoporin
      gene (rgNUP98-96) from Rehmannia glutinosa.
AB  - Nucleoporin 98 (NUP98) and nucleoporin 96 (NUP96) are essential components of the
      nuclear pore complex (NPC) in eukaryote cells. However, there is a lack of
      available information about complete Rehmannia glutinosa NUP98-96 (rgNUP98-96)
      sequences. Here, the full-length cDNA sequence of rgNUP96-98 was isolated from R.
      glutinosa using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technology, based on a
      cloned cDNA sequence (GenBank accession No. JZ483329). The identified rgNUP98-96
      was 3476 bp, and it encoded a 1041-amino acid peptide. The BLAST search analysis
      of rgNUP98-96 showed an intermediate degree of similarity (60-79%) to the NUP98
      96 protein sequences of 34 other plants, including the dicotyledons Erythranthe
      guttata, Genlisea aurea, Coffea canephora, Nicotiana benthamiana, Solanum
      lycopersicum, and Solanum tuberosum. The phylogenetic analysis of NUP96-98
      sequences indicated that R. glutinosa and E. guttata sequences shared the closest
      homology. The calculated molecular mass and predicted isolectric point of the
      complex protein were 117.6 kDa and 4.99, respectively. The secondary and three
      dimensional structure studies illustrated that the rgNUP96-98 protein folded into
      a channel motif comprised of 34 alpha-helices, nine beta-strands, and several
      long loops. Using quantitative real-time PCR, the spatio-temporal expression
      patterns of rgNUP98-96 were analyzed in R. glutinosa, and the results indicated
      that rgNUP98-96 was highly expressed at the early stage of R. glutinosa tuberous
      root expansion, which is associated with a higher expression pattern in roots.
      The study provides a valuable foundation for further investigation of rgNUP96-98
      molecular functions in R. glutinosa.

PMID- 26505456
TI  - Combination of multiple gene markers to detect circulating tumor cells in the
      peripheral blood of patients with non-small cell lung cancer using real-time PCR.
AB  - Our study aims to determine the clinical significance of human telomerase reverse
      transcriptase (hTERT), S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) and thyroid
      transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) mRNA expressions in peripheral blood (PB) of
      patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Real-time polymerase chain
      reaction was used to investigate the gene expressions of hTERT, Skp2, TTF-1 as in
      the PB of 60 patients with NSCLC and 20 benign lung diseases. Statistical
      analyses were performed to examine the correlation between the expression of
      these mRNA markers and the clinical pathological features of NSCLC. We found that
      hTERT, Skp2, and TTF-1 were overexpressed in the PB of NSCLC patients, and
      demonstrated high specificity as well as sensitivity when used for NSCLC
      diagnosis. Significant correlation was observed between disease stage and the
      three markers (P < 0.05). This study suggests that the genes hTERT, Skp2, and TTF
      1 play important roles in tumor genesis and development, and can be used as
      diagnosis markers in NSCLC patients. The expression of three markers in
      combination can significantly improve the sensitivity and accuracy of diagnosis
      relative to single marker diagnosis, and provides a reliable method to detect
      CTCs in the PB. Additionally, these markers can also be used as diagnostic
      markers for clinical stages of NSCLC.

PMID- 26505457
TI  - Circulating B7-H4 in serum predicts prognosis in patients with hepatocellular
      carcinoma.
AB  - B7-H4 is member of the B7 family that negatively regulates the immune response,
      which are important for fine-tuning of the tumor microenvironment. Dysregulation
      of B7-H4 expression has been associated with tumor progression. However,
      expression level of B7-H4 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues is still a
      controversial topic. In addition, whether serum B7-H4 expression of HCC patients
      has any clinical value is unknown. We compared serum levels of B7-H4 in patients
      with HCC and healthy controls by using the ELISA method. Association between
      serum B7-H4 expression level and clinical parameters of HCC was further
      investigated. Log-rank test and Kaplan-Meier method were employed to evaluate the
      overall survival rate of HCC patients. Univariate and multivariate analysis of
      prognostic factors were performed with the Cox regression model. Our results
      showed that HCC patients had significantly higher serum B7-H4 level as compared
      with healthy controls (P < 0.001). In addition, serum B7-H4 expression was
      correlated with HCC clinical parameters including serum AFP expression and TNM
      stage. HCC patients in the higher serum B7-H4 expression group had a poorer 5
      year overall survival rate (P = 0.028). Moreover, serum B7-H4 expression was
      shown to be an independent prognostic factor for HCC (P = 0.034). The findings
      from this study suggest that serum B7-H4 is an independent prognostic indicator
      for HCC and may be a promising biomarker for early diagnosis as well as disease
      prognosis of HCC. 

PMID- 26505458
TI  - A Risk Model for Surgical Site Infection in the Gastric Cancer Surgery Using Data
      of 790 Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding risk factors of surgical site infections (SSIs) in
      gastrectomy is important to provide the best treatment for the patients with
      gastric cancer. METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study using the
      medical records of 790 patients with gastrectomy from 2005 through 2009. SSIs
      were classified into incisional SSIs (iSSIs) and organ/space SSIs (o/sSSIs).
      RESULTS: iSSIs and o/sSSIs were detected in 41 (5.2%) patients and 68 (8.6%)
      patients, respectively. Open surgery was the only independent risk factor (p =
      0.028) for iSSIs, while open surgery (p = 0.004), concurrent splenectomy (p <
      0.001), operative time >=220 min (p = 0.009), preoperative body mass index >=20.8
      kg/m2 (p = 0.004) and male gender (p = 0.028) were the independent risk factors
      for o/sSSIs. We created a risk model for o/sSSIs using these independent risk
      factors. The C-index model discrimination was 0.84 (p < 0.001), and the
      calibration of the models demonstrated a linear correlation between the predicted
      and observed probability. CONCLUSION: We reported the risk factors of SSIs for
      gastrectomy. The risk model developed in this study for o/sSSIs pertaining to
      gastric cancer surgery would contribute to provide guidance for the development
      of best practices.

PMID- 26505459
TI  - Stroke Prevention Worldwide--What Could Make It Work?
AB  - The global burden of stroke is of continual major importance for global health.
      The present report addresses some of the core principles that could make stroke
      prevention work. The prevention of stroke shares many common features with other
      non-communicable diseases (NCDs); stroke prevention should therefore be part of
      the joint actions on NCD led by the WHO and member states. Stroke prevention is
      an integral part of both the 2011 UN declaration on actions on NCDs and the UN
      Post-2015 Sustainable Developmental Goals. Stroke prevention requires an
      intersectoral approach, with important responsibilities on the part of
      governmental bodies, non-government organizations and the health sector as well
      as communities, industries and individuals. Although official development
      assistance will need to be provided for the lowest income countries, financing
      will need to be raised for most countries by reallocation of resources within the
      country. Stroke is a prototype NCD in that there is overwhelming scientific
      evidence that with actions taken to reduce risk factors, the risk of stroke can
      be substantially reduced. Prevention of stroke will also have beneficial effects
      on cognitive decline and dementia. As most strokes do not lead to death, stroke
      statistics should not only focus on mortality, but also on disability and quality
      of life. All preventive actions should start early in life and continue during
      the life cycle. Prevention of stroke is a complex medical and a political issue
      with many challenges. Upscaling of efforts to prevent stroke are urgently needed
      in all regions, and the opportunity to act is now.

PMID- 26505460
TI  - Enhancement of photodetection characteristics of MoS2 field effect transistors
      using surface treatment with copper phthalocyanine.
AB  - Recently, two-dimensional materials such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) have been
      extensively studied as channel materials for field effect transistors (FETs)
      because MoS2 has outstanding electrical properties such as a low subthreshold
      swing value, a high on/off ratio, and good carrier mobility. In this study, we
      characterized the electrical and photo-responsive properties of MoS2 FET when
      stacking a p-type organic copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) layer on the MoS2 surface.
      We observed that the threshold voltage of MoS2 FET could be controlled by
      stacking the CuPc layers due to a charge transfer phenomenon at the interface.
      Particularly, we demonstrated that CuPc/MoS2 hybrid devices exhibited high
      performance as a photodetector compared with the pristine MoS2 FETs, caused by
      more electron-hole pairs separation at the p-n interface. Furthermore, we found
      the optimized CuPc thickness (~2 nm) on the MoS2 surface for the best performance
      as a photodetector with a photoresponsivity of ~1.98 A W(-1), a detectivity of
      ~6.11 * 10(10) Jones, and an external quantum efficiency of ~12.57%. Our study
      suggests that the MoS2 vertical hybrid structure with organic material can be
      promising as efficient photodetecting devices and optoelectronic circuits. 

PMID- 26505461
TI  - New honeycomb iridium(V) oxides: NaIrO3 and Sr3CaIr2O9.
AB  - We report the structures and physical properties of two new iridates, NaIrO3 and
      Sr3CaIr2O9, both of which contain continuous two-dimensional honeycomb
      connectivity. NaIrO3 is produced by room temperature oxidative deintercalation of
      sodium from Na2IrO3, and contains edge-sharing IrO6 octahedra that form a planar
      honeycomb lattice. Sr3CaIr2O9, produced via conventional solid-state synthesis,
      hosts a buckled honeycomb lattice with novel corner-sharing connectivity between
      IrO6 octahedra. Both of these new compounds are comprised of Ir(5+) (5d(4)) and
      exhibit negligible magnetic susceptibility. They are thus platforms to
      investigate the origin of the nonmagnetic behavior exhibited by Ir(5+) oxides,
      and provide the first examples of a J = 0 state on a honeycomb lattice. 

PMID- 26505462
TI  - Synthesis, structure and properties of the manganese-doped polyoxotitanate cage
      [Ti18MnO30(OEt)20(MnPhen)3] (Phen = 1,10-phenanthroline).
AB  - The novel heterometallic polyoxotitanate cage [Ti18MnO30(OEt)20(MnPhen)3] (1),
      obtained by solvothermal reaction of Ti(OEt)4 with Mn(AcO)3.(H2O)2 and 1,10
      phenanthroline (Phen) in EtOH, has a C3 symmetric core structure containing an
      interstitial tetrahedral Mn(II) ion and is surrounded by three Mn(II)(Phen)
      fragments. The molecular structure is retained in thin film electrodes of 1
      deposited by solution drop-casting onto fluorinated tin oxide (FTO). Both solid
      state and solution phase electrochemical measurements show dual redox couples,
      consistent with the two distinct Mn coordination environments in the cage
      structure. Sintering of 1 in air at 600  degrees C produces a black crystalline
      solid which consists of Mn-doped TiO2 (mainly in the rutile phase) together with
      alpha-Mn2O3. Such a composite semiconductor has an optical band gap of ca. 1.80
      eV, similar to that of alpha-Mn2O3. 

PMID- 26505463
TI  - Relationship Between Nocturnal Intraocular Pressure Variations and Sleep
      Macrostructure.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to characterize the relationships between
      nocturnal intraocular pressure (IOP) variations and sleep macrostructure in
      healthy subjects. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a center
      with shared expertise in chronobiology. Twelve healthy volunteers (22.3 +/- 2.3
      years) underwent a 24-hour IOP measurement session. The IOP variations of one eye
      were continuously estimated using a contact lens sensor (CLS) measuring the
      changes in corneal curvature related to the IOP and not requiring nocturnal
      awakening for measurements. The CLS measurement characteristics (mean, maximum,
      minimum, and amplitude) were evaluated across sleep stages (non-rapid eye
      movement [NREM] sleep [N1, N2, N3], REM) and assessed using polysomnography. The
      CLS signal measurement changes during sleep stage changes were calculated to
      evaluate the effects of sleep on IOP. RESULTS: A 24-hour IOP nyctohemeral rhythm
      was found in all subjects. During the nocturnal period, IOP signal values were
      significantly lower during wake stages than during REM and NREM N1, N2, and N3
      sleep stages (P <= 0.04). The IOP signal values were significantly higher during
      the REM stage than during the NREM stages (P <= 0.03) and progressively decreased
      as NREM sleep deepened (P <= 0.04). We found a positive relationship between the
      micro-arousal index and the nocturnal period CLS signal SD (r = 0.76; P = 0.024)
      and a negative relationship between sleep efficiency and the nocturnal period CLS
      signal SD (r = -0.69; P = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: Sleep micro- and macrostructure
      and nocturnal IOP variations are closely related in young subjects without sleep
      disorders. Across sleep stages, IOP is highest during REM sleep and progressively
      decreases as NREM sleep deepens.

PMID- 26505464
TI  - Melanopsin-Mediated Post-Illumination Pupil Response in Early Age-Related Macular
      Degeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whether melanopsin-expressing intrinsically photosensitive
      retinal ganglion cell (ipRGC) inputs to the pupil light reflex (PLR) are affected
      in early age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: The PLR was measured in
      40 participants (20 early AMD and 20 age-matched controls) using a custom-built
      Maxwellian view pupillometer. Sinusoidal stimuli (0.5 Hz, 11.9 seconds duration,
      35.6 degrees  diameter) were presented to the study eye and the consensual pupil
      response was measured to lights with high melanopsin excitation (464 nm [blue])
      and with low melanopsin excitation (638 nm [red]) that biased activation to the
      outer retina. Two melanopsin PLR metrics were quantified: the phase amplitude
      percentage (PAP) during the sinusoidal stimulus presentation and the post
      illumination pupil response (PIPR). The PLR during stimulus presentation was
      analyzed using latency to constriction, the transient pupil response and maximum
      pupil constriction metrics. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: The blue PIPR was significantly
      less sustained in the early AMD group (P < 0.001). The red PIPR was not
      significantly different between groups (P > 0.05). The PAP and blue stimulus
      constriction amplitude were significantly lower in the early AMD group (P <
      0.05). There was no significant difference between groups in the latency or
      transient amplitude for both stimuli (P > 0.05). ROC analysis showed excellent
      diagnostic accuracy for the blue PIPR metrics (area under the curve > 0.9).
      CONCLUSIONS: This is the initial report that the melanopsin-controlled PIPR is
      dysfunctional in early AMD. The noninvasive, objective measurement of the ipRGC
      controlled PIPR has excellent diagnostic accuracy for early AMD.

PMID- 26505465
TI  - Implications of Optic Disc Tilt in the Progression of Primary Open-Angle
      Glaucoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of optic disc tilt on the progression of glaucoma
      in myopic glaucomatous eyes. METHODS: The disc tilt ratio was estimated on disc
      photographs. Glaucomatous progression was determined either by stereoscopic optic
      disc/retinal nerve fiber layer photographs or serial visual field data. All
      participants were categorized into two groups according to tilt ratio (nontilted
      [<1.3] or tilted [>=1.3]). Kaplan-Meier life-table analysis was used to compare
      the survival experiences (time to confirmed glaucomatous progression) between
      groups. The hazard ratios (HRs) for the associations between potential risk
      factors and progression were determined by using Cox proportional hazards
      modeling. RESULTS: A total of 85 eyes in 85 myopic glaucoma patients (axial
      length > 24 mm; mean follow-up, 4.1 years) were included. Among them, 42 eyes
      (49.4%) demonstrated progression and 43 eyes (50.6%) were stable on follow-up.
      The mean disc tilt ratio was significantly smaller, and the prevalence of disc
      hemorrhage higher, in the progression than the stable group (P = 0.032, P = <
      0.001, respectively). The cumulative probability of progression was 24.7% in the
      tilted group and 68.7% in the nontilted group (P = 0.005). Disc hemorrhage (HR =
      3.317; P = 0.001) and the tilt ratio (HR = 0.110; P = 0.046) were predictive of
      progression. CONCLUSIONS: Myopic eyes with tilted disc demonstrated a smaller
      probability of glaucomatous progression. Optic disc tilt may be protective
      against glaucoma progression, or tilted myopic glaucomatous eyes may have less
      progressive characteristic by nature.

PMID- 26505466
TI  - Long-Term Treatment with High-Dose Thiamine in Parkinson Disease: An Open-Label
      Pilot Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the potential clinical, restorative, and
      neuroprotective effects of long-term treatment with thiamine in Parkinson disease
      (PD). DESIGN: Observational open-label pilot study. SETTING: Outpatient
      neurologic rehabilitation clinic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Starting in June 2012, we
      have recruited 50 patients with PD (33 men and 17 women; mean age, 70.4 +/- 12.9
      years; mean disease duration, 7.3 +/- 6.7 years). All the patients were assessed
      at baseline with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the
      Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and began treatment with 100 mg of thiamine
      administered intramuscularly twice a week, without any change to personal
      therapy. All the patients were re-evaluated after 1 month and then every 3 months
      during treatment. RESULTS: Thiamine treatment led to significant improvement of
      motor and nonmotor symptoms: mean UPDRS scores (parts I-IV) improved from 38.55
      +/- 15.24 to 18.16 +/- 15.08 (p = 2.4 * 10(-14), t test for paired data) within 3
      months and remained stable over time; motor UPDRS part III score improved from
      22.01 +/- 8.57 to 9.92 +/- 8.66 (p = 3.1 * 10(-22)). Some patients with a milder
      phenotype had complete clinical recovery. FSS scores, in six patients who had
      fatigue, improved from 53.00 +/- 8.17 to 23.60 +/- 7.77 (p < 0.0001, t test for
      paired data). Follow-up duration ranged from 95 to 831 days (mean, 291.6 +/-
      207.2 days). CONCLUSIONS: Administration of parenteral high-dose thiamine was
      effective in reversing PD motor and nonmotor symptoms. The clinical improvement
      was stable over time in all the patients. From our clinical evidence, we
      hypothesize that a dysfunction of thiamine-dependent metabolic processes could
      cause selective neural damage in the centers typically affected by this disease
      and might be a fundamental molecular event provoking neurodegeneration. Thiamine
      could have both restorative and neuroprotective action in PD.

PMID- 26505467
TI  - Nuchal translucency distributions for different chromosomal anomalies in a large
      unselected population cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the distribution of the fetal nuchal translucency
      thickness (NT) according to type of chromosomal aberration in a large unselected
      population. METHODS: Data on pregnancies with an NT measurement performed at
      gestational age 11 + 3 - 13 + 6 weeks from 2008 to 2011 were retrieved from the
      Danish National Fetal Medicine Database. Information on any genetic analysis for
      aneuploidy performed pre- or postnatally was also obtained. The abnormal results
      were grouped into 14 types of chromosomal anomalies. Distributions of NT
      measurements were summarized by aberration and compared with the normal/no
      karyotype group. RESULTS: A total of 215 223 singleton pregnancies were included
      in the cohort; 10548 had a normal karyotype and 1286 had an aberration. Plots of
      the NT measurements showed that like trisomy 21, 18 and 13 and monosomy X, the
      distribution for the unbalanced translocations was shifted towards larger NTs.
      The distributions for the balanced translocations, the uncommon trisomies and the
      triploidies more closely resembled that of the normal/no karyotype population.
      CONCLUSION: Fetuses with aneuploidies have NT distributions visually different
      from normal fetuses, with the exception of triploidies and uncommon autosomal
      trisomies. The distributions differ in shape according to type of chromosomal
      anomaly. (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26505468
TI  - Periodontal disease classifications revisited.
AB  - An American Academy of Periodontology Task Force has recently published a report
      on the Update to the 1999 Classification of Periodontal Diseases and Conditions,
      which is a focused update outlining changes to be included in a comprehensive
      update planned for 2017. We discuss the proposed changes, and their rationales,
      and conclude that the periodontal classification carousel will continue to spin
      until it is realized that the only way forward is a profound reconsideration of
      what we hope to achieve with classifications. 

PMID- 26505469
TI  - Glycemic control in inpatients with diabetes following august changeover of
      trainee doctors in England.
AB  - The first Wednesday of August is the day of changeover of trainee doctors in
      England. It is widely perceived that inexperience and nonfamiliarity with the new
      hospital systems and policies in these first few weeks lead to increased medical
      errors, mismanagement, and mortality. The aim of this study was to analyze the
      impact of the August changeover of trainee doctors on inpatient glycemic control
      in a single English hospital. This is currently unknown in England. Overall,
      16,870 patient-day capillary glucose reading measures in 2730 inpatients with
      diabetes were analyzed for 4 weeks before and after the changeover period for the
      years 2012, 2013, and 2014. Only inpatients hospitalized for longer than 1 day
      were included. Contrary to expectations, inpatient glycemic control did not
      worsen in the first 4 weeks after changeover compared to the preceding 4 weeks
      before changeover in the 3-year period. This may be due to forethought and
      planning by the deanery foundation school and the inpatient diabetes team in this
      hospital.

PMID- 26505470
TI  - Blood transfusion in acute and chronic pediatric settings: beliefs and practices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blood has been imbued with powerful connotations through history and
      across cultures. Currently bestowed with scientific meaning, blood nevertheless
      carries symbolic resonance. This study examines these representations among
      practitioners and sheds light on the clinical and nonclinical factors that guide
      blood transfusion (BT) decision-making in Quebec, Canada. STUDY DESIGN AND
      METHODS: With a qualitative exploratory study design, data were collected in the
      pediatric intensive care unit and the hematology-oncology unit of Sainte-Justine
      Hospital in 2009. A total of fifteen 1-hour-long semistructured interviews were
      conducted with physicians. RESULTS: Physicians affirm that the symbolic
      connotations of blood found in the lay population do not influence their
      transfusion decisions. However, there are other "social" and "cultural' aspects
      that influence these practices. Also, BT strategies remain diverse across units.
      Practitioners perceive these situations as resulting from insufficient training
      and by the existence of an "oral tradition" and a professional culture that are
      resistant to change. CONCLUSION: BT practices differ within and across units.
      Many dimensions intervene in the decision to transfuse, from individual clinical
      appreciation and local unit "culture" to formal and ad hoc training. Consistent
      change in BT can only occur with the implementation of norms and guidelines that
      are endorsed by key influential figures. An extensive multicentered study is
      necessary to better understand how social and cultural factors affect BT
      practices. This knowledge will sustain an enlightened clinical practice and lead
      to the recognition that peer practices are also embedded in professional
      cultures.

PMID- 26505471
TI  - Active versus passive humidification for self-ventilating tracheostomy and
      laryngectomy patients: a systematic review of the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether active or passive humidification methods are more
      effective in preventing pulmonary complications in self-ventilating neck breather
      patients. DESIGN: Systematic Review adhering to PRISMA guidance (checklist
      sourced from www.equator-network.org/). SETTING: Review of current published
      relevant literature at a tertiary department of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck
      Surgery. PARTICIPANTS: We included all separate studies and comparison studies of
      active and passive humidification techniques in adult and paediatric neck
      breather patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome is the reduction in
      pulmonary complications. Secondary outcomes include patient compliance; carer and
      user satisfaction. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Seven studies were included in this
      review: two RCTs (133 patients), one randomised controlled cross-over trial (29
      patients), three randomised prospective studies (171 patients), and one
      retrospective study (73 patients). Only one study was conducted on paediatric
      neck breathers. The overall quality of the studies was low. Five studies were at
      a high risk of bias. Of the remaining two studies, one study had a low risk of
      bias and the other had an unclear risk. Despite limited subject evidence, results
      show that passive methods of humidification (mainly HME) is the preferred choice
      of humidification in the spontaneously breathing neck breather patients group
      mainly due to the reduction in pulmonary complaints, and better patient
      compliance.

PMID- 26505472
TI  - Motor Control of Landing from a Jump in Simulated Hypergravity.
AB  - On Earth, when landing from a counter-movement jump, muscles contract before
      touchdown to anticipate imminent collision with the ground and place the limbs in
      a proper position. This study assesses how the control of landing is modified
      when gravity is increased above 1 g. Hypergravity was simulated in two different
      ways: (1) by generating centrifugal forces during turns of an aircraft (A300) and
      (2) by pulling the subject downwards in the laboratory with a Subject Loading
      System (SLS). Eight subjects were asked to perform counter-movement jumps at 1 g
      on Earth and at 3 hypergravity levels (1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 g) both in A300 and with
      SLS. External forces applied to the body, movements of the lower limb segments
      and muscular activity of 6 lower limb muscles were recorded. Our results show
      that both in A300 and with SLS, as in 1 g: (1) the anticipation phase is present;
      (2) during the loading phase (from touchdown until the peak of vertical ground
      reaction force), lower limb muscles act like a stiff spring, whereas during the
      second part (from the peak of vertical ground reaction force until the return to
      the standing position), they act like a compliant spring associated with a
      damper. (3) With increasing gravity, the preparatory adjustments and the loading
      phase are modified whereas the second part does not change drastically. (4) The
      modifications are similar in A300 and with SLS, however the effect of
      hypergravity is accentuated in A300, probably due to altered sensory inputs. This
      observation suggests that otolithic information plays an important role in the
      control of the landing from a jump. 

PMID- 26505473
TI  - Understanding Social Contagion in Adoption Processes Using Dynamic Social
      Networks.
AB  - There are many studies in the marketing and diffusion literature of the
      conditions in which social contagion affects adoption processes. Yet most of
      these studies assume that social interactions do not change over time, even
      though actors in social networks exhibit different likelihoods of being
      influenced across the diffusion period. Rooted in physics and epidemiology
      theories, this study proposes a Susceptible Infectious Susceptible (SIS) model to
      assess the role of social contagion in adoption processes, which takes changes in
      social dynamics over time into account. To study the adoption over a span of ten
      years, the authors used detailed data sets from a community of consumers and
      determined the importance of social contagion, as well as how the interplay of
      social and non-social influences from outside the community drives adoption
      processes. Although social contagion matters for diffusion, it is less relevant
      in shaping adoption when the study also includes social dynamics among members of
      the community. This finding is relevant for managers and entrepreneurs who trust
      in word-of-mouth marketing campaigns whose effect may be overestimated if
      marketers fail to acknowledge variations in social interactions. 

PMID- 26505474
TI  - Modulation of Closed-State Inactivation in Kv2.1/Kv6.4 Heterotetramers as
      Mechanism for 4-AP Induced Potentiation.
AB  - The voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channel subunits Kv2.1 and Kv2.2 are expressed in
      almost every tissue. The diversity of Kv2 current is increased by interacting
      with the electrically silent Kv (KvS) subunits Kv5-Kv6 and Kv8-Kv9, into
      functional heterotetrameric Kv2/KvS channels. These Kv2/KvS channels possess
      unique biophysical properties and display a more tissue-specific expression
      pattern, making them more desirable pharmacological and therapeutic targets.
      However, little is known about the pharmacological properties of these
      heterotetrameric complexes. We demonstrate that Kv5.1, Kv8.1 and Kv9.3 currents
      were inhibited differently by the channel blocker 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) compared
      to Kv2.1 homotetramers. In contrast, Kv6.4 currents were potentiated by 4-AP
      while displaying moderately increased affinities for the channel pore blockers
      quinidine and flecainide. We found that the 4-AP induced potentiation of Kv6.4
      currents was caused by modulation of the Kv6.4-mediated closed-state
      inactivation: suppression by 4-AP of the Kv2.1/Kv6.4 closed-state inactivation
      recovered a population of Kv2.1/Kv6.4 channels that was inactivated at resting
      conditions, i.e. at a holding potential of -80 mV. This modulation also resulted
      in a slower initiation and faster recovery from closed-state inactivation. Using
      chimeric substitutions between Kv6.4 and Kv9.3 subunits, we demonstrated that the
      lower half of the S6 domain (S6c) plays a crucial role in the 4-AP induced
      potentiation. These results demonstrate that KvS subunits modify the
      pharmacological response of Kv2 subunits when assembled in heterotetramers and
      illustrate the potential of KvS subunits to provide unique pharmacological
      properties to the heterotetramers, as is the case for 4-AP on Kv2.1/Kv6.4
      channels. 

PMID- 26505475
TI  - Anti-Neoplastic Cytotoxicity of SN-38-Loaded PCL/Gelatin Electrospun Composite
      Nanofiber Scaffolds against Human Glioblastoma Cells In Vitro.
AB  - Electrospun poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL)/gelatin (GT) scaffolds were
      developed to provide controlled release of 7-ethyl-10-hydroxy camptothecin (SN
      38). Acetic acid was introduced to improve the miscibility of PCL and GT to
      produce a homogeneous nanofiber membrane mixture. The effect of SN-38 content in
      binary mixtures on processability, fiber morphology, water sorption, swelling,
      and drug release was investigated. Electrospun PCL/GT blend nonwoven fibers
      showed fiber surface roughness, decreased PCL crystallinity, and increased
      swelling with increasing drug content of 1, 2, and 4 wt %. Additionally,
      increasing the SN-38 concentration reduced the degradation rate of the GT.
      Furthermore, we hypothesize the existence of a drug content saturation point in
      the monoaxial fiber to explain the different drug release patterns of PG2
      compared with those of PG1 and PG4. The matrix also showed good biodegradation
      and anti-tumor function. Our results demonstrate that SN-38-loaded PCL/GT fibers
      can be obtained by electrospinning. The SN-38-loaded fibers merit further
      evaluation as a means to potentially prevent locoregional recurrence following
      surgical tumor resection.

PMID- 26505476
TI  - Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) Biometrics and Condition.
AB  - The compiled data for this study represents the first Atlantic and Mediterranean
      wide effort to pool all available biometric data for Atlantic bluefin tuna
      (Thunnus thynnus) with the collaboration of many countries and scientific groups.
      Biometric relationships were based on an extensive sampling (over 140,000 fish
      sampled), covering most of the fishing areas for this species in the North
      Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Sensitivity analyses were carried out to
      evaluate the representativeness of sampling and explore the most adequate
      procedure to fit the weight-length relationship (WLR). The selected model for the
      WLRs by stock included standardized data series (common measurement types)
      weighted by the inverse variability. There was little difference between annual
      stock-specific round weight-straight fork length relationships, with an overall
      difference of 6% in weight. The predicted weight by month was estimated as an
      additional component in the exponent of the weight-length function. The analyses
      of monthly variations of fish condition by stock, maturity state and geographic
      area reflect annual cycles of spawning and feeding behavior. We update and
      improve upon the biometric relationships for bluefin currently used by the
      International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, by incorporating
      substantially larger datasets than ever previously compiled, providing complete
      documentation of sources and employing robust statistical fitting. WLRs and other
      conversion factors estimated in this study differ from the ones used in previous
      bluefin stock assessments. 

PMID- 26505477
TI  - A Network Approach to Bipolar Symptomatology in Patients with Different Course
      Types.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The longitudinal mood course is highly variable among patients with
      bipolar disorder(BD). One of the strongest predictors of the future disease
      course is the past disease course, implying that the vulnerability for developing
      a specific pattern of symptoms is rather consistent over time. We therefore
      investigated whether BD patients with different longitudinal course types have
      symptom correlation networks with typical characteristics. To this end we used
      network analysis, a rather novel approach in the field of psychiatry. METHOD:
      Based on two-year monthly life charts, 125 patients with complete 2 year data
      were categorized into three groups: i.e., a minimally impaired (n = 47), a
      predominantly depressed (n = 42) and a cycling course (n = 36). Associations
      between symptoms were defined as the groupwise Spearman's rank correlation
      coefficient between each pair of items of the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and
      the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS). Weighted symptom
      networks and centrality measures were compared among the three groups. RESULTS:
      The weighted networks significantly differed among the three groups, with manic
      and depressed symptoms being most strongly interconnected in the cycling group.
      The symptoms with top centrality that were most interconnected also differed
      among the course group; central symptoms in the stable group were elevated mood
      and increased speech, in the depressed group loss of self-esteem and psychomotor
      slowness, and in the cycling group concentration loss and suicidality.
      CONCLUSION: Symptom networks based on the timepoints with most severe symptoms of
      bipolar patients with different longitudinal course types are significantly
      different. The clinical interpretation of this finding and its implications are
      discussed.

PMID- 26505479
TI  - Computational Methods for Exploration and Analysis of Macromolecular Structure
      and Dynamics.

PMID- 26505478
TI  - Interleukin-17A and Toll-Like Receptor 3 Ligand Poly(I:C) Synergistically Induced
      Neutrophil Chemoattractant Production by Bronchial Epithelial Cells.
AB  - Chronic inflammatory airway diseases, such as bronchial asthma and chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease, are common respiratory disorders worldwide.
      Exacerbations of these diseases are frequent and worsen patients' respiratory
      condition and overall health. However, the mechanisms of exacerbation have not
      been fully elucidated. Recently, it was reported that interleukin (IL)-17A might
      play an important role in neutrophilic inflammation, which is characteristic of
      such exacerbations, through increased production of neutrophil chemoattractants.
      Therefore, we hypothesized that IL-17A was involved in the pathogenesis of acute
      exacerbation, due to viral infection in chronic inflammatory airway diseases. In
      this study, we assessed chemokine production by bronchial epithelial cells and
      investigated the underlying mechanisms. Comprehensive chemokine analysis showed
      that, compared with poly(I:C) alone, co-stimulation of BEAS-2B cells with IL-17A
      and poly(I:C) strongly induced production of such neutrophil chemoattractants as
      CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL)8, growth-related oncogene (GRO), and CXCL1. Co
      stimulation synergistically induced CXCL8 and CXCL1 mRNA and protein production
      by BEAS-2B cells and normal human bronchial epithelial cells. Poly(I:C) induced
      chemokine expression by BEAS-2B cells mainly via Toll-like receptor 3/TIR-domain
      containing adapter-inducing interferon-beta-mediated signals. The co-stimulation
      with IL-17A and poly(I:C) markedly activated the p38 and extracellular-signal
      regulated kinase 1/2 pathway, compared with poly(I:C), although there was little
      change in nuclear factor-kappaB translocation into the nucleus or the
      transcriptional activities of nuclear factor-kappaB and activator protein 1. IL
      17A promoted stabilization of CXCL8 mRNA in BEAS-2B cells treated with poly(I:C).
      In conclusion, IL-17A appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic
      inflammatory airway disease exacerbation, due to viral infection by promoting
      release of neutrophil chemoattractants from bronchial epithelial cells. 

PMID- 26505480
TI  - Multiscale Estimation of Binding Kinetics Using Brownian Dynamics, Molecular
      Dynamics and Milestoning.
AB  - The kinetic rate constants of binding were estimated for four biochemically
      relevant molecular systems by a method that uses milestoning theory to combine
      Brownian dynamics simulations with more detailed molecular dynamics simulations.
      The rate constants found using this method agreed well with experimentally and
      theoretically obtained values. We predicted the association rate of a small
      charged molecule toward both a charged and an uncharged spherical receptor and
      verified the estimated value with Smoluchowski theory. We also calculated the kon
      rate constant for superoxide dismutase with its natural substrate, O2-, in a
      validation of a previous experiment using similar methods but with a number of
      important improvements. We also calculated the kon for a new system: the N
      terminal domain of Troponin C with its natural substrate Ca2+. The kon calculated
      for the latter two systems closely resemble experimentally obtained values. This
      novel multiscale approach is computationally cheaper and more parallelizable when
      compared to other methods of similar accuracy. We anticipate that this
      methodology will be useful for predicting kinetic rate constants and for
      understanding the process of binding between a small molecule and a protein
      receptor. 

PMID- 26505481
TI  - Investigation of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) Attachment onto Self-Assembled
      Monolayers (SAMs) Using Combinatorial Quartz Crystal Microbalance with
      Dissipation (QCM-D) and Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE).
AB  - Understanding protein adsorption kinetics to surfaces is of importance for
      various environmental and biomedical applications. Adsorption of bovine serum
      albumin to various self-assembled monolayer surfaces including neutral and
      charged hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces was investigated using in-situ
      combinatorial quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation and spectroscopic
      ellipsometry. Adsorption of bovine serum albumin varied as a function of surface
      properties, bovine serum albumin concentration and pH value. Charged surfaces
      exhibited a greater quantity of bovine serum albumin adsorption, a larger bovine
      serum albumin layer thickness, and increased density of bovine serum albumin
      protein compared to neutral surfaces at neutral pH value. The quantity of
      adsorbed bovine serum albumin protein increased with increasing bovine serum
      albumin concentration. After equilibrium sorption was reached at pH 7.0,
      desorption of bovine serum albumin occurred when pH was lowered to 2.0, which is
      below the isoelectric point of bovine serum albumin. Our data provide further
      evidence that combinatorial quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation and
      spectroscopic ellipsometry is a sensitive analytical tool to evaluate attachment
      and detachment of adsorbed proteins in systems with environmental implications. 

PMID- 26505483
TI  - Another look at the informed consent process: The document and the conversation.

PMID- 26505482
TI  - Identification of Genes Related to Growth and Lipid Deposition from Transcriptome
      Profiles of Pig Muscle Tissue.
AB  - Transcriptome profiles established using high-throughput sequencing can be
      effectively used for screening genome-wide differentially expressed genes (DEGs).
      RNA sequences (from RNA-seq) and microRNA sequences (from miRNA-seq) from the
      tissues of longissimus dorsi muscle of two indigenous Chinese pig breeds (Diannan
      Small-ear pig [DSP] and Tibetan pig [TP]) and two introduced pig breeds (Landrace
      [LL] and Yorkshire [YY]) were examined using HiSeq 2000 to identify and compare
      the differential expression of functional genes related to muscle growth and
      lipid deposition. We obtained 27.18 G clean data through the RNA-seq and detected
      that 18,208 genes were positively expressed and 14,633 of them were co-expressed
      in the muscle tissues of the four samples. In all, 315 DEGs were found between
      the Chinese pig group and the introduced pig group, 240 of which were enriched
      with functional annotations from the David database and significantly enriched in
      27 Gene Ontology (GO) terms that were mainly associated with muscle fiber
      contraction, cadmium ion binding, response to organic substance and contractile
      fiber part. Based on functional annotation, we identified 85 DEGs related to
      growth traits that were mainly involved in muscle tissue development, muscle
      system process, regulation of cell development, and growth factor binding, and 27
      DEGs related to lipid deposition that were mainly involved in lipid metabolic
      process and fatty acid biosynthetic process. With miRNA-seq, we obtained 23.78 M
      reads and 320 positively expressed miRNAs from muscle tissues, including 271
      known pig miRNAs and 49 novel miRNAs. In those 271 known miRNAs, 20 were higher
      and 10 lower expressed in DSP-TP than in LL-YY. The target genes of the 30 miRNAs
      were mainly participated in MAPK, GnRH, insulin and Calcium signaling pathway and
      others involved cell development, growth and proliferation, etc. Combining the
      DEGs and the differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs, we drafted a network of 46
      genes and 18 miRNAs for regulating muscle growth and a network of 15 genes and 16
      miRNAs for regulating lipid deposition. We identified that CAV2, MYOZ2, FRZB, miR
      29b, miR-122, miR-145-5p and miR-let-7c, etc, were key genes or miRNAs regulating
      muscle growth, and FASN, SCD, ADORA1, miR-4332, miR-182, miR-92b-3p, miR-let-7a
      and miR-let-7e, etc, were key genes or miRNAs regulating lipid deposition. The
      quantitative expressions of eight DEGs and seven DE miRNAs measured with real
      time PCR certified that the results of differential expression genes or miRNAs
      were reliable. Thus, 18,208 genes and 320 miRNAs were positively expressed in
      porcine longissimus dorsi muscle. We obtained 85 genes and 18 miRNAs related to
      muscle growth and 27 genes and 16 miRNAs related to lipid deposition, which
      provided new insights into molecular mechanism of the economical traits in pig. 

PMID- 26505485
TI  - Streptococcus suis Meningitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Streptococcus suis is the most common cause of meningitis in pork
      consuming and pig rearing countries in South-East Asia. We performed a systematic
      review of studies on S. suis meningitis to define the clinical characteristics,
      predisposing factors and outcome. METHODOLOGY: Studies published between January
      1, 1980 and August 1, 2015 were identified from main literature databases and
      reference lists. Studies were included if they were written in West-European
      languages and described at least 5 adult patients with S. suis meningitis in whom
      at least one clinical characteristic was described. FINDINGS: We identified 913
      patients with S. suis meningitis included in 24 studies between 1980 and 2015.
      The mean age was 49 years and 581 of 711 patients were male (82%). Exposure to
      pigs or pork was present in 395 of 648 patients (61%) while other predisposing
      factors were less common. 514 of 528 patients presented with fever (97%), 429 of
      451 with headache (95%), 462 of 496 with neck stiffness (93%) and 78 of 384
      patients (20%) had a skin injury in the presence of pig/pork contact. The case
      fatality rate was 2.9% and hearing loss was a common sequel occurring in 259 of
      489 patients (53%). Treatment included dexamethasone in 157 of 300 (52%) of
      patients and was associated with reduced hearing loss in S. suis meningitis
      patients included in a randomized controlled trial. CONCLUSION: S. suis
      meningitis has a clear association with pig and pork contact. Mortality is low,
      but hearing loss occurs frequently. Dexamethasone was shown to reduce hearing
      loss.

PMID- 26505484
TI  - De Novo Assembly and Genome Analyses of the Marine-Derived Scopulariopsis
      brevicaulis Strain LF580 Unravels Life-Style Traits and Anticancerous Scopularide
      Biosynthetic Gene Cluster.
AB  - The marine-derived Scopulariopsis brevicaulis strain LF580 produces scopularides
      A and B, which have anticancerous properties. We carried out genome sequencing
      using three next-generation DNA sequencing methods. De novo hybrid assembly
      yielded 621 scaffolds with a total size of 32.2 Mb and 16298 putative gene
      models. We identified a large non-ribosomal peptide synthetase gene (nrps1) and
      supporting pks2 gene in the same biosynthetic gene cluster. This cluster and the
      genes within the cluster are functionally active as confirmed by RNA-Seq.
      Characterization of carbohydrate-active enzymes and major facilitator superfamily
      (MFS)-type transporters lead to postulate S. brevicaulis originated from a soil
      fungus, which came into contact with the marine sponge Tethya aurantium. This
      marine sponge seems to provide shelter to this fungus and micro-environment
      suitable for its survival in the ocean. This study also builds the platform for
      further investigations of the role of life-style and secondary metabolites from
      S. brevicaulis. 

PMID- 26505487
TI  - Vapor Pressure of Hexamethylene Triperoxide Diamine (HMTD) Estimated Using
      Secondary Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - A rapid method for vapor pressure measurement was developed and used to derive
      the vapor pressure curve of the thermally labile peroxide-based explosive
      hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD) over the temperature range from 28 to 80
      degrees C. This method uses a controlled flow of vapor from a solid-phase HMTD
      source that is presented to an ambient-pressure-ionization mass spectrometer
      equipped with a secondary-electrospray-ionization (SESI) source. The subpart-per
      trillion sensitivity of this system enables direct detection of HMTD vapor
      through an intact [M + H](+) ion in real time at temperatures near 20  degrees C.
      By calibrating this method using vapor sources of cocaine and heroin, which have
      known pressure-temperature (P-T) curves, the temperature dependence of HMTD vapor
      was determined, and a Clausius-Clapeyron plot of ln[P (Pa)] vs 1/[T (K)] yielded
      a straight line with the expression ln[P (Pa)] = {(-11091 +/- 356) * 1/[T (K)]} +
      25 +/- 1 (error limits are the standard error of the regression analysis). From
      this equation, the sublimation enthalpy of HMTD was estimated to be 92 +/- 3
      kJ/mol, which compares well with the theoretical estimate of 95 kJ/mol, and the
      vapor pressure at 20  degrees C was estimated to be ~60 parts per trillion by
      volume, which is within a factor of 2 of previous theoretical estimates. Thus,
      this method provides not only the first direct experimental determination of HMTD
      vapor pressure but also a rapid, near-real-time capability to quantitatively
      measure low-vapor-pressure compounds, which will be useful for aiding in the
      development of training aids for bomb-sniffing canines. 

PMID- 26505486
TI  - Hodgkin lymphoma: MOPP chemotherapy to PD-1 blockade and beyond.
AB  - Hodgkin lymphoma is a rare lymphoid malignancy affecting ~9,200 new patients in
      the United States annually. Progress in the management of this disease over the
      past 50 years has been remarkable and the prognosis of this malignancy has
      changed from a uniformly fatal process to one in which the vast majority of
      patients are expected to be cured. This remarkable progress has been due to the
      use of combination approaches incorporating chemotherapy and radiation therapy,
      and now more recently antibody-drug conjugates and immune checkpoint inhibitors.
      The goal for the future is to develop treatment combinations that successfully
      treat all patients and markedly decrease the long-term side effects.

PMID- 26505488
TI  - Fracture Resistance of Lithium Disilicate Ceramics Bonded to Enamel or Dentin
      Using Different Resin Cement Types and Film Thicknesses.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of cement film thickness, cement type, and
      substrate (enamel or dentin) on ceramic fracture resistance. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: One hundred extracted human third molars were polished to obtain 50
      enamel and 50 dentin specimens. The specimens were cemented to 1-mm-thick lithium
      disilicate ceramic plates with different cement film thicknesses (100 and 300
      MUm) using metal strips as spacers. The cements used were etch-and-rinse (RelyX
      Ultimate) and self-adhesive (RelyX U200) resin cements. Compressive load was
      applied on the ceramic plates using a universal testing machine, and fracture
      loads were recorded in Newtons (N). Statistical analysis was performed by
      multiple regression (p < 0.05). Representative specimens were evaluated by
      scanning electron microscopy to control the cement film thickness. RESULTS: The
      RelyX Ultimate group with a cement thickness of 100 MUm cemented to enamel showed
      the highest mean fracture load (MFL; 1591 +/- 172.59 N). The RelyX Ultimate
      groups MFLs were significantly higher than the corresponding RelyX U200 groups (p
      < 0.05), and thinner film cement demonstrated a higher MFL than thicker films (p
      < 0.05). Bonding to dentin resulted in lower MFL than with enamel (p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Higher fracture loads were related to thinner cement film thickness
      and RelyX Ultimate resin cement. Bonding to dentin resulted in lower fracture
      loads than bonding to enamel. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Reduced resin film thickness
      could reduce lithium disilicate restoration fracture. Etch-and-rinse resin
      cements are recommended for cementing on either enamel or dentin, compared with
      self-adhesive resin cement, for improved fracture resistance.

PMID- 26505489
TI  - Two-generational effects of contaminants in Daphnia magna: Effects of offspring
      quality.
AB  - The authors set up a protocol to perform a 2-generational ring test using the
      existing guidelines for the Daphnia magna reproduction test. It is well known in
      ecology that size and quality of offspring vary across the first clutches in D.
      magna and that certain chemicals affect offspring quality. Therefore, the origin
      of the second generation is an important factor to consider. Two-generational
      effects across first, second, and third clutches were evaluated using 4
      nonylphenol; those across first and third clutches were evaluated using
      tributyltin, and those across the third clutch were evaluated using piperonyl
      butoxide. The compound showing the greatest aggravation of toxic effects between
      the parental and second generations was piperonyl butoxide, followed by 4
      nonylphenol, whereas intergenerational effects of tributyltin varied across
      experiments. The studied chemicals affected the quantity and quality of the
      offspring produced by exposed females of the parental generation, those effects
      being greater in third-clutch neonates. Therefore, when third-clutch offspring
      were further exposed, they turned out to be more sensitive than the parental
      generation. The results are in line with those obtained in multigenerational
      studies using mammalian tests, which showed that, in many cases, effects on the
      second generation can be predicted by evaluating the quality of the offspring
      produced. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1470-1477. (c) 2015 SETAC.

PMID- 26505490
TI  - Second Malignant Neoplasms in Rhabdomyosarcoma: Victims of Our Own Success or an
      Underlying Genetic Predisposition Syndrome?

PMID- 26505491
TI  - Evaluation of a Flow-Cytometric Osmotic Fragility Test for Hereditary
      Spherocytosis in Chinese Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osmotic fragility testing based on flow cytometry was recently
      introduced for the screening of hereditary spherocytosis (HS). This study was
      undertaken to evaluate the clinical diagnostic value of a flow-cytometric osmotic
      fragility test for HS. METHODS: Peripheral blood was collected from 237 subjects
      at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, including 56 HS
      patients, 86 thalassemia patients and 95 healthy controls. The samples were
      examined by flow-cytometric osmotic fragility test and the percentage of residual
      red blood cells was used to determine HS. Peripheral blood smears were performed
      to examine the red blood cell morphology. RESULTS: With clinical diagnosis of HS
      as the gold standard and the percentage of residual red blood cells <23.6% as the
      diagnostic threshold in the flow-cytometric osmotic fragility test, the
      sensitivity of the flow-cytometric osmotic fragility test for HS was 85.71% and
      the specificity was 97.24%. CONCLUSION: The flow-cytometric osmotic fragility
      test combined with a red blood cell morphology test by peripheral blood smear
      could be a simple, practical and accurate laboratory screening method for HS.

PMID- 26505493
TI  - Femtosecond Heterodyne Transient-Grating Studies of Nonradiative Decay of the S2
      (1(1)Bu(+)) State of beta-Carotene: Contributions from Dark Intermediates and
      Double-Quantum Coherences.
AB  - Femtosecond transient-grating spectroscopy with heterodyne detection was employed
      to characterize the nonradiative decay pathway in beta-carotene from the S2
      (1(1)Bu(+)) state to the S1 (2(1)Ag(-)) state in benzonitrile solution. The
      results indicate definitively that the S2 state populates an intermediate state,
      Sx, on an ultrafast time scale prior to nonradiative decay to the S1 state.
      Numerical simulations using the response function formalism and the multimode
      Brownian oscillator model were used to fit the absorption and dispersion
      components of the transient-grating signal with a common set of parameters for
      all of the relevant Feynman pathways, including double-quantum coherences. The
      requirement for inclusion of the Sx state in the nonradiative decay pathway is
      the observed fast rise time of the dispersion component, which is predominantly
      controlled by the decay of the stimulated emission signal from the optically
      prepared S2 state. The finding that the excited-state absorption spectrum from
      the Sx state is significantly red-shifted from that of S2 and S1 leads to a new
      assignment for the spectroscopic origin of the Sx state. Rather than assigning Sx
      to a discrete electronic state, such as the (1)Bu(-) state suggested in previous
      work, it is proposed that the Sx state corresponds to a transition-state-like
      structure on the S2 potential surface. In this hypothesis, the 12 fs time
      constant for the decay of the S2 state corresponds to a vibrational displacement
      of the C-C and C?C bond-length alternation coordinates of the conjugated polyene
      backbone from the optically prepared Franck-Condon structure to a potential
      energy barrier on the S2 surface that divides planar and torsionally displaced
      structures. The lifetime of the Sx state would be associated with a subsequent
      relaxation along torsional coordinates over a steep potential energy gradient
      toward a conical intersection with the S1 state. This hypothesis leads to the
      idea that twisted structures with intramolecular charge-transfer character along
      the S2 torsional gradient are active in excitation energy-transfer mechanisms to
      (bacterio)chlorophyll acceptors. 

PMID- 26505496
TI  - Air Quality Control Activities Proceed with Resolve.

PMID- 26505495
TI  - Environmental field is fragmented, yet cohesive.

PMID- 26505494
TI  - Differential Regulation of Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase Promoter Activation
      and Protein Degradation by Histone Deacetylase Inhibition.
AB  - Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) maintains telomeres and is rate limiting
      for replicative life span. While most somatic tissues silence TERT transcription
      resulting in telomere shortening, cells derived from cancer or cardiovascular
      diseases express TERT and activate telomerase. In the present study, we
      demonstrate that histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition induces TERT transcription
      and promoter activation. At the protein level in contrast, HDAC inhibition
      decreases TERT protein abundance through enhanced degradation, which decreases
      telomerase activity and induces senescence. Finally, we demonstrate that HDAC
      inhibition decreases TERT expression during vascular remodeling in vivo. These
      data illustrate a differential regulation of TERT transcription and protein
      stability by HDAC inhibition and suggest that TERT may constitute an important
      target for the anti-proliferative efficacy of HDAC inhibitors.

PMID- 26505498
TI  - Fly Ash Can Be Used to Control Mine Fires.

PMID- 26505497
TI  - Late Approval for Environmental Measures.

PMID- 26505499
TI  - Air Pollution Control Equipment Backlog: $103 Million.

PMID- 26505500
TI  - New Machine Cleans Streams for Salmon Spawning.

PMID- 26505501
TI  - Activated Carbon Reuse: A Tertiary Treatment Must.

PMID- 26505502
TI  - Coal-Fired Plants Not Doomed by Pollution Threats.

PMID- 26505503
TI  - Ocean Habitation Program Begins Third Phase.

PMID- 26505504
TI  - Behavioral Toxicology Looks at Air Pollutants.

PMID- 26505505
TI  - Middleton talks about.....

PMID- 26505506
TI  - Fair Winds Blow for Oceanographic Decade Proposal.

PMID- 26505507
TI  - Rationale for Air Quality Criteria.

PMID- 26505508
TI  - Advanced Waste Treatment Plant Running Well.

PMID- 26505509
TI  - Status of Environmental Quality Legislative Measures.

PMID- 26505510
TI  - A Management Perspective at Federal Water Pollution Control Administration.

PMID- 26505511
TI  - Use of Alumina-Coated Filaments in Catalytic Mufflers Testing with Single
      Cylinder Engine.

PMID- 26505512
TI  - An Integrated Monitoring System for Water Quality Management in the Ohio Valley.

PMID- 26505513
TI  - Biodegradation of Linear Alkylated Sulfonates.

PMID- 26505514
TI  - Biodehalogenation. Reductive Dehalogenation of the Biocides Ethylene Dibromide,
      1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane, and 2,3-Dibromobutane in Soil.

PMID- 26505515
TI  - Surface Effects in Gas Absorption.

PMID- 26505516
TI  - Use of Alumina-Coated Filaments in Catalytic Mufflers Testing with Multicylinder
      Engine and Vehicles.

PMID- 26505517
TI  - Evaluation of Quartz in Airborne Dust in the 0.5- to 2-Micron Size Range.

PMID- 26505518
TI  - Correction to "Effects of Acute Hydrogen Fluoride and Nitrogen Dioxide Exposures
      on Citrus and Ornamental Plants of Central Florida".

PMID- 26505519
TI  - 1968-1969 Pollution Control Directory.

PMID- 26505520
TI  - Supramolecular Assemblies from Poly(phenylacetylene)s.

PMID- 26505521
TI  - Molecular Dynamics Study of Carbon Nanotubes/Polyamide Reverse Osmosis Membranes:
      Polymerization, Structure, and Hydration.
AB  - Carbon nanotubes/polyamide (PA) nanocomposite thin films have become very
      attractive as reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. In this work, we used molecular
      dynamics to simulate the influence of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in
      the polyamide molecular structure as a model case of a carbon nanotubes/polyamide
      nanocomposite RO membrane. It was found that the addition of SWCNTs decreases the
      pore size of the composite membrane and increases the Na and Cl ion rejection.
      Analysis of the radial distribution function of water confined in the pores of
      the membranes shows that SWCNT+PA nanocomposite membranes also exhibit smaller
      clusters of water molecules within the membrane, thus suggesting a dense membrane
      structure (SWCNT+PA composite membranes were 3.9% denser than bare PA). The
      results provide new insights into the fabrication of novel membranes reinforced
      with tubular structures for enhanced desalination performance. 

PMID- 26505522
TI  - Voices of Women Facing HIV-Related Stigma in the Deep South.
AB  - One in 139 women will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime. Thirty-four years
      into the epidemic, stigma remains part of the trajectory of the disease process
      for all individuals with HIV. Stigma associated with HIV makes it difficult for
      women to access HIV testing and counseling, disclose HIV status to sexual
      partners and health care providers, seek and remain actively engaged in medical
      care, effectively self-manage the disease after diagnosis, and adhere to
      antiretroviral therapy. The current article reports the qualitative results from
      a study designed to test the feasibility and acceptability of a technologically
      delivered stigma intervention for women with HIV in the Southeastern United
      States. Qualitative analysis revealed women with HIV uniformly experience,
      anticipate, and/or internalize stigma associated with HIV. Consequently, women
      with HIV experience isolation and a threat to self-concept as they make decisions
      about disclosure, work to maintain the secrecy of their HIV status, and
      contemplate a future.

PMID- 26505523
TI  - Motivational Interviewing Approach Used by a Community Mental Health Team.
AB  - The current study aimed to (a) evaluate the effectiveness of motivational
      interviewing, as applied by a community mental health team (CMHT) based in
      Singapore; (b) reduce hospital admissions and length of hospital stay; and (c)
      improve global functioning and satisfaction of individuals with mental illness.
      The current study used a quasi-experimental method. A convenience sample of 120
      participants was selected from the caseload of the CMHT. Participants received
      motivational interviewing sessions at least once every month for 1 year. Data on
      the number of hospital admissions, length of hospitalization, Global Assessment
      of Functioning, and patient satisfaction were collected at baseline and 6 and 12
      months. Participants who underwent the CMHT services with motivational
      interviewing were more compliant to treatment, resulting in significant reduction
      in hospitalization and improvement in functionality. Motivational interviewing is
      effective in facilitating better illness management for patients in the
      community. Adoption of the motivational interviewing approach may potentially
      provide significant benefits for psychiatric support services in the community.

PMID- 26505524
TI  - Decreasing Psychiatric Admission Wait Time in the Emergency Department by
      Facilitating Psychiatric Discharges.
AB  - Limited capacity in a psychiatric unit contributes to long emergency department
      (ED) admission wait times. Regulatory and accrediting agencies urge hospitals
      nationally to improve patient flow for better access to care for all types of
      patients. The purpose of the current study was to decrease psychiatric admission
      wait time from 10.5 to 8 hours and increase the proportion of patients discharged
      by 11 a.m. from 20% to 50%. The current study compared pre- and post-intervention
      data. Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles aimed to improve discharge processes and
      timeliness through initiation of new practices. Admission wait time improved to
      an average of 5.1 hours (t = 3.87, p = 0.006). The proportion of discharges
      occurring by 11 a.m. increased to 46% (odds ratio = 3.42, p < 0.0001). Improving
      discharge planning processes and timeliness in a psychiatric unit significantly
      decreased admission wait time from the ED, improving access to psychiatric care.

PMID- 26505526
TI  - Low Resolution Data-Independent Acquisition in an LTQ-Orbitrap Allows for
      Simplified and Fully Untargeted Analysis of Histone Modifications.
AB  - Label-free peptide quantification in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC
      MS) proteomics analyses is complicated by the presence of isobaric coeluting
      peptides, as they generate the same extracted ion chromatogram corresponding to
      the sum of their intensities. Histone proteins are especially prone to this, as
      they are heavily modified by post-translational modifications (PTMs). Their
      proteolytic digestion leads to a large number of peptides sharing the same mass,
      while carrying PTMs on different amino acid residues. We present an application
      of MS data-independent acquisition (DIA) to confidently determine and quantify
      modified histone peptides. By introducing the use of low-resolution MS/MS DIA, we
      demonstrate that the signals of 111 histone peptides could easily be extracted
      from LC-MS runs due to the relatively low sample complexity. By exploiting an LTQ
      Orbitrap mass spectrometer, we parallelized MS and MS/MS scan events using the
      Orbitrap and the linear ion trap, respectively, decreasing the total scan time.
      This, in combination with large windows for MS/MS fragmentation (50 m/z) and
      multiple full scan events within a DIA duty cycle, led to a MS scan cycle speed
      of ~45 full MS per minute, improving the definition of extracted LC-MS
      chromatogram profiles. By using such acquisition method, we achieved highly
      comparable results to our optimized acquisition method for histone peptide
      analysis (R(2) correlation > 0.98), which combines data-dependent acquisition
      (DDA) and targeted MS/MS scans, the latter targeting isobaric peptides. By using
      DIA, we could also remine our data set and quantify 16 additional isobaric
      peptides commonly not targeted during DDA experiments. Finally, we demonstrated
      that by performing the full MS scan in the linear ion trap, we achieve highly
      comparable results as when adopting high-resolution MS scans (R(2) correlation
      0.97). Taken together, results confirmed that histone peptide analysis can be
      performed using DIA and low-resolution MS with high accuracy and precision of
      peptide quantification. Moreover, DIA intrinsically enables data remining to
      later identify and quantify isobaric peptides unknown at the time of the LC-MS
      experiment. These methods will open up epigenetics analyses to the proteomics
      community who do not have routine access to the newer generation high-resolution
      MS/MS generating instruments. 

PMID- 26505525
TI  - Synthesis and Preliminary PET Imaging Studies of a FAAH Radiotracer ([11C]MPPO)
      Based on alpha-Ketoheterocyclic Scaffold.
AB  - Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is one of the principle enzymes for
      metabolizing endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitters such as anandamide, and
      thus regulates endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling. Selective pharmacological
      blockade of FAAH has emerged as a potential therapy to discern the endogenous
      functions of anandamide-mediated eCB pathways in anxiety, pain, and addiction.
      Quantification of FAAH in the living brain by positron emission tomography (PET)
      would help our understanding of the endocannabinoid system in these conditions.
      While most FAAH radiotracers operate by an irreversible ("suicide") binding
      mechanism, a FAAH tracer with reversibility would facilitate quantitative
      analysis. We have identified and radiolabeled a reversible FAAH inhibitor, 7-(2
      [(11)C]methoxyphenyl)-1-(5-(pyridin-2-yl)oxazol-2-yl)heptan-1-one ([(11)C]MPPO)
      in 13% radiochemical yield (nondecay corrected) with >99% radiochemical purity
      and 2 Ci/MUmol (74 GBq/MUmol) specific activity. The tracer showed moderate brain
      uptake (0.8 SUV) with heterogeneous brain distribution. However, blocking studies
      with a potent FAAH inhibitor URB597 demonstrated a low to modest specificity to
      the target. Measurement of lipophilicity, metabolite, and efflux pathway analysis
      were also performed to study the pharmacokinetic profile of [(11)C]MPPO. In all,
      we reported an efficient radiolabeling and preliminary evaluation of the first-in
      class FAAH inhibitor [(11)C]MPPO with alpha-ketoheterocyclic scaffold. 

PMID- 26505528
TI  - Multicolor-based discrimination of 21 short tandem repeats and amelogenin using
      four fluorescent universal primers.
AB  - The aim of this study was to develop a cost-effective genotyping method using
      high-quality DNA for human identification. A total of 21 short tandem repeats
      (STRs) and amelogenin were selected, and fluorescent fragments at 22 loci were
      simultaneously amplified in a single-tube reaction using locus-specific primers
      with 24-base universal tails and four fluorescent universal primers. Several
      nucleotide substitutions in universal tails and fluorescent universal primers
      enabled the detection of specific fluorescent fragments from the 22 loci.
      Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) produced intense FAM-, VIC-, NED-, and
      PET-labeled fragments ranging from 90 to 400 bp, and these fragments were
      discriminated using standard capillary electrophoretic analysis. The selected 22
      loci were also analyzed using two commercial kits (the AmpFLSTR Identifiler Kit
      and the PowerPlex ESX 17 System), and results for two loci (D19S433 and D16S539)
      were discordant between these kits due to mutations at the primer binding sites.
      All genotypes from the 100 samples were determined using 2.5 ng of DNA by our
      method, and the expected alleles were completely recovered. Multiplex 22-locus
      genotyping using four fluorescent universal primers effectively reduces the costs
      to less than 20% of genotyping using commercial kits, and our method would be
      useful to detect silent alleles from commercial kit analysis.

PMID- 26505527
TI  - Sulfobetaine-Vinylimidazole Block Copolymers: A Robust Quantum Dot Surface
      Chemistry Expanding Bioimaging's Horizons.
AB  - Long-term inspection of biological phenomena requires probes of elevated intra-
      and extracellular stability and target biospecificity. The high fluorescence and
      photostability of quantum dot (QD) nanoparticles contributed to foster their
      promise as bioimaging tools that could overcome limitations associated with
      traditional fluorophores. However, QDs' potential as a bioimaging platform relies
      upon a precise control over the surface chemistry modifications of these nano
      objects. Here, a zwitterion-vinylimidazole block copolymer ligand was
      synthesized, which regroups all anchoring groups in one compact terminal block,
      while the rest of the chain is endowed with antifouling and bioconjugation
      moieties. By further application of an oriented bioconjugation approach with
      whole IgG antibodies, QD nanobioconjugates were obtained that display outstanding
      intra- and extracellular stability as well as biorecognition capacity. Imaging
      the internalization and intracellular dynamics of a transmembrane cell receptor,
      the CB1 brain cannabinoid receptor, both in HEK293 cells and in neurons,
      illustrates the breadth of potential applications of these nanoprobes. 

PMID- 26505529
TI  - Drug Interactions Between Hepatoprotective Agents Ursodeoxycholic Acid or
      Glycyrrhizin and Ombitasvir/Paritaprevir/Ritonavir in Healthy Japanese Subjects.
AB  - PURPOSE: The 2 direct-acting antiviral combination (2D) of ombitasvir and
      paritaprevir (coadministered with ritonavir) is being evaluated for the treatment
      of chronic hepatitis C virus infection in Japan. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and
      glycyrrhizin (GCR) are hepatoprotective agents widely used in Japan. A drug-drug
      interaction (DDI) study was conducted to guide dosing recommendations for UDCA
      and GCR when coadministered with the 2D regimen. METHODS: DDIs between the 2D
      regimen (ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir 25/150/100 mg orally once daily) and
      UDCA (50 mg orally 3 times daily) or GCR (80 mg intravenously once daily) were
      evaluated in a 2-arm, multiple-dose study in 24 Japanese healthy subjects under
      fed conditions. Pharmacokinetic and safety evaluations were performed when UDCA
      or GCR and the 2D regimen were administered alone and during coadministration.
      Exposures from coadministration of the 2D regimen plus UDCA or GCR versus the 2D
      regimen, UDCA, or GCR alone were compared using repeated-measures analyses of
      natural logarithms of the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the
      curve (AUC). FINDINGS: After coadministration of the 2D regimen and UDCA, steady
      state exposures (Cmax and AUC) of ombitasvir, paritaprevir, and ritonavir showed
      a <=9% change, and UDCA exposures showed a <=20% change compared with
      administration alone. When the 2D regimen and GCR were coadministered, steady
      state exposures of ombitasvir, paritaprevir, and ritonavir were not affected
      (<=9% change), GCR AUC increased by 49%, and GCR Cmax was unaffected (<1%
      change). IMPLICATIONS: No dose adjustment is needed for UDCA, GCR, or the 2D
      regimen when UDCA or GCR is coadministered with the 2D regimen in hepatitis C
      virus-infected patients under fed conditions. Clinical monitoring of patients
      using GCR is recommended due to an approximately 50% increase in GCR AUC when
      coadministered with the 2D regimen.

PMID- 26505530
TI  - Tensile behaviour of structurally gradient braided prostheses for anterior
      cruciate ligaments.
AB  - Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a key fibrous connective tissue that
      maintains the stability of a knee joint and it is the most commonly injured
      ligament of the knee. A synthetic prosthesis in the form of a braided structure
      can be an attractive alternative to biological grafts provided that the
      mechanical properties can be tailored to mimic the natural ACL. In the present
      work, the polypropylene based structurally gradient braided prostheses have been
      designed and developed by understanding their tensile properties. Circular
      braiding process was employed to fabricate structurally gradient braided
      prostheses by systematically placing different types of braids in defined set of
      layers. An analytical model for predicting the tensile properties of structurally
      gradient braided prostheses has been presented by modifying and combining the
      existing models available in the literature. Specifically, the full set of stress
      strain behaviour of structurally gradient braided prostheses has been computed
      based upon braid structural characteristics, constituent strand properties and
      braid kinematics. A triaxial braid in the outer layer of braided prostheses was
      found to withstand higher tensile stresses in comparison to a biaxial braid
      having same structural characteristics. A comparison has been made between the
      theoretical and experimental results of tensile properties of structurally
      gradient braided prostheses. The tensile properties of structurally gradient
      braided prostheses predicted through analytical route matched reasonably well
      with the experimental results. 

PMID- 26505531
TI  - A global initiative to refine acute inhalation studies through the use of
      'evident toxicity' as an endpoint: Towards adoption of the fixed concentration
      procedure.
AB  - Acute inhalation studies are conducted in animals as part of chemical hazard
      identification and characterisation, including for classification and labelling
      purposes. Current accepted methods use death as an endpoint (OECD TG403 and
      TG436), whereas the fixed concentration procedure (FCP) (draft OECD TG433) uses
      fewer animals and replaces lethality as an endpoint with 'evident toxicity.'
      Evident toxicity is defined as clear signs of toxicity that predict exposure to
      the next highest concentration will cause severe toxicity or death in most
      animals. A global initiative including 20 organisations, led by the National
      Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research
      (NC3Rs) has shared data on the clinical signs recorded during acute inhalation
      studies for 172 substances (primarily dusts or mists) with the aim of making
      evident toxicity more objective and transferable between laboratories. Pairs of
      studies (5 male or 5 female rats) with at least a two-fold change in
      concentration were analysed to determine if there are any signs at the lower dose
      that could have predicted severe toxicity or death at the higher concentration.
      The results show that signs such as body weight loss (>10% pre-dosing weight),
      irregular respiration, tremors and hypoactivity, seen at least once in at least
      one animal after the day of dosing are highly predictive (positive predictive
      value > 90%) of severe toxicity or death at the next highest concentration. The
      working group has used these data to propose changes to TG433 that incorporate a
      clear indication of the clinical signs that define evident toxicity.

PMID- 26505532
TI  - [The pain experience according to a phenomenological view on palliative care].
AB  - In palliative care, people with advanced or terminal phase cancer represent a
      significant proportion of patients. Persuaded that the pain and suffering they
      experience will never disappear from their daily life, patients are exposed to
      successive fracture triggered by psychosocial/physical factors. Furthermore, the
      difficulty in palliative care is that the pain is also a subjective phenomenon.
      However, the only information available to indicate pain remains the quantitative
      assessment of the patient or the observation of his/her behaviour. Pain caused by
      cancer optimally exhibits the difficulty of pain assessment, where a patient may
      properly assess, through their somatic pain, their own experience of pain
      expressed according to the consequence of illness on their history and
      personality. OBJECTIVES: This exploratory study aims to show how the development
      of analogical subjective speech has an effect on the pain experience in patients
      with cancer. Indeed, the hypothesis is that one can reduce the sensation of pain
      by transforming the emotional experience via a figurative/discursive activity due
      to an elaboration work and clarification of the painful experience. Method-Four
      terminally ill patients passed the "L'Epreuve des Trois Arbres" (three-tree test)
      (ETA), which consisted in drawing trees and telling their story. The ETA aims to
      facilitate the expression of the overall experience according to a person's
      perspective on a specific situation. In this experiment, quantitative and
      qualitative data were collected. More specifically, the quantitative data was
      based on the assessment of somatic pain using the visual analog scale (VAS) of 1
      to 10 (0 = no pain, 10 = unbearable pain) and a qualitative analysis assessed
      with the ETA, which focused on the meaning of pain, a subjective component that
      can increase the expression of somatic pain. The pain experience is assessed
      before and after the execution of the ETA using the VAS. RESULTS: The results
      show a reduction of painful sensation and its behavioural expression. This could
      be due to the refocusing of attention and transformation of emotional experience
      through a figurative and discursive activity. DISCUSSION: The ETA seems to reduce
      somatic pain by allowing verbalization. The emotional repression of some patients
      who inhibited the expression of their pain would explain the increase of painful
      sensation. The psychological approach associated with the theme of the tree
      offers an opportunity to expound upon the experience of pain in an analogical
      mode, situating the current painful personal experience in a specific biography.
      Furthermore, part of the suffering highlighted in protocols was the break that
      makes the announcement of illness. It generated a sense of rupture between the
      time before and after, sometimes until a real crisis of identity, which can take
      on one of the facets of depression. ETA encourages the rebuilding of a psychic
      continuity between before and after the disease.

PMID- 26505533
TI  - Increased risk of chronic fatigue syndrome in patients with migraine: A
      retrospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The common concurrence of migraine and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
      has been reported but whether migraine poses a higher risk of CFS remains
      unknown. In this retrospective case-control study, we examined the association
      between the 2 disorders by using a nationwide, population-based database in
      Taiwan. METHODS: The data were retrieved and analyzed from the National Health
      Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan; 6902 newly diagnosed migraine
      cases from 2006-2010 were identified in a subset of the NHIRD, and 27,608
      migraine-free individuals were randomly selected as the comparison cohort. The
      multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to investigate
      the risk of CFS in migraineurs after adjustment for demographic characteristics
      and comorbidities. RESULTS: After adjustment for the covariates, the risk of CFS
      was 1.5-fold higher in the migraine cohort than in the comparison cohort (52.72
      vs. 28.85 per 10,000 person-years). Intriguingly, the risk was most prominent in
      the oldest group (>= 65 years), with a 2.11-fold increased risk (95% confidence
      interval 1.31-3.41) of CFS. In addition, the adjusted cumulative incidence of CFS
      in the follow-up years was higher in the migraine group (log-rank test, P <
      .0001), and CFS incidence appeared to increase with the frequency of migraine
      diagnoses. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrated an increased risk of CFS in
      migraineurs. Proposed mechanisms in previous studies such as mitochondrial
      dysfunction and central sensitization may underlie the shared pathophysiology of
      these seemingly distinct but potentially overlapping disorders.

PMID- 26505534
TI  - Membrane-Associated Ubiquitin Ligase SAUL1 Suppresses Temperature- and Humidity
      Dependent Autoimmunity in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Plants have evolved elaborate mechanisms to regulate pathogen defense. Imbalances
      in this regulation may result in autoimmune responses that are affecting plant
      growth and development. In Arabidopsis, SAUL1 encodes a plant U-box ubiquitin
      ligase and regulates senescence and cell death. Here, we show that saul1-1 plants
      exhibit characteristics of an autoimmune mutant. A decrease in relative humidity
      or temperature resulted in reduced growth and systemic lesioning of saul1-1
      rosettes. These physiological changes are associated with increased expression of
      salicylic acid-dependent and pathogenesis-related (PR) genes. Consistently,
      resistance of saul1-1 plants against Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola ES4326,
      P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000, or Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis Noco2 was
      enhanced. Transmission electron microscopy revealed alterations in saul1-1
      chloroplast ultrastructure and cell-wall depositions. Confocal analysis on
      aniline blue-stained leaf sections and cellular universal micro spectrophotometry
      further showed that these cell-wall depositions contain callose and lignin. To
      analyze signaling downstream of SAUL1, we performed epistasis analyses between
      saul1-1 and mutants in the EDS1/PAD4/SAG101 hub. All phenotypes observed in saul1
      1 plants at low temperature were dependent on EDS1 and PAD4 but not SAG101. Taken
      together, SAUL1 negatively regulates immunity upstream of EDS1/PAD4, likely
      through the degradation of an unknown activator of the pathway. 

PMID- 26505535
TI  - A structural classification of carbohydrate epimerases: From mechanistic insights
      to practical applications.
AB  - In recent years, carbohydrate epimerases have attracted a lot of attention as
      efficient biocatalysts that can convert abundant sugars (e.g.d-fructose) directly
      into rare counterparts (e.g.d-psicose). Despite increased research activities, no
      review about these enzymes has been published in more than a decade, meaning that
      their full potential is hard to appreciate. Here, we present an overview of all
      known carbohydrate epimerases based on a classification in structural families,
      which links every substrate specificity to a well-defined reaction mechanism. The
      mechanism can even be predicted for enzymes that have not yet been characterized
      or that lack structural information. In this review, the different families are
      discussed in detail, both structurally and mechanistically, with special
      reference to recent examples in the literature. Furthermore, the value of
      understanding the reaction mechanism will be illustrated by making the link to
      possible application and engineering targets. 

PMID- 26505536
TI  - Mitochondrial introgression via ancient hybridization, and systematics of the
      Australian endemic pygopodid gecko genus Delma.
AB  - Of the more than 1500 species of geckos found across six continents, few remain
      as unfamiliar as the pygopodids - Family Pygopodidae (Gray, 1845). These
      gekkotans are limited to Australia (44 species) and New Guinea (2 species), but
      have diverged extensively into the most ecologically diverse limbless radiation
      save Serpentes. Current phylogenetic understanding of the family has relied
      almost exclusively on two works, which have produced and synthesized an immense
      amount of morphological, geographical, and molecular data. However, current
      interspecific relationships within the largest genus Delma Gray 1831 are based
      chiefly upon data from two mitochondrial loci (16s, ND2). Here, we reevaluate the
      interspecific relationships within the genus Delma using two mitochondrial and
      four nuclear loci (RAG1, MXRA5, MOS, DYNLL1), and identify points of strong
      conflict between nuclear and mitochondrial genomic data. We address mito-nuclear
      discordance, and remedy this conflict by recognizing several points of
      mitochondrial introgression as the result of ancient hybridization events. Owing
      to the legacy value and intraspecific informativeness, we suggest the continued
      use of ND2 as a phylogenetic marker. Results identify strong support for species
      groups, but relationships among these clades, and the placement of several
      enigmatic taxa remain uncertain. We suggest a more careful review of Delma
      australis and the 'northwest Australia' clade. Accurately assessing and
      addressing species richness and relationships within this endemic Australian
      Gekkotan genus is relevant for understanding patterns of squamate speciation
      across the region. 

PMID- 26505537
TI  - Seatbelt fracture in a 5-month-old infant.

PMID- 26505538
TI  - Cosmetic Fillers: Perspectives on the Industry.
AB  - The cosmetic filler industry has evolved substantially over the last 30 years.
      The market is characterized by multiple fillers and a competitive dynamic among
      major aesthetics companies. Marketing in the United States and Europe has been
      different owing to regulatory constraints. Differences have led to more rapid
      growth in the European market. The US market has evolved owing to growth of major
      companies with multiple product portfolios and leverage in consumer promotion and
      aesthetics office marketing owing to scale. The evolution of the filler market
      will include new materials, injection techniques, and facilitation devices, and
      new areas of injection.

PMID- 26505539
TI  - The Hyaluronic Acid Fillers: Current Understanding of the Tissue Device
      Interface.
AB  - The article is a detailed update regarding cosmetic injectable fillers,
      specifically focusing on hyaluronic acid fillers. Hyaluronic acid-injectable
      fillers are used extensively for soft tissue volumizing and contouring. Many
      different hyaluronic acid-injectable fillers are available on the market and
      differ in terms of hyaluronic acid concentration, particle size, cross-linking
      density, requisite needle size, duration, stiffness, hydration, presence of
      lidocaine, type of cross-linking technology, and cost. Hyaluronic acid is a
      natural component of many soft tissues, is identical across species minimizing
      immunogenicity has been linked to wound healing and skin regeneration, and is
      currently actively being studied for tissue engineering purposes. The
      biomechanical and biochemical effects of HA on the local microenvironment of the
      injected site are key to its success as a soft tissue filler. Knowledge of the
      tissue-device interface will help guide the facial practitioner and lead to
      optimal outcomes for patients. 

PMID- 26505540
TI  - The Case for Synthetic Injectables.
AB  - There are several different classes of synthetic dermal fillers and volume
      enhancers including semipermanent and permanent products available in the United
      States. Based on clinical and scientific evidence, this article reviews the
      chemical and polymeric properties, clinical data, patient selection, indications
      for use, injection technique, and adverse event profiles of permanent synthetic
      injectables currently used in clinical practice in the United States: medical
      grade liquid injectable silicone and polymethyl methacrylate. Understanding the
      unique characteristics of these two products reinforces the advantages and
      disadvantages of each, including under what circumstances they should be used and
      why they perform the way they do. 

PMID- 26505541
TI  - Facial Filler Complications.
AB  - The use of facial fillers has greatly expanded over the past several years. Along
      with increased use comes a rise in documented complications, ranging from poor
      cosmetic result to nodules, granulomas, necrosis, and blindness. Awareness of the
      potential types of complications and options for management, in addition to the
      underlying facial anatomy, are imperative to delivering the best patient care.
      This article defines the complications and how to treat them and provides
      suggestions to avoid serious adverse outcomes. 

PMID- 26505542
TI  - Collagen Stimulators: Poly-L-Lactic Acid and Calcium Hydroxyl Apatite.
AB  - Over the last decade, many studies of the structural changes observed in the
      aging face (in bone, fat pads, facial ligaments, muscle, skin) have increased our
      understanding that facial rejuvenation is more complex and nuanced than simply
      filling lines and folds or cutting and lifting soft tissue and skin. This, in
      addition to the many new products introduced to the marketplace over the same
      period, has fueled the evolution of panfacial rejuvenation and restoration using
      fillers. This article discusses current techniques used with calcium
      hydroxylapatite and poly-l-lactic acid to safely and effectively address changes
      observed in the aging face. 

PMID- 26505543
TI  - Customized Approach to Facial Enhancement.
AB  - Creating a refreshed, best version of an individual face requires knowledge of
      facial anatomy, understanding of the interactions of fillers and neurotoxins with
      tissue and muscle, and dedication to the primary principal of aesthetic
      responsibility. The forehead ages in a similar fashion to the rest of the face
      with loss of volume in both subcutaneous fat and bone. Different injection
      techniques are recommended for the forehead, midface, lip, and lower face.
      Although we understand the changes associated with aging from a global
      perspective, each individual ages at his or her own pace and in consideration to
      their specific anatomy. 

PMID- 26505544
TI  - Injectable Filler Techniques for Facial Rejuvenation, Volumization, and
      Augmentation.
AB  - Multiple fillers are available: various hyaluronic acid products, calcium
      hydroxylapatite, and a few others that are biocompatible with good duration and a
      variety of mechanical properties allowing intradermal, subdermal, and
      supraperiosteal injection. Facial features can be reshaped with great control
      using these fillers. Aging changes, including facial volume loss, can be well
      corrected. These treatments have become a mainstay of rejuvenation in the early
      facial aging patient. Injection technique is critical to obtaining excellent
      results. Threading, fanning, cross-hatching, bleb, and pillar techniques must be
      mastered. Technical execution can only measure up to, but not exceed, the quality
      of the aesthetic analysis. 

PMID- 26505545
TI  - Current Concepts in Filler Injection.
AB  - When evaluating the face in thirds, the upper face, midface, and lower face, one
      may assume the lateral the temple, midface, and lateral mandible as the pillars
      of these subdivisions. Many of our facial aesthetic procedures address these
      regions, including the lateral brow lift, midface lift, and lateral face lift. As
      the use of facial fillers has advanced, more emphasis is placed on the correction
      of the temples, midlateral face, and lateral jaw line. This article is dedicated
      to these facial aesthetic pillars. 

PMID- 26505546
TI  - The New Paradigm in Facial Rejuvenation: Soft Tissue Fillers 2015.

PMID- 26505548
TI  - Association between circulating adipokines, radiographic changes, and knee
      cartilage volume in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To explore the associations between serum adipokine levels,
      radiographic osteoarthritis (ROA) severity, and articular cartilage volume in
      patients with knee OA. METHOD: A cross-sectional sample of 205 patients (aged 45
      74 years) with knee OA were consecutively recruited to the Anhui Osteoarthritis
      (AHOA) study. ROA was assessed using the Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grading system
      (grades 0-4). Knee cartilage volume was determined using fat-saturated T1
      weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Serum levels of the adipokines leptin,
      adiponectin, and resistin were measured by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Serum adiponectin, but not serum leptin or resitin, was
      significantly associated with reduced ROA severity in univariable analyses and
      this association remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, body mass
      index (BMI), and disease duration [beta = -0.012, 95% confidence interval (CI) 
      0.021 to -0.002]. In ROA patients, leptin was significantly and positively
      associated with knee cartilage volume at patellar and medial tibial sites in both
      unadjusted and adjusted analyses (beta = 0.006, 95% CI 0.02-0.010 for medial
      tibia and beta = 0.009, 95% CI 0.001-0.018 for patella sites) but adiponectin and
      resistin had no significant associations with cartilage volume. In non-ROA
      patients, leptin, adiponectin, and resistin were not significantly associated
      with cartilage volume at any site. CONCLUSIONS: Serum levels of leptin are
      independently associated with increased knee cartilage volume. In addition, serum
      adiponectin is significantly and negatively associated with ROA severity,
      suggesting a potentially protective effect.

PMID- 26505547
TI  - MEK inhibitor GSK1120212-mediated radiosensitization of pancreatic cancer cells
      involves inhibition of DNA double-strand break repair pathways.
AB  - PURPOSE: Over 90% of pancreatic adenocarcinoma PC express oncogenic mutant KRAS
      that constitutively activates the Raf-MEK-MAPK pathway conferring resistance to
      both radiation and chemotherapy. MEK inhibitors have shown promising anti-tumor
      responses in recent preclinical and clinical studies, and are currently being
      tested in combination with radiation in clinical trials. Here, we have evaluated
      the radiosensitizing potential of a novel MEK1/2 inhibitor GSK1120212 (GSK212,or
      trametinib) and evaluated whether MEK1/2 inhibition alters DNA repair mechanisms
      in multiple PC cell lines. METHODS: Radiosensitization and DNA double-strand
      break (DSB) repair were evaluated by clonogenic assays, comet assay, nuclear foci
      formation (gammaH2AX, DNA-PK, 53BP1, BRCA1, and RAD51), and by functional GFP
      reporter assays for homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end-joining
      (NHEJ). Expression and activation of DNA repair proteins were measured by
      immunoblotting. RESULTS: GSK212 blocked ERK1/2 activity and radiosensitized
      multiple KRAS mutant PC cell lines. Prolonged pre-treatment with GSK212 for 24-48
      hours was required to observe significant radiosensitization. GSK212 treatment
      resulted in delayed resolution of DNA damage by comet assays and persistent
      gammaH2AX nuclear foci. GSK212 treatment also resulted in altered BRCA1, RAD51,
      DNA-PK, and 53BP1 nuclear foci appearance and resolution after radiation. Using
      functional reporters, GSK212 caused repression of both HR and NHEJ repair
      activity. Moreover, GSK212 suppressed the expression and activation of a number
      of DSB repair pathway intermediates including BRCA1, DNA-PK, RAD51, RRM2, and Chk
      1. CONCLUSION: GSK212 confers radiosensitization to KRAS-driven PC cells by
      suppressing major DNA-DSB repair pathways. These data provide support for the
      combination of MEK1/2 inhibition and radiation in the treatment of PC.

PMID- 26505549
TI  - Immunodiagnostic approaches for the detection of human toxocarosis.
AB  - Human toxocarosis is an important zoonosis caused by larvae of Toxocara
      canis/cati. The objective was to evaluate the role of IgG anti-Toxocara antibody
      detection and the specific IgG avidity in diagnostics of human toxocarosis. Anti
      Toxocara IgG antibodies and IgG avidity were evaluated by excretory-secretory
      (ES)-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The IgG anti-Toxocara
      seroprevalence in people (n = 7678) from western Slovakia was 15.3% and found to
      be highest in the oldest age groups. The presence of low- IgG avidity in 179
      suspected patients for toxocarosis was evaluated in relation to sex, age, IgG
      antibody levels, eosinophilia, increased total IgE, domicile, geophagia, dog/cat
      ownership, anamnesis. Low- IgG avidity index was found in 30.7% of the patients.
      The low- IgG avidity in eosinophilic group (42.1%) was significantly higher than
      in non-eosinophilic group (22.0%; P = 0.043). Substantially higher eosinophilia
      was detected in children (under 10 years old; 55.6%) than in adults (aged >= 41
      years; 17.6%; P = 0.009). Significant difference between seroprevalence of total
      IgE in patients coming from towns (48.8%) and patients from villages (21.3%) was
      established (P = 0.007). Mild negative correlation (r = -0.477, P = 0.043) was
      observed between the amounts of eosinophils and the values of IgG avidity. The
      sensitivity and specificity of IgG avidity assay were 43.8% and 83.3%,
      respectively. Our results suggest that besides anti-Toxocara IgG, measurement of
      IgG avidity may be useful for the determination of acute toxocarosis. Moreover,
      these tests should be accompanied by other immunological markers and determinants
      of examined patients such as eosinophilia, increased total IgE and age. 

PMID- 26505550
TI  - Survival Prediction in Patients Undergoing Open-Heart Mitral Valve Operation
      After Previous Failed MitraClip Procedures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to analyze the results of open heart
      mitral valve operations for survival prediction in patients with previously
      unsuccessful MitraClip procedures. METHODS: Thirty-three consecutive patients who
      underwent mitral valve surgery in our institution were studied. At a median of 41
      days, they had previously undergone one to five futile MitraClip implantations.
      At the time of their operations, patients were 72.6 +/- 10.3 years old, and the
      calculated risk, using the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation
      (EuroSCORE) II, was a median of 26.5%. Individual outcomes were recorded, and all
      patients were monitored postoperatively. RESULTS: Thirty-day mortality was 9.1%,
      and the overall survival at 2.2 years was 60.6%. Seven cardiac-related and six
      noncardiac deaths occurred. Univariate survival regression models demonstrated a
      significant influence of the following variables on survival: EuroSCORE II (p =
      0.0022), preoperative left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (p = 0.0052), left
      ventricular ejection fraction (p = 0.0249), coronary artery disease (p = 0.0385),
      and severe pulmonary hypertension (p = 0.0431). Survivors showed considerable
      improvements in their New York Heart Association class (p < 0.0001), left
      ventricular ejection fraction (p = 0.0080), grade of mitral regurgitation (p =
      0.0350), and mitral valve area (p = 0.0486). Survival after mitral repair was not
      superior to survival after replacement. CONCLUSIONS: Indications for surgery
      after failed MitraClip procedures must be considered with the greatest of care.
      Variables predicting postoperative survival should be taken into account
      regarding the difficult decision as to whether to operate or not. Our data
      suggest that replacement of the pretreated mitral valve is probably the more
      reasonable concept rather than complex repairs. When the EuroSCORE II at the time
      of surgery exceeds 30%, conservative therapy is advisable.

PMID- 26505551
TI  - Developments in Dynamic Covalent Chemistries from the Reaction of Thiols with
      Hexahydrotriazines.
AB  - Dynamic covalent chemistries have garnered significant attention for their
      potential to revolutionize technologies in the material fields (engineering,
      biomedical, and sensors) and synthetic design strategies as they provide access
      to stimuli responsiveness and adaptive behaviors. However, only a limited number
      of molecular motifs have been known to display this dynamic behavior under mild
      conditions. Here, we identified a dynamic covalent motif-thioaminals-that is
      produced from the reaction of hexahydrotriazines (HTs) with thiols. Furthermore,
      we report on the synthesis of a new family of step-growth polymers based on this
      motif. The condensation efficiently proceeds to quantitative yields within a
      short time frame and offers versatility in functional group tolerance; thus, it
      can be exploited to synthesize both small molecule thioaminals as well as high
      molecular weight polymers from the step-growth polymerization of HTs with
      dithiols. Careful evaluation of substituted HTs and organic thiols supported by
      DFT calculations led to a chemically diverse library of polymers based on this
      motif. Finally, dynamic substitution reactions were employed toward the facile
      preparation of functional oligomers and macromolecules. This dynamic covalent
      motif is particularly attractive for a range of applications that include
      material design and drug delivery due to the economic feasibility of synthesis. 

PMID- 26505552
TI  - Summary of Notifiable Noninfectious Conditions and Disease Outbreaks: Foodborne
      and Waterborne Disease Outbreaks - United States, 1971-2012.

PMID- 26505553
TI  - The role and potential mechanism of resveratrol in the prevention and control of
      epilepsy.
AB  - Epilepsy is one of the most common diseases affecting the nervous system, with
      more than 50 million patients suffering from epilepsy worldwide. Although
      epilepsy has been prevalent for thousands of years, it is still not possible to
      completely control the disease. Despite an increase in the number of available
      antiepileptic drugs, the incidence of epilepsy and its cure rate have not been
      substantially improved; thus, there is an urgent need to identify new drugs that
      treat, cure or protect against epilepsy. Resveratrol is a polyphenol compound
      with a broad range of biological activity; not only it has considerable
      antiepileptic effects, but it is also neuroprotective and has functions to
      counter epileptic depression. Resveratrol has the potential to be a new
      antiepileptic drug, thus further studies are needed to better investigate its
      potential. 

PMID- 26505554
TI  - On the impact of epidemic severity on network immunization algorithms.
AB  - There has been much recent interest in the prevention and mitigation of epidemics
      spreading through contact networks of host populations. Here, we investigate how
      the severity of epidemics, measured by its infection rate, influences the
      efficiency of well-known vaccination strategies. In order to assess the impact of
      severity, we simulate the SIR model at different infection rates on various real
      and model immunized networks. An extensive analysis of our simulation results
      reveals that immunization algorithms, which efficiently reduce the nodes' average
      degree, are more effective in the mitigation of weak and slow epidemics, whereas
      vaccination strategies that fragment networks to small components, are more
      successful in suppressing severe epidemics. 

PMID- 26505555
TI  - Matrix interference from Fc-Fc interactions in immunoassays for detecting human
      IgG4 therapeutics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An assay measuring an IgG4 biotherapeutic in human serum used a drug
      specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) capture reagent and an antihuman IgG4 mAb as
      detection reagent. However, serum IgG4 binding to the capture mAb via Fc
      interactions was detected by the anti-IgG4 mAb, causing high background. RESULTS:
      Two approaches were developed to minimize background; incorporating a mild acid
      sample preparation step or using the Fab of the capture antibody. Either strategy
      improved signal:noise dramatically, increasing assay sensitivity >20-fold.
      Biophysical analyses of antibody domains indicated that noncovalent Fc oligomers
      could inhibit the background. CONCLUSION: Matrix interference from human IgG4
      binding to the capture mAb was reduced with a Fab fragment of the drug-specific
      capture antibody or by incorporating a mild acid sample treatment into the assay.

PMID- 26505556
TI  - The Frequency of Methylation Abnormalities Among Estonian Patients Selected by
      Clinical Diagnostic Scoring Systems for Silver-Russell Syndrome and Beckwith
      Wiedemann Syndrome.
AB  - AIMS: To study the frequency of methylation abnormalities among Estonian patients
      selected according to published clinical diagnostic scoring systems for Silver
      Russell syndrome (SRS) and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Forty-eight patients with clinical suspicion of SRS (n = 20) or BWS (n =
      28) were included in the study group, to whom methylation-specific multiplex
      ligation-dependant probe amplification analysis of 11p15 region was made. In
      addition, to patients with minimal diagnostic score for either SRS or BWS,
      multilocus methylation-specific single nucleotide primer extension assay was
      performed. RESULTS: Five (38%) SRS patients with positive clinical scoring had
      abnormal methylation pattern at chromosome 11p15, whereas in the BWS group, only
      one patient was diagnosed with imprinting control region 2 (ICR2) hypomethylation
      (8%). An unexpected hypomethylation of the PLAGL1 (6q24) and IGF2R (6q25) genes
      in the patient with the highest BWS scoring was found. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to
      BWS, diagnostic criteria used for selecting SRS patients gave us a similar
      detection rate of 11p15 imprinting disorders as seen in other studies. A more
      careful selection of patients with possible BWS should be considered to improve
      the detection of molecularly confirmed cases. Genome-wide multilocus methylation
      tests could be used in routine clinical practice as it increases the detection
      rates of imprinting disorders.

PMID- 26505557
TI  - Maternal factors and the emotional and behavioural functioning of adolescents
      with chronic health conditions.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study investigated the association between mothers' mental health
      and education and the emotional and behavioural functioning of adolescents with
      chronic health conditions over time. METHODS: Data were drawn from an ongoing
      study. Study participants (N = 363) were recruited through eight children's
      rehabilitation centres. Logistic regression models were estimated. RESULTS: There
      were significantly reduced odds that girls would display clinical signs of
      hyperactivity/inattention one year later compared to boys when a maternal mental
      health condition was present (OR = 0.10; p < 0.01). Where low maternal education
      was present, girls were more likely to display peer relationship problems one
      year later (OR = 3.72; p < 0.01). For both genders, having a mother with less
      than a high school education was also associated with conduct problems one year
      later (OR = 2.89; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Findings support a link between
      maternal factors and emotional and behavioural functioning in adolescents with
      chronic conditions. A holistic and family-centred approach to assessment and
      service delivery is indicated. Implications for Rehabilitation When conducting
      clinical assessments, service providers should consider associations between
      maternal education and mental health and the emotional and behavioural
      functioning of adolescents with chronic health conditions. A holistic and family
      centred approach to assessment and service delivery is indicated to ensure
      adolescents with chronic conditions and their families receive support for
      interrelated needs.

PMID- 26505558
TI  - Targeted delivery of gold nanoparticle contrast agents for reporting gene
      detection by magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - Detection of protein expression by MRI requires a high payload of Gd(III) per
      protein binding event. Presented here is a targeted AuDNA nanoparticle capable of
      delivering several hundred Gd(III) chelates to the HaloTag reporter protein.
      Incubating this particle with HaloTag-expressing cells produced a 9.4 contrast-to
      noise ratio compared to non-expressing cells.

PMID- 26505559
TI  - Oliver Sacks 1933-2015.

PMID- 26505560
TI  - From phenotypic chaos to neurobiological order.

PMID- 26505561
TI  - Pore dilation reconsidered.

PMID- 26505562
TI  - Ephrin-B3 recruits PSD-95 to synapses.

PMID- 26505563
TI  - The cellular target of antidepressants.

PMID- 26505564
TI  - Rethinking canonical cortical circuits.

PMID- 26505565
TI  - Do glia drive synaptic and cognitive impairment in disease?
AB  - Synaptic dysfunction is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative and psychiatric
      brain disorders, yet we know little about the mechanisms that underlie synaptic
      vulnerability. Although neuroinflammation and reactive gliosis are prominent in
      virtually every CNS disease, glia are largely viewed as passive responders to
      neuronal damage rather than drivers of synaptic dysfunction. This perspective is
      changing with the growing realization that glia actively signal with neurons and
      influence synaptic development, transmission and plasticity through an array of
      secreted and contact-dependent signals. We propose that disruptions in neuron
      glia signaling contribute to synaptic and cognitive impairment in disease.
      Illuminating the mechanisms by which glia influence synapse function may lead to
      the development of new therapies and biomarkers for synaptic dysfunction. 

PMID- 26505567
TI  - Clinical characteristics and systemic therapies administered to first-time
      patients at a tertiary psoriasis outpatient clinic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics
      and the systemic therapies given to a cohort of patients attending for the first
      time our tertiary psoriasis outpatient clinic. METHODS: Data were extracted from
      an electronic database where the patients, mostly eligible for systemic
      therapies, are consecutively recorded. Based on skin disease severity the
      subjects were classified into three groups: group 1, mild psoriasis (MP;
      Psoriasis Area Severity Index [PASI]<=5); group 2, mild-to-moderate psoriasis
      (MMP; 5<PASI<10); group 3, moderate-to-severe psoriasis (MSP; PASI>10). RESULTS:
      Of the 289 patients studied, 88 (30.4%) presented with MP, 91 (31.5%) with MMP,
      and 110 (38%) with MSP, 89 (30.8%) of whom were affected by psoriatic arthritis.
      Of the 289 patients, 267 (92.3%) were deemed eligible for a systemic treatment,
      and 228 (85.4%) of them started a systemic treatment as monotherapy. The
      therapies administered were as follows: cyclosporine to 65 (28.5%); methotrexate
      to 59 (25.8%); etanercept to 33 (44%); adalimumab to 25 (33.3%); ustekinumab to
      17 (22.6%); acitretin to 29 (12.7%); golimumab to one (1.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Our
      data show a composite distribution of patients eligible for a systemic therapy
      and attending for the first time our center. The traditional drugs were more
      frequently administered (67.1%) as compared to biological ones (32.9%).

PMID- 26505568
TI  - Evidence-Based Emergency Management Of The Pediatric Airway.
AB  - Pediatric airway emergencies are rare, yet they are anxiety-provoking events that
      can occur in both pediatric and general emergency departments. Several novel
      concepts regarding preoxygenation during rapid sequence intubation, anticipation
      and prevention of intubation-related complications, the utility of premedication
      agents, and the selection of induction and paralytic agents have been highlighted
      in recent clinical trials and review articles. In this review, we analyze the
      data behind these concepts, highlight current pediatric literature related to
      these issues, and present reasonable conclusions based on the best available
      evidence. We begin with an analysis of the anatomic and physiologic differences
      commonly encountered in the pediatric patient during rapid sequence intubation,
      and we then review a systematic approach to the assessment of the pediatric
      patient in respiratory distress (ie, the pediatric assessment triangle) and
      conclude with a simple approach to pediatric rapid sequence intubation, starting
      with the preparatory phase and ending with postintubation management. We
      additionally highlight several alternative airway devices and discuss special
      situations, including rapid sequence intubation in the obese pediatric patient
      and in the difficult airway patient. 

PMID- 26505566
TI  - Measuring macroscopic brain connections in vivo.
AB  - Decades of detailed anatomical tracer studies in non-human animals point to a
      rich and complex organization of long-range white matter connections in the
      brain. State-of-the art in vivo imaging techniques are striving to achieve a
      similar level of detail in humans, but multiple technical factors can limit their
      sensitivity and fidelity. In this review, we mostly focus on magnetic resonance
      imaging of the brain. We highlight some of the key challenges in analyzing and
      interpreting in vivo connectomics data, particularly in relation to what is known
      from classical neuroanatomy in laboratory animals. We further illustrate that,
      despite the challenges, in vivo imaging methods can be very powerful and provide
      information on connections that is not available by any other means. 

PMID- 26505569
TI  - Neurological Adverse Effects of Antipsychotics in Children and Adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate demographic, clinical, and
      treatment factors that may impact on neurological adverse effects in naive and
      quasi-naive children and adolescents treated with antipsychotics. METHODS: This
      was a 1-year, multicenter, observational study of a naive and quasi-naive
      pediatric population receiving antipsychotic treatment. Two subanalyses were run
      using the subsample of subjects taking the 3 most used antipsychotics and the
      subsample of antipsychotic-naive subjects. Total dyskinesia score (DyskinesiaS)
      and total Parkinson score (ParkinsonS) were calculated from the Maryland
      Psychiatric Research Center Involuntary Movement Scale, total UKU-Cognition score
      was calculated from the UKU Side Effect Rating Scale. Risk factors for tardive
      dyskinesias (TDs) defined after Schooler-Kaine criteria were studied using a
      logistic regression. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-five subjects (mean age, 14.4
      [SD, 2.9] years) with different Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
      Disorders, Fourth Edition Axis I disorders were recruited. DyskinesiaS (P <
      0.001) and ParkinsonS (P < 0.001) increased at 1-year follow-up. Risperidone was
      associated with higher increases in DyskinesiaS compared with quetiapine (P <
      0.001). Higher increases in ParkinsonS were found with risperidone (P < 0.001)
      and olanzapine (P = 0.02) compared with quetiapine. Total UKU-Cognition Score
      decreased at follow-up. Findings were also significant when analyzing
      antipsychotic-naive subjects. Fifteen subjects (5.8%) fulfilled Schooler-Kane
      criteria for TD at follow-up. Younger age, history of psychotic symptoms, and
      higher cumulative exposure time were associated with TD at follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: Antipsychotics increased neurological adverse effects in a naive and
      quasi-naive pediatric population and should be carefully monitored. Risperidone
      presented higher scores in symptoms of dyskinesia and parkinsonism. Quetiapine
      was the antipsychotic with less neurological adverse effects. Younger subjects,
      psychosis, and treatment factors predicted an increased risk of TD.

PMID- 26505570
TI  - Lack of Analgesic Effect Induced by Ropivacaine Wound Infiltration in Thyroid
      Surgery: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical site infiltration with local anesthetic reduces analgesic
      requests in various types of surgeries. Because thyroid surgery may induce severe
      postoperative pain, we tested the hypothesis that ropivacaine surgical site
      infiltration would significantly decrease postoperative administration of
      morphine in patients undergoing thyroid surgery. METHODS: We performed a double
      blind, placebo-controlled superiority trial to assess the efficacy of surgical
      site analgesia with ropivacaine (10 mL, 75 mg) performed at the end of thyroid
      surgery in adult patients. The primary end point was the proportion of patients
      not requiring IV morphine in the postanesthesia care unit. RESULTS: One hundred
      sixty-three patients completed the study, 85 in the placebo group and 88 in the
      ropivacaine group. The proportion of patients requiring morphine administration
      in the postanesthesia care unit (55% vs 53%, P = 0.80), the dose of IV morphine
      administered (5.6 +/- 6.1 vs 5.5 +/- 6.0 mg, P = 0.90), the total dose of opioids
      administered (expressed as oral morphine equivalent dose: 64 +/- 27 vs 69 +/- 29
      mg, P = 0.20), and the visual analog pain scale over the first 24 hours were not
      significantly different between groups. The incidence of adverse events (36% vs
      39%, P = 0.88), morphine-related adverse events (19% vs 17%, P = 0.84), serious
      adverse events (0% vs 2%, P = 0.50), and the patient satisfaction scores (9 +/- 1
      vs 9 +/- 1, P = 0.70) was not significantly different between the 2 groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: Surgical site analgesia with ropivacaine at the end of thyroid
      surgery is not associated with any significant analgesic benefit.

PMID- 26505571
TI  - Forced-Air Warming During Pediatric Surgery: A Randomized Comparison of a
      Compressible with a Noncompressible Warming System.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Perioperative hypothermia is a common problem, challenging the
      anesthesiologist and influencing patient outcome. Efficient and safe
      perioperative active warming is therefore paramount; yet, it can be particularly
      challenging in pediatric patients. Forced-air warming technology is the most
      widespread patient-warming option, with most forced-air warming systems
      consisting of a forced-air blower connected to a compressible, double layer
      plastic and/or a paper blanket with air holes on the patient side. We compared an
      alternative, forced-air, noncompressible, under-body patient-warming mattress
      (Baby/Kleinkinddecke of MoeckWarmingSystems, Moeck und Moeck GmbH; group MM) with
      a standard, compressible warming mattress system (Pediatric Underbody, Bair
      Hugger, 3M; group BH). METHODS: The study included 80 patients aged <2 years,
      scheduled for elective surgery. After a preoperative core temperature
      measurement, the patients were placed on the randomized mattress in the operation
      theater and 4 temperature probes were applied rectally and to the patients' skin.
      The warming devices were turned on as soon as possible to the level for pediatric
      patients as recommended by the manufacturer (MM = 40 degrees C, BH = 43 degrees
      C). RESULTS: There was a distinct difference of temperature slope between the 2
      groups: core temperatures of patients in the group MM remained stable and mean of
      the core temperature of patients in the group BH increased significantly
      (difference: +1.48 degrees C/h; 95% confidence interval, 0.82-2.15 degrees C/h; P
      = 0.0001). The need for temperature downregulation occurred more often in the BH
      group, with 22 vs 7 incidences (RR, 3.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.52-6.52; P =
      0.0006). Skin temperatures were all lower in the MM group. Perioperatively, no
      side effects related to a warming device were observed in any group. CONCLUSIONS:
      Both devices are feasible choices for active pediatric patient warming, with the
      compressible mattress system being better suited to increase core temperature.
      The use of lower pediatric forced-air temperature settings, as recommended by the
      manufacturer, in the noncompressible mattress group resulted in more stable core
      temperature conditions, with fewer forced-air temperature adjustments necessary
      to avoid hyperthermia.

PMID- 26505572
TI  - High-Fidelity Analysis of Perioperative QTc Prolongation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prolongation of the QTc interval indicates abnormal cardiac
      repolarization. A recent study has shown that postoperative QTc prolongation is
      common. However, it is unknown whether QTc prolongation is an isolated
      postoperative phenomenon or occurs regularly during surgery, or whether the type
      of anesthesia influences its incidence. METHODS: To answer this question, we
      conducted a prospective cohort study (n = 300), where QTc duration was
      continuously recorded by 12-lead Holter electrocardiogram from 30 minutes
      preoperatively to up to 60 minutes postoperatively. QTc prolongation was compared
      between adult patients with at least 1 cardiac risk factor undergoing general (n
      = 101) or spinal anesthesia (n = 99) for orthopedic surgery, or local anesthesia
      (n = 100). Primary outcome was intraoperative QTc increase (DeltaQTc, as defined
      by the intraoperative-to-preoperative QTc duration difference). The incidence of
      long QTc episodes (QTc > 500 milliseconds for at least 15 minutes) was also
      determined. RESULTS: Significant QTc prolongation (median; interquartile range
      [IQR]) occurred during general anesthesia (DeltaQTc, +33 milliseconds; IQR, +22
      to 46 milliseconds) and spinal anesthesia (DeltaQTc, +22 milliseconds; IQR, +12
      to 29 milliseconds), whereas no QTc prolongation was observed during local
      anesthesia (biopsy, n = 53: DeltaQTc, +4 milliseconds; IQR, -4 to +7
      milliseconds; coronary angiography, n = 47: DeltaQTc, +6 milliseconds; IQR, -5 to
      +16 milliseconds). The incidence of long QTc episodes was significantly different
      between general anesthesia (n = 6/63, 9.5%), spinal anesthesia (n = 1/56, 1.8%),
      local anesthesia for biopsy (n = 0/46, 0%), and coronary angiography (n = 0/19,
      0%; P = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that QTc prolongation is not
      an isolated postoperative phenomenon and is common during surgery under general
      and spinal anesthesia.

PMID- 26505573
TI  - Comparisons of Electroencephalographically Derived Measures of Hypnosis and
      Antinociception in Response to Standardized Stimuli During Target-Controlled
      Propofol-Remifentanil Anesthesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current electroencephalogram (EEG)-derived measures provide
      information on cortical activity and hypnosis but are less accurate regarding
      subcortical activity, which is expected to vary with the degree of
      antinociception. Recently, the neurophysiologically based EEG measures of
      cortical input (CI) and cortical state (CS) have been shown to be prospective
      indicators of analgesia/antinociception and hypnosis, respectively. In this
      study, we compared CI and an alternate measure of CS, the composite cortical
      state (CCS), with the Bispectral Index (BIS) and another recently developed
      measure of antinociception, the composite variability index (CVI). CVI is an EEG
      derived measure based on a weighted combination of BIS and estimated
      electromyographic activity. By assessing the relationship between these indices
      for equivalent levels of hypnosis (as quantified using the BIS) and the
      nociceptive-antinociceptive balance (as determined by the predicted effect-site
      concentration of remifentanil), we sought to evaluate whether combining hypnotic
      and analgesic measures could better predict movement in response to a noxious
      stimulus than when used alone. METHODS: Time series of BIS and CVI indices and
      the raw EEG from a previously published study were reanalyzed. In our current
      study, the data from 80 patients, each randomly allocated to a target hypnotic
      level (BIS 50 or BIS 70) and a target remifentanil level (Remi-0, -2, -4 or -6
      ng/mL), were included in the analysis. CCS, CI, BIS, and CVI were calculated or
      quantified at baseline and at a number of intervals after the application of the
      Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation scale and a subsequent tetanic
      stimulus. The dependency of the putative measures of antinociception CI and CVI
      on effect-site concentration of remifentanil was then quantified, together with
      their relationship to the hypnotic measures CCS and BIS. Finally, statistical
      clustering methods were used to evaluate the extent to which simple combinations
      of antinociceptive and hypnotic measures could better detect and predict response
      to stimulation. RESULTS: Before stimulation, both CI and CVI differentiated
      patients who received remifentanil from those who were randomly allocated to the
      Remi-0 group (CI: Cohen's d = 0.65, 95% confidence interval, 0.48-0.83; CVI:
      Cohen's d = 0.72, 95% confidence interval, 0.56-0.88). Strong correlations
      between BIS and CCS were found (at different periods: 0.55 < R2 < 0.68, P <
      0.001). Application of the Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation stimulus
      was associated with changes in CI and CCS, whereas, subsequent to the application
      of both stimuli, changes in all measures were seen. Pairwise combinations of CI
      and CCS showed higher sensitivity in detecting response to stimulation than CVI
      and BIS combined (sensitivity [99% confidence interval], 75.8% [52.7%-98.8%] vs
      42% [15.4%-68.5%], P = 0.006), with specificity for CI and CCS approaching
      significance (52% [34.7%-69.3%] vs 24% [9.1%-38.9%], P = 0.0159). CONCLUSIONS:
      Combining electroencephalographically derived hypnotic and analgesic quantifiers
      may enable better prediction of patients who are likely to respond to tetanic
      stimulation.

PMID- 26505574
TI  - The Sensitivity and Specificity of Pulmonary Carbon Dioxide Elimination for
      Noninvasive Assessment of Fluid Responsiveness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We sought to determine whether the response of pulmonary elimination
      of CO2 (VCO2) to a sudden increase in positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP)
      could predict fluid responsiveness and serve as a noninvasive surrogate for
      cardiac index (CI). METHODS: Fifty-two patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery
      were included in this study. By using a constant-flow ventilation mode, we
      performed a PEEP challenge of 1-minute increase in PEEP from 5 to 10 cm H2O. At
      PEEP of 5 cm H2O, patients were preloaded with 500 mL IV saline solution after
      which a second PEEP challenge was performed. Patients in whom fluid
      administration increased CI by >=15% from the individual baseline value were
      defined as volume responders. Beat-by-beat CI was derived from arterial pulse
      contour analysis, and breath-by-breath VCO2 data were collected during the
      protocol. The sensitivity and specificity of VCO2 for detecting the fluid
      responders according to CI was performed by the receiver operating characteristic
      curves. RESULTS: Twenty-one of 52 patients were identified as fluid responders
      (40%). The PEEP maneuver before fluid administration decreased CI from 2.65 +/-
      0.34 to 2.21 +/- 0.32 L/min/m (P = 0.0011) and VCO2 from 150 +/- 23 to 123 +/- 23
      mL/min (P = 0.0036) in responders, whereas the changes in CI and VCO2 were not
      significant in nonresponders. The PEEP challenge after fluid administration
      induced no significant changes in CI and VCO2, in neither responders nor
      nonresponders. PEEP-induced decreases in CI and VCO2 before fluid administration
      were well correlated (r = 0.75, P < 0.0001) but not thereafter. The area under
      the receiver operating characteristic curves for a PEEP-induced decrease in
      DeltaCI and DeltaVCO2 was 0.99, with a 95% confidence interval from 0.96 to 0.99
      for DeltaCI and from 0.97 to 0.99 for DeltaVCO2. During the PEEP challenge, a
      decrease in VCO2 by 11% predicted fluid responsiveness with a sensitivity of 0.90
      (95% confidence interval, 0.87-0.93) and a specificity of 0.95 (95% confidence
      interval, 0.92-0.98). CONCLUSIONS: PEEP-induced changes in VCO2 predicted fluid
      responsiveness with accuracy in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

PMID- 26505575
TI  - Targeting Oliguria Reversal in Goal-Directed Hemodynamic Management Does Not
      Reduce Renal Dysfunction in Perioperative and Critically Ill Patients: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated whether resuscitation protocols to achieve and
      maintain urine output above a predefined threshold-including oliguria reversal as
      a target--prevent acute renal failure (ARF). METHODS: We performed a systematic
      review and meta-analysis using studies found by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, and
      references in relevant reviews and articles. We included all studies that
      compared "conventional fluid management" (CFM) with "goal-directed therapy" (GDT)
      using cardiac output, urine output, or oxygen delivery parameters and reported
      the occurrence of ARF in critically ill or surgical patients. We divided studies
      into groups with and without oliguria reversal as a target for hemodynamic
      optimization. We calculated the combined odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs) using random-effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: We based our
      analyses on 28 studies. In the overall analysis, GDT resulted in less ARF than
      CFM (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.44-0.76; P < 0.001; I = 34.3%; n = 28). GDT without
      oliguria reversal as a target resulted in less ARF (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.34-0.61;
      P < 0.001; I = 7.1%; n = 7) when compared with CFM with oliguria reversal as a
      target. The studies comparing GDT with CFM in which the reversal of oliguria was
      targeted in both or in neither group did not provide enough evidence to conclude
      a superiority of GDT (targeting oliguria reversal in both protocols: OR, 0.63;
      95% CI, 0.36-1.10; P = 0.09; I = 48.6%; n = 9, and in neither protocol: OR, 0.66;
      95% CI, 0.37-1.16; P = 0.14; I = 20.2%; n = 12). CONCLUSIONS: Current literature
      favors targeting circulatory optimization by GDT without targeting oliguria
      reversal to prevent ARF. Future studies are needed to investigate the hypothesis
      that targeting oliguria reversal does not prevent ARF in critically ill and
      surgical patients.

PMID- 26505576
TI  - Intermittent Hypoxia Causes Inflammation and Injury to Human Adult Cardiac
      Myocytes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intermittent hypoxia may occur in a number of clinical scenarios,
      including interruption of myocardial blood flow or breathing disorders such as
      obstructive sleep apnea. Although intermittent hypoxia has been linked to
      cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, the effect of intermittent hypoxia on
      the human heart is not fully understood. Therefore, in the present study, we
      compared the cellular responses of cultured human adult cardiac myocytes (HACMs)
      exposed to intermittent hypoxia and different conditions of continuous hypoxia
      and normoxia. METHODS: HACMs were exposed to intermittent hypoxia (0%-21% O2),
      constant mild hypoxia (10% O2), constant severe hypoxia (0% O2), or constant
      normoxia (21% O2), using a novel cell culture bioreactor with gas-permeable
      membranes. Cell proliferation, lactate dehydrogenase release, vascular
      endothelial growth factor release, and cytokine (interleukin [IL] and macrophage
      migration inhibitory factor) release were assessed at baseline and after 8, 24,
      and 72 hours of exposure. A signal transduction pathway finder array was
      performed to determine the changes in gene expression. RESULTS: In comparison
      with constant normoxia and constant mild hypoxia, intermittent hypoxia induced
      earlier and greater inflammatory response and extent of cell injury as evidenced
      by lower cell numbers and higher lactate dehydrogenase, vascular endothelial
      growth factor, and proinflammatory cytokine (IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, and macrophage
      migration inhibitory factor) release. Constant severe hypoxia showed more
      detrimental effects on HACMs at later time points. Pathway analysis demonstrated
      that intermittent hypoxia primarily altered gene expression in oxidative stress,
      Wnt, Notch, and hypoxia pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Intermittent and constant severe
      hypoxia, but not constant mild hypoxia or normoxia, induced inflammation and cell
      injury in HACMs. Cell injury occurred earliest and was greatest after
      intermittent hypoxia exposure. Our in vitro findings suggest that intermittent
      hypoxia exposure may produce rapid and substantial damage to the human heart.

PMID- 26505577
TI  - Postoperative Pain Management in Children of Hispanic Origin: A Descriptive
      Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been established that pain is frequently undertreated in
      children following outpatient surgery. Very few studies, however, have
      investigated this phenomenon in ethnically diverse populations. METHODS: This
      study included 105 families of children aged 2 to 15 years of Hispanic origin and
      low income undergoing outpatient tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy surgery.
      Participating parents completed baseline and demographic packets. Recorded
      postoperative pain ratings and administration of analgesics at home for 1 week
      were collected during home visits. RESULTS: Despite the high (70%; 99% confidence
      interval [CI], 57%-82%) incidence of significant pain in the first 24 hours home,
      32% (95% CI, 20%-45%) of the children received 0 to 1 dose of analgesia. Overall,
      21% children (99% CI, 11%-35%) received 4 or less total doses of pain medication
      over the entire week after surgery. Of the total analgesic doses administered to
      children in the week after surgery, only 44% (99% CI, 40%-47%) were in accepted
      ranges. CONCLUSIONS: Despite experiencing significant postoperative pain,
      Hispanic children assessed in this study received suboptimal analgesic therapy at
      home.

PMID- 26505578
TI  - Prophylactic Ondansetron for the Prevention of Intrathecal Fentanyl- or
      Sufentanil-Mediated Pruritus: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pruritus is a common side effect of intrathecal fentanyl or
      sufentanil that decreases patient satisfaction and may delay hospital discharge.
      There are conflicting reports about the efficacy of prophylactic ondansetron in
      reducing the incidence of pruritus. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the effect
      of prophylactic ondansetron on the incidence of intrathecal fentanyl- or
      sufentanil-mediated pruritus and the need for rescue treatment. METHODS: A
      systematic search on PubMed, Medline, and the Cochrane Central Register of
      Controlled Trials from January 1, 1994, to January 1, 2014, was conducted
      according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta
      analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Randomized controlled trials evaluating the
      efficacy of prophylactic ondansetron on pruritus associated with intrathecal
      fentanyl or sufentanil were included. The primary outcome was the incidence of
      pruritus, and the secondary outcome was patients' need for rescue therapy.
      Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the outcomes in obstetric and
      nonobstetric patients and in patients who received ondansetron before or after
      intrathecal opioid injection. Analyses used random-effect models. RESULTS: Six
      randomized controlled trials involving 555 patients were included. In the overall
      analysis, prophylactic ondansetron did not significantly decrease the incidence
      of pruritus, but there was a trend toward reduced rescue medication use (risk
      ratio [RR], 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35-0.91; I = 0%; P = 0.02).
      Exploratory subgroups, including nonobstetric surgery patients and patients who
      received ondansetron before spinal opioid administration, also suggest a trend
      toward less rescue medication use (RR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.26-0.85; P = 0.01; and RR,
      0.62; 95% CI, 0.38-1.00; P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IV 8 mg prophylactic ondansetron
      does not decrease the incidence of fentanyl- or sufentanil-mediated pruritus but
      may decrease the need for pruritus rescue medication, particularly in specific
      subgroups. Randomized trials are needed to confirm these results.

PMID- 26505579
TI  - Assessment of loading conditions with cardiac ultrasound. A comprehensive review.
AB  - Optimization of the preloading conditions and concomitant determination of
      endpoints of fluid administration are the most frequent therapeutic actions in
      critically ill patients. Besides a clinical appraisal, reproducible data should
      be acquired at the bedside to estimate the adequacy of fluid resuscitation. The
      dynamic assessment and determination of fluid responsiveness plays a major role
      in this respect. Right-sided cardiac variables, such as inferior and superior
      caval vein diameter variation during mechanical ventilation, are easily obtained
      with cardiac ultrasound. Moreover, left sided variables, including aortic flow
      variation, with intermittent swings of intrathoracic pressure during mechanical
      ventilation, may be achieved non-invasively with Doppler-echocardiography. Both
      in terms of resuscitation, as well as correct interpretation of various two
      dimensional and Doppler variables, it is essential to acquire a clear
      understanding of the filling status of a patient. Doppler-echocardiography plays
      herein a pivotal role. 

PMID- 26505580
TI  - Bone-repair properties of biodegradable hydroxyapatite nano-rod superstructures.
AB  - Nano-hydroxyapatite (nano-HAp) materials show an analogous chemical composition
      to the biogenic mineral components of calcified tissues and depending on their
      topography they may mimic the specific arrangement of the crystals in bone. In
      this work, we have evaluated the potential of four synthesized nano-HAp
      superstructures for the in vitro conditions of bone-repair. Experiments are
      underway to investigate the effects of the material microstructure, surface
      roughness and hydrophilicity on their osseo-integration, osteo-conduction and
      osteo-induction abilities. Materials were tested in the presence of both, rat
      primary osteoblasts and rabbit mesenchymal stem cells. The following aspects are
      discussed: (i) cytotoxicity and material degradation; (ii) rat osteoblast
      spreading, proliferation and differentiation; and (iii) rabbit mesenchymal stem
      cell adhesion on nano-HAp and nano-HAp/collagen type I coatings. We effectively
      prepared a material based on biomimetic HAp nano-rods displaying the appropriate
      surface topography, hydrophilicity and degradation properties to induce the in
      vitro desired cellular responses for bone bonding and healing. Cells seeded on
      the selected material readily attached, proliferated and differentiated, as
      confirmed by cell viability, mitochondrial metabolic activity, alkaline
      phosphatase (ALP) activity and cytoskeletal integrity analysis by
      immunofluorescence localization of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) protein.
      These results highlight the influence of material's surface characteristics to
      determine their tissue regeneration potential and their future use in engineering
      osteogenic scaffolds for orthopedic implants. 

PMID- 26505583
TI  - Evening (Landscape in Brilliant Colors): Nikolai Nedashkovsky.

PMID- 26505584
TI  - Seeking Rational Approaches to Fixing Hospital Readmissions.

PMID- 26505593
TI  - Time for a More Unified Approach to Pediatric Health Care Policy?: The Case of
      Congenital Heart Care.

PMID- 26505594
TI  - A PIECE OF MY MIND. A Piece of My Mind--Actually.

PMID- 26505595
TI  - Mortality Trends and Signs of Health Progress in the United States: Improving
      Understanding and Action.

PMID- 26505596
TI  - Anticholinergic vs Long-Acting beta-Agonist in Combination With Inhaled
      Corticosteroids in Black Adults With Asthma: The BELT Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: The efficacy and safety of long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs) have
      been questioned. Black populations may be disproportionately affected by LABA
      risks. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness and safety of tiotropium vs LABAs,
      when used with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in black adults with asthma and to
      determine whether allelic variation at the Arg16Gly locus of the beta2-adrenergic
      receptor (ADRB2) geneis associated with treatment response. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: A multisite (n = 20), open-label, parallel-group, pragmatic
      randomized clinical trial conducted from March 2011 through July 2013, enrolling
      black adults with moderate to severe asthma in the United States. INTERVENTIONS:
      Patients eligible for, or receiving, step 3 or step 4 combination therapy per
      National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines, received ICS plus either
      once-daily tiotropium (n = 532) or twice-daily LABAs (n = 538,) and were followed
      up for up to 18 months. Patients underwent genotyping, attended study visits at
      baseline, 1, 6, 12, and 18 months, and completed monthly questionnaires. MAIN
      OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was time to asthma exacerbation,
      defined as a worsening asthma event requiring oral or parenteral corticosteroids.
      Secondary outcomes included patient-reported outcomes (Asthma Quality of Life
      Questionnaire, Asthma Control Questionnaire [ACQ], Asthma Symptom Utility Index,
      and Asthma Symptom-Free Days questionnaire), spirometry (FEV1), rescue medication
      use, asthma deteriorations, and adverse events. RESULTS: There was no difference
      between LABA + ICS vs tiotropium + ICS in time to first exacerbation (mean No. of
      exacerbations/person-year, 0.42 vs 0.37 (rate ratio, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.73 to 1.11],
      log-rank P = .31). There was no difference in change in FEV1 at 12 months (0.003
      L for LABA + ICS vs -0.018 L for tiotropium + ICS; between-group difference,
      0.020 [95% CI, -0.021 to 0.061], P = .33) and at 18 months (-0.053 L vs -0.078 L;
      between-group difference, 0.025 [95% CI, -0.045 to 0.095], P = .49). There were
      no differences in ACQ score at 18 months (change in score from baseline, -0.68
      for LABA + ICS vs -0.72 for tiotropium + ICS; between-group difference, 0.04 [95%
      CI, -0.18 to 0.27], P = .70). There were no differences in other patient-reported
      outcomes. Arg16Gly ADRB2 alleles were not associated with differences in the
      effects of tiotropium + ICS vs LABA + ICS (hazard ratio for time to first
      exacerbation, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.47 to 1.51] for Arg/Arg vs 0.85 [95% CI, 0.63 to
      1.15] for Arg/Gly or Gly/Gly, P = .97). CONCLUSIONS/RELEVANCE: Among black adults
      with asthma treated with ICS, adding a LABA did not improve time to asthma
      exacerbation compared with adding tiotropium. These findings were not affected by
      polymorphisms at the Arg16Gly locus of ADRB2. These findings do not support the
      superiority of LABA + ICS compared with tiotropium + ICS for black patients with
      asthma. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01290874.

PMID- 26505597
TI  - Temporal Trends in Mortality in the United States, 1969-2013.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: A systematic and comprehensive evaluation of long-term trends in
      mortality is important for health planning and priority setting and for
      identifying modifiable factors that may contribute to the trends. OBJECTIVE: To
      examine temporal trends in deaths in the United States for all causes and for the
      6 leading causes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Joinpoint analysis of US
      national vital statistics data from 1969 through 2013. EXPOSURE: Causes of death.
      MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Total and annual percent change in age-standardized
      death rates and years of potential life lost before age 75 years for all causes
      combined and for heart disease, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      (COPD), stroke, unintentional injuries, and diabetes mellitus. RESULTS: Between
      1969 and 2013, the age-standardized death rate per 100,000 decreased from 1278.8
      to 729.8 for all causes (42.9% reduction; 95% CI, 42.8%-43.0%), from 156.8 to
      36.0 for stroke (77.0% reduction; 95% CI, 76.9%-77.2%), from 520.4 to 169.1 for
      heart disease (67.5% reduction; 95% CI, 67.4%-67.6%), from 65.1 to 39.2 for
      unintentional injuries (39.8% reduction; 95% CI, 39.3%-40.3%), from 198.6 to
      163.1 for cancer (17.9% reduction; 95% CI, 17.5%-18.2%), and from 25.3 to 21.1
      for diabetes (16.5% reduction; 95% CI, 15.4%-17.5%). In contrast, the rate for
      COPD increased from 21.0 to 42.2 (100.6% increase; 95% CI, 98.2%-103.1%).
      However, during the last time segment detected by joinpoint analysis, death rate
      for COPD in men began to decrease and the declines in rates slowed for heart
      disease, stroke, and diabetes. For example, the annual decline for heart disease
      slowed from 3.9% (95% CI, 3.5%-4.2%) during the 2000-2010 period to 1.4% (95% CI,
      -3.4% to 0.6%) during the 2010-2013 period (P = .02 for slope difference).
      Between 1969 and 2013, age-standardized years of potential life lost per 1000
      decreased from 1.9 to 1.6 for diabetes (14.5% reduction; 95% CI, 12.6%-16.4%),
      from 21.4 to 12.7 for cancer (40.6%; 95% CI, 40.2%-41.1%), from 19.9 to 10.4 for
      unintentional injuries (47.5%; 95% CI, 47.0%-48.0%), from 28.8 to 9.1 for heart
      disease (68.3%; 95% CI, 68.1%-68.5%), and from 6.0 to 1.5 for stroke (74.8%; 95%
      CI, 74.4%-75.3%). For COPD, the rate for years of potential life lost did not
      decrease over this time interval. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: According to death
      certificate data between 1969 and 2013, an overall decreasing trend in age
      standardized death rate was observed for all causes combined, heart disease,
      cancer, stroke, unintentional injuries, and diabetes, although the rate of
      decrease appears to have slowed for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. The
      death rate for COPD increased during this period.

PMID- 26505598
TI  - Widespread Scaly Eruption in a Patient With Multiple Comorbidities.

PMID- 26505599
TI  - Hyperprolactinemia.

PMID- 26505600
TI  - Abuse-Deterrent Opioid Formulations.

PMID- 26505601
TI  - Adequacy of Outpatient Specialty Care Access in Marketplace Plans Under the
      Affordable Care Act.

PMID- 26505602
TI  - Medical Use of Cannabinoids.

PMID- 26505603
TI  - Medical Use of Cannabinoids.

PMID- 26505604
TI  - Medical Use of Cannabinoids--Reply.

PMID- 26505605
TI  - Promise of Precision Medicine.

PMID- 26505606
TI  - Promise of Precision Medicine--Reply.

PMID- 26505607
TI  - Clarification of Author Affiliation.

PMID- 26505608
TI  - Errors in the Tables.

PMID- 26505610
TI  - The Cleveland Museum of Health.

PMID- 26505611
TI  - JAMA PATIENT PAGE. Distracted Driving.

PMID- 26505613
TI  - Chlorine doping reduces electron-hole recombination in lead iodide perovskites:
      time-domain ab initio analysis.
AB  - Rapid development in lead halide perovskites has led to solution-processable thin
      film solar cells with power conversion efficiencies close to 20%. Nonradiative
      electron-hole recombination within perovskites has been identified as the main
      pathway of energy losses, competing with charge transport and limiting the
      efficiency. Using nonadiabatic (NA) molecular dynamics, combined with time-domain
      density functional theory, we show that nonradiative recombination happens faster
      than radiative recombination and long-range charge transfer to an acceptor
      material. Doping of lead iodide perovskites with chlorine atoms reduces charge
      recombination. On the one hand, chlorines decrease the NA coupling because they
      contribute little to the wave functions of the valence and conduction band edges.
      On the other hand, chlorines shorten coherence time because they are lighter than
      iodines and introduce high-frequency modes. Both factors favor longer excited
      state lifetimes. The simulation shows good agreement with the available
      experimental data and contributes to the comprehensive understanding of
      electronic and vibrational dynamics in perovskites. The generated insights into
      design of higher-efficiency solar cells range from fundamental scientific
      principles, such as the role of electron-vibrational coupling and quantum
      coherence, to practical guidelines, such as specific suggestions for chemical
      doping. 

PMID- 26505612
TI  - Development of a Cell-Based Fluorescence Polarization Biosensor Using
      Preproinsulin to Identify Compounds That Alter Insulin Granule Dynamics.
AB  - Diabetes currently affects 9.3% of the U.S. population totaling $245 billion
      annually in U.S. direct and indirect healthcare costs. Current therapies for
      diabetes are limited in their ability to control blood glucose and/or enhance
      insulin sensitivity. Therefore, innovative and efficacious therapies for diabetes
      are urgently needed. Herein we describe a fluorescent insulin reporter system
      (preproinsulin-mCherry, PPI-mCherry) that tracks live-cell insulin dynamics and
      secretion in pancreatic beta-cells with utility for high-content assessment of
      real-time insulin dynamics. Additionally, we report a new modality for sensing
      insulin granule packaging in conventional high-throughput screening (HTS), using
      a hybrid cell-based fluorescence polarization (FP)/internal FRET biosensor using
      the PPI-mCherry reporter system. We observed that bafilomycin, a vacuolar H(+)
      ATPase inhibitor and inhibitor of insulin granule formation, significantly
      increased mCherry FP in INS-1 cells with PPI-mCherry. Partial least squares
      regression analysis demonstrated that an increase of FP by bafilomycin is
      significantly correlated with a decrease in granularity of PPI-mCherry signal in
      the cells. The increased FP by bafilomycin is due to inhibition of self-Forster
      resonant energy transfer (homo-FRET) caused by the increased mCherry
      intermolecular distance. FP substantially decreases when insulin is tightly
      packaged in the granules, and the homo-FRET decreases when insulin granule
      packaging is inhibited, resulting in increased FP. We performed pilot HTS of 1782
      FDA-approved small molecules and natural products from Prestwick and Enzo
      chemical libraries resulting in an overall Z'-factor of 0.52 +/- 0.03, indicating
      the suitability of this biosensor for HTS. This novel biosensor enables live-cell
      assessment of protein-protein interaction/protein aggregation in live cells and
      is compatible with conventional FP plate readers. 

PMID- 26505614
TI  - Application of risk score analysis to low-coverage whole genome sequencing data
      for the noninvasive detection of trisomy 21, trisomy 18, and trisomy 13.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Clinical performance of a low coverage, low cost, massively parallel
      sequencing (MPS)-based assay to stratify risk of trisomy 21, 18, and 13
      pregnancies was determined. METHODS: The study included 1100 samples with birth
      outcome or karyotype results, comprising low-risk patients (84.2%) negative for
      risk indications from maternal age, serum screening, ultrasound, or family
      history, and high-risk patients (15.8%) with at least one of the aforementioned
      indications. Cell free DNA (cfDNA) was extracted from maternal plasma. Library
      preparation incorporated 96 index barcodes to enable sequencing on a HiSeq 2000
      or 2500. Risk scores were calculated using chromosomal representation, fetal
      fraction, and maternal age at the estimated date of delivery. A risk score
      greater than or equal to 1 in 100 was used to stratify samples as high risk for
      trisomy 21, trisomy 18, or trisomy 13. RESULTS: Sensitivity and specificity were
      calculated based on risk group stratification. Trisomy 21, trisomy 18, and
      trisomy 13 were detected with greater than 99% sensitivity and 99.9% specificity.
      Fetal sex classification accuracy was 99.3%. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that
      simplified MPS can be used to stratify the risk of pregnancies for trisomy 21,
      trisomy 18, and trisomy 13 and accurately determine fetal sex. (c) 2015 John
      Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26505616
TI  - Evaluation of 4DryField(r) PH as Adhesion Prevention Barrier Tested in an
      Optimized Adhesion Model in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adhesions due to pelvic/abdominal surgery are a common serious
      pathology possibly entailing severe complications. This study investigates the
      adhesion prevention capability of the novel starch-based agent 4DryField(r) PH,
      which together with saline solution forms a barrier gel. Herein, an optimized
      adhesion model (OPAM) inducing severe adhesions/agglutinations with high
      reproducibility was used. METHODS: In 19 Lewis rats, a 1 * 2 cm abdominal wall
      defect was created, the peritoneum of the neighboring cecum was abraded, and both
      injured areas were approximated by suture. Rats were randomized to control (n =
      10) or 4DryField PH treatment (n = 9) groups. Another 8 rats had sham surgery for
      safety assessment of 4DryField PH. At day 7, the quantity and quality of
      adhesions were assessed macro-/microscopically and evaluated statistically.
      RESULTS: 4DryField PH treatment significantly reduced the incidence and severity
      of adhesions as verified by significantly improved adhesion scorings (0.4 vs.
      4.5; 1.1 vs. 9). Histology revealed reconstitution of the cecum and abdominal
      wall including regeneration of the visceral/parietal peritoneum. In sham-operated
      rats, 4DryField PH did not induce adhesion formation. CONCLUSIONS: 4DryField PH
      gel was highly effective in preventing adhesions. Histologically, the injured
      cecum and abdominal wall regenerated well in the presence of 4DryField PH.
      Considering the severity of OPAM trauma, the potential of 4DryField PH to prevent
      adhesions can be rated excellent.

PMID- 26505615
TI  - From Data to Action: Neuroepidemiology Informs Implementation Research for Global
      Stroke Prevention and Treatment.
AB  - As a scientific field of study, neuroepidemiology encompasses more than just the
      descriptive study of the frequency, distribution, determinants and outcomes of
      neurologic diseases in populations. It also includes experimental aspects that
      span the full spectrum of clinical and population science research. As such,
      neuroepidemiology has a strong potential to inform implementation research for
      global stroke prevention and treatment. This review begins with an overview of
      the progress that has been made in descriptive and experimental neuroepidemiology
      over the past quarter century with emphasis on standards for evidence generation,
      critical appraisal of that evidence and impact on clinical and public health
      practice at the national, regional and global levels. Specific advances made in
      high-income countries as well as in low- and middle-income countries are
      presented. Gaps in implementation as well as evidence gaps in stroke research,
      stroke burden, clinical outcomes and disparities between developed and developing
      countries are then described. The continuing need for high quality
      neuroepidemiologic data in low- and middle-income countries is highlighted.
      Additionally, persisting disparities in stroke burden and care by sex, race,
      ethnicity, income and socioeconomic status are discussed. The crucial role that
      national stroke registries have played in neuroepidemiologic research is also
      addressed. Opportunities presented by new directions in comparative effectiveness
      and implementation research are discussed as avenues for turning
      neuroepidemiological insights into action to maximize health impact and to guide
      further biomedical research on neurological diseases.

PMID- 26505617
TI  - Eradication of esophageal varices by sclerotherapy combined with argon plasma
      coagulation: Effect of portal hemodynamics and longitudinal clinical course.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: To demonstrate the effect of endoscopic injection
      sclerotherapy (EIS) with argon plasma coagulation (APC) as a primary/secondary
      prophylaxis for esophageal varies (EV) on portal hemodynamics and long-term
      outcomes in cirrhosis. METHODS: This prospective study included 48 cirrhotic
      patients (64.5 +/- 11.4 years; 26 bleeders, 22 non-bleeders). Post-treatment
      outcomes (EIS and APC; median observation period, 12.8 months for recurrence and
      21.1 months for prognosis) were evaluated with respect to the findings of hepatic
      venous catheterization, Doppler ultrasound, and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS).
      RESULTS: All patients showed EV eradication after endoscopic treatment, and a
      decreased frequency of a patent left gastric vein (pre: 83.3%, post: 27.1%, P <
      0.001). However, hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG, mmHg) remained unchanged
      after the treatment, pre: 16.1 +/- 3.6, post: 15.6 +/- 3.8 (P = 0.269).
      Cumulative variceal recurrence/rebleeding rates were 25.5%/5.6% and 62.4%/23.1%
      at 1 and 3 years, respectively. Post-treatment EUS finding, area of submucosal
      vessels in the cardia >=12 mm2 was the only significant factor for variceal
      recurrence (hazard ratio 9.769, 95% confidence interval 3.046-31.337; P < 0.001).
      Cumulative recurrence rate was significantly higher in patients with area of
      submucosal vessels in the cardia >=12 mm2 (58.3% at 1 year and 100% at 3 years)
      than in those without (11.4% at 1 year and 40.9% at 3 years, P < 0.001).
      Cumulative overall survival rates were 95.2% and 71.9% at 1 and 3 years,
      respectively, showing no significant relationship with HVPG. CONCLUSION: EIS with
      APC for EV is unlikely to have a significant influence on portal pressure.

PMID- 26505618
TI  - Evidence synthesis activities of a hospital evidence-based practice center and
      impact on hospital decision making.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hospital evidence-based practice centers (EPCs) synthesize and
      disseminate evidence locally, but their impact on institutional decision making
      is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To assess the evidence synthesis activities and impact of
      a hospital EPC serving a large academic healthcare system. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: Descriptive analysis of the EPC's database of rapid systematic
      reviews since EPC inception (July 2006-June 2014), and survey of report
      requestors from the EPC's last 4 fiscal years. MEASUREMENTS: Descriptive analyses
      examined requestor and report characteristics; questionnaire examined report
      usability, impact, and requestor satisfaction (higher scores on 5-point Likert
      scales reflected greater agreement). RESULTS: The EPC completed 249 evidence
      reviews since inception. The most common requestors were clinical departments
      (29%, n = 72), chief medical officers (19%, n = 47), and purchasing committees
      (14%, n = 35). The most common technologies reviewed were drugs (24%, n = 60),
      devices (19%, n = 48), and care processes (12%, n = 31). Mean report completion
      time was 70 days. Thirty reports (12%) informed computerized decision support
      interventions. More than half of reports (56%, n = 139) were completed in the
      last 4 fiscal years for 65 requestors. Of the 64 eligible participants, 46
      responded (72%). Requestors were satisfied with the report (mean = 4.4), and
      agreed it was delivered promptly (mean = 4.4), answered the questions posed (mean
      = 4.3), and informed their final decision (mean = 4.1). CONCLUSIONS: This is the
      first examination of evidence synthesis activities by a hospital EPC in the
      United States. Our findings suggest hospital EPCs can efficiently synthesize and
      disseminate evidence addressing a range of clinical topics for diverse
      stakeholders, and can influence local decision making.

PMID- 26505619
TI  - Preliminary evaluation of a highly automated instrument for the selection of
      CD34+ cells from mobilized peripheral blood stem cell concentrates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cell selection is an important part of manufacturing cellular
      therapies. A new highly automated instrument, the CliniMACS Prodigy (Miltenyi
      Biotec), was evaluated for the selection of CD34+ cells from mobilized peripheral
      blood stem cell (PBSC) concentrates using monoclonal antibodies conjugated to
      paramagnetic particles. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: PBSCs were collected by
      apheresis from 36 healthy subjects given granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G
      CSF) or G-CSF plus plerixafor. CD34+ cells from 11 PBSC concentrates were
      isolated with the automated CliniMACS Prodigy and 25 with the semiautomated
      CliniMACS Plus Instrument. RESULTS: The proportion of CD34+ cells in the selected
      products obtained with the two instruments was similar: 93.6 +/- 2.6% for the
      automated and 95.7 +/- 3.3% for the semiautomated instrument (p > 0.05). The
      recovery of CD34+ cells from PBSC concentrates was less for the automated than
      the semiautomated instrument (51.4 +/- 8.2% vs. 65.1 +/- 15.7%; p = 0.019). The
      selected products from both instruments contained few and similar quantities of
      platelets (PLTs) and red blood cells. The depletion of CD3+ cells was less with
      the automated instrument (4.34 +/- 0.2 log depletion vs. 5.20 +/- 0.35 log
      depletion; p < 1 * 10(-6) ). Removal of PLTs from PBSC concentrates by washing
      was associated with better CD34+ cell recovery. We explored the reasons for lower
      CD34+ cell recovery by the Prodigy and found that the nonselected cells for the
      Prodigy contained more PLTs than those for the CliniMACS Plus. CONCLUSIONS: CD34+
      cells can be effectively selected from mobilized PBSC concentrates with the
      CliniMAC Prodigy, but the recovery of CD34+ cells and depletion of CD3+ cells was
      lower than with the semiautomated CliniMACS Plus Instrument.

PMID- 26505620
TI  - Influenza hospitalization epidemiology from a severe acute respiratory infection
      surveillance system in Jordan, January 2008-February 2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a major cause of morbidity
      and mortality worldwide. Influenza typically contributes substantially to the
      burden of ARI, but only limited data are available on influenza activity and
      seasonality in Jordan. METHODS: Syndromic case definitions were used to identify
      individuals with severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) admitted to four
      sentinel hospitals in Jordan. Demographic and clinical data were collected.
      Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were tested for influenza using real-time
      reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and typed as influenza A or B,
      with influenza A further subtyped. RESULTS: From January 2008-February 2014, 2891
      SARI cases were tested for influenza, and 257 (9%) were positive. While 73% of
      all SARI cases were under 5 years of age, only 57% of influenza-positive cases
      were under 5 years of age. Eight (3%) influenza-positive cases died. An annual
      seasonal pattern of influenza activity was observed. The proportion of influenza
      positive cases peaked during November-January (14-42%) in the non-pandemic years.
      CONCLUSIONS: Influenza is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality in
      Jordan. The seasonal pattern of influenza aligns with known Northern Hemisphere
      seasonality. Further characterization of the clinical and financial burden of
      influenza in Jordan will be critical in supporting decisions regarding disease
      control activities.

PMID- 26505621
TI  - Mucoadhesive Buccal Tablets Based on Chitosan/Gelatin Microparticles for Delivery
      of Propranolol Hydrochloride.
AB  - Propranolol administration through buccal route offers some distinct advantages
      thanks to the easy access to the oral mucosa, fast onset of action, and avoidance
      of hepatic and intestinal degradation mechanisms. To overcome the effective
      removal existing in the buccal cavity, mucoadhesive delivery systems are
      considered a promising approach as they facilitate a close contact with the
      buccal mucosa. The aim of this study was to prepare mucoadhesive tablets based on
      chitosan/gelatin microparticles for buccal delivery of propranolol hydrochloride.
      Spray-dried microparticles were prepared with different chitosan-gelatin weight
      ratios and characterized in terms of yield and morphology. Microparticles were
      subsequently compressed with the drug to obtain loaded buccal tablets. In vitro
      water uptake, mucoadhesion, release, and permeation tests were performed to
      investigate tablet ability to hydrate, to adhere to the mucosa, and to deliver
      drug through buccal mucosa. Microparticles showed a different morphology based on
      the different chitosan-gelatin weight ratios. Moreover, buccal tablets based on
      the prepared microparticles showed different technological and functional
      characteristics in virtue of their composition. In particular, tablets with an
      excess of chitosan showed the best mucoadhesive properties, allowed the
      permeation of the greatest drug amount among all formulations, and could be
      promising for buccal administration of propranolol hydrochloride.

PMID- 26505622
TI  - Fixing Formalin: A Method to Recover Genomic-Scale DNA Sequence Data from
      Formalin-Fixed Museum Specimens Using High-Throughput Sequencing.
AB  - For 150 years or more, specimens were routinely collected and deposited in
      natural history collections without preserving fresh tissue samples for genetic
      analysis. In the case of most herpetological specimens (i.e. amphibians and
      reptiles), attempts to extract and sequence DNA from formalin-fixed, ethanol
      preserved specimens-particularly for use in phylogenetic analyses-has been
      laborious and largely ineffective due to the highly fragmented nature of the DNA.
      As a result, tens of thousands of specimens in herpetological collections have
      not been available for sequence-based phylogenetic studies. Massively parallel
      High-Throughput Sequencing methods and the associated bioinformatics, however,
      are particularly suited to recovering meaningful genetic markers from severely
      degraded/fragmented DNA sequences such as DNA damaged by formalin-fixation. In
      this study, we compared previously published DNA extraction methods on three
      tissue types subsampled from formalin-fixed specimens of Anolis carolinensis,
      followed by sequencing. Sufficient quality DNA was recovered from liver tissue,
      making this technique minimally destructive to museum specimens. Sequencing was
      only successful for the more recently collected specimen (collected ~30 ybp). We
      suspect this could be due either to the conditions of preservation and/or the
      amount of tissue used for extraction purposes. For the successfully sequenced
      sample, we found a high rate of base misincorporation. After rigorous trimming,
      we successfully mapped 27.93% of the cleaned reads to the reference genome, were
      able to reconstruct the complete mitochondrial genome, and recovered an accurate
      phylogenetic placement for our specimen. We conclude that the amount of DNA
      available, which can vary depending on specimen age and preservation conditions,
      will determine if sequencing will be successful. The technique described here
      will greatly improve the value of museum collections by making many formalin
      fixed specimens available for genetic analysis. 

PMID- 26505623
TI  - Understanding the Influence of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Class on Inequalities
      in Academic and Non-Academic Outcomes among Eighth-Grade Students: Findings from
      an Intersectionality Approach.
AB  - Socioeconomic, racial/ethnic, and gender inequalities in academic achievement
      have been widely reported in the US, but how these three axes of inequality
      intersect to determine academic and non-academic outcomes among school-aged
      children is not well understood. Using data from the US Early Childhood
      Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten (ECLS-K; N = 10,115), we apply an
      intersectionality approach to examine inequalities across eighth-grade outcomes
      at the intersection of six racial/ethnic and gender groups (Latino girls and
      boys, Black girls and boys, and White girls and boys) and four classes of
      socioeconomic advantage/disadvantage. Results of mixture models show large
      inequalities in socioemotional outcomes (internalizing behavior, locus of
      control, and self-concept) across classes of advantage/disadvantage. Within
      classes of advantage/disadvantage, racial/ethnic and gender inequalities are
      predominantly found in the most advantaged class, where Black boys and girls, and
      Latina girls, underperform White boys in academic assessments, but not in
      socioemotional outcomes. In these latter outcomes, Black boys and girls perform
      better than White boys. Latino boys show small differences as compared to White
      boys, mainly in science assessments. The contrasting outcomes between
      racial/ethnic and gender minorities in self-assessment and socioemotional
      outcomes, as compared to standardized assessments, highlight the detrimental
      effect that intersecting racial/ethnic and gender discrimination have in
      patterning academic outcomes that predict success in adult life. Interventions to
      eliminate achievement gaps cannot fully succeed as long as social stratification
      caused by gender and racial discrimination is not addressed. 

PMID- 26505624
TI  - Characterizing the Propagation of Uterine Electrophysiological Signals Recorded
      with a Multi-Sensor Abdominal Array in Term Pregnancies.
AB  - The objective of this study was to quantify the number of segments that have
      contractile activity and determine the propagation speed from uterine
      electrophysiological signals recorded over the abdomen. The uterine
      magnetomyographic (MMG) signals were recorded with a 151 channel SARA (SQUID
      Array for Reproductive Assessment) system from 36 pregnant women between 37 and
      40 weeks of gestational age. The MMG signals were scored and segments were
      classified based on presence of uterine contractile burst activity. The sensor
      space was then split into four quadrants and in each quadrant signal strength at
      each sample was calculated using center-of-gravity (COG). To this end, the cross
      correlation analysis of the COG was performed to calculate the delay between
      pairwise combinations of quadrants. The relationship in propagation across the
      quadrants was quantified and propagation speeds were calculated from the delays.
      MMG recordings were successfully processed from 25 subjects and the average
      values of propagation speeds ranged from 1.3-9.5 cm/s, which was within the
      physiological range. The propagation was observed between both vertical and
      horizontal quadrants confirming multidirectional propagation. After the multiple
      pairwise test (99% CI), significant differences in speeds can be observed between
      certain vertical or horizontal combinations and the crossed pair combinations.
      The number of segments containing contractile activity in any given quadrant pair
      with a detectable delay was significantly higher in the lower abdominal pairwise
      combination as compared to all others. The quadrant-based approach using MMG
      signals provided us with high spatial-temporal information of the uterine
      contractile activity and will help us in the future to optimize abdominal
      electromyographic (EMG) recordings that are practical in a clinical setting. 

PMID- 26505625
TI  - Validation and genomic interrogation of the MET variant rs11762213 as a predictor
      of adverse outcomes in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The exonic single-nucleotide variant rs11762213 located in the MET
      oncogene has recently been identified as a prognostic marker in clear cell renal
      cell carcinoma (ccRCC). This finding was validated with The Cancer Genome Atlas
      (TCGA) cohort, and the biologic implications were explored. METHODS: The genotype
      status for rs11762213 was available for 272 patients. Paired tumor-normal data,
      genomic data, and clinical information were acquired from ccRCC TCGA data sets.
      Cancer-specific survival (CSS) was analyzed with the competing risk method, and
      Cox proportional hazards regression was used for the analysis of the time to
      recurrence (TTR). Multivariate competing risk models were fitted to adjust for
      the validated Mayo Clinic Stage, Size, Grade, and Necrosis (SSIGN) score.
      RESULTS: The variant allele of rs11762213 was detected in 10.3% of the cohort.
      After adjustments for the SSIGN score, the risk allele remained a significant
      predictor for adverse CSS (hazard ratio [HR], 3.88; 95% confidence interval [CI],
      1.99-7.56; P < .0001) and for TTR (OR, 2.97; 95% CI, 1.43-6.2; P = .003). The
      mapping of rs11762213 to regulatory regions within the genome suggested that it
      might affect a DNA enhancer region. RNA and protein sequencing data for MET did
      not reveal differences in steady-state expression with stratification by risk
      allele. CONCLUSIONS: The exonic MET variant rs11762213 is an independent
      predictor of adverse CSS and TTR in ccRCC and should be integrated into clinical
      practice for prognostic stratification. Genomic analysis suggests that the single
      nucleotide polymorphism may affect an enhancer region located in the coding
      region of MET. Further biological mechanistic interrogation is currently
      underway.

PMID- 26505626
TI  - Residues 39-56 of Stem Cell Factor Protein Sequence Are Capable of Stimulating
      the Expansion of Cord Blood CD34+ Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stem cell factor (SCF) can stimulate hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)
      expansion; however, the specific structural region(s) of SCF protein that are
      critical for this function are still unknown. A novel monoclonal antibody (named
      23C8) against recombinant human SCF (rhSCF) was previously found to inhibit the
      ability of rhSCF to enhance HSC expansion, making it possible to identify the
      relevant active region to HSC. METHODS: Eleven polypeptides were synthesized,
      which were designed to cover the full-length of rhSCF, with overlaps that are at
      least 3 amino acids long. ELISA was used to identify the polypeptide(s) that
      specifically react with the anti-SCF. The effects of the synthetic polypeptides
      on human HSC expansion, or on the ability of the full-length rhSCF to stimulate
      cell proliferation, were evaluated ex vivo. Total cell number was monitored using
      hemocytometer whereas CD34+ cell number was calculated based on the proportion
      determined via flow cytometry on day 6 of culture. RESULTS: Of all polypeptides
      analyzed, only one, named P0, corresponding to the SCF protein sequence at
      residues 39-56, was recognized by 23C8 mAb during ELISA. P0 stimulated the
      expansion of CD34+ cells derived from human umbilical cord blood (UCB). Addition
      of P0 increased the numbers of total mononucleated cells and CD34+ cells, by ~2
      fold on day 6. P0 also showed partial competition against full-length rhSCF in
      the ex vivo cell expansion assay. CONCLUSION: Residues 39-56 of rhSCF comprise a
      critical functional region for its ability to enhance expansion of human UCB
      CD34+ cells. The peptide P0 is a potential candidate for further development as a
      synthetic substitute for rhSCF in laboratory and clinical applications.

PMID- 26505628
TI  - Correction: Genome Wide Identification of LIM Genes in Cicer arietinum and
      Response of Ca-2LIMs in Development, Hormone and Pathogenic Stress.

PMID- 26505627
TI  - Plant Invasions Associated with Change in Root-Zone Microbial Community Structure
      and Diversity.
AB  - The importance of plant-microbe associations for the invasion of plant species
      have not been often tested under field conditions. The research sought to
      determine patterns of change in microbial communities associated with the
      establishment of invasive plants with different taxonomic and phenetic traits.
      Three independent locations in Virginia, USA were selected. One site was invaded
      by a grass (Microstegium vimineum), another by a shrub (Rhamnus davurica), and
      the third by a tree (Ailanthus altissima). The native vegetation from these sites
      was used as reference. 16S rRNA and ITS regions were sequenced to study root-zone
      bacterial and fungal communities, respectively, in invaded and non-invaded
      samples and analyzed using Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology (QIIME).
      Though root-zone microbial community structure initially differed across
      locations, plant invasion shifted communities in similar ways. Indicator species
      analysis revealed that Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) closely related to
      Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Ascomycota increased in
      abundance due to plant invasions. The Hyphomonadaceae family in the
      Rhodobacterales order and ammonia-oxidizing Nitrospirae phylum showed greater
      relative abundance in the invaded root-zone soils. Hyphomicrobiaceae, another
      bacterial family within the phyla Proteobacteria increased as a result of plant
      invasion, but the effect associated most strongly with root-zones of M. vimineum
      and R. davurica. Functional analysis using Phylogenetic Investigation of
      Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) showed bacteria
      responsible for nitrogen cycling in soil increased in relative abundance in
      association with plant invasion. In agreement with phylogenetic and functional
      analyses, greater turnover of ammonium and nitrate was associated with plant
      invasion. Overall, bacterial and fungal communities changed congruently across
      plant invaders, and support the hypothesis that nitrogen cycling bacteria and
      functions are important factors in plant invasions. Whether the changes in
      microbial communities are driven by direct plant microbial interactions or a
      result of plant-driven changes in soil properties remains to be determined. 

PMID- 26505629
TI  - The brain as immunoprecipitator of serum autoantibodies against N-Methyl-D
      aspartate receptor subunit NR1.
AB  - Autoantibodies (AB) against N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit NR1 (NMDAR1)
      are highly seroprevalent in health and disease. Symptomatic relevance may arise
      upon compromised blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, it remained unknown whether
      circulating NMDAR1 AB appear in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Of n = 271
      subjects with CSF-serum pairs, 26 were NMDAR1 AB seropositive, but only 1 was CSF
      positive. Contrariwise, tetanus AB (non-brain-binding) were present in serum and
      CSF of all subjects, with CSF levels higher upon BBB dysfunction. Translational
      mouse experiments proved the hypothesis that the brain acts as an
      'immunoprecipitator'; simultaneous injection of NMDAR1 AB and the non-brain
      binding green fluorescent protein AB resulted in high detectability of the former
      in brain and the latter in CSF.

PMID- 26505630
TI  - Can Silica Particles Reduce Air Pollution by Facilitating the Reactions of
      Aliphatic Aldehyde and NO2?
AB  - This study investigated the heterogeneous atmospheric reactions of acetaldehyde,
      propanal, and butanal with NO2 onto silica (SiO2) clusters using a theoretical
      approach. By analyzing spectral features and adsorption parameters, the formation
      of hydrogen bonds and negative adsorption energies provide evidence that an
      efficient spontaneous uptake of aliphatic aldehydes onto SiO2 could occur. The
      atmospheric reaction mechanisms show that when aldehydes and NO2 react on the
      surface model, the H atom abstraction reaction from the aldehydic molecule by NO2
      is an exclusive channel, forming nitrous acid and acyl radicals. This study
      included kinetics exploring the reaction of aldehydes with NO2 using a canonical
      variational transition state theory. The reaction rate constants are increased in
      the presence of SiO2 between the temperatures 217 and 298 K. This may explain how
      aldehydes can temporarily stay on mineral particles without chemical reactions.
      The results suggest that silica can depress the rate at which the studied
      aldehydes react with NO2 and possibly reduce air pollution generated by these
      atmospheric reactions. 

PMID- 26505631
TI  - Oriented Cell Division in the C. elegans Embryo Is Coordinated by G-Protein
      Signaling Dependent on the Adhesion GPCR LAT-1.
AB  - Orientation of spindles and cell division planes during development of many
      species ensures that correct cell-cell contacts are established, which is vital
      for proper tissue formation. This is a tightly regulated process involving a
      complex interplay of various signals. The molecular mechanisms underlying several
      of these pathways are still incompletely understood. Here, we identify the
      signaling cascade of the C. elegans latrophilin homolog LAT-1, an essential
      player in the coordination of anterior-posterior spindle orientation during the
      fourth round of embryonic cell division. We show that the receptor mediates a G
      protein-signaling pathway revealing that G-protein signaling in oriented cell
      division is not solely GPCR-independent. Genetic analyses showed that through the
      interaction with a Gs protein LAT-1 elevates intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP)
      levels in the C. elegans embryo. Stimulation of this G-protein cascade in lat-1
      null mutant nematodes is sufficient to orient spindles and cell division planes
      in the embryo in the correct direction. Finally, we demonstrate that LAT-1 is
      activated by an intramolecular agonist to trigger this cascade. Our data support
      a model in which a novel, GPCR-dependent G protein-signaling cascade mediated by
      LAT-1 controls alignment of cell division planes in an anterior-posterior
      direction via a metabotropic Gs-protein/adenylyl cyclase pathway by regulating
      intracellular cAMP levels. 

PMID- 26505632
TI  - ENCORE: Software for Quantitative Ensemble Comparison.
AB  - There is increasing evidence that protein dynamics and conformational changes can
      play an important role in modulating biological function. As a result,
      experimental and computational methods are being developed, often
      synergistically, to study the dynamical heterogeneity of a protein or other
      macromolecules in solution. Thus, methods such as molecular dynamics simulations
      or ensemble refinement approaches have provided conformational ensembles that can
      be used to understand protein function and biophysics. These developments have in
      turn created a need for algorithms and software that can be used to compare
      structural ensembles in the same way as the root-mean-square-deviation is often
      used to compare static structures. Although a few such approaches have been
      proposed, these can be difficult to implement efficiently, hindering a broader
      applications and further developments. Here, we present an easily accessible
      software toolkit, called ENCORE, which can be used to compare conformational
      ensembles generated either from simulations alone or synergistically with
      experiments. ENCORE implements three previously described methods for ensemble
      comparison, that each can be used to quantify the similarity between
      conformational ensembles by estimating the overlap between the probability
      distributions that underlie them. We demonstrate the kinds of insights that can
      be obtained by providing examples of three typical use-cases: comparing ensembles
      generated with different molecular force fields, assessing convergence in
      molecular simulations, and calculating differences and similarities in structural
      ensembles refined with various sources of experimental data. We also demonstrate
      efficient computational scaling for typical analyses, and robustness against both
      the size and sampling of the ensembles. ENCORE is freely available and
      extendable, integrates with the established MDAnalysis software package, reads
      ensemble data in many common formats, and can work with large trajectory files. 

PMID- 26505633
TI  - The Use of Prescription Drugs, Recreational Drugs, and "Soft Enhancers" for
      Cognitive Enhancement among Swiss Secondary School Students.
AB  - The use of prescription or recreational drugs for cognitive enhancement (CE) is
      prevalent among students. However, the prevalence of CE among Swiss school
      students is unknown. We therefore performed a cross-sectional online survey
      including >= 16-year-old students from bridge-year schools (10th grade),
      vocational schools, and upper secondary schools (10th-12th grade) in the Canton
      of Zurich to investigate the prevalence of and motives for the use of
      prescription drugs, recreational drugs, and/or freely available soft enhancers
      for CE. A total of 1,139 students were included. Of these, 54.5% reported the use
      of prescription drugs (9.2%), recreational drugs including alcohol (6.2%), or
      soft enhancers (51.3%) explicitly for CE at least once in their lives. The last
      year and last-month prevalence for CE considering all substances was 45.5% and
      39.5%, respectively. Soft enhancers were the substances that were most commonly
      used (ever, last-year, and last-month, respectively), including energy drinks
      (33.3%, 28.4%, and 24.6%), coffee (29.8%, 25.1%, and 21.9%), and tobacco (12.6%,
      9.3%, and 8.3%). CE with methylphenidate was less prevalent (4.0%, 2.8%, and
      2.0%). However, the use of prescription drugs, alcohol, or illegal drugs for CE
      was reported by 13.3% of the participants. The most common motives for use were
      to stay awake and improve concentration. CE was more prevalent among students who
      reported higher levels of stress or performance pressure and students with
      psychiatric disorders. In conclusion, half of the school students had used a
      substance at least once in their lives to improve school performance. Soft
      enhancers were most commonly used. Prevalence rates were similar to those
      reported by Swiss university students, indicating that the use of prescription or
      recreational drugs for CE already occurs before starting higher education.
      Performance pressure, stress, and psychiatric disorders may be associated with
      CE. 

PMID- 26505634
TI  - Co-expression of Interleukin-15 Enhances the Protective Immune Responses Induced
      by Immunization with a Murine Malaria MVA-Based Vaccine Encoding the
      Circumsporozoite Protein.
AB  - Malaria remains a major global public health problem with an estimated 200
      million cases detected in 2012. Although the most advanced candidate malaria
      vaccine (RTS,S) has shown promise in clinical trials, its modest efficacy and
      durability have created uncertainty about the impact of RTS,S immunization (when
      used alone) on global malaria transmission. Here we describe the development and
      characterization of a novel modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA)-based malaria
      vaccine which co-expresses the Plasmodium yoelii circumsporozoite protein (CSP)
      and IL-15. Vaccination/challenge studies showed that C57BL/6 mice immunized with
      the MVA-CSP/IL15 vaccine were protected significantly better against a P. yoelii
      17XNL sporozoite challenge than either mice immunized with an MVA vaccine
      expressing only CSP or naive controls. Importantly, the levels of total anti-CSP
      IgG were elevated about 100-fold for the MVA-CSP/IL15 immunized group compared to
      mice immunized with the MVA-CSP construct that does not express IL-15. Among the
      IgG subtypes, the IL-15 expressing MVA-CSP vaccine induced levels of IgG1 (8
      fold) and IgG2b (80 fold) higher than the MVA-CSP construct. The significantly
      enhanced humoral responses and protection detected after immunization with the
      MVA-CSP/IL15 vaccine suggest that this IL-15 expressing MVA construct could be
      considered in the development of future malaria immunization strategies. 

PMID- 26505636
TI  - Comment On: Use of Patient Registries and Administrative Datasets for the Study
      of Pediatric Cancer.

PMID- 26505635
TI  - Egg-laying sequence influences egg mercury concentrations and egg size in three
      bird species: Implications for contaminant monitoring programs.
AB  - Bird eggs are commonly used in contaminant monitoring programs and toxicological
      risk assessments, but intraclutch variation and sampling methodology could
      influence interpretability. The authors examined the influence of egg-laying
      sequence on egg mercury concentrations and burdens in American avocets, black
      necked stilts, and Forster's terns. The average decline in mercury concentrations
      between the first and last eggs laid was 33% for stilts, 22% for terns, and 11%
      for avocets, and most of this decline occurred between the first and second eggs
      laid (24% for stilts, 18% for terns, and 9% for avocets). Trends in egg size with
      egg-laying order were inconsistent among species, and overall differences in egg
      volume, mass, length, and width were <3%. The authors summarized the literature,
      and among 17 species studied, mercury concentrations generally declined by 16%
      between the first and second eggs laid. Despite the strong effect of egg-laying
      sequence, most of the variance in egg mercury concentrations still occurred among
      clutches (75-91%) rather than within clutches (9%-25%). Using simulations, the
      authors determined that accurate estimation of a population's mean egg mercury
      concentration using only a single random egg from a subset of nests would require
      sampling >60 nests to represent a large population (10% accuracy) or >=14 nests
      to represent a small colony that contained <100 nests (20% accuracy). Environ
      Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1458-1469. Published 2015 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf
      of SETAC. This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public
      domain in the United States of America.

PMID- 26505637
TI  - Multiclass Classification of Agro-Ecological Zones for Arabica Coffee: An
      Improved Understanding of the Impacts of Climate Change.
AB  - Cultivation of Coffea arabica is highly sensitive to and has been shown to be
      negatively impacted by progressive climatic changes. Previous research
      contributed little to support forward-looking adaptation. Agro-ecological zoning
      is a common tool to identify homologous environments and prioritize research. We
      demonstrate here a pragmatic approach to describe spatial changes in agro
      climatic zones suitable for coffee under current and future climates. We defined
      agro-ecological zones suitable to produce arabica coffee by clustering geo
      referenced coffee occurrence locations based on bio-climatic variables. We used
      random forest classification of climate data layers to model the spatial
      distribution of these agro-ecological zones. We used these zones to identify
      spatially explicit impact scenarios and to choose locations for the long-term
      evaluation of adaptation measures as climate changes. We found that in zones
      currently classified as hot and dry, climate change will impact arabica more than
      those that are better suited to it. Research in these zones should therefore
      focus on expanding arabica's environmental limits. Zones that currently have
      climates better suited for arabica will migrate upwards by about 500m in
      elevation. In these zones the up-slope migration will be gradual, but will likely
      have negative ecosystem impacts. Additionally, we identified locations that with
      high probability will not change their climatic characteristics and are suitable
      to evaluate C. arabica germplasm in the face of climate change. These locations
      should be used to investigate long term adaptation strategies to production
      systems.

PMID- 26505638
TI  - Lithium Disilicate Restorations Fatigue Testing Parameters: A Systematic Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: To review laboratory studies that investigated fatigue resistance of
      lithium disilicate (LD) crowns and fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) to elucidate
      study designs and testing parameters. METHODS: An electronic search was performed
      in PubMed, Scopus, and Ovid to identify in vitro studies that investigated
      fatigue resistance of LD crowns and FDPs. The search included all studies
      published in English in peer-reviewed journals in the period from 1998 to June
      2014. The search followed a specific strategy that included combination of the
      following keywords: lithium disilicate, e.max, empress, all-ceramic, all ceramic,
      glass ceramic, fatigue, cyclic loading, dynamic loading, chewing simulator,
      fracture resistance, thermocycling, laboratory simulation, aging, crown, FDPs,
      FPDs, fixed partial denture, fixed dental prosthesis, and bridge. Studies were
      selected if mechanical and thermal loading parameters were clearly identified.
      Search results with abstracts were transferred into Endnote reference system, and
      duplicates were deleted. The remaining studies were then reviewed at three levels
      (title, abstract, full text) to further refine the articles. RESULTS: The initial
      search retrieved 1044 eligible studies. After deduplication, 864 records were
      examined by titles and then abstracts; 826 were excluded, and 38 were assessed by
      full-text reading. In total, 19 articles met inclusion criteria and were included
      in this study. CONCLUSION: The studies reviewed showed a level of heterogeneity,
      as testing parameters were considered through different setups. The current study
      demonstrated that various setting of the testing parameters and having a lack of
      testing standardization has likely led to inconsistency in the reported results.
      The obvious heterogeneity in the setting of testing variables-especially the
      magnitude of load and number of cycles applied-made it impractical to run direct
      comparisons between the reviewed studies. Therefore, specific international
      standardization of fatigue testing of dental restorations is urgently needed to
      ensure the delivery of consistent, indicative, and comparable data.

PMID- 26505640
TI  - T cells, teeth and tissue destruction - what do T cells do in periodontal
      disease?
AB  - The microbial plaque biofilm resides adjacent to the tissue-destructive
      inflammatory infiltrate in periodontitis. Although not sufficient, this biofilm
      is necessary for this inflammatory response. Patients with periodontitis generate
      antibodies specific for bacteria in the biofilm - although the role of these
      antibodies is not clear, there is, undoubtedly, an adaptive immune response in
      periodontitis. T lymphocytes are central to adaptive immunity, and provide help
      for B cells to generate specific antibodies. T-cell receptor recognition of
      peptide antigen in the context of major histocompatibility complex can result in
      T-cell activation. The activation and differentiation of the T-cell can take many
      forms, and hence numerous types of T cells have been described. The role of
      adaptive immune responses, and the T-cell component thereof, in periodontitis
      remains relatively poorly defined. This review aims to broadly summarize findings
      about T cells and their role in periodontitis, focusing primarily on studies of
      human disease with a short discussion of some animal studies.

PMID- 26505639
TI  - Discovery of Infection Associated Metabolic Markers in Human African
      Trypanosomiasis.
AB  - Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) remains a major neglected tropical disease in
      Sub-Saharan Africa. As clinical symptoms are usually non-specific, new diagnostic
      and prognostic markers are urgently needed to enhance the number of identified
      cases and optimise treatment. This is particularly important for disease caused
      by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, where indirect immunodiagnostic approaches
      have to date been unsuccessful. We have conducted global metabolic profiling of
      plasma from T.b.rhodesiense HAT patients and endemic controls, using 1H nuclear
      magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and ultra-performance liquid
      chromatography, coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) and identified
      differences in the lipid, amino acid and metabolite profiles. Altogether 16
      significantly disease discriminatory metabolite markers were found using NMR, and
      a further 37 lipid markers via UPLC-MS. These included significantly higher
      levels of phenylalanine, formate, creatinine, N-acetylated glycoprotein and
      triglycerides in patients relative to controls. HAT patients also displayed lower
      concentrations of histidine, sphingomyelins, lysophosphatidylcholines, and
      several polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholines. While the disease metabolite
      profile was partially consistent with previous data published in experimental
      rodent infection, we also found unique lipid and amino acid profile markers
      highlighting subtle but important differences between the host response to
      trypanosome infections between animal models and natural human infections. Our
      results demonstrate the potential of metabolic profiling in the identification of
      novel diagnostic biomarkers and the elucidation of pathogenetic mechanisms in
      this disease. 

PMID- 26505641
TI  - Effect of Structure on Transport Properties (Viscosity, Ionic Conductivity, and
      Self-Diffusion Coefficient) of Aprotic Heterocyclic Anion (AHA) Room-Temperature
      Ionic Liquids. 1. Variation of Anionic Species.
AB  - A series of room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) based on 1-ethyl-3
      methylimidazolium ([emim](+)) with different aprotic heterocyclic anions (AHAs)
      were synthesized and characterized as potential electrolyte candidates for
      lithium ion batteries. The density and transport properties of these ILs were
      measured over the temperature range between 283.15 and 343.15 K at ambient
      pressure. The temperature dependence of the transport properties (viscosity,
      ionic conductivity, self-diffusion coefficient, and molar conductivity) is fit
      well by the Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman (VFT) equation. The best-fit VFT parameters, as
      well as linear fits to the density, are reported. The ionicity of these ILs was
      quantified by the ratio of the molar conductivity obtained from the ionic
      conductivity and molar concentration to that calculated from the self-diffusion
      coefficients using the Nernst-Einstein equation. The results of this study, which
      is based on ILs composed of both a planar cation and planar anions, show that
      many of the [emim][AHA] ILs exhibit very good conductivity for their viscosities
      and provide insight into the design of ILs with enhanced dynamics that may be
      suitable for electrolyte applications. 

PMID- 26505643
TI  - Diamagnetic Ru(2+) in Na2La2Ti2RuO10-x (0 < x < 2): A Series of Complex Oxides
      Prepared by Topochemical Reduction.
AB  - Reaction of the n = 3 Ruddlesden-Popper phase Na2La2Ti2RuO10 with a 5% H2/95% N2
      atmosphere between 300 and 900  degrees C leads to the formation of phases of
      composition Na2La2Ti2RuO10-x (0 < x < 2) via topochemical reduction.
      Magnetization data collected from Na2La2Ti2RuO10-x samples in the range 0 < x < 1
      show a rapid decline in susceptibility with increasing x, consistent with the
      conversion of S = 1, Ru(4+) centers at x = 0 to S = 0, Ru(2+) centers at x = 1.
      We believe this is the first report of diamagnetic Ru(2+) centers in an extended
      oxide phase. Further reduction of Na2La2Ti2RuO9 leads to the reduction of Ti(4+)
      to Ti(3+); however, Na2La2Ti2RuO10-x samples in the range 1 < x < 2 exhibit only
      a very weak paramagnetic response. Given the highly insulating nature of the
      phases, this suggests the electrons added on reduction of titanium are paired
      within a local Ti-Ti bonding network in a manner analogous to that observed for
      TinO2n-1 phases. 

PMID- 26505642
TI  - Research Needs for Understanding the Biology of Overdiagnosis in Cancer
      Screening.
AB  - Many cancers offer an extended window of opportunity for early detection and
      therapeutic intervention that could lead to a reduction in cause-specific
      mortality. The pursuit of early detection in screening settings has resulted in
      decreased incidence and mortality for some cancers (e.g., colon and cervical
      cancers), and increased incidence with only modest or no effect on cause-specific
      mortality in others (e.g., breast and prostate). Whereas highly sensitive
      screening technologies are better at detecting a number of suspected "cancers"
      that are indolent and likely to remain clinically unimportant in the lifetime of
      a patient, defined as overdiagnosis, they often miss cancers that are aggressive
      and tend to present clinically between screenings, known as interval cancers.
      Unrecognized overdiagnosis leads to overtreatment with its attendant (often long
      lasting) side effects, anxiety, and substantial financial harm. Existing methods
      often cannot differentiate indolent lesions from aggressive ones or understand
      the dynamics of neoplastic progression. To correctly identify the population that
      would benefit the most from screening and identify the lesions that would benefit
      most from treatment, the evolving genomic and molecular profiles of individual
      cancers during the clinical course of progression or indolence must be
      investigated, while taking into account an individual's genetic susceptibility,
      clinical and environmental risk factors, and the tumor microenvironment.
      Practical challenges lie not only in the lack of access to tissue specimens that
      are appropriate for the study of natural history, but also in the absence of
      targeted research strategies. This commentary summarizes the recommendations from
      a diverse group of scientists with expertise in basic biology, translational
      research, clinical research, statistics, and epidemiology and public health
      professionals convened to discuss research directions. J. Cell. Physiol. 231:
      1870-1875, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26505644
TI  - Analysis of the ToxCast Chemical-Assay Space Using the Comparative Toxicogenomics
      Database.
AB  - Many studies have attempted to predict in vivo hazards based on the ToxCast in
      vitro assay results with the goal of using these predictions to prioritize
      compounds for conventional toxicity testing. Most of these conventional studies
      rely on in vivo end points observed using preclinical species (e.g., mice and
      rats). Although the preclinical animal studies provide valuable insights, there
      can often be significant disconnects between these studies and safety concerns in
      humans. One way to address these concerns, for an admittedly more limited set of
      compounds, is to explore relationships between the in vitro data from human cell
      lines and observations from human related studies. The Comparative Toxicogenomics
      Database (CTD; http://ctdbase.org ) is a rich source of data linking chemicals to
      human diseases/adverse events and pathways. In this study we explored the
      relationships between ToxCast chemicals, their ToxCast in vitro test results, and
      their annotations of human disease/adverse event end points as captured in the
      CTD database. We mined these associations to identify potentially interesting,
      statistically significant in vitro assay and in vivo toxicity correlations. To
      the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first studies analyzing the
      relationships between the ToxCast in vitro assays results and the CTD
      disease/adverse event end point annotations. The in vitro profiles identified in
      this analysis may prove useful for prioritizing compounds for toxicity testing,
      suggesting mechanisms of toxicity, and forecasting potential in vivo human drug
      induced injury. 

PMID- 26505645
TI  - Cicada-Wing-Inspired Self-Cleaning Antireflection Coatings on Polymer Substrates.
AB  - The cicada has transparent wings with remarkable self-cleaning properties and
      high transmittance over the whole visible spectral range, which is derived from
      periodic conical structures covering the wing surface. Here we report a scalable
      self-assembly technique for fabricating multifunctional optical coatings that
      mimic cicada-wing structures. Spin-coated two-dimensional non-close-packed
      colloidal crystals are utilized as etching masks to pattern subwavelength
      structured cone arrays directly on polymer substrates. The resulting gratings
      exhibit broadband antireflection performance and superhydrophobic properties
      after surface modification. The dependence of the cone shape and size on the
      antireflective and self-cleaning properties has also been investigated in this
      study. 

PMID- 26505646
TI  - Clarithromycin Synergistically Enhances Thalidomide Cytotoxicity in Myeloma
      Cells.
AB  - Clarithromycin (CAM) is a macrolide antibiotic that is widely used in the
      treatment of respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases and
      infections caused by the Helicobacter pylori and Mycobacterium avium complex.
      Recent studies showed that CAM was highly effective against multiple myeloma (MM)
      when used in combination with immunomodulatory drugs and dexamethasone. However,
      the related mechanism is still unknown. As 3 immunomodulatory agents are all
      effective in the respective regimen, we postulated that CAM might enhance the
      effect of immunomodulatory drugs. We evaluated the interaction effects of CAM and
      thalidomide on myeloma cells. Taking into consideration that thalidomide did not
      affect the proliferation of myeloma cells in vitro, we cocultured myeloma cells
      with peripheral blood monocytes and evaluated the effects of CAM and thalidomide
      on the cocultured cell model. Data showed that thalidomide and CAM
      synergistically inhibited the proliferation of the cells. On this same model, we
      also found that thalidomide and CAM synergistically decreased the secretion of
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6. This might be caused by the effect
      of the 2 drugs on inhibiting the activation of ERK1/2 and AKT. These data suggest
      that the efficacy of CAM against MM was partly due to its synergistic action with
      the immunomodulatory agents. 

PMID- 26505647
TI  - Discovery of a Small Molecule that Enhances Astrocytogenesis by Activation of
      STAT3, SMAD1/5/8, and ERK1/2 via Induction of Cytokines in Neural Stem Cells.
AB  - Identification of small molecules that direct neural stem cells (NSCs) into
      specific cell types would be helpful to understand the molecular mechanisms
      involved in regulation of NSC fate, and facilitate the development of therapeutic
      applications. In the current study, we developed and screened small molecules
      that can modulate the fate of NSCs that are derived from rat fetal cortex. Among
      these compounds, compounds 5 and 6 successfully differentiated NSCs into
      astrocytes and neurons, respectively. Compound 5 induced astrocytogenesis by
      increasing expression of interleukin-6, bone morphogenetic protein 2 and leukemia
      inhibitory factor and through consequent phosphorylation of signal transducer and
      activator of transcription 3 and Sma- and Mad-related protein 1/5/8 in NSCs. In
      addition, compound 5 increased the expression of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 2
      and FGF8 which may regulate the branching and morphology of astrocytes. Taken
      together, our results suggest that these small molecules can serve as a useful
      tool to study cell fate determination in NSCs and be used as an inexpensive
      alternative to cytokines to study mechanisms of astrocytogenesis. 

PMID- 26505648
TI  - Sortase A-Mediated N-Terminal Modification of Cowpea Chlorotic Mottle Virus for
      Highly Efficient Cargo Loading.
AB  - A new strategy is described for the modification of CCMV for loading of cargoes
      inside the viral capsid. Sortase A, an enzyme which is present in Gram-positive
      bacteria, was used to attach cargo to the glycine-tagged N-termini of several
      CCMV variants. We show that small molecules and proteins bearing a C-terminal
      LPETG-motif can be attached in this way. This method allows for the site
      specific, covalent, and orthogonal modification of CCMV capsids in a mild
      fashion, leading to high encapsulation efficiencies. This strategy can easily be
      expanded to other types of cargoes, labeled with an LPETG-tag without altering
      protein function. 

PMID- 26505649
TI  - Fast, Label-Free Tracking of Single Viruses and Weakly Scattering Nanoparticles
      in a Nanofluidic Optical Fiber.
AB  - High-speed tracking of single particles is a gateway to understanding physical,
      chemical, and biological processes at the nanoscale. It is also a major
      experimental challenge, particularly for small, nanometer-scale particles.
      Although methods such as confocal or fluorescence microscopy offer both high
      spatial resolution and high signal-to-background ratios, the fluorescence
      emission lifetime limits the measurement speed, while photobleaching and thermal
      diffusion limit the duration of measurements. Here we present a tracking method
      based on elastic light scattering that enables long-duration measurements of
      nanoparticle dynamics at rates of thousands of frames per second. We contain the
      particles within a single-mode silica fiber having a subwavelength, nanofluidic
      channel and illuminate them using the fiber's strongly confined optical mode. The
      diffusing particles in this cylindrical geometry are continuously illuminated
      inside the collection focal plane. We show that the method can track unlabeled
      dielectric particles as small as 20 nm as well as individual cowpea chlorotic
      mottle virus (CCMV) virions-26 nm in size and 4.6 megadaltons in mass-at rates of
      over 3 kHz for durations of tens of seconds. Our setup is easily incorporated
      into common optical microscopes and extends their detection range to nanometer
      scale particles and macromolecules. The ease-of-use and performance of this
      technique support its potential for widespread applications in medical
      diagnostics and micro total analysis systems. 

PMID- 26505651
TI  - Self-rated health and chronic conditions are associated with blood concentrations
      of persistent organic pollutants in the general population of Catalonia, Spain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self-rated health (SRH) is a powerful predictor of mortality,
      morbidity, and need for health services. SRH generally increases with educational
      level, and decreases with age, number of chronic conditions, and body mass index
      (BMI). Because human concentrations of most persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
      also vary by age, education, and BMI, and because of the physiological and
      clinical effects of POPs, we hypothesized that body concentrations of POPs are
      inversely associated with SRH. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the relation between serum
      concentrations of POPs and SRH in the general population of Catalonia, Spain,
      taking into account sociodemographic factors and BMI, as well as chronic health
      conditions and mental disorders, measured by the General Health Questionnaire-12
      (GHQ-12). METHODS: POP serum concentrations were measured by gas chromatography
      with electron-capture detection in 919 participants of the Catalan Health
      Interview Survey. RESULTS: Individuals with higher concentrations of POPs had
      significantly poorer SRH; e.g., the median concentration of HCB in subjects with
      poor SRH was twice as high as in subjects with excellent SRH (366 ng/g vs. 169
      ng/g, respectively; p-value<0.001). In crude models and in models adjusted for
      sex and BMI, the POPs-SRH association was often dose-dependent, and the
      likelihood of poor or regular SRH was 2 to 4-times higher in subjects with POP
      concentrations in the top quartile. In models adjusted for age or for chronic
      conditions virtually all ORs were near unity. No associations were found between
      POP levels and GHQ-12. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with higher concentrations of
      POPs had significantly poorer SRH, an association likely due to age and chronic
      conditions, but not to sex, education, social class, BMI, or mental disorders.

PMID- 26505650
TI  - Pesticide exposure and end-stage renal disease risk among wives of pesticide
      applicators in the Agricultural Health Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pesticide exposure has been found to cause renal damage and
      dysfunction in experimental studies, but epidemiological research on the renal
      effects of chronic low-level pesticide exposure is limited. We investigated the
      relationships between end-stage renal disease (ESRD) among wives of licensed
      pesticide applicators (N=31,142) in the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) and (1)
      personal pesticide use, (2) exposure to the husband's pesticide use, and (3)
      other pesticide-associated farming and household activities. METHODS: AHS
      participants reported pesticide exposure via self-administered questionnaires at
      enrollment (1993-1997). ESRD cases were identified via linkage to the United
      States Renal Data System. Associations between ESRD and pesticide exposures were
      estimated with Cox proportional hazard regression models controlling for age at
      enrollment. Models of associations with farming and household factors were
      additionally adjusted for personal use of pesticides. RESULTS: We identified 98
      ESRD cases diagnosed between enrollment and 31 December 2011. Although women who
      ever applied pesticides (56% of cohort) were less likely than those who did not
      apply to develop ESRD (Hazard Ratio (HR): 0.42; 95% CI: 0.28, 0.64), among women
      who did apply pesticides, the rate of ESRD was significantly elevated among those
      who reported the highest (vs. lowest) cumulative general pesticide use (HR: 4.22;
      95% CI: 1.26, 14.20). Among wives who never applied pesticides, ESRD was
      associated with husbands' ever use of paraquat (HR=1.99; 95% CI: 1.14, 3.47) and
      butylate (HR=1.71; 95% CI: 1.00, 2.95), with a positive exposure-response pattern
      for husband's cumulative use of these pesticides. CONCLUSIONS: ESRD may be
      associated with direct and/or indirect exposure to pesticides among farm women.
      Future studies should evaluate indirect exposure risk among other rural
      populations.

PMID- 26505652
TI  - In vitro metabolism of BDE-47, BDE-99, and alpha-, beta-, gamma-HBCD isomers by
      chicken liver microsomes.
AB  - The in vitro oxidative metabolism of 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47),
      2,2',4,4',5-pentabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-99), and the individual alpha-, beta-
      and gamma-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) isomers catalyzed by cytochrome P450
      (CYP) enzymes was studied using chicken liver microsomes (CLMs). Metabolites were
      identified using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method and
      authentic standards for the oxidative metabolites of BDE-47 and BDE-99. Six
      hydroxylated tetra-BDEs, namely 4-hydroxy-2,2',3,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (4
      OH-BDE-42), 3-hydroxy-2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (3-OH-BDE-47), 5-hydroxy
      2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (5-OH-BDE-47), 6-hydroxy-2,2',4,4'
      tetrabromodiphenyl ether (6-OH-BDE-47), 4'-hydroxy-2,2',4,5'- tetrabromodiphenyl
      ether (4'-OH-BDE-49), and 2'-hydroxy-2,3',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (2'-OH
      BDE-66), were identified and quantified after incubation of BDE-47 with CLMs. 4'
      OH-BDE-49 was the major metabolite formed. Three hydroxylated penta-BDEs (5'
      hydroxy-2,2',4,4',5-pentabromodiphenyl ether (5'-OH-BDE-99), 6'-hydroxy
      2,2',4,4',5- pentabromodiphenyl ether (6'-OH-BDE-99), and 4'-hydroxy-2,2',4,5,5'
      pentabromodiphenyl ether, 4'-OH-BDE-101, were formed incubating BDE-99 with CLMs.
      Concentrations of BDE-99 metabolites were lower than those of BDE-47. More than
      four mono-hydroxylated HBCD (OH-HBCD), more than four di-hydroxylated HBCD (di-OH
      HBCD), more than five mono-hydroxylated pentabromocyclododecenes (OH-PBCD), and
      more than five di-hydroxylated pentabromocyclododecenes (di-OH-PBCD) were
      detected when alpha-, beta-, or gamma-HBCD were individually incubated with CLMs.
      Response values (the ratio between the peak areas of the target compound and its
      internal standard) for OH-HBCD were 1-3 orders of magnitude higher than those for
      OH-PBCD, di-OH-HBCD, and di-OH-PBCD, suggesting that OH-HBCD might be the major
      metabolites of alpha-, beta- and gamma-HBCD produced by CLMs. No
      diastereoisomeric or enantiomeric bioisomerisation was observed incubating alpha
      , beta- or gamma-HBCD with CLMs. Collectively, our data suggest that (i) BDE-47
      is metabolized at a faster rate than BDE-99 by CLMs, (ii) OH-HBCD are the major
      hydroxylated metabolites of alpha-, beta- and gamma-HBCD produced by CLMs and
      (iii) the diastereoisomeric or enantiomeric bioisomerisation of alpha-, beta- and
      gamma-HBCD is not mediated by chicken CYP enzymes. 

PMID- 26505654
TI  - Identification of genetic polymorphisms that predict responder/non-responder
      profiles to the RhD antigen.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Regular plasma donors who produce high titre anti-D immunoglobulin
      (Ig) are overseen by the Australian Red Cross Blood Service RhD Program. New
      donors to the program are immunised with small amounts of RhD-positive RBCs,
      whilst donors who have developed anti-D due to previous RhD-incompatible blood
      transfusion or pregnancy are boosted with RhD-positive RBCs to maintain a high
      level of serum anti-D Ig. A significant proportion of primarily immunised
      individuals do not respond to RhD immunisation and are therefore unnecessarily
      exposed to the risks involved in RBC sensitisation. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We
      genotyped 184 anti-D donors for ~9000 immunological and inflammatory genetic
      polymorphisms on an Affymetrix GeneChip, and validated the results with a High
      Resolution Melt analysis assay. We built and validated a predictive logistic
      regression model using High Responder and Non-Responder anti-D donors that
      incorporated highly-associated polymorphisms and gender. RESULTS: High Responder
      and Non-Responder profiles in anti-D donors were significantly associated with a
      shortlist of 13 genetic polymorphisms and sex of the donor. The derivation of a
      logistic regression model showed an accuracy rate of 92.6% that was subsequently
      validated as 60.0% with an independent set of donor samples. CONCLUSION: This
      study has developed a logistic regression model and a genotyping assay that can
      predict the responder profiles of anti-D donors and could potentially be applied
      to new donors and transfusion-dependent patients in a clinical setting.
      Additionally, target polymorphisms identified in immunological genes could help
      to elucidate the immunomodulatory pathways regulating the immune response to the
      RhD antigen, and to other RBC antigens.

PMID- 26505653
TI  - Dysregulated co-stimulatory molecule expression in a Sjogren's syndrome mouse
      model with potential implications by microRNA-146a.
AB  - Sjogren's syndrome (SjS) is an autoimmune condition that primarily affects
      salivary and lacrimal glands, causing loss of secretion. We have previously shown
      that microRNA-146a (miR-146a) is over-expressed in the salivary glands and
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of SjS-prone mice (C57BL/6.NOD
      Aec1Aec2, B6DC) and in PBMC of SjS patients. The purpose of this research was to
      identify a target molecule of miR-146a and identify subpopulations of cells
      affected by altered miR-146a in the salivary glands of SjS-prone mice. In silico
      analyses identified costimulatory molecule CD80 as a potential target of miR
      146a. Luciferase assay of the human CD80 3'untranslated region demonstrated miR
      146a directly inhibited CD80 protein expression as indicated by reduced
      luciferase reporter expression and an examination of B6DC salivary glands
      revealed a reduction in CD80 protein. More interestingly, the specific reduction
      in CD80 protein was detected from the salivary gland epithelial cell population
      and in interstitial dendritic cells in the glands as well. The reduction in CD80
      protein levels in salivary gland epithelial cells were negatively associated with
      elevated miR-146a expression. Therefore, this study provides the first indication
      that salivary gland epithelial cells may be critically involved in SjS
      progression by altering CD86:CD80 protein ratio in response to miR-146a
      upregulation. 

PMID- 26505655
TI  - Findings of Abnormal Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Study Identified by High
      Resolution Manometry Parameters.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify the parameters of high-resolution manometry (HRM) with a
      significant correlation to abnormal findings of videofluoroscopic swallowing
      study (VFSS). DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Hospital rehabilitation
      department. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with dysphagia symptoms (N=40). INTERVENTION:
      Participants were evaluated once using VFSS in neutral head position and
      evaluated twice using HRM with 5mL of thin fluid. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: HRM
      parameters included maximal pressure, area integral, rise time, duration of the
      velopharynx and tongue base, maximal pressure of pre-upper esophageal sphincter
      (UES), low pharynx, cricopharyngeus, minimal UES pressure, UES activity time, and
      nadir UES duration. HRM parameters were compared with the findings of VFSS.
      Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to obtain the cutoff
      value, sensitivity, and specificity of HRM parameters for the prediction of
      findings of VFSS. RESULTS: The maximum pressure of the velopharynx showed a
      significantly positive prediction for most abnormal parameters of VFSS in the
      pharyngeal phase. Nadir UES pressure duration was significant for impaired
      laryngeal elevation, residue at pyriformis sinus, and combination of penetration
      and aspiration. The maximum pressure of the velopharynx <180.0 showed 100%
      sensitivity and 75% specificity for the presence of penetration and aspiration,
      and the cutoff point of 178.8 showed 86.7% sensitivity and 75% specificity for
      the presence of subglottic aspiration. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified
      significant HRM parameters that are highly specific for individual abnormalities
      of VFSS, suggesting the cutoff value, sensitivity, and specificity. Because HRM
      could inform the quantitative measurement of pharyngeal weakness, the cutoff
      value for HRM parameters could be used to predict aspiration in patients with
      pharyngeal weakness.

PMID- 26505656
TI  - Modulation of the xenobiotic transformation system and inflammatory response by
      ochratoxin A exposure using a co-culture system of Caco-2 and HepG2 cells.
AB  - Cytotoxicity of ochratoxin A (OTA) was evaluated using the MTS assay, and
      membrane integrity was measured using transepithelial electrical resistance
      (TEER). A transwell system was used to investigate the effect of OTA on the
      expression of the CYP450 (1A1, 2A6, 2B6, 3A4 and 3A5), NAT2, COX-2, LOX-5, and
      MRP2 genes in Caco-2 and HepG2 cells. TEER decreased by a mean of 63.2% after 24
      h in Caco-2 differentiated cells without inducing cell detachment; revealing
      damage to the intestinal epithelial cell tight junction proteins and an increase
      in cell permeability. Gene expression analysis showed that modulation of gene
      expression by OTA was higher in Caco-2 cells than in HepG2 cells, and generally,
      the duration of exposure to OTA had a more significant effect than the OTA dose.
      A general OTA down-regulation effect was observed in Caco-2 cells, in contrast
      with the down- and up-regulation observed in HepG2 cells. In Caco-2 cells, CYP1A1
      was the gene with the highest regulation, followed by CYP3A4 and CYP3A5.
      Conversely, in HepG2 cells, CYP2B6 was highly regulated at 3 and 12 h compared to
      the other cytochromes; CYP1A1 was slightly modulated during the first 12 h, but
      an overexpression was observed at 24 h. Our data support the involvement of the
      COX-2 and 5-LOX genes in liver metabolism of OTA. On the basis of the gene
      expression analysis, the results suggest a possible impairment in OTA secretion
      at the intestinal and hepatic level due to MRP2 repression. In addition, we
      provide evidence of the effect of OTA on NAT2 gene expression, which had not been
      reported before. 

PMID- 26505657
TI  - Aerobic Oxidative Conversion of Aromatic Aldehydes to Nitriles Using a
      Nitroxyl/NOx Catalyst System.
AB  - The first transition-metal-free aerobic oxidative conversion of aldehyde
      catalyzed by a nitroxyl radical/NOx system is presented for the synthesis of
      nitrile. In the presence of a catalytic amount of 4-AcNH-TEMPO (4-acetamido
      2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl), NaNO2, and HNO3, benzaldehydes bearing a
      variety of functional groups underwent condensation with NH4OAc and following
      aerobic oxidation to produce nitriles selectively under an O2 balloon. Aerobic
      oxidative conversion of a primary alcohol instead of aldehyde is also achieved by
      a one-pot sequential strategy. 

PMID- 26505658
TI  - Sepsis induced denervation-like changes at the neuromuscular junction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the functional and biochemical
      changes at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) induced by sepsis. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups as follows:
      control, denervation, and sepsis. The rats were subjected to cecal ligation and
      puncture (CLP) or tibias nerve transection. NMJ function and the area of end
      plates were assessed, and the protein level of acetylcholine receptors and axonal
      neuregulin-1 was evaluated on postoperative days 1, 7, and 14. RESULTS: In the
      control group, the amplitude of compound muscle action potential (CMAP) was 16.51
      +/- 2.53 mV. In the sepsis group, the amplitude of CMAP decreased, and duration
      was prolonged on postoperative days 7 and 14 (P < 0.01). Meanwhile, motor
      conduction velocity decreased significantly (P < 0.01). CMAP was lost in the
      denervation group. The twitch tension magnitude gradually declined (P < 0.05) in
      the sepsis group, although it could not be recorded after lesion. Sepsis and
      denervation upregulated the expression of gamma-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
      (nAChR) and alpha7-nAChR in muscle membrane, compared with those in normal NMJ
      (261.4 +/- 26.5 MUm(2)). The NMJ area decreased from 254.6 +/- 23.8 MUm(2) (1 d
      after CLP) to 275.4 +/- 22.6 MUm(2) (7 d after CLP) to 322.7 +/- 34.4 MUm(2) (14
      d after CLP). The postsynaptic NMJ had more discrete fragments (3.84 +/- 0.6)
      compared with the control group (2.13 +/- 0.4; P < 0.01). After denervation, NMJ
      underwent fragmentation and the number of discrete fragments increased (5.57 +/-
      1.2; P < 0.01). NMJ area increased from 254.6 +/- 23.8 MUm(2) (1 d after CLP) to
      275.4 +/- 22.6 MUm(2) (7 d after CLP) to 322.7 +/- 34.4 MUm(2) (14 d after CLP).
      Sepsis induced neuregulin-1 to decrease from 1 d up to 2 wk compared with the
      control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Chronic sepsis has a denervation-like
      effect on the NMJ, which was indicated by upregulation of heterogeneous nAChRs,
      the increased area of end plates, and demyelination of the motoneuron axon.

PMID- 26505659
TI  - Outcome of microdialysis sampling on liver surface and parenchyma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate whether surface microdialysis (MUD) sampling in probes
      covered by a plastic film, as compared to noncovered and to intraparenchymatous
      probes, would increase the technique's sensitivity for pathophysiologic events
      occurring in a liver ischemia-reperfusion model. Placement of MUD probes in the
      parenchyma of an organ, as is conventionally done, may cause adverse effects,
      e.g., bleeding, possibly influencing outcome. METHODS: A transient ischemia
      reperfusion model of the liver was used in six anesthetized normoventilated pigs.
      MUD probes were placed in the parenchyma and on the liver surface. Surface probes
      were either left uncovered or were covered by plastic film. RESULTS: Lactate and
      glucose levels were significantly higher in plastic film covered probes than in
      uncovered surface probes throughout the ischemic period. Glycerol levels were
      significantly higher in plastic film covered probes than in uncovered surface
      probes at 30 and 45 min into ischemia. CONCLUSIONS: Covering the MUD probe
      increases the sensibility of the MUD-technique in monitoring an ischemic insult
      and reperfusion in the liver. These findings confirm that the principle of
      surface MUD works, possibly replacing need of intraparenchymatous placement of
      MUD probes. Surface MUD seemingly allows, noninvasively from an organ's surface,
      via the extracellular compartment, assessment of intracellular metabolic events.
      The finding that covered surface MUD probes allows detection of local metabolic
      changes earlier than do intraparenchymatous probes, merit further investigation
      focusing on MUD probe design.

PMID- 26505660
TI  - Effect of chemotherapy and heat on biomechanical properties of absorbable
      sutures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The quality of tissue repairs depends on tissue integrity, surgical
      technique, and material properties of the sutures used. Currently, there is no
      clear consensus on which is the best suture to use during cytoreductive surgery
      combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. The aim of this study
      was to evaluate the impact of heat and chemotherapy on sutures' biomechanical
      properties. METHODS: Six different 3.0 absorbable sutures (Biosyn, Dexon II,
      Maxon, Monocryl, PDS II, and Vicryl Plus) were tested. All suture strands were
      incubated for a 24-h period in saline, mitomycin-c, and oxaliplatin at 37 and 45
      degrees C. Suture loops were then loaded to failure using a servohydraulic
      testing machine. Data for tensile breaking force (TBF) and elongation rate were
      collected for all samples. RESULTS: Under basal condition, Maxon was the
      strongest of all sutures with a TBF of 59.6 +/- 4.3 N (P < 0.01), and no
      significant difference in TBF was observed between other sutures. Heat alone had
      no impact on sutures' biomechanical parameters. Exposition to mitomycin-c at 45
      degrees C did not significantly affect sutures' basal tensile properties, with
      Maxon remaining the strongest suture. When incubated in oxaliplatin at 45 degrees
      C, the six suture types had a similar TBF. In all experimental conditions,
      multifilament sutures had a significantly lower elongation rate than monofilament
      sutures, and no correlations were demonstrated between elongation rate and the
      TBF of sutures. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that exposition to heated
      chemotherapy did not significantly affect absorbable sutures biomechanical
      properties.

PMID- 26505661
TI  - The outcome of trauma patients with do-not-resuscitate orders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Institutional variation in outcome of patients with do-not
      resuscitate (DNR) orders has not been well described in the setting of trauma.
      The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of trauma center designation
      on outcome of patients with DNR orders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A statewide trauma
      database (Pennsylvania Trauma Outcome Study) was used for the analysis.
      Characteristics of patients with DNR orders were compared between state
      designated level 1 and 2 trauma centers. Inhospital mortality and major
      complication rates were compared using hierarchical logistic regression models
      that included a random effect for trauma centers. We adjusted for a number of
      potential confounders and allowed for nonlinearity in injury severity score and
      age in these models. RESULTS: A total of 106,291 patients (14 level 1 and 11
      level 2 trauma centers) were identified in the Pennsylvania Trauma Outcome Study
      database between 2007 and 2011. We included 5953 patients with DNR orders (5.6%).
      Although more severely injured patients with comorbid disease were made DNR in
      level 1 trauma centers, trauma center designation level was not a significant
      factor for inhospital mortality of patients with DNR orders (odds ratio, 1.33;
      95% confidence interval, 0.81-2.18; P = 0.26). Level 1 trauma centers were
      significantly associated with a higher rate of major complications (odds ratio,
      1.75; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-2.75; P = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Inhospital
      mortality of patients with DNR orders was not significantly associated with
      trauma designation level after adjusting for case mix. More aggressive treatment
      or other unknown factors may have resulted in a significantly higher complication
      rate at level 1 trauma centers.

PMID- 26505662
TI  - Cartilage morphology assessed by high resolution micro-computed tomography in non
      OA knees.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: At the microscopic level, there is no established 3D method to measure
      cartilage volume and thickness. An easy, precise and accurate volume and
      thickness measurements of human cartilage has been developed from micro-computed
      tomography (micro-CT) images. DESIGN: In the medial tibial plateau of twenty nine
      left cadaveric knees classified as normal, vertical cores (7 mm in diameter) were
      extracted in three locations: lateral (LAT), medial posterior (MP) and medial
      anterior (MA). The cores were imaged in mineral oil with micro-CT (voxel size
      10.2 MUm) and were measured cartilage volume (Cart.Vol, mm(3)) and cartilage
      thickness (Cart.Th, mm) using a thickness plugin. Short term reproducibility and
      standard deviation (ST_RMSCV%, ST_RMSSD, mm) were determined. To assess accuracy,
      holes with diameters of 2 mm, 3 mm, and 4 mm were artificially generated and
      nominal and measured hole sizes were compared. RESULTS: Precision of
      Cart.Vol_ST_RMSCV% was 1.35%. The mean biases between nominal hole volume and
      measurements were -0.49 +/- 1.5 mm(3) (2 mm), -0.41 +/- 4.2 mm(3) (3 mm) and
      +0.34 +/- 4.4 mm(3) (4 mm). ST_RMSSD was 100 times lower than the biological
      variation and the highest bias to measure volume was 24 times lower. Cart.Th
      results statistically differed among core extraction locations: 1.75 +/- 0.28 mm
      (LAT), 1.84 +/- 0.40 mm (MP) and 2.32 +/- 0.41 mm (MA). CONCLUSION: With a
      standard laboratory micro-CT system, it was possible to measure cartilage volume
      and thickness with good precision and accuracy relative to the biological
      variation of the specimen cohort. Cartilage measurements from micro-CT probably
      will improve the knowledge of the relationship between cartilage and subchondral
      bone and may allow to better understand the OA process.

PMID- 26505664
TI  - An optimum prophylactic dose of prasugrel monotherapy may safely and effectively
      prevent the development of experimental thrombotic strokes.

PMID- 26505663
TI  - Osteoclasts are recruited to the subchondral bone in naturally occurring post
      traumatic equine carpal osteoarthritis and may contribute to cartilage
      degradation.
AB  - The role of osteoclasts in osteochondral degeneration in osteoarthritis (OA) has
      rarely been investigated in spontaneous disease or animal models of OA.
      OBJECTIVE: The objectives of the current study were to investigate osteoclast
      density and location in post-traumatic OA (PTOA) and control specimens from
      racehorses. METHOD: Cores were harvested from a site in the equine third carpal
      bone, that undergoes repetitive, high intensity loading. Histological and
      immunohistochemical (Cathepsin K and Receptor-activator of Nuclear Factor kappa
      beta ligand (RANKL)) stained sections were scored (global and subregional) and
      the osteoclast density calculated. The cartilage histological scores were
      compared with osteoclast density and RANKL scores. RESULTS: There was a greater
      density of osteoclasts in PTOA samples and they were preferentially located in
      the subchondral bone plate. RANKL scores positively correlated to the scores of
      cartilage degeneration and the osteoclast density. The relationship between
      hyaline articular cartilage RANKL score and osteoclast density was stronger than
      that of the subchondral bone RANKL score suggesting that cartilage RANKL may have
      a role in recruiting osteoclasts. The RANKL score in the articular calcified
      cartilage correlated with the number of microcracks also suggesting that
      osteoclasts recruited by RANKL may contribute to calcified cartilage degeneration
      in PTOA. CONCLUSION: Our results support the hypothesis that osteoclasts are
      recruited during the progression of spontaneous equine carpal PTOA by cartilage
      RANKL, contributing to calcified cartilage microcracks and focal subchondral bone
      loss.

PMID- 26505665
TI  - The relationship of miR-146a gene polymorphism with carotid atherosclerosis in
      Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Atherosclerosis (AS) is regarded as the major cause of disability and
      death in diabetic patients. However, its precise pathogenesis is not entirely
      clear. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed AS is related
      to some epigenetic changes. This study aimed to investigate the possible
      associations of miR-146a and transcriptional coactivator p300 polymorphisms with
      carotid atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHOD: This case-control
      study included 596 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with carotid atherosclerosis
      and 379 patients without carotid atherosclerosis. Genotyping of miR-146a and p300
      polymorphisms was performed by allelic discrimination assay with TaqMan-MGB
      probes. RESULTS: The CC genotype of rs2910164 in miR-146a was found to be
      associated with an increased risk of carotid vulnerable plaque in the Chinese
      type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, but this association was not found in the type
      2 diabetes mellitus patients with carotid atherosclerosis or in the plaque load
      group. In addition, no significant difference in transcriptional coactivator p300
      genotype distribution was observed between the type 2 diabetes mellitus patients
      with and without carotid atherosclerosis, plaque stability or plaque load,
      respectively. Stratified analyses revealed that the miR-146aCC genotype was
      associated with an increased risk of vulnerable plaque in subjects who were
      older, females, those with diabetes duration of more than 10 years, and those
      with hypertension. The gene-gene interactions between the miR-146a rs2910164 and
      p300 rs20551 polymorphisms were further analysed, but no combined effects of
      these two genes on enhancing the risk of carotid atherosclerosis, plaque
      stability, or plaque load were detected. CONCLUSION: The miR-146a rs2910164
      polymorphism might be associated with carotid vulnerable plaque risk in Chinese
      type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, particularly in older patients, females, those
      with diabetes duration of more than 10 years and those with hypertension. The
      transcriptional coactivator p300 rs20551 polymorphism may not be a risk factor
      for the development or progression of atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes
      mellitus.

PMID- 26505666
TI  - Activated prothrombin complex concentrate (FEIBA(r)) for the treatment and
      prevention of bleeding in patients with acquired haemophilia: A sequential study.
AB  - Despite anti-haemorrhagic therapy with proper doses of activated prothrombin
      complex concentrate (aPCC, Feiba(r)), patients with acquired haemophilia A (AHA)
      have a considerable risk of recurrent bleeding complications. Evidence in support
      of the benefit-to-risk ratio of prevention strategies with the use of lower doses
      of aPCC following the end of the initial treatment period is scarce and
      inconclusive. We report our experience in the management of 18 consecutive
      patients with AHA admitted to two Haemophilia centres in Italy. We managed the
      first 11 according to current guidelines (e.g., with conventional aPCC doses
      until bleeding resolution). Then, we decided to prolong the treatment beyond
      bleeding resolution with lower doses of the same concentrate (short-term
      prophylaxis) in the 7 additional patients. In these patients, the treatment was
      continued for as long as the titre of FVIII inhibitor was found to decrease by at
      least 50% when compared to the baseline one. We observed six relapses of bleeding
      in patients in whom aPCC was confined to the treatment of the qualifying bleeding
      episode, and none in patients to whom lower doses were administered until the pre
      specified decrease in the titre of FVIII inhibitor was achieved. No patients
      experienced thrombotic complications during the study period. Prolonging the
      treatment with lower doses of aPCC beyond the initial phase in patients with AHA
      in whom the titre of FVIII inhibitor is still high is likely to safely prevent
      further bleeding complications. 

PMID- 26505667
TI  - Temperatures of the Ocular Surface, Lid, and Periorbital Regions of Sjogren's,
      Evaporative, and Aqueous-Deficient Dry Eyes Relative to Normals.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the temperatures of the ocular surface, eyelid, and
      periorbital skin in normal eyes with Sjogren's syndrome (SS) eyes, evaporative
      dry eyes (EDE), and aqueous deficient dry eyes (ADDE). METHODS: 10 eyes were
      analyzed in each age-matched group (normal, SS, EDE, and ADDE). A noninvasive
      infrared thermal camera captured two-dimensional images in three regions of
      interest (ROI) in each of three areas: the ocular surface, the upper eyelid, and
      the periorbital skin within a controlled environmental chamber. Mean temperatures
      in each ROI were calculated from the videos. Ocular surface time-segmented
      cooling rates were calculated over a 5-s blink interval. RESULTS: Relative to
      normal eyes, dry eyes had lower initial central OSTs (SS -0.71 degrees C, EDE 
      0.55 degrees C, ADDE -0.95 degrees C, KW P<.0001) and lower central upper lid
      temperatures (SS -0.24 degrees C, ADDE -0.51 degrees C, and EDE -0.54 degrees C,
      KW P<.0001). ADDE eyes had the lowest initial central OST (P<.0001), while EDE
      eyes had the lowest central lid temperature and lower periorbital temperatures
      (P<.0001). Over the 5-s interblink interval, the greatest rate of temperature
      loss occurred following eyelid opening, but varied by group (normals -0.52, SS 
      0.73, EDE -0.63, and ADDE -0.75 degrees C/s). The ADDE group also had the most
      substantial heat loss over the 5-s interblink interval (-0.97 degrees C).
      CONCLUSIONS: Differences in OST may be related to thermal differences in lids and
      periorbita along with an altered tear film. Thermography of the ocular surface,
      lids, and surrounding tissues may help to differentiate between different
      etiologies of dry eye.

PMID- 26505668
TI  - Effect of Perioperative Transfusion on Survival and Morbidity for Gastric Cancer
      Patients with Gastrectomy.

PMID- 26505669
TI  - Transfusion and Gastric Cancer Resection: In Reply to Yang and colleagues.

PMID- 26505670
TI  - Leukocytosis in Colorectal Cancer.

PMID- 26505672
TI  - A perspective on stem cell modeling of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
AB  - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a complex neurodegenerative disease. Limitations
      in animal models have impeded progress in studying disease pathology and
      potential drug discovery. Here, we will review recent advances in the development
      of stem cell models for the study of ALS. Additionally, we will discuss the
      progress toward therapeutic development derived from these stem cell based
      assays. 

PMID- 26505675
TI  - Kinetic analysis of gluconate phosphorylation by human gluconokinase using
      isothermal titration calorimetry.
AB  - Gluconate is a commonly encountered nutrient, which is degraded by the enzyme
      gluconokinase to generate 6-phosphogluconate. Here we used isothermal titration
      calorimetry to study the properties of this reaction. DeltaH, KM and kcat are
      reported along with substrate binding data. We propose that the reaction follows
      a ternary complex mechanism, with ATP binding first. The reaction is inhibited by
      gluconate, as it binds to an Enzyme-ADP complex forming a dead-end complex. The
      study exemplifies that ITC can be used to determine mechanisms of enzyme
      catalyzed reactions, for which it is currently not commonly applied. 

PMID- 26505676
TI  - Association between genetic variants of serotonergic and glutamatergic pathways
      and the concentration of neurometabolites of the anterior cingulate cortex in
      paediatric patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to assess the relationship between
      variability in genes related to the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive
      disorder (OCD) and the concentration of different neurometabolites in the
      anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). METHODS: We concomitantly assessed
      neurometabolite concentrations using 3-T (1)H-MRS and 262 single nucleotide
      polymorphism (SNPs) in 35 genes in 41 paediatric OCD patients. RESULTS: There
      were significant associations, after Bonferroni correction, between the
      concentration of inositol, glutamate and glutamine, and total choline and five
      polymorphisms located in genes related to serotonin and glutamate (i.e., the
      vesicular monoamine transporter 1 gene, SLC18A1 [rs6586896]; the serotonin
      receptor 1B gene, HTR1B [rs6296 and rs6298]; and the glutamate receptor,
      ionotropic, AMPA1 gene, GRIA1 [rs707176 and rs2963944]). CONCLUSIONS: The
      association observed between these polymorphisms and the neurometabolite
      concentrations could indicate the presence of a biological interaction between
      the serotonin and the glutamate pathways that could be involved in the
      pathophysiology of OCD. More studies with this methodology could increase our
      understanding of the aetiology and pathophysiology of OCD in children.

PMID- 26505677
TI  - Dual Catalysis for Selective Ring-Opening Polymerization of Lactones: Evolution
      toward Simplicity.
AB  - Much work has been directed to the design of complex single-site catalysts for
      ring-opening polymerization (ROP) to enhance both activity and selectivity. More
      simply, however, cooperative effects between Lewis acids and organocatalytic
      nucleophiles/Lewis bases provide a powerful alternative. In this study we
      demonstrate that the combination of N-heterocyclic carbenes, 1,8
      diazabicycloundec-7-ene (DBU) and 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) with simple
      Lewis acids enables the ROP of the macrolactone pentadecalactone in a rapid and
      efficient manner. Remarkably, regardless of the nature of the nucleophile, the
      order of activity was observed to be MgX2 ? YCl3 ? AlCl3 and MgI2 > MgBr2 > MgCl2
      in every case. The minimal influence of the organobase on polymerization activity
      allows for the use of simple and inexpensive precursors. Furthermore, extension
      of the study to other cyclic (di)ester monomers reveals the choice of Lewis acid
      to lead to monomer selective ROP activity and hence control over copolymer
      composition by choice of Lewis acid. This approach could lead to the realization
      of complex polymer structures with tunable physical properties from simple
      catalyst combinations. 

PMID- 26505673
TI  - Bent out of shape: alpha-Synuclein misfolding and the convergence of pathogenic
      pathways in Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Protein inclusions made up primarily of misfolded alpha-synuclein (alpha-Syn) are
      the hallmark of a set of disorders known as synucleinopathies, most notably
      Parkinson's disease (PD). It is becoming increasingly appreciated that alpha-Syn
      misfolding can spread to anatomically connected regions in a prion-like manner.
      The protein aggregates that ensue are correlated with neurodegeneration in the
      various yet select neuronal populations that are affected. Recent advances have
      begun to shed light on the spreading and toxicity mechanisms that may be
      occurring in PD. Several key emerging themes are arising from this work
      suggesting that alpha-Syn mediated neurodegeneration is due to a combination of
      relative alpha-Syn expression level, connectivity to affected brain regions, and
      intrinsic vulnerability to pathology. 

PMID- 26505674
TI  - Molecular heterogeneity of midbrain dopaminergic neurons--Moving toward single
      cell resolution.
AB  - Since their discovery, midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons have been researched
      extensively, in part because of their diverse functions and involvement in
      various neuropsychiatric disorders. Over the last few decades, reports have
      emerged that midbrain DA neurons were not a homogeneous group, but that DA
      neurons located in distinct anatomical locations within the midbrain had
      distinctive properties in terms of physiology, function, and vulnerability.
      Accordingly, several studies focused on identifying heterogeneous gene expression
      across DA neuron clusters. Here we review the importance of understanding DA
      neuron heterogeneity at the molecular level, previous studies detailing
      heterogeneous gene expression in DA neurons, and finally recent work which brings
      together previous heterogeneous gene expression profiles in a coordinated manner,
      at single cell resolution. 

PMID- 26505678
TI  - Plasma microRNA profiles: identification of miR-744 as a novel diagnostic and
      prognostic biomarker in pancreatic cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aims to explore novel microRNAs in plasma for screening
      cancer and predicting clinical outcomes in pancreatic cancer (PCa) patients using
      a microRNA array-based approach. METHODS: We used the Toray 3D-Gene microRNA
      array-based approach to compare plasma levels between PCa patients and healthy
      volunteers. RESULTS: (1) Six oncogenic microRNAs (miR-615-5p, -744, -575, -557, 
      675, and -550a) with high expression in plasma were selected. (2) By quantitative
      RT-PCR using plasma samples from 94 PCa patients and 68 healthy volunteers, a
      significantly higher level of plasma miR-744 in PCa patients than in healthy
      volunteers was validated in small-scale analysis (P=0.0038), two independent
      cohort analyses, and large-scale analysis (P<0.0001, AUC 0.8307). (3) miR-744
      expression was significantly higher in PCa tissues (P=0.0069) and PCa cell lines
      (P=0.0074) than in normal tissues and fibroblasts, respectively. Preoperative
      plasma level of miR-744 was significantly reduced in postoperative samples
      (P=0.0063). (4) A high level of plasma miR-744, which was correlated with lymph
      node metastasis (P=0.0407) and recurrences (P=0.0376), was an independent poor
      prognostic factor of PCa patients after pancreatectomy (P=0.0007, HR 21.2 (3.17
      436)). Furthermore, a high level of plasma miR-744 contributed to poorer
      progression-free survival of non-operable PCa patients who underwent gemcitabine
      based chemotherapy (P=0.0533). Overexpression of miR-744 in PCa cells induced
      significant chemoresistance to gemcitabine in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma miR-744
      might be useful biomarker for screening PCa, monitoring, and predicting poor
      prognosis and chemoresistance in PCa patients.

PMID- 26505679
TI  - Upcoming translational challenges for uveal melanoma.
AB  - The past few years have witnessed major advances in the understanding of the
      molecular landscape of uveal melanoma (UM). The discovery of a mutational
      background that is completely different from the one of skin melanoma has granted
      to UM a stand-alone status. The absence of effective therapy for metastatic
      disease offers now a chessboard for targeted therapy but at the same time urges
      preclinical science to develop accordingly, to guide the use of economical
      resources to the best profit of patients. This review describes the current
      knowledge on the biology of this disease and discusses the challenges that must
      be undertaken to translate this knowledge into real benefit for patients. 

PMID- 26505680
TI  - Urinary N1, N12-diacetylspermine is a non-invasive marker for the diagnosis and
      prognosis of non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early detection of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and accurate
      prognostic risk assessment could improve patient outcome. We examined the
      significance of urinary N(1), N(12)-diacetylspermine (DiAcSpm) in the detection
      and prognostic stratification of NSCLC patients. METHODS: A DiAcSpm/cutoff ratio
      (DASr) was established for 260 NSCLC patients, 99 benign lung disease patients,
      and 140 healthy volunteers, using colloidal gold aggregation methods. The DASr
      was compared between patients and healthy controls, and the prognostic
      significance of DASr was examined. RESULTS: The median urinary DASr of NSCLC
      patients was significantly higher than that of healthy controls (0.810 vs 0.534,
      P<0.001). The DASr was higher in squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) patients than in
      adenocarcinoma patients (1.18 vs 0.756, respectively, P=0.039). An increased
      urinary DASr value was significantly associated with pathological stage, other
      histological invasive factors and unfavourable outcomes in patients with
      completely resected NSCLC. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that
      increased urinary DASr was an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio=4.652,
      95% confidence interval (CI), 2.092-10.35; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary DASr
      was significantly increased in NSCLC, especially in SqCC. Urinary DASr was an
      independent poor prognostic indicator in patients with completely resected NSCLC.
      The DASr could be a useful biomarker for detecting malignancies and predicting
      prognosis.

PMID- 26505682
TI  - The anti-tuberculosis agents under development and the challenges ahead.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious health problem causing 1.5 million deaths
      worldwide. After the discovery of first-line anti-TB drugs, the mortality rate
      declined sharply, however, the emergence of drug-resistant strains and HIV co
      infection have led to increased incidence of this disease. A number of new
      potential antitubercular drug candidates with novel modes of action have entered
      clinical trials in recent years. Compounds such as gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin and
      linezolid, the already known antibiotics are currently being evaluated for their
      anti-TB activity. OPC-67683 and TMC207 have been approved for the treatment of
      MDR-TB patients recently, while PA-824, SQ109, PNU-100480, AZD5847, LL3858,
      SQ609, SQ641, BTZ043, DC-159a, CPZEN-45, Q-203, DNB1, TBA-354 are in various
      phases of clinical and preclinical developments. This review evaluates the
      current status of TB drug development and future aspects. 

PMID- 26505681
TI  - A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled multi-centre phase III trial of
      XELIRI/FOLFIRI plus simvastatin for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this randomised phase III trial was to evaluate
      whether the addition of simvastatin, a synthetic 3-hydroxy-3methyglutaryl
      coenzyme A reductase inhibitor, to XELIRI/FOLFIRI chemotherapy regimens confers a
      clinical benefit to patients with previously treated metastatic colorectal
      cancer. METHODS: We undertook a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III trial
      of 269 patients previously treated for metastatic colorectal cancer and enrolled
      in 5 centres in South Korea. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to one of the
      following groups: FOLFIRI/XELIRI plus simvastatin (40 mg) or FOLFIRI/XELIRI plus
      placebo. The FOLFIRI regimen consisted of irinotecan at 180 mg m(-2) as a 90-min
      infusion, leucovorin at 200 mg m(-2) as a 2-h infusion, and a bolus injection of
      5-FU 400 mg m(-2) followed by a 46-h continuous infusion of 5-FU at 2400 mg m(
      2). The XELIRI regimen consisted of irinotecan at 250 mg m(-2) as a 90-min
      infusion with capecitabine 1000 mg m(-2) twice daily for 14 days. The primary end
      point was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary end points included response
      rate, duration of response, overall survival (OS), time to progression, and
      toxicity. RESULTS: Between April 2010 and July 2013, 269 patients were enrolled
      and assigned to treatment groups (134 simvastatin, 135 placebo). The median PFS
      was 5.9 months (95% CI, 4.5-7.3) in the XELIRI/FOLFIRI plus simvastatin group and
      7.0 months (95% CI, 5.4-8.6) in the XELIRI/FOLFIRI plus placebo group (P=0.937).
      No significant difference was observed between the two groups with respect to OS
      (median, 15.9 months (simvastatin) vs 19.9 months (placebo), P=0.826). Grade?3
      nausea and anorexia were noted slightly more often in patients in the simvastatin
      arm compared with with the placebo arm (4.5% vs 0.7%, 3.0% vs 0%, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: The addition of 40 mg simvastatin to the XELIRI/FOLFIRI regimens did
      not improve PFS in patients with previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer
      nor did it increase toxicity.

PMID- 26505683
TI  - The phantom illusion.
AB  - It is well known that visible luminance gradients may generate contrast effects.
      In this work we present a new paradoxical illusion in which the luminance range
      of gradual transitions has been reduced to make them invisible. By adopting the
      phenomenological method proposed by Kanizsa, we have found that unnoticeable
      luminance gradients still generate contrast effects. But, most interestingly, we
      have found that when their width is narrowed, rather than generating contrast
      effects on the surrounded surfaces, they generate an assimilation effect. Both
      high- and low-level interpretations of this "phantom" illusion are critically
      evaluated. 

PMID- 26505684
TI  - Monocular and binocular mechanisms mediating flicker adaptation.
AB  - Flicker adaptation reduces subsequent temporal contrast sensitivity. Recent
      studies show that this adaptation likely results from neural changes in the
      magnocellular visual pathway, but whether this adaptation occurs at a monocular
      or a binocular level, or both, is unclear. Here, two experiments address this
      question. The first experiment exploits the observation that flicker adaptation
      is stronger at higher than lower temporal frequencies. Observers' two eyes
      adapted to 3Hz flicker with an incremental pulse at 1/4 duty cycle, either in
      phase or out-of-phase in the two eyes. At the binocular level, the flicker rate
      was 6Hz in the out-of-phase condition if the two eyes' pulse trains sum. Similar
      sensitivity reduction was found in both phase conditions, as expected for
      independent monocular adapting mechanisms. The second experiment tested for
      interocular transfer of adaptation between eyes. Results showed that (1) flicker
      adaptation was strongest with adapting and test fields in only the same eye, (2)
      adaptation can be partially transferred interocularly with adaptation in only the
      opposite eye, and (3) adaptation was weakened when both eyes were adapted
      simultaneously at different contrasts, compared to test-eye adaptation alone.
      Taken together, the findings are consistent with mechanisms of flicker adaptation
      at both the monocular and binocular level. 

PMID- 26505685
TI  - The role of shape complexity in the detection of closed contours.
AB  - The detection of contours in noise has been extensively studied, but the
      detection of closed contours, such as the boundaries of whole objects, has
      received relatively little attention. Closed contours pose substantial challenges
      not present in the simple (open) case, because they form the outlines of whole
      shapes and thus take on a range of potentially important configural properties.
      In this paper we consider the detection of closed contours in noise as a
      probabilistic decision problem. Previous work on open contours suggests that
      contour complexity, quantified as the negative log probability (Description
      Length, DL) of the contour under a suitably chosen statistical model, impairs
      contour detectability; more complex (statistically surprising) contours are
      harder to detect. In this study we extended this result to closed contours,
      developing a suitable probabilistic model of whole shapes that gives rise to
      several distinct though interrelated measures of shape complexity. We asked
      subjects to detect either natural shapes (Exp. 1) or experimentally manipulated
      shapes (Exp. 2) embedded in noise fields. We found systematic effects of global
      shape complexity on detection performance, demonstrating how aspects of global
      shape and form influence the basic process of object detection.

PMID- 26505686
TI  - Tissue biomarkers of drug efficacy: case studies using a MALDI-MSI workflow.
AB  - MALDI MS imaging (MALDI-MSI) offers a capability to not only evaluate the
      distribution, localization and metabolism of drugs within tissues but also allow
      correlative tissue measurement of the effect of the drug on biomolecules in the
      targeted pathway. Particularly for MALDI-MSI, lipid molecules are readily
      detectable within tissues. Case study examples are provided for two different
      drugs targeting the sphingosine-1-phosphate/ceramide nexus in tumor xenograft
      tissues. A workflow combining high-resolution MALDI-MSI with on-tissue
      confirmation of targeted compounds using a structural library and on-tissue
      enzymatic digestion strategy is described. Representative images of drug
      metabolite distribution that correlate to an increase or decrease in sphingosine
      1-phosphate or ceramide species are provided. 

PMID- 26505687
TI  - Toward Modeling the Resistance and Resilience of "Below-ground" Fungal
      Communities: A Mechanistic and Trait-Based Approach.
AB  - The role of fungi in shaping ecosystems is well evidenced and there is growing
      recognition of their importance among scientists and the general public.
      Establishing and separating the role of key local (soil chemical, biological, and
      physical properties) and global (climate, dispersal limitation) drivers in fungal
      community structure and functioning is currently a source of frustration to
      mycologists. The quest to determine niche processes and environmental
      characteristics shaping fungal community structure, known to be important for
      plant and animal communities, is proving difficult, resulting in the
      acknowledgment that niche neutral processes (climate, dispersal limitations) may
      dominate. The search for predictable patterns in fungal community structure may
      have been restricted as the "appropriate" scales at which to measure community
      structure and characterize the environment have not been fully determined yet,
      and the focus on taxonomy makes it difficult to link environmental
      characteristics to fungal traits. While key determinants of microbial community
      composition have been uncovered for some functional groups, the differential
      response of functional groups is largely unknown. Before we can truly understand
      what drives the development of microbial community structure, an understanding of
      the autecology of major fungal taxa and how they interact with their immediate
      environment (from the micro- up to kilometer scale) is urgently needed.
      Furthermore, key information and empirical data is missing at the microscale due
      to experimental difficulties in mapping this heterogeneous and opaque
      environment. We therefore present a framework that would help generate this much
      needed empirical data and information at the microscale, together with modeling
      approaches to link the spatial and temporal scales. The latter is important as we
      propose that there is much to be gained by linking our understanding of fungal
      community responses across scales, in order to develop species and community
      environment-function predictive models.

PMID- 26505688
TI  - The Importance of the Microbial N Cycle in Soil for Crop Plant Nutrition.
AB  - Nitrogen is crucial for living cells, and prior to the introduction of mineral N
      fertilizer, fixation of atmospheric N2 by diverse prokaryotes was the primary
      source of N in all ecosystems. Microorganisms drive the N cycle starting with N2
      fixation to ammonia, through nitrification in which ammonia is oxidized to
      nitrate and denitrification where nitrate is reduced to N2 to complete the cycle,
      or partially reduced to generate the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. Traditionally,
      agriculture has relied on rotations that exploited N fixed by symbiotic rhizobia
      in leguminous plants, and recycled wastes and manures that microbial activity
      mineralized to release ammonia or nitrate. Mineral N fertilizer provided by the
      Haber-Bosch process has become essential for modern agriculture to increase crop
      yields and replace N removed from the system at harvest. However, with the
      increasing global population and problems caused by unintended N wastage and
      pollution, more sustainable ways of managing the N cycle in soil and utilizing
      biological N2 fixation have become imperative. This review describes the
      biological N cycle and details the steps and organisms involved. The effects of
      various agricultural practices that exploit fixation, retard nitrification, and
      reduce denitrification are presented, together with strategies that minimize
      inorganic fertilizer applications and curtail losses. The development and
      implementation of new technologies together with rediscovering traditional
      practices are discussed to speculate how the grand challenge of feeding the world
      sustainably can be met. 

PMID- 26505689
TI  - Polyhydroxyalkanoates: Much More than Biodegradable Plastics.
AB  - Bacterial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are isotactic polymers that play a
      critical role in central metabolism, as they act as dynamic reservoirs of carbon
      and reducing equivalents. These polymers have a number of technical applications
      since they exhibit thermoplastic and elastomeric properties, making them
      attractive as a replacement of oil-derived materials. PHAs are accumulated under
      conditions of nutritional imbalance (usually an excess of carbon source with
      respect to a limiting nutrient, such as nitrogen or phosphorus). The cycle of PHA
      synthesis and degradation has been recognized as an important physiological
      feature when these biochemical pathways were originally described, yet its role
      in bacterial processes as diverse as global regulation and cell survival is just
      starting to be appreciated in full. In the present revision, the complex
      regulation of PHA synthesis and degradation at the transcriptional,
      translational, and metabolic levels are explored by analyzing examples in natural
      producer bacteria, such as Pseudomonas species, as well as in recombinant
      Escherichia coli strains. The ecological role of PHAs, together with the
      interrelations with other polymers and extracellular substances, is also
      discussed, along with their importance in cell survival, resistance to several
      types of environmental stress, and planktonic-versus-biofilm lifestyle. Finally,
      bioremediation and plant growth promotion are presented as examples of
      environmental applications in which PHA accumulation has successfully been
      exploited.

PMID- 26505690
TI  - Catabolism of Phenol and Its Derivatives in Bacteria: Genes, Their Regulation,
      and Use in the Biodegradation of Toxic Pollutants.
AB  - Phenol and its derivatives (alkylphenols, halogenated phenols, nitrophenols) are
      natural or man-made aromatic compounds that are ubiquitous in nature and in human
      polluted environments. Many of these substances are toxic and/or suspected of
      mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic effects. Bioremediation of the polluted
      soil and water using various bacteria has proved to be a promising option for the
      removal of these compounds. In this review, we describe a number of peripheral
      pathways of aerobic and anaerobic catabolism of various natural and xenobiotic
      phenolic compounds, which funnel these substances into a smaller number of
      central catabolic pathways. Finally, the metabolites are used as carbon and
      energy sources in the citric acid cycle. We provide here the characteristics of
      the enzymes that convert the phenolic compounds and their catabolites, show their
      genes, and describe regulatory features. The genes, which encode these enzymes,
      are organized on chromosomes and plasmids of the natural bacterial degraders in
      various patterns. The accumulated data on similarities and the differences of the
      genes, their varied organization, and particularly, an astonishingly broad range
      of intricate regulatory mechanism may be read as an exciting adventurous book on
      divergent evolutionary processes and horizontal gene transfer events inscribed in
      the bacterial genomes. In the end, the use of this wealth of bacterial
      biodegradation potential and the manipulation of its genetic basis for purposes
      of bioremediation is exemplified. It is envisioned that the integrated high
      throughput techniques and genome-level approaches will enable us to manipulate
      systems rather than separated genes, which will give birth to systems
      biotechnology.

PMID- 26505691
TI  - Urban mining: Concepts, terminology, challenges.

PMID- 26505692
TI  - Antitumor activity of amidino-substituted benzimidazole and benzimidazo[1,2
      a]quinoline derivatives tested in 2D and 3D cell culture systems.
AB  - Due to a poor clinical predictive power of 2D cell cultures, standard tool for in
      vitro assays in drug discovery process, there is increasing interest in
      developing 3D in vitro cell cultures, biologically relevant assay feasible for
      the development of robust preclinical anti-cancer drug screening platforms.
      Herein, we tested amidino-substituted benzimidazoles and benzimidazo[1,2
      a]quinolines as a small platform for comparison of antitumor activity in 2D and
      3D cell culture systems and correlation with structure-activity relationship. 3D
      cell culture method was applied on a human cancer breast (SK-BR-3, MDA-MB-231, T
      47D) and pancreatic cancer cells (MIA PaCa-2, PANC-1). Results obtained in 2D and
      3D models were highly comparable, but in some cases we have observed significant
      disagreement indicating that some prominent compounds can be discarded in early
      phase of researching because of compounds with false positive result. To confirm
      which of cell culture systems is more accurate, in vivo profiling is needed. 

PMID- 26505695
TI  - Management Of Headache In The Pediatric Emergency Department.
AB  - Headaches are a common complaint among children, with increasing frequency in
      adolescence. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, more
      than 3 million Americans seek emergency care every year due to headaches, and one
      third of them are attributable to migraines. Headaches have a significant impact
      on the lives of children and adolescents, resulting in school absence, decreased
      extracurricular activities, and poor academic achievement. Among patients, the
      spectrum of pathology varies widely, continually challenging healthcare providers
      to recognize serious, life-threatening conditions, while judiciously evaluating
      and treating all patients. This issue reviews the broad differential of primary
      and secondary headaches in the pediatric emergency department, summarizes
      effective strategies for diagnosis, and evaluates the current evidence supporting
      safe, appropriate treatment. As emergency clinicians treat increasingly more
      medically complex patients, they should be aware of the best current practices to
      evaluate and treat headaches in the pediatric population. 

PMID- 26505693
TI  - The Elizabeth River Story: A Case Study in Evolutionary Toxicology.
AB  - The Elizabeth River system is an estuary in southeastern Virginia, surrounded by
      the towns of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach. The river has
      played important roles in U.S. history and has been the location of various
      military and industrial activities. These activities have been the source of
      chemical contamination in this aquatic system. Important industries, until the
      1990s, included wood treatment plants that used creosote, an oil-derived product
      that is rich in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). These plants left a
      legacy of PAH pollution in the river, and in particular Atlantic Wood Industries
      is a designated Superfund site now undergoing remediation. Numerous studies
      examined the distribution of PAH in the river and impacts on resident fauna. This
      review focuses on how a small estuarine fish with a limited home range, Fundulus
      heteroclitus (Atlantic killifish or mummichog), has responded to this pollution.
      While in certain areas of the river this species has clearly been impacted, as
      evidenced by elevated rates of liver cancer, some subpopulations, notably the one
      associated with the Atlantic Wood Industries site, displayed a remarkable ability
      to resist the marked effects PAH have on the embryonic development of fish. This
      review provides evidence of how pollutants have acted as evolutionary agents,
      causing changes in ecosystems potentially lasting longer than the pollutants
      themselves. Mechanisms underlying this evolved resistance, as well as mechanisms
      underlying the effects of PAH on embryonic development, are also described. The
      review concludes with a description of ongoing and promising efforts to restore
      this historic American river. 

PMID- 26505694
TI  - Gastrointestinal dopamine as an anti-incretin and its possible role in bypass
      surgery as therapy for type 2 diabetes with associated obesity.
AB  - The objective of this review was to summarize and integrate specific clinical
      observations from the field of gastric bypass surgery and recent findings in beta
      cell biology. When considered together, these data sets suggest a previously
      unrecognized physiological mechanism which may explain how Roux-en-Y gastric
      bypass (RYGB) surgery mediates the early rapid reversal of hyperglycemia,
      observed before weight loss, in certain type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients.
      The novel mechanism is based on a recently recognized inhibitory circuit of
      glucose stimulated insulin secretion driven by DA stored in beta-cell vesicles
      and the gut. We propose that DA and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) represent two
      opposing arms of a glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) regulatory system
      and hypothesize that dopamine represents the "anti-incretin" hypothesized to
      explain the beneficial effects of bariatric surgery on T2DM. These new hypotheses
      and the research driven by them may directly impact our understanding of: 1) the
      mechanisms underlying improved glucose homeostasis seen before weight loss
      following bariatric surgery; and 2) the regulation of glucose stimulated insulin
      secretion within islets. On a practical level, these studies may result in the
      development of novels drugs to modulate insulin secretion and/or methods to
      quantitatively asses in real time beta cell function and mass. 

PMID- 26505697
TI  - The Profunda Artery Perforator Flap: Investigating the Perforasome Using Three
      Dimensional Computed Tomographic Angiography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The profunda artery perforator flap has been emerging as an
      alternative method of autologous breast reconstruction. This flap uses upper
      posterior thigh tissue. The profunda artery perforator perforasome is
      investigated using three-dimensional computed tomographic angiography. METHODS:
      Ten cadaveric thighs were dissected centered over the profunda artery perforator.
      The perforator was injected with contrast medium and the flap was then subjected
      to computed tomographic scanning using a GE Lightspeed 16-slice scanner. The
      three-dimensional images were viewed, and measurements were obtained using
      Aquarius software, including horizontal and vertical extensions of the flap and
      areas of perfusion. Clinical examples are presented. RESULTS: A profunda artery
      perforator (occasionally two) was consistently found in the upper medial thigh
      region, posterior to the gracilis muscle. The area of vascularity shown by the
      spread of contrast extends inferiorly beyond the usual lower border of the
      profunda artery perforator flap, which is usually 7 cm wide. In injected
      cadaveric flaps, the mean horizontal dimension was 16.7 cm and the mean vertical
      dimension was 16.5 cm. The mean area perfused was 8812 cm. CONCLUSIONS: The
      profunda artery perforator flap is a vascularly sound flap, and is a good option
      for autologous breast reconstruction. Advantages include a reliable pedicle, no
      position changes required, and possibly an improved donor-site contour from a
      thigh lift. It is an excellent alternative to abdominally based free flaps and
      can also be used in conjunction with other flaps for further volume enhancement.

PMID- 26505696
TI  - Differential Sensitivity Between a Virtual Reality Balance Module and Clinically
      Used Concussion Balance Modalities.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Balance assessments are part of the recommended clinical concussion
      evaluation, along with computerized neuropsychological testing and self-reported
      symptoms checklists. New technology has allowed for the creation of virtual
      reality (VR) balance assessments to be used in concussion care, but there is
      little information on the sensitivity and specificity of these evaluations. The
      purpose of this study is to establish the sensitivity and specificity of a VR
      balance module for detecting lingering balance deficits clinical concussion care.
      DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study. SETTING: Institutional research
      laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Normal controls (n = 94) and concussed participants (n
      = 27). INTERVENTIONS: All participants completed a VR balance assessment
      paradigm. Concussed participants were diagnosed by a Certified Athletic Trainer
      or physician (with 48 hours postinjury) and tested in the laboratory between 7
      and 10 days postinjury. Receiver operating characteristic curves were performed
      to establish the VR module's sensitivity and specificity for detecting lingering
      balance deficits. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Final balance score. RESULTS: For the VR
      balance module, a cutoff score of 8.25 was established to maximize sensitivity at
      85.7% and specificity at 87.8%. CONCLUSIONS: The VR balance module has high
      sensitivity and specificity for detecting subacute balance deficits after
      concussive injury. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The VR balance has a high subacute
      sensitivity and specificity as a stand-alone balance assessment tool and may
      detect ongoing balance deficits not readily detectable by the Balance Error
      Scoring System or Sensory Organization Test. Virtual reality balance modules may
      be a beneficial addition to the current clinical concussion diagnostic battery.

PMID- 26505698
TI  - Breast Implant-Associated Infections: The Role of the National Surgical Quality
      Improvement Program and the Local Microbiome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The most common cause of surgical readmission after breast implant
      surgery remains infection. Six causative organisms are principally involved:
      Staphylococcus epidermidis and S. aureus, Escherichia, Pseudomonas,
      Propionibacterium, and Corynebacterium. The authors investigated the infection
      patterns and antibiotic sensitivities to characterize their local microbiome and
      determine ideal antibiotic selection. METHODS: A retrospective review of 2285
      consecutive implant-based breast procedures was performed. Included surgical
      procedures were immediate and delayed breast reconstruction, tissue expander
      exchange, and cosmetic augmentation. Patient demographics, chemotherapy and/or
      irradiation status, implant characteristics, explantation reason, time to
      infection, microbiological data, and antibiotic sensitivities were reviewed.
      RESULTS: Forty-seven patients (2.1 percent) required inpatient admission for
      antibiotics, operative explantation, or drainage by interventional radiology. The
      infection rate varied depending on surgical procedure, with the highest rate seen
      in mastectomy and immediate tissue expander reconstruction (6.1 percent). The
      mean time to explantation was 41 days. Only 50 percent of infections occurred
      within 30 days of the indexed National Surgical Quality Improvement Program
      operation. The most commonly isolated organisms were coagulase-negative
      Staphylococcus (27 percent), methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (25 percent),
      methicillin-resistant S. aureus (7 percent), Pseudomonas (7 percent), and
      Peptostreptococcus (7 percent). All Gram-positive organisms were sensitive to
      vancomycin, linezolid, tetracycline, and doxycycline; all Gram-negative organisms
      were sensitive to gentamicin and cefepime. CONCLUSIONS: Empiric antibiotics
      should be vancomycin (with the possible inclusion of gentamicin) based on their
      broad effectiveness against the authors' unique microbiome. Minor infections
      should be treated with tetracycline or doxycycline as a second-line agent.
      National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data are adequate for monitoring
      and comparing breast infections but certainly not comprehensive. CLINICAL
      QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.

PMID- 26505699
TI  - Consensus Recommendations for Optimal Augmentation of the Asian Face with
      Hyaluronic Acid and Calcium Hydroxylapatite Fillers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the use of filling agents for soft-tissue augmentation has
      increased worldwide, most consensus statements do not distinguish between ethnic
      populations. There are, however, significant differences between Caucasian and
      Asian faces, reflecting not only cultural disparities, but also distinctive
      treatment goals. Unlike aesthetic patients in the West, who usually seek to
      improve the signs of aging, Asian patients are younger and request a broader
      range of indications. METHODS: Members of the Asia-Pacific Consensus group
      comprising specialists from the fields of dermatology, plastic surgery, anatomy,
      and clinical epidemiology-convened to develop consensus recommendations for
      Asians based on their own experience using cohesive polydensified matrix,
      hyaluronic acid, and calcium hydroxylapatite fillers. RESULTS: The Asian face
      demonstrates differences in facial structure and cosmetic ideals. Improving the
      forward projection of the "T zone" (i.e., forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin) forms
      the basis of a safe and effective panfacial approach to the Asian face.
      Successful augmentation may be achieved with both (1) high- and low-viscosity
      cohesive polydensified matrix/hyaluronic acid and (2) calcium hydroxylapatite for
      most indications, although some constraints apply. CONCLUSION: The Asia-Pacific
      Consensus recommendations are the first developed specifically for the use of
      fillers in Asian populations. CLINCIAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic,
      V.

PMID- 26505700
TI  - Comparison of Allergan, Mentor, and Sientra Contoured Cohesive Gel Breast
      Implants: A Single Surgeon's 10-Year Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Contoured cohesive gel breast implants have been recently approved in
      the United States. These implants have been available for premarket approval
      studies for selected surgeons. The purpose of this study was to assess a single
      surgeon's outcomes in three specific clinical situations-breast augmentation,
      secondary augmentation, and breast reconstruction-using implants of all three
      contoured cohesive gel implant manufacturers (Allergan, Mentor, and Sientra) over
      a 10-year period. METHODS: The authors performed a prospective study of contoured
      cohesive silicone gel breast implants. Demographic and outcomes data were
      recorded. Complication rates were compared among the three implant manufacturers.
      RESULTS: From 2001 to 2013, 695 patients were included from U.S. Food and Drug
      Administration clinical trials. Mean age at implantation was 42.7 years (range,
      18 to 82 years), and mean time enrolled was 5.3 years (range, <1 to 10 years).
      One hundred sixty-four patients (24 percent) received Allergan implants, 245 (35
      percent) received Mentor implants, and 286 (41 percent) received Sientra
      implants. Three hundred eighty-four patients (55 percent) underwent primary
      augmentation, 198 (29 percent) underwent secondary augmentation, and 113 (16
      percent) underwent breast reconstruction. The total complication rate was the
      lowest for primary augmentation of the Mentor group compared with the Allergan
      and Sientra groups (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in
      complication rates when used for secondary augmentation and reconstruction. There
      was no statistically significant difference between implant group reoperation,
      explantation, or capsular contracture rates. Overall implant rupture and rotation
      rates were low (0.7 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively). Patient and surgeon
      satisfaction was high. CONCLUSIONS: Contoured cohesive gel breast implants
      overall have low complication rates and high patient and surgeon satisfaction.
      The authors believe these implants to be safe and effective in breast
      augmentation and reconstruction. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Therapeutic, III.

PMID- 26505701
TI  - Risk Factors for Readmission and Adverse Outcomes in Abdominoplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In an era of outcomes-driven medicine, being able to benchmark
      complication rates of various procedures is of utmost importance. The rates of
      readmission, reoperation, and adverse outcomes in abdominoplasty have been
      previously reported, although risk factors for these adverse outcomes have not
      been thoroughly elucidated. This study aims to identify specific independent risk
      factors for readmission and other adverse outcomes of abdominoplasty. METHODS:
      This study retrospectively reviewed the American College of Surgeons National
      Surgical Quality Improvement Program and identified all abdominoplasties
      performed in 2011 and 2012. Univariate logistic regression analysis was used to
      identify significant associations between preoperative risk factors and adverse
      outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was then used to identify
      independent risk factors and causes of readmission and other adverse outcomes.
      RESULTS: Of the 2946 abdominoplasties identified, there were 251 readmissions
      (8.5 percent), 146 reoperations (5.0 percent), and 574 patients (19.5 percent)
      who experienced a general complication. The most common adverse outcomes were
      wound complications in 281 patients (9.5 percent), pulmonary complications in 67
      patients (2.3 percent), and thromboembolic complications in 34 patients (1.2
      percent). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that American Society of
      Anesthesiologists class above 3, preoperative cardiac comorbidities, pulmonary
      comorbidities, wounds or wound infections, postoperative thromboembolic
      complications, wound complications, and having returned to the operating room on
      the primary admission were independent risk factors for readmission. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study provides the first critical analysis of risk factors for 30-day
      readmission in abdominoplasty. These risk factors can aid in patient selection,
      surgical planning, and postoperative allocation of resources for patients
      undergoing abdominoplasty. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Risk, III.

PMID- 26505704
TI  - Soft-Tissue Surgery for Camptodactyly Corrects Skeletal Changes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study demonstrates the potential for radiographic and clinical
      improvement with surgical correction of camptodactyly. Although historically
      these radiographic changes have been held to be permanent, the authors encourage
      surgical intervention for digits with severe flexion contracture or progressive
      radiographic changes before skeletal maturity is reached. METHODS: The authors
      assessed 18 consecutively operated fingers in nine skeletally immature patients
      in whom advanced radiographic articular changes had occurred. Mean preoperative
      flexion contracture was 63 degrees (range, 35 to 105 degrees). The average age of
      the patients was 11 years (range, 4 to 15 years) at the time of surgery. Clinical
      response to surgery was studied, but radiographic articular changes were followed
      postoperatively as a primary outcome. RESULTS: Each patient demonstrated the
      classic preoperative radiographic joint changes on radiographic films at the
      affected proximal interphalangeal or distal interphalangeal joint. All patients
      had substantial clinical improvement postoperatively. Two digits had extensive
      radiographic damage, requiring proximal interphalangeal joint arthrodesis.
      Fifteen of the remaining 16 digits (94 percent) had substantial improvement or
      full restoration of radiographic articular congruency at average follow-up of 9
      months (range, 3 to 18 months). The only joint that did not remodel fully was the
      one that did not have complete clinical correction. CONCLUSIONS: Even in patients
      with severe radiographic changes from camptodactyly, surgery can effectively
      improve range of motion. Once radiographic articular changes become apparent,
      surgical correction should be undertaken not only to prevent further joint damage
      but also to reverse these radiographic changes before skeletal maturity is
      reached. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.

PMID- 26505702
TI  - Dermal Fibroblasts from the Red Duroc Pig Have an Inherently Fibrogenic
      Phenotype: An In Vitro Model of Fibroproliferative Scarring.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The pathophysiology of hypertrophic scarring is unknown in part
      because of the lack of a robust animal model. Although the red Duroc pig has
      emerged as a promising in vivo model, the cellular mechanisms underlying Duroc
      scarring are unknown, and the size and cost of Duroc pigs are obstacles to their
      use. Given the central role of the dermal fibroblast in scarring, the authors
      hypothesized that dermal fibroblasts from the Duroc pig exhibit intrinsic
      differences in key aspects of the fibroblast response to injury compared with
      those from the Yorkshire pig, a same-species control that heals normally.
      METHODS: Duroc and Yorkshire dermal fibroblasts were isolated from uninjured
      dorsal skin. Actin stress fibers and focal adhesions were visualized by
      immunocytochemistry and transmission electron microscopy. Cell migration was
      measured using a scratch wound-closure assay. Contractile function was assessed
      by collagen gel contraction. Expression of scarring-related genes was determined
      by quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and
      transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 protein expression was determined by
      Western blotting. RESULTS: Duroc dermal fibroblasts display increased adhesion
      complex formation, impaired migration, enhanced collagen contraction, and
      profibrotic gene and protein expression profiles compared with Yorkshire
      fibroblasts at baseline. In addition, Duroc fibroblasts overexpressed TGF-beta1
      and were less responsive to exogenous TGF-beta1. CONCLUSIONS: Duroc dermal
      fibroblasts have inherent myofibroblastic differentiation that may account for
      the pathologic scarring in these animals. The authors' data further validate the
      Duroc model and support Duroc fibroblast cell culture as a simple, inexpensive,
      reproducible, and biologically tractable in vitro model for the study of
      fibroproliferative scarring.

PMID- 26505703
TI  - Fibroblast-Specific Deletion of Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1 Critically Impairs
      Murine Cutaneous Neovascularization and Wound Healing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes and aging are known risk factors for impaired
      neovascularization in response to ischemic insult, resulting in chronic wounds,
      and poor outcomes following myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular injury.
      Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha, has been identified as a critical
      regulator of the response to ischemic injury and is dysfunctional in diabetic and
      elderly patients. To better understand the role of this master hypoxia regulator
      within cutaneous tissue, the authors generated and evaluated a fibroblast
      specific HIF-1alpha knockout mouse model. METHODS: The authors generated floxed
      HIF-1 mice (HIF-1) by introducing loxP sites around exon 1 of the HIF-1 allele in
      C57BL/6J mice. Fibroblast-restricted HIF-1alpha knockout (FbKO) mice were
      generated by breeding our HIF-1 with tamoxifen-inducible Col1a2-Cre mice (Col1a2
      CreER). HIF-1alpha knockout was evaluated on a DNA, RNA, and protein level.
      Knockout and wild-type mice were subjected to ischemic flap and wound healing
      models, and CD31 immunohistochemistry was performed to assess vascularity of
      healed wounds. RESULTS: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction of FbKO
      skin demonstrated significantly reduced Hif1 and Vegfa expression compared with
      wild-type. This finding was confirmed at the protein level (p < 0.05). HIF-1alpha
      knockout mice showed significantly impaired revascularization of ischemic tissue
      and wound closure and vascularity (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Loss of HIF-1alpha
      from fibroblasts results in delayed wound healing, reduced wound vascularity, and
      significant impairment in the ischemic neovascular response. These findings
      provide new insight into the importance of cell-specific responses to hypoxia
      during cutaneous neovascularization.

PMID- 26505705
TI  - The Use of an Inferior Pennant Flap during Unilateral Cleft Lip Repair Improves
      Lip Height Symmetry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To improve the rotation of Cupid's bow and achieve sufficient
      vertical lip height, several variations of the Millard rotation-advancement have
      incorporated a small laterally based triangular flap above the cutaneous roll.
      This study uses three-dimensional photogrammetry to evaluate the outcomes of
      unilateral cleft lip repairs performed with and without pennant flaps. METHODS:
      Three-dimensional photographs were analyzed to assess postoperative lip height
      asymmetry in 90 unilateral cleft lip patients (58 complete and 32 incomplete)
      treated between 2001 and 2012. Cleft lip repairs were performed by three
      pediatric cleft surgeons using different techniques. Thirty-nine of 90 procedures
      (43 percent) used an inferiorly placed triangular flap. All patients were
      photographed at least 9 months postoperatively (mean, 4.2 years). Lip height
      asymmetry was based on the vertical distances from the subnasale to the peaks of
      Cupid's bow. RESULTS: Regression analysis revealed that the use of a pennant flap
      was a significant predictor of postoperative lip height asymmetry (beta = 4.2
      percent, p = 0.015). The surgeon performing the repair was also a significant
      factor in patients with complete cleft lips (beta = 3.6 percent, p = 0.005). All
      three surgeons achieved greater lip height symmetry when a pennant flap was
      performed. CONCLUSIONS: The results of unilateral cleft lip repairs are affected
      by both the surgeon and the surgical technique. Procedures that used a pennant
      flap showed better philtral height symmetry than nonpennant repairs. CLINICAL
      QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

PMID- 26505706
TI  - Orbital Dysmorphology in Untreated Children with Crouzon and Apert Syndromes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Orbital dysmorphology and midface retrusion are the hallmarks of
      Crouzon and Apert syndromes. The precise nature of this deficiency is not known.
      METHODS: Untreated Crouzon and Apert syndrome patients and age- and sex-matched
      controls were included. Computed tomographic scans were digitized and
      reconstructed. Craniometric and volumetric data relating to the orbit were
      collected. RESULTS: Thirty-one scans were included (control, n = 12; Crouzon; n =
      9; Apert, n = 10). The mean age of the Apert group was 5.31 +/- 5 years; Crouzon,
      5.77 +/- 2.7 years; and control, 6.4 +/- 3.6 years. The bony orbit length was 12
      percent shorter in Apert (p = 0.004) and 17 percent shorter in the Crouzon group
      when compared to controls (p < 0.0001). The bony orbital volume was 21 percent
      smaller in the Apert children (p = 0.0006) and 23 percent smaller in Crouzon when
      compared to controls (p = 0.003). Globe volume was 15 percent larger in Apert (p
      = 0.008) and 36 percent larger in the Crouzon group when compared to controls (p
      < 0.0001). Orbital soft-tissue volume was 19 percent less in the Apert group (p =
      0.004) and 29 percent less in the Crouzon group (p = 0.001) when compared to
      controls. CONCLUSIONS: A shortened bony orbit, decreased orbital and orbital soft
      tissue volumes, and an increased volume of the globe were found in both
      conditions. Despite normal volume of the overall orbital contents, the contents
      are altered, and the bony orbit is shorter and holds less volume.

PMID- 26505707
TI  - Malar Augmentation with Pedicled Buccal Fat Pad in Orthognathic Surgery: Three
      Dimensional Evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Contemporary orthognathic surgery contemplates three-dimensional
      facial soft-tissue harmonization as one of the basic pillars in treatment
      planning. In particular, prominent malar regions are regarded as a sign of beauty
      and youth by Western societies. The aim of this article was to perform a
      subjective and objective three-dimensional evaluation of the pedicled buccal fat
      pad technique for malar augmentation in the context of orthognathic surgery.
      METHODS: Six consecutive patients with underlying dentofacial anomalies and
      bilateral malar hypoplasia were managed with simultaneous orthognathic surgery
      and pedicled buccal fat pad malar augmentation. Patient morbidity and
      satisfaction with the procedure were evaluated with a visual analogue scale. Cone
      beam computed tomographic data were used to perform a volumetric analysis at 1-
      and 12-month follow-up by means of image superimposition. RESULTS: Subjective
      analysis revealed excellent patient satisfaction and minimal pain. Mean malar
      volume was 115,480.91 mm preoperatively, 124,586.32 mm 1 month after surgery, and
      119,008.77 mm 12 months after surgery. Thus, the final mean increase 1 year after
      surgery was 3527.86 mm and the average amount of resorption was 5577.55 mm. The
      median variations in volume were 7.77 percent at 1-month follow-up and 3.52
      percent at 12-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the pedicled buccal
      fat pad technique is a reasonable alternative for malar augmentation in the
      context of orthognathic surgery. The results of this preliminary report suggest
      that it provides satisfactory soft-tissue augmentation; avoids the use of foreign
      materials; and has minimal morbidity, high patient satisfaction, and adequate
      stability at 12-month follow-up. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Therapeutic, IV.

PMID- 26505708
TI  - Intraparotid Location of the Great Auricular Nerve: A New Anatomical Basis for
      Gustatory Sweating Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gustatory sweating syndrome (also known as Frey syndrome or
      auriculotemporal nerve syndrome) is thought to result from a lesion of the
      auriculotemporal nerve. A lesion of this nerve can lead to aberrant regeneration
      of nerve fibers to the sweat glands and blood vessels. The occurrence of signs
      outside the region of the auriculotemporal nerve prompted the author to search
      for another anatomical basis for this syndrome. METHODS: The author dissected 46
      great auricular nerves from their origin to the parotid gland and in the
      infratemporal fossa. The author investigated the different connections of the
      great auricular nerve with the facial nerve and the auriculotemporal nerve.
      RESULTS: The great auricular nerve was found to essentially be a parotid nerve.
      There was a set of intraparotid nerve connections on 14 of the 46 half-heads that
      were dissected. The author was able to discern three types of parotid great
      auricular nerve connections, which he designates as either type 1, connection
      with the trunk of the facial nerve and its branches; type 2, connection with the
      auriculotemporal nerve; or type 3, connection with the auriculotemporal nerve and
      the facial nerve with the formation of an intraparotid nerve circle. CONCLUSIONS:
      Having clearly established the nerve connections of the great auricular nerve,
      the author believes that it is primarily this nerve that is responsible for
      gustatory sweating syndrome. This allows for a better understanding of the
      sympathetic nervous system features and the manifestation of the syndrome outside
      the region of the auriculotemporal nerve.

PMID- 26505709
TI  - Noninvasive Monitoring of Immune Rejection in Face Transplant Recipients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic rejection leading to allograft loss remains a significant
      concern after facial allotransplantation. Chronic rejection may occur without
      clinical signs or symptoms. The current means of monitoring is histologic
      analyses of allograft biopsy specimens, which is both invasive and impractical.
      Prior data suggest that chronic rejection is associated with changes in intima
      and media thickness of vessels in arms and solid organ allografts; such data have
      not been published for face transplant recipients. METHODS: The authors used a 48
      MHz transducer to acquire images of the bilateral facial, radial, dorsalis pedis
      and, if applicable, sentinel flap arteries in five face transplant recipients (8
      months to 4.5 years after transplantation) and five control subjects. The authors
      assessed the intima, media, and adventitia thickness plus lumen and the total
      vessel diameter and area. RESULTS: Face transplant recipients had thicker intima
      in all sites compared with controls, but the ratio of the intimal thickness of
      facial and radial arteries was similar in face transplant recipients compared
      with controls (1.00 versus 0.95; p = 0.742). Intraobserver correlation showed
      reliable reproducibility of the measurements (r = 0.935, p <= 0.001).
      Interobserver correlation demonstrated reproducibility of intima measurements (r
      = 0.422, p <= 0.001). CONCLUSION: The authors demonstrate that ultrasound
      biomicroscopy is feasible for postsurgical monitoring, and have developed a new
      benchmark parameter, the facial artery-to-radial artery intimal thickness ratio,
      to be used in future testing in the setting of chronic rejection. CLINICAL
      QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic, IV.

PMID- 26505710
TI  - Digital Photograph Security: What Plastic Surgeons Need to Know.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sharing and storing digital patient photographs occur daily in
      plastic surgery. Two major risks associated with the practice, data theft and
      Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violations, have been
      dramatically amplified by high-speed data connections and digital camera
      ubiquity. The authors review what plastic surgeons need to know to mitigate those
      risks and provide recommendations for implementing an ideal, HIPAA-compliant
      solution for plastic surgeons' digital photography needs: smartphones and cloud
      storage. METHODS: Through informal discussions with plastic surgeons, the authors
      identified the most common photograph sharing and storage methods. For each
      method, a literature search was performed to identify the risks of data theft and
      HIPAA violations. HIPAA violation risks were confirmed by the second author
      (P.B.R.), a compliance liaison and privacy officer. A comprehensive review of
      HIPAA-compliant cloud storage services was performed. When possible, informal
      interviews with cloud storage services representatives were conducted. RESULTS:
      The most common sharing and storage methods are not HIPAA compliant, and several
      are prone to data theft. The authors' review of cloud storage services identified
      six HIPAA-compliant vendors that have strong to excellent security protocols and
      policies. These options are reasonably priced. CONCLUSIONS: Digital photography
      and technological advances offer major benefits to plastic surgeons but are not
      without risks. A proper understanding of data security and HIPAA regulations
      needs to be applied to these technologies to safely capture their benefits. Cloud
      storage services offer efficient photograph sharing and storage with layers of
      security to ensure HIPAA compliance and mitigate data theft risk.

PMID- 26505711
TI  - So, You Want to Make Your Bucket List? Where and When to Start.

PMID- 26505712
TI  - Shaping a Career in Plastic Surgery: Balancing the "Three Fs".

PMID- 26505714
TI  - Thoracic Intercostal Nerve Blocks Reduce Opioid Consumption and Length of Stay in
      Patients Undergoing Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traditionally, narcotics have been used for analgesia after breast
      surgery. However, these agents have unpleasant side effects. Intercostal nerve
      blockade is an alternative technique to improve postoperative pain. In this
      study, the authors investigate outcomes in patients who receive thoracic
      intercostal nerve blocks for implant-based breast reconstruction. METHODS: A
      retrospective chart review was performed. The operative technique for breast
      reconstruction and administration of nerve blocks is detailed. Demographic
      factors, length of stay, and complications were recorded. The consumption of
      morphine, Valium, Zofran, and oxycodone was recorded. Data sets for patients
      receiving thoracic intercostal nerve blocks were compared against those that did
      not. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-two patients were included. For patients
      undergoing bilateral reconstruction with nerve blocks, there was a significant
      reduction in length of stay (1.87 days versus 2.32 days; p = 0.001), consumption
      of intravenous morphine (5.15 mg versus 12.68 mg; p = 0.041) and Valium (22.24 mg
      versus 31.13 mg; p = 0.026). For patients undergoing unilateral reconstruction
      with nerve blocks, there was a significant reduction in consumption of
      intravenous morphine (2.80 mg versus 8.17 mg; p = 0.007). For bilateral
      reconstruction with intercostal nerve block, cost savings equaled $2873.14 per
      patient. For unilateral reconstruction with intercostal nerve block, cost savings
      equaled $1532.34 per patient. CONCLUSION: The authors' data demonstrate a
      reduction in the consumption of pain medication, in the hospital length of stay,
      and in hospital costs for patients receiving intercostal nerve blocks at the time
      of pectoralis elevation for implant-based breast reconstruction. CLINICAL
      QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

PMID- 26505715
TI  - Prevention of Capsular Contracture Using Leukotriene Antagonists.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Capsular contracture is a common occurrence in plastic surgery, with
      a prevalence varying from 0.5 percent up to 30 percent. Although the standard
      treatment is capsulectomy, alternative treatments have been studied, such as the
      use of leukotriene inhibitors. These drugs have recently been evaluated in the
      prophylaxis of contracture. The authors aimed to assess the efficacy of
      montelukast (Singulair) in the prevention of capsular contracture in patients
      undergoing mammaplasty with textured silicone prostheses. METHODS: The authors
      followed 82 patients (164 breasts) for a minimum of 2 years. Of these, 37 were
      administered montelukast. RESULTS: The number of affected patients and the
      severity were higher among the 45 patients who did not use montelukast.
      CONCLUSION: The prophylactic use of Singulair was, in this sample, shown to be
      effective in helping to reduce the incidence of capsular contracture. CLINICAL
      QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

PMID- 26505716
TI  - Abdominoplasty: Risk Factors, Complication Rates, and Safety of Combined
      Procedures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Among aesthetic surgery procedures, abdominoplasty is associated with
      a higher complication rate, but previous studies are limited by small sample
      sizes or single-institution experience. METHODS: A cohort of patients who
      underwent abdominoplasty between 2008 and 2013 was identified from the
      CosmetAssure database. Major complications were recorded. Univariate and
      multivariate analysis was performed evaluating risk factors, including age,
      smoking, body mass index, sex, diabetes, type of surgical facility, and combined
      procedures. RESULTS: The authors identified 25,478 abdominoplasties from 183,914
      procedures in the database. Of these, 8,975 patients had abdominoplasty alone and
      16,503 underwent additional procedures. The number of complications recorded was
      1,012 (4.0 percent overall rate versus 1.4 percent in other aesthetic surgery
      procedures). Of these, 31.5 percent were hematomas, 27.2 percent were infections
      and 20.2 percent were suspected or confirmed venous thromboembolism. On
      multivariate analysis, significant risk factors (p < 0.05) included male sex
      (relative risk, 1.8), age 55 years or older (1.4), body mass index greater than
      or equal to 30 (1.3), multiple procedures (1.5), and procedure performance in a
      hospital or surgical center versus office-based surgical suite (1.6). Combined
      procedures increased the risk of complication (abdominoplasty alone, 3.1 percent;
      with liposuction, 3.8 percent; breast procedure, 4.3 percent; liposuction and
      breast procedure, 4.6 percent; body-contouring procedure, 6.8 percent;
      liposuction and body-contouring procedure, 10.4 percent). CONCLUSIONS:
      Abdominoplasty is associated with a higher complication rate compared with other
      aesthetic procedures. Combined procedures can significantly increase complication
      rates and should be considered carefully in higher risk patients. CLINICAL
      QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Risk, II.

PMID- 26505717
TI  - Closed Microfracture Technique for Surgical Correction of Inferior Turbinate
      Hypertrophy in Rhinoplasty: Safety and Technical Considerations.
AB  - An abundance of surgical procedures are in use for the management of inferior
      turbinate hypertrophy in rhinoplasty patients. An ideal treatment approach is
      elusive, given the variability of patient presentation regarding obstructive
      nasal airway, significant complications associated with techniques that cause
      mucosal trauma, and the high recurrence rates associated with more conservative
      techniques. In an effort to improve patient safety, the authors describe a
      conservative technique-the closed microfracture-that provides an effective
      functional airway improvement and minimal to no complications. The authors
      propose a treatment approach for enlarged inferior turbinates based on turbinate
      subtype. 

PMID- 26505718
TI  - The Systemic Effect of Burn Injury and Trauma on Muscle and Bone Mass and
      Composition.
AB  - BACKGROUND: By understanding the global inflammatory effects on distant
      myopathies, surgeons can better guide the rehabilitative process for burn
      patients. The authors tested the systemic effect of burn injury on distant
      injured muscle and native bone using immunohistochemistry and validated a new
      morphometric analytic modality to reproducibly quantify muscle atrophy using
      computed tomographic imaging. METHODS: In vivo studies were performed on C57/BL6
      mice using an Achilles tenotomy with concurrent burn injury model. Total muscle
      and bone (tibia and fibula) volume/density were quantified near the site of
      Achilles tenotomy using micro-computed tomography at 5, 7, and 9 to 12 weeks
      after surgery. The impact of burn injury on the inflammatory cascade [nuclear
      factor (NF)-kappaB, p-NF-kappaB] and the interconnected protein catabolism
      signaling pathway (Atrogin-1) was assessed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS:
      Muscle volume and density at the site of Achilles tenotomy in burned mice were
      significantly diminished compared with nonburned mice at 5 weeks and 9 to 12
      weeks. Similar decreases in muscle volume and density were observed when
      comparing tenotomy to no tenotomy. Cortical bone health remained stable in
      burn/tenotomy mice compared with tenotomy. Muscle atrophy was associated with up
      regulation of p-NF-kappaB, NF-kappaB, and Atrogin-1 assessed by
      immunohistochemistry. CONCLUSIONS: Burn injury significantly decreases muscle
      volume and density. Increased muscle atrophy using our computed tomographic
      morphometric analysis correlated with a significant increase in intramuscular
      inflammatory markers and proteolysis enzymes. This study demonstrates a unique
      characterization of how burn injuries may worsen local myopathy. Moreover, it
      provides a novel approach for quantifying muscle atrophy over an expanded period.

PMID- 26505719
TI  - Effectiveness of Bone Marrow Stromal Cell Sheets in Maintaining Random-Pattern
      Skin Flaps in an Experimental Animal Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bone marrow stromal cells can be applied therapeutically to enhance
      angiogenesis; however, the use of bone marrow stromal cell suspensions reduces
      efficiency because of low-level attachment. The authors hypothesized that bone
      marrow stromal cell sheets would facilitate cell fixation, thus enhancing
      angiogenesis. The authors investigated flap survival area and enhancement of
      angiogenic factors in a rat random-pattern skin flap model after application of
      bone marrow stromal cell sheets. METHODS: Bone marrow stromal cell sheets
      (prepared from 7-week-old rat femurs) were cultured under four different hypoxic
      conditions. Sheets with the highest angiogenic potential, determined by an in
      vitro pilot study, were injected into subcutaneous layers of the rat dorsum (bone
      marrow stromal cell sheet group). A control group (phosphate-buffered saline
      only) was included. On day 2 after injection, caudally based random-pattern skin
      flaps (12 * 3 cm) were elevated. On day 7 after elevation, surviving skin flap
      areas were measured. Skin samples were harvested from each flap and gene
      expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast
      growth factor were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.
      RESULTS: Skin flap survival area (71.6 +/- 2.3 percent versus 51.5 +/- 3.3
      percent) and levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast
      growth factor were significantly higher in the bone marrow stromal cell sheet
      group than in the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Implantation of bone
      marrow stromal cell sheets increased the survival area of random-pattern skin
      flaps. Expression of angiogenic factors may have contributed to the increased
      flap survival.

PMID- 26505720
TI  - Noninvasive Ultrasound of the Tibial Muscle for Longitudinal Analysis of Nerve
      Regeneration in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Today's criterion standards for measuring functional recovery after
      nerve trauma in experimental studies are the muscle mass ratio and the isometric
      tetanic force; both tests are invasive and require a sacrificial procedure. The
      authors propose ultrasound as a noninvasive method to determine muscle atrophy,
      and evaluate its validity and reliability by comparing it to muscle mass ratio,
      isometric tetanic force, and histology. METHODS: Fifty rats sustained a 10-mm
      autograft sciatic nerve reconstruction. With a 2-week interval, five animals were
      tested with a total follow-up of 20 weeks. The functional recovery of the hind
      limb muscles was measured with ultrasound, muscle mass ratio, and isometric
      tetanic force. In addition, neuromuscular junctions were analyzed histologically.
      The different evaluation techniques were compared and the reliability of the
      ultrasound was determined. RESULTS: Four weeks after denervation, extensive
      muscle atrophy resulted in a decrease of muscle mass up to 30 percent. Ultrasound
      showed good correlations with muscle mass ratio for both tibial (r = 0.85) and
      gastrocnemius muscles (r = 0.89). Both intrarater reliability (r = 0.97) and
      interrater reliability (r = 0.88) of the ultrasound were high. The correlation
      with force was lower (0.62) but still statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS:
      Ultrasound measurement of muscle atrophy was highly correlated with the criterion
      standard muscle mass ratio and was also significantly correlated with isometric
      tetanic force. Histologic evaluation confirmed the regeneration pattern observed
      with ultrasound. The authors propose that ultrasound can be used as a valid
      alternative to muscle mass ratio to study muscle atrophy after nerve injury in a
      less-invasive and more animal-friendly manner.

PMID- 26505721
TI  - The Effect of Medicaid Expansion on Delivery of Finger and Thumb Replantation
      Care to Medicaid Beneficiaries and the Uninsured.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite advances in replantation, over 80 percent of finger and thumb
      amputation injuries in the United States result in revision amputation. Although
      numerous factors contribute to this, disparities in access and delivery of
      replantation care play a substantial role. With ongoing Medicaid expansion under
      the Affordable Care Act, it is prudent to understand whether expansion of
      coverage changes use of replantation care. METHODS: The authors used the 2001
      Medicaid expansion in New York State to evaluate changes in replantation for
      Medicaid beneficiaries and the uninsured. Data for patients having undergone
      replantation between 1998 and 2006 were obtained from the New York State
      Inpatient Database. The authors used an interrupted time series to evaluate the
      effect of Medicaid expansion on the probability that Medicaid beneficiaries or
      uninsured patients underwent replantation. Census data were used for population
      adjusted case volume analysis. RESULTS: After expansion, the likelihood of
      Medicaid as the primary payer for replantation increased 0.0059 percent per
      quarter, reaching a 1.7 percent increase 5 years after expansion. With population
      based analysis, this indicates that Medicaid covered 12 additional replantation
      cases in New York State annually. After expansion, 11 fewer of the replantation
      cases in New York State each year were provided to patients without health care
      coverage. CONCLUSIONS: Medicaid expansion resulted in a modest but significant
      increase in replantation for Medicaid beneficiaries. In addition, fewer patients
      that underwent replantation remained uninsured. Considering the substantial cost
      and effort burden of replantation, these findings support the benefits of
      Medicaid expansion on delivery and payer coverage of replantation.

PMID- 26505722
TI  - Permanent Tooth Agenesis and Maxillary Hypoplasia in Patients with Unilateral
      Cleft Lip and Palate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maxillary growth in patients with clefts is highly variable. The
      authors' aim was to investigate whether severity of maxillary hypoplasia is
      associated with the presence of permanent tooth agenesis in children with
      complete unilateral cleft lip and palate. METHODS: Fifty children with complete
      unilateral cleft lip and palate were divided into two groups of 25 children. One
      group had tooth agenesis of the cleft maxillary lateral incisor, whereas the
      other did not. Panoramic radiographs, lateral cephalometric radiographs, and
      dental casts were available for all children in the mixed dentition phase before
      preparation for alveolar bone grafting. The Modified Huddart/Bodenham scoring
      system was used to determine dental arch relationships on dental casts. Lateral
      cephalometric radiographs were traced and analyzed. Differences between groups
      were investigated using independent samples t tests. RESULTS: Children with
      complete unilateral cleft lip and palate and tooth agenesis presented with more
      negative Modified Huddart/Bodenham scores (-12.4 +/- 5.2) than those without
      tooth agenesis (-5.4 +/- 3.5) (p < 0.001), representing more severe arch
      constriction. These children also presented cephalometrically with reduced basal
      maxillary length (2.2 mm shorter; p = 0.043), alveolar maxillary length (2.9 mm
      shorter; p = 0.009), and alveolar maxillary protrusion (2.9 degrees less; p =
      0.049) compared to those without tooth agenesis. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with
      complete unilateral cleft lip and palate and tooth agenesis demonstrate more
      deficient maxillary growth than those without tooth agenesis. This is evident in
      both the sagittal and vertical dimensions, and when looking at the dentoalveolar
      intermaxillary relationships. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Risk, II.

PMID- 26505723
TI  - Comparison of Outcomes for Normal Saline and an Antiseptic Solution for Negative
      Pressure Wound Therapy with Instillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Negative-pressure wound therapy with instillation is an adjunctive
      treatment that uses periodic instillation of a solution and negative pressure for
      a wide diversity of wounds. A variety of solutions have been reported, with
      topical antiseptics as the most frequently chosen option. The objective of this
      study was to compare the outcomes of normal saline versus an antiseptic solution
      for negative-pressure wound therapy with instillation for the adjunctive
      treatment of infected wounds. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized,
      effectiveness study comparing 0.9% normal saline versus 0.1% polyhexanide plus
      0.1% betaine for the adjunctive treatment of infected wounds that required
      hospital admission and operative debridement. One hundred twenty-three patients
      were eligible, with 100 patients randomized for the intention-to-treat analysis
      and 83 patients for the per-protocol analysis. The surrogate outcomes measured
      were number of operative visits, length of hospital stay, time to final surgical
      procedure, proportion of closed or covered wounds, and proportion of wounds that
      remained closed or covered at the 30-day follow-up. RESULTS: There were no
      statistically significant differences in the demographic profiles in the two
      cohorts except for a larger proportion of male patients (p = 0.004). There was no
      statistically significant difference in the surrogate outcomes with the exception
      of the time to final surgical procedure favoring normal saline (p = 0.038).
      CONCLUSION: The authors' results suggest that 0.9% normal saline may be as
      effective as an antiseptic (0.1% polyhexanide plus 0.1% betaine) for negative
      pressure wound therapy with instillation for the adjunctive inpatient management
      of infected wounds. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, II.

PMID- 26505724
TI  - The Superior-Edge-of-the-Knee Incision Method in Lymphaticovenular Anastomosis
      for Lower Extremity Lymphedema.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lymphatic vessel diameter and lymph flow are important for accurate
      anastomosis and effective lymph-to-venous flow in lymphaticovenular anastomosis.
      The authors developed a reliable method, the superioredge-of-the-knee incision
      method, for detecting and making the best use of high-flow lymphatic vessels in
      the distal medial thigh between the deep and superficial fascia, where movement
      of the knee, combined with compression between these fascial layers,
      theoretically results in upward propulsion of lymphatic fluid. METHODS:
      Intraoperative detection of large lymphatic vessels and of venous reflux and
      postoperative lymphedematous volume reduction were compared between 15 patients
      in whom lymphaticovenular anastomoses with the superior-edge-of-the-knee incision
      method were undergone and 15 in whom conventional lymphaticovenular anastomoses
      were undergone. RESULTS: Lymphaticovenular anastomosis at the thigh yielded 30
      anastomoses in the superior-edge-of-the-knee incision group and 32 anastomoses in
      the non-superior-edge-of-the-knee incision group. Large lymphatic vessels were
      more frequently found in the superior-edge-of-the-knee incision group than in the
      non-superior-edge-of-the-knee incision group (60.0 percent versus 18.8 percent; p
      = 0.002). Venous reflux occurred less frequently in the superior-edge-of-the-knee
      incision group than in the non-superior-edge-of-the-knee incision group (10.0
      percent versus 65.6 percent; p < 0.001). Reduction of the lower extremity
      lymphedema index was significantly greater in the superior-edge-of-the-knee
      incision group than in the non-superior-edge-of-the-knee incision group (24.427
      +/- 12.400 versus 0.032 +/- 20.535; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The superior-edge-of
      the-knee incision method facilitates detection and use of large, high-flow
      lymphatic vessels in the distal medial thigh, both of which are important for
      optimum therapeutic effects in patients with lower extremity lymphedema. CLINICAL
      QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

PMID- 26505725
TI  - Face Lift.
AB  - LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After studying this article, the participant should be able
      to: 1. Identify the essential anatomy of the aging face and its relationship to
      face-lift surgery. 2. Understand the common operative approaches to the aging
      face and a historical perspective. 3. Understand and describe the common
      complications following face lifting and treatment options. SUMMARY: Surgical
      rejuvenation of the aging face remains one of the most commonly performed plastic
      surgery procedures. This article reviews the anatomy of the face and its impact
      on surgical correction. In addition, this review discusses the evolution of
      various face-lift techniques and the current surgical approach to the aging face.
      Finally, this article discusses potential postoperative complications after
      rhytidectomy and management solutions.

PMID- 26505726
TI  - Financial Conflicts of Interest: An Association between Funding and Findings in
      Plastic Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite a growing interest in examining the effects of industry
      funding on research in plastic surgery, no study to date has comprehensively
      examined the effects of financial conflicts of interest on publication outcomes.
      The authors investigated the association between financial conflicts of interest
      and reported study findings in plastic surgery research. METHODS: The authors
      reviewed all entries in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Annals of Plastic
      Surgery, and Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery from January
      1, 2012, to December 31, 2012. All clinical and basic science articles were
      analyzed. The following article characteristics were extracted: self-reported
      financial conflicts of interest, sample size, level of evidence, study design,
      and prospectiveness. The findings reported in each abstract were blindly graded
      as not applicable, negative, or positive. RESULTS: Of the 1650 abstracts that
      resulted from the authors' initial search, 568 fulfilled the inclusion criteria.
      The majority of the included articles covered breast (20.8 percent), experimental
      (19.7 percent), and general reconstruction (31.69 percent). Financial conflicts
      of interest were disclosed in only 17.6 percent of the articles. Of the total
      studies that met inclusion criteria, 66.2 percent were reviewed as having
      positive outcomes, and 33.8 percent were reviewed as having negative or not
      applicable results. Studies that disclosed a financial conflict of interest were
      7.12 times more likely (p < 0.0001) to present a positive outcome over a negative
      outcome compared with studies with no financial conflict of interest. CONCLUSION:
      Investigators with a financial conflict of interest are significantly more likely
      to publish plastic surgery studies with a positive conclusion compared with
      investigators with no conflicts of interest.

PMID- 26505727
TI  - Reply: Comparison of Postoperative Pain Control in Autologous Abdominal Free Flap
      versus Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction.

PMID- 26505728
TI  - Line-of-Nines Guide to Define Points B and C in Mastopexy and Reduction
      Mammaplasty.

PMID- 26505730
TI  - Nanoantioxidant-driven plasmon enhanced proton-coupled electron transfer.
AB  - Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions involve the transfer of a
      proton and an electron and play an important role in a number of chemical and
      biological processes. Here, we describe a novel phenomenon, plasmon-enhanced
      PCET, which is manifested using SiO2-coated Ag nanoparticles functionalized with
      gallic acid (GA), a natural antioxidant molecule that can perform PCET. These GA
      functionalized nanoparticles show enhanced plasmonic response at near-IR
      wavelengths, due to particle agglomeration caused by the GA molecules. Near-IR
      laser irradiation induces strong local hot-spots on the SiO2-coated Ag
      nanoparticles, as evidenced by surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). This
      leads to plasmon energy transfer to the grafted GA molecules that lowers the GA
      OH bond dissociation enthalpy by at least 2 kcal mol(-1) and therefore
      facilitates PCET. The nanoparticle-driven plasmon-enhancement of PCET brings
      together the so far unrelated research domains of nanoplasmonics and
      electron/proton translocation with significant impact on applications based on
      interfacial electron/proton transfer. 

PMID- 26505731
TI  - Assay Development for Image-Based Quantification of Intracellular Bacterial
      Replication and Analysis of the Innate Immune Response to Infection.
AB  - Severe bacterial infection can lead to inflammation, host tissue damage, and
      ultimately disseminated septic shock. The mammalian innate immune system responds
      to microbial infection through the detection of invariant pathogen-associated
      molecular patterns (PAMPs) by a range of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs)
      expressed by the host cell. A successful immune response involves tightly
      coordinated signaling from these receptors, leading to a robust transcriptional
      response producing cytokines and antimicrobial effectors. While the PRR
      expressing phagocytes of the host innate immune system function to contain and
      degrade internalized bacteria through pathways such as selective autophagy,
      pathogenic bacteria may subvert this process to replicate in the host cell. We
      describe the development of imaging assays to investigate these host-pathogen
      interactions through gene perturbation screens, which could lead to the
      identification of novel effectors of the host response to bacterial infection. We
      identify markers of coordinated initial signaling in macrophages challenged with
      ligands to PRRs of the toll-like receptor (TLR) family and compare this response
      to that induced by intact bacteria of the Burkholderia cenocepacia complex (Bcc),
      an opportunistic pathogen that causes life-threatening infections in patients
      with cystic fibrosis and chronic granulomatous disease. Bcc has been shown to
      escape the endocytic pathway, activate selective autophagy, and replicate within
      human macrophages. We demonstrate robust image-based quantification of multiple
      stages of Bcc infection of macrophages: ubiquitin tagging of cytosolic bacteria,
      recruitment of selective autophagy effector proteins, and intracellular bacterial
      replication, and we show perturbation of bacterial replication using drug
      treatment or siRNA-based gene knockdown. The described panel of imaging assays
      can be extended to other bacterial infections and pathogenic ligand combinations
      where high-content siRNA screening could provide significant new insight into
      regulation of the innate immune response to infection. 

PMID- 26505732
TI  - Symmetry-directed control of electronic coupling for singlet fission in covalent
      bis-acene dimers.
AB  - While singlet fission (SF) has developed in recent years within material
      settings, much less is known about its control in covalent dimers. Such platforms
      are of fundamental importance and may also find practical use in next-generation
      dye-sensitized solar cell applications or for seeding SF at interfaces following
      exciton transport. Here, facile theoretical tools based on Boys localization
      methods are used to predict diabatic coupling for SF via determination of one
      electron orbital coupling matrix elements. The results expose important design
      rules that are rooted in point group symmetry. For Cs-symmetric dimers, pathways
      for SF that are mediated by virtual charge transfer excited states destructively
      interfere with negative impact on the magnitude of diabatic coupling for SF. When
      dimers have C2 symmetry, constructive interference is enabled for certain readily
      achievable interchromophore orientations. Three sets of dimers exploiting these
      ideas are explored: a bis-tetracene pair and two sets of aza-substituted
      tetracene dimers. Remarkable control is shown. In one aza-substituted set,
      symmetry has no impact on SF reaction thermodynamics but leads to a 16-fold
      manipulation in SF diabatic coupling. This translates to a difference of nearly
      300 in kSF with the faster of the two dimers (C2) being predicted to undergo the
      process on a nearly ultrafast 1.5 ps time scale. 

PMID- 26505729
TI  - Different doses of prophylactic platelet transfusion for preventing bleeding in
      people with haematological disorders after myelosuppressive chemotherapy or stem
      cell transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Platelet transfusions are used in modern clinical practice to prevent
      and treat bleeding in people who are thrombocytopenic due to bone marrow failure.
      Although considerable advances have been made in platelet transfusion therapy in
      the last 40 years, some areas continue to provoke debate, especially concerning
      the use of prophylactic platelet transfusions for the prevention of
      thrombocytopenic bleeding.This is an update of a Cochrane review first published
      in 2004, and updated in 2012 that addressed four separate questions: prophylactic
      versus therapeutic-only platelet transfusion policy; prophylactic platelet
      transfusion threshold; prophylactic platelet transfusion dose; and platelet
      transfusions compared to alternative treatments. This review has now been split
      into four smaller reviews; this review compares different platelet transfusion
      doses. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether different doses of prophylactic platelet
      transfusions (platelet transfusions given to prevent bleeding) affect their
      efficacy and safety in preventing bleeding in people with haematological
      disorders undergoing myelosuppressive chemotherapy with or without haematopoietic
      stem cell transplantation (HSCT). SEARCH METHODS: We searched for randomised
      controlled trials in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)
      (Cochrane Library 2015, Issue 6), MEDLINE (from 1946), Embase (from 1974), CINAHL
      (from 1937), the Transfusion Evidence Library (from 1950), and ongoing trial
      databases to 23 July 2015. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials
      involving transfusions of platelet concentrates, prepared either from individual
      units of whole blood or by apheresis, and given to prevent bleeding in people
      with malignant haematological disorders or undergoing HSCT that compared
      different platelet component doses (low dose 1.1 x 10(11)/m(2) +/- 25%, standard
      dose 2.2 x 10(11)/m(2) +/- 25%, high dose 4.4 x 10(11)/m(2) +/- 25%). DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used the standard methodological procedures expected
      by The Cochrane Collaboration. MAIN RESULTS: We included seven trials (1814
      participants) in this review; six were conducted during one course of treatment
      (chemotherapy or HSCT).Overall the methodological quality of studies was low to
      moderate across different outcomes according to GRADE methodology. None of the
      included studies were at low risk of bias in every domain, and all the included
      studies had some threats to validity.Five studies reported the number of
      participants with at least one clinically significant bleeding episode within 30
      days from the start of the study. There was no difference in the number of
      participants with a clinically significant bleeding episode between the low-dose
      and standard-dose groups (four studies; 1170 participants; risk ratio (RR) 1.04,
      95% confidence interval (CI) 0.95 to 1.13; moderate-quality evidence); low-dose
      and high-dose groups (one study; 849 participants; RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.11;
      moderate-quality evidence); or high-dose and standard-dose groups (two studies;
      951 participants; RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.11; moderate-quality evidence).Three
      studies reported the number of days with a clinically significant bleeding event
      per participant. There was no difference in the number of days of bleeding per
      participant between the low-dose and standard-dose groups (two studies; 230
      participants; mean difference -0.17, 95% CI -0.51 to 0.17; low quality evidence).
      One study (855 participants) showed no difference in the number of days of
      bleeding per participant between high-dose and standard-dose groups, or between
      low-dose and high-dose groups (849 participants).Three studies reported the
      number of participants with severe or life-threatening bleeding. There was no
      difference in the number of participants with severe or life-threatening bleeding
      between a low-dose and a standard-dose platelet transfusion policy (three
      studies; 1059 participants; RR 1.33, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.92; low-quality evidence);
      low-dose and high-dose groups (one study; 849 participants; RR 1.20, 95% CI 0.82
      to 1.77; low-quality evidence); or high-dose and standard-dose groups (one study;
      855 participants; RR 1.11, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.68; low-quality evidence).Two studies
      reported the time to first bleeding episodes; we were unable to perform a meta
      analysis. Both studies (959 participants) individually found that the time to
      first bleeding episode was either the same, or longer, in the low-dose group
      compared to the standard-dose group. One study (855 participants) found that the
      time to the first bleeding episode was the same in the high-dose group compared
      to the standard-dose group.Three studies reported all-cause mortality within 30
      days from the start of the study. There was no difference in all-cause mortality
      between treatment arms (low-dose versus standard-dose: three studies; 1070
      participants; RR 2.04, 95% CI 0.70 to 5.93; low-quality evidence; low-dose versus
      high-dose: one study; 849 participants; RR 1.33, 95% CI 0.50 to 3.54; low-quality
      evidence; and high-dose versus standard-dose: one study; 855 participants; RR
      1.71, 95% CI 0.51 to 5.81; low-quality evidence).Six studies reported the number
      of platelet transfusions; we were unable to perform a meta-analysis. Two studies
      (959 participants) out of three (1070 participants) found that a low-dose
      transfusion strategy led to more transfusion episodes than a standard-dose. One
      study (849 participants) found that a low-dose transfusion strategy led to more
      transfusion episodes than a high-dose strategy. One study (855 participants) out
      of three (1007 participants) found no difference in the number of platelet
      transfusions between the high-dose and standard-dose groups.One study reported on
      transfusion reactions. This study's authors suggested that a high-dose platelet
      transfusion strategy may lead to a higher rate of transfusion-related adverse
      events.None of the studies reported quality-of-life. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: In
      haematology patients who are thrombocytopenic due to myelosuppressive
      chemotherapy or HSCT, we found no evidence to suggest that a low-dose platelet
      transfusion policy is associated with an increased bleeding risk compared to a
      standard-dose or high-dose policy, or that a high-dose platelet transfusion
      policy is associated with a decreased risk of bleeding when compared to a
      standard-dose policy.A low-dose platelet transfusion strategy leads to an
      increased number of transfusion episodes compared to a standard-dose strategy. A
      high-dose platelet transfusion strategy does not decrease the number of
      transfusion episodes per participant compared to a standard-dose regimen, and it
      may increase the number of transfusion-related adverse events.Findings from this
      review would suggest a change from current practice, with low-dose platelet
      transfusions used for people receiving in-patient treatment for their
      haematological disorder and high-dose platelet transfusion strategies not being
      used routinely.

PMID- 26505734
TI  - Differential Effects of Axin2 Deficiency on the Fibrogenic and Regenerative
      Response in Livers of Bile Duct-Ligated Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wnt signaling is involved in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis.
      Axin2 is a negative regulator of the canonical Wnt pathway by promoting beta
      catenin degradation. beta-Catenin-activating and loss-of-function mutations of
      Axin2 are thought to be functionally relevant for liver diseases and cancer.
      Thus, we hypothesized that Axin2 deficiency promotes fibrogenesis. METHODS: As
      the functions and mechanisms of how Axin2/beta-catenin signaling participates in
      the progression of liver fibrosis are unclear, we investigated the progression of
      liver fibrosis in Axin2-deficient mice using Axin2-LacZ reporter mice (Axin2+/-,
      Axin2-/-, and Axin2+/+) which underwent bile duct ligation (BDL). RESULTS: Here,
      we show that the expression of Axin2 is downregulated during fibrogenesis in wild
      type mice, which is consistent with a decreased expression of the reporter gene
      LacZ in Axin2+/- and Axin2-/- mice. Surprisingly, no alteration in active beta
      catenin/Wnt signaling occurs in Axin2-deficient mice upon BDL. Despite a less
      pronounced liver injury, Axin2 deficiency had only minor and no significant
      effects on the fibrogenic response upon BDL, i.e. slightly reduced hepatic
      stellate cell activity and collagen mRNA expression. However, livers of Axin2-/-
      mice shared a stronger cell proliferation both already at baseline as well as
      immediately after BDL. CONCLUSION: Our results strongly suggest, contrary to
      expectation, that a deficiency in Axin2 is not equivalent to an increase in
      active beta-catenin and target genes, indicating no functional relevance of Axin2
      dependent regulation of the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in the progression
      of cholestatic liver injury. This also suggests that the negligible effects of
      Axin2 deficiency during fibrogenesis may be related to an alternative pathway.

PMID- 26505733
TI  - Isolation and characterization of human intestinal Enterococcus avium EFEL009
      converting rutin to quercetin.
AB  - Quercetin is a flavonol believed to have beneficial effects on human health.
      Rutin, found in many plants, fruits and vegetables, is metabolized by human
      intestinal bacteria and converted to quercetin, where it is absorbed through the
      intestinal epithelium. This study aimed to isolate and characterize human
      intestinal bacteria capable of converting rutin to quercetin. A bacterium that
      can metabolize rutin was isolated from human faecal samples and identified by 16S
      rRNA gene sequencing. The whole-cell enzymatic activities on flavonoid glycoside
      and the conversion profiles of the isolate were also analysed. The bacterium was
      identified as Enterococcus avium EFEL009 and was shown to convert rutin to
      isoquercetin and then to quercetin under anaerobic conditions. Microscopic
      analysis revealed short chains of cocci with diameters of approx. 1 MUm. beta
      Glucosidase was shown to be constitutively expressed in Ent. avium, while alpha
      rhamnosidase was expressed following induction by rutin. Both enzymes were mainly
      localized to the cell surface. This study is the first report on the isolation of
      a quercetin-producing Ent. avium FEEL009, which could be a potential industrial
      starter bacterium. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Quercetin is a member of
      the flavonoids family reported to have better cytoprotective abilities, stronger
      inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production, and better
      chemoprevention than rutin. This is the first report on the isolation and
      characterization of Enterococcus avium EFEL009 from the human intestine which is
      capable of converting rutin to quercetin.

PMID- 26505735
TI  - Somatostatin-Immunoreactive Pancreaticoduodenal Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: Twenty
      Three Cases Evaluated according to the WHO 2010 Classification.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Neuroendocrine neoplasms of the pancreas and duodenum with
      predominant or exclusive immunoreactivity for somatostatin (pdSOMs) are rare, and
      knowledge about tumour biology, treatment, survival and prognostic factors is
      limited. This study aims to describe clinical, pathological and biochemical
      features as well as treatment and prognosis of pdSOMs. DESIGN: Twenty-three
      patients with pdSOM (9 duodenal, 12 pancreatic and 2 unknown primary tumours)
      were identified from our prospective neuroendocrine tumour database, and data
      according to the study aims were recorded. RESULTS: Among the 9 patients with
      duodenal SOM, the male/female ratio was 4/5. All males and 1 female had
      neurofibromatosis type 1. Seven patients had stage 1A/B and 2 had stage 2B
      disease. The Ki-67 index was 1-5% (median 2%). Plasma somatostatin was elevated
      in the patients with 2B disease. Of the 14 patients with pancreatic SOM or an
      unknown primary tumour, the male/female ratio was 2/12. One male had multiple
      endocrine neoplasia type 1. Five had stage 1A/2B and 9 had stage 4. The Ki-67
      index was 1-40% (median 7%). Plasma somatostatin was elevated in 7 patients.
      Patients reported symptoms related to the somatostatinoma syndrome, but none
      fulfilled the criteria for a full syndrome. Primary tumour in the pancreas,
      metastatic disease at diagnosis and higher tumour grade were all associated with
      significantly poorer survival. CONCLUSION: None of the patients with pdSOM
      presented with the full somatostatinoma syndrome. Prognostic factors are
      localisation of the primary tumour, dissemination and tumour grade. A Ki-67 index
      of 5% may discriminate the course of the disease.

PMID- 26505738
TI  - Fabry-Perot Microcavity Modes in Single GaP/GaNP Core/Shell Nanowires.
AB  - Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are attracting increasing interest as nanobuilding
      blocks for optoelectronics and photonics. A novel material system that is highly
      suitable for these applications are GaNP NWs. In this article, we show that
      individual GaP/GaNP core/shell nanowires (NWs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy on
      Si substrates can act as Fabry-Perot (FP) microcavities. This conclusion is based
      on results of microphotoluminescence (MU-PL) measurements performed on individual
      NWs, which reveal periodic undulations of the PL intensity that follow an
      expected pattern of FP cavity modes. The cavity is concluded to be formed along
      the NW axis with the end facets acting as reflecting mirrors. The formation of
      the FP modes is shown to be facilitated by an increasing index contrast with the
      surrounding media. Spectral dependence of the group refractive index is also
      determined for the studied NWs. The observation of the FP microcavity modes in
      the GaP/GaNP core/shell NWs can be considered as a first step toward achieving
      lasing in this quasidirect bandgap semiconductor in the NW geometry. 

PMID- 26505736
TI  - Prostaglandin E2 inhibits neutrophil extracellular trap formation through
      production of cyclic AMP.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Upon stimulation, neutrophils release their nuclear
      contents called neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which contain unfolded
      chromatin and lysosomal enzymes. NETs have been demonstrated to play a critical
      role in host defence, although the role of PGE2 , a bioactive substance generated
      in inflammatory tissues, in the formation of NETs remains unclear. EXPERIMENTAL
      APPROACH: The effects of PGE2 , agonists and antagonists of its receptors, and
      modulators of the cAMP-PKA pathway on the formation of NETs were examined in
      vitro in isolated neutrophils and in vivo in a newly established mouse model. KEY
      RESULTS: PGE2 inhibited PMA-induced NET formation in vitro through EP2 and EP4
      Galphas-coupled receptors. Incubation with a cell-permeable cAMP analogue,
      dibutyryl cAMP, or various inhibitors of a cAMP-degrading enzyme, PDE, also
      suppressed NET formation. In the assay established here, where an agarose gel was
      s.c. implanted in mice and NET formation was detected on the surface of the gel,
      the extent of the NET formed was inhibited in agarose gels containing rolipram, a
      PDE4 inhibitor, and butaprost, an EP2 receptor agonist. CONCLUSIONS AND
      IMPLICATIONS: PGE2 inhibits NET formation through the production of cAMP. These
      findings will contribute to the development of novel treatments for NETosis
      related diseases.

PMID- 26505739
TI  - Photochemical Mechanism of Riboflavin-Induced Degradation of Famotidine and a
      Suggested Pharmaceutical Strategy for Improving Photostability.
AB  - The present study aimed to clarify the mechanism of photodegradation of
      famotidine with riboflavin (FMT/RF), and to develop a photochemically stabilized
      formulation of FMT/RF. Photochemical properties of RF were characterized by UV
      VIS spectral analysis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay, and photostability
      testing. Pharmacokinetic study was conducted in rats after intravenous
      administration of FMT (1 mg/kg) formulation containing RF (0.01 mg/kg). The UV
      VIS spectral pattern of RF partly overlapped with the sunlight spectrum, and ROS
      generation from photoirradiated RF was remarkable; thus, RF had high
      photoreactive potential. In the photostability testing, after irradiation (250
      W/m(2)), degradation rate for FMT in FMT/RF was ca. 11-fold higher than that in
      FMT alone. The addition of radical scavengers to FMT/RF led to attenuated
      photodegradation of FMT/RF; in particular, the addition of L-ascorbic acid
      (vitamin C; VC) to FMT/RF showed ca. 86% inhibition of the photodegradation of
      FMT/RF. The pharmacokinetic study on FMT indicated that the addition of VC (1
      mg/kg) to FMT/RF had no significant impact on the pharmacokinetic behavior of
      FMT. These findings suggest that ROS-mediated photochemical reaction would be
      involved in the photodegradation pathway of FMT/RF, and the complementary use of
      VC might be an attractive approach to improve the photostability of FMT/RF.

PMID- 26505740
TI  - CH3 NH3 PbBr3 -CH3 NH3 PbI3 Perovskite-Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells with
      Exceeding 2.2 V Open Circuit Voltage.
AB  - Perovskite-perovskite tandem solar cells with open-circuit voltages of over 2.2 V
      are reported. These cost-effective, solution-processible perovskite hybrid tandem
      solar cells with high open-circuit voltages are fabricated by the simple
      lamination of a front planar MAPbBr3 perovskite cell and a back MAPbI3 planar
      perovskite solar cell.

PMID- 26505737
TI  - Structural and functional connectivity between the lateral posterior-pulvinar
      complex and primary visual cortex in the ferret.
AB  - The role of higher-order thalamic structures in sensory processing remains poorly
      understood. Here, we used the ferret (Mustela putorius furo) as a novel model
      species for the study of the lateral posterior (LP)-pulvinar complex and its
      structural and functional connectivity with area 17 [primary visual cortex (V1)].
      We found reciprocal anatomical connections between the lateral part of the LP
      nucleus of the LP-pulvinar complex (LPl) and V1. In order to investigate the role
      of this feedback loop between LPl and V1 in shaping network activity, we
      determined the functional interactions between LPl and the supragranular,
      granular and infragranular layers of V1 by recording multiunit activity and local
      field potentials. Coherence was strongest between LPl and the supragranular V1,
      with the most distinct peaks in the delta and alpha frequency bands. Inter-area
      interaction measured by spike-phase coupling identified the delta frequency band
      being dominated by the infragranular V1 and multiple frequency bands that were
      most pronounced in the supragranular V1. This inter-area coupling was
      differentially modulated by full-field synthetic and naturalistic visual
      stimulation. We also found that visual responses in LPl were distinct from those
      in V1 in terms of their reliability. Together, our data support a model of
      multiple communication channels between LPl and the layers of V1 that are enabled
      by oscillations in different frequency bands. This demonstration of anatomical
      and functional connectivity between LPl and V1 in ferrets provides a roadmap for
      studying the interaction dynamics during behaviour, and a template for
      identifying the activity dynamics of other thalamo-cortical feedback loops. 

PMID- 26505741
TI  - IgE antibodies in relation to prevalence and multimorbidity of eczema, asthma,
      and rhinitis from birth to adolescence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Eczema, asthma, and rhinitis affect a large proportion of children,
      but their prevalence varies with age. IgE antibodies are also common in the
      pediatric population. However, the links between IgE, disease, and trajectories
      are unclear. OBJECTIVE: To better understand the links between sensitization and
      disease, we studied IgE sensitization ever in relation to eczema, asthma, and
      rhinitis, in children followed up to 16 years of age. METHODS: From the Swedish
      population-based birth cohort BAMSE, 2607 children were included. Parental
      reports from six time points between 1 and 16 years were used to identify
      children with eczema, asthma, and rhinitis. Blood was collected at 4, 8, and 16
      years, and sensitization ever was defined as allergen-specific IgE >=0.35 kUA /l
      to common food and/or inhalant allergens at any time point. Odds ratios for
      eczema, asthma, rhinitis, and multimorbidity in relation to sensitization ever
      were calculated using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: Fifty-one
      percent were sensitized at least once up to 16 years. Almost a quarter of ever
      sensitized children did not have any disease. After adjustment for potential
      confounders, sensitization ever was significantly associated with the following:
      (i) eczema throughout childhood, (ii) multimorbidity of eczema, asthma, and
      rhinitis from 1 to 16 years (OR for multimorbidity: 5.11, 95% CI: 3.99-6.55),
      (iii) asthma and rhinitis from 4 to 16 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: Specific IgE is
      strongly associated with eczema and allergic multimorbidity throughout childhood
      and with asthma and rhinitis from age 4 years. However, 23% of the children with
      IgE sensitization do not develop any disease in childhood.

PMID- 26505742
TI  - Survey of influenza and other respiratory viruses diagnostic testing in US
      hospitals, 2012-2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about laboratory capacity to routinely diagnose
      influenza and other respiratory viruses at clinical laboratories and hospitals.
      AIMS: We sought to assess diagnostic practices for influenza and other
      respiratory virus in a survey of hospitals and laboratories participating in the
      US Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network in 2012-2013. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: All hospitals and their associated laboratories participating in the
      Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network (FluSurv-NET) were included in
      this evaluation. The network covers more than 80 counties in 15 states, CA, CO,
      CT, GA, MD, MN, NM, NY, OR, TN, IA, MI, OH, RI, and UT, with a catchment
      population of ~28 million people. We administered a standardized questionnaire to
      key personnel, including infection control practitioners and laboratory
      departments, at each hospital through telephone interviews. RESULTS: Of the 240
      participating laboratories, 67% relied only on commercially available rapid
      influenza diagnostic tests to diagnose influenza. Few reported the availability
      of molecular diagnostic assays for detection of influenza (26%) and other viral
      pathogens (<=20%) in hospitals and commercial laboratories. CONCLUSION: Reliance
      on insensitive assays to detect influenza may detract from optimal clinical
      management of influenza infections in hospitals.

PMID- 26505743
TI  - Vitamin D Status among Young Children Aged 1-3 Years: A Cross-Sectional Study in
      Wuxi, China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The increasingly recognized importance of vitamin D has been
      discussed and vitamin D status among young children has attracted widespread
      attention in recent years. However, study on vitamin D status in young children
      aged 1-3 y is limited in China. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the nutritional vitamin D
      status of young children aged 1-3 y in Wuxi, southeastern China. METHODS: A large
      cohort of 5,571 young children aged 1-3 y were recruited in this study who
      visited the child health clinics at the Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Hospital
      (latitude 31.57 degrees N) during January 2014 to January 2015. Wuxi was located
      in southeastern China at a latitude of 31.57 degrees N. Finger-stick blood
      sampling was conducted in all the subjects and serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D
      (25(OH)D) levels were measured to evaluate their vitamin D status. RESULTS: In
      this study, serum 25(OH)D levels of young children at the age of 1-3 years ranged
      from 20.6-132.9 nmol/L (Median: 71.5 nmol/L). 16.1% of the population had vitamin
      D deficiency (<50 nmol/L), while 38.8% of the subjects had a sufficient (50-74.9
      nmol/L) vitamin D level. An optimal vitamin D status (>=75 nmol/L) was found in
      45.1% of the young children. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was higher in
      autumn (19.5%) than in summer (12.1%). There was no significant difference in
      vitamin D status between genders. The binary logistic regression analysis
      revealed that child age was strongly associated with vitamin D deficiency
      (adjusted OR: 1.173; 95%CI: 1.053-1.308; P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence
      of vitamin D deficiency was 16.1% among young children aged 1-3 y in Wuxi. Season
      and child age were associated with their vitamin D status. It is implied that
      young children should receive adequate amounts of vitamin D supplementation and
      spend more time outdoors to prolong the sunlight exposure when they grow older.

PMID- 26505744
TI  - Unraveling the Complexity of Critical Consciousness, Political Efficacy, and
      Political Action Among Marginalized Adolescents.
AB  - This research examines the complex patterns by which distinct dimensions of
      critical consciousness may lead marginalized adolescents toward distinct forms of
      political action. Structural equation modeling was applied to nationally
      representative data from the Civic Education Study (2,811 ninth graders; Mage  =
      14.6), first establishing the measurement invariance of constructs across samples
      of poor or working class African American and Latino/a adolescents. Perceptions
      of societal inequality and aspirational beliefs that society ought to be more
      equal differentially predicted expected voting, conventional political action,
      and social action-while controlling for civic achievement and with nuances
      between ethnic and racial groups. Contrary to hypotheses and extant scholarship,
      political efficacy did not mediate or moderate relations between critical
      reflection and disparate forms of political action. 

PMID- 26505745
TI  - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Fecal Contamination and Inadequate
      Treatment of Packaged Water.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Packaged water products provide an increasingly important source of
      water for consumption. However, recent studies raise concerns over their safety.
      OBJECTIVES: To assess the microbial safety of packaged water, examine differences
      between regions, country incomes, packaged water types, and compare packaged
      water with other water sources. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and
      meta-analysis. Articles published in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and
      Turkish, with no date restrictions were identified from online databases and two
      previous reviews. Studies published before April 2014 that assessed packaged
      water for the presence of Escherichia coli, thermotolerant or total coliforms
      were included provided they tested at least ten samples or brands. RESULTS: A
      total of 170 studies were included in the review. The majority of studies did not
      detect fecal indicator bacteria in packaged water (78/141). Compared to packaged
      water from upper-middle and high-income countries, packaged water from low and
      lower-middle-income countries was 4.6 (95% CI: 2.6-8.1) and 13.6 (95% CI: 6.9
      26.7) times more likely to contain fecal indicator bacteria and total coliforms,
      respectively. Compared to all other packaged water types, water from small
      bottles was less likely to be contaminated with fecal indicator bacteria (OR =
      0.32, 95%CI: 0.17-0.58) and total coliforms (OR = 0.10, 95%CI: 0.05, 0.22).
      Packaged water was less likely to contain fecal indicator bacteria (OR = 0.35,
      95%CI: 0.20, 0.62) compared to other water sources used for consumption.
      CONCLUSIONS: Policymakers and regulators should recognize the potential benefits
      of packaged water in providing safer water for consumption at and away from home,
      especially for those who are otherwise unlikely to gain access to a reliable,
      safe water supply in the near future. To improve the quality of packaged water
      products they should be integrated into regulatory and monitoring frameworks.

PMID- 26505746
TI  - Tau positron emission tomographic imaging in aging and early Alzheimer disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Detection of focal brain tau deposition during life could greatly
      facilitate accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD), staging and monitoring
      of disease progression, and development of disease-modifying therapies. METHODS:
      We acquired tau positron emission tomography (PET) using (18)F T807 (AV1451), and
      amyloid-beta PET using (11)C Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) in older clinically
      normal individuals, and symptomatic patients with mild cognitive impairment or
      mild AD dementia. RESULTS: We found abnormally high cortical (18)F T807 binding
      in patients with mild cognitive impairment and AD dementia compared to clinically
      normal controls. Consistent with the neuropathology literature, the presence of
      elevated neocortical (18)F T807 binding particularly in the inferior temporal
      gyrus was associated with clinical impairment. The association of cognitive
      impairment was stronger with inferior temporal (18)F T807 than with mean cortical
      (11)C PIB. Regional (18)F T807 was correlated with mean cortical (11)C PiB among
      both impaired and control subjects. INTERPRETATION: These findings suggest that
      (18)F T807 PET could have value as a biomarker that reflects both the progression
      of AD tauopathy and the emergence of clinical impairment.

PMID- 26505747
TI  - Lentivirus Live Cell Array for Quantitative Assessment of Gene and Pathway
      Activation during Myogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
AB  - Stem cell differentiation involves multiple cascades of transcriptional
      regulation that govern the cell fate. To study the real-time dynamics of this
      complex process, quantitative and high throughput live cell assays are required.
      Herein, we developed a lentiviral library of promoters and transcription factor
      binding sites to quantitatively capture the gene expression dynamics over a
      period of several days during myogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem
      cells (MSCs) harvested from two different anatomic locations, bone marrow and
      hair follicle. Our results enabled us to monitor the sequential activation of
      signaling pathways and myogenic gene promoters at various stages of
      differentiation. In conjunction with chemical inhibitors, the lentiviral array
      (LVA) results also revealed the relative contribution of key signaling pathways
      that regulate the myogenic differentiation. Our study demonstrates the potential
      of LVA to monitor the dynamics of gene and pathway activation during MSC
      differentiation as well as serve as a platform for discovery of novel molecules,
      genes and pathways that promote or inhibit complex biological processes. 

PMID- 26505749
TI  - Verification of Radicals Formation in Ethanol-Water Mixture Based Solution Plasma
      and Their Relation to the Rate of Reaction.
AB  - Our previous research demonstrated that using ethanol-water mixture as a liquid
      medium for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles by the solution plasma process
      (SPP) could lead to an increment of the reaction rate of ~35.2 times faster than
      that in pure water. This drastic change was observed when a small amount of
      ethanol, that is, at an ethanol mole fraction (chiethanol) of 0.089, was added in
      the system. After this composition, the reaction rate decreased continuously. To
      better understand what happens in the ethanol-water mixture-based SPP, in this
      study, effect of the ethanol content on the radical formation in the system was
      verified. We focused on detecting the magnetic resonance of electronic spins
      using electron spin resonance spectroscopy to determine the type and quantity of
      the generated radicals at each chiethanol. Results indicated that ethanol
      radicals were generated in the ethanol-water mixtures and exhibited maximum
      quantity at the xethanol of 0.089. Relationship between the ethanol radical yield
      and the rate of reaction, along with possible mechanism responsible for the
      observed phenomenon, is discussed in this paper. 

PMID- 26505748
TI  - Handling Permutation in Sequence Comparison: Genome-Wide Enhancer Prediction in
      Vertebrates by a Novel Non-Linear Alignment Scoring Principle.
AB  - Enhancers have been described to evolve by permutation without changing function.
      This has posed the problem of how to predict enhancer elements that are hidden
      from alignment-based approaches due to the loss of co-linearity. Alignment-free
      algorithms have been proposed as one possible solution. However, this approach is
      hampered by several problems inherent to its underlying working principle. Here
      we present a new approach, which combines the power of alignment and alignment
      free techniques into one algorithm. It allows the prediction of enhancers based
      on the query and target sequence only, no matter whether the regulatory logic is
      co-linear or reshuffled. To test our novel approach, we employ it for the
      prediction of enhancers across the evolutionary distance of ~450Myr between human
      and medaka. We demonstrate its efficacy by subsequent in vivo validation
      resulting in 82% (9/11) of the predicted medaka regions showing reporter
      activity. These include five candidates with partially co-linear and four with
      reshuffled motif patterns. Orthology in flanking genes and conservation of the
      detected co-linear motifs indicates that those candidates are likely functionally
      equivalent enhancers. In sum, our results demonstrate that the proposed principle
      successfully predicts mutated as well as permuted enhancer regions at an
      encouragingly high rate. 

PMID- 26505751
TI  - Correction: Computational Fact Checking from Knowledge Networks.

PMID- 26505750
TI  - Sevoflurane Preconditioning Reduces Intestinal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: Role
      of Protein Kinase C and Mitochondrial ATP-Sensitive Potassium Channel.
AB  - Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) has been considered to be a potential therapy to
      reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) since the 1980s. Our previous study
      indicated that sevoflurane preconditioning (SPC) also reduced intestinal IRI in
      rats. However, whether the protective effect of SPC is similar to IPC and the
      mechanisms of SPC are unclear. Thus, we compared the efficacy of SPC and IPC
      against intestinal IRI and the role of protein kinase C (PKC) and mitochondrial
      ATP-sensitive potassium channel (mKATP) in SPC. A rat model of intestinal IRI was
      used in this study. The superior mesenteric artery (SMA) was clamped for 60 min
      followed by 120 min of reperfusion. Rats with IPC underwent three cycles of SMA
      occlusion for 5 min and reperfusion for 5 min before intestinal ischemia. Rats
      with SPC inhaled sevoflurane at 0.5 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) for 30
      min before the intestinal ischemic insult. Additionally, the PKC inhibitor
      Chelerythrine (CHE) or mKATP inhibitor 5-Hydroxydecanoic (5-HD) was injected
      intraperitoneally before sevoflurane inhalation. Both SPC and IPC ameliorated
      intestinal IRI-induced histopathological changes, decreased Chiu's scores,
      reduced terminal deoxyribonucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling
      (TUNEL) positive cells in the epithelium, and inhibited the expression of
      malondialdehyde (MDA) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). These
      protective effects of SPC were similar to those of IPC. Pretreatment with PKC or
      mKATP inhibitor abolished SPC-induced protective effects by increasing Chiu's
      scores, down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 and activated caspase-3. Our
      results suggest that pretreatment with 0.5 MAC sevoflurane is as effective as IPC
      against intestinal IRI. The activation of PKC and mKATP may be involved in the
      protective mechanisms of SPC. 

PMID- 26505752
TI  - CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta regulates the expression of tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha in the nucleus pulposus cells.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is important in the process of
      intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration because of its ability to regulate other
      inflammatory mediators in autocrine and paracrine fashions. The mechanism
      responsible for the cell type-specific regulation of TNF-alpha is not well known.
      CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta (C/EBP beta) is one of the transcriptional
      factors that is implicated in TNF-alpha expression. However, it is not known
      whether cross talk occurs between C/EBP beta and the TNF-alpha pathway in IVD
      cells. The expression and effect of the C/EBP beta mRNA and protein in rat IVD
      cells was assessed using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain
      reaction, immunohistochemical, and immunofluorescence analyses. We present data
      that show that the C/EBP beta mRNA and protein were expressed in rat and human
      IVDs in vivo. We also found that the expression of TNF-alpha is regulated by the
      transcription factor C/EBP beta in rat NP cells. The TNF-alpha promoter was
      suppressed completely in the presence of the ERK inhibitor PD98059 and the p38
      mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor SB202190, but not in the
      presence of the JNK inhibitor SP600125. In addition, gain and loss of function
      analyses showed that the expression of TNF-alpha was regulated by C/EBP beta
      through the MAPK pathways. These findings showed that C/EBP beta acts as a potent
      pro-inflammatory mediator by inducing the TNF-alpha gene at the transcription and
      protein levels via the ERK1/2 and p38 pathways in rat NP cells. Our findings may
      open a new avenue toward the understanding of the cellular and molecular
      mechanisms of IVD cells. (c) 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:865-875, 2016.

PMID- 26505755
TI  - Reply to Comment on "Use of Patient Registries and Administrative Datasets for
      the Study of Pediatric Cancer".

PMID- 26505754
TI  - Mapping the Protein Fold Universe Using the CamTube Force Field in Molecular
      Dynamics Simulations.
AB  - It has been recently shown that the coarse-graining of the structures of
      polypeptide chains as self-avoiding tubes can provide an effective representation
      of the conformational space of proteins. In order to fully exploit the
      opportunities offered by such a 'tube model' approach, we present here a strategy
      to combine it with molecular dynamics simulations. This strategy is based on the
      incorporation of the 'CamTube' force field into the Gromacs molecular dynamics
      package. By considering the case of a 60-residue polyvaline chain, we show that
      CamTube molecular dynamics simulations can comprehensively explore the
      conformational space of proteins. We obtain this result by a 20 MUs metadynamics
      simulation of the polyvaline chain that recapitulates the currently known protein
      fold universe. We further show that, if residue-specific interaction potentials
      are added to the CamTube force field, it is possible to fold a protein into a
      topology close to that of its native state. These results illustrate how the
      CamTube force field can be used to explore efficiently the universe of protein
      folds with good accuracy and very limited computational cost.

PMID- 26505753
TI  - Strategies for understanding and reducing the Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium
      ovale hypnozoite reservoir in Papua New Guinean children: a randomised placebo
      controlled trial and mathematical model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The undetectable hypnozoite reservoir for relapsing Plasmodium vivax
      and P. ovale malarias presents a major challenge for malaria control and
      elimination in endemic countries. This study aims to directly determine the
      contribution of relapses to the burden of P. vivax and P. ovale infection,
      illness, and transmission in Papua New Guinean children. METHODS AND FINDINGS:
      From 17 August 2009 to 20 May 2010, 524 children aged 5-10 y from East Sepik
      Province in Papua New Guinea (PNG) participated in a randomised double-blind
      placebo-controlled trial of blood- plus liver-stage drugs (chloroquine [CQ], 3 d;
      artemether-lumefantrine [AL], 3 d; and primaquine [PQ], 20 d, 10 mg/kg total
      dose) (261 children) or blood-stage drugs only (CQ, 3 d; AL, 3 d; and placebo
      [PL], 20 d) (263 children). Participants, study staff, and investigators were
      blinded to the treatment allocation. Twenty children were excluded during the
      treatment phase (PQ arm: 14, PL arm: 6), and 504 were followed actively for 9 mo.
      During the follow-up time, 18 children (PQ arm: 7, PL arm: 11) were lost to
      follow-up. Main primary and secondary outcome measures were time to first P.
      vivax infection (by qPCR), time to first clinical episode, force of infection,
      gametocyte positivity, and time to first P. ovale infection (by PCR). A basic
      stochastic transmission model was developed to estimate the potential effect of
      mass drug administration (MDA) for the prevention of recurrent P. vivax
      infections. Targeting hypnozoites through PQ treatment reduced the risk of having
      at least one qPCR-detectable P. vivax or P. ovale infection during 8 mo of follow
      up (P. vivax: PQ arm 0.63/y versus PL arm 2.62/y, HR = 0.18 [95% CI 0.14, 0.25],
      p < 0.001; P. ovale: 0.06 versus 0.14, HR = 0.31 [95% CI 0.13, 0.77], p = 0.011)
      and the risk of having at least one clinical P. vivax episode (HR = 0.25 [95% CI
      0.11, 0.61], p = 0.002). PQ also reduced the molecular force of P. vivax blood
      stage infection in the first 3 mo of follow-up (PQ arm 1.90/y versus PL arm
      7.75/y, incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.21 [95% CI 0.15, 0.28], p < 0.001).
      Children who received PQ were less likely to carry P. vivax gametocytes (IRR =
      0.27 [95% CI 0.19, 0.38], p < 0.001). PQ had a comparable effect irrespective of
      the presence of P. vivax blood-stage infection at the time of treatment (p =
      0.14). Modelling revealed that mass screening and treatment with highly sensitive
      quantitative real-time PCR, or MDA with blood-stage treatment alone, would have
      only a transient effect on P. vivax transmission levels, while MDA that includes
      liver-stage treatment is predicted to be a highly effective strategy for P. vivax
      elimination. The inclusion of a directly observed 20-d treatment regime maximises
      the efficiency of hypnozoite clearance but limits the generalisability of results
      to real-world MDA programmes. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that relapses
      cause approximately four of every five P. vivax infections and at least three of
      every five P. ovale infections in PNG children and are important in sustaining
      transmission. MDA campaigns combining blood- and liver-stage treatment are
      predicted to be a highly efficacious intervention for reducing P. vivax and P.
      ovale transmission. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02143934.

PMID- 26505756
TI  - Using Social Media to Detect Outdoor Air Pollution and Monitor Air Quality Index
      (AQI): A Geo-Targeted Spatiotemporal Analysis Framework with Sina Weibo (Chinese
      Twitter).
AB  - Outdoor air pollution is a serious problem in many developing countries today.
      This study focuses on monitoring the dynamic changes of air quality effectively
      in large cities by analyzing the spatiotemporal trends in geo-targeted social
      media messages with comprehensive big data filtering procedures. We introduce a
      new social media analytic framework to (1) investigate the relationship between
      air pollution topics posted in Sina Weibo (Chinese Twitter) and the daily Air
      Quality Index (AQI) published by China's Ministry of Environmental Protection;
      and (2) monitor the dynamics of air quality index by using social media messages.
      Correlation analysis was used to compare the connections between discussion
      trends in social media messages and the temporal changes in the AQI during 2012.
      We categorized relevant messages into three types, retweets, mobile app messages,
      and original individual messages finding that original individual messages had
      the highest correlation to the Air Quality Index. Based on this correlation
      analysis, individual messages were used to monitor the AQI in 2013. Our study
      indicates that the filtered social media messages are strongly correlated to the
      AQI and can be used to monitor the air quality dynamics to some extent. 

PMID- 26505757
TI  - Retinal Thickness and the Structure/Function Relationship in the Eyes of Older
      Adults with Glaucoma.
AB  - Glaucoma is common and shows high prevalence in older adults. However, there are
      few studies on the structure/function relationship in older adults with glaucoma.
      This prospective, cross-sectional study (conducted between February and August
      2014), enrolled 102 eyes of 102 subjects aged over 75 years, including 57 eyes
      with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), 15 eyes with pseudoexfoliation glaucoma
      (PXG), and 30 healthy eyes. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine
      the correlation of circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (cpRNFLT)
      and macular parameters to mean deviation (MD) to and standard automated perimetry
      (SAP)-measured sensitivity, assessed with the 30-2 and 10-2 programs. In each 10
      2 SAP test point, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to compare
      macular retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (mRNFLT), macular ganglion cell-inner
      plexiform layer thickness (GCIPLT), and mRNFL+GCIPL thickness (GCCT) with
      sensitivity after adjusting for retinal ganglion cell (RGC) displacement. In eyes
      with POAG and PXG, cpRNFLT was significantly correlated with 30-2 MD and 30-2
      sensitivity. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the POAG had
      significantly lower cpRNFLT, mRNFLT, GCIPLT, and GCCT according to the severity
      of disease than control eyes after adjusting for sensitivity, age, sex, and axial
      length. The PXG eyes had significantly lower cpRNFLT, mRNFLT, and GCCT when
      compared with the early to moderate POAG eyes. GCCT was significantly correlated
      with 10-2 sensitivity, except in one juxtafoveal point, (r = 0.338-0.778) in the
      POAG eyes. The periphery of the central 10 degrees  area showed a good
      correlation between sensitivity and mRNFLT, while the central 5.8 degrees  showed
      a good correlation between sensitivity and GCIPLT. The correlation between
      structure and function was significant, and objective and quantitative method
      with OCT assessing glaucoma that does not require patient ability could be a
      possible parameter to assess diagnosis and progression in older patients with
      glaucoma. 

PMID- 26505760
TI  - Information on Funding Omitted from the Article by Peter et al (Arthritis Care
      Res, January 2015).

PMID- 26505758
TI  - Can Invalid Bioactives Undermine Natural Product-Based Drug Discovery?
AB  - High-throughput biology has contributed a wealth of data on chemicals, including
      natural products (NPs). Recently, attention was drawn to certain, predominantly
      synthetic, compounds that are responsible for disproportionate percentages of
      hits but are false actives. Spurious bioassay interference led to their
      designation as pan-assay interference compounds (PAINS). NPs lack comparable
      scrutiny, which this study aims to rectify. Systematic mining of 80+ years of the
      phytochemistry and biology literature, using the NAPRALERT database, revealed
      that only 39 compounds represent the NPs most reported by occurrence, activity,
      and distinct activity. Over 50% are not explained by phenomena known for
      synthetic libraries, and all had manifold ascribed bioactivities, designating
      them as invalid metabolic panaceas (IMPs). Cumulative distributions of ~200,000
      NPs uncovered that NP research follows power-law characteristics typical for
      behavioral phenomena. Projection into occurrence-bioactivity-effort space
      produces the hyperbolic black hole of NPs, where IMPs populate the high-effort
      base. 

PMID- 26505759
TI  - Enzymatic Synthesis of Rhamnose Containing Chemicals by Reverse Hydrolysis.
AB  - Rhamnose containing chemicals (RCCs) are widely occurred in plants and bacteria
      and are known to possess important bioactivities. However, few of them were
      available using the enzymatic synthesis method because of the scarcity of the
      alpha-L-rhamnosidases with wide acceptor specificity. In this work, an alpha-L
      rhamnosidase from Alternaria sp. L1 was expressed in Pichia pastroris strain
      GS115. The recombinant enzyme was purified and used to synthesize novel RCCs
      through reverse hydrolysis in the presence of rhamnose as donor and mannitol,
      fructose or esculin as acceptors. The effects of initial substrate
      concentrations, reaction time, and temperature on RCC yields were investigated in
      detail when using mannitol as the acceptor. The mannitol derivative achieved a
      maximal yield of 36.1% by incubation of the enzyme with 0.4 M L-rhamnose and 0.2
      M mannitol in pH 6.5 buffers at 55 degrees C for 48 h. In identical conditions
      except for the initial acceptor concentrations, the maximal yields of fructose
      and esculin derivatives reached 11.9% and 17.9% respectively. The structures of
      the three derivatives were identified to be alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1->6')-D
      mannitol, alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1->1')-beta-D-fructopyranose, and 6,7
      dihydroxycoumarin alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1->6')-beta-D-glucopyranoside by ESI
      MS and NMR spectroscopy. The high glycosylation efficiency as well as the broad
      acceptor specificity of this enzyme makes it a powerful tool for the synthesis of
      novel rhamnosyl glycosides. 

PMID- 26505762
TI  - Eu3Ir2In15: A Mixed-Valent and Vacancy-Filled Variant of the Sc5Co4Si10 Structure
      Type with Anomalous Magnetic Properties.
AB  - A new compound, Eu3Ir2In15, has been synthesized using indium as an active metal
      flux. The compound crystallizes in the tetragonal P4/mbm space group with lattice
      parameters a = 14.8580(4) A, b = 14.8580(4) A, and c = 4.3901(2) A. It was
      further characterized by SEM-EDX studies. The effective magnetic moment (MUeff)
      of this compound is 7.35 MUB/Eu ion with a paramagnetic Curie temperature
      (thetap) of -28 K, suggesting antiferromagnetic interaction. The mixed-valent
      nature of Eu observed in magnetic measurements was confirmed by XANES
      measurements. The compound undergoes demagnetization at a low magnetic field (10
      Oe), which is quite unusual for Eu-based intermetallic compounds. Temperature
      dependent resistivity studies reveal that the compound is metallic in nature. A
      comparative study was made between Eu3Ir2In15 and hypothetical vacancy-variant
      Eu5Ir4In10, which also crystallizes in the same crystal structure. However, our
      computational studies along with control experiments suggest that the latter is
      thermodynamically less feasible compared to the former, and hence we propose that
      it is highly unlikely that an RE5T4X10 would exist with X as a group 13 element. 

PMID- 26505761
TI  - Central Nervous System Parasitosis and Neuroinflammation Ameliorated by Systemic
      IL-10 Administration in Trypanosoma brucei-Infected Mice.
AB  - Invasion of the central nervous system (CNS) by African trypanosomes represents a
      critical step in the development of human African trypanosomiasis. In both
      clinical cases and experimental mouse infections it has been demonstrated that
      predisposition to CNS invasion is associated with a type 1 systemic inflammatory
      response. Using the Trypanosoma brucei brucei GVR35 experimental infection model,
      we demonstrate that systemic delivery of the counter-inflammatory cytokine IL-10
      lowers plasma IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha concentrations, CNS parasitosis and
      ameliorates neuro-inflammatory pathology and clinical symptoms of disease. The
      results provide evidence that CNS invasion may be susceptible to immunological
      attenuation. 

PMID- 26505763
TI  - Enhancement of mass spectrometry performance for proteomic analyses using high
      field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS).
AB  - Remarkable advances in mass spectrometry sensitivity and resolution have been
      accomplished over the past two decades to enhance the depth and coverage of
      proteome analyses. As these technological developments expanded the detection
      capability of mass spectrometers, they also revealed an increasing complexity of
      low abundance peptides, solvent clusters and sample contaminants that can
      confound protein identification. Separation techniques that are complementary and
      can be used in combination with liquid chromatography are often sought to improve
      mass spectrometry sensitivity for proteomics applications. In this context, high
      field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS), a form of ion
      mobility that exploits ion separation at low and high electric fields, has shown
      significant advantages by focusing and separating multiply charged peptide ions
      from singly charged interferences. This paper examines the analytical benefits of
      FAIMS in proteomics to separate co-eluting peptide isomers and to enhance peptide
      detection and quantitative measurements of protein digests via native peptides
      (label-free) or isotopically labeled peptides from metabolic labeling or chemical
      tagging experiments.

PMID- 26505764
TI  - Characterization of lemon (Citrus limon) polar extract by liquid chromatography
      tandem mass spectrometry in high resolution mode.
AB  - Eighty four metabolites (32 flavonoids, 15 amino acids, nine carboxylic acids,
      six coumarins, six sugars, five phenolic acids and 11 unclassified compounds)
      have been tentatively identified in a polar extract from lemon, without reference
      standards, based on their liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight MS/MS
      spectra and the comparison with databases. Despite information in databases for
      some families of plant compounds is poor, tentative identification based on MS/MS
      information (mass of the precursor ion and their fragments, together with neutral
      mass loss) was possible with the help of known fragmentation patterns for the
      given families of compounds. Both positive and negative ionization modes and at
      least two collision energies were always applied to obtain as much information as
      possible from each molecular entity, thus helping for identification. As the
      tentatively identified metabolites are the same regardless of the organism they
      belong, their fragmentation patterns are useful for identification with
      independence of the sample nature.

PMID- 26505765
TI  - Absolute photoionization cross sections of furanic fuels: 2-ethylfuran, 2
      acetylfuran and furfural.
AB  - Absolute photoionization cross sections of the molecules 2-ethylfuran, 2
      acetylfuran and furfural, including partial ionization cross sections for the
      dissociative ionized fragments, are measured for the first time. These
      measurements are important because they allow fuel quantification via
      photoionization mass spectrometry and the development of quantitative kinetic
      modeling for the complex combustion of potential fuels. The experiments are
      carried out using synchrotron photoionization mass spectrometry with an
      orthogonal time-of-flight spectrometer used for mass analysis at the Advanced
      Light Source of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The CBS-QB3 calculations
      of adiabatic ionization energies and appearance energies agree well with the
      experimental results. Several bond dissociation energies are also derived and
      presented.

PMID- 26505766
TI  - Evaluation of ice-tea quality by DART-TOF/MS.
AB  - DART (Direct Analysis in Real Time) coupled with Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry
      (TOF/MS) has been used for analyses of ice-teas. The article focuses on quality
      and authenticity of ice-teas as one of the most important tea-based products on
      the market. Twenty-one samples of ice-teas (black and green) were analysed.
      Selected compounds of ice-teas were determined: theobromine, caffeine, total
      phenolic compounds, total soluble solids, total amino acid concentration,
      preservatives and saccharides were determined. Fingerprints of DART-TOF/MS
      spectra were used for comprehensive assessment of the ice-tea samples. The DART
      TOF/MS method was used for monitoring the following compounds: citric acid,
      caffeine, saccharides, artificial sweeteners (saccharin, acesulphame K), and
      preservatives (sorbic and benzoic acid), phosphoric acid and phenolic compounds.
      The measured data were subjected to a principal components analysis. The HPLC and
      DART-TOF/MS methods were compared in terms of determination of selected compounds
      (caffeine, benzoic acid, sorbic acid and saccharides) in the ice-teas. The DART
      TOF/MS technique seems to be a suitable method for fast screening, testing
      quality and authenticity of tea-based products.

PMID- 26505767
TI  - Rapid structural characterization of in vivo and in vitro metabolites of
      tinoridine using UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS and in silico toxicological screening of its
      metabolites.
AB  - Tinoridine is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and also has potent radical
      scavenger and antiperoxidative activity. However, metabolism of tinoridine has
      not been thoroughly investigated. To identify in vivo metabolites, the drug was
      administered to Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 5) at a dose of 20 mg kg(-1), and blood,
      urine and feces were collected at different time points up to 24 h. In vitro
      metabolism was delved by incubating the drug with rat liver microsomes and human
      liver microsomes. The metabolites were enriched by optimized sample preparation
      involving protein precipitation using acetonitrile, followed by solid-phase
      extraction. Data processes were carried out using multiple mass defects filters
      to eliminate false-positive ions. A total of 11 metabolites have been identified
      in urine samples including hydroxyl, dealkylated, acetylated and glucuronide
      metabolites; among them, some were also observed in plasma and feces samples.
      Only two major metabolites were formed using liver microsomal incubations. These
      metabolites were also observed in vivo. All the 11 metabolites, which are
      hitherto unknown and novel, were characterized by using ultrahigh-performance
      liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry in
      combination with accurate mass measurements. Finally, in silico toxicological
      screening of all metabolites was evaluated, and two metabolites were proposed to
      show a certain degree of lung or liver toxicity.

PMID- 26505768
TI  - Identification of substances migrating from plastic baby bottles using a
      combination of low-resolution and high-resolution mass spectrometric analysers
      coupled to gas and liquid chromatography.
AB  - This work presents a strategy for elucidation of unknown migrants from plastic
      food contact materials (baby bottles) using a combination of analytical
      techniques in an untargeted approach. First, gas chromatography (GC) coupled to
      mass spectrometry (MS) in electron ionisation mode was used to identify migrants
      through spectral library matching. When no acceptable match was obtained, a
      second analysis by GC-(electron ionisation) high resolution mass spectrometry
      time of flight (TOF) was applied to obtain accurate mass fragmentation spectra
      and isotopic patterns. Databases were then searched to find a possible elemental
      composition for the unknown compounds. Finally, a GC hybrid quadrupole-TOF-MS
      with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation source was used to obtain the
      molecular ion or the protonated molecule. Accurate mass data also provided
      additional information on the fragmentation behaviour as two acquisition
      functions with different collision energies were available (MS(E) approach). In
      the low-energy function, limited fragmentation took place, whereas for the high
      energy function, fragmentation was enhanced. For less volatile unknowns, ultra
      high pressure liquid chromatography-quadrupole-TOF-MS was additionally applied.
      Using a home-made database containing common migrating compounds and plastic
      additives, tentative identification was made for several positive findings based
      on accurate mass of the (de)protonated molecule, product ion fragments and
      characteristic isotopic ions. Six illustrative examples are shown to demonstrate
      the modus operandi and the difficulties encountered during identification. The
      combination of these techniques was proven to be a powerful tool for the
      elucidation of unknown migrating compounds from plastic baby bottles.

PMID- 26505769
TI  - Identification of degradation products of indigoids by tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - The study concerns identification of photodegradation products of indigotin,
      indirubin and isoindigo. Experimental methodology consists of degradation of
      standard solutions of indigoids in a solar box and analysis of samples taken at
      different aging time by using capillary high-performance liquid chromatography
      coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric and
      spectrophotometric detectors. Identification of the formed compounds was based on
      careful interpretation of the electrospray ionization MS/MS spectra. Apart from
      the well-known degradation products of indigoids: isatin, isatoic anhydride and
      anthranilic acid, another seven species were also identified, and their proposed
      structures were confirmed by high-resolution molecular masses measurements;
      according to the best knowledge of authors, they have not been reported so far.
      The obtained results formed the basis for postulating mechanism of the process.
      Moreover, the MRM (Multiple Reaction Monitoring) method was developed for the
      identification of natural dyes and their degradation products in textiles of
      historical value. Apart from such colorants as indigotin and flavonoids, also
      presence of degradation products of indigoids was confirmed.

PMID- 26505770
TI  - Electron ionization LC-MS with supersonic molecular beams--the new concept,
      benefits and applications.
AB  - A new type of electron ionization LC-MS with supersonic molecular beams (EI-LC-MS
      with SMB) is described. This system and its operational methods are based on
      pneumatic spray formation of the LC liquid flow in a heated spray vaporization
      chamber, full sample thermal vaporization and subsequent electron ionization of
      vibrationally cold molecules in supersonic molecular beams. The vaporized sample
      compounds are transferred into a supersonic nozzle via a flow restrictor
      capillary. Consequently, while the pneumatic spray is formed and vaporized at
      above atmospheric pressure the supersonic nozzle backing pressure is about 0.15
      Bar for the formation of supersonic molecular beams with vibrationally cold
      sample molecules without cluster formation with the solvent vapor. The sample
      compounds are ionized in a fly-though EI ion source as vibrationally cold
      molecules in the SMB, resulting in 'Cold EI' (EI of vibrationally cold molecules)
      mass spectra that exhibit the standard EI fragments combined with enhanced
      molecular ions. We evaluated the EI-LC-MS with SMB system and demonstrated its
      effectiveness in NIST library sample identification which is complemented with
      the availability of enhanced molecular ions. The EI-LC-MS with SMB system is
      characterized by linear response of five orders of magnitude and uniform compound
      independent response including for non-polar compounds. This feature improves
      sample quantitation that can be approximated without compound specific
      calibration. Cold EI, like EI, is free from ion suppression and/or enhancement
      effects (that plague ESI and/or APCI) which facilitate faster LC separation
      because full separation is not essential. The absence of ion suppression effects
      enables the exploration of fast flow injection MS-MS as an alternative to lengthy
      LC-MS analysis. These features are demonstrated in a few examples, and the
      analysis of the main ingredients of Cannabis on a few Cannabis flower extracts is
      demonstrated. Finally, the advantages of EI-LC-MS with SMB are listed and
      discussed.

PMID- 26505771
TI  - Simultaneous detection of phosphatidylcholines and glycerolipids using matrix
      enhanced surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry with
      sputter-deposited platinum film.
AB  - Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry
      (IMS) allows for the simultaneous detection and imaging of several molecules in
      brain tissue. However, the detection of glycerolipids such as diacylglycerol
      (DAG) and triacylglycerol (TAG) in brain tissues is hindered in MALDI-IMS because
      of the ion suppression effect from excessive ion yields of phosphatidylcholine
      (PC). In this study, we describe an approach that employs a homogeneously
      deposited metal nanoparticle layer (or film) for the detection of glycerolipids
      in rat brain tissue sections using IMS. Surface-assisted laser
      desorption/ionisation IMS with sputter-deposited Pt film (Pt-SALDI-IMS) for lipid
      analysis was performed as a solvent-free and organic matrix-free method. Pt-SALDI
      produced a homogenous layer of nanoparticles over the surface of the rat brain
      tissue section. Highly selective detection of lipids was possible by MALDI-IMS
      and Pt-SALDI-IMS; MALDI-IMS detected the dominant ion peak of PC in the tissue
      section, and there were no ion peaks representing glycerolipids such as DAG and
      TAG. In contrast, Pt-SALDI-IMS allowed the detection of these glycerolipids, but
      not PC. Therefore, using a hybrid method combining MALDI and Pt-SALDI (i.e.,
      matrix-enhanced [ME]-Pt-SALDI-IMS), we achieved the simultaneous detection of PC,
      PE and DAG in rat brain tissue sections, and the sensitivity for the detection of
      these molecules was better than that of MALDI-IMS or Pt-SALDI alone. The present
      simple ME-Pt-SALDI approach for the simultaneous detection of PC and DAG using
      two matrices (sputter-deposited Pt film and DHB matrix) would be useful in
      imaging analyses of biological tissue sections.

PMID- 26505773
TI  - A mass spectrometric method for rapidly assaying the chiral selectivities of the
      copper(I) complexes of C2-symmetric ligands.
AB  - A gas-phase method for rapidly assaying the enantioselectivity of metal-centered
      catalysts is presented. It relies on gas-phase equilibrium measurements in a
      quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. A group of well-established C2-symmetric
      bis-oxazoline copper(I) complexes was used to identify chiral probe reagents that
      are capable of profiling the quality of the asymmetric environment provided by
      the metal complex. The chiral probes were then applied to a wide variety of
      copper(I) bis-di-imine complexes. Complexes based on a BINAM backbone exhibited
      selectivities that were comparable to the bis-oxazolines. Taking advantage of the
      mass selectivity capabilities of the ion trap mass spectrometer, the method was
      also applied to an un-purified mix of copper(I) complexes derived from a
      combinatorial synthesis of bis-di-imine ligands. This approach holds promise as a
      rapid screening tool for potential chiral catalysts.

PMID- 26505772
TI  - Evaluation of mass spectrometric data using principal component analysis for
      determination of the effects of organic lakes on protein binder identification.
AB  - Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass
      spectrometry is commonly used for the identification of proteinaceous binders and
      their mixtures in artworks. The determination of protein binders is based on a
      comparison between the m/z values of tryptic peptides in the unknown sample and a
      reference one (egg, casein, animal glues etc.), but this method has greater
      potential to study changes due to ageing and the influence of organic/inorganic
      components on protein identification. However, it is necessary to then carry out
      statistical evaluation on the obtained data. Before now, it has been complicated
      to routinely convert the mass spectrometric data into a statistical programme, to
      extract and match the appropriate peaks. Only several 'homemade' computer
      programmes without user-friendly interfaces are available for these purposes. In
      this paper, we would like to present our completely new, publically available,
      non-commercial software, ms-alone and multiMS-toolbox, for principal component
      analyses of MALDI-TOF MS data for R software, and their application to the study
      of the influence of heterogeneous matrices (organic lakes) for protein
      identification. Using this new software, we determined the main factors that
      influence the protein analyses of artificially aged model mixtures of organic
      lakes and fish glue, prepared according to historical recipes that were used for
      book illumination, using MALDI-TOF peptide mass mapping.

PMID- 26505774
TI  - Decellularization of intact tissue enables MALDI imaging mass spectrometry
      analysis of the extracellular matrix.
AB  - Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI IMS)
      is a powerful molecular mapping technology that offers unbiased visualization of
      the spatial arrangement of biomolecules in tissue. Although there has been a
      significant increase in the number of applications employing this technology, the
      extracellular matrix (ECM) has received little attention, likely because ECM
      proteins are mostly large, insoluble and heavily cross-linked. We have developed
      a new sample preparation approach to enable MALDI IMS analysis of ECM proteins in
      tissue. Prior to freezing and sectioning, intact tissues are decellularized by
      incubation in sodium dodecyl sulfate. Decellularization removes the highly
      abundant, soluble species that dominate a MALDI IMS spectrum while preserving the
      structural integrity of the ECM. In situ tryptic hydrolysis and imaging of
      tryptic peptides are then carried out to accommodate the large sizes of ECM
      proteins. This new approach allows the use of MALDI IMS for identification of
      spatially specific changes in ECM protein expression and modification in tissue.

PMID- 26505775
TI  - Mass spectrometric profiling of valepotriates possessing various acyloxy groups
      from Valeriana jatamansi.
AB  - Valepotriates, plant secondary metabolites of the family Valerianaceae, contain
      various acyloxy group linkages to the valepotriate nucleus and exhibit
      significant biological activities. Identification of valepotriates is important
      to uncover potential lead compounds for the development of new sedative and
      antitumor drugs. However, making their structure elucidation by nuclear magnetic
      resonance (NMR) experiments is too difficult to be realized because of the
      overlapped carbonyl carbon signals of acyloxy groups substituted at different
      positions. Thus, the mass spectrometric profiling of these compounds in positive
      ion mode was developed to unveil the exact linkage of acyloxy group and the core
      of valepotriate. In this study, electrospray ionization tandem multistage mass
      spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS(n)) in ion trap and collision-induced dissociation tandem
      MS were used to investigate the fragmentation pathways of four types of
      valepotriates in Valeriana jatamansi, including 5-hydroxy-5,6-dihydrovaltrate
      hydrin (5-hydroxy-5,6-dihydrovaltrate chlorohydrin), 5,6-dihydrovaltrate hydrin
      (5,6-dihydrovaltrate chlorohydrin), 5-hydroxy-5,6-dihydrovaltrate and valtrate
      hydrin (valtrate chlorohydrin). The high-resolution mass spectrum (HRMS) data of
      all the investigated valepotriates from quadrupole time-of-flight MS/MS were used
      as a supportive of the fragmentation rules we hypothesized from ion-trap stepwise
      MS(n). As a result, the loss sequence of acyloxy groups and the abundance of key
      product ions, in combination with the characteristic product ions corresponding
      to the valepotriate nucleus, could readily differentiate the four different types
      of valepotriates. The summarized fragmentation rules were also successfully
      exploited for the structural characterization of three new trace valepotriates
      from V. jatamansi. The results indicated that the developed analytical method
      could be employed as a rapid, effective technique for structural characterization
      of valepotriates, especially for the trace compounds that could not be identified
      by NMR techniques. This study may also arouse interest for further structural
      analysis of other valepotriate-containing type herbal medicines.

PMID- 26505776
TI  - Identification of phase I and II metabolites of the new designer drug alpha
      pyrrolidinohexiophenone (alpha-PHP) in human urine by liquid chromatography
      quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS).
AB  - Pyrrolidinophenones represent one emerging class of newly encountered drugs of
      abuse, also known as 'new psychoactive substances', with stimulating psychoactive
      effects. In this work, we report on the detection of the new designer drug alpha
      pyrrolidinohexiophenone (alpha-PHP) and its phase I and II metabolites in a human
      urine sample of a drug abuser. Determination and structural elucidation of these
      metabolites have been achieved by liquid chromatography electrospray ionisation
      quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS). By tentative
      identification, the exact and approximate structures of 19 phase I metabolites
      and nine phase II glucuronides were elucidated. Major metabolic pathways revealed
      the reduction of the beta-keto moieties to their corresponding alcohols,
      didesalkylation of the pyrrolidine ring, hydroxylation and oxidation of the
      aliphatic side chain leading to n-hydroxy, aldehyde and carboxylate metabolites,
      and oxidation of the pyrrolidine ring to its lactam followed by ring cleavage and
      additional hydroxylation, reduction and oxidation steps and combinations thereof.
      The most abundant phase II metabolites were glucuronidated beta-keto-reduced
      alcohols. Besides the great number of metabolites detected in this sample, alpha
      PHP is still one of the most abundant ions together with its beta-keto-reduced
      alcoholic dihydro metabolite. Monitoring of these metabolites in clinical and
      forensic toxicology may unambiguously prove the abuse of the new designer drug
      alpha-PHP.

PMID- 26505777
TI  - Acylphosphatidylglycerol (acyl-PG) or N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE)?

PMID- 26505778
TI  - Micropatch-arrayed pads for non-invasive spatial and temporal profiling of
      topical drugs on skin surface.
AB  - Micropatch-arrayed pads (MAPAs) are presented as a facile and sensitive sampling
      method for spatial profiling of topical agents adsorbed on the surface of skin.
      MAPAs are 28 * 28 mm sized pieces of polytetrafluoroethylene containing plurality
      of cavities filled with agarose hydrogel. They are affixed onto skin for 10 min
      with the purpose to collect drugs applied topically. Polar compounds are absorbed
      by the hydrogel micropatches. The probes are subsequently scanned by an automated
      nanospray desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry system operated in
      the tapping dual-polarity mode. When the liquid junction gets into contact with
      every micropatch, polar compounds absorbed in the hydrogel matrix are desorbed
      and transferred to the ion source. A 3D-printed interface prevents evaporation of
      hydrogel micropatches assuring good reproducibility and sensitivity. MAPAs have
      been applied to follow dispersion of topical drugs applied to human skin in vivo
      and to porcine skin ex vivo, in the form of self-adhesive patches. Spatiotemporal
      characteristics of the drug dispersion process have been revealed using this non
      invasive test. Differences between drug dispersion in vivo and ex vivo could be
      observed. We envision that MAPAs can be used to investigate spatiotemporal
      kinetics of various topical agents utilized in medical treatment.

PMID- 26505780
TI  - Differential Impact of Plasma Proteins on the Adhesion Efficiency of Vascular
      Targeted Carriers (VTCs) in Blood of Common Laboratory Animals.
AB  - Vascular-targeted carrier (VTC) interaction with human plasma is known to reduce
      targeted adhesion efficiency in vitro. However, the role of plasma proteins on
      the adhesion efficiency of VTCs in laboratory animals remains unknown. Here, in
      vitro blood flow assays are used to explore the effects of plasma from mouse,
      rabbit, and porcine on VTC adhesion. Porcine blood exhibited a strong negative
      plasma effect on VTC adhesion while no significant plasma effect was found with
      rabbit and mouse blood. A brush density poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) on VTCs was
      effective at improving adhesion of microsized, but not nanosized, VTCs in porcine
      blood. Overall, the results suggest that porcine models, as opposed to mouse, can
      serve as better models in preclinical research for predicting the in vivo
      functionality of VTCs for use in humans. These considerations hold great
      importance for the design of various pharmaceutical products and development of
      reliable drug delivery systems. 

PMID- 26505781
TI  - Primary Plasma Cell Leukemia in the Era of Novel Agents: A Multicenter Study of
      the Japanese Society of Myeloma.
AB  - We investigated the treatment and outcome of Japanese patients with primary
      plasma cell leukemia (pPCL) in the era of novel agents and analyzed the risk
      factors affecting survival. Among 3,318 patients with symptomatic multiple
      myeloma (MM), 38 patients were diagnosed with pPCL. The median overall survival
      (OS) of the pPCL patients was 2.85 years, which was significantly extended
      compared with that in previous reports. The proportion of patients treated with
      novel agents was 61%. The OS of the patients treated with novel agents was
      significantly extended compared with that of patients treated without novel
      agents according to the generalized Wilcoxon test (2.85 vs. 1.16 years, p =
      0.049). This statistical finding suggests that treatment with novel agents could
      have prevented early death in the patients with pPCL. Age was the only
      statistically significant prognostic factor associated with an inferior OS
      (hazard ratio 4.57). Five patients received maintenance therapy with novel
      agents, and their OS tended to be longer than that of the other patients without
      maintenance (4.45 vs. 2.85 years). Unlike MM, OS for pPCL has not been improved
      significantly over the last decade, especially in elderly patients. Therefore, it
      is important to establish the treatment strategy, particularly after induction
      treatment. 

PMID- 26505782
TI  - Mechanical Stimulation and IGF-1 Enhance mRNA Translation Rate in Osteoblasts Via
      Activation of the AKT-mTOR Pathway.
AB  - Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is anabolic for muscle by enhancing the rate
      of mRNA translation via activation of AKT and subsequent activation of the
      mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTOR), thereby increasing cellular
      protein production. IGF-1 is also anabolic for bone, but whether the mTOR pathway
      plays a role in the rate of bone matrix protein production by osteoblasts is
      unknown. We hypothesized that anabolic stimuli such as mechanical loading and IGF
      1 stimulate protein synthesis in osteoblasts via activation of the AKT-mTOR
      pathway. MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts were either or not subjected for 1 h to mechanical
      loading by pulsating fluid flow (PFF) or treated with or without human
      recombinant IGF-1 (1-100 ng/ml) for 0.5-6 h, to determine phosphorylation of AKT
      and p70S6K (downstream of mTOR) by Western blot. After 4 days of culture with or
      without the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin, total protein, DNA, and gene expression
      were quantified. IGF-1 (100 ng/ml) reduced IGF-1 gene expression, although PFF
      enhanced IGF-1 expression. IGF-1 did not affect collagen-I gene expression. IGF-1
      dose-dependently enhanced AKT and p70S6K phosphorylation at 2 and 6 h. PFF
      enhanced phosphorylation of AKT and p70S6K already within 1 h. Both IGF-1 and PFF
      enhanced total protein per cell by ~30%, but not in the presence of rapamycin.
      Our results show that IGF-1 and PFF activate mTOR, thereby stimulating the rate
      of mRNA translation in osteoblasts. The known anabolic effect of mechanical
      loading and IGF-1 on bone may thus be partly explained by mTOR-mediated enhanced
      protein synthesis in osteoblasts.

PMID- 26505783
TI  - Herbal Extract Incorporated Nanofiber Fabricated by an Electrospinning Technique
      and its Application to Antimicrobial Air Filtration.
AB  - Recently, with the increased attention to indoor air quality, antimicrobial air
      filtration techniques have been studied widely to inactivate hazardous airborne
      microorganisms effectively. In this study, we demonstrate herbal extract
      incorporated (HEI) nanofibers synthesized by an electrospinning technique and
      their application to antimicrobial air filtration. As an antimicrobial herbal
      material, an ethanolic extract of Sophora flavescens, which exhibits great
      antibacterial activity against pathogens, was mixed with the polymer solution for
      the electrospinning process. We measured various characteristics of the
      synthesized HEI nanofibers, such as fiber morphology, fiber size distribution,
      and thermal stability. For application of the electrospun HEI nanofibers, we made
      highly effective air filters with 99.99% filtration efficiency and 99.98%
      antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis. The pressure drop
      across the HEI nanofiber air filter was 4.75 mmH2O at a face air velocity of 1.79
      cm/s. These results will facilitate the implementation of electrospun HEI
      nanofiber techniques to control air quality and protect against hazardous
      airborne microorganisms. 

PMID- 26505784
TI  - Dopant-Enabled Supramolecular Approach for Controlled Synthesis of Nanostructured
      Conductive Polymer Hydrogels.
AB  - Conducting polymer hydrogels emerge as a novel class of polymeric materials that
      show great potential in many energy, environmental, and biomedical devices. We
      describe here for the first time a general supramolecular approach toward
      controlled in situ synthesis of one-dimensional nanostructured conductive
      hydrogels (polypyrrole (PPy) as a model system) using a rational dopant
      counterion, which is a disc-shaped liquid crystal molecular copper phthalocyanine
      3,4',4",4'''-tetrasulfonic acid tetrasodium salt (CuPcTs). The dopant molecule
      CuPcTs cross-linked the PPy chains to form a three-dimensional network that
      gelated into a hydrogel. The PPy hydrogel could be synthesized in bulk quantities
      with uniform morphology of self-assembled interconnected nanofibers. The tetra
      functional dopant favors a supramolecular self-assembly mechanism to form one
      dimensional PPy nanostructures. Furthermore, the enhanced interchain charge
      transport of CuPcTs doped PPy resulted in greatly enhanced conductivity and
      pseudocapacitance compared with pristine PPy. 

PMID- 26505785
TI  - Enhancement of regulatory T cell-like suppressive function in MT-2 by long-term
      and low-dose exposure to asbestos.
AB  - Asbestos exposure causes lung fibrosis and various malignant tumors such as lung
      cancer and malignant mesothelioma. The effects of asbestos on immune cells have
      not been thoroughly investigated, although our previous reports showed that
      asbestos exposure reduced anti-tumor immunity. The effects of continuous exposure
      of regulatory T cells (Treg) to asbestos were examined using the HTLV-1
      immortalized human T cell line MT-2, which possesses a suppressive function and
      expresses the Treg marker protein, Foxp3. Sublines were generated by the
      continuous exposure to low doses of asbestos fibers for more than one year. The
      sublines exposed to asbestos showed enhanced suppressive Treg function via cell
      cell contact, and increased production of soluble factors such as IL-10 and
      transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1. These results also indicated that
      asbestos exposure induced the reduction of anti-tumor immunity, and efforts to
      develop substances to reverse this reduction may be helpful in preventing the
      occurrence of asbestos-induced tumors. 

PMID- 26505786
TI  - Combinatorial Effects of Curcumin with an Anti-Neoplastic Agent on Head and Neck
      Squamous Cell Carcinoma Through the Regulation of EGFR-ERK1/2 and Apoptotic
      Signaling Pathways.
AB  - Globally, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common
      cancer and represents approximately 6% of all diagnosed cancers. The use of anti
      cancer drugs, such as docetaxel, doxorubicin (DOX), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and
      cisplatin (diammine dichloroplatinum(II), CDDP), is limited due to their non
      specificity, drug resistance, and toxicity. A combinatorial approach may improve
      the efficacy of these chemotherapeutic drugs and reduce their non-specific
      toxicities. In the present study, curcumin, an anti-cancer phytochemical, was
      used in combination with 5-FU, doxorubicin, and cisplatin and their combinatorial
      effect on the HNSCC cell line NT8e was investigated. Our results showed that the
      combination of 5-FU or DOX with curcumin exhibited significant growth inhibition
      and enhanced apoptosis in NT8e cancer cells. Treatment with 5-FU or DOX in
      combination with curcumin induced apoptosis by inhibiting Bcl-2 and increasing
      Bax, caspase-3, and poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) in NT8e cells. This was
      further confirmed through apoptotic characteristic features in cells, such as
      membrane blebbing, nuclear condensation, and cell shrinkage, as observed by DAPI
      staining and through decreased red/green fluorescence by JC-1. These two
      combinations also exhibited cell cycle growth arrest at the G1/S phase, which was
      confirmed by downregulation of cyclins (D1, E2, B1, and A2), CDK2, and increased
      p21 levels. In addition, curcumin exposure along with 5-FU or DOX inhibited cell
      proliferation through the downregulation of EGFR-ERK1/2 signaling molecules.
      Overall, our data demonstrates the promising therapeutic potential and underlying
      mechanisms of curcumin with 5-FU/DOX combinations as a new treatment modality for
      head and neck cancer management. 

PMID- 26505787
TI  - Electrically Tunable Soft-Solid Block Copolymer Structural Color.
AB  - One-dimensional photonic crystals based on the periodic stacking of two different
      dielectric layers have been widely studied, but the fabrication of mechanically
      flexible polymer structural color (SC) films, with electro-active color
      switching, remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate free-standing electric field
      tunable ionic liquid (IL) swollen block copolymer (BCP) films. Placement of a
      polymer/ionic liquid film-reservoir adjacent to a self-assembled poly(styrene
      block-quaternized 2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-QP2VP) copolymer SC film allowed the
      development of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) full-color SC block copolymer
      films by swelling of the QP2VP domains by the ionic liquid associated with water
      molecules. The IL-polymer/BCP SC film is mechanically flexible with excellent
      color stability over several days at ambient conditions. The selective swelling
      of the QP2VP domains could be controlled by both the ratio of the IL to a polymer
      in the gel-like IL reservoir layer and by an applied voltage in the range of -3
      to +6 V using a metal/IL reservoir/SC film/IL reservoir/metal capacitor type
      device. 

PMID- 26505788
TI  - Enzyme kinetics and inhibition of histone acetyltransferase KAT8.
AB  - Lysine acetyltransferase 8 (KAT8) is a histone acetyltransferase (HAT)
      responsible for acetylating lysine 16 on histone H4 (H4K16) and plays a role in
      cell cycle progression as well as acetylation of the tumor suppressor protein
      p53. Further studies on its biological function and drug discovery initiatives
      will benefit from the development of small molecule inhibitors for this enzyme.
      As a first step towards this aim we investigated the enzyme kinetics of this bi
      substrate enzyme. The kinetic experiments indicate a ping-pong mechanism in which
      the enzyme binds Ac-CoA first, followed by binding of the histone substrate. This
      mechanism is supported by affinity measurements of both substrates using
      isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Using this information, the KAT8
      inhibition of a focused compound collection around the non-selective HAT
      inhibitor anacardic acid has been investigated. Kinetic studies with anacardic
      acid were performed, based on which a model for the catalytic activity of KAT8
      and the inhibitory action of anacardic acid (AA) was proposed. This enabled the
      calculation of the inhibition constant Ki of anacardic acid derivatives using an
      adaptation of the Cheng-Prusoff equation. The results described in this study
      give insight into the catalytic mechanism of KAT8 and present the first well
      characterized small-molecule inhibitors for this HAT. 

PMID- 26505789
TI  - Mmu-miR-351 attenuates the survival of cardiac arterial endothelial cells through
      targeting STAT3 in the atherosclerotic mice.
AB  - The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway
      was involved in regulation of endothelial cell survival/apoptosis and was
      regarded as a target for prevention of atherosclerosis or other cardiovascular
      diseases. Factors, regulating STAT3 expression and activity, have aroused a wide
      range of interest, such as miRNAs or transcription factors. The aim of this study
      is to explore the role of miR-351, a miRNA found not long before, in the
      regulation of STAT3 expression and endothelial cell survival in the model mice
      with atherosclerosis (AS). Expression of miR-351 in the serum and cardiac
      arterial endothelial cells of the WT mice and AS mice was detected. Real-time
      qPCR analysis showed that miR-351 was upregulated in the serum and endothelial
      cells of the AS mice, displaying an opposite expression pattern with STAT3. To
      explore the role and mechanism of miR-351 in the endothelial cell survival, the
      miR-351 mimic was transfected in to the endothelial cells. MTT and Trypan Blue
      assays showed miR-351 attenuated the survival of endothelial cells. Our results
      of the TargetScan output and the 3'UTR luciferase reporter assay indicated that
      STAT3 was target of miR-351. Additionally, miR-351 resisted the elevation of
      STAT3 protein level and promotion of endothelial cell survival caused by SD19.
      Finally, our in vitro angiogenesis assay revealed that miR-351 suppressed
      angiogenesis and resisted the promotion of angiogenesis caused by SD19. In
      conclusion, miR-351 was upregulated in the atherosclerotic mice. MiR-351 can
      attenuate the survival of endothelial cells and suppress angiogenesis through
      targeting STAT3 in vitro. 

PMID- 26505790
TI  - C-Mannosylation of thrombopoietin receptor (c-Mpl) regulates thrombopoietin
      dependent JAK-STAT signaling.
AB  - The thrombopoietin receptor, also known as c-Mpl, is a member of the cytokine
      superfamily, which regulates the differentiation of megakaryocytes and formation
      of platelets by binding to its ligand, thrombopoietin (TPO), through Janus kinase
      (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling. The loss
      of-function mutations of c-Mpl cause severe thrombocytopenia due to impaired
      megakaryocytopoiesis, and gain-of-function mutations cause thrombocythemia. c-Mpl
      contains two Trp-Ser-Xaa-Trp-Ser (Xaa represents any amino acids) sequences,
      which are characteristic sequences of type I cytokine receptors, corresponding to
      C-mannosylation consensus sequences: Trp-Xaa-Xaa-Trp/Cys. C-mannosylation is a
      post-translational modification of tryptophan residue in which one mannose is
      attached to the first tryptophan residue in the consensus sequence via C-C
      linkage. Although c-Mpl contains some C-mannosylation sequences, whether c-Mpl is
      C-mannosylated or not has been uninvestigated. We identified that c-Mpl is C
      mannosylated not only at Trp(269) and Trp(474), which are putative C
      mannosylation site, but also at Trp(272), Trp(416), and Trp(477). Using C
      mannosylation defective mutant of c-Mpl, the C-mannosylated tryptophan residues
      at four sites (Trp(269), Trp(272), Trp(474), and Trp(477)) are essential for c
      Mpl-mediated JAK-STAT signaling. Our findings suggested that C-mannosylation of c
      Mpl is a possible therapeutic target for platelet disorders. 

PMID- 26505791
TI  - Msx1 homeodomain transcription factor and TATA-binding protein interact to
      repress the expression of the glycoprotein hormone alpha subunit gene.
AB  - Studying the regulatory mechanism of the glycoprotein hormone alpha subunit
      (alphaGSU) gene in thyrotropes is essential for understanding the synthesis of
      functional thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Here, we investigated the influence
      of a homeodomain transcription factor Msx1 (Msh homeobox 1) on alphaGSU
      expression in thyrotropes. The transient expression of Msx1 inhibited the
      activity of an alphaGSU reporter gene, as well as its endogenous mRNA level in
      thyrotrope-derived alphaTSH cells. Luciferase reporter assays with serial
      deletion constructs and a close examination of the sequences revealed that the
      putative Msx1 binding site (PMS) in the alphaGSU promoter is not responsible for
      Msx1-mediated transcriptional repression. We also identified the TATA-box binding
      protein (TBP) as an interacting protein in thyrotropes. Interaction of TBP with
      Msx1 attenuates the inhibitory effect of Msx1 on alphaGSU gene expression in a
      DNA binding-independent manner. Furthermore, transient transfection studies with
      mutant Msx1 revealed that the interaction of TBP and Msx1 is critical for Msx1
      mediated transcriptional repression of the alphaGSU. These results suggest that
      Msx1 functions as a transcriptional repressor of alphaGSU and that its
      interaction with TBP is an integral part of the mechanism by which Msx1 regulates
      the inhibition of alphaGSU gene expression. 

PMID- 26505792
TI  - 3-Deazaneplanocin A suppresses aggressive phenotype-related gene expression in an
      oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line.
AB  - In tumor tissues, alterations of gene expression caused by aberrant epigenetic
      modifications confer phenotypic diversity on malignant cells. Although 3
      deazaneplanocin A (DZNep) has been shown to reactivate tumor suppressor genes in
      several cancer cells, it remains unclear whether DZNep attenuates the malignant
      phenotypes of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. In this study, we
      investigated the effect of DZNep on the expression of genes related to aggressive
      phenotypes, such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition, in OSCC cells. We found
      that DZNep reduced the cellular levels of polycomb group proteins (EZH2, SUZ12,
      BMI1, and RING1A) and the associated trimethylation of Lys27 on histone H3 and
      monoubiquitination of Lys119 on histone H2A in the poorly differentiated OSCC
      cell line SAS. Immunocytochemical staining demonstrated that DZNep induced the
      reorganization of filamentous actin and the membrane localization of E-cadherin
      associated with cell-cell adhesions. We also found an inhibitory effect of DZNep
      on cell proliferation using a WST assay. Finally, quantitative RT-PCR analysis
      demonstrated that genes involved in the aggressive phenotypes (TWIST2, EGFR,
      ACTA2, TGFB1, WNT5B, and APLIN) were down-regulated, whereas epithelial phenotype
      genes (CDH1, CLDN4, IVL, and TGM1) were up-regulated in SAS cells treated with
      DZNep. Collectively, our findings suggest that DZNep reverses the aggressive
      characteristics of OSCC cells through the dynamic regulation of epithelial
      plasticity via the reprogramming of gene expression patterns. 

PMID- 26505793
TI  - GLP-1 secretion is stimulated by 1,10-phenanthroline via colocalized T2R5 signal
      transduction in human enteroendocrine L cell.
AB  - Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) hormone is known to regulate blood glucose by an
      insulinotropic effect and increases proliferation as and also prevents apoptosis
      of pancreatic beta cells. We know that GLP-1 is secreted by nutrients such as
      fatty acids and sweet compounds but also bitter compounds via stimulation of G
      protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) in the gut. Among these, bitter compounds are
      multiply-contained in phytochemicals or artificial materials and perceived as
      ligands of various bitter taste receptors. We hypothesized that GLP-1 hormone is
      secreted through stimulation of a single bitter taste receptor by 1,10
      phenanthroline which is known agonist of taste receptor type 2 member 5 (T2R5).
      To prove this hypothesis, we used the representatively well-known 1,10
      phenanthroline as ligand of single receptor and evaluated the existence of T2R5
      by double-labeling immunofluorescence and then 1,10-phenanthroline is able to
      secrete GLP-1 hormone through stimulation of T2R5 in human enteroendocrine cells.
      Consequently, we verify that GLP-1 hormone is colocalized with T2R5 in the human
      duodenum and ileum tissue and is secreted by 1,10-phenanthroline via T2R5 signal
      transduction in differentiated human enteroendocrine L cells. 

PMID- 26505794
TI  - Rock2 stabilizes beta-catenin to promote tumor invasion and metastasis in
      colorectal cancer.
AB  - Rho-associated coiled-coil-containing protein kinase 2 (Rock2) is an effector for
      the small GTPase Rho and plays an important role in tumor progression and
      metastasis. However, the effect of Rock2 in colorectal cancer (CRC) still remains
      unclear. In this study, we found that Rock2 expression was markedly increased in
      clinical CRC tissues compared with adjacent non-cancerous tissues. High
      expression of Rock2 was correlated with tumor metastasis and poor prognosis in
      CRC. In addition, the knockdown of Rock2 suppressed the invasion and metastasis
      of CRC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we found that the beta
      catenin/TCF4 pathway contributed to the effects of Rock2 in CRC cells, and Rock2
      stabilized beta-catenin by preventing its ubiquitination and degradation. Taken
      together, this novel pathway for beta-catenin control plays a biologically
      relevant role in CRC metastasis. 

PMID- 26505795
TI  - Liposomal short-chain C6 ceramide induces potent anti-osteosarcoma activity in
      vitro and in vivo.
AB  - Osteosarcoma (OS) remains one deadly disease for many affected patients. The
      search for novel and more efficient anti-OS agents is urgent. In the current
      study, we demonstrated that liposome-packed C6 ceramide exerted potent cytotoxic
      effect against established (U2OS and MG-63 lines) and primary human OS cells.
      Meanwhile, the liposomal C6 (ceramide) induced caspase-mediated apoptotic death
      in OS cells. Liposomal C6 was significantly more potent than conventional free C6
      in inhibiting OS cells, yet it was safe to non-cancerous bone cells (primary
      murine osteoblasts or human MLO-Y4 osteocytic cells). At the signaling level, we
      showed that liposomal C6 potently inhibited Akt activation in OS cells. Further
      studies revealed that a low dose of liposomal C6 dramatically sensitized the in
      vitro anti-OS activity of two conventional chemodrugs: methotrexate (MTX) and
      doxorubicin. In vivo, intravenous injection of liposomal C6 inhibited Akt
      activation and suppressed U2OS xenograft growth in nude mice without causing
      apparent toxicities. Meanwhile, when given at a low-dose (5 mg/kg body weight),
      liposomal C6 dramatically sensitized MTX's anti-U2OS activity in vivo.
      Collectively, our data demonstrate that liposomal C6 exerts potent anti-tumor
      activity in preclinical OS models. 

PMID- 26505796
TI  - Protective effects of SGLT2 inhibitor luseogliflozin on pancreatic beta-cells in
      obese type 2 diabetic db/db mice.
AB  - It is well known that Sodium-Glucose Co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, new
      hypoglycemic agents, improve glycemic control by increasing urine glucose
      excretion, but it remained unclear how they exert protective effects on
      pancreatic beta-cells. In this study, we examined the effects of SGLT2 inhibitor
      luseogliflozin on beta-cell function and mass using obese type 2 diabetic db/db
      mice. Ten-week-old male diabetic db/db mice were treated with luseogliflozin
      0.0025% or 0.01% in chow (Luse 0.0025% or Luse 0.01%) or vehicle (control) for 4
      weeks. Urinary glucose excretion was increased in Luse groups (0.0025% and 0.01%)
      compared to control mice 3 days after the intervention. Fasting blood glucose
      levels were significantly lower in mice treated with Luse compared to control
      mice. Fasting serum insulin concentrations were significantly higher in mice
      treated with Luse compared to control mice. Triglyceride levels tended to be
      lower in Luse groups compared to control mice. In immunohistochemical study using
      pancreas tissues, beta-cell mass was larger in Luse groups compared to control
      group which was due to the increase of beta-cell proliferation and decrease of
      beta-cell apoptosis. Furthermore, in gene analysis using isolated islets, insulin
      1, insulin 2, MafA, PDX-1 and GLUT2 gene expression levels were significantly
      higher in Luse groups compared to control group. In contrast, expression levels
      of fibrosis-related gene such as TGFbeta, fibronectin, collagen I and collagen
      III were significantly lower in Luse groups. In conclusion, SGLT2 inhibitor
      luseogliflozin ameliorates glycemic control and thus exerts protective effects on
      pancreatic beta-cell mass and function. 

PMID- 26505797
TI  - Escin activates AKT-Nrf2 signaling to protect retinal pigment epithelium cells
      from oxidative stress.
AB  - Here we explored the anti-oxidative and cytoprotective potentials of escin, a
      natural triterpene-saponin, against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in retinal pigment
      epithelium (RPE) cells. We showed that escin remarkably attenuated H2O2-induced
      death and apoptosis of established (ARPE-19) and primary murine RPE cells.
      Meanwhile, ROS production and lipid peroxidation by H2O2 were remarkably
      inhibited by escin. Escin treatment in RPE cells resulted in NF-E2-related factor
      2 (Nrf2) signaling activation, evidenced by transcription of anti-oxidant
      responsive element (ARE)-regulated genes, including HO-1, NQO-1 and SRXN-1.
      Knockdown of Nrf2 through targeted shRNAs/siRNAs alleviated escin-mediated ARE
      gene transcription, and almost abolished escin-mediated anti-oxidant activity and
      RPE cytoprotection against H2O2. Reversely, escin was more potent against H2O2
      damages in Nrf2-over-expressed ARPE-19 cells. Further studies showed that escin
      induced Nrf2 activation in RPE cells required AKT signaling. AKT inhibitors
      (LY294002 and perifosine) blocked escin-induced AKT activation, and dramatically
      inhibited Nrf2 phosphorylation, its cytosol accumulation and nuclear
      translocation in RPE cells. Escin-induced RPE cytoprotection against H2O2 was
      also alleviated by the AKT inhibitors. Together, these results demonstrate that
      escin protects RPE cells from oxidative stress possibly through activating AKT
      Nrf2 signaling. 

PMID- 26505798
TI  - CD36 is involved in high glucose-induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition in
      renal tubular epithelial cells.
AB  - The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in the
      progression of diabetic nephropathy. Our recent study showed that ROS mediated
      high glucose (HG)-induced EMT in renal tubular epithelial cells. CD36, a class-B
      scavenger receptor, has been reported to mediate the production of ROS in chronic
      kidney disease. In the present study, we examined the effect of inhibition of
      CD36 with CD36 siRNA or sulfosuccinimidyl-oleate (SSO), a CD36 antagonist, on HG
      induced EMT in HK-2 cells. HG induced CD36 expression in a time-dependent manner
      in HK-2 cells. HG was shown to induce EMT at 72 h. This was blocked by knockdown
      of CD36 or treatment with SSO. Meanwhile, we also found that knockdown of CD36 or
      treatment with SSO inhibited HG-induced ROS generation, activation of ERK1/2 and
      Smad2, expression of TGF-beta1 and synthesis of fibronectin. These data suggest
      that inhibition of CD36 prevented HG-induced EMT in HK-2 cells, highlighting CD36
      as a potential therapeutic target for diabetic nephropathy. 

PMID- 26505799
TI  - Crystal structure of mature 2S albumin from Moringa oleifera seeds.
AB  - 2S albumins, the seed storage proteins, are the primary sources of carbon and
      nitrogen and are involved in plant defense. The mature form of Moringa oleifera
      (M. oleifera), a chitin binding protein isoform 3-1 (mMo-CBP3-1) a thermostable
      antifungal, antibacterial, flocculating 2S albumin is widely used for the
      treatment of water and is potentially interesting for the development of both
      antifungal drugs and transgenic crops. The crystal structure of mMo-CBP3-1
      determined at 1.7 A resolution demonstrated that it is comprised of two
      proteolytically processed alpha-helical chains, stabilized by four disulfide
      bridges that is stable, resistant to pH changes and has a melting temperature
      (TM) of approximately 98  degrees C. The surface arginines and the polyglutamine
      motif are the key structural factors for the observed flocculating, antibacterial
      and antifungal activities. This represents the first crystal structure of a 2S
      albumin and the model of the pro-protein indicates the structural changes that
      occur upon formation of mMo-CBP3-1 and determines the structural motif and charge
      distribution patterns for the diverse observed activities. 

PMID- 26505800
TI  - CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein CEBP-2 controls fat consumption and fatty acid
      desaturation in Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - Mammalian CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins (C/EBPs) are generally known as
      regulators in adipocyte differentiation. However, more understanding of the role
      of C/EBPs in lipid and glucose metabolism remains to be discovered. In this
      study, we verified the effect of CEBP-2, the homolog of CEBPs, on fat storage in
      Caenorhabditis elegans. Expressions of 85 genes that encode the major enzymes in
      energy metabolic pathways were then screened in cebp-2-deficient worms using a
      quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR). Our data implied that
      loss of function of CEBP-2 displayed a low-fat phenotype in C. elegans owing to
      increased expression of ech-1.1 and decreased expression of fat-5. Our findings
      indicated that cebp-2 controls total body fat content by governing fatty acid
      mitochondrial beta-oxidation and desaturation in C. elegans. These data provide
      insights into how C/EBPs may affect lipid metabolism in mammals in addition to
      regulating adipocyte differentiation. 

PMID- 26505801
TI  - Microbiome interaction with sugar plays an important role in relapse of childhood
      caries.
AB  - Childhood caries have a high relapse rate after full mouth therapy. This study
      aimed to elucidate the relationship between the microbiome, sugar, and the
      relapse of childhood caries after therapy. A total of 24 children aged 2-4 years
      who underwent one caries treatment session participated in this study.
      Supragingival plaque was collected before therapy and 1 and 7 months after
      therapy, then sequenced using the 16S rRNA high-throughput approach. We found 11
      phyla, 140 genera, and 444 species in 72 samples. The children were divided into
      relapse-free (n = 13) and relapse (n = 11) groups according to whether they
      relapsed 7 months after therapy. The bacterial community richness, diversity,
      structure, and relative abundance of bacterial taxa were significantly different
      between the two groups 7 months after therapy. The two groups also differed in
      the relative abundance of bacterial taxa, both before and 1 month after therapy.
      Bacterial community richness and diversity were lower in the relapse-free group 1
      month after therapy. Using different operational taxonomic units between the
      relapse-free and relapse groups 1 month after therapy, a relapse-risk assessment
      model was built with 75% accuracy, 0.1905 out-of-bag error, and 66.67% validation
      accuracy. Patients in the relapse group had higher sugar intake frequencies than
      those in the relapse-free group during follow-up. Interactions between the
      microbiome and sugar intake frequency were found through co-occurrence networks.
      We conclude that the microbiome is significantly different between the relapse
      free and relapse groups at the time of relapse. Supragingival plaque collected
      immediately after therapy can be used to predict the risk of relapse.
      Furthermore, the correlation between sugar intake frequency and microbiome is
      associated with the relapse. 

PMID- 26505802
TI  - Digital Mammography Screening: Does Age Influence the Detection Rates of Low-,
      Intermediate-, and High-Grade Ductal Carcinoma in Situ?
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the association between age at screening and detection
      rates for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) separately for different nuclear grades
      after introduction of a population-based digital mammography screening program.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The retrospective study was approved by the ethics board
      and did not require informed consent. In 733 905 women aged 50-69 years who
      participated in a screening program for the first time in 2005-2008 (baseline
      examinations were performed with digital mammography), DCIS detection rates were
      determined for 5-year age groups (detection rates per 1000 women screened) to
      distinguish high-, intermediate-, and low-grade DCIS. Multivariable logistic
      regression was used to compare detection rates between age groups by adjusting
      for screening units (P < .05). RESULTS: There were 989 graded DCIS diagnoses
      among 733 905 women (detection rate, 1.350/00): 419 diagnoses of high-grade DCIS
      (detection rate, 0.570/00), 388 diagnoses of intermediate-grade DCIS (detection
      rate, 0.530/00), and 182 diagnoses of low-grade DCIS (detection rate, 0.250/00).
      Detection rate for types of DCIS combined increased significantly across age
      groups (50-54 years, detection rate of 1.150/00 [254 of 220 985 women]; 55-59
      years, detection rate of 1.230/00 [218 of 177 782 women]; 60-64 years, detection
      rate of 1.340/00 [201 of 150 415 women]; and 65-69 years, detection rate of
      1.710/00 [316 of 184 723 women]; P < .001). Of note, the detection rate for high
      grade DCIS showed a significant increase with age (odds ratio, 1.18 per 5-year
      age group; P < .0001). The increase was lower for intermediate-grade DCIS (odds
      ratio, 1.11; P = .016) and not significant for low-grade DCIS (P = .10).
      CONCLUSION: Total DCIS detection rates increase with age, mostly because of an
      increase in high- and intermediate-grade DCIS, which are precursor lesions that
      carry a higher risk for transition to more aggressive invasive breast cancer than
      low-grade DCIS.

PMID- 26505803
TI  - Local Recurrence Significantly Increases the Risk of Metastatic Uveal Melanoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess of the effect of local recurrence of uveal melanoma on
      metastasis using a multicenter international tumor registry. DESIGN:
      Retrospective study using an online tumor registry. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with
      uveal melanoma diagnosed between 2001 and 2011. METHODS: A committee was formed
      to create uveal melanoma patient-specific data fields. Ten subspecialty
      ophthalmic oncology centers from 4 continents shared data. Patient selection
      criteria included diagnosis of uveal melanoma and adequate records to allow tumor
      staging by American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) criteria and follow-up for
      metastatic melanoma. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Local tumor recurrence and metastatic
      uveal melanoma. RESULTS: Of 3809 total entries, 3217 patients with ciliary body
      and choroidal (CBC) melanoma and 160 with iris melanoma were evaluated. There was
      a median follow-up of 3.7 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.5-3.8). One
      hundred fifty-two patients (4.7%) with CBC melanoma experienced local recurrence,
      with a cumulative incidence of 11%. Kaplan-Meier point estimates for remaining
      free of local recurrence were 99% (95% CI, 99-99) at 1 year, 93% (95% CI, 92-94)
      at 5 years, and 89% (95% CI, 86-91) at 10 years. Five- and 10-year metastasis
      free Kaplan-Meier estimates for the recurrence-free group were 87% (95% CI, 86
      89) and 82% (95% CI, 79-84), and those for the local recurrence group were 71%
      (95% CI, 62-78) and 62% (95% CI, 49-72). The difference between these 2 groups
      was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Furthermore, local tumor recurrence
      increased the risk of metastasis by a hazard ratio (HR) of 6.28 (95% CI, 4.4-8.9;
      P < 0.001). Local recurrence was detected up to 9.8 years after treatment.
      Extrascleral extension also was associated with local recurrence (HR, 3.2; 95%
      CI, 1.5-6.7; P = 0.003), but higher AJCC T-size category was not (P = 0.63). Five
      patients (n = 5/161 [3.1%]) with iris melanoma demonstrated local recurrence and
      1 metastasized. CONCLUSIONS: International multicenter data sharing was used to
      evaluate the effect of local tumor recurrence on metastatic rate. In that local
      tumor recurrence was associated with a significantly higher risk of systemic
      metastasis, effective initial treatment and long-term surveillance of treated
      uveal melanoma patients is necessary.

PMID- 26505804
TI  - Rates of Reoperation and Retinal Detachment after Macular Hole Surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate rates of reoperation and retinal detachment (RD) after
      macular hole surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS:
      Patients in the insurance claim-based MarketScan databases from 2007 through 2013
      with a record of macular hole surgery. METHODS: Patients with macular hole
      surgery were identified. Cases of definite (the same eye was coded both times)
      and presumed (the eye laterality was not coded) macular hole reoperations within
      2, 3, and 12 months were queried. In addition, cases of postoperative RD within
      2, 3, and 12 months were captured. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of macular hole
      reoperation and postoperative RD, including subgroup analysis based on presence
      or absence of internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling. RESULTS: Records of 23465
      macular hole surgeries among 20 764 patients were analyzed. Among presumed
      reoperations, the rates of reoperation were 4.3% (4.1% after ILM peeling and 5.0%
      after no ILM peeling; P = 0.01) within 2 months of surgery, 5.5% (5.3% after ILM
      peeling and 6.2% after no ILM peeling; P = 0.03) within 3 months of surgery, and
      9.5% (9.0% after ILM peeling and 11.0% after no ILM peeling; P = 0.01) within 12
      months of surgery. The rates for definite reoperations were 1.3% (1.2% after ILM
      peeling and 1.8% after no ILM peeling; P = 0.04) at 2 months, 1.7% (1.6% after
      ILM peeling and 2.5% after no ILM peeling; P = 0.004) at 3 months, and 4.1% (3.3%
      after ILM peeling and 7.5% after no ILM peeling; P < 0.001) at 12 months. The
      cumulative rate of postoperative RD was 1.81+/-0.09% to 2.18+/-0.5% after 2
      months, 2.27+/-0.10% to 3.18+/-0.67% after 3 months, and 3.92+/-0.16% to 5.70+/
      1.1% after 12 months. Internal limiting membrane peeling was associated
      negatively with postoperative RD at 2 months (2.3% vs. 1.7%; P = 0.007), 3 months
      (2.8% vs. 2.1%; P = 0.004), and 12 months (4.7% vs. 3.3%; P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: In this sample, reoperations for macular hole were performed at low
      rates. Internal limiting membrane peeling was associated with lower rates of
      reoperation and RD.

PMID- 26505805
TI  - In Utero and Early-Life Exposure to Ambient Air Toxics and Childhood Brain
      Tumors: A Population-Based Case-Control Study in California, USA.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the influence of environmental factors on the
      etiology of childhood brain tumors. OBJECTIVES: We examined risks for brain
      tumors in children after prenatal and infant exposure to monitored ambient air
      toxics. METHODS: We ascertained all cases of medulloblastoma, central nervous
      system primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET), and astrocytoma before 6 years of
      age diagnosed in 1990-2007 from the California Cancer Registry and selected
      controls randomly from birth rolls matched by birth year. Exposures to air toxics
      during pregnancy/infancy for 43 PNET, 34 medulloblastoma, and 106 astrocytoma
      cases and 30,569 controls living within 5 mi of a monitor were determined. With
      factor analysis we assessed the correlational structures of 26 probable
      carcinogenic toxics, and estimated odds ratios by brain tumor type in logistic
      regression models. RESULTS: PNETs (<= 38 cases) were positively associated with
      interquartile range (IQR) increases in prenatal exposure to acetaldehyde [odds
      ratio (OR) = 2.30; 95% CI: 1.44, 3.67], 1,3-butadiene (OR = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.28,
      3.88), benzene, and toluene; and with IQR increases in exposure during the first
      year of life to ortho-dichlorobenzene (OR = 3.27; 95% CI: 1.17, 9.14), 1,3
      butadiene (OR = 3.15; 95% CI: 1.57, 6.32), and benzene. All exposures except
      ortho-dichlorobenzene loaded on the same factor. Medulloblastoma (<= 30 cases)
      was associated with prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs
      combined: OR = 1.44; 95% CI: 1.15, 1.80). Exposures to lead and some PAHs during
      the first year of life were positively associated with astrocytoma, but the
      confidence intervals included the null value (e.g., for lead, OR = 1.40; 95% CI:
      0.97, 2.03). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that in utero and infancy exposures to
      air toxics generated by industrial and road traffic sources may increase the risk
      of PNET and medulloblastoma, with limited support for increased risks for
      astrocytoma in children up to age 6. CITATION: von Ehrenstein OS, Heck JE, Park
      AS, Cockburn M, Escobedo L, Ritz B. 2016. In Utero and early-life exposure to
      ambient air toxics and childhood brain tumors: a population-based case-control
      study in California, USA. Environ Health Perspect 124:1093-1099;
      http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408582.

PMID- 26505806
TI  - Woodward-Hoffmann's Stereochemistry of Electrocyclic Reactions: From Day 1 to the
      JACS Receipt Date (May 5, 1964 to November 30, 1964).
AB  - The publication in January 1965 of the first Woodward-Hoffmann paper, The
      Stereochemistry of Electrocyclic Reactions, ushered into organic chemistry both
      an explanation of the stereochemistry and "allowedness" or "forbiddenness" of
      concerted reactions and an impetus for untold numbers of research projects. In
      the current paper, details of the collaboration between R. B. Woodward and R.
      Hoffmann, from when they first met to discuss the solution to the "no-mechanism
      problem" to the date their first paper was received in the offices of the Journal
      of the American Chemical Society, will be discussed and analyzed. The primary
      focus will be on the historically relevant extant documents from the early 1960s.
      These include Hoffmann's laboratory notebooks describing his research, including
      his extended Huckel calculations used to explain and predict the stereochemistry
      of electrocyclic reactions. Drafts of the Stereochemistry of Electrocyclic
      Reactions paper and letters and notes by Woodward, Jerome Berson, and others will
      further illuminate the development of this first Woodward-Hoffmann paper. 

PMID- 26505807
TI  - What do dogs, ancient Romans, Linus Pauling, and mass spectrometry have in
      common? Early lung cancer and exhaled breath.

PMID- 26505808
TI  - Is the self a higher-order or fundamental function of the brain? The "basis model
      of self-specificity" and its encoding by the brain's spontaneous activity.
AB  - What is the self? This is a question that has long been discussed in (Western)
      philosophy where the self is traditionally conceived a higher-order function at
      the apex or pinnacle of all functions. This tradition has been transferred to
      recent neuroscience where the self is often considered to be a higher-order
      cognitive function reflected in memory and other high-level judgements. However,
      other lines of research demonstrate a close and intimate relationship between
      self-specificity and more basic functions like perceptions, emotions and reward.
      This paper focuses on the relationship between self-specificity and other basic
      functions relating to emotions, reward and perception. I propose the basis model
      that conceives self-specificity as a fundamental feature of the brain's
      spontaneous activity. This is supported by recent findings showing rest-self
      overlap in midline regions as well as findings demonstrating that the resting
      state can predict subsequent degrees of self-specificity. I conclude that such
      self-specificity in the brain's spontaneous activity may be central in linking
      the self to either internal or external stimuli. This may also provide the basis
      for coding the self as subject in relation to internal (i.e., self-consciousness)
      or external (i.e., phenomenal consciousness) mental events.

PMID- 26505809
TI  - An investigation and evaluation on species and characteristics of pathogenic
      microorganisms in Chinese local hospital settings.
AB  - There are currently great concerns about the level of bacterial contamination in
      hospitals, as well as resistance to antimicrobial agents. The species and
      characteristics of microbes in Chinese hospitals are closely related to
      healthcare safety and the prevention and control of infections. However, data on
      the exposure of patients to microbes in Chinese hospitals are limited. The
      present study investigated the genera of microorganisms in Chinese hospitals. We
      evaluated their characteristics, such as antibiotic susceptibility, tolerance to
      disinfectants, and toxicity, using silkworms (Bombyx mori) as an animal model.
      Twenty-six distinct bacterial strains were isolated, and their genera were
      determined by sequencing their 16S rDNA regions. Twenty-five strains were
      resistant to one or more antibiotics, and six strains were resistant to multiple
      antibiotics. The results of minimal inhibitory concentration testing showed that
      eight strains were resistant to a chlorine-containing disinfectant, and 12
      strains were resistant to Povidone-iodine. Following the injection of bacterial
      cultures into the silkworm hemolymph, 15 strains killed all of the silkworms
      within 5 d. Additionally, bacterial strain 14 killed all of silkworms within 12 h
      with a median lethal dose of 4 * 10(4) colony-forming units/larva. This study
      provides useful information for healthcare safety in Chinese hospitals.

PMID- 26505810
TI  - Comparing Perspectives of Patients, Caregivers, and Clinicians on Heart Failure
      Management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although substantial effort has been devoted to reducing readmissions
      among heart failure (HF) patients, little is known about factors identified by
      patients and caregivers that may contribute to readmissions. The goal of this
      study was to compare the perspectives of HF patients, their caregivers, and their
      care team on HF management and hospital admissions. Understanding these
      perspectives may lead to better strategies for improving care during the post
      hospital transition and for reducing preventable readmissions. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: We performed freelisting, an anthropologic technique in which
      participants list items in response to a question, with hospitalized HF patients
      (n = 58), their caregivers (n = 32), and clinicians (n = 67). We asked about home
      HF management tasks, difficulties in managing HF, and perceived reasons for
      hospital admission. Results were analyzed with the use of Anthropac. Salience
      indices (measures of the most important words for defining the domain of
      interest) were calculated. Patients and clinicians described similar home HF
      management tasks, whereas caregivers described tasks related to activities of
      daily living. Clinicians cited socioeconomic factors as challenges to HF
      management, whereas patients and caregivers cited limited functional status and
      daily activities. When asked about reasons for hospitalization, patients and
      caregivers listed distressing symptoms and illness, whereas clinicians viewed
      patient behaviors to be primarily responsible for admission. CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings highlight that although some similarities exist, there are important
      differences among patients, caregivers, and clinicians in how they perceive the
      challenges of HF management and reasons for readmission. Understanding these
      differences may be critical to developing strategies to reduce readmissions.

PMID- 26505811
TI  - The Impact of Hospital and Surgeon Volume on In-Hospital Mortality of Ventricular
      Assist Device Recipients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) in the United
      States has increased since the Food and Drug Administration approved the 1st
      device in 1994. Despite a rapid increase in the number of LVADs implanted per
      year, there are substantial variations in procedure volume among hospitals and
      surgeons. This study evaluated the association between hospital and surgeon
      volumes of LVAD procedures and in-hospital mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: We
      conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of all patient discharges
      after an LVAD implantation from University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) academic
      medical center members from January 2007 through June 2012. With the use of
      International Classification of Diseases-9th Edition, Clinical Modification,
      procedure code 37.66, we identified 7714 patients who received an LVAD from 581
      surgeons across 88 hospitals. The primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital
      mortality. Annual hospital and surgeon LVAD procedure volumes were evaluated as
      both continuous variables and quintiles. Hierarchical binary logistic regression
      models were fitted to test the association of in-hospital mortality with hospital
      and surgeon volume, controlling for hospital and patient characteristics.
      Hospital volume was not associated with lower in-hospital mortality. Highest
      annual surgeon volume quintile was a significant predictor of lower in-hospital
      mortality (odds ratio 1.69; P < .001); this model had the highest predictive
      accuracy, with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.79.
      CONCLUSIONS: Surgeons' LVAD procedure volume, not annual hospital procedure
      volume, was associated with in-hospital mortality.

PMID- 26505812
TI  - Inspiratory Muscle Weakness is Associated With Exercise Intolerance in Patients
      With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Preliminary Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between inspiratory muscle weakness (IMW) and
      exercise intolerance in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection
      fraction (HFpEF) remains unestablished. METHODS AND RESULTS: The present study
      enrolled 40 patients with HFpEF (EF >=45%). IMW was defined as maximum
      inspiratory pressure <70% normal predicted values. The function of the diaphragm
      was assessed by means of ultrasound measurement of muscle thickening of the
      diaphragm. IMW was prevalent in 27.5% of patients. Patients with IMW had
      significantly lower vital capacity relative to normal predicted values (%VC),
      lower knee extensor muscle strength in relation to body weight (%KEMS), poorer
      nutritional status as assessed by means of the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index,
      and shorter 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) compared with patients without IMW (all
      P < .05). Impaired diaphragm muscle thickening at end-inspiration (median value <
      3.9 mm) was significantly associated with a high prevalence of IMW and reduced
      6MWD (all P < .05). Subgroup analysis showed that IMW was accompanied by a
      further decrease in 6MWD in patients with restrictive pulmonary dysfunction (%VC
      <80%) or lower-limb muscle weakness (median %KEMS <30%; all P < .05).
      CONCLUSIONS: IMW is associated with exercise intolerance in patients with HFpEF.

PMID- 26505813
TI  - Prevalence of Albuminuria in a General Population Cohort of Patients With
      Established Chronic Heart Failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have reported an association between albuminuria and
      adverse outcomes in adults with chronic heart failure (CHF). However, the
      prevalence of albuminuria in adults with established CHF remains unclear. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: This study was a cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2012. Adults aged >=18 years were
      included, and diagnosis of CHF was based on participant self-report. The primary
      outcome was the prevalence of microalbuminuria (albumin-to-creatinine ratio 30
      300 mg/g) and macroalbuminuria (albumin-to-creatinine ratio >300 mg/g) in adults
      with CHF. The secondary outcome was the adjusted odds ratio of any albuminuria in
      adults with and without CHF. During the study period, 37,961 adults did not have
      CHF and 1,214 adults had CHF. In adults with CHF, 22.1% (95% confidence interval
      [CI] 19.6%-24.7%) had microalbuminuria and 10.4% (95% CI 8.1%-12.7%)
      macroalbuminuria. In adjusted analyses, the odds of albuminuria in adults with
      CHF was 1.89-fold higher (95% CI 1.59-2.26; P < .001) than in adults without CHF.
      CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, albuminuria is more common in adults with CHF than
      in those without CHF, even after adjustment for important demographic and
      clinical confounders.

PMID- 26505815
TI  - A Case of Gastric Splenosis Mimicking a Stromal Tumor.

PMID- 26505814
TI  - Nucleolar repression facilitates initiation and maintenance of senescence.
AB  - Tumor cells with defective apoptosis pathways often respond to chemotherapy by
      entering irreversible cell cycle arrest with features of senescence. However,
      rare cells can bypass entry to senescence, or re-enter cell cycle from a
      senescent state. Deficiency in senescence induction and maintenance may
      contribute to treatment resistance and early relapse after therapy. Senescence
      involves epigenetic silencing of cell cycle genes and reduced rRNA transcription.
      We found that senescence-inducing treatments such as DNA damage and RNA
      polymerase I inhibition stimulate the binding between the nucleolar protein NML
      (nucleomethylin) and SirT1. The NML complex promotes rDNA heterochromatin
      formation and represses rRNA transcription. Depletion of NML reduced the levels
      of H3K9Me3 and H3K27Me3 heterochromatin markers on rDNA and E2F1 target promoters
      in senescent cells, increased rRNA transcription, and increased the frequency of
      cell cycle re-entry. Depletion of the nucleolar transcription repressor factor
      TIP5 also promoted escape from senescence. Furthermore, tumor tissue staining
      showed that breast tumors without detectable nucleolar NML expression had poor
      survival. The results suggest that efficient regulation of nucleolar rDNA
      transcription facilitates the maintenance of irreversible cell cycle arrest in
      senescent cells. Deficiency in nucleolar transcription repression may accelerate
      tumor relapse after chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26505816
TI  - Biomarker and Therapeutic Potential of CSF1 in Acute Liver Failure.

PMID- 26505817
TI  - Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Provide a Grip on the Enigmatic Pathogenesis of
      Acute Pancreatitis.

PMID- 26505818
TI  - Targeting Integrins and Safety in an Emerging Class of Targeted Oral Therapies:
      Are We Prepared for Rational and Precision Choices?

PMID- 26505819
TI  - Next Generation of Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy: Recombinant Microbial
      Enzymes and Finding the Perfect Lipase.

PMID- 26505820
TI  - Gastroparesis: Time for a Reappraisal?

PMID- 26505821
TI  - Are Biochemical Markers of Bone Turnover Representative of Bone Histomorphometry
      in 370 Postmenopausal Women?
AB  - CONTEXT: The levels of bone formation and resorption can be assessed at the
      tissue level by bone histomorphometry on transiliac bone biopsies. Systemic
      biochemical markers of bone turnover reflect the overall bone formation and
      resorption at the level of the entire skeleton but cannot discriminate the
      different skeletal compartments. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate the
      correlations between the serum biochemical markers of formation and resorption
      with histomorphometric parameters. DESIGN: We performed post hoc analysis of a
      previous clinical study. SETTING: Patients were selected from the general
      population. PATIENTS: A total of 371 untreated postmenopausal osteoporotic women
      aged 50 to 84 years with a lumbar T-score <= -2.5 SD or <= -1 SD with at least
      one osteoporotic fracture. INTERVENTIONS: Transiliac bone biopsies were obtained
      after a double tetracycline labeling, and blood samples were collected. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: The static and dynamic parameters of formation and bone
      resorption were measured by histomorphometry. Serum biochemical markers of
      formation (bone alkaline phosphatase [ALP]; procollagen type I N-terminal
      propeptide [PINP]) and resorption (C-terminal crosslinking telopeptide of
      collagen type 1 [sCTX]) were assessed. RESULTS: The mean values of biochemical
      markers were: bone ALP, 15.0 +/- 5.2 ng/mL; PINP, 56.2 +/- 21.9 MUg/mL; and sCTX,
      0.58 +/- 0.26 ng/mL. Bone ALP and PINP were significantly correlated with both
      the static and dynamic parameters of formation (0.21 <= r' <= 0.36; 0.01 >= P >=
      .0001). sCTX was significantly correlated with all resorption parameters (0.18 <=
      r' <= 0.24; 0.02 >= P >= .0001). CONCLUSION: Bone turnover markers were
      significantly but modestly associated with bone turnover parameters measured in
      iliac cancellous bone. The iliac crest bone may not represent perfectly the whole
      bone turnover.

PMID- 26505822
TI  - Sclerostin Serum Levels and Vascular Calcification Progression in Prevalent Renal
      Transplant Recipients.
AB  - CONTEXT: Vascular calcification (VC) is prevalent and progressive in renal
      transplant recipients (RTRs). Recent cross-sectional data suggest that activated
      Wnt signaling contributes to VC. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to investigate
      whether circulating levels of the Wnt antagonist sclerostin associate with
      progression of VC. DESIGN: This was a post hoc analysis of the longitudinal
      observational Brussels Renal Transplant Cohort study. SETTING: The setting was a
      tertiary care academic hospital. PATIENTS: Coronary artery calcification and
      aorta calcification were measured by multislice spiral computerized tomography in
      268 prevalent RTRs (age, 53 +/- 13 y; 61% male) at baseline and remeasured in 189
      patients after a median follow-up of 4.4 years. Baseline serum sclerostin levels
      were assessed on stored blood samples. Regression analysis was performed to
      identify determinants of baseline VC and progression. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The
      main outcome measure was progression of VC. RESULTS: VC was present in up to 84%
      of participants at baseline. Almost half of the patients showed progression of
      VC, according to Hokanson criteria. The cross-sectional analysis at baseline
      demonstrated a direct association between sclerostin levels and VC score in
      univariate analysis, which became inverse after adjustment for age, gender and
      PTH level. Remarkably, a lower sclerostin level was identified as an independent
      determinant of a higher baseline aorta calcification score in the final
      regression model. Moreover, baseline sclerostin levels showed an inverse
      association with VC progression, at least after adjustment for traditional risk
      factors. CONCLUSIONS: Serum sclerostin levels inversely associated with VC burden
      and progression in prevalent RTRs after adjustment for traditional risk factors.
      Our data corroborate previous findings in nontransplanted chronic kidney disease
      patients and support the notion that sclerostin may be up-regulated in the
      vascular wall during the VC process as part of a local counterregulatory
      mechanism directed to suppress VC. Additional clinical and experimental data are
      required for confirmation.

PMID- 26505823
TI  - Gastrointestinal Hormones and Weight Loss Maintenance Following Roux-en-Y Gastric
      Bypass.
AB  - CONTEXT: Factors underlying variable weight loss (WL) after Roux-en-Y gastric
      bypass (RYGB) are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to gain insight
      on the role of gastrointestinal hormones on poor WL maintenance (P-WLM) following
      RYGB. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: First, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide YY
      (PYY), and ghrelin responses to a standardized mixed liquid meal (SMLM) were
      compared between subjects with good WL (G-WL, n = 32) or P-WLM (n = 22). Second,
      we evaluated food intake (FI) following blockade of gut hormonal secretion in G
      WL (n = 23) or P-WLM (n = 19) subjects. Finally, the impact of dietary-induced WL
      on the hormonal response in subjects with P-WLM (n = 14) was assessed. SETTING:
      This study was undertaken in a tertiary hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In
      studies 1 and 3, the outcomes measures were the areas under the curve of gut
      hormones following a SMLM; in study 2, FI following subcutaneous injection of
      saline or octreotide were evaluated. RESULTS: P-WLM associated a blunted GLP-1 (P
      = .044) and PYY (P = .001) responses and lesser suppression of ghrelin (P = .032)
      following the SMLM challenge. On saline day, FI in the G-WL (393 +/- 143 kcal)
      group was less than in the P-WLM (519 +/- 143 Kcal; P = .014) group. Octreotide
      injection resulted in enlarged FI in both groups (G-WL: 579 +/- 248 kcal, P =
      .014; P-WLM: 798 +/- 284 Kcal, P = .036), but the difference in FI between groups
      remained (P < .001). In subjects with P-WLM, dietary-induced WL resulted in
      larger ghrelin suppression (P = .046), but no change in the GLP-1 or PYY
      responses. CONCLUSION: Our data show gastrointestinal hormones play a role in the
      control of FI following RYGB, but do not support that changes in GLP-1, PYY, or
      ghrelin play a major role as determinants of P-WLM after this type of surgery.

PMID- 26505824
TI  - Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide Is Associated With Lower Low-Density
      Lipoprotein But Unhealthy Fat Distribution, Independent of Insulin: The ADDITION
      PRO Study.
AB  - CONTEXT: Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) may increase lipid
      clearance by stimulating lipid uptake. However, given that GIP promotes release
      of insulin by the pancreas and insulin is anti-lipolytic, the effect may be
      indirect. OBJECTIVE: In this study we examined the association between GIP and
      lipid metabolism in individuals with low to high risk of type 2 diabetes and
      assessed whether the associations were modified by or mediated through insulin.
      DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Analyses were based on the Danish cross
      sectional ADDITION-PRO study (n = 1405). Lipid metabolism was measured by fasting
      plasma lipids and obesity including abdominal fat distribution assessed by
      ultrasonography. GIP and insulin were measured during an oral glucose tolerance
      test (0, 30 and 120 min). Linear regression analysis was used to study the
      associations between GIP, plasma lipids, and obesity measures. RESULTS: A
      doubling in fasting GIP levels was associated with lower low-density lipoprotein
      in both men (mean [95% CI] -0.10 mmol/l [-0.18--0.03]) and women (-0.14 mmol/l [
      0.23--0.04]) and with higher high-density lipoprotein in women (0.06 mmol/l [
      0.02-0.10]). In men, a doubling in stimulated GIP was associated with 0.13 cm
      less 0.01-0.25 sc fat but with more visceral abdominal fat (0.45 cm [0.12-0.78])
      and higher waist-hip ratio (0.011 [0.004-0.019]). CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to what
      was previously thought, GIP may be associated with improved low-density
      lipoprotein clearance but with an unhealthy fat distribution independent of
      insulin. The effect of GIP on obesity measures was substantially different
      between men and women. The potential effect of GIP on visceral and sc adipose
      tissue physiology warrants further examination.

PMID- 26505825
TI  - Two Healthy Diets Modulate Gut Microbial Community Improving Insulin Sensitivity
      in a Human Obese Population.
AB  - CONTEXT: Gut microbiota, which acts collectively as a fully integrated organ in
      the host metabolism, can be shaped by long-term dietary interventions after a
      specific diet. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to study the changes in microbiota after 1
      year's consumption of a Mediterranean diet (Med diet) or a low-fat, high-complex
      carbohydrate diet (LFHCC diet) in an obese population. DESIGN: Participants were
      randomized to receive the Med diet (35% fat, 22% monounsaturated) and the LFHCC
      diet (28% fat, 12% monounsaturated). SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study was
      conducted in 20 obese patients (men) within the Coronary Diet Intervention With
      Olive Oil and Cardiovascular Prevention (CORDIOPREV) study, an ongoing
      prospective, randomized, opened, controlled trial in patients with coronary heart
      disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: We evaluated the bacterial composition and its
      relationship with the whole fecal and plasma metabolome. RESULTS: The LFHCC diet
      increased the Prevotella and decreased the Roseburia genera, whereas the Med diet
      decreased the Prevotella and increased the Roseburia and Oscillospira genera (P =
      .028, .002, and .016, respectively). The abundance of Parabacteroides distasonis
      (P = .025) and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (P = .020) increased after long-term
      consumption of the Med diet and the LFHCC diet, respectively. The changes in the
      abundance of 7 of 572 metabolites found in feces, including mainly amino acid,
      peptide, and sphingolipid metabolism, could be linked to the changes in the gut
      microbiota. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that long-term consumption of the
      Med and LFHCC diets exerts a protective effect on the development of type 2
      diabetes by different specific changes in the gut microbiota, increasing the
      abundance of the Roseburia genus and F. prausnitzii, respectively.

PMID- 26505826
TI  - The Effect of Soy Intake on Metabolic Profiles of Women With Gestational Diabetes
      Mellitus.
AB  - CONTEXT: To our knowledge, no study has examined the effects of soy intake on
      metabolic status of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). OBJECTIVE:
      This study was designed to assess the effects of soy intake on metabolic status
      of GDM women. METHODS: A randomized clinical trial was performed among 68 women
      with GDM. Women were randomly assigned to receive either a control diet
      containing 0.8-g/kg protein (70% animal and 30% plant proteins) (n = 34) or a soy
      diet containing the same amount of protein with 35% animal protein, 35% soy
      protein, and 30% other plant proteins (n = 34) for 6 weeks. RESULTS: Compared
      with soy protein consumption, the control group significantly increased fasting
      plasma glucose (+1.4 +/- 11.6 vs -12.7 +/- 13.2 mg/dL, P < .001), serum insulin
      levels (+5.0 +/- 11.6 vs -0.9 +/- 10.0 MUIU/mL, P = .02), homeostasis model of
      assessment-insulin resistance (+1.2 +/- 2.7 vs -0.8 +/- 2.2, P = .002), and
      decreased quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (-0.007 +/- 0.02 vs +0.01
      +/- 0.03, P = .004). Administration of the control diet resulted in a significant
      difference in serum triglycerides changes (+31.3 +/- 38.0 vs +8.9 +/- 46.1 mg/dL,
      P = .03) compared with soy protein. There were a significant decrease in total
      antioxidant capacity (-35.0 +/- 136.2 vs +81.8 +/- 188.8 mmol/L, P = .005) and
      glutathione (-41.3 +/- 145.7 vs +53.3 +/- 117.3 MUmol/L, P = .004) by the control
      diet intake compared with soy protein. The control diet group had a higher
      incidence of newborn hyperbilirubinemia (32.4% vs 8.8%, P = .01) and newborn
      hospitalization (20.6% vs 2.9%, P = .02) compared with soy protein. CONCLUSION:
      Soy protein consumption in women with GDM significantly improved the glucose
      homeostasis parameters, triglycerides, and biomarkers of oxidative stress, as
      well as reductions in the incidence of newborn hyperbilirubinemia and
      hospitalizations.

PMID- 26505827
TI  - Targeting the Gatekeeper MET146 of C-Jun N-Terminal Kinase 3 Induces a Bivalent
      Halogen/Chalcogen Bond.
AB  - We target the gatekeeper MET146 of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 3 (JNK3) to exemplify
      the applicability of X...S halogen bonds in molecular design using computational,
      synthetic, structural and biophysical techniques. In a designed series of
      aminopyrimidine-based inhibitors, we unexpectedly encounter a plateau of
      affinity. Compared to their QM-calculated interaction energies, particularly
      bromine and iodine fail to reach the full potential according to the size of
      their sigma-hole. Instead, mutation of the gatekeeper residue into leucine,
      alanine, or threonine reveals that the heavier halides can significantly
      influence selectivity in the human kinome. Thus, we demonstrate that, although
      the choice of halogen may not always increase affinity, it can still be relevant
      for inducing selectivity. Determining the crystal structure of the iodine
      derivative in complex with JNK3 (4X21) reveals an unusual bivalent
      halogen/chalcogen bond donated by the ligand and the back-pocket residue MET115.
      Incipient repulsion from the too short halogen bond increases the flexibility of
      Cepsilon of MET146, whereas the rest of the residue fails to adapt being fixed by
      the chalcogen bond. This effect can be useful to induce selectivity, as the
      necessary combination of methionine residues only occurs in 9.3% of human
      kinases, while methionine is the predominant gatekeeper (39%). 

PMID- 26505828
TI  - In situ phenotypic heterogeneity among single cells of the filamentous bacterium
      Candidatus Microthrix parvicella.
AB  - Microorganisms in biological wastewater treatment plants require adaptive
      strategies to deal with rapidly fluctuating environmental conditions. At the
      population level, the filamentous bacterium Candidatus Microthrix parvicella (Ca.
      M. parvicella) has been found to fine-tune its gene expression for optimized
      substrate assimilation. Here we investigated in situ substrate assimilation by
      single cells of Ca. M. parvicella using nano-scale secondary-ion mass
      spectrometry (nanoSIMS). NanoSIMS imaging highlighted phenotypic heterogeneity
      among Ca. M. parvicella cells of the same filament, whereby (13)C-oleic acid and
      (13)C-glycerol-3-phosphate assimilation occurred in ~21-55% of cells, despite non
      assimilating cells being intact and alive. In response to alternating aerobic
      anoxic regimes, (13)C-oleic acid assimilation occurred among subpopulations of
      Ca. M. parvicella cells (~3-28% of cells). Furthermore, Ca. M. parvicella cells
      exhibited two temperature optima for (13)C-oleic acid assimilation and associated
      growth rates. These results suggest that phenotypic heterogeneity among Ca. M.
      parvicella cells allows the population to adapt rapidly to fluctuating
      environmental conditions facilitating its widespread occurrence in biological
      wastewater treatment plants. 

PMID- 26505829
TI  - Superinfection exclusion and the long-term survival of honey bees in Varroa
      infested colonies.
AB  - Over the past 50 years, many millions of European honey bee (Apis mellifera)
      colonies have died as the ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, has spread
      around the world. Subsequent studies have indicated that the mite's association
      with a group of RNA viral pathogens (Deformed Wing Virus, DWV) correlates with
      colony death. Here, we propose a phenomenon known as superinfection exclusion
      that provides an explanation of how certain A. mellifera populations have
      survived, despite Varroa infestation and high DWV loads. Next-generation
      sequencing has shown that a non-lethal DWV variant 'type B' has become
      established in these colonies and that the lethal 'type A' DWV variant fails to
      persist in the bee population. We propose that this novel stable host-pathogen
      relationship prevents the accumulation of lethal variants, suggesting that this
      interaction could be exploited for the development of an effective treatment that
      minimises colony losses in the future. 

PMID- 26505831
TI  - JNK pathway signaling: a novel and smarter therapeutic targets for various
      biological diseases.
AB  - JNK pathway regulates various physiological processes including inflammatory
      responses, cell differentiation, cell proliferation, cell death, cell survival
      and expression of proteins. Deregulation of JNK is linked with various diseases
      including neurodegenerative disease, autoimmune disease, diabetes, cancer,
      cardiac hypertrophy and asthma. Three distinct genes JNK1, JNK2 and JNK3 have
      been identified as regulator of JNK pathway. JNK1 and JNK2 have broad tissue
      distribution and play a potential role in insulin resistance, inflammation and
      cell signaling. JNK3 is predominantly found in the CNS neurons, making it an
      attractive target for neurodegenerative disorders. In this review, we summarize
      the evidence supporting JNK as a potent therapeutic target, and small molecules
      from various chemical classes as JNK inhibitors. 

PMID- 26505830
TI  - Live to cheat another day: bacterial dormancy facilitates the social exploitation
      of beta-lactamases.
AB  - The breakdown of antibiotics by beta-lactamases may be cooperative, since
      resistant cells can detoxify their environment and facilitate the growth of
      susceptible neighbours. However, previous studies of this phenomenon have used
      artificial bacterial vectors or engineered bacteria to increase the secretion of
      beta-lactamases from cells. Here, we investigated whether a broad-spectrum beta
      lactamase gene carried by a naturally occurring plasmid (pCT) is cooperative
      under a range of conditions. In ordinary batch culture on solid media, there was
      little or no evidence that resistant bacteria could protect susceptible cells
      from ampicillin, although resistant colonies could locally detoxify this growth
      medium. However, when susceptible cells were inoculated at high densities, late
      appearing phenotypically susceptible bacteria grew in the vicinity of resistant
      colonies. We infer that persisters, cells that have survived antibiotics by
      undergoing a period of dormancy, founded these satellite colonies. The number of
      persister colonies was positively correlated with the density of resistant
      colonies and increased as antibiotic concentrations decreased. We argue that
      detoxification can be cooperative under a limited range of conditions: if the
      toxins are bacteriostatic rather than bacteridical; or if susceptible cells
      invade communities after resistant bacteria; or if dormancy allows susceptible
      cells to avoid bactericides. Resistance and tolerance were previously thought to
      be independent solutions for surviving antibiotics. Here, we show that these are
      interacting strategies: the presence of bacteria adopting one solution can have
      substantial effects on the fitness of their neighbours. 

PMID- 26505832
TI  - Imaging of drug and metabolite distribution by MS: case studies.
AB  - Analysis of drug and metabolite distribution is essential for understanding of
      the mechanisms underlying the pharmacological or toxicological effects. MS
      imaging (MSI) can visualize the distribution of drugs or biological molecules in
      tissue sections without radiolabeling, and distinguish between the distribution
      of a drug and that of its metabolites in tissue sections. Therefore, it is
      expected to be a potent imaging technique for drug distribution studies. This
      article includes cases in which MSI was used to analyze drug and metabolite
      distribution, and discusses the impact of data obtained by MSI in drug discovery
      and development. 

PMID- 26505833
TI  - Comparison of 1-stage With 2-stage Multiple-tracts Mini-percutaneous
      Nephrolithotomy for the Treatment of Staghorn Stones: A Matched Cohorts Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify the better of 2 treatment strategies, single stage vs 2
      stages, and to create multiple tracts in mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy
      (MPCNL) for the treatment of staghorn stone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records of
      patients who underwent MPCNL with multiple tracts for the treatment of staghorn
      stones from 2011 to 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Two-stage (as group 1)
      and 1-stage strategies (as group 2) to establish the multiple tracts were
      performed. A total of 145 pairs were matched for the analysis according to age,
      preoperative hemoglobin, preoperative urine culture, stone surface area, and
      stone size. RESULTS: In group 2, 45.5% of success rate of patients were achieved
      after a single procedure with a mean of 2.63 +/- 0.62 tracts. The remaining
      patients required a second procedure, necessitating the placement of multiple
      tracts or the reuse of the existing tracts. The final success rate was similar in
      both group 1 and group 2 (82.1% vs 84.2%; P = .638). There was a significant
      decrease in the mean number of total access tracts, infection complications, and
      blood transfusion rate in group 1 than in group 2. The infection and bleeding
      complications were similar for both groups during the subsequent treatment.
      CONCLUSION: The 2-stage MPCNL treatment plan for staghorn stones was more
      advantageous for 2 reasons: (1) Almost half of the patients who were treated
      using a 1-stage treatment plan required subsequent procedure to achieve a
      satisfactory success rate; (2) An initial treatment plan using the 2-stage
      approach resulted in less complication and less tracts established.

PMID- 26505834
TI  - Does the Renal Parenchyma Adjacent to the Tumor Contribute to Kidney Function? A
      Critical Analysis of Glomerular Viability in Partial Nephrectomy Specimens.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the viability of glomeruli in the peritumor parenchyma of
      partial nephrectomy specimens removed for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and relate
      it to kidney function, to better understand the contribution of peritumor
      parenchyma to renal function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of
      53 partial nephrectomies containing RCC was performed. Glomeruli within 0.25-cm
      increments from the tumor were quantified and histologically assessed for
      viability. Tumor size, minimum and maximum margin size, and pre- and
      postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were obtained. RESULTS:
      Glomerular viability positively correlated with distance from tumor with mean
      viable glomeruli in successive 0.25-cm increments of 0-0.25 cm, 58%; 0.25-0.5 cm,
      80%; 0.5-0.75 cm, 90%; and 0.75-1.0 cm, 92%. Glomerular viability near the tumor
      did not correlate with preoperative eGFR, whereas decreased viability further
      from the tumor did correlate with worse preoperative eGFR. Tumor size showed a
      nonstatistically significant positive trend with minimum (median 0.15 cm) and
      maximum margin (median 0.7 cm) sizes. Percent change of glomerular filtration
      rate did not correlate with margin size (P = .190). CONCLUSION: Renal parenchyma
      immediately adjacent to RCC contains fewer viable glomeruli compared with the
      parenchyma further from the tumor. Based on this information, attempts to
      preserve all non-neoplastic renal parenchyma via a surgical margin approaching
      zero may not necessarily result in clinically relevant differences in the amount
      of viable glomeruli remaining or the renal function preserved.

PMID- 26505836
TI  - Male Readjustable Sling (MRS) System for Postprostatectomy Incontinence:
      Experiences of 2 Centers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes of Male Readjustable Sling (MRS) in patients
      with postprostatectomy incontinence at 2 unrelated centers and to determine
      preoperative factors relevant to the outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January
      2007 to January 2014, a total of 64 men with urinary incontinence following
      radical prostatectomy were treated with MRS at 2 centers. Patients were evaluated
      based on medical history, daily pad usage, urodynamics, and cystoscopy. The
      clinical outcome was evaluated according to daily pad usage and questionnaires.
      Success was defined according to reductions in the number of pads used per day
      after surgery, and factors related to surgical outcome were investigated.
      RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 70 years (range: 53-84), and the mean
      follow-up duration was 46.0 +/- 19.47 months (range: 12-89). During follow-up,
      readjustment of the sling was required 1.9 times on average. Daily pad usage
      decreased significantly from 3.42 +/- 2.00 to 0.84 +/- 1.20 (P <.001), and the
      International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence
      Short Form score improved (18.65 +/- 2.61 to 10.55 +/- 6.21, P <.001) without
      deterioration of voiding symptoms at the last follow-up. MRS was successful in 46
      of 64 patients (71.9%). Of the 18 patients who experienced surgical failure, 12
      patients required secondary artificial urethral sphincter implantation. The
      number of daily used pads (odds ratio 1.414) and a history of pelvic irradiation
      (odds ratio 8.400) were potential risk factors for surgical failure. CONCLUSION:
      According to our midterm follow-up data, MRS is an effective and a safe treatment
      option for radiation-naive patients with a mild degree of postprostatectomy
      incontinence.

PMID- 26505835
TI  - Urinary IP-10, MCP-1, NGAL, Cystatin-C, and KIM-1 Levels in Prenatally Diagnosed
      Unilateral Hydronephrosis: The Search for an Ideal Biomarker.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the urinary interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP
      10), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), neutrophil gelatinase-associated
      lipocalin (NGAL), cystatin-C, and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) levels in the
      management of children with prenatally diagnosed unilateral hydronephrosis.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven children with antenatally diagnosed
      hydronephrosis were enrolled into the study. The controls consisted of 9 healthy
      children (6 boys, 3 girls; mean age: 41.77 +/- 5.30 months). Thirteen children (9
      boys, 4 girls; mean age: 48.46 +/- 21.11 months) underwent pyeloplasty on follow
      up; the remaining 14 (13 boys, 1 girl; mean age: 36.57 +/- 14.02 months) were
      followed up after being diagnosed as having nonobstructive dilatation (NOD). The
      urinary marker levels were measured in the pyeloplasty, the NOD, and the control
      groups. RESULTS: The preoperative concentrations of IP-10, MCP-1, NGAL, and KIM-1
      were significantly higher in the pyeloplasty group than in the control group (P =
      .024, P = .002, P = .032, P = .001, respectively). The urinary IP-10 and MCP-1
      levels were also significantly higher in the pyeloplasty group than in the NOD
      group (P = .038, P = .037, respectively). There was no significant difference
      between the pyeloplasty group and the NOD group regarding urinary NGAL and KIM-1.
      In the pyeloplasty group, urinary marker levels except cystatin-C were
      significantly decreased in the postoperative period. CONCLUSION: A decrease in
      levels of IP-10, MCP-1, NGAL, and KIM-1 after pyeloplasty may be used as a
      predictor of surgical outcome. Additionally, IP-10 and MCP-1 were superior to
      NGAL and KIM-1 in predicting who required surgery.

PMID- 26505837
TI  - miRNAs in melanoma: a defined role in tumor progression and metastasis.
AB  - The crosstalk of melanoma cells with components of the microenvironment promotes
      malignant cell proliferation and spread to distant tissues. Although the major
      pathogenetic events have already been elucidated, the mechanisms that drive the
      metastatic behavior of tumor cells are still undefined. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are
      small non-coding RNAs that control post-transcriptional gene expression through
      interconnected kinases upstream of functional genes involved in tumor
      progression. Here, we review the biological relevance of melanoma-related miRNAs
      and focus on their potential role in propagating signals that may cause tumor
      microenvironment rearrangements, as well as disablement of the immune system and
      melanoma cell proliferation. 

PMID- 26505839
TI  - Rehabilitation procedures in the management of gait disorders in the elderly.
AB  - Gait disorders are common and very disabling in elderly people, leading to an
      increase of risk of falling and reductions in quality of life. So far, many
      clinical classifications of gait disorders in the elderly population have been
      proposed. Here we suggest a novel categorization of gait disorders in elderly
      people, which takes into account the several resources required during gait. The
      biomechanical constraints, movement and sensory strategies, orientation in space,
      control of dynamics and cognitive processing are essential to perform safely
      gait. Moreover, the strictly connection between gait and balance has been
      discussed. According to this perspective, a literature search was performed
      including studies investigating the rehabilitation procedures in the management
      of balance and gait disorders in elderly people. Training aimed at improving
      muscle strength and flexibility, movement strategies, sensorimotor integration
      and sensory reweighting processes, balance in static and dynamic conditions and
      cognitive strategies have been proposed as possible therapeutic approaches in
      elderly people affected by gait disorders. Moreover, the role of new
      technological devices in improving balance and gait control has been also
      described. A multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach is fundamental for
      the management of gait disorders in elderly people. Rehabilitation procedures
      should take into consideration all the potential constraints involved in gait
      disorders in order to select the most appropriate intervention.

PMID- 26505838
TI  - Site-specific conjugation of drug-like fragments to an antimiR scaffold as a
      strategy to target miRNAs inside RISC.
AB  - We synthesized a miR-122 antimiR library in which drug-like fragments were site
      specifically introduced to short 2'-O-methyl-RNAs. At some sites selected
      fragments elevated cellular antimiR activity to that of an unmodified 23mer
      antimiR, whereas at others the same fragments abolished activity. The potency of
      the antimiRs correlated with uptake into miRISC. 

PMID- 26505840
TI  - Multiple Drug Intolerance Syndrome in an Epileptic WomanSyndrome d'intolerance
      medicamenteuse multiple chez une femme epileptique.
AB  - Multiple drug intolerance syndrome is used for patients who express adverse drug
      reactions to three or more drugs without a known immunological mechanism. We
      report a case of an epileptic woman who presented 5 different events including
      skin eruption, edema, cardiac arrest, and a multi-organ involvement following a
      non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, anticonvulsants, penicillin and a
      macrolide.

PMID- 26505842
TI  - Gentle Cesarean Delivery.

PMID- 26505843
TI  - Strategies for Surviving and Thriving as Parents in the NICU.

PMID- 26505844
TI  - Death and the Pregnant Woman: A True Dilemma.

PMID- 26505846
TI  - Retrospective Review of Nurse-Midwifery Care at a Large University Health System.
AB  - The purpose of the study is to characterize practice trends, outcomes, and
      changes over time of a full-scope midwifery service over the past 30 years from
      1983 to 2013. The types of clients served and the evolution of the services
      provided and resulting outcomes are described as an exemplar of the changing
      nature of providing midwifery services in a tertiary care hospital setting. The
      overall data reveal that despite small increases in intervention practices, such
      as epidurals, inductions, and cesarean births, midwives have a commitment to
      providing safe, evidenced-based, woman-centered care within a collaborative
      practice model at a tertiary care center. The role of midwives as leaders in
      supporting physiologic birth in this setting and encouraging opportunities for
      interprofessional education and collaborative is demonstrated. 

PMID- 26505847
TI  - Factors Related to Intimidation During Oxytocin Administration.
AB  - Patient's safety and quality are foremost issues in healthcare today and are
      often adversely influenced by communication and issues of perceived intimidation.
      Labor and delivery nurses are responsible for managing oxytocin infusions, but
      disagreements between providers and nurses related to the administration have
      been shown to cause tension and affect patient's care. The purpose of this study
      was to survey registered nurses in labor and delivery about perceived
      intimidation and how intimidation influenced actions and decisions. A total of
      913 registered nurses who were members of the Association of Women's Health,
      Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses and identified labor and delivery comprised the
      sample as their clinical focus. Nurses who met the inclusion criteria were
      invited to participate in the survey via e-mail invitation. An online survey
      assessing workplace intimidation by providers while managing oxytocin inductions,
      as well as demographic information was completed. Participants reported past
      issues with intimidation that influenced how they administered oxytocin. Nurses
      reported that past experiences with intimidation influenced their care and that
      they had been involved with medication errors where intimidation played a role.
      Organizational factors perceived supportive management, presence of an
      organizational code of conduct, and environment where collaboration was
      encouraged were associated with decreased reports of intimidation. 

PMID- 26505848
TI  - A Systematic Review: The Utility of the Revised Version of the Score for Neonatal
      Acute Physiology Among Critically Ill Neonates.
AB  - The revised version of the Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology (SNAP-II) has been
      used across all birth weights and gestational ages to measure the concept of
      severity of illness in critically ill neonates. The SNAP-II has been
      operationalized in various ways across research studies. This systematic review
      seeks to synthesize the available research regarding the utility of this
      instrument, specifically on the utility of measuring severity of illness
      sequentially and at later time points. A systematic review was performed and
      identified 35 research articles that met inclusion and exclusion criteria. The
      majority of the studies used the SNAP-II instrument as a measure of initial
      severity of illness on the first day of life. Six studies utilized the SNAP-II
      instrument to measure severity of illness at later time points and only 2 studies
      utilized the instrument to prospectively measure severity of illness. Evidence to
      support the use of the SNAP-II at later time points and prospectively is lacking
      and more evidence is needed. 

PMID- 26505849
TI  - Joseph's Story: A Case Study of Late-Onset Necrotizing Enterocolitis From Early
      Birth to Recovery.
AB  - Although necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is often catastrophic among premature
      infants, most cases occur in the first month after birth. This case study
      presents Joseph's story about a 24-week surviving twin who developed severe NEC
      at 5 months of age just days before he was to go home. The purpose of this case
      study report is to place Joseph and his parents' experience in the context of
      what is known about NEC risk factors, clinical presentation, and treatment, and
      then to offer recommendations to healthcare professionals to support families
      from NEC diagnosis to recovery. Now 5 years old, Joseph continues to manage
      consequences of NEC including deafness, developmental delay, multiple food
      allergies, and recurrent gastrointestinal challenges from short gut syndrome.
      Although NEC struck late and kept Joseph in the neonatal intensive care unit for
      228 days, its consequences remain with this resilient child and his family. 

PMID- 26505850
TI  - Cerebral Oxygenation and Pain of Heel Blood Sampling Using Manual and Automatic
      Lancets in Premature Infants.
AB  - Heel blood sampling is a common but painful procedure for neonates. Automatic
      lancets have been shown to be more effective, with reduced pain and tissue
      damage, than manual lancets, but the effects of lancet type on cortical
      activation have not yet been compared. The study aimed to compare the effects of
      manual and automatic lancets on cerebral oxygenation and pain of heel blood
      sampling in 24 premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome.
      Effectiveness was measured by assessing numbers of pricks and squeezes and
      duration of heel blood sampling. Pain responses were measured using the premature
      infant pain profile score, heart rate, and oxygen saturation (SpO2). Regional
      cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO2) was measured using near-infrared spectroscopy,
      and cerebral fractional tissue oxygen extraction was calculated from SpO2 and
      rScO. Measures of effectiveness were significantly better with automatic than
      with manual lancing, including fewer heel punctures (P = .009) and squeezes (P <
      .001) and shorter duration of heel blood sampling (P = .002). rScO2 was
      significantly higher (P = .013) and cerebral fractional tissue oxygen extraction
      after puncture significantly lower (P = .040) with automatic lancing. Premature
      infant pain profile scores during (P = .004) and after (P = .048) puncture were
      significantly lower in the automatic than in the manual lancet group. Automatic
      lancets for heel blood sampling in neonates with respiratory distress syndrome
      significantly reduced pain and enhanced cerebral oxygenation, suggesting that
      heel blood should be sampled routinely using an automatic lancet. 

PMID- 26505851
TI  - Neonatal Intensive Care Nurses' Perceptions of Parental Participation in Infant
      Pain Management: A Comparative Focus Group Study.
AB  - This comparative focus group study explored nurses' experiences and perceptions
      regarding parental participation in infant pain management in the neonatal
      intensive care unit (NICU). A total of 87 nurses from 7 NICUs in Finland, Sweden,
      and the United States participated in focus-group interviews (n = 25). Data were
      analyzed using deductive and inductive thematic analysis. Nurses' experiences and
      perceptions varied considerably, from nurses being in control, to nurses sharing
      some control with parents, to nurse-parent collaboration in infant pain
      management. When nurses controlled pain management, parents were absent or
      passive. In these cases, the nurses believed this led to better pain control for
      infants and protected parents from emotional distress caused by infant pain. When
      nurses shared control with parents, they provided information and opportunities
      for participation. They believed parent participation was beneficial, even if it
      caused nurses or parents anxiety. When nurses collaborated with parents, they
      negotiated the optimal pain management approach for an individual infant. The
      collaborative approach was most evident for the nurses in the Swedish NICUs and
      somewhat evident in the NICUs in Finland and the United States. Further research
      is needed to address some nurses' perceptions and concerns and to facilitate
      greater consistency in the application of evidence-based best practices. 

PMID- 26505852
TI  - My Perinatal "Bucket" List.

PMID- 26505855
TI  - FDG PET/CT Findings of Intracardiac Myeloid Sarcoma.
AB  - Myeloid sarcoma is a rare entity, and cardiac involvement is even rarer. We
      presented here the FDG PET/CT findings of a 66-year-old man with a 3-month
      history of cough and progressive dyspnea. FDG PET/CT scan demonstrated nonuniform
      FDG uptake in the cardiac walls and pericardium. Biopsy of the heart revealed
      myeloid sarcoma. In addition, bone marrow biopsy demonstrated the acute myeloid
      leukemia. 

PMID- 26505856
TI  - Prognostic Implications of the SUVmax of Primary Tumors and Metastatic Lymph Node
      Measured by 18F-FDG PET in Patients With Uterine Cervical Cancer: A Meta
      analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of the
      SUVmax measured in pretreatment primary lesions and metastatic lymph nodes (LNs)
      on 18F-FDG PET scans in patients with uterine cervical cancer. METHODS: A
      systematic search of EMBASE and MEDLINE was performed using the keywords
      "positron emission tomography (PET)," "uterine cervical cancer," and "prognosis."
      Event-free survival and overall survival were evaluated as outcomes. The impact
      of SUVmax on survival was measured by the effect size of the hazard ratio (HR).
      RESULTS: Fourteen eligible studies including 1150 patients were analyzed.
      Patients with a high primary SUVmax showed a worse prognosis, with an HR of 2.66
      (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.90-3.74; P < 0.00001) for adverse events and an
      HR of 2.45 (95% CI, 1.74-3.45; P < 0.00001) for death. Patients with high SUVmax
      in metastatic pelvic LN (PLN) showed a worse prognosis, with an HR of 2.92 (95%
      CI, 1.94-4.39; P < 0.00001) for adverse events and an HR of 2.66 (95% CI, 1.60
      4.43; P = 0.0002) for SUVmax in PLN for death. In addition, high SUVmax in
      metastatic para-aortic LN was associated with a worse prognosis, with an HR of
      4.41 (95% CI, 2.32-8.38; P < 0.00001) for death. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with
      uterine cervical cancer and a high SUVmax primary lesion, PLN, or para-aortic LN
      are at higher risk of adverse events or death.

PMID- 26505857
TI  - 99mTc-HDP SPECT With CT Myelography in a 1-Step Procedure.
AB  - We present the case of a 45-year-old woman with a history of multiple back
      surgeries to illustrate the feasibility of combining CT myelography (myeloCT) and
      99mTc-HDP SPECT/CT bone scan in a 1-step procedure to realize a combined SPECT
      myeloCT. Myelography CT and SPECT/CT were required to assess nerve root
      compression and pseudarthrosis, respectively. The proposed combined acquisition
      protocol provides information about nervous compression as well as pseudarthrosis
      in a 1 examination, optimizing radiation dose and patient comfort.

PMID- 26505858
TI  - FDG PET/CT Findings in Multiple Splenic Amebomas (Amebic Granulomas).
AB  - Splenic ameboma (amebic granuloma) is rare. A 38-year-old man with a severe
      pneumonia due to inhalation of swimming pool water 18 months ago complained of
      night sweat, tiredness, and anorexia for 1 month. Abdominal ultrasound showed
      multiple nodules in the spleen. These nodules showed slight enhancement on
      enhanced CT and intense FDG uptake on PET/CT. Splenectomy was performed. Multiple
      splenic amebomas were confirmed by pathology. Free-living amoebae were also
      detected in samples of pleural effusion and blood. Splenic ameboma, although
      rare, should be included in the differential diagnosis with isolated focally
      increased FDG activity in the spleen. 

PMID- 26505859
TI  - Endometriosis Under Estradiol Stimulation Imaged Using 18F-FDG and Its Control
      After Estradiol Cessation and Progesterone Hormonal Replacement.
AB  - Endometriosis is a frequent and benign cause of disabling abdominal pain, for
      which a diagnosis suspicion is clinically raised, but its confirmation
      necessitates a surgical exploration by laparoscopy. Foci of endometriosis
      proliferate under estrogen stimulation, like normal endometrium. We present a
      patient under estradiol stimulation for a history of endometrial cancer who
      underwent a PET/CT scan to assess an abdominal lesion showing a high F-FDG
      uptake, which normalized under progesterone hormonal replacement and cessation of
      estradiol. Two consecutive biopsies confirmed endometriosis. F-FDG evaluation of
      endometriosis under estrogen stimulation could be a promising approach to
      refractory endometriosis assessment. 

PMID- 26505860
TI  - An Unusual Bone Metastasis Mimicking SAPHO (Synovitis, Acne, Pustulosis,
      Hyperostosis, and Osteitis) Syndrome on Bone Scintigraphy.
AB  - The costosternoclavicular region is not a common bone metastasis site, and
      symmetrical involvement is even rarer. Increased tracer uptake in the manubrium
      and sternoclavicular joints usually gives the typical "bull-horn" appearance seen
      in SAPHO syndrome (synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis).
      Herein, we report a case of a 47-year-old woman with a history of invasive ductal
      carcinoma who had undergone left radical mastectomy 3 years earlier and presented
      with typical increased tracer uptake in the bilateral sternocostoclavicular
      region resembling the so-called bull horn. The final diagnosis of metastasis from
      breast cancer was made histopathologically following biopsy. 

PMID- 26505861
TI  - Marked Response to 177Lu Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Treatment in Patient
      With Metastatic Prostate Cancer.
AB  - We present pretreatment Ga prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT and
      posttreatment Lu-PSMA whole-body scintigraphy images of a 60-year-old patient
      with metastatic prostate cancer who is dramatically responding to Lu-PSMA
      treatment. 

PMID- 26505862
TI  - 18F-FDG PET/CT Images in a Patient With Primary Chest Wall Tuberculosis Mimicking
      Malignant Tumor.
AB  - Solitary chest wall tuberculosis (TB) is rare. We report a case of primary chest
      wall TB in a 66-year-old woman involving the pleura and intercostal and erector
      spinae muscles. There was elevated FDG uptake in the right posterior chest wall.
      Surgery was performed, and pathology revealed inflammatory granuloma and caseous
      necrosis. Familiarity with 18F-FDG PET/CT images of chest wall TB could reduce
      possible misdiagnosis.

PMID- 26505863
TI  - OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY OF SICKLE CELL MACULOPATHY.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report a case of sickle cell retinopathy imaged with optical
      coherence tomography angiography. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: An asymptomatic
      33-year-old man with known sickle cell anemia (SS) presented for routine eye
      examination. Ultrawide-field fluorescein angiography confirmed areas of temporal
      nonperfusion without neovascularization and subtle enlargement of the foveal
      avascular zone in the left eye. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography
      showed thinning of the inner layers of the temporal macula in both eyes. Optovue
      split-spectrum amplitude decorrelation angiography optical coherence tomography
      was performed and showed reduced flow within the superficial and deep macular
      plexuses of each eye, most severely within the deep retinal capillary plexus.
      This abnormality was more extensive than could it be appreciated with
      conventional angiography. CONCLUSION: This report provides evidence that optical
      coherence tomography angiography may be more sensitive in detecting macular
      capillary nonperfusion than fluorescein angiography. It also provides further
      evidence that the ischemic vasculopathy of sickle cell retinopathy preferentially
      affects the deep capillary plexus.

PMID- 26505864
TI  - Ozone therapy for treating foot ulcers in people with diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been reported that ozone therapy might be helpful in treating
      foot ulcers in people with diabetes mellitus (DM). OBJECTIVES: To assess the
      effects of ozone therapy on the healing of foot ulcers in people with DM. SEARCH
      METHODS: In March 2015 we searched: The Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised
      Register, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The
      Cochrane Library), Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed
      Citations), Ovid EMBASE, EBSCO CINAHL, Science Citation Index, Chinese Biomedical
      Literature Database and The Chinese Clinical Registry. There were no restrictions
      based on language, date or study setting. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included
      randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared ozone therapy with sham ozone
      therapy or any other interventions for foot ulcers in people with DM,
      irrespective of publication date or language. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two
      reviewers independently screened all retrieved citations, selected relevant
      citations and extracted data. Disagreements were resolved by discussion with a
      third reviewer. The methodological quality of included studies and the evidence
      level of outcomes were assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool and the
      GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation)
      approach respectively. Data were expressed using risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous
      outcomes and mean difference (MD) for continuous outcomes with their 95%
      confidence interval (95% CI). Review Manager (RevMan) software was used to
      analyse the data. MAIN RESULTS: Three studies (212 participants) were included in
      this review. The overall risk of bias was high for two trials and unclear for
      one.One trial (101 participants) compared ozone treatment with antibiotics for
      foot ulcers in people with DM. The study had a follow-up period of 20 days. This
      study showed that ozone treatment was associated with a greater reduction in
      ulcer area from baseline to the end of the study than treatment with antibiotics
      (MD -20.54 cm(2), 95% CI -20.61 to -20.47), and a shorter duration of
      hospitalisation (MD -8.00 days, 95% CI -14.17 to -1.83), but did not appear to
      affect the number of ulcers healed over 20 days (RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.40).
      No side effects were observed in either group.The other two trials (111
      participants) compared ozone treatment plus usual care with usual care for foot
      ulcers in people with DM. The meta-analysis results did not show evidence of a
      difference between groups for the outcomes of reduction of ulcer area (MD -2.11
      cm(2), 95% CI -5.29 to 1.07), the number of ulcers healed (RR 1.69, 95% CI 0.90
      to 3.17), adverse events (RR 2.27, 95% CI 0.48 to 10.79), or amputation rate (RR
      2.73, 95%CI 0.12, 64.42). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence was three
      small RCTs with unclear methodology, so we are unable to draw any firm
      conclusions regarding the effectiveness of ozone therapy for foot ulcers in
      people with DM.

PMID- 26505865
TI  - Facile synthesis of enzyme-embedded magnetic metal-organic frameworks as a
      reusable mimic multi-enzyme system: mimetic peroxidase properties and
      colorimetric sensor.
AB  - This work reports a facile and easily-achieved approach for enzyme immobilization
      by embedding glucose oxidase (GOx) in magnetic zeolitic imidazolate framework 8
      (mZIF-8) via a de novo approach. As a demonstration of the power of such
      materials, the resulting GOx embedded mZIF-8 (mZIF-8@GOx) was utilized as a
      colorimetric sensor for rapid detection of glucose. This method was constructed
      on the basis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which possessed very fascinating
      peroxidase-like properties, and the cascade reaction for the visual detection of
      glucose was combined into one step through the mZIF-8@GOx based mimic multi
      enzyme system. After characterization by electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction,
      nitrogen sorption, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and vibrating sample
      magnetometry, the as-prepared mZIF-8@GOx was confirmed with the robust core-shell
      structure, the monodisperse nanoparticle had an average diameter of about 200 nm
      and displayed superparamagnetism with a saturation magnetization value of 40.5
      emu g(-1), it also exhibited a large surface area of 396.10 m(2) g(-1). As a
      peroxidase mimic, mZIF-8 was verified to be highly stable and of low cost, and
      showed a strong affinity towards H2O2. Meanwhile, the mZIF-8 embedded GOx also
      exhibited improved activity, stability and greatly enhanced selectivity in
      glucose detection. Moreover, the mZIF-8@GOx had excellent recyclability with high
      activity (88.7% residual activity after 12 times reuse). 

PMID- 26505867
TI  - Assembly and stabilization of {E(cyclo-P3)2} (E = Sn, Pb) as a bridging ligand
      spanning two triaryloxyniobium units.
AB  - Complexes (THF)0-2E[P3Nb(ODipp)3]2 (E = Sn, Pb; Dipp = 2,6-(i)Pr2C6H3) were
      isolated (>90%) from the salt metathesis of [Na(THF)3][P3Nb(ODipp)3] with E(2+)
      salts. The reaction of (THF)Sn[P3Nb(ODipp)3]2 with pyridine-N-oxide was
      investigated as a method to deposit a new SnP6 phase. Additionally, the neutral
      complex P3Nb(ODipp)2(py)2 (py = pyridine) was prepared from
      [Na(THF)3][P3Nb(ODipp)3] in the presence of pyridine and salts of coordinating
      cations (Mg(II), Sn(II), Pb(II), Ge(II), Hg(II) and Ag(I)). P3Nb(ODipp)2(py)2 was
      found to successfully produce AsP3 upon treatment with AsCl3. The
      characterization of complexes (THF)0-1Sn[P3Nb(ODipp)3]2, (THF)2Pb[P3Nb(ODipp)3]2
      and P3Nb(ODipp)2(py)2, including their solid state structures, is discussed.

PMID- 26505869
TI  - Patterns of Performance on the Modified Cued Recall Test in Spanish Adults With
      Down Syndrome With and Without Dementia.
AB  - The assessment of memory decline in people with intellectual disability (ID) is
      more difficult than in the general population, due to a lack of appropriate
      instruments and to preexisting cognitive impairment. The aim of this study was to
      describe performance of healthy adults with Down syndrome (healthy-DS;
      prospectively cohort) on a Spanish version of the modified Cued Recall Test
      (mCRT). We also recruited retrospectively a cohort of DS subjects with Dementia
      of the Alzheimer's Type (DS-DAT). Healthy-DS obtained higher scores on free
      recall and total score than DS-DAT. Age was the main factor associated with
      decreasing mCRT scores. The mCRT was useful in DS subjects with ID at the upper
      end of the spectrum or ID in the middle range of the spectrum, and discriminated
      well between DS subjects with and without DAT. 

PMID- 26505868
TI  - "Global" visual training and extent of transfer in amblyopic macaque monkeys.
AB  - Perceptual learning is gaining acceptance as a potential treatment for amblyopia
      in adults and children beyond the critical period. Many perceptual learning
      paradigms result in very specific improvement that does not generalize beyond the
      training stimulus, closely related stimuli, or visual field location. To be of
      use in amblyopia, a less specific effect is needed. To address this problem, we
      designed a more general training paradigm intended to effect improvement in
      visual sensitivity across tasks and domains. We used a "global" visual stimulus,
      random dot motion direction discrimination with 6 training conditions, and tested
      for posttraining improvement on a motion detection task and 3 spatial domain
      tasks (contrast sensitivity, Vernier acuity, Glass pattern detection). Four
      amblyopic macaques practiced the motion discrimination with their amblyopic eye
      for at least 20,000 trials. All showed improvement, defined as a change of at
      least a factor of 2, on the trained task. In addition, all animals showed
      improvements in sensitivity on at least some of the transfer test conditions,
      mainly the motion detection task; transfer to the spatial domain was inconsistent
      but best at fine spatial scales. However, the improvement on the transfer tasks
      was largely not retained at long-term follow-up. Our generalized training
      approach is promising for amblyopia treatment, but sustaining improved
      performance may require additional intervention. 

PMID- 26505870
TI  - Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate an Abuse Prevention Curriculum for Women
      and Men With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
AB  - This study was designed (a) to assess the impact of the ESCAPE-DD curriculum on
      the decision-making skills of adults with intellectual and developmental
      disabilities (IDD) in hypothetical situations of abuse, (b) to examine the role
      of problem awareness, and (c) to identify factors associated with posttest
      decision-making performance. Fifty-eight women and men with IDD were randomly
      assigned to an intervention group or a wait-list control group. Participants who
      experienced ESCAPE-DD made significantly greater gains on measures of overall
      effective decision making and safe-now effective decision-making relative to
      participants in the control group. Problem awareness was related to decision
      making, but it did not improve as a result of the intervention. Implications of
      the findings for future curriculum-development efforts are discussed. 

PMID- 26505871
TI  - Have Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Quality of Health Care Relationships
      Changed for Children With Developmental Disabilities and ASD?
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine if racial and ethnic disparities in the
      quality of provider interaction have changed between 2006 and 2010 for children
      with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Data from
      the 2005/2006 and 2009/2010 National Survey of Children With Special Health Care
      Needs were analyzed. Results show that racial and ethnic disparities in the
      quality of provider interactions were substantial in both 2005/2006 and
      2009/2010. Black and Latino parents were significantly less likely than White
      parents to report that their provider spent enough time with their child and was
      sensitive to the family's values. Racial and ethnic disparities in health care
      quality were found to be unchanged over time. Research and policy implications
      are discussed. 

PMID- 26505872
TI  - The Relative Risk of Divorce in Parents of Children With Developmental
      Disabilities: Impacts of Lifelong Parenting.
AB  - We prospectively examined the risk of divorce in 190 parents of children with
      developmental disabilities compared to 7,251 parents of children without
      disabilities based on a random sample drawn from the community and followed
      longitudinally for over 50 years. A significant interaction between the parental
      group status and number of children was found: In the comparison group, having a
      larger number of children was related to an increased risk of divorce, whereas
      the number of children did not increase divorce risk among parents of children
      with developmental disabilities. 

PMID- 26505873
TI  - Reasoning About Trust Among Individuals With Williams Syndrome.
AB  - The present study examines whether individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) might
      indiscriminately trust in others, as is suggested by their strong tendency to
      approach and interact with strangers. To assess this possibility, adults with WS
      (N=22) and typical development (N=25) were asked to reason about the
      trustworthiness of people who lie to avoid getting in trouble versus to avoid
      hurting others' feelings. Findings indicated that participants with WS distrusted
      both types of liars and made little distinction between them. These results
      suggest that the high level of social approach behavior in individuals with WS
      cannot be explained in terms of indiscriminate trust.

PMID- 26505874
TI  - Testing Math or Testing Language? The Construct Validity of the KeyMath-Revised
      for Children With Intellectual Disability and Language Difficulties.
AB  - Although it is often assumed that mathematics ability alone predicts mathematics
      test performance, linguistic demands may also predict achievement. This study
      examined the role of language in mathematics assessment performance for children
      with intellectual disability (ID) at less severe levels, on the KeyMath-Revised
      Inventory (KM-R) with a sample of 264 children, in grades 2-5. Using confirmatory
      factor analysis, the hypothesis that the KM-R would demonstrate discriminant
      validity with measures of language abilities in a two-factor model was compared
      to two plausible alternative models. Results indicated that KM-R did not have
      discriminant validity with measures of children's language abilities and was a
      multidimensional test of both mathematics and language abilities for this
      population of test users. Implications are considered for test development,
      interpretation, and intervention. 

PMID- 26505877
TI  - Unusual dynamics of concentration fluctuations in solutions of weakly attractive
      globular proteins.
AB  - The globular protein gammaB-crystallin exhibits a complex phase behavior, where
      liquid-liquid phase separation characterized by a critical volume fraction phic =
      0.154 and a critical temperature Tc = 291.8 K coexists with dynamical arrest on
      all length scales at volume fractions around phi ~ 0.3-0.35, and an arrest line
      that extends well into the unstable region below the spinodal. However, although
      the static properties such as the osmotic compressibility and the static
      correlation length are in quantitative agreement with predictions for binary
      liquid mixtures, this is not the case for the dynamics of concentration
      fluctuations described by the dynamic structure factor S(q,t). Using a
      combination of dynamic light scattering and neutron spin echo measurements, we
      demonstrate that the competition between critical slowing down and dynamical
      arrest results in a much more complex wave vector dependence of S(q,t) than
      previously anticipated. 

PMID- 26505878
TI  - The DNAJB1-PRKACA chimera: Candidate biomarker and therapeutic target for
      fibrolamellar carcinomas.

PMID- 26505881
TI  - Molecular Characterization and Pathogenesis of Intraductal Papillary Mucinous
      Neoplasms of the Pancreas.
AB  - Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) of the pancreas are noninvasive
      neoplasms which occur in the main pancreatic duct or its major branches. IPMNs
      have an important meaning in the clinic and in research since they represent
      around 20% of all resected pancreatic neoplasms. Morphologically, branch duct,
      main duct and mixed-type IPMNs can be distinguished. Histologically, they can be
      divided into gastric, intestinal, pancreatobiliary and oncocytic type. There are
      different mutations in genes such as KRAS, GNAS, RNF43 and p53. The expression of
      miRNAs is specific to IPMNs; altogether, 14 miRNAs have been identified so far
      which are differently expressed in all IPMNs in contrast to normal pancreatic
      tissue. It has also been observed that methylation levels can be altered in
      IPMNs. This review summarizes the molecular characteristics of IPMNs of the
      pancreas and presents currently known markers.

PMID- 26505880
TI  - Structurally divergent lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferases with high
      selectivity for saturated medium chain fatty acids from Cuphea seeds.
AB  - Lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAT) catalyzes acylation of the sn-2
      position on lysophosphatidic acid by an acyl CoA substrate to produce the
      phosphatidic acid precursor of polar glycerolipids and triacylglycerols (TAGs).
      In the case of TAGs, this reaction is typically catalyzed by an LPAT2 from
      microsomal LPAT class A that has high specificity for C18 fatty acids containing
      Delta9 unsaturation. Because of this specificity, the occurrence of saturated
      fatty acids in the TAG sn-2 position is infrequent in seed oils. To identify
      LPATs with variant substrate specificities, deep transcriptomic mining was
      performed on seeds of two Cuphea species producing TAGs that are highly enriched
      in saturated C8 and C10 fatty acids. From these analyses, cDNAs for seven
      previously unreported LPATs were identified, including cDNAs from Cuphea
      viscosissima (CvLPAT2) and Cuphea avigera var. pulcherrima (CpuLPAT2a) encoding
      microsomal, seed-specific class A LPAT2s and a cDNA from C. avigera var.
      pulcherrima (CpuLPATB) encoding a microsomal, seed-specific LPAT from the
      bacterial-type class B. The activities of these enzymes were characterized in
      Camelina sativa by seed-specific co-expression with cDNAs for various Cuphea FatB
      acyl-acyl carrier protein thioesterases (FatB) that produce a variety of
      saturated medium-chain fatty acids. CvLPAT2 and CpuLPAT2a expression resulted in
      accumulation of 10:0 fatty acids in the Camelina sativa TAG sn-2 position,
      indicating a 10:0 CoA specificity that has not been previously described for
      plant LPATs. CpuLPATB expression generated TAGs with 14:0 at the sn-2 position,
      but not 10:0. Identification of these LPATs provides tools for understanding the
      structural basis of LPAT substrate specificity and for generating altered oil
      functionalities. 

PMID- 26505879
TI  - Honokiol sensitizes breast cancer cells to TNF-alpha induction of apoptosis by
      inhibiting Nur77 expression.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 is implicated in the
      survival and apoptosis of cancer cells. The purpose of this study was to
      determine whether and how Nur77 serves to mediate the effect of the inflammatory
      cytokine TNF-alpha in cancer cells and to identify and characterize new agents
      targeting Nur77 for cancer therapy. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: The effects of TNF
      alpha on the expression and function of Nur77 were studied using in vitro and in
      vivo models. Nur77 expression was evaluated in tumour tissues from breast cancer
      patients. The anticancer effects of honokiol and its mechanism of action were
      assessed by in vitro, cell-based and animal studies. KEY RESULTS: TNF-alpha
      rapidly and potently induced the expression of Nur77 in breast cancer cells
      through activation of IkappaB kinase and JNK. Knocking down Nur77 resulted in TNF
      alpha-dependent apoptosis, while ectopic Nur77 expression in MCF-7 cells promoted
      their growth in animals. Levels of Nur77 were higher in tumour tissues than the
      corresponding tissues surrounding the tumour in about 50% breast cancer patients
      studied. Our in vitro and animal studies also identified honokiol as an effective
      sensitizer of TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis by inhibiting TNF-alpha-induced Nur77
      mRNA expression, which could be attributed to its interference of TNFR1's
      interaction with receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIPK1). CONCLUSIONS AND
      IMPLICATIONS: TNF-alpha-induced Nur77 serves as a survival factor to attenuate
      the death effect of TNF-alpha in cancer cells. With its proven human safety
      profile, honokiol represents a promising agent that warrants further clinical
      development.

PMID- 26505882
TI  - Weak Delocalization in Graphene on a Ferromagnetic Insulating Film.
AB  - Graphene has been predicted to develop a magnetic moment by proximity effect when
      placed on a ferromagnetic film, a promise that could open exciting possibilities
      in the fields of spintronics and magnetic data recording. In this work, the
      interplay between the magnetoresistance of graphene and the magnetization of an
      underlying ferromagnetic insulating film is studied in detail. A clear
      correlation between both magnitudes is observed but through a careful modeling of
      the magnetization and the weak localization measurements, that such
      correspondence can be explained by the effects of the magnetic stray fields
      arising from the ferromagnetic insulator is found. The results emphasize the
      complexity arising at the interface between magnetic and 2D materials. 

PMID- 26505884
TI  - Supersaturation and Precipitation of Posaconazole Upon Entry in the Upper Small
      Intestine in Humans.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to explore gastrointestinal dissolution,
      supersaturation and precipitation of the weakly basic drug posaconazole in
      humans, and to assess the impact of formulation pH and type on these processes.
      In a cross-over study, two posaconazole suspensions (40 mg dispersed in 240 mL
      water at pH 1.6 and pH 7.1, respectively) were intragastrically administered;
      subsequently, gastric and duodenal fluids were aspirated. In parallel, blood
      samples were collected. Additionally, posaconazole was intragastrically
      administered as a solution (20 mg in 240 mL water, pH 1.6). When posaconazole was
      administered as an acidified suspension, supersaturated duodenal concentrations
      of posaconazole were observed for approximately 45 min. However, extensive
      intestinal precipitation was observed. Administration of the neutral suspension
      resulted in subsaturated concentrations with a mean duodenal AUC0-120 min and
      Cmax being approximately twofold lower than for the acidified suspension. The
      mean plasma AUC0-8 h of posaconazole was also twofold higher following
      administration of the acidified suspension. Similar to the acidified suspension,
      significant intestinal precipitation (up to 92%) was observed following
      intragastric administration of the posaconazole solution. This study demonstrated
      for the first time the gastrointestinal behavior of a weakly basic drug
      administered in different conditions, and its impact on systemic exposure.

PMID- 26505883
TI  - Cytotoxic Effects of Valproic Acid on Neuroendocrine Tumour Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Histone deacetylases (HDACs) modulate lysine acetylation on
      histones and are frequently deregulated in cancer. HDAC inhibitors with potent
      anti-tumour effects have been developed and are now being tested in clinical
      trials. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of valproic acid
      (VPA), an inhibitor of class I and class IIa HDACs, on neuroendocrine tumour
      (NET) cell growth. METHODS: Three NET cell lines, GOT1 (small intestinal), KRJ-I
      (small intestinal), and BON (pancreatic), were treated with VPA and examined with
      respect to cell viability, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and global
      transcriptional response. RESULTS: We found that VPA induced a dose-dependent
      growth inhibition of NET cells in vitro, which was mainly due to activation of
      extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. VPA induced a major transcriptional
      response by altering the expression of 16-19% of the protein-coding genes in NET
      cell lines. Pathway analysis allowed the prediction of alterations in key
      regulatory pathways, e.g. activation of TGF-beta1, FOXO3, p53 signalling, and
      inhibition of MYC signalling. Analysis of GOT1 xenografts showed reduced growth
      and reduced Ki-67 index, as well as an increase in apoptosis and necrosis after
      VPA treatment. CONCLUSIONS: We found that VPA treatment has a cytotoxic effect on
      NET cells of intestinal and pancreatic origin. There are several mechanisms by
      which VPA kills NET cells, which suggests the possibility of combination therapy.
      We propose that epigenetic therapy with HDAC inhibitors should be evaluated
      further in patients with NET disease.

PMID- 26505885
TI  - Recent Advances in Upconversion Nanoparticles-Based Multifunctional
      Nanocomposites for Combined Cancer Therapy.
AB  - Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have the ability to generate
      ultraviolet or visible emissions under continuous-wave near-infrared (NIR)
      excitation. Utilizing this special luminescence property, UCNPs are approved as a
      new generation of contrast agents in optical imaging with deep tissue-penetration
      ability and high signal-to-noise ratio. The integration of UCNPs with other
      functional moieties can endow them with highly enriched functionalities for
      imaging-guided cancer therapy, which makes composites based on UCNPs emerge as a
      new class of theranostic agents in biomedicine. Here, recent progress in combined
      cancer therapy using functional nanocomposites based on UCNPs is reviewed.
      Combined therapy referring to the co-delivery of two or more therapeutic agents
      or a combination of different treatments is becoming more popular in clinical
      treatment of cancer because it generates synergistic anti-cancer effects, reduces
      individual drug-related toxicity and suppresses multi-drug resistance through
      different mechanisms of action. Here, the recent advances of combined therapy
      contributed by UCNPs-based nanocomposites on two main branches are reviewed: i)
      photodynamic therapy and ii) chemotherapy, which are the two most widely adopted
      therapies of UCNPs-based composites. The future prospects and challenges in this
      emerging field will be also discussed. 

PMID- 26505886
TI  - Endobronchial plasmacytoma in patient with multiple myeloma.
AB  - Endobronchial plasmacytoma is a rare manifestation of extramedullary
      plasmacytoma. A 49-year-old woman with a history of multiple myeloma consulted to
      our pulmonary service with progressive dyspnoea and cough and abnormal chest X
      ray. A lesion measuring 6 * 5 cm in size existed in anterior baseline of the
      right lung's lower lobe in thoracic computed tomography in addition to right
      bronchial narrowing and atelectasis distal in lesions. Diagnostic bronchoscopy
      was performed previously for the obstruction and biopsy was taken from the lesion
      in the right middle lobe bronchus. Endobronchial biopsies showed extensive tumour
      infiltration with plasmocytoid cells. Immunohistochemistry was positive CD138 and
      Lamda. Microscopic and immunohistochemical findings supported the diagnosis of
      extramedullary endobronchial plasmacytoma.

PMID- 26505887
TI  - Divergent response profile in activated cord blood T cells from first-born child
      implies birth-order-associated in utero immune programming.
AB  - BACKGROUND: First-born children are at higher risk of developing a range of
      immune-mediated diseases. The underlying mechanism of 'birth-order effects' on
      disease risk is largely unknown, but in utero programming of the child's immune
      system may play a role. OBJECTIVE: We studied the association between birth order
      and the functional response of stimulated cord blood T cells. METHOD: Purified
      cord blood T cells were polyclonally activated with anti-CD3-/anti-CD28-coated
      beads in a subgroup of 28 children enrolled in the COPSAC2010 birth cohort.
      Expression levels of seven activation markers on helper and cytotoxic T cells as
      well as the percentage of CD4(+) CD25(+) T cells were assessed by flow cytometry.
      Production of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-17, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and IL-10 was
      measured in the supernatants. RESULTS: IL-10 secretion (P = 0.007) and CD25
      expression on CD4(+) helper T cells (P = 0.0003) in the activated cord blood T
      cells were selectively reduced in first-born children, while the percentage of
      circulating CD4(+) CD25(+) cord blood T cells was independent of birth order.
      CONCLUSION: First-born infants display a reduced anti-inflammatory profile in T
      cells at birth. This possible in utero 'birth-order' T-cell programming may
      contribute to later development of immune-mediated diseases by increasing overall
      immune reactivity in first-born children as compared to younger siblings.

PMID- 26505888
TI  - Mutations in the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway regulators NPRL2 and NPRL3
      cause focal epilepsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Focal epilepsies are the most common form observed and have not
      generally been considered to be genetic in origin. Recently, we identified
      mutations in DEPDC5 as a cause of familial focal epilepsy. In this study, we
      investigated whether mutations in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)
      regulators, NPRL2 and NPRL3, also contribute to cases of focal epilepsy. METHODS:
      We used targeted capture and next-generation sequencing to analyze 404 unrelated
      probands with focal epilepsy. We performed exome sequencing on two families with
      multiple members affected with focal epilepsy and linkage analysis on one of
      these. RESULTS: In our cohort of 404 unrelated focal epilepsy patients, we
      identified five mutations in NPRL2 and five in NPRL3. Exome sequencing analysis
      of two families with focal epilepsy identified NPRL2 and NPRL3 as the top
      candidate-causative genes. Some patients had focal epilepsy associated with brain
      malformations. We also identified 18 new mutations in DEPDC5. INTERPRETATION: We
      have identified NPRL2 and NPRL3 as two new focal epilepsy genes that also play a
      role in the mTOR-signaling pathway. Our findings show that mutations in GATOR1
      complex genes are the most significant cause of familial focal epilepsy
      identified to date, including cases with brain malformations. It is possible that
      deregulation of cellular growth control plays a more important role in epilepsy
      than is currently recognized.

PMID- 26505889
TI  - Oxidative Damage Does Not Occur in Striped Hamsters Raising Natural and
      Experimentally Increased Litter Size.
AB  - Life-history theory assumes that animals can balance the allocation of limited
      energy or resources to the competing demands of growth, reproduction and somatic
      maintenance, while consequently maximizing their fitness. However, somatic damage
      caused by oxidative stress in reproductive female animals is species-specific or
      is tissue dependent. In the present study, several markers of oxidative stress
      (hydrogen peroxide, H2O2 and malonadialdehyde, MDA) and antioxidant (catalase,
      CAT and total antioxidant capacity, T-AOC) were examined in striped hamsters
      during different stages of reproduction with experimentally manipulated litter
      size. Energy intake, resting metabolic rate (RMR), and mRNA expression of
      uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and UCP3 in skeletal
      muscle were also examined. H2O2 and MDA levels did not change in BAT and liver,
      although they significantly decreased in skeletal muscle in the lactating
      hamsters compared to the non-reproductive group. However, H2O2 levels in the
      brain were significantly higher in lactating hamsters than non-reproductive
      controls. Experimentally increasing litter size did not cause oxidative stress in
      BAT, liver and skeletal muscle, but significantly elevated H2O2 levels in the
      brain. CAT activity of liver decreased, but CAT and T-AOC activity of BAT,
      skeletal muscle and the brain did not change in lactating hamsters compared to
      non-reproductive controls. Both antioxidants did not change with the
      experimentally increasing litter size. RMR significantly increased, but BAT UCP1
      mRNA expression decreased with the experimentally increased litter size,
      suggesting that it was against simple positive links between metabolic rate, UCP1
      expression and free radicals levels. It may suggest that the cost of reproduction
      has negligible effect on oxidative stress or even attenuates oxidative stress in
      some active tissues in an extensive range of animal species. But the increasing
      reproductive effort may cause oxidative stress in the brain, indicating that
      oxidative stress in response to reproduction is tissue dependent. These findings
      provide partial support for the life-history theory. 

PMID- 26505890
TI  - Biosorption of Cadmium and Manganese Using Free Cells of Klebsiella sp. Isolated
      from Waste Water.
AB  - In the present study, we evaluated a bacterium that was isolated from waste water
      for its ability to take up cadmium and manganese. The strain, identified both
      biochemically and by its 16S rRNA gene sequence as Klebsiella, was named Yangling
      I2 and was found to be highly resistant to heavy metals. Surface characterization
      of the bacterium via SEM revealed gross morphological changes, with cells
      appearing as biconcave discs after metal exposure rather than their typical rod
      shape. The effects of pH, temperature, heavy metal concentration, agitation and
      biomass concentration on the uptake of Cd(II) and Mn(II) was measured using
      atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results showed that the biosorption was
      most affected by pH and incubation temperature, being maximized at pH 5.0 and 30
      degrees C, with absorption capacities of 170.4 and 114.1 mg/g for Cd(II) and
      Mn(II), respectively. Two models were investigated to compare the cells' capacity
      for the biosorption of Cd and Mn, and the Langmuir model based on fuzzy linear
      regression was found to be close to the observed absorption curves and yield
      binding constants of 0.98 and 0.86 for Cd and Mn, respectively. This strain of
      Klebsiella has approximately ten times the absorption capacity reported for other
      strains and is promising for the removal of heavy metals from waste water. 

PMID- 26505891
TI  - Inflammatory cytokines induce specific time- and concentration-dependent MicroRNA
      release by chondrocytes, synoviocytes, and meniscus cells.
AB  - In knee osteoarthritis (OA), concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1beta and tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha increase in joint tissues and synovial fluid which
      incite a catabolic cascade and further the progression of OA. Several microRNAs
      (miRNA) have been associated with apoptosis (miR-16), inflammation (miR-22, miR
      146a), and matrix degradation (miR-140, miR-27b) in developed OA or its symptoms.
      In this study, the time- and concentration-dependent nature of cellular and
      extracellular miRNAs in synoviocytes, meniscus cells, and chondrocytes as
      influenced by inflammatory cytokines was investigated. For time-dependent
      studies, three cell types were stimulated with 10 ng/ml IL-1beta or 50 ng/ml TNF
      alpha for 8, 16, and 24 h. For concentration-dependent studies, chondrocytes were
      stimulated with a higher level of IL-1beta (20 ng/ml) or TNF-alpha (100 ng/ml)
      for 8 h. Cellular and extracellular expressions of miR-22, miR-16, miR-146a, miR
      27b, and miR-140 were analyzed by RT-PCR. Time-dependent cellular miRNA
      expressions were similar across the three cell types with miR-146a significantly
      up-regulated and miR-27b significantly down-regulated at all time points.
      However, chondrocytes exhibited a unique extracellular miRNA profile with an
      increased release rate of miR-27b at 24 h. Our findings support further research
      into the characterization of miRNAs in synovial fluid for the development of
      early detection strategies of OA or cartilage injury. (c) 2015 Orthopaedic
      Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:779-790,
      2016.

PMID- 26505892
TI  - Maternal Chlamydia trachomatis Infections and Preterm Births in a University
      Hospital in Vitoria, Brazil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preterm birth (PTB) is a major determinant of neonatal morbimortality
      with adverse consequences for health. The causes are multifactorial, with
      intrauterine infection probably explaining most of these outcomes. It is believed
      that infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is also involved in PTB and
      premature rupture of membranes. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence of and
      associated factors for CT among cases of PTB attended at a University Hospital in
      Vitoria, Brazil. METHODS: A cross-sectional study performed among parturient who
      had preterm birth from June 2012 to August 2013 in Vitoria, Brazil. Participants
      answered a questionnaire including demographic, behavioral, and clinical data. A
      sample of urine was collected and screened for CT using polymerase chain
      reaction. Chi-square tests were used for proportion differences and Student's-t
      tests and variance analysis were used for testing differences between mean
      values. Odds ratio was used as a measure of association with a 95% confidence
      interval. RESULTS: The prevalence of PTB during the period of the study was 26%
      and the prevalence of CT among them was 13.9%. A total of 31.6% pregnant women
      were younger than 25 years old and women infected by CT were even younger than
      women not infected by CT (p = 0.022). Most of them (76.2%) were married or had a
      living partner, and CT infection was more frequent among the single ones (p =
      0.018); 16.7% of women reported their first sexual intercourse under 14 years
      old. The causes of prematurity were maternal-fetal in 40.9%; rupture of the
      membranes in 29.7% and premature labor in 29.4%. In multivariate analysis, being
      married was a protective factor for infection [OR = 0.48 (95%CI:0.24-0.97)]. None
      of the other characteristics were associated with CT infection. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study shows a high prevalence of CT infection among parturient who have preterm
      birth. This high prevalence highlight the need for defining screening strategies
      focused on young pregnant women in Brazil.

PMID- 26505893
TI  - Quercetin Attenuates Inflammatory Responses in BV-2 Microglial Cells: Role of
      MAPKs on the Nrf2 Pathway and Induction of Heme Oxygenase-1.
AB  - A large group of flavonoids found in fruits and vegetables have been suggested to
      elicit health benefits due mainly to their anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory
      properties. Recent studies with immune cells have demonstrated inhibition of
      these inflammatory responses through down-regulation of the pro-inflammatory
      pathway involving NF-kappaB and up-regulation of the anti-oxidative pathway
      involving Nrf2. In the present study, the murine BV-2 microglial cells were used
      to compare anti-inflammatory activity of quercetin and cyanidin, two flavonoids
      differing by their alpha, beta keto carbonyl group. Quercetin was 10 folds more
      potent than cyanidin in inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO
      production as well as stimulation of Nrf2-induced heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein
      expression. In addition, quercetin demonstrated enhanced ability to stimulate HO
      1 protein expression when cells were treated with LPS. In an attempt to unveil
      mechanism(s) for quercetin to enhance Nrf2/HO-1 activity under endotoxic stress,
      results pointed to an increase in phospho-p38MAPK expression upon addition of
      quercetin to LPS. In addition, pharmacological inhibitors for phospho-p38MAPK and
      MEK1/2 for ERK1/2 further showed that these MAPKs target different sites of the
      Nrf2 pathway that regulates HO-1 expression. However, inhibition of LPS-induced
      NO by quercetin was not fully reversed by TinPPIX, a specific inhibitor for HO-1
      activity. Taken together, results suggest an important role of quercetin to
      regulate inflammatory responses in microglial cells and its ability to upregulate
      HO-1 against endotoxic stress through involvement of MAPKs. 

PMID- 26505894
TI  - The Role of Platelets and epsilon-Aminocaproic Acid in Arthrogryposis, Renal
      Dysfunction, and Cholestasis (ARC) Syndrome Associated Hemorrhage.
AB  - Arthrogryposis, renal dysfunction, and cholestasis (ARC) syndrome is a rare
      disorder associated with platelet abnormalities resembling gray platelet
      syndrome. Affected patients have normal platelet numbers but abnormal morphology
      and function. Bleeding symptomatology ranges from postprocedural to spontaneous
      life-threatening hemorrhage. We report a patient with ARC syndrome and compound
      heterozygous mutations in VPS33B (vacuolar protein sorting 33B) who presented
      with significant bleeding requiring numerous admissions and transfusions. She was
      treated with prophylactic platelet transfusions and epsilon-aminocaproic acid.
      This was well-tolerated and significantly decreased transfusion requirements and
      admissions for bleeding. Our experience provides support for consideration of
      prophylactic measures in these patients as well as the possibility of using
      prophylaxis in related disorders. 

PMID- 26505895
TI  - Comparison of Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery and Total Mesorectal Excision in
      the Treatment of T1 Rectal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) for the treatment of early
      stage rectal cancer has attracted attention due to its advantages of reduced
      surgical trauma, fewer complications, low operative mortality, rapid
      postoperative recovery and short hospital stay. However, there are still
      significant controversies regarding TEM for the treatment of rectal cancer,
      mainly related to the prognosis associated with this method. OBJECTIVE: This
      study sought to compare the efficacy of transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM)
      and total mesorectal excision (TME) for the treatment of T1 rectal cancer.
      METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase and CNKI databases.
      Based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews, we screened the trials,
      evaluated the quality and extracted the data. RESULTS: One randomized controlled
      trial (RCT) and six non-randomized controlled clinical trials (CCTs) were
      included in the meta-analysis (a total of 860 rectal cancer patients were
      included; 303 patients were treated with TEM, and 557 patients were treated with
      TME). Analysis revealed that all seven studies reported local recurrence rates,
      and there was a significant difference between the TEM and TME groups [odds ratio
      (OR) = 4.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) (2.03, 10.53), P = 0.0003]. A total of
      five studies reported distant metastasis rates, and there was no significant
      difference between the TEM and TME groups [OR = 0.74, 95%CI (0.32, 1.72), P =
      0.49]. A total of six studies reported postoperative overall survival of the
      patients, and there was no significant difference between the TEM and TME groups
      [OR = 0.87, 95%CI(0.55, 1.38), P = 0.55]. In addition, two studies reported the
      postoperative disease-free survival rates of patients, and there was no
      significant difference between the TEM and TME groups [OR = 1.12, 95%CI (0.31,
      4.12), P = 0.86]. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with T1 rectal cancer, the distant
      metastasis, overall survival and disease-free survival rates did not differ
      between the TEM and TME groups, although the local recurrence rate after TEM was
      higher than that after TME.

PMID- 26505896
TI  - C-di-GMP Regulates Motile to Sessile Transition by Modulating MshA Pili
      Biogenesis and Near-Surface Motility Behavior in Vibrio cholerae.
AB  - In many bacteria, including Vibrio cholerae, cyclic dimeric guanosine
      monophosphate (c-di-GMP) controls the motile to biofilm life style switch. Yet,
      little is known about how this occurs. In this study, we report that changes in c
      di-GMP concentration impact the biosynthesis of the MshA pili, resulting in
      altered motility and biofilm phenotypes in V. cholerae. Previously, we reported
      that cdgJ encodes a c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase and a DeltacdgJ mutant has reduced
      motility and enhanced biofilm formation. Here we show that loss of the genes
      required for the mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin (MshA) pilus biogenesis restores
      motility in the DeltacdgJ mutant. Mutations of the predicted ATPase proteins mshE
      or pilT, responsible for polymerizing and depolymerizing MshA pili, impair near
      surface motility behavior and initial surface attachment dynamics. A DeltacdgJ
      mutant has enhanced surface attachment, while the DeltacdgJmshA mutant
      phenocopies the high motility and low attachment phenotypes observed in a
      DeltamshA strain. Elevated concentrations of c-di-GMP enhance surface MshA pilus
      production. MshE, but not PilT binds c-di-GMP directly, establishing a mechanism
      for c-di-GMP signaling input in MshA pilus production. Collectively, our results
      suggest that the dynamic nature of the MshA pilus established by the assembly and
      disassembly of pilin subunits is essential for transition from the motile to
      sessile lifestyle and that c-di-GMP affects MshA pilus assembly and function
      through direct interactions with the MshE ATPase. 

PMID- 26505897
TI  - Upgrading a piped water supply from intermittent to continuous delivery and
      association with waterborne illness: a matched cohort study in urban India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intermittent delivery of piped water can lead to waterborne illness
      through contamination in the pipelines or during household storage, use of unsafe
      water sources during intermittencies, and limited water availability for hygiene.
      We assessed the association between continuous versus intermittent water supply
      and waterborne diseases, child mortality, and weight for age in Hubli-Dharwad,
      India. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a matched cohort study with
      multivariate matching to identify intermittent and continuous supply areas with
      comparable characteristics in Hubli-Dharwad. We followed 3,922 households in 16
      neighborhoods with children <5 y old, with four longitudinal visits over 15 mo
      (Nov 2010-Feb 2012) to record caregiver-reported health outcomes (diarrhea,
      highly credible gastrointestinal illness, bloody diarrhea, typhoid fever,
      cholera, hepatitis, and deaths of children <2 y old) and, at the final visit, to
      measure weight for age for children <5 y old. We also collected caregiver
      reported data on negative control outcomes (cough/cold and scrapes/bruises) to
      assess potential bias from residual confounding or differential measurement
      error. Continuous supply had no significant overall association with diarrhea
      (prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.83-1.04, p =
      0.19), bloody diarrhea (PR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.60-1.01, p = 0.06), or weight-for
      age z-scores (Deltaz = 0.01, 95% CI: -0.07-0.09, p = 0.79) in children <5 y old.
      In prespecified subgroup analyses by socioeconomic status, children <5 y old in
      lower-income continuous supply households had 37% lower prevalence of bloody
      diarrhea (PR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.46-0.87, p-value for interaction = 0.03) than
      lower-income intermittent supply households; in higher-income households, there
      was no significant association between continuous versus intermittent supply and
      child diarrheal illnesses. Continuous supply areas also had 42% fewer households
      with >=1 reported case of typhoid fever (cumulative incidence ratio [CIR] = 0.58,
      95% CI: 0.41-0.78, p = 0.001) than intermittent supply areas. There was no
      significant association with hepatitis, cholera, or mortality of children <2 y
      old; however, our results were indicative of lower mortality of children <2 y old
      (CIR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.22-1.07, p = 0.10) in continuous supply areas. The major
      limitations of our study were the potential for unmeasured confounding given the
      observational design and measurement bias from differential reporting of health
      symptoms given the nonblinded treatment. However, there was no significant
      difference in the prevalence of the negative control outcomes between study
      groups that would suggest undetected confounding or measurement bias.
      CONCLUSIONS: Continuous water supply had no significant overall association with
      diarrheal disease or ponderal growth in children <5 y old in Hubli-Dharwad; this
      might be due to point-of-use water contamination from continuing household
      storage and exposure to diarrheagenic pathogens through nonwaterborne routes.
      Continuous supply was associated with lower prevalence of dysentery in children
      in low-income households and lower typhoid fever incidence, suggesting that
      intermittently operated piped water systems are a significant transmission
      mechanism for Salmonella typhi and dysentery-causing pathogens in this urban
      population, despite centralized water treatment. Continuous supply was associated
      with reduced transmission, especially in the poorer higher-risk segments of the
      population.

PMID- 26505898
TI  - Identification of N-(4-((1R,3S,5S)-3-Amino-5-methylcyclohexyl)pyridin-3-yl)-6
      (2,6-difluorophenyl)-5-fluoropicolinamide (PIM447), a Potent and Selective
      Proviral Insertion Site of Moloney Murine Leukemia (PIM) 1, 2, and 3 Kinase
      Inhibitor in Clinical Trials for Hematological Malignancies.
AB  - Pan proviral insertion site of Moloney murine leukemia (PIM) 1, 2, and 3 kinase
      inhibitors have recently begun to be tested in humans to assess whether pan PIM
      kinase inhibition may provide benefit to cancer patients. Herein, the synthesis,
      in vitro activity, in vivo activity in an acute myeloid leukemia xenograft model,
      and preclinical profile of the potent and selective pan PIM kinase inhibitor
      compound 8 (PIM447) are described. Starting from the reported aminopiperidyl pan
      PIM kinase inhibitor compound 3, a strategy to improve the microsomal stability
      was pursued resulting in the identification of potent aminocyclohexyl pan PIM
      inhibitors with high metabolic stability. From this aminocyclohexyl series,
      compound 8 entered the clinic in 2012 in multiple myeloma patients and is
      currently in several phase 1 trials of cancer patients with hematological
      malignancies. 

PMID- 26505899
TI  - Parsimonious Model of Vascular Patterning Links Transverse Hormone Fluxes to
      Lateral Root Initiation: Auxin Leads the Way, while Cytokinin Levels Out.
AB  - An auxin maximum is positioned along the xylem axis of the Arabidopsis root tip.
      The pattern depends on mutual feedback between auxin and cytokinins mediated by
      the PIN class of auxin efflux transporters and AHP6, an inhibitor of cytokinin
      signalling. This interaction has been proposed to regulate the size and the
      position of the hormones' respective signalling domains and specify distinct
      boundaries between them. To understand the dynamics of this regulatory network,
      we implemented a parsimonious computational model of auxin transport that
      considers hormonal regulation of the auxin transporters within a spatial context,
      explicitly taking into account cell shape and polarity and the presence of cell
      walls. Our analysis reveals that an informative spatial pattern in cytokinin
      levels generated by diffusion is a theoretically unlikely scenario. Furthermore,
      our model shows that such a pattern is not required for correct and robust auxin
      patterning. Instead, auxin-dependent modifications of cytokinin response, rather
      than variations in cytokinin levels, allow for the necessary feedbacks, which can
      amplify and stabilise the auxin maximum. Our simulations demonstrate the
      importance of hormonal regulation of auxin efflux for pattern robustness. While
      involvement of the PIN proteins in vascular patterning is well established, we
      predict and experimentally verify a role of AUX1 and LAX1/2 auxin influx
      transporters in this process. Furthermore, we show that polar localisation of
      PIN1 generates an auxin flux circuit that not only stabilises the accumulation of
      auxin within the xylem axis, but also provides a mechanism for auxin to
      accumulate specifically in the xylem-pole pericycle cells, an important early
      step in lateral root initiation. The model also revealed that pericycle cells on
      opposite xylem poles compete for auxin accumulation, consistent with the
      observation that lateral roots are not initiated opposite to each other. 

PMID- 26505900
TI  - Developmental Reorganization of the Cognitive Network in Pediatric Epilepsy.
AB  - Traditional approaches to understanding cognition in children with epilepsy (CWE)
      involve cross-sectional or prospective examination of diverse test measures, an
      approach that does not inform the interrelationship between different abilities
      or how interrelationships evolve prospectively. Here we utilize graph theory
      techniques to interrogate the development of cognitive landmarks in CWE and
      healthy controls (HC) using the two-year percentage change across 20 tests.
      Additionally, we characterize the development of cognition using traditional
      analyses, showing that CWE perform worse at baseline, develop in parallel with
      HC, statically maintaining cognitive differences two years later. Graph analyses,
      however, showed CWE to exhibit both lower integration and segregation in
      development of their cognitive networks compared to HC. In conclusion, graph
      analyses of neuropsychological data capture a dynamic and changing complexity in
      the interrelationships among diverse cognitive skills, maturation of the
      cognitive network over time, and the nature of differences between normally
      developing children and CWE. 

PMID- 26505901
TI  - A Single Amino Acid Mutation (R104P) in the E/DRY Motif of GPR40 Impairs Receptor
      Function.
AB  - Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with insulin resistance, pancreatic beta cell
      dysfunction, and hepatic glucose overproduction is increasing in epidemic
      proportions worldwide. G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40), a clinically proven
      anti-diabetic drug target, is mainly expressed in pancreatic beta cells and
      insulin-secreting cell lines. Long chain fatty acids (LCFA) increase
      intracellular calcium concentration and amplify glucose-stimulated insulin
      secretion by activating GPR40. Here we report that the arginine 104 (R104) is
      critical for the normal function of GPR40. Mutation of R104 to Proline (R104P)
      results in complete loss of the receptor function. Linoleic acid, ligand of
      GPR40, could not elicit calcium increase and ERK phosphorylation in cells
      expressing this mutant receptor. Further study indicated the R104P mutation
      reduces cell surface localization of GPR40 without affecting the expression of
      the protein. The small portion of GPR40 R104P mutant that is still located on the
      membrane has no physiological function, and does not internalize in response to
      linoleic acid stimulation. These data demonstrate that R104 in GPR40 is
      critically involved in the normal receptor functions. Interestingly, R104P is a
      registered single-nucleotide polymorphism of GPR40. The relationship of this
      GPR40 variant and type 2 diabetes warrants further investigation. 

PMID- 26505902
TI  - Two Types of 2D Layered Iodoargentates Based on Trimeric [Ag3I7] Secondary
      Building Units and Hexameric [Ag6I12] Ternary Building Units: Syntheses, Crystal
      Structures, and Efficient Visible Light Responding Photocatalytic Properties.
AB  - With mixed transition-metal-complex, alkali-metal, or organic cations as
      structure-directing agents, a series of novel two-dimensional (2D) layered
      inorganic-organic hybrid iodoargentates, namely, Kx[TM(2,2-bipy)3]2Ag6I11 (TM =
      Mn (1), Fe (2), Co (3), Ni (4), Zn (5); x = 0.89-1) and [(Ni(2,2-bipy)3][H-2,2
      bipy]Ag3I6 (6), have been solvothermally synthesized and structurally
      characterized. All the title compounds feature 2D microporous layers composed by
      [Ag3I7] secondary building units based on AgI4 tetrahedra. Differently, the
      [Ag3I7] trimers are directly interconnected via corner-sharing to form the 2D
      [Ag6I11](5-) layer in compounds 1-5, whereas two neighboring [Ag3I7] trimers are
      initially condensed into a hexameric [Ag6I12] ternary building unit as a new
      node, which further self-assembles, leading to the 2D [Ag6I10](4-) layer in
      compound 6. The UV-vis diffuse-reflectance measurements reveal that all the
      compounds possess proper semiconductor behaviors with tunable band gaps of 1.66
      2.75 eV, which lead to highly efficient photocatalytic degradation activities
      over organic pollutants under visible light irradiation compared to that of N
      dotted P25. Interestingly, all the samples feature distinct photodegradative
      speeds at the same reaction conditions, and compound 1 features the highest
      photocatalytic activity among the title phases. The luminescence properties, band
      structures, and thermal stabilities were also studied. 

PMID- 26505903
TI  - Microbiological effectiveness of household water treatment technologies under
      field use conditions in rural Tanzania.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the microbiological effectiveness of several household
      water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) options in situ in Tanzania, before
      consideration for national scale-up of HWTS. METHODS: Participating households
      received supplies and instructions for practicing six HWTS methods on a rotating
      5-week basis. We analysed 1202 paired samples (source and treated) of drinking
      water from 390 households, across all technologies. Samples were analysed for
      thermotolerant (TTC) coliforms, an indicator of faecal contamination, to measure
      effectiveness of treatment in situ. RESULTS: All HWTS methods improved microbial
      water quality, with reductions in TTC of 99.3% for boiling, 99.4% for
      WaterguardTM brand sodium hypochlorite solution, 99.5% for a ceramic pot filter,
      99.5% for Aquatab(r) sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC) tablets, 99.6% for P&G
      Purifier of WaterTM flocculent/disinfectant sachets, and 99.7% for a ceramic
      siphon filter. Microbiological performance was relatively high compared with
      other field studies and differences in microbial reductions between technologies
      were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Given that microbiological
      performance across technologies was comparable, decisions regarding scale-up
      should be based on other factors, including uptake in the target population and
      correct, consistent, and sustained use over time.

PMID- 26505905
TI  - The Balance-Scale Task Revisited: A Comparison of Statistical Models for Rule
      Based and Information-Integration Theories of Proportional Reasoning.
AB  - We propose and test three statistical models for the analysis of children's
      responses to the balance scale task, a seminal task to study proportional
      reasoning. We use a latent class modelling approach to formulate a rule-based
      latent class model (RB LCM) following from a rule-based perspective on
      proportional reasoning and a new statistical model, the Weighted Sum Model,
      following from an information-integration approach. Moreover, a hybrid LCM using
      item covariates is proposed, combining aspects of both a rule-based and
      information-integration perspective. These models are applied to two different
      datasets, a standard paper-and-pencil test dataset (N = 779), and a dataset
      collected within an online learning environment that included direct feedback,
      time-pressure, and a reward system (N = 808). For the paper-and-pencil dataset
      the RB LCM resulted in the best fit, whereas for the online dataset the hybrid
      LCM provided the best fit. The standard paper-and-pencil dataset yielded more
      evidence for distinct solution rules than the online data set in which
      quantitative item characteristics are more prominent in determining responses.
      These results shed new light on the discussion on sequential rule-based and
      information-integration perspectives of cognitive development. 

PMID- 26505904
TI  - Expression of a Chimeric Antigen Receptor in Multiple Leukocyte Lineages in
      Transgenic Mice.
AB  - Genetically modified CD8+ T lymphocytes have shown significant anti-tumor effects
      in the adoptive immunotherapy of cancer, with recent studies highlighting a
      potential role for a combination of other immune subsets to enhance these
      results. However, limitations in present genetic modification techniques impose
      difficulties in our ability to fully explore the potential of various T cell
      subsets and assess the potential of other leukocytes armed with chimeric antigen
      receptors (CARs). To address this issue, we generated a transgenic mouse model
      using a pan-hematopoietic promoter (vav) to drive the expression of a CAR
      specific for a tumor antigen. Here we present a characterization of the immune
      cell compartment in two unique vav-CAR transgenic mice models, Founder 9 (F9) and
      Founder 38 (F38). We demonstrate the vav promoter is indeed capable of driving
      the expression of a CAR in cells from both myeloid and lymphoid lineage, however
      the highest level of expression was observed in T lymphocytes from F38 mice.
      Lymphoid organs in vav-CAR mice were smaller and had reduced cell numbers
      compared to the wild type (WT) controls. Furthermore, the immune composition of
      F9 mice differed greatly with a significant reduction in lymphocytes found in the
      thymus, lymph node and spleen of these mice. To gain insight into the altered
      immune phenotype of F9 mice, we determined the chromosomal integration site of
      the transgene in both mouse strains using whole genome sequencing (WGS). We
      demonstrated that compared to the 7 copies found in F38 mice, F9 mice harbored
      almost 270 copies. These novel vav-CAR models provide a ready source of CAR
      expressing myeloid and lymphoid cells and will aid in facilitating future
      experiments to delineate the role for other leukocytes for adoptive immunotherapy
      against cancer. 

PMID- 26505906
TI  - Aluminum Nanowire Arrays via Directed Assembly.
AB  - Freestanding and vertically-oriented metal nanowire arrays have potential utility
      in a number of applications, but presently lack a route to fabrication. Template
      based techniques, such as electrodeposition into lithographically defined
      nanopore arrays, have produced well-ordered nanowire arrays with a maximum pitch
      of about 2 MUm; such nanowires, however, tend to cluster due to local attractive
      forces. Here, we modify this template fabrication method to produce well-ordered,
      vertically-oriented, freestanding Al nanowire arrays, etched from an underlying
      Al substrate, with highly tunable pitch. In addition, optical measurements
      demonstrated that the nanowires support the propagation of surface plasmon
      polaritons. 

PMID- 26505907
TI  - It's Time to Take Clarithromycin Seriously in Multiple Myeloma.

PMID- 26505908
TI  - Copper Nanoparticle/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Composite Films with High
      Electrical Conductivity and Fatigue Resistance Fabricated via Flash Light
      Sintering.
AB  - In this work, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were employed to improve the
      conductivity and fatigue resistance of flash light sintered copper nanoparticle
      (NP) ink films. The effect of CNT weight fraction on the flash light sintering
      and the fatigue characteristics of Cu NP/CNT composite films were investigated.
      The effect of carbon nanotube length was also studied with regard to enhancing
      the conductivity and fatigue resistance of flash light sintered Cu NP/CNT
      composite films. The flash light irradiation energy was optimized to obtain high
      conductivity Cu NP/CNT composite films. Cu NP/CNT composite films fabricated via
      optimized flash light irradiation had the lowest resistivity (7.86 MUOmega.cm),
      which was only 4.6 times higher than that of bulk Cu films (1.68 MUOmega.cm). It
      was also demonstrated that Cu NP/CNT composite films had better durability and
      environmental stability than those of Cu NPs only. 

PMID- 26505909
TI  - Resiliency of Stable Isotope Fractionation (delta(13)C and delta(37)Cl) of
      Trichloroethene to Bacterial Growth Physiology and Expression of Key Enzymes.
AB  - Quantification of in situ (bio)degradation using compound-specific isotope
      analysis requires a known and constant isotope enrichment factor (epsilon).
      Because reported isotope enrichment factors for microbial dehalogenation of
      chlorinated ethenes vary considerably we studied the potential effects of
      metabolic adaptation to TCE respiration on isotope fractionation (delta(13)C and
      delta(37)Cl) using a model organism (Desulfitobacterium hafniesne Y51), which
      only has one reductive dehalogenase (PceA). Cells grown on TCE for the first time
      showed exponential growth until 10(9) cells/mL. During exponential growth, the
      cell-normalized amount of PceA enzyme increased steadily in the presence of TCE
      (up to 21 pceA transcripts per cell) but not with alternative substrates (<1 pceA
      transcript per cell). Cultures initially transferred or subcultivated on TCE
      showed very similar isotope fractionation, both for carbon (epsiloncarbon: 
      8.60/00 +/- 0.30/00 or -8.80/00 +/- 0.20/00) and chlorine (epsilonchlorine: 
      2.70/00 +/- 0.30/00) with little variation (0.70/00) for the different
      experimental conditions. Thus, TCE isotope fractionation by D. hafniense strain
      Y51 was affected by neither growth phase, pceA transcription, or translation, nor
      by PceA content per cell, suggesting that transport limitations did not affect
      isotope fractionation. Previously reported variable epsilon values for other
      organohalide-respiring bacteria might thus be attributed to different expression
      levels of their multiple reductive dehalogenases. 

PMID- 26505910
TI  - Combinatorial Investigations of High Temperature CuNb Oxide Phases for
      Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.
AB  - High-throughput combinatorial methods have been useful in identifying new oxide
      semiconductors with the potential to be applied to solar water splitting. Most of
      these techniques have been limited to producing and screening oxide phases formed
      at temperatures below approximately 550  degrees C. We report the development of
      a combinatorial approach to discover and optimize high temperature phases for
      photoelectrochemical water splitting. As a demonstration material, we chose to
      produce thin films of high temperature CuNb oxide phases by inkjet printing on
      two different substrates: fluorine-doped tin oxide and crystalline Si, which
      required different sample pyrolysis procedures. The selection of pyrolysis
      parameters, such as temperature/time programs, and the use of oxidizing,
      nonreactive or reducing atmospheres determines the composition of the thin film
      materials and their photoelectrochemical performance. XPS, XRD, and SEM analyses
      were used to determine the composition and oxidation states within the copper
      niobium oxide phases and to then guide the production of target Cu(1+)Nb(5+)
      oxide phases. The charge carrier dynamics of the thin films produced by the
      inkjet printing are compared with pure CuNbO3 microcrystalline material obtained
      from inorganic bulk synthesis. 

PMID- 26505911
TI  - Effects and mechanism of arsenic trioxide in combination with rmhTRAIL in
      multiple myeloma.
AB  - The anti-tumor potential of arsenic trioxide (ATO) and recombinant mutant human
      TRAIL (rmhTRAIL) has been confirmed in various kinds of tumors. However, the
      effects and mechanism of the two drugs in combination in multiple myeloma (MM)
      have not been established. In this study, we evaluated the proliferation
      inhibition and apoptosis induction effects of ATO and rmhTRAIL as single agents
      and in combination on the MM cell lines RPMI8226 and U266. Then, we used high
      performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to find differentially
      expressed proteins before and after drug treatment and to analyze the mechanism
      underlying the effect of ATO and rmhTRAIL on MM cells. Results indicated that ATO
      and rmhTRAIL had synergistic or additive effects on proliferation inhibition and
      apoptosis induction in MM cells, and the mechanism underlying the two-drug
      combination might involve regulation of the expression of several proteins
      affected by ATO and rmhTRAIL. Our study provides evidence of a potential new
      combination treatment strategy for MM.

PMID- 26505912
TI  - Revealing the Buried Metal-Organic Interface: Restructuring of the First Layer by
      van der Waals Forces.
AB  - With the use of molecular manipulation in a cryogenic scanning tunneling
      microscope, the structure and rearrangement of sexiphenyl molecules at the buried
      interface of the organic film with the Cu(110) substrate surface have been
      revealed. It is shown that a reconstruction of the first monolayer of flat lying
      molecules occurs due to the van der Waals pressure from subsequent layers. In
      this rearrangement, additional sexiphenyl molecules are forced into the
      established complete monolayer and adopt an edge-on configuration. Incorporation
      of second layer molecules into the first layer is also demonstrated by purposely
      pushing sexiphenyl molecules with the STM tip. The results indicate that even
      chemisorbed organic layers at interfaces can be significantly influenced by
      external stress from van der Waals forces of subsequent layers. 

PMID- 26505913
TI  - Presynaptic M3 muscarinic cholinoceptors mediate inhibition of excitatory
      synaptic transmission in area CA1 of rat hippocampus.
AB  - Acetylcholine can modulate hippocampal network function through activation of
      both nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs). All five mAChR
      subtypes have been identified in the hippocampus. Besides by their involvement in
      excitability of hippocampal cells, synaptic plasticity and memory, a large body
      of research has demonstrated the involvement of presynaptic mAChRs in the
      inhibition of glutamatergic transmission in the hippocampus. Over the years,
      however, pharmacological and molecular genetic studies have yielded quite
      contradictory results regarding the mAChR subtype(s) involved. In this study,
      multi-electrode array technology was used for the pharmacological elucidation of
      the subtype of mAChR mediating the depression of excitatory synaptic transmission
      at the SC-CA1 synapse. Using selective antagonists (VU0255035, MT7, tripinamide,
      MT3) and allosteric potentiators (VU 10010, VU 0238429) the involvement of M1,
      M2, M4, and M5 subtypes was ruled out thereby implying a major modulatory role
      for M3 receptors in the inhibition of excitatory synaptic transmission in area
      CA1 of rat hippocampus. 

PMID- 26505914
TI  - Endomorphin-1 attenuates Abeta42 induced impairment of novel object and object
      location recognition tasks in mice.
AB  - A growing body of evidence suggests that the agglomeration of amyloid-beta
      (Abeta) may be a trigger for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Central infusion of
      Abeta42 can lead to memory impairment in mice. Inhibiting the aggregation of
      Abeta has been considered a therapeutic strategy for AD. Endomorphin-1 (EM-1), an
      endogenous agonist of MU-opioid receptors, has been shown to inhibit the
      aggregation of Abeta in vitro. In the present study, we investigated whether EM-1
      could alleviate the memory-impairing effects of Abeta42 in mice using novel
      object recognition (NOR) and object location recognition (OLR) tasks. We showed
      that co-administration of EM-1 was able to ameliorate Abeta42-induced amnesia in
      the lateral ventricle and the hippocampus, and these effects could not be
      inhibited by naloxone, an antagonist of MU-opioid receptors. Infusion of EM-1 or
      naloxone separately into the lateral ventricle had no influence on memory in the
      tasks. These results suggested that EM-1 might be effective as a drug for AD
      preventative treatment by inhibiting Abeta aggregation directly as a molecular
      modifier. 

PMID- 26505915
TI  - Impaired short-term memory for pitch in congenital amusia.
AB  - Congenital amusia is a neuro-developmental disorder of music perception and
      production. The hypothesis is that the musical deficits arise from altered pitch
      processing, with impairments in pitch discrimination (i.e., pitch change
      detection, pitch direction discrimination and identification) and short-term
      memory. The present review article focuses on the deficit of short-term memory
      for pitch. Overall, the data discussed here suggest impairments at each level of
      processing in short-term memory tasks; starting with the encoding of the pitch
      information and the creation of the adequate memory trace, the retention of the
      pitch traces over time as well as the recollection and comparison of the stored
      information with newly incoming information. These impairments have been related
      to altered brain responses in a distributed fronto-temporal network, associated
      with decreased connectivity between these structures, as well as in abnormalities
      in the connectivity between the two auditory cortices. In contrast, amusic
      participants' short-term memory abilities for verbal material are preserved.
      These findings show that short-term memory deficits in congenital amusia are
      specific to pitch, suggesting a pitch-memory system that is, at least partly,
      separated from verbal memory. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled
      SI: Auditory working memory.

PMID- 26505916
TI  - Amyloid beta25-35 induced ROS-burst through NADPH oxidase is sensitive to iron
      chelation in microglial Bv2 cells.
AB  - Iron chelation therapy and inhibition of glial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
      phosphate (NADPH) oxidase can both represent possible routes for Alzheimer's
      disease modifying therapies. The metal hypothesis is largely focused on direct
      binding of metals to the N-terminal hydrophilic 1-16 domain peptides of Amyloid
      beta (Abeta) and how they jointly give rise to reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      production. The cytotoxic effects of Abeta through ROS and metals are mainly
      studied in neuronal cells using full-length Abeta1-40/42 peptides. Here we study
      cellularly-derived ROS during 2-60min in response to non-metal associated mid
      domain Abeta25-35 in microglial Bv2 cells by fluorescence based spectroscopy. We
      analyze if Abeta25-35 induce ROS production through NADPH oxidase and if the
      production is sensitive to iron chelation. NADPH oxidase inhibitor
      diphenyliodonium (DPI) is used to confirm the production of ROS through NADPH
      oxidase. We modulate cellular iron homeostasis by applying cell permeable iron
      chelators desferrioxamine (DFO) and deferiprone (DFP). NADPH oxidase subunit gp91
      phox level was analyzed by Western blotting. Our results show that Abeta25-35
      induces strong ROS production through NADPH oxidase in Bv2 microglial cells.
      Intracellular iron depletion resulted in restrained Abeta25-35 induced ROS. 

PMID- 26505917
TI  - Phoenixin-14 enhances memory and mitigates memory impairment induced by Abeta1-42
      and scopolamine in mice.
AB  - Phoenixin (PNX) is a recently discovered neuropeptide shown to be involved in
      regulating the reproductive system, anxiety-related behaviors and pain though its
      receptor is still unknown. PNX-14, one of the endogenous active isoforms, is
      reported to regulate gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor expression
      and GnRH secretion. Because GnRH system is thought to be involved in the
      regulation of learning and memory processes, we hypothesized that PNX-14 might be
      mediate learning and memory. Here, we investigated the effects of PNX-14 in
      memory processes, using novel object recognition (NOR) and object location
      recognition (OLR) tasks. Our results revealed that intracerebroventricular
      (i.c.v.) injection of PNX-14 (25nmol) immediately after training not only
      facilitated memory formation, but also prolonged memory retention in both tasks.
      The memory-enhancing effects of PNX-14 were also seen when it was infused into
      the hippocampus. Moreover, these memory-improving effects of PNX-14 could be
      blocked by a GnRH receptor antagonist (Cetrorelix). The memory-improving effects
      of PNX-14 were not related to any effects on locomotor activity. Additionally,
      the results suggested that i.c.v. injection of PNX-14 mitigate the memory
      impairment induced by the amyloid-beta1-42 (Abeta1-42) peptide and scopolamine.
      The present results indicate that PNX-14 facilitates memory formation and
      prolongs memory retention through activation of the GnRH receptor, and mitigates
      the memory-impairing effects of Abeta1-42 and scopolamine, suggesting that PNX-14
      may be effective as a drug for enhancing memory and treating Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26505918
TI  - Distinct morphological processing of recently learned compound words: An ERP
      study.
AB  - Our vocabulary is, at least in principle, infinite. We can create new words
      combining existing ones in meaningful ways to form new linguistic expressions.
      The present study investigated the morphological processing of novel compound
      words in overt speech production. Native speakers of Dutch learned a series of
      new compounds (e.g. appelgezicht, 'apple-face') that were later used as primes in
      a morphological priming task. In this protocol, primes were compound words
      morphologically related to a target's picture name (e.g. appelgezicht was used
      for a picture of an apple, Dutch appel). The novel primes were compared with
      corresponding familiar compounds sharing a free morpheme (e.g. appelmoes,
      'applesauce') and with unrelated compounds. Participants were required to read
      aloud words and to name pictures in a long-lag design. Behavioral and event
      related potentials (ERPs) data were collected in two sessions, separated by 48h.
      Clear facilitation of picture naming latencies was obtained when pictures were
      paired with morphological related words. Notably, our results show that novel
      compounds have a stronger priming effect than familiar compounds in both
      sessions, which is expressed in a marked reduction in target naming latencies and
      a decrease in the N400 amplitude. These results suggest that participants focused
      more on the separate constituents when reading novel primes than in the case of
      existing compounds. 

PMID- 26505919
TI  - Reduced serine racemase expression in aging rat cerebellum is associated with
      oxidative DNA stress and hypermethylation in the promoter.
AB  - Regulation of serine racemase (SR) occurs at transcriptional and translational
      levels; post-translational modification, cytosolic distribution as well as
      allosteric effect regulate SR activity. In this study, we report a new route of
      SR regulation, i.e. oxidative stress and hypermethylation of the srr (gene of SR)
      promoter correlate with its reduced transcription in aging rat cerebella. We
      first showed that the mRNA and protein level of srr were decreased in the
      homogenates of rat cerebellum at age 12 months compared with the counterparts
      from age 20 days. The reduction of SR protein level in aging cerebella was
      evidenced by decreased immunostaining observed in the cell body of granule cells
      or Purkinje cells. Staining for 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a marker
      for oxidative stress to DNA, was much stronger in granule cell or Purkinje cell
      nuclei from rat cerebella at 12 months compared with staining at 20 days. We
      further detected srr promoter hypermethylation at 12 months compared with that at
      20 days by use of bisulfite sequencing PCR, coinciding with elevated protein
      levels of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) in homogenates of aging cerebella. In
      vitro, we demonstrated that chronic treatment with the oxidant, menadione (VK3),
      reduced srr mRNA levels, which was reversed by the DNA demethylating agent 5-Aza
      dC-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-dC) in primary cerebellar granule cell cultures.
      Together, the in vivo and ex vivo results suggest that oxidative DNA stress and
      srr promoter hypermethylation are associated with reduced srr gene transcription
      and corresponding reduced protein expression in aging cerebella. 

PMID- 26505920
TI  - Possible antidepressant effects and mechanism of electroacupuncture in behaviors
      and hippocampal synaptic plasticity in a depression rat model.
AB  - Increasing evidences show that hippocampal synaptic plasticity plays a crucial
      role in the pathogenesis of depression. The objective of this study was to
      determine whether electroacupuncture (EA) in the Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat model of
      depression would exert antidepressant effects and whether this effect would be
      associated with changes in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Male WKY rats were
      randomly divided into three groups (EA, sham EA, and blank control); Wister rats
      were used as normal control group. Treatment with EA was performed at Baihui
      (GV20) and Yintang (EX-HN3) once daily for 3 weeks. Forced swimming test (FST),
      open field test (OFT), and Morris water maze (MWM) were evaluated after 21-day
      intervention. Long-term potentiation (LTP) was evoked at Schaffer collateral-CA1
      synapses in hippocampal slices in vitro. EA treatment significantly reduced
      immobility time in FST. MWM test showed a significant downward trend in escape
      latency time from the second to fifth days of experiment, and a higher frequency
      of crossing the missing quadrant platform in normal control and EA vs other
      groups. Impaired LTP was detected in Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses in blank
      control and sham EA groups. In the western blot, the expression of GluN2B showed
      significant increase in EA vs sham EA and blank control groups. EA was able to
      improve depression-like behaviors and reverse the impairment of LTP, which were
      likely mediated by GluN2B in the hippocampus. 

PMID- 26505921
TI  - Qualitative and Quantitative Gadoxetic Acid-enhanced MR Imaging Helps Subtype
      Hepatocellular Adenomas.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine which clinical variables and gadoxetic acid disodium (Gd
      EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging features are associated with
      histologically proved hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) genotypic subtypes. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: In this institutional review board-approved and Health Insurance
      Portability and Accountability Act-compliant study, clinical information and MR
      images of 49 histologically proved HCAs from January 2002 to December 2013 (21
      patients; mean age, 39 years; age range, 15-59 years) were retrospectively
      reviewed by two radiologists. Qualitative and quantitative imaging features,
      including the signal intensity ratio relative to liver in each phase, were
      studied. HCA tissues were stained with subtype-specific markers and subclassified
      by a pathologist. Clinical and imaging data were correlated with pathologic
      findings and compared by using Fisher exact or t test, with a Bonferroni
      correction for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Forty-nine HCAs were subclassified
      into 14 inflammatory, 20 hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-1alpha-mutated, one beta
      catenin-activated, and 14 unclassified lesions. Intralesional steatosis was
      exclusively seen in HNF-1alpha-mutated lesions. Marked hyperintensity on T2
      weighted images was seen in 12 of 14 (86%) inflammatory lesions compared with
      four of 21 (19%) HNF-1alpha-mutated, seven of 14 (50%) unclassified, and zero of
      one (0%) beta-catenin-activated lesion. Two large lesions (one beta-catenin
      activated and one unclassified) transformed into hepatocellular carcinomas and
      were the only lesions to enhance with marked heterogeneity. In the hepatobiliary
      phase, all HCA subtypes were hypoenhancing compared with surrounding liver
      parenchyma, and they reached their nadir signal intensity by 10 minutes after the
      administration of contrast material before plateauing. HNF-1alpha-mutated lesions
      had the lowest lesion signal intensity ratio of 0.47 +/- 0.09, compared with 0.73
      +/- 0.18 for inflammatory lesions (P = .0004), 0.82 for the beta-catenin
      activated lesion, and 0.73 +/- 0.06 for the unclassified lesion (P = .00002).
      CONCLUSION: In this study, all HCA subtypes were hypoenhancing at Gd-EOB-DTPA
      enhanced MR imaging in the hepatobiliary phase and reached their nadir signal
      intensity at 10 minutes. HNF-1alpha-mutated lesions could be distinguished from
      other subtypes by having the lowest lesion signal intensity ratio.

PMID- 26505922
TI  - Association of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient with Disease Recurrence in Patients
      with Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer Treated with Radical Chemotherapy and
      Radiation Therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate whether volumetrically derived apparent diffusion
      coefficient (ADC) from pretreatment diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance
      (MR) imaging is associated with disease recurrence in women with locally advanced
      cervical cancer treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: An ethics board-approved, retrospective study was conducted in 85 women
      with stage IB-IVA cervical cancer treated with chemo- and radiation therapy in
      2009-2013. All patients underwent MR imaging for staging, including T2-weighted
      and DW MR imaging series, by using a 1.5- or 3.0-T imager. The mean, median,
      75th, 90th, and 95th percentile ADCs (ADCmean, ADC50, ADC75, ADC90, and ADC95,
      respectively) of all voxels that comprised each tumor were extracted and
      normalized to the mean urine ADC (nADCmean, nADC50, nADC75, nADC90, and nADC95,
      respectively) to reduce variability. The primary outcome was disease-free
      survival (DFS). Uni- and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to
      evaluate the association of ADC parameters and relevant clinical variables with
      DFS. RESULTS: Of the 85 women included, 62 were free of disease at last follow
      up. Median follow-up was 37 months (range, 5-68 months). Significant variables at
      univariable analysis included T2-weighted derived tumor diameter, para-aortic
      nodal involvement, advanced stage, ADC90 and ADC95, nADC75, nADC90, and nADC95.
      Normalized parameters were more highly associated (hazard ratio per 0.01 increase
      in normalized ADC, 0.91-0.94; P < .04). Because nADC75, nADC90, and nADC95 were
      highly correlated, only nADC95 (which had the lowest P value) was included in
      multivariable analysis. At multivariable analysis, absolute and normalized ADC95
      remained associated with DFS (hazard ratio, 0.90-0.98; P < .05). CONCLUSION: The
      volumetric ADC95 may be a useful imaging metric to predict treatment failure in
      patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated with chemo- and radiation
      therapy.

PMID- 26505923
TI  - Intrinsic Resting-State Functional Connectivity in the Human Spinal Cord at 3.0
      T.
AB  - PURPOSE: To apply resting-state functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to map
      functional connectivity of the human spinal cord. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Studies
      were performed in nine self-declared healthy volunteers with informed consent and
      institutional review board approval. Resting-state functional MR imaging was
      performed to map functional connectivity of the human cervical spinal cord from
      C1 to C4 at 1 * 1 * 3-mm resolution with a 3.0-T clinical MR imaging unit.
      Independent component analysis (ICA) was performed to derive resting-state
      functional MR imaging z-score maps rendered on two-dimensional and three
      dimensional images. Seed-based analysis was performed for cross validation with
      ICA networks by using Pearson correlation. RESULTS: Reproducibility analysis of
      resting-state functional MR imaging maps from four repeated trials in a single
      participant yielded a mean z score of 6 +/- 1 (P < .0001). The centroid
      coordinates across the four trials deviated by 2 in-plane voxels +/- 2 mm
      (standard deviation) and up to one adjacent image section +/- 3 mm. ICA of group
      resting-state functional MR imaging data revealed prominent functional
      connectivity patterns within the spinal cord gray matter. There were
      statistically significant (z score > 3, P < .001) bilateral, unilateral, and
      intersegmental correlations in the ventral horns, dorsal horns, and central
      spinal cord gray matter. Three-dimensional surface rendering provided
      visualization of these components along the length of the spinal cord. Seed-based
      analysis showed that many ICA components exhibited strong and significant (P <
      .05) correlations, corroborating the ICA results. Resting-state functional MR
      imaging connectivity networks are qualitatively consistent with known
      neuroanatomic and functional structures in the spinal cord. CONCLUSION: Resting
      state functional MR imaging of the human cervical spinal cord with a 3.0-T
      clinical MR imaging unit and standard MR imaging protocols and hardware reveals
      prominent functional connectivity patterns within the spinal cord gray matter,
      consistent with known functional and anatomic layouts of the spinal cord.

PMID- 26505924
TI  - Conformational Dynamics of o-Fluoro-Substituted Z-Azobenzene.
AB  - A conformational analysis of o-fluoro Z-azobenzene reveals a slight preference
      for aromatic C-F/pi interaction. Density functional theory (DFT) indicates that
      the conformation with a C-F/pi interaction is preferred by approximately 0.3-0.5
      kcal/mol. Ground-state conformations were corroborated with X-ray
      crystallography. (Z)-Azobenzene (Z-AB) with at least one o-fluoro per ring
      displays (19)F-(19)F through-space (TS) coupling. 2D J-resolved NMR was used to
      distinguish through-bond from TS coupling ((TS)JFF). (TS)JFF decreases as the
      temperature is lowered and the multiplets coalesce into broad singlets. We
      hypothesize that the coalescence temperature (Tc) corresponds to the barrier for
      phenyl rotation. The experimentally determined barrier of 8-10 kcal/mol has been
      qualitatively verified by DFT where transition states with a bisected geometry
      were identified with zero-point energies of 6-9 kcal/mol relative to ground
      state. These values are significantly higher that values estimated from previous
      theoretical studies but lie within a reasonable range for phenyl rotation in
      hydrocarbon systems. 

PMID- 26505925
TI  - Redox imaging of skeletal muscle using in vivo DNP-MRI and its application to an
      animal model of local inflammation.
AB  - Disorders of skeletal muscle are often associated with inflammation and
      alterations in redox status. A non-invasive technique that could localize and
      evaluate the severity of skeletal muscle inflammation based on its redox
      environment would be useful for disease identification and monitoring, and for
      the development of treatments; however, no such technique currently exists. We
      describe a method for redox imaging of skeletal muscle using dynamic nuclear
      polarization magnetic resonance imaging (DNP-MRI), and apply this method to an
      animal model of local inflammation. Female C57/BL6 mice received injections of
      0.5% bupivacaine into their gastrocnemius muscles. Plasma biomarkers,
      myeloperoxidase activity, and histological sections were assessed at 4 and 24h
      after bupivacaine injection to measure the inflammatory response. In vivo DNP-MRI
      was performed with the nitroxyl radicals carbamoyl-PROXYL (cell permeable) and
      carboxy-PROXYL (cell impermeable) as molecular imaging probes at 4 and 24h after
      bupivacaine administration. The images obtained after carbamoyl-PROXYL
      administration were confirmed with the results of L-band EPR spectroscopy. The
      plasma biomarkers, myeloperoxidase activity, and histological findings indicated
      that bupivacaine injection caused acute muscle damage and inflammation. DNP-MRI
      images of mice treated with carbamoyl-PROXYL or carboxy-PROXYL at 4 and 24h after
      bupivacaine injection showed similar increases in image intensity and decay rate
      was significantly increased at 24h. In addition, reduction rates in individual
      mice at 4h and 24h showed faster trends with bupivacaine injection than in their
      contralateral sides by image-based analysis. These findings indicate that in vivo
      DNP-MRI with nitroxyl radicals can non-invasively detect changes in the focal
      redox status of muscle resulting from locally-induced inflammation. 

PMID- 26505926
TI  - Immunogenic properties of the surface layer precursor of Clostridium difficile
      and vaccination assays in animal models.
AB  - Clostridium difficile is an opportunistic pathogen causing gut inflammation
      generally associated with an intestinal dysbiosis due to antibiotics. Several
      virulence factors have been identified as playing a key role in gut colonization.
      The surface-layer proteins, comprised of two proteins, the high molecular weight
      SlpA (HMW-SLP) and the low molecular weight SlpA (LMW-SLP), are the most abundant
      proteins on the C. difficile surface. These two proteins are derived from the
      Cwp84-mediated cleavage of a single precursor protein SlpA. In this study, we
      assessed the immunogenic properties of a recombinant SlpA precursor derived from
      a toxigenic C. difficile strain (630) and its protective effect as a vaccine
      antigen co-administered with the cholera toxin as an adjuvant in both hamster and
      mouse models. First, we confirmed the immunogenicity of SlpA in humans. Sera from
      patients with C. difficile infection were analyzed by ELISA. Patients with CDI
      have a greater number of SlpA antibodies than healthy patients, confirming the
      immunogenicity of this protein during the pathogenic process. Then, rectal
      vaccination assays were performed in both conventional hamsters and mice. The
      animals' sera were sampled before and after vaccination, and were analyzed by
      ELISA. In addition, in the mouse model, feces were sampled after vaccination and
      IgA directed against SlpA were detected by ELISA. In both models, the intestinal
      colonization was evaluated by fecal bacterial count after challenge. Intra-rectal
      vaccination with SlpA and cholera toxin as an adjuvant induced a local and
      systemic humoral immune response in mice and hamsters potentially responsible for
      the weak decrease of C. difficile colonization in mice and the partial protection
      observed in a lethal-hamster model. 

PMID- 26505928
TI  - BV and non-BV associated Gardnerella vaginalis establish similar synergistic
      interactions with other BV-associated microorganisms in dual-species biofilms.
AB  - Dual-species biofilm formation between Gardnerella vaginalis strains isolated
      from women with or without bacterial vaginosis (BV) and other 24 BV-associated
      microorganisms support that the key difference in virulence potential between BV
      negative and BV-positive G. vaginalis strains seems not to be related with
      biofilm maturation.

PMID- 26505927
TI  - Clinical significance of direct cytotoxicity and toxigenic culture in Clostridium
      difficile infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of
      hospital-acquired diarrhoea in developed countries. Although an optimal diagnosis
      is crucial, laboratory diagnostics remain challenging. Currently, the reference
      methods are direct cytotoxicity assay and toxigenic culture; however there is
      controversy in the interpretation of discordant results of these tests.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to determine the clinical significance of
      detecting C. difficile only by toxigenic culture with a negative direct
      cytotoxicity assay. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study in which patients
      aged >2 years with CDI were enrolled and monitored at least 2 months after their
      last episode. Samples were tested by both cytotoxicity assay and toxigenic
      culture. RESULTS: During the 6-month study period, we identified 169 episodes
      meeting CDI criteria that had been tested by both assays, out of which 115 were
      positive for both cytotoxicity assay and toxigenic culture, and 54 CDI episodes
      (31.9%) were positive only by toxigenic culture. Overall, patients median age was
      71.3, 50.9% were male and the most frequent underlying disease was malignancy.
      The comparison of CDI episodes positive for both assays and by toxigenic culture
      only revealed the following, respectively: mild CDI (77.4% vs 94.4%; p = 0.008),
      severe CDI (21.7% vs 5.6%; p = 0.008), severe complicated (0.9% vs 0.0%; p =
      1.000), pseudomembranous colitis (1.7% vs 1.9% p = 1.000), recurrence (17.4% vs
      14.8%; p = 0.825), overall mortality (8.7% vs 7.4%; p = 1.000) and CDI related
      mortality (2.6% vs 0%; p = 0.552). CONCLUSION: CDI episodes positive by
      cytotoxicity assay were more severe than those positive only by toxigenic
      culture, however there were a significant proportion of CDI cases (31.9%) that
      would have been missed if only cytotoxicity had been considered as clinically
      significant for CDI treatment, including severe CDI cases. Our data suggest that
      a positive test by toxigenic culture with a negative result for cytotoxicity
      should not be interpreted as colonization.

PMID- 26505929
TI  - Tetraspan cargo adaptors usher GPI-anchored proteins into multivesicular bodies.
AB  - Ubiquitinated membrane proteins are sorted into intralumenal endosomal vesicles
      on their way for degradation in lysosomes. Here we summarize the discovery of the
      Cos proteins, which work to organize and segregate ubiquitinated cargo prior to
      its incorporation into intralumenal vesicles of the multivesicular body (MVB).
      Importantly, cargoes such as GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) that cannot undergo
      ubiquitination, rely entirely on Cos proteins for sorting into intralumenal
      vesicles using the same pathway that depends on ESCRTs and ubiquitin ligases that
      typical polytopic membrane proteins do. Here we show Cos proteins provide
      functions as not only adaptor proteins for ubiquitin ligases, but also as cargo
      carriers that can physically usher a variety of other proteins into the MVB
      pathway. We then discuss the significance of this new sorting model and the
      broader implications for this cargo adaptor mechanism, whereby yeast Cos
      proteins, and their likely animal analogs, provide a ubiquitin sorting signal in
      trans to enable sorting of a membrane protein network into intralumenal vesicles.

PMID- 26505930
TI  - Stress and immunity: bench to bedside approaches continue.

PMID- 26505931
TI  - Biomarkers of asthma and allergic airway diseases.

PMID- 26505932
TI  - Anaphylaxis--a practice parameter update 2015.

PMID- 26505933
TI  - Factors associated with the course of egg allergy in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The risk factors that affect persistence of egg allergy are under
      investigation. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the factors associated with the course
      of egg allergy and anaphylaxis in children. METHODS: Children who had been
      diagnosed as having an IgE-mediated egg allergy and followed up until 6 years of
      age were enrolled. IgE-mediated egg allergy was diagnosed by a positive skin
      prick test result, specific IgE (sIgE) level of 0.35 kU/L or greater, and clear
      cut history of egg-related symptoms or positive challenge test results. RESULTS:
      A total of 203 (56%) of 363 egg allergic children were followed up until 6 years
      of age. Egg allergy resolved in 92 children (45%) at 2 years of age, 134 children
      (66%) at 4 years of age, and 145 children (71%) at 6 years of age. The resolution
      of egg allergy was associated with baseline egg sIgE level of 6.2 kU/L or less
      and the absence of anaphylaxis (hazard ratio, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.21-0.49; P < .001;
      and hazard ratio, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.21-0.69; P = .001, respectively). Baseline
      factors, including cut-off level of egg sIgE level greater than 6.2 kU/L, egg
      sIgE level, gastrointestinal symptoms after egg exposure, anaphylaxis with egg,
      and concomitant cow's milk allergy, were significantly associated with later
      resolution of egg allergy. The multivariate logistic regression determined that
      the natural logarithm for egg-white sIgE (odds ratio, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.09-1.91; P
      = .01) and the baseline gastrointestinal symptoms with egg (odds ratio, 6.86; 95%
      CI, 2.93-16.06; P < .001) were significantly related to a higher risk of
      anaphylaxis with egg. CONCLUSION: Baseline egg white sIgE levels, baseline
      gastrointestinal system involvement, concomitant cow's milk allergy, and
      anaphylaxis with egg may predict a more severe course of egg allergy with late
      resolution. Moreover, egg white sIgE levels and gastrointestinal symptoms after
      egg exposure seem to increase the risk of anaphylaxis with egg.

PMID- 26505934
TI  - Response to celecoxib in a patient with indolent systemic mastocytosis presenting
      with intractable diarrhea.

PMID- 26505935
TI  - Allergen of the Month--English Oak.

PMID- 26505936
TI  - Percutaneous Ethanolamine Sclerotherapy of a Retrobulbar Cyst in a Child with
      Microphthalmos and Proptosis.

PMID- 26505937
TI  - Lower Extremity Vascular Access in Neonates and Infants: A Single Institutional
      Experience.
AB  - PURPOSE: To demonstrate feasibility and evaluate outcomes of direct-stick
      saphenous and single-incision tunneled femoral noncuffed central venous catheters
      (CVCs) placed in a large series of neonates and infants at a single institution.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was performed for all neonates and
      infants receiving a lower extremity CVC by interventional radiology between 2007
      and 2012. Technical success, mechanical and infectious complications, and
      catheter outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: There were 271 primary insertions
      performed in 243 children by interventional radiologists in the interventional
      radiology suite or at the bedside. CVCs were placed via the femoral vein with
      single-incision technique (84.9%) or the saphenous vein via a direct-stick
      technique (15.1%), with a technical success rate of 100%. The total number of
      catheter-days was 7,917 days (median, 19 d; range, 0-220 d). The number of
      primary catheter-days was 5,333 days (median, 15 d; range, 0-123.0 d), and
      salvage procedures prolonged catheter life by 2,584 days (median, 15 d; range,
      1.0-101.0 d). The mechanical and adjusted infectious complication rates were 1.67
      and 0.44 per 100 catheter-days. CONCLUSIONS: Image-guided placement of saphenous
      or tunneled femoral catheters using a single incision is a safe and feasible
      method for vascular access in neonates and infants.

PMID- 26505938
TI  - Use of Vascular Ports for Long-Term Apheresis in Children.
AB  - High-flow ports have been used for apheresis in adults. The purpose of this study
      was to demonstrate the efficacy of ports for apheresis in children and to survey
      satisfaction of patients and their families with their use. A retrospective
      review of clinical details was combined with a prospective assessment of the
      experience of patients and their families. Eight patients (mean age, 10.4 y; mean
      weight, 35 kg) had nine ports placed for long-term apheresis. All 246 treatment
      sessions were completed successfully. Access difficulties occurred in eight of
      246 sessions (3%). Alarms occurred in 40 of 246 sessions (16%), resulting in
      delays in 10 of 246 sessions (4%). A survey of early experience indicated overall
      satisfaction with and a preference for ports for apheresis. 

PMID- 26505939
TI  - Malpositioned Central Catheter into Pulmonary Vein.

PMID- 26505940
TI  - Intraprocedural Safety and Technical Success of the MVP Micro Vascular Plug for
      Embolization of Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformations.
AB  - This case series describes early experience, intraprocedural safety, and
      technical success of the MVP Micro Vascular Plug (MVP; Covidien, Irvine,
      California) for embolization of 20 pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs)
      using 23 plugs in seven patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.
      There was no device migration, and all devices were successfully detached
      electrolytically. Immediate cessation of flow through the feeding artery was
      achieved in 21 of 23 (91%) deployments. There was one minor complication. This
      series demonstrates the MVP to be safe and technically successful in the
      treatment of PAVMs. 

PMID- 26505941
TI  - IR and Palliative Care: A Good Match.

PMID- 26505942
TI  - Medical Errors in IR: Where Are We? A Systematic Review.

PMID- 26505943
TI  - Retrograde Thoracic Duct Embolization in a Pediatric Patient with Total
      Cavopulmonary Connection and Plastic Bronchitis.

PMID- 26505944
TI  - CT-Guided Percutaneous Cryoablation of an Aggressive Osteoblastoma: A Case
      Report.

PMID- 26505945
TI  - Fluoroscopy-Guided Transgastric Hepaticoantrostomy in a Patient with Bile Leakage
      Associated with Biliary Obstruction after Left Hepatic Trisectionectomy.

PMID- 26505946
TI  - Re: "Portal Vein Recanalization-Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt
      Using the Transsplenic Approach to Achieve Transplant Candidacy in Patients with
      Chronic Portal Vein Thrombosis".

PMID- 26505947
TI  - Patient's Satisfaction, First!

PMID- 26505948
TI  - Hysteroscopic Endometrial Resection Versus Laparoscopic Supracervical
      Hysterectomy Hysterectomy--A Flawed Conclusion.

PMID- 26505949
TI  - Over-the-scope stent: a novel technique for stent elongation and deployment.

PMID- 26505951
TI  - Proposal for a harmonized descriptive analyte nomenclature for quantitative large
      molecule bioanalysis.

PMID- 26505950
TI  - Perilla frutescens Extract Ameliorates Acetylcholinesterase and Trimethyltin
      Chloride-Induced Neurotoxicity.
AB  - One of the critical features of Alzheimer's disease is cognitive dysfunction,
      which is, in part, due to decreases in acetylcholine (ACh). The ethanol extract
      of Perilla frutescens was selected for isolating the acetylcholinesterase (AChE)
      inhibitor based on preliminary screening. In vivo behavioral tests were performed
      to examine the effects of the P. frutescens extract on trimethyltin chloride
      induced impairment of learning and memory in mice. A diet containing P.
      frutescens extract effectively reversed learning and memory impairment on the Y
      maze and passive avoidance tests. To isolate the active compound from the P.
      frutescens extract, solvent partitioning, silica gel open column chromatography,
      thin-layer chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography were used.
      The AChE inhibitor was identified as rosmarinic acid. 

PMID- 26505952
TI  - Structure identification of a polysaccharide purified from Lycium barbarium
      fruit.
AB  - The water-soluble bioactive polysaccharides can contribute to the health benefits
      of Lycium barbarium fruit. However, the structure characteristics of these
      polysaccharides remain unclear yet. An important polysaccharide (LBPA) was
      isolated and purified from L. barbarium in this work. It was identified by
      chemical and spectroscopic methods as arabinogalactan with beta-d-(1->6)-galactan
      as backbone, which was different to any reported polysaccharides from this
      species before. This arabinogalactan was comprised of Araf, Galp, GlcpA and Rhap
      with a molar ratio of 9.2:6.6:1.0:0.9. The side chains, including alpha-l-Araf-(1
      >, alpha-l-Araf-(1->5)-alpha-l-Araf-(1->, beta-l-Araf-(1->5)-alpha-l-Araf-(1->
      and alpha-l-Rhap-(1->4)-beta-d-GlcpA-(1->6)-beta-d-Galp-(1->, were linked to beta
      d-(1->6)-galactan at O-3. The putative structure was drawn as below. The
      molecular weight was determined to be 470,000g/mol by gel permeation
      chromatography. 

PMID- 26505953
TI  - Microwave-assisted synthesis of porous chitosan-modified montmorillonite
      hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds.
AB  - In this study, a porous chitosan-organically modified montmorillonite
      hydroxyapatite (CS-OM-HA) composite scaffold was developed by combining microwave
      irradiation and gas foaming method. Hydroxyapatite (HA) particles of size ~ 65 nm
      were synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and attenuated
      total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The
      prepared composite scaffolds were characterized using ATR-FTIR, XRD, mercury
      intrusion porosimeter (MIP) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies. The
      synergistic effect of HA and OM on the mechanical and in vitro biological
      properties (swelling, degradation, protein adsorption and bioactivity) of the
      composite scaffolds were evaluated. Swelling, degradation, mechanical property,
      bioactivity and protein adsorption studies of CS-OM-HA composite scaffolds have
      shown desirable results in comparison with the pure CS and CS-OM composite
      scaffolds. CS-OM-HA composite scaffolds were also found to be non-cytotoxic to MG
      63 osteoblast cell lines. From the study, it can be concluded that the novel CS
      OM-HA composite scaffold with improved mechanical and in vitro biological
      properties has wide potential in non-load bearing bone tissue engineering
      applications.

PMID- 26505956
TI  - Unexpected higher stabilisation of two classical antiaromatic frameworks with a
      ruthenium fragment compared to the osmium counterpart: origin probed by DFT
      calculations.
AB  - Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to investigate the
      stability and aromaticity of metallapentalocyclobutadienes. The results reveal
      unexpected higher stabilisation achieved with a 4d ruthenium fragment compared to
      the 5d [corrected] osmium counterpart. Moreover, direct 1-3 metal-carbon bonding
      in the metallabutadiene unit of these two complexes is negligible.

PMID- 26505957
TI  - Impact of OAS1 Exon 7 rs10774671 Genetic Variation on Liver Fibrosis Progression
      in Egyptian HCV Genotype 4 Patients.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the impact of genetic variants of
      oligoadenylate synthetase 1 (OAS1) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)
      rs10774671 at the exon 7 splice acceptor site on liver fibrosis progression and
      hepatitis C virus (HCV) outcome in Egyptian HCV genotype 4 patients. In this
      study, 195 subjects were enrolled; 60 controls and 135 chronic HCV genotype 4
      patients with different fibrosis grades. All subjects were genotyped for OAS1 SNP
      rs10774671 polymorphism by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. There was an increasing trend of liver fibrosis
      progression as 52.9% GG, 73.6% GA, and 83.3% AA genotypes were detected in late
      fibrosis patients (p = 0.025). The AA genotype was higher in the late fibrosis
      group than in the early fibrosis group (83.3% vs. 16.7%) (p = 0.001). The A
      allele was significantly affecting the liver fibrosis progression rate, more than
      the G allele (p = 0.001). The multivariate analysis showed that the OAS1 GA and
      AA genotypes were independent factors associated with liver progression (p =
      0.009, odds ratio [OR] 3.467, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.273-7.584). In
      addition, the A allele was associated with liver fibrosis progression (p = 0.014,
      OR 2.525, 95% CI 1.157-4.545). The polymorphism at OAS1 exon 7 rs3741981 might be
      a potential genetic marker and can be useful in the assessment of liver fibrosis
      progression and disease outcome in HCV-infected patients. 

PMID- 26505958
TI  - Laparoscopic orchiopexy: short-term outcomes. Experience of a single centre.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased infertility and smaller volume accompany undescended
      testis. Timing of orchiopexy is still a matter of debate. We evaluated the growth
      of non-palpable testes after laparoscopic orchiopexy according to age at surgery,
      intraoperative findings and type of procedure. METHODS: Forty-one boys undergoing
      laparoscopy for nonpalpable testes were retrospectively reviewed and divided into
      two groups, <=18 months and >18 months, according to their age at surgery.
      RESULTS: At follow-up, 14 testes in the younger group had normal size, while 3
      atrophied either after single (2) or two stage procedure (1). Similarly, in older
      boys 11 testes grew normally, while 5 atrophied after both procedures.
      CONCLUSIONS: Most of the non-palpable testes grew normally after laparoscopic
      orchiopexy and the postoperative volume seemed independent from the surgical
      strategy. Both techniques led to a few cases of testicular hypotrophy. In our
      experience, the age at surgery did not affect the outcome in terms of testicular
      growth.

PMID- 26505960
TI  - Human Milk Fortification Increases Bnip3 Expression Associated With Intestinal
      Cell Death In Vitro.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to determine the in vitro effect(s)
      of a bovine-based human breast milk fortifier (HMF) on human intestinal cells.
      HMF increases the expression of BCL2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa protein-interacting
      protein (Bnip3) and cell death; the prostaglandin analogue misoprostol will
      rescue this effect. METHODS: Cultured intestinal cells were exposed to in vitro
      digested human breast milk (BM) +/- HMF. Intracellular oxidation, cell
      damage/cell death, and BNIP3 expression were measured after exposure. RESULTS: In
      vitro-digested BM + HMF significantly increased intracellular oxidation, cell
      damage, and cell death in enterocyte cell cultures compared with either saline or
      BM controls, an effect that was rescued by the prostaglandin analogue,
      misoprostol. Bnip3 transcript and Bnip3 protein levels were significantly
      increased in vitro after treatment with BM + HMF. We also provide evidence that
      transfection of enterocytes with Bnip3 increases cell death, an effect that is
      rescued by a nonfunctional Bnip3 splice variant. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support
      the hypothesis that HMF increases intestinal Bnip3 in vitro, and that the gene
      product triggers cell death. We suggest that misoprostol is a promising therapy,
      which may reduce intestinal cell death.

PMID- 26505959
TI  - Coordination of planar cell polarity pathways through Spiny-legs.
AB  - Morphogenesis and physiology of tissues and organs requires planar cell polarity
      (PCP) systems that orient and coordinate cells and their behaviors, but the
      relationship between PCP systems has been controversial. We have characterized
      how the Frizzled and Dachsous-Fat PCP systems are connected through the Spiny
      legs isoform of the Prickle-Spiny-legs locus. Two different components of the
      Dachsous-Fat system, Dachsous and Dachs, can each independently interact with
      Spiny-legs and direct its localization in vivo. Through characterization of the
      contributions of Prickle, Spiny-legs, Dachsous, Fat, and Dachs to PCP in the
      Drosophila wing, eye, and abdomen, we define where Dachs-Spiny-legs and Dachsous
      Spiny-legs interactions contribute to PCP, and provide a new understanding of the
      orientation of polarity and the basis of PCP phenotypes. Our results support the
      direct linkage of PCP systems through Sple in specific locales, while emphasizing
      that cells can be subject to and must ultimately resolve distinct, competing PCP
      signals. 

PMID- 26505961
TI  - Successful Endoscopic Needle-Knife Catheter Membranotomy of a Congenital Duodenal
      Web.

PMID- 26505962
TI  - Successful Eradication of Candida Central Venous Catheter Infection With Ambisome
      Line Lock in Factitious Illness.

PMID- 26505963
TI  - Sirolimus is a Successful Treatment for Recurrent Iron Deficiency Anaemia in Blue
      Rubber Bleb Naevus Syndrome.

PMID- 26505966
TI  - Intact crowding and temporal masking in dyslexia.
AB  - Phonological deficits in dyslexia are well documented. However, there is an
      ongoing discussion about whether visual deficits limit the reading skills of
      people with dyslexia. Here, we investigated visual crowding and backward masking.
      We presented a Vernier (i.e., two vertical bars slightly offset to the left or
      right) and asked observers to indicate the offset direction. Vernier stimuli are
      visually similar to letters and are strongly affected by crowding, even in the
      fovea. To increase task difficulty, Verniers are often followed by a mask (i.e.,
      backward masking). We measured Vernier offset discrimination thresholds for the
      basic Vernier task, under crowding, and under backward masking, in students with
      dyslexia (n = 19) and age and intelligence matched students (n = 27). We found no
      group differences in any of these conditions. Controls with fast visual
      processing (good backward masking performance), were faster readers. By contrast,
      no such correlation was found among the students with dyslexia, suggesting that
      backward masking does not limit their reading efficiency. These findings indicate
      that neither elevated crowding nor elevated backward masking pose a bottleneck to
      reading skills of people with dyslexia. 

PMID- 26505964
TI  - A fluorometric microarray with ZnO substrate-enhanced fluorescence and suppressed
      "coffee-ring" effects for fluorescence immunoassays.
AB  - A glass slide was first patterned with hydrophobic hexadecyltrimethoxysilane
      (HDS) and then microspotted with hydrophilic ZnO nanoparticles in an
      aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) matrix. The resulting HDS-ZnO-APS microarray
      could present the capability of suppressing the undesirable "coffee-ring" effects
      through its hydrophobic pattern so as to allow the fabrication of ZnO-APS testing
      microspots with a highly dense and uniform distribution. The lotus-like "self
      cleaning" function could also be expected to effectively curb the cross
      contamination of multiple sample droplets. More importantly, the introduction of
      ZnO nanoparticles could endow the testing microspots with substrate-enhanced
      fluorescence leading to signal-amplification microarray fluorometry. The
      practical application of the developed HDS-ZnO-APS microarray was investigated by
      the sandwiched fluorometric immunoassays of human IgG, showing a linear detection
      range from 0.010 to 10.0 ng mL(-1). Such a throughput-improved fluorometric
      microarray could be tailored for probing multiple biomarkers in complicated media
      like serum or blood. 

PMID- 26505967
TI  - Feature expectation heightens visual sensitivity during fine orientation
      discrimination.
AB  - Attending to a stimulus enhances the sensitivity of perceptual decisions.
      However, it remains unclear how perceptual sensitivity varies according to
      whether a feature is expected or unexpected. Here, observers made fine
      discrimination judgments about the orientation of visual gratings embedded in low
      spatial-frequency noise, and psychophysical reverse correlation was used to
      estimate decision 'kernels' that revealed how visual features influenced choices.
      Orthogonal cues alerted subjects to which of two spatial locations was likely to
      be probed (spatial attention cue) and which of two oriented gratings was likely
      to occur (feature expectation cue). When an expected (relative to unexpected)
      feature occurred, decision kernels shifted away from the category boundary,
      allowing observers to capitalize on more informative, "off-channel" stimulus
      features. By contrast, the spatial attention cue had a multiplicative influence
      on decision kernels, consistent with an increase in response gain. Feature
      expectation thus heightens sensitivity to the most informative visual features,
      independent of selective attention. 

PMID- 26505968
TI  - The HIV Care Cascade Measured Over Time and by Age, Sex, and Race in a Large
      National Integrated Care System.
AB  - HIV care cascades can evaluate programmatic success over time. However,
      methodologies for estimating cascade stages vary, and few have evaluated
      differences by demographic subgroups. We examined cascade performance over time
      and by age, sex, and race/ethnicity in Kaiser Permanente, providing HIV care in
      eight US states and Washington, DC. We created cascades for HIV+ members' age
      >=13 for 2010-2012. We measured "linkage" (a visit/CD4 within 90 days of being
      diagnosed for new patients; >=1 medical visit/year if established); "retention"
      (>=2 medical visits >=60 days apart); filled ART (filled >=3 months of
      combination ART); and viral suppression (HIV RNA <200 copies/mL last measured in
      year). The cascades were stratified by calendar year, sex, age, and
      race/ethnicity. We found men had statistically (p < 0.05) higher percent linkage,
      filled ART, and viral suppression for 2010 and 2011 but not for 2012. Women had
      significantly greater retention for all years. Annually, older age was associated
      (p < 0.05) with retention, filled ART, and viral suppression but not linkage.
      Latinos had greater (p < 0.05) retention than whites or blacks in all years, with
      similar retention comparing blacks and whites. Filled ART and viral suppression
      was increased (p < 0.05) for whites compared with all racial/ethnic groups in all
      years. Cascade methodology requiring success at upstream stages before measuring
      success at later stages (i.e., "dependent" methodology) underreported performance
      by up to 20% compared with evaluating each stage separately ("independent").
      Thus, care results improved over time, but significant differences exist by
      patient demographics. Specifically, retention efforts should be targeted toward
      younger patients and blacks; women, blacks, and Latinos require greater ART
      prescribing. 

PMID- 26505969
TI  - Medication-Taking Practices of Patients on Antiretroviral HIV Therapy: Control,
      Power, and Intentionality.
AB  - Among people living with HIV (PLWH), adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is
      crucial for health, but patients face numerous challenges achieving sustained
      lifetime adherence. We conducted six focus groups with 56 PLWH regarding ART
      adherence barriers and collected sociodemographics and ART histories.
      Participants were recruited through clinics and AIDS service organizations in
      North Carolina. Dedoose software was used to support thematic analysis.
      Participants were 59% male, 77% black, aged 23-67 years, and living with HIV 4-20
      years. Discussions reflected the fluid, complex nature of ART adherence.
      Maintaining adherence required participants to indefinitely assert consistent
      control across multiple areas including: their HIV disease, their own bodies,
      health care providers, and social systems (e.g., criminal justice, hospitals,
      drug assistance programs). Participants described limited control over treatment
      options, ART's impact on their body, and inconsistent access to ART and
      subsequent inability to take ART as prescribed. When participants felt they had
      more decision-making power, intentionally choosing whether and how to take ART
      was not exclusively a decision about best treating HIV. Instead, through these
      decisions, participants tried to regain some amount of power and control in their
      lives. Supportive provider relationships assuaged these struggles, while
      perceived side-effects and multiple co-morbidities further complicated adherence.
      Adherence interventions need to better convey adherence as a continuous, changing
      process, not a fixed state. A perspective shift among care providers could also
      help address negative consequences of the perceived power struggles and pressures
      that may drive patients to exert control via intentional medication taking
      practices. 

PMID- 26505971
TI  - Program and Abstracts of the 38th Annual Meeting of the American Society of
      Primatologists, June 18-21, 2015.

PMID- 26505970
TI  - Large enhancement in the heterogeneous oxidation rate of organic aerosols by
      hydroxyl radicals in the presence of nitric oxide.
AB  - In the troposphere, the heterogeneous lifetime of an organic molecule in an
      aerosol exposed to hydroxyl radicals (OH) is thought to be weeks, which is orders
      of magnitude slower than the analogous gas phase reactions (hours). Here, we
      report an unexpectedly large acceleration in the effective heterogeneous OH
      reaction rate in the presence of NO. This 10-50 fold acceleration originates from
      free radical chain reactions, propagated by alkoxy radicals that form inside the
      aerosol by the reaction of NO with peroxy radicals, which do not appear to
      produce chain terminating products (e.g., alkyl nitrates), unlike gas phase
      mechanisms. A kinetic model, constrained by experiments, suggests that in
      polluted regions heterogeneous oxidation plays a much more prominent role in the
      daily chemical evolution of organic aerosol than previously believed. 

PMID- 26505972
TI  - CD44 and TLR4 mediate hyaluronic acid regulation of Lgr5+ stem cell
      proliferation, crypt fission, and intestinal growth in postnatal and adult mice.
AB  - Hyaluronic acid, a glycosaminoglycan in the extracellular matrix, binds to CD44
      and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). We previously addressed the role of hyaluronic
      acid in small intestinal and colonic growth in mice. We addressed the role of
      exogenous hyaluronic acid by giving hyaluronic acid intraperitoneally and the
      role of endogenous hyaluronic acid by giving PEP-1, a peptide that blocks
      hyaluronic acid binding to its receptors. Exogenous hyaluronic acid increased
      epithelial proliferation but had no effect on intestinal length. PEP-1 resulted
      in a shortened small intestine and colon and diminished epithelial proliferation.
      In the current study, we sought to determine whether the effects of hyaluronic
      acid on growth were mediated by signaling through CD44 or TLR4 by giving
      exogenous hyaluronic acid or PEP-1 twice a week from 3-8 wk of age to wild-type,
      CD44(-/-), and TLR4(-/-) mice. These studies demonstrated that signaling through
      both CD44 and TLR4 were important in mediating the effects of hyaluronic acid on
      growth in the small intestine and colon. Extending our studies to early postnatal
      life, we assessed the effects of exogenous hyaluronic acid and PEP-1 on Lgr5(+)
      stem cell proliferation and crypt fission. Administration of PEP-1 to Lgr5(+)
      reporter mice from postnatal day 7 to day 14 decreased Lgr5(+) cell proliferation
      and decreased crypt fission. These studies indicate that endogenous hyaluronic
      acid increases Lgr5(+) stem cell proliferation, crypt fission, and intestinal
      lengthening and that these effects are dependent on signaling through CD44 and
      TLR4. 

PMID- 26505973
TI  - Despite sequence homologies to gluten, salivary proline-rich proteins do not
      elicit immune responses central to the pathogenesis of celiac disease.
AB  - Celiac disease (CD) is an inflammatory disorder triggered by ingested gluten,
      causing immune-mediated damage to the small-intestinal mucosa. Gluten proteins
      are strikingly similar in amino acid composition and sequence to proline-rich
      proteins (PRPs) in human saliva. On the basis of this feature and their shared
      destination in the gastrointestinal tract, we hypothesized that salivary PRPs may
      modulate gluten-mediated immune responses in CD. Parotid salivary secretions were
      collected from CD patients, refractory CD patients, non-CD patients with
      functional gastrointestinal complaints, and healthy controls. Structural
      similarities of PRPs with gluten were probed with anti-gliadin antibodies. Immune
      responses to PRPs were investigated toward CD patient-derived peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells and in a humanized transgenic HLA-DQ2/DQ8 mouse model for CD.
      Anti-gliadin antibodies weakly cross-reacted with the abundant salivary amylase
      but not with PRPs. Likewise, the R5 antibody, recognizing potential antigenic
      gluten epitopes, showed negligible reactivity to salivary proteins from all
      groups. Inflammatory responses in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were
      provoked by gliadins whereas responses to PRPs were similar to control levels,
      and PRPs did not compete with gliadins in immune stimulation. In vivo, PRP
      peptides were well tolerated and nonimmunogenic in the transgenic HLA-DQ2/DQ8
      mouse model. Collectively, although structurally similar to dietary gluten,
      salivary PRPs were nonimmunogenic in CD patients and in a transgenic HLA-DQ2/DQ8
      mouse model for CD. It is possible that salivary PRPs play a role in tolerance
      induction to gluten early in life. Deciphering the structural basis for the lack
      of immunogenicity of salivary PRPs may further our understanding of the toxicity
      of gluten. 

PMID- 26505974
TI  - Apolipoprotein A-V is present in bile and its secretion increases with lipid
      absorption in Sprague-Dawley rats.
AB  - Apolipoprotein (apo) A-V is a protein synthesized only in the liver that
      dramatically modulates plasma triglyceride levels. Recent studies suggest a novel
      role for hepatic apoA-V in regulating the absorption of dietary triglycerides,
      but its mode of action on the gut remains unknown. The aim of this study was to
      test for apoA-V in bile and to determine whether its secretion is regulated by
      dietary lipids. After an overnight recovery, adult male Sprague-Dawley bile
      fistula rats indeed secreted apoA-V into bile at a constant rate under fasting
      conditions. An intraduodenal bolus of intralipid (n = 12) increased the biliary
      secretion of apoA-V but not of other apolipoproteins, such as A-I, A-IV, B, and
      E. The lipid-induced increase of biliary apoA-V was abolished under conditions of
      poor lymphatic lipid transport, suggesting that the stimulation is regulated by
      the magnitude of lipids associated with chylomicrons transported into lymph. We
      also studied the secretion of apoA-V into bile immediately following bile duct
      cannulation. Biliary apoA-V increased over time (~6-fold increase at hour 16, n =
      8) but the secretions of other apolipoproteins remained constant. Replenishing
      luminal phosphatidylcholine and taurocholate (n = 9) only enhanced apoA-V
      secretion in bile, suggesting that the increase was not due to depletion of
      phospholipids or bile salts. This is the first study to demonstrate that apoA-V
      is secreted into bile, introducing a potential route of delivery of hepatic apoA
      V to the gut lumen. Our study also reveals the uniqueness of apoA-V secretion
      into bile that is regulated by mechanisms different from other apolipoproteins. 

PMID- 26505976
TI  - Volume-outcome relationship in pancreatic surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Volume-outcome relationships related to major surgery may be of
      limited value if observation ends at the point of discharge without taking
      transfers and later events into consideration. METHODS: The volume-outcome
      relationship in patients who underwent pancreatic surgery between 2008 and 2010
      was assessed using claims data for all inpatient episodes from Germany's largest
      provider of statutory health insurance covering about 30 per cent of the
      population. Multiple logistic regression models with random effects were used to
      analyse the effect of hospital volume (using volume quintiles) on 1-year
      mortality, adjusting for age, sex, primary disease, type of surgery and co
      morbidities. Additional outcomes were in-hospital (including transfer to other
      hospitals until final discharge) and 90-day mortality. RESULTS: Of 9566 patients
      identified, risk-adjusted 1-year mortality was significantly higher in the three
      lowest-volume quintiles compared with the highest-volume quintile (odds ratio
      1.73, 1.53 and 1.37 respectively). A similar, but less pronounced, effect was
      demonstrated for in-hospital and 90-day mortality. The effect of hospital volume
      on 1-year mortality was comparable to the effect of co-morbid conditions such as
      renal failure. CONCLUSION: Although mortality related to pancreatic surgery is
      influenced by many factors, this study demonstrated lower mortality at 1 year in
      high-volume centres in Germany.

PMID- 26505975
TI  - Loss of NHE8 expression impairs intestinal mucosal integrity.
AB  - The newest member of the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (NHE) family, NHE8, is abundantly
      expressed at the apical membrane of the intestinal epithelia. We previously
      reported that mucin 2 expression was significantly decreased in the colon in
      NHE8(-/-) mice, suggesting that NHE8 is involved in intestinal mucosal
      protection. In this study, we further evaluated the role of NHE8 in intestinal
      epithelial protection after dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) challenge. Compared with
      wild-type mice, NHE8(-/-) mice have increased bacterial adhesion and
      inflammation, especially in the distal colon. NHE8(-/-) mice are also susceptible
      to DSS treatment. Real-time PCR detected a remarkable increase in the expression
      of IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and IL-4 in DSS-treated NHE8(-/-) mice compared
      with DSS-treated wild-type littermates. Immunohistochemistry showed a
      disorganized epithelial layer in the colon of NHE8(-/-) mice. Periodic acid
      Schiff staining showed a reduction in the number of mature goblet cells and the
      area of the goblet cell theca in NHE8(-/-) mice. Phyloxine/tartrazine staining
      revealed a decrease in functional Paneth cell population in the NHE8(-/-) small
      intestinal crypt. The expression of enteric defensins was also decreased in NHE8(
      /-) mice. The reduced mucin production in goblet cells and antimicrobial peptides
      production in Paneth cells lead to disruption of the intestinal mucosa
      protection. Therefore, NHE8 may be involved in the establishment of intestinal
      mucosal integrity by regulating the functions of goblet and Paneth cells. 

PMID- 26505977
TI  - Arabidopsis thaliana isoprenyl diphosphate synthases produce the C25 intermediate
      geranylfarnesyl diphosphate.
AB  - Isoprenyl diphosphate synthases (IDSs) catalyze some of the most basic steps in
      terpene biosynthesis by producing the prenyl diphosphate precursors of each of
      the various terpenoid classes. Most plants investigated have distinct enzymes
      that produce the short-chain all-trans (E) prenyl diphosphates geranyl
      diphosphate (GDP, C10 ), farnesyl diphosphate (FDP, C15 ) or geranylgeranyl
      diphosphate (GGDP, C20 ). In the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana, 15 trans-product
      forming IDSs are present. Ten of these have recently been shown to produce GGDP
      by genetic complementation of a carotenoid pathway engineered into Escherichia
      coli. When verifying the product pattern of IDSs producing GGDP by a new LC-MS/MS
      procedure, we found that five of these IDSs produce geranylfarnesyl diphosphate
      (GFDP, C25 ) instead of GGDP as their major product in enzyme assays performed in
      vitro. Over-expression of one of the GFDP synthases in A. thaliana confirmed the
      production of GFDP in vivo. Enzyme assays with A. thaliana protein extracts from
      roots but not other organs showed formation of GFDP. Furthermore, GFDP itself was
      detected in root extracts. Subcellular localization studies in leaves indicated
      that four of the GFDP synthases were targeted to the plastoglobules of the
      chloroplast and one was targeted to the mitochondria. Sequence comparison and
      mutational studies showed that the size of the R group of the 5th amino acid
      residue N-terminal to the first aspartate-rich motif is responsible for C25
      versus C20 product formation, with smaller R groups (Ala and Ser) resulting in
      GGDP (C20 ) as a product and a larger R group (Met) resulting in GFDP (C25 ). 

PMID- 26505978
TI  - Macroscopic and Spectroscopic Assessment of the Cosorption of Fe(II) with As(III)
      and As(V) on Al-Oxide.
AB  - The cosorption of Fe(II) with As(III) and As(V) in anoxic suspensions of gamma
      Al2O3 at pH 7.5 was investigated with batch kinetic experiments and synchrotron
      EXAFS analyses. Single-sorbate results showed that Fe(II) formed secondary Fe(II)
      Al(III)-layered double hydroxide (LDH) phases during reaction with the Al-oxide
      sorbent, whereas As(III) and As(V) formed inner-sphere surface complexes. The
      kinetics and mechanisms of Fe(II) and As(III) sorption were identical in dual
      sorbate and single-sorbate experiments, indicating that the processes involved
      operate independently. In contrast, As(V) and Fe(II) interacted strongly during
      cosorption. Fe(II) enhanced the rate and extent of As(V) removal from solution,
      but did not affect the mechanism of As(V) adsorption. Conversely, As(V) hindered
      the formation of Fe(II)-Al(III)-LDH, slowing down precipitation at low As(V)
      concentrations and preventing it at high concentrations. This was attributed to
      interference of adsorbed As(V) with the Al supply needed for Fe(II)-Al(III)-LDH
      precipitation, possibly combined with enhanced surface complexation of Fe(II)
      cations promoted by anionic As(V) surface species. No evidence was found for
      redox reactions between Fe(II) and As(V) or As(III), or for precipitation of Fe
      arsenic phases. These results improve our understanding of the geochemistry of
      Fe(II) and arsenic in reducing environments, and demonstrate the utility of
      mechanistic studies on geochemically complex model systems. 

PMID- 26505979
TI  - The Global Burden of Stroke.

PMID- 26505980
TI  - Methods for Estimating the Global Burden of Cerebrovascular Diseases.
AB  - The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study is a long-standing effort to report
      consistent and comprehensive measures of disease burden for the world. In this
      paper, we describe the methods used to estimate the global burden of stroke for
      the GBD 2013 study. Pathologic subtypes of stroke are modeled separately for two
      mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories: (1) ischemic stroke and (2)
      hemorrhagic and other non-ischemic strokes. Acute and chronic strokes are
      estimated separately. The GBD 2013 study has incorporated large amounts of new
      data on stroke death rates, incidence and case fatality. Disease modeling methods
      have been updated to better integrate mortality and incidence data. Future
      efforts will focus on incorporating data on the regional variation in severity of
      disability. Stroke remains a new area for disease modeling. A better
      understanding of stroke incidence, mortality and severity, and how it varies
      among countries, can help guide priority setting and improve health policy
      related to this important condition.

PMID- 26505982
TI  - Stroke Prevalence, Mortality and Disability-Adjusted Life Years in Children and
      Youth Aged 0-19 Years: Data from the Global and Regional Burden of Stroke 2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is increasing recognition of stroke as an important contributor
      to childhood morbidity and mortality. Current estimates of global childhood
      stroke burden and its temporal trends are sparse. Accurate and up-to-date
      estimates of childhood stroke burden are important for planning research and the
      resulting evidence-based strategies for stroke prevention and management.
      OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence, mortality and disability-adjusted life
      years (DALYs) for ischemic stroke (IS), hemorrhagic stroke (HS) and all stroke
      types combined globally from 1990 to 2013. METHODOLOGY: Stroke prevalence,
      mortality and DALYs were estimated using the Global Burden of Disease 2013
      methods. All available data on stroke-related incidence, prevalence, excess
      mortality and deaths were collected. Statistical models and country-level
      covariates were employed to produce comprehensive and consistent estimates of
      prevalence and mortality. Stroke-specific disability weights were used to
      estimate years lived with disability and DALYs. Means and 95% uncertainty
      intervals (UIs) were calculated for prevalence, mortality and DALYs. The median
      of the percent change and 95% UI were determined for the period from 1990 to
      2013. RESULTS: In 2013, there were 97,792 (95% UI 90,564-106,016) prevalent cases
      of childhood IS and 67,621 (95% UI 62,899-72,214) prevalent cases of childhood
      HS, reflecting an increase of approximately 35% in the absolute numbers of
      prevalent childhood strokes since 1990. There were 33,069 (95% UI 28,627-38,998)
      deaths and 2,615,118 (95% UI 2,265,801-3,090,822) DALYs due to childhood stroke
      in 2013 globally, reflecting an approximately 200% decrease in the absolute
      numbers of death and DALYs in childhood stroke since 1990. Between 1990 and 2013,
      there were significant increases in the global prevalence rates of childhood IS,
      as well as significant decreases in the global death rate and DALYs rate of all
      strokes in those of age 0-19 years. While prevalence rates for childhood IS and
      HS decreased significantly in developed countries, a decline was seen only in HS,
      with no change in prevalence rates of IS, in developing countries. The childhood
      stroke DALY rates in 2013 were 13.3 (95% UI 10.6-17.1) for IS and 92.7 (95% UI
      80.5-109.7) for HS per 100,000. While the prevalence of childhood IS compared to
      childhood HS was similar globally, the death rate and DALY rate of HS was 6- to 7
      fold higher than that of IS. In 2013, the prevalence rate of both childhood IS
      and HS was significantly higher in developed countries than in developing
      countries. Conversely, both death and DALY rates for all stroke types were
      significantly lower in developed countries than in developing countries in 2013.
      Men showed a trend toward higher childhood stroke death rates (1.5 (1.3-1.8) per
      100,000) than women (1.1 (0.9-1.5) per 100,000) and higher childhood stroke DALY
      rates (120.1 (100.8-143.4) per 100,000) than women (90.9 (74.6-122.4) per
      100,000) globally in 2013. CONCLUSIONS: Globally, between 1990 and 2013, there
      was a significant increase in the absolute number of prevalent childhood strokes,
      while absolute numbers and rates of both deaths and DALYs declined significantly.
      The gap in childhood stroke burden between developed and developing countries is
      closing; however, in 2013, childhood stroke burden in terms of absolute numbers
      of prevalent strokes, deaths and DALYs remained much higher in developing
      countries. There is an urgent need to address these disparities with both global
      and country-level initiatives targeting prevention as well as improved access to
      acute and chronic stroke care.

PMID- 26505981
TI  - Update on the Global Burden of Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke in 1990-2013: The
      GBD 2013 Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Global stroke epidemiology is changing rapidly. Although age
      standardized rates of stroke mortality have decreased worldwide in the past 2
      decades, the absolute numbers of people who have a stroke every year, and live
      with the consequences of stroke or die from their stroke, are increasing. Regular
      updates on the current level of stroke burden are important for advancing our
      knowledge on stroke epidemiology and facilitate organization and planning of
      evidence-based stroke care. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to estimate incidence,
      prevalence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and years lived
      with disability (YLDs) and their trends for ischemic stroke (IS) and hemorrhagic
      stroke (HS) for 188 countries from 1990 to 2013. METHODOLOGY: Stroke incidence,
      prevalence, mortality, DALYs and YLDs were estimated using all available data on
      mortality and stroke incidence, prevalence and excess mortality. Statistical
      models and country-level covariate data were employed, and all rates were age
      standardized to a global population. All estimates were produced with 95%
      uncertainty intervals (UIs). RESULTS: In 2013, there were globally almost 25.7
      million stroke survivors (71% with IS), 6.5 million deaths from stroke (51% died
      from IS), 113 million DALYs due to stroke (58% due to IS) and 10.3 million new
      strokes (67% IS). Over the 1990-2013 period, there was a significant increase in
      the absolute number of DALYs due to IS, and of deaths from IS and HS, survivors
      and incident events for both IS and HS. The preponderance of the burden of stroke
      continued to reside in developing countries, comprising 75.2% of deaths from
      stroke and 81.0% of stroke-related DALYs. Globally, the proportional contribution
      of stroke-related DALYs and deaths due to stroke compared to all diseases
      increased from 1990 (3.54% (95% UI 3.11-4.00) and 9.66% (95% UI 8.47-10.70),
      respectively) to 2013 (4.62% (95% UI 4.01-5.30) and 11.75% (95% UI 10.45-13.31),
      respectively), but there was a diverging trend in developed and developing
      countries with a significant increase in DALYs and deaths in developing
      countries, and no measurable change in the proportional contribution of DALYs and
      deaths from stroke in developed countries. CONCLUSION: Global stroke burden
      continues to increase globally. More efficient stroke prevention and management
      strategies are urgently needed to halt and eventually reverse the stroke
      pandemic, while universal access to organized stroke services should be a
      priority. (c) 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

PMID- 26505983
TI  - Stroke Prevalence, Mortality and Disability-Adjusted Life Years in Adults Aged 20
      64 Years in 1990-2013: Data from the Global Burden of Disease 2013 Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that stroke is increasing as a cause of
      morbidity and mortality in younger adults, where it carries particular
      significance for working individuals. Accurate and up-to-date estimates of stroke
      burden are important for planning stroke prevention and management in younger
      adults. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to estimate prevalence, mortality and
      disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and their trends for total, ischemic
      stroke (IS) and hemorrhagic stroke (HS) in the world for 1990-2013 in adults aged
      20-64 years. METHODOLOGY: Stroke prevalence, mortality and DALYs were estimated
      using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2013 methods. All available data on
      rates of stroke incidence, excess mortality, prevalence and death were collected.
      Statistical models were used along with country-level covariates to estimate
      country-specific stroke burden. Stroke-specific disability weights were used to
      compute years lived with disability and DALYs. Means and 95% uncertainty
      intervals (UIs) were calculated for prevalence, mortality and DALYs. The median
      of the percent change and 95% UI were determined for the period from 1990 to
      2013. RESULTS: In 2013, in younger adults aged 20-64 years, the global prevalence
      of HS was 3,725,085 cases (95% UI 3,548,098-3,871,018) and IS was 7,258,216 cases
      (95% UI 6,996,272-7,569,403). Globally, between 1990 and 2013, there were
      significant increases in absolute numbers and prevalence rates of both HS and IS
      for younger adults. There were 1,483,707 (95% UI 1,340,579-1,658,929) stroke
      deaths globally among younger adults but the number of deaths from HS (1,047,735
      (95% UI 945,087-1,184,192)) was significantly higher than the number of deaths
      from IS (435,972 (95% UI 354,018-504,656)). There was a 20.1% (95% UI -23.6 to 
      10.3) decline in the number of total stroke deaths among younger adults in
      developed countries but a 36.7% (95% UI 26.3-48.5) increase in developing
      countries. Death rates for all strokes among younger adults declined
      significantly in developing countries from 47 (95% UI 42.6-51.7) in 1990 to 39
      (95% UI 35.0-43.8) in 2013. Death rates for all strokes among younger adults also
      declined significantly in developed countries from 33.3 (95% UI 29.8-37.0) in
      1990 to 23.5 (95% UI 21.1-26.9) in 2013. A significant decrease in HS death rates
      for younger adults was seen only in developed countries between 1990 and 2013
      (19.8 (95% UI 16.9-22.6) and 13.7 (95% UI 12.1-15.9)) per 100,000). No
      significant change was detected in IS death rates among younger adults. The total
      DALYs from all strokes in those aged 20-64 years was 51,429,440 (95% UI
      46,561,382-57,320,085). Globally, there was a 24.4% (95% UI 16.6-33.8) increase
      in total DALY numbers for this age group, with a 20% (95% UI 11.7-31.1) and 37.3%
      (95% UI 23.4-52.2) increase in HS and IS numbers, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      Between 1990 and 2013, there were significant increases in prevalent cases, total
      deaths and DALYs due to HS and IS in younger adults aged 20-64 years. Death and
      DALY rates declined in both developed and developing countries but a significant
      increase in absolute numbers of stroke deaths among younger adults was detected
      in developing countries. Most of the burden of stroke was in developing
      countries. In 2013, the greatest burden of stroke among younger adults was due to
      HS. While the trends in declining death and DALY rates in developing countries
      are encouraging, these regions still fall far behind those of developed regions
      of the world. A more aggressive approach toward primary prevention and increased
      access to adequate healthcare services for stroke is required to substantially
      narrow these disparities.

PMID- 26505986
TI  - Elderly Patients Require Higher Doses of Sugammadex for Rapid Recovery from Deep
      Neuromuscular Block.
AB  - This study compared the doses of sugammadex needed for rapid recovery from deep
      neuromuscular blockade (NMB) between young and elderly adults. Twenty-two young
      (20-40 yrs) and 22 elderly (>=70 yrs) adults were enrolled, and deep NMB of 1-2
      post-tetanic counts was maintained with rocuronium intraoperatively.
      Predetermined doses of sugammadex were given at the end of surgery starting at
      4.0 mg/kg for the first patient of each group. Doses were decreased or increased
      in following patients by 0.5 mg/kg, depending on the 'success' or 'failure' of
      rapid recovery in the preceding patient. 'Success' was defined as adequate
      recovery (train-of-four ratio 0.9) within 2 min. after sugammadex administration.
      The median (range) of ages was 29 (20-40) and 73 (70-84) yrs for the young and
      elderly adults, respectively. Doses of sugammadex facilitating adequate recovery
      from deep NMB within 2 min. in each patient population with 50% and 95%
      probability were defined as ED50 and ED95 , respectively. The ED50 estimated by
      the Dixon's method was significantly higher in the elderly compared to young
      adults [4.2 +/- 0.4 mg/kg versus 3.3 +/- 0.3 mg/kg, p < 0.001]. The ED50 (83% CI)
      estimated by isotonic regression was 4.5 (4.2-5.0) mg/kg in elderly adults and
      3.3 (3.2-3.4) mg/kg in young adults. The ED95 (95% CI) estimated by isotonic
      regression was 5.4 (4.9-5.5) mg/kg and 4.4 (3.9-4.5) mg/kg in the elderly and
      young adults, respectively. In conclusion, dose adjustments of sugammadex should
      be considered when rapid recovery from deep NMB is needed in elderly adults. 

PMID- 26505988
TI  - Genomewide gene-associated microsatellite markers for the model invasive
      ascidian, Ciona intestinalis species complex.
AB  - The vase tunicate, Ciona intestinalis species complex, has become a good model
      for ecological and evolutionary studies, especially those focusing on
      microevolution associated with rapidly changing environments. However, genomewide
      genetic markers are still lacking. Here, we characterized a large set of
      genomewide gene-associated microsatellite markers for C. intestinalis spA (=C.
      robusta). Bioinformatic analysis identified 4654 microsatellites from expressed
      sequence tags (ESTs), 2126 of which successfully assigned to chromosomes were
      selected for further analysis. Based on the distribution evenness on chromosomes,
      function annotation and suitability for primer design, we chose 545 candidate
      microsatellites for further characterization. After amplification validation and
      variation assessment, 218 loci were polymorphic in at least one of the two
      populations collected from the coast of Arenys de Mar, Spain (N = 24-48), and
      Cape Town, South Africa (N = 24-33). The number of alleles, observed
      heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity ranged from 2 to 11, 0 to 0.833 and
      0.021 to 0.818, and from 2 to 10, 0 to 0.879 and 0.031 to 0.845 for the Spanish
      and African populations, respectively. When all microsatellites were tested for
      cross-species utility, only 60 loci (25.8%) could be successfully amplified and
      all loci were polymorphic in C. intestinalis spB. A high level of genomewide
      polymorphism is likely responsible for the low transferability. The large set of
      microsatellite markers characterized here is expected to provide a useful
      genomewide resource for ecological and evolutionary studies using C. intestinalis
      as a model. 

PMID- 26505987
TI  - Controlled Synthesis of Organic/Inorganic van der Waals Solid for Tunable Light
      Matter Interactions.
AB  - High-quality organic and inorganic van der Waals (vdW) solids are realized using
      methylammonium lead halide (CH3 NH3 PbI3 ) as the organic part (organic
      perovskite) and 2D inorganic monolayers as counterparts. By stacking on various
      2D monolayers, the vdW solids exhibit dramatically different light emissions.
      Futhermore, organic/h-BN vdW solid arrays are patterned for red-light emission. 

PMID- 26505989
TI  - Asthma and dietary intake: an overview of systematic reviews.
AB  - Epidemiological research on the relationship between diet and asthma has
      increased in the last decade. Several components found in foods have been
      proposed to have a series of antioxidant, anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory
      properties, which can have a protective effect against asthma risk. Several
      literature reviews and critical appraisals have been published to summarize the
      existing evidence in this field. In the context of this EAACI Lifestyle and
      asthma Task Force, we summarize the evidence from existing systematic reviews on
      dietary intake and asthma, using the PRISMA guidelines. We therefore report the
      quality of eligible systematic reviews and summarize the results of those with an
      AMSTAR score >=32. The GRADE approach is used to assess the overall quality of
      the existing evidence. This overview is centred on systematic reviews of
      nutritional components provided in the diet only, as a way to establish what type
      of advice can be given in clinical practice and to the general population on
      dietary habits and asthma. 

PMID- 26505985
TI  - Atlas of the Global Burden of Stroke (1990-2013): The GBD 2013 Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: World mapping is an important tool to visualize stroke burden and its
      trends in various regions and countries. OBJECTIVES: To show geographic patterns
      of incidence, prevalence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and
      years lived with disability (YLDs) and their trends for ischemic stroke and
      hemorrhagic stroke in the world for 1990-2013. METHODOLOGY: Stroke incidence,
      prevalence, mortality, DALYs and YLDs were estimated following the general
      approach of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2010 with several important
      improvements in methods. Data were updated for mortality (through April 2014) and
      stroke incidence, prevalence, case fatality and severity through 2013. Death was
      estimated using an ensemble modeling approach. A new software package, DisMod-MR
      2.0, was used as part of a custom modeling process to estimate YLDs. All rates
      were age-standardized to new GBD estimates of global population. All estimates
      have been computed with 95% uncertainty intervals. RESULTS: Age-standardized
      incidence, mortality, prevalence and DALYs/YLDs declined over the period from
      1990 to 2013. However, the absolute number of people affected by stroke has
      substantially increased across all countries in the world over the same time
      period, suggesting that the global stroke burden continues to increase. There
      were significant geographical (country and regional) differences in stroke burden
      in the world, with the majority of the burden borne by low- and middle-income
      countries. CONCLUSIONS: Global burden of stroke has continued to increase in
      spite of dramatic declines in age-standardized incidence, prevalence, mortality
      rates and disability. Population growth and aging have played an important role
      in the observed increase in stroke burden.

PMID- 26505990
TI  - Changes in the Epidemiology of Neuroendocrine Tumours.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reviewing and assessment of epidemiological characteristics of
      neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) remains a challenge. Despite the fact that it is an
      uncommon family of neoplasms, several worldwide series have revealed an
      increasing incidence of this rare condition. However, the data are difficult to
      compare over time due to changes in classification. METHODS: We compared the data
      related to incidence, prevalence, stage of the disease at diagnosis and survival
      reported in several series, focusing on the differences and trying to examine
      some of the probable reasons that may explain the variations in the results
      between studies. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of NETs is increasing
      over time, and their incidental discovery due to improved and more frequent
      imaging does not seem to be enough to explain this rise. Significant differences
      can be found between geographic regions and races, suggesting that environmental
      or genetic factors may contribute to the clinical and biological behaviour of
      these tumours; increasing our knowledge of oncogenesis will be necessary to
      explain them. As with other rare diseases, creating specific databases and
      multidisciplinary working groups would improve the accuracy of the information
      gained.

PMID- 26505984
TI  - Sex Differences in Stroke Incidence, Prevalence, Mortality and Disability
      Adjusted Life Years: Results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accurate information on stroke burden in men and women are important
      for evidence-based healthcare planning and resource allocation. Previously,
      limited research suggested that the absolute number of deaths from stroke in
      women was greater than in men, but the incidence and mortality rates were greater
      in men. However, sex differences in various metrics of stroke burden on a global
      scale have not been a subject of comprehensive and comparable assessment for most
      regions of the world, nor have sex differences in stroke burden been examined for
      trends over time. METHODS: Stroke incidence, prevalence, mortality, disability
      adjusted life years (DALYs) and healthy years lost due to disability were
      estimated as part of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2013 Study. Data inputs
      included all available information on stroke incidence, prevalence and death and
      case fatality rates. Analysis was performed separately by sex and 5-year age
      categories for 188 countries. Statistical models were employed to produce
      globally comprehensive results over time. All rates were age-standardized to a
      global population and 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) were computed. FINDINGS: In
      2013, global ischemic stroke (IS) and hemorrhagic stroke (HS) incidence (per
      100,000) in men (IS 132.77 (95% UI 125.34-142.77); HS 64.89 (95% UI 59.82-68.85))
      exceeded those of women (IS 98.85 (95% UI 92.11-106.62); HS 45.48 (95% UI 42.43
      48.53)). IS incidence rates were lower in 2013 compared with 1990 rates for both
      sexes (1990 male IS incidence 147.40 (95% UI 137.87-157.66); 1990 female IS
      incidence 113.31 (95% UI 103.52-123.40)), but the only significant change in IS
      incidence was among women. Changes in global HS incidence were not statistically
      significant for males (1990 = 65.31 (95% UI 61.63-69.0), 2013 = 64.89 (95% UI
      59.82-68.85)), but was significant for females (1990 = 64.892 (95% UI 59.82
      68.85), 2013 = 45.48 (95% UI 42.427-48.53)). The number of DALYs related to IS
      rose from 1990 (male = 16.62 (95% UI 13.27-19.62), female = 17.53 (95% UI 14.08
      20.33)) to 2013 (male = 25.22 (95% UI 20.57-29.13), female = 22.21 (95% UI 17.71
      25.50)). The number of DALYs associated with HS also rose steadily and was higher
      than DALYs for IS at each time point (male 1990 = 29.91 (95% UI 25.66-34.54),
      male 2013 = 37.27 (95% UI 32.29-45.12); female 1990 = 26.05 (95% UI 21.70-30.90),
      female 2013 = 28.18 (95% UI 23.68-33.80)). INTERPRETATION: Globally, men continue
      to have a higher incidence of IS than women while significant sex differences in
      the incidence of HS were not observed. The total health loss due to stroke as
      measured by DALYs was similar for men and women for both stroke subtypes in 2013,
      with HS higher than IS. Both IS and HS DALYs show an increasing trend for both
      men and women since 1990, which is statistically significant only for IS among
      men. Ongoing monitoring of sex differences in the burden of stroke will be needed
      to determine if disease rates among men and women continue to diverge. Sex
      disparities related to stroke will have important clinical and policy
      implications that can guide funding and resource allocation for national,
      regional and global health programs.

PMID- 26505991
TI  - Direct Synthesis of Unilamellar MgAl-LDH Nanosheets and Stacking in Aqueous
      Solution.
AB  - Two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as graphene, inorganic oxides, and
      hydroxides, are one of the most extensively studied classes of materials due to
      their unilamellar crystallites or nanosheet structures. In this study, instead of
      using the universal exfoliation method of the bulky crystal precursor, 2D
      crystals/nanosheets of MgAl-layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were synthesized in
      formamide. We propose that the obtained crystals are unilamellar according to the
      XRD, TEM, and AFM observations. The HRTEM and fast Fourier transform images
      confirm that the crystal structures are the same as those of the exfoliated MgAl
      LDH nanosheets. The directly synthesized sheets can stack into a 3D crystal
      structure, which is the same as that of typical LDHs except for the disordered
      orientation of the a-/b- crystal axis of each sheet. This result provides not
      only a novel approach to the preparation of 2D crystals but also insight into the
      formation mechanism of LDHs. 

PMID- 26505993
TI  - Is Whole-Exome Sequencing an Ethically Disruptive Technology? Perspectives of
      Pediatric Oncologists and Parents of Pediatric Patients With Solid Tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been anticipated that physician and parents will be ill
      prepared or unprepared for the clinical introduction of genome sequencing, making
      it ethically disruptive. PROCEDURE: As a part of the Baylor Advancing Sequencing
      in Childhood Cancer Care study, we conducted semistructured interviews with 16
      pediatric oncologists and 40 parents of pediatric patients with cancer prior to
      the return of sequencing results. We elicited expectations and attitudes
      concerning the impact of sequencing on clinical decision making, clinical
      utility, and treatment expectations from both groups. Using accepted methods of
      qualitative research to analyze interview transcripts, we completed a thematic
      analysis to provide inductive insights into their views of sequencing. RESULTS:
      Our major findings reveal that neither pediatric oncologists nor parents
      anticipate sequencing to be an ethically disruptive technology, because they
      expect to be prepared to integrate sequencing results into their existing
      approaches to learning and using new clinical information for care. Pediatric
      oncologists do not expect sequencing results to be more complex than other
      diagnostic information and plan simply to incorporate these data into their
      evidence-based approach to clinical practice, although they were concerned about
      impact on parents. For parents, there is an urgency to protect their child's
      health and in this context they expect genomic information to better prepare them
      to participate in decisions about their child's care. CONCLUSIONS: Our data do
      not support the concern that introducing genome sequencing into childhood cancer
      care will be ethically disruptive, that is, leave physicians or parents ill
      prepared or unprepared to make responsible decisions about patient care.

PMID- 26505992
TI  - Melanopsin retinal ganglion cell loss in Alzheimer disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Melanopsin retinal ganglion cells (mRGCs) are photoreceptors driving
      circadian photoentrainment, and circadian dysfunction characterizes Alzheimer
      disease (AD). We investigated mRGCs in AD, hypothesizing that they contribute to
      circadian dysfunction. METHODS: We assessed retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL)
      thickness by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in 21 mild-moderate AD patients,
      and in a subgroup of 16 we evaluated rest-activity circadian rhythm by
      actigraphy. We studied postmortem mRGCs by immunohistochemistry in retinas, and
      axons in optic nerve cross-sections of 14 neuropathologically confirmed AD
      patients. We coimmunostained for retinal amyloid beta (Abeta) deposition and
      melanopsin to locate mRGCs. All AD cohorts were compared with age-matched
      controls. RESULTS: We demonstrated an age-related optic neuropathy in AD by OCT,
      with a significant reduction of RNFL thickness (p = 0.038), more evident in the
      superior quadrant (p = 0.006). Axonal loss was confirmed in postmortem AD optic
      nerves. Abnormal circadian function characterized only a subgroup of AD patients.
      Sleep efficiency was significantly reduced in AD patients (p = 0.001). We also
      found a significant loss of mRGCs in postmortem AD retinal specimens (p = 0.003)
      across all ages and abnormal mRGC dendritic morphology and size (p = 0.003). In
      flat-mounted AD retinas, Abeta accumulation was remarkably evident inside and
      around mRGCs. INTERPRETATION: We show variable degrees of rest-activity circadian
      dysfunction in AD patients. We also demonstrate age-related loss of optic nerve
      axons and specifically mRGC loss and pathology in postmortem AD retinal
      specimens, associated with Abeta deposition. These results all support the
      concept that mRGC degeneration is a contributor to circadian rhythm dysfunction
      in AD.

PMID- 26505994
TI  - Limited Effect of Chronic Valproic Acid Treatment in a Mouse Model of Machado
      Joseph Disease.
AB  - Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease, caused by
      a CAG repeat expansion within the coding region of ATXN3 gene, and which
      currently lacks effective treatment. In this work we tested the therapeutic
      efficacy of chronic treatment with valproic acid (VPA) (200mg/kg), a compound
      with known neuroprotection activity, and previously shown to be effective in
      cell, fly and nematode models of MJD. We show that chronic VPA treatment in the
      CMVMJD135 mouse model had limited effects in the motor deficits of these mice,
      seen mostly at late stages in the motor swimming, beam walk, rotarod and
      spontaneous locomotor activity tests, and did not modify the ATXN3 inclusion load
      and astrogliosis in affected brain regions. However, VPA chronic treatment was
      able to increase GRP78 protein levels at 30 weeks of age, one of its known
      neuroprotective effects, confirming target engagement. In spite of limited
      results, the use of another dosage of VPA or of VPA in a combined therapy with
      molecules targeting other pathways, cannot be excluded as potential strategies
      for MJD therapeutics. 

PMID- 26505995
TI  - Combinations of PARP Inhibitors with Temozolomide Drive PARP1 Trapping and
      Apoptosis in Ewing's Sarcoma.
AB  - Ewing's sarcoma is a malignant pediatric bone tumor with a poor prognosis for
      patients with metastatic or recurrent disease. Ewing's sarcoma cells are acutely
      hypersensitive to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition and this is
      being evaluated in clinical trials, although the mechanism of hypersensitivity
      has not been directly addressed. PARP inhibitors have efficacy in tumors with
      BRCA1/2 mutations, which confer deficiency in DNA double-strand break (DSB)
      repair by homologous recombination (HR). This drives dependence on PARP1/2 due to
      their function in DNA single-strand break (SSB) repair. PARP inhibitors are also
      cytotoxic through inhibiting PARP1/2 auto-PARylation, blocking PARP1/2 release
      from substrate DNA. Here, we show that PARP inhibitor sensitivity in Ewing's
      sarcoma cells is not through an apparent defect in DNA repair by HR, but through
      hypersensitivity to trapped PARP1-DNA complexes. This drives accumulation of DNA
      damage during replication, ultimately leading to apoptosis. We also show that the
      activity of PARP inhibitors is potentiated by temozolomide in Ewing's sarcoma
      cells and is associated with enhanced trapping of PARP1-DNA complexes.
      Furthermore, through mining of large-scale drug sensitivity datasets, we identify
      a subset of glioma, neuroblastoma and melanoma cell lines as hypersensitive to
      the combination of temozolomide and PARP inhibition, potentially identifying new
      avenues for therapeutic intervention. These data provide insights into the anti
      cancer activity of PARP inhibitors with implications for the design of treatment
      for Ewing's sarcoma patients with PARP inhibitors. 

PMID- 26505996
TI  - Whole-Genome Sequencing and Comparative Genome Analysis of Bacillus subtilis
      Strains Isolated from Non-Salted Fermented Soybean Foods.
AB  - Bacillus subtilis is the main component in the fermentation of soybeans. To
      investigate the genetics of the soybean-fermenting B. subtilis strains and its
      relationship with the productivity of extracellular poly-gamma-glutamic acid
      (gammaPGA), we sequenced the whole genome of eight B. subtilis stains isolated
      from non-salted fermented soybean foods in Southeast Asia. Assembled nucleotide
      sequences were compared with those of a natto (fermented soybean food) starter
      strain B. subtilis BEST195 and the laboratory standard strain B. subtilis 168
      that is incapable of gammaPGA production. Detected variants were investigated in
      terms of insertion sequences, biotin synthesis, production of subtilisin NAT, and
      regulatory genes for gammaPGA synthesis, which were related to fermentation
      process. Comparing genome sequences, we found that the strains that produce
      gammaPGA have a deletion in a protein that constitutes the flagellar basal body,
      and this deletion was not found in the non-producing strains. We further
      identified diversity in variants of the bio operon, which is responsible for the
      biotin auxotrophism of the natto starter strains. Phylogenetic analysis using
      multilocus sequencing typing revealed that the B. subtilis strains isolated from
      the non-salted fermented soybeans were not clustered together, while the natto
      fermenting strains were tightly clustered; this analysis also suggested that the
      strain isolated from "Tua Nao" of Thailand traces a different evolutionary
      process from other strains. 

PMID- 26505997
TI  - High Latent TB Infection Rate and Associated Risk Factors in the Eastern China of
      Low TB Incidence.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To disclose the associated risk factors for latent tuberculosis
      infection (LTBI) and the current situation of LTBI in the eastern China. METHODS:
      A cross-sectional study was undertaken to evaluate the LTBI rate and risk
      factors. RESULTS: A total of 5305 subjects were finally included, with the IGRA
      positive rate of 19.98% (1060/5305). The LTBI rates were increasing with age (ORs
      were in significance from 6.60 to 20.92). Male gender significantly increased the
      risk of LTBI by 0.52 fold (OR = 1.52). Both smoking and drinking significantly
      increased the risk of LTBI (OR = 1.83 and OR = 1.67, respectively). Meanwhile,
      overweight and close contact with tuberculosis were risk factors for LTBI (OR =
      1.36 and OR = 2.38, respectively). However, higher level of education and BCG
      vaccination lowered the risk of LTBI (OR = 0.16 and OR = 0.39, respectively). The
      multivariate logistic regression showed that age, male gender, smoking,
      overweight and close contacting with tuberculosis were risk factors for LTBI, but
      BCG vaccination was a protective factor for LTBI. CONCLUSIONS: BCG vaccination
      exerted protective effect on tuberculosis. However, LTBI rate in the Chinese
      rural area was critical and subjects above 30 years, male, smoking, overweight
      and close contact with tuberculosis wound be the targets for LTBI screening and
      source of tuberculosis.

PMID- 26505998
TI  - Sox11 Reduces Caspase-6 Cleavage and Activity.
AB  - The apoptotic cascade is an orchestrated event, whose final stages are mediated
      by effector caspases. Regulatory binding proteins have been identified for
      caspases such as caspase-3, -7, -8, and -9. Many of these proteins belong to the
      inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family. By contrast, caspase-6 is not believed to be
      influenced by IAPs, and little is known about its regulation. We therefore
      performed a yeast-two-hybrid screen using a constitutively inactive form of
      caspase-6 for bait in order to identify novel regulators of caspase-6 activity.
      Sox11 was identified as a potential caspase-6 interacting protein. Sox11 was
      capable of dramatically reducing caspase-6 activity, as well as preventing
      caspase-6 self- cleavage. Several regions, including amino acids 117-214 and 362
      395 within sox11 as well as a nuclear localization signal (NLS) all contributed
      to the reduction in caspase-6 activity. Furthermore, sox11 was also capable of
      decreasing other effector caspase activity but not initiator caspases -8 and -9.
      The ability of sox11 to reduce effector caspase activity was also reflected in
      its capacity to reduce cell death following toxic insult. Interestingly, other
      sox proteins also had the ability to reduce caspase-6 activity but to a lesser
      extent than sox11. 

PMID- 26505999
TI  - Effective, Facile, and Selective Hydrolysis of the Chemical Warfare Agent VX
      Using Zr6-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks.
AB  - The nerve agent VX is among the most toxic chemicals known to mankind, and robust
      solutions are needed to rapidly and selectively deactivate it. Herein, we
      demonstrate that three Zr6-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), namely, UiO-67,
      UiO-67-NH2, and UiO-67-N(Me)2, are selective and highly active catalysts for the
      hydrolysis of VX. Utilizing UiO-67, UiO-67-NH2, and UiO-67-N(Me)2 in a pH 10
      buffered solution of N-ethylmorpholine, selective hydrolysis of the P-S bond in
      VX was observed. In addition, UiO-67-N(Me)2 was found to catalyze VX hydrolysis
      with an initial half-life of 1.8 min. This half-life is nearly 3 orders of
      magnitude shorter than that of the only other MOF tested to date for hydrolysis
      of VX and rivals the activity of the best nonenzymatic materials. Hydrolysis
      utilizing Zr-based MOFs is also selective and facile in the absence of pH 10
      buffer (just water) and for the destruction of the toxic byproduct EA-2192. 

PMID- 26506001
TI  - Water supply interruptions and suspected cholera incidence: a time-series
      regression in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have
      been identified as endemic areas for cholera transmission, and despite continuous
      control efforts, they continue to experience regular cholera outbreaks that
      occasionally spread to the rest of the country. In a region where access to
      improved water sources is particularly poor, the question of which improvements
      in water access should be prioritized to address cholera transmission remains
      unresolved. This study aimed at investigating the temporal association between
      water supply interruptions and Cholera Treatment Centre (CTC) admissions in a
      medium-sized town. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Time-series patterns of daily incidence
      of suspected cholera cases admitted to the Cholera Treatment Centre in Uvira in
      South Kivu Province between 2009 and 2014 were examined in relation to the daily
      variations in volume of water supplied by the town water treatment plant. Quasi
      poisson regression and distributed lag nonlinear models up to 12 d were used,
      adjusting for daily precipitation rates, day of the week, and seasonal
      variations. A total of 5,745 patients over 5 y of age with acute watery diarrhoea
      symptoms were admitted to the CTC over the study period of 1,946 d. Following a
      day without tap water supply, the suspected cholera incidence rate increased on
      average by 155% over the next 12 d, corresponding to a rate ratio of 2.55 (95%
      CI: 1.54-4.24), compared to the incidence experienced after a day with optimal
      production (defined as the 95th percentile-4,794 m3). Suspected cholera cases
      attributable to a suboptimal tap water supply reached 23.2% of total admissions
      (95% CI 11.4%-33.2%). Although generally reporting less admissions to the CTC,
      neighbourhoods with a higher consumption of tap water were more affected by water
      supply interruptions, with a rate ratio of 3.71 (95% CI: 1.91-7.20) and an
      attributable fraction of cases of 31.4% (95% CI: 17.3%-42.5%). The analysis did
      not suggest any association between levels of residual chlorine in the water fed
      to the distribution network and suspected cholera incidence. Laboratory
      confirmation of cholera was not available for this analysis. CONCLUSIONS: A clear
      association is observed between reduced availability of tap water and increased
      incidence of suspected cholera in the entire town of Uvira in Eastern Democratic
      Republic of the Congo. Even though access to piped water supplies is low in
      Uvira, improving the reliability of tap water supply may substantially reduce the
      incidence of suspected cholera, in particular in neighbourhoods having a higher
      access to tap water. These results argue in favour of water supply investments
      that focus on the delivery of a reliable and sustainable water supply, and not
      only on point-of-use water quality improvements, as is often seen during cholera
      outbreaks.

PMID- 26506000
TI  - Structure Analysis Uncovers a Highly Diverse but Structurally Conserved Effector
      Family in Phytopathogenic Fungi.
AB  - Phytopathogenic ascomycete fungi possess huge effector repertoires that are
      dominated by hundreds of sequence-unrelated small secreted proteins. The
      molecular function of these effectors and the evolutionary mechanisms that
      generate this tremendous number of singleton genes are largely unknown. To get a
      deeper understanding of fungal effectors, we determined by NMR spectroscopy the 3
      dimensional structures of the Magnaporthe oryzae effectors AVR1-CO39 and AVR-Pia.
      Despite a lack of sequence similarity, both proteins have very similar 6 beta
      sandwich structures that are stabilized in both cases by a disulfide bridge
      between 2 conserved cysteins located in similar positions of the proteins.
      Structural similarity searches revealed that AvrPiz-t, another effector from M.
      oryzae, and ToxB, an effector of the wheat tan spot pathogen Pyrenophora tritici
      repentis have the same structures suggesting the existence of a family of
      sequence-unrelated but structurally conserved fungal effectors that we named MAX
      effectors (Magnaporthe Avrs and ToxB like). Structure-informed pattern searches
      strengthened this hypothesis by identifying MAX-effector candidates in a broad
      range of ascomycete phytopathogens. Strong expansion of the MAX-effector family
      was detected in M. oryzae and M. grisea where they seem to be particularly
      important since they account for 5-10% of the effector repertoire and 50% of the
      cloned avirulence effectors. Expression analysis indicated that the majority of
      M. oryzae MAX-effectors are expressed specifically during early infection
      suggesting important functions during biotrophic host colonization. We
      hypothesize that the scenario observed for MAX-effectors can serve as a paradigm
      for ascomycete effector diversity and that the enormous number of sequence
      unrelated ascomycete effectors may in fact belong to a restricted set of
      structurally conserved effector families. 

PMID- 26506002
TI  - Structural Analysis of Streptococcus pyogenes NADH Oxidase: Conformational
      Dynamics Involved in Formation of the C(4a)-Peroxyflavin Intermediate.
AB  - In probing the oxygen reactivity of an Enterococcus faecalis NADH oxidase (Nox;
      O2 -> 2H2O) C42S mutant lacking the Cys42-sulfenic acid (Cys42-SOH) redox center,
      we provided direct evidence of a C(4a)-peroxyflavin intermediate in the oxidative
      half-reaction and also described a conformational or chemical change that is rate
      limiting for full reoxidation of the homodimer. In this work, the Nox from
      Streptococcus pyogenes (SpyNox) has been expressed and crystallized, and the
      overoxidized wild-type [Cys44-SOH -> Cys44-sulfinic acid (Cys44-SO2H)] and C44S
      mutant enzyme structures have been refined at 2.0 and 2.15 A, respectively. We
      show that azide binds to the two-electron reduced wild-type (EH2) enzyme and to
      the mutant enzyme in solution, but with a significantly higher affinity for the
      mutant protein. The spectral course of the titration with the SpyNox EH2 form
      clearly indicates progressive displacement of the Cys44-S(-) -> FAD charge
      transfer interaction. An azide soak with C44S Nox crystals led to the structure
      of the complex, as refined at 2.10 A. The active-site N3(-) ligand is proximal to
      the Ser44 and His11 side chains, and a significant shift in the Ser44 side chain
      also appears. This provides an attractive explanation for the azide-induced loss
      of charge-transfer absorbance seen with the wild-type EH2 form and also permits
      accommodation of a C(4a)-peroxyflavin structural model. The conformation of Ser44
      and the associated helical element, and the resulting steric accommodation,
      appear to be linked to the conformational change described in the E. faecalis
      C42S Nox oxidative half-reaction. 

PMID- 26506003
TI  - DynaFace: Discrimination between Obligatory and Non-obligatory Protein-Protein
      Interactions Based on the Complex's Dynamics.
AB  - Protein-protein interfaces have been evolutionarily-designed to enable
      transduction between the interacting proteins. Thus, we hypothesize that analysis
      of the dynamics of the complex can reveal details about the nature of the
      interaction, and in particular whether it is obligatory, i.e., persists
      throughout the entire lifetime of the proteins, or not. Indeed, normal mode
      analysis, using the Gaussian network model, shows that for the most part
      obligatory and non-obligatory complexes differ in their decomposition into
      dynamic domains, i.e., the mobile elements of the protein complex. The dynamic
      domains of obligatory complexes often mix segments from the interacting chains,
      and the hinges between them do not overlap with the interface between the chains.
      In contrast, in non-obligatory complexes the interface often hinges between
      dynamic domains, held together through few anchor residues on one side of the
      interface that interact with their counterpart grooves in the other end. In
      automatic analysis, 117 of 139 obligatory (84.2%) and 203 of 246 non-obligatory
      (82.5%) complexes are correctly classified by our method: DynaFace. We further
      use DynaFace to predict obligatory and non-obligatory interactions among a set of
      300 putative protein complexes. DynaFace is available at:
      http://safir.prc.boun.edu.tr/dynaface. 

PMID- 26506004
TI  - Mannitol Does Not Enhance Tobramycin Killing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a
      Cystic Fibrosis Model System of Biofilm Formation.
AB  - Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a human genetic disease that results in the accumulation
      of thick, sticky mucus in the airways, which results in chronic, life-long
      bacterial biofilm infections that are difficult to clear with antibiotics.
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection is correlated with worsening lung disease
      and P. aeruginosa transitions to an antibiotic tolerant state during chronic
      infections. Tobramycin is an aminoglycoside currently used to combat lung
      infections in individuals with CF. While tobramycin is effective at eradicating
      P. aeruginosa in the airways of young patients, it is unable to completely clear
      the chronic P. aeruginosa infections in older patients. A recent report showed
      that co-addition of tobramycin and mannitol enhanced killing of P. aeruginosa
      grown in vitro as a biofilm on an abiotic surface. Here we employed a model
      system of bacterial biofilms formed on the surface of CF-derived airway cells to
      determine if mannitol would enhance the antibacterial activity of tobramycin
      against P. aeruginosa grown on a more clinically relevant surface. Using this
      model system, which allows the growth of robust biofilms with high-level
      antibiotic tolerance analogous to in vivo biofilms, we were unable to find
      evidence for enhanced antibacterial activity of tobramycin with the addition of
      mannitol, supporting the observation that this type of co-treatment failed to
      reduce the P. aeruginosa bacterial load in a clinical setting. 

PMID- 26506005
TI  - Role of the Number of Microtubules in Chromosome Segregation during Cell
      Division.
AB  - Faithful segregation of genetic material during cell division requires alignment
      of chromosomes between two spindle poles and attachment of their kinetochores to
      each of the poles. Failure of these complex dynamical processes leads to
      chromosomal instability (CIN), a characteristic feature of several diseases
      including cancer. While a multitude of biological factors regulating chromosome
      congression and bi-orientation have been identified, it is still unclear how they
      are integrated so that coherent chromosome motion emerges from a large collection
      of random and deterministic processes. Here we address this issue by a three
      dimensional computational model of motor-driven chromosome congression and bi
      orientation during mitosis. Our model reveals that successful cell division
      requires control of the total number of microtubules: if this number is too small
      bi-orientation fails, while if it is too large not all the chromosomes are able
      to congress. The optimal number of microtubules predicted by our model compares
      well with early observations in mammalian cell spindles. Our results shed new
      light on the origin of several pathological conditions related to chromosomal
      instability. 

PMID- 26506006
TI  - Electronic and Mechanical Properties of Graphene-Germanium Interfaces Grown by
      Chemical Vapor Deposition.
AB  - Epitaxially oriented wafer-scale graphene grown directly on semiconducting Ge
      substrates is of high interest for both fundamental science and electronic device
      applications. To date, however, this material system remains relatively
      unexplored structurally and electronically, particularly at the atomic scale. To
      further understand the nature of the interface between graphene and Ge, we
      utilize ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning
      tunneling spectroscopy (STS) along with Raman and X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy to probe interfacial atomic structure and chemistry. STS reveals
      significant differences in electronic interactions between graphene and
      Ge(110)/Ge(111), which is consistent with a model of stronger interaction on
      Ge(110) leading to epitaxial growth. Raman spectra indicate that the graphene is
      considerably strained after growth, with more point-to-point variation on
      Ge(111). Furthermore, this native strain influences the atomic structure of the
      interface by inducing metastable and previously unobserved Ge surface
      reconstructions following annealing. These nonequilibrium reconstructions cover
      >90% of the surface and, in turn, modify both the electronic and mechanical
      properties of the graphene overlayer. Finally, graphene on Ge(001) represents the
      extreme strain case, where graphene drives the reorganization of the Ge surface
      into [107] facets. From this work, it is clear that the interaction between
      graphene and the underlying Ge is not only dependent on the substrate
      crystallographic orientation, but is also tunable and strongly related to the
      atomic reconfiguration of the graphene-Ge interface. 

PMID- 26506008
TI  - Design of Super-Paramagnetic Core-Shell Nanoparticles for Enhanced Performance of
      Inverted Polymer Solar Cells.
AB  - Controlling the nature and transfer of excited states in organic photovoltaic
      (OPV) devices is of critical concern due to the fact that exciton transport and
      separation can dictate the final performance of the system. One effective method
      to accomplish improved charge separation in organic electronic materials is to
      control the spin state of the photogenerated charge-carrying species. To this
      end, nanoparticles with unique iron oxide (Fe3O4) cores and zinc oxide (ZnO)
      shells were synthesized in a controlled manner. Then, the structural and magnetic
      properties of these core-shell nanoparticles (Fe3O4@ZnO) were tuned to ensure
      superior performance when they were incorporated into the active layers of OPV
      devices. Specifically, small loadings of the core-shell nanoparticles were
      blended with the previously well-characterized OPV active layer of poly(3
      hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM).
      Upon addition of the core-shell nanoparticles, the performance of the OPV devices
      was increased up to 25% relative to P3HT-PCBM active layer devices that contained
      no nanoparticles; this increase was a direct result of an increase in the short
      circuit current densities of the devices. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that
      the increase in photocurrent was not due to enhanced absorption of the active
      layer due to the presence of the Fe3O4@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles. In fact,
      this increase in device performance occurred because of the presence of the
      superparamagnetic Fe3O4 in the core of the nanoparticles as incorporation of ZnO
      only nanoparticles did not alter the device performance. Importantly, however,
      the ZnO shell of the nanoparticles mitigated the negative optical effect of
      Fe3O4, which have been observed previously. This allowed the core-shell
      nanoparticles to outperform bare Fe3O4 nanoparticles when the single-layer
      nanoparticles were incorporated into the active layer of OPV devices. As such,
      the new materials described here present a tangible pathway toward the
      development of enhanced design schemes for inorganic nanoparticles such that
      magnetic and energy control pathways can be tailored for flexible electronic
      applications. 

PMID- 26506007
TI  - DNA Barcoding of Neotropical Sand Flies (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae):
      Species Identification and Discovery within Brazil.
AB  - DNA barcoding has been an effective tool for species identification in several
      animal groups. Here, we used DNA barcoding to discriminate between 47
      morphologically distinct species of Brazilian sand flies. DNA barcodes correctly
      identified approximately 90% of the sampled taxa (42 morphologically distinct
      species) using clustering based on neighbor-joining distance, of which four
      species showed comparatively higher maximum values of divergence (range 4.23
      19.04%), indicating cryptic diversity. The DNA barcodes also corroborated the
      resurrection of two species within the shannoni complex and provided an efficient
      tool to differentiate between morphologically indistinguishable females of
      closely related species. Taken together, our results validate the effectiveness
      of DNA barcoding for species identification and the discovery of cryptic
      diversity in sand flies from Brazil. 

PMID- 26506009
TI  - Muscle-bone interactions: From experimental models to the clinic? A critical
      update.
AB  - Bone is a biomechanical tissue shaped by forces from muscles and gravitation.
      Simultaneous bone and muscle decay and dysfunction (osteosarcopenia or sarco
      osteoporosis) is seen in ageing, numerous clinical situations including after
      stroke or paralysis, in neuromuscular dystrophies, glucocorticoid excess, or in
      association with vitamin D, growth hormone/insulin like growth factor or sex
      steroid deficiency, as well as in spaceflight. Physical exercise may be
      beneficial in these situations, but further work is still needed to translate
      acceptable and effective biomechanical interventions like vibration therapy from
      animal models to humans. Novel antiresorptive and anabolic therapies are emerging
      for osteoporosis as well as drugs for sarcopenia, cancer cachexia or muscle
      wasting disorders, including antibodies against myostatin or activin receptor
      type IIA and IIB (e.g. bimagrumab). Ideally, increasing muscle mass would
      increase muscle strength and restore bone loss from disuse. However, the
      classical view that muscle is unidirectionally dominant over bone via mechanical
      loading is overly simplistic. Indeed, recent studies indicate a role for neuronal
      regulation of not only muscle but also bone metabolism, bone signaling pathways
      like receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) implicated in
      muscle biology, myokines affecting bone and possible bone-to-muscle
      communication. Moreover, pharmacological strategies inducing isolated myocyte
      hypertrophy may not translate into increased muscle power because tendons,
      connective tissue, neurons and energy metabolism need to adapt as well. We aim
      here to critically review key musculoskeletal molecular pathways involved in
      mechanoregulation and their effect on the bone-muscle unit as a whole, as well as
      preclinical and emerging clinical evidence regarding the effects of sarcopenia
      therapies on osteoporosis and vice versa.

PMID- 26506010
TI  - Compound heterozygous DUOX2 gene mutations (c.2335-1G>C/c.3264_3267delCAGC)
      associated with congenital hypothyroidism. Characterization of complex cryptic
      splice sites by minigene analysis.
AB  - Iodide Organification defects (IOD) represent 10% of cases of congenital
      hypothyroidism (CH) being the main genes affected that of TPO (thyroid
      peroxidase) and DUOX2 (dual oxidasa 2). From a patient with clinical and
      biochemical criteria suggestive with CH associated with IOD, TPO and DUOX2 genes
      were analyzed by means of PCR-Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism analysis
      and sequencing. A novel heterozygous compound to the mutations c.2335-1G>C
      (paternal mutation, intron 17) and c.3264_3267delCAGC (maternal mutation, exon
      24) was identified in the DUOX2 gene. Ex-vivo splicing assays and subsequent RT
      PCR and sequencing analyses were performed on mRNA isolated from the HeLa cells
      transfected with wild-type and mutant pSPL3 expression vectors. The wild-type and
      c.2335-1G>C mutant alleles result in the complete inclusion or exclusion of exon
      18, or in the activation of an exonic cryptic 5' ss with the consequent deletion
      of 169 bp at the end of this exon. However, we observed only a band of the
      expected size in normal thyroid tissue by RT-PCR. Additionally, the c.2335-1G>C
      mutation activates an unusual cryptic donor splice site in intron 17, located at
      position -14 of the authentic intron 17/exon 18 junction site, with an insertion
      of the last 14 nucleotides of the intron 17 in mutant transcripts with complete
      and partial inclusion of exon 18. The theoretical consequences of splice site
      mutation, predicted with the bioinformatics NNSplice, Fsplice, SPL, SPLM and
      MaxEntScan programs were investigated and evaluated in relation with the
      experimental evidence. These analyses confirm that c.2335-1G>C mutant allele
      would result in the abolition of the authentic splice acceptor site. The results
      suggest the coexistence in our patient of four putative truncated proteins of
      786, 805, 806 and 1105 amino acids, with conservation of peroxidase-like domain
      and loss of gp91(phox)/NOX2-like domain. In conclusion a novel heterozygous
      compound was identified being responsible of IOD. Cryptic splicing sites have
      been characterized in DUOX2 gene for the first time. The use of molecular biology
      techniques is a valuable tool for understanding the molecular pathophysiology of
      this type of thyroid defects.

PMID- 26506011
TI  - Gating-like Motions and Wall Porosity in a DNA Nanopore Scaffold Revealed by
      Molecular Simulations.
AB  - Recently developed synthetic membrane pores composed of folded DNA enrich the
      current range of natural and engineered protein pores and of nonbiogenic
      channels. Here we report all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of a DNA
      nanotube (DNT) pore scaffold to gain fundamental insight into its atomic
      structure, dynamics, and interactions with ions and water. Our multiple
      simulations of models of DNTs that are composed of a six-duplex bundle lead to a
      coherent description. The central tube lumen adopts a cylindrical shape while the
      mouth regions at the two DNT openings undergo gating-like motions which provide a
      possible molecular explanation of a lower conductance state observed in our
      previous experimental study on a membrane-spanning version of the DNT (ACS Nano
      2015, 9, 1117-26). Similarly, the central nanotube lumen is filled with water and
      ions characterized by bulk diffusion coefficients while the gating regions
      exhibit temporal fluctuations in their aqueous volume. We furthermore observe
      that the porous nature of the walls allows lateral leakage of ions and water.
      This study will benefit rational design of DNA nanopores of enhanced stability of
      relevance for sensing applications, of nanodevices with tunable gating properties
      that mimic gated ion channels, or of nanopores featuring defined permeation
      behavior. 

PMID- 26506013
TI  - Role of inflammation and its miRNA based regulation in epilepsy: Implications for
      therapy.
AB  - There is a need to develop innovative therapeutic strategies to counteract
      epilepsy, a common disabling neurological disorder. Despite the recent advent of
      additional antiepileptic drugs and respective surgery, the treatment of epilepsy
      remains a major challenge. The available therapies are largely based on symptoms,
      and these approaches do not affect the underlying disease processes and are also
      associated frequently with severe side effects. This is mainly because of the
      lack of well-defined targets in epilepsy. The discovery that inflammatory
      mediators significantly contribute to the onset and recurrence of seizures in
      experimental seizure models, as well as the presence of inflammatory molecules in
      human epileptogenic tissue, highlights the possibility of targeting specific
      inflammation related pathways to control seizures that are otherwise resistant to
      the available AEDs. Emerging studies suggest that miRNAs have a significant role
      in regulating inflammatory pathways shown to be involved in epilepsy. These
      miRNAs can possibly be used as novel therapeutic targets in the treatment of
      epilepsy as well as serve as diagnostic biomarkers of epileptogenesis. This
      review highlights the immunological features underlying the pathogenesis of
      epileptic seizures and the possible miRNA mediated approaches for drug resistant
      epilepsies that modulate the immune-mediated pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26506012
TI  - A Database of microRNA Expression Patterns in Xenopus laevis.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNAs around 22 nucleotides long. They
      inhibit gene expression either by translational repression or by causing the
      degradation of the mRNAs they bind to. Many are highly conserved amongst diverse
      organisms and have restricted spatio-temporal expression patterns during
      embryonic development where they are thought to be involved in generating
      accuracy of developmental timing and in supporting cell fate decisions and tissue
      identity. We determined the expression patterns of 180 miRNAs in Xenopus laevis
      embryos using LNA oligonucleotides. In addition we carried out small RNA-seq on
      different stages of early Xenopus development, identified 44 miRNAs belonging to
      29 new families and characterized the expression of 5 of these. Our analyses
      identified miRNA expression in many organs of the developing embryo. In
      particular a large number were expressed in neural tissue and in the somites.
      Surprisingly none of the miRNAs we have looked at show expression in the heart.
      Our results have been made freely available as a resource in both XenMARK and
      Xenbase. 

PMID- 26506014
TI  - Data sharing in stem cell translational science: policy statement by the
      International Stem Cell Forum Ethics Working Party.
AB  - Data and sample sharing constitute a scientific and ethical imperative but need
      to be conducted in a responsible manner in order to protect individual interests
      as well as maintain public trust. In 2014, the Global Alliance for Genomics and
      Health (GA4GH) adopted a common Framework for Responsible Sharing of Genomic and
      Health-Related Data. The GA4GH Framework is applicable to data sharing in the
      stem cell field, however, interpretation is required so as to provide guidance
      for this specific context. In this paper, the International Stem Cell Forum
      Ethics Working Party discusses those principles that are specific to
      translational stem cell science, including engagement, data quality and safety,
      privacy, security and confidentiality, risk-benefit analysis and sustainability. 

PMID- 26506015
TI  - Novel Agents for the Treatment of Primary Plasma-Cell Leukemia: Lights and
      Shadows.

PMID- 26506016
TI  - Live happily live in hiding (from our affect): Alexithymia Influences affect
      intensity and affect frequency ratings in men.
AB  - Alexithymia has been frequently studied in the context of negative affect
      frequency but rarely in the context of positive affect frequency or in the
      context of affect intensity. However, affect intensity and frequency, even if
      they are independent, are generally confounded due to an overlap in items wording
      (tapping both dimensions). The aim of the study was to examine the incremental
      validity of alexithymia for predicting both affect intensity and frequency,
      regarding positive and negative valence. Two hundred and fifty five students
      fulfilled measurements for alexithymia, affect intensity and affect frequency.
      Results showed that the factor "Difficulty identifying feelings" is related to
      higher positive and negative affect intensity, as well as to negative affect
      frequency. Men were also more sensitive to positive affect intensity and
      frequency if they scored higher on alexithymia. They experienced less often
      positive affect, but the intensity of their affect was more intense. Conversely,
      alexithymia did not influence women's affect intensity or affect frequency. Thus,
      alexithymia factors are associated with specific patterns of affect intensity and
      frequency, highlighting an overall deficit in the processing of emotions with
      contrasting patterns regarding gender.

PMID- 26506017
TI  - Association of dietary diversity score with anxiety in women.
AB  - Evidence suggests that diet plays an important role in the development of mental
      disorders, especially anxiety. Dietary diversity score is an indicator for
      assessing diet quality. However, its association with anxiety has not been
      investigated. The aim of this study was to examine the association of dietary
      diversity score with anxiety. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 360
      women attending health centers in the south of Tehran in 2014. General
      information among others were collected. Weight, height and waist circumference
      were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Dietary intake and
      anxiety score were assessed using a 24-h dietary recall and Depression, Anxiety,
      Stress Scales (DASS) questionnaires, respectively. Dietary diversity score was
      computed according to the guidelines of FAO. About 35% of the participants were
      found to exhibit anxiety. The dietary diversity score in 12.5% of the subjects
      were between 1 and 3 (low dietary diversity score) but 87.5% scored between 4 and
      7 (high dietary diversity score). The adjusted mean of anxiety score in subjects
      with high dietary diversity score was significantly lower than those with low
      dietary diversity score. Dietary diversity score was found to be inversely
      associated with anxiety. However, the causality between anxiety and dietary
      diversity could not be determined. 

PMID- 26506018
TI  - SGO1C is a non-functional isoform of Shugoshin and can disrupt sister chromatid
      cohesion by interacting with PP2A-B56.
AB  - Shugoshin (SGO1) plays a pivotal role in sister chromatid cohesion during mitosis
      by protecting the centromeric cohesin from mitotic kinases and WAPL. Mammalian
      cells contain at least 6 alternatively spliced isoforms of SGO1. The relationship
      between the canonical SGO1A with shorter isoforms including SGO1C remains
      obscure. Here we show that SGO1C was unable to replace the loss of SGO1A.
      Instead, expression of SGO1C alone induced aberrant mitosis similar to depletion
      of SGO1A, promoting premature sister chromatid separation, activation of the
      spindle-assembly checkpoint, and mitotic arrest. In disagreement with previously
      published data, we found that SGO1C localized to kinetochores. However, the
      ability to induce aberrant mitosis did not correlate with its kinetochore
      localization. SGO1C mutants that abolished binding to kinetochores still
      triggered premature sister chromatid separation. We provide evidence that SGO1C
      mediated mitotic arrest involved the sequestering of PP2A-B56 pool. Accordingly,
      SGO1C mutants that abolished binding to PP2A localized to kinetochores but did
      not induce aberrant mitosis. These studies imply that the expression of SGO1C
      should be tightly regulated to prevent dominant-negative effects on SGO1A and
      genome instability. 

PMID- 26506019
TI  - Containment control of networked autonomous underwater vehicles: A predictor
      based neural DSC design.
AB  - This paper investigates the containment control problem of networked autonomous
      underwater vehicles in the presence of model uncertainty and unknown ocean
      disturbances. A predictor-based neural dynamic surface control design method is
      presented to develop the distributed adaptive containment controllers, under
      which the trajectories of follower vehicles nearly converge to the dynamic convex
      hull spanned by multiple reference trajectories over a directed network.
      Prediction errors, rather than tracking errors, are used to update the neural
      adaptation laws, which are independent of the tracking error dynamics, resulting
      in two time-scales to govern the entire system. The stability property of the
      closed-loop network is established via Lyapunov analysis, and transient property
      is quantified in terms of L2 norms of the derivatives of neural weights, which
      are shown to be smaller than the classical neural dynamic surface control
      approach. Comparative studies are given to show the substantial improvements of
      the proposed new method. 

PMID- 26506021
TI  - N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Formal [3 + 2] Annulation of alpha-Bromoenals
      with 3-Aminooxindoles: A Stereoselective Synthesis of Spirooxindole gamma
      Butyrolactams.
AB  - A stereoselective synthetic approach to spirooxindole gamma-butyrolactams is
      developed via N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed formal [3 + 2] annulation of alpha
      bromoenals with 3-aminooxindoles. An enantioselective variant of this methodology
      is also investigated resulting in good substrate tolerance and high
      enantioselectivities. 

PMID- 26506020
TI  - Comparative safety and costs of stepping down asthma medications in patients with
      controlled asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Limited data exist regarding outcomes after stepping down asthma
      medication. OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare the safety and costs of stepping down
      asthma controller medications with maintaining current treatment levels in
      patients with controlled asthma. METHODS: Patients with persistent asthma were
      identified from the US Medical Expenditure Panel Survey years 2000-2010. Each
      patient had Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data for 2 years, and measurement
      was divided into 5 periods of 4 to 5 months each. Eligibility for stepping down
      asthma controller medications included no hospitalizations or emergency
      department visits for asthma in periods 1 to 3 and no systemic corticosteroid and
      3 or less rescue inhalers dispensed in periods 2 and 3. Steps were defined by
      type and dose of chronic asthma medication based on current guidelines when
      comparing period 4 with period 3. The primary outcome of complete asthma control
      in period 5 was defined as no asthma hospitalizations, emergency department
      visits, and dispensed systemic corticosteroids and 2 or fewer dispensed rescue
      inhalers. Multivariable analyses were conducted to assess safety and costs after
      step down compared with those who maintained the treatment level. RESULTS:
      Overall, 29.9% of patients meeting the inclusion criteria (n = 4235) were
      eligible for step down; 89.4% (95% CI, 86.4% to 92.4%) of those who stepped down
      had preserved asthma control compared with 83.5% (95% CI, 79.9% to 87.0%) of
      those who were similarly eligible for step down but maintained their treatment
      level. The average monthly asthma-related cost savings was $34.02/mo (95% CI,
      $5.42/mo to $61.24/mo) with step down compared with maintenance of the treatment
      level. CONCLUSION: Stepping down asthma medications in those whose symptoms were
      controlled led to similar clinical outcomes at reduced cost compared with those
      who maintained their current treatment level.

PMID- 26506022
TI  - Spatial and temporal distribution of Patched-related protein in the Drosophila
      embryo.
AB  - Patched-related (Ptr) encodes a protein with 12 potential transmembrane domains
      and a sterol-sensing domain that is closely related in predicted topology and
      domain organization to Patched, the canonical receptor of the Hedgehog pathway.
      Here we describe the production of an antibody specific for Drosophila Ptr and
      analyse its spatial and temporal distribution in the embryo. We find that at
      early developmental stages Ptr is predominantly localized at cell periphery but
      later on it becomes strongly and almost exclusively expressed in hemocytes.
      Interestingly Ptr null mutant embryos died without hatching. Our findings suggest
      that Ptr plays an essential function in Drosophila development, perhaps as a new
      receptor of embryonic hemocytes. 

PMID- 26506023
TI  - The influence of extreme winds on coastal oceanography and its implications for
      coral population connectivity in the southern Arabian Gulf.
AB  - Using long-term oceanographic surveys and a 3-D hydrodynamic model we show that
      localized peak winds (known as shamals) cause fluctuation in water current speed
      and direction, and substantial oscillations in sea-bottom salinity and
      temperature in the southern Persian/Arabian Gulf. Results also demonstrate that
      short-term shamal winds have substantial impacts on oceanographic processes along
      the southern Persian/Arabian Gulf coastline, resulting in formation of large
      scale (52 km diameter) eddies extending from the coast of the United Arab
      Emirates (UAE) to areas near the off-shore islands of Iran. Such eddies likely
      play an important role in transporting larvae from well-developed reefs of the
      off-shore islands to the degraded reef systems of the southern Persian/Arabian
      Gulf, potentially maintaining genetic and ecological connectivity of these
      geographically distant populations and enabling enhanced recovery of degraded
      coral communities in the UAE.

PMID- 26506024
TI  - An assessment of PCB and PBDE contamination in two tropical dolphin species from
      the Southeastern Brazilian coast.
AB  - PCBs and PBDEs were determined in two dolphin species, Sotalia guianensis and
      Steno bredanensis, from an upwelling system off the Central-northern coast of Rio
      de Janeiro, Brazil. PCB levels varied from 0.040 to 0.75 MUg g(-1) lw in muscles
      and from 0.022 to 1.32 MUg g(-1)lw in liver samples from S. guianensis. In S.
      bredanensis, values varied from 0.085 to 11.3 MUg g(-1) lw in muscles and from
      0.024 to 18.6 MUg g(-1) lw in livers. PCB-138, -153 and -180 were the major PCB
      congeners detected in both species, while BDE-47 was the predominant PBDE
      congener found in both species. Higher concentrations in S. bredanensis were
      possibly related to the different feeding habits for both delphinid species.
      These results contribute to extend the database on organic contamination in
      cetaceans from the southern hemisphere, understanding their distribution and
      environmental fate in Southeastern Brazil.

PMID- 26506025
TI  - Distribution and bioaccumulation of heavy metals in marine organisms in east and
      west Guangdong coastal regions, South China.
AB  - Heavy metal (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, As) concentrations, distribution and
      bioaccumulation were studied in marine organisms in Guangdong coastal regions.
      Heavy metal concentrations and distribution in organisms showed characteristics
      according to areas and species. Heavy metal concentrations in most organisms were
      higher in west than in east, tightly related to the local industry structure and
      the disequilibrium of metal discharge. Generally, high heavy metal concentrations
      were detected in molluscs and low concentrations were detected in fish.
      Bioaccumulation factor was used to assess the accumulation level of marine
      organisms to heavy metals, of which Cd, Cu and As were the most accumulated
      elements. Accumulation abilities to heavy metals varied among organism species,
      such as Distorsio reticulate accumulating Cu, Zn, Cd, As, Loligo beka Sasaki
      accumulating Pb, Cu, Cr, and Turritella bacillum Kiener accumulating Zn, Cd, As.
      By comparison, Johnius belengeri, Argyrosomus argentatus, Cynoglossus sinicus Wu
      had relatively low accumulation abilities. 

PMID- 26506026
TI  - Underwater noise assessment in the Gulf of Trieste (Northern Adriatic Sea, Italy)
      using an MSFD approach.
AB  - In the marine environment, underwater noise is one of the most widespread input
      of man-made energy. Recently, the European Commission has stressed the necessity
      of establishing threshold levels as a target for the descriptor 11.2.1
      "Continuous low frequency sounds" in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
      (MSFD). In 2012, a monthly underwater noise monitoring programme was conducted in
      the Gulf of Trieste (Northern Adriatic Sea, Italy); the collected acoustic
      samples (frequency range: 10-20,000 Hz) were analysed in the 1/3 octave bands.
      The stations have been further clustered following the 63 and 125 Hz bands noise
      levels. Average SPL levels resulted similar to those previously computed for
      proximate areas, indicating that the Adriatic Sea sub-region experiences high
      noise pressure in the marine waters. In its turn this claims for a scientific and
      technical international cooperation, as requested by the EU programme. No
      seasonal variation in local noise levels has been found.

PMID- 26506027
TI  - Levels and spatial distribution of perfluoroalkyl substances in China Liaodong
      Bay basin with concentrated fluorine industry parks.
AB  - Eighteen different perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were investigated in 35
      river water samples and 34 sediment samples collected from rivers in the Liaodong
      Bay basin containing two fluorine industry parks. Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and
      perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were the predominant PFASs in freshwater, with
      median concentrations of 26.5 ng/L and 1.87 ng/L, respectively. However,
      perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) had the highest maximum concentration (up to
      124.1 ng/L, approximately two orders of magnitude higher) in water at a site
      which is the nearest to the industrial source of PFASs. Total PFASs in water at
      this site were also the highest. In contrast, PFOA and perfluorooctadecanoate
      (PFOcDA) were the most abundant PFASs in sediment, with median concentrations of
      1.19 ng/g and 0.35 ng/g, respectively. Total PFAS concentrations in sediment from
      the site near to the industrial park were significantly higher than the other
      rivers. Mass loading of total PFASs from the rivers flowing into Liaodong Bay was
      estimated to be 506 kg/year.

PMID- 26506028
TI  - Bio-nano hybrid materials based on bacteriorhodopsin: Potential applications and
      future strategies.
AB  - This review presents an overview of recent progress in the development of bio
      nano hybrid materials based on the photoactive protein bacteriorhodopsin (bR).
      The interfacing of bR with various nanostructures including colloidal
      nanoparticles (such as quantum dots and Ag NPs) and nanoparticulate thin films
      (such as TiO2 NPs and ZnO NPs,) has developed novel functional materials.
      Applications of these materials are comprehensively reviewed in two parts:
      bioelectronics and solar energy conversion. Finally, some perspectives on
      possible future strategies in bR-based nanostructured devices are presented. 

PMID- 26506029
TI  - Fungal communities as an experimental approach to Darwin's naturalization
      hypothesis.
AB  - Darwin's naturalization hypothesis suggests that the success of an invasive
      species will be lower when colonizing communities are formed by phylogenetically
      related rather than unrelated species due to increased competition. Although
      microbial invasions are involved in both natural and anthropogenic processes,
      factors affecting the success of microbial invaders are unknown. A biological
      invasion assay was designed using Trichoderma cf. harzianum as the invader and
      two types of recipient communities assembled in microcosm assays: communities
      phylogenetically related to the invader, and communities phylogenetically
      unrelated to it. Both types of communities were invaded by T. cf. harzianum, and
      the success of colonization was monitored by qPCR; its effect on the genetic
      structure of recipient fungal communities was then assessed by DGGE profiles. T.
      cf. harzianum established itself in both communities, reaching 1000-10,000 times
      higher copy numbers in the non-related communities. However, invader
      establishment does not affect the structure of the invaded communities. These
      results suggest that the composition of recipient communities and their
      phylogenetic relationship to the invader affect the success of colonization by T.
      cf. harzianum. While this approach represents a very simplified assay, these
      microcosms enable an experimental test of Darwin's hypothesis in order to
      understand the biological invasion process in microbial communities. 

PMID- 26506030
TI  - Vaginal Bleeding in Prepubertal Girls: Etiology and Clinical Management.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the etiology and clinical management of
      vaginal bleeding in girls aged 0-9 years and to compare our results with previous
      publications. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, INTERVENTIONS, AND MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: The records of all girls younger than 10 years of age who were seen
      between 2001 and 2011 at Skane University Hospital Lund for vaginal bleeding were
      retrospectively collected. RESULTS: We identified 86 girls with vaginal bleeding.
      Of those, 47 (54.7%) were diagnosed with a local lesion, the etiology was
      hormonal in 16 (18.6%), and in 23 (26.7%) the etiology was unclear. Trauma was
      the most frequent cause of local lesions and hormonal withdrawal of the newborn
      was the most common hormonal etiology. Two girls were diagnosed with a tumor, 1
      with relapse of a vaginal rhabdomyosarcoma, and the other with recurrence of an
      ovarian granulosa cell tumor. There were large disparities in the clinical
      management of vaginal bleeding. A genital examination was conducted in 70 of 86
      (81.4%), and colposcopy in only 8 of 86 of the patients (9.3%). CONCLUSION: This
      study confirmed vaginal bleeding as a rare finding in girls younger than 10 years
      of age. It is usually a benign symptom, but because there might be a serious
      underlying condition, proper investigation and follow-up are needed. Clinical
      management varied in our patient cohort. This might be because of insufficient
      knowledge and might indicate the need for general guidelines.

PMID- 26506031
TI  - Use and Effectiveness of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonists for Prophylactic
      Menstrual Suppression in Postmenarchal Women Who Undergo Hematopoietic Cell
      Transplantation.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To describe the rates of use and effectiveness of gonadotropin
      releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists and other forms of hormonal menstrual
      suppression in prevention of vaginal bleeding among young women who underwent
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive
      study. SETTING: University-based pediatric HCT practice. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-five
      postmenarchal women who underwent HCT between 2004 and 2011. INTERVENTIONS:
      Administration of GnRH agonists or other forms of hormonal menstrual suppression.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of use of GnRH agonists and other forms of hormonal
      menstrual suppression, and rates and descriptions of vaginal bleeding. RESULTS:
      Forty-six of the 55 patients had experienced regular or irregular vaginal
      bleeding before HCT and were considered to be at risk for thrombocytopenia
      associated menorrhagia. Forty of the 46 (87%) received hormonal menstrual
      suppression. Thirty-three patients were treated with a GnRH agonist, 4 with
      combined hormonal contraceptive pills, 1 with a combined hormonal contraceptive
      patch, 1 with depot medroxyprogesterone, and 1 with oral norethindrone. Twenty
      nine of the 33 patients (88%) who received a GnRH agonist had complete amenorrhea
      during HCT and 4 of 33 (12%) experienced some degree of vaginal bleeding.
      CONCLUSION: GnRH agonists appear effective in prevention of vaginal bleeding
      complications in most postmenarchal women who underwent HCT. Some patients who
      might benefit do not receive a GnRH agonist and multiple barriers exist in
      identification and treatment of them.

PMID- 26506036
TI  - [Prevalence, indication and compliance with the recommendations of prescription
      of low molecular weight heparin in oncology].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Venous thromboembolism is a common complication in cancer and is
      the second cause of death below infection. Low molecular weight heparin is the
      gold standard in venous thromboembolism during cancer. This work aimed to
      evaluate the prevalence of prescription of low molecular weight heparin used at
      curative dose and the compliance of our practices with the recommendations.
      METHODS: A retrospective study was led over a 3-month period, on adult patients
      suffering from venous thromboembolism who had received low molecular weight
      heparin at curative dose. RESULTS: A 4% prevalence of prescription of low
      molecular weight heparin at curative doses has been reported. The results showed
      an incidental discovery of venous thromboembolism on routine restaging scans in
      64% cases. The most found indication was the treatment of deep vein thrombosis
      (51% cases). According to the dosage, overall compliance of prescription is
      estimated at 55%. DISCUSSION: The incidental discovery rate (64%) is consistent
      with the literature that confirms the high incidence of asymptomatic thrombosis.
      The rate of non-compliant prescriptions could result from a lack of re-evaluation
      and adjustment of dosages. These results confirm the need to educate
      practitioners in diagnosing and managing venous thromboembolism.

PMID- 26506032
TI  - When mothering goes awry: Challenges and opportunities for utilizing evidence
      across rodent, nonhuman primate and human studies to better define the biological
      consequences of negative early caregiving.
AB  - This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care".Across mammalian species,
      mothers shape socio-emotional development and serve as essential external
      regulators of infant physiology, brain development, behavior patterns, and
      emotional regulation. Caregiving quality, consistency and predictability shape
      the infant's underlying neurobiological processes. Although the requirements for
      "optimal" caregiving differ across species, the negative long-term consequences
      of the absence of needed caregiving (e.g. neglect) or the presence of
      harmful/aversive caregiving (e.g. physical abuse), are translatable across
      species. Recognizing the significant potential of cross species comparisons in
      terms of defining underlying mechanisms, effective translation requires
      consideration of the evolutionary, ecological, and fundamental biological and
      developmental differences between and among species. This review provides both an
      overview of several success stories of cross-species translations in relation to
      negative caregiving and a template for future studies seeking to most effectively
      define the underlying biological processes and advance research dedicated to
      mitigating the lasting negative health consequences of child maltreatment. 

PMID- 26506037
TI  - Reducing IRF-1 to Levels Observed in HESN Subjects Limits HIV Replication, But
      Not the Extent of Host Immune Activation.
AB  - Cells from women who are epidemiologically deemed resistant to HIV infection
      exhibit a 40-60% reduction in endogenous IRF-1 (interferon regulatory factor-1),
      an essential regulator of host antiviral immunity and the early HIV replication.
      This study examined the functional consequences of reducing endogenous IRF-1 on
      HIV-1 replication and immune response to HIV in natural HIV target cells. IRF-1
      knockdown was achieved in ex vivo CD4(+) T cells and monocytes with siRNA. IRF-1
      level was assessed using flow cytometry, prior to infection with HIV-Bal, HIV
      IIIB, or HIV-VSV-G. Transactivation of HIV long terminal repeats was assessed by
      p24 secretion (ELISA) and Gag expression (reverse transcription-polymerase chain
      reaction (RT-PCR)). The expression of IRF-1-regulated antiviral genes was
      quantitated with RT-PCR. A modest 20-40% reduction in endogenous IRF-1 was
      achieved in >87% of ex vivo-derived peripheral CD4(+) T cells and monocytes,
      resulted in >90% reduction in the transactivation of the HIV-1 genes (Gag, p24)
      and, hence, HIV replication. Curiously, these HIV-resistant women demonstrated
      normal immune responses, nor an increased susceptibility to other infection.
      Similarly, modest IRF-1 knockdown had limited impact on the magnitude of HIV-1
      elicited activation of IRF-1-regulated host immunologic genes but resulted in
      lessened duration of these responses. These data suggest that early expression of
      HIV-1 genes requires a higher IRF-1 level, compared to the host antiviral genes.
      Together, these provide one key mechanism underlying the natural resistance
      against HIV infection and further suggest that modest IRF-1 reduction could
      effectively limit productive HIV infection yet remain sufficient to activate a
      robust but transient immune response. 

PMID- 26506038
TI  - Advanced Characterization of DNA Molecules in rAAV Vector Preparations by Single
      stranded Virus Next-generation Sequencing.
AB  - Recent successful clinical trials with recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors
      (rAAVs) have led to a renewed interest in gene therapy. However, despite
      extensive developments to improve vector-manufacturing processes, undesirable DNA
      contaminants in rAAV preparations remain a major safety concern. Indeed, the
      presence of DNA fragments containing antibiotic resistance genes, wild-type AAV,
      and packaging cell genomes has been found in previous studies using quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analyses. However, because qPCR only provides a
      partial view of the DNA molecules in rAAV preparations, we developed a method
      based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) to extensively characterize single
      stranded DNA virus preparations (SSV-Seq). In order to validate SSV-Seq, we
      analyzed three rAAV vector preparations produced by transient transfection of
      mammalian cells. Our data were consistent with qPCR results and showed a quasi
      random distribution of contaminants originating from the packaging cells genome.
      Finally, we found single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) along the vector genome but
      no evidence of large deletions. Altogether, SSV-Seq could provide a
      characterization of DNA contaminants and a map of the rAAV genome with
      unprecedented resolution and exhaustiveness. We expect SSV-Seq to pave the way
      for a new generation of quality controls, guiding process development toward rAAV
      preparations of higher potency and with improved safety profiles. 

PMID- 26506039
TI  - Novel RNA Duplex Locks HIV-1 in a Latent State via Chromatin-mediated
      Transcriptional Silencing.
AB  - Transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) of mammalian genes can be induced by short
      interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting promoter regions. We previously reported potent
      TGS of HIV-1 by siRNA (PromA), which targets tandem NF-kappaB motifs within the
      viral 5'LTR. In this study, we screened a siRNA panel with the aim of identifying
      novel 5'LTR targets, to provide multiplexing potential with enhanced viral
      silencing and application toward developing alternate therapeutic strategies.
      Systematic examination identified a novel siRNA target, si143, confirmed to
      induce TGS as the silencing mechanism. TGS was prolonged with virus suppression
      >12 days, despite a limited ability to induce post- TGS. Epigenetic changes
      associated with silencing were suggested by partial reversal by histone
      deacetylase inhibitors and confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses,
      which showed induction of H3K27me3 and H3K9me3, reduction in H3K9Ac, and
      recruitment of argonaute-1, all characteristic marks of heterochromatin and TGS.
      Together, these epigenetic changes mimic those associated with HIV-1 latency.
      Further, robust resistance to reactivation was observed in the J-Lat 9.2 cell
      latency model, when transduced with shPromA and/or sh143. These data support
      si/shRNA-mediated TGS approaches to HIV-1 and provide alternate targets to pursue
      a functional cure, whereby the viral reservoir is locked in latency following
      antiretroviral therapy cessation. 

PMID- 26506040
TI  - Genomic affinities revealed by GISH suggests intergenomic restructuring between
      parental genomes of the paleopolyploid genus Zea.
AB  - The present work compares the molecular affinities, revealed by GISH, with the
      analysis of meiotic pairing in intra- and interspecific hybrids between species
      of Zea obtained in previous works. The joint analysis of these data provided
      evidence about the evolutionary relationships among the species from the
      paleopolyploid genus Zea (maize and teosintes). GISH and meiotic pairing of
      intraspecific hybrids revealed high genomic affinity between maize (Zea mays
      subsp. mays) and both Zea mays subsp. parviglumis and Zea mays subsp. mexicana.
      On the other hand, when Zea mays subsp. huehuetenanguensis DNA was probed on
      maize chromosomes, a lower affinity was detected, and the pattern of
      hybridization suggested intergenomical restructuring between the parental genomes
      of maize. When DNA from Zea luxurians was used as probe, homogeneous
      hybridization signals were observed through all maize chromosomes. Lower genomic
      affinity was observed when DNA from Zea diploperennis was probed on maize
      chromosomes, especially at knob regions. Maize chromosomes hybridized with Zea
      perennis DNA showed hybridization signals on four chromosome pairs: two
      chromosome pairs presented hybridization signal in only one chromosomal arm,
      whereas four chromosome pairs did not show any hybridization. These results are
      in agreement with previous GISH studies, which have identified the genomic source
      of the chromosomes involved in the meiotic configurations of Z. perennis * maize
      hybrids. These findings allow postulating that maize has a parental genome not
      shared with Z. perennis, and the existence of intergenomic restructuring between
      the parental genomes of maize. Moreover, the absence of hybridization signals in
      all maize knobs indicate that these heterochromatic regions were lost during the
      Z. perennis genome evolution. 

PMID- 26506041
TI  - Evaluation of Delayed Puberty in Adolescents With Cleft Lip/Palate.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency of delayed puberty in adolescents with cleft
      lip and/or cleft palate (CL/P). DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study of 203
      patients with CL/P and no associated syndromes treated at the Hospital for
      Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of Sao Paulo, Bauru, Brazil.
      We evaluated boys aged 14-19 years and girls aged 13-18 years. The patients were
      classified according to Tanner stages of sexual development. The age of menarche
      was recorded. Patients were assigned to three groups according to cleft type:
      isolated cleft lip (CL), cleft lip and palate (CLP), and isolated cleft palate
      (CP). The results were expressed as frequencies and averages and compared with
      pubertal changes described for typically developing adolescents as reported in
      the literature. RESULTS: Subjects were 115 boys and 88 girls. All boys in the CL
      group and the CP group had already started puberty, and two boys in the CLP group
      (2.3%) had delayed puberty. All girls had started puberty. The average age at
      menarche was 12.3 years in the CL group, 12.1 years in the CLP group, and 12.5
      years in the CP group. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of delayed puberty and the
      average age at menarche in adolescents with CL/P and no associated genetic
      syndromes or anomalies were within the expected range for typically developing
      adolescents (i.e., those without CL/P) in the same age group.

PMID- 26506042
TI  - Blepharophimosis, Ptosis, and Epicanthus Inversus Syndrome: Expanding the
      Phenotype.
AB  - We present a 3-month-old girl who displayed typical clinical characteristics of
      blepharophimosis, ptosis, and epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES). She was
      referred to our clinic with an initial diagnosis of Down syndrome. Clinical
      features of elevated follicle stimulating hormone and low estradiol levels in the
      case were diagnosed as BPES syndrome and were consistent with BPES type 2. To
      date, there are no cases of BPES with cleft palate and cardiomyopathy, suggesting
      that these novel findings can be part of this condition.

PMID- 26506043
TI  - Poly(L-Lactide)/Poly(epsilon-Caprolactone) and Collagen/beta-Tricalcium Phosphate
      Scaffolds for the Treatment of Critical-Sized Rat Alveolar Defects: A
      Microtomographic, Molecular-Biological, and Histological Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of a newly developed scaffold (col/beta-TCP)
      in a preclinical rat model as compared with the gold standard treatment
      (autograft) and control scaffolds (PLLA/PCL). DESIGN: Fifty-six Sprague-Dawley
      rats were randomized into four experimental groups, and critical-sized alveolar
      defects (7 * 4 * 3 mm) were created in each animal. Group A was the blank defect
      group, group B received autograft, group C received col/beta-TCP scaffolds, and
      group D received PLLA/PCL blend scaffolds to fill the bone defects. New bone
      formation was assessed radiomorphometrically, histomorphometrically, and
      molecular-biologically at 1 and 4 months following surgery. RESULTS:
      Radiomorphometrically, the best new bone volume rate at 1 month (43.7%) and 4
      months (45.4%) was observed in the autograft group, and the difference was
      significantly higher than in the other three groups (P < .005, P < .001, P < .001
      for 1 month and P = .004, P < .001, P < .001 for 4 months). Even though the new
      bone volume rate in the col/beta-TCP group (21.5%) was higher than that of the
      PLLA/PCL group (18.2%), the difference was not significant (P = .08). Molecular
      genetic analysis revealed significantly higher BSP and ALP gene expression levels
      in the autograft and col/beta-TCP groups than in the blank defect group (P = .002
      and P = .004). CONCLUSION: The engineered tissue scaffolds described herein have
      great potential as an alternative treatment option when cost, donor region
      morbidity, and duration of hospitalization are considered.

PMID- 26506044
TI  - Early Detection of Cleft Lip by Three-Dimensional Transvaginal Ultrasound in
      Niche Mode in a Fetus With Trisomy 18 Diagnosed by Celocentesis.
AB  - Transabdominal ultrasound examination carried out at 11.3 weeks' gestation
      suggested the diagnosis of holoprosencephaly (HPE). Transvaginal three
      dimensional (3D) scan performed using the niche-mode technique enabled diagnosis
      of HPE, hypotelorism, and cleft lip (CL). The fetus was diagnosed with trisomy 18
      by means of transvaginal celocentesis at the time of pregnancy termination.
      Although prenatal diagnosis of orofacial cleft can be enhanced by 3D ultrasound,
      only a few cases have been detected early in pregnancy. Here, we report a first
      trimester case in which 3D ultrasound in niche mode improved the antenatal
      diagnosis of CL. Early fetal karyotyping can be accomplished by celocentesis in
      these cases.

PMID- 26506045
TI  - Temporal Characteristics of Nasalization: Language Specific or Not?

PMID- 26506046
TI  - Alveolar Bone Grafting: Donor Site Review of 100 Consecutive Cases in Cleft Lip
      and Palate.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Review of patients who underwent secondary alveolar bone grafting for
      total inpatient stay, postoperative complications, and postoperative analgesic
      requirements. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of medical records. SETTING:
      Tertiary care center as part of a regional cleft lip and palate network.
      PATIENTS: All patients who underwent secondary alveolar bone grafting from the
      iliac crest. INTERVENTIONS: Local anesthetic was infiltrated overlying the
      anterior iliac crest. An incision was made to conform to the future skin crease
      and avoid muscle dissection. The cartilaginous cap was incised and raised, and
      cancellous bone was then harvested. The cavity was packed with hemostatic
      cellulose and closed in layers. All patients received postoperative antibiotics.
      All patients were prescribed regular paracetamol (acetaminophen) and ibuprofen if
      there were no contraindications. Oral morphine was available when requested. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Length of stay, postoperative analgesic requirements, and
      postoperative donor site and oral complications. RESULTS: From 100 consecutive
      patients, 92 (92%) of the patients were discharged the day after surgery; one
      (1%) patient required four nights of monitoring for postoperative pyrexia of
      unknown origin. All patients received regular paracetamol, and the majority (86%)
      did not require oral morphine. Complications included seroma (4%), superficial
      donor site abscess (1%), postoperative pyrexia of unknown origin (2%), gingival
      bleeding (2%), and oral infection (2%). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that
      donor site pain may be well controlled with simple, regular analgesia. Children
      tolerated this procedure well and were safely discharged the day after surgery.
      Alveolar bone grafting from the iliac crest was found to have low complication
      rates.

PMID- 26506047
TI  - Antenatal Ultrasound Detection of Cleft in Western Australia from 2003 to 2012: A
      Follow-Up Study.
AB  - AIM: To investigate trends in the rate of antenatal detection of cleft lip and
      palate (CLP) patients referred to the CLP Unit at Princess Margaret Hospital for
      Children in Perth, Western Australia during the period 2003-2012 and compare data
      with a previously published report covering the years 1996-2003. METHODS: This is
      a single-center, retrospective survey of antenatal transabdominal ultrasound
      screenings of mothers of infants born between July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2012 that
      were referred to the CLP Unit at Princess Margaret Hospital. RESULTS: Detection
      rates of oral clefts increased significantly when compared with outcomes reported
      in the same population between 1996 and 2003 (P < .05). An overall detection rate
      of 71.7% (165/230) was achieved for clefts involving lip and palate. Detection of
      isolated cleft palate (1/99) and microform (0/8) remained elusive. Most
      detections (76.5%) were achieved at 15 to 20 weeks of gestational age,
      corresponding with routine anatomical screening. A further 16.8% were detected
      post-20 weeks of gestation. Scans were performed by specialist obstetricians, and
      sonography clinics reported a detection rate of 84.6% (55/65), whereas
      nonspecialist clinics reported a detection rate of only 67.1% (110/164).
      CONCLUSION: The antenatal detection rates of oral clefts involving the lip have
      improved to the extent that the majority of mothers are now being referred to a
      cleft unit in Western Australia prior to the births of their children. As a
      result of this improvement, antenatal counseling is now a common facet of cleft
      management.

PMID- 26506048
TI  - Analysis of loco-regional failures in head and neck cancer after radical
      radiation therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the anatomical distribution of loco-regional treatment
      failures (LRF) in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in
      relation to clinical target volume (CTV) delineation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 56
      patients with LRF were retrospectively identified. Patients were previously
      treated with radical intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) +/- chemotherapy.
      Target volumes include gross tumour volume (GTV), its volumetric expansion of
      10mm (GTV-HD), CTV high dose (CTV-HD) delineated by anatomic expansion from GTV
      and CTV low dose (CTV-LD) defined to receive a prophylactic dose. LRF were
      evaluated by PET-CT or CT scan. We analysed the association between sites of LRF
      and target volumes and dosimetry, using image co-registration. Based on
      percentage of volume that received 95% of prescribed dose, LRF were classified as
      in-field, marginal or out-field. RESULTS: Median interval time from end of
      treatment to LRF was 186days. 65 (95.6%) LRF were classified as in-field.
      Considering primary target volumes, 40 (58.8%) LRF occurred inside GTV, 13
      (19.1%) in GTV-HD and 7 (10.3%) in CTV-HD. The overall 1-year and 2-year post
      failure survival (PFS) was 45.8% and 24.2%, respectively. Post radiation LRF
      managed with salvage surgery had a significantly higher median PFS when compared
      with palliative treatments (p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of LRF occurred
      within GTV/GTV-HD, suggesting it is safe to reduce the CTV to a volumetric
      expansion. Given the low incidence of geographical misses, future studies should
      be directed towards dose escalation of high-risk volumes. Potential reduction of
      RT-related toxicity with volumetric expansion could facilitate salvage surgery.

PMID- 26506049
TI  - Cell proliferation and cell death are disturbed during prenatal and postnatal
      brain development after uranium exposure.
AB  - The developing brain is more susceptible to neurotoxic compounds than adult
      brain. It is also well known that disturbances during brain development cause
      neurological disorders in adulthood. The brain is known to be a target organ of
      uranium (U) exposure and previous studies have noted that internal U
      contamination of adult rats induces behavioral disorders as well as affects
      neurochemistry and neurophysiological properties. In this study, we investigated
      whether depleted uranium (DU) exposure affects neurogenesis during prenatal and
      postnatal brain development. We examined the structural morphology of the brain,
      cell death and finally cell proliferation in animals exposed to DU during
      gestation and lactation compared to control animals. Our results showed that DU
      decreases cell death in the cortical neuroepithelium of gestational day (GD) 13
      embryos exposed at 40mg/L and 120mg/L and of GD18 fetuses exposed at 120mg/L
      without modification of the number of apoptotic cells. Cell proliferation
      analysis showed an increase of BrdU labeling in the dentate neuroepithelium of
      fetuses from GD18 at 120mg/L. Postnatally, cell death is increased in the dentate
      gyrus of postnatal day (PND) 0 and PND5 exposed pups at 120mg/L and is associated
      with an increase of apoptotic cell number only at PND5. Finally, a decrease in
      dividing cells is observed in the dentate gyrus of PND21 rats developmentally
      exposed to 120mg/L DU, but not at PND0 and PND5. These results show that DU
      exposure during brain development causes opposite effects on cell proliferation
      and cell death processes between prenatal and postnatal development mainly at the
      highest dose. Although these modifications do not have a major impact in brain
      morphology, they could affect the next steps of neurogenesis and thus might
      disrupt the fine organization of the neuronal network. 

PMID- 26506050
TI  - Genetic modulation of oxytocin sensitivity: a pharmacogenetic approach.
AB  - Intranasal administration of the neuropeptide oxytocin has been shown to
      influence a range of complex social cognitions and social behaviors, and it holds
      therapeutic potential for the treatment of mental disorders characterized by
      social functioning deficits such as autism, social phobia and borderline
      personality disorder. However, considerable variability exists in individual
      responses to oxytocin administration. Here, we undertook a study to investigate
      the role of genetic variation in sensitivity to exogenous oxytocin using a
      socioemotional task. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment
      with a repeated-measures (crossover) design, we assessed the performance of 203
      men on an emotion recognition task under oxytocin and placebo. We took a
      haplotype-based approach to investigate the association between oxytocin receptor
      gene variation and oxytocin sensitivity. We identified a six-marker haplotype
      block spanning the promoter region and intron 3 that was significantly associated
      with our measure of oxytocin sensitivity. Specifically, the TTCGGG haplotype
      comprising single-nucleotide polymorphisms rs237917-rs2268498-rs4564970-rs237897
      rs2268495-rs53576 is associated with increased emotion recognition performance
      under oxytocin versus placebo, and the CCGAGA haplotype with the opposite
      pattern. These results on the genetic modulation of sensitivity to oxytocin
      document a significant source of individual differences with implications for
      personalized treatment approaches using oxytocin administration.

PMID- 26506052
TI  - BDNF-TrkB signaling in the nucleus accumbens shell of mice has key role in
      methamphetamine withdrawal symptoms.
AB  - Depression is a core symptom of methamphetamine (METH) withdrawal during the
      first several weeks of abstinence. However, the precise mechanisms underlying
      METH withdrawal symptoms remain unknown. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
      and its specific receptor, tropomyosin-related kinase (TrkB), have a role the in
      pathophysiology of depression. In this study, we examined the role of BDNF-TrkB
      signaling in different brain regions of male mice with METH withdrawal symptoms.
      Repeated METH (3 mg kg(-1) per day for 5 days) administration to mice caused a
      long-lasting depression-like behavior including anhedonia. Western blot analysis
      showed that BDNF levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of METH-treated mice were
      significantly higher than those of control mice whereas BDNF levels in other
      regions, including the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, were not altered. METH
      induced depression-like behavior, behavioral sensitization and dendritic changes
      in the NAc shell were improved by subsequent subchronic administration of TrkB
      antagonist ANA-12 (0.5 mg kg(-1) per day for 14 days), but not TrkB agonist 7,8
      dihydroxyflavone (10 mg kg(-1) per day for 14 days). In vivo microdialysis showed
      that METH (1 mg kg(-1))-induced dopamine release in NAc shell of METH-treated
      mice was attenuated after subsequent subchronic ANA-12 administration.
      Interestingly, a single bilateral infusion of ANA-12 into the NAc shell, but not
      NAc core, showed a rapid and long-lasting therapeutic effect. However, ketamine
      and paroxetine had no effect. These findings suggest that increased BDNF-TrkB
      signaling in the NAc shell has an important role in the behavioral abnormalities
      after withdrawal from repeated METH administration, and that TrkB antagonists are
      potential therapeutic drugs for withdrawal symptoms in METH abusers.

PMID- 26506051
TI  - Functional genomics of human brain development and implications for autism
      spectrum disorders.
AB  - Transcription of the inherited DNA sequence into copies of messenger RNA is the
      most fundamental process by which the genome functions to guide development.
      Encoded sequence information, inherited epigenetic marks and environmental
      influences all converge at the level of mRNA gene expression to allow for cell
      type-specific, tissue-specific, spatial and temporal patterns of expression.
      Thus, the transcriptome represents a complex interplay between inherited genomic
      structure, dynamic experiential demands and external signals. This property makes
      transcriptome studies uniquely positioned to provide insight into complex genetic
      epigenetic-environmental processes such as human brain development, and disorders
      with non-Mendelian genetic etiologies such as autism spectrum disorders. In this
      review, we describe recent studies exploring the unique functional genomics
      profile of the human brain during neurodevelopment. We then highlight two
      emerging areas of research with great potential to increase our understanding of
      functional neurogenomics-non-coding RNA expression and gene interaction networks.
      Finally, we review previous functional genomics studies of autism spectrum
      disorder in this context, and discuss how investigations at the level of
      functional genomics are beginning to identify convergent molecular mechanisms
      underlying this genetically heterogeneous disorder. 

PMID- 26506053
TI  - Transcriptomic and genetic studies identify NFAT5 as a candidate gene for cocaine
      dependence.
AB  - Cocaine reward and reinforcing effects are mediated mainly by dopaminergic
      neurotransmission. In this study, we aimed at evaluating gene expression changes
      induced by acute cocaine exposure on SH-SY5Y-differentiated cells, which have
      been widely used as a dopaminergic neuronal model. Expression changes and a
      concomitant increase in neuronal activity were observed after a 5 MUM cocaine
      exposure, whereas no changes in gene expression or in neuronal activity took
      place at 1 MUM cocaine. Changes in gene expression were identified in a total of
      756 genes, mainly related to regulation of transcription and gene expression,
      cell cycle, adhesion and cell projection, as well as mitogen-activeated protein
      kinase (MAPK), CREB, neurotrophin and neuregulin signaling pathways. Some genes
      displaying altered expression were subsequently targeted with predicted
      functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a case-control association
      study in a sample of 806 cocaine-dependent patients and 817 controls. This study
      highlighted associations between cocaine dependence and five SNPs predicted to
      alter microRNA binding at the 3'-untranslated region of the NFAT5 gene. The
      association of SNP rs1437134 with cocaine dependence survived the Bonferroni
      correction for multiple testing. A functional effect was confirmed for this
      variant by a luciferase reporter assay, with lower expression observed for the
      rs1437134G allele, which was more pronounced in the presence of hsa-miR-509.
      However, brain volumes in regions of relevance to addiction, as assessed with
      magnetic resonance imaging, did not correlate with NFAT5 variation. These results
      suggest that the NFAT5 gene, which is upregulated a few hours after cocaine
      exposure, may be involved in the genetic predisposition to cocaine dependence.

PMID- 26506055
TI  - What to expect from molecular tools for non-documented pediatric infectious
      diseases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the contribution of molecular tools to the overall
      diagnosis of infectious diseases in children. METHODS: Results of 16S rDNA
      analysis (179 children; 228 specimens), combined to specific amplification of
      Kingella kingae (126 children; 166 osteoarticular specimens), were
      retrospectively analyzed for samples with inconclusive cultures. RESULT: The
      overall positive yield in diagnosis was 12.8% of the patients for 16S rDNA PCR,
      40.5% for K. kingae PCR and 45.2% for combined use of both methods. Results were
      related to clinical and biological data (direct examination,
      certainty/uncertainty of clinical diagnosis, fever, biological markers, previous
      antibiotics), and to the number of samples analyzed per patient, allowing the
      identification of specific situations with significant contribution of PCR
      methods. CONCLUSION: Molecular techniques constitute valuable tools to improve
      the bacterial infection diagnosis in children; however, specific indications,
      dedicated samples, and number of analyzed samples per patient are key points to
      optimize their contribution.

PMID- 26506056
TI  - A one-pot amidation of primary nitroalkanes.
AB  - It has been over a half-century since Kornblum demonstrated the conversion of a
      primary nitroalkane to a carboxylic acid; addition of an amine results in
      carboxylic acid formation as well. We describe the formation of amides from
      terminal nitroalkanes in a two-step, one-pot reaction involving tandem
      halogenation/umpolung amide synthesis (UmAS). 

PMID- 26506054
TI  - Maternal sensitivity, infant limbic structure volume and functional connectivity:
      a preliminary study.
AB  - Mechanisms underlying the profound parental effects on cognitive, emotional and
      social development in humans remain poorly understood. Studies with nonhuman
      models suggest variations in parental care affect the limbic system, influential
      to learning, autobiography and emotional regulation. In some research, nonoptimal
      care relates to decreases in neurogenesis, although other work suggests early
      postnatal social adversity accelerates the maturation of limbic structures
      associated with emotional learning. We explored whether maternal sensitivity
      predicts human limbic system development and functional connectivity patterns in
      a small sample of human infants. When infants were 6 months of age, 20 mother
      infant dyads attended a laboratory-based observational session and the infants
      underwent neuroimaging at the same age. After considering age at imaging,
      household income and postnatal maternal anxiety, regression analyses demonstrated
      significant indirect associations between maternal sensitivity and bilateral
      hippocampal volume at six months, with the majority of associations between
      sensitivity and the amygdala demonstrating similar indirect, but not significant
      results. Moreover, functional analyses revealed direct associations between
      maternal sensitivity and connectivity between the hippocampus and areas important
      for emotional regulation and socio-emotional functioning. Sensitivity
      additionally predicted indirect associations between limbic structures and
      regions related to autobiographical memory. Our volumetric results are consistent
      with research indicating accelerated limbic development in response to early
      social adversity, and in combination with our functional results, if replicated
      in a larger sample, may suggest that subtle, but important, variations in
      maternal care influence neuroanatomical trajectories important to future
      cognitive and emotional functioning. 

PMID- 26506057
TI  - The three missing elements in the treatment of substance use disorders: Lessons
      from the physician health programs.
AB  - To make recovery, and not relapse, the expected outcome of the treatment of
      moderate to severe substance use disorders, 3 currently missing elements would
      need to be emphasized: (1) the definition of long-term recovery as the goal of
      all treatment and post-treatment interventions; (2) the provision of sustained
      post-treatment monitoring and professional and peer support, including drug
      testing; and (3) the insistence by others around the patients on sustained
      abstinence as crucial for those suffering from moderate to severe and prolonged
      substance use disorders. Each of these 3 elements is central to the distinctive
      care management system of the state physician health programs. This approach to
      the long-term management of substance use disorders fits with the new direction
      of healthcare for serious, chronic diseases-away from isolated, and expensive
      acute care episodes of care and toward sustained chronic disease management with
      long-term monitoring, support, and early re-intervention if and when needed. 

PMID- 26506058
TI  - Effects of alpha1-blockers on urodynamic parameters of bladder outlet obstruction
      in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic
      enlargement: a review.
AB  - alpha1-adrenergic receptors blockers (ABs) are recommended as first-line medical
      therapy in men with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms suggestive of Benign Prostatic
      Enlargement (LUTS/BPE). Available ABs include: terazosin, doxazosin, tamsulosin,
      naftopidil, alfuzosin and silodosin. These agents have different profiles of
      selectivity for alpha1-adrenergic receptors subtypes. All these agents are
      efficacious in improving both storage and voiding LUTS. In recent years the
      efficacy of ABs in improving urodynamic parameters of bladder outlet obstruction
      (BOO) has been questioned. We reviewed literature evidences about the effects of
      available ABs on invasive urodynamic parameters of BOO in men with LUTS/BPE. The
      impact of ABs therapy on urodynamic parameters indicative of BOO has been
      evaluated for all currently approved drugs. Available data demonstrate
      improvements in terms of both free uroflowmetry and pressure-flow parameters.
      While the impact of ABs on maximum urinary flow is clinically modest, the
      improvement of detrusor pressure at maximum urinary flow is more robust. Only few
      studies exist that directly compare the urodynamic effects of a small number of
      ABs. According to these studies there are no differences among ABs in terms of
      urodynamic efficacy. Indirect comparison of ABs suggests greater effectiveness of
      silodosin in terms of detrusor pressure at maximum urinary flow reduction.
      Studies that stratified populations based upon the degree of obstruction at
      baseline demonstrated greater urodynamic changes in patients with baseline BOO
      with respect to the unobstructed patients. Globally, the quality of studies
      available is low and there is considerable heterogeneity among studies.

PMID- 26506059
TI  - The Effects of Different Warm-up Volumes on the 100-m Swimming Performance: A
      Randomized Crossover Study.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare the effect of 3 different warm-up (WU)
      volumes on 100-m swimming performance. Eleven male swimmers at the national level
      completed 3 time trials of 100-m freestyle on separate days and after a standard
      WU, a short WU (SWU), or a long WU (LWU) in a randomized sequence. All of them
      replicated some usual sets and drills, and the WU totaled 1,200 m, the SWU
      totaled 600 m, and the LWU totaled 1,800 m. The swimmers were faster after the WU
      (59.29 seconds; confidence interval [CI] 95%, 57.98-60.61) and after the SWU
      (59.38 seconds; CI 95%, 57.92-60.84) compared with the LWU (60.18 seconds; CI
      95%, 58.53-61.83). The second 50-m lap after the WU was performed with a higher
      stroke length (effect size [ES] = 0.77), stroke index (ES = 1.26), and propelling
      efficiency (ES = 0.78) than that after the SWU. Both WU and SWU resulted in
      higher pretrial values of blood lactate concentrations [La] compared with LWU (ES
      = 1.58 and 0.74, respectively), and the testosterone:cortisol levels were
      increased in WU compared with LWU (ES = 0.86). In addition, the trial after WU
      caused higher [La] (ES >= 0.68) and testosterone:cortisol values compared with
      the LWU (ES = 0.93). These results suggest that an LWU could impair 100-m
      freestyle performance. The swimmers showed higher efficiency during the race
      after a 1200-m WU, suggesting a favorable situation. It highlighted the
      importance of the [La] and hormonal responses to each particular WU, possibly
      influencing performance and biomechanical responses during a 100-m race.

PMID- 26506060
TI  - Affective Responses to Acute Resistance Exercise Performed at Self-Selected and
      Imposed Loads in Trained Women.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine the affective responses to acute
      resistance exercise (RE) performed at self-selected (SS) and imposed loads in
      recreationally trained women. Secondary purposes were to (a) examine differences
      in correlates of motivation for future participation in RE and (b) determine
      whether affective responses to RE were related to these select motivational
      correlates of RE participation. Twenty recreationally trained young women (mean
      age = 23 years) completed 3 RE sessions involving 3 sets of 10 repetitions using
      loads of 40% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM), 70% 1RM, and an SS load. Affective
      responses were assessed before, during, and after each RE session using the
      Feeling Scale. Self-efficacy and intention for using the imposed and SS loads for
      their regular RE participation during the next month were also assessed
      postexercise. Results revealed that although the SS and imposed load RE sessions
      yielded different trajectories of change in affect during exercise (p < 0.01),
      comparable improvements in affect emerged after RE. Additionally, the SS
      condition was associated with the highest ratings of self-efficacy and intention
      for future RE participation (p < 0.01), but affective responses to acute RE were
      unrelated to self-efficacy or intention. It is concluded that acute bouts of SS
      and imposed load RE resulted in comparable improvements in affect; recreationally
      trained women reported the highest self-efficacy and intention to use the load
      chosen in SS condition in their own resistance training; and affective responses
      were unrelated to motivational correlates of resistance training.

PMID- 26506061
TI  - Comparison of Knee Moments and Landing Patterns During a Lateral Cutting
      Maneuver: Shod Vs. Barefoot.
AB  - Noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries often occur during lateral
      cutting maneuvers, in which extension, adduction, and external rotation create
      high loads on the ACL. The aim of this study was to examine knee moments and foot
      strike patterns during lateral cutting when shod (SD) and barefoot (BF). Fifteen
      NCAA Division III athletes (7 female and 8 male; age 20.2 +/- 1.5 years; mass
      71.5 +/- 11.3 kg; height, 1.7 +/- 0.06 m) without lower limb pathologies were
      analyzed during 5 trials of 45 degrees  lateral cutting maneuvers for each limb
      in both BF and SD conditions with the approach speed of 4.3 m.s. Kinetic and
      kinematic data were collected using an 8-camera motion capture system and a force
      plate with collection rates at 240 Hz and 2400 Hz, respectively. Paired t-tests
      were used to determine differences conditions. The SD condition produced a
      significantly (p <= 0.05) greater peak adduction moment and cutting, whereas BF
      caused more anterior foot strike. Lateral cutting when BF places no more stress
      on the ACL than when SD. Our findings suggest that lateral cutting maneuvers when
      BF will not increase stress on the ACL.

PMID- 26506062
TI  - Unipedal Postural Balance and Countermovement Jumps After a Warm-up and
      Plyometric Training Session: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to analyze the immediate effects of a plyometric
      training protocol on unipedal postural balance and countermovement jumps. In
      addition, we analyzed the effects of a warm-up on these parameters. Thirty-two
      amateur male sprinters (24.9 +/- 4.1 years; 72.3 +/- 10.7 kg; 1.78 +/- 0.05 m;
      22.6 +/- 3.3 kg.m) were randomly sorted into a control group (n = 16) (they did
      not perform any physical activity) and a plyometric training group (n = 16) (they
      performed a 15-minute warm-up and a high-intensity plyometric protocol consisting
      of 10 sets of 15 vertical jumps). Before and after the warm-up, and immediately
      after and 5 minutes after the plyometric protocol, all athletes indicated the
      perceived exertion on calf and quad regions on a scale from 0 (no exertion) to 10
      (maximum exertion). They also carried out a maximum countermovement jump and a
      unipedal postural balance test (athletes would remain as still as possible for 15
      seconds in a left leg and right leg support stance). Results showed that, in the
      plyometric group, length and velocity of center-of-pressure movement in right leg
      support stance increased compared with baseline (p = 0.001 and p = 0.004,
      respectively) and to the control group (p = 0.035 and p = 0.029, respectively)
      immediately after the plyometric protocol. In addition, the countermovement jump
      height decreased right after the plyometric protocol (p < 0.001). The perceived
      exertion on calf and quad regions increased after the plyometry (p < 0.001). Five
      minutes later, these parameters remained deteriorated despite a slight recovery
      (length: p = 0.044; velocity: p = 0.05; countermovement jump height: p < 0.001;
      local exertion: p < 0.001). Data also showed that countermovement jump height
      improved after the warm-up (p = 0.021), but unipedal postural balance remained
      unaltered. As a conclusion, high-intensity plyometric exercises blunt unipedal
      postural balance and countermovement jump performance. The deterioration lasts at
      least 5 minutes, which may influence future exercises in the training session.
      Coaches should plan the training routine according to the immediate effects of
      plyometry on postural balance and vertical jumps, which play a role in injury
      prevention and sports performance.

PMID- 26506063
TI  - Aerobic Development of Elite Youth Ice Hockey Players.
AB  - Ice hockey is a physiologically complex sport requiring aerobic and anaerobic
      energy metabolism. College and professional teams often test aerobic fitness;
      however, there is a paucity of information regarding aerobic fitness of elite
      youth players. Without this knowledge, training of youth athletes to meet the
      standards of older age groups and higher levels of hockey may be random,
      inefficient, and or effective. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to
      determine the aerobic fitness of elite youth hockey players. A retrospective
      database review was performed for 200 male AAA hockey players between the ages of
      13 and 17 (age, 14.4 +/- 1.2 years; height, 174.3 +/- 8.5 cm; body mass, 67.2 +/-
      11.5 kg; body fat, 9.8 +/- 3.5%) before the 2012-13 season. All subjects
      performed a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer, whereas expired air was
      collected by either a Parvo Medics TrueOne 2400 or a CareFusion Oxycon Mobile
      metabolic cart to determine maximal oxygen consumption (V[Combining Dot
      Above]O2max). Body mass, absolute V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, and the power
      output achieved during the last completed stage increased in successive age
      groups from age 13 to 15 years (p <= 0.05). Ventilatory threshold (VT) expressed
      as a percentage of V[Combining Dot Above]O2max and the heart rate (HR) at which
      VT occurred decreased between the ages of 13 and 14 years (p <= 0.05), whereas
      the V[Combining Dot Above]O2 at which VT occurred increased from the age of 14-15
      years. There were no changes in relative V[Combining Dot Above]O2max or HRmax
      between any successive age groups. The aerobic fitness levels of elite youth ice
      hockey players increased as players age and mature physically and
      physiologically. However, aerobic fitness increased to a lesser extent at older
      ages. This information has the potential to influence off-season training and
      maximize the aerobic fitness of elite amateur hockey players, so that these
      players can meet standards set by advanced elite age groups.

PMID- 26506065
TI  - Randomized Split-Face Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of
      AbobotulinumtoxinA Versus OnabotulinumtoxinA in the Treatment of Melomental Folds
      (Depressor Anguli Oris).

PMID- 26506066
TI  - The Natural History of Soft Tissue Hypertrophy, Bony Hypertrophy, and Nodule
      Formation in Patients With Untreated Head and Neck Capillary Malformations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A percentage of patients with capillary malformation (CM) develop
      soft tissue hypertrophy, bony hypertrophy, and/or nodule formation. OBJECTIVE: To
      determine the incidence, age of onset, anatomic distribution of soft tissue/bony
      hypertrophy, and nodule formation in patients with untreated CM. METHODS: A
      retrospective medical records review of head and neck CM patients presenting to a
      tertiary referral center over a 7-year period (2004-2011) was performed. RESULTS:
      Of the 160 patients with CM, 96 demonstrated progression of disease to include
      either soft tissue/bony hypertrophy or nodule formation. Of these, 87 patients
      had not received previous treatment and met the inclusion criteria for analysis.
      On average, soft tissue hypertrophy began at 9 years of age. The V2/maxillary
      segment was most commonly involved with upper lip hypertrophy being the most
      prominent. Fourteen percent of the patients also presented with bony hypertrophy,
      which began at an average age of 15 years. Nodules were present in 38/87 (44%) of
      patients with an average age of onset of 22 years. CONCLUSION: This study
      demonstrates the nature progression of CM and quantifies the clinical
      characteristics of hypertrophy and nodule formation with untreated head and neck
      CM. Early and continuous treatment is recommended in hopes of preventing CM
      progression.

PMID- 26506068
TI  - The Development of Hypertrophy in Port-Wine Stains, a Common Phenomenon that
      Affects Treatment Recommendations.

PMID- 26506067
TI  - Efficacy and Tolerability of a Novel Biopsy Device for Removing Benign Epidermal
      Skin Lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The shave biopsy using a razor with an open blade is the current
      standard of care for sampling superficial skin lesions. OBJECTIVE: To enhance
      safety, the authors developed a novel biopsy device with a closed blade design
      for removing the epidermal layer of skin and evaluated against the open razor
      blade for tolerability, scarring, and accuracy in histological diagnosis.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Shave biopsies were performed using the novel device or
      razor blade on benign epidermal skin lesions in 10 patients on comparable body
      parts. Digital photography, colorimetry, scar scale evaluations, and
      questionnaires were used to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the
      devices. RESULTS: For all patients, accurate histological diagnoses were made
      regardless of device type. No statistically significant differences were detected
      between the novel device and razor blade in terms of scar scale assessments,
      colorimetry, and questionnaire responses. Both patients and the participating
      dermatologist reported satisfaction with the safety and performance of the novel
      device. No injuries to the provider occurred with either instrument. CONCLUSION:
      The rotating sphere biopsy device is a potential alternative to the razor blade
      with comparable tolerability, scarring, and accuracy in histological diagnoses,
      offering improved safety for patients and health care providers.

PMID- 26506064
TI  - A deleterious gene-by-environment interaction imposed by calcium channel blockers
      in Marfan syndrome.
AB  - Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are prescribed to patients with Marfan syndrome
      for prophylaxis against aortic aneurysm progression, despite limited evidence for
      their efficacy and safety in the disorder. Unexpectedly, Marfan mice treated with
      CCBs show accelerated aneurysm expansion, rupture, and premature lethality. This
      effect is both extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) dependent and
      angiotensin-II type 1 receptor (AT1R) dependent. We have identified protein
      kinase C beta (PKCbeta) as a critical mediator of this pathway and demonstrate
      that the PKCbeta inhibitor enzastaurin, and the clinically available anti
      hypertensive agent hydralazine, both normalize aortic growth in Marfan mice, in
      association with reduced PKCbeta and ERK1/2 activation. Furthermore, patients
      with Marfan syndrome and other forms of inherited thoracic aortic aneurysm taking
      CCBs display increased risk of aortic dissection and need for aortic surgery,
      compared to patients on other antihypertensive agents.

PMID- 26506069
TI  - CLINICAL FACTORS FOR DEVELOPING SHOCK IN RADIOCONTRAST MEDIA INDUCED ANAPHYLAXIS.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the time interval between radiocontrast
      media (RCM) administration and the development of anaphylactic shock, and risk
      factors associated with RCM-induced anaphylactic shock. We reviewed the medical
      records of 154 patients with RCM-induced anaphylaxis presenting to the emergency
      department of a tertiary care hospital between January 2005 and December 2014.
      Clinical features of RCM-induced anaphylaxis were analyzed, and patients were
      categorized into shock and non-shock groups to identify associated factors in
      affected patients. Of the 154 cases of RCM-induced anaphylaxis, 101 (65.9%)
      patients experienced shock. The median time between RCM exposure and the onset of
      shock was 11 min (interquartile range, 7.0-18.8). In patients with RCM-induced
      anaphylaxis accompanying shock, the median time from RCM to the first symptom
      onset was 6 min (interquartile range, 5.0-10.0). In the multivariate analysis,
      age, neurological manifestations, and allergy history except RCM were associated
      with the development of shock. RCM-induced anaphylaxis was commonly accompanied
      with shock, and the time interval between RCM exposure and the onset of shock was
      short. Physicians should pay attention to the development of potential
      cardiovascular collapse in anaphylaxis patients of old age and with neurologic
      manifestations. 

PMID- 26506071
TI  - THE EFFECTS OF FENOLDOPAM ON RENAL FUNCTION AND METABOLISM IN AN OVINE MODEL OF
      SEPTIC SHOCK.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The importance of renal perfusion and metabolism in septic acute
      kidney injury (AKI) remains unclear. Prophylactic administration of the
      dopaminergic agent, fenoldopam, has been suggested to reduce the occurrence of
      AKI, but its effects in septic shock are poorly defined. METHODS: Sepsis was
      induced in 15 adult female sheep by injecting autologous feces into the abdominal
      cavity. Two hours later, the animals were randomized to one of three groups: low
      dose fenoldopam (1.0 MUg/kg/min, n = 5), high-dose fenoldopam (5.0 MUg/kg/min, n
      = 5), or placebo (control, n = 5). A perivascular flow probe was placed around
      the renal artery and a catheter in the renal vein for measurement of renal blood
      flow index (RBFI) and oxygen consumption (VO2renI). Metabolism in the renal
      cortex was evaluated using microdialysis. Serum creatinine was measured 6-hourly
      and the sublingual microcirculation assessed using sidestream dark-field
      videomicroscopy. RESULTS: High-dose fenoldopam was associated with a lower RBFI
      at 18 h (P = 0.032) than in the control group, but VO2renI was maintained by a
      higher oxygen extraction (P < 0.05 vs. baseline). Sublingual microcirculatory
      alterations at 18 h were more severe in the high-dose than in the control and low
      dose groups (P = 0.021 and P = 0.032). Renal cortex lactate and pyruvate levels
      increased earlier in the high-dose group than in the other two groups (P < 0.001
      vs. baseline). Fenoldopam did not affect creatinine clearance or urine output.
      CONCLUSIONS: In this model of septic shock, fenoldopam did not improve renal
      blood flow, worsened microcirculatory alterations, and induced metabolic changes
      that were indicative of increased glycolysis.

PMID- 26506070
TI  - FIVE-YEAR OUTCOMES AFTER LONG-TERM OXANDROLONE ADMINISTRATION IN SEVERELY BURNED
      CHILDREN: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL.
AB  - Administration of oxandrolone, a nonaromatizable testosterone analog, to children
      for 12 months following severe burn injury has been shown to improve height,
      increase bone mineral content (BMC), reduce cardiac work, and augment muscle
      strength. Surprisingly, the increase in BMC persists well beyond the period of
      oxandrolone administration. This study was undertaken to determine if
      administration of oxandrolone for 2 years yields greater effects on long-term BMC
      and bone mineral density (BMD). Patients between 0 and 18 years of age with >=30%
      of total body surface area burned were consented to an IRB-approved protocol and
      randomized to receive either placebo (n = 84) or 0.1 mg/kg oxandrolone orally
      twice daily for 24 months (n = 35). Patients were followed prospectively from the
      time of admission until 5 years postburn in a single-center, intent-to-treat
      setting. Height, weight, BMC, and BMD were recorded annually through 5 years
      postinjury. The long-term administration of oxandrolone for 16 +/- 1 months
      postburn (range, 12.1-25.2 months) significantly increased whole-body (WB) BMC (p
      < 0.02) and lumbar spine (LS) BMC (p < 0.05); these effects were significantly
      pronounced for a longer time in patients who were in growth spurt years (7-18
      years). When adjusted for height, sex, and age, LS BMD was found to significantly
      increase with long-term oxandrolone administration (p < 0.0009). Fewer patients
      receiving oxandrolone exhibited LS BMD z scores below -2.0 as compared with
      controls, indicating a significantly reduced risk for future fracture with
      oxandrolone administration. Long-term oxandrolone patients had significantly
      greater height velocity than controls throughout the first 2-year postburn (p <
      0.05). No adverse side effects were attributed to the long-term administration of
      oxandrolone. A comparison of the current patients receiving long-term oxandrolone
      to previously described patients receiving 12 months of oxandrolone revealed that
      long-term oxandrolone administration imparted significantly greater increases in
      WB-BMC, WB-BMD, and LS-BMD (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the administration of
      oxandrolone for up to 24 months to severely burned pediatric patients
      significantly improves WB BMC, LS BMC, LS BMD, and height velocity. The
      administration of long-term oxandrolone was more efficacious than administration
      for 12 months. Additionally, fewer patients in the oxandrolone cohort met the
      diagnostic criteria for pediatric osteoporosis, pointing to a reduced risk for
      future bone fracture. This study demonstrates that administering oxandrolone for
      up to 2 years following severe burn injury results in greater improvements in
      BMC, BMD, and height velocity.

PMID- 26506073
TI  - The role of membrane curvature for the wrapping of nanoparticles.
AB  - Cellular internalization of nanoparticles requires the full wrapping of the
      nanoparticles by the cell membrane. This wrapping process can occur spontaneously
      if the adhesive interactions between the nanoparticles and the membranes are
      sufficiently strong to compensate for the cost of membrane bending. In this
      article, we show that the membrane curvature prior to wrapping plays a key role
      for the wrapping process, besides the size and shape of the nanoparticles that
      have been investigated in recent years. For membrane segments that initially
      bulge away from nanoparticles by having a mean curvature of the same sign as the
      mean curvature of the particle surface, we find strongly stable partially wrapped
      states that can prevent full wrapping. For membrane segments that initially bulge
      towards the nanoparticles, in contrast, partially wrapped states can constitute a
      significant energetic barrier for the wrapping process. 

PMID- 26506074
TI  - Technical Comment on "Saccadic eye movement performance as an indicator of
      driving ability in elderly drivers".

PMID- 26506076
TI  - Journal of oral rehabilitation: what's in a name?

PMID- 26506078
TI  - Lipid carbonyl groups terminate the hydrogen bond network of membrane-bound
      water.
AB  - We present a combined experimental sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy
      and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations study to clarify the structure and
      orientation of water at zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipid and amine N
      oxide (AO) surfactant monolayers. Simulated O-H stretch SFG spectra of water show
      good agreement with the experimental data. The SFG response at the PC interface
      exhibits positive peaks, whereas both negative and positive bands are present for
      the similar zwitterionic AO interface. The positive peaks at the water/PC
      interface are attributed to water interacting with the lipid carbonyl groups,
      which act as efficient hydrogen bond acceptors. This allows the water hydrogen
      bond network to reach, with its (up-oriented) O-H groups, into the headgroup of
      the lipid, a mechanism not available for water underneath the AO surfactant. This
      highlights the role of the lipid carbonyl group in the interfacial water
      structure at the membrane interface, namely, stabilizing the water hydrogen bond
      network. 

PMID- 26506079
TI  - Impact of number of [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose-PET-positive lymph nodes on
      survival of patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery for
      oesophageal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: [(18) F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET has been used to evaluate the
      response of primary tumours to neoadjuvant therapy for oesophageal cancer. The
      clinical significance of the number of PET-positive nodes before and after
      therapy has not been investigated previously. METHODS: [(18) F]FDG-PET was
      performed before and 2-3 weeks after completion of neoadjuvant chemotherapy to
      identify the number of PET-positive nodes, and these numbers were assessed in
      relation to metabolic changes in the primary tumour. RESULTS: Of 302 patients in
      total, 90 had no PET-positive nodes, 83 had one, 59 had two and 70 patients had
      three or more positive nodes before therapy. After treatment, the numbers were:
      none in 207 patients, one in 59, two in 20 and three or more in 16 patients. The
      number of PET-positive nodes after treatment was influenced by both the number of
      PET-positive nodes before therapy and the response to preoperative therapy, and
      correlated with the number of metastatic lymph nodes. Overall survival was longer
      in patients who had no PET-positive nodes after treatment than in those who had
      one or more. Multivariable analysis identified the numbers of PET-positive nodes
      before and after chemotherapy as independent prognostic factors, together with
      clinical response, tumour depth and lymph node involvement. CONCLUSION: The
      number of PET-positive nodes after treatment correlated with survival in patients
      with oesophageal cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

PMID- 26506080
TI  - Microfluidic Flow through Polyaniline Supported by Lamellar-Structured Graphene
      for Mass-Transfer-Enhanced Electrocatalytic Reduction of Hexavalent Chromium.
AB  - Owing to its high efficiency and environmental compatibility, electroreduction
      holds great promise for the detoxification of aqueous Cr(VI). However, the
      typical electroreduction system often shows poor mass transfer, which results in
      slow reduction kinetics and hence higher energy consumption. Here, we demonstrate
      a flow-through electrode of polyaniline supported on lamellar-structured graphene
      (LGS-PANI) for electrocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI). The reaction kinetics of the
      LGS-PANI flow-through electrodes are 6.4 times (at acidic condition) and 17.3
      times (at neutral condition) faster than traditional immersed parallel-plate
      electrodes. Computational fluid dynamics simulation suggests that the flow
      through mode greatly enhances the mass transfer and that the nanoscale convection
      induced by the PANI nanodots increases the nanoscale mass transport in the
      interfacial region of the electrode/solution. In situ Raman spectroscopy shows
      that the PANI-Cr(VI) redox reactions are dominated by the
      leucoemeraldine/emeraldine transition at 1.5 V cell voltage, which also
      remarkably contributes to the fast reaction kinetics. Using single-pass flow
      through mode, the LGS-PANI electrode reaches an average reduction efficiency of
      99.8% with residual Cr(VI) concentration of 22.3 ppb (initial [Cr(VI)] = 10 ppm,
      flux = 20 L h(-1) m(-2)). A long-term stability test shows that the LGS-PANI
      maintains stable performance over 40 days of operation and achieves >98%
      reduction efficiency, with average current efficiency of as high as 99.1%
      (initial [Cr(VI)] = 10 ppm, flux = 50 L h(-1) m(-2)). 

PMID- 26506081
TI  - Diterpenoid phytoalexin factor, a bHLH transcription factor, plays a central role
      in the biosynthesis of diterpenoid phytoalexins in rice.
AB  - Rice (Oryza sativa) produces diterpenoid phytoalexins (DPs), momilactones and
      phytocassanes as major phytoalexins. Accumulation of DPs is induced in rice by
      blast fungus infection, copper chloride or UV light. Here, we describe a rice
      transcription factor named diterpenoid phytoalexin factor (DPF), which is a basic
      helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor. The gene encoding DPF is expressed
      mainly in roots and panicles, and is inducible in leaves by blast infection,
      copper chloride or UV. Expression of all DP biosynthetic genes and accumulation
      of momilactones and phytocassanes were remarkably increased and decreased in DPF
      over-expressing and DPF knockdown rice, respectively. These results clearly
      demonstrated that DPF positively regulates DP accumulation via transcriptional
      regulation of DP biosynthetic genes, and plays a central role in the biosynthesis
      of DPs in rice. Furthermore, DPF activated the promoters of COPALYL DIPHOSPHATE
      SYNTHASE2 (CPS2) and CYTOCHROME P450 MONOOXYGENASE 99A2 (CYP99A2), whose products
      are implicated in the biosynthesis of phytocassanes and momilactones,
      respectively. Mutations in the N-boxes in the CPS2 upstream region, to which
      several animal bHLH transcription factors bind, decreased CPS2 transcription,
      indicating that DPF positively regulates CPS2 transcription through the N-boxes.
      In addition, DPF partly regulates CYP99A2 through the N-box. This study
      demonstrates that DPF acts as a master transcription factor in DP biosynthesis.

PMID- 26506082
TI  - What Should Junior Doctors Know about the Drugs they Frequently Prescribe? A
      Delphi Study among Physicians in the Netherlands.
AB  - The aim of this study was to identify the information about commonly prescribed
      drugs that junior doctors should know in order to prescribe rationally in daily
      practice, defined as essential drug knowledge (EDK). A two-round Internet Delphi
      study was carried out involving general practitioners from one practice cluster,
      and registrars and consultants from two Dutch academic and eight teaching
      hospitals. A preliminary list of 377 potential EDK items for three commonly
      prescribed drugs was assessed on a dichotomous scale; an item was considered EDK
      if at least 80% consensus was reached. The consensus list of EDK items was
      discussed by the research team to identify similarities between the three drugs,
      with a view to forming a list of general EDK items applicable to other commonly
      prescribed drugs. Sixty experts considered 93 of the 377 items (25%) as EDK.
      These items were then used to form a list of 10 general EDK items. The list of
      EDK items identified by primary and secondary care doctors could be used in
      medical curricula and training programmes and for assessing the prescribing
      competence of future junior doctors. Further research is needed to evaluate the
      generalizability of this list for other commonly prescribed drugs. 

PMID- 26506083
TI  - Saphenous Vein Graft Disease Is Associated with a Low Serum Erythropoietin Level.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To measure the serum erythropoietin (EPO) level in patients with
      saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) and to compare the EPO level in those with and
      without SVG disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study included 85 consecutive
      patients with a history of coronary artery bypass graft surgery that underwent
      elective coronary angiography. Patients with >30% stenosis (diseased grafts) in
      at least one saphenous graft were included in group 1 (diseased group: n = 40),
      and group 2 (nondiseased group: n = 45) consisted of patients without diseased
      SVGs. The EPO level was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
      using a commercially available ELISA kit; x03C7;2 test and independent samples t
      test were used where appropriate. Logistic regression was used for multivariate
      analysis. RESULTS: There were not any significant differences in age, gender, or
      cardiovascular risk factors between the two groups except for increased
      triglyceride and low high-density lipoprotein levels in group 2. The EPO level
      was significantly higher in the nondiseased SVG group than in the diseased SVG
      group (25.5 +/- 9.6 vs. 17.8 +/- 6.8 mU ml-1, p = 0.002). Multivariate logistic
      regression analysis showed that the serum EPO level was an independent predictor
      of SVG disease (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.06-1.24, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study,
      SVG disease was associated with a low serum EPO level, suggesting that a low EPO
      level could be predictive of and contributes to the pathophysiology of SVG
      disease.

PMID- 26506084
TI  - Optimized Silicon Electrode Architecture, Interface, and Microgeometry for Next
      Generation Lithium-Ion Batteries.
AB  - Optimized performance of silicon-ionic- liquid lithium-ion batteries through the
      implementation of a new electrode-microgeometry. The incorporation of 1D silicon
      nanowires into the cyclized-polyacrylonitrile-based electrode-architecture allows
      for greatly improved active material utilization, higher rate capabilities, and
      reduced interfacial reactions. 

PMID- 26506086
TI  - From Right to Sin: Laws on Infanticide in Antiquity.
AB  - This is the first of three papers investigating changes in infanticide
      legislation as indicators of the attitude of states towards the neonate. In
      ancient East Asian societies in which the bride's family had to pay an excessive
      dowry, selective female infanticide was the rule, despite formal interdiction by
      the law. In Greece and Rome children's lives had little value, and the father's
      rights included killing his own children. The proportion of men greatly exceeding
      that of women found in many cultures and epochs suggests that girls suffered
      infanticide more often than boys. A kind of social birth, the ritual right to
      survive, rested on the procedure of name giving in the Roman culture and on the
      start of oral feeding in the Germanic tradition. Legislative efforts to protect
      the newborn began with Trajan's 'alimentaria' laws in 103 CE and Constantine's
      laws following his conversion to Christianity in 313 CE. Malformed newborns were
      not regarded as human infants and were usually killed immediately after birth.
      Infanticide was formally outlawed in 374 CE by Emperor Valentinian. 

PMID- 26506085
TI  - Atorvastatin Reduces Circulating Osteoprogenitor Cells and T-Cell RANKL
      Expression in Osteoporotic Women: Implications for the Bone-Vascular Axis.
AB  - AIM: Circulating osteoprogenitors and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa
      B ligand (RANKL) expression in immune cells have been implicated in the
      pathogenesis of osteoporosis and vascular calcification. The role played by
      statin therapy in the bone-vascular axis is unknown. METHODS: Twenty naive
      postmenopausal osteoporotic hypercholesterolemic women were treated with
      Atorvastatin 40 mg/day for 3 months. Gene expression analysis was performed to
      assess modification in osteoprotegerin (OPG)/RANK/RANKL expression in isolated T
      cells and monocytes. A flow cytometry analysis was used to study changes in the
      levels of circulating osteoprogenitor cells. RESULTS: After 3 months of
      treatment, Atorvastatin significantly reduced total cholesterol and LDL-C,
      without affecting HDL-C and triglycerides. Among circulating bone and
      phosphocalcium homeostasis markers, we found a significant increase in OPG levels
      (P < 0.01) and a modest reduction in osteocalcin (OCN) (P < 0.05). We also
      observed a significant reduction in RANKL expression in T cells (P < 0.05). No
      differences were found in the expression of RANK in T cells and RANKL and RANK in
      monocytes. OPG expression was low in both immune cell types and was not affected
      by the treatment. As for circulating osteoprogenitors, we found a significant
      reduction of CD34(+) BAP(+) (P < 0.05) and CD34(+) OCN(+) BAP(+) (P < 0.05)
      cells. In vitro studies showed that Atorvastatin reduced RANKL expression in
      activated human T-lymphoblastoid cells (Jurkat cell line). CONCLUSIONS: Three
      month Atorvastatin treatment leads to a reduction in circulating osteoprogenitor
      cells and RANKL expression in T cells, as well as increase in OPG serum levels.
      These data suggest that statins could have protective effects in the bone
      vascular axis.

PMID- 26506087
TI  - MRI as a promising tool for evaluation of the stability of cosmetic emulsions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We have recently established a novel method to evaluate the emulsion
      stability of pharmaceutical skin cream. The key technology of the method is
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The purpose of this study was to verify the
      usefulness of the method in the cosmetic industry. METHODS: Milky lotion-type
      emulsions were employed as test samples. We note that the test samples were
      prepared by taking account of commercial milky lotions. After the sample
      preparation, a centrifugation treatment (5000 g for up to 120 min) was
      implemented to accelerate their destabilization processes. The centrifuged
      samples were monitored by using T2 relaxation time (T2 ) maps. Furthermore, the
      histograms generated from the T2 maps were analysed to investigate the
      destabilization process in more detail. In addition, small fractions of the upper
      and lower phases were collected from the centrifuged samples, and microscopic
      observations were conducted. RESULTS: T2 maps successfully visualized the
      destabilization process accompanying the centrifugation protocol. From the
      microscopic observations, it was clarified that the main mechanism of the
      destabilization process was creaming. The sensitivity of the T2 map to creaming
      was much superior to that of visible observation; the T2 map can detect a slight
      creaming that is not visible to the naked eye. In addition, the T2 map also
      enables the detection of slight reversible creaming-dispersion changes
      accompanied by a repeated centrifugation-vortexing treatment. By using the
      parameters derived from the histogram analysis, the creaming behaviour can be
      evaluated more precisely and more objectively. This study prepared emulsions
      containing different thickener contents and then compared their creaming
      behaviours. As a consequence of the analysis, we could fully evaluate the effect
      of thickener on the emulsion stability by the evaluation method. CONCLUSION: MRI
      is a promising tool for evaluation of the stability of cosmetic emulsions.

PMID- 26506088
TI  - Vascular Defects and Spinal Cord Hypoxia in Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a major inherited cause of infant
      death worldwide. It results from mutations in a single, ubiquitously expressed
      gene (SMN1), with loss of lower motor neurons being the primary pathological
      signature. Systemic defects have also been reported in SMA patients and animal
      models. We investigated whether defects associated with the vasculature
      contribute to motor neuron pathology in SMA. METHODS: Development and integrity
      of the capillary bed was examined in skeletal muscle and spinal cord of SMA mice,
      and muscle biopsies from SMA patients and controls, using quantitative
      morphometric approaches on immunohistochemically labeled tissue. Pimonidazole
      hydrochloride-based assays were used to identify functional hypoxia. RESULTS: The
      capillary bed in muscle and spinal cord was normal in presymptomatic SMA mice
      (postnatal day 1), but failed to match subsequent postnatal development in
      control littermates. At mid- and late-symptomatic time points, the extent of the
      vascular architecture observed in two distinct mouse models of SMA was ~50% of
      that observed in control animals. Skeletal muscle biopsies from human patients
      confirmed the presence of developmentally similar, significant vascular depletion
      in severe SMA. Hypovascularity in SMA mouse spinal cord was accompanied by
      significant functional hypoxia and defects in the blood-spinal cord barrier.
      INTERPRETATION: Our results indicate that vascular defects are a major feature of
      severe forms of SMA, present in both mouse models and patients, resulting in
      functional hypoxia of motor neurons. Thus, abnormal vascular development and
      resulting hypoxia may contribute to the pathogenesis of SMA.

PMID- 26506089
TI  - Targeting the Src Homology 2 (SH2) Domain of Signal Transducer and Activator of
      Transcription 6 (STAT6) with Cell-Permeable, Phosphatase-Stable Phosphopeptide
      Mimics Potently Inhibits Tyr641 Phosphorylation and Transcriptional Activity.
AB  - Signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) transmits signals from
      cytokines IL-4 and IL-13 and is activated in allergic airway disease. We are
      developing phosphopeptide mimetics targeting the SH2 domain of STAT6 to block
      recruitment to phosphotyrosine residues on IL-4 or IL-13 receptors and subsequent
      Tyr641 phosphorylation to inhibit the expression of genes contributing to asthma.
      Structure-affinity relationship studies showed that phosphopeptides based on
      Tyr631 from IL-4Ralpha bind with weak affinity to STAT6, whereas replacing the
      pY+3 residue with simple aryl and alkyl amides resulted in affinities in the mid
      to low nM range. A set of phosphatase-stable, cell-permeable prodrug analogues
      inhibited cytokine-stimulated STAT6 phosphorylation in both Beas-2B human airway
      cells and primary mouse T-lymphocytes at concentrations as low as 100 nM. IL-13
      stimulated expression of CCL26 (eotaxin-3) was inhibited in a dose-dependent
      manner, demonstrating that targeting the SH2 domain blocks both phosphorylation
      and transcriptional activity of STAT6.

PMID- 26506090
TI  - Impact of Whole-Body Radiation Dose on Response and Toxicity in Patients With
      Neuroblastoma After Therapy With 131 I-Metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG).
AB  - BACKGROUND: (131) I-metaiodobenzylguanidine ((131) I-MIBG) is a targeted
      radiopharmaceutical for patients with neuroblastoma. Despite its tumor-specific
      uptake, the treatment with (131) I-MIBG results in whole-body radiation exposure.
      Our aim was to correlate whole-body radiation dose (WBD) from (131) I-MIBG with
      tumor response, toxicities, and other clinical factors. METHODS: This
      retrospective cohort analysis included 213 patients with high-risk neuroblastoma
      treated with (131) I-MIBG at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital between 1996 and
      2015. WBD was determined from radiation exposure rate measurements. The
      relationship between WBD ordered tertiles and variables were analyzed using
      Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test of trend, Kruskal-Wallis test, and one-way analysis
      of variance. Correlation between WBD and continuous variables was analyzed using
      Pearson correlation and Spearman rank correlation. RESULTS: WBD correlated with
      (131) I-MIBG administered activity, particularly with (131) I-MIBG per kilogram
      (P < 0.001). Overall response rate did not differ significantly among the three
      tertiles of WBD. Correlation between response by relative Curie score and WBD was
      of borderline significance, with patients receiving a lower WBD showing greater
      reduction in osteomedullary metastases by Curie score (rs = 0.16, P = 0.049).
      There were no significant ordered trends among tertiles in any toxicity measures
      (grade 4 neutropenia, thrombocytopenia < 20,000/MUl, and grade > 1
      hypothyroidism). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that (131) I-MIBG activity per
      kilogram correlates with WBD and suggests that activity per kilogram will predict
      WBD in most patients. Within the range of activities prescribed, there was no
      correlation between WBD and either response or toxicity. Future studies should
      evaluate tumor dosimetry, rather than just WBD, as a tool for predicting response
      following therapy with (131) I-MIBG.

PMID- 26506091
TI  - Phase Formation Behavior in Ultrathin Iron Oxide.
AB  - Nanostructured iron oxides, and especially hematite, are interesting for a wide
      range of applications ranging from gas sensors to renewable solar hydrogen
      production. A promising method for deposition of low-dimensional films is atomic
      layer deposition (ALD). Although a potent technique, ALD of ultrathin films is
      critically sensitive to the substrate and temperature conditions where initial
      formation of islands and crystallites influences the properties of the films. In
      this work, deposition at the border of the ALD window forming a hybrid ALD/pulsed
      CVD (pCVD) deposition is utilized to obtain a deposition less sensitive to the
      substrate. A thorough analysis of iron oxide phases formation on two different
      substrates, Si(100) and SiO2, was performed. Films between 3 and 50 nm were
      deposited and analyzed with diffraction techniques, high-resolution Raman
      spectroscopy, and optical spectroscopy. Below 10 nm nominal film thickness,
      island formation and phase dependent particle crystallization impose constraints
      for deposition of phase pure iron oxides on non-lattice-matching substrates.
      Films between 10 and 20 nm thickness on SiO2 could effectively be recrystallized
      into hematite whereas for the corresponding films on Si(100), no
      recrystallization occurred. For films thicker than 20 nm, phase pure hematite can
      be formed directly with ALD/pCVD with very low influence of the substrate on
      either Si or SiO2. For more lattice matched substrates such as SnO2:F, Raman
      spectroscopy indicated formation of the hematite phase already for films with 3
      nm nominal thickness and clearly for 6 nm films. Analysis of the optical
      properties corroborated the analysis and showed a quantum confined blue-shift of
      the absorption edge for the thinnest films. 

PMID- 26506092
TI  - klf2ash317 Mutant Zebrafish Do Not Recapitulate Morpholino-Induced Vascular and
      Haematopoietic Phenotypes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The zinc-finger transcription factor Krupsilonppel
      like factor 2 (KLF2) transduces blood flow into molecular signals responsible for
      a wide range of responses within the vasculature. KLF2 maintains a healthy,
      quiescent endothelial phenotype. Previous studies report a range of phenotypes
      following morpholino antisense oligonucleotide-induced klf2a knockdown in
      zebrafish. Targeted genome editing is an increasingly applied method for
      functional assessment of candidate genes. We therefore generated a stable klf2a
      mutant zebrafish and characterised its cardiovascular and haematopoietic
      development. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using Transcription Activator-Like Effector
      Nucleases (TALEN) we generated a klf2a mutant (klf2ash317) with a 14bp deletion
      leading to a premature stop codon in exon 2. Western blotting confirmed loss of
      wild type Klf2a protein and the presence of a truncated protein in klf2ash317
      mutants. Homozygous klf2ash317 mutants exhibit no defects in vascular patterning,
      survive to adulthood and are fertile, without displaying previously described
      morphant phenotypes such as high-output cardiac failure, reduced haematopoetic
      stem cell (HSC) development or impaired formation of the 5th accessory aortic
      arch. Homozygous klf2ash317 mutation did not reduce angiogenesis in zebrafish
      with homozygous mutations in von Hippel Lindau (vhl), a form of angiogenesis that
      is dependent on blood flow. We examined expression of three klf family members in
      wildtype and klf2ash317 zebrafish. We detected vascular expression of klf2b (but
      not klf4a or biklf/klf4b/klf17) in wildtypes but found no differences in
      expression that might account for the lack of phenotype in klf2ash317 mutants.
      klf2b morpholino knockdown did not affect heart rate or impair formation of the
      5th accessory aortic arch in either wildtypes or klf2ash317 mutants. CONCLUSIONS:
      The klf2ash317 mutation produces a truncated Klf2a protein but, unlike morpholino
      induced klf2a knockdown, does not affect cardiovascular development.

PMID- 26506093
TI  - In Situ Localization and Rhythmic Expression of Ghrelin and ghs-r1 Ghrelin
      Receptor in the Brain and Gastrointestinal Tract of Goldfish (Carassius auratus).
AB  - Ghrelin is a gut-brain peptide hormone, which binds to the growth hormone
      secretagogue receptor (GHS-R) to regulate a wide variety of biological processes
      in fish. Despite these prominent physiological roles, no studies have reported
      the anatomical distribution of preproghrelin transcripts using in situ
      hybridization in a non-mammalian vertebrate, and its mapping within the different
      encephalic areas remains unknown. Similarly, no information is available on the
      possible 24-h variations in the expression of preproghrelin and its receptor in
      any vertebrate species. The first aim of this study was to investigate the
      anatomical distribution of ghrelin and GHS-R1a ghrelin receptor subtype in brain
      and gastrointestinal tract of goldfish (Carassius auratus) using
      immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Our second aim was to
      characterize possible daily variations of preproghrelin and ghs-r1 mRNA
      expression in central and peripheral tissues using real-time reverse
      transcription-quantitative PCR. Results show ghrelin expression and
      immunoreactivity in the gastrointestinal tract, with the most abundant signal
      observed in the mucosal epithelium. These are in agreement with previous findings
      on mucosal cells as the primary synthesizing site of ghrelin in goldfish. Ghrelin
      receptor was observed mainly in the hypothalamus with low expression in
      telencephalon, pineal and cerebellum, and in the same gastrointestinal areas as
      ghrelin. Daily rhythms in mRNA expression were found for preproghrelin and ghs-r1
      in hypothalamus and pituitary with the acrophase occurring at nighttime.
      Preproghrelin, but not ghs-r1a, displayed a similar daily expression rhythm in
      the gastrointestinal tract with an amplitude 3-fold higher than the rest of
      tissues. Together, these results described for the first time in fish the mapping
      of preproghrelin and ghrelin receptor ghs-r1a in brain and gastrointestinal tract
      of goldfish, and provide the first evidence for a daily regulation of both genes
      expression in such locations, suggesting a possible connection between the
      ghrelinergic and circadian systems in teleosts.

PMID- 26506094
TI  - Role of LRP1 and ERK and cAMP Signaling Pathways in Lactoferrin-Induced Lipolysis
      in Mature Rat Adipocytes.
AB  - Lactoferrin (LF) is a multifunctional glycoprotein present in milk. A clinical
      study showed that enteric-coated bovine LF tablets decrease visceral fat
      accumulation. Furthermore, animal studies revealed that ingested LF is partially
      delivered to mesenteric fat, and in vitro studies showed that LF promotes
      lipolysis in mature adipocytes. The aim of the present study was to determine the
      mechanism underlying the induction of lipolysis in mature adipocytes that is
      induced by LF. To address this question, we used proteomics techniques to analyze
      protein expression profiles. Mature adipocytes from primary cultures of rat
      mesenteric fat were collected at various times after exposure to LF. Proteomic
      analysis revealed that the expression levels of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL),
      which catalyzes the rate-limiting step of lipolysis, were upregulated and that
      HSL was activated by protein kinase A within 15 min after the cells were treated
      with LF. We previously reported that LF increases the intracellular concentration
      of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), suggesting that LF activates the cAMP
      signaling pathway. In this study, we show that the expression level and the
      activity of the components of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)
      signaling pathway were upregulated. Moreover, LF increased the activity of the
      transcription factor cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), which acts
      downstream in the cAMP and ERK signaling pathways and regulates the expression
      levels of adenylyl cyclase and HSL. Moreover, silencing of the putative LF
      receptor low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) attenuated
      lipolysis in LF-treated adipocytes. These results suggest that LF promoted
      lipolysis in mature adipocytes by regulating the expression levels of proteins
      involved in lipolysis through controlling the activity of cAMP/ERK signaling
      pathways via LRP1. 

PMID- 26506095
TI  - Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging of the Anatomic Variation of Thalamostriate Vein
      and Its Tributaries.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Thalamostriate vein (TSV) is an important tributary of
      the internal cerebral vein, which mainly drains the basal ganglia and deep
      medulla. The purpose of this study was to explore the anatomic variation and
      quality of TSV and its smaller tributaries using susceptibility-weighted imaging
      (SWI). METHODS: We acquired SWI images in 40 volunteers on a 3.0T MR system using
      an 8-channel high-resolution phased array coil. The frequencies of the TSV and
      its tributaries were evaluated. We classified TSV into types I (forming a venous
      angle) and II (forming a false venous angle). We classified anterior caudate vein
      (ACV)into types 1 (1 trunk) and 2 (2 trunks) as well as into types A
      (joiningTSV), B (joining anterior septal vein), and C (joining the angle of both
      veins). RESULTS: The TSV drains the areas of caudate nucleus, internal
      capsule,lentiform nucleus, external capsule, claustrum, extreme capsule and the
      white matter of the frontoparietal lobes,except thalamus. The frequencies of the
      TSV, ACV and transverse caudate vein (ACV) were 92.5%, 87.5% and 63.8%,
      respectively. We found TSV types I and II in 79.7%, and 20.3% with significantly
      different constitution ratios (P< 0.05). The most common types of ACV were type 1
      (90.0%) and type A (64.3%). CONCLUSION: The complex three-dimensional (3D) venous
      architecture of TSV and its small tributaries manifests great variation, with
      significant and practical implications for neurosurgery.

PMID- 26506096
TI  - Bacterial Species-Specific Activity of a Fluoroquinolone against Two Closely
      Related Pasteurellaceae with Similar MICs: Differential In Vitro Inoculum Effects
      and In Vivo Efficacies.
AB  - We investigated the antimicrobial activity of a fluoroquinolone against two
      genetically close bacterial species belonging to the Pasteurellaceae family. Time
      kill experiments were used to measure the in vitro activity of marbofloxacin
      against two strains of Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida with
      similar MICs. We observed that marbofloxacin was equally potent against 105
      CFU/mL inocula M. haemolytica and P. multocida. However, an inoculum effect was
      observed with P. multocida, meaning that marbofloxacin activity was decreased
      against a 108 CFU/mL inoculum, whereas no inoculum effect was observed with M.
      haemolytica. Marbofloxacin activity was also tested in a lung infection model
      with immunocompromised mice intratracheally infected with 109 CFU of each
      bacteria. At the same dose, the clinical and bacteriological outcomes were much
      better for mice infected with M. haemolytica than for those infected with P.
      multocida. Moreover, bacteriological eradication was obtained with a lower
      marbofloxacin dose for mice infected with M. haemolytica. Our results suggest
      that the differential in vivo marbofloxacin efficacy observed with the two
      bacterial species of similar MIC could be explained by a differential inoculum
      effect. Consequently, MICs determined on 105 CFU inocula were not predictive of
      the differences in antibiotic efficacies against high bacterial inocula of
      closely related bacterial strains. These results could stimulate further
      investigations on bacterial species-specific antibiotic doses in a clinical
      setting. 

PMID- 26506098
TI  - Perinatal outcomes with isolated oligohydramnios at term pregnancy.
AB  - AIMS: To compare the outcomes of term gestations with oligohydramnios in the
      absence of other underlying disorders and term gestations with normal amniotic
      fluid. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of obstetric outcomes in 27,708 term
      pregnancies. We compared three groups: labor induced because of oligohydramnios,
      spontaneous onset of labor with normal amniotic fluid, and labor induced because
      of late term pregnancy with normal amniotic fluid. We excluded pregnancies with
      maternal or fetal diseases or disorders potentially related with amniotic fluid
      alterations. The main outcome measures were mode of delivery, neonatal birth
      weight, umbilical artery blood pH, Apgar scores and neonatal discharge status.
      RESULTS: Compared to spontaneous labor, induction of labor because of
      oligohydramnios was associated with a higher risk of cesarean delivery and small
      size of the fetus for gestational age (SGA). Compared to induction because of
      late term pregnancy there were no significant differences in neonatal, although
      neonates had a higher risk of being SGA. CONCLUSION: The only perinatal outcome
      for which the risk was higher in term pregnancies with isolated oligohydramnios
      was SGA. The systematic induction of labor in these pregnancies should be
      questioned.

PMID- 26506099
TI  - Controversial ultrasound findings in mid trimester pregnancy. Evidence based
      approach.
AB  - Mid trimester fetal anatomy scan is a fundamental part of routine antenatal care.
      Some U/S soft markers or controversial U/S signs are seen during the scan and
      create some confusion regarding their relation to fetal chromosomal
      abnormalities. Example of these signs: echogenic focus in the heart, echogenic
      bowel, renal pyelectasis, ventriculomegaly, polydactely, club foot, choroid
      plexus cyst, single umbilical artery. We are presenting an evidence based
      approach from the literature for management of these controversial U/S signs. 

PMID- 26506100
TI  - On an extended interpretation of linkage disequilibrium in genetic case-control
      association studies.
AB  - We are concerned with statistical inference for 2 * C * K contingency tables in
      the context of genetic case-control association studies. Multivariate methods
      based on asymptotic Gaussianity of vectors of test statistics require information
      about the asymptotic correlation structure among these test statistics under the
      global null hypothesis. In the case of C=2, we show that for a wide variety of
      test statistics this asymptotic correlation structure is given by the
      standardized linkage disequilibrium matrix of the K loci under investigation.
      Three popular choices of test statistics are discussed for illustration. In the
      case of C=3, the standardized composite linkage disequilibrium matrix is the
      limiting correlation matrix of the K locus-specific Cochran-Armitage trend test
      statistics.

PMID- 26506097
TI  - Systematic Identification of Cyclic-di-GMP Binding Proteins in Vibrio cholerae
      Reveals a Novel Class of Cyclic-di-GMP-Binding ATPases Associated with Type II
      Secretion Systems.
AB  - Cyclic-di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is a ubiquitous bacterial signaling molecule that
      regulates a variety of complex processes through a diverse set of c-di-GMP
      receptor proteins. We have utilized a systematic approach to identify c-di-GMP
      receptors from the pathogen Vibrio cholerae using the Differential Radial
      Capillary Action of Ligand Assay (DRaCALA). The DRaCALA screen identified a
      majority of known c-di-GMP binding proteins in V. cholerae and revealed a novel c
      di-GMP binding protein, MshE (VC0405), an ATPase associated with the mannose
      sensitive hemagglutinin (MSHA) type IV pilus. The known c-di-GMP binding proteins
      identified by DRaCALA include diguanylate cyclases, phosphodiesterases, PilZ
      domain proteins and transcription factors VpsT and VpsR, indicating that the
      DRaCALA-based screen of open reading frame libraries is a feasible approach to
      uncover novel receptors of small molecule ligands. Since MshE lacks the canonical
      c-di-GMP-binding motifs, a truncation analysis was utilized to locate the c-di
      GMP binding activity to the N-terminal T2SSE_N domain. Alignment of MshE homologs
      revealed candidate conserved residues responsible for c-di-GMP binding. Site
      directed mutagenesis of these candidate residues revealed that the Arg9 residue
      is required for c-di-GMP binding. The ability of c-di-GMP binding to MshE to
      regulate MSHA dependent processes was evaluated. The R9A allele, in contrast to
      the wild type MshE, was unable to complement the DeltamshE mutant for the
      production of extracellular MshA to the cell surface, reduction in flagella
      swimming motility, attachment to surfaces and formation of biofilms. Testing
      homologs of MshE for binding to c-di-GMP identified the type II secretion ATPase
      of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA14_29490) as a c-di-GMP receptor, indicating that
      type II secretion and type IV pili are both regulated by c-di-GMP. 

PMID- 26506101
TI  - Continuity in drinking water supply.

PMID- 26506102
TI  - pMD-Membrane: A Method for Ligand Binding Site Identification in Membrane-Bound
      Proteins.
AB  - Probe-based or mixed solvent molecular dynamics simulation is a useful approach
      for the identification and characterization of druggable sites in drug targets.
      However, thus far the method has been applied only to soluble proteins. A major
      reason for this is the potential effect of the probe molecules on membrane
      structure. We have developed a technique to overcome this limitation that entails
      modification of force field parameters to reduce a few pairwise non-bonded
      interactions between selected atoms of the probe molecules and bilayer lipids. We
      used the resulting technique, termed pMD-membrane, to identify allosteric ligand
      binding sites on the G12D and G13D oncogenic mutants of the K-Ras protein bound
      to a negatively charged lipid bilayer. In addition, we show that differences in
      probe occupancy can be used to quantify changes in the accessibility of druggable
      sites due to conformational changes induced by membrane binding or mutation. 

PMID- 26506103
TI  - Specificity in Mesograzer-Induced Defences in Seagrasses.
AB  - Grazing-induced plant defences that reduce palatability to herbivores are
      widespread in terrestrial plants and seaweeds, but they have not yet been
      reported in seagrasses. We investigated the ability of two seagrass species to
      induce defences in response to direct grazing by three associated mesograzers.
      Specifically, we conducted feeding-assayed induction experiments to examine how
      mesograzer-specific grazing impact affects seagrass induction of defences within
      the context of the optimal defence theory. We found that the amphipod Gammarus
      insensibilis and the isopod Idotea chelipes exerted a low-intensity grazing on
      older blades of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa, which reflects a weak grazing
      impact that may explain the lack of inducible defences. The isopod Synischia
      hectica exerted the strongest grazing impact on C. nodosa via high-intensity
      feeding on young blades with a higher fitness value. This isopod grazing induced
      defences in C. nodosa as indicated by a consistently lower consumption of blades
      previously grazed for 5, 12 and 16 days. The lower consumption was maintained
      when offered tissues with no plant structure (agar-reconstituted food), but
      showing a reduced size of the previous grazing effect. This indicates that
      structural traits act in combination with chemical traits to reduce seagrass
      palatability to the isopod. Increase in total phenolics but not in C:N ratio and
      total nitrogen of grazed C. nodosa suggests chemical defences rather than a
      modified nutritional quality as primarily induced chemical traits. We detected no
      induction of defences in Zostera noltei, which showed the ability to replace
      moderate losses of young biomass to mesograzers via compensatory growth. Our
      study provides the first experimental evidence of induction of defences against
      meso-herbivory that reduce further consumption in seagrasses. It also emphasizes
      the relevance of grazer identity in determining the level of grazing impact
      triggering resistance and compensatory responses of different seagrass species. 

PMID- 26506104
TI  - Assessing the Capacity of Plant Species to Accumulate Particulate Matter in
      Beijing, China.
AB  - Air pollution causes serious problems in spring in northern China; therefore,
      studying the ability of different plants to accumulate particulate matter (PM) at
      the beginning of the growing season may benefit urban planners in their attempts
      to control air pollution. This study evaluated deposits of PM on the leaves and
      in the wax layer of 35 species (11 shrubs, 24 trees) in Beijing, China.
      Differences in the accumulation of PM were observed between species. Cephalotaxus
      sinensis, Euonymus japonicus, Broussonetia papyriferar, Koelreuteria paniculata
      and Quercus variabilis were all efficient in capturing small particles. The
      plants exhibiting high amounts of total PM accumulation (on leaf surfaces and/or
      in the wax layer), also showed comparatively high levels of PM accumulation
      across all particle sizes. A comparison of shrubs and trees did not reveal
      obvious differences in their ability to accumulate particles based on growth
      form; a combination of plantings with different growth forms can efficiently
      reduce airborne PM concentrations near the ground. To test the relationships
      between leaf traits and PM accumulation, leaf samples of selected species were
      observed using a scanning electron microscope. Growth forms with greater amounts
      of pubescence and increased roughness supported PM accumulation; the adaxial leaf
      surfaces collected more particles than the abaxial surfaces. The results of this
      study may inform the selection of species for urban green areas where the goal is
      to capture air pollutants and mitigate the adverse effects of air pollution on
      human health. 

PMID- 26506105
TI  - Expression of Beclin Family Proteins Is Associated with Tumor Progression in Oral
      Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Beclin 1 and Beclin 2 are autophagy-related proteins that show
      similar amino acid sequences and domain structures. Beclin 1 established the
      first connection between autophagy and cancer. However, the role of Beclin 2 in
      cancer is unclear. The aims of this study were to analyze Beclin 1 and Beclin 2
      expressions in oral cancer tissues and in cell lines, and to evaluate their
      possible roles in cancer progression. METHODS: We investigated Beclin 1 and
      Beclin 2 expressions by immunohistochemistry in 195 cases of oral cancer. The
      prognostic roles of Beclin 1 and Beclin 2 were analyzed statistically. In vitro,
      overexpression and knockdown of Beclin proteins were performed on an oral cancer
      cell line, SAS. The immunofluorescence and autophagy flux assays confirmed that
      Beclin proteins were involved in autophagy. The impacts of Beclin 1 and Beclin 2
      on autophagy and tumor growth were evaluated by conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II and
      by clonogenic assays, respectively. RESULTS: Oral cancer tissues exhibited
      aberrant expressions of Beclin 1 and Beclin 2. The cytoplasmic Beclin 1 and
      Beclin 2 expressions were unrelated in oral cancer tissues. In survival analyses,
      high cytoplasmic Beclin 1 expression was associated with low disease specific
      survival, and negative nuclear Beclin 1 expression was associated with high
      recurrent free survival. Patients with either high or low cytoplasmic Beclin 2
      expression had significantly lower overall survival and disease specific survival
      rates than those with moderate expression. In oral cancer cells, overexpression
      of either Beclin 1 or Beclin 2 led to autophagy activation and increased
      clonogenic survival; knockdown of Beclin 2 impaired autophagy and increased
      clonogenic survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that distinct patterns of
      Beclin 1 and Beclin 2 were associated with aggressive clinical outcomes. Beclin 1
      overexpression, as well as Beclin 2 overexpression and depletion, contributed to
      tumor growth. These findings suggest Beclin proteins are associated with
      tumorigenesis.

PMID- 26506106
TI  - Clinical Report on the First Prototype of a Photoacoustic Tomography System with
      Dual Illumination for Breast Cancer Imaging.
AB  - Photoacoustic tomography is a recently developed imaging modality that can
      provide high spatial-resolution images of hemoglobin distribution in tissues such
      as the breast. Because breast cancer is an angiogenesis-dependent type of
      malignancy, we evaluated the clinical acceptability of breast tissue images
      produced using our first prototype photoacoustic mammography (PAM) system in
      patients with known cancer. Post-excisionally, histological sections of the
      tumors were stained immunohistochemically (IHC) for CD31 (an endothelial marker)
      and carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) (a marker of hypoxia). Whole-slide scanning and
      image analyses were used to evaluate the tumor microvessel distribution pattern
      and to calculate the total vascular perimeter (TVP)/area for each lesion. In this
      clinical study, 42 lesions were primarily scanned using PAM preoperatively, three
      of which were reported to be benign and were excluded from statistical analysis.
      Images were produced for 29 out of 39 cancers (visibility rate = 74.4%) at the
      median depth of 26.5 (3.25-51.2) mm. Age, menopausal status, body mass index,
      history of neoadjuvant treatment, clinical stage and histological tumor
      angiogenesis markers did not seem to affect the visibility. The oxygen saturation
      level in all of the measured lesions was lower than in the subcutaneous
      counterpart vessels (Wilcoxon test, p value<0.001), as well as in the counterpart
      contralateral normal breast region of interest (ROI) (Wilcoxon test, p value =
      0.001). Although the oxygen saturation level was not statistically significant
      between CAIX-positive vs. -negative cases, lesional TVP/area showed a positive
      correlation with the oxygen saturation level only in the group that had received
      therapy before PAM. In conclusion, the vascular and oxygenation data obtained by
      PAM have great potential for identifying functional features of breast tumors. 

PMID- 26506107
TI  - Influence of Phosphatidylcholine and Calcium on Self-Association and Bile Salt
      Mixed Micellar Binding of the Natural Bile Pigment, Bilirubin Ditaurate.
AB  - Recently [Neubrand, M. W., et al. (2015) Biochemistry 54, 1542-1557], we
      determined a concentration-dependent monomer-dimer-tetramer equilibrium in
      aqueous bilirubin ditaurate (BDT) solutions and explored the nature of high
      affinity binding of BDT monomers with monomers and micelles of the common taurine
      conjugated bile salts (BS). We now investigate, employing complementary
      physicochemical methods, including fluorescence emission spectrophotometry and
      quasi-elastic light scattering spectroscopy, the influence of phosphatidylcholine
      (PC), the predominant phospholipid of bile and calcium, the major divalent
      biliary cation, on these self-interactions and heterointeractions. We have used
      short-chain, lyso and long-chain PC species as models and contrasted our results
      with those of parallel studies employing unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) as the
      fully charged dianion. Both bile pigments interacted with the zwitterionic
      headgroup of short-chain lecithins, forming water-soluble (BDT) and insoluble ion
      pair complexes (UCB), respectively. Upon micelle formation, BDT monomers
      apparently remained at the headgroup mantle of short-chain PCs, but the ion pairs
      with UCB became internalized within the micelle's hydrophobic core. BDT
      interacted with the headgroups of unilamellar egg yolk (EY) PC vesicles; however,
      with the simultaneous addition of CaCl2, a reversible aggregation took place, but
      not vesicle fusion. With mixed EYPC/BS micelles, BDT became bound to the
      hydrophilic surface (as with simple BS micelles), and in turn, both BDT and BS
      bound calcium, but not other divalent cations. The calcium complexation of BDT
      and BS was enhanced strongly with increases in micellar EYPC, suggesting calcium
      mediated cross-bridging of hydrophilic headgroups at the micelle's surface.
      Therefore, the physicochemical binding of BDT to BS in an artificial bile medium
      is influenced not only by BS species and concentration but also by long-chain PCs
      and calcium ions that exert a specific rather than a counterion effect. This work
      should serve as a physicochemical template for studies with other conjugated
      bilirubins, including bilirubin diglucuronoside (BDG), the principal bilirubin
      conjugate (cBR) in human bile. 

PMID- 26506109
TI  - Electronic Transport and Possible Superconductivity at Van Hove Singularities in
      Carbon Nanotubes.
AB  - Van Hove singularities (VHSs) are a hallmark of reduced dimensionality, leading
      to a divergent density of states in one and two dimensions and predictions of new
      electronic properties when the Fermi energy is close to these divergences. In
      carbon nanotubes, VHSs mark the onset of new subbands. They are elusive in
      standard electronic transport characterization measurements because they do not
      typically appear as notable features and therefore their effect on the nanotube
      conductance is largely unexplored. Here we report conductance measurements of
      carbon nanotubes where VHSs are clearly revealed by interference patterns of the
      electronic wave functions, showing both a sharp increase of quantum capacitance,
      and a sharp reduction of energy level spacing, consistent with an upsurge of
      density of states. At VHSs, we also measure an anomalous increase of conductance
      below a temperature of about 30 K. We argue that this transport feature is
      consistent with the formation of Cooper pairs in the nanotube. 

PMID- 26506108
TI  - Differentiation of G:C vs A:T and G:C vs G:mC Base Pairs in the Latch Zone of
      alpha-Hemolysin.
AB  - The alpha-hemolysin (alpha-HL) nanopore can detect DNA strands under an
      electrophoretic force via many regions of the channel. Our laboratories
      previously demonstrated that trapping duplex DNA in the vestibule of wild-type
      alpha-HL under force could distinguish the presence of an abasic site compared to
      a G:C base pair positioned in the latch zone at the top of the vestibule. Herein,
      a series of duplexes were probed in the latch zone to establish if this region
      can detect more subtle features of base pairs beyond the complete absence of a
      base. The results of these studies demonstrate that the most sensitive region of
      the latch can readily discriminate duplexes in which one G:C base pair is
      replaced by an A:T. Additional experiments determined that while neither 8-oxo
      7,8-dihydroguanine nor 7-deazaguanine opposite C could be differentiated from a
      G:C base pair, in contrast, the epigenetic marker 5-methylcytosine, when present
      in both strands of the duplex, yielded new blocking currents when compared to
      strands with unmodified cytosine. The results are discussed with respect to
      experimental design for utilization of the latch zone of alpha-HL to probe
      specific regions of genomic samples. 

PMID- 26506110
TI  - Stereotactic anatomical localization in complex sinus surgery: A systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: It is recognized that stereotactic anatomical localization (SAL) is a
      useful tool in endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS), but it may be most beneficial for
      complex rather than routine sinus procedures. This review sought to determine the
      safety and efficacy of SAL in complex indications for ESS. DATA SOURCES: PubMed,
      EMBASE, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, and the Cochrane Library were
      searched from inception up to April 4, 2014. REVIEW METHODS: English studies
      comparing ESS with and without SAL in complex cases were included. Complex
      surgery included revision surgery, inverted papilloma, extensive sinus disease,
      or biopsy of tumors that are not exophytic. Safety outcomes included total,
      major, minor, orbital, dural, and major hemorrhage complications. Efficacy
      outcomes included operation completion, revision surgery, and patient-reported
      outcomes. Meta-analysis generated fixed-effects Mantel-Haenszel odds ratios (OR)
      and confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: A total of 2,381 studies were identified,
      of which nine met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analyses indicated a reduction in
      the likelihood of total (OR = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.37-0.92), major (OR = 0.36; 95% CI,
      0.18-0.75), and orbital complications (OR = 0.38; 95% CI, 0.17-0.83). There was
      no demonstrated benefit of SAL at reducing revision surgery (OR = 0.64; 95% CI,
      0.38-1.08), major hemorrhage (OR = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.29-2.06), or minor
      complications (OR = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.48-1.50). CONCLUSION: Due to the rare
      outcomes under investigation, the included primary studies largely lacked the
      power to identify a statistically meaningful effect of SAL in ESS. However, meta
      analyses of primary studies demonstrated a decreased likelihood of total, major,
      and orbital complications in complex ESS with the use of SAL.

PMID- 26506111
TI  - Optical Biosensors for the Detection of Pathogenic Microorganisms.
AB  - Pathogenic microorganisms are causative agents of various infectious diseases
      that are becoming increasingly serious worldwide. For the successful treatment of
      pathogenic infection, the rapid and accurate detection of multiple pathogenic
      microorganisms is of great importance in all areas related to health and safety.
      Among various sensor systems, optical biosensors allow easy-to-use, rapid,
      portable, multiplexed, and cost-effective diagnosis. Here, we review current
      trends and advances in pathogen-diagnostic optical biosensors. The technological
      and methodological approaches underlying diverse optical-sensing platforms and
      methods for detecting pathogenic microorganisms are reviewed, together with the
      strengths and drawbacks of each technique. Finally, challenges in developing
      efficient optical biosensor systems and future perspectives are discussed. 

PMID- 26506112
TI  - Optimizing the Mass-Specific Activity of Bilirubin Oxidase Adlayers through
      Combined Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance and Dual Polarization
      Interferometry Analyses.
AB  - Two surface analysis techniques, dual polarization interferometry (DPI) and
      analysis by an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation
      capability (E-QCM-D), were paired to find the deposition conditions that give the
      highest and most stable electrocatalytic activity per adsorbed mass of enzyme.
      Layers were formed by adsorption from buffered solutions of bilirubin oxidase
      from Myrothecium verrucaria at pH 6.0 to planar surfaces, under high enzyme
      loading (>=1 mg mL(-1)) for contact periods of up to 2 min. Both unmodified and
      carboxylate-functionalized gold-coated sensors showed that a deposition solution
      concentration of 10-25 mg mL(-1) gave the highest activity per mass of adsorbed
      enzyme with an effective catalytic rate constant (k(cat)) of about 60 s(-1). The
      densification of adsorbed layers observed by DPI correlated with reduced
      bioactivity observed by parallel E-QCM-D measurements. Postadsorption changes in
      thickness and density observed by DPI were incorporated into Kelvin-Voigt models
      of the QCM-D response. The modeled response matched experimental observations
      when the adlayer viscosity tripled after adsorption.

PMID- 26506114
TI  - Dividing the Janus vasculitis? Pathophysiology of eosinophilic granulomatosis
      with polyangitis.
AB  - Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangitis (EGPA) is a rare small- and medium
      sized vessel vasculitis belonging to the group of anti-neutrophil cytoplasm
      antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAV). It is commonly divided into two
      phenotypes depending on the presence of ANCAs targeting myeloperoxidase (MPO).
      MPO-ANCAs are present in 31% to 38% of patients and are associated with a
      vasculitis phenotype of the disease, whereas patients without MPO-ANCA are at
      risk of cardiac involvement. Despite significant advances in understanding the
      overall pathogenesis of the disease, the explanation for this dichotomy is still
      unclear. In this review, we synthesize our knowledge of the pathogenesis of EGPA
      and attempt to i) distinguish EGPA from other diseases including other AAVs,
      asthma, allergy and hypereosinophilic-associated conditions and ii) speculate
      about the preponderant mechanisms, which could explain the two disease
      phenotypes. 

PMID- 26506113
TI  - miRNA-182 and the regulation of the glioblastoma phenotype - toward miRNA-based
      precision therapeutics.
AB  - Glioblastoma (GBM) is an incurable cancer, with survival rates of just 14-16
      months after diagnosis. (1) Functional genomics have identified numerous genetic
      events involved in GBM development. One of these, the deregulation of microRNAs
      (miRNAs), has been attracting increasing attention due to the multiple biologic
      processes that individual miRNAs influence. Our group has been studying the role
      of miR-182 in GBM progression, therapy resistance, and its potential as GBM
      therapeutic. Oncogenomic analyses revealed that miR-182 is the only miRNA, out of
      470 miRNAs profiled by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) program, which is
      associated with favorable patient prognosis, neuro-developmental context,
      temozolomide (TMZ) susceptibility, and most significantly expressed in the least
      aggressive oligoneural subclass of GBM. miR-182 sensitized glioma cells to TMZ
      induced apoptosis, promoted glioma initiating cell (GIC) differentiation, and
      reduced tumor cell proliferation via knockdown of Bcl2L12, c-Met and HIF2A. (2)
      To deliver miR-182 to intracranial gliomas, we have characterized Spherical
      Nucleic Acids covalently functionalized with miR-182 sequences (182-SNAs). Upon
      systemic administration, 182-SNAs crossed the blood-brain/blood-tumor barrier
      (BBB/BTB), reduced tumor burden, and increased animal subject survival. (2-4)
      Thus, miR-182-based SNAs represent a tool for systemic delivery of miRNAs and a
      novel approach for the precision treatment of malignant brain cancers. 

PMID- 26506115
TI  - Clinical impact of prostate specific antigen (PSA) inter-assay variability on
      management of prostate cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the inter-assay variability of six commercially available
      prostate specific antigen (PSA) assays, its clinical impact in prostate cancer
      (PCa) and comparison of automated versus manual assays. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Sera from 495 patients (425 with PCa and 70 men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
      (BPH), were measured with six different assays [three automated assays (a-PSA)
      and three manual ELISA based assay (m-PSA)]. Variability, agreement and bias were
      measured and compared among assays using Bland Altman plots and Passing and
      Bablok regression analysis. The possible impact of inter-assay variability on
      important clinical scenarios was also studied. RESULTS: All the assays were well
      correlated (r: 0.88-0.98); however there was significant disagreement and bias
      between the systems, which were more pronounced among the a-PSA assays. The Bland
      Altman plot showed that the variability was high between the m-PSA assays and the
      standard Abbott system with mean difference of 3.8-5.8ng/ml. In contrast, the a
      PSA had better agreement with mean difference of 0.8-2.3ng/ml. Beckman Coulter
      showed the best agreement to the institutional reference (slope-1.097; 95% CI:
      1.06-1.14; p<0.05, and intercept-0.20; 95% CI-0.38-0.58; p<0.05, Passing Bablok).
      It led to significant variability in PCa risk stratification and failure to
      detect biochemical failure in more than 50% cases. CONCLUSIONS: The discrepancies
      between the assays lead to significant clinical misinterpretation with risk group
      migration and detection of biochemical failure post radiotherapy. There are
      significant discordances between automated and ELISA based assays.

PMID- 26506117
TI  - Comparison of the Liaison(r) Calprotectin kit with a well established point of
      care test (Quantum Blue - Buhlmann-Alere(r)) in terms of analytical performances
      and ability to detect relapses amongst a Crohn population in follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although colonoscopy associated with histopathological sampling
      remains the gold standard in the diagnostic and follow-up of inflammatory bowel
      disease (IBD), calprotectin is becoming an essential biomarker in
      gastroenterology. The aim of this work is to compare a newly developed kit
      (Liaison(r) Calprotectin - Diasorin(r)) and its two distinct extraction protocols
      (weighing and extraction device protocol) with a well established point of care
      test (Quantum Blue(r) - Buhlmann-Alere(r)) in terms of analytical performances
      and ability to detect relapses amongst a Crohn's population in follow-up.
      METHODS: Stool specimens were collected over a six month period and were composed
      of control and Crohn's patients. Amongst the Crohn's population disease activity
      (active vs quiescent) was evaluated by gastroenterologists. RESULTS: A
      significant difference was found between all three procedures in terms of
      calprotectin measurements (weighing protocol=30.3MUg/g (median); stool extraction
      device protocol=36.9MUg/g (median); Quantum Blue(r) (median)=63; Friedman test, P
      value=0.05). However, a good correlation was found between both extraction
      methods coupled with the Liaison(r) analyzer and between the Quantum Blue(r)
      (weighing protocol/extraction device protocol Rs=0.844, P=0.01; Quantum
      Blue(r)/extraction device protocol Rs=0.708, P=0.01; Quantum Blue(r)/weighing
      protocol, Rs=0.808, P=0.01). Finally, optimal cut-offs (and associated negative
      predictive values - NPV) for detecting relapses were in accordance with above
      results (Quantum Blue(r) 183.5MUg/g and NPV of 100%>extraction device
      protocol+Liaison(r) analyzer 124.5MUg/g and NPV of 93.5%>weighing
      protocol+Liaison(r) analyzer 106.5MUg/g and NPV of 95%). CONCLUSIONS: Although
      all three methods correlated well and had relatively good NPV in terms of
      detecting relapses amongst a Crohn's population in follow-up, the lack of any
      international standard is the origin of different optimal cut-offs between the
      three procedures.

PMID- 26506116
TI  - Skin collagen pentosidine and fluorescence in diabetes were predictors of
      retinopathy progression and creatininemia increase already 6years after punch
      biopsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) of collagens appear to
      contribute to microvascular complications in diabetes. Do high concentrations of
      AGEs in skin collagen predict accelerated progression of these complications
      after 6 years and indicate the need for tighter anti-diabetic treatment? DESIGN
      AND METHODS: We measured two AGE parameters in collagen extracted from skin punch
      biopsies: pentosidine and fluorescence at 370/440nm, as markers and predictors of
      microvascular complications, in 30 patients with diabetes (14 type-1, 16 type-2)
      without renal insufficiency, and in age- and gender-matched normoglycemic
      controls, followed at Hotel-Dieu in Paris. RESULTS: At the time of biopsy, marked
      increases in pentosidine (p=0.0014) and fluorescence (p=0.0001) expressed per
      collagen hydroxyproline, were found in the patients with diabetes versus the
      controls. A significant effect of age was found for pentosidine, but not
      fluorescence, measurements in the normoglycemic controls. Therefore pentosidine
      but not fluorescence results were corrected for age in the patients. Pentosidine
      and fluorescence were correlated with diabetes duration. Fluorescence was
      significantly dependent on retinopathy presence and score in type-1 and type-2
      diabetes, whereas pentosidine was not. Fluorescence was correlated with
      microalbuminuria only in type-1 diabetes. Neither fluorescence nor pentosidine
      were correlated with creatininemia. Already six years after biopsy, retinopathy
      score progression and creatininemia increase were significantly correlated with
      initial pentosidine and fluorescence measurements. CONCLUSIONS: These AGEs are
      good predictors of progression of microvascular complications and appear to be
      pathogenic. High skin concentrations of AGEs should induce tighter anti-diabetic
      treatment.

PMID- 26506118
TI  - Cystatin-C levels in healthy children and adolescents: Influence of age, gender,
      body mass index and blood pressure.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cystatin-C is considered a more sensitive and specific marker of
      kidney function than creatinine since it can diagnose patients with earlier-stage
      of renal dysfunction. The aim of this study is to determine the levels of
      Cystatin-C in healthy children and adolescents as well as any correlations to
      age, gender, body-mass index (BMI) and blood pressure (BP). DESIGN AND METHODS:
      Cystatin-C was measured in 536 healthy Greek children and adolescents (295 males
      and 241 females) using a nephelometric immunoassay. Additionally, the age, body
      mass index and blood pressure was recorded for each subject. RESULTS: Overall,
      the mean serum Cystatin-C level was 0.79 +/- 0.10 mg/L. Cystatin-C was found to
      be statistically significantly lower in females than in males (p < 0.001) as well
      as in prepubertal children compared to adolescents (p < 0.001). Higher values of
      Cystatin-C were observed in subjects with increased BMI (p < 0.001). Neither
      systolic nor diastolic blood pressure was found to significantly affect Cystatin
      C levels. CONCLUSIONS: The levels of Cystatin-C were statistically significantly
      higher in males, compared to age-matched females and also positively correlated
      with age and BMI.

PMID- 26506119
TI  - "Oh the weather outside is frightful": Severe injury secondary to falls while
      installing residential Christmas lights.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Falls are an increasingly common source of severe traumatic injury.
      They now account for approximately 40% of both overall trauma volumes and injury
      related deaths within Canada. In northern climates, the risk of all types of
      falls may increase during the fall/winter months when conditions become
      increasingly dangerous. The purpose of this study was to define the injury and
      patient demographics of severe trauma that occurs during falls associated with
      the installation of Christmas lights. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients who were
      admitted to a referral level 1 trauma center (2002-2012) with severe injuries
      (ISS>=12) caused during Christmas light installation were retrospectively
      reviewed. Standard statistical methodology was utilised (p<0.05=significant).
      RESULTS: A total of 40 patients were severely injured (95% male; mean age=55
      years; mean ISS=25.7 (range: 12-75)) while installing Christmas lights. Injuries
      included: neurologic (68%), thoracic (68%), spinal (43%), extremity (40%), and
      multiple other sites. Fall mechanisms were: ladder (65%), roof (30%), ground (3%)
      and railing (3%). Interventions included intubation and critical care (20%), as
      well as orthopaedic and neurosurgical operative repairs (30%). The median length
      of hospital stay was 15.6 days (range: 2-165). The fall-related morbidity (28%)
      and mortality (5%) were significant with a total of 12.5% patients requiring
      transfer to a long-term care or rehabilitation facility. CONCLUSIONS: Falls while
      installing Christmas lights during the fall/winter seasons can result in severe
      life-altering injuries with considerable morbidity and mortality. Caution should
      be employed when installing lights at any height.

PMID- 26506120
TI  - Synthesis of Benzofuro- and Indolo[3,2-b]indoles via Palladium-Catalyzed Double N
      Arylation and Their Physical Properties.
AB  - Two kinds of ladder-type pi-conjugated compounds, benzofuro[3,2-b]indoles (BFIs)
      and indolo[3,2-b]indoles (IIs), were successfully synthesized using palladium
      catalyzed double N-arylation of anilines with the corresponding dihalobiaryls.
      Photophysical properties were evaluated by UV-vis and photoluminescence
      spectroscopies and theoretical calculations. BFI derivatives showed higher
      quantum yields (33-39%) than the II derivative (29%). The absorption bands of the
      II derivative were more red-shifted compared to BFI derivatives. 

PMID- 26506121
TI  - Prevalence of Myocardial Bridging in Patients With Myocardial Infarction and
      Nonobstructed Coronary Arteries.
AB  - Mechanisms of acute myocardial infarction and nonobstructed coronary arteries
      (MINOCA) are incompletely understood. Myocardial bridging (MB) is usually
      considered a benign congenital variant, but serious complications have been
      reported. MB has also been proposed as a cause of takotsubo syndrome (TS). We
      aimed to examine whether MB was more frequent in patients with MINOCA or TS than
      in age- and gender-matched controls and to compare the MB detection rates of
      coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) and invasive coronary angiography
      (ICA). Patients with MINOCA (n = 57) and age- and gender-matched controls (n =
      58), aged 45 to 70 were enrolled. Myocarditis was excluded by cardiovascular
      magnetic resonance imaging. Patients with TS (n = 15) were considered as a
      subgroup and therefore not excluded. Patients with MINOCA underwent ICA and all
      study participants underwent coronary CTA. All examinations were reviewed with
      focus on MB. Among 57 MINOCA patients, 15 MINOCA patients with TS and 58
      controls, MB was demonstrated in 28 patients (49%), 8 patients (53%), and 26
      patients (45%), respectively. There were no statistically significant differences
      regarding the prevalence of MB or the type, location, length, or thickness of MB.
      There was a statistically significant difference (p <0.01) between the detection
      rates of coronary CTA and ICA that demonstrated MB in 54 subjects (47%) and 13
      subjects (23%), respectively. In conclusion, MB was frequent with a similar
      prevalence in patients with MINOCA, patients with TS and controls. This suggests
      that there is no causal link between MB and MINOCA or TS. Furthermore, coronary
      CTA detects MB at a significantly higher rate than ICA.

PMID- 26506122
TI  - Impact of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease on Myocardial Perfusion in Nondiabetic
      Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-Segment
      Elevation Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - Limited data exist on the role of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (FLD) as a
      potential independent risk factor in the setting of acute coronary syndromes. The
      aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of FLD on myocardial perfusion and
      inhospital major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in the setting of ST-elevation
      myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary
      intervention (PCI). We examined 186 consecutive nondiabetic patients (mean age 58
      +/- 11 years and 76% men) who underwent primary PCI for STEMI by ultrasound
      within 72 hours of admission. FLD was graded according to a semiquantitative
      severity score as mild (score <3) or moderate to severe (score >=3). Myocardial
      perfusion was determined by measuring myocardial blush grade (MBG) and ST-segment
      resolution (STR) analysis. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to FLD
      score (<3 or >=3). There were no differences with regard to postprocedural
      Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction 3 flow grade between the 2 groups (89% vs
      83%, p = 0.201). Patients with FLD score >=3 were more likely to have absent
      myocardial perfusion (MBG 0/1, 37% vs 12%, p <0.0001), absent STR (27% vs 9%, p =
      0.001), and higher inhospital MACE rate (31% vs 8%, p <0.0001). By multivariate
      analysis, FLD >=3 score was found to be an independent predictor of absent MBG
      0/1 (odds ratio [OR] 2.856, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.214 to 6.225, p =
      0.033), absent STR (OR 2.862, 95% CI 1.242 to 6.342, p = 0.031), and inhospital
      MACE (OR 2.454, 95% CI 1.072 to 4.872, p = 0.048). In conclusion, we found that
      despite similar high rates of Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction 3 after
      primary PCI, patients with FLD score >=3 are more likely to have impaired
      myocardial perfusion which may contribute to adverse inhospital outcome.

PMID- 26506123
TI  - A novel isocoumarin with anti-influenza virus activity from Strobilanthes cusia.
AB  - Strobilanthes A (1), a novel isocoumarin with an unusual tetrahydro-4H-pyran-4
      one moiety fused isocoumarin core skeleton, together with a known compound (2)
      was isolated from Strobilanthes cusia. Its chemical structures were elucidated by
      2D NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and single-crystal X-ray diffraction
      analysis. The biosynthetic pathway of 1 could be supposed to be originally
      derived from 3-methylisocoumarin, a product of AA-MA pathway. Both of two
      compounds displayed anti-influenza virus activity in vitro.

PMID- 26506124
TI  - Sperm cryopreservation update: Cryodamage, markers, and factors affecting the
      sperm freezability in pigs.
AB  - Cryopreservation is the most efficient method for long-term preservation of
      mammalian sperm. However, freeze-thawing procedures may strongly impair the sperm
      function and survival and thus decrease the reproductive performance. In
      addition, the sperm resilience to withstand cryopreservation, also known as
      freezability, presents a high individual variability. The present work summarizes
      the principles of cryoinjury and the relevance of permeating and nonpermeating
      cryoprotective agents. Descriptions about sperm cryodamage are mainly focused on
      boar sperm, but reference to other mammalian species is also made when relevant.
      Main cryoinjuries not only regard to sperm motility and membrane integrity, but
      also to the degradation effect exerted by freeze-thawing on other important
      components for sperm fertilizing ability, such as mRNAs. After delving into the
      main differences between good and poor freezability boar ejaculates, those
      protein markers predicting the sperm ability to sustain cryopreservation are also
      mentioned. Moreover, factors that may influence sperm freezability, such as
      season, diet, breed, or ejaculate fractions are discussed, together with the
      effects of different additives, like seminal plasma and antioxidants. After
      briefly referring to the effects of long-term sperm preservation in frozen state
      and the reproductive performance of frozen-thawed boar sperm, this work
      speculates with new research horizons on the preservation of boar sperm, such as
      vitrification and freeze-drying. 

PMID- 26506126
TI  - Regeneration science needs to broaden its focus to understand why some organisms
      can regenerate and others not.

PMID- 26506125
TI  - S-adenosylhomocysteine induces inflammation through NFkB: A possible role for
      EZH2 in endothelial cell activation.
AB  - S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) can induce endothelial dysfunction and activation,
      contributing to atherogenesis; however, its role in the activation of the
      inflammatory mediator NFkB has not been explored. Our aim was to determine the
      role of NFkB in SAH-induced activation of endothelial cells. Furthermore, we
      examined whether SAH, as a potent inhibitor of S-adenosylmethionine-dependent
      methyltransferases, suppresses the function of EZH2 methyltransferase to
      contribute to SAH-induced endothelial cell activation. We found that excess SAH
      increases the expression of adhesion molecules and cytokines in human coronary
      artery endothelial cells. Importantly, this up-regulation was suppressed in cells
      expressing a dominant negative form of the NFkB inhibitor, IkB. Moreover, SAH
      accumulation triggers the activation of both the canonical and non-canonical NFkB
      pathways, decreases EZH2, and reduces histone 3 lysine 27 trimethylation. EZH2
      knockdown recapitulated the effects of excess SAH on endothelial activation,
      i.e., it induced NFkB activation and the subsequent up-regulation of adhesion
      molecules and cytokines. Our findings suggest that suppression of the epigenetic
      regulator EZH2 by excess SAH may contribute to NFkB activation and the consequent
      vascular inflammatory response. These studies unveil new targets of SAH
      regulation, demonstrating that EZH2 suppression and NFkB activation mediated by
      SAH accumulation may contribute to its adverse effects in the vasculature.

PMID- 26506127
TI  - Cell types of origin for prostate cancer.
AB  - Analyses of cell types of origin for prostate cancer should result in new
      insights into mechanisms of tumor initiation, and may lead to improved prognosis
      and selection of appropriate therapies. Here, we review studies using a range of
      methodologies to investigate the cell of origin for mouse and human prostate
      cancer. Notably, analyses using tissue recombination assays support basal
      epithelial cells as a cell of origin, whereas in vivo lineage-tracing studies in
      genetically-engineered mice implicate luminal cells. We describe how these
      results can be potentially reconciled by a conceptual distinction between cells
      of origin and cells of mutation, and outline how new experimental approaches can
      address the potential relationship between cell types of origin and disease
      outcome.

PMID- 26506128
TI  - From the Editor.

PMID- 26506129
TI  - The SPRINT trial.

PMID- 26506131
TI  - Purine metabolism in response to hypoxic conditions associated with breath-hold
      diving and exercise in erythrocytes and plasma from bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops
      truncatus).
AB  - In mammalian tissues under hypoxic conditions, ATP degradation results in
      accumulation of purine metabolites. During exercise, muscle energetic demand
      increases and oxygen consumption can exceed its supply. During breath-hold
      diving, oxygen supply is reduced and, although oxygen utilization is regulated by
      bradycardia (low heart rate) and peripheral vasoconstriction, tissues with low
      blood flow (ischemia) may become hypoxic. The goal of this study was to evaluate
      potential differences in the circulating levels of purine metabolism components
      between diving and exercise in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Blood
      samples were taken from captive dolphins following a swimming routine (n=8) and
      after a 2min dive (n=8). Activity of enzymes involved in purine metabolism
      (hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT), inosine monophosphate
      deshydrogenase (IMPDH), xanthine oxidase (XO), purine nucleoside phosphorylase
      (PNP)), and purine metabolite (hypoxanthine (HX), xanthine (X), uric acid (UA),
      inosine monophosphate (IMP), inosine, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)),
      adenosine, adenosine monophosphate (AMP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), ATP,
      guanosine diphosphate (GDP), guanosine triphosphate (GTP)) concentrations were
      quantified in erythrocyte and plasma samples. Enzymatic activity and purine
      metabolite concentrations involved in purine synthesis and degradation, were not
      significantly different between diving and exercise. Plasma adenosine
      concentration was higher after diving than exercise (p=0.03); this may be related
      to dive-induced ischemia. In erythrocytes, HGPRT activity was higher after diving
      than exercise (p=0.007), suggesting an increased capacity for purine recycling
      and ATP synthesis from IMP in ischemic tissues of bottlenose dolphins during
      diving. Purine recycling and physiological adaptations may maintain the ATP
      concentrations in bottlenose dolphins after diving and exercise. 

PMID- 26506130
TI  - Does oxygen limit thermal tolerance in arthropods? A critical review of current
      evidence.
AB  - Over the last decade, numerous studies have investigated the role of oxygen in
      setting thermal tolerance in aquatic animals, and there has been particular focus
      on arthropods. Arthropods comprise one of the most species-rich taxonomic groups
      on Earth, and display great diversity in the modes of ventilation, circulation,
      blood oxygen transport, with representatives living both in water (mainly
      crustaceans) and on land (mainly insects). The oxygen and capacity limitation of
      thermal tolerance (OCLTT) hypothesis proposes that the temperature dependent
      performance curve of animals is shaped by the capacity for oxygen delivery in
      relation to oxygen demand. If correct, oxygen limitation could provide a
      mechanistic framework to understand and predict both current and future impacts
      of rapidly changing climate. In arthropods, most studies testing the OCLTT
      hypothesis have considered tolerance to thermal extremes. These studies likely
      operate from the philosophical viewpoint that if the model can predict these
      critical thermal limits, then it is more likely to also explain loss of
      performance at less extreme, non-lethal temperatures, for which much less data is
      available. Nevertheless, the extent to which lethal temperatures are influenced
      by limitations in oxygen supply remains unresolved. Here we critically evaluate
      the support and universal applicability for oxygen limitation being involved in
      lethal temperatures in crustaceans and insects. The relatively few studies
      investigating the OCLTT hypothesis at low temperature do not support a universal
      role for oxygen in setting the lower thermal limits in arthropods. With respect
      to upper thermal limits, the evidence supporting OCLTT is stronger for species
      relying on underwater gas exchange, while the support for OCLTT in air-breathers
      is weak. Overall, strongest support was found for increased anaerobic metabolism
      close to thermal maxima. In contrast, there was only mixed support for the
      prediction that aerobic scope decreases near critical temperatures, a key feature
      of the OCLTT hypothesis. In air-breathers, only severe hypoxia (<2 kPa) affected
      heat tolerance. The discrepancies for heat tolerance between aquatic and
      terrestrial organisms can to some extent be reconciled by differences in the
      capacity to increase oxygen transport. As air-breathing arthropods are unlikely
      to become oxygen limited under normoxia (especially at rest), the oxygen
      limitation component in OCLTT does not seem to provide sufficient information to
      explain lethal temperatures. Nevertheless, many animals may simultaneously face
      hypoxia and thermal extremes and the combination of these potential stressors is
      particularly relevant for aquatic organisms where hypoxia (and hyperoxia) is more
      prevalent. In conclusion, whether taxa show oxygen limitation at thermal extremes
      may be contingent on their capacity to regulate oxygen uptake, which in turn is
      linked to their respiratory medium (air vs. water). Fruitful directions for
      future research include testing multiple predictions of OCLTT in the same
      species. Additionally, we call for greater research efforts towards studying the
      role of oxygen in thermal limitation of animal performance at less extreme, sub
      lethal temperatures, necessitating studies over longer timescales and evaluating
      whether oxygen becomes limiting for animals to meet energetic demands associated
      with feeding, digestion and locomotion.

PMID- 26506132
TI  - Predicting Adsorption Affinities of Small Molecules on Carbon Nanotubes Using
      Molecular Dynamics Simulation.
AB  - Computational techniques have the potential to accelerate the design and
      optimization of nanomaterials for applications such as drug delivery and
      contaminant removal; however, the success of such techniques requires reliable
      models of nanomaterial surfaces as well as accurate descriptions of their
      interactions with relevant solutes. In the present work, we evaluate the ability
      of selected models of naked and hydroxylated carbon nanotubes to predict
      adsorption equilibrium constants for about 30 small aromatic compounds with a
      variety of functional groups. The equilibrium constants determined using
      molecular dynamics coupled with free-energy calculation techniques are directly
      compared to those derived from experimental measurements. The calculations are
      highly predictive of the relative adsorption affinities of the compounds, with
      excellent correlation (r >= 0.9) between calculated and measured values of the
      logarithm of the adsorption equilibrium constant. Moreover, the agreement in
      absolute terms is also reasonable, with average errors of less than one decade.
      We also explore possible effects of surface loading, although we demonstrate that
      they are negligible for the experimental conditions considered. Given the degree
      of reliability demonstrated, we move on to employing the in silico techniques in
      the design of nanomaterials, using the optimization of adsorption affinity for
      the herbacide atrazine as an example. Our simulations suggest that, compared to
      other modifications of graphenic carbon, polyvinylpyrrolidone conjugation gives
      the highest affinity for atrazine-substantially greater than that of graphenic
      carbon alone-and may be useful as a nanomaterial for delivery or sequestration of
      atrazine. 

PMID- 26506133
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding "Ruling Out Coronary Artery Disease in Women with
      Atypical Chest Pain: Results of Calcium Score Combined with Coronary Computed
      Tomography Angiography, and Associated Radiation Exposure".

PMID- 26506134
TI  - Large-scale climatic anomalies affect marine predator foraging behaviour and
      demography.
AB  - Determining the links between the behavioural and population responses of wild
      species to environmental variations is critical for understanding the impact of
      climate variability on ecosystems. Using long-term data sets, we show how large
      scale climatic anomalies in the Southern Hemisphere affect the foraging behaviour
      and population dynamics of a key marine predator, the king penguin. When large
      scale subtropical dipole events occur simultaneously in both subtropical Southern
      Indian and Atlantic Oceans, they generate tropical anomalies that shift the
      foraging zone southward. Consequently the distances that penguins foraged from
      the colony and their feeding depths increased and the population size decreased.
      This represents an example of a robust and fast impact of large-scale climatic
      anomalies affecting a marine predator through changes in its at-sea behaviour and
      demography, despite lack of information on prey availability. Our results
      highlight a possible behavioural mechanism through which climate variability may
      affect population processes. 

PMID- 26506135
TI  - GRK2 compromises cardiomyocyte mitochondrial function by diminishing fatty acid
      mediated oxygen consumption and increasing superoxide levels.
AB  - The G protein-coupled receptor kinase-2 (GRK2) is upregulated in the injured
      heart and contributes to heart failure pathogenesis. GRK2 was recently shown to
      associate with mitochondria but its functional impact in myocytes due to this
      localization is unclear. This study was undertaken to determine the effect of
      elevated GRK2 on mitochondrial respiration in cardiomyocytes. Sub-fractionation
      of purified cardiac mitochondria revealed that basally GRK2 is found in multiple
      compartments. Overexpression of GRK2 in mouse cardiomyocytes resulted in an
      increased amount of mitochondrial-based superoxide. Inhibition of GRK2 increased
      oxygen consumption rates and ATP production. Moreover, fatty acid oxidation was
      found to be significantly impaired when GRK2 was elevated and was dependent on
      the catalytic activity and mitochondrial localization of this kinase. Our study
      shows that independent of cardiac injury, GRK2 is localized in the mitochondria
      and its kinase activity negatively impacts the function of this organelle by
      increasing superoxide levels and altering substrate utilization for energy
      production. 

PMID- 26506136
TI  - Virtual Reality Body Swapping: A Tool for Modifying the Allocentric Memory of the
      Body.
AB  - An increasing amount of evidence has shown that embodiment of a virtual body via
      visuo-tactile stimulation can lead to an altered perception of body and object
      size. The current study aimed to investigate whether virtual reality (VR) body
      swapping can be an effective tool for modifying the enduring memory of the body.
      The experimental sample included 21 female participants who were asked to
      estimate the width and circumference of different body parts before any kind of
      stimulation and after two types of body swapping illusions ("synchronous visuo
      tactile stimulation" and "asynchronous visuo-tactile stimulation"). Findings
      revealed that after participants embodied a virtual body with a skinny belly
      (independently of the type of visuo-tactile stimulation), there was an update of
      the stored representation of the body: participants reported a decrease in the
      ratio between estimated and actual body measures for most of the body parts
      considered. Based on the Allocentric Lock Theory, these findings provide first
      evidence that VR body swapping is able to induce a change in the memory of the
      body. This knowledge may be potentially useful for patients suffering from eating
      and weight disorders. 

PMID- 26506137
TI  - Specific detection of peste des petits ruminants virus antibodies in sheep and
      goat sera by the luciferase immunoprecipitation system.
AB  - Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a contagious and often fatal transboundary
      animal disease affecting mostly sheep, goats and wild small ruminants. This
      disease is endemic in most of Africa, the Middle, Near East, and large parts of
      Asia. The causal agent is peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), which belongs
      to the genus Morbillivirus in the family Paramyxoviridae. This genus also
      includes measles virus (MV), canine distemper virus (CDV) and rinderpest virus
      (RPV). All are closely related viruses with serological cross reactivity. In this
      study, we have developed a Luciferase Immunoprecipitation System (LIPS) for the
      rapid detection of antibodies against PPRV in serum samples and for specific
      differentiation from antibodies against RPV. PPR and rinderpest (RP) serum
      samples were assayed by PPR-LIPS and two commercially available PPR cELISA tests.
      The PPR-LIPS showed high sensitivity and specificity for the samples tested and
      showed no cross reactivity with RPV unlike the commercial PPR cELISA tests which
      did cross react with RPV. Based on the results shown in this study, PPR-LIPS is
      presented as a good candidate for the specific serosurveillance of PPR. 

PMID- 26506138
TI  - Efficacy and safety of diclofenac sodium 2% topical solution for osteoarthritis
      of the knee: a randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, 4 week study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are standard therapy for
      osteoarthritis (OA). Topically applied NSAIDs reduce systemic exposure compared
      with oral NSAIDS, and European guidelines recommend their use. The NSAID
      diclofenac is available in a range of topical formulations. Diclofenac 1% gel and
      1.5% four times daily and 2% twice daily (BID) solutions are approved to reduce
      pain from OA of the knee(s). The objective of this study was to investigate the
      efficacy and safety of diclofenac sodium 2% topical solution BID versus vehicle
      control solution for treating pain associated with OA of the knee. RESEARCH
      DESIGN AND METHODS: A phase II, 4 week, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group,
      two-arm, vehicle-controlled study compared pain relief with diclofenac sodium 2%
      topical solution versus control (vehicle only) in patients aged 40 to 85 years
      with radiographically confirmed primary OA of the knee. CLINICAL TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01119898. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      The primary efficacy outcome was change from baseline to the final visit in the
      Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain
      subscale. Secondary outcomes included additional WOMAC subscales and patient
      global assessment of OA. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), skin
      irritation, and vital signs were assessed and collected throughout the study.
      RESULTS: Of 260 patients randomized, 259 received >=1 dose of study drug.
      Significantly greater reductions in least-squares mean (standard error) WOMAC
      pain scores were observed for diclofenac-treated (-4.4 [0.4]) versus vehicle
      treated patients (-3.4 [0.4]) at the final visit (p = 0.040). The most commonly
      reported TEAEs were administration site conditions. The vehicle-treated group
      experienced slightly more TEAEs than the active treatment group (38.8% vs.
      31.5%). No serious adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of
      diclofenac sodium 2% topical solution BID resulted in significantly greater
      improvement in pain reduction in patients with OA of the knee versus vehicle
      control and was generally well tolerated.

PMID- 26506139
TI  - Recent advances in the development of subunit-based RSV vaccines.
AB  - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of lower respiratory tract
      infections causing pneumonia and bronchiolitis in infants. RSV also causes
      serious illness in elderly populations, immunocompromised patients and
      individuals with pulmonary or cardiac problems. The significant morbidity and
      mortality associated with RSV infection have prompted interest in RSV vaccine
      development. In the 1960s, a formalin-inactivated vaccine trial failed to protect
      children, and indeed enhanced pathology when naturally infected later with RSV.
      Hence, an alternative approach to traditional killed virus vaccines, which can
      induce protective immunity without serious adverse events, is desired. Several
      strategies have been explored in attempts to produce effective vaccine candidates
      including gene-based and subunit vaccines. Subunit-based vaccine approaches have
      shown promising efficacy in animal studies and several have reached clinical
      trials. The current stage of development of subunit-based vaccines against RSV is
      reviewed in this article. 

PMID- 26506140
TI  - Correction to Optical and Electrochemical Methods for Determining the Effective
      Area and Charge Density of Conducting Polymer Modified Electrodes for Neural
      Stimulation.

PMID- 26506141
TI  - Crystallization of undercooled liquid fenofibrate.
AB  - Formulation of hydrophobic drugs as amorphous materials is highly advantageous as
      this increases their solubility in water and therefore their bioavailability.
      However, many drugs have a high propensity to crystallize during production and
      storage, limiting the usefulness of amorphous drugs. We study the crystallization
      of undercooled liquid fenofibrate, a model hydrophobic drug. Nucleation is the
      rate-limiting step; once seeded with a fenofibrate crystal, the crystal rapidly
      grows by consuming the undercooled liquid fenofibrate. Crystal growth is limited
      by the incorporation of molecules into its surface. As nucleation and growth both
      entail incorporation of molecules into the surface, this process likely also
      limits the formation of nuclei and thus the crystallization of undercooled liquid
      fenofibrate, contributing to the good stability of undercooled liquid fenofibrate
      against crystallization. 

PMID- 26506152
TI  - Normobaric hyperoxia training in elite female hockey players.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Supplemental oxygen use may offer recovery benefits to team sport
      athletes both in training and match play. A blinded independent measures study
      was used to investigate the effect of supplementary oxygen use during recovery
      from high-intensity exercise on performance. METHODS: Fifteen female
      international hockey players underwent a 6 week running based training program
      with a 2:1 work to rest ratio. The subjects were split into 3 groups; normobaric
      hyperoxia (HXA), normoxia (NXA) and control (CTR). In between exercise sets HXA
      received 100% oxygen for 1 minute whilst NXA received a placebo in the same
      manner. CTR received no treatment and were not supervised. Maximal aerobic speed
      (MAS) was measured pre and post. Distance covered was measured along with peak
      heart rate (HRpeak), peak blood lactate concentration ([La-]peak) and rate of
      perceived exertion (RPE). RESULTS: MAS improved in HXA, NXA and CTR. However,
      distance ran in training was not different between groups. There was a likely
      positive effect on HRpeak in HXA (lower in HXA). RPE and [La-]peak response was
      not different between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Inhaling supplementary oxygen during
      recovery between high-intensity intervals did not improve physiological
      performance of high-level team sport players. The normobaric hyperoxia treatment
      had no effect on maximal aerobic (distance covered), metabolic ([La-]peak), and
      perception (RPE) parameters. It is not recommended as an ergogenic aid to
      training at sea level.

PMID- 26506153
TI  - SPOP the mutation.
AB  - Prostate cancers with mutations to a protein called SPOP use an error-prone
      method to repair broken DNA strands. 

PMID- 26506155
TI  - Urinary Incontinence in Women--Practice Bulletin.

PMID- 26506156
TI  - Epilog.

PMID- 26506154
TI  - Decreased SGK1 Expression and Function Contributes to Behavioral Deficits Induced
      by Traumatic Stress.
AB  - Exposure to extreme stress can trigger the development of major depressive
      disorder (MDD) as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The molecular
      mechanisms underlying the structural and functional alterations within
      corticolimbic brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and amygdala
      of individuals subjected to traumatic stress, remain unknown. In this study, we
      show that serum and glucocorticoid regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) expression is down
      regulated in the postmortem PFC of PTSD subjects. Furthermore, we demonstrate
      that inhibition of SGK1 in the rat medial PFC results in helplessness- and
      anhedonic-like behaviors in rodent models. These behavioral changes are
      accompanied by abnormal dendritic spine morphology and synaptic dysfunction.
      Together, the results are consistent with the possibility that altered SGK1
      signaling contributes to the behavioral and morphological phenotypes associated
      with traumatic stress pathophysiology. 

PMID- 26506157
TI  - Urinary Incontinence in Women.
AB  - Urinary incontinence, the involuntary leakage of urine, is caused by a variety of
      factors and may result in a wide range of urinary symptoms that can affect
      women's physical, psychological, and social well-being and sometimes can impose
      significant lifestyle restrictions. Identifying the etiology of each woman's
      urinary incontinence symptoms and developing an individualized treatment plan is
      essential for improving her quality of life. The purpose of this joint document
      of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American
      Urogynecologic Society is to review information on the current understanding of
      urinary incontinence in women and to outline guidelines for diagnosis and
      management that are consistent with the best available scientific evidence.

PMID- 26506158
TI  - Reoperation After Robotic and Vaginal Mesh Reconstructive Surgery: A
      Retrospective Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Our primary objective was to compare reoperations after robotic
      assisted sacrocolpopexy and transvaginal mesh for apical prolapse repair. Our
      secondary aim was to record perioperative complications after robotic and vaginal
      surgeries. METHODS: We reviewed medical records of women who underwent vaginal
      apical mesh support procedures or robotic sacrocolpopexy at Winthrop University
      Hospital between August 2009 and August 2013. We compared reoperations and
      perioperative complications between the 2 groups. RESULTS: There were 245
      eligible cases during the 4-year study period. One hundred eighty-one women
      underwent robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy and 64 women underwent transvaginal
      mesh. Women who underwent robotic surgery were younger and had decreased blood
      loss. Patients were followed up for a median of 3 months after robotic surgery
      and 11.5 months after transvaginal mesh. We found no difference in overall rate
      of reoperation between robotic and transvaginal mesh repair for apical prolapse.
      Specifically, there was no difference in the rate of reoperation for mesh
      exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Despite recent controversies, transvaginal mesh offers the
      benefit of an effective minimally invasive procedure with shorter operative
      times, and may not pose additional risk for reoperation when compared to robotic
      assisted sacrocolpopexy.

PMID- 26506160
TI  - Obliterative Surgery for the Treatment of Pelvic Organ Prolapse: A Patient Survey
      on Reasons for Surgery Selection and Postoperative Decision Regret and
      Satisfaction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify patient-reported reasons for selecting obliterative
      surgery for the purpose of predicting decision regret and satisfaction. METHODS:
      We created a deidentified database of patients who underwent an obliterative
      procedure for prolapse from 2006 to 2013. Patients were excluded if they declined
      study participation, were deceased, or had dementia. Participants completed a
      survey regarding reasons for selecting obliterative surgery and a modified
      version of validated questionnaires on decision regret (Decision Regret Scale
      Pelvic Floor Disorder) and satisfaction (Satisfaction with Decision Scale-Pelvic
      Floor Disorder). Parsimonious multivariate linear regression models were
      constructed to determine if any of the reasons given for choosing obliterative
      surgery were independent predictors of decision regret and satisfaction after
      controlling for significant sociodemographic, clinical, and surgical outcome data
      identified by bivariate analysis. RESULTS: Seventy-seven women completed the
      surveys. "To follow my doctor's recommendations" and "no longer sexually active,"
      and/or "did not plan to be" as reasons for selecting obliterative surgery made
      the most difference; however, these reasons were not identified as independent
      predictors of decision regret or satisfaction after controlling for confounders.
      The regret linear regression models identified preoperative sexual activity
      rather than the patient-reported reason "no longer sexually active and/or did not
      plan to be," as the only independent predictor of more decision regret after
      obliterative surgery (B coefficient 1.68, P < 0.01). The satisfaction linear
      regression models identified reoperation for any reason as an independent
      predictor of lower satisfaction (beta, -0.24; P = 0.04) and the patient-reported
      reason for choosing obliterative surgery "not interested in pessary" as a
      predictor of higher satisfaction (beta, 0.30, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      advances our knowledge about the obliterative surgical decision making process.
      Behavioral and educational interventions directed at improving patient and
      physician communications concerning the dynamics of sexual health issues in an
      aging population will likely decrease regret when obliterative surgery is chosen.
      Minimizing reoperation after obliterative surgery through increased experience,
      knowledge, and improved surgical skills and patient validation when pessary is
      declined will likely improve satisfaction when obliterative surgery is chosen.

PMID- 26506159
TI  - Symptom Improvement After Prolapse and Incontinence Graft Removal in a Case
      Series of 306 Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We report our experience with removal of synthetic and biologic
      implants used in pelvic reconstruction in a tertiary referral center from 2005 to
      2012. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of all consecutive
      patients who underwent surgical implant removal for treatment of implant-related
      complications. Symptoms were determined by patient self-assessment including
      validated questionnaires. One hundred seventy-nine patients completed follow-up.
      RESULTS: Three hundred six patients underwent removal for exposure or erosion
      (57%), pain (46%), and urinary symptoms or incontinence (54%). Ninety patients
      (29%) had previous revision. Eleven percent had pelvic organ prolapse (POP)
      implants, 48% had sling implants, and 41% had both implants. Mean time from
      removal to follow-up was 2 years (median, 2 years; range, <1-7).The majority of
      patients experienced symptom improvement after implant removal. Seventy-eight
      percent of those with pain reported pain improvement, 9% reported no change, and
      14% experienced worsening. Symptom improvement was reported by 79% of those who
      underwent removal of a POP implant alone, 79% of those who underwent removal of
      POP and sling implants, and 83% of those who underwent removal of a sling alone.
      Quality of life was significantly improved after implant removal overall (P <
      0.05) for those who underwent removal of POP and slings, and slings alone, but
      not for those with POP removal only. CONCLUSIONS: Pain is among the most common
      symptoms reported in women referred to our institution for implant-related
      complications. In a series of 306 complex patients with a range of implants and
      symptoms, removal improved implant-related pain in the majority of patients.

PMID- 26506161
TI  - The Emotional Burden of Pelvic Organ Prolapse in Women Seeking Treatment: A
      Qualitative Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to qualitatively describe the emotional burden experienced by
      women seeking treatment for prolapse. We hypothesized that the condition of
      prolapse would have an impact on women's emotional well-being. METHODS: Women
      with stage II or greater symptomatic prolapse participated in focus groups or
      individual phone interviews. A trained facilitator conducted semi-structured
      focus groups and interviews. These were audio-taped and transcribed. Two authors
      coded transcripts and identified themes using an "editing" approach. The codebook
      was amended until no new major themes emerged from the data. RESULTS: Forty-four
      women participated (25 in focus groups and 19 in phone interviews). Mean (SD) age
      of women was 60 (10) years and mean (SD) prolapse leading edge was 3 (2) cm.
      Analysis revealed the following 3 main themes: (1) emotions associated with the
      condition of prolapse (minimal emotions, annoyance, irritation, frustration,
      anger, sadness, anxiety, depression), (2) communicating emotions related to
      prolapse (to friends, family, healthcare providers), and (3) emotions relating to
      treatment (both positive and negative effects). CONCLUSIONS: Prolapse
      significantly impacts women's emotional health and subjective well-being. An
      improved understanding of women's emotional experiences of prolapse may help
      providers better meet patients' needs.

PMID- 26506163
TI  - Apical Suspension at the Time of Hysterectomy for Uterovaginal Prolapse: A
      Comparative Analysis of 2001 and 2011.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of this study was to compare the proportion of
      concomitant apical procedures in women undergoing hysterectomy for uterovaginal
      prolapse in 2001 and 2011. The secondary aim was to identify factors associated
      with receiving concomitant apical procedures in 2001 and 2011. METHODS: The
      Nationwide Inpatient Sample database was queried for women with a primary
      diagnosis of uterovaginal prolapse who underwent hysterectomy in 2001 and 2011.
      The study cohort was analyzed for demographics, clinical factors, and concomitant
      procedures. Factors potentially associated with receiving concomitant apical
      procedure were evaluated using univariable analysis and multivariate logistic
      regression. RESULTS: A total of 14,647 women were identified (5867 in 2001 and
      8780 in 2011). In 2001, 26.9% women received a concomitant apical procedure, and
      this proportion increased to 48.2% in 2011 (odds ratio, 2.53; 95% confidence
      interval, 2.36-2.72; P < 0.0001). In 2001, the mean (SD) age was 53.8 (14.1)
      years compared with 56.8 (13.3) years in 2011. Although vaginal hysterectomy was
      most common in both years, a concomitant apical procedure was more likely to be
      performed with abdominal hysterectomy (P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, age
      older than 50 years (P = 0.0001), abdominal route of hysterectomy (P < 0.0001),
      and undergoing hysterectomy at an academic teaching hospital (P < 0.0001) were
      independently associated with concomitant apical procedures in both 2001 and
      2011. CONCLUSIONS: Although the proportion of concomitant apical repair was
      higher in 2011 compared with 2001, it is still low given the existing data
      demonstrating the importance of a concomitant apical procedure at the time of
      hysterectomy for uterovaginal prolapse.

PMID- 26506162
TI  - The Differential Impact of Flatal Incontinence in Women With Anal Versus Fecal
      Incontinence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The differential impact on quality of life (QOL) that leakage of both
      stool and flatus confers on women compared with stool only is unclear. Our aim
      was to characterize differences in symptom distress, impact on QOL, and anorectal
      testing among women with leakage of stool and flatus, stool only, and flatus
      only. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of women undergoing
      evaluation of at least monthly bowel incontinence symptoms. Subjects were divided
      into the following 3 groups: liquid/solid stool and flatus (anal incontinence
      [AI]), liquid/solid stool only (fecal incontinence [FI]), and flatal only (FL).
      Baseline assessment included the Modified Manchester Health Questionnaire (MMHQ)
      including the Fecal Incontinence Severity Index (FISI), Short Form-12 (SF-12), as
      well as anorectal manometry and endoanal ultrasound evaluations. RESULTS: Of 436
      subjects, 381 had AI, 45 FI, and 10 FL. Significant between-group differences
      were noted in MMHQ (P = 0.0002) and FISI total scores (P < 0.0001) where women
      with AI reflected greater negative impact than women with FI. The Short Form-12
      (mental and physical component summary scores) scores were similar in all 3
      groups (P = 0.22, 0.08). Resting/squeeze pressures were significantly lower in AI
      and FI groups compared with FL (P = 0.0004), whereas rectal capacity was similar
      in all 3 groups. Although exploratory, MMHQ scores were similar between FI and FL
      groups, although FISI scores were higher in the FI group (P < 0.0001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Women with AI have higher symptom specific distress and greater
      negative impact on QOL compared with women with FI. Treatment of all bowel
      incontinence symptoms is important to improve symptom-specific and general QOL.

PMID- 26506164
TI  - Patient Preferences for Abdominal Incisions Used for Pelvic Organ Prolapse
      Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Approaches for performing sacrocolpopexy (laparotomy, laparoscopy,
      and robotically assisted) differ with regard to length of surgery, postoperative
      pain, and cosmetic appearance of skin incisions. The aim of our study is to
      better understand what factors influence patient preferences for surgical
      approach. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed using a survey. Females
      18 years or older presenting to gynecologic offices were asked to complete a
      survey that included photographs of patient incisions 6 weeks postoperatively
      along with a schematic representation of each incision type (laparotomy with low
      transverse incision, traditional laparoscopy, and robotically assisted). Patients
      were first asked to rank each incision based on cosmetic appearance only. They
      were next given varying clinical scenarios associated with each surgical approach
      and asked if their preference of incision changed. A sample size of 90 subjects
      was needed in order to detect a 30% difference in incision preference based on
      appearance with an alpha of 0.05 and 80% power. RESULTS: One hundred fifty
      patients completed the survey. Based on cosmetic appearance alone, 70% chose
      laparoscopic surgery, 23% chose open, and 7% chose the robotic approach (P <
      0.0001). The majority of the subjects would not change their incision preference
      of laparoscopy based on differing scenarios of postoperative pain (62.6%), length
      of surgery (65.3%), and length of hospital stay (73.6%). When asked to rank
      factors important in decision making, complication rate (53.9%) and surgeon
      experience with the procedure (32.8%) were ranked as most important. CONCLUSIONS:
      Based on cosmetic appearance, patients prefer the laparoscopic approach for
      abdominal sacrocolpopexy for pelvic organ prolapse surgery. However, complication
      rates and surgeon experience with the procedure are important factors in the
      patient's decision making.

PMID- 26506165
TI  - Prospective Randomized Crossover Trial Comparing Continuous and Cyclic
      Stimulation in InterStim Therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess a difference in efficacy and
      patient preference in cyclic versus continuous stimulation with InterStim therapy
      for urge incontinence or urinary frequency. METHODS: Patients with refractory
      urge incontinence/urinary frequency and with recent implantation of the InterStim
      system were randomized to continuous or cyclic InterStim stimulation after
      institutional review board-approved consent. They completed a 3-day voiding diary
      after 1 month of stimulation. They were then switched to the alternative setting
      for 1 month and completed another voiding diary. Subjective responses were
      evaluated with the Urinary Incontinence Impact Questionnaire and the Urinary
      Distress Inventory. Patient preference of stimulation setting was assessed.
      Statistical analysis was performed with paired t tests and repeated-measures
      analysis of variance. RESULTS: Data were available for 32 patients. Indication
      for InterStim: urge incontinence = 24, frequency = 8. No differences were noted
      in the number of urgency or urge incontinence episodes (mild, moderate, severe,
      or total) with cyclic or continuous stimulation. No differences were noted in the
      number of number of pads per day or the number of daytime or nighttime voids. The
      Urinary Incontinence Impact Questionnaire and Urinary Distress Inventory symptoms
      scores showed no significant differences between cyclic and continuous
      stimulation. No significant difference was noted in measured parameters based on
      the order of stimulation. Continuous stimulation was preferred by 17 patients, 9
      preferred cyclic stimulation, and 6 had no preference. CONCLUSIONS: No
      significant differences were noted in voiding diaries and subjective responses
      between cyclic and continuous stimulation in InterStim therapy for patients with
      urge incontinence or frequency.

PMID- 26506166
TI  - Perineal Body and Genital Hiatus in the Third Trimester and Risk of Perineal
      Laceration.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine whether pelvic organ prolapse quantification
      measurements of genital hiatus (gh) or perineal body (pb) obtained in the late
      third trimester are predictors of obstetric perineal laceration in nulliparous
      women. METHODS: Nulliparous women with singleton gestation were prospectively
      recruited after 35-week gestation, and gh and pb measurements were obtained.
      After delivery, determination of the presence and degree of perineal laceration
      were recorded. Correlation of gh and pb measurements with risk of perineal
      laceration (defined as second, third, or fourth degree) was assessed using the
      Wilcoxon rank sum test. RESULTS: We recruited 224 patients and 133 met inclusion
      criteria after delivery. The mean (SD) age was 27.2 (4.0) years and mean (SD)
      prepregnancy body mass index was 24.1 (4.6) kg/m. Seventy patients (52.6%) had
      either a second-degree (n = 64) or third-degree (n = 6) laceration. No fourth
      degree lacerations were recorded. We found no significant difference in the
      median gh (3.5 vs 3.0 cm, P = 0.34) and pb (3.5 vs 3.5 cm, P = 0.54) measurements
      among women with and without perineal lacerations. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest
      that antenatal measurement of gh and pb does not correlate with the risk of
      obstetric perineal laceration in nulliparous patients undergoing spontaneous
      vaginal delivery.

PMID- 26506167
TI  - Ureteral Compromise in Laparoscopic Versus Vaginal Uterosacral Ligament
      Suspension: A Retrospective Cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate if ureteral compromise is
      significantly different between laparoscopic and vaginal uterosacral ligament
      suspension (USLS). METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study comparing all
      women who underwent laparoscopic and vaginal USLSs at 2 institutions (part of a
      single training program with procedures performed by 11 fellowship-trained Female
      Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery gynecologic surgeons) between January
      2008 and June 2013. RESULTS: A total of 208 patients in the study underwent a
      USLS, 148 in the laparoscopic group and 60 in the vaginal group. At baseline,
      there were statistically significant differences between the groups in mean age
      (50.4 vs 55.3 years, P = 0.008), parity (2.44 vs 2.77, P = 0.040), and prior
      hysterectomy (3.4% vs 11.7% in the laparoscopic and vaginal groups, respectively;
      P = 0.042).There were no ureteral compromises in the laparoscopic group and 6 in
      the vaginal group (0.0% vs 10.0%, respectively; P < 0.001). In an analysis
      evaluating only those ureteral compromises requiring stent placement, the higher
      rate of ureteral compromise in the vaginal group persisted despite exclusion of
      those cases requiring only suture removal and replacement (0.0% vs 5.0% in the
      laparoscopic and vaginal groups, respectively; P = 0.023).There was a lower
      median blood loss in the laparoscopic group (137.5 vs 200.0 mL, respectively; P =
      0.002) as well as a lower rate of readmission (0.7% vs 6.7%, respectively; P =
      0.025). There were no other significant differences in postoperative
      complications between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: We found a lower rate of
      ureteral compromise in the laparoscopic approach to USLS compared with the
      traditional vaginal approach.

PMID- 26506168
TI  - Comparison of Short Term Outcomes of Sacral Nerve Stimulation and Intradetrusor
      Injection of OnabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) in Women With Refractory Overactive
      Bladder.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to compare the short-term outcomes of sacral
      nerve stimulation (SNS) and intradetrusor injection of OnabotulinumtoxinA (Botox)
      for overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms refractory to behavioral modifications and
      pharmacologic therapy. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study evaluating
      the outcomes of SNS and Botox procedures that were performed for refractory OAB
      symptoms at a tertiary care referral center. The primary outcome was "failure" of
      treatment that was defined as less than 50% improvement from the baseline
      symptoms at 6 months. RESULTS: Sixty-five SNS and 63 Botox procedures met the
      inclusion criteria. Women undergoing Botox were more likely to report failure 6
      months after the intervention as compared with those undergoing SNS (20 [31.8%]
      vs 7 [10.8%], P = 0.003; unadjusted odds ratio = 3.85, confidence interval = 1.5
      9.93; adjusted odds ratio = 4.47, confidence interval = 1.69-14.4). However,
      there was no difference in the proportion of women who were started on
      antimuscarinic medications for persistent urgency urinary incontinence after both
      procedures (12 [18.5%] women in SNS group and 17 [27%] women in the Botox group,
      P = 0.249). The most common complication of the SNS procedure was wound related
      (8 [12.3%]), whereas the most common complication of the Botox procedure was
      urinary tract infection (31 [49.2%]). CONCLUSIONS: The SNS resulted in lower
      failure rates at 6 months when performed for refractory OAB symptoms as compared
      with the Botox procedure. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the
      long-term cost-effectiveness of both procedures.

PMID- 26506169
TI  - Third International Congress on Soldiers' Physical Performance: Translating State
      of-the-Science Soldier Research for Operational Utility.
AB  - The Third International Congress on Soldiers' Physical Performance (ICSPP) was
      held on August 18-21, 2014 in Boston, MA, where it had a record attendance of 374
      registrants from 27 countries. The Congress included 8 invited keynote lectures,
      12 symposia, 1 featured science session, more than 200 oral and poster free
      communication sessions, 8 thematic poster sessions, and a Warfighter Readiness
      Roundtable. Collectively, the presentations focused on a fundamental premise that
      soldiers are the center of warfighting capability, and the human service member
      is the prime resource and key enabler of all warfighting systems. The intent of
      the ICSPP series is to focus on the soldier-the individual service member. As we
      move forward with focus placed on the human dimension of soldiering, the key to
      our scientific success and what will prove to be transformative will be the
      extent to which we can operationalize and disseminate our scientific knowledge
      for the benefit of our soldiers on the ground. The Congress fostered important
      scientific exchange, and dialog centered on improving military physical
      performance and readiness. As countries around the globe respond to current and
      emerging threats to their national security, it is increasingly clear that we
      must ensure optimal human performance of our military personnel. By taking
      advantage of the science and applications of physical fitness and injury
      prevention research, we can leverage our increased understanding for the optimal
      application of physical readiness processes while minimizing the injury risk
      potential. We believe that the continued scientific and evidence-based dialog
      across international partners will prove to be transformative in identifying the
      most effective strategies for human performance optimization in the 21st century.
      Innovation, leveraging current state-of-the-science, and international
      partnerships were all key themes throughout the Congress. From the ICSPP
      scientific program, it was clear that there is abundant scientific knowledge on
      how to improve soldiers' sleep, activity, and nutrition and that a major
      challenge is for scientists and military leaders/policy makers to work together
      to operationalize what is known for soldier utility on the ground.

PMID- 26506170
TI  - Perspectives on Aerobic and Strength Influences on Military Physical Readiness:
      Report of an International Military Physiology Roundtable.
AB  - Physical fitness training of military recruits is an enduring focus of armies.
      This is important for safe and effective performance of general tasks that anyone
      may have to perform in a military setting as well as preparation for more
      specialized training in specific job specialties. Decades of studies on
      occupationally specific physical requirements have characterized the dual aerobic
      and strength demands of typical military tasks; however, scientifically founded
      strategies to prepare recruits with a good mix of these 2 physiologically
      opposing capabilities have not been well established. High levels of aerobic
      training can compromise resistance training gains and increase injury rates.
      Resistance training requires a greater commitment of time and resources as well
      as a greater understanding of the science to produce true strength gains that may
      be beneficial to military performance. These are critical issues for modern
      armies with increased demands for well-prepared soldiers and fewer injury losses.
      The actual physical requirements tied to metrics of success in military jobs are
      also under renewed examination as women are increasingly integrated into military
      jobs previously performed only by men. At the third International Congress on
      Soldiers' Physical Performance, a roundtable of 10 physiologists with military
      expertise presented comparative perspectives on aerobic and strength training.
      These topics included the physiological basis of training benefits, how to train
      effectively, how to measure training effectiveness, considerations for the
      integration of women, and the big perspective. Key discussion points centered on
      (a) the significance of findings from research on integrated training, (b)
      strategies for effective strength development, and

PMID- 26506171
TI  - Physical Training Strategies for Military Women's Performance Optimization in
      Combat-Centric Occupations.
AB  - The physiological differences, particularly of upper-body strength and power,
      between women and men, and the rigors of combat-centric occupational demands
      would seem to place women at a significant disadvantage, as the U.S. military
      opens up previously closed combat-arms military occupational specialties (MOSs)
      to women. This inherent disadvantage can be significantly mitigated by
      implementing effective and comprehensive physical training (PT) regimens for
      women targeting those fitness components most critical for those tasks considered
      most essential for solider warfighting duties (i.e., strength and power).
      Regrettably, the military historical and legacy overemphasis on aerobic fitness
      and on "field expediency" as the major criteria for implementing training have
      limited the extent to which the military has fully operationalized state-of-the
      science PT policies. This continued legacy approach could be problematic
      regarding fully enhancing women's abilities to perform physically demanding
      combat-centric occupations and could place the successful integration of women
      into ground combat MOSs at significant risk. Seminal studies from the literature
      indicate that (a) a minimum of 6 months of periodized combined
      resistance/endurance training preparedness is recommended for untrained women
      considering entering combat-arms MOS training; (b) any comprehensive PT program
      should incorporate and emphasize progressive load carriage training; (c) a
      greater emphasis on upper body on strength/power development in military women is
      needed; (d) heavy resistance training in the range of 3-8 repetition maximum sets
      should be incorporated into training programs to target type II motor units and
      muscle fibers (those fibers that produce the most force and have the greatest
      capacity to hypertrophy); (e) low-volume, high-intensity interval training should
      be considered as a time-efficient training method to improve aerobic fitness
      while protecting against lower-body musculoskeletal injuries; (f) flexible
      nonlinear periodized programs should be considered to best accommodate the
      unpredictability and operational functional needs of the military training
      environment; and (g) serious consideration should be given to revamping the
      manner in which the military conducts physical readiness training, with a
      departure from "field expediency" as the major criteria for determining PT
      policies. With an increased emphasis on the human dimension of soldiering and
      concerted strategic, operational, and tactical efforts to maximize individual
      physical readiness and performance, the science of training physiology exists to
      leverage and better physically prepare women as they enter more combat-centric
      occupations.

PMID- 26506172
TI  - Physiological and Medical Aspects That Put Women Soldiers at Increased Risk for
      Overuse Injuries.
AB  - Anthropometric and physiological factors place female soldiers at a disadvantage
      relative to male soldiers in most aspects of physical performance. Average
      aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels are lower in women than in men. Thus, women
      have a lower overall work capacity and must exert themselves more than men to
      achieve the same output. The lower weight and fat-free mass and the higher body
      fat of women are associated with lower muscle strength and endurance, placing
      them at a disadvantage compared with men in performing military tasks such as
      lifting and carrying weights, or marching with a load. Working at a higher
      percentage of their maximal capacity to achieve the same performance levels as
      men, women tire earlier. Their smaller size, skeletal anatomy, and different bone
      geometry also predispose women to a higher incidence of exercise-related
      injuries. Consequently, the attrition rate of female soldiers in combat units is
      higher than that of their male counterparts. This review summarizes the
      literature on gender-related physiological and anatomical differences that put
      female soldiers at an increased risk of exercise-related injuries.

PMID- 26506173
TI  - Overwhelming Physiological Regulation Through Personal Protection.
AB  - There is often a fine line between providing appropriate personal protection and
      compromising capability. In some situations, protection must come first. In other
      circumstances, capability becomes paramount. In the military, mission-specific
      objectives can force personal protection to be less than ideal. Indeed, levels of
      protection appropriate within the civilian context could jeopardise health and
      operational success, and for operations conducted in the heat involving load
      carriage and armored protection with almost total-body clothing coverage, it is
      the likely thermal impediment to performance that perhaps first comes to mind.
      Although this consideration is appropriate, it may direct attention away from the
      actual cause of, and therefore preventative solutions to, physiological collapse.
      For instance, although classical heat illness absolutely occurs at the age
      extremes, and it may affect all people when air temperatures are exceptionally
      hot, frank hyperthermia is not generally the primary cause of exhaustion when
      healthy clothed individuals are working in the heat. Instead, another
      homoeostatic process is implicated; blood pressure regulation. In addition to
      participating in temperature regulation, the cardiovascular system supports
      oxygen delivery, blood pressure regulatory, and waste removal requirements.
      Therefore, the elevated cardiac output accompanying work must be shared.
      Accordingly, the case will be developed that thermoregulatory failure is often
      not the primary causal mechanism for soldier collapse, although such individuals
      may be hyperthermic. Alternatively, moderately, but not excessively, hyperthermic
      soldiers working under these conditions are perhaps more likely to collapse from
      cardiovascular insufficiency that precipitates uncompensable hypotension.

PMID- 26506174
TI  - Load Carriage: An Integrated Risk Management Approach.
AB  - Military load carriage (LC) gives rise to substantial risks to soldier health,
      tactical performance, and mission success. The aim of this article was to extract
      and synthesize the key findings of a series of LC research reports previously
      published by the authors. Five reviews and 6 studies were included, with key
      findings extracted and synthesized in tabulated and critical narrative form. The
      weight of a soldier's load is a source of risk for soldier's injuries and
      tactical task performance. The resulting level of risk is influenced by risk
      modifiers (like speed of march, terrain grade, and task type and duration) and
      risk controls (like administrative controls and physical conditioning). In the
      Australian context, these risk controls were limited, with soldiers carrying
      heavier loads than those mandated by doctrine and policy, and LC conditioning not
      meeting best practice. The diversity of LC contexts, combined with the influence
      of risk modifiers and risk controls, means that levels of risk associated with LC
      are not consistent and must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Load weight and
      marching routes (terrains, gradients), distances, speed, and duration are all
      potentially treatable sources of LC-related risk. Potential risk treatments
      include not only commanders directly addressing these specific sources of risk to
      the extent feasible, on a case-by-case basis, when planning or conducting LC
      tasks but also improving administration controls (i.e., doctrine and policies)
      and personal protection (i.e., the physical conditioning of the soldier) as part
      of the hierarchy of controls. Practical application would involve commanders
      developing and implementing dedicated LC doctrine and policies and implementing
      and enforcing LC conditioning programs that meets best practice.

PMID- 26506175
TI  - Biomechanics of Load Carriage--Historical Perspectives and Recent Insights.
AB  - Loads carried by the warfighter have increased substantially throughout recorded
      history, with the typical U.S. ground soldier carrying external loads averaging
      45 kg during operations in Afghanistan. Incidence of disability in the U.S. Army
      has also increased sixfold since the 1980s, predominantly driven by increases in
      musculoskeletal injuries, with load carriage implicated as a possible mechanism.
      This article will provide a brief overview of the biomechanics of load carriage
      and will provide some recent insights into how the stress of the loads carried by
      military personnel can affect the musculoskeletal system. Studies into the
      biomechanics of load carriage have documented motion-related differences such as
      increased step rate, decreased stride length, and more trunk lean with increases
      in pack-borne loads. However, there is a paucity of literature on the
      relationship between load carriage and biomechanical mechanisms of overuse
      injury. Findings of recent studies will be presented, which add mechanistic
      information to increased stresses on the lower extremity. This was particularly
      true at the knee, where in one study, peak knee extension moment increased 115%
      when carrying a 55 kg load (0.87 +/- 0.16 Nm.kg-1) vs. no external load (0.40 +/-
      0.13 Nm.kg-1). Efforts to model injury mechanisms require continued biomechanical
      measurements in humans while carrying occupationally relevant loads to be
      validated. Specifically, imaging technologies (e.g., bone geometry scans) should
      be incorporated to produce higher fidelity model of the stresses and strains
      experienced by the load carrier. In addition to laboratory-based biomechanics,
      data are needed to further explore the mechanistic relationship between load
      magnitude and injury; to this end, wearable sensors should continue to be
      exploited to accurately quantify biomechanical stresses related to load carriage
      in the field.

PMID- 26506176
TI  - Effects of Military Load Carriage on Susceptibility to Enemy Fire During Tactical
      Combat Movements.
AB  - Current military operations require soldiers to carry heavy external loads that
      are widely acknowledged to impair the ability to move tactically on the
      battlefield. However, to date, the effect of load on susceptibility to enemy fire
      (the probability of being hit) has not been examined. Nineteen soldiers completed
      a break contact simulation (five 30-m sprints commencing every 44 seconds) and a
      fire and movement simulation (sixteen 6-m bounds commencing every 20 seconds) in
      each of the 5 load conditions (ranging from 9.8 to 30.1 kg). For each simulation,
      the impact of load on exposure time and peak movement velocity was examined. In
      addition, the 6 fastest and 6 slowest soldiers (determined by exposure time in
      the heaviest condition) were parsed into subgroups to examine interindividual
      differences in response to load. Susceptibility for the 2 subgroups was modeled
      using exposure time for the 2 simulations and the assumed reaction time, shooting
      cadence, and shooting accuracy of the enemy. Susceptibility increased as a
      function of load for both the break contact and fire and movement simulations and
      became more pronounced when the participant population was parsed into fast and
      slow groups. When the impact of personal protection systems was isolated and
      analyzed, it was found that not only were the slower participants more vulnerable
      (as a result of not wearing the personal protection system) but also more
      susceptible than the faster participants who carried 11.2 kg more load. Large
      interindividual differences in response to external load have meaningful
      consequences for battlefield susceptibility, and it is therefore critical that
      personnel are afforded tailored training such that they maximize their
      proficiency in the execution of tactical combat movements.

PMID- 26506177
TI  - Physiological Evaluation of a Wheeled Assistive Device for Load Carriage.
AB  - Carrying heavy weight imposes high physiological strain on the human body, which
      can adversely affect physical performance. This is especially important for
      soldiers whose physical performance level may influence mission completion and
      survival. Recently, wheel-based devices (WBDs), designed to reduce the load on
      the soldier, have been suggested as a possible solution. Thus, the aim of this
      study was to evaluate the physiological effects of a proposed WBD prototype. Ten
      volunteers performed 3 exercise protocols on a treadmill as follows: without
      carrying any load, with a military backpack, and with the WBD. While using both
      modalities, they carried 40% of their body weight. Data acquisition included
      heart rate, body core temperature, oxygen consumption, and subjective comfort.
      Postural sway was also measured to evaluate the effect of WBD on standing
      balance. There were no significant differences between the physiological measures
      while using both modalities. Subjective comfort evaluation showed that the WBD
      may be more comfortable, yet it raises difficulty in maintaining balance while
      walking, as can be explained by the postural sway results. We suggest that the
      similarity in physiological strain while using the WBD was due to reduced walking
      efficiency in an attempt to maintain balance. It appears that the WBD may have
      some biomechanical advantages in reducing the subjective pain and pressure at the
      shoulder region, a matter that should be further examined together with other
      biomechanical measures.

PMID- 26506178
TI  - Deformations in the Shoulder Tissues During Load Carriage: A Computational Model.
AB  - Shoulder soft tissue deformations seem to be one of the limiting factors of load
      carriage among soldiers and recreational backpackers that are required to carry
      heavy loads. Yet, there are no loading limits related to the forces borne by the
      shoulders, and the backpacks designs are not consistent with providing pressure
      relief from this sensitive anatomical region. The aim of this study was to
      develop a model that will enable to study the biomechanical loads that develop in
      the shoulder under heavy loads and to help in optimizing load carriage systems
      design. A 3-dimensional, anatomically accurate finite element model of a human
      shoulder was constructed based on MRI scans. The model was developed to calculate
      the effective stresses on the skin below the shoulder strap (superficial loads)
      and the effective strain in the brachial plexus region (inner tissue deformation)
      for loads of up to 35 kg. The model successfully predicted deformations in the
      soft tissue surrounding the brachial plexus when compared with deformations
      measured from load-bearing MRI scans. The model yielded a skin pressure mapping,
      which showed pressure hotspots in the clavicle region. Inner tissue deformations
      mapping, as assessed by brachial plexus envelop strains, were found to peak at
      30% effective strain at the lateral aspect below the pectoralis muscle. The newly
      developed model successfully predicted soft tissue deformations in the shoulder
      related to backpacks. This model can be used to optimize load carriage systems
      for better distribution of pressure over the shoulders and lower inner tissue
      deformations.

PMID- 26506179
TI  - Hormonal Responses to Active and Passive Recovery After Load Carriage.
AB  - Military operations often induce fatigue resulting from load carriage. Recovery
      promotes military readiness. This study investigated the acute effects of AR vs.
      PR after load carriage on maximal isometric leg extension force (MVC) and serum
      hormonal concentrations. Male reservists (27 +/- 3 years, 180 +/- 7 cm, 74 +/- 11
      kg, V[Combining Dot Above]O2max 64 +/- 9 ml.kg-1.min-1) completed PR (n = 8) or
      AR (n = 8) after 50 minutes of loaded (16 kg) uphill (gradient 4.0%) treadmill
      marching at individual anaerobic threshold. No differences were observed between
      groups in relative changes in MVC during the marching loading, after AR or PR or
      the next morning. Significant differences in relative responses to AR and PR
      postmarching loading were observed in serum testosterone (T), cortisol, and sex
      hormone binding globulin immediately post AR and PR; however the next morning,
      all serum hormone concentrations had returned to normal. This study did not
      reveal any significant differences between the effects of AR and PR after an hour
      long marching protocol at approximately anaerobic threshold on MVC or serum
      hormones the morning after the experimental marching protocol. Thus, based on the
      variable measured in this study, marching performed by physically fit army
      reservists at an intensity at or below anaerobic threshold may not necessitate
      specialized recovery protocols.

PMID- 26506180
TI  - Optimal Physical Training During Military Basic Training Period.
AB  - The goal for military basic training (BT) is to create a foundation for physical
      fitness and military skills of soldiers. Thereafter, more advanced military
      training can safely take place. Large differences in the initial physical
      performance of conscripts or recruits have led military units to develop more
      safe and effective training programs. The purpose of this review article was to
      describe the limiting factors of optimal physical training during the BT period.
      This review revealed that the high volume of low-intensity physical activity
      combined with endurance-type military training (like combat training, prolonged
      physical activity, and field shooting) during BT interferes with optimal
      development of maximal oxygen uptake and muscle strength of the soldiers.
      Therefore, more progressive, periodized, and individualized training programs are
      needed. In conclusion, optimal training programs lead to higher training
      responses and lower risks for injuries and overloading.

PMID- 26506181
TI  - How Effective Is Initial Military-Specific Training in the Development of
      Physical Performance of Soldiers?
AB  - The impact of basic military training (BMT) on recruit physical performance is
      well described. However, initial employment training (IET), the period
      immediately after BMT, is the final preparatory step before posting to an
      operational unit. There is limited evidence on the influence of this training in
      developing the physical attributes necessary for military duty. Therefore, this
      investigation determined the relative contribution of BMT and IET to develop
      physical capability in soldiers. Fifty-one soldiers (45 men and 6 women) were
      assessed at 4 time points: commencement of training (week 1), midway (week 8), at
      the conclusion (week 12) of BMT, and upon completion of the IET (week 18/27).
      Weeks 1, 12, and 18/27 are reported herein. At each time point, tasks relevant to
      military duties, such as 1 repetition maximum (1RM) box lift, 2 * 22 kg-jerry
      carry, 3.2 km of 22-kg load carriage, and preexisting assessments of military
      fitness, such as 20-m shuttle run, 2-minute push-ups, and sit-ups, were assessed.
      A subsample of recruits (n = 14) was assessed for 1RM bench press, vertical jump,
      30-second high-intensity cycle ergometry, and peak treadmill oxygen consumption.
      A significant (p <= 0.05) decrease in 3.2 km of 22-kg load carriage (week 12,
      1,109 +/- 37 seconds; week 18/27, 1,161 +/- 51 seconds), 2 * 22 kg-jerry carry
      (week 12, 753 +/- 72 m; week 18/27, 683 +/- 78 m), and 1RM bench press (week 12,
      83.3 +/- 16.0 kg; week 18/27, 73.2 +/- 16.6 kg) was observed during IET. No
      change (p > 0.05) between week 12 and week 18/27 was detected in 1RM box lift,
      vertical jump, 30-second high-intensity cycle ergometry, sit-ups, and 20-minute
      shuttle run. In contrast, 2-minute push-up (week 12, 46.7 +/- 2.7; week 18/27,
      57.5 +/- 3.1) performance increased significantly (p <= 0.05). Soldiers who
      participated in up to 15 weeks of additional IET did not make further physical
      performance gains in strength, power, and endurance or function before posting to
      their units. Thus, greater focus on the development of these physical attributes
      seems warranted within the IET training regimen.

PMID- 26506182
TI  - Physical Fitness and Hormonal Profile During an 11-Week Paratroop Training
      Period.
AB  - Physical fitness and serum hormone concentrations have been shown to change
      during military training. The purpose was to examine these chronic changes in
      paratroopers (n = 52 male conscripts) during an 11-week training period,
      including acute changes induced by strenuous 5-day military field training.
      Hormonal profiles, body mass, maximal strength, muscle endurance, and 12-minute
      running test were assessed at several time points during paratrooper training. In
      the latter part of the training period, conscripts were involved in strenuous
      military field training (5 days). At week 7, during specialized military training
      period, aerobic performance decreased (3,146 +/- 163 m) but recovered back to a
      baseline level (3,226 +/- 190 m) at the end of the study period (p < 0.001).
      Standing long jump decreased at week 7 (242 +/- 13 cm) (p < 0.001) from the
      baseline value (248 +/- 13 cm), whereas push-up (52 +/- 11, 60 +/- 13 repetitions
      per minute) and sit-up (54 +/- 6, 56 +/- 7 repetitions per minute) performances
      increased (p < 0.001). No changes were observed in maximal strength and body
      composition, neither mostly in hormone concentrations, although cortisol
      decreased but increased back to baseline value at the end of the study period (p
      <= 0.05). Acute responses after the 5-day military field training included
      decreased maximal strength of the lower extremities and body mass, as well as
      changes in androgen hormone concentrations ([INCREMENT]testosterone: -46%,
      [INCREMENT]insulin-like growth factor-1: -28%, [INCREMENT]sex hormone-binding
      globulin: +25%) compared with all other measurements (p <= 0.05). The first 4
      weeks of parachute military training decreased maximal aerobic capacity and
      neuromuscular performance of the lower body, whereas muscular endurance
      increased. Moreover, 5-day military field training resulted in dramatic changes
      in hormone concentrations. These findings highlight the importance of periodizing
      paratrooper training and underline the need for sufficient recovery immediately
      after military field training.

PMID- 26506183
TI  - Effects of Added Resistance Training on Physical Fitness, Body Composition, and
      Serum Hormone Concentrations During Eight Weeks of Special Military Training
      Period.
AB  - A high volume of military training has been shown to compromise muscle strength
      development. We examined effects of added low-volume resistance training during
      special military training (ST) period, which took place after basic training
      period. Male conscripts (n = 25) were assigned to standardized ST with added
      resistance training group (TG, n = 13) and group with standardized ST only
      (control) (CG, n = 12). Standardized ST with added resistance training group
      performed 2 resistance training sessions per week for 8 weeks: hypertrophic
      strength (weeks 1-3), maximal strength (weeks 4-6) and power training (weeks 7
      8). Maximal strength tests, load carriage performance (3.2 km, 27 kg), and
      hormone concentrations were measured before and after ST (mean +/- SD). Both
      groups improved similarly in their load carriage performance time (TG: 1,162 +/-
      116 seconds vs. 1,047 +/- 81 seconds; CG: 1,142 +/- 95 seconds vs. 1,035 +/- 81
      seconds) (p < 0.001) but decreased maximal strength of the lower extremities (TG:
      5,250 +/- 1,110 N vs. 4,290 +/- 720 N; CG: 5,170 +/- 1,050 N vs. 4,330 +/- 1,230
      N) and back muscles (TG: 4,290 +/- 990 N vs. 3,570 +/- 48 N; CG: 3,920 +/- 72 N
      vs. 3,410 +/- 53 N) (p <= 0.05). Maximal strength of the upper extremities
      improved in CG (1,040 +/- 200 N vs. 1,140 +/- 200 N) (p <= 0.05) but not in TG.
      Maximal strength of the abdominal muscles improved in TG (3,260 +/- 510 N vs.
      3,740 +/- 75 N) (p <= 0.05) but not in CG. Testosterone concentration increased
      in CG (15.2 +/- 3.6 nmol.L-1 vs. 21.6 +/- 5.0 nmol.L-1) (p < 0.01) but not in TG
      (18.6 +/- 4.3 nmol.L-1 vs. 19.5 +/- 9.4 nmol.L-1). In conclusion, interference
      with strength gains might be related to the high volume of aerobic activities and
      too low volume of resistance training during ST. To develop strength
      characteristics, careful periodization and individualization should be adopted in
      ST.

PMID- 26506184
TI  - The Effectiveness of Basic Military Training To Improve Functional Lifting
      Strength in New Recruits.
AB  - Australian Army recruits are required to meet the incumbent baseline physical
      employment standards (PES) during basic military training. A box lift and place
      (BLP) assessment is included in the PES, and it assesses the ability to perform
      essential muscular strength tasks. Therefore, basic military training must
      provide sufficient training stimulus to enable recruits to achieve the baseline
      BLP standard. A study was undertaken to investigate changes in the performance of
      1-repetition maximum BLP in male (n = 154; age, 21.4 years) and female (n = 20;
      age, 23.1 years) recruits over the first 8 weeks of a 12-week basic military
      training course. Both male and female recruits showed modest improvements (2.2 +/
      5.9 kg and 3.0 +/- 3.1 kg, respectively; p <= 0.05) in maximal BLP performance,
      and there were no differences between genders. The female recruits showed greater
      relative improvements compared with the male recruits (14.7 +/- 7.8% vs. 6.5 +/-
      2.3%). Despite the modest improvements in BLP performance, 70% of female and 100%
      of male recruits achieved the baseline BLP standard (25 kg) during week 8. The
      30% failure rate for female recruits, however, suggests that the basic training
      program should be improved. A training program that yields greater gains in
      muscular strength would likely increase female recruit BLP pass rates. Augmented
      muscular strength would also likely increase the number of recruits capable of
      achieving higher BLP standards for more physically demanding employment
      categories. A training program that yields greater improvements in muscular
      strength may also enable lower entry standards, thereby increasing the recruit
      pool.

PMID- 26506185
TI  - Training Methods and Training Instructors' Qualification Are Related to Recruits'
      Fitness Development During Basic Military Training.
AB  - Adequate physical fitness is essential for successful military service. Military
      organizations worldwide therefore make continuous efforts to improve their army's
      physical training (PT) programs. To investigate the effect of the training
      methods and the qualification of PT instructors on the development of recruits'
      physical fitness, the present study compared the outcomes of 2 training groups.
      Both study groups participated in approximately 145 minutes per week of PT. The
      control group executed the standard army PT prepared and supervised by army PT
      instructors. Content of the PT in the intervention group was similar to that of
      the control group, but their training sessions' methods were different. Their
      training sessions were organized, prepared, and delivered by more and better
      qualified supervisors (tertiary-educated physical education teachers). After 10
      weeks of training, the participants of the intervention group experienced a
      significantly greater physical fitness improvement than those of the control
      group (positive change in endurance 32 and 17%, balance 30 and 21%, and core
      strength 74 and 45%, respectively). In both groups, the recruits with the lowest
      initial fitness levels significantly increased their performance. In the
      intervention group, but not the control, one-third of the recruits with the
      highest initial fitness levels were able to further improve their general fitness
      performance. This study demonstrates that the training methods and quality of
      instruction during PT sessions are relevant for recruits' fitness development in
      basic military training.

PMID- 26506186
TI  - Examining the Relationship Between Mental, Physical, and Organizational Factors
      Associated With Attrition During Maritime Forces Training.
AB  - For infantry units of the Dutch Ministry of Defence, high attrition rates
      (varying from 42 to 68%) during initial training are a persisting problem. The
      reasons for this attrition are diverse. Having better insight into the causes of
      attrition is a prerequisite for implementing preventive measures. To achieve
      this, a monitoring assessment system was developed that integrated the effects of
      physical, mental, and organizational determinants on operational readiness. The
      aim of this study was to implement the monitoring tools and to establish the set
      of determinants that best predicted attrition during infantry training of new
      recruits. Eighty-five recruits were monitored over a 24-week infantry training
      course. Before the training, recruits were screened for medical, psychological,
      and physical wellness. During the monitoring phase, mental, physiological, and
      organizational indicants were obtained using an array of tools such as
      questionnaires, chest belt monitors (for heart rate, acceleration, and skin
      temperature measurements), and computerized tests (e.g., vigilance, long-term
      memory). Survival analyses were used to tease out the determinants of individual
      and grouped predictors of attrition. Nearly half the recruits (47%) failed the
      training. Attrition was predicted by both physiological and mental determinants.
      However, the organizational determinant "trainers' judgment" on the "recruits'
      military quality" dominated the physiological and mental determinants. It was
      concluded that the monitoring system was successfully implemented during infantry
      training, and that the survival analysis method emphasized on single effects and
      interactions between the different determinants. Based on the current findings,
      we recommend several steps to successfully implement a monitoring method in
      settings with high demands.

PMID- 26506187
TI  - The FORCE Fitness Profile--Adding a Measure of Health-Related Fitness to the
      Canadian Armed Forces Operational Fitness Evaluation.
AB  - In 2013, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) implemented the Fitness for Operational
      Requirements of Canadian Armed Forces Employment (FORCE), a field expedient
      fitness test designed to predict the physical requirements of completing common
      military tasks. Given that attaining this minimal physical fitness standard may
      not represent a challenge to some personnel, a fitness incentive program was
      requested by the chain of command to recognize and reward fitness over and above
      the minimal standard. At the same time, it was determined that the CAF would
      benefit from a measure of general health-related fitness, in addition to this
      measure of operational fitness. The resulting incentive program structure is
      based on gender and 8 age categories. The results on the 4 elements of the FORCE
      evaluation were converted to a point scale from which normative scores were
      derived, where the median score corresponds to the bronze level, and silver,
      gold, and platinum correspond to a score which is 1, 2, and 3 SDs above this
      median, respectively. A suite of rewards including merit board point toward
      promotions and recognition on the uniform and material rewards was developed. A
      separate group rewards program was also tabled, to recognize achievements in
      fitness at the unit level. For general fitness, oxygen capacity was derived from
      FORCE evaluation results and combined with a measure of abdominal circumference.
      Fitness categories were determined based on relative risks of mortality and
      morbidity for each age and gender group. Pilot testing of this entire program was
      performed with 624 participants to assess participants' reactions to the enhanced
      test, and also to verify logistical aspects of the electronic data capture,
      calculation, and transfer system. The newly dubbed fitness profile program was
      subsequently approved by the senior leadership of the CAF and is scheduled to
      begin a phased implementation in June 2015.

PMID- 26506188
TI  - Even One Is Too Much: Sole Presence of One of the Risk Factors Overweight, Lack
      of Exercise, and Smoking Reduces Physical Fitness of Young Soldiers.
AB  - Health and physical fitness are key factors for soldiers. Increased sedentary
      military work, significant sitting periods during commuting and leisure time, and
      unhealthy dietary habits have caused a considerable increase in the number of
      physically unfit soldiers. Even worse, the adoption of harmful lifestyle habits
      occurs increasingly earlier in life. The aim of this cross-sectional study was
      (a) to determine the physical fitness of young male soldiers and (b) to
      investigate the association between physical fitness and both the presence and
      frequency of the health risk factors overweight, smoking, and lack of exercise. A
      total of 4,553 volunteers aged 18-25 years performed the Basis Fitness Test
      consisting of the 3 disciplines agility (11 * 10 m shuttle sprint), strength
      (flexed-arm hang), and endurance (1,000-m run). The presence and frequency of
      risk factors were determined by means of anthropometric measures (body mass
      index, waist circumference) and questionnaire data. The portion of soldiers
      without risk factors decreased from 49.4% (18-year-olds) to 16.4% for 25-year
      olds. Persons without risk factors completed the agility test in 41.1 +/- 3.7
      seconds, flexed-arm hang in 60.1 +/- 19.7 seconds, and 1,000-m run in 235 +/- 32
      seconds. Physical performance in all dimensions tested (agility, strength,
      endurance) notably deteriorated with the sole presence of one of the risk factors
      overweight, smoking, and lack of exercise. Any further risk factor led to further
      fitness decreases (p < 0.001). Mean performances of soldiers with 3 risk factors
      were 46.7 +/- 4.1 seconds (11 * 10 m shuttle sprint), 27.6 +/- 6.4 seconds
      (flexed-arm hang), and 298 +/- 45 seconds (1,000-m run). Impacts of unhealthy
      lifestyles and significant losses in physical fitness are already visible in
      young male soldiers. Armed Forces must intensify their efforts to maintain health
      and performance of their soldiers.

PMID- 26506189
TI  - Development and Implementation of a New Physical Training Concept in the
      Norwegian Navy Special Operations Command.
AB  - A high level of physical fitness is one important factor for optimal performance
      in Special Operation Forces (SOF). Still, information about physical training for
      SOF operators is not easily accessible. This study aimed to implement and assess
      a new training concept in the Norwegian Navy SOF. A longitudinal study where 22
      operators completed a 6-month linear periodization (LP), followed by a 6-month
      nonlinear periodization (NLP) program. Both protocols were block periodized,
      focusing on either strength or aerobic capacity. A battery of tests covering
      strength, endurance, power, mobility, and body composition was performed, and
      individual capacity analyses were established. A training week consisted of 5 to
      6 sessions including 1 or 2 individualized sessions directed towards improving
      the weakest capacity. The LP had a clear effect on mobility (19 +/- 9%),
      abdominal strength (25 +/- 16%), upper body power (PowerUB; 6 +/- 9%), standing
      long-jump (3 +/- 6%), pull-ups (24 +/- 31%), agility (2 +/- 4%), V[Combining Dot
      Above]O2max (2 +/- 3%), fat percent (-5 +/- 31%), and muscle mass (1 +/- 3%). The
      NLP increased abdominal strength (15 +/- 17%), standing long-jump (3 +/- 4%), and
      anaerobic capacity (10 +/- 8%), whereas V[Combining Dot Above]O2 max (-3 +/- 4%)
      and PowerUB (-2 +/- 7%) decreased. Additional analyses showed clear increases
      among those individually instructed to improve strength. Results support the
      benefits of combined periodized programming and individualized training sessions
      among SOF operators with initially good fitness levels. Largest effects were
      observed in the first phase with the LP. However, subsequent NLP additionally
      increased anaerobic and jumping capacity, possibly due to more frequent muscular
      endurance and power training. Because of frequent interruptions, the LP tended to
      be more difficult to follow than the NLP and is suggested when continuity is
      possible, whereas an NLP is recommended for maintenance and when standing on
      national preparedness.

PMID- 26506190
TI  - Concept for a Predeployment Assessment of Basic Military Fitness in the German
      Armed Forces.
AB  - Military fitness is defined as a hierarchical 4-level construct in the German
      armed forces: (a) "Fundamental/Baseline Fitness," (b) "Basic Military Fitness,"
      (c) "Task Fitness," and (d) "Mission Fitness." "Fundamental/Baseline Fitness" is
      assessed with the "Basic Fitness Test." However, this test alone is not
      sufficient to assess readiness for the physical demands of deployments. The first
      part of the article describes the development of a tool mirroring the specific
      physiological requirements of military operations on a joint forces level. The
      "Basic Military Fitness Tool" (BMFT) combines 4 crucial military demands into one
      single timed test run performed with field uniform (5 kg), body armor (13.4 kg),
      and helmet (1.6 kg): (a) maneuver under fire: 130 m run with changes in
      direction, velocity, and body position, (b) casualty rescue: 40 m of dragging a
      50 kg load, (c) load carrying: 100 m carrying of two 18 kg loads, and (d) load
      lifting: lifting a 24 kg load on to a 1.25 m high rack 5 times. The second part
      covers the first assessment of BMFT selectivity between high- and low-performing
      groups. Muscle mass and strength are important factors for working with loads.
      Thus, female soldiers are expected to need more time to complete BMFT because of
      their on average lower muscle mass. Eighteen female (age = 28.5 +/- 6.6 years,
      lean body mass [LBM] = 45.0 +/- 4.5 kg; mean +/- SD) and 104 male soldiers (age =
      30.0 +/- 8.4, LBM = 64.3 +/- 7.1) completed isometric strength testing (hand grip
      = 344.3 +/- 51.4 N and 547.3 +/- 79.1 N, elbow flexors = 118.9 +/- 16.9 and 235.1
      +/- 42.0, knee extensors = 433.2 +/- 87.4 and 631.4 +/- 111.4) and BMFT (259.2 +/
      44.0 and 150.0 +/- 21.1 s). Except age, all variables differed significantly (p
      < 0.01) between groups.

PMID- 26506191
TI  - Executive Summary From the National Strength and Conditioning Association's
      Second Blue Ribbon Panel on Military Physical Readiness: Military Physical
      Performance Testing.
AB  - The National Strength and Conditioning Association's tactical strength and
      conditioning program sponsored the second Blue Ribbon Panel on military physical
      readiness: military physical performance testing, April 18-19, 2013, Norfolk, VA.
      This meeting brought together a total of 20 subject matter experts (SMEs) from
      the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and academia representing
      practitioners, operators, researchers, and policy advisors to discuss the current
      state of physical performance testing across the Armed Services. The SME panel
      initially rated 9 common military tasks (jumping over obstacles, moving with
      agility, carrying heavy loads, dragging heavy loads, running long distances,
      moving quickly over short distances, climbing over obstacles, lifting heavy
      objects, loading equipment) by the degree to which health-related fitness
      components (e.g., aerobic fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance,
      flexibility, and body composition) and skill-related fitness components (e.g.,
      muscular power, agility, balance, coordination, speed, and reaction time) were
      required to accomplish these tasks. A scale from 1 to 10 (10 being highest) was
      used. Muscular strength, power, and endurance received the highest rating scores.
      Panel consensus concluded that (a) selected fitness components (particularly for
      skill-related fitness components) are currently not being assessed by the
      military; (b) field-expedient options to measure both health-based and skill
      based fitness components are currently available; and

PMID- 26506192
TI  - Human Performance Optimization Metrics: Consensus Findings, Gaps, and
      Recommendations for Future Research.
AB  - Human performance optimization (HPO) is defined as "the process of applying
      knowledge, skills and emerging technologies to improve and preserve the
      capabilities of military members, and organizations to execute essential tasks."
      The lack of consensus for operationally relevant and standardized metrics that
      meet joint military requirements has been identified as the single most important
      gap for research and application of HPO. In 2013, the Consortium for Health and
      Military Performance hosted a meeting to develop a toolkit of standardized HPO
      metrics for use in military and civilian research, and potentially for field
      applications by commanders, units, and organizations. Performance was considered
      from a holistic perspective as being influenced by various behaviors and
      barriers. To accomplish the goal of developing a standardized toolkit, key
      metrics were identified and evaluated across a spectrum of domains that
      contribute to HPO: physical performance, nutritional status, psychological
      status, cognitive performance, environmental challenges, sleep, and pain. These
      domains were chosen based on relevant data with regard to performance enhancers
      and degraders. The specific objectives at this meeting were to (a) identify and
      evaluate current metrics for assessing human performance within selected domains;
      (b) prioritize metrics within each domain to establish a human performance
      assessment toolkit; and (c) identify scientific gaps and the needed research to
      more effectively assess human performance across domains. This article provides
      of a summary of 150 total HPO metrics across multiple domains that can be used as
      a starting point-the beginning of an HPO toolkit: physical fitness (29 metrics),
      nutrition (24 metrics), psychological status (36 metrics), cognitive performance
      (35 metrics), environment (12 metrics), sleep (9 metrics), and pain (5 metrics).
      These metrics can be particularly valuable as the military emphasizes a renewed
      interest in Human Dimension efforts, and leverages science, resources, programs,
      and policies to optimize the performance capacities of all Service members.

PMID- 26506193
TI  - International Research Consensus: Identifying Military Research Priorities and
      Gaps.
AB  - A multidisciplinary survey was administered to military performance researchers
      attending the Third International Conference on Soldier Physical Performance to
      obtain their opinions of the priority levels and importance of research topics
      related to soldier health and determinants of soldier physical performance.
      Respondents included 140 individuals from 22 different countries, of which 96%
      had at least a graduate degree and 79% were associated with a military
      organization. The top 5 highest importance/priority research topics were (a)
      physical demands in operational environments, (b) measuring physical
      performance/fitness, (c) musculoskeletal injury mitigation programs, (d) physical
      employment standards, and (e) physical strength-training programs. Of what
      individuals thought were their most important topics, 50% reported these were not
      currently being researched because of higher priorities, insufficient funding, or
      the lack of scientific expertise. A theme analysis of research-topic areas that
      were important and not being researched indicated that physical employment
      standards and physical training studies related to soldiers' health and
      performance are knowledge gaps. Although these experienced researchers had
      diverse backgrounds and were working on a wide array of research topics, there
      was a surprisingly clear consensus on what they thought were important topics
      that needed to be addressed in common between countries or militaries.

PMID- 26506194
TI  - Development and Implementation of Evidence-Based Physical Employment Standards:
      Key Challenges in the Military Context.
AB  - The use of evidence-based physical employment standards is critical in selecting
      individuals who can meet the requirements of arduous military occupations. The
      methods used to generate the physical assessments and standards are critical to
      the process and must withstand legal scrutiny. This article addresses the
      challenges encountered when developing, validating, and implementing physical
      standards and assessments. The challenges covered by the study include: (a)
      identification of critical job tasks and minimum requirements for performance of
      the tasks, (b) involvement of military personnel as subject-matter experts,

PMID- 26506195
TI  - Physiological Readiness and Resilience: Pillars of Military Preparedness.
AB  - Warfighters require a range of physical capabilities to meet the demands of the
      military profession, and physical training must address performance along an
      entire continuum, depending on individual needs and mission requirements.
      Strength and power capabilities are needed for optimal performance of anaerobic
      tasks such as heavy load carriage, sprinting under load, and maneuvering over
      uneven terrain. For optimal performance, soldiers must also be able to recover
      from mission demands and strenuous training. The demands placed on a soldier can
      result in a chronic stress, leading to decreased mission performance, increased
      injury risk, and increased susceptibility to illness. These factors are
      exacerbated by inappropriate training strategies such as overemphasis on
      endurance exercise combined with other stressors such as lack of sleep or
      inadequate nutrition. Chronic stress has been linked to overreaching/overtraining
      and to the development of comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome, insulin
      resistance, and hypertension and has adverse effects on memory and cognitive
      function. Resistance exercise is an effective method to improve warfighter
      physical performance and resilience to stress, thereby impacting mission
      readiness. Resistance exercise in particular confers many benefits to include
      increased strength and power, improved body composition, and protective effects
      on tendons, ligaments, and bone. Physically fit individuals not only benefit from
      improved mission performance but also are more resilient to operational stressors
      faced during combat. Ultimately, resilient soldiers are better able to cope with
      the physical and mental demands of the military profession and over the long term
      will perform better while maintaining health and well-being.

PMID- 26506196
TI  - Improving Soldier Health and Performance by Moving Army Medicine Toward a System
      for Health.
AB  - With growing limitations on military resources, including a reduction in the
      overall size of our military force, the Army must make the most of every soldier
      in its ranks. The only way to achieve the necessary improvements in human
      performance with upcoming constraints will be through exploring innovative ways
      of thinking while implementing the best policies and doctrine that will maintain
      each soldier's resilience throughout their military career. Moving the Army from
      a traditional health care system to a system for health is expected to
      substantially improve and maintain soldier health and performance by focusing on
      3 key areas: the Performance Triad (sleep health, physical activity, and
      nutrition behaviors), Delivery of Health, and Healthy Environments. The
      implementation of this system for health will not only improve individual
      soldier's resiliency/capability both throughout and beyond their military careers
      and benefit Army Medicine as a whole, but could also serve as a successful model
      for the nation if changes are adopted.

PMID- 26506197
TI  - Military Applicability of Interval Training for Health and Performance.
AB  - Militaries from around the globe have predominantly used endurance training as
      their primary mode of aerobic physical conditioning, with historical emphasis
      placed on the long distance run. In contrast to this traditional exercise
      approach to training, interval training is characterized by brief, intermittent
      bouts of intense exercise, separated by periods of lower intensity exercise or
      rest for recovery. Although hardly a novel concept, research over the past decade
      has shed new light on the potency of interval training to elicit physiological
      adaptations in a time-efficient manner. This work has largely focused on the
      benefits of low-volume interval training, which involves a relatively small total
      amount of exercise, as compared with the traditional high-volume approach to
      training historically favored by militaries. Studies that have directly compared
      interval and moderate-intensity continuous training have shown similar
      improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and the capacity for aerobic energy
      metabolism, despite large differences in total exercise and training time
      commitment. Interval training can also be applied in a calisthenics manner to
      improve cardiorespiratory fitness and strength, and this approach could easily be
      incorporated into a military conditioning environment. Although interval training
      can elicit physiological changes in men and women, the potential for sex-specific
      adaptations in the adaptive response to interval training warrants further
      investigation. Additional work is needed to clarify adaptations occurring over
      the longer term; however, interval training deserves consideration from a
      military applicability standpoint as a time-efficient training strategy to
      enhance soldier health and performance. There is value for military leaders in
      identifying strategies that reduce the time required for exercise, but
      nonetheless provide an effective training stimulus.

PMID- 26506198
TI  - Adaptations to Short, Frequent Sessions of Endurance and Strength Training Are
      Similar to Longer, Less Frequent Exercise Sessions When the Total Volume Is the
      Same.
AB  - The hypothesis that the distribution of weekly training across several short
      sessions, as opposed to fewer longer sessions, enhances maximal strength gain
      without compromising maximal oxygen uptake was evaluated. Twenty-nine subjects
      completed an 8-week controlled parallel-group training intervention. One group
      ("micro training" [MI]: n = 21) performed nine 15-minute training sessions
      weekly, whereas a second group ("classical training" [CL]: n = 8) completed
      exactly the same training on a weekly basis but as three 45-minute sessions. For
      each group, each session comprised exclusively strength, high-intensity
      cardiovascular training or muscle endurance training. Both groups increased
      shuttle run performance (MI: 1,373 +/- 133 m vs. 1,498 +/- 126 m, p <= 0.05; CL:
      1,074 +/- 213 m vs. 1,451 +/- 202 m, p < 0.001). In contrast to CL, MI increased
      peak oxygen uptake (3,744 +/- 615 mL.min-1 vs. 3,963 +/- 753 mL.min-1, p <=
      0.05), maximal voluntary isometric (MVC) force of the knee extensors (646 +/- 135
      N vs. 659 +/- 209 N, p < 0.001), MVC of the finger flexors (408 +/- 109 N vs. 441
      +/- 131 N, p <= 0.05), and number of lunges performed in 2 minutes (65 +/- 3 vs.
      73 +/- 2, p < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences between MI
      and CL on any measured parameters before or after the training intervention. In
      conclusion, similar training adaptations can be obtained with short, frequent
      exercise sessions or longer, less frequent sessions where the total volume of
      weekly training performed is the same.

PMID- 26506199
TI  - Human Performance Optimization: Culture Change and Paradigm Shift.
AB  - The term "Human Performance Optimization" (HPO) emerged across the Department of
      Defense (DoD) around 2006 when the importance of human performance for military
      success on the battlefield was acknowledged. Likewise, the term Total Force
      Fitness (TFF) arose as a conceptual framework within DoD in response to the need
      for a more holistic approach to the unparalleled operational demands with
      multiple deployments and strains on the United States Armed Forces. Both HPO and
      TFF are frameworks for enhancing and sustaining the health, well-being, and
      performance among our warriors and their families; they are fundamental to
      accomplishing our nation's mission. A demands-resources model for HPO is
      presented within the context of TFF to assist in operationalizing actions to
      enhance performance. In addition, the role leaders can serve is discussed;
      leaders are uniquely postured in the military chain of command to directly
      influence a culture of fitness for a ready force, and promote the concept that
      service members are ultimately responsible for their fitness and performance.

PMID- 26506200
TI  - Physical Training, Fitness, and Injuries: Lessons Learned From Military Studies.
AB  - Injuries are the leading cause of medical encounters across the U.S. military
      services resulting in more than 2.0 million clinic visits per year. Almost 50% of
      military service members experience an injury each year and half of those
      injuries are caused by physical training (PT), exercise, or sports. To prevent a
      problem as large and complex as injuries in the military requires a systematic
      approach. Several key questions must be answered to effectively address a problem
      such as injuries: (1) how big is the problem? (2) what are the causes and risk
      factors for the problem? (3) do modifiable risk factors for the problem exist?
      and (4) what works to prevent the problem? The article discusses leading causes
      of injuries for U.S. Army populations. It then explores key risk factors for
      exercise and training-related injuries: (1) the amounts of training, (2) types of
      training activities, (3) participants level of fitness, and (4) personal health
      risk behaviors. The article concludes with a review of prevention strategies
      illustrating interventions that have been shown to be effective, and others that
      are not effective. The data presented suggest that PT and exercise cause injuries
      and that modifications of training are most likely to prevent the problem.

PMID- 26506201
TI  - Pain on Functional Movement Screen Tests and Injury Risk.
AB  - The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a tool intended to evaluate limitations
      or asymmetries of movement to detect individuals at risk for exercise- and sports
      related injury. The purpose was to determine the association and predictive value
      of specific FMS tests with injury risk in physically active men. Soldiers aged 18
      57 years completed the FMS (n = 2,476). Demographic and fitness data were
      collected by survey. Medical record data for any, overuse, and traumatic injury 6
      months after the assessment were obtained. Sensitivity, specificity, positive
      predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value were calculated along with
      receiver operator characteristics to determine area under the curve (AUC). Risks,
      risk ratios, odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to
      assess injury risks. Multivariate logistic regression identified that pain on 5
      of the 7 tests was associated with greater risk for any injury (OR = 1.50-3.51):
      deep squat, hurdle step, in-line lunge, trunk stability push-up, and rotary
      stability. However, FMS registered low sensitivity, PPV, and AUC for all 7 tests
      for the 3 injury types (2-24% sensitivity, 16-74% PPV, and 50-58% AUC). Although
      the presence of pain was associated with a higher risk of injury on 5 tests, a
      low sensitivity, PPV, and AUC were displayed. Therefore, caution is advised when
      implementing the FMS as a screening tool in an Army or similarly active
      population as it could lead to prevention and treatment resources being directed
      toward individuals who are not at greater risk for injury.

PMID- 26506202
TI  - U.S. Army Research on Pharmacological Enhancement of Soldier Performance:
      Stimulants, Anabolic Hormones, and Blood Doping.
AB  - The level playing field of competitive sports is an irrelevant concern in
      asymmetrical warfare. However, there is a common theme of pressure to use
      performance-enhancing drugs because athletic or military opponents may be using
      them to advantage. This interest is fueled by personal anecdotes, misconceptions,
      and myths, and decisions to use or not to use pharmacological interventions may
      ignore available scientific data. The U.S. Army has led research in this area,
      with an abundance of published data extending back to World War II. Behavioral
      effects have been a consistent concern. A key conclusion to be drawn from this
      research is that although there may be specialized applications for some of these
      interventions, the majority of soldiers will gain the greatest performance
      benefits from effective physical and mental training programs combined with good
      principles of rest and nutrition. Furthermore, the perceived need to improve
      human biology with drugs may be solving the wrong problem, trying to fit the
      human to the demands of poorly conceived tactics, tasks, and equipments instead
      of capitalizing on human capabilities.

PMID- 26506203
TI  - Novel Cooling Strategies for Military Training and Operations.
AB  - The deleterious effects of environmental heat stress, combined with high
      metabolic loads and protective clothing and equipment of the modern Warfighter,
      impose severe heat strain, impair task performance, and increase risk of heat
      illness, thereby reducing the chance for mission success. Despite the
      implementation of heat-risk mitigation procedures over the past decades, task
      performance still suffers and exertional heat illness remains a major military
      problem. We review 3 novel heat mitigation strategies that may be implemented in
      the training or operational environment to reduce heat strain and the risk of
      exertional heat illness. These strategies include ingestion of ice slurry, arm
      immersion cooling, and microclimate cooling. Each of these strategies is suitable
      for use in different scenarios and the choice of cooling strategy is contingent
      on the requirements, circumstances, and constraints of the training and
      operational scenario. Ingestion of ice slurry and arm immersion cooling are
      practical strategies that may be implemented during training scenarios; ice
      slurry can be ingested before and during exercise, whereas arm immersion cooling
      can be administered after exercise-heat exposure. In the operational environment,
      existing microclimate cooling can be implemented with retrofitted vehicles and as
      an unmounted system, and it has the potential for use in many military
      occupational scenarios. This review will discuss the efficacy, limitations, and
      practical considerations for field implementation of each strategy.

PMID- 26506204
TI  - Effects of Patrol Operation on Hydration Status and Autonomic Modulation of Heart
      Rate of Brazilian Peacekeepers in Haiti.
AB  - The stress of operational missions may challenge the maintenance of body
      homeostasis, affecting soldiers' cardiac autonomic control, promoting
      dehydration, and compromising performance. Therefore, we aimed to determine the
      effects of peacekeeper patrol operation in Haiti on soldiers' hydration status
      and cardiac autonomic modulation, and to determine whether fluctuations in
      autonomic modulation were associated with changes in hydration status, energy
      expenditure (EE), and aerobic fitness (V[Combining Dot Above]O2max). A group of
      20 soldiers (23.5 +/- 4.7 years; V[Combining Dot Above]O2max 52.9 +/- 4.5 ml.kg
      1.min-1) completed an operational patrol mission with a mean duration of 160.6 +/
      28.6 minutes. Before (Pre) and after (Post) the operation, the soldiers' body
      masses (BMs) were measured and 5-minute heart rate interbeat (R-R) intervals were
      recorded at rest to estimate heart rate variability (low-frequency [LF] and high
      frequency [HF] power, and sympathovagal balance [LF/HF]). During the mission, EE
      was estimated using heart rate (HR) monitors. Changes from Pre to Post in BM (%BM
      loss) and LF/HF (DeltaLF/HF) were used to evaluate the soldiers' dehydration
      levels and autonomic modulation, respectively. The mean EE was 711.0 +/- 208.7
      kcal. From pre to post, increases (p < 0.01) were noted in LF normalized units
      (n.u.) and LF/HF and decreases (p < 0.01) were noted in BM, R-R interval, and HF
      n.u. The variation in DeltaLF/HF correlated with EE (r = 0.49; p = 0.02),
      V[Combining Dot Above]O2max (r = -0.42; p = 0.05), and %BM loss (r = 0.53; p =
      0.02). The results demonstrated that an operational peacekeeper patrol with an
      approximate duration of 160 minutes promoted both dehydration and an imbalance in
      the autonomic modulation of soldiers' HR. The reduction in sympathovagal balance
      correlated with EE, dehydration, and aerobic conditioning.

PMID- 26506205
TI  - Total Body Water, Electrolyte, and Thermoregulatory Responses to Ad Libitum Water
      Replacement Using Two Different Water Delivery Systems During a 19-km Route
      March.
AB  - Hands-free hydration systems are often advocated for improved hydration and
      performance in military populations. The aim was to assess whether such systems
      indeed result in improved hydration in exercising soldiers. Subjects were
      required to complete a route march while consuming water ad libitum from either a
      hydration bladder (BG) or traditional canteen (CG). Water intakes of 538 ml.h-1
      (BG) and 533 ml.h-1 (CG) resulted in no differences for changes in body mass,
      serum [Na], plasma osmolality, total body water, or time required to complete the
      march. There were no differences between peak exercise core temperature of the BG
      (38.9 degrees  C) and CG (38.7 degrees  C) groups. There were no differences
      between the groups for fluid balance, thermoregulation, or performance. This is a
      not a surprising finding because the amount of fluid consumed ad libitum is
      determined by changes in serum osmolality and not the fluid delivery system as
      often proposed.

PMID- 26506206
TI  - Physiological Implications, Performance Assessment and Risk Mitigation Strategies
      of Women in Combat-Centric Occupations.
AB  - Women have historically featured in military conflicts, but were not formally
      integrated into the military until the 20th century; occupations were mainly
      restricted to clerical or support roles. An increasing number of occupations have
      been opened to women and the higher physical demands of combat roles present new
      challenges. Inherent biological differences between sexes require women to work
      harder when undertaking the same tasks as men. This is reflected, in part, by the
      greater risk of musculoskeletal injuries of women observed notably during
      integrated military training. Gender "neutral" occupational standards, based on
      the physical requirements of the role, will ensure that women are suitably
      selected to cope with the demands of military tasks with a minimal risk of injury
      and to operational effectiveness. Initiatives such as reduced running mileage and
      single-sex training have contributed to a reduction in lower-limb musculoskeletal
      injuries, but the risk of injury remains higher in women. Nevertheless, women
      experience substantial gains in aerobic power and strength with appropriate and
      targeted training, narrowing the gap in physical performance between the sexes.
      Evidence-based occupational standards and optimal training programs provide short
      term solutions for integrating women in support combat, and indeed direct combat
      roles.

PMID- 26506208
TI  - Supramolecular gels based on boronate esters and imidazolyl donors.
AB  - Dative boron-nitrogen bonds can be used for the controlled assembly of boronate
      esters and N-donor ligands. So far, most investigations have focused on
      crystalline assemblies. In contrast, there are very few reports about soft
      materials based on dative B-N bonds. Here, we describe the formation of gels by
      aggregation of diboronate esters and ditopic bisimidazolyl donor ligands.
      Analyses of low molecular weight model compounds by NMR spectroscopy, isothermal
      titration calorimetry, and X-ray crystallography reveal that imidazolyl ligands
      form particularly strong dative bonds with boronate esters. The strong
      interaction allows gel formation in competitive polar solvents such as THF and
      acetone. In less polar solvents, very low critical gel concentrations of down to
      0.02 wt% are observed. By using a diboronate ester linked by an azobenzene group,
      it is possible to form a photoresponsive gel. 

PMID- 26506209
TI  - Reply to: Technical Comment on "Saccadic eye movement performance as an indicator
      of driving ability in elderly drivers".

PMID- 26506211
TI  - Impact of shortened dental arches on oral health-related quality of life.
AB  - This study described the prevalence of adults with shortened dental arches (SDA)
      in Brazil, specifically assessing the differences of oral health-related quality
      of life [the prevalence and severity of oral impacts on daily performance (OIDP)]
      by dentition status. We analysed data from the 2010 National Survey of Oral
      Health in Brazil, including home interviews and oral examinations. The assessment
      of SDA used two alternative definitions: having 3-5 natural occlusal units (OUs)
      in posterior teeth or having 4 OUs in posterior teeth. Both definitions included
      having intact anterior region and no dental prosthesis. The analysis was
      weighted, and a complex sampling design was used. Negative binomial regression
      models assessed associations as adjusted for socio-demographic conditions and
      dental outcomes. A total of 9779 adults (35-44 years old) participated in the
      study. A non-negligible proportion had SDA: 9.9% and 3.8% for the first and
      second definition, respectively. Individuals with SDA (first definition) ranked
      higher in OIDP prevalence [count ratio (CR) 1.22; 1.09-1.36, 95% confidence
      interval (CI)] and severity (CR = 1.43; 1.19-1.72, 95% CI) than those with more
      natural teeth. This difference was not statistically significant when adjusted
      for socio-demographic and dental covariates: OIDP prevalence (CR = 1.04; 0.92
      1.17, 95% CI) and severity (CR = 1.09; 0.91-1.30, 95% CI). Analogous results were
      obtained when the second definition of SDA was adopted. These findings suggest
      that a considerable contingent of adults may function well without dental
      prostheses, despite having several missing teeth. This conclusion challenges the
      traditional approach of replacing any missing tooth and instructs the allocation
      of more dental resources to preventive, diagnostic and restorative services. 

PMID- 26506212
TI  - WITHDRAWN: Domestic violence screening and intervention programmes for adults
      with dental or facial injury.

PMID- 26506213
TI  - Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Altered Intestinal Permeability Induced by Combat
      Training Are Associated with Distinct Metabotypic Changes.
AB  - Physical and psychological stress have been shown to modulate multiple aspects of
      gastrointestinal (GI) physiology, but its molecular basis remains elusive. We
      therefore characterized the stress-induced metabolic phenotype (metabotype) in
      soldiers during high-intensity combat training and correlated the metabotype with
      changes in GI symptoms and permeability. In a prospective, longitudinal study,
      urinary metabotyping was conducted on 38 male healthy soldiers during combat
      training and a rest period using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The
      urinary metabotype during combat training was clearly distinct from the rest
      period (partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA) Q(2) = 0.581),
      confirming the presence of a unique stress-induced metabotype. Differential
      metabolites related to combat stress were further uncovered, including elevated
      pyroglutamate and fructose, and reduced gut microbial metabolites, namely,
      hippurate and m-hydroxyphenylacetate (p < 0.05). The extent of pyroglutamate
      upregulation exhibited a positive correlation with an increase in IBS-SSS in
      soldiers during combat training (r = 0.5, p < 0.05). Additionally, the rise in
      fructose levels was positively correlated with an increase in intestinal
      permeability (r = 0.6, p < 0.005). In summary, protracted and mixed psychological
      and physical combat-training stress yielded unique metabolic changes that
      corresponded with the incidence and severity of GI symptoms and alteration in
      intestinal permeability. Our study provided novel molecular insights into stress
      induced GI perturbations, which could be exploited for future biomarker research
      or development of therapeutic strategies. 

PMID- 26506214
TI  - Comparison of the clinicopathologic features and prognosis of bilateral versus
      unilateral multifocal papillary thyroid cancer: An updated study with more than
      2000 consecutive patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bilaterality is common in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), but its
      clinical and prognostic implications are still controversial, and it remains
      unclear whether its behavior is more aggressive than multifocality. METHODS: The
      clinicopathologic features of 2211 consecutive patients with PTC who underwent
      surgical treatment at the authors' institute between 1997 and 2011 were reviewed.
      Among these surgical patients, 425 (19.2%) had bilateral PTCs, and 1786 had
      unilateral PTCs. The patients who had unilateral PTCs were subdivided into a
      group with unilateral-multifocal PTCs (210 patients) and a group with solitary
      PTCs (1576 patients). The 10-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates were
      calculated to compare the prognosis between groups. B-Raf proto-oncogene,
      serine/threonine kinase (BRAF) mutation status was examined by direct DNA
      sequencing. RESULTS: Patients who had bilateral PTCs were likely to have larger
      tumors, higher rates of extrathyroid extension and lymph node metastasis, and
      more advanced tumor stage than those who had unilateral-multifocal PTCs.
      Multivariate analysis identified only lymph node metastasis as an independent
      risk factor for PTC recurrence (P < .001). The 10-year DFS rate for patients with
      bilateral PTCs was much lower than that for those with unilateral-multifocal and
      solitary PTCs (78.8% vs 85.7% and 89.3%, respectively; P = .005). It is
      noteworthy that patients who had bilateral PTCs with lymph node metastasis had
      the worst prognosis in terms of DFS. Incidence of the BRAF V600E mutation (valine
      to glutamic acid mutation at position 600) was higher in the bilateral PTC group
      than that in the unilateral and unilateral-multifocal PTC groups. CONCLUSIONS:
      The current results provide initial evidence that bilateral PTCs are more
      aggressive than unilateral-multifocal PTCs, and patients who have bilateral
      disease have more advanced stage and shorter DFS. The poorer outcome of patients
      with bilateral PTCs may be caused in part by their high incidence of lymph node
      metastasis. Cancer 2016;122:198-206. (c) 2015 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 26506215
TI  - Carbon Monoxide Photoproduction from Particles and Solutes in the Delaware
      Estuary under Contrasting Hydrological Conditions.
AB  - Full-spectrum, ultraviolet (UV), and visible broadband apparent quantum yields
      (AQYs) for carbon monoxide (CO) photoproduction from chromophoric dissolved
      organic matter (CDOM) and particulate organic matter (POM) were determined in the
      Delaware Estuary in two hydrologically contrasting seasons in 2012: an unusually
      low flow in August and a storm-driven high flow in November. Average AQYs for
      CDOM and POM in November were 10 and 16 times the corresponding AQYs in August.
      Maximum AQYs in November occurred in a midestuary particle absorption maximum
      zone. Although POM AQYs were generally smaller than CDOM AQYs, the ratio of the
      former to the latter increased substantially from the UV to the visible. In both
      seasons, UV solar radiation was the primary driver for CO photoproduction from
      CDOM whereas visible light was the principal contributor to POM-based CO
      photoproduction. CDOM dominated CO photoproduction in the uppermost water layer
      while POM prevailed at deeper depths. On a depth-integrated basis, the Delaware
      Estuary shifted from a CDOM-dominated system in August to a POM-dominated system
      in November with respect to CO photoproduction. This study reveals that flood
      events may enhance photochemical cycling of terrigenous organic matter and switch
      the primary photochemical driver from CDOM to POM. 

PMID- 26506217
TI  - Olfactory and cochleovestibular dysfunction after head injury in the workplace:
      an updated series.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of
      olfactory dysfunction in workers following head injury in the work place, to
      define its relationship to the site, severity of injury and direction of force.
      The demographics of head injured workers were also assessed to determine whether
      those with olfactory loss were more likely to have sustained a cochleovestibular
      injury. DESIGN: Retrospective case analysis. SETTING: Tertiary referral
      university hospital in Toronto, Ontario. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 3438
      consecutive patients referred from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
      (WSIB) in the province of Ontario who sustained a work-related head injury were
      assessed between 1987 and 2014. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Olfactory and
      cochleovestibular dysfunction assessed by history, clinical examination and
      subjective and objective tests. RESULTS: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) was
      identified in 413 of 3438 patients (12.0%) of which 321 were diagnosed with
      anosmia and 92 with hyposmia. In our series, injuries from a fall were the
      commonest cause for OD and a frontal or mid-face impact was more likely to result
      in OD than other regions (P = 0.0002). A loss of consciousness (LOC) of any
      duration correlated with OD. In those with olfactory dysfunction, an associated
      skull fracture occurred in 37.1% of patients and a CSF leak in 4.1%, which was
      significantly higher compared with those without OD(<0.0001). Patients with OD
      had a higher incidence of cochlear and vestibular loss (19.9% and 20.6%,
      respectively) compared with those without OD (14.3% and 17.1%, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: Post-traumatic olfactory dysfunction is more likely to occur in
      patients who experienced a moderate to severe head injury, LOC and more likely to
      result from a frontal or mid-face blow to the skull. Cochleovestibular
      dysfunction is likely to occur concurrently with olfactory dysfunction.

PMID- 26506216
TI  - Comparison of native and non-native ubiquitin oligomers reveals analogous
      structures and reactivities.
AB  - Ubiquitin (Ub) chains regulate a wide range of biological processes, and Ub chain
      connectivity is a critical determinant of the many regulatory roles that this
      post-translational modification plays in cells. To understand how distinct Ub
      chains orchestrate different biochemical events, we and other investigators have
      developed enzymatic and non-enzymatic methods to synthesize Ub chains of well
      defined length and connectivity. A number of chemical approaches have been used
      to generate Ub oligomers connected by non-native linkages; however, few studies
      have examined the extent to which non-native linkages recapitulate the structural
      and functional properties associated with native isopeptide bonds. Here, we
      compare the structure and function of Ub dimers bearing native and non-native
      linkages. Using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis, we show that
      scattering profiles for the two types of dimers are similar. Moreover, using an
      experimental structural library and atomistic simulations to fit the experimental
      SAXS profiles, we find that the two types of Ub dimers can be matched to
      analogous structures. An important application of non-native Ub oligomers is to
      probe the activity and selectivity of deubiquitinases. Through steady-state
      kinetic analyses, we demonstrate that different families of deubiquitinases
      hydrolyze native and non-native isopeptide linkages with comparable efficiency
      and selectivity. Considering the significant challenges associated with building
      topologically diverse native Ub chains, our results illustrate that chains
      harboring non-native linkages can serve as surrogate substrates for explorations
      of Ub function. 

PMID- 26506218
TI  - Carbon Quantum Dots and Their Derivative 3D Porous Carbon Frameworks for Sodium
      Ion Batteries with Ultralong Cycle Life.
AB  - A new methodology for the synthesis of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) for large
      production is proposed. The as-obtained CQDs can be transformed into 3D porous
      carbon frameworks exhibiting superb sodium storage properties with ultralong
      cycle life and ultrahigh rate capability, comparable to state-of-the-art carbon
      anode materials for sodium-ion batteries. 

PMID- 26506219
TI  - Aspirin Attenuates Angiotensin II-induced Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy by Inhibiting
      the Ca(2+)/Calcineurin-NFAT Signaling Pathway.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In this study, we examined whether aspirin could inhibit cardiac
      hypertrophy. METHODS: We utilized cultured neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes and mice
      for the study and subjected to cardiomyocyte immunochemistry, qRT-PCR, and
      immunoblotting analysis. The cardiac function was measured using M-mode
      echocardiography. RESULTS: Ten MUM aspirin significantly inhibited Ang II-induced
      increase in cardiomyocyte size, the mRNA, and protein levels of atrial
      natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and beta-myosin heavy
      chain (beta-MHC) (P < 0.05). Meantime, consistent with the result in vitro, the
      increase in HW/BW ratio, the mRNA, and protein levels of ANP, BNP, and beta-MHC
      could be reduced by aspirin in vivo (P < 0.05). Analysis of cardiac function
      revealed that mouse hearts treated with Ang II displayed thickening of the
      ventricular walls, left ventricular end-diastolic dimensions, and left
      ventricular end-systolic dimensions were significantly decreased (P < 0.05),
      whereas interventricular septal thickness at end-diastole, interventricular
      septal thickness at end-systole, posterior wall thickness in diastole, and
      posterior wall thickness in systole were markedly increased (P < 0.05), which
      could be reversed by aspirin (P < 0.05). Moreover, aspirin blunted the increase
      inCa(2+) and inhibited the calcineurin activity and NFAT dephosphorylation caused
      by Ang II (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Aspirin inhibited cardiac hypertrophy in vitro
      and in vivo through inhibition of the Ca(2+)/calcineurin-NFAT signaling pathway.
      Therefore, these findings suggested that aspirin might become a therapeutic
      option to reduce cardiac hypertrophy.

PMID- 26506220
TI  - The best of both worlds: Using patient-reported plus physician-scored measures
      during the evaluation of myasthenia gravis.

PMID- 26506221
TI  - Versixanthones A-F, Cytotoxic Xanthone-Chromanone Dimers from the Marine-Derived
      Fungus Aspergillus versicolor HDN1009.
AB  - Six unusual xanthone-chromanone dimers, versixanthones A-F (1-6), featuring
      different formal linkages of tetrahydroxanthone and 2,2-disubstituted chroman-4
      one monomers, were isolated from a culture of the mangrove-derived fungus
      Aspergillus versicolor HDN1009. The absolute configurations of 1-6, representing
      the central and axial chirality elements or preferred helicities, were
      established by a combination of X-ray diffraction analysis, chemical conversions,
      and TDDFT-ECD calculations. The interconversion of different biaryl linkages
      between 1 and 4 and between 2 and 3 in DMSO by a retro-oxa-Michael mechanism
      provided insight into the formation of the xanthone-chromanone dimers and
      supported the assignments of their absolute configurations. Compounds 1-6
      exhibited cytotoxicities against the seven tested cancer cell lines, with the
      best IC50 value of 0.7 MUM. Compound 5 showed further inhibitory activity against
      topoisomerase I. 

PMID- 26506222
TI  - ADSSL1 mutation relevant to autosomal recessive adolescent onset distal myopathy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Distal myopathy is a heterogeneous group of muscle diseases
      characterized by predominant distal muscle weakness. A study was done to identify
      the underlying cause of autosomal recessive adolescent onset distal myopathy.
      METHODS: Four patients from 2 unrelated Korean families were evaluated. To
      isolate the genetic cause, exome sequencing was performed. In vitro and in vivo
      assays using myoblast cells and zebrafish models were performed to examine the
      ADSSL1 mutation causing myopathy pathogenesis. RESULTS: Patients had an
      adolescent onset distal myopathy phenotype that included distal dominant
      weakness, facial muscle weakness, rimmed vacuoles, and mild elevation of serum
      creatine kinase. Exome sequencing identified completely cosegregating compound
      heterozygous mutations (p.D304N and p.I350fs) in ADSSL1, which encodes a muscle
      specific adenylosuccinate synthase in both families. None of the controls had
      both mutations, and the mutation sites were located in well-conserved regions.
      Both the D304N and I350fs mutations in ADSSL1 led to decreased enzymatic
      activity. The knockdown of the Adssl1 gene significantly inhibited the
      proliferation of mouse myoblast cells, and the addition of human wild-type ADSSL1
      reversed the reduced viability. In an adssl1 knockdown zebrafish model, muscle
      fibers were severely disrupted, which was evaluated by myosin expression and
      birefringence. In these conditions, supplementing wild-type ADSSL1 protein
      reversed the muscle defect. INTERPRETATION: We suggest that mutations in ADSSL1
      are the novel genetic cause of the autosomal recessive adolescent onset distal
      myopathy. This study broadens the genetic and clinical spectrum of distal
      myopathy and will be useful for exact molecular diagnostics.

PMID- 26506223
TI  - Up-Regulation of Intestinal Phosphate Transporter NaPi-IIb (SLC34A2) by the
      Kinases SPAK and OSR1.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: SPAK (SPS1-related proline/alanine-rich kinase) and OSR1
      (oxidative stress-responsive kinase 1), kinases controlled by WNK (with-no-K[Lys]
      kinase), are powerful regulators of cellular ion transport and blood pressure.
      Observations in gene-targeted mice disclosed an impact of SPAK/OSR1 on phosphate
      metabolism. The present study thus tested whether SPAK and/or OSR1 contributes to
      the regulation of the intestinal Na(+)-coupled phosphate co-transporter NaPi-IIb
      (SLC34A2). METHODS: cRNA encoding NaPi-IIb was injected into Xenopus laevis
      oocytes without or with 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 or catalytically inactive (D164A)OSR1. The phosphate (1
      mM)-induced inward current (I(Pi)) was taken as measure of phosphate transport.
      RESULTS: I(Pi) was observed in NaPi-IIb expressing oocytes but not in water
      injected oocytes, and was significantly increased by co-expression of SPAK,
      (T233E)SPAK, OSR1, (T185E)OSR1 or SPAK+OSR1, but not by co-expression of
      (T233A)SPAK, (D212A)SPAK, (T185A)OSR1, or (D164A)OSR1. SPAK and OSR1 both
      increased the maximal transport rate of the carrier. CONCLUSIONS: SPAK and OSR1
      are powerful stimulators of the intestinal Na+-coupled phosphate co-transporter
      NaPi-IIb.

PMID- 26506224
TI  - OMIP-030: Characterization of human T cell subsets via surface markers.

PMID- 26506225
TI  - Lymphatic Malformation in Newborns as the First Sign of Diffuse
      Lymphangiomatosis: Successful Treatment with Sirolimus.
AB  - Cystic hygroma and lymphangioma, currently defined as 'lymphatic malformations',
      are developmental abnormalities of the lymphoid system with potential for rapid
      expansion. The management of these abnormalities depends on the site and extent
      of the lesion. A different disease is diffuse lymphangiomatosis. It is very rare
      at birth and its treatment remains controversial. A lymphatic malformation
      (cystic hygroma) of the neck of a newborn girl as the first sign of diffuse
      lymphangiomatosis and treatment of the latter condition with sirolimus are
      presented. A newborn girl with a presumed isolated lymphatic malformation of the
      neck and significant respiratory involvement was diagnosed via total-body nuclear
      magnetic resonance imaging to be affected by diffuse lymphangiomatosis; she was
      treated with sirolimus. The treatment with sirolimus was found to be very
      effective, with complete resolution of the disease, good tolerability, and no
      side effects. This report suggests the need to explore the possibility of diffuse
      lymphangiomatosis in neonates with apparently isolated lymphatic malformations.
      In the presence of clinical deterioration, sirolimus treatment may achieve
      excellent results with no adverse events. 

PMID- 26506226
TI  - Macroscopic and Nanoscopic Heterogeneous Structures in a Three-Component Lipid
      Bilayer Mixtures Determined by Atomic Force Microscopy.
AB  - Much of lipid raft properties can be inferred from phase behavior of
      multicomponent lipid membranes. We use liquid compatible atomic force microscopy
      (AFM) to study a three-component system composed of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phosphocholine (DOPC), egg sphingomyelin (eSM), and cholesterol. Specifically, we
      obtain macroscopic and nanoscopic heterogeneous structures in a broad
      compositional space of DOPC/eSM/cholesterol (23  degrees C). In the macroscopic
      liquid coexisting region, we quantify area fraction of the coexisting phases and
      determine a set of thermodynamic tie-lines. When lipid compositions are near the
      critical point, we obtain fluctuation-like nanoscopic structures. We also use AFM
      height images to explore the hypothetical three-phase coexisting region. Finally,
      we use fluorescence microscopy to compare the phase behavior from our AFM
      measurements to that in free-floating giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). Our
      results highlight the role of lipid composition in mediating lipid domain
      formation and stability. 

PMID- 26506227
TI  - Gene Expression Profiles in Rice Developing Ovules Provided Evidence for the Role
      of Sporophytic Tissue in Female Gametophyte Development.
AB  - The development of ovule in rice (Oryza sativa) is vital during its life cycle.
      To gain more understanding of the molecular events associated with the ovule
      development, we used RNA sequencing approach to perform transcriptome-profiling
      analysis of the leaf and ovules at four developmental stages. In total, 25,401,
      23,343, 23,647 and 23,806 genes were identified from the four developmental
      stages of the ovule, respectively. We identified a number of differently
      expressed genes (DEGs) from three adjacent stage comparisons, which may play
      crucial roles in ovule development. The DEGs were then conducted functional
      annotations and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses.
      Genes related to cellular component biogenesis, membrane-bounded organelles and
      reproductive regulation were identified to be highly expressed during the ovule
      development. Different expression levels of auxin-related and cytokinin-related
      genes were also identified at various stages, providing evidence for the role of
      sporophytic ovule tissue in female gametophyte development from the aspect of
      gene expression. Generally, an overall transcriptome analysis for rice ovule
      development has been conducted. These results increased our knowledge of the
      complex molecular and cellular events that occur during the development of rice
      ovule and provided foundation for further studies on rice ovule development. 

PMID- 26506228
TI  - Contrasting Effects of Long-Term Grazing and Clipping on Plant Morphological
      Plasticity: Evidence from a Rhizomatous Grass.
AB  - Understanding the mechanism of plant morphological plasticity in response to
      grazing and clipping of semiarid grassland can provide insight into the process
      of disturbance-induced decline in grassland productivity. In recent studies there
      has been controversy regarding two hypotheses: 1) grazing avoidance; and 2)
      growth limiting mechanisms of morphological plasticity in response to
      defoliation. However, the experimental evidence presented for the memory response
      to grazing and clipping of plants has been poorly reported. This paper reports on
      two experiments that tested these hypotheses in field and in a controlled
      environment, respectively. We examined the effects of long-term clipping and
      grazing on the functional traits and their plasticity for Leymus chinensis
      (Trin.) Tzvelev (the dominate species) in the typical-steppe grassland of Inner
      Mongolia, China. There were four main findings from these experiments. (i) The
      majority of phenotypic traits of L. chinensis tended to significantly miniaturize
      in response to long-term field clipping and grazing. (ii) The significant
      response of morphological plasticity with and without grazing was maintained in a
      hydroponic experiment designed to remove environmental variability, but there was
      no significant difference in L. chinensis individual size traits for the clipping
      comparison. (iii) Plasticity indexes of L. chinensis traits in a controlled
      environment were significantly lower than under field conditions indicating that
      plants had partial and slight memory effect to long-term grazing. (iv) The
      allometry of various phenotypic traits, indicated significant trade-offs between
      leaf and stem allocation with variations in plant size induced by defoliation,
      which were maintained only under grazing in the hydroponic controlled environment
      experiment. Taken together, our findings suggest that the morphological
      plasticity of L. chinensis induced by artificial clipping was different with that
      by livestock grazing. The miniaturization of plant size in long-term grazed
      grassland may reflect retained characteristics of dwarf memory for adaptation to
      long-term grazing by large herbivores. 

PMID- 26506229
TI  - Network Centrality of Resting-State fMRI in Primary Angle-Closure Glaucoma Before
      and After Surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: Using voxel-wise degree centrality (DC), as measured by resting-state
      fMRI, we aimed to study alterations in the brain functional networks in patients
      with primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) and to reveal the plastic trajectories
      of surgery. METHODS: A total of 23 preoperative PACG patients (49.48 +/- 14.37
      years old) were recruited to undergo a resting-state fMRI scan, and 9 of them
      were rescanned 3 months after surgery. All PACG patients underwent a complete
      ophthalmologic examination, including intraocular pressure (IOP), retinal nerve
      fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, vertical cup to disc ratio (V C/D), and average cup
      to disc ratio (A C/D). Another 23 gender- and age-matched healthy controls (48.18
      +/- 9.40 years old) underwent scanning once for comparison. The group difference
      in DC was calculated in each voxel, and the correlations between the DC value and
      each of the clinical variables were analyzed in the PACG patients. RESULTS:
      Preoperative PACG (pre-PACG) patients showed significantly decreased DC in the
      bilateral visual cortices but increased DC in the left anterior cingulate cortex
      (ACC) and caudate (p < 0.05, corrected) compared with the controls. Statistical
      analysis showed a significantly negative correlation between DC in the bilateral
      visual cortices and the IOP score and between DC in the anterior cingulate cortex
      (ACC) and both the A C/D and V C/D scores in the pre-PACG patients. Three months
      after surgery, these postoperative PACG (post-PACG) patients showed a
      significantly increased DC in both the bilateral visual cortices and the left
      precentral gyrus compared with the pre-PACG patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      suggest that PACG may contribute to decreased functional centrality in the visual
      system and to increased degree centrality in cognition-emotional processing
      regions. Alterations in visual areas seem to parallel the cup to disc ratio, but
      not the duration of angle closure. The changes of functional centrality in PACG
      patients after operation may reveal the plasticity or degeneration of the visual
      associated brain areas. Our findings may provide further understanding of the
      pathophysiology of PACG.

PMID- 26506230
TI  - Increased Water Storage in the Qaidam Basin, the North Tibet Plateau from GRACE
      Gravity Data.
AB  - Groundwater plays a key role in maintaining the ecology and environment in the
      hyperarid Qaidam Basin (QB). Indirect evidence and data from sparse observation
      wells suggest that groundwater in the QB is increasing but there has been no
      regional assessment of the groundwater conditions in the entire basin because of
      its remoteness and the severity of the arid environment. Here we report changes
      in the spatial and temporal distribution of terrestrial water storage (TWS) in
      the northern Tibetan Plateau (NTP) using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
      (GRACE) data. Our study confirms long-term (2003-2012) TWS increases in the NTP.
      Between 2003 and 2012 the TWS increased by 88.4 and 20.6 km3 in the NTP and the
      QB, respectively, which is 225% and 52% of the capacity of the Three Gorges
      Reservoir, respectively. Soil and water changes from the Global Land Data
      Assimilation System (GLDAS) were also used to identify groundwater storage in the
      TWS and to demonstrate a long-term increase in groundwater storage in the QB. We
      demonstrate that increases in groundwater, not lake water, are dominant in the
      QB, as observed by groundwater levels. Our study suggests that the TWS increase
      was likely caused by a regional increase in precipitation and a decrease in
      evaporation. Degradation of the permafrost increases the thickness of the active
      layers providing increased storage for infiltrated precipitation and snow and ice
      melt water, which may also contribute to the increased TWS. The huge increase of
      water storage in the NTP will have profound effects, not only on local ecology
      and environment, but also on global water storage and sea level changes. 

PMID- 26506231
TI  - A Novel SLC27A4 Splice Acceptor Site Mutation in Great Danes with Ichthyosis.
AB  - Ichthyoses are a group of various different types of hereditary disorders
      affecting skin cornification. They are characterized by hyperkeratoses of
      different severity levels and are associated with a dry and scaling skin. Genome
      wide association analysis of nine affected and 13 unaffected Great Danes revealed
      a genome-wide significant peak on chromosome 9 at 57-58 Mb in the region of
      SLC27A4. Sequence analysis of genomic DNA of SLC27A4 revealed the non-synonymous
      SNV SLC27A4:g.8684G>A in perfect association with ichthyosis-affection in Great
      Danes. The mutant transcript of SLC27A4 showed an in-frame loss of 54 base pairs
      in exon 8 probably induced by a new splice acceptor site motif created by the
      mutated A- allele of the SNV. Genotyping 413 controls from 35 different breeds of
      dogs and seven wolves revealed that this mutation could not be found in other
      populations except in Great Danes. Affected dogs revealed high amounts of mutant
      transcript but only low levels of the wild type transcript. Targeted analyses of
      SLC27A4 protein from skin tissues of three affected and two unaffected Great
      Danes indicated a markedly reduced or not detectable wild type and truncated
      protein levels in affected dogs but a high expression of wild type SLC27A4
      protein in unaffected controls. Our data provide evidence of a new splice
      acceptor site creating SNV that results in a reduction or loss of intact SLC27A4
      protein and probably explains the severe skin phenotype in Great Danes. Genetic
      testing will allow selective breeding to prevent ichthyosis-affected puppies in
      the future. 

PMID- 26506232
TI  - Proteomic discovery of MNT as a novel interacting partner of E3 ubiquitin ligase
      E6AP and a key mediator of myeloid differentiation.
AB  - Perturbed stability of regulatory proteins is a major cause of transformations
      leading to cancer, including several leukemia subtypes. Here, for the first time
      we demonstrate that E6-associated protein (E6AP), an E3 ubiquitin ligase
      negatively targets MAX binding protein MNT for ubiquitin-mediated proteasome
      degradation and impedes ATRA mediated myeloid cell differentiation. MNT is a
      member of the Myc/Max/Mad network of transcription factor that regulates cell
      proliferation, differentiation, cellular transformation and tumorigenesis. Wild
      type E6AP promoted proteasome dependent degradation of MNT, while catalytically
      inactive E6AP having cysteine replaced with alanine at amino-acid 843 position
      (E6APC843A) rather stabilized it. Further, these proteins physically associated
      with each other both in non-myeloid (HEK293T) and myeloid cells. MNT
      overexpression induced G0-G1 growth arrest and promoted myeloid differentiation
      while its knockdown mitigated even ATRA induced differentiation suggesting MNT to
      be crucial for myeloid differentiation. We further showed that ATRA inhibited
      E6AP and stabilized MNT expression by protecting it from E6AP mediated ubiquitin
      proteasome degradation. Notably, E6AP knockdown in HL60 cells restored MNT
      expression and promoted myeloid differentiation. Taken together, our data
      demonstrated that E6AP negatively regulates granulocytic differentiation by
      targeting MNT for degradation which is required for growth arrest and subsequent
      myeloid differentiation by various differentiation inducing agents. 

PMID- 26506233
TI  - Loss of COX5B inhibits proliferation and promotes senescence via mitochondrial
      dysfunction in breast cancer.
AB  - COX5B, a peripheral subunit of the cytochrome c oxidase complex, has previously
      been reported to maintain the stability of this complex. However, its functions
      and mechanisms involved in breast cancer progression remain unclear. Here, by
      performing SILAC assays in breast cancer cell models and detecting COX5B
      expression in tissues, we found that COX5B expression was elevated in breast
      cancer. Down-regulation of COX5B in breast cancer cell lines can suppress cell
      proliferation and induced cell senescence which was accompanied by elevating
      production of IL-8 and other cytokines. Interestingly, conditioned medium from
      COX5B knockdown cells could promote breast cancer cell migration. Mechanistic
      studies reveal that COX5B silence induces an increase in production of ROS,
      depolarization of MMP and a decrease in ATP. What's more, silence of COX5B leads
      to metabolic disorders, such as increased glucose uptake and decreased lactate
      secretion. Collectively, our study shows that loss of COX5B induces mitochondrial
      dysfunction and subsequently leads to cell growth suppression and cell
      senescence. Cytokines such as IL-8 secreted by senescent cells may in turn alter
      the microenvironment which could enhance cell migration. These findings may
      provide a novel paradigm for the treatment which combined anti-cancer drugs with
      particular cytokine inhibitors such as IL-8 blockers. 

PMID- 26506235
TI  - LKB1 promotes cell survival by modulating TIF-IA-mediated pre-ribosomal RNA
      synthesis under uridine downregulated conditions.
AB  - We analyzed the mechanism underlying 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside
      (AICAR) mediated apoptosis in LKB1-null non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells.
      Metabolic profile analysis revealed depletion of the intracellular pyrimidine
      pool after AICAR treatment, but uridine was the only nucleotide precursor capable
      of rescuing this apoptosis, suggesting the involvement of RNA metabolism. Because
      half of RNA transcription in cancer is for pre-ribosomal RNA (rRNA) synthesis,
      which is suppressed by over 90% after AICAR treatment, we evaluated the role of
      TIF-IA-mediated rRNA synthesis. While the depletion of TIF-IA by RNAi alone
      promoted apoptosis in LKB1-null cells, the overexpression of a wild-type or a
      S636A TIF-IA mutant, but not a S636D mutant, attenuated AICAR-induced apoptosis.
      In LKB1-null H157 cells, pre-rRNA synthesis was not suppressed by AICAR when wild
      type LKB1 was present, and cellular fractionation analysis indicated that TIF-IA
      quickly accumulated in the nucleus in the presence of a wild-type LKB1 but not a
      kinase-dead mutant. Furthermore, ectopic expression of LKB1 was capable of
      attenuating AICAR-induced death in AMPK-null cells. Because LKB1 promotes cell
      survival by modulating TIF-IA-mediated pre-rRNA synthesis, this discovery
      suggested that targeted depletion of uridine related metabolites may be exploited
      in the clinic to eliminate LKB1-null cancer cells. 

PMID- 26506234
TI  - MEF2 transcription factors: developmental regulators and emerging cancer genes.
AB  - The MEF2 transcription factors have roles in muscle, cardiac, skeletal, vascular,
      neural, blood and immune system cell development through their effects on cell
      differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, migration, shape and metabolism.
      Altered MEF2 activity plays a role in human diseases and has recently been
      implicated in the development of several cancer types. In particular, MEF2B, the
      most divergent and least studied protein of the MEF2 family, has a role unique
      from its paralogs in non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The use of genome-scale technologies
      has enabled comprehensive MEF2 target gene sets to be identified, contributing to
      our understanding of MEF2 proteins as nodes in complex regulatory networks. This
      review surveys the molecular interactions of MEF2 proteins and their effects on
      cellular and organismal phenotypes. We include a discussion of the emerging roles
      of MEF2 proteins as oncogenes and tumor suppressors of cancer. Throughout this
      article we highlight similarities and differences between the MEF2 family
      proteins, including a focus on functions of MEF2B. 

PMID- 26506236
TI  - The ribosomal protein S6 in renal cell carcinoma: functional relevance and
      potential as biomarker.
AB  - Inhibitors of the mTOR pathway, such as everolimus, are promising compounds to
      treat patients with renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). However, the precise mechanisms
      of action are far from clear, and biomarkers predicting the response to mTOR
      inhibitors are still missing. Here, we provide evidence that in RCCs the rpS6
      protein is the major mediator of anti-tumoral effects exerted by everolimus.
      Inhibition of mTOR signaling results in substantially decreased clonogenicity and
      proliferation of RCC cells, but did not significantly induce apoptosis.
      Everolimus effectively blocked protein biosynthesis both in vitro and in a novel
      ex vivo tissue slice model using fresh vital human RCC tissue. Compared to other
      components of the mTOR pathway, phosphorylation of rpS6 was most effectively
      downregulated by everolimus. Importantly, siRNA-mediated downregulation of rpS6,
      but not of 4ebp1 or p27, abolished the inhibitory effects of everolimus on
      proliferation and protein synthesis. Moreover, we analyzed the tissue expression
      of phosphorylated rpS6 (p-rpS6) and non-phosphorylated rpS6 in a large collection
      of patients with RCCs (n=598 and n=548, respectively). Expression of both
      proteins qualified as independent negative prognostic markers with a
      substantially shorter survival of patients with RCCs exhibiting high levels of
      rpS6 and p-rpS6. Taken together, our functional studies identified rpS6 as a main
      mediator of the anti-tumoral activity of Everolimus. Therefore, further (pre
      )clinical evaluations of rpS6 as a predictive marker for everolimus-based
      treatment for RCC patients are warranted. Finally, the combined detection of
      phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated rpS6 could represent a robust prognostic
      marker to identify patients with high risk RCCs. 

PMID- 26506237
TI  - Overexpression of ATP1B1 predicts an adverse prognosis in cytogenetically normal
      acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - ATP1B1 encodes the Na,K-ATPase beta subunit, a key regulator of the Na+ and K+
      electrochemical gradients across the plasma membrane and an essential regulator
      of cellular activity. We used several microarray datasets to test the prognostic
      efficacy of ATP1B1 expression in cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia
      (CN-AML). Within the primary cohort (n = 157), high ATP1B1 expression
      (ATP1B1(high)) was associated with shorter overall survival (OS) and event-free
      survival (EFS) (P = 0.0068, P = 0.0039, respectively). Similar results were also
      obtained in the European Leukemia Net (ELN) Intermediate-I genetic category (OS:
      P = 0.0035, EFS: P = 0.0007). Multivariable analyses confirmed ATP1B1(high) is an
      independent predictor of shorter OS (P = 0.042) and EFS (P = 0.035). Analysis of
      another CN-AML cohort confirmed that ATP1B1(high) is associated with shorter OS
      (P = 0.0046, n = 162). In addition, up-regulation of oncogenes/onco-microRNAs
      such as MYCN, CCND2, CDK6, KIT and miR-155, among others, was associated with
      ATP1B1(high), which may be indicative of ATP1B1's leukemogenicity. Our results
      may improve risk stratification and indicate new therapeutic targets for CN-AML.

PMID- 26506239
TI  - Emerging role of N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) in cancer.
AB  - N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) is a tumor suppressor and cell stress
      related gene. NDRG2 is associated with tumor incidence, progression, and
      metastasis. NDRG2 regulates tumor-associated genes and is regulated by multiple
      conditions, treatments, and protein/RNA entities, including hyperthermia,
      trichostatin A and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, which are promising potential cancer
      therapeutics. In this review, we discuss the expression as well as the clinical
      and pathological significance of NDRG2 in cancer. The pathological processes and
      molecular pathways regulated by NDRG2 are also summarized. Moreover, mechanisms
      for increasing NDRG2 expression in tumors and the potential directions of future
      NDRG2 research are discussed. The information reviewed here should assist in
      experimental design and increase the potential of NDRG2 as a therapeutic target
      for cancer. 

PMID- 26506238
TI  - miR-192 suppresses leptomeningeal dissemination of medulloblastoma by modulating
      cell proliferation and anchoring through the regulation of DHFR, integrins, and
      CD47.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The main cause of death in medulloblastoma is recurrence associated
      with leptomeningeal dissemination. During this process, the role of microRNAs
      (miRs) in the acquisition of metastatic phenotype remains poorly understood. This
      study aimed to identify the miR involved in leptomeningeal dissemination and to
      elucidate its biological functional mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      analyzed the miR expression profiles of 29 medulloblastomas according to the
      presence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) seeding. Differentially expressed miRs
      (DEmiRs) were validated in 29 medulloblastoma tissues and three medulloblastoma
      cell lines. The biological functions of the selected miRs were evaluated using in
      vitro and in vivo studies. RESULTS: A total of 12 DEmiRs were identified in
      medulloblastoma with seeding, including miR-192. The reduced expression of miR
      192 was confirmed in the tumor seeding group and in the medulloblastoma cells.
      Overexpression of miR-192 inhibited cellular proliferation by binding DHFR. miR
      192 decreased cellular anchoring via the repression of ITGAV, ITGB1, ITGB3, and
      CD47. Animals in the miR-192-treated group demonstrated a reduction of spinal
      seeding (P < 0.05) and a significant survival benefit (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      Medulloblastoma with seeding showed specific DEmiRs compared with those without.
      miR-192 suppresses leptomeningeal dissemination of medulloblastoma by modulating
      cell proliferation and anchoring ability.

PMID- 26506241
TI  - Transcription factor LSF (TFCP2) inhibits melanoma growth.
AB  - Late SV40 factor 3 (LSF), a transcription factor, contributes to human
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, decreased expression level of LSF in
      skin melanoma compared to that in benign melanocytic tumors and nevi in mice and
      humans was found in this study. Anchorage-dependent and -independent growth of
      melanoma cells was suppressed by LSF overexpression through an increased
      percentage of G1 phase cells and an increased p21CIP1 expression level in vitro
      and in vivo. Anchorage-dependent growth in LSF-overexpressed melanoma cells was
      promoted by depletion of LSF in the LSF-overexpressed cells. Integrated results
      of our EMSA and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed binding of LSF within
      a 150-bp upstream region of the transcription start site of p21CIP1 in melanoma
      cells. Taken together, our results suggest potential roles of LSF as a growth
      regulator through control of the transcription of p21CIP1 in melanocytes and
      melanoma cells as well as a biomarker for nevus. 

PMID- 26506240
TI  - Growth-arrest-specific 7C protein inhibits tumor metastasis via the N-WASP/FAK/F
      actin and hnRNP U/beta-TrCP/beta-catenin pathways in lung cancer.
AB  - Growth-arrest-specific 7 (GAS7) belongs to a group of adaptor proteins that
      coordinate the actin cytoskeleton. Among human GAS7 isoforms, only GAS7C
      possesses a Src homology 3 domain. We report here that GAS7C acts as a migration
      suppressor and can serve as a prognostic biomarker in lung cancer. GAS7C
      overexpression reduces lung cancer migration, whereas GAS7C knockdown enhances
      cancer cell migration. Importantly, ectopically overexpressed GAS7C binds tightly
      with N-WASP thus inactivates the fibronectin/integrin/FAK pathway, which in turn
      leads to the suppression of F-actin dynamics. In addition, overexpression of
      GAS7C sequesters hnRNP U and thus decreases the level of beta-catenin protein via
      the beta-TrCP ubiquitin-degradation pathway. The anti-metastatic effect of GAS7C
      overexpression was also confirmed using lung cancer xenografts. Our clinical data
      indicated that 23.6% (25/106) of lung cancer patients showed low expression of
      GAS7C mRNA which correlated with a poorer overall survival. In addition, low
      GAS7C mRNA expression was detected in 60.0% of metastatic lung cancer patients,
      indicating an association between low GAS7C expression and cancer progression. A
      significant inverse correlation between mRNA expression and promoter
      hypermethylation was also found, which suggests that the low level of GAS7C
      expression was partly due to promoter hypermethylation. Our results provide novel
      evidence that low GAS7C correlates with poor prognosis and promotes metastasis in
      lung cancer. Low GAS7C increases cancer cell motility by promoting N-WASP/FAK/F
      actin cytoskeleton dynamics. It also enhances beta-catenin stability via hnRNP
      U/beta-TrCP complex formation. Therefore, GAS7C acts as a metastasis suppressor
      in lung cancer. 

PMID- 26506242
TI  - Tumors with high-density tumor infiltrating lymphocytes constitute a favorable
      entity in breast cancer: a pooled analysis of four prospective adjuvant trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are considered in the prognosis
      of breast cancer (BC) patients. Here, we investigated the prognostic/predictive
      effect of TILs in patients treated in the frame of four prospective trials with
      adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy in the pre- and post-trastuzumab era.
      METHODS: TILs density was histologically assessed as percentage of stromal area
      on whole routine sections of 2613 BC (1563 Luminal A/B; 477 Luminal HER2; 246
      HER2-enriched; 327 triple negative [TNBC]) and were evaluated as high/low at
      three cut-offs (c/o; 50% [lymphocytic predominance, LP], 35% and 25%), in
      separate training and validation sets. RESULTS: High TILs were present in 3.5%,
      6.5% and 11.5% of all tumors, using the 50%, 35% and 25% c/o, respectively. TILs
      status did not interact with BC subtypes or trastuzumab treatment. LPBC patient
      outcome was not affected by nodal status, while high TILs were favorable in TNBC
      with unfavorable nodal status. When adjusted for standard clinicopathological
      parameters and treatment, high TILs independently predicted for favorable
      outcome, e.g., disease-free survival with the 35% c/o in the entire cohort (HR =
      0.44, 95% CI 0.28-0.69, p < 0.001) and in specific subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: High
      TILs tumors, especially LPBC seem worthy validating as a separate entity of
      favorable prognosis in breast cancer.

PMID- 26506243
TI  - Crosslinking of a Peritrophic Matrix Protein Protects Gut Epithelia from
      Bacterial Exotoxins.
AB  - Transglutaminase (TG) catalyzes protein-protein crosslinking, which has important
      and diverse roles in vertebrates and invertebrates. Here we demonstrate that
      Drosophila TG crosslinks drosocrystallin, a peritrophic matrix protein, to form a
      stable fiber structure on the gut peritrophic matrix. RNA interference (RNAi) of
      the TG gene was highly lethal in flies and induced apoptosis of gut epithelial
      cells after oral infection with Pseudomonas entomophila. Moreover, AprA, a
      metalloprotease secreted by P. entomophila, digested non-crosslinked
      drosocrystallin fibers, but not drosocrystallin fibers crosslinked by TG. In
      vitro experiments using recombinant drosocrystallin and monalysin proteins
      demonstrated that monalysin, a pore-forming exotoxin of P. entomophila, was
      adsorbed on the crosslinked drosocrystallin fibers in the presence of P.
      entomophila culture supernatant. In addition, gut-specific TG-RNAi flies had a
      shorter lifespan than control flies after ingesting P. entomophila, whereas the
      lifespan after ingesting AprA-knockout P. entomophila was at control levels. We
      conclude that drosocrystallin fibers crosslinked by TG, but not non-crosslinked
      drosocrystallin fibers, form an important physical barrier against exotoxins of
      invading pathogenic microbes. 

PMID- 26506244
TI  - Using qualitative evidence in decision making for health and social
      interventions: an approach to assess confidence in findings from qualitative
      evidence syntheses (GRADE-CERQual).
AB  - Simon Lewin and colleagues present a methodology for increasing transparency and
      confidence in qualitative research synthesis. 

PMID- 26506245
TI  - A Virtual Mixture Approach to the Study of Multistate Equilibrium: Application to
      Constant pH Simulation in Explicit Water.
AB  - Chemical and thermodynamic equilibrium of multiple states is a fundamental
      phenomenon in biology systems and has been the focus of many experimental and
      computational studies. This work presents a simulation method to directly study
      the equilibrium of multiple states. This method constructs a virtual mixture of
      multiple states (VMMS) to sample the conformational space of all chemical states
      simultaneously. The VMMS system consists of multiple subsystems, one for each
      state. The subsystem contains a solute and a solvent environment. The solute
      molecules in all subsystems share the same conformation but have their own
      solvent environments. Transition between states is implicated by the change of
      their molar fractions. Simulation of a VMMS system allows efficient calculation
      of relative free energies of all states, which in turn determine their
      equilibrium molar fractions. For systems with a large number of state transition
      sites, an implicit site approximation is introduced to minimize the cost of
      simulation. A direct application of the VMMS method is for constant pH simulation
      to study protonation equilibrium. Applying the VMMS method to a heptapeptide of 3
      ionizable residues, we calculated the pKas of those residues both with all
      explicit states and with implicit sites and obtained consistent results. For
      mouse epidermal growth factor of 9 ionizable groups, our VMMS simulations with
      implicit sites produced pKas of all 9 ionizable groups and the results agree
      qualitatively with NMR measurement. This example demonstrates the VMMS method can
      be applied to systems of a large number of ionizable groups and the computational
      cost scales linearly with the number of ionizable groups. For one of the most
      challenging systems in constant pH calculation, SNase Delta+PHS/V66K, our VMMS
      simulation shows that it is the state-dependent water penetration that causes the
      large deviation in lysine66's pKa. 

PMID- 26506246
TI  - Developmental Changes in Composition and Morphology of Cuticular Waxes on Leaves
      and Spikes of Glossy and Glaucous Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).
AB  - The glossy varieties (A14 and Jing 2001) and glaucous varieties (Fanmai 5 and
      Shanken 99) of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were selected for evaluation of
      developmental changes in the composition and morphology of cuticular waxes on
      leaves and spikes. The results provide us with two different wax development
      patterns between leaf and spike. The general accumulation trend of the total wax
      load on leaf and spike surfaces is first to increase and then decrease during the
      development growth period, but these changes were caused by different compound
      classes between leaf and spike. Developmental changes of leaf waxes were mainly
      the result of variations in composition of alcohols and alkanes. In addition,
      diketones were the third important contributor to the leaf wax changes in the
      glaucous varieties. Alkanes and diketones were the two major compound classes
      that caused the developmental changes of spike waxes. For leaf waxes, beta- and
      OH-beta-diketones were first detected in flag leaves from 200-day-old plants, and
      the amounts of beta- and OH-beta-diketones were significantly higher in glaucous
      varieties compared with glossy varieties. In spike waxes, beta-diketone existed
      in all varieties, but OH-beta-diketone was detectable only in the glaucous
      varieties. Unexpectedly, the glaucous variety Fanmai 5 yielded large amounts of
      OH-beta-diketone. There was a significant shift in the chain length distribution
      of alkanes between early stage leaf and flag leaf. Unlike C28 alcohol being the
      dominant chain length in leaf waxes, the dominant alcohol chain length of spikes
      was C24 or C26 depending on varieties. Epicuticular wax crystals on wheat leaf
      and glume were comprised of platelets and tubules, and the crystal morphology
      changed constantly throughout plant growth, especially the abaxial leaf crystals.
      Moreover, our results suggested that platelets and tubules on glume surfaces
      could be formed rapidly within a few days.

PMID- 26506247
TI  - The C34 Peptide Fusion Inhibitor Binds to the Six-Helix Bundle Core Domain of HIV
      1 gp41 by Displacement of the C-Terminal Helical Repeat Region.
AB  - The conformational transition of the core domain of HIV-1 gp41 from a prehairpin
      intermediate to a six-helix bundle is responsible for virus-cell fusion. Several
      inhibitors which target the N-heptad repeat helical coiled-coil trimer that is
      fully accessible in the prehairpin intermediate have been designed. One such
      inhibitor is the peptide C34 derived from the C-heptad repeat of gp41 that forms
      the exterior of the six-helix bundle. Here, using a variety of biophysical
      techniques, including dye tagging, size-exclusion chromatography combined with
      multiangle light scattering, double electron-electron resonance EPR spectroscopy,
      and circular dichroism, we investigate the binding of C34 to two six-helix bundle
      mimetics comprising N- and C-heptad repeats either without (core(SP)) or with
      (core(S)) a short spacer connecting the two. In the case of core(SP), C34
      directly exchanges with the C-heptad repeat. For core(S), up to two molecules of
      C34 bind the six-helix bundle via displacement of the C-heptad repeat. These
      results suggest that fusion inhibitors such as C34 can target a continuum of
      transitioning conformational states from the prehairpin intermediate to the six
      helix bundle prior to the occurrence of irreversible fusion of viral and target
      cell membranes. 

PMID- 26506248
TI  - Tension between Internal and External Modes of Stabilization in Carbocations
      Relevant to Terpene Biosynthesis: Modulating Minima Depth via C-H...pi
      Interactions.
AB  - Density functional theory calculations on a carbocation rearrangement relevant to
      the biosynthesis of the sesquiterpenoid trefolane A are described, with a focus
      on the viability of altering the curvature of the potential energy surface
      through C-H...pi interactions of the sort likely to be found at the active site
      of a terpene synthase enzyme. These interactions are able to remove a deep
      minimum from a pathway to product. 

PMID- 26506249
TI  - Identification of Novel and Conserved miRNAs from Extreme Halophyte, Oryza
      coarctata, a Wild Relative of Rice.
AB  - Oryza coarctata, a halophyte and wild relative of rice, is grown normally in
      saline water. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that play pivotal roles in
      every domain of life including stress response. There are very few reports on the
      discovery of salt-responsive miRNAs from halophytes. In this study, two small RNA
      libraries, one each from the control and salt-treated (450 mM NaCl for 24 h)
      leaves of O. coarctata were sequenced, which yielded 338 known and 95 novel
      miRNAs. Additionally, we used publicly available transcriptomics data of O.
      coarctata which led to the discovery of additional 48 conserved miRNAs along with
      their pre-miRNA sequences through in silico analysis. In total, 36 known and 7
      novel miRNAs were up-regulated whereas, 12 known and 7 novel miRNAs were down
      regulated under salinity stress. Further, 233 and 154 target genes were predicted
      for 48 known and 14 novel differentially regulated miRNAs respectively. These
      targets with the help of gene ontology analysis were found to be involved in
      several important biological processes that could be involved in salinity
      tolerance. Relative expression trends of majority of the miRNAs as detected by
      real time-PCR as well as predicted by Illumina sequencing were found to be
      coherent. Additionally, expression of most of the target genes was negatively
      correlated with their corresponding miRNAs. Thus, the present study provides an
      account of miRNA-target networking that is involved in salinity adaption of O.
      coarctata. 

PMID- 26506250
TI  - The Cellular Distribution of RanGAP1 Is Regulated by CRM1-Mediated Nuclear Export
      in Mammalian Cells.
AB  - The Ran GTPase activating protein RanGAP1 plays an essential role in nuclear
      transport by stimulating RanGTP hydrolysis in the cytoplasmic compartment. In
      mammalian cells, unmodified RanGAP1 is predominantly cytoplasmic, whereas
      modification by small ubiquitin-related modifier protein (SUMO) targets RanGAP1
      to the cytoplasmic filaments of nuclear pore complex (NPC). Although RanGAP1
      contains nine putative nuclear export signals and a nuclear localization signal,
      little is known if RanGAP1 shuttles between the nuclear and cytoplasmic
      compartments and how its primary localization in the cytoplasm and at the NPC is
      regulated. Here we show that inhibition of CRM1-mediated nuclear export using
      RNAi-knockdown of CRM1 and inactivation of CRM1 by leptomycin B (LMB) results in
      nuclear accumulation of RanGAP1. LMB treatment induced a more robust
      redistribution of RanGAP1 from the cytoplasm to the nucleoplasm compared to CRM1
      RNAi and also uniquely triggered a decrease or loss of RanGAP1 localization at
      the NPC, suggesting that LMB treatment is more effective in inhibiting CRM1
      mediated nuclear export of RanGAP1. Our time-course analysis of LMB treatment
      reveals that the NPC-associated RanGAP1 is much more slowly redistributed to the
      nucleoplasm than the cytoplasmic RanGAP1. Furthermore, LMB-induced nuclear
      accumulation of RanGAP1 is positively correlated with an increase in levels of
      SUMO-modified RanGAP1, suggesting that SUMOylation of RanGAP1 may mainly take
      place in the nucleoplasm. Lastly, we demonstrate that the nuclear localization
      signal at the C-terminus of RanGAP1 is required for its nuclear accumulation in
      cells treated with LMB. Taken together, our results elucidate that RanGAP1 is
      actively transported between the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments, and that
      the cytoplasmic and NPC localization of RanGAP1 is dependent on CRM1-mediated
      nuclear export. 

PMID- 26506251
TI  - Health-Risk Behaviour in Deprived Neighbourhoods Compared with Non-Deprived
      Neighbourhoods: A Systematic Literature Review of Quantitative Observational
      Studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There has been increasing interest in neighbourhoods' influence on
      individuals' health-risk behaviours, such as smoking, alcohol consumption,
      physical activity and diet. The aim of this review was to systematically review
      recent studies on health-risk behaviour among adults who live in deprived
      neighbourhoods compared with those who live in non-deprived neighbourhoods and to
      summarise what kind of operationalisations of neighbourhood deprivation that were
      used in the studies. METHODS: PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews were
      followed. Systematic searches were performed in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science
      and Sociological Abstracts using relevant search terms, Boolean operators, and
      truncation, and reference lists were scanned. Quantitative observational studies
      that examined health-risk behaviour in deprived neighbourhoods compared with non
      deprived neighbourhoods were eligible for inclusion. RESULTS: The inclusion
      criteria were met by 22 studies. The available literature showed a positive
      association between smoking and physical inactivity and living in deprived
      neighbourhoods compared with non-deprived neighbourhoods. In regard to low fruit
      and vegetable consumption and alcohol consumption, the results were ambiguous,
      and no clear differences were found. Numerous different operationalisations of
      neighbourhood deprivation were used in the studies. CONCLUSION: Substantial
      evidence indicates that future health interventions in deprived neighbourhoods
      should focus on smoking and physical inactivity. We suggest that alcohol
      interventions should be population based rather than based on the specific needs
      of deprived neighbourhoods. More research is needed on fruit and vegetable
      consumption. In future studies, the lack of a uniform operationalisation of
      neighbourhood deprivation must be addressed.

PMID- 26506252
TI  - Surface Modification of TiO2 Photoanodes with Fluorinated Self-Assembled
      Monolayers for Highly Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.
AB  - Dye aggregation and electron recombination in TiO2 photoanodes are the two major
      phenomena lowering the energy conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells
      (DSCs). Herein, we introduce a novel surface modification strategy of TiO2
      photoanodes by the fluorinated self-assembled monolayer (F-SAM) formation with
      1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (PFTS), blocking the vacant sites of
      the TiO2 surface after dye adsorption. The F-SAM helps to efficiently lower the
      surface tension, resulting in efficient repelling ions, e.g., I3(-), in the
      electrolyte to decrease the electron recombination rate, and the role of F-SAM is
      characterized in detail by impedance spectroscopy using a diffusion-recombination
      model. In addition, the dye aggregates on the TiO2 surface are relaxed by the F
      SAM with large conformational perturbation (i.e., helix structure) seemingly
      because of steric hindrance developed during the SAM formation. Such
      multifunctional effects suppress the electron recombination as well as the
      intermolecular interactions of dye aggregates without the loss of adsorbed dyes,
      enhancing both the photocurrent density (11.9 -> 13.5 mA cm(-2)) and open-circuit
      voltage (0.67 -> 0.72 V). Moreover, the combined surface modification with the F
      SAM and the classical coadsorbent further improves the photovoltaic performance
      in DSCs. 

PMID- 26506253
TI  - Functional recovery after cervical spinal cord injury: Role of neurotrophin and
      glutamatergic signaling in phrenic motoneurons.
AB  - Cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) interrupts descending neural drive to phrenic
      motoneurons causing diaphragm muscle (DIAm) paralysis. Recent studies using a
      well-established model of SCI, unilateral spinal hemisection of the C2 segment of
      the cervical spinal cord (SH), provide novel information regarding the molecular
      and cellular mechanisms of functional recovery after SCI. Over time post-SH,
      gradual recovery of rhythmic ipsilateral DIAm activity occurs. Recovery of
      ipsilateral DIAm electromyogram (EMG) activity following SH is enhanced by
      increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the region of the phrenic
      motoneuron pool. Delivery of exogenous BDNF either via intrathecal infusion or
      via mesenchymal stem cells engineered to release BDNF similarly enhance recovery.
      Conversely, recovery after SH is blunted by quenching endogenous BDNF with the
      fusion-protein TrkB-Fc in the region of the phrenic motoneuron pool or by
      selective inhibition of TrkB kinase activity using a chemical-genetic approach in
      TrkB(F616A) mice. Furthermore, the importance of BDNF signaling via TrkB
      receptors at phrenic motoneurons is highlighted by the blunting of recovery by
      siRNA-mediated downregulation of TrkB receptor expression in phrenic motoneurons
      and by the enhancement of recovery evident following virally-induced increases in
      TrkB expression specifically in phrenic motoneurons. BDNF/TrkB signaling
      regulates synaptic plasticity in various neuronal systems, including
      glutamatergic pathways. Glutamatergic neurotransmission constitutes the main
      inspiratory-related, excitatory drive to motoneurons, and following SH,
      spontaneous neuroplasticity is associated with increased expression of ionotropic
      N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in phrenic motoneurons. Evidence for the
      role of BDNF/TrkB and glutamatergic signaling in recovery of DIAm activity
      following cervical SCI is reviewed.

PMID- 26506255
TI  - Effect of lower-limb joint models on subject-specific musculoskeletal models and
      simulations of daily motor activities.
AB  - Understanding the validity of using musculoskeletal models is critical, making
      important to assess how model parameters affect predictions. In particular,
      assumptions on joint models can affect predictions from simulations of movement,
      and the identification of image-based joints is unavoidably affected by
      uncertainty that can decrease the benefits of increasing model complexity. We
      evaluated the effect of different lower-limb joint models on muscle and joint
      contact forces during four motor tasks, and assessed the sensitivity to the
      uncertainties in the identification of anatomical four-bar-linkage joints. Three
      MRI-based musculoskeletal models having different knee and ankle joint models
      were created and used for the purpose. Model predictions were compared against a
      baseline model including simpler and widely-adopted joints. In addition, a
      probabilistic analysis was performed by perturbing four-bar-linkage joint
      parameters according to their uncertainty. The differences between models
      depended on the motor task analyzed, and there could be marked differences at
      peak loading (up to 2.40 BW at the knee and 1.54 BW at the ankle), although they
      were rather small over the motor task cycles (up to 0.59 BW at the knee and 0.31
      BW at the ankle). The model including more degrees of freedom showed more
      discrepancies in predicted muscle activations compared to measured muscle
      activity. Further, including image-based four-bar-linkages was robust to simulate
      walking, chair rise and stair ascent, but not stair descent (peak standard
      deviation of 2.66 BW), suggesting that joint model complexity should be set
      according to the imaging dataset available and the intended application,
      performing sensitivity analyses. 

PMID- 26506254
TI  - Mechanisms of impulsive choice: III. The role of reward processes.
AB  - Two experiments examined the relationship between reward processing and impulsive
      choice. In Experiment 1, rats chose between a smaller-sooner (SS) reward (1
      pellet, 10 s) and a larger-later (LL) reward (1, 2, and 4 pellets, 30 s). The
      rats then experienced concurrent variable-interval 30-s schedules with variations
      in reward magnitude to evaluate reward magnitude discrimination. LL choice
      behavior positively correlated with reward magnitude discrimination. In
      Experiment 2, rats chose between an SS reward (1 pellet, 10 s) and an LL reward
      (2 and 4 pellets, 30 s). The rats then received either a reward intervention
      which consisted of concurrent fixed-ratio schedules associated with different
      magnitudes to improve their reward magnitude discrimination, or a control task.
      All rats then experienced a post-intervention impulsive choice task followed by a
      reward magnitude discrimination task to assess intervention efficacy. The rats
      that received the intervention exhibited increases in post-intervention LL choice
      behavior, and made more responses for larger-reward magnitudes in the reward
      magnitude discrimination task, suggesting that the intervention heightened
      sensitivities to reward magnitude. The results suggest that reward magnitude
      discrimination plays a key role in individual differences in impulsive choice,
      and could be a potential target for further intervention developments.

PMID- 26506256
TI  - Effects of cryopreservation on the survival rate of the seven-band grouper
      (Epinephelus septemfasciatus) embryos.
AB  - The effects of cryopreservation and the vitrification solution on the embryo
      hatchability of the seven-band grouper Epinephelus septemfasciatus were evaluated
      in this study. Six small molecule cryoprotectants (PG, MeOH, Gly, DMF, DMSO and
      EG) and four macromolecular cryoprotectants (glucose, fructose, sucrose and
      trehalose) were used to determine the embryo toxicity levels. Results showed that
      the embryo survival rate was higher when the PM (24% PG + 16% MeOH):Gly ratios
      were 3:1 and 4:1. Further experiments showed that the embryo survival rates in
      PMG3S (35% PMG3 + 5% sucrose) and PMG3T (35% PMG3 + 5% trehalose) were relatively
      higher, which are 29.24 +/- 10.81% and 27.01 +/- 3.39%, respectively. When
      treated with PMG3S and PMG3T by using 5-step method, embryos at somite stage and
      tail-bud stage shrank in the first 6 min and gradually recovered in volume to the
      original. This indicated the successful permeation of the vitrification solutions
      into cells. Then, embryos at the embryoid body formation stage, the somite stage
      and the tail-bud stage were cryopreserved with PMG3S and PMG3T. In total, 82
      floating embryos were obtained, 14 of which developed further, with 8 embryos at
      the tail-bud stage developing to the heartbeat stage, 4 embryos at the body
      formation stage development to the somite stage, and 2 embryos at the somite
      stage hatched to larval fish.

PMID- 26506257
TI  - Characteristics of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) from
      intact cryopreserved deciduous teeth.
AB  - The aim of this study is to compare the characteristics of stem cells derived
      from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) from cryopreserved intact deciduous
      teeth with those of fresh SHED. In total, 20 exfoliated deciduous teeth were
      randomly divided into a fresh group (f-SHED; n = 11) and cryopreserved group (c
      SHED; n = 9; stored for 1-8 months). Following thawing and separation of the
      pulp, the SHED cells were cultured, and the characteristics as mesenchymal stem
      cells were investigated using proliferation assays, cell-cycle analysis, colony
      forming unit-fibroblast (CFU-F) assays, and flow cytometry analyses. Furthermore,
      differentiation into adipogenic and osteogenic lineages was investigated in vitro
      as well as in vivo via transplantation in mice. We found no significant
      differences between the two groups in the proliferation analyses, in the
      expression of mesenchymal stem cell markers, or in the adipogenic and osteogenic
      differentiation in vitro (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the in vivo transplantation
      results showed no significant differences in the quantity of bone tissue that
      formed or in histochemistry performance (p < 0.05). In conclusion,
      cryopreservation of intact exfoliated deciduous teeth appears to be a useful
      method for preserving SHED.

PMID- 26506258
TI  - AT-rich repetitive DNA sequences, transcription frequency and germ layer
      determination.
AB  - Non-coding sequences of frog embryo endoderm poly (A+) nuclear RNA are AU
      enriched, as compared to those of ectoderm and mesoderm. Endoderm blastomeres
      contain much less H1 histone than is present in ectoderm and mesoderm. H1 histone
      preferentially binds AT-rich DNA sequences to repress their transcription. The AT
      enrichment of non-coding DNA sequences transcribed into poly (A+) nuclear RNA, as
      well as the low amount of H1 histone, may contribute to the higher transcription
      frequency of mRNA of endoderm, as compared to that of ectoderm and mesoderm. A
      greater accumulation of H1 histone in presumptive mesoderm and ectoderm may
      prevent transcription of endoderm specifying genes in mesoderm and ectoderm.
      Experimental upregulation of various transcription factors (TFs) can redirect
      germ layer fate. Most of these TFs bind AT-rich consensus sequences in DNA,
      suggesting that H1 histone and TFs active during germ layer determination are
      binding similar sequences. 

PMID- 26506259
TI  - A qualitative study of adolescents with medically unexplained symptoms and their
      parents. Part 2: How is healthcare perceived?
AB  - Medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) are common among adolescents and an
      important cause of clinical visits. This study sought to understand the
      experiences with, and perceptions of, the healthcare of adolescents who have MUS
      and their parents. Using a qualitative approach, six focus groups and two
      individual interviews were conducted with a total of ten adolescents and sixteen
      parents. The participants were recruited in a university hospital in Switzerland.
      A thematic analysis was conducted in accordance with the Grounded Theory. Six
      main themes emerged: needing a label for the symptoms, seeking an etiology to
      explain the symptoms, negotiating the medical system, medication and treatments,
      interactions with doctors, and the inclusion of parents during consultations.
      Transcending these themes, however, was the need for good communication between
      the adolescents, their parents and the clinicians. When explaining the symptoms,
      clinicians should make sure to discuss the results, investigations and lack of
      organic origin. 

PMID- 26506260
TI  - Our panel of experts highlight the most important research articles across the
      spectrum of topics relevant to the field of regenarative medicine.

PMID- 26506261
TI  - Molecular characterization of two kiss genes and their expression in rohu (Labeo
      rohita) during annual reproductive cycle.
AB  - Kisspeptin is an important regulator of reproduction in mammals and presumably
      non-mammalian species. In the Indian subcontinent, rohu (Labeo rohita) is a
      commercially important seasonal breeder freshwater fish species, but till date,
      the expression of kisspeptin gene during different phases of annual reproductive
      cycle has not been investigated. To address this, we cloned and characterized
      kiss1 and kiss2 full-length cDNA by RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends), and
      analyzed their expressions in brain-pituitary-gonad (BPG) axis by quantitative
      real time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay at various gonadal developmental stages of the
      annual reproductive cycle. Full-length rohu kiss1 and kiss2 cDNA encodes 116 and
      125 amino acids respectively, and in the adult fish, they were widely expressed
      in brain, pituitary, gonad, liver, muscle, kidney, intestine and eye. In male,
      kiss1 mRNA in brain and testis showed the highest level of expression during
      meiosis division of the gonad. The kiss2 mRNA revealed the highest expression
      during recrudescence stages in the brain, spermiation stages in pituitary and
      post-spawning stages in testes. In females, significantly (p<0.05) a higher level
      of kiss1 transcript was expressed in brain and ovary, in the full grown oocyte
      stages, whereas during pre-vitellogenic and vitellogenic stages in pituitary. The
      kiss2 gene expression was almost similar at various gonadal developmental stages
      in the brain and ovary, but, highest expression was detected in full grown oocyte
      stages in the pituitary. These results together may suggest the involvement of
      two kiss genes in the control of seasonal gonadal development in rohu. 

PMID- 26506262
TI  - Detection of Inorganic Arsenic in Rice Using a Field Test Kit: A Screening
      Method.
AB  - Rice is a staple food eaten by more than 50% of the world's population and is a
      daily dietary constituent in most South East Asian countries where 70% of the
      rice export comes from and where there is a high level of arsenic contamination
      in groundwater used for irrigation. Research shows that rice can take up and
      store inorganic arsenic during cultivation, and rice is considered to be one of
      the major routes of exposure to inorganic arsenic, a class I carcinogen for
      humans. Here, we report the use of a screening method based on the Gutzeit
      methodology to detect inorganic arsenic (iAs) in rice within 1 h. After
      optimization, 30 rice commodities from the United Kingdom market were tested with
      the field method and were compared to the reference method (high-performance
      liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, HPLC-ICP-MS).
      In all but three rice samples, iAs compound can be determined. The results show
      no bias for iAs using the field method. Results obtained show quantification
      limits of about 50 MUg kg(-1), a good reproducibility for a field method of +/
      12%, and only a few false positives and negatives (<10%) could only be recorded
      at the 2015 European Commission (EC) guideline for baby rice of 100 MUg kg(-1),
      while none were recorded at the maximum level suggested by the World Health
      Organization (WHO) and implemented by the EC for polished and white rice of 200
      MUg kg(-1). The method is reliable, fast, and inexpensive; hence, it is suggested
      to be used as a screening method in the field for preselection of rice which
      violates legislative guidelines. 

PMID- 26506263
TI  - Impact of Association Colloids on Lipid Oxidation in Triacylglycerols and Fatty
      Acid Ethyl Esters.
AB  - The impact of association colloids on lipid oxidation in triacylglycerols and
      fatty acid ethyl esters was investigated. Association colloids did not affect
      lipid oxidation of high oleic safflower and high linoleic safflower
      triacylglycerols, but were prooxidative in fish triacylglycerols. Association
      colloids retarded aldehyde formation in stripped ethyl oleate, linoleate, and
      fish oil ethyl esters. Interfacial tension revealed that lipid hydroperoxides
      were surface active in the presence of the surfactants found in association
      colloids. The lipid hydroperoxides from ethyl esters were less surface active
      than triacylglycerol hydroperoxides. Stripping decreased iron and copper
      concentrations in all oils, but more so in fatty acid ethyl esters. The
      combination of lower hydroperoxide surface activity and low metal concentrations
      could explain why association colloids inhibited lipid oxidation in fatty acid
      ethyl esters. This research suggests that association colloids could be used as
      an antioxidant technology in fatty acid ethyl esters.

PMID- 26506264
TI  - p21(WAF1) modulates drug-induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in B-cell
      precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - p21(WAF1) is a well-characterized mediator of cell cycle arrest and may also
      modulate chemotherapy-induced cell death. The role of p21(WAF1) in drug-induced
      cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells was
      investigated using p53-functional patient-derived xenografts (PDXs), in which
      p21(WAF1) was epigenetically silenced in T-cell ALL (T-ALL), but not in B-cell
      precursor (BCP)-ALL PDXs. Upon exposure to diverse cytotoxic drugs, T-ALL PDX
      cells exhibited markedly increased caspase-3/7 activity and phosphatidylserine
      (PS) externalization on the plasma membrane compared with BCP-ALL cells. Despite
      dramatic differences in apoptotic characteristics between T-ALL and BCP-ALL PDXs,
      both ALL subtypes exhibited similar cell death kinetics and were equally
      sensitive to p53-inducing drugs in vitro, although T-ALL PDXs were significantly
      more sensitive to the histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat. Transient siRNA
      suppression of p21(WAF1) in the BCP-ALL 697 cell line resulted in a moderate
      depletion of the cell fraction in G1 phase and marked increase in PS
      externalization following exposure to etoposide. Furthermore, stable lentiviral
      p21(WAF1) silencing in the BCP-ALL Nalm-6 cell line accelerated PS
      externalization and cell death following exposure to etoposide and vorinostat,
      supporting previous findings. Finally, the Sp1 inhibitor, terameprocol, inhibited
      p21(WAF1) expression in Nalm-6 cells exposed to vorinostat and also partially
      augmented vorinostat-induced cell death. Taken together, these findings
      demonstrate that p21(WAF1) regulates the early stages of drug-induced apoptosis
      in ALL cells and significantly modulates their sensitivity to vorinostat. 

PMID- 26506266
TI  - Bacterial Networks in Cells and Communities.
AB  - Research on the bacterial regulatory networks is currently experiencing a true
      revival, driven by advances in methodology and by emergence of novel concepts.
      The biannual conference Bacterial Networks (BacNet15) held in May 2015, in Sant
      Feliu de Guixols, Spain, covered progress in the studies of regulatory networks
      that control bacterial physiology, cell biology, stress responses, metabolism,
      collective behavior and evolution. It demonstrated how interdisciplinary
      approaches that combine molecular biology and biochemistry with the latest
      microscopy developments, whole cell (-omics) approaches and mathematical modeling
      can help understand design principles relevant in microbiology. It further showed
      how current biotechnology and medical microbiology could profit from our
      knowledge of and ability to engineer regulatory networks of bacteria.

PMID- 26506265
TI  - Structural and functional rejuvenation of the aged brain by an approved anti
      asthmatic drug.
AB  - As human life expectancy has improved rapidly in industrialized societies, age
      related cognitive impairment presents an increasing challenge. Targeting
      histopathological processes that correlate with age-related cognitive declines,
      such as neuroinflammation, low levels of neurogenesis, disrupted blood-brain
      barrier and altered neuronal activity, might lead to structural and functional
      rejuvenation of the aged brain. Here we show that a 6-week treatment of young (4
      months) and old (20 months) rats with montelukast, a marketed anti-asthmatic drug
      antagonizing leukotriene receptors, reduces neuroinflammation, elevates
      hippocampal neurogenesis and improves learning and memory in old animals. By
      using gene knockdown and knockout approaches, we demonstrate that the effect is
      mediated through inhibition of the GPR17 receptor. This work illustrates that
      inhibition of leukotriene receptor signalling might represent a safe and
      druggable target to restore cognitive functions in old individuals and paves the
      way for future clinical translation of leukotriene receptor inhibition for the
      treatment of dementias. 

PMID- 26506268
TI  - Bioactivity-guided isolation of new antiproliferative compounds from Juniperus
      foetidissima Willd.
AB  - Based on a literature survey on cytotoxic medicinal plants, Juniper species were
      identified as interesting source of antitumor compounds. Using bioassay-guided
      fractionation against Caov-4 cancer cells on acetone extract of leaves and
      branchlets of Juniperus foetidissima led to the isolation of a new 3H-benzofuaran
      2-one: 4-methyl-3-methoxy-3H-benzofuaran-2-one (1), a new sesquiterpene:
      4,9(alpha)-dihydroxy-nardosin-6-en (2) and an already known labdane-type
      diterpene: 15-hydroxy-8(17),13(E)-labdadiene-19-carboxilic acid (3). Compounds 1
      3 exhibited cytotoxic effects, with moderate cytotoxicity against the EJ-138
      bladder and CAOV-4 ovary cancer cell lines. 

PMID- 26506269
TI  - Calvin B. Ernst, MD, 1934-2015 Editor, 1991-1996.

PMID- 26506270
TI  - Results of the ROADSTER multicenter trial of transcarotid stenting with dynamic
      flow reversal.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This report presents the 30-day results of the Safety and Efficacy
      Study for Reverse Flow Used During Carotid Artery Stenting Procedure (ROADSTER)
      multicenter trial and evaluates the safety and efficacy of ENROUTE Transcarotid
      NPS (Silk Road Medical Inc, Sunnyvale, Calif), a novel transcarotid
      neuroprotection system that provides direct surgical common carotid access and
      cerebral embolic protection via high-rate flow reversal during carotid artery
      stenting (CAS). METHODS: A prospective, single-arm, multicenter clinical trial
      was performed to evaluate the use of the ENROUTE Transcarotid NPS during CAS
      procedures performed in patients considered to be at high risk for complications
      from carotid endarterectomy. Symptomatic patients with >=50% stenosis and
      asymptomatic patients with >=70% stenosis were eligible to be treated with any
      U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved carotid artery stent. The primary end
      point was the composite of all stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), and death at
      30 days postprocedure as defined in the Food and Drug Administration-approved
      study protocol. Secondary end points included cranial nerve injury; 30-day
      stroke, death, stroke/death, and MI; acute device, technical, and procedural
      success; and access site complications. All major adverse events were adjudicated
      by an independent clinical events committee. RESULTS: Between November 2012 and
      July 2014, 208 patients were enrolled at 18 sites. Sixty-seven patients were
      enrolled as lead-in cases, and 141 were enrolled in the pivotal phase. In the
      pivotal cohort, 26% were symptomatic and 75% were asymptomatic. Acute device and
      technical success were 99% (140 of 141). By hierarchical analysis, the all-stroke
      rate in the pivotal group was 1.4% (2 of 141), stroke and death was 2.8% (4 of
      141), and stroke, death and MI was 3.5% (5 of 141). One patient (0.7%)
      experienced postoperative hoarseness from potential Xth cranial nerve injury,
      which completely resolved at the 6-month follow-up visit. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results of the ROADSTER trial demonstrate that the use of the ENROUTE
      Transcarotid NPS is safe and effective at preventing stroke during CAS. The
      overall stroke rate of 1.4% is the lowest reported to date for any prospective,
      multicenter clinical trial of CAS.

PMID- 26506271
TI  - Invited commentary.

PMID- 26506267
TI  - Origins of Programmable Nucleases for Genome Engineering.
AB  - Genome engineering with programmable nucleases depends on cellular responses to a
      targeted double-strand break (DSB). The first truly targetable reagents were the
      zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) showing that arbitrary DNA sequences could be
      addressed for cleavage by protein engineering, ushering in the breakthrough in
      genome manipulation. ZFNs resulted from basic research on zinc finger proteins
      and the FokI restriction enzyme (which revealed a bipartite structure with a
      separable DNA-binding domain and a non-specific cleavage domain). Studies on the
      mechanism of cleavage by 3-finger ZFNs established that the preferred substrates
      were paired binding sites, which doubled the size of the target sequence
      recognition from 9 to 18bp, long enough to specify a unique genomic locus in
      plant and mammalian cells. Soon afterwards, a ZFN-induced DSB was shown to
      stimulate homologous recombination in cells. Transcription activator-like
      effector nucleases (TALENs) that are based on bacterial TALEs fused to the FokI
      cleavage domain expanded this capability. The fact that ZFNs and TALENs have been
      used for genome modification of more than 40 different organisms and cell types
      attests to the success of protein engineering. The most recent technology
      platform for delivering a targeted DSB to cellular genomes is that of the RNA
      guided nucleases, which are based on the naturally occurring Type II prokaryotic
      CRISPR-Cas9 system. Unlike ZFNs and TALENs that use protein motifs for DNA
      sequence recognition, CRISPR-Cas9 depends on RNA-DNA recognition. The advantages
      of the CRISPR-Cas9 system-the ease of RNA design for new targets and the
      dependence on a single, constant Cas9 protein-have led to its wide adoption by
      research laboratories around the world. These technology platforms have equipped
      scientists with an unprecedented ability to modify cells and organisms almost at
      will, with wide-ranging implications across biology and medicine. However, these
      nucleases have also been shown to cut at off-target sites with mutagenic
      consequences. Therefore, issues such as efficacy, specificity and delivery are
      likely to drive selection of reagents for particular purposes. Human therapeutic
      applications of these technologies will ultimately depend on risk versus benefit
      analysis and informed consent. 

PMID- 26506272
TI  - Acoustic shadowing impairs accurate characterization of stenosis in carotid
      ultrasound examinations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Duplex ultrasonography (DUS) has been the mainstay for diagnosing
      carotid artery stenosis and is often the sole diagnostic modality used prior to
      intervention. Highly calcified plaque, however, results in an acoustic shadow
      (AcS) that obscures the vessel lumen and inhibits the sonographer's ability to
      obtain Doppler velocity measurements. It is unknown whether DUS can accurately
      determine the degree of carotid stenosis in these settings. METHODS: From July
      2012 to December 2013, all patients with AcS on DUS measuring >=5 mm in the
      longitudinal axis were cross-referenced with multidetector computed tomographic
      angiography (MD-CTA) images of the neck to define the study population. After
      standardizing the MD-CTA windows, percent stenosis was determined by cross
      sectional area reduction using two separate previously described methods based on
      North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET) and European
      Carotid Surgery Trial (ECST) criteria. DUS waveform parameters in the internal
      carotid artery near the AcS were then compared with these MD-CTA measurements to
      determine the accuracy of DUS in characterizing the severity of carotid stenosis.
      RESULTS: During this period, 8517 DUS studies were performed at the Massachusetts
      General Hospital, 550 of which had AcS, for an incidence of 6.45%. There were 92
      lesions with a concomitant MD-CTA; however, seven were excluded because of poor
      study quality, because >=6 months had elapsed between DUS and MD-CTA, or because
      the patient had undergone carotid reconstruction between studies. Of the 85
      remaining lesions, DUS characterized 17 as severe (peak systolic velocity [PSV]
      >250 cm/s), 31 as moderate (PSV = 151-250 cm/s), and 37 as mild (PSV <=150 cm/s)
      stenoses using PSV criteria. PSV weakly correlated with CTA-NASCET (r = 0.361; P
      = .004) and CTA-ECST (r = 0.306; P = .004) percent stenosis. Using PSV >250 cm/s
      as the predictor of >70% stenosis, and a >=70% cutoff by both CTA-ECST and CTA
      NASCET methods as the reference measure, DUS sensitivity ranged from 22.7% to
      32.5%, specificity from 89.4% to 91.1%, positive predictive value from 88.2% to
      76.4%, and negative predictive value from 25% to 60.2%. A subgroup analysis of
      lesions identified as non-severe by DUS revealed that waveforms with lower
      deceleration were associated with severe stenosis on CTA. CONCLUSIONS: In the
      presence of AcS, DUS alone is inadequate to accurately determine the degree of
      carotid stenosis with sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive values
      far below that needed for clinical decision-making. MD-CTA may be necessary for
      improved characterization of plaque in these AcS lesions. Further studies are
      needed to determine DUS parameters that may identify patients who should undergo
      further evaluation with MD-CTA to characterize the true severity of the stenosis.

PMID- 26506273
TI  - Saccular aneurysm and kink of the extracranial internal carotid artery secondary
      to fibromuscular dysplasia.

PMID- 26506274
TI  - Rapidly progressive calcification of the false lumen in aortic dissection.

PMID- 26506275
TI  - Debate: Whether branched/fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair procedures are
      better than snorkels, chimneys, or periscopes in the treatment of most
      thoracoabdominal and juxtarenal aneurysms.
AB  - Vascular surgeons are an innovative group, and during the last decade, we have
      seen unparalleled advances in the endovascular treatment of extensive aortic
      pathologies. Collaborative efforts between surgeons and industry have introduced
      fenestrated and branched devices that are becoming more widely used, with wider
      regulatory approval, availability, and less need for customization. Prior to
      this, parallel stent approaches had been developed to fill the void where this
      technology was not available or for urgent cases. A separate and distinct body of
      evidence and expertise subsequently developed for both strategies. This debate
      explores where these approaches now sit in the armamentarium of vascular
      surgeons. 

PMID- 26506276
TI  - Editors' commentary.

PMID- 26506277
TI  - The shirt off his back.

PMID- 26506278
TI  - Reply: To PMID 24726826.

PMID- 26506279
TI  - Regarding "Novel experimental model of enlarging abdominal aortic aneurysm in
      rabbits".

PMID- 26506280
TI  - Regarding "Elastase inhibitor AZD9668 treatment prevented progression of
      experimental abdominal aortic aneurysms".

PMID- 26506281
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 26506282
TI  - Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) detection directly from urine samples
      with the rapid isothermal amplification-based eazyplex(r) SuperBug CRE assay:
      Proof of concept.
AB  - A commercially available assay (eazyplex(r) SuperBug CRE) detecting the most
      common carbapenemase and ESBL types was evaluated directly on 50 urine samples.
      Eazyplex(r) correctly detected ESBL-encoding genes in all 30 urine samples with
      confirmed ESBL production (sensitivity 100%). Two specimens showed invalid and
      one specimen false-positive results (specificity 97.9%). 

PMID- 26506283
TI  - Pyrazinamide resistance determined by liquid culture at low pH better correlates
      with genetic mutations in MDR tuberculosis isolates.
AB  - We detected the pyrazinamide (PZA) susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      strains in the Bactec MGIT 960 liquid medium with different pH values. Our
      results demonstrated that PZA resistance determined by liquid culture at pH 5.7
      (94.9%) showed better correlation with genetic changes among multidrug-resistant
      M. tuberculosis isolates (P=0.001).

PMID- 26506284
TI  - The Expression of Lung Resistance Protein in Saliva: A Novel Prognostic Indicator
      Protein for Carcinoma of the Breast.
AB  - Considering that saliva is a fluid inundated with proteins, it is possible that
      solubilized oncogenic proteins may be present in saliva and may be useful in
      differentiating between healthy and diseased individuals. As a consequence, the
      purpose of this study was to determine if the solubilized form of LRP was present
      in stimulated whole saliva and could differentiate between 16 healthy women and
      16 women with confirmed Stage I breast cancer. LRP levels were determined using
      gel electrophoresis and Western blot technology. The results showed LRP at
      significantly higher concentrations among breast cancer subjects as compared to
      healthy women. 

PMID- 26506285
TI  - Thermal decomposition of dolomite under CO2: insights from TGA and in situ XRD
      analysis.
AB  - Thermal decomposition of dolomite in the presence of CO2 in a calcination
      environment is investigated by means of in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and
      thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The in situ XRD results suggest that dolomite
      decomposes directly at a temperature around 700  degrees C into MgO and CaO.
      Immediate carbonation of nascent CaO crystals leads to the formation of calcite
      as an intermediate product of decomposition. Subsequently, decarbonation of this
      poorly crystalline calcite occurs when the reaction is thermodynamically
      favorable and sufficiently fast at a temperature depending on the CO2 partial
      pressure in the calcination atmosphere. Decarbonation of this dolomitic calcite
      occurs at a lower temperature than limestone decarbonation due to the relatively
      low crystallinity of the former. Full decomposition of dolomite leads also to a
      relatively low crystalline CaO, which exhibits a high reactivity as compared to
      limestone derived CaO. Under CO2 capture conditions in the Calcium-Looping (CaL)
      process, MgO grains remain inert yet favor the carbonation reactivity of
      dolomitic CaO especially in the solid-state diffusion controlled phase. The
      fundamental mechanism that drives the crystallographic transformation of dolomite
      in the presence of CO2 is thus responsible for its fast calcination kinetics and
      the high carbonation reactivity of dolomitic CaO, which makes natural dolomite a
      potentially advantageous alternative to limestone for CO2 capture in the CaL
      technology as well as SO2in situ removal in oxy-combustion fluidized bed
      reactors. 

PMID- 26506287
TI  - From the Editor.

PMID- 26506286
TI  - Summary of Notifiable Noninfectious Conditions and Disease Outbreaks:
      Surveillance for Cancer Incidence and Mortality - United States, 2011.

PMID- 26506288
TI  - Transformation of the Urban Health Care Safety Net: The Devolution of a Public
      Responsibility.
AB  - Reduced spending in both federal and state programs and the closure of public
      hospitals have serious consequences for the health of urban dwellers, especially
      the poor and uninsured. Through a combination of economic factors, many
      municipalities have formed public-private partnerships and launched community
      initiatives to preserve some of the elements of the health care safety net. What
      once was a responsibility of municipal governments, the provision of health care
      to poor and uninsured populations, is now posing challenges for private-sector
      providers. This article identifies several factors that have contributed to the
      incremental demise of the publicly funded urban health care safety net and how
      local entities and the federal government are responding to the care of the poor
      and uninsured. 

PMID- 26506289
TI  - Health Care Affordability: How to Make It a Reality.
AB  - Health care is a big business. US health care expenditures reached $2.9 trillion
      in 2013. Patient spending accounted for 28% of the total, which means patients
      spent approximately $810 billion in 2013 for insurance premiums, deductibles,
      copays, coinsurance, and noncovered health care services. How are patients
      expected to pay almost a trillion dollars in health care expenses? There is a
      need to find a health care financing methodology that will make health care
      affordable for all patients and families. An alternative method for funding
      health care is discussed that includes creating a government-funded annuity
      during the first decade of one's life. When this annuity matures later in life,
      many individuals will have amassed a large pot of money with which to pay for
      their (and their family's) health care treatment and products. 

PMID- 26506290
TI  - Leadership Characteristics for Health Care Managers: Perspectives of Chief
      Executive Officers in US Hospitals.
AB  - A study was conducted to determine the perceptions of chief executive officers in
      US hospitals regarding the most important characteristics aspiring health care
      executives should possess. The results of this 2012 study were compared with a
      previous study conducted in 2007 to determine if the perceptions had changed over
      time. 

PMID- 26506291
TI  - Use of Smartphones in Hospitals.
AB  - Mobile technology has begun to change the landscape of the medical profession,
      with more than two-thirds of physicians regularly using smartphones. Smartphones
      have allowed health care professionals and the general public to communicate more
      efficiently, collect data, and facilitate clinical decision making. The
      methodology for this study was a qualitative literature review following a
      systematic approach of smartphone use among physicians in hospitals. Fifty-one
      articles were selected for this study based on inclusion criteria. The findings
      were classified and described into 7 categories: use of smartphone in obstetrics,
      pediatrics, surgery, internal medicine, radiology, and dermatology, which were
      chosen based on the documented use of smartphone application in different health
      care practices. A last section of patient safety and issues with confidentiality
      is also described. This study suggests that smartphones have been playing an
      increasingly important role in health care. Medical professionals have become
      more dependent upon medical smartphone applications. However, concerns of patient
      safety and confidentiality will likely lead to increased oversight of mobile
      device use by regulatory agencies and accrediting bodies. 

PMID- 26506292
TI  - The Concept of Advocacy in Nursing: A Critical Analysis.
AB  - As health care professionals practice as a team, they take on responsibilities
      that are specific to their roles-responsibilities that are recognized and
      understood by the team and management as pertaining to their professional domain
      and expertise. Is advocacy part of the role of the nurse? Members of the nursing
      profession commonly maintain that it is, but is there a consensus on this issue,
      both within the profession and among other stakeholders? Is there a clear
      understanding of the term advocacy, and is this reflected in Codes of Practice
      and research into practice? An examination of significant documents and reports
      of empirical research reveals conflicting conceptions and opinions. There is
      potential for a common definition, but agreements need to be reached on whether
      advocacy is an essential function of nursing within the management of health
      care, and if so, what is advocacy's importance, focus, and limits. 

PMID- 26506294
TI  - Case in Health Care Management.

PMID- 26506293
TI  - Patient and Practice Characteristics: Impact on Career Satisfaction of
      Obstetrician-Gynecologists.
AB  - This study examined demographic and practice characteristics that affect the
      career satisfaction of obstetrician-gynecologists. Data were retrieved from the
      2008 Health Tracking Physician Survey, conducted by the Center for Studying
      Health System Change. The survey consisted of a nationally representative sample
      of physicians belonging to the American Medical Association. A final sample of
      290 obstetrician-gynecologists was obtained from the study. Results indicated
      more than 80% of obstetrician-gynecologists were either "somewhat satisfied" or
      "very satisfied" with their careers in medicine. Nearly 56% were older than 48
      years; 59% of respondents were men and 77% were of white race. The average
      obstetrician-gynecologist worked 54 hours per week in medically related
      activities. Regression analysis showed a significant relationship between
      obstetrician-gynecologist career satisfaction and the following: adequate time
      with patients, perceived quality of care, income, work hours, and revenue from
      Medicaid. In addition, Hispanic patients and the presence of formal written
      guidelines had a positive impact on career satisfaction. It was concluded that
      quality care, time with patients, work hours, and income are the major predictors
      of obstetrician-gynecologist career satisfaction. Further research is needed to
      understand the relationship between patient demographics and career satisfaction.

PMID- 26506295
TI  - Impact of the Relocation of a Long-term Residential Care Facility on Staff.
AB  - This article describes the relocation of residents and staff of a long-term
      residential care facility into a new state-of-the-art building in a Canadian
      province. All staff were surveyed about their perceptions of the moving process 2
      months after the move occurred using a newly created 51-item questionnaire
      containing both open-ended and closed questions (5-point Likert scale). The
      results were positive for the 3 subscales of the survey, with average scores for
      premove, midmove, and postmove items of 3.67, 3.94, and 3.66, respectively. There
      was no significant difference in the means when comparing staff position, years
      of employment, or assignment to 1 or more units. Staff were very positive about
      the move itself, the orientation provided and overall planning, and support from
      coworkers and management. Some concerns were raised about staffing shortages,
      involvement of residents, and preparedness of the units and building. In
      addition, it is evident that relocation is an ongoing process, with many supports
      required in the months after the move. This article describes a very well planned
      and executed relocation of a long-term residential care facility and can provide
      guidance and lessons learned to assist other administrators who are planning a
      similar endeavor. 

PMID- 26506296
TI  - User Satisfaction With Telehealth: Study of Patients, Providers, and
      Coordinators.
AB  - The aim of this study was to examine the satisfaction with telehealth
      technologies of all users-patients, health care providers, and telehealth
      presenters. As the use of videoconferencing in health care is rapidly increasing
      to allow adequate and timely access to care for patients from rural areas, it is
      important to examine how these technologies are perceived and utilized. Three
      separate surveys were used to collect data: patient, provider, and telehealth
      coordinator. Patient surveys were collected in a paper format, while provider and
      coordinator surveys were done using REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture)
      application. Findings indicate high satisfaction with telehealth, as well as
      confidence in providing care via distance. While this is encouraging for both
      patients and health care organizations, further studies should be done to include
      urban telehealth as well as other types of health care organizations utilizing
      videoconferencing for clinical appointments. 

PMID- 26506297
TI  - Early Careerist Interest and Participation in Health Care Leadership Development
      Programs.
AB  - Health care organizations are increasingly embracing leadership development
      programs. These programs include a variety of specific activities, such as
      formally structured leadership development, as well as mentoring, personal
      development and coaching, 360-degree feedback, and job enlargement, in order to
      increase the leadership skills of managers and high-potential staff. However,
      there is a lack of information on how early careerists in health care management
      view these programs and the degree to which they participate. This article
      reports on a study undertaken to determine how early careerists working in health
      care organizations view leadership development programs and their participation
      in such programs offered by their employers. Study findings are based on a survey
      of 126 early careerists who are graduates of an undergraduate health services
      administration program. We found varying levels of interest and participation in
      specific leadership development activities. In addition, we found that
      respondents with graduate degrees and those with higher compensation were more
      likely to participate in selected leadership development program activities.
      Implications of study findings for health care organizations and early careerists
      in the offering of, and participation in, leadership development programs are
      discussed. 

PMID- 26506298
TI  - Lower Nurse Staffing Levels Are Associated With Occurrences of Inpatient Falls at
      a Large Pediatric Hospital.
AB  - No previous research has been published regarding the relationship between nurse
      staffing levels and inpatient pediatric falls, and previous research in the adult
      population has yielded conflicting results, probably due in many instances to
      suboptimal study design. The objective of this study was to examine the
      relationship between nurse staffing levels and pediatric patient falls in a large
      children's hospital. A case-control study design was used to compare the nurse
      staffing level during the shift of patient falls to the staffing level in the
      same units on shifts when patient falls did not occur. Nurse staffing levels were
      significantly lower in units when patient falls occurred, particularly during
      night shift. Targeted nurse staffing interventions in high-risk units could
      reduce the incidence of inpatient pediatric falls. 

PMID- 26506299
TI  - Organizational Failure in an NHS Hospital Trust: A Qualitative Study.
AB  - The objective was to explore the key factors associated with organizational
      failure in an NHS Hospital Trust. This case study adopted a qualitative design.
      Fifty-seven semistructured interviews and document analyses were conducted as
      well. Data were analyzed using a framework analysis method. A range of symptoms
      of organizational performance failure was identified. These relate to a financial
      deficit, lack of good external relationships, inability to meet core targets, a
      lack of clear management systems, and low staff morale. These markers had not
      been taken seriously by the previous senior management team. Symptoms of failure
      were the reflection of presence of secondary and primary causes of failure. Poor
      managerial leadership, poor financial control and performance management, lack of
      open culture, distraction by 2 large projects, and the lack of clinician
      engagement were perceived as internal causes of failure and the high level of
      policy changes within the NHS as the key external cause. The level of deprivation
      in the area was also thought to have had a negative impact on performance. The
      findings reinforce and expand on those of recent studies across the public
      sector. Tracking an organization's performance and early diagnosis of performance
      problems, focusing on performance management systems, and taking into account
      contextual factors are issues that should be considered. 

PMID- 26506300
TI  - Effectiveness of Rectal Suction Biopsy in Diagnosing Hirschsprung Disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rectal suction biopsy (RSB) is performed on clinical and
      radiological suspicion of Hirschsprung disease (HD). Positive histochemical
      staining for acetylcholinesterase in the lamina propria mucosa and muscularis
      mucosa together with the absence of ganglion cells in the submucosa confirms HD.
      A second RSB or a full-thickness biopsy is done in case of doubt. The primary aim
      of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of RSB in diagnosing HD. In
      addition, the results of RSB in preterm born infants were analyzed. METHODS: This
      retrospective study included all infants younger than 1 year who had RSB for HD
      suspicion from January 2004 to April 2014. All histopathological results were
      reviewed. Sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of
      the first RSB were calculated. RESULTS: In total, 183 patients (99 boys, mean age
      11 weeks) were included. HD was diagnosed in 55 patients (30%). A second biopsy
      was performed in 12/55 patients (22%), which confirmed HD in 9 patients. One
      patient did not undergo a second biopsy, but HD was excluded based on clinical
      follow-up. Thus, HD was eventually excluded in 4 of the 55 patients with a
      positive first RSB. HD was excluded in the first biopsy in 128 patients (70%). In
      19 of those (15%), a second biopsy was done, which led to the diagnosis of HD in
      10 patients. Two patients with negative biopsy results were still operated on
      because of the high clinical suspicion for HD, and the histopathological analysis
      on the operative specimen confirmed HD. Thus, HD was eventually diagnosed in 12
      out of 128 patients. Thus, the sensitivity of the first RSB was 81% and the
      specificity was 97%. The positive predictive value was 93% and the negative
      predictive value was 91%. A subanalysis for the 38 preterm born infants was done,
      with a mean conceptional age at the time of biopsy of 44 weeks (range 34-82).
      Sensitivity and specificity of RSB were 83 and 97%, respectively, with one false
      positive and one false-negative results. CONCLUSION: The overall sensitivity of
      the RSB was 81%, with 12 false-negative results, in which cases extra biopsies
      had been necessary. The specificity was 97%, with four false-positive findings.
      We found that RSB can also be reliably and safely performed in preterm born
      infants, which implies there is no reason to postpone a RSB in those infants. New
      methods, such as calretinin staining, must be considered to achieve better
      effectiveness of the RSB for diagnosing HD.

PMID- 26506301
TI  - Clinical Features of Congenital Cystic Lung Diseases: A Report on a Nationwide
      Multicenter Study in Japan.
AB  - AIM: The current study aimed to assess the perinatal risk of congenital cystic
      lung diseases (CCLD) and to establish a suitable surgical strategy in
      consideration of postoperative lung growth and problems during adulthood.
      METHODS: Among 874 CCLD patients identified in a nationwide survey, 428 patients
      were born between 1992 and 2012 and treated at 10 high-volume centers were
      retrospectively reviewed with statistical analysis. RESULTS: In the 194 patients
      who were prenatally diagnosed to have CCLD, 16.7% presented with fetal hydrops as
      observed using ultrasonography. The Apgar score (5 minutes) was lower than 5 in
      5.4%. As of postnatal day 30, 14.0% of the neonatal patients required respiratory
      support, and 3.3% (8/243) had died because of pulmonary hypoplasia. Among those
      who were asymptomatic immediately after birth, 33.6% of the patients developed
      the respiratory infectious symptoms during their first year of life, and 22.1%
      did so between the age of 1 and 2 years. The postoperative percent vital capacity
      among the prenatally diagnosed patients was significantly higher than that among
      the postnatally diagnosed patients (98.3 +/- 11.9 vs. 81.7 +/- 9.7, p < 0.0222).
      Late complications included thoracic deformity in 30 patients and persistent lung
      cyst in 4 patients, whereas malignancy was not observed in the present series.
      CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 10 to 15% of prenatally diagnosed CCLD patients may
      carry a high risk of perinatal respiratory distress. Early operation before
      developing episodes of lung infection, seem to be associated with a better
      development of the reserved lung during later life. The incidence of
      carcinogenesis among patients with CCLD may be extremely low.

PMID- 26506302
TI  - Development of a Reproducible Model of Parenteral Nutrition-Associated Liver
      Disease in Rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: For patients with intestinal failure, parenteral nutrition (PN) is a
      life-saving therapy. Unfortunately, hepatic dysfunction will occur in 40 to 60%
      of children on long-term PN. While the hepatic dysfunction is likely
      multifactorial, one important chemical component of the disease may be aluminum
      contamination of the PN. Previous studies have shown a reduction in liver injury
      by decreasing the aluminum concentration in PN in a pig model. We sought to
      develop a rat model of PN-associated liver disease (PNALD) with parenteral
      aluminum. METHODS: Adult Sprague-Dawley rats had intravenous long-term catheters
      placed. The control group underwent daily injections of saline. The study rats
      had daily injections of either 2 or 3 mg/kg aluminum chloride (AlCl3). At the end
      of 4 weeks, the rats were euthanized and liver and blood samples were taken. The
      livers were analyzed and graded by a pathologist for histological evidence of
      liver degeneration and acute and chronic inflammation. The serum was analyzed for
      total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and
      aspartate aminotransferase (AST). RESULTS: There was no difference in serum
      values of total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, ALT, or AST. There was no
      difference in acute inflammation among the groups (1 [control], 1.2 [2 mg/kg],
      1.1 [3 mg/kg]). The rats treated with parenteral aluminum had significantly more
      Kupffer cells than the control group (0.1 [control], 3 [2 mg/kg], 2.2 [3 mg/kg],
      p < 0.0001 [control vs. 2 mg/kg] and 0.0032 [control vs. 3 mg/kg]). There was
      also more liver degeneration in the parenteral aluminum groups than the control
      group (1 [control], 2 [2 mg/kg], 2.5 [3 mg/kg], p = 0.0341 [control vs. 2 mg/kg]
      and 0.009 [control vs. 3 mg/kg]). However, there was no difference between 2 and
      3 mg/kg AlCl3 for either variable. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that 4 weeks
      of parenteral aluminum can induce chronic inflammation and degeneration of the
      liver in rats. Therefore, we believe that daily injections of parenteral aluminum
      can produce a viable model of PNALD in rats. However, further studies are
      warranted, including measurement of serum aluminum levels in infants on PN.

PMID- 26506303
TI  - An Arresting Story about Basement Membrane Invasion.
AB  - In this issue of Developmental Cell, Matus et al. (2015) reveal that to invade
      past basement membrane, the C. elegans anchor cell must cease dividing before
      differentiating and expressing pro-invasion genes. This demonstration of invasion
      and proliferation as mutually incompatible cell states has implications for our
      understanding of cancer metastasis.

PMID- 26506304
TI  - Morpholinos: Antisense and Sensibility.
AB  - For over 15 years, antisense morpholino oligonucleotides (MOs) have allowed
      developmental biologists to make key discoveries regarding developmental
      mechanisms in numerous model organisms. Recently, serious concerns have been
      raised as to the specificity of MO effects, and it has been recommended to
      discontinue their usage, despite the long experience of the scientific community
      with the MO tool in thousands of studies. Reviewing the many advantages afforded
      by MOs, we conclude that adequately controlled MOs should continue to be accepted
      as generic loss-of-function approach, as otherwise progress in developmental
      biology will greatly suffer. 

PMID- 26506305
TI  - Square Cell Packing in the Drosophila Embryo through Spatiotemporally Regulated
      EGF Receptor Signaling.
AB  - Cells display dynamic and diverse morphologies during development, but the
      strategies by which differentiated tissues achieve precise shapes and patterns
      are not well understood. Here we identify a developmental program that generates
      a highly ordered square cell grid in the Drosophila embryo through sequential and
      spatially regulated cell alignment, oriented cell division, and apicobasal cell
      elongation. The basic leucine zipper transcriptional regulator Cnc is necessary
      and sufficient to produce a square cell grid in the presence of a midline signal
      provided by the EGF receptor ligand Spitz. Spitz orients cell divisions through a
      Pins/LGN-dependent spindle-positioning mechanism and controls cell shape and
      alignment through a transcriptional pathway that requires the Pointed ETS domain
      protein. These results identify a strategy for producing ordered square cell
      packing configurations in epithelia and reveal a molecular mechanism by which
      organized tissue structure is generated through spatiotemporally regulated
      responses to EGF receptor activation. 

PMID- 26506306
TI  - Invasive Cell Fate Requires G1 Cell-Cycle Arrest and Histone Deacetylase-Mediated
      Changes in Gene Expression.
AB  - Despite critical roles in development and cancer, the mechanisms that specify
      invasive cellular behavior are poorly understood. Through a screen of
      transcription factors in Caenorhabditis elegans, we identified G1 cell-cycle
      arrest as a precisely regulated requirement of the anchor cell (AC) invasion
      program. We show that the nuclear receptor nhr-67/tlx directs the AC into G1
      arrest in part through regulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor cki-1.
      Loss of nhr-67 resulted in non-invasive, mitotic ACs that failed to express
      matrix metalloproteinases or actin regulators and lack invadopodia, F-actin-rich
      membrane protrusions that facilitate invasion. We further show that G1 arrest is
      necessary for the histone deacetylase HDA-1, a key regulator of differentiation,
      to promote pro-invasive gene expression and invadopodia formation. Together,
      these results suggest that invasive cell fate requires G1 arrest and that
      strategies targeting both G1-arrested and actively cycling cells may be needed to
      halt metastatic cancer. 

PMID- 26506307
TI  - A Temporal Window for Signal Activation Dictates the Dimensions of a Nodal
      Signaling Domain.
AB  - Morphogen signaling is critical for the growth and patterning of tissues in
      embryos and adults, but how morphogen signaling gradients are generated in
      tissues remains controversial. The morphogen Nodal was proposed to form a long
      range signaling gradient via a reaction-diffusion system, on the basis of
      differential diffusion rates of Nodal and its antagonist Lefty. Here we use a
      specific zebrafish Nodal biosensor combined with immunofluorescence for
      phosphorylated Smad2 to demonstrate that endogenous Nodal is unlikely to diffuse
      over a long range. Instead, short-range Nodal signaling activation in a temporal
      window is sufficient to determine the dimensions of the Nodal signaling domain.
      The size of this temporal window is set by the differentially timed production of
      Nodal and Lefty, which arises mainly from repression of Lefty translation by the
      microRNA miR-430. Thus, temporal information is transformed into spatial
      information to define the dimensions of the Nodal signaling domain and,
      consequently, to specify mesendoderm. 

PMID- 26506308
TI  - Amphiphysin 2 Orchestrates Nucleus Positioning and Shape by Linking the Nuclear
      Envelope to the Actin and Microtubule Cytoskeleton.
AB  - Nucleus positioning is key for intracellular organization, cell differentiation,
      and organ development and is affected in many diseases, including myopathies due
      to alteration in amphiphysin-2 (BIN1). The actin and microtubule cytoskeletons
      are essential for nucleus positioning, but their crosstalk in this process is
      sparsely characterized. Here, we report that impairment of amphiphysin/BIN1 in
      Caenorhabditis elegans, mammalian cells, or muscles from patients with
      centronuclear myopathy alters nuclear position and shape. We show that AMPH
      1/BIN1 binds to nesprin and actin, as well as to the microtubule-binding protein
      CLIP170 in both species. Expression of the microtubule-anchoring CAP-GLY domain
      of CLIP170 fused to the nuclear-envelope-anchoring KASH domain of nesprin rescues
      nuclear positioning defects of amph-1 mutants. Amphiphysins thus play a central
      role in linking the nuclear envelope with the actin and microtubule
      cytoskeletons. We propose that BIN1 has a direct and evolutionarily conserved
      role in nuclear positioning, altered in myopathies. 

PMID- 26506309
TI  - REI-1 Is a Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor Regulating RAB-11 Localization and
      Function in C. elegans Embryos.
AB  - The small GTPase Rab11 dynamically changes its location to regulate various
      cellular processes such as endocytic recycling, secretion, and cytokinesis.
      However, our knowledge of its upstream regulators is still limited. Here, we
      identify the RAB-11-interacting protein-1 (REI-1) as a unique family of guanine
      nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) for RAB-11 in Caenorhabditis elegans. Although
      REI-1 and its human homolog SH3-binding protein 5 do not contain any known Rab
      GEF domains, they exhibited strong GEF activity toward Rab11 in vitro. In C.
      elegans, REI-1 is expressed in the germline and co-localizes with RAB-11 on the
      late-Golgi membranes. The loss of REI-1 specifically impaired the targeting of
      RAB-11 to the late-Golgi compartment and the recycling endosomes in embryos and
      further reduced the RAB-11 distribution to the cleavage furrow, which resulted in
      cytokinesis delay. These results suggest that REI-1 is a GEF specifically
      regulating the RAB-11 localization and functions in early embryos.

PMID- 26506310
TI  - Absence of Radial Spokes in Mouse Node Cilia Is Required for Rotational Movement
      but Confers Ultrastructural Instability as a Trade-Off.
AB  - Determination of left-right asymmetry in mouse embryos is established by a
      leftward fluid flow that is generated by clockwise rotation of node cilia. How
      node cilia achieve stable unidirectional rotation has remained unknown, however.
      Here we show that brief exposure to the microtubule-stabilizing drug paclitaxel
      (Taxol) induces randomly directed rotation and changes the ultrastructure of node
      cilia. In vivo observations and a computer simulation revealed that a regular 9+0
      arrangement of doublet microtubules is essential for stable unidirectional
      rotation of node cilia. The 9+2 motile cilia of the airway, which manifest planar
      beating, are resistant to Taxol treatment. However, the airway cilia of mice
      lacking the radial spoke head protein Rsph4a undergo rotational movement instead
      of planar beating, are prone to microtubule rearrangement, and are sensitive to
      Taxol. Our results suggest that the absence of radial spokes allows node cilia to
      rotate unidirectionally but, as a trade-off, renders them ultrastructurally
      fragile.

PMID- 26506312
TI  - Advances in antitumor polysaccharides from phellinus sensu lato: Production,
      isolation, structure, antitumor activity, and mechanisms.
AB  - Edible and medicinal fungi (mushrooms) are widely applied to functional foods and
      nutraceutical products because of their proven nutritive and medicinal
      properties. Phellinus sensu lato is a well-known medicinal mushroom that has long
      been used in preventing ailments, including gastroenteric dysfunction, diarrhea,
      hemorrhage, and cancers, in oriental countries, particularly in China, Japan, and
      Korea. Polysaccharides represent a major class of bioactive molecules in
      Phellinus s. l., which have notable antitumor, immunomodulatory, and medicinal
      properties. Polysaccharides that were isolated from fruiting bodies, cultured
      mycelia, and filtrates of Phellinus s. l. have not only activated different
      immune responses of the host organism but have also directly suppressed tumor
      growth and metastasis. Studies suggest that polysaccharides from Phellinus s. l.
      are promising alternative anticancer agents or synergizers for existing antitumor
      drugs. This review summarizes the recent development of polysaccharides from
      Phellinus s. l., including polysaccharide production, extraction and isolation
      methods, chemical structure, antitumor activities, and mechanisms of action.

PMID- 26506311
TI  - The Chromosome Axis Mediates Feedback Control of CHK-2 to Ensure Crossover
      Formation in C. elegans.
AB  - CHK-2 kinase is a master regulator of meiosis in C. elegans. Its activity is
      required for homolog pairing and synapsis and for double-strand break formation,
      but how it drives and coordinates these pathways to ensure crossover formation
      remains unknown. Here we show that CHK-2 promotes pairing and synapsis by
      phosphorylating a family of zinc finger proteins that bind to specialized regions
      on each chromosome known as pairing centers, priming their recruitment of the
      Polo-like kinase PLK-2. This knowledge enabled the development of a phospho
      specific antibody as a tool to monitor CHK-2 activity. When either synapsis or
      crossover formation is impaired, CHK-2 activity is prolonged, and meiotic
      progression is delayed. We show that this common feedback circuit is mediated by
      interactions among a network of HORMA domain proteins within the chromosome axis
      and generates a graded signal. These findings reveal conserved regulatory
      mechanisms that ensure faithful meiotic chromosome segregation in diverse
      species.

PMID- 26506313
TI  - Menopause, symptom clusters, and the complexity of women's lives.

PMID- 26506316
TI  - Progress in reducing inequalities in reproductive, maternal, newborn,' and child
      health in Latin America and the Caribbean: an unfinished agenda.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To expand the "Countdown to 2015" analyses of health inequalities
      beyond the 75 countries being monitored worldwide to include all countries in
      Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) that have adequate data available. METHODS:
      Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys were used
      to monitor progress in health intervention coverage and inequalities in 13 LAC
      countries, five of which are included in the Countdown (Bolivia, Brazil,
      Guatemala, Haiti, and Peru) and eight that are not (Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica,
      Dominican Republic, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Suriname). The outcomes
      included neonatal and under-5 year mortality rates, child stunting prevalence,
      and the composite coverage index-a weighted average of eight indicators of
      coverage in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health. The slope index of
      inequality and concentration index were used to assess absolute and relative
      inequalities. RESULTS: The composite coverage index showed monotonic patterns
      over wealth quintiles, with lowest levels in the poorest quintile. Under-5 and
      neonatal mortality as well as stunting prevalence were highest among the poor. In
      most countries, intervention coverage increased, while under-5 mortality and
      stunting prevalence fell most rapidly among the poor, so that inequalities were
      reduced over time. However, Bolivia, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Peru still
      show marked inequalities. Brazil has practically eliminated inequalities in
      stunting. CONCLUSIONS: LAC countries presented substantial progress in terms of
      reducing inequalities in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health
      interventions, child mortality, and nutrition. However, the poorest 20% of the
      population in most countries is still lagging behind, and renewed actions are
      needed to improve equity.

PMID- 26506314
TI  - Tiotropium Respimat((r)) vs. HandiHaler((r)): real-life usage and TIOSPIR trial
      generalizability.
AB  - AIM: Two inhaler devices (Respimat(r) and HandiHaler(r)) are available for
      tiotropium, a long acting anticholinergic agent. We aimed to analyze drug
      utilization, off-label usage and generalizability of the TIOSPIR trial results
      for both devices. METHODS: Patients aged >=18 years exhibiting at least one
      documented prescription of tiotropium in the database of the Association of
      Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, Bavaria, Germany, were included (years
      2004-2008). Annual period prevalence rates (PPRs) were calculated stratified by
      age, gender and inhaler devices. Off-label usage (patients lacking a chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) diagnosis) and the proportion of patients
      meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the TIOSPIR trial were analyzed.
      RESULTS: Between 2004 and 2008, PPRs increased and varied between 49.2 and 74.5
      per 10 000 persons for HandiHaler(r) and between 1.5 and 9.3 per 10 000 persons
      for Respimat(r). Small differences regarding patient characteristics existed
      between the two inhaler devices. Only about 30% (HandiHaler(r) 32.1%, Respimat(r)
      30.0%) of the database patients receiving tiotropium could be theoretically
      included in the TIOSPIR trial. CONCLUSIONS: Comparing the two tiotropium devices,
      no clinically relevant differences regarding patient and prescribing
      characteristics were revealed. Results of the TIOSPIR trial were generalizable
      only to a minority of our study patients, underlining the need for real-life
      data.

PMID- 26506317
TI  - [Equity-oriented monitoring in the context of universal health coverage].
AB  - Monitoring inequalities in health is fundamental to the equitable and progressive
      realization of universal health coverage (UHC). A successful approach to global
      inequality monitoring must be intuitive enough for widespread adoption, yet
      maintain technical credibility. This article discusses methodological
      considerations for equity-oriented monitoring of UHC, and proposes
      recommendations for monitoring and target setting. Inequality is
      multidimensional, such that the extent of inequality may vary considerably across
      different dimensions such as economic status, education, sex, and urban/rural
      residence. Hence, global monitoring should include complementary dimensions of
      inequality (such as economic status and urban/rural residence) as well as sex.
      For a given dimension of inequality, subgroups for monitoring must be formulated
      taking into consideration applicability of the criteria across countries and
      subgroup heterogeneity. For economic-related inequality, we recommend forming
      subgroups as quintiles, and for urban/rural inequality we recommend a binary
      categorization. Inequality spans populations, thus appropriate approaches to
      monitoring should be based on comparisons between two subgroups (gap approach) or
      across multiple subgroups (whole spectrum approach). When measuring inequality
      absolute and relative measures should be reported together, along with
      disaggregated data; inequality should be reported alongside the national average.
      We recommend targets based on proportional reductions in absolute inequality
      across populations. Building capacity for health inequality monitoring is timely,
      relevant, and important. The development of high-quality health information
      systems, including data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting
      practices that are linked to review and evaluation cycles across health systems,
      will enable effective global and national health inequality monitoring. These
      actions will support equity-oriented progressive realization of UHC. 

PMID- 26506318
TI  - Determinants of tuberculosis in Brazil: from conceptual framework to practical
      application.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To leverage a conceptual analytical model for TB determination to
      identify factors that influence emergence of new cases of tuberculosis (TB) and
      poor TB treatment outcomes in Brazil. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study
      based on data from Brazil's Notifiable Disease Surveillance System database
      (SINAN). It included all confirmed, incident TB cases reported in Brazil in 2007 
      2011: a total of 432 958 TB cases, of which 318 465 cases with complete data on
      treatment outcomes were included. Analysis to explain the causal network that
      influences TB treatment outcomes was based on a theoretical model for determining
      TB. Adjusted analyses were used to assess the model fit. Hierarchical logistic
      regression was used to model the dichotomous TB outcome; hierarchical polytomous
      regression was used for multinomial TB outcome. RESULTS: Of the 318 465 TB cases
      included, 222 186 (69.8%) were classified as "cured" and 96 279 (30.2%) as
      "treatment failure." Among the latter, 37 604 (11.8%) abandoned treatment; 13 193
      (4.1%) died due to TB; 15 440 (4.8%) died due to causes other than TB; 28 848
      (9.1%) were transferred to another municipality; and 1 194 (0.4%) developed
      multidrug-resistant TB. The dichotomous models were more likely to show spurious
      associations when compared with the polytomous model. In the polytomous model,
      individuals assigned to Directly Observed Treatment Short-course were more likely
      to be cured than others. CONCLUSIONS: Theoretical models are dynamic structures
      that need ongoing re-evaluation according to new findings; therefore, this is not
      a definitive proposal for a TB determination model or analysis plan, but rather a
      proposal that, at present, is adequate in Brazil and has the potential to be
      extrapolated or adapted to other areas.

PMID- 26506319
TI  - Validity of the Mexican version of the combined Foot Care Confidence / Foot-Care
      Behavior scale for diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To 1) translate / transculturally adapt the original (English
      language) combined Foot Care Confidence Scale / Foot-Care Behavior instrument
      (FCCS-FCB) to produce a Mexican-Spanish version and 2) determine its validity and
      reliability in a population with diabetes in Tijuana, Mexico. METHODS: The
      original FCCS-FCB was translated (and back-translated), the content validated (by
      a group of health professional experts), and the instrument applied to 304
      patients 23-78 years old in diabetes support groups in Tijuana, Mexico. Internal
      consistency for the study constructs ("self-efficacy," and risk / preventive foot
      self-care behaviors) was measured using Cronbach's alpha. The constructs were
      validated using principal component factor analysis. RESULTS: The Cronbach's
      alpha values for internal consistency were 0.782 for self-efficacy and 0.505 for
      behaviors. Based on the analysis, two factors explained 49.1% of the total
      variance for self-efficacy, and six factors explained 57.7% of the total variance
      for behaviors. The results were consistent with those for the original (English)
      version of the FCCS-FCB. CONCLUSIONS: The Mexican version of the FCCS-FCB is a
      reliable and valid instrument recommended for use with Mexican-Spanish-speaking
      patients with diabetes.

PMID- 26506320
TI  - [Environmental conditions and prevalence of parasitic infection in Xukuru-Kariri
      indigenous people, Caldas, Brazil].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the environmental conditions and the parasitic infection
      status of Xukuru-Kariri individuals living in the municipality of Caldas, state
      of Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in
      March 2009. Sociodemographic and environmental data were collected through
      interviews. Water and fecal samples were collected for determination of
      environmental contamination and parasitic infection status. RESULTS: The Xukuru
      Kariri population living in Caldas included 86 people divided into 22 families.
      Of 22 heads of household, 81.8% had low schooling (not higher than elementary
      education). Of 26 water samples collected for microbiological analysis, 77.0%
      were positive for total coliforms and 4.0% for Escherichia coli. Residents of
      27.3% of households defecated in the open. Trash was scattered in the yard of
      54.5% of households. Fecal samples were collected from 60 individuals, with
      parasitic infection in 66.6%. The following prevalence rates were recorded:
      Entamoeba histolytica/dispar, 6.7%; Entamoeba coli, 60.0%; Endolimax nana, 1.8%;
      and Giardia duodenalis, 6.6%. CONCLUSIONS: The people included in this study
      faced environmental characteristics that contributed to their health
      vulnerability. Health actions as well as the implementation of public policies to
      provide sanitation, with quality water and adequate collection and treatment of
      human and household waste, are essential to prevent environmental degradation and
      improve the quality of life of these individuals.

PMID- 26506321
TI  - [Health and nutrition of indigenous and nonindigenous children in the Peruvian
      Amazon].
AB  - PURPOSE: Evaluate the nutritional status of indigenous and nonindigenous children
      under 5 in two provinces in the Peruvian Amazon. METHODS: . Descriptive cross
      sectional representative study of families with children under 5 in the provinces
      of Bagua and Condorcanqui in Peru. The study consisted of an interview with the
      child's or children's mother or caregiver, anthropometric assessment, capillary
      hemoglobin measurement, screening for intestinal parasites in children under 5,
      access to health services, history of acute respiratory infections and acute
      diarrheal diseases, socioeconomic status, and intake of inadequately iodized
      salt. Using generalized linear methods, the determinants of chronic malnutrition
      and anemia in children were identified in each study population. RESULTS: . A
      total of 986 families and 1 372 children were assessed. The prevalence of chronic
      malnutrition was higher in the indigenous population than in the nonindigenous
      population (56.2% versus 21.9%); likewise for anemia (51.3% versus 40.9%). The
      determinants of chronic malnutrition in the two populations differed. In the
      indigenous population, the main determinants were an age of more than 36 months
      (OR 2.21; CI95% 1.61-3.04) and substandard housing (OR 2.9; CI95% 1.19-7.11),
      while in the non-indigenous population, they were extreme poverty (OR 2.31; IC95%
      1.50-3.55) and institutional birth (OR 3.1; IC95% 2.00-4.83). CONCLUSIONS: There
      are marked gaps between the indigenous population and the nonindigenous
      population in terms of living conditions, access to health services, and the
      nutritional status of children under 5. Particular attention should be paid to
      the indigenous population to improve the way state programs and services are
      delivered in these contexts.

PMID- 26506322
TI  - [The impact of non-thrombolytic management of acute ischemic stroke in older
      individuals: the experience of the Federal District, Brazil].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact of a non-specific, decentralized treatment
      protocol for ischemic stroke in older individuals on the quality of the care
      provided in the public health care system (SUS, Sistema Unico de Saude) in the
      Federal District. METHOD: This retrospective historical control study employed
      data from the SUS Hospital Information System (SIH/SUS). Two time periods were
      compared: before and after the adoption of a protocol based on non-specific
      measures (medical therapy without alteplase) and decentralized care. A set of 2
      369 admissions of patients older than 60 years with ischemic stroke was analyzed
      for the period of 2006/2007, and 5 207 admissions for 2010/2011. The variables
      were frequency, length of stay, mortality, lethality of ischemic stroke,
      intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and hospital reimbursement for ischemic
      stroke admissions. Effectiveness was evaluated based on mortality and lethality
      rates and efficiency was evaluated based on length of stay, use of ICU, and
      reimbursed amounts. RESULTS: In the second time period, there was an increase of
      119.8% in the number of ischemic stroke admissions (P = 0.0001), increase of
      27.3% in absolute mortality, decrease of 5.0% in lethality rate (P = 0.02), and
      increase of 130.6% in ICU utilization rate (P = 0.0001). There was no difference
      between the periods regarding mean number of inpatient days and reimbursed
      amounts. CONCLUSIONS: The indicators used in the present study showed improved
      effectiveness of acute ischemic stroke treatment with the use of a non-specific,
      decentralized protocol. However, no impact was observed on efficiency.

PMID- 26506323
TI  - National nursing strategies in seven countries of the Region of the Americas:
      issues and impact.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify and examine the current national nursing strategies and
      policy impact of workforce development regarding human resources for health in
      seven selected countries in the Region of the Americas: Argentina, Canada, Costa
      Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. METHODS: A review of
      available literature was conducted to identify publicly-available documents that
      describe the general backdrop of nursing human resources in these seven
      countries. A keyword search of PubMed was supplemented by searches of websites
      maintained by Ministries of Health and nursing organizations. Inclusion criteria
      limited documents to those published in 2008-2013 that discussed or assessed
      situational issues and/or progress surrounding the nursing workforce. RESULTS:
      Nursing human resources for health is progressing. Canada, Mexico, and the United
      States have stronger nursing leadership in place and multisectoral policies in
      workforce development. Jamaica shows efforts among the Caribbean countries to
      promote collaborative practices in research. The three selected countries in
      Central and South America championed networks to revive nursing education. Yet,
      overall challenges limit the opportunities to impact public health. CONCLUSIONS:
      The national nursing strategies prioritized multisectoral collaboration,
      professional competencies, and standardized educational systems, with some
      countries underscoring the need to align policies with efforts to promote nursing
      leadership, and others, focusing on expanding the scope of practice to improve
      health care delivery. While each country wrestles with its specific context, all
      require proper leadership, multisectoral collaboration, and appropriate resources
      to educate, train, and empower nurses to be at the forefront.

PMID- 26506324
TI  - Systematic review of studies evaluating urinary iodine concentration as a
      predictor of 24-hour urinary iodine excretion for estimating population iodine
      intake.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the usefulness of "spot" urine iodine concentrations (UICs)
      in predicting 24-hour urine iodine excretion (UIE) for estimating average
      population iodine intake. METHODS: An electronic literature search was conducted
      for articles published through 19 May 2013 in MEDLINE (from 1950), EMBASE (from
      1980), and the Cochrane Library (from 1993) using the terms "urinary excretion
      (timed or spot or random) and (24 h or 24 hour), iodine (iodine deficiency),
      iodine (intake)," and "urine (timed, spot, random, 24-hour)." Full-text articles
      about studies that examined > 40 healthy human subjects and measured UIE using
      the 24-hour urine collection method and UIC and/or UIE using one alternative
      method (spot (random), timed, and "overnight" (first morning urine), fasting or
      not fasting) were selected and reviewed. RESULTS: The review included data from 1
      434 participants across the six studies that met the inclusion criteria. The main
      statistical methods for comparing data from the 24-hour urine collections with
      the values obtained from the alternative method(s) were either regression (beta)
      or correlation (r) coefficients and concordance analysis through Bland-Altman
      plots. The urine samples collected using the alternative methods were subject to
      greater intra-individual and inter-individual variability than the 24-hour urine
      collections. There was a wide range in coefficient values for the comparisons
      between 24-hour URE measured in 24-hour urine collection and 24-hour UIE
      estimated using the alternative sampling methods. No alternative sampling method
      (spot, timed, or "overnight") was appropriate for estimating 24-hour UIE.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of this systematic review suggest current data on UICs
      as a means of predicting 24-hour UIE for estimating population sodium intake are
      inadequate and highlight the need for further methodological investigations.

PMID- 26506325
TI  - Disseminating cardiovascular disease risk assessment with a PAHO mobile app: a
      public eHealth intervention.
AB  - Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the Region of the
      Americas, making cardiovascular risk assessment a critical component of the
      clinical decision-making process. This process is facilitated by the use of
      appropriate tools. This article presents the technical characteristics of an
      application (app) developed by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health
      Organization (PAHO/WHO) for mobile devices and computers. Called the
      Cardiovascular Risk Calculator, it is based on WHO risk tables and applied to the
      countries of the Region. The article details the epidemiological basis of the
      diagram for predicting cardiovascular risk and describes the app and its four
      modules, its main audiences, its production process, and finally, the initial
      results and some of the challenges. Four months after its launch, the application
      was being used daily by more than 12 000 users and had been downloaded in
      virtually all the countries of the Region. The app can be used in by physicians,
      nurses, and other technical personnel in their daily practice, especially at the
      primary care level. Since it can also be used by the general public, special
      attention was paid to its design and tutorial and to ensuring that the clinical
      estimates and recommendations were easy to understand. This type of app
      facilitates communication between health care providers and users, and its
      systematic use in the health services, especially in primary care services,
      should be promoted.

PMID- 26506326
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26506327
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26506328
TI  - Synthesis, Molecular Structure, Metabolic Stability and QSAR Studies of a Novel
      Series of Anticancer N-Acylbenzenesulfonamides.
AB  - A series of novel N-acyl-4-chloro-5-methyl-2-(R1-methylthio)benzenesulfonamides
      18-47 have been synthesized by the reaction of N-[4-chloro-5-methyl-2-(R1
      methylthio) benzenesulfonyl]cyanamide potassium salts with appropriate carboxylic
      acids. Some of them showed anticancer activity toward the human cancer cell lines
      MCF-7, HCT-116 and HeLa, with the growth percentages (GPs) in the range from 7%
      to 46%. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) studies on the
      cytotoxic activity of N-acylsulfonamides toward MCF-7, HCT-116 and HeLa were
      performed by using topological, ring and charge descriptors based on the stepwise
      multiple linear regression technique (MLR). The QSAR studies revealed three
      predictive and statistically significant models for the investigated compounds.
      The results obtained with these models indicated that the anticancer activity of
      N-acylsulfonamides depends on topological distances, number of ring system,
      maximum positive charge and number of atom-centered fragments. The metabolic
      stability of the selected compounds had been evaluated on pooled human liver
      microsomes and NADPH, both R1 and R2 substituents of the N-acylsulfonamides
      simultaneously affected them. 

PMID- 26506329
TI  - Olefin Metathesis Reaction in Water and in Air Improved by Supramolecular
      Additives.
AB  - A range of water-immiscible commercially available Grubbs-type precatalysts can
      be used in ring-closing olefin metathesis reaction in high yields. The synthetic
      transformation is possible in pure water under ambient conditions.
      Sulfocalixarenes can help to boost the reactivity of the metathesis reaction by
      catalyst activation, improved mass transfer, and solubility of reactants in the
      aqueous reaction media. Additionally, the use of supramolecular additives allows
      lower catalyst loadings, but still high activity in pure water under aerobic
      conditions. 

PMID- 26506330
TI  - Six-Membered Aromatic Polyazides: Synthesis and Application.
AB  - Aromatic polyazides are widely used as starting materials in organic synthesis
      and photochemical studies, as well as photoresists in microelectronics and as
      cross-linking agents in polymer chemistry. Some aromatic polyazides possess high
      antitumor activity, while many others are of considerable interest as high-energy
      materials and precursors of high-spin nitrenes and C3N4 carbon nitride
      nanomaterials. The use of aromatic polyazides in click-reactions may be a new
      promising direction in the design of various supramolecular systems possessing
      interesting chemical, physical and biological properties. This review is devoted
      to the synthesis, properties and applications of six-membered aromatic compounds
      containing three and more azido groups in the ring. 

PMID- 26506331
TI  - Iridoids and Flavonoids of Four Siberian Gentians: Chemical Profile and Gastric
      Stimulatory Effect.
AB  - Some Gentiana species have been used by the nomadic people of Siberia as bitter
      teas or appetizers to eliminate digestive disorders (dyspepsia, heartburn,
      nausea, etc.). We studied the most frequently used gentians: Gentiana algida, G.
      decumbens, G. macrophylla and G. triflora. The aim of the present study was to
      evaluate the phytochemical features and gastrostimulatnt activity of these four
      gentian herbs. Five iridoids, seven flavones and mangiferin were detected in
      gentian herbs after analysis by microcolumn-RP-HPLC-UV-ESI-MS. A componential
      phytochemical profile of the G. decumbens herb is presented for the first time,
      as well as information about distinct phytochemicals found in gentian herbs. HPLC
      quantification of the specific compounds of gentian herbs demonstrated the high
      content of iridoids (24.73-73.53 mg/g) and flavonoids (12.92-78.14 mg/g). The
      results of biological activity evaluation of four gentian decoctions demonstrated
      their good ability to stimulate acid-, enzyme- and mucin-forming functions of the
      stomach attributed to mostly by iridoids and flavonoids. In general, it can be
      claimed that the gentian decoctions can be used as effective and safe appetizers
      and are also a good source of biologically active agents. 

PMID- 26506332
TI  - Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity of Br-Doped Bismuth Oxide Formate
      Nanosheets.
AB  - A facile method was developed to enhance the visible light photocatalytic
      activity of bismuth oxide formate (BiOCOOH) nanosheets via Br-doping. The as
      prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron
      microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,
      the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy,
      photoluminescence spectra, and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms measurement.
      The Br- ions replaced the COOH- ions in the layers of BiOCOOH, result in a
      decreased layer distance. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared
      materials was evaluated by removal of NO in qir at ppb level. The results showed
      that the Br-doped BiOCOOH nanosheets showed enhanced visible light photocatalytic
      activtiy with a NO removal of 37.8%. The enhanced activity can be ascribed to the
      increased visible light absorption and the promoted charge separation.

PMID- 26506333
TI  - Greener Selective Cycloalkane Oxidations with Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by
      Copper-5-(4-pyridyl)tetrazolate Metal-Organic Frameworks.
AB  - Microwave assisted synthesis of the Cu(I) compound [Cu(u4-4-ptz)]n [1, 4-ptz=5-(4
      pyridyl)tetrazolate] has been performed by employing a relatively easy method and
      within a shorter period of time compared to its sister compounds. The syntheses
      of the Cu(II) compounds [Cu3(u3-4-ptz)4(u2-N3)2(DMF)2]n?(DMF)2n (2) and [Cu(u2-4
      ptz)2(H2O)2]n (3) using a similar method were reported previously by us. MOFs 1-3
      revealed high catalytic activity toward oxidation of cyclic alkanes
      (cyclopentane, -hexane and -octane) with aqueous hydrogen peroxide, under very
      mild conditions (at room temperature), without any added solvent or additive. The
      most efficient system (2/H2O2) showed, for the oxidation of cyclohexane, a
      turnover number (TON) of 396 (TOF of 40 h(-1)), with an overall product yield
      (cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone) of 40% relative to the substrate. Moreover, the
      heterogeneous catalytic systems 1-3 allowed an easy catalyst recovery and reuse,
      at least for four consecutive cycles, maintaining ca. 90% of the initial high
      activity and concomitant high selectivity.

PMID- 26506334
TI  - gamma-Alumina Nanoparticle Catalyzed Efficient Synthesis of Highly Substituted
      Imidazoles.
AB  - gamma-Alumina nano particle catalyzed multi component reaction of benzil,
      arylaldehyde and aryl amines afforded the highly substituted 1,2,4,5-tetraaryl
      imidazoles with good to excellent yield in less reaction time under the
      sonication as well as the conventional methods. Convenient operational
      simplicity, mild conditions and the reusability of catalyst were the other
      advantages of this developed protocol. 

PMID- 26506335
TI  - A Self-Adaptive Steered Molecular Dynamics Method Based on Minimization of
      Stretching Force Reveals the Binding Affinity of Protein-Ligand Complexes.
AB  - Binding affinity prediction of protein-ligand complexes has attracted widespread
      interest. In this study, a self-adaptive steered molecular dynamics (SMD) method
      is proposed to reveal the binding affinity of protein-ligand complexes. The SMD
      method is executed through adjusting pulling direction to find an optimum
      trajectory of ligand dissociation, which is realized by minimizing the stretching
      force automatically. The SMD method is then used to simulate the dissociations of
      19 common protein-ligand complexes which are derived from two homology families,
      and the binding free energy values are gained through experimental techniques.
      Results show that the proposed SMD method follows a different dissociation
      pathway with lower a rupture force and energy barrier when compared with the
      conventional SMD method, and further analysis indicates the rupture forces of the
      complexes in the same protein family correlate well with their binding free
      energy, which reveals the possibility of using the proposed SMD method to
      identify the active ligand. 

PMID- 26506336
TI  - Cytotoxicity of Triterpenes from Green Walnut Husks of Juglans mandshurica Maxim
      in HepG-2 Cancer Cells.
AB  - Among the classes of identified natural products, triterpenoids, one of the
      largest families, have been studied extensively for their diverse structures and
      variety of biological activities, including antitumor effects. In the present
      study, a phytochemical study of the green walnut husks of Juglans mandshurica
      Maxim led to the isolation of a new dammarane triterpene, 12beta, 20(R), 24(R)
      trihydroxydammar-25-en-3-one (6), together with sixteen known compounds, chiefly
      from chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts. According to their structural
      characteristics, these compounds were divided into dammarane-type, oleanane- and
      ursane-type. Dammarane-type triterpenoids were isolated for the first time from
      the Juglans genus. As part of our continuing search for biologically active
      compounds from this plant, all of these compounds were also evaluated for their
      cytotoxic activities against the growth of human cancer cells lines HepG-2 by the
      MTT assay. The results were shown that 20(S)-protopanaxadiol, 2alpha,3beta,23
      trihydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid and 2alpha,3beta,23-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic
      acid exhibited better cytotoxicity in vitro with IC50 values of 10.32+/-1.13,
      16.13+/-3.83, 15.97+/-2.47 MUM, respectively. Preliminary structure-activity
      relationships for these compounds were discussed.

PMID- 26506337
TI  - Novel 2-Thioxanthine and Dipyrimidopyridine Derivatives: Synthesis and
      Antimicrobial Activity.
AB  - Several fused imidazolopyrimidines were synthesized starting from 6-amino-1
      methyl-2-thiouracil (1) followed by nitrosation, reduction and condensation with
      different aromatic aldehydes to give Schiff's base. The dehydrocyclization of
      Schiff's bases using iodine/DMF gave Compounds 5a-g. The methylation of 5a-g
      using a simple alkylating agent as dimethyl sulfate ((CH3)2SO4) gave either
      monoalkylated imidazolopyrimidine 6a-g at room temperature or dialkylated
      derivatives 7a-g on heating 6a-g with ((CH3)2SO4). On the other hand, treatment
      of 1 with different aromatic aldehydes in absolute ethanol in the presence of
      conc. hydrochloric acid at room temperature and/or reflux with acetic acid
      afforded bis-5,5-diuracylmethylene 8a-e, which cyclized on heating with a mixture
      of acetic acid/HCl (1:1) to give 9a-e. Compounds 9a-e can be obtained directly by
      refluxing of Compound 1 with a mixture of acetic acid/HCl. The synthesized new
      compounds were screened for antimicrobial activity, and the MIC was measured. 

PMID- 26506338
TI  - Antimycobacterial Activities of Endolysins Derived From a Mycobacteriophage, BTCU
      1.
AB  - The high incidence of Mycobacterium infection, notably multidrug-resistant M.
      tuberculosis infection, has become a significant public health concern worldwide.
      In this study, we isolate and analyze a mycobacteriophage, BTCU-1, and a
      foundational study was performed to evaluate the antimycobacterial activity of
      BTCU-1 and its cloned lytic endolysins. Using Mycobacterium smegmatis as host, a
      mycobacteriophage, BTCU-1, was isolated from soil in eastern Taiwan. The electron
      microscopy images revealed that BTCU-1 displayed morphology resembling the
      Siphoviridae family. In the genome of BTCU-1, two putative lytic genes, BTCU
      1_ORF7 and BTCU-1_ORF8 (termed lysA and lysB, respectively), were identified, and
      further subcloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. When applied exogenously,
      both LysA and LysB were active against M. smegmatis tested. Scanning electron
      microscopy revealed that LysA and LysB caused a remarkable modification of the
      cell shape of M. smegmatis. Intracellular bactericidal activity assay showed that
      treatment of M. smegmatis-infected RAW 264.7 macrophages with LysA or LysB
      resulted in a significant reduction in the number of viable intracellular
      bacilli. These results indicate that the endolysins derived from BTCU-1 have
      antimycobacterial activity, and suggest that they are good candidates for
      therapeutic/disinfectant agents to control mycobacterial infections. 

PMID- 26506339
TI  - Abnormal Paraplegin Expression in Swollen Neurites, tau- and alpha-Synuclein
      Pathology in a Case of Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia SPG7 with an Ala510Val
      Mutation.
AB  - Mutations in the SPG7 gene are the most frequent cause of autosomal recessive
      hereditary spastic paraplegias and spastic ataxias. Ala510Val is the most common
      SPG7 mutation, with a frequency of up to 1% in the general population. Here we
      report the clinical, genetic, and neuropathological findings in a homozygous
      Ala510Val SPG7 case with spastic ataxia. Neuron loss with associated gliosis was
      found in the inferior olivary nucleus, the dentate nucleus of the cerebellum, the
      substantia nigra and the basal nucleus of Meynert. Neurofilament and/or
      paraplegin accumulation was observed in swollen neurites in the cerebellar and
      cerebral cortex. This case also showed subcortical tau-pathology in an unique
      distribution pattern largely restricted to the brainstem. alpha-synuclein
      containing Lewy bodies (LBs) were observed in the brainstem and the cortex,
      compatible with a limbic pattern of Braak LB-Disease stage 4. Taken together,
      this case shows that the spectrum of pathologies in SPG7 can include neuron loss
      of the dentate nucleus and the inferior olivary nucleus as well as neuritic
      pathology. The progressive supranuclear palsy-like brainstem predominant pattern
      of tau pathology and alpha-synuclein containing Lewy bodies in our SPG7 cases may
      be either coincidental or related to SPG7 in addition to neuron loss and neuritic
      pathology. 

PMID- 26506340
TI  - Intra-Genomic Internal Transcribed Spacer Region Sequence Heterogeneity and
      Molecular Diagnosis in Clinical Microbiology.
AB  - Internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) sequencing is the most extensively used
      technology for accurate molecular identification of fungal pathogens in clinical
      microbiology laboratories. Intra-genomic ITS sequence heterogeneity, which makes
      fungal identification based on direct sequencing of PCR products difficult, has
      rarely been reported in pathogenic fungi. During the process of performing ITS
      sequencing on 71 yeast strains isolated from various clinical specimens, direct
      sequencing of the PCR products showed ambiguous sequences in six of them. After
      cloning the PCR products into plasmids for sequencing, interpretable sequencing
      electropherograms could be obtained. For each of the six isolates, 10-49 clones
      were selected for sequencing and two to seven intra-genomic ITS copies were
      detected. The identities of these six isolates were confirmed to be Candida
      glabrata (n=2), Pichia (Candida) norvegensis (n=2), Candida tropicalis (n=1) and
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae (n=1). Multiple sequence alignment revealed that one to
      four intra-genomic ITS polymorphic sites were present in the six isolates, and
      all these polymorphic sites were located in the ITS1 and/or ITS2 regions. We
      report and describe the first evidence of intra-genomic ITS sequence
      heterogeneity in four different pathogenic yeasts, which occurred exclusively in
      the ITS1 and ITS2 spacer regions for the six isolates in this study.

PMID- 26506341
TI  - Cloning, Expression, and Characterization of a Thermophilic Endoglucanase,
      AcCel12B from Acidothermus cellulolyticus 11B.
AB  - The gene ABK52392 from the thermophilic bacterium Acidothermus cellulolyticus 11B
      was predicted to be endoglucanase and classified into glycoside hydrolase family
      12. ABK52392 encodes a protein containing a catalytic domain and a carbohydrate
      binding module. ABK52392 was cloned and functionally expressed in Escherichia
      coli. After purification by Ni-NTA agarose affinity chromatography and Q
      Sepharose(r) Fast Flow chromatography, the properties of the recombinant protein
      (AcCel12B) were characterized. AcCel12B exhibited optimal activity at pH 4.5 and
      75  degrees C. The half-lives of AcCel12B at 60 and 70  degrees C were about 90
      and 2 h, respectively, under acidic conditions. The specific hydrolytic
      activities of AcCel12B at 70  degrees C and pH 4.5 for sodium
      carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and regenerated amorphous cellulose (RAC) were 118.3
      and 104.0 U.mg(-1), respectively. The Km and Vmax of AcCel12B for CMC were 25.47
      mg.mL(-1) and 131.75 U.mg(-1), respectively. The time course of hydrolysis for
      RAC was investigated by measuring reducing ends in the soluble and insoluble
      phases. The total hydrolysis rate rapidly decreased after the early stage of
      incubation and the generation of insoluble reducing ends decreased earlier than
      that of soluble reducing ends. High thermostability of the cellulase indicates
      its potential commercial significance and it could be exploited for industrial
      application in the future.

PMID- 26506342
TI  - Silkworm Thorn Stem Extract Targets RSK2 and Suppresses Solar UV-Induced
      Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression.
AB  - Excessive exposure to solar UV (sUV) is associated with numerous human skin
      disorders, such as carcinogenesis, skin photoaging and skin inflammation.
      Silkworm Thorn (Cudraniatricuspidata, SW) is a plant belonging to the Moraceae
      family and widely present throughout Korea, China, and Japan. Most parts of the
      tree (including the fruit, leaf, stem, root, and bark) is consumable as a
      functional food or tea. In this study, we found that SW extract (SWE) inhibited
      the elevated expression of sUV-induced cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 levels in both
      HaCaT and JB6 cells. Levels of nuclear factor-kappaB and activator protein-1, two
      crucial transcription factors involved in COX-2 expression, were elevated by sUV
      treatment. Treatment with SWE abolished this activation. SWE also inhibited sUV
      induced histone H3 phosphorylation. However, sUV-induced phosphorylation of Akt,
      c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 kinase remained unchanged in the presence of SWE.
      SWE inhibited RSK2 activity, and pull-down assays using SWE-Sepharose beads
      revealed that SWE binds directly with RSK2 in an ATP-competitive manner. These
      results suggest a potential for SWE to be developed as a cosmeceutical material
      and functional food constituent for the promotion of skin health. 

PMID- 26506343
TI  - The Safety and Anti-Tumor Effects of Ozonated Water in Vivo.
AB  - Ozonated water is easier to handle than ozone gas. However, there have been no
      previous reports on the biological effects of ozonated water. We conducted a
      study on the safety of ozonated water and its anti-tumor effects using a tumor
      bearing mouse model and normal controls. Local administration of ozonated water
      (208 mM) was not associated with any detrimental effects in normal tissues. On
      the other hand, local administration of ozonated water (20.8, 41.6, 104, or 208
      mM) directly into the tumor tissue induced necrosis and inhibited proliferation
      of tumor cells. There was no significant difference in the number of terminal
      deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick-end
      labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells following administration of ozonated water. The
      size of the necrotic areas was dependent on the concentration of ozonated water.
      These results indicate that ozonated water does not affect normal tissue and
      damages only the tumor tissue by selectively inducing necrosis. There is a
      possibility that it exerts through the production of reaction oxygen species
      (ROS). In addition, the induction of necrosis rather than apoptosis is very
      useful in tumor immunity. Based on these results, we believe that administration
      of ozonated water is a safe and potentially simple adjunct or alternative to
      existing antineoplastic treatments. 

PMID- 26506344
TI  - Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Gossypium thurberi in Response to Verticillium
      dahliae Inoculation.
AB  - Verticillium wilt is threatening cotton productivity globally. This disease is
      caused by soil-borne Verticillium dahliae which directly infects cotton roots,
      and exclusively colonizes and occludes xylem vessels, finally resulting in
      necrosis, defoliation, and most severely, plant death. For the first time, iTRAQ
      (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification) was applied to screen
      the differentially expressed proteins of Gossypium thurberi inoculated with V.
      dahliae. A total of 6533 proteins were identified from the roots of G. thurberi
      after inoculation with V. dahliae, and 396 showed up- and 279 down-regulated in
      comparison to a mock-inoculated roots. Of these identified proteins, the main
      functional groups were those involved in cell wall organization and
      reinforcement, disease-resistant chemicals of secondary metabolism, phytohormone
      signaling, pathogenesis-related proteins, and disease-resistant proteins.
      Physiological and biochemical analysis showed that peroxidase activity, which
      promotes the biosynthesis and accumulation of lignin, was induced early in the
      hypocotyl after inoculation with V. dahliae. Similarly, salicylic acid also
      accumulated significantly in hypocotyl of the seedlings after inoculation. These
      findings provide an important knowledge of the molecular events and regulatory
      networks occurring during G. thurberi-V. dahliae interaction, which may provide a
      foundation for breeding disease-resistance in cotton. 

PMID- 26506345
TI  - Detection and Identification of Probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum Strains by
      Multiplex PCR Using RAPD-Derived Primers.
AB  - Lactobacillus plantarum 2035 and Lactobacillus plantarum ACA-DC 2640 are two
      lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains that have been isolated from Feta cheese. Both
      display significant potential for the production of novel probiotic food
      products. The aim of the present study was the development of an accurate and
      efficient method for the molecular detection and identification of the above
      strains in a single reaction. A multiplex PCR assay was designed for each strain,
      based on specific primers derived from Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD)
      Sequenced Characterized Amplified Region (SCAR) analysis. The specificity of the
      assay was tested with a total of 23 different LAB strains, for L. plantarum 2035
      and L. plantarum ACA-DC 2640. The multiplex PCR assay was also successfully
      applied for the detection of the above cultures in yogurt samples prepared in our
      lab. The proposed methodology may be applied for monitoring the presence of these
      strains in food products, thus evaluating their probiotic character. Moreover,
      our strategy may be adapted for other novel LAB strains with probiotic potential,
      thus providing a powerful tool for molecular discrimination that could be
      invaluable to the food industry. 

PMID- 26506347
TI  - An enhanced data visualization method for diesel engine malfunction
      classification using multi-sensor signals.
AB  - The various multi-sensor signal features from a diesel engine constitute a
      complex high-dimensional dataset. The non-linear dimensionality reduction method,
      t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE), provides an effective way to
      implement data visualization for complex high-dimensional data. However,
      irrelevant features can deteriorate the performance of data visualization, and
      thus, should be eliminated a priori. This paper proposes a feature subset score
      based t-SNE (FSS-t-SNE) data visualization method to deal with the high
      dimensional data that are collected from multi-sensor signals. In this method,
      the optimal feature subset is constructed by a feature subset score criterion.
      Then the high-dimensional data are visualized in 2-dimension space. According to
      the UCI dataset test, FSS-t-SNE can effectively improve the classification
      accuracy. An experiment was performed with a large power marine diesel engine to
      validate the proposed method for diesel engine malfunction classification. Multi
      sensor signals were collected by a cylinder vibration sensor and a cylinder
      pressure sensor. Compared with other conventional data visualization methods, the
      proposed method shows good visualization performance and high classification
      accuracy in multi-malfunction classification of a diesel engine. 

PMID- 26506348
TI  - A new approach to detect mover position in linear motors using magnetic sensors.
AB  - A new method to detect the mover position of a linear motor is proposed in this
      paper. This method employs a simple cheap Hall Effect sensor-based magnetic
      sensor unit to detect the mover position of the linear motor. With the movement
      of the linear motor, Hall Effect sensor modules electrically separated 120
      degrees  along with the idea of three phase balanced condition ( va + vb + vc = 0
      ) are used to produce three phase signals. The amplitude of the sensor output
      voltage signals are adjusted to unit amplitude to minimize the amplitude errors.
      With the unit amplitude signals three to two phase transformation is done to
      reduce the three multiples of harmonic components. The final output thus obtained
      is converted to position data by the use of arctangent function. The measurement
      accuracy of the new method is analyzed by experiments and compared with the
      conventional two phase method. Using the same number of sensor modules as the
      conventional two phase method, the proposed method gives more accurate position
      information compared to the conventional system where sensors are separated by 90
      degrees  electrical angles. 

PMID- 26506346
TI  - The Role of Autophagy in Lupus Nephritis.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multifactorial autoimmune disease
      characterized by the generation of immune responses to self-antigens. Lupus
      nephritis is one of the most common and severe complications in SLE patients.
      Though the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis has been studied extensively,
      unresolved questions are still left and new therapeutic methods are needed for
      disease control. Autophagy is a conserved catabolic process through which
      cytoplasmic constituents can be degraded in lysosome and reused. Autophagy plays
      vital roles in maintaining cell homeostasis and is involved in the pathogenesis
      of many diseases. In particular, autophagy can affect almost all parts of the
      immune system and is involved in autoimmune diseases. Based on genetic analysis,
      cell biology, and mechanism studies of the classic and innovative therapeutic
      drugs, there are growing lines of evidence suggesting the relationship between
      autophagy and lupus nephritis. In the present review, we summarize the recent
      publications investigating the relationship between autophagy and lupus nephritis
      and provide a new perspective towards the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis. 

PMID- 26506349
TI  - Evaluation of SHM system produced by additive manufacturing via acoustic emission
      and other NDT methods.
AB  - During the last decades, structural health monitoring (SHM) systems are used in
      order to detect damage in structures. We have developed a novel structural health
      monitoring approach, the so-called "effective structural health monitoring"
      (eSHM) system. The current SHM system is incorporated into a metallic structure
      by means of additive manufacturing (AM) and has the possibility to advance life
      safety and reduce direct operative costs. It operates based on a network of
      capillaries that are integrated into an AM structure. The internal pressure of
      the capillaries is continuously monitored by a pressure sensor. When a crack
      nucleates and reaches the capillary, the internal pressure changes signifying the
      existence of the flaw. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the crack
      detection capacity of the eSHM system and crack location accuracy by means of
      various non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques. During this study, detailed
      acoustic emission (AE) analysis was applied in AM materials for the first time in
      order to investigate if phenomena like the Kaiser effect and waveform parameters
      used in conventional metals can offer valuable insight into the damage
      accumulation of the AM structure as well. Liquid penetrant inspection, eddy
      current and radiography were also used in order to confirm the fatigue damage and
      indicate the damage location on un-notched four-point bending AM metallic
      specimens with an integrated eSHM system. It is shown that the eSHM system in
      combination with NDT can provide correct information on the damage condition of
      additive manufactured metals. 

PMID- 26506350
TI  - Comparison of different classification methods for analyzing electronic nose data
      to characterize sesame oils and blends.
AB  - An electronic nose (e-nose) was used to characterize sesame oils processed by
      three different methods (hot-pressed, cold-pressed, and refined), as well as
      blends of the sesame oils and soybean oil. Seven classification and prediction
      methods, namely PCA, LDA, PLS, KNN, SVM, LASSO and RF, were used to analyze the e
      nose data. The classification accuracy and MAUC were employed to evaluate the
      performance of these methods. The results indicated that sesame oils processed
      with different methods resulted in different sensor responses, with cold-pressed
      sesame oil producing the strongest sensor signals, followed by the hot-pressed
      sesame oil. The blends of pressed sesame oils with refined sesame oil were more
      difficult to be distinguished than the blends of pressed sesame oils and refined
      soybean oil. LDA, KNN, and SVM outperformed the other classification methods in
      distinguishing sesame oil blends. KNN, LASSO, PLS, and SVM (with linear kernel),
      and RF models could adequately predict the adulteration level (% of added soybean
      oil) in the sesame oil blends. Among the prediction models, KNN with k = 1 and 2
      yielded the best prediction results. 

PMID- 26506352
TI  - A smartphone-based automatic diagnosis system for facial nerve palsy.
AB  - Facial nerve palsy induces a weakness or loss of facial expression through damage
      of the facial nerve. A quantitative and reliable assessment system for facial
      nerve palsy is required for both patients and clinicians. In this study, we
      propose a rapid and portable smartphone-based automatic diagnosis system that
      discriminates facial nerve palsy from normal subjects. Facial landmarks are
      localized and tracked by an incremental parallel cascade of the linear regression
      method. An asymmetry index is computed using the displacement ratio between the
      left and right side of the forehead and mouth regions during three motions:
      resting, raising eye-brow and smiling. To classify facial nerve palsy, we used
      Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Leave
      one-out Cross Validation (LOOCV) with 36 subjects. The classification accuracy
      rate was 88.9%. 

PMID- 26506351
TI  - Fiber-amplifier-enhanced QEPAS sensor for simultaneous trace gas detection of NH3
      and H2S.
AB  - A selective and sensitive quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS)
      sensor, employing an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA), and a distributed
      feedback (DFB) laser operating at 1582 nm was demonstrated for simultaneous
      detection of ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Two interference-free
      absorption lines located at 6322.45 cm(-1) and 6328.88 cm(-1) for NH3 and H2S
      detection, respectively, were identified. The sensor was optimized in terms of
      current modulation depth for both of the two target gases. An electrical
      modulation cancellation unit was equipped to suppress the background noise caused
      by the stray light. An Allan-Werle variance analysis was performed to investigate
      the long-term performance of the fiber-amplifier-enhanced QEPAS sensor.
      Benefitting from the high power boosted by the EDFA, a detection sensitivity
      (1sigma) of 52 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) and 17 ppbv for NH3 and H2S,
      respectively, were achieved with a 132 s data acquisition time at atmospheric
      pressure and room temperature. 

PMID- 26506353
TI  - Passive UHF RFID tag with multiple sensing capabilities.
AB  - This work presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of a printed
      radio frequency identification tag in the ultra-high frequency band with multiple
      sensing capabilities. This passive tag is directly screen printed on a cardboard
      box with the aim of monitoring the packaging conditions during the different
      stages of the supply chain. This tag includes a commercial force sensor and a
      printed opening detector. Hence, the force applied to the package can be measured
      as well as the opening of the box can be detected. The architecture presented is
      a passive single-chip RFID tag. An electronic switch has been implemented to be
      able to measure both sensor magnitudes in the same access without including a
      microcontroller or battery. Moreover, the chip used here integrates a temperature
      sensor and, therefore, this tag provides three different parameters in every
      reading. 

PMID- 26506354
TI  - Can smartwatches replace smartphones for posture tracking?
AB  - This paper introduces a human posture tracking platform to identify the human
      postures of sitting, standing or lying down, based on a smartwatch. This work
      develops such a system as a proof-of-concept study to investigate a smartwatch's
      ability to be used in future remote health monitoring systems and applications.
      This work validates the smartwatches' ability to track the posture of users
      accurately in a laboratory setting while reducing the sampling rate to
      potentially improve battery life, the first steps in verifying that such a system
      would work in future clinical settings. The algorithm developed classifies the
      transitions between three posture states of sitting, standing and lying down, by
      identifying these transition movements, as well as other movements that might be
      mistaken for these transitions. The system is trained and developed on a Samsung
      Galaxy Gear smartwatch, and the algorithm was validated through a leave-one
      subject-out cross-validation of 20 subjects. The system can identify the
      appropriate transitions at only 10 Hz with an F-score of 0.930, indicating its
      ability to effectively replace smart phones, if needed. 

PMID- 26506356
TI  - Observability analysis of DVL/PS aided INS for a maneuvering AUV.
AB  - Recently, ocean exploration has increased considerably through the use of
      autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV). A key enabling technology is the precision
      of the AUV navigation capability. In this paper, we focus on understanding the
      limitation of the AUV navigation system. That is, what are the observable error
      states for different maneuvering types of the AUV? Since analyzing the
      performance of an underwater navigation system is highly complex, to answer the
      above question, current approaches use simulations. This, of course, limits the
      conclusions to the emulated type of vehicle used and to the simulation setup. For
      this reason, we take a different approach and analyze the system observability
      for different types of vehicle dynamics by finding the set of observable and
      unobservable states. To that end, we apply the observability Gramian approach,
      previously used only for terrestrial applications. We demonstrate our analysis
      for an underwater inertial navigation system aided by a Doppler velocity logger
      or by a pressure sensor. The result is a first prediction of the performance of
      an AUV standing, rotating at a position and turning at a constant speed. Our
      conclusions of the observable and unobservable navigation error states for
      different dynamics are supported by extensive numerical simulation. 

PMID- 26506355
TI  - Measurement properties of the smartphone-based B-B Score in current shoulder
      pathologies.
AB  - This study is aimed at the determination of the measurement properties of the
      shoulder function B-B Score measured with a smartphone. This score measures the
      symmetry between sides of a power-related metric for two selected movements, with
      100% representing perfect symmetry. Twenty healthy participants, 20 patients with
      rotator cuff conditions, 23 with fractures, 22 with capsulitis, and 23 with
      shoulder instabilities were measured twice across a six-month interval using the
      B-B Score and shoulder function questionnaires. The discriminative power,
      responsiveness, diagnostic power, concurrent validity, minimal detectable change
      (MDC), minimal clinically important improvement (MCII), and patient acceptable
      symptom state (PASS) were evaluated. Significant differences with the control
      group and significant baseline-six-month differences were found for the rotator
      cuff condition, fracture, and capsulitis patient groups. The B-B Score was
      responsive and demonstrated excellent diagnostic power, except for shoulder
      instability. The correlations with clinical scores were generally moderate to
      high, but lower for instability. The MDC was 18.1%, the MCII was 25.2%, and the
      PASS was 77.6. No floor effect was observed. The B-B Score demonstrated excellent
      measurement properties in populations with rotator cuff conditions, proximal
      humerus fractures, and capsulitis, and can thus be used as a routine test to
      evaluate those patients. 

PMID- 26506357
TI  - Harvesting entropy for random number generation for internet of things
      constrained devices using on-board sensors.
AB  - Entropy in computer security is associated with the unpredictability of a source
      of randomness. The random source with high entropy tends to achieve a uniform
      distribution of random values. Random number generators are one of the most
      important building blocks of cryptosystems. In constrained devices of the
      Internet of Things ecosystem, high entropy random number generators are hard to
      achieve due to hardware limitations. For the purpose of the random number
      generation in constrained devices, this work proposes a solution based on the
      least-significant bits concatenation entropy harvesting method. As a potential
      source of entropy, on-board integrated sensors (i.e., temperature, humidity and
      two different light sensors) have been analyzed. Additionally, the costs (i.e.,
      time and memory consumption) of the presented approach have been measured. The
      results obtained from the proposed method with statistical fine tuning achieved a
      Shannon entropy of around 7.9 bits per byte of data for temperature and humidity
      sensors. The results showed that sensor-based random number generators are a
      valuable source of entropy with very small RAM and Flash memory requirements for
      constrained devices of the Internet of Things. 

PMID- 26506358
TI  - Sensors for highly toxic gases: methylamine and hydrogen chloride detection at
      low concentrations in an ionic liquid on Pt screen printed electrodes.
AB  - Commercially available Pt screen printed electrodes (SPEs) have been employed as
      possible electrode materials for methylamine (MA) and hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas
      detection. The room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium
      bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C2mim][NTf2]) was used as a solvent and the
      electrochemical behaviour of both gases was first examined using cyclic
      voltammetry. The reaction mechanism appears to be the same on Pt SPEs as on Pt
      microelectrodes. Furthermore, the analytical utility was studied to understand
      the behaviour of these highly toxic gases at low concentrations on SPEs, with
      calibration graphs obtained from 10 to 80 ppm. Three different electrochemical
      techniques were employed: linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), differential pulse
      voltammetry (DPV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV), with no significant
      differences in the limits of detection (LODs) between the techniques (LODs were
      between 1.4 to 3.6 ppm for all three techniques for both gases). The LODs
      achieved on Pt SPEs were lower than the current Occupational Safety and Health
      Administration Permissible Exposure Limit (OSHA PEL) limits of the two gases (5
      ppm for HCl and 10 ppm for MA), suggesting that Pt SPEs can successfully be
      combined with RTILs to be used as cheap alternatives for amperometric gas sensing
      in applications where these toxic gases may be released. 

PMID- 26506359
TI  - Visual tracking based on extreme learning machine and sparse representation.
AB  - The existing sparse representation-based visual trackers mostly suffer from both
      being time consuming and having poor robustness problems. To address these
      issues, a novel tracking method is presented via combining sparse representation
      and an emerging learning technique, namely extreme learning machine (ELM).
      Specifically, visual tracking can be divided into two consecutive processes.
      Firstly, ELM is utilized to find the optimal separate hyperplane between the
      target observations and background ones. Thus, the trained ELM classification
      function is able to remove most of the candidate samples related to background
      contents efficiently, thereby reducing the total computational cost of the
      following sparse representation. Secondly, to further combine ELM and sparse
      representation, the resultant confidence values (i.e., probabilities to be a
      target) of samples on the ELM classification function are used to construct a new
      manifold learning constraint term of the sparse representation framework, which
      tends to achieve robuster results. Moreover, the accelerated proximal gradient
      method is used for deriving the optimal solution (in matrix form) of the
      constrained sparse tracking model. Additionally, the matrix form solution allows
      the candidate samples to be calculated in parallel, thereby leading to a higher
      efficiency. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed tracker. 

PMID- 26506360
TI  - Matrix Production, Pigment Synthesis, and Sporulation in a Marine Isolated Strain
      of Bacillus pumilus.
AB  - The ability to produce an extracellular matrix and form multicellular communities
      is an adaptive behavior shared by many bacteria. In Bacillus subtilis, the model
      system for spore-forming bacteria, matrix production is one of the possible
      differentiation pathways that a cell can follow when vegetative growth is no
      longer feasible. While in B. subtilis the genetic system controlling matrix
      production has been studied in detail, it is still unclear whether other spore
      formers utilize similar mechanisms. We report that SF214, a pigmented strain of
      Bacillus pumilus isolated from the marine environment, can produce an
      extracellular matrix relying on orthologs of many of the genes known to be
      important for matrix synthesis in B. subtilis. We also report a characterization
      of the carbohydrates forming the extracellular matrix of strain SF214. The
      isolation and characterization of mutants altered in matrix synthesis,
      pigmentation, and spore formation suggest that in strain SF214 the three
      processes are strictly interconnected and regulated by a common molecular
      mechanism. 

PMID- 26506361
TI  - Alkaloids with Cardiovascular Effects from the Marine-Derived Fungus Penicillium
      expansum Y32.
AB  - Three new alkaloids (1, 4 and 8), together with nine known analogues (2, 3, 5-7,
      and 9-12), were isolated from the marine-derived fungus Penicillium expansum Y32.
      Their structures including the absolute configurations were elucidated by
      spectroscopic and Mosher's and Marfey's methods, along with quantum electronic
      circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Each of the compounds was evaluated for
      cardiovascular effects in a live zebrafish model. All of the compounds showed a
      significant mitigative effect on bradycardia caused by astemizole (ASM) in the
      heart rate experiments. Compounds 4-6 and 8-12 exhibited potent vasculogenetic
      activity in vasculogenesis experiments. This is the first study to report that
      these types of compounds show cardiovascular effects in zebrafish. The results
      suggest that these compounds could be promising candidates for cardiovascular
      disease lead compounds.

PMID- 26506362
TI  - Cell Death Inducing Microbial Protein Phosphatase Inhibitors--Mechanisms of
      Action.
AB  - Okadaic acid (OA) and microcystin (MC) as well as several other microbial toxins
      like nodularin and calyculinA are known as tumor promoters as well as inducers of
      apoptotic cell death. Their intracellular targets are the major serine/threonine
      protein phosphatases. This review summarizes mechanisms believed to be
      responsible for the death induction and tumor promotion with focus on the
      interdependent production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activation of
      Ca(2+)/calmodulin kinase II (CaM-KII). New data are presented using inhibitors of
      specific ROS producing enzymes to curb nodularin/MC-induced liver cell
      (hepatocyte) death. They indicate that enzymes of the arachidonic acid pathway,
      notably phospholipase A2, 5-lipoxygenase, and cyclooxygenases, may be required
      for nodularin/MC-induced (and presumably OA-induced) cell death, suggesting new
      ways to overcome at least some aspects of OA and MC toxicity.

PMID- 26506363
TI  - Social Interactions Sparked by Pictorial Warnings on Cigarette Packs.
AB  - The Message Impact Framework suggests that social interactions may offer smokers
      the opportunity to process pictorial warnings on cigarette packs more deeply. We
      aimed to describe adult smokers' social interactions about pictorial cigarette
      pack warnings in two longitudinal pilot studies. In Pilot Study 1, 30 smokers
      used cigarette packs with one of nine pictorial warnings for two weeks. In Pilot
      Study 2, 46 smokers used cigarette packs with one of five pictorial warnings for
      four weeks. Nearly all smokers (97%/96% in Pilot Study 1/2) talked about the
      warnings with other people, with the most common people being friends (67%/87%)
      and spouses/significant others (34%/42%). Pilot Study 2 found that 26% of smokers
      talked about the warnings with strangers. Discussions about the health effects of
      smoking and quitting smoking were more frequent during the first week of exposure
      to pictorial warnings than in the week prior to beginning the study (both p <
      0.05). Pictorial warnings sparked social interactions about the warnings, the
      health effects of smoking, and quitting smoking, indicating that pictorial
      warnings may act as a social intervention reaching beyond the individual. Future
      research should examine social interactions as a potential mediator of the impact
      of pictorial warnings on smoking behavior. 

PMID- 26506364
TI  - The Association Between Physical Activity, Mental Status, and Social and Family
      Support with Five Major Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases Among Elderly People: A
      Cross-Sectional Study of a Rural Population in Southern China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) have become the top threat
      in China. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of major NCDs among the
      elderly population in rural areas in southern China and explore its associated
      social determinants. METHODS: A multistage cluster random sampling methodology
      was adopted to select a total of 9245 rural elderly people from 3860 rural
      households in Guangdong Province. Interviews and physical examinations were
      performed to collect patient information. Descriptive and logistic regression
      analyses were conducted to explore factors associated with the presence of major
      NCDs. RESULTS: Over one-third (38.5%) of the study population suffered from five
      major NCDs. The grade of activities of daily living (ADL), mental status, and
      social relationship of elderly people without NCDs were better than those with
      NCDs. The major factors associated with the presence of NCDs among the elderly
      people included age (70-79 years group and 80-89 years group), education level
      (senior high/technical secondary school and junior college and above), mental
      status (concentration, enrichment and happy life and memory), relationship with
      neighbours, activities of daily living (ADL) (being able to climb three floors
      and bend over), physical activity, marital status (bereft), and living conditions
      (with offspring and family members). CONCLUSIONS: The study identified several
      social determinants associated with the presence of major NCDs. A higher level of
      family support and physical exercise might contribute to improved physical
      condition, mental status, and ADL among the elderly people in rural areas in
      southern China.

PMID- 26506365
TI  - Elimination of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV Infection: The Drug Resource
      Enhancement against AIDS and Malnutrition Model.
AB  - The Drug Resource Enhancement against AIDS and Malnutrition Program (DREAM)
      gathered professionals in the field of Elimination of HIV-Mother-To-Child
      Transmission (EMTCT) in Maputo in 2013 to discuss obstacles and solutions for the
      elimination of HIV vertical transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. During this
      workshop, the benefits of administrating combined antiretroviral therapy (cART)
      to HIV positive women from pregnancy throughout breastfeeding were reviewed. cART
      is capable of reducing vertical transmission to less than 5% at 24 months of age,
      as well as maternal mortality and infant mortality in both HIV infected and
      exposed populations to levels similar to those of uninfected individuals. The
      challenge for programs targeting eMTCT in developing countries is retention in
      care and treatment adherence. Both are intrinsically related to the model of
      care. The drop-out from eMTCT programs before cART initiation ranges from 33%-88%
      while retention rates at 18-24 months are less than 50%. Comprehensive strategies
      including peer-to-peer education, social support and laboratory monitoring can
      reduce refusals to less than 5% and attain retention rates approaching 90%.
      Several components of the model of care for reduction of HIV-1 MTCT are feasible
      and implementable in scale-up strategies. A review of this model of care for HIV
      eMTCT is provided. 

PMID- 26506366
TI  - Associations between Bisphenol A Exposure and Reproductive Hormones among Female
      Workers.
AB  - The associations between Bisphenol-A (BPA) exposure and reproductive hormone
      levels among women are unclear. A cross-sectional study was conducted among
      female workers from BPA-exposed and unexposed factories in China. Women's blood
      samples were collected for assay of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH),
      luteinizing hormone (LH), 17beta-Estradiol (E2), prolactin (PRL), and
      progesterone (PROG). Their urine samples were collected for BPA measurement. In
      the exposed group, time weighted average exposure to BPA for an 8-h shift (TWA8),
      a measure incorporating historic exposure level, was generated based on personal
      air sampling. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine linear
      associations between urine BPA concentration and reproductive hormones after
      controlling for potential confounders. A total of 106 exposed and 250 unexposed
      female workers were included in this study. A significant positive association
      between increased urine BPA concentration and higher PRL and PROG levels were
      observed. Similar associations were observed after the analysis was carried out
      separately among the exposed and unexposed workers. In addition, a positive
      association between urine BPA and E2 was observed among exposed workers with
      borderline significance, while a statistically significant inverse association
      between urine BPA and FSH was observed among unexposed group. The results suggest
      that BPA exposure may lead to alterations in female reproductive hormone levels. 

PMID- 26506367
TI  - The Mental Health Outcomes of Drought: A Systematic Review and Causal Process
      Diagram.
AB  - Little is understood about the long term, indirect health consequences of drought
      (a period of abnormally dry weather). In particular, the implications of drought
      for mental health via pathways such as loss of livelihood, diminished social
      support, and rupture of place bonds have not been extensively studied, leaving a
      knowledge gap for practitioners and researchers alike. A systematic review of
      literature was performed to examine the mental health effects of drought. The
      systematic review results were synthesized to create a causal process diagram
      that illustrates the pathways linking drought effects to mental health outcomes.
      Eighty-two articles using a variety of methods in different contexts were
      gathered from the systematic review. The pathways in the causal process diagram
      with greatest support in the literature are those focusing on the economic and
      migratory effects of drought. The diagram highlights the complexity of the
      relationships between drought and mental health, including the multiple ways that
      factors can interact and lead to various outcomes. The systematic review and
      resulting causal process diagram can be used in both practice and theory,
      including prevention planning, public health programming, vulnerability and risk
      assessment, and research question guidance. The use of a causal process diagram
      provides a much needed avenue for integrating the findings of diverse research to
      further the understanding of the mental health implications of drought. 

PMID- 26506368
TI  - Molecular Analysis of Bacterial Microbiota on Brazilian Currency Note Surfaces.
AB  - Currency notes have been implicated as a vehicle for transmitting community
      acquired bacterial infections. However, the overall diversity of the bacterial
      population residing on banknotes is still unknown in Brazil. In this study, we
      aimed to investigate the overall bacterial population from 150 different
      Brazilian Rial (R$) notes in circulation using a culture-independent Illumina
      massively parallel sequencing approach of the 16S rRNA genes. Samples were
      randomly collected from three different street markets or "feiras" in the
      metropolitan region of Sao Paulo. Taxonomical composition revealed the abundance
      of Proteobacteria phyla, followed by Firmicutes and Streptophyta, with a total of
      1193 bacterial families and 3310 bacterial genera. Most of these bacterial genera
      are of human, animal, and environmental origins. Also, our analysis revealed the
      presence of some potential pathogenic bacterial genera including Salmonella,
      Staphylococcus, and Klebsiella. The results demonstrate that there is a
      tremendous diversity of bacterial contamination on currency notes, including
      organisms known to be opportunistic pathogens. One of the factors that may
      contribute to the richness of bacterial diversity in currency notes is personal
      hygiene. Thus, our results underscore the need to increase public awareness of
      the importance of personal hygiene of money handlers who also handle food. 

PMID- 26506369
TI  - Longitudinal Antigenic Sequences and Sites from Intra-Host Evolution (LASSIE)
      Identifies Immune-Selected HIV Variants.
AB  - Within-host genetic sequencing from samples collected over time provides a
      dynamic view of how viruses evade host immunity. Immune-driven mutations might
      stimulate neutralization breadth by selecting antibodies adapted to cycles of
      immune escape that generate within-subject epitope diversity. Comprehensive
      identification of immune-escape mutations is experimentally and computationally
      challenging. With current technology, many more viral sequences can readily be
      obtained than can be tested for binding and neutralization, making down-selection
      necessary. Typically, this is done manually, by picking variants that represent
      different time-points and branches on a phylogenetic tree. Such strategies are
      likely to miss many relevant mutations and combinations of mutations, and to be
      redundant for other mutations. Longitudinal Antigenic Sequences and Sites from
      Intrahost Evolution (LASSIE) uses transmitted founder loss to identify virus "hot
      spots" under putative immune selection and chooses sequences that represent
      recurrent mutations in selected sites. LASSIE favors earliest sequences in which
      mutations arise. With well-characterized longitudinal Env sequences, we confirmed
      selected sites were concentrated in antibody contacts and selected sequences
      represented diverse antigenic phenotypes. Practical applications include rapidly
      identifying immune targets under selective pressure within a subject, selecting
      minimal sets of reagents for immunological assays that characterize evolving
      antibody responses, and for immunogens in polyvalent "cocktail" vaccines. 

PMID- 26506370
TI  - Complete Genome and Phylogeny of Puumala Hantavirus Isolates Circulating in
      France.
AB  - Puumala virus (PUUV) is the agent of nephropathia epidemica (NE), a mild form of
      hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Europe. NE incidence presents a
      high spatial variation throughout France, while the geographical distribution of
      the wild reservoir of PUUV, the bank vole, is rather continuous. A missing piece
      of the puzzle is the current distribution and the genetic variation of PUUV in
      France, which has been overlooked until now and remains poorly understood. During
      a population survey, from 2008 to 2011, bank voles were trapped in eight
      different forests of France located in areas known to be endemic for NE or in
      area from where no NE case has been reported until now. Bank voles were tested
      for immunoglobulin (Ig)G ELISA serology and two seropositive animals for each of
      three different areas (Ardennes, Jura and Orleans) were then subjected to
      laboratory analyses in order to sequence the whole S, M and L segments of PUUV.
      Phylogenetic analyses revealed that French PUUV isolates globally belong to the
      central European (CE) lineage although isolates from Ardennes are clearly
      distinct from those in Jura and Orleans, suggesting a different evolutionary
      history and origin of PUUV introduction in France. Sequence analyses revealed
      specific amino acid signatures along the N protein, including in PUUV from the
      Orleans region from where NE in humans has never been reported. The relevance of
      these mutations in term of pathophysiology is discussed. 

PMID- 26506371
TI  - Transdermal Drug Delivery: Innovative Pharmaceutical Developments Based on
      Disruption of the Barrier Properties of the stratum corneum.
AB  - The skin offers an accessible and convenient site for the administration of
      medications. To this end, the field of transdermal drug delivery, aimed at
      developing safe and efficacious means of delivering medications across the skin,
      has in the past and continues to garner much time and investment with the
      continuous advancement of new and innovative approaches. This review details the
      progress and current status of the transdermal drug delivery field and describes
      numerous pharmaceutical developments which have been employed to overcome
      limitations associated with skin delivery systems. Advantages and disadvantages
      of the various approaches are detailed, commercially marketed products are
      highlighted and particular attention is paid to the emerging field of microneedle
      technologies. 

PMID- 26506372
TI  - Contribution of Organic Food to the Diet in a Large Sample of French Adults (the
      NutriNet-Sante Cohort Study).
AB  - In developed countries, the demand for organic products continues to
      substantially increase each year. However, little information is available
      regarding the level of consumption of organic food and its relative share of the
      whole diet. Our aim was to provide, using individual consumption data, a detailed
      description of organic food consumption among French adults. Conventional and
      organic intakes were assessed using an organic food frequency questionnaire
      administered to 28,245 French adults participating in the NutriNet-Sante study. P
      values of Student t-test or Chi-square for the difference between genders were
      reported. Less than 12% of the respondents reported never consuming organic food
      in the past year. Women consumed on average 20% organic food in their whole diet
      per day while men consumed an average of 18%. The proportion of vegetables
      consumed that came from organic sources was 31% among women and 28% among men.
      Overall, the estimate of the contribution of organic food from products of plant
      origin was higher than that from products of animal origin. Our study provides a
      framework for the exploration of organic consumption and its correlates and can
      serve as a basis for future studies investigating relationships between the level
      of organic food consumption and health outcomes.

PMID- 26506373
TI  - Adherence to a Healthy Nordic Food Index Is Associated with a Lower Risk of Type
      2 Diabetes--The Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type-2 diabetes (T2D) prevalence is rapidly increasing worldwide.
      Lifestyle factors, in particular obesity, diet, and physical activity play a
      significant role in the etiology of the disease. Of dietary patterns,
      particularly the Mediterranean diet has been studied, and generally a protective
      association has been identified. However, other regional diets are less explored.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the association
      between adherence to a healthy Nordic food index and the risk of T2D. The index
      consists of six food items: fish, cabbage, rye bread, oatmeal, apples and pears,
      and root vegetables. METHODS: Data was obtained from a prospective cohort study
      of 57,053 Danish men and women aged 50-64 years, at baseline, of whom 7366
      developed T2D (median follow-up: 15.3 years). The Cox proportional hazards model
      was used to assess the association between the healthy Nordic food index and risk
      of T2D, adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: Greater adherence to the
      healthy Nordic food index was significantly associated with lower risk of T2D
      after adjusting for potential confounders. An index score of 5-6 points (high
      adherence) was associated with a statistically significantly 25% lower T2D risk
      in women (HR: 0.75, 95%CI: 0.61-0.92) and 38% in men (HR: 0.62; 95%CI: 0.53-0.71)
      compared to those with an index score of 0 points (poor adherence). CONCLUSION:
      Adherence to a healthy Nordic food index was found to be inversely associated
      with risk of T2D, suggesting that regional diets other than the Mediterranean may
      also be recommended for prevention of T2D.

PMID- 26506374
TI  - The Impaired Function of Macrophages Induced by Strenuous Exercise Could Not Be
      Ameliorated by BCAA Supplementation.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of strenuous exercise on the
      functions of peritoneal macrophages in rats and to test the hypothesis that
      branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation will be beneficial to the
      macrophages of rats from strenuous exercise. Forty male Wistar rats were randomly
      divided into five groups: (C) Control, E) Exercise, (E1) Exercise with one week
      to recover, (ES) Exercise + Supplementation and (ES1) Exercise + Supplementation
      with 1 week to recover. All rats except those of the sedentary control were
      subjected to four weeks of strenuous exercise. Blood hemoglobin, serum
      testosterone and BCAA levels were tested. Peritoneal macrophages functions were
      also determined at the same time. The data showed that hemoglobin, testosterone,
      BCAA levels, and body weight in group E decreased significantly as compared with
      that of group C. Meanwhile, phagocytosis capacity (decreased by 17.07%, p =
      0.031), reactive oxygen species (ROS) production (decreased by 26%, p = 0.003)
      and MHC II mRNA (decreased by 22%, p = 0.041) of macrophages decreased in the
      strenuous exercise group as compared with group C. However, the chemotaxis of
      macrophages did not change significantly. In addition, BCAA supplementation could
      slightly increase the serum BCAA levels of rats from strenuous exercise
      (increased by 6.70%, p > 0.05). Moreover, the body weight, the blood hemoglobin,
      the serum testosterone and the function of peritoneal macrophages in group ES did
      not change significantly as compared with group E. These results suggest that
      long-term intensive exercise impairs the function of macrophages, which is
      essential for microbicidal capability. This may represent a novel mechanism of
      immunosuppression induced by strenuous exercise. Moreover, the impaired function
      of macrophage induced by strenuous exercise could not be ameliorated by BCAA
      supplementation in the dosing and timing used for this study.

PMID- 26506375
TI  - Anti-Fatigue and Antioxidant Activity of the Polysaccharides Isolated from
      Millettiae speciosae Champ. Leguminosae.
AB  - Millettiae speciosae Champ. Leguminosae (MSC), is a well-known Chinese herb
      traditionally used as food material and medicine for enhancing physical strength.
      Our preliminary study found that the aqueous extract of this herb (MSE) had an
      anti-fatigue effect. In this paper, we further separated MSE into total
      polysaccharides (MSP) and supernatant (MSS) by alcohol precipitation, and
      explored which fraction was active for its anti-fatigue effect. Mice were orally
      administered with MSP or MSS at the doses of 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg for 20 days
      and the anti-fatigue effect was assessed by exhaustive swimming exercise (ESE).
      The biochemical parameters related to fatigue after ESE and the in vitro
      antioxidant activity of active fraction were determined. Our results showed that
      MSP, instead of MSS, significantly extended the swimming time to exhaustion (p <
      0.05), indicating that MSP is responsible for the anti-fatigue effect of MSE. In
      addition, MSP treatment increased the levels of glucose (Glu) and muscle
      glycogen, whereas it decreased the accumulations of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and
      lactic acid (Lac). Moreover, ESE increased the levels of creatine phosphokinase
      (CK), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) but reduced
      superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) in plasma. In contrast, MSP
      inhibited all the above changes relating to fatigue. Furthermore, an in vitro
      antioxidant test revealed that MSP dose-dependently scavenged .OH and DPPH free
      radicals. Taken together, these findings strongly suggested that MSP was able to
      alleviate physical fatigue by increasing energy resources and decreasing
      accumulation of detrimental metabolites. The antioxidant activity may crucially
      contribute to the observed anti-fatigue effect of MSP.

PMID- 26506376
TI  - The Ethanol Extract from Lonicera japonica Thunb. Regresses Nonalcoholic
      Steatohepatitis in a Methionine- and Choline-Deficient Diet-Fed Animal Model.
AB  - Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized as fat accumulation in the
      hepatic tissue associated with various degrees of inflammation and progressive
      fibrosis. The potent anti-inflammatory and ethnopharmacological properties of
      Lonicera japonica Thunb. (Caprifoliaceae) make it an excellent source of novel
      medicinal targets for the treatment of NASH. The aim of the study was to
      investigate the effects of L. japonica ethanol extract (LJEE) on NASH in mice.
      C57BL/6J mice were fed with methionine-choline-deficient diet (MCDD) for eight
      weeks to promote the development of NASH. After development of the model, the
      mice were administered LJEE once daily via oral gavage at doses of 100, 200, or
      300 mg/kg for another four weeks. Simultaneous treatments with LJEE (300
      mg/kg/day) resulted in pronounced improvements in liver steatosis, ballooning
      degeneration, and inflammation. LJEE prevented MCDD-induced plasma level
      increases in aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase. LJEE
      significantly reduced hepatic malondialdehyde level and ameliorated hepatic
      inflammation and fibrosis in MCDD-fed mice, which were associated with down
      regulation of cytochrome P450 2E1 suppression of multiple proinflammatory and
      profibrotic genes. LJEE can prevent hepatic steatosis by reducing hepatic
      peroxisome acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 expression, as well as by
      inducing proliferator-activated receptor alpha expression. In addition, the LJEE
      treatments caused significant reduction in the phosphorylated form of Jun N
      terminal kinase along with an increase in the phosphorylated level of extra
      cellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2. Our study demonstrated the protective role
      of LJEE in ameliorating nutritional steatohepatitis.

PMID- 26506377
TI  - Consumption of Milk Protein or Whey Protein Results in a Similar Increase in
      Muscle Protein Synthesis in Middle Aged Men.
AB  - The differential ability of various milk protein fractions to stimulate muscle
      protein synthesis (MPS) has been previously described, with whey protein
      generally considered to be superior to other fractions. However, the relative
      ability of a whole milk protein to stimulate MPS has not been compared to whey.
      Sixteen healthy middle-aged males ingested either 20 g of milk protein (n = 8) or
      whey protein (n = 8) while undergoing a primed constant infusion of ring (13)C6
      phenylalanine. Muscle biopsies were obtained 120 min prior to consumption of the
      protein and 90 and 210 min afterwards. Resting myofibrillar fractional synthetic
      rates (FSR) were 0.019% +/- 0.009% and 0.021% +/- 0.018% h(-1) in the milk and
      whey groups respectively. For the first 90 min after protein ingestion the FSR
      increased (p < 0.001) to 0.057% +/- 0.018% and 0.052% +/- 0.024% h(-1) in the
      milk and whey groups respectively with no difference between groups (p = 0.810).
      FSR returned to baseline in both groups between 90 and 210 min after protein
      ingestion. Despite evidence of increased rate of digestion and leucine
      availability following the ingestion of whey protein, there was similar
      activation of MPS in middle-aged men with either 20 g of milk protein or whey
      protein.

PMID- 26506378
TI  - Protein Beverage vs. Protein Gel on Appetite Control and Subsequent Food Intake
      in Healthy Adults.
AB  - The objective of this study was to compare the effects of food form and
      physicochemical properties of protein snacks on appetite and subsequent food
      intake in healthy adults. Twelve healthy subjects received a standardized
      breakfast and then 2.5 h post-breakfast consumed the following snacks, in
      randomized order: 0 kcal water (CON) or 96 kcal whey protein snacks as beverages
      with a pH of either 3.0 (Bev-3.0) or 7.0 (Bev-7.0) or gels as acid (Gel-Acid) or
      heated (Gel-Heated). In-vitro study showed that Bev-3.0 was more resistant to
      digestion than Bev-7.0, while Gel-Acid and Gel-Heated had similar digestion
      pattern. Appetite questionnaires were completed every 20 min until an ad libitum
      lunch was provided. Post-snack hunger, desire to eat, and prospective food
      consumption were lower following the beverages and gels vs. CON (all, p < 0.05),
      and post-snack fullness was greater following the snacks (except for the Bev-3.0)
      vs. CON (all, p < 0.05). Gel-Heated treatment led to lower prospective food
      consumption vs. Bev-3.0; however, no other differences were detected. Although
      all snacks reduced energy intake vs. CON, no differences were observed among
      treatments. This study suggested that whey protein in either liquid or solid form
      improves appetite, but the physicochemical property of protein has a minimal
      effect.

PMID- 26506379
TI  - The Fifty Year Rehabilitation of the Egg.
AB  - The 1968 American Heart Association announced a dietary recommendation that all
      individuals consume less than 300 mg of dietary cholesterol per day and no more
      than three whole eggs per week. This recommendation has not only significantly
      impacted the dietary patterns of the population, but also resulted in the public
      limiting a highly nutritious and affordable source of high quality nutrients,
      including choline which was limited in the diets of most individuals. The egg
      industry addressed the egg issue with research documenting the minimal effect of
      egg intake on plasma lipoprotein levels, as well as research verifying the
      importance of egg nutrients in a variety of issues related to health promotion.
      In 2015 dietary cholesterol and egg restrictions have been dropped by most health
      promotion agencies worldwide and recommended to be dropped from the 2015 Dietary
      Guidelines for Americans.

PMID- 26506380
TI  - DHA in Pregnant and Lactating Women from Coastland, Lakeland, and Inland Areas of
      China: Results of a DHA Evaluation in Women (DEW) Study.
AB  - Few studies have examined docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in pregnant and lactating
      women in developing countries like China, where DHA-enriched supplements are
      increasingly popular. We aimed to assess the DHA status among Chinese pregnant
      and lactating women residing areas differing in the availability of aquatic
      products. In total, 1211 women in mid-pregnancy (17 +/- 2 weeks), late pregnancy
      (39 +/- 2 weeks), or lactation (42 +/- 7 days) were enrolled from Weihai
      (coastland), Yueyang (lakeland), and Baotou (inland) city, with approximately 135
      women in each participant group by region. DHA concentrations were measured using
      capillary gas chromatography, and are reported as weight percent of total fatty
      acids. Mean plasma DHA concentrations were higher in coastland (mid-pregnancy
      3.19%, late pregnancy 2.54%, lactation 2.24%) and lakeland women (2.45%, 1.95%,
      2.26%) than inland women (2.25%, 1.67%, 1.68%) (p values < 0.001). Similar
      differences were observed for erythrocyte DHA. We conclude that DHA
      concentrations of Chinese pregnant and lactating women are higher in coastland
      and lakeland regions than in inland areas. DHA status in the study population
      appears to be stronger than populations from other countries studied to date.

PMID- 26506382
TI  - Proteomics Analysis to Identify and Characterize the Molecular Signatures of
      Hepatic Steatosis in Ovariectomized Rats as a Model of Postmenopausal Status.
AB  - Postmenopausal women are particularly at increased risk of developing non
      alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Here we aimed to determine the impact of
      postmenopausal-induced NAFLD (PM-NAFLD) in an ovariectomized rat model. Sixteen
      six-week-old Sprague-Dawley female rats were randomly divided into two groups
      (eight per group), for sham-operation (Sham) or bilateral ovariectomy (Ovx). Four
      months after surgery, indices of liver damage and liver histomorphometry were
      measured. Both serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine
      aminotranferease (ALT) levels were significantly higher in the Ovx than Sham
      group. We performed quantitative LC-MS/MS-based proteomic profiling of livers
      from rats with PM-NAFLD to provide baseline knowledge of the PM-NAFLD proteome
      and to investigate proteins involved in PM-NAFLD by ingenuity pathways analysis
      (IPA) to provide corroborative evidence for differential regulation of molecular
      and cellular functions affecting metabolic processes. Of the 586 identified
      proteins, the levels of 59 (10.0%) and 48 (8.2%) were significantly higher and
      lower, respectively, in the Ovx group compared to the Sham group. In conclusion,
      the changes in regulation of proteins implicated in PM-NAFLD may affect other
      vital biological processes in the body apart from causing postmenopause-mediated
      liver dysfunction. Our quantitative proteomics analysis may also suggest
      potential biomarkers and further clinical applications for PM-NAFLD.

PMID- 26506381
TI  - The Spectrum of Differences between Childhood and Adulthood Celiac Disease.
AB  - An old saying states that ''children are not little adults" and this certainly
      holds true for celiac disease, as there are many peculiar aspects regarding its
      epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical presentations, associated diseases, and
      response to treatment in pediatric compared to adult populations, to such an
      extent that it merits a description of its own. In fact, contrary to the past
      when it was thought that celiac disease was a disorder predominantly affecting
      childhood and characterized by a malabsorption syndrome, nowadays it is well
      recognized that it affects also adult and elderly people with an impressive
      variability of clinical presentation. In general, the clinical guidelines for
      diagnosis recommend starting with specific serologic testing in all suspected
      subjects, including those suffering from extraintestinal related conditions, and
      performing upper endoscopy with appropriate biopsy sampling of duodenal mucosa in
      case of positivity. The latter may be omitted in young patients showing high
      titers of anti-transglutaminase antibodies. The subsequent management of a celiac
      patient differs substantially depending on the age at diagnosis and should be
      based on the important consideration that this is a lifelong condition.

PMID- 26506383
TI  - Supplementation of Antipsychotic Treatment with the Amino Acid Sarcosine
      Influences Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Parameters in Left Frontal
      White Matter in Patients with Schizophrenia.
AB  - Dysfunction of the glutamatergic system, the main stimulating system in the
      brain, has a major role in pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The frontal white
      matter (WM) is partially composed of axons from glutamatergic pyramidal neurons
      and glia with glutamatergic receptors. The natural amino acid sarcosine, a
      component of a normal diet, inhibits the glycine type 1 transporter, increasing
      the glycine level. Thus, it modulates glutamatergic transmission through the
      glutamatergic ionotropic NMDA (N-methyl-d-aspartate) receptor, which requires
      glycine as a co-agonist. To evaluate the concentrations of brain metabolites
      (NAA, N-acetylaspartate; Glx, complex of glutamate, glutamine, and gamma
      aminobutyric acid (GABA); mI, myo-inositol; Cr, creatine; Cho, choline) in the
      left frontal WM, Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy was
      used. Twenty-five patients randomly chosen from a group of fifty with stable
      schizophrenia (DSM-IV-TR) and dominant negative symptoms, who were receiving
      antipsychotic therapy, were administered 2 g of sarcosine daily for six months.
      The remaining 25 patients received placebo. Assignment was double blinded. 1H-NMR
      spectroscopy (1.5 T) was performed twice: before and after the intervention. NAA,
      Glx and mI were evaluated as Cr and Cho ratios. All patients were also assessed
      twice with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Results were
      compared between groups and in two time points in each group. The sarcosine group
      demonstrated a significant decrease in WM Glx/Cr and Glx/Cho ratios compared to
      controls after six months of therapy. In the experimental group, the final NAA/Cr
      ratio significantly increased and Glx/Cr ratio significantly decreased compared
      to baseline values. Improvement in the PANSS scores was significant only in the
      sarcosine group. In patients with schizophrenia, sarcosine augmentation can
      reverse the negative effect of glutamatergic system overstimulation, with a
      simultaneous beneficial increase of NAA/Cr ratio in the WM of the left frontal
      lobe. Our results further support the glutamatergic hypothesis of schizophrenia.

PMID- 26506385
TI  - Long-Term Effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid Feeding on Lipid Composition and Brain
      Fatty Acid-Binding Protein Expression in Rats.
AB  - Arachidonic (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) brain accretion is essential for
      brain development. The impact of DHA-rich maternal diets on offspring brain fatty
      acid composition has previously been studied up to the weanling stage; however,
      there has been no follow-up at later stages. Here, we examine the impact of DHA
      rich maternal and weaning diets on brain fatty acid composition at weaning and
      three weeks post-weaning. We report that DHA supplementation during lactation
      maintains high DHA levels in the brains of pups even when they are fed a DHA
      deficient diet for three weeks after weaning. We show that boosting dietary DHA
      levels for three weeks after weaning compensates for a maternal DHA-deficient
      diet during lactation. Finally, our data indicate that brain fatty acid binding
      protein (FABP7), a marker of neural stem cells, is down-regulated in the brains
      of six-week pups with a high DHA:AA ratio. We propose that elevated levels of DHA
      in developing brain accelerate brain maturation relative to DHA-deficient brains.

PMID- 26506384
TI  - Influence of Parenting Practices on Eating Behaviors of Early Adolescents during
      Independent Eating Occasions: Implications for Obesity Prevention.
AB  - Among early adolescents (10-14 years), poor diet quality along with physical
      inactivity can contribute to an increased risk of obesity and associated
      biomarkers for chronic disease. Approximately one-third of United States (USA)
      children in this age group are overweight or obese. Therefore, attention to
      factors affecting dietary intake as one of the primary contributors to obesity is
      important. Early adolescents consume foods and beverages during eating occasions
      that occur with and without parental supervision. Parents may influence eating
      behaviors of early adolescents during eating occasions when they are present or
      during independent eating occasions by engaging in practices that affect
      availability of foods and beverages, and through perceived normative beliefs and
      expectations for intake. Therefore, the purpose of this article was to describe
      the influence of parenting practices on eating behaviors in general and when
      specifically applied to independent eating occasions of early adolescents. This
      information may be helpful to inform parenting interventions targeting obesity
      prevention among early adolescents focusing on independent eating occasions. 

PMID- 26506386
TI  - Immune-Relevant and Antioxidant Activities of Vitellogenin and Yolk Proteins in
      Fish.
AB  - Vitellogenin (Vtg), the major egg yolk precursor protein, is traditionally
      thought to provide protein- and lipid-rich nutrients for developing embryos and
      larvae. However, the roles of Vtg as well as its derived yolk proteins
      lipovitellin (Lv) and phosvitin (Pv) extend beyond nutritional functions.
      Accumulating data have demonstrated that Vtg, Lv and Pv participate in host
      innate immune defense with multifaceted functions. They can all act as
      multivalent pattern recognition receptors capable of identifying invading
      microbes. Vtg and Pv can also act as immune effectors capable of killing bacteria
      and virus. Moreover, Vtg and Lv are shown to possess phagocytosis-promoting
      activity as opsonins. In addition to these immune-relevant functions, Vtg and Pv
      are found to have antioxidant activity, which is able to protect the host from
      oxidant stress. These non-nutritional functions clearly deepen our understanding
      of the physiological roles of the molecules, and at the same time, provide a
      sound basis for potential application of the molecules in human health.

PMID- 26506388
TI  - Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Repeated Intravescial OnabotulinumtoxinA
      Injections Plus Hydrodistention in the Treatment of Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder
      Pain Syndrome.
AB  - Intravesical onabotulinumtoxinA (BoNT-A) injection can relieve symptoms of
      interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), but lacks sustainability.
      Repeated injections have been shown to provide a superior outcome to a single
      injection, but data on long-term efficacy and safety is limited. In this
      prospective study, we enrolled patients with refractory IC/BPS, and treated them
      with 100 U of BoNT-A injection plus hydrodistention followed by repeated
      injections every six months for up to two years or until the patient wished to
      discontinue. A "top-up" dose was offered after the fourth injection. Of these 104
      participants, 56.7% completed four BoNT-A injections and 34% voluntarily received
      the fifth injection due to exacerbated IC symptoms. With a follow-up period of up
      to 79 months, O'Leary-Sant symptom and problem indexes (ICSI, ICPI, OSS), pain
      visual analogue scale (VAS) functional bladder capacity, frequency episodes, and
      global response assessment (GRA) all showed significant improvement (p < 0.0001).
      Those who received repeated injections had a better success rate during the long
      term follow-up period. The incidence of adverse events did not rise with the
      increasing number of BoNT-A injections. A higher pre-treatment ICSI and ICPI
      score was predictive for successful response to repeated intravesical BoNT-A
      injections plus hydrodistention. 

PMID- 26506389
TI  - The Tip of the Iceberg: Clinical Implications of Genomic Sequencing Projects in
      Head and Neck Cancer.
AB  - Recent genomic sequencing studies have provided valuable insight into genetic
      aberrations in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Despite these great
      advances, certain hurdles exist in translating genomic findings to clinical care.
      Further correlation of genetic findings to clinical outcomes, additional analyses
      of subgroups of head and neck cancers and follow-up investigation into genetic
      heterogeneity are needed. While the development of targeted therapy trials is of
      key importance, numerous challenges exist in establishing and optimizing such
      programs. This review discusses potential upcoming steps for further genetic
      evaluation of head and neck cancers and implementation of genetic findings into
      precision medicine trials. 

PMID- 26506387
TI  - Comparative Ochratoxin Toxicity: A Review of the Available Data.
AB  - Ochratoxins are a group of mycotoxins produced by a variety of moulds. Ochratoxin
      A (OTA), the most prominent member of this toxin family, was first described by
      van der Merwe et al. in Nature in 1965. Dietary exposure to OTA represents a
      serious health issue and has been associated with several human and animal
      diseases including poultry ochratoxicosis, porcine nephropathy, human endemic
      nephropathies and urinary tract tumours in humans. More than 30 years ago, OTA
      was shown to be carcinogenic in rodents and since then extensive research has
      been performed in order to investigate its mode of action, however, this is still
      under debate. OTA is regarded as the most toxic family member, however, other
      ochratoxins or their metabolites and, in particular, ochratoxin mixtures or
      combinations with other mycotoxins may represent serious threats to human and
      animal health. This review summarises and evaluates current knowledge about the
      differential and comparative toxicity of the ochratoxin group. 

PMID- 26506390
TI  - Characterization of DNA Methylation in Circulating Tumor Cells.
AB  - Epigenetics contributes to molecular mechanisms leading to tumor cell
      transformation and systemic progression of cancer. However, the dynamics of
      epigenetic remodeling during metastasis remains unexplored. In this context,
      circulating tumor cells (CTCs) might enable a direct insight into epigenetic
      mechanisms relevant for metastasis by providing direct access to systemic cancer.
      CTCs can be used as prognostic markers in cancer patients and are regarded as
      potential metastatic precursor cells. However, despite substantial technical
      progress, the detection and molecular characterization of CTCs remain
      challenging, in particular the analysis of DNA methylation. As recent studies
      have started to address the epigenetic state of CTCs, we discuss here the
      potential of such investigations to elucidate mechanisms of metastasis and to
      develop tumor biomarkers. 

PMID- 26506392
TI  - How Porin Heterogeneity and Trade-Offs Affect the Antibiotic Susceptibility of
      Gram-Negative Bacteria.
AB  - Variations in porin proteins are common in Gram-negative pathogens. Altered or
      absent porins reduce access of polar antibiotics across the outer membrane and
      can thus contribute to antibiotic resistance. Reduced permeability has a cost
      however, in lowering access to nutrients. This trade-off between permeability and
      nutritional competence is the source of considerable natural variation in porin
      gate-keeping. Mutational changes in this trade-off are frequently selected, so
      susceptibility to detergents and antibiotics is polymorphic in environmental
      isolates as well as pathogens. Understanding the mechanism, costs and
      heterogeneity of antibiotic exclusion by porins will be crucial in combating Gram
      negative infections. 

PMID- 26506391
TI  - Epigenetic Heterogeneity of B-Cell Lymphoma: Chromatin Modifiers.
AB  - We systematically studied the expression of more than fifty histone and DNA
      (de)methylating enzymes in lymphoma and healthy controls. As a main result, we
      found that the expression levels of nearly all enzymes become markedly disturbed
      in lymphoma, suggesting deregulation of large parts of the epigenetic machinery.
      We discuss the effect of DNA promoter methylation and of transcriptional activity
      in the context of mutated epigenetic modifiers such as EZH2 and MLL2. As another
      mechanism, we studied the coupling between the energy metabolism and epigenetics
      via metabolites that act as cofactors of JmjC-type demethylases. Our study
      results suggest that Burkitt's lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell Lymphoma differ
      by an imbalance of repressive and poised promoters, which is governed
      predominantly by the activity of methyltransferases and the underrepresentation
      of demethylases in this regulation. The data further suggest that coupling of
      epigenetics with the energy metabolism can also be an important factor in
      lymphomagenesis in the absence of direct mutations of genes in metabolic
      pathways. Understanding of epigenetic deregulation in lymphoma and possibly in
      cancers in general must go beyond simple schemes using only a few modes of
      regulation. 

PMID- 26506393
TI  - Analysis of Codon Usage Patterns in Herbaceous Peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.)
      Based on Transcriptome Data.
AB  - Codon usage bias, which exists in many genomes, is mainly determined by mutation
      and selection. To elucidate the genetic features and evolutionary history of
      herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora), a well-known symbol of prosperity in
      China, we examined synonymous codon usage in 24,216 reconstructed genes from the
      P. lactiflora transcriptome. The mean GC content was 44.4%, indicating that the
      nucleotide content of P. lactiflora genes is slightly AT rich and GC poor. The P.
      lactiflora genome has a wide range of GC3 (GC content at the third synonymous
      codon position) distribution, with a significant correlation between GC12 and
      GC3. ENC (effective number of codons) analysis suggested that mutational bias
      played a major role in shaping codon usage. Parity Rule 2 (PR2) analysis revealed
      that GC and AU were not used proportionally. We identified 22 "optimal codons",
      most ending with an A or U. Our results suggested that nucleotide composition
      mutation bias and translational selection were the main driving factors of codon
      usage bias in P. lactiflora. These results lay the foundation for exploring the
      evolutionary mechanisms and heterologous expression of functionally-important
      proteins in P. lactiflora. 

PMID- 26506394
TI  - Kinase Inhibitors that Increase the Sensitivity of Methicillin Resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus to beta-Lactam Antibiotics.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus are Gram-positive bacteria that are the leading cause of
      recurrent infections in humans that include pneumonia, bacteremia, osteomyelitis,
      arthritis, endocarditis, and toxic shock syndrome. The emergence of methicillin
      resistant S. aureus strains (MRSA) has imposed a significant concern in sustained
      measures of treatment against these infections. Recently, MRSA strains deficient
      in expression of a serine/threonine kinase (Stk1 or PknB) were described to
      exhibit increased sensitivity to beta-lactam antibiotics. In this study, we
      screened a library consisting of 280 drug-like, low-molecular-weight compounds
      with the ability to inhibit protein kinases for those that increased the
      sensitivity of wild-type MRSA to beta-lactams and then evaluated their toxicity
      in mice. We report the identification of four kinase inhibitors, the sulfonamides
      ST085384, ST085404, ST085405, and ST085399 that increased sensitivity of WT MRSA
      to sub-lethal concentrations of beta-lactams. Furthermore, these inhibitors
      lacked alerting structures commonly associated with toxic effects, and toxicity
      was not observed with ST085384 or ST085405 in vivo in a murine model. These
      results suggest that kinase inhibitors may be useful in therapeutic strategies
      against MRSA infections. 

PMID- 26506395
TI  - Is Wildlife Fertility Control Always Humane?
AB  - Investigation of fertility control techniques to reduce reproductive rates in
      wildlife populations has been the source of much research. Techniques targeting
      wildlife fertility have been diverse. Most research into fertility control
      methods has focused upon efficacy, with few studies rigorously assessing animal
      welfare beyond opportunistic anecdote. However, fertility control techniques
      represent several very different mechanisms of action (modalities), each with
      their own different animal welfare risks. We provide a review of the mechanisms
      of action for fertility control methods, and consider the role of manipulation of
      reproductive hormones ("endocrine suppression") for the long-term ability of
      animals to behave normally. We consider the potential welfare costs of animal
      manipulation techniques that are required to administer fertility treatments,
      including capture, restraint, surgery and drug delivery, and the requirement for
      repeated administration within the lifetime of an animal. We challenge the
      assumption that fertility control modalities generate similar and desirable
      animal welfare outcomes, and we argue that knowledge of reproductive physiology
      and behaviour should be more adeptly applied to wild animal management decisions.
      We encourage wildlife managers to carefully assess long-term behavioural risks,
      associated animal handling techniques, and the importance of positive welfare
      states when selecting fertility control methods as a means of population control.

PMID- 26506396
TI  - Jump Horse Safety: Reconciling Public Debate and Australian Thoroughbred Jump
      Racing Data, 2012-2014.
AB  - Thoroughbred jump racing sits in the spotlight of contemporary welfare and
      ethical debates about horse racing. In Australia, jump racing comprises hurdle
      and steeplechase races and has ceased in all but two states, Victoria and South
      Australia. This paper documents the size, geography, composition, and dynamics of
      Australian jump racing for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons with a focus on
      debate about risks to horses. We found that the majority of Australian jump
      racing is regional, based in Victoria, and involves a small group of experienced
      trainers and jockeys. Australian jump horses are on average 6.4 years of age. The
      jump career of the majority of horses involves participating in three or less
      hurdle races and over one season. Almost one quarter of Australian jump horses
      race only once. There were ten horse fatalities in races over the study period,
      with an overall fatality rate of 5.1 fatalities per 1000 horses starting in a
      jump race (0.51%). There was significant disparity between the fatality rate for
      hurdles, 0.75 fatalities per 1000 starts (0.075%) and steeplechases, 14
      fatalities per 1000 starts (1.4%). Safety initiatives introduced by regulators in
      2010 appear to have significantly decreased risks to horses in hurdles but have
      had little or no effect in steeplechases. Our discussion considers these Animals
      2015, 5 1073 data in light of public controversy, political debate, and industry
      regulation related to jump horse safety. 

PMID- 26506397
TI  - MicroRNA Library-Based Functional Screening Identified Androgen-Sensitive miR
      216a as a Player in Bicalutamide Resistance in Prostate Cancer.
AB  - Prostate cancer is a major hormone-dependent tumor affecting men, and is often
      treated by hormone therapy at the primary stages. Despite its initial efficiency,
      the disease eventually acquires resistance, resulting in the recurrence of
      castration-resistant prostate cancer. Recent studies suggest that dysregulation
      of microRNA (miRNA) function is one of the mechanisms underlying hormone therapy
      resistance. Identification of critical miRNAs involved in endocrine resistance
      will therefore be important for developing therapeutic targets for prostate
      cancer. In the present study, we performed an miRNA library screening to identify
      anti-androgen bicalutamide resistance-related miRNAs in prostate cancer LNCaP
      cells. Cells were infected with a lentiviral miRNA library and subsequently
      maintained in media containing either bicalutamide or vehicle for a month.
      Microarray analysis determined the amounts of individual miRNA precursors and
      identified 2 retained miRNAs after one-month bicalutamide treatment. Of these, we
      further characterized miR-216a, because its function in prostate cancer remains
      unknown. miR-216a could be induced by dihydrotestosterone in LNCaP cells and
      ectopic expression of miR-216a inhibited bicalutamide-mediated growth suppression
      of LNCaP cells. Furthermore, a microarray dataset revealed that the expression
      levels of miR-216a were significantly higher in clinical prostate cancer than in
      benign samples. These results suggest that functional screening using an miRNA
      expression library could be useful for identifying novel miRNAs that contribute
      to bicalutamide resistance in prostate cancer. 

PMID- 26506398
TI  - In vitro induction and proteomics characterisation of a uranyl-protein
      interaction network in bovine serum.
AB  - Uranyl ions (UO2(2+)) were shown to interact with a number of foetal serum
      proteins, leading to the formation of a complex that could be isolated by
      ultracentrifugation. The molecular weight of the complex was estimated based on
      size-exclusion chromatography as 650 000 Da. Online ICP AES detection indicated
      that UO2(2+) in the complex co-eluted with minor amounts of calcium and
      phosphorous, but not with magnesium. A 1D gel electrophoresis of the U-complex
      produced more than 10 bands of similar intensity compared with only 2-3 intense
      bands corresponding to the main serum proteins in the control serum, indicative
      of the specific interaction of UO2(2+) with minor proteins. A proteomics approach
      allowed for the identification of 74 proteins in the complex. Analysis of the
      protein-protein interaction network in the UO2(2+) complex identified 32 proteins
      responsible for protein-protein complex formation and 34 with demonstrated ion
      binding function, suggesting that UO2(2+) stimulates the formation of protein
      functional networks rather than using a particular molecule as its target. 

PMID- 26506399
TI  - Automated Lab-on-a-Chip Technology for Fish Embryo Toxicity Tests Performed under
      Continuous Microperfusion (MUFET).
AB  - The fish embryo toxicity (FET) biotest has gained popularity as one of the
      alternative approaches to acute fish toxicity tests in chemical hazard and risk
      assessment. Despite the importance and common acceptance of FET, it is still
      performed in multiwell plates and requires laborious and time-consuming manual
      manipulation of specimens and solutions. This work describes the design and
      validation of a microfluidic Lab-on-a-Chip technology for automation of the
      zebrafish embryo toxicity test common in aquatic ecotoxicology. The innovative
      device supports rapid loading and immobilization of large numbers of zebrafish
      embryos suspended in a continuous microfluidic perfusion as a means of toxicant
      delivery. Furthermore, we also present development of a customized mechatronic
      automation interface that includes a high-resolution USB microscope, LED cold
      light illumination, and miniaturized 3D printed pumping manifolds that were
      integrated to enable time-resolved in situ analysis of developing fish embryos.
      To investigate the applicability of the microfluidic FET (MUFET) in toxicity
      testing, copper sulfate, phenol, ethanol, caffeine, nicotine, and dimethyl
      sulfoxide were tested as model chemical stressors. Results obtained on a chip
      based system were compared with static protocols performed in microtiter plates.
      This work provides evidence that FET analysis performed under microperfusion
      opens a brand new alternative for inexpensive automation in aquatic
      ecotoxicology. 

PMID- 26506401
TI  - Does the quality of life impact of tonsillitis correlate with SIGN guideline
      compliance? An assessment of range and normality.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the scores of those who are eligible to be listed for
      tonsillectomy through compliance with the SIGN guidelines for any trends or
      range. DESIGN: A prospective study of all patients (aged 16 or above) listed for
      elective tonsillectomy from a nurse led tonsil clinic. Patients were given a TOI
      14 questionnaire to complete after they had been added to the waiting list for
      surgery, but before undergoing tonsillectomy. Scores were assessed using SPSS.
      SETTING: Outpatient clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Patients aged over 16 listed for
      Tonsillectomy via SIGN Guideline 117. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Scores from TOI-14,
      completed pre-operatively. RESULTS: 155 patients were listed from the nurse led
      clinic from October 2012 to August 2014; 5 questionnaires were excluded for being
      incomplete. The score range was 55 (15-70), with a calculated mean score of 45.62
      and standard deviation of 9.701. Over 95% of results were within 2 standard
      deviations of the mean. A calculated negative skew also confirms that most
      patients who have clinical indications for tonsillectomy compliant with the SIGN
      guidelines show a higher score on the TOI-14. CONCLUSION: This analysis indicates
      a trend of pre-intervention scores on the TOI-14 questionnaire for those patients
      who have a SIGN guideline compliant clinical indication for a tonsillectomy. We
      therefore propose that this suggests correlation between 'clinically strong'
      indication for tonsillitis and patient perceived Quality of Life impact.

PMID- 26506400
TI  - The impact of stage, grade, and mucinous histology on the efficacy of systemic
      chemotherapy in adenocarcinomas of the appendix: Analysis of the National Cancer
      Data Base.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adenocarcinomas of the appendix represent a heterogeneous disease
      depending on the presence of mucinous histology, histologic grade, and stage. In
      the current study, the authors sought to explore the interplay of these factors
      with systemic chemotherapy in a large population data set. METHODS: Patients in
      the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) who were diagnosed with mucinous,
      nonmucinous, and signet ring cell-type appendiceal neoplasms from 1985 through
      2006 were selected. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were
      developed. RESULTS: A total of 11,871 patients met the inclusion criteria for the
      current study: 50.3% had mucinous neoplasms, 40.5% had nonmucinous neoplasms, and
      9.2% had signet ring cell-type neoplasms. The 5-year overall survival (OS)
      stratified by grade was similar among patients with American Joint Committee on
      Cancer stage I to stage III disease but not for those with stage IV disease. The
      median OS for patients with stage IV mucinous and nonmucinous tumors was 6.4
      years and 2.3 years, respectively, for those with well differentiated histology
      (P<.0001) and was 1.5 years and 0.8 years, respectively, for those with poorly
      differentiated histology (P<.0001). In multivariable modeling for stage I to III
      disease, adjuvant chemotherapy improved OS for both mucinous and nonmucinous
      histologies, with hazard ratios (HRs) of 0.78 (95% confidence interval [95% CI],
      0.68-0.89 [P = .0002]) and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.74-0.94 [P = .002]), respectively. For
      patients with stage IV disease, systemic chemotherapy significantly improved OS
      for those with nonmucinous (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.64-0.82 [P<.0001]) but not
      mucinous (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.86-1.04 [P = .2) histologies, although this was
      grade-dependent. The median OS for chemotherapy versus no chemotherapy was 6.4
      years versus 6.5 years (P value not significant) for patients with mucinous, well
      differentiated tumors and 1.6 years versus 1.0 years (P = .0007) for patients
      with mucinous, poorly differentiated tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant chemotherapy
      demonstrated a significant OS benefit regardless of histology. However, for
      patients with stage IV disease, the benefit of systemic chemotherapy varied by
      tumor histology and grade, with patients with well-differentiated, mucinous,
      appendiceal adenocarcinomas deriving no survival benefit from systemic
      chemotherapy. Cancer 2016;122:213-221. (c) 2015 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 26506402
TI  - Isometric skeletal muscle force measurement in primary myopathies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In myopathy patients, it is useful to measure skeletal muscle
      forces. Conventional methods require voluntary muscle activation, which can be
      unreliable. We evaluated a device for nonvoluntary force assessment. METHODS: We
      tested 8 patients (unknown myopathy n = 2, inflammatory myopathy,
      facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, mitochondrial myopathy, dysferlinopathy,
      multi-minicore disease, Becker-Kiener muscular dystrophy, n = 1 each). Isometric
      twitch torques of ankle dorsiflexors were measured after fibular nerve
      stimulation. RESULTS: Six patients had decreased torques vs. 8 controls (men:
      median Newton-meter 1.6 vs. 5.7, women: 0.2 vs. 3.9, both P < 0.0001). Values
      correlated with Manual Muscle Test results (r = 0.73; r(2) = 0.53; P < 0.0001).
      In weak dorsiflexors, torque could be measured despite lower signal-to-noise
      ratios. In 2 patients with hypertrophy, we measured increased torques.
      CONCLUSIONS: Nonvoluntary muscle force assessment can be used in patients with
      myopathies, and values correlate with voluntary forces determined by traditional
      methods. Muscle Nerve 53: 913-917, 2016.

PMID- 26506404
TI  - The Role of Target Binding Kinetics in Drug Discovery.
AB  - Traditionally structure-activity/affinity relationships (SAR) have dominated
      research in medicinal chemistry. However, structure-kinetics relationships (SKR)
      can be very informative too. In this viewpoint we explore the molecular
      determinants of binding kinetics and discuss challenges for future binding
      kinetics studies. A scheme for future kinetics-directed drug design and discovery
      is also proposed. 

PMID- 26506405
TI  - Isocyanides as Influenza A Virus Subtype H5N1 Wild-Type M2 Channel Inhibitors.
AB  - Basic bulky amines such as amantadine are well-characterized M2 channel blockers,
      useful for treating influenza. Herein we report our surprising findings that
      charge-neutral, bulky isocyanides exhibit activities similar to--or even higher
      than--that of amantadine. We also demonstrate that these isocyanides have potent
      growth inhibitory activity against the H5N1 virus. The -NH2 to -N=C group
      replacement within current anti-influenza drugs was found to give compounds with
      high activities at low-micromolar concentrations. For example, a tenfold
      improvement in potency was observed for 1-isocyanoadamantane (27), with an EC50
      value of 0.487 MUm against amantadine-sensitive H5N1 virus as determined by both
      MTT and plaque-reduction assays, without showing cytotoxicity. Furthermore, the
      isocyanide analogues synthesized in this study did not inhibit the V27A or S31N
      mutant M2 ion channels, according to electrophysiology experiments, and did not
      exhibit activity against amantadine-resistant virus strains.

PMID- 26506406
TI  - A Molecular Clue to PTSD.
AB  - Work on rats and humans reveals a role for reduction in the levels of the stress
      regulated protein kinase SGK1 in the development of post-traumatic stress
      disorder. Read the Research Article. 

PMID- 26506407
TI  - Leigh syndrome: One disorder, more than 75 monogenic causes.
AB  - Leigh syndrome is the most common pediatric presentation of mitochondrial
      disease. This neurodegenerative disorder is genetically heterogeneous, and to
      date pathogenic mutations in >75 genes have been identified, encoded by 2 genomes
      (mitochondrial and nuclear). More than one-third of these disease genes have been
      characterized in the past 5 years alone, reflecting the significant advances made
      in understanding its etiological basis. We review the diverse biochemical and
      genetic etiology of Leigh syndrome and associated clinical, neuroradiological,
      and metabolic features that can provide clues for diagnosis. We discuss the
      emergence of genotype-phenotype correlations, insights gleaned into the molecular
      basis of disease, and available therapeutic options.

PMID- 26506408
TI  - Preparation and characterization of a biologic scaffold and hydrogel derived from
      colonic mucosa.
AB  - Gastrointestinal pathologies, injuries, and defects affect millions of
      individuals each year. While there are diverse treatment options for these
      individuals, no ideal solution exists. The repair or replacement of
      gastrointestinal tissue, therefore, represents a large unmet clinical need.
      Biomaterials derived from extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds have been
      effectively used to repair or replace numerous tissues throughout the body in
      both preclinical and clinical studies. Such scaffolds are prepared from
      decellularized tissues, and the biochemical, structural, and biologic properties
      vary depending upon the source tissue from which the ECM is derived. Given the
      potential benefit of a site-specific ECM scaffold for some applications, the
      objective of this study was to prepare, characterize, and determine the in vitro
      and in vivo cell response to ECM derived from porcine colon. Results of this
      study show that porcine colon can be effectively decellularized while retaining
      biochemical and structural constituents of the source tissue. Two forms of
      colonic ECM, scaffold and hydrogel, were shown to be cell friendly and facilitate
      the polarization of macrophages toward an M2 phenotype both in vitro and in vivo.
      (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B:
      291-306, 2017.

PMID- 26506409
TI  - Deformation of Microporous Carbon during Adsorption of Nitrogen, Argon, Carbon
      Dioxide, and Water Studied by in Situ Dilatometry.
AB  - Adsorption-induced deformation of a monolithic, synthetic carbon of clearly
      distinguishable micro- and mesoporosity was analyzed by in situ dilatometry with
      N2 (77 K), Ar (77 K), CO2 (273 K), and H2O (298 K). A characteristic nonmonotonic
      shape of the strain isotherm showing contraction of the sample at initial
      micropore adsorption followed by expansion toward completion of micropore filling
      was found for all adsorbates. However, the extent of contraction and expansion
      varied significantly with the adsorbate type. The deformation differences
      observed were compared with the density ratio of the adsorbates within the
      micropores and the respective unconfined fluids. In particular, CO2 caused the
      least contraction of the sample, while in parallel adsorbed CO2 molecules were
      predicted to be considerably compacted inside carbon micropores compared to bulk
      liquid CO2. On the contrary, the packing of H2O molecules within carbon
      micropores is less dense than in the bulk liquid and adsorption of H2O produced
      the most pronounced contraction. N2 and Ar, both exhibiting essentially the same
      densities in adsorbed and bulk liquid phase, induced very similar deformation of
      the sample. These findings support theoretical predictions, which correlate
      adsorption-induced deformation and packing of molecules adsorbed in micropores.
      Additionally for the first time, we demonstrated with the N2 strain isotherm the
      existence of two nonmonotonic stages of subsequent contraction and expansion in
      the regions of micropore and mesopore filling. This characteristic behavior is
      expected for any micro- and mesoporous material. 

PMID- 26506410
TI  - The AHA Moment: Assessment of the Redox Stability of Ionic Liquids Based on
      Aromatic Heterocyclic Anions (AHAs) for Nuclear Separations and Electric Energy
      Storage.
AB  - Because of their extended conjugated bond network, aromatic compounds generally
      have higher redox stability than less saturated compounds. We conjectured that
      ionic liquids (ILs) consisting of aromatic heterocyclic anions (AHAs) may exhibit
      improved radiation and electrochemical stability. Such properties are important
      in applications of these ILs as diluents in radionuclide separations and
      electrolytes in the electric energy storage devices. In this study, we
      systematically examine the redox chemistry of the AHAs. Three classes of these
      anions have been studied: (i) simple 5-atom ring AHAs, such as the pyrazolide and
      triazolides, (ii) AHAs containing an adjacent benzene ring, and (iii) AHAs
      containing electron-withdrawing groups that were introduced to reduce their
      basicity and interaction with metal ions. It is shown that fragmentation in the
      reduced and oxidized states of these AHAs does not generally occur, and the two
      main products, respectively, are the H atom adduct and the imidyl radical. The
      latter species occurs either as an N sigma-radical or as an N pi-radical,
      depending on the length of the N-N bond, and the state that is stabilized in the
      solid matrix is frequently different from that having the lowest energy in the
      gas phase. In some instances, the formation of the sandwich pi-stack dimer
      radical anions has been observed. For trifluoromethylated anions, H adduct
      formation did not occur; instead, there was facile loss of fluoride from their
      fluorinated groups. The latter can be problematic in nuclear separations, but
      beneficial in batteries. Overall, our study suggests that AHA-based ILs are
      viable candidates for use as radiation-exposed diluents and electrolytes. 

PMID- 26506411
TI  - Cardiac Mechanics in Children with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disruption of pulmonary vasculogenesis occurs in bronchopulmonary
      dysplasia (BPD). Increased impedance to pulmonary flow secondary to abnormal
      vascular development may affect ventricular mechanics. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to
      test the hypothesis that cardiac mechanics are altered in prematurely born
      children with BPD. METHODS: A cohort of 47 children was studied: 22 aged 48.9 +/-
      6.4 months born preterm with BPD (group I), 13 aged 46.3 +/- 8.1 months born
      preterm without BPD (group II), and 12 healthy children aged 53.4 +/- 12.2 months
      born at term (group III). Left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) strain and strain
      rate were assessed by speckle-tracking echocardiography. RESULTS: The global RV
      systolic strain rate (p = 0.022) was significantly lower, while RV systolic
      strain (p = 0.05) and early diastolic strain rate (p = 0.05) and LV longitudinal
      systolic strain rate (p = 0.06) also tended to be lower in group I than group
      III. Group I also tended to have lower RV systolic strain (p = 0.09) and early
      diastolic strain rate (p = 0.049) and LV longitudinal systolic strain rate (p =
      0.08) than group II. An increasing trend from group I to III was observed for RV
      lateral wall and septal systolic strain and strain rate (all p < 0.05). The LV
      but not RV size was significantly smaller in group I compared with group III (p <
      0.05). Multiple regression identified duration of invasive ventilation (beta = 
      0.66, p = 0.032) as an independent determinant of RV systolic strain after
      adjustment for perinatal risk factors. CONCLUSION: Impairment of RV myocardial
      deformation occurs in children with BPD, the magnitude of which is associated
      negatively with the duration of invasive ventilation.

PMID- 26506412
TI  - Deficiency of Calcium-Independent Phospholipase A2 Beta Induces Brain Iron
      Accumulation through Upregulation of Divalent Metal Transporter 1.
AB  - Mutations in PLA2G6 have been proposed to be the cause of neurodegeneration with
      brain iron accumulation type 2. The present study aimed to clarify the mechanism
      underlying brain iron accumulation during the deficiency of calcium-independent
      phospholipase A2 beta (iPLA2beta), which is encoded by the PLA2G6 gene. Perl's
      staining with diaminobenzidine enhancement was used to visualize brain iron
      accumulation. Western blotting was used to investigate the expression of
      molecules involved in iron homeostasis, including divalent metal transporter 1
      (DMT1) and iron regulatory proteins (IRP1 and 2), in the brains of iPLA2beta
      knockout (KO) mice as well as in PLA2G6-knockdown (KD) SH-SY5Y human
      neuroblastoma cells. Furthermore, mitochondrial functions such as ATP production
      were examined. We have discovered for the first time that marked iron deposition
      was observed in the brains of iPLA2beta-KO mice since the early clinical stages.
      DMT1 and IRP2 were markedly upregulated in all examined brain regions of aged
      iPLA2beta-KO mice compared to age-matched wild-type control mice. Moreover,
      peroxidized lipids were increased in the brains of iPLA2beta-KO mice. DMT1 and
      IRPs were significantly upregulated in PLA2G6-KD cells compared with cells
      treated with negative control siRNA. Degeneration of the mitochondrial inner
      membrane and decrease of ATP production were observed in PLA2G6-KD cells. These
      results suggest that the genetic ablation of iPLA2beta increased iron uptake in
      the brain through the activation of IRP2 and upregulation of DMT1, which may be
      associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. 

PMID- 26506413
TI  - A Single Bout of Moderate Aerobic Exercise Improves Motor Skill Acquisition.
AB  - Long-term exercise is associated with improved performance on a variety of
      cognitive tasks including attention, executive function, and long-term memory.
      Remarkably, recent studies have shown that even a single bout of aerobic exercise
      can lead to immediate improvements in declarative learning and memory, but less
      is known about the effect of exercise on motor learning. Here we sought to
      determine the effect of a single bout of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on
      motor skill learning. In experiment 1, we investigated the effect of moderate
      aerobic exercise on motor acquisition. 24 young, healthy adults performed a motor
      learning task either immediately after 30 minutes of moderate intensity running,
      after running followed by a long rest period, or after slow walking. Motor skill
      was assessed via a speed-accuracy tradeoff function to determine how exercise
      might differentially affect two distinct components of motor learning
      performance: movement speed and accuracy. In experiment 2, we investigated both
      acquisition and retention of motor skill across multiple days of training. 20
      additional participants performed either a bout of running or slow walking
      immediately before motor learning on three consecutive days, and only motor
      learning (no exercise) on a fourth day. We found that moderate intensity running
      led to an immediate improvement in motor acquisition for both a single session
      and on multiple sessions across subsequent days, but had no effect on between-day
      retention. This effect was driven by improved movement accuracy, as opposed to
      speed. However, the benefit of exercise was dependent upon motor learning
      occurring immediately after exercise-resting for a period of one hour after
      exercise diminished the effect. These results demonstrate that moderate intensity
      exercise can prime the nervous system for the acquisition of new motor skills,
      and suggest that similar exercise protocols may be effective in improving the
      outcomes of movement rehabilitation programs. 

PMID- 26506414
TI  - Group Music Training and Children's Prosocial Skills.
AB  - We investigated if group music training in childhood is associated with prosocial
      skills. Children in 3rd or 4th grade who attended 10 months of music lessons
      taught in groups were compared to a control group of children matched for socio
      economic status. All children were administered tests of prosocial skills near
      the beginning and end of the 10-month period. Compared to the control group,
      children in the music group had larger increases in sympathy and prosocial
      behavior, but this effect was limited to children who had poor prosocial skills
      before the lessons began. The effect was evident even when the lessons were
      compulsory, which minimized the role of self-selection. The results suggest that
      group music training facilitates the development of prosocial skills. 

PMID- 26506415
TI  - mTOR and MEK1/2 inhibition differentially modulate tumor growth and the immune
      microenvironment in syngeneic models of oral cavity cancer.
AB  - We investigated the effects of mTOR and MEK1/2 inhibition on tumor growth and the
      tumor microenvironment in immunogenic and poorly immunogenic models of murine
      oral cancer. In vitro, rapamycin and PD901 inhibited signaling through expected
      downstream targets, but only PD901 reduced viability and altered function of MOC
      cells. Following transplantation of MOC cells into immune-competent mice, effects
      on both cancer and infiltrating immune cells were characterized following
      rapamycin and/or PD901 treatment for 21 days. In vivo, both rapamycin and PD901
      inhibition reduced primary growth of established MOC tumors on treatment.
      Following withdrawal of PD901, rapid rebound of tumor growth limited survival,
      whereas durable tumor control was observed following rapamycin treatment in
      immunogenic MOC1 tumors despite more robust inhibition of oncogenic signaling by
      PD901. Characterization of the immune microenvironment revealed diminished
      infiltration and activation of antigen-specific CD8+ T-cells and other immune
      cells following PD901 but not rapamycin in immunogenic tumors. Subsequent in
      vitro T-cell assays validated robust inhibition of T-cell expansion and
      activation following MEK inhibition compared to mTOR inhibition. CD8 cell
      depletion abrogated rapamycin-induced primary tumor growth inhibition in MOC1
      mice. These data have critical implications in the design of combination targeted
      and immune therapies in oral cancer. 

PMID- 26506416
TI  - Potential role of aquaporin 3 in gastric intestinal metaplasia.
AB  - Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) is a pre-cancerous condition and a pivotal
      step in the formation of gastric cancer (GC). Aquaporin 3 (AQP3) has been found
      to be expressed in goblet cells rather than mucus-secreting glands. To
      investigate the characteristics of GIM in non-cancerous tissues adjacent to GC,
      as well as the expression and role of AQP3 in GIM tissues, 16 patients diagnosed
      with gastric adenocarcinoma of intestinal type located in the lesser curve of the
      antrum were consecutively enrolled in this study. A new pathological technology
      called "gastric mucosal sausage roll" was introduced. GIM was determined
      according to the updated Sydney system, and AQP3 expression in goblet cells was
      determined by immunohistochemistry. GIM was found in all stomach specimens, and
      its incidence increased with progression to GC (P < 0.001). GIM prevalence
      displayed remarkable association with the distance to GC in the anterior gastric
      wall tissues (P = 0.016) and tissues toward the cardia (P = 0.014), such that GIM
      was more common in the areas closer to GC (P < 0.001). AQP3 was found to be
      expressed in 67.71% of parts with GIM, and AQP3 immunoreactivity was identified
      more frequently in severe GIM areas (P < 0.001). In short, the incidence and
      severity of GIM correlated with the distance from GC, and AQP3 was differentially
      expressed in goblet cells, with most AQP3-positive goblet cells presenting in
      severe GIM. Together, this study suggests that AQP3 may play an important role in
      gastric carcinogenesis from GIM. 

PMID- 26506417
TI  - Molecular profiling of low grade serous ovarian tumours identifies novel
      candidate driver genes.
AB  - Low grade serous ovarian tumours are a rare and under-characterised histological
      subtype of epithelial ovarian tumours, with little known of the molecular drivers
      and facilitators of tumorigenesis beyond classic oncogenic RAS/RAF mutations.
      With a move towards targeted therapies due to the chemoresistant nature of this
      subtype, it is pertinent to more fully characterise the genetic events driving
      this tumour type, some of which may influence response to therapy and/or
      development of drug resistance. We performed genome-wide high-resolution genomic
      copy number analysis (Affymetrix SNP6.0) and mutation hotspot screening (KRAS,
      BRAF, NRAS, HRAS, ERBB2 and TP53) to compare a large cohort of ovarian serous
      borderline tumours (SBTs, n = 57) with low grade serous carcinomas (LGSCs, n =
      19). Whole exome sequencing was performed for 13 SBTs, nine LGSCs and one mixed
      low/high grade carcinoma. Copy number aberrations were detected in 61% (35/57) of
      SBTs, compared to 100% (19/19) of LGSCs. Oncogenic RAS/RAF/ERBB2 mutations were
      detected in 82.5% (47/57) of SBTs compared to 63% (12/19) of LGSCs, with NRAS
      mutations detected only in LGSC. Some copy number aberrations appeared to be
      enriched in LGSC, most significantly loss of 9p and homozygous deletions of the
      CDKN2A/2B locus. Exome sequencing identified BRAF, KRAS, NRAS, USP9X and EIF1AX
      as the most frequently mutated genes. We have identified markers of progression
      from borderline to LGSC and novel drivers of LGSC. USP9X and EIF1AX have both
      been linked to regulation of mTOR, suggesting that mTOR inhibitors may be a key
      companion treatment for targeted therapy trials of MEK and RAF inhibitors. 

PMID- 26506418
TI  - Long non-coding RNA ZFAS1 interacts with CDK1 and is involved in p53-dependent
      cell cycle control and apoptosis in colorectal cancer.
AB  - We determined expression of 83 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and identified
      ZFAS1 to be significantly up-regulated in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissue. In
      cohort of 119 CRC patients we observed that 111 cases displayed at least two
      times higher expression of ZFAS1 in CRC compared to paired normal colorectal
      tissue (P < 0.0001). By use of CRC cell lines (HCT116+/+, HCT116-/- and DLD-1) we
      showed, that ZFAS1 silencing decreases proliferation through G1-arrest of cell
      cycle, and also tumorigenicity of CRC cells. We identified Cyclin-dependent
      kinase 1 (CDK1) as interacting partner of ZFAS1 by pull-down experiment and RNA
      immunoprecipitation. Further, we have predicted by bioinformatics approach ZFAS1
      to sponge miR-590-3p, which was proved to target CDK1. Levels of CDK1 were not
      affected by ZFAS1 silencing, but cyclin B1 was decreased in both cell lines. We
      observed significant increase in p53 levels and PARP cleavage in CRC cell lines
      after ZFAS1 silencing indicating increase in apoptosis. Our data suggest that
      ZFAS1 may function as oncogene in CRC by two main actions: (i) via
      destabilization of p53 and through (ii) interaction with CDK1/cyclin B1 complex
      leading to cell cycle progression and inhibition of apoptosis. However, molecular
      mechanisms behind these interactions have to be further clarified. 

PMID- 26506419
TI  - Active glycolytic metabolism in CD133(+) hepatocellular cancer stem cells:
      regulation by MIR-122.
AB  - Although altered metabolic pathway is an important diagnostic maker and
      therapeutic target in cancer, it is poorly understood in cancer stem cells
      (CSCs). Here we show that the CD133 (+) hepatocellular CSCs have distinct
      metabolic properties, characterized by more active glycolysis over oxidative
      phosphorylation, compared to the CD133 (-) cells. Inhibition of PDK4 and LDHA
      markedly suppresses CD133 (+) stemness characteristics and overcome resistance to
      sorafenib (current chemotherapeutic agent for hepatocellular cancer). Addition of
      glucose or lactate to CD133 (-) cells promotes CSC phenotypes, as evidenced by
      increased CD133 (+) cell population, elevated stemness gene expression and
      enhanced spheroid formation. Furthermore, the liver-specific miRNA, miR-122,
      inhibits CSC phenotypes by regulating glycolysis through targeting PDK4. Our
      findings suggest that enhanced glycolysis is associated with CD133 (+) stem-like
      characteristics and that metabolic reprogramming through miR-122 or PDK4 may
      represent a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of hepatocellular
      cancer. 

PMID- 26506420
TI  - Cetuximab enhanced the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agent in ABCB1/P-glycoprotein
      overexpressing cancer cells.
AB  - The overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters is closely
      associated with the development of multidrug resistance (MDR) in certain types of
      cancer, which represents a formidable obstacle to the successful cancer
      chemotherapy. Here, we investigated that cetuximab, an EGFR monoclonal antibody,
      reversed the chemoresistance mediated by ABCB1, ABCG2 or ABCC1. Our results
      showed that cetuximab significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity of ABCB1 substrate
      agent in ABCB1-overexpressing MDR cells but had no effect in their parental drug
      sensitive cells and ABCC1, ABCG2 overexpressing cells. Furthermore, cetuximab
      markedly increased intracellular accumulation of doxorubicin (DOX) and rhodamine
      123 (Rho 123) in ABCB1-overexpressing MDR cancer cells in a concentration
      dependent manner. Cetuximab stimulated the ATPase activity but did not alter the
      expression level of ABCB1 or block phosphorylation of AKT and ERK. Interestingly,
      cetuximab decreased the cell membrane fluidity which was known to decrease the
      function of ABCB1. Our findings advocate further clinical investigation of
      combination chemotherapy of cetuximab and conventional chemotherapeutic drugs in
      ABCB1 overexpressing cancer patients. 

PMID- 26506421
TI  - Cardamonin reduces chemotherapy-enriched breast cancer stem-like cells in vitro
      and in vivo.
AB  - The failure of cytotoxic chemotherapy in breast cancers has been closely
      associated with the presence of drug resistant cancer stem cells (CSCs). Thus,
      screening for small molecules that selectively inhibit growth of CSCs may offer
      great promise for cancer control, particularly in combination with chemotherapy.
      In this report, we provide the first demonstration that cardamonin, a small
      molecule, selectively inhibits breast CSCs that have been enriched by
      chemotherapeutic drugs. In addition, cardamonin also sufficiently prevents the
      enrichment of CSCs when simultaneously used with chemotherapeutic drugs.
      Specifically, cardamonin effectively abolishes chemotherapeutic drug-induced up
      regulation of IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1 and activation of NF-kappaB/IKBalpha and
      Stat3. Furthermore, in a xenograft mouse model, co-administration of cardamonin
      and the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin significantly retards tumor growth and
      simultaneously decreases CSC pools in vivo. Since cardamonin has been found in
      some herbs, this work suggests a potential new approach for the effective
      treatment of breast CSCs by administration of cardamonin either concurrent with
      or after chemotherapeutic drugs. 

PMID- 26506422
TI  - Bcl-xL inhibition by molecular-targeting drugs sensitizes human pancreatic cancer
      cells to TRAIL.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces
      apoptosis in various types of cancer cells without damaging normal cells.
      However, in terms of pancreatic cancer, not all cancer cells are sensitive to
      TRAIL. In this study, we examined a panel of human pancreatic cancer cell lines
      for TRAIL sensitivity and investigated the effects of Bcl-2 family inhibitors on
      their response to TRAIL. Both ABT-263 and ABT-737 inhibited the function of Bcl
      2, Bcl-xL, and Bcl-w. Of the nine pancreatic cancer cell lines tested, six showed
      no or low sensitivity to TRAIL, which correlated with protein expression of Bcl
      xL. ABT-263 significantly sensitized four cell lines (AsPC-1, Panc-1, CFPAC-1,
      and Panc10.05) to TRAIL, with reduced cell viability and increased apoptosis.
      Knockdown of Bcl-xL, but not Bcl-2, by siRNA transfection increased the
      sensitivity of AsPC-1 and Panc-1 cells to TRAIL. ABT-263 treatment had no effect
      on protein expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, or c-FLIPs. In Panc-1 cells, ABT-263
      increased the surface expression of death receptor (DR) 5; the NF-kappaB pathway,
      but not endoplasmic reticulum stress, participated in the increase. In xenograft
      mouse models, the combination of TRAIL and ATB-737 suppressed the in vivo tumor
      growth of AsPC-1 and Panc-1 cells. These results indicate that Bcl-xL is
      responsible for TRAIL resistance in human pancreatic cancer cells, and that Bcl-2
      family inhibitors could represent promising reagents to sensitize human
      pancreatic cancers in DR-targeting therapy. 

PMID- 26506424
TI  - A framework for T cell assays.

PMID- 26506423
TI  - Bis-cyclopropane analog of disorazole C1 is a microtubule-destabilizing agent
      active in ABCB1-overexpressing human colon cancer cells.
AB  - The novel, chemically stabilized disorazole analog, (-)-CP2-disorazole C1 (1)
      displayed potent anti-proliferative activity against a broad-spectrum of human
      colorectal cancer cells. HCT15 and H630R1 cell lines expressing high basal levels
      of the ABCB1 protein, known to cause multi-drug resistance, were also sensitive
      to growth inhibition by 1 but were resistant to both vincristine and docetaxel,
      two commonly used microtubule inhibitors. Compound 1 exhibited strong inhibition
      of tubulin polymerization at a level comparable to vincristine. In addition,
      treatment with 1 resulted in decreased protein levels of beta-tubulin but not
      alpha-tubulin. An analysis of cellular proteins known to interact with
      microtubules showed that 1 caused decreased expression of c-Myc, APC, Rb, and
      additional key cellular signaling pathways in CRC cells. Treatment with compound
      1 also resulted in G2/M cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis, but not
      senescence. Furthermore, endothelial spheroid sprouting assays demonstrated that
      1 suppressed angiogenesis and can, therefore, potentially prevent cancer cells
      from spreading and metastasizing. Taken together, these findings suggest that the
      microtubule disruptor 1 may be a potential drug candidate for the treatment of
      mCRC. 

PMID- 26506425
TI  - Epigenetic downregulation of the ISG15-conjugating enzyme UbcH8 impairs lipolysis
      and correlates with poor prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
AB  - We identified the UBE2L6 gene, encoding the ISG15-conjugating enzyme UbcH8, as
      one gene significantly downregulated by promoter hypermethylation in
      nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Reduced expression of the UbcH8 protein
      correlated with poor outcome in NPC patients. Restored expression of UBE2L6
      suppressed proliferation and colony formation in NPC cells, while inducing
      apoptosis. Of particular interest, we found that aberrant lipid turnover was
      controlled by UbcH8 in NPC through ISG15-conjugation of valosin-containing
      protein (VCP). Tumor tissue and NPC cell lines showed conspicuously strong
      accumulation of lipid droplets (LDs) compared to control nasopharyngeal
      epithelium and non-cancerous cell lines. We demonstrated that UbcH8 counteracts
      degradation of adipocyte triglyceride lipase (ATGL), a key enzyme in lipid
      catabolism. 

PMID- 26506426
TI  - Dosage Compensation of X-Linked Muller Element F Genes but Not X-Linked
      Transgenes in the Australian Sheep Blowfly.
AB  - In most animals that have X and Y sex chromosomes, chromosome-wide mechanisms are
      used to balance X-linked gene expression in males and females. In the fly
      Drosophila melanogaster, the dosage compensation mechanism also generally extends
      to X-linked transgenes. Over 70 transgenic lines of the Australian sheep blowfly
      Lucilia cuprina have been made as part of an effort to develop male-only strains
      for a genetic control program of this major pest of sheep. All lines carry a
      constitutively expressed fluorescent protein marker gene. In all 12 X-linked
      lines, female larvae show brighter fluorescence than male larvae, suggesting the
      marker gene is not dosage compensated. This has been confirmed by quantitative RT
      PCR for selected lines. To determine if endogenous X-linked genes are dosage
      compensated, we isolated 8 genes that are orthologs of genes that are on the
      fourth chromosome in D. melanogaster. Recent evidence suggests that the D.
      melanogaster fourth chromosome, or Muller element F, is the ancestral X
      chromosome in Diptera that has reverted to an autosome in Drosophila species. We
      show by quantitative PCR of male and female DNA that 6 of the 8 linkage group F
      genes reside on the X chromosome in L. cuprina. The other two Muller element F
      genes were found to be autosomal in L. cuprina, whereas two Muller element B
      genes were found on the same region of the X chromosome as the L. cuprina
      orthologs of the D. melanogaster Ephrin and gawky genes. We find that the L.
      cuprina X chromosome genes are equally expressed in males and females (i.e.,
      fully dosage compensated). Thus, unlike in Drosophila, it appears that the
      Lucilia dosage compensation system is specific for genes endogenous to the X
      chromosome and cannot be co-opted by recently arrived transgenes. 

PMID- 26506428
TI  - Capillary Force Driven Self-Assembly of Anisotropic Hierarchical Structures
      Prepared by Femtosecond Laser 3D Printing and Their Applications in Crystallizing
      Microparticles.
AB  - The hierarchical structures are the derivation of various functionalities in the
      natural world and have inspired broad practical applications in chemical
      systhesis and biological manipulation. However, traditional top-down fabrication
      approaches suffered from low complexity. We propose a laser printing capillary
      assisted self-assembly (LPCS) strategy for fabricating regular periodic
      structures. Microscale pillars are first produced by the localized femtosecond
      laser polymerization and are subsequently self-assembled into periodic
      hierarchical architectures with the assistance of controlled capillary force.
      Moreover, based on anisotropic assemblies of micropillars, the LPCS method is
      further developed for the preparation of more complicated and advanced functional
      microstructures. Pillars cross section, height, and spatial arrangement can be
      tuned to guide capillary force, and diverse assemblies with different
      configurations are thus achieved. Finally, we developed a strategy for growing
      micro/nanoparticles in designed spatial locations through solution-evaporation
      self-assembly induced by morphology. Due to the high flexibility of LPCS method,
      the special arrangements, sizes, and distribution density of the
      micro/nanoparticles can be controlled readily. Our method will be employed not
      only to fabricate anisotropic hierarchical structures but also to design and
      manufacture organic/inorganic microparticles. 

PMID- 26506427
TI  - LXR Agonism Upregulates the Macrophage ABCA1/Syntrophin Protein Complex That Can
      Bind ApoA-I and Stabilized ABCA1 Protein, but Complex Loss Does Not Inhibit Lipid
      Efflux.
AB  - Macrophage ABCA1 effluxes lipid and has anti-inflammatory activity. The
      syntrophins, which are cytoplasmic PDZ protein scaffolding factors, can bind
      ABCA1 and modulate its activity. However, many of the data assessing the function
      of the ABCA1-syntrophin interaction are based on overexpression in nonmacrophage
      cells. To assess endogenous complex function in macrophages, we derived
      immortalized macrophages from Abca1(+/+) and Abca1(-/-) mice and show their
      phenotype recapitulates primary macrophages. Abca1(+/+) lines express the CD11B
      and F4/80 macrophage markers and markedly upregulate cholesterol efflux in
      response to LXR nuclear hormone agonists. In contrast, immortalized Abca1(-/-)
      macrophages show no efflux to apoA-I. In response to LPS, Abca1(-/-) macrophages
      display pro-inflammatory changes, including an increased level of expression of
      cell surface CD14, and 11-26-fold higher levels of IL-6 and IL-12 mRNA. Given
      recapitulation of phenotype, we show with these lines that the ABCA1-syntrophin
      protein complex is upregulated by LXR agonists and can bind apoA-I. Moreover, in
      immortalized macrophages, combined alpha1/beta2-syntrophin loss modulated ABCA1
      cell surface levels and induced pro-inflammatory gene expression. However, loss
      of all three syntrophin isoforms known to bind ABCA1 did not impair lipid efflux
      in immortalized or primary macrophages. Thus, the ABCA1-syntrophin protein
      complex is not essential for ABCA1 macrophage lipid efflux but does directly
      interact with apoA-I and can modulate the pool of cell surface ABCA1 stabilized
      by apoA-I. 

PMID- 26506429
TI  - Pathway Distribution Model for Solute Transport in Stratum Corneum.
AB  - One of the main functions of the skin is to reduce the amount of water
      evaporating from the surface of a human body with outermost layer of the
      epidermis, stratum corneum (SC), forming a barrier, which protects underlying
      tissue from dehydration. Empirical data obtained for water penetration in SC are
      normally analysed using mathematical models, among which the homogeneous membrane
      (HM) model is commonly employed to describe transport kinetics in SC. However,
      the HM model failed to fit simultaneously the experimental data for water
      permeation and desorption (Anissimov YG, Roberts MS. 2009. J Pharm Sci 98:772
      781), as the model does not account for a complex structure of SC and irregular
      distribution of corneocytes. Our previous work (Anissimov YG, Roberts MS. 2009. J
      Pharm Sci 98:772-781) introduced a slow binding (SB) model that is more aligned
      with the true biological structure of SC. This report provides an
      alternative/additional model to both the HM and SB models and takes into account
      the distribution of effective pathways across SC for water transport.

PMID- 26506430
TI  - Silver-Catalyzed Enantioselective Propargylation Reactions of N
      Sulfonylketimines.
AB  - The enantioselective silver-catalyzed propargylation of N-sulfonylketimines is
      described. This reaction proceeds in high yield and excellent enantiomeric ratio
      and is compatible with a wide variety of diaryl- and alkylketimines. Synthetic
      transformations of homopropargylic products via enyne ring-closing metathesis,
      Sonogashira cross-coupling, and reduction reactions proceed with high
      stereochemical fidelity. Both allenyl and propargyl borolane reagents can be used
      to obtain homopropargylic products, a distribution most consistent with a
      mechanism involving transmetalation of the silver catalyst with the borolane
      reagent. 

PMID- 26506432
TI  - Transparency in reporting observational studies: reflections after a year.
AB  - The PLOS Medicine Editors take stock of changes in the reporting of observational
      studies following our new transparency guidelines from August 2014. 

PMID- 26506431
TI  - TRIM21 Promotes cGAS and RIG-I Sensing of Viral Genomes during Infection by
      Antibody-Opsonized Virus.
AB  - Encapsidation is a strategy almost universally employed by viruses to protect
      their genomes from degradation and from innate immune sensors. We show that
      TRIM21, which targets antibody-opsonized virions for proteasomal destruction,
      circumvents this protection, enabling the rapid detection and degradation of
      viral genomes before their replication. TRIM21 triggers an initial wave of
      cytokine transcription that is antibody, rather than pathogen, driven. This early
      response is augmented by a second transcriptional program, determined by the
      nature of the infecting virus. In this second response, TRIM21-induced exposure
      of the viral genome promotes sensing of DNA and RNA viruses by cGAS and RIG-I.
      This mechanism allows early detection of an infection event and drives an
      inflammatory response in mice within hours of viral challenge. 

PMID- 26506433
TI  - Broad CTL Response in Early HIV Infection Drives Multiple Concurrent CTL Escapes.
AB  - Recent studies have highlighted the ability of HIV to escape from cytotoxic T
      lymphocyte (CTL) responses that concurrently target multiple viral epitopes. Yet,
      the viral dynamics involved in such escape are incompletely understood. Previous
      analyses have made several strong assumptions regarding HIV escape from CTL
      responses such as independent or non-concurrent escape from individual CTL
      responses. Using experimental data from evolution of HIV half genomes in four
      patients we observe concurrent viral escape from multiple CTL responses during
      early infection (first 100 days of infection), providing confirmation of a recent
      result found in a study of one HIV-infected patient. We show that current methods
      of estimating CTL escape rates, based on the assumption of independent escapes,
      are biased and perform poorly when CTL escape proceeds concurrently at multiple
      epitopes. We propose a new method for analyzing longitudinal sequence data to
      estimate the rate of CTL escape across multiple epitopes; this method involves
      few parameters and performs well in simulation studies. By applying our novel
      method to experimental data, we find that concurrent multiple escapes occur at
      rates between 0.03 and 0.4 day(-1), a relatively broad range that reflects
      uncertainty due to sparse sampling and wide ranges of parameter values. However,
      we show that concurrent escape at rates 0.1-0.2 day(-1) across multiple epitopes
      is consistent with our patient datasets.

PMID- 26506434
TI  - A Within-Animal Comparison of Skilled Forelimb Assessments in Rats.
AB  - A variety of skilled reaching tasks have been developed to evaluate forelimb
      function in rodent models. The single pellet skilled reaching task and pasta
      matrix task have provided valuable insight into recovery of forelimb function in
      models of neurological injury and disease. Recently, several automated measures
      have been developed to reduce the cost and time burden of forelimb assessment in
      rodents. Here, we provide a within-subject comparison of three common forelimb
      assessments to allow direct evaluation of sensitivity and efficiency across
      tasks. Rats were trained to perform the single pellet skilled reaching task, the
      pasta matrix task, and the isometric pull task. Once proficient on all three
      tasks, rats received an ischemic lesion of motor cortex and striatum to impair
      use of the trained limb. On the second week post-lesion, all three tasks measured
      a significant deficit in forelimb function. Performance was well-correlated
      across tasks. By the sixth week post-lesion, only the isometric pull task
      measured a significant deficit in forelimb function, suggesting that this task is
      more sensitive to chronic impairments. The number of training days required to
      reach asymptotic performance was longer for the isometric pull task, but the
      total experimenter time required to collect and analyze data was substantially
      lower. These findings suggest that the isometric pull task represents an
      efficient, sensitive measure of forelimb function to facilitate preclinical
      evaluation in models of neurological injury and disease. 

PMID- 26506435
TI  - Alterations in carbohydrate metabolism in cirrhotic patients before and after
      liver transplant.
AB  - AIM: The main objective of this study is to demonstrate whether carbohydrate
      metabolism alterations identified in patients with advanced cirrhosis show any
      improvement after liver transplant. METHODS: The study included 86 patients who
      underwent liver transplant between March 2010 and February 2011. An oral glucose
      tolerance test was performed before the liver transplant, and 6 and 12 months
      after. Beta cell function and insulin resistance were also calculated, applying
      formulae that use basal plasma glycaemia and insulin, and plasma glycaemia and
      insulin during an oral glucose tolerance test. Risk factors for pre- and post
      transplant diabetes were also studied. The diagnosis of diabetes was based on an
      OGTT. RESULTS: The proportion of patients with diabetes before transplant, and at
      month 6 and 12 after transplant were 70.9%, 48.8% and 39.2%, respectively.
      Compared to baseline, at month 6 the odds ratio of having diabetes was 0.39 (IC
      95% [0.21, 0.73]) and at month 12 it was 0.26 (IC 95% [0.14, 0.50]). The
      composite insulin sensitivity index values at 6 and 12 months were 1.72 units
      higher (IC 95% [0.84, 2.58]) and 1.58 units higher (IC 95% [0.68, 2.44)] than
      baseline. A statistically significant association was found between high MELD
      values and high body mass index, and risk of pre-transplant diabetes (p=0.001 and
      p=0.033, respectively). Cirrhosis aetiology did not influence the risk of
      diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we were able to ascertain that alterations
      in carbohydrate metabolism typical of advanced cirrhosis improve after liver
      transplant. This improvement is mainly due to an improvement in insulin
      resistance.

PMID- 26506436
TI  - Enhanced In Vitro Biocompatibility of Chemically Modified Poly(dimethylsiloxane)
      Surfaces for Stable Adhesion and Long-term Investigation of Brain Cerebral Cortex
      Cells.
AB  - Studies on the mammalian brain cerebral cortex have gained increasing importance
      due to the relevance of the region in controlling critical higher brain
      functions. Interactions between the cortical cells and surface extracellular
      matrix (ECM) proteins play a pivotal role in promoting stable cell adhesion,
      growth, and function. Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) based platforms have been
      increasingly used for on-chip in vitro cellular system analysis. However, the
      inherent hydrophobicity of the PDMS surface has been unfavorable for any long
      term cell system investigations due to transitory physical adsorption of ECM
      proteins on PDMS surfaces followed by eventual cell dislodgement due to poor
      anchorage and viability. To address this critical issue, we employed the (3
      aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) based cross-linking strategy to stabilize ECM
      protein immobilization on PDMS. The efficiency of surface modification in
      supporting adhesion and long-term viability of neuronal and glial cells was
      analyzed. The chemically modified surfaces showed a relatively higher cell
      survival with an increased neurite length and neurite branching. These changes
      were understood in terms of an increase in surface hydrophilicity, protein
      stability, and cell-ECM protein interactions. The modification strategy could be
      successfully applied for stable cortical cell culture on the PDMS microchip for
      up to 3 weeks in vitro. 

PMID- 26506437
TI  - Circulating Concentrations of Vitamin B6 and Kidney Cancer Prognosis: A
      Prospective Case-Cohort Study.
AB  - Prospective cohort studies have found that prediagnostic circulating vitamin B6
      is inversely associated with both risk of kidney cancer and kidney cancer
      prognosis. We investigated whether circulating concentrations of vitamin B6 at
      kidney cancer diagnosis are associated with risk of death using a case-cohort
      study of 630 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients. Blood was collected at the time
      of diagnosis, and vitamin B6 concentrations were quantified using LC-MS/MS.
      Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using Cox
      regression models. After adjusting for stage, age, and sex, the hazard was 3
      times lower among those in the highest compared to the lowest fourth of B6
      concentration (HR4vs1 0.33, 95% CI [0.18, 0.60]). This inverse association was
      solely driven by death from RCC (HR4vs1 0.22, 95% CI [0.11, 0.46]), and not death
      from other causes (HR4vs1 0.89, 95% CI [0.35, 2.28], p-interaction = 0.008).
      These results suggest that circulating vitamin B6 could provide additional
      prognostic information for kidney cancer patients beyond that afforded by tumour
      stage. 

PMID- 26506438
TI  - Evaluation and Optimization of an ELISA Procedure to Quantify Antibodies Against
      Pneumococcal Polysaccharides Included in the 13-Valent Conjugate Vaccine.
AB  - The 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) is recommended for HIV
      infected people, although its effectiveness in this population remains under
      evaluation. In this study, we describe the development, optimization, and
      analytical validation of an ELISA procedure to measure specific antibodies for
      the pneumococcal polysaccharide serotypes included in PCV13 vaccine, testing sera
      obtained from HIV-infected outpatients (n = 30) who received the vaccine. The
      protocol followed the last version of WHO guidelines, based on the new standard
      007sp, with the modification of employing Statens Serum Institut (SSI) antigens.
      We supplied the assay performance validation in terms of sensitivity,
      reproducibility, precision and accuracy. In addition we detailed optimal antigen
      coating concentrations and ELISA conditions common to all 13 serotypes, suitable
      for laboratories performing these assays in order to standardize the method. Our
      procedure showed reproducibility and reliability, making it a valid alternative
      for evaluating the response to pneumococcal serotypes included in PCV13 vaccine. 

PMID- 26506440
TI  - Penetrance of pathogenic mutations in haploinsufficient genes for intellectual
      disability and related disorders.
AB  - De novo loss of function (LOF) mutations in the ASXL3 gene cause Bainbridge
      Ropers syndrome, a severe form of intellectual disability (ID) and developmental
      delay, but there is evidence that they also occur in healthy individuals. This
      has prompted us to look for non-pathogenic LOF variants in other ID genes.
      Heterozygous LOF mutations in ASXL1, a paralog of ASXL3, are known to cause
      Bohring-Opitz syndrome (BOS), and benign LOF mutations in this gene have not been
      published to date. Therefore, we were surprised to find 56 ASXL1 LOF variants in
      the ExAC database (http://exac.broadinstitute.org), comprising exomes from 60,706
      individuals who had been selected to exclude severe genetic childhood disorders.
      4 of these variants have been described as disease-causing in patients with BOS,
      which rules out the possibility that pathogenic and clinically neutral LOF
      variants in this gene are functionally distinct. Apparently benign LOF variants
      were also detected in several other genes for ID and related disorders, including
      CDH15, KATNAL2, DEPDC5, ARID1B and AUTS2, both in the ExAC database and in the
      6,500 exomes of the Exome Variant Server (http://evs.gs.washington.edu/EVS/).
      These observations argue for low penetrance of LOF mutations in ASXL1 and other
      genes for ID and related disorders, which could have far-reaching implications
      for genetic counseling and research. 

PMID- 26506439
TI  - A Comparison of the Anorectic Effect and Safety of the Alpha2-Adrenoceptor
      Ligands Guanfacine and Yohimbine in Rats with Diet-Induced Obesity.
AB  - The search for drugs with anorectic activity, acting within the adrenergic system
      has attracted the interest of researchers. Partial alpha2-adrenoceptor agonists
      might offer the potential for effective and safe treatment of obesity. We
      compared the effectiveness and safety of alpha2-adrenoceptor ligands in reducing
      body mass. We also analyzed if antagonist and partial agonists of alpha2
      adrenoceptor--yohimbine and guanfacine--act similarly, and determined which
      course of action is connected with anorectic activity. We tested intrinsic
      activity and effect on the lipolysis of these compounds in cell cultures,
      evaluated their effect on meal size, body weight in Wistar rats with high-fat
      diet-induced obesity, and determined their effect on blood pressure, heart rate,
      lipid profile, spontaneous locomotor activity, core temperature and glucose, as
      well as glycerol and cortisol levels. Both guanfacine and yohimbine showed
      anorectic activity. Guanfacine was much more effective than yohimbine. Both
      significantly reduced the amount of intraperitoneal adipose tissue and had a
      beneficial effect on lipid profiles. Decreased response of alpha2A-adrenoceptors
      and partial stimulation of alpha2B-receptors seem to be responsible for the
      anorectic action of guanfacine. The stimulation of alpha1-adrenoceptors by
      guanfacine is responsible for cardiovascular side effects but may also be linked
      with improved anorexic effect. alpha1-adrenoceptor blockade is connected with the
      side effects of yohimbine, but it is also associated with the improvement of
      lipid profiles. Guanfacine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration
      (FDA) to treat hypertension and conduct disorder, but as it reduces body weight,
      it is worth examining its effectiveness and safety in models of obesity. 

PMID- 26506441
TI  - Carnitine palmitoyltransferase I gene in Synechogobius hasta: Cloning, mRNA
      expression and transcriptional regulation by insulin in vitro.
AB  - We cloned seven complete CPT I cDNA sequences (CPT I alpha1a-1a, CPT I alpha1a
      1b, CPT I alpha1a-1c, CPT I alpha1a-2, CPT I alpha2a, CPT I alpha2b1a, CPT I
      beta) and a partial cDNA sequence (CPT I alpha2b1b) from Synechogobius hasta.
      Phylogenetic analysis shows that there are four CPT I duplications in S. hasta,
      CPT I duplication resulting in CPT I alpha and CPT I beta, CPT I alpha
      duplication producing CPT I alpha1 and CPT I alpha2, CPT I alpha2 duplication
      generating CPT I alpha2a and CPT I alpha2b, and CPT I alpha2b duplication
      creating CPT I alpha2b1a and CPT I alpha2b1b. Alternative splicing of CPT
      Ialpha1a results in the generation of four CPT I isoforms, CPT I alpha1a-1a, CPT
      I alpha1a-1b, CPT I alpha1a-1c and CPT I alpha1a-2. Five CPT I transcripts (CPT I
      alpha1a, CPT I alpha2a, CPT I alpha2b1a, CPT I alpha2b1b and CPT I beta) mRNAs
      are expressed in a wide range of tissues, but their abundance of each CPT I mRNA
      shows the tissue-dependent expression patterns. Insulin incubation significantly
      reduces the mRNA expression of CPT Ialpha1a and CPT Ialpha2a, but not other
      transcripts in hepatocytes of S. hasta. For the first time, our study
      demonstrates CPT Ialpha2b duplication and CPT I alpha1a alternative splicing in
      fish at transcriptional level, and the CPT I mRNAs are differentially regulated
      by insulin in vitro, suggesting that four CPT I isoforms may play different
      physiological roles during insulin signaling. 

PMID- 26506442
TI  - Application of cryopreservation to genetic analyses of a photosynthetic
      picoeukaryote community.
AB  - Cryopreservation is useful for long-term maintenance of living strains in
      microbial culture collections. We applied this technique to environmental
      specimens from two monitoring sites at Sendai Bay, Japan and compared the
      microbial diversity of photosynthetic picoeukaryotes in samples before and after
      cryopreservation. Flow cytometry (FCM) showed no considerable differences between
      specimens. We used 2500 cells sorted with FCM for next-generation sequencing of
      18S rRNA gene amplicons and after removing low-quality sequences obtained 10,088
      37,454 reads. Cluster analysis and comparative correlation analysis of observed
      high-level operational taxonomic units indicated similarity between specimens
      before and after cryopreservation. The effects of cryopreservation on cells were
      assessed with representative culture strains, including fragile cryptophyte
      cells. We confirmed the usefulness of cryopreservation for genetic studies on
      environmental specimens, and found that small changes in FCM cytograms after
      cryopreservation may affect biodiversity estimation. 

PMID- 26506443
TI  - Inducible expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase attenuates acute rejection of
      tissue-engineered lung allografts in rats.
AB  - Lung disease remains one of the principal causes of death worldwide and the
      incidence of pulmonary diseases is increasing. Complexity in treatments and
      shortage of donors leads us to develop new ways for lung disease treatment. One
      promising strategy is preparing engineered lung for transplantation. In this
      context, employing new immunosuppression strategies which suppresses immune
      system locally rather than systemic improves transplant survival. This tends to
      reduce the difficulties in transplant rejection and the systemic impact of the
      use of immunosuppressive drugs which causes side effects such as serious
      infections and malignancies. In our study examining the immunosuppressive effects
      of IDO expression, we produced rat lung tissues with the help of decellularized
      tissue, differentiating medium and rat mesenchymal stem cells. Transduction of
      these cells by IDO expressing lentiviruses provided inducible and local
      expression of this gene. To examine immunosuppressive properties of IDO
      expression by these tissues, we transplanted these allografts into rats and,
      subsequently, evaluated cytokine expression and histopathological properties.
      Expression of inflammatory cytokines IFNgamma and TNFalpha were significantly
      downregulated in IDO expressing allograft. Moreover, acute rejection score of
      this experimental group was also lower comparing other two groups and mRNA levels
      of FOXP3, a regulatory T cell marker, upregulated in IDO expressing group.
      However, infiltrating lymphocyte counting did not show significant difference
      between groups. This study demonstrates that IDO gene transfer into engineered
      lung allograft tissues significantly attenuates acute allograft damage suggesting
      local therapy with IDO as a strategy to reduce the need for systemic
      immunosuppression and, thereby, its side effects. 

PMID- 26506444
TI  - Utilities of Patients with Hypertension in Northern Vietnam.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The study aims to inform potential cost-effectiveness analysis of
      hypertension management in Vietnam by providing utilities and predictors of
      utilities in patients with hypertension. METHODS: Hypertensive patients up to 80
      years old visiting the hospital were invited to participate in a survey using
      Quality Metric's Short-form 36v2TM translated into Vietnamese. Health-state
      utilities were estimated by applying a previously published algorithm. RESULTS:
      The mean utility of the 691 patients interviewed was 0.73. Controlling for age,
      sex, blood pressure (BP) stage, and history of stroke, the utilities in older
      patients were lower than those in younger ones, and statistically significantly
      different between the extremes of youngest and oldest groups (p = 0.03). Utility
      in males was higher than in females (p = 0.002). As expected, patients with a
      history of stroke appeared to exhibit lower utilities than patients without such
      history, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.73).
      Patients with more than three comorbidities did have lower utilities than
      patients without comorbidity (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Health-state utilities
      found among hypertensive patients in Vietnam were similar to those found in other
      international studies. It is suggested that lower of health-state utilities exist
      among those patients who were older, female or had more than three comorbidities
      in comparison with respective reference groups. However, further research for
      confirmation is required. The data from this study provide a potential reference
      on health-state utilities of hypertensive patients in Vietnam as an input for
      future cost-effectiveness analysis of interventions. Also, it may serve as a
      reference for other similar populations, especially in the context of similar
      environments in low income countries.

PMID- 26506445
TI  - Diazonium modification of porous graphitic carbon with catechol and amide groups
      for hydrophilic interaction and attenuated reversed phase liquid chromatography.
AB  - Porous graphitic carbon (PGC) is an increasingly popular and attractive phase for
      HPLC on account of its chemical and thermal stability, and its unique separation
      mechanism. However, native PGC is strongly hydrophobic and in some instances
      excessively retentive. As part of our effort to build a library of hydrophilic
      covalently modified PGC phases, we functionalized PGC with catechol and amide
      groups by means of aryl diazonium chemistry to produce two new phases. Successful
      grafting was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Under HILIC
      conditions, the Catechol-PGC showed up to 5-fold increased retention relative to
      unmodified PGC and selectivity that differed from four other HILIC phases. Under
      reversed phase conditions, the Amide-PGC reduced the retentivity of PGC by almost
      90%. The chromatographic performance of Catechol-PGC and Amide-PGC is
      demonstrated by separations of nucleobases, nucleosides, phenols, alkaline
      pharmaceuticals, and performance enhancing stimulants. These compounds had
      retention factors (k) ranging from 0.5 to 13. 

PMID- 26506446
TI  - A Double Heterozygous Mutation of TNNI3 Causes Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in a
      Han Chinese Family.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the variations in the TNNI3 gene in a Chinese Han
      family affected by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and the potential molecular
      mechanism linking these mutations with disease. METHODS: Peripheral venous blood
      was acquired from family members, and TNNI3 mutations were identified by DNA
      sequencing. The pathophysiology of TNNI3 mutations was investigated using
      bioinformatics, subcellular localization determination and Western blotting.
      RESULTS: Sanger sequencing revealed that the proband possessed 2 heterozygous
      mutations, c.235C>T and c.470C>T, located at exons 4 and 6 of the TNNI3 gene. The
      proband (II-2) and her brother (II-1), who had been previously diagnosed with
      HCM, harbored both mutations whereas their healthy parents harbored only 1.
      Alignment of the TNNI3 amino acid sequence indicated that the two Pro residues
      were highly conserved across species. Subcellular localization showed that both
      wild-type (WT) and mutant TNNI3 proteins were localized at the cell nucleus.
      Western blot analysis of expression in human embryonic kidney 293T cells showed
      that the intracellular levels of the mutant proteins were significantly decreased
      compared to WT TNNI3 (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that a double
      heterozygous mutation in the TNNI3 gene is involved in the pathogenesis of HCM
      via haploinsufficiency. These results will inspire further studies to
      investigating the link between the TNNI3 gene and HCM.

PMID- 26506447
TI  - Statistical Study of the Memory Effect in Model Natural Gas Hydrate Systems.
AB  - A high pressure automated lag time apparatus (HP-ALTA) was used for the
      investigation of the controversial memory effect in methane-propane mixed gas
      hydrates. The instrument can apply a large number of linear cooling ramps to a
      small volume of sample water under an isobaric condition of up to 15 MPa and
      record the maximum achievable subcooling for each cooling ramp. Over a hundred
      nucleation events were recorded for each of the several superheating temperatures
      used for the dissociation of the gas hydrate in a sample. In total, four
      different sample cells were used, and the effect of heating time was also studied
      for two of the four sample cells. A difference between two stochastic nucleation
      probability distributions was systematically and unambiguously quantified in
      terms of the most probable difference in the maximum achievable subcoolings. The
      protocol offers by far the most statistically robust method of quantification of
      the magnitude of the memory effect in each sample. From the analysis of several
      thousands of nucleation events, the following conclusions were made: (1) Even
      though the nucleation phenomena were intrinsically stochastic, a clear bias was
      observed which supported the existence of the memory effect. In particular, a
      reduction in the most probable subcooling of at least 4 K was required for
      positive identification of the memory effect for one of the sample cells. (2) The
      reduction increased as the superheating temperature was lowered. (3) The
      magnitude of the memory effect varied substantially among the sample cells used.
      (4) No significant effect of the heating time was observed in the range studied. 

PMID- 26506448
TI  - #3: Periviable birth.
AB  - Approximately 0.5% of all births occur before the third trimester of pregnancy,
      and these very early deliveries result in the majority of neonatal deaths and
      more than 40% of infant deaths. A recent executive summary of proceedings from a
      joint workshop defined periviable birth as delivery occurring from 20 0/7 weeks
      to 25 6/7 weeks of gestation. When delivery is anticipated near the limit of
      viability, families and health care teams are faced with complex and ethically
      challenging decisions. Multiple factors have been found to be associated with
      short-term and long-term outcomes of periviable births in addition to gestational
      age at birth. These include, but are not limited to, nonmodifiable factors (eg,
      fetal sex, weight, plurality), potentially modifiable antepartum and intrapartum
      factors (eg, location of delivery, intent to intervene by cesarean delivery or
      induction for delivery, administration of antenatal corticosteroids and magnesium
      sulfate), and postnatal management (eg, starting or withholding and continuing or
      withdrawing intensive care after birth). Antepartum and intrapartum management
      options vary depending upon the specific circumstances but may include short-term
      tocolytic therapy for preterm labor to allow time for administration of antenatal
      steroids, antibiotics to prolong latency after preterm premature rupture of
      membranes or for intrapartum group B streptococci prophylaxis, and delivery,
      including cesarean delivery, for concern regarding fetal well-being or fetal
      malpresentation. Whenever possible, periviable births for which maternal or
      neonatal intervention is planned should occur in centers that offer expertise in
      maternal and neonatal care and the needed infrastructure, including intensive
      care units, to support such services. This document describes newborn outcomes
      after periviable birth, provides current evidence and recommendations regarding
      interventions in this setting, and provides an outline for family counseling with
      the goal of incorporating informed patient preferences. Its intent is to provide
      support and guidance regarding decisions, including declining and accepting
      interventions and therapies, based on individual circumstances and patient
      values. 

PMID- 26506449
TI  - Postotic and preotic cranial neural crest cells differently contribute to thyroid
      development.
AB  - Thyroid development and formation vary among species, but in most species the
      thyroid morphogenesis consists of five stages: specification, budding, descent,
      bilobation and folliculogenesis. The detailed mechanisms of these stages have not
      been fully clarified. During early development, the cranial neural crest (CNC)
      contributes to the thyroid gland. The removal of the postotic CNC (corresponding
      to rhombomeres 6, 7 and 8, also known as the cardiac neural crest) results in
      abnormalities of the cardiovascular system, thymus, parathyroid glands, and
      thyroid gland. To investigate the influence of the CNC on thyroid bilobation
      process, we divided the CNC into two regions, the postotic CNC and the preotic
      CNC (from the mesencephalon to rhombomere 5) regions and examined. We found that
      preotic CNC-ablated embryos had a unilateral thyroid lobe, and confirmed the
      presence of a single lobe or the absence of lobes in postotic CNC-ablated chick
      embryos. The thyroid anlage in each region-ablated embryos was of a normal size
      at the descent stage, but at a later stage, the thyroid in preotic CNC-ablated
      embryos was of a normal size, conflicting with a previous report in which the
      thyroid was reduced in size in the postotic CNC-ablated embryos. The postotic CNC
      cells differentiated into connective tissues of the thyroid in quail-to-chick
      chimeras. In contrast, the preotic CNC cells did not differentiate into
      connective tissues of the thyroid. We found that preotic CNC cells encompassed
      the thyroid anlage from the specification stage to the descent stage. Finally, we
      found that endothelin-1 and endothelin type A receptor-knockout mice and bosentan
      (endothelin receptor antagonist)-treated chick embryos showed bilobation
      anomalies that included single-lobe formation. Therefore, not only the postotic
      CNC, but also the preotic CNC plays an important role in thyroid morphogenesis. 

PMID- 26506450
TI  - Are the Recent Secular Increases in Waist Circumference among Children and
      Adolescents Independent of Changes in BMI?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown that the waist circumference of children
      and adolescents has increased over the last 25 years. However, given the strong
      correlation between waist circumference and BMI, it is uncertain if the secular
      trends in waist circumference are independent of those in BMI. METHODS: We
      analyzed data from 6- to 19-year-olds who participated in the 1988-1994 through
      2011-2012 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to
      assess whether the trends in waist circumference were independent of changes in
      BMI, race-ethnicity and age. RESULTS: Mean, unadjusted levels of waist
      circumference increased by 3.7 cm (boys) and 6.0 cm (girls) from 1988-94 through
      2011-12, while mean BMI levels increased by 1.1 kg/m2 (boys) and 1.6 kg/m2
      (girls). Overall, the proportional changes in mean levels of both waist
      circumference and BMI were fairly similar among boys (5.3%, waist vs. 5.6%, BMI)
      and girls (8.7%, waist vs. 7.7%, BMI). As assessed by the area under the curve,
      adjustment for BMI reduced the secular increases in waist circumference by about
      75% (boys) and 50% (girls) beyond that attributable to age and race-ethnicity.
      There was also a race-ethnicity interaction (p < 0.001). Adjustment for BMI
      reduced the secular trend in waist circumference among non-Hispanic (NH) black
      children (boys and girls) to a greater extent (about 90%) than among other
      children. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that among children in the U.S.,
      about 75% (boys) and 50% (girls) of the secular increases in waist circumference
      since 1988-94 can be accounted for by changes in BMI. The reasons for the larger
      independent effects among girls and among NH blacks are uncertain.

PMID- 26506451
TI  - Effect of environment pH on the photophysics of fisetin in solid lipid
      nanoparticles.
AB  - Photophysical modulation of fisetin has been extensively studied in bulk aqueous
      as well as solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) by varying the pH of the medium. The
      solution pH was varied from 5 to 9 to mimic biological environments. Neutral and
      anionic forms of fisetin coexist in ground state in both acidic and alkaline
      conditions. However, in the excited state and at low pH, the anionic form of
      fisetin predominates over the proton transferred form, whereas in SLNs, the
      proton transferred form is the major emitting species. Higher pH showed
      enhancement in anionic emission to different extent in the two types of
      environments. Limited percolation of H(+) and OH(-) ions inside the SLNs that
      host fisetin molecules controls their photophysics. The experimental results
      encourage usage of fisetin as a drug depending on the ratio of the neutral and
      anionic as well as the proton transferred forms under various pH conditions. 

PMID- 26506452
TI  - Quick preparation of nanoluciferase-based tracers for novel bioluminescent
      receptor-binding assays of protein hormones: Using erythropoietin as a model.
AB  - Nanoluciferase (NanoLuc) is a newly developed small luciferase reporter with the
      so far brightest bioluminescence. In recent studies, we developed NanoLuc as an
      ultrasensitive probe for novel bioluminescent receptor-binding assays of some
      protein/peptide hormones. In the present study, we proposed a simple method for
      quick preparation of the NanoLuc-based protein tracers using erythropoietin (Epo)
      as a model. Epo is a glycosylated cytokine that promotes erythropoiesis by
      binding and activating the cell membrane receptor EpoR. For quick preparation of
      a bioluminescent Epo tracer, an Epo-Luc fusion protein carrying a NanoLuc-6 * His
      tag at the C-terminus was secretorily overexpressed in transiently transfected
      human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 T cells. The Epo-Luc fusion protein retained
      high-binding affinities with EpoR either overexpressed in HEK293T cells or
      endogenously expressed in mouse erythroleukemia cells, representing a novel
      ultrasensitive bioluminescent tracer for non-radioactive receptor-binding assays.
      Sufficient Epo-Luc tracer for thousands of assays could be quickly obtained
      within 2 days through simple transient transfection. Thus, our present work
      provided a simple method for quick preparation of novel NanoLuc-based
      bioluminescent tracers for Epo and some other protein hormones to facilitate
      their ligand-receptor interaction studies.

PMID- 26506453
TI  - Registration and management of community patients with tuberculosis in north-west
      China.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the registration, management and characteristics of
      patients with tuberculosis (TB) in north-west China, and investigate whether
      patients with TB were diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. STUDY DESIGN:
      Health-facility-based retrospective data were collected from district patient
      registers and case reports for all patients with TB registered from January 2009
      to December 2011 in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, north-west China. METHODS:
      Patient characteristics and clinical data were collected from the national TB
      epidemic reporting system using standardized case reporting forms for diagnosis,
      treatment and outcome. Data were collected and entered by trained health staff in
      the regional TB clinics. RESULTS: In total, data for 20,396 patients with TB were
      collected; of these, 78.5% were farmers. The age peaks were 20-44 years and 60-74
      years. Average health-seeking and diagnostic delays were 32 days and two days,
      respectively. More than half (54.7%) of the patients with smear-negative TB were
      diagnosed by chest x-ray. Moreover, 94.3% of patients with TB were treated
      successfully. From 2009 to 2011, the health-seeking delay decreased significantly
      (P < 0.05), and the diagnostic delay increased significantly (P < 0.05). A
      significant decreasing trend in smear-positive TB was observed (P < 0.05), along
      with an increasing trend in treatment success (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In north
      west China, there is a need to focus on key high-risk populations for prevention
      and control of TB, such as those aged 20-44 years and 60-74 years, males and
      farmers. Delays in diagnosis and treatment have a negative effect on cure rates
      and make it more difficult to control the propagation of TB.

PMID- 26506454
TI  - F-box proteins: Keeping the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in check.
AB  - F-box proteins are the key recognition subunit of multimeric E3 ubiquitin ligase
      complexes that participate in the proteasome degradation of specific substrates.
      In the last years, a discrete number of F-box proteins have been shown to
      regulate the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process defined by a
      rapid change of cell phenotype, the loss of epithelial characteristics and the
      acquisition of a more invasive phenotype. Specific EMT transcription factors (EMT
      TFs), such as Snail, Slug, Twist and Zeb, control EMT induction both during
      development and in cancer. These EMT-TFs are short-lived proteins that are
      targeted to the proteasome system by specific F-box proteins, keeping them at low
      levels. F-box proteins also indirectly regulate the EMT process by controlling
      EMT inducers, such as Notch, c-Myc or mTOR. Here we summarize the role that these
      F-box proteins (Fbxw1, Fbxw7, Fbxl14, Fbxl5, Fbxo11 and Fbxo45) play in
      controlling EMT during development and cancer progression, a process dependent on
      post-translational modifications that govern their interaction with target
      proteins. 

PMID- 26506455
TI  - The mass action equation in pharmacology.
AB  - The mass action equation is the building block from which all models of drug
      receptor interaction are built. In the simplest case, the equation predicts a
      sigmoidal relationship between the amount of drug-receptor complex and the
      logarithm of the concentration of drug. The form of this function is also the
      same as most dose-response relationships in pharmacology (such as enzyme
      inhibition and the protein binding of drugs) but the potency term in dose
      response relationships very often differs in meaning from the similar term in the
      simple mass action relationship. This is because (i) most pharmacological systems
      are collections of mass action reactions in series and/or in parallel and (ii)
      the important assumptions in the mass action reaction are violated in complex
      pharmacological systems. In some systems, the affinity of the receptor R for some
      ligand A is modified by interaction of the receptor with the allosteric ligand B
      and concomitantly the affinity of the receptor for ligand B is modified to the
      same degree. When this occurs, the observed affinity of the ligand A for the
      receptor will depend on both the concentration of the co-binding allosteric
      ligand and its nature. The relationships between drug potency in pharmacological
      models and the equilibrium dissociation constants defined in single mass action
      reactions are discussed. More detailed knowledge of efficacy has led to new
      models of drug action that depend on the relative probabilities of different
      states, and these have taken knowledge of drug-receptor interactions beyond
      Guldberg and Waage. 

PMID- 26506456
TI  - Cytogenetic Alterations in Multiple Myeloma: Prognostic Significance and the
      Choice of Frontline Therapy.
AB  - Multiple myeloma tumor cells demonstrate multiple and often complex genetic
      lesions as evaluated by standard cytogenetic/FISH studies. Over the past decade,
      specific abnormalities have been associated with standard or high-risk clinical
      behavior and they have become strong prognostic indicators. Further, as evidenced
      by recent randomized clinical trials, the choice of front-line therapy
      (transplant vs. no transplant, inclusion of novel drugs such as bortezomib,
      thalidomide, and lenalidomide) may be able to overcome the adverse effect of high
      risk genetic lesions. 

PMID- 26506457
TI  - Discrimination of pulp oil and kernel oil from pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) by
      fatty acid methyl esters fingerprinting, using GC-FID and multivariate analysis.
AB  - Pequi is an oleaginous fruit whose edible oil is composed mainly by saturated and
      monounsaturated fatty acids. The biological and nutritional properties of pequi
      oil are dependent on its composition, which can change according to the oil
      source (pulp or kernel). There is little data in the scientific literature
      concerning the differences between the compositions of pequi kernel and pulp
      oils. Therefore, in this study, different pequi genotypes were evaluated to
      determine the fatty acid composition of pulp and kernel oils. PCA and PLS-DA were
      applied to develop a model to distinguish these oils. For all evaluated
      genotypes, the major fatty acids of both pulp and kernel oils were oleic and
      palmitic acids. Despite the apparent similarity between the analyzed samples, it
      was possible to discriminate pulp and kernel oils by means of their fatty acid
      composition using chemometrics, as well as the unique pequi genotype without
      endocarp spines (CPAC-PQ-SE-06). 

PMID- 26506458
TI  - Improvement of Lesion Phenotyping in Cercospora beticola-Sugar Beet Interaction
      by Hyperspectral Imaging.
AB  - Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) caused by Cercospora beticola is the most destructive
      leaf disease of sugar beet and may cause high losses in yield and quality.
      Breeding and cultivation of disease-resistant varieties is an important strategy
      to control this economically relevant plant disease. Reliable and robust
      resistance parameters are required to promote breeding progress. CLS lesions on
      five different sugar beet genotypes incubated under controlled conditions were
      analyzed for phenotypic differences related to field resistance to C. beticola.
      Lesions of CLS were rated by classical quantitative and qualitative methods in
      combination with noninvasive hyperspectral imaging. Calculating the ratio of
      lesion center to lesion margin, four CLS phenotypes were identified that vary in
      size and spatial composition. Lesions could be differentiated into subareas based
      on their spectral characteristics in the range of 400 to 900 nm. Sugar beet
      genotypes with lower disease severity typically had lesions with smaller centers
      compared with highly susceptible genotypes. Accordingly, the number of conidia
      per diseased leaf area on resistant plants was lower. The assessment of lesion
      phenotypes by hyperspectral imaging with regard to sporulation may be an
      appropriate method to identify subtle differences in disease resistance. The
      spectral and spatial analysis of the lesions has the potential to improve the
      screening process in breeding for CLS resistance. 

PMID- 26506459
TI  - Population Genetic Structure and the Migration of Puccinia striiformis f. sp.
      tritici Between the Gansu and Sichuan Basin Populations of China.
AB  - Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici is the causal pathogen of interregional
      epidemics of wheat stripe rust in China via long-distance migration. Gansu
      Province serves as putative inoculum center providing oversummering inoculum,
      while Sichuan Basin area serves as a region providing huge amounts of
      overwintering inoculum. Thus, the relationship between these two regions in
      population exchange and migration become important in prediction of interregional
      epidemics. In this study, we compared the population genetic structure and race
      composition between Gansu and Sichuan Basin populations to infer their migration
      relationships. A total of 526 isolates, spanning 3 years, were genotyped using
      eight pairs of amplified fragment length polymorphism markers, and a subset of 98
      isolates were inoculated onto 19 Chinese differentials to perform the race
      analysis. Twenty-three common races and 26 shared genotypes supplied molecular
      evidence for migration between Gansu and Sichuan Basin populations. Bayesian
      assignment and principal component analysis revealed that the genetic group
      assignment of the Sichuan Basin populations (10SB and 11SB) changed in the spring
      to align with the fall Gansu populations in the prior seasons (09GS and 10GS),
      which indicated an asymmetric migration from Gansu Province to the Sichuan Basin
      area. The linkage disequilibrium and the parsimony tree length permutation test
      revealed a strong annual recombination signal in the Gansu populations and an
      inconsistent signal in the Sichuan Basin populations. 

PMID- 26506461
TI  - Correction to Selective Tracking of Lysosomal Cu(2+) Ions Using Simultaneous
      Target- and Location-Activated Fluorescent Nanoprobes.

PMID- 26506460
TI  - Chemical composition and antimicrobial activities of Perovskia artemisioides
      Boiss. essential oil.
AB  - The Perovskia artemisioides Boiss. essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation
      method of flowers growing wild in the north of Iran. The study led to the
      identification of 29 compositions by a combination of HP-5 GC-FID and GC-MS
      analytical techniques. The constituents were identified in P. artemisioides
      essential oil with 1,8-cineole (29.9%), camphor (29.5%) and alpha-pinene (7.8%)
      as main constituents as well as delta-3-carene (5.1%), camphene (3.3%) and beta
      pinene (2.7%). The oil was identified by a much larger amount of monoterpenes
      (87.7%) and sesquiterpenes (6.3%). The results of antimicrobial activity exhibit
      that the extracted essential oil has presented a high inhibiting activity against
      five microbial strains up to 18 mm. Also, the MIC and MBC results displayed that
      Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi were inhibited by P.
      artemisioides essential oil. Therefore, determination of essential oils in this
      research showed a relatively similar pattern to those published for the other
      species of Perovskia. 

PMID- 26506462
TI  - Intermediate-sensor assisted push-pull strategy and its application in
      heterologous deoxyviolacein production in Escherichia coli.
AB  - Because high-throughput screening tools are typically unavailable when using the
      pathway-engineering approach, we developed a new strategy, named intermediate
      sensor-assisted push-pull strategy, which enables sequential pathway optimization
      by incorporating a biosensor targeting a key pathway intermediate. As proof of
      concept, we constructed an L-Trp biosensor and used it to optimize the
      deoxyviolacein biosynthetic pathway, which we divided into two modules with L-Trp
      being the product of the upstream and the substrate of the downstream module for
      deoxyviolacein synthesis. Using the biosensor and fluorescence-activated cell
      sorting, the activities of the two modules were sequentially and independently
      optimized in Escherichia coli to achieve the desired phenotypes. By this means,
      we increased the deoxyviolacein titer 4.4-fold (1.92 g/L), which represents the
      greatest deoxyviolacein production reported. This work suggests that a
      biosynthetic pathway can be enhanced to produce a value-added secondary
      metabolite(s) without available end-product screening method by using a central
      metabolic junction molecule biosensor(s).

PMID- 26506463
TI  - Imaging of neurosarcoidosis: common, uncommon, and rare.
AB  - Sarcoidosis is an idiopathic inflammatory disease that may affect any organ
      system and have protean manifestations. Neurosarcoidosis refers to involvement of
      the central nervous system and may occur in patients with known sarcoidosis, or
      be the initial manifestation of the disease. In the latter, it can be a source of
      considerable confusion, given the non-specific imaging appearance. The aim of
      this review is to describe the imaging spectrum of neurosarcoidosis, including
      follow-up imaging and superimposed infections, which may occur secondary to
      immunosuppression. An increased awareness of this great mimicker could
      potentially expedite diagnosis and reduce morbidity. 

PMID- 26506464
TI  - High-temperature water-rock interactions and hydrothermal environments in the
      chondrite-like core of Enceladus.
AB  - It has been suggested that Saturn's moon Enceladus possesses a subsurface ocean.
      The recent discovery of silica nanoparticles derived from Enceladus shows the
      presence of ongoing hydrothermal reactions in the interior. Here, we report
      results from detailed laboratory experiments to constrain the reaction
      conditions. To sustain the formation of silica nanoparticles, the composition of
      Enceladus' core needs to be similar to that of carbonaceous chondrites. We show
      that the presence of hydrothermal reactions would be consistent with NH3- and CO2
      rich plume compositions. We suggest that high reaction temperatures (>50  degrees
      C) are required to form silica nanoparticles whether Enceladus' ocean is
      chemically open or closed to the icy crust. Such high temperatures imply either
      that Enceladus formed shortly after the formation of the solar system or that the
      current activity was triggered by a recent heating event. Under the required
      conditions, hydrogen production would proceed efficiently, which could provide
      chemical energy for chemoautotrophic life.

PMID- 26506465
TI  - Excited-state intramolecular proton-transfer (ESIPT)-inspired solid state
      emitters.
AB  - Solid state emitters based on excited state intramolecular proton transfer
      (ESIPT) have been attracting considerable interest since the past few years in
      the field of optoelectronic devices because of their desirable unique
      photophysical properties. The photophysical properties of the solid state ESIPT
      fluorophores determine their possible applicability in functional materials. Less
      fluorescence quantum efficiencies and short fluorescence lifetime in the solid
      state are the shortcomings of the existing ESIPT solid state emitters. Designing
      of ESIPT chromophores with high fluorescence quantum efficiencies and a long
      fluorescence lifetime in the solid state is a challenging issue because of the
      unclear mechanism of the solid state emitters in the excited state. Reported
      design strategies, detailed photophysical properties, and their applications will
      help in assisting researchers to overcome existing challenges in designing novel
      solid state ESIPT fluorophores for promising applications. This review highlights
      recently developed solid state ESIPT emitters with focus on molecular design
      strategies and their photophysical properties, reported in the last five years. 

PMID- 26506466
TI  - Summary of Notifiable Noninfectious Conditions and Disease Outbreaks:
      Introduction to the Summary of Notifiable Noninfectious Conditions and Disease
      Outbreaks - United States.

PMID- 26506467
TI  - In situ label-free static cytometry by monitoring spatiotemporal fluctuations of
      image gray values.
AB  - Spatiotemporal fluctuation of homogeneity and randomness of gray values within an
      image was explored and utilized as a label-free means for cell examination. This
      was done by utilizing a user-friendly combination of simple bright field
      microscope and Cytocapture dish, wherein cells are individually held, each within
      a picoliter optical chamber, forming an array of cells to be repeatedly measured
      over time and biomanipulated in situ at single-cell resolution. First, the
      measured gray level information entropy (GLIE) was used and, based on the fact
      that living cells are not in a state of thermodynamic equilibrium but rather in a
      metastable state, two fluctuation-sensitive measures were proposed and examined:
      ASDE-the spatial average of temporal standard deviation (SD) of GLIE, and AA-the
      average time autocorrelation of GLIE. System performance was validated on cell
      free solutions. This was followed by examining the performance of the measures
      AGLIE, ASDE, and AA to distinguish among individual live-still, dead and live
      cells from various cell lines, as well as between cells which were and were not
      induced to differentiate. Results, which were obtained on four types of cells,
      indicate advantages of the proposed measures which are believed to be significant
      additions to the microscope-based probe-free toolbox.

PMID- 26506468
TI  - Mechanism of two-photon excited hemoglobin fluorescence emission.
AB  - Hemoglobin, one of the most important proteins in the human body, is composed of
      "heme" groups (iron-containing rings) and "globins" (proteins). We investigate
      the two-photon excited fluorescence of hemoglobin and its subunit components
      (heme and globin). We measure the hemoglobin fluorescence lifetime by using a
      streak camera of ps resolution and confirm that its lifetime is in femtosecond
      scale. In the study of the fluorescence properties of heme and globin, the
      experimental results reveal that heme is the sole fluorophore of hemoglobin.
      Hemoglobin fluorescence can be effectively excited only via two-photon process,
      because heme has a centrosymmetric molecular structure and two-photon allowed
      transition is forbidden for single-photon process and vice versa due to the
      Laporte parity selection rule.

PMID- 26506469
TI  - Endre A. Balazs, 1920-2015, In Memoriam

PMID- 26506470
TI  - Geometric analysis and estimation of the growth rate gradient on gastropod
      shells.
AB  - The morphology of gastropod shells provides a record of the growth rate at the
      aperture of the shell, and molecular biological studies have shown that the
      growth rate gradient along the aperture of a gastropod shell can be closely
      related to gene expression at the aperture. Here, we develop a novel method for
      deriving microscopic growth rates from the macroscopic shapes of gastropod
      shells. The growth vector map of a shell provides information on the growth rate
      gradient as a vector field along the aperture, over the growth history. However,
      it is difficult to estimate the growth vector map directly from the macroscopic
      shape of a specimen, because the degree of freedom of the growth vector map is
      very high. In order to overcome this difficulty, we develop a method of
      estimating the growth vector map based on a growing tube model, where the latter
      includes fewer parameters to be estimated. In addition, we calculate an aperture
      map specifying the magnitude of the growth vector at each location, which can be
      compared with the expression levels of several genes or proteins that are
      important in morphogenesis. Finally, we show a concrete example of how
      macroscopic shell shapes evolve in a morphospace when microscopic growth rate
      gradient changes. 

PMID- 26506471
TI  - A model of compensatory molecular evolution involving multiple sites in RNA
      molecules.
AB  - Consider two sites under compensatory fitness interaction, such as a Watson-Crick
      base pair in an RNA helix or two interacting residues in a protein. A mutation at
      any one of these two sites may reduce the fitness of an individual. However,
      fitness may be restored by the occurrence of a second mutation at the other site.
      Kimura modeled this process using a two-locus haploid fitness scheme with two
      alleles at each locus. He predicted that compensatory evolution following this
      model is very rare unless selection against the deleterious single mutations is
      weak and linkage between the interacting sites is tight. Here we investigate the
      question whether the rate of compensatory evolution increases if we take the
      context of the two directly interacting sites into account. By "context", we mean
      the effect of neighboring sites in an RNA helix. Interaction between the focal
      pair of sites under consideration and the context may lead to so-called indirect
      compensation. Thus, extending Kimura's classical model of compensatory evolution,
      we study the effects of both direct and indirect compensation on the rate of
      compensatory evolution. It is shown that the effects of indirect compensation are
      very strong. We find that recombination does not slow down the rate of
      compensatory evolution as predicted by the classical model. Instead, compensatory
      substitutions may be relatively frequent, even if linkage between the focal
      interacting sites is loose, selection against deleterious mutations is strong,
      and mutation rate is low. We compare our theoretical results with data on RNA
      secondary structures from vertebrate introns.

PMID- 26506472
TI  - Endogenous Il10 alleviates the systemic antiviral cellular immune response and T
      cell-mediated immunopathology in select organs of acutely LCMV-infected mice.
AB  - The immunoregulatory cytokine IL-10 suppresses T-cell immunity. The complementary
      question, whether IL-10 is also involved in limiting the collateral damage of
      vigorous T cell responses, has not been addressed in detail. Here, we report that
      the particularly strong virus-specific immune response during acute primary
      infection with the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) in mice is
      significantly further increased in Il10-deficient mice, particularly regarding
      frequencies and cytotoxic activity of CD8(+) T cells. This increase results in
      exacerbating immunopathology in select organs, ranging from transient local
      swelling to an increased risk for mortality. Remarkably, LCMV-induced, T cell
      mediated hepatitis is not affected by endogenous Il10. The alleviating effect of
      Il10 on LCMV-induced immunopathology was found to be operative in delayed-type
      hypersensitivity footpad-swelling reaction and in debilitating meningitis in mice
      of both the C57BL/6 and BALB/c strains. These strains are prototypic counterpoles
      for genetically imprinted type 1-biased versus type 2-biased T cell-mediated
      immune responses against various infectious pathogens. However, during acute LCMV
      infection, neither systemic cytokine patterns nor the impact of Il10 on LCMV
      induced immunopathology differed conspicuously between these two strains of mice.
      This study documents a physiological role of Il10 in the regulation of a balanced
      T-cell response limiting immunopathological damage. 

PMID- 26506473
TI  - Human lung cancer-derived immunosuppressive plasmacytoid dendritic cells release
      IL-1alpha in an AIM2 inflammasome-dependent manner.
AB  - Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) highly populate lung tumor masses and are
      strictly correlated to bad prognosis, yet their role in lung cancer is
      controversial. To understand their role in lung cancer, we isolated pDCs from
      human samples of lung obtained from non-small cell lung cancer patients
      undergoing thoracic surgery. Tumor masses presented a higher percentage of pDCs
      than healthy tissues; pDCs were in the immunosuppressive phenotype, as determined
      by higher levels of CD33 and PD-L1. Despite higher HLA-A and HLA-D expression,
      cancerous pDCs did not exert cytotoxic activity against tumor cells but instead
      promoted their proliferation. In this scenario, cancerous pDCs were able to
      produce high levels of IL-1alpha. This effect was observed on the specific
      activation of the inflammasome absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2), which led to higher
      cytoplasmic calcium release responsible for calpain activation underlying IL
      1alpha release. The blockade of type I interferon receptor and of AIM2 via the
      addition of LL-37 significantly reduced the release of IL-1alpha, which was still
      high after Nod-like receptor P3 inhibition via glibenclamide. More important,
      mitochondrial-derived reactive oxygen species sequester diminished AIM2-dependent
      IL-1alpha release. Our data demonstrate that lung tumor-associated pDCs are
      responsive to the activation of AIM2 that promotes calcium efflux and reactive
      oxygen species from mitochondria, leading to calpain activation and high levels
      of IL-1alpha, which facilitate tumor cell proliferation in the lung. 

PMID- 26506474
TI  - Pseudo pemphigus phenotypes in mice with inactivated desmoglein 3: further
      insight to the complexity of pemphigus pathophysiology.

PMID- 26506475
TI  - Authors' reply.

PMID- 26506476
TI  - CD2AP, dendrin, and cathepsin L in the kidney.

PMID- 26506477
TI  - Information processing during NREM sleep and sleep quality in insomnia.
AB  - Insomnia sufferers (INS) are cortically hyperaroused during sleep, which seems to
      translate into altered information processing during nighttime. While information
      processing, as measured by event-related potentials (ERPs), during wake appears
      to be associated with sleep quality of the preceding night, the existence of such
      an association during nighttime has never been investigated. This study aims to
      investigate nighttime information processing among good sleepers (GS) and INS
      while considering concomitant sleep quality. Following a multistep clinical
      evaluation, INS and GS participants underwent 4 consecutive nights of PSG
      recordings in the sleep laboratory. Thirty nine GS (mean age 34.56+/-9.02) and
      twenty nine INS (mean age 43.03+/-9.12) were included in the study. ERPs (N1, P2,
      N350) were recorded all night on Night 4 (oddball paradigm) during NREM sleep.
      Regardless of sleep quality, INS presented a larger N350 amplitude during SWS
      (p=0.042) while GS showed a larger N350 amplitude during late-night stage 2 sleep
      (p=0.004). Regardless of diagnosis, those who slept objectively well showed a
      smaller N350 amplitude (p=0.020) while those who slept subjectively well showed a
      smaller P2 (p<0.001) and N350 amplitude (p=0.006). Also, those who reported an
      objectively bad night as good showed smaller P2 (p< 0.001) and N350 (p=0.010)
      amplitudes. Information processing seems to be associated with concomitant
      subjective and objective sleep quality for both GS and INS. However, INS show an
      alteration in information processing during sleep, especially for inhibition
      processes, regardless of their sleep quality. 

PMID- 26506478
TI  - Comparison of First- and Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents in an All-Comer
      Population of Patients with Diabetes Mellitus (from Katowice-Zabrze Registry).
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study compared safety and efficacy of first- and second
      generation DES in an unrestricted, real-life population of diabetic patients
      undergoing PCI. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was a subanalysis of diabetic
      patients from the all-comer Katowice-Zabrze Registry of patients undergoing PCI
      with the implantation of either first- (Paclitaxel-, Sirolimus-eluting stents) or
      second-generation DES (Zotarolimus-, Everolimus-, Biolimus-eluting stents).
      Efficacy defined as major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE:
      death, myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization, stroke) and safety
      defined as stent thrombosis (ST) were evaluated at 1 year. RESULTS: From the
      total of 1916 patients, 717 were diabetics. Among them, 257 (36%) were treated
      with first-generation DES (230 [89%] Paclitaxel-eluting stents, 27 [11%]
      Sirolimus-eluting stents), 460 with second-generation DES (171 [37%] Zotarolimus
      eluting stents, 243 [53%] Everolimus-eluting stents, 46 [10%] Biolimus-eluting
      stents). Rate of MACCE was equal in both groups (p=0.54). Second-generation DES
      had a better safety profile than first-generation DES (log-rank for cumulative ST
      at 1 year p<0.001). First-generation DES was a risk factor for ST (HR 5.75 [1.16
      28.47], p=0.03) but not for MACCE (HR 0.89 [0.6-1.32], p=0.57). CONCLUSIONS: In a
      real-life setting of diabetic patients undergoing PCI, second-generation DES had
      lower risk of ST and similar MACCE rate compared to first-generation DES.

PMID- 26506479
TI  - Characterization of continuous monoclonal antibody epitopes in the N-terminus of
      Ro60.
AB  - One of the major targets of the autoimmune response in the rheumatic autoimmune
      diseases, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Sjogrens Syndrome, is the protein
      Ro60. Ro60 is known to associate with small misfolded RNAs, and is involved in
      RNA quality control and in enhancing cell survival during cellular stress, e.g.
      after ultaviolet irradiation. In this study, six monoclonal antibodies to Ro60
      were analyzed in order to identify antigenic regions and the nature of these.
      Preliminary analyses revealed that two of the antibodies recognized continuous
      epitopes, while the remaining antibodies most likely recognized conformational
      epitopes. The continuous epitopes of Ro60 were characterised by modified
      immunoassays employing resin-bound peptides and free peptides. Peptide screenings
      located the epitopes to the N-terminus of Ro60, and further analyses indicated
      that the epitopes of the monoclonal antibodies TROVE2 and SSI-HYB 358-02 were
      located to amino acids 8-17 and 34-49, respectively. Moreover, charged amino
      acids were found to be especially important for antibody reactivity, although
      antibody reactivity of the monoclonal antibody TROVE2 primarily was found to be
      epitope backbone-dependent.

PMID- 26506481
TI  - [XII National Forum on Health Education].
AB  - In Guadalajara, on August 19, 20 and 21 was held the XII Foro Nacional de
      Educacion en Salud, in line with the interest that both, the Direccion General
      and the Direccion de Prestaciones Medicas of the IMSS, have in training and
      updating the human resources for the care of the beneficiaries. The Unidad de
      Educacion, Investigacion y Politicas de Salud organized a meeting in which the
      actors of these tasks, the institutional staff and authorities from various
      universities worked together with the IMSS. 

PMID- 26506480
TI  - Early-late genes of the ecdysone cascade as models for transcriptional studies.
AB  - The DHR3 and Hr4 early-late genes of the ecdysone cascade are described as models
      for transcriptional studies in Drosophila cells. In a set of experiments, it
      became clear that these genes are a convenient and versatile system for research
      into the physiological conditions upon 20-hydroxyecdysone induction. DHR3 and Hr4
      gene transcription is characterized by fast activation kinetics, which enables
      transcriptional studies without the influence of indirect effects. A limited
      number of activated genes (only 73 genes are induced one hour after treatment)
      promote the selectivity of transcriptional studies via 20-hydroxyecdysone
      induction. DHR3 and Hr4 gene expression is dose dependent, is completely
      controlled by the hormone titer and decreases within hours of 20-hydroxyecdysone
      withdrawal. The DHR3 and Hr4 gene promoters become functional within 20 minutes
      after induction, which makes them useful tools for investigation if the early
      activation process. Their transcription is controlled by the RNA polymerase II
      pausing mechanism, which is widespread in the genome of Drosophila melanogaster
      but is still underinvestigated. Uniform expression activation of the DHR3 and Hr4
      genes in a cell population was confirmed at both the RNA and protein levels.
      Homogeneity of the transcription response makes DHR3/Hr4 system valuable for
      investigation of the protein dynamics during transcription induction. 

PMID- 26506482
TI  - [History of the development of screening tests for cervical cancer].
AB  - Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the best known malignancies. Currently, it is
      accepted that the etiological factor is persistent infection with high-risk human
      papillomavirus (HPV). Even before the identification of its etiological factors,
      methods such as Pap cytology and colposcopy were developed as tools for early
      diagnosis on CC and its precursor lesions. At the time when such tests were being
      developed, they were not fully accepted by the scientific community of the time;
      however, as time went by, the dissemination of knowledge, and more extensive
      application, these tests were finally included within the international
      guidelines. The implementation of programs with adequate coverage and quality
      allowed a significant reduction in the incidence and mortality of CC. However
      this did not occur widely, and CC is still a public health problem in developing
      countries. From the epidemiological and molecular viewpoint, knowledge on HPVs
      laid the foundations for the development of new prevention strategies based on
      vaccination and molecular detection of the causal agent, currently accepted as
      strategies for primary and secondary prevention. It is expected that the
      implementation of these strategies will have a greater impact on the control on
      CC and other malignancies associated with HPV infection. 

PMID- 26506483
TI  - [Features of Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults: results of a university
      hospital].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) has a cosmopolitan distribution. Its
      course is usually mild and tends to limit itself, but in severe cases it can
      cause death. The aim of this article is to describe the characteristics of a
      group of adults with GBS diagnosed and treated at a university hospital. METHODS:
      All cases of GBS that occurred between January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2009 were
      analyzed. The clinical records were reviewed through the implementation of a
      structured survey that included the following sections: patient identification,
      clinical data, history of infection, season of occurrence, rates of
      electrophysiological variants, and lethality. RESULTS: A total of 45 patients
      were included; the male to female ratio was 1.4: 1 and the mean age was 48.2 +/-
      16.0 years. The season with the highest number of cases was the summer. History
      of intestinal infection was present in 40 % of patients, and respiratory
      infection in 24.4%. The lethality associated with GBS was 11.1 % (95 % CI, 4.4
      23.9), fatal cases occurred in patients older than the survivors (65.2 +/- 15.0
      versus 46.0 +/- 14.9, p = 0.01). The most common variant was acute motor axonal
      neuropathy (64.4 %); there were four cases of Miller Fisher syndrome.
      CONCLUSIONS: The most common electromyographic variant of GBS was acute motor
      axonal neuropathy. The highest number of cases was observed during the summer
      season.

PMID- 26506484
TI  - [Prevalence of nosocomial infections in a secondary care hospital in Mexico].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nosocomial infections are a growing problem of great social and
      economic impact that affects hospitals. The aim of this study was to determine
      the prevalence of nosocomial infections in a secondary care hospital. METHODS: A
      cross-sectional, observational study. Sample size was calculated for a
      proportion, hospitalized patients with more than 48 hours of stay were included;
      descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing was done using Fisher's exact test;
      SPSS software version 18 was used. RESULTS: A prevalence of 9.52% was found, with
      an average age of 46.59 years; 64.3% of patients were female, 35.7% male. The
      prevalence was 16.27% in Internal Medicine department and 12.5% Surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS: 10 out of 100 hospitalized patients develop nosocomial infection,
      similar to that reported in the literature.

PMID- 26506485
TI  - [Obesity as a risk factor for metabolic disorders in adults with urolithiasis].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Yucatan ranks first in the prevalence of urinary calculi (UL), and
      above the national average of obesity (OB). The aim of the study was to determine
      whether there is an association between obesity and metabolic disorders (MD) in
      patients with UL. METHODS: In a case-control design, 197 patients were studied
      with and without UL. Weight and height were measured; urine calcium, phosphate,
      magnesium, uric acid, oxalates, citrates and sodium were quantified. RESULTS: 197
      subjects, 62 men and 135 women were studied; 114 subjects with UL and 83 without
      UL. Hyperuricosuria was more frequent in obese patients without UL.
      Hypocitraturia was the most frequent MD in patients both with and without OB,
      with and without UL. There was a positive trend towards a greater number of MD as
      weight increased. Urinary sodium excretion in patients with OB was significant.
      CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is a risk factor for MD in patients with UL. Strategies must
      be implemented to spread awareness on the influence of obesity on UL, and how it
      can be modified by diet.

PMID- 26506486
TI  - [Rethinking the surgical approach to intestinal obstruction surgery in neonates.
      Experience of a third-level hospital].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Choosing laparotomy incision (transverse or midline) depends on the
      area that needs to be exposed, the urgency of the procedure, and the surgeon's
      preference. In the Hospital de Pediatria of the Centro Medico Nacional Siglo XXI
      of the IMSS, the traditional approach is performed by midline in these patients.
      Our objective was to determine if the midline approach is safe for handling
      neonates undergoing laparotomy for intestinal obstruction. METHODS: A
      retrospective study included all neonates who underwent laparotomy for intestinal
      obstruction by midline approach in the period from January 2010 to January 2012.
      RESULTS: 34 patients were studied. 88.2 % were urgency procedures; surgery time
      was more than 120 minutes. Surgical bleeding in all patients was less than 20
      milliliters. Complications were found in 44 % of patients, of which the most
      frequent was infection (29 %) and wound dehiscence (20 %). As for respiratory
      complications, 32.4 % had atelectasis and 14.7 %, pneumonia. 14.7 % had
      incisional hernia at one year. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of immediate and non
      immediate post-surgical complications is higher than those reported in the
      literature with transverse approach. The frequency of post-incisional hernia at
      one year is similar to that reported with the latter approach.

PMID- 26506487
TI  - [Dietary training for school food service providers in support of the Acuerdo
      Nacional para la Salud Alimentaria].
AB  - BACKGROUND: To address the problem of overweight and obesity in Mexico, in 2010
      the Acuerdo Nacional para la Salud Alimentaria was published. At school level,
      food service providers were considered essential to comply with certain
      commitments. The goal of this intervention was to train school food service
      providers in school eating establishments (SEE) as to the criteria in the general
      guidelines for the sale and distribution of food in schools of basic education.
      METHODS: 13 SEE in San Luis Potosi participated. Based on an initial diagnosis, a
      class-workshop of 5 sessions was designed. Knowledge regarding food was evaluated
      at the beginning and end of the sessions. The percentage of adherence regarding
      general hygiene and food preparation and distribution was obtained at the
      beginning, one month, and two months post-intervention. RESULTS: School food
      service providers had little knowledge on the objectives of the Acuerdo in food
      groups and combination, as well as reading labels; there were significant changes
      in the last two after intervention. The initial percentage of overall hygiene
      compliance was 60 %, with an increase of almost 20 % post-training. The
      preparation and distribution of food did not show significant changes.
      CONCLUSIONS: School food service providers acquired knowledge about the
      guidelines that a SEE comply with, without putting them into practice, given the
      economic impact that it implies.

PMID- 26506488
TI  - [Perception of medical emergencies in a private pediatric hospital].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine if the care of child patients
      on admission, coincides with perception of real urgency on the part of parents
      with that of the doctor and not because of perceived worry in the family
      (perceived emergencies). METHODS: All the care given in the emergency department,
      from January 1st 2009 to December 31st 2010, was analyzed. A real urgency was
      determined by consensus on the conditions of the child. Sociodemographic of real
      urgency conditions were compared against those perceived. RESULTS: 8,888
      consultations were given, of which 2,024 (22.7 %) met criteria for real urgency.
      The main causes of real urgency were infectious diseases were followed by
      accidents and poisoning. Of real emergencies 17 (1 %) eventually required
      intensive management. Factors associated with real urgency were age, non
      infectious disease, occurring between Monday to Friday, during the morning shift
      and in the winter months. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of care for real urgency was
      low compared to that reported in other pediatric centers. Restructuring of pre
      consultation services for the implementation of optimal patient classification
      before going to emergency helps greatly to optimize the use of the emergency
      department, deriving the patients in true need sooner.

PMID- 26506489
TI  - [h Index and scientific output of researchers in medicine from the University of
      Guadalajara, Mexico].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate by the h index the scientific output of researchers from
      the University of Guadalajara who belong to the Sistema Nacional de
      Investigadores in the field of Medicine and Health Sciences. METHODS: Researchers
      from the University of Guadalajara were selected from the Active SNI Researchers
      2013 file. The scientific output of researchers in the fields of Medicine/Health
      Sciences and Biology/Chemistry was evaluated using the h index estimated by the
      Scopus website. A sample of capital researchers and Emeritus scientists was taken
      to perform the same procedure and compare data. RESULTS: The total number of
      researchers in the University of Guadalajara who are members of the SNI was 711,
      of which 67.2 % were level I and in less proportion were level II and III. Only
      24.2 % of them were classified in the fields of Medicine/Health Sciences and
      Biology/Chemistry. The average h index value of researchers level I, II and III
      in Medicine/Health Sciences field was 5.4, 10.5 and 14.5, respectively. Capital
      and Emeritus scientists had an average h index of 23.4 and 19.8, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: The h index measures the quantity and quality of the scientific
      output and it also avoids bias in the evaluation process. It should be useful for
      future evaluations of the SNI members and for medical doctors who sign up for the
      National Academy of Medicine.

PMID- 26506490
TI  - [Expression of TREM-1 in patients with invasive cervical cancer and precursor
      lesions].
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been shown that the TREM-1 glycoprotein belongs to the
      immunoglobulin superfamily that induces secretion of various proinflammatory
      cytokines. The aim of this study was to measure the expression of TREM-1 in
      patients with cervical cancer. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study we included
      four groups of patients: GI: women with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion
      (IL) (n = 15 p / g); GII: patients with high-grade squamous IL (n = 9 w / g);
      GIII: patients with invasive cervical cancer (n = 9 p / g) and GIV: healthy
      patients (n = 15 p / g). In all patients the expression of TREM-1 and the Average
      Fluorescence Index (AFI) in neutrophils and monocytes were measured, as well as
      levels of leukocytes, neutrophils and monocytes. We used Student's t test for
      independent samples. For these variables, we applied Mann-Whitney rank-sum,
      ANOVA, and Tukey tests. Chi square test was used for qualitative variables.
      RESULTS: The percentages of TREM-1 expression in neutrophils and monocytes, plus
      the AFI in neutrophils in the 4 groups was not significantly different. The AFI
      of TREM-1 in monocytes was significantly different when comparing group II and
      group III versus group IV (p < 0.02). There was also no significant difference
      when comparing the mean values of leukocytes, neutrophils and monocytes in the
      different groups. CONCLUSION: This study shows increased expression of TREM-1 in
      monocytes from patients with advanced cancer.

PMID- 26506491
TI  - [Intrarectal povidone-iodine to reduce the risk of genitourinary infections after
      transrectal prostate biopsy].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to compare two different preparations in
      patients undergoing transrectal prostate biopsies samples (TPBS) and assess the
      prevalence of genitourinary infections (GUI). METHODS: A historical cohort of
      patients undergoing TBPS for suspected prostate cancer. Two groups were compared:
      one with endorectal lubricant jelly and another with the addition of a povidone
      iodine lubricating jelly. Complications were evaluated at three weeks. A
      bivariate analysis was performed by calculating the OR (95 % CI) to determine if
      the additional endorectal povidone-iodine pre-TBPS reduced GUI and other
      complications. RESULTS: 185 patients (Group I n = 86, Group II n = 96) were
      evaluated. 45 and 25 % had genitourinary tract infection (OR: 0.4, CI: 0.2-0.9, p
      = 0.004); fever was presented in 21 and 10 % respectively (OR: 0.42, CI: 0.1-0.9,
      p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: A reduction was observed in the presence of genitourinary
      infections in patients who had intrarectal povidone-iodine preparation applied.

PMID- 26506492
TI  - [Recurrent aneurysm of sinus of Valsalva, the world's first case report].
AB  - An aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva is a rare cardiac anomaly (0.09% of cases in
      autopsy studies) . This article describes the case of a male patient, 58 years
      old with a history of smoking and surgery for the correction of sinus of Valsalva
      aneurysm 31 years before, with no record of approach or type of surgery. His
      condition began five months before his admission with atypical chest pain.
      Echocardiographic diagnosis of severe aortic regurgitation, finding recurrent
      aneurysm of sinus of Valsalva. Surgery was performed with primary closure of the
      defect and aortic valve replacement with mechanical prosthesis, issuing a
      favorable postoperative. We present a case of which there are no reports in the
      current literature. 

PMID- 26506493
TI  - [Anaphylactic shock associated with ceftriaxone, case report and literature
      review].
AB  - This study presents a case of anaphylactic shock in a senile patient, who had a
      biphasic event associated with the administration of a beta-lactam cephalosporin
      (ceftriaxone), needing stay in the intensive care unit and support with
      vasoactive amines, which it is rare to see in this issue, already being in itself
      a difficult diagnosis and often undervalued by rejecting causes of shock in a
      senile patient other than cardiogenic or septic. Also, a case review is made
      based on epidemiological issues, clinical and paraclinical diagnosis, and current
      treatment implications based on current international guidelines and a review of
      the topic. 

PMID- 26506494
TI  - [Knowledge transfer for STI/HIV/AIDS prevention among adolescents].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The transfer of knowledge is a crucial process for the functioning
      and continuation of training programs. The aim of this study was to determine how
      the transfer process works for the program JUVENIMSS and the factors that relate
      to the transfer of knowledge. METHODS: The study design was correlational,
      involving 122 health professionals. The Scale for the Measurement of
      Implementation Components was used. To analyze descriptive statistical data,
      overall index, instrument subscales, Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness-of-fit test, and
      correlations were used. RESULTS: The average age of the professionals involved in
      the program was 37 years (standard deviation n = 10.5), with a predominance of
      females (84 %), and 48 % social workers. Knowledge transfer for the prevention of
      STI / HIV / AIDS among adolescents is correlated with administrative support,
      administrative personnel management, leadership, training, supervision /
      technical support and performance evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge transfer
      showed areas of opportunity that should be considered by decision-makers to
      promote the implementation and continuation of preventive programs to prevent
      risky sexual behavior among adolescents.

PMID- 26506495
TI  - [Terminology in clinical bioethics].
AB  - In this article some of the most relevant terms in clinical bioethics are
      defined. The terms were chosen based on three criteria: impact on the most
      important problems in clinical bioethics, difficulty in understanding, and need
      to clarify their meaning. For a better understanding, the terms were grouped into
      5 areas: general concepts (conflict of values, deliberation, conflict of
      interest, conscientious objection); justice (justice, distributive justice,
      models of justice, triage); clinical matters (information, competency,
      capability, informed consent, mature minor, coercion, secrecy, privacy,
      confidentiality, professional secrecy); end of life (prior instructions,
      limitation of therapeutic efforts, professional obstinacy, futility, palliative
      care, palliative sedation, principle of double effect, euthanasia, assisted
      suicide, persistent vegetative state, minimally conscious state, locked-in
      syndrome, brain death), and beginning of life (assisted reproduction, genetic
      counseling, preimplantation genetic diagnosis). 

PMID- 26506496
TI  - [Organs, tissues, and cells donation in Mexico].
AB  - Transplants are one of the most important advances of modern medicine; in the
      last 50 years in our country there have been more than fifty thousand
      transplants, which makes it clear that this is one of the most sought-after
      medical practices not only in Mexico but worldwide. In life, it is possible for a
      person to donate a kidney, a lung or a liver segment. When brain death occurs it
      is possible for a person to donate kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas, intestines,
      lungs, blood, hematopoietic cells, bone marrow, bones, corneas, heart valves,
      tendons, and arteries. However, the culture of organ donation is not widespread
      among Mexicans, hence in our country there is not even 50 % of the number of
      donations recommended by WHO, which impacts the number of patients who are
      waiting for an organ or tissue, which causes many of them die before receiving
      them. 

PMID- 26506497
TI  - [Cutaneous lupus erythematosus, a multidimensional entity].
AB  - Skin lesions caused by systemic lupus erythematosus are among the most frequent
      manifestations of this disease. These lesions show great variability in both
      their clinical and histological expression, making their understanding and study
      difficult. Patients presenting with cutaneous lupus do not necessarily have
      serious systemic complications, but they do have significant morbidity from
      impact on quality of life given the extent of the lesions, chronic tendency, and
      the risk of scarring; hence the importance of establishing a fast and effective
      treatment. This paper addresses the different varieties of specific injuries
      attributed to lupus erythematosus, correlation with systemic activity, quality of
      life, and the treatments available. 

PMID- 26506498
TI  - [General Strategies for Implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines].
AB  - The need to use clinical practice guidelines (CPG) arises from the health
      conditions and problems that public health institutions in the country face. CPG
      are informative documents that help improve the quality of care processes and
      patient safety; having among its objectives, to reduce the variability of medical
      practice. The Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social designed a strategic plan for
      the dissemination, implementation, monitoring and control of CPG to establish an
      applicable model in the medical units in the three levels of care at the
      Instituto. This paper summarizes some of the strategies of the plan that were
      made with the knowledge and experience of clinicians and managers, with which
      they intend to promote the adoption of the key recommendations of the guidelines,
      to promote a sense of belonging for health personnel, and to encourage changes in
      organizational culture. 

PMID- 26506499
TI  - Hormone therapy and risk of ovarian cancer in postmenopausal women: a systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to perform a meta-analysis examining the risk of
      ovarian cancer with different types and regimens (continuous or sequential) of
      hormone therapy (HT). METHODS: PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases were
      searched until December 2014 using the terms: HT, estrogen therapy (ET), ovarian
      cancer, postmenopausal, and menopausal. HT was considered unopposed ET, estrogen
      progestin therapy (EPT), or ET+EPT (ET followed by EPT). RESULTS: Of 180 studies
      identified, 12 were included in the meta-analysis. Of the 12 studies, 9 were
      cohort studies including 2,350,546 women and 7,549 cases of ovarian cancer, and 3
      were case-control studies including a total of 1,347 cases and 2,052 controls.
      ET, EPT, and ET+EPT were associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer:
      pooled hazard ratio (HR)/relative risk (RR) =1.37, 95% CI: 1.19 to 1.58, P<0.001;
      pooled HR/RR=1.27, 95% CI: 1.18 to 1.36, P<0.001; pooled HR/RR=1.55, 95% CI: 1.05
      to 2.30, P=0.027, respectively. Continuous and sequential regimens were
      associated with an increased risk: pooled HR/RR=1.27, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.54,
      P=0.018; pooled HR/RR=1.31, 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.58, P=0.006, respectively. HT was
      associated with an increased risk of serous ovarian cancer (pooled HR/RR=1.46,
      95% CI=1.28-1.67, P<0.001), but not clear cell, endometrioid, or mucinous ovarian
      cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Hormone therapy, regardless of type or regimen, is
      associated with an increased ovarian cancer risk.

PMID- 26506500
TI  - Symptom clusters among MsFLASH clinical trial participants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to identify symptom clusters using standardized
      measures completed by participants in the Menopausal Strategies: Finding Lasting
      Answers to Symptoms and Health clinical trial at baseline, including hot flash
      interference, and sleep, depressive, anxiety, and pain symptoms. METHODS: Data
      from all women randomized to interventions and controls from Menopausal
      Strategies: Finding Lasting Answers to Symptoms and Health studies 1, 2, and 3 (N
      = 899) were included; 797 with complete data were used in the analyses. Scores
      from standardized measures obtained at baseline included the following: Hot Flash
      Related Daily Interference Scale, Insomnia Severity Index, Pittsburgh Sleep
      Quality Index, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 measure of depressed mood,
      Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Brief Pain Inventory PEG scores (pain intensity
      [P], interference with enjoyment of life [E], and interference with daily
      activity [G]). Latent class analysis was used to identify symptom clusters using
      standardized scale scores and their established cut points. RESULTS: We
      identified five classes using the Bayesian Information Criterion and the Akaike
      Information Criterion. Women in classes 1 and 2 had high hot flash interference
      levels relative to the others, and class 1 (10.5% of total) included severe hot
      flash interference, severe sleep symptoms, and moderately severe pain symptoms
      (hot flash, sleep, pain). In class 2 (14.1%), severe hot flash interference was
      paired with the severe sleep symptoms, and moderate to severe depressed and
      anxious mood symptoms and pain (hot flash, sleep, mood, pain). In class 3
      (39.6%), women reported moderately severe sleep symptoms with moderate hot flash
      interference, and low severity mood and pain symptoms (hot flash, sleep). Those
      in class 4 (7.0%) reported moderate hot flash interference with severe levels of
      anxiety and depressed mood symptoms, but low levels of other symptoms (hot flash,
      mood). Women in class 5 (28.7%) reported the lowest levels of all the five
      symptoms (low severity symptoms). CONCLUSIONS: Women meeting hot flash frequency
      criteria for inclusion in clinical trials exhibited multiple co-occurring
      symptoms that clustered into identifiable groups according to symptom
      interference and severity. Variability of symptom profiles between the classes
      was evident, indicating that the classes were composed of differing symptom types
      and not simply differing severity levels. These symptom clusters may be useful
      phenotypes for differentiating treatment effects or evaluating associations with
      biomarkers or genes.

PMID- 26506501
TI  - Middle-aged female sexual dysfunction and multimorbidity: a population-based
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between
      multimorbidity and sexual dysfunction in women aged 45 to 60 years in a cross
      sectional population-based study in a specific Brazilian city. It was also to
      evaluate the main factors associated with sexual dysfunction in the group with
      multimorbidity. METHODS: Cross-sectional population-based study conducted with
      736 women (household survey), representative of a population of 257,434 women, to
      obtain data on multimorbidity and sexual dysfunction, as part of a broader study
      on women's health. The instrument used to evaluate sexual dysfunction was the
      Short Personal Experiences Questionnaire. Associations were determined between
      multimorbidity and sexual dysfunction and sexual dysfunction and demographic,
      behavioral, and medical characteristics. RESULTS: 53% of the women reported
      multimorbidity and 49.6% of them reported sexual dysfunction. Multiple regression
      analysis showed no association between sexual dysfunction and multimorbidity.
      Sexual dysfunction in the whole sample (with and without multimorbidity) was
      associated with sexual activity in the last month (prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.27,
      95% CI 0.22-0.33, P < 0.001), having physical activity greater than or equal to 2
      times a week (PR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.58-0.84, P < 0.001), menopause rating symptoms
      greater than 8 (PR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.09-1.43, P = 0.002), perimenopausal or
      postmenopausal status (PR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.13-2.17, P = 0.007), alcohol use
      greater than or equal to 1 drink/week (PR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.67-0.97, P = 0.025),
      and anxiety (PR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.01-1.31, P = 0.039). In the group with
      multimorbidity, the main factors associated with sexual dysfunction were sexual
      activity in the last month (PR = 0.31, 95% CI 0.25-0.39, P < 0.001), anxiety (PR
      = 1.33, 95% CI 1.15-1.53, P < 0.001), and physical activity (PR = 0.70, 95% CI
      0.56-0.87, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: There was no evidence that multimorbidity was
      associated with sexual dysfunction in this sample of middle-aged women. The main
      factors associated with sexual dysfunction in women with multimorbidity in this
      sample were lack of sexual activity in the last month, physical inactivity, and
      anxiety. This highlights the importance of sexual activity, psychological health,
      and physical activity for a satisfactory sexual life in the case of women with
      multimorbidity.

PMID- 26506502
TI  - Asian Elm tree inner bark prevents articular cartilage deterioration in
      ovariectomized obese rats with monoiodoacetate-induced osteoarthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether long-term consumption of Korean mistletoe or
      Asian Ulmi cortex would prevent or delay menopausal symptoms and progression of
      osteoarthritis in estrogen-deficient obese rats. METHODS: Ovariectomized (OVX)
      rats were provided a 45% fat diet containing either (1) 0.6% lyophilized water
      extract of Korean mistletoe (KME) + 1.4% dextrose (KME; n = 10), (2) 2%
      lyophilized water extract of Ulmi cortex (UCE; n = 10), (3) 30 MUg/kg bw 17beta
      estradiol + 2% dextrose (positive control; n = 10), (4) 2% dextrose (placebo; OVX
      control; n = 10), or (5) 2% dextrose (normal-control; n = 10) for 4 weeks. At the
      beginning of the 5th week, OVX rats, except in the normal-control group, were
      given articular injections of monoiodoacetate into the right knee and the
      assigned diets were provided for an additional 3 weeks. The rats in the normal
      control had injections of saline into the right knee. RESULTS: KME, but not UCE,
      partially prevented the insulin resistance and the loss of bone mineral density
      and lean mass. The limping scores were lower in the descending order of the OVX
      control > KME and 17beta-estradiol > UCE > normal-control at day 14 and 21 (P <
      0.05). The scores for pain behaviors measured by weight distribution on the right
      leg, maximum running velocity on a treadmill and locomotive activity, were
      markedly decreased in the same order as limping scores. Monoiodoacetate increased
      the expression of matrix metalloprotinase-3 and metalloprotinase-13 in the
      articular cartilage and elevated the production of inflammatory markers such as
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, and interleukin-6, but they were
      lower in the UCE than in the other groups (P < 0.05). Histology of the right knee
      revealed cartilage damage near the tidemark of the knee and proteoglycan loss was
      markedly less in UCE. CONCLUSIONS: UCE was an effective therapeutic agent for
      preventing osteoarthritis and KME prevented decreases in lean body mass, bone
      mineral density, and insulin sensitivity in estrogen-deficient rats.

PMID- 26506503
TI  - 19th International Meeting of the European Society of Gynecological Oncology
      (ESGO 2015).

PMID- 26506505
TI  - Silatranes for binding inorganic complexes to metal oxide surfaces.
AB  - A ruthenium complex containing silatrane functional groups has been synthesized
      and covalently bound to a conductive metal oxide film composed of nanoparticulate
      ITO (nanoITO). The silatrane-derived siloxane surface anchors were found to be
      stable in the examined range of pH 2 to 11 in aqueous phosphate buffer, and the
      ruthenium complex was found to have stable electrochemical features with repeated
      electrochemical cycling. The non-coordinating properties of the silatrane group
      to metals, which facilitates synthesis of silatrane-labeled coordination
      complexes, together with the facile surface-binding procedure, robustness of the
      surface linkages, and stability of the electrochemical properties suggest that
      incorporating silatrane motifs into ligands for inorganic complexes provides
      superior properties for attachment of catalysts to metal oxide surfaces under
      aqueous conditions. 

PMID- 26506506
TI  - A Facile Strategy for Catalyst Separation and Recycling Suitable for ATRP of
      Hydrophilic Monomers Using a Macroligand.
AB  - How to simply and efficiently separate and recycle catalyst has still been a
      constraint for the wide application of atom transfer radical polymerization
      (ATRP), especially for the polymerization systems with hydrophilic monomers
      because the polar functional groups may coordinate with transition metal salts,
      resulting in abundant catalyst residual in the resultant water-soluble polymers.
      In order to overcome this problem, a latent-biphasic system is developed, which
      can be successfully used for ATRP catalyst separation and recycling in situ for
      various kinds of hydrophilic monomers for the first time, such as poly(ethylene
      glycol) monomethyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate
      (HEMA), 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), N,N-dimethyl acrylamide
      (DMA), and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM). Herein, random copolymer of octadecyl
      acrylate (OA), MA-Ln (2-(bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)ethyl acrylate), and POA
      ran-P(MA-Ln) is designed as the macroligand, and heptane/ethanol is selected as
      the biphasic solvent. Copper(II) bromide (CuBr2 ) is employed as the catalyst,
      PEG-bound 2-bromo-2-methylpropanoate (PEG350 -Br) as the water-soluble ATRP
      initiator and 2,2'-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) as the azo-initiator to
      establish an ICAR (initiators for continuous activator regeneration) ATRP system.
      Importantly, well-defined water-soluble polymers are obtained even though the
      recyclable catalyst is used for sixth times.

PMID- 26506507
TI  - A prospective 4-year study of the objective and subjective outcomes of fifteen
      patients after dynamic facial reanimation surgery.

PMID- 26506508
TI  - Why do local corticosteroid injections work in carpal tunnel syndrome, but not in
      ulnar neuropathy at the elbow?

PMID- 26506509
TI  - CD73 regulates vascular smooth muscle cell functions and facilitates
      atherosclerotic plaque formation.
AB  - Extracellular adenosine, generated by ecto-5'-nucleotidase (CD73) via enzymatic
      catalyzation, has been found to facilitate atherosclerosis (AS). Thus,
      suppressing CD73 may attenuate AS. In this study, we evaluated the role of CD73
      during AS development and further explored cellular and molecular mechanism in
      smooth muscle cells (SMCs). In a mouse model of carotid artery ligation,
      inactivation of CD73 inhibited migration and proliferation of vascular SMCs. In
      in vitro experiments, RNA interference of CD73 inhibited migration,
      proliferation, and foam cell transformation of human umbilical artery smooth
      muscle cells. Further, we established an atherosclerotic model using ApoE-/- mice
      fed with a western diet for 16 weeks. Inactivation of CD73-attenuated AS and
      hyperlipidemia in ApoE-/- mice. In conclusion, our data suggest that CD73
      facilitates AS by promoting migration, proliferation, and foam cell
      transformation of vascular SMCs and elevating serum lipid levels. Thus,
      inhibition of CD73 may be beneficial for prevention and treatment of AS.

PMID- 26506510
TI  - Nonsynaptic glycine release is involved in the early KCC2 expression.
AB  - The cation-chloride co-transporters are important regulators of the cellular Cl(
      ) homeostasis. Among them the Na(+) -K(+) -2Cl(-) co-transporter (NKCC1) is
      responsible for intracellular chloride accumulation in most immature brain
      structures, whereas the K(+) -Cl(-) co-transporter (KCC2) extrudes chloride from
      mature neurons, ensuring chloride-mediated inhibitory effects of GABA/glycine. We
      have shown that both KCC2 and NKCC1 are expressed at early embryonic stages
      (E11.5) in the ventral spinal cord (SC). The mechanisms by which KCC2 is
      prematurely expressed are unknown. In this study, we found that chronically
      blocking glycine receptors (GlyR) by strychnine led to a loss of KCC2 expression,
      without affecting NKCC1 level. This effect was not dependent on the firing of
      Na(+) action potentials but was mimicked by a Ca(2+) -dependent PKC blocker.
      Blocking the vesicular release of neurotransmitters did not impinge on strychnine
      effect whereas blocking volume-sensitive outwardly rectifying (VSOR) chloride
      channels reproduced the GlyR blockade, suggesting that KCC2 is controlled by a
      glycine release from progenitor radial cells in immature ventral spinal networks.
      Finally, we showed that the strychnine treatment prevented the maturation of
      rhythmic spontaneous activity. Thereby, the GlyR-activation is a necessary
      developmental process for the expression of functional spinal motor networks. (c)
      2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 764-779, 2016.

PMID- 26506511
TI  - Spatio-Temporal Parameters of Endosomal Signaling in Cancer: Implications for New
      Treatment Options.
AB  - The endo/lysosomal system in cells provides membranous platforms to assemble
      specific signaling complexes and to terminate signal transduction, thus, is
      essential for physiological signaling. Endocytic organelles can significantly
      extend signaling of activated cell surface receptors, and may additionally
      provide distinct locations for the generation of specific signaling outputs.
      Failures of regulation at different levels of endocytosis, recycling, degradation
      as well as aberrations in specific endo/lysosomal signaling pathways, such as
      mTORC1, might lead to different diseases including cancer. Therefore, a better
      understanding of spatio-temporal compartmentalization of sub-cellular signaling
      might provide an opportunity to interfere with aberrant signal transduction in
      pathological processes by novel combinatorial therapeutic approaches.

PMID- 26506512
TI  - Silver/silver chloride microneedles can detect penetration through the round
      window membrane.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: Silver-plated microneedles can be used to confirm penetration of semi
      permeable membranes such as the round window membrane (RWM) by detection of
      voltage change at the moment of perforation. BACKGROUND: The introduction of
      microperforations in the RWM can significantly enhance intracochlear delivery of
      therapeutics. However, the moment of needle penetration through the RWM cannot be
      reliably detected by visualization or sensation alone. We explore the ability of
      electrochemical detection of penetration in defining the precise instant a
      microneedle enters the inner ear. METHODS: 0.2 mm diameter stainless steel
      Minutien pins were electroplated with copper, then silver. Pins were then soaked
      in bleach for 24 h to complete Ag/AgCl plating. Experiments were performed using
      a 3 mL Franz cell diffusion system with 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5% saline solution in
      the donor chamber and artificial perilymph solution in the receptor chamber
      separated by 5-MUm pore synthetic membrane. Continuous voltage measurements were
      made throughout the process of membrane penetration by the microneedle (N = 6 for
      each saline concentration). RESULTS: Silver-plated needles were able to detect an
      instantaneous change in voltage when traversing the membrane from saline solution
      into artificial perilymph. As calculated, the magnitude of the change in voltage
      upon penetration increased with increasing saline concentration and was stable
      across trials. CONCLUSION: Ag/AgCl coated microneedles are effective in detecting
      the moment of penetration across semi-permeable membranes. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 307-311, 2017.

PMID- 26506514
TI  - Sex-specific associations between birth weight and adult primary liver cancer in
      a large cohort of Danish children.
AB  - Whether the prenatal period is critical for the development of adult primary
      liver cancer (PLC) is sparsely investigated. Recently, attention has been drawn
      to potential sex-differences in the early origins of adult disease. The
      association between birth weight and adult PLC, separately in men and women was
      investigated, using a large cohort of 217,227 children (51% boys), born from 1936
      to 1980, from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register, and followed them
      until 2010 in national registers. Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of PLC
      (30 years or older) were estimated by Cox regression models stratified by birth
      cohort. During 5.1 million person-years of follow-up, 185 men and 65 women
      developed PLC. Sex modified the association between birth weight and adult PLC (p
      values for interaction = 0.0005). Compared with a sex-specific reference group of
      birth weights between 3.25 and 3.75 kg, men with birth weights between 2.00 and
      3.25 kg and 3.75-5.50 kg, had HRs of 1.48 (1.06-2.05) and 0.85 (0.56-1.28),
      respectively. Among women the corresponding HRs were 1.71 (0.90-3.29) and 3.43
      (1.73-6.82). Associations were similar for hepatocellular carcinoma only, across
      year of birth, and after accounting for diagnoses of alcohol-related disorders,
      viral hepatitis and biliary cirrhosis. Prenatal exposures influenced the risk of
      adult PLC, and the effects at the high birth weight levels appeared to be sex
      specific. These findings underscore the importance of considering sex-specific
      mechanisms in the early origins of adult PLC.

PMID- 26506515
TI  - Gross anatomical study on the human myocardial bridges with special reference to
      the spatial relationship among coronary arteries, cardiac veins, and autonomic
      nerves.
AB  - Coronary arteries are frequently covered by cardiac muscles. This arrangement is
      termed a myocardial bridge. Previous studies have shown that myocardial bridges
      can cause myocardial ischemic diseases or cardiac arrhythmia, but the relevant
      pathogenic mechanisms remain unknown. We examined 60 hearts from Japanese
      cadavers macroscopically to clarify the spatial relationships among coronary
      arteries, cardiac veins and autonomic nerves. We found 86 myocardial bridges in
      47 hearts from the 60 cadavers examined (78.3%). Next, we dissected out nine
      hearts with myocardial bridges in detail under the operating microscope. We found
      no additional branches of coronary arteries on the myocardial bridge surfaces.
      However, the cardiac veins, which usually accompany the coronary arteries, ran
      independently on the myocardial bridge surfaces in the same region. Cardiac
      autonomic nerves comprised two rami: one was associated with the coronary artery
      under the myocardial bridge and the other ran on the surface of the bridge. Such
      spatial relationships among the coronary arteries, cardiac veins and cardiac
      autonomic nerves at the myocardial bridges are quite similar to those in mouse
      embryo hearts.

PMID- 26506513
TI  - Conformational Dynamics and Binding Free Energies of Inhibitors of BACE-1: From
      the Perspective of Protonation Equilibria.
AB  - BACE-1 is the beta-secretase responsible for the initial amyloidogenesis in
      Alzheimer's disease, catalyzing hydrolytic cleavage of substrate in a pH
      sensitive manner. The catalytic mechanism of BACE-1 requires water-mediated
      proton transfer from aspartyl dyad to the substrate, as well as structural
      flexibility in the flap region. Thus, the coupling of protonation and
      conformational equilibria is essential to a full in silico characterization of
      BACE-1. In this work, we perform constant pH replica exchange molecular dynamics
      simulations on both apo BACE-1 and five BACE-1-inhibitor complexes to examine the
      effect of pH on dynamics and inhibitor binding properties of BACE-1. In our
      simulations, we find that solution pH controls the conformational flexibility of
      apo BACE-1, whereas bound inhibitors largely limit the motions of the holo enzyme
      at all levels of pH. The microscopic pKa values of titratable residues in BACE-1
      including its aspartyl dyad are computed and compared between apo and inhibitor
      bound states. Changes in protonation between the apo and holo forms suggest a
      thermodynamic linkage between binding of inhibitors and protons localized at the
      dyad. Utilizing our recently developed computational protocol applying the
      binding polynomial formalism to the constant pH molecular dynamics (CpHMD)
      framework, we are able to obtain the pH-dependent binding free energy profiles
      for various BACE-1-inhibitor complexes. Our results highlight the importance of
      correctly addressing the binding-induced protonation changes in protein-ligand
      systems where binding accompanies a net proton transfer. This work comprises the
      first application of our CpHMD-based free energy computational method to protein
      ligand complexes and illustrates the value of CpHMD as an all-purpose tool for
      obtaining pH-dependent dynamics and binding free energies of biological systems. 

PMID- 26506516
TI  - Reciprocal feedback inhibition of the androgen receptor and PI3K as a novel
      therapy for castrate-sensitive and -resistant prostate cancer.
AB  - Gain-of-function of the androgen receptor (AR) and activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR
      pathway have been demonstrated to correlate with progression to castration
      resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, inhibition of AR or PI3K/mTOR alone
      results in a reciprocal feedback activation. Therefore, we hypothesized that dual
      inhibition of the AR and PI3K/mTOR pathway might lead to a synergistic inhibition
      of cell growth and overcome drug resistance in CRPC. Here, we reported that
      androgen-depletion increased AR protein level and Akt phosphorylation at Ser473
      and Thr308 in LNCaP cells. Moreover, we developed resistance cell lines of LNCaP
      to Enzalutamide (or MDV3100), an AR inhibitor (named as LNCaP 'MDV-R') and PF
      04691502, a PI3K/mTOR inhibitor (named as LNCaP 'PF-R'). MTS analysis showed that
      LNCaP 'PF-R' was strongly resistant to Enzalutamide treatment, and on the other
      hand, LNCaP 'MDV-R' was 6-fold resistant to PF-04691502 treatment.
      Mechanistically, LNCaP 'MDV-R' cells had significantly reduced AR, loss of PSA
      and increase Akt activity in contrast with LNCaP 'PF-R' cells. Combined
      inhibition of PI3K/mTOR and AR pathways with a variety of small molecular
      inhibitors led to a synergistic suppression of cell proliferation and a profound
      increase of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in both androgen-dependent LNCaP and
      independent CRPC 22Rv1 cell lines. In conclusion, this study provides preclinical
      proof-of-concept that the combination of a PI3K/mTOR inhibitor with an AR
      inhibitor results in a synergistic anti-tumor response in non-CRPC and CRPC
      models. 

PMID- 26506517
TI  - The impact of RNA binding motif protein 4-regulated splicing cascade on the
      progression and metabolism of colorectal cancer cells.
AB  - Dysregulated splicing of pre-messenger (m)RNA is considered a molecular occasion
      of carcinogenesis. However, the underlying mechanism is complex and remains to be
      investigated. Herein, we report that the upregulated miR-92a reduced the RNA
      binding motif 4 (RBM4) protein expression, leading to the imbalanced expression
      of the neuronal polypyrimidine tract-binding (nPTB) protein through alternative
      splicing-coupled nonsense mediated decay (NMD) mechanism. Increase in nPTB
      protein enhances the relative level of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 IIIc
      (FGFR2) and pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) transcripts which contribute to the
      progression and metabolic signature of CRC cells. Expression profiles of RBM4 and
      downstream alternative splicing events are consistently observed in cancerous
      tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. These results constitute a
      mechanistic understanding of RBM4 on repressing the carcinogenesis of colorectal
      cells. 

PMID- 26506518
TI  - Overexpression of WWP1 promotes tumorigenesis and predicts unfavorable prognosis
      in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - WW domain-containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (WWP1) has been speculated to
      play important roles in the development of several kinds of cancers. However, the
      role of WWP1 in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) is not clear. In the present study,
      we investigated the expression and prognostic role of WWP1 in primary
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using cell lines and 149 archived HCC samples.
      Correlation between the functions of WWP1 in HCC was also explored. We used human
      HCC cell lines (BEL-7402, SMMC-7721, Hep-G2, Hep-3B, SK-hep1 and Huh7) and a
      normal hepatocyte cell line (LO2) along with HCC samples from patients who had
      undergone resection for HCC previously at our hospital. A battery of methods
      (real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction; western blotting;
      immunohistochemical analyses; cell proliferation and colony formation assays;
      cell migration and cell invasion assays) were employed to assess various aspects
      of WWP1. We found that WWP1 expression was upregulated aberrantly at mRNA and
      protein levels in human primary HCC tissues. Amplified expression of WWP1 was
      highly correlated with poor outcome. Silencing of WWP1 expression by siRNA
      inhibited the proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion of HCC
      cells in vitro, and resulted in significant apoptosis and cycle arrest in HCC
      cells. Our findings suggest that WWP1 might have an oncogenic role in human
      primary HCC, and that it could be used as a prognostic marker as well as a
      potential molecular target for the treatment of HCC. 

PMID- 26506519
TI  - Aspartate aminotransferase-lymphocyte ratio index and systemic immune
      inflammation index predict overall survival in HBV-related hepatocellular
      carcinoma patients after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.
AB  - It has been suggested that lymphocytes play central roles in host antitumor
      immune responses and control cancer outcome. We reviewed the clinical parameters
      of 189 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and investigated the prognostic
      significance of lymphocyte-related scores in HCC patients following transcatheter
      arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Survival analysis revealed that an elevated
      aspartate aminotransferase-lymphocyte ratio index (ALRI) > 57 and a systemic
      immune-inflammation index (SII) > 300 were negatively associated with overall
      survival in HBV-related HCC (HR = 2.181, P = 0.003 and HR = 2.453, P = 0.003;
      respectively). Spearman chi-square analysis showed that ALRI had a specificity of
      82.4% and that SII index had a sensitivity of 71.9% for HCC overall survival.
      ALRI and SII had negative predictive values of 74.6% and 80%, respectively for
      HCC overall survival. Additionally, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C
      patients had significantly higher ALRI and SII scores (both P < 0.0001) and
      poorer overall survival (HR = 3.618, P < 0.001). Additionally, HCC patients with
      portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) had higher ALRI and SII scores (P < 0.0001
      and P = 0.0059, respectively). In conclusion, as noninvasive, low cost, easily
      assessable and reproducible parameters, elevated ALRI and SII should be used as
      negative predictive factors for overall survival in HBV-related HCC in clinical
      practice. 

PMID- 26506520
TI  - Prevalence of deleterious ATM germline mutations in gastric cancer patients.
AB  - Besides CDH1, few hereditary gastric cancer predisposition genes have been
      previously reported. In this study, we discovered two germline ATM mutations
      (p.Y1203fs and p.N1223S) in a Chinese family with a history of gastric cancer by
      screening 83 cancer susceptibility genes. Using a published exome sequencing
      dataset, we found deleterious germline mutations of ATM in 2.7% of 335 gastric
      cancer patients of different ethnic origins. The frequency of deleterious ATM
      mutations in gastric cancer patients is significantly higher than that in general
      population (p=0.0000435), suggesting an association of ATM mutations with gastric
      cancer predisposition. We also observed biallelic inactivation of ATM in tumors
      of two gastric cancer patients. Further evaluation of ATM mutations in hereditary
      gastric cancer will facilitate genetic testing and risk assessment. 

PMID- 26506521
TI  - Suppression of FoxO6 by lipopolysaccharide in aged rat liver.
AB  - The beneficial role of FoxO during aging has been proposed for its promotion of
      resistance to oxidative stress and inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediators. On
      the other hand, NF-kappaB is a pro-inflammatory transcription factor which is a
      key mediator of inflammatory cytokine generation. However, the correlation
      between FoxO6 and NF-kappaB during aging has not fully been explored.The main
      purpose of the present study was to elucidate mechanisms underlying the
      protective role of FoxO6 in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis under potent
      pro-inflammatory conditions induced by LPS. Initial experimentation revealed that
      reduced FoxO6 activity during aging was caused by its phosphorylation, which
      suppressed its transcriptional activity in aged livers. Transfection with FoxO6
      wt virus and FoxO6-siRNA in HepG2 cells revealed that FoxO6 phosphorylation by
      LPS leads to NF-kappaB activation via Akt and Pak1 pathways. Furthermore, Pak1
      activity was increased in a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase independent manner, and
      LPS-induced FoxO6 phosphorylation and FoxO6 inactivation were Pak1-dependent in
      nuclear fractions of cells. Further revealed Pak1 phosphorylation by LPS
      permitted interaction between FoxO6 and Akt.Current study suggests FoxO6
      phosphorylation facilitates the nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB via Akt and
      Pak1 pathways induced by LPS in aged rats.

PMID- 26506523
TI  - Lymphoproliferative Disorders after Lung Transplantation: Clinicopathological
      Characterization of 16 Cases with Identification of Very-Late-Onset Forms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD)
      has recently declined, but late cases are increasingly reported in lung
      transplant recipients. OBJECTIVES: We present our experience with PTLD after lung
      transplantation, attempting to examine the distinguishing characteristics of
      early versus late cases. METHODS: We have reviewed clinical and pathological data
      of all cases occurring in our institution between 2001 and 2014. RESULTS:
      Patients, aged 15-63 years, were mostly (12/16) Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
      seropositive at the time of transplantation. Eleven early cases, occurring 9.4 +/
      5.2 months after transplantation and mostly (9/11) prior to 2010, had EBV+
      diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. Lungs and/or thoracic lymph nodes were often
      involved (n = 8). Treatments included reduction of immune suppression (n = 11),
      rituximab (n = 8) and chemotherapy (n = 7). Two patients are in complete
      remission at 26 and 216 months. Nine patients died 8.0 +/- 6.5 months after PTLD
      diagnosis. Of the 5 cases with late PTLD occurring 4-23 years (mean +/- SD: 10.4
      +/- 7.7) after transplantation (and 3/5 after 2009), 1 had pulmonary lymphomatoid
      granulomatosis (only endothoracic case), 1 cutaneous large T-cell lymphoma, 2 had
      anaplastic large cell lymphomas, and 1 Hodgkin's disease. Two of the 5 cases were
      EBV-, including one followed by a second EBV+ PTLD after 8 years of complete
      remission. Two patients were alive and well (follow-up: 44 and 151 months), one
      having suffered from EBV-related cholestatic hepatitis 6 years after the PTLD.
      CONCLUSION: Our small experience shows a trend toward (very) late occurrence,
      associated with more unusual clinicopathologic features, but not with a worse
      prognosis.

PMID- 26506522
TI  - Effect of the Subcutaneous Environment on Phase-Sensitive In Situ-Forming Implant
      Drug Release, Degradation, and Microstructure.
AB  - In situ-forming implants are a promising platform used for the release of
      therapeutic agents. Significant changes in behavior occur when the implants are
      used in vivo relative to implants formed in vitro. To understand how the
      injection site effects implant behavior, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) implants
      were examined after injection in the subcutaneous space of a Sprague-Dawley rat
      model to determine how the environment altered implant erosion, degradation,
      swelling, microstructure, and mock drug release. Changes in implant
      microstructure occurred over time for implants formed in vivo, where it was
      observed that the porosity was lost over the course of 5 days. Implants formed in
      vivo had a significantly greater burst release (p < 0.05) relative to implants
      formed in vitro. However, during the diffusion period of release, implants formed
      in vitro had a significantly higher daily release (2.1%/day, p < 0.05), which
      correlated to changes in implant microstructure. Additionally, implants formed in
      vitro had a two-fold increase in the first-order degradation kinetics relative to
      the implants formed in vivo. These findings suggest that the changes in implant
      behavior occur as a result of changes in the implant microstructure induced by
      the external environment.

PMID- 26506524
TI  - Correction: Endocytosed beta2-Microglobulin Amyloid Fibrils Induce Necrosis and
      Apoptosis of Rabbit Synovial Fibroblasts by Disrupting Endosomal/Lysosomal
      Membranes: A Novel Mechanism on the Cytotoxicity of Amyloid Fibrils.

PMID- 26506525
TI  - Ordering Dynamics in Neuron Activity Pattern Model: An Insight to Brain
      Functionality.
AB  - We study the domain ordering kinetics in d = 2 ferromagnets which corresponds to
      populated neuron activities with both long-ranged interactions, V(r) ~ r-n and
      short-ranged interactions. We present the results from comprehensive Monte Carlo
      (MC) simulations for the nonconserved Ising model with n >= 2, interaction range
      considering near and far neighbors. Our model results could represent the long
      ranged neuron kinetics (n <= 4) in consistent with the same dynamical behaviour
      of short-ranged case (n >= 4) at far below and near criticality. We found that
      emergence of fast and slow kinetics of long and short ranged case could imitate
      the formation of connections among near and distant neurons. The calculated
      characteristic length scale in long-ranged interaction is found to be n
      independent (L(t) ~ t1/(n-2)), whereas short-ranged interaction follows L(t) ~
      t1/2 law and approximately preserve universality in domain kinetics. Further, we
      did the comparative study of phase ordering near the critical temperature which
      follows different behaviours of domain ordering near and far critical temperature
      but follows universal scaling law. 

PMID- 26506527
TI  - Erratum: Relationship between gene expression and the accumulation of catechin
      during spring and autumn in tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.).
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/hortres.2015.11.][This corrects the
      article DOI: 10.1038/hortres.2015.11.]. 

PMID- 26506526
TI  - Left Ventricular Dysfunction and CXCR3 Ligands in Hypertension: From Animal
      Experiments to a Population-Based Pilot Study.
AB  - Detecting left ventricular (LV) dysfunction at an early stage is key in
      addressing the heart failure epidemic. In proteome profiling experiments in mice
      subjected either to aortic banding or sham, the circulating CXCR3 ligands
      monokine induced by interferon-gamma (MIG) and interferon-gamma inducible protein
      10 (IP10) were 5 to 40 fold up-regulated at eight weeks. We assessed the
      diagnostic value of circulating NT-pro BNP and CXCR3 ligands (MIG, IP10,
      Interferon-inducible T-cell alpha chemo-attractant [I-TAC]) in patients with
      hypertension (>=140/90 mm Hg) associated with subclinical (n = 19) or symptomatic
      (n = 16) diastolic LV dysfunction on echocardiography and healthy controls. NT
      pro BNP, MIG, IP10, I-TAC all increased (p <= 0.014) across the categories of
      worsening left ventricular dysfunction. In patients with symptomatic disease,
      MIG, IP10, and I-TAC increased 210% (p = 0.015), 140% (p = 0.007) and 120% (p =
      0.035) more than NT-pro BNP. The optimal discrimination limits, obtained by
      maximizing Youden's index were 246 pmol/L, 65 pg/mL, 93 pg/mL, and 24 pg/mL,
      respectively. The odds ratios associated with the four biomarkers were
      significant (p <= 0.010), ranging from 4.00 for IP10 to 9.69 for MIG. With
      adjustment for NT-pro BNP, the CXCR3 ligands retained significance (p <= 0.028).
      Adding optimized thresholds for the CXCR3 ligands to NT-pro BNP enhanced (p <=
      0.014) the integrated discrimination improvement and the net reclassification
      improvement. In conclusion, congruent with the concept that inflammation plays a
      key role in the pathogenesis of LV dysfunction, MIG, IP10 and I-TAC add
      diagnostic accuracy over and beyond NT-pro BNP. 

PMID- 26506528
TI  - Transcriptional Profile of Bacillus subtilis sigF-Mutant during Vegetative
      Growth.
AB  - Sigma factor F is the first forespore specific transcription factor in Bacillus
      subtilis and controls genes required for the early stages of prespore
      development. The role of sigF is well studied under conditions that induce
      sporulation. Here, the impact of sigF disruption on the transcriptome of
      exponentially growing cultures is studied by micro-array analysis. Under these
      conditions that typically don't induce sporulation, the transcriptome showed
      minor signs of sporulation initiation. The number of genes differentially
      expressed and the magnitude of expression were, as expected, quite small in
      comparison with sporulation conditions. The genes mildly down-regulated were
      mostly involved in anabolism and the genes mildly up-regulated, in particular
      fatty acid degradation genes, were mostly involved in catabolism. This is
      probably related to the arrest at sporulation stage II occurring in the sigF
      mutant, because continuation of growth from the formed disporic sporangia may
      require additional energy. The obtained knowledge is relevant for various
      experiments, such as industrial fermentation, prolonged experimental evolution or
      zero-growth studies, where sporulation is an undesirable trait that should be
      avoided, e.g by a sigF mutation. 

PMID- 26506529
TI  - Invader disruption of belowground plant mutualisms reduces carbon acquisition and
      alters allocation patterns in a native forest herb.
AB  - Invasive plants impose novel selection pressures on naive mutualistic
      interactions between native plants and their partners. As most plants critically
      rely on root fungal symbionts (RFSs) for soil resources, invaders that disrupt
      plant-RFS mutualisms can significantly depress native plant fitness. Here, we
      investigate the consequences of RFS mutualism disruption on native plant fitness
      in a glasshouse experiment with a forest invader that produces known anti-fungal
      allelochemicals. Over 5 months, we regularly applied either green leaves of the
      allelopathic invader Alliaria petiolata, a nonsystemic fungicide to simulate A.
      petiolata's effects, or green leaves of nonallelopathic Hesperis matronalis
      (control) to pots containing the native Maianthemum racemosum and its RFSs. We
      repeatedly measured M. racemosum physiology and harvested plants periodically to
      assess carbon allocation. Alliaria petiolata and fungicide treatment effects were
      indistinguishable: we observed inhibition of the RFS soil hyphal network and
      significant reductions in M. racemosum physiology (photosynthesis, transpiration
      and conductance) and allocation (carbon storage, root biomass and asexual
      reproduction) in both treatments relative to the control. Our findings suggest a
      general mechanistic hypothesis for local extinction of native species in
      ecosystems challenged by allelopathic invaders: RFS mutualism disruption drives
      carbon stress, subsequent declines in native plant vigor, and, if chronic,
      declines in RFS-dependent species abundance. 

PMID- 26506530
TI  - Parameter-dependent behavior of articular cartilage: 3D mechano-electrochemical
      computational model.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Changes in mechano-electrochemical properties of
      articular cartilage play an essential role in the majority of cartilage diseases.
      Despite of this importance, the specific effect of each parameter into tissue
      behavior remains still obscure. Parametric computational modeling of cartilage
      can provide some insights into this matter, specifically the study of mechano
      electrochemical properties variation and their correlation with tissue swelling,
      water and ion fluxes. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of
      the main mechanical and electrochemical parameters on the determination of
      articular cartilage behavior by a parametric analysis through a 3D finite element
      model. METHODS: For this purpose, a previous 3D mechano-electrochemical model,
      developed by the same authors, of articular cartilage behavior has been used.
      Young's modulus, Poisson coefficient, ion diffusivities and ion activity
      coefficients variations have been analyzed and quantified through monitoring
      tissue simulated response. RESULTS: Simulation results show how Young's modulus
      and Poisson coefficient control tissue behavior rather than electrochemical
      properties. Meanwhile, ion diffusivity and ion activity coefficients appear to be
      vital in controlling velocity of incoming and outgoing fluxes. CONCLUSIONS: This
      parametric study establishes a basic guide when defining the main properties that
      are essential to be included into computational modeling of articular cartilage
      providing a helpful tool in tissue simulations.

PMID- 26506531
TI  - Multi-period medical diagnosis method using a single valued neutrosophic
      similarity measure based on tangent function.
AB  - Because of the increased volume of information available to physicians from
      advanced medical technology, the obtained information of each symptom with
      respect to a disease may contain truth, falsity and indeterminacy information.
      Since a single-valued neutrosophic set (SVNS) consists of the three terms like
      the truth-membership, indeterminacy-membership and falsity-membership functions,
      it is very suitable for representing indeterminate and inconsistent information.
      Then, similarity measure plays an important role in pattern recognition and
      medical diagnosis. However, existing medical diagnosis methods can only handle
      the single period medical diagnosis problem, but cannot deal with the multi
      period medical diagnosis problems with neutrosophic information. Hence, the
      purpose of this paper was to propose similarity measures between SVNSs based on
      tangent function and a multi-period medical diagnosis method based on the
      similarity measure and the weighted aggregation of multi-period information to
      solve multi-period medical diagnosis problems with single-valued neutrosophic
      information. Then, we compared the tangent similarity measures of SVNSs with
      existing similarity measures of SVNSs by a numerical example about pattern
      recognitions to indicate the effectiveness and rationality of the proposed
      similarity measures. In the multi-period medical diagnosis method, we can find a
      proper diagnosis for a patient by the proposed similarity measure between the
      symptoms and the considered diseases represented by SVNSs and the weighted
      aggregation of multi-period information. Then, a multi-period medical diagnosis
      example was presented to demonstrate the application of the proposed diagnosis
      method and to indicate the effectiveness of the proposed diagnosis method by the
      comparative analysis. The diagnosis results showed that the developed multi
      period medical diagnosis method can help doctors make a proper diagnosis by the
      comprehensive information of multi-periods. 

PMID- 26506532
TI  - A Comparative Study of Peripheral Immune Responses to Taenia solium in
      Individuals with Parenchymal and Subarachnoid Neurocysticercosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ability of Taenia solium to modulate the immune system likely
      contributes to their longevity in the human host. We tested the hypothesis that
      the nature of the immune response is related to the location of parasite and
      clinical manifestations of infection. METHODOLOGY: Peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells (PBMC) were obtained from untreated patients with neurocysticercosis (NCC),
      categorized as having parenchymal or subarachnoid infection by the presence of
      cysts exclusively within the parenchyma or in subarachnoid spaces of the brain,
      and from uninfected (control) individuals matched by age and gender to each
      patient. Using multiplex detection technology, sera from NCC patients and
      controls and cytokine production by PBMC after T. solium antigen (TsAg)
      stimulation were assayed for levels of inflammatory and regulatory cytokines.
      PBMC were phenotyped by flow cytometry ex vivo and following in vitro stimulation
      with TsAg. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Sera from patients with parenchymal NCC
      demonstrated significantly higher Th1 (IFN-gamma/IL-12) and Th2 (IL-4/IL-13)
      cytokine responses and trends towards higher levels of IL-1beta/IL-8/IL-5 than
      those obtained from patients with subarachnoid NCC. Also higher in vitro antigen
      driven TNF-beta secretion was detected in PBMC supernatants from parenchymal than
      in subarachnoid NCC. In contrast, there was a significantly higher IL-10 response
      to TsAg stimulation in patients with subarachnoid NCC compared to parenchymal
      NCC. Although no differences in regulatory T cells (Tregs) frequencies were found
      ex vivo, there was a trend towards greater expansion of Tregs upon TsAg
      stimulation in subarachnoid than in parenchymal NCC when data were normalized for
      the corresponding controls. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: T. solium infection of the
      subarachnoid space is associated with an enhanced regulatory immune response
      compared to infection in the parenchyma. The resulting anti-inflammatory milieu
      may represent a parasite strategy to maintain a permissive environment in the
      host or diminish inflammatory damage from the host immune response in the central
      nervous system.

PMID- 26506533
TI  - Predicting the Effect of Mutations on Protein-Protein Binding Interactions
      through Structure-Based Interface Profiles.
AB  - The formation of protein-protein complexes is essential for proteins to perform
      their physiological functions in the cell. Mutations that prevent the proper
      formation of the correct complexes can have serious consequences for the
      associated cellular processes. Since experimental determination of protein
      protein binding affinity remains difficult when performed on a large scale,
      computational methods for predicting the consequences of mutations on binding
      affinity are highly desirable. We show that a scoring function based on interface
      structure profiles collected from analogous protein-protein interactions in the
      PDB is a powerful predictor of protein binding affinity changes upon mutation. As
      a standalone feature, the differences between the interface profile score of the
      mutant and wild-type proteins has an accuracy equivalent to the best all-atom
      potentials, despite being two orders of magnitude faster once the profile has
      been constructed. Due to its unique sensitivity in collecting the evolutionary
      profiles of analogous binding interactions and the high speed of calculation, the
      interface profile score has additional advantages as a complementary feature to
      combine with physics-based potentials for improving the accuracy of composite
      scoring approaches. By incorporating the sequence-derived and residue-level
      coarse-grained potentials with the interface structure profile score, a composite
      model was constructed through the random forest training, which generates a
      Pearson correlation coefficient >0.8 between the predicted and observed binding
      free-energy changes upon mutation. This accuracy is comparable to, or outperforms
      in most cases, the current best methods, but does not require high-resolution
      full-atomic models of the mutant structures. The binding interface profiling
      approach should find useful application in human-disease mutation recognition and
      protein interface design studies. 

PMID- 26506534
TI  - Comparing the Assembly and Handedness Dynamics of (H3.3-H4)2 Tetrasomes to
      Canonical Tetrasomes.
AB  - Eukaryotic nucleosomes consists of an (H3-H4)2 tetramer and two H2A-H2B dimers,
      around which 147 bp of DNA are wrapped in 1.7 left-handed helical turns. During
      chromatin assembly, the (H3-H4)2 tetramer binds first, forming a tetrasome that
      likely constitutes an important intermediate during ongoing transcription. We
      recently showed that (H3-H4)2 tetrasomes spontaneously switch between a left- and
      right-handed wrapped state of the DNA, a phenomenon that may serve to buffer
      changes in DNA torque induced by RNA polymerase in transcription. Within
      nucleosomes of actively transcribed genes, however, canonical H3 is progressively
      replaced by its variant H3.3. Consequently, one may ask if and how the DNA
      chirality dynamics of tetrasomes is altered by H3.3. Recent findings that H3.3
      containing nucleosomes result in less stable and less condensed chromatin further
      underline the need to study the microscopic underpinnings of H3.3-containing
      tetrasomes and nucleosomes. Here we report real-time single-molecule studies of
      (H3.3-H4)2 tetrasome dynamics using Freely Orbiting Magnetic Tweezers and
      Electromagnetic Torque Tweezers. We find that the assembly of H3.3-containing
      tetrasomes and nucleosomes by the histone chaperone Nucleosome Assembly Protein 1
      (NAP1) occurs in an identical manner to that of H3-containing tetrasomes and
      nucleosomes. Likewise, the flipping behavior of DNA handedness in tetrasomes is
      not impacted by the presence of H3.3. We also examine the effect of free NAP1,
      H3.3, and H4 in solution on flipping behavior and conclude that the probability
      for a tetrasome to occupy the left-handed state is only slightly enhanced by the
      presence of free protein. These data demonstrate that the incorporation of H3.3
      does not alter the structural dynamics of tetrasomes, and hence that the
      preferred incorporation of this histone variant in transcriptionally active
      regions does not result from its enhanced ability to accommodate torsional
      stress, but rather may be linked to specific chaperone or remodeler requirements
      or communication with the nuclear environment. 

PMID- 26506535
TI  - Proteomic approach to nanotoxicity.
AB  - In recent years a large number of engineered nanomaterials (NMs) have been
      developed with promising technical benefits for consumers and medical appliances.
      In addition to already known potentially advantageous biological properties
      (antibiotic, antifungal and antiviral activity) of NMs, many new medical
      applications of NMs are foreseen, such as drug carriers, contrast agents,
      radiopharmaceuticals and many others. However, there is increasing concern about
      potential environmental and health effects due to NMs exposure. An increasing
      body of evidence suggests that NMs may trigger undesirable hazardous interactions
      with biological systems with potential to generate harmful effects. In this
      review we summarized a current state of knowledge on the proteomics approaches to
      nanotoxicity, including protein corona formation, in vitro and in vivo effects of
      exposure to NMs on proteome of different classes of organisms, from bacteria and
      plants to mammals. The effects of NMs on the proteome of environmentally relevant
      organisms are also described. SIGNIFICANCE: Despite the benefit that development
      of nanotechnology may bring to the society, there are still major gaps of
      knowledge on the influence of nanomaterials on human health and the environment.
      Thus, it seems necessary to conduct further interdisciplinary research to fill
      the knowledge gaps in NM toxicity, using more holistic approaches than offered by
      conventional biological techniques. "OMICS" techniques will certainly help
      researchers in this field. In this paper we summarized the current stage of
      knowledge of the effects of nanoparticles on the proteome of different organisms,
      including those commonly used as an environmentally relevant indicator organisms.

PMID- 26506536
TI  - A comparative study of venomics of Naja naja from India and Sri Lanka, clinical
      manifestations and antivenomics of an Indian polyspecific antivenom.
AB  - Naja naja (Indian cobra) from Sri Lanka and India is the WHO Category 1 medically
      important snakes in both countries. Some antivenom produced against Indian N.
      naja (NNi) were less effective against Sri Lankan N. naja (NNsl). Proteomes of
      NNi and NNsl venoms were studied by RP-HPLC, SDS-PAGE and LC/MS/MS. Six protein
      families were identified in both venoms with the most abundant were the 3 finger
      toxins (3FTs) where cytotoxins (CTX) subtype predominated, followed by
      phospholipase A2, cysteine-rich venom protein, snake venom metalloproteases,
      venom growth factors, and protease inhibitors. Qualitative and quantitative
      differences in the venomics profiles were observed. Some proteins were isolated
      from either NNi or NNsl venom. Postsynaptic neurotoxins (NTX) were identified for
      the first time in NNsl venom. Thus, there are geographic intra-specific
      variations of venom composition of the two N. naja. The relative abundance of CTX
      and NTX explained well the clinical manifestations of these venoms. Antivenomics
      study of an Indian antivenom (Vins) showed the antibodies effectively bound all
      venom toxins from both snakes but more avidly to the Indian venom proteins. The
      lower antibody affinity towards the 'heterologous' venom was the likely cause of
      poor efficacy of the Indian antivenom used to treat NNsl envenoming. 

PMID- 26506537
TI  - Epigenetic silencing of p21 by long non-coding RNA HOTAIR is involved in the cell
      cycle disorder induced by cigarette smoke extract.
AB  - Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are epigenetic regulators, are involved in
      human malignancies. Little is known, however, about the molecular mechanisms for
      lncRNA regulation of genes induced by cigarette smoke. We recently found that, in
      human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells, the lncRNA, Hox transcript antisense
      intergenic RNA (HOTAIR), is associated with changes in the cell cycle caused by
      cigarette smoke extract (CSE). In the present study, we report that increased
      expression of HOTAIR and enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), and tri-methylation
      of Lys 27 of histone H3 (H3K27me3), affect cell cycle progression during CSE
      induced transformation of HBE cells. Inhibition of HOTAIR and EZH2 by siRNAs
      attenuated CSE-induced decreases of p21 levels. Further, ChIP assays verified
      that HOTAIR and EZH2 were needed to maintain the interaction of H3K27me3 with the
      promoter regions of p21; combined use of a HOTAIR plasmid and EZH2 siRNA
      supported this observation. Thus, HOTAIR epigenetic silencing of p21 via EZH2
      mediated H3K27 trimethylation contributes to changes in the cell cycle induced by
      CSE. These observations provide further understanding of the regulation of CSE
      induced lung carcinogenesis and identify new therapeutic targets. 

PMID- 26506538
TI  - Microcystin-LR promotes proliferation by activating Akt/S6K1 pathway and
      disordering apoptosis and cell cycle associated proteins phosphorylation in
      HL7702 cells.
AB  - Our previous studies had shown that MC-LR inhibited PP2A activity and
      hyperphosphorylated PP2A substrates at 24 h exposure in HL7702 cells. Although
      the cytoskeleton was rearranged, the cellular effects were not observed. The
      purpose of the present study with HL7702 cell exposed to MC-LR for 1-72 h was to
      further uncover the adverse effects of MC-LR comprehensively. The results showed
      that there were no obvious difference in apoptosis rate and cell-cycle
      distribution but the cell proliferation was changed since 36 h exposure while the
      uptake of MC-LR and its binding to PP2A/C kept unchanged since 1h exposure. PP2A
      activity had not manifested continued decline compare to 24h exposure and PP2A
      regulator alpha4 was found to release its associated PP2A/C since 1h exposure.
      The increasing of p-Akt-T308, p-Akt-S473, p-S6K1, p-S6, and p-4E-BP1 since 1h MC
      LR exposure indicated that Akt/S6K1 cascade had been activated as early as 1h MC
      LR treatment. And, PI3K/Akt inhibitor (LY294002) blocked MC-LR-induced Akt/S6K1
      activation and proliferation. Besides, MC-LR also led to hyperphosphorylation of
      c-Myc, c-Jun, Bcl-2 and Bad and activation of Cdk1. Our study indicated that MC
      LR exposure promoted HL7702 cell proliferation and the main mechanism was the
      activation of Akt/S6K1 cascade. Meanwhile, hyperphosphorylation of Bcl-2, Bad, c
      Myc and c-Jun might also be involved. And, the inhibition of PP2A was the major
      reason for these molecular changes.

PMID- 26506539
TI  - Lipid complex effect on fatty acid profile and chemical composition of cow milk
      and cheese.
AB  - The effect of administration of lipid complex (LC) on cow milk and cheese
      characteristics was studied. Lipid complex was elaborated based on grapeseed oil
      with synthesized conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and Atlantic mackerel oil
      enriched in n-3 fatty acids. The 4-wk experiment was conducted on 30 Polish
      Holstein Friesian cows. The experimental group cow diet was supplemented with 400
      g/d of LC (containing 38% CLA, and eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid
      in a relative amount of 36.5%) on a humic-mineral carrier. The chemical
      composition and fatty acid profile of milk and rennet cheese from raw fresh milk
      were analyzed. Lipid complex supplementation of the total mixed ration had no
      effect on milk yield and milk composition, except fat content, which decreased
      from 4.6 to 4.1%, a 10.9% decrease. Milk from cows treated with LC had greater
      relative amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, particularly polyunsaturated fatty
      acids, and lesser relative amounts of saturated fatty acids. Lipid complex
      addition changed milk fat fatty acid profile: C18:2 cis-9,trans-11 and trans
      10,cis-12 isomer (CLA) contents increased by 278 and 233%, respectively, as did
      eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6) contents. Milk fat
      fatty acid profile changes were correlated with the modifications in rennet
      cheese fatty acid profile. Lipid complex supplementation of dairy cows produced
      considerable changes in the biological value of milk and cheese fat. 

PMID- 26506540
TI  - Milk-clotting mechanism of Dregea sinensis Hemsl. protease.
AB  - Dregea sinensis Hemsl. is used as a milk coagulant to produce goat milk cakes in
      Yunnan, China. However, the composition of milk-clotting compounds and the
      related mechanism have not been reported. Crude protease was extracted from the
      stem, purified, and then separated with a Millipore ultrafiltration centrifuge
      tube. Cysteine protease (procerain B) was identified as the main milk-clotting
      protein through electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and its molecular
      weight was 23.8 kDa. The protease can partially degrade alpha-casein (CN) and
      completely degrade beta- and kappa-CN, and kappa-CN degradation resulted in milk
      clotting. The molecular weight and AA sequence of the peptide fractions were
      determined through matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight
      mass spectrometry and a peptide sequencer, respectively. The enzyme cleaved kappa
      CN at Ala90-Gln91 and produced deputy kappa-CN and caseinomacropeptide with
      molecular weights of 12 and 6.9 kDa, respectively. This cleavage site differed
      from the majority of chymosins cleaved at Phe105-Met106. 

PMID- 26506541
TI  - Increasing harvest maturity of whole-plant corn silage reduces methane emission
      of lactating dairy cows.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of increasing maturity
      of whole-plant corn at harvest on CH4 emissions by dairy cows consuming corn
      silage (CS) based diets. Whole-plant corn was harvested at a very early [25% dry
      matter (DM); CS25], early (28% DM; CS28), medium (32% DM; CS32), and late (40%
      DM; CS40) stage of maturity. In a randomized block design, 28 lactating Holstein
      Friesian dairy cows, of which 8 were fitted with rumen cannula, received 1 of 4
      dietary treatments designated as T25, T28, T32, and T40 to reflect the DM
      contents at harvest. Treatments consisted of (DM basis) 75% CS, 20% concentrate,
      and 5% wheat straw. Feed intake, digestibility, milk production and composition,
      energy and N balance, and CH4 production were measured during a 5-d period in
      climate respiration chambers after an adaptation to the diet for 12 d. Corn
      silage starch content varied between 275 (CS25) and 385 (CS40) g/kg of DM.
      Treatments did not affect DM intake (DMI), milk yield, or milk contents. In situ
      ruminal fractional degradation rate of starch decreased linearly from 0.098 to
      0.059/h as maturity increased from CS25 to CS40. Apparent total-tract
      digestibility of DM, organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber,
      crude fat, starch, and gross energy (GE) decreased linearly with maturity.
      Treatments did not affect ruminal pH, volatile fatty acids, and ammonia
      concentrations, and volatile fatty acids molar proportions. The concentration of
      C18:3n-3 in milk fat decreased linearly, and the concentration of C18:2n-6 and
      the n-6:n-3 ratio increased linearly with maturity. A quadratic response occurred
      for the total saturated fatty acid concentration and total monounsaturated fatty
      acid concentration in milk fat. Methane production relative to DMI (21.7, 23.0,
      21.0, and 20.1g/kg) and relative to GE intake (0.063, 0.067, 0.063, and 0.060
      MJ/MJ; values for T25, T28, T32, and T40, respectively) decreased linearly with
      maturity. Also, CH4 emission relative to fat- and protein-corrected milk tended
      to decrease linearly with maturity (13.0, 13.4, 13.2, and 12.1g/kg of fat- and
      protein-corrected milk, for T25, T28, T32, and T40, respectively). Intake of GE
      and metabolizable energy, and energy retained, all expressed per unit of
      metabolic body weight, did not differ among treatments. Nitrogen intake, N use
      efficiency (milk N/N intake), and N balance were not influenced by treatments.
      Increasing maturity of whole-plant corn at harvest may offer an effective
      strategy to decrease CH4 losses with feeding CS without negatively affecting cow
      performance. 

PMID- 26506543
TI  - Effects of maturity and harvest season of grass-clover silage and of forage-to
      concentrate ratio on milk production of dairy cows.
AB  - This study examined the effects of maturity and season of harvest of grass-clover
      silages and forage:concentrate ratio (FCR) on feed intake, milk production,
      chewing activity, digestibility, and fecal consistency of Holstein dairy cows.
      Comparison included 2 cuts in spring season (early and late) and 2 cuts in summer
      season (early and late) combined with high FCR (80:20; HFCR) and low FCR (50:50;
      LFCR). The experiment included 24 lactating Holstein cows arranged as 2 repeated
      4 * 4 Latin squares with four 21-d periods and included measurements of feed
      composition, feed intake, milk production and composition, chewing activities,
      digestibilities, and fecal dry matter (DM) concentration and scoring. Forages
      were fed as two-thirds grass-clover and one-third corn silage supplemented with
      either 20 or 50% concentrate. Rations were fed ad libitum as total mixed rations.
      Early maturity cuts were more digestible than late maturity cuts, which was also
      reflected in a lower concentration of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in early
      maturity cuts, whereas summer cuts had a higher crude protein concentration than
      spring cuts. Increased maturity decreased the intake of DM and energy, increased
      NDF intake, and decreased the yield of energy-corrected milk (ECM). Summer cuts
      increased the ECM yield compared with spring cuts. Milk yield (kg and kilogram of
      ECM) was numerically higher for cows fed early summer cut, independent of FCR in
      the ration. Milk protein concentration decreased, or tended to decrease, with
      maturity. For LFCR, the milk fat concentration increased with maturity resulting
      in a decreased protein:fat ratio. At HFCR, increased maturity increased the time
      spent chewing per kilogram of DM. Digestibility of silages was positively
      correlated with the fecal DM concentration. The DM intake and ECM yield showed no
      significant response to FCR in the ration, but the milk composition was affected.
      The LFCR decreased the milk fat percentage and increased the milk protein
      percentage numerically followed by a higher protein:fat ratio. Total chewing time
      per kilogram of DM decreased and total chewing time per kilogram of NDF increased
      with LFCR. This study indicates that silages from summer cuts have a similar
      value for milk production as do spring cuts, when forage digestibility is taken
      into account. Moreover, it appears that supplementation of extra concentrate has
      no effect on ECM production when forages with a high digestibility are fed, and
      that the physical structural value is adequate even when feeding high digestible
      forages.

PMID- 26506544
TI  - Short communication: Sensory profile and acceptability of a cow milk cheese
      manufactured by adding jenny milk.
AB  - The addition of jenny milk during cheesemaking has been recommended as a viable
      alternative to egg lysozyme for controlling late blowing defects. However, little
      is known on the sensory properties of the cheeses made with jenny milk. In this
      study, the effect of the addition of jenny milk during cheesemaking on sensory
      properties and consumer acceptability of cheese was evaluated. A sensory profile
      was carried out by 10 trained panelists on 4 cow milk cheese types. Two types of
      cheeses were made by adding jenny milk to cow milk during cheesemaking; the
      cheeses were then left to ripen for 45 and 120 d. The remaining 2 cheese types
      were made with only cow milk and were also left to ripen for 45 and 120 d. The
      attributes generated by a quantitative descriptive analysis sensory panel were
      effective for discriminating the 4 products. Among them, added jenny milk samples
      aged for 45 d had the highest intensity of some appearance descriptors (structure
      and color uniformity), as well as the highest intensity of sweetness. The
      analysis of acceptability data obtained from 89 consumers showed that added jenny
      milk aged for 45 d was the most preferred type of cheese, whereas no significant
      differences were found among the other products, which had higher intensity of
      bitter, salty, acid milk, and so on. 

PMID- 26506542
TI  - Mammary gland development--It's not just about estrogen.
AB  - The mammary gland (MG) is one of a few organs that undergoes most of its growth
      after birth. Much of this development occurs concurrently with specific
      reproductive states, such that the ultimate goal of milk synthesis and secretion
      is coordinated with the nutritional requirements of the neonate. Central to the
      reproductive-MG axis is its endocrine regulation, and pivotal to this regulation
      is the ovarian secretion of estrogen (E). Indeed, it is widely accepted that
      estrogens are essential for growth of the MG to occur, both for ductal elongation
      during puberty and for alveolar development during gestation. As the factors
      regulating MG development continually come to light from the fields of
      developmental biology, lactation physiology, and breast cancer research, a
      growing body of evidence serves as a reminder that the MG are not as exclusively
      dependent on estrogens as might have been thought. The objective of this review
      is to summarize the state of information regarding our understanding of how
      estrogen (E) has been implicated as the key regulator of MG development, and to
      highlight some of the alternative E-independent mechanisms that have been
      discovered. In particular, we review our findings that dietary trans-10,cis-12
      conjugated linoleic acid promotes ductal elongation and that the combination of
      progesterone (P) and prolactin (PRL) can stimulate branching morphogenesis in the
      absence of E. Ultimately, these examples stand as a healthy challenge to the
      question of just how important estrogens are for MG development. Answers to this
      question, in turn, increase our understanding of MG development across all
      mammals and the ways in which it can affect milk production. 

PMID- 26506545
TI  - Multi-class, multi-residue analysis of trace veterinary drugs in milk by rapid
      screening and quantification using ultra-performance liquid chromatography
      quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
AB  - A simple and rapid multi-class multi-residue analytical method was developed for
      the screening and quantification of veterinary drugs in milk by ultra-performance
      liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry
      (UPLC-QTOF-MS). A total of 90 veterinary drugs investigated belonged to almost 20
      classes including lincomycins, macrolides, sulfonamides, quinolones,
      tetracyclines, beta-agonists, beta-lactams, sedatives, beta-receptor antagonists,
      sex hormones, glucocorticoids, nitroimidazoles, benzimidazoles, nitrofurans, and
      some others. A modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe
      (QuEChERS) procedure was developed for the sample preparation without the solid
      phase extraction step. The linearity, sensitivity, accuracy, repeatability, and
      reproducibility of the method were fully validated. The response of the detector
      was linear for each target compound in a wide concentration range with a
      correlation coefficient (R(2)) of 0.9973 to 0.9999 (among them R(2)>0.999 for 73
      of 90 analytes). The range of the limit of quantification for these compounds in
      the milk ranged from 0.10 to 17.30MUg/kg. The repeatability and reproducibility
      were in the range of 2.11 to 9.62% and 2.76 to 13.9%, respectively. The average
      recoveries ranged from 72.62 to 122.2% with the RSD (n=6) of 1.30 to 9.61% at 3
      concentration levels. For the screening method, the data of the precursor and
      product ions of the target analytes were simultaneously acquired under the all
      ions MS/MS mode in a single run. An accurate mass database for the confirmation
      and identification of the target compounds was established. The applicability of
      the screening method was verified by applying to real milk samples. The proposed
      analytical method allows the identification and confirmation of the target
      veterinary drugs at trace levels employing quick analysis time. Certain
      veterinary drugs were detected in some cases. 

PMID- 26506546
TI  - Effect of feed type and method of presentation on feeding behavior, intake, and
      growth of dairy calves fed a high level of milk.
AB  - The objective of this study was to assess the effect of different feed types and
      method of feed presentation in the first 12 wk of life on the feeding behavior,
      intake, and growth of calves fed a high milk level. Forty-eight neonatal Holstein
      calves were individually housed and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments and
      fed solid feed ad libitum: silage-based total mixed ration (TMR), concentrate
      (CON), and chopped hay and concentrate presented in 2 manners: mixed (MIX) or
      separate (SEP). All calves were offered 12 L/d of acidified milk replacer (1.8 kg
      of dry matter) until d 38 at which time step-down weaning by 1 L/d began. At d 50
      calves no longer received milk, and all calves on SEP and CON treatments were
      offered the MIX diet until the end of the trial, whereas TMR and MIX calves did
      not change feeds. Feed intakes were recorded daily, and calves were weighed twice
      per week. Rumination time was observed on the last 3 d of alternate weeks (wk 3,
      5, 7, 9, and 11) for 1h beginning at 1500 h. Time spent feeding was determined
      for the last 2 d of alternate weeks. In the preweaning stage (d 1-37) average
      daily gain was similar for all calves (1.1 kg/d). The TMR calves had lower
      average daily gain than calves on the other 3 treatments during both the weaning
      (d 38-49; 0.2 vs. 0.7 kg/d) and postweaning (d 50-84; 0.5 vs. 1.2 kg/d) stages.
      This result is related to the lower dry matter intake of calves fed TMR in
      comparison with MIX, SEP, and CON calves in the weaning (0.2 vs. 0.5 kg/d) and
      postweaning (1.8 vs. 2.8 kg/d) stages. Given dry matter content of the feeds
      (TMR=52%, other diets=89%), the as-fed intake of the calves was similar across
      treatments in all 3 stages. Calves offered hay in addition to concentrate showed
      no difference in concentrate intake in the first 7 wk of life. Interestingly, TMR
      calves spent more time feeding during the postweaning stage than MIX, SEP, and
      CON calves (308 vs. 194 min/d) and exhibited a slower feeding rate postweaning
      (5.9 vs. 14.4 g of dry matter per minute). It appears that during weaning, and
      postweaning, calves fed TMR were attempting to maximize their nutrient intake but
      were unable to match that of calves in other treatments because of the high
      moisture content of their feed, and thus were unable to achieve similar average
      daily gain. Additionally, growth and total intake throughout the preweaning and
      weaning stages were similar for calves fed chopped hay along with concentrate and
      those not offered hay, suggesting no detrimental effect of feeding forage.

PMID- 26506547
TI  - Technical note: Validation of a handheld meter for measuring beta-hydroxybutyrate
      concentrations in plasma and serum from dairy cows.
AB  - The use of handheld meters for cow-side tests for beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB)
      concentrations in whole blood has become common. The aim of this study was to
      compare serum BHB (sBHB) and plasma BHB (pBHB) concentrations analyzed using
      either a "gold standard" enzymatic laboratory method (LM; Randox Laboratories
      Ltd., Antrim, UK; cat. no. RB1007) or a handheld meter (PX; Precision Xtra,
      Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Alameda, CA). Results from 374 (187 serum and 187
      plasma) samples taken from Holstein cows from 11 d before (52 samples) to 5 d
      after parturition (137 samples) were used for the analysis. Statistical analysis
      was performed using the MIXED, REG, and LOGISTIC procedures of SAS (v9.4; SAS
      Institute Inc., Cary, NC). A linear mixed model with repeated measures was fitted
      for LM and PX. Regression and correlation analyses were completed to estimate the
      relationship and agreement between the 2 methods. Lin's concordance correlation
      coefficient (CCC) and Bland-Altman plots were used to evaluate agreement between
      LM and PX. Cross-validation by randomly splitting the data in model-building and
      validation sets was performed to estimate and validate the equation that
      predicted the LM results using PX. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves
      were used to estimate the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of PX at
      different threshold levels. The CCC was 0.74 for pBHB and 0.68 for sBHB. The 95%
      confidence interval of agreement of the Bland-Altman plot encompassed 96% of the
      difference between LM and PX for pBHB and 95% for sBHB. The mean difference for
      pBHB was -0.50+/-0.25mmol, and that for sBHB was -0.63+/-0.41mmol. The highest Se
      and Sp for PX were achieved when the threshold for ketosis was set to 1.8mmol/L
      for pBHB and 2.1mmol/L for sBHB. The area under the ROC curve was 0.97 for pBHB
      and 0.96 for sBHB. The negative bias shown by the Bland-Altman plots suggested
      that PX yielded higher pBHB and sBHB concentrations than the LM. However, the
      excellent test characteristics and area under the ROC curve close to 1 indicated
      that PX at the adjusted thresholds was able to accurately classify between
      samples <1.2mmol/L and those >=1.2mmol/L based on the gold standard test. 

PMID- 26506548
TI  - The cost of feeding bred dairy heifers on native warm-season grasses and
      harvested feedstuffs.
AB  - Heifer rearing is one of the largest production expenses for dairy cattle
      operations, which is one reason milking operations outsource heifer rearing to
      custom developers. The cost of harvested feedstuffs is a major expense in heifer
      rearing. A possible way to lower feed costs is to graze dairy heifers, but little
      research exists on this topic in the mid-south United States. The objectives of
      this research were to determine the cost of feeding bred dairy heifers grazing
      native warm-season grasses (NWSG), with and without legumes, and compare the cost
      of grazing with the cost of rearing heifers using 3 traditional rations. The 3
      rations were corn silage with soybean meal, corn silage with dry distillers
      grain, and a wet distillers grain-based ration. Bred Holstein heifers between 15-
      and 20-mo-old continuously grazed switchgrass (SG), SG with red clover (SG+RC), a
      big bluestem and Indiangrass mixture (BBIG), and BBIG with red clover (BBIG+RC)
      in Tennessee during the summer months. Total grazing days were calculated for
      each NWSG to determine the average cost/animal per grazing day. The average daily
      gain (ADG) was calculated for each NWSG to develop 3 harvested feed rations that
      would result in the same ADG over the same number of grazing day as each NWSG
      treatment. The average cost/animal per grazing day was lowest for SG
      ($0.48/animal/grazing d) and highest for BBIG+RC ($1.10/animal/grazing d). For
      both BBIG and SG, legumes increased the average cost/animal per grazing day
      because grazing days did not increase enough to account for the additional cost
      of the legumes. No difference was observed in ADG for heifers grazing BBIG (0.85
      kg/d) and BBIG+RC (0.94 kg/d), and no difference was observed in ADG for heifers
      grazing SG (0.71 kg/d) and SG+RC (0.70 kg/d). However, the ADG for heifers
      grazing SG and SG+RC was lower than the ADG for heifers grazing either BBIG or
      BBIG+RC. The average cost/animal per grazing day was lower for all NWSG
      treatments than the average cost/animal per day for all comparable feed rations
      at a low, average, and high yardage fee. Results of this study suggest that SG
      was the most cost-effective NWSG alternative to harvested feeds for bred dairy
      heifer rearing.

PMID- 26506549
TI  - Short communication: Microbial quality of raw milk following commercial long
      distance hauling.
AB  - Hauling is a critical part of the commercial milk supply chain, yet very few
      studies have aimed to understand its effect on raw milk quality. This study
      focused on the effect of extended-duration tanker use during hauling on raw milk
      quality at a commercial facility. Standard tanker use [cleaned-in-place (CIP)
      once per 24h] served as a control and an incremental between-load water rinse
      with sanitizer treatment (RS) was evaluated to mitigate any effect from extended
      duration hauling. During this study, 1 commercial truck with 2 trailers was
      monitored for 10d. The truck collected milk at a large dairy farm, transported
      the milk to a manufacturing facility, and then returned to the same farm for a
      second load. Each round-trip journey took between 10 and 12h, allowing for 2
      loads per 24-h use period. Following the second delivery, the truck was cleaned
      by CIP treatment starting a new treatment day. Producer samples were collected
      from the raw milk bulk tank on the farm before loading milk into the tanker. The
      same milk was sampled directly out of the tanker truck before unloading at the
      manufacturer. Effect on individual bacteria count, thermophilic spore count, and
      preliminary incubation count was quantified through common industry tests.
      Surface sponge swabs were also used to monitor tanker sanitation and the efficacy
      of cleaning treatments. Results did not identify a negative effect on raw milk
      quality due to extended duration hauling. Whereas the addition of RS did not
      provide any measurable quality benefits for the microbial milk quality, swab
      results demonstrated that the RS treatment was able to reduce surface bacteria in
      the tanker, although not to the same level as the full CIP treatment. Based on
      this study, current CIP practices for long distance milk hauling appear to be
      effective in mitigating any measurable effect on raw milk quality. 

PMID- 26506550
TI  - Angiotensin-I-converting enzyme-inhibitory peptides in commercial Wisconsin
      Cheddar cheeses of different ages.
AB  - Bioactive peptides, including angiotensin-I-converting enzyme-inhibitory (ACEI)
      peptides, were investigated in commercially produced Wisconsin Cheddar cheeses
      that ranged in age from <= 6d to more than 2 yr. The ACEI activity of cheese was
      determined in water-soluble extracts (WSE) that were fractionated for components
      with molecular weight (MW) <= 3,000 Da, and peptides identified using HPLC and
      tandem mass spectrometry. The number of types of bioactive peptides increased
      with an increase in ripening time. Six of the identified ACEI peptides, Ile-Pro
      Pro (IPP), Val-Pro-Pro (VPP), Glu-Lys-Asp-Glu-Arg-Phe (EKDERF), Val-Arg-Tyr-Leu
      (VRYL), Tyr-Pro-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro-Ile-Pro-Asn (YPFPGPIPN), and Phe-Phe-Val-Ala-Pro
      (FFVAP), with known high ACEI activity (low IC50 values, the concentration needed
      to inhibit ACE to 50% of its original activity) were synthesized and used to
      quantify the amounts of these peptides in various cheese extracts. The
      concentrations of these 6 ACEI peptides increased up to a certain stage of
      ripening. The maximum contents of IPP, VPP, and EKDERF were 2.8, 7.4, and
      5.3mg/100 g of cheese, respectively, and these levels were found in a 1-yr-old
      Cheddar cheese sample. The maximum content of VRYL (7.5mg/100 g of cheese) was
      found in a 2-yr-old Cheddar cheese sample, whereas the maximum content of
      YPFPGPIPN (6.8 mg/100 g of cheese) was found in a 6-mo-old Cheddar cheese sample.
      Trace amounts of FFVAP were found in these cheeses. Aged Cheddar cheese was found
      to be a rich source of ACEI peptides even though large differences exist between
      cheeses from different manufacturers.

PMID- 26506551
TI  - Effect of extending the interval from Presynch to initiation of Ovsynch in a
      Presynch-Ovsynch protocol on fertility of timed artificial insemination services
      in lactating dairy cows.
AB  - The specific objective of this study was to determine if increasing the interval
      between the Presynch and Ovsynch portion of the Presynch-Ovsynch protocol
      (Presynch: PGF2alpha-14 d-PGF2alpha and Ovsynch: GnRH-7 d-PGF2alpha-56 h-GnRH-16
      20 h-timed artificial insemination) from 12 to 14 d would reduce the fertility of
      lactating dairy cows not detected in estrus after Presynch that receive timed
      artificial insemination (TAI). Cows from 4 commercial dairy farms (n=3,165) were
      blocked by parity (primiparous vs. multiparous) and randomly assigned to a 12
      (PSOv14-12; n=1,566) or 14 d (PSOv14-14; n=1,599) interval between the second
      PGF2alpha (PGF) injection of Presynch (P2) and the beginning of Ovsynch. Cows
      detected in estrus any time between P2 and the day of the TAI were inseminated
      (AIED group). From a subgroup of cows (177 and 150 in PSOv14-12 and PSOv14-14,
      respectively), ovarian parameters and ovulation were evaluated through
      determination of concentrations of progesterone (P4) in blood and transrectal
      ultrasonography at the time of the first GnRH (GnRH1) and the PGF injection of
      Ovsynch. Overall, 52.8% (n=1,671) of the cows were AIED, whereas 47.2% (n=1,494)
      received TAI. For cows that received TAI, pregnancies per artificial insemination
      39 d after artificial insemination were similar for PSOv14-12 (36.3%) and PSOv14
      14 (36.0%) but were greater for primiparous (41.5%) than multiparous cows
      (33.6%). Pregnancy loss from 39 to 105 d after artificial insemination was
      similar for PSOv14-12 (4.8%) and PSOv14-14 (8.6%), for primiparous (6.4%) and
      multiparous cows (7.0%), but a tendency for a treatment by parity interaction was
      observed. Both treatments had a similar proportion of cows with a follicle >= 10
      mm and similar follicle size at GnRH1; however, the ovulatory response to GnRH
      was greater for PSOv14-12 (62.2%) than PSOv14-14 (46.4%). A greater proportion of
      cows with a functional corpus luteum (75.3 vs. 65.6%) and greater concentrations
      of P4 (3.9 vs. 3.3 ng/mL) at GnRH1 in PSOv14-14 than PSOv14-12 may have
      compensated for the reduction in fertility expected due to reduced ovulatory
      response to GnRH1. We concluded that extending the interval from Presynch to
      Ovsynch from 12 to 14 reduced ovulatory response to GnRH1 but did not reduce the
      fertility of cows that received TAI when cows were inseminated in estrus after
      presynchronization. Thus, farms that combine AIED and TAI during the Presynch
      Ovsynch protocol may use a 14-d interval between Presynch and Ovsynch to simplify
      their management without reducing fertility of cows receiving TAI.

PMID- 26506552
TI  - Effect of heating strategies on whey protein denaturation--Revisited by liquid
      chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
AB  - Previous standards in the area of effect of heat treatment processes on milk
      protein denaturation were based primarily on laboratory-scale analysis and
      determination of denaturation degrees by, for example, electrophoresis. In this
      study, whey protein denaturation was revisited by pilot-scale heating strategies
      and liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (LC/MC Q
      TOF) analysis. Skim milk was heat treated by the use of 3 heating strategies,
      namely plate heat exchanger (PHE), tubular heat exchanger (THE), and direct steam
      injection (DSI), under various heating temperatures (T) and holding times. The
      effect of heating strategy on the degree of denaturation of beta-lactoglobulin
      and alpha-lactalbumin was determined using LC/MC Q-TOF of pH 4.5-soluble whey
      proteins. Furthermore, effect of heating strategy on the rennet-induced
      coagulation properties was studied by oscillatory rheometry. In addition, rennet
      induced coagulation of heat-treated micellar casein concentrate subjected to PHE
      was studied. For skim milk, the whey protein denaturation increased significantly
      as T and holding time increased, regardless of heating method. High denaturation
      degrees were obtained for T >100 degrees C using PHE and THE, whereas DSI
      resulted in significantly lower denaturation degrees, compared with PHE and THE.
      Rennet coagulation properties were impaired by increased T and holding time
      regardless of heating method, although DSI resulted in less impairment compared
      with PHE and THE. No significant difference was found between THE and PHE for
      effect on rennet coagulation time, whereas the curd firming rate was
      significantly larger for THE compared with PHE. Micellar casein concentrate
      possessed improved rennet coagulation properties compared with skim milk
      receiving equal heat treatment. 

PMID- 26506553
TI  - Integrating spot short-term measurements of carbon emissions and backward dietary
      energy partition calculations to estimate intake in lactating dairy cows fed ad
      libitum or restricted.
AB  - The objective of this study was to use spot short-term measurements of CH4 (QCH4)
      and CO2 (QCO2) integrated with backward dietary energy partition calculations to
      estimate dry matter intake (DMI) in lactating dairy cows. Twelve multiparous cows
      averaging 173+/-37d in milk and 4 primiparous cows averaging 179+/-27d in milk
      were blocked by days in milk, parity, and DMI (as a percentage of body weight)
      and, within each block, randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: ad libitum intake
      (AL) or restricted intake (RI=90% DMI) according to a crossover design. Each
      experimental period lasted 22d with 14d for treatments adaptation and 8d for data
      and sample collection. Diets contained (dry matter basis): 40% corn silage, 12%
      grass-legume haylage, and 48% concentrate. Spot short-term gas measurements were
      taken in 5-min sampling periods from 15 cows (1 cow refused sampling) using a
      portable, automated, open-circuit gas quantification system (GreenFeed, C-Lock
      Inc., Rapid City, SD) with intervals of 12h between the 2daily samples. Sampling
      points were advanced 2h from a day to the next to yield 16 gas samples per cow
      over 8d to account for diurnal variation in QCH4 and QCO2. The following
      equations were used sequentially to estimate DMI: (1) heat production
      (MJ/d)=(4.96 + 16.07 / respiratory quotient) * QCO2; respiratory quotient=0.95;
      (2) metabolizable energy intake (MJ/d)=(heat production + milk energy) +/- tissue
      energy balance; (3) digestible energy (DE) intake (MJ/d)=metabolizable energy +
      CH4 energy + urinary energy; (4) gross energy (GE) intake (MJ/d)=DE + [(DE / in
      vitro true dry matter digestibility) - DE]; and (5) DMI (kg/d)=GE intake
      estimated / diet GE concentration. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure
      of SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) and Fit Model procedure in JMP (alpha=0.05;
      SAS Institute Inc.). Cows significantly differed in DMI measured (23.8 vs.
      22.4kg/d for AL and RI, respectively). Dry matter intake estimated using QCH4 and
      QCO2 coupled with dietary backward energy partition calculations (Equations 1 to
      5 above) was highest in cows fed for AL (22.5 vs. 20.2kg/d). The resulting R(2)
      were 0.28 between DMI measured and DMI estimated by gaseous measurements, and
      0.36 between DMI measured and DMI predicted by the National Research Council
      model (2001). Results showed that spot short-term measurements of QCH4 and QCO2
      coupled with dietary backward estimations of energy partition underestimated DMI
      by 7.8%. However, the approach proposed herein was able to significantly
      discriminate differences in DMI between cows fed for AL or RI. 

PMID- 26506554
TI  - The Cost Effectiveness of Psychological and Pharmacological Interventions for
      Social Anxiety Disorder: A Model-Based Economic Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Social anxiety disorder is one of the most persistent and common
      anxiety disorders. Individually delivered psychological therapies are the most
      effective treatment options for adults with social anxiety disorder, but they are
      associated with high intervention costs. Therefore, the objective of this study
      was to assess the relative cost effectiveness of a variety of psychological and
      pharmacological interventions for adults with social anxiety disorder. METHODS: A
      decision-analytic model was constructed to compare costs and quality adjusted
      life years (QALYs) of 28 interventions for social anxiety disorder from the
      perspective of the British National Health Service and personal social services.
      Efficacy data were derived from a systematic review and network meta-analysis.
      Other model input parameters were based on published literature and national
      sources, supplemented by expert opinion. RESULTS: Individual cognitive therapy
      was the most cost-effective intervention for adults with social anxiety disorder,
      followed by generic individual cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), phenelzine
      and book-based self-help without support. Other drugs, group-based psychological
      interventions and other individually delivered psychological interventions were
      less cost-effective. Results were influenced by limited evidence suggesting
      superiority of psychological interventions over drugs in retaining long-term
      effects. The analysis did not take into account side effects of drugs.
      CONCLUSION: Various forms of individually delivered CBT appear to be the most
      cost-effective options for the treatment of adults with social anxiety disorder.
      Consideration of side effects of drugs would only strengthen this conclusion, as
      it would improve even further the cost effectiveness of individually delivered
      CBT relative to phenelzine, which was the next most cost-effective option, due to
      the serious side effects associated with phenelzine. Further research needs to
      determine more accurately the long-term comparative benefits and harms of
      psychological and pharmacological interventions for social anxiety disorder and
      establish their relative cost effectiveness with greater certainty.

PMID- 26506555
TI  - An analysis of omitting biliary tract imaging in 668 subjects admitted to an
      acute care surgery service with biochemical evidence of choledocholithiasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: No consensus exists for the timing and utility of biliary imaging in
      patients with preoperative concern for choledocholithiasis. METHODS: Admissions
      to an acute care surgery service with evidence of choledocholithiasis undergoing
      same-admission cholecystectomy without preoperative or intraoperative imaging
      were identified. One-way analysis of variance on the log-transformed outcomes,
      with the Tukey-Kramer multiple comparison procedure, were used to compare means
      between groups. RESULTS: A total of 668 patients with elevated but downtrending
      liver enzymes underwent cholecystectomy without preoperative or intraoperative
      imaging. Thirty-eight patients (5.7%) had postoperative biliary imaging, of whom
      22 (3.3%) had definite choledocholithiasis. One case of postoperative cholangitis
      occurred which required readmission and endoscopic retrograde
      cholangiopancreatography with no long-term morbidity. Presenting liver enzymes
      were significantly higher in the group found to have retained stones
      postoperatively than those without retained stones. CONCLUSIONS: Patients
      presenting with biochemical evidence of choledocholithiasis who downtrend
      preoperatively can be safely managed by cholecystectomy with omission of biliary
      tract imaging.

PMID- 26506556
TI  - For a clearer comprehension of the lymphatic system in perihilar
      cholangiocarcinoma.

PMID- 26506557
TI  - Measuring readmissions after surgery: do different methods tell the same story?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Readmission is widely used as a quality metric to assess hospital
      performance. However, different methods to calculate readmissions may produce
      various results, leading to differences in classification with respect to
      hospital performance. This study compared 2 commonly used approaches to measure
      surgical readmissions: the 30-day all-cause hospital-wide readmissions (HWRs) and
      the potentially preventable readmissions (PPRs). METHODS: We examined the
      correlation between hospitals' risk-adjusted HWR and PPR rates and whether there
      was agreement in categorizing hospital performance between these measures among
      111 hospitals with inpatient surgical programs in the Veterans Health
      Administration. RESULTS: We found that hospitals' HWR and PPR rates were highly
      correlated (r = .85, P < .0001). The overall agreement between these 2 methods in
      categorizing hospital performance was 82% for all surgeries, 82% for colectomy,
      84% for coronary bypass, and 87% for hip/knee replacement, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Despite differences in methodologies, the HWR and the PPR measures
      provided relatively consistent perceptions of hospitals' performance on surgical
      readmissions.

PMID- 26506558
TI  - Combined oral contraceptive synergistically activates mineralocorticoid receptor
      through histone code modifications.
AB  - Clinical studies have shown that the use of combined oral contraceptive in pre
      menopausal women is associated with fluid retention. However, the molecular
      mechanism is still elusive. We hypothesized that combined oral contraceptive
      (COC) ethinyl estradiol (EE) and norgestrel (N) synergistically activates
      mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) through histone code modifications. Twelve-week
      old female Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with olive oil (control), a
      combination of 0.1ug EE and 1.0ug N (low COC) or 1.0ug EE and 10.0ug N (high COC)
      as well as 0.1 or 1.0ug EE and 1.0 or 10.0ug N daily for 6 weeks. Expression of
      MR target genes in kidney cortex was determined by quantitative real-time
      polymerase chain reaction. MR was quantified by western blot. Recruitment of MR
      and RNA polymerase II (Pol II) on promoters of target genes as well as histone
      code modifications was analyzed by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Treatment
      with COC increased renal cortical expression of MR target genes such as serum and
      glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (Sgk-1), glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper
      (Gilz), epithelial Na(+)channel (Enac) and Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase subunit alpha1
      (Atp1a1). Although COC increased neither serum aldosterone nor MR expression in
      kidney cortex, it increased recruitment of MR and Pol II in parallel with
      increased H3Ac and H3K4me3 on the promoter regions of MR target genes. However,
      treatment with EE or N alone did not affect renal cortical expression of Sgk-1,
      Gilz, Enac or Atp1a1. These results indicate that COC synergistically activates
      MR through histone code modifications. 

PMID- 26506559
TI  - Effect of Prolonged Radiotherapy Treatment Time on Survival Outcomes after
      Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To estimate the influence of prolonged radiation treatment time (RTT) on
      survival outcomes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma after continuous intensity
      modulated radiation therapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Retrospectively review 321
      patients with NPC treated between October 2009 and December 2010 and all of them
      underwent simultaneous accelerated intensity-modulated radiation therapy. The
      fractionated dose was 2-2.47 Gy/F (median 2.27 Gy), and the total dose for
      nasopharyngeal region was 64-74 Gy/ 28-33 fractions. The association of prolonged
      RTT and treatment interruption with PFS, LRFS and DFFS were assessed by
      univariate analysis and multivariate analysis. Survival analyses were carried out
      using Kaplan-Meier methodology and the log-rank test was used to assess the
      difference. The Cox regression proportional hazard model was used for
      multivariate analyses and evaluating the prognostic parameters for PFS, LRFS and
      DFFS. RESULTS: Univariate analysis revealed no significant associations between
      prolonged RTT and PFS, LRFS, DFFS when dichotomized using various cut-off values
      (all P>0.05). In multivariate analysis, RTT (range, 36-63 days) as a continuous
      variable, had no influence on any survival outcome as well (P>0.05). T and N
      classification were independent prognostic factors for PFS, LRFS and DFFS (all
      P<0.05, except T classification for LRFS, P = 0.057). Age was an independent
      prognostic factor for PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.033; P = 0.008) and DFFS (HR,
      1.032; P = 0.043). CONCLUSION: We conclude that no such association between
      survival outcomes and radiation treatment duration (range: 36-63 days) can be
      found in the present retrospective study, however, we have to remind that
      prolongation in treatment should be limited in clinical application and
      interruptions caused by any reason should be minimized as much as possible.

PMID- 26506560
TI  - Fibulin-5 is upregulated in decidualized human endometrial stromal cells and
      promotes primary human extravillous trophoblast outgrowth.
AB  - Interactions between the highly invasive trophoblasts and the maternal uterine
      decidual extracellular matrix (ECM) are crucial in the determination of a
      successful pregnancy. Fibulin-5 (FBLN5) is a member of the fibulin family that
      alters cell adhesive and invasive properties and is expressed in human villous
      cytotrophoblasts. We aimed to determine the expression and immunolocalization of
      FBLN5 in human first trimester decidua and examine the effect of FBLN5 in
      trophoblast invasion in vitro using a first trimester placental villous outgrowth
      assay. We demonstrated that FBLN5 mRNA expression is upregulated in response to
      cAMP-mediated decidualization of primary human endometrial stromal cells,
      although FBLN5 itself does not enhance decidualization. We reported for the first
      time, FBLN5 protein production in first trimester decidual cells and also co
      localization to HLAG-positive EVTs in first trimester decidua. Consequently, we
      investigated the effects of exogenous FBLN5 on placental villous outgrowth in
      vitro and demonstrated that FBLN5 promotes EVT migration/invasion. This is the
      first study to identify FBLN5 in decidualized human endometrial stromal cells,
      first trimester decidua and EVT and determine a functional role for FBLN5 in
      human EVTs, suggesting that decidual and or EVT-derived FBLN5 regulates EVT
      invasion and placentation in women.

PMID- 26506561
TI  - Antiphospholipid antibodies bind syncytiotrophoblast mitochondria and alter the
      proteome of extruded syncytial nuclear aggregates.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are autoantibodies that increase
      the risk of women developing the hypertensive disorder pre-eclampsia. aPL are
      internalised by the syncytiotrophoblast and increase extrusion of necrotic
      multinucleated syncytial nuclear aggregates (SNAs), which may trigger endothelial
      dysfunction in pre-eclampsia. The mechanisms by which aPL alter death processes
      in the syncytiotrophoblast leading to extrusion of SNAs are unknown. METHODS:
      First trimester human placentae (n = 10) were dissected into explants and
      cultured either with aPL (50 MUg/mL), isotype-matched control antibody (50
      MUg/mL), or media for 24 h. Harvested SNAs underwent iTRAQ proteomic analysis.
      Mitochondria in syncytiotrophoblast treated with aPL labelled with FluoroNanogold
      were visualised using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). RESULTS: aPL
      altered the expression of 72 proteins in SNAs. Thirteen proteins were involved in
      mitochondrial function. TEM demonstrated that aPL bind to mitochondria in the
      syncytiotrophoblast and may cause mitochondrial swelling. DISCUSSION: aPL disrupt
      mitochondria increasing the extrusion of SNAs with an altered proteome from the
      syncytiotrophoblast. These altered SNAs may trigger endothelial dysfunction and
      pre-eclampsia in these pregnancies.

PMID- 26506562
TI  - Cognitive mechanisms of mindfulness: A test of current models.
AB  - Existing models of mindfulness describe the self-regulation of attention as
      primary, leading to enhanced decentering and ability to access and override
      automatic cognitive processes. This study compared 23 experienced and 21 non
      meditators on tests of mindfulness, attention, decentering, and ability to
      override automatic cognitive processes to test the cognitive mechanisms proposed
      to underlie mindfulness practice. Experienced meditators had significantly higher
      mindfulness and decentering than non-meditators. No significant difference
      between groups was found on measures of attention or ability to override
      automatic processes. These findings support the prediction that mindfulness leads
      to enhanced decentering, but do not support the cognitive mechanisms proposed to
      underlie such enhancement. Since mindfulness practice primarily involves
      internally directed attention, it may be the case that cognitive tests requiring
      externally directed attention and timed responses do not accurately assess
      mindfulness-induced cognitive changes. Implications for the models of mindfulness
      and future research are discussed. 

PMID- 26506563
TI  - Missed Opportunities for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Immunization in
      Mesoamerica: Potential Impact on Coverage and Days at Risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent outbreaks of measles in the Americas have received news and
      popular attention, noting the importance of vaccination to population health. To
      estimate the potential increase in immunization coverage and reduction in days at
      risk if every opportunity to vaccinate a child was used, we analyzed vaccination
      histories of children 11-59 months of age from large household surveys in
      Mesoamerica. METHODS: Our study included 22,234 children aged less than 59 months
      in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Child
      vaccination cards were used to calculate coverage of measles, mumps, and rubella
      (MMR) and to compute the number of days lived at risk. A child had a missed
      opportunity for vaccination if their card indicated a visit for vaccinations at
      which the child was not caught up to schedule for MMR. A Cox proportional hazards
      model was used to compute the hazard ratio associated with the reduction in days
      at risk, accounting for missed opportunities. RESULTS: El Salvador had the
      highest proportion of children with a vaccine card (91.2%) while Nicaragua had
      the lowest (76.5%). Card MMR coverage ranged from 44.6% in Mexico to 79.6% in
      Honduras while potential coverage accounting for missed opportunities ranged from
      70.8% in Nicaragua to 96.4% in El Salvador. Younger children were less likely to
      have a missed opportunity. In Panama, children from households with higher
      expenditure were more likely to have a missed opportunity for MMR vaccination
      compared to the poorest (OR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.06-2.47). In Nicaragua, compared to
      children of mothers with no education, children of mothers with primary education
      and secondary education were less likely to have a missed opportunity (OR 0.46,
      95% CI: 0.24-0.88 and OR 0.25, 95% CI: 0.096-0.65, respectively). Mean days at
      risk for MMR ranged from 158 in Panama to 483 in Mexico while potential days at
      risk ranged from 92 in Panama to 239 in El Salvador. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found
      high levels of missed opportunities for immunizing children in Mesoamerica. Our
      findings cause great concern, as they indicate that families are bringing their
      children to health facilities, but these children are not receiving all
      appropriate vaccinations during visits. This points to serious problems in
      current immunization practices and protocols in poor areas in Mesoamerica. Our
      study calls for programs to ensure that vaccines are available and that health
      professionals use every opportunity to vaccinate a child.

PMID- 26506565
TI  - Comparison of laparoscopic versus open resection for colorectal liver metastases.

PMID- 26506564
TI  - Comparison of the international consensus guidelines for predicting malignancy in
      intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study sought to evaluate the predictors of malignancy in the
      2012 international consensus guidelines for intraductal papillary mucinous
      neoplasms (IPMNs) and validate their diagnostic value relative to the 2006
      guidelines. METHODS: Between 2002 and 2014, 177 consecutive patients who
      underwent curative resection of IPMN were reviewed. Based on the 2012 guidelines,
      high-risk stigmata (mural nodule with enhancement, main pancreatic duct [MPD] >=
      10 mm, and obstructive jaundice) and worrisome features (cyst size >= 30 mm,
      thickened cyst wall, mural nodule without enhancement, MPD 5-9 mm, an abrupt
      change in MPD diameter, and lymphadenopathy) were assessed, and predictive and
      diagnostic values were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis
      identified obstructive jaundice (odds ratio [OR], 23.9; P < .0001), abrupt change
      in MPD diameter (OR, 3.01; P = .017) and lymphadenopathy (OR, 5.84; P = .027) as
      independent predictive factors, with an accuracy of 69.8, 67.4, and 66.3%,
      respectively. Operative intervention was indicated in 156 patients (94.0%) using
      the 2006 guidelines, and in 130 (78.3%) using the 2012 guidelines. The accuracy
      of the 2006 guidelines was 35.5% compared with 44.8% for the 2012 guidelines. The
      area under the curve (AUC) for the 2006 and 2012 guidelines was 0.65 and 0.67,
      respectively; DeltaAUC was 0.02, which was not statistically significant. When
      the worrisome features were combined with high-risk stigmata, the AUC increased
      to 0.79. CONCLUSION: Obstructive jaundice, abrupt change in MPD diameter, and
      lymphadenopathy were independent predictive factors in the 2012 guidelines with
      high accuracy. Using the new guidelines, the number of patients with IPMN managed
      with observation and the predictive accuracy increased.

PMID- 26506566
TI  - Is combined pancreatoduodenectomy for advanced gallbladder cancer justified?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The clinical impact of combined pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) for
      advanced gallbladder cancer remains unclear. METHODS: A total of 96 patients who
      underwent resection for stage II, III, or IV gallbladder cancer were enrolled.
      Patients with lower bile duct involvement, pancreatic or duodenal infiltration,
      or peripancreatic lymph node metastasis were considered candidates for combined
      PD. The operative outcomes were compared between the patients treated with PD (PD
      group, n = 21) and those treated without PD (non-PD group, n = 75), and between
      those treated with major hepatopancreatoduodenectomy (major HPD group, n = 9) and
      those treated with major hepatectomy (major hepatectomy group, n = 20). RESULTS:
      Overall morbidity in the PD group was greater than that in the non-PD group (81%
      vs 23%, P < .001), whereas the overall survival (OS) was comparable between the
      groups (5-year OS; 39.8% vs 46.7%, P = .96). There was no in-hospital mortality
      in the PD group. A serum albumin <3.0 g/dL (P = .004) and tumor size >= 9.0 cm (P
      = .029) were associated independently with a poor prognosis in the PD group.
      Overall morbidity in the major HPD group was greater than that in the major
      hepatectomy group (89% vs 40%, P = .014), whereas the OS was comparable between
      the groups (5-year OS; 34.6% vs 21.1%, P = .57), and the OS of major HPD group
      was better than that of unresectable group (n = 18, P = .017). CONCLUSION:
      Combined PD, including major HPD, is beneficial for selected patients of advanced
      gallbladder cancer; however, the indications should be carefully evaluated
      because of greater morbidity rates.

PMID- 26506567
TI  - Hospital variation in perioperative complications for laparoscopic sleeve
      gastrectomy in Michigan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has surpassed gastric bypass and
      laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding recently as the most common weight-loss
      procedure. Previously, substantial concerns existed regarding variation in
      perioperative safety with bariatric surgery. This study aimed to assess rates of
      perioperative complications for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy across hospitals
      and in relation to procedure volume within the Michigan Bariatric Surgery
      Collaborative. STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed 8,693 patients who underwent
      laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy from 2013 through 2014 across 40 hospitals in the
      Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative. Mixed-effects logistic regression was
      used to assess hospital variation in risk- and reliability-adjusted rates of
      overall and serious 30-day complications and their relationship with hospital
      annual volume of stapling procedures (gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy).
      RESULTS: Overall, 5.4% of patients experienced perioperative complications.
      Adjusted rates of overall complications varied three-fold across hospitals,
      ranging from 3.6% (95% confidence interval 1.9-6.8%) to 11.0% (95% confidence
      interval 7.7-15.5%). Serious complications occurred in just 1.2% of patients and
      varied minimally. In this analysis, hospital volume was not associated with
      overall or serious complications. The 1 hospital with significantly less overall
      complication rates was high-volume (>= 125 procedures/year); however, of the 4
      hospitals with significantly greater complication rates, 3 were medium-volume (50
      124 procedures/year), and 1 was high-volume. The remaining hospitals were not
      significantly different than the cohort mean. CONCLUSION: Serious complications
      among patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy were relatively
      infrequent in this cohort of patients in the Michigan Bariatric Surgery
      Collaborative. Rates of overall complications varied widely across the hospitals
      enrolled in this statewide quality collaborative, although this variation was
      unrelated to volume standards required for accreditation as a comprehensive
      bariatric surgery center.

PMID- 26506568
TI  - A scalable low-cost cGMP process for clinical grade production of the HIV
      inhibitor 5P12-RANTES in Pichia pastoris.
AB  - In the continued absence of an effective anti-HIV vaccine, approximately 2
      million new HIV infections occur every year, with over 95% of these in developing
      countries. Calls have been made for the development of anti-HIV drugs that can be
      formulated for topical use to prevent HIV transmission during sexual intercourse.
      Because these drugs are principally destined for use in low-resource regions,
      achieving production costs that are as low as possible is an absolute
      requirement. 5P12-RANTES, an analog of the human chemokine protein RANTES/CCL5,
      is a highly potent HIV entry inhibitor which acts by achieving potent blockade of
      the principal HIV coreceptor, CCR5. Here we describe the development and
      optimization of a scalable low-cost production process for 5P12-RANTES based on
      expression in Pichia pastoris. At pilot (150 L) scale, this cGMP compliant
      process yielded 30 g of clinical grade 5P12-RANTES. As well as providing
      sufficient material for the first stage of clinical development, this process
      represents an important step towards achieving production of 5P12-RANTES at a
      cost and scale appropriate to meet needs for topical HIV prevention worldwide.

PMID- 26506569
TI  - Radical Prostatectomy versus External Beam Radiotherapy for cT1-4N0M0 Prostate
      Cancer: Comparison of Patient Outcomes Including Mortality.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although radical prostatectomy (RP) and external beam radiotherapy
      (EBRT) have been considered as comparable treatments for localized prostate
      cancer (PC), it is controversial which treatment is better. The present study
      aimed to compare outcomes, including mortality, of RP and EBRT for localized PC.
      METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 891 patients with cT1-4N0M0 PC who underwent
      either RP (n = 569) or EBRT (n = 322) with curative intent at our single
      institution between 2005 and 2012. Of the EBRT patients, 302 (93.8%) underwent
      intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Primary endpoints were overall survival (OS)
      and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Related to these, other-cause mortality (OCM)
      was also calculated. Biochemical recurrence-free survival was assessed as a
      secondary endpoint. Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate
      analysis. RESULTS: Median follow-up durations were 53 and 45 months, and median
      ages were 66 and 70 years (P <0.0001), in the RP and EBRT groups, respectively.
      As a whole, significantly better prognoses of the RP group than the EBRT group
      were observed for both OS and CSS, although OCM was significantly higher in the
      EBRT group. There was no death from PC in men with low and intermediate D'Amico
      risks, except one with intermediate-risk in the EBRT group. In high-risk
      patients, significantly more patients died from PC in the EBRT group than the RP
      group. Multivariate analysis demonstrated the RP group to be an independent
      prognostic factor for better CSS. On the other hand, the EBRT group had a
      significantly longer biochemical recurrence-free survival than the RP group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Mortality outcomes of both RP and EBRT were generally favorable in
      low and intermediate risk patients. Improvement of CSS in high risk patients was
      seen in patients receiving RP over those receiving EBRT.

PMID- 26506571
TI  - Dysfunctional understanding of mental states in personality disorders: What is
      the evidence?

PMID- 26506570
TI  - A randomized open-label clinical trial of an anti-HPV biological dressing (JB01
      BD) administered intravaginally to treat high-risk HPV infection.
AB  - Currently, there is no specific antiviral therapy for HPV infection. We conducted
      a randomized open-label clinical trial of JB01-BD, an anti-HPV biological
      dressing from Shanxi Jinbo Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., China, for treatment of HPV
      infection. Seventy-seven women with cervical infection by high-risk HPV were
      randomly divided into a treatment group and a non-treatment group. After
      treatment, about 60.5% (23/38) of HPV-positive women in the treatment group
      became HPV-negative compared with 13.5% (5/37) of women in the non-treatment
      group becoming HPV-negative (P < 0.001). These data suggest that JB01-BD is an
      effective topical biological agent for the treatment of cervical HPV infection. 

PMID- 26506572
TI  - Health effects of toxicants: Online knowledge support.
AB  - Research in toxicology generates vast quantities of data which reside on the Web
      and are subsequently appropriated and utilized to support further research. This
      data includes a broad spectrum of information about chemical, biological and
      radiological agents which can affect health, the nature of the effects,
      treatment, regulatory measures, and more. Information is structured in a variety
      of formats, including traditional databases, portals, prediction models, and
      decision making support tools. Online resources are created and housed by a
      variety of institutions, including libraries and government agencies. This paper
      focuses on three such institutions and the tools they offer to the public: the
      National Library of Medicine (NLM) and its Toxicology and Environmental Health
      Information Program, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and
      the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Reference is
      also made to other relevant organizations. 

PMID- 26506573
TI  - Investigation of the effects of a sulfite molecule on human neuroblastoma cells
      via a novel oncogene URG4/URGCP.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study is to determine the anticancer effect of sulfite on SH
      SY5Y neuroblastoma cells in vitro conditions and elucidate underlying molecular
      mechanism of sulfite and explore its therapeutic activity. MAIN METHODS: In this
      study, cytotoxic effects of sulfite in SH-SY5Y cels were detected over time in a
      dose dependent manner with the IC50 doses ranging from 0.5 to 10 mM. Genotoxic
      effect of sulfite was shown by comet assay. IC50 doses in the SH-SY5Y cells were
      detected as 5 mM. Expression profiles of the target genes related to apoptosis
      and cell cycle control were determined by quantitative RT-PCR. Protein changes
      were determined by western blot analysis. KEY FINDINGS: URG4/URGCP, CCND1, CCND2,
      CDK4, CDK6, E2F4 and BCL-2 gene expression levels were significantly reduced and
      RB1, TP53, BAX, BID, CASP2, CASP3, CASP9 and DIABLO gene expressions were
      significantly increased in dose group cells. The mechanism of this result may be
      related to sulfite dependent inhibition of cell cycle at the G1 phase by down
      regulating URG4/URGCP or CCND1, CDK4, CDK6 gene expression and stimulating
      apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway. Sulfite suppressed invasion and colony
      formation in SH-SY5Y cell line using matrigel invasion chamber and colony
      formation assay, respectively. SIGNIFICANCE: It is thought that sulfite
      demonstrates anticarcinogenesis activity by affecting cell cycle arrest,
      apoptosis s, invasion, and colony formation on SH-SY5Y cells. Sulfite may be an
      effective agent for treatment of neuroblastoma as a single agent or in
      combination with other agents.

PMID- 26506574
TI  - Predicting Plasma Olanzapine Concentration Following a Change in Dosage: A
      Population Pharmacokinetic Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Due to high inter-individual variability in peripheral
      pharmacokinetic parameters, dosing of antipsychotics currently relies on clinical
      trial-and-error, and predicting antipsychotic plasma concentrations before
      changing a dose has been a challenge. METHODS: Patients with schizophrenia
      receiving a stable dose of olanzapine were included. 2 plasma samples were
      collected at 2 given time points for the measurement of plasma olanzapine
      concentrations. At least 7 days after a dosage change of olanzapine, a third
      sample was collected. The plasma concentration of the third sample was predicted
      in a blinded fashion using a mixed-effects model with NONMEM((r)), using the
      following information: the 2 baseline plasma concentrations, the interval between
      the last dose and blood draw, and clinical and demographic information. RESULTS:
      31 subjects (mean+/-SD age=56.0+/-11.6; 19 men) were enrolled. The mean
      prediction (95% confidence interval) errors were 1.6 (-2.8 to 6.0) ng/mL. A
      highly significant correlation was observed between the observed and predicted
      concentrations of the third sample (r=0.91, p<0.001). DISCUSSION: Plasma
      olanzapine concentrations following an actual dosage change can be predicted in
      advance with a high degree of certainty.

PMID- 26506575
TI  - Here/In This Issue and There/Abstract Thinking: Not Even in Cartoons.

PMID- 26506576
TI  - Chinese International Students: An Emerging Mental Health Crisis.

PMID- 26506577
TI  - Irritability in Youth: An Update.

PMID- 26506578
TI  - Suicidality in Very Young Children.

PMID- 26506579
TI  - Randomized Clinical Trial of Family-Based Treatment and Cognitive-Behavioral
      Therapy for Adolescent Bulimia Nervosa.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There is a paucity of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for
      adolescents with bulimia nervosa (BN). Prior studies suggest cognitive-behavioral
      therapy adapted for adolescents (CBT-A) and family-based treatment for adolescent
      bulimia nervosa (FBT-BN) could be effective for this patient population. The
      objective of this study was to compare the relative efficacy of these 2 specific
      therapies, FBT-BN and CBT-A. In addition, a smaller participant group was
      randomized to a nonspecific treatment (supportive psychotherapy [SPT]), whose
      data were to be used if there were no differences between FBT-BN and CBT-A at end
      of treatment. METHOD: This 2-site (Chicago and Stanford) randomized controlled
      trial included 130 participants (aged 12-18 years) meeting DSM-IV criteria for BN
      or partial BN (binge eating and purging once or more per week for 6 months).
      Outcomes were assessed at baseline, end of treatment, and 6 and 12 months
      posttreatment. Treatments involved 18 outpatient sessions over 6 months. The
      primary outcome was defined as abstinence from binge eating and purging for 4
      weeks before assessment, using the Eating Disorder Examination. RESULTS:
      Participants in FBT-BN achieved higher abstinence rates than in CBT-A at end of
      treatment (39% versus 20%; p = .040, number needed to treat [NNT] = 5) and at 6
      month follow-up (44% versus 25%; p = .030, NNT = 5). Abstinence rates between
      these 2 groups did not differ statistically at 12-month follow-up (49% versus
      32%; p = .130, NNT = 6). CONCLUSION: In this study, FBT-BN was more effective in
      promoting abstinence from binge eating and purging than CBT-A in adolescent BN at
      end of treatment and 6-month follow-up. By 12-month follow-up, there were no
      statistically significant differences between the 2 treatments. CLINICAL TRIAL
      REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Study of Treatment for Adolescents With Bulimia
      Nervosa; http://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT00879151.

PMID- 26506580
TI  - A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for
      Adolescents With Body Dysmorphic Disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) typically starts in adolescence, but
      evidence-based treatments are yet to be developed and formally evaluated in this
      age group. We designed an age-appropriate cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
      protocol for adolescents with BDD and evaluated its acceptability and efficacy in
      a pilot randomized controlled trial. METHOD: Thirty adolescents aged 12 to 18
      years (mean = 16.0, SD = 1.7) with a primary diagnosis of BDD, together with
      their families, were randomly assigned to 14 sessions of CBT delivered over 4
      months or a control condition of equivalent duration, consisting of written
      psycho-education materials and weekly telephone monitoring. Blinded evaluators
      assessed participants at baseline, midtreatment, posttreatment, and at 2-month
      follow-up. The primary outcome measure was the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive
      Scale Modified for BDD, Adolescent Version (mean baseline score = 37.13, SD =
      4.98, range = 24-43). RESULTS: The CBT group showed a significantly greater
      improvement than the control group, both at posttreatment (time * group
      interaction coefficient [95% CI] = -11.26 [-17.22 to -5.31]; p = .000) and at 2
      month follow-up (time * group interaction coefficient [95% CI] = -9.62 [-15.74 to
      -3.51]; p = .002). Six participants (40%) in the CBT group and 1 participant
      (6.7%) in the control condition were classified as responders at both time points
      (chi(2) = 4.658, p = .031). Improvements were also seen on secondary measures,
      including insight, depression, and quality of life at posttreatment. Both
      patients and their families deemed the treatment as highly acceptable.
      CONCLUSION: Developmentally tailored CBT is a promising intervention for young
      people with BDD, although there is significant room for improvement. Further
      clinical trials incorporating lessons learned in this pilot study and comparing
      CBT and pharmacological therapies, as well as their combination, are warranted.
      CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy for
      Adolescents With Body Dysmorphic Disorder; http://www.isrctn.com/;
      ISRCTN67699666.

PMID- 26506581
TI  - Atomoxetine, Parent Training, and Their Combination in Children With Autism
      Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Impairments associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
      (ADHD) and noncompliance are prevalent in children with autism spectrum disorder
      (ASD). However, ADHD response to stimulants is well below rates in typically
      developing children, with frequent side effects. Group studies of treatments for
      noncompliance are rare in ASD. We examined individual and combined-effectiveness
      of atomoxetine (ATX) and parent training (PT) for ADHD symptoms and
      noncompliance. METHOD: In a 3-site, 10-week, double-blind, 2 * 2 trial of ATX and
      PT, 128 children (ages 5-14 years) with ASD and ADHD symptoms were randomized to
      ATX, ATX+PT, placebo+PT, or placebo. ATX was adjusted to optimal dose (capped at
      1.8 mg/kg/day) over 6 weeks and maintained for 4 additional weeks. Nine PT
      sessions were provided. Primary outcome measures were the parent-rated DSM ADHD
      symptoms on the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham (SNAP) scale and Home Situations
      Questionnaire (HSQ). RESULTS: On the SNAP, ATX, ATX+PT and placebo+PT were each
      superior to placebo (effect sizes 0.57-0.98; p values of .0005, .0004, and .025,
      respectively). For noncompliance, ATX and ATX+PT were superior to placebo (effect
      sizes 0.47-0.64; p values .03 and .0028, respectively). ATX was associated with
      decreased appetite but was otherwise well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Both ATX and PT
      resulted in significant improvement on ADHD symptoms, whereas ATX (both alone and
      combined with PT) was associated with significant decreases on measures of
      noncompliance. ATX appears to have a better side effects profile than
      psychostimulants in the population with ASD. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
      INFORMATION: Atomoxetine, Placebo and Parent Management Training in Autism;
      http://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT00844753.

PMID- 26506582
TI  - A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Guanfacine Extended Release in
      Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Despite the continuity of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
      (ADHD) into adolescence, little is known regarding use of nonstimulants to treat
      ADHD in adolescents. This phase 3 trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of
      guanfacine extended release (GXR) in adolescents with ADHD. METHOD: This 13-week,
      multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated once
      daily GXR (1-7 mg per day) in adolescents with ADHD aged 13 to 17 years. The
      primary endpoint was the change from baseline in the ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD
      RS-IV) total score; key secondary endpoints included scores from the Clinical
      Global Impressions-Severity of Illness (CGI-S), and Learning and School domain
      and Family domain scores from the Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale-Parent
      Report (WFIRS-P) at week 13. RESULTS: A total of 314 participants were randomized
      (GXR, n = 157; placebo, n = 157). The majority of participants received optimal
      doses of 3, 4, 5, or 6 mg (30 [22.9%], 26 [19.8%], 27 [20.6%], or 24 [18.3%]
      participants, respectively), with 46.5% of participants receiving an optimal dose
      above the currently approved maximum dose limit of 4 mg. Participants receiving
      GXR showed improvement in ADHD-RS-IV total score compared with placebo (least
      squares mean score change, -24.55 [GXR] versus -18.53 [placebo]; effect size,
      0.52; p <.001). More participants on GXR also showed significant improvement in
      CGI-S scores compared with placebo (50.6% versus 36.1%; p = .010). There was no
      statistically significant difference between treatments at week 13 in the 2 WFIRS
      P domains. Most treatment-emergent adverse events were mild to moderate, with
      sedation-related events reported most commonly. CONCLUSION: GXR was associated
      with statistically significant improvements in ADHD symptoms in adolescents. GXR
      was well tolerated, with no new safety signals reported. CLINICAL TRIAL
      REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Dose-Optimization in Adolescents Aged 13-17 Diagnosed
      With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Using Extended-Release
      Guanfacine HCl; http://ClinicalTrials.gov/; NCT01081132.

PMID- 26506583
TI  - Correlates and Consequences of Suicidal Cognitions and Behaviors in Children Ages
      3 to 7 Years.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Despite research documenting the existence of depression and other
      psychiatric disorders in early childhood, little is known about the nature and
      consequences of suicidal cognitions and behaviors (SI) in young children ages 3
      to 7 years. The identification of trajectories of SI across childhood is a
      critical step toward preventing childhood suicide. METHOD: Participants were 306
      children enrolled in a prospective longitudinal investigation of young children
      and their families. Children and their families completed a baseline assessment
      between ages 3 and 7 years, and at least 1 follow-up assessment (ages 7-12
      years). Child psychopathology, suicidal thoughts, plans, and behaviors were
      assessed via parent and trained interviewer report before age 9, and also with
      self-report after age 9. Data on maternal history of psychopathology, as well as
      maternal and family history of suicide attempts, were also obtained through
      parent report. RESULTS: Controlling for a range of clinical and demographic
      variables, early-childhood SI (as defined as suicidal thoughts, behavior, or any
      expression of plans/attempts occurring before age 7) and suicidal themes in play
      were concurrently associated with childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity
      (ADHD) and oppositional defiant/conduct disorders (ODD/CD). Early-childhood SI
      also predicted school-age depression and ODD/CD; however, these findings were no
      longer significant after controlling for the same diagnoses at the childhood
      baseline. Longitudinal analysis indicated that early-childhood SI was a robust
      predictor of school-age SI, even after accounting for psychiatric disorders at
      both time points. CONCLUSION: Extending current research, these findings
      demonstrate that early-childhood SI confers significant risk for continuation
      into school-age SI and is concurrently associated with ADHD and ODD/CD. Although
      the meaning of early-childhood SI remains unclear, results suggest that it is a
      clinically important phenomenon that should be carefully assessed and taken
      seriously as a marker of risk for ongoing suicidal ideation/behavior. These
      findings suggest that early screening for SI in childhood is indicated in
      clinical settings, particularly in children less than 7 years of age with
      depression and externalizing disorders.

PMID- 26506584
TI  - Sex-Based Dissociation of White Matter Microstructure in Children With Attention
      Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Sexual dimorphism is evident in attention-deficit/hyperactivity
      disorder (ADHD), including subtype prevalence, adverse outcomes, and neural
      phenotype. Neurobiological studies of ADHD suggest that boys show more
      abnormalities in motor and premotor structure and function, whereas girls differ
      from typically developing (TD) peers in prefrontal circuitry. We applied
      diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to identify ADHD-related sex-specific differences
      in motor/premotor and prefrontal white matter (WM) microstructure in children.
      METHOD: DTI estimated differences in WM microstructure among 120 children 8 to 12
      years of age, 60 with ADHD (30 boys and 30 girls) and 60 controls (30 boys and 30
      girls), matched on age, IQ, and handedness. Effects of diagnosis and sex on
      fractional anisotropy (FA) were assessed in motor/premotor and prefrontal
      regions. Group differences in FA and associations with response control (e.g.,
      reaction time variability [CVRT] and commission error rate) were examined
      separately within sex. RESULTS: Sex-by-diagnosis interactions were observed for
      FA in primary motor (M1) and medial orbitofrontal (MOFC) cortex. Post hoc tests
      revealed that boys with ADHD showed bilateral reductions in FA within M1,
      compared with TD peers; in contrast, girls with ADHD showed higher FA bilaterally
      within MOFC. Decreased M1 FA was associated with higher CVRT in boys and higher
      commission error rates in girls. For MOFC, lower FA was associated with greater
      CVRT and commission error rates across all participants with ADHD. CONCLUSION:
      ADHD affects the white matter of boys and girls differently; boys appear to be
      more affected in regions responsible for control of basic actions, whereas girls
      show more abnormalities in regions responsible for higher-level, top-down
      control.

PMID- 26506586
TI  - Mindfulness, Embodied.

PMID- 26506587
TI  - In Reply.

PMID- 26506585
TI  - Atypical Learning in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Functional Magnetic Resonance
      Imaging Study of Transitive Inference.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying impairments in
      generalizing learning shown by adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
      METHOD: A total of 21 high-functioning individuals with ASD aged 12 to 18 years,
      and 23 gender-, IQ-, and age-matched adolescents with typical development (TYP),
      completed a transitive inference (TI) task implemented using rapid event-related
      functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants were trained on
      overlapping pairs in a stimulus hierarchy of colored ovals where A>B>C>D>E>F and
      then tested on generalizing this training to new stimulus pairings (AF, BD, BE)
      in a "Big Game." Whole-brain univariate, region of interest, and functional
      connectivity analyses were used. RESULTS: During training, the TYP group
      exhibited increased recruitment of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), whereas the group
      with ASD showed greater functional connectivity between the PFC and the anterior
      cingulate cortex (ACC). Both groups recruited the hippocampus and caudate
      comparably; however, functional connectivity between these regions was positively
      associated with TI performance for only the group with ASD. During the Big Game,
      the TYP group showed greater recruitment of the PFC, parietal cortex, and the
      ACC. Recruitment of these regions increased with age in the group with ASD.
      CONCLUSION: During TI, TYP individuals recruited cognitive control-related brain
      regions implicated in mature problem solving/reasoning including the PFC,
      parietal cortex, and ACC, whereas the group with ASD showed functional
      connectivity of the hippocampus and the caudate that was associated with task
      performance. Failure to reliably engage cognitive control-related brain regions
      may produce less integrated flexible learning in individuals with ASD unless they
      are provided with task support that, in essence, provides them with cognitive
      control; however, this pattern may normalize with age.

PMID- 26506588
TI  - Clinical Correlates of Early Generalized Overgrowth in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PMID- 26506589
TI  - In Reply.

PMID- 26506591
TI  - Analysis of culture media screening data by projection to latent pathways: The
      case of Pichia pastoris X-33.
AB  - Cell culture media formulations contain hundreds of individual components in
      water solutions which have complex interactions with metabolic pathways. The
      currently used statistical design methods are empirical and very limited to
      explore such a large design space. In a previous work we developed a
      computational method called projection to latent pathways (PLP), which was
      conceived to maximize covariance between envirome and fluxome data under the
      constraint of metabolic network elementary flux modes (EFM). More specifically,
      PLP identifies a minimal set of EFMs (i.e., pathways) with the highest possible
      correlation with envirome and fluxome measurements. In this paper we extend the
      concept for the analysis of culture media screening data to investigate how
      culture medium components up-regulate or down-regulate key metabolic pathways. A
      Pichia pastoris X-33 strain was cultivated in 26 shake flask experiments with
      variations in trace elements concentrations and basal medium dilution, based on
      the standard BSM+PTM1 medium. PLP identified 3 EFMs (growth, maintenance and by
      product formation) describing 98.8% of the variance in observed fluxes.
      Furthermore, PLP presented an overall predictive power comparable to that of PLS
      regression. Our results show iron and manganese at concentrations close to the
      PTM1 standard inhibit overall metabolic activity, while the main salts
      concentration (BSM) affected mainly energy expenditures for cellular maintenance.

PMID- 26506592
TI  - Epigenetic reprogramming in the mammalian germline.

PMID- 26506593
TI  - Prmt5 differentiates developmental vs regenerative myogenesis.

PMID- 26506595
TI  - Overexpression of TREM2 enhances glioma cell proliferation and invasion: a
      therapeutic target in human glioma.
AB  - Gliomas are the most common and aggressive type of primary adult brain tumors.
      Although TREM2 mutation is reported to be related to Nasu-Hakola disease and
      Alzheimer's disease, little is known about the association between TREM2 and
      gliomas. Here, we reported that TREM2 was significantly overexpressed in glioma
      tissues compared with non-tumorous brain tissues. Furthermore, TREM2 expression
      was closely related to pathological grade and overall survival of patients with
      gliomas. Down-regulation of TREM2 in two glioma cell lines, U87 and U373,
      resulted in a significant reduction in cell proliferation, migration and invasion
      and a dramatic increase in S phase arrest and apoptosis. In vivo tumorigenesis
      experiment also revealed that depletion of TREM2 expression inhibited U87 cell
      proliferation. Moreover, based on gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) with The
      Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset, we found that TREM2 was positive related to
      Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) apoptosis, Cromer metastasis and
      KEGG chemokine pathways, which was further validated by western blot in TREM2
      knockdown glioma cells and indicated a possible mechanism underlying its effects
      on glioma. In summary, our study suggests that TREM2 may work as an oncogene and
      a new effective therapeutic target for glioma treatment. 

PMID- 26506594
TI  - Prostate cancer stem cells: the role of androgen and estrogen receptors.
AB  - Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in men, and
      androgen deprivation therapy still represents the primary treatment for prostate
      cancer patients. This approach, however, frequently fails and patients develop
      castration-resistant prostate cancer, which is almost untreatable.Cancer cells
      are characterized by a hierarchical organization, and stem/progenitor cells are
      endowed with tumor-initiating activity. Accumulating evidence indicates that
      prostate cancer stem cells lack the androgen receptor and are, indeed, resistant
      to androgen deprivation therapy. In contrast, these cells express classical
      (alpha and/or beta) and novel (GPR30) estrogen receptors, which may represent new
      putative targets in prostate cancer treatment.In the present review, we discuss
      the still-debated mechanisms, both genomic and non-genomic, by which androgen and
      estradiol receptors (classical and novel) mediate the hormonal control of
      prostate cell stemness, transformation, and the continued growth of prostate
      cancer. Recent preclinical and clinical findings obtained using new androgen
      receptor antagonists, anti-estrogens, or compounds such as enhancers of androgen
      receptor degradation and peptides inhibiting non-genomic androgen functions are
      also presented. These new drugs will likely lead to significant advances in
      prostate cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26506596
TI  - A novel gammaretroviral shuttle vector insertional mutagenesis screen identifies
      SHARPIN as a breast cancer metastasis gene and prognostic biomarker.
AB  - Breast cancer (BC) is the second leading cause of malignancy among U.S. women.
      Metastasis results in a poor prognosis and increased mortality, but the molecular
      mechanisms by which metastatic tumors occur are not well understood. Identifying
      the genes that drive the metastatic process could provide targets for improved
      therapy and biomarkers to improve BC patient outcomes. Using a forward
      mutagenesis screen, BC cells mutagenized with a replication-incompetent
      gammaretroviral vector (gammaRV) were xenotransplanted into the mammary fat pad
      of immunodeficient mice. In this approach the vector provirus dysregulates nearby
      genes, providing a selective advantage to transduced cells to form metastases.
      Metastatic tumors were analyzed for proviral integration sites to identify nearby
      candidate metastasis genes. The gammaRV has a transgene cassette that allows for
      rescue in bacteria and rapid identification of vector integration sites. Using
      this approach, we identified the previously described metastasis gene WWTR1
      (TAZ), and three other novel candidate metastasis genes including SHARPIN.
      SHARPIN was independently validated in vivo as a BC metastasis gene. Analysis of
      patient data showed that SHARPIN expression predicts metastasis-free survival
      after adjuvant therapy. Our approach has broad potential to identify genes
      involved in oncogenic processes for BC and other cancers. We show here it can
      identify both known (WWTR1) and novel (SHARPIN) BC metastasis genes. 

PMID- 26506598
TI  - Medical education to develop physicians' expertise: essential, but not sufficient
      for excellent health care.

PMID- 26506599
TI  - Choosing wisely Canada: integrating stewardship in medical education.

PMID- 26506597
TI  - ApoE4-specific Misfolded Intermediate Identified by Molecular Dynamics
      Simulations.
AB  - The increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with the
      APOE gene, which encodes for three variants of Apolipoprotein E, namely E2, E3,
      E4, differing only by two amino acids at positions 112 and 158. ApoE4 is known to
      be the strongest risk factor for AD onset, while ApoE3 and ApoE2 are considered
      to be the AD-neutral and AD-protective isoforms, respectively. It has been
      hypothesized that the ApoE isoforms may contribute to the development of AD by
      modifying the homeostasis of ApoE physiological partners and AD-related proteins
      in an isoform-specific fashion. Here we find that, despite the high sequence
      similarity among the three ApoE variants, only ApoE4 exhibits a misfolded
      intermediate state characterized by isoform-specific domain-domain interactions
      in molecular dynamics simulations. The existence of an ApoE4-specific
      intermediate state can contribute to the onset of AD by altering multiple
      cellular pathways involved in ApoE-dependent lipid transport efficiency or in AD
      related protein aggregation and clearance. We present what we believe to be the
      first structural model of an ApoE4 misfolded intermediate state, which may serve
      to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the role of ApoE4 in AD
      pathogenesis. The knowledge of the structure for the ApoE4 folding intermediate
      provides a new platform for the rational design of alternative therapeutic
      strategies to fight AD. 

PMID- 26506600
TI  - In reply to Leon-Carlyle and colleagues.

PMID- 26506601
TI  - Self-determination theory and scaffolding applied to medical education as a
      continuum.

PMID- 26506602
TI  - Alternatives to selling a medical school name.

PMID- 26506603
TI  - Medical literature: don't believe everything you read.

PMID- 26506604
TI  - The responsibility of academic medicine for reducing football injuries.

PMID- 26506605
TI  - Compliments from a white coat.

PMID- 26506606
TI  - Stereotype detox.

PMID- 26506607
TI  - Artist's statement: the mighty fellow.

PMID- 26506608
TI  - Medicine and the Arts. A country doctor [excerpt] by Franz Kafka. Commentary.

PMID- 26506610
TI  - The Gold-Hope Tang, MD 2015 Humanism in Medicine Essay Contest: second place: the
      doctor will see you now.

PMID- 26506611
TI  - Erratum: Dynamic Changes in Proteins during Apple (Malus x domestica) Fruit
      Ripening and Storage.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/hortres.2014.6.]. 

PMID- 26506612
TI  - Muscular Activity and Fatigue in Lower-Limb and Trunk Muscles during Different
      Sit-To-Stand Tests.
AB  - Sit-to-stand (STS) tests measure the ability to get up from a chair, reproducing
      an important component of daily living activity. As this functional task is
      essential for human independence, STS performance has been studied in the past
      decades using several methods, including electromyography. The aim of this study
      was to measure muscular activity and fatigue during different repetitions and
      speeds of STS tasks using surface electromyography in lower-limb and trunk
      muscles. This cross-sectional study recruited 30 healthy young adults. Average
      muscle activation, percentage of maximum voluntary contraction, muscle
      involvement in motion and fatigue were measured using surface electrodes placed
      on the medial gastrocnemius (MG), biceps femoris (BF), vastus medialis of the
      quadriceps (QM), the abdominal rectus (AR), erector spinae (ES), rectus femoris
      (RF), soleus (SO) and the tibialis anterior (TA). Five-repetition STS, 10
      repetition STS and 30-second STS variants were performed. MG, BF, QM, ES and RF
      muscles showed differences in muscle activation, while QM, AR and ES muscles
      showed significant differences in MVC percentage. Also, significant differences
      in fatigue were found in QM muscle between different STS tests. There was no
      statistically significant fatigue in the BF, MG and SO muscles of the leg
      although there appeared to be a trend of increasing fatigue. These results could
      be useful in describing the functional movements of the STS test used in
      rehabilitation programs, notwithstanding that they were measured in healthy young
      subjects. 

PMID- 26506613
TI  - Mental Summation of Temporal Duration within and across Senses.
AB  - Perceiving, memorizing, and estimating temporal durations are key cognitive
      functions in everyday life. In this study, a duration summation paradigm was used
      to examine whether summation of temporal durations introduces an underestimation
      or overestimation bias, and whether this bias is common to visual and auditory
      modalities. Two within- or across-modality stimuli were presented sequentially
      for variable durations. Participants were asked to reproduce the sum of the two
      durations (0.6-1.1 s). We found that the sum of two durations was overestimated
      regardless of stimulus modalities. A subsequent control experiment indicated that
      the overestimation bias arose from the summation process, not perceptual or
      memory processes. Furthermore, we observed strong positive correlations between
      the overestimation bias for different sensory modalities within participants.
      These results suggest that the sum of two durations is overestimated, and that
      supra-modal processes may be responsible for this overestimation bias. 

PMID- 26506615
TI  - TransNewGuinea.org: An Online Database of New Guinea Languages.
AB  - The island of New Guinea has the world's highest linguistic diversity, with more
      than 900 languages divided into at least 23 distinct language families. This
      diversity includes the world's third largest language family: Trans-New Guinea.
      However, the region is one of the world's least well studied, and primary data is
      scattered across a wide range of publications and more often then not hidden in
      unpublished "gray" literature. The lack of primary research data on the New
      Guinea languages has been a major impediment to our understanding of these
      languages, and the history of the peoples in New Guinea. TransNewGuinea.org aims
      to collect data about these languages and place them online in a consistent
      format. This database will enable future research into the New Guinea languages
      with both traditional comparative linguistic methods and novel cutting-edge
      computational techniques. The long-term aim is to shed light into the prehistory
      of the peoples of New Guinea, and to understand why there is such major diversity
      in their languages. 

PMID- 26506614
TI  - Associations of Circulating Gut Hormone and Adipocytokine Levels with the
      Spectrum of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The pathogenesis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is complex
      and poorly understood. We aim to investigate the association of various
      circulating peptide hormones with heterogenous manifestations of GERD. METHODS:
      One hundred and four patients that had experienced typical GERD symptoms
      (heartburn and/or acid regurgitation) for at least 3 episodes per week in the
      past 3 months were enrolled. All patients received a baseline assessment of
      symptom severity and frequency with the Reflux Disease Questionnaire and an upper
      endoscopy to classify GERD into erosive esophagitis (EE, n = 67), non-erosive
      esophagitis (NE, n = 37), and Barrett's esophagus (BE, n = 8). Fifty asymptomatic
      subjects with an endoscopically normal esophagus were recruited as the control
      group. Complete anthropometric measures and blood biochemistry were obtained and
      fasting serum levels of adipocytokines (adiponectin and leptin) and gut hormones
      (ghrelin and peptide YY (PYY)) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay in all subjects. RESULTS: All circulating peptide hormone levels were not
      statistically different between the GERD and control groups. However, GERD
      patients appeared to have lower PYY levels [median (25th-75th percentile), 80.1
      (49.8-108.3) vs. 99.4 (65.8-131.9) pg/ml, p = 0.057] compared with control
      subjects. Among the GERD patients, ghrelin levels were inversely associated with
      the frequency and severity of acid regurgitation. In male GERD patients, EE was
      associated with significantly higher PYY levels [107.0 (55.0-120.8) vs. 32.8
      (28.7-84.5) pg/ml, p = 0.026] but lower adiponectin levels [6.7 (5.6-9.3) vs. 9.9
      (9.6-10.6) MUg/ml, p = 0.034] than NE. Patients with BE had significantly lower
      adiponectin levels [6.0 (5.1-9.2) vs. 9.2 (7.1-11.2) MUg/ml, p = 0.026] than
      those without BE. CONCLUSIONS: Humoral derangement of circulating peptide
      hormones might participate in inflammation and symptom perception in patients
      suffering from GERD. Further studies to clarify the exact role of these hormones
      in the pathogenesis of GERD are warranted.

PMID- 26506616
TI  - The Effects of Socioeconomic and Environmental Factors on the Incidence of Dengue
      Fever in the Pearl River Delta, China, 2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An outbreak of dengue fever (DF) occurred in Guangdong Province,
      China in 2013 with the highest number of cases observed within the preceding ten
      years. DF cases were clustered in the Pearl River Delta economic zone (PRD) in
      Guangdong Province, which accounted for 99.6% of all cases in Guangdong province
      in 2013. The main vector in PRD was Aedes albopictus. We investigated the
      socioeconomic and environmental factors at the township level and explored how
      the independent variables jointly affect the DF epidemic in the PRD.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Six factors associated with the incidence of DF
      were identified in this project, representing the urbanization, poverty,
      accessibility and vegetation, and were considered to be core contributors to the
      occurrence of DF from the perspective of the social economy and the environment.
      Analyses were performed with Generalized Additive Models (GAM) to fit parametric
      and non-parametric functions to the relationships between the response and
      predictors. We used a spline-smooth technique and plotted the predicted against
      the observed co-variable value. The distribution of DF cases was over-dispersed
      and fit the negative binomial function better. The effects of all six
      socioeconomic and environmental variables were found to be significant at the
      0.001 level and the model explained 45.1% of the deviance by DF incidence. There
      was a higher risk of DF infection among people living at the prefectural boundary
      or in the urban areas than among those living in other areas in the PRD. The
      relative risk of living at the prefectural boundary was higher than that of
      living in the urban areas. The associations between the DF cases and population
      density, GDP per capita, road density, and NDVI were nonlinear. In general,
      higher "road density" or lower "GDP per capita" were considered to be consistent
      risk factors. Moreover, higher or lower values of "population density" and "NDVI"
      could result in an increase in DF cases. CONCLUSION: In this study, we presented
      an effect analysis of socioeconomic and environmental factors on DF occurrence at
      the smallest administrative unit (township level) for the first time in China.
      GAM was used to effectively detect the nonlinear impact of the predictors on the
      outcome. The results showed that the relative importance of different risk
      factors may vary across the PRD. This work improves our understanding of the
      differences and effects of socioeconomic and environmental factors on DF and
      supports effectively targeted prevention and control measures.

PMID- 26506618
TI  - A Comparison of Anthropometric Measures for Assessing the Association between
      Body Size and Risk of Chronic Low Back Pain: The HUNT Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous work indicates that overweight and obese individuals carry
      an increased risk of experiencing chronic low back pain (LBP). It is not known,
      however, how the association with body size depends on the choice of
      anthropometric measure used. OBJECTIVE: This work compares relationships with LBP
      for several measures of body size. Different results may indicate underlying
      mechanisms for the association between body size and risk of LBP. METHODS: In a
      cohort study, baseline information was collected in the community-based HUNT2
      (1995-1997) and HUNT3 (2006-2008) surveys in Norway. Participants were 10,059
      women and 8725 men aged 30-69 years without LBP, and 3883 women and 2662 men with
      LBP at baseline. Associations with LBP at end of follow-up were assessed by
      generalized linear modeling, with adjustment for potential confounders. RESULTS:
      Relationships between waist-hip-ratio and occurrence of LBP at end of follow-up
      were weak and non-significant after adjustment for age, education, work status,
      physical activity, smoking, lipid levels and blood pressure. Positive
      associations with LBP at end of follow-up were all significant for body weight,
      BMI, waist circumference and hip circumference after similar adjustment, both in
      women without and with LBP at baseline, and in men without LBP at baseline. After
      additional mutual adjustment for anthropometric measures, the magnitude of the
      association with body weight increased in women without LBP at baseline (RR:
      1.130 per standard deviation, 95% CI: 0.995-1.284) and in men (RR: 1.124, 95% CI
      0.976-1.294), with other measures showing weak associations only. CONCLUSION:
      Central adiposity is unlikely to play a major role in the etiology of LBP. Total
      fat mass may be one common factor underlying the associations observed. The
      association with body weight remaining after mutual adjustment may reflect
      mechanical or structural components behind the relationship between overweight or
      obesity and LBP.

PMID- 26506617
TI  - Exposing Hidden Alternative Backbone Conformations in X-ray Crystallography Using
      qFit.
AB  - Proteins must move between different conformations of their native ensemble to
      perform their functions. Crystal structures obtained from high-resolution X-ray
      diffraction data reflect this heterogeneity as a spatial and temporal
      conformational average. Although movement between natively populated alternative
      conformations can be critical for characterizing molecular mechanisms, it is
      challenging to identify these conformations within electron density maps.
      Alternative side chain conformations are generally well separated into distinct
      rotameric conformations, but alternative backbone conformations can overlap at
      several atomic positions. Our model building program qFit uses mixed integer
      quadratic programming (MIQP) to evaluate an extremely large number of
      combinations of sidechain conformers and backbone fragments to locally explain
      the electron density. Here, we describe two major modeling enhancements to qFit:
      peptide flips and alternative glycine conformations. We find that peptide flips
      fall into four stereotypical clusters and are enriched in glycine residues at the
      n+1 position. The potential for insights uncovered by new peptide flips and
      glycine conformations is exemplified by HIV protease, where different inhibitors
      are associated with peptide flips in the "flap" regions adjacent to the inhibitor
      binding site. Our results paint a picture of peptide flips as conformational
      switches, often enabled by glycine flexibility, that result in dramatic local
      rearrangements. Our results furthermore demonstrate the power of large-scale
      computational analysis to provide new insights into conformational heterogeneity.
      Overall, improved modeling of backbone heterogeneity with high-resolution X-ray
      data will connect dynamics to the structure-function relationship and help drive
      new design strategies for inhibitors of biomedically important systems. 

PMID- 26506619
TI  - Association of Germline CHEK2 Gene Variants with Risk and Prognosis of Non
      Hodgkin Lymphoma.
AB  - The checkpoint kinase 2 gene (CHEK2) codes for the CHK2 protein, an important
      mediator of the DNA damage response pathway. The CHEK2 gene has been recognized
      as a multi-cancer susceptibility gene; however, its role in non-Hodgkin lymphoma
      (NHL) remains unclear. We performed mutation analysis of the entire CHEK2 coding
      sequence in 340 NHL patients using denaturing high-performance liquid
      chromatography (DHPLC) and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification
      (MLPA). Identified hereditary variants were genotyped in 445 non-cancer controls.
      The influence of CHEK2 variants on disease risk was statistically evaluated.
      Identified CHEK2 germline variants included four truncating mutations (found in
      five patients and no control; P = 0.02) and nine missense variants (found in 21
      patients and 12 controls; P = 0.02). Carriers of non-synonymous variants had an
      increased risk of NHL development [odds ratio (OR) 2.86; 95% confidence interval
      (CI) 1.42-5.79] and an unfavorable prognosis [hazard ratio (HR) of progression
      free survival (PFS) 2.1; 95% CI 1.12-4.05]. In contrast, the most frequent
      intronic variant c.319+43dupA (identified in 22% of patients and 31% of controls)
      was associated with a decreased NHL risk (OR = 0.62; 95% CI 0.45-0.86), but its
      positive prognostic effect was limited to NHL patients with diffuse large B-cell
      lymphoma (DLBCL) treated by conventional chemotherapy without rituximab (HR-PFS
      0.4; 94% CI 0.17-0.74). Our results show that germ-line CHEK2 mutations affecting
      protein coding sequence confer a moderately-increased risk of NHL, they are
      associated with an unfavorable NHL prognosis, and they may represent a valuable
      predictive biomarker for patients with DLBCL. 

PMID- 26506620
TI  - Ribosomal Proteins RPS11 and RPS20, Two Stress-Response Markers of Glioblastoma
      Stem Cells, Are Novel Predictors of Poor Prognosis in Glioblastoma Patients.
AB  - Glioblastoma stem cells (GSC) co-exhibiting a tumor-initiating capacity and a
      radio-chemoresistant phenotype, are a compelling cell model for explaining tumor
      recurrence. We have previously characterized patient-derived, treatment-resistant
      GSC clones (TRGC) that survived radiochemotherapy. Compared to glucose-dependent,
      treatment-sensitive GSC clones (TSGC), TRGC exhibited reduced glucose dependence
      that favor the fatty acid oxidation pathway as their energy source. Using
      comparative genome-wide transcriptome analysis, a series of defense signatures
      associated with TRGC survival were identified and verified by siRNA-based gene
      knockdown experiments that led to loss of cell integrity. In this study, we
      investigate the prognostic value of defense signatures in glioblastoma (GBM)
      patients using gene expression analysis with Probeset Analyzer (131 GBM) and The
      Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data, and protein expression with a tissue microarray
      (50 GBM), yielding the first TRGC-derived prognostic biomarkers for GBM patients.
      Ribosomal protein S11 (RPS11), RPS20, individually and together, consistently
      predicted poor survival of newly diagnosed primary GBM tumors when overexpressed
      at the RNA or protein level [RPS11: Hazard Ratio (HR) = 11.5, p<0.001; RPS20: HR
      = 4.5, p = 0.03; RPS11+RPS20: HR = 17.99, p = 0.001]. The prognostic significance
      of RPS11 and RPS20 was further supported by whole tissue section RPS11
      immunostaining (27 GBM; HR = 4.05, p = 0.01) and TCGA gene expression data (578
      primary GBM; RPS11: HR = 1.19, p = 0.06; RPS20: HR = 1.25, p = 0.02; RPS11+RPS20:
      HR = 1.43, p = 0.01). Moreover, tumors that exhibited unmethylated O-6
      methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) or wild-type isocitrate dehydrogenase
      1 (IDH1) were associated with higher RPS11 expression levels [corr (IDH1, RPS11)
      = 0.64, p = 0.03); [corr (MGMT, RPS11) = 0.52, p = 0.04]. These data indicate
      that increased expression of RPS11 and RPS20 predicts shorter patient survival.
      The study also suggests that TRGC are clinically relevant cells that represent
      resistant tumorigenic clones from patient tumors and that their properties, at
      least in part, are reflected in poor-prognosis GBM. The screening of TRGC
      signatures may represent a novel alternative strategy for identifying new
      prognostic biomarkers. 

PMID- 26506623
TI  - [Current topics of regenerative medicine in the field of otorhinolaryngology].

PMID- 26506622
TI  - Dysfunctional Presynaptic M2 Receptors in the Presence of Chronically High
      Acetylcholine Levels: Data from the PRiMA Knockout Mouse.
AB  - The muscarinic M2 receptor (M2R) acts as a negative feedback regulator in central
      cholinergic systems. Activation of the M2 receptor limits acetylcholine (ACh)
      release, especially when ACh levels are increased because acetylcholinesterase
      (AChE) activity is acutely inhibited. Chronically high ACh levels in the
      extracellular space, however, were reported to down-regulate M2R to various
      degrees. In the present study, we used the PRiMA knockout mouse which develops
      severely reduced AChE activity postnatally to investigate ACh release, and we
      used microdialysis to investigate whether the function of M2R to reduce ACh
      release in vivo was impaired in adult PRiMA knockout mice. We first show that
      striatal and hippocampal ACh levels, while strongly increased, still respond to
      AChE inhibitors. Infusion or injection of oxotremorine, a muscarinic M2 agonist,
      reduced ACh levels in wild-type mice but did not significantly affect ACh levels
      in PRiMA knockout mice or in wild-type mice in which ACh levels were artificially
      increased by infusion of neostigmine. Scopolamine, a muscarinic antagonist,
      increased ACh levels in wild-type mice receiving neostigmine, but not in wild
      type mice or in PRiMA knockout mice. These results demonstrate that M2R are
      dysfunctional and do not affect ACh levels in PRiMA knockout mice, likely because
      of down-regulation and/or loss of receptor-effector coupling. Remarkably, this
      loss of function does not affect cognitive functions in PRiMA knockout mice. Our
      results are discussed in the context of AChE inhibitor therapy as used in
      dementia. 

PMID- 26506621
TI  - Causes of Death among AIDS Patients after Introduction of Free Combination
      Antiretroviral Therapy (cART) in Three Chinese Provinces, 2010-2011.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although AIDS-related deaths have had significant economic and
      social impact following an increased disease burden internationally, few studies
      have evaluated the cause of AIDS-related deaths among patients with AIDS on
      combination anti-retroviral therapy (cART) in China. This study examines the
      causes of death among AIDS-patients in China and uses a methodology to increase
      data accuracy compared to the previous studies on AIDS-related mortality in
      China, that have taken the reported cause of death in the National HIV Registry
      at face-value. METHODS: Death certificates/medical records were examined and a
      cross-sectional survey was conducted in three provinces to verify the causes of
      death among AIDS patients who died between January 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011. Chi
      square analysis was conducted to examine the categorical variables by causes of
      death and by ART status. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were
      used to evaluate factors associated with AIDS-related death versus non-AIDS
      related death. RESULTS: This study used a sample of 1,109 subjects. The average
      age at death was 44.5 years. AIDS-related deaths were significantly higher than
      non-AIDS and injury-related deaths. In the sample, 41.9% (465/1109) were deceased
      within a year of HIV diagnosis and 52.7% (584/1109) of the deceased AIDS patients
      were not on cART. For AIDS-related deaths (n = 798), statistically significant
      factors included CD4 count <200 cells/mm3 at the time of cART initiation (AOR
      1.94, 95%CI 1.24-3.05), ART naive (AOR 1.69, 95%CI 1.09-2.61; p = 0.019) and age
      <39 years (AOR 2.96, 95%CI 1.77-4.96). CONCLUSION: For the AIDS patients that
      were deceased, only those who initiated cART while at a CD4 count >=200 cells/mm3
      were less likely to die from AIDS-related causes compared to those who didn't
      initiate ART at all.

PMID- 26506624
TI  - [Immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis].

PMID- 26506625
TI  - Retraction.

PMID- 26506626
TI  - [Psycho-oncology-psychological approach to cancer patients].

PMID- 26506627
TI  - [Current topics of regenerative medicine in the field of otorhinolaryngology].

PMID- 26506628
TI  - [Anatomy of jugular foramen and hypoglossal canal].

PMID- 26506630
TI  - [Treatment of ear disease with Kampo].

PMID- 26506629
TI  - [Diagnosis and surgery for dysphagia].

PMID- 26506631
TI  - [Diagnosis and management of carotid artery tumor].

PMID- 26506632
TI  - Medical Devices; Immunology and Microbiology Devices;   Classification of
      Autosomal Recessive Carrier Screening Gene Mutation Detection System. Final
      order.
AB  - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified an autosomal recessive
      carrier screening gene mutation detection system into class II (special
      controls). The special controls that apply to this device are identified in this
      order and will be part of the codified language for the autosomal recessive
      carrier screening gene mutation detection system classification. The Agency has
      classified the device into class II (special controls) in order to provide a
      reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness of the device.

PMID- 26506633
TI  - Gleb N. Budzilovich, MD.

PMID- 26506634
TI  - PRIMARY RETROPERITONEAL EXTRA-ORGAN TUMORS (PRET) - SURGICAL TACTICS.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Retroperitoneal tumors, in general, are rare tumors which
      histopathological characteristics and biological behavior can be considered as
      benign or malignant. They originate from various tissue elements located in the
      retroperitoneal space. They often cover Anatomical structures of varying
      importance - mainly retroperitoneal vessels and organs, which determines the type
      of surgery - radical or palliative. They are composed of adipose tissue, vascular
      elements, smooth and striated muscle, neural elements germline structures. There
      are three main types of retroperitoneal tumors: mesodermal, neurogenic and
      teratosarcomas. As mentioned above each can be either benign and malignant. In
      most cases there are no specific symptoms except general weakness, heaviness in
      the abdomen, loss of appetite, progressive weight loss, headache and fever. The
      pain is most often located in the lumbosacral area. The tumor can also cause
      disturbances in urination. In patients with advanced stage can be observed
      significantly symmetrical or asymmetrical tumor growth in the abdominal area. The
      most commonly used techniques for the diagnosis of the disease are X-ray, CT-scan
      and MRI. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective study involving 112 cases operated
      in the clinic for 14-years period (2000-2014) - 101 patients, 11 of them were
      operated on twice in a different time interval on the occasion of relapsed
      malignant process. RESULTS: Out of all operated cases, 42% are males (47 cases)
      and 58% - women (65 cases). In most cases (72% - 81 cases) tumors are malignant.
      All patients were treated surgically. There were followed up a total of 89
      patients over a period of 3 months to 8 years (96 months) as of the studied
      malignant cases 3 year survival was observed in 21 patients, and one patient has
      survived 96 months after total extirpation of fibrosarcoma. Early postoperative
      mortality (till 20th postoperative day) was registered in 3 patients - 2.67% of
      all operated cases. DISCUSSION: About 80% of primary retroperitoneal extra-organ
      tumors are generally malignant. People of all ages are affected equally and no
      statistically significant difference in the number of men and women is detected.
      There are many theories about the emergence of retroperitoneal tumors, but
      currently none of them has not been fully proven. Treatment depends on the type
      of the lesion. Surgery is the main approach and it should be applied to both
      benign and malignant lesions. In the case of malignancy other methods than
      surgical are chemo- and radiotherapy but they are less effective.

PMID- 26506635
TI  - WILIS IRLE ARITINS, IMPORTANT FOR CEREBRAL PROTECTION IN AORTIC SURGERY - PRIMARY
      CT ANGIO DATA.
AB  - Unilateral selective cerebral perfusion (SCP) is a method for cerebral protection
      in aortic arch surgery. However variations of the circle of Willis (CoW) could
      vitiate its protective effect. The aim of our present work was to make a
      retrospective analysis of 30 patients, in whom CT angio was performed between
      January and March 2008. Variations of Willis circle, which could compromise the
      perfusion during unilateral SCP were found in 21 patients (70%). We also found
      that many patients have significant stenosis of cerebral arteries. Our present
      study shows the need of extensive preoperative examination and meticulous
      intraoperative monitoring.

PMID- 26506636
TI  - ONE-STAGE (PRIMARY) RECONSTRUCTIONS OF RESECTION MANDIBULAR DEFECTS BY MEANS OF
      AUTOGENE VASCULARISED ILIAC AND FIBULAR TRANSPLANT.
AB  - Mandibular resections are most often performed in cases of tumour ablations.
      Contemporary oral and maxillofacial surgery acknowledges primary one-stage
      reconstructions of defects through microvscularised transplants. They have intact
      circulation due to the primarily performed vascular anastomoses. For recovery of
      the shape and the function of the mandible most frequently used transplants are
      derived from the iliac crest and fibula. Goal and objectives. We share our
      experience in the one-stage recovery of mandibular defects simultaneously with
      the resection, by means of autogene vascularised iliac and fibular transplants.
      Material and method. 8 patients aged from 24 to 61 (female - 1, male - 7) with
      tumours engaging the mandible (5 - benign and 2 - malignant) were treated
      surgically and followed up. We carried those out using extraoral approach in 7
      cases, and intraoral aproach - in 1. The resulting post resection mandibular
      defects in 3 of the patients were reconstructed by means of one-stage autogene
      bone vascularised iliac transplants. In 5 patients the defects were recovered
      primarily through vascularised fibular autotransplants. The surgical techniques
      and protocols, to assess the outcome and characterize of the methods are
      presented. RESULTS: We tracked down the postoperative results of the mandibular
      reconstructions for a period of 1 to 3 years. Support for the lips and tongue was
      achieved providing for satisfactory speech and feeding. Anatomical remodeling was
      observed. The conditions for the production of dental implants were improved. In
      the case, when we used intraoral approach the facial aesthetics was fully
      restored, as for the rest it was satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: Vascularised autogene
      iliac and fibular bone transplants are extremely appropriate for reconstructions
      of significant and complicated mandibular and other defects in the maxillofacial
      area. Their survival is independent from the recipient area, and secured through
      the vessel anastomoses. With sound surgical technique, success rate of the method
      is to a large extent guaranteed.

PMID- 26506637
TI  - SURGICAL STRATEGY FOR PATIENTS UNDERGOING CAROTID ENDARTERECTOMY.
AB  - Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is a surgical intervention that aims to reduce
      neurological symptoms in carotid atherosclerosis and prevent brain damage and
      subsequent neurological deficit. AIM: To study the major risk factors, surgical
      techniques, applied diagnostic methods and perioperative complications occurring
      in patients undergoing CEA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 496 surgical interventions on
      the occasion of stenoses and/or occlusions of the carotid arteries were performed
      for the period 1987-2009 at the department of Vascular Surgery and Angiology of
      "St. Ekaterina" - University Hospital - Sofia. All patients were operated using
      standard access under general or local anaesthesia. During surgeries, evaluation
      of cerebral hemodynamics and function was performed by transcranial Doppler
      Ultrasound (TCD) and cerebral oximetry (CO). Carotid shunting was selectively
      applied in cases of deterioration of the values of CO and TCD during cross
      clamping of the carotid arteries. RESULTS: The highest relative share among
      cerebrovascular complications took stroke with 2.7% share in the group of
      asymptomatic patients and 1.7% - in the symptomatic group. Considering the other
      types of complications with the largest relative share were cardiac complications
      in both groups of patients - hemodynamic disorders and myocardial infarction.
      CONCLUSION: Low values of postoperative mortality and stroke after CEA in our
      study are comparable with other leading centers, proving that CEA is safe and
      effective surgical procedure for stroke prevention in both symptomatic and
      asymptomatic patients. Accurate perioperative diagnostic allows a good approach
      for choosing the correct surgical strategy.

PMID- 26506638
TI  - RECTOCELE - A LITERATURE REVIEW WITH A CASE REPORT.
AB  - Rectocele is defined as an herniation of the rectal wall through a defect in the
      posterior rectovaginal septum in direction of the vagina. A great variety of
      factors can cause a rectocle. Small rectoceles are asymptomatic, but the big ones
      are appearing with a great variety of symptoms. Diagnosis of a rectocele is based
      on the clinical signs, physical examination and imaging tests. There are
      nonsurgical and surgical methods for treament of rectocele. Here we share our
      experience of successful surgical treatment of a big, sacculiform, high rectocele
      appeared soon after a vaginal hysterectomy.

PMID- 26506639
TI  - HEMORRHOIDAL DISEASE - CONTEMPORARY ASPECTS OF THE PATHOGENESIS, CLINICAL COURSE,
      DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT.
AB  - The hemorrhoidal disease affects mainly individuals in their active age, as the
      reported incidence is much lower than the actual number, due to the nature of the
      complaints and the "subjective feeling of discomfort" when contacting a
      healthcare professional. Although in a large part of the cases the disease is
      successfully treated by non-surgical methods, the persisting symptoms greatly
      lower patients' quality of life, and the development of complications is related
      to a high morbidity rate. The defining, diagnosis and determining of the stages
      of the disease do not pose any difficulties to the modern medical practice, which
      - however - is not the case with the selection of the optimal and most efficient
      treatment method. There are a great number of treatment procedures, including
      surgical, for the treatment of the hemorrhoidal disease. Although there are
      certain recommended schemes and algorithms for therapeutic behavior, the
      selection of the method, ensuring individualized and optimal therapy, depends on
      the judgment of the surgeon.

PMID- 26506640
TI  - [Role of the Periaqueductal Gray Matter of the Midbrain in Regulation of Somatic
      Pain Sensitivity During Stress: Participation of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor
      and Glucocorticoid Hormones].
AB  - Periaqueductal gray matter of the midbrain (PAGM) plays a crucial role in the
      regulation of pain sensitivity under stress, involving in the stress-induced
      analgesia. A key hormonal system of adaptation under stress is the hypothalamic
      pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis. HPA axis's hormones, corticotropin-releasing
      factor (CRF) and glucocorticoids, are involved in stress-induced analgesia.
      Exogenous hormones of the HPA axis, similarly to the hormones produced under
      stress, may cause an analgesic effect. CRF-induced analgesia may be provided by
      glucocorticoid hormones. CRF and glucocorticoids-induced effects on somatic pain
      sensitivity may be mediated by PAGM. The aim of the review was to analyze the
      data of literature on the role of PAGM in the regulation of somatic pain
      sensitivity under stress and in providing of CRF and glucocorticoid-induced
      analgesia.

PMID- 26506641
TI  - [The Connectomics: Neurophysiology, Achievements and Perspectives].
AB  - The review is devoted to researches in the relatively new field of neuroscience-
      connectomics. The theoretical and applied aspects of connectom studying are
      observed. The concept of connectom is defined as well as its attributes such as
      connectivity. The review describes the basic modern methods of the connectom
      investigation, existing data on the connectom structure in normal and
      pathological conditions, as well as prospects for the development of a new field
      of knowledge--connectomics.

PMID- 26506642
TI  - [Gaba and its Receptors in Pathogenesis of Epilepsy].
AB  - This review presents summarizes data on the structural and functional
      organization of the GABAergic system of the brain, mechanisms of GABAergic
      transmission, about the characteristics of GABA-receptors and GABAergic
      inhibition forms. Reviewed issues of involvement of GABA inhibitory
      neurotransmitter and various types of GABA-receptors in epileptogenesis. The
      experimental and clinical data testifying to an important role of GABA and its
      receptors in an epileptogenesis are presented.

PMID- 26506643
TI  - [The role of the Basal Ganglia in Creating Receptive Fields in the Primary
      Auditory Cortex and Mechanisms of their Plasticity].
AB  - We suggest a mechanism for creating receptive fields of neurons in the primary
      auditory cortex (A1) and ventral part of the medial geniculate body (MGBv) in
      which the "direct" pathway through the basal ganglia participates. Dopamine
      released in the striatum in response to appearance of a sound tone promotes the
      induction of LTP of the efficacy of "strong" inputs and LTD of "weak" inputs from
      A1 to striatonigral cells due to activation of D1 receptors on these cells.
      Subsequent reorganization of neuronal activity in the network A1 field--basal
      ganglia--MGBv--A1 field results in a disinhibition of MGBv neuron activity,
      contrasting amplification of neural representation of a sound tone in MGBv and A1
      field, and sharpening the receptive fields. Plastic shift of neuronal receptive
      fields is based on modification of efficacy of synaptic transmissions between the
      neocortex and striatum, and between all units of thalamocortical loop. Synaptic
      modification could be promoted by synchronization of activity of neurons which is
      based on the high-frequency oscillations relying on interdependent functioning of
      inhibitory cells in the considered loops.

PMID- 26506644
TI  - [A Role of the Basal Ganglia in Processing of Complex Sounds and Auditory
      Attention].
AB  - A hypothetical mechanism is suggested for processing of complex sounds and
      auditory attention in parallel neuronal loops including various auditory cortical
      areas connected with parts of the medial geniculate body, inferior colliculus and
      basal ganglia. Release of dopamine in the striatum promotes bidirectional
      modulation of strong and weak inputs from the neocortex to striatal neurons
      giving rise to direct and indirect pathways through the basal ganglia. Subsequent
      synergistic disinhibition of one and inhibition of other groups of thalamic
      neurons by the basal ganglia result in the creation of contrasted neuronal
      representations of properties of auditory stimuli in related cortical areas.
      Contrasting is strengthened due to a simultaneous disinhibition of
      pedunculopontine nucleus and action at muscarine receptors on neurons in the
      medial geniculate body. It follows from this mechanism that involuntary attention
      to sound tone can enhance an early component of the responses of neurons in the
      primary auditory cortical area (50 msec) in the absence of dopamine due to a
      disinhibition of thalamic neurons via the direct pathway through the basal
      ganglia, whereas voluntary attention to complex sounds can enhance only those
      components of responses of neurones in secondary auditory cortical areas which
      latencies exceeds latencies of dopaminergic cells (i.e. after 100 msec). Various
      consequences of proposed mechanism are in agreement with known experimental data.

PMID- 26506645
TI  - Identification and Bioinformatics Analyses of the Basic Helix-loop-helix
      Transcription Factors in Xenopus laevis.
AB  - Xenopus laevis is a long established model organism for developmental, behavioral
      and neurological studies. Herein, an updated genome-wide survey was conducted
      using the ongoing genome project of Xenopus laevis and 106 non-redundant Basic
      Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) genes were identified in the Xenopus laevis genome
      databases. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment statistics showed 51 significant GO
      annotations of biological processes and molecular functions and 5 significant
      KEGG pathways and a number of Xenopus laevis bHLH genes play significant role in
      specific development or special physiology processes like the development
      processes of muscle and eye and other organs. Furthermore, each sub-group of the
      bHLH family has its special gene functions except for the common GO term
      categories. Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that among these identified
      bHLH proteins, 105 sequences could classified into 39 families with 46, 25, 10,
      5, 16 and 3 members in the corresponding high-order groups A, B, C, D, E and F,
      respectively with an addition bHLH member categorized as an orphan. The present
      study provides much useful information for further researches on Xenopus laevis.

PMID- 26506646
TI  - Comparative Study of the Antibacterial Activity of N, N-Diethylamido Substituted
      p-Toluenesulfonamides to their alpha-Toluenesulfonamide Counterparts.
AB  - Reaction of p-toluenesulfonyl chloride with amino acids gave sulfonamides p-T1a-k
      which upon amidation afforded p-T2a-k. Similarly, treatment involving alpha
      toluenesulfonyl chloride and amino acids afforded the sulfonamides alpha-T1a-k.
      These two classes of sulfonamides were synthetically modified at their COOH end
      position to achieve N,N-diethylamido substituted p-toluenesulfonamides p-T2a-k
      and alpha-toluenesulfonamides alpha-T2a-k, respectively. The chemical structures
      of the compounds were validated with IR, Mass spectra, NMR as well as elemental
      analytical data. Both classes of compounds were screened against Escherichia coli
      and Staphylococcus aureus and their activity werecompared. It was remarkable to
      note that the alpha-toluene sulfonamides alpha-T2a-k were more active than their
      p-toluenesulfonamide counterparts p-T2a-k. Compound 1-(benzylsulfonyl)-N,N
      diethylpyrrolidine-2-carboxamide alpha-T2a was the most potent antibacterial
      compound on S. aureus with MIC value of 3.12 MUg mL(-1) while N,N-Diethyl-3
      phenyl-2-(phenylmethylsulfonamide) propanamide alpha-T2j emerged as the best
      antibacterial motif against E. coli with MIC value of 12.5 MUg mL(-1). Hence,
      these compounds especially the alpha-toluenesulfonamide core structural templates
      are good candidates for further study for future drug discovery.

PMID- 26506647
TI  - Effects of Artificial Shelter and Chitosan on Growth Performance of Freshwater
      Prawn (Macrobrachium lanchesteri de Man, 1911).
AB  - Two experiments were carried out at the Department of Fisheries, Khon Kaen
      University, Khon Kaen, Thailand during September 2013 to February 2014 aiming to
      pursue both the better growth performance and survival rate of the freshwater
      prawns (Macrobrachium lanchesteri) where a Completely Randomized Design (CRD)
      with three replications was used for each experiment. For experiment 1, different
      percentages of grass shelter were used, i.e. 0% (Control, T1), 25% (T2), 50% (T3)
      and 75% (T4). For experiment 2, different percentages of commercial chitosan were
      used, i.e. 0% (Control, T1), 25% (T2), 50% (T3) and 75% (T4). Both experiments
      were carried out at the same time and each of them was lasted for 75 days. The
      results showed that the added grass shelter gave significantly higher Total
      Weight (TW) and Survival Rate (SR) than the control treatment. However, there
      were no significant differences found on TW and SR among the added grass shelter
      treatments (T2 up to T4). Chitosan gave significantly higher TW, AW and Number of
      Molting (NM) than the control treatment. There were no significant differences on
      TW, NM and AW found amongst the chitosan treatments. The results of the
      experiment 1 showed that the best rate of grass shelter for the culturing of the
      Macrobrachium lanchesteri was at a rate of 25% (T 2) and the best rate of the
      chitosan was at a rate of 4% (Diet 3) for the Experiment 2.

PMID- 26506648
TI  - Studies on the Occurrence, Identification and Control of House Dust Mites at
      Rural Houses of Shebin El-Kom Locality, Egypt.
AB  - The present study was conducted at Elkom Elakhdar village, Shebin El-Kom,
      Menoufia Governorate along 2012 year seasons, to calculate and identify the
      species composition and the occurrence frequency of the extracted dust mites
      collected from three building ages at rural houses, as well as to determine the
      toxicity limits of different concentrations of three plant essential oils against
      two species of the family Pyroglyphidae the main causal of allergy to humans. The
      obtained results revealed that there were eleven mite species belong to five
      families (Pyroglyphidae, Chortoglyphidae, Glycyphagidae, Acaridae and
      Cheyletidae). Of the total collected mites (5276) the highest dominant percentage
      species was the dust mites: Dermatophagoides farinae (66.1%), followed by D.
      pteronyssinus (23.3%), while the percentages of the rest species: Chortoglyphus
      arcuatus, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Glycyphagus domesticus, Gohieria fusca,
      Tyrophagusputrescentiae, Caloglyphus sp, Cheyletus malaccensis, Blomia sp. and
      Acarus siro were ranged between 0.16-2.0%. Regarding to the effect of temperature
      degrees on mite population, high degrees more than 25 degrees C at summer season,
      decreased the numbers of D. farinae and D. pteronyssinus. Toxicological tests of
      the three plant essential oils against adult stages of D. farinae and D.
      pteronyssinus showed that lemon grass oil gave the highest toxicity effect, in
      comparison with geranium and thyme oils, where mortality percentages were
      approximately around 100% at 800 ppm concentration on both species. The LC50 of
      lemon grass were 228.992 and 293.615 ppm against the two species, respectively.
      From the results of the research, it could be recommend that it is preferable to
      apply control operation during summer season where the mite population density is
      the least, moreover, the botanical oil extracts effectively controlled the
      parasitic dust mites, D. farinae and D. pteronyssinus and can be used in the
      biological control programs, as well as, it can play effective role in the
      integrated management programs.

PMID- 26506649
TI  - Sugarcane White Leaf Disease Incidences and Population Dynamic of Leafhopper
      Insect Vectors in Sugarcane Plantations in Northeast Thailand.
AB  - The work consisted of two experiments, i.e. Experiment 1 was conducted under
      controlled environments where sugarcane plants were used as hosts. This
      investigation aimed to monitor the occurrence of the Sugarcane White Leaf disease
      and the abundance of Leafhopper insect vectors and also the work aimed to provide
      useful information in understanding some aspects on epidemiology of the Sugarcane
      White Leaf disease. A Completely Randomized Design with three replications was
      used to justify growth and development of Leafhopper insects as affected by
      different temperatures: 20 (T1), 25 (T2), 30 (T3) and 35 degrees C (T4).
      Experiment 2 was carried out to determine the numbers of Leafhopper insects with
      the use of light traps in the sugarcane Field 1 (ratoon plants), Field 2 (newly
      planted), Field 3 (newly planted) and Field 4 (ratoon plants). The results of
      Experiment 1 showed that growth and development of Leafhopper insects were highly
      affected by temperatures i.e. the higher the environmental temperature the faster
      the growth and development of the insects to reach its full adulthood. At 20
      degrees C, Leafhopper insects took 12 days to lay eggs whereas at 25 degrees C
      the insects took only 6 days. Male reached its adulthood approximately 9 days
      earlier than female when cultured at 25 degrees C and became approximately one
      week at 30 degrees C or higher. The results of Experiment 2 showed that the
      majority of Leafhopper insects were found within the months of June and July for
      both newly planted and ratoon crops. A small amount was found in May and August
      with an exceptional case of Field 4 where the highest number of Leafhopper
      insects was found in April followed by June and July. For Sugarcane White Leaf
      disease, the disease was found in all months of the year except February for
      Fields 2 and 3. Newly planted sugarcane plants attained much smaller percentages
      of disease than those of the ratoon plants.

PMID- 26506650
TI  - Prevalence of Iron Deficiency Anaemia Among School Children in Kenitra, Northwest
      of Morocco.
AB  - Iron deficiency anaemia is an important health problem in Morocco. This study was
      conducted to estimate the prevalence of anaemia among school children in Kenitra.
      The sample represents school children of all educational levels and age ranged
      between 6-15 years. The level of hemoglobin, haematocrit, mean corpuscular
      volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration
      was measured in a group of 271 school children. The seric iron was assessed and
      anaemia was defined when hemoglobin < 11.5 g dL(-1). A questionnaire was
      developed to obtain information about the daily food consumption and socio
      economic conditions. The prevalence of anaemia was 16.2%. The mean hemoglobin
      concentration was 12.53 g dL(-1) in boys and 12.52 g dL(-1) in girls. The results
      suggest that iron deficiency is an important determinant of anaemia in this
      population. There was a significant relationship between education of the mother
      and anaemia in children (p = 0.004) but not with the family income. It is
      concluded that improving the economic status of the family, women education and
      health education about balanced animal and plant food consumption are recommended
      strategies to reduce the burden of anaemia.

PMID- 26506651
TI  - Effect of Palm Pollen on Sperm Parameters of Infertile Man.
AB  - There is a rapidly growing trend in the consumption of herbal remedies in the
      developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of
      orally administered Date Palm Pollen (DPP) on the results of semen analysis in
      adult infertile men. Forty infertile men participated in our study. They were
      treated by Pollen powder 120 mg kg(-1) in gelatinous capsules every other day,
      for two months. Before and at the end of therapy, the semen was collected after
      masturbation and sperm numbers, motility and morphology were determined. Our
      findings revealed that consumption of DPP improved the sperm count. The treatment
      was significantly increased sperm motility, morphology and forward progressive
      motility. Date palm pollen seems to cure male infertility by improving the
      quality of sperm parameters.

PMID- 26506652
TI  - Growth Pattern for Body Weight, Height at Withers and Body Length of Kalahari Red
      Goats.
AB  - The objective of this research was to examine the growth pattern for body weight,
      body length and height at withers of Kalahari Red goats using non-linear models.
      The body size measurement data were collected from 227 Kalahari Red female goats
      and fit into Gompertz and Brody growth model. The results revealed that Gompertz
      growth model had the best goodness of fit to describe the growth of Kalahari Red
      goats for body weight, body length and height at withers as shown by higher
      coefficient of determination (97.9, 98.9 and 99.1, respectively). The correlation
      coefficients between A and k for body weight, body length and height at withers
      were negative in both models, implying that goats of larger mature size tended to
      have a slower growth rate in relation to their mature size. Height at withers
      body weight has the highest correlation coefficient (0.96).

PMID- 26506653
TI  - Assessing the Impact of Sexuality and HIV/AIDS Education in Africa.

PMID- 26506654
TI  - Managing Endometriosis in Sub-Saharan Africa: Emerging Concepts and New
      Techniques.

PMID- 26506655
TI  - Explaining the Rapid Increase in Nigeria's Sex Ratio at Birth: Factors and
      Implications.
AB  - This paper examines the rapid increase in Nigeria's sex ratio at birth from 1.03
      boys born for every 1 girl born in each year from 1996-2008 to 1.06 in each year
      from 2009-2014, second only to Tunisia in Africa at 1.07. The average sex ratio
      at birth in the world in 2014 was 1.07. In most Black African nations or Black
      majority nations, it is 1.03 or less. Among the factors presented for this
      development are: historical fluctuations of sex ratio at birth; geography and
      ethnicity; male preference/chasing a son; Age of parents; high death rates of
      male infants and males in general; and wealth/socioeconomic status. Among the
      potential implications are: young and poor men in Nigeria may not be able to find
      brides and form families due to a potential shortage of females; emigration of
      young and poor Nigerian men to West (Africa) and elsewhere to seek brides and
      form families; immigration of marriage age women from West (Africa) and around
      the world to Nigeria to seek husbands; and low contraceptive use and high
      fertility rates in Nigeria.

PMID- 26506656
TI  - Decision-Making for Induced Abortion in the Accra Metropolis, Ghana.
AB  - Decision-making for induced abortion can be influenced by various circumstances
      including those surrounding onset of a pregnancy. There are various dimensions to
      induced abortion decision-making among women who had an elective induced abortion
      in a cosmopolitan urban setting in Ghana, which this paper examined. A cross
      sectional mixed method study was conducted between January and December 2011 with
      401 women who had undergone an abortion procedure in the preceding 12 months.
      Whereas the quantitative data were analysed with descriptive statistics, thematic
      analysis was applied to the qualitative data. The study found that women of
      various profiles have different reasons for undergoing abortion. Women considered
      the circumstances surrounding onset of pregnancy, person responsible for the
      pregnancy, gestational age at decision to terminate, and social, economic and
      medical considerations. Pressures from partners, career progression and
      reproductive intentions of women reinforced these reasons. First time pregnancies
      were mostly aborted regardless of gestational ages and partners' consent.
      Policies and programmes targeted at safe abortion care are needed to guide
      informed decisions on induced abortions.

PMID- 26506657
TI  - Who Cares? Pre and Post Abortion Experiences among Young Females in Cape Coast
      Metropolis, Ghana.
AB  - Issues of abortion are critical in Ghana largely due to its consequences on
      sexual and reproductive health. The negative perception society attaches to it
      makes it difficult for young females to access services and share their
      experiences. This paper examines the pre and post abortion experiences of young
      females; a subject scarcely researched in the country. Twenty-one clients of
      Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) clinic at Cape Coast were
      interviewed. Guided by the biopsychosocial model, the study revealed that fear of
      societal stigma, shame, and rejection by partners, as well as self-imposed stigma
      constituted some of the pre and post abortion experiences the respondents. Other
      experiences reported were bleeding, severe abdominal pain and psychological pain.
      The Ghana Health Services (GHS) and other service providers should partner the
      PPAG clinic to integrate psychosocial treatment in its abortion services while
      intensifying behaviour change communication and community-based stigma-reduction
      education in the Metropolis.

PMID- 26506658
TI  - Maternal Near-Miss Due to Unsafe Abortion and Associated Short-Term Health and
      Socio-Economic Consequences in Nigeria.
AB  - Little is known about maternal near-miss (MNM) due to unsafe abortion in Nigeria.
      We used the WHO criteria to identify near-miss events and the proportion due to
      unsafe abortion among women of childbearing age in eight large secondary and
      tertiary hospitals across the six geo-political zones. We also explored the
      characteristics of women with these events, delays in seeking care and the short
      term socioeconomic and health impacts on women and their families. Between July
      2011 and January 2012, 137 MNM cases were identified of which 13 or 9.5% were due
      to unsafe abortions. Severe bleeding, pain and fever were the most common
      immediate abortion complications. On average, treatment of MNM due to abortion
      costs six times more than induced abortion procedures. Unsafe abortion and delays
      in care seeking are important contributors to MNM. Programs to prevent unsafe
      abortion and delays in seeking postabortion care are urgently needed to reduce
      abortion related MNM in Nigeria.

PMID- 26506659
TI  - Implementation of Family Life and HIV/AIDS Education in Nigerian Schools: A
      Qualitative Study on Scope, Delivery and Challenges .
AB  - This study utilized data from Focus Group Discussions and In-depth Interviews
      among secondary school students and teachers to examine the scope, delivery and
      challenges of FLHE implementation within states and across geopolitical zones in
      Nigeria. Structural Functionalism, Rational Choice and Differential Association
      theories were adopted as theoretical framework. Results show that several
      patterns in classroom teaching of FLHE are identifiable across the country. The
      study found that FLHE is taught at the Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary
      levels with variations among States on the beginning levels. The main mode of
      FLHE delivery is classroom instruction; other modes include assembly talk and
      sensitization by organizations. Despite paucity of Information, Education and
      Communication materials and inadequate personnel requirement, different
      stakeholders noted that FLHE has been beneficial to students. Therefore,
      effective implementation of FLHE will go a long way to ensuring that young people
      in Nigeria are equipped with necessary information to enable them exhibit the
      right attitude and behaviour towards sexuality issues.

PMID- 26506660
TI  - Evaluation of the Implementation of Family Life and HIV Education Programme in
      Nigeria.
AB  - Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE) programme was introduced nationwide in
      Nigeria in 2003. Since then little is known about the patterns of its
      implementation across the states in the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. This
      study represents an attempt to fill this lacuna in the FLHE literature in
      Nigeria. Quantitative data was collected from the Federal Ministry of Education
      and the State Ministries of Education on all salient aspects of FLHE
      implementation. The findings from data collected in 35 states and the Abuja
      Federal Capital Territory show large variations in the year of adoption of the
      programme, level of implementation of the programme, the proportion of
      implementing schools that are reporting to the coordinating government
      ministries/agencies, the level to which schools have been supplied with relevant
      curriculum, and promptness of distribution of materials across the zones. All
      these indices did not show significant level of interdependence. In general,
      there were higher levels of FLHE activities in the South than the North. Several
      problems affect implementation of FLHE in Nigeria, most of which will require
      increased financial and technical support from government and other
      organizations. The FLHE programme has had positive effects in the states and
      among schools where the implementation has been effective, underscoring the need
      for a more effective implementation of the programmes throughout the country.

PMID- 26506661
TI  - Proportion and Factors Associated with late Antenatal Care Booking among Pregnant
      Mothers in Gondar Town, North West Ethiopia.
AB  - The proportion of pregnant women initiating prenatal care during first trimester
      pregnancy is one of the standard clinical performance measures to assess the
      quality of maternal health care. Aiming to assess the proportion and factors
      associated with late booking at antenatal care, this health-institution based
      cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2012 among 390 pregnant
      mothers in Gondar town. The proportion of late entry to antenatal care was 64.9%
      with the mean time being 4.5 +/- 1.8 months of pregnancy. Multiple logistic
      regression analysis showed that respondents who didn't get information on correct
      time of booking, perceived the right time of booking beyond 12 weeks of
      pregnancy, were not autonomous to use antenatal care and recognized their
      pregnancy by missing periods were more likely to book late. Late booking was high
      in the study area. Empowering women and providing information, education and
      communication with emphasis on timely booking is important.

PMID- 26506662
TI  - Strengthening Health Systems to Accelerate Achievement of Millennium Development
      Goals 4 and 5: A Case Study of Ketu South and Keta Municipalities in Ghana.
AB  - This study aims to determine means of strengthening the health system to
      accelerate achievement of MDGs 4 and 5 in the Volta Region of Ghana, with a
      particular emphasis in the Ketu South and Keta municipalities. Secondary data
      have been used in this study. High maternal and infant mortality is a crucial
      issue in Ghana. Maternal and infant mortality is high in rural area compared to
      urban area due to unavailability of the service facilities. A community based
      health planning and services programs have been established to improve access and
      quality of health care in Ghana. Our study suggests that health system
      strengthening with community health care programs improved access to quality
      health care and resulted in a decrease of maternal and child mortality in Ketu
      South and Keta Municipalities in Ghana.

PMID- 26506663
TI  - HIV Status Discordance: Associated Factors Among HIV Positive Pregnant Women in
      Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
AB  - The HIV negative partner in a HIV serodiscordant relationship is at high risk of
      becoming HIV infected. The annual risk of HIV infection for a partner of a person
      with HIV is about 10%, with higher annual transmission rates of 20-25% per year
      reported in Rwanda and Zambia. Although there is considerable variation across
      countries, recent studies in southern and east Africa countries with mature
      epidemics reported that up to two-thirds of infected persons in stable
      relationship are discordant. HIV serodiscordance is thus a recognized priority
      for HIV prevention intervention. In Nigeria only few studies have studied the
      burden of serodiscordance, making planning difficult. In this study HIV
      serodiscordance rate and associated factors among pregnant women were assessed in
      a large PMTCT clinic in Lagos Nigeria over a 9 years period. Information on HIV
      status disclosure, partners HIV status (confirmed by HIV test results),
      sociodemographic characteristics and reproductive information were obtained from
      the women after enrollment and entered into the case file. In the study, relevant
      information was managed with SPSS for windows version 19.0. The variables
      independently associated with HIV status discordance were determined in both
      univariate and multivariate analysis. P values and Odd ratio with their
      confidence intervals were calculated. Out of the 4435 women enrolled during the
      study period, 3712 (83.7%) had disclosed their status to their partner. Partner's
      HIV status among the women with confirmed HIV status was negative in 2065 (66.8%)
      women, thus a discordant rate of 66.8%. HIV status disclosure rate was 83.7%;
      with significantly higher disclosure rate in concordant couple (83.3%) compared
      to 76.8% among women in serodiscordant relationship (p = 0.00; OR: 1.5; 95% CI:
      1.25-1.82). Discordant HIV status in a female positive relationship was found to
      be associated with history of at least two termination of pregnancy (OR: 3.05;
      95% CI: 2.91-3.89) and five or more total life time sexual partnership (OR: 2.3;
      95% CI: 1.27-3.21). The perception that men are the index cases is not supported
      by evidence from this study. We recommend the tracking of both men and women as
      index cases in other to reduce HIV transmission within stable relationship.
      Social marketing aimed at reducing concurrency should focus on both male and
      females, if we must reduce new HIV infection within stable relationships.

PMID- 26506664
TI  - Is Male Involvement in ANC and PMTCT Associated with Increased Facility-Based
      Obstetric Delivery in Pregnant Women?
AB  - Ensuring that pregnant women are delivering in a health facility and are attended
      to by skilled birth attendants is critical to reducing maternal and infant
      morbidity and mortality. This study sought to determine the associations between
      male involvement in antenatal care (ANC) services and pregnant women delivering
      at health facilities and being attended to by skilled birth attendants as well as
      attending postnatal care. This was a retrospective cohort study using secondary
      analysis of program data. We reviewed health records of all pregnant women who
      attended antenatal services irrespective of HIV status between March and December
      2012 in 10 health facilities in three provinces of Zambia. An extraction
      questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and clinical information from
      registers used in services for maternal neonatal child health as well as
      delivery. Using logistic regression, we calculated the odds ratios (OR) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CI) of the association between (1) male involvement and
      delivery at a health facility by a skilled birth attendant and (2) male
      involvement and women's attendance at postnatal services. We found that more
      women who had been accompanied by their male partner during ANC delivered at a
      health facility than those who had not been accompanied (88/220 = 40% vs.
      543/1787 = 30.4%, respectively; OR 1.53, 95% CI: 1.15-2.04). Also, we noted that
      a greater proportion of the women who returned for postnatal visits had been
      accompanied by their partner at ANC visits, compared to those women who came to
      ANC without their partner (106/220 = 48.2% vs. 661/1787 = 37.0%, respectively; OR
      1.58, 95% CI: 1.20-2.10). Male involvement seems to be a key factor in women's
      health-seeking behaviours and could have a positive impact on maternal and infant
      morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 26506665
TI  - Fertility Preferences of Women Living with HIV in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana.
AB  - This study sought to determine fertility preferences and their predictors among
      women living with HIV. A survey of 295 women aged 18 to 49 years living with HIV,
      and attending two HIV/AIDS clinics in the Kumasi metropolis, was conducted
      between July and August 2012. We administered questionnaires, and retrieved
      records of clinical status for review. We conducted multiple logistic regressions
      with fertility preference as the dependent variable. Fifty-eight percent of the
      respondents desired to have a child. The desire to have children was associated
      with age >= 40 years (AOR 0.25; 95% CI: 0.06-1.00), parity > 3 (AOR 0.07; 95% CL:
      0.01-0.78), those that responded that their HIV status did not affect fertility
      preference were more likely to desire a child (AOR 4.37; 95% CI: 1.28-14.95) and
      those whose partner's did not desire to have children were less likely to desire
      to have children (AOR 0.06; 95% CI: 0.02-0.18). Most of the respondents do not
      discuss their fertility preferences with healthcare providers. Policy makers
      should protect the health of women living with HIV by putting in place
      counselling and support services with regular antiretroviral medications. If
      implemented, this has the potential to reduce mother-to-child transmission of
      HIV.

PMID- 26506666
TI  - Urinary Tract Infection In Young Healthy Women Following Heterosexual Anal
      Intercourse: Case Reports.
AB  - Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections in
      outpatient clinical settings globally. Young healthy women are at highest risk of
      community-acquired UTI. While uncomplicated UTI is not life-threatening, it is
      associated with high morbidity and treatment costs. The pathogenesis of urinary
      tract infection in young healthy women is complex. It is influenced by a number
      of host biological and behavioural factors and virulence of the uropathogen. The
      infecting uropathogens in community-acquired UTI originate from the fecal flora,
      E. coli being the most predominant, accounting for 80-90% of these UTIs. Vaginal
      colonization with uropathogens, a pre-requisite for bladder infection may be
      facilitated by sexual intercourse, which has been shown to be a strong risk
      factor and predictor of UTI. While majority of studies have explored the
      association between heterosexual vaginal intercourse and UTI in healthy young
      women, the possible association with heterosexual receptive anal intercourse has
      not received adequate attention despite evidence of high prevalence globally.
      This paper presents two young healthy married women who had severe UTI following
      heterosexual anal intercourse and discusses possible association thereof.
      Understanding the risk factors for UTI and identification of possible
      predisposing conditions in a particular individual are important in guiding
      therapeutic approaches and preventive strategies. Cognisant of reportedly high
      prevalence of various sexual practices including receptive heterosexual anal
      intercourse and their impact on individuals' health, details on sexual history
      should always be enquired into in young women presenting with genito-urinary
      complaints.

PMID- 26506667
TI  - A systematic review of lung function testing in asthmatic young children.
AB  - Asthma diagnosis is difficult in young children being mainly based on clinical
      signs and parents' history, which is sometimes difficult to obtain. Lung function
      testing may improve asthma diagnosis by objectively assessing its main features,
      airway obstruction, spontaneously reversible or after use of a bronchodilator
      drug, ventilation inhomogeneity during an acute bronchoconstriction and airway
      hyperresponsiveness. In young children that cannot cope with classical tests, it
      is important to use and develop simple, short lasting methods, made in
      spontaneous ventilation without active cooperation. Such techniques are a
      measurement of respiratory resistance by forced oscillations or the interrupter
      technique, of specific airway resistance by plethysmography and capnography. All
      these parameters are sensitive to the presence of an airway obstruction and to a
      bronchodilator or bronchoconstrictor agent, but their cutoff values in
      differentiating between asthmatic and healthy children as well as their specific
      indications in asthma management remain to be established.

PMID- 26506668
TI  - Paraneoplastic syndromes: the way to an early diagnosis of lung cancer.
AB  - Pulmonary malignancies are the leading cause of cancer mortality around the
      world. The late diagnosis of lung cancer, in advanced stages, is mainly due to
      atypical clinical presentation. Paraneoplastic syndromes have been first
      described in 1825, as a group of symptoms related to a malignant disease, which
      are not the effect of the primary neither of the metastatic tumor. The
      paraneoplastic syndromes have been reported in all types of lung cancer, but more
      frequently in small cell lung cancer, due to its origin in neuroendocrine cell
      precursors. The most frequent associated syndromes described in the literature
      are neurological and endocrine. In most patients paraneoplastic syndromes occur
      prior to other symptoms of malignancy. The presence or the severity of these
      syndromes is not correlated with the stage of cancer. Most of the paraneoplastic
      syndromes disappear once the primary tumor is removed and reappear in case of
      cancer recurrence or metastasis. This paper is a review of paraneoplastic
      syndromes in lung cancer.

PMID- 26506669
TI  - Pulmonary metastasectomy--general issues.
AB  - Pulmonary metastasectomy has been widely accepted by thoracic surgeons and is
      applied to the treatment of a variety of histologies, but the evidence that the
      patient may benefit from lung metastasectomy is not yet elucidated and the best
      way of integrating oncologic therapies (induction or adjuvant chemotherapy or
      radiotherapy) with surgical resection are still unknown. When there is no good
      clinical alternative, the resection of pulmonary metastases can give some
      patients long-lasting disease free intervals. Patients should be carefully
      selected on the basis of clinical staging with defined prognostic indicators. In
      order to obtain suitable results the management of these patients should be based
      on a multidisciplinary team decision.

PMID- 26506670
TI  - Endobronchial ultrasound EBUS--a new method for the diagnosis and staging of lung
      cancer.
AB  - In this paper we present a new method, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), which
      appeared recently among the tools of the pulmonologist for the diagnosis and
      staging of lung cancer. Endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration
      (EBUS-TBNA) provides the opportunity for obtaining tissue samples required for
      the histologic and cytologic diagnosis of lung cancer. The advantages of EBUS
      have to be made popular as it is a minimally invasive method, safe, simple, fast,
      also with a superior cost/benefit ratio compared to any previously used methods.

PMID- 26506671
TI  - The concordance between phenotypic and genotypic M. tuberculosis drug
      susceptibility tests results: observational study.
AB  - Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) represents a major threat for TB
      control at the global level. Identification of mutations responsible for drug
      resistance by molecular methods can be used for rapid and specific detection of
      drug resistance. The aim of our study was to assess the concordance between
      phenotypic and genotypic tests results (GenoTypeMTBDRplus kit) for isoniazid and
      rifampicin resistance in M. tuberculosis isolated strains. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      The specific zone mutations in rpoB, katG and inhA gene for rifampicin and
      isoniazid were investigated with molecular methods in 198 recently isolated
      unique strains from patients diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. These results
      were compared with the absolute concentration drug susceptibility test results.
      RESULTS: Sensitivity, specificity, predictive positive value, predictive negative
      value, efficiency of genotypic method, calculated by comparing with conventional
      method for INH and RMP were 93.85%, 100.00%, 100.00%, 63.33%, 94.44%, and 99.26%,
      82.25%, 92.46%, 98.07% and 93.93%, respectively). Cohen coefficient showed Kappa
      values = 0.746 (good strength of agreement) for INH, and Kappa value = 0.853
      (very good strength of agreement) for RMP. CONCLUSION: The obtained results are
      consistent with those reported from other regions of the world. The use of rapid
      molecular assays reduces the time for drug resistance diagnostic to just a few
      days, and may help the control of the ongoing TB transmission.

PMID- 26506672
TI  - Non-invasive ventilation for the treatment of acute respiratory failure following
      ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: report of two cases and a brief review of the
      literature.
AB  - The ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a serious but rarely fatal
      complication of medical interventions that seek to induce fertility; it is
      typically encountered in women who undergo controlled ovarian hyperstimulation,
      but there are very rare patients who have genetic defects who present with OHSS.
      In recent years, its pathogenesis has been elucidated; this knowledge will
      decrease the frequency of this syndrome. Clinical signs may include any or all of
      the following: rapid weight gain, ascites, oliguria, hemoconcentration,
      leukocytosis, along with intravascular hypovolemia, hyponatremia, and
      hyperkalemia. If the patient is not diagnosed early, ascites, pleural and more
      rarely pericardial effusions, severe respiratory failure and ARDS,
      hypercoagulability with tromboembolism and multiple organ system failure can
      occur. Due to the increased use of therapeutic strategies for infertility
      (particularly those using human chorionic gonadotropin), the systemic,
      particularly the pulmonary, complications of this syndrome must be identified
      early to allow appropriate diagnosis and management. We describe two cases of
      women with extremely severe OHSS presenting bilateral pleural effusions, and
      severe respiratory failure (paO2/FiO2 < 200) treated with non-invasive
      ventilation (NIV). The severe form of OHSS varies between 0.5% and 5%, depending
      on the population studied: intensive care may be required for management of
      tromboembolic complications, renal failure and severe respiratory failure. The
      diagnosis of severe OHSS was made, largely based on bedside ultrasonography
      showing increased ovarian size, mild ascites and bilateral pleural effusions.
      Owing to severe respiratory failure the patients were admitted to Respiratory
      Intermediate Care. Pulmonary intensive care may involve thoracentesis, oxygen
      supplementation and in more severe cases assisted ventilation. There are only a
      few studies in English that describe severe respiratory failure treated with non
      invasive ventilation, but all of them have had good outcomes.

PMID- 26506673
TI  - Interstitial lung disease as first clinical manifestation within the
      antisynthetase syndrome--dermatomyositis.
AB  - Diffuse interstitial pneumopathies within the diseases of the connective tissue
      are often a diagnosis challenge, sometimes being the initial or dominant
      manifestation of the underlying autoimmune disease. The case of a young man shall
      be presented with relatively quick dyspnoea which has appeared under the
      conditions of an efficient physical status and without any notable pathological
      history. The cause of the dyspnoea is found to be a interstitial lung disease
      with radiological and histopathological pattern of non-specific interstitial
      pneumonia. The disease screening system discovers Ac anti Ro-52 which commits
      research in the direction of an autoimmune disease, confirmed by highlighting Ac
      anti PL-7 as being an antisynthetase syndrome. Subgroup of idiopathic
      inflammatory myopathies, the antisynthetase syndrome is a rare chronic autoimmune
      disease, which is characterised by the presence of antibodies directed against
      aminoacyl-t-RNA-synthetases (family of intracytoplasmic enzymes with a vital role
      in the protein synthesis). Shortly after specifying the relevant immunological
      status, the consistent clinical expression with dermatomyositis is also
      configured. The treatment is commenced with systemic corticoid and azathioprine;
      despite the treatment we are witnessing a slowly progressive clinical and
      functional deterioration.

PMID- 26506674
TI  - Synchronous primary lung cancer and controlateral pulmonary renal cell carcinoma
      metastases.
AB  - Synchronous malignant lesions will always entail treatment related difficulties
      which would ideally require discussions within a multidisciplinary committee in
      such a way as to reach the optimal solution for the patient. Presented herewith
      are two patients suffering from lung cancer and clear cell renal carcinoma
      contralateral metastases and the treatment alternatives that I have opted for.

PMID- 26506676
TI  - Motorcycle Helmets: The Economic Burden of an Incomplete Helmet Law to Medical
      Care in the State of Connecticut.
AB  - The lack of a mandatory motorcycle helmet law leads to increased injury severity
      and increased health care costs. This study presents a financial model to
      estimate how the lack of a mandatory helmet law impacts the cost of health care
      in the state of Connecticut. The average cost to treat a helmeted rider and a
      nonhelmeted rider was $3,112 and $5,746 respectively (cost adjusted for year
      2014). The total hospital treatment cost in the state of Connecticut from 2003
      through 2012 was $73,106,197, with $51,508,804 attributed to nonhelmeted riders
      and $21,597,393 attributed to helmeted riders. The total Medicaid cost to the
      state of Connecticut for treating nonhelmeted patients was $18,277,317. This
      model demonstrates that the lack of a mandatory helmet law increases overall
      health care costs to the state of Connecticut, and provides a framework by which
      hospital costs can be reduced to contribute to the economic stability of health
      care economics in the state.

PMID- 26506675
TI  - Pulmonary hypoplasia with associated cardiac and skeletal malformations.
AB  - Patients with mild pulmonary hypoplasia typically use to have minimal respiratory
      symptoms. Nonetheless, other associated anomalies such as cardiac,
      gastrointestinal, genitourinary, or skeletal defects may be seen. We report the
      case of a 17-year-old male patient with hypoplastic right lung with secondary
      cardiac dextroposition, an ostium secundum atrial septal defect, a hypoplastic
      right pulmonary artery arising from the posterior wall of the left pulmonary
      artery with a retrocava course, vertebral bone fusion and pollicization due to
      right congenital thumb absence.

PMID- 26506677
TI  - Factors Associated with the Transfer of Pediatric Patients with Supracondylar
      Humerus Fractures to a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the characteristics of pediatric patients with
      supracondylar humerus fractures transferred to a level I pediatric trauma center
      to those who presented directly to our institution. METHODS: Retrospective chart
      review of patients with a supracondylar humerus fracture during a 42-month period
      (2008-2011) at a major level I pediatric trauma center were reviewed. Of 195
      patients, 37 were transferred from outside hospitals. RESULTS: After
      multivariable analysis, it was determined that transferred patients were
      significantly more likely to present on the weekends (p = 0.003) and require
      operative treatment (p < 0.001) as compared to nontransferred patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: Injuries requiring operative treatment and presentation on a weekend
      were independent predictors of the transfer of pediatric patients with
      supracondylar humerus fractures.

PMID- 26506678
TI  - The Association Between Baseline Left Atrial Volume Index and All-Cause Mortality
      in Patients with Heart Failure: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enlargement of the left atrium is a marker of mortality in the
      general population. Left atrial volume index (LAVI) has long been proposed as a
      measure of prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF). The aim of this meta
      analysis was to assess the utility of using baseline LAVI as an independent
      predictor of all-cause mortality in patients with HF. METHODS: A search of
      Medline and Embase bibliographic databases was performed to identify studies
      meeting the following inclusion criteria: 1) studies evaluating a cohort of
      patients with HF (both reduced and preserved ejection fraction); 2) studies
      conducting multivariate analysis or patient matching to determine the
      relationship between baseline LAVI measured by echocardiography and all-cause
      mortality; and 3) studies reporting data on the relationship between baseline
      LAVI (per difference in mL/m2) and all-cause mortality. Adjusted hazard ratios
      depicting the association between baseline LAVI and all-cause mortality were
      pooled using traditional random-effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: 1,188
      publications were reviewed from which four studies were included in the present
      meta-analysis. We found each 10 mL/m2 increase in baseline LAVI was associated
      with a 22% increased adjusted hazard of all-cause mortality (95% confidence
      interval, 13% to 31%, I2 = 14%). CONCLUSION: Baseline LAVI is an important
      independent predictor of all-cause mortality in patients with heart failure and
      should be reported routinely in these patients undergoing echocardiography.

PMID- 26506679
TI  - Morel-Lavallee Lesion: A Case of an American Football Injury.
AB  - Morel-Lavallee Lesion (MLL) is a posttraumatic, closed degloving injury where the
      skin and superficial fascia get separated from deep fascia (fascialata) in the
      trochanteric region and upper thigh, hence creating a potential space. Similar
      lesions at other locations (e.g., abdominal wall and lumbar regions) have been
      described as Morel-Lavallee effusion, hematoma, or extravasation. Injury to an
      area with rich vascular and lymphatic supply leads to filling of this space with
      blood, lymph, fat, and necrotic debris. MLL usually presents as painful fluctuant
      swelling in the anterolateral portion o fthe upper thigh. Many of these maybe
      missed at initial evaluation and present weeks to months after the initial
      trauma.

PMID- 26506680
TI  - Focusing on Patient Safety: the Challenge of Securely Sharing Electronic Medical
      Records in Complex Care Continuums.
AB  - The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's (PPACA) regulated approach to
      inclusive provision of care will increase the challenge health care
      administrators face ensuring secure communication and secure sharing of
      electronic medical records between divisions and care subcontractors. This
      analysis includes a summary overview of the PPACA; the Health Care and Education
      Reconciliation Act (HCERA) of 2010; and required Essential Health Benefits (EHB).
      The analysis integrates an overview of how secure communication and secure
      sharing of electronic medical records will be essential to clinical outcomes
      across complex care continuums; as well as the actionable strategies health care
      leadership can employ to overcome associated IT security challenges.

PMID- 26506681
TI  - Dosing Medications in Obese Patients.

PMID- 26506682
TI  - Can a Quality Collaborative Build Value in Global Surgery? Results From a Single
      State Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgery is a critical component of global health care worldwide.
      Little is known about global surgery participation among surgeons in Connecticut.
      The goal of this pilot survey project was to determine the breadth of global
      surgery experience in our state. STUDY DESIGN: An electronic survey was
      distributed to surgeons in the state of Connecticut via the Connecticut Chapter
      of the American College of Surgeons (CTACS) and to departments of surgery
      throughout the state. RESULTS: Seventy-four surgeons and surgical residents
      completed the online survey from 17 different hospitals. Nineteen (25.7%) of the
      respondents had participated in global surgery. Most participated in yearly
      (56.3%), short-term experiences (94.5%). Nearly half of this group reported no
      formal record of outcomes (52.9%), but 17/19 (89.5%) respondents reported that
      accurate outcomes measures are beneficial to surgical care in resource-poor
      areas. Eighty-nine percent reported a willingness to participate in a surgical
      quality and outcomes database. CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of surgeons
      in Connecticut participate in global surgery. Most surgeons value qualityin
      surgical care, yet outcomes are not routinely measured. This discordance may be
      addressed through the development of a quality improvement collaborative for
      global surgery.

PMID- 26506683
TI  - How the Military is Changing Civilian Medicine.

PMID- 26506684
TI  - Aid in Dying.

PMID- 26506685
TI  - Marijuana Patient Certification: Take Two Cookies and Call Me in the Morning.

PMID- 26506687
TI  - Why Not Connecticut?

PMID- 26506688
TI  - What Is This Word "No"?

PMID- 26506690
TI  - Pain, peace and practitioner health.

PMID- 26506691
TI  - Good governance.

PMID- 26506692
TI  - Magdalen survivors.

PMID- 26506693
TI  - Substantial contribution dental hygienist-therapists could make to dental care.

PMID- 26506694
TI  - Physician, heal thyself.

PMID- 26506695
TI  - Quiz.

PMID- 26506696
TI  - A man for all seasons.

PMID- 26506697
TI  - An instrument of two parts.

PMID- 26506698
TI  - Tips to avoid instrument separation in endodontics.

PMID- 26506699
TI  - Does access to general dental treatment affect the number and complexity of
      patients presenting to the acute hospital service with severe dentofacial
      infections?
AB  - AIM: This is a retrospective study to review the treatment and management of
      patients presenting with odontogenic infections in a large urban teaching
      hospital over a four-year period, comparing the number and complexity of
      odontogenic infections presenting to an acute general hospital in two periods, as
      follows: Group A (January 2008 to March 2010) versus Group B (April 2010 to
      December 2011). The background to the study is 'An alteration in patient access
      to primary dental care instituted by the Department of Health in April 2010'.
      OBJECTIVES: a) to identify any alteration in the pattern and complexity of
      patients' presentation with odontogenic infections following recent changes in
      access to treatment via the Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) and the
      Dental Treatment Benefit Scheme (DTBS) in April 2010; and, b) to evaluate the
      management of severe odontogenic infections. METHOD: Data was collated by a
      combination of a comprehensive chart review and electronic patient record
      analysis based on the primary discharge diagnosis as recorded in the Hospital In
      Patient Enquiry (HIPE) system. RESULTS: Fifty patients were admitted to the
      National Maxillofacial Unit, St James's Hospital, under the oral and
      maxillofacial service over a four-year period, with an odontogenic infection as
      the primary diagnosis. There was an increased number of patients presenting with
      odontogenic infections during Group B of the study. These patients showed an
      increased complexity and severity of infection. Although there was an upward
      trend in the numbers and complexity of infections, this trending did not reach
      statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The primary cause of infection was dental
      caries in all patients. Dental caries is a preventable and treatable disease.
      Increased resources should be made available to support access to dental care,
      and thereby lessen the potential for the morbidity and mortality associated with
      serious odontogenic infections. The study at present continues as a prospective
      study.

PMID- 26506700
TI  - Fundamentals of occlusion and restorative dentistry. Part I: basic principles.
AB  - This article presents the basic principles of dental occlusion and an overview of
      this subject area, which is important for dental professionals. Clinical
      relevance: A sound knowledge of dental occlusion is important in order to improve
      dental treatment outcome and achieve a long-lasting restoration.

PMID- 26506701
TI  - Making a difference.

PMID- 26506702
TI  - [Applications of bone drilling techniques in spinal surgery].

PMID- 26506703
TI  - [Influencing factors of adjacent superior segment facet joint violation after
      transpedicular screw instrumentation during transforanal lumbar interbody
      fusion].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the influencing factors of pedicle screw instrumentation
      and provide theoretical rationales for decreasing facet joint violation rate by
      radiological evaluations of superior-segment facet joint violation after pedicle
      screw instrumentation in transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). METHODS:
      A retrospective study was conducted for 101 patients undergoing lumbar fusion
      after failed conservative treatment between December 2011 and December 2013.
      According to the Seo classification, computed tomography was used for evaluating
      the position of pedicle screw with superior segment facet joint. And chi2 test
      was used to examine the associations between superior segment facet joint
      violation and gender, age, construct level, fusion length and transpedicular
      screw side. RESULTS: A total of 202 screws were evaluated. There were grade 0 (n
      =154, 76.2%), grade 1 (n = 43, 21.3%) and grade 2 (n = 5, 2.5%). In all screws,
      facet joint violation occurred in L5 segment more frequently than in any other
      segment (P < 0.05), left-side facet joint violation was more common than right
      side one (P < 0.05). No statistical associations existed between violation rates
      and gender, age and fusion length. CONCLUSION: During TLIF, there is a higher
      incidence of facet joint violation at right side and in L5 segment compared with
      other lumbar segments.

PMID- 26506704
TI  - [Microsurgical resection of lumbar intraspinal tumors through paraspinal approach
      using percutaneous tubular retractor system].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical outcomes and operative techniques of
      microsurgical resection of lumbar intraspinal tumors through paraspinal approach
      by percutaneous tubular retractor system. METHODS: A retrospective study was
      conducted to analyze 21 patients with lumbar intraspinal tumors between November
      2011 and February 2014, including Schwannoma (n = 19) and meningioma (n = 2)
      without lumbar instability on preoperative images. The length of tumors was 0.6
      2.0 cm. Tracheal intubation anesthesia was performed prior to microsurgery using
      percutaneous tubular retractor system through paraspinal approach. Operative
      duration, blood loss volume, postoperative wound pain duration and hospital stay
      were analyzed. Creatine phosphokinase (CPK-MM) level was recorded at 1 day
      preoperatively, 1 day, 3 days and 5 days postoperatively. The scores of Japanese
      Orthopedic Association (JOA) and visual analog scale (VAS) were analyzed at 1 day
      preoperatively, 1, 3, 5 days and 6 months postoperatively to evaluate the
      function status of spinal cord. Computed tomography ( CT) three-dimensional
      reconstruction of lumbar vertebrae was performed at 1 week postoperatively.
      Magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI) plain scan and enhanced scan of lumbar
      vertebrae were conducted preoperatively, 1 week and 6 months postoperatively.
      RESULTS: Complete removal of tumors was achieved in all patients without the
      injuries of spinal cord or nerve root. Postoperative scores of JOA and VAS
      improved versus preoperative ones (P < 0.05). Level of CPK-MM increased 1 day
      postoperatively and declined to preoperative level at 5 days postoperatively. And
      th difference was not statistically significant (P < 0.05). Neither residual
      tumor nor tumor recurrence was detected by MRI plain and enhanced scans. No
      postoperative spinal instability was identified by CT three-dimensional
      reconstruction. And no spinal deformity occurred during a follow-up period of 6
      28 months. CONCLUSION: Microsurgical resection of lumbar intraspinal tumors using
      percutaneous tubular retractor system through paraspinal approach minimizes the
      injuries of paraspinal muscles, facet joint, spinous process and ligaments. This
      technique offers the advantages of mini-invasiveness, shorter hospital stay,
      rapid recovery and preserved postoperative spinal stability.

PMID- 26506705
TI  - [Effects on single segmental lumbar stability after graded facetectomy and
      laminectomy: a finite element study].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects on degenerative single segmental lumbar spinal
      stability after posterior graded laminectomy and facetectomy by a finite element
      method. METHODS: A finite element model of L3-S1 segments with a single segmental
      degeneration at L4-5 level was established. Different models of L4-L5 segmental
      instability after posterior graded laminectomy and facetectomy were established.
      And interior 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 of laminar and bilateral facet joints were resected.
      Physical loads were applied to the models and the changes of range of motion
      (ROM) at L4-5 level in different models were recorded during flexion, extension,
      lateral bending and rotation. RESULTS: As compared to preoperative model, after
      resecting 1/3 bilateral facet joints at L4-5 level, L4-5 segmental ROM increased
      18% during flexion, 27% during extension and 45% during torsion. And the
      increased degree of ROM became more obvious along with a greater resection range
      of bilateral facet joints. No significant difference existed in L4-5 segmental
      ROM during lateral bending in all models. CONCLUSION: Facet joints play vital
      roles in lumbar segmental stability. And segmental instability may occur when 1/3
      bilateral facet joints are resected.

PMID- 26506706
TI  - [Three-dimensional finite element modeling and biomechanical simulation for
      evaluating and improving postoperative internal instrumentation of neck-thoracic
      vertebral tumor en bloc resection].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To employ three-dimensional finite element modeling and biomechanical
      simulation for evaluating the stability and stress conduction of two
      postoperative internal fixed modeling-multilevel posterior instrumentation ( MPI)
      and MPI with anterior instrumentation (MPAI) with neck-thoracic vertebral tumor
      en bloc resection. METHODS: Mimics software and computed tomography (CT) images
      were used to establish the three-dimensional (3D) model of vertebrae C5-T2 and
      simulated the C7 en bloc vertebral resection for MPI and MPAI modeling. Then the
      statistics and images were transmitted into the ANSYS finite element system and
      20N distribution load (simulating body weight) and applied 1 N . m torque on
      neutral point for simulating vertebral displacement and stress conduction and
      distribution of motion mode, i. e. flexion, extension, bending and rotating.
      RESULTS: With a better stability, the displacement of two adjacent vertebral
      bodies of MPI and MPAI modeling was less than that of complete vertebral
      modeling. No significant differences existed between each other. But as for
      stress shielding effect reduction, MPI was slightly better than MPAI. CONCLUSION:
      From biomechanical point of view, two internal instrumentations with neck
      thoracic tumor en bloc resection may achieve an excellent stability with no
      significant differences. But with better stress conduction, MPI is more
      advantageous in postoperative reconstruction.

PMID- 26506707
TI  - [Explorations of epileptic network with cortico-cortical evoked potential].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cortico-cortical evoked potential (CCEP) in exploring
      the network in epileptics. METHODS: Two patients with intractable epilepsy
      underwent chronic intracranial electrode placement. According to the distribution
      of icta onset zones and the functional brain mapping, alternating 1 Hz electrical
      stimuli were delivered to the target electrodes. And CCEPs were recorded by
      averaging electrocorticograms time-locked to stimuli from subdural electrodes.
      Then icta onset zones, eloquent areas identified by electrical cortical mapping
      and CCEP distributions were compared. RESULTS: Typical CCEP responses were
      observed. The data of one patient was useful for investigating the connectivity
      associated with various brain networks while another patient was useful for
      evaluating the cortical excitability. CONCLUSION: The exploration of epileptic
      network is achieved through cortico-cortical evoked potential by investigating
      the connectivity associated with various brain networks and cortical
      excitability.

PMID- 26506708
TI  - [Value of electroencephalography/functional magnetic resonance imaging localizing
      epileptic foci in focal epilepsy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the diagnostic value of simultaneous
      electroencephalography/ functional magnetic resonance imaging ( EEG-fMRI) for
      epileptic foci in focal epilepsy of normal brain structure. METHODS: The normal
      structural images of EEG-fMRI and resting state-fMRI (RS-fMRI) with 3. OT high
      field MR system were performed for 15 focal epileptic patients from April 2013 to
      July 2014. On EEG-fMRI, epileptiform discharges were regarded as nerve
      stimulation. And off-line analysis yielded the blood oxygen level-dependent
      (BOLD) responses related to epileptiform discharges. The relationship was
      analyzed between BOLD activation reaction and electroencephalography-clinical
      symptomatology position. And the electroencephalography-clinical symptomatology
      position was selected as a major indicator of judging the degree of concordance.
      RESULTS: The involved lobes were temporal (n = 7), frontal (n = 5) and
      frontotemporal (n = 3). On EEG-fMRI, all patients demonstrated BOLD responses
      related to epileptiform discharges. Compared with electroencephalography-clinical
      symptomatology position, 12 cases (12/15) were fully concordant and 3 cases
      (3/15) partially concordant. Three patients had BOLD responses in accordance with
      electroencephalography-clinical symptomatology position on RS-fMRI. And the
      detection rate of BOLD responses was higher for EEG-fMRI than that for RS-fMRI.
      CONCLUSION: The BOLD responses related to epileptiform discharges may help locate
      noninvasively the epileptogenic region of focal epilepsy and provide additional
      useful information for preoperative evaluations of epilepsy.

PMID- 26506709
TI  - [Treatment and pathological mechanism of multicentric glioma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the diagnosis and treatment of multicentric glioma and
      discuss its underlying pathological mechanism. METHODS: The clinical cases of
      multicentric glioma at our department were prospectively collected from January
      2012 to December 2014. A total of 62 cases, along with the literally reported
      cases with relative complete data, were studied with Kaplan-Meier and COX
      regression to identify the prognostic factors of disease. RESULTS: The median age
      was 55.3 +/- 14.3 (11-78) years. The ratio of male-to-female was 1. 27. There
      were synchronous (n = 48) and multichronous (n = 13) multicentric gliomas. The
      median survival time was 8 months and 7 months if calculated from the appearance
      of new tumor. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the survival time was
      correlated with age, resection of tumor, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. And COX
      regression analysis indicated that only resection of tumor (s) and chemotherapy
      were independently correlated with the prognosis of multicentric glioma.
      Conclusion Multicentric glioma is mainly of high-grade glioma with a very poor
      prognosis. Total resection and standard chemotherapy yield a better prognosis.
      Radiotherapy should be prudent if there are signs of intracranial hypertension.

PMID- 26506710
TI  - [Clinical analysis of relapsing anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: With the discovery of more patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate
      (anti- NMDAR) encephalitis, frequent clinical relapses pose a new challenge to
      neurologists. METHODS: Retrospective reviews were conducted for 16 hospitalized
      patients with relapsing anti-NMDAR encephalitis at our hospital from June 2011
      until November 2014. Their clinical data including symptoms, cerebrospinal fluid
      (CSF) profiles, neuroimaging findings and relapsing treatment were compared with
      those initial episodes. RESULTS: There were 11 females and 5 males with a mean
      onset time of 21.2 (10-34) years. For initial episodes, the mean number of major
      symptoms was 5. 8 and the mean modified Rankin score (mRS) 4.56. And 7 (43.8%)
      cases were admitted into intensive care unit (ICU). All received first-line
      immunotherapy and only one case second-line immunotherapy. Ovarian teratoma was
      detected and resected in only one case of initial episode. Among 32 relapses, 8
      cases (50% ) had multiple (2-4) relapses. There was a median delay of 5.0 (0.5
      18) months for relapses. Relapses were common upon pausing or reducing
      immunotherapy, usually monotherapy with corticosteroids. Compared with initial
      episodes, relapses were less severe (mean mRS 2.69, mean number of symptom 2.59)
      and only 2 cases were admitted into ICU during relapses. Presentation of relapses
      were partial symptoms of initial episode. However, two patients had new symptoms
      of brain stem involvement. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 8 cases
      showed abnormality initially during initial episode and disappearance at relapses
      while new lesions appeared in 7 patients including 3 cases with CNS demyelinating
      features of central nervous system ( CNS) on MRI. The positivity rate of anti
      NMDAR antibody was 100% in CSF and 53.1% in sera during relapses. Anti-AQP4 and
      NMO-Ig were positive in one case with brain stem involvement. All cases received
      first-line immunotherapy and 12 chronic second-line immunotherapy. Two cases of
      ovarian teratoma were detected on reassessment during relapse and then resected.
      CONCLUSION: Inadequacy of second-line and chronic immunotherapy, occult teratoma
      and potential demyelination may contribute to a relapse of anti-NMDAR
      encephalitis. And its proper management should follow the recommendations of
      guidelines.

PMID- 26506711
TI  - [Clinical features and risk factors of biloma formation after transcatheter
      arterial chemoembolization].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the risk factors, treatment and outcomes of biloma after
      transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC). METHODS: A total of 481 patients with a diagnosis of HCC underwent TACE at
      our hospital from January 2011 to December 2013. Biloma was tracked by the follow
      ups of computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging (CT/ MRI) .
      Retrospective analyses were conducted for their clinical features, treatments and
      prognosis. The statistically significant factors for univariate analysis were
      introduced into Logistic regression models for multivariate analysis to obtain
      the risk factors of biloma post-TACE. RESULTS: There were 43 cases of complicated
      biloma after TACE. And 38 patients (88.4% ) developed biloma at 0.5-3 months post
      TACE while another 5 (9.7%) did so at 3-5 months. The multivariate analysis
      showed that bile duct dilation, a history of hepatectomy prior to TACE, use of
      polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particles and nonsuperselective embolization were the
      risk factors of biloma formation after TACE. Among 9 symptomatics, there were
      jaundice (n =2) and fever (n =7). The diameter of bilomas was (8.07 +/- 3.53) cm
      for 9 symptomatics and (2.81 +/- 1.26) cm for 35 asymptomatics. And the
      difference was statistically significant (P <0. 01). Nine symptomatic patients
      underwent percutaneous drainage with tube and biloma diminished (n = 7) and even
      vanished (n = 2). Only conservative treatment was offered for 35 asymptomatics.
      During the follow-ups, it showed no change (n = 24) , diminishing (n = 8) and
      disappearance (n = 2). One case died from a greatly enlarged biloma due to
      hepatic failure and septic shock via a rupture into abdominal cavity and
      choleperitonitis. CONCLUSION: The risk factors of biloma formation after TACE for
      HCC are bile duct dilation, a history of hepatectomy before TACE, use of PVA
      particles and nonsuperselective embolization. For symptomatics, drainage must be
      performed timely and the prognosis is fair. For asymptomatics, regular imaging
      follow-ups are needed. Drainage must be performed timely when the diameter of
      biloma increased significantly during the follow-ups.

PMID- 26506712
TI  - [Clinical and prognostic analysis of decompensated cirrhosis patients Escherichia
      coli bloodstream infections].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristic and drug resistance of
      decompensated cirrhosis patients bloodstream infections causing by Escherichia
      coli, and determine risk factors for mortality among patients with bloodstream
      infections. METHODS: The clinical data and drug susceptibility of decompensated
      cirrhosis patients Escherichia coli bloodstream infections from 2009 to 2012 in
      302 hospital of PLA were retrospectively analyzed. Univariable and multivariable
      Logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors for all-cause
      mortality. RESULTS: A total 211 strains of E. coli were isolated from
      decompensated cirrhosis inpatients, 80 strains ESBLs detecting were positive,
      positive rate was 37. 9%. Most of infection source were uncertain. The drug
      resistance of ESBLs positive strains was higher than ESBLs negative strains, but
      no statistical difference existed in age, sex, basic disease, infection source,
      peak temperature, white blood cell count, the percentage of neutrophils between
      ESBLs positive strains and negative strains. 154 patients were survived and 57
      patients were died after treatment, with a mortality of 27. 01%. On multivariate
      analysis, independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality were old age [odds
      ratio (OR) = 2.429], abnormal pulse (OR = 2.977), liver failure (OR = 11.159),
      hepatic encephalopathy (OR = 2.524 ) , septic shock (OR = 8.837), acute kidney
      injury (OR = 3.758), gastrointestinal bleeding(OR = 4.118). Body temperature of >
      39  degrees C (OR = 0.301) had protective effect to lower mortality. A Logistic
      probobility model was created by adding points for each independent risk factor,
      and had a c-statistic of 0.898. CONCLUSIONS: Due to decompensated cirrhosis
      patients Escherichia ecu bloodstream infection severity and had prognosis, early
      effective antimicrobial therapy and severe complication prevention should be
      taken to reduce mortality.

PMID- 26506713
TI  - [Diversity of Lactobacillus in vagina of vulvovaginal candidiasis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the Lactobacillus species in the vaginas of
      vulvovaginal candidiasis and to assess the prevalence of each Lactobacillus
      species in vulvovaginal candidiasis. METHODS: 154 vaginal samples were analyzed,
      92 of which were from fertile healthy women, and 62 of which were from women with
      vulvovaginal candidiasis; and species-specific PCR showed the prevalence of each
      Lactobacillus species Species-specific PCR was used to investigate the prevalence
      of each Lactobacillus species in healthy Chinese women and the women with
      vulvovaginal candidiasis. RESULTS: In women with vulvovaginal candidiasis: L.
      iners (6.5%), L. cripatus (79.0%), L. gasseri (37.1%), L. jensenii (74.2%), L.
      acidophilus (16.1%), L. brevis (19.4%), L. plantarum (1.6%), L. johnsonii
      (51.6%), L. fermentum (8.1%), L. salivarius (9.7%), L. reuter (1.6%), L.
      paracasei (8.1%), L. delbrueckii (3. 2% ) ; More than two different Lactobacillus
      species coexisted in 98% of women with vulvovaginal candidiasis, and no anyone
      species existed in 2% of them; In fertile women: L. iners (82.6%), L. cripatus
      (70.7%), L. gasseri (67.4%), L. jensenii (40.2%), L. acidophilus (39.1%), L.
      brevis (23.9%), L. plantarum (5.4%), L. rhamnosus (1.1%), L. paracasei (1.1%), L.
      reuter (1.1%) i, L. johnsonii (3.3%), L. fermentum (2.2%), L. salivarius (2.2%);
      More than two different Lactobacillus species coexisted in 97% of fertile women,
      and only one species existed in 3% of fertile women. CONCLUSIONS: Species of
      lactobacillus in women with vulvovaginal candidiasis did not significantly
      reduced compared with healthy women. Lactobacillus inert may be a marker of the
      change of vaginal microenvironment; Lactobacillus crispatus is a dominant
      lactobacillus in the vaginal of fertile healthy women, pregnant women and women
      with vulvovaginal candidiasis.

PMID- 26506714
TI  - [Evaluation of 99mTc-ECD SPECT/CT brain imaging with scenium analysis in patients
      with generalized anxiety disorder].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the perfusion changes in brains of patients with varying
      levels of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). METHODS: A total of 38 GAD
      outpatients of Department of Psychiatry at our hospital from February to August,
      2014 and 10 healthy controls received a 99mTC-ECD SPECT/CT scan with scenium
      analysis. Differences between brain perfusion and anxiety levels were analyzed by
      SPSS 16. 0 with one-way ANOVA, Pearson's Chi-square, t test and Spearman's
      correlation. RESULTS: They were grouped according to the levels of anxiety
      severity, i. e. mild (n = 11) , moderate (n = 16) and severe (n = 11). They had
      significantly lower blood flow in right superior frontal medial gyrus, right
      precuneus, right putamen, bilateral paracentral lobule and bilateral
      supplementary motor area (t = -2.19, -2.14, -2.22, -2.34, -2.08, -3.26, -2.72, P
      < 0.05). Individuals had significantly greater blood flow in mild group than
      those of control group in right olfactory (t = 2.09 P = 0.05). Individuals of
      moderate group had significantly lower blood flow than those of control group in
      left superior frontal gyrus medial orbital, right superior frontal gyrus medial
      orbital and left supplementary motor area, but greater in right olfactory (t = 
      2.16, -2.24, -2.49, 2.17, P = 0.04, 0.04, 0.02, 0.04). Individuals had lower
      blood flow in severe group than those of control group in left frontal lobe,
      right putamen, left paracentral lobule, right paracentral lobule, left precuneus,
      right precuneus, left parietal lobe, left precentral, right precentral, right
      postcentral, left rolandic operculum, left supplementary motor area, right
      supplementary motor area and left central region (t = -2.32, -2.11, -3.16, -2.61,
      -2.39, -2.18, -2.32, -2.67, -2.14, -2.11, -2.25, -4.38, -3.54, -2.38, P = 0.03,
      0.05, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.03, 0.02, 0.05, 0.05, 0.04, 0.00, 0.00, 0.03).
      Statistical differences existed in right middle frontal gyms orbital part (mild:
      0.96 +/- 0.07, moderate: 1.03 +/- 0.06, severe: 0.98 +/- 0.08, P = 0.04) and left
      paracentral (mild: 0.91 +/- 0.07, moderate: 093 +/- 004 severe: 0.87 +/- 0.07, P
      = 0.02). There was a tendency of negative correlation between perfusion in right
      middle cingulate and paracingulate gyri, left precuneus, right precuneus and left
      thalamus and anxiety scores by Spearman's correlation analysis (r = -0.28, -0.28,
      -0.27, -0.29, P = 0.09, 0.09, 0.10, 0.07). CONCLUSION: Scenium software provides
      quantitative measurements for diagnosis of GAD in different anxiety levels. Also
      larger samples are required for confirming the results in further studies.

PMID- 26506715
TI  - [Imaging features of humerus, radius and ulna rare malformation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the imaging features of humerus, radius and ulna rare
      malformation. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the clinical data and image of
      40 cases of humerus and the radius and ulna rare developmental deformity
      andadmitted to hospital affiliated to 1958 - 2014 years in The Affiliated
      Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University and the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical
      University. Take the Swanson classification as the basis, the image changes of
      different types of malformations are classified and summarized. RESULTS: 40 cases
      of humerus , radius and ulna rare malformation in 19 males and 21 females, age 18
      days to 51 years, mean age (11.6 +/- 11.5) years; a total of 10 kinds of
      deformities to Swanson classification, radius and ulna: failure of formation of
      parts 9 cases, for radial defect; failure of differentiation are congenital
      radioulnar synostosis 6 cases, Madelung' s deformity 12 cases, congenital radial
      head dislocation 4 cases; duplication 2 cases, for double ulna syndrome;
      overgrowth 2 cases, as long ulna short radial deformity; undergrowth 1 case, for
      the micromelia. Humerus and ulna bony involvement: failure of differentiation 1
      case, for brachial radial synostosis; failure of formation of parts 1 case, for
      amelia. There is still one kind of deformity can not be accurately classified as
      patella cubiti 2 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Humerus, radius and ulna although more types
      of malformations and the incidence rate is not high, only a comprehensive
      understanding of different deformity classification and characteristics, combined
      with the typical imaging findings in order to arrive at a correct diagnosis to
      avoid misdiagnosis.

PMID- 26506716
TI  - [Effects and activated mechanism of adenosine triphosphate on BK channel of
      coronary smooth muscle cells].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects and activation mechanism of adenosine
      triphosphate (ATP) on large conductance calcium-activated potassium channel ( BK
      channel) in coronary artery smooth muscle cells. METHODS: Coronary smooth muscle
      cells were isolated by enzyme digestion from Sprague-Dawley rats. And BK currents
      were recorded by patch clamp technique in whole cell configuration. The effects
      of ATP on cytosolic calcium concentrations were examined by recording the changes
      of fluorescence intensity ratios. RESULTS: BK current densities were (137 +/- 13)
      pA/pF and (179 +/- 15) pA/pF before and after a perfusion of 1 mmol/L ATP (P <
      0.05). The fluorescence ratios were 2.46 +/- 0.08 and 4.04 +/- 0.21 (P < 0.05)
      before and after 0.5 mmol/L perfusion. After incubating with purine receptor
      (P2Y1) blocker MRS2179, phospholipase C (PLC) blocker U73122 and inositol
      triphosphate (IP3) blocker 2-APB, the fluorescence ratios were 2.7 +/- 0.06, 2.65
      +/- 0.12 and 2.69 +/- 0.13 respectively. Compared with control group, all
      fluorescence ratios decreased after incubating with three blockers (P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: ATP may elevate intracellular calcium concentration via P2Y1-PLC-IP3
      pathway consequently activating BK channel.

PMID- 26506717
TI  - [Simplify and trivialize the reporting of adverse events].

PMID- 26506718
TI  - [Health surveillance for care safety].

PMID- 26506719
TI  - [Pharmacovigilance, an implementation closer to the players in the field].

PMID- 26506720
TI  - [Accompany the nurse in the optimal management of therapeutics].

PMID- 26506721
TI  - [Continuing education, a tool to enhance blood safety in the hospital].

PMID- 26506722
TI  - [Organize a real risk management of hospital infection].

PMID- 26506723
TI  - [Addiction care and addiction surveillance, two complementary dynamics].

PMID- 26506724
TI  - [Coordination of hospital surveillance].

PMID- 26506725
TI  - PREFACE. Adult Dengue.

PMID- 26506726
TI  - DENGUE: GLOBAL THREAT.
AB  - Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease, which is currently an expanding global
      problem. Four closely related dengue serotypes cause the disease, which ranges
      from asymptomatic infection to undifferentiated fever, dengue fever (DF), and
      dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). DHF is characterized by fever, bleeding
      diathesis, and a tendency to develop a potentially fatal shock syndrome. Dengue
      infection with organ impairment mainly involves the central nervous system and
      the liver. Consistent hematological findings include vasculopathy, coagulopathy,
      and thrombocytopenia. Laboratory diagnosis includes virus isolation, serology,
      and detection of dengue ribonucleic acid. Successful treatment, which is mainly
      supportive, depends on early recognition of the disease and careful monitoring
      for shock. A severity-based revised dengue classification for medical
      interventions has been developed and validated in many countries. There is no
      specific dengue treatment, and prevention is currently limited to vector control
      measures. The world's first, large-scale dengue vaccine efficacy study
      demonstrated its efficacy and a reduction of dengue disease severity with a good
      safety profile in a study of more than 30,000 volunteers from Asia and Latin
      America.

PMID- 26506727
TI  - DENGUE PATIENTS AT PHOTHARAM HOSPITAL: A CLINICAL TRIAL SITE OF DENGUE VACCINE.
AB  - Between 2005 and 2013, 1,868 dengue patients, 916 male and 952 female, were
      admitted to Photharam Hospital, Ratchaburi, Thailand. Among these patients, there
      were 1,209 with dengue fever (DF), 598 with dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), and
      61 with dengue shock syndrome (DSS) with 1 death. The disease was seen all year
      round with a higher incidence in the rainy season. A trend of shift in age group
      towards older children and adults was seen during the study period. These data
      show that dengue patient admissions to Photharam Hospital are common, causing a
      heavy burden on the health system. Only one death was seen during the period of
      study, indicating that early recognition and effective management of dengue
      patients occurred. The trend towards higher age in dengue patients during the
      study period is a problem of concern and needs further clarification.

PMID- 26506728
TI  - FOCAL DENGUE VIRUS TRANSMISSION IN KAMPHAENG PHET, THAILAND AND IMPLICATIONS FOR
      MANAGEMENT.
AB  - Dengue is the most globally prevalent vector-borne viral disease. However, our
      understanding of dengue virus (DENV) transmission is incomplete. Prospective
      longitudinal cohort and cluster studies in Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand have
      contributed much to our understanding of DENV transmission. These studies have
      demonstrated the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of DENV transmission with highly
      focal transmission at small scales in a rural setting. Geographic cluster studies
      have suggested the presence of small "hotspots" of transmission at the house
      level that may have a disproportionately high impact on local spread. These
      hotspots should be considered when planning overall vector control interventions.
      The combined cohort and cluster design have shown that clinically inapparent DENV
      infections from prospective longitudinal cohorts likely consist of a clinical
      spectrum of infections from asymptomatic to mildly symptomatic with and without
      fever. The proportion of all DENV infections that are completely asymptomatic may
      be substantially lower than those considered to be inapparent in cohort studies.
      In addition, some of these inapparent infections from cohort studies have viable
      DENV and may potentially contribute to virus transmission. These findings require
      further validation in other settings and in adults and children. A more
      comprehensive understanding of DENV transmission will be critical to inform
      prevention, prognostication and management strategies.

PMID- 26506730
TI  - DENGUE VIRUS VIRULENCE AND DISEASES SEVERITY.
AB  - The dengue virus is the causative agent of a wide spectrum of clinical
      manifestations, ranging from mild acute febrile illness to classical dengue
      fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). DHF and
      DSS are the potentially fatal forms of dengue virus infection, which has become
      an intractable public health problem in many countries. The pathogeneses of DHF/
      DSS are not clearly understood. One hypothesis concerning virus virulence and the
      immune enhancement hypothesis has been debated. Although dengue disease severity
      has been associated with evidence of genetic differences in dengue strains, virus
      virulence has been difficult to measure because of the lack of in vivo and in
      vitro models of the disease.

PMID- 26506729
TI  - ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MANNOSE-BINDING LECTIN GENE POLYMORPHISMS AND SUSCEPTIBILITY
      TO DENGUE VIRUS INFECTION: A PRELIMINARY REPORT.
AB  - Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) can bind with a wide range of pathogens and can
      activate through lectin pathway or enhances opsonophagocytosis. MBL is encoded by
      the MBL2 gene and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter and exon
      have functional effects on serum levels of MBL. MBL deficiency has been shown to
      predispose to infectious diseases. We assess whether or not, the variant MBL
      alleles are associated with susceptibility to dengue infection. Patients with
      confirmed dengue infection who were admitted to King Chulalongkorn Memorial
      Hospital during a calendar year were studied. Controls were patients without
      dengue infection. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted from 50 MUl of
      peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) using the DNA Blood Mini Kit. The SNPs
      in the promoter (-221 X/Y) and exon 1 (codon 54 A/B) of MBL2 gene were genotyped
      by using 2 separate cycling reactions of the TaqMan allele discrimination system.
      Serum levels of MBL were determined by double-antibody sandwich ELISA. Chi-square
      was used for statistical analysis. Serum MBL levels and genotypes were determined
      in 110 dengue patients (mean age 18.1 years; 62 males and 48 females) and 42
      controls (mean age 25.8 years; males: females = 1:1). Our study showed that YB
      haplotype is associated with low serum levels of MBL. There was no association
      between MBL2 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to dengue infection. The
      higher frequency of YB in dengue patients than in controls suggesting the
      likelihood of an association. Further studies are warranted.

PMID- 26506731
TI  - HEMOSTATIC STUDIES IN DENGUE PATIENTS.
AB  - The pathogenesis of hematologic changes in dengue patients is not clearly
      understood. Consistent hematological findings include vasculopathy,
      thrombocytopenia, and coagulopathy. There are evidences suggesting that dengue
      virus causes pathophysiological changes that involve all of the consistent
      hematologic findings resulting in vasculopathy, reduction in platelet number as
      well as platelet dysfunction, and reduction of several coagulation factors.
      Laboratory evidences of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) are also
      demonstrated in all degrees of severity in dengue patients. Only in severe dengue
      cases is profound DIC aggravated, leading to uncontrolled bleeding and death. A
      study to determine the extent of the activation of endothelial cells and the
      hemostatic system in correlation with clinical severity and also to detect the
      best prognostic factor for severe dengue showed plasma von Willebrand factor
      antigen (VWF:Ag) to be the best indicator of progression to severe dengue.

PMID- 26506732
TI  - REPORTING PROGRESS ON THE USE OF THE WHO 2009 DENGUE CASE CLASSIFICATION: A
      REVIEW.
AB  - This review reports on the progress in the use of the WHO 2009 dengue case
      classification--dengue and severe dengue--following up on a previous review
      (Horstick et al, 2012). The previous review detailed Steps 1 - 5 in developing
      the 2009 WHO case classification. As a further step, a systematic review of
      published studies comparing the two classifications has been published with 12
      studies and a further 10 expert opinion papers that recommend the use of the 2009
      WHO dengue case classification for clinical management, epidemiology, and
      clinical research. Furthermore, a formal expert consensus was reached in La
      Habana, Cuba in 2013 with dengue experts from the Americas, sharing experiences
      that applied the 2009 WHO dengue case classification. The expert panel
      recommended to 1) update ICD10, 2) include the 2009 WHO case classification in
      country epidemiological reports globally, and 3) implement studies improving
      sensitivity/specificity of the dengue case definition.

PMID- 26506733
TI  - LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS OF DENGUE VIRUS INFECTIONS.
AB  - Dengue diagnosis was one of the topics discussed at "the adult dengue"
      presentations. In this paper, a review is presented focusing on the main
      challenges of dengue laboratory diagnosis. Accurate and efficient diagnosis of
      dengue is important for clinical care, surveillance support, pathogenesis
      studies, and vaccine research. Laboratory diagnosis is also important for case
      confirmation. Laboratory dengue diagnosis can be performed through virus
      isolation, genome and antigen detection and serological studies. For virus
      detection, dengue viremia is short, usually observed two or three days before
      onset of fever and lasts four to five days later. Therefore, samples for virus
      detection must be taken in the first four to five days of the disease during
      febrile phase. In recent years, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) has become an
      important tool as a quick method for diagnosis of dengue, another is detection of
      NS1 antigen, using commercial ELISA kit. Serological studies, for primary
      infection, the dominant immunoglobulin isotype is IgM, anti-IgM may appear during
      febrile phase (50% of cases), the other half, it appears within 2-3 days of
      defervescence. Once detectable, IgM levels rise quickly and appears to peak about
      2 weeks after the onset of symptoms, then they decline to undetectable level over
      2-3 months. Anti-IgG appears shortly afterwards with very low level. The
      physiological definition of a primary infection is therefore characterized by a
      high molar fraction of anti-dengue IgM and low molar fraction of IgG. Secondary
      dengue infections are characterized by a rapid increase in IgG antibodies, anti
      dengue IgM appears in most instances, the level are dramatically lower.

PMID- 26506734
TI  - DENGUE FEVER AND DENGUE HEMORRHAGIC FEVER IN ADULTS.
AB  - Dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever are re-emerging diseases that are
      endemic in the Tropics. The global prevalence of dengue cases has increased in
      South-East Asia, Africa, the Western Pacific, and the Americas. The increasingly
      widespread distribution and the rising incidence of dengue virus infections are
      related to increased distribution of Aedes aegypti, an increasingly urban
      population, and increasing air travel. Several Southeast Asian countries show
      that the age of the reported dengue cases has increased from 5-9 years, to older
      children and young adults. Dengue infection in adolescents and adults has also
      been recognized as a potential hazard to international travelers returning from
      endemic areas, especially SoutheastAsia. Dengue is one disease entity with
      different clinical presentations; often with unpredictable clinical evolutions
      and outcomes. Bleeding manifestations in adult patients, including petechiae and
      menorrhagia were also frequently found; however, massive hematemesis may occur in
      adult patients because of peptic ulcer disease and may not be associated with
      profound shock as previously reported in children. Although shock and plasma
      leakage seem to be more prevalent as age decreases, the frequency of internal
      hemorrhage rises as age increases. Increase in liver enzymes found in both
      children and adults indicated liver involvement during dengue infections. Pre
      existing liver diseases in adults such as chronic hepatitis, alcoholic cirrhosis,
      and hemoglobinopathies may aggravate the liver impairment in dengue infection.
      Fulminant hepatitis is a rare but well described problem in adult patients with
      dengue infection. Currently, no specific therapeutic agent exists for dengue. The
      early recognition of dengue infection, bleeding tendency, and signs of
      circulatory collapse would reduce mortality rates in adult patients with dengue
      infection.

PMID- 26506735
TI  - LIVER COMPLICATIONS IN ADULT DENGUE AND CURRENT MANAGEMENT.
AB  - Adult dengue patients have a lower prevalence of bleeding tendency and greater
      prevalence of abnormal liver function tests than children with dengue infections.
      At least two-thirds of adult dengue patients have abnormal liver function tests.
      Our article aims to detail the clinical findings of liver complications in adult
      patients with dengue infection. The predictors of liver complications and the
      associations with failure of other organs were reviewed; for example, high-level
      ALT during the febrile stage has been associated with shock. In addition, this
      review includes the current interventions for treatment of acute liver failure in
      adult dengue patients including N-acetylcysteine, and artificial liver dialysis.

PMID- 26506736
TI  - ELECTROLYTE DISTURBANCE AND KIDNEY DYSFUNCTION IN DENGUE VIRAL INFECTION.
AB  - Dengue virus infection (DVI) is endemic in tropical countries in both children
      and adults. The classical presentation includes fever, hepatomegaly,
      thrombocytopenia-related bleeding disorders, and plasma leakage. Multi-organ
      involvement, including kidneys is found in complex cases. Asymptomatic
      electrolyte disturbances, abnormal urinalysis, and more severe manifestation such
      as acute kidney injury (AKI) usually indicate kidney involvement. Such
      manifestations are not rare in DVI, but are often not recognized and can cause
      the physician to misread the real situation of the patient. The prevalence of
      electrolyte disturbances or kidney involvement reported in studies varies widely
      by country and mainly depends on the severity of DVI and age of the patients. The
      prevalence of DVI-induced AKI ranges from 0.2%-10.0% in children and 2.2%-35.7%
      in adults. The prevalence among all age groups appears to be increasing in the
      last decade. Dengue shock syndrome (DSS) has been reported to be an independent
      risk factor for AKI development. The mechanism of DVI-induced AKI is complex and
      the details are to date undetermined. Urinalysis, serum electrolytes and
      creatinine measurements should be performed to document renal involvement in DVI
      patients for early detection and initiation of appropriate fluid therapy with
      close monitoring. Renal replacement therapy may be required in some cases. The
      presence of AKI dramatically increases the mortality rate among both childhood
      and adulthood DVI from 12%-44% to more than 60%.

PMID- 26506737
TI  - DENGUE WITH CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM INVOLVEMENT.
AB  - Dengue has spread to new geographic areas affecting both children and adults, and
      it has become a global threat. Dengue with central nervous system involvement
      includes febrile seizures, encephalopathy, encephalitis, aseptic meningitis,
      intracranial hemorrhages, intracranial thrombosis, subdural effusions,
      mononeuropathies, polyneuropathies, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and transverse
      myelitis. These manifestations may be associated with co-infections, co
      morbidities, or complications of prolonged shock. It is important to consider
      dengue as a cause for the above neurological presentations, particularly in
      endemic territories for dengue disease.

PMID- 26506738
TI  - FLUID AND HEMODYNAMIC MANAGEMENT IN SEVERE DENGUE.
AB  - In the critical phase of dengue fever, the leakage of intravascular fluid into
      interstitial space and 3rd space can cause hemoconcentration and severe
      complications such as dengue shock syndrome (DSS), and it can lead to multiple
      organ failure, followed by death. Close monitoring, early detection and prompt
      management are the keys in successful treatment. In a hemodynamically unstable
      patient, crystalloid is the fluid of choice in initial management. However, if
      they are not responsive despite adequate resuscitation, a careful search for
      others causes is mandatory and fluids should be switched from crystalloid to
      colloid. If the leakage leads to restriction of the use of fluids (pulmonary
      edema), the addition of a vasopressor such as norepinephrine needs to be
      considered. After stabilizing the hemodynamics and clinical improvement, the
      physician has to know when to reduce and discontinue the fluid to avoid
      congestion and others complications.

PMID- 26506739
TI  - INTERIM ANALYSIS OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF HIGH-LEVEL EVIDENCE FOR DENGUE VECTOR
      CONTROL.
AB  - This interim analysis reviews the available systematic literature for dengue
      vector control on three levels: 1) single and combined vector control methods,
      with existing work on peridomestic space spraying and on Bacillus thuringiensis
      israelensis; further work is available soon on the use of Temephos, Copepods and
      larvivorous fish; 2) or for a specific purpose, like outbreak control, and 3) on
      a strategic level, as for example decentralization vs centralization, with a
      systematic review on vector control organization. Clear best practice guidelines
      for methodology of entomological studies are needed. There is a need to include
      measuring dengue transmission data. The following recommendations emerge:
      Although vector control can be effective, implementation remains an issue; Single
      interventions are probably not useful; Combinations of interventions have mixed
      results; Careful implementation of vector control measures may be most important;
      Outbreak interventions are often applied with questionable effectiveness.

PMID- 26506740
TI  - DENGUE VACCINES.
AB  - The uniqueness of the dengue viruses (DENVs) and the spectrum of disease
      resulting from infection have made dengue vaccine development difficult. Several
      vaccine candidates are currently being evaluated in clinical studies. The
      candidate currently at the most advanced clinical development stage, a live
      attenuated tetravalent vaccine based on the chimeric yellow fever-dengue virus
      (CYD-TDV), has progressed to Phase 3 efficacy studies. Several other live
      attenuated vaccines, as well as subunit, DNA, and purified inactivated vaccine
      candidates are at earlier stages of clinical development. Additional
      technological approaches, such as virus-vectored and Virus-Like Particles (VLP)
      based vaccines are under evaluation in preclinical studies.

PMID- 26506741
TI  - FATAL RHABDOMYOLYSIS IN DENGUE HEMORRHAGIC FEVER: A CASE REPORT.
AB  - Dengue hemorrhagic fever is caused by dengue virus infection. The classical
      manifestations consist of fever, thrombocytopenia, and hemoconcentration.
      However, its unusual complications may be fatal, such as prolong shock, massive
      bleeding, volume overload, and unusual manifestations, for example, severe
      rhabdomyolysis. Here we report a case of 17-year old Thai man who was referred to
      our hospital because of 7-day fever with thrombocytopenia, hemoconcentration and
      right pleural effusion. The serology tests confirmed to be dengue infection. He
      developed various complications: severe hepatitis, coagulopathy, and heavy
      proteinuria; encephalopathy that needed a respiratory ventilator. On day 12 of
      fever, he had myalgia and passed dark urine. Serum creatinine and serum
      creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) were found abnormally high. He was diagnosed as
      severe rhabdomyolysis with acute kidney injury, and immediate hemodialysis was
      performed. He did not respond to treatment and expired within three hours.
      Although the mechanism of severe rhabdomyolysis in dengue fever is not clearly
      known, it may theoretically be proposed such as direct muscle cell injury leading
      to myositis by dengue virus, myotoxic cytokines which are produced in response to
      viral infection, dehydration or hypophosphatemia.

PMID- 26506742
TI  - DENGUE INFECTION IN PREGNANCY.
AB  - While dengue infection is still on the increase in adults in Thailand, it also
      affects pregnant women, especially pregnant teenagers. This study was designed to
      investigate dengue infection during pregnancy. Seven cases of dengue infection in
      pregnant women were admitted to Ban Pong Hospital, Ratchaburi, Thailand, between
      2008 and 2012. Dengue infection presented in all pregnancy trimesters. There were
      two severe cases: one was dengue hemorrhagic fever in the first trimester, and
      the second was at a critical stage of the infection during labor. There were
      three cases of abortion. These three cases included one complete, one incomplete,
      and one threatened abortion, with rising hematocrits of 22.8%, 17.1%, and 14.7%,
      respectively. Two out of the three teenage pregnancies experienced complete and
      threatened abortions, while the third abortion case was a threatened abortion
      pregnancy at the critical stage of infection during intrapartum. Leukopenia was
      identified in six out of seven women. Low baseline hematocrit and low maximum
      hematocrit were laboratory findings. Clinical management involved administration
      of intravenous fluids and antipyretics. Favorable outcomes can be obtained
      through early diagnosis and supportive treatment. The morbidity profile can be
      more serious in teenage pregnancies. Additional studies should be conducted to
      establish whether low baseline hematocrit, low percentages of rising hematocrit
      in pregnant women with dengue infection, and abortions (with a high degree of
      increasing hematocrit during the critical stage of the disease) are typical
      clinical signs.

PMID- 26506743
TI  - SEVERE DENGUE IN PREGNANT WOMEN.
AB  - Over half of the world's population lives in areas at risk of dengue infection
      with 70% of overall disease burden in Asia. A shifting in age group of dengue
      patients towards adulthood has been widely seen in Asia. This will affect an
      increase in incidence of dengue infection in childbearing age and pregnant women.
      Two cases of severe dengue in pregnant women admitted to Photharam Hospital,
      Ratchaburi, Thailand were described. Both of them had dengue shock syndrome with
      organopathy involving the central nervous system with alteration of consciousness
      in one. They had uneventful recoveries following intensive care. This report
      emphasizes the hazards of dengue infection in pregnant women, which needs special
      consideration. Early recognition with careful monitoring and symptomatic
      management are the key factors in a favorable outcome for a dengue patient.

PMID- 26506744
TI  - DENGUE INFECTION IN ELDERLY PATIENTS.
AB  - From 2005 to 2013, there were 15 dengue patients aged over 60 years old who were
      admitted to Photharam Hospital, Ratchaburi, Thailand. Ten were females and five
      were males. Nine had dengue fever (DF), and 6 had dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF).
      A trending shift in age group towards adults has been seen during the past
      decades. No deaths were seen in these elderly patients with dengue disease,
      indicating early recognition and effective management of these dengue patients.
      The trend towards higher age in dengue patients is a problem of concern, which
      needs further elaboration.

PMID- 26506745
TI  - PRACTICAL GUIDELINE FOR MANAGEMENT OF DENGUE IN ADULTS: 2014.

PMID- 26506746
TI  - Midline Shift Threshold Value for Hemiparesis in Chronic Subdural Hematoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) has a variety of clinical
      presentations, with numerous neurological symptoms and signs. Hemiparesis is one
      of the leading signs that potentially indicates CSDH. OBJECTIVE: Purpose of this
      study was to determine the threshold (cut-off) value of midsagittal line (MSL)
      shift after which hemiparesis is likely to appear. METHODS: The study evaluated
      83 patients with 53 unilateral and 30 bilateral CSDHs in period of three years.
      Evaluated computed tomography (CT) findings in patients with CSDH were diameter
      of the hematoma and midsagittal line shift, measured on non-contrast CT scan in
      relation with occurrence of hemiparesis. Threshold values of MSL shift for both
      types of CSDHs were obtained as maximal (equal) sensitivity and specificity
      (intersection of the curves). RESULTS: MSL is a good predictor for hemiparesis
      occurrence (total sample, AUROC 0.75, p=0.0001). Unilateral and bilateral CSDHs
      had different threshold values of the MSL for hemiparesis development. Results
      suggested that in unilateral CSDH the threshold values of MSL could be at 10 mm
      (AUROC=0.65; p=0.07). For bilateral CSDH the threshold level of MSL shift was 4.5
      mm (AUROC=0.77; p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Our study pointed on the phenomenon that
      midsagittal line shift can predict hemiparesis occurrence. Hemiparesis in
      patients with bilateral CSDH was more related to midsagittal line shift compared
      with unilateral CSDH. When value of midsagittal line shift exceed the threshold
      level, hemiparesis occurs with certain probability.

PMID- 26506747
TI  - Paranoid Schizophrenia versus Schizoaffective Disorder: Neuropsychological
      Aspects.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Neuropsychological aspects of paranoid schizophrenia have still not
      been examined enough.These disorders are usually not studied separately, but are
      included in the studies about schizophrenic patients with positive symptoms.
      Despite the fact that schizophrenia represents a heterogeneous group of mental
      disorders, usually it is not separated from schizoaffective disorder in
      neuropsychological researches. OBJECTIVE: The essence of this research is to
      evaluate cognitive functioning of patients with paranoid schizophrenia and
      schizoaffective disorder by applying neuropsychological tests. METHODS: The
      research included 91 subjects, right handed, from 30 to 53 years old, who were
      classified into three groups: inpatients with paranoid schizophrenia in remission
      (n=31), inpatients with schizoaffective disorder in remission (n=30) and healthy
      subjects (n=30). RESULTS: Both groups of patients showed poorer achievements than
      healthy subjects in most of the applied tests. Patients with schizoaffective
      disorder showed global loss of intellectual efficiency, executive dysfunction and
      compromised visual-construction organization. Patients with paranoid
      schizophrenia expressed partial loss of intellectual efficiency with verbal IQ
      and executive functions preserved. CONCLUSION: In the remission phase, patients
      with paranoid schizophrenia expressed cognitive disorders in moderate degree, but
      when it comes to patients with schizoaffective disorder, more massive cognitive,
      deficits were registered.

PMID- 26506748
TI  - Histological Effects of Enamel Matrix Derivative on Exposed Dental Pulp.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Direct pulp capping procedure is a therapeutic application of a
      drug on exposed tooth pulp in order to ensure the closure of the pulp chamber and
      to allow the healing process to take place. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was
      to examine the histological effects of Emdogain(r) on exposed tooth pulp of a
      Vietnamese pig (Sus scrofa verus). METHODS: The study comprised 20 teeth of a
      Vietnamese pig. After class V preparation on the buccal surfaces of incisors,
      canines and first premolars, pulp was exposed. In the experimental group, the
      perforations were capped with Emdogain(r) (Straumann, Basel, Switzerland), while
      in the control group pulp capping was performed with MTA(r) (Dentsply Tulsa
      Dental, Johnson City, TN, USA). All cavities were restored with glass-ionomer
      cement (GC Fuji VIII, GC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan). The observational period was
      28 days, after which the animal was sacrificed and histological preparations were
      made. A light microscope was used to analyze dentin bridge formation, tissue
      reorganization and inflammation, and the presence of bacteria in the pulp.
      RESULTS: The formation of dentin bridge was observed in the experimental and
      control groups. Inflammation of the pulp was mild to moderate in both groups.
      Angiogenesis and many odontoblast-like cells, responsible for dentin bridge
      formation, were observed. Necrosis was not observed in any case, nor were
      bacteria present in the pulp. CONCLUSION: Histological analysis indicated a
      favorable therapeutic effect of Emdogain(r) Gel in direct pulp capping of
      Vietnamese pigs. Pulp reaction was similar to that of MTA(r).

PMID- 26506749
TI  - The Analysis of the Risk Factors in the Arterial Switch Operation for Treatment
      of D-Transposition of the Great Arteries in One Pediatric Cardiac Center in
      Serbia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The arterial "switch" operation has been the operation of choice
      for children born with D-transposition of the great arteries (D-TGA) for more
      than 30 years in countries with developed pediatric cardiac surgery program.
      After two decades of successful treatment of these children with the atrial
      "switch" corrections (Mustard or Senning operative techniques), the arterial
      "switch"operation (ASO) had been introduced as a routine technique in one
      pediatric cardiac center in Serbia. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was the
      analysis of the identified risk factors involved with the ASO in the
      preoperative, operative and postoperative period and their impact on the survival
      of the operated children. METHODS: A retrospective nonrandomized study of 52
      operated patients with D-TGA by the ASO in the period between May 1, 2003 and
      December 31, 2011, divided into two groups. The data collection consisted of
      preoperative, operative and postoperative factors during the in-hospital stay and
      until the discharge from the hospital. Descriptive and differential statistical
      methods were used for analysis. RESULTS: Ten individual risk factors were
      identified as significant for the immediate survival of children operated with
      the ASO technique. CONCLUSION: The arterial "switch" surgical operative technique
      is a complex neonatal/young infant procedure in which the preoperative status
      carried a significant risk as well as the surgical technique itself. These
      results differ from the results published throughout the world and are a
      representation of an evolutionary process of one center in Serbia starting the
      ASO procedure.

PMID- 26506750
TI  - Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy for Cancer: Single Center Experience after 44
      Consecutive Cases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: At the Department of Minimally Invasive Upper Digestive Surgery of
      the Hospital for Digestive Surgery in Belgrade, hybrid minimally invasive
      esophagectomy (hMIE) has been a standard of care for patients with resectable
      esophageal cancer since 2009. As a next and final step in the change management,
      from January 2015 we utilized total minimally invasive esophagectomy (tMIE) as a
      standard of care. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to report initial
      experiences in hMIE (laparoscopic approach) for cancer and analyze surgical
      technique, major morbidity and 30-day mortality. METHODS: A retrospective cohort
      study included 44 patients who underwent elective hMIE for esophageal cancer at
      the Department for Minimally Invasive Upper Digestive Surgery, Hospital for
      Digestive Surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia in Belgrade from April 2009 to
      December 2014. RESULTS: There were 16 (36%) middle thoracic esophagus tumors and
      28 (64%) tumors of distal thoracic esophagus. Mean duration of the operation was
      319 minutes (approximately five hours and 20 minutes). The average blood loss was
      173.6 ml. A total of 12 (27%) of patients had postoperative complications and
      mean intensive care unit stay was 2.8 days. Mean hospital stay after surgery was
      16 days. The average number of harvested lymph nodes during surgery was 31.9. The
      overall 30-day mortality rate within 30 days after surgery was 2%. CONCLUSION: As
      long as MIE is an oncological equivalent to open esophagectomy (OE), better
      relation between cost savings and potentially increased effectiveness will make
      MIE the preferred approach in high-volume esophageal centers that are experienced
      in minimally invasive procedures.

PMID- 26506751
TI  - Severe Blunt Hepatic Trauma in Polytrauma Patient - Management and Outcome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Despite the fact that treatment of liver injuries has dramatically
      evolved, severe liver traumas in polytraumatic patients still have a significant
      morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine
      the options for surgical management of severe liver trauma as well as the
      outcome. METHODS: In this retrospective study 70 polytraumatic patients with
      severe (American Association for the Surgery of Trauma [AAST] grade III-V) blunt
      liver injuries were operated on at the Clinic for Emergency Surgery. RESULTS:
      Mean age of patients was 48.26+/-16.80 years; 82.8% of patients were male. Road
      traffic accident was the leading cause of trauma, seen in 63 patients (90.0%).
      Primary repair was performed in 36 patients (51.4%), while damage control with
      perihepatic packing was done in 34 (48.6%). Complications related to the liver
      occurred in 14 patients (20.0%). Liver related mortality was 17.1%. Non-survivors
      had a significantly higher AAST grade (p=0.0001), higher aspartate
      aminotransferase level (p=0.01), lower hemoglobin level (p=0.0001), associated
      brain injury (p=0.0001), perioperative complications (p=0.001) and higher
      transfusion score (p=0.0001). The most common cause of mortality in the "early
      period" was uncontrolled bleeding, in the "late period" mortality was caused by
      sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome. CONCLUSION: Patients with high
      grade liver trauma who present with hemorrhagic shock and associated severe
      injury should be managed operatively. Mortality from liver trauma is high for
      patients with higher AAST grade of injury, associated brain injury and massive
      transfusion score.

PMID- 26506752
TI  - [Parameters of Anaerobic Physiological Profile of Elite Athletes].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anaerobic capacity is much less evaluated in literature compared to
      aerobic component. Anaerobic performance of athletes can be measured using
      different motoric tests, lasting 20 to 30 seconds, one of them being the Wingate
      anaerobic test (WAnT). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the work
      performed and power generated by athletes and non-athletes during a 30-second
      high intensity exercise, as well as to compare explosive characteristics of
      subjects using a new parameter of WAnT, named explosive power, or slope of power.
      METHODS: All parameters of anaerobic power were investigated in 152 subjects
      classed into different groups depending on their physical fitness and sport
      specialties as follows: non-athletes (n=31), rowers (n=26), volleyball players
      (n=37), handball players (n=34) and judo players (n=24). The WAnT, as well as
      basic anthropometric measurements, was administrated to all participants.
      RESULTS: Values of anaerobic parameters were higher in the group of athletes
      compared to physically inactive subjects.The highest values of the WAnT
      parameters were registered in the group of volleyball players (AP=1 006 W;
      relative AP=11.4 W/ kg, AC=19.8 kJ), compared to athletes of other sport
      disciplines (volleyball, rowing and judo). The new parameter of the WAnT,
      explosive power, also showed highest values in volleyball players (EP=1 54 W/s;
      relative EP=1.74 W/s/kg). These differences were statistically significant
      (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of laboratory tests can provide useful
      information on improvements in training processes. The new parameter of the WAnT
      could be implemented in further analyses of explosive characteristics of muscle
      contraction.

PMID- 26506753
TI  - Influenza B Viruses in the Population of Province of Vojvodina during the
      2012/2013 Season: Differentiation of B/Yamagata and B/Victoria Lineages by Real
      time RT-PCR, Antigenic and Phylogenetic Characterization.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: At present, two phylogenetically distinct influenza B virus
      lineages, B/Yamagata and B/ Victoria, co-circulate worldwide and can cause
      significant morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to
      determine the prevalences of two influenza B virus lineages in the population of
      Vojvodina and to identify their antigenic and phylogenetic properties. METHODS: A
      total of 369 and 334 nasopharyngeal, or nasal/throat swab samples, collected
      during the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 seasons, respectively, were tested using
      specific singleplex influenza A, influenza B, influenza B/Yamagata and influenza
      B/Victoria real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)
      assays. Antigenic and genetic testing were done by hemagglutination inhibition
      assay and hemagglutinin and neuraminidase gene sequence analysis, respectively.
      RESULTS: During the 2012/2013 season, influenza B viruses were present in 53.4%
      (101/189) of influenza positive samples.The B/Yamagata-like viruses (81.2%)
      significantly predominated over the B/Victoria-like viruses (18.8%). Comparing to
      B/Victoria-like positive patients, among B/Yamagata-like positive patients,
      children 5-14 years of age were significantly more represented (5.3% vs. 35.4%,
      respectively), as well as patients with mild form of illness (15.8% vs. 45.1%,
      respectively). The results of sequence analysis and antigenic testing showed that
      tested viruses were not closely related to B/Wisconsin/1/2010, the vaccine virus
      for 2012/2013. During the 2013/2014 season influenza B viruses were not detected.
      CONCLUSION: The results of this study confirmed the health significance of
      influenza B viruses and indicated that B/Yamagata-like viruses were significantly
      more prevalent than B/Victoria lineage viruses, during the 2012/2013 season. They
      also showed a sub-optimal match between the tested viruses and the vaccine virus
      for season 2012/2013.

PMID- 26506754
TI  - [Toxoplasmosis and Pregnancy: Reliability of Internet Sources of Information].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Health education of women of childbearing age has been shown to be
      an acceptable approach to the prevention of toxoplasmosis, the most frequent
      congenitally transmitted parasitic infection. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study
      was to evaluate the Internet as a source of health education on toxoplasmosis in
      pregnancy. METHODS: A group of 100 pregnant women examined in the National
      Reference Laboratory for Toxoplasmosis was surveyed by a questionnaire on the
      source of their information on toxoplasmosis. We also analyzed information
      offered by websites in the Serbian and Croatian languages through the Google
      search engine, using "toxoplasmosis" as a keyword. The 23 top websites were
      evaluated for comprehensiveness and accuracy of information on the impact of
      toxoplasmosis on the course of pregnancy, diagnosis and prevention. RESULTS:
      Having knowledge on toxoplasmosis was confirmed by 64 (64.0%) examined women,
      40.6% (26/64) of whom learned about toxoplasmosis through the Internet, 48.4%
      from physicians, and 10.9% from friends. Increase in the degree of education was
      found to be associated with the probability that pregnant women would be informed
      via the Internet (RR=3.15, 95% CI=1.27-7.82, p=0.013). Analysis of four
      interactive websites (allowing users to ask questions) showed that routes of
      infection were the most common concern, particularly the risk presented by pet
      cats and dogs, followed by the diagnosis of infection (who and when should be
      tested, and how should the results be interpreted). Of 20 sites containing
      educational articles, only seven were authorized and two listed sources.
      Evaluation confirmed that information relevant to pregnant women was
      significantly more accurate than comprehensive, but no site gave both
      comprehensive and completely accurate information. Only four sites (20%) were
      good sources of information for pregnant women. CONCLUSION: Internet has proved
      itself as an important source of information. However, despite numerous websites,
      only a few offer reliable information to the Serbian (or Croat) speaking
      community, and none present complete and accurate information relevant to
      pregnant women.

PMID- 26506755
TI  - Astasia-Abasia and Ganser Syndrome in a Preadolescent Girl: A Case Report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Astasia is the inability to maintain an upright body position
      without assistance in the absence of motor weakness or sensory loss. Abasia is
      described as the inability to walk or as uncoordinated walking, while preserving
      mobility of the lower limbs. Ganser syndrome is described as a dissociative
      disorder characterized by approximate answers, somatic conversion symptoms,
      clouding of consciousness, as well as visual and auditory pseudohallucinations.
      The aim of this study is to present a case that seemed like a combination of
      neurological and internal disturbances, but actually represented a psychogenic
      disorder. CASE OUTLINE: This paper presents the case of a 13-year-old patient
      with the first manifestation of the inability to walk and stand. Medical history,
      diagnostic instruments and differential diagnostic methods have been presented in
      detail. The clinical manifestation was initially interpreted as a neurological
      disorder. However, after the application of diagnostic procedures and a change in
      family circumstances, the patient was diagnosed with a psychogenic movement
      disorder, astasia-abasia, with progressive clinical presentation that included
      dissociative psychotic reactions (Ganser syndrome). Differential diagnosis as
      well as the elements of the therapeutic approach have been discussed. CONCLUSION:
      Presenting a case of psychogenic astasia-abasia in children contributes to a
      better understanding and differentiating between conditions with a clinical
      presentation of signs and symptoms dealt with by other branches of medicine.

PMID- 26506756
TI  - Unilateral Adie's Tonic Pupil and Viral Hepatitis - Report of Two Cases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Adie's (tonic) pupil is a neuro-ophthalmological disorder
      characterized by a tonically dilated pupil, which is unresponsive to light. It is
      caused by damage to postganglionic fibers of the parasympathetic innervation of
      the eye, usually by a viral.or bacterial infection. Adie's syndrome includes
      diminished deep tendon reflexes. OUTLINE OF CASES: We report data of a 59-year
      old female with unequal pupil sizes. She complained of blurred vision and
      headache mainly while reading. She had a 35-year history of hepatitis B and liver
      cirrhosis. On exam, left pupil was mydriatic and there was no response to light
      and at slit lamp we saw segments of the sphincter constrict. We performed 0.125%
      pilocarpine test and there was a remarkable reduction of size in the left pupil.
      The second case is a 55-year-old female who was referred to the University Eye
      Clinic because of a headache and mydriatic left pupil. She had diabetes mellitus
      type 2, as well as hepatitis A virus 20 years earlier. On exam, the left pupil
      was mydriatic, with no response to light. Test with diluted pilocarpine was
      positive. Neurological examinations revealed no abnormality in either case so we
      excluded Adie's syndrome. CONCLUSION: Adie's tonic pupil is benign neuro
      ophthalmological disorder of unknown etiology. Most patients commonly present no
      symptoms and anisocoria is noticed accidentally. Although the etiology is
      unknown, there are some conditions that cause tonic pupil. It may be a part of a
      syndrome in which tonic pupil is associated with absent deep tendon reflexes.

PMID- 26506757
TI  - The Lipomatosis of the Parapharyngeal and Retropharyngeal Space: A Case Report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lipomas are the most common benign mesenchymal tumors, which
      account for almost 50% of all soft-tissue tumors. CASE OUTLINE: The case of a 75
      year-old patient with a slow growing lesion of para- and retropharyngeal space
      was reported. The patient was suffering from progressive dysphagia, respiratory
      obstruction and sleep apnea. CONCLUSION: An external surgical approach is the
      treatment of choice. Etiology, differential diagnosis and therapy of head and
      neck lipomas has been discussed.

PMID- 26506758
TI  - Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumours of the Respiratory Tract: A Series of Three
      Cases with Varying Clinical Presentations and Treatment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor in the respiratory system is a
      rare and controversial disease. It is macroscopically well-circumscribed, non
      encapsulated, firm and usually a yellowish-white mass. Histologically it is
      composed of the following spindled and inflammatory cells: lymphocytes, plasma
      cells, and histiocytes, including Touton type multinucleated giant cells. CASE
      OUTLINE: The series included a 49-year-old man with a tracheal inflammatory
      myofibroblastic tumor who complained of hoarseness; a 42-year-old man who was
      coughing and had a blood-stained sputum, and inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor
      was in the right main and intermediate bronchus; and a 32-year-old man with chest
      pain and inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor as a solitary peripheral nodule in
      the left lower lobe. In all the cases, the tumor was resected bronchoscopically
      and surgically. CONCLUSION: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the lung and
      the trachea is rare. Complete resection, when possible, should be the choice of
      treatment. After the complete removal, prognosis is generally excellent and
      recurrences are rare.

PMID- 26506759
TI  - Hybrid Procedure for a Descending Thoracic and Subclavian Artery Aneurysm in a
      Patient with Previous Abdominal Aortic Surgery: Case Report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hybrid procedures represent staged or simultaneous endovascular and
      open surgical techniques in the treatment of complex pathologies of the thoracic
      and abdominal aorta. We are presenting a patient with previous abdominal aortic
      surgery in whom hybrid vascular procedure for descending aorta and left
      subclavian artery aneurysm was performed. CASE OUTLINE: A 63-year-old female
      patient was admitted for computed tomography angiography. Descending aorta
      aneurysm (7.6 cm) as well as aneurysm of the left subclavian artery (LSA) was
      noted. Eight years ago she underwent abdominal aortic aneurysm resection and
      aortoiliac bypass. Standard TEVAR (thoracic endovascular aortic repair) procedure
      couldn't be done due to small dimensions of previous "Y" graft (12x6 mm), so
      first we did LSA transposition and after three days hybrid procedure. After "Y"
      graft exposure, anastomosis between the corps of "Y" graft and tubular graft 10
      mm was created and through this conduit thoracic stent-graft was placed followed
      by complete "Y"graft replacement. After 6 months angiography showed regular
      postoperative findings. CONCLUSION: Combined surgical and endovascular procedures
      in thoracic aorta pathology treatment could be useful solutions with favorable
      outcome.

PMID- 26506760
TI  - Anaphylaxis on Graft Reperfusion during Orthotopic Liver Transplantation: A Case
      Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hemodynamic instability is a common occurrence during liver
      transplantation (LT). Hypotension and hemodynamic instability during graft
      reperfusion are most commonly consequences of the postreperfusion syndrome (PRS).
      CASE OUTLINE: In this report, we present a case of severe cardiovascular collapse
      leading to cardiac arrest which occurred in the course of graft reperfusion
      during LT. Persistent hypotension, non-responsive to regular measures such as
      volume filling and the use of vasopressors, yielded the question of whether other
      mechanisms were involved in causing it. Diffuse redness of the face and body,
      swelling of the face, lips and tongue with tongue prolapse, accompanied with
      severe cardiovascular collapse indicated that it was an anaphylactic reaction.
      This caused a dilemma as to what instigated the reaction. The trigger may have
      been the pharmacological substance administered during the graft reperfusion, or
      the one administered immediately prior to the reperfusion.The substances in
      question would most likely be either the University of Wisconsin preservation
      solution (UW), which was administered during the reperfusion, or Hepatect, which
      the patient received immediately prior to reperfusion. CONCLUSION: The clinical
      syndrome resulting from degranulation of mast cells and basophils in anaphylaxis
      is very similar to the PRS in LT. Clinical features play the most important role
      in establishing a timely diagnosis and early treatment of anaphylaxis. Swift
      administration of epinephrine reduces the chances of a fatal outcome. Better
      information on both donor and recipient can improve the efficiency of therapy and
      prophylaxis for anaphylaxis.

PMID- 26506761
TI  - Isolated Fallopian Tube Torsion - A Challenge for the Timely Diagnosis and
      Treatment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Isolated torsion of the fallopian tube is a rare cause of acute
      lower abdominal pain and infrequent indication for surgical treatment. CASE
      OUTLINE: A 16-year-old girl was referred to the hospital due to the non-specific
      symptoms over period of a few months and pain acutization in the right
      infraumbilical region lasting for two days. Complete laboratory analyses were
      normal. Ultrasound examination revealed a round mass (23x14 mm) within the right
      fallopian tube with color Doppler whirlpool sign, normal ovary, and a simple
      ipsilateral paratubal cyst (50x40 mm). Laparoscopy showed a dilated and two times
      torquated right fallopian tube, as well as signs of chronic appendicitis. The
      tube was twisted about its longitudinal axis and it was livid, but not
      gangrenous. After appendectomy, fallopian tube was detorquated, cyst extracted
      and preservation of the tube was performed. Postoperatively, antibiotic therapy
      was administered based on antibiogram. On follow-up examinations within the next
      four months postoperative course was uneventful. CONCLUSION: Since there are no
      pathognomonic symptoms, clinical or laboratory findings, diagnosis of this
      condition is challenging. Familiarity with Doppler whirlpool sign can enable a
      timely diagnosis and treatment of isolated fallopian tube torsions. However, the
      diagnosis is rarely made before operation. Unlike in our case, surgery is often
      performed too late, and delay of intervention may result in failure to save the
      fallopian tube.

PMID- 26506762
TI  - Streptococcal Necrotizing Fasciitis with Toxic Shock Syndrome and Rapid Fatal
      Outcome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Streptococcal necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a serious soft tissue
      infection with rapid progression of inflammatory process among superficial or
      deep fascia, systemic host response to infection leading to toxic shock syndrome
      (TSS), and multiple organ failure. Lethality is high. CASE OUTLINE: A 46-year-old
      male without co-morbidities was admitted to the Emergency Department with
      redness, swelling and pain on his right lower leg. He became sick two days
      earlier with malaise, chills and shivering. On admission he was hypotensive,
      anuric, with erythematous rash on his face, neck and chest, with acute renal
      failure and elevated creatine phosphokinase level. During the next several hours,
      the changes on his right lower leg rapidly spread to the whole leg, followed by
      skin destruction and subcutaneous bleeding, indicating NF. Aggressive
      antimicrobial, supportive and symptomatic therapy was initiated immediately and
      on the same evening surgical intervention was performed. Despite these measures,
      a rapid development of severe TSS, with lethal outcome, occurred in less than 40
      hours after the admission. Streptococcus pyogenes (group A beta-hemolytic
      Streptococcus) was isolated from the throat, skin and tissue obtained during the
      surgery. CONCLUSION: Necrotizing fasciitis is a very serious disease with
      unpredictable course. For that reason doctors must devote a great deal of
      attention to early, i.e. timely diagnosis of this disease, whose treatment with a
      multidisciplinary approach is very important.

PMID- 26506763
TI  - Techniques of the Tympanomastoidectomy with Reconstruction of the Posterior Bone
      Wall of the External Auditory Canal.
AB  - A combined tympanoplasty method, the mobile-bridge tympanoplasty, has been
      applied at the Clinic for Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases in Novi Sad since 1998.
      Mobile-bridge tympanoplasty is performed at our Clinic by applying Feldmann's
      procedure utilizing a microsurgical oscillating saw. It is a combination of
      closed and open techniques for surgical treatment of middle ear diseases. In
      addition to this technique, a method for reconstruction of the posterior bone
      wall of the external auditory canal was introduced. This procedure is applied in
      cases of damage or impairment of the bony ear canal wall using mastoid cortical
      temporal bone graft or modeled cartilage of the concha. Maintenance of general
      anatomical relations in the middle ear enables good ventilation of pneumatic
      spaces of the middle ear and Eustachian tube permeability, thus providing good
      conditions for ossicular chain reconstruction. The incidence of recurrent
      cholesteatoma in combined mobile-bridge tympanoplasty and tympanoplasty with
      reconstruction of the posterior bone wall was 6% in total. The incidence values
      for the recurrent cholesteatoma in closed tympanoplasty and in cases of open
      techniques were 10%. Mobile-bridge tympanoplasty and reconstruction of the
      posterior bone wall of external auditory canal are methods of choice in surgical
      treatment of middle ear cholesteatoma that progressed to the attic space, sinus
      tympani and facial recess.

PMID- 26506764
TI  - [The Stem-Cell Application in Ischemic Heart Disease: Basic Principles, Specifics
      and Practical Experience from Clinical Studies].
AB  - Longer life duration, different clinical presentations of coronary disease, as
      well as high incidence of comorbidity in patients with ischemic heart disease
      have led to an increase in the incidence of ischemic heart failure. Despite
      numerous and new treatment methods that act on different pathophysiological
      mechanisms that cause heart failure, and whose aim is to slowdown or stop the
      progression of this devastating disease, morbidity and mortality in these
      patients remain high. These facts have firstly led to the introduction of the
      experimental, and then clinical studies with the application of stem cells in
      patients with ischemic heart disease. Previous studies have shown that the
      application of stem cells is a feasible and safe method in patients with acute
      coronary syndrome, as well as in patients with chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy,
      but the efficacy of these methods in both of the abovementioned clinical
      syndromes has yet to be established.This review paper outlines the basic
      principles of treatment of ischemic heart disease with stem cells, as well as the
      experience and knowledge gained in previous clinical studies.

PMID- 26506765
TI  - Multiple Sharp Force Injuries to the Head - The Crime of Passion.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Institute of Forensic Medicine was founded by Professor Milovan
      Milovanovid (1884-1948) in 1923 as part of School of Medicine of the University
      of Belgrade, and also established the Institute's forensic collection worthy of a
      museum.This paper illustrates the way Professor Milovanovie made this collection
      into a teaching aid for student education. We present a case of crime of passion
      from the year 1931, from our Institute's collection. CASE OUTLINE: The victim was
      a 30-year-old woman with multiple stab wounds of the head, neck and arms. It was
      noted in the case history that the deceased woman was a maid with a wealthy
      merchant, as well as that she had "dubious morals" for that time, with three
      wooers at the same time. Injuries to the forearms and the index finger prove that
      the victim tried to defend herself. In the autopsy record there is a drawn figure
      of a kitchen knife with a rounded blade tip, which explains the absence of stab
      wounds to the skull, and the presence of the impression skull fractures and
      crushed skull bones. It was concluded that the death occurred due to
      exsanguination, in turn due to transection of the left carotid artery, probably
      caused by sharp force, while the manner of death was homicide. Some of the most
      prominent autopsy findings were multiple mutilating overkill sharp force
      injuries, localized on the head, indicated sexually motivated murder. CONCLUSION:
      Combining the museum specimen, diagrams with injuries, drawn figure of the
      kitchen knife used, and photographs taken during the autopsy and the police
      investigation, Professor Milovanovie was able to properly illustrate this
      intriguing case to students without a computer or a PowerPoint presentation.

PMID- 26506766
TI  - Benefits of Student-Centered Tandem Teaching in Medical English.
AB  - This paper addresses some of the key notions about English for special purposes
      with special regard to English for medical purposes. The content was determined
      by observations and based on authors' professional experience. The starting point
      of a medical English course is a thorough analysis of students' needs, which is
      then used in course design and definition of appropriate learning goals. The
      student is at the center of learning and it is necessary to establish a positive
      cooperation between students and teachers. As medical English course is highly
      context-based, the inclusion of medical teachers can offer many opportunities for
      a successful learning process.

PMID- 26506767
TI  - [Work environments and mortality attributable to smoking: a study among male
      citizens from 2010 to 2012 in Tianjin, China].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the mortality attributable to smoking in different work
      environments among male citizens in Tianjin, China, and to provide scientific
      evidence for banning smoking in workplaces and public places. METHODS: The data
      of 38 312 male deaths 18-69 years of age in Tianjin from 2010 to 2012 were
      collected. The risk of death due to lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases
      attributed to smoking in different work environments was analyzed. RESULTS: Among
      the male deaths 18-69 years of age in Tianjin, 22.57% were caused by smoking, and
      the life scan of smokers was shortened by 5 years on average. The smokers who
      started smoking at an early age and had high dialy cigarette consumption were at
      high risk of death.The risk of death due to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular
      diseases among workers in indoor workshop(OR=1.82,95%CI: 1.55 2.15), indoor
      office personnel (OR=1.59, 95%CI: 1.39-1.81) Indoor public places (OR=1 .55,
      95%U: 1.19 2.01) were higher than outdoor workers (OR=1.23,95%CI: 1.12-1.35). The
      risk of death due to lung cancer among workers in indoor workshop (OR =3.80,95%
      CI: 3.03-4.76), indoor office personnel (OR =3.04,95% CI: 2.48-3.73) Indoor
      public places (OR =4.63,95% CI:3.08-6.96)were higher than outdoor workers (OR
      2.57,95% CI:2.22-2.97). The risk of death due to lung cancer and cardiovascular
      diseases among indoor workers was higher than that among outdoor workers. The
      risk of death due to lung cancer among indoor workers in public places who
      started smoking when they were younger than 18 years of age was higher than those
      among outdoor workers and other indoor workers. CONCLUSION: Smoking is a major
      risk factor for mortality among male citizens in Tianjin, and also a key factor
      for the loss of labor productivity. Indoor workers have a higher risk of
      mortality than outdoor workers. In order to reduce the mortality attributable to
      smoking, effective actions should be taken as soon as possible to ban smoking in
      indoor workplaces.

PMID- 26506768
TI  - [Impact of work-related musculoskeletal disorders on work ability among workers].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs)
      on work ability among workers. METHODS: A total of 1686 workers in various
      occupations, such as administration and education, were enrolled as subjects
      using the random cluster sampling method. The WRMDs and work ability of all
      subjects were evaluated using standardized Nordic questionnaires for the analysis
      of musculoskeletal symptoms and the Work Ability Index (WAI) scale, respectively.
      Comparison of work ability and its classification between the disease group and
      the non-disease group was performed by paired t test, RxC table chi2 test, and
      the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The relationship between work duration and work
      ability was analyzed by the Spearman correlation test and a multi-level model.
      RESULTS: (1). The work ability of workers in the disease group was significantly
      lower than that in the non-disease group (P<0.0 1). (2) There were significant
      differences in work ability between workers with different work durations (<10
      years, 10-20 years, and >=20 years) (F=22.124, P< 0.01). With the increase in
      work duration, the work ability of workers declined in both groups, and the work
      ability of workers in the disease group (Spearman coefficient rs=-0. 172, P<0.01)
      had a more significant decline than that in the non-disease group (Spearman
      coefficient rs=-0.104, P<0.01). WRMDs were important risk factors for the
      decrease in work ability among workers. (3) There were significant differences in
      constituent ratios and levels of work ability classification between the disease
      group and the non-disease group (chi2=121.097, P<0.01; Z=-10.699, P<0.01). The
      proportions of workers with poor and medium work ability in the disease group
      were significantly higher than those in the non-disease group, while the
      proportion of works with excellent work ability in the disease group was
      significantly lower than that in the non-disease group. The similar
      characteristics in constituent ratios and levels of work ability classification
      could be found between the disease group and the non- disease group in various
      occupations (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: WRMDs have a harmful effect on the work ability
      of workers, and the work ability of workers substantially declines with the
      increase in exposure time (work duration).

PMID- 26506769
TI  - [A study of divalent metal transporter 1 and ferroportin 1 in brain of rats with
      manganese-induced parkinsonism].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the changes in the expression of divalent metal transporter 1
      (DMT1) and ferroportin 1 (FP1) in the substantia nigra (SN) of rats with
      manganese-induced parkinsonism. METHODS: Eighty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly
      divided into four groups. Rats in the control group were injected
      intraperitoneally with saline solution. Rats in the low-dose, medium-dose, and
      high-dose groups were injected intraperitoneally with 5, 15, and 20 mg/kg MnC12
      solution, respectively, for 16 weeks. Three behavioral tests were performed at
      the 16th week. The concentration of Mn2+ in the SN was determined by inductively
      coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), and the positive
      expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was measured by immunohistochemical
      staining to determine whether rats with manganese-induced parkinsonism were
      successfully produced. The expression of DMT1 and FP1 in SN was measured by
      immunohistochemical staining and fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction. RESULTS: Rats with manganese-induced parkinsonism were successfully
      produced using the above method. Compared with that in the control group, the
      concentrations of Mn2+ in the SN of rats exposed to 5, 15, and 20 mg/kg Mn2+ were
      significantly higher (1.72?0.33 vs 0.56 +/- 0.20 ug/g, P<0.01; 2.92+/-0.77 vs
      0.56+/-0.20 ug/g, P<0.01; 5.65+/-1.60 vs 0.56+/-0.20 ug/g, P<0.01). The mean ODs
      of TH-positive cells in the SN of rats exposed to 5, 15, and 20 mg/kg Mn+ were
      significantly lower than that in the control group (0.054+/-0.008 vs 0.109+/
      0.019, P<0.01; 0.016+/-0.004 vs 0.109+/-0.019, P<0.01; 0.003+/-0.001 vs 0.109+/
      0.019, P<0.01). Compared with that in the control group, the mean optical
      densities (ODs) of DMT1-positive cells in the SN of rats exposed to 15, and 20
      mg/kg Mn2+ were significantly higher (0.062+/-0.004 vs 0.015+/-0.007, P<0.01;
      0.116+/-0.064 vs 0.015+/-0.007, P<0.01). The mean ODs of FP1-positive cells in
      the SN of rats exposed to 5, 15, and 20 mg/kg Mn2+ were significantly lower than
      that in the control group (0.092+/-0.011 vs 0.306+/-0.081, P<0.01; 0.048+/-0.008
      vs 0.306+/-0.081, P<0.01; 0.008+/-0.002 vs 0.306+/-0.081, P< 0.01). Rats exposed
      to 15 and 20 mg/kg Mn2+ had significantly higher expression of DMT1 mRNA in the
      SN than those in the control group (0.052+/-0.0126 vs 0.001+/-0.0004, P<0.05;
      0.124+/-0.0299 vs 0.001+/-0.0004, P<0.05). However, rats exposed to 5, 15, and 20
      mg/kg Mn2 had significantly lower expression of FP1 mRNA in the SN than those in
      the control group (0.059+/-0.0076 vs 0.162+/-0.0463, P<0.05; 0.033+/-0.0094 vs
      0.162+/-0.0463, P< 0.05; 0.002+/-0.0007 vs 0.162+/-0.0463, P<0.05). CONCLUSION:
      The increased expression of DMT1 and reduced expression of FP1 may be involved in
      the processes of Mn2+ accumulation in the SN and dopaminergic neuron loss in rats
      with manganese-induced parkinsonism.

PMID- 26506770
TI  - [Investigation of current cognition of occupational exposure to HIV in healthcare
      workers in Liuzhou, China].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current cognition of occupational exposure to human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the personal occupational protection awareness
      in healthcare workers in Liuzhou, China. METHODS: A total of 270 healthcare
      workers were selected from 10 hospitals in Liuzhou by stratified random sampling
      for a cross-sectional study. And a self-administered questionnaire of
      occupational exposure to HIV was designed to conduct a survey. The descriptive
      analysis of data was carried out by Excel. And a logistic regression analysis was
      done to analyze the effects of different factors on healthcare workers' cognition
      of occupational exposure to HIV using the statistical analysis software SPSS
      19.0. RESULTS: A total of 260 usable questionnaires (96.3%) were returned. Among
      them, 220 healthcare workers (84.6%) had received the trainings on occupational
      exposure to HIV; 223 healthcare wofkers (85.8%) were aware of the rules and
      regulations on prevention of occupational exposure to HIV and the operation
      procedures in their hospitals. The healthcare workers who had not received the
      trainings or had not known the rules and regulations and the operation procedures
      were mainly from primary or secondary hospitals. A total of 106 healthcare
      workers (40.8%) had directly contacted patients' blood or body fluids; 154
      healthcare workers (59.2%) were injured by sharp instruments, and most were
      hollow needle stick injuries (98/154, 63.6%). A total of 168 healthcare workers
      (68.08%) had better cognitive awareness of occupational exposure to HIV, and 76
      healthcare workers (29.2%) had moderate cognitive awareness. Some healthcare
      workers had poor knowledge in the common sense of AIDS/HIV and occupational
      exposure to HIV, the personal protection awareness of occupational exposure, or
      the disposal measures after occupational exposure. The univariate analysis using
      chi-square test showed that occupation and professional title were significantly
      correlated with the cognition (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression
      analysis showed that the doctors (OR3.8; P<0.05), nurses (OR3.04, P<0.05), and
      laboratory technicians (OR=9.51, P<0.05) had better awareness compared with the
      others. The healthcare workers with a primary or lower professional title had
      poorer awareness compared with the healthcare workers with a higher professional
      title (OR=0.47, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Healthcare workers have the risk of
      occupational exposure to HIT. They do not have comprehensive and systematic
      knowledge related to occupational exposure to HIV, and they have a high demand
      for training.

PMID- 26506771
TI  - [Development of knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire on prevention and
      control of occupational diseases].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop the knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire on the
      prevention and control of occupational diseases for occupational groups, and to
      provide a convenient and effective tool for the survey of knowledge, attitude,
      and behavior on the prevention and control of occupational diseases in
      occupational groups and the evaluation of intervention effect. METHODS: The
      initial questionnaire which was evaluated by the experts was used to carry out a
      pre-survey in Guangzhou, China. The survey results were statistically analyzed by
      t test, identification index method, correlation analysis, and Cronbach's a
      coefficient method. And then the questionnaire was further modified, and the
      content of the questionnaire was determined finally. RESULTS: After modification,
      there were 18 items on knowledge, 16 items on attitude, and 12 items on behavior
      in the "Knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire on the prevention and
      control of occupational diseases for enterprise managers"; there were 19 items on
      knowledge, 10 items on attitude, and 11 items on behavior in the "Knowledge,
      attitude and practice questionnaire on the prevention and control of occupational
      diseases for workers". CONCLUSION: The knowledge, attitude and practice
      questionnaire on the prevention and control of occupational diseases for
      occupational groups is developed successfully, and it is a convenient and
      effective tool for the survey of knowledge, attitude, and behavior on the
      prevention and control of occupational diseases in occupational groups and the
      evaluation of intervention effect.

PMID- 26506772
TI  - [Epidemiological analysis of heat stroke from 2009 to 2013 in Wuhan, China].

PMID- 26506773
TI  - [Analysis of risk factors for hypertension among taxi drivers on different
      shifts].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and risk factors for hypertension among
      taxi drivers working different shifts. METHODS: Using the cluster sampling
      method, 415 day-shift and 304 night-shift taxi drivers in Jinan, China were
      selected and investigated. The influencing factors for hypertension were
      analyzed. RESULTS: The incidence of hypertension in all taxi drivers was 33.2%.
      The incidence of hypertension in night-shift drivers was significantly higher
      than that in day-shift drivers (37.8% vs 29.9%, P<0.05). According to
      multivariate analysis, the incidence of hypertension in day-shift drivers was
      closely related to body mass index (BMI), working years, working hours, sleep
      duration, rest days, diet quality, water intake, and smoking, while the incidence
      of hypertension in night-shift drivers was closely related to BMI, working years,
      working hours, part-time job, sleep duration, rest days, and drinking.
      CONCLUSION: BMI, working years, and working hours are the common risk factors for
      hypertension in day-shift and night-shift drivers. Sleep duration and rest days
      are the common protective factors. The risk factors for hypertension in taxi
      drivers vary with different shifts.

PMID- 26506774
TI  - [Survey of occupational health condition in a shipyard in Guangzhou, China].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the occupational health condition in a shipyard in
      Guangzhou, China, and to provide a basis for improving the working environment.
      METHODS: The monitoring data on occupational harmful factors in the workplace and
      the data on health examination of the workers were analyzed, and the occupational
      health condition in the shipyard was evaluated with the related occupational
      health standards. RESULTS: Except benzene, toluene, and electromagnetic
      radiation, the dust (2.02%), grinding wheel dust (3.85%), wood dust (2 out of 4
      workers exceeded the standard), welding fume (16.85%), manganese dioxide
      (17.98%), dimethylbenzene (8.00%), and noise (53.20%) were all out of limits to
      different degrees. The health examination results of 2450 workers in the shipyard
      showed that the respiratory impairment of dust-exposed workers (3.19%) and the
      hearing impairment of noise-exposed workers (12.21%) were comparatively severe.
      CONCLUSION: The occupational health condition in this shipyard is not good. In
      order to protect the workers from health hazards, it is urgent and necessary to
      improve the working environment and strengthen the personal protective measures.

PMID- 26506775
TI  - [Analysis of the control effect of peer support for electrical workers with
      hypertension disease].

PMID- 26506776
TI  - [The influence of dichloromethane on oxidotive stress in mouse liver].

PMID- 26506777
TI  - [Effect of noise on antioxidant capacity of brain tissue in guinea pigs].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of noise on the antioxidant capacity in
      different regions of brain tissue in guinea pigs. METHODS: Thirty male white red
      eye guinea pigs were equally and randomly divided into five groups: 1-, 3-, 7-,
      and 14-day groups after noise exposure and control group. The guinea pigs of the
      experimental groups were exposed to steady white noise with a sound pressure
      level at 100 dB for 8 h per day and for 2 consecutive days. The auditory
      brainstem response (ABR) of guinea pigs, as well as the glutathione (GSH) level,
      methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA) level, and superoxide dismutase (SOD)
      activity in the cerebrum, cerebellum, and hippocampus, was determined prior to
      and 1, 3, 7, and 14 days after noise exposure. RESULTS: After noise exposure, the
      shifts in ABR threshold of the experimental groups were significantly higher than
      that of the control group (P<0.05). Compared with those in the control group, the
      SOD activity and GSH level both significantly decreased in the cerebrum tissue of
      each experimental group after noise exposure (P<0.05) and MDA content
      significantly increased in the 1-day group (P<0.05). As for cerebellum tissue,
      the SOD activity and GSH level in the 7-day group were significantly lower than
      those in the control group (P<0.05), but there was no difference in MDA level
      between each experimental group and the control group (P>0.05). In comparison
      with those in the control group, the GSH and MDA levels in the 1-day group after
      noise exposure were significantly higher, and the GSH and MDA levels in the 3-day
      group and the MDA level in the 7-day group after noise exposure were
      significantly lower (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Noise exposure can lead to hearing
      loss and affect the antioxidant capacity of brain tissue, which indicates that
      the improvement in antioxidant levels may alleviate noise-induced damage.

PMID- 26506778
TI  - [Clinical analysis of Ginkgo biloba injection combined with traditional therapy
      in treatment of explosive deafness].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of Ginkgo biloba injection
      combined with traditional therapy in the treatment of explosive deafness.
      METHODS: Fifty-six (98 ears) participants who were all coal miners were selected.
      These patients were diagnosed with explosive deafness. and admitted to the
      otolaryngology department of our hospital from May 2010 to October 2013. They
      were.equally divided into control group and treatment group according to the
      therapeutic method. The patients in the control group only received traditional
      therapy, such as hyperbaric oxygen, while the patients in the treatment group
      were given Ginkgo biloba injection in addition to the therapy for the control
      group. The improvement in hearing was recorded and compared between the two
      groups. RESULTS: The rate of improvement in tinnitus symptom in the treatment
      group was 78.0% (32/41), significantly higher than that in the control group
      (55.6%, 25/45) (chi2=4.857, P<0.05); compared with the treatment group (93.5%,
      43/46), the control group had a significant lower overall response rate at 76.9%
      (40/52) (chi2=5.160, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with traditional therapy
      alone, combined ginkgo biloba extract injection and traditional therapy can
      significantly improve tinnitus symptom and overall response rate in the treatment
      of explosive deafness in coal miners, which suggests that the combination therapy
      is worthy of clinical application.

PMID- 26506779
TI  - [Application of arthroscopic technique in knee osteoarthritis of oil field mine
      workers].

PMID- 26506780
TI  - [Clinical observation of using integrative medicine to treat 58 cases cement mill
      workers with pneumoconiosis].

PMID- 26506781
TI  - [Analysis of eye ultrasonography in patients with trinitrotoluene cataract].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of ultrasonography for
      trinitrotoluene (TNT) cataract. METHODS: The morphology and internal echoes of 90
      lenses of 45 TNT cataract patients and 120 lenses of 60 healthy adults were
      observed and compared using ultrasonography and slit lamp, and the hemodynamic
      parameters of the post-ophthalmic artery were also measured. The findings of the
      slit-lamp microscope were regarded as diagnostic criteria, and the sensitivity,
      specificity, and accordance rate of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of TNT
      cataract were calculated. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, and accordance
      rate of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of TNT cataract were 93.33%, 100.00%,
      and 97.14%, respectively; the positive and negative predictive values were 100%
      and 95.23%, respectively; the positive and negative likelihood ratios were 93.33
      and 0.67, especuvey. With the progression TNT cataract, utrasonography showed
      that the lenses demonstrated morphological changes (spindle-shaped, spherical,
      and discoid morphologies), and the arc echoes of the posterior capsule were
      thickened and enhanced. The TNT cataract patients showed significantly lower peak
      systolic velocity and end-diastolic velocity of the ophthalmic artery (OA) and
      central retinal artery (P<0.01) and a significantly higher resistance index
      (P<0.05) than the healthy adults. CONCLUSION: The sensitivity of ultrasonography
      in the diagnosis of TNT cataract is similar to that of slit lamp. Ultrasonography
      can demonstrate objectively the shape, range, and degree of lens opacity in an
      efficient manner, which is conducive to the diagnosis and staging of TNT cataract
      by slit lamp, and can also provide hemodynamic information of the OA, thus
      providing new ideas for clinical physicians in evaluating the disease and
      clinical efficacy as well as exploring therapies.

PMID- 26506782
TI  - [The successful treatment of children by paraquat poisoning].